Sheena could only sigh as the leaves blew around her. One of her best friends was gone forever. All because he didn't have enough trust in them. 'You...Idiot...Chosen...' she thought to herself. Mizuho was never really cold, but today was exceptional. The autumn leaves were scattered everywhere and the air was chilly. "I really need to stop thinking of him and...and move on..." she said to herself. As a chief of Mizuho, she grew stronger and finally defeated Kuchinawa. His brother, Orochi, changed his mind about avenging his parents, he now lived in the village as a gaurd for the town gate, and Orochi became the vice-chief. Everyone did trust Sheena, and she always did her best. Though deep down, even below all the tomboyish talk and actions she was scarred from that unfortunate moment 5 years ago...when The Chosen of Mana from Tethe'alla fought Lloyd's group and died. Sheena never admitted it openly, but she loved the peverted, yet handsome swordsman, now he was gone. And she regretted ever making him feel hurt. She rubbed her arms together and went back to the village with her teeth chattering.
Everyone in the village smiled and greeted her and she smiled back, hiding the depression in her lonely heart. She had loved another, but his heart belonged to the Chosen of Slyvarant. 'Ah well, they're cute together anyways.' she thought while slightly grinning. She walked into her small, one roomed house. It was both her home and the town meeting place where the Chief and the vice-chief had meetings with other people. Orochi was there sitting, talking to his brother Kuchinawa. Now a days, Kuchinawa never had his mask on, and his uniform was now a dark blue, similar to his brothers'. "Hey." she greeted. Orochi nodded his head at her, and Kuchinawa turned to stare. Sheena never thought he really forgave her. She knew deep down, that really, the incident with Volt was her fault. If only she hadn't lost her temper with Volt the first time...he would have never gotten angry. But the past is the past, and his parents would never come back. "Orochi, I'm gonna borrow a rehaird for a few hours...'mmkay? Watch over the village for me while I'm gone" she told him while getting the keys to the shed, which the rehairds were stored. "Understood." he stated. Kuchinawa stood up. "Why, where are you going?" he asked. Sheena stopped for a moment and her body trembled slightly. 'Kuchinawa you fool...why are you asking her that?' Orochi thought while shaking his head.
She turned around and smiled slightly at him. "I'm...gonna visit a very important friend of mine. See you." she said and walked out of the hut. As soon as the door shut, Orochi grabbed his brother by the shoulders and shook him. "You fool! Don't you know better than to respect a woman's private life!" he roared at his younger brother. Kuchinawa only shoved his brother back and crossed his arms. "As Vice-Chief, I would think that you would be intrested to know as well." he stated. "I already know, because she trusts me!" he said. Kuchinawa raised an eyebrow. "Then why don't you tell me?" he asked. Orochi starred at the ground. "B-because you would get angry." he grunted.
"Why in Martel's sake would I get angry about where she was going!" his sibling barked. "Because dear brother, I know how you feel for the Chief of Mizuho..." he quietly said. Kuchinawa almost fell out of shock. "What?" he yelled. "Don't lie, you always look at her with lustfull eyes, and even working with the pope you still wanted her...I know brother." Orochi whispered. Kuchinawa shut his eyes in anger and blushed. "And? Does that not give me the right to know where she's going?" he snarled. "You don't have the right to know her whereabouts so easily after you betrayed Mizuho and Sheena's trust…" his brother mumbled. "Say as you wish, but I'm going to have a talk with her." Kuchinawa then dissapeared in smoke. Orochi just sat and shook his head. 'Hurt your feelings and her feelings as well, why don't you?' he thought to himself bitterly.
Sheena just barely made it to the shed and opened the two main doors. She heard someone running up the stairs and she turned around. "Kuchinawa...what's wrong...are you hurt?" she asked with worry. He panted as he shook his head. "No, I wanted to know where you're heading." he told her. "I already told I'm going to visi-" but his hand cut her off. "Specific location please." he demanded. Sheena only sighed. "My friend...no, my best friend...I am going to visit him...and maybe talk to him for a while..." she told him sincerely. Kuchinawa then realized it. "Damn, it's the grave of that idiot, red head Chosen isn't it?" he said while stomping his foot on the ground. Sheena grew angry and over-protective for the Magic Swordsman.
"He's not an idiot! I-I...loved him Kuchinawa...he was the love of my life and, and I never got to say anything to him! I probably hurt his feelings repeatedly, calling him a moron and always slapping him silly, but I really did think he was good person! He was the one who saw me for who I was, he made me feel good about myself both physcially and mentally, and he helped me out of sacrificing myself for Lloyd's group. If it wasn't for him, I would have committed suicide from the tragedy of Volt a long time ago!" she sobbed with tears rolling down her cheecks. Her knees shook as she kneeled on the ground. "I loved him Kuchinawa...I still love him...and now he's gone! Not just to his dumb groupies, forever! As in I'll never be able to tell him my true feelings and I won't be able to feel his warm embraces!" she cried out. She lay on the dirt, her body shaking with sobs and chokes.
Kuchinawa stared at the Chief of Mizuho and felt sorry for her. His usual reaction at someone crying would be spitting in disgust, but now...oh for the love of Martel he never intended to make her break down. He knew she liked the Chosen of Tethe'alla, but...she truly...truly loved him...so much that it clenched his heart in pain just to see her crying.
"I loved him Kuchinawa...I loved him..." she continued to cry. He finally shook his head and had enough. He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and stood her up.
Slap
Sheena brought her hand up to the red, pulsing mark and her lips went dry. "Why...?" she asked quietly. Kuchinawa glared at her angrily. "It's useless to cry over one who is dead! I'm sure he loved you too and he betrayed your group just to keep you safe from Mithos. Don't you see! Even after death, I'm sure he wouldn't want you to mope over him like a damn banshee!" he screamed. Sheena chuckled and Kuchinawa grew angrier. "What's so funny!" he asked. "Banshee...Violent Demonic Banshee...that's what he used to call me..." she laughed a bit while wiping a tear off her cheeck. He shook her shoulders madly. "Stop! It's ok to have memories like that of him! But only thinking that it was your fault that he died will only make it worse! How about for a moment you actually think! Do you think he would want the woman of his dreams crying all the time and possibly comitting suicide in the future!" he demanded. Sheena's eyes were glazed over and her eyes turned slightly red from crying. "N-no...I guess...n-not...," she croaked."Good, because I'm pretty sure he wants to see you live on as a great Chief of Mizuho, not some stupid, in regret woman!" he told her sternly. Sheena shook her head several times and then looked at him in the eyes. "W-what...?" he asked with frigidness in his voice and a blush appeared on his face like before.
"Kuchinawa...why are you so concerned...about me...? The person who was responsible...for the death of your-" "Don't start...I created that idea out of a twisted form of what really happened that day. It...it wasn't your fault. It was because no one could understand Volt's language and...you never were the responsible one." he said. "K-Kuchianawa..." she whispered. "Shut up. I don't want to hear it. And you never heard this coming out of my mouth." he said while standing near the door. "Yes...but...I thought you hated me...not just for... you know...but, just...because..." she said. Kuchinawa sighed deeply and turned to face her again. "Do you really want to know?" he asked her. She nodded and he only sighed again. He walked up to her, and gruffly grabbed her face. "Kuchinawa what are y-" but she was silenced by his lips pressing to hers in a rough kiss. As they seperated she was astounded and flushed at the same time. Kuchinawa stood there, with an emotionless face on as Sheena stared at him. "I..I..." she muttered. "I love you Sheena. All the time we grew up, even though I was on the opposing side...when we had that duel...I always did...that's why I couldn't force myself to kill you...I'm sorry for bottling it up all this time." he mumbled quietly.
"Kuchinawa...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I...here I was acting so stupid, and here you were..." she tried to say but she couldn't find the right words. So she walked over to him and hugged him tightly. "S-Sheena..." he said. "I'm sorry...please forgive me...forgive this retarded Chief of Mizuho..." she whispered. "All right, that's enough...you're starting to sound like the strange Chosen of Sylvarant..." he said with a slight chuckle and Sheena giggled. She let go of him and grabbed his hand. He blushed even more...and had some depraved thoughts about the Chief... "Although you've been a wonderful friend in the past...and you had the courage to tell me the truth..." she started. 'Oh dear Martel...please no...' he thought.
"I'm...I'm sorry Kuchinawa...but I cannot return the feelings you have for me. My heart still belongs with the Chosen of Mana..." she told him.
Kuchinawa felt as though his heart was ripped out and torn into a million pieces. Sheena shook her head and squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." she repeated over and over. He merely nodded. "Uh-understood..." he stumbled."Until the day, in which I can love another man...have this..." she said handing him something wrapped in a handkerchief. He opened it gently and his eyes widened. "T-this is..." he gasped. It was the crane charm he gave to her a long time ago...for good luck. "It's a symbol of our friendship and the sign of this very conversation...keep it safe..." she said while climbing aboard a rehaird. Kuchinawa nodded again and left the shed. Sheena started the reharid and flew off.
'Until that day Kuchinawa...until that day...wait for me...I'm sorry...'
Kuchinawa walked back to the village and looked at the crane once more...and he shut his eyes in frustration. "Damn you Sheena...how long must you keep me waiting...?" he mumbled to himself as he ran off into the woods, a single tear running down his face...and the crane charm...clutched tightly in his fingers.
Sheena arrived at the grave near the Abbey where Seles still lived. She learned about her brother's death and chose to have him buried there. She allowed Sheena to visit whenever she wanted, because she knew what pain the girl must have gone through.
She walked up to the pale stone with his name embedded in it and his sword lay on the ground with flowers around it. "Hey...long time no see..." she greeted the lifeless stone. "I wanted to tell you...hehe, it's been a real crazy day for me...you see Kuchinawa confessed his feelings, and I told him to wait...now I feel like one of your sloozies..eheh...but anyway, I told him no, because you know what...? I still love you...and I always will love you...you...you...Idiot Chosen...my Zelos...," she said while wiping a tear. She sat next to the stone, kissed it softly and fell into a light daze near the grave...with a smile upon her face. A gentle wind caressed her face and it felt as if someone kissed her cheek. And just as she fell asleep completely...she could have sworn to see a flash of red.
Why thank you my sweet voluptuous hunny...my Sheena...
