Origin of Love

“So, you’re saying that this pool is what saved my life?” Mel stares at the steaming water source.

“It’s more commonly known as a hot spring, but regardless, that’s correct. They commonly have healing properties, but this one is unique in that it heals even the most serious of wounds. That said, it CANNOT bring back the dead. Unfortunately, even Harmony is bound by nature’s laws.”

Mel takes a better look at the large avian creature before her. She can’t help but be captivated by her beautiful coat. “You said your name is Miss Endora, right? Thanks for saving me, lovely.”

Endora laughs sweetly. “Oh my, aren’t you a charmer? You may call me simply Endora if you wish, or even Mother if you feel comfortable. I may be blessed by the Gods, but one I am not.”

“Alright, Endora it is then. No offense, but a dead mother and a neglectful mother are plenty enough for me in one lifetime. Well, I guess I have two dead mothers now that she’s dead too.”

Endora’s expression becomes saddened. “I’m so sorry for your loss child. It pains me to know such young girls as you have lost your precious family. If only we could live in a true Utopia, where children and their loved ones would never die. Such a thing as immortality, only these hot springs might provide. However, the cost of such a blessing is high. Eternal life requires a life.”

“Ah. That whole immortality requires sacrifice bit. Well, that’s to be expected I suppose. In any case, I’m so good on that. The only thing scarier than dying is living forever. I don’t want that.”

“I see.” Endora seems mildly surprised at her declaration. “I thought it was a common wish for young ones to live forever? Perhaps I’m out of touch with the peculiarities of human children.”

“Not sure, but if I may, allow me to correct you on something. I know I might be on the shorter side, but I ain’t a child. I’m already 15, and I’ve been on my own since I was around 12, after the Ongaku ravaged our village, killed everyone and my parents. I’m the only one who survived.”

Her confident demeanor cracks slightly, and despite it being brief, Endora catches a drop in her smile. She once again wears a look of remorse before saying, “Indeed, no child can endure that.”

“Eh, I did what I had to in order to survive. If I’m not willing to fight, then I can go on and die.” She shrugs it off nonchalantly, but it’s obvious to everyone it’s just a front. “Anyway, is there any meat in this place or-.” She feels a warm sensation wrap around her hand, causing her to pause. She looks over to find Kana in tears as she grips her hand with hers. “Why are you crying, Mate? Do you really care so deeply for people you’ve never even met?” Kana cries all the same.

“Kanade is a very gentle child.” Endora offers clarity on her behalf. “She can show her thorns if she feels angry or threatened, but at her core, she’s a compassionate soul who loves generously.”

“She told me she’s 14 earlier though. So she’s not a child either….” Mel shifts awkwardly, not quite sure how to respond to Kana’s genuine remorse for her situation. “Err…thanks I guess?”

Endora laughs softly as she observes Kana, and suddenly Kana releases Mel’s hand and turns her head to barely conceal her rose flushed cheeks. “You both have experiences that have stolen your childhood, that’s true. However, even if you are no longer children, this does not mean you are yet adults. You still have much to learn of this world, and even more to experience. You will surely experience more pain along your chosen paths, but you will also experience other most important sensations. Courage and Fear. Hope and Despair. Joy and Sadness. Love and Hate. Unlike those native to Harmony, you are humans. It’s natural for you to feel such emotions.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve felt them all already. Well, everything except love I suppose. I don’t know if I’ve ever loved anyone in this world, not even my family. I mean, I guess I loved my brother in a way, but honestly his death didn’t break me up all that much either. It was tragic, but also life.”

She feels a tap on her shoulder and turns to face Kana, who lifts her hands to sign. ‘What about romantic love?’ Her expression is innocent, and it’s clear she’s asking out of genuine curiosity.

Mel smiles. “Not so far, but did ya forget?” She can see the confusion on her face. “That’s your job, remember? You’re supposed to teach me that!” She boops her nose playfully. “If you can.”

Kana drops her hands, and her face grows even more flushed than it had before. ‘Does she mean she wants to fall in love with me? Or…has she already…? No way! There’s no way. Is there…?’

“Kanade, Melody, come see what Ten and I made for you!” The enthusiastic bird interrupts her thoughts. “Mama said humans can’t sleep in caves well, so we helped clean up and made a gift.”

“Lower your expectations though.” Tenor interjects. “Our accommodations are not high quality.”

“Well, I can’t speak for Kana, but for me, I’m alright with just a cot and blanket under a roof.”

Tenor’s beak drops slightly. “I said lower your expectations, but surely you don’t expect such barbaric conditions as that? I thought even poor humans had homes with the basic necessities?”

“Well we had a bit more than that, sure. But not much more.” She shrugs. “Anyway, let’s see it!”

“You two worked much faster than I anticipated. Good job.” Endora praises the twins. “Please follow me girls. She makes her way towards the exit, the twins, Mel, and Kana following behind.

They walk along a stone path, the thick and dense forest to the left, the open and lush fields to the right, and scattered lakes and ponds intertwined through it all. It reminds Kana of paradise locations illustrated in the fairytale books Uta would read to her. As typical of those tales, as they approach the end of the path they see a large stone castle come into view. It looks worn however. They enter through wooden doors into a large room. Kana was expecting a medieval theme like the Duke’s castle, but she’s surprised to see a far softer interior, similar to a Mediterranean land.

“This castle has been here since the birth of Harmony; even longer than I’ve been Mother of it. It’s said that it belonged to the original Goddess of Harmony, who left her home on Mt. Olympus against her parent’s wishes, to pursue an impossible dream. She believed in the purity of the humans, and insisted that they could live harmoniously together with all living creatures if they were guided properly. It’s told that she achieved that dream…for a time. However, the humans she once thought pure proved themselves to be wicked in the end. They began to destroy the paradise she built for them and all living beings. In a final effort to preserve what she could, she split this portion off from the whole, and raised it to the sky; a limit humans couldn’t yet reach. This land is now all that remains of Harmony. The Goddess has since abandoned us, but she left us her blessings so that we can continue to flourish in her absence. She gave the purest creature the role of Mother, and this title has been passed down to only the purest creatures ever since.”

“Wow, that’s quite a lore drop. That Goddess must’ve been pretty naïve to think humans are anything other than selfish. I’ve seen the worst in humans more than I’ve seen the good in ‘em. Shame she had to find out the hard way, but I bet Harmony is better for it. Where’s my room?”

Kana raises a brow, not quite used to her spontaneous and blunt nature. ‘Isn’t she too pushy?’

Endora seems unbothered by it however. “Yes, I’m sure you’d like to get some proper rest. You can explore more over time. All that I have left to say is that while it’s not in the best condition, this should be considered your home now. I’m afraid things below are too dangerous for you to return to your human lands for now, but you can make this home your own however you girls may like. It’s quite large for just two, but I believe one day it will grow to shelter more humans.”

“We can show you guys to your rooms!” Alto finally cuts in after patiently waiting. “We made a gift for each of you, so let us take you.” He flies over to Kana and perches on her shoulder. “Let me take you to your room Kanade. I made your gift myself.” He’s oblivious to Kana’s side-eye.

‘Sure, go ahead and make yourself comfortable buddy.’ Of course he can’t hear her, so her nod is the only response he understands. Kana waves goodbye to everyone, and allows Al to guide her.

“Right then, I guess that means you’ll be taking me to my room little bird?” Mel addresses Ten.

“Excuse me?” Tenor appears highly offended. “I’m NOT a ‘little bird’. My name is Tenor, a proud child of the Clef, and I’m also a teenager based on the lifespan for my species, like you.”

“Whoa, take it easy, Mate. I didn’t mean any harm. It was an honest mistake.” She raises her hands in surrender. “If you wouldn’t mind, please show me to my room Miss Tenor. Cheers.”

Tenor still seems agitated, but beckons her to follow. “Please follow me, Miss Melody.” An icy tension has now formed between them, but Mel follows after her, waving to Endora as she goes.

~-~

“Tada!” Alto grabs a circle of beaded twine from a small stone table just beside the entrance of the door, and drops it into Kana’s hands. “It’s a necklace for your wind pipe. I saw you using it earlier and you dropped it a few times, so I figured you could use something good to attach it to.”

Kana looks at the necklace more closely. The twine is surprisingly tough, perhaps taken from the bamboo trees outside. The beads however, are not common stones. They are multi-colored and smooth, yet have no set patterns or uniform edges. They were likely taken from a nearby lake.

Kana’s eyes begin to tear up. While it’s a simple thing, the fact that he’d been paying attention close enough to notice her flute and its importance shows that he’s not some annoying little thing without boundaries. He’s just a kind and genuine creature who only likes to help others if he can.

“So, do you like it?” He sees her tears start to fall. “Oh no! Did I make you sad too? I’m sorry.”

Kana shakes her head and lifts her hand to pet him. ‘This means so much to me Alto. Thank you.’ She knows he can’t hear her inner voice, but she hopes her genuine eyes and smile make it clear.

~-~

“Tada! Here’s another gift for you.” Alto hops excitedly beside a large wooden table. On it are several lily pads. One contains a variety of fruit. Another an assortment of raw sliced vegetables and potatoes. The pad in the center of the food triangle contains sliced fish fillets over seaweed.

“It’s not meat exactly, but we don’t make a habit of killing our neighbors here. However, the fish are a part of the food chain, and therefore acceptable to eat by all creatures here. Joven, the chief Lupian did the honors of slicing up everything with his claws, so it’s manageable for you two.”

“He did an excellent job. Please send him our regards Tenor.” She nods. “I assured they used fish that would not be harmful to you if eaten raw. I’m afraid none of the species here are adept in the skill of cooking with fire. There is a pit in the kitchen here. So should you two feel compelled to learn yourselves, you can begin to prepare proper meals fit for human consumption. Harmony grows all the natural ingredients you would need, so prep and cooking is your only requirement.”

Kana smile appreciatively and signs a reply. ‘Thank you Endora, this is wonderful for now.’ She looks around the table, realizing someone is missing. ‘Where is Melody? She’s not hungry yet?’

Endora shakes her head. “I did ask Alto to inform her, but he received no reply. Perhaps she-.” Before she can finish her thought, Kana rushes off. Endora simply smiles. “Love is the origin.”

~-~

Kana knocks gently on Mel’s door, but gets no reply. Normally she wouldn’t intrude where she’s not invited, but she feels an indescribable urge to do so anyway. She slowly pulls open the door.

“Sorry, but I’m not hungry right now Alto. Please go away.” Mel tries to speak with a steady voice, but it cracks at the end. Even though she tries to suppress them, sparse sniffles are heard.

Kana can’t call out to announce herself, so she approaches the bed. She sits in a chair just beside it and waits for Mel to turn around to face her, as she’s currently facing the opposite direction. Mel doesn’t turn around immediately however, and so Kana just sits silently and looks around.

The room looks much like hers did, but where hers had a color palette of green as the overall theme, this one has a theme of yellow. It contains basic furniture on the surrounding walls, a curtain-separated section for the toilet and bath, while in the center is where the wooden bed lies.

“I bet you’re thinking I’m a mighty loser now, ain’t ya?” She knows Kana can’t reply to her if she doesn’t look at her, but she doesn’t move just yet. “I talked all that big talk, and made it seem like I’m the strongest girl in the world, but here I am, crying all alone in a dark room. Pathetic.”

Kana patiently waits for her to turn around. However, after several minutes of silence and no motion, Kana decides to take action in the only way she knows how. She takes the flute hanging from her newly received neck band and places it to her lips. She begins to play a slow and calm melody, which she hopes will encourage a sense of peace and tranquility. She plays this melody on and on, even she unsure of just how long it goes on. She plays until the grieving girl before her finally turns herself around and faces her. Her eyes are red and swollen and her cheeks puffy.

Mel watches as Kana finishes the umpteenth iteration of her song, and then slowly lets the flute come to a rest against her chest. She stares at her now; her emerald eyes seeming to pierce her even in the darkness. She makes no motion to sign anything, but keeps her eyes strictly on her. They stare at each other for another several minutes, until finally Mel says, “I want to go home.”

Fresh tears begin to fall from her eyes, and she begins to tremble. Kana had taken a passive role out of respect for her boundaries, but her chest suddenly feels so heavy, she can’t help but stand and reach out her hand. Mel stares it for a moment and looks back to her eyes, before finally reaching hers out to accept it. Kana takes this as consent to get closer, and she climbs onto the bed and lies beside her. She keeps a respectable distance, but keeps a tight hold of her hand. However, after a few moments, Mel slides herself closer, and soon rests her face against her chest. She allows herself to cry deeply, as Kana holds her close and supports her all the while.