Title: Save Me
Author: Ryukia
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia, Sheena, or anyone else mentioned in this fanfic. I merely lav them. :3
Summary: The thoughts of Sheena as she hangs on for dear life in the Tower of Salvation. Contains spoilers if you haven't reached near the end of disc 2 yet.
Author's Note: Hi, everyone. n.n; Woo, finally, a ToS section on Sheena's my favorite character in ToS, and her character impacted me the most near the end of disc 2, right after she busts up a remnant of the Mana Tree in the Tower of Salvation. (I almost cried .;;)
This piece contains spoilers. Please do not read any further if you either have no reached this far in the game yet and/or do not wish to be spoiled. There are also hints of romance, or perhaps just a friendship-y relationship, depending how you want to read in-between the lines. This is my interpretation.
Anyway, have fun reading, and I appreciate reviews!
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You won't see it in my eyes.
I know what I have. I know my strengths. Hot-tempered, aggressive and capable of easily destroying half a village is what they told me. I've learned to keep my guard up, to remain tough and strong no matter how bad things got. That's how I am. That's how I made myself to be.
No one would ever suspect I was void of solace.
These are my strengths, and these are my burdens.
We first met at the mountain pass in the world of Sylvarant long ago. Due to my misfortune, I had fallen through a maintenance passage. That was long ago. And now here I am in the Tower of Salvation, with only a single tree root standing between me and the dark abyss below. I seem to have a knack for falling into holes. It's funny when you think about it.
It took me a while to crawl out of that pit at the mountain pass. I was alone at that time. There was no one to save me. No one to rush to my help and ask if I was alright. It was only me that chose to brave the world of Sylvarant. It was only me crawling out of that mine, scraping skin and spilling blood. Me and no one else.
No…How selfish, I shouldn't say that. There was Corrine, my only companion through thick and thin. He, too, had no one to hold onto, no one to save him. It was fate that brought us together that day at the Research Academy in Meltokio. We saved each other from our loneliness ever since then. I thought that was enough for the both of us. I was foolish. In the end, it was Corrine that saved me from the inner pain I didn't want to face myself.
…Corrine isn't here anymore. Fate brought us together, and Fate tore us apart.
I wanted to scream that dreadful day. Was this my calling? Did I exist to be alone?
My mouth never moves, but I always inwardly yelled, screamed, cried for someone to rescue me from my despair. But I didn't scream. I didn't say anything. Not out loud. I never did. I mean, how could I? How could I possibly bring myself down to such a level? I was supposed to be tough and strong. I wasn't allowed to scream.
Perhaps if I was more feminine, people would like me better and I wouldn't have to be alone…It'd certainly make things a lot easier…I'm sure some people would agree. I was always told I was too rough, too brute for my own good. Quick-tempered and sharp-tongued, that was my style. Nothing too attractive, and nothing too likeable…Perhaps if I was more feminine…I could be saved.
But that's just not who I am…
My hand slips further down the root, temporarily pulling me away from my thoughts and musings. I feel my last bit of strength waning with every passing second. My vision slowly begins to blur and darken from the over-exertion of mana. The room spins. I can feel it. This is finally it.
Sorry, Lloyd. I guess I won't be there for the main event after-all.
I'm just so tired…
Corrine…I'll be seeing you soon…
......
....-na..
...-ee...-na!
"Sheeenaaa!!"
"..Z-Zelos?" What was he doing here?
He gazes down upon me from the edge of the pit with a look of relief and determination. "Hang on, Sheena!" he says, gripping my hand tightly with his own. He pulls once, twice, and heaves one final time and the tendril of the tree root that once stood snaked around my ankle slips free from its grasp, cowering and wailing back into the darkness of the abyss below.
We sat stark silent upon the edge of the pit, him on his backside and me on all fours, taking the moment to catch our breath. He was the first to speak.
"Geez, Sheena!" he says dramatically, an amused smile playing upon his lips as he lightly dusted away the dirt and grime upon his clothing. "Why'd you have to go and do all that for? I thought you said you weren't going to give up on yourself anymore."
I ignored his comment, roughly digging my nails into my palms. Tears stung in my dry eyes, threatening to spring free, but I dared not. I glared at the ground, desperately trying to prevent this. People like me didn't, couldn't cry.
"W-why?!" I shouted as I angrily turned in his direction, glaring from behind my tear-stained vision, "Why did you save me?!"
Appearing to be not the slightest bit surprised by my outburst, he simply smiles at me. Not an amused smirk, not a suggestive grin, but a smile. "Because everyone deserves to be saved."
And suddenly, I didn't feel so alone anymore.
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Author's Note: Well, that's it! My lil' Zelos/Sheena (or Zelos Sheena, however you wanna see it) ficlet
Oh, and this fanfic might seem weird for the people that got Kratos as the 8th party member instead of Zelos. For those of you that have, in the alternate ending, Zelos turns on the party in order to retrieve something that would allow Lloyd to use the Eternal Sword, and saves everyone from the traps set throughout the Tower once he has his change of heart.
So…yes, I'm a Zelos/Sheena fan. And I thought it was cute when Sheena announced that it was Zelos that saved them from the traps, so I decided to write a lil' ficlet about it. :3
I hope you all enjoyed it! Please R&R! n.n