Now And Then

In the Kamikaze guild, everything was peaceful except for Rhine and Evan. The priestess and the assassin were always quarrelling that the whole guild couldn't stand it. Not even one day would pass without them quarrelling. So, one day the leader, Flo, decided to take action.

"Ok, today we'll be training together, but in small groups. I'll be going with IceMochaGurl, Zanza, Sephiroh with X-Stream and his sis, SummerGirl. Scorpy will go with Vicki, dUPPA, and Evrea will train with Stewie, Jess will go with Forger together with..."

Rhine was already shaking. She didn't want to team up with Evan.

"Rhine and Evan." The leader, Flo, finished.

"C'mon...why can't I train with others? Evan is such a jerk.." Rhine whined.

"My decision is final." Flo said.

Rhine hated it. Evan was a little shocked, too, but he remained silent.

"I guess we better go now...hmm.. Flo, Zanza, X-stream, SummerGirl, Sephiroh and I will be training in Byalan Island. Scorpy, Vicki, Duppa, Jess will train in Sunken Ship. Jess, Forger, Evrea, Stewie, Rhine and Evan will train in Glast Heim." IceMochaGurl said.

Everyone headed off to their destination.

"Geez..!" she thought.

When they reached Glast Heim, they planned to train in the Prison.

"Glast Heim Prison is a good place to train. Lotsa monsters there...since our team is quite big, those monsters will be easy to kill." Evrea, the assassin said.

The rest agreed, but Rhine and Evan were still sulking.

"C'mon Rhine and Evan...It's just training ya know? It's not like we're in the Arena or something...." Forger said.

Rhine replied by giving him an angry look. Evan was just quiet. Forger backed away. He knows that Rhine can be rather lethal when she's upset.

They walked into the castle and headed to the Prison. They had to pass through some monsters in the Castle first, and after a while, they reached the gates of the Prison. A big group of monsters charged at the group, and everyone was ready. Rhine casted the holy cross on the ground called Magnus Exorcimus. When the cross was done, the undead tried to attack Rhine who stood within the cross but the cross slapped on the undead's body until it was vanquished. Forger used Mammonite, Evrea and Evan packed a Sonic Blow at the monsters, Jess, the acolyte, casted heal on the undead. Stewie used Spear Boomerang and finally, the groups of monsters were killed.

"Well done, guys! Great teamwork!!" Jess exclaimed.

The rest agreed with a smile. They continued walking, until they reached another room. Injustice, a type of assassin, came and attacked the group. As they battled with it, more and more Injustices came and joined in. The longer they fought, the more Injustices came. Rhine and Jess casted support spells to help the team battle better.

All of a sudden, Rhine got slashed from behind. The attack gave her a deep wound, and she was bleeding profusely. Rhine fell to the ground, and was losing consciousness. Jess couldn't heal her, as she was out of energy. Everyone panicked.

"Oh no...." they uttered.

They counted on Forger, who always brought a cart of potions along wherever he goes. Forger gave a bottle to Evan since he stood next to Rhine. Evan just took the potion and hesitated.

"Evan! This is a moment of life and death here! Stop thinking about those fights and just save her!" Evrea shouted.

Evan looked at the potion bottle, and thought again. Then, he kneeled down. He gave Rhine to drink the potion. For a moment, Rhine and Evan were looking at each other's eyes. Everyone was watching the both of them.

Forger whispered to the others, "Erm...was this part of Flo's plan?"

The rest just shrugged their shoulders. They will never know...

Rhine and Evan looked away and blushed. Stewie, the mischievous one, secretly recorded what was happening with his video camera.

"Hehehe...I'll show this tape to the whole guild once we get back." Stewie thought, and he grinned evilly.

"Ok...Rhine...how are you feeling now?" Evrea asked.

Rhine just nodded her head. Evan and Rhine's face still had some 'colour' and Forger just whistled and acted as though nothing has happened. Stewie just grinned and he continued recording, without anyone knowing it.

"Then I think we should continue now. Rhine, do you want to rest or continue?" Evrea asked.

Rhine said yes, but when she tried standing up, she felt pain in her back.

"I guess you have to get back to the guild house to rest, Rhine." Forger said.

"Erm...I can continue...don't worry about me..." Rhine replied.

"Rhine, listen to us...just get back to the house and get some rest. Evan, take her back to the house and take care of her until all of us get back, ok?" Evrea ordered, being the leader of the training group.

Evan's eyes widened. Rhine's jaws dropped.

"C'mon! Why him?!" She exclaimed.

"Geez.. This girl? You've got to be joking.." Evan uttered.

Evrea gave a stern look.

"Okok....whatever you say bro..." Evan said, as he backed away.

Evan had to carry Rhine as she couldn't walk. Jess opened a warp portal, and Evan entered it. The warp took them to the guild house in Prontera. Evan opened the door and he entered the house. He carried Rhine to her room and placed her on the bed.

"Let me go down and get some bandages first." Evan uttered as he walked out of the room.

Rhine just watched him walk away and sighed. She realized that her wound on her back was deep. Evan came back to the room with bandages, some cotton and a small container of water.

Rhine blushed as she had to take off the top part of the uniform for Evan to bandage the wound. Evan's face had a slight flush, but he continued bandaging. Once the wound was fully bandaged, Rhine put on her uniform. Evan got out of her room to put the stuff back.

What is this feeling..the feeling like I don't really hate him now...

"Aww....blushing, heh?" a voice said.

Rhine turned back to where to voice came from, and realized it was someone familiar.

"El !!!!!! You're back!! Why didn't you tell me?!" Rhine exclaimed in excitement as she hugged her brother.

El was hanging by the window, and he nearly lost his footing when he was hugged.

"Rhine! I'm gonna fall!!" Evan exclaimed as he nearly fell from the window.

"Don't you worry El, as I could heal you..." Rhine gave an evil smile.

"Rhine....." El gave a fed up look.

Rhine pulled him in, and he fall face-down on her room floor. Evan, who was downstairs, wondered what was happening. He quickly ran upstairs and entered Rhine's room.

"El, you're back!" Evan said in excitement.

El just gave a smile with a big sweat drop. Rhine and Evan just smiled. Then, El had this thought about them.

"I thought the both of you hated each other..." El asked.

Rhine and Evan looked at each other. They both turned their heads the other way and they just gave an "Hmmph!" expression.

"Actually I kinda think both of you look cute as a couple.." El continued.

Rhine and Evan nearly puked when they heard that.

"WHAT?!" they exclaimed.

El giggled as he watched their reaction.

"Come on...It's true..." he continued giggling.

"What is he up to now..?" they both thought.

Little did they realize that as the three of them chatted, El noticed something.

"Guys...You both seem quiet.. Usually, the both of you will be quarrelling..."El uttered.

Rhine and Evan's eyes widened.

"C'mon, it's strange that the both of you aren't at each other's necks..." El continued.

"Err....just say...we're....just not in the mood to quarrel!" Rhine said. Evan just nodded his head.

"Strange...." El thought.

After chatting a while, it was already evening. They are expecting the others to be back soon, so they quickly prepared dinner. Rhine asked Evan to get some meat and vegetables, while El just tagged along. Evan and El chatted as they walked to the stalls.

"Weird... I'm really wondering why the both of you are not quarrelling..." El said.

"Well, like what Rhine said, we're just not in the mood to quarrel today." The instant reply came from Evan. After they got the stuff needed, they passed by a small shop with a big sign, "Have Your Photo Taken Here Together with Your Loved Ones!! Discount!!"

El and Evan looked at each other.

"Photo taken with loved ones huh? Discount.." El thought.

"Ah-ha!! Don't you think that's a good idea? The whole guild could have their picture taken here in disguise that we're all relatives!" El uttered.

Evan just had an uncertain look. Hmm...

It is true, the whole guild wanted to get their photo taken but they were always training. Now is the best time to get it taken. Evan and El entered the shop and asked about that promotion. The girl in the shop said that they give a discounted price for "families". El just gave an evil grin.

When they got back, they told Rhine about the sign. Rhine agreed to the idea. They prepared dinner, and soon, the rest came back.

"El!! You're back!!" they exclaimed and hugged him.

El was out of breath and Rhine just chuckled at her brother.

"Rhine..! Help me here!" El cried.

Rhine just giggled and helped him. Everyone just moved back, and started giggling at El.

"Aww...guys.. I wasn't gone for that long, right..?" He said, as Rhine patted him.

"Well, we missed you so much!" they exclaimed.

"Well, let's eat now or the food will get cold." Rhine said.

Everyone took their seats around the dining table, and enjoyed their meal. Even they felt it was rather strange that Rhine and Evan were not quarrelling. Forger asked El who sat next to him. El just shrugged his shoulders.

"Ah! I had forgotten!" El exclaimed.

"Huh? What is it, El?" They asked.

He discussed about the photo-taking promotion and they rest were excited. They agreed to his plan.

"So, when do we get our photo taken anyway?" Flo asked.

"The promotion ends by this month. I think we better get our photo taken as soon as possible." El continued.

The whole guild thought for a moment.

"Ok! Why don't we have it taken next weekend? After all, we're quite free on weekends.." Sephiroh said.

Everyone nodded their head in agreement. So, the next weekend arrived. Flo and Forger were styling up their hair, the other guys put on some cool accessories while the girls spent quite a long time in their rooms getting ready and such.

"OK!! Let's go now!! We don't want to be late!" Evrea, who was done, exclaimed from downstairs.

Rhine came down, and this time, she looked different. Usually, her black hair is just tied up in a normal way. But this time, her fringe was let down and she looked really beautiful. Evan came down, and he was awed by her looks. My gosh...she looks so different...so beautiful...

Evan stood still by the stairs, just admiring her.

Evan could see Rhine looking at him. So beautiful...

Rhine was speaking something. Oh..her eyes are pretty..

Rhine waved her hand in front of him. She looks like an angel..

"EVAN!! Are you deaf or something? Can't you hear what I had just said?!" Rhine shouted.

Evan jolted from his daydream.

"You don't have to scream right through my ears, you dumb kid!" Evan fought back.

Soon, they started to quarrel. The whole house was already shaking and Evrea could bear it no more.

"QUIET!!" He shouted at the top of his voice.

Rhine and Evan stopped. They looked really scared, as Evrea could be scary when he's upset. The whole gang came down to find out what was happening.

"Ok, today is the day for us to be excited or happy, but we should also get along with each other well. So please, forget about fights." Flo said.

Rhine and Evan looked down, feeling rather bad for what they did. They walked to the gang and apologized. Evrea was feeling less tense as he was earlier, and he accepted their apology.

"Dear, don't worry about it. It's my short temper that caused me to raise my voice." Evrea said.

Rhine hugged him. Evrea treated her like his own sister, as his family members are no longer around. As she hugged him, he smiled. Evan just looked at them strangely.

dUPPA tapped Flo's shoulder and pointed at Evan. Flo looked at Evan and found that he was staring at Rhine who's hugging Evrea.

"Erm... do you think he's jealous?" dUPPA whispered.

Flo rubbed his chin. "Hmm...I have to say, it could be right..."

Then, Flo gave an evil smile. dUPPA wondered why, but Flo still had his devilish grin.

Soon, the whole gang was walking to the city. They reached the shop, and entered it.

"May I help you, sir?" A lady in the shop asked. The lady had her purple hair tied up and she was wearing a white work dress.

"Oh, we want to take out family photo," El lied.

"Well, sir..You've come to the right place. We offer a discount for the photo. But first, I'm just curious that all of you are really related." The lady continued.

El was worried.

"Oh, these two are engaged." Zanza said, as he pointed to Rhine and Evan.

Rhine and Evan's eyes widened. "WHA-.."

Before they could continue, X-Stream and SummerGirl closed their mouths and said, "Yup! They're engaged! And they are very much in love!!"

"Well, what a coincidence! Well, this cute couple can have their wedding photos taken here as well.." The lady said.

Evan and Rhine's jaws dropped wide open.

"WEDDING PHOTOS?!"

"Erm...don't you think it's a little sudden.." Rhine said as she knocked Evan's chest.

"Oh yea! Yea! It's a little too sudden.." Evan said.

The lady just gave a smile. Then, she raised her hand in the air. Soon, a portal was opened and she asked everyone to enter it. The gang was sent to the Pronteran fields, with the bright flowers under the sunny sky.

Rhine and Evan stood next to each other, wondering what was about to happen next. The lady set up her camera on a tripod stand. Rhine was getting worried. El went up to her and whispered, "Patience...That's our only way to get a good discount!" Rhine gave him an angry look and El backed away. "Okok..I'll stop.."

"Something's missing..." the lady thought as she saw the 'cute couple' standing together.

"Aha!" she uttered, and adjusted the camera.

"All we need is a-.."

The lady quickly walked up to Rhine and Evan and...

"KISS!"

The lady pushed their heads together, making them kiss coincidentally. Rhine and Evan's eyes widened. The flash appeared from the camera and the shot was taken.

The guys started whistling while the girls clapped. Rhine and Evan had stopped kissing but they stood still. They were both too shocked to say or do anything. Then, winds blew. Leaves from the trees started falling. The grass rustled. Then, everyone went up to the both of them and they cheered.

"WHOA!!!!!"

"Pheeuwitt!!"

"Oh..this is so romantic.."

Now, it's time to take the guild or 'family' photo. Although Rhine and Evan were still shocked, they got back their senses. After they posed nicely, and the shot was taken.

"It's time to head back home. We still have to go to the gathering later." Flo said, as he gathered everyone.

SummerGirl opened a warp portal back to their guild house, and everyone entered it.

When they reached home...

"I can't wait for that photo to be developed! It's gonna be hilarious!!" Zanza said.

"Same here!" Jess said.

Soon, the whole house was filled with the guild members' voices about the kiss between Rhine and Evan.

Rhine was in her room, watching the white clouds across the bright blue sky. It was a windy day, and the leaves rustled as the wind blew. As she looked at the clouds pass by, the thought of that kiss made her feel confused. She remembered the move that lady made; the move that made them kissed.

When we kissed...I felt a warm feeling in his lips...and suddenly...

My heart skipped a beat...

I realized I was staring deep into his blue eyes...

And I felt......different......

I've never felt like this before...

It felt as though...

Something was blooming inside of me...

A knock on her room door awakened her from her thoughts. She walked to the door, and opened it. It was Evan.

The blue-haired assassin stood by the door, waiting for Rhine's permission to enter.

"You may come in..." she said softly as her face flushed pinkish-red.

Evan entered the room and he stood by the window. Rhine closed the door and walked to the window.

"Ok..I've come to tell you this. About what had happened earlier...." Evan couldn't continue as he started blushing when Rhine looked at him.

"Yea...?" Rhine too started blushing.

"Well...it was nothing...ok? Just an accident..." Evan said sheepishly

Accident...?-

Actually, everyone's ears were glued to Rhine's door. They were trying hard to listen to their chat, and they were packed on the door.

"Accident.....yea...it is...." Rhine replied in a soft tone.

"So...let's forget about it...ok..?" Evan said in the same sheepish tone.

"Ok....." Rhine replied softly.

While they were chatting...

"Ouch! You don't have to push me that hard!" Zanza yelled as IceMochaGurl squeezed to get a clearer sound.

Suddenly, Flo lost his footing and fell on the rest.

"Ahh!!" They cried.

Rhine and Evan, who were in the room, heard the sounds and quickly rushed to open the door. To their surprise, they saw everyone right in front of the door.

"Err...we can explain.." SummerGirl said.

Rhine and Evan were furious. Rhine slammed her door shut and Evan and the rest were left outside.

"Oops..."

Rhine threw herself to the bed and looked out of the window. She gazed at a big tree and the blue sky.

Why are they doing this to me...gosh I hate this so much...

Suddenly, she saw two birds flew and rested on a branch of the tree. The blue one, which she presumed it was a male, was trying to court the pink bird. The blue bird impressed her with his colours and performed some tricks. After some time, the pink bird flew away together with the blue bird.

Rhine gazed at the birds and thought for a while. Awwh...so cute... Suddenly, a vision of Evan popped up in the depths of her thoughts.

No...why is he...? Why...

Rhine was confused.

Don't tell me...I'm......

Suddenly a knock on the door woke her up from her thoughts.

"We better head off to Payon now. We have a gathering with our alliances.."

It was Evan.

She opened the door. Evan stood by the door, waiting for her. Rhine then walked out from her room with Evan and headed downstairs.

"Ok! Since everyone is here now, we better get going...we don't want our alliances to wait long.." Flo said.

So, they headed out of the house. Vicki opened a warp portal to Payon City. When they reached there, the alliances were already there. Every year, there will be a gathering of the alliances so they could discuss about strategies for battles or even just to have a chat.

Everyone had a long chat with their alliances and then, Zanza mentioned something without Rhine and Evan knowing.

"Psst...guess what had happened earlier!"

"What? What happened?" they asked.

"Rhine and Evan..........kissed!!!!"

"What?!! Those two?! Are you sure?!"

Then Zanza explained what had happened.

"WHOA!!!"

Rhine and Evan, who were sitting not too far away, heard their Whoa-s and Ah-s.

Argh! Don't tell me Zanza told them about it....

"Hey, I think I've got the perfect idea!" IceMochaGurl exclaimed in excitement.

She told them her plan, and everyone agreed. IceMochaGurl and Duppa sneaked back to the guild house with Jess's help. When they reached home, they placed some notes in Rhine and Evan's room. Then, they headed back to Payon by the Kafras. After a few hours at Payon, they finally headed back home. Evan didn't follow, but he went to the city instead.

Rhine got back to the house and headed to her room. She was surprised to see a piece of paper on her bed. She opened it and it read:

Rhine,

Meet me at Geffen's floating lane..

Evan.

Rhine was wondering why would Evan meet her there, but she just walked out of the house and walked to Geffen hill. IceMochaGurl and Duppa gave a high-five as she walked out of the house. Then..

"Hey...Where is Evan anyway?" Duppa asked.

"Oh no! Rhine will be there all alone! Evan is out in the city!" IceMochaGurl exclaimed in horror.

Rhine was at Geffen after she walked for a while. She headed to the bridge and she walked to the hills. There was a floating lane from the hills and she sat under the small hut in the floating lane. The hut overlooked the bridge connecting the city to the fields, and the view was just breathtaking. After waiting for a few hours, she finally thought that waiting there was just a bad idea.

He's not coming after all......must've been a prank...

She walked home sadly, while IceMochaGurl and Duppa went searching for Evan in the whole city.

"Where could he have gone to?!" IceMochaGurl yelled.

"Don't ask me..he just said that he'll be here.." Duppa replied.

"Aww..man...Prontera is such a big city! How are we going to find him?" IceMochaGurl continued.

Then, both of them saw Rhine walking back sullenly. She was walking very slowly and had a sad face.

"Oh no.. I guess she had waited for such a long time!!" Duppa said.

"There!! Evan!! Please come here as fast as you can!!" IceMochaGurl shouted as she waved her arms in the air so that Evan could see her.

Evan walked to them and asked, "Why are you such in a hurry? Can't you just wait a while.."

"No time to talk now. You better head home now!" Duppa rushed.

So the three of them headed home as fast as lightning and passed by Rhine without her noticing it.

"Hmm...did I just saw them? Hmm...must be my imagination.." Rhine thought as Duppa, IceMochaGurl and Evan passed her.

"Phew! That was close!" IceMochaGurl gave a sigh of relief.

When they reached back home, Evan went to his room and found a piece of paper on his bed.

Evan,

Meet me at Geffen's floating lane..

Rhine.

"Is Rhine out?" Evan asked Duppa the assassin and IceMochaGurl the wizard.

"She's been out for almost 2 hours! You better get going!!" Duppa shouted as he pushed Evan out of his room.

He sped towards the door when....suddenly, the door was opening. He couldn't stop himself from his speed and he accidentally knocked Rhine, who was opening the door. Both of them ended up falling on each other and accidentally kissed. There was a loud thud, and the whole house could hear it.

"Oh no!!!!" Evan yelled in his thoughts.

Rhine was just too shocked to say a thing, but her eyes were wide open.

"Whoops." IceMochaGurl and Duppa chuckled.

"Hey...what was the noise all about?" Flo asked, as he got out from his room.

He was shocked when he saw Evan on top of Rhine and he shouted, "OH MY GOSH!!!!"

Rhine and Evan blushed furiously as they looked at each other for quite sometime.

"OK! You two lovebirds can do this someplace else, but not in this house!" Zanza giggled as he walked down from upstairs.

Rhine and Evan quickly got up from their accidental positions and brushed the dust off from their clothing. IceMochaGurl walked to the door and said, "Tata!! We'll wait for you both to be back by evening though! Hahaha!!"

She closed the door hard that it was so a loud thud could be heard. Rhine and Evan were left outside, in an awkward situation.

"Oh no!! What am I to say? This situation is too weird!!" Evan yelled in his thoughts.

Winds blew. The trees rustled.

"It's getting pretty quiet here...." Evan continued in his thoughts.

"That was just an accident, right?" Rhine asked in a soft tone.

Evan was sweating profusely and he was too nervous to say a thing. But he tried his best.

"Ye-s......" Evan replied, trying not to stammer.

"Gods please save me!!! This situation is getting too awkward!!" Evan continued screaming in his thoughts.

Back at the guild house, Stewie showed everyone the situation he recorded earlier. Everyone went, "Haha!! Stewie you're just too good at this!"

Rhine and Evan still stood still outside the house. They remained quiet for like, eternity. Evan was still screaming in his thoughts and Rhine was just blank.

"Please say something...it's getting too awkward here...." Evan whispered.

"I'm out of words to say...." Rhine replied sheepishly.

I'm confused with my own feelings right now...

The incident in Glast Heim and when he bandaged me...

I'm not sure why the vision of him appeared in my thoughts...

I'm not sure why I felt different when we kissed...

Please...tell me...why...

Evan, on the other hand, had multiple visions of Rhine.

The incident in Glast Heim...

The time when I bandaged her...

The time when we accidentally kissed...

Why is this happening...? Could this be........................Love?

Both of them blushed when they thought about it.

"Rhine....I........" Evan stuttered.

Rhine just looked at him.

"I...Think.......I.....I........" Evan continued in a sheepish tone. Rhine just stared at him in the eyes.

"L-........"

From upstairs, Vicki opened a warp portal where Rhine and Evan stood and shouted, "Go and do this someplace else!!" The warp portal took them to Amatsu, the land of the blooming Cherry Blossoms.

When they reached the place, they were astonished to see how breath taking the scenery was. They walked slowly towards a shady cherry blossom tree, but Rhine accidentally tripped over a small rock. She fell to the ground, and her leg started bleeding. Rhine sat down on the grass and Evan quickly wrapped her leg with a piece of cloth which he tore from his uniform.

"Evan...I can heal myself....." Rhine said, but Evan replied, "No..save your energy..."

As he wrapped her leg, Rhine gave a peck on Evan's cheek.

"This time, it's not an accident."

Evan blushed furiously. He continued bandaging until it was done. Rhine tried to get up, but her leg refused to cooperate.

"I think we should go to the inn." Evan said, as he carried Rhine on his muscular arms.

As they walked, they finally reached the inn. The innkeeper, who looked like a 50 year old man, welcomed them.

"Hello young ones! My, my...It seems that you're hurt, young girl...I'm sure you'll need a rest...Why don't you take a room?" The innkeeper said.

Rhine and Evan stared at each other. Then they nodded in agreement.

"Very well then..I'll check which rooms are available..." The innkeeper replied as he checked a big book.

"We only have a single bedroom left. But we can still provide an extra mattress.. "The innkeeper informed as he looked at Evan and Rhine, who was still carried by him.

Rhine and Evan looked at each other and hesitated.

"I guess we don't have much choice..We'll take it then.." Evan said as he carried Rhine.

The innkeeper then took them to the room.

"Well, if you need any help, you can find me at the counter." The innkeeper said after he took them to the room.

Evan placed Rhine on the bed. Then, he went out of the room. He came back shortly, with new bandages and some medicine. Evan took a seat on the bed and tended to her wounds. As he was bandaging, Rhine asked him something.

"Evan...before Vicki warped us here....what were you trying to say..?"

"Err...err......" Evan was getting nervous.

"What was it?" Rhine continued asking.

"Err.....Let's forget about it....please...." Evan replied as he had a big sweat drop dripping down his forehead.

"Fine!" Rhine yelled.

Evan tried to comfort her but Rhine just ignored him. Then, someone knocked on the room door. Evan stopped bandaging and got up to open the door. It was the innkeeper.

"Well, I have something to let you know...There's a Lantern Festival tonight. If you two are interested, you can go to the city tonight."

"Ok..thanks for informing. We'll think about it." Evan said. The innkeeper smiled and walked away later.

Evan sat on the bed and continued with the bandaging. Evan asked her if she wanted to go. She just said, "Well if you want to."

Evan replied, "So..ok..I say yes..."

So the night came. Rhine was feeling much better after she had taken some potions and she could walk. They informed the innkeeper and they headed to the venue. When they walked out, the streets were brightly lit with lanterns. As they walked, they finally reached the place.

Lanterns were given to everyone and they could walk around the stalls. Rhine and Evan walked around. After a while..

"Rhine...I think we have already checked out all the stalls. Why don't we get some rest?" Evan said as he pointed to bench under a cherry blossom tree.

Rhine nodded and they walked. They sat on the bench and there were some soft winds. The winds blew and the cherry blossoms started falling. It was such a wonderful sight. Then, Evan asked Rhine something.

"Rhine...About what you asked earlier...." Evan said in a sheepish tone.

"Hmm..?" Rhine hummed.

"Err....I was saying....that.......I-I......" Evan's heart started beating faster and faster.

"Yea...?"

"...I....L-...." Evan stuttered.

Rhine looked at him closely.

"Love you." Evan confessed.

Rhine's heart skipped a beat.

Evan was sweating profusely and was blushing furiously. Rhine was also blushing too.

"Evan...I ...don't know what to say...." Rhine said in a very soft tone.

"Rhine...I love you...but I'm not sure if you feel the same..." Evan said sheepishly, but he was waiting eagerly for an answer.

Rhine was quiet for a moment and she moved nearer to Evan. She landed a kiss on his cheek and said, "Now you've gotten your answer."

Evan was overjoyed. He hugged her tightly and stared at her deeply in the eyes. He tilted his head nearer to her face; and in fact, the distance between their faces was like, a centimeter or so.

Evan's heart was beating faster and faster, but he plucked up the courage...and he kissed her in the lips.

Yes!! I finally did it!!

A warm feeling filled their hearts. They knew that somehow, cupid made his move and it worked.

The next day, both of them returned to Prontera. They both walked to the guildhouse together, holding hands. When they reached the door, they rang the doorbell. Scorpy opened the door, and was shocked to see both of them holding hands.

"Am-am....I seeing the real....thing?!" Scorpy stammered in shock.

Rhine and Evan looked at each other and giggled.

"Well, want me to pinch you to make sure your in reality?" Rhine asked as she giggled.

Scorpy just nodded his head. Rhine pinched Scorpy until he screamed.

"Ouchie!!!"

"Well, I bet you are seeing the real thing now. Hehe..." Rhine said as Evan chuckled.

"Hey, hey what's all the commotion down here?" Flo asked as he heard some scream downstairs earlier....

As he walked down the stairs, he was stunned to see that Rhine and Evan were actually holding hands!

"You-you...guys....are holding....HANDS?!" He shouted in total shock until the whole guildhouse could hear his voice.

Then, one by one, the guild members walked out of their rooms and wondered what was happening. All of them gasped in shock when they saw that Rhine and Evan were holding hands.

"Hey, hey, so what? We're just holding hands......." Evan said.

"But-but....you guys were always at each other's necks last time!!" They said, in a loud tone.

"That was last time...." Rhine said as she smiled.

The rest just stared at Rhine and Evan blankly. Rhine and Evan giggled. Well, looks like they have to get used to this....

After a while, Rhine and Evan had gotten closer to each other. They went through many hardships together and managed to stay strong.

Soon, they got married and the whole guild celebrated. So, enemies turned lovers...Some may think its ridiculous, but accidents happen...for a good cause.

-The End-