Master of Flames becomes a Servant of Love
(A Grand Chase Fanfic, sequel of 'A New Member')
By angel_archer_11
"Hey! Arme! Give it back! It's mine!" Elesis shouted while running through the corridors of Serdin Castle.
"Yeah, you wish! Give the chocolates to Ronan first then I'll return the necklace to you!" Arme replied as she dashed from one place to another to escape Elesis.
After a long time of giving chase to Arme, Elesis stopped running, panting rather heavily.
"Why… do… I… have… to… do it… anyway…?" Elesis said through heavy breaths.
Arme stopped dashing. She faced Elesis and swung the necklace tauntingly.
"It's because you picked 'Dare' in 'Spin the Bottle'. This is your dare so just do what we dared you to do. Come on, don't be a kill joy. I did my dare." Arme said then ran away again.
"Arme! Don't run! I'll do it, okay? I'll do it!" Elesis said, finally accepting defeat.
Arme ran to where Elesis was. With a flick of a finger, a heart-shaped chocolate box floated in mid-air. Elesis grabbed the box and swiped at her necklace, but Arme pulled the necklace back before Elesis could even touch it.
"Not so fast! Give the chocolates to Ronan first! Remember, we'll be watching you so if you omitted one part of the dare, you won't have your necklace for a week." Arme warned. "And if you did omit one part, expect a Deep Impact to welcome you once you enter the girls' room!"
"All right, all right already! Just shut up, okay?" Elesis angrily said as she marched angrily to the boys' room.
*Flashback, some hours ago*
"I'm bored. What can we do on a day like this?"Lire asked the girls left in the room.
Elesis is polishing her dual swords, Arme, as usual, is reading a book, Mari is stuck in a corner and fiddling with yet again one of her creations, Natsumi is sorting out her weapons, and Lire is lying flat on her back on the carpeted floor, very bored. Amy is not with them at that time, due to a 5-day concert tour.
"I'll give ya something to do. Practice at the training grounds." Elesis replied.
"BORING! Do I have to do that again? I already did that twice today!" Lire retorted.
"You know what they say, '3's a charm'." Elesis said.
"Anything else, girls?" Lire asked then let out a sigh of boredom.
"Think about what Amy would suggest. Maybe 'Spin the Bottle' would remove the boredom for a while." Arme said, closing the book and returning it to its shelf.
"Sounds nice. Alright, who's game?" Lire suddenly became lively. "Well, since there are only 5 of us, minus Mari so 4, all of us should participate."
"Why won't we include Mari?" Natsumi asked.
"Because…" Lire started.
Then Mari began to mutter.
"Now, without the spark plug, the engine won't have any power, will I have to re-attach the cable or connectors? Wait… let's see here… So using the theory of relativity and using my hypothesis as well… Yes, maybe that would help make this machine work…"
"Does that answer your question?" Lire asked Natsumi.
"Not so, sorry…" Natsumi replied. "I don't see a reason why she won't be included in the game."
"You're too kind…" Lire rested her hands on Natsumi's shoulders and sighed. "But she only speaks techno-speak. We don't understand many of what she says. And besides, Master Sieghart is not here, away on a fascinating mission while we're trapped in this boring room. If Mari was the one pointed by the bottle and she picks 'Dare', it won't be interesting because her partner in the love team is not here."
"Hey Lire, since when did you become concerned about love teams, hmm?" Elesis asked.
"Elesis, Arme, Natsumi, and me. That makes 4 players. I guess that 4 are enough for the game." Lire said, oblivious to Elesis' question.
So the 4 girls sat around in a circle. An empty bottle from the wine cellar lay amidst them. Lire placed her hand on the bottle and spun it around. The bottle's opening pointed at Arme.
"Okay Arme, truth or dare?" Lire asked, wishing in her mind that Arme will pick 'dare'.
"Uhm… dare?" Arme hesitatingly replied.
"Hehehe… perfect… Your dare is… Make a cherry pie then give it to Lass!" Lire said.
"That should be easy." Arme replied. Why do I feel that what will come up later on won't be good?
"Then, you have to invite him to go with you to the fireworks festival this weekend!" Lire added.
"Easy as making a cherry pie." Arme said. Oh thank goodness! For a while I thought that it won't be good.
"Now comes the hard part: when he agrees, you have to seal the agreement with a kiss." Lire concluded.
"WHAT THE—!" Arme shrieked.
"There's no backing out now, so go out there and do the dare!" Lire said excitedly.
"Wait… do I really have to? I mean, like, come on!" Arme tried to plead Lire to lighten up her dare.
"Nope, sorry! No can do! If you didn't do the dare, there's a punishment waiting for you." Lire warned.
"Damn you, Lire…" Arme muttered as she stomped out of the room like some sort of a spoiled child.
Lire and the rest of the girls followed Arme to the kitchen after some minutes.
"Why the heck are you here?" Arme asked rather angrily while she was making the cherry filling.
"Lire said that she wants to—mmph!" Natsumi tried to reply but Lire slapped her mouth shut at mid-sentence.
"You don't have to slap her, you know? I already know why you came here after a few words from her. You want to see if I'm doing the dare, right?" Arme said as she put the filling on the pie crust.
Arme then put the pie pan in the oven (courtesy of Mari) and waited for it to bake. She sat on one of the chairs to wait.
"A magician like you knows many escape tricks." Elesis said.
"I may seem childish, but I'm not a coward or a cheater or whatever you call it." Arme retorted.
Minutes later, the oven made a sound, signaling them that the pie is done. Arme got some mitten-like potholders and took out the steaming-hot pie from the oven and set it on the table. A delicious smell wafted around the kitchen, making Elesis drool, literally.
"Oh come on, if you're hungry, maybe I could make a chocolate cake for you." Arme said.
"Huh? What? What?" Elesis suddenly snapped out from her reverie. "I'm not hungry. And maybe you'll put some unknown potion in the cake, anyway."
"Hey Lire, do I have to put this in a box or something?" Arme asked while she sliced the pie into triangles.
"Ah, getting the hang of the dare, aren't we? Well, you could do whatever you like as long as you finish the dare." Lire replied.
The pie cooled down for a bit so Arme carried it to the Lass' room. The others trailed behind her. At the door, they stopped, leaving Arme to do the rest of the dare. Arme knocked at the door nervously.
Now what do you want? I'm busy here! Lass said, not bothering to even open the door.
"Uhm, Lass? It's me, Arme. May I speak to you for a while?" Arme said while trying to maintain composure.
Yeah whatever. Lass replied.
So Arme entered. She did not close the door entirely, so as to provide a peephole for the girls.
"Hi Lass! I made a cherry pie for you! I hope you like it!" Arme cheerfully said as she gave Lass the cherry pie.
"I won't be rude so I'll take it. Thanks, by the way." Lass replied as he took a slice and ate it. "Wow, this is kinda good!"
"You know the main reason why I want to talk to you?" Arme started.
"I have no idea." Lass said before he bit into another slice.
"See, I want to ask you if you could come with me to the fireworks festival this coming weekend." Arme said as she felt heat rising up her face. "So, will you come with me?"
"Uh, yeah, sure. I'm not busy over the weekend so I guess I could go with you." Lass replied.
Behind the doors, the girls are pushing each other to get a good view.
"Just stay in one place, will you? You're blocking my view! The good part's about to come!" Lire whispered angrily.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I'm giving you both an uncomfortable time so I guess I have to move away." Natsumi said.
"You're too kind, Natsumi, you're too kind." Elesis said, not realizing that she herself is the one whom Lire was talking to earlier.
Back at the room, Arme was now leaning close to Lass.
"I'm so sorry, Lass… I have to do this…" Arme muttered her apology as she continued to move to get a kiss from Lass. Why the heck am I sounding so overly dramatic?
Their lips touched. Arme slowly closed her eyes, while Lass found himself dumbstruck.
What did she do that for? This is so unlike her! Lass thought, but he succumbed to the beautiful and warm feeling of the kiss.
Seconds later, Arme pulled herself away, teary-eyed.
"I'm so sorry for that! I just have to do it! I'm sorry!" Arme cried as she ran out of the room.
Lass didn't make a reply. He still can't believe that Arme kissed him, and on the lips too.
Now let's go back to the girls' room. Natsumi tried to calm Arme down, who was now crying profusely.
"What will Lass think of me now? He'll surely hate me for sure! I so like that guy! And now, because of that kiss, my chances of being close to him are ruined!" Arme cried.
Hmph. You're the one who took the dare seriously, anyway… Lire thought.
"Arme, please stop crying. I'm sure that he won't hate you. Maybe he'll even try to be closer to you." Natsumi comforted as she sat beside Arme.
"Okay. Let's continue, shall we?" Lire said.
"Lire, please be more considerate of Arme's feelings." Natsumi said while trying to stifle her irritation. "Arme, it's okay. He'll understand you for sure. I know that he will like you in return."
"*sniffle* Do you think so?" Arme asked; she has stopped crying.
"I'm very sure. I heard for many times already that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Maybe your cherry pie did the trick and warmed up Lass' heart for you." Natsumi replied.
"Hehehe… You're 2 years younger than me and yet, you manage to comfort me as if you're older than I am!" Arme managed to laugh.
"Hey Elesis, those two look busy so let's continue?" Lire said.
"Yeah, yeah. As if I have a choice." Elesis replied.
"Let's just continue by rock-paper-scissors. Whoever loses will choose between truth and dare, okay?" Lire said.
"You must be forgetting that I never lost an RPS game in my whole life." Elesis said as she poised herself.
"Oh yeah? We'll see about that." Lire replied as she carefully thought about Elesis' move.
Hands were raised and brought down. Elesis did paper while Lire did scissors.
"Hehehe… Looks like you lose, Elesis." Lire said teasingly. "Say goodbye to your perfect RPS record."
"WAAAH! I demand a rematch! Up to 5 points!" Elesis said, not accepting defeat.
"Alright, then. You really want to increase your 'lose' record, do you?" Lire taunted.
"AAAAARGH! You're just hiding your fear behind your words!" Elesis shouted. "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
And so the match went on. The records were as shown:
Elesis:
Paper
Scissors
Rock
Rock
Scissors
Lire:
Scissors
Rock
Paper
Paper
Rock
So obviously, Elesis got skunked by Lire. There goes Elesis' perfect record.
"Looks like I don't have a choice. I pick dare." Elesis boldly said as she tried to stifle a tear behind her eyes. Goodbye, perfect RPS record… goodbye (LOL… she's pretty overly dramatic about this matter.)
"Your dare is to give a box of chocolates to Ronan, say 'I love you' with lots of feelings, and kiss him. That's your dare." Lire said with a straight face.
"So now you're thinking that you'll break me down like Arme? Dream on." Elesis replied.
"Hmm… let's add a twist… Arme, where's Elesis' darkness necklace?" Lire asked.
Arme stood up and rummaged through a drawer in the room. Soon, she pulled out a necklace with dark crystals and a rune etched on the pendant. She handed it to Lire.
"Wait just a sec… what the freakin' heck are you gonna do with my necklace?" Elesis started to worry.
"If you didn't do the dare right, you won't get this necklace for a whole week." Lire said.
Elesis got wild. She lunged at Lire in an attempt to grab her necklace. Lire dodged her quickly. Lire tossed the necklace to Arme then Arme made a run for it.
*Present*
And so, that's the story why Elesis is chasing Arme in the corridors. Let's now go back to where we left. So Elesis is now in the boys' room. She didn't even bother to knock; she just barged in.
Only Ronan is there, staring out into the nothingness by the window. As you know, Sieghart is currently not the room due to a mission, and Lass is still in his room. Jin is not there also; he's with Amy at the concert tour as her #1 supporter. Ryan is in the castle greenhouse, watering and maybe even talking to the plants.
At the sound of the door opening with a loud 'BANG', Ronan was snapped back to reality. He saw Elesis walking towards him.
"Hi, Elesis. What's with the box?" Ronan greeted.
Then suddenly, all composure drained away from Elesis for a reason who-knows-what. She sat down beside Ronan.
"Uhm, Ronan? I—is it o—kay if I t—tell you something?" Elesis stuttered.
"Okay. What is it that you want to tell me?" Ronan said. Why do I have a feeling that I already know what she will say? Could it be…?
"Before that, please take these chocolates. Just take it and don't ask why!" Elesis started.
So Ronan took the chocolates and put it on the table near him.
"Here goes… Ronan Erudon, I LOVE YOU! I MEAN IT! I MEAN IT, OKAY?" Elesis shouted; she was about to break down. Well, there goes my pride… I lowered my pride just this once just to tell him what I really feel, even though that this is just a dare…
"I know that. You already told me that a long time ago. And to be honest, I also feel the same way for you." Ronan said.
Oh my gosh… Is that really true? Someone please awaken me if this is just a dream… Elesis thought; she couldn't speak. Look at it this way: how can you speak normally if the one whom you love or like suddenly tells you that he or she feels the same way for you?
Then, Ronan pulled Elesis close to him and kissed her. Elesis eyes widened in shock, but slowly closed them later on.
My gosh… if this is just a dream, please don't wake me up just yet… Elesis thought. I will never tell him that this is just a dare…
They pulled away from each other after a lengthy kiss.
"Ronan… I… I have to leave now…" Elesis said.
"Please don't go away just yet… I want to be with you for a longer time." Ronan replied as he hugged Elesis tightly.
"Okay. I won't leave." Elesis said as she returned the hug.
Back to the GC newsroom, erm, I mean, back to Arme. Earlier, the door didn't close due to the fact that Elesis pushed them wide open. Since this dare needed a witness, Arme used an invisibility spell on herself to watch the scene. Sure enough, she saw all that transpired in the room.
Damn… why didn't Lass do the same thing to me? Arme thought out of slight jealousy. They sure look cute together… I just wish that I have my own camera so that I could take some stolen pictures… hehehe… And with that, she walked back to where Lire is as the spell wore off.
Now let's see what Natsumi is up to. She got impatient while waiting for Arme to return so she excused herself and went to the training grounds. At the wide clearing, some dummies were put up and a few obstacle courses were set. It's as if the Knight Master didn't expect anyone to practice that day. Natsumi walked towards the dummies and stared at them for a while.
And to think that I'm qualified to join the elite ninjas. They are supposed to be very patient. Hmph. Maybe it's just in my age. 13-year-olds get impatient soon enough.
She then pulled out the nunchaku from her belt holster and slashed all the dummies off one by one.
That's it? No traps or anything? Someone please give me something more interesting to do! I'm getting bored here!
The afternoon's weather was fine for a walk in the town; it was neither hot nor rainy. Natsumi decided to explore a bit of the town. The castle gates are open, and the people outside at crowding up left and right.
"Excuse me, but why are there crowds of people outside the castle? Will there be a parade?" Natsumi asked one of the guards.
"There will be, Miss Natsumi. Sir Sieghart has returned from his mission. Now, please step aside; the band is approaching." The guard replied.
I have to tell the others about this. Natsumi thought as she ran in the castle.
Fast forward to the girls' room.
"Hey, Natsumi. You look so tired. Got lost in the corridors again? What sort of ninja gets lost in castle corridors? I thought you're supposed to have a good sense of direction." Elesis greeted. This is her way of annoying people. (Wow. Quick recovery for someone who was kissed by their loved one just earlier.)
"There is… a parade… outside…" Natsumi said, breathing heavily. "And for your… information… I ran the way… from the castle gates… towards here… so that's why… I look tired…" Natsumi replied, breathing hard.
"Ah, Master Sieghart has returned. The parade is just a normal occurrence to us. The Queen said that there will be a parade every time Master Sieghart returns from a mission because he is someone of legend. It is held to give some sort of respect." Arme said.
"I just thought that it would be of interest to Elesis because she is a relative of Sieghart-sama." Natsumi replied, her breath back to normal. (A/N: The other members of the Chase got used with some snippets of her language, like the honorific used for Sieghart. But so far, no one attempted to use the language snippets in conversations.)
"Dream on, Natsumi. I don't care for that old man. His arrogance pisses me off." Elesis retorted.
Just like how your annoying statements and greetings annoy us as well. Lire thought as she gave a sigh.
Mari is still in the room despite all the things that transpired. She stood up and went to Arme.
"Arme, do you have some *chemical name unknown*? I need it for the completion of my latest invention." Mari said.
"Geh! I didn't know you're still here!" Arme said, startled. "Uhm, actually, I don't know that there is a chemical like that, and I don't think that I have that chemical in my shelf. Try checking the laboratory." I think I'm gonna have a nosebleed…
"Okay. Thanks anyway." Mari said then walked away.
Drums rolled. Trumpets sounded. The return of Sieghart was announced. A loud cheer from the crowd was heard.
At nightfall, after the festivities, the Chase, except Sieghart who lagged behind to speak with the Queen and Knight Master, went to the girls' room to chat before sleeping. Haven't you noticed that they always hang out at the girls' room? Anyways, they're all settled down, doing their own thing or waiting for someone to strike a group conversation. Elesis is sitting alone on a couch. Seeing that she is alone, Ronan went and sat beside her.
Elesis should be thanking me. She and Ronan became instantly very close to each other because of that dare. Lire thought. Ryan interrupted Lire's thoughts a minute later.
"Hey, wanna go to town tomorrow?" Ryan asked
"What made you ask me to go out with you all of a sudden?" Lire replied.
"Ya know, spend some time together. Who knows, Knight Master might give one of us a mission sooner or later." Ryan said as he moved even closer to Lire. Soon enough, they're holding hands.
"You, Ryan, could get so dramatic sometimes." Lire said then she kissed Ryan's cheek. "But that's another reason why I agreed to be your girl." (A/N: I forgot to include this detail in the last story. Ryan and Lire became a couple weeks after Natsumi joined the Chase.)
Mari returned to the laboratory after the festive dinner. She found the chemical that she needs so she is now finishing her work.
Let's move to Arme and Lass. Apparently, they're not talking with each other because of the incident earlier. But they are both wishing that one of them would start a conversation.
Natsumi is staring into nothingness for who-knows-what. Mamoru, I think. She kept on muttering his name over and over again. Now, how did she enter this state of mind?
And now, back to Elesis and Ronan.
"Ronan, please move away for a while. Grandpa might arrive soon and I don't want you to be in trouble just because he saw you so close to me." Elesis said. Since when did she start addressing Sieghart as 'Grandpa'?
"Okay. But when time comes, I will ask you to be my girl right in front of him." Ronan said. He then stood up and moved away after kissing Elesis on the forehead.
When will it be? Please make it soon… Elesis thought as she slumped onto the couch.
Minutes later, the door creaked open. Sieghart came in with a smile on his face.
"Okay… where's my little girl?" he said as he pretended to look around the room in search for Elesis even though he knows that she's on the couch.
Natsumi snapped back to reality once she heard the voice of Sieghart. Seeing him act and speak weirdly made her stand up and dash to Arme.
"Arme, what's wrong with Sieghart-sama?" she asked as she sat down beside Arme.
"Just watch. And by the way, you have to get used to it. He always acts like that when he gets back from a mission." Arme replied.
"Ah, there you are." Sieghart said then walked towards the couch.
"Leave me alone will ya, old man!" Elesis said angrily.
"Aww… why is my little girl so grouchy?" Sieghart asked as he sat down and ruffled Elesis' hair.
"Dammit, will ya quit it?" Elesis said as she tried to get away. Her hair is not braided so it's easy to ruffle.
Sieghart stopped ruffling Elesis' hair.
"Let me ask you something. Did something happen here while I'm gone?" Sieghart asked with a serious tone.
"As usual, we're all bored here. Nothing happened." Elesis answered.
"Really? Another thing: I can't help it but in a way, I want to be updated with love lives, especially yours. Did anything happen to you?" Sieghart asked again.
Damn… if I screw up with my response, Ronan will get in trouble. What am I gonna say? Elesis thought as she started to sweat.
"N—nothing h—happened… I was j—just p—practicing m—my sword skills, as usual." Elesis stuttered nervously. She tried to make Sieghart believe that nothing had transpired within the time that he was gone, but her madly blushing face betrayed her. "And what do you care, anyway? Just leave me alone."
"Hmph. Your life is boring. Well then, go to sleep now. It's late." Sieghart said as he stood up and left. He obviously understood that Elesis doesn't want to talk about it, so he just put it aside.
"Yeah, whatever." Elesis muttered.
Elesis followed Sieghart with her gaze as he walked across the room. She saw him stop in front of Ronan.
"Hey, you take care of my little girl, okay? If anything bad happened to her… you know what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna make it ten times as worse. Got it?" Sieghart said with a threat.
"I will, Master Sieghart." Ronan replied. He knows… What an experienced person…
Fast forward. Sieghart left the room, leaving the other Chase members to continue what they are doing originally. Boredom kills, so they all went to their own rooms and called it a night.
Though it doesn't show in her personality, Natsumi actually is a crybaby. Every night, whether in the past or now, she cries, lamenting the loss of her loved one. There in her bed, she's curled up, sobbing while muttering Mamoru's name or saying obscenities at Kaze'aze. She cried herself to sleep every night since she lost Mamoru.
The next day, after breakfast, exercises, and the morning training session, the Chase members did whatever that pleased them. Natsumi decided to continue her plan to take a walk around town.
"Good morning, Miss Natsumi. Going out for a mini-adventure?" the guard greeted Natsumi when she stopped by the gates.
"Ohayo gozaimasu!" Natsumi greeted back. "Yes, I was planning to go out for a while, you know, boredom blues and such."
"Well then, just be careful." the guard said as he motioned the one in the tower to open the gates.
I'm not a child anymore. I can handle myself. Natsumi thought.
Just then, a rustle in the nearby bushes was heard. Natsumi abruptly turned with a kunai already positioned in attack. She then lowered it; it was Sieghart.
"Oh, it's you, Sieghart-sama. You startled me there." Natsumi said as she hid her kunai.
"Hehehe. Just testing ya. Anyways, mind if I go with you? I could use some fresh air." Sieghart said in reply as he brushed away some of the leaves that clung to his clothes.
"I don't mind. But let me ask you, Sieghart-sama. Since when did you become interested in walks around town? I thought you hate physical activities." Natsumi asked.
"Don't ask why. Anyways, are we going or not? The gates are open for some time now." Sieghart said as he walked ahead.
They went around town leisurely. Sometimes, they saw Lire and Ryan buying some food or clothes. A long time later, Sieghart found a bench and sat.
"Maybe we should go back to the castle. You look tired, VERY tired. And that wasn't even a marathon." Natsumi suggested.
"Yeah, maybe we should." Sieghart said as he stood up. Once I get back to my room, I'm gonna take a long nap. Natsumi has an extraordinary endurance. Just how is this girl trained?
A little fast forward. As they neared the castle gates, Natsumi stopped while Sieghart went forward. He really does want that nap badly, doesn't he?
"Hey Natsumi, come on! What are you doing there, anyway?" Sieghart asked, irritated.
"Sieghart-sama, look there; someone is unconscious." Natsumi said with worry lining her words. "I'll help the person. If you want, you can just go ahead."
She's fierce in battle yet under all that ferocity, she's a kind person. Damn, she's hard to understand. Sieghart thought as he ran with her towards the unconscious person.
The person is lying facing the ground. Natsumi got near and found out that the person is a man, a boy, rather. She knelt beside him and turned him around with utmost care. The boy was holding a book, but since he is unconscious, the book fell from his grasp. Surprisingly, the book glowed; its glow was like the color of fire.
"He's a sorcerer of sorts, I think. Let's take him to the castle." Sieghart said. "I'll carry him."
Suddenly, he heard Natsumi sniffling; she was crying. Her head was bowed down and she is stroking the boy's dark grey hair.
"Geez, you're so easily affected. That won't be good in time of battle." Sieghart said as he went near the boy.
"You don't understand… This person… I know him… I know him so well…" Natsumi said through tears.
"Well then, who is he?" Sieghart asked.
"This boy… is my lost love… He is… Mamoru…" Natsumi replied. She cried some more, but she did not wail. Composure in a time of distress.
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