Sword Practice

Disclaimer: If I owned ToS, this idea would be reality and Sheena would be able to use Suzu's entire arsenal of weaponry.

AN: Wow, for such a small summery, this thing turned out to be LONG. Especially considering it was spawned by a failed pic idea I had. But why settle for a pic worth a thousand words when I can just write 6000? Feh, that's what I say! Sort of a rough start, but it gets better. Come on, what would Sheelos be without a little bit of tension?

Also, beware, I may turn this into a one-shot collection, so the name will change, but this chapter will still be labeled as Sword Practice. Just thought I should mention that. I've got two more one-shot ideas waiting to be written so they're most likely gonna end up here.

Summery: Sheena requests Zelos to teach her his sword style. In exchange, Zelos has a request of his own... Sheelos one-shot... Again.

--

That man had way too much time on his hands. This statement was made all the more manifest during the preparation of dinner one night. As he could be seen crouching near the campfire, where a certain ninja just so happened to be the one cooking. Honestly, he needed to find something more constructive to spend his time on, instead of constantly looking to create complete disarray in the group with all of his shifty antics.

"Sheena," he cooed, his head propped up by one hand, watching passively as the woman added more ingredients to the dish. "Why do you still put pineapple in the curry?"

"Zelos, we've been through all this already. I'm not explaining it again. Besides, I didn't think you cared."

"Yeah, I don't mind it. But I still don't get it."

Now she was starting to get aggravated with him. Of all the things to be teasing about, he just had to nitpick about her cooking? "If it's edible, what's to get?"

"Well, I just would'a figured you'd stop making it that way since Lloyd said it was weird."

Sheena's cheeks faded pink by the comment, but Zelos couldn't decipher if it was due to embarrassment or frustration. "I don't care if everyone thinks it's weird, if I'm cooking it, then I'll make it my way."

"Hm," if anyone's smile could make a sound, Zelos Wilder's certainly did. "I didn't say "everyone". I just meant Lloyd."

Sheena growled irritably. She knew well enough about that jealous streak he had acquired not long ago, but it really bothered her to think about him and all his hunnies and still be expected not to have a problem with it. While at the same time, he was getting himself all worked up just because she had showed an interest in a male besides himself.

Although, she was the only one to notice his agitation. No one else could see it. To everyone else, Zelos just seemed like he was always teasing her, but she knew better. Every gibe was like a stab of his sword, as though exposing the wound and magnifying the fact that he was being good while she conducted her experiments, but also at the same time, letting her know that he did not like it one bit.

He was like a little kid, after being told to go sit in the corner, with a determined look on his face to be unhappy about it.

Well, she was sick of his pouting, his foul moods, and of course, all of those annoying suggestions. Sure, maybe she did have a thing for Lloyd, but it wasn't as if she were about to act on it any time soon. There was too much chaos, too much instability in the world, and frankly, just too damn much to worry about without also having to think about a relationship. Not to mention that other little obstacle that she didn't even bother getting close to overcoming. She glanced to the blond girl not far off, sitting on her bed roll with Lloyd and Genis nearby, all of them laughing and playing some sort of Kats game they had learned in Izoold some time back.

Colette must have won a round and not been aware of it because Lloyd bonked her in the forehead lightly, causing Genis to chuckle and the girl to apologize with a sheepish smile.

Zelos noticed that Sheena had been watching the exchange, and with a glance to the food she had stopped tending, he was obliged to break her distraction. "You plan on serving it to us scorched there hun?"

And with that, she snapped. That was it, she'd had it with him! It hadn't been his wording, or his outward intent. It was his tone that enraged her. He was acting like a spoiled brat that hadn't got his way, and now he was pretending to be helpful and oh so sweet about everything! Or maybe she was reading too far into him, either way she didn't bother to give that tiny voice in her mind a chance as she was already standing, and had been shouting something that had apparently gotten everyone's attention. "-but I'm tired of it! So do it yourself!"

After tossing her cooking utensil at him and eliciting a, "hey!" out of him, she marched off, into her own corner of the world for awhile. She thought she heard him mutter something or other about his soiled clothing, but with her head still shouting rants that didn't quite make it to her tongue, she didn't even hear the others call after her, much less his complaints.

After she had stormed off, Zelos watched after her with an incredulous look. He honestly wondered what he said to get her so worked up. He was attempting to wipe the residue away from his outfit that had been painted on by the cookware when Raine walked right up to him and thwacked him roughly over the head. "Ow!" he whined, holding his offended head and looking up to the woman with one eye. "What's with all the female hostility tonight?"

"What did you say to her?" Raine's pointed glare was definitely not one to be challenged. He was about to explain himself, but she kept right on going. "Don't answer that, just listen." There had been peace all day up until now, and she had been in the middle of a very good book. Honestly, why did she have to be surrounded by these delinquent children? "She's been going through a lot the past few weeks! First Corrine's death, and just yesterday she had to fight with that ninja from her village! Show some empathy for once!"

Zelos merely sighed and nodded his head; even he knew better then to interrupt the professor in the middle of a lecture. Afterward, he suddenly didn't feel like explaining himself anymore, leaving Raine to shake her head and sigh hopelessly at her misbehaving students. Aside from Regal she had more or less considered them all students, even though she couldn't think of a time when she had to lecture Presea... "Just, fix it," the half-elf ordered, folding her arms crossly before returning to her place and picking up her book again.

Breathing a sigh of his own, Zelos glanced in Sheena's direction, only to see that she was glaring at him. With that, he decided he'd wait till after dinner, and fix it. Another sigh. Did the professor even know what she was saying? Things didn't exactly get broke between them so as to simply have it fixed. It was more like a building block work in progress, things like this were merely setbacks, but he wasn't about to argue with the group's matriarch. He knew she only wanted them to get along in order to make the trip run as smoothly as possible.

He understood that. And yet, he knew he wouldn't be able to comply with it completely. His nature just wouldn't allow it.

Sheena sat herself beside a large tree trunk, her legs and arms crossed in her attempt to ward off the night's chill that had set in as soon as she left the warmth of the campfire. It was worth it if it meant she'd have some time to get her emotions sorted out.

In her mind she knew she had just accused him of acting like a child, but after hearing Raine lay into him, Sheena almost felt just as immature, like she wanted to go running right up to him, point a finger at him and shout, "haha! You got in trouble!" She almost chuckled at the mental picture. He sure did have a way of bringing the worst out of her.

Easing further into her niche in the tree, Sheena set herself to meditation, which wasn't exactly her favorite thing, but she knew she had blown the whole thing out of proportion, so she was partially angry with herself for giving into her temper.

Zelos smiled sweetly when Colette neared him and proceeded to sit next to him, concern written all over her face, as Genis had taken over where Sheena left off with the Curry. "Hello little angel, what's on your mind?"

The girl brightened a little bit towards the nickname, but she still looked troubled. "Zelos, is everything alright? Sheena seemed really upset."

"Oh don't worry your pretty little head Colette, I'm just lettin' her brood a bit, then I'll go talk to her." He tilted his head, eyes closed in a comforting expression. "Besides," he said, stealing another quick glance in the ninja's direction. "It looks like she wants a little quiet time. Better not bother her or we really will have a Demonic Banshee on the loose." With that the man had a grin on his face as he gave the younger Chosen's head a pat of cutely tuned affection that she simply took for the usual Zelos behavior.

Colette smiled at him. "Ok, I'll wait awhile and then I'll take her some dinner."

"Here you guys," Genis murmured as he handed them their bowls of the salvaged curry. "It might be a little... strong."

Zelos and Colette merely gave a nervous smile. Oh well, it wasn't the first time they had to endure overcooked meals.

--

Later on, Colette took a bowl of the bit-overly-done curry over to Sheena, asking worriedly if she was alright. But Sheena merely waved the incident off as nothing, saying she just needed some time to cool off, and at the same time volunteering for the first night watch shift.

The younger teen nodded her head. "Ok, I'll tell Lloyd to relieve you in a few hours then."

"No need to Colette," the other Chosen put in as he drew near. "I'll take over for her. I already told Lloyd I'd wake him when my shift's done."

"Oh, alright," the blond glanced between the swordsman and the ninja and smiled brightly before running off. "Goodnight Sheena, night Zelos."

The other two replied similarly and as Colette headed for her bed roll, Zelos sat down to the side of the summoner, so that his back was supported by the trunk as well. "Hey."

"Hey," Sheena replied without missing a beat while choking down her, now cold, burnt dinner. Scowling repulsively she pushed the bowl away from her and looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "So are you planning on staying awake through my shift and your own, or are you just back to bother me again?" Her tone wasn't spiteful or grouchy, but bordered more of a taunt. She had known for awhile now about his tactics, the ones where he'd hide his concern for others behind his folly. She wasn't sure exactly when it finally clicked in her mind, but even with that knowledge now, sometimes she still couldn't help but get annoyed with him.

He did little more than turn his head and grin. "Of course I came to bother you!"

Sheena shook her head and waved a hand at him as though he were hopeless. Anyway, she supposed that was his sort of foolproof intent. If it didn't get her worked up then why would he even bother? She sighed. As much as he pestered her, she couldn't deny the fact that he was only trying to help, in his own, twisted ways. She knew she should thank him somehow, without actually thanking him. Which in the long run, she knew she was only just making things more complicated for herself. But if she did just come right out and thank him, he would ask what for, and that in itself would just turn out as a boggled mess, not to mention he would never let her live it down.

There was a moment of silence, and Zelos knew she wasn't about to say anything, sensing that sort of mood in her. He still couldn't decipher what had caused her outburst. Had he really said something so offensive? He didn't think so, at least, not compared to a few other comments he could have made. As he pondered this, his mind wandered back. Back to a time when life was cruel, yet still fairly simple.

Turning his head to her, he kept his tone low as he spoke, though it held a curious edge as the question set itself more as an observation. "You still holdin' on to that grudge... huh?"

"What- What are you talking about? What grudge?"

Zelos shrugged. "Oh,.. Well, that's just what I call it. Maybe you call it somethin' else."

"You'll need to give me a little more than that if you want me to comprehend what you're getting at."

"You said we should "distance" ourselves, and that your mission to Sylvarant would be a good way of doing that."

"I remember." Sheena sighed with a nod before sending him a low glare. "I also remember you said I wouldn't be able to go through with it, the assassination."

"Yeah," he said, exhaling as he leaned back and closed his eyes. "I knew you pretty well, even back then."

Sheena scoffed. "It wasn't that long ago. And at the time it just seemed like you were doubting me."

"Yeah, you were pretty mad at me too." Peeking at her through one eye and smirking ever so slightly, he pulled his hands behind his head smugly. "I was right though."

Rolling a side long glare his way, she returned to her sentry duty, eying the tenebrous landscape carefully for any movement. Indeed, he was right. She wasn't going to argue, and she hardly felt like bickering with him about it.

A silence set in for a bit, and with the way he was reclined against the tree Zelos felt as though he would dose off if he didn't keep up a conversation. He stared at her for a moment, wondering what was on her mind besides her current duties as the night watch. Was she thinking about her village? About the journey? Corrine maybe? After all, it was just as the professor said, it had only been a few weeks since the incident with Volt. She had lost her beloved constant companion that day, and Zelos doubted that she would ever fully recover from the loss.

He really just wanted to get her mind off of all of that though, but mostly he just wanted to bring her back, that Sheena he remembered that used to smile whenever the little fox would speak. He frowned, his eyebrows down in concentration. He doubted that would even be possible. "Sheena,.."

"Hm?" was her only acknowledgment, not bothering to look at him.

"Is there, something I can do for you? A favor maybe?"

"A... Favor?" Now she looked at him, but only for an instant before turning away again in contemplation.

"Yeah, anything, you name it."

"Hm... Well, asking you to cease with that behavior would be impossible,.. So..."

"So?" Zelos repeated, his eyes closed, whimpering pathetically. "Sheena, I'm not offering a personality change here."

"Well I do have this one thing, but..."

"Then tell me. Honest, I'll do anything if it'll make your pretty face smile again."

She shot a pointed finger at him, her mouth open and ready to roll out some kind of rebuke, but she didn't. Instead she turned back, her gaze downward as though mumbling to the ground. "Teach me your techniques."

"Pardon?" His eyes popped open, his ears appearing to perk up when he didn't think he heard her right.

"Your fighting style, teach it to me."

"You mean..." Even after she clarified, Zelos hesitated, eyebrow up and absently wondering if he was even on the same page as her. "With a sword?"

Sheena nodded. "I learned to fight with my botan when I was still in training, so I know the Igaguri style. But I'd like to be familiar with other forms." She tried to hold a straight face, fighting back the urge to smirk at his obvious confusion. She knew this sort of thing would make him happy, and it would serve as her way of showing appreciation, keeping him satisfied with her attention, which he seemed oh so very obsessed with.

"Let me get this straight. You," he started as he leaned closer on one hand, examining her face for any deception, while his other hand he used to point at himself. "Wanna learn something from me?"

Sheena nodded silently as she felt a slight warmth rise to her cheeks; the idea was starting to sound a lot more involved then what she had intended. But, like a little kid with a new toy, she couldn't exactly just take it away from him.

"Great!" the redhead exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "So if I teach you that, then you can do me a favor afterwards." He said it as though he were explaining the details of a trade.

"What? Me do you a fav- Zelos, it's not a favor if you add terms with it like that!" she nearly shouted at him. Besides, I'm already doing you a favor just for suggesting this! She felt like screaming that last part, but thought better on it, as then she would have to explain herself.

"Aww, come on Sheena. Don't be that way." He pouted, bending over to lay his head on her shoulder and causing her eye to twitch. "It's fair this way."

"Fine," she gave in with a growl, her annoyance was an odd one, with some sort of playfulness blooming from it as she pushed him off. "What is it? And it better be within reason."

"Oh," Zelos said slyly. "That's a surprise."

"How can a favor be a surprise?" She honestly didn't understand how his mind worked sometimes, with contradictions like that at every turn.

"Don't worry about it," he said, waving a hand as he yawned and set himself to sleep. "We'll start training in the morning. Wake me up for my shift."

--

It was hard to describe that feeling, the one that started in his stomach and gradually sent a wave of contentment up into his chest. He hadn't felt it for a long time, and now that it had returned he couldn't help but smile. Although he was awake, he refused to open his eyes to the early morning hours.

"What are you smiling for?"

Until now. His eyes shot open in response to the voice. "Ah, that face, greeting me when I wake up, even though you're in my dreams all night long?" He was in his bed roll now, and with a glance around, Lloyd could be seen asleep at his post. Some night watch he was.

Sheena was crouched to the side of him, her chin resting in one palm. "Come on, get up, we've got work to do."

"It's too early," he whined, his eyes shifting from bleary to sly in an instant as he stretched his arms out to her. "Let's just go back to sleep."

"Ugh." That was an offer that she had no interest in indulging. With a roll of her eyes and a disgusted scrutiny, she stood up and lightly nudged him with her foot, though he would have considered it a kick. "Just get up."

As the ninja left him, he only whined more. After a few minutes of that, he hadn't received any attention from her again, and he sighed, conquered by the woman's cruel neglect. Pulling himself out of his blankets and donning his vest, he shivered as he glanced up at the sky. It wasn't even dawn yet, at least not in his mind! The sun had barely lit the mountains on the far end of the continent, while the rest of the sky was still dark blue. Oh sure, Regal was up and already deep into his morning training, but he hadn't agreed to this!

"Sheena!" he cried, rather loudly as he approached her, and everyone that was still trying to sleep moaned at him in a miserable harmony.

She shushed him and glancing his way among her preparation of breakfast. "Hey if I have to be up at this hour then nobody's allowed to be happy," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes as he sat on the ground next to her, yawning. "Whose idea was it to get up so early?"

She handed him a plate, soon after slapping an egg and some toast onto it. "We have to train in the morning, there's no time otherwise."

Zelos sighed, dazedly looking down at his meager looking breakfast as his brain struggled to function. "No sausage?"

"Just hurry up and eat!" Sheena growled, earning her own chorus of moans from the sleeping ones. "Sorry guys."

--

They stood facing each other. The sky had finally turned a light blue, and the other members of their party were finally showing signs of life. At least, it seemed that way.

Lloyd was mumbling something about food. Genis was fumbling with his bed roll. Presea was setting her gear. Raine was looking over the map, plotting out their next route. And lastly, Colette could be seen attempting to start breakfast where Sheena left off.

All in all, it was slightly difficult to stay focused with all the noise they seemed to make. "I dunno hun, you sure you can handle it?"

"I know how to manage a sword Zelos." Sheena gave him a pah-lease look.

"Hm, and I'm not doubting that..." Zelos replied, weighing the blade he had borrowed from Lloyd. "But I still think we should start out with the wooden ones."

Sheena didn't care to hear the safety lecture. She rolled her eyes and waved a hand before readjusting her grip on his sword hilt and taking up a stance. "Just let me get the feel for it again, then you can show me how to execute your techs."

This isn't going to end well, he thought, and with a troublesome sigh, took up his own stance.

To say the least he hadn't had much experience fighting ninja's, and they certainly weren't your average sword fighters. With lightning fast swipes coupled with Sheena's agility, Zelos was quickly put on the defensive. But he also noted small flaws in her forms, though he wasn't sure if it was just because of the differences between his sword and the ones she was used to. Though, he was at a similar disadvantage, using Lloyd's long, thin blade instead of his favored stiletto.

Something about their sparring had spurred Lloyd to action, and after standing and grabbing his only sword, since Zelos had borrowed the other, he joined Regal and commenced his own spar with the older man.

The others simply went about breakfast and packing up camp as per normal, paying little to no attention to the other half of their comrades.

Metal clashed and pinged apart in rapid strokes from Sheena's assault. Neither of them faltered, and Zelos had continued to ease backwards with each strike. Realizing her current strategy was getting her nowhere, the ninja gave a short snarl and jerked back, then flanked him, but he was wary and followed her movements.

Zelos was beginning to feel uneasy, like Sheena was starting to take this session a little too serious for his taste. That's when he made it a note to subdue the situation with a wide parry as soon as possible. Perhaps her next attack would hold an opening. He had only been able to plan for an instant before she came down with a vertical strike, he managed to dodge it, but she followed up with a horizontal swipe.

The attack was with such a speed and velocity that it decreased his choices dramatically. He could have countered, which was what he would have done had she been an enemy, delivering a fatal blow to the gut. But instead, he stuck with his original plan, except, parrying a strike with that much force would only reduce the fatality. He knew that only seconds before the blow was delivered. Sheena on the other hand, couldn't perceive why he hadn't countered.

Feeling that soft resistance of flesh from the edge of blade as it flowed up the hilt, she could only cringe as Zelos yelped and doubled over in pain, although he had been expecting the wound, it always hurt more than he thought it would. "Nice shot hun," he croaked, one eye flinching in pain.

"Oh, geez! Zelos are you alright?" Sheathing the sword, she knelt down beside him, attempting to inspect the damage. "Is it deep?" Since it only grazed the side of his torso, she wasn't extremely worried about him, it was hardly life threatening if it was promptly tended to.

"Nah, it's fine, nothin' a little First Aid won't cure." He sat back, wincing slightly as he applied a healing to himself and then he grinned. "There, all better, just like all the times you smack me."

She sat down next to him and they both watched as Lloyd and Regal continued with their own duel, unaffected by Sheena's foul up. Lloyd was too busy trying to keep up with one sword short. "I guess, maybe we should have started with wooden swords... It's been awhile since I've used one, so..."

"Don't worry about it, that's what First Aid is for!" he assured her, eyes closed with another sideways grin.

"Yeah but I know it still hurt. All because I screwed up..." Sheena glared at her fists in her lap, instinctively tense and gripping any cloth that had been within her grasp. "Just like my duel with Kuchinawa." Her teeth clenched by the memory.

"It was pretty bad, wasn't it?"

"I was pathetic!" she snarled, though not at him, she didn't even glance at him. She felt too ashamed. "I couldn't touch him."

"I think I know why." He wasn't facing her anymore, instead, he leaned back, his arms propping him up as he stared at the progressive sunrise.

"What?" Now she looked at him, sharply though curious. "You weren't even there, how would you know?"

"I didn't need to be there. It's simple really." He smirked after tipping his head and seeing that he had her full, undivided attention. "You," he said, emphasizing his subject by poking her forehead. "Were holding back."

Blinking stupidly and watching his hand retreat back to its proper place after its offense to her head, Sheena growled at the comment, her face growing tense again. "I- I was not!"

"Sheena," he drawled, giving her a patronizing look as though he knew the truth even if she didn't. "You couldn't even kill Colette on your mission, someone you didn't even know back then. How would you ever be able to bring yourself to hurt someone you've known your whole life?"

Sheena growled, she knew he was right, but refusing to accept it, she gripped the hilt of his sword once more. "Oh you're just asking for another fight!"

"Heheh, nope, I'm done." He stood up and stumbled away in his breakneck attempt to run away. "I can only take so much love from you a day."

"Hey!" Sheena leapt after him, a fist shaking at him threateningly. "Get back here, you haven't taught me a single tech yet!"

--

"Your stance is so strange, I feel off balance in it," commented the summoner, sword in hand as she imitated his example.

"That's what throws the enemy off."

"That's odd. I always thought the enemy gave you weird looks because you wear pink."

Zelos opened his mouth with a retort on his tongue but he was quickly interrupted when Lloyd called to them. "Hey, Sheena, Zelos, we're heading to Meltokio for supplies. You coming?"

The two shared a glance in question. Sheena merely shrugged indifferently, but something sparked in Zelos' eyes, and she knew he had finally decided on that favor he had coming. She didn't know what it was, but if it had to do with something in Meltokio, well, she could only guess that it spelled trouble.

"C'mon! It's time for the surprise!" he shouted excitedly while grabbing her wrist and tugging her along in his run to where the others were mounting the Rheairds.

Sheena didn't bother to resist, rather, she made a go-with-the-flow face and chose to scratch this day off as a wasted day with Zelos. She especially chose not to fight it due to the fact that they had an agreement already. A favor for a favor, she still scoffed at the ridiculous thought, but then waved it off as the average Zelos logic.

As the techbirds fired up, she stole a glance at him from her own machine. He grinned back.

Yep, this day was to be completely marked off as wasted.

--

"Zelos, I'm not kidding, any more measurements and someone loses a finger... or two," Sheena hissed from the other side of a long dressing room curtain. She really didn't care less about the nervous looks she was getting from the seamstress currently taking the measurements.

"Aw, come on Sheena, I've been training you for a whole week or more. Just give me this one day alright?"

She growled in response, knowing he had a point, even though her patience was all but gone. The seamstress seemed to have sensed this as she mumbled something or other about estimating the remaining measurements. Sheena sighed with relief, shortly thereafter, storming past the curtain to send a long awaited glare at the man. All in all, the curtain hadn't really been necessary but she demanded it anyway. "That had better be all," she rumbled through clamped teeth, her temper barely reined in.

Zelos smiled nervously, coupled with a chuckle. "Almost, we just have to wait for her to find the right sizes for you.

"Are you still not going to tell me what you're planning?" she questioned, her arms crossed irritably.

"Nope, oh and you'll need to wear this," he said, bringing a blindfold out of his pocket and wrapping it neatly around her head. "Now don't take it off until I say so, alright?"

"But..." Sheena felt as though she were having a Lloyd moment, as conclusion was evading her. "How am I supposed to get dressed if I can't see?"

"Er, well... You see, that..." Zelos desperately looked around for something to rescue him, luckily for him, the woman returned in that instant.

"Master Zelos, I've found the clothes you've requested."

As though she hadn't heard the announcement, Sheena reached out to grab the man in order to strangle him, but he had moved since he put the blindfold on her. "Zelos I have dressed myself for my entire life and if you think for a second, that I'm gonna allow someone-!"

"Remember our deal!" he called over his shoulder as he hightailed it out of the shop without waiting for her to finish. "I'll be waiting outside!"

"Zelos!" Bloodcurdling would probably have been a good way to describe her howl. But as it didn't affect her target, it certainly did a number on the woman chosen to help her. "How should I kill him when all of this over? A knife would be too messy, too much blood. Maybe I'll drown him..."

She hadn't really been aware that she was thinking out loud until the quivering voice of the seamstress came from behind her. "Uh-um, M-miss? I h-have your clothes ready..."

The ninja turned blindly to the voice, and after taking in a calming breath, she nodded, defeated and knowing better then to take her anger out on an innocent girl just doing her job. Still, that didn't mean she'd be smiling.

--

"Ok hun, we're almost there," Zelos told her as they neared their destination. But he suddenly stopped her and pulled something else out of his pocket, not that she could have seen the action though. "Now I'll need you to have these in for a few minutes, so you don't hear what's going on and give away the surprise."

"Zelos, what sort of surprise could possibly be worth all of this? And what is with this outfit? It feels weird, not to mention the mask is throwing me off. Seriously, are we going to a costume party or-"

"Shhhhh!" the man hissed. "I can't answer all of that right now, so just go with it!" he said in a happy tone, she assumed he was smiling as well.

"Fine." She tried to look like she was looking around but soon realizing how ridiculous the movement was with her blindfold on as Zelos seemed to be fitting plugs in her ears. "Where are the others anyway? I haven't heard you say anything about them for a couple hours now."

"Oh, them? They're already in their seats."

Sheena turned her head, feeling the vibrations of his voice but unable to hear him. "What?"

Zelos smirked, chuckling to himself as he took her hand in his and lead her into the building.

--

After donning his own mask, Zelos gave the guard a thumbs up and the knight nodded in response. Sunlight seeped in from under the metal gate as it lifted and Zelos once again took Sheena's hand and lead her outside.

Once feeling the thunderous vibrations under her feet, Sheena darted her head around, thinking she were about to be trampled by a herd of monsters. But as Zelos removed the earplugs, and soon after her blindfold, she suddenly found herself smack dab in the middle of Meltokio Stadium. With a quick glance around she took in the countless number of cheering, stomping fans in the stands, as well as the red haired masked swordsman standing right beside her. A smirk showing under the disguise as he mouthed the word, "Surprise!"

Before she could attempt to say anything, the announcer cut in with a deafening voice. "And here we have a special treat! The returning Masked Swordsman accompanied by his Masked Lady!"

Sheena automatically shot him an incredulous look, although it would be rather hard for him to see it under her mask, the one that looked so much like his. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

Again, before she could give him a proper beating, the announcer interrupted her. "And they will be facing off with..." he paused, as though re-reading his script for accuracy. "A fixed match? Ahem, yeah, please open the gate for Seles and Kuchi-Kichiwa-? Oh some crazy Japanese name!"

"What!?" Zelos and Sheena chorused, both of them equally shocked. It suddenly occurred to him that he hadn't really thought about who they might be fighting...

"Seles! Why are you here?!"

"Why else? I'm here to fight that woman so she'll stop bewitching you!"

"What!?" Sheena screeched. "Now look you little-!"

"Begin!" the announcer shouted, the crowd erupting in shouts soon after. The two hadn't the time to converse for much more than a few seconds.

"Alright, you take Seles; I'll take him. But, hey, don't hurt her too bad, she's not healthy as it is!"

"The same goes for you, don't kill him!"

"What, are you kiddin' me? He's a freakin' ninja!"

"Well the same goes for her, she's got magic!" just as those words left her mouth, Sheena barely managed to dodge a hostile flying icicle that had been suspiciously aimed at her head... "And apparently she has a grudge!" She sent a glare his way, but Zelos merely grinned nervously and shrugged as though he hadn't the slightest inkling why his sister would have a grudge.

It would be a lie to say there wasn't any injuries, but miraculously nobody died. That was the day the Masked Swordsman and his Masked Lady went into the arena's history books as delivering the most explosive, comedic battle ever witnessed at Meltokio's stadium.

The fans even went so far as to request reenactments... Sadly they never got the same "actors". But the script was spot on.

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AN: You know, for some reason when I had gotten to writing that arena part, I was oddly thinking Zorro. Lol, come to think of it, is that what the game had been referring to when they gave Zelos that title? XD Honestly, if that had been a pun the whole time, then I never once caught it until now... lol Zorro Zelos, or Zerosu Zorro. XD No wait... Double Z!

Oh and I have a little request, can someone (that's actually good at drawing them, unlike me) draw something depicting them training? Preferable Sheena with his sword, but whatever! Even if it's just with Zelos standing back and laughing. XD PM me if you do!