Author's Notes
I do not own Tales of Symphonia, and there is a MASSIVE SPOILER WARNING for those who haven't beaten the game. I mean it. I really do give you information that you wouldn't know without beating the game. So you have been warned.
So I've decided to make a new fanfiction for Tales of Symphonia, as a pre-cursor to Sheena's arrival in Sylvarant. This is also sequel to The Shower, with a few twists. Hooray for my attempts at a romance! Anyhow, here we go! Enjoy!
ONE MORE DAY
Chapter 1: The Pervert
After that shower, Sheena still felt dirty. Stupid pervert made her feel like a slut, only catering to his desires! Didn't he know it was rude to look in on women bathing? She was thankful the butler at least brought her a towel shortly afterword, and apologized for his master's behavior. Sheena wasn't sure if Zelos told him to do it or if he did it of his own accord. In any case, the butler calmly waited for her outside the bathroom door, and led her down the hallway to a guest room. Thanking the butler, she walked into the luxurious guestroom. There was a wooden-framed king-sized bed right in front of her with a pale blue canopy and matching sheets. The walls were white, but the carpet was a royal blue. To her left lay a desk and beyond that a walk-in closet with plenty of formal dresses, gowns, and other unique female apparel. On the wall opposite the bed was a dresser with a giant mirror mounted in the center, with a fresh set of flowers in a basket. Across and a little to the left from the door was a window.
Sheena was still fuming as she paced in her room, finally dressed in her traditional purple garb. HOW DARE HE? It was bad enough that she actually thought better of him, but now she was absolutely sure he was just a man with one thing in mind—she shivered. Why did such men have to exist in this world? Why did the CHOSEN ONE have to be one of them for crying out loud? She was actually hoping he would be one of those few men who wouldn't be all that they seemed. She cursed silently. This wasn't helping her sleep. It was only making things worse. So with a disgruntled sigh, she moved towards the window. As she opened it, she saw that it gave an open view of a garden down below her. What she saw couldn't have terrified her more.
Granted there were beautiful roses of a passionate red organized into a minor labyrinth, but in the center sat Botta, the leader of the Renegades, talking cheerfully with the Chosen! She swore quietly as she slammed her window shut and paced once more. They had been sipping tea like it was no big deal!
"If they wanted to postpone the journey why didn't they tell me sooner?" Sheena wondered. "I would have just stayed—no, they wouldn't have let me stay anyhow. I'd already said I was leaving. I could have gone to the Institute! I could have been ANYWHERE but here! Why did they do this to me?"
She pouted slightly as she looked at her cards, trying to make sense of this mayhem that had come from the first day.
Outside, Zelos was looking back to the window, a small smile on his face.
"Do you think she's realized what we're up to?" Botta asked.
"She's not an angel you know," Zelos reminded him. "It would be quite strange for her to have heard our conversation."
"I was talking about staging this night here," Botta said. "I apologize again for not informing you ahead of time, but if I had arrived, I was certain Mizuho's Intelligence Network would have been informed. She needs to know you, to love you. Otherwise, her desire to kill the Chosen of Sylvarant will be far weaker. In fact, she might turn traitor."
"What makes Yuan think that?" Zelos asked, as he sipped his tea. "Sheena's not like other girls. My charms don't work on her."
"You used her real name. You hardly ever use any girl's real name, Zelos," Botta noted. "Do YOU love her?"
"That's a negative, Botta, my man," Zelos replied, laughing. "There has never been a girl I have loved. Only those that I've kissed, and won over with my charms."
Botta smiled. Zelos returned it with a similar smile. The two sat there in silence, contemplating the next move. He looked up to her window, a sympathetic look subconsciously entering his eyes. She was the one. He didn't want to just play with this girl like he had with every other one he had ever met. He wanted to sweep her off her feet and run away with her to the ends of the Universe, away from the Renegades, and away from Cruxis.
But that wasn't happening. He knew that from the moment they had planned to have her spend the evening with him. He felt that they would never be together. She was just going to use her soon to be feelings of love for him to convince her to save the world. Then he would be forced to shove her away, to pretend that it never happened. He didn't want that for her. He would never want that for her. He sighed.
"As for Yuan, he plans to do nothing more than prevent Martel's resurrection. We've heard word that the Chosen of Sylvarant will be leaving for her journey soon. Whatever you plan to do to win her over, you best do it tonight or tomorrow. Understand?"
"Understood," Zelos droned. He set his tea down, and stood. "Hey, can you ask Yuan a favor though?"
"What is it Zelos?"
"Ask him if there's any chance we could extend her stay here," Zelos replied. "It would give me way more time to woo her over, you know? Even one more day is appreciated."
Botta nodded, seeming to understand Zelos' phony excuse.
"I will inform him of your request. Farewell," Botta said, leaving the garden through a warp panel that had been cleverly hidden in the grass.
"Sayonara!" Zelos said cheerfully. As soon as Botta was gone, his face was grave, as he looked back to her room. He reflected on the first part of the conversation.
"How'd you know she'd come here?" Zelos asked. He had watched Botta arrive on the warp panel only moments before.
"We staged it."
"How'd you know it was going to be a girl?"
"Remember the situation of Volt?"
"Oh dude, she's the chick?" Zelos asked, a little shocked as his butler arrived with tea.
"
He knew his normal façade wouldn't work on the expendable warrior of Mizuho. He'd have to be a little more serious about winning her over. "Until tomorrow, my voluptuous hunny, Sheena."
Sheena took a deep breath, the tears falling slowly down her soft face. Frustrated, she wiped them away as quickly as they had fallen. She was too old to act like she was, crying over staying at some uncomfortable house! She went to the door, and locked it. Turning back to the bed, she stuffed several pillows underneath the blankets as she made herself a bed on the floor opposite the side with the door. As she laid back, she saw that there was a phrase on the ceiling. At first, it was difficult to read, but upon a closer inspection through the canopy of the bed, she could clearly read the phrase.
I wish I could love, but love never comes to the damned.
"Who wrote this here?" Sheena wondered. It was strange, since the majority of the home was immaculate to the point of making her sick. There was only one person besides the butler, but the pervert had even said himself that he held parties. Who would write something so heart-wrenching on the host's ceiling? "Well, I know one thing. It isn't that pervert. That's for certain."
Giving up for the moment on the phrase, she quickly laid down on her makeshift bed, and fell asleep.
