Reason for Attraction
Story (c) JustSnapCrackle
Grand Chase (c) KOG Studios

Chapter 4

Red had always been an interesting colour to him. It was the colour of passion and pleasure. It was the colour of anger and rage. But right now, it was also the colour that stained the earth beneath his feet.

Rufus sighed at the scenery. Was this the end of the infamous bounty hunter of the Underworld? A question he asked himself. An answer he could care less knowing. He couldn't feel the tip of his fingers touching the cold metal plate of the eyeteeth's triggers. Actually, he realized he couldn't even feel any of his fingers at all. Or his limbs. Or the rest of his body. Except that he knew everything felt tremendously heavy.

The colour of red decorated him almost too beautifully, even if it was his own blood.

He forced himself to move, to bring his body back up. He knew even he had a choice to when he should end his life. He chose not to do it now.

Not whilst he was still facing the legendary Sieghart, bathed in his blood, enjoying the texture of the thick liquid that dripped into his mouth.

Oh such a scene before him made him tremble in pleasure and shiver in delight. He admits that the man was actually alluringly exciting to him.

Rufus Wilde licked his lips. "Damn it... Makes me want to break such a fine beast harder than ever..."

Red was definitely the best colour that described this, Rufus thought. The rage that radiated from the immortal, the pleasure the brunette desired for in gaining victory in this battle, the violence that accompanied the whole mess.

Rufus staggers even before he stood up straight. He knew he had lost enough blood to stay conscious, let alone be mentally focused on his objectives. Yet he continued to feel the adrenaline and excitement coursing throughout his veins. It wasn't over till his last breath. He moved his shoulders for a bit and only his left arm responded.

'Least my prosthetic arm isn't dead yet...' Rufus smirked and took aim at the immortal in front of him. The immortal was as deeply wounded as he was, taking all kinds of fatal shots from the heart to the head. Yet it awed the brunette that he would simply rip out the bullet and let his body heal himself, ignorant of the pain that accompanied each vital strike. And still, Sieghart kept that same hateful glare at him.

'Interesting...' he thought, 'I seriously want to tie him up and fuck him...' He grinned now at the thought of it. Sieghart, with all his strength, trying to break the chains that bounded him apart. He would hiss in angst or roar in pain at each time he was rammed roughly. Cry out in defiance that he would never submit to this twisted form of pleasure as he gets whipped or slashed brutally - or better yet, be gunned down repeatedly. Ah that would be lovely. And if Rufus could leave wound marks on the immortal's body, he would decorate the toned skin eagerly, carving his name to mark the immortal as his own personal prey. Humiliate the immortal, thrash that huge ego of his into nothingness and drive him to a corner where he was blinded of everything but his pure hatred for the brunette demon.

And pursue only this demon.

A twisted form of attachment was the only reasonable explanation to such sickening methods. Then again, this was Rufus of all people we were talking about. He had once proclaimed himself as the Sadists of all sadists, and he wasn't ready to throw away such a title befitting for a demon of his calibre.

And then the bounty hunter thought, ' I must admit, although I choose not to die here, to bring down the Legendary Sieghart and degrade him into a worthless traumatized victim... That is worth to die trying...'

With every last ounce of adrenaline, Rufus dashed towards the gladiator. He could see that Sieghart had clenched his hands and was ready to pummel his face down. It made the bounty hunter aware to how sluggish he had grown to be after the massive loss of blood that the gladiator didn't need to conceal his attacks, let alone try to accurately hit the bounty hunter.

Darkness was at the corners of his vision, creeping around to take over him. The last thing he saw was a final flash of white instead of the red he was looking forward to.

"LET ME FUCKING GO!" The gladiator roared, struggling out of the arm lock of the wanderer behind him. He was only a few metres away from ripping apart the bounty hunter. He had already made Rufus suffer more than what he thought was enough. But when the bastard showed such a smug look, Sieghart felt that it hadn't been enough all over again.

Like he thought initially, wiping that brunette demon's existence off the face of Aernas was the best choice he had ever come up with. At least there would be some peace in mind after achieving it.

If only there weren't Lass around to keep the bounty hunter from taking one more step. He would've given Rufus a last blow in the gut, forcing out the last of his will to fight and then slam him down to the ground. Afterwards he would've kicked the bounty hunter onto his back, making sure the last thing he saw in his life was Sieghart's satisfied look and the Gladius' tip falling onto his forehead. Instead that thief stole away his kill by tackling him away from the gladiator. Curse that kid.

He would love to murder the kid as well so he could grab onto that brunette head and rip it off of its body but there was something else that kept him from doing so.

Zero had locked his arms and restraint him from moving at all. He knew it was Zero because not many would dare to take advantage of Sieghart's blind spot – it was just directly behind him - let alone know that Sieghart actually had such an obvious and typical physical weak spot. Of course if it was any other people who dared to force down the immortal, Sieghart would simply push them off and jab them by their guts or do something barbarically similar.

But it was Zero of all people.

There was no way he could just brutally destroy him.

Especially when his soothing voice was reaching out to him.

"Sieghart, calm down."

The immortal blinked and gradually his rage aura decreased. A part of him instantly obeyed his words, letting a wave of relief wash over him that what Zero spoke to him was the most rational thing to do as of now. Even the thief in front of him desperately nodded in agreement as he dragged the wasted hunter away from the scene.

Yet Zero noticed how there was still anger in him, with minute flickers of the purple flames still lingering around. He was not entirely convinced and continued to lust for the blood of the brunette demon, struggling slightly less than before. Why was it that Sieghart could not comprehend that everything was alright?

"Sieghart... Why exactly do you want to kill Rufus in the first place?"

"Because..! Because of...!"

The immortal grew speechless. Why? He thought to himself. Why did he want to kill of that bloody son of a bitch in the first place? So he could feel at ease. Yet he could not comprehend to why he would be relaxed with the bounty hunter's disappearance. He himself knew that nothing was wrong with the bounty hunter. Having Rufus around as part of the Grand Chase was quite advantageous (due to his connections with his numerous amounts of clients). And the gladiator admits to himself that there had been moments that he spent his time well with the bounty hunter - one memory that came into mind immediately was 'Throw-Insults-to-Dio Day' in which he and several others who want nothing more than to piss the stygian off celebrated on a monthly basis.

So why did he wanted Rufus dead in the first place? He had even gone to the point of switching into his Rage mode as well.

The wanderer's breath was warm against his ears. His voice was deep and perhaps comfortingly gentle. Their bodies pressed against one another and every friction made created a desired heat between them.

It was the fact Zero had been around Rufus just riled him up. He hated the thought of seeing those to quite close to one another. He disliked the fact that the wanderer disappeared for a moment just to spend most of his time with that asshole of a bounty hunter. Because Sieghart felt-

'You are capable of feeling attracted to him.'

Because Sieghart was simply attracted to Zero.

And Sieghart felt his entire body get thrashed ruthlessly even though he was physically fine. It was just - everything inside of him torn apart into little pieces. Surely he thought that there was nothing as painful as to die but he was wrong. The pain within him actually made death seemed so peaceful and welcoming. His chest experienced the most of the destruction, thorns piercing through him again and again.

Or was it his heart that was actually crying out in the horrible angst of heartache? In 600 years of his life, he knew not of such pain greater than what he was feeling that second. And it was because of that freaking demon.

Zero felt the gladiator loosen up. No more did he try to fight against the wanderer's restraint. But the wanderer knew Sieghart well enough to keep his guard up. Who knows when Sieghart would just suddenly jump out and run off somewhere?

But he knew the gladiator enough to know that the way Sieghart loosened up then was different. It felt like he was truly giving up.

And he did.

As Zero slowly let go of those arms of his, Sieghart collapsed on to his knees, head hung low. His body was trembling and fingers raked into the dirt to seek composure. His face had turned white, sweat dripping down to his neck. He breathed heavily, desperately trying to calm his nerves. The adrenaline rush was calming down and his body began to shiver in the pressure that it had been put through.

"Sieghart... You were jealous of Rufus for me... Were you not?"

A fine thorn stabbed into the immortal.

"Jealous? For you?" His sarcastic tone replied to the demon as his long bangs casted darker shadows over his eyes. His mouth on the other hand broke into an eerie grin or perhaps a twisted smirk. It had never occurred to Zero that the immortal could smile in such a sinister and deathly manner, even when Sieghart was lost in his psychotic rage mode.

"What do you think? Do I look jealous for you? Are you satisfied, demon?"

His voice deepened into a dark gravelly manner, and it even sent chills down Zero's spine, something he of all people rarely felt. But more than that, it made a prickle in his chest, one similar to the thorns Grandark would stab him with if the sword felt unhappy (and needed amusement) and at the same time had the pain level far terrible that made Grandark's thorns seem like little fragile needles. And the way he uttered 'demon' was heart-breaking. Of course, Zero was obviously a demon, but he knew even Dio was not belittled to the point the stygian was called just 'demon' in such a cold and hostile manner.

Had he become an object of hatred to Sieghart that the wanderer's existence became so insignificantly pathetic? Thoughts to reason why this was happening whizzed around the wanderer's mind – What exactly did he do to make Sieghart feel like this? What could he possibly do to ease Sieghart's anger and hatred towards him?

What could he do to make everything go back to normal, where their relationship was just powerful comrades-in-arms, peaceful chat friends and simply a calming presence to sit with?

Why did he say those words – his feeling of attraction - in the first place weeks ago?

Sieghart finally lifted his head and his eyes were of nothingness. Not a trace of his happy-go-lucky glow or even a flame of fury. They were simply empty of life.

"Well, I'm honoured to have made you feel satisfied," Sieghart pushed himself up, grey dilated eyes fixed straight into the demon core of the wanderer. He simpered nonchalantly, as of how he usually does every day. Yet those grey pupils were still void of his cheery arrogance.

That expression should never exist in the gladiator.

Sieghart turned away from the wanderer. He had grown calm and grew to realize how much he had fallen. He felt so humiliated with desires to dig up the deepest hole and bury himself in there where no one could see the shame that had fallen on him and the stains that dirtied his pride. The gladiator had never felt so defeated, so pathetic, so weak in his life. As if Heaven had forsaken him and abandoned all their blessings for him and Hell had welcomed him with open arms, unleashing its fur upon the gladiator, ripping his limps apart, one by one, again and again. The throes pulverized every inch of his physical body inside.

He was right. This was the first time his heart had to face through the most damage beyond recognition. Even death seemed like a peaceful thing.

He wanted freedom from this mental torture. He wanted liberty from this spiritual abuse.

"…. I'm going to take a long nap…."

A nap. It was the best answer he could come up with and the most typical. No one would question why he would always sleep but they all would quickly assume that it was Sieghart's own way of eluding everything that forced him to exert a little bit of effort in something. Besides, sleep had become a form of luxury to the gladiator. He could never die due to lack of energy – his regeneration rate for energy and health was the quickest of them all. Plus he was immortal; there was no need to worry about overexerting himself to death.

Yet sleeping continued to be a form of solace to the immortal. It is generally a form of resting the mind and body and thus, a way to escape the harsh reality. And it was accompanied by dreams. Dreams were a series of thoughts, images and sensations, dragging one away from how cruel living could be and showing how it would be fun to simply indulge in fantasies that ease the spirit inside.

If he could have eternal sleep that would be a dream come true right now.

No more of this angst swelling up in his heart. No more aches that tortured him throughout his body. No more worrying about the wanderer's existence.

No more expecting Zero having his back. No more having one-sided chats with Zero. No more being treated like a regular human. No more synchronicity in battle with Zero. No more peaceful days just having Zero beside him.

No more Zero in his life.

This is exactly how it was supposed to be. There was no way in the first place that a relationship with a demon would be possible, let alone a man of all creatures. Sieghart began dragging his feet away from the wanderer, aimless of directions. All he wanted was to get out of there and fall asleep, never waking up in this unpleasant world.

"W-wait!"

Large hands grasped onto the immortal by his arms so suddenly that Sieghart lost his balance. The pulling force from the hands had made him stumble backwards and back into the arms of the demon. Zero thought by reaction, Sieghart would push himself away from the demon after his fall was broken so Zero kept his grip tight. Even when he was drained of energy from the previous fight, Sieghart still needed time to recuperate.

Instead the immortal had his head hanging down, trembling in fear.

All Zero could think- No.

He didn't even think about bringing Sieghart closer into his embrace, trying to become a source of comfort to the immortal.

"D-damn it all…" Sieghart stammered, fidgeting in his current position awkwardly and avoiding any means of eye contact. He was so determined to forget about this demon just a second ago. Where did all that courage for that resolution went to?

'I'm capable of feeling attracted to Zero…' His voice echoed in his mind. There was no way he could reject such feelings in the blink of an eye.

"Fucking- Shit- Damn it!" Sieghart swore out loudly. "I am fucking Ercnard Sieghart for fuck's sake! The greatest legendary hero of the world! I shouldn't be so worked up over a bloody kid like you! And worrying about like a virgin teenager and getting flustered over a kid played around with me! A demon man of all bloody creatures! Fucking shit!"

The gladiator continued to howl, ranting out to the world as he unleashed every single bit of his throes that suffocated him from the inside. Somewhere in the middle, Sieghart had even started to punch the wanderer (his strength has yet to return to him so it was not as painful as it seemed). Nevertheless, Zero kept him in his arms faithfully; receiving every bit of beating that was casted down on him.

Ley was right. When she mentioned that Sieghart was a double edged sword, Zero realised that she was talking about that arrogant personality of Sieghart. Although it was amusing to watch and act out, it was the sole shield that the immortal had been sheltering from behind to keep his inner self from any harm. On the other hand, it restricted him from things that he desired that went against the principles of his nature and character in which he would hurt himself instead.

So all those feelings of frustration and misery pent up inside of the gladiator, they were created by that haughtiness of his. From the very beginning, it was his pride that had stopped him from tolerating the fact a demon like him had felt attraction to him. It was his ego that kept him from accepting the thought that he too might feel something for the wanderer.

And now, he had fallen with all his barriers self-destructed on himself.

Once Sieghart seemed to have calmed down, he sighed depressingly. "It's all your fault.. You shitty demon.. I've never felt so… So ruined in my whole life.."

"I…. It's all my fault… Yeah, it's all my fault." Zero soothingly stroked the immortal's head, going through his hair lovingly as he whispered those words repetitively like a distorted record. Guilt fluttered inside of him - he should've understood this. After all, it was that flamboyant arrogance of his that made him feel attracted to Sieghart in the first place.

It was his mistake this time, for being unaware of that implosion side-effect Sieghart possessed. "Sieghart, I'm…. I'm sorry for being attracted to you…"

Only the thundering sound of a heartbeat filled the air around them afterwards. Neither moved from the position they were in. Zero dared not to let him go. Sieghart dared not to run away either.

Gradually the fact that Sieghart was so close to the wanderer sunk into his mind and how hot it felt being pressed onto the chest of the wanderer. He knew demons had no heart; they were replaced with a demon core. So would a rapid heartbeat be equivalent to a rising temperature in them? And then Sieghart thought, how long had it been since they were this close? He had lost track, but one thing he was sure about was that in seconds, he was already feeling ease in his heart.

The pride in him had shattered and nothing restricted him from anything. Instincts took over the immortal.

"…. It really is your fault…" So by instincts, Sieghart let his head rest upon the demon's shoulder as he remembered the details of his life in the past dreadful days. The adrenaline was fading away and his focus was drifting further from him, yet the faded scenes of the demon continued to remain in his mind. As those fingers brushed through his hair, Sieghart's mouth curved a little.

"… Hey… I think I'm broken… Too…"

It all started with that sentence, didn't it? Kind of.

Zero chuckled as well, relieved that the carefree tone of the gladiator had returned into his tone. He would ask Sieghart why of all things he would choose, those were his word choices as of that moment, but clearly that was not the time. He too remembered that those were the words that started all this because it was he who first said them.

"Maybe you are…"

"Hell, we're both broken as fuck, aren't we?" Sieghart sniffed as he leaned back, having the wanderer's arm support him.

Zero always wore a mask, but just at the part of his face without the coverage, he saw the irreplaceable sight of a faint blush across the wanderer's face.

That was a memory definitely worth keeping in the immortal's books as he let himself sink into the warmth around him and the welcoming slumber.

A ceiling that was unfamiliar to him was the first thing he saw.

And the next thing he knew it, his arms reached out for-

"A-ARGH!"

Rufus cried out in pain after stretching only a little of his arms. And not a moment later did his eyes catch sight of the bandages that were wrapped around them. His red eyes narrowed and he groaned, staring at how disorientated it all seemed. And he was being literal too – a pounding headache was making it too hard for him to focus on anything.

A gentle push back down to what felt like a soft cosy bed had startled the bounty hunter. If it had startled him, it really meant he could be put into the worst possible conditions he had ever been. Nevertheless, Rufus had already submitted to the situation. The scent of the woodlands and fresh evergreen enveloping him was enough for him to tell that he was somewhere less dangerous for recuperation.

Lass' room.

"So... My knight in shining armour…. How long have I been out?" The bounty hunter managed to cough out. He took note of how his throat was burning in pain as well, remembering it might have been from the strangle he took head on from his immortal predator. His trachea may as well be torn from the choke if not for his quick reflexes to shoot the gladiator.

"A good twelve hours. And don't call me that. Or would you really want to call you princess?" The voice of the thief barked beside him sarcastically but Rufus was clearly aware of how much fury had been held back from the tone itself.

"Oh woe is me, my fair knight. The gods bless me too much, I can't ask for more," Rufus replied, earning himself a light whack on the head, which made his headache a little more painful.

Ever since Rufus tagged along with the Grand Chase, it was only Lass that had always been unusually attached to him. No one else was really bothered to 'really' befriend the bounty hunter. Time and again, it was Rufus whom reminded the members of the Grand Chase that he was only part of it for the bounty rewards and benefits that he's looking for, not for the friendship. And that shot down so many opportunities to create a 'real bond' with anyone. Not that he was interested in them.

Yet somehow, Lass seemed to have sneaked past every single cold shoulder and found a nice spot in the bounty hunter's 'friendzone' (Rufus never did have a friendzone before. People were either useful allies or degenerate enemies with an extremely thin line in between). There wasn't a specific reason or anything that could be comprehended, but the brunette demon simply regarded it as one of those strange random occurrences that could never be explained. They were both just so compatible with one another, which had been a huge surprise seeing as Rufus had always been one who enjoyed solitude.

Perhaps it was because the both of them shared similar attributes and traits. Rufus could recall several times how he and Lass would accidentally bump into one another because they both shared the same ideas. That was a miserable period for the two of them, seeing as verbal communications weren't their best form of connecting to one another. It wasn't until after a couple more practice runs did they found synchronicity in their partnership and proved to be a hazardous team to fight against. And Rufus quite enjoyed it. At some point.

That is, until he found out Lass was a wielder of the blue flames of Haros. And with a couple of further investigations, it became clear to the both of them that they were undeniably brothers by blood.

Certainly, there were complications at first. Rufus was still in pursuit of the blue flames. They were the only traces of his father – the ultimate target of his lifetime. And Lass wanted nothing else than to be related to a demon as it was the initial reason he lived such a wretched childhood. Yet time was on their side and they were quick to forgive and forget.

After all, they were brothers. That was the truth and they couldn't deny it (even so, the fact remains that the both of them would love to defeat the other, just the usual sibling rivalry).

The thief snarled, breathing out some of his fury before he breathed in calmly. "Why the hell…."

"T's a sadist thing…." Was the only thing Rufus could utter out before he broke into a cracked chortle, mixed with light coughs that continued to remind him how much his throat was burning. Somehow he craved for something sweet to soothe it. He said nothing of course.

"Go to sleep then… I'll beat you up when you're fully healed." The thief snorted before he turned away to mind his own business. Rufus could only make out the deafening sounds of blades clashing one another. Lass had probably found sharpening his knives a much amusing source of entertainment than to pay attention to his brother.

"Like hell would I let you-" The bounty hunter did not continue, especially when he swore he heard a soft hiccup.

There was another thing that the brunette had come to realize in his time spent with the silver haired man. Lass had never been one who could be deeply attached towards anyone due to his twisted childhood. Companionship had always been welcomed by him but he simply could not take any relationship a step further. Once he does, the thief holds onto them tightly and desperately. The silver haired was too emotionally wrecked, unable to comprehend the limitations of how much connection one could really have with another.

Apparently, Rufus had become one of those he treasured.

It was a feeling that Rufus knew he should never indulge in. It was those kind of feelings that tears you apart brutally when the cards of betrayal and treachery comes to play. The cruel world of a bounty hunter had taught him again and again, he should never be in the mercy of anyone, by any means necessary and never leave an opening, no matter how insignificant it appears to be.

But…

The bandages wrapped over his wounds were perfectly done with precious, pure-hearted innocence. And the quiet sniffling of relief was for him.

The brunette sighed lightly and closed his eyes gently.

It was just too easy to make that one exception.

Lass shut the door behind him before his shoulders slacked and he let out a huge sigh. The brunette had fallen into another session of deep sleep and his conditioned seemed better than initially. The thief groaned as he stared into his hands.

"Damn- shit…."

They were still trembling, even after dragging his half-brother into his room and bandaging him up, his hands did not cease to shiver. Rufus' body had always been quite cold – it was a normality amongst some of the demons, being 'cold-blooded' and all (not literally though).

Lass sighed.

When he grasped the fallen bounty hunter in his arms, it was the first he held such a body so cold, not even a soul would reside in it. It wasn't the first time Lass clutched onto a near-to-dead body. Frankly it was part of his world to have handled dead bodies after the whole ordeal with Kaze'Aze and being a thief whom had experienced more than enough bloody actions.

Maybe it was not the fact Rufus' body temperature fell so drastically that made Lass so fretful, but the fact that he would lose the bounty hunter made him tremble in fear.

Rufus wasn't exactly family – that Lass was very sure about, and it mattered to him. Half-brother was simply a term the other people around them used to conclude the relationship they had with one another, since they weren't directly related other than their father's blood. Plus Lass didn't even look any bit demon at all. Although it sounded stupid, being half-brothers with Rufus was a more tolerable fact than being called a brother. After the Nightmare circus incident, there was no way Lass wanted anyone more than a family for a while – and probably a long time.

Instead, Lass had considered the bounty hunter as a close friend. And it was probably because of that he was feeling so fretful at the thought of losing Rufus. It had been too long since he had anyone closer than Rufus. Whilst he did spend more time with the other chasers and he did feel at ease with them, Rufus was simply different. He was like a dysfunctional broken home, but still a place to return to no matter what rights, what wrongs and regrets he had done.

Lass sighed once more. He had repeatedly told himself that involving himself further with the bounty hunter was going to lead him to trouble more than he could handle. The bounty hunter would definitely abuse their relationship, take advantage of it, and put the thief in harm's way. But the thief couldn't resist it. He enjoyed- probably loved the time spent with the bounty hunter, even if they didn't even shared a single word with one another. And it always seemed like Rufus liked it too. Rufus didn't exactly told him to get lost anyways.

Lass wouldn't just let go of the bounty hunter so easily. Actually, it might already be at a point where he couldn't do it at all. He needed the other. But he knew that Rufus could easily throw him away.

And that fact alone made the thief so restless.

Sieghart, on the other hand, woke up staring at a ceiling too.

And just like Rufus, it looked like a ceiling too foreign for him to recognize.

And he knew what the ceiling to the infirmary looked like so Sieghart deducted he wasn't there. When he turned his head around slightly to see the room, he noticed the familiar objects placed there – a chest, an old wardrobe, a weapon rack with his swords neatly placed.

He was in his rarely used, near to empty bedroom.

Sieghart pushed himself up, scratching his nape questioningly. He didn't really enjoy entering this room despite being provided to him as a member of the Grand Chase. Preferably, he slept under the night sky, or in a secluded area where time flows in a pace he chose to follow. It made him feel a lot freer in the open spaces where he could feel the life all around him.

The bedroom simply made him feel more secluded from the world and…

Sieghart shook his head before his thoughts drifted to more complex thoughts and he desperately recollected the last memory in his mind.

And then he was flushed.

"Ah hell… I'm really getting old… Can't even keep my own defences well made, let alone maintain it tightly…" Sieghart whined to himself.

Sieghart himself knew that his pride was his own fort, and that his true self remains untouched and unseen by the outside world. He didn't live for 600 years not being able to grow aware of how he acts. And said walls that created his fort supported him for 600 years was easily torn down by the measly words of the wanderer in less than weeks.

So now that the wanderer had witness his true self, there was no way Sieghart could easily deny anything. Knowing Zero's headstrong determination for his ambitions, Sieghart had two options.

Either he abandons his identity as the Legendary Sieghart and run to some foreign land, never to be heard of.

Or he accepts the whole charade and lives with the fact that Zero was definitely attracted to him.

But of course, this was Sieghart we were talking about. The first option faced complete rejection instantly. There was no way in hell would the gladiator ditch his title as the Legendary Hero. It was an achievement he gained with his raw power as a mortal and not as the immortal he was today. And that was definitely a keeper. Besides, even if he did leave and laid low in some uncharted area, he was bound to accidentally do something grand that could create rumours which would reach the wanderer's ears…

And he'd have to face Zero's hatred due to the abandonment without answers. Or worse, Zero hunts him down as another target like Duel.

The second option was clearly something he was displeased with even though it had rationality, especially when his life as a man was being risked.

But hadn't he been running away long enough?

"I should've faced him in the beginning like a man…. Damn it…" Sieghart had whacked himself by the head lightly. "Didn't have to let anyone see my uncool side…"

…

Zero was attracted to him. And there was no way he could deny it… That's what he thought.

And judging from how he had been out of his usual pace yesterday, maybe somewhere in the depths of the complex heart of a man, Sieghart too felt a similar form of attraction towards the demon as well.

And then…

And then what?

Do they just become lovers? Or revert back into that old friendship they both shared before. Perhaps with a little more intimacy as well, like being sex friends or something – the thought made Sieghart cringe in disgust though. He may have vulgar thoughts at times, but it didn't mean he was seriously interested in them. It was this situation that made him quite puzzled about it all. Thank god Zero didn't seem like a demon who indulged himself in such activities.

And then the question he kept asking himself before still remained. Of all people… Why him?

The door was knocked lightly. Simultaneously, Sieghart's feet had already stepped on the floor. He would open the door himself to greet his visitor, but he remained still on his bed. The knob twisted and the door had opened without his command.

'Speak of the devil.. It's the man of the hour…'

Zero slipped in quickly without making much of a noise. Shutting the door lightly behind him, the demon greeted Sieghart calmly.

"Good morning, Sieghart."

"M.. morning…?" Sieghart let out awkwardly. He was quite definitely unprepared for the sudden visit of the wanderer. He knew Zero was quite reserved – well, Sieghart assumed him to be reserved, so to see him take the initiative to drop by to his room was a little too spontaneous, even for Sieghart.

It took a couple of seconds for the immortal to only realize that Zero making himself comfortable on his bed, just sitting right next to him. Zero wasn't one to enjoy placing others in any awkward situation, despite admitting he might be quite skilled in it, but the least he could do was to eliminate the situation immediately by creating a new one.

He didn't seem to predict the fact Sieghart would grow more awkward than before. Sieghart pulled his legs up and shifted slightly towards the head of the bed, inching away from Zero ever so slightly. He kept his legs near him, curling up into a ball and then stared at the demon. A defensive position with wary of the little movements of the demon made.

Yet Zero felt no such offence from it. The man had his pride crushed just the day before. He must be left with his innermost unprotected self in the open, unable to predict what might befall on him and unable to recognize the quickest way to defend himself. Sieghart's fingers tapped on his feet apprehensively, waiting for the worst to come. He could only excuse the immortal's behaviour.

Such hesitance... It left Zero in a war of two complete opposite emotions – the sorrow that grew in him for forcing the immortal to fall into such a state, the wilful anticipation that this storm will bring that calmness they both wish for.

Somehow, Zero minded not of it. Perhaps the fact the immortal's eyes shone. It had been a comfort to the demon to see the glow in his grey pupils the moment he walked in the room. Because even if Sieghart's egoistical pride was torn apart, leaving him vulnerable to everything, the man had that carefreeness in him that would lead him forward to a hopeful path.

"Err…"

The demon kept his gaze forward. "I came to see if your wounds had already healed…"

"O-oh… Okay…" There was a slight increase in the immortal's pitch when he replied. "But… You do know I'm immortal? My regenerating rate is quick enough to-" Sieghart's voice died when he noticed that the demon had turned to look at him into his eyes.

"That was an obvious excuse Sieghart… I'm more concerned of our positions in this relationship we both share."

Of course that was an excuse, Sieghart. The gladiator felt like smacking his head. Everyone in the Grand Chase knew that Sieghart was capable of healing at a rapid rate that even Arme's spells seemed so redundant.

"Funny thing is, I was going to look for you about that." Sieghart leaned back and the immortal wasted no seconds on getting comfortable as he shifted his seating position again, legs placed crossed over one another. It was that kind of body language, although seemingly insignificant, that told Zero he wasn't going anywhere until he was –or they were both satisfied with their conclusions.

This in turn made Zero relax a little. His shoulders slackened and his hands ceased to appear stiff upon the mattress he sat on.

"Actually…. I'm sorry if I offended you or anything- I've pretty much cooled down my head now and realized how… How stupid I must have been, acting differently around you." The immortal shyly scratched his neck, giving out a dry chuckle at the end of his sentence. "Really… I didn't think I would actually come to feel… 'Attracted'… To someone again with this age of mine…"

"This emotion is mutual, then?"

"Heheh… Pretty much." A weak laugh seeped out of Sieghart. But his mild happiness turned solemn immediately. "You get to an age like mine and you'll finally realize how it's so hard to accept things like this to just happen, you know?"

"Come now, Sieghart. Does age really matter?"

"Of course. People might call me a 600 year old paedophile you know." Sieghart bluntly replied with a hint of joke. And quickly too. But his eyes remained gravely staring into his own fingers. "Which makes me wonder something… Why me?"

"Huh?" Zero stared at the immortal, questioningly. It was such a simple question yet it held so much meaning. Two words were all it took for Zero to submit to a rare situation he called ignorance as he himself felt speechless, unable to answer such a complex problem.

"You know. The whole time, I've been running around in circles about someone- you being attracted to me in that way that I forget to question why in Aernas' name are you attracted to me? Sure, it doesn't sound like a big deal for me. But I can't help feel uneasy. Of all the people, why does it have to be me? Aren't there others whom are far more suited to your likings? We're total opposites for Aernas' sake. And- and…"

Sieghart' stare was serious and determined for an answer with some slight confusion in the edges, waiting patiently for a reply. His voice trailed away weakly, but desperately for some sort of solace in the form of an answer that could relieve him. A sense of disbelief hit Zero for the gladiator he had always known seemed so helpless once more. Then again, this wasn't the first time he had seen Sieghart like this. It was that day that Sieghart had become so meek and docile and…

That feeling of giddiness had sprung up in his stomach, flitting around uncontrollably. The mind that had been in control over everything simply found itself flowing along instincts. Zero's fingers grazed along the immortal's jawline and his thumb pressed Sieghart's lower lips subtly. The immortal showed no resistance and let him. Instead, he looked away innocently, face flustered, trying to tear himself from the connection.

"W-well…? What is the answer…?"

The way he demands an answer in a stuttering manner, it gradually became obvious that Sieghart had none other than a lack of confidence in himself. It had probably been one of the foundations of that double-edged arrogant personality built over the years. With the life he led, it wasn't a surprise if he had seen failure beyond comprehension, only to feel regrets that clustered in himself over the years.

But who was he to show his grave emotions when he was the legendary hero of Kanavan? The great Prime Knight of the highlanders? The immortal of the Grand Chase? All he could do by then was to wear his mask. To convince those around him that it was alright with his silliness and to lift up spirits with his carefree nature. To simply smile.

And maybe, it was that empty smile of his that initially attracted Zero to him. For there had always been secrets that were kept deeply hidden behind the façade, tempting an innocent curious soul like Zero, just waiting to be discovered by him and only him.

A genuine pat on the head caught Sieghart off guard. And the hand softly brushed his hair into a tousled mess.

"Should there be a reason why I shouldn't be?" Zero chuckled softly. "After all, you are none other than the legendary Sieghart."

Sieghart blinked blankly whilst the blood steadily filled his cheeks. He then slapped the wanderer's hand away. "Cheh… Kids like you are still too young to tease me!"

Sieghart let out a single snort of embarrassment. Was he really that old of a human to not even realise it? That the only thing that the wanderer did to fill the immortal up with assurance was just an answer so wholesome, that it proved to be nothing else but the greatest from of attraction. Even if he knew Zero's actual age, he'd still consider himself so senile. It was just as he initially thought.

Because he was Sieghart that Zero felt attraction towards him.

Those warm feelings of comfort soothed his soul somehow. A form of remedy for these scars inside him in the form of the vagabond demon Zero. It was probably fate's way of telling him it was time for him to move on or something, but Sieghart would never admit he ever needed fate to tell him that.

Zero didn't feel anything more than content especially when the hand that had been slapped off the gladiator's head was held tightly by the gladiator's hand.

"You really are broken, Zero…."

It all started out with that, didn't it?

"It appears you are as well, Sieghart."

And this time, they both smiled a little.

It wasn't long before Sieghart grew stuffy of his own room. He reasons it with his discomfort for small spaces. Ultimately, the wanderer picked up the fact that something was amiss seeing as Sieghart had been restrained in smaller confinements before – Mari's contraptions was one of them - and he showed no signs of sickness. Unless he knew how to conceal them as well…

Nevertheless, Zero had little concern of it as of now and made a mental note to work out why the gladiator would behave that way for a later date. Sieghart wasn't going anywhere but to him now and that gives him all the time he needs to learn more about the gladiator.

Sieghart stretched out his arms just as he stepped out of his bedroom. "Dear Highlanders, I feel like I've slept for a century…"

Zero let out a sigh. "…. I think you slept enough for today."

"Eh? And here I thought you were used to me sleeping around…." Sieghart mumbled before he groaned in his own humiliation, "Wait- That didn't sound right.."

The wanderer let out a tickled hum instead. "No… Although I do find some peace in mind when you are sleeping, it does not please me to know you're doing it to heal yourself instead of sleeping to procrastinate on something."

"Hey, hey… It's called preserving energy. And secondly…" Sieghart paused. Really… Even though they both knew he was immortal, the displeasure the wanderer showed in Sieghart's injuries and recuperation was proof enough to Sieghart that perhaps made him feel a little less aware of how he could never die and more mortal-like instead.

A nostalgic feeling, perhaps. One he missed.

"Eh… Never mind. Forget the last bit." The gladiator huffed and scratched his neck. Zero frowned for a moment. Even if he had shattered Sieghart's pride and discovered the treasure within that took the form of Sieghart's true self, it seemed as if he was still far away from discovering the secrets in the man's labyrinth heart. But again, he reminded himself that there was endless time for him to explore it all.

Simply walking through the hallways of the castle, their direction was aimless, letting their unconscious mind choose their destination. They spoke to each other not. Most of what was intended to be conveyed had already been done. What that was left was to let the silence sink in between them.

None of the awkwardness of course. It was back to the usual calm air that the two would share whenever together. But in this little period of time, it made the gladiator realize that he didn't know what he should speak of. Truth be told, he was dying to talk again to the wanderer. But the strange little questions like, what he should talk about and if it would bother the wanderer to answer them after weeks of avoiding him popped up.

Anxious Sieghart. It hadn't even been an hour and Zero indulged in the twitches on the corner of the immortal's mouth, desperate to say something but holding back for whatever reason.

The demon mumbled, "How… Have you been?"

"Huh?" Sieghart's mind stopped for a bit to think about the question. It wasn't a relatively hard question. Just.. Zero was pretty aware of his current condition and what had happened in the past couple of hours. There was really no point in asking about his-

"Yes, a trivial question, but a conversation starter nonetheless."

Sieghart blinked, staring at Zero for a second. And then two. And then he proceeded to laugh.

"Dear Highlanders, you have got to expand on your conversation starters. Well, I get the fact that asking someone's uh… current state is pretty normal, but you could definitely try starting with a compliment too! Like-" Sieghart cleared his throat. "Oh Master Sieghart, you look quite dashing today. Did you put anything on or is it just your naturally handsome looks?"

"Is that not a, what you humans call a pick-up line?"

"No! Well, some would say that. But compliments makes everyone happy, right? I give it to the girls all the time and-" The immortal stopped. "I mean, it's not the pick-up line feel when I tell it to the girls but putting a smile on their faces is what matters most, you know. Makes the conversation start off with a good feel."

Zero lightly nods as they take another turn into what looked like an empty corridor. "Then I will say… Sieghart, today you seem quite radiant."

"Hmm… A little stiff, but you've got the main point. Yeap, that's how you do it. Easy isn't it?" The immortal rubs his chin wisely and puffing his chest out proudly, approving his temporary student's efforts in pic- complimenting people in Conversation Starters Class 101. He particularly enjoyed teaching people, no matter how unreliable he may seemed sometimes. Probably a paternal instinct that had developed sometime in the passing centuries. "See, I feel really great already, I can take on the world again. Hahahahaha!"

It had been a while since he laughed so heartily. Sieghart could fill the whole of Serdin with it and no one would be able to contain it all. With all the depressing chain of events, laughing so freely like this was just like a dream.

How long ago was their last conversation? Sure, they originally did not speak to one another as often as many others but after that fiasco, it felt like an eternity since they were in this sort of synchronicity. Perhaps knowing that the both of them had mutual attractions to one another would not always result in such a drastic change of relationship level that one must think of each and every phrase with thorough thought. They made quite an odd couple anyways. Why just jump into the act of lovers immediately when this was comfortable enough?

Although progress had to happen somehow and Zero seemed content enough that this attraction was mutual. Sieghart, on the other hand, knew himself well (alright, after all that drama, there are obviously things he didn't know but he knew himself enough). And he knew that he could be impatient when he was deprived or tempted by his desires.

If Zero took the first step into this whole thing, the least he could do was to make the next step.

"Look at that! The weather's all nice and sunny and I feel so cheerful! It's a good time to patrol around the Outer Walls!" Sieghart purred as he stretched out his arms- they felt quite stiff after the long slumber. "What do you think, Zero? Wanna see the Legendary Sieghart in action on such a fine day like this? It's quite a rare moment, you know."

And it was also very rare of the immortal to invite anyone to go on a mission with him, let alone patrol around the Outer Walls. For starters, Sieghart knew what he was dealing with most of the time, so he didn't really need anyone's help for any mission. If ever he was in a party, he was actually dragged into it, by force or not. Secondly, patrolling the Outer Walls of Serdin was one mission that made the immortal distinctively enthusiastic. No one knew the real reason to why Sieghart loved it – it could probably be that it was really close to the castle or it was particularly easy to deal with.

Or perhaps, another secret side of Sieghart hides there?

The immortal scratched his neck sheepishly. His cheeks burned in a light glaze of pink. His grin was wide, stretching from one ear to the other.

Zero felt his demon core fluctuate.

"Let me get Grandark then.."

"Attaboy! I'm going to grab the mission and meet you at the Castle gates first then. Heh." Sieghart bit his tongue just as he slipped out a satisfied laugh. Without even waiting for Zero's reply, he had already run off into a corner. Zero wouldn't even chase after him by then- the immortal would have already jumped into a secret passage from who knows where. He knew the castle like the back of his hand, as well as the secrets it possessed. Escaping anyone in this building was too easy of a challenge for him.

As prideful as it seemed, the flush of colour on Sieghart's face clearly showed his shyness mixed into that invitation. And it please Zero greatly. Prideful but shy. Haughty but submissive. Dangerous but fragile. Could Sieghart really be anything else but charming?

The demon paced towards his own room. He had left the sword resting at his room earlier on. Grandark would have been yowling in anger if he did bring him to Sieghart's room. Actually, the sword would still bellow to him for leaving him there in the first place. Grandark had never really liked it when Zero wasn't close to him – probably being overly paranoid because Zero was his only wielder.

Strangely enough, when Zero entered his room, there was not even a single whisper from the demon sword. Grandark leaned still against the wall, its eye shut and with no such interest to the world around him.

At first glance, even Zero assumed that his sword was acting his usual obnoxious character- hating the world around him for they were unworthy to him. The sword was notorious for keeping his silence when he was beyond his usual ferocity. It added flavour to the fear he instilled, he explained.

So why was there a crack in the middle of that quiet...

[Chapter 4 - End]
Chapter word count : 9,004
Total word count: 36,108

A/N:
It's official. I'm terrible at writing a lot in one go that I end up updating a new chapter in the next, what, few months? *laughs nervously*
But that ends this 'arc', I guess. The original series of Reason of Attraction has finally been completely rewritten.

I still question myself why I've continued to write this. I mean, the Chase has been long shut down- It's been nearly a year, in fact. Yet there is me, still writing this ever so slowly. Who knows if there are still people out there that will come to stumble upon this story once more- I sure don't. But I know that there are people who do return into this corner of the fandom worlds just to revisit and relive a little of their past seconds. So I may as well continue it anyways. I myself am doing the same by choosing to continue with writing this -7-

-Hishin