Hello, ladies and gentlemen. After a good four years, I've finally decided to upload to once more. I know that my previous story, "A Cold Valentine's Day", started out with an apology for me not completing a story prior to it. Well, let me start this story out with yet another apology; I know that a few people wanted me to complete it, but I allowed it to remain untouched. However, it would probably be a little difficult to continue that story anyway, considering where I left off (it feels like a mess, ha ha). If I had more time I would consider a complete rewriting of that story, but I'm not making any promises, ha ha.
Anyway, I have thought this story out, so I should be able to complete it this time. As for when I will post new chapters, that all depends on the amount of time I will have to work on this story, ha ha. I really do love writing, especially Sheloyd fan-fics. I hope you enjoy reading this piece as much as I have enjoyed writing it.
Chapter 1:
"Come on, Sheena! Can't we go just this once?" asked a slightly impatient swordsman who stood before a large building, staring at a bright sign which hung upon its facade.
Sheena, who had left Lloyd standing before one of the classiest restaurants in the city, continued walking down the side walk. Without even looking back at him, she replied, "Lloyd, no! There are plenty of other restaurants in Altamira where we can find decent food." Beginning to speak louder as the distance between the two of them grew, she continued, "There isn't any room in our budget for us to even consider eating there." Indeed, the young summoner was right; the red carpet that laid before the entryway of the restaurant, the exotic meal choices that were written in chalk upon an outdoor menu, and even the fancy name of the restaurant implied that dining at such a place would cost a fortune.
In his persistence, Lloyd replied, "Aw, but we shouldn't have just decent food—we should have the best that the city has to offer. Only the best for you, Sheena." He modulated his voice when he spoke that last sentence in an attempt to make himself sound cute to her.
"That's not going to work," she laughed as she continued walking down the sidewalk. In all honesty, she couldn't help but admire that last sentence. Seeing that he was getting no where in his struggle, Lloyd slouched his back, turned his body away from the building while turning his head to get one last glimpse at the well-lit sign that hung above him, and then began to follow Sheena.
With the sound of each drawing footstep came an increasing sense of guilt that built up within her. Poor Lloyd, she thought to herself. All he wants to do is eat somewhere nice for once. Turning her head slightly to her left to catch a glimpse of the disgruntled swordsman behind her, she let out a gentle smile and laughed silently. I know, I know, Lloyd. You're probably just as tired of my cooking as I am. Then, putting aside those thoughts, she turned her head forward once more and said, "Lloyd, get over it. It's not the end of the world."
After letting out one of many sighs of disappointment, he replied, "Yeah, but it's just that everything on the menu looks so...so...good!"
"What, are you saying that my cooking isn't satisfying?" Sheena knew that the both of them knew that the correct answer to that question was 'not so much.'
"N-no, not at all," he replied with all quickness. "But couldn't we just slip this in our budget just this once? I'm sure we'll still have enough gald to pay for our necessities afterwards."
"But is this a necessity?"
"If I say 'yes,' will you give in already?" Lloyd asked, a dash of immaturity in his tone.
At this statement, Sheena only continued walking down the sidewalk, pretending to search for the inn that they were going to stay at during the night while trying to ignore that last sentence; this time she really felt hurt by the idea that she couldn't make a dish that Lloyd would find appetizing. Her silence then snapped Lloyd back into reality; he couldn't believe how upset he had grown just because he couldn't eat at a particular restaurant. Picking up his pace to walk beside her, he began his apology. "All right, I'm sorry. It's not such a big deal."
Turning her head towards him, she maintained a solemn expression and then let out a gentle smile. Sighing, she faced forward once more and laughed, "I'm glad you see that now."
Lloyd let out a chuckle as well, and afterwards he inhaled a little, an indication that he was about to speak once more, at which Sheena gave him a sly look with her eyes suggesting that she would give him a good smack on the head if he were to mention that restaurant one more time. Pausing a little out of fear, he then said, "But can we at least eat somewhere special tonight? I mean, some place that won't interfere with our budget?" The two of them had been traveling to and fro so much that he had never actually had the chance to bring her anywhere special. Regardless of how cheesy the statement he made in front of the restaurant sounded, the best was really all that he wanted to offer her.
The truth was that Lloyd had fallen for Sheena quite some time ago—during their last journey with the original party to reunite the two dimensions. He simply could not view her any other way except as being "the one." Her smile, her laugh, her thoughtfulness, her gentleness (the last trait usually being displayed more outside of combat than inside)—all of these things made his heart glow yet melt at the same time. It was one thing for a woman to possess beauty like that of Sheena's, but it was an entirely different thing for any girl to be beautiful both inside and out. Everything about her stood perfect to him in an imperfect world.
However, he had difficulty finding the courage, let alone the words, to confess his feelings to her. He remembered times when he had tried to admit his love for her; many times he would begin to heat up because of the nervousness he felt and would sometimes even lose the ability to keep his train of thought as he would begin to break down on the inside while looking into her beautiful, dark brown eyes. What's worse was that he feared the possibility of saying things in ways that would cause her to misunderstand him. In fact, Lloyd would actually grow frustrated with himself every time he reminded himself that they had known each other for two years now, and how he hadn't admitted his love yet. This time, though, he was determined to keep his anxieties from preventing him from treating her to a night out—a little break from all the exsphere collecting they had done over the past few weeks.
Sheena then looked at him with a slightly surprised expression on her face. Lloyd could feel himself begin to melt once more as the two of them looked into each others eyes. "Somewhere special?" she asked.
Mustering up any confidence he could find within himself, he replied, "Yeah. Why not?" She only continued to look at him with a rather curious expression which confused Lloyd. It wasn't long before the confidence he had found once again disappeared. "I-I mean, we haven't done anything fun during our journey," he spoke hastily, not too long afterwards realizing that his statement could have been understood as an insult. "Not that I haven't had fun with you during the course of our journey! What I mean to say is we haven't really done anything special!"
As Lloyd continued to hope that he hadn't ruined his request to take her somewhere special, Sheena smiled with a playful expression and asked, "You're not asking me out on a date, are you, Mr. Irving?"
Embarrassment rushed over him. What was he to say? He wanted to consider it as a 'date' but did she want to? As he was panicking, trying to think of various sentences he could use to respond to her question, he stopped for a moment and thought to himself, Calm down, Lloyd. Be brave, call it a date. Besides, you really do want to treat her to something special tonight, right? She does deserve a break from all the traveling and fighting we have been doing. Yeah, she deserves a chance to unwind. After he regained his composure by considering Sheena, he replied, "I guess you could call it that."
It wasn't long before a soft smile was found on her face. Even without the sound of words, her smile calmed him down even more. "Sure," she replied simply. 'Sure'? Did that mean that she agreed with the idea of calling their night out a 'date'? Did she only agree out of a concern of possibly making him feel rejected? Lloyd wished he could make his mind shut up; his tendency to over think things like this always made everything worse. Regardless, he felt himself glow on the inside upon hearing her general response.
"All right!" Lloyd stopped and exclaimed, catching the attention of the people around them. After realizing that he had probably just embarrassed himself before them and, most importantly, before Sheena, he quickly turned his head away from her and continued walking, pretending to be intrigued with the various buildings around him. At this Sheena only laughed, and Lloyd began to feel that 'immature' feeling again.
"Let's find the inn first," Sheena spoke kindly, "I feel like we're lost in this city." Lloyd felt rather lost as well.
Upon arriving at the inn, the two of them checked in and walked down one of the hallways. The inn itself was a simple facility, but Lloyd and Sheena had grown accustomed to staying in places such as this. Sheena's room was the first one that they stopped by. As she placed the key that she had received from the inn keeper into the door knob, Lloyd asked, "So I'll see you in around two hours?"
"All right, that sounds good," she replied. Once the two of them gave their goodbyes through smile, Sheena closed the door and Lloyd began walking down the hall towards his room. As he opened his door, he looked back down the hall to make sure that Sheena was no where to be seen and then to his right to make sure that no one else was walking down the hallway.
No one here. Good. He then suddenly slammed his door shut in frustration. What's wrong with you, Lloyd? he thought to himself, slapping his forehead with his hand. She must see an 8-year old trapped inside the body of a 19-year old whenever she looks at you! He then decided that beating himself up wouldn't fix anything, so, letting out a big sigh, he removed his boots and tossed the bag he had been carrying onto his bed which laid in the far right corner of the room. Afterwards, he motioned towards the bed and dropped himself next to it, back leaning against the bed's side. Looking up at ceiling, he closed his eyes and let out another sigh, trying to rid himself of the frustration which seemed to be trying to overtake him. He only wanted to do things correctly.
However, he still felt overjoyed by the fact that Sheena had actually accepted his offer to take her out on a date. At that moment, he determined within himself to make tonight the most wonderful night that he could offer her. He wanted to give her an enjoyable and relaxing evening—she deserved it, after all. Feeling his confidence build up, he pushed himself upward and started getting ready for the evening.
In the mean time, several rooms down from Lloyd's room, Sheena, after having closed and locked her door, threw off her boots, and plopped onto her bed. Closing her eyes, she spread her arms across the mattress, inhaled deeply, and let out a long, refreshing sigh. After a long day of travel and occasional combat, she couldn't have asked for a better way to unwind than spending a special night out with Lloyd. The very fact that he had asked her, of all other women, out on a date put a smile upon her face. Sure, there was a part of her that wondered why she would get so excited over something like a date—being one of the top-class ninjas in the hidden village of Mizuho, one could say that her 'warrior's pride' made her feel a little funny for behaving in such a way. Regardless, she disregarded those feelings and accepted that, like many other women her age, perhaps she too desired to find the right man to spend her future with—and she couldn't help but feel confident that Lloyd was that right man.
Yes, she had fallen for him. The love of her life was this swordsman whom everyone would probably presume to be nothing more than a naïve nineteen-year old. There was something different about Lloyd. Sure, many men had in some way or another found Sheena to be a very attractive woman, but she could never go beyond admiring those people as friends or reliable comrades—or in Zelos' case, an unfortunate acquaintance. Perhaps it was his compassionate heart which was reflected through his continual thoughtfulness towards her that drew her; maybe it was the innocence that shone through his eyes whenever he laughed or smiled. Over the years they had known each other she had grown to feel a sense of safety and security whenever she was around him—such a strange comportment for a first-class ninja to possess! All she knew was that Lloyd would never attempt to play her and that he was the person she trusted the most. However, she never actually admitted any of these feelings to him.
All of these feelings were hidden from the swordsman because she too struggled with getting her feelings across. There were times when she would scatter hints of her affection within various conversations she had with him, but she eventually came to the conclusion that Lloyd was too hard-headed to see them; maybe he just wasn't the type of guy who sought out such signs from women. As she thought about that frustrating trait of his Sheena couldn't help but recall the night in which she and Lloyd had their first intimate conversation in Flanoir. Lloyd, you make it so hard for a girl to get her affections across, she thought to herself. Regardless, she loved him, and the very fact that she was going out on a date with him made her feel like she was the luckiest girl alive.
After reflecting on the event that had taken place on their way to the inn, she then quickly got up and opened her bag, which she had tossed to the corner of the room. I really should look my best tonight, she thought to herself. Upon opening her bag, she removed the first few clothes that she grabbed, knowing that they were battle uniforms. Her small wardrobe actually consisted of a few casual wear as well as one that was suitable for special occasions; she didn't want to always have to wear her usual Mizuhoan uniforms. Reaching into the bottom of her bag, she pulled out a few articles of clothing that she believed would be appropriate for tonight's occasion.
Then, as she was rustling through her bag, an object fell out of the bag and onto the floor. Having noticed, Sheena quickly looked down by her feet and beheld a small dagger. The sight of the weapon caused her eyes to widen, and she suddenly felt as if her heart had skipped a beat. Memories suddenly began flooding into her mind, filling her eyes with terror; it was unbelievable to her how such a seemingly worthless object could carry such weight along with it. However, just like having awoken from a nightmare, she snapped from terror back into reality; the memories that had made her wince in fear began to subside, and as it did she slowly bent down and grabbed the dagger by its handle.
Before she and Lloyd had begun their journey to gather the exspheres of the new united world, Sheena had placed this weapon in one of the small extra compartments of her bag. Her reason for carrying along such a seemingly useless knife was completely personal; while it had just now filled her mind with unpleasant memories, she had packed the dagger hoping that it would do just that. She knew that many would raise an eyebrow at such strange behavior, but she had her reasons.
S-Sheena, come on. You've got a special night to prepare for, she thought to herself. Placing the clothing that she was holding in her left hand onto the bed, she lifted up her bag and slipped the knife back into the front pocket of her bag, zipping the pocket up; she reasoned that the compartment must have accidentally been unzipped during their day's journey. Letting out a sigh, she dropped her bag back onto the floor and picked up her choice of clothing for tonight. Lifting a light blue top, she looked at it and shook her head a little, seeing how wrinkly it was. Thankfully, with Altamira being the wealthy city that it is, their inn included an iron as well as an ironing board that she could use to fix up her wrinkly clothes. She then began getting ready for the evening.
Around an hour later, Sheena heard a knock upon her door. "Just a minute," she yelled from the bathroom in her hotel room, still brushing her slightly wet hair. Lloyd, could you give a girl enough time to freshen up before a date? she thought to herself. She then put her brush down and motioned towards the door. After fixing her hair one last time with her hands, she opened the door into the hallway where a Lloyd a little unfamiliar to Sheena stood; she was so used to the red suit that he always wore that the blue collared shirt shocked her a little.
While Sheena stood in her hotel room before the doorway, Lloyd remained lost for words and terrified at the same time. The way she had let her dark hair flow freely upon her shoulders, the light-blue long-sleeved top she chose to wear—everything about her brought both wonder and fear into his heart. He couldn't help but wonder if he would ever be deserving of the beautiful woman that now stood before him.
It wasn't long before the two of them realized that they hadn't spoken a word to each other ever since Sheena opened the door. Straightening his back to appear more confident, Lloyd spoke, "Sheena, you look beautiful tonight." At this she only smiled. At that moment he quickly snapped, "I mean, you always look beautiful. I just think that you really—"
"You don't look half bad either, Irving," Sheena broke his frantic and defensive chattering. Her laughter eased him up a little; he had never been on a 'date' before, so it only seemed natural to him to feel a little nervous. Or really nervous. But nervousness was a quality that they, at different levels, both shared that night. While both of them knew they were going to have a good time with each other, they couldn't help but feel anxious about numerous things. However, at the door the two of them only retained a smile upon their faces.
Lloyd then decided to try something different. He lifted up his arm half way before her, so as to offer that she link her arm to his. "Shall we?" he asked in an attempt to appear smooth. While this attempt didn't really make him appear any more of a 'ladies' man' than he did every other day, Sheena laughed and played along. Closing her door, she linked her arm with his. While the two of them glowed on the inside, they were both thinking the same thing: "Please, God. Keep me from messing this up."