Disclaimer: All appearing characters and places belong to Namco unless otherwise specified.

The O-dai themes belong to the Zeroshii-Wa, at http/deburu98249.jog. but written correctly. If you visit, don't steal!

Setting: In-game, after you've gotten Regal into your party but way before the game's big events.

Warnings: Heavy with dialogue again, 'cause many characters appear.


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Normal Version,

#10 – As always

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"So... should I wake her up?"

"You think that's a good idea, professor?"

"Why do you ask, Lloyd?"

"Er... well... I'm not sure Colette, but Regal and the professor are always saying it's not a good idea to leave Zelos alone with a girl..."

Raine sighed. Even though she had given Lloyd the talk quite a few times already he still had a few problems when it came to that.

Zelos, however, was pretty undaunted. "So... should I wake her up?" he repeated, with exactly the same smile as before.

The half-elf sighed. "I guess you should. Genis and Regal will have breakfast ready pretty soon, so..."

"Yes, it'd be a shame if she missed it!" Colette exclaimed.

"Yeah, their pancakes are the best!" Lloyd followed.

"And we got jam in the last town! Strawberry and apricot!"

"And they even made some juice!"

Raine looked at the two youths and then at the girl by whose side they were kneeling along with Zelos. At first she thought it surprising that Sheena, even though she was a highly-trained spy and hand-to-hand combatant, was perhaps the heaviest sleeper amongst the group.

Right now it was even more surprising she was able to sleep even with Lloyd and Colette talking loudly about pancakes just next to her.

"Fine then," she got up from where she was sitting, "Wake her up and tell her to hurry if she wants to be ready for breakfast."

"Yes, professor!" Lloyd and Colette answered at once.

"Sheeee-naaa! Sheee-naaa?" the 'angel' proceeded to take the ninja's arm and shake it softly. "Wake up, Sheena! You'll miss breakfast if you don't!"

No response.

"Hey, Sheena?" Lloyd, too tried to move her awake but the black-haired girl didn't even stir.

"You're doing it all wrong," the redheaded Chosen commented. "Sheena ain't gonna wake up just with nice words."

"What do you mean; we have to yell at her or something?" Lloyd arched an eyebrow.

"Nah, not really... you just need to know a few tricks."

"Then you wake her up then!"

Colette nodded, almost eager. "You've known her for longer, right Zelos?"

He smiled almost evilly. "Oh yes. But now I don't feel like waking her up."

"Eh? Why?" the twin-swordsman cocked his head, "You were asking for permission just before...!"

"Yeah, but she's just too cute!" Zelos exclaimed loudly in his weirdest possible voice and then poked the girl's cheek, "See? She's nice and peaceful!" poke "And doesn't even move!" poke and a small frown in Sheena's brow "And she's SOFT," poke, "And WARM," poke, "And looks sooo angelical, and...!"

"Will you cut that out, you stupid Chosen!" said Sheena, pushing the man's hand away.

Most unfortunately she was still half asleep, so it came out like "Wol y' cute't aut, y'shpid sho'sen!"

Zelos laughed. "Ta-dah! Up she is!"

"...Zelos... that wasn't exactly a 'trick'..."

"But it worked, didn't it?"

Sheena, meanwhile, had sat up onto her sleep-bag and was rubbing her cheek. "Why did you allow that idiot to wake me like that!"

"Well, you wouldn't wake otherwise, so..."

"And Zelos said he knew a few tricks!"

"...Colette, here's a lesson for you – don't trust Zelos' tricks from now on, yes?"

"Feh!" the Chosen exclaimed, "That's all the thanks I get? If I had known you'd ell so much I would've let you sleep. 'Sides, you look better asleep than you do awake!"

"What did you say?"

"Look in a mirror, I'd say."

"Y-you – well, at least I'm not so as vain as you!"

The man brushed his hair back luxuriously. "Vain? I only use what I've been given, hunny."

"Yeah right... you get early just to brush it!"

"And that's why it looks like this," he tugged at his own hair before taking a strand of hers, "Instead of like this."

"Leave my hair alone, you self-conceited arrogant...!"

Lloyd and Colette left the two and headed towards the place were Raine was helping Genis and Regal set the pancakes onto the plates while Presea tried to put out the fire by throwing some dirt on top of it.

"She's up, professor!" the blonde girl chirped.

"Yes, I noticed," the woman answered, not bothering to look up, "It's hard not to, the way she shouts."

"Yes," Genis sighed, "And it's always like that, too! I know Sheena hates him, but I was hoping she'd gotten used to him by now."

"...hates?" Colette took a plate from the young half-elf's hands. "I don't think Sheena hates Zelos..."

"Really? But... back at Sylvarant she was always saying she couldn't stand him and..." Genis motioned back to the two of them.

"Mmh, that's strange," Regal contributed, balancing a big plate with the remaining pancakes while Presea, next to him, brought two smaller dishes containing the marmalades, "I've heard that the Chosen and Sheena were good friends at some point."

"Really?" all of Team Sylvarant asked.

"Yes," the convict nodded, "The Chosen participated in many experiments at the Imperial Research Academy, and Sheena, too, visited that place for the experiments on Summon Spirits."

"...there is a 96 chance they had disagreements during their work together."

Colette, however, didn't erase her smile. "But they get along really well!"

"...really well?"

"Yes! Like... like two childhood friends!"

"Childish friends, you mean..." Raine muttered.

They could hear Sheena yelling "I have to get redressed, so leave me alone now!"

And Zelos answering "But I've always been curious about that sash of yours, I need to see how you put it on!"

Raine and Regal sighed.

"Colette's right, however. That's not hate."

"No?"

"No," Colette shook her head, "I think they're happy with that kind of thing."

Genis still looked as though he didn't really believe it. "If they're happy, why would they fight so much?"

"You fight with Lloyd all the time!" Raine interceded.

"I do not!"

"...37 of Genis' exchanges with Lloyd consist of jabs at his intelligence level."

"... you were actually counting, Presea?"

"...wait a minute, if she's right about that then it's a whole lots of times!"

"You noticed just now Lloyd...?

"At any rate," Raine interrupted, seeing that Zelos and Sheena were walking over to the place where they were sitting (more like Sheena was walking towards them while yelling something at Zelos, who was following behind at a prudent distance) "I've always believed it's good to have things to hold onto. Normality. Things that won't even change. Perhaps those two behaving like ten year old kids is one of the things we can trust... now try not to provoke them, I don't feel like listening to their fights all day long."

"But you just said..."

"Yes, Genis? What did I say?"

"...nothing..."

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Normal Version,

#10 – As always - II

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"...you've gotten... tall!"

"You've grown a little too, Colette."

It was true. The 'angel' had grown an inch or two and had finally lost her baby-looks. Her face looked much mature and yet just as innocent as when they had parted.

She hugged her half-elven friend fiercely. "But nothing like you! You must be taller than Lloyd by now!"

"No, not really... not yet," the silver-haired boy added just as the twin swordsman entered the room accompanied by the professor.

"Very funny," Lloyd faked a smile and then opened his eyes in honest surprise. "But she's right, you're way taller now!"

"Yeah, well, it was about time I started growing..."

Raine smiled. "Yes. Even though he knows half-elves grow slower than humans do, Genis was always very self-conscious about his height."

"Well, he was a squirt, so I can't blame him."

"Zelos!" Colette squealed and ran to hug the second Chosen, who returned her embrace with as much enthusiasm.

"We found him just outside town," Lloyd explained.

"You're the last, Zelos," Raine admonished, "Regal and Presea arrived yesterday."

"Sorry, sorry," the redhead grinned. "I just couldn't bring myself to leave my pretty Meltokio hunnies... but I might just steal Colette away instead..."

"Please..." Genis rolled his eyes.

"Whaaaaat, as if she'd give up such a chance just beca-"

He never got to finish his sentence as a spoon full of some sticky substance fell on top of his head.

"Agh!"

"You're late!" standing at the door to the kitchen Sheena held a bowl in her hands. Next to her stood Presea with a little smile on her face.

Genis' blush was instantaneous. "P-presea – uh – you – uh – you look – er –"

"Yes," she nodded, "My time has finally started to move again."

"I – I didn't - "

"Rosebud! You look prettier than ever!"

"Zelos, were you listening at all?-!"

"Ah, yes, yes..." the man sighed and took the spoon up from the ground and tried to clean the mix off his hair. "You just had to ruin my hair, didn't you?"

"You just had to make stupid remarks, didn't you?"

Lloyd smiled and half-turned to Colette and the professor. "Seems some things just don't change."

The blonde nodded, smiling while the older woman sighed.

"Incredible that even after three years they still behave like that."

"Well, it's not as if you have changed much, my Gorgeous Ultra Cool Beauty," Zelos retorted, still trying to get his hair clean. "Or Lloyd, for that matter. I was kinda expecting you two to share a house and have a dog or something like that..."

Colette looked surprised. "I hadn't thought of that! Lloyd, can we get a dog?"

"Of course! You like animals so much I can't believe you forgot about that..."

Genis opened his mouth, closed it and then opened it again. "...I just can't find anything to say."

"...well that makes us two, brat."

"What?" Lloyd looked confused. "I mean, we've been traveling together for like three years, more if you take our trip together into account... it'd be weird not to be with her."

It always surprised everyone how Lloyd was able to say things like that without any problem. But then again, that was just the way he was – simple and honest. Colette, however, did blush a little at the boy's words and even more when he took her hand as asked "Right, Colette?" but nodded and held onto his arm.

"Well, that was unexpected..."

Sheena grinned. "That's what you get for being late. They explained their plans to me before. Now if you excuse me, Presea and I have to go help Regal in the kitchen. And you need to go clean yourself."

"Yeah right, and whose fault is this?"

"Yours!"

As the ninja was turning around, however, everyone was surprised when Zelos took her by her usual pink ribbons and pulled her back into his arms before turning her around and placing a firm kiss on her lips.

Everyone was even more surprised when, instead of much yelling, Sheena only tapped his cheek with the spoon before kissing him again and then disappeared into the kitchen.

The Chosen cleaned his cheek and licked his fingers off. "What?" he waved vaguely at Lloyd and Colette, "Those two ain't the only ones who can change, you know."

Genis shook his head. "I'm not sure I can call that change."

The again, he guessed, some things didn't need change to be enjoyable.

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Notes: So yeah, I had the two of them ready and I really didn't know which one to post. The 'second' one is too short, the 'first' was too... vague, I guess, andneither felt complete.So you get a double o-dai this time because I couldn't bring myself to erase any of those - I mean, the first is more normalish and the second is fluff, and I'll force myself to believe they kind of complete one another. And it's double 'cause, uh, because it's #10! Gotta celebrate... wait, no, 'cause I'm not posting double again on #20. Forget about that.

Thank you so very much for all the reviews! At times it surprises me the amount of response I've gotten, specially for a collection of one-shots that share no connection in between. Thank you, thank you, thank you! For those of you who didn't notice, I added a "mission-statement" thing in the first chapter, which isn't really important but still...

Well, thank you again for reading. See you next week with...

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#11 – Worry

WTH am I supposed to write for this one, huh?

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