DISCLAIMER: I don't own Elsword :)

Aisha's eyes scanned the ballroom. People were dancing in pairs to their hearts' content under a shimmering, crystal chandelier. They were clad in extravagant tuxedos and gowns, typical for a royal event such as this one. Couples swayed in circles as if mystified by the orchestral music that played in the background. Raven and Rena were in the middle of the circle, smiling carelessly. Eve and Chung were probably the most awkward; having to prevent themselves from stepping on each other's feet in spite of the training they received the day before. Elsword was with his sister, Elesis. It had been a long time since they last saw each other and the least they could do to make up for the loss was to dance.

Aisha observed the redheaded boy carefully from afar. She was the only one seated at the table the queen had reserved especially for their troupe. Of course, it was now in shambles thanks to Elsword and Raven's habit of pigging out at food whenever they had the chance. They didn't care about etiquette or table manners. They just ate anything on sight as long as it was edible. Raven, however, managed to stay refined at times. Elsword was another story. He was a pig. Period.

Not wanting to waste her time, Aisha stood up and walked up the grand stairway – away from the music and the dancing. She clutched her gown tightly with every step and checked if the fabric was getting in her way. She was clumsy, after all. One wrong step and she would tumble all the way down to the dance floor, ultimately embarrassing herself and giving that dumb brat Elsword an excuse to laugh at her. She shook her head at the thought and trudged her way up once more, this time with fewer struggles than earlier.

Now that she had exited the dance hall, she had no idea where to go. The corridors were sparsely lit by candles and moonlight. Arch windows granted her an ostentatious view of the garden below. She had bad experiences with plants back in Feita. She absolutely despised the idea of having her butt whipped by a bunch of mutated vines. Fortunately, that was in the past. There were, however, moments in which she would poke the rose bushes with her book or staff just in case.

She finally decided to go down the garden for the sake of temporary isolation.

The place was guarded by a tall, glass door with the emblem of Velder embellished on its surface. Aisha had to give it a mighty push to open it. She would have no problem if she used magic, but that ran the risk of destroying the door and getting kicked out of the castle.

The crickets were noisy as she stepped into the garden. She bent over to remove her heels before marching onto the grass, barefooted. She allowed herself to breathe in the fresh, evening breeze. Now that Velder was free of the monster infestation, the air was undoubtedly cleaner. More especially, it didn't reek of demon and human blood.

Aisha sighed. "This is better than getting my powers back."

Suddenly, there was the familiar sound of a door creaking open. Aisha's ears perked up and she forced herself to a standing position. Her hands were ready to cast a chain burst spell, albeit with its effects weakened by the absence of a staff.

"Relax, grapehead," Elsword said. His tuft of red hair peaked from behind the door. "It's just me."

Aisha sat back down. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't know. I got bored and this is where my feet took me," he retorted. "Mind if I join you?"

"You're already here," she said. "There's nothing else I could do about it."

Elsword chuckled heartily before taking a seat next to her. "So you really won't mind if I sit here."

Aisha looked away. "Of course not…"

Aisha could hear shuffling beside her. Glancing to her left, she realized that Elsword had chosen to lie down and stare at the stars. Curious, she decided to do the same. The hair pins that bounded her hair into a neat bun hurt her, forcing her to sit up again. She started yanking at them one by one until her purple hair fell into a messy heap behind her. She could feel her companion play with a few strands.

"Stop that," Aisha snapped before lying back down.

Elsword sighed. "It's really beautiful out here with the monsters gone."

Aisha didn't reply. She wasn't in the mood to.

Elsword sighed again. "You know I hate it when you don't talk. It makes me feel as if you're mad at me."

Aisha stayed quiet.

She and Elsword had matured, but they haven't completely grown out of their constant bickering. There were times when they would set aside their differences and talk about their problems like regular human beings. Other times, they would argue about which of them is the weaker party. In completely rare cases, they would show compassion for each other – the kind of compassion that made Aisha fall head over heels in love with the redhead.

"You're not angry, are you?" Elsword asked.

At this, Aisha was obliged to answer. "No, I'm not."

"Then why won't you talk to me?"

Aisha looked sideways at Elsword. With his hair kempt and his long-sleeved polo unbuttoned at the collar, he looked absolutely daring. No matter how many times she tried to deny it, the redhead had truly grown into a handsome young man. Aisha averted her gaze immediately to hide the blush that was building up her cheeks.

She heard him laugh.

"I look good, don't I?" There was a hint of pride in his voice. Not to mention he was obviously smirking.

Aisha turned her head and stuck her tongue out. "No! You stupid, ugly, tomato head."

"How about you take that back before I do something stupid?" Elsword warned.

Aisha folded her arms whilst lying down. "I won't take it back. You deserve it."

Juvenile as it was, Aisha preferred writing her dignity all over Elsword's face. Tonight, however, the case was different and the redhead clearly wanted to abuse his advantage. He rolled and pinned his hands on either side of the mage's head so that his arms supported his weight. He grinned down at her, almost triumphantly. "Take it back."

Aisha glared up at him. The truth was that she found it hard to maintain her composure especially with Elsword's lips so close to hers. Thankfully, she mustered enough courage to utter a single word: "Flirt."

At this, Elsword chuckled and sat up. "Man, it's getting harder and harder to tease you."

Aisha felt sad. That was all he ever saw her as – a friend that was fun to play pranks on. He would even throw flirtatious remarks here and there without completely meaning it. Although Aisha used to instigate such conversations, it was different when she began to take it seriously. Elsword probably didn't know this and he had such a thick skull, it would take a decade before he'll realize he was hurting her.

"Geez, Elsword. Imagine what Raven would do if you attempted to pull that stunt off with Rena." Aisha dusted herself as she propped herself up to a sitting position.

"That's why I only do that stuff to you," Elsword said with a tone so careless it made Aisha want to slap him.

"I'm a lady too you know," Aisha warned.

"Really? I didn't notice," Elsword jested. He wore a smug smile.

Aisha gave him a spank on the back of his head. "Then stop teasing me like that!"

"Why? You used to tease me the same way."

"It's different now!"

Elsword looked at her, askance. "Why?"

Aisha stopped herself before she said something she wasn't supposed to. She leaned away and held her hands together to prevent the evening breeze from making her feel colder. She wasn't prepared to push the discussion further since it would ultimately lead to the truth. Unfortunately, Elsword seemed persistent.

"Why's it different, Aisha?"

She shook her head. "I don't know."

Elsword placed his hands on her shoulders. "You don't know or you don't want to tell me."

Aisha tried to avoid his stare. She hated the way those ruby orbs bore through her very soul.

Elsword's hands trailed down so that he was now holding her by her arms. "I want to continue teasing you that way." He pressed his forehead against hers. "Maybe if I do, I'll have a chance with you."

Aisha's eyes widened. Her heart was racing, not only because of their sudden closeness but because of what he was saying. Unlike previous situations, he was actually very serious. Suddenly, the cold evening breeze felt a little warmer.

He pulled away. "Please say something."

"I-I… I don't know where to s-start," Aisha said.

"Start by saying you like me," Elsword grinned, half-meaning what he said.

Appalled at his bright statement, Aisha raised her hand to give Elsword a good slap (probably not as great as Eve's, but it would do…) Elsword was fast enough to see past her gesture. He caught her wrist in defense.

Shocked that she was robbed of her hand's mobility, Aisha found it hard to formulate words. Her heart pounded widely as she stammered, "I-I… I hate you."

Elsword smiled and leaned over to peck her lips once. That was enough to send Aisha into a daze. It seemed as if he had barely even ghosted over her. It happened too fast and she wanted more.

"C-Could you… do that again?" Aisha asked.

Elsword nodded and pressed his lips against hers again. This time, he made it longer and more passionate. Aisha was surprised at his sudden boldness. Her hands searched desperately for something to cling on before finally clutching the hems of his collar.

Elsword then decided to do something that was sure to give her goosebumps. He quickly licked her lips. Aisha gasped the moment he did so. She could feel him smile as he pulled away a centimeter and blew over them. The mage shivered and drew herself closer in an attempt to resume the kiss but he wasn't finished. He gently grasped the strands of her hair and shifted them to one side before blowing over the skin of her neck.

Aisha's face was scorching. She didn't know where the hell he learnt how to do this stuff. She wanted him to continue, but it was starting to go a little too far. She pushed herself away from Elsword.

"Y-You…" She stuttered.

"Is there a problem?" Elsword asked, tilting his head to the side.

"N-N-No… It's just…." Aisha looked away, holding a hand over her heart. "You were… You were going too fast."

"Oh," Elsword's eyes were wide as he lay back down on the grass.

Aisha crawled over and placed her head on his chest. "Hey… Elsword…?"

"Hmm?"

Aisha smiled, loving the way his voice hummed through his chest. "I really, really, really love you."

Elsword placed a hand over her shoulder. "I love you too. So much, by the way…"

"Does this make us…?"

"Of course." If Elsword could pull her even closer, he would have. Too bad there was roughly any space between them.

A momentary silence befell the new couple. A soft breeze swept over the garden. The crickets stopped chirping and the rose bushes made rustling sounds that were almost identical to whispers.

Aisha decided to strike it cool since things were starting to get awkward between them. "You probably feel like you're the luckiest guy in the world to be dating the most powerful Elemental Master!"

Elsword nearly gagged. "If you ask me, you're the one who should be feeling lucky. Your boyfriend is a Rune Slayer."

Aisha folded her arms on his chest and leaned her chin over them. She was practically lying on top of Elsword and he seemed to like her small gesture of dominance. "I could take down that stupid demon, Berthe, ten thousand times for you."

"Berthe is a weakling," Elsword said before rolling over so that he was now the one on top. "I could take down all of the monsters in Elrios a million times if you ask me to."

"That would take years and years of fighting, you idiot," Aisha giggled.

"Years and years I'm willing to spend if you're with me," he smiled.

"Since when did you get so corny?"

"What? I thought you liked the sappy stuff. You used to spin around and act all cute whenever you read your stupid romance novels."

"They're not stupid," Aisha argued.

Elsword leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Yes they are."

Aisha was about to protest at his remark when Elsword caught her off guard in a lip lock. She was going to get used to this – kissing him and feeling like each time was the first. She thought about wrapping her arms around his neck when they heard the same old sound of the door creaking.

"So this is why you two have gone missing."

Rena's voice forced the both of them apart. Each of them panted hard at the breakaway. Their faces were tainted a bright red due to the humiliation of getting caught in the act. Just when they were beginning to think that they owned the place to themselves, someone came along and ruined their private make-out session.

"Geezus, Rena!" Elsword said. "Go away! Come back for us in two hours or so."

"I hope when we return, you two still have clothes on," Raven warned, appearing from the shadows and assuming a position behind Rena. He placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. It was something he did before pulling her away from scenarios.

With their fair warning, the couple left, shutting the door behind them. Elsword and Aisha, on the other hand, were dumbfounded. They stared at the empty space where the elf and her boyfriend once stood.

That statement will haunt them for a long time.