Well, 'twas a long and stressful week... but it's done and over with, and now I have another chapter done of this story! (Of course I have other things to update, too... Heh, heh.) I shall spare you a long introduction and just get on with the chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing from Tales of Symphonia... unlike those good people from Namco, who do.

XIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX

/Just Tell Me/

Chapter II: Why Not?

I don't really remember anything else that happened that night. You know those moments where you feel like you're not even there, and yet you know that you are? Those moments that you feel like if you were to speak, no one would hear you? Well... the walk from the slums to my saviour's mansion was one of those moments. The following morning, however, I recall clearly.

When I woke up, I was lost. It did not even take a second for me to realize that I was not in a familiar room. I looked around and everything seemed so... rich. So perfect. There was no sign of dust, being used, or life in anything. I moved the bed covers off of myself and climbed out of the bed. My first concern—as selfish as it may sound—was myself. My memory was utterly blank at the time; all that I knew was that I had just woken up in a stranger's bed. I had felt perfectly fine... In fact, I had felt extremely well rested and full of energy for the day.

I took another look around the room, just taking in its pastel pink walls, wooden furniture and flowery decorations. There was a mirror that hung above the bureau pushed back at one side of the room. I stepped over to it and scrutinized my appearance: exactly as it had been the last time I observed my reflection—by no means perfect, but good enough. Back then my clothes were much brighter colours; nothing quite as bold as pink, but different shades of light blue and mauve. I wore looser and more conservative clothing since I was even less comfortable with my body then, and I always left my hair untied.

I was fine; everything was fine. I allowed myself to breathe a sigh of relief, yet still I wondered: where was I? Wandering over to the window, I stared out over the city. Meltokio; I had already gathered that I was there... As I scanned the area, one place stood out – perhaps because of its dull complexion in a metropolis of extravagance – and I remembered what had happened. I remembered that I had been in those slums the night before and that a man had come and taken me the hell out of there, to safety. I let myself think that maybe he really was my gallant knight.

Satisfied with the state of things, I made my way out of the room and crept silently down the stairs, almost scared to have myself heard. I felt as though I were in an unknown region, completely oblivious to whether or not there was something that I should be cautious of. Usually when you picture a mansion staircase, you'd imagine the steps creaking as a person walked down them... but hell, in that house everything was quiet—not a floorboard was loose. I counted the steps that I took as I walked. Ten stairs. When I reached the main floor, there was still no one else in sight. I wondered if perhaps my rescuer—and whoever else lived there—was still sleeping; then I began pondering as to what I would do if that were the case. Would I just leave without granting a 'thank you' or 'goodbye'? Or would I stick around? Thankfully I never had to make a final decision because someone was awake... two conversing people, to be precise.

I followed the voices to a room that was attached to the living room. It turned out to be the kitchen, where that familiar redhead sat at a table munching on a piece of toast (the food of nobles, right?). There was someone else in the kitchen, too—someone whom I had laid eyes on the previous day, as well. He was the one who had warned me about the slums. "Good morning," he greeted, noticing me without looking up from the stove where he was slaving away making something.

"Good morning," I returned his greeting, although I was looking at the man at the table and not at him.

Finally, my saviour looked up at me with a smile and casually acknowledged me with a "hey". I smiled back at him, making my way towards the table. He motioned to the seat across from him, and so I accepted the invitation and sat down. "Want something to eat?" I gave a reserved nod in reply. It was weird... he was a stranger, and yet he spoke as though we were already acquainted. "So what's your name?" he finally asked as his butler placed a plate of food down in front of me.

"Sheena Fujibayashi," I answered, "And, umm...?" I wanted to ask who he was, but the air of confidence that he had intimidated me.

Apparently I did not mask my bewilderment very well, because at that moment, he came to the astounding conclusion that I had no clue who on earth he was. Murmuring to himself, he said, "Wow, you don't know who I am..."

The fact that I had overheard that comment made me feel even more intimidated as nervously, I questioned, "...Should I?" Edgily, I glanced from the man at the table to the man by the stove; both of them seemed to be avoiding eye contact with me, avoiding an answer. "Should I?" I repeated.

"Nah," the redhead propped his elbow up onto the table, resting his head in the palm of his hand, "It was pretty arrogant of me to have assumed that everyone knows me by face and not by my title." Title? I was still oblivious... until he stated, "I am the Chosen." I was truly embarrassed at that point and couldn't even bring myself to look him in the eye, so my gaze was cast downward bashfully. "Sheena, it's all right," he insisted, although it didn't help in the least because it reminded me of the fact that he had known my name, while I still did not know his.

Reluctantly, I dared to tilt my head upward to look at him. He didn't seem to mind my ignorance; in fact, he was still smiling that sincere smile. "My deepest apologies, Chosen." When I realized that it was the Chosen that I was speaking to, my composure seemed to have changed completely. But what was one to expect? The Chosen was near the top of Tethe'alla's hierarchy, and to not have recognized him was basically the equivalent of going up to the Pope and asking 'who the hell are you?' I felt so terrible... and yet, he just kept on smiling, and even light-heartedly laughed at me.

"You don't have to say that you're sorry," he assured, "And call me Zelos. Please, don't call me Chosen."

I nodded graciously, although by the way that he had ordered me to call him by name, he should have acted gracious when I agreed. Suddenly I realized that I had not yet thanked him for pulling me out of the slums and into shelter, and so I quickly said, "Oh! Thank you very much for giving me a place to stay."

Zelos casually leaned back in his chair, "You should thank Sebastian," he said, nodding his head in the direction of his butler, "Last night, he told me about a young lady who was without a place to stay. Had he not told me, I never would've known to help out." I turned my head towards Sebastian and repeated my thank you; the servant simply gave an approving nod before returning to his duties. Zelos began making conversation yet again, "I'm taking a guess here, but... you're the Mizuho girl who's working with the half-elves, correct?"

"Yes," I replied coolly, however an instant later it donned upon me that I was supposed to be at the lab. Swiftly, I rose from my seat and looked towards Zelos. "Thank you for bringing the subject up—you reminded me that I have to get going. Again, thanks to both of you for giving me a place to stay." I hurried towards the front door without waiting for either of them to say goodbye; but before I got a chance to go outside, Zelos gripped onto my arm and stopped me.

My first reaction was to be apprehensive, wondering why he was keeping me from leaving; however when I turned around to face him, I was immediately calmed. That genuine smile was on his face. "Do you know how long you're going to be at the lab for?" he inquired. I shook my head. "Well, if you get out early enough, would you like to join me at the festival? I haven't gotten a chance to check it out yet this year and I'd like to have someone to go with."

I could feel my cheeks burning with redness as I looked at him; just the fact that he was so upfront was enough to make me blush. "A... date with the Chosen?" I mused in my mind, "It could be fun. Plus, I'm curious about the festival anyway..." After a silence, I shyly stammered, "S...Sure."

"Great," Zelos beamed, finally releasing my arm from his grasp. "Oh, and I'll try to get a room for you in the hotel," he added, "After all, I have nothing better to do."

That last statement... I found difficult to believe. Nonetheless, I was very grateful for what he was doing for me. "Thank you again. I'll... see you later."

With that, I left the mansion and went to the Elemental Research Lab. The entire day I couldn't help thinking about him—I replayed meeting him the night before, speaking to him that morning, and... That was all that I had to reminisce about, so I began imagining what it would be like to go to the festival with the Chosen. I can't believe how pathetic I was. Like any day when you're waiting for a certain event, time passed in an unnaturally slow pace. I can't even remember what experiments took place that day; I was totally unaware of everything that was going on around me. By the time that I had finally snapped out of my trance, I was free to go.

As I walked out of the front door, the timid receptionist piped up, "Do you have plans, Sheena?"

I looked back at her, smiling, "Yep. I'm going to the festival with the Chosen." Normally I would have simply said 'yes' and moved along, but I felt in such high spirits that I didn't mind telling the receptionist about my plans.

"O...oh," she muttered, "That's... good, I suppose..." I stared at her sceptically as she let her remark trail off. After growing silent, the receptionist jumped up in surprise, "Ah, don't mind me! I'm sure you'll have a good time!"

"Yeah..." I murmured to myself, exiting the building. As I walked down the pathway the led to Meltokio's main roads, I pondered on why she had acted so peculiar when I told her where I was going. I shook my head, shrugging off the doubtful thoughts; I knew that I should just allow myself to have some fun. So... I did. I strolled through Meltokio—from the commercial district to the noble quarters—resisting the urges to check out the festival before meeting up with Zelos. I must admit, it was hard; people were celebrating everywhere.

When I arrived at Zelos' mansion, I hesitated. I could not help but remember the receptionist's tone of voice. She had obvious been lying when she said that her remarks had meant nothing—It can be so simple to tell when a person is lying; it's just a matter of confronting them and convincing them to be truthful. "Just have fun," I whispered to myself, "I promise that I'll have a good time." I lifted my fist and lightly rapped on the door a few times. I waited—no answer. I considered the possibility that this was fate telling me that I should simply leave, then I recalled my promise to myself and knocked again. The echo of my fist against the hard wooden door was much louder this time, and my knuckles were left slightly numbed. My patience was growing thin; unravelling, unravelling... "One more time," I told myself as I reached for the doorbell. Just as I pressed down on the button, the front door was pulled open and I started in surprise.

"Miss Fujibayashi, I apologize for making you wait." It was Sebastian, of course—Goddess forbid that Zelos actually answer the door himself.

I tucked some loose hair behind my ear as a means of regaining composure. "It's okay," I assured, "And... just call me Sheena, please."

"Of course, Miss Sheena." I sighed. Old habits die hard. Mind you, I was not one to judge considering that I was living my life by traditions that had been existing for generations past. "Master Zelos should be here in—"

"Coming!" From within the house there came the thudding of someone bounding down stairs; one, two, three, four, five… He must have jumped two steps per stride. The enthusiasm was appreciated. It made me feel as though I were someone worth spending time with. Zelos stepped in front of his butler and granted me a radiant grin. "Sorry for the delay. I wasn't expecting you so early." I could only bring myself to nod; I still hadn't quite brought myself up to the level of comfort that he had reached.

Sebastian cleared his throat to get Zelos' attention. The second that his presence was acknowledged, the servant asked, "Is there anything that you need me to do in your absence, Master Zelos?"

Tethe'alla's one and only Chosen casually replied, "Same as always: scrap any messages from the church, get any other messages to me, and keep the fangirls in check."

"Fangirls?" I found myself blurting out.

"Hopefully you'll never find out," Zelos remarked, letting a small snicker escape his throat at the end of the statement. I decided that I didn't want to know. "Shall we get going?" inquired Zelos.

I gave a small smile that almost felt forced, even though I really was happy. "Yeah. Let's go." In my mind, the response was more like: I've been waiting for this all day.

Zelos and I walked through the noble district, en route to Meltokio's main plaza. Reflecting on it now... it was strange. There we were, basically on a date, but we didn't know anything about each other aside from him being Zelos Wilder, and I Sheena Fujibayashi—he was the Chosen of Tethe'alla, while I was the summoner from Mizuho. Totally different upbringings, that much was certain. As we walked, I would discreetly glance in his direction. He seemed to be staring forward—eyes void—and yet whenever we so much as passed by another human, he would instinctively smile. The second that they were no longer looking at him, he would become detached again. I've always found it interesting that people can appear completely different when they think that no one is looking; say different things when they think that no one is listening. I could tell right then that Zelos was not one to really be concerned about these strangers, and that only made me wonder more... Why was he being kind to me?

During one of my sneak-glances at Zelos, he turned to face me. On reflex, I looked away shyly. "So Sheena," he spoke at last, "Tell me something about yourself."

It was almost as though I had suddenly come down with a case of amnesia. I searched my mind for something to say, but all that I could bring myself to say was "...Myself?" as I cautiously let my gaze return to Zelos. I knew that I sounded like an utter ditz.

"Yes," Zelos responded, his voice holding a blatantly teasing tone of sarcasm. It made me blush.

I gave an uneasy laugh as I held my hand over my reddened face. "Right..." I chuckled uncomfortably, "Well, um... As you know, I'm from Mizuho and..." My voice evaporated into nothingness the instant that I let the final 'd' roll off of my tongue. What was I going to say? Chosen or no Chosen, he was a stranger, an unknown, and an outsider to Mizuho. I couldn't tell him about my lifestyle, and I wouldn't tell him about my past. I also wasn't about to recite some inconsequential, personal-ad-like description of myself: single Mizuhoan woman, 17, seeking fun-loving, renowned noble man whom she finds absolutely irresistible. How pathetic would that have been?

I guess I must have been in silent thought for a while because Zelos spontaneously murmured, "I know what you mean." I could only stare at him perplexedly, asking myself what he meant by that statement.

That was when our moment together was interrupted. Sometime during our conversation (if you could call it one), we had reached the plaza where the festival was being all-out celebrated. Through the crowded area there came unsynchronized cries of "Yoohoo! Zelos!" and "Chosen, you've come!" I backed off then and there, clearing a pathway for a gang of four of Zelos' admirers to enter through. It was the group of his... devout followers—i.e. top groupies. All of them were exactly the same: shrill voices, unnecessarily puffy dresses, fake wings attached to their backs... The only differences were the ways that they coordinated their colours and hairstyles. Mentally, I gave them each fairly spiteful nicknames: Blondie, Purple Girl, Prissy and Glam... not that I ever dared to utter these names aloud.

Zelos greeted them with one of his phoney grins. "Hello, ladies! Are you all enjoying the festivities?" Their replies were all merged together and I don't think that even Zelos could decipher them; it was, however, obvious that the girls were rather pleased. "Glad to hear it!" Zelos exclaimed. I backed away even more. "I'd love to stick around and chat, but..." Zelos began, although he was immediately cut off with their requests.

"Zelos, do you want to go and wander around?"

"There are some performers up near the castle. Wanna check them out?"

Even as he was offered to spend time with those beautiful, plastic girls... he stuck with me. "I'm sorry. I already promised today to someone." Zelos stole a glance in my direction, giving a quick wink. I couldn't help blushing again. That outgoing attitude that he was showing seemed to make him more alluring in my eyes... He was something that I never had the courage to be. And he was seemingly genuine, too.

It was unfortunate for me, though, that Zelos' groupies followed his gaze to me. Hatred was instantly brewing, and they had no problems letting it boil over. "Who? Her? Who is she?" Blondie asked completely upfront, "And... why?"

Zelos walked over to me and linked his arm through mine. "Why not?" To this day, I'm not sure how I should have taken that remark. Was it a 'why not?' as in, she's perfectly up to my standards, if not above them? Or was it a 'why not?' as in, she looks like a girl that I can totally take advantage of, no problems? Either way, I let him pull me away from his groupies and deeper into the festival's crowd. I had promised myself that I would allow myself to have some fun, and I was never one to break a promise.

XIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX

Done, done! Now it's just a matter of where I want it to go from here... (I've got the end in mind; it's just those damn middle chapters that mess me up! XD) Anyway, please review and I'll do my best to update soon. And speaking of reviews, here are my responses to the last ones:

To MoonCannon – Yes, I know that the first chapter was short. I just didn't want to stuff too much information into the first chapter, but it'll be getting longer as I go along, I promise. (smile)

To A. NuEvil – Yeah... I wish that I had a knight in pink and white... or black and red. Yeah, those are definitely better colours. XD

To Rose-Wisteria – Your reviews always make me feel so good about my work, and I thank you very much for that. And don't worry, there will certainly be some humour inserted into this fic; just light-hearted stuff, really. I look forward to you updating your stories and posting some more work. It's been too long since you've posted anything!

To AngelCatGirl – Thanks very much for your praise. (dreamy sigh) I could totally go for a knight in shining armour...

To Black Winged Huntress – Oh yeah. Zelos is a sweetie... er... was a sweetie. The years must've done something to him, eh? XD

To FairyV – Oh, no worries of my head getting too big! I'm not one to be arrogant... mind you, I'm not one to be totally modest, either. :P I'm glad that you enjoyed the first chapter.

To SmileBeHappy – o.0 Then, umm... uh... Just... let all of your joyful tears out? (is happy that you're happy about the multi-chapter pre-game Sheelos story, but is also frightened... in the best possible way, of course)

To Adriatic – Tsk, tsk, don't have a sick mind! Zelos isn't going to be a bad boy! ...Or will he? (dun, dun, duuun!) There should be some humour here-and-there in this story; nothing too prominent, but hopefully you'll snigger a little.

To kuramagirl44 – Tsk, tsk, to you too! (also just 'tsk tsk'ed Adriatic) All of you people assuming that Zelos had something bad in mind... Heh, heh. And it's cool to hear that even you're non-ToS-playing friends enjoy Holidays of Symphonia. That's pretty cool. (By the way, I'm working on finishing the very late Mother's Day chapter. XD)

To Sir-dik-dik follower of Beef – (I won't ask about the 'follower of Beef' you added to your penname) Good to hear that you managed to get kinda into Tales of Symphonia. (See? It's fun!) I haven't tried Resident Evil 4, though. I don't think it's really my genre of game... And ack, don't go killing mutated kittens! I'm writing more, I'm writing more! (And eventually, hopefully sometime early in the summer, I'll get the next Warrior Island chapter up. I've been very un-inspired for that one... But it'll come back!)