Story Title:
Sharing Your Emotions

Genres/'Tags':
Romance / Drama / Yuri / Angst / Friendship / Hurt & Comfort / Tragedy / School Life

Summary:
Rena Nightingale is a member of her school's student council. And a very responsible one at that. One day the headmaster of her school asks Rena to bring Eve Silvermoon, a girl who has been absent since the beginning of the school year, her homework. This seemingly simple task however, has a far greater impact on Rena's life than she could ever imagine.

Author's Note:
Before we begin I'd like to address something: This story was inspired by another Fan Fiction that I read before I even had an account here. Not that it's been a long time ago I made one but I digress. I'm afraid I don't remember the title of that Fan Fiction, nor do I remember who wrote it but I am digressing even further now. Point is that while this story was indeed inspired by another Fan Fiction I will make sure that the story in and of itself is my own.

Plagiarism is a true crime amongst both writers as well as scientists and other people who might publish written papers, reports, etc. And since I am both a writer (debatable) and a scientist, (once I finish my studies in a few years) I would never plagiarize or blatantly steal ideas. Of that much, I am certain.

Now that we have that bit out of the way, let us continue where we left off last time.

Disclaimer:
I do not own Elsword. Elsword and all related trademarks are owned by KoG Studios.

Actual word count for this chapter: 2404

Actual word count for the story so far: 5156

*~-[ Chapter 2: The Eyes Are Honest ]-~*

The next day Rena woke up a bit late as she hadn't heard her alarm clock. She went through her morning routine rather quickly; In hardly any time at all she'd washed herself, gotten dressed, prepared her bag and eaten dinner and she was on her way to school.

Due to her rush she'd forgotten all about the day before. It wasn't until she had arrived at school that she thought about it again. "Eve, that's right. I would ask around if anyone ever heard anything about her." She thought to herself. She looked up at the huge clock hanging on the front of the school. "Crap! Homeroom!" She yelled as she ran through the school's front doors and through the hallway to her classroom.

*~-[ X ]-~*

The door to Rena's classroom was still open. Rena was running as fast as should could. Her homeroom teacher, Miss Stella was a very strict teacher and unlike the headmaster, Vanessa, she wasn't very fair either. Rena prayed Miss Stella would be in a good mood today.

Just then miss Stella had walked up to the classroom door with the intention of closing it. Luckily she saw Rena approaching right before she did so.

"Nightingale, you're late! Get your sorry ass in here!" Miss Stella demanded. "And no running in the hallway!"

"Yes Miss Stella! Sorry Miss Stella!" Rena was quick to apologize. Miss Stella was a teacher you didn't want to have mad at you no matter what and Rena was well aware of that fact.

Homeroom went by rather painless although Rena being late had put Stella in a pretty bad mood.

The following classes went by rather quickly and before Rena knew it, it was lunch break. There were a few friends Rena would always have lunch with. They were a tight group of friends. Their group consisted of a girl named Aisha and two boys named Elsword and Chung and then there was Rena of course, completing the group of four.

Aisha's full name was Aisha Baskerville. She was a young girl with purple hair, which she wore in pigtails, and purple eyes. Her uniform was similar to Rena's except she didn't wear a green necktie but rather a purple ribbon. Her stockings were also different, being black with a purple line near the top. She was a very bright girl, having entered highschool at the age of eleven instead of thirteen. She could be very blunt which could make her seem very inconsiderate but she was a good person for sure.

Elsword's full name was Elsword Sieghart. He had wild, blood-red hair and crimson eyes. His school uniform consisted of a white button up shirt and black pants. He also wore a red tie. Like the girls' uniform there was also a grey jacket that normally came with the uniform but with the weather being as warm as it was, none of the students wore theirs. Elsword had a sister, Elesis. She was a member of the Velder city guard and a big inspiration to Elsword. Some would even go as far as saying he had a sister-complex since he rarely ever spoke about anything else than his sister's job and how much he aspired to be like her.

Finally there was Chung. His full name was Chung Seiker. He had long blonde hair tied in a ponytail. His eyes were blue and his pupils had a strange paw print motif to them. His uniform was the exact same as Elsword's except he wrote a light blue tie as opposed to a red one. Chung was the prince of the kingdom of Hamel. Despite his title he was humble and easy to approach.

As the group sat in the cafeteria eating their lunch Rena decided to ask if any of them had ever heard the name Eve Silvermoon before.

Both Elsword and Aisha were quick to say no but Chung thought the name sounded familiar. "I remember Miss Stella say her name during the first homeroom class of the year but she was absent." He said, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Now that I think about it, I don't think Miss Stella ever said that name again during homeroom."

"That's strange." Aisha mumbled. "But uh... Rena. Why do you ask?" The purplenette turned to her elven friend.

Rena told her friends of what happened the day before. Of the homework she had to deliver. Of the strange man that let her in. Of the silver-haired girl that claimed to finish a week's worth of homework in a single day.

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Each one letting the information sink in.

"It sounds like she's quite an enigma." Aisha was the first to speak up.

"Maybe she's got some sort of illness." Elsword suggested, taking a huge bite out of the apple he was eating and chewing loudly.

"I guess we really couldn't say unless we get a look at either her personal file or ask someone who does know something." Chung concluded. The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

Rena sighed. It seemed like nobody really knew anything. She decided it was best to simply follow up on her promise to come pick up Eve's completed assignments that afternoon.

*~-[ X ]-~*

The final bell rang and school was over. Rena walked through the school gates and she went almost straight to Eve's home. She was a bit nervous again but decided it would be best to just get this over with.

Having reached the apartment where Eve lived, Rena rang the bell and the same man from the previous day opened the door.

"Uh, hi." Rena said, hoping the man remembered her. He evidently did as he immediately made a gesture that she should come inside.

Rena was led to the same room as before. Eve's room. This time Eve was already awake and the curtains were already open as she had been expecting the elven visitor. "Welcome back." The silver-haired girl greeted.

"Hello again." the blonde gave her warmest smile.

Eve got out of her bed, put on her slippers and grabbed a stack of paper off of her desk and handed it to Rena. "All done, like I said." She said without much expression to her voice. But Rena could swear there was a sense of pride to what Eve had just said.

"That's great." Rena said happily. "Well. I should be off then!" She was about to walk off when she felt a smooth warm hand grab her wrist. She turned around to see that Eve had stopped her. Her face still had the same blank expression she'd had the entire time. But something about it seemed... sad.

"Would you like something to drink?" Eve asked. She didn't stammer or stutter and spoke without hesitation. But Rena could feel Eve was nervous. She couldn't explain it. She just felt it.

"Sure, I could use a drink." Rena answered politely. "What do you have?"

Eve just stared blankly in front of her as if she didn't understand the question. Just as Rena was going to say something, Eve spoke: "Raven?"

The bedroom door opened and the young man with the nasod arm walked in. Without him saying a word Eve repeated Rena's earlier question. "Orange juice and ice tea." Raven answered, not wasting a single word.

Rena quickly considered her options and said she preferred ice tea. Raven walked off, leaving Rena and Eve alone.

Neither of them spoke. To Rena it seemed to take Raven forever to come back. The two girls stood there in awkward silence. When Raven returned with the drinks Rena felt slightly relieved. Raven handed both Eve and Rena a glass of ice tea and left again.

Silence fell again. After a few sips of her drink, Rena broke the awkward silence. "Raven seems like a nice man. Who is he exactly?" she asked curiously.

"My half-brother." Eve stated, clearly not intending to share more information than that about him.

It became silent yet again. Rena felt her legs become tired as she stood there. Eve seemed to notice. "Would you like to sit?"

"Uh yes, I'd like to. Thanks." Rena smiled apologetically.

Eve walked back to her bed, kicked off her slippers and sat down in her bed. She scooted over a bit and patted the empty space in the bed next to her, inviting Rena to sit next to her.

Rena was a bit hesitant but ultimately decided it would be rude to decline. Quickly gulping down the last bit of her ice tea and placing Eve's finished assignments as well as her empty glass on the desk Rena took off her shoes and stepped into the bed to sit down beside Eve. The bed was just as comfortable as it'd looked to Rena during her first visit the other day. The sheets were clean and smelled fresh. They had a scent of lime and freshly cut grass.

When the elf had settled well and good next to the nasod Rena brought up the courage to ask Eve a question that had been on the tip of her tongue: "Why do you not go to school Eve?" she asked this question in a very gentle and protective tone of voice, sounding very motherly. Something she was actually quite well known for.

Eve's answer came quickly, as if she'd been anticipating the question. "I don't like going outside. The outside is dangerous."

Rena was surprised to say the least. Not only at the answer but also at how Eve had vocalized it, almost like she was stating a simple fact. No intonation of fear or anything like that. She just said it with a sort of clinical coldness.

Rena started to feel sorry for the nasod girl that sat next to her. What had happened to her that made her say such a thing? Rena couldn't even begin to imagine.

Suddenly and without warning, Eve lay her head in Rena's lap. Rena was a bit shocked at first but found it endearing in the end. She gently caressed Eve's silver locks. Eve was simply too cute not to. Neither spoke a word while Rena kept stroking Eve's hair. Before Rena even realized that she started to feel tired, she had drifted off into the sweet embrace of sleep.

*~-[ X ]-~*

It took her a moment to realize where she was. She felt only a gentle warmth in her lap and soft, silky-smooth hair below her fingers. Rena yawned and she stretched while doing so.

Finally fully awake she realized where she was. Out of reflex she looked at her wristwatch. It was just past seven PM. She started panicking at the fact it was already evening but as soon as she saw Eve soundly sleeping with her head on her lap, Rena couldn't help but calm down and smile. What was this feeling? Whenever she saw Eve, especially when she looked all peaceful like this she couldn't help but be overcome with tender feelings. It was as if she had to care for this girl. As if the girl that lie asleep in her lap was something of a precious child. It was weird since they appeared to be of the same age.

Reminding herself how late it was and that she should get home to get some dinner made Rena gently whispered to Eve: "Eve. Wake up Eve."

Eve awoke with a cute yawn and got up. She rubbed her eyes and looked at Rena. "Hey Eve." The green-blonde elf said to her.

"Is something the matter?" Eve asked but something in Eve's eyes told Rena that she knew what she was about to say.

"I think I should get going. It has gotten pretty late." Rena said, somewhat heartbroken. She'd noticed by now that Eve's expression as well as her intonation when she spoke never made her emotions clear. But seeing her eyes, Rena could tell exactly what Eve was feeling. Maybe Rena just had a sixth sense for these kinds of things. It was clear that Eve truly never showed her emotions through her face or voice but her eyes, oh her beautiful golden eyes. The emotion in her eyes was not something Eve could hide.

"I understand. Have a safe trip home." Eve spoke in the same monotonous tone she'd been speaking in since they met each other the day before. While her whole being seemed to be in agreement what she'd just said, her eyes made Rena want to embrace Eve tightly but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Even though she and Eve had been there in bed, sleeping, the silver-head's head in the blonde's lap, something about embracing Eve now felt like it wasn't the right thing to do. Like she would be looking down on Eve, pitying her.

Rena thanked Eve, put her shoes back on and stuffed the assignments Eve had finished into her bag. "I'll be sure to pass these along." She gave Eve a smile and left. Leaving the silver-haired nasod girl alone again.

Walking out of Eve's room Rena passed by the doors in the hallway and noticed the door closest to the apartment's front door was opened slightly. Wondering what was behind that door, the curious young elf took a peek inside.

There she saw the man whose name she had learned to be Raven, sitting on a cushion on the floor next to a small table, reading what looked like a newspaper spread out of the table. She was shocked when she saw him. He wasn't wearing a shirt and had his back to her. Rena could see a huge x-shaped scar on his back. She then remembered Raven to also have a number of scars on his face. And then there was that nasod-made arm. It almost had to be a prosthetic arm. What could ever have happened to him? An accident? When and where did this accident happen?

"I don't like going outside. The outside is dangerous." Eve's words from earlier echoed through Rena's mind. Were Eve's fear of the outside and Raven's wounds related?

Raven turned around as he had noticed the young elf standing there, gawking at him. Rena felt embarrassment come over her. She quickly flashed a smile. "Just wanted to let you know I'll be leaving." She said, trying to sound cheery to hide her nervousness.

Raven simply nodded. "Very well." was all he said.

Author's Note:
In case anyone is wondering about the age I chose for Aisha to have entered highschool; It's based on the standards in my country so there's a significant possibility that the chosen ages might seem strange. From this you should be able to deduce that Aisha is about fourteen. Because:
Age to enter highschool: 13
Age Aisha entered highschool: 11
Rena's age: 16
16-13+11=14
Isn't maths wonderful?

I would like to extend my thanks to Jetstream Girge (or 'Sam' as I call him) for Beta-reading this chapter for me. I think it really helped me to improve the chapter overall.

Do you have anything to say about this chapter? Whether it be praise, criticism or even inflammatory comments, feel free to speak your thoughts and concerns in a review. Follows and favourites are nice and all, but reviews are what help me improve and keep me motivated.

*~-[ May we meet again, fare thee well! ]-~*