Hi everyone! Sorry for the wait for this update, but I've been busy with papers and finals - but now I'm done with the semester! That means I'll be able to (hopefully) write more! Yay!
So, as promised, this chapter switches back to Sheena. For those of you that don't remember, we left Sheena asleep in Zelos' mansion after the ball and meeting Yuan, with them both planning to visit the Lab in the morning.
I'll stop now so you can read and enjoy!
Oh, and I don't own Tales of Symphonia.
((Sheena POV))
"Zelos." I murmured, gently shaking the red head's shoulder. It was dawn, and the soft glow of morning light was drifting in from the windows, sparkling on the sleeping form of my best friend. He was sprawled out on his bed, legs spread wide and one arm thrown over his face. His red hair splayed around his head and reflected the morning light, giving him a soft glow.
"Zelos." I said a little louder, shaking his shoulder with more force. He grunted but otherwise made no indication that was awake or getting up any time soon. I sighed and shook my head, glaring down at him. I was dressed in my much more comfortable ninja attire: white bodice that tightly hugged my chest, lilac short sleeved covering cinched at the waist by a long pink ribbon tied into a bow at the back, black long sleeves undershirt, lilac arm sleeves with finger-less gloves, black leggings, and lilac and black boots. The pink ribbon from the bow around my waist trailed down to the back of my knees, but otherwise the outfit was very flexible and the material seemed to breathe with me, allowing for quick, unhindered movements. My messy black hair was pulled back into a short ponytail, secured by another pink ribbon, but several strands had already fallen out and feathered around my face. Tucked into my bodice were my various fighting cards, engraved with powerful incantations and spells unique to the Mizuhoian fighting style.
I crossed my arms and continued to glare at Zelos, then snapped my fingers, pushing out some of my mana and summoning Corrine. Corrine poofed onto my shoulder in a small puff of smoke.
"Yes, Sheena?" The small fox-like creature asked.
"Corrine, Zelos won't wake up and I need to get going…" I said.
Corrine grinned, showing his pointy teeth. "Just leave it to me!"
Corrine pounced onto Zelos, causing Zelos to stir slightly and grunt, but otherwise showed no reaction. Corrine walked up his body and jumped on his head a few times. Zelos vaguely waved his arm around, swatting at him and making a whining sound, but Corrine's bell just jingled as he moved. I laughed softly as Corrine settled onto Zelos' face, nudging his arm away and waving his tails in his face.
Suddenly, Zelos sat up, upsetting Corrine, causing him to tumble to the bed.
"Achoo!" Zelos sneezed, then yawned and stretched languidly before blinking a few times at me. He grinned sheepishly at me.
"Morning, Sheena…" He said.
I laughed and rolled my eyes, as Corrine ran in angry circles around him a few times before disappearing in an angry cloud of smoke.
"Do you think he's mad?" Zelos asked.
I grinned. "Nah, he'll get over it."
Zelos sighed. "Good." He said.
"Now, will you get dressed already? We have to go to the Lab to meet Yuan before I can leave for Mizuho." I said.
Zelos looked down at himself, seeming to just realize that he only wore a loose pair of pajama bottoms and nothing else. He blinked, then grinned up at me.
"Ah, right. I'll be right back." He said.
He hastily got up and crossed to his dresser, pulling out various articles of clothing before going into his personal bathroom and quietly shutting the door behind him. I rolled my eyes and sat on the bed he had just occupied, ignoring the rumpled sheets. Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door, and Sebastian entered.
"Master Zelos, Chosen One Sheena is not in her rooms, do you know where…" Sebastian trailed off as he spotted my sitting on Zelos' bed.
"Chosen One Sheena." He said, looking around quickly and verifying that Zelos wasn't in the room.
"Zelos is in the bathroom changing so that we can head to the Lab. He told you what's going on, right?" I said.
Sebastian sighed and crossed to the windows, fully opening them and letting the light and air into the room before tidying it up some.
"Yes, he did. He also mentioned that you'll be going to Mizuho today?" Sebastian said.
I nodded. "Yes. After our meeting at the Lab, I plan on making a quick trip to Mizuho to update everyone." I said.
"I see. Forgive me, Chosen One, but it is not quite summer yet. I believe you still have one more week here at Court before you are allowed to return to your village." Sebastian said, looking at me as he folded some blankets.
I scowled. "I hate that stupid rule. I guess when I was little it made sense to train at Court during the year and spend summers at home, but I'm fully grown now and should be able to go where I please."
"I agree, Chosen One, but it is the law nonetheless." Sebastian said, moving to dust off Zelos' dresser.
"I'm not planning on staying at the village, just a quick zip, there and back. No one will know." I said.
Sebastian's eyes twinkled as he looked over at me. "Why, Chosen One, I'm delighted that you will be spending the day here with Zelos, training."
I smiled. "Thanks, Sebastian."
"Anything for my Master's closest friend." Sebastian said.
"Aren't you… worried about him?" I asked.
Sebastian sighed softly. "I suppose. Although, Master Zelos has always been able to take care of himself. Between you and I, we will train him enough so that with the Exsphere, he will have an edge over any opponent."
"I wish it was me going instead… I'm worried something'll happen to him…" I said, staring at my feet.
"Master Zelos will be fine, I assure you." Sebastian said.
I sighed but nodded. "You're right; Zelos is strong. He'll be fine. Since I won't be here most of the day, will you train him while I'm gone?" I asked.
Sebastian looked at me curiously. "Me, a lowly servant, train my Master how to fight?"
"Sarcasm doesn't suite you, Sebastian." I said matter-of-factly. "Besides," I continued, "we both know you are much more than a servant – you are more like his father, if anything."
Sebastian nodded and smiled at me. "I suppose so, Chosen One. I suppose so. I do care very much for him. Of course I will train him in your absence. When you return, you won't even recognize him."
I laughed. "It would take a miracle for Zelos to beat me in battle."
"Then I will have to work some magic, won't I?" Sebastian murmured.
I grinned and we both turned to face the bathroom door as it opened and Zelos emerged. He was wearing his usual training attire: a black tank top made of the same flexible material as my clothing that I had bought for him in Mizuho, covered with a light pink vest trimmed in gold that buttoned in the front, though he rarely did up more than one or two buttons, and flared out in the back, the material flowing down his back to the back of his knees like a cape; matching pink pull-on sleeves, complete with black gloves; white pants securely belted around his waist with a white belt; white boots trimmed in gold; and a white headband on his forehead, with kept his long flowing red hair from his face but otherwise let it simply hang down his back.
He grinned at Sebastian and me.
"Morning!" He said.
"Good morning, Master Zelos." Sebastian said, bowing slightly. "Chosen One Sheena tells me that you are headed to the Elemental Research Laboratory and then are training here for the rest of the day."
"Yeah, that's the plan." Zelos said, crossing the room to stand next to me. I quickly stood up from his bed, blushing slightly and Zelos just winked at me. I punched his arm lightly and he clutched it, groaning in mock pain. It was my turn to roll my eyes at him, and he gave me his patented Zelos grin, a more intense version of the one that melted the hearts of many girls and some guys, but this one was special because I knew he reserved it for me, and it made my insides fuzzy because hidden in it was all our friendship and closeness, coupled with the utter trust and faith we had in each other.
Sebastian chuckled at the sight of us, before turning and starting to make the bed now that I had vacated it.
"Very well, then, Master Zelos. Once Chosen One Sheena leaves for Mizuho, I will be training you in our private training room, so please be ready." Sebastian said.
"Can't wait! This time, you are going down!" Zelos said.
"We'll see." Sebastian murmured, smiling at his young Master with pure affection in his gaze and I felt jealousy stir in my gut before I quickly squashed it, reminding myself that Zelos deserved the parental figure of Sebastian and all the affection that came with it, especially since his own father was, to be blunt, a drunk asshole. Besides, I had Grandpa… right?
"Sheena, we should get going." Zelos said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I nodded and said goodbye to Sebastian, with Zelos challenging him to a sparring match as soon as he returned, and we left his room.
We walked down the long, white halls, in completely companionable silence that comes with growing up with someone and knowing them completely inside and out.
We descended the spiraling marble staircase and just as we entered the foyer, the front door opened and a man stumbled in, barely closing the door behind him before collapsing against it in a fit of giggles. I felt Zelos stiffen and tried my best not to scowl and glare at the man before us – an obviously drunk Mr. Wilder. He was the same height as Zelos, which annoyed me to no end because I wanted to be able to glare down at this pitiful excuse of a human being, but otherwise hardly resembled Zelos at all. He had short, black hair that was currently sticking up at odd angles, and his emerald green shirt was half un-tucked and badly wrinkled. His black pants were also wrinkled, and his fly was open. He had on only one sock and a pair of black dress shoes. He looked up and I was once again startled to see Zelos' blue eyes staring at me – I never wanted to see the negative emotions that these eyes held swirling in Zelos'. Mr. Wilder giggled harder when he noticed us, and Zelos grimly walked over to his father, harshly yanking him up to stand wobbly on his feet.
"Where were you this time?" Zelos asked, his voice hard. My heart broke for him – it wasn't fair that he was stuck with such an uncaring, drunken bastard for a father.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Mr. Wilder said coyly.
I quietly summoned Corrine and asked him to please hurry and get Sebastian. Corrine paused for a moment, probably still mad at Zelos for unceremoniously dumping him on his bed earlier, but he quickly poofed away in search of Sebastian, since he hated Zelos' dad with a passion that rivaled my own. Corrine and I had many things in common – especially the desire to protect out friends.
Mr. Wilder was gesturing wildly now, evidently describing some party to Zelos, and was in constant danger of toppling over. Suddenly, his eyes latched onto me.
"What's that bitch doing here?" He snarled.
For some reason, Zelos' dad had never liked me; as best as we could figure out, I looked like someone he had once known.
"Don't call her that!" Zelos snarled.
"Right, forgot – you're screwing her, right?" Mr. Wilder asked.
I blushed furiously. Zelos was like my brother! Zelos paled and growled at his father, shoving him harshly into the door. Mr. Wilder just laughed and said, "My son, screwing the almighty Chosen One! Bet she's like a virgin in bed, just lies there – "
He was cut off because suddenly Zelos had one hand around his throat, pinning him to the door and squeezing harshly. Mr. Wilder's eyes bulged and he made soft whimpering noises, clawing at Zelos' hand.
"Don't you ever talk about Sheena like that!" Zelos snarled.
"Master Zelos!" Sebastian called as he hurried into the foyer, quickly assessing the situation and putting a hand on Zelos' shoulder, murmuring into his ear. A few tense seconds later, Zelos' body relaxed and he loosened his grip on his father's throat, dropping him completely. The older man slumped to the ground and started crying harshly, his body shaking.
I looked down on him in pity. Corrine hopped onto my shoulder, and Sebastian turned to look at us. I nodded, and Sebastian turned to Mr. Wilder as I approached Zelos.
"Zelos…" I murmured, placing my hand on his shoulder. He reached his hand up and held onto mine as we watched Sebastian pry Mr. Wilder off of the floor.
"Now, Master Trevion, it seems you're not feeling well. Let's get you to bed, hm?" Sebastian said soothingly, leading a distraught Mr. Wilder out of the room.
Zelos turned to face me and I took one look at his face and pulled him close into a tight embrace.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Zelos whispered, burying his face in the juncture of my neck and shoulder.
"Zelos. It's okay. It's okay." I said, stroking his back soothingly, squeezing him tightly.
Zelos and I stood like that for what seemed like forever, with him clutching onto me and me rubbing his back as gently as I could. After a while, he shuddered and then pulled away.
"We should go." He said.
I studied his face, then nodded. His eyes were still troubled, but otherwise he was back to his normal, cocky self.
I took his hand and held it tightly, intertwining our fingers. I don't care what anyone thinks – Zelos is like my brother and the best friend I've ever had – I've known him since I was ten years old and he was always there for me when I was troubled as the Chosen, so I tried my best to return the favor.
He smiled at me, and we left his house and started out of the noble's section of the city and into the middle and lower levels to the Elemental Research Laboratory, which was on the lowest level right next to the slums, since half-elves worked and lived there. I personally had no problem with half-elves and had several friends at the Lab, as did Zelos, though it was harder for him since his mother had been killed by a half-elf and he carried a traumatic scar from it.
Suddenly Corrine crawled from my shoulder and onto Zelos', wrapping his tails loosely around Zelos' neck so that he didn't fall off.
"Cheer up, Zelos!" Corrine said.
"I'm fine, Corrine. Thanks." Zelos said.
"No problem! You should forget about it and concentrate on what's to come – and smile so you don't worry Sheena!" Corrine said.
"Heh. I'll try." Zelos said. He looked down at me and smiled, and he smiled my smile and I knew he was okay. I grinned up at him.
"Corrine's right – forget him, Zelos. I'm here for you, and always will be. So don't let him spoil our day. I don't like seeing your eyes sad." I said.
Zelos blew out a breath. "Yeah. Thanks, Sheena. You're my best friend. I don't know how I'd get by without you."
I smiled. "That's easy – you couldn't." I said, teasingly.
Zelos laughed, and the last tendrils of worry disappeared from my heart. Zelos was strong. He'd be fine. He dropped my hand in favor of draping his arm over my shoulders, pulling me close in an one-armed hug.
We descended the main stairs of the city, and passed the main gates, heading for the Lab. Several Knights down here bowed and murmured greetings to me, which I tried to politely respond to.
Zelos dropped his arm from me and we angled our bodies so we weren't walking so close together as we approached the Lab and our official meeting. Corrine poofed away in a puff of smoke, and I could make out the small, squat circular building that was the Lab. It was so small because most of it was underground, in part due to the nature of the experiments done there, and in part due to the fact that half-elves lived there. Having been raised in Mizuho and having made several friends at the Lab, the poor treatment of half-elves bothered me but was so ingrained in society that there was little I could do, even as the Chosen One, to change things. As we neared the building, I could make out a man with blue hair and a swirling blue cape that furled around him in the wind standing just outside the building.
Taking a deep breath, Zelos and I approached Yuan to learn more about these Exspheres and start Zelos' training to assassinate Sylvarant's Chosen.
"Well, well, Chosen One. Here at last?" Yuan asked, smirking at me.
Zelos frowned and I leveled a cool stare at Yuan.
"Master Yuan." I said neutrally, nodding my head at him.
Yuan's smirk grew. "I have already delivered the Exspheres and Key Crests to the technicians here at the Lab. If you wish, I can show you how to equip one now… Zelos, was it?"
Zelos' frown stayed on his face as he nodded and said, "Zelos Wilder."
"Ah, well… The pleasure is mine." Yuan said, holding out his hand.
Zelos briefly shook his hand, and Yuan smirked once more.
"Shall we?" He asked, bowing.
I repressed the urge to roll my eyes at him and regally walked into the Lab with Zelos right behind me.
"Chosen One! Master Zelos!" Darien exclaimed, rushing over to us from behind the counter.
"Darien! How are you?" I asked, smiling.
Darien smiled back. "I'm good, I'm good. Excited! With this new technology… Oh, Master Yuan. Back already?"
"Yes, I'd like to equip Master Zelos here with one of the Exspheres I delivered." Yuan said.
"Oh." Darien said, blinking at us.
"I'm… uh… gonna need it for training." Zelos said.
"Oh! You're going to train to be a fighter?" Darien asked.
"Yeah, something like that." Zelos said.
"…You can't tell me, can you?" Darien said, his smile slipping.
"I'm sorry, Darien. King's orders." Zelos said.
Darien sighed. "It's fine; no less than expected, I suppose. Anyway, the other half-elves are down in the Labs experimenting on the Exspheres – go ahead on down and snag one for yourself."
I grinned. "Thanks, Darien. We'll be quick, promise."
Darien waved his hand. "Take your time, Chosen One. I know Annabel is down there and has been impatiently waiting for you to visit."
My smile broadened. "Annabel's here?"
"Yeah, just got back from her temp job at the Imperial Research Academy in Sybak." Darien said.
"C'mon, Zelos! Let's go!" I said, completely forgetting about Yuan and Exspheres and assassination attempts, eager to see my friend.
Zelos laughed. "All right, all right! Slow down! Jeez, don't pull my arm outta its socket, Sheena!"
I rolled my eyes and loosened my grip on his arm, but nevertheless led him toward the back room and the ladder descending into the Lab.
We climbed down swiftly and as soon as my feet hit solid ground, I spun around and scanned the Lab for Annabel. Zelos stood next to me and I looked around, having not yet found here when suddenly a voice yelled: "Chosen One!" I was suddenly glomped by a small girl and staggered, with Zelos catching me before I fell to the hard concrete floor.
"Whoa there! Annabel, be careful!" Zelos said, laughing.
Yuan watched the scene with curiosity, as Annabel disentangled herself from me and grinned up at me.
"Annabel!" I said, laughing, pulling her into a quick hug before looking her over. "You've grown!"
"Only a little bit. Chosen One! Sybak was so much fun! The city was so pretty in the moonlight! And the Academy was HUGE!" Annabel gushed.
I grinned at her. "That's great! I'm glad you had a good time!"
"Yeah! I even met someone…" Annabel said, blushing slightly and clasping her hands behind her back, rocking side to side on her feet.
"Oh really? You have to tell me everything!" I said.
"Well, his name's Karl. He works at the Academy full time researching plants. He really cute!" Annabel said, her blush deepening.
"I'm so happy for you!" I said.
"Yeah! I'm going to see if I can transfer permanently over to Sybak so we can be together!" Annabel said.
"It's that serious already?" I asked.
Annabel turned tomato red. "I think I love him." She murmured.
I hugged her. "I'm so incredibly happy for you, Annabel! I'll talk to the King and see that you get that transfer."
"Chosen One! Thank you!" Annabel squealed hugging me tightly.
"Ahem. If we could perhaps continue with our purpose here…" Yuan said.
I blushed slightly and let go of Annabel. "Oh, right…" I murmured.
Zelos just chuckled, grinning down at me and shaking his head.
"Annabel, the new Exspheres that were just delivered, who's working on them?" I asked.
"Oh, that'd be Shiri, in Lab 3." Annabel said.
"Thanks. We'll talk later, okay?" I said.
"Sure! Bye, Chosen One!" Annabel said, skipping back over to her work table.
As Zelos led us through the doorway and into Lab 3, Yuan murmured: "I'm surprised you're so friendly with half-elves, Chosen One."
I shrugged. "I've always been a misfit, so I suppose I can relate to them. I don't agree with how they are treated, but it's so ingrained that there's very little I can do."
"I see…" Yuan said, looking at me contemplatively.
"Shiri, we were told you have the new Exspheres?" Zelos asked.
The pale half-elf that was hunched over her work table straightened at looked at us, blinking before saying: "Oh, Master Zelos! Chosen One! Yes, yes, right over here!"
I smiled. Shiri was as scatterbrained as ever. I wondered how Darien put up with her.
Shiri led us to a corner of the room, where a table had two piles on it: small, round blue gems – the Exspheres – and black, flat pieces of what looked like ore, with glittering script written on them – the Key Crests.
"Thanks, Shiri." Zelos said, smiling.
"Oh, it's no problem. You signed in with Darien, right?" She asked.
I nodded. "Yes, we did."
Shiri nodded once. "Good." She murmured, before abruptly returning to her station and resuming her work.
"So, I'm guessing that pile is the Key Crests?" Zelos asked, pointing at the small mountain of black ore.
Yuan stepped forward and nodded. "Yes, these are Key Crests, made out of processed inhibitor ore and carved with a spell allowing them to restrain the Exspheres attached to them. They act as mounts for the Exspheres."
Zelos and I nodded.
"By the way, Master Yuan," Zelos said, "I've been wondering. Surely you weren't alone in your discovery of the nature of the two worlds. There had to be several people investigating it, and then building the technology that allowed you to come here."
Yuan nodded. "Yes, I thought you were smarter than you looked…" He murmured, before saying louder: "Yes. I'm the leader of a group called the Renegades. Our purpose was to build a craft capable of transfer between the two worlds, and we were successful in the completion of the Rheairds."
"And your present goals?" Zelos asked.
"To aid in the assassination of Sylvarant's Chosen, naturally." Yuan said, straight-faced.
I felt my own face tighten at the thought of Zelos attempting the kill a stranger in a foreign land, but Zelos just nodded as if he had been expecting that answer.
"Have you thought of where you will equip your Exsphere?" Yuan asked.
Zelos nodded. "I suppose I'll just put it on my chest. Convenient and out of the way."
Yuan nodded. "Wise choice. Well then, please choose a Key Crest from the pile and carefully apply it to your chest where you want it. Know that it can be removed but is a somewhat painful process, so get it right the first time."
Zelos nodded and picked up a Key Crest, angling it at the top of his chest, just under his collarbone and completely in plain sight. He looked up at Yuan before applying it, however.
"What'll happen when I press this to my skin?" He asked.
"The Key crest will attach to your skin like an adhesive and measure your body's abilities and mana, in order to gauge how an Exsphere would react and prepare to stifle the harmful effects. It's a painless process that occurs in milliseconds." Yuan said.
I watched closely as Zelos nodded and pressed the Key Crest onto his skin. The writing glimmered brighter for a second, then returned to its natural state. Zelos let his hands drop, and the Key Crest stayed where it was.
"You okay?" I asked, since I didn't have a Key Crest and wasn't sure what he was experiencing.
Zelos nodded, looking thoughtful. "Yeah. It feels weird to have something stuck there, but I suppose I'll get used to it." He said, smiling wryly at me.
"Now, choose an Exsphere and place it at the Key Crest's center. The Key will adhere to the Exsphere and siphon its affects, giving you all the positives without the side-affects. This part, however, will sting a little as the Exsphere adjusts to its new host." Yuan said.
Zelos merely nodded and plucked a gem off of the pile. He quickly pressed it the Key Crest, and both the gem and Key Crest lit up. Zelos let out a soft gasp and his body stiffened. I grimaced, knowing somewhat what he was going through – I imagined that the feeling of attaching a Cruxis Crystal is similar to an Exsphere, so I knew that sickly painful shivering feeling he was experiencing right now.
His body relaxed abruptly and he let out a breath. I put my hand on his shoulder and smiled hesitantly at him, clearly asking if he was okay. He nodded and smiled my smile at me, and I relaxed.
Yuan nodded. "Very good. Now, when you fight, your mana will be heightened and flow more easily into your attacks. You will probably learn a few new attacks as well, and even some spells if you are at all magically inclined."
Zelos nodded. "Thank you, Master Yuan."
"Oh, no. Thank you, Master Zelos. The fate of the worlds rests in your hands now." Yuan said.
Suddenly, his pants' pocket glowed and a beeping could be heard. Yuan scowled and reached into his pants, pulling out a small circular device that almost looked like a makeup compact. He flipped it open and a mini-image of a bearded-man appeared.
"Reporting in, sir." The man said.
Yuan nodded and looked up at us. "My second in command, Botta." He explained. "Master Zelos, I left a pair of communicators like this with the Rheaird I gave to the King for the assassin to use, so that we can keep in touch and offer you assistance. As you can see, an image of the person you are speaking with appears on the screen and their voice can be clearly heard. By adjusting the settings, you can make it so no image appears and instead of the message coming across vocally, it will appear as text on the screen instead, to which you can respond vocally or type out, though the typing is somewhat time consuming."
Botta waited patiently as Yuan explained to Zelos, then said: "Sir…"
"Yes, well, excuse me for a moment." Yuan said, changing the settings just as he had explained to Zelos, making the conversation private. I stared at this strange technology, marveling at it. Zelos looked at me and we shared an awed expression before turning to look closely at Yuan who was growling at his communicator and muttered softly: "Good thing I prepared a Plan B, then, hmm? Stay at Base. I'll be there shortly."
He snapped the communicator closed and turned to us as he stuffed it back into his pocket.
"Something has come up and I am needed in Sylvarant. Master Zelos, contact me before you leave and I will open the transfer system. I will see you in a few days." Yuan said. He nodded to Zelos and bowed to me, before swiftly exiting the Lab.
"Well that was… interesting." Zelos said, turning to face me.
My eyes were level with his newly acquired Exsphere and I squinted at it before looking up at Zelos' face.
"You're sure you're okay, right?" I asked.
Zelos chuckled. "I'm fine, Sheena. You worry too much!"
I rolled my eyes and lightly punched his shoulder. "Idiot…" I mumbled.
His grin widened and we walked across the room, planning to leave the Lab when Shiri suddenly stopped us.
Hmm... wonder what Shiri could want...?
So, what'd ya think? The next two chapters will be Sheena's POV as well, so we'll get to see a little more of everyone's favorite ninja! So stay tuned and keep reading!
Review?