A/N: Woo woo! Five chapters up. I went to San Juan today and was able to get Starbucks Coffee. I haven't had that for months and months. :Cries: In any case, here's the sake I promised..

:gives sake to those who reviewed:

"Marry me!" exclaimed a certain hot-headed ninja, later that night. She paced about the two-roomed house in her night-clothes while Raine made herself comfortable on the bed provided for her. Sleeping on the ground was no new experiance for the schoolteacher from Iselia. She actuallyhad started to get used to it, and when staying indoors she often got restless, unable to see the stars. Raine made sure she was positioned under the window so she could feel the fresh air.

"Marry me! Zelos I can maybe understand because he's always doing crap like that to get me in bed, but Orochi? Why Orochi? Why now, when I just started getting back into the swing of things? I don't want to get married!"

"Hmm," Raine said, not answering her question. She examined Sheena. "You're a little unsteady on your legs and your words are starting to slur. Have you been drinking?"

Sheena grew red in the face, stopping in front of Raine's futon. "Can you blame me?" She spun on her heels and began pacing again. "Marry me! Marry me! I'm too young to get married!"

"Just how old are you, again?"

"Twenty-one," Sheena said at once. She paused. "Well, legally I've been able to get married for a while now. But I don't feel like I do! I still feel like a teenager, you know?" she sat down with a heavy sigh, bringing her knees up to her chest and burying her face in her hands. "Raine, Raine, this is a mess. I just don't know what to do." She stopped, pulling her face out of her hands and staring at the wall. "No. I do know what to do!" she declared, getting up and rapping on the wall with her fist. At first Raine thought that this was merely the antics of a frantic drunk, but was proven wrong when a section of the wall slid open to reveal...potions.

Sheena muttered something, grabbing a few bottles and two cups. She whirled around and practically collapsed onto the floor in front of Raine. "Sake?" she asked breathlessly, shoving the bottle in Raine's face.

"No, thank you Sheena," Raine said, gently pushing the bottle back to it's owner. "I think you should rest."

"No! No! I am not going to rest, Professor. I am going to drink until I can't see straight!" And with that, she sloshed some Mizuho Potion into a small cup and raised it to Raine. "Cheers!" She said before downing it.

"Indeed," Raine muttered. "When did you start drowning your worries in sake, exactly?"

"M'not drowning myself in worries!"

"Of course."

"Hey, Raine, this is just sad. Me drinking alone while you watch. Aaah!" Sheena slapped a hand to her forehead. "I can't be rude to a guest and a friend. Here, have a cupful. Part of the legendary Mizuho hospitality. And stuff." Sheena spilled some more sake into another cup before refilling her own. "Just one so I can rest easy. Grandma would turn in her grave if she knew I was drinking or eating when there was a guest who didn't have any."

Raine sighed, audibly, and put aside a book she had been hoping to read by candlelight. "If you say so, Sheena..."

"Indeed," Sheena said, mimicking Raine's earlier words with a giggle. "Here's to your health," she toasted, "And a happier love life than mine has been."

Raine almost choked on her sake. "E-excuse me?" she asked, blushing.

"Oh yeah, I know all right. I know there's someone out there who you're pining for." Sheena nodded, drunkenly. "I know it."

"If that's what you think," Raine said, rolling her eyes, "Then you're drunker than I thought."

"I ain't drunk yet, Professor" Sheena said resolutely, pouring another cup for her and the Professor. "To my long life and happy marriage," she added the last part a trifle bitterly. Then she drained her bowl, and refilled it again.

"You haven't accepted Orochi's proposal already, have you?" Raine said quickly, and then wondered why she was concerned. 'Because Sheena's my friend,' she thought. 'And one more drink won't kill me.' She downed the sake with a grimace. It was strong, but good.

"What choice do I have?" Sheena sighed, sipping her sake. "Grandpa wants great-granchildren. The village wants to know for certain there will be heirs. Orochi wants me. What does it matter what I want? I have a duty to my people.. to my village.." She sipped her sake again, closing her eyes. "Lloyd," she said.

"What about Lloyd?"

"You're in love with him." Sheena calmly downed another cupful and poured more for herself. "More sake, Professor?"

Raine jumped, her sake spilling out of her cup. "Of course not!" She said, too loudly. Clearing her throat, she continued primly: "How could you even think that? He's... my student. And years younger than me."

"It'sh OK, Raine," Sheena slurred, waving her hand about. "I love him too. Not really like, wanna crawl into bed with him love him, but you know."

Raine shook her head slowly. "I'm afraid I don't, Sheena. Maybe you should try and sleep now."

Sheena refilled Raine's cup, downing her sake and refilling it again. She continued, ignoring the Professor's comment. "I don't think there's a soul who met Lloyd Irving and didn't lo-lo-hic!- love him." Sheena put the bottle of sake down so she could place a hand to her mouth. She closed her eyes to keep the world from spinning. Raine was starting to get tipsy herself. "Lloyd loves you, too. He hash a strong heart. It's so shtrong it reachesh out and grabs your heart, too." Sheena took her free hand and made a grabbing motion, and Raine thought Sheena looked as though she might cry. "And then... even his enemies have to love him, because he loves them too... when he kills them, even when he kills them..his heart.. I wish I could have a heart like his, that could love like that...buh- buh- hic!- but I wish I didn't love Lloyd, 'cause I promised myshelf I wouldn't let a man make me feel that way.. cause I dun wanna end up like Gramma... did I tell you about Gramma, Raine?" Sheena scooted closer to the Professor. "My gramma was a warrior. She was da- da- hic!-best. Then she married Grampa and she had to stay with him 'till she died. Even though she was always smilin', Gramma was dying on the inside 'cause she couldn't leave the village, cause she had to stay. With Granpa. Forever.."

Then Sheena suddenly moved forward and draped her arms around Raine's neck, pressing her mouth to the Professor's ear to whisper the last part of her story. "And even though I love Lloyd, I only love his heart. I can't love him really cause he's a man. Promise you won't tell anyone, 'kay? 'Cause it's a secret. But I trust you, Raine, 'cause you're one of my best...best..."

Sheena drifted off, her grip slackening as she slumped down, her cheek resting against the Professor's shoulder.

Raine had stiffened up completely when Sheena had touched her, and now her arms were hovering uncertainly around the ninja, not actually embracing her. The teacher sat still, confused and not sure what she should do now.

"Sheena...?" she asked after good long while, carefully moving the ninja. Sheena was fast asleep and mumbling. Raine sweatdropped. "You drink more than you can handle, Sheena." Raine put Sheena in her bed and covered her up, cleaning up the room from the bottle of rice-wine they had been drinking before falling asleep herself, deeply troubled for her friend, and for herself.

A/N: Did anyone notice the "Action/Adventure" part? Well now you get too see action to go with your adventure! ...in the next chapter. R&R, my pretties! And maybe in the next three chapters or so I'll have Zelos's bikini party, when Sheena and Raine go over to yell at him for the letter he sent and ask for Raine's Rheiard. Yeah, Zelos snatched Raine and Genis's Rheiards when they said they didn't want them anymore.