Trust Building 101

by SMB814

Part 2 of the "Whatever Will Be" series. The good news? The woman Zelos was in love with loved him back. The bad news? She had six years' worth of reasons not to trust a word he said. Sheelos.

2. Part 2: The Date

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

0~*~0

Part 2: The Date

Women were notoriously late for dates; Zelos had learned that years ago. They spent hours preening, changing clothes, applying makeup, and fixing their hair, and by the time they were satisfied, he'd been left waiting half an hour in their living room, usually with their parents, who were oh so eager to impress him in hopes he'd marry their daughter. Once or twice, with overly vain women, he'd had to wait over an hour for them (making him question why he bothered with the Chosen act at all when it just wasted time he could have spent working to remove his title), and in the process they'd completely wrecked his plans.

Three hours late waiting for Sheena to show up, though, was by far his worst wait ever.

He'd been to numerous briefings with the king, and they never lasted more than three hours since the king was too busy to spend all day in one meeting. Two days ago, he'd checked the timing of Sheena's meeting so he could make appropriate dinner reservations, so he knew it started at noon. By three o'clock, when he'd expected her, he was ready to go. By three-thirty, he'd started getting worried. By four, all the fears and insecurities he'd been ignoring for days, determined as he was to let whatever happened happen, had returned. By four-thirty, when he'd begun pacing, trying to convince himself he was overreacting, Sebastian had gone to the castle to see what was happening. Fifteen minutes later he'd returned and reported that yes, the king was still meeting with his emissary.

That had calmed him for awhile. Five o'clock passed, and he'd started pondering what would happen if their meeting lasted too long - and he'd started devising ways to subtly hurt the king if he ended up being responsible for postponing this date. By five-thirty he'd begun considering date alternatives. Fifteen minutes after that, he'd sent a maid to the restaurant to cancel their reservations and had Sebastian start working on his backup plan, and by six all of his nerves and insecurities had kicked back up again, twisting his stomach into knots at the thought that she'd forgotten or called it off. And now...now it was after six and there was still no sign of her, thus placing him back in the position of wondering if she'd come to her senses and decided not to bother with him.

It made sense why she'd bail; for too long, he'd done nothing to make her like, respect, or trust him, and now chances were she'd realized this was too weird for her and had walked away. But still, he knew Sheena. While she might occasionally run, she at least let someone know she was running; if she'd changed her mind, she would've told him that. But her meeting had to be done by now, right? So what if she really was having second thoughts? What if she was wandering around town right now, trying to determine the best way to break up with him? What if she didn't show up at all? He probably should have dropped by Mizuho to verify 'they' had really happened, but not wanting to come across as overly eager - or find she hadn't informed her people to let him in, thus ending his visit in disembowelment - he hadn't. But if the king really was responsible for this, if he was holding her hostage to punish Mizuho for something (which he wouldn't put it past Minister Giannovio to convince the king to do), well, king or not, Zelos would make sure he paid for it, dearly.

He shouldn't be so worked up about this. He shouldn't be. He knew that. He'd had plenty of dates cancel on him - usually accompanied by much groveling for a rain check so his date could still get her chance to 'win' his heart. In fact, while those cancellations had initially disappointed him because it meant he couldn't forget his crappy life for awhile while entertaining a beautiful woman, ultimately it was always a relief to not have to carefully play the part the lady expected from him, either. But none of those dates had been with Sheena, someone he wanted to go out with. He'd never looked forward to a date this much before, and now the thought that it might not happen, and especially why, was turning him into a nervous wreck.

But worrying wasn't getting him anywhere, and so whenever he started panicking, he repeated his special, magic words - "Whatever will be, will be" - and reminded himself that if she was dumping him, he deserved it, and that he had at least some good memories of her now to treasure. If she wasn't coming, she wasn't coming. But he wouldn't give up waiting (and pacing, and probably driving Sebastian crazy) until 'today' became 'tomorrow' and no chance remained. He couldn't do anything else.

At quarter after six, when Zelos was starting to wonder if he should be checking around Meltokio to make sure she hadn't been hurt or kidnapped by muggers, a soft, tentative knock came from the front door. Sebastian immediately arrived to answer it, but he smiled knowingly, almost smugly, when he saw Zelos already at the door. "You," Zelos said, pointing sharply at him. "Not a word."

"Of course not, sir." And with that, Sebastian turned and, still smirking, headed back into the kitchen. Zelos glared at him as he left, but then he breathed in deeply, steeling his nerves, and opened the door.

And there, finally, she was. Despite his nervousness, he beamed her a broad, excited smile...but it quickly faltered as he saw her face. She was chewing on her thumbnail, her brows furrowed, clearly upset and distracted, her gaze focused absently on the doorframe. Uh oh. That didn't look good. Maybe she really had had second thoughts about this. "Hi," he ventured.

Sheena jumped a little, her eyes snapping up to his as if she hadn't even realized the door had opened - not good, not good, not good - but then she lowered her hand and gave him a weak smile. "Hi."

Unable to resist - and needing to see if his worst-case scenario had any validity - Zelos touched her arm, urging her inside. Oh, good, at least she didn't flinch or pull away from him. "Come on in."

Sheena nodded, her smile vanishing as he ushered her inside. She looked around a moment while he closed the door, her brows furrowed, then sighed and turned to him. "Zelos, I am so sorry I'm so late."

While the part of him that had spent the afternoon panicking appreciated the apology, the rest of him was just glad she was here. He was actually more concerned about how upset she was. He gently grasped her arms, rubbing his thumbs over them. "Hey, sweetheart, are you all right?"

"I'm fi-" Her eyes darted at him, but instead of finishing that thought, she sighed in clear exasperation. "The king was late, and then the discussion kept going on and on, and then he took forever deciding what to do, and I still have to go back tomorrow in case he changes his mind, and-"

Her voice abruptly cut off, and she pursed her lips and shook her head, looking away from him. Zelos's eyes narrowed further; as relieved as he was that she wasn't breaking up with him...what was the king doing? He grasped her arms tighter and stepped closer to her. "Sheena, what's going on?"

She released a low, weary sigh, watching him a moment, but then smiled wistfully. "I'm sorry, Zelos, but I really don't want to talk about it. Maybe later, but not right now. Please?"

Zelos blinked several times, his curiosity transforming into concern. While he understood her need to avoid disturbing subjects, because he was guilty of having done the same himself, what was the king doing? And whatever it was, was not talking about it really a good idea? Wouldn't it just keep bothering her? But since he really had done the same before, he'd respect that, at least for now. "Of course. If you want to talk later, the offer will still be open."

Her smile softened into something a little more sincere. "Thanks." Sheena watched him a moment, but then her smile fell and her head sank downward. "Listen, Zelos, I really am sorry about this-"

"Love, relax, it's no big deal," he interrupted, smiling reassuringly - because whether she was apologizing for not telling him or for how late she was, it truly wasn't necessary. This wasn't intentional, she wasn't dumping him, and that was that. "It's not your fault. You're here now, and that's all that matters."

Her eyes widened as if his refusal to give her a guilt trip over this had derailed her, but then she looked down at his chest and smiled sadly. "I'm sure I ruined your plans, though. I'd understand if you wanted to wait until another day-"

"You're kidding,right?" Zelos cut her off, grinning as she looked up at him in obvious surprise. "Yeah, okay, so I had to cancel our dinner reservations, but that doesn't mean it's too late to do anything." He motioned at the window. "I mean, seriously - the sun is still out!"

"Barely," Sheena whispered, glancing out the window.

His heart skipped a beat at her disappointment. So she'd been looking forward to this too, eh? He smirked. "Well, in my experience, the best things happen at night, so I hope you weren't expecting that to deter me."

As expected, Sheena blushed and glanced down again, a smile toying on her lips again. "I should've figured as much." A moment later, she bit her lip and eyed him again. "So if our original plans were ruined, what are you thinking?"

Oh, Sheena. Sometimes you make it so very easy to hit on you. He knew it wasn't intentional, but man, sometimes the temptation was just too hard to resist. His smirk broadened into a wicked grin and he waggled his eyebrows. "Well, I was thinking we could stay here and have some fun..."

Sheena rolled her eyes. "I should've known that would be your backup plan."

...Yep, exactly what he'd expected, and seeing her smile broaden made his 'idiot behavior' worthwhile. Choosing to ignore her words, he went on, "...But then I dismissed that option and opted for something else that's fun but probably not quite as fun..." ...and there was the expected mock-glare and arched eyebrow... "...something that now seems even more appropriate considering how tightly wound you are."

Her eyes narrowed and her smile faded. "What are you scheming now, Zelos?"

...Heh. He'd heard that before, and he knew he'd hear it again. And really, it didn't bother him. Sheena wasn't saying she didn't trust him; she was just wary because they both knew he thought differently from her and she wanted to know what he had in mind before she approved of it. Leaving decisions up to someone who thought so differently wasn't comfortable - letting act-first-and-think-later Lloyd call all the shots during their journey had gone against Zelos's very nature of careful scheming - but she hadn't dismissed it yet, either. If she really didn't trust him, she wouldn't hesitate to say 'no'; she'd never been afraid to voice such opinions before. In fact, the fact that she wasn't a cowering, fragile, pushover was one of a hundred reasons why he'd fallen so hard for her.

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad," he said. "You won't mind this. Honest."

Her eyes narrowed further, but she wasn't objecting yet, either. And the thing was, since he'd spent years figuring out what made her uncomfortable, albeit to make her uncomfortable, he'd also figured out what did make her comfortable, and he'd never make a decision like this without taking her preferences into consideration. She had nothing to worry about, and Zelos wanted her to know that.

"Does it involve leaving Meltokio?" Sheena asked.

He grinned broadly. "You bet it does, babe."

She eyed him another moment, but finally her face softened. "Good, because right now I just want to get out of here."

Huh. Considering her current mood, dining out in Meltokio probably wouldn't have impressed her. He'd have to remember that. "Your wish is my command, my lady." He playfully bowed his head to her, then glanced back at the kitchen door. "Hey, Sebastian?"

The door immediately swung open and Sebastian stepped inside. "Here you go, sir," he said, handing Zelos a wicker basket before smiling and bowing to Sheena. "Ah, Miss Sheena. Delightful to see you again."

Sheena returned his smile. "You too, Sebastian."

Zelos grinned. "Thanks, Sebastian." Sebastian bowed his head and then headed back to the kitchen.

Once he was gone, Sheena's gaze fell to the basket, her eyes narrowing. "A...picnic?"

"Hey, you haven't eaten anything yet, have you?" he asked, and unsurprisingly, she shook his head. So now the king was starving his emissaries during six-hour meetings? Couldn't he have at least given her an apple? Or maybe some bread or cheese? Zelos frowned and shook his head, disgusted. "Of course not; the king usually doesn't feed his emissaries, cheapskate that he is. So...you hungry?" She let out a soft laugh and nodded. "Yeah, me too. I had Sebastian throw some stuff together, so...sound okay?"

Being the recipient of that warm, beautiful smile was, by far, the current highlight of his day. "Of course it does. Sounds good, actually."

He grinned. "Great! Then let's get outta here."

Sheena dropped off her bag in 'her' room - Woo hoo, she's staying overnight again! Zelos silently cheered - and then they snuck out the back way of his mansion and headed out of Meltokio. Once they'd cleared the city limits, Zelos led her to the north and west, to a low spot amidst the mountains that required only mild hiking. It took half an hour to reach his destination, with Sheena repeatedly asking where they were going, to which he always assured her it was worth the trek, and thankfully, she didn't argue, other than some playful grumbling about how he was exhausting her before the date even began.

Entering a forest of deciduous trees, they followed a barely discernable but thankfully debris-free dirt path (oh, good, looks like only a handful of people have discovered this place since I was last here, he thought with a pleased smile) to the west, the land rising beneath their feet at a low incline. After a few minutes, they reached a stream that wound its way down from the mountains, cutting through the forest to the north and west, and Zelos led them along it for a short ways, mentally checking off the landmarks on the way - the mossy boulder on the opposite side of the stream, the giant, decaying tree stump off to their right, the 'end' of the path as it reached the remains of a fallen wooden bridge still partially crossing the water. Identifying the final landmark a short ways ahead of them, a fallen tree trunk that served as the 'new' bridge over the stream, Zelos grabbed her hand and carefully led her across it, and then there was the start of the path again, continuing to the west, parting ways with the stream. A few minutes later, he could hear the ocean crashing in the distance, growing louder with every step they took...and then, finally, there they were, stepping into a small but grassy clearing amongst the trees that was only a short distance from a low bluff that overlooked the rippling, sparkling ocean.

"Aaaaaand here we are," he announced.

He couldn't help grinning as his companion stopped beside him and looked around, a soft smile appearing on her lips. "Wow, Zelos, I'm impressed," she said. "I was starting to question your definition of 'perfect spot' considering how long it took us to get here, but this really is beautiful."

He mentally patted himself on the back. Good. She liked it. "Heh. Isn't it, though?" While he'd never been an outdoorsy person himself, preferring cities with lots of people and things to do, traveling with the gang had instilled in him a greater appreciation of nature, and he'd especially realized how much joy sights like this could bring people like Sheena. And really, while he liked this spot, too, his main reason for choosing it was because he'd known she'd like it and it would help her relax. Being from Mizuho, a village in tune with nature, he would've been shocked if she hadn't liked it.

Sheena turned to him, her smile beautifully sincere, and arched a curious eyebrow. "I didn't take you for the kind to care about a spot like this."

Zelos shrugged, setting the basket on the ground. "Eh, even I have my moments, I guess."

"I guess so." Sheena dropped the blanket she was carrying and looked around again. "So how did you, Mr. Fancy, Luxurious, Big-City Dweller, even find a place like this?"

Darn. And here he'd been hoping she wouldn't ask him that. He gave her a sheepish smile as she looked back at him curiously. "If I tell you, do you promise not to kill me?"

Her eyes narrowed, but she was still smiling, too - well, actually more smirking than smiling, he noted. "Something tells me I should say 'no' if you have to ask me that instead of just answering the question, but since any murderous feelings I have are still directed at the king and not you...okay? I think?"

She was feeling murderous toward the king? Huh. And again, he really wanted to know what had happened during that meeting. But not yet. Maybe after they ate. "I'll take my chances," he said, shooting her another grin, but then he sighed and looked away. "A few years ago, one of my hunnies brought me here. The date was horrible, and I have awful memories of trying to keep her from getting in my pants," every three seconds, he silently added, which led me to create to that 'manhandling' rule in the first place, "but...well, this place is too gorgeous to waste on memories like those, so I thought maybe we could make some new, good ones now to replace them." He quirked an uncertain smile. "Still feeling un-murderous toward me?"

Sheena chuckled and met his eyes again, the warmth he saw there making his heart skip a beat. "Don't worry, I'm not upset. In fact, I'm actually touched you did think to bring me here."

...Really? Well, well. Wasn't that a pleasant surprise? "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Damn, that smile was beautiful. His heart swelled as her eyes fell downward shyly, and it took all his restraint not to grab her and kiss her senseless. He coveted that smile, especially when he knew he was the cause of it. Oh, was he glad he'd found a way to lure it out of her like this. Well, technically he hadn't found the way; Sheena herself had by convincing him to open up to her that night at the party and by opening her heart to him in return, without either of them meaning to do so. For a moment, Zelos just watched her, mesmerized by her beauty and smiling softly in return, but the moment she noticed him watching her, her blush returned and she lightly smacked his arm. "Quit staring at me."

Oh, was her embarrassment adorable - honestly, he hadn't even realized he had been staring - but he averted his eyes anyway and squatted down by the basket. Time to get their picnic started. Fortunately, since it was the middle of summer, they still had two hours of daylight left, but they couldn't waste it, either, or they'd be hiking back to Meltokio in the dark. Grabbing the blanket she'd dropped, he started unfolding it. "Sorry, sweetheart, but it's hard not to stare at you sometimes." He gave her a crafty grin. "But if it really makes you that uncomfortable, I'll try to save that for when you're not looking."

Sheena rolled her eyes, and Zelos had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing again as her lips twitched, indicating she was trying notto smile. "Gee, thanks."

"Welcome!" Locating one end of the blanket, he stood up again and held it out to her. "Here, help me spread this thing out so we can eat. I'm starving!"

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to go hiking for half an hour first, even though you were whining about how hungry you were back in Meltokio already!" she said, doing as he'd asked.

He arched an eyebrow as they arranged the blanket. "But it was worth it, wasn't it?"

Her face softened as she eyed the area again. "Yeah, it was."

"Quit whining, then." Zelos grinned cheekily. "If you're not careful, you'll start sounding like me pretty soon!"

Sheena's brows furrowed in something resembling irritation, only her smile completely betrayed her. "I'm going to ignore that for fear of wrecking the peace and beauty of this place by beating you up."

Heh. So the violent tendencies still lingered within her, despite the shyness and sweetness he'd seen so much of lately. Good. As painful as it usually was for him, he just loved seeing her life and fire displayed like that. "Probably a good idea," he said, his grin broadening.

She rolled her eyes again but didn't respond to that, and they fell silent while setting up their picnic site. Once the blanket was stretched out across the grass, she helped him pull out containers and determine what each held - and even he had to admit that the assortment of foods Sebastian had put together for them so quickly was impressive. They then grabbed some plates and started divvying up the food; thankfully, Sebastian had also given them plenty of everything so they didn't have to argue over sandwiches or salads. He'd really have to thank Sebastian when they got back.

Finally, once settled, Zelos stretched out on his side, while Sheena folded her legs beneath her, and they began eating. For several minutes they ate in silence, too hungry to talk other than to ask the other to pass a container, just enjoying the sparkling ocean in the distance, the clear blue sky above the branches of the trees, the gentle breeze rustling the leaves, and the soft sounds of chirping birds. The sun was sinking closer to the horizon, but the night was looking to be gorgeous. Good food, perfect temperature, gorgeous location, the most beautiful, voluptuous woman he'd ever met as his date...he couldn't think of anywhere else he'd rather be at that moment.

"Okay, I have to admit it: Sebastian is a really good cook," Sheena finally said between bites of potato salad. "For simple picnic foods, somehow he...he..." Her face wrinkled uncertainly.

"Makes it taste far better than it should?" Zelos said, popping the last of his chicken salad sandwich in his mouth.

She pointed at him with her fork. "Yeah, that. It reminds me of the stuff Regal used to make us. Genis, too, but especially Regal."

"I've never figured out his trick myself, but yeah, I know," Zelos said, grabbing his cup of water and draining it to wash down the sandwich. "He's probably just using higher quality ingredients, like Regal did. That was Regal's world before his little stint in prison, you know."

Sheena arched a teasing eyebrow. "Yeah, well, you always used 'higher quality' ingredients than the rest of us, too, but I don't remember your cooking tasting like this!"

His eyebrows flew upward and he pointed at her. "Hey, my stuff was always edible. Maybe not gourmet cuisine, but c'mon, I always had Sebastian cooking for me! Do you really think I had much incentive to learn anything beyond the basics before our journey? I'd only ever cooked before that when he was on vacation and I was craving hot food, not the cold stuff the church always overanalyzed for poison! All things considered, I think I did a pretty good job picking up those skills, if I do say so myself."

"Yeah, I'll give you that," she admitted, tilting her head. "But now that you know the basics, you could probably pick up some pointers from him."

"True, true. And maybe now that I have a girlfriend I can try to impress with my manly cooking skills, I'll think about doing that, because he really does have some snazzy cooking tricks." She blushed and chuckled - but, surprisingly, she didn't argue that (which, he supposed, she could have legitimately done after a few of the barely-edible things he'd produced at times). "Then again, Sebastian had better know a few snazzy cooking tricks. I certainly pay him enough to cook me meals that actually taste good!"

"Yeah, I bet you do," she said, taking another bite of her sandwich. She chewed it thoughtfully a moment before arching an eyebrow at him. "What about once you're not the Chosen? Do you think he'll stick around?"

"Man, I hope so." Honestly, the thought of Sebastian not staying was depressing, not just because Zelos suspected he'd turn into a slob (although he wasn't nearly as bad as Lloyd...now there was a guy who needed someone picking up after him 24/7), but because that mansion would be downright empty and lonely without him. He wouldn't have anyone to go to for advice or help or anything. "He's practically family. I just don't know how long my fortune will hold out without the Church paying me regular tributes, a.k.a. bribes so I'd either die and/or reproduce for them to preserve my bloodline, so I can keep paying him like that, though. Hopefully awhile, but I won't know that until I figure out how much I've got." He didn't think he'd have any problems, because while he had no qualms about spending money, he never bought the overly showy, expensive, ugly trinkets other noblemen always wasted money on trying to impress their neighbors, but he made a mental note to check his financial records anyway and determine where he stood. He didn't want to accidentally find himself broke one day, either, because then he would have to let Sebastian go. And right now, when he'd probably be needing regular dating advice, was definitely not the time to lose his primary, trusted touchstone with regular, working class people.

Sheena snorted as she set down her plate, grabbed the water jar, and poured herself a cup. "You just don't want to clean up after yourself. Or get a legitimate job to pay him like a normal person would."

He mock-gaped at her and handed her his glass as she held up the jar, asking him if he wanted more. "Wait, you mean flirting with women for gifts isn't an occupation normal people have?"

She abruptly stopped pouring and narrowed her eyes at him. "You'd better not be doing that anymore."

And there, again, was her jealous streak. He knew he shouldn't feel so smug at seeing it again, but oh, was he ever. "Hey, I will have you know I quit doing that four days ago. Not a single instance of flirting since then." He smirked. "Besides you, of course."

For a moment, Sheena eyed him warily, but then she grinned and finished pouring his water. "Good boy."

'Good boy'? Seriously, love? What's next, a pat on the head and a biscuit to encourage good behavior? ...And unfortunately, that was ridiculously accurate. He'd given up hitting on other women because she'd asked him to; he was doing whatever he could to please her so he could see her smile again; and if she were to toss a stick and ask him to fetch it for her, he'd be back with it in a heartbeat. But he'd never tell her that or she'd never stop throwing sticks for him. Although, granted, while his hunnies might have taken advantage of him like that, he just couldn't see Sheena doing that. Despite that, he still muttered, "Slave driver," and then reached out to take back the glass she was handing him.

She quickly pulled the glass back, her eyebrows rising and her lips curling upward. "What was that?"

"Nooothiiiiing," Zelos sing-songed, then snatched his glass back the second it was within reach. He lifted it and said, "Thanks," to which she smiled and nodded, and then he took a drink and set it down on a container cover so it wouldn't tip. Finished eating, he rolled onto his back so his head was resting near her legs. "I do think I'm going into withdrawal from flirting with beautiful women, though." He grinned, waggled his eyebrows, and poked her leg. "Guess I'll just have to make up for it with you, eh?"

Sheena's eyes narrowed as she leaned closer, smirking. "Oh, you think so, eh?"

"Yup! Let's see here..." Locating the most over-the-top line he could think of, one he would never actually use with a woman he liked, he puffed up his chest and lowered his voice. "'Hey, hunny, see how amorous the ocean is tonight? Can't you hear its love song, crying out for all the world's lovers to join it in ecstasy? How 'bout you and me go down to the beach and make some waves of our own, eh?'"

For a moment, Sheena gaped at him as he grinned seductively, but then she snorted, dipped her finger into her potato salad, and, with a wicked grin, painted a line on his forehead just above his eyebrows. "That is what you get for such a pathetic attempt to hit on me. And for calling me 'hunny,' joke or not."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Zelos said, batting her hand away. "Watch the headband! You have no idea how hard that thing is to clean, do you?"

She broke out laughing, the beautiful, happy sound tugging at his heart. "You are such an idiot."

He closed his eyes and swung a dramatic arm across his chest, summoning his best 'Be still, my aching heart!' routine. "Alas, my poor face, slayed by yon fair maiden wielding that most dangerous of all weapons, potato salad!" His eyes popped open and he gave her a pointed, pouting look. "And here I was planning on giving you such a nice present as incentive, too!"

Aha, that got her attention. "Oh, you were, were you?" she asked.

He pointed sharply at her. "Yeah, but you won't be getting it anytime soon unless you hand me a napkin so I can attempt to salvage the pretty perfection that is my face!"

"Fine, fine," Sheena replied with a showy sigh as she grabbed a clean napkin. To Zelos's surprise and pleasure, though, instead of handing it to him, she actually wiped off his forehead herself, her fingers lightly trailing over his skin, the sheer fondness in her dark eyes sending a thrill of excitement through him that made his stomach twist in knots. And suddenly, he desperately wanted to kiss her again...only that was currently impossible considering his position. Damn. And lying down like this had seemed like such a good idea at the time... "There, all clean," she announced with a grin, tossing the napkin aside.

He smiled softly. Yet again, Sheena was proving herself capable of surprising him...and he loved it. "Thanks," he murmured, then smirked. "My forehead - and the rest of my pretty face - appreciates it."

She rolled her eyes, but then, furthering his amazement, had the gall to smile sweetly and bat her eyelashes at him. "Now about this present...?"

For a moment, he just eyed her, biting back a laugh at her curious, eager expression, but then he grabbed a container he'd snagged earlier, held it up, and grinned. "Knock yourself out, sweetheart."

"It's a container," Sheena deadpanned, arching an unimpressed eyebrow. "Wow, that was really worth cleaning off your forehead for, wasn't it?"

Zelos rolled his eyes and pulled his hand away as she reached for it. "Okay, just for that, I'm running back to Meltokio to get you some edible body paints, since you obviously have a thing for finger painting me." Oh, wait. He cocked his head, pretending to consider that. "Actually, I like that idea far better than my original one. I mean, I've always dreamed of being a canvas for the next Sheena masterpiece..."

Heh, she hadn't expected that, judging from her brief, albeit shocked, expression, but when she leaned closer, glaring at him, she was grinning again, too. "I. Di. Ot," she said, punctuating each syllable with a poke to his forehead. "Have I mentioned that yet?"

He grinned proudly. "Once or twice now, yeah." She snorted and shook her head, but then he cocked his head again as a look of sincere puzzlement crossed her face. "What?"

"Did you say edible body paints?" she asked.

Heh, so she'd caught that, eh? "Yep!"

Her eyes narrowed. "Somebody actually makes those? Seriously?"

Oh, Martel, she'd never heard of edible body paints? She really had been sheltered in that backwater little ninja village, hadn't she? "You've never gone into Meltokio's more...specialized...stores, have you?"

"No, definitely not...and now I think I'd be afraid to," she said, her face wrinkling in distaste.

"Every color you could possibly imagine. They're really kinda pretty." He grinned and swept his arms out to indicate the grand scope. "Like a beauuuuutiful rainbow."

Sheena gave him a wry, pointed look. "Why am I not surprised you have been in those stores before?"

Zelos pointed at her. "Hey, I'm not admitting or denying anything!"

"Yeah, well, your answer is pretty obvious," she muttered. "I mean, how else could you know that unless you'd been in one before?"

"Oh, believe me, I could know. You have no idea how many bottles of that stuff my hunnies have given me over the years, thinking it would serve as a hint. Seriously, I could start my own store and have enough to sell for the next ten years." He grinned. "Heh...now there's a legitimate profession for me!"

"Selling edible body paints," Sheena stated flatly. "Riiiiiight."

His eyebrows flew upward. "Hey, is that any better or worse than flirting for gifts?"

"Probably not," she said with a light snort, then tilted her head. "So have you tasted any of them?"

Heheheh...Sheena, Sheena, Sheena. Zelos waggled his eyebrows. "Curious now, eh?"

She smacked his shoulder and glared at him, her cheeks red. "Just answer the question."

He shrugged. "A few...they're actually pretty good. One tasted fruity, one was chocolaty. They're all sweet, but not unbearably so. Each color is a different flavor."

"Huh," she said. "Interesting."

Okay, stupid or not, he couldn't pass by this opportunity. "They'd probably taste better on a person, though, and not just on a finger dipped into a bottle, like I did..." His eyes widened and his face lit up. "Hey, I have an ide-!"

"No," she soundly cut him off.

His mouth snapped shut, but he quickly countered, "But you didn't even hear my idea!"

"I don't have to. The answer's still 'no.'"

He pouted. "Aw, but..."

"No."

Damn. Not that he'd expected anything different. But still, even though he'd only meant it as a joke, he wouldn't let her off the hook quite yet, either. Had to sell the act, after all. "What good is a girlfriend if I can't even try things like this?" he said, folding his arms to his chest.

Her eyebrows flew upward. "You do not want me answering that question."

...No, he probably didn't, but he waved that off with his hand. "Fine, fine. You're no fun." Sheena glared at him a moment, but then she popped the last of her sandwich in her mouth and shook her head, a smile toying on her lips. And again, Zelos just couldn't resist. "What?" He smirked as he poked her leg. "Change your mind?"

She rolled her eyes, but her smile broadened further. "Not a chance. I was just wondering how we ended up talking about edible body paints anyway. I mean, seriously, Zelos. Edible body paints?"

"I dunno," he said. "Didn't we start out discussing Sebastian's cooking abilities?"

"Oh...right." She sighed and shook her head, but then she beamed him an amused smile. "You can corrupt any conversation into becoming a discussion about sex, can't you?"

"It's one of my many, many talents, babe," he said, grinning slyly and waggling his eyebrows.

"'Talents'...riiiiight," she muttered. "'Perversions' is more like it." She set her plate aside and stretched out her legs, leaning back on her hands. "And that ridiculous line you tried before...does something that stupid really work on women?"

He shrugged. "Well, I'm not sure that one would actually work, but I'm sure it would make most women blush and giggle and throw themselves at me, overcome with lust by my sheer prettiness and sexiness."

"This coming from Mr. I've Only Slept With Two Women Ever," she said with a snort.

Zelos poked her hip. "Just remember, only you and I know that. To the rest of the world I am Paramour Extraordinaire, World-Renowned Casanova Himself, the Great Zelos Wilder!"

Sheena leaned down so her face was directly above his. "Like I said, I. Di. O-"

Okay, he couldn't resist any longer. She was finally close enough, and so Zelos pushed himself up onto his elbows and planted a quick kiss on her lips, effectively silencing her. It was a little weird, kissing her upside down like that, but it still quelled that particular burning need. And oh, did he like that he could now do that without it resulting in her beating him up.

As expected, the kiss briefly stunned her, and Zelos took advantage of her speechlessness to lift the container and remove the cover. He grinned as she gasped, her eyes widening and her lips forming an adorable little 'O.' "Is that a...?"

"No, babe, I'm just teasing you with a plastic peach," he said, rolling his eyes. "Of course it's real, and of course it's for you! Now hurry up and eat it before I do!"

Sheena bit her lip, looking from the peach to him and back again, clearly touched. "Two in less than a week...I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

"Nope, not a dream," Zelos said with a soft chuckle, finally sitting up and turning to face her. "Just be sure to savor it because it's the last one you'll get for awhile."

She quirked an eyebrow as she reached out for the container. "Why's that?"

"Because peach season's over now and it'll be months before any more are available," he said. "When I sent Sebastian to Sybak to buy more, this was the only one he could get."

Her face fell as she looked at the peach, but then she released the container. "Then I can't take this. You should have it. I don't want to be greedy..."

"Oh, for the love of..." Zelos groaned and gave her a pointed look. "Seriously, Sheena, haven't we had this conversation before? This thing is yours." He picked up the peach, turned it, and, smirking, held it up to her. "See? It even has your name on it. Literally."

Eyes narrowed, Sheena snatched the peach from him and held it up to see it, but then she lifted her other hand to her mouth and burst into beautiful, incredulous laughter. "Zelos! Tell me you didn't!"

Zelos grinned smugly; oh, good, that was the reaction he'd hoped for. "Oh, but I did, my dear." When he'd devised this backup plan earlier, he'd headed into the kitchen and, while instructing Sebastian what to make, had taken one of his daggers and etched her name into the peach, channeling his nervous energy into something semi-constructive. "So as you can clearly see, I'm not allowed to eat this thing since it's reserved for some chick named 'Sheena,' not 'The Great and Sexy Zelos.' But oh, hey! Your name is Sheena, right? I guess that means you can eat it!"

"You are unbelievable," she whispered, giving him a soft, sweet smile that made his heart melt. Oh, how he loved this woman and her smile. For years, his primary form of entertainment had been trying to make every woman he met giggle and blush, but now...now he wouldn't even miss that game anymore. No, now he had a new game: Operation Make Sheena Smile. And so far it was proving to be infinitely more rewarding than his original one had ever been. She bit her lip and shyly met his eyes. "Thanks."

"Enjoy." Because he knew he sure would; he would enjoy every second of watching her eat it. And oh, was he glad that pointless chatter had helped her relax and momentarily forget about her meeting with the king. He would still push the issue later, but not yet. No, right now he just wanted her to enjoy her peach.

And her very first bite told him she would. Not for the first time, Zelos marveled over the sheer pleasure she received from a treat he'd always taken for granted. Sheena didn't just eat the peach; she forgot about everything else and savored every bite. He felt a little guilty for staring at her after she'd asked him not to, but he just couldn't resist when she looked like this. He couldn't help thinking there was a message there, too, about how sometimes the simplest things in life really were the best. Because Martel knew if he had to choose between the most luxurious, expensive material goods and sitting here now, watching Sheena enjoy her peach, he'd choose this moment time and again.

A smile crept onto his lips as he remembered the first time he'd seen this innocent pleasure on her face, something he'd never expected to see again. Her blissful expression was still the same now; the only thing missing was her surprised delight at the initial taste. So much had changed since then, and yet apparently some things never did. The mental image of how she'd looked then had been seared into his brain, and seeing it again now and especially knowing he had caused it...man, did he like this warm, happy feeling. And what made it so special was that he was the only person who shared these memories with her. No one else had ever seen her like this before; she'd never let anyone else see her like this. Oh, how he loved her.

Honestly, that first time he'd seen her like this was probably when he'd begun falling for her, even if it had taken him a few more weeks and a few more incidents to realize it - and it was when he'd started seriously scheming to remove the albatross from around his neck so he could try to recapture this moment again, free of all the curses that plagued him as the Chosen. She'd been sublime then, and she was still sublime now. That was probably why he'd always craved seeing this - because it reminded him of what true joy and beauty really were. She'd always been so different from his hunnies. Where they were always fake, always striving toward some ulterior motive, Sheena was the opposite, being the epitome of simplicity and straightforwardness. Sure, she hid things she didn't want anyone to know or didn't want to 'bother' others with, and she often pretended to be tougher emotionally than she really was, but even then, she was still always real, to herself and to her people. And this simple beauty before him now was one of the most 'real' sights he'd ever been privileged to see.

As always seemed to happen, the peach was juicy and a drop of juice trailed down her chin, and while she had a napkin, Zelos just couldn't resist reaching out and brushing it away with his thumb, his heart catching in his throat. Instantly, Sheena froze, her eyes locking with his. "Martel, you're beautiful," he whispered in awe.

He'd expected the blush on her cheeks to deepen, which it did, but he had not expected her face to fall as she lowered her eyes from his and pulled back, away from his hand. "Don't call me that," she murmured.

...Wait, what? His hearing might be insanely good, but he couldn't believe he'd just heard her correctly. "What?"

Sheena set her half-eaten peach on her plate. "Beautiful. Don't call me that."

Zelos blinked and pulled his hand back. "Uh...you're kidding, right?"

She glanced at him for only an instant before looking down at her hands again. Embarrassment was common for her when she'd just been complimented, but this was more than that. "No, I'm not."

Okay, this was just weird. She didn't want him to call her 'beautiful'? "Can I ask why?"

"Because..." she began, but her voice trailed off and she frowned, shaking her head faintly.

Sorry, sweetheart, but I'm not letting you off the hook on this one. "Sheena?"

Her eyes darted up at him, but she quickly looked away again. "Because...because it makes me think you're being insincere again."

Zelos blinked and his lips parted, feeling like she'd just slapped him. "What?"

"You just...you say that to every woman you meet, and I..." Her blush deepened further. "I know I'm not beautiful, so hearing you say that just..." She paused a moment, then sighed and shook her head. "It makes me question if you're being truthful about anything you say or if you're just teasing me again."

...And now he felt like she'd kicked him in the stomach. For a moment, Zelos just gaped at her, unsure how to respond. She thought he was being insincere? Was she really that insecure about her looks? Or was she just oversensitive to things right now because of her meeting with the king? Both were definite possibilities, because even if Sheena truly believed that about herself, she would never have admitted it without another factor causing it. Or did she...did she really not trust him to tell her the truth about her appearance? That last one was the worst possibility, that all the hurt he'd caused her would prove too difficult for her to move past. He deserved to be put in his place, sure, but the thought that that damage was irreparable terrified him. Because if that was true...then this thing between them was over before it could even begin.

"That's...wow. Are you serious?" She nodded faintly, still not looking at him, and for a moment, Zelos just watched her, looking for any hint that she wasn't being sincere - because he'd heard plenty of hunnies who intentionally downplay their looks in hopes of eliciting his praise - but instead of looking coy or crafty, she actually looked sincerely distraught. "You really...you really think that?"

"What?" she countered, covering the side of her face closest to him with her hand, her cheeks blazing. "I'm not. I know it."

...Wow. Zelos had never met a woman who didn't want to be called 'beautiful.' But the more he saw, the more convinced he became that Sheena truly didn't believe she was. If she really thought he'd meant it all those times he'd teased her about her looks, that he'd talked incessantly about her feminine curves because that was her only attractive feature...oh, Martel, what had he done? Had he really spent years feeding an insecurity he hadn't even known she had? For him, it had always been a given that a beautiful woman at least recognized her own beauty, so now, to learn this knockout of a woman didn't view herself that way, and, worse, didn't believe him that she was...

"You truly have no idea, do you?" he whispered, feeling like he'd swallowed a lead pipe.

Sheena glanced at him, her face beet red, then quickly looked away again. "Don't try to convince me you mean it, Zelos. Please."

For a moment he just watched her, waiting for the punch line to this not-funny joke, for the hopeful flicker in her eyes that indicated she was fishing for compliments, but neither came. Oh, Martel, she was serious. This whole conversation was wrong in so many ways - but before he could address any of it, he had to know this. He leaned forward. "Sheena, exactly how do you define 'beautiful'? And, more importantly, how do you figure it's not you?"

"Because I'm not, Zelos," she said, drawing her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. "I know I'm not. I'm plain. I dress in old, worn clothes, I can't control this hair no matter what I try, I always feel like I'm covered in dirt, and my face..." She closed her eyes. "Ugh, I'm not even going there. There's no way someone like me can compare to..."

Her voice trailed off and she shook her head - and again, Zelos gaped at her. No, she couldn't be implying what he thought. It was ludicrous! He had to bite his tongue to hold back his laughter. They were already treading some dangerous ground he'd never imagined they'd be treading - because Sheena, seriously thinking this? - and he would not mess this up. "...Compare to my hunnies?"

She lowered her chin to her legs, her nod so faint he almost missed it. "Their dresses are so pretty, and their hair is always in place, and their faces are perfect, and they hold themselves so properly, and I'm just...I'm not any of that."

And again, Zelos bit his tongue to resist laughing. Finally, the truth came out: Sheena truly had been jealous of his hunnies. She might be proud of who she was, but that didn't stop her from believing he'd spent years with his hunnies solely because he deemed them to be 'beautiful.' In one sense, her admission that she sincerely didn't recognize her own beauty was endearing, but in the other...his teasing really had hurt her, hadn't it? Far worse than he'd ever imagined it had...than he could ever forgive himself for. In fact, all things considered, it was amazing she was sitting here with him at all after that, and the fact that she was, that she'd given him a second chance and said she loved him, was humbling.

But the shock of this unexpected setback had stilled his tongue, and he was having trouble determining how to respond to her, to vocalize his feelings to her, to make it up to her, and to convince her she could trust him now. He had to try, though. "Wow. I...I'm stunned. I had no idea you felt that way. And since I'm probably responsible for it because of how much I used to tease you...Sheena, I am so sorry. I just...I've never met a woman as strikingly beautiful as you who didn't at least recognize it, so I didn't think anything of it back then or that you'd ever believe me; I just wanted you to think I was a jerk. And now, to find out you did believe it..." He let out a soft, humorless laugh. "I feel horrible."

Her head snapped upward and, for a moment, she met his gaze, wide-eyed, but then she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, her face blazing. "No, no, don't be, Zelos. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. You didn't say it to upset me, and I didn't mean to wreck our date like this-"

Oh, goodness, was she for real? "Are you kidding?" he interrupted her. "Sheena, I'm glad you did say something, because I never would've known you felt this way otherwise. At least now I can address it!"

"No!" Sheena exclaimed, shaking her head again vehemently. "No, please, Zelos, just let it drop. Forget I said anything. Please."

"No." He scooted closer to her and touched her face, tilting her chin upward. "I'm sorry, Sheena, but I'm not dropping this." Unsurprisingly, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to pull away from him, but he was going to say this whether she wanted him to or not, and so he gently drew her face back to his. "Sweetheart, look at me." And fortunately, after another moment of hesitation, she did. "Thank you," he said, offering her a sad smile. "Now, first of all, my hunnies? Sure, to most people, they're beautiful. Granted, nearly every woman in the world is beautiful in her own way, and I can't deny I've told most of them that. The Great Zelos made a point to express his appreciation equally, whether the woman in question really was or not. But Sheena...that doesn't negate the fact that you really are beautiful. I am not just saying that - to every other woman, yeah, but not to you. In fact, I'd go so far as to say you are the most beautiful woman I've ever met. You may not think you compare to my hunnies, but they are the ones who can't compare to you."

She bit her lip - hard, Zelos noted, wincing - and turned away again, visibly fighting back tears and looking almost anguished, an expression that tore at his heart and made him more determined than ever to fix this. "Please, Zelos...please stop. Please don't do this."

"Hey," he said, softly yet insistently. "Love, look at me." It took some coaxing with his fingers, but finally she did, and he held her gaze intently. He was dead serious about this, and he needed her to know that. "I would never lie to you about this, and nothing you say can change my impression of you."

He paused a moment, searching for the perfect words to convince her he was telling the truth and help her see herself the way he saw her, but they eluded him - and the longer he searched without finding them, the more panic built within him. He, world-renowned sweet talker and charmer of women, was at a loss over how to deal with this unexpected and ridiculous but very real and potentially devastating situation. He didn't have time to figure out 'perfection,' though; if he didn't address this now, she would interpret his hesitation as proof he was lying. He needed to persuade her of what he sincerely found to be true or 'they' were over. And to that end, all he could do was talk. He had to speak from the heart instead of relying on carefully planned speeches - a terrifying prospect since it meant he'd have no control over what came out of his mouth, but it really was his only option.

"Sheena, you are...you are real," he began as carefully as he could. "Sure, my hunnies may seem beautiful, but you've never seen the inside of their homes. They're filled with products to make themselves look better - fancy clothes, expensive jewelry, pounds of makeup, nail polish, ridiculous hair products and gels...all sorts of things to cover every blemish that makes them real. And whenever I saw that stuff, I had to ask myself - if they need all that to be 'beautiful,' then what do they really look like? Beneath the fifteen layers of paint, would I still find someone 'beautiful'? Somehow, I doubt it. I mean, where is the beauty in something so artificial? And yet every day they're out there on the street, flaunting their so-called 'beauty' for everyone to see. But you..."

Again, he paused, taking in the curves of her face, the redness in her cheeks, and the downcast eyes as she clutched her legs like a security blanket. "You don't do any of that. You're all honest-to-goodness you; there's nothing artificial about you. I've always loved that about you, Sheena, that you're always true to yourself no matter what...unlike me, who hid behind the Chosen persona my entire life. And what that means is that this beauty I see every time I'm with you...I know it's real, that you're not hiding anything from me. You don't do any of that stuff I used to do, or that my hunnies do to impress everyone - and I, for one, am glad you don't. You don't need to. Sure, you could use some dolling up at times, but even without that...Sheena, you truly are a beautiful woman, in every sense of the word."

Thankfully, Sheena was finally looking at him again, still clutching her legs but not with the death grip she had before, and Zelos was pleased to see a faint smile appearing on her lips - but she wasn't convinced yet, either, judging from how her eyebrows rose. "You sure it's not just my chest you find beautiful?"

Ouch. Okay, he deserved that. Martel, what had he done to her? Good intentions couldn't make up for the six years he'd treated her like that. Damn, he couldn't believe he'd ever implied her chest was her only asset. He really had been an ass to her, hadn't he? And, worse, he'd been an awful, insensitive friend who hadn't even realized he'd been hurting her at the time because he'd wanted to believe he'd been making her hate him instead.

But the past couldn't be undone; all he could do was convince her of the truth now. Taking a deep breath, Zelos gave her a faint, wistful grin. "Well, of course it's beautiful. You're beautiful all over, and that includes that." He motioned at her. "I mean Martel, Sheena, you're hot, and since I'm male, naturally my hormones sit up and take notice of it, especially when your clothes highlight the view so nicely." It took all his willpower not to ogle her cleavage now that they were talking about it - he really had been doing better ignoring that part of her anatomy lately, or at least of keeping those thoughts at bay until a better time - but he firmly told himself no, absolutely not, he could not indulge in that right now. Considering their current topic and her skittishness, even he knew succumbing to that urge would lose any credibility he might still have with her.

"But that's not what I'm talking about now," he quickly went on. "I'm talking about you, Sheena - all of you. My hunnies are all so fair in complexion that they look exactly the same, like gingerbread men painted up with different colored hair and clothes. They act the same, too, spending their time ordering people around, gossiping and saying nasty things about everyone, donning tight, fancy, painful dresses to make others jealous of them, pretending to act all coy and shy even while putting others down...seriously, where's the beauty in that, in wasting their lives and in being so fake?"

Sheena didn't answer, but at least she was watching him closely again. Thank Martel, she's listening, he thought. He smiled softly, his heart skipping a beat at the sheer beauty sitting here with him. "And then there's you, this dark, exotic, beautiful flower..." He chuckled, surprising even himself with how shy he felt at being so honest with her. It was ridiculous to feel that way after he'd spent yearspraising women, but this...this felt different. This felt new and foreign. But strange and unfamiliar or not, he had to do this, and so do this he would. "Heh. I still remember my first impression of you. I thought, 'Wow. Finally, a pretty girl who doesn't look like a cookie cutter clone and isn't afraid to walk around Meltokio with a smudge of dirt on her face.' And then when I finally talked to you, I was intrigued when you said nothing about your 'perfect pedigree,' how expensive your clothes were, how awful the other girls looked, or how much you'd love to spend some 'quality time' with me.

"And your face..." He swallowed hard, his heart pounding as she bit her lip, still watching him. "I could look at you for hours and never tire of it. I mean, everything about you...what you do to me whenever I'm with you..." He shook his head, struggling for the words to express how crazy she drove him. "These dark eyes..." he gently brushed her hair out of her eyes, "...this soft, flawless skin..." his fingers trailed over her forehead, eliciting a shiver from her, "...this exotic coloring..." they continued over her rosy cheeks, "...this adorable nose..." they brushed the bridge of her nose, "...these full lips..." feather-light, they skirted over her lips, "...and this smile...oh, Martel, this smile..." His heart fluttered, and he swallowed again, trying to keep his voice steady. "There is nothing more beautiful in this world than seeing you smile." Her blush flared and she looked down at her knees shyly - but, thank Martel, the smile was toying on her lips again. "And my goodness, this hair...." His finger strayed to an unruly lock of dark hair and twirled it. "I love seeing you with your hair down. It's wild and it's gorgeous and after you've washed it, it gets all wavy and silky and all I want to do is run my fingers through it. I used to look forward to being the night watch because it meant I could watch you sleep with the firelight flickering on this gorgeous hair as it framed your face."

Her eyes darted up at him again, still guarded, but her face had softened into something almost hopeful, he thought. "Really?"

Her difficulty accepting this was amazing - and endearing, too, because this modesty and embarrassment was just so Sheena. She had truly never seen herself in this light before. Seriously, had no one ever told her how beautiful she was? Well, her grandfather, probably, before all hell broke loose with Volt, because most parental units told their kids that, but how was it no one else in Mizuho had ever had a crush on her and whispered sweet nothings in her ear? She was gorgeous, a standout amongst women, and surely someone else had to have noticed that. Right?

...Oh, right, Zelos suddenly realized. Look who I'm talking about: Mizuho, the village that's determined to turn its people into emotionless robots. No, she probably hadn't been told she was beautiful before (by someone who truly meant it, he thought wistfully, remembering all the times he'd teasingly called her that before), especially if it took her people years to forgive her for the whole Volt incident. And people outside of Mizuho would just see a ninja, someone they'd been brainwashed to fear and hate, not someone admirable. He just wished he'd recognized these insecurities before so he could've toned the teasing down a notch or teased her about something else.

But again, he reminded himself, he couldn't change that now; all he could do was show her he would never hurt her like that again. So instead of kicking himself or over-thinking this, Zelos touched her cheek again and offered her a tender smile. "Really." Quirking an eyebrow, he motioned at the pink ribbon in her hair, unsure how she'd react to this but needing to find out. "May I...?"

Sheena watched him wide-eyed a moment, but then she nodded, so faintly he almost missed it - and that, more than anything, gave him hope she might finally be starting to believe him since he couldn't remember her ever letting anyone else do this before. He smiled gratefully, then scooted closer and gently untied her ribbon...and he was awed as her wavy, ebony hair fell loose around her face. He pulled back a little to look her over, trying to absorb it all: her rosy cheeks, her creamy skin, the curves of her face, her dark almond eyes, her full lips, her endearing shyness as her gaze fell downward...

Zelos swallowed hard at the sight before him. "Absolutely beautiful," he whispered, reaching up and, with utmost reverence, touching her face. "I am so in love with you, Sheena."

Her face melted further as she met his gaze again and her lips curled upward into...oh, Martel, that was his favorite smile, the lovely, shy one that told him how touched she was. His fingers gently trailed over her face, brushing her hair back, and he mirrored her broadening smile. And then, furthering his amazement, she slowly leaned forward, her gaze drifting down to his mouth, and a moment later, her lips grazed his before she quickly pulled back, just enough to see his face, and looked him over carefully. He waited, his heart pounding and stomach fluttering in anticipation and his eyes half-lidded as desire and love swept through him, tempted to capture her lips with his in a kiss that left them both breathless, but after he'd just bared his heart to her like that, the next move was hers. And, fortunately, only a few seconds later she pressed her lips to his again, longer that time, giving him a kiss so sweet and sincere that it left him breathless anyway, expressing louder than any words her gratitude and telling him she felt the same, her hands lifting to his face and tenderly holding him...and oh, Martel, she tasted like peaches, luring him further into bliss and leaving him desperate for more and terrified he could never get enough...

Click.

Instantly, they froze and their eyes flew open. Sheena pulled back a little, her eyes narrowing and her hands lowering to his shoulders. "Did you hear that?" she whispered.

"Yeah, I did." Oh, yeah, he'd heard it, loud and clear, thanks to these damn angel senses. But he hadn't just heard it; it had struck a nerve with him. "And for some reason that sounded really familiar. Where have I...?" She searched his face but shook her head, telling him she couldn't help him. Damn, where had he heard that before...? And just like that, the answer hit him. Aw, crap. That was that sound. Zelos released a disgusted groan, rubbed his eyes, and shook his head. "You've got to be kidding me! Talk about ruining the perfect moment..."

"What is it?" Sheena pressed, touching his arm. "Zelos, do you know what that was?"

He sighed, lowered his hand, and gave her a wry grin. And he'd been doing so well here, too, not only chiseling away at her insecurities and hopefully earning another piece of her trust, but being rewarded for his efforts with a sweet kiss, too! And then bam, his celebrity status had to ruin everything again. "That would be a camera clicking. Take a wild guess who apparently followed us out here."

Zelos could tell the instant she got it for her face fell and her head sank downward, her hands, alas, pulling away from him. "And here I thought we'd done a good job of shaking your annoying stalkers!"

"Yeah, me too, babe." Agh, why? Why, why, why? Was he cursed? Was life determined to wreck everything good he had going for him? This officially sucked. "Have I mentioned yet how much I hate my life?" he said, giving her another wry grin. "I guess we don't have to wonder what we'll find on the front page of the paper tomorrow, do we?" Her lips pursed into an angry frown, and she closed her eyes and shook her head, growling lowly. So much for her tolerance of the stupidity that accompanied dating him. Tonight was just proving to be one hurdle after another, wasn't it? First the king had detained her for hours, then he'd inadvertently set off a landmine by calling her 'beautiful,' and now his crazy stalker had interrupted one of his Favoritest Moments Ever. Maybe they should just call it a night, say they'd given it their best shot, and accept this wouldn't work because fate had placed them on the 'Doomed to Fail' list. His fake grin faded, and he sighed wearily, his heart sinking so low he was afraid it would fall out of his chest. "Listen, Sheena, I am really sorry about this. If I'd known he was following us, I..."

"No, no, Zelos, don't be sorry," she cut him off, her eyes flying open. "This isn't your fault; you didn't invite him here with us. In fact..." Without warning, her face lit up with something he definitely hadn't expected to see: an amused smirk. And then it hit him: she was plotting something sinister, something decidedly ninja-esque. Before he could so much as narrow his eyes at her, she climbed onto her knees and then rose to her feet. "Wait here," she told him with a sneaky grin. "I'll be right back. I promise."

Zelos blinked, stunned, as she started walking north. "What? Wait a minute! Where are you going?" She glanced back at him, smiling innocently, then shrugged and raced off into the woods. "Hey! Annoying or not, don't kill him!" He waited a moment, gaping in the direction she'd run off to - which definitely wasn't the direction the 'click' had come from, meaning she must have something else in mind - but she didn't come back, and not for the first time, Zelos found himself wondering what had possessed him to make someone as hot-tempered and independent as Sheena Fujibayashi his first ever serious girlfriend. A moment later, he burst out into soft laughter, not only amused by her actions, but relieved at knowing he'd so far managed to navigated the rocky terrain surrounding them. And so, deciding to just roll with it and enjoy the ride, Zelos shook his head, leaned back on his hands, and waited for his date to return from hunting down his crazy stalker and doing...whatever it was she was planning on doing to him.

0~*~0

When the idea had first struck her, Sheena hadn't thought stalking a stalker would prove to be so much fun. Their eavesdropper (a short, chubby, middle-aged, balding, mustached man wearing some frilly, pretentious clothes that made it extremely hard not to laugh and give away her position) had still been taking pictures of Zelos when she'd located him attempting to hide behind a scrawny bush on the other side of the stream, and a quick look up at the tree boughs had determined her plan of attack. She deftly climbed the nearest tree and waited until he snapped another picture, then she dropped a branch off to his left. Instantly, his head snapped toward the clatter, seeking its source - but by then she'd already darted across the treetops to his other side and dropped another branch, making his head snap that way next, his eyes widening. She repeated that pattern a few times, and then, when he finally stood up, disentangling himself from the bush as panic sank in, and turned to leave, she did a back flip out of the tree and landed gracefully on her feet in front of him, blocking his egress. He gasped and jumped back, his eyes widening further, then abruptly turned and began running.

"Oh, I don't think so. You're not going anywhere." Before he'd even taken three steps, Sheena pulled out her cards - never go anywhere without a weapon, even on a date, she thought smugly, suspecting that was why Zelos, too, had brought his sword - and sent them flying.

She made sure not to harm the man, but he did stop, his fear and panic obvious as he turned to her. A moment later, though, he sucked in a deep breath and puffed out his chest. He was trying to appear calm and in control - she'd seen plenty of cornered people try to do the same - but the 'click' the camera made, meaning he'd accidentally taken a picture of her standing there with her arms folded, her expression as stern as possible given her overwhelming need to laugh, indicated how nervous he was. "Stop!" he said, lifting a pudgy hand toward her. "You cannot harm me! I am a very important person!"

"Yeah, sure you are," she muttered, unimpressed. "Stalkers are so very important, aren't they?"

He sniffed, sticking his nose up. "Hmpf. I am not a stalker. I am a reporter."

"Reporter, stalker, celebrity fiction writer...whatever you want to call it. In my book, they're all the same." But that wasn't important, and since she really wanted to get back to her date, she'd cut to the chase. "So anyway, here's the deal. You're going to give me your camera to make up for stalking my boyfriend and taking pictures of us during some moments we'd really rather keep private."

"I most certainly will not!" he retorted with a haughty laugh. "This camera is my life."

Sheena shrugged and gave him a crooked smile. He apparently hadn't heard how persuasive ninjas could be yet, had he? "I guess you'll just have to get a new life then, won't you?"

His shifty eyes trailed down her body with thinly veiled disgust. "I think not. Who are you to tell me what to do? You are nothing but a filthy ninja!"

"...Who, according to the Chosen, is worthy of being his girlfriend," Sheena felt the need to point out. She still couldn't fathom that herself, why Zelos would be sincerely interested in her, but she had to accept he was - just like she now had to accept that, to him, she really was beautiful...a thought that made her heart skip a beat. At least she managed to stifle her smile as she remembered Zelos's earlier words - and especially the intensity, sincerity, and love in his eyes as he'd observed her after pulling the ribbon her hair.

"Ugh, yes, and then there is the Chosen," the man said, rolling his eyes. "That man is an imbecile, a womanizer, and an irresponsible child who would be a nobody were it not for his title and wealth. I would pay him no heed except his escapades with every woman in the world make for some highly popular stories for which the newspaper pays handsomely."

Sheena had to dig her nails into her palms to resist the urge to smack him. That 'imbecile,' 'womanizer,' and 'irresponsible child' had now proven himself to be one of the sweetest, most gorgeous yet tortured men Sheena had ever met - a perverted idiot, yes, but not those other things. But she wasn't about to waste time trying to convince this louse of that. "Whatever. But you're still giving me that camera."

"Hmpf," he sniffed again, sticking his nose up higher. "Or what? You'll stomp your feet, jump up and down, and throw a ninja hissy fit?"

She grinned. Heh, was that how he thought ninjas operated? How...quaint. "Nope."

The man rolled his eyes. "Then there is no chance of me giving it to you now, is there?"

"Actually, I think you'll want to," she said, her grin broadening. "Because if you don't...well, you won't like what happens to you."

"And now she threatens me with physical violence," he said. "What a shocking novelty. Such actions may intimidate that cowardly Chosen, but they do not intimidate me."

Moron. You know nothing about ninjas, do you? "Oh, I'm not the one you should be worrying about. In fact, I won't touch a single hair on your head." Or your ridiculously curled mustache.

"Then you give me no incentive to give you anything," he stated, literally hugging his precious camera to his chest.

It took all her restraint not to roll her eyes. "I didn't get to the threat part yet. I won't touch you, but unless you hand over that camera, I'm going to tell Zelos's hunnies that you have pictures of him naked on it. I'm also going to tell them exactly where your little 'hideout' is so they can...retrieve...it."

Ah, finally his haughty grin was fading. "You...you cannot know that," he said, then stuck his nose up again. "You are from that stupid, dirty ninja village, not from the high society of Meltokio."

...Yeah, so? Being from a 'stupid, dirty ninja village' - and if this wasn't so much fun, she'd be tearing off his head for constantly insulting her people like that - meant she couldn't figure that out? How did that work? Eh, whatever. This moron truly wasn't worth her effort. "Oh, but I can know it. See, I'm not the one who figured it out; that imbecile," she motioned in Zelos's general direction, "did. You're in the front room of that house directly across the street from his mansion." His grin faltered further - not that she needed that confirmation since her 'stupid, dirty ninja people' had confirmed it for her two days ago. Heh, they'd confirmed a lot more than that, too. Her eyebrows rose. "Now, tell me, if you've been stalking him as long as he says you have, then you must know what his hunnies are capable of, right? Do you really want to stand between them and their rabid obsession?"

Perfect. His grin was now gone, and sweat was beading on his face. "You would not do such a thing."

She couldn't resist smirking. "Oh, believe me, I would."

"They...they would never listen to you," he said, a tremor of fear lacing his voice. "They cannot stand you, either."

She shrugged. "No, maybe not, but do you really want to take the chance that they won't believe me? Especially after Zelos told them I was his girlfriend - someone who would know if a certain stalker had taken such pictures? And what do you think their 'holy grail' of treasures would be? Wouldn't, oh, naked pictures of Zelos qualify?" He didn't answer, but Sheena grinned knowingly as his Adam's apple bobbed. "I thought so, too. I think they'd be willing to believe me this time, especially if I framed it right. Let's see..." She lifted her hand to her chest, summoning her best 'hunny impression.' "'Oh, that reporter who lives across the street from Zelos is so annoying! Taking pictures of my boyfriend while he was in the shower and everything! I mean, I know Zelos is a hot guy and all that, but if anyone's going to take pictures of him naked, it should be me, his girlfriend, not some weird reporter freak! I have to find that camera. Those pictures should be mine!'" She grinned evilly as his eyes widened in alarm. "And believe me, I will have oodles of fun watching them tear you to shreds while they're searching for it."

For a long moment, the man just stood there silently, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead, but finally he nodded. "Very well, I will no longer take pictures of you or the Chosen. However, the camera stays with me."

He hugged the camera to him even tighter, but Sheena shook her head. "Nope. That's not negotiable. The camera stays with me or Zelos's hunnies find it for me. And I guarantee they won't be as nice about it as I'm being now." Still he hesitated, though, and finally, she shrugged as if washing her hands of this. Tormenting idiots really shouldn't be this easy and entertaining, she thought, biting back another grin. "No? Okay, fine. Have it your way." Sheena pointed at him as she began walking around him. "Just remember, you chose the hunnies."

"V...very well." Before she could take a step past him, the man shoved the camera at her. "Here is your gift. I hope you enjoy it."

Heh. As expected, he was a complete pushover. "Wow, thanks!" she said, smiling broadly and hugging the camera. "This is exactly what I wanted! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date to -" She froze as if realizing something. "Oh, wait. I almost forgot. One more thing."

His eyes widened and he took a step away from her. "B...but I have already given you what you wanted!"

Sheena smiled mock-apologetically, pretending to feel bad for 'imposing' further on him. "Well, yeah, but there's one more thing I really want. See, every day a new story appears in the newspaper about my boyfriend, speculating about, well, everything about him, and that really ticks off not only him, but me, too, because, you know, by doing that, you're interfering with my ability to stay undercover. Well, that and it's really annoying to find new stories about yourself every day that are either slanderous, only partially true, or discuss private matters. And if you keep upsetting me like that...well, you've heard of the Mizuho Information Network, right? You're a reporter; you must have at least heard about it, right?"

He swallowed nervously. "I...I have..."

Good. One less thing to waste time explaining. "So you've probably also heard how good they are at their job, right? And how anyone who gets in their way discovers just how dedicated they are to it, even if it means...removing...those obstacles?" He nodded, visibly trembling now. "Yeah, thought so. And it's because of how well we do our job that I can tell you your real name is Harry McHenry, your writing alias is Roland Fredericks, your wife, Margaret, divorced you ten years ago, you're estranged from your 13-year-old son, Barry, who lives in Altamira with his mother, your own mother died 25 years ago as of next month, and your father lives in the middle class section of Meltokio and has no idea his son is a sleazy gossip reporter who's 'too busy' to go see him except on New Year's Day. Even Zelos doesn't know any of that about you." She grinned craftily. "But I do."

The sweat was now rolling freely down his face, some dripping into his eyes and making him rub at them nervously. "Wh...what do you w...want?"

Her grin vanished and she folded her arms to her chest. "Leave Zelos alone. Permanently."

His eyes widened and he took a step toward her. "B...but if I...if I d...do that, then I...I will have n...nothing to wr...write about! I will not get p...paid!"

"You shouldn't get paid for gossiping about people," Sheena stated. "Find something worthwhile to write about, like how the upper classes can help those poor people stuck in the slums, but don't pester good people who just want to be left alone to live their lives. Let Zelos do what he wants to do; let him be who he wants to be; let him love who he wants to love. The rest of Meltokio doesn't need to know those details. And if you don't let him do that, if you insist on capitalizing on his efforts to be a normal person...well, the Mizuho Information Network will soon be under my control, and I doubt you want to find out which of our secret ninja arts I'm willing to authorize them to use to silence you. For good." Her eyebrows rose. "Are we clear?"

He quickly nodded, and Sheena's face wrinkled in distaste. This guy insists on calling my people 'filthy, dirty ninjas,' and yet here he is, sweating like a pig. Disgusting hypocrite. "Y...yes, ma'am, I...I understand," he sputtered.

"Good," she said, nodding curtly. "Then get outta here. And if I see even one more word about Zelos or myself in the paper..."

He gulped as Sheena made a slicing motion at her throat. "O...of c...course, ma'am! I won't say another word, honest, I won't!"

She nodded, once again biting back the urge the laugh, and pointed at him. "Just remember: my people will be watching your every move, making sure you never get in our way again. For the Rest. Of. Your. Life."

His face was so white, Sheena was afraid he would pass out. For a moment, she actually felt bad for threatening him like that - because it wasn't like he'd killed someone - but then she remembered the article Zelos had shown her and smirked as he suddenly turned and ran as if Abyssion himself was hot on his tail. She watched him until he vanished into the trees before grinning wickedly and letting out a soft, "Heh." To quote Zelos: "Mission accomplished." This guy wouldn't be bothering them again. And, even better, she'd had far more fun doing so than anyone should while...

...Wait. She was still holding the camera. Sheena lifted and observed it. It was just a metallic box covered with buttons and glass panels. But how did it work? She'd never even seen one of these things before, so the box was a total enigma to her. But she did know it took pictures...her eyes widened. Oh, Jizou, this was Zelos's stalker's camera. Which meant it had pictures of Zelos on it, probably even a few of her, too. Well, she could do without the pictures of her, but those of him? Yeah, she could hang onto this thing for awhile and figure out how to view those pictures. This could actually be fun.

Smiling broadly, Sheena began heading back toward their picnic site to show her companion what she had...she froze. If Zelos knew she had this...he would steal it from her, take hundreds of inappropriate pictures of her, and then make a collection of those pictures to drool over. While the thought wasn't as appalling as it would have once been since he really did seem to find her beautiful, she still didn't need him doing that. She would always be worrying he'd try to snap pictures when she least expected it; he could never resist the temptation. He really did have the strangest yet, bizarrely enough, endearing tendency to jump from complete pervert to the sweetest man she'd ever met in the blink of an eye, and ultimately, she just didn't want to see what kind of mischief he'd get into with this thing. She sure wasn't giving it up, though, either. Not only was it a gold mine, but, well, how else would she get a camera? These things were extremely expensive, and she was sure Mizuho could find plenty of uses for it one day.

So that meant she had to keep the camera without letting Zelos know she'd kept it. Scanning the trees, she quickly spotted what she needed: a small nook about halfway up one of the trees. She quickly climbed up the tree to the hole and, after checking nothing was inside, placed the camera there and hopped back down. Now, to mark it so she could find it again...grabbing a sturdy twig, she made an innocuous mark on the tree directly behind her and then kept marking trees until she reached the 'bridge' across the stream. Either she'd come back here and get it herself, or she'd send one of her fellow ninjas to do so. The area didn't appear widely traveled, either, so it was unlikely anyone else would find it, and the nook itself was so small she couldn't imagine any animals being able to push it out. Satisfied it was safe, Sheena grinned and crossed the stream, eager to rejoin her date.

It took her a moment to find him (for some reason she'd been looking for him further to the north...which was odd because she usually remembered stuff like that), but when she finally spotted him, sitting on the blanket and leaning back against a tree, she smirked and quickly rejoined him (well, bounced back to him...she really should tone down her exuberance or he'd get suspicious). Now she just hoped he hadn't overheard them or her efforts to conceal the camera would end in failure.

The moment he noticed her, he grinned. "Well, well! Don't you look like the cat that ate the canary?"

Her smirk broadened as she reclaimed her earlier spot. Something about their setup here seemed off, but she couldn't pinpoint what was wrong with it...and really, she was feeling too smug to care. Right now, she just wanted to gloat...kind of. But then again, maybe not telling him would be even more fun. Yeah...she liked that idea better. "Heh. It should be illegal to have that much fun."

For a moment, Zelos watched her expectantly - yep, she knew what he wanted - but his patience quickly wore off and he motioned for her to hurry up. "Well, come on, talk already!"

"Hmm," she murmured as she tapped her chin, pretending to consider that. "Let's just say you won't be having reporter problems for...well, for ever."

His lips parted. "You didn't really kill him, did you?"

Sheena lowered her hand and smiled sweetly. "I'm not acknowledging or denying anything."

A wicked gleam lit his eyes as he smirked. "Heh. That's my girl. You've been hanging around me too long, love...which is really kinda scary since this is only our first date." Before she could even roll her eyes at that, though, he leaned forward. "So what did you do to him?"

Mirroring his conspiratorial stance, she leaned forward, her eyes darting around for 'eavesdroppers,' then looked back at him. "Bet you'd like to know, wouldn't ya?"

His eyes widened as he pulled back to see her. "Wait...you're not going to tell me?"

She shrugged. "Nope. A ninja has to have her secrets, you know." Abruptly, she pointed at him. "But I will say this: I didn't touch him."

He blinked at her, but then released an incredulous laugh. "Sheena, what did you do?"

Yep, this, too, is way too much fun. Maybe someday she would tell him, but not today. "Sorry, but my lips are sealed." For a moment, Zelos just gaped at her, but then he leaned closer, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her mouth, tilting his head a little. And Sheena couldn't help it: she burst out laughing at his comically serious expression. "Zelos, what are you doing?"

"I'm checking for little yellow feathers sticking out of your mouth," he stated as if the answer should have been completely obvious. Without warning, his hand shot upward and, without actually touching her, he pinched at her mouth before pretending to pull something away. "Found one."

Sheena broke out laughing again as he tossed the 'feather' over his shoulder, his wicked, playful smirk back. It was the strangest impulse, but she couldn't resist playing along - and for once, common sense wasn't stopping her. "Yes, that's right, I roasted and ate him."

Zelos cocked his head, his smirk betraying his amusement and maybe even amazement that she was playing along. "Reeeeally. How'd he taste?"

She shrugged. "Eh, just okay. Kinda tough and stringy, actually, but he tasted better once I added some barbecue sauce." Zelos's lips parted and his eyes widened, and Sheena beamed him a wicked grin. "He probably would've tasted better covered in edible body paints, though. Y'know, to cover over the lingering slimeball taste." He was outright gaping now, and Sheena lifted a finger to her lips. "Hmm...if I'd painted him up to look like a chicken, do you think he would've tasted like chicken?"

For a moment, Zelos just continued watching her, but then suddenly he burst out laughing, so purely and intensely that he was soon clutching his stomach, and Sheena was helpless but join him. And it was then that she realized something: while he might claim her smile was beautiful, his real smiles and laughter, as opposed to the fake, overly cheerful ones she'd seen for years, back when he'd never truly been happy but had hid that fact from everyone, were utterly magnificent. As gorgeous as this man was normally, he was even more so when he was sincerely happy like this, when he forgot his cares and worries and when the weight of the world and his obligations as the Chosen weren't tempering his spirit. And knowing she had caused him this happiness...her heart pounded faster, and a wave of something so powerful it could only be love crashed over her. This whole thing felt so incredibly good. She suddenly wanted to do it again, to make him this happy all the time and help him abandon the mask for good. Heaven knew he deserved it.

It took a few minutes, but eventually he calmed enough to look at her again, a few soft laughs still escaping him and the smile on his face so damn real that it hurt to realize how many smiles she'd seen from him that hadn't been real. "You ninjas are insane, aren't you?"

Sheena grinned and pointed sharply at him. "Hey, you're the one who wanted to date me!"

"Hell, yeah, I did!" Zelos said, wiping at his eyes. "And believe me, love, I still do. More now than ever before, in fact. Oh, man. I can't remember the last time I laughed like that." He took a deep breath, but then chuckled again as he met her eyes. "Have I mentioned yet how glad I am to see you loosening up like this?"

Her blush returned and she looked down, still smiling. She knew what he meant: for years, she'd always been so tightly wound, taking everything so seriously and dwelling on the past instead of enjoying the present. And honestly, while she still wasn't sure what had possessed her to joke with him like this, she loved the effect it had had not only on him, but on herself. There was just something about being with Zelos that did that to her, made her do things she never would have done under any other circumstances.

And for a moment, she was nearly overwhelmed by the urge to go back to the kiss that reporter had interrupted earlier, but Zelos was right: the moment had been ruined. They'd just have to wait for another one to arise. At least now, while she still might not believe she really was beautiful, she couldn't deny he viewed her as such anymore. It wasn't the first time he'd called her that, but it was the first time she'd believed he meant it. The look in his eyes at the time, the love and sadness and earnestness and determination, with no hint of deception or uncertainty, had made it clear how much he had. And now whenever he called her that again, she would always look back at that moment and know he wasn't just saying it to cajole her with smooth flattery; he was saying it because he truly did find her to be beautiful.

So instead of kissing him, Sheena opted for something different that conveyed the same message. Grabbing her plate with her half-eaten peach, she crawled over to him, seated herself beside him, and bumped his shoulder with hers. "You're a terrible influence on me, you know," she said, taking a bite of her peach and giving him a soft but happy smile.

Zelos's eyes briefly widened at her choice to sit by him, but then he grinned and wrapped his left arm around her, pulling her closer to him - and oh, did it feel nice. She never would have considered willingly initiating such contact with him before for fear he'd try something perverted, but she couldn't help herself. Sitting with him like this felt right - not awkward or weird, but right. "Yeah, I see that," he murmured, pressing his cheek to her forehead. "And I, for one, am glad I am."

"I'm probably going to regret saying this, but I'm glad you are, too," she replied, leaning further into him and taking another bite of her peach. Zelos kissed her temple tenderly, then rested his head against hers. She finished eating her peach in silence...and it was only as she was setting the pit on her plate that it finally hit her, what was 'wrong' with this entire setup and why she hadn't found him where she'd expected to earlier: the trees around them were different. She eyed the area again to make sure, but the clearing where they were seemed to be slightly smaller than it had before, with more trees directly around them on every side but to the west, where the bluff was more visible than she remembered it being earlier...and speaking of the bluff, they actually seemed to be about twenty feet closer to it than before. Suddenly, she pointed to a clearing barely visible to their north. "Wait...weren't we over there before?"

His lips curled upward into a smirk. "Heh. I was wondering when you'd notice that."

Sheena pulled away so she could see his face. "You moved us? What was wrong with that spot?"

Zelos batted his eyelashes in a completely ineffective show of innocence. "But I didn't have a tree to lean against over there!"

For a moment, she just gaped at him. Oh, Jizou, he did not just say that! "You moved our entire picnic site so you could have a backrest?"

"What?" he said, his eyes widening. "You were gone a long time while you were barbecuing that reporter and I was getting bored waiting for you to get back!"

...He moved their entire picnic site so he could have a backrest. She shook her head incredulously, scarcely able to believe she was on a date with someone who would waste time doing that, but try as she might, she couldn't stop grinning - and then laughing at his innocent expression. "You are such an idiot."

He grinned broadly and shrugged, then motioned at the cliff. "Besides, there's a clearer view of the ocean from here."

Still laughing, Sheena laid her head on his shoulder. Well, yeah, there was, but that didn't erase the fact that he was, hands down, the strangest, most unpredictable man she'd ever met. She suspected she would never comprehend how he thought or why he did the wackiest things imaginable...but regardless, she thought she actually liked that she didn't know what he was going to do next. For years, that unpredictability had made her uncomfortable, forcing her to brace herself for anything from him, be it random perversity or shocking insight and sensitivity, but now...now it wasn't so uncomfortable anymore. Maybe it was what she'd overheard him telling Sebastian three days ago, or maybe it was the look in his eyes earlier when he'd called her beautiful, but she knew he truly cared about her and would never intentionally hurt her again. And, in fact, because she did know that now, she couldn't help but find his unpredictability to be fun at times. It forced her to stay on her toes to keep up with him, and wasn't that a good thing for a ninja to be able to do?

A breeze suddenly swept past them, blowing her hair in her eyes, and only then did Sheena realize something else. She lifted her head from his shoulder and arched an eyebrow at him. "And what happened to my ribbon?"

Zelos grinned wickedly. "Heh."

Her eyes narrowed. Uh oh. He hadn't even tried to answer that. "Zelos..."

Instantly, the wicked grin vanished, replaced by an innocent mask. "What? It's perfectly safe. I didn't lose it while moving everything. See?" He lifted his right hand, and Sheena rolled her eyes. There, around his gloved wrist, was her ribbon, tied into a perfect bow. Well, at least that mystery was solved - although how he'd managed to tie a perfect bow one-handed was a mystery unto itself.

Sheena held out her hand and gave him a pointed look. "Okay, buddy, hand it over."

"Hmm." Pretending to think seriously about that, Zelos tapped his lips with a finger, but then shook his head. "No, I don't think I want to."

No kidding. "Zelos, my hair is flapping around in my face!"

"So I see," he said, observing her closely. Oh, yippee, the smirk is back, she noted, unsure whether to be annoyed or amused. "And it looks divine."

She rolled her eyes, but even she knew her smile was betraying her again. Okay, time for a new tactic. She smiled sweetly. "Please?"

"Nope!" he said, grinning way too brightly.

Ugh, that didn't work, either? She growled lowly. "Zelos..."

"Nope!"

Threats, meet Zelos. Zelos, meet threats. Her eyebrows rose in warning. "Don't make me resort to extreme ninja torture methods."

...Damn, he still wasn't impressed. His eyebrows, too, rose challengingly. "Oho, are you threatening me now, sweetheart?"

The idiot had the gallto call her sweetheart while taunting her? That called for drastic measures. "Are you, by any chance, ticklish?"

The flash of alarm in his eyes was so quick that Sheena barely caught it...but she did catch it. Heh. This was going to be fun. "Nope!" he said.

Yeah, right. We'll see about that. She grinned wickedly. "Uh huh, sure. If that's true, then this..." she pulled away from him and reached for his chest, "...should have no effect on you." She hesitated, letting the anticipation build, watching his eyes widen in alarm as he lifted his hands defensively...and then she lunged at him, dodged his hands as he tried batting hers away, and began tickling him. She'd barely touched him when he began laughing and shrieking and carefully trying to push her away, but Sheena kept going, not even caring that she was grinning and laughing like an idiot. Well, well. Who would've thought Zelos Wilder would prove to be ticklish? Oh, if only Lloyd and Genis had known this...

The 'battle' continued for several minutes until Zelos was lying on his back, his face red, still laughing and giggling uncontrollably and struggling to keep her hands away from the traitorous parts of his body, and Sheena was sitting astride his waist...nearly lying on him, part of her recognized, even if the rest was having too much fun to care. "Surrender and give me my ribbon!" she demanded between laughs.

"Okay, okay!" he finally said, throwing out his hands in defeat. "I surrender! I surrender!"

Instantly, Sheena stopped and placed her hands on the ground on either side of his head, panting and trying to reclaim her breath. "Ha! I won!"

Zelos took a few deep breaths, still laughing, but then his grin grew downright dastardly as his gaze trailed down her face, then her neck, then lower. "I don't know, I'm pretty sure I won this one, seeing as you're now lying on top of me. I tell ya, this view is to die for..."

Oh, great Jizou! "You idiot!" She punched his shoulder lightly, blood rushing to her face as his eyes snapped up to hers and he waggled his eyebrows, but then she pushed herself up and off of him and held out her hand, helping him sit up, both of them laughing again. Once Zelos had resumed his earlier position leaning back against the tree, Sheena held out her hand. "Okay, I won, so hand it over."

Lifting a hand to his chest, Zelos took a moment to catch his breath before giving her the most endearing puppy dog pout she'd ever seen - but it was the softness and seriousness in his eyes that disarmed her the most. "C'mon, Sheena, indulge me just this once. Please?"

Oh, damn him. How could she resist that? Something told her she was a sucker for caving so easily, but...well, other than the annoyance of having hair flying in her face, what would it really hurt? "All right, fine," she said, sighing in defeat, then pointed sharply at him. "But just for tonight."

Unsurprisingly, Zelos beamed her a bright smile, looking like a kid who'd just been handed a bag of candy - seriously, what was the big deal with her hair? How could something so unruly excite him so much? - and then he untied the ribbon from his wrist and handed it to her. "Thank you. That's all I'm asking for." He tilted his head, a smirk toying on his lips. "Well, that and any other times I can catch you with your guard down and steal this thing away from you..."

...Yeah, she was afraid of that. Well, not really, but she wouldn't tell him that. "Don't push it," she said, shooting him the best glare she could manage given her blush, but then she took the ribbon and crawled over to him, resuming her position beside him. For a moment, she was tempted to tie up her hair again anyway, just to annoy him, but finally she wrapped the ribbon around her right wrist...and then stared at it. Okay, so how had Zelos done this before one-handed, really?

"Here, let me," Zelos said with a knowing grin, then he took the ribbon and gently tied it around her wrist into a pretty bow. Once finished, he pressed a brief but unexpectedly tender kiss to the back of her hand that made her gasp as the simple yet characteristic gesture left her feeling like a schoolgirl with a crush on him all over again. He then released her hand and wrapped his arm around her, drawing her close to rest her head on his shoulder again. Her eyes slid shut as she breathed in deeply, reveling in his warm body and his slightly spicy, definitely masculine, and immensely comforting scent - something she'd always loved but that now, finally, she could enjoy without being teased for doing do. She had never imagined she would love just sitting with him like this so much, without worrying about his hands wandering where they didn't belong, but the way he was holding her, so tightly, so protectively...she felt loved. She felt wanted, and comfortable, and safe. She felt like she could sit there with him forever and never want to leave.

They fell silent, both smiling happily, just enjoying the company and the peaceful evening, with the wind rustling the trees (and ruffling her hair, ugh), the ocean waves rippling on the horizon, and the sun slowly sinking over the water. After a few minutes, Zelos reached for something beside him, then held up a container with some cookies. With a soft, "Thanks," Sheena took one and began nibbling on it - ooh, chocolate chip...delicious - and Zelos did the same, setting the container back down beside him.

Once finished, Sheena snuggled further into him, determined to enjoy every second of this lovely moment. "Mmm...I've missed this," she murmured.

"Missed what?" he asked.

"Eating outdoors, listening to the wind in the trees, being away from everyone and everything...it's so peaceful." Only a month had passed since their journey ended, but she hadn't realized before how much she'd enjoyed all the time they'd spent out in nature during it. It had seemed like a chore at times, those nights they'd had to forage for food and sleep out in the wild, but now...now she looked back on those memories with fondness. You never realize what you have until it's gone, she thought wistfully, suddenly wishing she'd taken more time during their journey to really appreciate those moments instead of trying to hurry them along so she could get back to her regular life. "It reminds me of the nights we camped outside during our journey."

Zelos chuckled softly. "What journey were you on? What I remember is Lloyd and Genis bickering over every little thing, Raine feeding us ridiculously awful scientific concoctions she claimed were food, Regal attempting to make small talk with Presea, who kept throwing random statistics back at him, and Colette being so happy that she always seemed on the verge of bursting into a show-stopping musical number."

"Your memory is apparently selective, because you participated in most of those arguments with Lloyd and Genis." Sheena poked his side. "In fact, I distinctly remember you starting most of them."

A nostalgic smile crossed his face. "Yeah, I remember that, too. That was always fun. Good times." Suddenly, he gave her a wicked smile. "But I only did that when I didn't feel like pestering you and facing the Formidable, Furious, Flying Fists of Doom."

Sheena snorted and rolled her eyes - but she blushed, too, remembering those moments when he apparently had felt like it. She'd lost count of how many times Zelos had plopped himself down beside her, no matter what she was doing or how vehemently she insisted he should leave her alone and bother someone else if he was bored, and just started bugging her about absolutely nothing, or kept teasing her until she smacked him...or, sometimes, just sat and talked to her in a way that had disarmed her with its sheer normalcy, be it about their companions, their journey, the future, or something else, before he had, in the blink of an eye, reverted back into the Idiot Chosen, at which point she'd usually slugged him and stormed off in disgust. Those last times had always hurt the most, the ones that reminded her of the old friend she'd had who'd suddenly changed and then proved to be impossible to find again on a regular basis.

It was mind-boggling to consider how much had now changed between them, how his pretenses had fallen and how comfortable she felt sitting here, alone, on a date with him - and how she was having an amazing time, her reservations slowly being replaced by trust in him. Their journey would have been so much more enjoyable had they been like this then. But while looking back on those times still hurt, Sheena did now understand why it was that way, and with every new moment of happiness they were creating, any remaining resentment she felt was fading further away. Zelos had gotten rid of that title - well, not quite, but close enough - and so they now could enjoy this moment without worrying about a guillotine hanging over their heads, threatening their happiness. Well, it wasn't an issue on his end anymore. A guillotine still hung over their heads on her end, assuming they didn't pull their heads out before it could kill this relationship...but right now she was having far too good of a time to seriously consider that yet.

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes and grinning as she pushed those thoughts away. "I still miss them, though."

His eyes narrowed as he observed her. "Those moments, or the gang?"

"Both, but especially our friends," she said. "I can't believe it's been a month already."

"Yeah, I know," he murmured. "I probably had an easier time with it because I was busy traveling with Seles for so long...but every now and then I find myself missing them, too. As incredible as that is." He chuckled and gave her a pointed look. "Although of them all, I missed you the most. By far."

She smiled wistfully, even as her heart skipped a beat. Zelos had mentioned that when they'd been discussing his trip, too, how much he'd missed her, and it still felt good to hear that now. And oh, had she missed him, too. But there was no need to dwell on that now that it was looking likely they wouldn't be losing touch anytime soon. "We'll never have those moments back, will we?"

"'Fraid not, sweetheart," he replied, mirroring her smile. "I can't imagine we won't all meet up again sometime, but it'll never be like that again. We can always go visit them, though. I know it's not the same, but it's still an option."

She nodded. Yes, it was. "Well, I'd think Regal and Presea would always be easy to find. I can't imagine Regal leaving Altamira or the Lezareno Company much or Presea leaving Ozette while they're rebuilding it."

"True, true," Zelos said. "As for Raine...well, who knows where she'll be? Maybe Iselia, maybe Exire, maybe Heimdall, maybe some ruins so she can hug some more rocks. Genis will probably either be in Sybak, if he decides to go to the Academy there like he was considering when Seles and I ran into him there last week, or somewhere else so he can show off his brains. Wherever they end up, though, I'm sure Lloyd and Colette will know about it."

"Probably, considering their history together." Sheena paused, her heart sinking. Yeah, and then there was Lloyd and Colette...and Iselia, the one place she dreaded thinking about. Her gaze fell to her knees. "Do you think Lloyd and Colette are in Iselia?"

She could feel Zelos watching her closely, but she couldn't meet his eyes. "I doubt it. Didn't Lloyd say they were going out Ex-Sphere hunting?"

...Oh, right. Yeah, Lloyd had mentioned that while they'd been dancing at that victory party, right before she'd been...distracted...by Zelos, and with it had come a pang of jealousy. That pang was far milder than it had been during their journey when she'd realized how much Lloyd loved Colette, but she'd still felt it. His choice had hurt - at the time, she'd still wished he would've chosen her for his traveling companion - but...well, she'd reminded herself that Lloyd had never been hers (and really, she was embarrassed to admit now, her obsession with him might have actually been a subconscious attempt to make Zelos jealous for 'abandoning' their friendship all those years ago), and now, Lloyd's decision didn't hurt at all.

After all, if Lloyd had chosen her, she never would have sought out Zelos that night...and she never would have discovered the truth about him. She never would have glimpsed the man hiding behind the mask; she never would have uncovered his secrets, that he was a tortured soul who just desired a normal life; she never would have found her long-lost friend again and realized how much he loved her...and how much she loved him. She would have missed out on all of this exhilaration of loving him and being loved by him in return. Instead, she would still be yearning over a naïve boy who never would have seen her the way she'd seen him. Even if Lloyd had traveled with her, his heart still would have been with Colette.

And while she couldn't help wondering what might have happened had Lloyd sincerely returned her feelings...well, while the happiness she was currently feeling was possible with him, it wasn't a guarantee - because would Lloyd have done something as ridiculous yet sweet as carving her name into a peach? Or taken the time to point out exactly how beautiful she was to him and then made sure she believed him? Considering how clueless and easily bored Lloyd was, she doubted it. Besides, wondering about that now was a waste of time she could be spending enjoying being with Zelos. Realizing her crush on Lloyd really was over now was strange, but she couldn't deny the happiness she felt here with Zelos. Even if their relationship was ultimately doomed, she didn't regret this date, either, because she really was enjoying it. And in the long run, dating Lloyd wouldn't have ended any differently; so long as she was dating someone not from Mizuho, the guillotine would still always be hanging over their future together.

But again, Sheena shoved that thought aside, wanting only to enjoy this moment with Zelos. Besides, he'd asked her about Lloyd's plans. "Yeah, you're right, he did." Despite her wish to enjoy the moment, though, her heart sank further. So much for talking to Lloyd and Colette in Iselia about the king's message before she'd approached the other villagers. "So they won't be there, then," she whispered.

After a moment of watching her, Zelos cleared his throat. "So what does the king want you to do in Iselia?" Her eyes widened as she lifted her head and met his surprisingly serious blue eyes. Oh. She hadn't expected him to ask her that directly. Either she was transparent...or he knew her well enough to know that was bothering her. While she couldn't dismiss the former, the latter was more likely. He always had known when something was on her mind, sometimes even what it was before he'd approached her about it. And if he really had loved her for years...it was no wonder he knew her so well. "Whatever it was, Sheena, it upset you pretty badly," he pressed. "Maybe it would help to talk about it."

Sheena eyed him uncertainly. She wanted to talk to him about it and hear his opinion on the matter because he knew the king far better than she did...but she couldn't help thinking right now was a terribly inappropriate time for it. They were having a picnic, and headaches like that were no more invited than pesky mosquitoes were. "Zelos, I appreciate the offer, but we're on a date - one I happen to be quite enjoying, by the way." His smile broadened, conveying his response: "Me, too." "This isn't something we should be discussing on a date."

He shrugged. "Maybe, but since you obviously keep going back to it, I suspect you'll never be able to relax enough tofully enjoy this date while it's still weighing on your mind. And in case you've forgotten, I'm in a rather unique position to be able to help you. Soon-to-be Ex-Chosen or not, for now I do still have the king's ear." She sat quietly a moment, considering it - but still she hesitated, not wanting to upset him. He might be right about how he could help her, but they really were on a date, and discussing work during a date was just wrong. But before she could say that, Zelos ran his thumb over her arm. "Besides, since when is anything about our relationship conventional? Seriously, Sheena, we helped save the world together, we've just started dating and yet we already know each other as well as many couples do after years of marriage, and, well, our relationship has always been rather...unique. I mean, how many couples do you know who admitted they loved each other before their first date?"

She breathed in deeply, then slowly released it. Okay, so his logic was persuasive. "All good points."

Zelos nodded proudly. "So I say screw the conventional rules of dating. We can do whatever we want with this. Since we already know we don't fall under the 'standard' rules, who's to stop us from making up our own? In fact, maybe that would make this whole relationship thing less 'weird' for us both. Can you really deny the appeal of that?"

Sheena let out a soft laugh. No rules can cage this man's spirit, can they? And if they try, he'll just toss them out and create new ones. He's so different from the man I've known all these years, and yet he's exactly the same. "No."

He gave her a faint smile. "So if we want to talk business, then let's talk business. Okay?"

All right, Zelos, you win. I'll talk. She sighed and lowered her head to his shoulder again. At least she wouldn't be keeping this obnoxious thing to herself anymore. "Okay." She could feel him nod as he tightened his hold on her, giving her a moment to gather her thoughts. There was no good way to tell him this, though, so she might as well just say it. "The king wants me to go to Iselia and encourage them to submit to the Tethe'allan monarchy's rule."

Zelos sat silently a moment, absorbing that, but she could feel him tense an instant before his head turned sharply toward her. "Wait, what? Are you serious?"

She lifted her head from his shoulder and grinned wryly. "Unfortunately, yeah, I am."

He gaped at her, stunned, but suddenly sheer incredulousness erupted on his face. "Has the king completely lost his mind?"

Well, on the bright side, at least now she knew she wasn't overreacting; the proposition really was that bad. "Now you know why I'm so upset about it."

"Yeah, no kidding." He fell silent a moment, his face a mixture of shock and disgust. "Does he really think the Iselians - or any other Sylvaranti towns, for that matter - will just hand over their autonomy to him?"

"I don't know," Sheena said. "In his defense, it did take him five hours to decide that, and at one point he admitted he still wasn't sure about it. On the other hand, though, that really does seem to be his decision. He grilled me all afternoon about the Iselians' attitudes and leadership, and it was obvious he was trying to feel out how they'd respond, whether they'd accept his proposal or declare war on him."

His eyebrows flew upward. "And I'm assuming you told him there isn't a snowball's chance in Niflheim those people will bow down to a complete stranger, right?"

She nodded. Oh, yeah. She'd spent hours trying to convince the king of that. "Of course I did, in every possible way I could think of that wouldn't result in my being accused of treason. But Minister Giannovio - who I'm pretty sure planted the idea in the king's head in the first place considering how defensive he was about it - kept insisting it was the only option."

"Yeah, of course he did," Zelos muttered, rolling his eyes. "That sounds exactly like Giannovio, to make an idiotic, shortsighted declaration like that without considering the Iselians' position first. He lost all my respect when he started supporting the Pope's efforts to blame half elves for every little thing that went wrong - because hello? My sister is a half elf, and other than being an annoying, stuck up little brat, she's never so much as hurt a fly, let alone conspired to overthrow the monarchy. I've always had trouble resisting the urge to throttle him whenever he talked about other races. That man really shouldn't be foreign minister; I'm not even convinced he's ever set foot outside of Meltokio."

"I'd believe that considering how he talked about the Iselians as if he knew them all personally, even though he got every detail wrong - and then he tried to make it look like I was the one who was wrong about them," she said. "How does someone so unqualified reach such a high position anyway?"

"Status, lineage, and a whole lot of money," Zelos said, his voice dripping sarcasm and disgust. "Oh, and a lack of actual travel experience on the king's part, meaning he's never seen firsthand how his people really live; all he hears is what that idiot tells him."

Sheena rolled her eyes. That, unfortunately, explained way too much. "So how do we get rid of him?"

He gave her a wry grin. "Believe me, sweetheart, I've spent years pointing out how incompetent he is, but his 'donations' to the monarchy have sealed his place there, at least until he manages to cook his own goose. Unfortunately, my hands are tied beyond that. If I could've gotten rid of him myself, I would have. All we can hope is that if this Iselia thing backfires, the responsibility falls on him and the king finally sees how much of a threat he is. I mean, one of these days someone that stupid has to mess up badly enough to get himself fired. Maybe this will be the straw that finally breaks the camel's back."

"I hope so," she muttered. The thought of having to do her job as an emissary with that moron constantly breathing down her neck and planting terrible ideas in the king's head made her want to hide in Mizuho to avoid her responsibilities. Assuming Minister Giannovio wouldn't convince the king to send an army to find Mizuho and destroy it to punish her, of course. He'd made it clear how unhappy he was about having a ninja in Tethe'alla's court. "I mean, can you imagine how the Iselians will react to this? 'Hi, nice to meet you, I'm the emissary of peace from the King of Tethe'alla - and oh, by the way, he wants you to give up all control over your own village and hand it over to him, effective immediately'?"

"Yeah, no kidding," Zelos replied, snorting softly. "That would be a prime example of how not to make friends and influence enemies."

The whole thing was ridiculous - and the worst part was that she'd tried everything to talk the king out of it, and her efforts had just resulted in Giannovio using her reluctance to point out how 'unqualified' she was for this job. "Unfortunately, I think it's more likely when I announce that Iselia rejected the proposal - because they will, and we know it - Minister Giannovio will use that to blame me and have me removed from my position. He might even have me punished. The few times I talked to him alone while they were training me, he made it clear he has little tolerance for ninjas."

A glance at Zelos showed his face had grown surprisingly cold. "Yeah, I know. He made that clear to me after I convinced the king to pick you for the job, too. Of course, while I'm sure he doesn't like ninjas, either, he's primarily just pissed because he wanted his son to be the emissary, only the king agreed with me and gave you the position instead. But Giannovio won't touch you, Sheena. He can't, not as long as I'm watching your back. I still have some say in the matter, and I will as long as I'm the Chosen." He looked her in the eye, his determination obvious. "I won't let anything happen to you, or to Mizuho."

Despite her uneasiness with the situation - she hadn't known that about Giannovio's son - Sheena still smiled, touched. She didn't need Zelos's protection normally, she never would have asked for it, and she hated accepting it, but in this kind of touchy political situation, with a crazy, bitter foreign minister involved, she was glad she had it. Like it or not, Zelos had clout with the king she never would simply because of who he was. And the last thing she wanted was to inadvertently say something wrong that backfired against her people. Plenty of tension still lingered between Mizuho and Meltokio, and knowing Zelos was watching out for her, making sure it didn't get worse, was an immense relief.

"I know," she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder again. "Thanks."

"Of course." His grasp on her tightened. "Now I feel bad for recommending you for the position, though; I didn't realize Giannovio would be that much of a pain in the ass. If I had..."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Sheena said. "You couldn't have known what he'd do. I'm just flattered you thought I was capable of doing this. And this really is a good way to start rebuilding trust between Mizuho and the king, so I just have to do it, even if it means dealing with idiots like Minister Giannovio."

Zelos was silent a long moment, thinking everything through, but then he sighed. "I think I know why the king agreed to this. In fact, it's probably my fault."

Her eyes narrowed and she lifted her head so she could see his face. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I didn't advise him to do this, obviously, but I was the one who gave him the maps and pointed out how interspersed both worlds' towns are now." His eyes snapped sharply to hers. "How much traveling have you done lately?"

"Not much, basically just back and forth between Mizuho and Meltokio for emissary training. I made one trip to Iselia to deliver a letter, but that's it." Her gaze lowered. "I've actually missed traveling like that."

"Yeah, I bet you have," Zelos replied, giving her a brief smile, but then he nodded thoughtfully. "So you haven't seen the world's new layout, have you? Did the king show you my maps?"

Sheena shook her head. "No. But Minister Giannovio had obviously memorized them because he kept referring to them."

"...Of course he did," Zelos muttered. "Has to make himself look credible somehow. Anyway, I kept a copy of those maps for myself, so remind me to show you them later. To sum it up, though, some of the Sylvaranti towns ended up right in the middle of Tethe'allan territory, and I can foresee...issues...arising regarding who controls natural resources, farmland, trade routes, etcetera, especially now that the Sylvaranti are living in a thriving world again and will probably want to expand their borders. They're two very different people who didn't even know the other existed before this, so suddenly throwing them together will probably lead to chaos for awhile. It makes sense the king would consider this option, especially if he's afraid his rule will be weakened with the Sylvaranti towns in his way...but actually proposing it to the Iselians? No, I'm with you. They'll never go for it, and the very suggestion will probably damage their respect for Tethe'alla. I mean, we both saw how Iselia treated its own people, and then having strangers approach them with this? Talk about a disaster in the making."

...Yeah, no kidding. And therein lay another of her greatest fears: being caught between two people who didn't trust each other and, in her lack of diplomatic experience, accidentally starting an all-out war. "So how do I talk him out of it?" Oh, was she glad Zelos was back now; he knew the Meltokian political landscape far better than she did. "I tried everything I could think of."

"I'm sure you did, Sheena...but I'm not sure you'll be able to, not with Minister Giannovio feeding him such stupid advice." He paused, his brows furrowing. "I might be able to, though. I mean, like I said, I do still have the king's ear and all the powers of the Chosen. In fact, not to sound egotistical or anything, but I'm surprised he decided that much without consulting me first since he knows damn well I've been to Iselia, too." His voice lowered. "And yet I didn't even know he was considering this. Huh."

Sheena looked at him curiously, surprised by his perplexed his expression. "What is it?"

Zelos frowned and shook his head. "I'm not sure yet, but I can't help thinking this is an indication he's starting to pull away from me now that he knows I won't be the Chosen much longer. You know, quit running things like this by me first."

Her eyes narrowed. She'd expected him to be thrilled about that, but he definitely wasn't happy. He looked more confused than anything, actually. "But isn't that what you wanted? To get rid of the duties and responsibilities of the Chosen?"

His eyes darted at her, but his frown deepened. "I guess that's the question, isn't it? It should be what I want, and it is, I guess, but...I'm not sure how I feel about it actually happening yet." He paused another moment. "Maybe this isn't the best time to be getting rid of my responsibilities yet. If the king is going to make decisions like this without asking my opinion first...well, maybe I can still help everyone out. Y'know, influence him, play devil's advocate, and point out things he just may not know."

Sheena could barely believe her ears. "Are you saying you'd consider retaining the powers of the Chosen so you could help the Sylvaranti?"

"Well, not just them, but the half elves and the dwarves and...hell, your people, too, especially with idiots like Giannovio around who hate everyone 'different' from him," Zelos said. "There's going to be a lot of upheaval as we figure out how this new world will work, and I doubt all interest groups will have a say of their own. At least I've had firsthand experience with them and know how they think. And wouldn't it be in everyone's best interests to have someone willing to stand up for them until everything is ironed out? Y'know, so those 'interest groups' don't feel threatened and declare war on us?" For a moment, Sheena just gaped at him, but finally he quirked an eyebrow and gave her a hesitant, uncertain smile. "...What?"

Was he serious? That...was incredible. She'd never believed she would hear him using that kind of reasoning, not after he'd expressed such hatred for his responsibilities and insisted he wanted a fun, easy life - although, granted, she couldn't forget he'd said he wanted to fix up their world and eliminate segregation and discrimination, too. "Wow," she said, shaking her head in amazement. "Who are you and what have you done with Zelos Wilder?"

Sheena could have sworn there was a blush on his face as he let out a soft, embarrassed laugh and looked away from her. "Heh. That out of character for me, eh?"

She smirked and nudged him with her elbow. "Well, you have to admit, you're usually more concerned with what you can get out of something rather than how you can help others get something."

Zelos grinned. "Yeah, I know. Tell me about it. I'm not even sure why I'm thinking like this. And to be honest, I'm still not sure it's what I really want. But I do know I should give it serious thought before it's too late; right now, I could still make it clear to the king I'm not stepping aside yet. Once I've given up my power as the Chosen, I'll never get it back. So if I can still help out some people before that happens...maybe I should. I mean, that is what a 'good person' would do, isn't it?"

...And just like that, Sheena melted, his knowing grin harkening back to her own words to him at the Tower of Salvation. Wow. He really had taken that to heart, hadn't he? She almost couldn't believe it, that he would consider retaining something he'd hated so much that he'd nearly sacrificed his life to escape it, all because he wanted to be that 'good person' she'd always believed him to be. It was unbelievable, incredible, beautiful...and it made her love him more than she'd ever dreamed possible. He could have gone either way that day, either good or evil, and he'd chosen good because his friends had expressed their faith in him - something only a truly 'good person' would have cared enough about to do.

Sheena grinned and leaned into him in as close to a hug as she could manage given their current position. "Yeah, it is. It's exactly what a 'good person' would do."

He pressed a tender kiss to her temple. "I thought so, too. And besides, I'm the one who got you sucked into this mess. Running away now would mean abandoning you to deal with all that crap on your own. I may be a bastard more often than I'm not, but I do know if I did that to you, I'd never be able to look at myself in a mirror again. So for now, I'll stick around and see how I can help."

Oh, Zelos. "Thank you," she said, giving him a warm smile that he returned - a sincere one, too, she could tell, since it was reflected in his eyes. And suddenly, she couldn't help the thought that popped into her mind. She didn't know how he'd react to it, but how could it hurt to plant the idea in his head? "You know, if we could get rid of Minister Giannovio, you would make a great foreign minister."

Instantly, his smile vanished and his eyes widened. "Really?"

Sheena nodded. "You're smart, you have experience dealing with people outside Meltokio, you're well-liked by the common people, you're empathetic to those who are 'different,' the king already respects and trusts you...wouldn't those make for a good foreign minister?"

Zelos blinked several times. Her suggestion had clearly surprised him, but she could see it: he wasn't dismissing it yet, either. Good. Because he really would fit nicely into that role. And it would be a 'legitimate job' to keep him busy rather than, oh, flirting for handouts. "Huh. When you put it that way, I might just have to consider it. I guess it would make sense. I mean, my sister is a half elf, my girlfriend's a ninja, some of my best friends ever are from Sylvarant, and my bud's adopted father is a dwarf. Of course, we'd need to get rid of the current foreign minister first..."

She chuckled at the smirk he shot her. "Well, yeah, but you're creative. And opportunistic. I'm sure you'll figure out something."

He let out a soft laugh and tilted his head in acknowledgement. "That, or we wait for him to hang himself; it's bound to happen sometime, especially if he feels pressured to prove himself against more qualified people like you. In any case, while I'm not sure about the whole 'adding to my responsibilities' thing yet, I will definitely talk to the king about Iselia. You said you're meeting with him again tomorrow, right?" She nodded. "Then I'll come with you. If we're lucky, he'll have changed his mind overnight, and if he hasn't, I'll try to talk him out of it."

"And if you can't?" she asked - because judging from the king's reactions earlier, she doubted even Zelos could do that, especially if Minister Giannovio showed up again as he'd promised he would.

"It's a definite possibility," he murmured, but then he cleared his throat. "Okay, so if he still insists on proposing it to them, despite how it could destroy all hope for peace and cooperation with them, then I'll come with you." He quickly pointed at her. "Not to try to do your job, mind you, because I know you can handle this on your own, and I know you need to establish yourself as the Tethe'allan emissary, but to, y'know, make sure they don't lynch you or something. Well, that and to provide moral support." He quirked a smile. "Besides, now that I'm back in town, it's not like I have anything else pressing to do."

And there, again, was that sweet, thoughtful side to him that melted her heart every time she saw it. This man was far more giving and considerate than he gave himself credit for, and suddenly Sheena wanted to prove to him that even though he'd made some bad choices in the past, he wasn't a 'bastard,' and he wasn't bound by those choices anymore. This was a new world for all of them, Zelos included, and with it came a fresh start. She would have to work on that, try to help him see the goodness in himself that she was now seeing with alarming clarity.

Sheena returned his smile. "Well, while I seriously doubt I'd need a bodyguard since lynching me would mean starting an international incident Iselia would have no hope of surviving, I'd never turn down the company."

His eyes widened - probably in shock that she wasn't telling him 'no,' she figured. "Really?"

Her smile broadened. No, Zelos, no arm twisting required this time. "Really."

Instantly, Zelos's grin returned, the sparkle of happiness in his eyes so endearing that she suddenly wanted to kiss him again, if only her lips could currently reach his. "Great! Then that's settled. Besides, it would be good to travel together again, especially now that we're on, you know, non-murderous terms."

"Yeah, it would," she murmured, blushing and leaning into him again. The thought of traveling with him again, of getting to know the real him better now that he was letting her see beneath the mask, really was appealing. In fact, she was actually torn about whether she wanted Zelos to convince the king to drop Minister Giannovio's stupid plan so she didn't have to deal with this stupidity, or if she wanted his attempt to fail so they could travel together again. "Thanks for the offer, Zelos."

"No problem, sweetheart. We'll just have to see how things go tomorrow." He pressed another kiss to the top of her head, sending even more warmth and love through her and leaving her wishing, again, that they could sit like that forever. "So, feeling a little better?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded. "Much, thank you. I really do appreciate it."

"You're welcome." His lips lingered against her skin a moment, his fingers gently stroking her arm. "Of course, you still feel pretty tense..."

Yeah, she was. His offer to help was a huge relief, and it had alleviated her dismay and dread significantly, but the issue was stillan issue, and it would continue lurking in her mind, a constant fear of what was yet to come, until the situation was squared away for good. "Well, it's not like I'm looking forward to this yet. And before tonight, my day was pretty rotten. I mean, I'm really enjoying this, Zelos, and there's nowhere else I'd rather be right now, but unwinding after the rest of that is hard."

"Been there, done that," he murmured, but then he cleared his throat. "Well, I know one way to help you relax."

Instantly, Sheena stiffened, then slowly lifted her head to look at him. Uh oh. His voice might sound neutral, but he was smirking, too, which never boded well. Zelos had offered to 'relax' her numerous times before, and his method of doing so had always been clear. Of course, his voice really had been neutral just now, not seductive, so maybe she should reserve judgment a little longer. "And how's that?"

His smirk broadened further, and he pulled his arm from around her back. "Take off your robe, lay down on your stomach, and I'll show you."

Full-blown warnings began blaring in her head. Zelos was trying to seduce her. And he'd been doing so well tonight, too, keeping his hands to himself and keeping his flirting harmless. But now, asking her to disrobe and lay down like that? That went way beyond flirting. Her heart plummeted. Damn it, hadn't she made it clear that even if she wanted sex, it wasn't an option for her? At the time, he'd seemed to get the message and accept it, but now...apparently the temptation was just too strong to resist.

Sheena was simultaneously saddened to see his ulterior motive shining through, relieved that she now had a legitimate reason to break off their relationship, angry at him for giving her the impression he'd accepted that aspect of dating her, and angry at herself for not recognizing he'd never be able to accept this so she could have ended it before she'd had such a great time tonight, thus making breaking up with him that much more painful. She should have known better. That was why her people discouraged relationships with outsiders: because outsiders just couldn't accept their ways. She wasn't mad at Zelos for having hormones or for growing up in a culture that viewed sex differently from hers, but she was mad that he hadn't just told her his expectations. If dating someone without having sex with them really wasn't possible for him, why hadn't he just said that? How much could he really love her if he was pushing for something he knew she couldn't give him? Actions spoke infinitely louder than words.

Her body tensed further as she watched him warily, readying herself to spring up and either retreat from him or beat him up if necessary. "What are you scheming now, Zelos?"

His eyes widened, his smirk faltered, and he lifted his hands in a show of innocence. "Nothing bad, Sheena, I promise."

Her eyes narrowed further - he seemed to mean that, but she'd been duped by him far too many times to be convinced yet - but she just watched him, looking for a sign of the game he was playing with her. She wanted to believe him, that he loved her, respected her boundaries, and had good intentions toward her, but history had proven she couldn't trust him when it came to sex. Sure, she now knew he'd never been serious about it before - well, she thought she knew that, although it wasn't like she had any proof he'd told her the truth about his lack of a sexual history that night at the party - but she just...she didn't know that he wouldn't make a move on her now.

If she was really being honest with herself, she'd expected this - he was Zelos,after all, and sexuality was an inseparable part of his image - but she'd just...she'd hoped it wouldn't happen, and if it did, not tonight, when she'd been having such a nice time with him. Because now...now she'd have to break up with him, trek back to Meltokio in the dark, retrieve her stuff from his mansion, and then have to deal with the king and Minister Giannovio alone because she was afraid accepting his help would mean indebting herself to him...and chances were he'd insist she pay him back in a way she just couldn't.

When she hesitated, eyeing him closely, Zelos's face fell further, and finally he released a low sigh. Part of her thought he looked sad, but her wariness refused to let her consider that for fear of being sucked into something against her better judgment. A moment later, he closed his eyes, nodded to himself, and then looked up at her, his face surprisingly somber and determined. "Well, I wasn't expecting to have this conversation yet, but it was bound to come up eventually so I guess now is as good a time as any."

...Wait, what? Confusion joined her wariness, anger, and disappointment. "What are you talking about?" she asked, pulling away from him a little further, just in case he did try something.

With another soft sigh, Zelos turned to face her and bent his legs so his arms could rest on his knees. Taking the hint, Sheena drew her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, her heart racing. She wasn't sure what he was doing, but the fact that he hadn't tried anything yet calmed her somewhat - as did his serious expression as he began speaking again. "All right. I know how this looks, and I know why you're jumping to the conclusion you are. And really, I can't blame you for not trusting me. I know my reputation is in no way honorable, and I know, considering how incessantly I've always hit on you, that you have no way to know my true intentions. And I'm sorry you have to question that. That's why I'm going to make you a promise right here, right now, one I want you to hold me to, and if I don't keep it, I give you full permission to resort to any extreme torture methods you deem appropriate to punish me."

Confusion was now outweighing the other emotions. He...he seemed to be completely serious about this. Where was the 'game' she was expecting from him? "Zelos, what...what are you talking about?" she ventured.

He breathed in deeply, then slowly released it and met her eyes. "Sheena, I will never make you do anything you don't want to do. I will never pressure you for sex or for anything beyond what you're ready for or are capable of doing. If you're ever interested in exploring other options, we'll discuss it, but if not, I won't try anything funny with you. I mean that. However long it takes, I'll wait. A month, a year, more...if you aren't comfortable doing anything knowing what your village would do to you, then we won't do anything. I'm leaving this entirely up to you. And if you're never ready for it, then I'm okay with that, too. Not necessarily happy about it, and I can't guarantee I won't eventually regret this, but the ball is in your court." His eyebrows rose pointedly. "Now, don't misunderstand me: this doesn't mean I don't want you, because Martel knows how much I do, and I have to warn you there's no chance I'll ever be able to stop myself from hitting on you, but it will never go beyond that. Never, not seriously." He leaned forward, grabbed her hand, and squeezed it. "I promise."

Instantly, all wariness, hurt, and anger fled her, and her eyes widened. He...oh, Jizou, he was serious. He was looking directly at her, his face somber, with no hint of deception in his eyes. Sheena almost couldn't believe her ears. Their cultures were complete opposites regarding sex - and yes, he was right that Mizuho's restrictions probably were unnecessary, but succumbing to temptation with him really would mean her death - but yet here he was, saying he understood this. More than that, he was saying he wouldn't pressure her for any 'other' forms of sex, either, something she sincerely did appreciate, because considering the fiery ache she'd felt during a few of their kisses, she suspected those 'other forms' would never be enough. And Heaven help her, she believed him.

Seeing Zelos this serious and determined, Sheena almost felt guilty for jumping to the conclusion she just had...but she still couldn't help thinking her concern had been warranted, too. She truly hadn't known his intentions before this - and she was extremely glad he now had spelled out his thoughts on this matter. She could feel herself blushing again, uncomfortable talking about sex this openly when it related to her and to them, but, surprisingly, she wasn't embarrassed about it, either. In fact, she was touched. Did Zelos really love her so much that he would willingly deny himself something he'd now admitted he wanted? He could have any woman he wanted, especially now that the Church couldn't punish anyone for sleeping with him, and yet he was choosing to be with her, even knowing sex wasn't a possibility?

And just like that, she suddenly wanted to throw all caution to the wind, forget about Mizuho, surrender to the fire she felt when she kissed him, and give him what he wanted, what she was embarrassed to realize she wanted, but she couldn't - and not just because Mizuho forbade pre-marital sex, but because there was no future for 'them.' Once she became chief, their 'future' together would be cut short. That was why starting a sexual relationship with him, of any kind, would be sadistic, especially if Zelos really did love her as much as he seemed to. And one thing she knew was that she loved him too much to hurt him like that, so she wouldn't.

But still, that was in the distant future, and this was now, and Zelos had just made her this incredible promise that took all pressure off of her. Sheena bit her lip, squeezed his hand, and gave him a shy smile, tears of love and gratitude pricking her eyes. "Thank you."

Zelos nodded and returned her smile, but he quickly grew serious again as he leaned closer to her. "In return, though, Sheena, I need you to do something for me."

Her eyes widened and her smile vanished. Uh oh. She should have known there would be a catch...but then, after what he'd just promised her, what kind of 'catch' could it really be? Asking her for sexual favors would defeat his entire point. "What?"

He squeezed her hand tighter, his face still frighteningly serious. "Don't tease me. Don't lead me on or start something you're not ready to finish. Please. I have a lot more restraint resisting women's advances than people think I do, but when it comes to you, it's only about a quarter of that. I'll keep my hands to myself and behave, I promise, but please, don't test my restraint. This will be hard enough for me to hold to under normal circumstances, but if you teased me in addition to that...well, I really don't want to think what I might end up doing. Because the truth is, Sheena, while I've met a lot of attractive women over the years, I've never felt anything for them like I do for you. You are the only woman I have ever truly wanted. Far more now than ever before."

Her blush flared and her eyes widened further. Oh, Jizou. She'd had no idea he felt that way about her; seeing someone as 'beautiful' was different than being physically attracted to them. And the sheer honesty he was showing her, admitting his vulnerabilities and fears and pointing out the power she had over him...it was surreal, and yet she couldn't deny his earnestness. She could see it in his eyes: he would see this through, but only with her help. And the fact that he trusted her enough to ask her this, something she couldn't imagine him asking anyone else...she was floored and touched, deeply. The whole subject may be awkward, especially now that she knew he really did...want...her like that, but she appreciated his honesty. And to that end...how could she not agree to it?

Sheena squeezed his hand tenderly and nodded. "Okay. I won't."

Instantly, his smile returned and he visibly relaxed. "Thank you."

She mirrored his smile, but it quickly faltered. Now she needed to tell him something. "You, um, you'll have to warn me if I'm doing something I shouldn't be, though. I..." She let out a soft, nervous laugh, her gaze falling to their joined hands. "I'm not used to being in a relationship like this yet."

Zelos nodded, still smiling softly. "I know. And don't worry, I'll speak up if I think something could become a problem." Without warning, his smile transformed into a goofy, awkward grin. "Just tell me if this thing between us really does work out, that one day you could want me, too. Not that, you know, you find me physically repulsive or something."

Her eyes widened. Had he really just said that? Was he, Mr. Ego, Mr. I Am Beautiful And Don't You Dare Scar My Pretty Face!, really not sure she was attracted to him? Sheena couldn't imagine him saying anything if he was sure of her answer, but obviously he wasn't sure because he had asked her - and he looked surprisingly nervous about it, too. He was doing a good job concealing it, but the way he was biting his lip indicated he was afraid of her answer. The whole thing was preposterous; Zelos really was a gorgeous man - his face, his physique, his incredible red hair, all of him - and Sheena was certain most other women had not only thought that, but had told him so.

And as for being attracted to him...her blush deepened. Oh, yeah, she was. She'd recognized years ago how attractive he was. She had never felt like this about any other man, actually, not even during her Lloyd-crush phase, someone she felt physically drawn to touch and kiss and hold and, yes, do even more than that with. Before this, her problem with him, the thing that had turned that attraction into annoyance, had been his obnoxious, arrogant, philandering attitude, but now...now that wasn't a problem anymore. No, now the sole problem was their nonexistent future together - but again, she viciously shoved that thought aside. Even though tonight had gone beautifully and she'd fallen even harder for him with every new thing he did, 'they' would still most likely drift apart before that other future could become imminent. At least, she hoped they would. Because if they didn't, the end would hurt them both very, very badly.

But right now that future wasn't imminent, and Zelos had asked her for reassurance she could give him. She gave him another shy, embarrassed smile. "Of course you're not...and of course I do. You...you're..."

Her voice trailed off as she struggled to articulate her feelings. After watching her a moment with curious hopefulness, Zelos beamed her a crooked grin. "I know, I'm dead sexy, right?"

...And there was the Idiot Chosen. Sheena rolled her eyes...but the uncertainty on his face took her aback. In fact, she received the distinct impression he'd only said that because he'd figured a stupid response would give her an easy 'out' to this whole thing. And again, she was astounded to find not only that Zelos had been serious about letting her see the real him, but that he struggled with some pretty strong insecurities about himself. He was still trying to hide them, maybe intentionally, maybe not, but now that she knew what to look for, the truth was easy to spot. In the past, she would have smacked him for making a comment like that, and he probably expected her to do so now - but she could see it in his eyes: he truly wasn't sure why she'd always smacked him before, whether it was because of his attitude or because she didn't see him like that and was expressing her disagreement with his assessment through physical violence.

Well, that much she could clear up for him. "Idiot," she muttered, but then she sighed, her face growing even warmer. She was reluctant to say this, because saying things like this was still weird, but Zelos needed to hear this, shockingly enough, and so he would. "But actually...yeah, you are."

To her relief, Zelos didn't respond with a stupid, cocky, "Hoo, yeah, Sheena thinks I'm sexy!" comment. Instead, he just looked at her, his eyebrows rising in obvious surprise, and then offered her a pleased smile. "Then that's all I need to hear. Until you're ready - if you're ever ready - I'll wait patiently. Because when you are ready, Sheena...it'll be worth it."

Oh, Zelos. Sheena didn't have the heart to tell him the likelihood of that ever happening, short of her being released from her obligation to become Mizuho's chief or her saying "Screw this" to Mizuho, was slim to none, so she didn't. The simple fact that he was doing this at all meant the world to her. Sure, she had no guarantee he wouldn't go back on his promise, because words really were one thing and actions were another, but she believed him, that his heart truly was in the right place.

Right or wrong, smart or stupid, she was trusting him far more than she'd dreamed possible; his willingness to do things like this for her was making her fall dangerously hard for him. She shouldn't be letting that happen, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to give him her heart. She wanted to ignore the problems that awaited them if their relationship continued and embrace and nurture this love growing within her for him. She wanted to hear him laugh and make him happy again; she wanted to love him and be loved by him in return. And she would.

Climbing onto her knees, Sheena crawled forward and straddled his legs, his blue eyes widening and his hands gently going to her waist to steady her. Once settled, she gently cupped his face and gave him a long, slow, tender kiss before pulling back and quirking an eyebrow at him. "Is that okay?"

The stunned awe on his face made her smile, and after a moment he grinned and lightly touched her cheek. "Definitely. You can do that anytime you want."

Her smile broadened, and she gave him another quick kiss before wrapping her arms around him. Zelos immediately returned the hug, burying his face against her neck, his breath warm against her skin, sending shivers down her spine. "That's probably the sweetest, most selfless thing anyone's ever done for me," she murmured, holding him tightly to her. "Thank you, Zelos. I know that's not easy for you, but I really do appreciate it."

He was still smiling when she finally pulled away again, and he gently brushed her hair back behind her shoulders. "As much as I may want you, Sheena - because any heterosexual male with decent eyesight and normal hormone levels would - I know you can't, and the truth is, I want you to trust me and feel safe with me even more than I want that. If I have to sacrifice sex to make that happen, I will."

Then that mission, too, is accomplished, Zelos, because I do. Oh, how I do. Sheena swallowed hard and bit her lip, then she gave him a soft, shy smile. "I love you, Zelos."

His smile broadened into a happy grin, his eyes shining with unbridled love. "I will never tire of hearing that." He pressed another kiss to her lips. "I love you, too, Sheena."

He wasn't the only one who loved hearing those words. In fact, those words, especially when coupled with such tenderness and certainty, made her want to forget about Mizuho and run away with him to Heaven only knew where so reality could never disrupt this beauty. Squeezing her eyes shut, Sheena gave him another hug, just enjoying feeling so safe, warm, and loved in his arms. It amazed her how much more comfortable she already felt with this whole thing than she had mere hours ago. Being there with him, the infamous, perverted, idiotic Zelos Wilder, was still a little too weird and new for her to fully accept yet, but she was getting there. And she liked it, a lot. This whole thing, this whole night...it felt right, and that rightness was slowly but surely wearing down her remaining fears and defenses. And oh, was she glad it was, because she wanted to enjoy this lovely, hopeful moment with him - and considering how stubbornly Zelos had fought to overcome every obstacle that had arisen tonight, he did, too.

For a moment, they just sat there, enjoying the warm, loving embrace, but finally his hands slid down to her waist and, taking the hint, she pulled back to see his face again. "So now that we've cleared that up, if I ask you again to take off your robe and lie down on your stomach, would you trust me enough not to molest you to do so?" he asked, his eyebrows rising.

Sheena considered that a moment - it still sounded dangerous, especially now that she thought she knew what he had in mind - but she quickly reminded herself that he'd never be able to prove his good intentions unless she let him, and this was a good opportunity to do that. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Okay. I'd still like to know exactly what you're planning, but..."

"You'll figure it out," he said, grinning as she climbed off of him and began untying her robe, forcing herself to keep going even when embarrassment threatened to still her hands. Zelos watched her a moment - but then, to her surprise, he politely averted his eyes and began pulling off his gloves. "Trust me, sweetheart, you're going to love this."

Biting her lip, she watched him toss his gloves aside before turning around and slipping off her robe, thankful for the shirt left underneath. She then knelt on the ground, bunched up the robe, and laid down on her stomach, her arms clutching the robe like a pillow. She could hear Zelos shift closer to her...and her suspicions were confirmed the second his warm fingers touched her back, so lightly, so gently, that it made her gasp. Yep, this was why his suggestion had set off her mental alarms, not only because it meant he'd be touching her, something easy to take advantage of, but because his hands felt so good that she suspected her ability to resist him would have been decimated. Now, though, she thought she could actually relax and enjoy this without worrying he'd get any ideas...and a moment later she gasped again as he began working on a knot in her upper back. Yeah, she would enjoy this. Zelos knew what he was doing...and oh, did it feel good. And then, without warning, it felt a thousand times better as a strange tingling sensation traveled through her...oh, Jizou, that felt heavenly. Sheena tried to bite back her moan but failed - miserably.

The idiot had the gall to snicker. His hands stilled and he leaned down closer to her face. "Careful, love, or I'll have to stop."

...And there was no way she could allow that. "If you do that, I will have to kill you, you know," she muttered, an eye popping open to look at him.

He smirked. "You do realize how much I want to do inappropriate things to you right now, don't you?"

Sheena arched a challenging eyebrow at him. "And what you're doing to me right now isn't?"

"I guess that depends on your definition of 'inappropriate,'" he said, chuckling. "But if you insist this is, then I guess I'm done here, eh?"

...Yep, she was going to kill him. "That's not funny. If I'm not allowed to tease you, then you aren't allowed to tease me, either."

His eyebrows rose. "So do you want me to continue or not?"

Ugh, she really was dating an idiot. He had offered to do this for her, and now, when she'd realized how much she liked it, he was threatening to quit? It was too bad she loved him too much to actually kill him. "What do you think?"

An infuriating sparkle lit his eyes as he moved his lips to her ear. "I think I would very much like to continue, but only if I can rest assured my girlfriend won't tempt me to do inappropriate things to her by making any more dangerous sounds. Believe me, babe, moans like those are music to my ears, but they're also an overly effective resolve killer."

Instantly, her eyes widened and her face flared. "O...oh." She gave him an awkward smile. So that was what this was about. Heh. And here she'd thought he was just being difficult. She just wasn't used to anyone being sincerely...turned on...by her like this yet. "S...sorry. I didn't mean to. It just felt...incredible."

"Yeah, I know," he said, still grinning as he resumed his earlier position and began working on her back again. "It would be better with oil, but eh, I've done without before - and you're definitely not the first woman who's told me how good it feels."

...Yeah, she'd suspected as much. He wouldn't be so good at this if he hadn't practiced before - even if the reminder of how many women he'd dated before her made her heart sink a little. But still...Colette had given her a backrub once after a particularly strenuous battle, and it had felt nice, but nothing like this. Zelos had to be doing more than just kneading her back. "What...what is that?" she said, struggling not to make any more suggestive sounds. The warmth and tingling was slowly spreading from her back through the rest of her body. "That's more than just a massage, isn't it?"

"Heh," he said, and she could just hear the grin in his voice. "That would be my little secret."

Sheena's brows furrowed and she closed her eyes, concentrating on the incredible sensations. It actually felt somewhat familiar, but she knew she'd never let him do this to her before, so where...? Without warning, her eyes flew open. "Are you...oh, wow...are you using healing stream on me?"

"A mild form of it, yep," he said. "It makes up for the lack of oil. Although apparently the oil in addition to the spell makes it completely irresistible."

Now that she'd believe. One day she'd have to ask him to give her a massage with both. She chuckled, her eyes sliding shut again. "I guess your little secret isn't so secret anymore, is it?"

"Yeah, well, that's because this isn't the first time I've used it on you." His left hand lifted from her, and she opened an eye in time to see him point at her. "Just no telling my hunnies that."

"I wouldn't dream of it...but why not?" she asked, turning her head so she could see him, but his only response was a soft, "Heh." She closed her eyes again, reveling in the sensations, but he'd piqued her curiosity now. "Zelos?"

He was silent another moment before answering. "Let's just say this was my way of tricking my hunnies into thinking we'd done more than just fool around a little on a date. Or, if they were still conscious afterwards, leave them not caring if we didn't do anything else."

Her eyes popped open again, and she propped her head up to look at him. "Are you serious? All you did was give them a back rub and they thought you'd actually had sex?"

His eyebrows flew upward. "Give me another minute and see if you still doubt me."

Sheena eyed him a moment warily, but then she laid back down again as he resumed his work. "Well, I can't deny you're really good at this, but...oh, Jizou, that feels incredible..."

"This would be another one of my many odd talents, love," he said, chuckling.

His fingers trailed down her spine, still casting that spell, and finally she understood why his hunnies bought it - because the combination of his gentle, kneading and that spell really did feel...well, it felt extremely sexual. Another moan snuck out of her, and she quickly bit her tongue. Whoops. Gotta distract him or he'll quit. "Keep this up and I'll hire you as my personal masseuse."

"Hire me?" He bent down to whisper in her ear. "Just for you, sweetheart, I'll do this for free."

A knot of desire was slowly building within her at the huskiness of his voice, but she ignored it, instead giving him a wry grin. "Yeah, right. Nothing is ever completely free with you."

Zelos smirked and cocked his head in acknowledgement. "Okay, so you might have a point there. But believe me, babe, I'm getting just as much enjoyment from this as you are."

She was tempted to roll her eyes at that, but the smile was far more powerful. "Yeah, I bet you are. But right now...I really don't care. That just feels..." don't moan, don't moan, don't moan "...oh, that feels good. Just...keep doing that for awhile, okay?"

He chuckled again, then kissed her cheek. "Of course. Glad I can please you, my lady."

Silence settled upon them then. Sheena wasn't sure how long he kept working his magic on her back, ironing out all the knots and relaxing her beyond anything she'd ever felt before, but eventually everything became a fuzzy blur of pleasure. No wonder his hunnies had bought it and then felt so possessive of him; Zelos really was incredible at this. It was, by far, one of the best things she'd ever felt.

Her mind was drifting, lost in utter bliss, when his warm breath suddenly grazed her ear and he whispered, "Wake up, sweetheart."

...Oh. He'd stopped. Wait, why had he stopped? "'M not asleep..." she mumbled, one eye slowly prying open, only to quickly slide shut again.

"Yeah, sure, you're not," he said, resting a hand on her back. "Keep staying 'not asleep' like this much longer and I'll have to carry you back to Meltokio myself. Not that I'd ever complain about that, mind you..."

...What? Back to Meltokio? It couldn't be that late, could it? Or had she really fallen asleep? She wasn't sure, although the sky was definitely darker now than she remembered it being earlier. But she really didn't want to get up; after such a stressful day, she finally felt relaxed again. "You're just looking for an excuse to grope the rest of me."

He chuckled. "Guilty as charged." He sat up, rubbing a few light circles on her back. "C'mon, get up. You need to see this."

Ugh, get up? How could she when she was so content and...boneless...that even thinking was a chore? "Don't wanna."

He sighed showily. "Sheeeennnnnaaaa...don't make me beg. Or threaten to never do this again for fear I'll put my date to sleep again."

...Neither of which was an acceptable option. His begging was downright obnoxious ("Please? Please, please, please, please, please, please, please?"), and the thought of him refusing to ever do this for her again reignited murderous thoughts in her mind. "Then tell me what you want me to see."

"Nope!" he replied, way too cheerfully. "Sorry, love, not telling. You have to see this for yourself." Ugh, how could he be so chipper while the very thought of moving made her want to beat something up? Oh, right, he hadn't had to deal with Minister Giannovio all day. She growled warningly, and he sighed. "Just get up, sweetheart. Please?"

Agh, he wasn't giving up, was he? All right, fine, she gave up. He had asked nicely, after all...and after the beautiful night they'd had, she didn't feel like arguing with him. Besides, she shouldn't be falling asleep so far away from Meltokio anyway. But man, that had felt good - and the best part was knowing Zelos really hadn't tried anything inappropriate with her. He'd meant it about not pressuring her for sex, hadn't he? If he hadn't, this would have been the perfect opportunity for him to try to seduce her, but he hadn't - and oh, was she grateful for it. If his goal really was to make her feel safe with him, then he'd achieved it.

And because he'd proven he was willing to make sacrifices for her, she would do the same for him now. With a groan, Sheena pushed herself up and rubbed her face blearily, then she sighed and opened her eyes...and gasped. Out over the ocean, the sun was sinking into the water, setting the rippling ocean waves ablaze with a sparkling mixture of orange, pink, and purple that mirrored the sky above, while above that, a full, luminescent moon was slowly rising through the trees, the first of the diamond-like stars poking out amongst the darkening blue sky. It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful sunset she'd ever seen, almost like a fairytale or an incredible watercolor painting.

Any annoyance she still felt at his insistence she get up was now gone, and she looked back at him where he'd retreated to his 'backrest' tree, her face lighting with an awestruck smile and her heart melting. Giving her a soft, knowing, 'I told you so' grin, he patted the ground in front of him, between his legs, indicating she should sit there. Her gut reaction, which still hadn't caught up to this new reality between them, told her no, absolutely not, that sitting there like that would be far too intimate - but her mind quickly reminded her not only of his earlier promise, but that so far tonight he'd given her no reason to doubt him and every reason to believe he'd behave. He really had earned her trust tonight.

Despite that, she still must have hesitated a little too long for his face fell and he lifted his hands. "Hands to myself. Promise."

Sheena took another deep breath, then she smiled and, opting to leave her robe off a little longer, crawled over to him. Once she was comfortably settled between his outstretched, bent legs, Zelos wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him, keeping his hands in a safe location over her stomach. She relaxed into his cocooning embrace, letting her head fall back into the crook of his neck and covering his arms with her own. Her smile broadened as he pressed a kiss to her cheek that sent pleasurable shivers through her, his lips lingering there and his breath warm against her skin, and she let her head rest lightly against his. She felt so warm, so safe, so loved. And this view...no wonder he'd moved their picnic site over here if he'd suspected they would get something like this tonight. Idiot or not, the man really did think of everything, didn't he?

"It's beautiful," she said.

Zelos nuzzled his nose against her cheek, his lips grazing her skin and sending incredible fire racing through her. "Would you believe me if I say, in my eyes, it doesn't hold a candle against you?" he whispered in her ear. "Or are you going to argue that point again?"

Warmth flooded her cheeks, and Sheena shifted, careful not to loosen his embrace, so she could see his face...and the softness and sincerity in his eyes took her breath away. To him, she was even more beautiful than this sunset. She was still astounded that someone like him who'd lived around physical beauty his entire life could find anything beautiful in a rough, unsophisticated country girl like her, but he really did mean that. She could see it - and she was positive it wasn't just wishful thinking.

Tears pricked her eyes, and she smiled shyly and shook her head. Zelos returned her smile and pressed his cheek to her forehead, but she needed more than that. Pulling back just enough that her lips could reach his, she reached up to touch his face, wove her fingers through his silky red hair, and drew his head down to hers so she could kiss him again, slowly and softly...and oh, Jizou, his body pressing so intimately against hers and his fingers trailing up her bare arms to cup her face with such reverence filled her with incredible warmth and made her heart swell. When the kiss finally ended, she pulled back and lifted her eyes to his. "I love you, Zelos," she whispered.

His smile softened as his fingers trailed, feather-light, back down to her arms. "I love you too, Sheena."

Her blush deepened as she watched him another moment, but then she leaned forward, resting her forehead briefly against his, and then shifted around to see the gorgeous sunset again, reveling in his arms slipping back around her waist, holding her to him. She couldn't remember ever feeling this happy before - and she suddenly wanted him to know that. "You know, weird stalker issues aside, I really had a good time tonight."

She felt him smile as her head fell back against his neck again, his grasp on her tightening. "Me, too. I now have infinitely better memories of this place than I did before."

Good. She would hate to be the only one who would always remember this place with such fondness. "I have some really good memories of it now, too," she whispered. These were memories she knew she'd cherish the rest of her life, even if this relationship ended in a fiery, horrible wreck tomorrow. "And...is it just me, or is this whole thing between us feeling more...comfortable...already? You know, not quite as...weird...as it was a few days ago?"

"Nope, not just you; I was thinking that, too," Zelos said. "I don't think I've ever enjoyed a date this much, actually. It was nice to not have a woman constantly pouncing on me, trying to get me out of my clothes. I wasn't expecting this level of comfort to happen this quickly, but I'm certainly not complaining."

"Me, neither." And she already knew she never would.

"Glad we're on the same page with this." He let out a soft laugh. "Y'know, I never thought my Plan B would be better than my Plan A, but I'm pretty sure this was. Maybe it's a good thing the king did delay you tonight."

"Maybe," she acknowledged with a smile. And speaking of the king... "And while I'm thinking about it...thanks again for putting so many of my concerns to rest about the king and Minister Giannovio."

He rested his head against hers. "You're welcome. I'm just glad I could help. Maybe I can help you out even more tomorrow."

"I hope so." Oh, how she hoped so. "But traveling together again wouldn't be so bad, either."

"No, it wouldn't," he murmured. "We'll just have to see how tomorrow goes and, until then, enjoy the moment. There's no use worrying about something you can't change. Whatever will be, will be."

"Yeah...you're right." She released a soft sigh, snuggling further into his arms, trying to hold onto this beauty forever. 'Forever' might not be possible for them, but maybe they could continue this moment another night. Because like it or not, their relationship had survived one date without falling apart, and that meant a repeat was possible. "We'll have to do this again sometime."

"Definitely," he whispered, giving her another tender squeeze. "I'm looking forward to it already."

She leaned her head against his. "I know some nice spots near Mizuho. The lake would be great for this."

Zelos smiled and pressed another kiss to her cheek. "Sounds perfect. It's a date."

"Yeah, definitely."

Sheena closed her eyes, savoring the moment, as silence finally settled upon them. Part of her felt guilty for setting up another date with him instead of breaking this off like she should be doing, but weakness and the part of her that was completely entranced by this beauty wouldn't let her. The future may be an unknown, shrouded in thick, impenetrable fog, but deep down she knew what lay behind those clouds: heartache and a messy breakup. 'They' simply couldn't last. For awhile, maybe, but not permanently. She knew it, and even though Zelos hadn't said as much, she knew he did, too. One day she would become Mizuho's chief, and when that day came, he would have no part in that life. There was no place for him in that future. The lifestyle would never suit him, and Mizuho would never accept him in such an important role, anyway. And the sooner she ended this, before these feelings could grow any stronger than they already had, the easier and less painful it would be for them both.

Right now, though, being held so lovingly, so protectively in his arms, Sheena couldn't even consider that. Her heart had fallen for him, and it refused to let her give this up yet. She'd never felt anything like this before; she'd never believed herself capable of feeling anything like this before. She loved it. She loved him. How could she walk away from that? She couldn't. He was her first love, something so much more powerful, fulfilling, and real than any crush she'd had before. She wanted to see where this went and continue experiencing this love; she wanted to get to know the real Zelos better and get more opportunities like this to smile and laugh and have fun with him. No, right now, she couldn't walk away from this even if she wanted to - and she definitely didn't want to.

All she could do, she supposed, was have faith that everything would work itself out eventually. She had to believe fate would end this relationship as it was supposed to, preferably in a way that left them with a strong friendship intact. One day soon, when the newness and excitement wore off, their different, probably incompatible personalities would shine through their efforts to be on their best behavior, and once they started seeing each other as the flawed human beings they were, they'd probably start bickering and fighting again, like they always used to. And when that happened, she would finally have a legitimate reason to break it off with him - one he would hopefully agree with.

But until that happened, she wanted to enjoy this beautiful, unexpected ride while it lasted. She would let fate do its thing. She would use this experience to learn what real love was. Maybe Zelos would teach her a few other things, too, like how to have fun with life, and maybe she could help him learn some things, too, like that it really was okay for him to be himself with others. The messy breakup awaiting them if fate didn't take care of things scared her, but the thought of ending this relationship and, in the process, hurting them both was even worse. She loved him too much to do that to him, especially after everything he'd now done for her. This love was a gift for some as-of-yet unknown reason, she wanted to believe - Zelos hadn't meant for her to fall for him, after all, and she hadn't meant for him to fall for her, either - and refusing that gift without seeing its purpose first would be premature and ungrateful to whomever it was who'd given it to them.

Maybe fate was trying to tell them something they couldn't see yet. Maybe something unexpected awaited them behind those clouds; maybe she wouldn't become chief, or maybe one of them would, Heaven forbid, be killed before it could become an issue...anything was possible. And that knowledge, too, that everything could still change, was another reason why she couldn't end this. She would never forgive herself for burning such a beautiful bridge if the future did bring her something different than she expected. The minute her grandfather told her she had to become chief, though...well, then she would know her time was up, and if their relationship hadn't ended by then, she'd have to do it herself. But she would cross that bridge when and if she came to it. Besides, Zelos was smart enough to realize he'd be miserable in Mizuho, so if hewas still willing to give this relationship a shot, shouldn't she do the same?

They were standing at the same crossroads where they'd once stood six years ago, with two directions to choose from. One was the road Zelos had forced them to walk the last time, by ending their relationship before it reached a devastatingly painful conclusion. The other road, the one shrouded in mystery and uncertainty, would most likely lead them to the same heartache of a love cut short, but the journey itself to get there...well, judging from tonight, it might just be worth the risk. Zelos had made this decision for them the last time, one they'd both hated but that had eventually brought them right back to this spot; this time the decision was hers. And now she'd made her choice: she would pursue that unknown but potentially amazing road. It may still prove to be devastatingly painful, but she wasn't going to run away this time. She wanted to experience this journey with him, to see where it went and to admire the view along the way. One time letting fear prevent them from walking this road was one time too many.

No, this time she was choosing that other road. It would hurt like hell when it ended, and one day she would probably regret this choice, but right now, Sheena just didn't care. She wanted to see something new this time and enjoy life, and she knew she could do that with Zelos because now that he could finally live his life, he wanted to do the same. She wanted this to last. She wanted to be held in his arms, to sink into his kiss, to touch him and hold him and love him and be touched, held, and loved by him in return. That shrouded, mysterious future was just too far away to worry about yet. Right now, only the present mattered. Whatever will be, will be.

And with that decided, Sheena sank into his warm, protective embrace, determined to not only enjoy this beautiful moment and make many more memories like these while walking this new road together, but to make sure Zelos enjoyed it just as much as she did for as long as their journey might last.

And that was exactly what she was going to do.

~Fin~