Summary: Seven years ago, Simon came across a crying Athena. To soothe her, he sang a song...

Was in the mood to write some pre-UR1 fluff between Simon and Athena... Then Simon started singing, and, well, this happened...

This song has a bit of personal importance to me... I don't listen to it often, but I know it by heart (albeit not off the top of my head). And unless I was secretly writing songs in my sleep at nine years old, which was when I first heard it, I don't think I own "You've Got a Friend".

"... Oujo-sama?" The child, hiding in a corner of the robotics lab, sniffled and peeked up at him with teary eyes. Careful of her ears (Cykes-sensei had warned him of the little princess's sensitive hearing), Simon asked softly, concern in his voice, "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

The girl mumbled something into her arms, huddled up in a ball as she was.

"My apologies, Oujo-sama, but you're going to have to speak up a little. My ears aren't as keen as yours."

"'Urts," she whimpered quietly. "So loud..." His mentor's beloved daughter buried her face further in her arms, sobbing softly and shaking like a leaf. Simon's eyes softened, and gently, he wrapped his arms around the eleven-year-old.

"Shh," he soothed, careful to keep his voice as quiet as possible. "It's okay. I'm here."

Feeling Simon's arms around her, Athena uncurled so she could cling to him instead, seeking his comfort as she cried into his shoulder. Simon rubbed soothing circles on her back in return.

"Shh, shh, shh, it's okay..."

The girl sobbed, then whimpered, "'M sorry..."

But Simon just kept rubbing circles on her back. "It's alright," he reassured. "We found you... You're safe, now."

Athena had snuck out of the Space Center earlier that day, you see. According to her friend Juniper, Juniper had been well enough to attend school recently, which was why Athena had been without her best friend the past week. Athena had gladly forgiven her friend, but she'd been upset that she couldn't go to school or outside the Space Center in general, too. In a fit of stubbornness, she snuck off the Space Center grounds with Juniper, trying to prove she could stand to live in the outside world, too. Unfortunately, the child mistakenly believed the headphones she always had to wear amplified rather than muffled her hearing, and so hadn't worn them on her little escapade. She was quickly overwhelmed, and near-blindly ran back the way she came. Juniper, sickly as she was, hadn't been able to keep up, and lost her midway. Thankfully, however, the building had already been in sight by the time Juniper lost track of her, narrowing down the places she was likely to be. Simon and his sister had been the first two little Juniper had run into after that; Simon immediately volunteered to check the places Athena frequented in the GYAXA building while Aura formed a search party in case she wound up elsewhere. Simon had been exceedingly relieved, then, when he found the girl almost immediately in her mother's lab.

But the girl would hear nothing of it; she mumbled "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" over and over into his surcoat, and it was all Simon could do to just keep holding her as she cried, not entirely sure how to calm her. Frankly, he could think only of one thing to do.

"When you're down, and troubled... And you need a helping hand...

And nothing, whoa, nothing, is going right...

Close your eyes and think of me, and soon I will be there,

To brighten up even your darkest night...

You just call out my name,

And you know, wherever I am,

I'll come running...

To see you again.

Winter, spring, summer, or fall,

All you got to do is call

And I'll be there...

You've got a friend."

Athena sniffled, wiping her eyes and pulling back to look at him. Simon smiled at her, placing a gentle hand on her head, and continued.

"If the skies above you

Should turn dark and full of clouds,

And that old north wind should begin to blow...

Just keep your head together,

And call my name out loud.

And soon, I will be knocking upon your door..."

"... Promise...?"

He nodded solemnly. "I promise.

You just call out my name,

And you know, wherever I am,

I'll come running, oh yes, I will,

to see you again.

Winter, spring, summer, or fall,

All you got to do is call

And I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah;

You've got a friend..."

"So, I just call out your name...?"

Simon blinked as she joined in the song, then smiled and nodded.

"And you know, wherever I am,"

"You'll come running To see me again!"

"Yes, Athena-oujo-sama."

"Winter, spring, summer, or fall,

I know that all I've got to do is call!"

"And I'll be there, princess,"

"Because you've/I've got a friend...!" they finished off together.

"Are you alright now, Oujo-sama?"

She sniffed and nodded. "My ears still hurt, but I think I'll be okay now!"

"That's good." Simon hugged her again, then picked her up.

"Come, now... Let's go find your mother. She's probably worried sick by now..."

.

.

.

"Uncle Simon?"

"Hmm?"

"What's 'oujo-sama' mean?"

It means "princess", by the way xD