So recently my siblings started playing Tales of Symphonia, and while it's not something I'd ever pick up and play myself, I really did enjoy the game's story and characters. Zelos especially, which is odd because I normally don't go for his kind of character (though it's been known to happen rarely). But I think his back story is what really drew me in, and I really became fascinated with him.
I'm also really fond of Zelos/Sheena, just because I think they're pretty cute. Looking up fics, though, I was actually kind of surprised with how their relationship is treated post his betrayal. I mean, I understand why it's done that way, but given some of the things Sheena said about Zelos in the game, I always got the impression that she was a lot more forgiving towards him. So I thought I'd try it out.
Anyway, I apologize if this seems a little rushed in any way. I was just trying to match the tempo of this story with how quickly it seemed to go in the game. Also, I probably could have written about how Zelos saved each of the others in the group (in my mind, Zelos saved them from their traps right as Lloyd left them), but I mostly wanted the story to focus on just Sheena and Zelos as much as possible. Maybe someday I'll do a longer story about how Zelos saves each of the party members...depending on how well this one's received.
Please go easy, as this is my first Tales of Symphonia fic. Other than that, enjoy!
Leap of Faith
Even after he disappeared from sight, she waited until she could no longer hear any footsteps. There was the hiss and clang of mechanical doors closing, then nothing but silence. And it was only at that moment that she let the sigh pass her lips, releasing the tension she couldn't show in front of Lloyd.
"…I'm so stupid," Sheena murmured, her exhaustion barely letting her speak above a whisper. "Stubborn to the very end…"
Suddenly the vine around her ankle released its hold on her, and she winced as the simple action sent a painful jolt through the tender appendage. Glancing down into the empty black pit, she shook her head. "I really need to start acting more feminine at times like this and let him rescue me…"
The image suddenly flashed through her mind, bringing a grim smile to her lips. "Heh, that wouldn't be my style, now would it?"
Her hand trembled and soon, the last of her energy gave out. Unable to hold herself up any longer, Sheena let go.
'Lloyd…' she thought as her body was pulled into the darkness below her, 'good luck…'
She wasn't sure how long she fell – hours could have passed like minutes for all she knew – and she wasn't even aware of reaching the bottom, if she ever did. All she knew was suddenly she saw a light that chased the darkness away, even behind her closed eyes, and she no longer felt like she was falling. Carried in a gentle grasp that felt so warm and safe, she began to wonder if she had died during her descent.
"Well, well," a voice she knew all-too-well said in her ear. "You wouldn't happen to be giving up, would you? The party's just getting started."
Her eyes snapped open, and she looked up to find herself staring into the cool depths of the last person she wanted to see at the moment.
"You!" she snarled, squirming in his arms to get better leverage to smack him.
As though sensing this, Zelos nervously tightened his grip on her a bit and tried to flash a charming smile. "I would like to remind you," he pointed out as he somehow dodged the swing of her arm, "that I am the only thing keeping you from certain death right now."
Sheena paused then, glancing down the hole once more; though the light from Zelos pushed back some of the darkness, there was still no end to the chasm in sight.
The light from Zelos…It was only then that Sheena looked at the redhead, and her breath caught in her throat when she glimpsed the wings behind him, the feathers glowing with a hue of soft yellow and orange.
Glancing up at him again, she noticed the mischievous grin on his lips as he realized what she was looking at. Unwilling to admit that it was an impressive sight (especially on him), she met his gaze with a glare. "What are you doing here anyway?" she snapped, venomous accusation dripping in her tone.
Watching her for a while longer, he then shrugged and looked away. "Being rescued may not be your style, but leaving a gorgeous woman in mortal danger without saving her is certainly not my style."
She blinked, confused by his words at first. But as she began to comprehend why they sounded familiar, she couldn't help but blush a little. "You…heard that?"
He grinned a little. "It helps to have heightened senses sometimes. One of the few perks of being an angel, I guess."
They slowly began to rise, and Sheena glanced back at Zelos' wings, watching them flutter as they floated up through the chasm. Then she looked back at the redhead. "I thought you didn't want to be the Chosen," she said suspiciously.
"Well, I usually don't…" Looking down at her, he winked. "But I'm willing to put up with it and show off my wings this once…just for you."
She rolled her eyes, and was about ready to snap at him with another comeback when a sudden thought killed the retort on her lips.
Did we ever really think about the true meaning of the things Zelos said?
Those words that Lloyd spoke shortly after Zelos betrayed them…At the time, she had been so upset and furious that this idiot had turned against them the way he did, but that conversation…
I think maybe we never realized the true feelings behind the way he joked around all the time.
And she remembered…actually feeling guilty about never really listening to what Zelos had to say. Granted, what he did certainly wasn't right by any means, and he should take some responsibility for his actions. But could the rest of them be partly to blame as well? If they had paid more attention to him before…if they had really heard him, could they have somehow stopped things from getting so far?
Especially her, who had known Zelos longer than the others. Yet for all she knew about him, she never even recognized the pain he felt, or understood how much he truly resented his title…his life. Even though she always thought he was capable of more, she never saw much past his sarcastic humor and goofy grin.
She always just assumed that Zelos was never really serious about anything, and that most of the time he was simply joking around. But looking at him now, and hearing what he said, she had to wonder: Was he really just joking around? Or was there some truth hidden beneath the teasing tone he used?
She had wasted so much time trying to ignore him. But now, maybe it was time to show him that someone was listening.
It was hard biting back her pride, but she somehow managed as she murmured a small, "Thanks…"
He blinked, looking down at her again. Though she was a bit embarrassed, she met his eyes and noticed that he seemed surprised, as though he wasn't expecting that. And her notions were confirmed when he once again looked away, clearing his throat and obviously sounding uncomfortable.
"Anyway," he abruptly said, sounding as though he wasn't sure what else to say, "we better hurry and find the others. Someone's most likely triggered another trap by now."
She frowned, concern spreading over her features. "You think one of the others is also in trouble?"
He smiled a little, but it lacked his usual enthusiasm and seemed more grave than usual. After a moment, he finally answered, "You thought you two would be the only ones getting stuck in one of these setups?"
"What…?" She didn't have time to finish asking what he meant, however, when they finally cleared the top of the pit, and her eyes widened when she saw who stood waiting for them.
"Regal!" she said as Zelos landed before the aristocrat. The last she saw of Regal, he was cornered in a room outnumbered by a horde of enemy angels. "I thought…" She paused then, glancing up at the red-haired Chosen before understanding began to dawn. "Did Zelos help you too?"
"So it would seem," he replied, a wary edge in his otherwise neutral answer. Though he retained a trace of doubt towards Zelos – and rightfully so, given the circumstances – he wasn't about to dismiss the aid that the redhead provided. Turning his attention back to Sheena, he asked, "Are you all right?"
"I…I think so," she said, and was taken aback by the truth of her statement. Carefully Zelos placed her down, and as she put weight on her ankle she was startled to find that it didn't ache as it had only a few minutes ago. She also realized then that she felt strengthened, as though the energy she'd lost before was restored. She turned to Zelos curiously. "Did you –?"
His wings suddenly faded and disappeared, and he gave her another wink. "C'mon," he said. "We better get going. There's another trap up ahead." Without waiting for them to answer, Zelos turned and headed off.
Sheena glanced toward Regal, exchanging uncertain expressions. They both still held some reservations after what happened, but she noticed that the older man also realized that, at the moment, they didn't have many other options but to follow his lead. She nodded, understanding that as well, and then the two of them hurried to catch up with the redhead.
"Are you all right?" Raine asked as the group approached where her brother was.
"I…guess," Genis replied, somewhat shakily as he slowly rose to his feet. Turning to Zelos, he glared. "But what's he doing here?"
The red-haired Chosen said nothing and simply allowed Raine to explain the situation, which actually surprised Sheena. Zelos always had some kind of comeback ready, especially when it came to Genis. Curiously, the ninja glanced at Zelos, wondering about the calculating serious expression on his face as he looked down the hallway before them.
"C'mon," Zelos said suddenly, turning to the group. "Let's get going."
"But…" Genis said as Zelos turned to head down one of the other corridors, "Lloyd when down that way." He pointed to the hall in the other direction.
"I know," Zelos replied. "But if you guys are gonna catch up to Lloyd in time to help him, we need to head this way."
"You are not joining us?" Presea wondered as they hurried to keep up with him.
Zelos remained silent for a moment as they ran down the passage. "Not yet," he finally said. "I still have something else I have to finish up."
Sheena eyed him uncertainly. "What's that?" she asked, hoping he didn't catch the suspicion in her voice.
If he had heard it, though, he didn't acknowledge it. Instead he simply answered, "The reason I came here in the first place. I'm trying to find the Aionis stone."
"What?" Raine asked, looking at him in disbelief. "The Aionis stone?"
"Yup. It's what Lloyd needs in order to use the Eternal Sword."
"Is that what this has been about?" Regal wondered. "So you could retrieve that stone in this place?"
"Uh…well…not at first," Zelos admitted reluctantly. "That's just how things ended up. But being here was also a good way to figure out where the traps were and how to deactivate them, wouldn't you say?"
The group exchanged stunned expressions before looking back at the red-haired swordsman. "So you really are on our side," Sheena spoke for all of them. It wasn't a question.
Zelos chuckled. "Looks like it, huh? Surprised me too, really."
Sheena couldn't help but smile herself. Actually, it didn't really surprise her at all.
As they reached the end of the corridor, they came to a split that led down two different paths. Looking between them, Zelos then turned and pointed to the one on the right. "If you head down that way, you should get to the Hall of the Great Seed. That's where Lloyd and Colette are."
"What about you?" Sheena wondered.
Zelos motioned to the pathway in the other direction. "I'm heading this way. I still gotta find what I'm looking for. Now hurry and go. Lloyd's probably gonna need you guys soon."
The group glanced at each other once again, but they said nothing as they all hurried down the passage. All of them except Sheena, who lingered behind with Zelos for a moment longer.
"Are you really gonna be all right?" Sheena asked, her voice soft with hesitancy.
Zelos blinked, once again looking at her in astonishment. But then he grinned. "Yeah, yeah, don't worry about me," he replied with a casual wave of his hand. "I'll be fine."
Sheena frowned slightly. Despite his words, she couldn't help but be a little concerned. The other angels would be aware by now that Zelos helped them, and it would be much more difficult for him now to find the Aionis stone. To let him go alone…
"You better get going," Zelos said suddenly, drawing her out of her thoughts. "You told Lloyd you'd be there, remember?"
She flushed a little, surprised that he had really heard that much before saving her. Still she hesitated for a while longer before she finally nodded. "All right," she replied reluctantly. "Good luck."
"Thanks," he said with a small salute. "You too."
She turned, just about to head off when she paused again and looked back at him. "Hey, Zelos," she called.
The redhead, about to leave himself, glanced at her. "What's up?"
She turned to face him completely. "You know, you still have a lot to answer to for betraying us before."
He nodded, a resolve that seemed almost out of place in the sapphire depths of his eyes. "Yeah, I know."
"So I better see you down there soon, you got that? You've got a lot to make up for, and I'm not letting you get away with it so easily."
He paused, regarding her for a moment. Then he asked softly, "Do you trust me?"
She blinked, not expecting such a question. But after taking an instant to think about it, she smiled. "Yeah…I do."
The redhead grinned. "Then I'll see you in a little while."
She nodded. "You better not keep me waiting long."
Zelos gave her a wink, and with that, the two of them headed off to their respective destinations. Sheena knew that perhaps, trusting him again – going by nothing but his word that he wasn't really planning to betray them again – was a long shot. But at the moment, she had no doubt this was the right choice.
Despite everything that happened, she couldn't help but still believe in the person she knew he was.
The End