Chapter Text
“Is everyone ready?” the team's leader asked. “Everyone's aware of the risks if we get this wrong?”
Her faithful student nodded, as did the other five around them. “Too much magic, and we're back in the freeze,” her adoptive sister summed up bluntly. “Too little, we send a spirit into the void and don't fix what we're trying to fix.”
“You've sent your void expert over to find this 'Melody'?” her sister's biological brother asked. “Did she call back yet?”
The woman raised her hand, where a pulsing dark crystal sat. “Yup.”
One of the two spirits kicked in the air where they all levitated, trying to control her impatience. “You think Viphi found that 'third universe' you keep sayin' is out there? 'Cause I swear, Casey, if you kicked her off into the void for somethin' that's not even there-”
She was silenced as Casey raised a second crystal, this one lighter than the first. It pulsed with power as well. “She found it.”
“So the sooner we get this Seer's spirit to that third universe, get her integrated, get her happy, and find out whatever connection she has to the freeze-” the third of the teenage girls ticked each step with an extended finger, “-then the sooner we fix the freeze, and I can take the spirits and go home?”
“That's right. I promise.”
Her sister frowned suspiciously, but said nothing. The second spirit took a moment to stretch his arms forward, then stated, “Then let's get started.”
Along with the others, Casey let her energy flow out. Their magic auras gathered together into a storm of power, colors mixing and glowing until the cloud of energy was a snowy white.
Casey let an extra trickle enter the storm from the shy, hidden spirit who had informed her of this third universe, of the dimension most like theirs. A small dash of dark gold entered the mix, fading quickly into the mass.
With that tiny spark, the direction was given. The storm condensed on itself, collapsing with a thundering noise into a shimmering portal.
Casey turned to her student and her sister, nodding quickly. “Go,” she forced out, trying not to let her emotions stop them from what they'd all planned. “Peggie will join you soon.”
Her sister grabbed for her guardian spirit, making sure the little one was safely encased within her egg. She slipped said egg into her pocket, exchanged a look with Casey's student, then flung herself into the portal before the insanity of all this could catch up with her.
“We won't let you down,” Casey's student promised her firmly, before shooting through the portal as well.
Casey sighed, trying to control her worried tears. “I know you won't, Meggie,” she whispered. “Just take care of Kalia for me.”
“You used to control demons, you can totally navigate the void,” a girl grumbled to herself, shifting through the in-between of the dimensions as she tried to find her way home. “You were blessed by the void itself, you totally won't get lost. Well guess who's lost, Casey!”
She threw her hands up in aggravation, trying to figure out why she'd followed this plan in the first place. 'Use the void to go to another universe. Find the girl in this magic photo. Use the void to call on epic powers to copy her spirit and send her to this third universe that's totally there. Come home and wait with us while everyone we know and love is frozen in time!'
Oh yeah. Such a great plan. If she hadn't actually been legitimately blessed by the void, she would've thought that Casey had just cracked again from the pressure.
I don't even know how I'm doing any of this, she thought with annoyance. I swear, if I get home and something went wrong, I'm blasting that stupid mage in the face with my 'void powers'.
A section of the void nearby pulsed and brightened, a path appearing from the nothing. As if to clarify its purpose, a sign was at its front, labeled neatly, Your Dimension
“You're freakin' crazy, too,” the girl griped to the nothing, taking the path nonetheless. The same thing had happened on her way to the other universe, so she knew it worked.
Didn't make it any less weird.
She tried to ignore the figure waving goodbye to her as she shot down the path. She did not need another chat with that...whatever it was.
It was probably a god. She'd had enough of those in her life.
Meggie hadn't planned on losing Kalia as they'd left the portal. Ki sensing told her that her teacher's sister was now on the opposite side of the planet.
She'd be fine. It was better this way, actually – they could cover more ground to find the Seer. Then, whichever didn't find her could just Instant Transmit to the one that did. Or better yet, wait for Peggie to show up, IT to her, and keep an eye on her until they could all get back together.
Meggie put a worried hand over her belt buckle, feeling the muted power of her little rose pearl. Kalia was different now. If she was the one to find Peggie...it would be fine.
She set about searching for the energy of their 'Writing Seer', an invisibility spell keeping any late night walkers from seeing her fly around.
Melody jolted awake at the sound of music, her hand smacking into the shape of a phone. Blearily, she grabbed at it, opening her eyes just enough to find the answer button. After that, they snapped shut again, and she tried for a semi-polite, “Hello?”
She was pretty sure it came out as a mumble. Oh well. She really didn't care.
“What, are you still in bed?” an unfamiliar voice asked. “Get up already. It's ten-thirty and you've got to track down your cousin still.”
She relaxed. None of this made sense, which meant it was just a dream. Nothing to worry about. “Sure, okay, wh'ever...” A huge yawn escaped, and she blindly searched for the edge of her blanket in order to get back underneath. She was in no mood to be getting up just yet. “Who's'is?”
The person – a guy, she thought – sighed. “It's Touma.”
“...Who?”
“I—jeez, listen. Somewhere near you should be an egg. There's this little person sleeping in it. Wake her up and she'll remind you of whatever you forgot. Okay?”
“Mmmhhm.” Melody was now rolling around to cocoon herself in her blanket. For some reason she'd been on top of it. And where was her pillow?
Touma...that named sounded familiar...oh, right, he was a character in the thing, the show...
“Promise me, Melodia. Get up and talk to the egg person.”
She groaned in response, waiting for this dream to fade into the next one. As she went to pull her hair from the cocoon – it was no fun sleeping with trapped hair, even in a dream – she noted that it was...hm, three times as long? That was nice. She liked long hair. Maybe she could do the thing where it got longer and shorter with her thoughts?
She tugged a bit too hard, pain registering on her scalp. She grunted, surrendering with her hair only half out of the blanket. “I dun' wanna. Wanna sleep.”
There was a long sigh. “You brought this on yourself.” Silence hit the call for a brief moment, then a loud shout nearly made her drop her phone, a different voice demanding, “Wake up Melodia-chan!!”
“Noooo!” she complained, already feeling herself losing her tiredness.
“Talk to the egg!! Get up! Find a chocolate muffin and get moving!”
“Freakin' loud!” she snapped, reluctantly realizing she could no longer fall back asleep.
“I'll stop yelling if you get up and send a picture to prove it!”
“Fine, you little devil, I'm getting up!” She started kicking at her cocoon, pushing it down and freeing herself. When another yawn hit, she aimed it at the phone, hoping these two knew how against this she was.
When she was finally free of her hastily-made blanket cocoon, she shoved at her hair to get it out of her face. Her fingers caught, resulting in another twinge of pain and a responding grunt. Freakin' hair...
As she fumbled through the phone icons to find the stupid camera, something vaguely occurred to her. That had...hurt.
Her eyes narrowed. She stared at the phone a bit, then reached over to pinch her arm—frik—OW!
She was now glaring. Okay, so this wasn't a dream. So who the hell was calling her?
Touma read the call information. No matter how much she looked, it didn't change. What...
...Wait, this isn't even my phone, she realized. It was similar, but not exact.
Then she looked up. She registered that she was not her bedroom.
She coupled this information with the pain and the knowledge that this wasn't a dream.
What.
She tossed the phone onto the bed, not bothering to end the call. Sliding off the bed, she wobbled a bit on her tired feet, and located the door. A full length mirror was attached, which she only noticed as it showed her reflection when she tried to open it.
She'd already realized her hair was longer. Much longer, in fact – the curls reached her butt, a reddish-brown that somehow seemed more vibrant than it should be. Her bangs, brushed sideways, were tipped with red, as was the end of the right section that hung down beside her face. The section to the left of her face was a dark, slightly dull purple, possibly right to her roots. She wore a light blue dress – similar to, but not exactly, the one she'd gotten for Christmas a few days before.
Melody hesitantly reached out to touch the reflection of not-her-but-it's-moving-like-me. A cold, frightened feeling started sinking in. Is this...really me? she wondered in disbelief, her other hand petting her hair to make sure it was real.
Slowly turning, she looked around the room. She'd been on a queen sized bed, which held an unfamiliar pillow and blanket, both of different purple shades. The room was small, with a single window looking out to the city; underneath it was a patterned purple suitcase and black messenger bag. On the other side of the room was a closet door.
Her gaze dropped to the phone. Scared, but with nothing else to go on, she hesitantly returned to the bed and scooped it up, asking nervously, “Um...d-did you say you were Touma?” He said nothing yet, and she managed to add, “Like, from Jupiter?”
He needed a moment to breathe, but he replied, “Yes, that's me. Listen, for the past week you've been having memory problems. Your name is Melodia Thompson – McClain to the public – and you are currently in Seiyo, Japan. You are here to meet a cousin for the first time.”
Like little heavy thuds, his words seemed to unlock memories that said the same. Someone had given her information on a cousin she didn't know she had. A good friend had confirmed this; a mage had teleported her from America to Japan and was letting her stay in her apartment for the time being.
What. What.
“Y-You mentioned something about an egg person?”
“She's like a guardian spirit. Look around, do you see a large blue egg with some kind of pink flower on it?”
Though she thought she might be going crazy, Melody looked around the room again. She spotted such an egg on top of the suitcase – a calm, pale blue, holding a ring of pink flower outlines that circled it in a pattern. “Y-Yeah.”
“She'll take care of you and tell you everything you need to know. You're in no rush to meet this cousin, and they don't know you're coming, so if you need today to put yourself together, that's fine.”
“Okay...”
“At around eight tonight, I'll be at a concert for the new year. I'll send you the address. You don't need a ticket, and I'll meet you backstage afterwards. Alright?”
Melody took a shaky breath. “A-Alright.”
“Can you repeat some of the things I've told you? So that I know they're sticking?”
“Uh...I have memory problems. My guardian spirit will take care of me. I'm not in a rush to meet my cousin. I'll meet you at a concert.”
“When is the concert?”
“At eight.”
She could hear Touma breathing, trying to calm himself. This didn't seem to be easy for him, either. “Alright. So talk to your spirit, and get something to eat. You probably have text messages, but you don't have to answer them if you don't remember the person who sent them.”
Melody took a deep breath of her own. “O-Okay. Um...thank you...”
“I know it's scary. But trust me, you'll be fine. We've been friends for a long time and I know you can get through this.” She couldn't find the words to answer with, so he added, “I'll check on you later. Take all the time you need.”
“...Mhm.”
Touma hung up, and Melody began staring over at the egg, wondering what the hell was going on.
She had to stay calm. She had to think about this and figure out...everything.
It was clear that this wasn't her home. She'd just spoken to an anime character – in Japanese? She honestly didn't know. Something else to figure out.
She sat on the bed, trying to focus. Okay, so she wasn't home, and she talked to an anime character. That meant...a different dimension? Okay. Okay, think, did anything happen last night that could explain...no. She'd gone to bed in her home, then woken up here.
Okay, so something or someone had kidnapped her. Why? Furthermore, how? Was it the same as her friend, Megan – a girl who, with her entire family (minus her father) had suddenly appeared in her dimension about a year ago? They'd said a rainbow portal...someone impersonating a family friend...Melody had been their 'bridge'.
Melody looked more carefully at the phone. Photo gallery, texts, contacts, calls...very basic. Very plain. Besides a settings icon that showed up while she flipped through the three home screens, nothing else.
She flipped it over. Took careful note of the Voltron symbol on the back. She took a breath, closed her eyes for a few seconds, then checked the 'all programs' section.
Hmm...nothing useful. Certainly no spiral rainbow icon. So she was here without the reality-warping whatever that had helped her help Megan's family. That didn't mean it couldn't find her – she had a feeling that, with time, that icon would appear. Just like it did before.
The questions now: Why was she 'Melodia Thompson'? Why had she seemingly replaced someone who already existed here?
Freaking hell, this was terrifying. She was starting to realize just how scared Megan's family must have been when they'd wound up in her dimension.
Stay calm. She had to stay calm. She was someone else and had to figure out if there was anyone she could tell that would believe her, and maybe be able to help her.
Melody looked over at the egg again. She stared at it for a bit, then set her phone down, got up, and walked over to it.
A guardian spirit, born from an egg. She added 'Shugo Chara' to the list of anime/cartoons that existed here, alongside 'Idolmaster' and 'Voltron Force'.
She leaned over and gently tapped the egg with the tip of her finger. “Um...hello?”
No response. She tried a few more times, figuring the Character just needed a wake-up call. When the egg formed a crack in the middle and began to open, she pulled back. From within the egg came a Guardian Character that looked very similar to a rag doll she owned in her dimension – short red hair, a green dress with pink flowers, striped stockings. The only difference was the life in her shimmering black eyes, and the little pink flower pinned in her hair.
The Character yawned, rubbing at her eyes. “G'morning, Dia,” she mumbled. “Did you sleep well?”
Melody bit her lip, not sure how to explain. She ended up sitting on the floor, waiting for the Character to wake up. Some vague part of her mind – maybe the memories of 'Melodia', who she was replacing – informed her that the Character's name was Annie.
As Annie finished a long stretch, Melody swallowed. She should know. I've taken over her Bearer. “Um...Annie, I need to talk to you.”
“Yes?” Annie seemed to sense that something was wrong.
“...I...I'm not Melodia.” Melody wasn't good with comforting words, so she was forced to be blunt. “I think I've taken her place? This isn't my dimension, I don't think.”
There was silence from Annie, who simply blinked at her in confusion. She frowned, looked around a bit, then floated down to the black messenger bag beside the suitcase. After fumbling with the zipper, she disappeared inside, and returned holding a purple shell pendant with black wings.
“It's not that I don't believe you,” she said. “I just...”
Melody shook her head, “N-No, I understand. I...I talked to Touma? He called. He said I have memory—sorry, that Melodia has memory problems. I...I guess now I do, because I don't know anything about where I am.”
Annie presented the pendant to her. “Here. This is connected to a pure energy. It's...not really a mental magic, but...I-I'd like to see if it responds to you. See...there's this spell, where two minds can be in the same body, so...if it answers you, then that means...”
Straightening a bit, Melody saw where she was going with this. “It means that Melodia's still here.” She nodded, taking the pendant, and closed her eyes.
She felt her fear being pulled away. Warmth she couldn't describe more than 'home' overtook her, a wordless promise that she was safe. She heard Annie ask her to sing – that made sense. Clearly, Melodia was the Purple mermaid princess. If Melody could find a connection to that and access it somehow, that meant she hadn't just completely overthrown Melodia's life.
A song she knew from the show floated into her mind. She could hear, and feel, the music surrounding her. She urged it to slow from the upbeat tempo it presented, then let herself open up to it.
Before she could back out, Melody opened her mouth and began to sing.
“Nagareboshi ni negai o kaketa
Nanatsu no hikari mitsukedashite
Hanarebanare ni natta JUERII SUTAA
Unmei to iu kizuna o shinjiteru”
“Tsumetai nami ni toketa
Namida no yukue wa
Darenimo kidzukarenai mama
Sotta awa to kiete itta”
“Nakushita mono o sagashiteru
Kokoro ga setsunai
Murasaki no ame ni tsutsumarete
Utai tsudzukeru Song for You”
“Umarekawaru asa ga kuru nara
Onaji inochi o mata ikitai
Meguriaeru subete no mono ga
Houseki ni naru kiseki o shinjiteru”
As the warmth softened, and the music faded, Melody opened her eyes, waiting for Annie's judgment. The Character had a thoughtful expression – maybe she was comparing Melody's song to those that Melodia knew or sung. Could Characters compare energy?
Melody looked down worriedly at the pendant. She didn't want to just...replace someone. If Melodia was still here, buried somewhere, she would much prefer that. It meant there was a far greater chance of separating herself from this body and getting home.
...Home, huh?
Melody put a hand to her face, trying not to cry. For a few minutes, she'd forgotten. She'd forgotten what had happened.
The sharp words in her memory still stung. Her own words. If you want to take away one of the few things that keeps me how I am...then I hope you're proud of who I turn into after this.
The chill, suffocating and controlling, rushed back. The fight.
We keep fighting over it, maybe we should stop. No! This is all I have! It always comes back to this. No it doesn't, you're lying!
This is your fault! It's all your fault! I need this!
Melody's grip on the pendant tightened desperately. Did she want to go home? Did she want to go back to that heartbreak, that...that void that swept away happiness and hope?
She'd lost the things that had mattered to her more than almost anything. She'd lost a story, a friend, an escape from the world. She'd lost a million characters that felt like family.
Part of her, unfamiliar and quiet, spoke up. Isn't that a little selfish? Weren't you the one at fault?
Was she? Everything was starting to blur. Maybe she had done wrong. She couldn't remember. There was so much fear about where she was now, and so many questions about what would happen to her. They overshadowed her memories.
Yes, it hurts. I know it does. There's no way to get rid of that. For now, though, you are somewhere new. Focus on that. Focus on finding answers, and then you think about what you may or may not have done wrong.
The voice in her head was soft, new. It reassured her in a way she wasn't capable of herself.
Melodia? she wondered. There was no reply.
Something touched her hand, and she jumped a bit. When her eyes focused, she saw Annie smiling at her.
“It's her voice,” she said. “Your song is her voice. You don't feel any different from Melodia, and...I think the fact that I'm still here helps prove that she is, too.”
Melody let out a long sigh of relief. She hadn't replaced Melodia. She hadn't taken away Annie's Bearer. Thank goodness...
“So, what's your name? Do you know how you got here?” Annie seemed to be taking this very well, and Melody was grateful for that, if a little confused.
“Um...Melody. And...I-I don't.”
Annie nodded, looking thoughtful once more. “Well, let's see...you can use the Pearl Tear, you're connected to me, and you were straightforward and honest instead of leading me on. Those are all good signs. Now, unless you have any ideas on how to get home, we should think of how we're going to handle this.”
Melody tried to think. She didn't really want to lie to people, but...if she started going around claiming she wasn't Melodia, people either would think she was crazy, or would get angry. “Um...Touma said you could tell me anything I needed to know. I know that...uh, I'm friends with him, and I'm here to meet a cousin... Actually, some things here remind me of TV shows that I know...”
“Hmmm...how about we start by going through phone contacts? There are a few people you should be aware of.” Annie flew over to the bed and picked up the phone, carefully lugging it back over. “We can decide what we'll tell people after you have an idea of who's around.”
“...Do you really believe me?”
Annie took a moment to hand the phone over before answering. “I do. Dia isn't the type to play tricks like this. I can feel a small difference between you and her, so I know you're a different person, but since I still sense her and I'm still here in general, there doesn't seem to be any other explanation.”
Melody looked away, uncertain. This whole thing was overwhelming. “And...you're not mad?”
“Melody, do you wish that you had the words to comfort those you love when they need it most?”
“...How did...”
“You have the very same wish that Dia does. That is the wish that gave birth to me.” Annie reached out to put a tiny hand on her hair. “I feel that wish inside you. Not just Dia's, but yours. They're not exactly the same, so I know that there are two hearts in there. Dia's, and yours. You are both scared and I will help both of you for as long as I need to, no matter who is control.”
When Melody couldn't speak, the Character continued. “Dia is still here. At some point, you'll probably be able to see her memories, so for now let's just give you a little time and-”
Her words were cut off by a faint knocking. They both turned to look at the door. The sound didn't stop, so Annie glanced at Melody and asked, “Are you up for seeing who's at the door?”
Melody made herself breathe. As long as she was here, it wouldn't be right for her to hide away and derail the plans and relationships Melodia had. “Yeah.”
She stood, walking to the bedroom door and opening it. She glanced out – to the left, an open door leading to a small bathroom. Across from her was another door, closed. To her right was an open space, holding a couch, television, and small kitchen area. Right – according to Melodia's memories, she was staying at a mage's apartment while in Japan.
She stepped out into the open space, looking around until she spotted a door. Gathering her courage, she walked over and peered through the spyhole to see who was (still) knocking.
Long, pale red hair. A monkey tail in need of grooming, a worn out blue wristband, and exhausted indigo eyes. Melody pulled back, blinked a few times, and looked again, only to see the same girl.
That couldn't be right. That...looked like a character from her roleplay. But...there was already a Melodia in that dimension, and she didn't have hair this long. She didn't have a Character named Annie. Was this some other version of who she thought it was...?
She carefully hooked the chain to keep the door from opening all the way. She then unlocked said door, the knocking stopped, and she opened it a crack to ask, “Y-Yes?”
“I'm really sorry to bother you but is your name Melody and do the names Meggie, Casey, and Kalia mean anything to you?” the girl outside asked in a rush.
Melody stared at her, trying to process. Not sure how to answer, she asked a question of her own. “Are you Margret Saotome, twin of Peggie, student of Casey Hogan?”
She could not begin to describe the pure joy that slammed across the girl's face. “Yes! Oh thank god, it is you!”
“...Do you know why I'm not in my dimension?” Melody asked hesitantly. It was worth a shot, at least.
“Y-Yes, I do! I'm so sorry, I wanted to find you before you woke up. I can explain everything.”
Melody unlatched the chain and opened the door, letting Meggie in. (Meggie and Megan, oh jeez, she'd never keep them straight) “Uh...sorry, can I call you Margret? I already know a Megan, so...”
“Yeah, of course.” Meggie – or rather, Margret – stepped inside. When the door was closed, she took a quick look around, then focused again on Melody. “Are you okay? I mean...mentally...?”
Frowning, Melody admitted, “I'm kind of freaking out, if that's what you mean. It's not really normal to wake up in another dimension.”
Margret nodded. “Right, right. I'm so sorry. Listen, um...I don't know how to say things. I'm sorry if I'm blunt or if I go on a tangent.”
“Just...did you do this?”
“Yes? I mean, it wasn't just me. Casey, and Kalia, Nova, some of the humanized bey spirits...oh, and Maddie, and Kalia's dimension's Gohan.” Margret tried to smooth her tail out as she spoke. “So, um, basically...you're a Seer? Specifically, your writing, which connected you to us. That's a Seer thing.”
Melody...could understand that, she supposed. “Okay...”
“So, umm...well, things kinda...went bad a couple days ago.” Margret shifted on her feet. “You know how...time is really weird for us? It doesn't really match up across the world? Well, it suddenly kinda...stopped. Completely. Everywhere...”
“...What?”
“Yeah...” Margret's frown only grew. “The bey spirits weren't affected. Um, we're not sure how Gohan's still moving, but it might apply to Kalia too, whatever it is? For Casey and I, it might be our magic...and Maddie's got that whole demon queen magic whatsit stuff going on—anyway, apart from us, nothing and no one is moving. We're not sure what caused it, and it's kinda hard to check on Dialga when their champion whatsit is frozen...um, so...Casey thought of you.”
Not sure if she was following, Melody asked, “Casey knows about me?”
Margret shrugged, seeming uncertain about it herself. “She...didn't say how. Just that there was a chance that maybe something happened to you, and maybe if we meddled a bit...a lot...that we might learn something. So...we tracked down this universe, untouched by the time freeze, and...not yours...and we cast a spell to copy your spirit and send you here. It looks like you latched on to the 'you' of this dimension.”
Not unkindly, Melody admitted, “Kinda figured that part out. We...at least know that Melodia's not just plain gone.”
“We?” Margret finally saw Annie, and her eyes widened. “Oh gosh! She has a Character?!”
Annie smiled reassuringly. “I'm okay, I promise. From what you say, you were only trying to help your world. I hope that you succeed. I'll do my very best to watch over Melody while she's here.”
“I will never understand how your kind is so freakishly understanding,” Margret whispered, appearing touched. “Thank you...”
“Annie. Melody and I were just about to go over some of Dia's phone contacts.”
“That sounds good! Uh, I'm guessing there's no memories yet...?”
Melody shook her head. Part of her was still...kind of terrified, but suddenly she wasn't alone. She had an answer to why and how she was here. That helped more than she realized it would.
She glanced down. She should probably tell her... “Um...I-I don't know how...me stopping a connection to your world might be the cause...or maybe it's coincidence...but I feel like I should mention I wasn't the only one. My...i-it wasn't just me writing about you. It was a roleplay with someone else. And I...I had a fight with them a few days ago.”
Something stopped the chill and the painful memories from welling up this time. It still hurt, but something was giving her strength. “I-I don't know if...I'll ever be able to connect to you like I did before. It was pretty...final.”
Margret pulled her into a hug, surprisingly gentle for one who boasted one of the strongest power levels in her dimension. “Whatever it was that froze my world, even if it had nothing to do with you, we'll figure it out. Personally, I just think that meeting someone who knows what we've been through as well as you do is really cool.”
“...You think I'm cool?”
“Pff, that's an understatement. Anyone who can spend a long time dealing with us is some kind of spectacular. We know our lives are a mess.”
Melody returned the hug, a wave of calm seeming to wash over her. My favorite roleplay character thinks I'm cool.
Awesome.
Looking at Melodia's phone contacts shed a lot of light. She was a member of the Dungeon Gym in New York – they'd spent the last week there, in fact. She was once an idol for 'Horizon Productions agency', but retired about a year before. She was the younger sister of Lance McClain, a Voltron pilot, and Aniko McClain, a doctor with two young sons and a deceased wife. Her mother was named Mingzhu, and she knew Kyoya Tategami.
There were some names that Annie couldn't help with, because she'd never met them. Even so, Melody had a better idea of things now. Chowing down on a chocolate muffin that had been sitting on the kitchen counter, she found the strength to check those texts Touma had mentioned she probably had – and absolutely did have.
From Aniko: you made it safe yeah? boys say hi. answer when u wake up. and text Pidge, he's going nuts over here
To Aniko: awake. Bad memory day. With friends and in good hands.
From Zeo: Have a good day, Dia! Good luck meeting your cousin! Stay safe, okay?
To Zeo: thanks. I will.
From Madoka: Hey! You still planning to stop by while you're nearby? MBC isn't too far from you!
To Madoka: we'll see
From Kai: Welcome back to Japan! Horizon Pro. is having our New Year's party tomorrow. If you can, you should come! I'll bet that everyone would love the surprise!
To Kai: we'll see! Thanks for the invite.
From Abigail: please anwer. Please. Where youar e. you cant just disaprr like that.
Melody looked up at Annie, showing her the message. The Character shrunk a little, frowning with embarrassment. “Um...so...I don't know exactly what happened, but a week ago, Dia ran away from Arus after a crystal monster attacked. It's the reason her memory's been bad, but anything else is...fuzzy. She went to New York to hide and dropped contact with a lot of people. I wasn't feeling well, so I was sleeping in my egg and I don't know more than that.”
Sighing, Melody scrolled upwards, seeing several more texts of similar topic (and typos) from Abigail. What to do...
To Abigail: I'm okay. I just...I'm not up to talking to people. Sorry to worry you.
From Ikuto: Can we talk?
Needing context, Melody scrolled up. Previous messages surprised her.
From Ikuto: I overheard your father and sister speaking, and learned of a family member of yours that lives in Seiyo here in Japan. His name is Tadase. If you'd like to meet him, I'll give you the location of his home. Ikuto
There was a few hours between this message and her reply.
To Ikuto: I'll look into it.
His response had been only minutes later, the message she'd seen first. Melodia had not answered.
Something was up between them, that much was obvious. There wasn't really anything she could do – she wasn't going to start meddling in Melodia's life like that.
New Year's...There was a chance he'd be at the festival. Was this the same one as in the show? She didn't really have a way to tell.
If it was, though...
“We need to find the New Year's festival going on in this town,” Melody decided. “I...need to be there to help someone.”
She had no time frame for the scene she was thinking of. Even so, she wanted to try and be there.
It felt like Melodia was objecting. She couldn't explain how she knew that, but part of her wasn't happy with the choice she was making. Please trust me, she tried to tell her. If we can help Ikuto, there's so much pain that we can stop.
No answer. Melody stood up and started looking for some shoes. Once Melodia's boots and a pair of socks were on her feet, and Annie had very helpfully provided her with Melodia's anxiety medication – whew, that could've been bad – she was out the door, Margret and Annie at her side.