Author's note: Speaking in French or any other foreign language will be in italics like so: "La Ville Lumiere". Though I will usually note down if they're speaking in another language. This is a bit shorter that the last two chapters, but it's also mostly a filler with an important thing at the end.

VI

Paris. La Ville Lumiere. The City of Light. Though well, I had known it to be the City of Love back in my past life. If only because of mass media. And the city certainly lived up to both names. We had arrived in the city by train in the middle of the night and the streets of Paris were illuminated by the hundreds of ornate streetlights. The cobblestone paths and beautifully structured buildings were amazing to see in real life. There was a certain atmosphere that just brought out all the romantic ambience of the place. There were certainly many of those walking the streets whom were simply friends or family. But there was also an abundance of couples just walking around and enjoying the cool winter night.

Nathan had checked us into a rather fancy hotel for once. Which was rare because he had said before he didn't like drawing attention to the fact that he was a noble and rich. When I had asked him about it when we checked in, he turned pale and looked like he was two seconds from throwing up. Then he told me there were people in Paris that knew him so there was no point in hiding. Mana and I had worriedly looked on as he collapsed into bed with mutterings of 'apologizing', 'grovel', 'servants' and 'Christmas'.

That was last night and I didn't get a chance to fully appreciate Paris since it was late and I was too sleepy to play tourist. Now that it was morning, I had immediately jumped onto Nathan's bed, intent on waking up my dearest brother to take me around the famed city I had always wanted to visit in my past life.

"Wake up, frère!" I exclaimed in French. And wow was I so proud of myself for actually being able to coherently speak in the language. When I had found out back in Britain that we would eventually go to France, I had thrown myself into learning French. But Nathan didn't allow me to learn anything about la langue française until I was somewhat fluent in Latin. So now I had English, Japanese, Latin and French. I was officially multi-lingual, much to my own pride and happiness. I was working on Italian next since we were going to head there for next summer.

"You're always the last one to get up, ma petite soeur," Nathan groaned as I jumped on his back. "Why are you so excitable for Paris?"

"Because it's so pretty! And I saw a lot of pretty looking cakes in the pâtisserie! They had éclairs and tarts and crepes, Nathan!" I gushed excitably. I had no idea I could get so hyper in the morning but I was. Because cakes and sweets and delicious freshly baked bread!

So I was a bit of a glutton, sue me. I blamed all those cooking and baking anime I used to watch in my past life.

"I'm a bit worried about giving you sugar right now, Ellen," Mana mused when he came into the bedroom with a tray of tea and scones that he probably ordered from the café downstairs. "You're bouncing off the walls already… Or maybe it's just Nathan you're bouncing off of," He ended with a laugh at Nathan.

Nathan glared at Mana before flipping around and grabbing me to make me stop jumping on him. I squealed when he started tickling my sides and flailed at him to get him to stop.

"Nathan!" I cried out in between my giggling. "I can't breathe!"

"Well, serves you right for jumping right on my back and knocking the wind out of me," Nathan returned smugly but stopped tickling me anyway. "And Mana's right. I don't want you to be hyper off of sugar in this city," He shuddered.

"What's with Paris that makes you so… unsettled?" I asked curiously, wondering if he would give me an actual answer this time.

Nathan shiftily looked away and graciously accepted the cup of tea Mana had prepared. I beamed at Mana when he handed me a scone filled with strawberry jam and nibbled on it as I waited for Nathan to answer.

"My mother's in Paris right now… And she demands to meet me sometime this week." Nathan finally gave with a sigh, though he was smiling fondly into his cup.

That… did not explain why he went pale in the face or why he was so unsettled at being in Paris. Although, maybe his mother had something to do with said reaction? This confused me because from everything Nathan had said before, there was no inkling that he had a rocky relationship with his mother. He had always spoken of her so fondly.

"What does your mother being in Paris have to do with you being unsettled?" I pressed, wanting to know what it was that was bugging him.

Nathan let out a dejected sigh and mumbled something. Mana hit his head with a rolled up newspaper.

"If we don't let Ellen mumble, what makes you think you can do so, Nathan?" Mana raised an eyebrow at the glare he got for his actions.

Nathan pouted, no matter how much he denied it later. "I haven't been in contact with her for over a year… So I'm worried she might do something… drastic when she hears I'm in Paris,"

"Drastic how?" I blinked, feeling a little confused and cautious.

"I… don't want to think about it," Nathan grimaced even as his face paled. He quickly stood up and headed for the bathroom. "I'll take a shower and we can go out and get some breakfast crepes for you, Ellen," He rushed and then slammed the door shut.

Mana and I blinked repeatedly and stared when Nathan opened the bathroom door open again sheepishly. He shuffled to his suitcase to retrieve his clothes then practically ran back to the bathroom, his face red in what I assumed to be embarrassment. Mana chuckled as he handed me a cup of tea. I accepted it, still feeling a bit bewildered at how unhinged Nathan was. He was normally very calm and collected, though he can be childish sometimes.

"Which dress do you want to wear today?" Mana inquired and I scowled.

"Can't I just cross dress…?" I sighed, already knowing the answer.

"All of your male clothes are in the laundry," Mana chirped happily as he moved towards the huge suitcases that contained all the dresses that were given to me by Aunt Eleanor and the girls from Haven's House had given me. It had been a challenge trying to fit all the new clothes and my suits into the suitcase, but Mana had somehow managed it.

I… had never really worn dresses in my past life. I mean, sure I liked them and they were really pretty but I just never had the opportunity to wear them. Mostly because dresses were expensive in the twenty-first century. Owning so many dresses in this time was just plain weird and having so many to choose from… Well, I was never really one for fashion so I didn't really care what I wore so long as I didn't look like some sort of fashion disaster.

"You can pick, Mana," I said, feeling a bit amused. "You like picking what I wear anyway,"

"Well, you're just so cute and you fit all your dresses so beautifully!" Mana cheered as he finally pulled out a white dress with sea green embroidery. This was one of the few short sleeved dresses I owned so Mana pulled out a pair of white gloves as well. I scowled at that. I hated wearing gloves. They felt too tight over my red arm because of the visible veins.

"Don't pout, Ellen. It's just for today. We'll see about selling your short sleeve dresses for long sleeved ones later, okay?" Mana coaxed as he handed me the clothing and made to leave the bedroom. "I'll be waiting in the lobby for the both of you,"

I smiled and waited until Mana left the room before dropping it. I hadn't had much time alone to think since the night I played the violin with Nathan in Bruges. I held a fist to my heart, my thoughts in a state of chaos. I had actually felt Nea that night. Felt his love for music and his presence within me. It was so… strange.

I had always known Nea was inside of me. But to have that sort of confirmation. To know now that it's true, that it's real… It was so scary to think of. One day, Nea was going to awaken. There was no way he wouldn't and I knew no matter how hard I tried, that it was almost futile to prevent it. Allen Walker may have been able to push Nea back several times but in the end…

As far as I remembered, Allen had lost control to Nea.

I sighed in frustration as I roughly stripped off my clothes to dress. There has to be some way to stop Nea's awakening. I didn't want to lose this life I have with Nathan. I was actually living now instead of just going through the motions. I had a family member that cared about me whole heartedly now and I didn't want to lose that. This is my life now and I don't want Nea's fucked up family history to get in the way of that.

And Mana.

What am I supposed to do about Mana? He was clearly insane in the manga but… the Mana I know right now is just… He's not completely sane but at least he's not like the Mana – the Earl in the manga! I… I didn't want anything to happen to Mana. He's fine as he is now. A little air headed with a penchant for cute things and a habit of pinching my cheeks and calling me adorable. I may not care for him as much as I do Nathan but I don't believe he deserved to completely lose his head after his… death.

Will that even happen now? We were travelling through the entirety of Europe and I don't think Allen and Mana did that. They must have stayed on the British Isle and Scotland. They had no reason to go through Europe. Sure there were carriages everywhere and death by the said vehicle was common. But Nathan normally kept a close eye on both of us, so I don't think it would happen. I wasn't even sure when that incident would happen.

There wasn't much I could do or prepare for with my limited knowledge of what happened during this timeframe. All I could hope for was for things to not go straight to hell with the changes I've already made.

"You ready to go, Ellen?"

Nathan's voice jolted me out of my thoughts and I realized I had already dressed myself. My recently cut red hair fell just below my shoulders so I just let it be instead of styling it into anything. I looked towards the bathroom door to see Nathan looking at me, his eyes furrowed. I quickly put a smile on my face as I nodded and walked towards him. Nathan stared at me for a bit before kneeling down in front of me.

"Are you alright?" He asked, worry clouding his tone.

My smile faltered but I forced it back. "Yeah… Just thinking,"

"About what?" Nathan pressed and I felt my smile melt away. Nathan had never pushed me for an answer before and while I appreciated it, I didn't know what I could tell him.

"Just… the future…" I gave, not knowing what else I could tell him without explaining everything. "Do you think we'll all still be together? You, Mana and me?"

There was a pause and then Nathan raised a hand to ruffle my hair. "We can never know what the future may hold… But we can always hope and try for a good one," He drew me into a quick hug. "Besides, thinking about the future means that we're thinking about the possibilities of something happening… We live in the present and should cherish that because the present is where our lives are right now," Nathan pulled away and stood up, holding out a hand for me to take. "Like how Mana's waiting for us downstairs so we can all go fill that bottomless pit of a stomach you have,"

I huffed at Nathan's teasing, but smiled widely as we both walked out the room. The future… It can wait. I wanted to cherish and experience the time I have now.

It's official. I am in love with Paris. Or as Mana says, I was in love with Paris's sweets.

I knew Nathan and Mana were openly showing their amusement with me but I didn't care. I had a classic cheesecake, eclairs, cream puffs, macaroons, and a cream caramel cake laid out on the table. I was currently happily eating a delicious mille crepe with strawberries. I could die right now and I would be content.

"You even had a full breakfast… Where does all that food go?" Nathan laughed at me.

"Perhaps she just has a second stomach for sweets," Mana chuckled.

I ignored my two companions and continued devouring the delicious desserts I had picked out. To be able to eat sweets in the beautiful city of Paris… Well, at least one of my former life's goals have been fulfilled.

The quaint café we were in was a simple one with what I considered antique furniture and decorations. It was definitely a high-class café and I briefly wondered where the hell Nathan kept his money. It wasn't like paper money existed yet… I think. Or maybe it did considering the advanced technology. I should probably ask Nathan about it later. It would be a bad idea not knowing how currency works in this time.

Nathan continued talking to Mana, telling him about what we should visit in Paris since I said I wanted to explore it. The bit about the Eiffel tower bothered me because I knew it wasn't supposed to be completely built until 1889. From what Nathan says, it had been completed in 1979. It probably shouldn't bother me much considering I was in a completely different world and there was no reason for the history I knew to align with what was happening now. But the problem was that it did bother me. All the advanced technology for this time, all the differences… It was just a glaring reminder that this wasn't just a simple reincarnation. That I was now in an unfinished manga plot.

I scowled around my spoon but quickly took another bite of the cheesecake I was now eating. It would do me no good to dwell on what I already knew to be truth. There was no way out of this world except dying and I liked living right now a little too much to contemplate it.

Turning my attention to the streets of Paris, I admired the ambience. Paris really was a beautiful city. There were people everywhere walking by almost aimlessly. Families taking walks towards the Champ de Mars, couples enjoying the winter weather and people just enjoying the city they lived in. It was peaceful days like this that made living worth it.

I blinked when I spotted a little boy in rags entering an alleyway. Frowning, I tried to peer from my seat. We were sitting outside of the café so there were no window panes to block me. But I could see nothing more than just the dark alleyway the boy had entered. Turning back to my sweets, my frown deepened when I noticed the dress I was wearing.

Not everyone was fortunate enough to escape poverty. I was lucky I had met Nathan, who had enough money to buy me clothes and had friends that were wealthy enough to part with some. Even Mana, when we had first met him was wearing old clothes he had probably been wearing for a long time. Nathan had bought him new ones that fitted and suited him well and he no longer looked like an old man travelling as a clown, making just enough money to survive.

"Ellen, are you done?" Mana called me.

I looked up and noticed that Nathan was already paying the waiter and Mana had stood up and put on his coat. He was holding out my own coat for me with a curious expression. I gave him a small smile and took the coat from him, wondering when did I even finish my sweets.

"So, what do you want to see first? The Eiffel Tower is close," Nathan mused as we walked out of the café.

"Could we just walk around?" I asked, wanting to explore the streets before going to see the main attractions. The little things about a city you've never been to were amazing to discover.

"I don't see why not," He grinned at me and took my left hand. Mana took my right and I pouted a bit. While the streets of the seventh arrondissement wasn't packed, there were still a fair number of people, especially since we were so close to the Eiffel Tower. I really didn't need to get lost in such a huge city.

I smiled slowly as I tightened my hold on their hands. I didn't remember ever doing something like this with my parents in my past life. It was… nice. Walking down the streets between Nathan and Mana, looking around at the shops and admiring the scenery. It felt really good to be able to experience what a loved child could have. I felt Mana squeeze my hand and saw him pointing to a small shop nestled between another café and a boutique. I saw the display showing music boxes and smiled at the little tunes that came from them.

"These are really well crafted," Nathan admired as we stopped to peer into the window.

"Would you like one, Ellen?" Mana asked looking at a music box in the corner. It looked really old but had a certain charm to it with all the lilies carved into it. "We could use it to store all your ribbons since you cut your hair… You won't be using them for a while."

"Could we?" I beamed, feeling excited. I've never had a music box before so I really did want one. The one Mana was eyeing was really pretty.

Mana looked at Nathan who shrugged with a smile. "Of course, it'll be nice to listen to something without one of us playing as well." He tugged me into the shop. "Let's see what they have…"

"How about the one in the window? The one with lilies on it?" I badgered and pointed to said box.

"Don't you want to see the rest first? We don't even know what tune it'll sing." Mana coaxed though he was smiling indulgently at me.

I felt a surge of annoyance, but forced it back. "Can we look at that one first then?"

I blinked confusedly right after. Why was I so quick to annoy? It was reasonable to look at what the store had before buying it. I felt Mana nudge me inside and I let the thought go. I was probably just impatient to buy the box.

I gaped in awe at the piles of music boxes neatly arranged on the shelves and display counters. There were so many in different shapes and sizes. So many different colours and carvings and embossing. I didn't think I could see one that was exactly similar to the other. Each and every one was unique. The counter was empty so Nathan went to pick up the bell and shook it.

A clear ringing sounded and we heard a shriek of a door opening. An old man entered, brown eyes kindly looking over us. He gave a smile that made his eyes crinkle close and seemed to brighten his old visage.

"Welcome to my little shop. What can I do for you?" The old man questioned in French.

"I'd like to purchase a music box for my little sister," Nathan told with a gesture towards me. "Preferably something we can use as storage for her ribbons and little trinkets as well."

The old man gazed at me for a while before nodding and muttering to himself. "Do you want to see anything particular?"

"Um, the one in the window, with lilies carved on it?" I chimed in before Nathan could. I gave the old man a wide smile. "It looked really pretty!"

The old man gave a delighted laugh "Why thank you, pretty little lady! That one is one of my own creations. I do hope you'll enjoy the little tune as well!"

Mana and I moved away as the older man approached to open the small door that opened to the little window display at the front. He reached in and took out the music box Mana and I were eyeing and gave it to me with a smile. Eagerly, I marvelled at the smooth carvings and texture of the wood. The lilies were so detailed for a carving and I admired the skills the old man had to be able to carve such art into wood.

"I made that when I was still young, probably as old as your father!" The old man chortled and nodded towards Mana.

Mana startled and I blinked in surprise. Simultaneously, Mana and I looked at each other before turning back and rather embarrassingly tried to deny the claim. Nathan laughed at us before explaining that Mana wasn't their father but a friend travelling with them. He still looked amused at the old man thoughts even as he ushered me to open the music box.

Pushing down the mortified blush I probably had and ignoring the warmth that had spread all of a sudden, I slowly opened the lid.

The soft tune that came out was a little stuttered but soon flowed fluidly to Nocturnes Op. 9, No. 2. I hummed along with the tune but soon stopped. I frowned a little, not sure why I didn't really like the song coming out of the box.

"Is it not to your liking, little lady?" The old man sighed sadly.

"It's… really pretty… I like the song but…" I trailed off, not sure how I was going to say I felt… empty at listening to the soft tune.

Mana squeezed my shoulders and Nathan smiled at me softly. "Why don't we try a few more boxes? Maybe we'll find one you'll like."

I nodded and smiled hesitantly at Nathan. I felt a little bad at delaying something but I wanted to buy just one music box. But something in me wouldn't just accept any music box. I wondered if it had anything to do with Nea, but that just wasn't possible. Why would Nea want a music box for? Why would he even want to interfere in my decisions concerning a music box.

We probably stayed in the shop for an hour or so, testing out different music boxes. But none of them really connected with what I wanted. The old man was excited and Nathan and Mana were being very understanding though very confused. I was never one to be very picky about things so this was new even to me. I bit my lip after the last one played Friede auf Erden and was contemplating just giving up on finding a music box.

The old man hummed and eyed me speculatively. "You're a tough one, little lady."

I winced. "I'm sorry…"

"No, no! Don't apologize!" He chortled. "It's very interesting! In fact… Something like this happened to my father as well."

I blinked curiously at that. The old man smiled enigmatically and moved towards the door he had come from. Mana had sat down on the offered chair after the first 15 minutes, though Nathan was leaning against the counter.

"What is it that you're looking for, Ellen?" Nathan asked in English.

I frowned at his question and shrugged. Mana tapped my shoulders in admonishment and I pouted at him. "I don't know… I just… the songs just… didn't feel right?" I ended in question, because I had absolutely no idea why I couldn't just choose a box.

The old man came back out carrying a deep purple cloth covered box. Slowly, he approached me and kneeled down in front of me. "When I was a little boy," He started. "My father met a young man that wanted to buy a music box for his daughter. But none of the music boxes my father had made suited what the man wanted. So he went back and brought out a music box my grandfather had created just before his death. The tune in the box was very sad. My father described it as a tune meant for those who have lost much but have picked themselves back up,

"The man was astonished at the tune and cradled the box like it was the most precious jewel in the world. He had tears in his eyes as he paid and left with the box in hand." The old man continued. "Years later when my father was old, the man came back with papers in his hands. Scores for a music box. He commissioned my father to make a music box with daffodils a certain phrase carved into it. But he did not want to take it. He said to my father 'Give the box to someone who will recognize the song' and with a hefty payment, he left with a smile on his face.

The old man gave me a truly happy smile. "My father completed this music box just before his own death, telling me to give this to the right person. And I believe, my little lady, that this person is you." He happily gave me the clothed covered box.

Nathan and Mana curiously kneeled beside me as I slowly uncovered the box. My breath caught in my throat when I laid eyes on the masterpiece in my hands. Daffodils, painstakingly carved into the wood. The paint had long since faded but the light tint of colour gave the carvings more depth, more life. I admired the carvings and delicately traced them with my fingers, unable to comprehend that this piece of art was made by human hands.

"Open it, my little girl," Mana whispered encouragingly, his hands squeezing my shoulders.

Slowly, because I didn't want to damage the old piece of art, I opened the lid.

And promptly froze at the tune that flowed beautifully from the box.

I felt my jaw drop as I stared in disbelief at the box. How could anyone know this song? There was no way it could have been created in this timeline. Especially not in this time. I recognized this song. This song that I loved listening to since I first heard it in a bloody game. There was no way I could be wrong about it. This was…

This was Aerith's Theme.

"Um," I panicked, my mind suddenly flashing back to when I had first realized I had been reincarnated. "W-Where did that man learn this song?!" I questioned urgently.

The old man watched me worriedly. "I don't know, little lady. My father never asked and he never said…"

"Ellen…?" Nathan called, his hand caressing my cheeks and I could feel Mana worriedly hovering beside me. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

I shook my head and turned back to the music box that had stopped playing. It was then that I noticed the words carved carefully into the inside of the lid. My breath stopped.

'Death is not the end. Everything will be okay.'

I gulped and my body shook in shock. I could barely hear Mana and Nathan calling for me, my mind too caught up in the implications of those words.

I wasn't the only one to be reincarnated in this world.