A/N: So sorry about the horrible chapter preceding this, with it's horrible, horrible Colloyd horrible-ness. I don't know why I did it. And for Arissa-May: Oh HELL yes she would make the first move! She's a little slut- that angel guise doesn't fool me! . In the game she's definitely surer that she likes Lloyd as more than a friend than he is. It only makes sense that she'd make the first move. But then again this IS two years later. Meh. Would he still be clueless? Since they haven't done TOO much so far, beyond the average snog when they can fit one into their busy schedule of Ex-Sphere collecting...well...On with the show! Here's some RaineXSheena goodness to make you forget about that horrible, horrible chapter, with its horrible, horrible Colloyd horrible-ness...WARNING major spoilers for the game, but that should probably be posted in the first chapter shouldn't it?
Raine perched on the balcony railing, one knee drawn up to her chest and the other dangling above the noble's district in Meltokio. Looking at the night sky, she could tell it was one, maybe two in the morning. Winter was fast approaching now, bringing icy winds and nights that never ended. She'd been getting less and less sleep lately, especially if she couldn't see the stars at night; thinking that was the reason tonight as well, she had moved out onto the balcony and pinpointed the constellations. Tiny diamonds sprinkled on black velvet curtains.
But being cooped up inside a house had nothing to do with this pain she felt right now, and the chill of winter had nothing to do with how miserable she felt. But even so, it was cold- despite wearing her thick orange traveling coat; she could hear the steady clacking of her teeth as another bout of shivers ran through her. She wiped her runny nose and breathed onto her hands, wondering at how far she was going to take this before she eventually fell off of her Rheiard from exhaustion.
I know my own body; she had haughtily informed Lloyd once, standing up and looking down at him, imperious. I'm fine. Well, that was true enough. And she knew that she should go inside and huddle up under the blankets. If she wasn't going to sleep, she should at least stay warm. She should close the doors to the balcony and make due with what little she could see of the sky from her windows. She was no help to Genis if she was too tired to even cast a simple healing spell.
But instead of doing that, she stayed outside, exposed to the elements. Raine was trying to puzzle the answers of her pain, hoping the freezing air would clear her mind. All she really thought about, though, was that it was almost like winter was teasing them. It was cold- bitter cold, numbingly cold- and yet it wouldn't snow. The stars twinkled, slyly winking at her. They might have known the answer, but if they did they were millions of miles away and of no help to her. She also thought about Genis. Nothing specific- just how at times she had wished he wasn't there, or that she never had the responsibility of raising him on her own.
The answer hit her just as a large gust of wind blew past, violently whipping her hair about and tugging at the hems of her clothing, reminding her of a smaller Genis who would sometimes drags her along by her hand when he wanted to show her something interesting he had found. "On her own." That was the answer.
Her head nodded once and she jerked it upright, blinking away the sleep she didn't want just yet. She realized that she'd never really been alone like this before. There had always been someone there. There with her. At first it was mother, but those few memories were already growing dim in her mind. She didn't even remember her father's face anymore. Then it had been that man- the dull throbbing of her soul spiked painfully at the thought of her first love, and she was surprised she still felt that way about him. She'd been about Lloyd's current age when she met him; He'd been the one to give her the idea of becoming an archaeologist, but she hadn't really thought about him that much the past two years. The pain was still there, though not as sharp as it was when heartbreak was still new to her. She'd had a slew of lovers since then, all male at first but then she had experimented a bit with other women, once she realized homosexuality wasn't some terribly sick thing she'd always been led to believe. None of the relationships were as fulfilling or long lasting as that first one, so she had given up dating and threw herself into her studies. Then, eventually, Lloyd and the others had been there for her yet she found almost all of them had put some sort of invisible barrier between them. She was "The Professor". She wasn't Raine- she wasn't a living thing with emotions and feelings. Or maybe that had all been in her mind.
And, of course, Genis had always been there. He was a pest sometimes, but he was her little brother and he understood her when others didn't. She nodded once more, her silver eyelashes obstructing her view, making it seem like winter had finally come and decided to bring snow with it.
A year or so back, she had gone to Asgard to visit Harley to show him her figurine collection. Genis had taken up where Lloyd left off, showing a teenager's usual enthusiasm for collecting the mundane. While Genis and Harley chattered nonstop about how interesting this really was, Raine had wandered off to Linar and Aisha's house. Linar was a smart young man, but too shy for her tastes, and too overly eager to please. Independence was a trait Raine admired, and she had found it... in Linar and Aisha's newest neighbor, Kate the half-elfin daughter of the former Pope.
Asgard had many attractions to the intellectual type, and was one of the most welcoming places for half-elves besides Luin. In general, the Sylvarant cities were more open-minded about such things. They had been in fear of Desians, and once they got around to the idea that all Desians were half-elves, but not all half-elves were Desians. Tethe'alla, however, had held them as less than slaves; that kind of thinking was hard to uproot. She tried the dating thing with Kate a few times, and it was actually enjoyable. Kate was lovely, especially when she looked at Raine from over the rim of her glasses with a half-teasing smile, and he was almost Raine's rival in intelligence. But they were too alike for it to really work, too in love with their branches of study to make room for love of another person. They never really confronted each other about it, they just... drifted apart. But not before Zelos, on his tour of the world's cities and the hunnies they held, caught them leaning a bit too close to each other when reading the same book, or sometimes holding hands in public, or-
Well, the point was, he caught them. He politely pulled her aside and informed her that he "was heartbroken, but understanding," and vowed to keep it a secret. Raine had informed him, just as politely, that he could spread the news to every city he went to and it would not make a difference in her opinion of him. She'd only been teasing, of course (well, partly teasing) but he got the message that her love interests were not secret to the whole world. Raine just didn't flaunt her lovers like Zelos did.
She jerked her head back,
Her head nodded again, and this time she didn't pull back. She leaned forward, her hair cascading over her face as she looked down at from the suddenly dizzying height. There was another gust of wind, insistent this time and soon she found herself slipping off the railing and falling, falling, falling, her arms reached up at the winking stars and the gathering clouds and the face of the moon, which had never looked more demonic and unearthly than it did in the moment when she hit the floor and a long sigh escaped her lips.
Pock pock pock pock pock!
Raine snapped her head back when she heard the noise of someone knocking on her door and scrambled off the railing, sprawled on the balcony floor, her heart pounding. That had been unearthly. She put a hand to her face, her lips, cheeks, forehead, not sure why but feeling reassured when she had convinced herself that this was real, this wasn't a dream; She hugged herself tightly and gave way to uncontrollable shivers before wiping the clammy, cold sweat off of her hands. Raine got up on shaky legs and walked to the door, taking a moment to calm herself before opening it.
"Yes?" she said by way of greeting, trying not to look like she had just been having hallucinations. She squinted in the half-darkness to see who was there.
"Ahem," Sheena said, putting a fist to her mouth and clearing her throat. "I have just been thinking for the past few hours," she said, clearing her throat again. "And I just want to say that was very hypocritical of you, Professor."
Raine frowned, confused. "What was?"
"You!" Sheena said, prodding her in the shoulder. "I have a few words to say to you, telling me to not keep it secret cause it isn't healthy, and then here you are doing the same thing, and I just want to know why!" Raine's nose wrinkled as the familiar odor of liquor wafted from Sheena's mouth.
"Not again, Sheena..." Raine sighed, dragging her into the room and closing the door. "You have to stop doing that! I'm beginning to think you're an alcoholic!" she closed the door and locked it, in case curious maids came to see what the noise was about. "And you're not even making sense. Come on, I'm sure I have something that will sober you up..." Raine reached for her hand to drag her further into the room, maybe to shove her in the shower and turn the water on freezing.
Sheena yanked away from the half-elf, severely peeved. "Oh no! I'm not going anywhere until you apologize!"
"For what, Sheena?" Raine snapped, losing her temper. She had little tolerance for weakness, and she considered getting drunk to ease the problems of the real world a sign of weakness. Raine crossed her arms and blew a stray stand of hair out of her face, wondering where Sheena went wrong.
"You said," Sheena hiccupped. "Ahem. You, said... that I shouldn't keep the fact that I like girls a secret, right?"
"Right..."
"But then you're doing it too!"
"I have no idea wha-... Have you been talking to Zelos?" Raine narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"You're keeping it a secret."
Raine scowled. "I am most definitely not. I thought you knew, I thought that's why you told me that you were homosexual." She shook her head. "I'm not going out of my way to let everyone know, because it's none of their business, but you on the other hand have gone so far as to accept a marriage proposal from a man. And besides, I'm bisexual, not homosexual."
"We're all homo!" Sheena declared. "...Homo sapiens, that is. Kyah hah hah..."
"I'm a half-elf, and this nonsense has gone on long enough!" Raine stepped towards Sheena and placed a glowing hand on her forehead. "Recover!" she commanded, the warmth of healing magic temporarily giving life to limbs chilled by sitting outside for so long. Sheena took a few stumbling steps back into the wall as the alcohol was forcibly removed from her system.
"Gurk..." Sheena put a hand to her mouth and ran past Raine into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.
Raine considered what she had done, and then realized Sheena would probably be having an instant hangover right about now. Poor girl. Raine sighed and went to the balcony again, but this time stayed off of the railings. Sheena joined her a good forty minutes later, looking very sheepish and paler than usual. Judging by the fact that her silky nightgown clung to her body in places, she had taken a quick shower. Not that Raine was looking too closely, of course.
"I. I'm not sure what I should say," Sheena mumbled, scratching her nose.
"Huh. Do you feel any better?" Raine looked out at the noble's district of Meltokio again. If she started to fall, at least Sheena would be there to warn her.
"...Yeah. I still feel queasy though. I- I'm sorry."
"As well you should be," Raine said, her tone of voice sharper than she meant for it to come out. She sighed, rubbing her forehead, and then looked up at Sheena. "Why were you drinking?" she demanded finally.
"I really don't-" Sheena edged away from her. "I don't do it. That often. It's just sometimes."
Raine took hold of Sheena's elbow and made her stay. "Why were you drinking?" she repeated.
"Because I couldn't sleep, okay? I thought I'd just pass out. Martel, you're not my mother Raine, and you're not my teacher."
"Well Goddess knows you need one or both, if you think something like alcohol will-" Raine broke off mid-sentence, letting go of Sheena and sitting on the railing again. She wasn't afraid of falling down now- she was wide-awake and angry. "Listen," she said, trying in vain to smooth her wild silver hair, "When we were on the Journey of Regeneration- the original one, the one you tried to interrupt- I overheard Kratos talking to Colette. This was in the early stages of the Angel Toxicosis, and she found out she couldn't sleep. I suppose being an angel made him unable to sleep either, and he must have been trying to comfort her, but I've taken the words to heart as well.
"He said, 'If you cannot sleep, then count the stars.'" Raine looked at Sheena, purposefully putting emphasis on her next words. "And that's what I've been doing, every night since Genis ran away. Counting the stars. Kratos said that a human life was too short to count them all, but I figure one thousand years or so is good enough time to maybe catch some of them." She patted the spot of railing next to her. "Sit and count them with me," she said. "If you wish," she added, in case it sounded too much like an order. At first she thought Sheena would decline and leave, but instead she moved forward on feet made silent by years of ninja training.
"Does it ever work?" Sheena asked, looking up at the sky.
"Sometimes. But at least I don't have to wake up with a hangover."
"You don't have to wake up because you don't get to sleep!"
"... True."
Sheena shivered. "Goddess! It's freezing out here."
"I'm sure it doesn't help that your hair is wet," Raine pointed out. "There's a comforter on the bed. You're welcome to it." Sheena nodded gratefully and went inside, coming back with a large quilt draped over her shoulders; the ends of it dragged behind her like a feathery cape. She settled down on the balcony floor. "I noticed," Raine said, "that you still say things like 'Martel bless" or 'by the Goddess'. Is that just a habit?"
"I guess so," Sheena said, as if considering it for the first time. "I don't know. It's kinda hard getting used to it."
Raine could see in her mind's eye, when they had found Sheena in the House of Salvation, praying for the strength to save Tethe'alla. "I remember you were very devout. You really believed there was a Goddess Martel."
Sheena shifted under her blanket so that it covered her head as well, the only part of her exposed to the night air being her pale face. "I think I still do," she admitted. "And I know I'm not alone. Even though the Church was exposed, a lot of people still believe, a lot of them need to believe there's a Goddess." Sheena started; she hadn't meant to blurt that out. "Ahah, well, I guess it doesn't bother you too much, since you're a scholar."
"It's the exact opposite," Raine said. "It's because I am a scholar that I became so devout. Come here."
"What?"
"Come over here," Raine said again, patiently. Sheena managed to untangle her legs from the thick quilt enough to waddle over to the Professor, who grabbed her hand and held it up to the moonlight. "I'll give you an example of what I mean. Your body is like a fortress someone built," Raine said, unaware or uncaring of the blush on Sheena's face at the physical contact. Raine ran a thumb over the back of Sheena's hand. "The skin protects the insides, the bones cover the organs. Do you have to concentrate to make your heart pump your blood through your system, or to make sure your food is digested? It's a complex machine that mainly takes care of itself. When you fall asleep, it makes sure to breath for you. Breathing itself, something you don't think about very often, is complicated. You take in the air; your blood delivers the oxygen to all the places that need it, and then carries the waste away. It all can't be coincidence that everything just works in harmony like that. Do you understand where I'm going?"
"Ahah... not really," Sheena admitted, feeling awkward but not pulling away.
"... What I'm trying to say, Sheena, is that your body is a fortress," Raine let go of Sheena's hand and waved her arm in a vague, upwards direction. "Someone had to have designed the fortress. Your cells didn't mindlessly clump together no more than stones pile on top of each other to make a wall. There was a Builder, a Creator, someone who had a plan and knew what they were doing when they put this planet in such a place as to receive enough light from the sun to sustain life, and tilted the world in such a way that-"
"Excuse me, tilt?" Sheena blinked.
Raine smiled, self-conscious. "I'm on a tangent. Forgive me. And don't you know the world is tilted in space?" Sheena shook her head 'no'. "I read it in an old account, once. The magi technology of our ancestors was so great; they could migrate to other stars. I suppose they're still there, since there are no records that explain what happened next." Raine sat, brooding for a moment before shaking her head and looking at Sheen. "...But this is boring you."
"No it's not," Sheena said. "I've never even heard of this stuff before. Where did you learn of it?" She saw how Raine shivered at the next gust of wind and quickly hopped up next to the Professor on the railing. The blanket was more than large enough for the both of them and they could both sit comfortably, enjoying the shelter the thick goose-feather stuffed quilt provided. "It's really interesting. Nobody ever really taught me anything except how to write and read and do a little basic math."
Raine smiled. "The old civilizations left records. At one point, the magi technology was so great; they could send men to migrate to other planets and moons. Not worlds like Tethe'alla and Sylvarant were connected, of course," Raine clarified. She waved to the stars. "I mean, they went to one of those places above us now."
"Are you serious? You mean like, before Tethe'alla was created, they sent people to other worlds?"
"Serious as a heart attack."
"Did they ever find another place to live?" Sheena asked wistfully, finding something in common with these people who were most likely long dead. She, too, had come from another world once. "Do you think there's discrimination among them, as well?"
Raine opened her mouth to say something, but then thought better of it and pointed down at a man staggering along the dimly lit streets. "Look there," she said dryly, changing the subject back to the original topic. "Our bodies are not totally self-sufficient. Another reason I don't want you drinking is because you need to take care of yourself, and alcohol kills your liver. Don't give me that look."
"I can't help it. You're sounding like you're my mother again, Raine."
"I used a spell meant to retract poison on you, and it got rid of the alcohol in your system instead," Raine said as a defense. "How can that not convince you what I'm saying is the truth?" She shifted so that she was facing Sheena, her mouth set in a grim line. "And you should know by now. I'm always right, so you shouldn't argue." Then she smiled, to let Sheena know she wasn't being serious for once. She scooted closer to Sheena, drawing the blankets tighter around them both. "You'll catch a cold if you're too exposed to the weather with your hair wet like that," she said, matter-of-factly.
But your body language says you're making moves on me... Sheena thought, Bizarre. Am I imagining it? Why would Raine be interested in me and only now start acting on it? She could have done whatever she liked to me when I was drunk. It's your imagination, Sheena-girl. Out loud, she said, "So are you preaching that as well as your views on equality for half-elves?" Sheena stopped as she mentally rewound what she had said. "Um, were you preaching about how there really is a Goddess, or someone like her?"
"No. I'm not a religious speaker; I'm just one for an end to discrimination." Raine shrugged, and since the distance between them had closed Sheena could feel their shoulders brushing for a moment. She began to sweat, getting uncomfortable. Closing distance, repeated physical contact...? It's all a bunch of coincidences, that's all it can be, with Raine. She felt ridiculous then, for thinking something like that. The Professor was a friend, and probably too worried about Genis to be looking for love. But what if it's not love she's after? She thought, and on the heels of that: And you should be too busy thinking about your grandfather, the man who raised you when no one else would, the man who was murdered not a week ago! You should be ashamed!
But Sheena had long learned how to block out that inner voice, the one who had plagued her the years after the Volt fiasco. She had found out that lingering on your ghosts only made it all worse. It was better to concentrate on the now, and the tomorrow. Yesterday was already gone. "Besides," Raine said, breaking her reverie, "The "Builder" theory is a personal view of mine, and I don't want to seem like some new religion trying to come in and replace the Church of Martel. My speeches are more about equality, to be free to be who you are. Now that the Church of Martel is gone, dozens of new cults and beliefs have sprung up. I've come to the conclusion that people need religion. They always have... if you look at the old civilizations; they all had certain similar traits. For one, there was a surplus of food so more people were free to specialize in other things, and develop a language. And with a language comes those basic questions, where do we come from, where are we going? Religion answers those questions."
Raine's eyes had lit up, officially letting Sheena know that Raine was in what Lloyd so tactfully dubbed "Ruin-Mode" and the only thing she had on her mind now would be ancient cities and artifacts. But surprisingly, she broke out of it without any prompting from Sheena, which was a first in her experience with the over-zealous historian. "But yes," she said, concluding, "I just basically say that we all want somewhere to live, something to believe, and someone to love, and that everyone should be allowed to do just that." She slapped a hand to her forehead, as if exasperated. "And Goddess knows I have enough trouble with being a half-elf as well as bisexual."
"O-Oh, but I think you're a great example of living what you preach!" Sheena said, stumbling on her words at first because Raine had said the "L" word. "I know this sounds like something Lloyd would say-"
"-There's nothing wrong with sounding like Lloyd-"
"-But you're you, and it's no act and you really know what you're talking about. And you probably make a big impact when you tell people that." She looked up at the night sky as black cloud passed over the moon, dampening the light of then night. "Because you believe it so much yourself. I mean, you're actually experiencing discrimination so you know what it's like." Sheena beamed. "Am I right?"
"You're right," Raine agreed, smiling back before turning her face to the sky again, letting her feet dangle aimlessly over the railing and enjoying the warmth of Sheena's body close to hers.
"I'd... like to maybe hear you talk for the crowds, someday," Sheena said. "When this is over. Can I?"
Raine's expression was unreadable. Her feet stopped dangling and she narrowed her eyes at the sky. "If you can make time in your busy schedule as the Chief of Mizuho, you're more than welcome."
Sheena smiled happily at her own feet, and then half-chuckled. "So if you don't believe in coincidence, don't you think it's interesting that we both-" She stopped mid-sentence and blushed crazily. This was insane, to ask a thing like this now. But Raine was pretty, and Sheena trusted her. But no... not yet. Sheena shrugged carelessly and stood up, hopping off of the balcony railing and stretching. "Meh, never mind..." she said, doing her best not to blush again. Why did her complexion have to be so pale? It was hard to hide it when she was flustered like this.
"Sheena..." Raine started, and the tone of her voice made Sheena's heart skip a beat. Had she figured out what she was going to say? She wasn't clueless, that's for sure, but...But the next words out of her mouth completely dispelled any feelings of romance she might have had. "...That man collapsed."
"Hmm?" Sheena walked back to the railing and peered out, and sure enough there he was. The man they had spotted apparently stumbling back from one of the noble's rich, crazy parties was sprawled out on the floor. The moon suddenly appeared, the clouds parting as Sheena watched it horror at the steady pool of obsidian spreading around the man. "He's... bleeding..." Her eyes widened and she felt like she was going to throw up again. "He's... He's from Mizuho!"
Sheena leapt over the side of the railing, ignoring Raine's startled cry. Flipping in the air, she landed safely on the ground in a three-point stance before rushing to the man's side, carefully cradling his head in her lap. She ripped the mask off of his face and saw a stranger's face. Mizuho had gotten too big for her to just know everyone by their face, especially now that their doors were open to those who braved their way through the Forest of Death alone. She could tell by his blonde hair that he was one of those foreigners who had passed the shinobi tests.
He seemed to recognize her, though. "Chief..." he said feebly, reaching up to grab at her shirt, to bring her closer. "Chief."
"I'm here, man of Mizuho," she said to him. "Everything will be fine." She looked up and yelled, as loud as she could. "Raine!" She didn't care if she woke up the whole neighborhood. Hopefully Raine wasn't silly enough to just stay on the balcony, but in case she was she would hear Sheena this way. "Raine! He's bleeding really bad! Raine, you've got to-"
"Cheif!" the shinobi repeated his fingers slick with blood. He kept loosing his grip on her shoulder. "More," he rasped, "More... like me."
"What?" Sheena tried to make out words from his mumbling. "Please, talk clearly to me. I can't understand."
"I'm...not the only one injured. There..there...are...more. He's like a demon, Chief." The shinobi's wide blue eyes looked away from her. "He goes after the shinobi... he strikes from no where. He uses our techniques, but he's stronger than all of us. There were five of us, they held him off, I ran..." his hand slipped again. "They said," he swallowed, and Sheena took his hand, clenching it tightly, praying for Raine to hurry. "They said, you needed to know. But I felt like a coward. I left them, Chief."
"No, you did what you were told to do," Sheena said, trying to soothe the agitated man. "We'll go help them."
"Already dead," he told her. "He's like a demon, Chief. Him and a half-elf, he was a giant. He had a mace and he crushed Kohta's head with one blow and the one in red came from the shadows and took two more before I could blink."
"I'll send more shinobi to collect their bodies," Sheena promised him. Mizuho people needed to have certain requirements for when they were buried, otherwise it was said that they wouldn't rest when they were dead. But the man's eyes were drooping, his grip slacking, his breathing slowing...and then stopping. Raine found Sheena with rivulets of tears running down her face as she knelt next to her dead tribesman.
"I can heal him," Raine said, rushing over to them and clattering to the floor, her staff held out over the dead man's body.
Sheena shook her head. "He's dead."
"I can heal him," Raine repeated, closing her eyes and filling the area with the soft warm wind of healing. It touched Sheena's face, drying the tears as she watched in awe at the healer who could bring the dead back to life. "Bring back this soul from purgatory..." Sheena heard, and realized Raine was praying. There was a flash of blue light and strange symbols and runes marks the floor where the dead shinobi lay and then the night was quiet again.
The shinobi's chest rose and fell gently as he slept.
Raine took a shuddering breath and smiled weakly at Sheena. "He was only dead for a few seconds. The cells hadn't started to decompose, and he was still warm. Technically his heart only stopped beating. Maybe it's the same as if he had a heart attack."
"You're amazing, Raine," Sheena said, meaning it.
Raine smiled once and then collapsed onto the pavement in a dead faint.
A/N: I'M NOT POSTING ANYMORE CHAPTERS UNTIL I GET1,000 REVEIWS! Yeah right. That would bepretty sweetthough,but I don't expect more than fifty reviews for this.. if that. Maybe if I drag it out long enough? ehehehe! But nah, the chapters may be updated slower, but they'll probably be longer too. I won't be annoying and only give you 1,000 word chapters.. each one should be at least 5,000 words. That's a minimum. Yeah.. I don't have anything interesting to say. I'm bored, homework calls, ciao. OH! I have a rough draft planned out... For the sequel! I hope you and maybe some other, new readers will enjoy it when this current story is done.