Chapter 11

Sheena blinked once as if thinking the talking black cat would disappear after she blinked, but all the cat did was lift the back of it's paw up and lick the fur. Sheena could swear she saw the cat's tail swoosh back and forth as if it was annoyed.

"Great. Could not have at least woken me in a clean environment I see. Consideration is still a trait lost to you humans." the cat remarked, giving itself a shower.

Sheena looked at the ring once more and then back to the cat that continued to lick itself clean, licking the back of it's paw and wiping it over the back of it's head.

The cat opened it's eyes to reveal the bright beauty of their green shine as the cat looked up towards the purple ninja. She felt her heart suddenly skip a beat when the cat locked onto her eyes. She could not help but actually be startled by the intense stare the cat was capable of.

"You don't talk much do you? Well I am not going to complain." the cat commented

"I...Uh..." Sheena stuttered.

"You can at least compose a sentence. I'll wait for you." the cat sarcastically remarked.

"How..." Sheena tried to start. "What..." she looked to her ring and then looked to the cat. "Who...?" her mind was racing with too many questions flushing through at once.

"Try and limit your mind to one question at a time, human. You get more progress that way." the cat actually rolled its eyes and looked upwards, giving a wide feline yawn.

"You're tired?" Sheena asked the most absent question that first came to her mind, a question formulated on events just now happening.

"Out of everything you could ask and you ask if I am tired?" the cat actually managed to arch the area that could be considered its eyebrow. "I have been asleep for many years, humans. You try and be wide awake after a long period of rest." the cat's eyes were half open, but in the way that felines do when they are less then amused.

"What..." Sheena sputtered once, then took one deep breath to regain herself. "What are you?"

"What do I look like?" The animal replied, the tail twitched in a casual swoosh while it sat on the ground.

"You look like a cat." Sheena observed.

"Nothing gets passed you." The cat hummed, lifting a paw up to lick the fur lightly.

Sheena took a step forward to slowly close the distance between herself and the feline. She observed that the black cat was no bigger then the common household feline. But she also knew that there was no feline that she knew of that perfectly composed words and spoke intelligently.

"What do I call you?" Sheena wondered.

"What am I?" The feline replied.

"A cat." Sheena blinked once.

"Then that is what you can call me."

"Cat?" Sheena asked uncertain.

"That works." The feline finally lowered it paw as it looked up to Sheena.

"Cat." Sheena confirmed more confidently.

"You can repeat it all night if you like. But it won't change my name."

Sheena did not know what to think of this situation. Too much was happening for her mind to remain calm. Somewhere she wanted to burst out, but even if she did give into that urge she did not know what emotion would flush to the surface. She knew that lingering inside her body was a deep and dark despair that probably would flourish to the surface. The loss of Luin, loss of countless lives, the feeling of having her very being ripped out of her vessel, the desperation she could see in Lloyd but yet could do nothing about. It would all probably be too overwhelming if that gate was opened.

"How did you end up in a...ring?" Sheena asked before her mind wandered too much on the topic of what she should be feeling but yet find out that she can no longer feel anything. That the only thing she could really feel was a consuming void of cold and darkness deep inside.

"What would that matter?" Cat hummed casually.

"I want to know how a female feline got trapped into a ring." Sheena felt her tone gain a little firm sound to the words said.

Cat had her eyes closed for a few moments during their conversation until she heard the firm tone now come from the purple ninja and her ears stiffened for a moment and one green eye opened to look up to the ninja.

"Call me a Guardian of sorts. I have been trapped in that ring for generations. Every time the family line finds themselves in hardships or dangers and wears that ring. They may call upon me. Now it would seem you are the one experiencing the hardships or I would not have been disrupted from my sleep." Cat stated, there was still no emotion to her smooth and lilting words.

"Sheena?" came a familiar tone.

Sheena felt her nerves jump a little, more out of being startled from the sudden intrusion as she looked over her shoulder to have her eyes meet the man who spoke to her. She looked over to Lloyd as he seemed to have a slight tilt to his head. The moon cast a beautiful radiance on his skin and gave his gentle but strong eyes a penetrating invasion that she could swear almost went to the center of the consuming void and almost warmed her.

"Lloyd, what are you doing awake?" Sheena wondered.

She could not tell what his expression was, but it seemed that he was troubled by how she was speaking. Sheena felt her eyes glance upwards for a moment.

'How am I speaking?' Sheena wondered.

"I could ask the same for you, Sheena." Lloyd replied.

Sheena felt her mind snap to as her eyes fell back to Lloyd.

"I think I have been resting enough." Sheena confessed. "Ever since the-" she tried to continue, but felt a twitch of pain in her body that prevented her from reliving that even in words as her hand slowly came to her chest and she gently squeeze the cloth that covered over the spot of her heart. Where the nobles hand had invaded and ripped a piece of her out.

Lloyd lifted a hand, which caught her eyes and the red swordsman walked towards her until the distance between them was even less then two paces away.

"You do not have to say it, Sheena." Lloyd said in his usual soft, understanding tone that always managed to give off a feeling of comfort and care.

"Thank you, Lloyd." Sheena nodded once.

"It's like a love skit." came the sarcastic unamused tone from Cat.

Sheena felt a familiar lightning of annoyance tingle up her spine. It was the same feeling she felt when she had to deal with the idiot chosen as her eyes narrowed slightly, much to Lloyd's sudden confusion.

"Shut up." Sheena felt herself hiss quickly.

"What?" Lloyd blinked in a bewildered manner.

"Not you, Lloyd." Sheena reassured. "Cat."

"Huh? Cat?" Lloyd looked confused.

Sheena stepped to the side, gesturing her hand downwards to show Lloyd who Cat was, looking down at the black feline as she looked up to Sheena and then looked to Lloyd with a slight tilt to her head.

"Oh don't let me disturb you both." Cat continued to purr softly.

Lloyd blinked once as she saw that his eyes were searching where she was trying to put his attention to. Sheena looked over to Cat as the striking green eyes looked up, almost innocently, back at her.

"I know she looks like a normal cat but she isn't." Sheena looked back to Lloyd. His brown eyes on her own showed that he was completely lost and maybe even a little shade of worry detected in his gaze.

"Uh..." was all Lloyd seemed capable of trying to say, a hand came up to rub the back of his head as Sheena noticed his brown eyes seemed to shift and back forth like he was having trouble seeing where she was gesturing to.

Sheena could not help but blink as she looked over to Cat and waved her hand slightly, gesturing for Cat to come forward. But all the feline did was give a wide yawn.

"Sheena." Cat yawned out.

"No no, Cat come on...Lloyd is alright, he is-" Sheena started.

"You're secret lover, that much is apparent and thick in the air." Cat stated as she looked to the side, as if something else was suddenly gaining her attention. Sheena's spine tingled and stiffened at how sudden and abrupt that was as she looked to Lloyd with wide eyes, knowing he had to have heard that.

Lloyd however looked at her speechless and seemed to have the facial expression of nervousness as his fingers continued to rustle lightly through his brown locks. Sheena actually felt her chest tighten out of fear as she forced herself to turn to the black feline.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Please." Cat looked back to Sheena. "Oh, it also might be important for you to know that lover boy cannot hear or see me." a feline smirk crossed the expression of Cat.

Sheena blinked her eyes wide as she fought to overcome the speechlessness from what she had just been told as she slowly looked towards Lloyd to see his reaction to how she had been acting then.

"Wh-what?"

"Oh yeah, he has no idea I am here. All he sees is a woman with questionable sanity." another content purr came from Cat.

Now Sheena knew what that expression from Lloyd was, it wasn't nervousness out of what Cat was saying nor was he having difficulty seeing Cat at all. He couldn't see her and couldn't hear anything and all he was seeing was Sheena acting like a fool and pointing towards nothing.

Sheena breathed out slowly in a shaky manner as she looked over to Lloyd, her hand coming up to grab her right hand as her fingers lightly danced over the surface and her index finger traced along the black gem ring. She had no idea what she was going to say, and strangely enough she felt her need to care about what to say slowly fade away. It was then that she realized that the black void seemed to not only consume her sorrow and care, but it was taking every emotion and feeling it could. Her mind thought at least that was one very minor good part, she would not feel the torturous uneasy feeling for too long.

She knew if she was allowed to feel it however, she would feel sorrow for the very idea that feelings that made her human were slipping through her fingers. She wondered absently how long it would take before she was just a husk of her former self. Drained by the hungering void and left as just an empty shell.

"Is everything alright, Sheena?" Lloyd broke her train of thought.

"Hm? Oh." Sheena voiced calmly. "No, don't worry about it Lloyd." Sheena shrugged once.

Sheena noticed the worry spread from Lloyd's eyes to his facial expression as his hand lowered from the back of his head to rest his hand instinctively on the hilts of his swords. Sheena could tell just by his expression alone that he did not know what to say at this moment, it was like his mind was trying to comprehend what she just said.

With the emotions now faded away from her mind she was allowed to realize that tonight was a surprisingly crisp and chilly night as she looked up towards the sky for a moment. The blanket of blackness was lit up with the countless stars that blessed their encounter tonight.

The sound of footsteps against the crunching dirt caught Sheena's attention as Lloyd closed the two paces in between them both. Sheena gave a slight tilt to her head as the young man seemed to be just inches away from her. Sheena did not even feel her heartbeat skip like it normally would just by his brown eyes looking into her own, so this close distance would normally turn her body to jelly. But she did not feel anything close to that, instead she actually felt like this was taking up time. She would hate herself if she remembered how.

"Want me to purr out soft music?" Cat mused from behind Sheena.

'I miss feeling like I used to whenever Lloyd did small things like this.' was all Sheena could think, she did not seem to pay Cat any attention for her comment she made. She tried focusing completely on Lloyd and held a secret hope that maybe if she focused hard enough, that she could force those wonderful emotions back to the surface again. Through all the pain and sorrow she remembered that she had endured since her summoned spirits was ripped out of her body, that she would want nothing more then to experience this moment with Lloyd where it mattered to her.

But nothing surfaced.

"Sheena...I am...so sorry." Lloyd suddenly exclaimed.

Sheena was about to say something, but then suddenly his arms encircled her form as she felt her weight being pushed forward until it was stopped against the young mans chest as her eyes went wide. Lloyd's arms trembled slightly as he held her so close. She could feel a moistness press against her cheek...Lloyd was crying. His fingers pressed against her back as she felt their warmth through the fabric of her clothes. One thing she could tell was how the warmth from his body was pushing away the chill of the moist night air. One of his hands came up to cup the back of her head as she felt his fingers slide through the dark locks of her hair. His breathing was uneasy and his muscles were tense, she felt all that while being so close to him and yet all she could do was blink once and try and look over to the side at the brown haired swordsman. But all she could see was the back of his head as he held onto her, she cursed herself for not feeling anything from this moment. Just a moment ago she could at least feel the sensation of being nervous or scared, now she could not even feel the nervousness she knew that would have flooded her body from being held so meaningfully.

"I failed you, Sheena...I...failed..." Lloyd uttered through gritted teeth.

His warm whisper in her ear still proved ineffective as she could not feel the emotions spilling from his lips as her eyes closed. Sheena thought and hoped deep down that if she willed herself hard enough she would at least feel something...but still, nothing answered her plea.

"I won't give up though. Just stay with me Sheena." he whispered.

Sheena did not know exactly how to reply without making the man feel any worse then the torture he was putting himself through. So all she could do was nod once as she breathed out deeply and stayed in his arms with a secret hope that if she stayed there long enough, that he would be strong enough to defeat this darkness inside her vessel.

'I only start really feeling...empty...when he comes around me.' Sheena had her mind wander.

"I promise..." Lloyd finished, disrupting her thoughts.

-Scene Change-

"Did anyone survive the slaughter?" the regal king of Meltokio addressed.

"None that we know of, your majesty." the knight reported.

Zelos leaned against the pillar with his arms folded as he listened in on the conversation. The knight had gone over in horrifyingly great detail on the ruins of Flanoir and the charred remains that laid in the wake of the cities destruction. All Zelos could understand was that whatever caused such destruction had to be very powerful.

"Lord Regal Bryant, President of the Lezerano Company." announced the guard at the entrance of the throne room.

Zelos' head turned to greet Regal's entrance as he gave a slight smile, but the smile from the chosen for the most part was wiped from his lips at the grim news of Flanoir.

"Regal Bryant, glad you could come on such short notice." announced the King.

"The news sounded dire, your majesty." Regal calmly stated as he walked down the carpeted pathway that led towards the throne.

Regal looked to the side to see Zelos and gave him a casual nod as Zelos returned the favor and then looked back towards the king, keeping his weight against the pillar as Regal stood before the king. Regal placed a hand to his chest and gave a respectful bow.

"It is quite dire indeed, Bryant." The King spoke, the messenger that was previously speaking to the king took a step to the side so he was not disrupting the conversation between the two.

"What has troubled you, your majesty?"

"Flanoir has been wiped off our maps, Bryant."

There was a moment of deathly silence as Regal took a silent but deep breath in at the sudden news that he was just told, his eyes glanced to the side at Zelos. The stern look that came from the chosen was all the confirmation that Regal needed as he looked back to the King.

"Was there any survivors?" Regal wondered.

"No there was not." The King stated with a deep breath, he was about to speak further before the doors to the chamber opened once more.

"Such is not true." came a voice from the staggering figure as he stumbled into the room, forcing four guards to rush forward, one grabbed the man before he fell over and the other three lowered their spears as if preparing to defend the king from the man.

The king instantly stood up from his throne as he stared long and hard down the room towards the intruding man.

Regal turned completely around as Zelos spun his own head towards the entrance, everyone's eyes were wide as the man staggered in. His statement alone held claim that he was a sole survivor of the havoc that had hit Flanoir.

"Guards, let him pass." The King said, lifting his arm to dismiss the knights as the three of them raised their spears and rested it on their shoulders as they went back to their post. The one guard however held the mans arm as he escorted the weakened man towards the throne.

Regal looked down at the man, his robes were tattered and his hair a mess as blood seemed to mar the surface of his once elegant robes. He recognized the man almost instantly as his eyes narrowed just slightly, more in an observing way then anything else. Like Regal wanted to observe and listen to every word the man was going to say, like he would file it away in his mind.

'That is Lord Valemeros.' Regal thought to himself.

-Scene Change-

Sheena sat on the edge of the bed, glancing at the ring on her finger as she seemed to be completely entranced by the beauty of the gem.

"Sure it looks beautiful, but it is very cramped to live in." came the playful purr from Cat.

Sheena suddenly felt the weight of the felines paws against her back as the cat quickly scaled up the purple ninjas back and stood on her right shoulder, looking down at the ring with her. Sheena glanced over to the feline, how she stood there on her shoulder reminded her a little of how Corrine always liked to stand on her shoulder like that.

"Why can I be the only one who hears and sees you?" Sheena whispered.

"Cause you're the one wearing the ring I am bond to." Cat purred casually.

The room was more at peace now, Genis had fallen back in his slumber as Lloyd leaned against the wall in a sitting position but he had actually managed to pass out. Sheena could only conclude that Lloyd had been pushing himself ever since Hima to get her here and now even against his will he had passed out. Lloyd did so much for her when she unconscious and she could not even feel anything for his efforts to keep her safe.

"And how long have you been wounded?" Cat inquired somewhat casually.

Sheena looked back to her right shoulder, were Cat had situated herself, and let those words float in her mind for a moment as she was trying to figure out what the feline meant.

"What do you mean? Thanks to Lloyd, I am relatively unharmed."

"I wouldn't be a guardian if I could not see beyond the physical, ninja girl." Cat closed her eyes in a form of pride as she even lifted her head a little.

"You mean-" Sheena started.

"I mean the very thing that lover boy was weeping to you about. The thing he could not save you from." Cat said in a somewhat stern manner, more of the type of tone as if she was already tired of the game of subtly and decided to just be outright with it.

"Don't call him that!" Sheena suddenly snapped out before covering her mouth, remembering where she was as she looked around the room. None had been disturbed by her outburst.

"Smooth." Cat purred.

"He has a name." Sheena now whispered out. "Lloyd Irving."

"Sounds like a real winner." Cat replied, there was a certain amusement in her tone.

"You have not seen what he has been through, what selfless acts he does for people he does not even know and everything he has done for the ideal of everyone being able to live without conflict...without wars. Lloyd has gone through more pain then any average person would get in three lifetimes. But he continues to fight on...he pushes through them." Sheena looked from Cat over to Lloyd, a tingle stirred deep inside her, an emotion that was somehow surviving the darkness of the void inside her chest as she managed to give a very faint smile. "He is the strength everyone else lacks." Sheena brought a hand to her chest once more, hovering over the weight in her heart. "Like me."

"Oh please..." Cat remarked as she walked along Sheena's shoulder to her left, the shoulder closest to the wall as Cat looked over to Lloyd, he was still resting against the wall. "Could you want him more?"

Sheena felt that little familiar tingle vanish almost instantly as she looked over to Cat with an irritated narrow of her eyes. "Do I have the ability to hit you?" Sheena almost growled.

A light sound that resembled a laughter came from the lips of the feline "Why don't you go ahead and test it for yourself?"

Sheena felt her hand shift at the extended offer, but then thought that the feline would never offer unless it would end up making her look foolish. She eased down and felt that it would probably be best to let it pass this time.

"Since we got that out of the way." Cat commented in a pleased tone. The feline seemed to lean in and sniff at Sheena, which caused the young ninja to lean slightly away from the black cat in an uneasy manner at what she was doing. "You have a noticeable taint to you. This taint has caused a wound deep inside you. What is it?" Cat suddenly gave a sneeze as she rebalanced herself on Sheena's shoulder. "It smells more foul the more I smell it." her little nose shifted as if she was trying to get the smell out, followed by sudden deep breathes out through her nose.

Sheena fell silent for a moment as she realized that whatever had happened to her seemed to create a malefic aura that was detectable by creatures like the feline. Sheena would then place a safe bet that summon spirits could probably detect her wound as well.

"I had the ability to form pacts with spirits. Recently those spirits that I formed pacts with...they got taken from me." Sheena confessed in a soft, almost defeated voice.

"What do you mean taken from you?" Cat wondered.

"There is this man...he placed his head inside and just." Sheena started, her hand gripping closed as if trying to mimic what he did as she tried to find the right wording for it. "I dunno." She struggled with the wording. "He just like...ripped them out of me somehow and stole them."

Cat laid down on Sheena's left shoulder as she placed her chin on top of her crossed front legs, half closing her eyes while listening to Sheena as the feline seemed to at least be in thought.

Sheena let out a light sigh as she lowered her head and closed her eyes.

"Since then." Sheena gave a slight pause. "I have felt like my heart is slowly turning to stone. Like it is actually getting heavier inside my chest. It is never painful...just very noticeable."

"A piece of you is missing then." Cat stated, she figured it was obvious so she said it in a calm and casual tone.

"I guess." Sheena gave a slight shrug.

She could accept that, the entire time she felt this weight inside her chest she always thought to herself that it felt like a piece of her was missing somehow. But it was just so strange to actually hear it from another source. So she just felt like it would be best to just go along with it. She was still trying to grasp the idea that a feline that only she can see and hear is around her.

Sheena felt the feline adjust herself on her shoulder. It honestly did not make her too uneasy since she was used to the small movements and weight placed on her shoulder. Which in turn made Sheena wonder, if the thing was only existing to her...then why would she be able to feel the weight of the small creature on her to begin with?

"I do not know what to do." Sheena confessed in a small whisper.

"Get dumb dumb to realize you want him." Cat purred contently.

Sheena let out a soft, defeated sigh.