Rise of the Monarch

After a long day of traveling, unpacking, and bonding the members of Team MNRC fall asleep one by one. The dorm which had been previously filled with the sound of merriment was nearly silent except for the soft sounds of people sleeping and the ticking of the clock. The time hits 11:50 pm and Rayden's eyes shoot open. He soundlessly gets out of bed and dons his armour it was a task his body knew so well. Without waking the others Rayden retrieves his weapons and heads for a roof. This body is nowhere near suitable to be a shield, so much training is still required. Once on the roof Rayden removed his helmet from its position and placing it on his head followed by extending his shield. With his weapons prepared Rayden began his daily training regiment under the cover of darkness.

Around the same time Rayden left, Mirai began stirring in her bed. She was half-awake now as she struggled with her nightmare-laced dreams.

"Cold..." she muttered. "So very cold..."

Her eyes shot open and she clutched at her chest as a strange, chilling pain filled it. She bit back a groan by clenching her teeth and her other hand clawed at her bed sheets. The pain grew worse as she began to feel colder and colder, the hand not holding her chest glowing lightly and causing small flakes of ice where they touched.

She sat up, her gown bonnet falling off, trying to tell herself the pain was a dream, but as she straightened up, the pain coursed through her body even harder. She grunted and tried to keep every sound to herself, but she finally let out word.

"Rayden..." she said in a small whisper. She turned to her side where Rayden's bed was supposed to be. She could see through the curtains and he wasn't in his bed. The pain was almost unbearable now. Her eyes darted through the room, but he was nowhere to be seen.   "Rayden." she called again.

Grabbing her robe, she slipped it on and staggered out of bed, looking for him.

Where are you? she said in her head desperately.

She fell to her knees as the pain shot her chest again, her body trembling from it. She kept quiet and crawled towards the door, knowing if she stayed here too long, she'd end up shouting and waking up her teammates. She got to the door and opened it only to fall back on the other side and lean on the wall. She let out a low grunt as she tried to rub her chest.

"Please go away," she said to the pain, but it remained there. It got so bad she lowered her face to the floor, clawing it with her nails. "Rayden, where are you...?"

Her voice was but a soft whisper, but to her it was a desperate call of help.

Please... she thought. ...be with me.

Rayden had just rolled out of the way after parrying the blow of an imaginary attacker when he reached for Obiettivo in order to counter but it was nowhere to be found, Rayden had forgotten it back at the dorm. Realizing the idiocy of his mistake Rayden munched the ground in frustration Things like this only exemplify the fact you lack so much training. Rayden removes his helm, retracts his shield back into his arm, and sheathes Chevalier. We train until dawn for that mistake. Rayden leaves the roof and heads toward the MNRC dorm in a hurry trying to not waste any training time when he spots a small shadow near the door. A ghost? I should catch it. I'm sure that would stave off milady's boredom. As Rayden draws closer he notices a familiar white gown, Rayden could now see it is actually Mirai doubled over on the ground. Upon realizing this Rayden shoots into a full sprint toward her. No No No No! Why now? Why did I have to leave now of all times! Rayden draws near and slides toward Mirai on his knees. "Milady! Milady! What happened? Where you attacked?" Rayden draws Mirai in close with one hand and unsheathes Chevalier with the other making sure they weren't being ambushed.

The moment Mirai heard footsteps in the corridors she knew it could only be one person. She tried to lift herself up and speak, but the pain bored through her chest like a drill. As Rayden drew close to her, she pressed herself against him, trying to clutch his chest only to touch the metal of his armor.

"Y-you're late..." she said with chattering teeth. The pain got worst and she pressed her head against him, trying to relieve it. "It's s-so cold."

A light frost covered the part of Rayden's armor her hand was touching. She looked up to him, her eyes full of imploration.

"Please..." she said. "H-hold me. I'm so cold..."

Rayden pressed his forehead to Mirai's and could feel how could she truly was. "Mirai don't worry I'll tak care of you." Rayden considered hugging her but looked down at his arm, still chilled from the cold night's air. This would never work. Rayden gently places Mirai down next to him and begins to remove the top part of his armour. "Mirai I'm sorry if this seems odd." With his body still hot from his traing Rayden presses Mirai against his bare skin and immediately feels the cold.  It felt as if someone had thrown him out into the snow but he did not care. He wrapped his arms around Mirai trying to give her as much warmth as possible. Rayden rubs Mirai's back and tries to calm her down. "Its okay Mirai I'm here. You're safe now, you're safe." Rayden would quietly sit in the middle of the hall half naked holding Mirai for as long as it took to get her back to normal.

Mirai remained silent when Rayden embraced her. She curled up closer as his arms wrapped around her. With the pain and cold she was feeling, she was oblivious to the fact she was pressing against Rayden's bare chest. Her ear was right over where his heart was and she could hear it steadily beating.

Warm... she thought as she listened to it.

As she held onto him, she felt the pain slowly leaving her until there was only the tiniest chill left. She leaned in closer and rested as Rayden rubbed her back like a parent did to a child.

"Its okay Mirai I'm here. You're safe now, you're safe." he had told her. She closed her eyes as he said this and she nodded.

"I know..." she softly said. "As long as you're here."

With Mirai's episode under control Rayden gently picks her up and carries her back to her bed. As he reaches her bed he lightly places her down and makes sure to cover her as much as he could. Not wanting to wake the others Rayden leans in close and whispers into Mirai's ears. "Mirai I'll be right back I must retrieve my armour." Without a moment to waste Rayden leaves the room and brings back his armour placing it on his bed and quietly as possible. He then brings a chair over and places it next to Mirai's bed. In a hushed tone Rayden speaks, "Mirai are you feeling better now?"

Mirai rested her head on Rayden's chest as he carried her up and placed her on her bed which now felt much warmer now. The moon was faintly shining and it lit Rayden's face a bit. She was a bit reluctant to let go of him and see him leave, but he came back over to her. When asked if she was alright, Mirai smiled a small smile and she nodded, all the pain and cold having vanished. Her face became serious again and she took one of his hands, placing it in the center of her chest.

"For a long time, I didn't feel anything," she said as she stared at the ceiling. "And then tonight I woke up to this unbearable pain. It was like something that was trying to break out of me, but couldn't."

She gripped Rayden's hand tighter and pressed it closer. In her mind, she was asking him something secretly.

It felt like the pain of the heart I have no longer. Is that possible?

She turned to him.

"Rayden," she said softly. "Just for tonight...please sleep next to me."

It wasn't a command. It was a call for help. She waited for him to answer, her hand gripping his tightly.

"Please."

Rayden wasn't sure how to respond to Mirai's request he was torn between knowing his place as her servant but wanting to help her as a friend. Rayden didn't know which path to follow: his teachings or his heart. His hesitation however only lasted a moment after looking into Mirai's eyes and seeing how deeply she needed him to be there for him. With a small smile reciprocrated her grip and put his head down next to hers while still sitting on the chair. "Of course Mirai. Anything for you." Rayden did consider sleeping on the bed with her but found it too small to not make for an awkward night. "I shall be here until you sleep and I will still be here when you awake." 

Due to the events of the night Rayden and Mirai did not stay awake for much longer. As the night carried on no other such event occurred and the rest of the dorm remained silent until morning. Thus ended the first night of in the MNRC hall forging the beginning of some incredible bonds between the four members.