Sheelos Fluff with Lemony Sprinkles

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Title: 涙の ふるさと – Hometown of Tears

Summary: Two different people must live two different lives, traveling down two different roads that may never cross again. Two years after they're forced to separate, Sheena receives a letter from the man who still has her heart. (Part-One)

Spoils?: DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU'VE BEATEN THE GAME.

A/N: Okay. This ficlet will be posted in two/three parts, this naturally being part one. Based off the song, "Namida no Furusato" by Bump of Chicken, the lyrics coming into play in the second part.

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It all started with a single letter.

"Oh my g—! Do you ever take anything seriously?!"

"I am taking this seriously! It's not wishful thinking to suggest that there's a way to work around—"

"Face it, Zelos!" Sheena shouted, furiously turning to face him. Her chocolate eyes were alight with fury. "There's no way this will work, and there's no way we can make it work!"

"Not with that attitude—and at least I'm making an effort to salvage this!" Zelos shot back, his frustration getting the better of him. "If you cared about this even half as much as I do, then you'd be looking for a way, too!"

She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh, don't even go there!" she groaned in exasperation. "You're better known as a philanderer than you are a Chosen; how can you even say something like that?!"

"That's not what this is about, but if you're gonna just stay stuck in the past, then just forget it! Forget all of it!" he snarled, his words echoing throughout the mansion. "Just go back to Mizuho, become their chief—hell, g'head and fuck your other ninjas, for all I care!—and forget all of this 'cause I've already forgotten why I fell in love with you in the first place!"

For a moment, Sheena remained silent; his words had cut her far deeper than he thought, but she wasn't about to let him know that. Finally, she spat, "…I was an idiot to think anyone like you could ever change." As she brushed past him to gather her belongings, she muttered, "I'll be gone by sunrise."

As she spoke, she failed to notice the rug beneath her feet and precariously began to stumble. Without a thought, Zelos quickly swept her into his arms; their fingers reflexively interlaced, his pale eyes glowered as they met her russet gaze captured in a chance state of awe.

Smoothly and wordlessly, he set her back gently on her feet. Her eyes nodded as an ashamed sign of gratitude, and she soundlessly exited the room, his cool, uneasy gaze on her back.

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Sheena had never experienced a more gut wrenching sensation as when she heard the soft click of the door behind her as she entered the guest room. An explosion of rage met with a downpour of sorrow that left her mind choked and her eyes burning. An uncomfortable lump had settled in her chest; she found her breaths become increasingly irregular. Her thumb massaging her temples, she used the remainder of her hand to hide her eyes as she sat down on the plush bed. It had been years since the last time she had ever felt such misery.

Small tears traced scorching paths down her cheek. She took a stabilizing breath—the lump in her chest growing ever larger.

No, she told herself, it was useless to cry—especially in self-pity. She had no reason to pity herself; in fact she should be happy, for it meant another stage of her life would begin.

She paused, then remembering, "The beginning of one is often born from the end of another."

Still, no matter how many times she told herself that, or the countless times she attempted to reason it logically, she still felt the blazing paths upon her cheeks.

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A few hours had passed since a word had been said between the two, the moon and stars in their full silvery glory over the still city. Zelos lay awake upon the quilt of his bed, hands placed tranquilly under his head as he stared blankly at the ceiling above. Breathing slowly, he replayed the scene in his head repeatedly, unable to shake it from his mind.

He knew letting his frustration with the situation take over had been a bad idea before he had even opened his mouth, but his emotions had spilled over into more than he could handle. He had never felt this way for anyone—anyone—so the very real thought of losing them enraged him into saying things he really didn't mean.

But he had said them, nevertheless, and could not take them back. He realized even if he were to apologize profusely would it ultimately not change the situation, but it would certainly rid him of the bitter emptiness he felt in every part of his body.

He half-heartedly pushed himself onto his feet and headed out of his room, down the hallway until he stood a foot away from guest room door. Not even bothering to rehearse what he said, he slowly turned the knob, opening the door a sliver enough so he could slip in. The light from the hallway shone glumly through the darkness and Zelos shut the door with a soft click. The air of the room was unbelievably cold.

"Hey, sorry to wake you." he said in a low whisper. "I've come… I've come to… apologize."

Slightly hanging his head when his words yielded no response from the sleeping ninja, he silently strode over to the edge of her bed, where he sat down, sighing. "I know apologizing won't change the situation, but if that's all it took I would be on my knees for the rest of eternity. I let my frustration get the better of me, and you certainly didn't deserve to receive the blunt end of it—I'm sorry." He paused, letting the silence absorb his sentiment. He went on, a small, sad smile gracing his features in the dark. "I hope… I mean, I'm tied to this city—Chosen or not, no matter how much I try to abandon the title and what comes with it—but I hope that, as the Chief, or leader or whatever, of Mizuho, that you can be happy, and all that sappy stuff." He finished with a light chuckle. "…And, if things don't work out for you there, or whatever may happen, I just want you to know that you're always welcome back here. …I guess that's all I wanted to say."

The silence continued, the room growing ever the chillier. Finally, Zelos said, "C'mon, Sheena, if I'm gonna spill my guts to you, at least let me know—"

He moved to place his hand on her shoulder, but all he felt was the cushy pillows stuffed underneath the quilts. He frowned. "…Sheena?" Hastily, he threw back the covers—pillows.

He raced off the bed and flipped on the lights—nothing seemed out of place, everything was just as Sheena had left it. Granted, her small pack that she carried whenever they would exit the city had disappeared from its place on the dark cherrywood dresser.

He ran his hands through his hair, groaning loudly in aggravation, for he was too late—she had already left.

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Sheena clung desolately to the side of the mansion, just beneath the window of the guest room, unable to move. She had heard every word spoken, but could not find the strength within her to return. She knew it was for the better that she leave right then, but what would another minute more hurt? she wondered.

She didn't stick around to find out.