Exceptions to the Rules

by SMB814

Part 3 of the "Whatever Will Be" series. It is truly amazing what we find ourselves willing to do for those we love. Sheelos.

2. Part 2: The Party

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

0~*~0

Part 2: The Party

Sheena wasn't sure she would ever get used to the bizarre feeling of looking at herself in a full-length mirror only to see a stranger looking back at her. She'd felt it the last time she'd worn fancy clothes that cost more gald than she would ever see in her lifetime, and she felt it again now. Part of her wondered if the mirror was lying to her and she was actually peering through a looking glass into an alternate universe, but then her hands drifted down over the sleek material covering her body and she had no choice but to acknowledge it was real.

The dress was exactly what Zelos had specified to the designer (before Sheena had rolled her eyes and shooed him out of the shop) that it should be. "Nothing poofy, ruffly, frilly, sparkly, or lacy," he'd said. "Don't let her cover up too much skin, because she's damn sexy, but be modest enough that she's comfortable in it. Go for an elegant, classic look, nothing showy. Give her whatever makes her happy; don't skimp on the materials, no matter how much they cost, because I'm paying for it. Oh, and be sure to let me know what color she picks so I can accessorize properly. Can't be clashing with my date, y'know."

The end result was gorgeous; Sheena couldn't deny that. The dress was a deep violet color with some lighter tones bleeding into the dark, with some subdued, mesh-like black overlay over parts of it and a solid black beneath a long slit along the bottom left side. It fit perfectly and was long enough to cover her entire body, thankfully, and while it still showed more skin than she liked, with a single strap over each arm, and the top portion was snug and fairly low-cut, with only a few thin straps and a small bow for a back, she wasn't nearly as uncomfortable wearing this as she had been with that last one, probably because the cleavage it displayed was respectable, not obscene, as she still was convinced her last dress had been, despite Zelos's insistence to the contrary. At least she had a matching stole to wrap around her if she started feeling especially exposed.

The problem was, she still wasn't sure if she liked what she was seeing in the mirror - not the dress itself, because she loved that, but if she liked not being able to recognize herself. It didn't help that she still wasn't convinced she'd made the right choice about what to do with her hair; putting it up too tightly hadn't looked right with the longer dress, but she refused to leave it down, either, because having other people seeing her like that was...well, she could tolerate it when it was just Zelos, but not everyone else. In the end, she'd ended up wrapping it up and letting a few loose curls fall down around her face.

She was pretty sure she looked okay - judging from the seamstress's response last week, at least she didn't look horrible - but seeing herself like this was just...strange. She wasn't comfortable wearing clothes where her movement was confined and she had no good place to hide her cards; no matter how many times she wore fancy attire, she couldn't help remembering that she didn't belong wearing such things. She felt like an imposter, like a poor pauper trying on an expensive dress, a little girl playing dress up, or an actress wearing a costume, pretending to be someone she wasn't.

The more she looked at herself, the less the shock of her reflection was becoming, but still...she didn't feel right. She didn't look or feel like herself, and she just didn't like not looking or feeling like herself. That was why the last two times she'd had to wear a fancy dress, she'd barely even given herself a once-over before she'd walked away from the mirror and told herself not to worry about her appearance, because it wasn't like she was trying to impress anyone at the party - not even Lloyd, seeing as by that point she'd already known luring his eye away from Colette was a lost cause. She couldn't get a new dress, so why worry over something she'd never have to wear again after the night was over?

But now...now she did care. For the first time ever, she couldn't do her best to be invisible. She had a date to Hilda's party tonight - and not just any date, but the one man who would undoubtedly be the focus of every eye in the room, meaning she would be scrutinized closely by everyone, too. While she didn't care what they thought of her, she didn't want to reflect badly on him. And...well, she didn't want to disappoint him, either, considering how fashion-conscious he was. But was being someone other than herself the answer, either?

She swallowed hard and bit her lip, conflicted, nervous, and confused about who she was, who she was pretending to be, and how this new person looking back at her from the mirror was supposed to act. And a part of her couldn't help thinking something was missing from the picture before her, too; she just didn't know what.

A sudden knock on the door made her jump. "Sheena?" Zelos said, his voice muffled by the thick wooden door of his guest room. "Everything okay in there?"

A glance at the clock told her the party would be beginning in a few minutes. Crap, she had no idea how long she'd been standing there, just staring at her reflection, but obviously it was long enough that Zelos was getting concerned. "Y...yeah," she replied, lifting a hand to her chest, trying to calm her startled heart. "Everything's fine, Zelos."

"Can I come in?"

Sheena breathed in deeply, then slowly released it. The thought of letting him see her looking like this was nerve-wracking - but unfortunately, she didn't have another option. She probably should have tried to make a dress of her own, in a more typical Mizuho style, but Zelos had obviously wanted to dote on her, and that meant this was the only dress she had available to her. Well, technically she could wear that hooker dress, because she'd intentionally left it here several months ago in hopes she would never have to see it again, but she really didn't want to wear that hideous thing again. That meant unless she wanted to back out on Zelos - which she didn't - she had to wear this. And the thing was, it really did look nice. She loved the dress. She just didn't want to go out in public like this, feeling like a fish out of water - or, as Zelos said when he was feeling especially uncomfortable somewhere, like an angel out of heaven.

The whole thing was ridiculous. If Corrine was here now, he'd be asking, "What's the matter, Sheena? You've subdued summon spirits and defeated angels, mutants, and wild animals, but now you're too afraid to step outside wearing a dress? I don't understand." Oh, was she glad her clansmen couldn't see her exhibiting such a pathetic, irrational fear...

"Sheena?" Zelos called again. "Are you sure you're okay in there, sweetheart?"

Damn, she silently cursed, shaking her head, trying to snap out of it. C'mon, just get this over with. Waiting any longer won't make the awkwardness of being seen looking nothing like yourself any easier to bear. "Y...yeah. Sorry. You can come in, Zelos." Sheena didn't look when the door cracked open, but from the corner of her eye she could see his head poke into the room and, a second later, once he was sure she was dressed, he stepped inside. Taking another deep breath, she finally turned toward him, her heart pounding faster as she noted how wide his eyes were as he observed her. "Do I look okay?"

In response, though, Zelos just stared at her, his eyes slowly trailing down her body.

Sheena let out a soft, embarrassed laugh, then bit her lip and turned back to the mirror, her face blazing. "That weird, eh?"

"...What?" It took him a moment, but he finally seemed to realize what she'd said, for his eyes snapped up to her face and his lips parted. She glanced at him again uncomfortably, her own eyes widening as she saw that he, too, was now blushing - something she was sure she'd only ever seen a handful of times on him the past six years. "No! No, not at all. Sorry, I just...you just...you look...wow. I'm having trouble finding words to sufficiently capture how amazing you look. You look...you look...stunning, sweetheart. You look radiant. You look gorgeous. You look...you look strong and sexy and...and...utterly beautiful. All those words feel trite, but they're the closest I can come up with right now."

Her blush deepened as she turned back to the reflection of the stranger in the mirror. So he wasn't staring because of how weird she looked? "Really?"

"Oh, yeah, really," he said, crossing the floor to stand beside her, touching her arm and drawing her eyes back to his, a soft, tender smile on his face that mesmerized her. "I've never lied when I told you how beautiful you are, and I'm certainly not starting now."

She laughed awkwardly and looked back at her reflection. "Yeah, well, you're a little biased."

He grinned and stepped closer so he was in her line of sight again, standing between her and the mirror, a little to her left. "I think I have the right to be when I have a girlfriend who looks like you. I mean, you look incredible when you're not trying to impress anyone, so when you are...wow." He brushed a gloved finger over her bare arm, the light touch sending tingles of fire through her and a shiver down her spine, and she looked up at him again, offering him a faint smile. She still felt awkward having him see her like this, but the look of amazement and love on his face took her breath away. She had no doubt he was being truthful about that. "To be honest, this is exactly what I meant when I said you could use some 'dolling up' every now and then." He tilted his head slightly. "Although maybe it's a good thing you don't do it more often or I suspect you'd have your own rabid fan club following your every move that I'd have to compete with for your attention. Well, that and I'd be black and blue from being smacked for staring at you all the time."

Sheena chuckled, glancing at him again before looking down. "I just...I feel weird looking like this. I feel so...girly."

Zelos snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because I hit on you all the time because of how masculine you are, love." Giving him a faintly annoyed glare, she smacked his shoulder lightly, and his grin softened into that loving, amazed smile that always made her heart skip a beat as he looked her over again. "You look incredible, Sheena. This color is perfect on you, and this dress was worth every gald I spent on it. You're just not used to it yet." He smirked. "In fact, I'm not sure what to do with myself. I've never been upstaged on the sheer prettiness scale by my date before!"

Wow, was he, Mr. I'm Just Too Pretty!, actually saying she looked better than him? What, had the world just ended, too? Sure, his modesty and compliments, at least toward her, matched what she now knew about the real him, about the man she now trusted him to be with her. Even after two months of seeing this man, though - excluding the occasional, apparently irrepressible bouts of perversity, of course, which she was surprised to admit no longer annoyed her, just amused her - it still took her aback when he actually acted like a gentleman instead of like that perverted idiot. And the truth, which she would never admit to him, was that she liked being caught off guard by him like that.

Blushing again at the compliment, Sheena gave him a shy smile before lifting her hands to his suit, savoring the feeling the smooth material beneath her fingertips. "Well, you look sharp tonight yourself." And oh, did he ever. His suit was black this time, not blue - probably because black went better with her dress - and, she noted, now that she looked closer, it really did match her outfit perfectly. He had accessorized so it matched her dress's color; a number of finishing touches and a few small stripes were a light violet color that complemented the dark violet of her dress, marking him as her date for the evening. And the black set off his bright red, loosely braided hair beautifully...oh, was he gorgeous. It still boggled her mind that not only was she dating a man so attractive, but that he sincerely found her to be beautiful, too.

Zelos let out a soft, "Heh," his uncharacteristic blush returning. "Ya think?"

"Yeah, you do," she said, trailing her fingers from his chest up to his shoulders and then down his arms as she glanced up at him shyly, feeling strange saying this to Zelos, of all people, but trusting him not to go overboard with the teasing as he once would have. "You look handsome. Dashing, even."

He grinned, the happiness reflected in his sparkling blue eyes softening the arrogance that typically accompanied it. "Good, because I kinda have to with a date who looks like you. Can't make you look bad tonight, y'know."

Sheena bit her lip again, her blush deepening further as she beamed him another shy smile, then she lightly punched his chest and murmured, "Idiot."

When she finally lifted her gaze back to his face, she found his eyes trailing down her body again, the look in them still breathtakingly adoring. "Well, in my opinion you already look perfect, but there's one more thing we could add."

She quirked an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"Wait here a sec, sweetheart," he said, pressing a kiss to her cheek before backing away. "I'll be right back."

"Okay."

Sheena watched him head out, stopping at the doorway to cast another glance back at her, smiling and shaking his head faintly, then he chuckled and left. Turning back to the mirror, she observed her reflection again, releasing her breath in a low sigh. Thankfully, she seemed to finally be getting more accustomed to the sight before her. More than that, though, Zelos seemed happy with how she looked - sincerely happy, and not just saying that to be polite. It was something she'd started identifying more clearly the past two months: sincere appreciation and love from him, not the over-the-top, 'Oh, you look so beautiful tonight, hunny!' lines he used with other women. Fakeness always seemed to sneak through whenever he was with them, and it simply wasn't there with her, and over time she'd grown to trust that it wouldn't appear. This time had been no exception. And the bottom line was that as long as he was happy with how she looked, then she was, too; after all, he was the reason she was going to this party. Why should she care what those stupid noblemen and jealous hunnies thought of her when she knew she had made the only man there whose opinion mattered happy?

A minute later, Zelos returned carrying a small, velvet jewelry box. Leaning back against the dresser beside the mirror, he held it up and opened it, revealing a delicate gold jewelry set, each piece showcasing a single pearl pendant. "Look okay?" he asked.

Her eyes widened, and she gingerly touched the simple but classy pearl necklace. "Of course it does. It's beautiful." She glanced up at him and smiled awkwardly. "Heh, I didn't even think to bring any jewelry tonight, and even if I had, I don't have anything this nice. Whose is this?"

He set the box on the dresser, pulled off his gloves, removed the earrings, and handed them to her to start putting on. "They were my grandmother's, on my father's side."

"Oh." It took her a moment to secure the first earring. Wearing jewelry of any kind was something she just never got used to, it seemed. "Family heirloom?"

Zelos nodded and began removing the bracelet from its confines. "Yeah. I plan on giving it to Seles when she turns 18. It's an unwritten family rule that heirlooms like these get passed on to the eldest female, which in this case is her." He smiled and, once she'd finished clasping the second earring, grasped her right hand. "But until then, there's no reason why you can't wear it, especially when it would look lovely with this dress."

Sheena returned his smile as he fastened the bracelet around her wrist, his gentle touch against her sensitive skin making her shiver. Talk about an honor, wearing something so precious to his family. Awkward and weird and it made her, a poor ninja, feel out of place wearing something so expensive and meaningful, but still touching that he was willing to let her borrow these for the night. "Thanks."

His eyes flitted up to hers, his smile growing warmer, then he looked down at the box again as he began pulling out the necklace. "I probably would've picked the diamond set except that one was my mother's, and...well, I really don't want to be reminded of her when I'm with you, so I opted for the pearl one instead."

Her eyes widened as he pushed away from the dresser and stepped behind her so they could both see their reflections in the mirror, then he situated the delicate gold chain around her neck, his fingers skillfully clasping it behind her and sending even more shivers through her at the sensual fire of his touch against her skin. Zelos smiled at her as their eyes met in the mirror, a smile she was helpless but to return as his fingers slowly trailed from her neck down to her shoulders. Oh, did that feel good.

Sheena had to clear her throat to bite back a moan at the warmth and desire welling within her. This man's hands were magic sometimes - and she was glad he now behaved himself when he touched her so she didn't have to threaten to break his fingers anymore. "I take it you don't have bad memories of your grandmother?"

Zelos shook his head. "I never met her. She died long before I was born. She could've been a horrible woman, for all I know, but all I've heard is good about her, so, well, this set is memory-free. Besides, it's such a simple, classy set that I have trouble believing she could've been too showy and fake." He shrugged, then smiled again as he looked at the necklace in the mirror and nodded in approval. "There. Now you look perfect."

While she would never call herself 'perfect,' she couldn't deny that the gold and pearl went well with her black and violet dress. Without warning, Zelos wrapped his arms around her waist, placing a tender kiss to her neck, then lightly rested his head against hers, smiling softly as he observed their reflection in the mirror. Her face flushed again, but she couldn't resist covering his arms with hers and leaning into him, sinking into his embrace, wishing they could ignore the party and lose themselves in the moment. Taking a deep breath, she shivered again as he nuzzled his nose against her neck, his warm breath grazing her skin...and now that he was holding her, she couldn't help noticing how good he smelled, too. Nothing overpowering, nothing she could identify, just nice and subtle and him.

Closing her eyes, Sheena squeezed his arms with hers in the best hug she could currently manage given their position. "I love you, Zelos."

She could feel his lips pull up in a grin just before he placed a kiss to her shoulder, sending even more heat through her body. "I love you too, Sheena."

For a moment she just stood there, smiling and enjoying the feelings of warmth and safety of being held like that...but suddenly a realization hit her and her eyes flew open. "Oh, the party! We're already late."

Zelos tightened his hold on her before she could pull away. "Heh. That's the point."

She abruptly froze, then turned her head toward his as a smirk appeared on his reflection's face. "Eh? You want to be late?"

He tilted his head a little. "Well, not late late, just...fashionably late."

There's a difference? "And why's that?"

"Because if I'm there too early, we'll have to deal with two obnoxious traditions tonight."

Her eyes narrowed and she looked back at his reflection's face. "Which would be...?"

He sighed and rested his chin on her shoulder. "One, they'll make a grand, over-the-top introduction for me...and for my date."

...Oh. Sheena cringed. "They will?"

"'Fraid so, sweetheart." His eyebrows rose curiously as he met her eyes in the mirror. "Unless that's what you want..."

The thought of that, of announcing to everyone that she was Zelos's date for the evening and then of all the inevitable stares and glares she'd receive the rest of the night, was nearly enough to make her run away screaming. "Ah...no. Definitely not."

"Yeah, didn't think so," he said, grinning knowingly. "That's yet another reason every woman wanted to be my date to these things. Even if I only spent five minutes with her the whole night, she was happy if she was the one in that introduction."

Sheena rolled her eyes. "Ugh. These people really are shallow, aren't they?"

Zelos arched an eyebrow. "Why do you think I love you so much? Everyone else just wanted to be seen with the Chosen, but you..."

His voice trailed off, and Sheena smiled shyly, nodding, knowing what he meant: Zelos loved that she didn't care that he was the Chosen; she loved him, not the Chosen One. "And the second reason we should be late?"

"If I'm there when the dancing starts - which, based on past experience, will be immediately after the king's official welcome speech - then it's tradition that Hilda's first dance is always with me. Needless to say, considering her crush on me and the fact that I am very happily spoken for and want to spend as much time with my beautiful date as I can, that's not exactly high on my list of things to do tonight."

"Ah." She grinned, even as her heart pounded a little faster at hearing that not only did he want to spend so much time with her there, but that running off on her or flirting with every other woman there wasn't on his agenda for the night. "No argument from me. I don't particularly want to watch you dancing with another woman." Before he could reply, she pointed sharply at his reflection. "And don't you dare tell me I'm being jealous again, because I doubt you want to watch me dancing with other men there tonight, either."

"Heh," Zelos retorted, smirking. "I think I can let you off the hook this time since...yeah, okay, I really don't want to watch you dancing with anyone else tonight. Especially when I already know every guy there will be ogling you and trying to steal you away for himself."

Sheena's blush deepened. She wasn't sure she believed that, but she didn't feel like arguing it, either, not when he would just ultimately win. He always did when it came to arguing how beautiful he found her to be. "Believe me, Zelos, I've met enough noblemen to know there's no way I'll be running off with any of them tonight."

"...Which is a fact that will astound me for a very, very long time," he murmured. Before she could process his awestruck amazement, though, his face lit up. "Oh! And while we're looking for legitimate reasons to be late, I know what I forgot to do!" Grinning broadly, he suddenly released her, leaving her already missing his warm arms around her, snatched his gloves from the dresser, and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the door. "C'mon, sweetheart. Trust me, you're gonna love this."

Her eyes narrowed and she briefly resisted, just for old time's sake, but then she caved and let him pull her toward the door, grabbing her stole from the bed on the way. No matter what mysterious thing he had in mind, she really did trust him; not once during the past two months had he ever forced her to do anything she truly didn't want to do. He'd earned the benefit of the doubt. He carefully led her down the steps, making sure she didn't trip in her fancy, strappy, thankfully low-heeled shoes, and despite her uncertainty about what he was doing, she couldn't help smiling as she asked, "What are you scheming now, Zelos?"

Naturally, Zelos didn't answer her; he just smirked and, upon reaching the main floor, pulled her into the kitchen. "Hey, Sebastian?"

Sebastian was already there, a brown box in his hands, and the minute they entered, he lifted the box. "Here you go, sir," he said.

Zelos's smile brightened as he released Sheena's hand and accepted the box, indicating that was what he'd wanted, leaving Sheena marveling, again, at how accurately Sebastian could predict what Zelos wanted before he even asked for it. Seriously, was the butler psychic? Or did he just know Zelos that well? And how could Zelos not be fazed at having a man in his house who apparently knew what he was thinking all the time?

"Thanks," he said, to which Sebastian bowed his head before retreating into the pantry. Zelos turned and held up the box to Sheena, grinning. "Here you go, love. A present."

Her eyes briefly widened - he'd gotten her another present, even beyond this gorgeous dress? - but then they narrowed again as she tentatively accepted the box from him. For a present, it sure was dull: it was just a plain, unwrapped brown box. And since Zelos was the kind to go overboard with things, even when she didn't want him to, she really was surprised he hadn't made this box all fancy and sparkly.

After a moment while she observed it, trying to figure out what he was up to, Zelos rolled his eyes and motioned for her to hurry up. "Oh, c'mon, it won't bite. Honest. Just open it!"

Her eyes snapped up to his, observing him warily - seriously, why was he so excited about this? - but then she reminded herself that yes, she really did trust him, and that meant opening strange, unexpected presents from him. Walking over to the table, Sheena set the box down and pulled off the cover...and instantly gasped at what she found inside: over a dozen plant bulbs. "Are these...?"

The idiot was outright beaming now, a glance up at him told her. "That's exactly what they are. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they're the kind you want - you were looking for the lighter variety in my garden, right?" His face briefly fell as if he wasn't certain about that, and Sheena quickly nodded, stunned, causing his smile to reappear. "Thought so. And based on my calculations, you should have enough to finish that extra row you wanted. If you need more, though, let me know; there's more where those came from."

Oh, Jizou. He'd gotten her iris, exactly the kind she wanted. She should have known he would take it upon himself to get these for her. She'd insisted to him numerous times since they'd started dating that she didn't want him to give her flowers, because she'd always maintained that flowers were meant to be enjoyed in nature, not cut and dying in a vase, and he'd grumbled about it, insisting that cutting the flowers didn't actually killthem if they were put in water right away, but she'd insisted, and he'd complied - unhappily, but he had because that was what she wanted. But now...now he wasn't giving her cut flowers; he was giving her the plants to grow her own, something he knew she couldn't argue or turn down. Romantic bastard had found a way to give her flowers after all, hadn't he? And the thing was, sneaking around her 'rules' or not, she couldn't help but be amazed, yet again, that this man she'd been convinced for years was merely a perverted, womanizing idiot had actually turned out to be the sweetest, sharpest, most thoughtful man she'd ever met. And not for the first time, she couldn't help thinking she had one of the best boyfriends a woman could find. It just astounded her that that boyfriend was Zelos Wilder.

Biting her lip, she looked up at him, gave him a shy smile, and whispered, in all sincerity, "Thank you, Zelos."

His grin broadened, even as his blue eyes softened. "You're welcome, sweetheart. I just wanted to make sure you got them with enough time to plant them yet this season."

"Yeah, there's plenty of time left." Her gaze fell to the bulbs again, and that time she couldn't help grinning excitedly. "Oh, this is perfect! Now I won't have to wait another year to get it to look like how I want it!"

"And that, my dear, was the entire point," Zelos replied. "Consider it to be a combination housewarming gift and thank-you gift for agreeing to come with me tonight."

"As if this dress wasn't already more than enough," she murmured, looking up at him again. "I really do appreciate this, Zelos."

"Good. I'm glad I could help you out." He lifted his hand and gently trailed his fingers over her cheek, his grin softening. "Heh, I might even come back with you tomorrow and help you plant them. It's not like I have anything else planned."

Sheena was still marveling over the fact that Zelos, Mr. Luxury, Mr. 'Aren't My Hands So Pretty?', Mr. 'Bring On The Easy Life, Baby!', had actually offered to do menial manual labor like that for her last week, and now he was offering to do it again? She almost couldn't believe it. And the most astounding thing was that he couldn't possibly realize how significant, how meaningful, the act of helping her plant iris was for her. "While I could easily plant them myself, I'd never turn down the company. And I don't have anything planned for tomorrow, either, so..."

His eyes lit up. "Great! Then I think I'll do that."

And that still amazed her, too, how eager he was to spend time with her. She'd expected him to get bored with her after a few weeks, because she was dull and lived a dull life, but she couldn't deny that even after two months, he didn't seem bored with her. In fact, she'd never seen him so sincerely, consistently happy in all the years she'd known him. And the thing was, as long as she didn't think about the future that awaited them, which she tried hard not to - and, thankfully, she was usually pretty successful in ignoring it, probably because Zelos didn't mention it either, 'live in the moment' kind of guy that he was...well, except when he wasn't - then she truly was happy spending time with him, too.

"I'd like that," she said, giving him another grateful smile.

Zelos's grin broadened, but a moment later he took a step backwards and motioned at the clock on the wall. "Anyway, we should be safe heading to the party now, so...shall we?"

As tempted as she still was to run and hide instead of dealing with stuffy, stuck-up nobles, she'd promised to come with him, and these bulbs just reinforced that yes, she really did love this man enough to make an exception for him, just as he'd made so many for her, and see this party through. And so she would. Leaving the box on the table, she smiled, looped her arm through his, and then they were on their way.

As Zelos predicted, by the time they reached the dinner hall, the party was in full swing. Not wanting to make a scene with their entry, Zelos led her to a less-used side door, and thankfully, once they'd gotten past the guard and quietly slipped inside, only a few people were standing nearby to notice them. Sheena took a moment to look around and take in everything. For the most part, it looked identical to the last two parties she'd attended: the dining area off to the side was empty except for waiters setting places at the tables, but the main hall was filled with people mulling about, some already dancing, but most just talking amongst themselves, lending a low murmur to the room that nearly topped the orchestra playing along the far back wall. The hall was more beautifully decorated this time, too - not with tacky streamers or 'Happy Birthday!' posters on the walls, but with flowering plants and tiny white lights that gave the room a warm glow and sparkle she'd never seen here before. And, she quickly noted, there were more people here this time, all dressed in fancy suits and dresses. Far more people, actually, she noted, taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it, her heart pounding faster at the sheer number of strangers she'd suddenly found herself surrounded by. What had the king done, invited every single nobleman in Tethe'alla to his daughter's coming-of-age party?

They'd managed to avoid detection by most of the guests, but the ones nearest the door did still notice their arrival, and every group immediately stopped talking and turned to stare at them a moment before suddenly whispering amongst themselves. Sheena could feel herself involuntarily tense at all the looks everyone was giving her between hushed whispers. And here was the moment she'd dreaded most tonight: finding herself on display for everyone to look at, simply because of the man currently holding her arm.

"Hey, it's all right," Zelos said, pulling his arm from hers, gently touching her bare back with his gloved hand, and leaning down so his lips were near her ear. "Just smile and act confident. You look gorgeous tonight, sweetheart. That's all they're staring at."

Sheena tore her eyes from all the faces watching her and looked at him. Agh, she hated being the center of attention like this. They may have just gotten here, but she already felt out of place amongst these rich, snobby, scrutinizing people. And really, she doubted anyone would be paying her any attention if she hadn't just walked in with Zelos; they'd be ignoring her like they'd done every time before this. But she had just walked in with Zelos, and despite her discomfort and building restlessness, she wouldn't back out now. She loved him too much to disappoint him by running away. He would gladly do this for you if your positions were reversed, she reminded herself. And really, once everyone had finished staring at her and went back to their own conversations, she knew she'd be fine, since she'd managed to get through the last two parties; it was just this initial 'out on display for everyone to see' feeling that was making her stomach churn.

But she would get through this. For Zelos's sake, she would make this exception. 'Just smile and act confident,' he'd said. That must be his own mantra at these things. Heck, maybe this was how Zelos always felt in these situations: out on display for everyone to see, like a specimen in a zoo, or a lab rat in a cage, being scrutinized by a scientist. And if that was true, then she could only trust that he knew what would work in this situation, and apparently smiling and acting confident was his answer.

Taking a deep breath, Sheena swallowed hard, forced a smile, and nodded. "I'm okay."

His blue eyes softened, and he returned her smile. "Love you."

And just like that, her smile grew far more sincere, even as a blush blossomed on her cheeks. "Love you, too."

Zelos pressed a kiss to her cheek, letting his lips linger there a moment, then he pulled back and, keeping his hand to her back, guided her further into the crowd. "What do you say we get this whole 'mingling' thing out of the way?"

Her smile fell, and she released a soft sigh, forcing herself to ignore the continued stares of everyone around them. "I suppose."

"I know, I know, I'm not terribly fond of it, either. But unfortunately, it's a necessary evil at these things."

She nodded faintly. "Yeah, I know. I just...I don't know any of these people. At least our friends were at the last two parties."

"To be honest, I don't know many of these people, either," Zelos said, flashing her a knowing grin. "Just let me do the talking; you don't have to say a word unless you want to. And don't worry, sweetheart, I won't leave your side unless I absolutely have to."

Sheena gave him another grateful smile. "Thanks."

They spent the next twenty minutes wandering through the crowd, talking to people that either Zelos thought they should talk to or who wanted to talk to him. Everyone who saw them still seemed to stare at him, and then at her, some sticking up their nose in disdain if they recognized her, while others who didn't recognize her just looked curious. From the first couple they stopped to talk to, though, Sheena could see it happen on him: he immediately plastered on his fake smile and began smoothly conversing with them, making it look like the easiest thing in the world to make small talk with these people he'd admitted he didn't know and make them feel as if he was their best friend. She hated seeing him like that, not acting like his real self with others, but she understood it - and thankfully, in between each group they stopped to chat with, he always reverted into the man she loved when he talked to her.

At least even while he was in The Great Zelos mode, he was still always careful when he introduced her, identifying her as the king's Emissary of Peace, not as a ninja from Mizuho - and, thankfully, most of the people claimed to have never seen her before, nor did they recognize her from those pictures of her in the papers two months ago. Maybe there is an advantage to looking completely different from my usual self after all: I don't have to worry about being recognized, she thought. Of course, on the uncomfortable side of not looking like herself, she had to face quite a few compliments - some more sincere than others - from the men they spoke with regarding how 'beautiful' she was. Fortunately, every time Zelos agreed with their compliments, he briefly reverted back to his 'real self' and gave her a soft, knowing, happy smile that helped relax her further.

True to his word, Zelos didn't leave her side, and he always kept a hand pressed to her back as he guided her through the crowd. And the best part was that while Sheena could see his hunnies scattered around the room, all giving her furious glares, he paid them (or their instant shift to coy and flirty whenever his gaze fell on them) no heed, and instead always gave Sheena a smile that reassured her he was completely with her tonight. Thankfully, none of the ridiculously showy, shallow women approached them, but Sheena couldn't help thinking if they detected an opportune moment, they would pounce - and she knew Zelos knew it, judging from how he would always steer her away from any groups of them he noticed.

By the time they'd spoken to a dozen couples, Sheena was tiring of having the same conversation over and over again: Zelos introducing her, saying 'hi' as pleasantly as she could, answering the same few cordial questions, listening to Zelos say the same polite compliments to them, and then moving on to the next couple. At least he really did handle all of the talking, and he was always careful not say anything that might incite any unwanted questions, but it didn't change the fact that nearly everyone still treated her - and him, too - with obvious, albeit overly syrupy and fake, pleasure, clearly trying to impress him. And, in turn, Zelos just treated them all as fakely as they treated him, which was emphasized by the fact that whenever they weren't looking, he rolled his eyes, telling her he, too, recognized and detested the fakeness.

Most of their encounters went smoothly and, while irritating, weren't terribly upsetting. But after they'd been tackled by Minister Giannovio (who Zelos admitted he'd been trying to avoid) and forced to experience the most subtly aggressive and scathing yet ridiculously over-the-top and praising conversation Sheena had ever had (based on the shifty looks he'd given them, he had obviously either figured out or was simply paranoid that they were trying to oust him from his position), she finally closed her eyes and succumbed to the weary sigh that had been itching to escape her since they'd begun mingling.

Zelos grabbed her hand and squeezed it, and when she opened her eyes, he gave her a wry grin. "Yeah, that sums up my feelings pretty well, too."

As much as she detested begging and whining, especially over something she'd been determined she would not beg and whine about when she'd agreed to come with him tonight, Giannovio had worn down her defenses and left her utterly exhausted. "Zelos, please tell me we're almost done mingling."

He chuckled, his smile softening, then pressed a reassuring kiss to her cheek. "We're almost done mingling. You're doing fine, sweetheart. Just a little bit-" Without warning, his voice cut off and his eyes lit up as he noticed someone in the crowd. "Aha! I know how to make up for that disaster with Giannovio." Using the hand still grasping hers, Zelos began leading her through the crowd again. "C'mon, this couple I want you to meet - and I want them to meet you, too." Sheena gave him a curious look, not sure if he was being serious or sarcastic about that, but she didn't argue because...well, she hadn't seen him this excited about talking to anyone here all night. He smiled at her. "You'll like these folks. Honest."

Huh, so he truly wanted to talk to these people. That was a first. And suddenly she was curious who here could actually rouse this kind of excitement in him. "Okay."

A minute later they were approaching an older couple standing along the back wall. Sheena's eyes narrowed as she looked them over. The woman was petite and probably in her sixties, but she looked radiant compared to the other women here, her white hair neatly curled up, her face wrinkled yet full of vibrant color and vitality, and her dress far more elegant and sophisticated than frilly and showy, as most other dresses here were. The man, on the other hand, was tall with gray hair and a neatly trimmed mustache. Sheena couldn't help thinking he looked distinguished and held himself both properly and proudly. There was an air about them that caught her attention; not only were they attractive for their age, but the way they held themselves was different from how the other people she'd met here did. Unlike those noblemen who came across as fake and showy, this couple actually seemed noble, like how the king and the princess held themselves. It was like they knew they had nothing to prove to anyone, so they weren't trying to - and that, in and of itself, impressed her. It would be refreshing here after all the other exasperating, subpar couples she'd met. Now she just hoped when they opened their mouths, they didn't wreck the mental image she was forming of them.

She and Zelos were a few feet away when the two finally noticed him approaching. Instantly, they both broke out into smiles and headed toward him. "Ah, Chosen!" the woman said, handing her glass of champagne to her companion and walking up to Zelos, placing her hands on his shoulder and pulling him down to her level so she could kiss his cheek. A moment later she stepped back, looked him over, and nodded her approval. "How good it is to see you again!"

"Eleanor," Zelos said, returning the woman's smile and lifting her hand to his lips to kiss it. "It's good to see you, too. You look lovely tonight."

"Thank you, Chosen," she replied, her face brightening further. "You look quite handsome yourself."

The older man bowed his head in greeting as he handed the champagne flute back to her. "Ah, so here you are, dear boy."

"Robert," Zelos said, shaking the hand the man extended to him. "Yep, here I am. So how are you two doing? I haven't seen you guys in ages."

"We are doing marvelously, Chosen," Eleanor said. "Thank you for asking. And you?"

Zelos glanced at Sheena, and for the first time since their mingling had begun, she saw no trace of the fakeness that had plagued him the past half hour, rather honest-to-goodness happiness sparkling in his eyes. It was obvious he was sincerely glad to see these people - and from what she could tell, they truly seemed glad to see him, too. Now she wanted to know who they were, how Zelos knew them, and why they seemed so different from everyone else she'd met tonight.

"I'm doing really well, thanks," Zelos said, turning back to the couple.

Eleanor smiled again. "Good, good. We are glad to hear that."

Robert mirrored her smile. "Yes, we are. In fact, we were just commenting a few minutes ago that we had yet to see you tonight. You had everyone talking about you when you did not appear when you were announced earlier."

"Heh, yeah, I bet they were," Zelos said, briefly glancing at Sheena and giving her a knowing smile before looking back at the man and shrugging nonchalantly. "We were just running a little behind tonight. Nothing major."

"Mm." Without warning, Eleanor's eyes snapped to Sheena, and the warm smile she'd given Zelos quickly transformed into a merely polite one - behind which, Sheena noted, was enough thinly veiled scrutiny to make her fidget. "So then I assume this young lady is your date for the evening?"

Zelos grinned proudly and lifted his left hand to Sheena's back. "She sure is. Eleanor, Robert, this is Sheena Fujibayashi, the king's Emissary of Peace to Iselia. Sheena, this is Eleanor and Robert Perichek."

As uncomfortable as Sheena still felt thanks to Eleanor's - and now Robert's - scrutinizing looks, and as uncertain as she still was about Zelos's connection to these people, she forced the same smile she'd used with everyone else tonight and shook Eleanor's hand. "It's nice to meet you both," she said, moving next to shake Robert's hand.

"You as well," Robert said.

"Yes, quite," Eleanor said with surprising, and alarming, curtness. While Sheena found it refreshing that this woman wasn't attempting to hide her disdain behind the same fakeness all the other women she'd met tonight had, she also couldn't help wishing for once that Eleanor would be a little less forward about it because it was making her uncomfortable. She wasn't sure she liked having a couple Zelos was obviously excited to see looking at her like that before she'd said more than a few words to them. She wasn't sure what she'd done, but she suddenly wanted to fix it; she just didn't know how.

Robert, likewise, looked Sheena over carefully. His face didn't reflect the same distrust his wife's did, but it was still far blanker than approving. "She is lovely, Chosen."

Zelos grinned and wrapped his arm around Sheena's waist. "Yeah, she is, isn't she?"

"Hm, yes, she is," Eleanor said. Suddenly, she looked back at Zelos expectantly. "So tell me, Chosen, how long have you two been dating?"

Either Zelos hadn't noticed how Eleanor was looking at her, which Sheena seriously doubted since he'd proven these past two months to be far more sensitive to how others treated her than she'd expected he would be, or his scheming mind had something else planned for his grin broadened even further as he looked back at Sheena. "Try, oh, two months."

To her surprise, Eleanor's disdain instantly vanished and both sets of eyes widened as they looked again at Sheena. "Two months?" Robert repeated. "Seriously, Chosen?"

Zelos nodded curtly. "Seriously."

Sheena's eyes narrowed. She was missing something here. Why the abrupt turnabout in their demeanor?

Robert nudged Eleanor with his elbow, his face brightening. "Did you hear that, darling? The Chosen and this beautiful young lady have been dating two months."

"Why, I most certainly did, Robert." Once again, Eleanor looked Sheena over, but that time her eyes were far kinder and more appreciative than scrutinizing. Sheena looked at Zelos curiously, but he just continued smiling proudly, and before she could pull him aside and ask why he was acting so smug, Eleanor hummed in approval. "I must admit, Chosen: I am impressed. I am quite certain this is the first time I have heard you say you aren't on your first date with your chosen companion for the night. In fact, I do believe you admitted to us once that three dates was the highest number of dates you had ever reached with a woman."

"Heh." Zelos rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I did say that once, didn't I?"

Robert bowed his head, a faint smile toying on his lips. "Yes, you did. And I remember soundly scolding you for toying with your dates' hearts like that if you knew before you started dating them that you were not serious about them."

"Yeah, I remember that, too," Zelos murmured, a light blush appearing on his face, and Sheena's eyes narrowed further. Okay, now she was intrigued: who were these people who could not only make him blush, but who obviously weren't afraid to scold the Chosen for his old, womanizing ways? "Well, I can assure you Sheena's different from all those other women. In every way imaginable."

"Obviously, if you have been dating her two months now," Robert said, his eyebrows rising.

"This is not like you, Chosen, to be serious about a woman for so long," Eleanor prodded.

"No, I guess it's not," he murmured, but then his eyes fell on Sheena and a soft smile crossed his lips. "Okay, I admit it: I'm an idiot when it comes to women far more often than I'm not. Contrary to popular belief, though, I am capable of recognizing when I've got something amazing in my hands that's worth holding onto. And if Sheena here doesn't fit that description, then nothing does."

Sheena's eyes widened, not only at his declaration, but at the loving, awestruck, happy look he gave her, and a moment later she couldn't help letting out a soft laugh and looking downward shyly, her face flaring, uncertain whether she should be touched or embarrassed. As complimentary as he'd been of her before this, he hadn't been this direct with his certainty about her, and she suddenly didn't know how to react. As much as she hated being caught off guard like that, though, she couldn't deny how good his words made her feel. And again, she couldn't help wondering just who these people were and how they knew Zelos if he was saying such things in front of them - things he hadn't dared to say in front of anyone else tonight.

"Well, well!" Robert said, his face lighting up further. "Eleanor, would you look at that?"

"Oh, yes, I see it, Robert!" Sheena looked up, alarmed, as Eleanor stepped closer to her and leaned down so she could see her face. As uncomfortable as she still was meeting Eleanor's eyes, the woman's smile truly was kind. "That is most definitely a blush."

Robert's smile widened, and suddenly he looked back at Zelos, his green eyes sparkling. "I am impressed, Chosen. I do believe this is the first time I have seen you with a woman capable of displaying such modesty."

Eleanor, likewise, nodded her approval. "I agree, Chosen. Usually a compliment like that would be met by your date with a ridiculous giggle, a toss of her hair, and a pitifully fake, bashful, 'Oh, Chooooosen,' not this."

Sheena blinked, scarcely believing she was hearing this woman so pointedly mock Zelos's hunnies like that, but before she could even laugh nervously at their reaction, Zelos grinned again and slid his arm possessively around her waist, drawing her closer to him. "Like I said, guys, Sheena's different than them."

"That much is becoming abundantly clear," Robert murmured.

"Yes, it is," Eleanor agreed.

Thankfully, Zelos finally decided to take pity on Sheena's curiosity, for he looked at her, cleared his throat, and began answering her unspoken questions. "Eleanor and Robert here spent years trying to convince me I was stupid for flitting around with my hunnies and that only 'decent girls' were worth my time, assuming I bothered with any girl at all seeing as I was already technically engaged. They always scolded me whenever they asked about my current girlfriend only to learn she was a different woman than the one I'd been dating the last time I'd seen them." He grinned. "Y'know, kinda like how you used to smack me for how I acted around my hunnies."

"Ah," Sheena replied. Wow. She hadn't known she wasn't the only one who'd pointed out how stupid he'd been with them. But on the other hand, that might explain why he wasn't a complete womanizer if he'd heard the same from people he obviously respected...

Robert's eyebrows rose as he looked at Sheena. "Oh? Is that so, that you also attempted to keep this boy and his wandering hands in line?"

Zelos chuckled as Sheena gave him a knowing grin. "Yeah, Sheena spent years trying to straighten out my attitude toward women, too."

"And now I do believe I have fallen in love with this lady myself," Robert declared, lifting his hand to his heart. "Eleanor, darling, I love you dearly, but I am afraid this is the end of us, for this young, exotic beauty has stolen my heart."

Eleanor chuckled and playfully swatted her husband's arm. "Robert. Behave yourself, you charmer, you." She gave Sheena an appreciative smile. "Although I must admit that I, too, already quite like this woman, Chosen!"

"Yeah, thought you guys might," Zelos said. Grinning broadly, he pulled Sheena even closer to him. "And for the record, sweetheart, Robert here is the one who taught me how I should treat women."

As if she'd needed even more reasons to be impressed by this couple. "Oh, that was you?"

Robert smiled proudly. "Yes, that was me. As you clearly are already aware, this boy here was quite a troublemaker when it came to women, but I taught him how to behave himself and treat a woman properly. I just didn't think he'd actually learned what I was trying to teach him, considering how he used to act. Now, however, it appears he might have learned those lessons anyway. I'm glad to see my patience and frustration with him has finally paid off."

"Yeah, it definitely did," Sheena said. As much as she hated stroking Zelos's ego for fear of eliciting a stupid response from him, he deserved this praise - and she suddenly wanted this couple to know this. She gave him a soft smile. "He treats me well and is an extremely good boyfriend." Thankfully, he proved her trust in him right for instead of replying with a stupid, arrogant line, he blushed again and returned her smile, the love in his eyes as he kissed her cheek again stealing her breath away. After a moment, she looked back at the smiling couple. "I guess I have you to thank for teaching him so well."

Finally slipping back into his more usual self, Zelos huffed, pulled away from her enough so he could see her face, and gave her a mock-affronted look. "Hey, I always knew how to; I just never had any reason to use those 'gentlemanly' skills before you came along!" He shrugged. "Besides, it's not like I could've seriously dated anyone before you anyway."

"Ah, yes, the Chosen's curse," Robert said, releasing a soft sigh. "Such tragedy that curse has wrought your family."

"Yes, it most certainly has," Eleanor said, her face, too, falling. A moment later, however, it perked up a little. "However, have I heard correctly, Chosen, that you have begun negotiations to remove the title from your name and free yourself of that curse?"

The sheer happiness and excitement that lit Zelos's blue eyes as he grinned made Sheena mirror his smile. "You'd better believe it. And as soon as we can work out the details, I - and the rest of my family - will be rid of that accursed title for good."

"Good," Eleanor said with a nod. "I am glad to hear that, and I know your grandmother would be, too. No other heart should ever have to go through what poor Sophia's did."

Zelos looked at Sheena, thankfully once again noticing her uncertainty. "Eleanor and my grandmother were best friends when they were growing up," he explained. "She knows everything my grandmother went through as the Chosen, having to marry a man she didn't love and bear a son whose sole purpose was to carry on our bloodline."

Eleanor cast a knowing glance at Robert and nodded somberly. "Robert here was the object of Sophia's affections for years, and yet because she knew she would never be permitted to be with him, she pushed me toward him instead, and in time, we fell in love and were married. However, I never forgot how devastating that sacrifice was for her - or why she had to do what she did for her family's sake."

"She was such a kind, lovely woman," Robert added. "I could have easily fallen for her myself, but she knew enough not to let me. In her place, she introduced me to Eleanor. We hit it off beautifully and have spent the past 37 years happily married."

Eleanor gave her husband a loving smile, then turned back to Sheena. "After she died, her son, the Chosen at the time and Zelos's father, a bitter, disrespectful man who blamed his mother for his existence and ignored her attempts to teach him a level of respect for his position as the Chosen, wanted nothing to do with us because we reminded him of her, and so we backed away from him. After his death, however, Robert and I took it upon ourselves to try to instill her morals and respect for her family into her grandson here. We did not wish him to fall victim to the same tragic mindset his father had embraced, the mindset that had caused his family so much pain; we wished him to always remember and respect his grandmother's sacrifice. And clearly, he has done so." She turned her gentle hazel eyes to Zelos and smiled. "I truly believe, Chosen, that Sophia would be pleased to learn you have walked in her footsteps and will not suffer the same heartache she did."

Zelos smiled, turning again to Sheena. "As a result, I've known Robert and Eleanor most of my life. After my parents died, they looked out for me, tempting me into spending time with them in exchange for some of Eleanor's homemade cookies. I dropped by whenever I wasn't busy with the king or the church or my hunnies, and they taught me a few things and told me stories about my grandmother." He shrugged and gave the elder couple a knowing grin. "It seemed like a fair tradeoff, listening to these two ramble on for awhile about life and love in exchange for chocolate chip cookies."

Sheena chuckled. Ah. So that was how Zelos had managed to acquire an underlying, albeit occasionally questionable and selfish, sense of right and wrong and a goal for his future, despite his horrible family situation: he'd had patient guidance from these two. No wonder he respected them so much; they'd had a profound impact on his life. "That was very kind of you to do," she told Robert and Eleanor.

Robert shook his head and waved that off modestly. "It was the least we could do for him - and for Sophia, too. Eleanor and I were never blessed with children ourselves, and so we felt it was our responsibility to help Zelos as we did, to make sure his grandmother's memory would live on through him."

"Precisely," Eleanor agreed. "I know Sophia would have done everything she could to help him had she been alive. Since she was unable to do so herself, we filled in for her."

Without warning, Robert motioned at Sheena's neck. "Eleanor, does that look like...?"

Eleanor's eyes narrowed, and she suddenly leaned closer to Sheena. "Why, yes, I believe it is." Her eyes snapped up to Zelos's. "Chosen, this was your grandmother's, was it not?"

"Yeah, it was," he said. "I should've known you'd recognize it, considering how long you two knew each other."

Eleanor gingerly touched the pearl pendant hanging from Sheena's neck, murmuring softly to herself - and suddenly, Sheena grew nervous, uncertain whether she'd be deemed 'unworthy' of wearing this heirloom. "I...I didn't have anything of my own, so Zelos..." she began, but Eleanor quickly shook her head, cutting her off.

"No, no, dear, you need not explain. I believe Sophia would be delighted to see this on you. This was always her favorite jewelry set, a gift to her from her mother. I am certain she would not want it to go to waste when it looks so appropriate on such a lovely lady as yourself." Her eyes snapped up to Sheena's. "Where did you say you were from, dear? I did not recognize your last name."

Oh. Right. Zelos hadn't mentioned that; he'd only told them she was the Emissary of Peace. She glanced at him, unsure whether he was worried about having these people learn he was dating a ninja, but he just smiled and watched her expectantly, letting her answer. Okay, so he didn't mind. And while she was proud of her people, he couldn't help feeling a little nervous about this, too, unsure how they would react to this; she'd really started to like the Pericheks, and if they didn't approve of her heritage...well, she didn't want to reflect badly on Zelos. But she didn't want to lie to them, either, so being truthful was apparently her only answer.

She gave Eleanor a sheepish smile. "Mizuho."

As she'd feared, Robert's eyes narrowed. "The ninja village?"

Sheena swallowed and nodded, but before she could say anything, Zelos tightened his grasp on her waist. "Sheena's in line to become the village's next chief."

She could feel her blush returning. Glancing at Zelos, she was surprised to see he was grinning - almost proudly, she thought. It took her aback and made her question her interpretation of his grin, because why would he be proud about something even she still wasn't certain about, something that was a huge threat to their future and would inevitably end their relationship? Did he really not realize just what that meant for her, for them? Her heart sank a little - but she couldn't deal with that now. At this party, with all these strangers around, definitely wasn't the time to be discussing her fears with him or sorting out what she should be doing regarding their relationship.

"Oh, is that so?" Eleanor said, her eyebrows rising curiously - but Sheena was relieved to see no trace of disgust in her eyes, either. "I must admit, I've never met a ninja before."

"Nor I," Robert said, a smile toying beneath his mustache. "I did not realize the women in Mizuho were this stunningly beautiful. Now I believe I must visit this village myself and see if any of the women there might be interested in an old codger like me!"

Eleanor chuckled and swatted his arm again. "Robert, behave yourself! Don't frighten the poor girl." She smiled sweetly as she looked back at Sheena - and again, Sheena was relieved to see only approval in her eyes. "If all of your people are anything like you, dear, then I must admit I have been under some rather unfortunate misconceptions about your village. And Chosen, I am pleased to hear you have not let similar misconceptions and social barriers stand between yourself and finding love. Love often grows where and when we least expect it, and choosing to pass it by for silly conventions created by the noble class simply to prevent feeling threatened by outsiders is a wise decision. I am proud of you for seeing that truth for yourself and acting on it."

"Thanks." Zelos gave Sheena another loving smile. "Believe me, I'd never forgive myself if I let this opportunity pass me by just because of some stupid people and their stupid social rules."

Robert smiled broadly and bowed his head. "I agree; I, too, am proud of you for making such a choice, Chosen. Sheena is a lovely woman who, from what we have seen, appears to possess many of the traits we hoped you would find. You have done extremely well for yourself since we last saw you. The troublemaking little boy we knew is finally growing up."

"Yes, you have grown into a truly charming man, Chosen," Eleanor added. "And not only are Robert and I proud of the choices you have made that have led you to this, but we are certain your grandmother would be proud of you and the man you are becoming as well."

Seeing a light blush appearing on Zelos's cheeks, Sheena couldn't help smiling and nudging him with her elbow, hoping the gesture would tell him that she, too, had not only fallen madly in love with him, but was proud of how he'd begun taking control of his life and turning it around - but, to her surprise, a dark cloud seemed to settle over his eyes and, despite the blush, his face fell a little. She didn't know what that was about, but before she could try to figure it out, he suddenly forced a smile for them and, clearly taking that as his response, Eleanor clapped her hands together and smiled broadly.

"Oh, you two simply must sit with us during dinner tonight! I would so love to hear more about your village and your life there, dear, now that I know there is more to it than I had been led to believe."

Sheena turned to Zelos, suddenly hopeful - now that it was obvious Robert and Eleanor wouldn't change their opinion of her because she was from Mizuho, she really did want to get to know them better - but Zelos released a regretful sigh. "Believe me, Eleanor, there's no one else we'd rather have dinner with. Unfortunately, though, I'm afraid the tradeoff I'll have to make for missing Princess Hilda's dance earlier will be that we'll have to sit with her during dinner instead."

Robert nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, unfortunately, you are most likely correct about that. She did seem quite distraught that you missed that dance, and that would be an appropriate way to make up for such a disappointment. Since this is her birthday, we cannot have her leaving disappointed tonight."

"As understandable as that reasoning is, I must admit that is a pity," Eleanor said, but then she gave Sheena another warm smile. "Well, then, you must stop by our home sometime, dear. I would love to learn more about your village - and I would especially love to learn more about the special woman who has done what none other has by stealing away our Chosen's heart."

Thankfully, that time when Zelos smiled, it was sincere. "Now that we will happily do."

"Yeah, I'd really like that, too," Sheena said.

"Especially if there are cookies involved," Zelos added with a broad, knowing grin.

Sheena rolled her eyes, but Robert and Eleanor both chuckled. "I believe we can manage that," Eleanor said.

"Then perhaps we should save the rest of this conversation for that time." Robert motioned at the crowd around them. "We still have a few more people we must speak with before dinner and then we will most likely slip away for the night."

Zelos nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. Then we'll see you two later."

Everyone bid their goodbyes, during which Sheena was surprised when Eleanor gave her a warm hug and Robert kissed her hand charmingly. And then the older couple was pulling away and vanishing into the sea of people. Zelos stood silently a moment, watching them go, and finally Sheena, curious why he was so quiet, turned to look at him, only to find that not only had his face fallen, but the dark cloud had settled over his eyes again. "Zelos?" she asked.

"Would she?" he whispered to himself.

Her eyes narrowed. He'd said that so softly that she'd barely heard him. "Would who what?" she asked, but he didn't reply, and just like that, it hit her what he was talking about: the look on his face now was the same one she'd seen a minute ago when Eleanor and Robert had been praising the man he was becoming. "You mean your grandmother?" Zelos glanced at her but didn't say anything - but his silence as he looked away again confirmed her hunch. "What are you talking about, Zelos? Of course she would be proud of you. Why wouldn't she be?"

He looked back at her and watched her a moment, his face frighteningly somber, but then he suddenly forced a smile for her - a fake smile, the one she'd seen him giving everyone but her so far tonight - and looked away. "Heh, yeah, of course she would be."

Despite the fake smile, though, his voice was still soft and betrayed definite disbelief. Sheena frowned, simultaneously growing irritated and concerned. "Zelos..."

Before she could continue, though, Zelos cleared his throat, his fake smile fading. "Anyway, I'm glad you got to meet them. I was hoping they'd be here tonight so you could."

Her frown deepened and she folded her arms to her chest. Damn it, he was doing that again - and that, mixed with that stupid smile, made her irritation rise to the point where, at a fancy party or not, she had to growl. "Agh, I hate when you do that," she grumbled.

Instantly, his eyes widened and his head snapped toward her in alarm. "Do what?"

Did he really not know? Okay, maybe he didn't realize he was doing it. While normally she would let it go, this time, because of that fake smile he'd just given her, she wanted him to know this so he wouldn't do it again. "Give me that stupid, fake smile, act as if nothing's bothering you when something clearly is, and then try to distract me by changing the subject when I ask about it. As if your feelings don't matter, or like I'm not good enough for you to share them with."

"...Oh. Heh. Yeah, I guess I have done that, haven't I?" Zelos scratched the back of his neck and gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry 'bout that, sweetheart. It's definitely not because I don't feel you're 'good enough,' or anything like that. I just..." He paused, considering that, then lowered his hand from his neck. "I guess even after all this time, I still occasionally have trouble remembering - or believing - that I have a girlfriend who actually cares about my emotional well-being."

Instantly, she softened, her irritation dissipating. Now that she believed. She poked his arm and arched an eyebrow, needing him to know this. "Well, I do. Don't ever doubt or forget that."

"I know," he murmured, his smile growing more sincere. "I'll try not to do it again. I just...I really don't want to think or talk about it right now." He shrugged. "Besides, this just doesn't seem to be the right venue to be hashing out something like that."

Okay, so he has a point there, Sheena realized, looking around at all the people, some of whom were still watching them. This, here, now, really isn't the time to be pushing to find out why he doubts his grandmother would be proud of the man he's become. "Well, I'll give you that much." Her eyes snapped back to his. "Later, then?"

Zelos briefly met her eyes, hesitating, but she just watched him expectantly, and finally he sighed and nodded, clearly unhappy about that but not fighting her anymore. "Yeah. Later."

Good. While she suspected he wouldn't bring it up himself and hoped she'd forget about it, she would let it go for now. And to that end, she would pick up on his earlier, attempted subject change. "Well, I can see why you wanted me to meet Robert and Eleanor." His eyes turned back to hers hopefully, and she smiled. "I like them."

Oh, good. He's becoming more certain and happy again. "Yeah?"

Sheena nodded. "Yeah. They're different from all the other noblemen you've introduced me to here. They're actually nice, and smart, and real. In fact, I'm pretty sure they were the first people we talked to who weren't lying to us through their teeth."

He grinned. "Yeah, tell me about it. Their family made their money the old-fashioned way - by working hard to get it - and they've always been very charitable with their fortune. They're one of the few families in Meltokio that I truly admire."

After what she'd just seen, she could believe that. No wonder Zelos admired them. Talk about having a good role model. "I'm looking forward to talking to them again."

"I'm glad to hear that. Me, too." Without warning, though, he sighed again and pulled away from her. "Unfortunately, their description of how distraught Princess Hilda was when I missed her dance reminds me I really should find her, apologize, and try to talk her out of wanting a replacement one later. Oh, and wish her a happy birthday, too." He arched an eyebrow. "Do you want to come with me when I do that? Or would you rather stay here?"

...Oh. Right. Hilda. Sheena cringed at the thought of going with him. If Hilda really did have a crush on him - which she did, not only because he was the Chosen and was one of the most gorgeous men here, but because of that one time he had rescued her - then Sheena suspected she would be better off making herself inconspicuous. Hilda probably didn't realize who his date was yet - since the newspapers had abruptly stopped talking about them two months ago, something Sheena still felt smug about, it was entirely possible Hilda didn't realize how serious their relationship was - and Sheena wasn't sure she wanted to broadcast that fact yet. Chances were Hilda would figure it out over dinner, if Zelos was right that they'd have to sit with her, but there was no reason to rub it in Hilda's face.

She shook her head. "No, that's okay, you go ahead. I'll wait for you."

Zelos watched her a moment uncertainly, but then he smiled. "Probably a good idea, all things considered. Then I'm going to get that out of the way. After that, if all goes well, I shouldn't have to leave your side again the rest of the night. Okay?"

"Okay. I'll be here."

He nodded. "Oh, and do you want some champagne? I can grab some on my way back."

Champagne? Really? Her eyebrows rose, and she couldn't resist smirking. "Are you saying you're actually gonna take a chance and drink the real stuff tonight?"

He returned her smirk. "Eh, it's about time I try something new. Maybe it'll make dealing with some of these people a little easier." He pointed sharply at her. "But I'm counting on you to be my babysitter. If I start saying something I shouldn't, smack me."

Sheena burst out laughing. Now that was something she never thought she'd hear him say. She flashed him a wicked grin. "Gladly."

"Yeah, thought you wouldn't mind that," Zelos replied, eying her warily. "Just don't go overboard with it or these people will deem my girlfriend abusive."

"And going light on you will take all the fun out of it." He chuckled and her grin softened into a smile. "No, seriously, I'll keep an eye on you. And sure, if you find a waiter, I'll take a glass of champagne, too. My nerves could use some loosening up."

Zelos pressed a reassuring kiss to her cheek, then pulled back, giving her a tender smile. "I'll be right back. I promise. Just don't move."

"I won't."

He turned and headed into the crowd, and, unsurprisingly, was almost immediately pounced on by the nearest group of hunnies. Instead of dealing with them, though, he shook his head, walked swiftly past them, and waved them off, soundly informing them, "Sorry, hunnies, but my heart's not on the market anymore," to which they all stopped and began whining and pouting, which had no effect on him. And Sheena couldn't help it: she blushed and her smile broadened as she watched him vanish into the crowd. It still amazed her, as it had when he'd informed the Pericheks that she was 'something amazing worth holding onto,' that he was that certain about her and about them and was willing to make such a definitive statement about it, leaving no room for doubt in his hunnies' minds.

Granted, a buried but persistent guilt still nagged at her, too, because as much as she loved him and wouldn't trade what they had for anything, she still couldn't see any possible future for them - but then, she'd told herself not to worry about that until the future was imminent, and so she wouldn't. After all, not only was it two months too late to prevent herself from getting 'too attached' to him, but she was determined to follow his mantra, 'Whatever will be, will be,' and enjoy every second they had together to its fullest. And to that end, she again pushed all thought of that distant, scary future from her mind.

Looking around again, her gaze fell on the hunnies Zelos had brushed aside, only to find them now glaring at her furiously, and it took all her restraint to simply look away from them, not smile smugly at them. But as the minutes passed while she waited, more eyes seemed to be turning to her - a number of men had begun staring at her with alarming lust in their eyes - and she was quickly becoming antsy and nervous standing here alone, with nothing to keep herself occupied and no way of knowing when Zelos would return. And...oh, wonderful. Here came Zelos's fan club toward her, undoubtedly planning to take advantage of his absence to insult her and warn her - again - to get away from their precious Chosen and go seduce some caveman from Mizuho or she would 'seriously regret it.' She had certainly heard enough of those threats from them the past two months.

With a sigh, Sheena closed her eyes and steeled herself, waiting for the inevitable from those stupid, shallow, jealous hussies. Just remember, she told herself, you can kick their asses if necessary, and the bottom line is that Zelos chose to be here with you, not them. Now if only they would accept that so you don't have to resort to violence, something that would undoubtedly reflect badly on Zelos and get you both in a world of trouble...

"Sheena?"

Her eyes flew open. Wait...she knew that voice. While it was a man's, it definitely wasn't Zelos's... Turning around, she instantly smiled, all thoughts of the hunnies vanishing amidst her excitement at seeing the man standing there. "Regal!"

"Ah, so it is you," he replied, returning not only her smile but the hug she gave him. They quickly pulled apart and he took in her appearance. "Well, well! Look at you! I barely recognized you."

A blush blossomed on her cheeks...but oh, was it good to see a friendly face here, and especially one she hadn't seen since that party the king had thrown for them to celebrate their successful journey, the one she hadn't spent much time at before she and Zelos had ended up out on that balcony, talking and basically falling in love. "Heh. Honestly, I barely recognize myself looking like this yet. I feel strange and out of place here. Y'know, like I'm pretending to be someone I'm not, like a fish out of water or, as Zelos says, an angel out of heaven."

Regal smiled and bowed his head in understanding. "I feel that way myself all the time lately. Let's just say I became so accustomed to my...previous attire...that dressing up like this," he motioned at his dark gray suit, "again still doesn't feel natural. You truly do look lovely, though, Sheena."

Her eyebrows rose hopefully. "Really?"

His eyes narrowed as if he was surprised she was questioning that. "Of course you do. This dress is beautiful and the color suits you well. You look elegant. In fact, I do believe you look considerably better than any other woman I have seen here so far tonight."

Her blush deepened. Wow. He really seemed to mean that. Talk about a compliment. Thanks to his own high-ranking status as a duke, he had attended plenty of parties like this, and hearing that, in his opinion, she looked okay and like she belonged here really was encouraging. Not that she didn't believe Zelos, but...well, his opinion wasn't typical. "Thanks. Heh. It's nice to get an unbiased opinion for a change."

Regal smiled knowingly. "Well, naturally my opinion is still biased since you are a dear friend, but I suppose I am less biased than, oh, say, someone like the Chosen would be."

And just like that, her eyes widened and her face flared. Oh...right. Regal most likely didn't know about her and Zelos. For the most part, they'd kept their relationship quiet since they'd started dating - tonight being the most showy they'd been since that kiss Zelos had planted on her in Meltokio's upper-class section and his declaration to his hunnies that she was his girlfriend - and without those rumors littering the papers, chances were Regal wasn't aware of it. Robert and Eleanor certainly hadn't known. And if he didn't know, then...well, he was about to find out because Zelos would be back any minute now.

Her gut twisted. As sure as she was about her relationship with Zelos, she hadn't planned on having any of their friends find out about it tonight - and she wasn't sure she wanted Regal, or even the rest of them, to know yet. She and Zelos hadn't discussed whether or not they'd tell their friends about 'them' if they ran into them, nor had they discussed what to do if one of them did find out about it, and so she wasn't sure what to do, if she should try to hide it (which she doubted would work considering Zelos was her date here) or just be open about it. On the bright side, though, this was Regal, the most mature, nonjudgmental of their friends. If she had to choose any of them to break this news to, it would easily be either him or Colette, the only other one she knew wouldn't tease them mercilessly. But still, seeing as honesty would probably be her only choice, explaining to someone why she loved Zelos when they didn't know him like she did and when she couldn't reveal his secrets to explain why she loved him so much would be...awkward.

Ah, well, she would figure that out when the time came. Besides, chances were Zelos would be back soon and she wouldn't have to explain everything herself. Without warning, Regal cleared his throat, and she jumped, realizing she'd never responded to his comment about how biased Zelos's opinion was. Yeah, great start, Sheena. Why don't you just tell him why his mention of Zelos left you so distracted?

She looked down shyly. "Heh. Yeah, you could say that." Just not quite how you mean it.

Regal nodded, but then his eyes narrowed as he looked her over again. "Well, as wonderful as it is to see you, Sheena, I must admit, I wasn't expecting to see you here. I was unaware that the king invited his emissaries to these functions, unless that is a more recent policy change. Congratulations on the position, by the way."

"Thanks," she murmured, suddenly wishing she had that glass of champagne Zelos was bringing her so her hands could fidget with something. "You can blame Zelos for that."

"I figured he was responsible for convincing the king to promote you to that position." His eyes narrowed further. "But that does not answer my question."

Well, actually, it did, but Regal didn't know that yet. "I...I was invited by someone other than the king."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh, is that so? So you are here with a date?"

As much as she didn't want to get into this, she'd already said too much, and so she could pretty much dismiss any possibility of keeping this a secret. Sheena bit her lip. "Yeah."

A smile of amazement lit his face. "I never would have thought it. Do I know him?"

While she still didn't feel comfortable volunteering this information, now that she'd decided hiding the truth wasn't an option, there was no reason to lie about it, either. "Y...yeah."

The curious, excited look in Regal's eyes made it obvious he was dying to ask who her date was, but apparently his manners were preventing him from being that direct and so instead he was fishing for details. "I see. Well, I can't imagine Orochi would have been invited by the king if you were not..."

Sheena shook her head, wrinkling her face in distaste at the thought of coming here with Orochi, a man she'd felt far more irritated with these past two months than even friendly toward thanks to his inexplicably out-of-character treatment of Zelos. "No, it's not Orochi."

"Mm," Regal said, his eyes narrowing again. "Is this your first date with this man?"

"No. We've been dating a few months now." C'mon, Zelos, I could really use you back here to help me explain this.

"Oh? So this is serious, then?"

She released a soft, nervous laugh, her eyes falling downward again. "You could say that."

When she looked up again, Regal was smiling warmly. "I am glad for you, Sheena. You certainly deserve to find such happiness. So where is he?"

She pulled her stole tighter around her, thankful she had at least that much to keep her from feeling completely naked and exposed. "He's, ah, getting us some champagne. He'll be back in a minute. You'll...figure it out then."

"I see," Regal said, eyeing her curiously again, but then he smiled and nodded. "Then I will wait until he returns to ask any further questions about that."

"...And I'm sure you'll have plenty," she murmured, returning his smile awkwardly.

"Mm, I see." He gave her an amused look, his blue eyes sparkling, but then he sighed and looked around the crowd. "I must admit, though, that I'm surprised I haven't seen the Chosen yet. I expected he of all people would be here tonight, enjoying being in the spotlight as he always does, and yet he did not appear when they announced him earlier, and Princess Hilda seemed rather distressed when he was nowhere to be found during the first dance. And I am not the only one surprised by that; I heard a number of murmurings from the attendees as well regarding that and his apparently more...subdued...demeanor lately. One lady even thought he had become seriously involved with a woman...which is a concept I'm not sure I can fathom when it comes to him."

Oh, yeah, her blush was back. Regal didn't even realize he was asking further questions about her love life by talking about Zelos - or maybe he had suspicions about her date's identity was and was trying to coax answers from her. "Oh, don't worry, Zelos is here...somewhere." She looked around, trying to spot his red hair, but she still didn't see him, and she decided not to try too hard. He'd be back as soon as he could. And as for the rest of Regal's statement...well, she didn't think it necessary to address that yet. Odds were he would see the truth for himself soon enough...assuming Zelos didn't freak out at seeing one of their old friends and pull out the Idiot Chosen act because he wasn't comfortable letting Regal see the real him yet.

Regal chuckled. "Yes, I suppose you, of all people, would know that. I'm sure he has been pestering you tonight as much as he always does."

She let out a soft laugh and toyed nervously with a loose curl of her hair. "Heh. You could say that." At least in a manner of speaking, just not the one you're thinking of.

"I'm afraid to think what he has been doing lately...or what kind of trouble he is getting into right now," Regal went on, apparently oblivious to her growing nervousness. "He's a good man, but he does not often think through his words or his actions. His character is best served in small doses, and always only with a grain of salt."

She might not have touched any alcohol yet, but obviously Regal had, because he wasn't normally one to speak like that about others, especially not a friend. She understood what he was saying, though: until Zelos had lowered his walls and shown her the real him, she'd felt the same way. If only everyone knew how closely Zelos thought through everything he said and did, they would be amazed; every single thing he'd said or done back then, no matter how 'careless' it seemed, had been intentional, performed to manipulate others' perceptions of him and the pieces of his Grand Master Plan. But Regal didn'tknow that, and she refused to address that right now, because doing so would mean betraying Zelos's trust, something she would not do.

So instead, Sheena smiled politely, choosing to adopt one of Zelos's own tactics of diversion and not answer Regal directly. "I think he's talking to Princess Hilda right now."

His eyebrows rose. "Are you certain he hasn't run off again? He has been known to live up to his reputation at these parties by running off with a lady he's interested in and not being seen for the rest of the night." He released a weary sigh tempered by a faint, fond, indulgent smile. "Such as what happened at the last party we attended."

...Oh. Sheena didn't want to know how red her face was, and she really hoped Regal didn't use her embarrassment to figure out that the 'lady' Zelos had run off with then had been her. "Yeah, he did, didn't he?" she murmured, albeit unable to resist smiling faintly as she remembered how amazing that night had been.

Regal's eyes narrowed as he observed her. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen you since that party, either - and I seem to remember everyone asking where you had vanished to that night as well. We were all surprised since the party was held in our honor."

Damn. So he was piecing it together, wasn't he? Like Zelos, Regal had always been a sharp man who caught most everything going on around him. "Heh. Yeah, I guess I didn't stick around long that night either, did I?"

"Mm," he murmured, eyeing her carefully. "That is why I'm surprised you agreed to come here at all, with or without a date, since it is obvious how little you enjoy these parties."

She let out a soft laugh, looking at all the unfamiliar and, for the most part, unfriendly faces around them. "Well, as much as I may hate these things, I am the king's emissary, and so I figured I should put in some public appearances." Her voice lowered and she glanced back at Regal, smiling awkwardly. That wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truth, either, and the disbelieving look on his face told her he recognized that. "A...and besides, I can't run out on my date like that. He's required to be here, and I promised him I'd keep him company."

"Sheena, who...?"

Okay, fine, forget waiting; Regal's curiosity was getting the better of him, and she should just put him out of his misery. She was just about to tell him when a glass of champagne suddenly appeared in front of her. "Here you go, sweetheart."

Oh, thank Jizou - Zelos and the champagne. Sheena took the champagne flute from him and gave him a soft, relieved smile as he stopped beside her. "Thanks."

Zelos nodded his 'You're welcome' and took a sip of his champagne, his freed hand immediately going to the small of her back. "Sorry I was gone so long; I kept getting detained by desperate hunnies on my way back here."

Yeah, no surprise there. Naturally, those ridiculous women would use any opportunity they could to try to steal him away for themselves. "That's okay. I've had good company."

She nodded discreetly at Regal, whose eyes, she found, had widened slightly, his lips curling upward, indicating he was now certain of her answer. Zelos grinned as he turned his attention to the other man. "So I see. Duke Bryant. Good to see you again."

Zelos pulled his hand from Sheena's back and extended it to him, and Regal firmly grasped and shook it. "You as well, Chosen."

The instant Regal released his hand, Zelos returned it to Sheena's back and gave her an uncertain smile before looking back at Regal. "I...honestly forgot that you'd be here tonight. It's been so long since you last could."

Sheena didn't doubt he'd forgotten; after all, if he'd realized it earlier, she was sure he would have mentioned it. "Well, except the last two parties," she softly corrected him.

His eyes briefly widened, but then he let out another awkward laugh, the blush returning to his cheeks. "Oh. Right. Sorry 'bout that, Regal. I was a bit preoccupied then. All those women draped over me at the first one, and then the last one...well..." His gaze fell on Sheena and he smiled knowingly, almost a little shyly, before clearing his throat and turning back to Regal. "In any case, it really is good to see you again."

Regal's eyebrows rose further, his suspicions clearly confirmed. "I was just commenting that I had yet to see you tonight. And fear not, I take no offense that the last two parties did not leave a significant impression of me in your mind. It has, after all, been many years since I have been able to regularly attend these events." Zelos gave Regal another apologetic smile and took another sip of his champagne, and a moment later, Regal looked from Sheena to Zelos and then back again, a knowing smile toying on his lips. "So am I understanding this correctly?"

Sheena released a shy laugh, her face growing even warmer. "Yeah, you are." As Zelos just had, she couldn't resist taking a sip of her champagne. She had a hunch she would need its help for the conversation soon to follow.

The grin broke out in full on Regal's face. "Ah, I see. I admit I was starting to suspect as much, but I was having trouble believing what my mind was trying to tell me."

"Heh...yeah, I bet you were," Sheena whispered.

Zelos observed her a moment through narrowed eyes, then he looked at Regal, and finally back at Sheena. "Okay, what am I missing here?"

Sheena bit her lip and tilted her head closer to his, lowering her voice. "Regal just figured out who my date for the night is."

"Ah, I see." Zelos gave them both a tight, awkward grin. "Well, I wasn't planning on that happening tonight, but what's done is done."

"Yeah, me neither," she murmured, taking another sip of her champagne.

Zelos watched her another moment, then turned back to Regal and motioned with his glass at Sheena. "Well, to be honest, Regal, I'm just glad if you were going to hear about this at all, you heard about it from her, not me. If it had been me, you never would've believed it."

Regal's eyebrows rose again. "Quite frankly, Chosen, I'm still not sure I do believe it."

Zelos let out a single laugh, giving Sheena a soft, shy smile. "Believe me, Regal, no one's more surprised by this whole thing than I am."

Mirroring his smile, Sheena lightly nudged him with her elbow. "Except maybe me."

He tilted his head in acknowledgement. "...Except maybe you."

"Ah, I see," Regal replied, watching them both closely. "That actually tells me quite a bit."

Sheena took another sip of her champagne, grateful for the relaxation the alcohol brought with it. If not for that, she knew she'd be feeling extremely uncomfortable being scrutinized again. At least this time it was only Regal scrutinizing them - but still, it felt weird knowing that someone who'd known them since before they'd reached this understanding with each other now knew the truth. She was pretty sure she could tell what was going through his mind right then - have these two completely lost their minds? - and not knowing yet how he would react to this was...unnerving. Even Zelos seemed uncomfortable, judging from how restless the hand resting against her back was becoming.

After a moment, Regal cleared his throat. "So when did you two start dating? Because I am quite certain you were not a couple during our journey."

"No...definitely not," Sheena replied, then looked curiously at Zelos. "It's been two months now, hasn't it?"

"Officially, two months," he said, taking another sip of his champagne. "Unofficially, if you count that first night, a little under three."

Now why didn't it surprise her Zelos knew those details off the top of his head? Sheena chuckled and motioned at him. "What he said."

The pieces were obviously fitting together for Regal, judging from his knowing smile. "Which would put it at that party the king held for us immediately after our journey ended?"

"You're a smart man, Regal," Zelos said, grinning and lifting his glass in commendation, but then he tilted his head. "Well, that, or we're very obvious."

Sheena snorted and lifted her glass to her lips. "Trust me, Zelos, you're anything but obvious. 'Obvious,' when it comes to you, usually doesn't turn out to be right anyway."

His grin broadened smugly as he watched her take another sip. "I try. Regardless, that was a very good night. Although I have to admit that definitely isn't how I'd expected it to play out. I never would've expected this to be the result, either."

Sheena could feel her blush deepen again, and she gave him another soft smile. "Yeah, me neither. But it was. It was a very good night."

"Mm, I see," Regal said, observing them both another moment, but then he smiled, a hint of teasing and amusement to it. "I must admit I'm surprised Sheena hasn't killed you yet, Chosen, nor that you haven't driven her completely crazy."

And here came the expected disbelief. Not that she could blame Regal for having trouble believing this; she and Zelos really had been at odds during their journey. "Heh. Believe it or not, Regal, he hasn't done anything for which death would be a suitable punishment."

Zelos beamed her a wicked grin. "Yet. I'll have to work harder on that."

Sheena chuckled, rolled her eyes, and nudged him with her elbow. "And, even more surprising, yes, I am still sane. Even I haven't figured that one out yet."

"I'll have to work harder on that one, too," he declared, waggling his eyebrows.

She shoved her elbow into his side again. "Idiot." But no matter how stupid his comments were, Sheena knew she was still beaming, and he wasn't resorting completely to the Idiot Chosen routine as she'd been afraid he would, thankfully, and so she knew he wasn't serious about that. Besides, he had more than proven how serious he was about her. With Zelos, his actions really did speak louder than his words - although those were getting to be pretty reliable, too. Oh, how she wished their friends could see him the way she did...

...But that, unfortunately, wouldn't be happening anytime soon. At least Regal was polite enough not to push the issue. "Well, whatever the case, I am glad for you, and I wish you both the best of luck," he said.

Sheena smiled shyly. "Thanks."

Zelos wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him, and pressed a tender, lingering kiss to the side of her head, giving her a happy smile as she turned to look at him. He then turned back to Regal and cleared his throat. "So what's been up with you lately, Regal? How's the Lezareno Company doing?"

"Very well, thank you," Regal replied. "Settling back into my old job as president was strange for awhile, but I quickly readjusted."

Zelos grinned knowingly and took another sip of his champagne. "Nice not to be out saving the world for a change, eh?"

"Mm, nice, yes...but I must admit, it has actually been a tad boring compared to that."

Both Zelos and Sheena laughed at that. "Oh, yeah, I can definitely relate," Zelos said.

Sheena nodded. "Same here, actually."

"I thought you might, although my employees are, unfortunately, not as understanding," Regal replied. "They cannot understand why I have begun insisting on regular physical training for everyone, for instance, nor why I have converted the storage area beside my office into an extensive food preparation area. However, other than the occasional bouts of boredom and creating a few new policies, everything is running smoothly. I've had to kill a few of the ideas my company brought forth while I was gone for the sake of preserving good taste, which I suppose one could liken to slaughtering monsters in the wild, but other than that, nothing major has arisen. So what have you two been up to lately?" He smiled and motioned at them. "Besides becoming a couple?"

Zelos shrugged. "Eh, you know. Same old, same old. Dealing with the king and the church, avoiding being groped by my hunnies, taking a trip with my sister, that kind of stuff. Sheena has been, by far, the best part of the last few months."

She blushed again and leaned her head into his arm in a makeshift hug. "Mizuho is doing well, too. Everything is running a lot smoother with Grandpa back. And, y'know, it's been busy, training students, dealing with the king and his jobs for his emissaries..."

"...None of which we are discussing right now," Zelos muttered, his eyes darkening.

"No, definitely not a subject I want to discuss right now," Sheena murmured. She'd had more than her fill of Minister Giannovio for the night, and thinking about all the stupid ideas he'd tried to implement regarding her position and the subtle insults he'd leveled at her in front of the king wasn't on her agenda right now. At least she had Zelos on her side, because if she didn't, she probably would have resigned within a week.

Without warning, Zelos's eyes lit up and he grinned again, lifting his champagne flute. "Ah, but they gave her a house!"

Sheena rolled her eyes, once again unable to restrain her smile. "You and that house."

He gave her an innocent look. "What? I just think it's amazing how much they love you."

Regal smiled, his eyebrows rising in curiosity and amusement. "I must agree with the Chosen, Sheena: that is impressive. I am sure they are grateful that you have safely returned to them after so long away, that you did so much to regain Mizuho's proper standing in Tethe'alla, and that you have agreed to become their future chief."

"That much is obvious." Zelos grinned at her. "It really is a nice house, love."

"Yeah, it's not too bad," Sheena replied, starting to feel uncomfortable with the subject matter of Mizuho and her home - a home that made it clear what her future held for her. She loved the house dearly and was immensely grateful to her people for it, but even she, trying as desperately as she could to bury her head in the sand, couldn't deny the symbol of what it meant for her and for her people.

And for her relationship with Zelos.

"You will make a wonderful chief one day, Sheena," Regal said.

"I hope so." Okay, that was enough; she needed to change the subject before she ruined her night by remembering not only how unfair she was being to Zelos by not breaking this off with him, but how it was already too late to prevent the devastating future she knew was awaiting them. If only she hadn't been so emotionally weak and fallen so deeply in love with him, if only her grandfather hadn't declared her to be his successor, if only real hope existed... "So anyway, Regal," she began again, clearing her throat and forcing those thoughts from her mind, "have you seen the others lately?"

"Other than Presea, who regularly stops by to brainstorm how to begin the reconstruction of Ozette, no, not recently," Regal replied. "Raine dropped by Altamira shortly after our journey ended, wanting to look through our records..."

"Yeah, big surprise there," Zelos muttered.

"...But she didn't stay long," Regal went on, smiling. "And beyond that, no."

Huh. So Regal hadn't seen the others either, eh? "Honestly, I'm surprised Lloyd hasn't stopped by yet, looking for Exspheres," she said. "I keep waiting for him to show up in Mizuho, but he still hasn't."

For some reason, Sheena could feel Zelos stiffen a little, but he didn't say anything, just took another sip of his champagne, and before she could figure out what was bothering him, Regal shook his head. "No, Lloyd has not visited Altamira yet, either. He and Colette must be starting with the Sylvaranti towns."

"Must be," Zelos said, his voice soft, but thankfully his tension was dissipating. "As far as I know, he hasn't dropped by Meltokio yet, either. Or if he did, he didn't stop by to say 'hi'...which would pretty much go against the entire essence of his being."

"So I take it you haven't seen anyone recently, either, Chosen?" Regal asked.

Zelos shook his head. "I ran into Genis in Sybak a few months ago when Seles and I were traveling around the world, but other than Sheena, no, no one."

"Me, neither," Sheena said. "Other than Zelos, of course."

"Of course."

The three fell silent, but then Zelos began again. "So what are-?"

Without warning, his voice cut off, his body froze, and his eyes widened. Sheena looked up at him curiously, but she wasn't sure why he suddenly looked so alarmed. He was clearly listening to something...but all she heard outside of the murmurs of the crowd was a loud, boisterous laugh coming from across the room - which, granted, was a little out of place here amongst all the stiff formality, but it wasn't alarming.

"Zelos?" she asked softly. "What is it?"

He briefly glanced at her, then at Regal, his face surprisingly somber and pointed. "Okay, I need you both to do me a favor. Regal, just stand where you are. Don't move, and don't turn around and look behind you."

Regal's eyes narrowed. "All right...?"

Zelos turned to Sheena and grasped her arm with his free hand. "Sweetheart, I need you to take a look behind Regal, but don't be obvious about it."

"Okay...?" She might have learned a lot about this man these past two months, but this was completely baffling her. "Zelos, what's going on?"

Releasing her arm, he lifted a finger for her to hold that question. "Do you see a guy with fairly short red hair anywhere in the crowd?"

For a moment, Sheena eyed him warily, but then she peeked around Regal, scanning the crowd. It didn't take her long to notice a man matching the description - bright red hair was hard to miss. "Tall guy, somewhat good looking, talking to some of your hunnies?"

Sheena glanced back to him, only to find he was frowning and shaking his head in either dismay or anger - she wasn't sure which. "Crap. I was afraid I recognized that laugh." He huffed. "I can't believe this. Of all nights, why did he have to show up tonight?"

A quick look at Regal yielded no answers as to what Zelos was muttering about - he looked just as confused as she felt - and so she touched Zelos's arm again, trying to regain his attention. "Zelos?"

He didn't hear her, though - or if he did, he still didn't look at her or answer her question. "Damn it. Can't we have a single date in Meltokio that isn't hijacked by crazy stalkers?"

'Crazy stalkers'? Okay, seriously, enough was enough. She needed answers. She squeezed his arm tighter, forcing him to look at her. "Zelos, what are you talking about? Who is that guy? And, more importantly, why do you care?"

Finally - finally - Zelos looked at her and sighed, his face softening. "His name is Matthew Fenimore." He arched an eyebrow at Regal. "Have you heard of him?"

Regal thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I can't say that I have, although I assume he is part of the Fenimore Corporation, which is a rival of the Lezareno Company." He shrugged. "But then, I have spent many years out of touch with upper class society so it is only natural I do not yet recognize the names of every Fenimore heir."

"...Right. And he wasn't invited to the last two parties here." Zelos waved that off with his hand. "Anyway, for years he's deemed himself to be my 'rival,' my 'competition.'"

Yeah? And? So? But? Therefore? Sheena still couldn't figure out why he was so upset about this guy. "Rival how?"

"He's determined to one-up me in everything. Everything. Anything I have, anything I want, he tries to get for himself. Especially women. Any girl I've shown even the remotest interest in, he's swarmed onto her like a fly to a dead egg bear. And the worst part is, once he's narrowed in on a woman he thinks I want, he will not leave her alone. Not until she either jumps into bed with him or takes out a restraining order on him."

Sheena blinked at him, tempted to burst out laughing - it was cute that he had a copycat, especially since the man she'd seen looked harmless and like a complete pushover - but she bit it back because Zelos seemed to be sincerely upset about this. "And...what? You don't really think if he came on to me that I'd run off with him, do you?"

Zelos shook his head, his face wrinkling in frustration and impatience. "Of course not."

"So then what's the problem? I think I can handle myself against an obnoxious, persistent idiot." She couldn't resist smirking and poking his chest. "I certainly handled you well enough for six years, didn't I?"

Finally, the harshest of the edge on Zelos's face softened, and he let out a soft laugh that made Regal's eyes narrow slightly. "Yeah, you did, and believe me, love, I know you're capable of handling this guy yourself." He gently brushed a curl back from her face, but the seriousness quickly returned to his eyes. "But you shouldn't have to. Trust me, if he finds out I'm here with you, our night will be ruined. We won't get a minute of peace. No matter what you try, he will not leave you alone. I've seen it before, many times. And while yes, you handled me well enough for six years, this is a little different."

Her eyes narrowed. "How so?"

He arched an eyebrow, his fingers lowering from her face and seeking out her hand. "Well, you know the guy you always thought I was? The guy I made a point to act like for years?"

"You mean the guy you turned out not to be?" she said, to which Zelos nodded.

"Yeah, him. Well, Matthew is the real deal...and then a hundred times worse than I ever was."

Okay, now she was getting concerned. "Worse?"

"Yeah, worse. I may have threatened to grope you, but he actually will...and then he'll try to do a whole lot more than just grope." Her face fell, and his frown deepened. "Let's just say all the kids with red hair who are running around Tethe'alla - the ones I'm always suspected of having fathered, even though I'm definitely not related to them - are his, not mine. And while nothing's ever been proven, it's debatable whether all those kids are by their mothers' choice."

Her eyes widened and her heart sank. Yeah, okay, that was bad. Now she was starting to understand why Zelos was so upset. "Oh."

"Exactly. And while I'll admit I've had fun playing with that in the past, depending on how much I liked the woman I was seeing at the time, I'm not doing that with you, Sheena. I refuse to put you through that." Zelos smiled wistfully and gave her hand a tender squeeze. "The last thing I need is you refusing to come to another party with me for fear of running into him again - or, worse, you losing your cool and having to beat him up to get rid of him and, in the process, being kicked out and permanently banned from these things. Like it or not, I'm kinda required to be here, and even though we've only been here an hour, I can already tell you this thing is infinitely more bearable with you by my side. And so, well, let's just say I'm hoping I'll be able to bring you again sometime."

Heat flooded her face at the compliment, and a glance at Regal showed that he was still watching with great interest, a single blue eyebrow raised. She quickly looked back at Zelos. While she now understood his reasoning, how did he propose they fix the problem? "So...what are you saying? That we can't spend the rest of the night together because it'll tip him off that we're dating?"

Without warning, Zelos smirked, his eyes sparkling, warning her that something stupid was coming. "Heh. Looking forward to dancing with me, eh?"

Her blush deepened as he waggled his eyebrows, especially when Regal tilted his head, clearly curious how she would react to that, but she just...couldn't be mad about that. Not right now, when this was bothering him and he was probably trying to figure out if she really was eager to dance with him. Really, she had a hard time getting mad at him at all for acting stupid anymore. For keeping things from her and giving her that fake smile, yes, but not for saying stupid things, not when she knew the truth about his feelings for her and why he resorted to using such tactics.

After a moment, she sighed, her eyes falling shyly from his. "Well...yeah, actually, I was."

Instantly, his smirk faltered and his eyes widened, as if her willingness to admit that had taken him aback, but his face quickly softened into a loving smile. "Yeah...me, too," he murmured, lifting his fingers to her cheek again.

Sheena leaned into his hand and returned his smile, her heart skipping a beat, but then she took a deep breath and motioned behind where Regal was standing, blocking Matthew from view. "So since we aren't ready to leave yet, what do you suggest we do about that guy?"

Zelos observed her a long moment, considering that, but without warning, his smile grew sheepish. "Well, I have an idea...but you won't like it."

Uh oh. That didn't sound promising. Usually when he had an 'idea,' he always made it clear she would be okay with it, no matter how bizarre it was - and she usually was - but for him to say she wouldn't like this one? Her eyes narrowed warily. "And what exactly does this 'idea' of yours entail?"

He rubbed his neck awkwardly. "...Heh."

And now he was afraid to tell her? Her eyes narrowed further and her hands suddenly twitched, itching to smack him and get him talking already. "Zelos..."

He lifted his hands and motioned for her to calm down. "Okay! Okay. Basically, it involves me hitting on some random hunny and making him think she's the girl I really want to be with tonight so he zeroes in on her, and then coming back to you, thus giving him the impression you're just a...consolation prize...and, therefore, not someone he needs to bother with."

Her jaw dropped. Was he serious? "You want to do what?"

"Shh!" he quickly hushed her, setting his champagne on a nearby table, grasping her arms, and leaning closer to her. "Keep your voice down. Don't get his attention." Okay, so he was right, she probably had been too loud about that, but still...was he out of his idiotic, perverted little mind? "Heh. Told ya you wouldn't like it."

Agh, she couldn't believe he'd even suggest something like that! Just the thought of him hitting on some other girl, while she was watching, was enough to make her twitching hands clench into fists. For the first time since they'd started dating, Sheena was seriously tempted to punch his lights out, storm out of there, and take advantage of the opportunity to finally break up with him like she should have done months ago. The only thing that held her back was the fact that this really was the first time he'd suggested something that made her want to slug him. Well, that and the sheepish, apologetic, worried smile on his face.

"No, I most certainly do not!" she hissed back to him.

Zelos ran his hands over her arms soothingly, his face pleading. "Listen, sweetheart, you and I both know the truth, all right? In fact, most people here tonight probably do. You are the woman I'm in love with and the only person I want to be here with. But I'm pretty sure he doesn't know that - or, if he does, this should divert his attention elsewhere - and I'll be damned if I don't get to spend some quality time here with you. Whatever it takes to get to the point where we can enjoy the rest of the night without having to worry about him interfering, I'm willing to do it. Are you?"

Sheena tried her best to glare at him, but he was looking at her with so much earnestness, guilt, and apology that it quickly softened. She hated this, and a part of her couldn't help questioning how much he really did love her if he could even suggest this, and another part was telling her that, honestly, she'd been expecting him to run off on her with another woman for months now...but the truth was that she was positive he wasn't trying to pull one over on her. Zelos was not, and never had been, the man she'd always believed him to be, and she didn't have a single doubt that he'd been showing her the 'real him' the past few months. The man she'd fallen in love with was real; he never would have showed her off tonight to the Pericheks, a couple he highly respected, and made it clear he deemed her 'something amazing worth holding onto' if he wasn't, nor would he have shaken off his hunnies and told them his 'heart's not on the market anymore' as he had.

More than that, though, if he wasn't serious about her, then he never would have promised not to pressure her for sex - and, even more telling, he never would have steadfastly held to that promise the past two months. If all he wanted was sex, after all, there was no reason for him to have stayed with her to get that. It wasn't like he had any shortage of women who would be thrilledto jump into bed with him, so knowing her limitations, why would he bother with her at all? No, Sheena knew he loved her, and she believed he knew what he was doing now. Besides, he hadn't gone behind her back with this; he was explaining his plan upfront and letting her voice her objections first. And chances were if she really didn't want him to do this, then he wouldn't, and they'd just leave. Zelos wouldn't hurt her, not now, not like this. And if he did...well, then, she could finally clear her conscience by dumping him once and for all.

Sheena released a low sigh and nodded curtly. "Okay, fine. I trust you, Zelos."

Instantly, he gave her a soft, sweet, relieved smile, leaned down, and pressed a tender kiss to her cheek, whispering, "Thank you," in her ear. Without warning, though, he pulled back and his smile turned decidedly mischievous. "And just to make this worth your while...have any of my hunnies been especially obnoxious to you the past two months?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Now what are you scheming?"

His grin grew downright dastardly. "You'll see. Trust me, this part you'll like."

Sheena eyed him another moment warily, but then she peered past Regal at the hunnies Matthew had been talking to earlier. Matthew himself had wandered off to mingle with another group of women a short distance away, full glass of champagne in hand...wait, hadn't it just been empty a minute ago? That meant he was drinking quite a bit. Good, maybe that meant Zelos's plan really would work. Now, as for the hunnies...

It didn't take her long to spot the one she had in mind. "Her," she said, pointing at the culprit. "The blonde in the green dress. I think her name is Greta."

Zelos poked his head around Regal so he could see. "Yeah, that's Greta...hey, really? Greta treats you the worst?"

"Oh, absolutely. Every time she sees me, she..."

"Ah!" Zelos quickly pulled her back behind Regal's towering form and pressed a finger to her lips. "Hold that thought, because if you tell me, I'll want to smack her, and that won't work with what I have planned. But I do want to hear this later, okay?"

...Oh. Right. And that, too, just reinforced he wasn't out to cheat on her, not if he was letting her pick the woman with whom he 'cheated' - and who obviously wouldn't be walking away from this happy. She nodded. "Okay."

He grinned. "Just watch. This will only take a few minutes. Oh, and Regal? Think you could do me one more gigantic favor?"

Regal's eyebrows rose, a smile toying on his lips as he folded his arms to his chest. "I'm almost amused enough by this entire display to say 'yes.'"

Zelos waved that off. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. Just...dance with Sheena until I'm back, okay?"

Regal smiled and bowed his head. "I believe I can handle that." His eyes turned back to Sheena and he arched an eyebrow. "Is that all right with you, Sheena?"

Her gaze snapped back to Zelos. She wasn't sure if having her dance with another man was part of his plan, if it was his attempt to keep other men from hitting on her while he busy, or if he was trying to distract her from what he was about to do, but whatever his reasoning, she couldn't see anything problematic about it. She might still be uncomfortable with his scheme, but she did understand it, and really, he had yet to give her any reason not to trust him with this. Besides, she could tell that whatever he was planning, he wasn't happy about it either and was only doing it to guarantee that the rest of their night would go smoothly. All things considered, how could she argue?

She sighed again, then gave Regal an appreciative smile. "Of course, Regal. I'd like that."

Zelos smiled, then leaned in and pressed another tender kiss to her cheek, letting his lips linger there longer than strictly necessary before whispering in her ear, "Love you."

Sheena could feel her face flare again. It felt strange to be expressing such a direct level of emotion in front of a friend, but she smiled anyway as he pulled back to look at her, needing him to know that not only did she trust him, but she loved him, too. "You, too."

He gave her one last happy smile, his eyes shining with unbridled love, but then he sighed, grabbed his glass of champagne from the table, and downed half of what remained in a single gulp. Taking a deep breath, he then stepped away from them and began wandering through the crowd, slowly heading in Greta's direction, that infamous, appallingly fake smile reappearing on his face as he stopped to talk to people on his way. Sheena sighed, hating to see how effortlessly he could still summon the mask, even after two months of only sporadic use, but at least it was easier to bear knowing the truth about him - and especially knowing he didn't intentionally use it with her. It made her feel special, actually, not only knowing she was the only one who regularly got to see him without the mask on, but also seeing how he went out of his way to accommodate her wishes, even to the point of doing something uncomfortable like showing her his real self, simply because she preferred that man over his counterpart.

For a moment she watched him wander through the crowd, until suddenly Regal spoke, regaining her attention. "Well, I must admit that is perhaps the most surprising and interesting display I have witnessed in weeks."

Sheena chuckled, looking down at her glass of champagne shyly. "One thing Zelos is not is boring. I'll give you that."

Regal grinned. "Some things change; other things apparently never do."

You have no idea, Regal. "No, I guess not."

He stood silent a moment, eyeing the crowd, then cleared his throat. "In any case, Sheena, would you care to dance?"

Regal extended his arm to her, and after a moment she smiled, nodded, finished her champagne, set the glass on the table, and looped her arm through his. He led her toward a spot where a number of people were dancing, close enough that they could see and hear Zelos. It took Sheena a moment to find her feet as Regal grasped one of her hands and placed his other hand to her back, inexperienced as she was with dancing - the last person she'd danced with had been Lloyd, and he'd been even worse at this than she was - but at least for as clumsy as she could be, she was also confident enough that she could hold her own in these situations, and soon she was comfortable following Regal's lead. Casting another glance at Zelos, she could see him swing close to where Matthew was - and judging from how Matthew had finally started watching Zelos, that had been his intent, to get Matthew's attention and make it known he was mingling on his own and was, therefore, dateless. Satisfied that Zelos was still laying out the framework for his 'show,' Sheena turned her attention back to Regal, who offered her another smile.

"So," he began, nodding faintly in Zelos's direction, "I see the Chosen finally succeeded in winning your heart after all."

...Oh. Right. It was apparently time for the interrogation over her choice to date Zelos Wilder to begin. She looked down shyly, her blush returning. "It...it wasn't like that."

"No, I imagine it was not or you wouldn't have remained with him this long," Regal replied, giving her a faint but thankfully reassuring smile. "One night, I could understand. One week, I could understand as well. But you would not still be together after two months if that was how the scenario played out. I suppose I am most surprised that you were willing to give him such a chance in the first place."

For a moment, Sheena didn't reply; she just glanced again at Zelos, who was still wandering through the crowd. What should - and could - she say to make this situation more believable to someone who didn't know the man she was dating? Zelos had spent their entire journey teasing and provoking her, quite publicly at times, and she had responded by rising to his bait, insulting him, and smacking him senseless, and now, only three months later, they were seriously dating? It made sense to her, knowing why her perception of him and his attitude toward her had both changed so drastically, but no one else knew that, and she couldn't tell them without revealing things she'd promised Zelos she wouldn't tell anyone. She wished Zelos would just reveal the truth to them like he had to her, so others could get to know the real him and understand why he'd acted as he had, but she did understand why he didn't feel comfortable doing so after all the brainwashing the church had done to convince him no one would ever accept him for him. For such an 'arrogant' man, he really was insecure about that part of himself. It was sad things were this way, especially when she knew their friends would gladly accept him for his real self if only they knew the truth.

And suddenly, she wanted to try, without saying too much, to get that point across to Regal - Regal, the one most likely to understand without pushing too hard since he knew what it felt like to try to hide part of himself from his friends, fearing what they would think of him. She wanted at least one of their friends to understand Zelos, even just a little, so maybe he, too, could show Zelos it was okay for him to be himself with more people than just her. Maybe Regal could even start looking for the scared little boy hiding inside the man, show him he accepted him, and then draw him out more regularly. It was certainly worth a try.

Now, to do that without accidentally saying something she shouldn't. Sheena chewed on her lip a moment, choosing her words carefully, then sighed and looked back up at Regal. "There's so much more to him than any of us ever guessed. None of us ever really knew him, not even me. We all thought we did, but the truth is we knew nothing about him. And that's exactly how he wanted it to be."

Without warning, Zelos's words from three months ago returned to her, about how he'd been so disillusioned with life that he'd nearly resorted to the most drastic of measures to be free of it by attacking them...and how he'd known exactly what would have happened to him if he had. The mental image flashed through her mind again of the man she now loved so desperately lying on the ground before them, bloody and dying, giving up and wanting to die and end his pitiful existence...and she had to squeeze her eyes shut and forcefully shove that image away as her gut twisted and nausea struck her. If only their friends knew how close he'd come to it, how fate and a coin flip had nearly ended his life that day, she was positive they would see him differently. She certainly had.

Thankfully, even though she couldn't tell Regal that, he still nodded somberly. "I always suspected there had to be more to him than what he showed us, and your choice to give him this chance confirms that that 'other side' truly does exist. I strongly doubt you would be seriously dating him, nor that your relationship would have lasted this long, if all there was to him was what we saw during our journey and what rumors claimed him to be."

"Believe me, there is," she whispered, her gaze darting at Zelos again. "There's so much more to him that sometimes I still have trouble seeing this man as the same one we traveled with. And the rumors...well, that's all they are: rumors." Her eyes snapped back to Regal's. "But you said it yourself, Regal: he's a good man. Beneath the stupid act, he has a good heart. That's one thing about him that's never been a lie or an act."

Regal smiled softly. "I must admit, I had difficulty believing the rumors that he had become more subdued could be true, but what I saw tonight was convincing. He truly does seem calmer than I have ever seen him before."

'Subdued' and 'calm' were two terms Sheena was pretty sure she would never use to describe Zelos herself - he was, after all, the most unpredictable, energetic, excitable man she'd ever met - but she understood what Regal was saying, and she understood what the gossip and rumors were getting at, too. "Heh. You have no idea."

"As I said, I had an inkling that what we saw could not be all there was to him," he replied. "He just made it so difficult at times to believe and to see past the foolish, arrogant, childish, skirt-chasing man he typically appeared to be. Digging too deeply with him usually resulted in his insulting you in some way."

Sheena let out a soft laugh. Yeah, she supposed that was true for some of them, like Regal. In her case, though, it had taken on a more obnoxious form: Zelos pushing every single one of her buttons, either by calling her names like 'hunny' or 'banshee,' hitting on her, or threatening to grope her. If she'd known that was merely a defensive tactic, as a way for him to get her to leave him alone, she never would have let herself fall for it. "Believe me, you're not telling me anything I don't already know. It took some very unusual circumstances - and a once-in-a-lifetime chance occurrence - before I could get past that wall and start seeing the truth for myself. And now...now I know better." She paused, weighing what she could safely tell Regal. "All he's ever really wanted is to be accepted and respected for who he really is, to not have to act like the Idiot Chosen everyone expects from him all the time, to have others trust him and put their faith in him. We always saw him as foolish and careless, but he wasn't, not at all. Every choice he made, whether it was how he acted or what he said...he had a reason for it."

Regal tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowed. "And obviously you found those reasons to have merit."

She smiled shyly and nodded. "Yeah, I did. They're probably not the choices I would've made in his position, but I can understand why he made them, and I don't hold them against him. I don't think any of us can fully comprehend what his life was like before our journey, how frustrating, depressing, and lonely it was. And now, as difficult as it is for him to let go of the act...well, I think you can see the result for yourself."

"Yes, I can. And truthfully, if his life was as difficult as you are implying, then I am glad he has found someone he trusts enough to confide in as he clearly has with you. Perhaps that, in and of itself, is why he has begun calming so drastically." Without warning, however, his face grew somber and intense. "However, please do not be offended by this question, Sheena, but as your friend, I must ask it. Are you certain he is not merely playing another game with you, that he has learned the most effective way to get to you and is utilizing that?"

It saddened her that he had to ask that at all, and yet she understood why he had. She just wasn't sure how to express her certainty about Zelos in a way that would persuade him now; after all, it wasn't any of Regal's business that Zelos had promised her he wouldn't push her for sex and had then followed through on that promise, despite how 'stupid' he found the restriction to be, nor could she explain how much it meant to her that he hadn't - or how it proved to her that yes, he truly did love her. Whether she could explain it or not, though, she would certainly try.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I have no doubt he's serious about this. I would've noticed by now if he wasn't. In the past two months, he hasn't given me any reason not to trust him, and there hasn't been a single sign of his usual womanizing games. And believe me, I've been looking for them."

His faint smile returned, and he bowed his head. "Then I will trust your judgment and hope he proves you right about that. As I said, what I witnessed tonight was convincing. And if that is what you have seen these past two months and he has given you no reason to believe otherwise, then I will defer this judgment to you."

"Thanks." Sheena bit her lip again as she cast another glance at Zelos, who was still wandering through the crowd, making his way closer to Greta, then she looked back at Regal, her voice lowering. "He wasn't trying to make me fall in love with him, Regal. And looking back now, that's why I did." Regal smiled softly, and her eyes briefly fell to his gray suit. "It just...happened. I caught him in a rare moment when his guard was down, and he tried to push me away before the rest of it fell, but...I'll probably never know why, but I didn't run away from him that night, no matter how many buttons he tried to push. I guess I saw something there that made me want to see more. I had to fight to win his trust and get him to lower the rest of his walls with me, but...well, what he showed me was worth the effort. I liked what I learned about him. There's so much more to him than I ever imagined possible. He's not the man he's always pretended to be, nor the man rumor claims he is. I wish I could tell you all the details so you could see him the way I do, but I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone. He trusted me enough to tell me, and I refuse to betray that trust."

Regal shook his head. "Don't worry, Sheena. I would never ask you to do so."

Exactly as she'd expected. Oh, was she glad Regal had proven her right. And if he was willing to give Zelos the benefit of the doubt, then she suspected their friends would react similarly. Most of them, anyway. "Thanks. I appreciate it. I mean, don't get me wrong, there are plenty of times he still acts as stupid and obnoxious as ever, and he's not comfortable letting others see the 'real him' very often yet - although he did better with you tonight than I expected him to - but the man behind the mask...if he ever lets you meet him, I'm positive you'll like him."

"That explains how your opinion of him changed so drastically that it led to such a serious relationship," Regal said. "Of all people, you would have the most right to dismiss him considering how he used to treat you. Knowing you like what you have found in him, though, then I, too, will endeavor to find the man hiding beneath the act."

Sheena smiled. That was exactly what she wanted: an ally who would try to get Zelos to act more like himself with people other than her. So far, explaining this to Regal had gone extremely well, and she was suddenly glad that, despite the awkwardness of being discovered like this, they had run into him tonight. "Thank you. I'm sure if Zelos knew that, he'd thank you, too."

Regal bowed his head again. "Regardless of his questionable choices, he is still a dear friend who saved our lives, and I owe it to him to give him the same chance you have. Perhaps if you and I make our willingness to do so clear, the rest of our friends will do so as well."

"I hope so," she murmured, looking again at Zelos, who was now only a few yards away from Greta.

But then, that thought actually sat rather uncomfortably with her, too, and she quickly realized why. Zelos wasn't ready to face their old friends like that yet - heck, he was barely comfortable being himself around her yet - and really, she wasn't ready to try to explain their relationship to them yet, either, nor to deal with their questions and insistence that she was making a mistake dating an 'idiot' like him. Even though Regal, too, hadn't seen anyone else lately, it was just as likely that he would run into them as it was for her or Zelos. One of these days they'd have to discuss how to handle any future run-ins with their friends, but until that happened, Sheena knew she had to ask Regal this to take the pressure off of Zelos, at least for awhile.

"Listen, Regal, can I ask you to do us a huge favor?" she began again.

His eyes narrowed as if to say, 'You need to ask?' "Of course, Sheena."

"I...I really hate asking you to keep secrets, but if you happen to see Lloyd or the others, could you, um, not mention this to them?" she ventured. "It's not like I'm embarrassed for anyone to know we're dating, but...well, we both know what the typically held view of him is."

Regal arched an eyebrow. "That he is an irresponsible, arrogant, narcissistic womanizer?"

You forgot 'perverted,' her mind added, but she didn't bother mentioning that because, well, even now, Zelos's mind was still perverted more often than it wasn't. Instead, she grinned. "Yeah, that. And unless they've seen him not acting like that...well, I can't say I'm eager to find out how they'd react to learning we're dating. We're just not ready for that step yet."

"Mm, yes, I see your point," he replied, nodding thoughtfully. "It is unlikely they would be quite as understanding if they had never seen him like this, especially if the Chosen is still too uncomfortable with himself to let them see it."

Oh, good. She'd known he would understand. "And because I did promise him I wouldn't share his 'secrets' with anyone else...well, it would be awkward trying to explain why I love him so much when they don't have all the other background information. I'm not exactly eager to have certain people insisting I should dump him or trying to convince him he's not 'good enough' for me. Y'know, stupid stuff like that. I love him too much to put us both in the awkward position of having to fend off all the questions, teasing, and disbelief."

"Of course. And please don't worry, Sheena. Your secret is safe with me - although I must warn you that if your relationship continues, they will eventually find out about it."

"I know. And hopefully by the time that happens, we'll be ready for it." She laughed softly. "The truth is, we really weren't expecting you would be here tonight. I'm just glad if anyone had to find out about us before we were ready for it, it was you."

Regal smiled warmly. "Believe me, Sheena, I am in no position to judge your choices. I have experienced more than my share of romantic drama, and I would never make your relationship any more difficult than it already might be."

Sheena returned his smile, recognizing what he was referring to: Alicia, and her tragic fate. "We know."

"And besides," he went on, "from my perspective, it truly appears you both have made the choice that is right for you. I am glad for you, Sheena. You truly seem to be happy."

Her blush returned and the smile reappeared on her face. He had no idea how accurate that was. "Yeah, I am. More than I ever thought I'd be, especially with him."

"It looks good on you. And from what I saw, it appears the Chosen, too, is truly happy."

That, too, would never fail to amaze her. Sheena's eyes darted at Zelos, and seeing the obnoxious, fake smile on his face now just reminded her of all the real smiles she'd seen from him the past two months - smiles she was slowly but surely learning to evoke and that made her heart simultaneously melt and soar whenever she managed it. "Yeah, he is, too."

Regal nodded knowingly. "Likewise, it is obvious you have given this significant consideration before reaching these conclusions. I would be concerned if you had not, if you had merely fallen victim to his charms, but I cannot deny what I saw tonight. Rest assured that your relationship is your business, and I will not betray your confidence."

She and Zelos truly were blessed to have such a mature, understanding friend. "Thank you, Regal. We really do appreciate it."

"Of course. You would do no less for me."

Sheena gave him a warm, grateful smile that he returned, and then, with that taken care of, they slipped into silence as they continued dancing. She looked around, quickly spotting Zelos again...ah, he'd finally reached Greta. He briefly turned back toward Sheena and, seeing she was watching him, gave her a knowing smile that she mirrored, blushing, then he took a deep breath, puffing himself up, and turned toward Greta.

She nodded discreetly in Zelos's direction. "Looks like the show's about to start."

Regal glanced in the indicated direction. "Do you wish to get closer so we can hear this?"

"Sure," she replied, and they slowly began inching their way closer, under the guise of dancing. Seeing Zelos's eyes light up as he walked toward Greta, Sheena couldn't resist smirking. "Here we go."

"Why, hunny!" Zelos exclaimed, loudly enough that Matthew - and probably half the room, too - could hear him. "Here you are! I was looking all over for you!" He immediately grasped her right hand and, beaming her a charming smile, lifted it to his lips, pressing a kiss - a very brief kiss, Sheena noted, stifling her annoying flare of jealousy - to the back of it.

Greta's eyes narrowed as she watched him. "Chosen. Aren't you here with that trampy girlfriend of yours?"

Even from their distance, Sheena could still see the anger flash through his eyes at the insult - yep, Zelos, you heard her right, and that's mild compared to some of the other adjectives she's used to describe me - but it quickly vanished again behind the mask. "Oh, her? Nah, not anymore." He released a sad, showy, exaggerated sigh, his hands sweeping outward to express his 'dismay.' "I had to break up with her. She was getting too jealous of you, my sweet hunny. Kept whining about how I was pining over Greta. Greta this, Greta that. I can't handle that kind of nagging when she should know my heart belongs to one hunny only! Besides, how could I pay her any attention when you look so lovely tonight!"

Sheena snorted and rolled her eyes as Greta immediately began smiling, giggling, and toying coyly with her hair, buying his ridiculous act. It was obvious to her that Zelos had just lied through his teeth; his over-the-top voice and sweeping hand gestures were dead give-aways, even if Greta didn't seem to catch it. No, Sheena had heard him when he was being sincere, and there was no similarity to what she'd just heard.

"I know what you said, Sheena, but are you certain you want to date that man?" Regal said, his eyes narrowing, but the hint of amusement in them told her he was only teasing.

She grinned. "Trust me, Regal, that is definitely not the man I'm dating."

"For your sake, I hope not."

Zelos held out his arm to Greta. "Shall we dance, hunny?" he asked suavely.

"Oh, of course, Chosen!" Greta said, looking like she'd just won 10 million gald. "I've been waiting with bated breath for this very moment all night!"

With a ridiculously pathetic giggle, she threw herself onto Zelos's left arm, clutching it as if for dear life. Sheena could see Zelos tense at Greta's possessive hold, and she was certain he'd just frowned and rolled his eyes as he looked away from Greta, but then he gave Greta a saccharine sweet smile and led her toward an area where couples were dancing. Grinning broadly, Greta looked around at everyone, clearly pleased to be showing off her unexpected 'conquest,' and unsurprisingly, the moment she spotted Sheena watching her, she gave her a nasty, smug, 'Ha, I've got your boyfriend!' glare. Sheena, however, just smirked right back at her. While she still wasn't sure about Zelos's game plan, somehow she didn'tthink Greta would be feeling so smug once he'd finished playing all of his cards. She also noted that Zelos went out of his way to walk directly past Matthew, who immediately stopped talking to the brown-haired woman he'd been flirting with and watched Zelos and Greta walk by, before suddenly grabbing the woman's hand and dragging her along with him, following Zelos, forcing her to dance with him. Whatever game Zelos was playing, he was very carefully putting the pieces into place.

Soon after passing Matthew, Zelos picked a spot and stopped, and a moment later, he and Greta started dancing - and again, Sheena noted, not only was he being careful where he placed his hands, but he was keeping far more distance from Greta than she'd ever seen him keep when dancing with a hunny. And that just eased Sheena's remaining concerns. He wasn't enjoying this; every time he looked at Greta, he was giving her that smooth, fake, Chosen's smile, the one Sheena now knew said, 'I hate this and want out of this, but I can't let anyone see that'...the one that bore no resemblance to the real smiles Sheena saw from him. But Greta either didn't notice that or didn't care, for she just continued gazing up at him with utter adoration, smiling coyly, batting her eyelashes, and gripping his hand and shoulder far too tightly.

But he wasn't dancing with Greta for Greta's sake, and sure enough, only a minute later Matthew shook off the brown-haired woman he'd been dancing with and headed toward them. Sheena motioned discreetly at Matthew. "That didn't take long."

"No, I see that," Regal replied, watching the scene unfold. "I must admit I'm curious now if this Matthew character is really as colorful as the Chosen depicted."

"Me, too," Sheena said. "This should be interesting."

A second later Matthew reached them and stopped, patting Zelos sharply on the back and releasing a loud, fake laugh. "Why, Chosen! I didn't expect you to be here tonight!" Sheena had to bite back a laugh as she saw Zelos's eyebrows rise as if to say, 'Yeah, right...oh, and by the way, you're a complete moron.' Before he could verbally respond, though, Matthew turned his eyes to Greta as she and Zelos stopped dancing - and Sheena could have sworn she saw little pink hearts appear in them. "My, my! And who is this lovely lady?"

Instantly, the disgust in Zelos's eyes transformed into fake glee. "Oh, this? Why, this is the hunny of my dreams, Greta!"

Matthew gasped and raised a hand to his heart. "Greta! Oh, what a lovely name that is! And oh, what lovely grace she possesses! Isn't she positively divine, Chosen!"

"Of course she is!" Zelos released Greta and mimicked Matthew's hand-to-the-heart pose. "She is the most heavenly creature I've ever laid eyes on! Wouldn't you agree?"

"Why, I do not believe I have ever seen a woman quite so beautiful!" Matthew replied. Sheena could scarcely believe it, but somehow he'd managed to make his words even more over-the-top than Zelos just had. "Just look at those sea-foam green eyes! That thick, wavy hair! This beautiful dress!" Suddenly, he gasped again. "But my dear, for as lovely as your dress may be, someone as beautiful as you shouldn't be covering her beauty with so many clothes! I mean, look at this figure! These curvy hips! These shapely legs! These heavenly, pillow-cushion-soft breasts!" He looked at Zelos. "Why, don't you agree, Chosen, that she is the most fine specimen of a female body you have ever seen?"

Greta giggled as she gave Zelos a hopeful look, brushing her hair back and jutting out her chest proudly. Instead of answering, though, Zelos's face transformed from fake glee to fake shock, his jaw dropping and his eyes widening as he took a step backward, away from her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hunny, is it true? Has he seen and felt all of you already?" Greta blinked at him several times, her face falling a little, clearly surprised he hadn't agreed with Matthew. "Please, hunny, tell me it isn't true! I mean, there's only one way Matthew here could know just how beautiful and pillow-cushion-soft your breasts are, and that was if he'd already had you naked in his bed! And here I thought I was your one and only lover!" Greta took a step closer to him, clearly starting to panic, but before she could reply, Zelos took another step backward, closed his eyes, lifted his head, and covered his face with his hand, pretending to be devastated. "Be still my heart, broken into a thousand itty bitty pieces and trampled over by a herd of stampeding swine! I shall never, never recover from this betrayal. Alas, all my hopes and dreams for the future have now been crushed, tossed like ashes to the wind. My entire life is meaningless!"

Greta grabbed his arm with building urgency. "But Chosen, I would never...!"

Zelos opened his eyes, shook her off of him, and then, when she made to grab him again, lifted his hand in her face to stop her, his face set. "No, hunny. Don't even try it. Nothing you say can erase this unbearable, debilitating pain in my heart." He lowered his hand and took another step backwards, fake sadness now plastered on his face. Sheena couldn't help thinking he might even be faking tears. "It's over, hunny. As much as it pains me, I am breaking up with you. I can never trust you again. This will never work out between us." He took a deep breath, ignoring Greta's horrified, wide-eyed, slack-jawed gape, then turned to Matthew and lifted his head as if putting up a strong front. "You, Matthew, have won her. You are clearly a much better man than I. She's all yours. I hope you two live happily ever after and have many beautiful, healthy children together. You belong with each other."

Matthew's only response was to nod in mock-understanding before turning to Greta and beaming at his 'victory,' even while Greta watched Zelos, horrified, as he turned and walked away, pressing his hand to his heart. "But...but...Choooooooooosen!" she cried, trying to follow him. Before she could take two steps, though, Matthew swooped in and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her against him, taking Zelos's place dancing with her. She immediately glared at Matthew, screaming, "Don't touch me, you creep!" and trying to push him away, but he ignored her, and a moment later he was spinning her away, grinning like an idiot and undoubtedly whispering more 'sweet nothings' in her ear.

Zelos, meanwhile, quickly scoped out the crowd and, upon spotting Sheena and Regal, gave them an evil smirk and started heading toward them. "Wow," Regal commented, shaking his head. "He was serious about what he was going to do."

Sheena pulled her eyes from Zelos and looked back at Regal, grinning. "Yeah. He's serious about this, Regal. As unbelievable as it may be, it's true."

"So I see," he murmured, looking back at Zelos as he approached them. "I am impressed."

"Believe me, so am I," she said softly, likewise turning her attention to Zelos as he stopped beside them, still grinning broadly.

"Heh," Zelos chuckled, motioning with his thumb at the chaos he'd left in his wake. Greta, it now appeared, had taken to outright smacking Matthew's chest, but the man just continued grinning stupidly and refusing to let her go. "That was a little too easy."

Sheena arched an eyebrow, trying to come across as scolding, but try as she might, she just couldn't suppress her grin. "You were having a little too much fun with that, too."

He shrugged innocently, but his smirk ruined the effect. "Yeah...I was. At least we shouldn't have to worry about him anymore. If we're lucky, he'll get himself kicked out of here in the next half hour for 'inappropriately pestering' her. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened."

"So I take it you've done that before?" she asked as she and Regal stopped dancing and released each other.

"Heh. Once or twice." Zelos shrugged again. "It was pretty fun then, too. And really, those times proved to be good practice for the one time it really mattered."

A part of her actually felt bad for all the women he'd used for entertainment like that, but then Sheena remembered the variety of names Greta had called her the past two months and couldn't help chuckling. "Yeah, well, let's just hope Greta doesn't decide to get revenge on you for passing her off to a creep like that."

Zelos waved that off with his hand. "Eh, not to downplay the wrath of a hunny scorned, but I somehow doubt she's smart enough to figure out that's what I was doing. Besides, she deserved it for calling you 'trampy.'" Without warning, he cleared his throat and extended his arm to Sheena. "So anyway, now that that's taken care of...would you mind if I cut in and steal my date away from you, Regal?"

"Of course not, Chosen," Regal replied. He then turned to Sheena, smiled warmly, and bowed his head to her. "Thank you for the dance, Sheena."

"You're welcome." She returned his smile and likewise bowed her head to him, then gave him a pointed look. "Thank you, Regal."

"Of course," he replied with a knowing smile. "My lips are sealed."

Zelos's eyes narrowed slightly, but Sheena just looped her arm through his, gave him another smile to tell him she'd explain later, and then turned back to Regal. "Thanks, Regal. I really appreciate it."

"The pleasure is all mine." With a low sigh, Regal looked around the crowd, his smile falling. "Unfortunately, as much as I prefer the company of dear friends like you two, I should continue mingling and becoming reacquainted with the upper class."

Zelos grinned. "Yeah, I think we're done mingling for now. Have fun with that, though."

"I will certainly try, although I doubt that will happen. These functions are still as stuffy as they were years ago." Regal turned back to them and smiled. "In any case, it has been good to see you both again. I hope our paths cross again soon."

"You too, Regal," Sheena said. And oh, how she hoped they would. Seeing Regal tonight just reminded her of how much she missed all of their friends. Hopefully they could remedy that soon.

Regal bowed his head. "Good luck to you both."

Zelos returned his warm smile. "Thanks, Regal. Take care." Giving them one last smile, Regal turned and, soon enough, vanished into the crowd. And finally - finally - they were alone again. Sheena released a soft sigh as Zelos pulled his arm from hers and wrapped it around her waist again, then arched an eyebrow at her. "So now that there's no more threat our night will be ruined by obnoxious, self-proclaimed rivals...want to un-break up?"

Sheena rolled her eyes. "What do you think?"

He grinned broadly. "Great! Me, too. So..." he pulled away and extended his arm to her again, giving her a curious, hopeful, and yet so typically, endearingly charming-Zelos bow that, for a moment, Sheena was afraid she would swoon, "...would you care to dance?"

Her heart skipped a beat and an excited thrill raced through her, leaving her suddenly feeling as if this was his very first time asking her out. She had always acknowledged that he was a charming, dashing, handsome man, even if she'd never let herself succumb to those charms before that night three months ago, and now...now she understood why women were always so excited when he looked them in the eye like this, with that sexy, confident, carefree smile, and asked them to dance. It was embarrassing to find herself feeling like a schoolgirl who'd just been swept off her feet by the school jock, and yet what reason did she have to be embarrassed? He was her boyfriend, and she was here with him at a fancy party, and she loved him, and she knew he loved her. What could be better than that?

With a shy smile and nod, Sheena looped her arm through his, and he led her to a quiet spot along the wall opposite where they'd last seen Matthew and Greta before finally stopping and lifting his hands into position for the dance. Taking a deep breath, she placed her right hand in his left, her left hand on his shoulder, and then melted against him as his other hand went to the small of her back, drawing her to him, far closer and tighter than he had with Greta...far closer and tighter than she'd ever danced with a man before. And for a moment, Sheena just enjoyed the warmth, the physical nearness, and the slow, relaxing movement, following his lead. She blushed at the close attention he was paying her, watching her with a soft, awestruck smile on his face, but there was nothing inappropriate about the way he was touching her, and so she returned his smile, letting herself be swept away by his warmth, by his soothing scent, and by the intimacy of the moment.

After a minute, Zelos leaned down and lightly rested his cheek against hers. "Thanks for letting me do that before. Y'know, getting him off my back like that."

Sheena smiled, leaning her head further into the crook of his neck. "Like I said, Zelos, I trust you. You've earned it."

"You have no idea how much it amazes me to hear you say that," he murmured against her ear, his warm breath sending a shiver down her spine.

She briefly pulled back and arched an eyebrow at him. "Well, it's true, so don't go thinking I'm just saying that."

"I know," he said, chuckling lightly as she rested her head against his again. "Oh, and while I'm thinking of it, sorry 'bout leaving you to explain everything to Regal. It never even occurred to me that he'd be here tonight. If I'd thought of it sooner..."

"Don't worry about it," she said, shaking her head. "He was very understanding. If anyone had to find out about us right now, I'm glad it was him."

Zelos nodded faintly, drawing her even closer to him, his lips trailing over the shell of her ear. "Yeah, me too. At least he's the least likely to write us both off as having lost our minds."

Oh, Jizou, she loved this, being held by him like this and feeling his breath against her ear as he whispered words meant only for her to hear, not to mention the scent of his cologne, the warmth he was exuding, and the love and awe his hold on her was conveying. He was a very physical man, and while physicality like this used to make her uncomfortable, now she was growing to crave it. In fact, part of her couldn't help thinking if she could dance with him like this forever, she would never tire of it.

"Well, him and Colette," she said, more as an afterthought than anything else considering the trouble she was having following his words, mesmerized as she was by the sensations.

"Mm...yeah, you're right." How is this man still able to think and talk? she absently wondered. All I want to do right now is hold him and be held by him in return. "Colette would be fine with it, too. But then, she's happy for everyone, so no surprise there."

Okay, fine, so Mr. Talks-A-Lot wasn't completely ready to get lost in the dance yet. And really, he should know this, too. She pulled back so she could see his face. "Oh, and so you know, I asked him not to mention that we're dating if he happens to run into our friends, and he promised he wouldn't."

Zelos nodded thoughtfully. "Hence the 'my lips are sealed' thing earlier." Seeing her return his nod, he grinned and drew her head back down against him. "Thanks. One of these days we'll have to figure out how much we want them to know, just in case we unexpectedly run into anyone else."

"Yeah, we will," Sheena murmured. "But let's worry about that later, okay? Right now I'm rather busy enjoying this three-months' overdue dance with you." She quickly lifted her head and arched an eyebrow, anticipating his response. "And don't try to tell me I don't owe you anything, because I already know that. It's just..." Damn, the blush is back. She smiled shyly. Saying things like this to him still felt wrong, and especially trusting him not to take what she said and get obnoxious about it, but if she wanted him to be truthful with her about his feelings, then she really should be truthful with him about hers. "Well, by the time you'd left that night, I was wishing I could have gotten a dance like this with you."

"Mm." Zelos chuckled softly as he drew her back to him. "Then in that case, maybe I should charge three months' worth of interest."

She snorted but kept her voice low as she melted further into him. "You get me the rest of the night. What more do you want?"

She could feel him grin against her neck. "Since I'm making a point of acting like a gentleman tonight, I probably shouldn't answer that."

Sheena returned his grin. "Good choice. I'd really hate to ruin the moment by having to smack some sense into you."

"Yeah, me too," he murmured.

And then, finally, Zelos, too, succumbed to the same spell the dance was weaving over her, and they sank into silence, just enjoying the sensations and the intimate proximity as the music played on. Any other topics of discussion could wait until later, either during dinner or after they'd left. Right now, all that mattered was the slow song the orchestra was playing and the lovely, peaceful moment they were spending together.

0~*~0

(Concluded in Part 3: The Angel)