[[Holly: So, I've been in a very one-shotty mood lately.
L: You've been in a very writing mood lately. Six chapters in four days?
Holly: I know, I know. I'm getting your work ethic.
L: Glad to help.
Holly: For once.
L: T____T
Holly: So, this little thing came about because I adore Sheelos and needed to write it. That is all. _ Have fun as always!
L: I don't love you anymore.
Holly: Did you ever?
L: ...]]
The quintessential pretty boy. Big baby blues, flowing red hair like a fangirl's wet dream. Swift as an arrow, strong as a giant, and confident as a god. He took the world- and the ladies who inhabited it- by storm. Just like you'd expect.
So why was he so unhappy?
"Zelos, what the hell? We're walking."
Her voice was the voice of an angel. Well, it was quite a bit rougher, and lower, and angrier, and nothing at all like an angel's voice, really, but you couldn't tell that to Zelos.
(Ironic. You'd think the Chosen One would know what an angel sounded like.)
"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming."
"What's been up with you lately? You've been...I don't know. Thinking a lot lately."
"Thanks a lot," he said, hurt, and pouting. He was used to her harsh words and her insults, particularly to his intelligence. He'd been hearing them for years.
"Seriously, Zelos. ...Whatever, if you're not gonna talk to me, don't talk to me. Just walk or we're going to leave you here."
He walked. The rest of their little adventuring party was unlikely to miss him if he didn't make an effort to keep up.
The plains surrounding them seemed to go on forever. Even so, he was fascinated. The grass was a different shade of green, it seemed to him, the sky a different blue. Maybe he just thought the world should be different, and so it was. But Sylvarant was nothing like Tethe'alla. It was so very...quaint, that was the word he was looking for. Quaint. Everything in Tethe'alla was better, sure, but he could never describe it as quaint. It was all magitechnology and huge buildings and people. Always so many people. Sylvarant seemed so...empty.
He wondered what she thought of all of this. He knew she'd been here longer than he had, that she'd seen more.
He noted how his thoughts turned back, always, to her. But he was used to that.
He watched her as she walked, several paces in front of him. Even from behind, she was a beauty. Her hips swung in a hypnotic rhythm, back and forth, with every step she took. Beautiful. He wanted her to turn around, smile at him, call him forth, laugh that laugh he loved so much.
Why did he have to fall for the only girl who'd never fallen for him?
She didn't fall for his crap, or his big blue eyes, or his flowing red hair. She was too smart for that, and he doubted he'd like her so much if she wasn't. She knew him better than any girl. He knew her better than any boy.
She surprised him by turning around, smiling at him, as he had wished. Her smile, admittedly, was a bit more mocking and a bit less sweet than he had imagined, but that was only to be expected.
"Would you hurry up? I'm dying of boredom up here."
He didn't hesitate to run beside her, silently basking in the sound of her voice before speaking.
"What about everyone else...?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Lloyd and Colette have been giggling about something for the last I-don't-know-how-long. Genis is trying to engage Presea in conversation, which is as entertaining as you might imagine. Talking to Raine will only end in me dying of boredom while she somehow relates the entire history of Sylvarant. And Regal is...well, Regal."
She shrugged, resigned. This was how the entire journey had gone. Everyone paired off. He somehow ended up with her.
He was a damn lucky guy.
They walked in silence for a little while. Neither felt the need to speak, as neither felt awkward simply walking in step with the other. Their footsteps matched exactly.
"Do you ever think about staying here? In Sylvarant?"
Her sudden words took him by surprise. His response was automatic and predictable.
"Well, I haven't decided on which world has the cutest hunnies yet! I'll let you know."
She rolled her eyes dramatically and he felt himself blushing. That was new. The great Zelos didn't blush. Even she, in her feigned indifference to him, had to respond to that.
"Wow, the Chosen One is blushing now? I didn't know you got embarrassed. I thought you were just so used to acting like an idiot that your body stopped responding..."
He blushed brighter. His mouth opened to respond, but he only stared at her dumbly. It closed again. And then opened.
"Could you...not?"
"What?"
"You know I wasn't serious. I do care what you think of me, you know."
"...Wait. What?"
He regretted what he'd said the moment it left his mouth. Her widened eyes and cocked head weren't helping. He scratched the side of his head. Looked down. Looked back up. Met her eyes, her beautiful eyes, that had seen right through him so many times.
"I...nothing. I didn't..."
He was rudely interrupted by giggles, ones that were incredibly familiar to him. He'd heard them far too many times on this journey he was on, and he was sure it irritated her as much as it did him.
"What the hell is so funny, Colette?"
Colette's fist was practically stuffed in her mouth, she was trying so hard to stop laughing. Lloyd, who stood next to her, was just grinning from ear to ear, as though he was beyond laughter. It was him who responded, as Colette seemed to be busy choking herself.
"You two."
"What?"
"Exactly what I said. You two are hilarious."
They exchanged glances.
"What are you talking about, Lloyd?"
"You have this little slap-slap-kiss thing going on. Everyone knows it. We all know how much you like each other. You're just both terrible at showing it. It's fun to watch. Seriously, keep going. This trip is boring, you know?"
He winked, turned around, and continued walking, as though he hadn't just shattered Zelos's world in one turn of phrase. Colette floated after him, wings spread, trying not to fall down giggling. The other four were ahead of them, now. Zelos started walking. He couldn't show weakness, couldn't let her see how red he was, how much he wished he could sink into the ground and disappear-
"He's right, you know."
He stopped walking.
What?
She was blushing now, too. Her face seemed to be arguing with itself, unable to decide whether to smile, or pout, or frown, or what. She compromised by laughing.
"Come on, come on. We can't let them get too far ahead."
They weren't that far ahead just yet, but even so, she began to run. She turned to look at him before she got too far ahead, as he was still too stunned to move. Her smile this time wasn't mocking in the least. It was just like he had imagined.
"How slow are you? Come on, run!"
He took off before she even had a chance to start running again. He laughed. She laughed. They ran beside each other, equals in speed. Pure exhilaration and pure joy. In his mind, he heard her words over and over again.
"He's right, you know."
What if I was wrong all along...?
He was hesitant.
"Sheena...What Lloyd, said, before-"
Her reply came with a grin, both an expression of joy and a promise of something soon to come.
"Shut up and run, you idiot Chosen!"
Now that's the girl I love.
Holly: Yeah, I tried. xD R&R anyway! Or I'll force-feed L vegetables.
L: ...I'm starting to think you're Kira.