How I met you

She was completely lost. Where was the Imperial Research Academy? And why, in Martel's name, was Meltokio so big? Sure it was the biggest city of all Tethe'alla, but couldn't there be signs or something?

Sheena Fujibayashi was walking through Meltokio, searching desperately for that Research Academy she was supposed to train her summoning abilities with an artificial summon spirit the researchers named Corrine.

It was her first time in the big city and, being used to the calm, little village of Mizuho, she felt very much out of place…

People were constantly giving her odd looks. Maybe they did have a reason for doing so. After all, what was a seven year-old, dressed in Mizuho' traditional ninja outfit, doing, walking around in Meltokio, all alone? But going alone was always a part of a ninja's training.

By now she was late, but she wouldn't allow herself to ask for help or directions. A ninja was to work alone and only depend on their selves.

"I give up!"

She sat on a staircase leading to a mansion that wasn't the Imperial Research Academy. "Stupid over-sized city…!" She stopped her ranting when she heard a door open.

She got up and quickly spun around to meet eyes with her adversary.

When she did meet eyes with the person, she found it to be a boy about her age with red hair and a pair of magnetizing blue eyes, she couldn't look away from.

"Oh… I… Uh… Are you lost?" he asked, visibly shaken himself.

She couldn't even form words and, forgetting for a moment about her pride as a ninja, she nodded slowly.

He smiled a warm, sincere smile. "So…" he hesitated, "What's your name? Uh – no! I mean… My name is Zelos, Zelos Wilder, what's yours?" he looked at her nervously.

"… Sheena… Fujibayashi"

"I like it. Sheena's a pretty name! It fits you perfectly!" he laughed nervously"… You know, 'cuz you're – well, pretty…"He was looking at the stone floor while he scratched the back of his head. Hearing his words, Sheena blushed a deep shade of red and was finally able to look away from his eyes.

There was a moment of silence, but Zelos soon re-started with more confidence, "So!" he stepped down the small set of stairs until he was next to her, "Where to?" He smiled at her. She looked at the redhead with obvious confusion in her eyes. "You're lost, aren't you?" he laughed.

"Oh… yeah, the Research Academy" she laughed along and silently stopped when she felt his hand take hold of hers. There she was again, not able to look at him for more than a few seconds.

They walked in silence for a moment as they passed Meltokio's Castle and headed down the stairs that lead to the city's entrance. Sheena's heart was racing the whole way down those never-ending stairs.

"Oh! You're the summoner from Mizuho, right?" Zelos asked her, breaking the silence.

"Uh, yeah, how did you know?"

"Let's just say I have reasons for going to the Imperial Research Academy too…"He answered, looking away from her.

"Are you a summoner, too?" She was hopeful to find someone else with the same mysterious ability as her.

"What? No. I'm, well, the Chosen…"

"You're the Chosen? I'm sorry I didn't know" she quickly let go of his hand and apologize in the traditional Mizuho way.

At least she managed to make him laugh. "Are you kidding, right now, it's not the Chosen that's with you, it's Zelos." He smiled again his warm smile she already loved so much.

She looked at him with hesitating eyes before he gave her an insisting look. A smile tugged at her lips once more. "Okay."

She gave him back her hand, but when he took it, he pulled her close and hugged her. "Sheena…" She didn't answer; she was too shocked to speak. "Let's be friends… please?" His voice held something sad and wounded. She couldn't possibly have said no to that begging voice.

"Okay."

He smiled for her again and offered his hand once more. She laughed as she grabbed it and started running in the direction she thought was the Imperial Research Academy.

"Whoa! Sheena!" he laughed as he kept pace with her "You don't even know where you're going!"

She simply laughed and kept running.

They were at the door of the Research Academy, Zelos had made sure that she would know the way, not that he would mind showing it to her again. "Here you go." He said.

She hesitated on the doorknob. "So, you've been here before?" she asked, looking at the imposing doors.

"Uh, yeah"

"…for what?"

"Huh. They want to experience the effect the Cruxis Crystal will have on me…" He was visibly unhappy about it.

She turned around to study his face. "Does it hurt?"

He looked surprised to see she had figured it out. "Tch… Yeah" He kicked the ground and quickly showed her his bruised arms " …and…" he untied the pink ribbon at his collar and showed her the burnt mark that the Cruxis Crystal had left on his skin when they had force it upon him. "They're crazy if you ask me. They think anything goes for science… real jerks!"

He buttoned the collar of his shirt back but stopped before he tied the ribbon back on. "Here" he handed her his pink ribbon. "Wha – this is yours!" Why give her this?

"Just turn around"

Seeing his expression was playful she relaxed and stood with her back to him. "Keep it, okay? I wanna know you'll always have a part of me with you." He said as he tied her loose raven hair back into a ponytail.

When she turned back to face him he was just staring at her. "What?" he was giving her too much attention all of a sudden. "It looks great!" He laughed; he had managed to make her blush again.

"Hey… can I wait for you here?" the redhead asked her shyly.

"What? No! I mean, you'll wait forever! I won't be done before 9:00!"

"It's just a 10-hour-wait, it's no big deal." He laughed.

She laughed too, but she wouldn't make him wait for that long. "Go home! I'm serious."

He looked at her, searching for an argument, but found none. "Fine then, but I promise to come see you tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that, up until we're married, okay?" he had a huge smile on his face, making her laugh again.

"Just go home" she laughed as she opened the door. "I'll see you tomorrow." An even bigger smile appeared on his face.

"Okay! Bye Sheena!" he waved exaggeratingly as the doors closed.

The days passed, Sheena was to travel by foot from Mizuho all the way to Meltokio every day to train with her first summon spirit, Corrine, who she grew quickly close to. And every single day, Zelos was sitting on the steps at the city's entrance at 6am to see her.

Zelos' butler, Sebastian was panicked to see Zelos was not in bed and was nowhere to be seen in the mansion. Zelos was the Chosen, he was constantly a target for many people, he couldn't be left alone unsupervised. Unfortunately, that was often the case, since Zelos would run off to see Sheena. When Sebastian questioned the boy about his morning whereabouts and the reason for his every morning disappearance, he had had only one answer:

"Gimme a break! I'm in love!"

His butler had only answered with a 'Yes Master Zelos' since he was receiving orders.

Sebastian, despite being Zelos' butler, quickly grew fond of the child and felt a fatherly protection for him. He had sent spies to follow him. When reports were made that he was waiting for a young girl at Meltokio's entrance. There was no reason to panic anymore. The Chosen was in love!

The more Sheena grew close to Corrine, the more she could see how Zelos was right about the researchers. They didn't care about Corrine at all! But, Sheena did learn how to summon Corrine, and therefore, how to make pacts with summon spirits.

Mizuho took it as the perfect opportunity to bring power to the village by having the seven-year-old Sheena make a pact with the summon spirit Volt, the summon spirit of lightning. Having Volt's power would be a major outcome for Tethe'alla.

"Zelos!" the young girl called as she ran through Meltokio's gates.

"Sheena!" He greeted her with a huge smile as he quickly got up from his sitting spot on the stairs.

She ran in his arms excitedly. "Guess what! Guess what!"

He laughed. "What is it?"

She stepped back and took a multi-colored card and showed it to him. "Look!"

"What's that?" he asked as he lifted a hand to grab it but she quickly stepped back again.

"Watch!"

She placed the card in front of her and it started to magically float there in mid-air. "Wow!" Zelos was already amazed. The young summoner concentrated and did a couple of movements with her arms that Zelos couldn't figure out. When she clasped her hand together, a circle of light appear on the stone floor and surrounded her, blowing up gusts of wind from under her feat.

The Chosen was completely mind-struck; he could never have believed Sheena was capable of so much.

"I summon, come! Corrine!" and out of the card came a little creature that look like a multi-colored fox with three tails. The magical circle that surrounded his friend disappeared at the same time.

When Zelos managed to stop blinking, all he saw was Sheena crouched down, petting the creature.

He got up from where he had fallen and quickly ran to see the creature. "Awesome!" As soon as he crouched down to pet the strange-looking fox, too, it hissed at him and started to growl, forcing the boy on the floor. "Whoa! I – I'm sorry! Don't hurt me!" He backed up as quickly as he could before Sheena cut in: "Stop it, Corrine!"

"I don't like him, Sheena. He's hiding something from you" the fox-like creature said.

"Holy - ! It talks!" Zelos was startled. He got up and backed up some more.

Before anything else could happen, a voice was heard through all the rest. "Fujibayashi, Sheena!"

Both Sheena and Zelos faced the boy who had shouted. Even Corrine had stopped.

Two boys about their age marched up to them; both were dressed in the traditional Mizuho ninja outfit. The one who had spoken earlier was in red, the other was in blue.

"Kuchinawa! I –"Sheena started.

"What the hell are you doing? You weren't supposed to leave the village, you idiot!" Kuchinawa interrupted rudely, with obvious anger in his voice.

Zelos gave him a look that screamed dislike. Kuchinawa returned it to him, not caring in the slightest bit that he was the Chosen.

"I – I'm sorry, Kuchinawa… I wanted to show Zelos what I learned, I'm sorry." Sheena bowed her head in apology.

Before Kuchinawa could reply, his older brother, Orochi, spoke in a much calmer voice. "Very well then, Sheena, let's head back to the village."

"Yes." She obeyed the oldest, as Mizuhans were to do.

Zelos clicked then. "Wha - ! Wait!" He tried to grab Sheena's hand but she was already being pulled towards the city's gate by Kuchinawa. Orochi saluted him and turned to follow the two.

"I demand to know why you're taking her away!" Zelos had spoken with his title of Chosen for the first time, that title he already despised and had cursed him forever. It could at least be useful once.

The three turned back to face the young Chosen.

"Zelos, I…"Sheena started before Kuchinawa gave her a look that told her not to answer. Orochi was the one who spoke instead.

"Please accept my apologies, Chosen One, but the village of Mizuho and its villagers are of no concern for the Chosen."

And with that, he was out of Meltokio and led the way. Kuchinawa pulled Sheena by the shoulder for her to follow, but her eyes were glued to Zelos, pouring down her regret.

Something in those brown eyes told him he wouldn't see her again.

"Wait! No, Sheena!" he screamed, but no answer came from the ninjas.

He started running after them but the guards blocked the way and closed the gate.

Zelos stood there.

He stood there a long time, only inches away from the doors.

At that moment, when the world had closed the door on him… He had slammed it in the face of the world.

Two weeks later, Sheena had killed a quarter of the people of Mizuho in the Volt incident.