Chapter 9: Origin
(This one's gonna be cute. Sheena and Zelos as kiddies. :D)
It was a calm day in Meltokio, and the population was going about their daily business. There were no robberies or murders, and no parties were scheduled for the night. The most exciting thing that occurred that day in Tethe'alla's capital was that the gown store was having a sale. At least, until they came.
Those dirty ninjas dared leave their primitive village and walk the streets of Meltokio?! Half the nobles would slaughter them on sight, had the king not strictly forbidden acts of prejudiced violence toward the ninjas. They were content to just glare at them from afar, make them feel as unwelcome as humanely possible. Yet by law the shops had to sell to them, so if ever a ninja needed supplies on their journey, they came to Meltokio and weathered the hostility. This time, it was three men and a young girl, the latter looking fearful and on the verge of tears. Which even their enemies, the nobles of Meltokio, knew was strictly forbidden in ninja culture.
This young girl was Sheena Fujibayashi. She had just turned eight, which had marked the completion of her training to be a full-fledged Summoner. The mere thought of dealing with Summon Spirits overwhelmed the girl, and already she and half her village was off to form a pact with the electrical Summon Spirit. Volt, they'd called him. Her grandpa had expressed to her how extremely important this pact was, and how critical it be made quickly and without fuss. When her comrades and she had stopped at Meltokio, herself and three grown ninja warriors had left the group and ventured in for supplies.
"Sheena'tera, wait here, and do not leave this spot," commanded the man in the lead, the father of her friend Orochi and his brother Kuchinawa. He addressed her formally with her title in the Mizuhoan tongue; in their village, 'tera' following a name signified that they were the second in line, the Chief's heir. Which she was, and even at her young age, she knew all to well that soon enough, the lives of her people would depend on her.
In response to his command, Sheena hastily pressed the side of her right hand to her forehead, resembling the 'praying' gesture but with only one hand, and bowed as neatly as a scared girl of eight years could manage. Satisfied, the three men scattered, heading to various shops.
Immediately after losing sight of them, Sheena sank cross-legged to the dusty cobblestone path, leaning against the stone guardrail that garnished the first set of stairs. She'd been standing for the good part of the day, and her legs were as sore as they'd ever been. With a barely concealed whimper and a slightly pouting lip, she massaged her calves tenderly. Eventually, their aches of protest began to fade to a dull throbbing.
For the first time since she'd arrived, for the first time in her life, the young ninja took in the world of Meltokio. It was beautiful, though in a different way than she was used to. As a girl in a hidden village, she'd grown to appreciate simplicity, the beauty in small things. This was a beauty all its own. Nearly everything her eyes drew in was covered in intricate designs, garnished with colors even she had never seen before. One looked like a light blueish-purple, and though she had seen blue and she had seen purple, this was a wonder in itself. For a good ten minutes she sat there in wonder, taking in, well, everything.
But then her silence was interrupted by a noise. This noise was painful to her ears, and she cringed. It was metallic, and held a medium-tempo rhythm. And down the steps came five men covered in shining silver clothing.
Though she'd never seen it before, having for the most part avoided cities large enough so to have these men, she knew the sound, the silver, it was called armor, and these were Royal Knights. She'd heard about them, and though the villagers spoke of them with no open hostility, the tone of their voice had told the girl quite enough. She watched them nervously, and when they noticed her, they watched her back, until they got to the point where it would strain their necks to continue, at which time they turned to face ahead, shaking their heads in disgust and continuing toward the gate.
She sprang to her feet.
Nobody looked at Sheena'tera Fujibayashi like that. Ever. She was the successor to Chief Igaguri of Mizuho, and the only Summoner alive.
But there were five of them, and each one was twice her size, covered in armor, and had a sword her length. So she grudgingly contented herself with spitting on the ground at their backs.
That was her mistake that day. Though whether or not it was truly a mistake is still under debate.
Suddenly, the girl was shoved roughly from behind, sending her to her knees with a cry of surprise. She rolled on impact, springing up into fighting stance to greet her opponent. It was a boy, about her age, but towering another couple of inches above her. He had dull auburn hair and green eyes. After a moment, she grinned hopefully.
"Hi, I-, I'm Sheena!" The ninja offered eagerly. 'Of course he wants to be my friend. In the village, play-fighting happens all the time between friends!' He merely smirked. Sheena shuffled her feet slightly, unsure of how to continue, since he didn't seem to want to. Still grinning cordially, she offered, "Y'know, you kinda look like a carrot."
His smirk faded. Apparently, this came as a shock.
"You little crap, I'm gonna hurt you for that!" He growled, trying hard to be menacing, apparently proud of his usage of the word 'crap'. Sheena's eyes widened for a second, but when he threw a somewhat clumsy punch, she was ready. She grabbed his wrist and twisted, sending him to one knee.
All of a sudden, she was once again struck from behind, the back of her head taking the blow this time. Not expecting this sneak attack, her arms were still occupied with the boy's wrist, and she didn't have time to free herself and move them to catch her before her head hit hard on the cobblestone. She felt tears of pain come to her eyes, yet she bit her lip so as not to cry out, and blinked back the tears. Ninjas don't cry.
Despite her dizziness from the impact, she staggered to her feet, whirling around to face the one who'd came second. It was another boy, this one her own height, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Both were smirking contemptuously.
Sheena's gaze swept the crowd wildly. Wouldn't someone help her? This wasn't fair! Two against one, and she was a girl to boot! But the citizens of Meltokio all turned a blind eye to the little ninja girl and her unfair fight. They were cruel, all of them, but for this crime they would never be punished.
Giving up this little hope, she desperately searched about her for an escape route. She could feel blood trickling down her face, and the boys both seemed somewhat impressed, as if they'd never made anyone bleed before. Spotting a side-alley, she made her escape plan, and, against her honorable ninja training, she sent her foot swiftly into the crotch of the larger boy. He wasn't expecting this low blow, and he doubled over in pain. Seizing the opportunity, the young shinobi vaulted over his back and scrambled to regain her balance, attempting a mad dash for freedom. She heard footsteps behind her, which only increased her desperate urge to escape, thus accelerating her speed as well.
Soon the footsteps grew faint, and not long after, they faded altogether. The blood was still flowing from her forehead wound, though it circumvented her eyes, much to her relief. Even when she could no longer hear them, the girl ran on, as much for fear of the ninjas whom she'd disobeyed by leaving that spot as fear of the boys. The ninjas would only know that she'd disobeyed, the worst of crimes for a child, especially a girl. She was afraid of what they'd do to her...
She knew then that she had to hide. They couldn't find her, no matter how hard they tried. Because even if they were not angry with her, which she knew they would be, she would still be forced to continue her pilgrimage to forge a pact with Volt. This very task was what she'd feared ever since her mana pattern tested positive, ever since she was declared a potential summoner. Either way, something was bound to go wrong. So she refused to let them find her.
Tears forming in her eyes at her disgraceful behavior, the little ninja threw herself into the next patch of shadows she could find. It was a side alley, where she stood for what seemed like forever, panting heavily. All of a sudden, the child was struck by realization, and she took it like a true blow, staggering backward with wide eyes. A young ninja girl, one who wasn't even born into the tribe, but adopted, disobeying a full-grown shinobi, especially to the degree of fleeing from her assigned post...
Sheena collapsed back into a pile of damp cardboard boxes, tears flowing steadily now. She could be exiled for this... Unable to stop her body from trembling, the girl curled her legs to her chest, buried her face in her knees, and shook with only semi-muffled sobs. She should have stayed, she should have fought. She could have won, maybe, and she wouldn't have left where she was supposed to be. But she fled, as was forbidden in all but the direst of circumstances.
And she cried, which was forbidden with no exceptions.
All of a sudden, footsteps were heard, at a running pace. She expected them to pass by without notice, and stilled her shaking as best she could, just to make sure. But all of a sudden, the footsteps stopped. Instead, there was a shuffling sound, then a strange silence. Sheena looked up, to see a figure crouching in the shadows closer to the front of the alley, about ten feet away from her. Her eyes widened, but before she could take any further action, she realized the figure was facing the other way. From what she could tell, which was not much at this angle, this girl had long red hair and a pink and white outfit, and seemed to be some age around hers, give or take a few years. But what was this girl doing here?
The girl's pondering thoughts were interrupted moments later by another two sets of footsteps, and a bellowing voice.
"Chosen! Come back, quit playing foolish games! Zelos Wilder, come back this instant! Your mother will have my head if I lose you here!" The voice called, and Sheena watched the girl press herself against the wall. The two men passed right by the alleyway, however, without sparing more than an offhanded glance down it's length. After a couple of minutes, the girl rose to her feet.
"Whew, that was a close one!" She breathed in wonder. But wait, that sounded... off. Her voice, it was deep. Unnaturally deep. And when the 'girl' spun around, Sheena found out why. Her face was anything but girly, already holding a masculine shape, even at his age. Sheena determined it to be around twelve, but she was never too good at age guessing.
To her surprise, however, the boy began to walk her way. Eyes growing wider, she crawled backwards in an attempt to hide herself further, her hands growing damp with the cool, moist feel of the unkempt cobblestone. Unfortunately, her movement attracted more attention than if she'd sat still, and he noticed her immediately.
"Hello?" He greeted curiously, his head cocked. Sheena whimpered slightly, crawling back even faster. He grinned, stepping toward her. "No, it's okay, don't be scared of me."
"G-get away from me!" She stammered, having backed into the corner. As friendly as this boy seemed, she didn't trust anybody.
"C'mon, don't be like that, I won't hurt you," he offered, apparently confused by her reaction. She sat silently, her untrusting gaze fixed on his face. She watched his every move, but she made no more objections to his being there. "There, that's better. I'm Zelos!" He grinned, offering a hand to help her up. She flinched as it extended toward her, but after gazing at it warily, she wiped the tears —and coincidentally, the blood— away from her eyes and accepted his help.
When she was standing, only her waist and down was obscured in the shadows, and he recoiled slightly at sight of her.
"What happened to you!?" He questioned incredulously, and reached out a hand to examine it closer. She swiped his hand away.
"Nuffin, I'm fine," she replied stubbornly, her words slurred by her just-concluded fit of tears.
"Fine, sure, you've just got blood all over your face is all," Zelos snorted, his sarcasm fairly unpracticed yet his point still clearly conveyed. "What happened?"
"I said I'm fine, they were just playing around..." She murmured defensively, and he paused.
"They?" The young redhead prompted, and she shrugged.
"Just a couple of boys, that's all."
"Who though?"
"How should I know, I've only been here this once in my life!"
"Ah, that explains the crazy getup." He nodded in appreciative realization. Sheena looked down at her lavender ninja-in-training robe, wondering if that's what he meant by 'getup'.
"It's traditional ninja attire." She repeated the well-rehearsed line indignantly, crossing her arms. Zelos held up his hands innocently.
"Alright, alright, no need to get your feathers ruffled. So you're a ninja, hmm? From Mizuho, right? That explains why you got beat up, people here don't take too kindly to ninjas."
"I wasn't beat up!" She protested, but he shook his head.
"I don't know if they punched you, kicked you, or shoved you down, but if you got that head wound from someone else here in Meltokio, you got beat up." Before she could protest, he began again. "Hold on a sec, I think I can whip something up to help that."
Turning back down the alley, the strange pink-wearing boy called Zelos trotted over to a pile of stuff, digging through it a bit until he found a black bag. Opening it, he pulled out two clean, white sheets. Dragging one of them back over to Sheena, he took a corner, wrapped it over his hand, and began to dab at the blood. At first, he carefully avoided the wound, focusing on cleaning up the rest of her face. But he couldn't avoid it forever. It was quite a painful shock to Sheena when he roughly swiped his cloth across the wound. She yelped slightly, jumping back.
"Don't do that, that hurts!" The girl protested, but Zelos stepped toward her again.
"I'm sorry, I'll go easier this time," he promised, and with those words, she allowed him to finish softly cleaning her wound. After a couple of minutes, he stepped back, grinning. "There ya go!"
Her hand flew to her face, and it was no longer wet or sticky. When she drew her fingers away to look at them, they had no hint of red. She grinned as well. Satisfied, Zelos tossed the bloody sheet into some obscure corner of the alley and sat down cross-legged in a patch of sun and closing his eyes. Sheena sat beside him. As if just recalling her presence, his eyes flew open, and he turned to look at her.
"So what's your name? I mean, if we're gonna be friends, I gotta know your name."
She eyed him a moment, but was unable to hold back a grin. Friends. Sheena liked friends.
"Sheena. Sheena Fujibayashi."
"Sheena? I like it. It's pret-…It's nice." Though he amended himself, Sheena giggled slightly. He'd almost said pretty. Up until then, she'd been convinced that boys didn't even know what pretty was, let alone use the word to describe something. Sensing his embarrassment in the near future, he offered his hand to shake to distract her. "Zelos Wilder, at your service."
She shook his hand, suddenly making a connection she'd been struggling at since he'd offered his first name.
"Hey, you're the one those men were looking for! Why were you hiding?"
"Why were you hiding?" He countered, but she shook her head in protest.
"No, you, I asked you first!"
Zelos shrugged offhandedly, apparently none too fond of the way the conversation was turning.
"So what if I am, I'm not gonna go back 'till I wanna go back," he mumbled stubbornly, and she nodded in understanding.
"Yeah... When I go back, I've gotta go make a pact with Volt. Y'know, the Summon Spirit? I just know I'm gonna mess up..." She trailed off, looking somewhat dejected. Zelos, blaming himself for her downcast look, offered a grin.
"Nah, you'll do great! You're a ninja, for cryin' out loud, and if you're all skilled in the Summoning Arts and stuff too, you'll win hands-down. Not that I've ever seen Volt... I wish I could be a Summoner, it sounds way more interesting than my life…" Though it started out encouraging, Zelos's attempt to cheer her up ended in a voice so filled with longing, it even amazed Sheena.
"No you don't wish you could be a Summoner. I wish I could be normal like you, you don't have to worry about the entire village getting ruined just 'cause you mixed up a couple of words in your pact," she countered, and he snorted.
"Normal!? Me!? Ha! Didn't you hear those stuffy old men? I'm the Chosen." He said that as if expecting it to impact her profoundly, and he seemed a medium degree of disappointed when it didn't.
"What's a Chosen?" She asked, her eyes rounded with curiosity. His own eyes widened to match hers at the question, and she looked away defensively. "Sorry, stupid question, forget it," she mumbled quickly, not too fond of being looked at like a fool.
"No, it's okay, I kinda forgot you weren't from around here. A Chosen is a person who is, well, chosen, by the angels and holy people, to regenerate the world."
This seemed to confuse her even more. "Regenerate the world? The world is fine, isn't it? Nothing's wrong with Tethe'alla, is it?" She seemed worried, so he quickly shook his head to reassure her.
"No, no, Tethe'alla is fine. It's just, like... If the world ever does need regenerating, it's my job to do it."
"That seems kinda pointless. What do you do until then?"
It was Zelos's turn to get ruffled.
"It is not pointless!" He objected. "I do all kinds of important stuff, like sign important document thingies and dance with lots of annoying women at royal balls."
This silenced her for a few minutes, as she considered all this. Then, the raven-haired ninja turned to look at him once more, cocking her head in curiosity.
"Zelos, what's so bad about being a Chosen? It seems kinda fun."
He shrugged again. "Eh, the butler's kinda cool. That's who that old codger was, the one calling for me. His name's Sebastian, or something like that. I just call him Sebby, he doesn't seem to mind that much. But the rest of it, how I'm never allowed to be alone, how I have to go to all these boring church functions and sit there like I actually care, how I'm too busy being the Chosen to have any fun."
"Well... You're having fun right now, aren't you?"
Zelos grinned. "Yep. Me and my new buddy Sheena are having lots of fun."
"So… so we're friends?"
"Of course we are, bumpkin," he affirmed, using the insult in more of a friendly teasing manner.
"Like, real friends?" She continued, completely serious.
"Yeah, sure, what's with all the questions all of a sudden?"
"Even if I'm not a ninja no more, will we still be friends?"
"I promise. Why wouldn't you be a ninja anymore?" He asked, cocking his head in a slightly confused fashion.
"'Cause I ran away," she started, blinking back the tears that were starting to form in her eyes. "I was s'posed to stay back there, but I had to run away so I wouldn't get hurt, but I disobeyed, and if anyone disobeys the one telling them what to do, they get-… oh, what's the word… Exiled, that's it. They get exiled."
His eyes widened, and he nodded.
"Of course I'll be your friend, even if you are kicked out." He promised, and she nodded, smiling slightly.
Suddenly, there were voices from the entrance to their little hiding spot. Familiar voices. To Sheena, at least. While both children looked to the open street, only Sheena was tensed, though she was tense enough to make up for his relaxed state.
"That-, that's... that's my sensei." She murmured with dread, and his eyes widened.
"We have time to escape out the back, c'mon, this wa-"
"No."
Zelos was halfway to his feet when the ninja made her decision, but she knew she couldn't flee again.
"No?" He repeated incredulously.
"I have to go. Maybe, maybe they'll forgive me." Her voice was quiet, but Zelos could see the determination in her eyes. He nodded, though she could have sworn she'd seen regret in his eyes.
"If you gotta go, you gotta go. But if they kick you out, look me up. We've always got room for a friend."
Sheena nodded, rose to her feet, and, with one last look at her newest and closest friend, she made her way out into the sun.
Now, we all know how this story ends. We all know how she went to make her pact, but failed. We all know that she was responsible for the death of half of her people. We also know that, many many years later, Chosen and ninja reunited, but their reunion was far different than expected. Sheena had, foolish as it had been, expected the boy who cleaned her wound and offered her friendship and a backup plan. When she was faced with a self-centered, lecherous playboy instead, it nearly broke her heart. Little did she know, he had expected that same curious, scared little ninja she had once been, but he too had been faced with something far different, a collected young woman with the power of a lion and a two-inch-thick mask over her feelings.
Sheena wasn't the only one who's heart nearly broke that day.
She was just the only one who gave up on it.
"So… so we're friends?"
"Of course we are, bumpkin," he affirmed, using the insult in more of a friendly teasing manner.
"Like, real friends?" She continued, completely serious.
"Yeah, sure, what's with all the questions all of a sudden?"
"Even if I'm not a ninja no more, will we still be friends?"
"I promise."
(Aww. Hehehe. I heart this chapter 'cause it's different. I made Sheena more timid and Zelos more... innocent, kinda.)
