A/N: This story is a few months old now. I wrote it for Plusle, as usual and I rushed it immensely so there's probably a bunch of silly mistakes. It's unpolished but I hope you enjoy it despite that :) Also, this is just a full on cheese and cliché fest', you've been warned.

Key:

- Perspective Transition
##### Time Fast Forward
(Author's notes and comments)
(A part of the story)

Remedy

Reimi had been carefully brewing a mix of flora extracts, measuring precise amounts of each liquid, when her shop door was thrown open and Lloyd Irving rushed inside, visually panicked.

Reimi met Lloyd during his and his friends' struggles when travelling around the world to regenerate the two worlds. Sheena, another member for the 'Chosen's group,' had been inflicted with an irregular form of poison after a battle with a boss monster and were in need for an apothecary. The group were closest to Meltokio where Reimi's shop was established, although, in the 'slums' part of town, home of the poorest Meltokio civilians. Reimi was able to make the correct formula to cure the poison before Sheena suffered, and became quick friends with the group; she helped them many a time afterwards and they would visit her purely just to see her occasionally.

Being a shy person by nature, Reimi found it hard to interact with them at first but gradually warmed to them. Lloyd was the first she felt comfortable with; he was so genuine, goofy and good-hearted, he was easier to relax around. However, over time her feelings grew and she started feeling shyer around him again, worried he'd sense her newly realised emotions. And it only got worse once he'd become known across the world as a hero. She felt insecure and began comparing herself to him in every aspect, only to conclude she was unworthy in comparison to each one.

"Reimi! Zelos is in trouble," Lloyd huffed, having ran all the way to Reimi's store.

"What?" Reimi asked, shocked and worried.

"He's got some kind of virus, and his heart rate is getting slower by the hour," Lloyd grieved, "The Professor doesn't think he has long; about a week."

"Was Raine able to make a diagnosis? If I don't know the illness I won't know what remedy he'll need," Reimi explained as she evened her tone in an attempt to calm Lloyd down.

"Yeah, right, uh, It's 'Lymatoxia.' Can you help?"

Reimi could, but it was going to be quite an ordeal. Most of the ingredients she needed for that particular potion were either found in precarious places or near tough monsters, however, she decided not to mention that to Lloyd.

"Yes, I can but I have to start straight away and it'll take a day to put together and brew," Reimi hastily told Lloyd as she started preparing her working station.

"Thank you so much, Reimi! Anything you need- anything I can do- I'll stay with you the whole time and will help in any way I can. I'll ask the professor-"

"Lloyd, thank you but I work quicker alone; you should return to the others and do what you can there," Reimi tried her best to speak in a casual tone as she fumbled with jars of different medicines, herbs, spices, cuts of flowers and other substances.

It was silent for a moment except for the tinkering the glass jars made against the wooden work services.

"Uh… Okay… I'll be back tomorrow then," He thanked her again before he rushed off to return to the group.

Reimi knew by his voice he had been surprised by her harsh words and it left a lump in her throat. But she couldn't dwell on it; someone's life was in danger and she had to get going. As soon as she heard the door close behind her, she quickly locked the door and turned the 'open' sign to 'closed' and ran to grab her cloak and backpack.

Lloyd walked out of the slum district as he tried to shake off the crestfallen feeling that had sprouted in his chest. He understood the seriousness of the situation but Reimi had never spoken to him in such a formal way before and it made her feel so distant. It wasn't a pleasant feeling at all.

He had known Reimi for almost a year and had liked her instantly. She was so graceful, kind and patient; he thought she was beautiful. However, he knew he wasn't fit for her; he was brash, childish and not particularly intelligent. He even felt slightly ashamed when he was around her but he could never keep away.

He stood atop of the stairs at Meltokio's heart and took a breath before going further; much greater things were at stake than his personal feelings. Zelos was in danger. Lloyd turned the way towards Zelos' house before something familiar caught his peripheral vision. He looked down at the bottom of the stairs where Meltokio's gates were to see Reimi rushing out of town.

Lloyd was confused; where was she going? She said she was going to start on the potion straight away. Before he knew his legs were moving, Lloyd was descending back down the stairs he'd just climbed, and headed through the Meltokio gates.

An hour passed and Reimi had managed to obtained one ingredient, a rare flower (by the name of the 'Ying-Yang' flower), which resided in a desert canyon near Triet. Unfortunately, the flower shared the company of a boss monster which was ten times the size of Reimi but was quite slow and luckily weak against Reimi's specialty – magic. After some time and with great effort, Reimi came out victorious and was able to receive the prize she came for.

She gently plucked the flower from its roots and guided it, stem first, into a transparent bottle which she then strapped into her backpack. (A/N: I imagine her backpack with straps and individual compartments inside to keep the ingredients safe. Also, I don't mention it (I might add it in later) but she has a rheaird, probably given to her as a gift from the group.) She swiftly put her bag on her back before she quickly left the canyon and getting on her rheaird to continue her quest.

#####

When she approached a mountain range to the east of Asgard later that day to find the second ingredient, 'Pansin clay,' which is usually found high up on rock formations, she didn't take into account that she's actually have to climb the cliff. She had assumed she would have been able to use her rheaird to scale the edge of the mountain and reach the clay from there, however, rheaids aren't versatile enough to hover in one place for any more than a second without someone to control the steering. It wasn't as if she had time to test out her plan before she left and she very rarely used her rheaird to know it's full/limited capabilities.

Reimi looked up at the dauntingly steep rock wall and nervously placed her backpack on the ground. She had done these kinds of things before, excavating for ingredients was a part of her job after all, although, when it came to harder ingredients in places she couldn't get to she would find a supplier.

She knew it was foolish to try without the right equipment but she was running out of time- No, Zelos was running out of time. She took a step closer towards the cliff-side and began working her way up, slowly and steadily finding a place for each one of her feet and hands to find a place to grip.

1,2,3,4 – 1,2,3,4 – 1,2,3,4

Over and over again she chanted in her mind as she drove herself forward, one movement at a time. She was thirty-five feet up and started to get a little shaky; she looked down to find a place for her foot which unfortunately got her a glance at the drop beneath her. She sharply turned her head to face the rocky wall she was gripped to and tried to steady her breathing. After a pause, she tried again. She placed her foot on a small rock protrusion and pushed up as she went to grab another with hand, but as soon as she put pressure on the rocky part her foot sat on, it gave in.

The piece of earth broke away from the cliff and Reimi found herself drifting away from the mountain's wall. Unable to process a thought in her panic, only her bodily reflexes kicked in: she squeezed her eyes closed, her hands flew over her head, her legs braced together and waited for impact.

…

But none came.

As her panic slowly started to subside, though not her fear, she felt an arm across her back and another wrapped around her knees. Still shaken, Reimi slowly tried to relax a little and untighten her body which had stiffened with the expectation of death. She lowered her hands slightly away from her head and opened her eyes a slither.

"Lloyd?!"

Her eyes snapped wide open as she took in the sight before her. Lloyd, whose face was embarrassingly close, had caught her and was looking quite distraught.

"What the hell were you doing?" He shouted with anger in his eyes, a look Riemi had never seen from him before, "You nearly died! Are you stupid? What were you doing scaling a mountain without anyone with you OR climbing gear?"

Despite his anger, Reimi noted that her had lowered them both so Reimi was lying on the floor sitting and he was kneeling next to her with him still holding her, and was checking over her for cuts or injuries.

"One of my friend's lives are already in danger, I don't know what I'd do if yours were as well!"

Reimi couldn't find her voice. So much had happened in the last twenty seconds, she didn't know what to address first or even how to. Lloyd seemed out of breath and out of sorts as well, probably from having had to catch her, not to mention the yelling.

Lloyd seemed to snap out of it after a little while and his eyes softened but only slightly.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have started with that just after you've been through something so scary," He said regretfully, seemingly scolding himself internally, "Were you hurt?"

Reimi felt an inappropriate (in her opinion) swell of happy-giddiness fill her chest but chose to deny and ignore it.

"Y-yeah, I-I'm fine," she stuttered as she pulled herself out of Lloyd's hold REGRET! And stood both.

"Really? You don't seem it…"

"No-no, I'm just still getting over the initial shock," She laughed a little to ensure it was true.

Suddenly, she found herself against Lloyd's chest again, "L-Lloyd I'm really okay, haha," without saying anything, he gently let go. Little did she know it was more for himself than her.

"So, what are you doing out here?"

"Uh, what about you, Lloyd? I thought you were going back to Zelos' house," She asked trying to seem nonchalant.

"You said you were going to start the potion straight away so I was confused when I saw you leave the city."

"…Have you been following me since I left?" Reimi felt a lump in her stomach at the thpught f Lloyd not trusting her.

"Well, I lost you in the canyons for a while but I found you just as you finished off that boss monster."

"O-oh…"

He really mustn't trust me.

"Reimi…what are you doing?"

"I'm collecting ingredients for the remedy," She said simply, hiding her guilt and nervousness.

"Why didn't you tell me?" His voice began to grow louder again, "I could have helped, you shouldn't take all of the responsibility. I'm the one who asked you for help."

"This is a big part of my job, Lloyd. I do stuff like this all the time and I enjoy it, there isn't any reason for you to feel that way."

"Then why did you hide it from me?"

"I knew you'd want to help."

"So?"

"I didn't want you to."

"Why?"

"…It's my job, Lloyd."

"But I don't want you doing dangerous stuff for me -without me. You nearly died and I might have never known!"

Reimi knew Lloyd would have been angry, he was a kind person after all, but she didn't expect him to care this much. He'd never been so emotional in front of her before either so she wasn't sure what was the right thing to say but she did realise something.

"…It would be irresponsible for me to die without making sure Zelos gets the remedy…"

"That's not really the point I was trying to make but if that'll let you take help then I'm satisfied," Lloyd sighed in defeat before he continued, "So, where are we heading next?" He asked as he gestured from where Reimi fell.

Reimi felt slightly sick with nerves, her and Lloyd hadn't spent time alone before and never this long either but she tried to focus on Zelos and not on the tenseness in her chest.

#####

With two people it was much easier to use the rhieard with one steering and the other (Reimi) collecting the clay. Afterwards, Reimi explained there were two other ingredients left to collect but other than their objective Reimi couldn't find other subjects to talk about. It didn't help that Lloyd still seemed angry, and sometimes she'd even see him looking at her but quickly turn away. And stranger still, his eyes would turn sad although Reimi couldn't tell for sure. She had never felt so far away from him than at that time.

It was same as they collected the last two materials for the potion, a mineral found near hot springs and a herb that grows in dark forests. They had had to defeat a number of monsters along with two boss monsters as well as have to tread along precarious trails. Lloyd had been over-protective the entire time: keeping her away from monsters, holding her hand or shoulder as they trod over uneven ground, and even insisting they use the same rhieard despite the fact he'd brought his own, saying 'it was safer,' from what, Reimi didn't know.

Lloyd knew he had probably been a bit overbearing for the entire journey, but he couldn't help it. It had horrified him when he saw Reimi fall from that cliff and to know she did things like that all the time (not the falling part, of course) terrified him. He had been angry at her for not understanding her own value and angry at himself for not being a bit more upfront about his feelings for her, not just romantically but as a person. He thought Reimi was amazing and he never wanted her to belittle her life or their relationship again.

However, Zelos was priority right now so he had had to restrain himself but as soon as Zelos was saved which Lloyd knew he would be (ever the idealist), he was going to talk to Reimi.

#####

It was past midnight and the two had finally returned to Meltokio. While they walked to Reimi's store, Lloyd spoke up.

"I'm sorry for being so pushy today," He apologised, nervous he had bothered her.

"It's okay, you don't know me that well, so I don't expect you to trust me, especially when your friend's life's on the line," She replied with a small smile although Lloyd saw sadness in her eyes.

"What? Reimi, I do trust you," Lloyd told her, confused to where this had come from.

"Then why did you follow me?" She asked but both her expression and voice were unreadable.

"U-uh…well, I…" Admittedly Lloyd didn't know how to respond to that, not without confessing some of his feelings which they didn't have time to talk about right then and there. The truth was, he was concerned about her leaving town but he never once thought she was leaving Zelos to die…and he felt as if he'd follow her anywhere.

"Haha, don't worry, I didn't mean it. I know you were just worried about Zelos," She said softly as she shyly hid her face away from Lloyd's vision.

Lloyd felt as if she was holding something back but they were already approaching Reimi's shop.

"Thank you for walking me here and for helping me gather the remaining ingredients, it really did go quicker," She said kindly.

"See, I'm super reliable!" Lloyd joked.

Reimi smiled and gave a small laugh although she didn't seem all there.

"I'll be by in the morning to give you the remedy."

"Wait, don't you want some help?"

"No, you've helped enough, Lloyd. Really. Thank you so much," And with that she went inside after waving goodbye.

#####

It was the day after Lloyd and her had gathered the ingredients and she had gone to take the finished remedy over to Zelos' house. Sebastian had opened the door and called for Raine to take the potion. Raine quickly thanked Reimi before swiftly leaving again to Zelos' side to give him the liquid.

When Reimi turned to leave she saw Lloyd looking up at her from his place at the foot of the stairs that reached Zelos' front door. She had spent the last twelve hours smothering any thoughts of him. She had finally begun to except that he didn't think much of her and didn't trust her as a person or trust her capabilities. She hadn't slept for over a day and hadn't eaten much either, but from all the chaos she didn't realise how weak her body had become, so, as her bitter thoughts began – her eyes began to close and her body fall. The last thing she thought before she slipped into darkness was of the hands that wrapped around her.

#####

Reimi awoke later that day to find herself in a large, luxurious bed in a just as luxurious room. She was startled for a short moment before she remembered collapsing outside of Zelos' house. She still didn't have the energy to get up so she simply glanced around the room from where she lied, and as she turned her head to the right she saw Lloyd.

'What is he doing here?'

He had his arms folded on the bed with his head resting on them, sleeping. In her sleep-deprived state Reimi carefully shuffled closer to him (it was a large bed so she was still pretty far away from him) and took his closest hand in hers. She fell asleep again a little while watching their intertwined hands.

#####

When Reimi woke up again, it was night and her hand was empty. Lloyd was no longer there but there was some food next to her bed, some soup in a tureen served with bread and a cup of water. Her stomach dropped and she felt mortified that she had troubled the others so much. And she couldn't remember who got her inside and was embarrassed to think about it.

Just then, the door opened to reveal Raine who came to check up on her. Reimi thanked her then apologised, telling Raine she would leave right away but Raine scolded her and put the tray of food into Reimi's lap saying she needed to eat. It seemed cold but Reimi knew it was Raine's way of showing she cared. Before she left, Raine made a comment that if she let Reimi leave she would make 'someone' very angry which just left Reimi confused and thought she'd misheard.

One after the other each member of the 'Chosen's group' popped in to check on Reimi and chatted with her. They all seemed so worried for her and Reimi felt guilty that she had caused them stress along with what was happening with Zelos. The good news though was that her remedy worked! And Zelos was getting better every hour. Rain concluded he'd be fully healed in two days.

When Reimi was left alone again, she sneakily began to get ready to leave. She tidied herself up, put her shoes on, and as quietly as she could, walked over to the door. She slowly pulled it open then took a tentative step out into the hallway but as soon as she turned to head towards the stairs, she jumped, startled by Lloyd who seemed to have been coming to her room or at least in the direction of it.

"O-oh, h-hi Lloyd, I was just-um, I'm really grateful for everyone taking care of me, b-but I'll get out of your way for now. I'll come back tomorrow to thank everyone properly," Reimi was always so nervous around Lloyd but it had gotten so much worse in barely the span two days. He always seemed angry with her and she always said the wrong thing. It hurt to be around him knowing he didn't like her when she like him so much.

Lloyd seemed expressionless for a moment before he quickly came closer to her, which caused her to take a step back, but he ignored that and picked her up by her legs and took her back to the room she had just left.

"L-Lloyd?" She couldn't help but feel she had said something wrong again…

He went over to the bed and put her back on it. Reimi adjusted herself into a half sitting, half lying pose (kinda like a mermaid, you get what I mean?) as she watched Lloyd who stood beside the bed looking at her.

"Would you please justlet other people help you?" He began.

"What?" Reimi asked perplexed.

"I know you don't feel comfortable around me, and I was planning on staying away but…I just wanted to check you were okay, but now, I promise, I'll stay away as long as you just please sleep here for the night until you're rested," He seemed sad as he spoke but Reimi didn't understand why.

"I-I'm sorry…I don't understand what you mean…"

"It's okay. I don't know why you started distancing yourself but -I mean you've never been very outspoken- but I must have made you uncomfortable at some point, maybe I overstepped my boundaries, all I'm asking is that you ask for help from time to time…even if it's not from me,"

Reimi was baffled…she was embarrassed to realise he noticed her awkwardness once he became famous but she didn't really understand the rest of it.

"Lloyd, I have been more shy around you and the others…but it's only because of how famous you guys have become. It's not personal, it's my own stuff," She trailed off at the end, as she hoped he wouldn't pry for an explanation (although another part of her did). It would have been harder for her to confess if he hadn't seemed so…off.

However, he seemed as confused by her response, "We're not really famous- People are just excited, it'll pass eventually, but I don't understand why that'd affect you. I mean, you knew us before all that."

"Y-yeah…It's just that…I…um," Explaining all of that would be revealing a lot more than she thought she ever would and couldn't find a fake excuse to cover it.

Lloyd watched her as she fumbled for a response before he gently said, "Reimi, please tell me."

'So he is going to pry,' Reimi thought to herself before she inwardly sighed.

"I just think it's a waste of time for you guys to hang around me. I don't really-I'm not-I can't," Reimi repositioned herself so she was sat crossed legged; it was harder to talk about her feelings more than she originally thought, "You're amazing- You're all amazing and I'm…not on that level, so… none of you have to feel obliged to continue being my friend, it's not as if I'd stop making potions for you, haha."

Reimi was frazzled and was struggling to explain herself well. She herself didn't really understand her how she felt except that she liked Lloyd a lot (probably more than like but she wasn't going to admit that to herself) and she felt inferior, although, that felt much to raw to say out loud…

"Reimi…" Lloyd spoke saddened but still as if the response wasn't a surprise.

"And I know I make you angry all the time, haha, so, I'd just feel better if you didn't feel as if you had to spend time with me. I know my place better than anyone," He voice was quiet but she was glad she had stopped stuttering at least.

A short silence filled the room.

"You do make me angry," Lloyd confirmed strongly, "You make me so angry. You put yourself in danger, you don't appreciate yourself and never try to reach out to anyone. Reimi, I seem angry at you because you're always scaring me and lowering your life's value."

Lloyd hadn't planned on talking to her about all this just yet but it seemed as if the words weren't stopping.

"You're the kindest person I know, you were the only one who could save Zelos, you're smart, you're graceful at what you do and since the first time I met you, I haven't been able to look away. To me, you're always shining.

"And I followed you because…I couldn't not follow you…"

He wasn't sure if he was helping. He wanted Reimi to have more confidence in herself, but maybe he should have done it in a way that didn't make her feel troubled or awkward that she had to reply to his feelings. Although, despite everything, Lloyd still hoped Reimi felt something for him or that she'd a least feel happier for it. To him Reimi's happiness meant a lot to him, probably more so than it should.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't on planning on telling you until Zelos had completely recovered but I didn't want you to misunderstand anymore. I know I'm not exactly smart, and the only thing I know how to do well is fight but you don't have to worry about replying. Just get better and stay here for the night. I promise you won't see me in the morning," His heart felt strained but he gave her a toothy smile before he turned to leave.

However, as soon as he touched the door handle he felt a hand softly gripping his upper arm.

Reimi wanted to cry. She didn't believe it but Lloyd never lied, ever since she met him he hadn't lied to her once or anyone else for that matter. Lloyd turned to her when he felt her hand on his arm which made Reimi want to hide her face.

"L-Lloyd…do you really feel that way about me?"

She saw him turn his head away from her in her peripheral vision and quietly answer, "Yeah, I do."

Reimi tried her best to ignore how her hands trembled, "I…I feel the same."

Lloyd's arm seemed to tense before he turned around slowly, Reimi's hand returned to her side.

"Reimi, I'm not sure you got what I meant," He said as he smiled sheepishly.

"Then…what did you mean?"

Lloyd paused and Reimi had never seen Lloyd look so genuinely nervous before.

"I love you," He confessed while trying to keep the smile on his face but Reimi could see it didn't reach his eyes.

"Lloyd…I love you too…I have for a long time now," She told him, her voice shaking.

Lloyd's smile dropped and his expression changed as if he were troubled by the news. Reimi's heart sank.

"What…but you've been reluctant to talk to me for so long, even before we finished the journey…you never looked at me in the eyes either. At first I thought it was your shyness but you weren't the same with the others…you could talk and smile with them…"

"That was because when I realised how I felt for you…I became unable to act calm around you and I never knew what to say. Eventually it became painful to be around you…I'm sorry," Reimi spoke gently but her voice was uneven.

Nervously, Reimi raised her head to look at Lloyd and to her surprise, he was smiling softly at her. Then suddenly, he took a quick stride towards her before he hugged her tightly.

"So…you love me too?"

"Yeah."

They stood there for a while, beaming as they hugged.

"You know I'm not letting go, right?" Lloyd as he squeezed her tighter.

Reimi laughed happily, "Neither am I."

However, she was still sleep deprived and the finally felt more relaxed with Zelos getting better and her feelings for Lloyd were out in the open.

"Are you okay? Did you eat the soup from earlier? Was it okay?"

"It was really good. Did you bring it to my room?"

"Um, yeah, and I…uh…made it," He said nervously.

Reimi smiled, "You were the one who caught me earlier as well, weren't you? You're like a knight."

Lloyd pulled away from her and smiled warmly at her before surprising her by picking her up, bridal style.

"Maybe just yours," he laughed before setting her back on the bed, "Now go to sleep. You really scared me earlier."

He brushed a strand of her hair behind one ear and smiled before wishing her a goodnight.

"W-wait, Lloyd…could…could you stay with me?"

Lloyd turned at looked at her for a moment before going over to the chair he was sat on earlier, "Of course."

"I, um, I meant…sleep with me in the bed," Reimi felt her whole body go red with embarrassment. She didn't mean anything by it, but she didn't want him to leave her when they had just confessed to each other and making him sleep in the chair wasn't fair.

"O-oh, um, yeah, sure," Lloyd appeared just as embarrassed as he awkwardly climbed in next to her.

He laid down on his side and faced Reimi. Even in the dark Reimi could see his blushed cheeks and she was sure he could see hers. Slowly, Lloyd took one of Reimi's hands and held it in his own.

"Night, Reimi," He smiled warmly.

"Goodnight, Lloyd."

#####

Epilogue

It was a few days later and Zelos was fully healed and back to his usual self which led to him trying to give Reimi a, as he called it, 'thank you kiss,' that was promptly followed by a 'you're not welcome punch' from Lloyd. In Zelos' defence he hadn't heard the happy news about the couple and when he did, he gave Lloyd a congratulatory pat on the back and Reimi a regretful farewell.

The group discussed their next journey and things that they needed to do. Reimi instantly felt sad and worried but the group said their next job was in town. When Reimi asked what it was they said she'd find out soon.

Not long after they were off and went towards their next job. Oddly enough, they arrived at Reimi's shop.

"Why is your job here?"

"Renovation plans!" Lloyd cheered, "We're going to repair your shop."

"W-what?"

"Well we all owe you," Said Sheena.

"You've been our friend so long and we've never done anything to repay you for everything you've done for us," Colette chimed in.

"You've saved our life more than once after all," Zelos commented.

Reimi was shocked.

"You mentioned how you inherited this place from your parents one time and that you don't have the money to fix the place up," Lloyd said from his place next to her.

"Y-you don't have to really! Don't worry, you really don't owe me anything," Reimi fretted.

"Even if that were the case, you're our friend," Raine chimed in.

Reimi watched them as gathered the tools they had brought and discussed what was missing.

"Thank you," She said sincerely as they all turned and smiled at her.

END