This is a one-shot based after my Defenders of Luin story. Just something I came up with a while back. Hope you enjoy.

Lloyd panted heavily as he watched the purple clad ninja carefully. He was fairing badly; she was much better at hand to hand combat than he was. He was practically useless without his swords, and he knew he stood little chance against this opponent. Not being the one to give up, he charged in and threw a punch towards her face. She grinned as she parried his punch, and countered by giving him a swift kick in the stomach. Lloyd stumbled backwards but was able to stay on his feet; if he fell to the ground or even became winded he was done for. 'New plan.' He thought, and he came through with a kick aimed at her side. He cheered in is head when it hit its target, but his foe merle grinned again as she coiled her arm around his attacking leg. Quick as a flash, she used her foot to sweep his back leg from under him. Lloyd fell onto his back with a grunt, and felt a knee press into his chest, pinning him down. He looked up to see the ninja's smiling face looking down on him, an arm back ready to strike.

"And you're dead." She said, chuckling.

"Yeah! Go Sheena!" yelled Genis, applauding. Lloyd growled as Sheena stood up, offering him her hand to help him up. He had started training with Sheena ever since they defeated Kvar. He realised how vulnerable he was without his swords, so he asked if she could train him.

"Well I'm not really allowed to teach you much Lloyd." She said apologetically when he asked her, "You need to be part of my village to learn our fighting style."

"Oh...well, how do I become part of your village?" he asked innocently.

She blushed slightly at this question before stammering, "W-well even if you did do what you need to, you still need to officially be acknowledged by the Chief, so we'd need to be there first."

"Oh, okay." He sounded disappointed. "Don't worry about it." Before he could walk away however, Sheena added.

"I suppose I could spar against you though." At his puzzlement, she continued, "Well if we sparred, you would gradually become better by learning what's best for you, like you did with your sword skills. You can develop them the same way you developed your sword skills. I could also teach you some of the basics of fighting in general; most styles have them so they're not exactly secret."

"Wow! Thanks Sheena!"

He was really glad that she was helping him get stronger, and wouldn't mind losing to her some times...several times...well all the time; he expected to anyway. What he was annoyed at however was Genis' constant taunting every time he got knocked down.

"You know, Lloyd." He began, "I never thought I'd get bored watching you get your ass kicked, and you know what? I was right." He smiled as Lloyd frowned, and Colette giggled at his joke.

"Shut it, Genis!" he yelled, "I don't see you preparing for battles. What would you do if you lost your kendama?"

"I don't need to do anything, because I don't need my kendama to cast my spells."

"What?"

Raine sighed, "If you paid attention in class, Lloyd, then you would know that magic user's use their chosen weapon as a focal point to concentrate on. We could cast our magic with our hands, but we don't have the same sense of focus, so our spells our usually weaker. Only skilled sorcerer's can use their hands efficiently."

"Oh, well..." he didn't know how to come back from this statement. "Well I could get better a lot easier if you stopped laughing at me." Genis and Colette laughed again.

"You are getting better though, Lloyd." Said Sheena. "Your attacks are becoming a lot stronger and faster. You're learning from your mistakes too; last time I hit your stomach whilst you attacked me, you were winded for a few seconds because you forgot to breathe."

"Thanks, Sheena." He replied, a grin now etched on his face, "I think I know what you mean now."

"Hmm?"

"When you first said I'm at my most vulnerable when I'm attacking, I didn't believe you. But you were right, all along."

She chuckled, "I'll take that as a compliment." She was enjoying her training sessions with Lloyd. Admittedly she found him a weak opponent in terms of hand to hand combat, but it was fun nonetheless. He was also learning quickly, most of the moves she tried on him he remembered and was able to at least act faster the next time she tried. 'If he were to join Mizuho, he could advance really fast.' This then put a very pleasant image into her mind at the thought of Lloyd marrying into the village.

"Sheena, are you okay?" Lloyd interrupted her thoughts, "You spaced out a bit."

"Uh, yeah I'm fine," she blushed, glad that he was unable to read her mind at the moment, "just wondering if there was anything that I could get away with teaching you."

"Well, don't worry too much. I don't want you to get in trouble with your village." He smiled, he was very glad that Sheena was helping him. He felt something when he was with her, even when she was sparring with him. It wasn't the same as how he felt about Colette or Genis, but he liked it either way. "Anyway," he started looking over to another member of the group, "it's time for my training with Kratos."

"Indeed it is." Said Kratos as he stood up.

"Well, have fun." She waved him off, whilst going to do some training herself.

Lloyd, walked alongside Kratos, as they headed for an open area away from their campsite; sparring without weapons was okay to be in their camp, but with what Kratos had in mind, they didn't want anyone or anything to get in the way. Lloyd had thought differently about Kratos ever since Kvar as well; he had a perfect opportunity to kill Kvar and Sheena, and had a possible excuse lined up as well. However, he ensured she was out of harm's way before thrusting through his chest. He thought back to when he asked him for help.

"Hey, Kratos?" Lloyd asked tentatively. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" he asked, curiously.

"Well...I was wondering...I know I was quite a jerk before, but..." he paused slightly, "Is it okay if you started training me again? I want to be able to control my power when I need to, instead of risking it to the last minute."

Kratos stared at him for a moment, "I'd be happy to help you, Lloyd. It's a good thing that you can except that you need help." Lloyd wasn't sure if this was a compliment to his initiative, or an insult to his ability, "However, you must know that I have never witnessed what you are able to do with your exsphere. This means that I may not be able to help you the way you want. I can teach you some techniques that may prove useful to what you have in mind."

"Really? Thanks, Kratos."

"So, Lloyd." Kratos began "I think I know how I can help you."

"Alright."

"Am I right in saying one of your problems is being unable to focus your power?"

"Yeah, Kvar taunted me for wasting my power with every hit; it was only when Sheena was out that I channelled it properly."

"In which case, I have the perfect exercise for you." He drew his sword, and faced a boulder a few feet away from him, "I am going to demonstrate how you perform your Demon Fang technique." He slashed his sword, and a wave of energy charged towards the boulder. After the impact, the boulder was cracked in several places. "You charge your mana into the blade and launch it, correct?"

"Yeah, that's how I've always done it. It's a useful technique."

Kratos nodded, "Well I believe this may be similar to your goal. If you concentrate your mana into a more confined space along your blade, then you should get this:" He slashed again, and another, thinner wave of energy ploughed its way to the target. At first, Lloyd thought that nothing would change, but when it impacted with the boulder, it didn't stop; it cut straight through it, splitting it clean in two, before fading a few feet away.

"Whoa!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"If you can master this, then I believe you will have an easier time in controlling your power when you call upon it." He paused, "We must also find a way for you to call upon your power at will. Tell me, what happened when you last called upon it?"

"Um...what do you...?"

"How did you feel?"

Lloyd thought back; there was one emotion he felt each time, in Luin, in the ranch, and whilst fighting Kvar. "Angry. I was angry at the Desians, and at Kvar."

Kratos sighed, "I thought as much. Whenever someone feels angry during a battle, they can call upon a lot of strength, but the fact that they're angry means they are unable to focus their attacks and are generally reckless. We need to find another way of calling upon your power without your being angry." He had his hand on his chin, in deep thought. "For now, simply work on the technique I just showed you; we may find a solution whilst you try."

Lloyd nodded, and stood in front of another nearby boulder. He began charging his mana into his blade, 'Piece of cake.' he smiled, and slashed towards his target. A wave of energy was launched from his blade. Although it was thinner than his usual attack, it wasn't like Kratos', and wasn't surprised when it only resulted in making a crater in the stone's surface. This was going to be harder than he thought.

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Lloyd was exhausted; he had spent an hour doing nothing but trying to focus his mana. He had improved quite a bit, his attacks were now cutting a third through his target, but he was yet to make a clean cut like Kratos.

"That will do for today." Kratos interrupted, as Lloyd drew his blade back for another attempt. "You have made considerable improvement since we started."

Lloyd paused and stared at him before answering, "Thanks, Kratos." This was the first time he had given him a compliment after their training. Normally he would say how he wasn't trying hard enough, or how he wasn't focusing properly, or how he had a very closed mind when it came to fighting. Looking back, he wasn't the easiest of students. Again, he started to think how Kratos had seemed to change since their battle at Luin. At first he was furious at his friendship with Sheena, but now...he was more than accepting it. In a way, he was preserving it. From what he could tell, Kratos had actually tried to make the Professor see the truth. "Hey, Kratos?" he asked.

"Yes, Lloyd?"

"I wanted...I've been meaning to thank you."

"You can ask me for help or advice any time Lloyd."

"No...it's not that." He paused, slightly embarrassed of what he was saying. "For saving Sheena at the Ranch...for trusting her. It means a lot to me. Thank you."

Kratos gave a knowing yet curious look at the young swordsman. 'Maybe he's not so oblivious after all.' "Think nothing of it, Lloyd."

"But I do." He urged, "You did not trust her at all when she first joined us, no matter how hard I tried to convince you. When you went with her to the House of Salvation, I wasn't sure what you would do. At the Ranch...when Kvar..." he thought back to the battle, how he'd been so stupid to let Sheena get used as a hostage. "You could have pierced straight through Kvar when he didn't know you were there. You could have said it was for the best, or that you couldn't tell she was in front of him. But you didn't; you waited for her to be out of harm's way."

Again, Kratos just stared at the boy, recognising the look in his eyes, as if imagining what it would have been if she had been slain. He recognised it all too well. "Lloyd, you do not need to thank me. I saw the loyalty and devotion she has for you; that you have to her. I knew she would never betray you in such a way." Lloyd looked shocked at this unexpected statement. "Knowing this, there was no need to let her die. I know what it would have done to you." He blushed slightly, 'You may be confused by your feelings right now, but don't worry. You'll figure it out...eventually.' "However," he added, slowly, as if trying to show him that he was only thinking from a logical view, "We still do not know the reasons for her original motives, and without them we cannot be sure something won't cause Sheena to try something, even if she doesn't want to."

"She has good reasons." Said Lloyd, without thinking. Kratos looked on in mild surprise, "She means well...I promised I wouldn't tell. It's not my place to say."

To his surprise, Kratos smiled slightly, "Then I will not pry. We should return to the others. We'll need to make good time if we want to reach Thoda Island by tomorrow." And with that, he turned and started to return to their camp, Lloyd quickly following suit, 'So, he knows of the other world.' he thought sadly, 'This will cause difficulties when the time comes...'

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"Hey Lloyd!" came the cheerful voice of Colette, "How was your training?"

"Pretty good." He replied, and everyone looked at him in amazement, "I haven't got the technique perfect but I'm getting there."

"Wow, Lloyd." Said Genis, "This is the first time you've come back from a session with Kratos without being angry and pissed off."

"Yeah...well. I know now that there's something I have to learn so I can protect people." He looked throughout the group and found that someone was missing. "Where's Sheena?"

Raine's face fell at this question, and Lloyd couldn't help but sigh. He had hoped that after the Luin ranch she would finally start trusting Sheena, but her attitude had not changed, even with Kratos' persuasion; whether this was because of her plain stubbornness, or if she was just being too concerned for Colette's safety, he did not know, "I believe she is still training on her own."

Lloyd nodded, and looked towards the nearby forest; Sheena always trained on her own. She was becoming more open to the group with each day, but still preferred to remain either on her own or with him. She had actually asked the group if they could head to Hima; as it turns, her friend Pietro was actually very ill, so she had asked if Raine could at least attempt to heal him. It was once more that Kratos had surprised him, by actually accepting this request without any other need of persuasion. "I think I'll go and find her, we were planning on leaving soon anyway." And with that, he headed towards the forest where Sheena was training.

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Sheena was meditating; she had already given herself a workout by practising each of her moves in turn and using the trees as an acrobatic stadium. Now it was time to train her mind...and she was bored. She knew the importance of being able to keep a calm, cool head, and that meditating was a way to develop this skill, but she did not enjoy it. In all honesty, she found she was able to keep her mind clear when training more then when she meditated. She sat, cross-legged, eye's shut, arms just resting on her legs, as she tried to focus on her surroundings. She heard the wind blow, the rustling of the trees as it passed, the sound of the river flowing next to her. This method never worked, and her mind began to wander. Her thoughts went to her new companions, she had feared that once they had finished with Kvar and saved the people of Luin, they would shun her and they would be enemies again, but here they were, helping her to recover Pietro. This confused her, she was only trying to kill them just days before the attack on Luin, and now they were allies and she did not want to leave them. Her curiosity diminished somewhat when her thoughts trailed to a particular member of the group.

"Lloyd." She sighed. She even liked just saying his name. 'I never thought I'd act like this around anyone.' She thought, 'No-one has treated me the way he does. Not since Grandpa...' she quickly shook her head. No, this was not a path she wanted her train of thoughts to head. She needed to be strong right now. She needed to be to make the pact...make the pact with Undine. 'Make a pact...' she was trying to remain calm but her thoughts seem to merge in a very unfortunate way...failing the pact and losing Lloyd. "No."

"Sheena?" a puff of smoke revealed Corrine. "You shouldn't think that way. You've seen how strong he is."

She looked surprised before smiling, "I suppose there's no point lecturing you about boundaries." The summon spirit had always been able to tell what was on her mind; part of the pact they had meant they were linked in a very unique way. "You know what happened the last time I tried making a pact...what if? What would happen if something went wrong?" She pulled her legs together and wrapped her arms around her knees. "What if something happens to them..."

"You mean Lloyd."

She sighed, "Maybe I shouldn't have asked them to help heal Pietro."

"Do you really believe that?" came a voice.

"L-Lloyd?" she asked, shocked, turning her head to the red clad swordsman. "How much..."

"I only just got here." He answered, as he walked over and sat down beside her. She sighed in relief upon hearing this. "So what's wrong? You want to help him don't you?"

"Of course I do...but..." she paused, not sure how to say what she had been thinking, "Lloyd, pacts can be dangerous."

He chuckled slightly, "And the rest of what we do isn't?" he looked down and patted Corrine on the head, "Besides, you made one with Corrine right?"

"Don't take it so lightly!" she almost yelled, "Summon Spirits are pure mana, they protect their respective worlds and are essentially the strongest forces known. If they don't feel you are worthy..." she trailed off; she wasn't sure if she could tell Lloyd what happened...how she failed.

"You've tried making a pact before." She looked up at him, and saw a concerned acknowledgement in his eyes, she nodded, "Is that...is that what happened to your village?" he was remembering their conversation after the battle for Luin.

'He can really pick up on the things that matter.' She nodded again. 'It's so easy for me to talk to him.' "Volt was...too strong for me. He destroyed everything because I was too weak." She looked down so Lloyd couldn't see her face, but by the way she was gripping her knees told him all he needed to know. He placed an arm around her shoulders and squeezed affectionately.

"You're not weak." It was only those three words he said, but it was all she needed. She leaned into him slightly, welcoming his embrace. They remained silent for some time, but that's what Sheena needed; no more questions, excuses or reasoning, just a comforting shoulder to lean on. She had needed this for a long time. "I believe in you, Sheena." He started, "You'll be able to make the pact with Undine, I'll make sure of it. I'll protect you."

"It's not me I'm worried about." She looked up, not to his eyes, but enough so she could see his face, trying to hide her blush. "Lloyd, you're the first real friend I've had since Corrine...I would never forgive myself if you got hurt because I couldn't make the pact."

Lloyd began to laugh, and she almost had an urge to slap him; why was he laughing after she opened up to him. "You dork, you don't need to worry about me. With all the training both you and Kratos have been giving me I'll be just fine." He raised a hand a clenched his fist, "We'll win."

Sheena smiled, "Don't let me down, Lloyd." She looked up to his eyes and saw the confidence in them...the trust he had in her. It was then she fully realised their current position; she wasn't paying attention when Lloyd began comforting her, she just did what felt right. Now she realised she was leaning against him, with his arm round her, whilst looking deep into each other's eyes. Although she liked being this close to him, years of emotional training, and her own feeling of embarrassment made her look away and sit bolt upright, jerking his arm away. "Sorry." She said apologetically, "So did you learn much with Kratos?" It was an obvious change in the conversation, but thankfully Lloyd was as oblivious as ever.

"I'll show you." He grinned, standing up and walking a few steps away from her. "He showed me how to make my Demon Fang more effective. I suppose I should find a new name for it..." he placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully, "Demon Slice? Demon Cutter? Demon..."

"Lloyd." Sheena interrupted, knowing he would continue on if she didn't cut him short. "You gonna show me your move or is making bad names for your attacks what Kratos taught you?"

"Sorry Sheena," he scratched the back of his head, "guess I got a little carried...hey!" he caught on, "What do you mean bad names?" Sheena burst into a fit of laughter.

"Took you long enough." She laughed further as she watched him try to keep his angry look on his face.

"Anyway..." he drew one of his blades and looked for a target, 'No rocks.' He thought, 'Ah, that tree should do.' He pulled his blade back and began focusing his mana, "Watch this!" he slash and a thin wave of energy charged towards the tree. It sliced through the trunk like it was nothing, 'Straight through!' he cheered in his head, trees were obviously easier to cut through than stone. "Did you see..." he stopped himself as the tree slowly leant to one side and began to fall near to where Sheena sat. It cleared her by some margin, but it landed in the river next to them, causing a large wave to splash over the unprepared ninja and fox spirit. "Sheena, are you okay?" he looked at his now soaking companion. She sat perfectly still; her hair was covering her eyes as it dripped in front of her face, but he could see her smile. He took a step back; it wasn't a kind smile, or a happy smile...or any smile he recognised as something good.

"Lloyd..." her voice had a malicious tone to it...and it terrified him.

"Crap!" although he thought he should apologise, his instincts were telling him to run...so he did. He turned around and ran back towards the others.

"LLOYD IRVING!" she yelled as she charged after him. "Get back here NOW!"

Corrine shook the water out of his fur, laughing at the sight, "Thank you for believing in her, Lloyd." He spoke, listening to the sounds of Lloyd's frantic screams in apology, still running away from the charging woman. "I've never seen her this happy." There was a loud smack, as Lloyd yelled in pain.

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Lloyd and Sheena had just returned to their camp, Sheena still looking away from Lloyd, pretending to be angry. In truth she had a lot of fun chasing after him, but he did get her soaked after all. Her damp clothes had started to get to her once the wind picked, and she was shivering half way back and Lloyd had now given up his jacket as a peace offering.

"Do we even want to know what happened between you two?" asked Genis as he noted the soaked ninja and the red mark on Lloyd's cheek.

Sheena blushed at what the young mage was implying, as Lloyd scratched the back of his head; embarrassed for the wrong reason. "Let's just say I won't be going easy on Lloyd in our training sessions anymore." She answered, finding it hard not to smile when she saw Lloyd's reaction.

"You've been going easy on me?" he took a step away from her, both shock and fear in his eyes.

"Not anymore." She walked towards the tent in order to change into dry clothes, still wearing his jacket and a smirk on her face.

"I'm so screwed." Sighed Lloyd, with Genis and Colette laughing.

"Hard luck Lloyd."

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'I did it.' Sheena thought happily, 'I actually did it.' The battle with Undine was hard and long, but no-one was hurt and she had successfully forged the pact. They had just made it out of the temple and were waiting for their...wash tubs to be ready to get back to the mainland.

"See," started Lloyd, walking up beside her, "I told you you'd be fine." He gave his usual smile and thumbs up, "You were awesome!"

"Thanks, Lloyd." She smiled, he was right; she didn't have anything to worry about. Lloyd was strong enough to protect himself and the others.

"So..." he began, his smile growing wider and excitement flowing through him, "Can you show me!"

"Huh?"

"I think it's really cool how you can summon! So can you show us?" Sheena laughed, he was such a kid.

"Yeah, come on Sheena!" added Genis, excitement filling his eyes too.

"Yeah, show us!" beamed Colette.

Sheena took a slight step back at the three's eagerness, 'They're all just kids.' She smiled again, and an idea came to her, "So you guys want to see me summon the spirit of water?" she asked, a slightly mischievous smile grew on her face.

"Yeah!" the three exclaimed.

But Lloyd's eyes widened slightly, "Wait..."

"Okay", she didn't let Lloyd continue as she began concentrating, "Come, Undine!" and the blue female figure they had just fought appeared before them.

"You called, Lady Sheena?" She asked respectfully. Sheena did not answer, but instead smiled towards the summon spirit, who returned it with her own smile, "As you wish." She bowed and disappeared in a flash of light.

"Uh, Sheena?" asked Lloyd, slight worry in his voice, "What did you ask her..." but before he could finish a large wave of water rose from the sea and charged into Lloyd's back, forcing him face first into the ground and soaking him head to toe. "No fair." He whimpered, twitching slightly. He heard Colette and Genis burst into laughter and he looked up to see Sheena leaning over him, an innocent smile on her face and her arms folded behind her.

"Now we're even." She laughed.

Lloyd chuckled slightly, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess we are." As much as she liked Sheena, there were definitely times where she scared him. 'Maybe I should try to stay on her good side.' She offered her a hand. 'Then again,' he thought as he took her hand and they pulled him up, 'it sure was fun!'

Done! Not really the same as the other DoL chapters but hey, saw an opportunity out of my own story and I took it. Hope it was a good read anyway.