Guardian Knight

by SMB814

Part 6 of the "Whatever Will Be" series. In the blink of an eye, one of the greatest days of Zelos's life had transformed into the worst. Sheelos.

2. Part 2: The Adversary

(For disclaimer and author/story/series notes, see Part 1.)

0~*~0

Part 2: The Adversary

It took several hours to finish moving all of the villagers indoors, and by that point, darkness had fallen and Zelos was exhausted. Despite that, he pressed onward, making multiple trips to the 'safe' branch of the river to make sure they'd have enough water when - not 'if' - these people started waking. After that he'd forced himself - and Orochi - to eat something. He wasn't hungry, but he still ate; after all, even if he didn't need to eat, he needed Orochi to eat, and his gut told him Orochi never would unless he did, too. Since Orochi had made it clear he didn't feel comfortable cooking for anyone but himself (a fact that had amused Zelos greatly, since even if he knew his own cooking wasn't the best, he was at least confident enough in it to feed it to others), he'd whipped up a batch of seafood stew from what he'd found in Sheena's home. Chances were, unless something changed, he'd end up making soup for the villagers once they woke, too. The thought of having to cook for all these people didn't enthuse him, but he'd do it if it meant helping them recover.

On the bright side, they hadn't found any new casualties while moving everyone. On the down side, no one's condition had changed yet, either. Once they'd finished eating, he and Orochi had discussed what to do next, and Zelos had offered to take the night watch, with his only condition being that he stayed with Sheena the entire time to watch over her. Orochi had disapproved, claiming Zelos would inevitably fall asleep, until Zelos had reluctantly explained the 'reduced need for sleep' side effect of being an angel. Besides, while he was exhausted, Zelos knew he'd never be able to sleep while Sheena's fate was still uncertain - and especially not if some madman was out there, possibly planning to come back and finish the job. And really, it made sense for him to take the night watch since his hearing was so sharp; so long as he had a window cracked, he'd hear anything. Ultimately, Orochi had agreed and wandered off to Igaguri's home to watch over him. And to sleep, Zelos had quickly added, even though he fully expected Orochi wouldn't.

Once Orochi had left, Zelos had gotten the fire going in Sheena's house, cracked open a window, grabbed a mat, and settled onto the floor beside her, close enough to touch her and make sure she was still alive. Then the torturous waiting began, dragging on, and on, and on. Everything was still and silent - the village, her home, and her. It was too silent, actually, to the point of being unnerving, making him feel like he was trapped in a graveyard full of dead bodies. He ached for someone to wake and assure him his efforts had paid off; he ached for Sheena to wake and assure him she would be okay. With nothing further to do, Zelos could no longer keep his mind from wandering, from playing over all the possible scenarios, the good and the bad, and asking all the questions he'd so far been avoiding. What if these people didn't recover? What if the antidote didn't work and was only prolonging their deaths? What if they'd diagnosed the poison wrong and the antidote was ineffective? What if the bastard responsible for this waited until everyone recovered and then tried again? They had to catch this creep, make him pay, and guarantee it wouldn't happen again.

And, of course, there was the most disturbing question of all: what would he do if he lost this incredible woman and her beauty, strength, and love forever? The very thought of living the rest of his life without her...even now that she'd been given the antidote, the fear was still capable of paralyzing him. He hadn't even consciously realized it until he'd said it earlier, but the thought of life without her now was inconceivable. He didn't want to live without her. How could he when Sheena was his new Grand Master Plan? To not be able to talk to her, kiss her, touch her, hold her, make her smile, make her laugh, make her happy...no torture could be worse. Sure, before he'd experienced this happiness with her, he'd figured he could live happily ever after without it. But now...

Now, after everything they'd experienced this past year, after all the beautiful memories they'd created together, after he'd fallen so hopelessly in love with her, any life after her would be empty. He couldn't do it, knowing what he'd once had and lost. Even if he could one day pick up the pieces and move on, find another woman and enjoy the life he'd always thought he wanted, the truth was that he'd never be happy with it. No matter what happened, no matter what life he built for himself, he would always be comparing it to what he'd found with her. It would - it could - never live up to what he'd already had. And to think, he'd fallen that hopelessly for her even without sex entering the picture - and it astounded him to realize that maybe, just maybe, he'd fallen that hopelessly for her because sex hadn't entered the picture, thus complicating his reasons for being with her by forcing him to distinguish between how much he loved her and how much his body loved hers. And the more he considered that, the more he had to acknowledge that even if he had to spend the rest of his life never able to make love to her, to bury himself in her warmth and lose himself in her arms, so long as he was with her, he wouldn't even care anymore. Well, he would care, of course he'd care, but he would willingly put up with it if the tradeoff meant being with her and experiencing her goodness, beauty, and love in his life forever.

And the most shocking, amazing realization of all was that he truly meant that.

And finally, the answer to the question Zelos had been asking himself ever since Sheena had mentioned what was required of her before she could become chief, the answer he'd suspected he'd known for months but that only now became a conscious realization, hit him. He would do anything for her. Anything. Even that, what would be required of him to make their love permanent...to make sure he could spend forever by her side. It didn't matter to him anymore where that life happened or what would be expected of him; no matter what it entailed, so long as he was with her, and so long as she wanted him with her, he would accept it. And what surprised him most was how comfortably that thought sat with him. The one thing he had never imagined as a possible future - a life with Sheena in Mizuho, helping her lead this village - was now the only possibility he could envision. In fact, the thought now sat with him so easily, so surely, that he couldn't help wondering why it had taken him so long to see it...why it had taken nearly losing her to dismiss all remaining doubts and embrace it like this.

Of course, he reminded himself, even if he had realized it sooner, he still would've had to do everything else he had since then, working toward accepting Mizuho. And now, he was almost certain he'd succeeded. He did accept Mizuho; if this poisoning had proven anything to him, it was how much he'd grown to like this place. The thought of seeing it destroyed had terrified him - not just losing Sheena, but losing all of these people and their old-fashioned, backwater, yet unique and beautiful culture. It wasn't his home, but he was starting to see it as such simply because it was Sheena's home. Problems still remained, mostly in the form of Orochi and those ninjas who resented an outsider's presence here, a thought that made him hesitate, but he still had time to work on that. He may be sure of his answer now, but he would still use the weeks he had left before he reached his deadline to their fullest to sort out everything else. There was a lot he had to do yet, a lot of questions to ask and answers to seek, before he could follow through on this. And he would. This situation had given him a mental picture of what his life would be like if he walked away from her, and one thing he now knew for certain was that it was a lonely, depressing image he'd fight tooth and nail to never have to see again.

But all of that was assuming Sheena recovered, something that, unfortunately, still wasn't a given. Until she awoke, and until they found those responsible and prevented any further attacks on these people, and until Zelos knew they hadn't been attacked to punish him - something that, if true, would change everything he'd just decided since he could never risk hurting her by staying here - everything was still up in the air. And until things were stable again here, he couldn't start considering his next move, so getting too excited and making too many plans too soon would just risk ending in heartbreak if it all fell apart. To that end, he filed those tentative plans away in the back of his mind and grasped Sheena's cold hand tightly, settling into 'wait and see' mode and praying again to whichever deity was listening that she would recover.

It was after midnight when he suddenly heard movement in the village. Still clutching Sheena's hand, Zelos sat up straighter and listened carefully, trying to identify if it was an intruder, but he quickly relaxed as he heard Orochi cough, his footsteps drawing closer. Unsurprisingly, a soft knock soon sounded on the door, and a second later it creaked open and Orochi stepped inside, shutting it behind him and taking off his shoes before heading toward the bedroom. Zelos considered releasing her hand, seeing as he now had an audience, but then he decided the hell with it; it had taken hours, but her hand was finally warming up, and so he wasn't going to risk losing that progress. As it was, if it had been up to him, he would've crawled into bed with her, wrapped his arms around her, and tried to warm up the rest of her, too, but he'd decided not to for fear of this very thing: Orochi dropping by to check that he wasn't doing anything 'inappropriate' to her.

Their eyes briefly met, but then Zelos looked back down at Sheena, letting the fingers of his free hand trail over her pale face. Orochi hesitated as he reached the bedroom doorway, taking in the scene before him, but thankfully, instead of getting upset that Zelos was daring to touch her, he sighed, returned to the kitchen, grabbed one of Sheena's mats, and returned to the bedroom, placing it on the other side of the futon and kneeling on it. Zelos tensed - right now he really wasn't in the mood for another heated argument with Orochi - but telling Orochi to leave wouldn't go over well, either. And unfortunately, after the decision he'd just made, one thing Zelos knew was that he couldn't afford to piss off Orochi more than he already had. In fact, it was actually in his everyone's best interests to try to patch things up with him.

And so, to that end, instead of saying anything, Zelos sat silently, stroking Sheena's face, and after a minute, Orochi motioned at her. "How is she?"

Zelos glanced up at him, unsure if Orochi had an ulterior motive behind asking that, but for the sake of keeping the peace, he decided to take the question at face value. "She's still alive. And it may just be wishful thinking, but it seems like her color is improving, too."

Orochi nodded slowly. "I agree. She does not look quite as sickly as she had earlier."

Zelos eyed him again, still unsure why he was here. "How's Chief Igaguri?"

"The same as Sheena. His coloring, too, looks better than it had earlier, but I suspect even once they wake, they will still have a long road back to full recovery. Both are fighters, though. I expect they will survive. If they are still alive now, then they have weathered the worst of this. If the antidote was ineffective, they would already be dead. Of that, I am certain."

"I hope you're right about that." Oh, how he hoped Orochi was right, and for now he would accept it, because hope was infinitely better than despair. "And yeah, you're right, Sheena is a fighter. I've seen that time and again since the day I met her."

From the corner of his eye, he could see Orochi watching him again. "Yes, I suppose you have."

Zelos sat silently another moment, running his fingers over her cold forehead. Well, if Orochi wasn't going to offer this information himself, he would just have to ask. "So why are you still up? I thought you were going to get some sleep."

"I was."

Okay...? That didn't answer the question. He arched an eyebrow. "Didn't trust me not to fall asleep, eh? Had to check I was still awake?"

To Zelos's surprise, though, instead of glaring at him over his accusatory tone, Orochi sighed. "No, Chosen, it was not that. I simply could not sleep, so I decided to check on Sheena."

Ah. No surprise there. "Mm."

They sat silently again, Zelos having run out of 'safe' things to say, until Orochi suddenly cleared his throat. "I...I apologize for what I said before, Chosen."

...Wait, what? Had Orochi really just said the word 'apologize'? Zelos's eyes snapped up at him. "Hm?"

Unsurprisingly, Orochi refused to look at him. "For assuming as I had, that you were responsible for what happened here."

"...Oh." Zelos quickly looked back down at Sheena. Uh oh. This was about to turn into a weird, awkward conversation, wasn't it? Because Orochi apologizing to him for anything was making him wonder if he had fallen asleep and was dreaming this, even though he knew he hadn't. And suddenly, Zelos just wanted Orochi to let the whole thing go, because that was what he wanted to do. "Don't worry about it. I probably would've jumped to the same conclusion you did if I'd found you here alone."

"Perhaps," Orochi replied softly. "But still, I was wrong. You were only trying to help my people. I should not have threatened you. For that, I apologize."

Okay, this was already beyond weird and awkward; this lack of anger and sincere apology from Orochi was downright bizarre. It actually - gasp! - reminded him of the Orochi he'd known during their journey. Could it be that kind, friendly Orochi really did still exist beneath the jealous grouch he'd been this past year?

Well, if he did, then Zelos would certainly encourage him to stick around awhile, not only for his own sake, but for Sheena's, because he knew how much she missed her old friend. "It's okay," he said. "You were in shock. So was I when I first got here. Shock can make people say and do things they wouldn't say or do otherwise. We'll write it off as that."

While Orochi still didn't look at him, he did bow his head. "Very well."

They fell silent again, and only then did Zelos realize those statements applied to him, too. As much as he hated apologizing, if Orochi had done so, then it was only fair he return the favor. Besides, like it or not, right now they had to rely on each other, and fostering goodwill would help that. "Listen, I'm sorry about what I said before, too. Y'know, about the whole 'jealousy' thing."

Orochi tensed, but to Zelos's surprise, a moment later he sighed. "You were correct about that, Chosen."

...Wait, what? Zelos's head snapped upward. "I was?" Well, of course he was - if Orochi had been trying to hide his feelings all this time, then he'd done a horrible job of it - but he just couldn't believe his ears, which were insisting Orochi had actually admitted that.

For a moment, Orochi's only response was a curt nod, but then he cleared his throat and went on, slowly and hesitantly, as if the words were painful to say. "When Sheena completed the ritual to restore the Guardians and Chief Igaguri named her to be his successor, I assumed that I was..."

His voice trailed off, but just like that, Zelos got it. Orochi had seen himself filling the role of spouse for her because, of everyone here, he was the best candidate for it. He was an excellent fighter and upstanding, respected ninja, an intelligent man, and a Mizuho native who knew and loved this village and would give his life to protect it. Of course he'd think Sheena would choose him, a dear friend, to help her lead it. Countless pieces of the puzzle regarding Orochi's behavior this past year suddenly began fitting into place.

"...You assumed you were the logical choice of a spouse for her," Zelos stated.

Orochi's eyes snapped up to him, but they quickly fell back to Sheena, his face red. "Yes. And I accepted that and grew to...look forward...to it. I did not expect any other man to become an option for her, and I certainly did not expect that man to be..."

"...A messed up, irresponsible womanizer of a Chosen who not only doesn't take anyone or anything seriously, but who's already proven himself capable of hurting her," Zelos suggested when Orochi motioned discreetly at him. "Right?"

"...Yes."

Yep, that explained a lot. And oh, did Zelos hate this conversation already. But now that he'd made his decision about the future he wanted, they'd have to have it eventually, so they should just get it out of the way now, when no one else would hear it, rather than engaging in another public shouting match. He really could do without another one of those.

"Believe me, Orochi, I'm the last person I ever expected would enter the picture," he murmured, trailing his fingers down Sheena's cheek. "But Sheena has a way of getting things out of me that even I never thought myself capable of. She's a...a very special woman."

"Yes, she is." And while Zelos could feel Orochi watching him, he couldn't meet his gaze. Discussing such feelings with anyone had always been hard for him, but doing so with someone as critical as Orochi was far worse. Before Zelos could think of what to say, though, Orochi went on. "For months I could not understand why she chose to pursue you, of all available men, someone she had detested for years. I could not understand why she defended you so fiercely after how badly you had hurt her, nor could I comprehend what she saw in you that no ninja here could provide her. But now...now I believe I have seen an inkling of what she must see in you." Zelos's eyes widened, but Orochi just arched an eyebrow at him. "You truly do love her, do you not?"

Zelos quickly looked back down at Sheena, his face growing warm. Wonderful. Now Orochi was asking him pointblank about something he'd sworn to hide from him for fear of what Orochi would do to him if he knew. And, worse, answering the question would mean making his feelings 'public' here, something that was severely frowned upon. But shockingly enough, Orochi didn't sound disapproving of that, nor did he seem like he was trying to bait Zelos into saying something he shouldn't; in fact, it seemed like he was simply verifying something that he already knew.

Yep, definitely an awkward conversation. Absently, he wondered if this was the kind of 'big brother' conversation he would one day have with the man his sister fell in love with, and he made a mental note to remember how squirm-inducing it was for the person being interrogated. But still, Orochi had simply asked the question instead of assuming, again, that Zelos just wanted to 'get between her legs.'Heck, he wasn't even sticking his fingers in his ears and pretending to ignore their relationship anymore, either. And so, as much as Zelos hated doing this, he would make an exception this time, be honest, and hope for the best.

"I would think that would be obvious by now," he whispered.

Orochi eyed him again carefully before looking back at Sheena. "It is."

Well, good. He really had just been verifying something he already knew. Zelos wasn't sure how much else he should say, but with Sheena's fate still hanging in the balance, he was feeling obnoxiously emotional, and before he knew it, his mouth started saying things he'd never intended to say. "Y'know, Orochi, I never tried to win her heart. In fact, I did the opposite: I pushed her away to prevent that from happening, to protect her from...well, from me, and from everything that came with me as the Chosen. That's why I hurt her all those years ago. But in time I came to realize that no matter what stupid thing I did to her, it didn't work. I learned the hard way that I can't make her decisions for her. Sheena has a mind of her own, and only she can make her own decisions."

"Yes, that is true," Orochi acknowledged softly.

"Yeah, I suppose you'd know that too, wouldn't you?" Zelos whispered, grinning wryly, but then he took another deep breath and looked back at Sheena, his smile fading. "To this day, I still can't help thinking at times that she'd be better off without me - not that I would be better off without her, mind you. And that's why I've held onto her so tightly: because when I'm with her, she makes me into someone I actually like. It's selfish, I know, but there it is, and nothing you say will drive me away from her." He swallowed hard as he admired the soft curves of her face, his heart pounding as her chest rose and fell, an undeniable sign that she had defied the poison that had tried to snuff her beauty from this world. "I'll never understand why she gave me another chance to make it up to her after how badly I hurt her, but she did. And I'll be damned if I don't do everything in my power to rise to her expectations and live up to her faith in me." His voice lowered. "That's why I'm still with her: because I refuse to hurt her by pushing her away again. I did that once, and I'm never making that mistake again."

From the corner of his eye, he could see Orochi watching him again. He expected Orochi to counter that, insisting that such words might sound good but they could never make up for the pain he'd caused her and that, when this debacle was over, he still wanted Zelos out of her life, but instead all he said was, "You have not forgotten what I told you, have you?"

"You mean about how Sheena needs to find a spouse before she becomes chief?" Orochi bowed his head. "No, I haven't." He paused, then finally looked up again, unsurprised to see Orochi watching him expectantly, clearly waiting for him to continue. But before Zelos told him anything, he needed to know something first. "Has Igaguri indicated he's changed his mind about when he's planning to pass the baton to her?"

"He has not."

Zelos nodded faintly, then looked back at Sheena, resuming trailing his fingers over her forehead. "So a month or two left then, eh?"

"Yes. Chief Igaguri lost many years, and he feels great guilt for what happened during the Volt accident, both to our people and to Sheena, and believes easing the transition to her while he can still help do so would be for the best. Additionally, he has stated several times now that he is convinced she is ready to handle the responsibilities of the position."

"Ah." Well, at least that was now confirmed. And on the bright side, he had now made his decision, and a month or two should still give him enough time to finish up the rest of his outstanding business before it became an issue. "So does Sheena know he's looking to hand over the reins that soon?"

Orochi shook his head. "I am not certain. All I know is what he has told me. But she knows to expect it at any time; that was made clear when she became his successor."

"Yeah, but something tells me she isn't expecting it yet, because she doesn't talk about it much," Zelos said, but he quickly reconsidered that as he realized he could count on one hand the number of times she'd mentioned becoming chief. Actually, that was pretty weird. That was a major part of her future, and yet she was acting like she didn't want to acknowledge it. Or maybe she didn't want him to feel pressured to make a choice about his own future with her so she avoided speaking about it around him? He honestly didn't know. "Okay, she doesn't talk about it at all. And when she does, it definitely isn't in an 'immediate future' sense."

"Perhaps. However, the fact remains that the 'reins' and the 'baton' will soon be hers."

"Yeah, I know. I don't doubt you about that." Zelos shrugged. "And truthfully, that's okay. If Igaguri wants her to become chief, then that's his prerogative. He'll do what he thinks is best for everyone, Sheena included."

Orochi continued watching him carefully, clearly expecting more. "And what of you?"

Zelos stiffened, but instead of answering that, he simply continued looking at Sheena. Yep, he'd been afraid Orochi would ask him that. He really didn't want to discuss his decision already, not when he'd just made it, and especially not with Orochi, but that obviously wasn't an option. If Orochi had bothered to ask such a personal question in the first place, then he wouldn't drop it. Now, how to answer it in a way that won't result in my own disembowelment...

But before he could reply, Orochi's eyes widened slightly. "You are actually considering it."

...So much for finding a safe answer. But it was too late now; Orochi had already figured it out. And really, seeing as his choice would soon alter everyone's lives, Orochi's included, should Sheena say 'yes' when he popped the question, then Zelos supposed he should just be honest. "I would think that would be obvious by now, too."

Orochi considered that a moment, still watching him closely, then sighed. "Yes, I suppose it is." He cleared his throat. "And have you made a decision?"

Well, since Orochi hadn't yelled at him, insulted him, or attempted to rip his heart from his chest yet, Zelos supposed he should see the rest of this through, too. "Yes, I have."

And again, Orochi watched him, but when Zelos still found himself tongue-tied, he pressed, "And may I ask what you decided?"

Zelos's eyes snapped up to him. And here, now, is the moment of truth. He's probably going to kill me or call me a foolish, arrogant bastard for even considering this, but lying won't win me any points, either. In fact, it might curse my future if he's convinced I'm a liar, especially if I haven't given him reason to believe otherwise. As scary as this is, just tell him. "Probably not the one any man looking to marry her himself was hoping I'd make."

Orochi nodded faintly. "I see." While his face was cold, it thankfully wasn't murderous, either, as he arched an eyebrow. "Is Sheena aware you have made this decision?"

Zelos shook his head. "Not yet. And she isn't going to know it yet. I still need to get a few things in order before I approach her with this." He gave Orochi a pointed look. "So I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't say anything to her."

"Of course."

While Zelos wanted to take that to mean Orochi wouldn't break into his mansion and murder him some night in his sleep, he wasn't convinced Orochi would accept that yet, either. Ultimately, he just had to ask the question, even if it pissed off Orochi. Simply put, Zelos needed to know what to expect from him now. And since Orochi had been surprisingly direct with him tonight, he'd take a page from his book and do the same.

He arched an eyebrow. "And what about you? You love her too, don't you?"

As expected, Orochi tensed and glared at him, his eyes saying 'how dare you ask me something you have no business knowing!', but then he took a deep breath, looked down at Sheena, and, surprisingly, answered the question, his voice barely a whisper. "By now I suspect my feelings for her are as obvious as are yours."

Wow. He could not believe Orochi had just said that. But that alone didn't answer his question; all it told him was that Orochi was a normal human being with normal human emotions. "So now that you know what I'm planning, what are you going to do about it? Are you gonna try to persuade me that I'm not wanted here, so I should leave? Or are you gonna try to kill me to get me out of the picture so you can marry her instead?"

To his surprise, Orochi's sigh was one of defeat. "I would not do that. As much as I wish my relationship with Sheena was different, I cannot deny that she loves you and that losing you would hurt her. For months I never imagined she would consider someone like you for such an important role in her life, but the truth is she will consider you. I still do not like you, and I believe I would do a far better job than you would in that position, but all that truly matters is Sheena's choice - and as you said, Sheena makes her own decisions. I believe her final choice will include you." He released another sigh, his gaze falling down to the face of the woman lying between them. "And perhaps that is for the best. You make her happy, Chosen. You make her smile and laugh in a way I never have. I am simply incapable of drawing happiness from her as you can, it seems. Likewise, she lets you comfort and protect her in a way she would never let me. She does love you, perhaps even as much as you love her. And as long as she is safe and happy, then I will be happy for her. If you truly believe you can provide that for her, and after today, I have no reason to believe otherwise...then I will no longer stand in your way."

Zelos gaped at him a moment, once again unable to believe his ears. Was Orochi serious? Or was he speaking pretty words to lull Zelos into a false sense of calm before sinking a shuriken in his skull? But Orochi's somberness indicated he meant that. Zelos was shocked - and relieved. Maybe something good would come from this nightmarish poisoning after all. Maybe now Orochi would finally get off of his back; maybe he'd return to being the friend Sheena had once known, the one who'd been AWOL the past year because of how badly he'd wanted Zelos gone so he had a shot at winning Sheena's heart for himself. He could live with Orochi not liking him so long as Orochi accepted Zelos was a part of Sheena's life, which, incredibly, seemed to be what he was saying.

Relaxing, Zelos gave him a faint but sincere smile. "Thanks, man. I appreciate it."

Instantly, Orochi's face grew cold again. "I am not doing this for you, Chosen. As I said, I still do not like you, nor do I trust you or your intentions yet, and I still maintain that you are an irresponsible, spoiled city dweller who does not belong here. Rather, I am doing this for Sheena, because it is obvious this is what she wants."

Oh. Right. Zelos's smile vanished, and he looked back down at Sheena. Okay, so he still had a ways to go to win Orochi over. He should've known it would take more than helping him save his people and being honest about his future plans. But regardless, he'd still choose to take this as a promising start, since at least Orochi hadn't tried to kill him over this. Well, that or Orochi was only saying that to save face, which was a possibility he couldn't dismiss. Only time would tell which it was - or if Zelos could ever permanently win his favor.

"Of course," he replied. "You're entitled to view me however you want. Still, all I'm asking is that you respect Sheena's wishes with this, no matter what she decides."

"I will," Orochi said, his voice softening. He paused a moment, then gave Zelos another sharp look. "You have no idea what you are getting yourself into with this, do you?"

"No, I don't," Zelos admitted. "But before I make any final decisions, I will find out - although at this point, I seriously doubt anything could change my mind anymore. And don't worry, I won't act on this the minute everyone recovers. Heck, I probably won't act on it for another month or two. Like I said, I have things I need to sort out first. But I will act on it eventually - preferably before Igaguri pushes the issue himself."

Orochi bowed his head. "Understood."

Good. No more arguments. But Orochi needed to know this. "And don't forget, Orochi, you aren't out of the running yet. Nothing says she'll choose me. I mean, after what I did to her, she'd be more than justified in showing me to the door and booting me from her life for good. But still, I will see this through on my end. I've known for months now that one day she'd have to choose a spouse, and I didn't want to complicate her decision if I knew I couldn't handle it. I could never give her false hope if I knew there was none. If my answer had been 'no,' I would've ended this months ago. But I couldn't do it then, and I still can't now." He looked down at Sheena again, his voice falling to a whisper. "I love this woman far too much to hurt her like that again."

Orochi tilted his head in acknowledgment. "Very well. I will stand out of your way and pray to Jizou that you are capable of living up to your word." His face grew even colder. "But my warning still stands. You say you will not hurt her, but if you do..."

"...You'll kill me, I know. And honestly, if I did, you'd be justified in doing so - assuming I didn't kill myself for it first." He met Orochi's gaze. "I won't hurt her, Orochi. I promise."

Orochi eyed him another moment, then bowed his head. "I will hold you to that, Chosen."

"I'd expect no less from someone who cares about her as much as you do."

They fell silent then, both just sitting beside Sheena, watching her chest rise and fall, until finally Orochi sighed and rose to his feet. "I should check on Chief Igaguri."

Zelos nodded. The silence had been comfortable after the understanding they'd just reached with each other, but he was still glad Orochi was leaving. "And then you should get some sleep."

"Yes," Orochi agreed softly. "Perhaps now I will be able to do so."

Ah, Zelos thought. So this really had been bothering him. He hadn't just wanted to check on Sheena; he'd wanted to clarify a few things with me, too. And really, now that he knew Orochi wouldn't kill him, Zelos was hopeful he'd told the ninja what he'd needed to hear. And the best part was that he'd done so without telling a single lie. A year ago he never would've thought himself capable of handling an intense conversation like that without resorting to any, and yet he had. He was proud of how far he'd come.

...Oh, right. Orochi was leaving. He could pat himself on the back later. "Well, I hope you can," Zelos said, smiling faintly. "We still have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

Orochi bowed his head. "Yes, we do. I will see you in the morning."

"I'll be here."

"Yes, I know you will," Orochi whispered. He stepped into the main room, but before he'd even cleared the doorway, he turned back toward Zelos. "Chosen?"

Zelos looked up at him. "Hm?"

Orochi opened his mouth to say something, but then he closed it again and looked down at Sheena, hesitating. A moment later, though, he sighed again and met Zelos's eyes. "It may be no secret that I never liked you, trusted you, or wanted you here...but I am glad you are here now. I could not have done all of this alone, and I have no doubt that my people would be dead right now if not for you. I owe you my deepest gratitude for that, and I will not forget this. You have earned my respect. Arigatou gozaimasu."

And again, Zelos just stared at him. Part of him - the part that always felt uncomfortable being thanked - suddenly wanted to say he hadn't done what he had for Orochi's sake, nor even for the villagers', but solely to save Sheena...but he hadn't just acted out of fear for her life. No, he could scarcely believe it, but he truly had been scared for all of these people. As it was, he already knew the nine lives they'd lost because he hadn't gotten here in time would probably haunt him the rest of his life, making him wonder what he could have done differently to save them, but it was too late to change that now. And that realization, that he'd done what he had here to save everyone, because he liked them, actually took him by surprise - a pleasant one. In fact, that realization alone served as a confirmation that he'd just made the right decision regarding his future here.

Therefore, instead of succumbing to that instinctive reaction, he nodded. "I could say the same, Orochi. I'm glad you're here, too. Sheena would be dead right now if not for your ability to put your grievances with me aside. Thank you."

"I should have done so long ago," Orochi whispered. After a moment, though, he sighed, met Zelos's eyes again, and nodded curtly. "Keep good watch over her."

Zelos gave him another faint smile. "I will."

Then Orochi was gone. Alone again, Zelos leaned back against the wall to not only wait for Sheena to recover, but to ponder the progress he'd just made with Orochi and to contemplate the future he had now definitively decided to pursue.

And when Orochi returned an hour later and handed Zelos a book on Mizuho's language, saying if he was truly serious about the future he'd decided on, then he would need something more substantial than a children's book to learn their language - 'for Mizuho's sake,' he'd added, 'so we don't have a completely incompetent fool in the position' - before leaving again, Zelos took the gesture as the best, and perhaps only, sign he'd ever get that Orochi approved of his decision. Finally having something worthwhile to do, Zelos settled onto his mat and started reading. He would skim the entire book now to get the gist, but then he would study it in depth from the beginning. After all, Orochi was right. Mizuho deserved someone competent in that position, and so did Sheena.

And when the time came, he would make damn sure he lived up to their expectations of him. He would, no matter what. Failing them simply wasn't an option.

0~*~0

The rest of the night passed quickly thanks to the book that gave Zelos something to focus on aside from Sheena's unchanging condition. Even after skimming it, he still felt lost with their language, but knowing he'd now made his decision about the future and would have to learn it eventually, assuming Sheena really did choose him, kept him motivated, as did the fact that even his minimal knowledge of it had proven life-saving, and thankfully he did manage to pick up a few new things. But he wasn't in a hurry; he still had a few months until Igaguri declared Sheena to be chief, and technically, this was just a head start in case his future plans unfolded as he now hoped they would.

Dawn eventually arrived, and shortly after that, he heard Orochi begin moving from home to home, checking on the villagers. Realizing he should talk to Orochi so they could plan their day's activities, Zelos set his book aside and made to stand, only to stop as his gaze fell again on Sheena. Unable to resist, he gently touched her face, his fingers trailing over her smooth, pale cheek, pleased to note that her skin didn't feel quite as cold as it had the last time he'd checked. For a moment, he let his fingertips play over her lips, his heart aching at seeing her so still and lifeless, even while his body ached to kiss her. He sighed, pulling his hand away and moving again to stand, when suddenly, without warning, a moan sounded from her lips, so soft that he nearly missed it.

Instantly, he froze. "Sheena?" For a moment she was still, making Zelos afraid he'd just imagined it, but then her head rolled a little toward his hand and his heart soared. He quickly stroked her cheek again. "Sheena? Can you hear me?" Again, she didn't respond, but he could see it: her breathing patterns were changing. She was rousing. He leaned closer to her, suddenly desperate to lure her back to consciousness. "C'mon, sweetheart. Time to wake up."

His fingers continued playing over her cheek another minute until she suddenly breathed in a little more deeply. A moment later she moaned softly again, and then finally - finally! - her eyes opened the slightest bit before closing again. "Zelos?"

His name was a mere breath from her lips, but it still managed to put a huge, stupid grin on his face. Oh, Martel, she was awake! The sight before him was quite possibly the most beautiful one he'd ever seen. "I'm here, love."

Her head turned a little further into his hand as he continued caressing her face. For a moment he was afraid she was falling asleep again, but then she took another deep breath. To his concern, though, her face contorted in discomfort as she struggled to pry her eyes open and focus on his face. "What happened?" she whispered, her eyes sliding shut again.

...Oh. Right. He hadn't considered what to tell her when she woke. He really didn't want to hit her with the truth yet, but if he babied her by not telling her, it would piss her off, which he also didn't want. "What do you remember?" he asked carefully.

Her brows furrowed slightly. "Don't rememb..." Without warning, her eyes flew open. "Poison...!"

"Hey, hey, calm down," Zelos said as she struggled valiantly, but unsuccessfully, to sit up. He tried to urge her to lay back down but quickly gave up as she refused to do so and instead offered her his support. "Take it easy. It's okay. Everything's taken care of."

"What...?" she began, managing to get herself nearly up, but suddenly she trembled and sagged into his arms, moaning lowly. Zelos tightened his grasp on her; she clearly didn't have the strength to sit up by herself yet, but frustratingly stubborn fighter that she was, he knew trying to get her to accept that would be futile. "Oh...don't feel..."

"I'm not surprised," he said, pulling her closer as she shivered violently and curled further into him, then he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You've been unconscious and poisoned for nearly a day now. You're lucky to be alive." Her hand tightened on his arm, and suddenly Zelos noticed it: she was breathing too quickly. He looked her over, noting that her eyes were squeezed shut and she was clutching her other arm to her stomach. Her skin was getting clammy, too, and her coloring...aw, crap, her face was nearly white. His eyes widened. "Hey, sweetheart, you okay?" She shook her head jerkily, and he pulled back a little to get a better look. Damn, her face was drawn and tense. "Stomach?" She nodded, and Zelos could feel his own stomach sink in dread. "Nauseous?"

Sheena gave him another curt, jerky nod. "I think I'm..."

...She's going to be sick. Zelos quickly extracted himself from her grasp, leaving her slumping forward, still clutching her stomach, and jumped to his feet, his heart and mind racing. One thing he'd always hated was throwing up. Being in the line of fire of someone else who was about to throw up wasn't quite as bad, but it was still awful. But then, the person in question was Sheena, and, surprisingly enough, he found he really didn't care about that. He just wanted to help her through this and get her back to normal - and the sooner, the better.

"Okay, hang on, let me get you a bowl," he said as he headed toward the door. "Don't move. And try to hold it until I get back."

She nodded again, hugging her stomach with a death grip that told him how urgent the situation was. "Hurry," she gasped.

"Hurrying."

Zelos raced into the kitchen, threw open her cabinets, and scanned the contents until he found a large mixing bowl. Grabbing it, he raced back into her bedroom and fell to his knees beside her, holding the bowl in front of her an instant before she started retching. Mostly it was dry heaves, but there was still a little left in her stomach, too, and he just waited out the spasms, shifting to sit beside her again and support her since she was still having trouble sitting up by herself, whispering soothing words in her ear and holding her hair out of her face. And finally, a minute later, the spasms calmed, and she sagged against him again, trembling and shivering.

"Better?" he asked, pressing a kiss to her head just above her ear. Sheena nodded faintly, unable to speak, but at least it answered the question. "Good. Hopefully that's the last of it. Your body was probably trying to get rid of any remaining poison in it." He gently pulled himself away from her, leaving her the bowl, waiting to make sure she wouldn't tip over, then stood again. "Hang on a sec. Let me get you some water to rinse out your mouth, okay?"

She nodded again nearly imperceptibly, and Zelos smiled sadly, his heart breaking at how miserable she was. But still, even this was a thousand times better than how she'd been a few hours ago. And hey, he'd spent the past year looking for excuses to pamper her and wait on her, but every time he tried she gave him a pointed look that stopped him cold, so this might actually be his chance to finally do so. Granted, having to deal with vomit hadn't been on his agenda - and come to think of it, he and Orochi really should clean up the village considering all the people who'd thrown up yesterday - but hey, romantic at heart or not, even he knew life wasn't all hearts and candy and roses. No, life could be ugly, disgusting, depressing, and terrifying, too. And if the future kept progressing as he now wanted it to, then this was part of the life he'd be signing on for with her: taking care of her however she needed it, even if it meant dealing with something 'disgusting' like this.

He returned a minute later with a glass of water and handed it to her, waiting until she finished rinsing her mouth before taking the bowl and carrying it back to the kitchen. He rinsed it out, making a mental note to clean it better later, but right now he didn't want to leave her alone too long. Besides, for all he knew, she'd need it again, and if so, then it didn't pay to clean it too well now. Zelos then grabbed a washrag from her bathroom, dipped it in some lukewarm water, and rejoined her, sitting down beside her, wrapping his arm around her, and drawing her back against him. He dabbed lightly at the cold sweat building on her forehead, then just held her and waited patiently as she sipped at the water. She was probably dehydrated, and if there was one thing he'd learned the hard way as a kid, it was how important sufficient hydration was for a body.

After several minutes, her sipping stopped and she stilled. Afraid she was falling asleep again, Zelos gently nudged her cheek with his nose and reached for the glass. "Done?"

She nodded faintly and let him take the glass, which he set on the floor with the washrag. "Thanks," she whispered, resting her head against the crook of his neck.

He smiled and pressed another kiss to her forehead. "Feeling a little better?"

"Not really," she mumbled.

Zelos quirked an eyebrow. Sheena didn't readily admit when she wasn't feeling well, so for her to say that now...she must feel really awful. "Still feeling nauseous?"

She shook her head faintly. "No. Just...terrible."

"No surprise there, considering what you've been through. You should get more sleep, sweetheart. You need it." On the bright side, getting her to do that shouldn't be hard, seeing as her lack of a response told him she was already half asleep. But unfortunately, as much as he wanted to hold her while she slept, he had too much to do today. "Sheena?"

She started - yup, definitely falling asleep - but then shook her head. "Can't. Mizuho..."

"Mizuho is fine," he cut her off, recognizing what she was going to say. Because that was one thing he could always count on from Sheena: even on her deathbed, she'd still be using every last ounce of strength she possessed to crawl to someone who needed her help. Her selflessness, devotion, determination, and altruism had been nothing short of an inspiration that had turned his life around - as had Lloyd's - but it also scared the hell out of him when she held onto those qualities so tightly to the detriment of her own well-being.

Her eyelashes tickled his neck as she lifted her head a little to look up at him, the dark shadows around her sunken eyes and the paleness of her face making his heart sink further. She looked terrible - but he truly didn't care how she looked right now. After all, she was alive. The antidote had worked. And if it had saved her, then it would save the other villagers, too. And oh, had the struggle he'd put into it yesterday been worth it.

"But...?" she began, but he quickly cut her off again with a reassuring smile.

"It's fine, Sheena. Really. Orochi and I took care of things here."

For a moment, she blinked at him blankly, clearly not grasping that. "Grandpa...?"

"Last I heard, he's still alive, so I'm sure he'll be fine, too."

Sheena sighed in relief and sagged into his arms. "How?"

Zelos shook his head. "It's a long story, and really, right now it doesn't matter-"

"Chosen?" Both jumped as Orochi's voice suddenly cut through her home. Zelos turned in time to see Orochi take off his shoes by the door and step inside. "May I speak with you for a...?" The instant Orochi stepped into the bedroom doorway, though, he froze, his eyes widened, and he rushed inside and knelt in front of Sheena. "Sheena!"

"Orochi," she whispered, her eyes sliding shut. Looks like her strength is nearly sapped, Zelos noted with a frown of concern.

"You are awake!" Orochi said, eyeing her closely.

"For now, although I'm trying to get her back to bed," Zelos replied.

Orochi's eyes darted at Zelos, but then he looked back at Sheena and nodded, his face twitching as if he was trying to suppress his emotions. "Yes, that would be wise." He observed her another moment, then glanced again at Zelos. "How is she?"

"Not so hot." Zelos tilted his head, reconsidering that. "Well, she's always hot, but..."

To his immense pleasure, Sheena poked a finger into his leg weakly and mumbled, "I'm sitting right here, y'know." Her voice was slurred because her face was half-pressed against his chest, but Zelos could still make out the words, and he grinned stupidly. It felt so good to hear her react to his stupid comments like that, because for awhile there he'd been terrified he would never experience it again.

"And you have no idea how glad I am that you are, love," he whispered in her ear, but then he cleared his throat and looked back at Orochi, growing serious as he saw how disapprovingly Orochi was glaring at him. He probably thinks I was being disrespectful toward her, Zelos figured with an internal sigh. At least he isn't blowing a fuse over it. But still, Zelos didn't want to push it with him after the tentative agreement they'd reached last night, so he'd try to behave himself better. "She's still pretty sick, though, hence why I'm trying to get her to sleep some more."

Orochi's face relaxed. "That is not surprising. I researched kurinoku poison overnight and, based on what I read, I suspect it will take everyone weeks to fully recover." He turned back to Sheena, his face softening further. "The Chosen is correct, Sheena. You should rest. Do not worry about Mizuho. We will handle this."

Sheena's eyes opened just a bit and she peered at Orochi, but then she nodded sleepily and closed them again. "'Kay."

Oh, good. No more arguments from her - although, granted, that was most likely because she didn't have the strength to do so. It was a subtle indication of how awful she felt, because Zelos would've expected significantly more arguing from her if she'd felt better. He looked up at Orochi again. "Anyway, what did you need from me?"

Orochi watched Sheena another moment, but then he sighed and turned back to Zelos. "When you have a moment, there is something you should see."

Zelos's eyes narrowed. Orochi had said he was going to check the well this morning to try to identify where the poison had come from. What had he found? As curious as he was, though, he quickly opted to wait until Sheena was asleep again before asking about it. After all, she'd never go back to sleep if they were discussing that right in front of her.

"Okay," he said. "I'll be out as soon as I've gotten her back to bed."

"Very well." Orochi looked back at Sheena, whose eyes were closed again, and reached for her arm as if he wanted to touch her, but before he could, he pulled his hand back and sighed. "Rest, Sheena. You need to recover your strength."

"'Kay," she murmured, her eyes never opening to look at him.

Again, Orochi observed her, but realizing Zelos was watching him, he cleared his throat awkwardly, stood, and headed to the door, slipping on his shoes again before sneaking outside. Once the door was closed, Zelos turned back to Sheena. "Then what do you say we get you settled in again so I can see what he wants?" Sheena nodded faintly, and he gently, reluctantly, pried himself from her grasp enough to help her slide back under the covers. Once she was tucked in, he arched an eyebrow as her eyes opened a little and she looked up at him blearily. "You good? Or do you need another blanket?"

Her eyelids drooped downward again. "I'm okay."

Smiling softly, Zelos pressed another kiss to her forehead, letting his lips linger there a moment before he brushed her messy hair from her face. "Then I'll just be outside. Get some sleep, sweetheart. And if you need anything, call my name and I'll come running."

Her eyes stayed closed, but she did nod to indicate she'd heard him. Zelos brushed his fingers over her cheek one last time, then he finally stood and headed toward the door. An instant later, however, she whispered his name again. "Zelos?"

He quickly turned back to her, surprised to find her eyes open again. "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

His heart melted, and he found himself nearly overwhelmed by the urge to run back over to her, hold her to him, and never let her go for fear something like this would happen again. But he still had too much to do to help her people - and right now the best, and perhaps only, way to truly protect her was to hunt down the murderer who'd tried to kill her. If he was lucky, that was what Orochi wanted to talk to him about.

So instead of doing so and risking being unable to pull himself away again, Zelos gave her another soft smile. "You're welcome." She watched him a moment, but then her eyes slid shut, and Zelos sighed as he finally headed to the door, slipping on his shoes and, on impulse, grabbing his sword from beside the door. After all, right now he couldn't be too careful. He cast one last glance back at the bedroom, just able to make out Sheena's sleeping form behind the doorframe, then pulled the door open and stepped outside. After a few steps, he spotted Orochi standing by the well, staring out at the forest.

"So how is she, really?" Orochi asked, turning away from the forest as Zelos joined him.

Zelos sighed and leaned back against the well, folding his arms to his chest. "Not great, but still better than yesterday. She threw up when she tried to sit up. She's extremely weak and tired, and even she admitted that she feels like crap. But she did drink half a glass of water and was conscious for a bit, and I'm choosing to take those as good signs."

"They are," Orochi agreed. "I suspect the other villagers will follow a similar pattern when they wake. We should place bowls and water beside them since it is unlikely we will be able to tend to each one directly, especially if multiple people wake at the same time."

Ah, right. That made sense, especially now that they knew what the next stage of recovery would look like. Zelos nodded. "We should probably do that pretty quickly, too. If Sheena's waking is any indication, the rest will follow suit soon."

"Yes. She received the antidote first, so it makes sense she would awaken first."

"Well, that and she's still young and healthy," Zelos added. "She'd be more likely to recover quicker than someone in poor health would."

"True." Orochi motioned at the village. "Then let us do that. We can address the other matter I wished to discuss later."

Zelos eyed him, wondering again what he'd found, but then he nodded. This was more urgent right now. After all, he wouldn't want to wake up feeling as sick and clueless as Sheena had and not have anyone around to explain what was going on. At least while they might not be able to tend to everyone directly, making it obvious help was nearby should provide these people some comfort.

"Okay," Zelos said. "I'll meet you back here when we're done."

They split up again, each taking the same side of the river they'd dealt with the previous day, and did whatever they could to accommodate the people who would hopefully be rousing soon. Everyone had survived the night, Zelos was relieved to find, but other than Sheena, no one else had awoken yet. It was uncomfortable searching through other people's houses for bowls and glasses to set beside them, and the sun had fully risen by the time they'd finished distributing drinking water to everyone, but as tedious and mind-numbing as it was, he forced himself to press onward until everyone had been tended to.

An hour later, they finally met up again by the well. "At least now when they wake, that should give them what they need and reassure them help is nearby," Orochi said.

Zelos nodded and hopped up to sit on the stone ledge of the well. "Right. We could use more help, though. Once they start waking up, we'll be running ragged trying to address everyone's needs."

"I suspect you are correct about that," Orochi murmured, looking at the silent village.

Zelos sighed. It was so easy to say they needed help, but who even could help them? "Well, the only people I'd trust to help with this are Lloyd and our friends, but they'd be hard to find. Regal and Presea dropped by Meltokio a few days ago to invite us to a party, but they'd been traveling around for a week before that and had yet to find anyone else; Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and Raine aren't where we expected they'd be. Heck, they were thrilled just to find me. And they said they were going to keep looking for the others, so that means they won't be easy to find, either. And right now, I don't want to leave you alone here any longer than necessary while I look for them. Unfortunately, that exhausts my short list of people who could help - unless, of course, you want me revealing Mizuho's location to even more outsiders, none of which I can vouch for."

Orochi shook his head. "No. We cannot afford to involve outsiders in this. Mizuho will be moving eventually, but I do not see that happening for several more years. I believe Chief Igaguri is leaving that project to Sheena for when she becomes chief." He fell silent, thinking. "I should return to Sybak and retrieve Michi, Sadako, and Hamako. They would be of great assistance here."

Oh, right. Zelos had forgotten about them. At least they were safe, because the thought of losing a dear friend like Michi was nearly as bad as the thought of losing Sheena. "The only problem with that is that I'm not sure bringing them here with a potential, murderous madman running around is a good idea. I realize you ninjas are fighters by nature - well, except Michi - but I'm just not comfortable involving kids in this while we're still dealing with someone who'd rather hide in the shadows and throw darts at you rather than confront you directly. Assuming, of course, that there really is someone else to blame for this."

"You have a point," Orochi said. "Michi is not yet prepared to confront an opponent like this, nor is his sister. Sadako, perhaps, but right now we should not leave Hamako alone if this person is targeting ninjas."

...And that, unfortunately, eliminated everyone they could trust to help here. Zelos sighed again and leaned back, resting his hands on the cold stone beneath him. "How 'bout any other ninjas out in the field? Is there anyone you could easily get in touch with?"

Orochi shook his head. "Unfortunately, while we have several spies currently on scouting missions, they, like your friends, would be difficult to locate. Right now we simply do not have time to waste on fruitless searches."

"So for now, it's just us. Great." And now they were back at square one. There was no use bemoaning something they couldn't change, though, so...next topic? "Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Bending down, Orochi grabbed a pair of black gloves from the ground, put them on, and then picked up something. "When I scoured the well this morning, I found this."

Zelos's eyes narrowed as Orochi stood, holding up what appeared to be a small ball made of patches of purple, yellow, and red fabric. "What the hell is that?"

Orochi's eyebrows rose as Zelos jumped off the wall to get a better look at it. "You do not recognize it?"

His eyes lifted to Orochi's. Was he accusing him of something? "Should I?"

"No, but I was hoping you would so we knew where it came from," Orochi replied.

Okay, good, no accusations. But as for recognizing it...he searched his memories, trying to think of anywhere he might have seen it - inside his hunnies' homes, kids playing with it in the streets, for sale in a souvenir shop - but came up blank. "I don't have a clue. It almost looks like a kid's toy, like a hacky sack, only it isn't soft enough to be one. And..." His eyes narrowed as he leaned closer, then quickly backed away as the stench reeking from it hit him. "Ugh, it stinks. I don't want to get closer to check, but are those holes in it?"

"Yes, it does smell rancid, like rotting herbs," Orochi said. "And yes, those are tiny holes in the sides. However, we do not have anything like these...hacky sacks...in Mizuho, nor do I recognize it from my own travels. In fact, my initial impression matched yours, that it was a children's toy - or, rather, something designed to resemble a children's toy."

"'Designed to resemble'?" Zelos repeated, observing Orochi carefully. "Are you thinking what I am, that this is the method your murderer used to deploy the poison into your well?"

"What I am thinking is that it does not belong in Mizuho's well," Orochi said.

"Yeah, between its location and the smell, it is pretty suspicious, isn't it?" Zelos murmured, looking back at the colorful ball in Orochi's hand. "And you're right, it could've been made to look like a toy to fool anyone who found it into thinking it was something harmless that a kid had dropped in the well. I'd say tear it apart and see what's inside, but based on how it's constructed, that would wreck it, and I don't know that we want to do that until we've checked around to see if anyone recognizes it and knows where it came from."

Orochi nodded. "That was my thought as well."

Zelos's eyes snapped up to him. "Did you check the stream to see if there was another ball there? That might confirm this as the method used to poison your water."

"No, I did not, but perhaps we should," Orochi said. "If it is another colorful ball like this, it should be easy to locate."

"Okay, then let's do that." Orochi nodded again and tossed the ball on the ground, then they began heading toward the river. After only a few steps, though, Zelos thought of something. "So about this kurinoku poison. You said you read up on it overnight?"

"Yes, I did."

Good. Then maybe Orochi could answer a few questions for him. "So tell me about it. What is it? A natural poison, like poisonous berries? How common is it? Do we even know this poisoning was intentional, not an accidental leak of something toxic into your water?"

Orochi shook his head. "Kurinoku poison is not found naturally in nature. It is a combination of two plants and a toxin found only in the saliva of a rare type of frog. I believe our murderer chose it because when it is properly prepared, it is tasteless and odorless when dissolved in water - the rancid smell is only noticeable once it has dried - and only a specific antidote will cure it."

"...Which is why the panacea bottle didn't work." Well, there went his hope that there was no murderous third party involved in this; someone really did hate these people enough to poison them. "Crafty bastard."

"Yes. No one here would have detected it until it was too late to reverse the effects. However, based on the symptoms and the fact that the antidote is working, it is clear they correctly identified the poison. If they had not, Sheena would not have awoken."

While Zelos was glad they'd identified it correctly, Orochi's other implication was disturbing. "So definitely not an accident then."

"No. Something that specific and deliberate could not have been an accident."

Wonderful. Now they had to find this creep and stop him before he discovered his plan hadn't worked and tried again - because while Zelos had gotten here in time to get the antidote started, and Sheena had figured out what it was and how to cure it in time, and Orochi had showed up in time to help, there was no guarantee those things would happen again the next time. And that was now a terrifying given: unless they caught this murderer, there would be a next time.

Well, that meant they had to figure out who could access this poison. "So how well-known is this poison? Who would even be aware of it to make it and use it against you guys?"

Orochi glanced at him again, frowning. "That is what concerns me most: kurinoku poison is not common. In fact, it was concocted by Mizuho centuries ago and should have remained unknown to anyone not from here. How someone could have even discovered the recipe to create it...I do not know." Reaching the stream, Orochi pointed north. "We should check upstream. If this river was also poisoned, the culprit would have placed the device there."

"Right." They headed north along the river, but Zelos couldn't help smiling faintly. As awful as this situation was, he was really kinda liking this whole 'working together peacefully with Orochi' thing. "So do you have any idea who'd hate your people so much that they'd go to such extreme lengths to wipe you all out?"

Orochi's frown deepened. "I have been asking myself that very question since yesterday, and I still cannot think of anyone in particular. We have many enemies, people who carry grudges from incidents that occurred years ago, people whose requests we denied, people who fear we are always lurking in the shadows, ready to steal everything they love. However, Mizuho received no specific threats to warn us this was coming. Likewise, no one had ever located us before this, either."

Zelos nodded...but one possibility did come to mind. He hated to mention this considering who he was talking to, but it was a possibility he couldn't dismiss. "Hey, listen," he said carefully as he stepped over a gnarled tree root. "I know you'll probably strangle me for this, but someone has to say it, because I can't think of anyone else who'd have motive or opportunity to attack you. So please, please, don't take this personally. Okay?"

Orochi's eyes narrowed warily, but Zelos gave him his most sincere, pleading look, and finally, Orochi bowed his head. "Very well. What is it, Chosen?"

Zelos breathed in deeply, then slowly released it. "Are you certain Kuchinawa didn't do this? I mean, he has the knowledge of Mizuho, the skills to sneak in undetected, and a vendetta against Sheena. It's also pretty ironic that those people he cares about here weren't in Mizuho when the poison hit. Y'know, Michi's family...and you."

As he'd feared, Orochi tensed, anger and defensiveness briefly raging in his eyes, but thankfully, instead of yelling, he took a deep breath and shook his head. "I am positive my brother did not do this, although I understand why you are suggesting it."

"But how can you know that?" Zelos pressed, his eyes narrowing, wondering if this was a case of blind loyalty to one's family. "He's been gone over a year now. And take it from me: over time, people do sometimes change."

Orochi's face softened. "I have not spoken with Kuchinawa since he left. However, I know my brother. He is stubborn and hotheaded, but he would never harm the village. The only person he takes issue with here is Sheena; even if he were to try to kill her again, he would not threaten the other villagers to get to her. He may have banished himself, but he does not hate the village itself. And even if he had changed that drastically since I last saw him, he would not use this method to make his point. He is not a coward, as this murderer is. No, he would challenge Sheena to her face; he would not indirectly attack her with poison, and he especially would not do so without issuing a challenge or a threat first. I am positive he did not do this."

"Okay," Zelos said, his frown deepening. "I'll have to take your word for it. You're right, though; this doesn't seem to be his M.O. or the tactic he'd use to kill someone." His voice lowered. "I just wish we knew who we were dealing with."

"As do I," Orochi replied. "Let us try to identify the source of the poison; perhaps that will shed clues on our murderer's identity."

It only took a few minutes of searching the riverbank to prove Zelos's hunch that the river had also been poisoned correct; half a mile north of Mizuho, they located another ball submerged in the water, stuck in place behind a rock, that one blue, green, and orange. Orochi put on his gloves, grabbed it, and held it up, that one thankfully still wet and odorless.

"Damn," Zelos murmured. "I guess this really is the method of dispersal. There's no way two of these could be a coincidence."

"Yes, this poisoning was clearly intentional. It is possible our murderer placed this here days ago to try to poison the village but, when it did not work since our drinking water does not come from the stream, he snuck into the village at night and also poisoned our well. I do remember one of our ninjas commenting several days ago that he had found more dead birds and animals in the forest than was normal this past week." Orochi looked up at Zelos. "At least now I have one ball I can take apart and another to investigate."

Zelos nodded thoughtfully. That was good, but it didn't help him. "I wish I could take one to Meltokio and ask around about it, see if anyone knows anything. The king needs to see this and be made aware of what's happened here. I mean, Sheena is one of his emissaries, and any assassination attempt on her life, even if not directed specifically at her, still falls under his jurisdiction - and I assure you he takes any assassination attempt like this personally."

Orochi nodded. "I understand that, and I agree he needs to know what happened here. However, I am afraid I cannot give you these. We need them to conduct our investigation."

"Yeah, I know." This was one battle he wouldn't fight, because even if Meltokio held a level of jurisdiction over Mizuho, Mizuho still took care of its own problems without seeking outside assistance. "And since you're both the professional spies and the victims, and odds are if anyone else had been attacked like this, the king would've gone to you guys to investigate it, you should have the originals." And just like that, a brilliant idea hit him - one he was quite proud of himself for thinking of. "Well, I know what I can do to get the ball rolling in Meltokio...no pun intended. Let's head back to Mizuho. This won't be as good as having the originals, but it's better than nothing."

"What are you thinking?" Orochi asked, eyeing him uncertainly.

Zelos grinned craftily. "You'll see."

Once they'd returned, unfortunately finding no sign that anyone else had awoken yet, Zelos jogged back to Sheena's home and went straight for the dresser where he'd found her Rheaird. He cast a glance at her, but she hadn't budged, and wanting to let her sleep, he quietly pulled open the drawer and rummaged through it until he found what he was looking for: the camera. Grinning triumphantly, Zelos wrote her a mental 'IOU' for it, then closed the drawer and headed outside, rejoining Orochi by the well.

Orochi's eyes narrowed and he pointed at the box in Zelos's hand. "Is that a...a...?"

He fumbled for the term until Zelos supplied, "A camera? Yeah, it is."

"Where did you get it?" Orochi asked, stepping closer to take a better look at it.

Wait, hadn't Sheena ever showed this thing to anyone here? That was odd. Zelos was sure these ninjas could find plenty of uses for it. Maybe she didn't want to recount the story of how she'd gotten it? "Actually, it's not mine; it's Sheena's. I'm just borrowing it to take some pictures of these balls so I can show them to the king without actually showing them to the king."

Orochi cocked his head. "But where did she get that? We looked into them once to aid in our information gathering, but we had to dismiss the option because of the expense. Mizuho cannot afford one."

Well, good, at least they had considered using these things here; Zelos would be sorely disappointed in them if they knew everything else about Tethe'alla but had never bothered to learn about cameras. "Yeah, I know. It was a...gift. Of sorts." He bit back a grin; Sheena obviously had a reason for not telling Orochi the full story, and he'd respect that. But oh, was he glad she had gotten the camera, because seeing that picture first thing every morning was the only way to wake up. Well, waking up beside her would be infinitely better, but hey, he wouldn't complain. And if the future went according to plan...well, waking up to see her beautiful face might just be a possibility soon. He shrugged. "Beyond that, does it really matter?"

Orochi frowned, clearly unconvinced, but then he sighed. "No, I suppose not."

Good. That story was Sheena's to tell, after all, not his. He quickly looked down at the camera. "Okay, now to figure this thing out and take some pictures of those balls..."

Lifting the camera, he examined all the buttons and switches, unsure what he was looking for since he'd never actually operated one before. Usually these things were only used by reporters and security companies because such magitechnology was rare and, as Orochi said, expensive. And while he could've afforded one, he'd never bothered. He'd spent years avoiding these things because of how often they'd been used to take pictures of him that he hadn't wanted taken. In fact, until Sheena had gotten rid of Harry McHenry, the word 'camera' had made his skin crawl. Although after New Year's, he'd occasionally found himself wondering why he hadn't looked into them years ago so he could've had fun taking pictures of women when they had no idea he was there...

...But that is not important right now, he scolded himself, stopping his mind before it could stray into perverted territory. Just figure this thing out. "All right, so this is the lens, and this switch zooms the lens, and this button..." He pressed it, and a flash of light went off. "Aha! This actually takes the picture. Got it." He motioned at the ball in Orochi's hand and the first ball still lying on the ground beside the well. "Okay, hold them up so I can take some pictures." Orochi did as directed, and Zelos snapped a picture. He then played with the zoom and took a few more from different angles, hopeful that at least one of them would turn out. "That should be good."

"What do you do now?" Orochi asked, dropping both balls to the ground.

Zelos shrugged. "As far as I know, we have to get these pictures printed. Chances are my butler knows how; I know he helped Sheena get some printed a few months ago. I'll take this camera back to Meltokio and have him work his magic on it."

"Then I will wait to take either ball apart until we know this worked." Orochi motioned at the camera. "If possible, I would also like copies for Mizuho. They might help us track down who did this."

"Of course. I'll make sure to get a second set developed for you guys."

Orochi nodded and looked around the village again. "Right now, however, I believe we should check to see if anyone has awoken. If any have, it is possible they lack the strength or comprehension to call for help."

Good point. Sheena certainly couldn't have screamed for help; he'd just been lucky he'd been sitting with her at the time. "Yeah, probably, although my angel senses haven't heard anyone yet, and they really are pretty sensitive-" His voice cut off and his eyes narrowed as, speak of the devil, his ears suddenly caught a sound. "Wait."

Orochi eyed him curiously. "What is it, Chosen?"

"Shh," Zelos silenced him, lifting a finger. Orochi's eyes narrowed, but he did comply. Zelos was just starting to wonder if he'd imagined it when he heard it again. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was something. His eyes snapped to Orochi. "Did you hear that?"

Orochi mimicked Zelos's silence, but then he shook his head. "I hear nothing."

"No, I'm sure I heard something." Now he just had to figure out what. He looked around the village for the source, but try as he might, he couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary.

"Are you certain it was not a villager rousing?" Orochi asked.

"Positive. It sounded more like a branch breaking, followed by a whisper."

"An animal, then?"

Zelos shook his head. "No, it was definitely human. And it came from...that direction." He pointed at the eastern forest. Orochi didn't reply, just listened again, his eyes narrowing further, but suddenly Zelos heard a shuffling sound and turned toward it, trying to zero in on the source. "There it was again."

Orochi stepped beside him, observing the line of trees. "I still hear nothing."

But Zelos didn't reply; he just continued scanning the forest, his free hand straying down to the hilt of his sword. He kept looking, kept looking...and then finally he spotted it: a pair of dark, beady eyes covered by shaggy black hair poking out from behind a tree, looking at the village. "There."

Orochi followed Zelos's gaze, trying to see for himself, but the forest was dark, and he probably couldn't see the guy from this distance. In fact, Zelos never would have noticed him himself if not for his enhanced senses. "I still do not..."

"Trust me, he's there," Zelos cut him off, lowering his voice. He didn't know if the guy had seen them yet, but he didn't want to tip him off to his audience yet.

"Who is it?" Orochi asked, glancing at him.

"My guess? Our murderer back to make sure everyone's dead and, if not, to finish the job."

Instantly, Orochi snarled, pulled off his black gloves, and reached for what Zelos assumed were shurikens hidden in his clothes, but he didn't want to verify that and lose sight of their visitor in case the guy bolted. He had to figure out how to handle this situation first - preferably without losing what could be their only chance at catching this murderer. Assuming, of course, that he was their murderer.

Orochi, though, had a different idea, for he took a menacing step toward the forest. "Where is he? He must pay for this!"

Zelos quickly grabbed his arm, trying to stop him before he spooked the guy, but...oh, damn. Too late. The guy had noticed them, and especially that they had noticed him, for his eyes widened and he immediately took a step backwards, and then another, and then he began running, vanishing into the trees. "Oh, crap," Zelos muttered. On the bright side, this guy was likely their culprit, because innocent people didn't run away like that. On the down side, though, he was getting away. He shoved the camera at Orochi. "Hold this. Bastard won't get away from us that easily." Okay, now, to stop this guy...agh, he hated using these things, but he had no choice. Closing his eyes, he summoned his wings, then opened them again and, ignoring Orochi's stunned gape, pointed at the forest. They had no time to waste; they had to act, and fast. "I'll fly over him and cut him off from the front; you make sure he doesn't hightail it back here when I do."

Thankfully, Orochi quickly brushed aside his shock, turned back toward the forest, and nodded curtly. "Understood. He will not escape us." Zelos quickly pushed up into the air, and Orochi looked up at him pointedly. "We need him alive, Chosen."

"I know." And he meant that, because when Zelos got his hands on this son of a bitch, he would wring every drop of information he could get out of him, not only to make sure he'd acted alone here but to figure out how he'd managed to a) make a Mizuhoan poison, and b) find a hidden village like Mizuho at all. Only then would he hand this guy over to Orochi to do...well, whatever he wanted to do to him. Sure, while the king would want this guy locked up for life, Zelos would rather see what ninjas did to murderers. Besides, these people deserved the right to exact their justice in their own way - a way that undoubtedly wouldn't mirror the king's. And honestly, Zelos suspected this guy was more likely to get his proper due at Mizuho's hands than he would at the king's.

He rose into the sky and flew above the trees, carefully watching below for signs of movement. It didn't take his sharp eyesight long to pick out the bastard, still running through the trees as if demons were hot on his tail. Now, to actually catch the guy. Hoping Orochi wasn't far behind, Zelos scoped out a clearing a short distance ahead of the guy and dove down toward it to cut him off. While he hadn't flown much before, he was relieved to discover he could fly faster than a human could run - and the closer he got to the ground, the more obvious it became that their culprit wasn't a crazed ninja with impressive ninja speed since Zelos could make out Orochi quickly catching up to him. It only took Zelos a second to land in the clearing, blocking the man's path.

Zelos grinned nastily and pulled his sword from its sheath. "Oh, I don't think so, buddy. You're not going anywhere."

The guy - a man of ordinary build and appearance except for his long, matted dark hair and dirty, tattered clothes - skidded to a stop, his eyes widening in shock. "Ch...Chosen?"

His voice was gruff, but his expression was one of complete surprise - and Zelos sighed internally as his biggest fear was laid to rest: this guy really hadn't expected to see him here, which meant that whatever his nefarious reasoning for poisoning Mizuho might be, it wasn't to punish Zelos. And thank Martel for that, because if he had inadvertently been responsible for this tragedy, he never would've forgiven himself. At least that was one possible motive eliminated.

"Oh, yeah, it's me," Zelos said dangerously, taking a step forward as the man stepped backwards, his eyes widening further. "You pissed off the wrong guy this time, because believe me, I'm not letting you off the hook for this."

Further confirming his hunch about this guy's guilt, the man didn't even try to deny it or question what he meant; instead, he gaped at Zelos a moment before turning and running in the opposite direction. Or at least he tried to run in the opposite direction, only after three steps he ran into Orochi, who looked like a starving hellhound in search of souls to eat. "Not a chance," Orochi growled, lifting his shurikens threateningly.

Zelos took a cautious step forward, hoping the guy would give up and let them restrain him, but suddenly the bastard whirled around, grabbed something from his cloak, and tossed a dagger straight at Zelos. Thanks to his angel- and Cruxis crystal-enhanced reflexes, though, Zelos jumped aside, deftly avoiding it. So much for admitting defeat; this guy is acting like a cornered rat. "That is the best you can do?" Zelos countered, arching a mocking eyebrow.

The creep quickly pulled another concealed dagger from his filthy cloak and swung it wildly, first at Zelos, then at Orochi. "Stay back!" he barked, making Zelos wonder if he should be admiring the guy's determination or shaking his head at his utter stupidity. "You will never take me alive!"

"Do not let the dagger touch you, Chosen," Orochi said. "It is likely poisoned."

"Figured as much. And I wasn't planning on it." Zelos watched the man continue swinging his dagger another moment, but then he decided enough was enough and he swiftly disarmed him with a well-placed blow from his sword. An instant later, he lifted the tip of his sword to the man's throat as Orochi restrained him from behind. Heh, that was too easy. While this guy might have weapons, it was obvious from his clumsy movements and how easily he'd been disarmed and restrained that he was no fighter. Zelos grinned and shrugged. "There, one less murderer running around."

Finally, finally, the man sagged in Orochi's arms. Only a moment later, though, he grinned evilly, his eyes gleaming with crazed wickedness. "You have not won. You will never win! Ninjas are vile creatures! And you, the Chosen, associating with such filth! It is shameful! They are thieves! They are cretins! They murder innocent women and children! I must purge the world of their wickedness! I must avenge those lost! They must all die! If not by my hand, then another will take my place! They will never be safe! Death to all ninjas!" Without warning, he bit down hard on something concealed in his mouth and began laughing maniacally.

Zelos's eyes widened as, a moment later, the man's mouth began disintegrating into a horrific blob of red and green ooze - and it kept spreading outward from there. For a moment he could only gape at him, but then, realizing what had happened, he uttered, "Whoa!" and pushed Orochi backwards. "Let him go!"

Orochi didn't argue. Still laughing hysterically, the man collapsed to his knees, gasping and sputtering as his skin disintegrated - no, melted - away, quickly spreading downward through his body. "Acidic poison!" Orochi said.

"Oh, crap." This bastard was going to die. He'd just killed himself in the most horrific way imaginable rather than face the punishment he deserved - and, worse, he was completely disfiguring himself so no one could recognize him. And then Zelos saw a flash of silver from Orochi's dark cloak. "Orochi, the camera!"

Orochi immediately pulled it out and tossed it to Zelos, who snapped several pictures in hopes they'd have something to use to identify this man, although his gut told him it was already too late; whatever acid he'd used was frighteningly fast-acting. But despite his deformity, the creep was still alive and laughing, the sound a mere gurgle now, with disgusting green bubbles spewing from him as he gasped for breath. As terrible as the sight was, though, Zelos was feeling far too spiteful and vindictive to let this man die believing he'd won by killing every ninja in Mizuho.

So while life still remained in the bastard, Zelos bent down and, careful to stay out of range of any acid sputtering from him, gave him a cold, vicious grin. "For the record, your little stunt yesterday, poisoning the ninjas in Mizuho? Well, they all lived. Every. Single. One. We arrived in time to save them all. Yeah, that's right, you miserable son of a bitch, you failed." He smirked nastily. "Take that knowledge to your grave, why don't you?" And finally, all traces of victory vanished from the man's destroyed face and he sputtered a few more times before his breathing ceased, his lungs and heart succumbing to the acid. Even then, though, the acid kept working, and Zelos quickly stood up, grimaced, and backed away, wrinkling his nose and lifting a hand to his face to try to block the stench reeking from the man's burned flesh. "Ugh, that's disgusting."

"That pathetic coward," Orochi spat - and that time, Zelos couldn't blame him for his fury. It wasn't supposed to end like this; Mizuho should have been able to punish him their way. "He couldn't even face his punishment like a man; he had to run away by killing himself!"

"Yeah, no kidding," Zelos muttered. "Our only comfort is that he died an excruciatingly painful, despicable death. I just wish it had taken longer so he suffered more." And then the body was completely gone, nothing remaining except a stinking puddle of red and green ooze. He frowned but sighed. "Well, on the bright side, at least he won't try to kill your people again."

Orochi folded his arms to his chest and glared at the bastard's remains. It actually was a relief to realize that in all the times Zelos had seen Orochi pissed, he'd never looked like this before. "That is true. But unfortunately, we do not know if he was acting on his own or if he was working with others."

Yeah, Zelos knew. And that fact made him want to punch a tree. "Considering what he said, I could see both being possible."

"As could I. This also means we will still need to investigate the clues he left behind anyway and attempt to ascertain that he did not have an accomplice who will take up his cause."

Zelos nodded curtly. "I doubt he was working directly with anyone this time, because he was definitely alone when he was watching Mizuho earlier, but we can't dismiss the possibility there are others like him who've made it their goal to kill all ninjas. We'll have to see if we can come up with a motive, assuming he isn't just a psycho who decided your people would make for good target practice, which is also a possibility we can't dismiss. Some people are just missing that many screws, it seems. Personally, though, I thought it sounded like a ninja had killed someone close to him and getting rid of every ninja in one fell swoop was his way of seeking revenge for it."

"Yes, that too," Orochi agreed. "Although what ninja would have done such a thing, I cannot fathom; we never kill innocent women or children. That is a rule here that none of us ever dare break, and no chief would ever accept a mission that asked us to do so."

Zelos's eyes snapped up to Orochi's. Hm. Then who would have done something like that? Kuchinawa hadn't started accepting rogue missions that involved breaking those rules this past year, had he? Unfortunately, with Kuchinawa, anything was possible. Or maybe it wasn't a woman or a child a ninja had killed but rather this guy's brother or father or friend, and he'd jumped to the incorrect conclusion that ninjas would kill anyone? There was simply no way to know, especially now that the creep was dead.

On the bright side, though, they'd just received another clue that could shed some light on this. "Have you ever seen that acid before?" Zelos asked. "I saw a lot of weird stuff during the regeneration journey, but nothing like that."

"I have heard of it, yes, but I never saw it in use before this," Orochi replied, scowling. "Like the poison, it was also a Mizuhoan concoction long ago, as a way for ninjas to remove definitive evidence from an assassination by leaving no body behind. However, we lost all of our supplies of it, along with all record of how to create it, years ago, long before my own lifetime, so it is impossible he discovered it from Mizuho itself."

"Yeah, well, someone obviously found it," Zelos muttered. Great. So how did this creep get two top-secret ninja formulas, one of which Mizuho had lost years ago? "Between this and the poison, I'd almost think this guy ran into a secret ninja storehouse somewhere."

Orochi's frown deepened. "Yes, it does appear that way, does it not? Mizuho has moved many times during its history, some of those times in a rush to escape an approaching enemy, so it is possible something was left behind. We always send scouts to search those areas afterwards and clean up, but the possibility remains that they were unable to search one in time to secure any remaining secrets before others acquired them. Alternately, it is possible they missed one of our concealed supply warehouses."

"And if this creep happened to stumble onto it somewhere, even if it was well hidden..."

"...Yes."

Their eyes met again, the alarm on Orochi's face matching how Zelos felt. If this murderer had stumbled onto supplies Mizuho had once failed to reclaim, then what else had he found? Who else knew about it? Or had someone given him these things? This guy's choice of weapons was too deliberate to be coincidental; he'd clearly chosen this poison and acid because they were Mizuhoan in design, as a way to play up the irony of ninjas being killed by their own creations. And that...well, that seemed to indicate he wasn't just some random crazed psycho, but rather a smart, scheming, obsessive crazed psycho who had been studying these people for a long time, maybe even collecting every piece of information he could find about them and intentionally hunting them down here so he could attack them. It was the worst kind of enemy to be facing, and the thought left Zelos unsettled.

But right now, focusing on a mystery that could take months, maybe even years, to solve was pointless; they had too many questions that couldn't currently be answered. And while it was possible this man really had been working alone and nothing more would come of this, the fact remained that something could happen - maybe not today or tomorrow, maybe not even for another ten years, but one day it could - and unless they figured it out, they could one day find themselves facing a similar crisis, or worse. At this point, though, no matter how unnerved Zelos was to learn about this potential stash of secret ninja weapons that could be in the hands of other ninja-hating, terrorist psychos, it was impossible to say what would come of this, and so for now all they could do was keep an eye out for clues and pursue the few leads they had.

"Once your people have recovered, you may want to send scouts to Mizuho's previous locations and verify there's nothing else left behind," Zelos said.

"Yes, we will," Orochi said. "If anything remains from previous generations, then it should be in our possession, not in the possession of a revenge-seeking madman. But we cannot worry about that now; we should return to the village in case he did have an accomplice who used this as a diversion to attack while we were otherwise engaged."

Oh. Right. Zelos hadn't considered that, even though he should have because using diversions to achieve an end was his forte. "Good idea. But what about this...er...guy?" He motioned at the gooey remains lying between them. "Shouldn't we cover this up so some creature doesn't find it and end up with a really nasty stomach ache?"

Orochi frowned as he looked at the disgusting mush between them, then sighed. "While it will waste time, yes, we should. Michi would be disappointed if we neglected to dispose of this body and, in turn, killed innocent creatures. This man does not deserve a proper burial, but we cannot leave his remains like this, either, since they are still poisonous."

Yeah, Michi would definitely have something to say if they didn't consider his beloved forest creatures - and he refused to disappoint Michi when Michi was trying so hard not to disappoint him. "Okay, then let's cover it over the best we can and get back to the village ASAP before anything else happens."

Zelos secured his sword and the camera, and then the two worked together to cover the body with dirt and leaves. Fortunately, it wasn't terribly time-consuming since the fluid was already seeping into the ground, and only a few minutes later they were done. They marked the spot with some wood to warn others to steer clear of it, and then, once Orochi had spit on the grave in disrespect, they turned back to each other.

"Let's get back," Zelos said. "I'll fly over the forest to see if there's anyone else we need to worry about; you head back on foot. I'll meet you in Mizuho."

Orochi bowed his head. "Very well."

Hopping up into the sky, Zelos flew back toward the village, carefully observing the woods below. Other than Orochi, though, he saw nothing unusual - although granted, he couldn't see through the trees (too bad X-ray vision isn't included in the angel package, he absently thought) so he could have missed something. At least he didn't spot anyone else, lending more weight to the possibility that that miserable S.O.B. had been working alone. Several minutes later he landed in Mizuho, listening for any sounds to indicate another murderer was running around killing the incapacitated villagers, but again, he heard nothing suspicious. On the bright side, he did hear retching coming from a nearby house - a horrible sound normally, but right then it was one of the greatest sounds he'd ever heard because it meant the villagers were finally waking. Finally!

"What is it, Chosen?" Orochi asked as he rejoined Zelos in Mizuho a few minutes later.

"Sounds like your people are rousing," he replied, grinning.

Orochi listened a moment, looking around the village, the sounds of movement and groans of pain and discomfort coming more frequently from the buildings, then he nodded, his face relaxing into a definite expression of relief. "Yes, it does. We should tend to them and reassure them we are here to aid them."

Zelos nodded. "You start here; I'll take the other side of the river again. Once we're sure everyone's okay, I'll head back to Meltokio to get these pictures developed and report this to the king." Without warning, he thought of something else he could now do - something that would make the next few days infinitely easier to get through. "On my way back, I'll swing by Sybak and pick up Michi and his family. Now that our murderer is gone, they should be safe here." He arched an eyebrow. "Unless you don't want them here yet in case that creep did have a partner who'll come back to finish the job?"

"No, you are correct that it should be safe for them here now," Orochi said. "We will emphasize that we are uncertain whether the matter has been fully resolved yet and have them be on constant guard for any signs that someone else means us harm, but as of now, we have yet to see any. Besides, at the moment, we need their help."

"That's an understatement," Zelos muttered, looking around at all the houses. "All right, then, let's get started."

"Yes, let's." Without warning, though, Orochi tilted his head as he gave Zelos a confusing, almost teasing, smile. "Oh, but Chosen?"

"Hm?" Zelos replied, his eyes narrowing as Orochi's smile turned into, incredibly enough, a smirk.

Orochi pointed at him. "You should hide your wings. I do not believe it necessary to alarm my people by leading them to believe they died and are being tended to by angels."

Oh. ...Oh. Zelos's face flared, and he rubbed his neck and let out a soft, awkward laugh as he put his wings away. That was, quite honestly, the first joke he'd heard Orochi make in over a year. Sure, it was subdued because of the gravity of the situation and the disappointing death of Mizuho's murderer, but it was still a joke. And really, Zelos was shocked that he'd forgotten to put them away at all, considering how much he hated them. What surprised him most, though, was that for once, he was actually glad he'd had them. Sure, that bastard had avoided punishment by killing himself, but at least he would never threaten these people again - and that was because Zelos had caught him using these wings. Maybe one day, given enough time, he really would be able to accept what he'd become. Oh, how he hoped so.

"Right," he said, smiling sheepishly. "You have a point there."

Orochi smiled faintly, then nodded. "Then let us get started." And with that, they split up and began tending to the people, getting them water, easing their fears, and helping them out however they could.

0~*~0

(Continued in Part 3: The Healing)