I really enjoy this story. I mean, I love this pairing and I really wanted to show everyone why it works between the two of them. I mean, Storm and Yuan are okay in my mind, but they'll never ever beat Storm and Zelos with me. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying this and I hope it answers some of the questions about their relationship. It wasn't explained too much in my first story and the small hints of their blooming relationship was all you guys got because I had other things in the story to concentrate on. Anyway, I hope you like this in-depth version. Enjoy the next chapter. Thanks!
Chapter 8: Just Friends
The next morning the group decided that it was safe enough to travel back into the forest to make their way to Ozette. They had to see Altessa, and to do so they had to go through the small village. On their way there, Sheena walked up next to Storm to have a chat with her.
"So Storm, I was wondering...is there something going on between you and Zelos?" she asked her, worried that her friend would actually fall for such a perverted man.
"No! There's nothing like that going on," Storm defended herself quickly as she shot a shocked face at the summoner.
"Well...I mean...I see you guys run off alone for awhile and I just thought...," Sheena tried to begin, but kept stumbling with her words.
"No, we just go out and talk. I do think that we are at least beginning to become friends. I like talking with him, he makes me feel a lot better about what's going on," Storm informed her.
"I guess...things around here are kind of hard to deal with and stressful, but why Zelos?" she asked her.
"I don't know...I guess he's the one who reached out to me," Storm told her as she looked at Zelos who was walking near the front of the group.
"I hope he wasn't reaching out in any other ways," Sheena said, almost trying to warn her of his perverted behavior.
"Actually, he hasn't really been too perverted with me when we go out and talk. He's...well he's kind of sweet actually," Storm told her, almost shyly.
"You are falling for him!" Sheena pointed out, laughing a little at her.
"No way! I'm just more or less amazed that he's actually not being perverted. We're just friends and that's it," Storm said with a strong sense of finality in her tone.
"If you say so," Sheena laughed as she left her alone.
'I'm not falling for Zelos. He's just a really good friend, like Lloyd. There is nothing there and I know for a fact that nothing ever will be. I don't need him running around telling me how sexy I am all the time. He's too much of a philanderer for me to fall in love with anyway,' Storm thought to herself as she looked at Zelos before looking away really quick when Sheena turned around to smile at her.
Once the group reached Ozette they were led by Presea to her old house. They walked in and immediately sensed that something was wrong. The house reeked of death as they walked in to find the decaying body of Presea's father. They all tried desperately to get Presea to go with them to Altessa's house, anything to get her out of that house. Presea wouldn't budge though and they were forced to leave her behind. The sad part was that Presea didn't even seem to notice that her father was dead at all as she went about her routine chores in the house.
The group rested a bit at the local inn to decide what to do the next day.
"Well, we'll have to go to Altessa's. There has to be a way to break Presea free of that Cruxis Crystal. If we can help Colette then we can help Presea too," Lloyd told the group. Storm knew that if she went to Altessa's there would be a chance that he would unintentionally blow her cover. She had to figure out a way to stay behind.
"I can't leave Presea here. These villagers all seem to hate her, it would be dangerous to leave her alone in that awful house," Storm told the group.
"Well, we obviously can't get her to come along," Raine pointed out to her.
"I know, that's why I'm going to stay here with her. I'll watch over her until you all come back," Storm offered.
"If that's what you really want," Raine told her.
"Okay, so the rest of us leave tomorrow then?" Sheena asked.
Everyone agreed and they all went to their separate rooms for the night. Storm and Zelos; however, stayed out in the lobby until later that night. They both sat on the couch as they watched the flames in the fireplace.
"You know, it's kind of stupid that we can only really talk when everyone else isn't around. Why can't we be like everyone else, and be allowed to be ourselves?" Storm asked him as she looked deeper into the fire.
"Probably because no one else would understand the side of us that we hide. We're outcasts and we probably will never be accepted in society. You seem to have something thought Storm, something that makes me believe that you'll break free one day," he told her as he looked at her. Storm let a blush escape her as she saw him look at her, and it made her remember what Sheena had said earlier. She looked down at the floor before changing the subject.
"Sheena wondered if there was something going on between us. Isn't that funny?" she asked him, chuckling a little.
"Do you think there's something going on between us?" Zelos asked her excitedly, transforming back into the playboy that he became at times.
This response led to a strong smack in the head from the auburn-haired girl beside him. She looked at him angrily as he held his head in pain. "I was just curious...," he whined.
"You don't have to act perverted about it though, I know what you were thinking," she yelled at him.
"Well...is there something between us?" he asked her more cautiously while continuing to rub the back of his head.
"Well...I know that you're one of the best friends that I have in this world. I feel like I can really talk to you and that you really understand me," she said as she smiled at him. Zelos froze and looked into her eyes. No one had ever really been good friends with him. They either pretended to like him for his wealth or his title. Storm liked him for who he really was.
"You're my best friend too Storm," Zelos told her honestly as he leaned a little closer to her. They sat there, looking at each other, their faces merely inches apart from each other as the fire roared in the background. Suddenly, they snapped back as they heard the owner come out of his room to put out the fire for the night. They both looked away from each other, both realizing what almost happened, but neither wanting to say anything about it.
"I'm closing up the lobby for the night kids," the man told them as he walked over to extinguish the flames.
"We'll go upstairs then," they told him as they got up and walked back upstairs. Zelos walked Storm to her room as he opened the door for her.
"Good night," he told her as he allowed her to go inside before closing the door behind her.
"Good night, Zelos," she whispered to him before the door closed on her.
As they went to bed that night, they both wondered how the other was able to change them so much. They were both having a hard time going on with the plans they had both planned out. Something was definitely going on between the two friends.
Well, that's it for this chapter. Well, at least they're friends now, right? That's one step up. Now, we just have to get to the love thing, but that might take a little bit yet. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please remember to review and tell me what you thought. Thanks!
