A tug of war

Giving and taking, learning to understand what kind of closeness would do them both good and which would throw them further apart from each other… The two of them might have just found the right way to go./Set after "Rodeo Ride Tour".

Hello out there!

After the "Tales of Festival 2013" had taken place in Yokohama Arena and when I saw some leaked footage of Zelos' Japanese voice actor Onosaka Masaya-san in a Cosplay it really threw me back into TOS- fangirl mode… So I present you this short story I wrote over the last weeks… I hope you like it! Since I am not a native speaker, I appreciate all your feedback and suggestions!

Note: Sheena is 23years old in this story and Zelos is 26 in this story, so you might say it takes place about 2years after the happenings of Ratatosk no kishi and the Rodeo Ride Tour- Drama CD.

The village of Mizuho was particularly busy this day. Although it was winter and fairly cold, a lot of people were outside, heading from A to B to prepare for the New Years Eve festivity. It had become a tradition to put up wooden benches around a big fire a little outside the village on a hill from where everyone could gaze at the distant fireworks of the city of Meltokyo. The men of Mizuho were to prepare the place on the hill, which not only meant to offer enough seats for everyone, but also to gather whatever firewood was available for that day to keep them warm. The women on the other hand were responsible for the food that everyone would share in the newly build town hall.

Sheena was standing in the big kitchen of her grandfather Igaguris house with some other Mizuho women, preparing several dishes for the evening. Some were preparing riceballs, while the others chopped the meat for the village's famous 'yakitori'. A young girl offered Sheena a spoon to taste the soup they had been cooking. "It tastes delicious, you did a very good job!", she said and smiled at the girl whose eyes glittered with pride and contentment. "Sheena? We are done putting the chicken meat on the sticks, you can marinate them now!", said an elderly woman to the dark-haired ninja. "Yes, thank you, I'll be right on it". Through the help of a brush- like tool, she began to put the sauce on the meatsticks and stapled the seasoned ones on a big plate, ready to be grilled. While doing so, a group of young girls came running to the house and entered it in visible excitement. "Hey, Sheena! Someone said they saw the Choosen just now at our gate!", they giggled when handing out the news, eager to hear her reaction."Oh my, what did he come here for this time?", Sheena asked with played anger and smiled to herself while continuing to sprinkle the yakitori with the dark sauce. The other women seemed to stop in their preparations and smiled along with her. "Well, he certainly must have come here to 'see your face' hasn't he, Sheena?", one of the younger mothers said in a very suggestive voice. The younger girls in the house started to murmur. "Or is he going to drag her into another trip throughout the country on New Year's Eve?", said a different one and gained some whistling and further more giggling from the others. Sheena put on a playful sour face. "Hey, don't you all have better things to do right now? Hurry up and prepare everything for tonight's festival!", she threw in. "Alright, we'll give you some alone time!", they said in unison glee and left the house with the finished dishes, leaving Sheena alone to prepare the remaining food. And it didn't take long 'til he showed up.

"Yo!", Zelos said when entering the kitchen of the house. "Zelos, what are you doing here today, you knew I was busy, right?", she did not even look up from her work to greet him. "Well, I certainly knew that, but I figured since I have nothing to do back home I could give you a hand, you know?". The redhead came up next to her and watched her working on the yakitori. "So you aren't participating in the Meltokyo New Year's Ball the King has set up? Aren't you getting yourself in trouble by not going there, oh Chosen One?", she said in a sing-song voice. "It depends on how one would define 'trouble', my hunny…", he said and embraced her from behind, whispering in her ear. It made her stop a second, letting the meat stick she was holding fall back onto the plate. "If I was able to have some trouble here with you, I'd rather be in involved in that, then having to put on a show for the stiff nobles of Meltokyo". Sheena sighed and continued, "That doesn't really sound like you, but if that's the case, then I can give you some trouble indeed. The men are carrying the benches up the hill, and if you could give them a hand, well…". Zelos sighed before he answered her. "Hai, hai.", he slowly let go of her and went to the genkan to put on his shoes again. When he was ready to go out again, Sheena looked at him and said: "Thank you.". He just smiled back and winked. "See you later, princess."

They did not meet again until later that day, when the villagers had come together, sitting at the dished up table of the town hall to have their share of food. When Sheena had put off her shoes, she looked around the setting to find that Zelos had already been guided to a space and sat down next to him on the tatami mat. "Aaah, the future Chief has decided to honor us with her beautiful presence!", the redhead joked. "Please, stop that.", she scolded him. "So did you get everything ready in time?". "Otherwise I wouldn't be here, right?". Sheena looked around the hall a little nervously, trying to figure out when everyone would get started. Zelos watched her face intensely as she looked about and put his hand on top of hers under the screen of the table they were sitting at. It startled her and made her turn her head to him immediately. He, however, had already pointed his view at Chief Igaguri, who had stood up and was about to address the villagers. Sheena felt the warmth of his hand on hers and listened to her grandfathers words.

The party went on very lively and everyone seemed happy with what she had organized. From time to time, several people came over to Sheena and praised her for the dishes. Although she and Zelos were sitting next to each other, they had been eating in silence for most of the time, or chatting to the person sitting next to them. When conversations on both sides seemed to have ended, the dark- haired began to speak to him. "Nee, Zelos... Thank you, for coming here today… although we didn't plan anything…". "Of course I keep some free time to spend with my hunny!", he said, nipping on his sake. "You shouldn't drink too much, remember what happened last time?", she said, holding up her own cup, signalizing him to do a toast. "Oh, I DO remember, but considering how that evening turned out I would repeat it anytime, ahaha!", he laughed. Her face flushed a little red, but otherwise, she still held up her sake cup. "So, what do we toast to?", Zelos asked, "Chasing away the demons of last year? To the soon-to-be-chief of Mizuho?", he suggested. Sheena took some time thinking, looking into her filled cup, until she said: "We have this saying in Mizuho, I really like… 'Ring out the old, ring in the new. Ring happy bells, across the snow. The year is going, let him go. Ring out the fast, ring in the true.'", he nodded when she finished reciting. "So, Kanpai, was it?". "Yes, Kanpai.", she answered, let her cup meet his and took a sip from the sake. "Have you tried this chicken meat stuff yet?", "You mean the yakitori? No, in fact I haven't!", she answered but looked disappointed as she spotted only empty plates on the table where the yakitori should have been. "Here…", Zelos said, handing her a saved one from his own plate. "Sheena did not hesitate and took a bite, while he was still holding the meat skewer. "Hey, how could I possibly ever get so lucky as to have you let me feed you?", Zelos said mischievously. She turned a little red, finally took the skewer out of his hand and continued to chew on the yakitori. "Baka…", she said softly.

When the joint dinner had ended and midnight was near, the people started to head over to the hill to watch the fireworks of Meltokyo. Sheena and Zelos followed them and sat down on a bench next to each other. "You must be happy, since it's not snowing this year, right?", she said looking at him."Well, aren't you too, that you don't have to sit here freezing outside? The weather seems merciful on you this year.", he looked up to the sky. "Though I don't understand why you decide to look at Meltokyo's lights from a distance, when you could have a firework on your own instead?". "Of course we could do that, but how stupid can one be, revealing the location of a hidden village to everyone through fireworks on New Year's Eve?", she stated. "Well, that point goes to you, hunny, I honestly didn't consider this. I just thought it would be fun to watch them, you know, 'close-up'…?", he said and slowly leaned towards her. Her gaze wandered from his eyes to his lips. "Zelos… not here where everyone can see us…", Sheena sighed and tried to turn her head away to flee his questioning eyes. Zelos however, cupped her chin with his right hand and made her look directly into his blue eyes. That was when the fireworks started and the faces of the people of Mizuho went up. "They're looking somewhere else now anyways…", he whispered and planted a kiss on her lips. Sheena closed her eyes and gave into it.

Sheena had already laid out the two futons in the living room next to each other, when Zelos came out of the bathroom. "I've prepared the beds and I am going to change now, so just go ahead and sleep.", she said. "A-ri-ga-tou, hunny!", Zelos said, stretching out his arms to embrace her, but she dodged his try. "Dame, dame! We're in Mizuho right now, remember?", she said and continued on to the bathroom. When she came back, Zelos had moved the two futons very closely to each other, sitting on his and smiling seductively at her. "Okaeri, o-himesama!". "Zelos, what are you doing?". "Hey, I thought I might be getting lonely sleeping too far away from you, so I provided some little changes to the arrangement, hehehe.". "Ahou Miko!", Sheena hissed through gritted teeth. She kneeled down beside him in her white kimono- shaped nightgown and released the bow that held her hair up. Zelos laid down on his futon and watched the girl beside him, brushing her long, dark hair. When she was done, Sheena blew out the light of the candles on the nearby low table and lay down as well. She turned to her side to face the redhead. "Say Zelos, why did you cancel the ball?". He changed his position in the same way. "I already told you, I didn't want to go.". "But last year, we went there together and…", she stopped since he had stretched out his arm to caress her cheek. "Maybe I would have gone, if you'd come with me again, Sheena." , he said her name in that meaningful way of his. She cupped his hand with her own and said: "You know how busy it's going to be with me finally getting the whole responsibility as the Chief next month and that I also have duties to fulfill like organizing this party today here in Mizuho…", she tried to make out his blue eyes in the darkness of the room and looked straight at them. To him, it felt like a signal. Zelos rolled over, got under her covers, right on top of her and rejoined her intensive gaze. "That's why I felt we should use the remaining not-so-busy time to be together, hunny.". With both of her hands Sheena pushed against his upper body as he dropped his face to kiss her neck, but he still managed to do so. "Zelos, you know it's not okay to…", "…to do it in your traditional ninja household, you wanted to say?", he cut her off and planted some more kisses on her neck, going from one side to the other. "Well then, if no one is doing it, where do the children of this village come from?", he continued and this time, kissed the area around her lips. His right hand wandered to her breast and cupped it in a defined manner. A sigh escaped her lips and she could feel him grinning into his kisses. Could anyone hear them through the thin walls of these houses? There WERE children in this village, so the people would certainly… He somewhat had a point. Sheena just wasn't sure about... what exactly? Being together in her own village, she got the feeling that they were being watched really closely and that they had to restrain themselves in many many ways. Of course it felt differently when they were at his place in Meltokyo…, but Zelos had eventually accepted the restrains of traditional Mizuho for most of the time. A lot had changed since the two worlds of Tethe'alla and Sylvarant had become one… and after a few more years, she had also become one with Zelos… What actually was this 'thing' they shared and that everyone in Mizuho seemed to have come to accept so easily? If she remembered correctly, it must have begun just after they went on the journey to stop the mana- bomb terrorists…, or was it even earlier? ."Nee, hunny? We promised not to think so much over every little detail while we are together, you remember that? I can hear those gears of yours actually turning in your pretty head, so would you please stop it and talk only through action?", Zelos whispered into her ear, cutting off her thoughts and longing for attention. When he let go of her ear and hovered over her, Sheena put her arms around his neck and lifted her head to kiss him on the lips, to which he responded gratefully. She wasn't exactly sure if she liked where this was going, but she was too exhausted to think any more about it.

She knew that he would have to steal himself away early in the morning and woke to him putting on his clothes. He finally gave the drowsy Sheena a light kiss on the forehead and was gone. The remaining ninja quickly went back to sleep.

Sheena felt dead sick. Over the course of the last three mornings, she had been throwing up several times, leaving her on an empty stomach and nothing she could have thrown up furthermore. Still, it came out as constant retching and she thought, she was about to spill her internal organs any minute. New Year's had started out just great! The female healer of Mizuho was called for and examined her thoroughly. They both did not get a clue as to what could have caused her state, until the doctor's gaze fell upon a light green charm bracelet on Sheenas right foot. "Sheena, how long have you been wearing this?", the doctor asked her. "Well, I…", her face turned a shade of red, besides the pale face colour she had had this morning. "You know you have to change this thing over the course of three months, right? If you don't, the magic spell that is woven into it won't work properly. When was the last time we met to change it?". "But I… it is okay to do this by the end of the current week right? I wanted to come see you for it anyways, just when the festival cleanup was over!", the ninja said. The female healer shook her head lightly. "I am afraid, it didn't work like you hoped it would…". No, no. Just NO. "So you think…". "I can't confirm anything, but well… that's what I think, yes.". ...Happy New Year, Sheena.

It was the 3rd day of the New Year and Sheena still felt like a wreck. Her morning sickness did not subside until late in the afternoons and she was in no way able to fulfill her duties as an ambassador or successor. Right now, Orochi and her grandfather were managing everything on their own, believing her to have a bad cold… or something like that.

She knew that, first of all, she had to tell HIM. Although the hardest part wasn't actually TELLING him, but being afraid of what reaction she would get out of him IF she finally told him. Where they what she thought they were? Was she even sure of her thoughts? Considering that she had turned 23 this year, she was in every aspect old and healthy enough to have a child. On the other hand, she and Zelos had only been together for about 2years, so were they even ready to experience a change this big in their daily lifes? And also, she didn't really want to think about having to break the news down to the villagers and her grandfather, who expected her to fully grab the position of chief next month… For the time being, Sheena came to the agreement with herself, that everything was fine, except for the moment… but could one ever choose a perfect timing for something like this?

On the 4th day, Zelos came to visit her. As he walked into the village, he saw Sheena sitting on the veranda of her house, wearing a rust- red loose kimono, her hair not in the usual tie, but open, hanging over her shoulders. She looked very surprised to see him. "Hey ya, hunny! How are you?". "I am fine, thank you, what brings you to me?", she said in an unsteady voice. "Well, since I came here by Rheaird, I wanted to invite you over on a little trip to Altamira, having some fun rides, you know?", he offered. She put another pillow on the veranda for him to sit down beside her. "I…I am sorry Zelos, not today, I don't feel so good…", she answered, not meeting his gaze. "Oh Sheena, come on, you love these things don't you?". "And I know you don't, so why are you asking me out like this all of a sudden?". "Well, I thought I could be doing something nice for my favourite hunny once in a while and take her out on a trip that I know would please her!". "That's nice of you, but sorry, no. I can't go.". Her stomach was upset as worse as it could get and the least thing she wanted was having her head spin more than it already did. Zelos' face showed his disappointment. "What a pity! And I came all the way back from Meltokyo to see you…". "I'll go make us some tea.", she said and lifted herself up to go inside. "…But I didn't come here for some tea-…", he stopped halfway in the sentence because Sheena was tumbling and going down on her knees right in front of him. He quickly went to her side and held her upper body in his arms. "Oi! Sheena! What's wrong?!". Now he had panic in his voice. "I am sorry, I feel a little lightheaded…", she said in a weak voice. Zelos took her into his arms and laid her down on her futon that was still lying spread in the living room. He put the blanket over her and felt her forehead to see if she had a fever. Nothing. "Say, Sheena, since when has this been going on?", he asked, a little anger in his voice. "You didn't even manage to clean up your futon today, right? Should I get the doctor?". "I am fine, really." "Yeah, I can see THAT.", he mocked her. "You know what? You'll just lie down here and sleep, while I'll be watching you, understood?", he suggested. "I'd like to decline the offer, but I am clearly too weak to do so...", Sheena said weakly, already having her eyes closed.

She woke up 2 hours later, feeling a little better. When Sheena opened her eyes, she could see him sitting beside her and in the next moment, he wiped her face with a cool, moistened cloth. "You must have caught quite a nasty cold on New Year's Eve!", Zelos said. "No, I don't think so.", was her dry reply. She still wasn't fully awake. "Well then, care to explain what's bugging you, my hunny?", he put the cloth away and helped her to sit up in bed. However, when he wanted to let go, Sheena didn't let him, hugging him tightly instead. He was a little unsure at first, but then hugged her back. "I am really happy that I am not into this alone…", she began, murmuring into his chest. "Hey, if you wanted to have some company, you could have called me here earlier!", he said, softly stroking her back, enjoying her breath against his chest. "That's not what I meant, I… I'm just happy we're in trouble… together, you know?". His hand stopped abruptly on her back. Sheena wasn't sure if he was even breathing anymore. She was hugging him tightly, but couldn't make out his breath and so she finally looked up to see what his face was doing right now. What was he thinking? Was he in some sort of shock? And if so, was it a good or bad kind of shock? Zelos gulped and managed to look her in the eyes. "B-by 'trouble' you mean…?", he said without breath, now holding her by both of her shoulders. "Well, you see… It depends on how one would define 'trouble'…", she quoted him as the redness rose to her cheeks. Zelos understood. "But… but what about that preventive charm..? I- I thought…", he stammered. Sheena put her own hands on his shoulders so that they were mirroring each other's position. "Look, I thought so too, but it obviously did not work last time, so…". Did she really WANT to sound apologetic? "It's just… things like these CAN happen, even though we try to do everything to keep preventing them! … I know neither of us has planned this, but now that we are… into this, we are BOTH part of it and we have to make a decision, so…". She could clearly see that he was taken aback by the confrontation, so she had to say something.

"We're old enough.".

"Yes, we are.".

"There is no crappy 'fighting over the world' – stuff going on.".

"No, there isn't.".

"We are both healthy and not planning to die anytime soon, right?".

"Yes, there's nothing wrong with that, but…".

"But…?".

"You… shouldn't have a kid with ME."

Did he really just say that? Sheena gripped his shoulders a little tighter and shook him lightly.

"Zelos, you idiot! Seriously, who else would I have a baby with?! Is this some sudden kind of remorse about losing your reputation as the world's greatest philanderer? If that's the case, you should have thought about that earlier because people watch you, you know? Making visiting Mizuho and hanging with me a routine…", she took her arms off his shoulders and crossed them in front of her chest. His hands also came off of her shoulders in the process. "Sheena, it's not that… It's just that I know they won't accept it.", Zelos said. "If they didn't, then why would they have let you stay for New Year's? And don't you come with that 'It is because I am they Chosen and they feel obliged to do so'- story!", she stated. He sighed. "Okay, I won't say it.". Sheena growled and said "At least, I am happy that you learned to tell me what's on your mind… instead of keeping it all to yourself like you used to… See? You are capable of learning.". Zelos looked up and answered her with a reluctant smile. "Besides, I am gonna be the one who gets all big and immobile and has to throw up every day, okay? I can spare you that part no problem! …What I can't take away from you, however, is the responsibility as this child's father.". Her face was all red now and she wasn't sure if it was a fever or her own forthrightness in that matter. "It doesn't sink in… I can't believe it yet.", he blurted out. "You better start to, 'cause this is serious… but if you need some time, you have about 9months from now on…", she said. He nodded his head slightly. "I… Maybe everything will be okay… It's just a little early… and sudden.", he scratched the back of his head. "Do I have to remind you that it was YOU who encouraged me 'not to think too much about every little detail'?", Sheena said. "Hai, hai…", he finally looked into her eyes again. "Do I get another hug now?", he spread his arms to embrace her. She just let herself fall into his embrace and inhaled the scent of his hair.

Thanks for reading! Reviews are highly appreciated!