AngelCatGirl: I'm back with another chapter! Sorry this was a bit late...been busy with homework from school and all. Well hope you enjoy this one, too!
Now Sheena's finally awake in this chapter, what would her reactions be to Zelos? What did he choose to do? You'll see.
Mitsukai: ACG does not own ToS
Zelos paced the room of his mansion, threatening to wear a hole in the floor as he waited for Sheena to awaken from her slumber. Seconds, minutes, hours passed as he continued to wait for seemingly an eternity. He glanced at Sheena from time to time, studying her form for any signs of change. It was funny…just the other day she was lying in the same bed as she is now…hurt and in need of his care. This was exactly the same situation, except, she wouldn't remember him enough to throw a fit. Zelos didn't know why he waited, there was always a sickening clench in his stomach every time he gazed at her still form…chest rising and falling…
Zelos shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had to change for her. She would be completely vulnerable in her state and she wouldn't know what to expect. Then again he could just forget about collecting all her memories…maybe he could just start their whole first meeting all over again. Their first encounter had not gone entirely pleasant; he had, more or less, just peeked in on her taking a shower, something he took to as a personal hobby. Zelos really couldn't resist on his first meeting; she had the perfect form, a pretty face, and unusual temper…in all his life he had never met anyone else that had ever left such a deep impression in him other than his own mother, who had said "You should have never been born" just before she died in his arms.
Zelos tensed when Sheena had moved from her current position to turn and face the sunlight with a small sigh. She still hadn't awoken yet so Zelos was once again left to muse over his thoughts of the past, present, and the upcoming future.
It was noon time but Zelos didn't have much of an appetite; in fact he hadn't eaten anything for breakfast either. Sebastian came in from time to time, worried about his master and encouraging him to eat something, but Zelos always refused saying that he didn't want to leave Sheena's side for a moment in case she did wake up.
It was just about time for one of Sebastian's checkups when something did happen. Zelos, finally giving in to Sebastian's pleadings, was just about to head out of the room when he was startled by a voice.
"Who… are you?" it asked. Zelos whirled around expectantly and sure enough Sheena was sitting up in her bed starring at the Chosen with a slightly blank expression on her face.
"Sheena, you're awake!" Zelos bounded to her side happily. He expected her to retort something about him being a pervert or if he had done anything to her, but to his disappointment she just repeated her question. "Who are you?"
Zelos' blue eyes reflected the hurt he was feeling but he quickly hid it with a smile. Of course she wouldn't remember him…Mitsukai had told him that much hadn't she? "Why I'm Zelos Wilder, Chosen of Mana. Nice to see you're awake Sheena." he answered in a fake cheerful voice.
"How do you know my name? I'm sure I have never met you before. How did I get here?" Sheena asked, confusion seeping into her face at why she was in a bed with a stranger in her room.
"Don't you remember? I found you lost in Meltokio; you were wandering around aimlessly with a high fever and you happened to collapse on my doorway." Zelos lied.
Sheena put her hand on her forehead, "I…don't remember any of this. You really helped me?"
Zelos nodded in response.
"You are doing this all for a complete stranger?" she asked him.
Behind the smile, Zelos' heart ached. He wanted to tell her that he did know her, he wanted to say that he knew her better than anyone…but saying that would just give her the wrong impression; she would think he was a stalker or something. Zelos wanted this to go just perfect and didn't want her to end up hating him.
"Yes, I am." he replied. "When you feel up to it, lunch will be held downstairs. Sebastian will show you the way." Zelos got up gracefully and headed toward the door, flipping a strand of hair out of his face.
"Chosen…"
He stopped and looked back at Sheena, who happened to look just lovely at that moment without the anger or suspicion clouding her features. "What is it my vol—I mean, Sheena?"
"Thank you." she said smiling.
"It…was nothing." Zelos replied leaving the room. Once outside, he let his smile drop; his face now wore the look of sadness. He knew deep in his heart he really couldn't take advantage of her when she was so innocent to his actions. He knew his only choice was to return all her memories before he really did something he would regret.
Sheena stared at the door a moment after Zelos left. She really didn't expect any kindness to come from any noble living in Meltokio, especially the Chosen. Sheena had always been told not to trust him and that he was a no good philander, but meeting him face to face...Sheena didn't know if the rumors were true or not. He seemed kind enough but it could all be an act just to get her to do something for him. There was one thing she knew for sure, she was definitely feeling as if she had met the Chosen before…like in a dream or something. Maybe she had met him on her journey with the others…Lloyd, Colette, Genis, Raine, Presea, and Regal. Sheena searched her memory but never had she met the red-haired Chosen before. She sighed, sinking back into the fluffy mattress thinking. His smile, there was something sad in the way he smiled at her. Sheena was confused at why since this truly was the first time they had met and she was sure she didn't do anything to offend him. Shaking away the thoughts she knew she must focus on the task at hand…but…what was the task? Why had she come to Meltokio in the first place? Everything was a big blur to her…never in her life had she felt more lonely…except perhaps for the time when she was responsible for the death of half the villagers of Mizuho. She really was isolated then. Looking out the window absentmindedly, Sheena tried to picture what she had been doing for the last couple of days, or had it been weeks? The Chosen told her she had been running a fever but if she were, shouldn't she remember something by now?
"Um, miss?" called a nervous voice behind her. She turned to face whoever had disturbed her. It was Sebastian, Zelos' personal butler. "Master Wilder has sent me to see if you are well enough to join him for lunch. If you are, I will escort you to the dinning hall."
Sheena sat up in her bed and stared at the man confusedly. Never in her life had she received such treatment as these, it was strange, having someone tend to your every need like a princess. "Um…you don't have to escort me…I can find the dinning hall on my own."
"My apologizes Miss Sheena, but Master Wilder was quite insistent that I escort you down." Sebastian said.
Sheena sighed. Why was the Chosen making such a fuss over her? If only he knew how much she despised all the attention…it made her feel very uncomfortable. Sure it was nice but one should know their own limits. "I'll be down in a minute…err…"
"My name is Sebastian, Miss Sheena." he said, answering her silent question.
"Well I'll be down in a minute Sebastian. You can tell the Chosen that I can find the dining hall on my own." she said sternly.
Now it was Sebastian's turn to sigh, "As you wish, Miss Sheena." he said turning to leave.
Sheena waited until she heard his footsteps disappear down the stairs till she got out of bed to inspect herself. Though the Chosen may seem nice and caring she still could not put her trust in him yet; the rumors of his escapades far exceeded those of his good deeds. Sheena saw the wound she had on her arm, still healing from her bout with Seles. But she didn't remember that, so Sheena gazed at it quite quizzically and wondered just what had happened during the time she entered Meltokio.
Zelos sat in the dining hall patiently, waiting for Sheena to arrive for lunch. He fidgeted with a letter that he had placed there for a reason he could not remember, so he opened it and read it to pass the time. It turned out to be the letter he was going to give Sheena when she arrived two days ago, the letter that stated she was to be the Emissary of Peace for Tethe'alla. Zelos had been the one behind the act and right now he wondered if it was a mistake on his part. Sighing, he refolded the letter and placed it back in its envelope.
"Who are you?" Sheena's voice rang in Zelos' head, repeating endlessly and refusing to lessen.
"Argh…" Zelos placed his hands over his ears hoping to dispel the pain he felt…the pang in his heart that only resulted from her words. His pain was interrupted when a plate of salad loomed in front of his face, held by his butler Sebastian.
"Master Zelos, I have taken the liberty of preparing you a salad for lunch considering you will not likely have much of an appetite after your ordeal. Miss Sheena will accompany you shortly." he said placing the dish in front of his master.
"You can drop the formalities, Sebastian. I've already told you, you can call me Zelos." he said absentmindedly picking at his food with a fork with a frown imprinted on his forehead.
"Is there anything else I can do for you, Master Zelos?" Sebastian asked completely ignoring his master's suggestion. In proper etiquette, a butler never addressed the master by his first name. It was unheard of! His family had served the Wilders' for generations and not one of them ever spoke to his or her master with such insolence; Sebastian was not going to be the first to attempt to mar his family's good reputation as servants for the Chosens' of Tethe'alla nor was he going to be the last.
"No…you have done enough. Thank you for worrying." Zelos said sadly. His thoughts still clouded on the situation with Sheena. "You can have some time off. I think I'm going to go on a journey for a while. I'll let you handle things here."
"As you wish." Sebastian replied exiting the room silently.
Zelos' mind wandered as he gazed at the cup of water in front of him vacantly, not really focusing on it. Hearing silent footsteps tread on the carpet from another room stirred Zelos into making his automatic response to Sebastian's constant presence. "Go away Sebastian…I do not wish to be disturbed right now." he said in a monotone voice.
"Oh…am I interrupting something?" asked a voice sheepishly.
Recognizing the voice, Zelos jerked out of his thoughts and turned to face a very shy looking Sheena, standing at the doorway uneasily. "Sheena! Oh, don't worry about it…I thought you were my butler Sebastian." he said apologetically, smiling for good measure.
Sheena relaxed a bit, "May I sit down?"
"Make yourself at home." Zelos said warmly. This would be the first time they really had a chance to talk with her memory gone and all so Zelos wanted it to be perfect. "Would you like anything to eat?" he asked, gesturing to his own untouched salad in front of him as she took a seat facing him.
"I'm not hungry…Chosen." she said adding the "Chosen" to be polite.
Zelos almost blurted out, "Trying to watch that figure of yours?" but he knew that it wouldn't help the situation. So instead he asked, "Are you feeling much better?"
"Yes…I suppose I am." Sheena responded. A few moments of silence passed between them…uncomfortably.
"Chosen, may I ask you something?" Sheena asked, fidgeting with the corner of her purple robe. He gestured for her to continue. "Why did you help me? Why would you care if someone like me got hurt or was ill? I've always heard that nobles didn't care about anyone other than themselves." She wouldn't meet his eyes as she said it, instead, keeping her gaze fixed on her lap.
Zelos laughed a bit, but the laughter wasn't directed toward the summoner, it was an ironic, bitter laugh. "Well Sheena, if I really did just care about myself, it does make you wonder why I helped you. You heard right about nobles being self-centered, but not all of them are like that. I'm not like that…and that's why I want to be honest with you now."
Sheena held her breath as she waited for him to continue, overcome with the feeling that his next words were going to be important.
"I…didn't…find you on my doorstep. I actually knew…know…you." Zelos said, looking back to his plate.
"W-What?" she shouted, eyes snapping back to him.
"You see, I went with you and Lloyd and all the others on that journey to reunite the worlds. We were friends…I admit we had our share of…arguments…but we were still friends. You were always there for me and I was always there for you." Zelos explained, fearing her reaction and not meeting her eyes. "We might have been something more than that but…
"I think you're mistaken, Chosen. You and I have never met in my life and I'm sure that we've never been friends. I would have remembered that. Are you sure you're not confusing me with some other girl you know?" she asked, more for herself than for him. She needed to convince herself that everything he said couldn't be true…it couldn't be.
"No…I would never mix someone else up with you. You're Sheena Fujibayashi, ultimate summoner and the next chief of Mizuho. Your best friend was Corrine, who was a human-made Summon Spirit, and he died protecting you in Volt's temple. Corrine was then reborn as the Summon Spirit of the Heart. Before you met Colette and Lloyd you were the assassin assigned by the King to stop them from carrying out their journey but you got to know them and soon betrayed your country to help them." Zelos said as he carefully watched her reaction. But what he heard next hurt more than all her past slaps and punches combined.
"You're lying!" she shouted, shaking with rage. "You just heard that from someone that witnessed all those things! My memory doesn't lie to me…only people lie! You're a famous person, you must have met Lloyd and he told you all about our journey."
"Sheena, I'm not lying to you! You've got to listen to me; a Summon Spirit took all your memories of us! All your memories of me!"
"Now I know that's a lie." Sheena said getting up. "I've made a pact with all the Summon Spirits of Tethe'alla and Sylvarant and none of them has the power to take memories."
Zelos got up as well and walked over to her side. "But this Summon Spirit was different; it was the Summon Spirit of the…" He didn't get any farther as a loud ringing, the same one from the alley, rang through the air in an ear-piercing echo. He put his hands over his ears in an attempt to stifle some of the noise but none of it worked.
"Chosen, are you alright?" asked Sheena worriedly, knelling by his side while he was hunched over with his hands over his ears.
Soon as the last echoes of the jingles ended Zelos stood back up and looked around him, "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
Zelos thought quickly…maybe he was the only one able to hear it. "Never mind. As I was saying, the Summon Spirit of the…" The ringing sounded again, but much briefer this time.
"The Summon of the…what?" she asked agitated. "No, forget it…just…forget you ever knew me." Sheena stormed out of the room and back up the stairs with Zelos in hot pursuit. "I'm leaving!" she called back to him.
"Wait…Sheena! Just come with me on a journey, okay? Let me prove to you I'm telling the truth!"
"There's nothing to prove!" Sheena yelled, bursting into her room and gathering her bag. She turned to leave but Zelos blocked the doorway.
"I'm not letting you leave until you go on that journey with me." the red-head said sternly.
"Just forget me." Sheena said, holding up her arm and disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke; leaving the broken-hearted Chosen standing there.
"How am I just supposed to 'forget you'? It's ironic that I wanted that one thing to happen and now that it has…I don't want to do it. I want to remember every moment I have spent with you and even all the arguments we've had. That's why I can't just leave it at that. I will not forget you and I won't let you disappear out of my life twice." Gathering his things together, Zelos raced out the door to the one place he knew she would flee to…the hidden village of Mizuho.
ACG: Probably not as good as myother chapters but...meh. I've been having the really annoying case of writers block and it won't go away. It just let's me write a couple of sentences a day so I don't think this was very good. But please bear with me over this...I'm hoping to improve soon!
Obvious Man- I'm glad you thought my story was interesting. Nice guess. You were right on the mark. :) I hope you continue reading.
treekicker- Thanks for the great review! Hope you keep reading!
DownerLithium- Unfortuately I don't think my story will live up to your expectations.:) But I hope you will stick around anyways. Thanks for the review!
