Authors Note: Thanks to my beta for proofing this.

Disclaimer: Halo, Sangheili, Rtas, Thel/Arbiter and other canon characters belong to Bungie Studios/343 Industries. However, Original Characters, like Zeno, belong to me.

Chapter 12: Bonding

"I have a couple of things I have been meaning to ask you," Sani asked as they lay quietly together in Zeno's bed, cuddling each other. They had spent most of the day talking and cuddling, getting to know each other more. Sani was currently tracing the edges of his tattoo lightly with a claw, making Zeno shiver slightly from the sensation.

"And what would those be?" Zeno asked, the lids of his eyes starting to droop.

"Well, for one, that scar on your back…."

"Oh." Zeno immediately felt solemn. "The blademaster of my keep gave that to me, while he was trying to kill me."

Sani's eyes widened. "Why?"

"He caught me practicing my sword forms, when he had forbidden me to do so because he felt I was not worthy of learning the art of combat."

"But all Sangheili know how to fight, even every Hilvum is taught the art of combat," Sani said, confused. "Why did he think you unworthy?"

"Even to this day I am not completely certain, but I think the fact I am a semo and that an illness rendered me sterile are big factors in it."

"I see. He must have made life rough for you then."

"Initially, until the kaidon of the time, Kou, took me under his arm. He trained me when he could and kept Ley from trying to end me."

"Kou must be proud of what you have become."

"I will never know if he is or not," Zeno said softly. "He died shortly after I became a member of the SpecOps, years ago."

"Oh…I am sorry. He must have meant a lot to you."

"He did…," Zeno said sorrowfully. "I still think about him sometimes, wondering why he took such an interest in me when surely there were other's that were more worthy of his time." He sighed. "Now I may never know. Why did it have to be him to die…and not Ley?"

"'Everything happens for a reason', I believe you once said," Sani pointed out. "I am certain you will find out someday." Sani then lifted his head enough to nuzzle him on the cheek. The gesture brightened his mood immediately, Zeno rumbling a purr in response as he smiled.

"Hmm…I have a question now," Zeno said softly.

"Hey, I still have another question," Sani protested lightheartedly.

Zeno chuckled. "You can ask it after this one," he said. "I remember what you told me about your keep, how all the responsibilities are divided into soras?"

"Yeah?"

"Which sora takes care of the young?"

"All of them."

"Excuse me?"

It was Sani's turn to chuckle. "Members from each sora help out with the rearing of the little ones. There is a regular rotation within each caste on whose turn it is to tend to them. When they are old enough, the caretakers take turns 'fostering' them for a couple months in each sora."

"Ah, I see now. That is how you ensure each child is exposed to the duties of each caste."

"Correct. Can I…?"

"Yes, Sani, you can ask your other question now," Zeno said with a laugh.

"Do you remember that one rule you told me? About showering?"

Zeno could already feel a blush start to rise to his cheeks as he knew where this was going. "Yeah?"

"You have something against wet skin?"

"Ahhh…against? No…For? Definitely so…."

"I do not understand."

The blush on his cheeks was in full force now. "I have a thing for wet skin, as in, it turns me on."

It took a moment for Sani to get it: when he did, he started blushing as well. "Oooh!" he said, clearly understanding now. "I will have to remember that when we get to that stage." There was a slight mischievous grin on that.

"You think you will be able to handle it? Considering…."

Sani visibly shuddered, Zeno feeling bad for reminding him about the trauma he went through. "We will cross that bridge when we come to it," Sani said his tone somber. "I am sure we will figure out a way, if…that…proves to be a hindrance."

"Fair enough. It would not be a good idea to rush things anyway."

"Don't rush things he says…when we are lying together in bed already," Sani said teasingly.

"Hey, we are both still clothed and neither of us are even under the covers."

"And how long will either of that last?"

Sani had a sly grin on his face, to which Zeno just chuckled. "Patience, my sweet," he said softly, giving Sani an affectionate nuzzle. "We should strengthen our bond in other ways first."

"Yeah, you are probably right." Sani yawned then, his mandibles opening wide.

"Tired? How can that be? All we have been doing is lazing about and chatting," Zeno said, a teasing smirk on his face.

"Bonding can be tiring, I guess."

"Ha! If you want bonding to be exhausting wait until we start getting really intimate."

"I thought you did not want to rush things?" Now Sani was smirking.

"Warso." Zeno licked his forehead.

"So are you. And you are looking tired yourself."

"Yeah, but at least I have the excuse of still having a slight hangover."

"Longest hangover I have ever heard of."

"Well, I did get drunk again...on love."

"Oh Zeno you are so silly, what am I going to do with you?"

In response Zeno just pulled him closer. The pair curled up in each other's arms and it wasn't long before they both drifted off.

He was once again staring down that black and purple armored figure, but he was at a loss as to how to get past him. Politely asking didn't work, nor did attacking it immediately: every time he tried, it would incapacitate him, and then kill the boy that was in the room with him. The only thing he hadn't tried was having the boy help somehow, but he was hesitant to ask the boy for fear of getting him killed.

But he gets killed anyway, he reminded himself. So what would be the difference? The thing is, how could the boy help? Then an idea came to him. With a smile, he approached the boy and knelt down to his level. "Hey there," he said softly. "I have an idea on how to get by that jerk that keeps killing us, but I will need your help."

"How can I possibly help? He is so big and scary…," the boy said, his voice trembling.

"This is how." Zeno then whispered his idea into the boy's ear hole. The boy's eyes widened and he smiled as he nodded in understanding.

He then stood up and faced the armored figure once more. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the boy getting into position. When the figure noticed him that's when he acted.

"Hey!" he called out. "I figured something out about you!"

The figure looked at him once more and growled lowly: "Oh really?"

"Your father was a Kig-Yar and your mother smelled of Brute droppings!"

"What!" the figure roared, clearly insulted.

"Yeah. You are also so ugly and smelly that it is no wonder they had you assigned to this shithole! You are an insult to their senses!"

"Why you…!" The figure charged at him with a roar, sword in hand. It wouldn't make it to him though, as he tripped over the boy, whom had dashed into its path and knelt down. Not having expected this, the figure landed face first on the floor, its sword flying from its grip.

He pounced immediately, grabbing the bastard by the neck and putting it in a choke hold. The figure thrashed and growled, trying to break free, but he held firm. Eventually the thrashing slowed, and then stopped completely. When that happened, the body disintegrated, leaving only the armor behind.

"He was a nasty piece of work," he grumbled, kicking the now empty armor pieces. "So arrogant. Hey, kid, you alright?"

As he looked over to where the boy should have been, he got a bit of a shock. In the boy's place was a man, whom smiled at him sweetly. He knew that smile…that face….

"Thank you," the man said softly. "We are both free now."

Before he could ask what the man meant, he disappeared in a shower of white glittering smoke.

Zeno awoke to the feel of another warm body laying partially on him. Opening his eyes he smiled when he saw Sani, whom was still sleeping soundly with his head on Zeno's chest. He understood now, what the dreams were telling him. That he had been holding himself back and hurting not only himself, but Sani, in the process. In those dreams he defeated each of his major demons that were holding him back: sorrow, guilt, pride and fear. While each of those 'demons' were still there in some form, they were no longer a hindrance, no longer keeping him from feeling love. With Sani, he knew he was ready for the future at last.

A couple of weeks later…

Zeno and Sani were sitting next to each other in one of the recreational lounges, leaning into each other as they looked out at the planet below. They had decided that Sani should stay at his own apartment for the time being, though he often spent the night at Zeno's anyway. Zeno figured that by the time the Shadow of Intent arrived, Sani could move in completely.

As for a job for Sani, Sesai had pointed out that there was an ambassador aid position that had never been filled. Sani was a bit wary about doing administrative stuff, but he was picking things up quickly. Plus he got to spend more time with Zeno as a bonus. Granted, Zeno quickly made it a rule to minimize PDA between them while they were on-duty, which Sani seemed to understand.

Zeno was a bit averse to showing much of it when off-duty as well in all honesty, at least when out in public. This was of course due to the other Sangheili onboard the station. Not that minimizing such contact helped any, as the rumors and gossip were already flying through the station. It was only a matter of time before one of the bolder Sangheili confronted him about so-called 'inappropriate behavior'.

Let them bitch and whine, Zeno thought as he looked down at Sani, whom had his head resting on his shoulder. I am happy again, I do not care what they think.

"Zeno…," Sani said as the smaller Sangheili sat up.

"Yes Sani?"

"Ca…Can I try something?"

Zeno tilted his head as he looked at him. Sani looked nervous, yet there was also eagerness in his eyes. "Sure, what is it?" he said, trusting him.

Then Sani did something unexpected, sudden. He leaned forward, arching his head upward in the process, and touched his snout with his. Zeno was too shocked to move at first, then he realized how warm it made it feel, even warmer than his touch. Purring now, he leaned into it, savoring it. He could smell his scent strongly this way and while it had the muskiness of a male, he could now detect a faint hint of sweetness.

Then, Sani pulled away, his face a deep shade of purple. "Oh my…," he breathed quietly.

"Indeed…" Zeno agreed. "Wha…What was that?"

"I…I do not know the word for it, but it was something I have seen human couples do…with their mouths."

"Oh, I believe the humans call that a 'kiss'…."

"Ah…I can see why humans seem to like doing it so much. It…felt nice."

"Yes…Yes it did," Zeno said as he pulled him close. "I would not mind having another...in fact…."

Sani giggled softly, the blush still on his cheeks as they leaned closer to 'kiss' again, only for a harsh voice to shatter the moment.

"Cease this disgusting display at once!"

Zeno whipped his head toward the source, an Ultra ranked Sangheili in full armor, a bit angry that someone would interrupt such a tender moment between them. He had to remind himself that the Ultra likely didn't recognize him due to the silhouetting effect the planet outside had, not to mention Zeno wasn't one to brag about his status while in civilian attire anyway. "What business is it yours to interrupt our private moment," he said, a faint growl in his voice.

"We are Sangheili," the Ultra growled. "We do not show such outward displays of affection in public, especially with another male!" The tone of disgust in the man's voice was obvious.

"Why do you care who I am attracted to? How does it affect you?"

"It is unnatural and does nothing to further your bloodline."

"Unnatural? Being a semo is about as unnatural as is the need to breathe," Zeno argued. "As for my bloodline, I cannot further it anyway."

"Then why were you allowed to live at all?"

At this point Zeno stood up, stepped away from the bench and into more proper lighting. Behind him, he could hear Sani rise as well. Due to the widening of his eyes, Zeno knew the man now recognized him. "Because I proved my worth to our people otherwise," Zeno replied.

"Ambassador..." The Ultra looked surprised and taken back.

"Why the surprised look? Me being a semo is no secret."

The Ultra looked away, the expression on his face making it evident that he had a few things to say, but dare not. Then the man noticed Sani. "You! You are that runaway!"

"What of it?" Sani said guardedly.

"So…this is why the ambassador is protecting you," the Ultra growled. "You are in his bed…how disgusting. To think the ambassador would stoop to accepting such 'favors'."

Zeno growled lowly and then decked the man. The Ultra landed on his rump, rubbing his snout with a shocked expression on his face. "First off…," Zeno growled as he stood over the man, his posture aggressive. "Our feelings for each other are genuine and mutual. Second, we are not at that stage yet and third: what I do in my private life is none of your damn business! Do I make myself clear!"

"Crystal…," the Ultra growled lowly.

"Good…now get out of my sight!"

The Ultra bristled, like he was going to retaliate, but then thought better of it and left. Zeno watched him go, his blood still high as he glared daggers into the man's back. So intent he was on the man that he jumped when Sani touched his arm.

"Zeno?" Sani asked.

"I am fine…," Zeno said, taking a couple of breaths to calm himself. "I could have handled that a lot better though. I would have rather you did not see my ugly side."

"I was not aware you had an ugly side, Zeno," Sani said sweetly. "Every part of you looks handsome to me."

"It was a figure of speech, sweet," Zeno said with a chuckle.

"I know," Sani said with a smile. "Besides, that man had no right to speak to us like that."

"Yeah…but still…I hope this does not come and bite me in the ass later…." Zeno shook his head: nothing he can do about it now. "Come, I think it is best we head home."

As they walked back to the ambassador suite, Sani pondered on what just happened and what it could mean for him. It was the first time he had seen Zeno truly angry and he had to admit he had been a little frightened by the display, even though the anger was not directed at him. Must be due to my 'experiences' with Runi, Sani mused.

Still, just how prone to violence was Zeno when he was angry? He realized it may be a good idea to find out now before things got too deep between them. "Zeno?" Sani called out as they reached the door to the suite.

"Yes?" Zeno replied.

"Do you…get violent often when you are angry?"

Zeno looked at him, a perplexed look on his face before it dawned on him why Sani was asking. "It depends, to be honest…," Zeno responded with a sigh as the punched in the door code. "You have probably noticed I am usually not quick to anger…."

"Aye, I have," Sani admitted as they walked through the door. "Only other time I have seen you close to being angry was when Joran was chasing me. Though now I do remember Henun mentioning that you can go as far as to kill someone when angry…."

"Again, it largely depends. During all my years, the only friendly I actually killed was Yuteri and for that I was not really angry. Vengeful, yes…angry, no. In fact, the worse I have done to a fellow Sangheili when angry was what I did to that Juwi bastard."

"Juwi? Who was he?"

"He was another member of recon," Zeno explained. "Was Henun's partner in fact, only he hated semos with a passion. That Miko and I loved to play pranks on him did not help matters any."

"What happened?" Sani wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"He tried to kill me once, during a brawl in the mess hall," Zeno continued. "After that, Miko and I decided to stop playing pranks on him, in the hopes his hate would cool down. Unfortunately, Juwi's hatred still escalated. He rigged a conduit to explode when Miko and I walked by, Miko got the brunt of the blast, which resulted in nasty burns on his chest and left arm. It was Henun that told me it was Juwi that set it up and…well…I decided to do a bit of 'eye for an eye'…."

"Wha-what did you do?"

"I slipped into his room, rendered him unconscious, and then used my swords to 'draw' designs on his hide."

"Oh my goodness…."

"My superiors suspected it was me that did that to him, but could not prove it…or at least did not try to prove it." Zeno chuckled a bit at some memory. "It turned out, Juwi was getting pretty bad at his job so the commander was going to see about having him removed from recon anyway. The new 'attempted murder' and 'tampering with equipment' charges just made it easier to get rid of him. He was sent to one of our penitentiaries, where he was quickly put into solitary if I remember correctly."

"So he is still there I take it?"

Zeno shrugged. "Last I heard, Decided Heart, the planet the penitentiary is on, was attacked by Brutes during the Schism. I have no idea if the penitentiary even still stands."

"So there is a chance Juwi may resurface…."

"He is a marked Sangheili: it would be difficult for him to get anywhere without drawing attention to himself."

"I hope you are right…." Sani thought a moment before asking. "So what usually angers you?"

"Oh, let's see…" Zeno started counting off on his fingers. "Bigotry, discrimination, sometimes really persistent assholes…but the big one is when someone threatens or harms someone I care about. That is when all bets are off. Only been in a full rage twice so far, thankfully."

"I think I can guess the reason for one of those…Miko…."

"You would be correct." Zeno's voice had a hint of sorrow. "It was right after he was impaled on a sword by a Brute. There was…not much left of said Brute when the rage finally passed. The second time was not long after that, during a raid to take back a ship. A Brute Chieftain ambushed the remains of the squad I was in: the commander was one of them. During that fight, I suffered a flashback to when Miko was killed. The rage did not last long though, due to the Chieftain knocking sense back into me: he was not happy I had sliced his hammer into two pieces."

"I probably would not either if I had been that Chieftain," Sani said with a slight giggle before turning serious. "So I do not have to worry about you…."

"Taking my anger out on you?" Zeno finished for him, to which Sani nodded. "Do not worry, Sani: I have never turned my anger onto the ones I love. I leave to go vent my anger on something else instead."

Sani sighed with relief. "That is good to know," Sani said as he embraced him.

"Glad I could ease your mind, sweet." Zeno said softly in his earhole as Sani felt his arms wrap around him. "Hopefully, you will never have to see me in Hulk Smash mode."

"Wha?" Sani pulled away to look at him, a perplexed look on his face. Though it was hard to see due to the coloration of his skin, Sani did see Zeno had started to blush.

"Ah…sorry…it is a reference to something I read once in a comic book."

"You and your study of human culture," Sani said with a teasing smile.

"Hey, some good things come out of it, like this…." At that Zeno leaned forward and kissed him.

Sani purred as he kissed Zeno in kind. Yes, human culture does indeed have some good things….