Chapter 7: Light

(Hehehe. Special thanks to Noctepanther for inspiring me for this chapter. :D –sends e-love to all my reviewers- Assuming I'll have at least two, since I'm starting to write this ten minutes after I updated the last chappa-ter. lol)

You've probably come for another tale of battle and death, or one of romance and fluffy sentiments. Or perhaps just to watch Zelos get beat by a girl. Either way, that's not what you're going to get. Instead, you will learn of a day in their lives far more important than any of the great battles or any of the kisses or eventual, very eventual, bed scenes. This chapter of Zelos and Sheena's lives is a tale of revelation. The day when everything changed... For Sheena, at least. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's rewind a bit, back to about midmorning...

SMACK!

The Chosen stumbled back, cursing audibly, a hand clutching his cheek. He tasted blood in his mouth, and his cheek hurt like hell. A furious ninja stood before him, and though she was nearly half a foot shorter than he, she seemed to tower over him. She was absolutely livid. Don't worry, she didn't smack our beloved Chosen.

She punched him.

Square in the face, in fact. She wasn't positive, but she was pretty sure she'd broken his nose.

"And don't you dare say you didn't deserve that, you conniving, two-faced, perverted, disgusting, pathetic excuse for a Chosen!" She snarled, ignoring the increasingly hurt look in his eyes.

"Sheena, I didn't-, I-, I swear I wasn't-"

"Save it for someone who cares. I'm done fucking listening to you." She cut off his attempts to formulate words, her own words twice as malicious as the previous ones. "I'm going back to Mizuho. Don't worry, you won't have me getting in the way anymore. Or ever again."

And with that she whirled around, storming off down the street. Rounded eyes followed her, eyes of shoppers and shopkeepers alike that had seen her strike their Chosen and vent her rage all over him.

"For damn good reason," she grumbled to herself, pointedly ignoring their gazes. And it had been a good reason indeed.

Zelos had pretended he cared about her. Maybe he had, but sure as hell not enough to stop him from feeling up some other whore in the back-alleys. And he'd had the nerve to blow Sheena off to do it!

It's true! That bastard was supposed to spend the day in Altamira with her, he'd even planned it, but she waited at the gate for three hours and he didn't show. When she went looking for him, she'd found him in an alleyway with a noble, one of his more prominent hunnies. He was standing close to her and had his hand on her shoulder, no doubt preparing to travel a bit lower. He was whispering something, and she looked surprised, but Sheena couldn't see the look on his face because his hair was in the way.

'Ugh. I can't believe I used to love that hair. I envisioned sitting there behind him, braiding it for him before he had to make one of his many public appearances. Playing with it idly on one of the many lazy afternoons. Now I loathe it almost as much as I loathe him.'

It planted the one seed of doubt in her mind. If she'd been able to see his face, see that lecherous look in his eyes, then she'd be able to abhor him completely and thoroughly.

But she couldn't.

So there's still that little chance Sheena was mistaken. That it was a misunderstanding.

'Who the hell am I kidding? He was making a move on her, and we both know it. I just wish to Martel it wasn't true…'

And an idea came to her.

'That's it! Martel! Sure, she may not exist in the goddessly state that many believe she exists in, but I've heard of many great men who gained their greatest insight in the church in prayer. Maybe I can go there. Maybe it can clear my mind. After all, I can't go to Mizuho like this. I'm a wreck.' And so she was. Her hair was a mess, tears of pain and anger stained her face, and her fist was bruised from the ferocity of her punch.

But one question came to her mind. Why did it hurt so much to see him with her? She'd known from the beginning that he would. He was a pervert, a playboy. The sort who thinks the world would end if he was stuck to one woman. Yet she'd let her guard down and trusted him anyways.

'Ugh, did my Mizuho training teach me nothing!? Never let your guard down, that's rule number one.' She leaned back against a nearby wall, banging her head against it repeatedly in a crude form of self-punishment.

He was a pathetic Chosen, one as unsuited for the job as she was for being a noblewoman. He ran away from responsibility, was a bad example for society, and groped at every woman he met. Maybe Tethe'alla would have been better if he HAD been killed by his dad's mistress as she'd intended.

The ninja forced down the pang of hurt that accompanied that thought, drilling it into her head so that if she did see him again, she could come at him fiercer than before. She couldn't go crawling back. Ninjas don't crawl.

Especially not Sheena.

Her feet started moving of their own accord, though under her general jurisdiction. They, and she, were headed toward the Church of Martel. Part of her wished Colette had been there, or better yet, Raine. They always knew how to help. Raine offered the logical solution, and Colette was just… there. Her presence made everything calm, happy... Before Sheena knew it, she was in front of the Church.

Pushing open the heavy wooden doors, she stepped softly into the massive dusty room.

And there he was.

The Chosen of Tethe'alla was kneeling before the Altar of Prayer, his wings out and his head bowed, that detested red hair cascading smoothly down his back. Yet somehow, it wasn't so detested anymore. The light from the stained glass windows cascaded down from both sides, bathing him in a seraphic spotlight of sorts and setting his hair and wings aglow, moreso in the case of his wings. He seemed so peaceful, so innocent.

So angelic.

This was a scene fit for a painting. It was just so… right. Like he was meant to be there, with his wings out and his head bowed, and the light just right. She knew how corny it sounded, but it was so true.

And he was saying something, murmuring to the altar, unaware of her presence. Sheena strained to hear what he was saying, but couldn't. And, though it was against her morals, the ninja used her practiced stealth to carry her closer to the Chosen whom she'd less than an hour ago wanted nothing more than to pound his face in.

"…and help her know it wasn't what it seemed. Tell her I was just talking to Vanessa, telling her to back off and not to mess with Sheena, and let her forgive me for being a little too close. I could say it's how I am, but even I refuse to run from responsibility any longer. I just wish I had one more chance…"

Maybe he wasn't such a worthless Chosen after all.

Sheena stepped forward, forsaking her silence. Surprised, Zelos whirled around, his hand on his sword. His cerulean eyes widened at the sight of the ninja.

"Wish granted."

Those two words marked a change in both of their lives, though Sheena's changed far more drastically. From that day on, he never looked at another woman like that again. Well, okay, that may be a bit stretching the truth. But he never meant anything by it. And Sheena realized that the Chosen wasn't all that bad, and accepted him for who he was.

An angel on the earth, trying to find his place in the world.

And Sheena wouldn't have it any other way.

(This one's okay I guess. Dunno, didn't like it all that much. Heh. The next one's gonna be better I hope.)