Disclaimer - Tales of Symphonia and all it's characters are property of Namco


White Magic - Chapter Two

The next morning came with a number of firsts for Zelos. Last night was the first time he had spent such an evening with any female and had it end with just a kiss at the door.

'But what a kiss that was' he thought to himself, lying in the large expanse of his bed, allowing his mind to wander back to the previous evening for what must have been the tenth time since waking. He was forcibly reminded of another first, the fact that he was not up and about before his younger companions, when he heard an insistent rapping on his door, Lloyd, if the lack of rhythm was anything to go by.

'Come on, bud!' Zelos yelled in the direction of the door 'give a player a chance to wake up!' there was a feminine giggle and a faint 'How'd he know it was me' from the other side of the wood.

'Great' Zelos groaned, if Colette was awake, then everyone was awake. The man had a soft spot for the young girl bigger than King Tethe'alla's castle, but there was no denying her clumsiness. Every morning when the blonde chosen got up, she tripped over anything and everything while she pottered around between the bathroom, kitchen and her own room. The poor girl usually woke the whole town with her trips, falls, crashes and repeated apologies.

'Come on out, Zelos!' Lloyd shouted from outside, snapping the older man out of his thoughts 'everyone's up but you and the Professor!' At this Zelos sat bolt upright.

'Alright, alright!' he yelled back, trying to feign annoyance, his mind searching for a way to use this chance. Throwing the covers off his body he leapt out of bed, sleep forgotten. Pulling on his white baggy pants and boots, he strode across the room, tossing a fresh black vest over a bare shoulder. Grabbing the handle he yanked open the door, causing Lloyd, who had been pressed against the far side, to fall to the floor at his feet.

'Classy, Lloyd' Zelos remarked, voice dripping with sarcasm. He winked at his blonde Sylverant counterpart 'Good morning to you, sweetheart'

'Morning, Zelos!' the girl chirped, beaming up at him in greeting. The two Chosen looked down at the fallen swordsman heaped on the ground.

'I think I fell on my sword…' the brunette boy whimpered uncomfortably from the carpet. Colette giggled again and Zelos let out a long suffering sigh.

'Walk it off, bro' the red haired Chosen said, hauling his fellow swordsman to his feet. 'You kids go get some breakfast, I'll wake sleeping beauty' he added, trying to keep some of the grin off his face.

'Rather you than me' Lloyd shrugged, ever oblivious 'she always gets really pissed if anyone wakes her.' Having imparted his wisdom, he nodded at Zelos and made for the stairs with a spring in his step.

'Make sure he eats something other than just meat again' Zelos staged whispered to Colette and the two shared a laugh when Lloyd's gait lost no small measure of its enthusiasm.

'We'll save some food for you and the Professor' Colette promised him with a sunny smile before skipping off after her long time friend. Zelos watched them go fondly before stepping up to the scholar's door, swiftly pulling the vest over his head, covering his torso. This was an opportunity for them to decide where they stood. Zelos knocked gently on the wooden panel. Listening, he heard no response, nor any sounds of stirring from inside the room.

'Screw it' the read haired Chosen thought to himself, and he quietly opened the door and stepped inside, closing it softly behind him. The room was dark; the only light seeped through a crack in the silken curtains. Looking over to the bed, Zelos saw silver strands of hair poking out from a tangle of blankets. Stealthily, he crept around the large bed, stepping past a chair holding a small bundle of carefully folded clothes. Carefully kneeling by the headboard he peered down at the sleeping woman.

'Raine?' he whispered, leaning closer to her, smiling when he saw her lips curl upwards in her slumber.

'Zelos…' she murmured softly, a blush highlighting her cheeks. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked up at him blearily.

'And what were you dreaming about, honey?' he inquired, voice thick with suggestion, grinning when her blush darkened further. The teacher retrieved her composure quickly;

'I hardly think it's the place of a gentleman to ask something so personal as the contents of a lady's dream' she said primly, eyes twinkling with laughter.

'You're absolutely correct, Miss Sage, where are my manners' he stood briskly, stepping across the room to the vanity where there sat a vase of fresh blue flowers. Taking one he returned to the side of the bed, kneeling next to her once more. Spinning the flower dextrously over his fingers, he sent her his most high wattage smile. 'Good morning' he said simply, extending the hand holding the flower between his digits.

'Good morning' she replied with a smile, graciously accepting the offered gift. She sat up against the headboard and looked at him seriously for a moment 'Zelos, about last night…' she trailed off

'Yeah, I thought we ought to have a little chat before we go down to the others to, uh, clear the air' he supplied, slightly nervous, which was a first for him. Raine's eyes were immediately downcast.

'If you're going to say that the kiss was a mistake, I'll understand' she said, her jaw setting in a hard line. Zelos looked sharply up at her, taken aback by her admission and laughed warmly. The scholar looked at him in confusion, tilting her head slightly to one side in question.

'Honestly…I was going to say pretty much the same thing' he explained, looking away 'Give you a chance to blame it on the wine or whatever'

'Something you have done a few times in the past, I take it?' Raine said mischievously, reaching to place a hand on his cheek, gently turning him to face her.

'More than a few' he admitted with a sigh and a half smile 'so if we're agreed that we didn't make a mistake, and we're not blaming it on the juice, then what next?' he asked seriously, realising this was the first time he had been in this situation.

'You could just kiss me good morning…' she answered shyly, but maintaining eye contact '…and we can take it from there?' They exchanged a smile

'There's a plan I can get behind' Zelos smirked, lowering his head as she raised her own. They met in a slow kiss, their lips moving softly against each other. He let out a low groan when the woman reached up and gripped his hair firmly, pulling him closer. Raine took advantage of his parted lips and slipped her tongue into his mouth and the man responded immediately, matching her fervour. The teacher gasped as he placed his hand on her bare stomach, just below her cropped nightshirt, her muscles tightening under his warm touch. Raine's breathing became heavier as the man's hand drifted just barely over her skin, moving slowly but intentionally higher up her body. Ghosting under her grey shirt, his thumb lightly brushed the underside of her breast, causing the silver haired woman to arc her body beautifully, angling herself toward him with a sensual moan. Upon hearing the sounds coming from her, Zelos hand retreated quickly and he reluctantly broke the kiss. He sat back on his heels with a groan of frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose.

'What's wrong?' Raine asked breathlessly, clearly disappointed at the abrupt lack of contact.

'I just remembered I told Colette we'd be down in a few. If we carry on in this wonderful fashion, you know she'll come right back to find us' Zelos elaborated, forcing himself to stand 'care for some breakfast?'

'Of course' Raine replied, placing her hands on the covers that were still over her legs. She looked at him expectantly. The red haired Chosen looked straight back, trying his best to look innocent and failing terribly. 'Would you mind turning around while I get dressed?' she asked coyly

'Oh, I do apologise!' Zelos exclaimed with theatrical surprise 'I hadn't thought of that at all, not once, not even for a second' he teased, turning to walk over to the window. Sliding the curtains open a small gap he looked out onto the cobbled street where other nobles had begun their daily activities of ass kissing and ladder climbing. Trying not to imagine the woman behind him in her presumed state of undress, he began to idly twist his hair into a loose braid, a habit he had picked up from Colette, who was known to tie bows in all manner of things when she was bored. He was half way down his hair when he felt a presence behind him and a pair of lips pecked the back of his shoulder.

'Anything exciting going on?' Raine asked sliding up next to him, a playful tone in her voice. He turned and took her in his arms spinning her round to place her on the sill, placing his hands either side of her legs.

'You tell me' he whispered, his face inches from hers. The woman flushed a deep red but recovered herself quickly, curling her arms around his neck and looping one of her legs around his thigh. It seemed that she could play this game as well as he could when the mood suited her. Raine brought her face even closer to his, closing her eyes and slowly parted her lips. Just as the distance was about to be bridged between them, there was a loud crash from below, followed by a heated cry. Sharing a smile the pair released similar sighs of frustration.

'I guess that's our cue' Zelos muttered, resting his forehead on hers. Taking one of her hands in his, he brought it up and pressed his lips to the back of her fingers. There was a louder clamour from downstairs and the two rolled their eyes as one and moved towards the door, ready to get back into the usual sway. As Zelos placed his hand on the brass handle, Raine placed her own over his, stopping him.

'Should we keep…' she gestured at the space between them '…this quiet? Zelos looked down at their hands, then into her eyes. Silence fell between them for a long moment

'Might be for the best' he replied honestly 'just until we figure out what this is, deal?' Raine nodded shyly, her tongue tracing over her lips. Zelos leaned towards her and stole a brief but fervent kiss before pulling open the door. They were immediately greeted by a thunderous boom echoing from the kitchen.

'My house better still be in one piece!' Zelos yelled leaning over the banister. Lloyd skidded into view, his ribbons trailing behind him and his brown hair looking suspiciously singed.

'Hey, Zelos, hey Professor!' he chirped, grinning madly. Raine stepped up to the rail, looking pointedly at the boy's state.

'Lloyd…' she began dangerously, using her more than formidable 'teacher' tone 'what are you doing?' The young swordsman shifted uncomfortably under the woman's stare while Zelos silently marvelled at the scholar's ability to intimidate.

'We were cooking' Lloyd offered lamely, scratching at the singed parts of his hair, sweating under Raine's intense scrutiny. The boy's resolve lasted all of three seconds beneath the heat of her glare. 'We couldn't work the stove properly, so I said to Genis that we should use a fire spell, y'know, just to get it started, but he said it was a really stupid idea, but then I figured it would be alright if we used a really big pot and wore gloves…' he explained quickly, gesturing wildly with his hands and for the first time, Zelos noticed they were donning a thick pair of kitchen mittens.

'Breathe, bud' he said, suppressing his laughter. Sneaking a glance at Raine he could see that she was having trouble maintaining her stern expression.

'And where's…?' she started and was cut off almost instantly by Genis rushing into view, an identical pair of gloves on his small hands and a slightly scorched face. The young boy's face faulted when he saw his sister and the owner of the kitchen he and his friend had just vandalised.

'Whatever you just made better be the best meal of my life, kid' Zelos said, trying his best to mimic Raine's heated glare without cracking up with laughter. Upon seeing her brother, Raine's daunting stare had renewed its force. The two boys's cowered under the united front presented by both their teachers. After letting them squirm for a few satisfying moments longer, Zelos turned to Raine.

'You know…' he began conversationally, as though the two youths didn't exist 'If I go downstairs in the next half hour and find my kitchen absolutely spotless, I might not give a certain pair of unruly students more math homework than their little heads can handle' the boys in question paled considerably.

'Interesting…' Raine replied with the same casual tone folding her arms and nodding in agreement 'I was just thinking along those lines myself. No homework would be a pleasant change for students that are so well behaved, wouldn't it?' The words were barely out of her mouth before both boys took off out of sight towards the kitchen. A pair of pained cries sounded out as they seemingly went for the door at the same time. Their audience gone, the two adults released the laughter they had been holding in.

'That was unnecessary' Raine said, her giggles subsiding, as she wiped away a stray tear of mirth. Zelos grinned slyly back at her.

'I didn't see you protesting' he replied, his eyes twinkling 'I'd say you were more… encouraging than anything else. Besides…' he took a quick look around them before stepping close to her, placing his hands on her waist '…it means we now have half an hour to ourselves' he finished slyly. The silver haired woman caught on immediately, returning his smile and wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

'What did you have in mind?' she asked, the look in her eyes belying her innocent tone. Pleasantly surprised at her positive reaction, Zelos leaned in closer and gently claimed her mouth in a deep kiss, softly tracing her lower lip with his tongue. He pulled back just as Raine began to respond, resting his head against hers.

'So many things I wouldn't even know where to begin' he whispered, his low tone promising untold pleasures, smirking when he felt the teacher shudder in his arms. Raine met his eyes with a burning gaze that sent a jolt of anticipation down his spine.

'Bedroom' she whispered, grabbing him forcibly by his black vest 'now'.


Thank you for reading

Chapter 3 coming soon