^-^ I'm back to In'ernet world! Woohoo! I actually survived 1 week of no internet at home. But, of course everyone has a brain, I improvised. :D I went to comp shops, but the first comp shop I went to didn't have GC. T_T And just decided to chat with a FEW friends. T_T Then, we went to Netopia last Saturday and I was able to play GC! Here's what I did at home while crying for the lost of net connection.
[EDiT: Okay, so this collection fic is supposed to have 5+ chapters but then I posted the JinxAmy chapter but then it got deleted for unknown reasons so, I just decided to clean this one up as a oneshot. :D]
After saving Gaia at the Forest of Life, we camped out since it was already dark and decided to stay here for the mean time. As usual, Arme was cooking the monsters Lass and Jin caught while Amy helped. Ronan, Elesis and Ryan are sparring near our campsite, Seighart sleeping inside the tent we set up a few minutes ago and Mari off to who-knows-where doing who-knows-what. It all sums up to me guarding site if anything suspicious comes up. I stared boredly up in the dark night sky remembering the fateful night I voiced out my feelings.
Flashback
"Ryan… Can we talk?" I called. Today I am determined that it was time to tell him.
"Hmm? Sure." He jumped down from the tree branch he was sitting on and landed a few inches in front of me.
"So… What's it ya wanna talk 'bout?" He propped up and dusted some dust off his clothes.
"Ryan… I… wanted to tell you something…" I started and felt my cheeks turn red.
"Yeah?" He asked again. Maybe I should just change the topic? No, after all the convincing Arme & Amy went through just to get me to do this, I won't disappoint them.
"Ryan…I…"
"Hm?"
"I…"
"Yeah?"
I looked up with my face redder than a tomato and finally, "Ryan, I l-love y-you!"
"Lire…" His tone… I know that tone… The tone of guilt. My eyes started to get cloudy from all the held-back tears I had.
"Lire… I'm sorry… I just… don't feel 'tha same 'bout ya." Rejection… I knew I had a 50-50 percent chance. I should've prepared myself for this… but I didn't. Maybe that's why it hurts so much…
"Lire?" I realized I hadn't spoken for a while… I hastily looked up, tears threatening to fall any minute. "I'm fine… I'm okay. Don't worry." I managed to fake a smile and ran, my tears falling faster than I expected.
I stopped as I realized I had been running for a while and the rain started to pour. I leaned on a tree branch and slid down. Exhaustion flowing through me from running too much.
End of Flashback
I hadn't noticed the tears that were threatening to fall because of remembering the events that happened not too long ago.
"Dinner's ready, Lire. Can you wake up sleepyhead while I prepare the dishes?" Arme requested and I nodded in response. "Amy, call the sparring trio please. Jin, tell Mari dinner's ready and she can go back when she's hungry. The four of them shouldn't be too far from here. Lass, can you help me prepare these?" Arme started ordering and everyone else complied. I did my job and woke Seighart by telling him a simple: "Food's done." And Seighart woke up immediately.
After eating dinner, Amy and I volunteered to clean the dishes in the nearby river. "Hey, Lire?" Amy called glancing at me with concerned eyes.
"Is something wrong, Amy?" I asked and continued cleaning the plate I was holding. "You… almost cried a while ago, while we were cooking. Did you remember it again?"
Amy's voice was flowing with concern as I felt her eyes on my face. I stopped wiping the plate for a while, and continued not too long.
"Yeah… But, I'm fine." I looked at her and faked a smile. Something that became usual when I was asked, particularly by Amy or Arme, if something was wrong. "If something's bothering you, you can always talk to us about it. We girls won't be happy about this. And you know how Elesis will be if she knew you were hurting."
Yes, Elesis and Arme were- are the two girls that are the closest to me since we were the original Chase members. I nodded and went back to cleaning the dishes; Amy was still concerned but followed suit.
Three weeks had passed ever since the confession, and Ryan and I are growing more distant to each other. He acts like we're not friends but simply… allies. It hurts me... I-I didn't want us to lose our friendship, but it seems he doesn't want us to be friends again…
A month and two weeks passed and nothing was improving, but only worsening. When we got paired up on a mission, he declined and said that it would be faster if he was with Lass. I got paired up with Arme on a different mission, Arme pouting and hugging unto Lass for a few good minutes until Lass kissed her cheek and whispered something nobody else but Arme heard.
Two months, and… I don't want to talk about it anymore… Elesis called me down from the tree branch I was currently on and said she was giving me a mission.
"What is it about, Ellie?" I asked wanting to know more about my mission.
"Some travelers want some Beholder's Projection or something and needs 10 of it. It's a stupid mission but Ronan insisted that we take it because he said we needed money." I giggled; Ronan was one of the few people that can persuade Elesis into something without bribing or doing something in exchange.
"Okay okay. Do I have a partner in this one?"
"Yeah, Ryan. He's at the campsite preparing." Ryan… I noticed right away Elesis' annoyed and worried face.
"When will be leaving?" I asked and acted if it was not a big deal if I was paired up with him. "He said both of you'll be leaving today after lunch."
"Oh... Okay."
We set out as planned, I can remember Amy and Arme's worried glances while Elesis held an annoyed one. The trip back to Xenia was long, quiet, awkward and distant. We arrived at the Xenia border after 4 hours of awkward walking and silence.
"You take the right side, I'll take care of the left." And he left to finish his part. I sent my arrows flying towards all the ugly looking monsters with precise accuracy and soon enough we were done and went to continue on our quest.
The rest of our mission was the same. No talking, unlike our past missions. We camped out after all Projections were acquired. Cooking some of the monsters as our dinner, I decided that this Quiet Game will stop. "Ryan."
I started with my usual tone. It didn't took him long enough to answer.
"Hm?" Was all he answered since he was busy eating.[1] "Is something wrong? You've been… distant nowadays."
He immediately stopped eating and placed his food down. "Ah. That." I didn't answer because it's like he was going to say something more. "Nah, It's nothin'. Just been thinkin'."
"About?" I questioned, I feel like this conversation will bring back our friendship again. "Food."
He gave me a toothy grin and lied. I can tell when he's lying; he doesn't look into the person's eyes and just gives a toothy grin. "Uh-huh." I didn't question any further but I know he can tell in my tone that I didn't believe him.
We came back to our camping site and saw Elesis cuddled against Ronan while sleeping.[2] "Uhm.. Uh… Sh-should we w-wake th-them, Ryan?" I turned to Ryan while my face a little red from seeing something… strange and stopping myself from giggling is hard too, but hey, who wants to feel the 'Wrath of an Embarrassed Elesis'? Maybe Seig, but not me.
"Let Amy and Arme see this first before you do anything." I saw Ryan's grin from ear to ear.
Mah last mission with Lire made me realize somethin' I have been doin' unconsciously. I'm doin' it like I was the one who got rejected, not her. But what I did in the past two months wasn't somethin' entirely unconsciously done. What I told her 'bout me thinkin' 'bout somethin' was true, but it ain't food. It was 'bout what I really felt for Lire. Now, I'm standing in a clearing with Ronan. Maybe he can help with mah probl'm, he's got Ellie, after all.
"Hey, Ron?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask ya 'bout somethin'?"
"Sure. Is it something concerning Lire?"
"How did ya figure out? Oh, ya have magic, I forgot."
"No… It's actually obvious. Everyone noticed you've been avoiding her."
"Oh… Guess ev'ryone knows I like her."
"You do?"
"Eh? I thought it was obvious?"
"The avoiding issue, Ryan! But liking her? That's a very different issue!"
"Oh, it is?"
"Yes!" A sigh. "You should tell her Ryan."
"No need boys." We both heard a voice and turned to look at the big tree at our right.
"Amy?" Ronan asked. That voice did resemble Amy…
"Hiya!" Amy came out of tha big tree with Arme, whose face was as smug as Amy's, an expressionless Elesis[3] and … an embarrassed Lire…
"U-Uh.. I'm sorry Ronan… I-I'm sorry Ryan… I-I didn't mean to eavesdrop, b-but Arme a-and A-Amy dragged me here… I-I'm s-sorry." She kept bowing all the time and was trying to get out of Elesis' hold.[4]
"Shhh!" Amy and Arme hushed my very embarrassed Lire. Wait! Did I just call Lire, mine? I mentally slapped myself for that.
"Anyways~!" Arme and Amy pushed Lire in front of me. "RYAN! SPEAK!" They could'a least treat me lik'a wolf, not a slave dog.
"Uhm… Lire?" I looked away, not sure how to do this…
"Y-yeah?"
"Uhmm…. Uhh…"
"…?"
"W-would y-you be m-my g-girlf-friend?" I gulped. I swear the color of my face is ten times darker than Jin's hair!
Lire looked up and answered, "Y-yes." She smiled sweetly and my instincts took over my body, and kissed her.
[A/N: Weeeeee ~~ the first part of my GC one shots! Btw, even though they're one shots, they have a plot. The last chapter will be the first pair to get together. It's like backwards, that's why everyone here already has a pair, except Mari & Seig. Seig's paired with food. o.o Just kidding! I'm a SeigxMari lover too. :D]
[EDiT (03/09/11): I put days first before the month. ;D Anyway, I think this one is better than the first one, no?
[1] - Hey! It's still the idiotic Ryan we all know and love. ;D
[2] - They're not naked, if that's what you're thinkin' 'bout. And, if you did think that, you, my good sir/ma'am, are a pervert. XD
[3] - She's Ronan's fiance/girlfriend, whatever floats your boat but they're in a relationship! She, of course, wants to know what li'l Ryan wanted to talk about. Who knows, he might've rejected Lire since he swings that way. DX
[4] - They were supposed to be out of earshot from the campsite so no one would have heard accidentally. Those three obviously wanted to know.]
- BlackDesign~