Disclaimer: I don't own neither the Tales of Symphonia license nor the Rodeo Ride tour concept. Not making any money and my stomach hurts, leave me alone.

Tales of Symphonia; Drama CD Anthology

Rodeo Ride Tour

A fanfiction adaptation by Winged Dancer

Track Two –

An Unexpected Visitor

The mornings were always the same. This is not to say they were monotonous or a routine, she liked Mizuho's mornings being like that. That sort of stillness offered her a sense of safeness, the reassurance she had something to cling to even if the world around crumbled.

The birds chirping in the trees.

The sound of the water running outside her door.

The ornamental bamboo fountain rhythmically hitting against a stone.

Sheena loved Mizuho's mornings and therefore the young leader was a morning person: she'd get up at daybreak and train with Orochi and some of the other ninja, then she'd clean up, have breakfast and start working hours before the Sun had reached its peak.

But right now, however, she wasn't really aware of the morning sounds around her small home. She was deeply concentrated on a piece of paper in front of her, a calligraphy brush carefully held in one hand.

"Eeh…" she mumbled, lowering the brush down, "For this commissioned job... aaah… that we received an over-abundant reward – no, the just portion… eeh… we are really thankful – no, no, we are truly appreciative for the kindness shown. Hah! Finished!" she exclaimed happily, dropping the brush on the table.

"Let me see it."

"But of course!" not hiding her glee at having finished such a boring 'assignment', Sheena handed Orochi; as of lately her right-hand, the delicate rice paper in which the letter had been written.

" 'Estimated Majesty of the Tethe'alla Kingdom…' " the man started to read. She grinned, proud with herself. "…I don't think you should use 'estimated' when directing yourself to a higher-ranked person."

"Aaah! Aaah, it's such a pain to have to cooperate like this…!" the kunoichi cried out in frustration, ruffling her own hair in an attempt to calm her throbbing head. Honorific language had never been her forte, and now she had to write an entire letter like that? "Say, Orochi! Couldn't you just write it? C'mon!"

"Sheena," her friend and (very) strict critic started, "For this past year the national policy of the Tethe'alla Kingdom has been dedicated to rescue the land of Sylvarant in order for the two to coexist peacefully and grow. Besides of what you are writing to His Majesty, so you can become a worthy leader, you have to keep in mind the village's future and – "

"-if you don't at least keep in mind that which is called 'Justice' we'll be troubled." The girl chorused the last line, mocking her companion's all too fatherly voice.

For a second they glared at each other as if they were about to start throwing shuriken and battle cards in any second. But the tension was quickly broken as Sheena had to stifle a giggle (which escaped anyway) and Orochi snorted, which made the two of them start laughing loudly at almost the same time. As their laughter ended, Sheena was aware that her head-ache was gone and that once again she could hear the sound of water running outside.

So she bent back a little in order to stare out at the window and be happy about life for just a while. The sky above Mizuho was blue and a light breeze was blowing – it'd start raining soon but right now nothing could make things better. Well, something could… she was being stared at, that she could feel as if a stone had been laid on her shoulders. It wasn't like Orochi to stare like that…

"Er, Sheena…?" he called.

"Uh?"

"Have you thought about… what we talked about the other day?"

"Ah…" she had turned to him but now averted her eyes. She looked at the desk, at the brush, at the floor, at anything but the man she had grown along with.

Unbeknown to her, Orochi wasn't looking at her either, his eyes now fixated on his lap. "I'm serious about it. And I wish to hear your feelings."

"Ah, yes…" What could she say? What could she say to him? She hadn't even taken him that seriously when he had told her, at the Carnival, that he would be the one to die for her… and as much as she appreciated Orochi as a loyal friend and worthy subordinate she didn't feel for him anything else…

"I'm sorry to be an interruption," a voice sounded behind the small study's panel-door. "There's a guest who desires to meet the Chief."

"Ah yes!" the kunoichi jumped up from her position, wondering if she should have been less obviously relieved to be called out at that precise moment. She quickly opened the panel door and headed out, "A guest, a guest…!"

Left alone, Orochi sighed. "Ah… well, well."

Now that she was out of her personal rut, Sheena walked slowly towards the village's entrance. "But even then… a guest? Who and from where will it be…?"

And then, as she neared the entry, she started to hear rather strange sounds. High-pitched sounds. Squealing sounds. Most of them said:

"Kyaaa!"

"So coo-ool!"

"Aaah, here!"

She stopped as, in the middle of the entrance pavilion, she saw a cluster of young girls in the most fan-girlish attitude possible: fist bunched up, standing on their tiptoes, fighting amongst them to get to whatever was at the center of the congregation.

"Ah," she sighed, "Bad premonition." Indeed bad. As she got closer, the random squeals got clearer and clearer, only confirming what she had thought of before.

"To think that you'd stoop at visiting the countryside! Aah, allow me to escort you!"

"This is such a very boring place but please, allow me to guide you in your stay!

"No, I shall be your guide!"

"What are you saying? I called first!"

"I did!"

"It was me!"

"No, me!"

And then the voiced blurred into one as all the girls screamed, "It is I, right, Chosen!"

And the Chosen laughed, extremely pleased with his current situation. "Mmmmmh! It's so hard to be a model man! Now, now my hunnies! Can you stop the fighting around now? Because the love the great I feels for his hunnies does not thin whether they are five or ten, y'see!"

"Bu-ut! If possible, I want that beautiful love of yours to be mine only!"

"Wh-? Wait!"

"Well aren't you a fresh one!" the girl's 'friends' quickly chided, and the fight was about to break out again when –

"Ah-! It – hurts… hurts…"

"Ah, Chosen!"

"Chosen! Are you alright!"

The 'priest' brushed his long red hair back from his face and, very dramatically, placed a hand on his chest. "When I see my darling hunnies fighting… my delicate heart of glass cracks and starts aching…! It is the Chosen's duty to bring peace among those who follow him, so please, my dear angels…"

The girls stared for an instant. Then they hurled themselves at the man's neck, chest, arms, ankles or any other grab-able portion of his body, screaming things that varied in between "Chosen!" and "Kyaaa!", mostly.

"Good, good, good! Aaaaand, this is over ladies!"

"Eh – er – ah…!" the man managed to say under the almost literal pile of girls.

"Yes yes?" Sheena stretched until she was level with his face – actually, she had to bow, since he was rather burdened with a girl or two. "That idiot over there? They say stupid-ness reflects so will you please let go of my girls? And you all, too! Go back, now, now! Shush! Shush!"

As much as they complained, the girls couldn't disobey the words of their leader, so Sheena was left alone in front of the Chosen, who very calmly dusted himself off before positively beaming at her.

"Been a while!" Zelos exclaimed, one hand raised in a wave, "Heheheh! The Carnival's night was SO exciting, wasn't it? But for you to disappear without even saying hello… that's too cold for me to endure…"

But the girl wasn't really interested in his rants. "So?"

"Ah?"

"So? What brings you?"

"Ah, yeah! Well, for the moment why don't 'cha serve me something to drink or –"

Theatrically, she held one hand in front of her. "IF you don't have any business, I do suggest you leave!" Well, not really. Or maybe yes – she was busy that day, no time to lose feeding the Chosen. "Shush, shush!"

"Aaah, what's with you…" Zelos mumbled, playing with a strand of hair. "Well, actually, I just came to pay my greetings, y'know."

"Greetings?"

"And I need some advice, too."

"Advice?"

"A trip!"

"Yes." The solemnity of Zelos' statement was basically erased by his very nosy guzzling of the traditional Mizuho soup he had been offered. As soon as he was done, he placed the bowl on the low table. "Seconds."

"Forget about seconds! What do you mean, going on a journey now?"

"What meaning? A meaning? No reason, really! A trip is just a trip, right? And it always makes good publicity…'The Great Chosen's journey across the countries, a gleaming knight, this Chosen's coat of arms glitters –' "

"What do you intend to do about your duties, then!"

"-duties?" Zelos looked so honestly confused as he said that word that Sheena had to keep herself from asking him whether he had ever heard the word.

"Even now you are considered the Chosen, right?"

"Well, 'considered', right?"

"Well, there must be many things that you are still needed for! Ceremonies that need attendance, serve as the Kingdom's ambassador, work with the governments internal problems… and… that kind of thing!" the girls was struggling. Now that the Church of Martel was changing, what were the Chosen good for? "In a few words, er… ah…"

"Justice!" Orochi supplied, in his voice she could hear he wasn't very pleased with Zelos' visit. As the leader's second he had a right to be present in her audiences, and even though this was an informal meeting with a friend he had insisted in being present.

"Justice! Yes, there's the problem of what's fair and what people need, right?"

"Aah… that's all good, but, y'know… even the great I gets tired every now and then! 'Sides, my

character's never been fitting for an ambassador, right, Sheena? You'd say the same, right, Orochi-over-there?"

"…itcertainly seems so."

"Precisely!" Zelos almost purred the word, happily. "'Anyway, with Tehte'alla and Sylvarant becoming one, we can't keep on dragging the Chosen system forever, right? I'm just facing the music!"

"…completely irresponsible as ever, eh? Geez…"

The not-really-ex-Chosen laughed. "Yeah, that might just be it!"

Hello Sheena, a voice in her head said. I'm your usual head-ache. Remember me?

But it seems Zelos wasn't finished talking. In a strange whimsical moment he looked out at the window and continued, in a much more calmed voice, " 'Sides, it's better if I… well, in return, many things will just go better, I think."

For a moment she wondered what he meant, but half of being a ninja meant not allowing your opponent to see what you have in mind. So she huffed. "So? You came to say hello before setting out?"

"Yep!"

"And?"

"Ah?"

"The advice! That's the only thing left, right?"

"Aaaaah, yeah, yeah, yeah, the advice, right? The advice, the advice…" he played with the empty bowl for a second before looking up at her. Whether he was being bashful or trying to look sexy she didn't know. "Can you lend me your ear for a sec?"

"…eeeeh?"

"It's not something I can speak out loud!" Zelos' voice had indeed dropped a few notches, "That clumsy ninja always sitting there… send him out or lend me your ear, you can choose."

She glared at the red-headed for a second before reaching across the table with a sigh of frustration. "What is it, then?"

Zelos moved his face close to her ear and took some breath. In a gentle voice, he started. "It's just that…"

And then he softly blew into her ear.

From the point of her fingertips to the top of her head a chill shook her body and made her hair stand up, her face felt hot and she knew she was blushing. So she did what her instincts told her to do: scream a lot and get away from that pervert, falling down in the process and still scrambling back.

"A-Hahahahahahaha!" Zelos doubled over with laughter, "You mean your ears are your weak points! What a bonus!"

Shivering now in rage and embarrassment, she got up. "You – you idiot! You – you'll pay!" attack cards were 'suddenly' floating behind her, all facing Zelos, who was stupid but not so stupid as to not realize danger when he saw it.

Funny how danger always looked like an angry woman.

"H-h-hey time time wait time wait I'm done I won't again sorry sorry sorry really sorry, I'm sorry!" the Chosen waved his arms in front of him, smiling apologetically. "Aaah, really! You can't take anything, can you!"

"Get to the point!"

"To the point, fine, to the point!" seeing the cards had been lowered, Zelos smiled again. "Well, actually, it's not really advice or anything like that… why don't 'cha come along?"

"Eh!" Sheena blinked at the remaining cards fell to the ground.

"On the trip."

"The trip!"

"Won't you come traveling with me?"

Note on "Honorific Language"- Besides the "common" Japanese there are certain words, verbs and grammar structures that are used only when speaking with high-ranked people. It's a difficult thing to use and Sheena has problems with it, which is understandable 'cause it's not something you use on a daily basis.

Notes: Heh, cliffhanger? Kinda. I was gonna post track 2 and 3 together but since it ended up being not so short, you'll have to wait. Thank you all so much for the reviews, they are greatly appreciated. It's just nice to know that people aren't just reading but having a reaction towards this... I'll fix the mistakes you all pointed from first chapter when I have time, thank you very much for that too.

Sheena is such a tomboy. You can't really tell by reading or even in the game but… she speaks like a tomboy, almost like a man. Luckily Zelos speaks even more manly ˆ-ˆ He's actually hard to decipher sometimes… I don't know how in-character I'm making them sound, my game files got erased so I can't go see and copy the game's dialogue styles.

Anyway, this is set about a year after the game ends… the "Rodeo Ride Tour" CDs are actually the 4th and 5th to come out. The three others are set six months after the game and update us on the rest of the cast.

It seems that at some point Sheena became Mizuho's true leader… when did this happen its not mentioned and neither her grandfather nor Tiga appear at any point, so I don't know what happened.

Thanks for reading, do review if you have something to say,

- WDR

Track 3 – Kaze no Yukue

"Heika… tokoro de… sono 'norowareta sonzai' to wa… ittai… Heika?"

"Tethe'alla no Miko."

"Nanto…!"

"…Zelos…"

"So. Zelos Wilder wa nerawareteiru no da."