Chapter 1: Was this fate?
A young, brown-haired swordsman sighed in relief as the Chosen's group finally reached the end of the Triet desert. They had just reached to base of the Ossa trail, and he was never happier to put that stupid barren wasteland behind him.
"Finally! No more sand!" Lloyd exclaimed and fell onto the grass, savoring the feel on his skin.
"Drama queen." Genis rolled his eyes as he sat down next to him. "Though I do admit, the grass feels nice after that desert." The small half elf stretched and laid out beside his best friend, taking a much needed break. He wasn't as cut out for physical activity as Lloyd was, so he was much more tired than the twin-swordsman.
The Chosen's group had just recently released the seal of fire, their first seal on the quest of regeneration. After resting a night for Colette to recover from the effects of the Angel Toxicosis, they made their way through the desert in hopes of finding the Ossa trail, which would lead them to the port town of Izoold. They needed to find a ship to take them to Palmacosta, heeding the angel Remiel's words that another seal was across the sea.
"This is no time for us to be goofing around." Kratos said, walking right past Lloyd and Genis, staring at them behind his auburn hair.
Kratos was a mercenary hired to protect the Chosen on the journey of regeneration. He was, basically, the group's badass. He was calm, collected, and destroyed everything in his path without breaking a sweat. He rarely showed emotion and always used logic in every situation. A terror on the battlefield and a hit with the ladies, he was the total package. Needless to say, Lloyd was a little jealous.
"Aw, c'mon Kratos," Lloyd sighed from the ground. "Just a little break? We're tired." Lloyd rolled onto his back and sat up, glaring at his older companion, who returned his stare.
"We don't have time for such pleasantries." Kratos said, his voice stern. "The Ossa trail is not a treacherous path…during the day. We don't want to still be there when night falls."
"Kratos is right." Said Raine, once again acting as the group's voice of reason. She grabbed Genis by the ear and lifted him to his feet. "We need to keep moving and get to Izoold before dusk." She held on to Genis and dragged him away from Lloyd.
"Aw, Raine! OWWW! Lemme go!" Genis screamed as he scrambled trying to keep his balance as his older sister almost ripped his ear off his head. Lloyd reluctantly got up off the grass and followed them, and Colette chuckled at the scene playing out before her.
Lloyd looked up and saw the two pillars of stone that marked the beginning of the Ossa trail. Kratos had said that the trail wasn't anything to worry about during the day, but he couldn't help but feel anxious for some reason.
'It feels like something… important is going to happen. Or dangerous. I can't really tell…' He shook his head and quickened his pace, following the rest of the group up the mountain.
The trail was just as Kratos had said; quiet and no real threat. There were few monsters so far, and most didn't bother the travelers as they were outnumbered. He assumed this is what he meant by not wanting to be here at night.
'Most of the monsters must be nocturnal… he's right, I wouldn't want to be here after dark either.' After walking for a little bit, the group came upon a small clearing, where Lloyd's feeling of anxiety grew stronger.
'There it is again… what's wrong with me?' A small movement up the mountain caught his eye, and he thought he saw something flash behind a rock.
Farther up the cliff sat a girl behind a boulder, watching a group of travelers come up the trail. The girl had long black hair tied up into a ponytail; her bangs fell across her face. She was dressed in a long, violet robe; with purple arm warmers and boots to match. Her robe was held tight to her body by a large pink obi, which was tied into a bow on the back. She also wore skin-tight black pants, which were part of a body suit that went up her back and formed short sleeves. The suit didn't cover her front however, and a bit of her bra was visible underneath her robe.
The girl looked up from behind her perch to get a better look at the group.
'Ah, finally, they're here…' She steeled herself for what she was about to do.
'Okay Sheena, just find out which one's the Chosen, kill them, and be on your way. No big deal… right?' she began to doubt her actions, and noticed one person in the group look in her direction.
The guy who looked towards her had brown hair that was spiked off to the side. He was dressed in a red jacket and blue pants with overalls, and had two swords attached to his waist. She ducked back behind the rock and attempted to reassure herself.
'I'm doing this for Tethe'alla… Everyone at home is counting on me… I must do this. I can't fail.'
Taking one last deep breath to calm down, Sheena leaped over the rock and stopped at the side of the cliff overlooking the path. Looking down at the group, she prepared herself.
"Stop!" Lloyd heard a voice call out, snapping him out of his thoughts. He looked towards the voice, and saw a girl standing on the edge of the cliff above them.
"What the-" Lloyd said before the girl jumped off the cliff and landed gracefully in front of them. As she straightened herself, Lloyd took a second to analyze the stranger. She wore strange clothes, but they were somewhat similar in design to his, albeit more revealing. Lloyd then realized that he was staring at the girl with his mouth wide open. She was incredibly beautiful. Her black hair was tied up into a ponytail, and her bangs fell perfectly across her face. Her raw beauty easily put to shame any woman or girl he had ever met before. But what he noticed more than anything was her eyes. They were the color of topaz, and he couldn't help but look right into them.
'She seems… conflicted about something. Like she doesn't know what to do… what is she doing?' This troubled Lloyd, but he didn't have much time to think.
"Is the Chosen of Mana among you?" The girl spoke again, and Lloyd was brought back to reality. Who was this girl? And why was she asking for Colette?
"Wait, who are you?" Lloyd said, but Colette piped up right next to him as he spoke.
"Oh, that's me, Hi!" Colette waved at the girl and smiled. This didn't surprise Lloyd at all; Colette was always in high spirits, even when talking to complete strangers.
"Then prepare to… Die!" The girl said as she rushed towards Colette with blinding speed. Lloyd barely had time to react. He began to move towards the two when Colette fell backwards. Her hand hit a red switch that was hidden in the tall grass as she stumbled. Just then, a trap door opened underneath the girl and she fell into the hole.
"Aah!" Sheena yelped as she felt the ground under her feet vanish, and she began to fall. Time began to crawl as she saw the bewildered face of the Chosen disappear behind a wall of dirt as she fell deeper into the hole.
'This is it; I'm going to die… a failure…'
Those were what Sheena believed to be her last thoughts, but right then she felt something grab her raised arm and she stopped falling. She slammed into the side of the wall, and after shaking her head, looked up to see what she had got her arm caught on.
Sheena gasped. She hadn't caught her arm on anything. The red swordsman had saved her. He was holding on to her hand with his, and had a pained expression as he held her weight.
"W-what? What are you-" She looked up at her savior, and saw his eyes. Her words caught in her throat. His eyes were a deep brown, and she became lost in them. She could see a mix of emotions in them, anger, confusion, shock; but most of all, concern. He was genuinely concerned about her.
"Lloyd, what are you doing?!" Sheena heard a young voice call out, probably belonging to the younger boy who was with the group. But she didn't notice; she couldn't tear herself away from his eyes. He was returning her gaze, and a small smile crept onto his face. But then she heard him grunt as the ground underneath his body gave way, and he started to fall into the hole with her.
"Lloyd!" the Chosen cried as he disappeared into the hole with Sheena, and they both began to fall. Instinct kicked in, and Sheena grabbed for the nearest thing. Her hands met air as she flung around wildly, trying to right herself so she could hopefully land on her feet and survive. She then felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her waist and pull her close. She felt herself pressed up against the same man who saved her, and she grabbed onto him without thinking. They continued to fall and he twisted so that he was beneath Sheena. They crashed into something wooden, which broke instantly under the force. Breaking right through, they both slammed into the ground, and Sheena blacked out.
Sheena woke up and opened her eyes. From what she could see, she gathered that they had fell into an old mine shaft. They were in a room which had a raised ceiling, and it was connected to a tunnel. The tunnels walls had studs every eight feet or so, and they were connected to support beams across the ceiling. A single beam of light from the hole they fell from illuminated the room, and Sheena could see all of the debris from what looked like a walkway they fell through.
Sheena attempted to get up and move her head to get a better look at her surroundings, but her muscles screamed in protest at the slightest movement.
"Ugh, I'm in bad shape… at least I survived… but how?" Sheena then noticed that she wasn't lying on the ground, but on the chest of the man who had saved her. His arms were still wrapped around her waist, and she could feel his breath on the top of her head. Her face turned a deep crimson as she realized the intimate embrace, as her arms were wrapped around his neck.
"Eep!" Sheena's embarrassment at her situation gave her the strength to roll off of him and break free of his hold. She managed to crawl a foot away and lean up against a piece of the debris that had landed next to them. She then sighed and composed herself, realizing how sore her body was.
"Whew… If I'm this bad, He must be much worse…" Sheena mumbled, looking over to her savior to get a better look at him.
His jacket was torn in many places, and all of the buttons down the middle were undone somehow, revealing that he was wearing a black muscle shirt underneath. His shirt had a huge hole that went from his left shoulder all the way across his chest to his right hip, exposing his bare chest. His overall straps were undone as well, and his pants were torn in multiple places on both legs.
Sheena blushed again as she looked him over. His ripped shirt allowed her to gaze upon his toned chest and abs. What else she could see of his body was also toned; she assumed he had trained as a swordsman for a good portion of his life. Sheena then looked at his face, and her blush deepened. His cheeks and forehead were smudged with dirt and dust, but he was still incredibly handsome.
'Agh, what am I doing?' She mentally slapped herself for drooling over him for so long. 'He's good looking, but he's part of the Chosen's group! But still… He saved me. He risked his life for a complete stranger…'
Sheena looked back at him and felt a small smile creep onto her face. He had grabbed her and twisted so that he would hit the ground first, breaking her fall as much as possible. She sat there and looked at him for a while, contented to watch the rise and fall of his chest while he breathed.
That was when Sheena saw the blood. She gasped as she noticed the small puddle that was forming under the left side of his back. She got up and scrambled over to his side, ignoring her aching body.
"Dammit! Corrine!" Sheen yelled and the small summon spirit appeared in a puff of smoke.
"What's up Sheena?" Corrine said as he bounded over to her. "Ooooo, who's this? You find a boyfriend and then almost kill him already?" he laughed as Sheena's face turned red… yet again.
"C-C-Corrine! Shut up!" she swatted at him and the fox leapt over to her other side, still laughing. "It's not like that; he's just someone from the chosen's group!" She glared at Corrine as he continued to laugh at her and rolled his little eyes.
"Yeah, ok Sheena." Sheena swore she could see the sarcasm drip off his words as he chuckled. "Then what really happened?"
"I'll explain later, just see if you can find anything to help him!" Sheena yelled again "I can barely move myself, and I don't think I have any apple gels on me…" 'Not that they would be in useable condition after that fall…' She thought, glancing up towards the hole in the ceiling.
"Ok, I'll be right back Sheena!" Corrine vanished with another puff of smoke, and Sheena sighed.
"Please hurry Corrine…" Sheena looked down at him again, and decided to try to roll him on his side to see the extent of the damage. As soon as she grabbed his arm though, his eyes flickered open, and he coughed twice. He attempted to get up, but groaned and clutched his side, falling back down.
Sheena flinched back at first, but grabbed his arm again as he fell back. "Y-you alright?" He looked up at her, and blinked a few times. She lost herself in his eyes for a second, but shook it off as he spoke.
"Oh, you're alright, good." He grinned and attempted to sit up again, which didn't go very well. "Gah! Whew, we took quite a fall there, huh?" he chuckled as he fell to the ground again and sighed.
'Oh Martel, what is wrong with him? I just tried to kill the Chosen, and he's acting like I'm his friend!' The thought struck Sheena and resonated in her mind. 'his friend...' She shook her head again and looked back to him.
"Y-yeah we did…" She looked away and let go of his arm. "Why did you save me? We're enemies! You should have let me fall." She was shocked to hear him chuckle and looked back him.
"What would that have accomplished?" he chuckled as she turned away from his gaze again. "I couldn't have let you fall; I needed to at least find out your name." He beamed at her and could see her blush behind her bangs. "Well that, and why you tried to kill Colette." He watched as she flinched, and then turned her head to look at him again. She stared at him for a while, and he returned her gaze.
'She could easily have killed me or left me here to die, but she didn't… Who is this girl? And dear MARTEL is she beautiful!' He was brought back to reality as she spoke again.
"My name… is Sheena. Sheena Fujibayashi." She knew she shouldn't be telling him her name, but there was something about him… she just met him, but she felt like she could trust him. 'I'm such and idiot...' She mentally smacked herself again. "You?"
He grinned up at her and said "I'm Lloyd Irving." 'Sheena… it sounds familiar somehow…' He looked her over and knew he hadn't met her before. 'I just met her and I feel like I'm talking to my best friend or something… Geez, why does she have to be trying to kill Colette?'
"Well then Lloyd; let's see how bad your side is." Sheena tried to take her mind off of him for a second, but it wasn't working very well. 'Calm down Sheena, you just met him! Even if he saved you… and treats you like a friend… and… ah…' She was losing the internal battle, and she knew it. Even his name was perfect. 'Oh, why? Why did we have to meet like this?'
"Wait, I thought you were trying to kill Colette? Why help me?" Lloyd questioned with a small hint of humor. Sheena picked up on this and stifled a chuckle, keeping her unemotional front intact.
"Are you the Chosen?" she asked. He just looked at her and grinned, shaking his head. "That and… you saved me. I'm only returning the favor." She then pointed at his side again. "Can you manage to roll onto your side?" He just looked at her and coughed, grinning after his face had contorted with pain.
"I can barely talk to you as it is, and now you want me to roll over? Geez Sheena." He chuckled again as her saw her try not to laugh, but fail this time.
"Oh, shush you." She lightly punched his arm. "You want my help or not?" He nodded. "I'm going to roll you over now, ok?" he nodded again, and then she carefully rolled him onto his side. She gasped as she saw a huge gash on his side that started just under his armpit, and ran down to his third rib. "Oh my-" She clasped a hand over her mouth. She didn't need him to know how bad it was, that would only make things worse. 'Aw man, now I'm caring about his feelings too! He even made me laugh! This is NOT helping…' "It's not too bad; you should be fine if we can get some medicine." She said.
"Well now that's a problem, isn't it?" Lloyd sighed and tilted his head towards her. "Are you able to move at all?"
Sheena attempted to stand again, and managed to succeed, even though it hurt quite a bit. She had no idea how long it had been since they had fell, but apparently it was long enough for her body to have recuperated enough for basic movement. 'All thanks to him…' She sighed. How was she going to kill the chosen if it meant losing him? Sheena had no idea what to do; Corrine was the only one who had ever been a real friend to her. But out of nowhere comes this chivalrous, handsome swordsman. She tries to kill his friend, and then he proceeds to save her life, and then start talking to her like they've been friends for years. She didn't want to admit it, but it felt good.
"Well, I can stand… but I doubt if there's any medicine around here…" 'Hurry up Corrine!' Sheena thought as she tried to take a step, but fell to her knees. "Ah!"
"Hey, are you ok Sheena?" Lloyd called out as he heard her gasp. "If it hurts too much, then don't try to move. We'll find a way out of here eventually."
"O-ok. You're right, Lloyd." Sheena was banking on Corrine getting back with some medicine soon anyways, so she just knelt down next to Lloyd again.
'Gah, who is this girl?' Lloyd wondered. 'Why would she try to kill Colette? She's definitely not a bad person... She must have reasons behind her actions.' Lloyd also realized how quickly they had hit off. He had to make her stop trying to kill Colette. He doubted he would be able to kill her if she attacked… 'What am I saying? I just met her! But she's helping me, and seems genuine… grr… I guess I just have to wing it, and see what happens…'
Just then, a small fox like creature appeared in a puff of smoke right next to Lloyd.
"GAH! W-what is that?" he jumped, which hurt his side and he rolled back onto his back. "Ow…"
"Corrine!" Sheena sighed in relief, "Did you find anything?"
"Yep! I found your bag; it was up on the cliff on the trail." He walked over to Sheena, who removed the bag from him and started rummaging through it. "Ah-hah!" She exclaimed, and pulled out a few Apple gels. "These will fix us up."
"Ah, I see your boyfriend woke up, I hope I didn't interrupt anything!" Corrine laughed and bounded away from Sheena as she swatted at him again.
"Corrine! Shut up!" Sheena almost threw the apple gels at him, but restrained herself. "Ugh, ANYWAY…" She looked back to Lloyd, who looked like he had no idea what was going on. She ignored him and held out two apple gels. "Here. These should fix up your side."
Lloyd chuckled and said "Thanks, but I still can't move…" Sheena blushed from embarrassment. "Oh yeah. Right. Sorry. Open your mouth then." He obliged, and Sheena fed him the gels one at a time. After he consumed the first one, she watched as the wound faintly glowed a light green as the apple gel concentrated Lloyd's mana towards speeding the body's natural healing process. His gash slowly shrunk to about half the size, and all of his other small cuts healed completely. The second one completely healed the gash, but there was still a scar that was the size of the original wound.
Lloyd sat up and stretched, groaning while his muscles and bones popped. "Oh that feels awesome…" he looked over to Sheena who had retrieved anther gel from her pack. "Oh, a melange gel? Saving the best for yourself? Or do you not trust me?" he laughed as she blushed then consumed the gel.
"N-no, that's not… hey!" She glared at him, and he put his hands up in front of his face. "No, don't hurt me Sheena!" Lloyd joked as she stood up and glared at him again.
"I will Lloyd, if you don't stop teasing me!" she retorted while laughing. Lloyd laughed too and got up and stretched some more.
Seeing the two laughing made Corrine smile to himself. 'Wow, they're acting like friends already! I think I'll let Sheena enjoy this moment until they get out of here. But she still has to complete her mission… Oh well, whatever she decides, I'll be right there for her. She's my friend too.' Corrine took one last look at the two before disappearing again, grinning as he did.
"Well we should probably start working our way out of here…" he had just realized that this whole time his friends had probably been looking for them. He had completely lost track of time talking to Sheena. He quickly scanned the room, and walked over to where his swords lie on the ground. He picked them up and fastened the belts so that they hung by his sides again.
Sheena then stiffened as she was brought back to reality. 'Oh crap… once we get out of here… what am I going to do? I can't fight Lloyd, but… The Chosen's group will probably attack me on sight… I guess I'll just have to wing it… grr…' She glanced over at him and saw him place his swords around his belt. She jumped back and moved to draw out a seal, but hesitated. Lloyd noticed her jump, but just put his hands up and smiled at her.
"Whoa there Sheena, I don't think either of us want to fight each right now." He put his hands down and rested them of the hilts of his swords. "I think we should get out of this mineshaft before we think about what will happen afterwards." He grinned at her again, and motioned towards the exit. "You ready?"
"Y-yeah… I guess so…" Sheena wasn't ready though. She knew she needed to finish her mission; it was for the sake of Tethe'alla, her home. But a part of her wanted to just stay in this hole and never leave. She just wanted to stay here with Lloyd. Her rational side was yelling at her for being so stupid, but another side just wanted this. Someone she could just talk to, spend all day just being together, just to be together. She felt like she had experienced this with Lloyd. This guy she had just met, and barely spent any time with. But there was just something about him… She didn't want to give it up.
She walked up next to Lloyd, who nodded and entered the passage. She walked right beside him, and began forming a plan on what to do if they needed to fight. 'If I have to fight the chosen's group, I'll have to summon a guardian. And if it goes badly, I'll have to escape somewhere… but where?' She remembered the map of Sylvarant that Yuan had gave her before sending her to kill the Chosen. 'I'll figure it out when the time comes. Right now, I'm just going to enjoy what little time I have left with my friend.' She grinned and glanced at Lloyd.
Lloyd was thinking about what was going to happen after they found the exit of the mine. 'I hope we don't have to fight Sheena. I can tell just by looking at her that she could be dangerous. But I know she has a reason for trying to kill Colette. I WILL find out why.' He couldn't bring himself to think of Sheena as an enemy. She was so down to earth; he could definitely see becoming really good friends with her. Why was such a nice person trying to kill his friend? Lloyd was dying to know the reason, so he broke the silence.
"So Sheena, are you gonna tell me why you're trying to kill Colette?" He said firmly, but tried to keep his voice from sounding harsh as well. He noticed Sheena flinch slightly, as if she was hurt by the words. 'Alright, there's no way she's doing this on her own, someone must be forcing her…' his thoughts were cut short by Sheena's reply.
"Well…" Sheena was about to explain, but stopped herself. 'No! I can't tell him, I have to complete my mission! But… there has to be a way… some way to not lose him… ugh…' Sheena was interrupted by a loud banging noise. They both looked forward to see a large wooden wall, which seemed to be blocking the exit, rattle and shake.
"W-what the!" Sheena exclaimed as the wall emitted another noise. Two more times the banging occurred, and Lloyd and Sheena stood tense, ready for a fight. On the fourth bang, the wall fell over flat on the ground, and on the other side stood four people.
"Lloyd!" shouted Colette, "Thank goodness you're ok!" She ran over to the pair and stopped a few feet away, noticing Sheena. "Oh hi, it's you! I'm so glad you're not hurt, did you help Lloyd out of here?" She smiled and tilted her head slightly.
Sheena was taken aback at this girl's behavior. 'I just tried to kill her, and she's worried about me?! Who ARE these people?'
Just then, Kratos stepped forward. "Chosen, stop! She is our enemy!" He drew his blade and ran straight at Sheena.
Sheena's battle senses kicked in as she drew a pyre seal from underneath her robe and threw it at Kratos' face. He ducked it and slid on his feet before jumping up, bringing his sword down and stabbing at Sheena. "Sonic Thrust!" Thinking quickly, Sheena dove to the side and drew three more seals. Kratos hit the ground and immediately launched a demon fang right at her, causing her to have to dodge again. She threw the three pyre seals at him while in midair, and watched as he effortlessly cut them all in half with one swipe, causing them to crumble to dust. 'Dammit, this guy's tough!'
Lloyd barely had time to think as Kratos charged Sheena, and the two started to fight. 'Well that didn't take long… dammit…' Lloyd watched for a second as Kratos and Sheena's duel brought them outside of the mine and out to the trail, where Genis and Raine began supporting Kratos in fighting Sheena.
Lloyd drew his blades and looked at Colette, who mirrored Lloyd with her chakrams. Lloyd thought for a second, and then decided to confide in Colette.
"Colette, wait." Lloyd said as they both started moving towards the battle. "If possible, we should try and capture her alive. I talked to her, and I think she has reasons for her actions; I think someone is forcing her to do this." He wasn't surprised to see Colette smile and nod in agreement.
"Okay, Lloyd! That way when we become friends, I can ask her why she was doing that." Colette then brought out her wings and flew ahead to assist the rest of the group. "Let's go!" she shouted. Lloyd just chuckled to himself as he ran to catch up.
Sheena wasn't faring well. After being pushed outside of the mine, two mages had joined Kratos, and they were proving invaluable in aiding him. Sheena was forced to dodge the boy's fire spells as well as Kratos' sword. She was agile enough to do so, but because of the endless onslaught she wasn't gaining any ground. Sheena knew she was going to have to summon a guardian if she had any hope of winning this fight.
Dodging backwards to avoid being run through by Kratos, Sheena turned and bolted full speed at the nearest tree, running straight up the trunk. She back flipped off and landed up in the tree on a thick branch, pausing for a second to maintain her balance. Kratos and Genis halted their onslaught for a second; waiting to see what she was scheming. Sheena reached behind the pink bow where she had a special pocket that she kept her most important items. Inside were three guardians, among other things. Pulling one out, she threw it at Kratos' feet. He jumped back and raised his shield as a guardian appeared in an explosion of smoke. 'Good, this will hopefully even the playing field…' Sheena grinned before leaping out of the tree, landing next to the guardian and taking her battle stance. Her grin soon faded when she saw that Lloyd was standing next to the small mage, it appeared he wasn't going to abandon his friends. Her confidence waned as she thought of fighting him.
Lloyd and Colette rejoined their group in time to see Sheena run up the tree, temporarily vanishing behind the leaves and branches. 'Wow, she's managing to keep up with Kratos and Genis?' Lloyd thought as he ran up beside his short elven friend. 'She's a powerful warrior; I've got to find out more about her…' Lloyd snapped out of it when a white piece of paper shot out of the tree and landed right in front of Kratos, who jumped back and raised his shield. The paper exploded in smoke and a giant bird-like creature with huge talons appeared. Lloyd's eyes widened as he saw Sheena leap out of the tree and land next to it, readying herself for battle. She looked confident until she looked over at him, her grin disappearing off of her face. Their eyes met for a moment, and Lloyd could see hurt and confusion in them. 'She doesn't want to fight us…' He thought before she shook her head and ran towards Kratos, jumping and aiming a kick at his head.
The battle continued for a little bit, the guardian proving invaluable to Sheena in fending off attacks. Not once in the battle did Lloyd or Sheena attack each other, Lloyd focused on bringing down the guardian and Sheena seemed to only be focused on Kratos, taking a few shots at Genis and Raine. After a little bit, Lloyd successfully managed to defeat the guardian, with some help from Colette. He parried a few slashes with his swords, managing to get through its defenses with a Sword Rain, shortly followed by a well-placed Sonic Thrust. The guardian screeched as it fell to the ground then evaporated into steam and disappeared. Lloyd looked around to see Sheena fending off attacks from Kratos, Genis, and now Colette as she flew over to assist her friends.
Sheena grimaced as she watched Lloyd bring down the guardian almost single-handedly; she wasn't going to win this fight. 'He's really strong… ugh…' Dodging a few more slashes from Kratos, she drew another seal out. "Power Seal!" She yelled as she threw the seal at Kratos, who once again raised his shield to block. The seal hit the shield dead center, and in a flash of blue light exploded, obliterating it and sending wood chips everywhere. Sheena took advantage of this and rushed Genis, who had stumbled over trying to avoid getting hit by the shrapnel. She spun around and kicked him in the chest, sending him tumbling across the grass. He hit his head on a rock and collapsed, unconscious. Sheena barely had time to turn around when she saw a staff coming down towards her head, and rolled right to avoid being clobbered.
"How DARE you hurt my little brother!" Raine yelled, charging Sheena. "I'll kill you!" Lloyd watched as Sheena easily dispatched Genis but was almost taken out by the livid professor. Lloyd rushed over to his fallen friend, and was relieved to find that he was still breathing. 'She had the chance but didn't kill him… What is she-?' Lloyd looked up as Sheena jumped over Raine's head, spinning in mid-air and landing behind the Professor. She quickly kicked the back of her legs, forcing the professor to her knees. Sheena then chopped her neck, rendering Raine unconscious as well. Lloyd couldn't believe this.
Sheena finished off the older mage and whipped around, again barely dodging another stab from Kratos. Sheena could feel herself dragging now; it was only a matter of time before she wouldn't be able to keep up. Sheena knew it was now or never. She threw three Pyre seals at Kratos' feet, who jumped back to avoid the resulting explosion. Sheena then rushed after Colette, who threw her chakrams at Sheena. Sheena jumped and twisted, barely avoiding the blades as they flew by her: one above, one below. She landed in front of Colette who tried to take off and fly away from Sheena. Sheena jumped up and kicked Collete in the side of the head, and she fell back to the ground. Sheena landed on top of her and pulled her kunai out from her pink bow. 'This is it… I'm sorry Lloyd…' She slashed at Colette's neck, not holding anything back.
Lloyd stood up and began running towards Kratos. 'No, I can't let her kill Colette!' he watched in horror as Sheena threw what looked like three pieces of paper that exploded at Kratos' feet, and then rushed Colette. Colette threw her chakrams at Sheena, but she dodged them and quickly subdued her, landing on top of her. Lloyd sprinted as fast as he could, hoping he would make it in time.
CLANG! Sheena's kunai flew from her hand and spun through the air, sticking into the side of a tree. She felt the tip of a sword at her neck, and looked over to see who had stopped her.
It was Lloyd.
She met his gaze and her breath caught in her lungs. She could see the conflict in his eyes as he held his sword to her throat. "Lloyd!" Kratos yelled as he ran to catch up to them. "Don't hesitate, finish her!" Sheena gasped as he pushed the sword a little closer.
'This is it, I've failed…' Sheena knew Lloyd wouldn't save her this time. She almost killed two of his friends, not to mention the Chosen herself. They had bonded in the small time they spent together, but she was sure it wasn't enough to stop him. Her feelings surfaced, and she closed her eyes as a single tear ran down her cheek. "Do it Lloyd." She said, opening her eyes again and looking into his. "Do it, I deserve it." Kratos was now standing in front of her with a scowl on his face. "Lloyd, don't hesitate. She tried to assassinate the Chosen, she doesn't deserve to live."
Lloyd didn't know what to do. He hadn't known her for very long, but he cared about Sheena. Even after everything she'd done, he couldn't bring himself to kill her. 'She's hiding something; I have to find out what. I have to find out why.' Slowly, he lowered his sword from her neck. "I can't."
"Foolish sentiments." Kratos growled. "If you won't then I will!" He swung his blade across at Sheena.
"Kratos, no!" yelled Colette from the ground.
Sheena gasped as she heard the sound of metal against metal as Lloyd blocked Kratos' swing. He stepped in between them and pushed Sheena out of the way. "No, Kratos! She has reasons for her actions. I need to know why!" Sheena was dumbfounded. Lloyd had yet again saved her life; the life of an enemy who was trying to kill his friend. Even the chosen tried to stop Kratos from killing her.
"Lloyd, move out of the way. She's an enemy, why can't you see that?" Kratos said, losing his patience.
"No." Lloyd said defiantly. "I won't let you hurt her."
"Enough of this!" Kratos bellowed and pushed Lloyd out of the way. He jumped at Sheena, who dove to the side and rolled to her feet.
"Sheena! Get out of here!" Lloyd yelled. She didn't need to be told twice. Sheena dodged one more slash from Kratos and dropped a smokescreen, disappearing from view.
Lloyd got to his feet and helped Colette up. "You ok Colette?" he asked. She beamed and nodded "Yep, I'm ok! Thanks Lloyd."
Kratos rounded on Lloyd. "You fool! What were you thinking!?" he sheathed his sword and crossed his arms, regaining his composure. He shook his head. "I lost myself there for a second, forgive me." he looked Lloyd in the eye and continued. "Start explaining Lloyd, why did you save her?"
"I will, but we should make sure Genis and Raine are ok first." He looked to see that Genis was starting to stir, but Raine was still unconscious. "I also think we should camp here for the night. She won't bother us here anymore." Kratos raised an eyebrow and Lloyd continued. "I'll explain tonight, ok? I promise." Kratos grunted as he turned to go help up the unconscious professor.
Sheena stopped behind a rock farther up the cliff to catch her breath. 'I can't believe it…. Again… he saved me again…' Sheena looked back down at the group as they began recuperating from the battle. She watched as Lloyd helped the smaller mage to his feet. She had heard someone call him Genis during the battle, and his older sister Raine was still unconscious. Kratos was on his way over to her to help her wake up.
Sheena's thoughts were racing. She had NO IDEA what to do right now. She almost died multiple times today, but Lloyd had saved her every time. 'I can't just give up on my mission, but then there's Lloyd… I don't know what to do…' Sheena sighed and leaned up against the rock, content with just watching them from above while she attempted to sort out her thoughts.
Lloyd finished making the fire pit, and Genis cast fireball to start the fire. The flames roared for a second before dying down to become a steady flame.
"Aaaaah, that feels nice…." Lloyd went up to the fire and attempted to warm up, holding his hands out over the pit. He had always hated the cold, and the temperature had dropped significantly after the sun had set. The fact that his clothes were still in tatters wasn't helping. At least his jacket was still useable.
Raine and Genis were fine now, sitting next to each other talking about cooking, and how it was Genis' turn to make dinner tonight. After a slap or two from Raine for his comments about how bad of a chef she was, Genis got up and began preparing stew.
"Lloyd, we need to talk." He jumped as Kratos appeared behind him without making a sound.
"Gah! Geez Kratos, don't scare me like that!" Lloyd whipped around and saw the older warrior smirk.
"Payback for Triet. I apologize for startling you." He chuckled and motioned for Lloyd to follow him.
Lloyd walked with him a little away from camp. "Payback?! You almost cut my head off!" he remembered watching Kratos leave the inn after giving Raine her Key Crest, and following him outside. As he came up behind the warrior, Kratos turned with blinding speed and put his sword to his neck. Lloyd never said anything to anyone, but he had almost wet himself.
"Regardless, I believe it is time for you to explain your actions today whilst fighting that assassin." Kratos turned to face him, his face stern and cold.
Lloyd gulped and nodded. "Well…" He explained everything that happened while he and Sheena were in the hole, leaving out certain details and thoughts.
"I believe she has reasons for her actions, and I want to find out why." He finished, looking back up to Kratos. His expression had not changed during the whole conversation, and he continued as he replied, "If it is as you say, then I can understand why you acted as you did." Kratos frowned a little. "But that doesn't change the fact that she is our enemy Lloyd."
Lloyd shook his head. "I don't care. I need to find out why Kratos. I know she isn't a bad person, someone must be pulling the strings!" Kratos frowned again, but Lloyd continued before he could speak. "Don't worry, if we have to fight again, I'll make sure she doesn't hurt Colette, I promise."
Kratos didn't appear convinced, and merely shook his head. "If that's your way. But remember this. My job is to protect the Chosen, and as of right now, that girl is a threat to her well-being. Given the opportunity, believe me when I say that I won't hesitate to remove her from the picture." He turned and took a few steps towards camp before stopping and looking back at Lloyd. "I hope you find your answers before then, Lloyd."
Lloyd stood there as Kratos returned to the fire, accepting a bowl of stew from Genis and beginning to eat. 'Dammit, Kratos isn't going to be any help… I'll have to convince Colette to help me. That's the only way he will even consider giving Sheena a chance. ' Lloyd shook his head and walked back to camp, sitting down and quickly downing his stew.
He decided that talking to Colette could wait until tomorrow. He still needed time to sort out his thoughts. He volunteered to be the night watch, and after everyone else was asleep, Lloyd sat next to Noishe.
"I don't know what to do boy…" he whispered into his ear, and leaned up against him. Noishe whined softly and nuzzled his neck with his nose. "Heh… thanks Noishe, you always cheer me up." Lloyd sat there for a bit and tried to think. 'I hope we can find out who is making her try to assassinate Colette. If we get rid of them, then maybe she could help with the regeneration journey. Well, that's a long shot, but it can't hurt to try.' Lloyd's thoughts went back to earlier, when it was just him and Sheena in the cave. He smiled to himself, thinking of her and listening to the crickets off in the distance. Just then Lloyd heard a faint rustle a little ahead of him. He jumped up and took a step forward, looking around wildly for the source of the noise. Deciding not to wake the others, he walked ahead out towards the line of trees, tense and ready to fight.
Lloyd stopped in front of the trees when he heard another rustle directly above him. Acting out of instinct, he dove to his right and drew his right-hand blade. He looked up towards the noise and didn't see anything. "What the…" he heard it again, this time accompanied by a chuckle. He recognized the voice immediately.
"Sheena!" he whispered, loud enough for her to hear. "Is that you?"
He heard the chuckle again, and the branch he was looking at rustled as Sheena dropped down from the tree and landed in front of him. "Hey you." She said as she crossed her arms and grinned at him. "Surprised?"
"Well yeah, I thought you'd be long gone by now." Lloyd said. "But I'm glad to see you again." He added with a smirk. He relaxed and sheathed his sword.
"Yeah I know, but…" Sheena almost said that she wanted to see him before she left. 'Glad I stopped myself from blurting that out…' She sighed. "Well, I wanted to talk to you. About today." Sheena finished.
"Alright, shoot." Lloyd said, and plopped down onto the ground. "I got time." He smiled up at her, and she couldn't help but smile back. Sheena sat down next to him watched Noishe walk up to the pair and lay down in front of them.
"What's his name?" Sheena asked, scratching him behind an ear.
"Noishe." said Lloyd. "I'm surprised, he's usually afraid of strangers, but he seems quite comfortable with you." Lloyd looked over to Sheena and smiled as she played with Noishe's ears. 'Wow, even Noishe likes her, and that's saying something. I'll do everything in my power to help her. There has to be a way to fix this.' He couldn't help staring at her, the way the moonlight lit up her face made her even more beautiful.
Sheena noticed Lloyd staring at her and blushed. She didn't say anything, and continued scratching Noishe's ear. "So Lloyd… I just wanted to say thank you for today." She looked back at him to see him cock his head to the side in confusion. She chuckled and continued. "Ya know, for…. Saving me."
"Which time Sheena?" he said with a chuckle. She fake slapped at him and they both laughed.
"Oh shut up." Sheena said, crossing her arms in mock anger. He grinned at her and moved a little closer so he could pet Noishe too. Sheena blushed again at their new proximity, their legs were touching, and he was leaning over her a bit. "Ah… um…" she stuttered. 'How can he act so calm around me? But then again, I feel like I can trust him, no matter what… maybe I should tell him…'
"What's wrong, Sheena?" he leaned back and looked at her, slightly frowning. She seemed conflicted about something, and he wanted more than anything to make her feel better. She met his gaze, and he was lost in her eyes again. They both just sat there for a second, before Sheena spoke.
"I need to know Lloyd… why… why did you save me? Why didn't you let me fall?" Lloyd smiled and looked up at the moon. Sheena waited for what seemed like an eternity before he spoke.
"This might seem a little weird but…" he looked at his feet. "Right before we entered the trail, I had a feeling. "
"A… feeling?" Sheena asked.
"Yeah. I felt… I don't know, anxious? I felt like something important was about to happen. I had no idea why, but I did." He paused and picked a blade of grass. "It didn't go away for a little while. And then when I saw you," he looked back up at her. "It became stronger."
"When I saw you fall, I felt like someone I've known forever was in trouble, like my best friend was the one falling in the hole." Lloyd continued without taking his gaze off of Sheena. She was blushing; his deep brown eyes were staring into hers. She thanked Martel it was dark, so hopefully he didn't notice. "I can't really explain it, but then after we fell, and we talked in the cave, the feeling went away. I just felt… content." He shook his head and chuckled. "And when I stopped you from killing Colette; when I had my sword at your throat… " He shivered when he said this, "It came back. It was so strong I felt like my chest was going to explode." Putting a hand up to his chest, he looked back to the ground. "Now that you're here, the feeling is gone again. I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I care about you Sheena. You're my friend. That's why I saved you."
Sheena just stared at him in wonder. "Lloyd…" she had never had anyone say they cared about her before besides her grandfather and Corrine. It felt… amazing. This one guy had changed her life forever in one day, she couldn't give it up. Sheena made a decision right then.
"Yes Sheena?" Lloyd looked up into her eyes, and could see her fear and doubt replaced by something else. He didn't know what, but he knew what he just said worked.
"I… I want to tell you… why I'm trying to kill Colette." She stammered out. She was jeopardizing the mission by confiding in Lloyd, but she didn't care. He was nothing but truthful to her, and a true friend. The second true friend she'd ever had. His expression didn't change, and he continued to stare at her, anticipating what she would say next.
"Sheena." Lloyd said, stopping her before she could continue. "Someone's making you do this, right?" his voice sounded like he was almost pleading with her, begging her to say it was true. He continued. "Just know this, regardless of the reason, you'll still be my friend. I just have to know why." She stared back at him in wonder. 'I don't deserve this friendship…'
"Yes Lloyd, I was ordered by someone to kill the Chosen. At first, I thought it was a good thing. It was important to protect my homeland." Sheena said, averting her eyes.
'I KNEW IT!' Lloyd shouted in his head. He knew she wasn't that kind of person. She wasn't just some random assassin. She had a story, a past just like everyone else he knew. But unlike anyone besides his closest friends, he was determined to find out more about Sheena's. He beamed at her. "So… you said your homeland, where is that exactly?"
For the next few hours, Lloyd and Sheena talked. Sheena was hesitant at first, but quickly became lost in conversation with Lloyd. She explained everything. She talked about Tethe'alla, about her mission, about how she made it to this world, everything. After Lloyd had finally come to terms with all that she was saying (which took quite a while,) they just sat and talked some more. They shared stories of their childhood, and what life was like in their respective homes. They also bounced around ideas on how to help Tethe'alla without Sheena having to kill Colette. They talked until they could see the sky getting a little brighter, signaling that dawn would soon break.
"Uh-oh, it's almost dawn." Lloyd said, yawning and stretching his back. "I guess we lost track of time, huh?" He smiled at Sheena.
Sheena nodded and returned the smile, standing up. "Yeah, I should probably get going, I don't want to still be here when Kratos wakes up."
Lloyd stood as well. "Where will you go?" he asked.
"Hmm… probably Luin." She thought out loud. "I have something I need to do for somebody."
Lloyd nodded, deciding not to pursue the subject. "Well, we might be passing by there on the regeneration journey." Sheena looked over to him. "So if I've convinced the group, mainly Kratos and Raine, that you would be willing to help us; maybe you could… you know… travel with us?"
Sheena could see the hope in his deep brown eyes as he said that. She blushed again and turned away. 'I can't say that I don't want to travel with them, with him. But…' Sheena looked back over her shoulder and said, "If you can manage that at that point, then we'll see. But I have a feeling that it's going to take a lot to sway them."
Lloyd knew she was right. He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I won't give up on you Sheena. I promise you; I'll find a way to help you."
Sheena blushed again; she could see the determination in his eyes. 'Those eyes…' Sheena turned her head away from him again. "Th… thank you Lloyd." And with that, she dropped a smokescreen and disappeared.
Lloyd chuckled to himself. "Was that really necessary, Sheena?" 'She's so embarrassed to show her feelings…'He walked back to camp and took up his spot next to Noishe like he hadn't left all night. A few minutes later he heard Kratos wake up. He turned around to see the older warrior give him a small nod, then say "I'm awake now, so you can get some sleep Lloyd. I'll take over watch."
Lloyd didn't need to be told twice. He got up and walked over to his sleeping bag, plopping on it and falling asleep almost instantly, his head filled with thoughts of a certain ninja.
Sheena traveled all day without stop until she reached Hima. Reserving a room at the inn, she decided getting to Luin could wait just a little longer while she got some sleep. Locking her door and summoning Corrine to keep watch, Sheena jumped on the bed. After her initial sigh of comfort, Sheena's thoughts turned to the day's events. She had failed her mission for now, but somehow, she wasn't upset. 'Lloyd… what have you done to me?'
'Was this… fate?'