Chapter 8: So Please, (Don't) Spend the Night

Mew stood at the doorstep of the Aurora household. He kept up a nice, well-meaning smile and waited for Kairi to respond. She looked at him, didn't say a word, and proceeded to slam the cloth door shut.

Of course being made of cloth, the door waggled around, refusing to remain still. Kairi could be seen fighting against the door's wily nature and fighting on losing ground. Then she slammed her palms against the sides of the cloth, nailing it back into place. For good measure, she stamped her feet down on the bottom.

Mew blinked a couple times and then leaned in closer to the door. He pressed his right ear up just softly enough to not make it budge. On the other side of the door he could hear mother and daughter starting to converse.

"Who was at the door dear?" Auris inquired in her soft, pleasing tone.

"Just a loitering dumbass." Kairi scowled, with Mew having little trouble imagining her doing so with her arms crossed under her chest.

"Oh? So Mew came to visit?" Auris replied with an all too knowing hint of mockery in her voice. Mew cringed for a moment and quietly hissed out a "Heeey", but the insult was dulled by him imagining Auris saying that with her lovely smile.

"Yes mom, your boy toy came to visit." Kairi's response was dripping with sarcasm as the sound of her voice trailed off further into the house.

"What did he want?" Auris said, shockingly providing no denial nor reprimand towards Kairi's uncouth accusation.

"He asked if he could stay the night, so I shoo'd him off." Mew grinned and chuckled upon hearing that.

"Kairi, I know you're having difficulty having him around..."

"No. NO! You are seriously not suggesting I let him in are you?!" Kairi's outrage sounded loud enough for their neighbors to hear as well.

"Kairi..." Auris tried to calm her down with her gentle voice alone but she wasn't having any of it.

"Just because you seduced him doesn't mean I have to-"

"KAIRI!" The first yell Mew heard from Auris actually made him recoil a bit in shock. It was so firm – powerful yet loving all the same. Kairi was quieted in that exact moment, and Auris continued from there.

"This is my house. If I want to invite someone in, that is my right as an adult. I'm not going to force you to accept my decision, but if you don't go and let him in...I will."

That was the final word on the matter. With neither woman feeding Mew's ears with their juicy conversation, the boy stood right up in the same position he was in before. A couple seconds later Kairi brushed the door open with the back of her left hand and glared at Mew much worse than before.

"...I take it I can co-"

"Just hurry up before I change my mind..." Kairi said, squeezing her eyes to deny the repugnant sight of him.

Mew trotted his way into the house and slid right past Kairi's line of sight. He decided it best to avoid interacting with her until she calmed down. If that was even possible.

Mew had already familiarized himself with the living room, so he slipped past the comfy couches and made his way to the kitchen. Before he was at the door he caught a whiff of a kind of meal being cooked. He closed his eyes and became to imagine the flavors involved via the steam that tickled his nose.

"Chicken with...fried green peppers, onions and rice on the side. Oh, and is that a hint of saffron I smell? Hehehe, nice to know Auris' got a good taste in spices."

By the time he opened his eyes he found Auris standing under the door frame, a cooking mitt on each hand. She wore a long, enticing pink silk apron that said "Take Your Breath Away". Quite the double entendre, knowing her.

Mew wasn't as pulled in by her sexual wiles as he was before, but a small adolescent giggle still found its way out regarding the apron. He then waved his hand at Auris and told her with a smile, "Thanks for letting me come in."

"Its the least I can do," Auris then leaned in closer to his face and whispered, "Consider it part of my recompense for earlier."

But from Kairi's perspective, Mew could only imagine she saw her mother moving in as an act of her giving him a kiss. He swung his head back with an awkward grin that he probably should've suspected would be taken in the worst possible way.

Kairi's eyelids sagged and she looked too tired to give a shit at this point. She firmly planted her fists on her hips, sighed, and sank into the nearest couch.

Auris then pulled back and remarked aloud, "I'm making chicken breasts with a side of stir-fry. It'll be ready in a few more minutes."

Mew swiped a thumb up before his chest and went, "Niiiice."

Auris thus retreated into the kitchen. With nothing better to do, Mew decided to take a seat on the couch opposite of Kairi. He laid his arms out and just leaned back into the leathery surface.

"Ah, just as comfy as I remember." He took a breath in and sighed. He then looked ahead and saw Kairi glaring at him. Mew blinked in response, and her glare deepened. So Mew blinked even more until her glare was paper thin. Around then he noticed that the cut she got earlier had been cleaned and bandaged.

"...Boy this is awkward," Mew was the first to admit, "There's gotta be some way to make this better..."

As he heard her growling like a bull dog, Mew cracked half a smile and wondered, "But should I even try?"

He sighed some more and started believing that there's really no helping how Kairi felt about him, or anyone else for that matter.

Suddenly a break in the awkward silence came in the form of another knock on the house outside. It was a little louder than Mew's. Kairi rolled her eyes and got up, growling "Who now?" as she went to the door.

When she pushed it aside there was a giant man standing there. He had a big barreled chest that was totally covered by a blue and green gi in the style of a kimono. He wore the kind of baggy pants that samurai had on, and they were beige with a few cherry blossom petals sprinkled on in a glossy paint. A flowery obi wove out of linen separated the two halves of his clothing.

His face is rugged with a short cut black beard. Mew could tell from there that this man was getting up in his years. Though seeing how there wasn't a hint of grey in his hair, which was tied into a short-knot ponytail, the man was clearly on the lower end of his middle age-ness. If his burly chest and chiseled biceps weren't indicative enough, the couple scars on his cheeks showed that he was a warrior who had seen many battles. And his brown eyes whispered many tales of weariness as they stared down at Kairi.

Mew looked at the man for a while as the tip of his head rubbed up against the door frame. He was at least a few inches taller than him, causing Mew to think, "Geez, what's the average height for Aurians around here?"

But upon further inspection of the man's body, he couldn't help but notice a curious number of similarities to a certain statue he looked at only moments ago. The fact that Kairi was frozen up at the doorstep felt like just as much a confirmation of Mew's suspicions as anything else.

"Gravi-"

"Gabriel!"

Mew's assumptions would have to be put on the backburner as he heard the most unbelievable sound of them all; A genuine, heartfelt gasp of joy, coming from Kairi.

She quickly wrapped her arms around the burly man's waist and held on for just a moment. The man smiled and let himself in after she backed up. He stared down at the girl with a look of awe and playfully whispered in a deep, introspecting tone, "Why, just who is this pretty little lady greeting me at the door?"

Kairi planted her hands behind her back and wiggled her hips around, kicking one foot up and looking mite embarrassed as she stammered, "D-Don't say that Gabriel..."

"Hahah..." Gabriel chuckled and patted his hand atop Kairi's head. She stayed completely still with her face bright red as he rubbed her cap and remarked, "I turn my back for one second and you sprout up like a cornstalk."

"M-My sixteenth birthday was only a month ago..." She whispered.

Mew fluttered his eyelashes and rubbed his eyes wondering, "Am I being pranked again?"

Kairi's attitude performed a complete 180 the moment that man showed himself. She never even showed this level of respect towards her own mother. But it was interesting to watch, and it got Mew thinking, 鉄o she CAN be happy.

Gabriel's expression turned somber as he remarked "I know. I promise to make it up to you later" and patted her on the left shoulder.

He then raised his head towards Mew and with the kind of smile a father would tease their child with he remarked, "But for now, why don't you introduce me to your boyfriend?"

Kairi instantly glared at Mew, who reacted with a nervous chuckle. Kairi closed her eyes and remarked, "He's not my boyfriend. He's a freeloader that mom invited in."

"Oh, he is?" Gabriel's reaction was mix of disappointment and intrigue. His eyes locked onto Mew's face, where they remained for a good while.

"He's looking at me funny." Mew narrowed his eyes a bit to stare back.

In a few seconds the man stopped and said with a smile, "Well, if that is Lady Auris' decision..."

"Awww, not you too!" Kairi swung her fists down and pouted.

Gabriel softly gazed at her and remarked, "Forgive me Kairi, but I will always take your mother's side."

Kairi glanced sternly to the right and grumbled, "I-I know but..."

Mew got up, causing Kairi's eyes to slant more. He waved up casually at Gabriel and said, "I'm only here for the night...I think."

He then walked up and extended his hand to greet him, "My name's Mew. And your name is...Gabriel?"

Gabriel held his hands by his hips for a moment and looked Mew in the eyes some more. This time his stare was more vexing, as he appeared to be analyzing him like a robot would. Mew blinked a couple times and was perplexed as the man smiled, shook his hand, and remarked, "Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mew."

The man's handshake was slow, and felt a little insincere in spite of what he said. "Could just be he's shy," Was the first thing Mew thought, "He does strike me as a big lovable oaf kinda guy."

Kairi was fuming at Mew getting chummy with Gabriel. Mew didn't have to defuse this ticking time bomb though. Auris handily disarmed it by walking in and saying, "Gabriel, I didn't hear you come in."

She stood at the kitchen door un-plagued by steam and her apron removed. Gabriel had a soft, warm smile in her presence as she said, "We're about to have dinner. You're welcome to join us."

Gabriel rubbed his shaggy beard and let out a relaxed sigh, "I have greatly missed your cooking Lady Auris."

Unless he had dysfunctional taste buds Gabriel's high opinion was a good sign of what was to come of Auris' cooking chops. The four of them gathered in the kitchen, which was bigger than the living room, and sat at the four seat square table.

Mew's desire to detail the kitchen was swiftly overpowered by his meal's aroma and its pleasant presentation. The chicken had been cut into strips and cooked to a light brown tint. The stir-fried veggies were cupped in rice shaped like a bowl. All of this presented on a simple glass white plate.

Careful care was put into arranging who sat where. Since it was a square table, it was decided that Mew would sit across from Gabriel, and Kairi across from her mom. That way, Mew wouldn't be able to easily stare at Auris. Kairi wanted Mew on the floor, but both adults shot that idea down. On top of that, Kairi was forced to take her cap off.

Dinner started quietly enough despite the huge storm cloud of negativity Kairi projected. Mew wanted to eat quick to help that along, but everytime he took a bite he spent a long time salivating over the flavors melting on his tongue.

It was Gabriel who broke the silence by looking at Mew and asking, "So, what brings you to Sancturia?"

That was a pleasant but very telling question. Gabriel had already deduced he wasn't an Aurian. Mew paused with a fork in his mouth then pulled it out with a "Pop!" from his lips. He then waved it around and answered this rather harmless question with, "Auris called me up to help with something."

Being vague was fine in this case, as he didn't know the full extent of Gabriel's relation to Auris, or how much he knew about her. There was certainly a level of respect between them, but that could just come with the territory of being adults.

Gabriel put up a guise of casualness as he remarked in turn, "Its not every day a human is allowed entry into Sancturia. In fact I cannot remember a time at all when it happened."

His deductive observation was followed by him smiling and asking, "There must be something special Lady Auris sees in you, Mew."

It was Kairi who stepped in to answer. Starting with her usual "Hmph!" she stated, "He claims to be the Elemental Overlord, but he's just the Lord of Lechery!"

Gabriel tilted his head and chuckled, "Lord of Lechery?"

Mew giggled, prompting Kairi to growl at him, "What now?!"

Mew poked a piece of chicken on his fork and raised it before his face. He wiggled it around and said towards Gabriel, "She's right. I can't help myself."

He stared at the piece of chicken and licks his lips while moaning, "Not when I'm in the presence of such firm, juicy, breasts..."

Kairi crossed her arms before her chest and squealed, "Do you have no shame?!"

Gabriel held his arm out at Kairi and said "Stop it" then looked towards Mew to add, "Both of you."

With his fair and unbiased judgment on the table, the two bickering teens shut up and continued eating. Mew smiled and thought, "Finally, a mediator."

Mew heard Gabriel whisper "Elemental Overlord" whilst he took bites of food. After letting silence fall a bit Mew mustered the courage to ask, "Hey Gabriel what kinda job do you have?"

Gabriel paused then laid his fork down. Mew looked him in the eyes and projected a somewhat curious expression, "I mean...It sounds like you've been gone a while."

Gabriel rubbed his chin and said with a proud smile, "I am what you'd call a...space cop."

"Space cop?"

"Yes. As you can imagine, it takes me off world a lot. Sometimes for days or week at a time."

"Makes sense to me. Must feel good to come home though...Mr. Aurora." Mew nudged his brows up and down and watched as Kairi nearly choked on her food and Gabriel flinched.

Gabriel gently shook his head and kept his cool while mentioning, "Heavens no...I could never see Lady Auris that way."

Mew stiffened his brows upright and pondered aloud, "Soooooo you aren't Kairi's-"

Mew suddenly found a fork jammed between his left fingers on the table. The prongs were so close to his skin that his nerves felt a jolt. Kairi, his assailant, had stretched her arm across the table to stab that fork with the intent to harm.

She glared at Mew with her hand trembling on the fork. She asked him in a deep, growling tone, "What is wrong with you?"

Mew blinked a few times and said, "I'm just trying to have dinner..."

"You. Don't. Belong here!" Letting loose a throat throttling scream, Kairi now left a tense atmosphere hanging over the dinner table.

She pulled her hand away, pushed her plate forward, then got out of her seat and stomped out of the kitchen. Her footsteps remained loud up until she climbed the stairs and went to her room. When things quieted down Auris and Gabriel let out a long-winded sigh.

Mew rubbed the back of his head and remarked, "I can't do anything without her yelling at me..."

Gabriel mumbled under his breath "Ah, the tribulations and naivete of youth" only to change his tune when Mew poked his head up. He stood up and remarked with a shake of the head, "No its not just you."

He bowed his head at Auris and told her, "Forgive me Lady Auris, but I must leave early."

Auris nodded and said, "I understand. I'll let Kairi know you left."

"Thank you..." With a hint of melancholy in his voice Gabriel left for the front door. Along the way he gave Mew one last lingering glance. Thankfully, he had cleaned his plate down to the last microbe of food, so he didn't leave on a rude note.

A couple bites later and Mew had finished his own plate off. He offered to help Auris clean up but she just told him to wait for her in the living room. Thus he left the kitchen and sat down comfortably on the couch, listening in as Auris stuffs the plates into her dishwater.

Then a little while later she walked out and sat on the couch in front of Mew. She reached into her robe and pulled out a tiny white paper tube and a small device that made a flame when she clicked a switch on the back – which Mew identified as a cigarette and lighter respectively.

After lighting the cigar and putting it in her mouth she gave it a gentle puff. She then pulled it out and looked at Mew, who was giving her a blank stare. She smiled and leaned the singed cigar tip at the ground, remarking in a somewhat sultry voice, "Didn't take me for a smoker, did you?"

"No?" Mew said, unsure of his own answer.

Auris gently closed her eyes and sat up, shaking the dried tobacco off before remarking exactly what Mew was thinking, "Because I'm so beautiful?"

Mew closed his eyes and halfheartedly chuckled, "Maybe on the outside, but on the inside well...I'm still thinking about it."

"Perhaps the same be said for all living things?" Auris grinned and leaned back in her couch, letting loose a ring of smoke from her lips, "The capacity for good or evil, whether ugly or beautiful..."

She then pressed her lips into a smile and whispered, "So the saying goes...Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Mew tightly crossed his arms against his chest and thought aloud, "Well I'm not that into philosophy sooo..."

He leaned upright and wagged his hands at Auris, "Why don't we get down to business?"

Auris finished off her cigar and flicked the tiny bit of paper left off to the side. She then looked Mew straight in the eye and eased herself into the flow the conversation was taking, "I agree. Now that you've gotten to know Sancturia a little more, what do you think?"

Mew had a straight-as-an-arrow answer of, "You already know what happened, do I really need to tell you?"

Auris giggled and laid a hand upon her chest, "Clairvoyance is no replacement for a decent conversation. I want to hear the words straight from your mouth."

Mew raised his eyes and shifted them around a bit before saying, "I guess I do owe your people an apology. Aurians are a bit more magical than I expected."

He reflects upon his three fights so far as he thinks about what abilities he's seen, "Drives. Weapon manifestation and augmentation. Constructs. Shields. Aura has quite a bit of diversity to it."

"And I doubt that's everything." He said with a grin slowly forming, his excitement making him tremble at the knees.

"Indeed. You have a lot to learn. Today was just the tip of the iceberg." Auris said, enticing the boy's curiosity with a morsel of information.

"But our powers are just one aspect of who we are," She gave a wily all-knowing smile as she urged Mew to continue answering her, "Now, what about our society? What do you think of it?"

"Think?" Mew placed a finger up to his temple and tapped it a couple times while saying, "Its like I never left home. You've got malls, restaurants, jobs, and freakin' Abe Lincoln on every five dollar bill."

"Quite the shock, isn't it?" Auris teased.

"Understatement of the century lady..." Mew pulled his hands down and thought aloud, "But it gave me the vibe that it wasn't always like this?"

Auris leaned back into her couch and sighed. She then gave a rather swift compliment of "Astute observation" before getting to the thick of the matter, "I won't say that the way things are now is wrong. But there was something...better about those simpler times."

"Better?"

"We as a race are no weaker nor stronger than we were two-thousand years ago..." Auris flicked her fingers around to make trails of sparkling blue aura similar to comet trails...Only to squeeze it all in her hand and whisper, "But it feels like the magic's just...gone with the wind."

She took the dust of the aura into her palm and pushed it in Mew's direction with a puff of air. It tickled his face and left his eyelashes fluttering.

Auris then shook her right hand out beside her face and smiled, "It happens. Time moves on. Societies grow and evolve. The humble tribe folk lose their native way of life to the crawling march of man and machine...The hypnotizing thrall of religion loses to the bellowing voice of politics...The teachings of books are pushed aside for the convenience of technology...And yet, there is one thing that remains a constant throughout."

"Somebody has to rule." Mew grimly replies.

Auris dimly nodded her head and told him, "And under Gravitus' rule, Aurian society has become what he wanted it to be. A pale reflection of humanity...All the conveniences, none of the soul."

"But I don't get it. Why would he want to copy how things are on Earth?"

"That's for you to find out, isn't it?" Auris teased with a smile.

Mew just shook his head at her and murmured, "Can't you tell me, just this once?"

"No." She retorted softly.

Mew rubbed the back of his head and wiggled his nose. He then laid his hand out by his chest and said, "I mean...You want me to succeed right?"

"Correct." She nodded.

"I know, I know, gotta learn on my own...but that shouldn't disqualify me from ALL answers right...?"

"Not at all. You just have to ask the right questions," Auris lifted her head and added, "Don't let anyone convince you that its wrong to ask a question."

Mew crossed his arms and decided to test his luck a bit since Auris made the offer, "Alright then fine. How about I start with this..."

He then gave a somewhat slacked smile as he rubbed the back of his head some more and groaned in one breath, "Canyoupleasetellmehowtodealwithyourdaughter?"

He got it out quick and then breathed in deeply to recuperate. Auris chuckled and brushed the back of her hand up near her mouth, slighting Mew with a bitter response of, "Seems your lack of social grace is backfiring spectacularly in your face, no?"

Mew couldn't tell what was worse, getting belittled by a beautiful woman or the fact she spent the brain power to make her insult rhyme. He opened his mouth and stumbled out "T-That's uncalled for...!" followed by "I-I mean sure but..." only to end on him widening his eyes and going, "Ok gimme a break here alright?!"

He swung his hands down at his hips and pleaded with Auris to take his side, even just a little, "I'm a total flop with women, so what? Newsflash Auris! Your daughter's a grouch with a capital 'G'."

He hung his head and caught his breath, the weight of what he was saying catching up in a snap. He then stared at Auris, shook his hands out and said meekly, "S-Sorry, that was out of line."

"...No, you're right," Auris planted her hands on her lap and got a little more serious in tone, "As a mother, it is my duty to take good care of my children until they're old enough to set out on their own. That includes teaching them kindness, and discipline."

"But there's only so much I can do for her right now..." She said with a melancholic whisper.

Mew crossed his arms up by his chest and tilted his head to say, "...Auris, what's really going on here with your daughter?"

"That's not my place to say," She firmly said, "Even if that makes me less of a mother in her eyes for doing so."

She then starts to pull herself off the couch and walked on over to Mew. She gently laid two fingers on his chin to make him look her in the eyes, then told him quietly, "Just keep an eye on her for me. I believe you'll figure it all out on your own eventually."

She then flicked her fingers off in such a way as to bump the tip of his nose, then prodded his forehead with her fingertips. With a smile as bright as her skin she turned away and made her way for the stairs. But as Mew saw her off, he had but one question left.

"...Was there any way to keep her from following me into the temple?" It wasn't a voice that came out sounding annoyed, but rather concerned.

Auris gleamed at him from over her shoulder and asked him a question in turn, "That depends. Do you believe in destiny, Mew?"

"...Not really." Mew gave a short but courteous reply, to which Auris whispered "Interesting" and then started to make her way for the stairs.

"By the way, feel free to sleep on the couch." She said as her legs disappeared behind the second floor.

Mew sighed and plopped flat along the width of the couch. He leaned his head up on one end, and his feet propped up on the other. He stared at the ceiling as the lights suddenly clicked off. There was still a bit of dim lighting coming from outside, but otherwise he was resting alone in the dark.

For the next couple of hours Mew sat around trying to fall asleep, only to be bothered by everything he'd seen so far in Sancturia. What he thought required no repeating, and apparently no resolutions either. He kept spinning through the same questions in his head but wasn't any closer to any answers than he was a while ago.

"Guess I'll just have to trust what she said and figure it out on my own..."

He wrapped one of the spikes of his hairs around a finger and twirled it around to try and pass the time. Then he heard a "Thump!" coming from outside. It wasn't a very loud "Thump!" more like the kind of "Thump!" someone made when they were actively avoiding being heard.

"Someone outside?" Mew thought at first as he leaned his head up and saw a figure sneaking by past the window. He narrowed his eyes and went "Hmmm" before going to the assumption of, "Actually...it sounds like they fell down from somewhere."

He eyed the ceiling and murmured, "Like perhaps...the second floor of this house?"

There were two guesses who was stirring, and it wasn't a mouse. Mew slowly creaked himself off the couch and felt a slight twinge in his back. He shrugged his shoulders and grumbled, "My bed this ain't..."

He then glided along the ground to avoid making a sound and slipped out the front door. The person hadn't gone far and thus Mew could keep up by hiding behind the nearby houses.

He looked up at the skyline and noticed that the atmosphere had changed to a night sky with stars shining bright. He chalked it up to being the work of something deep within the city, as up in the Arctic the sun would never set this time of year.

But that was the least of his questions to be solved right now. He glided from house to house, peeking out from behind cover to make sure he was following in the right directions. The shroud of night would've provided perfect cover to his target's identity had it not been so blatantly obvious that it was Kairi.

"Now where do you think you're going?" Mew cracked a smile and kept the escapade up for a few more minutes until finally Kairi arrived in front of the Gravitus statue.

"Oh, of course." Mew leaned up against the side of the closest house, becoming one with the shadows. After evading Kairi's paranoid glances he poked his head out and watched her go to work.

She pulled out a can of spray paint from her back pocket and gave it a good shake. He poised it up at the left leg and laid a finger at the top. Mew watched her spray the word "Bastard" in bright red paint, capitalizing both the "B" and the "D".

She then put the can back in her pocket and whispered, "You'll get what's coming to you...Just you wait. I'll make you pay for everything you took away from me..."

Mew's splendid hearing clued him in on everything said, but before he could even build a thought around those words someone whispered in his ear, "Don't move."

Mew flinched and froze up on the spot. The edge of a blade, a katana judging by how thin it was, was a hair's breadth from his neck. Mew knew if he even breathed the blade would cut him.

"What the heck? I didn't even sense it..."

The assailant made their point swift and concise, but the deepness of their voice gave away exactly who they were, "Tomorrow morning. The fourth floor of the Pyramid. Come alone. We will settle everything there."

The blade was withdrawn from Mew's neck and sheathed without making a sound. Mew immediately turned his head to the left and didn't see the "Mysterious" person even in the shadows. But he knew they were within earshot. He crossed his arms against his chest and started to smile. He was trembling with excitement.

"I'm looking forward to it Gabriel..." Mew's head rose as he smile turned to a knowing smirk, "Planetary Aurian of Earth."

With something to look forward to in the morning, Mew took a moment to realize that Kairi was still close by. He peeked over his shoulder and saw that she had disappeared.

"Ah crap!" He winced and made haste back to the Aurora household undetected. He quickly put himself back on the couch and laid down, pretending to close his eyes as Kairi snuck in through the front door.

But instead of going for the stairs Mew heard her getting closer. Her childish giggle was overpowered by the sounds of her shaking a spray can mere inches from his face.

Mew almost broke the facade ruffling his mouth and thinking, "Oh come on, really?"

Kairi stood there silently for a tense few seconds. Then she pulled the spray can back and let out one long sigh. Once she was heard walking up the staircase, Mew relieved himself with a big long sigh of his own.

"Where does she get it from...?"

Mew stared up at the ceiling some more and extended his hand towards it. Reflecting on what Gabriel said, he recognized the hostility in his voice as somewhat disconcerting, especially given his role as both Planetary Aurian...And someone Kairi looked up to.

"...You got a lot to explain tomorrow Gabriel..." Mew squeezed his hand into a fist and quietly declared, "And I'll get those answers even if I have to beat 'em out of you."

A long, long night of sleep thus began for the young Overlord, who closed his eyes and let himself slowly drift into slumber...

Next Time: The Gatekeeper