Here it is, chapter 3. Thanks to all the fans of this story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

Chapter 3- Trust

She doesn't trust me? That was the only thing that Zelos could think about. Could Sheena really think that? How could she think that? That statement couldn't be more wrong. She was the person that he trusted the most in his life.

His stomach churned as his guilt increased. If he hadn't of emptied the contents of his stomach all ready, he would be throwing up right now.

What had he done to make Sheena believe that she didn't have his trust? He had tried to act normal, he really tried. He didn't argue with Sheena, he ate, was that not convincing enough?

He wasn't purposely closing himself up. He had attempted to talk to Sheena, but every time he tried, it felt like something was stopping him. Zelos didn't want to keep her in the dark, he just didn't know how to talk to her about it.

And due to his inability to talk to her, Zelos had hurt Sheena. No matter what he did, it seemed like he was always hurting somebody.

First it was his mother, then it was Seles. Why did it have to be Seles? What had she done in her life? She didn't deserve to die so early in life.

Even though Zelos could figure out in his mind that her death was not his fault, he couldn't help but feel guilty about it. Why did they have to get in a fight? Why did he have to be so stubborn that he wouldn't even visit his own sister?

Zelos had so many regrets that he couldn't even list them all. Not seeing his sister when she was dying was one of them. He should have. He shouldn't have ignored her, just because they had gotten into a fight.

However, while Zelos may regret arguing with his sister, he didn't feel bad about defending the woman he loves. He just wished that he had tried to make up with his sister before she died.

"Wait," Zelos whispered, "was that why Seles wanted to see me? To talk about that fight?"

That's when he started to feel worse. What if that was what Seles had wanted to talk about? What if she had been trying to make amends before she died? Had he truly denied Seles that chance by avoiding her?

He clenched his eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears he felt forming. What right did he have to cry? How could that possibly help him? Tears wouldn't bring his sister back. They wouldn't help him earn Sheena's forgiveness. What was the point in crying?

He sighed and sat up, rubbing his eyes roughly. Should he go look for Sheena? No, she wouldn't have left if she wanted to be with him. He should probably leave her alone.

Zelos would never tell Sheena this, but ever since Seles died, it was becoming harder and harder to resist cutting himself. He just can't stand all of the guilt that he's feeling.

It's not possible to tell Sheena about it. Zelos thought. If he told her, he feared the look of disappointment in her eyes. He wouldn't be able to survive disappointing her again. So, he fought the urges, but it was difficult, especially without Sheena there with him. Seeing her always helped him, so for her to be gone now, he felt himself giving in.

He didn't want to. He didn't want to depend on that again. Even so, he got up and began searching his room, at the same time trying to stop himself.

Maybe this would really help him. Maybe this could get him to act normal. Could cutting himself really help him? Could it truly be that easy?

He was brought out of his musings by a fairly loud knock on the door. He started to feel a little panicky, but quickly walked to the door when he realized whoever knocked wasn't going to enter.

Taking a few deep breathes to calm himself, he opened the door and quietly gasped in surprise when he saw Sheena.

"What are doing here?" He asked cautiously.

"I'm sorry." She said instantly. Zelos could hear the guilt in her voice and it made him internally wince, "I shouldn't have said that. That made you feel worse, didn't it?"

Zelos vaguely nodded, shocked that she was able to know that. Well, she did claim to know him very well. Zelos guessed that this fact was true.

"I'm really sorry, Zelos."

"Don't be, it's my fault too."

Zelos jumped slightly when Sheena put her arms around his waist. Instinctively, he hugged her and laid the side of his face on the top of her head.

"You don't need to say that." She whispered, "I understand why."

Did she really? Zelos himself didn't even know why he felt such immense guilt over Seles's death. How could Sheena know?

He remained silent, mostly because he didn't know what to say.

"Things have been hard, I know." She pulled away from him slightly and Zelos looked into her brown eyes, "But… that's why you need to talk about them."

Zelos knew that the conversation was going to return to this. He didn't feel like talking about it. He didn't know how to talk about it. His feelings of guilt, pain, he didn't know why he had them. At least, he didn't know why he felt so responsible.

Words couldn't describe how he felt. That's why he found it useless to try. And when he did try, he just couldn't speak of his anxieties.

"Zelos?" Sheena questioned.

Oh, crap. Zelos thought. Had she been talking to him? Had he spaced out or something.

"Y-yeah?" He answered.

Sheena sighed quietly and kissed Zelos's cheek, "Go to sleep. Or, try to sleep."

Zelos could see that there was a sadness in her eyes now. Did he do something wrong? Rather, was it something that he didn't do? It seemed like he had hurt her once again.

Before he could reciprocate the kiss, Sheena had started walking towards the door and left the room, saying that she'd come back in a few minutes. So now, Zelos was alone again.

He sat on his bed and pondered aloud, "Will you be next, Sheena? Will you die because of me? Why do you stay with me, when you'll just end up hurt?"

He was unable to come up with answers to these questions. And he had also been unsuccessful in his search for something sharp. So, he opted to trying to use his fingernails to cut himself, but they hardly served the purpose. The nails didn't draw blood, and they didn't hurt that much. All the pain that he was feeling inside still remained.

Sighing in frustration, he rolled over onto his side and tried to sleep, hoping that he could at least do this one thing correctly and get Sheena to believe that he was getting better. Maybe then, she would realize that he trusted her. However, nothing was ever that easy for him. Why should this be?

I have now seen Zelos's Flanoir scene, and I must say, I simply loved it. Hopefully, that'll help give me inspiration.

Anyway, please review. I'd like to hear your thoughts and opinions about this story, whether they're good or bad.