A/N: Finally, my insanely bad case writer's block is at an end! I can now continue work on this fic. I apologize for the delay, but it was ridiculously difficult for me to get parts of this down in words. Enjoy!
"So Sheena, tell me, where exactly is it that you are from," Raine asked as the three exited from the temple.
"Oh, ummm…I'm from a small village a good ways to the east," she replied, hoping neither of her companions would pick up on her nervousness. "Why do you want to know?"
"It's the clothes that you are wearing," Raine told her. "I've never seen anyone dressed in a style similar to them."
"Now that you mention it Professor, neither have I," stated Lloyd. "But then again, it's not like I'm well traveled or anything," he added, rubbing the back of his neck.
'Whew…neither of them noticed,' Sheena thought to herself. 'But, it's not like I'm completely lying. Mizuho is to the east of here, geographically speaking.'
"That's going to change as soon as Collette's journey begins," Raine told him.
"Yeah, it will," agreed Lloyd. "Hopefully Dad will be back by then though, cause honestly, I wouldn't have a clue where to go first."
'They just had to remind me about that, didn't they,' Sheena thought sadly. 'What am I going to do? If I don't kill the Chosen, then my homeland will be destroyed. But then, if I do, I'll be hurting Lloyd and dooming this world. I'm so confused.'
"That is why I will be accompanying Collette on her journey," stated Raine.
"That certainly is comforting…" started Lloyd, before noticing Sheena's sad expression. "Is there something wrong Sheena? You look kind of sad."
"Huh? Oh, no," she replied quietly. "I guess I'm just a little homesick, that's all."
"Yeah, I bet so," he said to her. "I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like when Collette begins her journey. We probably won't be back in Iselia for several months."
"Sucks to be you then," she joked, sticking out her tongue at him.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, his voice full of mock hurt.
"Children," muttered Raine disapprovingly, though she had a small smile on her face.
The remainder of the trip back to Iselia consisted mostly of small chit-chat, and the occasional monster attack. They arrived back at the northern gate of the small town about ten minutes later, where Lloyd and Sheena parted ways with Raine.
"See you later Professor Sage," Lloyd said as he began to lead Sheena to his parent's home.
"Yes, I suppose we will Lloyd," she replied calmly. "Oh, and by the way, would you like to join Genis and I for dinner this evening?"
"Are you going to be cooking?" he asked hesitantly.
"Yes, as a matter of fact I am," she stated innocently.
"I'd love to Professor, but by the time I get back from going to tell Dirk about the change in plans, it'll probably be pretty late and I'll want to get to bed," he told her quickly, hoping that she wouldn't insist on them coming anyways. "So…maybe next time?"
"I understand," she replied gently, before her voice hardened. "But I'll hold you to that next time," she added, turning and walking off when she finished her sentence.
"Looking forward to it…" he said cheerfully, making sure to keep up his happy demeanor until she has walked out of site.
Sheena, slightly confused by the exchange she just witnessed, watched as Lloyd's expression fell as soon as Raine was out of site.
"Well Sheena," Lloyd began, looking for all the world like he had just been sentenced to certain death. "It's been a pleasure knowing you, even if it was just for a short time."
"What do you mean?" she asked, even more confused now then she was before. "Her cooking can't be that bad? Can it?"
"The last time I ate her cooking, I was quarantined to my room for over a week, because I was that sick," he told her, with no traces of humor in his eyes or voice.
"You can't be serious," she replied, not wanting to believe his words.
"I am," he said, completely serious. "I thought that mom was going go kill the Professor more than once while I was sick. Thing is, if it hadn't been for my dad stopping her, she probably would have."
"You're being serious aren't you?" she asked skeptically.
"Completely," he told her.
"Then why don't you just say no to her?" she questioned, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
"Are you nuts?" Lloyd exclaimed/asked. "If I did that then she'd beat the crap out of me."
"She's that strong?" Sheena asked, bewildered.
"Let me put it this way, the Professor is one of the two people in this world that I'm really afraid of," he said to her as he started walking to his house.
"Who's the other?" she asked curiously.
"My mom," he replied, before quickly adding, "But only when she's angry."
"I see," she said. "I'll bet that means that you're a momma's boy aren't you," she teased, grinning widely.
"So what if I am?" he asked indignantly. "Is there something wrong with that?"
"No, there's nothing wrong with it," she said giggling lightly.
"Then why are you giggling?" he questioned, somewhat angrily.
Noticing his angry tone, Sheena quickly stopped laughing and apologized.
"Sorry if I hurt your feelings, Lloyd," she said quietly. "It's just that you don't often hear guys try to hide that fact, let alone admit it to someone."
"No, I'm the one who should be apologizing Sheena," he said somberly. "I had no reason to get upset with you."
"Then how about we both apologize and forget about it?" she offered.
"Deal," he agreed, smiling happily as they reached his home.
"Well, this is it," he said as he stepped up to the door, "Home sweet home."
"Wow," she said, looking up at the size of it and then turning around and looking at the much smaller houses in the quaint town. "It's so much bigger than most of the other houses."
"Yeah, well, dad isn't exactly poor or anything," he replied, raising a hand to scratch the back of his head.
"That's obvious," she chided mockingly, and then laughed as he began to blush.
"Well, come on in Sheena and I'll show you around before I have to leave," he told her, opening the door and motioning for her to enter first.
"Thanks," she said, entering the house in front of Lloyd and immediately admiring the beautiful décor.
"Nice, isn't it?" asked Lloyd, coming to a stop beside her and watching as her eyes surveyed the foyer.
"Yeah, it really is," she replied as she began to move around and get a closer view of the intricately designed decorations which ranged from tables, to flower-filled vases, to sculptures of various things.
"I just can't believe how detailed these are," she said in wonder, gently trailing a finger across the floral patterns on one of the tables. "Who made these?" she questioned, turning to look at Lloyd.
"Well, at lot of it was made by a dwarf named Dirk, the guy I've got to go see shortly," he answered, smiling at her.
"Then who made the rest of it?" she asked curiously.
"I did," he replied, somewhat embarrassedly. "Dirk's been teaching me how to craft things for years now. And while I'm no dwarf, I've gotten pretty good at making things," he told her, answering her next question before she could ask it.
"You made this stuff?" she exclaimed/asked, making no attempt to hide her shock.
"Yeah, is it really that surprising?" he asked her, slightly hurt by her disbelief.
"I…I don't really…I just never got the impression that you would be very good at stuff like this," she explained, embarrassed that she hadn't been able to stop herself from saying that. "And couple that with the fact that I've never seen a human that could make stuff like this before…"
"Well, I guess it's understandable when you put it like that," he replied, scratching the back of his head. "Anyway, c'mon, I believe I promised you a tour of the place," he told her, changing the subject.
"Ah, right. Well, lead on," she said, motioning for him to go on ahead of her.
"Well, as you can probably tell, this room here is the foyer and if you look down at the end of it, you'll notice two doorways and the stairs that lead up to second floor where the bedrooms are. First though, the door to our left leads into the den, and the door to the right goes into the dining room…"
"C'mon, hurry up, they're going to catch us if we don't," said a man dressed in a dirty, white outfit as he and his companions ran through a large forest.
"We know that, but we're all so tired," replied a young woman, dressed in the same dirty outfit.
"Do you want to go back to that hell-hole?" asked another man.
"Of coarse we don't!" exclaimed the young woman. "But we need to rest or we'll collapse form exhaustion and they'll catch us anyways."
"She makes a very good point," said an older woman with long, graying hair. "We must find a place to hide and catch our breaths."
"Fine," the first man relented, looking around for a suitable hiding place as he ran.
"How about those bushes?" asked the second man, pointing ahead and to the right at a rather large brush pile.
"That's perfect," was his reply as the group headed towards it.
One by one, the ragged group ran into the brush and collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.
Their respite, however, was short lived as the group soon heard the voices of their pursers closing in on them.
"Those humans have to be around here somewhere," said one of the Desians.
"Yeah, they couldn't have gotten too far!" agreed another one.
"Spread out and search the area," ordered a third Desian. "We can't let those inferior beings escape. Or else Lord Forcystus will have our heads."
"Yes sir," replied the other Desians before each one went off in a separate direction, leaving the leader in the area where they had hidden.
"Oh no, they'll find us for sure," whispered one of the humans.
"We have to make another run for it," whispered another.
"He's right," the first man said quietly. "We'll go on the count of three; One...two…three."
As soon as the man said three, the group of humans jumped up and once again began running.
"They're over here!" shouted the Desian leader, chasing after the humans.
"Hurry!" shouted the first man as they continued to run for their lives.
"Well, that concludes the tour," Lloyd said as he and Sheena walked back down the steps and into the foyer.
"I can't believe how much bigger it is on the inside, and it's huge on the outside," she stated, amazed by the size of the house Lloyd had grown up in.
"Yeah, our house is pretty big, but it's really convenient having all this space," he told her, stepping towards the front door.
"I bet it is," she replied, coming to a stop between the doorways to the den and dining area. "I guess you're going to go see that Dirk guy now?"
"Yeah, I really need to do that before it gets too dark," he stated, opening the door. "So just make yourself at home and I'll be back in a couple of hours, okay?"
"Sure," she said, nodding her head once. "Later!"
"Yep," he replied, before stepping outside and closing the door.
As soon as the door shut, Sheena's face fell and thoughts of her mission and the consequences it would leave assaulted her mind.
"What am I going to do?" she asked quietly, walking into the den and settling down on the couch that stood in the center of the room. "If I don't kill Sylvarant's Chosen then Tethe'alla will go into decline. But if I do kill her, then Lloyd will lose his 'sister' and I'll lose my only real friend other than Corrine."
"Why don't you talk to Lloyd about it?" asked Corrine as he entered the room in his usual puff of smoke.
"What!" Sheena exclaimed. "I can't do that. There's no telling what he might do if I told him why I was here."
"You really think so?" Corrine asked innocently. "I don't think he would. Not if you told him everything. I think he'd understand. And who knows, maybe there's a way to save both worlds."
"Do you really think so Corrine?" Sheena questioned, uncertainty filling her voice.
"I really do," the small Summon Spirit replied happily.
"But what if there isn't a way to save both worlds? I don't think I'd be able to return to Tethe'alla knowing that I could have stopped the decline, but I didn't," she said, pulling her legs up to her chest and hugging them.
"Don't think that way Sheena," encouraged Corrine. "You have to think positive. There just has to be a way for both worlds to co-exist without the constant battle for mana."
"All right Corrine, say you're right and there is a way to save both worlds," Sheena began, lowering her legs back down. "How are we going to find it? I mean, I wouldn't even begin to know where to look for something like that."
"Hmmm...That's a good question Sheena," replied Corrine as he lowered his head in thought. "Why don't you try asking the other Summon Spirits? They can't all be as mean as Volt was, can they?"
At the mention of Volt, Sheena paled and the horrible memories of the failed pact and subsequent deaths of her fellow villagers played through her mind.
"I...I...I don't...what if...," Sheena stuttered, doubts and insecurities filling her being.
"Stop it Sheena!" commanded Corrine harshly before becoming kind and gentle once more. "You can't let the past rule your life. If you do, then you'll never be able to move forward. And just because Volt did what he did, that doesn't automatically mean that all of the other Summon Spirits will do the same thing. In fact, I'm willing to bet that some of them will be really nice."
Shocked out of her memory induced doubt by Corrine's angry command, Sheena's now clear mind saw the truth that Corrine's words held. 'Can I really base the personalities of all of the Summon Spirits on Volt's actions alone?' she asked herself. 'No, I can't! Corrine is the proof of that.'
"You're right again Corrine," Sheena said smiling happily. "I just can't let Volt's actions, horrible as they were, control my ideas on what the other Summon Spirits will be like. You're the living proof of that."
"Don't you feel so much better now Sheena?" asked Corrine excitedly.
"Yeah, I guess I do, a little bit. Though I'm still worried about what kind of reaction I'm going to get from Lloyd," she replied honestly.
"You're worrying yourself over nothing Sheena, you'll see," Corrine said, hopping up on the couch with Sheena and laying down beside her.
"I hope you're right about this too, Corrine," she whispered worriedly, bringing her hand down to scratch behind Corrine's ears.
"I will be, just you wait," he said, sighing contentedly and thoroughly enjoying Sheena's attention.
"Man, if I don't hurry it up it's going to be dark by the time I get back to Iselia," Lloyd said out loud, looking around the all ready darkening forest. Quickening his pace, Lloyd began jogging along the trail that had been cut out of the trees.
"And what's up with Sheena anyways?" he asked himself. "It's like she's got something she wants to say, but she's afraid to say it. I'll have to ask her about it when I get back," he said, continuing his trip to Dirk's. However, even jogging, it still took him almost forty-five minutes to reach his destination.
Coming to a stop on the bridge that rested above the large stream, Lloyd placed his hands on his knees and took several moments to catch his breath before straightening and walking up to the doorway to Dirk's cabin. Raising his hand and knocking twice, Lloyd entered.
"Hey Dirk, how've you been?" Lloyd asked as he closed the door behind him.
"A've been doin' jus' fine Lloyd. How about yourself?" greeted Dirk cheerfully.
"I haven't been too bad," Lloyd replied. "Though to tell you the truth, I wish Mom and Dad hadn't picked this week to go wherever it is that they go to."
"Really? And why would you be wishin' that?" Dirk asked curiously.
"Phaidra and the Professor are expecting the Oracle anytime now. And it would have been a lot more reassuring to have Dad here to help guard Collette," answered Lloyd casually.
"I see," Dirk said to him. "Well, if that's the case, might'n it be better if you were to stay in Iselia?"
"That's kind of why I'm here," Lloyd told him, scratching the back of his head. "I wanted to let you know that that's what I'm going to be doing."
"Well, you've done so, so you might want to think about headin' back that way before the sun sets," advised Dirk.
"Yeah, no kidding," agreed Lloyd, heading back to the door and opening it. "Well, I guess I'll see you later."
"Make sure that you come to see me before you and Collette leave for the journey of Regeneration. I'll have some things that you might find useful ready," Dirk said to him.
"We will Dirk, see ya," Lloyd said, waving goodbye as he left.
"G'bye," Dirk said quietly, before turning and opening his storage closet. "Now, what did I do with that map?" he asked himself as he began throwing things around.
'Phew, looks like I'll still have plenty of sunlight to make it back to Iselia after all,' Lloyd thought to himself as he jogged through the forest surrounding Dirk's house. 'If I don't get attacked by a plethora of monsters, that is,' he added when huge Spiders dropped from the trees around him.
Quickening his pace into an all-out run, Lloyd attacked the first Spider head-on by slicing apart the monster's head while drawing his blades. Skidding to a stop after finishing the first Spider, Lloyd spun on his heel to face the other two. Quickly adopting a defensive stance, Lloyd used the sword in his left hand to catch the web attack the second Spider spit at him. Not wasting the opportunity that he had been given, Lloyd delivered a strong Sonic Thrust into the second Spider's skull, killing it instantly. Swiftly removing his sword from the dead Spider's skull, he was forced to roll to the side when the final Spider attempted to skewer him with its razor-sharp claws. No sooner than Lloyd had bounced back onto his feet, he once-again found himself dodging the Spider's claws. This time, however, Lloyd twisted to his right completely evading the deadly claws as well as placing him at the beast's vulnerable side and he attacked. Lloyd's Sword Rain tore into the Spider's side, and when the fifth hit in his attack connected the Spider was split completely in half.
"Heh heh...too easy," chuckled Lloyd as he cleaned off his blades with a rag he had pulled from his pocket. "But, man...am I glad that I didn't have to fight one of those Rabbits. I hate those things," he added, sheathing his swords and jogging off once again in the direction of Iselia.
"Well, well...looks like you're the last one," stated the Desian warrior as he closed in on the exhausted old woman before him.
"You lot gave us a lot of trouble with your little escape attempt," said a second Desian, pulling the woman up off the ground where she had collapsed. "Lord Forcystus is not pleased at all. In fact, you'll be lucky if he doesn't kill the lot of you when we get you back to him."
"Please...I don't want to go back to that place," the old woman begged, her voice weak and tired.
"Yeah, well I'm afraid that you don't get a choice in that," shouted the first Desian as he reared back his whip.
Tightly closing her eyes, the old woman could do little more than wait for the whipping she knew she was about to receive. But when the whipping had not come seconds later, she opened her eyes. The sight that greeted her gave her back a little hope that she wouldn't be forced to return to the ranch.
"Why don't you try picking on someone your own size?" asked Lloyd, his voice filled with cold anger as he tightly gripped the Desian's whip in his left hand.
"Why you little punk," shouted the now enraged Desian as he turned completely around and charged at Lloyd.
Stepping to the side, Lloyd easily evaded the Desian's angry charge. Once the Desian was past him, Lloyd yanked harshly on the whip in his hand, which overbalanced the Desian sending him sailing to the ground. Letting go of the Desian's whip, Lloyd drew both of his blades. Almost instantly, the blade in his right hand smashed the ground only inches from the body of the Desian.
"Fierce Demon Fang!" exclaimed Lloyd, his attack creating a large, short-range shockwave that slammed into the Desian sending him sailing into a large boulder and knocking him out.
"Unless you want to end up like your friend there, I suggest you let her go," said Lloyd as he settled into an offensive stance once he was facing the other Desian.
"Just you wait you little brat," replied the other Desian as he released his hold on the old woman and ran over to his comrade. "Once Lord Forcystus hears about this, you'll be dead meat."
"I'm so scared I'm shaking," Lloyd deadpanned, sarcasm clearly ringing in his words.
"We'll see if you can keep up that act once Lord Forcystus is through with you," stated the Desian as he lifted his fallen comrade onto his shoulder and ran off.
Once the Desian was out of sight, Lloyd raised himself out of his fighting stance and sheathed his swords. Then, he turned to check on the old woman he had just saved.
"You okay?" he asked, kneeling down to help her get back onto her feet.
"I am now, thanks to you young man," she replied happily as he helped her stand up. "Thank you very much."
"Don't mention it," he said, smiling warmly. But his expression became serious when he saw something glint on the back of her left hand. "Is that an ex-sphere?" he asked, turning completely serious.
"You mean this?" the old woman questioned, lifting her left hand so that they could better see the object. "I'm afraid that I don't know what it is. It was placed onto me when I was brought into the Triet Human Ranch."
"That's definitely an ex-sphere," replied Lloyd. "And you don't have it inserted into a key crest."
"Is that a problem?" she asked, growing concerned.
"Yes, it is," answered Lloyd. "When an ex-sphere is attached to someone without a key crest, it becomes unstable and difficult to remove. But don't worry too much about it. I can get a friend of mine to make you a key crest tomorrow, so just don't try to take it off okay."
"Of course," she said, relieved that nothing would happen to her after all. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I've forgotten to tell you my name. I'm Marble."
"I'm Lloyd Aurion," replied Lloyd, once again smiling. "It's a pleasure to meet you Marble."
"And it's a pleasure to meet you as well Lloyd," stated Marble warmly. "But I'm afraid it's going to be dark soon. Do you know of anyplace that I can stay for the night?"
"Of course I do," answered Lloyd. "There's more than enough room at my house. But we should probably get moving if we're going to make it before nightfall."
"I agree," replied Marble.
"All right then, follow me," said Lloyd as he started walking in the direction of Iselia.
Not wanting to overtax the obviously tired Marble, Lloyd set a pace that he hoped wasn't to fast while still going quickly enough to make it back into the town with some light left outside. Also, do the increase in the number of monsters over recent years Lloyd was unable to keep an eye on Marble, having to stay constantly on guard in case they were attacked. So, when Marble collapsed some minutes later it took Lloyd almost completely by surprise.
"Marble!" exclaimed Lloyd as he spun around and ran to where she lay.
When he didn't get a reply from her, Lloyd quickly checked for a pulse. He became increasingly more worried when he found that he could barely feel it. 'Damn, of all the times for me to not have any healing items on me,' he scolded himself. 'I've got to get her to Professor Raine.'
"I hope you can hear me Marble," said Lloyd as he gently, but swiftly lifted her onto his back. "I'm going to take you to someone who can help you, just hang in there," he continued, holding her arms around his neck to make sure that she didn't fall as he began running as fast as safely possible.
"Hey sis, dinner's almost ready," came Genis' voice, shaking Raine from her reverie.
"Huh...oh, all right Genis, I'll be there shortly," replied Raine as she looked back down at the book in front of her.
'I don't like this at all,' Raine thought to herself as she continued reading from the book on otherworldly creatures. 'From the description that I received from Lloyd and Sheena, that monster that they encountered could very well be the end result of an elite from the Underworld.'
"But if that's so, then how on Sylvarant was Lloyd able to defeat it so easily?" she asked out loud, leaning back in her chair. 'The only explanation is that the creature was not at its full strength. In fact what the two of them fought was likely only a small fraction of its true capabilities.'
"Hopefully, that will be the last that either them or anyone else sees of it," she stated, talking out loud again. 'Otherwise, they may not be able to survive.'
"It's ready Raine," said Genis from inside the kitchen.
"I suppose I'll have to continue my search later," Raine said to herself, standing from her chair and entering the kitchen. "Mmm...It smells wonderful Genis, even though it was my night to cook," she added as she seated herself at the small table.
"Speaking of which...why didn't you cook?" Genis asked carefully, knowing that if he didn't he could end up sporting a bump on the head...courtesy of his sister's hand.
"I suppose that I became preoccupied with what I was researching," Raine answered, before taking a bite of Genis' cream stew.
"What was it that you were looking up?" Genis asked curiously.
"It's nothing for you to worry about, just an unusual creature that Lloyd saw on his way to the temple," answered Raine gently, not wanting to upset him.
"Oh, okay," replied Genis as he began eating as well.
Both Genis and Raine had just finished eating and Raine was just about to wash the dishes when Lloyd burst through their door with Marble still unconscious on his back.
"Professor!" he exclaimed. "You have to help Marble, she's unconscious and I can just barely make out her pulse."
"Take her and lie her down on one of the beds," Raine commanded after dropping the dishes that she held. "I'll be in there in a moment."
"Okay," replied Lloyd as he swiftly walked into the room that contained Raine and Genis' beds.
Once Lloyd reached the first bed, he laid Marble down onto it as gently as possible. When Marble was completely supported by the bed, Lloyd brought his fingers back to her neck. He found that though slightly stronger, her pulse was still very weak. Seconds later Raine entered the room, followed by Genis.
"Move," Raine told him, watching as Lloyd quickly moved back out of her way. Kneeling down beside the bed, Raine closed her eyes and concentrated for several seconds.
"Her body is completely exhausted," Raine said when she opened her eyes.
"Can you heal her?" asked Lloyd, concerned for Marble's safety.
"I can, yes," replied Raine. "But not completely."
"What do you mean 'not completely', sis?" asked Genis curiously.
"I will explain once I stabilize her," answered Raine.
Raising her Rod so that it came to rest about one foot from Marble's body, Raine closed her eyes and concentrated on bringing out her healing magics. Soon enough, a familiar glow began to seep from Raine's body, and only a second passed before the glow traveled through her Rod. For several moments the glow remained in Raine's Rod, seemingly condensing and strengthening itself before it finally left and entered Marble's prone form. It took only a matter of four to five seconds for Raine's healing arts to be completely absorbed into Marble and the glow to disappear, signifying that the healing was done.
Stepping back up to where Marble lay, Lloyd reached out and again pressed his fingers into the side Marble's neck. Finding a much stronger, much more normal pulse Lloyd let out a sigh of relief and stepped back away from the bed.
"So sis, why wouldn't you heal her completely for," questioned Genis as he watched Raine stand up.
"Not here," Raine stated softly. "Let's go into the kitchen, she needs to sleep now," Raine continued, motioning for the two boys to leave the room.
Nodding their heads in agreement, Lloyd and Genis quietly left the bedroom and seated themselves at the kitchen table.
Gently closing the door to the bedroom, Raine followed the boy's lead and took her seat at the table.
"Exhaustion is a difficult ailment to heal properly," she began, not waiting for Genis to ask the question a third time. "I suppose that it is comparable to when the body heats and cools rapidly. As you well know from experience Lloyd, the effects of that are not pleasant."
"No kidding," replied Lloyd, shuddering at the memories from when that had happened to him. "I've never felt worse in my entire life."
"Makes sense, now that I think about it," Genis said to himself.
"Sure does," agreed Lloyd, leaning back in his chair. "Problem is, how am I supposed to get her back home without waking her?" Lloyd asked.
"You don't," answered Raine simply. "I want her to stay here so that I can keep an eye on her, just in case."
"But you don't really have the room Professor," Lloyd said to her.
"I'm perfectly capable of setting up a cot on the floor, I'll have you know," Raine told him, glaring slightly. "Besides, I still have quite a bit of preparation for the Journey of Regeneration, so it isn't likely that I'd be getting a lot of sleep anyways."
"Well, if you say so Professor," conceded Lloyd, sliding back from Raine's glare. "Guess that means that I should head back home then, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it does," the Professor said to him. "Especially considering that you have another guest to look after."
"Hehehehe," Lloyd laughed embarrassedly, rubbing the back of his head. "Man, I got so caught up in helping Marble that I almost forgot about Sheena. Guess I better had get back then," he continued, standing up from his chair. "I'll see you guys tomorrow then."
"Make sure that you are up early in the morning Lloyd," Raine said to him as he walked to the door. "We have no idea when the oracle will appear, if it appears at all."
"Don't worry Professor," assured Lloyd, turning back to face her when he reached the door. "I'll be ready, count on it."
"Well then, good night Lloyd," Raine said, smiling lightly.
"Night Lloyd, see you later," added Genis.
"Night guys," Lloyd stated as he opened the door and exited their home.
"Darn it," exclaimed Genis, several moments after Lloyd's departure.
"What is it Genis?" questioned Raine, surprised by her brother's outcry.
"We forgot to ask Lloyd how he met Marble and why she was so exhausted," answered Genis.
"I'm afraid I all ready know the answer to that Genis," replied Raine sadly.
"What do you mean sis?" asked Genis, noticing her sad tone.
"Her clothing, along with the ex-sphere on her hand indicates that she was a prisoner of a Human Ranch, most likely the one near Triet," explained Raine. "I assume that she managed to escape the Ranch and was traveling in this direction when Lloyd happened upon her. I just hope that there weren't any Desians that saw him, or else Iselia might be in a good deal of trouble."
"Oh," was the only reply Genis could give.
"It's gotten pretty dark outside Corrine," stated Sheena as she looked out one of the windows in the den. "I hope Lloyd gets back soon," she continued, worry beginning to creep into her voice.
"As I recall Sheena, the monsters around this area were really weak," said Corrine. "I think you're getting worried for nothing. In fact, I bet he walks through the front door any minute now."
"Why do you say that Corrine?" asked Sheena, staring down at her friend in confusion.
"Just call it a hunch," Corrine replied happily.
"You know Corrine," began Sheena. "Sometimes you're really weird," she continued, smiling in amusement.
"Isn't everyone occasionally weird?" questioned Corrine.
"Well, I certainly can't disagree with you," she answered, laughing lightly.
A few seconds later, both Sheena and Corrine heard the front door open and close. Glancing at each other, the two walked out of the den and back into the foyer.
"Hey Sheena, Corrine," greeted Lloyd as they stepped into the foyer. "I'm back."
"Of course you are," replied Corrine cheekily. "Otherwise we wouldn't be able to see you."
"Ha ha, very funny," Lloyd said to the Summon Spirit, sarcasm filling his voice.
"How was your trip?" Sheena asked, changing the subject.
"It wasn't too bad," Lloyd told her. "Though I could have done without having to fight those Spiders and Desians."
"Desians! Are you okay?" asked Sheena concernedly.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he assured. "There were only two of them, and I only had to fight one, and he was a pushover."
"Glad you're okay," she said, smiling warmly.
"Me too," he stated, smiling back at her. "By the way Sheena, is there something bothering you?"
"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked nervously, her smile leaving her face.
"Well, earlier today it seemed like there was something wrong with you, but you were trying to hide it," he explained. "And...Even though I know we haven't known each other for very long, I want you to know that if there's something bothering you that I can help with I'll be more than happy to do so."
"See Sheena," said Corrine, looking up at the Summoner. "You should tell him."
"Tell me what?" questioned Lloyd gently.
"Can...Can I trust you Lloyd?" Sheena whispered quietly, dropping her gaze to the floor.
"Of course you can Sheena, I'm your friend," responded Lloyd, with no hesitation.
"Then I will," Sheena said softly, lifting her eyes back to Lloyd's. "But... can we sit down first?"
"Sure, we can sit wherever you want," Lloyd told her.
Nodding once, Sheena slowly turned and walked back into the den, followed closely by Corrine and Lloyd. 'I can't believe that I'm about to do this,' Sheena thought to herself. 'I hope he reacts like Corrine said he will and not get upset. I don't know what I'd do if he did. But it's too late for that now; I just have to hope for the best.'
'You don't have to be scared Sheena,' Corrine said to himself. 'I know that Lloyd will understand, and try to help us find a way to save Tethe'alla without killing this side's Chosen.'
'I don't know what has you so worried Sheena,' Lloyd said in his mind. 'But I can promise you that you don't need to be worried or scared. If you have a problem, I promise that I'll do everything in my power to help you through it,' he vowed, brining his thoughts to a close as he seated himself on the sofa beside Sheena and turning to face her.
"Well, here I go," Sheena whispered, so softly that only she could hear as she turned to face Lloyd. "Lloyd..."
A/N: I know, I know...This chapter wasn't all that good. Or at least, I don't think it was. And I apologize for the cliffhanger but it just didn't seem appropriate for Sheena to tell Lloyd about Tethe'alla in this chapter. Don't know why, but it didn't. So expect that first thing next chapter. And no, I haven't forgotten about Kratos and Anna. There just isn't a lot to say when their still unconscious. I'll try to have the next chapter up soon, just please be patient with me. I promise this will not be abandoned, no matter how long it takes for me finish it.