It's All Inside Of You

Even though it was the start of the afternoon, Rebecca was already beginning to feel worn out. All that running around in play made her exhausted. "I think I'm a little tuckered out," she said.

"That happens sometimes when you play hard," said Leon.

The blonde smiled. "I think I'm going to go take a nap."

"Okay," Mokuba told her. "Leon, why don't you and I head to the marketplace and get something for dinner?"

"Sure," he replied. "We'll see you guys later." And the boys headed down into the cathedral and walked through the main entrance.

As Rebecca slept, Quasimodo took a block of wood and one of his carving knives and began carving a model of Leon. At that moment, three gargoyles named Hugo, Victor, and Laverne came to life and approached him.

"Well, when you said you were going out for a while, I didn't expect you to be back so soon," Hugo commented. "I mean, you barely left five minutes ago."

"Shh," Quasimodo hissed. "Keep it down. Rebecca's taking a nap."

She was, but she quickly woke up to the sounds of their voices.

"Oh, right," Laverne whispered. "Poor dear must be exhausted."

"Well, as her friend Leon said, that happens when one runs around in play for a while," said Victor. "It takes up a lot of energy."

The hunchback agreed. "I'm surprised I'm not as exhausted as her. Even I did a lot of running around as I was playing with her and the others."

"You mean those other kids who stopped by?" Hugo asked.

Quasimodo nodded. "They're all just as wonderful as Moki and Becky are." He finished carving the model and began to paint it. "Leon's going to be surprised once he sees this."

Rebecca turned over and watched to confirm her suspicions. When she saw that the gargoyles were still active, she cried out. "I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Quasimodo asked as she was climbing down the steps.

"The gargoyles do come to life," she confirmed. "I knew it all along. I knew I wasn't imagining it."

"Uh-oh, we've been found out," said Hugo.

The blonde laughed. "It's okay. I don't mind so much."

Quasimodo cleared his throat. "Um, Becky, these are my friends."

But before he could introduce them, she already began addressing them. "Hugo, Victor, and Laverne."

The hunchback raised his brow. "How do you know-?"

"All those nights ago when I was trying to sleep, I heard their voices and I heard them say their names. I was too embarrassed to say anything earlier because I was afraid you would think I was crazy," she said, fiddling with her apron.

"Oh, you heard us?" Hugo asked. He laughed nervously. "Sorry about that. We tried to be discreet."

"We who?" Laverne asked. "You're the one always making a nuisance of yourself."

Victor kept his attention on Rebecca. "We are Quasimodo's friends and guardians," he told her. "We've looked after him since he came to live in the bell tower."

Laverne redirected her attention to the blonde. "That's right. We've been his only friends since then. And then you and your friends came along. Since then, our boy has been very happy and we're just as happy for him that he has real friends."

Rebecca gave a small laugh. "Well, we didn't do much," she said modestly. "We're just happy that we're all friends."

Hugo approached her. "Are you kidding? You kids are like angels sent from Heaven."

Victor agreed. "A blessing that came unexpected, but hoped for."

"That's enough, you two," Laverne scolded. "Dear Rebecca's had a long day and she's tired. Let's let the dear girl rest."

"Thanks, Laverne," Rebecca said appreciatively. Then she got an idea. "Hey, when Leon and Moki come back, you should make yourselves known to them so they can meet you."

The gargoyles looked at each other, then at Quasimodo. He smiled and said, "You might as well." So they agreed to meet Leon and Mokuba once they would return to the tower. For now, the gargoyles decided to become still again so they wouldn't disturb Rebecca. Quasimodo looked at her. "I'm sorry about that."

"No worries," she told him. "I wasn't bothered by them. In fact, I thought me trying to rest was the perfect opportunity for me to meet your longtime friends."

"Yeah, they're great," the hunchback replied. "Silly, but great once you get to know them."

"I don't doubt it," said Rebecca. She yawned once again. "Okay, this time I really am going to try to rest." And she climbed back up the ladder and went to the small sleeping area Quasimodo made for her. "Wake me up when it's time to eat," she said, and lied down to rest. Also, in case Quasimodo would ring the bells later, Rebecca remembered to put in her earplugs to block out the sound.

Quasimodo smiled and returned to his workbench to start working on carving models of the rest of the gang. As he started working on a model of Guilmon, the hunchback thought to himself that his friends were right. It can be great to get out once in a while. The question is, would he dare to do it again? He was safe this once, but he wondered if it would be the same if he did it again; leave the tower and go to the Secret Garden and make it back before Frollo would find out. But he wanted to see all of his new friends again sometime in the future now that he was starting to get to know them.

Mokuba was still at the market thinking about what to buy. Finally, he told the merchant, "Two bottles of milk, cheese, dried meat, and that loaf of bread." The merchant took the food and placed it in a small basket for the boy. Mokuba paid the merchant and took the basket. Before going back to the cathedral, he stopped at another shop and bought some paint.

"What's with the paint?" Leon asked.

"It's for Quasimodo," Mokuba said softly into his ear. "I noticed he was running out, so I thought I'd bring him some more for when he works on his figurines."

"Great idea," Leon replied. On their way back to the cathedral, Leon asked Mokuba, "Hey, how long have you and Becky been here in this world?"

"A little over a month," he replied.

Leon was amazed. "And you've been able to avoid Frollo for that long too?"

The raven-haired lad swallowed hard. "Actually, we did have an encounter with him while we were attending mass."

"Oh, man," Leon groaned. "Does he know?"

Mokuba knew there was no point in lying. "I wish I could say differently, but he does. We're okay right now, but I'm worried about why he hasn't gone after us yet. I mean, what's he waiting for?"

The young redhead nodded in understanding. "Do you worry about your brother finding out too?"

"Often," the raven-haired lad admitted. "But Becky and I both know that as long as we're in the tower with Quasi, we're safe."

The boys made it to the cathedral and began walking up the stairs to the tower. They remembered that Rebecca went to take a nap when they left and figured she was still sleeping. But she wasn't. Much to their amazement, they saw her laughing and talking with the gargoyles. Mokuba laughed and said, "Hey, you guys decided to come to life for us."

"Awesome," Leon commented.

"It was Becky's idea," said Hugo. "She wanted us to meet you two once you came back."

Mokuba laughed. "I remember seeing you guys the first time we came to the tower, but you didn't come to life then."

"We didn't want to scare you," said Victor.

"But we've been watching you children since you started visiting and we decided that surely a few adorable children like you couldn't possibly mean any harm to our boy," said Laverne.

"And since we decided that we like you kids, we thought we'd make ourselves known to you," said Hugo.

The raven-haired lad smiled. "I wondered when I was finally going to meet you." Then he remembered. He went to the workbench and presented Quasimodo with the paint he bought. "I got you some new paint, Quasi. I didn't know which colors you already had or didn't have, so I got the basics." And he showed him the tray carrying paint in the colors of red, blue, green, yellow, black, and white.

The hunchback was touched. "Aw, Moki, you didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to," he insisted. "It's the least I can do to thank you."

He kindly accepted his gift. "Well, it's nice that you cared." He ruffled his hair and took the paint and set it by the table.

That night, when everyone ate dinner, the friends continued to talk about what a fun day they had. Leon was still amazed by the fact that his friends had been staying in this world for over a month and how they were able to keep it a secret from everyone. Then again, as time passed in this world, it slowed down in the other worlds, meaning their time here in Paris was only less than seconds back home.

Although today was grand, it only did so much to take Mokuba's mind off his worries. He thought about Guilmon and how his brother had sent him to spy on him. He tried not to worry because Guilmon took the oath not to tell, but he couldn't help but worry that eventually, Kaiba would find out and come to this world.

Quasimodo stopped and said, "Moki, you're thinking about your brother, aren't you?"

He gave him his attention. "Hm? No, I was thinking about Guilmon and hoping he made it back safely."

"But you were thinking about your brother at the same time, weren't you?" Quasimodo asked again.

Even Leon saw through his friend. "He did send Guilmon to come after you and make sure you were okay. Now that Guilmon knows, you're worried he's going to tell him."

Rebecca remained optimistic. "Guilmon won't tell. Sure, he may be naïve, but he's loyal to you."

Mokuba looked down. "Guys, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but we need to be realistic. Seto's still going to find out about this place just like Frollo found out about us. I don't know what'll happen after that, but I can't help but worry that Frollo could be a servant to the Dark Lord and will come after my brother and the others. I just hope I'm wrong."

Quasimodo approached Mokuba and gently rubbed his shoulder. "It's okay, Moki. It's okay if your brother finds out."

"Are you sure?"

He was. "A few wise friends told me to find the courage to listen to my own heart. I took that into consideration and that was when I decided I wanted to go to the Secret Garden. Now you must do the same. Trust in your heart, Mokuba, and whatever you feel is right, I'll be there to support you."

"And so will I," said Rebecca. Leon nodded.

Quasimodo began singing. Be brave, be strong, be honest

And to yourself, be true

And with your friends beside you, you'll know what to do

Enchanted by the beautiful sound of his voice, the children sat down and smiled.

There's a time when everyone's life when it's hard to know what's wrong or right

What should you do?

Maybe just turn and walk away? You'll somehow find the strength to stay

Only you alone can find your way

In the cold of night or your darkest hour

Listen to the voice inside you, 'cause you've got the power

Be brave, be strong, be honest

And to yourself be true

And with your friends beside you, you'll know what to do

It's all inside of you

When you're out there all alone

Feeling scared of the great unknown, but you will survive

Have the faith, do what's right

Just believe and never lose sight

Of your destiny, you won't be denied

In the cold of night or your darkest hour

Listen to the voice inside you, 'cause you've got the power

As he repeated the chorus, the children started getting ready for bed

So stand tall, you can make a difference

When you hear the call, it's your chance to shine

This is the moment, this is your time

The children lied down and closed their eyes as he finished singing

Be brave, be strong, be honest

And to yourselves, be true

And with your friends beside you, you'll know what to do

It's all inside of you

Rebecca sat up and pleaded, "Can you sing it again pleeeease?" She really loved hearing him sing.

Quasimodo chuckled. "Time for bed now." Rebecca lied down on her side and closed her eyes. Quasimodo smiled as he saw how peaceful his friends looked. He brushed a bit of Leon's hair back, gently rubbed Mokuba's head, and gave Rebecca a small kiss on her head. The blonde softly giggled.