Author's Note: Oh snaps, another chapter so soon? Yep. I must be motivated to write as school starts on Tuesday for me. A note; the PoV switches, starting with Arme, then Lire, then Ronan. On another note, my left arm is getting sore from all this typing.

--

"I need water," Lass said. He looked like he was choking slightly.

"Sorry," I said, "but you can't drink anything for about ten minutes."

"Great," he muttered. "Does my breath stink?"

I was about to answer when Ryan said, "I'm not taking risks," and held his nose.

Glaring slightly at Ryan, I said, "No, it only tastes bad, is all." Lass sighed a bit, before he started to hug and kiss me, and thanked me. It seemed as if he was about to cry. He turned away, trying not to show it.

I leaned against him, missing the warmth of his body and said softly, "It's nothing, Lass."

"Aw, he's crying," I heard Ryan say. I muttered at him, "Say anything more and your ass is on fire."

Ryan didn't mention another word.

On a different topic, I asked, "What. . . happened. . . to Elesis?"

Whispering, Ronan answered, "She's pregnant." I was a bit shocked, but I shouldn't have been.

"Again?!" I exclaimed. Lire nodded.

"But," I said, looking over at Elesis, "she doesn't look too well, though."

"Maybe Ronan got her sick?" Ryan suggested. I nodded in agreement, but it got Ronan angered a bit.

"I'm. . . fi-" Elesis tried to say, before she started coughing. She quickly covered her mouth.

"Elesis!" Ronan cried out, but before he could move, Ryan hooked his scythe around Ronan and pulled him away. I watched a bit, before I turned back to Elesis, worried. She tried to get up, but simply fell back down.

"Is she alright?" I heard Ryan asked from behind. Before I could answer, Lire asked, "Is that good for him?" Immediately, I turned around and saw Ronan hanging from a tree. I simply stared, as Ronan made a gagging sound. Ryan quickly took him down from the tree.

I walked over to Elesis and knelt at her side and began to rub her stomach a bit.

"Ow, stop. . ." she complained.

"W-" I started, before I changed my mind. This was bad. How long was she pregnant for?! "Lire, help me carry Elesis."

"W-Why?"

"Just do it! Now!"

Lire quickly came over and helped me pick Elesis up.

"Do you want me to help?" Lass offered, as he was wiping away tears.

"C'mon," I said to Lire, before I addressed the boys. "Sorry, but no following. Not even you, Lass."

Lass nodded slowly, as Ryan waved and said, "Have fun!" I wanted to smack Ryan, but I couldn't. I had more important things to attend to, and this was urgent. Very, very urgent.

–

I could hear the boys as I was heading back. I saw that Ronan was asleep.

"So how are you feeling, Lass?" Ryan asked.

"I'm feeling a lot better. . ." he answered, before he began to cry again.

I came out of the bushes, but I tripped. Immediately, Ryan was at my side, helping me up.

Smiling weakly at him, I said, "H-Hi, Ryan. . ."

He realized something was wrong, based on my tone, no doubt. "What happened?"

I hesitated. I tried to conjure up the memory of what happened, but it was pushed back in my head a bit, so I struggled to remember.

Lass walked over, with a question in his eyes.

"She. . . I. . . I don't like curses?" I said. I definitely lost the two then.

Sighing sadly, I explained indirectly, "Let's just say. . . I wish we could defeat Kaze'aze once and for all, and. . . that Ronan and Elesis should just give up. . ."

Lass immediately guessed it. "The baby?!" I looked down, unable to meet anyone's eyes, least of all, Ronan's, but he was asleep.

Ryan looked over at Ronan.

"Can't you tell us?" Lass asked.

"It's just. . . so messy. . . and so bloody. . . It's lucky Arme put Elesis under a heavy slumber, or else. . ." I fell silent at that point. I didn't want to remember anymore. Looking up, I saw that Ryan and Lass looked quite upset.

"Poor Ronan," Ryan said softly. "He's going to be looking crestfallen again for a long time."

"Arme said. . . that it's a curse," I whispered.

"Can't it be lifted?" Lass asked, determined.

"Yes," I said, "with the absolute defeat of Kaze'aze. . ."

Lass looked surprised. "Excuse me, but what?!" I nodded.

"That'll take awhile," Ryan said, voicing my concern. I nodded once more.

Looking sympathetically at Ronan, Ryan said, "I'd hate to be him. Kind of sad to think that the oldest of Grand Chase is going through so much."

"I feel as if Lass and Ronan are the ones who've gone through the most," I said. "I mean, both have been under the influence of Kaze'aze before, Lass more than once."

I saw Lass walk over to Ronan, and began to shake him a bit.

"How's Elesis?" Ryan asked.

"Asleep," I told him again. "Arme's cleaning everything up so it won't be so. . . messy. . . when she wakes up."

"I see," Ryan said. We both could hear the cries of mourning.

"Poor Ronan," I said softly. I looked over at the two, who were on the other side of the clearing. What I saw shocked me.

It looked as if Lass was wrestling Ronan, pinning him to the ground!

"What's going on?" Ryan asked, alarmed. The both of us went over.

Lass had Ronan pinned to the ground, and Ronan was crying a river.

"Lass, what happened?" I asked urgently.

"You two, grab his weapons!" Lass cried out. "He's trying to kill himself!"

"What!" I cried out, and quickly grabbed the tyrfing Ronan used. Ryan, shocked as well as I was, grabbed the sword and shield and the glaive, while Lass kicked the spell sword into the bushes.

"Ronan, don't kill yourself!" I said.

"Let me go!" he cried out, ignoring me.

"Ronan, calm down, please, it's not the end of the world!" Lass said. Ronan ignored Lass as well. Ronan was swearing, trying to break free of Lass' grip.

"If you kill yourself," I said, trying to reason with Ronan, "what do you think you'll end up doing to Elesis?" Upon the mention of Elesis, Ronan stopped struggling, looking over at me. "Do you think your death will do any good?"

Ronan turned his head from me as I continued.

"You must be real stupid if you think suicide is the answer!"

He looked disappointed now. In fact, his eyes seemed almost lifeless now. No, that wasn't the response I wanted out of him!

"Ronan, snap out of it!" Ryan cried out, dropping the weapons.

"Oh, don't be like that!" I snapped. "That's even worse!"

Ronan just shut his eyes tightly, tears still streaming from them.

"There's no point in ignoring me," I continued. I heard Arme coming back. "Why don't you go see Elesis? And if you say or do anything stupid, know that I'll be the one cooking your ass this time!"

"You are not killing yourself!" Lass added. Ronan gave a slight nod.

"If you do," I said, adding to what Lass said, "then most likely you'll be the cause of Elesis' death!"

Lass stood up, letting Ronan go. Slowly, he got up, almost looked as if he were lifeless, and went off in the direction Arme was.

"Should someone follow him?" I said, concerned. I wasn't too sure that Ronan would stay alive.

"I will," Lass said. He turned invisible, his soft footsteps betraying where Lass was.

Arme sighed. "I remember when I threatened Lass when he used that. . . He's too dear to me now. I wonder how it became this way?"

Ryan chuckled a bit.

–

Why her, why us, why any of us?!

"E-Elesis?" I called out.

"Ro. . . an. . ." she answered, so softly, so weakly. I began to cry again. She looked so fragile, so delicate, and it was all my fault!

"Elesis, this is my fault," I told her.

"No. . . Kaze. . . It's. . . Kaze. . . aze. . ." she said. Kaze'aze. . . That witch can burn in hell!

I just kept crying, biting my lip a bit.

"Don't. . . Don't cry, Ronan. . ." Elesis said, looking up at me.

"You're right. . ." I said. What use was it to cry. . . "I'm just glad you're alright, Elesis. . ."

I rubbed the tears from my eyes, and hugged her tightly. "I. . . I love you so much. . ."

"I love you too, Ronan. . ." she whispered. Elesis sounded a bit stronger now. That was good. "Please. . . don't be stupid and kill yourself. . ."

No, I couldn't do that. Not after what Lire said. It was probably. . . no, it was simply true. She loved me too much, and I loved her too much. We would die without the other, I realized. I felt selfish. As long as my beloved Elesis was alive, then I would be happy.

A single though raced through my head.

"I won't," I told her. "I'll live with you until I die a fair, happy death. . . with you by my side. . ."

My tears had stopped flowing, and I wiped away the rest of the tears on my face as I got ready to ask Elesis.

"Elesis," I whispered, "would you marry me?"

I felt her stiffen with shock in my embrace.

"I. . . Wh-Wha? D-Did you. . . just ask me. . ." Elesis pulled away a bit, looking at me, before she hugged me and answered, "Y-Yes Ronan. . . I'll marry you."

Never had I felt so happy in my entire life. I could feel the tears coming back, but this time, they were tears of joy.

"Oh, Elesis," I whispered. However, Elesis soon fell still. I immediately became scared.

"El-Elesis?" I whispered. Did she. . .?

My fears were pointless. She began to snore lightly. I gently put her down, smiling, and took off my cloak and covered Elesis with it. I laid down next to her, and soon fell asleep myself.