MEL
I looked at my hands, relieved to find that they were not paws. It was fun to be a lion, but the fleas were really getting to me.
I turned around and watched as Sora, Donald, and Goofy getting comfortable in their chairs. Everyone seemed to be content. Axel came over to me with his same smile, being unburdened.
"That was a crazy-awesome thing you did back there…. You know…. Careening off the side of a cliff and all. Total action! How did it feel?"
I looked around Sora turned around in his chair, crossed his right leg over his left, and sat comfortably with his hands behind his head. Donald and Goofy also waited for my answer. Riku was leaning against the wall behind me, just quietly smiling with his thumb in his pocket.
"Well…. It's always what I've wanted." I said shrugging my shoulders.
"It was cool how you just risked your life for Simba! I mean, I don't think I could do that…" Axel said.
"You would if it was someone you really cared about." Sora began, "I would sacrifice myself over and over again if Kairi or Riku needed it to be safe; even if it were Donald and Goofy….. Or Melody…. even you, Axel. Believe me….. when you see someone that is a part of your heart, in trouble, all your fear means nothing. Fear will fade because compared to whatever or whoever has your heart, it is nothing."
"Yeah…. My heart told me what I needed to do and so I did it without really thinking." I agreed.
RIKU
At that time…… I was enveloped by question of my own heart. My heart was calling to Mel…. But for what purpose? I've never felt quite like this before. I was in a mixture of feelings. I couldn't even tell you what mood I was in, I was so confused. Maybe in time, it will all sort out. I hope. I don't like being this obscured. I brought my right hand to my temple. A headache just hit me.
"Hey… what's wrong?" Mel asked.
I opened my eyes and found her standing right in front of me.
"Oh….. I just have a headache. Nothing to use your magic over…."
"Are you sure? You seem a little dizzy….. I could just Cure you…." She persisted.
"No, no really. It' s okay." I said with a smile.
She seemed to have a troubled smile.
"He's just about as stubborn as you are, Melody." Axel laughed.
"Here…." Melody said as she gently took my hand.
It shocked me of how small but warm her hands were. She led me to the chair that she had slept in and sat me down. Axel was just silently watching us as was Sora. Donald and Goofy were talking to Chip and Dale over the communicator.
"What are you doing?" I asked quietly.
"If I can't use magic… then I will use a little home remedy that I used to use on my Mom's headaches."
"No… I-it's okay. You don't need to…"
"Stop being so stubborn! That's supposed to my title!" She laughed as she made her way through the kitchen door.
"Do you think I have any time to run?" I asked with a chuckle.
Sora and Axel laughed.
"Man, once she sets her mind to something she will see to it that it is done…… and done right." Sora said with a smile.
"Yeah…" Axel agreed.
I reclined back in the chair and got comfortable. A few seconds later, Melody came out with a freezing cold rag and some hot tea.
"How did you make it so fast?" I asked as she got on her knees beside me.
"Home remedies. You learn to make them fast."
"I don't think I have any home remedies…" I said.
"That's probably because you were never home. You were always either at my house or at Paradise Island." Sora said.
I laughed as a few childhood memories came back…. Like the time I had to explain to Sora how Santa Clause wasn't real.
MEL
I leaned over and gently moved Riku's silver hair out of the way and put the cold rag on his forehead.
"What's the tea for?" He asked.
I smiled at him.
"For me to drink. Making that rag was a lot of work. I had to pick it up…. Put it under the sink, stick it in the fridge, take it out…."
He gave me a look that said, 'you're kidding right?' I smiled and took a tiny sip and watched him over the rim of the cup, hiding a smile. He seemed to be a bit annoyed. I put down the cup and check the rag. It wasn't cold anymore.
"Perfect!" I said as I took it off. "You are now healed. Congratulations!" I said cheerfully as I handed him the cup of tea.
RIKU
Axel laughed I looked at Mel with confusion. I brought the chair back up. She was right. My headache was gone….
"But how did you.."
"That's for me to know and for you to find out."
Sora turned around and began to talk to Donald.
"Great!" Sora Shouted, "Okay! Our next stop is Hollow Bastion or…. Radiant Gardens as it is called now….."
When those words ran through my head, a shiver tingled down my spine. Memories flooded my mind from that place. I was completely controlled by the darkness within. Melody watched me as I closed my eyes.
MEL
I knew…. Though I'm not sure how…. That he was thinking of Hollow Bastian in the past. All the memories of himself and what he had done. I reached out and put my hand gently on his arm. His sea green eyes opened and peered up at me through his silver bangs. His eyes showed the pain of the past. His pain made my heart ache. My heart wanted me to cuddle with him in the chair and pull him into my arms.
No…. he's just a friend.
I smiled at him with sympathy.
"It's okay, Riku. It has changed since the last time you saw it. Leon, Cloud, Yuffie, Aerith, and Tiffa have changed it up quite a bit."
"Yeah!" Sora said, "I hardly recognized it…. We'll be there in no more than five hours. It's not far from the Pride Lands."
"Cool." Axel said.
Riku kept watching me, but somehow, I wasn't uncomfortable with that fact. I normally would have been, but it's as if I wouldn't have care if he watched me all the time.
"Mel…. I…. I want to tell…. You that… I.."
Before he could finish, the ship was slammed into by something. I flew into the wall behind me and hit my head.
"Heartless!" Sora cried.
AXEL
I turned around and saw Mel sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall on her right side. She had blood slowly trailing from her head. Riku had been flung from the chair and tea was all over his chest and face. He saw Mel and was to her in a flash.
"Mel…"
He pulled her into his arms as green mist surrounded them. Melody's wounds healed and the blood disappeared. She looked at him and blushed.
Melody knows how to blush…… it's amazing!
Melody laughed as she used the rag she held and wiped the tea from Riku's face. For a moment, neither one said anything to each other, they just watched each other's eyes. Mel stopped wiping when Riku gently took her wrist.
What's going on here
"Battle stations everyone!" Sora cried.
Another Heartless hit the ship and Riku fell on Mel. His hands were on either side of her.
"S-sorry…" He said quietly.
I couldn't see his face behind his hair, but his voice seemed to crack.
"Nice way to land you fall though." Mel teased.
I laughed as I heard a loud sigh come from Sora.
"Guys! Come on! I really need these Heartless out of my way!" He said with some frustration.
"Oh! Sorry!" Mel said.
Riku quickly got to his knees and Mel stood up quickly. She held out her hand as he looked up at it and smiled. He took it and stood up. Mel went through her door while Riku and I went down stairs.
"So… uh… what was all that?" I asked.
"What?"
"You know…. If I didn't know better…. I would say that you're starting to fall for her.."
"No, I'm not. She's just a friend…."
"Uh-huh. That's what your mind is saying. But tell me….what about your heart??"
Riku stopped on the last stair and looked down. One arm crossed over his chest as the other held his hand to his forehead.
"No…. I… don't think…. No it's just…. It's not possible."
I chuckled. He was totally whipped and he didn't know it.
"Remember what Mel always says now? To keep her uncle's motto? 'Anything is possible.'." I smiled.
He continued to stand there, thinking deeply.
"Well…. After we take care of these Heartless, you can think. But if you do fall for Melody or at least…. If you are…. Might I suggest a shower? Not that you stink or anything. It's just the fact that you have tea all over you…. and who knows what else after being a lion…"
"Like you should talk." Riku said smiling darkly, "How many times did you almost wet yourself??"
"Hey! Don't shoot down my pride, man!" I accused.
"Maybe you should do the same…"
"Alright, alright… so we're even." I shrugged. "Now let's get rid of these heartless before they knock Mel out again and piss Sora off."
"Yeah."
We separated from the stairs and went through our own hatches. I sat down in my seat, put on the stupid headphones, and waited for Mel to sign in…. as a new tradition. She never did. In fact she hardly said anything and neither did Riku.
"Are you two okay?" I eventually asked.
"Fine." Mel said in a monotonous tone.
"Yeah, great." Chimed Riku.
Did I miss something? What happened between them. Did some kind of realization com out of that moment they were together??
MEL
Actually, the truth was that the moment Riku and I had looked each other in the eye, a sharp pang hit my chest. Was it a response from his heart to his? I'm wasn't sure….. but for an instance…. It felt like my heart was whole.
No. I can't fall for someone I don't know. I won't. I won't fall for Riku.
I shot down most of the Heartless and then after that was done I sat down on the floor in the corner of my battle room. I didn't move for a while and so that lights had turned off. There were a lot of windows in that room and so I sat in the light of the passing worlds. I laid my head against the wall and watched the stars pass.
RIKU
My mind was drowning itself with questions and my heart returned no answers. I was so flustered! But Axel had made a point… I realized later. I was falling for Melody, no matter how hard I tried not to, my heart would eventually win. I had taken a shower in my bathroom, and just put on some black boxers and a white tank when I heard a knock on the door.
"I don't seem to have break anymore.." I muttered under my breath.
I put my dirty clothes on the back of the loveseat by my front door and answered it. Axel was standing there uncomfortably but he had no shirt on and arm green slacks.
"Is Mel with you??" he asked.
"I'm in my boxers! Why would she be with me??" I said annoyed.
Axel raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms with an amused smile.
"Oh no, no, no, no!" I said, my face turned red.
I covered my face as Axel laughed.
"So…. If she's not with you, she's not in her room, I haven't seen her lately and neither has Donald, Goofy, or Sora. Then where can she be?"
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Don't you think we should look for her?" Axel asked.
"Where ever she is… I'm sure she's fine. We don't need to be holding her hand everywhere she goes."
"Yeah… I guess your right… Alright then….Well I guess I'm gonna' take a quick nap."
"Alright, man."
Then I shut my door and flung myself on my bed. I smelled the sheets and my pillow and they just smelled clean.
Wow…… clean. Mel even smells better than that. She smells just like….. roses… or honeysuckle…Or some sort of flower.
Then I wondered why that thought would cross through my mind. But after that, I suddenly just knew where Mel was. I got up and put on some thin black pants then walked out of my room and closed the door behind me. I walked up the spiral staircase and then went up into Mel's battle station.
"Mel?" I called out, but no reply came.
She was not in her chair. I turned and looked over by one of the windows and saw her leaning against the wall.
"Melody?"
She didn't move and I didn't want to wake her up. She was sleeping but if I moved any more the lights would turn on. I slowly extended my arm out and pushed a button along the wall so the light would stay off. With a bit of relief, I freely walked over to Mel. She was definitely out it, but she must have fallen asleep watching the stars. I smiled at her and my heart thumped painfully. My heart wanted her for it's own.
No. We can't have her. She deserves much better. Besides… like Axel said. What if she doesn't make it through this journey? How will we?
"We will fight whatever comes across our path. We will find her. We will make it with her. You don not realize but she is already embedded within your heart, and you in hers. That is what that unexplainable pain was when you both were together in that instant. That's also why you can't seem to get her off you mind. You are in l.."
Aww shut up.
I looked at her again. She at least needed to sleep in a bed, but if she wakes up alone, she might get scared. I carefully picked her up and thought about it.
I'll watch over her in my room.
It seemed like the most appropriate thing to do, at the time. I lurked past Sora and went to my room. I gently laid her down on my bed and sat on the couch a few feet away from the bed.
"She looked beautiful in the starlight….. doesn't she?"
"Yeah….. she does." I agreed. "Wait…. Ansem??"
I got up and looked to the darker corner of my room where Ansem the Wise, himself, stepped from.
"A-are you really here?" I asked, almost too stunned to say anything at all.
"In a way I am, and In another I am not. See for yourself." He said as he held out his hand.
I reached out to touch it, but my hand just slipped through his. It was like he was a hologram, but he was freezing.
"What is this?" I asked.
"I am only an apparition. I am a spirit."
"Then…. What are you doing here?"
He put his hands behind his back as he stepped up to the bed.
Melody… duh.
I felt stupid for asking that question now.
"She has grown so much since the last I saw her."
Melody seemed to struggle in her sleep as her hands clenched and she turned over.
"My heart had been attached to her since she was born. I was the first to hold her other than her father. The fist girl in six generations…. Oh! I was so proud…"
"But Mel told me that you were on her mother's side of the family…"
"That is what she grew up to listening to…. You see… I'm was her only relative left…"
"What? How?"
"Her entire family was murdered for their fortune. And because I was in an isolated area far away from her and our family, I survived. How she did I'm not even sure. But I came for her a year after she was born when that happened and sent her to an adoption foundation. I couldn't take care of her. I studied way too much to have time for childcare. Luckily, a wonderful couple adopted her, but they eventually divorced. I tried to keep in contact by sending her gifts…. Like the tiara that she received from Queen Minnie…"
"So that is the actual tiara?"
"Yes. She is actually a princess, though she doesn't know. I tried to leave clues to her that talked about the Purest Heart, but she was too young to understand. I knew she was the one. When she first opened her gray eyes and looked at me…. I knew her potential. I left a few after she was born to return to my study, after I heard about what happened to our whole family, I returned to the area. I walked through the rubble and then I heard a small whimper. I looked in the huge garden that was burned and in one small green bush, I found her. Not a scratch or burned on her body. It was a miracle. I didn't want to send her away, but I had no choice. After a few years when she must have been about four, I was somehow transported to another world. I was so heartbroken to be separated so far from my Melo. I know I didn't get to see her but twice in her life…. I loved her and I though of her as the daughter I never had."
"So in what relation, exactly are you to her?" I asked.
"I am her uncle… but not her great uncle. I'm her father's older brother. I went into depression for a week in the world of Radiant Gardens, but I eventually investigated the one thing that interested me. Human hearts. Melody was the one who inspired me to investigate more on the possibility of a Pure Heart. The of course after hiring my apprentice, Xehanort…. Everything went further into to darkness by that point."
I turned and watched Melody then looked back up at Ansem. It was sort of hard to soak this all in.
"D-do you regret…?"
"My sacrifice? ….. No… I cold never regret saving friends. I did what my heart wanted. I would do it a thousand times if needed to."
He reminds me of Melody. They really are similar. I don't know how I missed it.
"What I am afraid of though….. is how Melody will be in the future." Ansem continued, "Who can protect her? Who can save her?"
"Save her??"
"Can you save her, Riku?"
I looked down at Melody. I didn't know exactly how to answer his question what answer was he wanting?
"Will you be able to keep her out of harm's way? Will you save her when the time comes? Or will you sit back and do nothing?"
"I will not sit back….. I will do something."
"So you will keep her safe…."
"I will if that is what you are asking of me…."
"I ma not asking. I am telling you. Keep her safe. Save her. Listen to your heart. I know what lies ahead in the future and I am warning you, keep her safe, protect her, savor her time with you. if you don't… you will regret it."
"The time that she is with me? Are you saying…. That… that she..??
"I cannot say nor will I. Just keep her close to your heart."
He put a hand on my shoulder, a half of it went through.
"Riku, I know what lies in your heart. I know the truth. I know you both feel that her Fate is sealed, but if you listen to your heart, anything could happen. Anything is possible. Please….. protect her for me. Be there for her. Treat her well. I am truly glad for who her heart picked. I could never be more to have you as a nephew."
He smiled at me then slowly disappeared.
"Me? Ansem the Wise…. His nephew??" I thought frantically. "Did his just basically give me permission with Melody??"
That was a lot more to take in at the moment. The first question that ran through my head was, 'should I tell Melody?'. My first thought was, 'of course I should tell her. He's her uncle…. It's her life…', but then I thought, 'How will she take the fact that she is adopted? What if she thinks I'm lying? Or worse…. What if she hates me for bringing up her uncle and the fact that everything she thought about her life…. Is a lie? What if she hates me because I was there with him to the death and after and in her whole life she's only seen him twice and he's her only blood relative?!'
I began to panic, but in the end, I finally decided I would tell her….. I just had to find the right moment. I looked at her and smiled silently to myself.
You have no idea how proud your uncle is, of you.
I looked over to the dark corner again, actually hoping that Ansem was standing there…. But he wasn't. The corner wasn't even that dark anymore. I sighed heavily as I grabbed an extra pillow and blanket. I threw the pillow on the floor beside the bed and laid down, covering myself up with the blanket. I didn't like the couch because it was leather….. And leather sticks to your skin. I sat up and took one look at Mel before I got comfortable. She was holding onto my blindfold. She cuddled with it in her sleep, as if she felt it brought her protection. I smiled again and then laid back down. I stared up at the ceiling. I listened to the sound of Melody's deep and unburdened breathing and I was somehow…. Lulled to sleep.
MEL
I slowly opened and noticed I was not in my battle room. I was in someone else's room. I was on someone's bed, which I found somewhat awkward. I heard a soft rustle come from beside the bed and I almost jumped out of my skin. I cautiously looked over the edge of the bed and saw a figure sleeping under a thin blanket just on the floor.
"Riku?" I asked quietly.
His eyes opened and they focused on me.
"Riku…. You don't have to sleep on the floor, you know. I can go to my room."
He sat up quickly.
"But… you'll be alone. You hate being alone…. The floor is fine to me anyway. See? Mmm…. Comfy…" He said, but I detect a small hint of sarcasm in that last sentence.
"You don't make a very good liar, Riku. Fine… if you don't want me to leave and your uncomfortable on the floor…. Then why don't I sleep on the floor?"
"No… because you're a pri….. Because you're a guest. And you don't need to sleep on the floor. You get the bed."
He was being stubborn, again. I felt really bad that he had to sleep on the floor. My hair was falling out of the bun I had put it in so I imagined it wavy and all of it down. I touched my magic and realized that I didn't have to use my hand. It just happened when I wanted it, just like the rest of my magic. After I got the wavy black strands out of my face, I looked back at Riku.
"Okay… fine… I'll scoot over and we'll share the bed."
"What?!" He squeaked.
I don't think I had ever heard him sound so nervous in his life. To this day I still haven't heard anything like it.
"You don't want me to sleep on the floor and I don't want you to sleep on the floor. I don't want to sleep on the couch or the in the chair and neither do you. So this is our only option."
He looked up at me.
" I won't bite. I just want to sleep and I know, though I'm still not sure why, you seem to sleep better when you're with me. Maybe we can both get some rest before we get to Radiant Garden. I have a feeling that something big is about to happen there."
He eventually and reluctantly climbed on the bed. I scooted as far to the edge as I could without falling off and he did the same.
Okay… this is probably one of the most awkward things that has ever happened to me…
RIKU
This is the most awkward thing that has ever happened to me…I'm sleeping with a girl…. Though not in that way. But of all girls…. It's Mel. The one girl my heart has been attracted to….
Then I began to think about what Ansem said. Maybe…. That's the reason why I saved her when Xehanort tired to finish her off. My heart has known her for a very long time. But how will her heart react to mine. Or does it? Do I even have a chance for love since I walk in the twilight, alone? I watched her fall asleep a foot away from me.
She is sleeping on my pillow.
The one I have is an extra. It's very flat and uncomfortable.
Crap.
Her eyes were closed and I could see her breathing in the light of the worlds and stars. She still clung on to my blindfold as she slept. And slowly, but surely, I too began to drift away….