The song here is a really good one copyrighted by the singing group B*WITCHED, who also wrote and perform the song "C'est La Vie". The original idea for this type of story background/basic idea belongs to Ashe and her songfic "Dreamers".
Lina fidgeted nervously, wondering just how in the world she had managed to talk herself into this one. C'mon woman, this may be the only time you get the nerve up to tell him but does it HAVE to be now? Great. Now I'm arguing with myself.
"Better now than never!" She muttered under her breath before walking out onto the stage, the soft notes and steady beat of the song she'd chosen rising around her as the spotlight tracked her progress to the center of the stage. Taking a deep breath, and upon the cue, began to sing, nearly falling into the memories that it always invoked.
Rain fell down
You were there
Zel nearly jumped out of his seat as the first notes of the song echoed through the ballroom, nearly running from the room. The tune was old, one his mother had sung to him, and one of his few memories of her ... of either of his parents. But it brought back other memories, one he had been trying to blot out for years, knowing the dreams they inspired were impossible.
It had been raining that day, the first day he had met her ... He had been nine and she had been seven ...
I cried for you when I
Hurt my hand
Storm a-rushing in
Wind was howling
I called for you, you were there
Lina scowled, looking up at the tree, ignoring the looming clouds. "Now listen tree, I'm gonna climb you, and you're not going to do anything about it!"
The tree seemed to snigger, to her youthful imagination, mocking her. Her small jaw clenched with determination, Lina set to the task of getting up to the first branch, her small hands easily finding a grip on the rough bark. She had made it halfway up the tree before a branch broke beneath her feet, sending her tumbling to the ground.
"Ouch!" Lina grunted, sitting up. And then whimpered in pain when her left hand touched the ground. Looking at her hand, she found it smeared and stained with mud and blood. She then did something any little kid would do.
She called for help.
"HELP!!"
"There's no need to shout, I'm right here." An unfamiliar, young, crabby, and male voice spoke from behind her, causing Lina to whirl around to look. A young boy, not much older than she was with blue eyes stood behind her, watching her grumpily.
"I hurt my hand." Lina stuck the wounded limb in his general direction for him to look at, which he did. "What do you want me to do about it? It's your hand."
"But I called for you!"
"No, you called for help."
"But you came, and since I called for help, you're help. So I called for you." Lina stated in the firm logic conviction of all small children. He blinked, thinking that over. Then he shrugged, and took a pouch off his shoulder and pulled a vial of water from the pouch. "Hold still, I'm going to clean your hand."
"Why?" Lina asked, suspicious of all things related to cleaning, tucking her hand behind her. He gave a look that said 'don't you know' before tearing a small strip off the edge of his cloak. "Because that's what my mommy said to do when you get hurt outside. You have to wash the hurt or it'll get worse."
"You sure?"
"Yes. My Mommy said so."
"Where's your mommy now?"
"She's dead."
"Oh." Lina timidly held her hand out to be washed, crying a little because it hurt. When her hand was clean, he padded the cuts and scrapes in some clean cotton and then bandaged it with another strip torn from his cloak.
"Can you walk?"
"I think so." Lina got up to her feet, stomping to see if anything else hurt. Nope, only bruises. That found out, she decided to see who her rescuer was. "I'm Lina."
"C'mon, I'll take you home.
"Who are you?"
"I don't have a name."
"Whyever not?" Lina demanded, shocked, hand on her hip.
"Don't need one."
"But of course you need a name!"
"Why? I never had one and I done fine."
"But everyone has a name!"
"So?"
"So you need one!"
"Why?"
"Because you just do!"
"So you name me."
Lina perked up at that. She'd never named anyone before. She looked around, trying to think of a good name as they walked. "Ummm ... Your name is ... is ... Grey!"
"Why that?" The newly named Grey looked at her suspiciously.
"Because the clouds are grey, and so is your cloak."
"Oh ... Ok."
"Didn't your mommy give you a name?"
"Don't remember."
Whenever dark turns to night
And all the dreams sing their song
And in the daylight forever
To you you I belong
"Hey! Grey!" Lina called out, chasing her taller companion as he headed for the creek. He looked back at her sullenly. "What're you bugging me for?"
"Because it's boring back at home! I have nothing to do! I don't want to go to bed now!"
"You're going to get me in trouble."
"I'm sorry. I didn't think of that."
"Why don't you want to go to bed?" Grey asked, sitting down on a log and patting the spot next to him. Lina sat down, a pouty look on her face.
"There's still so much to do! And I'm not tired yet. I can't always sleep when they put me to bed."
"My mommy would hum a song to me when I couldn't sleep, would you like me to sing it to you?"
"It doesn't have mushy stuff, does it?" Lina asked, her pert little nose wrinkling in cheerful disgust.
"Nope, doesn't even have words."
"What kind of song is that?"
"A pretty one, now listen."
Soon afterwards, Grey carried a snoring Lina home and gave her to her parents to tuck into bed.
Lina could almost see the memories floating in her mind's eye, and closed her eyes to see them clearly. The old song, one she herself had made the lyrics for, flowed easily from her even as she reminesced.
"Grey?"
"Yeah?"
"Remember the song you sang last night?"
"Yeah, so?"
"I'm gonna write words for it."
"Why?"
"It needs words."
"So, why?"
"It just does."
He had shrugged, hearing her determination. And that had been the end of that. They had been casual friends for about a year, then, and steadily becoming good friends. More than ever, she regretted not spending more time with him, learning about the one who had been her best friend throughout her childhood.
Beside the sea
When the waves broke
I drew a heart for you in the sand
In fields where streams
Turn to rivers
I ran to you, you were there
"Wheee! Isn't this fun, Grey?" Lina turned and turned, making herself so dizzy that she flopped down upon the sand to become undizzy. Earlier, she had played tag with the waves while he watched, his eyes as stormy a blue as the sun-dazzled water. She was eleven now, and they had guessed his age to be thirteen. Her friend just shrugged, nudging a shell with his toe.
"We'll be friends forever, won't we, Grey?"
He blinked, taken aback at her seriousness.
"Sure we will, firesnot. Friends forever." She had stuck out her tongue at him, and thrown a clump of seaweed.
Whenever dark turns to night
And all the dreams sing their song
And in the daylight forever
To you I belong
"Are you sure we have to do this?" Grey grimaced as the blade bit into the flesh of his palm. Lina nodded firmly, blood already trickling from cut in her left palm. "Luna taught me this last night. It'll always let us know if the one of us is in trouble and needs help. Now, repeat what I say. For the shadows of Life"
"For the shadows of Life"
"Till the dreams have run dry"
"Till the dreams have run dry"
"I will help you, aid you, comfort you"
"I will help you, aid you, comfort you"
"In your brightest moment and darkest hour""
"In your brightest moment and darkest hour"
"I will be here for you, until death parts us"
"I will be here for you, until death parts us"
I ran to you, you were there
Other, happy, memories flit through their minds. Eating watermelon on the back porch of her house, spitting the seeds at each other and Luna. Playing tag outside, and chess inside when it was raining. Endless games of find-the-walnut on cold mornings in the snow, and reading a book by the fire in the evenings. Practicing swordplay under the watchful eye of Lina's tutor, Lina trying to teach Grey spells.
Whenever dark turns to night
Grey comforting Lina when her parents died, of Lina moving away with Luna. Lina had just turned ten, Grey, twelve.
And all the dreams sing thier song
Lina, lying on her new bed, looking mororsely out the window. She traces the scar on her left palm over and over with the fingers of her other hand.
And in the daylight forever
Grey standing, staring in shock at Rezo, who says something to him. Grey nods in affirmative. A single, wicked smile crosses Rezo's face before they both disappear.
To you I belong
Lina, now twelve and studying her spellbooks, suddenly curls up in pain, her left hand pressed against her stomach. Luna, alarmed by her sister's screams, dashes into the room and takes Lina into her arms. She pulls Lina's left hand out to where she can look at it, and then forces it open. From the scar, a slow creeping wave of blue is spreading.
Luna grabs the nearest sharp object and makes to cut Lina's palm, breaking the line of the scar and the bond with it. Lina shrieks, and tries to pull her hand from Luna even as tears roll from her eyes in pain. But to no avail, and a new line of blood shines brightly from Lina's palm, the bond broken until the new wound fades. Luna cradles Lina in her arms as the younger sister sobs, not from pain, but from loss.
To you I belong
Grey, his body changed as had his name, glowered in rage at the red priest. The lessons had not been going well, and looked to be getting worse. "You may force me to change my name, but I will not forget what she called me!"
"Then what shall you call yourself, Zelgadis?"
"I refuse to take your last name, so I shall make my own."
To you I belong
Lina suddenly jolted to awareness, the last note of the song still trailing from her lips.
Zel, almost absent mindedly, slowly removed his left glove, idly running his fingers over a thin scar in the middle of his palm.