Waltz of Two Heartsby Misty MeadowChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 1“Why?” Aria hesitated, her mouth moving but no words came out as she sat on the edge of the bed. This was the moment she knew would come to pass. The love she felt for Adagio was hurting her and she didn’t know if she could deal with it any longer. “Because you are that part of me…” she began as she looked straight into Adagio’s eyes, “that I just wish I didn't need!” Adagio stood unmoving as sweat formed on her brow, as desperation rose inside her. Within seconds, a hitch in her chest caused her to stumble to her knees and she felt tears start to trickle down her cheeks. “Please Aria... don’t go,” Adagio whispered, having never felt so small, and yet here she was, begging for someone she loved to not leave her. “Don’t—” Aria interrupted her at that moment, crying out, “What? Don’t be like Sunset? Leave you and go for someone who’s better for me mentally?” She was lost for words. Aria was right, yet what the elder siren wanted so badly was to hang onto what little love she had. Yet all she could do was mutter quietly, her head hanging and shoulder’s slumped dejectedly, “Aria…” “No! J-just go, I can’t talk to you right now,” Aria’s shoulders slumped as she spoke, every word laced with venom. The moments that followed were filled with silence, a silence that neither dared to break. It wasn’t until a few minutes had passed that she got a response. “Ok…” That simple acknowledgement was all she would get from the former leader before she was alone in the room. A pained sigh escaped her lips as the butterflies in her stomach grew more intense. ’Why can’t I just… stop loving her? Soon enough, the tears came, flowing freely out in the prolonged moments since Adagio had left. She collapsed onto the bed, its soft embrace bringing no solace to her turbulent thoughts. She sobbed for what felt like hours until sleep finally took her. It was around the crack of dawn when Aria woke up, and yet the sun hadn't awoken her. Something wasn’t right, the house was too quiet for a Monday morning especially when she knew Adagio was supposed to be at work in a few hours. Yet when she looked outside the side window, the motorcycle that served as Adagio’s ride was still there. Seconds later it dawned on her that Adagio was on the balcony. ’How did I not wake up to her going out to the balcony? I always wake up when she does, and seeing as it's almost December, how long has she been out there?’ she thought as she got up from the bed, only to reach her the door before she saw the girl outside was visibly shaking. “Oh my god... that idiot slept out there didn’t she?” she muttered to herself as she opened the door, ”Damn it Adagio!” Looking up at her, Adagio brought her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them in a defensive position. She turned away, unable to look up at her. “I thought you’d have left by now.” The wind whipped through Aria’s hair, her mind asking herself why she hadn’t. Yet here she was, concern still laced around her heart, barely holding it together. Her bags were packed, but the idea of walking through that door one final time scared her more than she liked to admit. “How can you be such an Idiot… Adagio, seriously you could have frozen to death in this weather, with no more than you're wearing!” Aria rolled her eyes, and, getting no response from Adagio, stalked over to the girl to pick her up in her arms, feeling how cold the meager clothes were on Adagio. Adagio offered only token resistance as Aria scooped her up and walked back inside, dropping her on the bed and pulling the covers over her. “Adagio, look. I’ve carried you emotionally, and now physically, for far too long. You need help, and I can’t be the one to provide that for you anymore. I’ve asked you time and time again, but you won’t change.” She strode across the room, grabbing her bags en route to the door. “If you won’t make any changes, I will. Goodbye, Adagio.” As the door slammed shut behind her, the tears began to fall. Wiping them away quickly, she steeled herself, and marched out of the building, not once looking back. The lights were off. They had been that way since before Aria walked out, so as far as Adagio cared they could stay that way, even though most of the day had slipped away from her. Finally moving under her own power, she slipped back under the covers, and let the darkness take her under. Thump. Thump. Thump! Aria lifted the last of her suitcases up the set of stairs, fatigue setting in as she placed them on the landing. Thus, with the final trip up the stairwell complete, she collapsed against the wall to catch her breath. Taking a few breaths to recover she pushed herself up, and approached the door at the end of the hall. Ever since Adagio and Sunset had fallen out, she and Adagio had barely seen Sonata. Aria would have visited her friend sooner, but she had not wanted to upset her girlfriend. So when she had called them out of the blue, she had expected to be rejected, however much to her surprise, she had been welcomed with open arms. Hesitantly, she lifted her hand to the dark, oak door, and rapped on it three times with her knuckles, the impacts resounding through the hallway. The sound signaling the finality of the situation in her mind. She waited, drumming her fingers against her leg, as the silence dragged on. She let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding as the sound of a latch came from the other side of the door. On silent hinges the door swung inwards, revealing a shiny modern apartment. Aria never got the chance to see much of it before a blue blur slammed into her. Stumbling backwards, she kept her footing, and slowly realized why she couldn’t breathe - Sonata was crushing her in a bear hug. At this point Aria would normally push her away, but with everything that had been going on, she decided she not only wanted this, but needed it. She snaked her own arms around Sonata and hugged her back just as tight. Meanwhile, Sunset came up behind them groceries in arms, before placing them down against the wall and stepping over to the unsuspecting duo. They both jumped as they felt something on their backs, before realizing that Sunset had turned it into a group hug. The pair pulled apart, allowing Sunset into it properly, and they stayed that way for a few more moments. As they pulled away, Sunset reached down to retrieve her groceries, but one of the bags tore open, spilling its contents across the hallways floor. All three bend down to gather the items, and Aria’s eyes get wider as she starts to list the items being picked up. “Bread rolls, patties, squeezy ketchup, frozen fries…” She stood up, and looked at Sunset. “Where you buying those because I was coming?” She punctuated her sentence with a small sniffle and a smile. “Yeah,” Sunset beamed, “Sonata told me they were your favorite, so I thought you might like to…” She never finished because Aria had pulled her into another hug. Smiling, Sunset rolled her eyes. “You hug more than your rep suggests. Anyway, let’s get these inside and I’ll get cooking while Sonata shows you to the guest room.” Nodding her assent, the three proceeded inside, Sonata shutting the door after them, giving Sunset a quick peck on the cheek before she disappeared into the kitchen. Aria followed Sonata down the hall, and the blue girl pointed out the different rooms along the way. “And this is your's!” She spun around, smiling, and held the door open. Aria walked in to explore the room that was going to be her home for the foreseeable future. It was nowhere on the scale of what she had been used to, but there was a saving grace - nothing in it would remind her of Adagio. “Sonata, I can't thank you enough for this. Nor can I make up for the last two years of…” Aria was quickly silenced as Sonata pulled her in for a hug. “That doesn’t matter, what does matter is that you are here.” They separated, and Sonata pushed her further into the room. “Now get unpacked. I’ll go set the table, dinner should be in twenty, kay?” The blue Siren bounced off leaving Aria alone, but she could still feel a smile on her face; it had been far too long since she had had cause to do so. Throwing her cases onto the bed, she began pulling open drawers and filling them. She knew her own place would soon be ready, only a couple of weeks away, but it felt right to treat this place like home for now. Settled and happy with her arrangement, Aria headed back out into the apartment proper. As soon as she opened her door, her nose was assaulted by the most heavenly of aromas - sloppy burgers and crispy fries. On her way through to the kitchen, she actually took the time to look around. It was obvious that when they had bought the place it had been painted a clean white, with a lot of the fixtures and fittings made to match, but it hadn’t stopped the pair making it their own. On every shelf, windowsill or end table, there was little nick-nacks, most of which were in hues matching the girl's own color schemes. It was nice to see that at least one of them had managed to make a happy life for themselves in this dimension. With a wistful sigh, she headed on through, finding the table set and food being laid out. Taking a seat at the table in front of her, she sat next to Sunset, but her eyes stayed focused on the pile of burgers in the center of the table. Sharing a giggle the couple gave their guest permission to get started, soon discovering they would need to act fast if they wanted to get any food themselves. Author's Note Thank you so much to EternityFlame for editing :D and big hugs my co-writer Chris Chapter 2Across town, a soft ding resounded around a darkened apartment. On stiff legs a gaunt looking Adagio shuffled through the kitchen, until she reached the microwave. When she opened the door, the backlight cast shadows along the walls and floor, quickly extinguished as she removed her soup and shut the door. Dropping herself into one of the seats at the table, she pushed the mounting stack of dirty dishes away, clearing a space for her latest bowl. She looked down at the red liquid - tomato soup, one of the last vestiges of food in the cupboards - as she had no effort remaining to make the trip to the store. With her meal gone all too quickly, Adagio stumbled back towards her bed, crashing down on arrival. Crawling beneath the covers again, she let the numbness ebb and flow, her gaze focusing on an acoustic guitar in the corner, which was one of the few items Aria had left behind. Aria loved it. Two weeks had gone by since she had moved in with Sonata and Sunset, and it had been the best two weeks for over three years. The only thing that had tarnished her time was her inability to practice her music, as she had left her instrument in the rush to leave. So with only two options, leave it or fetch it, she decided to bite the bullet and go back to the apartment she once shared. As she walked up the stairs, she felt her heart flutter, but it was quickly quashed as memories of Adagio’s behavior surfaced. Instead, she arrived on the right floor with a small fire burning within her, ready to face the elder Siren down. But as the door came into sight, it all quickly changed to worry and trepidation; the door was wide open, but no lights were on. Fearing the worst, she moved as quietly as she could, quickly reaching the door; and then it all became clear. Taped on the front of the door was a large sign in black and red writing: ‘Eviction notice.’ Adagio had apparently fallen behind on the rent and their landlord kicked her out. That struck her as odd, as eviction should have taken longer than two weeks. Stepping through the open door, she found the whole place empty. And not just devoid of furniture, but the place was also spotless - that wasn't like Adagio at all. She walked through to the bedroom at the back, holding out one last hope that her guitar would be waiting for her. But her hopes were dashed as she rounded the door frame; nothing. “Hey!” Aria almost jumped out of her skin. “What are you doing in… oh, it’s you.” Aria regained herself and turned around, finding her ex-landlord standing in the hallway. “Hey Mr. Silver Note. Sorry, the door was open; I was looking for Adagio.” “Something happened between you two, didn’t it?” Aria nodded to him. “Figured as much. She’s been gone about two days now. She stopped paying the weekly rent about two months ago, and stopped answering my calls. So I put the notice up, and a day later she was gone.” “Oh,” Aria rubbed the back of her neck, looking down at her shoes. “Any idea where she went?” “Afraid not miss, she disappeared overnight, no one saw her go either,” Silver note noticed that Aria’s face fell further. “Though she had a fair amount of stuff. Might be worth asking the local van companies and see if she hired one.” Her smile twitched at the possibility of a lead. “Thank you Mr. Note. I’m sorry our stay here ended so abruptly.” “Don’t you worry young miss. The world throws us all curve balls, so I wouldn’t hold anything against you.” With a handshake and a quick hug, Aria found herself on the way out of the building, her phone already out and looking for local hire centers. Wommpf. Aria landed heavily on Sonata’s ridiculously plush couch. “Arrrggg.” Sunset poked her head in from the kitchen. “No luck?” “Nope. I went to all three of the local ones, and the two slightly further out. None of them have been hired to that address or nearby. It’s like she literally vanished,” Aria took a few moments to beat her fists against the cushions she sat on. “I’m never going to see that guitar again.” “I’m going to guess it is worth something more than money, right?” “Mhm. Way back, not long after we lost our powers, we still held an interest in music. Adagio saved for months to surprise me with it on my birthday.” Holding her hands over her chest, Sunset looked like she wanted to melt. She crossed the room and sat down next to the purple haired Siren. “I know it can never replace the one you had, but I can get my old acoustic out of storage if you still want to practice?” “Thank you, Sunset, really. I want to give finding it one last time. Maybe then, ok?” Nodding, Sunset stood back up and returned to the kitchen, the delicious smells already wafting through making Aria’s nose twitch in delight. This was it, her last hope. Aria knocked on the backdoor of the CHS music room, and waited. “Come in.” Complying, she pushed the door open and stepped through into a room she hadn’t been in for a number of years. The room was just as obnoxious as she remembered, the walls painted pastel colors, decorated by cliche music symbols and paraphernalia Towards the front of the room, sitting at the teacher’s desk was the woman she was looking for: Trixie Lulamoon. “Hey Trix.” The blue woman looked up from the papers she had been grading, and blinked owlishly for a few moments. “Well, well, well, first she stops returning my calls, and now she sends you to give me the bad news. Typical.” Trixie scoffed. Taking a few seconds to process what had been said, her face morphed into a scowl. “No, I wasn’t ‘sent’ here, I’m actually looking for her,” The scowl slipped into more of a frown. “Which means my trip here was a waste.” She turned to leave, until a voice called out; “Wait a minute,” Trixie's chair squeaked loudly as it was forced backwards on the floor, and it’s occupant came out from behind her desk. “Aria, stay for a bit, please. I haven’t seen you in almost a year, and now something’s happened; I miss you, and I don’t like being left in the dark.” This caught Aria off guard. Back when Adagio had been working as a teacher’s aid at CHS’s music department, Trixie had always seemed hostile towards her, yet now she was acting like an old friend. Her look now quizzical, she turned around to face her directly. In a tone that was slightly accusing, she voiced her concern, “Ok, what gives? I thought you didn’t like me.” Trixie froze, before her face fell. “No, Trixie does not hate you, she never has.” Spotting a disbelieving look, she sighed. “Trixie… I, was jealous of you for being with Adagio.” ‘Ok, that’s new.’ “How long?” Rubbing one arm with another, the blue woman turned slightly red. “A couple of weeks into her placement here. I found her singing, when she thought I had already left. It was beautiful. Then every week she would talk about you, how ‘great’ you were, how lucky she was,” Trixie looked up again, and back at Aria. “I got so jealous that I kinda took it out on you. It was not one of my best moments.” At first there was a snort. Then a giggle. Then a full blown laugh. Finally, Aria doubled over with uncontrollable laughter. Trixie pouted, but after a good thirty seconds of enduring laughter, she found a smile on her own face, before she too started laughing. It lasted for a few more minutes, the pair both having to sit down on the floor to avoid collapsing. As both of the women got their breathing under control, Aria shooted across the floor, pulling the them both into a hug. Trixie returned the hug, but weakly. “I’m so sorry I treated you so badly.” Rubbing her hand up and down Trixie’s arm, Aria comforted the other woman. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I can kinda understand, and now you’ve apologized, so it’s water under the bridge, ok?” With a big sniff, Trixie shook her head in thanks. Silence reigned for a few minutes before it was broken again. “So what happened between you and Adagio?” Aria sighed, before launching into a brief recap of the events of the last few months, ending with the reason with her visit here. Answering Trixie’s questions as she went, the conversation wound down. “So you really have no idea where she might have gone?” “Aria, I’m sorry, I really am. But I don’t, and if she left any hints I missed them,” Trixie stood up, help Aria to her feet. “But I’ll be sure to let you know if I hear anything, ok?” “Yeah, ok. And thanks,” Aria reached the exit before she spun around one more time. “And don’t be a stranger. I’m certainly up for a night out if you are,” Catching the blue thumbs-up, she slipped out, her mind not sure what to make of her situation. She was no closer to finding her guitar, but she had made a new friend. Chapter 3Sonata reached around the door frame, her hand fumbling until she found the light switch. As the bulb flicked to life, the state of the room became apparent; it was an absolute dump. Frowning, she looked around trying to spot the person responsible. A rustling of sheets alerted her to her target. “Damnit Aria, get up. You’ve been moping around for the last few days, and honestly, I don’t even know how this room could get so bad in such a short space of time.” “Ugh, Sonata, it’s not that bad.” Aria pulled herself out from the blanket pile and looked around. “Ok, it might be ‘that bad’. Must’ve knocked my waste basket over when I got in last night.” Sonata let the matter drop, it would only take a few minutes to clean it up. “You’ve still been mopey, but I’ve got an idea. Sunset was telling me earlier about a lady she works with. Apparently she found this new music bar just across town. It caters to the young, and even has open mic sessions.” “I don’t feel like making music at the moment,” Aria growled at her. “Oh I didn’t think you would be, but you should at least check the place out, you can listen for inspiration, and you might even enjoy yourself.” Sonata lightly bumped her friend on the shoulder. “It’s got to beat sitting in a darkened room.” Aria slumped her shoulders. “Fiiinnneeee. Where is it, and when are they next open?” “Squee.” Sonata bounced up and down. “It’s 1056 Everfree way, and they should be open tonight. I’ve been wanting to go since I found out, but I want someone to go with. This will be better than taco Tuesday.” Sonata started to vibrate with glee, until she suddenly stopped. “Oh poo.” “What?” Aria asked, concerned. “I’m not free tonight, me and Sunset have plans.” Her bottom lip stuck out, and she started to pout. “That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go though.” Aria turned away and started cleaning up her room. “I guess I don’t have anything better to do tonight. I’ll let you know what it’s like tomorrow.” With a quick thanks, Sonata left the room to go and prepare for the evening. The mess was straightened out in no time at all, so with a heavy sigh, the purple haired Siren donned her jacket, and headed out into the blustery late afternoon. By the time Aria reached Everfree Way, the sun had already started to slip beneath the horizon. This was coupled with the winds that had picked up steadily over the course of her walk. The wind bit her through her clothing, her arms wrapped tightly around her chest to try and keep her core warm. Thankful for the fact that at least it wasn’t raining, she made her way in a brisk walk, almost a jog, closing the final stretch of road. The area around her didn’t seem the place to anyone would go looking for a new music bar. On the far side of the road it was almost wall to wall warehouses, and on this side it was offices or open lots. But ahead of her, the blue of a neon sign was unmistakable, the light called out to her, enticing her to give one last burst of speed. Finally reaching her goal, she didn’t even spare a minute to look for the name, merely slipping in as fast as she could to escape the unrelenting cold. She vaguely recognized the other patrons, but only their existence as she closed on the bar. “Something warm please,” she said to the back of a purple haired bartender. She settled onto a stool, rubbing her arms to regain some warmth, and finally started to take note of her surroundings. The first thing that struck her was blue. The theme of the place seemed to be blue, mixed with whites and other light colors. The second thing that caught her attention was that everyone here was female. “Here ya’ go you pretty little thing.” Aria turned around to find the bartender smiling at her, a cup of something between them, steam visibly rising. From the smell of it, it was something coffee based. “Eeeerrr, thanks. How much?” “First ones free darlin’.” And with a wink, she walked away to serve another patron. Rather than ask and draw attention, she took her drink and headed away from the bar. The central area was a small dance floor, around the edge of which was lined with small booths, a tiny stage at the opposite end from the bar. She took a seat in one of the smaller booths, facing away from the stage. The drink in her hands did a wonderful job of warming up her fingers, but her chest was still cold. Taking a sip, she almost choked i back out; this was not ‘just’ coffee. Guessing at a whiskey, she took more reserved sips, allowing the heat of the drink and the burn of the liquid warm her core up. One hour and three drinks later, Aria was just finishing up a conversation with one of the bar’s regulars. She had explained that Pandora’s Box was in fact a woman's gay bar. The music and open mic had started up twenty odd minutes earlier, and so far her opinion had been mixed. One woman had been partially talented, but another had made her want to rip her own ears off. Right now, no-one was onstage, and the bar’s playlist kept the music going. She waved to her temporary friend as she left, leaving her in peace. The night had been enjoyable mostly, but she was thinking it was time to leave. She put her hands on the table to push herself up, when everyone else started cheering, and she realized the music has stopped. Before she could question it, guitar strings made their way across the quickly hushed room, laying out a sweet melody. With her back to the stage, she hadn’t seen the new act approach, but she could already tell they had more skill than any who had been onstage so far tonight. Rather than stay and listen, she made a move for the exit. But then the voice stole her breath away: “If we walk away forever. There's no turning around,” Aria froze, for a half step, as she was listened closely to the song. The strumming combined with the voice was mesmerizing, yet she didn’t know why. “Gotta say what I feel, while you're right by my side,” The pain in the voice creeped towards her own heart, one that was barely holding itself together. “I'm not sure I'll find words, to cover the wounds. That I see in your eyes,” Aria closed her eyes as the music washed over her, putting her hand to her heart. Oh how she wished it could be Adagio singing to her. Alas, this was not something the elder siren would traditionally sing. “But I gotta try...” At this moment her heart felt compelled to turn around and stay for the rest of the song yet her feet didn’t want to work, and the exit loomed ever closer. “I know you're not to blame,when the clouds turn to gray. But if we stay or walk away, one thing will forever stay this way,” The guitar’s strumming softened at that point and Aria finally started to slow down and turn around. “Forever I will love you. Forever I will love you!” Aria’s eyes widened at that moment, as she turned around to see the purple and black acoustic guitar, her guitar, in the gloveless hands that once held her own heart. Adagio was sat on the edge of the stage, guitar in her lap, her legs kicking as she played. “Can you search down inside, and let go of the pain,” She tore her eyes away, unable to look with her heart burning. “If I stop trying to win, and just let you in,” Her knees went weak, her body beginning to shake. “I didn't travel this far, to watch it all fall apart” Balance fleeing her, Aria stumbled forwards, crashing into a waitress returning empty glasses. “So give me your hand… The noise attracted Adagio’s attention, her eyes scanning the scene until they locked with a familiar set of vivid purple ones. “And take a chance...” The last line came out as an almost whisper. Frozen together, the girls didn’t move for about a minute, and many of the patrons began to look back and forth between them. Finally, Adagio flinched, and the guitar slipped onto the stage beside her. Before Aria could call out, the yellow woman had jumped to her feet and bolted through the stage door, and out of sight. Getting her legs to move, Aria ran across the dance floor, and vaulted up onto stage. Through the stage door in seconds, she was just quick enough to see wisps of orange and yellow hair disappear around the corner at the end of the hall. Reaching the end, she was in time to see the fire exit slam closed. She ran up to it, and pushed on the release bar- it wouldn’t budge. She tried again- no joy. Throwing her shoulder against the door achieved success, and she all but fell out into the freezing cold alleyway. She scanned both ends of the alley, but found no sign of her target; she had lost her. Defeated, she trudged back inside, the warmth coming back as the door closed shut. Part of her was glad, not catching her meant she didn’t have to deal with the whole mess right now, but the majority of her was saddened. Retracing her steps, she found her way back to the stage, and spotted her guitar lying there. With a heavy sigh, she scooped it up, and headed towards the main exit. “HEY! Where do you think you are going with that?” Aria spun around to see an irate bartender on the warpath. Gulping, Aria started back tracking. “But it’s mine.” The woman scoffed. “Hardly. That girl has brought it with her every other night for the last two weeks.” “Look, I can prove it.” She pulled out her I.D. “I’m Aria Blaze, and look at this.” She spun the guitar around, and showed the back of the neck to the barmaid. There on the back, an inscription in an almost calligraphic scratch: ’Aria Blaze,’ But what caught the older woman’s attention was the Inscription on the back of the guitar’s base: ’Love you Always, Adagio.’ Eyes popping out of her sockets, the staff members jaws locked open. “You’re her…” Blinking, Aria looked confused. “What do you mean ‘I’m Her’?” “You know, her. The girl from the song.” Author's Note The song was an original work by me and thanks again to EternityFlame for editing Chapter 4Taking a moment for her brain to compute, Aria stood stock still. The barmaid starting waving a hand in front of her face, before she blinked, back in the room. “Wait - are you telling me this isn’t the first time she’s sung a song about me?” Disbelief laced her voice. The Adagio she knew couldn’t even play the guitar, nor would she be caught dead singing anything so ‘mushy’. Top that with providing entertainment for free, and wearing her heart on her sleeve - no, she just couldn’t see it. “Yeah,” she nodded enthusiastically. “Three, four times a week she’s in here. Each time she plays that song - her first one, followed by a new one. Didn’t get to hear the new one today.” Aria stared at her incredulous. “Really. And each song is about how much she misses you, or her messing things up.” Once again she felt her heartstrings go taught. She had no reason to doubt the words of this woman, which meant that something about Adagio must really have changed. But right now, it hurts to much to think about. “If you don’t mind me asking miss, what happened between you two?” Suddenly feeling cold, Aria relived the last few months in her head, the memories overwhelming her. She was saved from both her thoughts and the question when her phone began to ring. “Hello?” ”Hey Aria, it’s Sunset.” “Hey Sunset, what’s up?” ”Sonata and I will be passing Pandora’s Box in about two minutes if you need a ride home?” “Yes - please. See you out front.” Aria slipped her phone back into her pocket, and turned to the still waiting barmaid. “Sorry, I’ll have to explain it another time,” she hefted up the guitar, “and if she comes back looking for this, tell her I’ve got it.” Without waiting for a reply, Aria stalked across the room and out the main entrance. The wind immediately bit her through her clothes, and she crushed herself into one of the buildings alcoves. She huddled there, hiding from her thoughts as much as the other patrons of the bar, until the low roar of a vehicle caught her attention. Through the window of the car, she saw Sonata smiling back at her. She waved her hand, beckoning Aria to get in, popping the latch on the rear door. Grateful for the short wait, Aria slipped into the back seat, clipping her belt on. “So how was it Aria?” Sonata’s voice was chipper, and looking at both her and Sunset showed two large smiles. She gulped, not willing to ruin their evening, she decided to lie about her night. “It was definitely something.” Aria feigned a smile, Sonata taking it at face value. With that accepted, the three settled into a comfortable silence for the rest of the way home. “Oh come on!” Sunset griped at the wheel. Half way home, they had encountered heavy traffic, to the point they had crawled to a standstill. While Sunset fumed, Aria had lay down, trying to get some sleep on the back seat. As the car started moving again, the telltale flash of blue lights flickered across the interior of the car. They were still moving at a crawl, so Sonata got a good view of the cordoned off accident. “Ouch, this looks nasty. Someone's being loaded into the ambulance. It’s… it’s… it’s Adagio.” Like a bolt, Aria was up and out of the car. “HEY!” Sunset called, before more motion rocked the car, Sonata being in hot pursuit. With no other option, Sunset mounted the curb, pulling her car off the road. Aria made it most of the way to the ambulance before she was intercepted by a police officer. “Miss, what are you doing?” “I’m her next of kin!” She pointed to Adagio’s prone form, lying to the officer. A grimace crossed his face before he let her go, waving her on towards the emergency vehicle. Sonata was less fortunate, another officer stopping her before she even got close. Reaching the the back of the ambulance, Aria explained who she was, a member of the EMT unit helping her inside. She found Adagio on the stretcher, and she almost wanted to vomit. She wasn’t conscious, but right now, that was a good thing. Her skin was pale, but there was a lot of blood, but few sources. A bandage had been wrapped around her head, a large red patch already soaking through, and her shirt was torn, another bandage slowing a large red line up her side. Getting her nausea under control, she sat down beside her, and took a hand in hers. “What happened to her?” She asked the closest paramedic. “We’re not entirely sure. Best guess at the moment is she was on the sidewalk when two cars collided. Pieces went flying, and she got caught in the firing line.” “Is she gonna be ok?” Aria half whispered. The EMT checked a clipboard, and checked the I.V. line he had just fitted. “Barring anything serious we’ve missed, she should be fine, and back on her feet in no time.” Letting out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding, Aria settled back against the wall of the vehicle. She kept ahold of Adagio’s hand, but forced her eyes anywhere but the girl in the gurney. Each time she did, she couldn’t help but fear the worst. The constant rocking back and forth did it’s best to lull her slightly intoxicated mind to sleep, but worry put a stop to it. Soon, they lurched to a stop, and the rear doors were opened from outside. Watching as they unloaded Adagio, Aria followed them through the hospital’s ER, until they went into an x-ray room, forcing her to wait anxiously in the waiting room. A quick scan revealed pieces of shrapnel were still inside some of her wounds, and she was rushed into the operating room. It was during time that Sunset and Sonata arrived at the hospital. The blue woman shot in, quickly wrapping Aria in a tight hug, while Sunset strolled in and had a quick word with the nurse at the desk, before taking a seat next to her. “Hey. How are you? The nurse told me she’s in surgery.” “I’m, I’m… I don’t know,” Aria rubbed her hands together self consciously, “I was making some headway about my feelings, and now this happens… I feel so lost.” “I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Sonata grabbed one of her hands, “You know how thick headed she can be sometimes. It will take way more than this to slow her down.” The ghost of a smile appeared on Aria’s face. “Yeah, you’re right.” She looked to both of her friends, her face falling slightly. “Thanks for coming you two, but you should head home. Chances are I’ll be here and up all night, but you should go home and rest.” “You sure?” Sunset questioned. “Yeah. Besides,” Aria smirked, “I’ll need someone to bring me breakfast and a change of clothes.” She stuck her tongue out at Sonata, who returned it in kind, before the three of them lapsed into giggles. They soon left, each giving Aria a hug before waving goodbye. On her own again, the worry set in, but it was petered out slightly was a more rational part of her mind began to work. She knew full well that she had lingering feelings for Adagio, and the thought of losing her hurt, but they had split up for a reason. She didn’t want to fall back into something just for it to fall apart around her again. But recent events had given light to a possible changed Adagio, so would it fall apart again? Still skeptical, Aria’s mind flip-flopped between cold logic and emotional turmoil, leaving her crying at some moments and introspective the next. With the emotional roller coaster adding to an already long night, combined with the beginnings of the alcohols vengeance, the purple Siren was soon fast asleep in the waiting room chair. Chapter 5Aria felt her world coming back with a jostling movement. “Miss, excuse me miss.” She could now feel the hand on her shoulder that was giving her a slight shake. “Your friend’s out of surgery, and the doctor wants to see you.” Wiping away the last vestiges of the sandman from the corners of her eyes, Aria got up groggily, before following the nurse who had woken her. She was led through a series of twisting turning corridors, all of which passed her by in a haze as her memory of the previous night returned to her. Her heart once more feeling like lead, she entered Adagio’s hospital room. It was a generic sterile white room, a bed in the center and a few chairs around. Eyes drawn to Adagio, she found the girl lying peacefully in her bed, eyes closed. A moment of fear gripped her heart until the steady beep of the heart monitor pushes her thought aside - she was still alive. “Miss Blaze, is it?” The white coated doctor looked at her over the top of his clipboard. Giving a nod, the doctor ticked something on his papers and waved the nurse out, motioning towards a seat behind Aria. Doing as instructed, she sat down, her nerves almost palpable. “The first thing I want to say it that Adagio here IS alive, so please don’t worry about that, but… there was a small complication during surgery.” Aria slid forward to the edge of her seat. “What do you mean?” “The x-ray revealed a fair amount of shrapnel had caught miss Dazzle in the upper side of her head. The scan confirmed that nothing looked damaged, with most of it being stopped by the skull.” “You said ‘most’.” The purple Siren retorted. “I did. There was two pieces that made it through, and one of which has lodged itself in a sensitive area - the motor cortex. Now you have some options here. Leaving it in shouldn’t harm her, but could lead to complications later. The other option is to take it out. Our resident brain specialist will be back in two days.” “So why is she like that?” She pointed at her fellow Siren. “We thought it best to keep her in an induced coma until you make a decision. If you decide to have it removed, she’ll stay this way until after the surgery. Now, do you need a few moments think about the decision?” Without even having to think about it consciously, she gave her answer. “Remove it.” The doctor blinked at her quick response. “If you are sure, then I need you to sign here.” He passed her his clipboard, pointing to the consent forms. With a quick signature, he thanked her, and turned back just before he left the room. “I can have a nurse prepare a cot if you wish to stay here for the next two days?” “No thank you. She’s in good hands, and there is a few things I need to look into.” Nodding at Aria’s answer, he left the room. Glancing at the clock on the end table, she noted it read oh-seven-thirty. Having slept through the night, she decided to make the most of her early start, heading out straight away. Peering through the glass, Aria struggled to see anything through the black tinted panels on the front of Pandora’s Box, and lack of light inside didn’t help. Unable to see anyone, and out of idea, she gave the glass three solid thumps. “What do you want?” The voice made her jump, flinching back from the glass reactively. She spun her head left and right, trying to find the source of the voice. “Up here.” Stepping backwards, Aria looked up to see a middle aged woman sticking her head and shoulders out of a second story window above her. A nervous smile on her face, she quickly replaced it with on of confidence and waved upwards. “Hi. I was looking to speak with the owner.” “You are.” Groused the woman. “I’m here to ask you a few questions about Adagio.” The woman stumbled, slipping backwards inside “I’ll meet you at the side door.” She shouted out before slamming the window shut. Somewhat confused, Aria did as asked, and walked around the side of the building finding a doorway halfway down an alleyway. The sound off heavy bolts retracting soon echoed down the passageway, before the door swung outward. Aria had to jump back to avoid being hit. The woman, now mostly dressed, beckoned her inside, shutting the door behind her. “Do you know where she is? Is she ok?” The sudden barrage of questions caught Aria off guard. “When she didn’t come back last night I was worried…” Torn between telling her the truth and making her worry, or lie, and give her some temporary peace of mind, she finally settled on one of them. “I reckon you deserve the truth; you obviously care for Adagio as well.” She let out a big sigh, breathing deep before continuing. “There was a car accident, and she was passing by at the time.” The woman jumped up, but Aria held a hand up. “Don’t worry, she’s in the recovery ward and the doctors have assured me that she’ll be fine. She got hit by some of the debris, is all.” With a big sigh of relief, the woman sat back down. Aria felt bad for giving half truths, but she still didn’t know who this woman was, or her motives.”I’m sorry to be rude, but I never got your name?” “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Spinet Heartstrings.” She stuck out her hand, Aria shaking it. “Adagio tells me you went to school with my daughter, Lyra.” Aria’s brain blanked, trying to recall the girl in question. After a few moments, images of a mint green girl appeared. And then images of the cream girl she was going out with came back, making the whole situation make sense. “Yeah, I did.” She smiled, before changing the subject, “Back to Adagio. How did she come to be living here?” A frown settled across Spinet’s face. “It was about two weeks ago. I got home late from visiting a friend’s house; it was overcast and windy, and I really wanted to go to bed. I have a parking lot around the back, and on the walk from there to the rear door I heard the clinking of glass down the side passage.” She glanced at Aria to see a look of disbelief, and mistook her meaning. “Of course I was worried, at that hour around here, who knows what it could have been?” She laughed ruefully to herself, “and the last thing I expected was to find a young woman, with naught but a guitar, trying to make herself comfortable between two dumpsters.” “What did she say?” Aria asked. “Not much, actually. I invited her in for a warm place to sleep, and she was out like a light. It wasn’t until the next morning I managed to coax some details out of her. She said she had lost the most important thing in her life, and then everything had fallen apart. Funny thing is, she offered to pay her way by becoming a regular performer. I was never going to throw out someone that down on their luck, but I humored her, gave her a shot.” She gave Aria a death glare, “And this next bit never leaves this room, but the first song she played, the raw emotion brought me to tears.” Aria slumped in her chair, the disbelief having stunned her completely. “She never even told me she felt that strongly.” Spinet quirked an eyebrow. “So it is true. The fabled ‘lover’ did in fact visit last night, my staff weren't lying.” Her smile slowly dropped, and she began to fidget with her hands. “I’m sorry, I know this isn’t my place, but may I ask what happened?” While the pink Siren was not usually one to open up her personal life to friends, let alone strangers, she was still slightly stunned. Her mouth flowed freely spending the next fifteen minutes recalling the past few months and the downfall of their relationship. Now it was Spinet’s turn to sit flabbergasted, having heard Aria leak details of magic, and other worlds. After a few moments, her brain re-engaged. “So Lyra wasn’t making it up. Huh” Realizing what she had done, Aria’s eyes went wide. “You’re not gonna report us or anything, are you?” Blinking, the older woman figured out what she had meant. “What, no, of course not.” A rather sheepish smile appeared on her face. “Truth be told, I’ve enjoyed having her around. Lyra moved in with her partner over a year ago, so it’s been nice having someone to look after.” Looking wistful, she glanced back to Aria. “I’m sorry if that sounds creepy to you.” Calming down, the Siren considered what she had just been told. But rather than feel the situation was creepy, the feeling that surfaced was one of jealousy. It had been scores of moons since they had last seen anyone the Sirens could consider family, and being thrown into the bodies of teenagers, it brought with it emotional changes; she found she wanted the chance to call her ‘mom’. Shaking her head to clear her thought, she smiled back at Spinet. “No,no, I think I can understand that.” She let out a deep breath. “Sorry, I’m just having trouble reconciling the Adagio I’ve had described to me against the one I’ve lived with.” She looked at the wall clock, and noted the time. “Oh jeez, it’s that late already? I’m sorry, I’ve got to run.” As Aria got up and headed towards the door, Spinet grabbed her wrist. “Hey, bring Adagio back here once she’s able, please?” Smiling with a nod, Aria slipped free and out the back door into the late morning light. Author's Note another chapter done thanks to Chris and Eternity and Echo.
Chapter 1“Why?” Aria hesitated, her mouth moving but no words came out as she sat on the edge of the bed. This was the moment she knew would come to pass. The love she felt for Adagio was hurting her and she didn’t know if she could deal with it any longer. “Because you are that part of me…” she began as she looked straight into Adagio’s eyes, “that I just wish I didn't need!” Adagio stood unmoving as sweat formed on her brow, as desperation rose inside her. Within seconds, a hitch in her chest caused her to stumble to her knees and she felt tears start to trickle down her cheeks. “Please Aria... don’t go,” Adagio whispered, having never felt so small, and yet here she was, begging for someone she loved to not leave her. “Don’t—” Aria interrupted her at that moment, crying out, “What? Don’t be like Sunset? Leave you and go for someone who’s better for me mentally?” She was lost for words. Aria was right, yet what the elder siren wanted so badly was to hang onto what little love she had. Yet all she could do was mutter quietly, her head hanging and shoulder’s slumped dejectedly, “Aria…” “No! J-just go, I can’t talk to you right now,” Aria’s shoulders slumped as she spoke, every word laced with venom. The moments that followed were filled with silence, a silence that neither dared to break. It wasn’t until a few minutes had passed that she got a response. “Ok…” That simple acknowledgement was all she would get from the former leader before she was alone in the room. A pained sigh escaped her lips as the butterflies in her stomach grew more intense. ’Why can’t I just… stop loving her? Soon enough, the tears came, flowing freely out in the prolonged moments since Adagio had left. She collapsed onto the bed, its soft embrace bringing no solace to her turbulent thoughts. She sobbed for what felt like hours until sleep finally took her. It was around the crack of dawn when Aria woke up, and yet the sun hadn't awoken her. Something wasn’t right, the house was too quiet for a Monday morning especially when she knew Adagio was supposed to be at work in a few hours. Yet when she looked outside the side window, the motorcycle that served as Adagio’s ride was still there. Seconds later it dawned on her that Adagio was on the balcony. ’How did I not wake up to her going out to the balcony? I always wake up when she does, and seeing as it's almost December, how long has she been out there?’ she thought as she got up from the bed, only to reach her the door before she saw the girl outside was visibly shaking. “Oh my god... that idiot slept out there didn’t she?” she muttered to herself as she opened the door, ”Damn it Adagio!” Looking up at her, Adagio brought her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them in a defensive position. She turned away, unable to look up at her. “I thought you’d have left by now.” The wind whipped through Aria’s hair, her mind asking herself why she hadn’t. Yet here she was, concern still laced around her heart, barely holding it together. Her bags were packed, but the idea of walking through that door one final time scared her more than she liked to admit. “How can you be such an Idiot… Adagio, seriously you could have frozen to death in this weather, with no more than you're wearing!” Aria rolled her eyes, and, getting no response from Adagio, stalked over to the girl to pick her up in her arms, feeling how cold the meager clothes were on Adagio. Adagio offered only token resistance as Aria scooped her up and walked back inside, dropping her on the bed and pulling the covers over her. “Adagio, look. I’ve carried you emotionally, and now physically, for far too long. You need help, and I can’t be the one to provide that for you anymore. I’ve asked you time and time again, but you won’t change.” She strode across the room, grabbing her bags en route to the door. “If you won’t make any changes, I will. Goodbye, Adagio.” As the door slammed shut behind her, the tears began to fall. Wiping them away quickly, she steeled herself, and marched out of the building, not once looking back. The lights were off. They had been that way since before Aria walked out, so as far as Adagio cared they could stay that way, even though most of the day had slipped away from her. Finally moving under her own power, she slipped back under the covers, and let the darkness take her under. Thump. Thump. Thump! Aria lifted the last of her suitcases up the set of stairs, fatigue setting in as she placed them on the landing. Thus, with the final trip up the stairwell complete, she collapsed against the wall to catch her breath. Taking a few breaths to recover she pushed herself up, and approached the door at the end of the hall. Ever since Adagio and Sunset had fallen out, she and Adagio had barely seen Sonata. Aria would have visited her friend sooner, but she had not wanted to upset her girlfriend. So when she had called them out of the blue, she had expected to be rejected, however much to her surprise, she had been welcomed with open arms. Hesitantly, she lifted her hand to the dark, oak door, and rapped on it three times with her knuckles, the impacts resounding through the hallway. The sound signaling the finality of the situation in her mind. She waited, drumming her fingers against her leg, as the silence dragged on. She let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding as the sound of a latch came from the other side of the door. On silent hinges the door swung inwards, revealing a shiny modern apartment. Aria never got the chance to see much of it before a blue blur slammed into her. Stumbling backwards, she kept her footing, and slowly realized why she couldn’t breathe - Sonata was crushing her in a bear hug. At this point Aria would normally push her away, but with everything that had been going on, she decided she not only wanted this, but needed it. She snaked her own arms around Sonata and hugged her back just as tight. Meanwhile, Sunset came up behind them groceries in arms, before placing them down against the wall and stepping over to the unsuspecting duo. They both jumped as they felt something on their backs, before realizing that Sunset had turned it into a group hug. The pair pulled apart, allowing Sunset into it properly, and they stayed that way for a few more moments. As they pulled away, Sunset reached down to retrieve her groceries, but one of the bags tore open, spilling its contents across the hallways floor. All three bend down to gather the items, and Aria’s eyes get wider as she starts to list the items being picked up. “Bread rolls, patties, squeezy ketchup, frozen fries…” She stood up, and looked at Sunset. “Where you buying those because I was coming?” She punctuated her sentence with a small sniffle and a smile. “Yeah,” Sunset beamed, “Sonata told me they were your favorite, so I thought you might like to…” She never finished because Aria had pulled her into another hug. Smiling, Sunset rolled her eyes. “You hug more than your rep suggests. Anyway, let’s get these inside and I’ll get cooking while Sonata shows you to the guest room.” Nodding her assent, the three proceeded inside, Sonata shutting the door after them, giving Sunset a quick peck on the cheek before she disappeared into the kitchen. Aria followed Sonata down the hall, and the blue girl pointed out the different rooms along the way. “And this is your's!” She spun around, smiling, and held the door open. Aria walked in to explore the room that was going to be her home for the foreseeable future. It was nowhere on the scale of what she had been used to, but there was a saving grace - nothing in it would remind her of Adagio. “Sonata, I can't thank you enough for this. Nor can I make up for the last two years of…” Aria was quickly silenced as Sonata pulled her in for a hug. “That doesn’t matter, what does matter is that you are here.” They separated, and Sonata pushed her further into the room. “Now get unpacked. I’ll go set the table, dinner should be in twenty, kay?” The blue Siren bounced off leaving Aria alone, but she could still feel a smile on her face; it had been far too long since she had had cause to do so. Throwing her cases onto the bed, she began pulling open drawers and filling them. She knew her own place would soon be ready, only a couple of weeks away, but it felt right to treat this place like home for now. Settled and happy with her arrangement, Aria headed back out into the apartment proper. As soon as she opened her door, her nose was assaulted by the most heavenly of aromas - sloppy burgers and crispy fries. On her way through to the kitchen, she actually took the time to look around. It was obvious that when they had bought the place it had been painted a clean white, with a lot of the fixtures and fittings made to match, but it hadn’t stopped the pair making it their own. On every shelf, windowsill or end table, there was little nick-nacks, most of which were in hues matching the girl's own color schemes. It was nice to see that at least one of them had managed to make a happy life for themselves in this dimension. With a wistful sigh, she headed on through, finding the table set and food being laid out. Taking a seat at the table in front of her, she sat next to Sunset, but her eyes stayed focused on the pile of burgers in the center of the table. Sharing a giggle the couple gave their guest permission to get started, soon discovering they would need to act fast if they wanted to get any food themselves. Author's Note Thank you so much to EternityFlame for editing :D and big hugs my co-writer Chris
Chapter 2Across town, a soft ding resounded around a darkened apartment. On stiff legs a gaunt looking Adagio shuffled through the kitchen, until she reached the microwave. When she opened the door, the backlight cast shadows along the walls and floor, quickly extinguished as she removed her soup and shut the door. Dropping herself into one of the seats at the table, she pushed the mounting stack of dirty dishes away, clearing a space for her latest bowl. She looked down at the red liquid - tomato soup, one of the last vestiges of food in the cupboards - as she had no effort remaining to make the trip to the store. With her meal gone all too quickly, Adagio stumbled back towards her bed, crashing down on arrival. Crawling beneath the covers again, she let the numbness ebb and flow, her gaze focusing on an acoustic guitar in the corner, which was one of the few items Aria had left behind. Aria loved it. Two weeks had gone by since she had moved in with Sonata and Sunset, and it had been the best two weeks for over three years. The only thing that had tarnished her time was her inability to practice her music, as she had left her instrument in the rush to leave. So with only two options, leave it or fetch it, she decided to bite the bullet and go back to the apartment she once shared. As she walked up the stairs, she felt her heart flutter, but it was quickly quashed as memories of Adagio’s behavior surfaced. Instead, she arrived on the right floor with a small fire burning within her, ready to face the elder Siren down. But as the door came into sight, it all quickly changed to worry and trepidation; the door was wide open, but no lights were on. Fearing the worst, she moved as quietly as she could, quickly reaching the door; and then it all became clear. Taped on the front of the door was a large sign in black and red writing: ‘Eviction notice.’ Adagio had apparently fallen behind on the rent and their landlord kicked her out. That struck her as odd, as eviction should have taken longer than two weeks. Stepping through the open door, she found the whole place empty. And not just devoid of furniture, but the place was also spotless - that wasn't like Adagio at all. She walked through to the bedroom at the back, holding out one last hope that her guitar would be waiting for her. But her hopes were dashed as she rounded the door frame; nothing. “Hey!” Aria almost jumped out of her skin. “What are you doing in… oh, it’s you.” Aria regained herself and turned around, finding her ex-landlord standing in the hallway. “Hey Mr. Silver Note. Sorry, the door was open; I was looking for Adagio.” “Something happened between you two, didn’t it?” Aria nodded to him. “Figured as much. She’s been gone about two days now. She stopped paying the weekly rent about two months ago, and stopped answering my calls. So I put the notice up, and a day later she was gone.” “Oh,” Aria rubbed the back of her neck, looking down at her shoes. “Any idea where she went?” “Afraid not miss, she disappeared overnight, no one saw her go either,” Silver note noticed that Aria’s face fell further. “Though she had a fair amount of stuff. Might be worth asking the local van companies and see if she hired one.” Her smile twitched at the possibility of a lead. “Thank you Mr. Note. I’m sorry our stay here ended so abruptly.” “Don’t you worry young miss. The world throws us all curve balls, so I wouldn’t hold anything against you.” With a handshake and a quick hug, Aria found herself on the way out of the building, her phone already out and looking for local hire centers. Wommpf. Aria landed heavily on Sonata’s ridiculously plush couch. “Arrrggg.” Sunset poked her head in from the kitchen. “No luck?” “Nope. I went to all three of the local ones, and the two slightly further out. None of them have been hired to that address or nearby. It’s like she literally vanished,” Aria took a few moments to beat her fists against the cushions she sat on. “I’m never going to see that guitar again.” “I’m going to guess it is worth something more than money, right?” “Mhm. Way back, not long after we lost our powers, we still held an interest in music. Adagio saved for months to surprise me with it on my birthday.” Holding her hands over her chest, Sunset looked like she wanted to melt. She crossed the room and sat down next to the purple haired Siren. “I know it can never replace the one you had, but I can get my old acoustic out of storage if you still want to practice?” “Thank you, Sunset, really. I want to give finding it one last time. Maybe then, ok?” Nodding, Sunset stood back up and returned to the kitchen, the delicious smells already wafting through making Aria’s nose twitch in delight. This was it, her last hope. Aria knocked on the backdoor of the CHS music room, and waited. “Come in.” Complying, she pushed the door open and stepped through into a room she hadn’t been in for a number of years. The room was just as obnoxious as she remembered, the walls painted pastel colors, decorated by cliche music symbols and paraphernalia Towards the front of the room, sitting at the teacher’s desk was the woman she was looking for: Trixie Lulamoon. “Hey Trix.” The blue woman looked up from the papers she had been grading, and blinked owlishly for a few moments. “Well, well, well, first she stops returning my calls, and now she sends you to give me the bad news. Typical.” Trixie scoffed. Taking a few seconds to process what had been said, her face morphed into a scowl. “No, I wasn’t ‘sent’ here, I’m actually looking for her,” The scowl slipped into more of a frown. “Which means my trip here was a waste.” She turned to leave, until a voice called out; “Wait a minute,” Trixie's chair squeaked loudly as it was forced backwards on the floor, and it’s occupant came out from behind her desk. “Aria, stay for a bit, please. I haven’t seen you in almost a year, and now something’s happened; I miss you, and I don’t like being left in the dark.” This caught Aria off guard. Back when Adagio had been working as a teacher’s aid at CHS’s music department, Trixie had always seemed hostile towards her, yet now she was acting like an old friend. Her look now quizzical, she turned around to face her directly. In a tone that was slightly accusing, she voiced her concern, “Ok, what gives? I thought you didn’t like me.” Trixie froze, before her face fell. “No, Trixie does not hate you, she never has.” Spotting a disbelieving look, she sighed. “Trixie… I, was jealous of you for being with Adagio.” ‘Ok, that’s new.’ “How long?” Rubbing one arm with another, the blue woman turned slightly red. “A couple of weeks into her placement here. I found her singing, when she thought I had already left. It was beautiful. Then every week she would talk about you, how ‘great’ you were, how lucky she was,” Trixie looked up again, and back at Aria. “I got so jealous that I kinda took it out on you. It was not one of my best moments.” At first there was a snort. Then a giggle. Then a full blown laugh. Finally, Aria doubled over with uncontrollable laughter. Trixie pouted, but after a good thirty seconds of enduring laughter, she found a smile on her own face, before she too started laughing. It lasted for a few more minutes, the pair both having to sit down on the floor to avoid collapsing. As both of the women got their breathing under control, Aria shooted across the floor, pulling the them both into a hug. Trixie returned the hug, but weakly. “I’m so sorry I treated you so badly.” Rubbing her hand up and down Trixie’s arm, Aria comforted the other woman. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I can kinda understand, and now you’ve apologized, so it’s water under the bridge, ok?” With a big sniff, Trixie shook her head in thanks. Silence reigned for a few minutes before it was broken again. “So what happened between you and Adagio?” Aria sighed, before launching into a brief recap of the events of the last few months, ending with the reason with her visit here. Answering Trixie’s questions as she went, the conversation wound down. “So you really have no idea where she might have gone?” “Aria, I’m sorry, I really am. But I don’t, and if she left any hints I missed them,” Trixie stood up, help Aria to her feet. “But I’ll be sure to let you know if I hear anything, ok?” “Yeah, ok. And thanks,” Aria reached the exit before she spun around one more time. “And don’t be a stranger. I’m certainly up for a night out if you are,” Catching the blue thumbs-up, she slipped out, her mind not sure what to make of her situation. She was no closer to finding her guitar, but she had made a new friend.
Chapter 3Sonata reached around the door frame, her hand fumbling until she found the light switch. As the bulb flicked to life, the state of the room became apparent; it was an absolute dump. Frowning, she looked around trying to spot the person responsible. A rustling of sheets alerted her to her target. “Damnit Aria, get up. You’ve been moping around for the last few days, and honestly, I don’t even know how this room could get so bad in such a short space of time.” “Ugh, Sonata, it’s not that bad.” Aria pulled herself out from the blanket pile and looked around. “Ok, it might be ‘that bad’. Must’ve knocked my waste basket over when I got in last night.” Sonata let the matter drop, it would only take a few minutes to clean it up. “You’ve still been mopey, but I’ve got an idea. Sunset was telling me earlier about a lady she works with. Apparently she found this new music bar just across town. It caters to the young, and even has open mic sessions.” “I don’t feel like making music at the moment,” Aria growled at her. “Oh I didn’t think you would be, but you should at least check the place out, you can listen for inspiration, and you might even enjoy yourself.” Sonata lightly bumped her friend on the shoulder. “It’s got to beat sitting in a darkened room.” Aria slumped her shoulders. “Fiiinnneeee. Where is it, and when are they next open?” “Squee.” Sonata bounced up and down. “It’s 1056 Everfree way, and they should be open tonight. I’ve been wanting to go since I found out, but I want someone to go with. This will be better than taco Tuesday.” Sonata started to vibrate with glee, until she suddenly stopped. “Oh poo.” “What?” Aria asked, concerned. “I’m not free tonight, me and Sunset have plans.” Her bottom lip stuck out, and she started to pout. “That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go though.” Aria turned away and started cleaning up her room. “I guess I don’t have anything better to do tonight. I’ll let you know what it’s like tomorrow.” With a quick thanks, Sonata left the room to go and prepare for the evening. The mess was straightened out in no time at all, so with a heavy sigh, the purple haired Siren donned her jacket, and headed out into the blustery late afternoon. By the time Aria reached Everfree Way, the sun had already started to slip beneath the horizon. This was coupled with the winds that had picked up steadily over the course of her walk. The wind bit her through her clothing, her arms wrapped tightly around her chest to try and keep her core warm. Thankful for the fact that at least it wasn’t raining, she made her way in a brisk walk, almost a jog, closing the final stretch of road. The area around her didn’t seem the place to anyone would go looking for a new music bar. On the far side of the road it was almost wall to wall warehouses, and on this side it was offices or open lots. But ahead of her, the blue of a neon sign was unmistakable, the light called out to her, enticing her to give one last burst of speed. Finally reaching her goal, she didn’t even spare a minute to look for the name, merely slipping in as fast as she could to escape the unrelenting cold. She vaguely recognized the other patrons, but only their existence as she closed on the bar. “Something warm please,” she said to the back of a purple haired bartender. She settled onto a stool, rubbing her arms to regain some warmth, and finally started to take note of her surroundings. The first thing that struck her was blue. The theme of the place seemed to be blue, mixed with whites and other light colors. The second thing that caught her attention was that everyone here was female. “Here ya’ go you pretty little thing.” Aria turned around to find the bartender smiling at her, a cup of something between them, steam visibly rising. From the smell of it, it was something coffee based. “Eeeerrr, thanks. How much?” “First ones free darlin’.” And with a wink, she walked away to serve another patron. Rather than ask and draw attention, she took her drink and headed away from the bar. The central area was a small dance floor, around the edge of which was lined with small booths, a tiny stage at the opposite end from the bar. She took a seat in one of the smaller booths, facing away from the stage. The drink in her hands did a wonderful job of warming up her fingers, but her chest was still cold. Taking a sip, she almost choked i back out; this was not ‘just’ coffee. Guessing at a whiskey, she took more reserved sips, allowing the heat of the drink and the burn of the liquid warm her core up. One hour and three drinks later, Aria was just finishing up a conversation with one of the bar’s regulars. She had explained that Pandora’s Box was in fact a woman's gay bar. The music and open mic had started up twenty odd minutes earlier, and so far her opinion had been mixed. One woman had been partially talented, but another had made her want to rip her own ears off. Right now, no-one was onstage, and the bar’s playlist kept the music going. She waved to her temporary friend as she left, leaving her in peace. The night had been enjoyable mostly, but she was thinking it was time to leave. She put her hands on the table to push herself up, when everyone else started cheering, and she realized the music has stopped. Before she could question it, guitar strings made their way across the quickly hushed room, laying out a sweet melody. With her back to the stage, she hadn’t seen the new act approach, but she could already tell they had more skill than any who had been onstage so far tonight. Rather than stay and listen, she made a move for the exit. But then the voice stole her breath away: “If we walk away forever. There's no turning around,” Aria froze, for a half step, as she was listened closely to the song. The strumming combined with the voice was mesmerizing, yet she didn’t know why. “Gotta say what I feel, while you're right by my side,” The pain in the voice creeped towards her own heart, one that was barely holding itself together. “I'm not sure I'll find words, to cover the wounds. That I see in your eyes,” Aria closed her eyes as the music washed over her, putting her hand to her heart. Oh how she wished it could be Adagio singing to her. Alas, this was not something the elder siren would traditionally sing. “But I gotta try...” At this moment her heart felt compelled to turn around and stay for the rest of the song yet her feet didn’t want to work, and the exit loomed ever closer. “I know you're not to blame,when the clouds turn to gray. But if we stay or walk away, one thing will forever stay this way,” The guitar’s strumming softened at that point and Aria finally started to slow down and turn around. “Forever I will love you. Forever I will love you!” Aria’s eyes widened at that moment, as she turned around to see the purple and black acoustic guitar, her guitar, in the gloveless hands that once held her own heart. Adagio was sat on the edge of the stage, guitar in her lap, her legs kicking as she played. “Can you search down inside, and let go of the pain,” She tore her eyes away, unable to look with her heart burning. “If I stop trying to win, and just let you in,” Her knees went weak, her body beginning to shake. “I didn't travel this far, to watch it all fall apart” Balance fleeing her, Aria stumbled forwards, crashing into a waitress returning empty glasses. “So give me your hand… The noise attracted Adagio’s attention, her eyes scanning the scene until they locked with a familiar set of vivid purple ones. “And take a chance...” The last line came out as an almost whisper. Frozen together, the girls didn’t move for about a minute, and many of the patrons began to look back and forth between them. Finally, Adagio flinched, and the guitar slipped onto the stage beside her. Before Aria could call out, the yellow woman had jumped to her feet and bolted through the stage door, and out of sight. Getting her legs to move, Aria ran across the dance floor, and vaulted up onto stage. Through the stage door in seconds, she was just quick enough to see wisps of orange and yellow hair disappear around the corner at the end of the hall. Reaching the end, she was in time to see the fire exit slam closed. She ran up to it, and pushed on the release bar- it wouldn’t budge. She tried again- no joy. Throwing her shoulder against the door achieved success, and she all but fell out into the freezing cold alleyway. She scanned both ends of the alley, but found no sign of her target; she had lost her. Defeated, she trudged back inside, the warmth coming back as the door closed shut. Part of her was glad, not catching her meant she didn’t have to deal with the whole mess right now, but the majority of her was saddened. Retracing her steps, she found her way back to the stage, and spotted her guitar lying there. With a heavy sigh, she scooped it up, and headed towards the main exit. “HEY! Where do you think you are going with that?” Aria spun around to see an irate bartender on the warpath. Gulping, Aria started back tracking. “But it’s mine.” The woman scoffed. “Hardly. That girl has brought it with her every other night for the last two weeks.” “Look, I can prove it.” She pulled out her I.D. “I’m Aria Blaze, and look at this.” She spun the guitar around, and showed the back of the neck to the barmaid. There on the back, an inscription in an almost calligraphic scratch: ’Aria Blaze,’ But what caught the older woman’s attention was the Inscription on the back of the guitar’s base: ’Love you Always, Adagio.’ Eyes popping out of her sockets, the staff members jaws locked open. “You’re her…” Blinking, Aria looked confused. “What do you mean ‘I’m Her’?” “You know, her. The girl from the song.” Author's Note The song was an original work by me and thanks again to EternityFlame for editing
Chapter 4Taking a moment for her brain to compute, Aria stood stock still. The barmaid starting waving a hand in front of her face, before she blinked, back in the room. “Wait - are you telling me this isn’t the first time she’s sung a song about me?” Disbelief laced her voice. The Adagio she knew couldn’t even play the guitar, nor would she be caught dead singing anything so ‘mushy’. Top that with providing entertainment for free, and wearing her heart on her sleeve - no, she just couldn’t see it. “Yeah,” she nodded enthusiastically. “Three, four times a week she’s in here. Each time she plays that song - her first one, followed by a new one. Didn’t get to hear the new one today.” Aria stared at her incredulous. “Really. And each song is about how much she misses you, or her messing things up.” Once again she felt her heartstrings go taught. She had no reason to doubt the words of this woman, which meant that something about Adagio must really have changed. But right now, it hurts to much to think about. “If you don’t mind me asking miss, what happened between you two?” Suddenly feeling cold, Aria relived the last few months in her head, the memories overwhelming her. She was saved from both her thoughts and the question when her phone began to ring. “Hello?” ”Hey Aria, it’s Sunset.” “Hey Sunset, what’s up?” ”Sonata and I will be passing Pandora’s Box in about two minutes if you need a ride home?” “Yes - please. See you out front.” Aria slipped her phone back into her pocket, and turned to the still waiting barmaid. “Sorry, I’ll have to explain it another time,” she hefted up the guitar, “and if she comes back looking for this, tell her I’ve got it.” Without waiting for a reply, Aria stalked across the room and out the main entrance. The wind immediately bit her through her clothes, and she crushed herself into one of the buildings alcoves. She huddled there, hiding from her thoughts as much as the other patrons of the bar, until the low roar of a vehicle caught her attention. Through the window of the car, she saw Sonata smiling back at her. She waved her hand, beckoning Aria to get in, popping the latch on the rear door. Grateful for the short wait, Aria slipped into the back seat, clipping her belt on. “So how was it Aria?” Sonata’s voice was chipper, and looking at both her and Sunset showed two large smiles. She gulped, not willing to ruin their evening, she decided to lie about her night. “It was definitely something.” Aria feigned a smile, Sonata taking it at face value. With that accepted, the three settled into a comfortable silence for the rest of the way home. “Oh come on!” Sunset griped at the wheel. Half way home, they had encountered heavy traffic, to the point they had crawled to a standstill. While Sunset fumed, Aria had lay down, trying to get some sleep on the back seat. As the car started moving again, the telltale flash of blue lights flickered across the interior of the car. They were still moving at a crawl, so Sonata got a good view of the cordoned off accident. “Ouch, this looks nasty. Someone's being loaded into the ambulance. It’s… it’s… it’s Adagio.” Like a bolt, Aria was up and out of the car. “HEY!” Sunset called, before more motion rocked the car, Sonata being in hot pursuit. With no other option, Sunset mounted the curb, pulling her car off the road. Aria made it most of the way to the ambulance before she was intercepted by a police officer. “Miss, what are you doing?” “I’m her next of kin!” She pointed to Adagio’s prone form, lying to the officer. A grimace crossed his face before he let her go, waving her on towards the emergency vehicle. Sonata was less fortunate, another officer stopping her before she even got close. Reaching the the back of the ambulance, Aria explained who she was, a member of the EMT unit helping her inside. She found Adagio on the stretcher, and she almost wanted to vomit. She wasn’t conscious, but right now, that was a good thing. Her skin was pale, but there was a lot of blood, but few sources. A bandage had been wrapped around her head, a large red patch already soaking through, and her shirt was torn, another bandage slowing a large red line up her side. Getting her nausea under control, she sat down beside her, and took a hand in hers. “What happened to her?” She asked the closest paramedic. “We’re not entirely sure. Best guess at the moment is she was on the sidewalk when two cars collided. Pieces went flying, and she got caught in the firing line.” “Is she gonna be ok?” Aria half whispered. The EMT checked a clipboard, and checked the I.V. line he had just fitted. “Barring anything serious we’ve missed, she should be fine, and back on her feet in no time.” Letting out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding, Aria settled back against the wall of the vehicle. She kept ahold of Adagio’s hand, but forced her eyes anywhere but the girl in the gurney. Each time she did, she couldn’t help but fear the worst. The constant rocking back and forth did it’s best to lull her slightly intoxicated mind to sleep, but worry put a stop to it. Soon, they lurched to a stop, and the rear doors were opened from outside. Watching as they unloaded Adagio, Aria followed them through the hospital’s ER, until they went into an x-ray room, forcing her to wait anxiously in the waiting room. A quick scan revealed pieces of shrapnel were still inside some of her wounds, and she was rushed into the operating room. It was during time that Sunset and Sonata arrived at the hospital. The blue woman shot in, quickly wrapping Aria in a tight hug, while Sunset strolled in and had a quick word with the nurse at the desk, before taking a seat next to her. “Hey. How are you? The nurse told me she’s in surgery.” “I’m, I’m… I don’t know,” Aria rubbed her hands together self consciously, “I was making some headway about my feelings, and now this happens… I feel so lost.” “I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Sonata grabbed one of her hands, “You know how thick headed she can be sometimes. It will take way more than this to slow her down.” The ghost of a smile appeared on Aria’s face. “Yeah, you’re right.” She looked to both of her friends, her face falling slightly. “Thanks for coming you two, but you should head home. Chances are I’ll be here and up all night, but you should go home and rest.” “You sure?” Sunset questioned. “Yeah. Besides,” Aria smirked, “I’ll need someone to bring me breakfast and a change of clothes.” She stuck her tongue out at Sonata, who returned it in kind, before the three of them lapsed into giggles. They soon left, each giving Aria a hug before waving goodbye. On her own again, the worry set in, but it was petered out slightly was a more rational part of her mind began to work. She knew full well that she had lingering feelings for Adagio, and the thought of losing her hurt, but they had split up for a reason. She didn’t want to fall back into something just for it to fall apart around her again. But recent events had given light to a possible changed Adagio, so would it fall apart again? Still skeptical, Aria’s mind flip-flopped between cold logic and emotional turmoil, leaving her crying at some moments and introspective the next. With the emotional roller coaster adding to an already long night, combined with the beginnings of the alcohols vengeance, the purple Siren was soon fast asleep in the waiting room chair.
Chapter 5Aria felt her world coming back with a jostling movement. “Miss, excuse me miss.” She could now feel the hand on her shoulder that was giving her a slight shake. “Your friend’s out of surgery, and the doctor wants to see you.” Wiping away the last vestiges of the sandman from the corners of her eyes, Aria got up groggily, before following the nurse who had woken her. She was led through a series of twisting turning corridors, all of which passed her by in a haze as her memory of the previous night returned to her. Her heart once more feeling like lead, she entered Adagio’s hospital room. It was a generic sterile white room, a bed in the center and a few chairs around. Eyes drawn to Adagio, she found the girl lying peacefully in her bed, eyes closed. A moment of fear gripped her heart until the steady beep of the heart monitor pushes her thought aside - she was still alive. “Miss Blaze, is it?” The white coated doctor looked at her over the top of his clipboard. Giving a nod, the doctor ticked something on his papers and waved the nurse out, motioning towards a seat behind Aria. Doing as instructed, she sat down, her nerves almost palpable. “The first thing I want to say it that Adagio here IS alive, so please don’t worry about that, but… there was a small complication during surgery.” Aria slid forward to the edge of her seat. “What do you mean?” “The x-ray revealed a fair amount of shrapnel had caught miss Dazzle in the upper side of her head. The scan confirmed that nothing looked damaged, with most of it being stopped by the skull.” “You said ‘most’.” The purple Siren retorted. “I did. There was two pieces that made it through, and one of which has lodged itself in a sensitive area - the motor cortex. Now you have some options here. Leaving it in shouldn’t harm her, but could lead to complications later. The other option is to take it out. Our resident brain specialist will be back in two days.” “So why is she like that?” She pointed at her fellow Siren. “We thought it best to keep her in an induced coma until you make a decision. If you decide to have it removed, she’ll stay this way until after the surgery. Now, do you need a few moments think about the decision?” Without even having to think about it consciously, she gave her answer. “Remove it.” The doctor blinked at her quick response. “If you are sure, then I need you to sign here.” He passed her his clipboard, pointing to the consent forms. With a quick signature, he thanked her, and turned back just before he left the room. “I can have a nurse prepare a cot if you wish to stay here for the next two days?” “No thank you. She’s in good hands, and there is a few things I need to look into.” Nodding at Aria’s answer, he left the room. Glancing at the clock on the end table, she noted it read oh-seven-thirty. Having slept through the night, she decided to make the most of her early start, heading out straight away. Peering through the glass, Aria struggled to see anything through the black tinted panels on the front of Pandora’s Box, and lack of light inside didn’t help. Unable to see anyone, and out of idea, she gave the glass three solid thumps. “What do you want?” The voice made her jump, flinching back from the glass reactively. She spun her head left and right, trying to find the source of the voice. “Up here.” Stepping backwards, Aria looked up to see a middle aged woman sticking her head and shoulders out of a second story window above her. A nervous smile on her face, she quickly replaced it with on of confidence and waved upwards. “Hi. I was looking to speak with the owner.” “You are.” Groused the woman. “I’m here to ask you a few questions about Adagio.” The woman stumbled, slipping backwards inside “I’ll meet you at the side door.” She shouted out before slamming the window shut. Somewhat confused, Aria did as asked, and walked around the side of the building finding a doorway halfway down an alleyway. The sound off heavy bolts retracting soon echoed down the passageway, before the door swung outward. Aria had to jump back to avoid being hit. The woman, now mostly dressed, beckoned her inside, shutting the door behind her. “Do you know where she is? Is she ok?” The sudden barrage of questions caught Aria off guard. “When she didn’t come back last night I was worried…” Torn between telling her the truth and making her worry, or lie, and give her some temporary peace of mind, she finally settled on one of them. “I reckon you deserve the truth; you obviously care for Adagio as well.” She let out a big sigh, breathing deep before continuing. “There was a car accident, and she was passing by at the time.” The woman jumped up, but Aria held a hand up. “Don’t worry, she’s in the recovery ward and the doctors have assured me that she’ll be fine. She got hit by some of the debris, is all.” With a big sigh of relief, the woman sat back down. Aria felt bad for giving half truths, but she still didn’t know who this woman was, or her motives.”I’m sorry to be rude, but I never got your name?” “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Spinet Heartstrings.” She stuck out her hand, Aria shaking it. “Adagio tells me you went to school with my daughter, Lyra.” Aria’s brain blanked, trying to recall the girl in question. After a few moments, images of a mint green girl appeared. And then images of the cream girl she was going out with came back, making the whole situation make sense. “Yeah, I did.” She smiled, before changing the subject, “Back to Adagio. How did she come to be living here?” A frown settled across Spinet’s face. “It was about two weeks ago. I got home late from visiting a friend’s house; it was overcast and windy, and I really wanted to go to bed. I have a parking lot around the back, and on the walk from there to the rear door I heard the clinking of glass down the side passage.” She glanced at Aria to see a look of disbelief, and mistook her meaning. “Of course I was worried, at that hour around here, who knows what it could have been?” She laughed ruefully to herself, “and the last thing I expected was to find a young woman, with naught but a guitar, trying to make herself comfortable between two dumpsters.” “What did she say?” Aria asked. “Not much, actually. I invited her in for a warm place to sleep, and she was out like a light. It wasn’t until the next morning I managed to coax some details out of her. She said she had lost the most important thing in her life, and then everything had fallen apart. Funny thing is, she offered to pay her way by becoming a regular performer. I was never going to throw out someone that down on their luck, but I humored her, gave her a shot.” She gave Aria a death glare, “And this next bit never leaves this room, but the first song she played, the raw emotion brought me to tears.” Aria slumped in her chair, the disbelief having stunned her completely. “She never even told me she felt that strongly.” Spinet quirked an eyebrow. “So it is true. The fabled ‘lover’ did in fact visit last night, my staff weren't lying.” Her smile slowly dropped, and she began to fidget with her hands. “I’m sorry, I know this isn’t my place, but may I ask what happened?” While the pink Siren was not usually one to open up her personal life to friends, let alone strangers, she was still slightly stunned. Her mouth flowed freely spending the next fifteen minutes recalling the past few months and the downfall of their relationship. Now it was Spinet’s turn to sit flabbergasted, having heard Aria leak details of magic, and other worlds. After a few moments, her brain re-engaged. “So Lyra wasn’t making it up. Huh” Realizing what she had done, Aria’s eyes went wide. “You’re not gonna report us or anything, are you?” Blinking, the older woman figured out what she had meant. “What, no, of course not.” A rather sheepish smile appeared on her face. “Truth be told, I’ve enjoyed having her around. Lyra moved in with her partner over a year ago, so it’s been nice having someone to look after.” Looking wistful, she glanced back to Aria. “I’m sorry if that sounds creepy to you.” Calming down, the Siren considered what she had just been told. But rather than feel the situation was creepy, the feeling that surfaced was one of jealousy. It had been scores of moons since they had last seen anyone the Sirens could consider family, and being thrown into the bodies of teenagers, it brought with it emotional changes; she found she wanted the chance to call her ‘mom’. Shaking her head to clear her thought, she smiled back at Spinet. “No,no, I think I can understand that.” She let out a deep breath. “Sorry, I’m just having trouble reconciling the Adagio I’ve had described to me against the one I’ve lived with.” She looked at the wall clock, and noted the time. “Oh jeez, it’s that late already? I’m sorry, I’ve got to run.” As Aria got up and headed towards the door, Spinet grabbed her wrist. “Hey, bring Adagio back here once she’s able, please?” Smiling with a nod, Aria slipped free and out the back door into the late morning light. Author's Note another chapter done thanks to Chris and Eternity and Echo.
