They danced around him like smoke, wraith-like, their pale arms draped over his shoulders and around his neck. They spoke in voices like music, strings and brass and flutes and bells.

Stay with us! Stay forever!

You must be hungry, Marluxia. Eat something. Have a bite. Just one mouthful.

Try this. Go on. Take a bite.

The fruit they offered was red and tempting. His stomach ached with hunger and his throat was parched.

Are you thirsty, Marluxia? Try this.

Just a swallow! Just water. Try it? Please?

Don't go away, Marluxia. We like you. Stay forever!

"I have to go," he said, his words a dry rasp out of an even drier throat. "I'm not hungry. Let go."

Why? Why? the strings and brass and flutes and bells chorused.

"I want my heart back."

You don't need to go. Stay. We'll pretend you have a heart.

Stay. Aramuil. Stay forever. Try some fruit. You must be starving, Ara.

"Stop calling me that," he said, but his resolve was weakening. That fruit looked good. Perfectly juicy and sweet. His stomach growled, and they laughed like water.

One bite won't kill you, they said. One bite. And then you can go, if you want.

He reached out and took the fruit, turning it over and over in his hands. It was smooth and cool against his fingers.

Try it, Ara. It's delicious.

Torn between the warnings he had been given and the promptings of his stomach, he raised the fruit to his lips.

His stomach won. The fruit really was delicious, the juice exploding into his mouth.

No sooner had he swallowed than golden shackles shimmered into sight around his wrists and ankles. The forms hanging on him became heavier, more substantial.

Ara! Now you can stay with us, Ara!

Stay forever!

22. Marluxia/Supernatural

A/N: Silly Marlu, haven't you ever heard ANYTHING about this sort of thing? I mean, what's the #1 rule for exploring a strage, possibly magical place? DON'T EAT ANYTHING. You know, Persephone and Chihiro's parents and all those Celtic legends. I like this one a lot because it deals with one of my favorite subjects, which I write when I'm not doing fanfics: fantasy! Woot!