Disclaimer: I own nothing. Konami owns everything.
A/N: This was originally supposed to be a one short story, but it turned out kind of long and I thought 12 pages of solid text would discourage people from reading it, so I've broken it into three short parts. This story is my attempt at exploring the strange love/hate relationship that Nash and Chris seem to have going on. I tried really hard to keep them in character, but I won't lie, it was hard! Anyway, enough of my rambling, I hope you like it! ________________________________________________________________________
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One Step Ahead
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*~*~*~*~*
Part One
*~*~*~*~*
Chris Lightfellow was having a bad day.
Why couldn't one thing go right? Just one? Things just kept getting worse and worse. First she took on the power of the True Fire Rune and became the leader of the Fire Bringer, only to have it sucked back out of her by some madman who sought to destroy his own rune, himself, and potentially taking the rest of the world along with him. Then her battle strategist, Caesar, told her that he was carrying out the ritual to destroy the Rune at the Ceremonial Site.
She and the Fire Bringer went to infiltrate the Ceremonial Site, only to be greeted by beasts that all but destroyed them. The raid a complete failure, she spent the rest of the day making sure everyone was accounted and discussing with Caesar what had gone wrong.
Their problem was obvious: Their weapons were simply not strong enough. The castle blacksmith, Peggi, said that their weapons just couldn't be upgraded anymore, at least, not without a better hammer. They had already gotten the best equipment they could find, but it just wasn't good enough. The only thing Caesar could suggest was that she try to find some information on hammers in the library. Chris however, was never good at research and the thought of looking through rows of endless books with no clue where to start made her feel ill.
And so, feeling defeated, Chris slowly ascended the stairs of Budehuc castle to her room, dragging her feet as she finally reached the top. It wasn't that late, but the moon was already large, full, and visible through the large whole in the wall of the castle. It served as her only light as she resignedly made her way down the hall to the last door where her bedroom was.
What else could possibly go wrong?
"You look tired." The voice came from the shadows somewhere at the end of the hallway, but then a figure stepped into view. Chris saw the silhouette of the speaker and she instantly knew who it was.
Chris inwardly groaned. She really didn't feel like dealing with *him* right now. "What are you doing here, Nash?"
Nash took a step out of the shadows towards her, and his form was illuminated by the moonlight. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms, a lock of blonde hair swaying to the side as his taller form looked down at her slightly. "I'm a little upset that you didn't take me with you to the Ceremonial Site today." She could tell from the smirk on his face that he was being slightly sarcastic, and she fought a wave of rage. He was always being sarcastic with her.
"I was saving your skills for after the initial penetration of the area. Besides, I probably saved you from open wounds, broken limbs, and worse. If you haven't heard, it was a complete failure." Chris opened the door to her room, and was going to enter quickly, wanting to get the man out of her hair as fast as she could.
He moved into the doorway, blocking her. "I heard."
"What do you want?" She asked again. She really *really* didn't want to deal with him right now.
"You."
Enraged, she pushed through him and slammed the door behind her. What an arrogant, foolish, sarcastic bastard!
"I can see you're not in the mood for wit this evening." He called through the door.
The rage was becoming harder to control, and she grit her teeth, not answering, praying to the goddess that he'd give it up and leave her alone.
No such luck. "I really don't think it fair of you to take the fact that you have inadequate weapons out on me. I'm here to help, after all. But it's rather hard to converse through an oak door."
How did he know about the weapon problem? She scratched the question out as soon as it entered her head. He always seemed to know these things even before she did.
She opened the door a crack. She could see the smirk on his face illuminated by the moonlight. She wanted to slap him.
"That's a bit better I suppose. I'd rather not stand in the hallway, peering through a sliver in a door to talk about such important matters, but I guess it will have to do." He didn't continue after he said this, however, and Chris knew he was inviting himself in.
She wanted to slam the door in his smirking face, but she knew that she should probably hear what he had to say. Even if he had a roundabout way of getting to the point, his information was always useful. So, instead of fulfilling her desire to get him out of here face, she stepped back from the door, opening it enough for him to walk in.
"Ah, now this is much better. A bit dark but we don't need to worry about lighting, it sets a nice mood." He said as he entered, and continued when he saw Chris' face staring at him irritably as she closed the door behind him. "Hey now, wipe that angry look off your face. I've come to ask you what you're planning to do about this weapon inefficiency."
Chris rubbed her forehead at the mention of the topic. "I really don't know. The only thing left for me to do is search the library for hints on how we can craft more powerful weapons. But you've seen the library. It'd be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Luc will have already blown the world apart by the time I find it. Nevertheless, I'll start looking around tomorrow, it's all I can do."
"As always, I'm one step ahead of you." He smirked, and revealed an old book in his left hand.
Chris didn't give him the satisfaction of showing her astonishment and asking how he found it. Instead, she gave him a sceptical look, as though he may be tricking her. She knew he wasn't though. He always gave the real deal, as it were.
Nash handed the book over. "Here, see for yourself."
She opened it to a page that he had marked off. " 'The legendary Golden Hammer'." She read out loud. " 'The hammer was said to have magical abilities and forged incredibly powerful weapons. It hasn't been seen in decades, but many think it may reside somewhere in'." She trailed off, staring at the page.
"Iksay." He finished. "Practically around the corner."
"How do you know this is legitimate?" She inquired, closing the book shut and handing it back to him. Anything to keep from showing him her astonishment or gratitude.
He shrugged. "I don't really. But if it is true, we're a heartbeat away from forging weapons that could actually prove useful in battle. And it is better than spending the rest of the Fire Bringer's recuperating time among dusty old books, looking for better leads, isn't it?"
Chris sighed. He was right. Again. Goddess, she hated that.
"Anyway, we should get going. If we leave now, we can get there before midnight, spend the remainder of the night there, and have a bright early start there tomorrow morning." He said, turning towards the door.
The anger, which she had been fading away until this point, returned tenfold. "What? First of all, what makes you think I'm going tonight, and second, who says I'm taking you?!"
He turned back towards her, his composure not faltering in the least at her outburst. "Well it's quite simple really. You're going tonight because you won't be able to sleep knowing that the hammer is so close within your grasp, and you'd just end up pacing your room all night worrying about it. You're taking me with you, because everyone else is either recuperating from the failed attack at the Ceremonial Site, or else doing everything they can to keep this castle running smoothly, and from going bankrupt. You can't go alone; your knights would not permit it. Of the few people left available, I am the most practical person to take along because not only did I find the book, I know how to talk to people to get what I want, which will be a skill invaluable to you if you must obtain the hammer from some seedy merchant. Need I continue?" He asked when Chris began rubbing her forehead again.
She tried to answer, but stood before him in silence, desperately trying to find some fault in his explanation, and of course, finding none. Not that she could really think straight in her rage. He was so arrogant! And he always had that damned smirk!
"Shall I prepare the horses?" He asked finally.
"I hate you."
"Splendid. I'll meet you downstairs as soon as you're ready." With that, Nash turned and left the room.
"I could kill him. I really could." She muttered to herself as the door shut behind him.
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A/N: Hope it's not too bad. Reviews are nice, but please no flames from Percival/Chris, Borus/Chris, Hugo/Chris fans! Just for the record, I like reading about those pairings too! So yes, please review and please be gentle! ^_^
A/N: This was originally supposed to be a one short story, but it turned out kind of long and I thought 12 pages of solid text would discourage people from reading it, so I've broken it into three short parts. This story is my attempt at exploring the strange love/hate relationship that Nash and Chris seem to have going on. I tried really hard to keep them in character, but I won't lie, it was hard! Anyway, enough of my rambling, I hope you like it! ________________________________________________________________________
________________
One Step Ahead
________________
*~*~*~*~*
Part One
*~*~*~*~*
Chris Lightfellow was having a bad day.
Why couldn't one thing go right? Just one? Things just kept getting worse and worse. First she took on the power of the True Fire Rune and became the leader of the Fire Bringer, only to have it sucked back out of her by some madman who sought to destroy his own rune, himself, and potentially taking the rest of the world along with him. Then her battle strategist, Caesar, told her that he was carrying out the ritual to destroy the Rune at the Ceremonial Site.
She and the Fire Bringer went to infiltrate the Ceremonial Site, only to be greeted by beasts that all but destroyed them. The raid a complete failure, she spent the rest of the day making sure everyone was accounted and discussing with Caesar what had gone wrong.
Their problem was obvious: Their weapons were simply not strong enough. The castle blacksmith, Peggi, said that their weapons just couldn't be upgraded anymore, at least, not without a better hammer. They had already gotten the best equipment they could find, but it just wasn't good enough. The only thing Caesar could suggest was that she try to find some information on hammers in the library. Chris however, was never good at research and the thought of looking through rows of endless books with no clue where to start made her feel ill.
And so, feeling defeated, Chris slowly ascended the stairs of Budehuc castle to her room, dragging her feet as she finally reached the top. It wasn't that late, but the moon was already large, full, and visible through the large whole in the wall of the castle. It served as her only light as she resignedly made her way down the hall to the last door where her bedroom was.
What else could possibly go wrong?
"You look tired." The voice came from the shadows somewhere at the end of the hallway, but then a figure stepped into view. Chris saw the silhouette of the speaker and she instantly knew who it was.
Chris inwardly groaned. She really didn't feel like dealing with *him* right now. "What are you doing here, Nash?"
Nash took a step out of the shadows towards her, and his form was illuminated by the moonlight. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms, a lock of blonde hair swaying to the side as his taller form looked down at her slightly. "I'm a little upset that you didn't take me with you to the Ceremonial Site today." She could tell from the smirk on his face that he was being slightly sarcastic, and she fought a wave of rage. He was always being sarcastic with her.
"I was saving your skills for after the initial penetration of the area. Besides, I probably saved you from open wounds, broken limbs, and worse. If you haven't heard, it was a complete failure." Chris opened the door to her room, and was going to enter quickly, wanting to get the man out of her hair as fast as she could.
He moved into the doorway, blocking her. "I heard."
"What do you want?" She asked again. She really *really* didn't want to deal with him right now.
"You."
Enraged, she pushed through him and slammed the door behind her. What an arrogant, foolish, sarcastic bastard!
"I can see you're not in the mood for wit this evening." He called through the door.
The rage was becoming harder to control, and she grit her teeth, not answering, praying to the goddess that he'd give it up and leave her alone.
No such luck. "I really don't think it fair of you to take the fact that you have inadequate weapons out on me. I'm here to help, after all. But it's rather hard to converse through an oak door."
How did he know about the weapon problem? She scratched the question out as soon as it entered her head. He always seemed to know these things even before she did.
She opened the door a crack. She could see the smirk on his face illuminated by the moonlight. She wanted to slap him.
"That's a bit better I suppose. I'd rather not stand in the hallway, peering through a sliver in a door to talk about such important matters, but I guess it will have to do." He didn't continue after he said this, however, and Chris knew he was inviting himself in.
She wanted to slam the door in his smirking face, but she knew that she should probably hear what he had to say. Even if he had a roundabout way of getting to the point, his information was always useful. So, instead of fulfilling her desire to get him out of here face, she stepped back from the door, opening it enough for him to walk in.
"Ah, now this is much better. A bit dark but we don't need to worry about lighting, it sets a nice mood." He said as he entered, and continued when he saw Chris' face staring at him irritably as she closed the door behind him. "Hey now, wipe that angry look off your face. I've come to ask you what you're planning to do about this weapon inefficiency."
Chris rubbed her forehead at the mention of the topic. "I really don't know. The only thing left for me to do is search the library for hints on how we can craft more powerful weapons. But you've seen the library. It'd be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Luc will have already blown the world apart by the time I find it. Nevertheless, I'll start looking around tomorrow, it's all I can do."
"As always, I'm one step ahead of you." He smirked, and revealed an old book in his left hand.
Chris didn't give him the satisfaction of showing her astonishment and asking how he found it. Instead, she gave him a sceptical look, as though he may be tricking her. She knew he wasn't though. He always gave the real deal, as it were.
Nash handed the book over. "Here, see for yourself."
She opened it to a page that he had marked off. " 'The legendary Golden Hammer'." She read out loud. " 'The hammer was said to have magical abilities and forged incredibly powerful weapons. It hasn't been seen in decades, but many think it may reside somewhere in'." She trailed off, staring at the page.
"Iksay." He finished. "Practically around the corner."
"How do you know this is legitimate?" She inquired, closing the book shut and handing it back to him. Anything to keep from showing him her astonishment or gratitude.
He shrugged. "I don't really. But if it is true, we're a heartbeat away from forging weapons that could actually prove useful in battle. And it is better than spending the rest of the Fire Bringer's recuperating time among dusty old books, looking for better leads, isn't it?"
Chris sighed. He was right. Again. Goddess, she hated that.
"Anyway, we should get going. If we leave now, we can get there before midnight, spend the remainder of the night there, and have a bright early start there tomorrow morning." He said, turning towards the door.
The anger, which she had been fading away until this point, returned tenfold. "What? First of all, what makes you think I'm going tonight, and second, who says I'm taking you?!"
He turned back towards her, his composure not faltering in the least at her outburst. "Well it's quite simple really. You're going tonight because you won't be able to sleep knowing that the hammer is so close within your grasp, and you'd just end up pacing your room all night worrying about it. You're taking me with you, because everyone else is either recuperating from the failed attack at the Ceremonial Site, or else doing everything they can to keep this castle running smoothly, and from going bankrupt. You can't go alone; your knights would not permit it. Of the few people left available, I am the most practical person to take along because not only did I find the book, I know how to talk to people to get what I want, which will be a skill invaluable to you if you must obtain the hammer from some seedy merchant. Need I continue?" He asked when Chris began rubbing her forehead again.
She tried to answer, but stood before him in silence, desperately trying to find some fault in his explanation, and of course, finding none. Not that she could really think straight in her rage. He was so arrogant! And he always had that damned smirk!
"Shall I prepare the horses?" He asked finally.
"I hate you."
"Splendid. I'll meet you downstairs as soon as you're ready." With that, Nash turned and left the room.
"I could kill him. I really could." She muttered to herself as the door shut behind him.
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A/N: Hope it's not too bad. Reviews are nice, but please no flames from Percival/Chris, Borus/Chris, Hugo/Chris fans! Just for the record, I like reading about those pairings too! So yes, please review and please be gentle! ^_^