I have no clue what made me write this... but I'm rather glad I did! It's pretty much just focussing on the friendship between Sheena and Orochi, which is really something that is never seen in fan fictions. There's not really too much of a plot to inform you of, so you'll just have to read on! Oh. And there are little hints of Sheelos in it. (Heehee... couldn't resist.) Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I... don't... own... Tales... of... Symphonia...! (I know, the ellipses totally build tension)

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/...Restful Friendship.../

The long blades of grass swayed tranquilly as the breeze flowed by them. There was a light rustle heard, no doubt from an animal wandering through the plain's brush. From a distance there came a thudding of rushed footsteps on the firm ground, along with the frantic panting that one makes when trying to catch their breath. The serenity of the grass vanished each blade was suddenly whipped forward as two figures lashed by. They continued sprinting, one clearly trying to catch up to the other, although they were practically neck-and-neck as it was.

"Are you just going to carry on running, or shall we actually fight?" one figure question tauntingly, skidding to a sudden stop. A cloud of dust rose into the air from the force of his feet ploughing into the ground. As the air was left clear again, the two figures faced each other from across the field – one was a woman, clad in mauve and violet ninja clothing, while the other who had spoken was covered in a navy blue Mizuho outfit, hardly an inch of his skin being shown.

The woman exhaled loudly, brushing her long bangs out of her eyes only to have them fall back into place. "I was only sparing you some humiliation," she teased, pulling a deck of spell cards out from within her robe.

Her opponent chuckled discreetly, removing a lean sword from the sheath at his waist. He directed the blade towards the girl in a challenge. "I am anxious to see how the journey of regeneration has improved your fighting technique." The woman gave a quick nod of approval before dashing towards the man. She flayed one of her cards at him, only to have it effortlessly dodged. As quickly as he managed to escape the blow, she followed, aiming to land a hit. It was a cyclone of faded beige papers, and the blue-clad male was struggling to flee from the whirlwind, into the shelter of empty space. He was practically free when one of the cards found its way out of the torrent and flew towards him. Thinking on reflex, he slashed his sword at the paper, splitting it in two. A proud smile found its way to his face, pleased with his successful evasion.

Reality soon got the better of him when he overheard his adversary murmuring an incantation under her breath. He searched through the corridors of his mind for a means of defence, but before he could come up with one, the female ninja's spell card began to glow the shade of the sun. As a last resort, the man quickly conjured a defence barrier and prayed for the best. His opponent's weapons were suddenly drowning in a sea of flames, although the woman hardly seemed fazed by their heat. She ran towards the man, and once she was within a metre of him, she sent the flaming cards forward in an assault. They ripped through his clothing, tearing into his skin and almost instantly scorching him; blood seeped through the cuts and the skin surrounding them began rising like bubbles and reddened drastically. With a yelp, he stumbled backwards onto the ground, clutching his burnt right arm with his left; his eyes squeezed shut in an effort to suppress the pain.

"You're hardly a challenge anymore, Orochi." Before the one called Orochi even got a chance to open his eyes, he heard another chant being recited: "I call upon the hammer of godly thunder..." Frantically, Orochi scrambled to his feet and sent a desperate look in his rival's direction. The woman smirked, lowering her arm that she had raised in the air, poised to summon. "Don't worry. I wouldn't sic a summon spirit on you," her voice lowered to a solemn tone, "I hope that I never have to use them for fighting again..."

Orochi heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Sheena." The summoner tucked her spell cards away and approached her friend.

She stared closely at the tears in his clothes and the blood that stained them, along with the burns across his body. "Oh, jeez... I really overdid it..." Sheena seemed almost frightened to speak loudly as she observed his injuries, "Here, let me help you." She swiftly rummaged through her supplies and pulled out two bottles: one a lemon gel, the other a panacea bottle. "Here," she said, handing Orochi the panacea bottle, "Drink it. It should take care of your burns, making them face soon." Sheena then took some of the lemon gel and smeared it across his open wounds. The ninja flinched as the cold substance immediately seeped into his cuts.

Once Sheena was done tending to his injuries, Orochi downed the antidote and heaved an appeased sigh. "Thank you," he said plainly. He climbed up onto his feet and then limped over to a large tree nearby, dropping his back against the trunk and sliding down to the ground. Sheena casually strolled over and sat down next to him. Orochi glanced towards her; she was gazing off in the direction of the village. Her lips were neither forming a smile nor a frown, but her eyes held every emotion necessary in judging her mood. Within those orbs there was an apparent appreciation... appreciation for everything in the world. Orochi could see that she was a very changed person from whom she formerly was – a reserved girl, overcome by desolate sentiments that she could never express. Now, even without a smile, it was obvious that Sheena was content with life. "Sheena." With a questioning 'hm', the summoner turned her head to face her old friend. "Your journey has not only made you stronger physically, but mentally as well."

Finally, a smile made its presence known on Sheena's face. "I suppose I have," she agreed.

"You suppose?" Orochi's voice blatantly opposed her choice of words, "You know it even better than I do, Sheena... and I know it well." His friend let out a short laugh and then let her back slide down along the tree trunk until she was lying in the grass. A silence formed between the two as Orochi let his mind wander. He recollected the things that Sheena had said to him before leaving for Sylvarant – the doubts and questions that she had revealed; doubts of her own will power, questions of morals and loyalty... emotions that very few people had the honour to see from her.

Then, Orochi recalled when Sheena had returned to the village. Her views had varied considerably from what they had once been, and her confidence had been boosted significantly. Even after that – with every visit to Mizuho – there came more and more changes, each one seemingly for the better. With forming the pact with Volt, Sheena gained faith in herself; with battling Kuchinawa and losing, Sheena gained determination; with becoming Mizuho's successor, Sheena gained the trust of everyone in the village, and was grateful for it. Still the question lingered in Orochi's mind: would these changes affect who she was? When she becomes chief, will the village's morals be completely altered? He stared down at the summoner for a moment before saying, "Sheena, when the time comes for you to rule over Mizuho, know that I will approve of your decisions and stand up for them."

Sheena pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked at Orochi. "You don't have to agree with every choice that I make, Orochi," the successor stated rather monotonously, "You're free to have your own opinion – and to share it – if you believe that I'm endangering Mizuho's way of life. In fact, I demand that you share your view!"

"Even if I cannot change your mind?" Orochi inquired. He was sceptical of what the village would become. Sheena was his best friend, and he loved her, but would traditions drastically differ or be totally lost with her in control?

"Yep, even if my mind's made up," Sheena responded, "because even if I'm utterly sure of what I want, another point of view could sway me, no matter how certain I am... If someone tells me that I'm endangering the village, and there's truth to that, then by no means will I carry on. After all, it's impossible to deny that the sky is blue." Orochi gave a small nod in understanding. "So... any guesses on what I'd like to adjust in Mizuho's terms?" Sheena asked suddenly in a tone that made it seem as though it were a game.

Orochi sent a perplexed look towards his friend as he responded, "I imagine that you would want visiting laws to be more lenient."

"Mmmhmm," Sheena gave him a nod, "After all, I have friends outside of the village and it would be nice to have them visit sometimes. Any other ideas?"

Her friend thought it extremely strange how this was all in good fun, but truth be told, he enjoyed it. Normally when he thought about the changes that were to come it was in a serious way – worrying and questioning. Now it was merely guessing and looking at how these little changes in rules may not destroy their culture, but may actually enhance it. Orochi let his back sink into the tree trunk as he closed his eyes, reflecting on different events regarding Sheena during the journey of regeneration. "Hmm... Perhaps... alterations in romance laws?"

The summoner's face flushed as she lowered her gaze to the ground, "Wh... what gave you that kind of idea!" Orochi merely chuckled at his friend's bashfulness. "Orochi, I'm serious! What brought that on?"

"You've had a taste of the outside world, Sheena," the male ninja replied, "I can see that you admire the men in your group much more than anyone in this hamlet."

"That's not true!" Sheena snapped, her face growing even more red, "Sure, I get along with all of those men, but... they're not admirable!" She finally braved Orochi's gaze and looked over towards him, "Call it a rebellious interest in the unfamiliar... whatever."

Orochi granted her a teasing smile, "Or... natural curiosity towards the unknown?" Sheena mentally slapped herself for unintentionally sounding so much like Zelos. "From what the Chosen has told me, it seems like you two had had quite a few encounters during your visits to Meltokio." Sheena simply mumbled something inaudible under her breath. "However I disagree that your interest is 'rebellious', considering that every other woman in the world has the same infatuation."

"Oh, you're not implying..."

"There's something about the Chosen," Orochi mused, "Maybe in the art of women, he could add to our culture."

Sheena jumped up to her feet and crossed her arms over her abdomen, glaring down at Orochi, "Just... shut up," she grumbled. It should not have come as a surprise that her best friend was able to see through her cover-ups. Orochi also got to his feet, however much more calmly than Sheena had. Without exchanging any words, they began walking in the direction of the village. "In all seriousness, I'm glad to be back," Sheena said without turning to look at Orochi as she spoke to him, "I thought I'd miss being able to talk to my friends like Colette or Lloyd, but... I'm probably even more comfortable just talking to you. I've known you for as long as I can remember, and now I'm finally able to show it by having a heart-to-heart with you... and it's reassuring to know that even you have a fun side."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Orochi questioned.

Sheena gave a sly smirk, "Just that it's not against village customs to enjoy life sometimes," she replied, giving Orochi a brief, friendly hug. "Come on – I'll race you back to the village!" With that, Sheena dashed forward.

"W... wait!" Orochi called after her, still stunned by how Sheena was willing to express her emotions so straightforwardly now. "I demand a restart! I'm still injured!" The ninja raced after his friend. He soon managed to catch up and they slowed down their pace to return to the village together. The blades of grass in the field were left even calmer than they had been in the gentle breeze.

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Not really much to say as ending note. I'm rather content with how it ended up... especially considering that this is my first time ever really accenting the friendship between these two characters. Please review and tell me what you thought of it!

(P.S.: Who's scared of French rap music? Because I am! XD Sorry... just watching a music video on the French music channel...)