Exceptions to the Rules

by SMB814

Part 3 of the "Whatever Will Be" series. It is truly amazing what we find ourselves willing to do for those we love. Sheelos.

1. Part 1: The Invitation

Title: Exceptions to the Rules

Author: SMB814

Rating: T

Warnings: Zelos being Zelos - i.e. adult themes, mild language, innuendo, mild sexual situations, etc.

Category: Romance/Fluff, Drama, Angst, Character Study

Pairing: Zelos/Sheena (a.k.a. Sheelos - if you don't like it, don't read it)

Time Frame: Part 3 of the Whatever Will Be series. If you haven't read the first two stories in the series (Mental Holiday and Trust Building 101), then go do that first or you won't understand the place where these two are currently at. (The seven stories in the series are, in order, Mental Holiday, Trust Building 101, Exceptions to the Rules, Crossing the Line, The Experiment, Guardian Knight, and Worth It.)

Spoilers: Spoilers for the game and the first two stories in this series.

Summary: It is truly amazing what we find ourselves willing to do for those we love.

Disclaimer: Alas, Tales of Symphonia and its lovely characters don't belong to me. They belong to Namco-Bandai Games. I'm just borrowing them and not making any money off them, and I promise I'll return them unharmed (and probably happier than they ever were before) when I'm done playing with them. Any characters you don't recognize from the game belong to me (even though I would be very happy to give certain ones away).

Feedback: Feedback is love and fodder for future fics. It will probably motivate me to finish the rest of this series faster, too.

History: Plotting began December 2008, completed May 26, 2009. Rough draft completed April 7, 2010. Final version completed December 19, 2010.

Author's Notes: Yes, the stories in this series keep getting longer. Tough. Unless you want me to spend yet another year cutting it down further, which is time I simply don't have, you'll have to deal with it as it is. The remaining four stories in the series should be following this one within the next few months.

Love, hugs, and thanks to Daidairo and Trickksi for being willing to read through the (extremely) messy initial draft(s) of the series, encouraging me to keep working on it, and giving me some helpful pointers to improve it, although any mistakes or typos you find are still solely my fault.

Also, many, many thanks to everyone who took the time to read the first two stories and leave feedback on them. This series was written first and foremost for me, because I apparently needed to figure out a few things for myself and this series gave me a way to do that, but if even one other person enjoys it or gets something out of it, then I'll consider it to be a success.

Oh, and the angel/Chosen/Cruxis/Cruxis Crystal stuff? Most of it I made up based on the few scant, plot hole-laden facts we know from the game. I did do my research by replaying the game after I wrote this, and I'm pretty sure it doesn't blatantly contradict anything. Whether or not it's right, though, is another story. Let's just say it's right in my universe and leave it at that, m'kay?

And now, on with the show!

0~*~0

Part 1: The Invitation

Dropping by Mizuho to see Sheena had seemed like a great idea when he'd first made his decision to do so. But now, after ten minutes spent explaining to the guard at the gate why he was there (which would have been easier to do if he had a reason beyond, "Oh, I'm just saying 'hi' to your future chief"), and especially now, with a scowling Orochi bearing down on him, Zelos was having second thoughts about it.

This morning was the first time in the two months they'd been dating that he'd taken Sheena up on her invitation to drop by anytime he felt like it. He'd been here plenty of times before this, usually to keep a 'scheduled appointment' (a.k.a. 'date') with her or to deliver a message from the king, but in the former case, she'd always known he was coming and told her people to let him in, and in the latter, he had proof in the form of a letter. Even then, though, he still had to provide the guard a detailed explanation of his reason for being there - and if it didn't match Sheena's exactly, Orochi was called in to deal with him. In fact, the only reason he'd gotten inside this time was because he'd lucked out and the guard had been Atsuo, a young man who Sheena had previously yelled at for not letting him in, and he seemed to fear Sheena's wrath as much as Zelos once had; the other guard, a tough, burly ninja who never met his eyes and barely said a word and yet always made it clear Zelos wouldn't get past him, never would have let him. That didn't stop Atsuo from demanding an explanation, though, and Zelos had finally managed to cajole him enough to earn entry, mainly by convincing him if he didn't let him through, Sheena would be pissed and would take out her frustrations on Atsuo himself.

Now, though, he'd scaled that obstacle only to find himself facing a worse one: Orochi. Ever since the first time he'd dropped by here to pick up Sheena before heading to Iselia on the king's predictably unsuccessful attempt to convince the Iselians to submit to his control, Orochi had been a bear to deal with - and Zelos didn't know why. During the regeneration journey, Orochi had always acted fine toward him - distrustful, yes, and had often glared at him, especially whenever Zelos had flirted with the female residents - but the moment their journey had ended, he'd turned into the King of Cold, radiating impatience, annoyance, and disgust whenever he saw him and doing everything he could to keep Zelos out of Mizuho. And that first time he'd come here...Zelos quickly pushed that thought aside, not wanting to remember the 'heated discussion' Orochi and Sheena had had over him while he'd stood by, listening to every word, tempted to run. Regardless, Zelos had been hoping to sneak through Mizuho to Sheena's house without being detected by Orochi, but his luck wasn't holding out. It matched his crappy day perfectly, actually.

No wonder he avoided this place so much. Between the drama with Orochi and the guard, he didn't feel comfortable coming here, even to see Sheena. He'd never felt comfortable here; even before their journey had ended, he'd always felt out of place here, like a fish out of water or an angel fallen from heaven stuck wandering around in a strange, foreign, deadly land. And he wouldn't be here today, either, only he really had had a crappy day, and his desire to see his girlfriend, especially since he hadn't seen her in days, had won out over common sense. Well, that and another matter had come up that he needed to discuss with her, but that could have waited until their scheduled date in Meltokio tomorrow night. He wasn't regretting succumbing to his yearning to see her yet, but he suspected, based on the fire raging in Orochi's dark eyes, he soon would be.

"Chosen," Orochi greeted him, stopping in front of him and folding his arms to his chest.

Zelos sighed and bowed his head in greeting. Be nice, no matter how much this guy's attitude makes you want to kick a tree, he told himself. You're here because Sheena's here, and since things are going really, really well with her, you've earned the right to say 'hi' to your girlfriend whenever you feel like it, even if this guy will hopefully never realize that fact. "Orochi."

Orochi eyed him, his lips pursed. "So why are you here this time? Sheena said nothing about you visiting her today."

Ugh, again with that question: 'Why are you here?' And, worse, again with that tone, the one that said, 'You're bothering me, so go home, you despicable little child.' Zelos had been making a concerted effort to behave himself here since he and Sheena had started dating, and so hadn't Orochi realized yet that the accusations he'd leveled at him that first time weren't an issue anymore? And seriously, what other reason could he fathom to explain why Zelos would come here? Because he loved the village and the threats and glares he received here so much that he chose this place over, say, the Hot Springs or Altamira to unwind? Yeah, right. Although maybe that wasn't completely untrue...

...But right now, that wasn't important. No, right now he apparently had to spell out - again - what should be completely obvious. "To see Sheena. Any idea where she is?"

Orochi's eyes narrowed. "Even if I knew, I would not tell you. I do not like you, I do not trust you, and I do not want you anywhere near her."

...So much for subtlety. And here Zelos had thought ninjas prided themselves in keeping their emotions in check. Well, except for Sheena, who tried to hide her emotions, but she usually failed more often than not, especially when her anger or embarrassment was roused. But damn, was he sick of people hating him for who he used to be, the man the church had forced him to be, rather than for the man he was trying to be now. He was trying to shake that old image, because Sheena had made it clear she liked him far more when he wasn't acting like that, but convincing others he was trying to be a better man was starting to look hopeless. Usually he didn't even bother trying to change their views; acting like the idiot everyone expected was so much easier than beating his head against a wall when he said something not-stupid and they gaped at him as if his hair had suddenly turned green. Or was the problem him, that he was just that unlikable? With most people, he didn't give a rat's ass what they thought of him. But here...well, he didn't care what Orochi thought of him, but the fear always nagged at him that if he messed up too badly here, he could be denied entry into the village. And not being able to see Sheena regularly...well, that was something he never wanted to experience firsthand.

"Believe me, Orochi, you've made that abundantly clear. Now can I please get through so I can try to find her since you obviously won't help me do that?" Orochi immediately stepped forward as Zelos moved to step around him, again blocking his path. Zelos rolled his eyes and frowned, but he did stop. Pushing his luck too much would just result in him finding a stray shuriken 'accidentally' embedded in his skull. And he'd asked nicely, too! With a sigh, he mirrored Orochi's stance, folding his arms to his chest. The ninja obviously had something to say; might as well get it over with. "What? Your guard already let me in, so if you've got something else to say to me, say it. I don't have all day, y'know."

Orochi's eyes trailed over his body, his disgust obvious. "I do not know what Sheena believes she sees in you, Chosen, why she tolerates your presence here, but whatever it is, I know it is not the truth about you. You may have fooled her, but you cannot fool me."

And here we go again. Déjà vu. Just remember, Wilder, actions speak louder than words. You could defend yourself until you're blue in the face and it won't get you anywhere; Orochi apparently has an unshakable preconceived notion about you based on your reputation, and nothing you say will change that. If you really want him to accept that you aren't a manipulative bastard - even if you are with most things other than Sheena herself - you have to prove that in your actions. "I suppose that's your prerogative, to believe what you want to about me," he said.

Orochi lifted his head, observing Zelos through eyes that were mere slits. "Just as it is my prerogative to express my concerns to Chief Igaguri, which I have now done and will do so again shortly."

Oh, lovely. So now Orochi wasn't the only one here who hated him; Chief Igaguri most likely did, too. And if Chief Igaguri hated him...his heart sank further. Great. So much for his free pass into Mizuho. Not that it surprised him. He'd been expecting it to be revoked for two months now. Maybe coming here today really hadn't been a good idea. "Of course you have," Zelos muttered. "I would've been surprised if you hadn't."

A single eyebrow rose beneath the blue mask obscuring Orochi's face. "You would be wise to leave her alone."

Uh huh. Sure. I'll just dump her and go on my merry way because you told me to. Yeah, right. There was as much chance of that happening as there was of him sprouting gills and turning into a fish. Granted, he had sprouted wings and turned into an angel, but he was pretty sure his Cruxis Crystal wouldn't turn him into a fish. And giving up Sheena, one of, if not the, best things that had ever happened to him? Someone who made him happy when he was with her and who always seemed happy to be with him? Someone he fell more in love with every time he saw her? Someone so strong, gorgeous, sexy, and amazing that two months later he was still marveling that she was dating him at all? Someone who believed in him and, in the process, made him want to be a better man for her sake - and, in doing so, was helping him find a part of himself that he actually didn't hate? Someone who loved him, despite his stupidity and perversity and many other flaws, and not the Chosen persona every other woman expected from him?

"Sorry, but that's not gonna happen."

Orochi watched him closely a moment, his eyes growing colder and his face twitching in growing anger. "So you have seduced her into entering into a romantic relationship with you," he growled. "I feared as much."

Aw, crap. They'd been doing so well keeping their relationship quiet here, too. But then, it had been inevitable someone would eventually figure it out, what with Zelos's regular appearances here. He'd just hoped it wouldn't be Orochi who deduced the truth. And for a moment, Zelos wondered if Sheena was aware Orochi had suspected they were dating. Something told him she wasn't, because if she was, she would've warned him about it.

Regardless, it was too late now; the damage was done. He refused to answer the accusation honestly, because that would result in Orochi slicing his throat - Orochi should hear that from Sheena since at least he couldn't kill her - but then, Zelos couldn't deny it, either, for fear Orochi would kill him for lying. The vague path it was, then. He cocked his head and shrugged, giving Orochi a wry grin. "No offense, Orochi, but I don't think whether we're in a romantic relationship or not is any of your business."

Okay, that didn't work, Zelos realized as the fire in Orochi's eyes flared further and he took an intimidating step closer. "That is where you are wrong, Chosen. Sheena's future is my 'business.' Someone must be concerned with it since you clearly are not, and because she is so blinded by your flashiness and smooth lies, she is not either." He tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing again. "Tell me, what is it you seek from her? Sex? Another toy for you to play with and then discard when you tire of her, as you do with every other woman unfortunate enough to be ensnared by your charms? Someone foolish and naïve who you can hurt again, as you did to her the last time?"

Zelos's gut twisted at that last one, but he quickly brushed it aside, because wallowing in a guilt that would never completely go away would get him nowhere, especially when Sheena had made it clear she'd forgiven him for that. Besides, this wasn't the first time Orochi had accused him of those things, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last. He was just glad Sheena hadn't heard it; the last time Orochi had done so and she had, she'd nearly blown a gasket and had taken it personally, as Orochi questioning her and her decisions. If she'd been here now, Zelos was afraid of what she might have done.

"No to all of those," he said coolly. "I'm not looking for anything from her. I just care about her and enjoy spending time with her."

"So you say," Orochi said with a disbelieving huff. "But if you really did care about her, you would leave her alone, since staying with her is hurting her. Do you really see a future for yourself with her? What do you think, that she will run away from her responsibilities here to be with someone like you, as a boy like yourself would do in her position? She will not. She will become chief soon; I expect Chief Igaguri to remain chief no more than a year before transferring the title to her. You do not even know what that means, do you? What that involves? How much will be demanded of her? She will need to find a husband before that happens, one who will not only assume a role of authority here, but who will share in her responsibilities and help her meet those demands. Do you really think she would consider you, an irresponsible, lazy boy who has run from responsibilities his entire life, for such an important role? You are not of Mizuho; you do not know our ways; you are not even welcome here. You waste her time by distracting her from finding a man who could give her what she needs, a man who is suitable to be her husband and help her lead Mizuho. If she would quit letting herself be blinded by your charms, Sheena would realize this as well. Mark my words, Chosen: she will eventually realize this, and when she does, she will make the right choice, one that does not include you."

Zelos eyed Orochi carefully. Hm. That was...well, he didn't know what to think of that. Sure, Sheena had told him some of it when they'd started dating, but Orochi had just given him far more information than she had. But right now wasn't the time to be considering that; he wasn't ready to deal with it or try to figure out whether Orochi was telling the truth or trying another tactic to scare him away. So, to that end, he filed away those huge pieces of information in the back of his mind. He would consider them later, when he didn't have to worry about Orochi seeing him with his guard down.

He arched an eyebrow, keeping his face set. "Are you finished?"

Orochi nodded curtly. "I have said what needed to be said."

Well, good. Now I have something to say to you, Orochi, because thanks to your little rant - and some of the looks I've seen you giving Sheena - certain things are starting to make sense now. This probably wasn't a smart thing to ask, but as Sheena's boyfriend, he needed to know. "So what about you, then, hm? What's your angle on this, Orochi? What do you want from her? I'm trying to figure out if this is just big brother over-protectiveness or if there's something more going on here than even Sheena knows, like that maybe you're gunning for her attention so you can fill that role yourself and you just want me out of the picture so you'll have an easier time getting it."

Instantly, something flashed through Orochi's eyes, anger mixed with...well, Zelos wasn't sure what it was, maybe the ninja equivalent of 'Whoops, I've been busted,' but it confirmed his hunch. And, what was more, it seemed to throw Orochi off his guard, since he took a step backwards, temporarily relinquishing the fight. "I need not explain myself to you," he stated defiantly, eyeing Zelos again. "I will never understand why she still tolerates you after all you have done to her, but for whatever reason, she does, at least for now. Just rest assured that when you hurt her again, because I know you will..."

"You'll kill me. Don't worry, I got that message loud and clear."

Orochi lifted his head, giving Zelos another pointed look. "Leave, Chosen. As soon as you can, before she becomes too attached to you. And by all means, do not come back."

And with one last glare, Orochi turned and stalked away, leaving Zelos watching him go, for the second time that day having to bite back a scream of frustration. Martel, what did he have to do to be accepted as himself and not be judged based on the man he used to be? Agh, that was not what he'd needed after the awful morning he'd had. Everywhere he went lately, he felt like a pest, like an unwanted rodent everyone wanted to stomp on and kick into the sewers. He'd always had enemies, partially because of the Chosen One act, partially because of his title, and partially because he wasn't afraid to speak his mind, and he'd come to accept long ago that those people would never like him, no matter what he did. Today, though, this animosity was just eating at him, probably because the reason behind it was because - Martel forbid! - he was truly happy for the first time in his life.

Damn it, it wasn't fair. Why did it seem like everyone was conspiring to take everything good away from him? Were they jealous of the happiness he'd found with Sheena? Was that it, that they wanted it for themselves, and if they couldn't have it, then neither could he? Why couldn't they find their own happiness and leave his alone? For a moment he was tempted to turn around, head back to his mansion, grab a bottle of whiskey, throw himself a pity party, and get completely wasted in hopes of forgetting about this messed-up day...but he was already here, and really, the only way he knew of that was guaranteed to perk up his spirits in a non-self destructive manner was seeing Sheena, and so that was what he would do. Albeit preferably after punching a wall to alleviate the worst of his anger so he wouldn't inadvertently wreck her day along with his.

Zelos scanned the village, reminding himself that physically venting his anger wasn't a good idea in a place where he'd most likely be drawn and quartered for vandalism...and, without warning, his eyes fell on a boy half-hidden in the shadows of a nearby house. He couldn't be more than twelve years old, his hair and eyes as dark as everyone else's here, but what caught Zelos's attention was the fact that the boy was watching him. Most of the villagers here, after that first time he'd been yelled at by Orochi, always ignored him and refused to look at him; either it was a cultural, politeness thing, or they thought by pretending he wasn't there, he'd actually disappear. But this boy was outright staring at him, with an expression that indicated not disgust or hatred, but rather curiosity and interest. Zelos's eyes narrowed slightly, unsure why this kid was paying attention to him when no one else did, but the second he realized Zelos was watching him, he turned and ducked behind the house. Huh. That was...odd. And, even odder, Zelos remembered seeing the same kid doing something similar a few times before this, too.

But then, kids had always found him fascinating, and since his main concern was finding Sheena, he pushed the oddity from his mind. Taking a deep breath, grateful for the distraction that had disarmed the worst of his frustration, he started heading toward her house, the first logical place to look for her. By the time he'd taken three steps, though, his mind had already returned to everything Orochi had just said. Orochi's 'holier than thou' attitude may be aggravating, but that didn't erase the fact that he'd just made some valid points that warranted consideration. A single year...oh, Martel, was that all the time Sheena had left before she became chief? He'd thought for sure she'd have at least a few years before that happened; after all, Igaguri was as healthy as a typical 20-year-old! Was Orochi really right about that? He'd seemed to mean it, but how could he know that? Well, depending on the conversations he'd had with Igaguri, Zelos supposed he really could know that. But did Sheena know that? She'd never mentioned a timeframe; in fact, in the past two months, she'd barely mentioned her impending chiefhood at all. Zelos wasn't sure what that meant, but he couldn't erase the possibility that Orochi had been telling the truth. After all, even if he was jealous, Orochi had no reason to lie about it.

But if Orochi was right, then what? Was he wasting Sheena's time by dating her? If she only had a year left to find a husband - one that apparently played a bigger role in Mizuho than Zelos had thought - then shouldn't she be doing that instead of dating him? And that, naturally, begged the question: where was their relationship going, really? Anywhere? Nowhere? Not even considering this whole Mizuho-husband thing, was marriage even a possibility for them? Zelos was definitely serious about their relationship, and Sheena seemed to be, too, but would he ever consider marrying her? Would she ever consider marrying him? The thought of marriage, while appealing in some ways, was also terrifying, being committed to one woman for the rest of his life, not to mention all the responsibilities that came with it. And then to consider that if he married her, he'd have to move here, and take on this 'role of leadership'...no. He could barely even fathom that, and he couldn't imagine Sheena could, either. But if their relationship was serious, as it sure seemed to be, then the only possibilities were that one day they'd have to get married, or they'd have to break off their relationship. He'd known that for months now.

The problem was, as unthinkable as marriage was, breaking off their relationship was even worse. He loved her; that was why he was here today, because when he was with her, he felt better, about life and himself. Breaking it off with her would mean sacrificing that, and he'd go back to feeling lonely, unwanted, and miserable. But if he couldn't break up with her, then that meant he was setting himself up for that other possibility, that one day they'd have to get married. Did he really think he could fill that role in her life if this relationship continued that far? Even if he did - which was something he definitely couldn't say - would Sheena accept him in that capacity? He had no idea. And seriously, they'd only been dating two months. Who started seriously considering marriage after only two months? Well, he was sure some couples did, but he had too questionable of a view of marriage - his parents' hadn't been a shining example of a happy, successful marriage, after all - to even think about risking their relationship with something that dangerous. And really, his gut was telling him no, he would never be able to accept such a role or such responsibilities, not for a place like this that hated him. But on the flip side, he couldn't dismiss the option entirely, either, when the alternative was just as unacceptable.

Zelos let out a low sigh, unsettled by both options, then started walking faster as he realized he was loitering in the street. As much as he hated to admit it, Orochi's concerns were valid, and he had to give it serious thought. One thing he did know was that he didn't want to waste Sheena's time if 'they' were going nowhere, because doing that, giving her false hope about the future when there was none, wouldn't be fair to her. In fact, he'd never forgive himself for hurting her like that, by taking away the time she needed to find a suitable spouse. But if this was a major concern of hers, wouldn't she have broken it off with him already? Or at least mentioned it to him and expressed her concern? Unless she really wasn't aware of the timeline Orochi had just presented him, a possibility he couldn't dismiss - although he still would've thought she'd have said something if she already knew 'they' were doomed. She really did seem to love him; why would she drag this out, either, if she already knew there was no hope?

He didn't know, and to be honest, it was too early in their relationship to be thinking like this; a lot could still happen that changed everything, and the last thing he wanted to do was wreck their relationship without just cause. No, all he could do was trust that if Sheena really did have concerns about the future, she would discuss them with him, because if she didn't, he could only interpret her silence to mean she either hadn't considered it, which he seriously doubted was possible, or she was willing to consider him in that capacity. No matter the case, though, he would think on this later and, if necessary, set a deadline for himself to decide whether or not he thought he could handle this, just to make sure if he did conclude it wasn't possible, he still gave her enough time to find someone else. And if he passed that deadline and stayed with her, then he'd be admitting he was okay with what might happen should 'they' continue. It wasn't like he had to make any major, life- or relationship-altering decisions yet, but he did have to at least decide whether or not to keep walking this road knowing what the end point would be should 'they' last that long.

Right now, though, he didn't want to think about that; he just wanted to see her. As horrible and confused as he felt, leaving before doing that would make him feel even worse, and chances were someone would mention his visit to her and, when she learned he hadn't said 'hi,' it would hurt her again, and he couldn't do that. Seeing her and making her smile was one of the few things that could pick up his spirits when he was feeling down, and since he liked being happy and hated being sad, that was what he would do.

Finding her proved to be easier than he'd expected. The minute he stepped around Chief Igaguri's home, he saw her, sitting on the ground in front of her house. She was digging in the dirt along the edge of the house with a trowel, her back to him, humming softly to herself - and instantly, he could feel his frustration, uncertainty, and tension relaxing. He approached her, keeping his footsteps quiet so she wouldn't notice him, and then smiled as he stopped a few feet away, watching her. A small pile of plant bulbs sat on the ground to her left - ah, so she was planting. He watched her place one of the bulbs in a hole and then cover it with dirt and pat it down, and then she scooted a foot to her right, dragging the bulbs with her, and began digging again.

He indulged in the sight a moment until he could no longer resist. "Whatcha doin'?"

Unsurprisingly - and yet surprisingly, since she was usually alert to every sound around her - Sheena jumped a little, then quickly turned to look at him. The second she saw him, though, a beautiful smile lit her face...and Zelos's heart pounded faster at knowing she was actually happy to see him. "Zelos! I didn't know you were coming here today."

He grinned and cocked his head a little. "Good to see you too, sweetheart."

She laughed softly, her head dipping downward, but without warning, her eyes snapped up to his and widened, her face falling. "I didn't forget a date, did I?"

Zelos chuckled as he shook his head and waved that off, then sat down on the ground beside her. "Nah, you didn't forget anything. I was just missing you and thought I'd take you up on the offer to stop by and see you whenever I felt like it." He arched an eyebrow, his uncertainty flaring again. "That offer is still open, right?"

"Of course it is," she said, her smile growing endearingly shy as she set the shovel on the ground and turned to face him. "I'm glad to see you."

"Heh, at least someone is." Instantly, her eyes narrowed, and Zelos gave her a sheepish smile as he realized what he'd just done. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

A curious but amused eyebrow shot up. "Ah...yeah, you did."

Damn. He truly hadn't meant to. "Whoops."

As he'd feared, Sheena continued eyeing him, her concern growing. "Zelos, what's going on? Are you okay?"

Zelos released a low sigh and offered her a weak smile. "Yeah. I am now."

Her eyes narrowed further. "...But you weren't before?" When he opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it again, Sheena extended her hand toward his knee, albeit resting it on the ground, not actually touching him. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Don't do it, Wilder; don't bother her with something this stupid. You had a bad day, it's already getting better now that you're with her, and tomorrow will undoubtedly be better; she shouldn't have to worry about something you're determined to forget ever happened. He forced another smile, hoping that one would come across as more sincere. "Nothing, Sheena. It's nothing."

Sheena frowned, then arched an expectant eyebrow. "Yes, it obviously is. C'mon, Zelos, talk to me. Who wasn't happy to see you?"

How could she do that, figure out when something was bothering him, sidestep his attempts to convince her it was nothing, and then pull the truth out of him, even when he didn't want to? This certainly wasn't the first time she'd done that; heck, they wouldn't be dating at all if she hadn't poked and prodded at him that night at the party until she'd dug out all those secrets of his. While he didn't want to tell her this, because he knew it would upset her, he also knew she wouldn't quit pushing until she got an answer - and the longer it took her to get that answer, the more likely she'd be to get pissed at him for hiding things from her. And he knew damn well he couldn't afford to piss her off or she'd deem him hopeless, dump him, and then refuse to have anything to do with him ever again.

He sighed, his head sinking downward in defeat, then looked up at her again. "Seles has been talking about enrolling at the academy in Sybak for awhile now, and today was her official tour of the grounds to see how she liked it. So I, trying to be, y'know, the good brother I should be, decided to swing by there beforehand to say 'hi' and see if I could answer any of her questions about the place. That was my first mistake. My second mistake was not apologizing, again, for missing that one meeting I'd had scheduled with her two months ago. Y'know, that time I went to Iselia with you instead."

Her eyes narrowed again. "But I thought you already apologized for that."

"Believe me, I did, multiple times, and I explained in great detail why I had to go with you, but she's still not letting it go." Because Martel forbid the deceptively angelic brat let anything I do go, ever. Or, for that matter, approve of any choice I make. Never mind that Sheena and I had a wonderful time on that trip - aside from searching for a way to broach such a stupid subject with the Iselians, of course. "My third mistake..."

Sheena's eyebrows rose. "There's more?"

Zelos grinned wryly. She would probably smack him for this, but it was too late now. What he'd done couldn't be undone. "Oh, yeah, there's more. My third mistake was mentioning I was seriously dating someone...and my fourth mistake was telling her that 'someone' I was seriously dating was you."

Unsurprisingly, her face instantly fell, and a moment later her head sank downward. "Wonderful."

"Yeah, tell me about it," he muttered.

He really had had good intentions in telling Seles about Sheena, to try to get her to see Sheena the same way he did, as someone worthy of his time; he should've expected her to overreact, start calling Sheena names, and try to convince him that she 'wasn't good enough' for someone of his social standing. And, worse, she'd refused to have anything to do with Sheena herself. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why Seles hated her so much; he just knew she always had, to the point of even stalking Sheena awhile back to keep her away from him. Why, oh why, hadn't he just bitten his tongue?

But no, he'd tried to be honest with her only for her to get pissed at him, and he'd had to cut his visit short because...well, he didn't feel comfortable spending time with someone who disapproved of every choice he made. But if his relationship with Sheena was serious - which it was - then he knew he'd have to tell Seles about it eventually, and if he'd kept it a secret from her only for her to find out about it later from an outside source, wouldn't she have been even more pissed at him? He was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. It wasn't fair. He'd been hoping to help her find a place outside of the abbey to live, maybe even move her into his mansion, but after how things had played out that morning, he wasn't sure he had the heart to do so anymore - nor the patience to put up with more snide, snobbish comments from her about his 'trashy' girlfriend. It upset him enough when strangers looked down on Sheena like that, but for the person badmouthing her to be his own sister...he wasn't sure he could stomach much of that without blowing up at her and wrecking their relationship further. And they'd been doing so well patching up things between them after their world trip, too. Now it appeared they were right back at square one.

"I should've just kept my big mouth shut and not said anything, but I figured she would find out about us once she moved out of the abbey anyway so I was better off getting that conversation out of the way." He smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Sheena."

"Hey, it's okay," Sheena quickly said. "I never expected she'd be happy about this."

"...Which makes absolutely no sense to me. Why in Tethe'alla does she hate you so much? I don't get it. Before the regeneration journey, she'd never even met you! And even if she'd thought back then that you were one of my hunnies, that still gives her no reason to hate you now!"

Sheena shrugged and smiled faintly. "Overly protective younger sister, maybe? I dunno, but then, I don't get why Orochi has so many issues with you, either. I guess some people are just difficult like that. They like who they like; they don't like who they don't like. I'm sure they have their reasons, even if I'll never understand them."

Zelos snorted and rolled his eyes. As much as he hated telling her this, too, she needed to know that Orochi had figured out they were dating. "Yeah...and then there's Orochi."

Her face fell again. "Oh, don't tell me..."

"Eh, just another typical interrogation from him, that's all," he interrupted, waving that off before she could jump to disturbing conclusions. And while that conversation had been disturbing, it was disturbing on a different level than normal, one he wasn't currently willing to discuss. "Y'know, the whole, 'why are you here, I can't stand you, get out now' thing."

Sheena's brown eyes briefly flared, but a moment later they softened and she gave him a faint but sincere smile. "Well, regardless of what Orochi thinks, I really am glad to see you, Zelos. I've missed you, too. I'll talk to him - again - and tell him to lay off it. He's already made his feelings known, and they won't change anything between us."

Zelos shook his head. "Hey, don't worry about it. Orochi is just looking out for you. I can't hold that against him, can I? And...well, talking to him might not be such a good idea anyway. It was obvious he's figured out that we're dating." Unsurprisingly, her eyes widened, and he cocked an eyebrow at her. "I take it you didn't know?"

She groaned, her head sinking downward. "No, I didn't."

"Yeah, I didn't think you had or you would've said something. I'm sorry; I didn't realize he suspected that or I would've been more careful what I said so he couldn't read that into my words."

"It's not your fault, Zelos," she quickly replied, giving him another faint smile. "And I'm sorry, too. I'm sure I'm just as responsible for him figuring it out as you are, considering some of the things I've said to him lately."

He smiled reassuringly. "Not your fault, either, sweetheart. You can't control him."

"Believe me, I wish I could," she muttered. She bit her lip, thinking that over, then released a soft sigh. "So he probably went to Grandpa about that, too."

"Oh, I guarantee you he did. And he's planning on talking to him again now that he knows about us." Seeing her frown, close her eyes, and shake her head, though, Zelos realized it was time to change the subject. "But that's enough of that. I didn't come here to be depressed and to depress you in turn. I just wanted to see you again." Sheena's eyes opened and lifted to his, watching him a moment, but then she smiled and nodded. He grinned and motioned at the hole she'd been digging. "So what are you doing?"

As he'd hoped, her smile broadened into a grin and her eyebrows rose. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm planting bulbs."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I caught that part. What kind of bulbs are you planting?"

A blush blossomed on her cheeks as her head dipped downward shyly - which surprised him since he wasn't sure why she was suddenly feeling so shy with him. "Iris."

Ah. No surprise there; Zelos had certainly caught her paying enough attention to the iris in his garden the past two months, and even a few times before that, too. He'd always suspected she really liked iris, maybe even that they were her favorite flower. This just confirmed his hunch. He smiled in approval. "Pretty flower. Nice choice. What color?"

"A deep purplish-blue," she said, glancing briefly at him before looking back at the trowel, running her dirt-streaked thumb over its handle. "I'd like to make another row of lighter purple or blue ones in front of this one, but no one in Mizuho has any bulbs or rhizomes that color, so it'll just have to wait until I can get some."

"Mm." Note to self: ask Sebastian where the gardener got the iris in my garden - or maybe see if the he can dig up enough from my garden to give to her. His eyes narrowed slightly. "It's already fall, though...are you sure now is the best time to be planting them?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Sheena replied, lifting her eyes to his again. "Iris are supposed to be planted in the fall so they can establish decent roots before the cold season hits."

...Oh. Of course. Why hadn't he thought of that? He smiled sheepishly. "Heh. Shows how much I know about iris." She chuckled, and he motioned at the trowel. "So you have any more little shovel thingies like that so I can lend a hand?"

Her eyebrows flew upward as if he'd just stated that cows grew on trees. "You are actually volunteering to get your pretty hands all dirty helping me plant these?"

"Of course I am!" He grinned wickedly. "The sooner you finish, the sooner I can get you inside and get a kiss!"

Unsurprisingly, her cheeks reddened and she burst out laughing. If they weren't outside in Mizuho, he just knew she would've smacked him. "Zelos, you are incorrigible!"

He waggled his eyebrows, his grin broadening. "Yeah...I know."

Sheena shook her head in obvious amazement and amusement mixed with a hint of embarrassment and exasperation, but she was still chuckling, too. "Heaven forbid you help me because you want to."

"Well, there's that too," he said with a shrug, but then he pointed at her face. "But the main reason is there's a streak of dirt across your forehead that's gonna drive me nuts because I can't wipe it off without being lynched for 'indecently' touching you."

Her eyes widened and her blush deepened, and her hand instantly lifted to her forehead and she rubbed at it with the heel of her palm. To his amusement, though, all she managed to do was smear it further and turn what had been a small streak into what now looked like an upside-down heart. "Did I get it?"

Oh, did she look adorable. It took all of his effort not to laugh again. "Um...no. You're actually making it worse." He smirked and tilted his head, tapping his finger to his lips. "Although on you, I kinda like it. Girls who like rolling around in dirt are so sexy and primal..."

Sheena groaned and rolled her eyes, but she couldn't conceal her laugh as she rose to her feet. "That's it, I'm getting you a shovel and cleaning off my face. Wait here and guard my bulbs; I'll be right back."

He playfully bowed his head to her. "Your wish is my command, my lady."

She was still grinning as she headed into her house, Zelos noted, mirroring her grin. Once she was out of sight, he took a deep breath, pulled off his gloves, tossed them on the ground, and leaned back on his hands, looking around the village. Not much was going on here today - not that there was ever much going on here. A few people were walking around and he could hear the clink of weapons as ninjas trained on the outskirts of the village, but that was one thing he always noted about this village: how quiet it was. In Meltokio, there were always people bustling about, looking for the best dress to buy and showing off their latest trendy accessories. Soldiers in heavy metal armor were always tromping around there; priests from the Church of Martel were always calling people to services; kids were always running around, pretending to be their favorite coliseum fighter; merchants were always crying out, trying to entice people to buy their wares. In some senses the quiet here was unnerving...and yet it really wasn't, either.

After all, sound wasn't the only thing toned down here; Mizuho was also slower in pace, even though he knew everyone was busy working to make the village thrive. The rush of Meltokio was missing, as were the hunnies constantly trying to drag him home with them and the Chosen admirers constantly begging for his blessing or his autograph. But more than that, what was missing here was the fakeness and flaunting and conspiring to tear others down so someone could get ahead. Mizuho reminded him a little of the Meltokio slums, actually, because these people were more realistic and earthy in their lifestyle. The difference from the slums, though, was that no one here was crying about how unfair life had been to them and pleading for someone to 'save' them from their condition. These people were happy with who they were and proud of what they accomplished, even without the wealth or luxuries he was so accustomed to.

It was peaceful here. Mizuho was a simple, honest, real place. Sure, it had tons of weird, and in his opinion unnecessary, traditions and far too many distrustful glares aimed his way, but it was still peaceful. Relaxing, even. Ever since his first visit here, he'd had to admit there were parts of this mysterious village he actually liked. And Sheena...well, she belonged here. She fit this place. Even if she had her own issues with its way of doing things, Mizuho was definitely her home, and it was where her heart was and would always be...a realization which, again, just reinforced that Orochi hadn't told him anything untrue earlier. Sheena would become chief here; Zelos didn't doubt that. Issues with it or not, she loved this village and was determined to give back to it everything it had given her when she'd had nothing, a people and a family and a place of her own. She would do everything she could to make up for the ill she had brought it, and one day she would make sure it thrived. But did he have a place in that future? Could he even have a place in it, here in this quiet, strange village, should their relationship continue? He honestly had no idea.

With a sigh, he let his gaze drift around the village again, taking it all in, trying unsuccessfully to picture himself here...and his heart sank as he noticed Chief Igaguri standing outside his home, watching Zelos closely. And, worse, a second later he spotted Orochi walking toward the chief. Igaguri bowed his head as Orochi neared and began speaking to him...and the way both sets of eyes snapped sharply in Zelos's direction told him exactly what Orochi was talking about. Zelos quickly looked away, his discomfort returning. That hadn't taken long; obviously Orochi was following through on his promise to further express his 'concerns' to the chief. Crap. So today could get worse.

Grabbing the trowel Sheena had left behind, he lifted it and ran his thumb over the edge, pretending to be fascinated by it. Well, on the bright side, Orochi's talk with Igaguri might just answer his question for him, without making him struggle to find an answer of his own. Even assuming Zelos wanted a life like this with Sheena, one full of unfamiliar duties, activities, and tools like this simple shovel, a life he had serious doubts about, apparently peaceful places like Mizuho were off limits to flashy train wrecks like him. Mizuho might tolerate their own train wrecks - Kuchinawa was always welcome to return, after all, simply because he was one of their own - but it would never put up with a foreign train wreck, of which Zelos was definitely one. Sheena may have invited him to visit her here, but she wasn't chief yet, and that meant Igaguri still had the final say about who could enter his village. And if Igaguri didn't want him here because he believed Zelos and his foreign ideas and ways of life were poison for his adopted granddaughter...well, nothing Sheena could say to defend him would make any difference. This was, after all, the last place where a spoiled, troublesome, idiotic Chosen like him belonged.

Dropping the trowel, he turned again to look at the two men talking near Igaguri's house. Fortunately, they weren't looking at him anymore, but Orochi was still talking very animatedly - no surprise seeing as he was discussing something he was obviously passionate about: Sheena. For a second, Zelos debated trying to listen in on them with his angel senses, but before he could decide whether his already heavy heart could handle hearing their words, another trowel suddenly landed in front of him, and he quickly looked up, relieved to see that Sheena was back, the streak of dirt on her face now gone.

She turned to see what he'd been looking at, then retook her seat on the ground and looked back at him. "Hey, don't worry about it, Zelos. It'll be fine. Honest."

He cast another glance at the two men, then sighed and looked back at her, giving her an uncertain smile. "I hope so." Before she could reply, though, he grabbed the second trowel, pushed his concerns about the future and this place to the back of his mind, and lifted it, his eyebrows rising. "So, since we've already established I'm not an expert on the art of growing iris, you'll have to walk me through this. How deep for the holes?"

Sheena eyed him another moment, her brows furrowing, clearly unhappy about the subject change, but Zelos just waited, watching her expectantly, and finally she sighed and gave him a faint smile. "About four inches."

"Got it. And how far apart are you going with them?"

"A little over half a foot."

"So roughly six inches," he calculated aloud. He shifted so he was facing the house, then glanced at her and grinned. "How 'bout I dig the holes and you plant the bulbs?"

She smiled and nodded. "Sounds good."

It took Zelos a few tries to become comfortable working with the shovel, finding the right way to hold it, the best angle to use, and how much force to apply; while he'd seen his gardener do this plenty of times, he'd never had any reason to try it himself. He could tell Sheena was trying not to laugh at his struggles to get used to digging, but eventually he was using the shovel as easily as he used a dagger. Doing manual labor like this was weird - he hadn't dug in the dirt since he'd been a kid and had been curious to see what a dog had buried in the garden, and even then his mother had yelled at him for getting his clothes and hands dirty, like a 'common peasant,' and he'd never tried again - but in another sense, it felt...good...to do something new, especially when it was helping Sheena. And the approving smile she gave him once he'd reached a level of proficiency that no longer required her to correct the size of the hole he was digging gave him an immensely pleased, happy, valued feeling.

After his third hole had passed her inspection without any objections, Zelos relaxed, deciding he really could handle this, and motioned at the wooden wall in front of them. "I still can't believe your village gave you a house."

Sheena arched a curious, amused eyebrow at him. "Haven't we had this conversation before?"

Twice, actually, since they finished building this thing for you three weeks ago. "Well, yeah, but I still can't believe it." He grinned and motioned at it again. "I mean, they built this thing for you from scratch within a single month! Now that's dedication."

She released a soft laugh that actually sounded surprisingly strained and placed a bulb in the next hole. "That's because I'm going to be chief one day. It's not like we're going to kick grandpa out of his home just so I can have my own place. Mizuho isn't moving yet, and until we do, they refuse to let their chief live in a hovel. I'll need a place to meet privately with villagers, and that doesn't work when the chief is sharing a home. Well, except with a spouse, of course." She shrugged stiffly as she began filling in the hole with dirt from the nearby pile. "Besides, they said they were grateful for the role I played in reuniting the worlds and in regaining Mizuho's standing with the king."

"They really love you here," he stated, no trace of uncertainty about that in his mind.

A glance at her showed she was blushing again as she scooted down to begin working on the next hole. "Well, some of them seem to have forgiven me for the Volt accident. It helps that Grandpa's back. I just hope I can live up to their faith in me."

Zelos nudged her with his elbow. "You will. Leading a village has to be nothing compared to, y'know, making pacts with all the summon spirits and reuniting two worlds."

She offered him a faint, albeit surprisingly dubious, smile before looking back at the hole. "I hope so."

He wasn't sure why she was so uncertain about that; when Sheena put her mind to something, she excelled at it, and he had no doubt she would give 200% of herself once she became chief. But then, she wouldn't be Sheena if she didn't doubt herself, either. She always had, whether it was making pacts with the summon spirits, living up to her friends' belief in her, or meeting her people's expectations. He wanted to ask her more, like what she planned to do when she became chief, when she thought that might happen, or maybe even if she had any idea who she might consider for her spouse, but he wasn't ready to discuss that when he didn't know where he stood on the matter, and so he wasn't willing to risk wrecking their relationship yet if he wasn't even a consideration in her mind. And since she always seemed to become uncomfortable when the word 'chief' came up, he opted to go a different route instead. Maybe he'd try again another time to see if he could feel out her thoughts, but now clearly wasn't the right time for it.

"Still, I'm jealous," he said, keeping his tone light. "They gave you a house! I mean, I get edible body paints from my loyal, devoted fan club, and you get a house. I see a slight discrepancy in the level of gifts there."

Her eyebrows shot upward, and thankfully, a grin began building on her lips. "Yeah, well, you're not becoming chief of Meltokio."

Zelos tilted his head and pretended to weigh the options with his hands. "Edible body paints...house. Nope, the house is still the unquestioned winner in this, especially one this nice."

Sheena shot him a mock glare. "Quit being jealous of my house. You already have one!"

"So?" he replied, shrugging. "If my hunnies really loved me, they'd give me a house, too!"

She let out a single laugh, then shook her head. "Yeah, whatever. At least you have your own gardener and interior decorator. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with all of my empty walls. It took me three weeks just to decide what to do with the front of my house!"

"Hey, if you'd like some decorating tips, let me know," he said, unable to resist smirking. "I'd be more than happy to offer some suggestions."

She grinned wryly and arched an unimpressed eyebrow at him. "While I appreciate the offer, I'll have to pass. I'm not exactly keen on the idea of putting pictures of naked women on my walls."

Zelos gasped in exaggerated shock and placed his hand over his heart. "But, sweetheart, I would never make such a suggestion!" Ooh, he couldn't pass this by; it was just too tempting. He beamed her a wicked grin and pointed at her with his trowel. "Now, naked pictures of you, on the other hand, hold great potential."

For a moment, Sheena just gaped at him, but then she grabbed one of her bulbs and tossed it at him, hitting his forehead squarely above his nose. Zelos jumped and closed his eyes at the impact, uttering an instinctive "Not the face!" and lifting his hand to protect himself from any further projectiles. She immediately burst into beautiful, heart-warming laughter, muttering about how he was an idiot and it served him right that now he had a streak of mud on his forehead, and Zelos couldn't help it: he joined her. Mission accomplished: Sheena's happy, he thought, giving himself a mental pat on the back. A moment later he picked up the bulb and handed it back to her, then resumed digging, chuckling along with her. And even though a quick glance showed that Chief Igaguri was still watching them from his home - at least Orochi had finished complaining - Zelos still found himself feeling far better than he had an hour ago. Being with Sheena and making her smile and laugh like this made him happy, and oh, had he needed to feel happy today. Crazy, confusing, uncertain future for them or not, how could he even think of walking away when she held such incredible, irresistible power to make him feel good about himself?

Live in the present, he told himself. Whatever will be, will be. Just keep doing what you want and need to do and worry about the rest later. You have roughly a year left before she becomes chief; while you can't hide from reality, you don't have to figure it all out yet, either. And you will, because not figuring it out and, as a result, hurting her simply isn't an option.

They fell silent as they continued planting, but an occasional glance at her told Zelos she was still grinning. In fact, he was so entranced by how beautiful that smile was that he didn't even notice anyone else had approached them until, without warning, a man cleared his throat somewhere nearby. Both instantly started, and a quick look upward showed that Chief Igaguri was now standing behind them, his arms folded to his chest as he watched them. Aw, crap. Zelos's heart plummeted. There went his improving mood and all sense of contentment; Igaguri was the last person he wanted to see right now. This couldn't go well; while he'd seen Igaguri around Mizuho a few times the past two months, he'd never talked to him. Now, though, he couldn't avoid him anymore and would undoubtedly have to face his disapproval and be told to drag his sorry ass out of the village ASAP. Damn it. Zelos glanced at Sheena, who looked mildly surprised at the intrusion but not concerned, then he wiped at his forehead with the back of his hand, hoping to clean off the dirt splotch so he didn't look like a complete idiot.

"Sheena," Igaguri said, greeting her with a warm, tender smile.

She returned his smile shyly. "Hi, Grandpa."

Igaguri's eyes snapped next to Zelos, and his smile transformed from fond tenderness to merely pleasant. "Chosen."

Zelos bowed his head faintly, forcibly resisting the urge to rub his neck for fear of getting more dirt all over himself. "Chief Igaguri."

Igaguri glanced up at the sky, then back down at Zelos. "Lovely day, is it not?"

Whoa, was Igaguri actually talking to him? Like, normal small talk? Zelos wasn't sure whether this was a positive development or the beginning of the end. And damn, was he nervous. There was something about this man, something intimidating, that commanded respect from everyone he met. Normally, Zelos didn't give two hoots about showing his elders respect, but there was no way he'd give Igaguri even more reason to hate him by not respecting him.

...Oh, right. He needed to answer the question. "Yeah, definitely," he said, smiling awkwardly. "It's beautiful. Couldn't ask for a nicer fall day."

Igaguri bowed his head in agreement. "No, you could not. So, tell me, how is the king?"

Zelos's eyes narrowed curiously. "He's good. No problems worth mentioning."

"Mm," Igaguri murmured with a faint nod. "And the church?"

Why was Igaguri asking so many questions? He never had before. "Things there are a mess, but then, things there are always a mess, so that's nothing new."

"No, I suppose not. And Meltokio?"

From the corner of his eye, he could see Sheena watching them, but she didn't say anything. "Everything's good there, too." And just like that, Zelos got it: Igaguri was feeling out his reason for being here without directly asking the question. Instantly, his nerves kicked into high gear; between the conversation Igaguri had undoubtedly just had with Orochi and Zelos's answers, indicating he wasn't here to report anything from those other entities, Igaguri could be reaching no other conclusion but that Zelos was here to see Sheena. This had to be his subtle way of determining the status of their relationship to verify what Orochi had just told him. Not good. And here comes the axe.

Igaguri tilted his head slightly. "I see. And how are you, Chosen?"

Zelos blinked a few times, then glanced up at him. That wasn't what he'd expected to hear...but chances were his expectations would still soon be realized, so it was best not to get his hopes up. "Me? I'm..." He...didn't know. How was he, seriously? Too much was still bothering him, and he was still terrified of what Igaguri would soon be telling him, about how Mizuho wasn't open to outsiders and so if he had no good reason to be here, he should leave...but then his gaze fell on Sheena and the happy, reassuring smile she was giving him, and he couldn't help it: he returned her smile, because being with her and seeing that smile aimed at him probably was the best his life would ever get. And there, he supposed, was his answer. "I'm good." Her smile broadened, and Zelos looked up at her grandfather again. "How 'bout you, Chief Igaguri? How are you doing?"

For a moment, Igaguri just watched him, but then, to Zelos's surprise, he gave him another pleasant smile. "I am doing well myself, thank you for asking." Without warning, his smile faded. "However, I fear I must apologize for the cold welcome you have received from certain villagers here. So you know, you are welcome in Mizuho at any time, Chosen."

It took all of Zelos's restraint not to gape at Igaguri and reply, "Wow, really?" What was even more surprising than Igaguri's words, though, was that he actually seemed to mean that; there was nothing insincere in his demeanor that told him he actually meant that Zelos was welcome here only if he wanted to be decapitated. And so instead of letting Igaguri see how taken aback he was, Zelos's eyes just widened a little and he replied with a soft, "Thanks," the shyness that accompanied it surprising even himself.

Igaguri's pleasant smile quickly returned and he tilted his head in acknowledgement, then he turned to Sheena, his smile softening. "Sheena, this will look lovely next spring."

"I hope so," Sheena said, returning his smile before motioning at the dirt. "I would've liked another row in front of this one, but I just don't have enough bulbs to go around again."

"Well, perhaps we will be able to find you enough by next fall," Igaguri said.

Sheena nodded. "I hope so."

And again, Zelos reminded himself to talk to Sebastian about getting her some. He'd been looking for a good housewarming gift for her ever since she'd moved in here, and he couldn't help thinking this would be perfect - especially if he could get them to her within the next few weeks. He quickly scanned the bumps in the dirt where they'd planted the bulbs, calculated how many she'd need for another row in front of that one, and made a mental note of it.

Igaguri bowed his head. "In any case, if you would excuse me, I have business I must attend to."

Sheena smiled warmly. "See you later, Grandpa."

"It was good to see you again, Chief Igaguri," Zelos said.

Igaguri bowed his head again and gave him another pleasant smile. "You as well, Chosen." And then he turned and meandered further into the village, looking around and speaking with the villagers he met along the way, clearly just checking things out.

Once Igaguri was out of hearing range, Sheena turned back to Zelos and smiled reassuringly. "See? It really is okay for you to visit me here."

Despite his earlier impression that Igaguri had sincerely meant his invitation, though, Zelos had been burned so many times before when reality had crushed his wishful thinking that he still had a hard time accepting that what he thought had happened really had. "You sure he wasn't just being polite?"

"Yes, I'm sure," she said with a sigh, most likely at his persisting doubts. "Grandpa doesn't play mind games, so when he says something, he means it. If he really didn't want you here, he wouldn't have just given you an open invitation to drop by whenever you feel like it. No, if he didn't want you here, you would know it."

But again, cynicism was getting the better of him today. Damn run-ins with Seles and Orochi. "Or maybe he's just afraid to directly tell me to leave because I'm the Chosen and he doesn't want to risk straining relations with Meltokio more than they already are."

Sheena gave him a wry grin. "Chosen or not has nothing to do with it. Trust me, Zelos, I know how Grandpa works. If he really didn't want you here, he would've told you that. No matter what Orochi might have just told him, Orochi isn't the only one who's talked to him about you. Grandpa is fine with you being here. Really. Okay?"

Zelos watched her carefully a moment, realizing what she was saying: she, too, had talked to Igaguri and made it clear she wanted him here. He smiled, that time taking her at her word. "Okay. Thanks for putting in a good word for me."

Her wry grin softened into a shy smile as she looked up at him. "You deserve a chance to show people you're far more than the idiot Chosen everyone's always believed you to be. I'm just making sure you get that chance."

...Oh, Martel. Oh, Martel. Zelos had to physically force himself not to give her an amazed, grateful kiss. Every day lately he found himself wondering what he would do without her and how he'd survived this long without receiving her love, support, and encouragement. There was no way she could know how much harder he fell for her when she said things like that to him; words couldn't capture it. And while the future was still a giant unknown, there was one thing he was now absolutely certain of: he couldn't walk away from this, from her, from this relationship that made him so happy, just because of some scary prospects for the future. He would see how things went, since everything could still change, but he would seriously consider that future before it became an issue. He would set a deadline for himself - New Year's sounded good - and then decide whether or not he thought marrying her was a possibility and, therefore, whether or not their relationship should continue. If at that time he decided he couldn't live here, then he'd have no future here. But if he thought he could...well, that answered his question, too. If Igaguri was okay with him being here, even knowing they were dating, then he really was welcome here, and so long as he didn't inadvertently mess things up, then no one else could change that fact, not even Orochi.

With that weight finally lightening, he gave Sheena a broad grin and motioned at the hole he'd been digging. "C'mon, sweetheart, let's hurry and finish this up. You're making it extremely difficult for me to resist kissing you right now."

Her cheeks reddened and she let out a soft, shy laugh as her gaze fell downward, but then she looked back up at him and smiled warmly, her brown eyes sparkling. "Okay."

A comfortable, companionable silence fell upon them as they continued planting the last handful of bulbs, but every time Zelos glanced at Sheena, he marveled to see she was still smiling - and that beautiful sight, in turn, kept the smile firmly on his lips, too, which just made her smile broaden every time she glanced at him. Fifteen minutes later, Zelos was helping her bury the last of the bulbs, and once the last shovelful of dirt was in place, he tapped it with his trowel and grinned. "Ta da! All planted."

Sheena returned his grin as she tossed her trowel aside and rose to her feet. "Now all we have to do is water these and we're done."

He watched her head back into the house and similarly pushed himself up, fighting back the urge to brush the dirt off of himself for fear of making it worse, considering all the mud on his hands. Dirty or not, though, it felt good to have done something like that with her - for her. Sure, he might feel like an angel out of heaven in this village, and especially doing a task that no one in his family had ever had to do for themselves, but he liked the feeling that helping her gave him. Maybe there really was something to doing a task for yourself rather than having someone else do it for you. It gave him a sense of accomplishment he'd never felt before. He thought he could actually get used to that feeling. And if helping her out had made her smile, well, that was even better.

He was still pondering the unfamiliar but nice feeling when Sheena returned with a bucket of water and two drinking cups. "Pour one cup of water on each bulb," she instructed, handing him one of the cups.

"Got it." He dipped the cup into the bucket, then headed to the farthest bulb to their left while Sheena took the bulb on the far right, returning to the bucket after each one. They continued in that fashion until they were only a few bulbs away from meeting in the middle. "So when do you find out how well these did or did not take?" he asked.

"Next spring, hopefully," she said. "If they don't take, I'll have to start over from scratch."

Zelos arched an eyebrow, watching her refill her cup. "That's a long time to wait to find out."

"Yeah, but that's how it is with bulbs - you plant them and then spend months waiting, with no idea if they'll survive the winter until spring comes. You're basically planting blind and leaving the rest up to nature."

"Huh," he said, considering that. "Any way you look at it, it sounds like quite a gamble, putting so much time and energy into something that may only result in disappointment."

Sheena smiled faintly as she knelt to pour water on the last bulb. "I guess it kinda is, but I can't help thinking if it pays off and all of these bloom, then it'll have been worth it."

Heh. He couldn't argue with her there. This house really would look gorgeous if these plants survived the winter. And really, the best things in life often did take a lot of time and effort and patience - and sometimes even a huge dollop of luck, too. Why should this be any different? "Yeah, I think so, too," he murmured.

"If they don't grow, then I'll plant bushes or something else instead, but I'd really rather have the iris," she said with a shrug, rising to her feet again.

Zelos couldn't help thinking iris suited her far better than generic bushes would. He couldn't put his finger on why, but the thought of her living in a house lined by iris felt...appropriate. "Well, I really hope they grow for you," he said, giving her a faint smile as he took the cup from her, stacked it with his, and grabbed the handle of the bucket, lifting it. "I can't wait to see what this looks like next spring."

Sheena smiled shyly and, with a faint, "Me, too," they headed inside and kicked off their boots by the door (because "Never, ever walk on a tatami mat with shoes" had been one of Sheena's first, and most strictly enforced, lessons during their stops in Mizuho during the regeneration journey). Zelos set the bucket on the kitchen counter and, using the clean water from it, they set about watching their hands.

Before either could finish drying them, though, Zelos could no longer resist. He grabbed her shoulders, pinned her to the wall beside the counter, cupped her face with his damp hands, and kissed her, savoring the feel of her full, welcoming lips beneath his, her warm, supple body pressed against his, and her smooth, silky skin beneath his fingertips. He sank into the kiss deeper and far more desperately than he than he normally let himself, but he couldn't help it; he hadn't seen her in days, he'd missed her terribly, he'd had an obnoxious day, and his heart was still soaring from her earlier words of encouragement. He felt, quite honestly, like he was gasping for air after being deprived of oxygen for weeks and only her kiss could restore breath to his lungs.

He was reveling in the enticing little moan that had just snuck out of her when, to his surprise and pleasure, she suddenly spun him around, pinned him to the wall, and held him there, taking over the kiss. Damn, had she improved her kissing techniques these past two months - they'd certainly had enough practice! - and...oh, Martel, did he want her, especially when her fingers started roaming his chest and his neck and weaving into his hair, making his head swim with desire. And not for the first time, he had to force himself to jettison that line of thought and remember the promise he'd made not to take anything too far with her. As torturous as it was to not embrace this fiery desire within him that ached for her, he would be patient. He would. Breaking that promise now, after all, would mean decimating her trust in him, and he refused to do that after how hard he'd worked to earn it. But unwavering resolve or not, he'd be damned if he didn't enjoy every second of these beautifully heated, heady kisses that he could get.

Finally, though, his need for oxygen demanded attention, and he reluctantly broke the kiss, pulling back enough to observe her through half-lidded eyes, his breathing heavy. It took a moment before her brown eyes opened and searched his face, but once they did, she bit her kiss-swollen lip and gave him a shy smile as she hopped up on her toes and gave him another kiss, far quicker than the last one but still incredibly sweet. "Better?" she asked, arching a playful eyebrow.

"Much," he replied, grinning broadly, but then he reconsidered that and tilted his head. "Although one more wouldn't hurt anything, would it?"

Sheena chuckled and whispered, "No, it wouldn't," before looking back at his lips and giving him another kiss, that one so soft and tender and meaningful that it made his heart pound faster in his chest. After a moment, she pulled away, her eyes slowly opening again, and beamed him another shy smile. "I love you, Zelos."

...And there were his all-time favorite words - words that made every other care and concern melt away. "Love you too, Sheena," he whispered back to her.

She watched him a moment, smiling shyly, her hands falling back to his chest as his lowered to her waist, then she tilted her head in the direction of the door. "Thanks for helping me plant those bulbs. I'd still be doing that otherwise."

"No problem." He let out a soft laugh. "Manual labor or not, it actually feels good every now and then to do something someone finds to be, y'know, useful."

"Yeah, I know. And I really do appreciate it." Her gaze briefly dropped to his lips again, betraying how tempted she was to go back to kissing him - a fact that made him internally smirk - then it lifted back to his eyes, her smile fading a little. "Unfortunately, I have a training session this afternoon with some girls. Otherwise I would've loved to have spent the afternoon with you."

Oh. Right. He did remember her saying that every other afternoon this week she'd be doing that. Zelos sighed softly and shrugged. "Eh, that's okay. I have a meeting with the Church and the King this afternoon anyway that I really can't skip out on."

Her eyebrows rose. "Oh? What's up?"

He grinned. "We're beginning negotiations to remove the title from my name. Needless to say, if I want to keep certain powers in an effort to phase out the need for a certain other obnoxious official, which I've pretty well decided I do, I kinda need to be there to fight for them."

"Oh, finally!" she said, her face lighting up. Man, was he glad he had someone to share this news with - someone who was just as happy about it as he was. "It's about time they opened that discussion! It's only been, what, three months since we rendered your title obsolete?"

"What, you were expecting things in Meltokio to work quickly?" he asked in mock surprise.

Sheena gave him a wry grin. "Gee, what was I thinking? Here they would've made that decision in less than a day."

"That's because your grandfather isn't nearly as indecisive as the King and the Church are," Zelos stated, mirroring her grin. "Needless to say, when those two are involved, it multiplies the amount of time needed to reach any decision by, oh, twenty."

"And thank Jizou he's not," Sheena muttered, absently running her fingers down his chest. "I don't know how you can stand waiting this long for something you've wanted for years, Zelos. Three months just to start the conversation would drive me crazy."

Yeah, it probably would. Patience wasn't Sheena's strongest point. Fortunately for him, patience was one of his. "Years and years of practice being patient waiting for this very thing to happen, sweetheart."

"I suppose. For your sake, I'm just glad it's finally starting at all." He smiled as her eyes lifted back to his. "So when do you have to leave? My training session isn't for a few more hours."

Zelos mentally calculated the timing, then tilted his head. "Eh, I shouldn't have to head back for another hour or two."

And again, Sheena smiled - and not for the first time, Zelos marveled over the fact that she was happy to hear he could stay longer. They may have been dating two months now, but some things never got old for him - and this, knowing she liked having him around and that his presence no longer made her want to kill him, was definitely one of them. "I'm glad to hear that," she said, pulling her hand from his chest and taking a step backwards, releasing him from the wall. "How about we have some lunch and then go for a walk?"

His grin softened. Disturbing encounter with Orochi or not, he was still extremely glad he'd come here today. "Sounds good."

She smiled at him another moment, then nodded. "So can I get you some tea?"

He shrugged and pushed himself away from the wall. "Eh...I'm not much of a tea drinker."

Her eyebrows flew upward and she folded her arms to her chest. "Okay, if you're going to start spending any significant amount of time in Mizuho, you'll have to learn some of our traditions so you don't accidentally offend anyone. To that end, you should know it's an unwritten rule here that if someone offers you tea, you don't turn it down. Rejecting an offer like that is seen as rude."

"Hm," he murmured, tilting his head. He hadn't known that. "You're right; that's a good thing to know - not that I expect anyone here other than you will ever offer me any seeing as you're the only one who even dares to talk to me. But regardless, that still doesn't solve the problem that I'm not particularly fond of tea."

Sheena leaned back against the counter, observing him a moment thoughtfully. "Then we'll just have to find a variety you do like. It's not like there's only one kind. So what have you had before that you didn't like?"

He searched his memories, trying to remember the two or three times he'd tried tea that had led to his dismissal of the drink. "I don't remember the exact varieties, but one was bitter, and another had an overpowering herbal taste. It reminded me of medicine."

"Okay, so strong herbals aren't to your liking," she said. "Then how 'bout a sweeter kind?"

Zelos shrugged. He'd never tried a sweet tea before. "Sure, why not? I'm game."

"We'll start you off with a fruit variety, and if you don't like it, I'll finish drinking it for you," she said, heading toward the stove to get the tea started brewing. "It used to be if anyone served tea in Mizuho, they'd hold a tea ceremony for it and perform a bunch of rites along with it, and sometimes we still do, just so we remember how to do it, but lately we've been doing that less and less. Since it takes so long and I'm sure you don't care about it anyway, I'll just make the tea instead."

Eh, maybe someday he'd sit through one of those 'tea ceremonies' to see what it all entailed, but it if was long (and 'long' usually meant 'boring'), then they just didn't have time for that today. "Sounds good."

Turning away from her, he wandered toward the living area, looking around her home. He'd only been here once before, a few days after she'd moved in, but already there were additions: a leather scroll on the wall behind the fireplace, between two windows, with a single Mizuhoan character on it; a framed sketch of Corrine that Colette had drawn hanging on the adjacent wall; a wooden mouse charm from Presea that was sitting on a bookshelf beside the broken spider figurine Sheena had kept from Welgaia, the one they'd both received as an admonishment not to run from difficulty; some distinctly Mizuhoan knickknacks sitting on a low wooden table; an embroidered blanket hanging over the back of her couch. The little shrine alcove in the corner, which Sheena had explained was to Jizou, Mizuho's god, seemed to have more flourish and color to it, too, and the floor was now covered with tatami mats. She'd only had one last time, but now there were five, most likely gifts from the villagers. The faint scent of incense hung in the air, too, a soothing mixture of sandalwood and something else he'd always associated with Sheena but had later learned was a standard feature of Mizuho. All were little touches that indicated this place was hers.

The house itself, for something so simple, fit Sheena well. The windows weren't huge (thankfully, since Zelos really didn't want someone to accidentally see them kissing), but they had lovely views when open and let in plenty of natural light. The kitchen, dining area, and living area were technically one large room, with the kitchen and dining area separated by two short, movable paper screens, and the dining area and living area separated by the couch where it faced the fireplace (a small, pit fireplace called an irori that Sheena claimed was unnecessary since she'd also requested a stove in the kitchen area, but the irori itself was apparently a Mizuho tradition, a 'cozy' place for the chief to sit and discuss issues with the villagers, so she'd ended up with both). The couch, Sheena had said, had also been a special request. It, too, wasn't traditional Mizuhoan furniture, and the villagers originally hadn't wanted to give her one since Mizuhoan furniture was designed to fold up and move easily so every room could be used for multiple purposes, but she'd fallen in love with cushy couches while traveling the world and wanted one of her own, even if it made rearranging her main room more difficult, and so some of their craftsmen had made a wooden frame and covered it with some bean- and cotton-filled cushions to function as one. While not as comfortable as the one in his mansion, it served its purpose well enough.

Along the opposite wall from the main door were three additional rooms: a bedroom, a bathroom, and another storage area that could easily serve as an additional bedroom if necessary. The bedroom was small, but it had the necessities: a bed called a futon, which was basically a mattress laid flat on the floor with pillows and blankets atop it that could be folded up and stuffed in her closet if she needed space, a dresser, a mirror, a surprisingly large closet (to house the futon and a few other, larger portable items, she'd said), and several shelving units. The storage room/second bedroom was similar to the main bedroom, except it was smaller and was currently empty. The bathroom, too, was tiny but served its purpose.

Actually, Sheena had pointed out, having so many extra, clearly defined rooms was unique in Mizuho, and she was honored that they'd given her so many; most houses here only had one large, single room (and sometimes a separate bathroom, but not always) that served all purposes at all times, simply being sectioned off by screens and set up with portable furniture for whatever purpose was necessary at the time, sometimes being a kitchen, sometimes a meeting room, and other times a bedroom. So to have three primary rooms like this was an oddity, but one she treasured and was planning to utilize to the fullest. Once she found enough stuff to fill it, that was. So far she was off to a good start, thanks to all the gifts the villagers had given her, things like the tatami mats, curtains, plates, dishes, chopsticks, a table, and an assortment of mats to kneel on while visiting or eating, all of which helped fill it in nicely, as did the budding library starting on a bookshelf along the far wall. Her home was small, far more so than anything he was used to living in, but it was considerably larger and more elaborate than any other building in Mizuho. And really, he supposed, what more did someone need to survive?

It was simple. It was nice. It was homey. Zelos liked it; he felt surprisingly comfortable here, probably because it was so very Sheena and was accumulating pieces of her personality everywhere. It was mostly traditional Mizuhoan in design, and yet it had a number of non-Mizuhoan features, too, which made sense to him since its owner was the same: of Mizuho, yet with a number of worldly, outside influences at work on her. And he especially liked that they now had a place in Mizuho to get away and have some alone time, with no suspicious eyes watching their every move - and that Sheena trusted him enough to let him in without hesitation, in a way that told him she felt in no way threatened that he would try something funny with her.

But, he also noted as Orochi's earlier words floated through his mind again, it was obvious this house wasn't meant just for Sheena, but for her future spouse and children, too. It really was larger than any other home in Mizuho, the futon was large enough for two people, and the storage/guest room was clearly added with the intention of being converted into a baby room when that time came. By giving her a house like this, her people were preparing her for the future life that awaited her - and by accepting it, Sheena was telling her people she accepted that future. And again, Zelos wondered just what his place was in that future. As tempted as he was to ask what she saw for him here, though, she hadn't said anything about it yet, and as he'd decided earlier, he wasn't willing to bring up the subject without knowing where he stood on it first. If he followed through on his New Year's deadline to make an initial decision, then he would broach it with her...maybe.

He'd just picked up a wooden fox carving off the bookshelf - he remembered seeing Lloyd working on it after Corrine's death (everyone had gone out of their way to comfort her, which Zelos had known had made her uncomfortable, and while his own attempts to pretend like nothing had happened had been insensitive, at least he'd gotten her mind off of it and had given her someone to physically vent her frustrations on) - when Sheena rejoined him in the main area. "It'll be a few minutes."

Zelos set the fox down and turned to her, smiling. "Okay." But the thought of Lloyd - and, naturally, accompanying that, the thought of Sheena's crush on Lloyd and the last time he'd seen them together - reminded him of his other reason for coming here today, and his face fell. He was sure she wouldn't be happy about this, and he hated asking her something that might make her regret dating him, but he still had to ask. He wandered over to the couch and sat down on the backrest facing her, folding his arms to his chest and offering her a sheepish smile. "So...do you have any plans for a week from tonight?"

Sheena considered that a moment as she likewise leaned back against the backrest, but then she shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Why? What did you have in mind?"

"...Heh." Zelos scratched his neck awkwardly. Crap, there went all hope for an excuse to get out of this.

Her eyes narrowed and she nudged him with her shoulder. "Zelos?"

Ah, well. As reluctant as he was to mention this and make her feel obligated to do something she didn't want to for him, he kinda had to now that he'd brought it up. "It's the princess's 18th birthday next week, and the king is throwing a 'coming of age' party for her. Y'know, typical Meltokio looking for any excuse they can find to throw a giant gala."

A glance at her showed she was watching him closely. "Okay...?"

"Well, being the Chosen, I'm kinda required to attend this thing. I'm not thrilled about it, but it'd be a little too obvious if I didn't at least put in an appearance. Chances are the king and Princess Hilda would take it as a personal insult, too. And I don't really want to go without a date, because I'm pretty sure Hilda has a crush on me, judging from how excited she was about the thought of dancing with me..."

Sheena rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, too. "Zelos, just about every woman in Tethe'alla has a crush on you. Probably quite a few in Sylvarant do by now, too."

He arched an eyebrow at her, unable to resist smirking. "Every woman, eh? Does that assessment include you?"

As he'd expected, her face flared and her eyes fell downward shyly. "I...I'm a little beyond a crush."

Oh, Sheena. Would it never cease to amaze him that not only was she impossibly cute when she got all shy like that, but that she was actually willing to admit that to him? Especially when, just a few months ago, a stupid statement like that would have resulted in her smacking him? His eyebrow rose higher. "Just a little?"

Her head shot upward and she pointed at him, giving him a mock-glare. "Don't push it."

Heh. He still had it: the ability to push her buttons. And he just knew if he kept pushing, he could get her to smack him, too. Not that he wanted her to, but the reminder that he was still capable of evoking the fire he loved so much was still welcome. His smirk broadened. "Sorry, sorry, can't help myself sometimes."

Sheena continued to glare at him warningly another moment, but thankfully she accepted the apology. "Okay, so there's this party coming up next week, and...what?" When he still didn't reply, hesitant to ask the question, she sighed and gave him a fond, amused smile. "Zelos, if you're gonna ask me to this thing, just ask me."

...Whoops. "That obvious, huh?"

She grinned. "Just a little."

"Yeah, it probably is," he murmured. "It's just, I know you hate these things even more than I do, and I don't want you to feel you have to go just because I have to be there..."

Pushing herself away from the couch, she turned so she was standing in front of him, her hands lightly touching his chest. "Zelos, just ask me. I'm not gonna say 'no.'"

His eyebrows flew upward again. "You're not?"

"Of course not," she stated matter-of-factly, as if she couldn't believe he wasn't sure about that. "You're my boyfriend. I can't very well let you go to this thing alone, can I?"

And there was the 'obligated to go because we're dating' thing he'd been hoping to avoid. "But..."

She shook her head, cutting him off. "Okay, yeah, so as a general rule, I hate those parties. They're long and boring and basically an excuse for rich people to show off. But there are exceptions to every rule, and this is one of them. I love you, Zelos, and if you need to go to this thing, then I'll make an exception and come with you. I mean, as a general rule, you wouldn't be caught dead digging in the dirt and planting iris bulbs, would you?"

He watched her carefully, realizing what she was getting at. And while it sounded snobbish to admit to this, she was right, and he wouldn't lie about it. "No, probably not."

"And yet obviously you just did," she prodded.

"Heh...I guess I did, didn't I?" he murmured, placing his hands on her waist, drawing her closer to him.

"Yeah, you did, because people who love each other make exceptions to their normal rules in these cases. And that's why I'm willing to make an exception this time and come with you." She smiled shyly, a light blush settling on her cheeks. "Besides, it's not like I didn't enjoy the last one. I...I actually have some pretty good memories of that one."

Zelos couldn't help returning her smile at the warmth that filled him as he remembered that night - and especially knowing what had come from it. "Yeah...me, too. But you have to admit, love, that was a rather...unusual and unique...night. The chances of lightning striking twice are pretty slim. This will be a far more normal, boring party than that one was."

Sheena shrugged, but she was outright grinning now, too. "Yeah, I know. But...well, the thought of going with you to this thing is much better than the thought of going and watching you flirt your way through every woman in the room." Her blush deepened and her eyes fell downward shyly. "Actually, going with you might be kinda nice."

Oh? Zelos was pretty sure his heart skipped another beat. "Really?"

"Really." She met his eyes again, then arched an expectant eyebrow. "So are you gonna ask me or not?"

He should've known that even after she'd pretty much already said yes, she would still make him ask. It was strange how much he still hated that particular aspect of dating - asking her out on a specific date, especially when it was something she wasn't enthused about, as opposed to a simple, 'Hey, so you want to go do something later?' But it was too late to back out now. And honestly, he really wanted her to come with him, because he, too, thought it might be nice. More than nice, in fact; if she came with him, he might actually enjoy this party.

With a sigh of defeat, he trailed his fingers lightly over her sides. "So...think I could talk you into coming with me to this thing?"

"'Bout time," she muttered, grinning playfully. "And yes, Zelos, I'll come with you. I may not like these things much - well, okay, at all - but I'll come with you anyway. Because, y'know, as much as I may not like them, I like the thought of you having to ask Random Hunny #5 to be your date even less."

Oh, Sheena. You make it so easy to tease you. "Jealousy, thy name is Sheena."

Her eyes instantly narrowed, but thankfully a smirk matching his was toying on her lips, too. Sometimes he wondered if she was just that clueless when she was walking into trouble like that, and other times he wondered if she did it intentionally. She folded her arms to her chest and arched an eyebrow. "Are you looking for me to beat you up? Y'know, for old time's sake?"

He laughed softly and waved that off with his hand. "Nah, I'll pass. This time, anyway. Showing up at this thing sporting a black and blue shiner would raise too many questions regarding my sanity at dating a physically abusive ninja."

Sheena gave him a wicked grin. "Trust me, I can find places on your body to beat you up that no one would ever see, meaning they'd be none the wiser for it."

"Heh." Zelos tilted his head, his smirk broadening. "Okay, I'll give you that. But I'd really rather not look like a punching bag when my date is as strikingly beautiful as you."

Her eyes widened and her cheeks reddened - but, thankfully, she no longer argued that point when he caught her off guard with such a compliment. In fact, instead she gave him a shy, embarrassed smile and lightly punched his arm. "Idiot."

Oh, did he know it. He was an idiot who not only liked being able to incite her fiery temper, but also being able to elicit this endearingly shy side of her, too - an idiot who fell harder for her every single time he was with her. Chuckling, he lifted his hands to her arms and rubbed them gently. "So you're really okay with coming with me to this obnoxious thing?"

She nodded, lifting her dark eyes back to his and giving him a shockingly certain - and, more than that, loving - smile. "I never thought I'd say this, but yeah, I am. It'll be completely different this time, being there with you."

"Yeah, it will," he murmured, his own smile softening, but then he chuckled again. "Honestly, I'm looking forward to being able to stay with one woman the entire time instead of having to flirt with and dance with every woman there and then endure listening to their brain-numbing drivel, just to save an image I'm not interested in maintaining anymore. Thanks for agreeing to this, sweetheart."

"You're welcome." Without warning, her eyes widened. "Wait...does this mean I need a new dress?"

"That's probably a good idea. My hunnies tend to get nasty and judgmental when someone wears the same outfit to three parties in a row."

She sighed. "I suppose. Of course, I can't say I'll be too disappointed to not have to wear that...hooker outfit...again."

Zelos's eyebrows flew upward, and while she seemed to be serious about that, he couldn't help laughing. "'Hooker outfit'?"

"Let me guess - you liked that thing, didn't you?" Sheena replied, giving him a mild glare.

Oh, Martel, was she serious? How could he not like that dress? "Of course I did! It showed off lots of lovely, sexy Sheena skin." He quickly lifted a finger as her grin turned into a glare. "And for the record, lots of skin, especially when done that tastefully, does not equal 'hooker outfit.' Believe me, I've seen my share of hookers out on the streets at night, and that is definitely not a dress any of them would wear. It was elegant and gorgeous, love, and it looked amazing on you."

"Whatever," she replied, rolling her eyes - but, he noted again, her glare was softening into another smile that she was trying, but failing, to hide. "But I'm still not wearing it again unless I have no other choice."

He nodded. "That's fine. We should still have enough time to get you a new one before then. How 'bout tomorrow for some dress shopping? I know we're having dinner at my place tomorrow night...do you have anything planned before that?"

Sheena slowly shook her head. "No, I don't think so." Without warning, she pointed at him, her eyebrows rising expectantly. "But you aren't picking out my dress. In fact, having you there at all would be way too distracting. Something tells me you'd spend the entire time instructing the seamstress to keep removing layers until I ended up wearing even fewer strips of cloth than last time. I think I can handle choosing my own dress."

Zelos snorted. "Heh. I should've known that would be too easy." He lifted a hand to his heart and released a showy, forlorn sigh. "And my never-ending quest to get my hands on your measurements goes on..."

She chuckled and poked his chest. "You're terrible. Just admit it: you'll never get them."

"Never say never." Zelos waggled his eyebrows. "I have ways you'd never even consider."

"Yeah, sure you do," she said, folding her arms to her chest. "And I have ways to keep anyone from talking. Ever."

"Sounds like a challenge to me!" Sheena rolled her eyes, then gave him another mock-glare, and he sighed, lifting his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay! You can go shopping without me. I like being surprised. But I'm paying for it. If you're coming to this thing for my sake, then the least I can do is buy you a dress." He pointed at her before she could object - because judging from how quickly her mouth opened, that was what she'd been about to do. "Ah! And no arguing that, because I'm not changing my mind. I know you're not big on hearts and flowers and candy and other lovebird gifts like that, but you at least have to let a guy dote on his girlfriend every now and then!"

She pursed her lips as she observed him, but then she sighed, her face softening. "Fine, fine. I can't imagine I have the money to pay for something that would cost me a fortune and that I'd only ever wear once anyway."

Oh, there was no way he'd let that happen. He loved tough-as-nails, fighter-ninja Sheena dearly, but he loved dolled-up, irresistibly sexy and classy Sheena just as much. "Hey, if this dress is nice enough, I'm gonna insist you wear it again." He shrugged. "Besides, seeing you decked out in a fancy dress is worth far more than the gald it'll cost me."

Her cheeks flared, and she gave him another embarrassed, half-hearted glare. "We'll see."

Good enough, he congratulated himself, then gave her a wicked grin. "Just don't cover up too much skin, m'kay? A guy has to take his indulgences when he can get them, y'know."

Sheena rolled her eyes again, her blush deepening further, but her glare was faltering into an even more embarrassed smile. "That I refuse to make any promises about."

He placed a finger to his lips, pretending to seriously consider that. "Hm...then I guess I'll have to have a chat with the seamstress about the percentage of material she's allowed to put into the dress compared to the percentage of skin showing..."

Her fist shot up and smacked his shoulder, but her shining eyes betrayed that she was just amused, not upset. "Perverted idiot," she muttered fondly. Before he could so much as grin at that, though, the tea kettle suddenly whistled, and Sheena pulled away from him to attend to it. Still grinning, Zelos watched her go, admiring the view - because damn, did she have a nice figure that he was already looking forward to seeing in a slinky dress - and then took the steaming mug from her when she returned with it a minute later. "Here you go. Don't burn your mouth. And let me know if you need more sugar or honey in it."

"Thanks," he replied, lifting it to his nose. Huh. It actually smelled pretty good - nothing like what he remembered.

She bowed her head shyly in acknowledgement, then looked up at him again. "So you're really staying for lunch?"

He couldn't help smiling at the sudden, shy hopefulness radiating from her. He would never tire of seeing this side of her - and he especially liked that she was willing to let him regularly see it now. "Of course, sweetheart. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Sheena returned his smile, whispering a soft, "Great," before giving him a quick kiss and heading back to the kitchen. "Just give me a few minutes to throw something together."

"Sounds good." Lifting the mug to his lips, he took a sip of the tea. Hm...not bad. It was sweet and a little spicy, too - he couldn't place the flavor, but whatever it was, it was a thousand times better than the other kinds he'd tried. In fact, he couldn't help thinking that it was nice and warm and soothing...just like Sheena.

He watched her another moment as she looked through her cupboards, clearly trying to decide what to make, and took another sip of his tea. Chances were he'd wait until she had decided on something and then see if he could help her out; after all, there was no reason for him to sit idly by when he could be helping her instead. He was used to Sebastian waiting on him hand and foot, but Sheena wasn't Sebastian, and while it was nice to know she cared about him enough to do so for him now, he refused to let her slave over him like that. He owed her, after all, not the other way around. This, too, he would therefore consider to be an exception to the rule.

And speaking of exceptions...he thought he might actually now be looking forward to this predictably over-the-top birthday party for Hilda. With Sheena by his side, he already knew it would be infinitely better than any party he'd ever attended before. Having the most gorgeous woman he'd ever seen as his date and being able to dance with her, to touch her without being smacked in return, to spend so much time in such close proximity to her, to enjoy the view of her all decked out in a beautiful dress, to show her off and tell his hunnies, once and for all, that he was taken...oh, yeah, obnoxiously over-the-top or not, he would enjoy this thing. Next week would be another exception to the general rule.

But what else should he expect? Sheena herself was an exception to the rule, an exception to every rule he'd ever expected from women...an exception that, in turn, made him make exceptions to every rule he'd ever held for himself. And that, too, just reemphasized that he'd made the right choice to follow through on this relationship and see where it took them, regardless of Orochi's warning. He might not currently be able to fathom living this kind of life, but given time...maybe that, too, would prove to be another exception to the rules. He couldn't dismiss the possibility. As it was, he was constantly finding himself doing things for her that he'd never dream of doing for anyone else, so if this relationship continued like this...who knew how this life would look to him in a few months?

All he knew was that whatever the future held, 'they' were worth continuing. He refused to run from this, to give up this feeling of being wanted, accepted, respected, and loved. He'd spent his entire life starving for those things, and now, with Sheena, he'd found everything he'd ever wanted. Feeling like he was actually useful to someone, like he wasn't worthless, like he was valued, was far too good of a feeling to let slip through his fingers. To hell with everyone's opinions of him, of her, of their relationship, then. He knew what he wanted right now, and that was her. He wasn't giving her, this, them, up for anything, not right now. Wherever this went, he would see it through, and by New Year's, he would reevaluate his stance and decide whether to continue their relationship or break it off. Whatever will be, will be.

Right now, though, he didn't have to worry about that yet; he could just enjoy being here with her and leave the future for another day. Taking another sip of his tea - yeah, he really didn't mind this variety - he pushed himself off the couch and headed toward the kitchen as Sheena started pulling things out and setting them on the counter, indicating she'd settled on something to make. It was time to make another exception for her and see how else he could help her out today.

0~*~0

(Continued in Part 2: The Party)