1. Yuki and Shuichi from Gravitation - "I Belong" (Cherie)

When this song came up for this couple, I didn't think that it was going to fit. But after listening to the lyrics, I think it really does apply for them. It sounds like it could be from Yuki's perspective. He never expected much from other people and I'm sure he didn't think that there was anyone out there for him that he would want to spend his life with. However, after meeting Shuichi, he found himself surprised that he could find love and happiness with another person. Growing up, Yuki never fit in, but with Shuichi, he found that someone could completely love and accept him for who he was, even knowing everything about him ("I belong for the first time"). Another of the lines that really stood out to me was "You take my teardrops and you leave me smiling", which reminded me of the scene in the manga and anime when Shuichi was able to make Yuki smile after he was crying. And "You taught me just what love can be" reminds me of another scene early in the manga, when Shuichi was sick and told Yuki he was so happy just to be near him. That scene was when Yuki asked himself if that was what love really was, not just the physical aspect.

2. Kei and Ranmaru from Kizuna - "My Love is Here" (Jim Brickman)

When I was listening to this song, a few scenes from the manga popped into my head. The first part of the song reminded me of when Kei had been kidnapped. He had just bought an engagement ring for Ranmaru before it happened, and he kept telling himself that he had to get through it so that he could tell Ran how much he loved him ("And I need you to know / Even though we're far apart / You're right beside me in my heart"). The second scene that I was reminded of was before they had become a couple. They both had very strong feelings for each other, but were afraid of taking that next step and possibly ruining the friendship they had ("Don't you know my love is real? / You should know by now"). The third part of the song reminded me of when Ran was in the hospital after his accident. He had been paralyzed on one side, and the reason he worked so hard in his rehabilitation was the fact that he wanted to be strong enough to stand by Kei's side again. Kei was nothing but supportive through the whole ordeal and told Ran that he loved him no matter what ("My love is here... for you").

3. Hercules and Iolaus from Hercules the Legendary Journeys - "Secret" (Missy Higgins)

Okay, this one is a pretty big stretch, but I'll try to find how the song could apply to them. When they were younger, Iolaus was a thief and Hercules was always a boy scout ("You were from the North, I was from the South"), but they still became best friends. These two grew to know everything about one other and were always completely in synch both in and out of battle ("Minds becoming two halves of the same"). And both of them knew, especially after Iolaus' death, that their friendship was the most important thing that they each had ("But I knew it was good and you knew it was too"). The line "If you'd be so kind as to follow me / I will show you the way to the rest of my sins" kind of reminds me of when Hercules found out that Iolaus gave into Dahak, so that he could control him. And looking at the subtext on the show, Iolaus seemed pretty jealous when Hercules said he was going to marry Serena ("I would've given it all to belong to you / But there were different plans, different rules"). Since I am looking at them from a couple perspective, it seemed to me that this line could show that although Iolaus wanted more, he wasn't going to stand in the way of what Hercules wanted.

4. Cloud and Aeris from Final Fantasy VII - "Umbrella" (Mandy Moore)

I think it's interesting that this song came up for this couple, considering that Mandy Moore voiced Aeris in the first Kingdom Hearts game. When I really listened to the lyrics, I think that this song fits for Cloud and Aeris really well. Aeris was the first person in the game that seemed to help Cloud come out of his shell and wanted to get to know the real him ("Together we'll mend your heart"). In Advent Children, one of the scenes I am reminded of when listening to this song was near the end of the movie. It was raining and Cloud was standing with his head back and his eyes closed and getting rained on. The pink ribbon around his arm was visible, and it seemed that Aeris had some connection to the rain. The line in the song, "Now that it's raining more than ever / Told you we still have each other", seems to show that even through Aeris had died, she was still always with Cloud, watching over and protecting him through his struggles. And whether they were a couple or not, she was his very good friend and it was nice that she was able to communicate with him when he needed her ("Told you I'll be here forever / Said I'll always be your friend").

5. Hugo and Caesar from Suikoden III - "Wish You Were Here (With Me)" (Enrique)

Although they were not a canon couple, I thought that they would make a great pairing and I really enjoy the idea of them together. This song is about how one person is looking back and wishing that they hadn't let the other one go. Since Hugo and Caesar were still pretty young in the manga, this song could be a possible future for them if they separated ways after starting a relationship, although several lines do fit some of their scenes. I think this song sounds like it would be more from Hugo's point of view. There was a scene in the manga where Hugo took everything upon himself again and went off alone to think. Caesar found him and was angry to the point of tears that Hugo wouldn't open up about his feelings to him ("I'm not the boy who made you cry / You gave yourself / I didn't see it"). Hugo didn't realize that letting him in wasn't going to be a burden on Caesar and that as his strategist and close friend he wanted to know about him ("I thought I knew it all"). Since Hugo became the Flame Champion, his True Rune stopped his aging, and I can see him having to make a decision about this in the future. The previous Flame Champion gave up his rune so that he could age with the woman he loved. If Hugo did not give up the rune, he would have to see Caesar grow up without him ("Funny how the years / They just pass us by / Seems like yesterday / You were in my life").

6. Ray and Florian from Gorgeous Carat - "I'm On My Way" (Shrek Soundtrack)

Okay, this isn't the song I would chosen for them, but I suppose that some of the lines could apply to them. "I'm on my way from misery to happiness today" could describe a lot of parts of the series. One in particular I thought of was how Florian was initially very angry and resentful at having to live with Ray, but ended up becoming one of his closest friends and finding happiness in his new life. Another thing I am reminded of from this song is how, after Ray and Florian left Maghreb, they tried very hard to forget the unpleasantness that happened there and keep it behind them ("To keep the past, the past and not the present"). Another scene I thought of was when they were trapped in a treasure room with no hope of escaping the water that was rising, how Ray (a notorious jewel thief), said that the most beautiful thing in the room was Florian's eyes ("And now that I don't want for anything").

7. Keiran and Ash from The God Eaters - "On the Wings of Love" (Clay Aiken)

I think this is a great song for this couple. In the novel, Keiran and Ash had escaped from prison and were on the run together ("We're flowing like a stream, running free traveling"). Although they were attracted to one another, their feelings really grew during the time they spent traveling together. In fact, for a large part of the book they only had one another for company ("Only the two of us"). The line "And I'm crazy 'bout you baby can't you see / I'd be so delighted if you would come with me" reminds me of when Keiran told Ash they should go their separate ways to increase their chances of escape, but inside, he wanted nothing else than for Ash to come with him. The song also reminds me of when Keiran and Ash used their power to see into the rain storm, 'flying' in a sense ("Only the two of us together flyin high"). And the lines "I'm yours exclusively / Right now we live and breathe together / Inseparable it seems" really describes their whole relationship throughout the book to me.

8. Ben and Michael from Queer As Folk - "Never Too Late" (Hedley)

This song really reminds me of the beginning of Ben and Michael's relationship. Although Michael had feelings for Ben, he initially ran from him after finding what it meant to be with someone who has HIV. However, after they broke up, Michael realized that he wanted to be with him despite the risk ("Another night and who can say if leaving is better / Than living in fear"). Things were not that easy at first though, because even though Michael was now sure of his feelings, Ben was afraid of being rejected again. When his second chance with Ben started to go awry, he ended up singing "Ben" in front of everyone in the bar to prove to him how much he was serious about starting over ("It's not too late to start again / Find a way to smile and never let it get away").

9. Yuri and Alice from Shadow Hearts - "Give Unto Me" (Evanescence)

I think this song fits them better than I expected it to when I saw that it came up for them. During the first game, Alice helped Yuri overcome his fears of his fusion abilities taking him over ("I want to heal you / I want to save you from the dark"). The lines that immediately stood out to me were "I'll endure your suffering / Place onto me your burden / I'll drink your deadly poison", since Alice's death was caused because she took the burden of his malice so he would not die. In the second game, it seemed that Alice was still around in some form for Yuri to be able to communicate with ("I've been watching you from a distance"), and his love for her was what kept him going throughout the game despite being cursed ("Let it be the sun in your world of darkness"). In fact, in the 'good' ending of the game, he gave up his life so that he would not have to live in a world where he would not remember who she was or their time together.

10. Taki and Goh from Yellow - "Perfect Time of Day" (Howie Day)

This song reminds me of the last volume in the manga series, after Taki and Goh had finally gotten together. Taki had had feelings for Goh for awhile but was afraid of admitting them for a variety of reasons ("Everyone between is so lost, so lost"). Goh, on the other hand, never hid his feelings even in the beginning. Taki finally admitted his attraction to Goh after he realized it was his last chance to be with him ("The time is so fleeting / I quit running behind"). Taki secretly left after they spent the night together in fear of Goh's life at the hands of Taki's guardians. After Goh found him again, the time they spent together, although memorable, seemed very temporary to Taki ("It's the perfect time of day / It's the last day of your life / Don't let it drift away"). And after Taki tried to take his own life ("Close your eyes and take your last breath"), he found that his life was not at an end, but at a beginning, with Goh ("Press your head aside, the end is the beginning").

11. Cloud and Tifa from Final Fantasy VII - "The Beauty in Ugly" (Jason Mraz)

I am not a fan of Cloud and Tifa as a couple. First of all, they were never really childhood friends. Although they lived next door to each other, Tifa had her own group of friends and Cloud was not one of them. The only conversation that we saw them having when they were children was when she was telling him that she wanted him to save her once he became famous ("You should own your name and stand up tall / and get real"). I think that Tifa's lying to him about the truth with Zack and everything was really detrimental to him and left him unprepared for when Sephiroth dropped that bombshell ("Your face is fabulous / don't forget you're one of a kind / when nobody is checking the deeds you've done"). I think this line "But not so remarkable" sums up any relationship that they would have together.

- Liz