A/N: Howdy all! Not much to say but, thanks for the reviews! I'm gald you guys enjoy it! You know, I was looking through the 'status' of the characters, and Regal is flippin' buff! Lloyd looks kinda puny, Zelos is a lil' better, Kratos looks like Lloyd, Genis is only twelve, but Regal has like a six pack! I know he's a video game character, but dang! Well, anyways, here is chapter five!

Disclaimer: I don't own ToS. Never will. End of story.

Chapter 5: Midnight Swim

xxxx

The Elemental Expressway glided to a stop by a remote piece of Altamira island. In fact, the only way to reach the piece of land was to either ride the Expressway or have your own boat.

"Regal! You own your own island!" Zelos cried. He and Sheena had immediatelty ceased their bickering at the sound of the older man's voice, and were now staring at the piece of land before them with open mouths.

Regal stepped off of the train and said something to the driver before turning his attention to his guests. "I own this land, yes, but it is not exactly an 'island'. It only harbors my house."

Zelos quickly scrambled out of the Expressway and after Regal. "It floats in the middle of the ocean, man. It's an island."

Regal hid his smirk as he led the way across freshly trimmed lawn, making his way to the large house that set yards ahead of them. His piece of land did 'float', as Zelos pointed out, and it was a fairly good size, but he considered an island something that was huge, flashy; something that housed hotels, casinos, groups of people. Something that brought a profit. This was just his...home.

Genis lagged behind the others, glancing from the large house that towered before him, to the vast space of land that surrounded him. Regal owned all of this? No wonder Presea wanted to work for him! The Lezereno Company must be loaded!

"The view is lovely," Raine complimented. No matter which direction she turned, the only thing she saw was beautiful blue ocean.

"Thank you. It was one of the qualities that inspired me to move to this piece of property."

"And the others?"

Regal stopped and debated the question. "The factor that caught my attention the most was the location. It is close to work, yet away from the city. The others- beautiful view, nice acreage, privacy- were only benifits." The fact that it was family land and free also influenced him.

The group continued walking, reaching the the front of the house within minutes. They each climbed the small steps and dispersed into different directions, each stopping to admire the view from the wrap around porch.

Lloyd stopped beside Regal, propping his elbows against the porch railing. "How many acres do you own?"

"A little over twenty."

Lloyd made a whistling sound through his teeth. "Nice."

Regal smiled at his young friend. "It is sufficient." He gazed out across his property. It had been his grandfathers, who had passed it down to his father, who had passed it on the himself. Though he had just recently moved into the house, he already knew he would trade nothing for it.

"Lovely," Raine said again, joining Lloyd and Regal. "I must thank you again for allowing us to stay here. It was very generous."

"Nonsense. It is my pleasure."

The gang soon regrouped at the entrance to the house, and Regal ushered them inside. They came to a stop on a small foyer, each staring at the room before them.

"This is the sitting room," Regal began conducting the tour, stepping to the side to allow the group a good view.

The room was fairly large, with a fireplace along one wall and two door ways along the others. A large window supplied a view of the ocean and good lighting. In the middle of the room was a beige couch, with matching arm chairs and a loveseat. A oak coffee table was placed in front of the couch, and matching end tables beside each chair. A staircase in the corner of the room led to the second floor.

"Reminds me of home," Zelos said fondly, surveying the room.

Regal smiled at his friend and led them through one of the two door ways. They stopped at the entrance of the kitchen, and Regal propped himself against the small island in the middle of it.

"I assume you all know what this is," he said lightly. He spread his arms, gesturing to the the refrigerator, which was seperated from the stove by counter space, and sink, which had plenty counter space on either side. The island in the middle contained a dishwasher, and the room was lighted by the many windows that graced the walls.

"Do you do all the cooking?" asked Lloyd. He recalled how Regal had always enjoyed cooking thier meals for them on the journey.

A smile spread across Regal's face. "Of course." As he passed the refrigerator, he added, "Feel free to help yourself. I have quite a few dishes to choose from."

The group exited the kitchen, going through an archway that led into the dining room. It contained a large oak table- that was rarely used- and eight matching chairs. A display of fine china sat in the corner, and on the back wall was a sliding glass door.

"Here is the dining room," Regal annouced. He was starting to feel slightly embarrassed, pointing out the obvious. It wasn't as if his friends had never seen a dining room before. Presea must have noticed his discomfort, because she gave him a reasurring smile as she sat down at the table, and he couldn't stop himself from returning the gesture.

"It's a rather large table for only yourself," Presea noted, trailing her hand over the table's light brown surface.

"The only time I use it is when I am entertaining."

Presea's hand stopped it's movement. "Entertaining? And why have I never been invited to one of your 'entertainings'?" she demanded in mock shock.

Regal's smile broadened. It was a rare moment when Presea would tease with him- though they were becoming more frequent- and Regal found that he greatly enjoyed them. "Well..."

Genis walked over to the sliding door, putting space between himself and Regal. The nerve of the man, openly flirting with Presea! Well, maybe not flirting with her... But still! He did smile at her, and now they were...teasing. Genis shook his head and turned back to Regal. "Hey, where's this lead to?" he asked, hoping to interrupt the two.

To the small boy's delight, his question did just that. Regal turned his attention away from Presea, and directed it to Genis. Though where the half-elf expected to find annoyance, instead he found a smile.

"See for yourself," Regal answered, watching as Genis slid the door to the right and stepped out onto the patio.

"Wow! A pool!" The boy's gleeful shout could be heard clearly from house.

Presea followed Genis' lead and walked out onto the patio herself, and the sight before her took her breath away. The concrete flooring was surprisingly smooth, and the patio it's self was large. There was a partially in-closed area to the side, where an outdoor dining table and grill sat. In the middle the area was an in-ground swimming pool, equipped with diving board. But the thing that took her breath away was the view.

Beyond the patio, no more than thirty feet from the pool, was the ocean. It was so close that you could easily hear the gentle mumuring of the waves, smell the salt of the sea breeze. Presea had just found her favorite spot.

"Look, Raine, a pool!" Genis told his sister excitedly, running over to it's edge to inspect it.

The older half-elf immediatly chided her young brother. "Genis! Don't run! You could fall in!" She mentally shuddered at the thought of having to jump in after him. But Martel knew she would overcome her fear of water quicker than a heart beat if her brother fell in.

"Sorry, sis." Genis trudged back over to Raine's side, wondering if he would get to swim in the pool later.

"Regal, is that a boat dock?" Lloyd and Zelos asked in unison, each staring at a small wooden ramp about thirty feet away.

Regal followed their gaze. "It is."

"Then where's the..." Zelos trailed off. "Boat!" he and Lloyd finished, spotting the pontoon like device floating next to the dock.

"Oh, neat!" Colette cried happily. "Can we go look at it, Regal?"

"Of course."

"Neat!" Colette repeated. She, Lloyd, and Zelos took of across the patio, racing in the direction off the boat.

"Guess I'll check it out as well." Sheena set off after her friends, in a slower pace, and was soon joined by Raine and Genis.

"How did I miss that?" Presea muttered to herself, wondering how she hadn't seen the good sized boat.

"I suppose the view distracted you."

Presea jumped at the sound of Regal's voice. "I thought you were with them," she breathed, pointing to the distant forms of her companions.

"I did not intend on startling you," Regal chuckled.

Presea felt herself flush, and she turned away slightly. "It is a breath-taking view, isn't it? I can see why you choose to build your patio in this spot."

Regal nodded his head. The view was what had inspired him to build the patio. After a moment of silence, he said, "We should go for a swim later."

His words startled her, and Presea turned to Regal with a questioning stare.

"I mean- With everyone...A group swim," he added, a slight stutter to his words.

"Of course," Presea replied, ignoring the small feeling of dejection she felt. She stole a quick glance at Regal, and though he still stood as tall and proud as usual, she was sure she spotted a small blush.

As quickly as that thought came, it left her. There was no reason for embarrassment, and beside, surely Regal didn't blush. Pushing all thoughts aside, Presea began walking towards the boat. "Let's go round up everyone and finsh showing them the house. We still need to finsh our shifts."

Soon everyone was back together, and Regal continued conducting the tour. He led them back through the dining room, and showed them a bathroom, and a utility room- which led to the garage. He led them down a short hall way and stopped in the middle of yet another large room.

"Here is the family room," he announced. A large wrap-around couch took up on wall, and another coffee table was in the middle of the room. A couple of recliners were along one wall, and an entertainment system took up another.

"Nice television," Zelos commented. "Bet the game comes in pretty good on that, huh?"

"It does indeed. There is a game Sunday, I believe..."

"I know. I was hinting."

Regal chuckled in amusement. "Wait until you see the television down stairs." He led them back through another door way back into the living room. "Upstairs," he started, as he began climbing the stairs," are the bedrooms."

Once they all reached the top, he showed them the three guest rooms, his den, his room, and another bathroom. After showing them the top floor, Regal led them back down the stairs, and around them to a nook. He opened a door, and showed them the basement.

"Holy sh-" Zelos started but was interrupted by Sheena's hand made contact with the back of his head. Again.

"Zelos!" she yelled. "There are children in the room!" She pointed to Genis, indicating her point.

"I've heard him say it before," the young half-elf stated, laughing at the sight. "But, it never gets old watching you hit him, Sheena."

"Well, it get's old to me," Zelos muttered, rubbing the back of his head. Why must she be so violent? And why must her violence always be directed at him? She never hit Lloyd, or any of the others for that matter, just him...Zelos hand stopped in it's track. What is that was Sheena's way of flirting?

He turned to the ninja, his mind reeling. He had seen stranger ways of expressing one's feelings. Perhaps that was her way of showing him that she cared for him. His hand resumed inspecting his beautiful nogin. But couldn't she find a less painful way?

Sheena turned her back to Zelos, trying to hide the blush that had found it's way to her cheeks. The way he was looking at her caused her heart to speed up against her will. It was nothing short of unnerving.

"Anyways," Zelos began, snapping out of his thoughts, "as I was say before I was so rudely interrupted, holy-"

"Zelos," Sheena hissed, regaining control of her emotions.

"I'm was going to say crap. Calm down my angry lil' banshee." He threw an arm around the summoner, which was quickly shrugged off. "Anyway, look at the T.V.!"

"Wow, all that just say look at the T.V." Lloyd whispered to Colette, who giggled in response.

"This is now the offical game watching T.V." Zelos declared, spreading his arms wide.

"I must say, that is a rather large piece of magitechnology," Raine commented, sizing up the device before her.

"It's a man-sized T.V.!" Lloyd said enthusiastically.

"You've been around Zelos to long, Lloyd," Genis sighed.

"Hey! I'll have you know that there is no shame in acting like the Great Zelos!" the red-head defended.

Sheena rolled her eyes and sat down on the couch that occupied one wall. Colette joined her. "I like this room," the angel declared. "The couch is really comfy."

Besides having a comfortable couch and a huge entertainment system, the room also had a pool table and three small tables- two on each end of the couch and one in front of it. The lighting was rather dim, which helped give it a relaxing feel. It was defiantly a man's room.

"Thank you," replied Regal. He couldn't help but feel pleased, this was really the only room her had decorated. He had hired decoraters for the others.

"So, where to now?" Lloyd questioned, wondering if there was anymore of this house left to see.

"Now we will retrieve your luggage. Presea and I will finish the remainder of our shifts, and then I'll prepare us some dinner upon our return."

"All right," Lloyd agreed. He began climbing the stairs with the rest of the group, and soon they were back in the sitting room.

"And I was hoping we'd all go swimming," Genis mumbled. He thought only he heard it, but when Regal stopped walking towards the exit, he knew he had been mistaken.

"You are welcome to go swimming in my absence, Genis. You are welcome to anything I have."

Genis looked up at Regal with a look of curiosity on his face. "Really? Thanks, Regal." His opinion of the man had just raised a couple a couple of notches. Perhaps he wasn't so bad after all.

Lloyd, Regal, and Zelos left the house, and returned a few moments later bearing everyone's luggage. Leaving the bags in the sitting room floor, the group exchanged quick 'good byes' and 'see you soons' as Regal and Presea exited the house.

As the duo progressed across the yard, Presea couldn't help but feel like a bad hostess for leaving her guest sitting in a foriegn house all by themselves. It was going to be thier home for next couple of weeks, but she felt that it was inappropriate to just leave them sitting when they had come all this way to visit her.

"Do you find it improper to leave our guests at this time?" Regal questioned, interrupting Presea's thoughts. She glanced in his direction, wondering if he could read her thoughts.

"I do" Presea replied, still making her way to the Elemental Expressway, which was about thirty yards away. "But we have little choice in the matter. We can't just leave for lunch and not show back up," she added, knowing that they had already exceeded the forty-five minute lunch period.

"If I remember correctly, you still have some unused vacation time, do you not?"

"I do..." Presea stopped and turned towards her employer with a questioning stare. "How do you know that?"

"I am the President," Regal replied lightly, a small, lopsided smile in his lips. "I know everything."

Presea rolled her eyes. "Puh-lease. If it wasn't for me, you would be lost," she joked, resuming her pace.

"I am not denying that," the President said softly, recalling how much more smoothly his life had been going since the woman in front of him had entered it. He quickly pushed his thoughts aside, however, and moved to catch up with Presea. "But, why not put your vacation time to good use?"

Presea stopped once again. "You know the answer to that. You have to have your notice in at least a week in advance." She wished she had put her vacation notice in sooner, but she had been busy and it had completely slipped her mind. Now it was too late.

"Presea, I am the President. Do you honestly believe that I have to put in a notice?"

"No, but I don't have that luxury. I am a mere assisstant." She started to brush past him, but he gently grabbed her arm.

"My assisstant," he reminded her, and Presea felt her pulse quicken at his words. They had a possessive sound to them, and she couldn't help but stare into his shining blue eyes and notice- not for the first time- how handsome he was.

"And by the power vested in me as your employer," Regal continued, a light note in his voice and his hand still on her arm, "I grant you permission to take your vacation."

"I didn't give you my notice in advance," Presea reminded him, laughter in her voice.

"I shall not tell a soul," he whispered, pulling her closer.

The movement brought Presea back into reality, and she carefully removed Regal's hand from her arm. "As tempting as that sounds," she started, "we can't do that."

"May I ask why?"

Presea stared at the ground, knowing good-and-well why they couldn't. People would talk. They would assume that Regal was giving her special favors for hidden reasons. Half the company already suspected that they had some 'hidden relationship' because he had promoted her from mail-sorter to assisstant in less that two months, and she didn't want to give them any reason to keep talking.

When she stayed silent, Regal prompted her to answer him, though he already had a good idea what she was thinking. He wasn't deaf. He heard the rumors around the firm just as everyone else did. "Presea?" he said, lifting her chin. "Could you elaborate?"

"People would...assume things," she said softly, not meeting his gaze. "They would talk." She was ashamed to admit that such a thing would bother her, and truthfully it didn't. They could talk about her all they wanted to, she was used to it. But she wouldn't have them drag Regal's good name through the dirt as well.

"I see." Regal dropped her chin and ran his hand through his hair. "I hear it as well, Presea, I have no hearing impairments. Though I was not aware that it troubled you so." He was suddenly flustered at the the thought of people gossping behind his back. Usually he ignored such talk, knowing that people would eventually become bored with the topic and would move on to the next, but now he found himself angered by what he usually ignored and wanting to put a stop to it. "I can easily put an end to it," he declared, moving towards the Expressway.

Presea could eaisly see that he was frustrated. Regal wasn't an wasy man to anger, but once you had, it was best just to steer clear. "Regal, wait." She reached out and caught his forearm, stopping him in his tracks. "It doesn't really upset me." It wasn't a lie, it really didn't bother her all that much. But now she was going to have to tell him what bothered her, and that set her heart to pounding all over again.

Regal stared down at her with obvious bafflement, most of the anger draining from his face. "But...Then...?"

"I'm not concerned for myself," she said softly, hoping that that would be enough to satisfy him and praying that she wouldn't have to say more.

Regal considered her comment, trying to figure it out. If it not for herself, then...who? Him? Could her concern possibly be for himself? The idea filled him with such pleasure and contentment that he decided to linger on it, even if it wasn't true. "Come," he said, taking her hand.

"What?" Presea stumbled at first, but then fell into step with his long strides. "Where are we going?" she asked, trying her best to keep up with him.

"To the company. We'll put in your notice, then leave. If people want to talk, fine, then let them talk."

As soon as the duo entered the company, they went straight to the break room, which was where the schedule was posted. They found that a new employee had already asked for part of the week off, so Presea tried to persuade Regal to just let her continue working. Her breath was wasted, because Regal argued that Presea had more seniority and could bump the other women down the list and take her spot.

In the end, Regal won the arguement and scibbled on the schedule, silently daring anyone to defy him. Presea was torn between feeling embarrassment for causing the small scene in the break room, and pride because Regal seemed so intent on helping her get her vacation. In the end, pride was the dominant emotion. Regal was the envy of everyone women in the company, and he was hovering behind her like a protective guardian.

"There. That task is accomplished. Now, I must work out my own matters." Regal left Presea waiting in the break room, under the scrutiny of her fellow colleague's gaze, as he went to consult his good friend George.

As Presea sat in the break room, the only noise she heard was the occasional groan of the coffee pot and the hushed voices of the two women across the room from her. She wasn't sure if she should be grateful for the fact that they were ignoring her, or insulted. She saw the two women everyday, and they usually shared a 'hello', but now they were snubbing her as if she was their enemy.

Deciding to ignore them, Presea settled in her wooden chair, preparing herself for a long wait. But to her surprise, Regal was back relatively quickly, informing her that they were not expected back at work for another two weeks. He then pulled her from her chair, gave a slight nod in the direction of the two women, and guided her out of the Lezereno company.

Once they returned home, Regal prepared them all a fine meal. They started with a garden salad, and then moved onto some kind of stew composed of pork, carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, and some sort of broth that Regal said was a 'family recipe'. They finished with a blackberry cobbler and ice cream, and then all filed into the sitting room, each filled to max capacity.

"I really shouldn't have finished that cobbler," Raine sighed, sinking into a chair. "Especially so late in the evening." It was already eleven o'clock. It was a little late to be eating dinner, but they had sat around the table talking for nearly four hours, finishing their food in between sentences.

"I agree." Presea lowered herself onto the loveseat. "Although I believe it was worth it."

"Where are we sleeping?" Genis asked, stifling a yawn.

"Let's all share a room," Colette said exitedly. The young angel bounced happily on Lloyd's lap. "It'll be just like during the pilgrimage!"

Zelos shrugged his shoulders. "Sounds good to me."

Colette stared at him with a mortified look. "Not with you! I meant that Presea, Sheena, the Professor, and I could share a room!"

Zelos mocked a look of defeat. "Fine. I'll sleep with Lloyd and the runt"

"I don't wanna sleep with you," Genis declared. Lloyd snores and you talk in your sleep. I wanna sleep with Raine."

"You two may have my room. I'll board with Lloyd and Zelos."

"Oh, no. We couldn't," Raine protested, turning to Regal. "You've already done enough-"

Regal held up a hand to silence her. "It is quite all right, I asssure you. It is no trouble at all."

"Thank you," Raine said with a small smile. She stood from her position in the chair and started towards the stairs. "Come along, Genis. It's way past your bedtime."

The small half-elf obeyed his sister, grumbling the whole way up the stairs. Sure it was late, but why'd he have to go to bed? Nobody else was going to bed...He grudgingly said a quick 'goodnight' once he reached to the top of the stairs and then disappeared from view.

"So, what's on the agenda for tomorrow?"

"I don't know, and right now I'm to tired to care." Presea pushed herself off of the loveseat and stretched. It was past her bedtime as well. "Regal, I thank you for the delicious meal," she began, earning a gracious nod from the cook," but now I'm going to bed. Goodnight everybody."

"I'm beat," Sheena agreed. "I'm hitting the sack as well. G'night guys."

"'Night, Sheena," Zelos replied, stretching out on the now empty loveseat.

"Pleasent dreams," Regal called, watching as the two women climbed the stair case, both suggesting that it took all of the energy to do so.

"I'm coming too!" Colette scambled up from her seat on Lloyd's lap and ran up the stairs. "Night!" she called, racing down the hallway and into her bedroom.

The house became peacefully silent as everyone settled into bed, and the only thing that could be heard was the occasional shuffling of a deck of cards that Regal and Lloyd had brought out. For the first half-an-hour or so, giggles could be heard from the girls' bedroom, but they had soon ceased to exist.

"You know what?" Zelos began, still sprawled out on the loveseat.

"What?" Lloyd asked, browsing through the cards in his hand and paying little attention to the ex-Chosen on the couch. He drew a card and then discarded it immediately, laying it face up on the footstool that he and Regal were using as a table.

"I think The Angry Banshee likes me," he said, folding his arms beneath his head and gazing up at the ceiling.

"No? Really?" replied the young swordsmen, laying down a pair of three matching cards.

"I'm serious!" The red-head cried. He then bolted upright. "You knew? And you never told me!" He had told them both how he felt about her, and still they had said nothing!

"We assumed you would figure it out on your own," Regal voiced, joining the conversation.

"Yeah, I mean, it is pretty obvious," Lloyd said, laying down some more cards.

"Humph." Zelos resumed his position, heads beneath his head and eyes glued to the ceiling. "Well, what do I now?"

"What are your feelings towards her?" retorted Regal. He drew a card, sighed, and layed it the discard pile. "Nevermind. You care deeply for her."

"Of course I do. She's one of my hunnies." When his friends each gave him the 'your such a liar' stare, Zelos sheepishly added, "Okay, maybe I feel a little differently towards Sheena." When his friends continued to give him the stare, he cried, "Okay, a lot differently!" He buried his face in his hands. "What do I do?"

Lloyd threw down three more cards, having only two in his hand opposed to Regal's five. "This is great! The 'All-Mighty-Lady-Killer' asking us how to get a girl!" Lloyd laughed.

"I'm serious!" Zelos moaned, thowing his arms in the air. "How?"

"I dunno. Just ask her if she wants to get some coffee. Girls like coffee."

"But this is Sheena were talking about. She's not all 'girly girly', you know?" Zelos replied, turning to look at Lloyd with a pleading look.

"Contrary to what you may think, Sheena is a women. Perhaps you could treat her as such?"

Zelos turned from Lloyd to Regal. "I know she's a woman. But she's so much different from all the other women I've dated. Do you really think flowers and compliments will work on Sheena?"

Regal pondered Zelos' comments. He was sure they would help any other man win her heart, but coming from Zelos...He wasn't so sure. It would probably make her suspicious of his actions, but he still replied, "I am sure it would help."

"Yeah, Zelos, just treat her nicely," Lloyd agreed, drawing a card and then laying what was left in his hand down. "I win!" he added, smiling happily.

Regal sighed and tossed his cards on top of Lloyd's. "I will leave you two to discuss this matter."

"Where ya going?" Zelos demanded, watching as Regal walked out of the sitting room.

"Swimming," Regal called from the kitchen. He moved into the dining room and draped his shirt across one of the chairs. His trousers, socks, and shoes soon joined his shirt, so that he was only clad in his boxer shorts. He then opened the sliding door and stepped out into the night, welcoming the night sounds as he closed the door behind him.

xxxx

Almost two hours after she had went into her room intending to sleep, Presea sat up in bed, hitting her pillow in frustration. It had to be past midnight, and she was still awake. She flopped down on her back and closed her eyes, but sleep still eluded her.

As soon as she, Sheena, and Colette had entered the bedroom, Colette had excitedly began clammering, and she and Sheena had had little choice but to join in. Eventually Presea had been able to talk Colette into going asleep, and it had been blissfully quite ever since.

That had been at least an hour ago, and now Presea could hear the light snoring and even breathing of her two friends, yet she was still awake. Deciding there was no use in lying in bed for another minute when sleep was obviosly ignoring her, the pink-haired woman swung her feet to the floor and tip-toed into the bathroom.

"Might as well go for a swim," she muttered to herself, changing into her swimsuit. She had missed the 'group swim' they were all supposed to take earlier, and since she couldn't sleep, it seemed like the best option at twelve in the morning.

She didn't notice the pile of clothing in the dining room chair as she slid open the glass door and stepped out onto onto the patio, welcoming the gentle sea breeze and the murmur of the night insects. She didn't notice the damp towel lying in a deck chair as she gazed up at the full moon. But the sound of moving water caught her attention, and she instantly froze.

Thanks to the faint light the moon supplied, she could see that someone was already in the pool. She took a small step forward, and relaxed when she realized that it was Regal. She turned, intending to go back inside and forget swimming, but stopped mid-step and turned back around, making her way to the pool.

As she reached the edge, she called, "Would you like some company?"

Regal, who had been in the process of doing laps and only heard a mumble of words, jerked up, pulling his hands into a fighing position as he did so.

Presea put her hands up in a submissive position, a small smile on her lips. "I only want to join you."

Realizing that it was Presea and not a potential criminal, Regal relaxed, dropping his hands. "Of course." He motioned towards the water, welcoming her.

Presea tested the water with the tip of her toe, and then slowly lowered herself into it, never once noticing that Regal's eyes were on her all the while. She gave a small shiver as the water came to rest just above her chest, and Regal gave a small chuckle.

"What?" she demanded, still shivering.

"Cold are we?"

Instead of answering, Presea took a breath and completely submerged herself, coming up with a deep breath. "Martel!"

Regal laughed, a hint of nervousness amoungst the rich sound. The way the moon light shimmered off her wet form made her look even more beautiful than she usually did, and Regal couldn't help but stare, taking in the sight of her heart-shaped face, her pale blue eyes, small rounded nose, or her full lips.

"Could you not sleep?" Presea queried. She leaned into the cool water and started doing a small breast stroke.

"I never tried," Regal admitted. He moved to the deeper end of the pool, his thoughts reeling.

He had come outside to think, to clear his mind. His earlier talk with Zelos had reminded him off his relationship with Presea. Or more specifically his growing feelings towards Presea. Lately, Regal had found his thoughts drifting to the the young woman at times when he least expected it, and he found it hard to drag them away. He wasn't sure how to deal with his feelings, seeing as how she was his assisstant. But she was much more than that- she had quickly became his closest friend, and he was afraid that he would lose her if he spoke a word of his feelings.

"I couldn't sleep," Presea said, keeping the conversation going. "The girls keep chattering, and now that I finally got them to go to sleep, I can't sleep."

"Ah." Regal nodded his head, and the moved to float on his back, staring up at the stars. He was obviously deep in his own thoughts, so Presea decided to leave him be.

Instead she choose to study him. His long, muscled body floating on the surface of the water, each muscle alert, yet relaxed at the same time. His chiseled features staring up at the sky above him, his dark blue eyes clouded over in thought. He truely was something to look at. But his looks were only part of the package.

In the past year that she had really gotten to know him, Presea found that Regal was just as kind-hearted, just, and caring as he was handsome. Those were the qualities that truely attracted her to him. She sighed mentally as she admitted to herself what Sheena and Colette had been trying to make her say all night: she was attracted to Regal. He had a certain quality that had been drawing her to him for a while now, and she was starting to get tired of fighting it.

But even as she admitted to the fact that she liked him, Presea knew that she wouldn't act on it. He was her employer- her friend- and she wasn't going to sacrifice his friendship for something that wasn't even reciprocated. She had grown to attached to his company and friendship to squander it away.

Pushing all her thoughts aside, Presea swam over to the man before and tapped him on the shoulder. She had a task that she would like to accomplish. Then, perhaps, she could get her mind off of Regal.

"How do you do that?" she asked once she had his attention.

Regal stood in an upright postion, wringing the water from his long hair. "Do what?" he retorted, glad for the interruption. Though it was supplied by the objects of his thoughts, he was sure that it would help distract him.

"Float," Presea replied. "How do you float?"

"It is simple. Would you like me show you?"

"Would you?"

Regal nodded his head and motioned for her to come closer. When she hesitated and stayed glued to her spot a few inches away from him, he asked, "Do you not want me to teach you?"

"I can't reach the bottom," Presea admitted, turning her gaze to the water. Regal stood three or four inches above the water, but if she stopped treding it, the clear substance would be above her head.

"That could pose a problem," Regal chuckled, guiding the young woman to the five-foot marker, where the water came to rest below her chin. He easily stood a foot above it. "That's better. Now, just lay back into the water."

"Like this?" Presea slowly reclined into the water, pushing off from the bottom. As soon as her feet broke the surface, she felt herself sinking. She swiftly bolted upright, her feet making contact with the pool bottom once more. "It's impossible," she mumbled, knowing that she had been trying to accomplish the task of floating since she was a child.

"Nothing is impossible," Regal reminded her. He moved closer, directing her to lay back down. "You must relax," he said, placing one strong arm under her back and the other one beneath her head. As he did so, Presea wondered if he realized that his touch caused just the opposite reaction.

"There now." Regal slowly removed his arms, watching in satisfaction as she stayed a float. His satisfaction quickly turned to amusement, though, and he started laughing despite himself, causing Presea to bolt out of the water once again.

"What?" she demanded, a hint of annoyance laced in her voice.

Her anger only tickled him more, and Regal placed a hand over his face in an attempt to calm himself. "I apologize, Presea. Forgive me. You are truly doing a fine job, but you must breathe," he said, his laughter dying away.

Her anger quickly died down only to give way to embarrassment. "I'm afraid to breathe. What if I sink?" she spoke softly, her cheeks burning in the moonlight. As soon as the support of Regal's arms had left her, Presea had panicked, feeling only water surround her. She had assumed not breathing would help her stay a float, and obviously she had been mistaken.

"You will not sink," Regal assured her, his laughter ceasing completely as he saw her face flush with embarrassment. Once again Presea moved back into the water, and once again Regal placed his arms around her to support her. However, this time he found that he was having a difficult time letting her go.

Martel, what was I thinking, Presea thought to herself, her heart hammering inside her chest. This was not her plan! She had only intended on learning how to float, not having Regal hold her in the water, her position leaving her no choice but to gaze into his dark blue eyes.

"There now," Regal repeated softly, his senses coming back into play. He started to remove his arms, but Presea stopped him.

"No, wait," she said, not wanting to lose the feeling of his arms around her just yet. She reached out and touched his arm. "I'm afraid." she added, though it wasn't of the water. It was of all the emotions coursing through her, and she didn't know how to sort through any of them.

"There is no need to be," Regal told her, but he returned his hands to the previous position just the same.

Presea wasn't sure if she should be proud of herself for thinking up such a briliant idea, using her 'fear of breathing' as an excuse for Regal to hold her, or curse herself for it. After a a few moments of silence, she glanced up, stealing a look at him, only to find Regal studying her with a look that she couldn't quite place.

"Regal...?" she breathed, finding that she couldn't formulate any words to accompany his name. It was then that she realized that she should probably curse herself, but at that moment she didn't really care. The way Regal was looking at her suggested that he was feeling the exact same thing she was, and she knew that thinking would ruin the moment.

"Presea," Regal replied, his tone similar to her own. Suddenly the urge to kiss her was to great to ignore. He knew that it would change their relationship, maybe even jeopardized their friendship, but at that moment he didn't care. The only thing he cared about was feeling her lips against his.

As he lowered his head to her own, Presea knew exactly what he was about to do, and she eargerly awaited it. She couldn't deny her feelings for him any longer.

Just as their lips were a breath apart, a familiar voice from the patio interrupted them.

"Hey! Just what are you two doing!"

xxxx

Time to reply to my lovely reviewers...

Icing Flower: OH MY GOD, ZELOS DIES! I didn't know that! I read your review and almost fainted! In my ending he lived, and saved them from the traps in the Tower of Salvation! Oh, and Kratos lived too. I'm beating it again, this time I'm going to choose Kratos to re-join the party. But Zelos will die! What kind of cruel game makes you choose between Zelos and Kratos! Okay, now that that's out of my system, thanks for the review, and I'm glad you like it! Even if this fic's audience grows, please still review! Oh, and I like the whole Aurikku, except for the age thing...That's why in my FFX fic, I changed the ages. Hehe.

Trevor X1: Well, I'm glad you clicked on it, and cared enough to review. Lol!

Kei-Kun: Glad ya like it! There's a lil' more R/P fluff for you!

Fallenharbinger: There's ya some near kissage! Don't when there's going to be kissage kissage though...

Tas: At least you reviewed! Here's a longer chapter for you!

WhitterZ: You thought that was super-human up-date. I think this one was even faster. Lol. I'm trying to keep them in character to the best of my abilities. And thanks for the advice. I think it makes him seem more like Regal too.

A/N: Well, there is longer chapter five! What did you think? You all know how to tell me. In a...review! I don't care if it's one lil' word! I'm not picky. I'm easy to please! Big thanks to all who have reviewed! Keep it up! Chapter six will be here soon! Don't forget to review! Oh and just something I think is neat; did you know Zelos' name is another word for ardent, which means passionate? That's why he's such a playboy...hehe. And did you know that Presea's voice is Rikku's from Final Fantasy X? I thought it was neat, so I decided to share. Anyways, Please Review!