Chapter 2: Together

She always had been the defiant one. I'm not sure why, exactly, but that sort of person intrigued me- I wanted to know her. Maybe, in some small part of my mind, I wanted to protect her- protect her from whatever was making her so upset.

Well, since it's me this time around, that should be easy.

I'll readily admit that I'm not her type, and that that's why I irritated her so much. I was the stoic, glaringly strong warrior without a heart; she was a princess, regal in almost every sense of the word. She held herself with a pride that came only from years of confidence, and I, well, I just stood there, arms crossed, unruly and dangerous.

Musa. Just the feeling of her name, her eyes, her smile, they all haunt me now…

They all turn on me. Her eyes glimmer with intense disgust, she turns away, and before I can so much as try to say a word, she's gone, and for all I know I daydreamed her presence.

I really shouldn't like someone this way- someone so much and so little like me, someone so stubborn and cross, so beautiful that I have to force myself not to cry when I have nightmares of her asking me, "Why did you hurt me?"

Why did I hurt her? Why did I hurt her?

Musa, I don't know! I don't know, okay! Just tell me what I did.

Please, let me know what I did wrong.

I need to know what I did wrong.


It was on that day that we were left together that I think I noticed something different. Musa had gripped my hand, led me off, and determined to work with me without any type of extroverted emotion, even if it killed her.
Again, she's defiant. Once we get to the river, she grabs a branch from the nearest tree, pushes off from her position, and begins to climb. She wanted to get away from me so badly?

Wow, I must have screwed up already.

Biting my urge to sarcastically ask if wings weren't waterproof back, I take a position by the furthest tree, leaning back on the balls of my feet, just waiting for someone to come close enough to tick me off and make me attack. Unfortunately, that someone wasn't exactly annoying.

"Why are you so ticked?" her voice is soft, yet edgy, defensive. She's probably wondering, as I am, if she's the one that did something wrong.

"I'm not."

"Right."

Musa knows how much I hate it when she does that. She mimics me, in some ways obvious, in others subtly. She leans back on her heels, tilts her head down, crosses her arms, her delicate palms gripping her elbows as if guarded. Her head tilts to the side, my mirror image, lips pressed, eyes questioning. I can only hope my thoughts aren't running through her head right now.

If they are, then she knows.

If she sees my thoughts right now, she knocks down the barrier. She breaks through my brick wall, my years of silence, of wishing someone like her would come along and save me. If she knows my thoughts, then she saves me from my heartbreak. If she knows my thoughts, she knows I'm fighting back the desire to tell her something… anything…everything.

Everything I know she wants to know, to understand, because, in a way, she is the only person I know who can. The only one who can save me- if only to fall to what I weaken at instead.

Suddenly, a snap breaks my reverie, and I see that Musa has begun to walk toward the village. Well, Riven, that's one way to get her to notice you- stand there staring into space like a total moron and then get left behind to be attacked by some form of completely harmless wildlife. Right.

I jog after her, and don't bother asking her what I already know- someone called her through a spellphone and told her the pixies were safe for the moment. She'd probably tried to snap me out of my trance without any success, and left me here to realize that things were over. No point in stating the obvious- not today, when I know she might not listen.

As I wonder what to say, she breaks the icy silence.

"What were you thinking about?"

I don't answer for a moment, trying to say something true without revealing how desperately close I was to breaking- to telling her why I flinch every time someone mentions family, why I used to envy Skye for everything but the way he lived, why I…

But, no. No, I couldn't break down now. I could never break down in front of her.

"I was wondering whether or not you were busy tomorrow."

What!? Where did that come from, because it sure as anything could not have just come out of my mouth. Great, just great Riven, first you tick her off, then you invite her over. While you're being bipolar, why don't you just suddenly turn into Helia and write her a poem?

Before I can take back my words, tell her that I didn't mean to ask her anything, she answers.

"I'm not busy. I can come over if you want- maybe around ten."

I blink, let the words sink in, and before I can tell myself how stupid I'm being, giving myself more time with her to try and spill my guts, I nod.

She grins, her eyes softening a little from their petrified state. Maybe it isn't me; this time- really, Musa had much more to worry about than me. For all I knew, she'd started taking advanced music classes and was stressed out over all the coursework.

She takes my hand again, and this time, she doesn't try to cut off my circulation. This time, she simply grips my wrist firmly in her hands, looks up at me, and smiles. That smile- why did it stun me? Why did it always stun me so much, put me at a loss as to how to keep my guard up. Her eyes lock into mine, unmoving, questioning why mine seem so broken.

Without my noticing it, her smile has left, and the moment has passed.

Author's Note:

Hey guys!

After several tests, I'm ready to get back into the groove. Please note that I'm changing my format a little- I'm going to put my author's notes at the bottom, but I am going to keep on giving them, so don't worry- I'm still here! I apologize to all of the fans of my Pokemon story, Secrets, but I won't be updating for at least another week. So, for everyone that is waiting for a comeback, don't worry- my stories will be updated ASAP. Thanks so much for reading!

All the best,

Angel