Elemental Affection

(I know I said my next fic would be Kraine, and it will. My next LONG fic. This one is one I've been thinking on for a while, and I can't bring myself to resist ficcing until my Kraine fic is ready to type, so... I present to you Elemental Affection. Though this will be ten chapters long, it will just be a series of one-shots, and none of the one-shots connect or relate in any sense aside from the fact that they're all Sheelos. In some, the two may be head-over-heels for each other, while in others they may wish the other would just keel over and die. There's no order or anything to my fics, but I'll give a little info in the note before each one. There will be one chapter for each Summon Spirit, including Verius, excluding Maxwell, though the Summon Spirit itself will likely not be in it. Just the general element they control. So... yeah. If I confused you, just tell me, and I'll make it clearer. On to the first one, 'Water')

Chapter 1:Water

(This one is a scene that was deleted from Retribution, because it destroyed the peace that I wanted for that chapter. I still like it though, so I'm using it here. For those who haven't read Retribution, I'll sum it up here. Sheena's village was destroyed, and Zelos decided to tag along on her journey to get revenge. Previous to this scene, he'd just showed up and saved her from being a horde of dragons' evening meal. So... This is the following morning.)

When the ninja rose to her feet, her robe stuck firm to her back, reminding her of the dried blood which now clung to her skin. Unable to stand the sticky feeling much longer, she turned and wordlessly set off toward the nearest pond.

Zelos, having noticed she was awake as she rose to her feet, watched the retreating ninja with curiosity and concern. 'She doesn't seem too happy...' He observed, his enhanced angel eyesight allowing his gaze to follow her 'till she disappeared into the trees. 'She's probably just in shock at sleeping so close to one so dead sexy as I.' He turned back to his Omelet, hurrying to flip it before it burned, and dismissing all thought on the matter of Sheena… Or did he? After a while, the redhead noticed a nagging at the back of his head. It was his smart, sensible conscience, the one he usually made a point to ignore, and it was sending him after the ninja. 'Sheena isn't okay, is she?' At this realization, the nagging eased up, and he sighed. 'I suppose I need to be the Valiant Hero of Sexiness once more.' So much for breakfast.

Taking the Omelet off the fire, he set it on the grass by his side, hoping it would still be warm when he returned. Not likely. The Chosen rose to his feet, stretching his arms up and out before setting off after the ninja. 'This had better be worth wasting a perfectly good omelet...' He grumbled inwardly as he closed the distance between camp and the forest.

Upon entering the forest and wandering in her general direction for a while, the Chosen realized how hopelessly and utterly lost he was. On the way out of the forest the previous night, he'd just followed Sheena's lead, but now that he was in the forest alone he had no clue where she had gone or even how to get back to camp. Fighting his way through the low-hanging branches, the briars, and the many weakling monsters that wanted him even more than his hunnies did, Zelos began to regret his decision. 'None of my other hunnies would have made me crawl through the worst section of the forest to come find them... Of course, none of my other hunnies seem to know any words other than ZELOS! and MARRY ME!... Not that that's a bad thing, of course. I'm just too sexy for my own good.' After a while of wandering aimlessly, the redhead at last spotted a clue as to the ninja's location. Namely the entirety of Sheena's outfit, sprawled across a boulder.

'If her clothes are here, and Sheena isn't, that means Sheena must be...' It was simple math for the Chosen to realize that his favorite hunny was somewhere nearby… and naked to boot. A faint splashing sound could be heard from the far side of said boulder. Curious as to the source of the splashing, the redhead peered cautiously over the boulder... And came face to face with a certain ninja. Sheena's hazel eyes went wide, and she immediately ducked up to her neck under the water, her arms crossed to shield her exposed chest. She lunged for a towel and, after hastily wrapping herself in it, she turned on Zelos, her eyes narrowed with rage.

"You-… you-… you PERVERT!" She screamed, and Zelos flinched at the power in her words. For once, he couldn't think of anything to say.

"I- I was just coming to look for you-" He started, stepping backward, but she cut him off before he could explain.

"You idiotic disgusting lecherous PERVERT! I bet you were 'just coming to look for me', to try and peep on me like you always do!" She fumed, though even Zelos could see that she was fighting back tears of embarrassment at being so exposed.

"I wanted to see if you were okay. Now I can tell that you're perfectly fine, so I'll be leaving now." Zelos stated icily, before turning and attempting to march dramatically back into the woods. One problem. "Err… Sheena? I'm kinda lost." His voice had lost all of it's former chill. The ninja made no reply for quite a while… Then, at last, she sighed in defeat.

"I'm getting dressed now… I swear, if you even TRY and look at me, I'll-…" Sheena couldn't think of a fate fitting of such a crime, so she left the ending to his imagination. And imagine he did, recalling in his mind how ninjas were known for their unique and twisted form of tortures. Too fearful of the ninja's wrath to make any other motions, the Chosen nodded hastily, showing he understood. He turned to face the opposite direction, his muscles tensed in an effort not to peek as he heard her slide hesitantly from her towel and into her ninja robe. 'If I do peek, I'll probably be dead before my eyes reach her.' He thought with a shudder, none too fond of the 'get killed by the only female who has disgraced him in battle' idea.

"I don't know why I didn't just let you get lost and die out here, you pervert." Sheena growled, an unspoken signal that he could turn around. When he did, she was just finishing putting her hair back up into a bun, arranging it so it wouldn't come out in the midst of battle.

"Your words wound me, dear Sheena. But at least it wasn't someone like Regal who peeked on you." Zelos stated, trying to look on the bright side.

"And how are you any better than Regal?" Sheena shot back, an eyebrow raised skeptically.

"Well first of all, I'm dead sexy. You can't deny it. And second of all, he's old. He's like eighty or something."

"I'm sure Regal appreciates the kind sentiments, Zelos." Sheena replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"What kind sentiments? Oh yeah, I forgot that you ninja people worship your old people." Obviously sarcasm was lost on the Chosen. Sheena snorted indignantly at his last comment, however.

"In case you have forgotten, 'we ninja people' are one ninja from extinct. Besides, we didn't worship our elders, just respected their wisdom and the life they led." She replied crossly, adjusting her robe to lie flat as it should.

"Sheena? Lighten up. That's my advice to you. Lighten up. You take everything too seriously, never taking the chance to just enjoy life." Zelos offered, sitting down to lean against the boulder where her clothes had previously been strewn. This caused the ninja to snort once more.

"I have to be serious, to make up for you. You take everything TOO lightly, and you don't seem to care about anything at all, like everything's just a game to you!" She ranted.

Zelos could think of no reply. He knew anything he said would be used against him, so after a moment's thought, he no longer even tried. Instead, he rose silently to his feet, moving around the boulder to the pond. Sheena observed him suspiciously. What was the idiot up to now? She watched as he crouched by the edge of the pond, testing the temperature with his finger.

"Think fast!" He cried, though she knew not what he meant. Not yet, at least. Then, before she could blink, the equivalent of a bucketful of water was sailing her way, thoroughly soaking her face and upper robe. When she opened her eyes, blinking in surprise, she found that the redhead still on the ground, but now he was on his back, laughter racking his frame. The ninja felt anger rising once more. That idiot!

"What the hell was that!" She demanded to the Chosen, who was currently attempting to choke back his laughter.

"You didn't move." Was all he could manage before gasping for air and falling into a new fit of hilarity. His delight was contagious, and Sheena at last let her anger fade, falling into a smirk of amusement. 'Fine, laugh, you idiot. You just wait and see…' She stepped closer so she stood just before the Chosen. And with one quick swing of her foot, the redhead found himself sailing from the bank and into the pond. When he surfaced once more, and rose to his feet, the look of utter bewilderment on his face brought forth Sheena's own laughter. At his look of confusion, the ninja obliged with an explanation.

"Neither did you." She stated, smirking through her amusement and sniggers. After a moment of wondering how he was suddenly waist-deep in water, the Chosen suddenly burst into laughter once more. And so, with the help of a little water, Zelos gave Sheena her first taste of the pointless joy that fueled his life. Or he just weaseled his way out of a smack. Either way, the results were for the better. Though next time, the redhead intended to avoid lying right on the bank of a pond.

(How was it? They'll mostly be short like this. So... yeah. This one was a little awkward to write 'cause it was a scene I had already made but had no other use for, so I had to edit it to make it work or else it would have gone to waste. So... yeah. Read and Review!)