"Do you care if I have the couch?"

Zelos looked up at my question and grinned deviously.

"Sure you don't want to share with me?" he asked, patting the big white bed next to him. "There's plenty of room for fun, my voluptuous hunny. I may just have to drag you over here myself."

"Zelos, have you ever been dropped off a balcony?" I scowled warningly, glancing pointedly at the veranda.

His eyes went wide.

"Whoa, I was just kidding, Sheena," he said quickly. "I swear."

I rolled my eyes and dropped my bag next to the comfy-looking red couch. How had I gotten stuck rooming with Zelos for the night? Altamira just had to be booked when we had come, and my companions just had to take the only other available rooms and abandon me with this playboy.

Walking over to the bed warily where Zelos was seated watching me with a crooked grin, I grabbed a pillow. I also needed a blanket; however, Zelos was sitting on them.

"Can you move for a minute?" I asked, frowning and watching him suspiciously for any false moves.

"Will you give me a kiss first?"

"Zelos," I growled, putting a hand on my hip and glaring.

"What's that?" he exclaimed excitedly. "You would rather have two kisses? Feel free to be feisty, my dear."

In response, I shoved him off the mattress and proceeded to retrieve one of the many blankets piled atop the bed.

"Oh, Sheena,"Zelos suddenly sang, and I sighed in exasperation.

"What now?" I asked.

I looked over to see him standing with one hand over his heart and the other outstretched toward the sky.

"Oh, Sheena, you are so cruel to me, but nonetheless, you have stolen my heart, and I know how strongly you desire me. You are so beautiful, my darling…"

I felt a twitch at the corner of my mouth, and then I couldn't help it—my mouth broke into a full smile of amusement.

"You are gorgeous, and I am so sexy and fine, and you love to kick my butt with your fiery ninja powers…"

He was unbelievable.

And then I felt something bubbling up inside of me, and I was unable to suppress the laughter that poured out.

As soon as I started laughing, Zelos grinned delightedly through his song.

"And one day, we shall truly be brought together. So I will only serenade you for now…"

"Zelos?" I said when I had managed to slightly control my laughter.

"Yeah?"

"Shove it."

I pushed my pillow in his face in an attempt to shut him up, but he only grabbed the pillow and tossed it aside.

"Oh, hun, I was just waiting for you to ask," he replied suggestively.

He put his arms around my waist and pulled me to him, ignoring my squeak of protest.

"Would you like to start now?" he asked, and a blush worked its way across my cheeks at the innuendo and at the lack of space between us.

"Zelos, get off," I said, visibly frustrated.

I didn't know how to handle this man! He was so unpredictable.

And in regards to my demand of an abrupt release, he only held on tighter and began to lean his face down to mine. Feeling panicked and angry, I hit him in the stomach, and he backed off and doubled over with an "Oof!"

Hurriedly snatching my blanket and pillow, I stomped over to the couch and set up my bed.

"Sheena," Zelos wheezed. "You have one hell of a punch."

I smirked.

"You decided to mess with me," I shrugged. "I come with a package."

He smirked in return.

"I'll say," he said, looking me up and down.

"Zelos! Agh!"

I stormed out of the room and onto the balcony. Taking a deep breath to cool down, I rested my elbows on the railing and my chin in my hands.

I looked out over the horizon.

Brilliant orange streaks filled the sky from the setting sun, and it caught my breath. I heard Zelos suddenly settle beside me, and we stood, arm to arm, watching the sky.

"Isn't it pretty?" I breathed, unintentionally sighing dreamily.

"The demonic banshee is into pretty sunsets?" Zelos asked in mock disbelief.

"Shut up!" I cried defensively, looking up at his raised eyebrows. "It's better than being obsessed with looks, Mr. stay-in-the-bathroom-for-five-hours-a-day-so-I-can-get-my-hair-just-right!"

"I have to keep the ladies looking," he said indignantly, flashing me a bright smile and leaning his face a little closer to mine. "I can't help it if I'm sexy; I'm just utilizing my gods-given talent."

I snorted, but then I looked ahead, smiling, enjoying the moment Zelos hadn't quite managed to ruin yet.

"In fact, my banshee, I'm a pretty hot commodity right now, since I'm so damned sexy and all, but I'd be willing to give you a free sample of the tour of-"

"Zelos, shut up!" I said, rolling my eyes and turning my head toward his. "And also-"

But I had forgotten what I wanted to say. His face was only an inch or so away from mine, and he was staring at me with the strangest expression, like he wanted to tell me something but couldn't find the words to say it. I couldn't stop myself from glancing at his mouth, which was set in a straight line at the moment. I looked back up into his eyes; that was my mistake—I couldn't look away. I became lost in the blue depths.

"Uh…I…"I stammered as his eyes searched my face, and I realized with a start that his arm was behind me, gripping the railing next to me, sort of locking me against him.

My gaze wandered back to his lips. I was blushing furiously, and to my utter horror I found myself wondering what it would feel like to reach up and kiss those lips.

"Uh, I'm gonna go to bed," I said quickly, tearing my gaze from his face. "Goodnight, Zelos."

I glanced up at him one last time and almost dropped my jaw. Was that…a blush…on the ultimate Casanova's face?

"Goodnight, my banshee," he said, and he smiled and released me. "Sweet dreams."

"Not of you," I retorted, and he smirked.

I hurried off to bed before a new fight could begin.

XXX

"Ow, Kuchinawa, what are you doing?" I asked as he grabbed me roughly. I couldn't fight back.

"Shut up, you murderer!" he snapped, and he dragged me by the upper arm into the vice chief's house and over to—

"No, Kuchinawa, don't make me look," I pleaded, and I put an arm across my face.

"Look at what you did," he commanded, pulling my arm away.

I couldn't close my eyes, so I was forced to stare at the man lying deathly still in front of me. And I gasped when he opened his eyes and looked at me.

"Sheena, I am so disappointed in you," he whispered. "You killed me…"

XXX

"No! No! No!" I screamed.

"Sheena, calm down!"

With a start I stopped beating my fists against the man in front of me, but I continued to breathe heavily. I had just been dreaming, but in truth it wasn't so different from reality.

"Sheena?"

Shaking, I clutched the black undershirt in front of me and allowed myself to bury my face in Zelos' neck for a short moment. Breathing deeply, I tried to calm down. My friend's arms were around me, supporting my weight.

I felt a strange lump in my throat, and I pushed myself away. I had to get up.

Swinging my legs over the couch, I stood up and walked away.

"I need some air," I said by way of explanation.

Once outside, I pulled off my ribbon and raked my fingers through my hair, frustrated. I walked to the edge of the balcony and clutched the railing so tightly my knuckles turned white. A slight movement behind me caught my attention; however, I didn't turn around to face the redhead.

"Zelos, leave me alone for a while," I said, knowing it sounded harsh but at the same time unable to stop myself.

No movement.

"Zelos, go," I said in an anguished voice. "Please."

What I really meant was, "Zelos, please go because I don't want you to see me cry," but I couldn't bring myself to say that.

Relief went through me as he left, but it was short-lived.

My next breath in was accompanied by a gasping sob. It came out slightly distorted when I tried to hold it in. Sinking to my knees, I buried my face in my hands and cried out of built-up shame for past events.

"Grandpa, I'm so sorry," I whispered.

"Sheena, you're so stupid sometimes!"

I jumped at the sound of Zelos' voice.

"Stop blaming yourself for something that was totally out of your control."

I looked up to see the man standing by me, and he moved to sit down facing me with his back to the railing posts.

Damn. I hadn't expected him to come back.

I covered my face again in embarrassment and tried to hide my tears. I didn't reply to him. I couldn't.

I heard him sigh, and I didn't struggle when he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him. I shifted my weight a little to the side, and I found myself leaning heavily against him.

"It's okay, Sheena," Zelos said, rubbing my back. "Just let it all out."

I slid my arms around his torso and turned my face so it was pressed flat against his chest. His steady heartbeat comforted me; the rhythm was calming.

We stayed like that for some time—me sobbing my heart out and he holding me tight within the warm circle of his arms. But eventually, I got myself under control.

Retracting my arms from around him, I turned my body kind of sideways so that my shoulder and side were leaning against his front, and I rested my head on his shoulder.

I sniffled one last time and took a shaky, deep breath.

I wiped my eyes hastily with the back of my hand. A shaft of moonlight suddenly came down through the clouds, and a sparkle caught my eye—Zelos' Cruxis Crystal.

Reaching up a hand, I touched the gem, admiring the deceptive beauty for a moment. My own Exphere was not unlike the crystal in structure, but the crystal was so much prettier. A sad smile crept across my face as I thought about the true meaning of the stone. As much as I was afraid to admit, I would hate to lose Zelos—he was such a good friend, and he understood me like no one else could. He was the only person who had ever been able to see inside of me.

"Nice, isn't it?" Zelos said bitterly.

"Huh?" I said, looking up in surprise, and I realized I was still touching the crystal. "Oh, yeah—I mean, no, not really, because it means you might lose your life."

I frowned and looked at him, suddenly feeling sorrowful, and I saw the same sadness mirrored in his deep blue eyes.

"Yeah, well," he said, changing his expression to a familiar blank one. "The world will be more peaceful when I'm out of the way."

"Zelos," I said, flaring up briefly. "Stop it! None of us want to see you die. We all care about you, whether you see it or not.

"And…"

My fire died down.

"If you were gone," I continued in a whisper, focusing my gaze on his crystal. "I would miss you."

A lone tear rolled down my cheek.

Then, to my surprise, I felt a cool hand under my chin, tilting up my head. Zelos' eyes searched my face slowly, and I flushed.

"Smile, my banshee," the redhead said, his face unreadable.

My lip trembled, and I lost a few more tears. Gah! I couldn't start crying again! Once had already been too much, and it had been completely out of my character. Also, I was leaving myself wide open.

Ah, well, now that I was here, I might as well go the whole nine yards.

"Zelos, I just don't want to lose you," I confessed. "You're a really good friend, even if you are an asshole most of the time."

He chuckled, and a smile lit his features. I couldn't help but grin as well. He pulled me into a tight hug and spoke.

"Sheena-babe," he said. "Don't worry. I'll be here for a while yet. And if Lloyd figures out a way to save both worlds, I won't have to die."

He sighed dreamily.

"Then I could stalk you forever, my voluptuous hunny…"

"Shut up, you creep!" I laughed. "And I'm not your voluptuous hunny."

"But I thought you wanted me," he hinted.

"I think I just changed my mind," I said flatly.

"So cruel…"

I smiled and laid my face against his neck, closing my eyes sleepily. He kept his arms wrapped around me. I was warm to the very core, and I didn't want it to end. These moments between the two of us were rare.

But after a while, Zelos shifted, waking me slightly, though I was still three-fourths asleep.

"Sheena," he said softly. "Are you asleep?"

"No," I answered groggily, opening my eyes.

"Well, you should be," he replied. "C'mon, you need your beauty sleep."

"Look who's talking," I retorted, then, "Hey!" as he lifted me up.

"What's going on?" I asked, very confused and, as mentioned before, three-fourths asleep.

"There's a big nice bed waiting inside for us," he assured me.

My sleep-infested mind didn't really grasp the meaning of his statement, so I just said, "'Kay," relieved by his reassuring tone.

His chest vibrated with quiet laughter, and I wondered what was so funny.

The next moment, he lowered me onto the couch gently and pulled the covers over me. I was barely aware of his hand smoothing back my hair.

"Goodnight, my banshee," he said softly.

"'Night, Zelos."

I watched him leave through half-lidded eyes. He made his way back outside and stood at the edge of the balcony, hands in his pockets, unruly hair flaming out behind him, looking like a perfect painting. I smiled tiredly and suddenly remembered something.

"Zelos?" I called, just loudly enough for him to hear.

He turned toward me, an almost-peaceful expression on his porcelain face.

"Yeah?" he asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Thanks."

He smiled a warm smile, leaving a fuzzy feeling in my heart.

And with that, I turned on my side, away from him, and closed my eyes.

My last thought that night was of his perfect smile.