~Repaint Tomorrow~

=To Forgive or...?=

A/N: I just realized there are a bunch of randomly remixed details in the first chapter and onwards...wow. I guess taking breaks from writing and not rereading what you wrote does that ;;; I'll try to keep that to a minimum from now on. sorry about that, guys.

Elsword stood at the payphone, staring at the change in his hand and considering his options. He could call his sister, he supposed. She still lived in Velder. If what information he had gathered was correct, she had settled down and found herself a girlfriend in the city and they were living together. He wasn't sure she'd be happy to see him after all this time though. He supposed he could call Chung instead. The boy had been eager to take Elsword in once before. He was insanely rich too, so if he took the boy's offer of marriage, he wouldn't have to worry about sleeping on the streets ever again. Then again, he'd recently found religion, he heard, so maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all. Rena and Raven didn't have any space for him in their place, since they were getting stuff together for a baby room. He didn't know if Rena was pregnant or not yet or they were preparing, but even so, that meant he'd have to sleep in their shop if they did agree to take him in, and he wasn't much of a flower person. He didn't have allergies or anything, but their smells annoyed him.

"Excuse me? Are you going to make a call now?" Someone behind him asked. Looking back, Elsword saw a girl a bit taller than him with long black hair. There were two white strips of hair on either side of her head, but the most interesting thing about her were her eyes. One was red, and the other, yellow. Elsword stared for a long while. Disregarding her rather large bust (which could rival Rena's he noted), she was the single most beautiful girl he had ever met. The girl smiled softly, taking the phone from him and his change. "I'll be quick, then."

"Yeah, sure, no problem." Elsword said absently.

The girl dialed the number after adding the change and waited patiently for whoever she was calling to answer. "Hello? Ele?" The girl spoke. This shook Elsword from his thoughts immediately. Wait, what? "No, I'm not home yet, I was calling because I forgot the shopping list at home. What was it you said you needed again? Slow down, motor mouth, I can only memorize so many things at once!"

The conversation continued a little longer, and eventually the girl turned around, finding Elsword still there, though he wasn't quite as dazed as he had been a little while ago. Elsword crossed his arms over his chest now, nodding slowly. "So, you're the one sis settled down with..." He said. Now it was the girl's turn to look confused. Elsword frowned. "She never told you about me."

"Who...?"

"Elsword. I'm Elesis' younger brother. The girl you just called?" Elsword said. Realization dawned on the girl then and she was indeed shocked. "She didn't tell you about me."

"All of the pictures she has at home looked as though she had torn someone out of them, but every time I asked who, she would change the subject." The girl said, frowning. Elsword did as well. "Well, I can't be too late. She gets fussy if I'm too late with her cooking ingredients."

"I'll join you." Elsword said, falling in step beside the girl. She had a bad feeling about this, but she didn't refuse him. This could prove interesting, after all. "So, you got a name?"

"Ara. I'm not from around here. I came to Velder because I heard my brother was in the military here, but then I got side tracked by your sister." Ara said, ducking her head to hide her embarrassment. When elsword chuckled, she looked up and wondered what was so funny. "What did you do to make her not want to talk about you?"

"I ran away." At Ara's horrified expression, Elsword sighed. "Look, it's like this..."

X

Despite the obvious feeling of uneasiness in the air, Aisha was taking the situation rather well, Add thought. Eve did her best to explain the situation without making Aisha burst, and even Oberon massaged her shoulders and neck to ease the tension slowly building beneath the surface. The silence in the room stretched for a long while before Aisha opened her mouth to say something, and when she did, all parties were shocked. "Why the hell not? I'd feel bad for turning you away now that you brought up being childhood friends." Aisha grumbled, throwing an annoyed glare at the white haired male. "Just don't try anything, or you'll be out on your ass faster than you can blink."

"There's the Aisha I used to know and love." Add chuckled lightly as he stood up. Aisha's glare hardened momentarily, and Add smiled weakly. "but...the past is the past. I suppose I should get to know the present you instead, rather than long for the days I messed up, hoping to fix them." This caught Aisha by surprise, and Add's smile widened. "You've moved on. What kind of friend would I be to remind you of the times when you got hurt because of me?"

"Not a very good one." Aisha said slowly. She was somewhat relieved, though. Her main fear of letting Add stay was that he would try to ask her out again, and return to how they used to be. She couldn't do that. She didn't want to be ignored for the sake of his research. If there ever came a time when she did want to be with him again, the one thing she would not let him do is ignore her like that. But of course, chances of them being together again were fairly slim. "Anyway, there's not much room on this floor, so either it's the attic, or convince someone to roll a cot out here for you."

"I'll take the attic, then." Add replied. Aisha nodded and glanced up at Oberon.

"Do you mind helping him move in?" She asked. Oberon saluted, hurrying over to Add and scooping him up out of his chair, despite the man's protests. Eve gave a soft giggle at the action and even Aisha had to laugh at the man's expense. As he cursed and kicked, Oberon simply shrugged and headed towards the door silently. Ophelia held the door open for Oberon, who did nothing to make sure Add didn't bump his head on the way out. To Eve, she narrowed her eyes slightly, but said nothing. There was nothing she could do about it now. "Do you mind if I ask Ophelia to pose for me?"

"I don't mind at all, but I'll need her back later." Eve replied. She turned her attention elsewhere, and Aisha knew the conversation was over. She sighed and motioned for the maid to follow her. Eve mused quietly while Aisha was busy sketching Ophelia's outline. That Add fellow looked familiar somehow. Aside from the various billboards with his picture and articles explaining his various exploits...there was something deep down that seemed to react when she looked at him. A sort of twinge that wouldn't go away. It made her stomach do flips when he so much as looked at her, though if not for the fact that she had mastered keeping her face passive, it would be clear what her thoughts were about. "What is it about you that...interests me so?" she wondered quietly. She put the thought aside and left the room to go back to her project. She would think of it another time.

X - x

Ara had an uneasy feeling when she and Elsword came to the small one bedroom apartment at last. The door was painted a fiery red, to match the hair of the other occupant. She couldn't guess this feeling coming from Elsword in waves, but she could tell that he was expecting something when her girlfriend saw him again. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. With a heavy sigh and a shrug of her shoulders, Ara pulled open the door, calling out, "Honey, I'm ho-"

before she could finish her sentence, strong arms pulled her into a tight embrace and a pair of ruby red lips crashed heavily upon her own. I wasn't even gone that long... Ara thought, chuckling softly. She set the bags in her hand down gingerly before she returned the embrace, sighing into the girl's hold and surrendering herself to the passionate exchange. When at last they pulled apart, Ara was worried that Elesis would shout and force the boy to go away. With the way she remained quiet for a while as her brother shifted uncomfortably under her heavy gaze, it almost seemed likely, but instead, she surprised both of them by marching over to the boy and throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.

What she hadn't heard was what the redhead said to the shorter male, a harsh whisper that had a sharp edge to it, almost like a razor. "We'll talk about this later." Was all she had said, but even so she truly was happy to see him again. "You got big." She remarked, much louder this time as she studied the boy. "And you look like hell. What did your clothes get caught in a blender or something? And what's with these scars?"

"Many, many misunderstandings." Elsword offered lamely. Elesis nodded slowly before turning her attention back to the kitchen where she had been cooking not long ago. Elsword glanced over to Ara who could only shrug. She was just as confused as he, however, she followed her lover, picking up the groceries first.

Elsword took the time to look around the small apartment and look at the pictures Ara mentioned. It did look like someone had been ripped out of them, but he recognized a few of the pictures almost instantly and knew exactly who Elesis had decided to cut out of her life now. "I see you're not a fan of the old man either." Elsword called. "What happened?"

"He went AWOL several months after I enlisted. No one's seen him since, and the higher ups just decided to list him as KIA." Elesis called back. "As I recall, that was around the time you decided to ditch me too."

Elsword cringed. He always regretted that day, but it wasn't like he could just march right back and admit he was wrong. Both siblings were very prideful in that sense, but he really did love his sister, and he knew that deep down she loved him too. It was just hard to see that sometimes when the other one is breathing down your neck and plotting your life out for you, not giving you the chance to speak your mind. Truth be told Elsword wouldn't have minded enlisting either once he was finished with school. He figured that was better than struggling to find a job that didn't pay enough to make ends meet. Then again, living on the streets wasn't much better. Banthus was one such example.

"Yeah...sorry about that." Elsword said. Elesis was quiet for a while. Ara spoke quietly to the girl in his place and he continued to look around. There were various awards and trophies from competitions, a plaque here and there and even several gold medals. He remembered some of them; she'd been captain of her Kendo club in high school and forced him to join. He didn't find it that interesting, but he stuck with it to make her proud. He was the only one ever able to keep up with her once Elesis really got in the groove.

"So, you meet a girl worth bringing to meet the family?" Elesis asked, wrapping her arms lightly around her brother's shoulders from behind and leaning her head on his shoulder. Elsword shook his head. He hadn't really been interested in dating, not really. Elesis shrugged. "Oh well. Maybe you swing the other way?"

Elsword blushed at the implications her words brought, as well as the thought of a certain blonde rich bioy who had made it a point to propose to him every day for three whole months straight. He wouldn't even go into detail about the nightly visits either. Although he had to admit, he missed those days sort of. "Well...there was a boy. And before you say anything, I don't really care who my lover is...as long as they aren't too old."

"So you're saying even if your big sis suddenly had a thing for you, you'd be okay with it?" Elesis asked, more curious than teasing now. Elsword shrugged indifferently, and Elesis had to raise her eyebrows at that. "Explain."

"Well, you're not exactly ugly, sis. I mean you're beautiful, and even if you are my sister, the fact that you of all people would feel that way about me, especially after what I did, and all the things I've done...I guess I'd be humbled, in a way." Elsword answered honestly. "I mean...I'm not the kid brother you used to take care of anymore. I've seen plenty of things in my life that would scar the most sensitive person. I've done things I'm not proud of. In a way...I'm almost something like a monster. Anyone who could find it in their hearts to love someone like me has either got to be really, really dumb, or really, really brave."

"...war makes monsters out of many people, little bro. We all do things that we aren't proud of. And the only excuse we have? We were just following orders." Elesis' tone dropped after Elsword's speech, and her grip tightened around his shoulders. Elsword lowered his gaze. "I guess...we're a family of monsters, then, huh?" With a weak smile, Elesis placed a gentle kiss on Elsword's cheek. "Welcome home, little bro."

"Glad to be back." Elsword replied, leaning into Elesis' embrace now. As the siblings stood like that, Ara watched them with a smile. This wasn't what she was expecting, but it was good that they didn't have a fight as she had first thought.

Dinner was a really spicy casserole that Elesis had learned how to cook during her time in the military. While Elsword didn't seem to mind, Ara had a hard time swallowing most of the time and gave up, opting to eat something sweeter. Elesis apologized to the girl, but she only earned a slight growl in response and a pout. "Don't be like that! I thought you'd like it, okay? How was I supposed to know you didn't like spicy things?" Elesis whined.

"...you mean besides telling you over and over that I don't like spicy stuff?" Ara asked. Elesis waved off her words and shrugged.

"Details, details. I'll make it up to you. Tell you what, we'll try making that one candy from your hometown tomorrow. How about that?" Elesis offered. However, not even that could cheer up the girl. Elesis sighed and turned to her brother. "She's not always like this, little bro. Sometimes she's a real dork. And super cute too."

"I'll bet." Elsword grinned from behind his cup. He drank his juice in silence while the couple fought and thought back to his time with Banthus and his crew. He missed those days, to an extent. When Banthus wasn't being an insufferable jerk, he was pretty cool. He taught Elsword how to brawl, ride a motorcycle and even how to hold a conversation with girls. Luichel had helped with that as well, though he hadn't known that she was secretly flirting with him, until Banthus had caught them together. He sighed quietly.

Standing up, Elsword patted Elesis on the shoulder and motioned for her to follow him. She did so, curious as to what he wanted from her. Elsword took her out of the apartment building and down to the alleyway. Ara looked out the window at the siblings, confused as to what was going to happen. "Do you still have our old practice swords?" Elsword asked. Elesis nodded, running to get them. When she returned, Elsword grinned as he held the piece of wood that had once been too heavy for him to hold properly. The odd lettering he had once told Elesis were Runes. She simply bonked him on the head and called him a loser.

"Ready to dance, little brother?" Elesis asked, immediately dropping into her most comfortable stance.

"Don't let your guard down, cause I'm bringin the heat!" Elsword answered, doing the same.

After a few seconds' pause, the two siblings charged, and the fight began.

X x X

That night at Dinner, Add yawned and stretched. He wore little more than a tanktop and sweatpants, a small towel around his neck told Aisha and Eve that he had been working on something. His dynamos followed after him, scanning everything they found interesting. Some even went so far as to snap photos of Aisha, who wore similar attire to their white haired master, though she wore short shorts in place of sweat pants. Eve was still in the same nightgown from earlier, and they took a picture of that as well.

"What's there to eat?" Add asked. Aisha pointed to the bags of take out on the counter and Add chuckled. "My favorite..."

"You don't have to eat." Aisha replied with a glare. Add shook his head.

"You misunderstand. The restaurant logo on the bags. I recognize it. My previous employer would buy it for me whenever we were in Velder for a job or something." Add said. Aisha was skeptical but let it go. "What's this?" Add asked, pointing to the picture Aisha was still sketching. It was Ophelia, but she had Oberon in a tight headlock, and the elder butler tried his hardest to break free. She was much stronger, however, and her grip never once loosened. "Are they always like that?"

"Yeah. One time, Oberon was caught trying to hide in my underwear drawer." Aisha said with a shrug. "Even though Oberon and Ophelia are both mute, I could swear if he had the ability to talk you'd have heard him all the way from Elder." Aisha chuckled. Add grimaced and winced. Not only was the image a gruesome one to imagine, but he could honestly do without loud noises. His ears still rang. "Why so interested now? You've never liked art."

"That's not true. I always have." Add responded defensively. Then he thought back to his relationship with Aisha and realized his actions didn't exactly seem to hint that he liked her art very much. He sighed and shook his head, even as she rolled her eyes. "I'm telling the truth. I've always liked art. I guess...I was so wrapped up in everything else that I never had the time to truly appreciate it. You put a lot of detail into your art." Add responded. Aisha blinked, somewhat stunned by the confession/compliment duo and shrugged.

"Everyone says that. I just like to keep things as close to how I see them as possible." Aisha said. Add nodded, leaning over her shoulder to get a closer look at the sketch. Aisha scooted away from him, uncomfortable with the closeness and Add ignored it, though inside he smacked himself. "What? Did I smudge the lines too much or something?"

"Nah, I was just thinking of commissioning you, once I had the money. Anyway, I'm off to my room again. Thanks for the chow mein." Add replied as he walked away, digging into the carton of noodles. Aisha blinked for a minute before catching onto his words and chasing after the male. Add chuckled. Stealing her food was always the most entertaining thing for him to do. Especially since they liked almost the same sorts of foods to begin with. However, he had been faster to react and was in his room before Aisha could chase him up into the attic, pulling the ladder up and waving to the pouting girl. "Good night~!"

"Jerk!" Aisha shouted as Add closed the hatch. Eve silently shook her head as she watched the two. Well, at least it'd be a bit more lively around here from now on.

"What do you think, Moby?" She asked black drone as it danced in the air in front of her. Remy, its twin soon joined it and the two began to wrestle. Even gave a small giggle at their antics and gently pet both drones. "I suppose you two are right, but who knows. Maybe something good will come of his being here. Maybe Aisha will finally overcome her block, too."

Eve looked over to where Aisha was sitting in front of her easel, a pout still on her face as she replaced the current drawing with a blank canvas. Eve walked over and hugged Aisha from behind as Moby and Remy gently nudged the artist's cheeks softly. Aisha eventually cracked a smile and patted Eve's hands. "I'm off to my room now as well. You can have what's left of my dinner." Eve said. Aisha nodded and the tiny woman walked away. "And don't forget to buy more supplies tomorrow! There's money in your sock drawer!"

"Have I ever told you I love you yet?" Aisha called back.

"You have, but you've yet to ask me on a date officially." Eve joked, closing the door to her room behind her. Aisha chuckled. Eve was the best.

"Now...to get to work! Hopefully." She said, staring at the canvas once again.