Hello! Hehe, I changed my name to CopyCatShinobi! Don't ask me why...I don't really know myself but I like this change. Well hope ya' all like this chappie!

I don't own anything!

A chill down my spine and the moving curtains announced his presence even before a figure stepped through the windows. I fought against my instincts to run and hide; I would not show my enemy that I was a coward even if he did come to kill me.

"What do you want?" I asked quietly. I would not shout for my guards unless I knew he was here to kill me for sure. I can take care of myself.

My heartbeat rose instantly and I fought to contain the panic that seeped through my veins. Instinctively, I went into a defensive crouch and watched every move he made. Thoughts raced through my head and I instantly honed in on one. Zelos could not be stupid enough to kill me in Derris Kharlan.

Right?

I could not read his expression as he collapsed gracefully on one of the large cushions by the table. "I think it's time for me and you to have a little talk. Sit down, Sheena. I'm not going to seduce you with my sexiness if that's what your thinking." he said slyly, giving me a…reassuring…smile.

Stiffly, I sat across from him, feeling my face redden at his suggestion. He had only been in the room for about five seconds and he was already talking as if we knew each other for a long time. I felt my heartbeat slow slightly but I still felt the pounding in my temples. "Talk?" I repeated weakly.

"We were thrown out of the hall quite abruptly," he explained, "and the same will probably happen tomorrow if we don't discuss this ahead of time."

"What is there to discuss?" I asked more confidently. "I think you already made it clear that you don't agree with the queen's advice." I crossed my arms and waited for him to make the next move.

"And you do?"

"I-…" I had automatically tried to answer yes, but thinking back to the first time I had heard her predicament made me stop. I shook my head and tried again, always watching that red-haired noble out of the corner of my eye, "I don't exactly agree with it, but she obviously gave us that advice for a reason. It would be wise…to at least consider it or if not, come up with a better alternative."

Zelos smirked. He actually smirked at my reaction. I don't understand why but that lazy, arrogant, smile of his made my blood boil. For the hundredth time that day, I actually considered beating that smile right of his face with some of my moves, 'The ninja cards I've worked on should do it quite nicely…' I thought, mentally smiling at the temptation.

"A sensible observation, Sheena." he said as if giving a compliment. I hid myself behind my reserve when I realized I have been showing too much of myself to the "enemy" in question. "But I still stand by my reaction. If she really knows how our people feel about each other, she wouldn't have proposed this preposterous notion of a union." A pause. "But…I think it does have some potential."

There were no words to express my emotions at that moment, though I am sure they bordered between pure terror and helpless fascination.

"And you came to me in order to…?"

"See what I was getting myself into." he answered.

Oh, that made me mad. "And what do you thing you are 'getting yourself into'?" I asked irritably, wanting to figure out what point Zelos was trying to make before it went too far. There surely had to be some hidden meaning behind those elegant words of his.

For the second time that day, his gaze flickered down my form. "I'll be honest with you, Sheena. If it was just your body, I would agree to this proposition very quickly." A blush rose to my face the same time his eyes acquired a certain resigned look about them. "But…your mind also comes as part of the deal—and that is a part of you I had yet to fathom despite years I'd spent musing over it."

I blinked. Years? This sent a slight chill down my spine. There shouldn't have been any time for him to muse over my mind. I was about to point that out when he continued again.

"I thought I understood you once. Beautiful, arrogant, blind to all suffering around you…heh, because of those traits, I had almost learned to hate you. I'm sure you must have grown up the same. But when I heard that you, of all people, had knelt beside my dying brother and sang to him while he passed into the world of the dead, I thought that maybe someone like you did have a heart after all." he said that all in such a casual matter as if he was commenting on the weather. Still, with each word that he spouted, the capacity of my anger meter went up notch by notch. I was so worked up that when he shifted in his seat, I jumped up. My reaction froze him as he registered the reason of my fear or in my mind, my anger.

"Damn it, Sheena! I'm not here to hurt you!" he said nearly shouting in impatience. His posture still made him look collected and cool but when I looked back at his sapphire eyes they held the same anger I had in mine.

"I'm sorry I'm having trouble trusting someone who killed countless numbers of my people!" I spat venomously. I re-crossed my arms and sat like a child who had been denied his favorite treat.

He slammed his fist down on the arm of the chair. "Trust me Sheena, if I wanted you dead you wouldn't be standing here with me right now. I've never had trouble slipping past your guards. Why do you think I would have even bothered to set up this meeting if I could have broken into your room and smothered you with that Chinese silk pillow you keep at the foot of your bed!" His blue eyes flashed dangerously, daring me to contradict him.

I could only stare at him and whisper faintly, "What?" Goddess. This had to be a dream. It had to be. How on earth was he able to sneak into my room!

It was obvious he was pretending to misunderstand when he said, "Oh, you mean the one with the white dragons flying over a purple sky? The one with velvet trim? Beautiful, obviously handcrafted—"

"Who told you about that?" I asked calmly, my fear and anger blended perfectly to create my well-practiced shell.

"About what?" he exclaimed aloofly. "About the silk pillow or the ancient oak chest it sits on?" He lifted his gaze to meet mine and I held it. "Or maybe you're talking about the wool blanket you use in colder weather or the Chinese screens you use in the summer."

It took all of my courage to squeak, "How…?" I couldn't continue further as my voice lodged in my throat.

"I've been there." came the nonchalant reply. "I've seen it—this Temple you ninjas have as your stronghold. It isn't the easiest place to sneak into…but it is manageable. Your people are so used to land based attacks you hardly ever look up. I nearly got myself caught the first time but luckily I found the servant staircases." He paused to chuckle, "You don't even keep your door locked, Sheena."

Oh, I will now you pervert...

Finally, he lowered his gaze and I let out the breath I'd been holding. When I felt my voice would not waver I stated, "You're making this all up." There was no possible way he could have gotten past the Anbu guards posted on the fifth floor. They would have seen him for sure when he past the halls.

"Do you really think so?" Zelos sounded amused. "The first time I saw you, I was sixteen. I had just lost the first of my brothers in a ninja attack. Someone told me you had turned fifteen that day. For your birthday, my brother died. I rode almost all afternoon through the woods. By midnight, I found myself at your bedside. I had meant to kill you."

My anger flared briefly. I did not like how he made it sound like my fault. "And why didn't you? You could have ended this dispute long ago." I had gotten up and was pacing before I managed to calm myself down enough to stop.

Zelos sighed, "Sit down, Sheena. Do you have any idea how beautiful you are? The first time I laid eyes on you I thought that a goddess had somehow given you her likeness." He closed his eyes, as if picturing a long-ago memory. "You were wearing a black silk robe with a red satin bow. I assumed you had fallen asleep before preparing for bed." His eyes opened again and when he looked at me, it was as if he were picturing me in that outfit again. "I was young and I haven't killed anyone yet. I didn't want to start by destroying something as exquisite as you. I was so mesmerized by your presence that I reached out to touch your cheek."

His story was so enticing that it trapped me. It trapped me within it so deep that when he brushed his fingers over my cheek I could think of nothing but of how cold his hands felt. They felt like the soft stroke of a falling snowflake. Even this skin-to-skin contact with my enemy could not pull me from his spell.

"But you pulled away from me in your sleep and revealed the slight gash on your cheek. Your arm had another cut, as if you were in a fight." When he spoke of them he traced the phantom injuries that had healed long ago. I suddenly knew the time he spoke of. It was the day Batoushi was killed protecting me. Only the presence of the Anbu members and some defensive tactics Orochi taught me had saved my life.

I was just about to recall more when Zelos' voice broke through my thoughts, "At that moment all I wanted to do was take you into my arms and comfort you, but you had already pulled away from my touch once. I didn't want to frighten you further so I left and told myself that I hated you." He trailed his fingers through my hair lightly, careful enough not to pull me to far from the enticing story. "But it wasn't true. How could someone hate you for being powerless to stop the fighting? You were just as powerless as I was."

"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked, noticing how far away my voice sounded.

Zelos went on his knees and his sudden closeness brought me back to reality and the danger he posed from this position. Only the way I sat prevented me from jumping away and plunging the kodachi into his heart or sliding my cards over his throat. I mentally cursed myself for letting my guard down.

"Because you didn't start this war, Sheena, and neither did I. You know just as well as I that this has gone on for far too long with too much bloodshed to be accounted for. It's now meaningless to fight and our people are fighting a meaningless cause. They do not know what else there is to do. Their leaders fight, the people fight, when the leader is killed the people do what they can to take revenge. It doesn't end." His hand grasped mine as if he couldn't help but reach out. "My mother is pregnant with another kid. When she announced this to Seles and me she was white with terror. A moment like that should bring joy…but all it did was revive an old memory of a ninja plunging his sword through my older sister's belly; killing the child along with her. I do not want that to happen to my mother or for another sibling to be lost." I started to speak but he quieted me by putting his finger on my lips. "You don't need to apologize for something you had no control of." He paused and touched my cheek again softly, "I am going to the hall tomorrow evening. My mother, sister, or my guards would not be there to argue with me. I hope you'll be there and you'll listen to what she has to say. Her advice…it might work but you would have to give the idea a chance."

I hesitated. Giving this marriage a chance was just as risky as giving suicide a chance. But wouldn't I die for my people if there was even a slight flicker of peace to be gained?

"Please, Sheena, you have to trust me on this one. You sang to my brother of peace and hope. I can't believe that same person isn't willing to risk her life to solve our differences and give her people a chance to live in harmony. I won't believe that you aren't as desperate as I am for those things to come true. Just…try…please."

Somehow I found myself nodding. "I will…try." I struggled to dismiss the question of how Zelos knew the details of his brother's death. He ignored my hesitation.

"Thank you." He leaned forward so suddenly and planted a light kiss on my cheek that I accidentally let out a gasp louder than necessary.

Though the noise was still relatively quiet it was still enough to bring two guards running into my room.

Zelos tensed and backed away from me. Gathering himself together he tried to appear harmless but I could tell he was trying to devise an escape route…one that would come to blows if necessary. Instantly, I stepped between him and my guards before this got any farther than the death glares they sent over to each other, though Orochi tried to stop me.

"There's no trouble here. I was just about to escort Zane out, anyway." I said sending Orochi a look not to question me.

Zelos relaxed a bit but having my "enemy" behind me was causing my skin to crawl. I hoped he wouldn't try anything stupid.

"Zelos?" I called lightly, as if addressing a long-time friend. I gestured to the door elegantly.

"Thank you for speaking to me at such a late hour, Sheena." he answered smoothly, voice as light as my own, not portraying any of the emotions from earlier.

When he moved forward I couldn't help but notice how close his hand lingered by his sword. He was definitely ready to fight if he had to. Unfortunately, my guards noticed the same thing. They tensed but didn't move, seeing that I was caught in between them. That fact almost made me refuse his offered arm. But I looked into his blue eyes and still saw the hope he held for peace in them. I swallowed my fear and forced myself to accept.

The guards stepped back to allow us to pass, though Zelos still had to push past Orochi on his way out. For the first time in my life, I saw Orochi direct someone with a look of pure anger. When Zelos caught his glare he wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed me again.

I was too shocked to speak much less respond. In the time it took me to blink and Orochi to stride forward with murder in his eyes, Zelos had already nodded us goodnight and disappeared down the hall.

Orochi watched him leave as he demanded, "Sheena, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. He just wanted to talk about our meeting tomorrow. Don't worry…he was polite."

Orochi turned and looked at me skeptically, reminding me that receiving a kiss from anyone but my husband was not considered "polite."

I scowled at him, "He was being polite until you provoked him!"

"I…see." he said, but he did not sound too convinced.

Frustrated with Orochi's attitude I turned around and headed back into my room. Childhood friend or not, I will not justify my actions or Zelos'…especially if my guard still held suspicions over my words. Behind me I could hear him order one of the ninjas to inform my grandfather while he followed me inside.

"Sheena, wait! I'm sorry about earlier…I put you in danger when I got into that glaring match with that noble. He could have killed you at any time. I should have thought it through first. But when I saw him grab you and how close you were to death, I realized that I would have been powerless to stop him. He may have visited you with the act of a harmless monarch but he is still one of the most dangerous men alive. I don't know what I would do if…you died…"

I sighed and hugged him gently, ignoring the fact that he tensed a moment before returning the hug. "Orochi…thank you for watching over me. I don't deserve it." In his arms I was happy to abandon my reserve, even for just a moment. Chances like this don't come too often in our kingdom; the reserve restricts us from even having this simple comfort.

"Sheena—"

"I'm sorry for scaring you like that." I continued, interrupting him before he could finish. "You don't need to worry about what went on in this room. Nothing but simple talk passed between us—no threats. The two of us only talked about the possibility of ending this stupid war."

Orochi nodded. "Sheena, I—"

He broke off, backing away from me and standing at attention as my grandfather walked in, his purple eyes clouded and worried.

"Sheena, are you alright?" my grandfather asked as he scanned the room for any signs of Zelos. "Did he hurt you?"

I sighed, suddenly exhausted by all the events of the day. "I'm fine, grandpa. He only came to talk, nothing else. Can we please discuss this tomorrow? I would like to be fully awake when I talk to the queen."

"What did he need to discuss with you while in your private chambers?" Igaguri asked, ignoring my last comment.

"Well, he was afraid that if he did not speak to me ahead of time, the meeting would go the same as it did today. You know that without proper contact we don't have a chance of negotiating for peace."

He looked at me sadly before saying, "It is exactly because of this contact that I'm taking you back to the Temple. If he could slip into your room undetected without the slightest bit of trouble, what is there to say that he won't do it again and kill you in your sleep? I'm sorry Sheena, but there is too much at risk to stay here right now."

"Grandpa!"

"I'm sorry, but there will be not discussion beyond this point." he motioned a guard over, "Please send the king and queen our apologizes." He looked at me again, "Pack your things, Sheena. We leave tonight."

I looked down and closed my eyes, "Yes, sir."

Winged Dancer: Hehe, I'm just happy you're still reading this at all! You really think I did a good job with Seles? Yay! I had some difficulty portraying her because I felt she was a little off...oh, well. And yay again! You're getting Hawksong! Sry, I'm kinda hyped up on Coca-Cola right now. Hehe, Mithos in Martel...wow that would've scared me so badly. Oh, and I'm trying my best to shape the chars personalities to the game...for the most part, they actually fit the positions they're in but I know in the back of my mind that they are off a bit. Thanks for your review!

Minki: Thank you for reviewing! I've always wanted these two to get married and I thought that this idea was pretty fun! Please continue reading!

lugiamania: I agree! It's a lot more fun to toy with them indirectly! Thanks so much for reading, hope you continue!