Natalie and Melody walked through the forest. Natalie looked straight ahead as they walked, Melody following confusedly in her wake.
"What are we doing, Natalie?" said Melody as she walked away from her love, wishing she could have stayed behind.
"You need to stay here for a second," said Natalie, stopping. "I need to check something out before you come with me."
"Are you kidding me?! Natalie, we are partners. We go together." Melody glared in defiance as Natalie looked back at her. Melody noticed the sadness on the edges of Natalie's eyes as she looked at her. "What is it? I can help." she said worriedly.
"For once, you can't. Please, could you stay here for a second?" Melody slowly nodded. Natalie handed Melody a letter. "Give her this."
"Who?" Melody was beyond confused now. Natalie just walked on, not looking behind her.
"You'll know."
A time change later found Melody sitting alone against a door in the forest, bored out of her mind. She gazed at the colors running across the sky. She had to admit, it did look pretty. Closing her eyes, she daydreamed about her family. They weren't her real family, but they were close enough. Oh, how she missed them...
Something brushed against her nose, causing her to sneeze.
"How adorable~! You have a cute little sneeze to go with your cute little ears and tail~!" a voice squealed happily, "Not as good as mine of course, but good nonetheless."
Melody jumped to her face, swinging 'round to face the intruder. She saw a girl laying on the tree branch right above where she was. She wore all back, a black shaggy tail swinging where her face was seconds before. Two black ears stuck out of her shoulder length hair of the same color. She had a few piercings in each ear that shone silver. She had her eyes closed, looking as if she were asleep. The girl seemed to look quite content, even though she looked like she was going to a funeral.
"Who are you?" Melody asked. The girl smirked.
"I'm attractive." Melody groaned at the response.
"You know what, I don't care. I need to get to Natalie." Melody ran off in the direction Natalie went. After passing no more than five doors, she saw the same girl sitting against a door, her red eyes staring at her as she got closer.
"I told you I'm attractive. Look how I got you to come right to me." The girl watched as Melody just walked on forward, not even breaking stride.
"You know," said the girl, in front of Melody again, "You are going the wrong way."
Melody finally stopped, and glared at the girl. "What is your name?"
The girl groaned. "Wrong question! But if you must know," the girl said with an eye roll, "it's Layla."
"Thank you!" said Melody, now happy. "Ok, so which way's the right direction?"
Layla smirked as she turned a corner, disappearing behind a tree. "Every way's the right way, except for the left way."
Melody giggled. "Do you always speak in riddles?"
"Depends on your definition of 'riddles'."
Melody laughed. "I like you, Layla. Hey, you actually might be one of the people I'm looking for! Natalie gave me a letter to give to a girl, and I assume that's you." Layla reached out for the letter. After a minute, she grabbed Melody's hand, and dragged her to the nearest door.
"What are you doing?" asked Melody as she was pushed into a room.
"I'll be right back, don't move!"
Melody flinched as the door was slammed shut. Melody looked around. Who knew there was so much room inside a tree?
Wherever she was thrown into, it had to be some kind of hospital, at least. It was so bleak with just a plain old bed with a little table next to it, no windows, white walls, and the only door in the room was the one she came through...
Yup. Totally boring.
Maybe when she meets up with Natalie again, they could find out where this place is and paint it. Melody stared at the wall on the other side of the room and walked up to it, examining it. She plopped down on the bed and bounced slightly on it. "Hmm... Maybe we could put some animals here..." the neko-ajin murmured to herself. She gasped excitedly as ideas poured into her head, standing up on the bed and bouncing on it. "Ooh! Cats, definitely cats! And they could be running on rainbows and chasing fishes aaaaaaaaaalll," She spread her arms out wide as she dragged the last word out, "across the wall!"
As she continued rambling on, each idea becoming more and more intricate and... unique than the last, she was suddenly cut off as the door burst open and two figures were thrown in. Two red heads tumbled unceremoniously to the floor as someone shouted after them, "Wait there!" before the door slammed shut once more. Melody stared at the two Jokers as they tried to untangle them selves.
Black stood up first, dusting himself off. He rubbed his head. "F***, OW. Dammit, Layla, you just couldn't resist throwing us in there, could you?" he muttered angrily to himself.
White stood up next to him. "What I'm wondering is; why did she throw us in here?"
Black threw his hands up in exasperation, "I have not a damn idea! Who does she think she-" Black trailed off as he spotted White staring at Melody. He turned to stare at Melody as she stared at White, bouncing slowly before stopping completely.
She blinked a few times. "... This is exactly what it looks like."
Black merely stared at Melody with narrowed eyes. "... The Hell are you doing here? And why are you jumping on the bed?"
Melody shot back, "I dunno, what are you doing here and why are you not?"
"I asked you first."
"I asked you second."
White watched with amusement as Black and Melody's banter went back and forth in a childish fashion for several minutes. He walked up to Melody and grabbed her hand as he bowed. "What my counterpart meant to say is that he is worried about what he did to you the other day, and weather or not you are fine."
"NO I DON'T!" shouted Black, glaring at White as Melody stared into his lone eye. Why did he wear an eye patch, both of them in fact.
The door, once again, burst open to reveal Layla with a bloodied Natalie in her arms, a steady flow of blood was coming from her stomach and chest.
Melody shrieked. "NATALIE!" She rushed over to Layla, totaly forgetting about the ginger she had just pushed to the ground. "What happened?!" she asked worriedly.
"It's... a long story... and I'm not sure what all happened." Layla replied with a strained voice. "Now someone take her, please, she's heavy!"
Black stepped up to take Natalie into his arms for a second. He and White rushed over to the bed at the right side of the room, trying to stem the bleeding.
As White was busying himself with the wound, Black looked at Natalie's face, her eyes half-closed and glazed over. He looked at White, who nodded to him.
Black removed his eye-patch and gazed into Natalie's eyes, looking into her memories of what happened.
A/N: Hi! Wanted to post this up sooner, but I had to go to mutual. Frosty was nice enough to help type the last bit for me. I can't wait to see what you all think!