What's this? A new chapter to this oneshot? Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you. Chester needs a follow-up to that kiss, right?
Well, I hope it manages to be as cute as the last chapter... Please enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Phantasia. It is owned by Namco.
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"I'm sure everyone in there wants you to be happy. So... make sure you do something that'll truly make you happy, okay?"
Something that'll truly make me happy... Chester stared at the tree he had previously been using to practice his archery. Arche... Ever since that day, he couldn't get her out of his head. He couldn't remember if he had been thinking about her this much before then or not. What should I do...? I... don't really want her to forget about me when she returns to the past... Wait, why am I even so worried about this?! Dammit... He notched another arrow and aimed at the tree. He released it, and it hit the tree with a thunk. He notched another arrow and took aim. Okay, I just have to get her out of my mind... As soon as he thought those words, the kiss came into his head again. And that... Dammit, why her? And why me?! He shot again, only this time he missed the tree. "Keh..." What's wrong with me?!
"Chester..." The archer blinked and turned to face the owner of the voice: Cless. "Are you okay? You've seemed kinda out of it lately..."
What do you think? I just found out that the person I hate likes me. "I'm fine." He took another arrow and shot it at the tree. He notched yet another arrow and aimed.
"What about the thing with Arche?" Cless asked right before his best friend released. The arrow missed the tree by a long shot.
"Keh..." Chester walked over to the tree and started pulling arrows out; much to his dismay, the swordsman followed.
"You know, Chester... maybe you should try being nice to her for a change."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because she might like it. She's going to return to a hundred years in the past after we defeat Dhaos... Shouldn't you take the chance to compliment her or something before she leaves?"
"I don't care. There's nothing between us—she's just crazy." Chester finished getting the arrows out and returned the salvageable ones to his quiver. "Come on, let's go beat Dhaos already." He led the way back to the group, and Cless sighed before following.
Everyone else was already sleeping by the time they returned, so they laid down. While Cless got to sleep rather quickly, the archer found it hard to sleep. He stared up at the sky, watching the stars, for a long time. "Maybe you should try being nice to her for a change..." That thought dwelled on his mind as he went to sleep.
The next morning, everyone woke up and went about their usual morning business of eating breakfast and packing up the camp. They then hopped on their flying machines and flew towards Friezkiel. They landed just outside of the city and headed in, all freezing within seconds.
Chester fell to the back of the group, his mind still clouded. Dammit, I can't concentrate like this. What should I do...?!
"Chester...? Are you all right?" Klarth asked as he fell in line with the teenager.
"I'm fine."
"You seem distracted... You are ready to fight, right?"
"Of course!" Chester quickened his pace.
They reached the church. The archer soon fell to the back again, not paying attention to entering the church or going down into its depths. Funny... It's spring now, but in Friezkiel, it's still winter... There's nothing here to tell it's spring... To tell it's near Arche's—
"Chester, watch out!" He tried to spin around, but he was too late; the beast behind him hit him on the back of the head and knocked him out. His friends immediately jumped into action, fighting the monster. Arche flew over while Mint ran, and working together, the two young women got their friend up on the broom so he was leaning on the witch.
"Cure...!" As Mint healed him, the other three of the party hurried over, finished with the enemy. "We should take him to the inn..."
"Right. Let's go!" They hurried out of the church and into the cold city. They took their friend to the inn, bought a room, and laid him down on a bed. Once he was safely lying down, the others sighed.
"Well, I guess we could pick up a few supplies while here... Though I'm not sure if I'm ready to brave the cold again..." complained the eldest of the group.
"I'm going to train while waiting. Suzu, will you join me?" Cless offered. With a nod from the ninja, the two walked out, with the swordsman explaining, "We'll be back in two hours if no one finds us by then."
"Klarth-san..." Mint looked up to the summoner. "We're running a little low on supplies and money... Will you help me choose what to buy?"
"Sure... Let's just not stay out too long..."
"Ah, what about me?" Arche questioned right before the last two exited.
"Will you watch over Chester-san for us?" the cleric asked. "Thank you." She left the room, and Klarth followed, leaving Arche alone with the sleeping archer.
Well that's just great... Arche thought as she stared down at him. She walked over to the bed and stared down at him. Heh, he looks so peaceful when sleeping... You'd never guess how much of a jerk he is when he's fast asleep like this! She couldn't help but grin to herself as she watched him.
I wonder... what he thought of that kiss... Well, he probably thought nothing of it. He's so dense... Her hand found its way to his face, and she gently touched his lips with her fingers as he slept. Hm... if he's sleeping, I wonder if I could steal another one... Not like he'd ever know...
Before she could act on this thought, he began moving. She quickly drew her hand away and turned away. So much for that...
"...Ow my head..." Chester complained as he sat up, holding the back of his head. He glanced around the room. "Arche...? Where's everyone else?"
"Training and getting supplies. We had to leave the church because of you, you know."
"Keh..." He laid back down and rolled onto his side, his back to the girl.
Arche leaned over him so she could see at least some of his face. "Well, you're awake now, so I'm gonna leave before you start being a jerk." She stood up straight and started walking towards the door.
"Maybe you should try being nice to her for a change... she might like it."
"...Hey, Arche..."
The half-elf stopped and turned back at the doorway, wondering what he wanted.
What the heck should I say...?! I know how to tease her, and that's fun... but she... What's wrong with me...?! Well, I've stopped her now, so I'll just try saying something nice... She'll like that, right? And... I don't want her to forget me after a hundred years...
"What is it, Chester...?"
"About our usual arguments..." he started, not looking at her. His face felt hot, and his heart wouldn't stop beating hard. This is crazy... "Well, you may be destructive, overly talkative, loud, clumsy, and horrible at everything you try..."
"Wha—"
"But," he continued loudly, cutting her off. He then paused so long that she opened her mouth to say something else; she stopped when she heard a murmur come from him.
"...I'm kinda scared to ask... but what did you say?"
He stared down at the floor so she couldn't see his red face. "It's kinda cute... when you make mistakes..."
Arche gaped at him. Just how hard did he hit his head...?!
"And when you're angry and flustered..." he added.
"So basically..." Chester looked up as the girl spoke only to find her charging up. "I'm only cute when I'm making an idiot of myself...?!"
"Ah..."
"You jerk! I'm not just a failure—I have my good points, too!"
"W-wait, that's not what I—"
"Thunder Blade!"
The thunder spell exploded around the young man. "Ow! Arche...!"
"Jerk..." She walked out of the room, angry.
Chester sat up, rubbing his head. "I was trying to compliment you..." he muttered, more of to himself than anyone now. "What did I do wrong...?"
Mint and Klarth walked in, having bought all the supplies for the group. "Chester-san, you're awake..." The cleric hurried over. "We just passed Arche-chan... She looked upset about something..."
"I don't get her..."
"What happened?" the eldest of the group asked as he sat down on another bed.
"I took Cless' advice and tried complimenting her, and she got mad at me..."
"What did you say?" Mint asked, while the summoner wondered if Chester was okay. Maybe that blow to the head knocked a few things out of place... and for the better, from the sound of it...
"That she may be loud, destructive, and a failure at everything, but she's cute when she makes mistakes like that... and is angry..."
The other two just stared at him, completely aghast.
Nope, still the same old Chester, thought Klarth.
"Chester-san..." Mint paused, trying to figure out how she could help her friends.
Good luck, Mint. I don't know if anyone could teach Chester how to compliment a person. The fact that he's trying is miracle enough...
"Maybe you shouldn't focus on her flaws, but her good points instead. There are lots of ways you can compliment her about how she looks or how strong she is."
"That's boring... It's more fun to tease her."
"You're trying to compliment her. You have to go the full way to do it—you can't stop half way and call it a compliment."
Chester paused, considering this.
"Either that or he could keep trying his methods... and probably be hit by every spell she knows. Maybe she'll try new ones on him so we know what they do," offered Klarth.
"Okay, you win!" The archer held his arms up in surrender. "How do I compliment her...?"
"Try and point out the good points that cancel out the bad things that you said." Mint's suggestion only made the boy more confused. "For example... You said that she was destructive, so maybe you can compliment her by saying that she's powerful, and that you rely on her for battles."
"That sounds a little too..."
"Chester-san..."
"Hm, I wonder what spell she's learning next..."
"Okay, okay! I'll try..."
"Do you know what to do...?"
"...Yeah, I think so." He stood up. "I'll go find her..."
"Do your best, Chester-san."
"Good luck."
With the best wishes from his friends, Chester walked out of the inn and into the snow. Cold... He walked through the white snow, each foot sinking in a little and slowing down his progress. He caught sight of pink hair in all of the white and headed that way. Before long, he found Arche. "Hey..." he called out.
The girl turned to look at him, surprised. "Ah... Why are you following me?!"
"Well... I wanted to apologize for earlier."
"Apologize...? You...?"
"You have some good points, too." He stared at her, thinking. Okay, let's start with Mint's example of destructive equaling strong... Though I still say she's destructive... "The reason your spells are so destructive is 'cause they're strong..." Chester said, not staring at her anymore. The girl watched him, surprised and confused. "...Don't you know how to hold back on them?" he couldn't help but add.
"Not when you're being a jerk."
"H-hey! You little—" he stopped himself just in time. Why am I even trying again...? He couldn't answer himself, but he still couldn't help the want to try. He sighed and turned his back to her, much to her confusion. "And you may be talkative, but you bring up some pretty good points sometimes... It's just hard to find them in all of that ramble."
"It's not ramble! I'm trying to carry a conversation!"
"Uh-huh..."
"Jerk!"
Chester stalled. Why isn't this working...? I'm complimenting her, telling her what her good points are... He turned to look at the girl again. ...Hey, I've got it...
He turned to fully face her. "And you know, you look pretty nice with all of those clown clothes off!" he said, thinking back to their trip to the hot springs.
"Chester..."
"What?"
She pulled up her broom and hit him in the head with it. "You're horrible!" He fell to the ground after the broom hit. He slowly picked himself up, rubbing his head. "Ow..."
"You're such a dense moron!" She stormed off, even angrier than before.
"Arche..." He stood and followed her. I don't get it... What am I doing wrong this time? He rubbed his head again—two blows in the head didn't exactly help him. Neither did the cold. He started feeling a little dizzy as he walked. Seconds later, he tripped over a rock and fell forward.
However, what most of his body landed on wasn't cold. Quite the contrary, it was warm. Chester blinked and opened his eyes to see pink hair. He had fallen on Arche's back, and her front was in the snow.
"Ch-Chester...!"
"Ah..." He slowly pushed himself up to his knees, and then his feet. She sat up, and took his offered hand to stand. She shivered, freezing now because of the snow.
"Clumsy...!"
"I'm not...! I just got a little dizzy..." He swayed.
"Then why are you out in the cold?" She walked towards him. As she passed by him, she grabbed his hair and scarf and started dragging him back towards the inn.
"Ow...! Hey, Arche! Stop that!"
"Why should I? You're a jerk." Before long, they arrived at the inn. Much to Chester's surprise, Mint and Klarth were out again. Once inside the room, she let go of his scarf and hair and sat down on a bed. He watched her, angry about the way she dragged him.
"You know, you could've just grabbed my hand or something normal!" As soon as he said it, he realized what he was suggesting. "N-not that I'd want you to...!"
"Why are you suggesting it if you don't want it?"
He sighed and sat down on the bed next to her. "Okay, today has just been one giant mess. My mind's been going crazy since that visit through the Fenrir church." No, it was before then... since the kiss...
"I can tell... I think you went nutty or something."
"I did not! I'm still perfectly sane!"
"Uh-huh..."
"You're the crazy one. Why on Aselia did you choose me...?!"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Chester blinked. Oops... Didn't mean to say that...
"Chester...?" Arche watched him, while he stared the other way, his face red. "Hey, Chester..." She leaned forward; she grabbed his hair and gave it a small tug.
"Ow! Arche—" He turned to face her only to find her face close. He paused, his face red and his heart beating fast. She's so close...
She sighed and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm not going to kiss you again, if that's what you're worried about. That was just for the bet."
For the bet... that we wouldn't argue for two hours...
"Yeah, yeah... We managed not to argue for two hours, but I bet you couldn't keep quiet for even two minutes."
"Yes I can!"
"Prove it."
"...What do I get if I win?"
What she gets is... "...What you want the most. However..."
Arche blinked and stared at him, awe-struck. Her gape turned into a grin and she nodded, going ahead and starting without a word. "However, if I win, I get whatever I want," he added; she nodded again.
Chester watched her. Heh, now to mess with her some... "Oh right... I talked to Mint earlier. It seems we don't have enough money for food... so someone's going to have to miss dinner. I hope you don't mind, but I volunteered you for that."
"What?! How could you?!"
"I won."
"Oh... You tricked me!" She hit him lightly on the chest, while he laughed. "You jerk!" She sat straight up, folding her arms over her stomach and pouting. "Okay, what do you want?"
"Are you sure you're up for the challenge?"
"Of course! Now stop being a jerk and spit it out already!"
"Okay..." Chester leaned forward and put one hand on the bed and one hand around Arche's waist. He pulled her forward a little and kissed her. After the short moment passed, he pulled away and stared at her. "You may be an idiot, but you better remember me after a hundred years."
Arche giggled. "You can't say anything nice, can you...?" She hugged him. "If I do, just try complimenting me or something... It'd be hard for someone to forget how terrible your compliments are."
"Hey... At least I tried..." He hugged her back.
"Yeah, that's shocking enough as it is..."
"Whatever... And don't expect stuff like this much."
"Hey, I better get plenty of it after waiting a hundred years."
"...Maybe. I'll think about it. Depends on how much you remember. Oh, I guess I should make a quiz..."
"Chester! That's mean!"
He laughed.
Arche... We'll meet again after a hundred years for you... so don't forget me...!
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Well, don't expect another chapter... but then again, I said that last time, too, huh? Not planning one as of now, but things could change... Though it is kinda hard to do more fluff with these two, since Chester's so stubborn...
Ah well, hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading it!
-Ayame