A/N: GC is making my comp freak out, so here I am! Forcibly writing another chapter =3 (I apologize for the Not-longness!)

-insert random disclaimer here containing my not owning Grand Chase/Characters/Etc-

Chapter 7: Back to the Beginning

Arme winced ever so slightly, her head pounding. The light streaming in from her window intruded her closed eyes relentlessly, causing her to squint. Her arms were heavy under the sheets that lay on top of her. She lay her head back on the less than comfortable pillow. Beep... Beep... The throbbing in her head was intensifying.Lass... Amy... Elesis... Everyone... Are you waiting for me to wake up? She gingerly forced her eyes open, the beeping raising in volume the seconds she opened them. N-No. Please, don't let this be...Arme's heart stopped cold.

There, with her head on the pristine white sheets, was Arme's mother. A quick look over granted her the full view of her heart monitor and I.V., faithfully beeping away. The walls were white, the floors were white... Hell, the furniture was all white. I... No! This isn't... This can't happen! As soon as the thought came out she felt guilty, looking at her mother. I just wished... I could go back... Arme felt her throat choke up and she sat up, sliding her eyes shut once again. A bitter chuckle erupted from her throat as she slowly reached over to shake her mother, forcing a smile onto her face. It was just a dream... All of it was... Just a dream. She had told herself many times during the first few weeks, but somehow it had... Slipped her mind. How do you forget something like that?! It wasn't real, any of it. Not the Grand Chase, not Elena, not the magic, not Lass. He was just... Arme's hand lighted down on her mother's shoulder, and she tried in vain to make sure her smile wasn't slipping.

"Nhh..." Her mother stirred, her eyes blinking open quickly to take in the sight of her daughter. She stared for a moment, her gaze unwavering. Her hand gently moved to rest on Arme's cheek.

"Arme...? Arme, you've woken... Up..." She whispered, her head up off the pillows. Arme blinked.

"H-how Long have I been... Asleep...?" She managed to make out, her throat still clenching up painfully. She tried to keep her voice steady, though even through her trying she could tell that it kept cracking. Her mother didn't seem to notice, or was ignoring it.

"Arme... Arme, you were gone for..." She placed her head in her hands for a moment before finishing her sentence.

"Two... Arme, two months have gone by." She murmured, holding her daughter's hand. Arme gasped. T-two months?! she could feel a hand on her cheek again, and her sights getting blurred.

"Please, don't cry Arme. You'll be alright, you'll be alright..." Only when it was said could Arme feel the tears falling down her cheeks almost painfully. Looking at her mother only made her feel more guilty, the tears continuing to build up. I'm awake... I'm finally awake... And I'm alive! My mother's been waiting for me all this time, but why..? Why am I not smiling?! She made another attempt at lifting the frown off her face, but it only made the vice around her heart squeeze tighter. It... Hurts... So much... Is this what it feels like to leave behind the people you care about? Do they feel like this too...? She gave a slight shake of her head to no one in particular, hardly noticing as her mother made a sudden movement to the night stand of her bed. Soon a pill case was thrust toward her, and she vaguely remembered taking them the last time she had woken up.

These pills... Keep me awake. As the thought came to her she had a sudden reluctance to take them. Her hand opened and closed around the bottle, in a swift movement she opened the lid, swallowing the small blue and white capsules.What is wrong with you? Do you want to go back there?! Do you want to die in the dark, all alone?! Arme shook her head. No, not all alone... I don't want to be alone...

*click*

Arme looked up hastily as the door was swung open, a doctor walking into the room to gawk at Arme.

"So, you're really awake..." He observed slowly, grabbing the clip board and sitting down next to her. Arme nodded dumbly, keeping her sarcastic responses to herself. The doctor made some notes regarding the heart monitor before bothering to look up at her, his gaze flat.

"Arme, do you mind if I ask you some questions?" Arme shook her head, her purple hair swaying lightly. Do I have a choice?

"Arme, do you feel drowsy? Nauseous? Sick in any way?"

"No..."

"Was there any... Pain in your sleep?" Arme's mind immediately flew to the cut in her shoulder, but her head shook instinctively. I was in more pain when I woke up.

"And... Did you ever gain consciousness during your sleep? Anything akin to a dream?" Arme's eyes widened as she contemplated an answer, words failing her as she opened her mouth. Finally, she shook her head slowly. If nothing, just give me this to myself. It's all I ask. The doctor observed her disbelievingly, jotting down more notes.

"Arme? If you have anything at all that you wish to tell us, please do so. We can't help you if you don't let us." He finished, standing up. Her mother took back her spot next to the head of the bed. Arme sighed, out of anything to say. She was fairly certain her tears had dried up, though the awful clench in her heart and throat had yet to leave. She closed her eyes lightly, exhaustion soon to follow.

"Sweetie?" Her mother's voice came through hazily, "Would you like anything to eat? Maybe you'd like me to put on a movie..?" Arme was hardly able to shake her head before she drifted off, the lights dimming ever so slightly.

"Don't worry, she'll wake up. It'll be fine..." A female's voice was heard softly, causing Arme to stir. Who's that?! Who's there?! The noises became steadily louder, following the light that was shining in. Another voice joined the first, muttering something incomprehensible. The voice, though... It was familiar. There's... No way. Arme attempted to move, the sheets on her bed acting as a weight and disallowing her. It.. Can't be. There's no way. Quietly, daringly, Arme opened her eyes. A beeping burst through the other noises, white light infiltrating her view as she noticed two figures standing at the end of the bed, A purple haired woman and a black haired man.

"Arme! You're awake again!" Was the exclamation made.

That was all it took for Arme to break down into tears, her heart feeling almost as though it were splitting in two. Just like that, she had stumbled all the way back to square one.

When Arme woke up she was predictably in the white room again, her mind ringing dully as she opened her eyes, her senses seeming to have died along with her heart. Forcing a smile on her face, she looked around the room only to find it empty, a small card on the stand.

Dear Arme,

Should you wake before I return, I will be back soon. I need to go to the store for a bit.

Love,

Mom

She placed the note back on the stand lightly, letting out a sigh. I lived for the times I was awake... Now I just don't know what to do... Her hand flew up to her necklace, fiddling with it absent mindedly as she rested back on the pillow. This is rediculous! I'm getting so bent out of shape over a dream! The thoughts wouldn't stop, no matter how hard she tried to make them. Every minute of the time she was awake was easily inhabited by the dream... Her headache came back slowly as she looked around the room. Is there really nothing to do in this world but sleep? Her eyes flickered open and shut repeatedly, tears welling up for no particular reason. I'm so tired of this... She wasn't sure exactly where she wanted to be, just not here! No, that's a lie. Arme's mind drifted to her purple room, the training area, cooking with Amy. I know where I want to be. She allowed her eyes to close fully, the sound of footsteps approaching the room suddenly invading her ears. Please let them think I'm asleep... She thought, I don't want to deal with any more doctors!

There was a loud yell in the hallway outside, followed by more footsteps entering the room. Hushed whispers were heard, and Arme squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Go away, go away... The sounds didn't leave any further than they already were, seeming to come even closer at her insistence of being left alone. After a few moments she could hear the footsteps retreating, and she slowly slid her eyes open. The sound of someone gasping was the first sound she heard, but it seemed unimportant. Her sights were glued disbelievingly to the wall infront of her, tears still streaming out of her eyes. She blinked once, twice, and a third time. No matter how many times she repeated the action, the wall was completely, and undeniably purple.

"Arme? Are you alright?" A quiet voice said from beside her, Arme looking over to find Ronan sitting next to the bed. She nodded lightly, not making a sound as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her feet fell to the ground silently, and she began walking cautiously towards the door. The immediate hallway was empty, sounds coming from down the stair case. She could hear the spell knight following her as she went down them precariously, but was beyond caring. When she had made it to the bottom of the stair case she hastily made her way into the kitchen, stumbling across Elesis. The red head turned around quickly from the two empty glasses she had taken out, eyes widening wordlessly at the presence of the purple haired girl. Arme passed her as well, turning to the room she had passed out in. The sounds were most definitely coming from there...

Arme closed her eyes tightly, her heart making another uncomfortable leap as she took the final step into the room. All conversation that had been going on previously in the room was silenced, and for a moment Arme was terrified she'd done something wrong. Her eyes flung open, pink hair the first thing in sight. Jin was sitting next to Amy, both of their heads turned around to stare at her from the back of the sofa. Ryan was sitting on the sofa across from theirs, his face completely still as he observed Arme.

"Arme!" The magician quickly turned her head, noticing who she had been looking for; Lass was standing next to the window directly to her right, staring at her with his eyes wide. Everyone! They're... Here... Arme could feel her first true smile in three days slowly appearing on her face, tears overflowing as she took one step toward the silver haired male. As her feet made impact with the ground her legs quite suddenly gave out underneath her, sending her to the floor harshly. She didn't bother to stand up, bottled up emotions exploding without warning as she began crying without abandon. It was mere seconds before Lass was next to her, gently rubbing her back as she reached out to hold onto his shirt. Her head ended up resting lightly on the front of her shirt.

She wasn't certain of how long she stayed there, wasn't worried about the groups of people surrounding them. The only though going through her head was I'm back! I'm really back!

"I came back..." She could feel Lass' arms winding around her as he lifted her up, setting her on the couch a moment later.

"Yeah. And the first thing you do after sleeping for a day and a half is ruin my shirt." He murmured quietly, relief coming out clearly in his tone.

"Sorry." She responded, her hand still not leaving his shirt as he sat down next to her.

"If you really are, you can stop crying now." Arme raised her free hand to her cheek, the skin wet. She hastily wiped her eyes, becoming increasingly aware of the people surrounding her. Everyone had crowded around the couch, and she could see Ryan watching silently from the arm of the chair in between the two couches.

"You were crying in your sleep, you know." Lass whispered, his head resting on the cushion next to her.

"I was a bit... Scared. I'm fine now." She sat up suddenly, looking at the people around her.

"I think I'm going to go outside and train for a bit alone, okay?" She said, earning several confused stares as she exited the room, turning out the door to the training ground. When further in the field of dummies Arme sat down. In the haste she had forgotten to grab her staff from her room, only allowing her the ability to conjure small fireballs, though they sputtered and wavered out quickly. The actual spells weren't what she had been aiming for; she'd simply needed to see that she hadn't forgotten it, hadn't lost it. Everything was there though... They thought she had just fallen asleep, and had woken up a day and a half later... Everthing was still together. Her head rested on the dummy behind her as she looked up at the cool blue sky, a gentle breeze spinning through the air. She could hear footsteps, and looked over in the direction of the sound. Who she hadn't been expecting to see, however, was the orange haired boy. He was looking at her cautiously as he walked closer, stopping a fair way away from her to lay down on the grass.

"H... Hello..." Arme was the first to hazard a conversation, her hair lightly brushing into her eyes as she watched curiously for his reaction. Ryan sighed lightly, sitting up to get a better view of her. His pointed ears twitched ever so slightly as he looked at her through large, dark green eyes. His hair was a bit more mussed than she'd remembered from the picture, his eyes a dull colour.

"They were all really worried, you know." He stated quietly, head aimed back up at the sky, "Even Lass. He totally freaked on me when you passed out." Arme smiled lightly at the thought.

"And... I guess I owe you an apology after the things I said the other day." He continued with a light chuckle. He looked at her fully before continuing, his voice slightly marred.

"I shouldn't have said anything like that, it really wasn't your fault. I guess I'm just worried... They all seem a bit better now, than they did before I left. But here I am, still broken as ever." His eyes shut gently, the wing ruffling around his clothes and hair.

"What if... What if they forget about her? I keep feeling like they've just replaced her..."

"They won't." The boy looked in surprise over at Arme, the purple haired girl looking down at her feet.

"They still talk about her, and I'm not sure they even notice it. They just... Keep her in mind. Elesis, Lass, Ronan... I'm sure everyone misses her." A silence fell between the two calmed by the rustling of the trees.

"Ryan...? Would you tell me what kind of person she was?" The other was quiet for a moment, contemplating his answer before he spoke quietly.

"She-No, Lire... Lire was the center of my universe. She was kind, brave, and smart. She kept us all from fighting, and inspired us to keep going when we felt weak. She's the only one I'll ever love, and it's my fault she's gone. Maybe, if I had just done something differently that day... It's meaningless to say, but my world froze in place the day she left. I refuse to move from that spot until she comes back... Someday. I'll wait as long as it takes. Maybe even forever." His voice cracked as he stood up, turning away from Arme.

"You're more like her than I would have thought." He murmured, stepping softly towards the door.

"W-wait! Why did she go?!" Arme called, stopping Ryan just as he entered the building.

"Weren't you listening? It was because of me." And then he disappeared behind the door, leaving Arme to wonder just what had happened before she arrived. Following a few minutes later, Arme was stopped at the door by a wave of Amy's spatula.

"That wasn't nice! We were all worried, and you just went off to train by yourself the minute you woke up?" Arme managed a weak smile toward the pink haired girl before taking a step toward the stair case, only to be grabbed by the arm.

"Wait. Arme, mind sitting down with me for a little while? I'll make us some hot cocoa!" She exclaimed, ushering the purple haired girl toward the table before she had a chance to decline. The warm cup was placed in her hands quickly, Amy giving her a smile.

"It's cold outside, so that should feel good on your throat!" She said quietly, blowing smoothly across the top. Arme followed her example, taking a small sip of the liquid. Like Amy had predicted it warmed her body, the cold she hadn't even realized being chased out. A few minutes later, Amy was the one to speak.

"If you pass out like that again, we'll take care of you, okay? You don't need to cry anymore." She murmured softly, taking a sip of the cooling cocoa.

"And besides, I think Lass might break down if you keep crying in your sleep~ He was on edge all day yesterday, sulking!" She giggled, getting a small blush from Arme.

"Hey! Who was on edge yesterday? I personally remember you having a sob fest over her body like she was dead or something!" Both girls turned to where Lass stood in the doorway, a light blush decorating his face as he huffed. Arme continued sipping her cocoa as Lass approached the table, taking a seat that was next to neither of them. Crossing his arms on the table, he placed his head on them and stared intently at Arme.

"And I wasn't sulking." He felt the need to add moments later, sending a glare towards Amy. The pink haired girl shrugged as she emptied out her cup.

"Hey, I call 'em like I see 'em." She stated, turning to the staircase.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go spend some time with Jin! I have to practice my violin anyway~!" She exclaimed, waving to the pair as she hurried up to the stairs. Lass' stare remained unwavering as she slowly finished the cup, gingerly placing it on the counter. He made no move, even as she went upstairs to her room. Outside in the training ground Elesis and Ronan could be seen exchanging blows, and the sound of a violin was lightly in the air. It's almost as though nothing's changed... She lay on her bed contentedly, not bothering to open her eyes as the latch on her window sounded.

"Ow!" Something had been thrown at her, and Arme looked down to see her spell book lying next to her. Lass was lying on the floor, watching as she picked up the book.

"You're almost done." It was true. Arme had only one chapter to go, a fairly long stretch for the grand total of thirty-three chapters. She wordlessly pulled out the pencil from her top drawer and turned to the last chapter, going word by word. The translation was much easier than it had been in the beginning, and she was developing the ability to almost read the words without the penciled-in English. They stayed like that for a long time, the gentle breeze blowing in through the open window.

"... I'm not going to say I missed you, you know."

"I'm not expecting you to."

Another ordinary day.

A/N: Another chapter~~ You must be thinking "UTSURO, THE LAZIEST AUTHOR ON EARTH, UPDATED A CHAPTER 3 DAYS BEFORE SHE PLANNED TO START IT?!?!?!? WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?!" Well, blame this person here for inspiring me D= - Willowwhip

And GC for shutting down on me ;_; adsylvgcKylymfjkbewrib!!! Come back, GC! We miss you! T_T Another note is that Mari and Sieg may be introduced into the story, I dunno yet =3 I apologize for my ignorance! Well, I don't think I have anything else to say on this other than to please review!

-Utsuro