The next morning found two Rheiards taking off from the feilds outside of Mizuho. Raine had been too busy since she woke up to get a chance to talk to Sheena alone because the ninja had woken up earlier than the schoolteacher. As they walked outside the gates of the hidden village, they had heard someone calling out for Sheena to wait.

It was Orochi. He caught up to them, and him and Sheena lagged behind while Raine kept peeking over her shoulder at them, watching them talk. Finally, they stopped just out of earshot and turned to face each other, still talking. Raine watched the silent exchange, watching Sheena grow more and more flustered as she (Raine hoped) tried to explain her situation.

Raine almost threw a fit at what happened next. It was all she could do to keep from running over and getting in between the two. Orochi had leaned forward, stopping the smaller ninja mid-sentance with a kiss. He murmured something in her ear, put a hand on her shoulder for a moment, and then walked away. Sheena stood still for a moment, her face growing redder by the second, before she rushed away to the Rheiards, swinging a leg over the seat and leaning forward, busy setting up the controls. Raine thought she saw something glittering on Sheena's cheek, but it was roughly brushed away. Sheena turned to Raine, who was examining Sheena and trying to judge whether or not Sheena had told Orochi the truth.

Evidence was pointing to the contrary.

"Well?" Sheena asked, revving the Rheiard. "What are you waiting for? Come on! We have to go to Zelos's place."

"Right.." Raine asked, sitting behind the ninja. She barely had enough time to throw her arms around Sheena's waist before they took off at an alarming speed, just missing the jagged tree tops of the Gaoracchia Forest. "Sheena!" Raine finally managed to yell into her friend's ear over the noise of the engine and the wind.

"What!" Sheena snapped.

"...Are you, ah, all right? WHA!" Raine held on tighter and hid her face in Sheena's back as they made a sharp turn, sliding past mountains and slicing through cold, wet clouds. "Sheena!" Raine said again, when she had gotten her heart under control. "Slow! Down!"

Sheena accelerated, skimming closer to the ground. "I always drive this fast!" she said recklessly. Looking over her shoulder, she said. "Looks like I went too fast for Regal though."

"What?" Raine yelled into Sheena's ear.

"Nevermind!" Sheena yelled back. Soon, at the breakneck speed Sheena was going at, they reached Meltokio and landed outside the gates. Sheena used the EC to shrink the Rheiard and sighed, stretching her arms above her head. She spared a glance at the Professor. "What's up with you?" she asked, amused.

Raine had fallen to the ground, her knees wobbly. She put a hand into her coat pocket and drew out her motion sickness pills and popped one, causing Sheena to burst out laughing again. "I'm never riding with you again," Raine sweared, getting up and sighing. "We left Regal and Presea so far behind, they might not reach here in an hour."

She looked down into Sheena's face then, solemnly. "So was that your first kiss?"

Sheena looked confused at first, and then her face darkened. "From a guy, yeah," she said, brushing past Raine to go into Meltokio. Raine cursed herself once more for her lack of empathy when it mattered most, and followed her. "Zelos's new mansion," Sheena said when Raine had caught up to her, and they were walking side by side, "Is basically just a larger, more obnoxious version of his old one."

"His new business is doing well then?" Raine asked, deciding not to mention Orochi again if she could help it for the rest of the day.

Sheena shook her head, disgusted. "He's even richer than when he was the Chosen!" she excaimed. "Of course, now that he's a big-shot President of a tourisim empire, and the Ex-Chosen, and one of the heroes who saved the worlds, he's got even more fangirls than ever before." She stopped when she had travelled well through the richer section of Meltokio. She whistled. "Wow. Even bigger than I heard."

"This is it?" Raine asked, feeling her eye widen despite herself. "He's doing.. very well."

Sheena and Raine looked at each other and stood outside the front door. "Do we..." Sheena started. "Do we just go in like we did in his old house?"

"I don't know," Raine said. "I don't think he would mind."

"Well then you open the door!" Sheena stepped aside. "Don't mind me! You're the one who wants your Rheiard back." For extra effect, Sheena added, "You could always ride with me until we find Genis."

Raine made a face and tried the door. It was unlocked, as per usual, but when they stepped inside the foyer they could see there was nothing normal about this house. "Oh my..." Raine said, padding silently on the plush green carpet and looking around her. Everywhere she could see, there was glass and crystal, marble pillars, bubbling fountains and portraits of the Wilder family, all glaring down at them sternly, as if to ask how dare such filthy commoners track mud into their household.

"Wow," Sheena said again. Then she shook her head, trying to clear it from being too dazzled. "Well I guess it's what you'd expect from that Idiot Cho- Idiot Ex-Chosen," she said, loftily. Louder, she said, "Hey Zelos! It's Sheena and Raine! Are you here?"

Her voice echoed in the house. The two women looked at each other and sweatdropped. "Should we look for him?" Raine ventured after a moment of silence.

"And risk getting lost forever in this maze?" Sheena asked. "No way!" She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Zeeeeelooooos!" she said, louder this time. They waited a moment longer before Sheena made a face. "I guess we could either go outside and wait for Regal, or go look for the-"

"Wait a moment," Raine interupted, her head cocked to the side. She listened carefully. "Do you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"I don't know.. it's like... it's just a big din." Raine listened. "And it's getting closer and closer!" she started to get alarmed, and soon even Sheena could hear it. The sound of dozens of stomping feet and screaming, screaming like someone was being tortured! The two women's faces grew pale and they took a few hurried steps back, just in time too. The noise reached a cresendo and BAM! A door flew open and a pink-and-red blur whizzed by them, cackling like a mad man.

"Was that-"

"-Zelos!" Sheena's jaw dropped. "Was he wearing-"

"-I really hope I didn't see what I thought I saw," Raine groaned, covering her eyes with one hand.

Zelos backtracked, jogging in place before the two. "Well if it isn't my two favorite hunnies!" he said, stopping and turning to face them, a smug grin all over his place. "The voluptous ninja girl and the Ultra Cool Beauty, the Professor! I take it you heard of my fabulous wealth and came to my bikini party, begging for me to take you back." He paused, looking at his fingernails. "All right!" he said cheerfully. "I forgive you for all of your insults and the way you shunned me. Bikini's are by the pool if you want one. May I suggest zebra stripes for the half-elf and regular purple for my favorite fiance-to-be?"

"We came for Raine's Rheiard!" Sheena yelled, her palm itching to slap him. "And I'm not getting married to you, Zelos! What was up with that letter you sent, anyway?"

But before Zelos could answer, the racket grew even louder than before (if that was possible) and a veritable swarm of fangirls poured through the door and shrieked when they saw Zelos. "There he is!" cried one, and they all moved to ambush him.

"Now now, hunnies♥," the Ex-Chosen said, trying to pacify the mob. "It's time for a time-out. I need to do important business stuff, all right?"

"Zelos, darling," cried one bikini-clad girl, "I heard you saying something about fiance? Is this that Pandorahussy we've been hearing such dreadful rumors about?"

"No, it can't be true!" lamented another.

"Please say you're not getting married, Zelos!"

"Girls, girls!" Zelos waved his hands for quiet. "You know the great Zelos wouldn't ever choose just one girl. You're all my hunnies. I love you all." Then he flipped a strand of wavy, luxurious red hair over his shoulder and smiled as charmingly as he could. The crowd of girls swooned at his feet, crying out "We love you too, Zelos!" "We'll always be yours!" "We'd die for you, Zelos!"

Zelos nodded, "Of course you would. Now," he turned back to the two unimpressed heroines. "Let's go to my office, and then we'll chat, hmmmm?"

Sheena flipped out her cards to cover her face. "I'm not even looking at you until you put some goddamn pants on. Why are you even wearing that...thing?"

"Hmm?" Zelos pondered. He grabbed a girl from the crowd and held her close to his side, nuzzling the top of her head. She squealed with delight and false-protest. "Well Shelly here-"

"My name is Shelby, Zelos."

"Of course, baby." He gave her a light smack to the behind. "Shelly here," he continued, "Stole my swim trunks. So I decided to make a game of it and stole hers right back! And wasn't that fun..."

Sheena ground her teeth.

"So then I said, why don't we all try to get everyone else's bottom? And the girls, they just loved that idea, so I added another rule that you have to catch whoever it is you want." He sighed, dramatically. "Of course, they all just ganged up on me instead. So that plan backfire... and then again it didn't. Oh well!" He laughed, letting Shelby go.

The Professor sighed. "Can we please just get my Rheiard?"

"Sure, sure," Zelos said. "I knew Genis was acting a little fishy. He said you were sick again and, well, that fooled the others but he's probably up to no good. Little brat."

Raine looked up at hearing Genis's name, but then her face grew red and she averted her eyes, very careful to only look at Zelos's face since the bright pink bikini bottom he was wearing was several sizes too small. "Genis was here?" she asked.

"Who are 'the others'? Sheena asked. But then they heard a voice, a cheerful, friendly voice that had inspired them to travel over not one world, but two, and had them following him ever since the beginning.

"Whoa! Hey Sheena, hey Professor! Man, I haven't seen you guys in a while!"

Sheena and Raine whirled around.

"Lloyd!"Sheena said, running up and tackling him almost to the ground. "Lloyd! Lloyd! Wow! I missed you, Mr. Hero!"

"Aw, Sheena!" Lloyd said, chuckling and rubbing his head. "You're making me blush!"

Raine hung back, her expression calm but her heart hammering in her chest. "...Lloyd," she said, softly. "It's good to see you."

A/N: I know, I'm evil. But I gave you your bikini party, neh? Next chapter: Zelloyd Goodness! And is Raine REALLY in love with Lloyd? Stay tuned!