A/N: I bet no one expected a return by me so soon. Well, neither did I, truly, but as summer dwindles I do have to enjoy a little bit of late-night writing while I can. -smile- This one I had planned for a while. It did not come out exactly the way I'd imagined it, but perhaps it is better for that reason. I truly don't know.

Some of my readers might be surprised; I have a few borderline M moments I concede, but negligible I think in comparison to the raunchy stuff on this site sometimes. Ahaha. Well...enjoy I hope. ;D

Disclaimer: If I were to own ToS, there would be substantial Sheelos and I would probably not be writing it instead. Bwah!

x x x x x

Cicada songs buzzed persistently from the desert foliage, no pause to their rhythmless and drawl hum. Desert-like itself in its lack of emotion and complete apathy toward whatever human life happened to be within earshot. The circumstances of mankind were trivial to the spirits of sand and heated sun, whose only concern was to go on as they had since the dawn of time.

Sunrise, sunset, and repeat.

It wasn't a hospitable place, surely. But a single form of beauty stood thinking upon the scorched earth that night, a girl who pondered there whether or not she was making the correct decision. Seeking help from the occult wasn't something she ever did, unless Corrine counted. Although, even among studiers of sorcery and high magicks, the ability of one to see that which is truly unseeable…such is considered nonsense.

Everything in the world could be dissected, looked into, or explained in some fashion. The human heart, however, remained something too close to home for any such scientist or mathematician to lay out in plain terms. Much to her chagrin, she couldn't seek answers in any book or manuscript. And asking one of her companions was a laugh; what was she to say?

So she paced before the doorway of the Trietian fortuneteller's hut, back and forth, wondering how to explain a sickness which had no form to it. A sickness of spirit that left her feeling cold down to her very bones.

It couldn't possibly hurt to try, she concluded after the long period of consideration; perhaps her unusual problem required an unusual remedy. She slipped inside as quietly as a moth's wingbeat.

Emerald eyes examined the young woman when she appeared in the doorway of the tent, the long nails of their owner drumming against the desk with a loud beat. It wasn't disinterest that lay in her expression, so much as the gaze of one who had seen too much to possibly be surprised by anything. Another day, another cast of desperate callers in need of divine intervention.

This wise teller of fates spoke with a strange accent, her voice very soft. "You are troubled, my dear," she crooned. "Your business here is of importance to you?"

A bit put off by the eccentricity of the lady before her, Sheena hesitated for a moment before coming to sit in the old chair intended for her kind. Between them was a large crystal ball, making it much easier for her to speak when those eyes were not watching each move she made.

"I…I suppose you could say that." The summoner whispered this in an equally hush voice, nervously scrutinizing her hands. She still didn't want to talk about this, even though she had come seeking assuagement. It felt unnatural to share her troubles with a stranger.

The woman clucked her tongue and rose a bit in her seat for a better view of her customer. "Triet is not home to you, is it? You show no appearance of a desert dweller."

Sheena shook her head, unable to shake the feeling of her own transparency from the knowing way the oracle stared. "No, I'm from…far from this land. I came here with friends, travelling abroad."

That was a mild version of the story, she thought sarcastically. But somehow, even knowing that she was in strange enough company, it didn't seem practical to explain that she was on a quest to bring beings of great power, the legendary summon spirits, under her command.

A nod came from across the table, though unseen to the one it was directed at. "Stranger from another land: I, Madame Ylusa, am at your service. Though, forgive me for asking again. What is your business? Seek you matters of wealth? Or of those passed from this world?"

"No, it's nothing of that sort," the ninja mumbled, a sigh hanging from her lips. "It's more…about myself. For the past few weeks I've felt ill at ease. It feels like, even when I'm among my friends, I am alone."

"Not an uncommon feeling, I should say. Continue, and perhaps there is more to it than that?"

For a moment Sheena was silent as she considered whether it was wise to express her thoughts. It would only make sense to do so, since she'd come for the purpose of doing that very thing. She held a hand close to her chest for comfort before words would leave her lips."I feel this feeling…especially whenever I see two of my friends together. You see, they're very close. They care for each other like no one I've ever known. And it sometimes makes me feel so empty myself."

Another pause. She struggled slightly, a little embarrassed about the subject. "It's not that I wish it were any other way for them. But I think they take it for granted. Me…I guess, I wonder if I could ever be felt for…in that way. By another person."

She felt goosebumps forming over her arms, the air chill even despite the desert's late-night heat. The notion of being forever alone, of dying alone…never before had it bothered her. It required a long time of observing the fervent bond between Colette and Lloyd to make her question her own apparent solitude, a lonely road she had always thought of as the only one she could walk.

A soft patter of a laugh whispered from she who called herself Ylusa, short and most genuine. "It is matters of the heart, then—of love—that bring you here?"

It was for the first time that Sheena looked closely at the diviner now, seeing her features lit by the candlelight of the small tent. She was of fair skin herself for a desert inhabitant, with deep chestnut hair trailing down her back. None too old either, certainly not past twenty-five. Gold jewelry littered her arms and neck in a brilliant sparkle. Then…then there were those piercing green eyes. They were enough to make anyone nervous.

"Of love?" The summoner felt a dread blossom within her stomach. "You think I'm worried about…love? I didn't think I came off that way at all!"

Ylusa smiled wolfishly, not breaking eye contact with her fickle client. "My sweet, your heart is troubled with envy. You believe your friends don't know how special their relationship with each other is, don't you? Within yourself, you want to feel such a strong connection to another…and you fear that you never will."

For once, Sheena was silenced.

"May I ask you a question?" the oracle probed gently, noticing that the girl whom she spoke to had turned her eyes down once again.

Nothing for a moment, and then there was a reply. "You may."

"Has someone broken your heart?"

That question didn't make much sense at first to the young Mizuho woman. She had had disappointments in her life, of course. Many a disappointment. Her heart itself was not so easily touched, though. Had anyone gotten so close?

Thoughts drifted to the nightmare that had woken her so many times as of late. Always it began with Kuchinawa's fierce anger confronting her at the Otherworldly Gate, where she could almost feel his rage scathe her even within the dream world. And she sensed her own anger in return, that he should use the opportunity to try and harm her friends as well. No one should be punished for his hatred but herself.

So right there, she was ready to die for her sins long past if it would spare those she cared about.

Yet no matter how many times she relived the moment, judgment never came to pass. Never in her dream did the fear consume her, instead consistently arriving the one person who would not leave the choice in her hands. The others had not managed to change her mind with their honeyed words. She would have given her life there, she shuddered to think.

But then, he had to intervene, to firmly guide her into the blinding light of Sylvarant with complete resolve. Her mind could not forget the way his sharp blue eyes struck her that night, alight with a blaze of pure anger that she had tried to throw her life away. Allowing her to think just for a moment that maybe she had chosen wrong.

She would awake from it all in a cold sweat, haunted once more by the thought that someone, for once…had truly cared more about her than she did herself.

Who could have ever told that? The idiot hardly ever showed a shred of care for her. Not in a long, long time. Even after the fact, he discarded the opportunity for her to thank him, provoking her with words that he knew very well would insult her into speechlessness.

Everyone present had known it then, though none felt it pierce them the way she did. He was nothing short of…cruel. No other word could describe it.

Sheena turned her gaze back onto the patiently-waiting mystic, whose catlike eyes still rested upon her. She knew the answer now. "Sometimes I feel like it," she whispered almost inaudibly. "Whenever I think he's being decent to me for once, he ruins it by doing something horrible…and it hurts for a long time afterward. In a way no one else can make me hurt."

A hand wandering to lay on the crystal ball, Ylusa nodded in her calm way of understanding. "You will that I would divine for you the answers your spirit desires?"

"I still have no question to ask, madame," she admitted quietly. "If it were so simple, I wouldn't be bothered I'm sure."

The fortuneteller closed her eyes, now touching both palms to the orb in front of her. "You have given me enough of yourself, dear. I will tell you what can be told with my Sight."

From the crystal emanated a dull glow, the air warming around them with the powerful electricity of the beyond. Sheena waited for something to appear within the glass, something bizarre and exotic, but instead it went dark again.

At once her heart sank. Perhaps it had failed, she fretted. But then Ylusa opened her eyes, taking the young woman with much surprise. The oracle's eyes were no longer an exuberant forest green, now transformed into an ethereal whitish hue. It was quite a fright for a few moments, until her voice returned.

"Do not fear, inquirer of fate. I lose my sight in exchange for another kind of vision. You need not worry for me." She reached her clawed hand forward. "Your hand, if you will."

Tentative, Sheena extended her hand to the older woman. Immediately a warm rush filled her body, and she felt a calmness from it. It was as if every frayed nerve in her had been at once relaxed by a steady current of energy, a pure and unaltered rush of life from some great power.

"What you see in the one who troubles you, Sheena Fujibayashi, is an illusion which covets more pain than you would ever dare to imagine. You see the thorns of a rose who would not allow you any closer, whose wish to hold you dear is but matched with fear of the very thought. It is not dissimilar to yourself, and you ignore him for that reason. He…suffers you in a way beyond even his own understanding. The ache is of rejection, of being cast off, and he would not fain approach you with his heart in hand."

The words flowed into her with the utmost strength, stinging with realizations she did not want to admit. She had tried with everything she had not to see his sad gaze upon her from afar, or the persistence with which he always guarded her in battle. It was the only defense she had against letting someone into herself…to shatter them before they had the chance.

Ylusa's proclamation continued, untamed and full of vivid sensation. "Your fates may yet intertwine, if you will only look past yourself. You must think of another, rather than shield your own heart. It is possible you may learn things of him you had never thought to consider. The man you think you know, and the one who so desires you…you must differentiate them for yourself."

Slowly, the unsettling shadow cast over the room was swept away as the fortuneteller completed her vision. Sheena felt herself shivering slightly with the intensity of the experience. She wasn't sure if that was what she had wanted at all, to be told to face her dilemma rather than simply sweep it under the rug and try to pretend it had never existed.

All she could feel now was exposure, like her ribs had been cracked and that sensitive part of her exposed.

It was the most awful, disturbing, invigorating…absolutely wonderful sensation she could have ever felt.

x x x

The small oasis town was dark and silent as the summoner returned to Triet's inn, her body yet feeling almost weightless after her wracking trial of mind. This stranger had divulged to her such a fascinating myriad of information, she mused. If anyone was completely without a heart, she had been certain it was the insufferable Chosen with whom she was forced to interact with. To find that she may yet be incorrect came as a stark surprise to say the very least.

Now, fully understanding that he did in fact affect her on an intimate level…it didn't disgust her quite so much any more. Never had she thought before that that ability lay within her own hands as well. That she could make him long for her without even trying; she had always known that, and yet the power it gave her went unseen for far too long.

She crept in through the door quietly, her heart set on avoiding waking anyone in the building up. From the lobby she crept up to her room and clicked the door shut behind her, thankful that this inn was cheap enough to allow her a solitary suite.

Understandably, she almost leapt through the roof when she heard someone address her. In her own room. In the middle of the night.

"Mm, Sheena? You actually came back?" He teased her gently, lying at vigilant watch in one of the fluffy armchairs the room contained. "I thought you flew the coop for good…"

She was indignant at this clear violation of her space, unhappy to be confronted by him when she was still so very vulnerable. "Zelos!" she hissed just above a whisper, coolheaded enough at least to maintain the quiet. "What in the hell are you doing…in my room?"

"Oh, isn't that convenient," the Chosen replied, his eyes betraying the knowledge that his good intentions had surely been cast aside by her already. "You left in the middle of the night. I heard you leave. And…I waited for you to come back."

He said it all like it was second nature. The same nonchalant tone as 'sure' or 'of course.' Or, "The operation was a success, you're going to be fine."

"It's nothing, alright?" she snapped back. "I just needed some fresh air, so I went out for a walk."

The simple response felt hard to say, even despite the normalcy that talking to him usually was. Now it was nerve-wracking to even speak to him, in light of what she just went through. Part of her wanted to spend a good long time without him now, if that was at all possible.

But…part of her wanted to find out just how true the prophet's words were.

She compromised the two desires and decided she would allow him to choose between them, by whatever was to follow. Her trust would be placed in another for just this once. If he could handle it…she was interested to know.

He fixed her with an imploring stare, concern lurking somewhere below the surface. "Are you…y'know…really okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

A forced smiled crossed her lips, and she shook her head by and by. "I'm okay, truly. It's just…insomnia. I haven't been getting enough sleep." That was an accurate statement at least, even if it wasn't the whole story.

"Insomnia, eh?" Zelos nodded his understanding to her, himself familiar with that ruthless force of nature. "There's all kinds of ways to get rid of that. You should've just told me."

Sheena winced, not even thinking to hide that sort of expression. What was she getting herself into? The conversation had only just begun and he was already insinuating the thought of getting her into bed. She hoped to the gods that Ylusa knew what she was talking about, or she might just end up swearing off this moron forever.

The Chosen had scrambled off his seat to slip over to the bedside, pulling open one of the drawers on the end table. She watched him quizzically as he tossed aside a book of Martel's teachings that had been inside, as well as some extra pillow cases and tissue. None of its contents seemed to please him until he finally snapped the drawer shut, holding up a pack of playing cards.

"Bingo. This will do the trick. We'll play something, hm? And then maybe you'll feel a little bit better?"

She stared for a few moments. If she had awoke that moment to find herself somewhere else, it would have not surprised her in the least. Even bearing in mind the advice she had just received, it was still almost incomprehensible that she was doing such a strange thing at such a strange hour. And with such an unlikely companion, no less.

Not even caring much to find a comfortable spot, Zelos settled neatly on the ground near the window and unsheathed the deck of cards. Still as dazed as if she was perhaps drunk, Sheena came to sit in front of him. He gave her an encouraging smile before shuffling the deck quickly.

"So, we're playing what now?" she asked quietly, finding that her eyes would not rest on him.

On the contrary, he couldn't keep himself from looking at her. Nothing short of the usual. "Well…what do you know how to play?"

The ninja considered it for a moment before she knew for sure. There was a game that she was good at. Yes, indeed there was.

"Poker." She stated it confidently, flashing a bold grin his way. "I'm not too bad at poker."

He gave her a curt nod, a bit surprised at her choice. It wasn't the most expected thing in the world, that she would have played much poker. He supposed even in Mizuho they had to do things to pass the time, too.

"But—" she added right away, "I have nothing to bet, of course. That takes most of the fun out of it."

As he dealt them each a hand, he felt an awful idea strike him. It was the kind that should have been completely out of the question in light of how very mean-spirited it was. But the hour was late and his sense of appropriateness had taken a raincheck. That in itself was the makings for a catastrophe.

"Then we can bet something else, right?" Sleet-blue eyes took her in mischievously. Sheena did not in the least like the potential held therein. "How about clothes?"

She blinked, once, twice. Three times, still bewildered. "Er…come again?"

"You know, strip poker. That'll raise the stakes no doubt." The Chosen smiled in a most devious way, an absolute classic from him. She was much disappointed, honestly, to find that the gentleman who had waited so thoughtfully for her safe return had been replaced with someone she was much less fond of.

The fortuneteller's words rung in her mind. The man you think you know, and the one who so desires you…you must differentiate them for yourself. This might be a good trial for such a task, she thought grimly.

"Al…right," she answered after what seemed like hours, not looking at him for fear of abandoning the idea entirely. Look beyond herself this one time, and perhaps he would reveal something to her. Just the slightest little thing that could make all the difference.

And, the ninja figured to herself, she could probably kick his ass at poker anyhow.

She picked up her cards and examined them, hoping at once for a clear advantage. Two aces and two fours looked back at her, a lone six mixed in with the duo. A twopair was not the best possible hand, and certainly not a sure win by any stretch. She took her opportunity to discard, exchanging three in the hope of a slightly more promising arrangement.

Of course, it didn't shock her that none such a thing came. It was a bad hand to begin with, she complained to her own mind. Mixed suits, too far apart to form a straight…a no-go.

She would just have to bet small. Her hands raised, Sheena demonstrated to him her menial bet. "I'll bet you these right here, and that's all you're getting this round," she growled, holding her cards close to her heart.

"Matched, sweetheart," Zelos answered with a faint smile, and lay down a full hand of hearts. "You weren't looking to beat a flush this time, I'm supposing?"

She rolled her eyes, grudgingly taking off the material which covered her forearms and hands. It was a minor success for him, but nothing significant. That was what she told herself, most assuredly, though the spiteful way in which she tossed her cards back to him told another story.

The Chosen redealt them five new cards, which the summoner seized upon with no delay. She made certain not to wince as once again a useless hand fell into her possession. Each traded in three cards, a telltale sign that both of them were looking to get rid of a poor selection. That inspired her somewhat, that his own luck had been unkind as well.

On her end of things, unfortunately, it did little good to have discarded. She was still stuck with an unimpressive pair of kings. It could only win if he had a high-card or a pair of lower value. Not odds she was happy with.

Defeat that round sparked a nervousness in her, and thereafter the sentiment only gained more momentum. The battle persisted for hand after hand as she placed minimal bets, slowly losing what constituted her poker chips as he claimed victory with ease. She was better than that at this game! Yet the one time it truly counted she was coming up short.

The hardest part of it, for her, was the loss of her pants. An undershirt remained over her to protect the sanctity of her chest, and with that she felt at least somewhat at ease. Her swimsuit provided the same amount of coverage, after all. But to feel his eyes on her as she peeled the fabric down her legs, leaving only a small space between herself and complete humiliation…she could almost feel tears prick her amber eyes as she looked at that final, perhaps condemning, set of cards.

Only a few times in his life had Zelos been so silent, though the ninja was far too absorbed in her own worry to notice. He examined the curves of her body with a new appreciation, the way her legs appeared smooth and fair like sunlight on water. Just the sight of her hand settled upon her thigh was enough to make him stare in stunned quietude, half forgetting the game at hand.

A dull expression rested on her face as she exchanged a few cards, a prisoner delaying for time as she walked to her grave. She stood little chance now. Her eyes scanned the hand one last time before she set them facedown, then reached for the hem of her shirt with visible apprehension. It was the better of two unthinkable choices, at the very least. Little reassurance indeed.

What happened? her mind beseeched her, He was supposed to care about me. But Ylusa was wrong; he truly doesn't, does he? It's about my body, and it always was. I knew that, I was sure of it. But some of those things he does…made me question it.

Maybe that was what he wanted. He found my vulnerability…that part of me that wants to love someone. To love him, even. And I let him exploit it, just like that.

Her hands were stopped of a sudden, a stronger force halting her thoughts as well as her action. She didn't have the will to fight it when she found herself in an embrace, tightly pressed against a welcoming body as that last bit of composure fell to pieces. She sobbed into his chest, her first cry in years upon years. It felt wonderful, cleansing. The purging of a disease from her body. Every grievance she ever felt came out in her tears, tears for Corrine, for her grandfather, for everyone who had died on that fateful day by her own hands.

And every shred of anger, disgust, even sorrow…everything she held for him, too, was welling up within her. That which she had kept inside, her face an unflinching mask of indifference.

"Sheena…?" She looked up into his eyes, blue clouded over with a pure sadness that said more than tears would have. He was broken and lain askew by the sight of her in this state. It had gone too far, as did most of the things he tended to say to her.

He could have told her he loved her, and a long time ago at that. But he pushed her farther and farther away, and now they were only two people destroyed and holding on to each other for dear life.

"It's alright, I promise," he whispered gently into her hair, feeling words almost impotent at this point. "I wasn't going to let anything happen to you, you know that don't you?"

She didn't reply, not even make a gesture of acknowledgement. So very gingerly he released her, making a quick grab for his cards. "Look…I fold. You've won anyway."

She stared at him with a blank visage for a long while before wiping a few teardrops off her face, quickly making an advance on him until she had him pinned to the wall. Zelos was far too intelligent to chance moving now. If she meant to get him back for this, he figured he at least owed her the chance for a dire assbeating. Maybe a few.

Instead, he was confused to find her tugging a glove off his right hand, fingers running with simple fascination over the well-built structure of his arm. She repeated the process on his left side before making a quick job of unfastening his vest, which he found himself strangely complying with. It was then that he realized what was going on, and it came to a screeching halt as he seized one of her hands. She paused, looking directly into his eyes with what he didn't dare believe was a smile on her face.

"Uh, Sheena, hunny…" He fought back the natural reaction to blush, with her holding him down like this, and now attempting to do…something he wasn't quite decided on. "You still here, or is this a frisky alter ego I was previously unaware of…?"

The summoner stared daggers into him, putting a finger to her lips in mocking. "Now, I do believe you said I won, didn't you? I'm merely evening our circumstances. You aren't opposed to that, hm?"

She was unspoken for a brief moment, her eyes distant with hurt and insult. "You should only be disappointed that I won't be joining you under the covers tonight. Though…I'm sure you can go one night without an easy score."

He looked right back at her with pure disbelief, more stung than if she had struck him. "W…what?"

At once he felt her hands slip under his shirt, light fingers brushing against his bare skin in a way that elicited a gasp from him. Redness flooded the Chosen's face like she had never seen before, and she stopped cold.

That was not something she had expected. Not by a long shot.

She had happened upon something. Something he didn't want her to discover, she was most certain of. And the only answer to that was to dig deeper, expose him in every way she had so been exposed tonight.

Coy, Sheena leaned in closer, burying her fingers in soft crimson tresses. She felt him tensing beneath, no will to even meet eyes with her. None so much as a word from the redhead pinned against her.

"You've got what you wanted," she breathed in a very soft voice, her face so close to his that they were almost touching. "I don't know who you are anymore. I'm not sure I ever did know."

He sighed, touching her hand with the utmost hesitation. "Heh…Sheena, I'd hardly believe you even care. You've hated me for a long time—don't think I didn't get that message loud and clear. The details aren't even important, are they?"

Zelos flinched slightly when he felt her fingertips brush his face like butterfly wings. "I want to know who lies under this. Who it is that can show such a kindness to me when he lets himself free."

She continued, made unusually bold by the hour and her own advantageous position. A hand stroked just beneath his shirt again, once more bringing a nervous sigh of pleasure from him. "No…I'm sure there's more to you. I mean, of course the great Chosen One couldn't be so wet behind the ears?"

A strand of hair between her fingers, she curled it teasingly round and round. "So what else have I been missing?"

The Chosen felt his heart fluttering against her body, only hoping she didn't notice it herself. "That would take more than one night," he answered with a sheepish smile, plucking up the nerve to place a hand in the small of her back. "But I think…the pretty young lady who's put up with way more of me than anyone ever should…she deserves someone who doesn't hide from her. Don't you agree?"

Eyes the shade of amaretto liquor stared back at him, joyful without the need of a smile. "I do. And if he will show himself for me…I know he wouldn't regret it."

Light as a feather, the ninja brushed the softest kiss to his lips. It was quick and almost undetectable, had it not meant so very much to the both of them. Past words and disguises, truth and lies thinly concealed by a persistent affection that always showed through.

The thorns of the rose, Sheena thought quietly as she stared into the enigmatic man, now seeing things the world would yet wait a long time to see for themselves. She wasn't wrong. There was yet a beauty somewhere within both of us, even. After all…who can hope to hold the rose, without first grasping the thorns?

She smiled, leaning into his chest. Two roses met and two roses clashed, tearing deep into each other with thorns to guard their own fragile blossoms. But together, they were something more than that. Their thorns would fall away someday, replaced with yet more blooms and lush green leaves that looked on to tomorrow.

Someday, their garden would flourish. And until then they could only keep growing higher and higher, reaching up to the endless sky.

A/N: Hehe...well, I hope ya'll enjoyed! Nyaha. Yeah, I'm usually a fluff person, but angst felt right for this concept. I only hope to improve as I write these for y'guys, hoping I am going in that direction. Bahahaha. ;p Portraying Zelos in this one was fun, as it usually is. As far as girls go he's like a dog chasing cars...he honestly wouldn't know what to do if he caught one. -laughs- I'm taking a page out of the Joker's book there, eh.

Oh, and it's still a bit rough, so typos may be in there. I will reread later and fix it all up if there's boo-boos. -le smile-

With this one, I'm not asking much for critique...it was different for me to write as far as subject matter. ;p I don't know, not my usual style I spose.

Hugs and kisses! xoxoxo

-FP