(For disclaimer and author/story/series notes, see the Prologue.)
0~*~0
Day 1, Part 2: The Repercussions
Skin. Warm, smooth, soft, fragrant, delicious skin. It was addictive. It was one of his favorite things in the world, the feel of a woman's perfect skin beneath his lips; it was one of the main reasons he kept going back for more. It didn't hurt that it was usually accompanied by the feeling of a woman's arms encompassing him, by the warmth of a pliant body pressed against his, by the feel of gentle yet needy hands woven through his hair, by the soft curves he felt beneath his fingers. It wasn't about the woman he was with—usually he couldn't even recall her name—and he certainly felt nothing for her, but the enticing sensations kept drawing him back for more, more, more. He craved it...he needed it: the acceptance, the pleasure...
...The illusion, if only for a fleeting moment, of being loved and needed.
The woman Zelos had chosen for this particular morning rendezvous giggled as he trailed his lips down the warm, soft skin of her stomach, her hands caressing his scalp and guiding his head, impatiently trying to push him lower, his hands curving around her hips to hold her steady while he attempted to kiss every inch of her skin, the blanket that covered him hiding him from her view. There was still too many scraps of silk covering too much of her skin for his liking, but right now he was taking his time with this, letting the physical sensations tune out his mind, enjoying every second of this pleasurable distraction. He had gotten over feeling guilty about this years ago; after all, the women always enjoyed it, too, and the way he figured it, if they were willing and eager for this, then why not use them? No, these were the blissful moments he now lived for, the moments when he could forget everything bad that had ever happened to him, live in the moment, feel as human as everyone else, and let himself revel in the mindless, addictive pleasure.
Everything was blurring together, drowning out all thought from his mind: lips, hands, breasts, muscles, tangled limbs, taste, scent, moans, the twisting of the silky sheets surrounding them... He paused briefly as he heard a soft sound, a click as if his bedroom door had opened, but he couldn't see anything past the sheet covering him. He listened a moment but didn't hear anything else, and, deciding he was imagining things, he resumed trailing kisses over the woman's skin, turned on by her encouraging moans. After all, Sebastian would never dare interrupt them; he knew the routine, and if he had something to say, he would've at least knocked. And if it wasn't Sebastian, then there was no one else it could possibly be.
He continued his ministrations another minute, slowly working his way southward, closer to his goal, the woman's fingers tightening in his hair, when suddenly her hands stilled and her moans ceased.
"Chosen!" While that was a normal gasp to hear from whichever woman he was currently with, what followed that was definitely not normal. "Oooh...you have a twin! I had no idea!"
...Say what? Zelos froze, confusion sweeping over him. "What? No, I don't—"
"Oooh, can he join us? Please, please? Pretty please?"
The woman tugged at his head, trying to urge him upward. It took him a moment to grasp not only what she was saying and doing, but what it meant: there was someone else in the room with them. Pushing the sheet off of him, he looked up...right into the absolute last face he had ever expected to see: his own.
And it was absolutely livid.
"Whoa!" he cried out, startled. He quickly pushed himself off of the woman and backed away on the bed, his mind frantically trying to figure out if he was going crazy or if he was really seeing what he thought he was seeing. "What the...?! Who the hell are you?!"
The nameless woman looked at him, grinning like a dog who'd suddenly found itself with two bones, and then at his fuming doppelganger, and then finally back at him. "Well, isn't it obvious?" she chirped gleefully. "He looks exactly like you, Chosen! You must have a twin!"
...Was she really that daft? "I don't have a twin!"
His doppelganger, who looked like he had smoke coming out of his ears, suddenly pointed at the door. "Get out," he demanded, his voice soft but frighteningly intense.
"Are you sure you don't have a twin, Chosen?" the woman said. "Because he really looks like—"
"Positive," Zelos said.
"Get out," his doppelganger repeated.
What the hell?! "You get out!" Zelos said, pointing at the door. "This is my bedroom, bucko, and I'm a bit busy here right now!"
"I wasn't talking to you," the other him said. "I was talking to her."
The woman blinked at him blankly. "But he looks exactly like you!"
It had been a long time since Zelos had last seen anyone look that mad, and it had been even longer since he'd seen that look aimed at him, and...well, he wasn't sure he'd ever seen his own face that twisted with pure rage. But it wasn't his face—his face was still safely attached to his own beautiful body—it just looked like his face...although the hair was all wrong, even if it was the right color...agh, his head hurt. Could this guy be Matthew Fenimore? No, Matthew wasn't handsome enough to pass as him. Some other guy, then? He didn't know, but whoever he was, one thing was sure: he was trouble.
"Err...maybe you should get out of here, hunny," he said. If the guy was looking to kill him, then he didn't want this woman here, risking her life in the process. He was nothing, after all, if not a chivalrous gentleman. Not to mention that many blood stains would be a nightmare for Sebastian to try to clean up.
But the woman still seemed to be stuck on the fact that the guy looked exactly like him. "Are you sure he won't join us?" she whined.
The other 'him' eyed her in obvious disgust. "You couldn't pay me to get in bed with you, hunny."
Zelos cringed at his derogatory tone. How did this guy have his voice, too?! What the hell was going on here? "Just go, okay?" he urged the woman. "Let me deal with this."
She pouted at him in a way that...well, okay, it really did look pathetic and childish. "Well, okay, but I don't think you two should be fighting over me! I think we should just have fun together! I mean, he's just as handsome as you are...even if he is wearing some really strange, unflattering clothes...and his hair is so short..."
"Go," his doppelganger repeated, pointing again at the door. "Now."
The woman looked back at Zelos and batted her eyelashes at him seductively. "You'll see me later and we can finish this then, right, Chosen?"
The other 'him' cut him off before he could answer. "No, he won't see you later. Or ever again, if he knows what's good for him."
Okay, this was getting ridiculous. Who the hell was this guy, and how dare he make declarations like that? What—and who—Zelos did or did not choose to do was none of his damn business. "Hey, isn't that my decision to make?"
"Go!" his alternate shouted at the woman, gesturing even more forcefully at the door. "Before I have to blow up this bed to get rid of you!"
"Okay, okay!" the woman said, sliding out of bed. Thankfully, Zelos hadn't gotten around to removing the last of her undergarments yet, so she still had enough clothes on to appear semi-decent...although considering how she'd been begging him to invite this guy to join them, he didn't think she would've cared if he'd seen even more than this.
"Go on, get out of here," his alternate prodded, nearly shoving her toward the door.
The woman, however, still apparently didn't realize the urgency of the situation, for she cast another look back at Zelos, waving to him. "Bye, Chosen! It's been loads of fun! I'll be sure to see you again later—"
"Out," his doppelganger said, grabbing her clothes from the floor and shoving them in her face. "Now."
"I'm going, I'm going!" The woman abruptly turned and looked back at him, her eyes wide. "You aren't going to hurt him, are you?"
"I can't promise that." Her face fell, but before she could protest, Zelos's alternate rolled his eyes, cast a spell—that was definitely Wind Blade—and the door slammed shut in her face, louder than was technically necessary, making Zelos wince at the sound. Next he knew, his doppelganger was looking back at him where he still sat on the bed, gaping and trying to figure out what was going on, and pointed at the closed door. "Greta?! Really?! Of all the women you could have, you picked her, the most despicable, conniving whore to walk the streets of Meltokio?!"
Okay, so this guy definitely wasn't Matthew, then, because if he was, he'd be chasing after that chick for himself, trying to seduce her; he wouldn't be berating Zelos's taste in women. "Yeah, so?" he replied as nonchalantly as he could manage considering...oh, right, he didn't have any clothes on. This was a bit awkward and uncomfortable and he'd be beating this guy up, whoever he was, except being naked made him feel a little too, er, vulnerable. "She's a great lay. Very enthusiastic and always eager to please. So what's your point? What the hell right do you have to barge in here and kick her out like that? I could arrest you for breaking and entering! And who the hell are you and why the hell do you look like me?"
"You're disgusting," the other 'him' seethed. "And I don't have to answer your questions."
What the...? "Like hell you don't! I don't care who you look like, this is my house!"
His doppelganger waved that off in disgust and headed toward the door. "Ugh. I'm leaving before I kill you. Or castrate you."
It was then, as the man who looked like him turned to leave, that Zelos noted he was carrying something beneath his arm...and then he noted how odd this guy's clothes really were, looking an awful lot like...ninja clothes? "Wait a minute, are you...are you stealing my clothes?!" His alternate didn't answer that and instead threw open the bedroom door. Taking a page from his book, Zelos immediately cast Wind Blade, slamming the door shut before he could leave. "Oh, I don't think so, bucko! What the hell are you doing, looking like me and stealing my clothes?!"
His alternate turned back to him, his blue eyes—those were his eyes, too!—an icy flame. "Don't worry. You'll get these back in a week. Now I know you're going to be an idiot and pretend you didn't hear this, but Don't. Follow. Me. Got it?"
"Like hell!"
"Yeah, thought so." Before Zelos could so much as crawl out of bed and chase after him, his alternate caught him off guard with another well-placed Wind Blade that threw him to the floor. By the time he managed to scramble to his feet again, the guy was already out the door.
Zelos made to follow him, but he stopped as he realized again that he really didn't have any clothes on; he wouldn't get far like that, not without making an awful lot of tongues wag. Hell, he'd probably make the front page of the paper, complete with a hugely embarrassing photograph, if he stepped outside looking like this. With a curse, he grabbed his white pants and black shirt from the chair beside the bed and put them on as quickly as he could, trying not to trip as he headed to the door, following the guy who looked almost exactly like him.
"Hey, wait!" But upon emerging from his bedroom, he found his alternate was already downstairs, throwing open the door and stepping outside. Needing to catch up to him before he could get too far, Zelos jumped off of the balcony, landed on his couch, and hurried after him. He was not letting this creep get away. "Hey, I said stop!"
Naturally, the guy didn't stop.
Zelos rushed outside...and instantly skidded to a stop at the sight awaiting him there. His doppelganger was standing with a dark-haired woman who definitely wasn't Greta, telling her, "We have to go." The woman turned toward the mansion, her brown eyes narrowed, clearly trying to figure out what was going on...and in that moment, as Zelos's eyes met hers, he was positive his heart stopped. There, directly in front of him, was a face he hadn't seen in years and that he had done his absolute best to pretend never existed...but one that he couldn't possibly forget no matter how hard he tried.
"Sheena."
Her name was a mere whisper on his lips, wrested from him without his knowledge or permission. She looked exactly the same as she had when he'd last seen her, her hair up in the same messy ponytail, wearing the same clothes (although they had clearly seen better days), the same fire and life in her eyes that he'd always loved inciting in days gone by. Her eyes briefly widened in surprise at seeing him, but only a split second later coldness replaced it. His already confused mind couldn't make sense of any of this. What was she doing here? Was she here with that other guy who looked like him? If so, why? And what the hell was going on here? His mind was struggling to figure it all out and process everything that had just happened, but it simply couldn't do so past his utter shock, and so instead all he could do was gape at them both.
His doppelganger looked back at him, scowling, still clearly livid, then quickly placed his hand to Sheena's back in a way that Zelos's mind identified as way too familiar—not to mention possessive—and urged her to move. "C'mon, let's go."
Sheena continued staring at Zelos another moment, but then she abruptly turned back to his short-haired counterpart, nodded, and let him lead her away, drifting closer to him as she whispered, "Zelos, what happened? I thought you said he wouldn't be home."
"I was wrong."
"Obviously. And I thought we agreed if he was home, you were gonna avoid him."
"Sorry. Couldn't help myself."
Zelos gaped at them another moment as they swiftly walked away, but thankfully his senses were finally returning to him...even if he still had no idea what was going on. "Hey, wait!" he called after them. "I said wait, damn it! You owe me a huge explanation here!" He started following them, even though they were clearly making a point to ignore him, but then he stepped on a stone, slicing the bottom of his foot open...aw, crap, he needed shoes before he could follow them! With another uttered curse, he hurried back inside, yelling for Sebastian to find him some socks now, and went for his boots...shit, they weren't there! He'd have to go hunting for a spare set. And...wait, where was the sword he always left by the door? That was missing, too? What, had his doppelganger taken them on his way out?
He cursed again, and then rushed to storage to find replacements. It took him far too long—and he felt bad for being so pushy and demanding of Sebastian to help him now, now, now—but he couldn't help it; he had to catch up to those two. Finally, though, he was running out of his house again. Naturally, he didn't see them anywhere, but his gut was telling him if his doppelganger was with Sheena, then they were likely heading toward Mizuho. That meant, if he took a shortcut to the northeast and out of town, he might be able to cut them off—assuming, of course, they had used the main entrance.
Catching up to them, he found, required use not only of the shortcut, but of his wings. Finally, though, just a little before the bridge, he touched down on the ground again as he saw them. "Hey, stop!" he called after them, running as fast as he could to reach them. "I said, stop!" But still the guy who looked unnervingly like him ignored him—and even Sheena, when she glanced back at him, gave him a look that was still cold, distant, wary, and reflected definite disgust and anger. She didn't stop either, though, and after a moment she looked back at her companion as they continued walking. "Hey!" Desperate times called for desperate measures, and needing to make his point that he demanded their attention, he threw a fireball at them, intentionally missing them; while he'd have no qualms about hitting the other 'him,' Sheena was walking too close to the guy for him to take that risk.
"Ignore him," his alternate instructed her. "That idiot would never actually hit you."
The fact that the man had just accurately pegged that made him pause, but then he started running forward again. "Sheena, stop! He isn't me! I'm the real Zelos Wilder! That man is a fake! He isn't me!"
And finally, finally, Sheena stopped, sighed, and turned back toward him, her eyes fiery and disgusted, even while her tone was cold and flat as she spoke two simple words: "I know."
Zelos stopped short, blinking at her blankly. She did? Then what was she...why was she...? "What? You do?"
"Yeah, I do."
Incredulous, he motioned at the man who looked like him who had kept walking even though she had stopped. "Who is he? Why does he look exactly like me?!"
Her eyes slid shut, her face twisting with obvious frustration, then she looked back at her companion. "Zelos, wait. I don't think he's gonna give up."
His alternate finally stopped, his expression still furious as he turned back toward them. "Of course not," he muttered. "That would be asking too much of him." He hesitated another moment, but then he walked back toward them, standing unnaturally close to Sheena...and she let him, Zelos noted with a flare of jealousy. "I thought I told you not to follow me."
The man didn't know a thing about him if he'd really thought that would happen. "You're wearing my face, you're stealing my clothes, you're with..." he motioned at Sheena, "her, and you really expect me not to try to figure out what the hell is going on and what game you're playing at?!"
His doppelganger pointed back at Meltokio, his face nearly twitching with his anger. "Walk away. Right now."
Not gonna happen. "No. Who are you? Who the hell are you?!" When his alternate didn't answer, just continued glaring at him, he turned to Sheena. He needed answers. "And you...if you know I'm the real Zelos Wilder, then why are you with him? Who is he?" Sheena folded her arms to her chest and looked away from him without answering, but her face was bright red—funny, how much he'd missed seeing that—and for a moment he thought he saw something flicker in her eyes...but he had no idea what it was. And suddenly he noticed a glint from his alternate's hand—was that a wedding ring? Wait...could it be? He looked sharply back at Sheena, his eyes narrowing. "Is he Orochi? Are you ninjas up to something, trying to frame me for something, so he dressed up like me and needed my clothes to complete the disguise?"
His alternate's brows furrowed as he looked at Sheena. "He doesn't know?"
Her face, likewise, reflected obvious confusion as she shook her head. "I guess not. But then, I suppose, how could he?"
The other 'him' tilted his head, conceding that. "Good point."
"Know what?" Zelos demanded, but again they didn't reply. "Know what?!"
"If you don't already know, then I'm not gonna answer that," his alternate said.
Gee, they were keeping something else a secret from him. What a shocker. But right now he needed answers to certain questions first and foremost; he would worry about the rest later. "Why are you pretending to look like me? What's your end game? What do you want? Are you planning to blackmail me? If you aren't Orochi, which I still don't believe, then you have to be another ninja from Mizuho, especially if you're with Sheena, and especially if you're wearing that." He motioned at his alternate's ninja clothes. "But if you're trying to pose as me, then you're doing a horrible job of it, because my hair is far more glamorous and gorgeous than yours." His doppelganger glared at him as he flipped his long red hair back, but he didn't say anything...although the fire, rage, and hatred in his eyes said plenty. In fact, Zelos figured he would be alarmed by it if only he wasn't so completely pissed at seeing his own face plastered on someone else's body, someone who was with Sheena. "What's the matter, nothing to say about your poor job trying to imitate me? You're too jealous of how much better I look to even respond?" When in doubt, fall back on snarkiness, he'd learned years ago; it tended to throw people off their guard, which usually worked in his favor. Still his doppelganger didn't reply, though, and Zelos figured it couldn't hurt to try pleading with Sheena again. "C'mon, Sheena, you gotta admit, I look a hell of a lot better than this loser, so what're you doing with him?"
"Ignore him," his alternate finally said, gently grabbing Sheena's arm and tugging on it. "Let's go."
Sheena nodded. "Good idea." The two turned and resumed walking away from him.
Zelos gaped at them. Seriously? That was all he got: nothing? Well, fine then. He'd just have to do this the hard way. "Y'know, I'm not just gonna let anyone run around with my beautiful face without fighting them for it." And then he did what he'd really hoped he wouldn't have to do: he drew his sword.
The other 'him' slowed, and Zelos could've sworn he heard the man growl as he closed his eyes. "You don't want to do that."
"Try me."
His alternate opened his eyes, handed the bundle of clothes—his clothes...and his missing shoes, too!—to Sheena, who took them without a word. He then pulled out his sword—which was also definitely Zelos's—and Zelos charged at him, prepared to try to beat some sense into the guy and finally get some much-needed answers. In a flash, though, the other 'him' suddenly spun around, parried Zelos's attack, and then, in a swift, fluid move that left Zelos completely stunned, disarmed him and pressed the tip of the sword to his neck.
Zelos's eyes widened and he gulped, feeling a tiny trickle of blood running down his neck. "That was a ninja move," he said. "You really are Orochi, aren't you?"
His doppelganger didn't answer that, though; he just continued glaring at him, his face twitching, clearly fuming, as Sheena walked over to them, looking surprisingly alarmed. "If I kill him, would it be murder or suicide?" the man asked her.
She quickly grabbed his arm to stop him. "Neither. We aren't going to find out. He's not worth it, Zelos."
Zelos's alternate considered that a moment, his eyes narrowing even more sharply. "You're right. He's not." He lowered the sword from Zelos's neck, looking him over. "But I also know him well enough to know he won't leave us alone, either. He's just gonna keep following us."
"You're the one who talked to him," Sheena muttered.
"Yeah, don't remind me," he grumbled. "It wasn't my best idea ever. I just couldn't help myself."
Zelos still wasn't following any of this, but there was one thing he did know. "Well, you're right. I'm gonna keep following you. That's my face you're wearing, and damn it, I want answers!"
"Answers you aren't getting, because Sheena's right: you're a manwhore who isn't worth the time or effort," his alternate replied.
Zelos shrugged, brushing that off. He'd had far worse insults thrown at him throughout his miserable life. "Call me what you will, but I'm not leaving."
The other 'him' shrugged. "Fine, then. Have it your way. If you won't leave us alone, then I'll make you leave us alone."
Zelos braced himself, on the alert, ready for another fight...when out of nowhere, a fist came straight at his face, so quick that he didn't have time to anticipate or block it, even with his Cruxis crystal-enhanced angel senses. A second later it smashed into Zelos's nose, accompanied by a sickening crunching sound. All the breath was knocked from his lungs, and he stumbled backward, falling down to the ground and crying out at the intense, blinding fire and pain that erupted in his head.
"There," he heard his own voice saying smugly. "Now he'll leave us alone."
Zelos moaned as he forced himself to sit up, covering his throbbing, agonizing face with his hands, and peered up at them. Sheena gaped down at him a moment, her eyes wide with shock, before looking back at his alternate. "I think you just broke his nose."
"I know I did," his alternate replied, cradling his clenched fist to his chest. Zelos could see a bit of blood on it, and while it must be hurting him, he still smirked down at Zelos vindictively. "That's for Sheena, for what you did to her. You deserved that. And for jumping into bed with Greta, of all the crazy Meltokio bitches you could've picked up." Zelos could only gape at him, still in far too much pain to respond. "You'll want to head back to Meltokio and get that fixed before your precious face is permanently disfigured." His alternate took a threatening step closer, towering over him, looking down at him with pure disgust. "And if I ever see you again, if you follow us or try to find us, I will kill you, and I think you've seen enough to know I'm capable of it." He glared down at Zelos another moment, then he suddenly looked back at Sheena, took the clothes and the shoes from her, and motioned at the bridge. "C'mon, sweetheart. Let's get out of here. I want nothing more to do with this idiot."
For a moment, Sheena just stared back at Zelos, who was still sitting on the ground, trying to wait for the worst of the pain to pass before he attempted to stand. She was hesitating, he noted, a look in her dark eyes that he was having trouble deciphering, likely because of the blinding pain in his skull. What was that? Sympathy? Guilt? Anger? Hatred? Disgust? Confusion? He didn't know, but he gave her a hopeful look that she would care enough to check on him and make sure he was okay. Without warning, though, her face hardened and she turned, following the other 'him' away. Zelos's heart sank even further. Yeah, okay, so he really didn't deserve her pity or sympathy, did he?
Once Sheena had caught up with her companion, though, her face softened as she grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked. "I've never seen you that upset before."
Zelos's doppelganger sighed and turned toward her, his face likewise softening a bit. He cast another disgusted glance at Zelos before looking back at Sheena. His voice lowered when he spoke, but thanks to his angel senses, Zelos could still hear him loud and clear. "I've often wondered these past few years what my life would've looked like and who I would've become if I hadn't had you. The last thing I ever wanted, though, was to see it for myself firsthand like this."
Zelos was thoroughly confused by that—what the hell was that guy talking about, 'If I hadn't had you'?—but he still wasn't in any condition to vocalize the question. From his position, he could see Sheena's eyes widen slightly; she clearly had no idea how to respond to that. "O...oh."
"And while I know I wasn't cheating on you," the other 'him' went on, "seeing him with that woman, someone who was a thorn in our side for years...it sure felt like it. I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have let him know I was there, but I just...I couldn't help myself. I don't want to see him again, because I don't want to think what I'd do to him the next time." Her lips parted as she continued staring at him, wide-eyed, and he sighed and touched her arm to get her moving again. "C'mon. Right now I just want to go home."
She nodded hesitantly, her eyes still wide. Zelos's doppelganger turned and resumed walking, but Sheena lingered behind a moment, looking back at Zelos, her expression an indecipherable jumble of emotions. And once again, his hope rose that she would come back and help him up, or at least check on him...even as his confusion returned, noting, at the oddest of moments, that she wasn't wearing a wedding ring—which made no sense given his current theory that the guy she was with was Orochi. But then suddenly she turned, hurried after the other 'him,' and soon enough, they were gone, vanishing into the distance.
With a grunt, Zelos pushed himself to his feet, the throbbing heat and pain in his head nearly unbearable, making it impossible to think clearly. Nothing made sense...nothing. Everything was a blur of confusion, rage, and disappointment. He briefly considered following the two anyway, but that other him—damn him—was right: he had to fix his face before he even tried to go after them and get the answers he needed. There was no way, after all, that he'd be able to win another fight with that guy, not with the pain he was in. No, right now his best option was to retreat to Meltokio, fix his nose, figure out what the hell was going on and who that guy could possibly be, and then try again. He already knew they were heading to Mizuho; that other 'him' had said 'home,' and Mizuho was Sheena's home. He didn't think the village had moved—although he couldn't vouch for that seeing as he'd been making a point not to pay attention to anything having to do with Sheena or Mizuho since they'd cut each other out of their lives all those years ago.
But even once he got his face fixed...should he really follow them? Or should he leave them be? He was torn. That guy, whoever he was, had clearly had ninja training, because he'd moved so quickly that Zelos hadn't even been able to react in time to defend himself; he'd then threatened to kill him if he ever saw him again, and as much as Zelos's pride hated to admit it, he didn't know if he'd survive another encounter. And really, he didn't want to see Sheena again; even now, his gut churned at all the memories flooding back to him, memories he'd made a point to push as far away as he could these past few years because of how horrible they made him feel. On the other hand, though, that guy had been wearing his face. What was he? A doppelganger? Had he been conjured by magic to look like Tethe'alla's Chosen? Was that a ninja disguise, as Zelos had suspected? And then, topping that off, that imposter had been with Sheena. Sheena! As much as he never wanted to see her again and be reminded of everything he wanted to forget, he also wanted to see her again, he suddenly realized. Desperately, in fact. And then Sheena had been talking so cordially to that guy who looked and sounded exactly like him. Heck, she'd even expressed concern for that jerk, checking to see that he'd been okay! How did that work?
...But right now he couldn't deal with this. He had no idea what was going on, and he wouldn't until he could think straight. That meant getting his face fixed and ridding himself of this blasted pain was his first order of business; after that he would decide his next move. Overwhelmed by fury, confusion, and frustration, Zelos suddenly threw a few fireballs at the grass, throwing up bits of dirt and grass into the air. Once the temper tantrum had alleviated a portion of his rage, he took a deep breath, trying to get himself under control, grabbed his sword where it had fallen a few feet away from him, and stalked back to Meltokio.
0~*~0
Zelos had been quiet and brooding ever since they'd left Meltokio, an attitude Sheena found unnerving. They were currently in the Gaoracchia Forest, nearly back at Mizuho, but the anger and frustration he was radiating made for a disturbing combination with the forest's dark, heavy atmosphere. To that point, though, Sheena hadn't tried to break the tension by talking to him, because...well, she didn't have a clue how to talk to him when he was like this. She guessed he was still hung up on that earlier encounter with 'himself,' but she'd never known Zelos Wilder to let anything bother him this deeply, and so she had no idea what he was thinking. Usually he brushed everything off with a joke, as if he really didn't care, which was why seeing this was so weird and unsettling. She may have been becoming more comfortable with him the longer they were together, but she had absolutely no idea how to act when he this upset. And honestly, if running into his alternate from this world really was what was bothering him, then that was her fault since he'd only had to see him because of her silly wish...a thought that once again made her gut churn with guilt.
She wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't sure what to think about having seen her world's Zelos again, nor did she know how she felt about seeing him sitting there on the ground with a bloody, broken nose. He'd deserved it, yes, and she'd wanted to do that to him herself for years, but could she really blame him for being curious why there was another 'him' around? She would've wanted answers if another 'her' suddenly showed up like that, acting as if everything was normal; heck, she was still confused by all of this and she knew what was going on! She also wasn't sure what to think about this man's earlier statement that the other Zelos was who he would've become 'if not for her'; had he meant that she—or at least another version of her—had been responsible for shaping him into the man he was? And, if that was true, then...would this world's Zelos be more like him if things had happened differently here? It was a thought she immediately pushed from her mind. There was no point dwelling on it now when it was years too late to change things. Instead, she focused on the long-buried anger that had bubbled up within her at seeing him again, remembering everything he had said and done to her, and with those images in mind, any pity she might have felt for him after being beat by his alternate—because that had been an impressive ninja move this Zelos had used on him—had vanished. He really had deserved that, after all. Ultimately, though, she just wished she hadn't had to see him at all.
But it was too late now; the damage had been done, and 'her' world's Zelos now knew there was a duplicate version of himself here with her. She just hoped he really would leave them alone and not try to sneak into Mizuho to get answers...she'd have to tell her people to be on the lookout for him and to kick him out if he showed up. Right now, though, dealing with him wasn't her primary objective. No, right now she was heading back to Mizuho with another, much more mature, 'husband' and 'father' version of Zelos who was stuck here for the next week...someone this latest incident had proven she still didn't know much about. She would have to change that because...well, as much as she hated to admit it, she was starting to like talking to him, and having to deal with this tension from him wasn't how she wanted to spend the rest of their week together.
She was still trying to figure out how best to cheer him up when, about a mile from Mizuho's gates, Zelos suddenly turned to her and held up his alternate's clothes, announcing that he was going to change. It would, after all, look much more believable for her to walk in there with him dressed like that rather than in Tatsuya's old clothes; as it was, too many villagers had probably already seen him dressed 'oddly' that morning when they'd left for Meltokio. Unable to argue that, Sheena had turned around, not wanting him to have to leave the path to get some privacy while changing...not like she hadn't seen nearly all of him earlier. And even as she waited, she couldn't help realizing that she was tempted to peek. He really was attractive, what with that lean but muscular body, and she couldn't deny she'd enjoyed looking at him like that. It was embarrassing, and wrong on so many levels, and she could feel herself blush as she envisioned the sight she'd seen earlier. He...well, he'd looked damn good, nearly naked like that...
She cleared her throat, trying to force that thought—and the accompanying images—from her mind, and trying not to be disappointed that she wouldn't get to see it again now. At least the fact that he'd prompted her to look away while he changed had proven he was more modest than 'her' Zelos was. Or maybe he was just uncomfortable changing in front of a woman who wasn't his wife? She didn't know, and really, it wasn't important. In a minute the rustling of clothes ceased and he told her it was safe to turn around again. And then there he was, dressed in Zelos Wilder's usual white, black, and pink attire...although she wasn't sure the shorter hair went as well with the look as the long hair did. Regardless, he motioned at Mizuho, and they resumed walking.
Several times during their walk Sheena had found herself amazed at how surely his footsteps were taking him, with him almost guiding her back, even though his Mizuho had apparently moved a few years ago. It was yet another indication that he truly had lived here for years, if he was this comfortable finding it. And once again she found herself wanting to talk to him, to get rid of his remaining tension, get to know this Zelos better, and learn more about his world. This seemed like a good time to start.
"So," she began, hoping he wouldn't cut her attempted conversation short with a one-word answer, "how many times have you walked this path?"
Thankfully, enough time had apparently passed since the Meltokio incident for him to begin relaxing, for he smiled faintly at her. "Honestly? I lost count years ago. Mizuho was located here a long time in my world."
"You've called it 'home' a few times now." It was something she'd noted because she had never believed she would hear Zelos Wilder talking about a 'backwater village' in such a familiar way.
"That's because it is," he replied. "No matter where it's located, Mizuho is my home. I don't remember when it happened, but at some point you became my home, and since Mizuho was your home, it became mine, too."
That was incredible. "And you're happy there?"
Zelos shrugged. "Well, there are things about it that took some major adjusting to, and Mizuho holds to a lot of traditions that I still question because there has to be an easier way to do them, but...yeah. In time I grew to love it—not only the village, but the people, too. They're family now, just as much as my own family is. I wouldn't trade it for anything."
And that was even more incredible. She couldn't question it, though, because he truly seemed to mean that. But then another question she'd been wrestling with for hours, trying to decide whether or not to ask him, popped into her mind again, and this time she couldn't help herself. She wasn't sure this was a good idea, nor was she sure she'd like the answer, but she had to know. She looked down at the path awkwardly. "Zelos, can I ask you something?"
"Wow, I haven't heard that in awhile." Not sure what he was talking about, she gave him a puzzled look, and he chuckled and waved that off. "My Sheena always used to preface serious, usually rather difficult, questions like that, too. It took awhile, but I finally got her to stop asking permission to ask the question and just ask it."
"...Oh."
"So my answer is yes, of course you can. You can ask me anything, Sheena."
Sheena was pretty sure she was blushing again, but she did get the point. It was just so...strange...knowing Zelos, a man who'd always joked off questions he didn't want to answer, was willing to be so forthcoming with her. "Okay. Um, the way you were talking about Mizuho this morning, I...I got the impression that your Mizuho is very different than mine."
He nodded, his voice lowering. "Yeah, I got that impression, too."
Okay, Sheena, just ask the question that's really on your mind. "In your world, people like Orochi, Grandpa, Sadako, and Michi are alive, right?"
"Right," he said, his eyes narrowing a bit.
"How is that possible? How could something as simple as you and me dating change that?"
Zelos looked back at the path, considering that, but then he shook his head. "I don't know. To answer that, I guess I'd need to know how they died here."
He was probably right about that. And that meant, if she really wanted that question answered, she needed to suck it up and tell him, no matter how hard this was to talk about. "Mizuho was poisoned a few years ago, and...and quite a few of our people didn't survive it. Other than Michi, they were all victims of that." She looked at him again. "I take it that didn't happen in your world?"
His eyes narrowed further, and he shook his head. "No, actually that did happen in our world."
It did? She didn't understand. "And yet Orochi and Grandpa didn't die then?"
He shook his head. "No, they survived it."
"How could that have played out so differently that they're still alive there?" she whispered, more to herself than to him.
Zelos fell silent a moment before looking back at her. "Sheena, exactly how many people died here during the poisoning?"
"A lot."
"Yeah, I got that. But seriously, how many?"
In her mind's eye, she saw the long list of names of all the people killed that day written on the memorial in their cemetery, and her stomach lurched. She glanced at him but quickly looked away again, her voice growing even softer. "Maybe the better question is how many people didn't die during it."
"Okay...?"
"We had thirty-five people left afterward."
He abruptly stopped walking, his jaw dropping in horror. "Thirty-five people?! Only thirty-five people survived that? Are you telling me well over a hundred people died here that day?"
Sheena likewise stopped and looked back at him, alarmed by his alarm. And suddenly, she was dreading hearing the answer to this question. "Why? How many people died in your world?"
He gaped at her in silence, just watching her, aghast, before murmuring, "Not nearly that many."
She blinked at him a few times, waiting for him to continue, but he didn't. "Zelos, how many?" she pressed.
Zelos fell silent again as he continued watching her, but suddenly he shook his head and resumed walking. "Actually, Sheena, I don't think it's a good idea for me to answer that question. No good can come from you hearing about that."
Uh uh. Absolutely not. There was no way she was letting that drop. She hurried ahead until she was standing in his way, making it impossible for him to avoid her. "Damn it, Zelos, don't try to coddle me or protect me from the truth! How many people died during the poisoning in your world?"
He eyed her again, but then finally sighed in defeat. "Nine."
Sheena was floored. Only nine people had died there that day. She felt sick. "Are you saying that just because we weren't dating in this world, all those lives were saved?! How could our worlds have played out that differently?"
"I told you, a lot changed for us both that night at the party," he replied, giving her a pointed look. "I wasn't kidding about that. I just...I didn't realize how far-reaching the repercussions had been."
"No kidding," she whispered, her gaze falling to his black shirt before she cleared her throat and met his eyes again. "So how did so many of the villagers survive in your world?"
"We managed to figure out the cause, find the antidote, and make it in time." Zelos tilted his head. "Well, okay, you figured out the cause and found the cure before I ever got here to do all the grunt work putting it together. And if you hadn't...well, there was no way I could've done that part on my own, not with my limited knowledge of your language at the time. And I suspect if Orochi had been the one to get there first, he wouldn't have been able to figure all of that out in time, either, although I was glad he showed up when he did to help me out with all the rest. We were just lucky you managed to identify it before you fell sick yourself."
Her eyes widened. 'Before you fell sick yourself'? "Are you saying I was poisoned in your world?"
He nodded. "You were unconscious by the time I got there and found you. It nearly killed me, finding you like that." His voice lowered and his face grew grim. "That was one of the worst days of my life. If you had died, I...well, even after all these years, I still don't want to think about what would've happened to me."
"Yeah, I know the feeling," she murmured, her stomach churning as her own memories from that day resurfaced. "Very well, in fact." He arched a prompting eyebrow at her, and she sighed. She supposed he should know this, too. "I wasn't poisoned here. In fact, I wasn't even in the village when it happened. By the time we got to Mizuho, figured it out, and made the antidote, it was too late, and we were only able to save a handful of people. Everyone else was already dead. Most of the people left in Mizuho today hadn't been in the village when it happened...in fact, most of them had been out looking for Michi at the time, seeing as he'd just run away the week before that."
Zelos watched her a moment before nodding, and they resumed walking toward Mizuho. "So I take Orochi was one of the villagers poisoned that day?"
Sheena swallowed hard. She was starting to feel nauseous remembering all these things she had tried not to think about the past few years. "No. He and I were in Ozette when it happened. He...um, he died from something else at the same time."
"I'm so sorry, Sheena."
The pain on his face told her he really meant that. She shook her head. "Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault." It was mine, her mind added, but she bit her tongue before she could say that aloud. Instead, she cleared her throat and quickly went on, needing to get off of the subject of Orochi. "Anyway, Grandpa was one of the villagers poisoned that day, and I couldn't save him in time. He hadn't finished training me to be his successor yet, though, and without Orochi, I...I couldn't take on the role of chief all on my own. I wasn't ready for it. Tiga was one of the few we were able to save with the antidote, and after he'd recovered, I asked him to become chief instead. And he did."
"Heh," Zelos uttered without any trace of humor. "Yeah, I don't blame you for turning it down, given the circumstances."
"At least Tiga knew what he was doing since he'd basically been chief in everything but name while Grandpa was in that coma. And besides, he had better skills than I did at keeping a village with only 35 survivors going."
So basically everything in that other world had gone differently because Zelos, likely dropping by to visit his Sheena at the time, had found Mizuho after it had been poisoned and was able to save her people, whereas in her world, Zelos had never had a reason to come here so he hadn't. It was amazing...and depressing. So...if she and this world's Zelos had been dating at the time, would the same thing have happened here? Could this whole nightmare have been avoided if things in this world had played out more like they had in this Zelos's world? The thought was disturbing and did nothing to alleviate the sick feeling that had settled in the pit of her stomach.
Fortunately, Zelos chose that moment to shift the subject a bit. "So how is Mizuho doing?"
"Not well."
Sheena swallowed again, her throat suddenly very dry. She wasn't sure why she was telling him all of this, these things she'd never wanted to think about again. She hadn't even told Lloyd or Colette the details of what had happened here that day. She'd mentioned that Mizuho had been poisoned, but she hadn't wanted to worry them or go to them for help—even if Tiga had given her permission to tell them, a request he'd soundly rejected—and so she'd downplayed the severity of the incident and its impact on her people In fact, she'd even gone so far—again, at Tiga's insistence, because he'd been distrustful of all outsiders after the poisoning, Lloyd included, and had refused to let anyone into the village until they'd discovered who had poisoned them, which had taken them years—as to tell her friends that Mizuho had moved and they weren't disclosing its new location to anyone. She wasn't sure Lloyd had bought it, but he hadn't pressed the issue since he'd been focused on his quest to collect Exspheres at the time. But this Zelos...for some reason, she felt comfortable talking to him about this. Maybe it was because he obviously loved Mizuho dearly, maybe even as much as she did? And that he knew it—and her—intimately? At least Tiga couldn't reject Zelos for being an 'outsider' since he really wasn't. Whatever it was, her level of comfort with him was loosening her tongue, and she couldn't resist sharing this.
"Mizuho is dying, Zelos," she said, her voice soft. "We've lost so many villagers, so many friends...we've barely made it these past few years. We're losing more people than we're gaining. Six people have died since the poisoning, and we've only had one birth. Conditions here are bad. We don't have enough people left who are capable of doing all the work that needs to be done. Tiga said if something doesn't change in the next few months, we'll have to find another village to take us in for the winter. And so far it's been a bad summer. We've had storms that have wrecked a lot of our crops and damaged our buildings. And if we leave and merge with another village, we'll lose ourselves as a people. We've made it through a lot of tragedies, but this...unless we stay together, we won't come back from this. Mizuho will be gone for good, just like that creep who poisoned us wanted." Her voice wavered and she swallowed hard, fighting back the tears building in her eyes. "I don't know what we're going to do. Maybe Mizuho's demise is inevitable, but...I can't bear to see it happen."
Zelos eyed her again as they continued walking, contemplating that, then turned back to the path. "That's why you made the wish tag, isn't it?"
Sheena lowered her head, blushing, and nodded. "It wasn't just because I was lonely, although that was a big part of it. Mizuho needs help, and I...I thought maybe that would work, if I could find someone not just for myself, but for the village." She lifted her eyes to his and gave him a faint smile. "No offense, but you're not exactly what I wanted."
He returned her smile. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I get it."
And finally they arrived at the village gate. Eager to get off of that depressing subject, Sheena forced herself to smile at him more broadly. "But since you're here, and since it's because of me, and since you were nice enough to make me breakfast this morning...the least I can do is make you lunch."
The way he looked at her made her wonder if he'd detected her desperate need to change the subject or if he could just read her mind. In either case, she was grateful he didn't push, instead smiling and accepting it. "I can handle that." Without warning, his face lit up. "Ooh, can you make those cute little tuna salad sandwiches? And maybe some fruit salad, with lots of melon balls?" Sheena blinked at him blankly, having no idea what he was talking about, and his face fell a little. "Y'know, those sandwiches with the pickle relish...?" She shook her head, and suddenly he was looking like a puppy she'd just kicked. Since when had she become the bad guy here? "Oh. Maybe you never created them here. You just started making them for me one day...I thought it was an older recipe you knew. I guess you made it up yourself, knowing how much I like seafood."
He looked so sad about that that she couldn't help chuckling. "Sorry, but I've never made anything like that before. And honestly, we can barely afford a loaf of bread here, let alone imported seafood from Sybak."
"That's too bad," he replied with a sigh. "I could've used some comfort food today."
Yeah, she supposed he could have, given his stressful day so far. She smiled apologetically. "I'll see what I can come up with."
"Whatever it is, it'll be fine," he reassured her with a smile, but it quickly faded as he looked down at the ground. "Hey, listen, before we do that, though, there's somewhere I want to go."
"Where?" Zelos looked up at her again but didn't say anything, and a moment later he sighed and turned back toward the path. "Zelos, where?"
He glanced at her again, his face somber. "The cemetery." Her eyes widened; why was he interested in the cemetery, of all places? "Do you have a memorial to the people who died here that day?"
Sheena nodded. "Of course we do."
"Well, I'd like to see it. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to...I know the way there."
She still wasn't sure why he was interested in such a morbid, depressing place, but despite her reluctance to see it again, her curiosity about his motivation was even stronger. "No, that's okay. I'll come with you."
Their footsteps veered in that direction, walking through the village in silence, no one around to interrupt them...the remaining villagers must all be working in the fields, she figured, which was where she really should be, too. Upon arriving at the cemetery, Sheena pointed out the memorial, and Zelos headed toward it, stopping in front of it and reading through the list, his face darkening further with each new name he read.
"So many names...so many friends," he murmured, so softly that she barely heard it.
Her chest felt tight. Words couldn't express how much she hated coming here, knowing how many lives they'd lost that day...wondering if she could have changed things if she'd gotten here sooner or if she'd been here when it had happened. Hearing that she'd been poisoned in that alternate world and yet had still managed to figure out the cause and the cure...maybe that would have been better. Not that anyone else would have stumbled upon her to follow through on that like Zelos had in his world, but still...it would have been a chance. She quickly pushed that thought away, though—it wasn't like she could change that now, after all—and instead decided to take the opportunity to remember her fallen villagers, surprised when Zelos fell to his knees before the marker, placed a hand on it, and bowed his head in prayer. And for a moment, she couldn't help wondering who he was praying to and what his religious beliefs were, especially after living in Mizuho so long. She doubted he was praying to Martel given his history with Cruxis and the Church, but...maybe to Jizou? She didn't know, and now wasn't the time to ask. Instead, she knelt beside him, her heart stirred by the sight of him like this, respecting her people, perhaps even feeling grief for them. It was yet another reminder that she truly didn't know this man.
After a few minutes, his eyes opened again, and he cast a brief glance at her before looking back at the marker. "That's something else I've always wondered about: what would've happened to Mizuho that day if I hadn't gotten here when I did. For so long I was convinced there was more I could've done, that I could've saved those people who died in my world. For years you've told me if I hadn't arrived when I did, how much worse it would've been. I just never thought it would've been this bad." He placed his hand on the memorial again, his voice dropping further, no longer talking to her. "I'm so, so sorry. I should've been here for you in this reality, too."
His words, his expression, his tone...Sheena was stunned. He meant that. She had never seen him like this before, either. Unsure what to say, all she could do was whisper, "Zelos..."
Before she could finish, though, he suddenly cleared his throat and rose to his feet. "So," he began, turning to her as she followed him up, his face brightening, "how can I help?"
"...What?"
"Mizuho." He motioned at the village. "You obviously don't have many able-bodied people left here, and you admitted Mizuho is hurting for it, so how can I help you guys out?"
Sheena blinked at him. He wanted to help, even though this wasn't his village and these weren't his people? "Zelos, I can't ask—"
Zelos rolled his eyes. "Of course you can't. You're Sheena Fujibayashi; asking for help is like asking the sun not to rise in the morning." He gave her a pointed look. "But you aren't asking, Sheena. I'm offering. I'm stuck here for a week, right? The least I can do is use some of that time to pitch in and make up for some of my alternate's many failings by not being here to do the job himself." He tilted his head. "Well, when I'm not busy trying to find you your 'one true love,' that is."
Agh, again with the matchmaking thing? "Zelos—"
"Sheena, don't," he cut her off. "Verius may have said it wasn't necessary, but I think we both know that's why I'm really here, so let me do my job, okay?" She pursed her lips and folded her arms to her chest, her face warm, but she couldn't argue that; she had wished not just for help, but for someone, which meant he wasn't wrong. When she didn't respond, Zelos nodded, accepting that as her answer. "Anyway, I noticed on the way here that some of the houses had...issues, to put it lightly. Like the one next to Igaguri's house—in my world, it was Akiyo and Naoko's home. I mean, I somehow doubt you guys decided to decorate it by dropping a tree through the roof. And since I didn't see Naoko's name on this memorial, I'm assuming she still lives there?"
...She would never cease to be amazed at how strange it was to hear Zelos Wilder recount such intimate details about her village. "Yeah. Well, at least she did until a few nights ago when a bad storm swept through here. The tree fell then. Fortunately, she was in the other side of the house at the time and wasn't hurt, but it was a chore trying to get her out. Since then, the few of us left still physically capable of doing that kind of work have been so busy trying to replant the crops that were swept away during the storm that we haven't had a chance to fix it yet. She's been staying with Kazuko since then."
He shrugged. "Well, maybe I can help you get rid of that tree and fix up the roof."
Yeah, right. Zelos Wilder fixing a roof. Now that she'd like to see. She couldn't help chuckling at the thought. "No offense, Zelos, because I really do appreciate the offer, but you're not exactly the type to do manual labor like that. Or know carpentry well enough to fix a roof, for that matter."
To her surprise, though, instead of acknowledging that, he just grinned. "Ah, sweetheart, how little you really do know about me. First of all, manual labor? It's a cakewalk for me, what with my handy dandy angel powers. I should be able to lift it off of there no problem." ...Wait, what? Her lips parted, and her eyes widened. When had he gotten angel powers? Oh, right, she had seen him with wings that one time when he'd saved her in the Tower of Salvation, hadn't she? How could she have forgotten? But before she could question that or follow through on all the other thoughts that came with it—like when had he undergone the angel transformation, what other 'angel powers' he had, or why he'd never told them about that—he went on. "And two, carpentry to patch up a roof is simple for me. I've learned a lot about that kind of stuff the past few years, definitely enough to handle a hammer, some nails, and cutting a few boards."
And once again, Sheena found herself gaping at him. "You? You do carpentry work now, too? What, are you Lloyd Irving in disguise?"
He pulled a face and waved that off. "No, I'm definitely not Lloyd. Definitely. I just happen to live in Mizuho, where I don't have servants running around to do everything I need done around the house, so I've had to learn a thing or two to take care of my family."
But...he was Zelos Wilder. "I'm sorry, I understand that, but I just have a hard time accepting that you took the time to learn carpentry of your own free will, whether you live in Mizuho or not. You're a pampered city boy, Zelos! There's no way you would stoop to something like that!"
His eyes narrowed, and the amusement on his face hardened. "What, so you're saying I'm too much of a lazy bum to know how to create something with my own two hands?"
Okay, this entire conversation was getting weird. But despite how serious he seemed, she still couldn't see it being true. "Well, I really don't mean any offense by this, but...yes. You are." He folded his arms to his chest, and she quickly went on. "You grew up in Meltokio very, um, sheltered. And, to be honest, rich and spoiled. I just can't see carpentry being something you'd ever willingly do, not when you could get someone else to do it for you instead. And besides, I'm sure they have plenty of other uses for you in your Mizuho than doing that kind of work. You are a very skilled man, just...in other ways."
Thankfully, Zelos not only let her finish before he countered that, but he didn't look upset about what she'd said...because, she realized, that really was insulting, wasn't it? She never had been that great at speaking her mind tactfully, especially when it came to him. "Well, for the record, I am more than just a pretty, rich, spoiled, sheltered, pampered ex-Chosen, and I do pull my weight in Mizuho. I mean, don't get me wrong, carpentry isn't my favorite thing to do, but I live there, and while we don't have the luxuries of Meltokio, I have you and Sophia and our soon-to-be-born Kidlet #2, so I know where I'll choose to live any day. I've picked up a lot of that kind of stuff these past few years, and honestly, I'm grateful for those skills. And as for learning carpentry...well, even if it hadn't been for you pestering me to get a hobby so I wasn't constantly bored, there were...other circumstances...that led me to it. When it becomes a necessity that you learn something, you learn it."
Sheena knew what he was saying, but her mind still couldn't wrap itself around that. Zelos Wilder performing carpentry work. "A hobby. What in the world could lead you to pick up carpentry as a hobby?"
And just like that, he gave her an evil smirk and waggled his eyebrows. "Heh."
Uh oh. She remembered that look, and it never meant good things for her. But still, her curiosity was getting the better of her today, it seemed. "Zelos? Seriously, what could've been that necessary to convince you to pull a Lloyd and learn that?"
"You don't want to know," he stated.
...She didn't? "Yes, actually I do."
He shook his head. "No, you don't."
Agh, the man was just as frustrating as she remembered, too. "Yes, I do!"
"Trust me, Sheena, you don't," he replied, unperturbed. "If I were to answer you, you would regret asking me that."
"And yet I'm asking it anyway," she stated, folding her arms to her chest and giving him an expectant look. "What kind of circumstances could possibly do that?"
He mirrored her stance, looking her over carefully, but with a smile toying on his lips, too. "Y'know, even my Sheena wishes she could forget the whole damn thing."
Maybe he was right. But the problem was that his reaction to this was just making her all the more curious. She was not giving up, no matter what he said to try to convince her otherwise. There was a story here, and she wanted to hear it. "I still want to know."
And finally he sighed in a way that told her she'd won. "Fine, fine, but just remember, I was trying to spare you from this, so don't go saying afterwards that I didn't warn you."
He didn't really think that would change her mind, did he? Sheena motioned at him. "Go on."
"I just love when you do that," Zelos quipped, accompanied by an over-the-top smirk, but she just gave him another unamused, 'hurry it up already!' look. "Okay, fine, but first we need to go somewhere else. I am not recounting this story in Mizuho's cemetery. I'm sure your dearly departed loved ones do not want to hear this." Sheena wasn't sure she liked the sound of that, but she did let him guide her a short distance away from the cemetery. He then looked around, making sure no one else was within earshot. "Okay, anyway, so one afternoon, my wife and I were...well, we were enjoying one of the perks of being married. In our own private bedroom, mind you." And just like that, she felt her face flush and her determination fade as she caught his implication: he and his wife had been having sex...something she really didn't want to think about right now, not when the 'wife' in question was another version of her. Maybe she should've listened and not pushed this issue? "Orochi, however, has always been accustomed to just coming into our home whenever he needs to talk to you about something, and...well, in his defense, he did knock, but we were preoccupied and didn't hear him, so...that's what he did."
Her jaw dropped as she caught his meaning. "Oh, no."
Zelos gave her an awkward grin. "Oh, yes. And since there was no door on our bedroom at the time, he got quite an eyeful. He couldn't look either of us in the eye for weeks after that. We'd done nothing wrong, but still...it was awful and embarrassing for everyone involved, especially knowing the feelings he'd once had for you. Believe me, he learned his lesson and never enters without our explicit permission anymore, but I learned a lesson, too: I needed to figure out how to install a damn door and lock on our bedroom so even if someone did enter our home when we were...er...similarly engaged, they'd never get the same view he did."
Sheena didn't want to know how red her face was as she realized what he was saying: Zelos had gone out of his way to learn how to make and install doors so he and his wife could have uninterrupted sex whenever they felt like it. "I should've known your reason for learning carpentry would be something like that."
"Hey, where there's a will, there's a way!" he replied, giving her his most innocent face. "I had plenty of will, and zero desire to share such a view of my lovely wife with any other guys, so I talked Satoru into teaching me what to do and figured out the way to make my will happen. And believe me, that skill has come in quite handy ever since, for more than just installing doors." He smirked. "I think I even impressed my wife."
She rolled her eyes. Of course he'd think that. "She was probably amazed at the lengths you'd go to to make sure you two could have uninterrupted sex."
He shrugged. "Yeah, probably, but she appreciated the door after that, too. And needless to say, I made sure to install doors on our bedroom in our new house after Mizuho moved, too. Helped build quite a bit of our new house myself, actually, and I learned a lot more about carpentry then." Okay, now that did impress her, and she suspected her alternate had been, too. She couldn't even blame him for looking proud of that fact; it would be unheard of for someone of his standing in Meltokio to have a hand in building his own house, and yet Zelos had done so. There really was more to him than she'd thought, wasn't there? "So in any case, yes, I can fix a roof that a tree fell through. Piece of cake."
At this point, she supposed she had no choice but to believe him. And besides, she'd find out soon enough if he was really serious, wouldn't she? "Well, if you're offering, I certainly won't turn away the help," she said, softening. "Before I get you a toolbox and let you loose patching up the village, though, we should probably stop by Chief Tiga's house and tell him what you're planning, see if there's anything he thinks is a bigger priority that you should tackle first." Her voice lowered and her gaze fell to his chest. "And so he can tell the other villagers not to kill you when they see you."
A glance upward showed that his blue eyes had widened in alarm. "Huh?"
Oh, right, she hadn't told him that yet, had she? "There's, um, a standing order in Mizuho that any ninja who sees you here should immediately kill you." ...And now his eyes were widening even further. Sheena gave him an awkward smile. "Yeah...you can blame this world's Zelos for that. I kinda instructed them to do so after our falling out."
"Well, considering what I know of the guy, I can't really blame you," he murmured. "I'm still tempted to go back to Meltokio and do the same, actually."
"But you're definitely not him, and I don't want any of the villagers getting the idea that they need to follow through on that," she quickly said. "At least not with you."
Zelos eyed her carefully. "Although after what happened this morning, I wouldn't be surprised if my alternate shows up here and tries to talk to us again. Once he's fixed his face, at least."
That wouldn't surprise her, either. "Well, it should be easy enough for my people to distinguish between you two, given the length of your hair."
"Of course, people will undoubtedly be wondering why I am here..."
"...Which is why I think we should talk to Tiga first, before too many people see you."
His eyebrows rose. "And tell him what, exactly?"
She...wasn't entirely sure. Explaining this to Tiga meant...well, it meant telling him things she really didn't want anyone to know. But he was Mizuho's chief, and if Zelos really would be hanging around here for awhile, then they had no choice. "The truth, I guess."
His jaw dropped. "Really?"
Sheena gave him a questioning glare. "How else do you suggest we explain your existence here?"
He lifted his hands defensively. "Hey, that's entirely your call, sweetheart. I'm just trying to figure out if you're really okay with that."
"Whether I am or not is beside the point," she replied, lowering her head, her face warm again. No, she really wasn't okay with it, but this was just another ramification of the wish she'd made, and she had to live with the repercussions...no matter how uncomfortable and embarrassing they might be. No one had ever said that wish tags didn't come with a price for the person who made them. "The bottom line is that I can't turn you away from Mizuho when it's my responsibility you're here. And if you're going to stay here awhile, then our only choice is to tell the chief the truth about why you're here."
"Okay." He still looked a bit surprised by that, but she was glad he didn't question it further. Instead, he motioned back at the village. "Lead on, then."
They headed through the unnaturally quiet village to Tiga's house, only crossing paths with one other villager who, as Sheena expected, looked at Zelos with obvious surprise, wariness—and hostility. The villagers had never been comfortable having outsiders in the village, and they hadn't seen any outsiders since Tiga had banned them all after the poisoning. That realization just reinforced Sheena's conviction that she really did have to do this, even if it meant telling Tiga the truth. She couldn't have anyone threatening Zelos when he'd done nothing wrong and, as far as she was concerned, was welcome here. If he didn't suddenly do an about-face and turn back into the perverted idiot she'd always assumed him to be, though, and if he really did help out as he'd said he would, she expected the villagers would soon change their impression of him, just as she had. She just needed to keep him alive long enough to reach that point.
Thankfully, upon reaching Tiga's house and knocking on the door, they found he was home. He instructed them to enter, which they did. Surprise immediately lit his face at seeing Zelos with her, but Sheena quickly stopped him. "Wait!" she said, lifting her hand as he began rising to his feet, abandoning the scrolls on the table before him. "It's okay. He's with me. You don't have to hurt him."
Tiga briefly froze, but then he finished standing, the urgency of his action reduced by the wariness lingering in his eyes. "Why have you brought an outsider here, Sheena? You know the rules."
Sheena's eyes darted at Zelos, who was standing back, letting her do the talking. "It...it's a long story. But it's okay; we can trust him. He had nothing to do with the poisoning. I vouch for him."
"Mm," Tiga murmured, stilling eyeing Zelos closely. "So I take it your instructions regarding the Chosen have changed?"
She felt herself blush again. How could she explain this? "Um...kind of? Maybe I should say you don't have to hurt this Zelos Wilder. My instructions still stand for the other one, though, so..."
Tiga blinked at her, clearly already confused...and Sheena knew it wouldn't get any clearer for him anytime soon. "Are you saying there are two Zelos Wilders?"
"Er...sorta?" She glanced at Zelos, who just watched her impassively. "Temporarily, at least..."
"Maybe you should start at the beginning, Sheena," Zelos gently prodded.
"...Right. Tiga, this is a different Zelos Wilder than the one you know. He's not the Zelos of this world, the one I instructed you to kill if he ever showed up here; this Zelos is from an alternate world—a very, um, different world than ours. He's very different. He's going to be here for a week or so, and I've offered to let him stay with me during that time. So he's my guest, and I'm asking that you make sure none of the other villagers try to hurt him."
Tiga's eyes narrowed. "Why is he here?"
Sheena glanced again at Zelos, but he just looked right back at her. At least since he was letting her do the talking, she could control what information was known about him. "Um, he's...um..."
"Sheena?" Tiga pressed.
Okay, so she just had to answer the question, didn't she? Just get the truth all out there. If she was lucky, Tiga wouldn't ask too many questions. "HewasananswertoawishtagImade," she finally said, the words spilling out of her in a rush.
Part of her had hoped Tiga wouldn't catch that but would accept it anyway...but clearly she wasn't that lucky today. "...You made a wish tag?" he said, his eyes narrowing further.
She nodded. "And Verius—er, the summon spirit who used to be Corrine—decided to bring him here in answer to it."
Tiga blinked once, then twice, then a third time. "I...see?"
"So the Zelos of this world is still here in this world, but this Zelos isn't him." This had to sound absolutely crazy. "This Zelos was...borrowed...from that alternate world and will be here a week. He's nothing like the Zelos Wilder we know, though, so I thought it would be a good idea to let you know that there's no need to hurt him or kick him out."
Unsurprisingly, Tiga looked completely stunned by that, and for a moment he didn't reply. He probably didn't know what to say, Sheena figured. This was kinda out of the blue, wasn't it? "Very well...?"
"You can tell the difference between them by the length of their hair," she quickly explained. Her face was burning. "His is short, but the Zelos of this world still has long hair. So the short-haired version is the one who's welcome here. The long-haired version isn't. Chances are the long-haired one will be showing up later today, though, so we should tell the other villagers to be on the lookout for him and kick him out when he does."
"Okay...?"
Oh, right, she needed Tiga to know this, too. "Oh, and this Zelos has offered to help out Mizuho while he's here, so you'll probably see him patching up some of the houses that were damaged during the storm. Unless there's something else you need his help with first? But he's only here a week, meaning he can't do everything, so we need to make sure the most urgent things are tackled first..."
Off to her side, Zelos suddenly started shaking his head and chuckling. "Ah, Sheena? You might want to slow down, sweetheart. The chief looks like he wants to say something."
"...Oh." Sheena gave Tiga a sheepish smile. She had been rambling and hadn't given him an opportunity to speak, hadn't she? She just wanted so badly for this conversation to be over. "Sorry."
"Thank you for interrupting her, Chosen," Tiga said, giving Zelos an appreciative smile. "I must admit, I have not seen her this animated in years, so I was reluctant to do so myself." He bowed his head to Zelos. "It is good to see you again, Chosen, even if you are not the Chosen I know...if I am understanding Sheena correctly?"
Zelos smiled and bowed his head in return, exactly as any other villager would. "It's good to see you too, Tiga. And yeah, you're understanding her correctly. I'm from an alternate universe."
"Brought here in answer to a wish tag Sheena made?"
"Yep."
"Mm."
Zelos motioned at Sheena. "Like Sheena said, I'll be hanging around the village for the next week." His eyes lit up as he clearly realized something. "Oh, but don't worry about me accidentally learning all of Mizuho's secrets while I'm here and then sharing them with the outside world. I already know them all."
Sheena's jaw dropped. "Zelos!" she hissed.
He gave her a blank look. "What, I wasn't supposed to say that? I do, Sheena, and I'm sure the thought was going through Tiga's mind. I was just easing that concern. Don't forget, I know Tiga very well in my world." He turned to Tiga. "Am I right?"
Tiga's eyes narrowed again. "Yes, as a matter of fact, you are. In fact, I was just trying to figure out how to subtly broach that topic with you, particularly if you plan on living here for the next week. Our village holds many secrets, and we have become lax in hiding them since the poisoning because of how strictly we have cut off all outside access."
Sheena's head lowered. "...Oh."
"So may I ask how it is you know all of our secrets already, Chosen?" Tiga asked.
...And that was exactly why Sheena hadn't wanted him to know that: because there was no easy way to explain it without telling him the rest of the story. "Well...um...he...er..."
"If you don't want me to answer that question, Sheena, say so now," Zelos said softly.
While she appreciated that he'd gotten the message and was checking with her first before saying anything else she didn't want him to say, deep down, as much as she hated to admit it, it wasn't his place to explain this to Tiga. No, this mess was her responsibility, and so the responsibility fell on her to do the actual explaining. And so, damn it, she would just have to do so. "He lives in Mizuho. Well, his Mizuho, at least."
Tiga's eyebrows rose. "Oh?"
"He's, um..." She glanced at Zelos, who still had no discernable expression on his face; he just watched her, clearly waiting to see if she would really say this. "In his world, he's Mizuho's chief consort."
"I...see," Tiga said, his eyes widening as he looked between the two. "And who did he marry there that he acquired such a prominent role in our village?"
Sheena had no doubt that her face was as red as Zelos's hair. "...Me."
"I suspected as much," Tiga murmured.
"So he's right; I'm sure he does know all of our secrets." She cleared her throat. She had to say this, too, before she died of embarrassment. "But please, Tiga, don't tell anyone here about that. They don't need to know that we're married in an alternate universe."
Tiga gave her a gentle smile. "Do not worry, Sheena. You are correct: no one else needs to know that. That information will go no further than my ears."
Oh, thank Jizou. And she already knew he wouldn't ask about the contents of her wish tag, because a wish tag was a very personal thing for her people, not something for anyone else to know. Based on Zelos's role in his world, though, Tiga could likely figure it out for himself...but right now she couldn't worry about that. As long as he didn't say anything, she could delude herself into thinking it would remain private. "Thank you, Chief Tiga."
He bowed his head and looked at Zelos. "And of course, we will gladly accept your help here, Chosen, if you are offering it. We would be foolish to turn you away when you already know Mizuho as well as any of our villagers. In that respect, I cannot consider you to be an outsider anyway, not if you are Mizuho's chief consort in your world."
Zelos smiled. "As far as I'm concerned, this place is my home, so whatever I can do for you guys in the time I have here, I will. Just name it."
"You have my deepest gratitude, and I am certain you will have my people's gratitude as well," Tiga replied. "I will let everyone know to expect seeing you here for several days and to keep watch for any appearances by this world's Zelos Wilder. And Sheena is correct: fixing Naoko's house would be a wonderful starting point. If you are capable of helping her return to her home, please do so."
"Gladly."
"I'll come with you and make sure you get whatever you need," Sheena said. "And I'll bring you lunch, too."
"Okay," Zelos replied, giving her another smile. "Then we really don't have time to waste if I'm only here a week, so let's get started."
0~*~0
(Continued in Day 2: The Breakdown)
