A/N: I'm sorry that my updates have been REALLY slow lately. I've sorta fallen into a sorta funk lately, and it's been affecting my mood so sometimes I wanna write, and other times I just sorta lie down and just stay in bed all day. (Although, I sleep on the floor, but you get my point). So please be patient, you guys. I'm trying my hardest. s always, leave a review if you can! Your thoughts are appreciated.

Til nest time!

~shine

~Repaint Tomorrow~

=Moments=

It was a few days after Elsword lifting her spirits when the day she dreaded the most came: her monthly appointment with Hoffman. She waited patiently as he looked over the pictures she submitted to him, his ever critical gaze sweeping over every little detail. To say that he was impressed was a huge understatement. He'd said it plenty times before. Aisha was much more talented than she realized, and hearing her speak words that did little justice to the exquisite things she showed him was truly what made him harsh with her. Without confidence, there could be no potential growth. Without belief in oneself, there would be nothing to truly enjoy. And he saw both potential and beauty in all that she showed him. "Remarkable!" He said at last, rubbing his chin as he eyed her portrait of Elsword. She'd decided t draw him once again just the other day, and the boy was more than willing to be a model for her.

The pose was rather simple; she had asked him to take as cool a pose as he could think of. And so, after a moment's thought, Elsword simply turned his back to her, and crossed his arms. Then, thinking again, he turned just slightly so that he could look at her draw him, and Aisha shook her head, called him a dork, but got to painting. Elsword didn't say anything to her until she was finished about an hour later, offering lunch instead of words of insult.

"I take it this boy is a friend of yours?" Hoffman asked. Aisha thought about that for a moment before shrugging. She honestly had no idea what to think of him. He came by more often than she liked, and often brought his sister and her girlfriend with him, but it wasn't too bad, she supposed. The studio was much more lively, and she was drawing more often than not. Eve would sometimes even tease Aisha, which was completely out of character for the normally stoic woman. Elesis and Ara both grinned knowingly whenever Elsword and Aisha were together and left the two alone. "I see. Still, I noticed something." Hoffman said, bringing Aisha from her thoughts. the girl tilted her head slightly, her confusion evident. "It seems you put more effort into your drawings of him than you do anyone else. See? Look at this."

Hoffman placed two sketches on the table facing Aisha. The first had been of Ara when she first met the girl. It was done mostly from memory, but it was still rather well done. The second was of Elsword as he lay on his side yawning out of boredom. Aisha realized what he meant just by comparing the toi sketches. Whereas the sketch of Ara was done as neatly as possible, there were still some messy lines here and there, and the shading was terribly done, as if it was an afterthought rather than something she had intended to do. Aisha also realized that there were several things missing from Ara's figure as well, such as the hairpin she loved to wear in her hair back then, among other things. With Elsword's sketch, not a single line was out of place, everything was rather neat and tidy, and even the shading was done with care. Not an article of clothing was out of place. Everything was as it should have been. She nodded slowly.

"Still, you've grown quite a bit since last month, so I won't say it's a total loss." Hoffman answered, taking the two sketches back and placing them neatly back into the portfolio. "Have you figured out what I meant by my words just yet?" He asked. Aisha shook her head. "I see. Only a few more weeks."

"B-but sir, could you at least give me a hint?" Aisha asked. Hoffman shook his head. "Why not?"

"You've got the tools to figure it out already. You always have. Why give you the answer when you already know what it is?" He answered, but it was clear from his tone that the conversation was over. Aisha sighed in frustration and got up to leave. Hoffman watched her leave and grinned to himself. When the door of his office closed again, he held up one of the sketches he had been able to sneak from the portfolio: it was clearly one of Aisha, and when he turned the image over, the words "Elemental Master" were written in her neat cursive, right above the date. "Hm." He said. He dialed a number on his cellphone and pressed it to his ear. After a few moments, the person on the other line picked up. "Luichel. I have a project for you."

~ x ~

Add glanced over at the frustrated Aisha who had been staring at her easel for over an hour. "Stare any harder and you'll set it on fire." He commented, only to be met with silence. He walked over and poked her shoulder, ignoring her flinching away from him and replied with, "Seriously, what's got you on edge?"

"Nothing." Aisha answered, her tone harsher than she meant it. Add didn't move, and when Aisha seemed to deflate, he tried asking again. "It's Hoffman. The guy who got me this place as part of my scholarship deal. He keeps giving me projects to do, and if I manage to do them in time i'm rent free for a while, and he even buys me art supplies."

"Sounds like a pretty sweet deal." Add replied. "Also sounds like the devil."

"He's not nearly that bad. He's just...impossible." She confessed, sighing. "The thing is, he can be really cryptic sometimes or just plain confusing and irritating. This time my project is to "repaint tomorrow" or whatever. I don't even know what that means!"

Add held his chin in thought for a second. "Well, there's a number of things that could mean, and I think that's the point." Add said finally. Aisha asked him to elaborate. "Well, no one really knows what tomorrow will bring. Sure you'll have a date, or have school or get married or any number of things. But that's just one part of 24 hours, which in turn is one part of an infinite number of possible futures and revelations. So repainting something that may or may not happen is kind of impossible. But it also poses the question: what do you want to do tomorrow?"

"...so what you're saying is...I'm painting my future?" Aisha asked.

Add shrugged. "That's what I was able to draw from it, anyway. It could mean something else entirely. Maybe something you want to accomplish in the future, or someone you want to spend the rest of your life with. I could be anything, but in general...yes. You're more or less painting your future." Aisha nodded slowly, taking all of this in. "But you know. I'm curious too, now." Add said, interrupting Aisha's thoughts.

"Huh?"

"What you decide to paint. I wanna know too." He said. Aisha's expression didn't change, and Add was starting to get used to that. It bothered him a little, but he couldn't say he expected much better. "I'm not talking about us, by the way. I've come to realize that's one future that may never happen."

"One can hope." Aisha responded. Add nodded.

"And hope this one shall." He patted Aisha on the back and went back to his breakfast, sipping at the now cold coffee and grimacing. "Hey, you wanna get lunch later? If Eljerk decides to drop by, he's welcome to come too."

"There's a coffee shop nearby that Eve and I like to go to. They serve great vanilla lattes." Aisha didn't turn to look at him, but knew there was a smile forming on his face. Well, she was grateful to him for shedding some insight on her mental dilemma, so the least she could do was accept his invitation to lunch. She'd most likely have to pay, though. He was broke, after all. "When you're done eating, pull up a chair. I wanna talk to you about something."

~ x ~

When Elsword woke up, it was to soft hands brushing against his cheeks, and soft lips gently pressing on his own. A soft hum entered his ears, and moments later, the light aroma of expensive cologne. He knew that smell, and the all too familiar caresses. His face instantly burned and when he opened his eyes, he was correct; bright blue eyes gazed back into his own crimson ones. "Chung..." He whispered softly, and in an instant, the adorably sweet voice filed his ears again.

"I've told you before not to call me by that silly nickname anymore. My name is Lacher, Els." The boy answered. Elsword was silent for a while, and so was Chung, however, the boy did not stop his caressing. He ran his hands through the red head's hair, frowning at the many knots and tangles. "You should take much better care of your hair. It's so beautiful."

"Yeah, well, being on the road as often as I am doesn't give you that luxury." Elsword finally said, sitting up and brushing Chung's hands away from his head. The other boy seemed disappointed, but made no move to continue. Instead, he sat quietly. "Why are you here?"

"My, aren't you as cold as ever. We don't see each other for months, and yet you still choose to get right to the point." The blonde male shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. Elsword narrowed his eyes at the boy, but this did nothing to intimidate the blonde. "Why else would I be here, Els? Love." Elsword sighed and hung his head. Of course. "I know. My past attempts to win your affections only drove a wedge between us, and I understand if you want nothing to do with me, but I can't shake this feeling any more than you. I know there's something there. And I know that you know this too."

Elsword couldn't deny that, he admitted silently, and he knew tat it was his silence that told the boy exactly that. But what was he supposed to say? Any hint of him denying it would only prove that he was wrong. Chung was rather good at reading people, and to him, Elsword was like an open book. "What about your father?" Elsword asked finally. Lacher stiffened. "He doesn't know."

"He will know in due time. Els, please. Why won't you just be with me? I can take care of you! You'll never have to sleep out in the cold, and no one will look down on you! I know money can't buy happiness, but at least we' be together!" Elsword couldn't look at Chung, because he knew that if he looked into those earnest eyes, there would be no way he could look away. "I love you. And I know you love me too."

"You're right. I do." He sighed again. "Which is exactly why I can't be with you."

"You're not making any sense. Why are you refusing?" Chung asked. "Is it because of what people would say? You know me well enough to know I could care less what people thought of me!"

"Yes, anyone except your father." Elsword looked up finally, and regretted it. The hurt look in Chung's eyes made him look away again, and Elsword fought back the urge to apologize and kiss the boy. "It's true, then. And what of your cousin Sasha? could you truly give up her affections for me?"

"I could." Chung replied after a long silence. Elsword frowned. He hesitated. That was what made it almost impossible to be with the boy. When his father or cousin were mentioned, it was as if his previous words meant nothing. They were background noise compared to what his father and cousin would think of him if they found out that he was in fact gay. "Els?"

"Please. just...I need to be alone." elsword replied, his tone final. Chung nodded and reached over to grab Elsword's hand. He puled away from the boy. "Now, Chung."

"...okay." The defeat in the other boy's voice hurt them both, but Elsword didn't look up. Chung left in silence, closing the door behind him. Elsword ran a hand through his hair and exhaled sharply. If he had known love would be this complicated, then he would never have rescued that boy from getting bullied those years ago. But h did, and it wasn't something tht Elsword ever regretted. But he never liked having to hear Chung cover up his affections for him to his father, dismissing him as "just a friend", even when they were clearly something more. It had been fine for a while, because he simply enjoyed being with the boy.

However, being brushed off so many times,and having the truth covered up so often eventually caused the worst firght the two had ever had, which also lead to their break up, and Elsword punching the boy in the face. It was the first time Elsword had ever been that angry, and he even shouted at Chung that if he couldn't truly accept him, then they may as well have remained strangers. And the years following that were exactly like this: no matter how much Chung tried to reconcile, the fear of his father knowing made him freeze. And even worse, the thought of Sasha knowing made Chung sweat bullets, because through her his father would know, and that would eventually be the end of the boy's world.

Hellput was a man known far and wide to be all about family. He wanted his son to have a healthy marriage and raise children of his own. He'd had so many women lined up for his son to take his pick of, but Chung simply could not pick, and that was what scared him. NOt because he didn't like them. Because he did; they remained friends even to this day. But he wasn't interested in them in that way. He loved them, but not in the way that he could love a man. Elsword, in particular. He could not actively pursue them in the way he did Elsword. He just could not love a woman, and the thought of her bearing his children was equally as off putting.

Elsword got out of bed and dressed. One look at the bedside table told him that Chung had prepared well for their conversation; a roll of bills sat beside a cellphone, and a note with an address. Perhaps a hotel that he could stay at for a while. While he could not completely accept Chung's generosity, he still accepted the gifts, intending to spend it instead on food while he was on the road. And if he had the time to call the boy, then he would. "This is for the best." He told himself, and headed out the door.

~ x ~

"Oh come on! That's total bullshit and you know it!" Elesis cried as she and Ara watched the football game on screen. Elesis slammed the beer can down on the arm of the couch in her anger and crushed it in her hand. Ara rubbed her temples and shook her head. Her girlfriend became a rather belligerent drink, and it was clear that she was already at that point. It wasn't even half time! Of course, the red head wouldn't care one bit, shouting obscenities at the scream while jamming chips and popcorn in her mouth, downing can after can of beer. Ara was never a fan of sports for this very reason, and neither did she like drinking unless it was some fruity cocktail that wouldn't get her drunk so soon.

Right now the teams on screen were the Besma Dragons and Velder Nephilim. Two teams that were known to be very aggressive. No matter who they played, the other team wound up with several injured players. This was apparently the reason Elesis liked them as much as she did. Ara couldn't see the point in injuring the other team just to make it easier for you to win. Then again, it was sports.

So instead, here she sat, curled up in her section of the couch with a book open in her lap, a bottle of water on the floor within reach, and a small bowl of miniature cookies resting on the arm of the couch. Elesis would glance over from time to time to see what Ara was doing, and the heterochromatic girl would give a small smile and a wink. Elesis would sometimes blow a kiss, but otherwise, she'd smile back or scoot over to read whatever page Ara was on during commercial breaks. She liked cuddling with Elesis, to be quite honest. However, once the football game came back on, her attention was immediately on that. Ara would sigh to herself and go back to reading.

"No! Moron! You NEVER throw the ball to him! He couldn't catch a ball if it were shaped like a pair of boobs!" Elesis screamed again, and Ara had enough. Snapping her book shut, she gathered her things and moved into the bedroom where it was much quieter, and her girlfriend's obscene language wouldn't distract her. Elesis noticed this out of the corner of her eye and frowned. She was much quieter after that.

Once the game was over, She went to the bedroom to find Ara fast asleep, the book still open to her page, and a half eaten cookie resting on her chest. Elesis found a bookmark and placed it in her book, cleaned up any crumbs, and gently covered Ara up with the blankets. She was never the most graceful sleeper when she fell asleep doing something, and more often than not, Ara always got food on herself. Elesis climbed in bed with her girlfriend and wrapped the other girl's arm around her shoulders as she cuddled up to her.

~ x ~

Oberon and Ophelia stood by as their mistress put the final touches on their brother. Both were quite excited to see him moving about for the first time, and Oberon hoped he would be far less aggressive than Ophelia. Had he the means to vocalize this, he surely would have, though his body language alone alerted the maid beside him to his thoughts. She merely ignored him. She was only aggressive to him because he was a constant headache for their mistress and she was the only one able to pacify him most times. Whenever she sensed mental fatigue due to his rather sporadic temperament, she would step in to ease Eve's mind.

Did she not know that this would only add more stress to herself? Ophelia was not usually one to worry about such things. She figured that her mistress took such things into consideration and prepared for it, but lately her headaches have been more frequent, and she had been having nosebleeds as well. This was no surprise, because such mental stress was common, and the nosebleeds were something of a regular thing, though they didn't happen very often. Eve normally knew her limits and would rest when she didn't have the strength to continue much longer. Such times she would let Oberon and Ophelia care for her while she visited her friends and played with them for a while.

At least Oberon's hyperactivity was good for a laugh, Ophelia mused, as she glanced sidelong at her older brother. He didn't seem to notice her, to which she wasn't sure she should feel annoyed or grateful. Being a Nasod, incomplete though her mistress said she was, she could feel emotions and even think for herself. Oberon as well, though they both had their primary directives. However, they both willingly stood by their mistress. She would be terribly lost without them, and their link to her mind would only cause her more stress the further they went from her. It was purely out of love, necessity and worry they they stood so close by. Even Oberon wouldn't go outside of a certain range limit. It was always Ophelia who was given the task of collecting groceries. Her stress on her mistress's mind was much less than Oberon's, after all.

Eve, however, remained oblivious to Oberon and Ophelia's thoughts. Normally her mental link to them gave her access to their thoughts and let her influence their actions directly. However, when she was working, she would either block them out or ignore them until they were needed. she did not, however, realize that this link was a two way street; if she could peer into their thoughts, so too could they peer into hers. That was partially what allowed them to take such good care of her, and would allow them to act without being told to. Eve was grateful to them, and loved them a if they were her own children. "You may wake up now, Ferdinand." Eve commanded, and within moments, therobot guardian opened his eyes.

"Good morning, Mistress." He replied, sitting up. He examined himself, giving himself a once over as Eve checked his vital signs. When he looked up to see Oberon and Ophelia staring right at him, he smiled. "Good day to you, brother. It is good to finally meet you, sister." When he was met with silence, he grew worried. "Why do you not respond? Are you displeased with my presence?"

"It's not that." Eve responded, grabbing Ferdinand's face in her hands and pulling him down to look her in the eye. As she continued to check him for anything out of place, she casually answered, "They were not installed with a voice box upon birth, like you were. I promised them that I would install one should they help me with getting you operational."

"I see. Then I must thank them properly by helping you build them." Ferdinand replied. Eve nodded, swaying slightly on her feet. Ferdinand caught her in his arms immediately and held her against him. "You are tired. Let us get you some food, and then you must rest. Brother, sister. Your assistance will be required." Oberon and Ophelia nodded. Eve's face burned. "Do not worry, mistress. We will take care of you."

~ x ~

When Aisha arrived home, she was surprised when Ferdinand helped her out of her jacket, took her portfolio from her hands and offered her a glass of milk and a muffin. She was instantly led to the table where she was given a plate and napkin. "If you need anything at all, be sure to call." Ferdinand replied to Aisha, who merely blinked at him as he floated away to tend to Add, whose loud cursing could be heard from the attic. "Master Add, please keep your voice down-"

"What in the living hell just happened?" Aisha wondered aloud.

"Ferdinand, my latest creation. I meant to show him off to my father later, but apparently i'm prohibited from going anywhere due to my health." Eve answered, glancing at Aisha from behind the cup of tea in her hands. She took a small sip and set the cup down softly. Oberon and Ophelia stood ever by her side, and Aisha wondered what they must be feeling. Eve spoke up in their stead. "Oberon's worried just as much as Ophelia. they noticed my health dropping lately, and Ferdinand instructed them to watch me carefully. He even took off my face patches!"

Aisha noted that Eve was much more responsive now, pouting more openly and huffing. "Well, if it's such a hazard to your health, then maybe it's a good thing." Aisha answered. Eve shook her head, but made no attempt to answer. She knew her friend was right, but she was so used to having them on that it just felt...wrong. Aisha also noted how Eve would sometimes rub her cheeks, as if making sure they were actually gone, and she reached across the table to grab Eve's hand. "Relax. Oh! Come with me, I just had an idea!"