Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of symphonia.

Tamerlane: It won't be easy for him to open up, but he's known Sheena for a long time so I guess you're right. If anyone, it'd be Sheena he'd pour his heart out to :D

The King of No Pants: Yes, Zelos is a cute kiddie, or at least I think so.

mercy-angel-09: Thanks, and here's your Zelos toy :D

Yukashi Tenshi: So does that mean you didn't like Sheelos before? And what's wrong with your friend's cookies? (eats invisible cookies) they're pretty good.

Bluenight: Thanks, it's always nice to know I'm keeping him in character.

New Moon Tears: Yes, I thought I needed a little bit of a change. And if you review again I'll toss in a Sheena toy to add to the collection ;)

Anima Sage Kurai: I really didn't expect to get more than seven, but it's good to know that people actually like this.

StrawberryEggs: Priorities is key to handles multiple fics. For me, I update the ones that have the most reviews and then I work my way over to ones that I feel like writing. It gets a bit hard since I sometimes forget what I was writing in the first place O.o

Bballstar42: Yup, one big Sheelos fan here. Besides there aren't enough of them out there, just adding to the list.

AmaDono: I think they've rusted and rotted O.O, but practice makes perfect and I have to in order for next years English class.

CWolf2: Thanks. That's so nice to hear especially when I had no idea if I was doing okay. It's kinda hard to keep Zelos in character around a friend when he's trying to be serious at the same time.

Jinxie: It's hard to imagine either Zelos or Sheena telling one another they love 'em since they're both too stubborn. That's going to be a problem down the road, but I'll think of something.

CopyCatShinobi: Not many people would know about Zelos' past unless they see the Flanoir scene so maybe that's why. But I've always thought he's a wonderful character for angst, so many sides to one person. And about the romance…it'll come in subtle ways in the beginning.

lugiamania: This whole fic revolves around Zelos' past, so in a way it's angst all in one. But I have to build the story before the big stuff comes in.

Winged Dancer: Well yes, great minds do think alike…though I think mine's filling with random stuff thrown in from every angle O.o Go ahead and put it in that fic of yours, it's a pretty common thing.

Better of forgotten

The falling snow swirled in rapid decent and fell as clusters to the already frozen ground. The gentle winds which once blew by picked up speed along its way, piling soft snow in corners and door steps, trapping the people inside. Inside their orbs, Celsius slept and Efreet cursed, knowing a storm right before it hit.

Sheena shivered on the spot in spite of having lost all feeling in her arms, "Zelos, it's getting worse by the minute, let's go back in."

He turned to her slightly lost, having been disturbed from his thoughts…not that it was anything worth thinking about, "…what's that?"

"Listen, it's really bad out here and we need all the strength we can get to beat up those penguinists for tomorrow."

Zelos immediately came out of his brief period of confusion, "Why exactly are we going to do that?"

Sheena sighed, they had been over this many times in the past, "In order to create penguinist gloves we need three penguinist quills--"

"I know that much--"

Sheena shushed him, "Let me finish Zelos. I know you're not as stupid as you look--"

Once again she was rudely interrupted, "You see, exactly—wait. What was that?"

"Long story short, we need another one of those Celsius' tear things since the earthquake broke off a portion of the ice."

Zelos scratched his head, "But we have one already, from that time where you made that pact."

The familiar feeling of growing impatience started creeping up on her, "Honestly Zelos, do you ever pay attention? We sold it to some traveler for a bunch of gald right before we booked a room here."

"Oh right…" he wasn't sure if he should ask but he figured his feisty friend wouldn't even be able to lift her little finger in this weather, "So…why do we need one?"

"I have to get Corrine's bell back…I dropped it during that battle with Fenrir and I forgot to get it back."

Zelos sighed, "Oh come on, don't tell me we have to go back to the ice caves! Just forget that stupid toy Sheena!"

She glared at him wanting nothing more than to whack him senseless, "Don't call it stupid! It Corrine's memento to me! He risked his life to save me, but the same can't be said about you, now can it? And if I wasn't holding this blanket I'd whip you and stuff you in blender!"

For once Zelos was glad there was something covering up her body, it distracted her hands away from his precious head, "Uh…sorry Sheena--really sorry…umm…I'm going to stay out here for a while longer."

"Oh no you don't!" she grabbed his wrist rather forcefully in fear of him rejecting, "We're both going in. Sleep is essential for tomorrow. Unless you want to freeze to death because it's not like I care, because I don't. So if you want to it's okay. But let me warn you, if you doze off on the battle field I'm not going to save you …and--" she stopped her rambling when she realized he wasn't paying much attention.

The continued down the hallway, Zelos closing the balcony door behind them. Only when they reached the middle of the dark passage Sheena recognized she was still holding onto his hand.

"Ah…goodnight." She mumbled and opened her door.

Zelos took a quick peek inside, "I didn't know you were rooming with Lloyd."

The summoner stared at him for a while trying to figure out what he meant by that, only then did it occur to her that she needed to turn around, "Hey…that is Lloyd…but what's he doing in my room?"

"Beats me." Zelos shrugged against the door frame, "But it looks like he'll be keeping Colette company tonight."

Sheena growled, knowing that tone all too well, "Lloyd's not like you Zelos, so wipe away that smug look of yours."

He pretended to look insulted, bringing his hand dramatically to his forehead, "Whatever do you mean dearest?"

She snarled in response to his carefree attitude, "Unlike you, Lloyd is decent. At least he can keep his hands to himself."

"There, there Sheena, you're acting as if I grope you every chance I get."

Though he hardly ever touched her she stayed defiant since his lewd comments more than made up for it, "You would if you weren't afraid of what I'd do if you did!"

He remained unchanged, "And whatever might that be?"

Sheena hissed at him, she hated how he barely took anything she ever said seriously, "You'll find out when you come up with the pathetic excuse that your hands have a mind of their own."

Zelos shook his head, holding out his hands, "But Sheena…they really like you!"

The irritated ninja slapped his hands away, "You idiot-!"

"Shh!" Zelos quickly covered her mouth, preventing her from insulting him further, "Look!"

With his free hand he pointed towards her room.

"Pfft!" Sheena struggled free of Zelos' grasp, "Zelos! Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to spy on others?"

He simply waved her away, telling her to be quiet, "It's just Lloyd, my old bud wouldn't mind a bit."

She scowled but still hid on the other side of the door. It was a miracle the two inside hadn't noticed them yet.

Colette yawned as she sat on the plush rug in front of the fireplace, "Thanks Lloyd."

"For what?" he asked walking over with two mugs of hot chocolate.

"Just for coming to see how I was." She smiled sweetly and took her drink, "That's all."

Lloyd returned her smiled and took his seat beside her, "Professor Raine said you weren't feeling too good so I thought I'd check up on you. I hope I didn't disturb you or anything…"

"Don't worry Lloyd, I was up long before you came. But I thought everyone else had gone to bed."

"Nah, I bumped into the professor in the hallway, she was studying some crack in the wall so she was up too…and Genis."

Colette turned towards him, "Genis was up too?"

"Yup, he got dragged along with the professor…I feel sorry for the guy, he has to take notes in the middle of the night."

"Maybe Professor Sage was lonely, like I was. So when you came here I was really happy because I had someone to talk to."

Lloyd scratched his head bashfully, "Ah…I can stay as long as you like…I mean if you want…to keep you company…"

Colette beamed, throwing her arms around her friend, "Oh Lloyd! We can do all the stuff you and Genis did on sleepovers! Like talking really late and eating marshmallows and telling ghost stories!...but not ones that are too scary…"

Back outside Sheena sighed heavily closing the door, "Do they even know that it was my room to begin with?"

Zelos patted her on the back, "Looks like you've been kicked out."

She pushed away from him and slumped down on the floor, "Where am I going to sleep now? That Lloyds going to get in the morning!"

Zelos grinned and draped an arm around her shoulders, "I, the great Zelos, have an answer to your nighttime calamities."

Sheena pushed him off her and glared at him, "And just what might that be?"

He cleared his seemingly scratchy throat, "You can sleep with me!"

"Zelos-!" before she had a chance to brutally abuse him, he grabbed her hands and dragged her towards his room.

"Relax my violent banshee; my roomie Regal left ages ago to go about business so there's a spare bed…far away from mine."

Sheena was a bit shocked by his sincerity, even she would pass up sleeping in this musty hallway. But first she had to see how far away that bed really was.

Zelos wasn't done yet, "But if you want, I have a better way of keeping you wa--"

"Zelos! Don't ruin it!"

"Okay, okay…here we are." He opened the door and waited until she got in, "See, cozy huh? And the other bed's far away."

"It looks identical to the room I was put in." she glanced at the bed and then out the window, "Wow, it's terrible out there. Good thing we got out when we did."

Zelos walked behind her, finding it hard to look directly out the window, "It's just a little storm, nothing special."

Sheena found herself becoming defensive, "Well I never saw it snow in Mizuho, so you can't go acting all high and mighty because you've seen this stuff before."

He fiddled with his hair curling it in his fingertips, "Let me tell you something about this little wonder from the sky. It's no good, it's only spells trouble. It gives you nasty colds since it's cold itself, it's watery, breaks easily, ruins your hair and just try and land a Rheaird in it…absolutely impossible."

"You're forgetting we came here with Rheairds, our landing couldn't have been better." she leaned heavily on the window sill, "Besides, I bet you were really exicted when you saw this thing for the first time."

Zelos paused trying to think up an answer, though Sheena had her back to him, he knew she was expecting an answer, "I was seven. It was so many years ago that I barely remember it."

"But you remember some right?" Sheena mumbled, distracted by the sight outside, "I think…grandpa told me there was once a major cold front that came from Flanoir and dumped a lot snow on Meltokio, was that the first time you saw it?"

"Yeah, it was." He gave her quick smile and went to sit on the rug, "But like I said, the stuff's really cold. Makes you sick, it even got Sebastian sick."

Sheena padded after him, "You always struck me as a person who wouldn't be affected by the cold…even when we were kids."

Zelos looked up at her and proceed to poke the fire with a long stick, "What do you mean?"

"When I first met you, the one thing that stuck out most was your eyes…" she paused feeling embarrassed, "They're kind of like ice…you know, the type you don't notice and slip on."

He tilted his head, wondering what she was trying to get at.

"…so I thought that if it looked like you were accustomed to the cold, you wouldn't mind it."

Zelos eyed her closely, she refused to look at him, "Well you know what they all say, first impressions leave a lasting mark."

Zelos was an enigma to the young woman. It was as if he spoke in tongues, "What do you mean? Did you fall in the snow or something?"

"I guess you could say that. But remember that I was only a kid, and kids trip easily."

Sheena grinned, "I also remember that you were really shy…"

He shrugged wondering if this was going to turn into a conversation, "Children will be children. But we all eventually change and grow out of that phase, you know."

She giggled but suddenly realized who she was talking to and settled for a small smile, "Every time you saw me you used to run and hide behind your mother."

Zelos tensed somewhat but changed the subject, "You know what I remember most about you?"

Somehow Sheena knew what he was going to say and turned away in uneasiness, not sure why past events with him still troubled her.

"You used to have this huge crush on me--"

"Used to is the key word Zelos, 'cause I don't anymore. I was just confused about why everyone was making such a big fuss over you, and that's all there is to it!" she snapped, surprising the man beside her.

"Aright my banshee, no need to attack me for it. But that little outburst tells me you haven't forgotten one bit of it."

"I don't even know why I liked you in the first place." She fingered her blanket nervously, "…like you said, people change…though I don't know where you went wrong."

He rubbed his head, "Oh, ouch…that was seriously harsh."

She ignored him, "It really looked like you'd be brought up well. Your mother was such a nice woman."

He fought the urge to tell her how horrible a woman his dear mother really was, "Looks can be deceiving Sheena, and with what happened to Kuchinawa you of all people should know that."

She was a bit taken aback by that, "Listen, I don't know what went on in that mansion of yours, but be grateful you even had a family you can remember…and a place you can call home. The Chief may have taken me into Mizuho but I never felt like I belonged. Be grateful you at least have some memory of your family."

"Sometimes…it's better not to remember." Zelos got up and walked back towards the window watching the snow hit it's glass frame.

She got up and joined him, but he only moved away, "I'm going to feed the fire a bit, it's getting cold in here."

Sheena felt her heart swell with discomfort, Zelos was obviously upset but he didn't want to show it. A discussion based on his personal life isn't something he enjoyed talking about.

"You know…" she began slowly, "When Corrine died…I felt really cold. I don't know how to explain it but his heart is still with me so I don't feel cold anymore…it's a comforting thought to know someone dear to you isn't too far away."

Zelos sat with his legs crossed, his back towards her, "What'd you mean, 'still with you'?"

Sheena clutched her robe pocket where she used to keep his bell, "His spirit is always with me…it may seem like something Colette is always saying to cheer someone up, but it's true. Sometimes, I even feel like he's talking to me, telling me it's going to be okay…that's why I need to get Corrine's bell back."

He frowned and snapped the stick he was holding before tossing it into the fireplace, "And what if it never is okay?"

She traced circles on the frosted window, "…I've finally come to realize that I'm not alone in this world and that there are people who care about me. As long as they're there…I'm okay."

Zelos got up and decided to stick by the window his lovely maiden was leaning on, wondering if he fit in with the people who cared about her. There was a long pause where the two reflected upon their own thoughts, neither of them wishing to speak.

The blizzard outside only grew worse as time passed by, to the point Zelos found himself dizzy just looking at it, "Hey…Sheena?"

"Hmm…?" she awoke from her daydream and turned in the direction of the voice, "What is it?"

"When you look at this snow…what color do you see?"

She stared at him, slightly puzzled, "What?...ah…it's white…why?"

He grinned, slowly returning to the person she was most familiar with, "No reason, none at all."

"Do you see something else Zelos?"

"No, no." he shook his head quickly, "Just trying to get a conversation going."

"About snow?"

He ran a hand through his damp hair, "Sure, why not?"

Sheena tilted her head, matted raven locks falling out of place, "I guess when you really consider it, snow does have a tinge of yellow to it. I mean…not everything in nature can have one pure color."

Zelos blinked with boredom, "Whoa…don't take it so seriously!"

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Ooo! You people are the best! So many reviews…weee! O.o….excuse that…

That kind of thing always brightens my day :D

Sooo….review?