Disclaimer: TOS belongs to Namco.

Lonely One's Love

Chapter 2: "Chosen One"

By Cole-san

She smiled cheerfully to herself: the bright and special young girl. She was in a field, a wide, breathtaking field of flowers located near her hometown of Iselia. She was five years old, and had been doing this for some time now: gathering flowers... by herself. No one wanted to play with the Chosen after all. The adults treated her like one of their own, and the kids treated her much the same. She was too young to be an adult, but because of what she was, the Chosen, she couldn't be a child either. She couldn't even be who she really was...Colette. No, she was the Chosen. She was special, she was different, she had a grand and incredible mission to fulfill one day. She couldn't just laugh and have fun like the other kids. That's why...she had decided not to cry anymore. That used to be all she did, but now...now she would always smile. At least, on the outside. No more tears for her. If she couldn't smile by accident, she would force herself to. That was what this five-year-old girl decided. That was what this Chosen decided.

From her position on the bed of her hotel room in Flanoir, Colette sighed softly. She wasn't sure why she had recalled that particular memory.

"So long ago...back then, I felt so alone..." Shortly after that, she had met Lloyd, and she learned to smile for real rather than just for show. The problem was, she had already gotten into the habit of always smiling anyway. She suspected that even he, her best friend, didn't know how often she cried inside. Sometimes, late at night, she'd let herself cry on the outside as well; only when she was alone though, and never for very long. She couldn't afford to. She had to be strong...everyone thought she was so strong. The truth was, she had to hold onto that strength, that boundless optimism that everyone admired, with every fiber of her fragile being. If any of them ever realized how much of a struggle it was to not just break down and sob sometimes...she envied them so much. Envied them for their depression, their anger, their hate. Or rather, she envied that they could show these things and not be thought less of really. How often had she wished that some other girl somewhere else could have been the Chosen? More times that she could count. She would always hate herself after that...for thinking such selfish things. But she couldn't help it...

Thank goodness for Lloyd...her friend, her anchor, her love... Yes, she loved him. She had loved him for years. She swore that sometimes he was all that kept her sane. Even before she had really understood what that warm feeling inside her was whenever he was near, she knew he was special to her, as more than just a friend. Unfortunately, she had grown so used to hiding her true feelings behind a mask of cheer and laughter, that she found it amazingly difficult to tell him how she felt. It didn't help that he was rather clueless about these sorts of things.

Then along came an assassin. She couldn't help but notice all the looks of longing Sheena gave Lloyd when the older girl thought no one would see. Colette saw though. She liked the ninja girl a great deal of course. Truthfully, she admired her. She wished she had that sort of strength. The strength to suffer, be yourself, and still be a wonderful person. Sheena didn't have to hide; she didn't have to wear a mask. Sometimes she faltered, but she always came through in the end.

"Not like me..." It was true. By contrast, she was always messing up. Her only successes were accidents. She was a poor fighter, a mediocre spell-caster, and a decent cook. By comparison, Sheena was a skilled warrior, a summoner, and a good cook.

"She's also beautiful...and I'm a plain little ironing board..." Colette winced at her self-given title. As if to rub salt in it all, Sheena had become much more vital to their quest than she was. She was just a failed Chosen. What's more, her whole life was a lie. Her whole life she had been groomed to be the Chosen, and for what? To suit Yggdrasil's skewed little system? Yes she had often wished to not be the Chosen, to be a normal girl, but not like this...not now. Sheena wielded the power of the spirits, she was going to stand shoulder to shoulder with Lloyd and save the world, and where would she be? A plain little girl from a sleepy village, standing somewhere behind them, watching from afar. If anything, she was a liability; a hindrance...and she knew that very soon Sheena would work up the courage to tell Lloyd how she no doubt felt. Colette had been lucky so far, as the other girl was quite shy, but she knew it wouldn't last...and then...

"I...I have to see Lloyd..." Her thoughts were getting too morbid. She needed to see him, her love. She rushed to his room, making sure to be quiet of course. Hesitantly, she knocked. Maybe this was a bad idea...No! She had to be strong! She had to do this; she had to tell him how she felt! It had to be now! If she didn't...then Sheena might...and then...she really would be all alone...

"Tonight Lloyd...I'll tell you how I feel tonight..." Chosen or not, failure or not, she wouldn't hide how she felt. She would show him her true feelings. She was no longer the Chosen, she was Colette, and she would prove it tonight.

Author's Notes: Okay, part two more or less done. I'm not 100% satisfied with either of these two yet, but oh well. I know I promised less angst but I sort of decided to do this story differently than I originally intended. Bet you can guess whom the next part will focus on. Until then.