Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ A Fragmented Tale ❯ The Chasers ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: cursed l0ve
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters therein. Although, I do own Aleron- she’s mine! ^-^

Read and Review please! Arigato!

Non Anime: Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.16.2006 | Updated On: 10.25.2006 | Pages: 6 | Words: 9.6K | Visits: 330 | Status: Completed

A/N: I made changes, changing the main character's name to Aleron and changed the names of Riku's weapons. Thanks to Swordstuff!
 
A Fragmented Tale by cursed_l0ve
 
Chapter Six: The Chasers
 
Sora had landed the Gummi Ship; not in its usual clearing, but in the one where he had found Aleron and Riku tied up in. He maneuvered it so that it came to a stop a couple yards away from the decrepit stump in the center of the dense forest circle.
"Here we are... Let's get going!" Sora said, somewhat gruffly. He stood from his pilot seat and stretched, before opening the cockpit door and leaping out of the ship. He wandered over and jumped on the surface of the stump. His cerulean blues searched around. Obviously looking for a way in to the Keyblade Graveyard.
Kairi climbed out after Sora, straightening her blue jean shorts and lavender tank. She flipped her burgundy hair back and bent down to gather it up in a ponytail.
Riku stood at the entryway, peering out at the surrounding woods. He took a deep breath before jumping and landing right beside Sora on the stump. Sora had almost fallen off from surprise if he hadn't caught his balance. He glared at the chuckling boy. Riku mumbled a 'sorry' and stepped down. His long, silver hair flicked out, and then fell against his back as he did so. He put his arms up above his head, starting to stretch out.
Aleron followed after Riku, being the last one off, she leaped off and landed on the ground beneath her, losing balance and fell back on her ass. She sighed as she rolled her eyes and pushed herself up, brushing dirt off from the back of her now dirty jean shorts. The cockpit door closed by itself, leaving Aleron with her eyebrow arched. She wiped her hands down the front of her green tank and turned around to face everyone. They were all oblivious to her previous incident and were searching for an opening of some kind.
Sighing, she made her way towards where Kairi stood. Sora was mumbling, "Where the hell is it?" over and over again under his breath.
Riku sat on the stump, with his elbows connected with his knees, and had his chin rested in his right palm. He watched as Sora rushed here and there, poking behind trees and peeking over bushes. It was amusing in some way.
Aleron had left Kairi's side and went to sit beside Riku. She soon fell in the same trance as Riku, watching Sora's attempt towards finding the entrance. Kairi, noticing she was alone, went to Riku's left side, but did not sit. Her head was tilted close to her shoulder, with a look of amusement written all over her face.
Suddenly a gasp came from all three audience members. Sora was gone. They all furrowed their eyebrows at the same time, stood up halfway, and was about to say something, when Sora's head popped up from nowhere. Only his head. No body. No arms. No legs. Just the head. Spiky head, with blue eyes, and an excited grin. Sora's head.
"Found it!" he exclaimed to the others who were glaring at him like he had lost his head.
Which he did... when he disappeared again.
They all shook out of their confusion as Sora's words registered in their minds. They all leaped up, except for Kairi, who was already up.
She had run in the area, where Sora's head was last seen. Kairi disappeared as well.
Riku glanced down at Aleron and grinned, "We better find them before we lose 'em! C'mon!" He grabbed her by the wrist and practically dragged her to the invisible portal. "And I thought he probably fell in a pit!"
With that, Aleron started laughing as she allowed her body to go through the odd substance of a doorway.
 
"Whoa... Are we even in the right place?" Aleron said out loud, looking confused at the surrounding. It was all sand. There were miles and miles of sand all around. There were no signs of keyblades anywhere. She stood there, puzzled. "It seems like an ordinary desert to me..."
"Maybe so, but where else would this place be? King Mickey said that the clearing was the only way to get in to the graveyard..." Riku said, simply. The warm wind swirled all around them. It pulled at their clothing, causing the fabric to twist around their bodies. Aleron and Riku's hair were flying madly. The said girl hissed and quickly braided it to one side and attempted to rearrange her clothing. She squinted her eyes against the harsh, sandy wind, trying to see the others. Riku was trying to hold his hair in place with his right hand and shield his face with the other. The dark khaki cargo shorts he wore, along with his gray t-shirt with light blue letterings were plastered against the front of his figure, the rest of it billowing behind him. Kairi's ponytail thrashed back and forth as she pressed a hand against the hem of her tank to keep it from riding up her stomach. Sora had his back to the wind, so his somewhat long, spiky hair was forced into his face and his clothes consisting of dark navy cargo shorts and a white tank billowed in his way. Sand was getting in their shoes. After a few minutes of the gust attack, the wind settled, allowing the floating sand to blend in with the others on the ground. The teens let down their defenses, and looked around. They were covered in orange sand.
Aleron sighed, shaking her body, and then brushed off the rest from her clothing. She carefully sat down in the sand and took off her green sneakers, and then the socks. She shook sand off the socks, put them back on, and then took each shoe and forced sand out before putting them on again, retying the neon blue and green laces. She stood up, brushing the remainder of sand from her backside. She let her hair free, unbraiding it, while combing through it with her fingers, getting rid most of the sand. She bent down and put her dirty blonde locks up in a messy bun, leaving the lighter blonde bands framing her face. She peered at the others; they were almost done getting rid of the sand from their possessions.
"Gee, what an unexpected surprise..." Sora mumbled, crossing his arms as he peered around for another possible sand attack.
"Yeah, so let's see if it's true. Try calling the keyblades," Kairi told the boys as she placed her hands behind her form.
Sora and Riku both glanced at each other before nodding and put their wielding arms straight in front of them. They closed their eyes and tried to draw them out. Nothing.
Sighing, Sora turned around to face the empty road ahead. He was disappointed, but at least he had the Excalibur to make up for the loss, for now though. He would get his Kingdom Key back. Where it was, he didn't know.
"Come on, let's get going..." Sora grumbled, taking wide steps across the rippled sand. It was a good thing he decided to come prepared before they'd gone to visit King Mickey. He was wearing his yellow boots with a black covering. He pocketed his Valor, Wisdom, Master, and Final form orbs in a small deep navy pouch along his belt line. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to use Valor or Wisdom without Donald or Goofy. With Master, he could. And with Riku, the Final form was useable and highly effective.
Kairi ran, her new purple boots she'd got from her birthday a couple months ago were on her feet. She was extremely glad that Sora suggested she wear it. She caught up with her boyfriend and looped her arm with his.
Riku was wearing his usual blue sneakers with black buckles and yellow lines. It had no effect with the sand, so he was thankful for that. His silver hair was tinted orange from the recent gust attack. He followed behind the two, striding across the sand as if he was walking on water.
Aleron growled when she saw how prepared or lucky they were. She slid in the sand easily, getting the grits in her shoes. It was like walking in snow. She narrowed her eyes to slits and struggled to run across the obstacle to reach her friends.
Yeah, she was just a key. Why would they care? All they need to do was get her to the destination and throw her in the light cylinder and she'd be gone, right? Yep. She was just a Key.
Kairi was usually off with Sora, so they never really had time to chat and become best friends. It was the same with Sora. Riku, she liked him, but in this case, she decided to avoid any feelings she had for him. She might die, or she might not, like Merlin had said. If she had any deep attachment towards the three people in her group, especially Riku, it would only hurt them more than it would when she was gone.
And Riku, he had been bullying her ever since she came back. In-between the times when nothing happened or a trick was played on her, he would be strangely nice and caring out of blue. It confused her. She shook all the thoughts she had out of her head. She didn't want to think about it… or them, for any matter.
 
It was hours before they came upon a village. It looked like a city made out of clay. People wearing tunics were walking around in the streets. The band of teens walked in the gate entrance, confused to why a place like this was set up in the middle of nowhere, or even... nearby a graveyard of keyblades. Children chased each other around street corners. Women sat along the water fountain in the center, gossiping. Others were in the Bazaar, grocery shopping.
Sora slowly approached a man wearing a suit of armor, which almost reminded Aleron of the Medieval Times. The man was sitting at a table not far from a hut. A weapon was laid on top of the surface, which looked suspiciously a lot like a Keyblade, but bigger. The man's helmet had flat horns that stuck upward. He had a dragon skin cape that hung from his shoulders.
"Excuse me, Sir?" Sora asked, politely. He was unsure if the man in the suit of armor would understand their language or not. And he suspected that if he had that strange keyblade, he must know a great deal of what was going on. Merlin mentioned three people that they would meet. He hoped this man was one of them.
The man looked up at the teenager. No one was sure what the man's reaction was, or what emotion he felt at the moment. They couldn't tell if he was kind or gruesome. That is until he reached up both of his gloved hands and removed his helmet.
"Yes?" the man said, a bit gruff. His dark eyebrows were arched in curiosity. He didn't seem too much older than they were. Aleron guessed he must be around his twenties or so. He had a short, spiky black hair and rose colored eyes. His skin was darkly tanned. He had a very handsome feature, which caused both girls to blush slightly.
"Well, My name is Sora. This is Riku, Aleron, and Kairi. Since we saw your keyblade, we were wondering if you could help us with our quest? If you know what has happened recently, that is?" Sora introduced, giving out a hand for the man to shake.
The man dug into Sora's deep blue eyes, then Riku's aqua ones as if thinking. With a nod, he stood up, taking Sora's hand and shook it, before picking up his helmet under one arm and the keyblade in another over his shoulder. "I'm Ryo."
"So, Ryo. Do you think you can help us?" Riku asked, testing out the man's name.
"Yep, follow me. I'll introduce you to my fellow Chasers. One of them is fiery, so be careful around her," Ryo said, walking down the sandy street towards a much bigger hut. He walked inside, holding the wooden door open for the others. Once they've all stepped in, he shut it gently behind him as he strode towards the table, in which he placed his helmet and keyblade upon.
"Go ahead, make yourselves comfortable. The couch is in there; draw up chairs if you must. Allow me to call them up, I'll be right back." With that, Ryo walked out through the back door.
"So, what do you think so far?" Sora asked, sitting down in the chair that was pulled out from under the table.
Riku leaned against the arch doorway that separated the kitchen from the living room. He shook his head to free his hair from his face. It was stifling hot and he was already sweating, causing his hair to stick to his face and neck in an uncomfortable manner.
"I think we can trust him. The Chasers, they sound like promising people. Warriors, I think. Obviously Ryo knew we were coming or he wouldn't have invited us so easily," Riku said as a matter of factly.
"That's true," Kairi piped up, smiling.
Aleron shrugged, "Yeah."
"I wonder who the others are," Sora said.
"I don't know how long he plans on being gone, so we might as well do as he says and get comfortable. I'm going to wash up..." Riku said, exploring down the narrow hall, finding a bathroom on his right. He went in and shut the door.
Everyone sweat dropped.
"No fair, why does he go first?" Sora grumbled, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. The girls shrugged and went to sit in the two extra chairs that surrounded the table beside Sora.
 
Half an hour later, the front door slammed open. Riku, who was dozing off on the couch, shot upwards at the noise in surprise. The three that were staring down at the wooden surface of the table out of boredom stood up so fast, that their chairs fell with a clatter at their feet.
Riku slowly emerged from the living room and appeared at the archway. Sora and the girls had their stares at a figure standing at the door. Riku moved his glance to find, yet, another armored figure. It was not Ryo, since it seemed more feminine and her horns on her helmet arched sharply downward.
"Who the hell are you guys? And what are you doing here?" she hissed in a dangerous tone. She had placed a leather-gloved hand against her metal hip of her armor. As she swayed to her side, her red cape fluttered in the air from the motion and came to a rest behind her.
"Uh... Ryo brought us here," Sora managed to say. If he did not indicate that they had some sort of permission, he was sure she would have killed them on the spot or so.
At first, she did not answer. Again, nobody knew what she looked like; if she was kind or gruesome. Although, judging by her voice, she would have been very arrogant and fiery. Sora remembered, Ryo had said something about one of his fellow Chasers being fiery.
Another moment of silence passed before she decided to accept that Ryo had invited those teens inside their hut. She stepped in and noticed that the man left his helmet and keyblade on the table. She gave out a frustrated growl under her breath. 'Stupid idiot. How can he be so trusting with those kids? Leaving his things around in the open like that...' she shook her head, silently scolding him.
She glared at each one in turn. The boy that had spoken was somewhat short for his age, or so it seemed. He had a mix of brown and dirty blonde hair that went up in different directions. He had the bluest eyes she had ever seen. The girl with the red hair had almost the same hue of eyes. By the way she was standing close to him, she guessed they were a couple. Having a silent smirk to herself, she looked at the girl standing next to the redhead.
She was familiar, but she couldn't place where she had seen that face before. The girl had a medium length dirty blonde hair with a much brighter hue at the front. She had blue for eyes as well, but it was more silvery than the couple's. She brought her line of sight to the boy leaning against the archway beside the girl.
He had a long, layered, silvery hair. His aqua green eyes were hidden behind his long, feathery bangs. He was tall and thin, but muscular. She noticed his silver eyebrows were arched as if questioning who she was.
"Well, since I'll have to accept the fact that Ryo allowed you four in the hut, I might as well tell you who I am," the newcomer said, plainly.
The teens watched silently as she removed her helmet. Long, dark, cherry red hair fell to her hips. It was similar to Riku's, layered and silky, with her bangs in her eyes. Her eyes proved golden yellow. Now they knew why Ryo had called her 'fiery'. She acted like fire, as well as looked like one. What stuck them more was that she looked a lot like Aleron, except for the pointy ears and darker tanned skin.
"My name is Enya," the warrior said, giving them a small bow. Her eyes might be bright, but they seemed piercing cold.
"I'm Sora. That's Kairi, Aleron, and Riku," the boy introduced. "So you must be one of the Chasers Ryo mentioned about?"
"Cool," Enya simply said, dragging a chair away from the group and sat in it. "And yes... There are three of us. Me, Ryo, and Matty."
"I guess Ryo must be looking for Matty then," Riku said, shifting his position. He stood away from the wall.
"Hope they're not out there looking for me," she said, smirking.
As if on cue, the back door opened and a man still wearing a helmet entered with a frustrated Ryo following behind. Enya arched her perfectly shaped cherry eyebrows as Ryo let out a string of curses when he saw her.
"So, let me guess... You and Matty went looking for me everywhere?" Enya stated bored.
"Yes! And look where you are! Sitting right there, enjoying our new company!" Ryo hissed, glaring at her with his rose hued orbs.
Enya stared at him for a long moment before laughing out loud. Ryo stood there looking at her with a look that betrayed even Riku's confused face.
"Well, what can I do?" Enya said, quieting down. She settled with a smirk.
Ryo sighed and shook his head before smiling at the guests and began introducing, yet, another newcomer. He looked at the armored man standing nearby the door and said, "This is the last of us, Matty."
"Hey guys," Matty said cheerfully. There was a short pause when he noticed Enya's glare. "And of course, ladies!" He said quickly, but smoothly as he bowed in front of the two girls standing in front of him.
Aleron and Kairi giggled. Sora and Riku gave a slight frown. Matty saw the guys' death glare and let out a soft nervous chuckle.
"I'll be right back," Matty said, turning into the hallway and went in the bathroom on the right.
"Well, I guess you met Enya," Ryo said, smiling. "What do you think of her?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Enya hissed, shooting the man a murderous look.
"Nothing! I mentioned we had a fiery Chaser, so I wondered what they thought of you!" he jumped back, defending himself.
"Hmph."
"Well, I agree with you," Sora said to Ryo. The other three nodded.
"How interesting..." Enya said, crossing her armored arms.
"Fits you well anyway," Ryo said.
The conversation ended once Matty returned to the room carrying his helmet in his hand. He had softer features than the two. His hair was cinnamon brown. It was spiky wet. Aleron guessed he must've refreshed up. His skin was lightly tanned. His eyes were hazel green with specks of blue and gold. He had bits of freckles across his nose. He had a cute smile. There was a dark brown leather braided choker around the base of his neck that was visible from the top of his armor.
"What's up?" he said, pulling a chair near Sora. He sat in it, putting his helmet on the table alongside the others'.
"We've been expecting you," Ryo finally said. "That's why you four aren't locked up for trespassing." He snickered a little.
"How?" Riku asked, wondering.
Ryo looked at the said boy and smiled lightly, "The Prophecy."
 
The sun had long gone, allowing the darkness to take over. Men left their huts to go to the bar for a drink, returning home late and drunk. Women watched silently as their child or two, or more slept.
Inside the Chasers' hut, they had small talks here and there. Ryo, Enya, and Matty no longer wore their armors, but clothing instead.
Ryo slouched in the worn out armchair, wearing black breeches and a white tunic shirt with the sleeves torn, showing his tanned, muscular arms.
Enya sat on the floor beside him, with her back against the wall and her legs drawn to her chest. She had braided her long, fiery hair to the side. She wore navy blue tunic shorts that showed her legs and a white tank, almost like Ryo's. It was more like a tube top since she wrapped it around her chest and tied it in the back.
Matty was sitting on the chair, pulled from the kitchen, wearing a tan tunic shirt with brown breeches and brown leather boots that tied up to the edge of his shorts.
Riku was sprawled on the couch, with his long silver hair hanging over the edge. His left leg dangled over the other edge, while his right foot touched the floor. His left arm was behind his head, while the other rested on his chest.
Sora sat on the floor beside the couch, with his back against it. Just right below Riku. He was sitting bow legged, with his feet touching each other and his hands holding them. Kairi sat beside him, with her legs curled beside her and her head rested on Sora's shoulder. Her hands were wrapped around his right arm.
Aleron had drawn one of the kitchen chairs to the spot beside the couch, and was sitting in it while leaning over the top of the couch. Her arms were folded, and her head was placed sideways on them. When she peered down, she could see Riku's face.
Earlier, Ryo had said they were expecting them because of a prophecy. The prophecy ended up being the same story as the legend. Only a few facts were new; "We had heard the prophecy when we were only kids. We heard it from a wizard from our homeland. I don't remember his name, or where we came from, but luckily I remember the prophecy word for word. He said, in our new land, when we were older, we would meet with four teenagers; those that stood out from everyone else. Two were keyblade wielders, but one was the true Master. One was a Key. One was a Princess of Heart. We were to help them. And there you guys are!"
The rest of the conversation consisted of plans and battle strategies. The Chasers explained the kinds of beasts they would meet along the way. The teens were told that they would be given armor for better protection. Nothing in this world was as easy as the past ones. One mistake, and they could die.
They had chicken and potatoes for dinner. Then the boys went out to practice sparring. Sora had tried out the Excalibur and had improved his skills greatly. Riku, of course, had his Souleater. Ryo used his keyblade. It was larger than all others. It was thick, but gave a huge blow. Matty joined in, using his metal sword. Soon enough, they had a small tournament. And of course Ryo and Riku ended as finalists; then Ryo as the winner.
Riku had been stunned afterwards. No one, except Roxas, which was Sora's Nobody, had beaten Riku. He demanded a rematch and Ryo had promised one in the near future.
The girls had all stayed back and watched, to their amusement. Aleron had to hold back a laugh when Riku was defeated. But, she was definitely disappointed, too. She had been hoping that Riku would have been able to beat Ryo.
Now, it was past late. They all were taking turns, out of order, telling small tales. Sora was now explaining their adventure from the beginning. The Chasers were listening with a great interest.
Aleron smirked to herself as she looked down at Riku. He was falling asleep. She held back a giggle, but allowed her right arm free and let it drop to the silvery threads. She began playing with it, twirling a few strands, brushing it with her fingers, and tugging it lightly.
She was starting to doze off, listening as Sora continued telling the tale. He had gone past where Riku had stopped many nights before. He was telling of Namine putting him in a deep sleep.
The quietness of the room, the warmth, and the softness of Sora's voice slowly lulled her to sleep. Which was why she nearly jumped out of her seat and almost let out a scream when she felt a hand grab hers. She snapped open her eyes and found that it was only Riku. She gave a sheepish grin as she tried to withdraw her hand back, but he had tightened his hold on it.
Sighing, Aleron relaxed again and placed her head back on the edge of the couch. She allowed the surroundings to lull her back to sleep, along with the soft rubs from Riku's thumb on the back of her hand. Soon enough, she was asleep, still taking in Sora's story.
 
Riku peered up at her, finding her asleep. He put on a contented smile, while closing his eyes again.
He had begun to fall asleep, when he felt something carefully caressing his hair. Without opening his eyes, he knew it was Aleron, because she was the only one behind him. With the arm that was already behind his head, he moved it to grasp her hand in his. He smirked when she let out a sharp intake of breath and had opened his eyes when she had done so, catching her shocked ones.
Riku saw her grin and felt her trying to pull away, but he gripped it tighter. Once she gave in and went back to her previous position, he began circling his thumb on the back of her hand. It was the only small affection he could give her. The only one he would dare do in front of others, though. He watched as she quickly fell asleep.
He had noticed it.
She was growing distant.
It was like she was avoiding them. Ever since Merlin's visit, she kept her distance and didn't talk as she usually did. She didn't smile or laugh when a joke was made. She didn't follow him either. She didn't even try to trigger an argument with him. She stayed quiet, as if trying to be invisible.
He caught her trying not to laugh when he'd lost to Ryo. And there was that shy grin when she tried to pull away. He had to do something. He wouldn't allow her to put her distance. Was it because of what Merlin said?
He shook his head of those thoughts as he attempted to listen to Sora's story. His hand still held hers.
 
Aleron was singing. Softly. But she was singing. Riku hid a smile to himself.
 
It was afternoon; they had begun their journey early in the morning. When they woke, Ryo had handed them their new armors.
Sora's cape was red, as was his armor. His helmet had flat horns, like Ryo and the others'. The view screen was also red. Riku's was gold; his view, yellow. Kairi's was purple. Aleron's blue.
"Ready?" Ryo announced, putting on his helmet. "I should warn you, be vigilant, be prepared, and remember... especially you, Sora- Do. Not. Be. Deceived. By. The. Dark. Blade. Got that?"
Sora gulped and nodded.
"Then let's go!"
 
They had walked a good seven hours or so. All around them was sand. Once now and then, they would get caught in a gust attack, but it passed by quickly. Ryo, Enya, and Matty were all up in the front, leading the group. Sora and Kairi were trailing behind them. And Riku was beside Sora, but had allowed himself to fall back until Aleron was beside him. Once she was, he continued walking, keeping in step with her.
She hadn't noticed that she was walking right beside Riku. It was at that moment she started singing. She sang softly, but loud enough for him to hear her.
 
“In you and I there's a new land
Angels in flight
(I need more affection than you know)
The sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah
Where fears and lies melt away
Music will tie
(I need more affection than you know)”
 
Riku waited for the right moment to cut in. He knew the words to the song as well as she did.
 
“What's left of me
What's left of me now”
 
Aleron froze in her step, stopping altogether. She sharply turned her head to see Riku right beside her. Through her blue screen, and Riku's yellow one, she could see him smirking. The color clashed, creating green.
 
“I watch you fast asleep, all I fear means nothing”
 
Riku stopped and motioned her to keep on. Aleron took this as a cue to continue, shyly at first. They started walking again. She peered down at her feet.
 
“In you and I there's a new land
Angels in flight
(I need more affection than you know)”
 
Riku joined in, so they were singing together. Their voices had gotten louder, so they were belting it out, notes and all. The others far ahead had stopped and turned around.
 
“The sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah
Where fears and lies melt away
Music will tie”
 
Riku moved closer to Aleron, so they were walking side by side, only an inch apart. She was smiling as she sang. Kairi was joining in.
 
“ (I need more affection than you know)
What's left of me
What's left of me”
 
Sora shook out of his shock and joined in after Kairi. Aleron and Riku had caught up with them, so they were now walking side by side.
 
“(So many ups and downs)
My heart's a battleground
(I need true emotion)
(I need more affection than you know)
(I need true emotion)”
 
Aleron, Riku, and Kairi kept quiet. Sora was singing directly to Kairi. She giggled as he began acting out, drawing his arm towards her and then with his left hand, he clenched it to his heart.
 
“You show me how to see,
That nothing is whole and nothing is broken,”
 
Enya stepped in, smiling at the couple.
 
“In you and I there's a new land
Angels in flight”
 
Matty cut in, after Aleron started singing again.
 
“(I need more affection than you know)
The sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah
Where fears and lies melt away
Music will tie”
 
Riku joined in, followed by Ryo. Everyone was singing now.
 
“(I need more affection than you know)
What's left of me
What's left of me now”
 
They all quieted down, allowing Aleron to finish the song.
 
“My fears, my lies
Melt away...”
 
Aleron voiced out the last part, keeping going until her breath was lost. She giggled as everyone was looking at each other, smiling.
"Hey Aleron," Riku said, placing a gloved hand on her metallic shoulder.
"What was that for?"
She blushed, even if no one could see it, "I just felt like singing..." She faced away to the horizon.
"Well, you should do that more," he said simply, patting her shoulder as he gave her a smile.
She was in loss for words. She stammered as he chuckled and took her hand and pulled them towards the others who were already on their way again.
"Okay, but next time, you pick the song!" Aleron said, recovering from his words.
Riku looked at her as if she was crazy, but then he smiled, "Alright, if that's what you say."
She grinned as they kept walking, still holding hands.