MAR Fan Fiction ❯ Sibling Rivalry ❯ Switching Sides ( Chapter 3 )

Ian and Shizuka stopped running once they had reached the center of the town. Both gasped to catch their breath, as they had been running for several hours. “Did they stop chasing us?” Ian inquired, through short breaths. Shizuka nodded. “Yeah; I can't believe we got away.” She then slung her backpack off her shoulder and onto the ground. Ian laughed a little. “Well, we did steal all their ÄRM. And now, without those earrings, nobody will ever know that we were once chess pieces.” Shizuka then took off her mask and stuffed it into her bag; along with the Holy ÄRM she had used to remove her curse mark. A serious look suddenly crossed her face. “No one, except my brother and his friends.” She then smiled at Ian. “Thanks for the help. If it weren't for you, I would've been caught for sure.” Ian blushed a deep red, but only for a second. “Aww, I don't know about that.”

They then heard the sound of several racing footsteps in their direction. Alviss appeared, closely followed by Ginta and most of the others. Jack appeared a few seconds later, gasping for breath. Alviss glanced at his sister, then Ian, then back at Shizuka. “Why were the chess pieces after you? And what's HE doing here?” His face was full of angry spite as his gaze drifted once more to Ian. Shizuka quickly glanced around, but only for a minute. “I'd rather not talk about it here.” The group, now including the two former chess pieces, walked back to the almost empty restaurant and sat down. Shizuka sighed heavily upon seating herself. “So, do you want the whole story or just the answers?” Her brother didn't even have to consider his answer. “The whole story, and don't leave out any details.” Shizuka closed her eyes and thought back to that day.

“Well, it's a little complicated. After you went off and joined the cross-guard, Phantom came along and put me under a curse that could only be released by a special Holy ÄRM that he always carried with him. Shortly after Phantom was revived, he tried to convince me to join him. He told me that he'd only remove the curse if I agreed and if the chess pieces won the Second Great War. I didn't know what else to do, or any other way to get rid of the curse, so I agreed. But after a while, I tired of the constant killing that I was forced into. That's when I came up with the idea to steal all the ÄRM in the castle. That's why the chess pieces were after us, that and Phantom wanted to recapture me and put a stronger curse on me than before. The reason that Ian left the chess pieces as well is because he helped me escape and took some ÄRM for himself.”

Ian could only shrug. Nanashi gave a small laugh. “You two only took about five or six ÄRM though, right? I mean, you couldn't have gotten them all.” A mischievous grin spread across Shizuka's face. “See for yourself.” She then opened the largest pocket of her backpack to reveal millions of ÄRM. After allowing them to gap in wonder for a few seconds, she zipped the bag closed once more. Alviss then turned his attention back to his sister, a curious look crossing his face. “So honestly, why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?” Shizuka sighed lightly. “It's like I said before, I DON'T enjoy killing unnecessarily.” Alviss raised an eyebrow. “Is that really the only reason?” Shizuka glanced quickly at the others, all of whom were involved in a different conversation. She then turned back to her brother. “Well, no. I couldn't bear the thought of killing my own brother. Besides, I've let you down enough as is.”

As she said the last sentence, her voice lowered and she couldn't bring herself to look at Alviss. She could feel tears in her eyes for the first time in years. Alviss placed a comforting hand on his little sister's shoulder. “That's okay. The important thing is that you're back to normal now.” Jack was about to say something about she betrayed them and Alviss just accepted her back, when Ian pushed him out of the booth. “Don't ruin the moment, kid.” His tone was low and dangerous. Jack, though extremely angry, kept his tone low as well. “Hey, you're only a few years older than I am!” Ian's smirk became slightly evil. “Yeah, but I'm also a lot taller, stronger, and better looking than you are. Plus, I've got way more ÄRM than you.”

He then heard Jack mumble, “Jerk.” Ian let out a low growl. “Why you little…” Jack winced as Ian was about to punch him. However, the purple-haired teen stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. When he looked over his shoulder, his angry green eyes met Shizuka's calm blue ones. The blue-haired girl shook her head and let go of Ian's shoulder. With a deep breath and a heavy sigh, Ian managed to calm himself down before looking back at Jack, who was cowering on the floor like a big baby. Alan then looked at Ian, then at Shizuka. A sly smile appeared on his face. Alviss then walked next to Jack and pulled him to his feet before sitting down next to Alan once more. “What's with you?” Alviss asked, noting the smile Alan wore. “I'll tell you, but you're either not gonna believe me or hate me.” Alviss gave him an odd stare. “What is it?” Alan thought first of how best to phrase his answer.

“Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that those two are in love.” A sly grin appeared on Shizuka's face. “What ever gave you that completely correct idea?” Ian couldn't help but smile. Everyone else's jaw dropped to the floor, and a unified “Wha!?” came out of their shocked mouths. Alviss was perhaps the most shocked. “But why HIM?” Shizuka frowned slightly. “Because I love him, that's why.” Her tone was cold and steely. Why did everyone have to question her love life? At that moment, Alviss felt more hated than he had ever in his life. Ian wrapped an arm around Shizuka's back and rested his hand on her shoulder. “Aww, don't be so hard on him. After all, it's only natural for an older brother to worry about his little sister.” Shizuka sighed lightly. “Yeah, I guess you're right.”