Title: Courtship

Author: NexustehULF0o

Description: "You have been invited to the Grand Aselia Ball, hosted in Meltokio." The letter says. Sheena feels a strong apprehension in attending the Ball, specifically Meltokio altogether. There was no way she was missing a chance on seeing her friends. She must face her fears. After all, what was one little dance going to do?

Rating: T because love stories are cute and mushy and for teens.

DISCLAIMER: Guess what guys? I definitely OWN Tales of Symphonia. That's right, I said it. And Sheelos is a canon pairing, and I'll be adding my own scenes now. Have you met my flying pig Beggin' Strip?

Nexus: "You ever see the movie Enchanted? Well, the ball scene in that movie pretty much inspired all of this. I watched it and my romantic hormones exploded. I was thinking to myself 'OMG that was so cute~!' and this kind of conjured itself to the surface. For the longest time, I didn't have an end, though. Here ya go. =3"

Greetings and salutations from His Royal Highness, The King of Tethe'alla –

You have been cordially invited to the First Annual Grand Aselia Ball held under the stars of Meltokio's Noble Quarter. The whole city will be closed off to celebrate the unification of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, and access is strictly prohibited omit those who have a ticket. Two are enclosed: one for you, and one for one accompaniment of your choice. However, your escort must be selected from your city. One pair from each city in both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla will be attending; please realize that you are the only people from your city attending, and there can be no replacements. The Ball will begin after sundown on Saturday and will extend throughout the evening. It will truly be a night worth waiting for. Please send a letter of R.S.V.P. to –

"Saturday? Mmmh, this Saturday?" Exclaimed the surprised voice of Sheena Fujibayashi, casting the note onto the small wooden table in front of her. "Can they be any shorter in notifying me?" Placing her hand to her chin in thought, she sighed in tire of the country's frivolous games. It was already Thursday; Saturday was just around the corner, and if she were going to even think about going, she would need to find a dress…let alone an "escort"…

She grimaced, shaking her head solemnly as she found the small stool-like table to help her stand.

"I'm sure you'll be just fine," smiled a blue-cloaked ninja, his eyes playful with taunt.

Sheena rolled her eyes. "Shut up," She snapped, folding her arms and flushing a light shade of pink. Apparently, Orochi knew he had hit a nerve.

Her mild apprehension of going to Meltokio…was solely based on one thing. One thing she wasn't really looking forward to, to say the least. Intimacy was a bad subject for the Mizuho native, and her counterpart-slash-soulmate "just so happened" to be a floating amoeba of it. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was that made her so…attracted to him…but whenever he'd been around, her heart would beat fervently beneath her chest, longing deeply for his touch, no matter how…vulgar it might have been. She realized that it might be the demeaning, yet endearing names that he called her, and the affectionate squeezes that he would give her when she least expected it…She was annoyed, yet smitten…Enraged, yet consumed by total bliss…

Orochi stood from his seat, brushing off his ninja garb. Noticing the frustrated expression on his fellow ninja's face, he regretted his comment, thus attempting to apologize profusely for his actions.

"Master, look, I'm sorry for –"

"Don't call me that!" She retorted, scolding him. "I'm not your master!"

"Yes, but you are the heir to the Igaguri style, and…"

"But that doesn't make me any better at it than you are! It's just Sheena, all right? I don't need your silly names, all right?"

An awkward silence filled the room.

Orochi wasn't entirely sure if all the anger she released at that moment was even related to him.

"Fine, Sheena." He emphasized her name, shrugging while attempting indifference. Turning around, Orochi grabbed the sliding door into the Chief's Hut and was about to open it when a voice spoke up, soft and not nearly as angry as it had been.

"Wait, Orochi…" Sheena seemed much calmer than before when she approached him for the second time, piquing his interest. She glanced up at the male ninja from the table where the letter lay undisturbed. "I'm sorry…for yelling at you."

Orochi simply shook his head as if to brush it off.

"It's just that…well, the ball's on Saturday…and you're the only guy in the village I really talk to, so…would you…?" She trailed off suggestively, question lacing her tone.

Another awkward silence filled the small room to the very brim.

After studying the blue-cloaked ninja through chocolate brown pupils, Sheena turned a fleeting shade of pink, adverting her eyes to the floor habitually.

"It's just that, well, I would hate going alone…and all my other friends, like Lloyd and Colette, and –" She paused for a moment in order to avoid mentioning anything that might haunt her in the future, "And I would be all by myself and I would really appreciate it if you would –"

"I understand." The male interrupted, holding up a gloved hand as if to signify satisfaction. "I'll go. But…this is only as your escort, right?" He inquired faintly. Sheena glanced at him, noticing that he was waiting for an answer, but not sure which he wanted.

"Of course." She waved her hand dismissively, then refolding her arms.

Orochi nodded and then exited the hut, leaving Sheena to plop down on the ground and give the letter one more look-over.

She had a long couple of days ahead of her, that was for damn sure.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this? You don't seem very sure of yourself, Sheena."

A young woman dressed in a dirtied maroon-colored kimono circled another woman on a stool, who stood straight n the air and didn't move.

"I have to go. They invited me."

A scoff was heard, as the woman on the floor pushed her black hair out of her eyes and moved around the other.

"You could always just 'Not go,' you know."

The other sighed, the young woman on the stool shifting ever so slightly.

"I know, but I feel obligated. And plus, I already sent my reply saying that I would be there. They're expecting me. It would be rude to just not show up."

A small chuckle permeated the room.

"Wh-what's so funny?!"

"Nothing."

The woman roaming about the dirt floor lifted a long thick cloth into the light of one of the many candles illuminating the room, looking at the fabric and then smiling. She then looped it around the woman on the footstool, tying it in a large bow and then pulling it tight. There was a grumble of dismay as she did this, the other unconsciously arching her back a bit.

"There. You look wonderful."

"No I don't. I don't look good in a dress."

"Yes you do! You look great."

"You really think so?"

"Of course."

"Heh. Thanks."

There was a small scraping noise as the sliding door opened and a tall man stepped into the hut, deeming a form-fitting tuxedo. His black hair was slicked into a bob ponytail on the back of his head, and he ran his hand over it as he groaned.

"Why do I have to wear this, Sheena? It's so uncomfortable…" He whined, shifting a bit under the jacket.

"Oh, quit your whining. You look nice." She said, stepping into the light of the lanterns outside. Her flowing lavender dress hugged her form and lightly fell straight after her hips, swaying slightly with her step. A dark purple ribbon was tied precariously around her waist, making her jet-black hair more prominent. Orochi smiled faintly, adjusting his red bow tie.

"Forget about me. You look…stunning." He began, blushing a little.

"Oh, stop it; I do not." She muttered, waving a hand at him. "Come on, let's go. It's getting late."

With that, both Orochi and Sheena boarded a Rheaird and started off toward the Aselia Ball.

Orochi wasn't the type to say much, and so Sheena was left to her thoughts for most of the trip. She thought it rather unfair to Orochi that she was using him like this; getting him to go so she could use him in a ploy for her personal benefit, if it should so come to that. But then, her fantasies sprouted; blossomed into fairy tales of princesses attending balls, not expecting to meet the man of their dreams. They would dance around the floor together, twirling elegantly while gazing into his sparkling blue eyes…He would wrap his hands around her waist and smile crookedly, leading them across the floor…

No, she couldn't think about that! He would probably be hanging out with all of his hunnies the entire time, anyway. He wouldn't have any time for her, or what she was wearing or whom she was with...She hadn't seen him in almost a year now…would he think she'd changed? Had he changed? She wondered if he had. Changed from an arrogant, self-obsessed form of himself to more passionate, more caring ways – ways that would tell him to hold her sweetly in his arms…to whisper sweet nothings into her ear…

Shaking her head mildly, she was abruptly reminded that this was inhumanly possible.

Zelos Wilder would, in fact, be Zelos Wilder.

The town was indeed closed to only those with a ticket, both ninjas flashing theirs to one of the guards waiting outside the town gates. They were then bowed to and guided inside, where they were greeted by the market square heavily decorated for the occasion. Large white cloth streamers hung down from the extravagant, expensive-looking streetlights, clean cobblestone streets for as far as the eye could see; even the slums were spotless.

Mildly excited, Sheena gazed around the greatly populated market square, where many couples conversed, drinking wine and other various beverages. They chatted and laughed, conversing random events with their peers or old friends. She sighed heavily, looking downward at her flat sandal-like shoes. Her friends, on the other hand…

"Sheena!"

She looked up eagerly to see a young man about the age of nineteen, holding hands with a blonde girl of even younger. They were both smiling and waving at her a bit far away. Grinning, she happily waved back before motioning for Orochi to follow her. She rushed over, smiling the whole way. She stopped in front of the two of them, pausing for a moment before embracing Colette tightly.

"I missed you guys so much!" She cried out as Colette returned the enthusiastic hug. She then turned to Lloyd and smiled, hugging him afterwards. She let go of the dual swordsman just as Orochi joined them.

"Lloyd, Colette, you both remember Orochi, right? I brought him with me tonight." She proudly displayed the tuxedoed ninja for them both to see; Orochi nodded respectfully as Colette smiled brightly and Lloyd emitted a positive grunt of reminisce.

"I haven't seen you two in forever!" Sheena exclaimed, clasping her hands together.

"Yeah!" Colette agreed.

"So…" Lloyd began, looking past the two ninja for a moment, "You got an invitation too, huh?"

"Yep." Sheena replied, looking to Orochi for a moment before continuing. "At first, I didn't want to come," her eyes shifted away for a split second before she returned the attention to her friends. "But then I decided differently."

"'Hmmm…it's a little out of the ordinary to see people of Mizuho dressed in this fashion…very interesting. Because, as you know, Mizuho is a very culture-based society…it is a rare sight to find two dressed modernly, even for an occasion such as this." Mumbled another voice, a slender, silver-haired woman standing straight from observing Sheena and Orochi through her small reading glasses.

"Raine! You made it!" Sheena managed another grin, trying not to seem as surprised as she actually was. Raine didn't seem like a party person. The archeologist smiled faintly, nodding their way. "Hello Orochi; Hello Sheena." She replied in a refined manner. "It's nice to see you."

"What are you doing here?" Sheena asked, cocking her head ever so slightly.

"What do you mean? Of course I would come to this event! Accompaniment or no accompaniment…people are the greatest study of all! Habits and mannerisms…even teachers of authority such as I don't know everything." The teacher lectured, leaving three out of the four of them to sigh. Raine had most certainly not changed.

"Where's Genis?" Sheena asked, looking lower to the ground for one of the younger members of their group.

"He's not here." Lloyd mentioned. "As much as he wanted to, he's too young to come. They said that in my letter." The swordsman chuckled a bit, making Sheena picture the small silver-haired boy throwing a fit at the prohibition of attending. She nodded and momentarily joined in on the laughter, then posing another question.

"And Presea? What about Regal?"

"Presea is in Ozette, working on rebuilding it…I think." Colette answered, placing a finger to her cheek and looking upwards as if it would help her remember. Sheena remembered that she also appeared thirteen, but was actually twenty-three, so she probably didn't receive an invitation.

"…Regal's around here somewhere…I saw him talking with some lady a moment ago…" Lloyd looked around and then shrugged.

"What? Where?" Raine's eyes widened significantly, searching for the blue-haired ex-convict. "He's here?" And then she was gone.

"Also, I saw Zelos up on the dance floor a little earlier. He came and said hi to us from there and said he'd be down in a second, but I guess he never showed up." Lloyd pointed to the dance floor above, smiling a little.

"Who gives about that stupid Chosen? I didn't come here to be called stupid names by that pervert." Sheena retaliated, fingers balling into fists at her sides.

"I think he was going to dance with Princess Hilda." Colette told the both of them, smiling warmly. "Maybe that's his date tonight."

Something painful rose in the female ninja's chest; something that conjured itself rather strongly when she felt she had been betrayed. Unfortunately, she knew it as something else tonight.

Turning to the noble square, which she noticed Orochi gawking at as well, Sheena managed a small smile. Orochi was standing there motionless, watching the people above move different ways. They all seemed in unison with one-another although they were moving differently; Sheena could empathize with Orochi's mild hypnotism.

Many people in long, flamboyant dresses and other extravagant attire dotted the dance floor, twirling each other in graceful circles.

Faintly, the ninja chuckled, telling her friends she would be back in a moment and approaching the stairs to the noble quarter.

Orochi was beside her suddenly, watching her staring endearingly at the people as she climbed the steps to the many dancing before her. He seemed puzzled at first, but then understood, looking between them as Sheena's eyes sparkled ever so slightly.

"Do you…would you like to dance?" He stammered somewhat innocently, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

"Huh?" Sheena turned slightly, looking at her escort inquisitively. She blushed, looking away and panning her eyes across the floor as if searching for something. "Uh…well…I mean, I guess that…" She trailed off, shrugging. "I mean, I guess we could dance…" She told him bashfully, taking Orochi's hand and slowly leading the ninja out onto the dance floor.

Luckily, a new song had just begun, and the two began to rock back and forth, moving with the music incompetently. Sheena smiled a bit at Orochi's slight ineptitude for dancing, but kept pace with him in order to fake slight inelegance as well. After all, what fun was dancing if one of you didn't know how?

Orochi, as time and songs passed, began to grasp the concept of dancing, and soon they were both up to tempo with the song, twirling with the others when they spun. Orochi, taking a chance, loosened his grip on one hand and nodded to his dancing partner. Sheena's eyes widened a bit as he started with a slight spin, then tightening his grip on her other hand before pulling her close and sending her spinning out in front of him, catching her at arm's length for both of them. Sheena, a bit dizzy, held her hand in the air as if to balance herself, only for it to be grabbed by another. Orochi stopped, a rather angry look occupying his face.

"Mind if I cut in, Orochi?" A familiar voice started smoothly, placing their other hand on her shoulder. Orochi, forcing a smile, let go of Sheena's hand and backed away, not wanting to create a disturbance in front of a large crowd. Sheena watched the ninja blend into the background, a bit upset to see him go. Suddenly, the replacement dancer twirled her around abruptly, facing them.

She stared innocently into a pair of glimmering azure-colored eyes, watching her intently from a head above. Red hair tied into a tight, neat braid, he smiled crookedly before cocking his head to the left a little.

"Hey there, Sheena." Zelos Wilder held out his hands for her to grab. She watched him a bit. "Shall we dance?"

Almost instantly, her hands interlocked themselves with his, the young man chuckling before a new song began and started them off.

Her heart pounding in her chest, Sheena couldn't bring herself to discontinue this. A fleeting blush dusted her cheeks as they started around a couple slow dancing close to them.

"I'm surprised you're not flailing to get out of my arms yet." The voice spoke again, Sheena being startled out of her thoughts in order to look up and then look away.

"Say something." He told her. "It's not fun with a one person conversation."

"It's hard when you lead." She replied softly, the song beginning to slow into the bridge. She could barely feel her feet losing speed until they matched an andante-resembling tempo.

"You wanna?" He asked in reply, moving to switch his hands in case she felt dominant tonight. She frantically shook her head, pushing their hands toward him.

"No, no, no, I'm no good at leading…" She muttered, the modest blush on her face darkening a couple shades. She knew that he kept his eyes on her, smiling warmly as if hiding something important. She disregarded it.

"Don't worry about it." Zelos mumbled, pulling the ninja close and almost cradling her against his chest. Her blush severely deepened as he began to chuckle. "It's nothing, hunny…"

She was so entranced by the fact that she was being held in his arms, she ignored his "hunny" remark. A nervous smile was all she could manage. She was silent for the rest of the song, pressed up against the body of the one she would never let anyone know she desired.

When the band started a new song, the dancing, as well as Sheena's fantasy, came to an end. Zelos' hands slowly unraveled hers, leaving hers empty and open in front of her. She lowered them slowly to her sides, continuing to stare at the Chosen of Tethe'alla as if studying him intently.

He grinned.

"What? Staring at me again, Sheena? It's not polite to stare, ya know." He pretended to reprimand the ninja.

"No, I wasn't staring!" The instant denial returning fire, she shuffled away from him, grabbing her right elbow with her left hand. "I…I dunno, I was just spacing out, I guess…"

"Mmmh-hmm." He agreed sarcastically.

They stepped off of the dance floor, leaving the others to continue spinning and twirling. Zelos stopped for a moment.

"You think that was too dramatic, stealing you away from Orochi like that?" He asked, surprising Sheena a bit. He never used to ask questions like that.

"Far too, I'd say. But I come to expect from you." She rolled her eyes. "Besides, it was a nice effect." She shrugged; it was the truth. She did rather enjoy the mystery behind the scene.

He laughed. And…she found herself laughing too. She couldn't help it.

"Hey…" The redhead started, looking her way. "Y'think your 'escort' –" he air-quoted the word while motioning his head to the ninja not far off– "would mind if you went on a little walk with me?"

"And what makes you think that I want to go on a walk with you?" She asked, pointing. Wow, the instant retaliation was spot-on tonight too.

"Aw, c'mon Sheena, ya know ya want to." whined the Chosen. Sheena smiled warmly, rather tolerating tonight.

"All right, all right…but you have to ask him." She replied, wagging a finger at the man. Zelos' eyes widened and he shook his head.

"Nohohohoho…He's your date. Besides, he hates me and he probably won't let me go anywhere with you." He folded his arms, abstinent.

"What kind of gentleman are you?" The ninja retorted, placing her hands to her hips delicately before kicking one out to the side. She pursed her lips, beginning to get a bit frustrated.

"One that cares for his own safety, apparently~! Uh, I don't want to find out if Orochi does that same kind of ninja voodoo as you do, hunny! Asking him for permission to talk to you is like saying 'Hey, I'm Zelos and I want you to cut off my nuts and serve them with cheese!' He'd kill me!" Zelos ranted, pointing in Orochi's general direction.

"All right, all right, I get it. I'll ask him!" She turned around, shaking her head. "And I'm not your hunny."

With that, Sheena withdrew from Zelos, heaving a deep breath before slowly advancing to where Orochi was standing, holding a drink.

"Sheena! Hurry up~!" Zelos, called, cupping his hands around his mouth. "There's something I wanna show you."

That piqued her interest. What was it? Was it something important? Something worth seeing, or something she wouldn't be interested in whatsoever? Would she end up showing him her true feelings? She hoped she wouldn't end up making a fool of herself…Wait…how come all of her thoughts reverted back to…that?

Before she knew it, she was standing sheepishly in front of the male ninja she accompanied to the ball, standing casually by a round table outside of the dance floor. He held a small beverage, noticeably alcoholic from the smell that it secreted, in his hand, twirling it ever so slightly as she caught his attention.

"Did you enjoy your dance with him?" He asked, barely spitting the emphasized word. She cringed nonetheless.

"Uh. Yeah, I guess." She muttered, rubbing the back of her head; a habit she had unwillingly picked up from Lloyd. "But listen. I'm going to take a walk." She mentioned coolly, trying to sway the touchy conversation in her favor.

"Do you want me to come?" Orochi questioned, staring intently at her. She noticed his tone had lightened a tiny bit. He lowered his drink.

"No, no. You're fine. I'm a bit crowded here anyway. I'll just go by myself." She adverted her eyes to the floor, watching her sandal-resembling shoe scuff lightly across the pavement. Orochi shook his head.

"Sheena. You don't have to lie. If you're not going with me…you must be going with him." He huffed. She looked up, brown eyes twinkling apologetically.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Orochi! I didn't mean to get you caught up in this. I just…I need to…you know…" She cried out. He raised a finger to her.

"Sheena, you haven't been the same since you came back from the Journey of World Regeneration." The male ninja cut her off, beginning to swirl his drink again. "You used to be so innocent. So unsure of yourself. Tiptoeing lightly over everything as if there were a sleeping tiger right before your eyes. But, your journey with Lloyd and the others, you were strong. You had confidence in yourself, albeit a bit cocky." He chuckled in remembrance. "I haven't seen that old Sheena in a while…until the ball. Suddenly, you were that old Sheena I used to know, sneaking around and…" He stopped suddenly, gazing at her before cocking his head questioningly. "What are you so worried about, Sheena? Do you feel…not good enough for the Chosen?"

Was it that obvious?

It wasn't that she felt inferior…it was that she thought she couldn't do it. She couldn't bring herself to tell him she loved him. After all the quarrels, the bickering, the fights…after she'd told herself over and over…I hate that Stupid Chosen! All he ever does is call me names and mess around!

"Whatever happened to 'I hate that Stupid Chosen?', Sheena? Was it a façade?" The ninja called again, although this time it was from far outside her subconscious. "It will only help me understand you better."

But she'd come to love him all the more. The more time she'd spent away from that "Stupid Chosen," the more she felt unease, like she was imperfect. There was nothing to figuratively compliment her. Like she was one half of a whole.

"I'm sorry, I'm rambling." Orochi looked away, taking a sip of his drink. "Go and have fun. I'll be here when you get back."

Sheena suddenly threw her arms around the ninja, closing her eyes tightly.

"Orochi…" she muttered, under her breath. "I'm sorry. I can't believe I've hurt you this much. If only I knew." She hugged tighter, a couple tears falling down her cheeks. "But, Orochi, can't you see? I love him. It's been there. I love him. I have to go."

Turning a bit lighter color than a beet, Orochi cleared his throat and returned a small embrace, replying with a muffled "I…I understand. You go."

"Thanks…" She mumbled, wiping her tears away with her arm. She sniffled once, straightening her dress. "How do I look?"

"Gorgeous, as always." The ninja nodded, smiling.

She grinned as well. "I'll see you later, Orochi." And off she went.

Orochi waved a bit at her until she turned around completely. He sighed heavily.

He let her go.

If only he had known it would be that hard…

"So. What is it that you wanted to show me?"

He had chuckled, leaning over slightly to nudge her on the shoulder. She playfully yet forcefully nudged back. Pushing some of his hair out of his face, he smiled knowingly as they stepped about the upper noble quarter.

"All in good time, my sweet. All in good time."

The upper noble quarter was completely deserted. Only the ones who decided not to attend the ball remained – it still was rather early. They wouldn't have let anyone leave had it not been Zelos and his "accompaniment." They said they would be back, anyway.

The silence in the upper noble quarter was rather odd. After all, this part of town was normally buzzing with excitement. Someone always had an assembly with the King of Tethe'alla; people were always attending Church; hunnies were always lurking around Zelos' mansion…having no one here was almost enough to lose one's sanity.

In contrast, tonight there were stars. Not that there weren't any other night; it was simply that things were so busy that no one ever had time to look up and see the billions of stars twinkling in the sky or moons Sylvarant and Tethe'alla dangling high overhead.

Tonight, there were sounds. Mostly, all you could here were people talking. Now, you could hear crickets chirping in a massive orchestral mess; you could hear a lone wolf howling off in the distance; the only talking sounding tonight was the dull roar of the ball taking place below.

"Well, if you're not going to show me, then why take me out here?"

The ninja asked the question over the trickling of the fountain outside of Zelos' mansion. Leaning against the ledge near the water, the Chosen watched the woman adjacent to him intently, expecting some sort of follow-up. None came, much to his surprise.

"I wanted to get you away from that." He explained, barely audible as it was omit having to be over the fountain drizzling water on the pair every few seconds.

"Away from what?" Sheena turned. She'd heard him. Wait; hadn't he intended her to?

"Away form the ball. I know you don't like parties. I was surprised to see you in formal attire as it was, my banshee~" He smooth-talked his way out of the conversation, leaving her scowling at the thought of being called a "banshee".

She's not going to buy that.

"That's not to say I don't have anything to show you." Fidgeting slightly, Zelos' gloved fingers skimmed the water, lifting up to flick water to the side of her face. It irritated her enough to get her off the subject.

Damn, he was good at that.

"Well, show me then. If you came out here to flick water at me, I might as well go back."

"Ouch, Sheena…cold." He muttered, scooting a pace away form her. Silence stretched between them for a moment, both looking upwards to avoid awkward eye contact.

"So, what possessed you to even consider coming to the ball, hm?" Zelos asked, trying to encourage conversation and ignoring Sheena's request at the same time. "It's really unlike you."

"I guess I was just eager to see everyone again." The ninja replied, turning her eyes to the floor. "I'd tried writing letters, but I never got a response from anyone."

Zelos cringed at the thought of the letter of response sitting on his desk, gathering dust. I hadn't been that he didn't want to send it…but there were something about it; he was a little shaky about letting her know just yet.

"I just missed all of my friends, you know?" She blushed, tapping the tips of her fingers against themselves.

"Huh…" Zelos smiled crookedly, shrugging. "You're entitled to that much, I suppose." He mused.

"Well, of course, there were the villagers…but none I could really talk to about…and Orochi was…" She stopped, trailing off into the silence of the trickling fountain. "What I mean is," she piped up again, turning a fainter shade of pink, "Is that there was no one to really talk to."

There was another silence as thoughts drifted between them both.

"You know, Sheena," The noble started quite calmly for what he was trying to suggest. "You could always talk to me."

"Wh-what?" She blushed as deeply as he thought she would. "Talk to…what do you mean?"

"Oh, you know. It's not like you and I have never had a decent conversation." He huffed, shifting his weight to his other hand. He turned his head to look towards the sky, a faint smile passing his lips for a fraction of a second. Sheena pretended not to notice such small details. "I just thought, that if you needed someone to talk to, about anything, you know…Meltokio's never far away. You need me? I'm here…or there, if y'like." He chuckled, but that faded into the fountain's monotonous sprinkle.

"But Zelos…" She started, trailing off for a couple of seconds. "Zelos, you probably wouldn't understand. In fact, I probably wouldn't willingly come to you for anything, anyway…" Her defenses fired a weak shot to the man's ego.

He glided by it with utmost ease.

"I think you'll be surprised with how understanding I can be." He crooned, debonair as ever. Raising an eyebrow over his left eye, the Chosen smiled, causing her heart to beat wildly beneath her chest. She placed a hand over her collarbone in hopes that it would calm the ferocious pound of her coveting heart.

"Oh really…?"

"Yep, I think so."

"Okay then."

"Hit me."

"W-What?"

"Hit me. You know, with a topic. Anything; anything at all."

What was he talking about? She had no clue. What was this sudden need for her secrets? She couldn't just tell him something willy-nilly! They were barely even – would he even think about keeping – what if it was awkward? She couldn't bear to think it. Awkward? Zelos? Everything about not arguing with Zelos was awkward. Talking to him was awkward. Walking with him was awkward. Hell, loving him with almost every fiber of her being was awkward, too. She shook her head.

"I can't. It's too weird." She muttered, looking at her feet.

"Aw, come on." He started, standing and brushing off the back of his pants. "You can tell me."

She shook her head again.

"I told you, you wouldn't understand." She mumbled.

The Chosen heaved a sigh, folding his hands behind his head.

"Why wouldn't I understand?" He asked, leaning over so he was eye-level with her. Using the tips of his fingers, he lifted her gaze to meet his. She quickly jerked her head from his grasp.

"It's too hard to explain right now." She stood as well, turning towards the lower quarters where the commotion of the ball was. She wondered how Orochi was faring, all alone by himself; And Lloyd, Colette, and Raine too…had they noticed she'd left? Were they worried about her? And Princess Hilda as well; where did she think Zelos had gone?

A pair of arms snaked their way around her shoulders, elbows lightly bending to enfold themselves in each other. Sheena gasped in mild surprise.

"Come on, Sheena, you're hurting my feelings." Zelos whispered. She sighed; it was harder than he thought.

"I can't." She emphasized. The Chosen stayed put for a moment, then unraveling his arms from around her shoulders. And silently stepping back a couple paces.

"Hey Sheena, are you okay?" He asked as she turned to face him, cocking his head to the side. She scoffed.

"Heh…" She began, "Since when do you care?"

"Since I wanted to know." He replied coolly, sliding his hand into his pocket. She remained silent for a moment. "Could I? You're normally not the type to question. You're more like the type to hit without any show of feeling whatsoever."

"You better watch it." She retaliated, raising her hand as if to smack him. He flinched for a split second before he realized she wasn't going through with it.

"I dunno," she answered with a shrug after a few seconds of peace. "I guess I'm all right."

"That…didn't sound very genuine." He mused.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Impulsively, I'd have to go with 'It's just not the same without you,' but since it's you we're talking about, I'd have to go with something more along the lines of 'When I went back to Mizuho…I…I was really confused, and well…I missed you.' Either of the two; or anything related would suffice." His words drifted into the fountain's slow rhythmic dripping.

She stared. Not coldly, per se, but curiously, as if she knew the words she wanted to say, but couldn't say them.

"Come on." He sighed, motioning her toward him. "Onto what I wanted to show you, then."

She stood still for a moment, making him frown.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked, folding his arms. "You're acting like there's some kind of…giant monster behind me or something." He glanced behind him, proving the clichéd statement untrue.

"No…it's just…" She stopped herself, bottling up the words and feelings she'd stacked over their journey…the progression of the night and where it was leading almost flowed freely from her mouth. Everything he'd said was true. It hadn't been the same without him. Sometimes, she missed him so desperately that she would delve into depression for days, unable to face anyone who even attempted to talk with her.

Her heart pounded beneath her chest, making warm blood flow through her body in resistance to what her heart and mind were now doing as one.

"It's nothing." She began again before she said or did something rash. "Show me."

Luckily, he redhead passed it for nothing and guided her around the back of his insanely large estate, whispering for her to close her eyes when they were about to turn a corner.

"You better not try anything funny." She warned, balling her hands into fists at her sides. He merely laughed and extended a hand over her closed eyes. "Shhh…" he whispered.

Why was there so much – dare she even think it – sexual tension between the two of them that she couldn't explain? Of course he wasn't helping – he was being all close-ish and intimate, like he always was. She realized that when he'd cupped his hand over her eyes, her imagination crept dangerously further into what she'd classified earlier as "funny."

He turned her around, moving his hand away from her face just as a pink blush spread across it.

"All right; you can open your eyes now." He told the ninja, his hand lightly brushing hers as he moved to stand beside her. Her eyes fluttered open, blinking once before gasping, baffled. The Chosen grinned, stuffing one hand into his pocket while using the other to guide her forward.

Before her grew a vast garden of flowers, dabbled in dewdrops and moonlight. Their color brilliantly reflected off of the moon's rays, making them more prominent against the nighttime sky. A patch of lavender-colored flowers she could not pinpoint the species of caught her eye, and soon she noticed the smaller light pink intertwined them.

"I remembered that one time in my house where you sniffed the flowers." Zelos explained as they strolled through rows upon rows of countless and nameless flowers. "So, figuring that was the only connection I had to you…I grew some for you."

"For me?" She stammered, unknowing to the fact that he was lightly grasping her hand. "You grew them all…"

He cut her off.

"For the one and only banshee who can resist me." He affirmed, stifling a laugh. His eyes diverted from her for a moment to pan across the garden, the thumb of his occupied palm lightly caressing that back of her palm.

"I never got you, Sheena." He began, looking back at her for a split second. "You were always different…I could never tell what you were thinking. I was interested. You weren't like the girls in Meltokio."

"Why's an easy one." She stopped in her tracks, still a bit stunned by the gift but calmed enough to engage in casual conversation. "I wasn't an easy floozie who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer."

He chuckled.

"Maybe." He nodded, turning her way.

"But…why'd you…do this? For me…I…?" She shrugged her shoulders. His grin softened, and somehow became more genuine. He softly swinging their entwined hands back and forth, staring down at the floor below the two of them.

"Heh…isn't it obvious?"

The Chosen took his free hand and covered her eyes, leaving her senseless in the tumultuous tornado of emotion.

Feelings and true emotions clashed noisily into one as the two shared a passionate kiss, the moon hanging high in the sky amidst zillions of glistening stars.

The First Annual Grand Aselia Ball was truly a night worth waiting for.

Nexus: FIN~! Wow, I really liked the end I came up with. Did I tell you that for the longest time, it didn't have an end? Well, there it was! I liked it! Did you? If you did…there's this button that says, "Review this Chapter." All you have to do is click it~!