By Sir Exal
Chapter 2, Up and Down
Zelos woke up first, as he always did. The sun was just beginning to show itself from above the horizon. Bored, he quietly snuck over to Lloyd's pack. He would find out what they were going to... he pushed aside several normal items that Lloyd carried with him. One of Genis's cookies laid in the pack. Heh, leave it to Lloyd to put a cookie underneath some other stuff. Next... "Aha..." whispered Zelos, finding the folded up Symphonia map. Zelos unfolded the map (with some difficulty) and scanned it a bit, looking for a mark that Lloyd may have made on the map.
There. There was a circle, seemingly in crayon, around...well, Zelos couldn't tell...but it was east of the now-bustling city of Iselia. Zelos was hit by a flash of inspiration. "The Linkite tree! That was east of Iselia!" thought Zelos, then considered. "But why would...why would Lloyd drag the three of us all over the mountain here just so we could look at a tree we have seen umpt een million times?" Then Lloyd mumbled, and Zelos hurriedly stuffed everything back into the pack, crushing the cookie in the process. But it turned out that all Lloyd was doing was rolling over. Zelos stood up and walked off, drawing his sword in the process. He was going to have to slice something open to get over his anger...the Linkite Tree...what a load...
--scene--
"G'Morning, sleepyheads!" called Zelos as Genis and Lloyd woke up. Lloyd rubbed one eye and Genis yawned wide as they walked over to Zelos, who stood near the cookfire. "I made breakfast!" He handed a plate to Genis and Lloyd. Zelos had prepared breakfast rice, a fried egg, and sliced fruits for all of them. Zelos and Genis dug into their food, and Genis happily said, "This is just how I like my eggs, Zelos!" Lloyd just stared at his food. Half of the rice was blackened, the egg had a hard yolk, (Lloyd preferred eggs over easy) and while Zelos and Genis had gotten Kirima, Lloyd had received badly cut Amango. Lloyd hated Amango. When Lloyd pointed out these problems, Zelos dismissed it with saying he only had two Kirima, and that he had had a little trouble cooking. Lloyd wasn't sure if he liked that explanation.
--scene--
As the three friends finally approached the peak a few hours later, Lloyd rubbed his rear end. Zelos had his sword out, and it seemed he would 'accidentally' poke Lloyd with it every so often. It was starting to tick him off. The sword found Lloyd's butt again, and Lloyd wheeled around and yelled "Will you stop that?"
Zelos assumed a look of innocence. "Stop what?" Lloyd grumbled and kept scaling the mountain. The area around the peak was steep and rocky. Zelos called out, "Race you to the top!" almost instinctively, and took off. Laughing, the other two followed. The large boulders and slippery rocks slowed all three down immensely, but to Lloyd and Zelos's surprise, the small Genis, agile and able to squeeze where the two older ones couldn't go, made it to the peak first. Seeing what was over the peak, Genis hopped up and down in glee.
"You were right, Lloyd," he called down to the swordsman, who was near the top as well. "This was worth it!"
Zelos was surprised at this exclamation, and stepped on the gas, sprinting past Lloyd and to the peak. Zelos's eyes widened, and one thought came to mind... "How could I ever have doubted him?"
The Linkite tree was there, but it was now the centerpiece for a large city. People, animals, and buildings occupied what had once been a barren area. Zelos could pick out a residential area and a market in the city. A small stream with water from who knows where meandered through the city. Zelos didn't see a sign, but the style of the buildings made it clear.
This was Mizuho.
On the way down, Lloyd noticed Zelos was being unusually nice to him, but didn't say anything. "I remember Tiga saying that the Mizuhos (the innuendo of the word was missed by Genis and Lloyd) wanted to move to Sylvarant, but I didn't know they did! And here too. Coulda chosen a little better real estate though..." Zelos tumbled several feet after tripping over a rock.
"Actually, if you think about it, it makes sense," said Genis. "The people of Mizuho like their privacy, and it's near impossible to get here. Thanks to the little bit of magic we pulled off at the Linkite tree, the land is fertile and easy to cultivate, and..."
Zelos interrupted. "Can you think of a better thing to put in the village square?"
Lloyd nodded. "Sheena sent me a messenger saying that they had completed the move a while ago. I think he said she sent a message to Colette and the rest as well. I just decided to keep it a secret from you two until we got there. Heheh! Nice, huh?"
--scene--
Sheena was waiting at the village gates for her friends. She hadn't seen anyone since everyone went their separate ways two years ago. Naturally, she knew what all of them were doing, she had sent out spies exclusively to keep tabs on the ones she had known. She had just gotten reports that Zelos, Genis, and Lloyd were coming down the mountain, and she wanted to welcome them again.
Mizuho was already bustling, even without their Successor's friends coming. There was a festival tonight, the Rebirth Festival, in honor of their successful relocation and for the first festival in their new location. The Chief and Tiga had their hands more than full, too busy to even investigate reports of a possible intruder. There was much to plan with a festival in a city Mizuho's size...
But Sheena still found enough time to greet her friends. As the travelers walked through the gates, she gave a friendly hug in greeting to each of them. "It's so good to see you all!" she said, blinking away a few tears that were fortunately unseen.
Lloyd rubbed his head where he had been savagely noogied just before, and said, "Good to see you too! Surprised that we came?"
Genis happily jumped and said, "Wow, Sheena! It's amazing what you've done with the city!"
Zelos grinned, and asked, "Missed me a bit, hunny?"
Sheena answered, "In order. No, Mizuho's intelligence network knew you were coming even before Genis and Zelos did, I didn't do it all, Grandpa and the Vice-Chief did most of it, and miss you, specifically? Not really."
"Harsh, Sheena..." said Zelos.
--scene--
Naturally, Sheena invited all three to the Rebirth Festival that night. Zelos had been looking forward to this; Mizuho's parties had been legendary in Tethe'alla. It did not disappoint. A band playing solely on traditional Mizuho instruments providing perfect dancing music, and the food was to die for. Zelos remembered one woman saying that in the Igaguri style, even romance must be carried on in secret, so he even restrained himself from making moves on anyone. Mostly.
Lloyd couldn't quite keep a lock on Genis; the diminutive half-elf had been bumped around a lot when he had tried to dance, and had now taken to mostly admiring the decorations, one he was spending a particular time on was a large yellow and red dragon. Tiga must have noticed Genis's isolation, because he went over to Genis and began a conversation. Genis looked happy for the distraction.
Lloyd, who was sitting down, heard Sheena and turned. Sheena was wearing a traditional dress robe now, which actually looked almost garish, with many bright colors and a puffy frill. Her hair was now in a bun, and she was wearing makeup. The latter she hated intensely. "Hey." she said softly.
Lloyd's eyes widened. "Wow, Sheena, you look great!"
"You really think so?" asked Sheena, blushing bright vermilion.
"Of course," answered Lloyd, as Sheena sat down next to him. "Oh, hey, I got something for you," said Lloyd, digging in his pack, not realizing this wasn't really the time or place for what he was doing. Sheena's heart leapt. Lloyd continued. "Genis made some cookies the other day, and I saved one for you."
Sheena recovered quickly, and said, "Thanks. I love Genis's cooking!"
Lloyd dug through his pack until he let out a cry of unhappiness and turned to Sheena. Three-fourths of a broken cookie and a large amount of crumbs were in his hands. "It's broken...I wonder when that happened..." Lloyd was crestfallen.
Sheena silently moved to take the cookie, but held Lloyd's hand for a moment. "I really did miss you," she said, then moved her hands away and crunched into the cookie. It tasted as sweet as she remembered.
--scene--
Everyone was gathered around a table in Sheena's house, talking and laughing about times gone by. Everyone seemed to have a favorite memory that incorporated the other three. Genis added in, "Or how about when we first met? Remember?"
Sheena, who had been wiping off her makeup with a sleeve blushed, and Lloyd laughed, "Yeah, that was so unexpected! And all how you fell down that hole..."
Zelos put on a sneaky grin. "I don't think I've heard all of this story. Why don't you tell me?"
Sheena blushed even darker red than before, but didn't object when Lloyd began. "Well, we were still on the quest to release all the seals. We had just unlocked the seal of fire, and..."
Sheena interjected. "May I help you tell the story?"
--scene--
Dusk was starting to fall as Lloyd, Genis, Colette, Kratos, and Raine started walking up Ossa Trail. All of them were clearly glad to be out of the Triet desert. While Lloyd was draining his canteen, Genis eyed Colette's nearly full canteen. "Hey, aren't you thirsty, Colette?"
"Uh...No, Genis...why?" responded Colette.
Genis started to respond, then heard a voice from above them. "Stop!" said the girl they would later know as Sheena Fujibayashi, who stood above them on a rocky ledge. She jumped down, and her sash floated in the wind as she landed.
Colette turned. "Is she a friend of yours, Lloyd?"
Lloyd scratched his head. "Not that I'm aware of..."
Sheena stood and ignored this little exchange with a determined look on her face. "Is the Chosen of Mana among you?" she asked.
Colette raised her right hand helpfully. "Oh," she said, "I'm the Chosen."
Sheena growled, "Prepare to die!" and charged towards Colette. The blonde, surprised at the sudden bloodlust, stumbled back, and tripped over a moss-hidden lever in the ground. The earth underneath Sheena suddenly retracted.
Time seemed to stand still, with Sheena almost hovering over the hole as realization set in. Lloyd, Raine, and Genis said, "Uh-oh..." and Kratos murmured in dismay.
As Sheena started to plunge, she heard Colette say "Uh-oh." as well.
Sheena closed her eyes as she fell into the dark abyss, hoping the ground would come soon. If she fell much farther, she didn't figure she'd bounce.
Wham! No bounce needed. Sheena got off the rocks she landed on, rubbed her back, which hurt like an Egg Bear had clobbered it, and looked up. The hole she had fallen through seemed to be far away, and she craned her ears just enough to hear "Probably." from a voice.
"Still, she's got bad luck, falling through a trapdoor like that," said another boy up top. She could hear some instinct conversation, then it sounded like the Chosen's group had left. Sheena looked around her, and saw by the minimal light cast by several torches that she was in a mine. Standing up, Sheena stepped forward to get out of the mine and find her prey...and dropped to the ground as pain shot through her. "I'll stay here for the night." she thought, and soon slept. Her nightmares were full of terror filled bottomless pits. Sheena decided if she never saw another hole again, it would be too soon.
--scene--
The first dawn's light hit Sheena square in the face from the hole she had fallen through. She dragged herself up, then began to, still holding her aching back, go through the dark, dreary, and dim mine.
The mine was mercifully short, and soon Sheena saw the light at the end of the tunnel. The mine, unfortunately, was stoppered by a blockade of rotting wood. Sheena had an idea. She threw a guardian card to the ground, and the large, lanky creature that emerged used its long claws to knock down the barrier...right in front of Lloyd's group.
Seeing them there, and hoping for an advantage, Sheena called aggressively to them. Lloyd looked unimpressed, and said, "Wow, she actually caught up with us." The group had camped at the peak of Ossa Trail the previous night.
"Oh, thank goodness!" said Colette.
Sheena was caught off guard by this display of compassion, but shook it off and yelled, "Stop! Nobody move!"
"A wise decision." said Raine, with as much sarcasm as she could muster.
"I won't be taken by surprise this time!" announced Sheena. "Prepare to die!" She charged towards Colette again, and again, Colette was surprised by the assassin's advance and fell down. Lloyd drew his weapons and he, Genis, Raine, and Kratos stepped forward, protecting the fallen Chosen.
Lloyd scoffed a little bit and said to his companions, "This'll be easy! She doesn't even have weapons. Leave it to me!" Ignoring Raine and Kratos's calls to stop, Lloyd charged forward in attack position. The instant before he reached Sheena, she traced a hand through the air, and a card zoomed forth and hit Lloyd across the stomach, stopping him dead in his tracks. Lloyd gasped in pain and surprise, and Sheena hit him across the face and chest with two more cards. She then gently laid a card on the forehead of the swordsman, and caused him to freeze in place. Sheena called out "Pyre Seal!" and the card exploded, sending Lloyd head-over-heels back to his group.
Lloyd struggled up, and displayed scorch marks on his face. Even as Raine's First Aid healed him, he growled, "How can she fight with a piece of paper?"
"There are a great many fighting techniques in the world, Lloyd, and some may seem strange to you. You must prepare for them all," said Kratos. "Don't be so careless."
"Sorry..." muttered Lloyd ashamedly.
Now, the Guardian had taken a position next to Sheena, and she yelled out "Time to die!" Kratos and Lloyd rushed forward, both attempting to take out the Wind Guardian first. Sheena's cards bit into whoever she could get a chance to attack, and the Guardian swung his mighty clawed hands at his opponents, knocking Lloyd into the air several times.
As advantageous as the battle looked at the beginning, Sheena all too quickly saw the Guardian weakening and falling apart. Whenever she tried to help the creature, Kratos would fend her off with several hilt backhands. Before she could truly ponder what to do, she felt the ground get damp underneath her. She barely had time to move before Genis announced "Spread!"
A veritable geyser sprung up from underneath Sheena, encasing her in a torrent of water. She was beaten about, spun every which way. Just as she was straining for breath, the water stopped, and she hit the ground.
Coughing up water, Sheena turned in the direction of the spell. A wizard...Sheena hadn't thought that any existed on this side anymore. But it was no matter, she just knew she had to take out the boy. She charged up and began attacking.
No sooner had Sheena blown Genis back with several Seal attacks that she felt the power of a exactly swung staff on the back of her head. Raine, with the power of a protective sister, had run up to Sheena and hit her with a Battle Staff Raine had found the previous night. As Fireballs hit her in the stomach and Raine hit her with the staff again, Sheena saw the Guardian roar and disappear, as Guardians did when they took too much damage. Exhausted, injured, and beaten, Sheena collapsed, muttering "Damn..."
--scene--
"Man!" said Zelos. "You got your butt kicked!"
Sheena huffed, and finished the memory. "Then I managed to get up... Somehow. I yelled at you guys something like 'You're mine next time!' and left."
"Yep, that's about it." said Lloyd.
"Awww, did Sheena fall down a hole? Poor you..." cooed Zelos.
"Shut up!" yelled Sheena "I still have dreams about that!"
This was the wrong thing to say; Zelos had to stifle a giggle. "Don't worry, Sheena, I'm the great Zelos. I'll stop you from falling again."
Zelos's voice turned deeply earnest at the end, and Sheena caught it. "I know..." she said softly.
Genis sensed the oncoming awkward silence, and stopped it. He yawned loudly. "I'm tired. Let's go to sleep."
After a general murmur of assent, Sheena said, "There's four beds through here." She led Lloyd, Zelos, and Genis through a door. "I had three other than mine set up for you guys."
After Zelos dashed in the four bed-room, he quickly flopped down on one of the bed and loudly announced, "This one's mine!"
Sheena started to protest. "But that one's my bed...never mind. I'll just sleep in this one." Sheena laid down on another bed without changing, as did Genis and Lloyd; traveling made one get used to sleeping in one's clothes. Soon, all four friends had dropped down into sleep.
--scene--
A dark figure opened the sliding door silently. Mizuho's doors were never locked, as there was perfect trust between the members of a ninja clan. The figure determinedly crept around a table, and quickly slipped into the bedroom. The only light came from a window too small to slip through that let in only a bit of moonlight. The figure, obviously with a mission in mind, crept to one of the beds. The figure kneeled down beside the bed, and silently and swiftly, drew a small knife and raised it. The blade glinted in the moonlight for a second before the figure plunged it into the sleeping innocent
There was a small movement and a even smaller noise from the person on the bed. The murderous figure swiftly stood up and walked out of the room and the house, disappearing into the shadows as soon as it got outside.
--scene--
Thank yousto DMC for being my first reviewer! I was hoping you'd take a look at this. R&R!