Ah, another chapter up and ready to go!
Now, someone asked me why Roxas was going to town. For all of you who were giving me funny looks, let me explain:
Roxas is going to town for more than one reason. Because, not only is he going there to find some people to help him find Hayner, he is going for...well I'm not going to ruin the surprise for you guys. :P
Just keep reading, you'll get it soon!
I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Thumbelina.
Hayner blinked at the sudden sunlight that had landed on his face, groaning. He didn't want to get up, he wanted to stay asleep. He had been having a wonderful dream about Seifer and him flying together, the two having beautiful wings that glowed like the sun itself. Like it was now, right in his eyes.
"Damn sun, ruining everything." he murmured, rubbing his eyes.
But, when he opened his eyes, he instantly knew he wasn't in his room anymore. He was on a boat in the middle of a pond, reeds and cattails all around. Hayner sat up straight, finding himself to be on a cot of some sort, a light green blanket covering him.
"What? What the-?" He pulled the blanket off, glad to see he still wore his own pajamas. "Thank go- wait a sec!"
Hayner shot out of the cot, stumbling before he caught himself. He remembered now, remembered everything. Seifer leaving, waking up to find a toad kidnapping him, Roxas trying to stop her, the toad rushing off into the woods, knocking him out along the way.
"Holy shit!" he cursed, yanking at his hair. "I've been kidnapped!"
Another thought crossed his mind, and he glanced at the sun as it rose. He gasped, his heart sinking.
"Seifer and Roxas…oh no…"
"Bonjour." said a cheery voice, and then a toad in a pink nightgown walked out. "I hope you sleep very, very good."
Hayner spun round at the heavily accented voice, glaring at her when he recognized her as the very toad who had stolen him away.
"You! You kidnapped me! You the hell do you think you are?!"
"Moi?" She blinked innocently at him, then smirked before quickly stripping off the nightgown, revealing an odd outfit underneath. "We are the very happy family, Chanteurs Français."
"Since when did toads wear cloth-"
"These," the toad interrupted rudely. "are Mort, Louis, and Pierre."
The three said toads hopped out one by one, huge grins on their ugly faces. Pierre was leering openly at Hayner in a way that made the poor boy shiver. He didn't like this.
"These are my sons. And I am Madame Rosea." She gave Hayner a look the he couldn't decipher. "We are very rich and famous."
"I could care less!" Hayner snarled, standing strong.
"Oh, come now. I bring you here to become famous singer like moi."
"Good. Bye." Hayner said, and began to walk off the boat. He got onto a lily pad, muttering to himself. "Roxas and Seifer are probably freaking out. Or, at least Rox' is."
Before he could take one step further from the boat, the three sons hopped in his path, and one of them (Mort, maybe?), took his arm and pulled him back onto the boat. They kept him there, blocking him from making any escape.
"What, now I'm a hostage?" Hayner snapped.
"Oh, no no no! Not worried! Roxas proud." Madame Rosea declared, acting like nothing had happened. "When you are star, he make a party that last for weeks! Show off his little one become big, big, big."
"Big…?" Hayner liked the sound of that. "Like…big and tall?"
"I mean important and loved by everyone." the toad crowed, grinning. It was working on the boy. "Don't you want that?"
"Seifer loves me." Hayner said, and his brown eyes softened at the thought of the fairy. "I think I'm gonna marry him." he sighed happily.
"Marry him?!" Madame Rosea cried. "That would be big mistake. It would get in your way of your career in show biz."
"Like I care." Hayner told her, crossing his arms over his chest. "And besides, how would that affect my career?"
"Royalty are supposed to marry only royalty, oui? You would ruin his reputation and bloodline."
"But I love hi-"
"And the queen and king would hate you for taking prince's heart. You are obviously not royalty."
"Well, no…but-" Hayner was biting his lip at this point, the words sinking in.
"And besides, if you do marry, you maintain fairy court, among other things. You will have no time together." Hayner winced at the thought. "I thought so."
Hayner said nothing, silent as he let the words swirl around in his head. Maybe she's right. I'm…not a prince. I'm not even a fairy. Are we truly meant for each other? While Hayner was sulking, Madame Rosea smirked at her sons; it was working.
"Then I give you advice:" she said. "Don't marry the prince." Madame Rosea sang, giving a signal at the same time.
A band sprung forth from out of nowhere, starting up a fast, saucy beat that all four toads began dancing to. Hayner was still lost in trying to figure out what to do.
"You see, now?" Madame Rosea said, her hips swaying. "Become big star, like me. We forget all about it and make big money together."
Hayner, still having his own doubts, slowly moved his hips to the beat. He needed a distraction, and this one was as good as any. He didn't want to think right now.
"You can become important. You can be famous."
Hayner watched as animals and half-breeds – half human and half animal beings – suddenly seemed to appear out of the blue, surrounding the boat while cheering and dancing. This was unlike anything Hayner had ever seen .He had heard of half-breeds, but had never seen one up close. Madame Rosea touched his shoulder, and looked up at her.
"You, my dear, are a star!"
A star?" Hayner asked, and immediately liked the way it sounded aloud. He climbed off the boat onto a lily pad, but he had no intensions of leaving. "I guess so."
"Now, repeat." Madame Rosea ordered, then smirked. "We are the Chanteurs Français, the original cast. And there hasn't been a town we haven't played."
Hayner gave her a look of disbelief. She gave him a smug look, then nodded to her sons, who could repeat her words just as fast as she had.
"We are the Chanteurs Français, and we sing very fast. We get on, we get off, we get paid." They all looked at Hayner and shouted, "Sing!"
"Uh, could you say it a bit slower?"
"Slower?" Madame Rosea scoffed. "We don't do ballads."
"Oh. Maybe I'll just take notes." Hayner replied sarcastically.
"We are free and independent, we go everywhere. And we go, go, go all the way." Madame sang, grinning. "We're gonna tech some French, then how to dance, and then we're off, ole!"
Hayner frowned, standing stiffly in annoyance. Everyone was having a good time but him, and he still couldn't get Madame Rosea's words out of his head.
"This is stupid." he said under his breath.
"Come on the road, get some money, I bet. Come on the road, and famous you will get.
"I'll make you star, get you very far. You'll be hot Madonna when I get ya' on the road."
Hayner was too surprised to say anything when Madame Rosea yanked him back onto the boat. Suddenly, the three sons moved towards him, dancing and singing, making him back up.
"Come on sing a little! Dance and sing, why don't cha? No one can move better! We go on the road, uh!"
Hayner hopped off the boat onto another a lily pad, trying to get away. He could hear Madame Rosea speaking in some other language over the music, but he couldn't understand a word of it. He ran to the next lily pad, glancing over his shoulder at Madame Rosea. He gasped when he suddenly bumped into someone, and turned his head to find that that someone was Pierre, who grabbed his arm and tried to pull him closer.
"Don't touch me, damn you!" he shouted, just as Madame Rosea began again.
"Now we sing!" Hayner was able to pull his arm free from Pierre's grasp, then dashed over to Madame Rosea, who kept on singing. "We open Monday in Traverse, then go to Chinatown for a week.
"Then a month in Agrabah, and the Coliseum, who love us because we sing in Greek."
Hayner was trying his best to keep up with what she was saying, but it was making his head spin. It made no sense to him. He looked back as the sons started singing, Pierre stepping closer.
"We are the finest in the business, a well-known fact. Please forgive us if we start to blow the horn."
"Because," Madame sang an octave higher. "This isn't any ordinary act; for today a star is born!"
The sons ran to Hayner, picking him up and throwing him into the air before he could protest. He fell, and he had a glimpse of a familiar feeling. He didn't get to fully remember it as he was caught by the sons, then put back on his feet. They circled around him, singing:
"Go on the road, you'll hear the peoples' roar. You're not a toad."
"But that's what make-up's for!" Madame Rosea laughed, looking at Hayner, who blanched.
"Just sing on pitch, so we can get rich. Wait until they see the boy on-"
"On the road!" Madame Rosea cried, throwing her arms up into the air.
Hayner only glared at the family of singers, and Madame Rosea nudged him. He merely brushed her off. The sons quickly jumped in, singing to Hayner.
"Sing a little, Hay-ner. Dance a little, Hay-ner." Said boy simply shook his head stubbornly, frowning. No way was he giving in. "Something, little Hay-ner!"
"Now I make him sing!"
Madame Rosea smirked, then did a little dance before posing, purposely stepping on Hayner's poor foot as she did so – hard.
"Ahhhhhh~" he cried, accidently half-singing as he held his foot in agony, hopping on one foot.
"Boy, you got it!" Madame sang proudly.
Hayner couldn't help but hold the note, a small smile on his face. The whole thing was beginning to distract him from other things…like a certain fairy prince or best friend.
"Come on the road, we make you big success. Come on the road, because we in union, yes.
"The life, it's so sweet. Lots of flies to eat! So why be a little fish in a pond, when you can go so far beyond?"
"Maybe we can even bond."
"When we get on the road!" the three brothers sang, having switched back and forth between them singing and their mother.
Hayner nearly screamed when all three toads pulled him onto a lily pad again, signaling him to sing. He bit his lip before finally giving up.
"On the road." he sang hesitantly, looking at the toads for a positive response.
The all grinned, then sang together as a family:
"Let's hit the road!"
Hayner jumped in, singing the lyrics and holding the note while he danced unconsciously, giving the half-breeds and animals a show to enjoy. Then, with a final flourish, he grinned and posed as everyone yelled out,
"Ole!"
The audience cheered, throwing gold coins and flowers at the five entertainers with smiles on their faces. Hayner gave a deep bow, feeling a great sense of joy. This was what it felt like to be famous. Unbeknownst to Hayner, Pierre was staring him, nearly drooling.
"Mama," Pierre said, and Madame Rosea looked at him. "Give him to me. I marry him."
"Very well. You will marry him." Pierre licked his lips in anticipation. "We can keep all the money he'll earn in the family." Madame Rosea said, and bowed.
"Thanks, Madame Rosea. They really liked me." Hayner said, sitting on the edge of the boat. "Am I a star now?"
"Yes, and you will call me "Mama"."
"Mama?" he repeated, scrunching his eyebrows together. "Why?"
"You, deary, are going to marry my son, Pierre."
"What?!" Hayner cried, eyes wide.
Madame Rosea dragged him over to a far lily pad, and Hayner could only blink over his shoulder at the toad who was being forced to marry.
"I love Hayner!" declared Pierre, making Hayner turn pale.
"Wha- wait, Madame Rosea-"
"You wait her. We come back later, okay?" she said, ignoring him.
"No. Hell no!" he replied, outright refusing. "I only love Seifer!"
"You marry my son." Madame Rosea furiously, then vanished in the water, swimming back to join her sons on the boat.
The crowd that had been watching the entire time was gone in an instant, leaving the little boy to stand there and try to wrap his mind around what had just occurred.
"No, I'm not marrying –" His mouth dropped open when he saw the boat begin to float away. "Come back here, you fuckers!"
The four toads only waved at him, swimming farther away. Hayner felt as if the whole world was ignoring him, stepping past him like he was nothing. He was getting sick of it.
"Now, wait a second! Where are you guys going? Come back here so I can kick your asses!" The toads didn't turn their heads, as if they had never heard him. He threw his hands into the air. "Doesn't anyone care what I think, damnit?!"
No one responded.
Poor Hayner~ I wanna give him a hug!
This chapter was long, just like I said it would be. YAY!
(This chapter made me want to punch a toad...but I'll let Seifer do that, sooo...yeah.)
Hayner is going to be introduced to someone in the next chapter. Actually, quite a few people...^_^