Bring Me to Life

*230 Years Ago, Reclaimed Colony of Harmony Off the Coast of Japan*

The call of a rooster rings out, signaling the sun has begun to rise and encouraging all who hear to start their day. A few rays of sun slip through the curtains, the warmth casually spreading on the faces of the young women sleeping soundly in each other’s arms. “Time to wake up, Love.” The shorter woman wakes up first, untangling herself from her slumbering partner. “Kana-chan.”

“Mhm….” A sleepy grumble is the only reply offered to the mildly annoyed blonde instigator.

“Alright then, I’ll go about the day on my own I suppose.” She turns herself around and slides her legs from beneath the silk covers, and lets them come to rest on the smooth wooden floor. “Lenore was telling me she had something to give me, so perhaps I’ll swing by her place this morning.” She stands up now and heads to the washstand on the wall opposite the bed and beside a plain wooden dresser. As she begins freshening up, she continues, “Now that I think on it, she said her parents were visiting Lute Village for this week. I guess it’ll just be the two of us then.”

She leans down to splash water on her face. She shivers slightly from the chill of the water that’d been sitting overnight. By the time she returns upright and opens her eyes, she can feel a strong arm wrap around her waist from behind, while the opposite hand holds a linen towel beside her face. Her eyes jiggle from momentary surprise, but then she smiles as she gratefully accepts it.

“Good morning, Darling.” She wears a smug expression as the now free arm wraps around her from the other side, and the chin of a grumpy ginger-haired woman settles on her left shoulder. She frowns slightly as she nuzzles against her neck. “Oh come now, Love. I was just having a bit of fun. I do intend to pay Lenore a visit, but not without you. I had to get you up somehow, yes?”

The arms release her waist; with reluctance, and are raised to the air. ‘That’s a wicked game to play, Dear.’ She steps forward so she can face her directly. ‘I’ve no alluring qualities like pretty women such as Lenore, so I can’t take a chance of letting you be charmed away from me, Mel.’

“Kana….” Mel raises her hand slowly, seemingly about to embrace Kana’s cheek. “I had no idea you were thinking that.” Kana tilts her head and closes her eyes, preparing to lean into her palm. But rather than the soft caress of her lover’s hand, instead comes a hard finger flick to her head.

“Ah!” Kana recoils from the impact and rubs the spot. ‘What was that for? That hurt.’ She signs.

“Good! I’m glad it hurt! Maybe that’ll wake you up properly, since you clearly seem to still be asleep.” Mel’s hazel eyes flare along with the intensity of her anger. “Stop spouting that damn rubbish before I get rightfully upset.” She tosses the towel at Kana and walks to the oak armoire.

Kana stands frozen for a moment, not expecting her to react so strongly, but she also understands why she did. ‘She hates when I talk down about myself. I know I shouldn’t, but it’s how I feel.’ She hears a faint sniffle come from by the outer room wall, opposite the current side of the bed.

Mel attempts to dress herself, but she finds it difficult to do so with her shaking hands, and she ends up dropping her dress from her hands and to the floor. “Oh bollocks!” She bends down to retrieve it from the floor, however, before she can complete the action, she once again feels the warm embrace of arms around her. This time they wrap around her upper body, rather than her waist. She straightens herself up best she can, but the arms continue to cling to her tightly. They stay this way for several moments. Until she finally finds the strength to turn and face her captor.

Her eyes meet the pale green orbs that could use some polish. Maintaining her frown, she says, “I don’t like to hear you talk about yourself that way. You seem to think you’re nothing special; just a defect that had no right to take form. However, in the fifteen years that we’ve known each other, you’ve been nothing but amazing. I fell in love with you Kanade; against all my pessimist expectations. I challenged you to teach me what it means to love, and not only did you succeed, but you have truly embedded yourself deep into my heart. No, dare I even say, my very soul.” She raises her hand as before, but this time it rests gently on her cheek. “I want to spend every second of my life with you, Kanade. There will never be anyone else for me again. I love you.”

“I-.” She tries to say the words in her heart, but naturally fails to do so. So instead she leans down and kisses her soft and deep, conveying those feelings the best way she knows how. Mel leans into the kiss, and embraces her too. They fall to the bed, and become tangled in its warmth.

~-~

The glowing pair walk hand in hand down the path from their modest home in their reformed town. They’ve spent ten years eliminating the Ongaku threat and rebuilding alongside the old kingdom’s survivors and immigrant settlers. This large town is the result of their unified efforts. There are many smaller villages in the surrounding areas of this island colony, but this is the hub. What once was a land of an oppressive Duke and corrupted beasts is now protected by Harmony.

“Kanade, Melody, good morning!” A pair of kids about ten run up to them excitedly. “No armor or weapons today? What if the Ongaku attack again? I know you’ve cleared them out already from this island, but the wild ones from the mainland still find their way over during low-tide.” Mel lifts her arms right on cue and the kids, one boy and girl, grab hold of an arm and allow her to lift them in an impressive show of strength of someone used to swinging a sword around. The two giggle as they’re placed back down, and the fun ends with a customary head rub from Kana.

“Well, we’ve decided that there won’t be an attack today. We had one last week and Kana and I took care of them all. If we consider the common pattern and the tide cycles, we’ll be fine, Kou.”

“Maybe but…I don’t know.” The girl speaks this time. “I had a nightmare. I have a bad feeling.”

Kana squats down beside the girl and lifts the flute up from under her shirt. It still hangs from the same band Alto so generously gifted her all those years ago, just more reinforced. She holds it before her and emphasizes it in her hands. Then she signs, ‘I’ll sing all your bad dreams and the monsters away, Kaiya. I’ll keep this town safe for as long as I’m alive. Do you trust my words?’

She nods. “I trust you Kana.” She throws her arms around Kana’s neck and hugs her tightly. Kana is momentarily taken aback by her sudden action, but quickly adjusts and hugs her back.

Mel smiles warmly, her heart feeling full of the sweetness of the moment. “Aww, I’m a bit jealous of you Kaiya. You’re not trying to steal my Kana from me, are ya?” She winks at her.

Kaiya suddenly becomes bashful. “No…I wouldn’t do that to you Mel.” She looks up at her. “I couldn’t anyway, since Kana only has eyes for you Mel.” Kana becomes bashful now. “But…I would love to have a kind wife like Kana one day. A cool wife like you would be nice too Mel.”

Mel pinches Kaiya’s cheeks playfully. “Well, I’ll be rooting for you little Mate. No one will ever be quite like my Kana, but I hope you can get close. No one’s cooler than me, so give it up, ok?”

She playfully sticks out her tongue, and turns to Kana with raised hands. ‘So I’ve been practicing my sign with Aya. She says she can understand it, but it’s too messy. What do you think, Kana?’

She taps her head to indicate deep thought, then prepares to respond. ‘I think you’re doing great, and you’ve improved a lot, but I think you could tighten up your movements a bit. You tend to sign with uncertainty, like you’re thinking too hard, and that comes through. Just let it flow, ok?’ She nods. ‘Okay, we shouldn’t keep Lenore waiting. Later Kaiya, Kou.’ They all wave goodbye.

~-~

“So, I told Laurent that until he starts taking me seriously, and stays true, I’d no longer sponsor him in his artistic pursuits.” A sophisticated red-haired dame sits at the end of the long dining table prattling on about her personal dramas that they’ve heard millions of times before. “It’s so hard to be nobility, I tell you. First it took me years to convince people I was not a tyrant like my uncle, The Duke, and nearly lost my life in the fall of the kingdom like everyone else. I was able to cling to the slim fortune that remained and build a nice life here in this town after you two so graciously fought to clean it up for us. Thank you for that by the way, in case I never said it. So now that all that mess is done, I just want to settle down with a husband and revive my royal bloodline. Is that such a tall ask?” She sighs dramatically. “Oh, you haven’t tried your tea yet! I imported the brands just for you, as thanks. Please you two, go on and drink. Tell me how it is.”

“Oh right, of course. We just didn’t want to indulge while you were talking….” Mel says this as she glances at Kana. They share a brief look, then together, they drink their teas down fully.

“So? What do you two think?” She beams an elegant smile. “It’s a special blend. Tasty, right?”

“Yeah…it’s great. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It had a very unique flavor. Don’t you agree, Love?”

Kana smiles awkwardly and offers a slow nod in response. She looks up at Lenore, attempting to share a smile of gratitude, but the previously sophisticated woman before her now looks strange. Kana blinks a few times to ensure her eyes are clear, but she’s definitely seeing double. ‘Huh…?’

Mel is always watching Kana, and knowing the meaning behind every move or action she takes, she immediately realizes something is wrong. “Kana? What’s wrong? Oi, answer me, Darling!” She’s sitting just across the table from her, and tries to jump up to run to her, but she finds her body won’t move like she wants it to. “What? Why ain’t my legs moving like I say? The hell?!”

“I’m not a tyrant like my uncle…” Lenore’s voice suddenly grows serious. “but that doesn’t mean I’m a good little girl who won’t stand up for her family.” She stands up and begins to walk towards the other end to where Kana is. She reaches her just as her body becomes drenched in sweat and she begins to tremble slightly. “Yes, Arsenic has quite the effect on the body indeed. I honestly wondered if it’d work on you, considering you’re the newly chosen Heroine of this age. Though I must say, you’re a cheap imitation of your sister. Utaha was my inspiration actually.”

She sits on the edge of the table beside her and reaches out for her. “No! Stay away from her!”

She pauses and glares at the scowling woman. “Hush now you obnoxious parasite. I want you to know that I’ve always hated you and you’re elitist attitude. Running around like you’re the strongest around. “If only the paralysis drug I put in your tea could paralyze those flapping lips of yours too. I should’ve given you more honestly. But alas, I didn’t. But please, shut your trap.”

“Come over here and shut if for me then you witch! I’ll show you just how strong I am wench!”

She turns away from her and choses to ignore her. “Anyway, where were we? Right, your sister. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. I was only 10 at the time she married my uncle, but I believed I too could become a Heroine one day. However, who could’ve guessed she’d shatter my dream just five years later, when she committed treason against the kingdom and ushered in its demise? To think she’d turn those beasts on us and wipe out nearly everyone. I lived only by chance, when I became trapped under a piece of the crumbling castle wall. Other survivors found me and brought me to the camp with the others. That’s where you found me. The great Heroine of Harmony. Perhaps you aligned yourself to another nation, but you still took up the mantle after your sister threw it away. However, not for glory, but rather for an impossible peace. To believe we could one day live among the very beasts who ruined us. You are a scam Heroine.”

“Mmph!” Kana can’t speak for herself as she is, but she grunts with full opposition to her words.

“As if you could’ve ever become a heroine on Utaha’s level! Kana will never think poor of her!”

“I told you to shut your damn mouth!” She again turns her attention away from Mel. “Anyway, I’ve grown up now. Fifteen years later, at the ripe age of 30, I’m ready to avenge them all. But even for a scam Heroine, you still hold influence over those beasts and can use them to do your bidding depending on how you blow this pipe. We can’t have someone like that roaming around here, even if we owe them for making this town possible in the first place. But you may rest well, for I, Lenore Rose Stacatto, vow to lead this town and the surrounding villages into a prosperous future! As Governor, I will ensure you will always be remembered as our revered Heroine, who sadly lost her life at the hands of her lover, after a particularly nasty lover’s quarrel I was sadly powerless to stop.” She glares at Mel. “You will go down as a traitor, and given dishonor Mel.”

“Go to Hell! I’ll stop you!” She struggles to move once more, but it’s futile. “Damn you wench!”

“Say what you will, it won’t change your fate. You poisoned your beloved Kanade in a fit of jealous rage. I ran for help as fast as I could, but you tried to stop me, delaying my escape. I’ll see to it that my first act as Governor is to see you hang! Farewell parasite, beloved Heroine!”

As she runs out the door, Mel focuses her attention back to Kana, who’s looking worse than she did before. “Kana! Can you hear me, Love? Please, answer me!” She receives no answer, and is instead left to watch as Kana slumps forward and falls against the table, as thick, white foam comes from her mouth. “No! Kana! Darling! Wake up! Please, wake up! Kanade!” She screams.

“Kana, Mel! We have bad news. The Ongaku have-.” Alto swoops in through the open window, and Tenor is just behind him. They’ve grown considerably, now appearing as adult-sized birds.

“What’s happening here?!” Tenor asks with alarm, as she takes in the scene before them now.

“Alto! Tenor! Thank goodness! Please, fetch as much water as possible! There’s no time to explain, but we’ve been poisoned, and Kana’s almost out of time. Please, hurry and get it now!”

The twin birds are understandably frazzled by the sudden emergency they’ve been thrust into, but they can clearly see Kana’s in a terrible state, and so don’t hesitate further. “Okay!” They reply in unison, and rush to fetch the water. They return about a minute later with two large buckets of water. They place then down and together use their talons jointly to lift Kana out her chair and lay her on the floor. Without hesitation, Alto uses his beak to suck up water and feed it to Kana’s mouth. He repeats the action several times over a few minutes, and just as everyone starts to fear the worse, Kana’s upper body convulses violently, and she vomits up all the toxins.

“Oh, thank goodness! Kana, tell me you’re okay now? Please, just give me a sign Darling.” Kana heaves a bit longer, but she soon can manage a thumbs up. However, she’s still too weak to stand up yet. “Ok, that’ll do for now. I can’t move yet either.” Tenor brings over the other bucket and offers her the same treatment as Alto gave Kana. They both aren’t excited about it, but realize it’s necessary. After some time, and a small purge, Mel can move her body, but is still weak too. She slides out of the chair, and crawls herself over to Kana’s side. Her eyes are closed, but she’s breathing. She takes her hand and lies against her chest. They sleep together, it’s all they can do.

Alto and Tenor can do nothing more for them but remain by their side, as they always do. They wish them peaceful dreams, for they know when they wake…they may never know peace again.