A Secret Confession

Note: Sorry to all my readers, real life has been very hectic and I shall confess that I have also been procrastinating more than a healthy writer should. This was supposed to be one of my Valentines Day stories and I am hoping to take the "Better late than never" route. With the wait done, hope you all enjoy the literary piece. This is the short introduction of a three chapter story.

Sheena sat on the edge of the roof, looking down below at the village of Mizuho, all this would someday fall to her to be responsible for. That was a lot of weight to be on her already burdened shoulders; she had a world to save before she could worry about running a village.

Somewhere out there, Mithos was plotting...stewing in his own insanity and the one that the world had to depend on was a young, brave, idealist man by the name of Lloyd Irving. Sheena did not know how Lloyd was able to stand so strong when at times all she wanted to do was hide away long enough to catch her breath...but Lloyd would not let her, never intentionally stopping her...just motivating her enough to find the strength she needed to push forward without letting any dark thoughts enter her mind.

Over the time she felt herself drawn to him, first admiring his strength...then his devotion to his friends and seeing how hard he fought to protect Colette showed her another side to him and it was through their travels that slowly peeled open the hidden world in her heart that she tried to keep sealed away. Lloyd Irving had unintentionally found the key and used it on her...she was exposed and although at first she tried to hide and fight this fact...all her hiding spot she has was exposed and every bit of fight she could muster taken down by the mans ideals, nature, strength, and a very unlikely charm that she had never come across before.

She could still remember the night of the ball, he was laughing down below with the rest of the group and there she was...fidgeting with his fingers in one of the most unladylike manners as she wondered if he would even notice that she was missing and if he did...would he even come and search for her? Her world started to get dizzy for a moment as her hands suddenly placed themselves on the railing and her mind searched as to why she was losing her balance.

Oh right...she was so tense she had forgotten to breath.

Breathing out slowly she had to play a game of catch up with her senses as oxygen returned to her brain. Her eyes fixed themselves shortly as she looked back down to the floor, the voices were still cheerful and enjoying the moment but the one thing that she noticed was missing happened to be Lloyd; blinking once as if expecting him to suddenly appear in her vision she leaned over just a little, her purple-tinted ebony locks falling over her eye.

"Sheena?" Lloyd's voice sounded from behind.

Sheena let out a sudden gasp as her back stiffened and she stood at attention for a moment. She wanted to look over her shoulder but she had a sudden growing nervousness flush over her body as she closed her eyes and thought maybe he would disappear when she opened them again.

"Here you are." Lloyd cheerfully laughed out as his footsteps closed in on her.

So much for that secret hope of him not being there as her eyes slowly cracked open.

"Why are you all the way up here?" Lloyd wondered curiously.

"I..." Sheena breathed out as she raised a hand to her bangs, brushing them out of her eye as she slowly turned her head to look at look. She saw him from above, but seeing him up close in his handsome white noble attire stunned her.

Saying that he was handsome could never do how he looked to her enough justice.

That image, him standing beside her in that white suit, custom made for a noble with that gentle yet carefree smile matched with the eyes of a young man who genuinely cared about everyone in his life was burned into her memory...and she knew, standing there on that balcony that it is him that she wished to be with.

He would not intentionally hurt her, he would care for her, protect her, cherish her...and she just might be able to show him the woman inside her that begged for affection.

But now that night was not the time for that...just like now was not the right time.

Sheena's foot swayed back and forth as she rested her chin in the palm of her hand, watching as the sun set behind the mountain that aided in concealing the isolated village.

But if then was not the time for that...and now was not the time, then when would be the time that she could try and express herself to the young man she felt such strong emotions for...she did not dare tell herself that she loved him just yet...affection and a desire to be with him was the most she could ever allow herself to admit.

The thoughts that ran through her head eased down in a moment as Sheena heard the sounds of laughter below her. Observant brown orbs dropped down to the sights below her as she spotted two of Mizuho's villagers walking along the gardened path, light laughter telling Sheena how much the two enjoyed each others company.

Sheena could not help but give the smallest hint of a smile before looking towards the skies, watching the cloud of night slowly blanket over the world, the more the sun disappeared behind the mountain range the more control was given to the night.

The laughter stopped almost instantly as Sheena blinked once and cast her eyes back down, the two stood around one of the many carefully tended shrines; the female placing incense around the stone memorial before the two of them stood side-by-side in respectful silence.

Was it really that time of year already? Sheena had lost complete track of time ever since the beginning of her own journey that she forgot that the time of honouring the ancestors was already here.

The Kioku Ceremony, a time of the year to not only remember, but guide lost, troubled or worried souls to the world after while following up the time of honouring with the Heiwa Festival.

Sheena always honoured the ancestors of Mizuho; however she never had anyone she could actually dedicate the Kioku lantern to and so whenever she made one to send off to the waters and act as the guide, it was always nameless. Sheena always comforted herself by telling her that she was guiding the lost souls that did not have anyone to lead them to the peace they deserve.

It was never the same however. Maybe this year might be a little different.