Hello! Thanks for some great reveiws guys much appreciated :) I'm really excited with this fic because i know EXACTLY where i want to go with it! Which is something i never plan. But i have. So here's chapter two!

Disclaimer: I don't own JACK...well actually i do own Jack. He's a character i'm going to introduce later on. But i don't own any of the cannons or stuff or Tales of symphonia...otherwise i'd be rich.

Chapter 2

Banishment

Sheena Fujibayashi sat in her hut with a content smile on her face. She had a feeling this was going to be a good day. A very good day. Word had it that the Sage's were in the vicinity and when the Sage's were around they always stopped by for visit. She enjoyed the conversations they shared.

The room was cosy enough, her bed lay against the wall in the corner. It was a four poster and very comfortable, the room itself was warm and welcoming. But it felt more like a prison than Sheena would care to admit. The four walls kept her in her place. She was the leader and leaving her town would bring shame.

"Chief?" Came a voice from outside her room, Sheena stood up and brushed herself off as Orochi entered the room with a smile on his face. Sheena returned it half heartedly. She was surprised that he was willing to talk to her, let alone smile at her.

"Sheena is my name Orochi. And you know that." She said sternly folding her arms across her chest her soft brown eyes meeting his. He smiled gently at her and she could feel it again, the awkward tension. He stepped towards her placing a hand on her cheek, stroking it gently.

"Have you thought about my question?" He asked gently, Sheena flinched at his touch. So much for her good day…

"I gave you my answer last night Orochi." She said carefully stepping back from him, "The answer is no, I don't care what my grandfather has told you. I'm not ready to marry."

"I see." Cold and distant. Sheena felt bad about denying him, he really cared for her. But it wasn't what she was looking for. She really wasn't sure what she was looking for. Her priorities had gone up in the air the day she had given into her forbidden urges.

"Is…is that all?" She asked a flush on her cheeks wrapping her arms around her body subconsciously. He shrugged and shook his head an almost disgusted look on his face.

"Genis and Raine are here." He said stiffly turning on heel and storming out of the room. After a moment Genis ran in the room. He had stretched since Sheena had last seen him, he looked gangly as though starved of food. Though Sheena knew it was just the effect of the growth spurt.

Raine followed and she looked radiant. Obviously their work had been going well. She beamed at Sheena and sat herself down on cushion on the floor. Genis smiled toothily and joined his sister.

"You two are a sight for sore eyes." Sheena said with a genuine smile, "I've been going nuts here."

"Orochi didn't look too happy." Raine said shrewdly, "Usually he's very pleasant."

"He's just angry…" Sheena mumbled blushing furiously looking away from them pointedly Raine immediately stood up and peered around the doorway, content that he was nowhere around she spoke.

"What happened?" Raine asked kindly and Genis sat up a little straighter his eyes on Sheena with interest. Sheena cursed Raine's ability to pick up on signals that Sheena didn't even know she was sending. Moving to the window she took a deep breath. The situation still didn't seem real to her.

"He…" Sheena turned away from them completely, looking out of the window watching as Orochi disappeared into her grandfathers hut. She ran her hand along the window pane in the pretence of cleaning off a dirty mark. In all honesty it was really only to keep her mind off of all her doubts. "He proposed last night."

Silence followed this comment and Raine and Genis looked at each other darkly until Sheena turned back to them, Genis opened his mouth to say something his blue eye looking cautious and almost afraid. She knew exactly what he was about to ask. "I said no."

"Obviously." Raine stated standing up and moving to the window also joining Sheena at her side, "I'm assuming he didn't take the answer too well?" Raine said serenely looking out of the window also a dark expression on her kind features.

"That's an under statement." Sheena said darkly turning to Genis who looked slightly surprised by the news. He had also stood up now and Sheena was once again taken aback by how grown up he looked. He'd always been more mature than Lloyd and sometimes even Zelos but it was suddenly noticeable how much he had grown up.

"Do you love him?" He asked carefully, "Cause you two always looked like a good couple."

"Genis!" Raine warned raising her hand her exsphere glistening in the sunlight. Sheena frowned her nose wrinkled slightly.

"I take it Lloyd and Zelos haven't come for your exspheres either." Sheena said with a slight bitterness to her tone. Raine threw her a curious look before she spoke. There was a knowing glint there, something deeper that Sheena couldn't quite make out.

"No." Raine said with a small smile, "Last time we saw them they said that they wanted ours to be the last ones to be destroyed."

"I see." Sheena said dryly looking away again. She hated thinking of him, she hated missing him, and she most certainly hated wanting him again. It was against the rules of her village…if anyone was to find out she could be made an outcast.

Though the thing was, she wasn't sure that would be such a bad thing. She felt trapped. And she certainly didn't regret what had happened between them. All she regretted was that he had not been able to give himself to her fully. To give her what she had always wanted…his trust.

A loud noise caused all three of them to jump and Sheena's train of thought was completely broken. Genis stood up his eyes wide. Sheena groaned, here she thought it would be a good day.

"What now?" She grumbled leading the other two out of her hut a frown firmly in place. As she stepped out into the sunlight two things met her gaze, or to be precise two men. Genis and Raine smiled momentarily but the looks on the two males faces wiped them completely off.

"Sheena! Genis, Professor!" Lloyd said breathlessly, "We need to talk right away." Zelos looked ashen faced. There was no hesitation all five of them moved into Sheena's hut where Lloyd launched into the story. Zelos remained silent. He looked pained, troubled and even devastated.

"I don't believe it." Raine whispered looking faint, "How could this happen?!"

"Mithos…we saw him die." Sheena whispered, tearing her eyes from Zelos who continued to look depressed. His blue eyes seemed void of the playful glint they often had.

"We killed him!" Genis said in a strained voice, "How can he be alive?"

"I dunno…" Lloyd muttered, "But that's not the weirdest part. When I landed on the alter, the…" He paused and fumbled around in his back pack taking out the handkerchief in which Zelos' Cruxis Crystal was wrapped neatly in, "This started to burn red hot." He unravelled the handkerchief and everyone's eyes went wide.

"You never told me that!" Zelos said looking slightly afraid. Sheena frowned and looked from both Zelos to Lloyd, something told her that things were about to get bad. And fast.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Sheena asked, "We need to figure out what's going on and fast."

"How do you propose we go about that?" Raine asked calmly Genis looked terrified and Zelos looked as though he was going to be sick. Sheena was confused and she was definitely torn apart by seeing him again. She had so much to say…so much to shout more like but it could wait.

"The tower Salvation." Zelos said hoarsely, "We can try and contact Kratos."

"How?" Lloyd said so quickly spittle flew from his mouth. Everyone threw him a sympathetic look, the thought of contacting his father obviously seemed like something he wanted to do.

"Well…when I was with Cruxis…There was a way of contacting Derris Kharlan without actually going there." Zelos said slowly, "The secret passage that Yuan showed us? It was in there. Only an angel of Cruxis can use it though."

"So we need Yuan?" Sheena said bitterly not looking at Zelos but the rest of the group, "I don't know about you lot but I refuse to let this get out of hand again."

"Shall we leave right now?" Raine asked gently putting her arm around Sheena in comfort, Raine knew how trapped Sheena felt as she had often told her. "You can't leave can you Sheena?"

Sheena took a deep breath and sighed. She could on one condition. Heart pounding furiously Sheena moved forwards towards Zelos and grabbed his hand, she was momentarily surprised by how warm it was, he let out a yelp but allowed her to pull him out of her hut. Everyone else followed them with their eyes confused and slightly bewildered. When they stepped outside people turned to watch as she stormed towards her grandfather's hut.

"What the hell Sheena?!" Zelos demanded as she knocked on the door. Sheena turned on him her eyes blazing and her heart beating. It was the first time she had properly met his eyes and she felt completely confused. And then she knew exactly what to say and why to say it.

"If I were you, I'd keep it zipped Wilder." Sheena said through her teeth, she could see the fear in his face and she felt slightly bad. It had never added up to her, the whole situation. At first she had been angry as any woman would have been. Then she had been sad, and then she felt pity. Zelos always kept in touch with the girls he fooled around with, but he'd run from her.

"Come in." Came a hoarse cracked voice, Sheena pushed open the door and dragged Zelos over the threshold her face like thunder, "Sheena, Chos- Mr Wilder."

Sheena saw Orochi out of the corner of her eye and he looked livid, his face was that of a forced calm. Obviously her grandfather had told him to keep his cool. Sheena balled her fists and let go of Zelos, "Do you want to know why I won't marry Orochi?" Sheena demanded, turning half to Zelos, "Because I have slept with Zelos! Because I asked him too. It was all me!"

The silence that followed was so full of tension it could have been cut with a knife. Everything seemed to stop, time and breathing. Sheena dared a glance at Orochi who seemed to be having an aneurism or something. She turned back to her grandfather who looked as he always did, annoyingly passive. And it infuriated her.

"Almost a year ago." Sheena said thickly, "Just after the worlds were reunited." She felt Zelos move slightly behind her. Sheena did feel a bit sorry for him. He did after all have a lot on his mind what with Mithos and his Cruxis Crystal.

"Is this true?" The ex-chief asked Zelos who looked absolutely terrified. Sheena bit back her smile, he looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a Reihard.

Zelos looked to Sheena who was almost pleading him with her eyes to tell the truth. If he didn't she'd have to stay within the village, "I did…we did." Zelos said throatily. Orochi stepped forwards furiously but the ex-chief raised a hand and stood up watching Sheena carefully.

She stared back unflinchingly, "You must leave Sheena." He said, with that Sheena had what she wanted and turned on heel to leave.

"Goodbye grandfather…" She whispered turning to him once again and she was astounded to see his face burning with pride. Guilt started to build up inside her and she gave him a small smile before making to leave.

Zelos made to leave but the chief stopped him, and whispered something in his ear. Zelos raised an eyebrow but seemed to regain his composure. Sheena was confused, she sincerely hoped that her grandfather hadn't cursed him or anything.

Zelos followed Sheena out and she turned to him with a wry smile on her face, "Thank you." Zelos sighed and shook his head obviously completely oblivious to what he had just done for her.

"No problem hunny." He said quietly, "I just…why did you tell them? Not that I mind it's just…I don't understand how I helped you is all."

"I needed to. To get myself banished otherwise I couldn't leave with you guys." Sheena said fairly, "Don't worry Wilder I haven't gone and fallen in love with you. I'm not that desperate." She gave him a small wink and turned to go back to her hut..

"He called me little dreamer. The man at the temple. No one knows about that, apart from you…well no one alive…" Zelos said a thickly. Sheena turned to him, she'd heard him mention that before. Only once and it had just been in passing when talking about nicknames they hated.

"Little dreamer?" Repeated Sheena dumbfounded, "Did you know the man?"

"I don't…it can't be…" Zelos trailed off, "I don't know." Sheena frowned it was one of the moments when she didn't know what to say. Zelos had never divulged what it meant so what was there to say?

"Zelos are you okay?" Sheena asked seriously, she was seriously unnerved she couldn't remember seeing him looking so terrified before. Zelos was never lost for words…but he seemed to be at that moment. "Because hiding your emotions like you always do will not help."

"But it won't make things any better my voluptuous hunny." He smiled kindly at her, "It's not important." Sheena rolled her eyes as he led the way back to her room so she could prepare herself for the journey.

She knew she had made the right choice. No matter what anyone said to her. She was going with her friends. The minute they returned eyebrows raised in questioning, "I can go now." She said carefully, Zelos looked a little brighter. Sheena frowned, no doubt because she had noticed he had a face like thunder.

"Do we get to know what happened?" Genis asked curiously, Lloyd who happened to have a fair idea shook his head and stood up as Sheena threw things into her bag.

"Should we bother the others with this?" Lloyd asked talking to Raine more than anyone else. Raine smiled and nodded.

"They'd want to know Lloyd. You know that as well as I do. If Mithos returns they will be in danger." Raine said with a wry smile, "Are we ready?"

Sheena nodded and hitched her bag over her shoulder, a bag that had been half packed in the hope she had an excuse to leave. "Let's go kick some ass!"