Chapter 29
Note: Sorry it is so late, should have been in sometime last week but I had been distracted with a strange addiction towards League of Legends. I am over it now and now that the wait is over and hopefully you can all forgive me; I give you Chapter 29. Hope you all enjoy.
The night was surprisingly cold in the small village of Iselia, the chill coming from the ocean breeze that marched across the flat lands between the village and the shores. Trees never grew to separate the beach from the village, being only a fields walk away; Sheena had been managing to find peace over the week of Lloyd's recovery by sitting on one of the cliff sides, away from the glaring eyes of the Mayor or any of the villagers who supported the Mayor and allowed Sheena to look at the blue waters. Now she sat there to try and clear her mind and to find a comfort as well as finding a form of acceptance and not let her jealousy hinder a good friendship she had with the adorable Colette.
'Aside from Lloyd, Colette has been the only one who accepted me for who I am when I first joined the group.' Sheena thought; she had never considered Genius too often due to the fact that sometimes he was being subtly influenced by his elder sister who did not take to her at all. 'I am happy that Lloyd was awake and that he will be fine now, I am so happy that he is going to wake up and not end up like...like...' Sheena shook her head of her troubling past. 'But if I am so happy...then why.' she started to think, remembering the scene when Lloyd woke and the name he said first, the first person in his mind. 'Why do I feel so...awful?' she hugged her knees tighter to her chest 'Colette is such a remarkable girl and I am so happy to have her as one of my closest friends...yet...I cannot help but feel...angry.' Sheena thought bitterly, tears lined her eyes once more as she felt absolutely disgusted with herself for feeling any negative emotion towards Colette. 'I am such an...Awful woman.' Sheena surrendered while closing her eyes, refusing to look at the world anymore; feeling unworthy of such a sight.
Sheena heard the sound of footsteps landing behind her. How did they manage to get right up behind her? Was she that distracted in her own thoughts? It was probably Colette; she had used her wings to fly up and then, being the adorably clumsy girl that she is, probably made her wings disappear when she was still in the air and landed hard onto the ground. Sheena still could not bring herself to open her eyes to meet with the blonde chosen. She had done nothing wrong and Sheena was not even going to greet her; Sheena could not help but sink a little deeper at how far she had fallen to her jealousy.
"Sheena?" whispered a low, calming yet worried tone that made Sheena's eyes burst open and her heart skip a beat as she gasped in silently.
Snapping her head to the side, Sheena instantly reached up to wipe the tears away from her eyes in haste before her eyes saw what her ears had hoped had not been a trick of the mind. She could only sit there, curled up still, in silence as her wide, moist eyes gazed upon the reawakened Lloyd Irving. The young man had somehow found a new set of clothing to wear, it looked almost like his usual attire except for just a few minor differences that Sheena did not pay much attention to before she slowly forced herself to get to her feet.
"L...Lloyd? Lloyd?" Sheena asked in a shaken tone, afraid she had actually fallen asleep on the cliff side and that this would end up being a dream. The young man gave her a nervous yet wide smile as he raised a hand to the back of his head and rubbed it nervous before giving a confirming nod. Sheena felt that her nerves were completely shot, she had grown numb over the overwhelming power of bewilderment; Lloyd Irving was standing before her right now and the smile that managed to melt her heart was shining on her soul once more.
"Sheena...I am so glad you are-" Lloyd started before Sheena felt the need to cut him off.
If this was a dream, she could not forgive herself if she let this moment get away from her. She pushed aside her usual tough girl demeanour and let the woman inside her, that wanted nothing more than tender affection, out as she stepped close to the recovered swordsman and slipped her arms around his lower body. She could feel his body tense for a moment as she linked her fingers together behind his back and she rested her head on his shoulder while pulling his body up against her own.
Over the week, Sheena had washed her tunic in the nearby stream just outside the borders of Iselia, it took a lot of time and effort to get Lloyd's blood out of her tunic and emotionally it was hard to see so much blood wash down the stream; however, she is glad she did that because now she was able to stand her at least somewhat cleaned and hold his body close to her own. Sheena could hear the heart beating through Lloyd's shoulder, it was fast from his tension of the moment but she heard it loud and strong, just like she had always pictured Lloyd being. Sheena felt her hands break from his lower back as she reached up to his shoulders and dug her fingers into the fabric of his red jacket before clasping the material hard in her grip, she needed to feel him and make sure he was here in this moment for her and that he came to her when she needed him.
"You're alright...I am so glad." Sheena whispered in a mixture of joy and sorrow.
"I...ah...yeah, but that is my line." Lloyd managed to reply, his voice so close to her ear.
To have such a vivid dream, to be able to hear his voice so close to her ear, to feel his warmth against her body, holding him, touching him and even a dream powerful enough to smell the faint scent that could only be described by her as the smell of Lloyd, a mixture of crisp, almost winter like air along with the fresh smell of rainforest pine from their adventures.
"It was torture to know you were captured by that creep, Valemeros." Lloyd whispered with such a sweet sense of concern was touching the deepest reserves of Sheena's heart as she felt the man tremble once, a tremble of fear. "Sheena?...Sheena...that hurts." Lloyd uttered in slightly pain as his body fidgeted under the pressure of Sheena's fingers against the back of his shoulders.
Sheena's felt her heart jolt once more, this time out of fear of her own as she realized that she was pressing her fingers into the recently sealed wounds of Lloyd's shoulders and Sheena knew first hand that Raine's healing can save lives and speed recovery to an unbelievable degree; however, the pain always lingered even over a fresh wound as the body continued to restore any damaged tissue.
"Oh Lloyd, I am so sorry." Sheena stated in a flustered manner as she pushed herself away from Lloyd so she could look at his face, keeping her hands on the sides of his body as his hands came up to grab her arms lightly. The look she was greeted with instantly washed away any negative thought she was feeling from hurting him. The look she got was one of his eyes opening, the other still closed from the flinch of pain as he gave her a warm smile still and gave a very light laughter.
It was amazing that Lloyd could be so cheerful during such dark times right now, it was something that she needed now more than anything and he did not fail to give her such reassurance.
"It's alright; I am just a little sore still." Lloyd confessed while still managing to maintain a cheerful tone before his one closed eye slowly opened while looking at her.
'I do not want to wake up.' Sheena thought to herself as she pulled him close once more, only to hear the laughter of the young man as he rubbed her back.
"I am sorry for worrying you so much, Sheena." Lloyd whispered close to her ear.
"You're damn right you worried me!" Sheena almost screamed as she rubbed her face into his shoulder to discard the tears of joy. Sheena's hand rose to his shoulder as she closed her hand into a fist and started to lightly hammer her hand into his shoulder, making the swordsman flinch lightly as she let out her pent of frustration of worry. "You are such an idiot sometimes." she said through her clenched teeth before resting her forehead on his shoulder.
"I know...I know." Lloyd whispered through the sting of pain.
"Damn you, Lloyd Irving." Sheena whimpered lightly while she breathed out deeply to try and regain her composure.
"I'm sorry...I did not know I worried you so much." Lloyd confessed while trying to calm her down still by rubbing her back tenderly.
A light snap was felt in her heart as her eyes opened for a moment and the irritation in her body, mind and heart rose incredibly fast. "What is that supposed to you? You saying that you do not think I would care? I gave everything I could for you." Sheena called out in a firm, almost biting tone.
"Shh, Shh." Lloyd remarked as he placed a hand on the back of her head and brought her back against his body and rested her head on his shoulder. The potent, calming scent of Lloyd worked its magic over her body quickly as she felt her irritation die almost instantly. "That is not what I meant, you know that, Sheena." Lloyd commented.
Sheena felt his fingers get tangled into her black hair, the tug at her ribbon that held her hair in place was proof enough for Sheena to know that when his slide his hand to the back of her head, one of his fingers got caught in the fabric and now he was tangled and now Lloyd was lightly tugging and shifting his hand to try and break his finger free. A very light giggle left Sheena's lips as she realized what had happened to him, it was so signature Lloyd to do something like this.
'So adorable.' Sheena thought to herself, feeling her head shift lightly with every motion he tried to do, she could tell he was trying to be careful and trying not to let her know that he was trapped in her hair, but every light tug was easily felt by the purple ninja.
A sudden blush highlighted her cheeks as she dared herself to think of touching lips with the young swordsman, this was her dream after all. His hand was already on the back of her head; all he would need to do is stare into her eyes and then slowly pull her head towards his. That thought was too much to ignore as Sheena lifted her head away from his shoulder so she could look into the deep, intense, and meaningful eyes of Lloyd Irving, all she would need to do is silently plead with him with her wanting brown eyes.
Lloyd stared right into her eyes as his perplexed expression slowly faded from his face, the thought of his fingers caught in her hair and ribbon was now the last thing on his mind at least that is what Sheena swore she saw in his eyes.
"I am sorry I made you cry." Lloyd confessed while he brought his free hand up to her face to gently brush aside the streaks of tears on her cheeks.
"Don't be sorry for these tears, Lloyd. They are tears of happiness that you are alright." Sheena bashfully confessed as her eyes glanced to the side, unable to maintain her gaze while she said those words.
The sight she saw made her blink once as she held her breath for a moment.
'C...Cat?' Sheena's mind screamed in bewilderment.
There, sitting on one of the rocks at the edge of the cliff was the green-eyed feline, silently watching while she gave a curious tilt to her head.
"Oh don't mind me, please continue this monumental moment." Cat purred contently.
Sheena knew instantly that this was no dream then. She had never dreamed of Cat before and she knew she probably never would dream of the feline. Her heart hammered violently in her chest as a shiver claimed her body, fear replaced everything as her head slowly turned to meet with Lloyd Irving once more. How she wish she could utter out anything right now, her throat was now painfully dry in seconds while she felt her body try to shrink back away from Lloyd.
'Th...This isn't a dream?' Sheena panicked.
The heat from his body was one of the things that Sheena suddenly became acutely aware of, the painful silence that was only filled with very faint sounds coming from the village below and the sound of the waves against the golden sand shores outside the village.
"Sheena?" Lloyd asked; she could see his invading eyes in the shadows of the night. The dark cape over the skies did not hide her enough from him and that only made her even more timid as she felt her cheeks turn to flames from the growing blush that accented the surface of her skin.
The fact that Lloyd's hand relaxed on the back of her head as he looked down at her did not reassure her in any way as his hand lowered from her moist cheeks to her shoulder. The intensity of his brown eyes were penetrating her soul, implanting the haunting memory of this moment in Sheena's mind as every slow second passed.
"What is wrong with you!" Sheena suddenly felt herself exclaim loudly as both her hands pressed against the young man's shoulders as she shoved him back, his fingers slide out from her ribbon with surprising ease as he stumbled back and he actually tripped on an absent rock, landing on the ground with a sudden thump.
Sheena felt herself spin on her heel so her back was to Lloyd, her right hand crossed over her chest so her hand lay gently over her wildly pacing heart as if such a gesture would calm it down. Her mind raced as she tried to think of how to deal with this moment and what had just happened between them and even worse, how much she had exposed herself to him. Sheena could only hope that Lloyd going to take the dense road and spare her the self-inflicting agony that her mind was doing to her; sadly she knew that Lloyd could not have been that dense as to miss everything that happened between them on this clear night.
"Smooth." Cat commented casually.
"It is good to see that Lloyd has recovered." sounded the voice of another male in the area, making Sheena's nerve jump instantly before her head snapped to the side to side as Yuan walked into side from the corner of the cliff side, the concealing cape covered his entire body as he stood behind Lloyd. The brown haired young man looked up to Yuan from his prone position, his smile faded from his lips as he stood to his feet to face the former companion of Mithos.
"Ho-how long have you been there?" Sheena asked, mustering up as much of a demanding tone as she could, feeling her body tense while she waited for the answer.
"I have been watching over the village while waiting for Lloyd to recover, at least hoping that you managed to get him here in time." Yuan replied while looking towards the flustered ninja.
"Yuan?" Lloyd blinked in surprise.
"Lloyd, listen well because this is important." Yuan started while closing the distance, casting a side glance to Sheena.
"Do you want me to get the others to hear this as well?" Lloyd commented his tone became almost deathly serious as the cheerful Lloyd was suddenly hidden behind his stern, meaningful expression while keeping his eyes locked towards Yuan.
"There shall be no need; everyone that matters is here right now." Yuan said while closing his eyes in a casual manner.
"Even Sheena?" Lloyd wondered, his serious brown eyes looking in her direction. Sheena knew it was not the right time, but just how serious those eyes locked on hers sent an unusual tingle down her spine that she managed to hide completely.
"This concerns her as well." Yuan confessed casually.
"Good. I was going to insist she stay no matter what you said." Lloyd folded his arms; his tone had not left the haunting depth of solemnness.
Sheena could not help but give a very faint smile at hearing that Lloyd wanted her around no matter what the aqua haired, ancient angel had said.
Yuan gave Lloyd what Sheena could see as a form of smile before his stern features returned; he still had his eyes closed and the man stood completely still. Seconds of silence passed before Yuan continued to speak.
"I bring a warning...from Martel." Yuan said in a grave tone.
"M-Martel?" Sheena whispered to herself.
Yuan had become the guardian of the new world tree that was growing and supplying the world with mana; but more than that, Yuan also guarded the Summon Spirit that watched over the tree protectively and that Summon Spirit was the reincarnation of Martel. The remaining Renegades that did not wish to leave the service of Yuan, those devoted and loyal to the leader turned guardian had become watchers over what was now deemed as the holy guards surrounding the world tree.
"If nothing is done than the visions that Martel spoke of shall come true." Yuan spoke in an unnervingly calm voice.
-Yuan's Flashback Story-
"The last flame of the half-elves, the last beating heart of the Desians shall bring forward the war of history." Martel whispered lightly, closing her eyes as Yuan bit his bottom lip lightly.
"The Kharlan War?" Yuan hesitatingly asked.
Martel only gave a distressed nod while keeping her eyes closed. "The war's grounds shall take place at the base of the Tree of Mana. The blood of the dead will taint the roots of the reborn tree and weaken my bound to it. The noble half-elf will capture me and use my power to end the Kharlan War once and for all and bring the humans to the brink of extinction." she whispered in an echoed tone, clasping both her hands together as if she were in prayer while she told her prophecy.
"There are no more Desians, at least I thought." Yuan frowned for a moment in thought, pulling an arm free from the cape that covered his entire body, rubbing his chin lightly. "Who is leading these Desians?" Yuan could not help but ask. He had made sure to keep himself well informed of the officers that were a part of the Desians or even a part of Cruxis that would be capable of taking command of the remaining soldiers that survived the final battle leading up to the defeat of their supreme leader.
"The one that shall lead them into the dawn of the new age from the blood of humans is a half-elven noble with the ear of the king." Martel's eyes slowly opened when she spoke to Yuan.
"The ear of the king?" Yuan spoke lightly while one eyebrow shifted in thought as his gaze turned upwards to complete the image of thought. It was not going to be of any use however, he would need to investigate a little more and get information on the unknown face. That was not the matter that was important at the moment however, it was Martel and her prediction. "How do we stop it?" Yuan asked.
"Yuan, you cannot go in this alone…or you shall perish." Martel whispered lightly in an ominous foreboding tone, although the female before him had the name of Martel, Yuan found out long ago that she was far from his beloved Martel that he lost so long ago, this Martel was fashioned after the actual Goddess of Mana. "This task falls onto the shoulders of the Eternal Swordsman; the world shall need his strength once more if we are to avoid the coming of the second Kharlan War, a war between humans and half-elves…a war that humans will not be able to win."
"Lloyd Irving." Yuan uttered to himself, glancing to the side as he let out a soft breath. A secret conflict rushed through his mind as he remembered his promise to Kratos about looking over the young swordsman while Kratos was gone. "Only he can stop this? Why?" Yuan asked, focusing his eyes back to Martel.
"Many shall fail the task that the Eternal Swordsman can accomplish." Martel whispered in a soft tone; her eyes were half closed.
"Damn." Yuan cussed lightly.
The half-elf had secretly hoped he could have stopped the Kharlan War with his own power instead of having to involve Lloyd Irving once more, not that he had a lack of faith in the young man's strength it was actually far from it, Yuan knew he could count on Lloyd if the time ever came and now it seems the world needs him once more. Yuan did fear however if a day would come that he would ask too much of the young man and he would break under the strain of holding the world up on his shoulders. Yuan assumed that Lloyd suffered silently over the years as the two cultures shared a very sensitive and volatile existence and many even blamed the merging of the two worlds that caused such an impacting change in everyone's lives.
"As we speak, the last Desian hope has been confronting the Eternal Swordsman, he is aware that the Eternal Swordsman is his only threat and only grows even more powerful as time passes. Find the Eternal Swordsman; get him ready for the war that cannot happen and put a stop to the last fight of the Desians." Martel spoke softly, her voice continued to echo with every word she spoke while she lowered her hands from her chest to politely fold them over her lap.
"I shall find him as soon as possible." Yuan nodded once.
"Yuan Ka-Fai," Martel spoke out suddenly, stopping the man from turning on his heel to walk away. "Hurry to Luin, by the time you get there, the Eternal Swordsman shall be fighting for his life and you must intervene on his death." Martel informed.
That sent a tingle of dread through his spine as he hid his sudden shock at the news very well, managing to hide his pull of urgency behind calm, almost stone-like, and facial expression. He only gave a nod of acknowledgement before turning on his heel and starting his walk away from the beautiful vision of Martel.
"None can accomplish what the Eternal Swordsman shall be able to do, those that try will perish; however," Martel interjected, making Yuan stop in mid pace as his head turned to glance over his shoulder. "He shall die if he tries to do this alone."
"Understood." Yuan spoke out.
-End of Yuan's tale-
Yuan opened his eyes after telling his tale to the two, his arms shifting under the long cloak that concealed his body; his arms remained folded over his chest while he readjusted himself.
"That's the war you were talking about in the fields." Sheena said, more to herself than directing it at Yuan or Lloyd.
"I never understand you humans and your need to slaughter each other in these petty wars, all your people are trying to do prove is who has the more idiots who are willing to run to their own deaths because they believe they are throwing them away for something greater." Cat sighed out while looking over to the side with a slightly raised chin coupled with the closing of her eyes to show her disposition about the topic.
"Valemeros wants to gain a hold of Martel, why?" Lloyd spoke in a tone that was almost hushed, like he was interrogating his own mind; searching for the answer to the question he that now plagued his mind.
"I was not told why just yet, Lloyd. It could be that the answer is not yet clear to Martel either." Yuan stated while gazing upon Lloyd with analyzing eyes, as if he were silently asking himself on why such a heavy task must once more fall onto the young shoulders of Lloyd. "But what I do know is if this…Valemeros." Yuan gave a slight pause, as if making certain of the name he was hearing; upon hearing no objection from Lloyd and just gaining a graves silence he continued. "is allowed to capture Martel and if he is allowed to soil the roots of the world tree with the blood of war, the World Tree will die and with it will bring an end to this world's supply of mana."
Sheena felt that tingle of dread wash through her body the moment that Yuan stated that phrase; his tone maintaining a deep, grave sound to every word.
"Then we cannot let that happen." Lloyd assured; Sheena could see his hands slowly tense into fists as the new knowledge only added to Lloyd's resolve.
"Maybe you should just attack him now then while he is weakened." Cat shrugged casually with a slightly mocking tone like she was not expecting anyone to be listening to her.
"What do you mean?" Sheena asked suddenly, overhearing the feline speak.
"Well, he got sever miasma burn that injected poison deep into his body. If I remember correctly, neither humans nor elves have been able to create a perfect cure for such concentrated poisoning and those attacks that almost killed your lover there came from Valemeros; that level of mana usage has either killed Valemeros or he has smartened up and taken the proper recovery methods." Cat spoke with a tone that implied she didn't care if Sheena was listening to her or not. The feline's luminous green eyes half opened as she gazed up towards Sheena.
"You saying he is weakened right now?" Sheena asked bewildered.
"Sheena? What are talking about?" a worried tone of Lloyd sounded in the air, gaining the ninja's attention as she instantly flustered.
Sheena looked to the side to see Lloyd's wide, curious stare along with Yuan who was looking over his shoulder in his usual expression that always seemed to be less than amused.
"Ah…I…uh…" Sheena spoke nervously as she suffered the feeling of her tongue suddenly becoming larger in her mouth, choking off her own words. "Was just speaking to…" Sheena instinctively started pointing down towards Cat. The two males looked to where she was pointing before Yuan slightly narrowed his eyes, like he was being taken a fool for. Lloyd only blinked at what he saw and then looked to Sheena with a blank expression of confusion.
"They can't see me, darling." Cat purred in an amused manner.
"I…I know that!" Sheena suddenly called out in an aggressive tone, turning the feline before she realized how that was just making her case even worse.
"Yuan! It is so nice to see you again!" a cheerful voice sounded in the air.
Sheena felt her nerves calm instantly when both the eyes of her observers broke contact from her and looked above to where the voice was coming from. Sheena could not express how grateful she was for the sudden arrival of the golden haired chosen.
The tension in the air was killed almost instantly by the cheer that the chosen brought her when she touched down to her feet and turned to face Yuan, the angelic wings on Colette's back fluttered lightly before they seemed to fade from sight. Colette clasped her hands together as she gave a calming smile, closing her water sapphire eyes.
"How are you, Yuan? Oh I do hope you have not been too lonely at the World Tree." Colette spoke with sincere worry.
"You do not need to worry about me, chosen." Yuan spoke casually; his tone actually eased from their previous grim sounding voice.
"Oh that is right…you have Martel to keep you company. You must be so happy." Colette changed on a dime from worry to cheer for Yuan's fortunes to be with Martel again. Even though the Martel that was at the World Tree was not the Martel he loved back in life but the Martel that people worshiped as a goddess.
'Well thank Martel for Colette's arrival.' Sheena thought to herself as she glanced over to Cat who was only licking the back of her paw and rubbing it behind her ear. 'How does Cat know if Valemeros is weakened or not?' Sheena asked herself as she continued to watch Cat clean herself.
"Sheena?" Lloyd asked in a softer tone. His voice was still enough to make Sheena jump out of her daze from staring at Cat as her nerves jolted for a moment and her head turned meet the eyes of the source of the gentle voice. "What were you saying before?" Lloyd asked.
"M-me? I don't know what you are talking about? I have no idea…none at all, not Sheena…nope." Sheena felt herself become flustered as swallowed hard and for a moment it felt like Lloyd's warming eyes became an engulfing interrogating gaze.
"Sheena, we do not have time for this, if you have anything to say then do so." Yuan commented in a stern voice that sounded like he was having his patience tested, different than the tone he used with Colette just moments ago.
"Maybe you should at least tell them about his miasma poisoning." Cat stated casually.
As much as Sheena did not want to risk revealing Cat, being the feline would be very difficult to explain to people who cannot see her, Sheena knew that it might prove to be very vital information and at least her mind was distracted from her previous pains of when Lloyd first woke up and not to mention the moment they just shared. Sheena did not know what to think about it; Lloyd acted like he did before all these hardships and she was given his wide, cheerful smile before Yuan reappeared.
Sheena could only hope that it was her that placed that smile on his face.
"You're right." Sheena whispered under her voice, making sure that none of the trio could hear her. "It might be a good idea to attack Valemeros now then." Sheena voiced out as she folded her arms over her stomach, closing her eyes so she did not have to consciously know that all eyes were on her.
"Now?" Lloyd asked; Sheena heard his feet shuffle in the dirt but she still refused to open her eyes to see what his reaction or movements were.
"Be very reckless to attack without thinking up some plan of attack." Yuan stated in a thoughtful tone; his eyes looked up towards the sky while he ran some thoughts by his head. "We do not even know where he is located. I still need to gather my resources on that."
"I know where fancy pants is 'located'." Cat replied mimicking a polite way of talking.
"He was in Exire." Sheena looked down to Cat by instinct, turning her attention away from the trio.
"But where is Exire now? It is an island that is constantly on the move over the oceans." Cat purred in an amused manner as she gave a small, sly, feline smile.
"Exire?" Colette whispered to herself as she tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully while looking up before giving a smile. "Oh Exire! That place that floats in the skies and as all those half-elves there." Colette let her memory kick in before she gave a sympathictic tilt to her head. "I have always wondered if the people on Exire ever get lonely."
"I am sure they do not get lonely, Exire is a huge place." Yuan worded casually before looking in Sheena's direction again. "Sheena, what do you know?" he confronted.
"Valemeros takes residence in Exire." Sheena spoke softly, her brown eyes leaving Cat to look towards Yuan, Lloyd, and Colette. "Valemeros tried to take Verius out of my body like he did with the other summon spirits; but Verius had a self-defense for that tactic and he surrounded my heart in this type of miasma that burned Valemeros…very bad." Sheena started; she also noticed that when she mentioned that Valemeros tried to take Verius the same way he did with the other summon spirits, Lloyd's hands balled up into fists and the burning intensity she saw flush to the surface of his eyes were dark, consuming…scary. Sheena flinched lightly before looking to Colette who had an expression of worry on her face.
"How can miasma surround your heart and not kill you?" Yuan asked confused.
"I don't know." Sheena desperately stated in a tone of surrender, not ready to try and explain how everything is supposed to make sense. She would have enough problems trying to explain Cat. "You can go ask Verius when he is conscious." Sheena idly commented.
"Conscious?" Yuan furrowed his brows at that statement.
Sheena did not know how to explain what condition Verius was in right now. Verius had become silent ever since he used his power to let her share Lloyd's pain so he would survive the vicious attack from Valemeros and Sheena did remember that Verius said he would need time to recover after forming the temporary bond between Lloyd and her.
"He is tired." Sheena absently explained. "Valemeros suffered a serious infection of miasma and when he was fighting Lloyd he consumed a lot of mana to try and get rid of him." Sheena tried to continue her explanation. "He seemed fine at the time because he probably used some old text cure, but that cure would not help such a severe case of poisoning and it would act more like a suppressant than remove it from his body. Now that he has used so much mana, he has become very unstable and there is a chance he could already have died from his mana separating." Sheena huffed out a breath to regain her composure; her eyes closing as she quickly continued before any questions interrupted. "But that is very unlikely and he is probably recovering slowly, restricted from using anymore mana which means he is at his weakest now than he has ever been…so it might be best if we attack him very soon." Sheena sighed out while her brown eyes half opened again to look at her audience.
"How can you possibility know all this?" Yuan frowned as he leaned towards Sheena very slightly.
"This should be good, trying to explain to them that you are getting all your information from an invisible cat." The black feline purred in amusement.
"How do you know about all this miasma stuff anyways?" Sheena uttered under her breath while shooting a side glance to Cat.
"I guess there is no hiding it; I told Valemeros one thing: I am no guardian of any kind. I am a prisoner in that ring of yours, trapped inside by Maxwell…I used to be a very dangerous and powerful sorcerer of Exire and my power was growing far too great that it threatened the magic barrier that Maxwell used to keep Exire a float and hidden. To save Exire, Maxwell transformed my body…and imprisoned me in the ring. This body limits my powers and the ring restricts my interaction on the world. He had meant to keep my ring hidden from everyone for eternity…but somehow the ring fell into the hands of humans and now here I am. I used to be a resident of Exire, I know where it shall be at any given time in the year and before being sealed…because of my promise, I used to be Maxwell's apprentice." Cat stretched her fore paws in front of her, clawing along the ground as she stretched her back. "You would be surprised with the amount of knowledge you pick up…whether you want to learn it or not." Cat voiced out with half-closed, irritated eyes.
"You told this to Valemeros?" Sheena whispered, forgetting the fact that all attention was on her still.
"I didn't tell that stuck-up man anything about my past. I said I told him one thing, that I was not a guardian." Cat idly commented.
The fact that Cat was telling Sheena such a past about her, a past that did not give the feline the most positive light actually reassured Sheena more than anything. Cat was opening up to her about her own dark past and Sheena was allowed to see through the evasive feline.
"Ummm…Sheena?" Colette asked with a worried tone.
A tingle ran up Sheena's spine as her mind snapped back to reality and reminded her of where she was and who was around her while she whispered to Cat. Sheena slowly turned her head to meeting the perplexed expression of both Colette and Lloyd; Yuan did not show any emotion behind his blank stare as all three sets of eyes were on her.
"Who are you talking to?" Lloyd asked carefully.
"This is going to very hard for me to explain." Sheena sighs out with an uneasy tone.
Somehow the words managed to spill from Sheena's lips as she did her best to explain the existence of Cat, looking at the feline now and against and gesturing towards her by instinct even though her listeners could only ever see an empty space. Through Cat's overly casual mannerism, she gave silent permission for Sheena to tell them about her imprisonment so they could understand everything of where she comes from. Sheena ignored the differences of expression from the trio and rambled on about the tale of the one with the tail.
"How can we even trust something we cannot see or speak to?" Yuan muttered while narrowing his eyes at Sheena.
"Cat sounds so cute…I wish I could see and speak with her." Colette smiled cheerfully as she clasped both her hands together.
"Cute?" Cat responded while arching an eyebrow. It seemed that Cat held herself on such high grounds that the compliment of cute did not register as such to her ears.
Lloyd closed the distance between himself and Sheena as she placed one foot back as if prepared to step away and eying the man that she could swear probably looked like a timid rabbit. Sheena knew that whatever he said could actually make or break her right now and she found herself not caring if Yuan or even Colette believed her…but her eyes locked onto Lloyd's lips…awaiting what he believed.
The seconds ticked by in a tense silence. Every muscle in Sheena's body locked up as she stood up straight and barely any air escaped Sheena's vessel as she felt her head rigidly start to decline. Her salvation came when she felt Lloyd grab her hand which caused Sheena's heart to jump as shifted very slightly in surprise.
"This ring is her prison?" Lloyd asked in a sincere tone, his index and thumb pinched the golden ring with the emerald in the shape of a cat's eye.
"Uh…yeah…I guess." Sheena muttered while she looked down at Lloyd's hand.
"Is there any way to free her?" Lloyd added another question. Sheena looked at Lloyd suddenly with a glance of surprise that he thought of such a thing right now; his brown eyes gazed from the glimmering emerald to meet her eyes. "I don't care why Maxwell imprisoned her…I do not think anyone deserves to be sealed away for eternity."
"Aren't you the altruist?" Cat purred as she walked up and sat beside Sheena's ankle while the feline looked up to Sheena. "I can see why you are so smitten by the idiot." Sheena suddenly felt her twitch of annoyance as she shot a cold glance down Cat. "Lloyd." She causally corrected with a swoosh of her tail, looking towards Yuan. "He does not look like the type to agree however."
"How can I trust something I cannot even see or hear?" Yuan huffed out once; his eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Because Sheena would not lie." Colette replied quickly to the defense of her friend as she walked over to look at Sheena. "Sheena is a trustworthy, dear friend to both of us."
A smile quickly accented Sheena's face as she looked to Colette's caring blue eyes and gentle smile that she gave in return to the purple ninja.
"Maybe not." Yuan commented while his eyes came to a close. "But that will not stop someone or something from deceiving her."
Sheena let that register in her mind for a moment. She never thought of the possibility that Cat was lying to her and she did not think the feline would have anything to gain by making up such a story about Valemeros and her knowledge of miasma as well as her connection to Maxwell that led to her imprisoning.
"Give handsome the ring." Cat purred with half opened eyes.
"What?" Sheena blinked in sudden shock as she looked down to the feline.
"You hea—" Cat started before she blinked her eyes. "Meow?" Cat commented in confusion; Sheena was surprised because she had never heard Cat make any typical feline sounds. The source of such a sound was explained while Cat looked up at Colette who was now kneeling beside her and looking down at the black feline. The expression of confusion was clear on Cat's face as both feline and ninja were surprised to see Colette looking at her and seemingly able to see her. Colette reached down in a petting action that caused Cat's fur on her back to spike suddenly before she jumped back out of petting range. "She…she can see me?" Cat stated with wide eyes.
The answer came soon enough as Colette started petting empty air, striking both female companions in a moment of silence before Colette gave a smile and looked up to Sheena.
"She is here right? I noticed your eyes look to where ever she is." Colette smiled cheerfully, such innocence made Sheena sigh out with a smile.
"Actually she jumped out of your reach when you came to close. She is over there now." Sheena gestured behind her with a small smile still on her lips.
"Oh…I'm…I'm sorry, kitty."
"…Cat." The feline corrected with narrowed eyes.
"Why are you sorry?" Lloyd shook his head suddenly while realising Sheena's ring.
"It sounds like I offended her by trying to pet her…I am so so sorry." Colette spoke in a distressed, almost pleading voice.
"And the bimbo is?" Cat blinked while staring at Sheena.
The sudden urge to grab Cat and shake her around violently surfaced in the mind of Sheena when Cat called her a bimbo. When the feline called Lloyd idiot and lover boy was one thing; Sheena called him idiot on a weekly basis. Colette did nothing to deserve such a title from a stranger who did not even know how sweet, kind, and caring the chosen can be.
Sheena closed her eyes in an agitated manner as she grabbed the ring and pulled it off her finger before Cat could make another comment and held it up in front of Lloyd, who could only respond with a curious expression that was completed with wide eyes.
"What?" Lloyd asked; his tone was also shaken and Sheena knew it was because her demeanour changed greatly and she was probably giving off a cold energy.
"Give it to Yuan…he can wear it and he can speak with Cat." Sheena remarked.
"Oh…oh, can I wear it next?" Colette asked cheerfully. "I want to say sorry to her for offending her." Her expression suddenly changed to one of bothered remorse.
"Don't bother, Colette." Sheena stated in a biting tone.
"Fine, I'll take it." Yuan commented in a monotone voice.
Lloyd hesitantly took the ring from Sheena's fingers and the moment she felt its removal she turned on her heel and folded her arms over her stomach.
"You can return it after you are done interrogating." Sheena huffed out while walking away from the group.
"Sheena?" Colette blinked in surprise.
"Sheena wait?" Lloyd called after her.
Sheena did not listen to voices behind her as she jumped down the cliff side and made her way towards Raine's home in the village.
-Later that night-
Sheena let out a sight as she looked to the night skies again, standing on the edge of the beach so she could see the body of water and the jewel in the night skies reflect off the black, rippling surface. A small bundle wrapped in cloth was held to her stomach, two hilts poking out in plain sight.
"Sheena?" called a calm, warm, yet careful tone from behind her.
Naturally, such a tone normally flustered Sheena and made her jump slightly when she was alone and he suddenly came to her; however this time was different as Sheena gently gripped the swords a little more firmly before looking over her shoulder to see Lloyd making his way towards her.
"Lloyd…do you…have a moment?" Sheena asked softly.
"Of course I do, Sheena." Lloyd replied, maintaining his calm tone.
Sheena gestured with her head for Lloyd to come join her before she looked towards the waters again and let out a soft sigh. The sound of Lloyd's footsteps against the ground could be heard over the crashing water against the shore. "So what did Yuan think?" Sheena asked softly.
"He believes her." Lloyd commented.
"Did you…put the ring on?" Sheena asked hesitantly as her mind thought of the mischief that the feline would be able to cause if she was able to speak with Lloyd. That was something that Sheena did not think of before she made her hasty departure.
Silence was the only thing exchanged between the two for a torturous ten seconds that lingered on in Sheena for what seemed to be a life time.
"No." Lloyd finally replied.
The answer surprised Sheena as she suddenly looked over to him only to see the very faint smile that Sheena adored. There were the many smiles of Lloyd Irving and this more subtle smile was her favourite of them all, it was a smile that could often be used when looking at someone of admiration and affection.
Lloyd glanced at the golden ring that Yuan had given back to Lloyd. "You did not say for me to put it on and honestly…I would not have to put it on to prove if Cat exists or not…I believe you Sheena." Lloyd commented in a soft, warm tone before offering the ring back to Sheena. "I trust you…completely."
Sheena was completely taken back by what he said; she always knew that Lloyd had trusted her but actually hearing it in such a meaningful tone made Sheena forget how to breathe for a moment.
"What are those?" Lloyd asked as he gestured towards the wrapped bundle held against Sheena's body. He noticed the bundle because Sheena made no effort to reclaim the ring, having her arms full of the gift she had for Lloyd.
Sheena became acutely aware of her surroundings when Lloyd brought up what was in her arms; her nervousness raised her senses to that other level very briefly as she shivered when she felt the faint chill of the night breeze against her face, the feel of how the cool air felt as it slide through her ebony locks before she turned slowly to face Lloyd with a faint blush accenting her otherwise pale feature—her own skin had betrayed her will to try and keep her composure.
"I…wanted to give these to you Lloyd." Sheena said in a weak whisper. Her timid eyes locked with Lloyd to see his reaction, fearing his reaction even though she knew he would be happy to receive the two swords.
Pocketing the ring for a moment, Lloyd grabbed the bundle from Sheena and looked down at the cloth that wrapped around the articles. Sheena watched as he eyed the hilts suddenly and then looked back to her with a bewildered expression for a moment which Sheena could only respond with a weak smile.
"Swords?" Lloyd asked bewildered.
"They…they are the finest craft from Mizuho; I had my father make them for you—I mean, well your other swords broke right?" Sheena nervously tried to explain as if she were trying to cover her own tracks from embarrassment of revealing too much. "So I thought you would like…well I mean, that is that you could use them—until you get your other swords back of course—you don't have to use them." Sheena was trying hard not to trip over her own words or make it sound like it mattered to her if he liked it or not, even though she knew if he did not like them that it would shatter her completely. Nervously, the purple ninja fiddled with her own fingers behind her back as she breathed slowly in anticipation.
She could only watch helplessly as Lloyd slide the cloth covering away from the sheaths of the new weapons, smoothly polished sheaths of beauty that had matching colors to the fabric that was wrapped around the hilts, a purple sheath that was almost a spot on shade to what Sheena wore and a strikingly passionate red that was close to the shade of which Lloyd wore, if only just a few shades darker. Sheena felt her fingers grip each other almost painfully as her heart stilled for just a couple of beats while her eyes locked on Lloyd's own as she watched them move up and down the length of the swords. Her breath was allowed a merciful escape as she saw him give a smile before he slide each sheath into their respective spots on his leather belt. Lloyd crossed his arms over his body as each hand grabbed the hilts of the newfound swords and she watched his fingers tighten before he stopped instantly.
"May I?" Lloyd asked almost too innocently as Sheena looked up from his hands to look into Lloyd's honest face as he was asking her if he may do the honors of drawing them for the first time, here and now.
"Please." Sheena responded. One word response was what she was reduced to.
The sound of steel against the metal ring at the opening of the sheath filled the air as Lloyd slowly pulled the swords free from their containment. Sheena's eyes sparkled with happiness and awe as she watched the fresh blades reflect in the brilliant beauty of the moon light. The engravings on the blades stood out more than before as they caught the perfect angle of light. Sheena could only find herself with a happy smile as she watched with a pride as he raised both swords high; predicting his next movements; Sheena stepped back and sure enough Lloyd took the new space between them to slash the swords through the empty, crisp night air. The sound of the swords cutting the air made Sheena strangely excited as she watched him practice with the newly forged swords.
"They…they are perfect in weight." Lloyd uttered in surprise as he looked at the slightly curved blades, a cross between his old swords and Mizuho katana style curve. "What are these?" he asked when he was admiring the forge and noticed the engravings.
"Wh—what do you mean?" Sheena asked nervously as if her asking that question would save her an embarrassing explanation.
"These." He responded while stepped closer to Sheena to show her what she knew was already etched into the swords surface near the hilts, running one quarter up the length of both of the blades.
"Oh! You mean those!" Sheena laughed nervously while she brought a hand up to her blushing cheek, like holding her hand there would make him ignore the fact that her face was slowly being conquered by the red invasion of her surfacing blood. "Ah ha…ha…ha." Trying to buy herself time from explaining what they both said.
"Lloyd, I'm sorry to be so bothersome." The lilting tone from the golden haired chosen sang through the air at a distance.
Sheena glanced towards the water to hide her blush from Colette; the appearance of the chosen was a bitter-sweet experience for Sheena as she was hoping to share this moment with Lloyd together, just him and her. Sheena had almost lost Lloyd and her memory was forever burned with how much blood of his was covering her and now she had him alone while they recovered and again it was cut short. Her courage crumbled in that instant as she was reduced to just being able to observe the events around her now.
"Colette, you goof…you're not a bother." Lloyd laughed lightly while Sheena heard the ground shift as she knew Lloyd was turning to face her and those sounds being accompanied by the footsteps of the chosen as she advanced closer towards the both of them.
"I just…couldn't sleep knowing that you will be fighting the man who hurt you so much." Colette voiced in a tone filled with worry. Sheena knew that tone would be completed by her pleading blue eyes that could shake the resolve of the coldest heart.
"I have to do this, Colette." He replied.
"Why? Why is it always you Lloyd?" Colette surprisingly objected, normally she would be all for Lloyd to go out and fight for the world; but it seemed that this time, something was shaking Colette so much that even she succumbed to the fear of defeat.
"Because no one else can." Lloyd tried to explain to the shaken young woman.
The sound of Lloyd's new swords were heard slipping back into their sheath before the resounding clip of the hilt tapping against the metal opening finalized the action.
"But…but…I don't want to…lose you." Colette whispered in sorrow.
When Sheena heard that she snapped her gaze from the waters to look over to Colette as Lloyd walked closer to her. The pale-skinned chosen had her head lowered and she could easily tell the gentle woman was crying in fear of losing Lloyd.
"You won't lose me…" Lloyd whispered back in a reassuring voice that was also filled with an unsaid promise.
Sheena could only gaze to the side as she saw Lloyd take the tearful Colette in his arms and he held her close in a meaningful embrace. It was a startling stab for Sheena to watch as she closed her eyes for a moment…a solemn calm washed over Sheena as she breathed out once and then opened her eyes to look towards the two.
Sheena walked towards the two before placing her hand on Colette's shoulder, sliding her hand down her back to gently rub the worried woman's back. Her hand unintentionally brushed against Lloyd's hand that had wrapped around Colette and for some reason that made Sheena stir slightly as if she had made a mistake and looked over to see Lloyd's eyes open to look at her. The look in his deep, brown eyes was a look she had not seen before and so she did not understand what he was trying to say without words. Sheena half closed her eyes again as she looked to the side, away from Lloyd and gave a subtle nod.
Perhaps it was a moment he wished to be alone with Colette and Sheena had to be understanding and compassionate towards Lloyd's feelings and Colette's worry. Turning on her heel; Sheena silently walked away from the two…she could feel Lloyd's eyes still on her the entire time she was walking away.
She only wished she knew why.
