A/N: Well well… it's been almost a month since I've written anything. As all my regular fans already know, I had a bad run-in with computer problems and I lost all f my current progress on any unfinished works, including Chapter 23 of Unconditional Love. Well, whilst I reconstruct that particular chapter, I decided to make a little one-shot to not only whet everyone else's appetites but my own need to finish something as well. This one's a little bit odd as it contains some very, very light Colette and Sheena fluff (it's so light that I don't call it romance or yuri or w/e). The two decide to have a little conversation on what it means to be the saviors of their respective worlds and share a few tears as well. So anyway, I hope you like it!
Note: Words in italics are what Colette writes in Sheena's hand.
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Reluctant Saviors
Sheena's eyes opened slowly as the sound of a crackling fire not far from where she was laying in the inn came to her ears. She was terribly groggy, most likely from the very short amount of sleep she got. Looking around, she noticed that all of her companions were still asleep save for Kratos who was sitting in a corner of the room, his eyes not focusing in particular. She looked out a nearby window and saw that the moon was still high in the night sky.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes, catching Kratos' attention in the process. "You're awake? You really should try to get some sleep. Tomorrow is the last day of our journey."
Sheena shook her head. "I know, but I'm having trouble sleeping. I've got a lot on my mind."
"Bad dreams?"
She closed her eyes and nodded. "Yeah… that too." Opening her eyes again, she looked around once more only to notice that Colette was gone. "Hey, where's Colette?"
"Have you forgotten? The Chosen is unable to sleep. She is out for a walk at the moment."
Sheena stood up and stretched her arms. "That sounds like a good idea. Some crisp, mountain air oughta do me some good."
As Sheena began to make her way toward the door, Kratos stood up and put his right hand on the hilt of his sword. Sheena took a step back and waved her arms. "Whoa, whoa! I'm not gonna do anything funny! I don't want to see any harm come to my world but I'm not about to kill Colette save it."
Kratos took his hand off his sword and sat back down. "Indeed. Do not betray my trust."
"I won't. I'll be back soon." With that, she left their room and walked through the entrance to the inn and into the night.
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Sheena made her way up the trail that led to the top of the mountain that overlooked the village of Hima, her footsteps falling heavily on the rough path as she did so. A slight breeze kicked up, causing her undone hair to fly freely with the wind. She was looking for Colette, but she knew not what she would say to her. She just felt that she had to talk to her, even if she didn't know why. She didn't have to wait long until she found her.
Colette was on her knees at the edge of the highest cliff in Hima overlooking the Tower of Salvation. Her hands were clasped together as if in prayer. To what she was praying to was unclear to Sheena. Regardless, she had now found her and still didn't know what she would say.
"Maybe if I just sit down something will come out," said Sheena to herself. "The poor girl is going to lose her humanity tomorrow. I… I have to say something or I'll never forgive myself."
"Colette?"
Colette lowered her hands and looked back at Sheena, smiling. Sheena smiled back and asked, "Can I sit down for a bit?"
Colette nodded and Sheena promptly took a seat next to her. "Thanks. I couldn't sleep and- it's a nice night, isn't it?"
Colette took her new friend's hand and began to draw what looked like letters in her hand. "Huh? What are you- oh! This is how you talked with Lloyd! Let's see…"
"What's wrong Sheena?"
"What? N-nothing's wrong! What makes you say that?"
"I can see it in your eyes. Hehe, you're not very good at hiding how you feel."
Sheena stared into Colette's eyes. She could sense mixed emotions within them. Happiness, sorrow… fear. Fear? That didn't seem right. Colette wasn't afraid of anything… was she?
"Ah, heh, I guess you're right. I guess I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately."
"Oh? What about?"
"I-I guess I've been thinking a lot about our roles in the grand scheme of things, you know?"
"What do you mean?"
Sheena put a hand on Colette's shoulder and waved her other hand about. "Well, we're both supposed to be the saviors of our respective worlds, y'know? You're doing your best to return the flow of mana to the world you love and I'm trying, well… was trying to prevent you from completing your journey."
"Huh. Hehe, you know what? Saying it like that makes us sound like heroes, don't you think?"
"Heroes…" Sheena closed her eyes and shook her head. "I-I'm no hero Colette. I was prepared to kill you and forsake the suffering people of this world just to ensure the current prosperity of my people! You're the only real hero here Colette."
"Don't say that Sheena! You ARE a hero! I'm sure you didn't mean to hurt anyone in the process. You were just trying to prevent anything bad from happening to your world. If I were in your situation, I would probably do the same thing.""Colette, I…" Sheena shook her head furiously and began to cry. "I-it's not fair Colette! Not fair to you! No matter which side prospers in the end, you're going to die! Why does it have to be this way?"
Colette smiled.
"Hehe. Who said I was going to die?"
"You're losing your soul Colette! You can't even feel anything anymore and you can't talk to the ones you love! You shouldn't have to go through all of this torment!"
"It's because I love all of my friends and all of Sylvarant itself that I am willing to go through this pain."
"But what about you Colette? You deserve to live a happy life too! Aren't you afraid?"
"…"
"Colette?"
"I'm scared Sheena. I've told everyone that, once I become a true angel, I will return to my old self. The truth is that… I don't know what will happen to me tomorrow. I'm so afraid Sheena. I'm afraid that I'll never see Lloyd or Professor Raine or everyone else that I care about ever again.""W-what? Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"I didn't want anyone to worry about me. You should know Lloyd well enough by now to know that he would immediately rush in and try to stop me from doing this. The professor knows what's going on and I think Kratos does too. Adults always know how to deal with things the right way, so…"Sheena wrapped her arms around Colette and cried on her shoulder. "You poor girl. I'm so sorry Colette. I wish I could somehow think of a way for both our worlds to be safe and for you to be happy."
"…there is a way Sheena."
Sheena nearly gasped when she read this. "W-what is it?"
"Kill me."
Sheena immediately scrambled away from her. "No! What will that accomplish!"
Colette crawled over to Sheena and wrote in her hand once more.
"If you kill me, your world will be safe, right?""Y-yea but…"
"And you were somehow able to come to our world from your world, right?"
"Yes, but… wait-"
"If you can get back, then surely you can bring others with you. Surely there's a way to move all of the people of Sylvarant to Tethe'alla."Colette was right, and it was actually a rather brilliant plan. Yes, one world would die off, but at least everyone would be okay. The only problem was Colette. Why was it necessary for her to be killed?
"That's a good idea Colette, but why-"
"Must I be killed? As long as I am alive, I WILL try to save Sylvarant. I love the people of Sylvarant, but I also love the planet itself. There are so many beautiful things here. I don't want them to just wither away and die. As long as I am still alive, I will do my best to continue my journey to save my world.""Colette…"
"Now's your chance Sheena. You can save both of our worlds now if you do this. I don't want anyone to be sad, but at least they'll be alive. Besides, I think Lloyd really likes you."Sheena blushed. "R-really?"
"Hehe. He's had his eyes on you from the very beginning. Ever since he saw the kindness in your eyes, he could not stop thinking about you. You're really lucky. Lloyd's a wonderful guy.""Lloyd…" Sheena shook her head. "This doesn't involve Lloyd right now! You just want to sway me into doing this! You want to die so you can save both worlds!"
Colette smiled, but looking into her eyes, Sheena could tell that she wanted to cry. "You're… just trying to be a hero. You don't even care about what happens to you. As long as everyone else is okay, you're happy.
Colette nodded. Sheena threw her arms around Colette again but, this time, Colette hugged back. "You stupid, stupid girl! You don't deserve to die! Your soul is too beautiful for a world like this. Far too beautiful…"
Colette pulled away once again and wrote in Sheena's hand.
"We're nothing more than reluctant saviors. Our love for our worlds is strong but we are unwilling to sacrifice one side or the other."Sheena stared into Colette's soft eyes once more before she turned back to the endless ocean of stars above them. "Yeah, you're right. I know that there's no way you'll turn back now, so… all I can do is help you as much as I can. Even if the mana flow is reversed, maybe we can still find a way for both worlds to prosper."
"Thank you Sheena. I feel much better now."
The two sat on the edge of the cliff for a good portion of the night, just leaning against each other and making small talk. It may have been their last night together, but there was no real point in worrying about what was going to happen. For now, they would just enjoy their time together while they could.
From afar, a clad in purple swordsman silently made his way back down to the village of Hima, his worries about his plan for tomorrow being spoiled subsided for the time being.
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Wow, I hope this didn't suck too badly. I'm a little rusty as you can see, but I needed to do this. Regardless, please leave a review and let me know what you think. The next chapter of Unconditional Love is coming soon!