Disclaimer: blah blah blah not mine :P

I couldn't take it anymore. This had to be done!

True Self

Razeluxe Meitzen was not a very social person. He had always seemed to place a facade about him that left mystery emphasized on his status. He was neither liked nor hated for he was known to mind his own business and his business alone. Though he did have a nasty habit getting pulled into unwanted situations, he would always despise his current position but finds that he has no choice but to encounter the irritation. Having found himself on yet another annoyance the previous day, shopping for Christmas decorations.

Lily, his master, had brought the entire workshop to assist on picking and decorating. He remembered how close she kept getting especially as they went about the archs that were the entrance and exits of the stores. He also recalled not seeing Whim, Miss Lily's mana and long time friend, hadn't been seen until the end of the day at the workshop. He overheard her apologizing to Lily about how sorry she was about not being able to set the mistletoe in place. Obstacles were in place such as angry store owners and the height of the arch being tall enough for people to see under her dress when she'd hover over it. Yet again, he had remained oblivious on the facts that lay right before him. Once at the workshop, work began as everyone placed everything in it's place to add color and hue to the seemingly dull workshop which obvious value no longer seemed to effect them. The red and green colors lit up the room. As ten o' clock dawned, they went out, one by one. Et was energetic and lively as usual as she hopped around carelessly with the fragile glass balls in a small finely knit basket. As she sang a carol when everyone was busy. All felt relieved, save for the Punis and Puniyo who sang along, that her song had suddenly come to an abrupt halt. That was until the shattering of expensive glass material was heard and a small snore continuously echoed through the room. Struck with shock, all eyes turned to Lily who began to fume and charged toward the sleeping Et. She was heavily sleeping. Yun took it upon himself to carry her to her room. Though he didn't come back after that.

Whim had finally set the mistletoe in place after hovering slowly above Raze as he worked on the area around the synthesis pot. She turned to Miss Lily who had apparently fallen asleep on the sofa. At this great disappointment she groaned and slowly floated down next to him sending him in shock. He jumped back but before either of them could react, Puniyo had whistled in excitement. They turned to her as she spoke. Unable to understand what she squealed, Jiro had translated by simply saying "Look up." They grinned as they watched the doom that dangled above them. The mistletoe was unmoved. She froze. He seemed to still be processing what was happening. "Umm... we don't really have to." He finally uttered.

She froze in place. Silence for a few seconds that seemed to last for eternity. "Oh, yeah. You're right." She replied. They sighed in relief. Much to their dismay, however, Taro spoke up. "I don't think so. It's a rule." Before another counter could be mustered to pull them out, Kichi quickly responded. "Plus it's bad luck." He grinned. Raze was as irritated as ever at his current state but could not show as it connoted that he'd blush, and blush he did. Although, it was not as much as the immortal mana that stood before him, who blushed wildly and uncontrollably. Having found no way to elude this, Raze prepared himself. He took her waist in one hand and her hand in the other, as he leaned in. Seeing as there was no way to escape now, Whim reacted quickly to take things into her own hands. She took his cheek with her free hand as she returned his gesture full on the lips. Shocked, he let go as he watched her run to the door, holding her mouth in one hand, blushing vigorously all the way. The door shut behind her as Raze began to settle his heart.

The Punis giggled with their adopted sister, save for Taro who expressed approval like a father would to his son after accomplishing a game or winning s girl's heart. Raze turned away and went back to work. After a few minutes he began to calm himself. Puniyo had almost finished decorating the tree with her brothers in the corner but saved the star on top for the last decorating day as it was still an argument if it should be an angel or something else instead. She fell asleep as the brothers retired with her. Raze followed by carrying Lily with him to the girl's dorm. He had left them as Puniyo went inside with her brothers, then headed for Lily's room. The door wasn't locked so he took her in easily. As he entered, he noticed Whim wasn't there. He put Lily down on her bed and set the sheets on her. He would tell Whim to make sure she's comfortable later. He left the room, locking the door behind him. He made his way through the halls, hearing giggles from nowhere.

As he opened the doors of the workshop, he looked up as he yawned. He heard a squeal and some movement as he lowered his head. He looks around but sees nothing. He moves to finish up on the chimney. Whim comes out of hiding from the corner and hovers to the door ever so slowly. She nears her destination. "Why are you trying to escape?" She squeaks as he turns to her. He walks towards her then takes her forearms and lowers her to ground level, making eye contact. "Look, Whim, this doesn't have to be awkward. Besides, I don't even like you that much." She sighs. "What a relief. I thought you did." He laughs. She laughs with him but notices something different. "Why are you being so nice to me all of the sudden, Mister Raze?" He smiles, she realizes this is a rare sight. "We kissed. I don't think that would be appropriate at the moment since we already had the whole awkward thing going. Besides, you suffer a lot more than I do. Might as well lighten the load."

She thinks to blush but could not muster one. Must've used up too much earlier. "This is different side of you. No, this is the real you, isn't it?" She watches him as his expression changes to a mere smirk but ultimately disappears as he speaks. "You noticed, huh?" He sits himself at the steps nearby. "You know, you can tell me. We are friends after all." She gives him a comforting smile. For a short while he focuses on the word friend as a small smile captures him.

He looks at her seriously. "Keep this a secret, okay?" She gives a small nod, holding her soft smile. "You know why I lived with my grandfather?" She begins to ponder. Realizing that it never came to mind. "I never thought of that..." She says, still thinking as to why. "Well, it's because he took me in after my parents died." She stared at him in complete shock. "So that's why you're-" She was dumbfounded. Unable to utter anything else. "Yes, that's why. Not like Gramps wasn't good at taking care of me. It's just, he could always try to be a parent but wasn't, not anymore at least. He was great guidance and was a great father-figure but even if he could fully emulate my dad, he could never hope to be anything like mom." He sighs. She takes his hand and grips it. "It's okay. I'm sure, as they look down at you, that they're very proud of you." Raze's eyes perk up as he gazes above. He gives a small laugh as his smile returns. "I guess you're right." She smiles along with him.

He gets up afterwards. "C'mon, let's finish up." He says as he outstretches a hand to her. She takes it as he pulls her up. He then heads to the chimney with a box to arrange a few figurines. She assists as she was already done. As they made space for the Nativity piece for the next day, Whim began to yawn. She sat down then collapsed on the floor, still slightly awake. "Just let me rest a bit." She yawned again. "No need." He said. "We're done for the night. Let's close up and go." She attempts to get up but finds she has no more energy. "Can't get up..." She wearily utters. He kneels down and lifts her up. She cuddles into his chest, not reacting awkwardly to his friendly gesture. He opens then closes the large double doors behind him with his foot. He leaves for the dorms.

On the campus grounds again as he approaches the dorms. The moonlit sky beautifully beaming down upon the earth, he walks in peace as the path was lit iwth the lamps. He realizes something then looks down at Whim. "By any chance, do you have Lily's room key?" She slowly opens her eyes as she faces him, cradled in his arms. "No." She smiles meekly. He smiles back, baring in mind an alternative. As he makes it to the dorms, she notices something different in his direction but doesn't mind any further. He sets her down as he opens the door. He takes her up again as he brings her in. She is laid on a bed but expected Lily to be in it so she would be on the sofa instead. "Where am I?" She says slowly opening her eyes. She notes a small picture on the corner of the bed of a boy and larger male. Another one next to it was a boy and his parents. This wasn't Lily's room for sure. "You're in my room. I locked Lily's door earlier, so I couldn't get you in there." He says as he tosses some covers on the sofa at the window. "Um... Raze?" Having had enough rest for the mean time, she turns to him with eyes wide open. "Hm?" He turns to her as he sat down. "About earlier, when we, you know?" He nods slightly. "What about?" He says, staying positive. "I have to say, it's not like you're not likable. I know if we kept this up we'd gain real feelings for each other. It's just, if I get too attached I can't stand seeing you leave me eventually as I go on living forever." He gets up and slowly makes his way to her. He sits himself next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. He smiles at her. "It's too late for that. We're friends now. But I'm never going to leave you. As long as we care about each other, I'm not going to leave your side. Death won't be able separate our bond." She looks up at him. She smiles. "But we can't be together, you know that, right?" He takes her hand and squeezes it gently. "I know we can't. I care a lot about you. But not in that way. Feelings have to develop. I'm sure we'll start to care about each other more in time but never enough to make us fall in love." She giggles. "Good. We understand each other." She smiles shyly up at him. "But...um...you know. Maybe for just tonight we can..." She stutters. "What is it? You can tell me." She summons the courage to spit it out. "Well, maybe we can try that again. For the last time." He lifts her, pulling her to him. She wraps her arms around him as he speaks. "Sure." They kiss for the last time. Savoring what will eventually grow into an unbreakable trust; a powerful bond between the two.

They separate as Raze sets her down. She takes in the covers as he heads onto the sofa to settle in for the night. "Goodnight." She says softly. And before she drifted off into sleep, he heard him reply. "Goodnight, Whim."

Raze looked out the window as his eyelids began to weigh down upon him. His sight darkened as the last thing he heard was the song of the crickets. Consciousness fades, and all souls rest for the night.

He was the last one to fall asleep but not the last to awake. As he awoke and looked upon the sleeping frame of the woman in his bed, he went to tuck her in before he made his leave. Raze locked the door behind him as he headed for the mountain forests.

Today they would work on the entrance and the Nativity but Raze would not be there for the entrance in the morning. He would be completely invisible the following day or so he thought. But this was no ordinary day. No, this day was especially particular to him. December 7th it was. Bright and early, he prepared for his time alone. In truth, this was his date of birth. And how else would an anti-social person spend his special day then alone indulging whatever he wants in silence.

He approaches the cliff side as the wind rushes up thrusting his coat open. It was winter but the snow would come later. He stood as the early morning kept him at peace. As the wind blew, he felt weightless as he leaned forward but the updraft kept him from falling.

Meanwhile, a certain country girl and her group were out searching for more ingredients. They too had done their decorating that day but had finished already. Chloe awaited Pepperoni as he went to get something special for the mix. She stood at a large cave entrance reading her book entitled "Letum" (Latin for Death). Patiently, she sat down, hoping to discover something about the strange family name that entitled her book. Occasionally she would hear screams from the inside but didn't mind them. As she read on, she began to recall Ulrika. Wondering if she was doing better than her and Pepperoni. She also wondered what was going on with Enna and Uryu back at the workshop. Enna had always wanted to leave but, like Raze's unluck, he could not seem to escape.

Ulrika went on her own. She wanted to train solo to better herself. A large stone rhino emerged from the bushes. She readied a stance. It charged toward her as she began to spin her orb vertically switching from side to side as it blasted the creature at several areas, not missing a shot. She ended it by catching the orb in one hand and thrusting her palm of the other hand in the direction of her aggressor. As it was only a few centimeters away from her, she struck it with a spear of light, tossing it into the distance. "Ha!" She cheered proudly. She was unmatched by the creatures of this area.

She grinned as several kobolds emerged to stand against her. She was surrounded. She spun her orb all around. Striking each one flawlessly. They fell as her smile faded as she looked into the vegetation filled with fleeing creatures. No, she was not disappointed about their fear. It was because it reminded her of her school status. She was not feared, she had a powerful reputation nowadays. She led the demo troop that overwhelmed the chair woman by aligning it with her own team's leaders. She was victorious and get everyone what they wanted, the festival. It had happened and she was praised along with the rest. But this left her in realization that recognition wasn't enough for her. She wanted something solid, more valuable than a festival. Not a trophy, but something more enjoyable to possess. An experience to satisfy her.

She sighs. "Oh, well!" She attempts to perk up.

She decides to head on, hoping to find something interesting. As she walked she could feel, though not barefoot, the flawless texture of the grass beneath her. Calming was the dew as it left little kisses upon her white foot wear. The morning sang with beauty. The wind was calm upon the mountain top as it caressed her features. Soothing was the atmosphere as the bluebirds sang, ready to leave for the winter to come.

Ulrika looked up as the sun began to rise, coloring the world from it's almost dark, yet calming, apparel. The world began to take shape before her and beams of light shot through the treetops. One beamed down on her. It was a relaxing heat. She peered through the little makeshift windows above, catching a glimpse of a rare silver bird fluttering about. A few rabbits hopped by her. A family, it seemed. The youngest in the back waddled proudly as it seemed to have mastered walking on twos. It tripped on it's own foot as it attempted to speed up. She knelt down and picked it up, letting it stand on it's fours. It looked around to pick up a little stone it found with it's mouth, gesturing to thank her. She took it and pat it on the head as it hopped to it's mother that was watching. It went in, the mother looking back before it's child to Ulrika. She waved goodbye, still crouched. She went in as Ulrika stood.

The flowers bloomed at her feet as she exited the grove. She glowed as the open light was upon her. She found the ladder set up for the students who would train here. As she climbed, she could see the strength of the wind above as a thin tree subdued to it's force. She came up and, in the distance, she could see what seemed to be some sort of angelic creature in the way of the further sun, standing at the cliff-side. Excited, she pushed herself up quickly and headed toward it. Careful not to startle it, she snuck as she crossed the first bridge. As she neared it, it became apparent that it was no unearthly being. Just another human who had found the perfect location for the morning. She couldn't see who it was though.

As his teal hair came into view, it was clear that it was the unfriendly, socially inadapt, Jerktown, Raze. He seemed solemn in his place. She was having trouble wondering whether to disrupt his moment or to just leave him be. Before she could decide, the impressive updraft halted and he opened his eyes. He crouched down and he seemed to be tying his shoe; she couldn't really see. He sat up, knees bent, and then did something completely unexpected. He lept off the cliff.

She screamed. She ran to his aid, wondering if she really witnessed a suicide. As she reached the edge of the cliff, she heard something stretch beneath her. She paid no attention, still directing all her focus on Raze. She looked down and saw Raze had already shot down several meters, with something tied to his leg going all the way up. "Huh?" She looks down and sees what was stretching, a finely knit rope made of synthetic material and vine to reinforce it.

As the rope tugged, Raze sprung up. As he was above the cliff side, he flipped and landed safely. As he arose from his landing position, he saw a set of feet. He looked up to see the one and only Ulrika. He stood, not knowing how to react to her own mixed expression. She didn't know whether to be shocked or jaw dropped in amazement, so she settled with both. Finally deciding for a questionable look, Raze broke the silence. "What are you doing here."

"I...I mean..." Her brain was finally pumping. She began to fume then slapped him. "Ow! Hey! What was that for!?" Finally realizing how uncalled for her reaction was, her expression quickly changed to apologetic. "Oh! Sorry, don't know what came over me." He touched the spot she hit. It didn't hurt too much. "I'm sorry. The first thing that came to mind was why you jumped off. You made me worry but I know you didn't mean to."

"Ulrika worried about me? Who are you?" He gave his usual sarcastic look.

"I'm still human, you know!" She fumed again.

"Oh, sorry." He scolded himself in his head. He wanted to change and promised himself he would this morning.

"Wait a minute. Did you just apologize to me? And you called me by my name. I thought you called me Country Bumpkin." She pointed at him.

"Now look who's cold." He countered. Feeling offended. "You gonna accept my apology or what?" He crossed his arms, baring his usual scowl. Mentally he was slapping himself for letting himself go again.

Taken aback by him, she remained stubborn. More so than before. She wanted to argue further. Luckily, she overcame the urge. Seeing as it would lead to nothing in the end. She sighed. "Sorry..." She felt defeated, hanging her head down.

He sighed too. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have worried you."

She looked up. "There you go again. What happened to you? You're not usually like this."

There was no reason to explain, but no reason not to either. He chose to speak up. "Umm..." He seemed embarrassed. She could see his hesitation.

Before he could answer, a large roar could be heard nearby. They turned to the bridge which beheld a several stone creatures. The heard of stone rhinos, much larger than what Ulrika had faced earlier, stood, snorting, and enraged. "What the hell!?" Raze exclaimed. Ulrika gasped. "This must be there family." She shivered. "What?" Raze was puzzled.

Ulrika shook herself, taking off her fear. "C'mon, there's no time explain." She swung her orb several times, tossing multiple shots at them. They were hit, slightly hurt, but all the more fine. Not counting the excessive rage that they could feel from the few meters of distance. They began to charge all together. "This is bad." She turned to Raze, who was crouching. She thought he was afraid, holding himself in fear, but he lept into the air above them. She watched as his blade enlarged as much as it did with his "Analyze" ability. He spun and tossed it straight into the ground between her and the rhinos. It was only a few inches in. He dived into the blade then flipped midway to land his feet into the sword, thrusting it deeper in until only a bit of the glowing blade down to the grip was exposed. The earth in front of it was shattering in a wave going beneath their stone opponents, tossing them away before they finished the few feet left to reach them.

Raze hopped off. Too much adrenaline in only a few minutes. He sighed in exhaustion.

He turned to Ulrika who was suddenly frozen. She was staring shocked into the distance beyond them. "What is it?" He turned to the forest again only top find a massive stone creature towering above the treetops. It escaped the forest netting it's legs as it neared them.

It walked onto the grounds, careful of the wooden bridges that would not possibly support it. Having finally snapped out, Raze looked for an escape root. To his dismay, his earth shattering move had cut them off by destroying the bridges! 'This is not my day...' He thought. The creature rose it's fist into the air, revealing a bladed disk as it's weapon. Tossing it, Raze and Ulrika reacted by dodging in opposite directions. Ulrika stumbled and nearly fell off. Raze plunged into some bushes.

The attacks had not ended there. The earthen warrior lept and landed in between them. Ulrika shook. It rose it's foot. Ulrika shielded herself. It slammed in front of her shattering the fragile earth beneath her. She screamed as she fell off, this had finally awoken Raze's senses.

"No!" He quickly tied the fine rope to his waist as he ran through in between the legs. He launched from the remains of the cliff, diving into the direction of Ulrika.

To be continued...