Authors Note: Thanks to Gex-1539 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 19: Surprise Gift

So far, the hearing had been positive in Zeno's opinion: Ruro's additional punishment was pleasant surprise. In regards to Runi, while that the man had committed a crime prior to his enlistment was a bit of a shock, Sani's reaction to it shocked him even more. Not that he was angry at Runi, but that there was still some fight left in Sani after what he had been through. It gave Zeno hope that Sani would fully recover.

Now though, it was his turn to be judged by the High Council. Zeno had spent most of the hearing thus far mentally preparing himself for anything he could think of that the Council would throw at him. Chances were though that he had not thought of everything, and it did not help that Zeno noted the smirking expressions on most of the council's faces: it was plain that they intended to enjoy this. He quietly decided to deny them that enjoyment if he could, but to try not to do anything that would make things worse for him and Sani. It was not going to be easy though….

-And now for the last item of the hearing,- the Arbiter said. –The case against Ambassador Zeno 'Ribal, whom is accused of two counts of assault, attempted murder, blatant public display of affection, unbecoming conduct for his station, abusing the powers of his station, public intoxication and insubordination.-

-A rather 'interesting' set of charges,- Councilor Amon said. –Many of them shameful and disgusting. Makes me regret electing you to that position. What say you?-

Zeno rose to feet, his gaze focused solely on the council in front of him. "I do not deny most of those charges, noble council," he said. "I know I have taken things some things too far and allowed myself to get out of control." He narrowed his eyes as he added. "But I do not regret doing what I can to help Sani when no one else could or would, nor do I regret the ass beating I gave Runi."

"So you regret punching me in the face when I pointed out your wrongs and the disgusting display you were putting on?" the Ultra asked.

"I only regret not simply telling you to get lost and to leave Sani and me alone, not what I was doing with Sani."

"You vile, disgusting…."

-Enough,- the Arbiter said. –It is well known that Zeno is a semo and that in and of itself, is not a crime.-

-There is, however, a time and place for such things,- Council Krom said. –You knew it was inappropriate to conduct such acts in public.-

"If we were doing that in, say, the café, you would have a point, Councilor," Zeno countered. "However, Sani and I were in a recreational lounge at that time, out of view of highly traveled walkways. While still technically in 'public', we were somewhat secluded. He…" Zeno gestured toward the Ultra. "Would have had to do more than just a causal glance around to spot us."

"I can confirm that there are several locations within the recreational lounges that offer some measure of privacy for couples," Sesai said.

-Which suggests you had to go somewhat out of your way to spot them,- the Arbiter said. –Why were you being so nosy?-

"I believe he has a vendetta against me due to an earlier encounter, Arbiter," Zeno explained. "The day after Sani first arrived he was making a move to kill Sani. An action I prevented."

"And you were keeping me from doing what any other Sangheili would have done!" the ultra growled.

"Are you so sure?" Zeno said, rising an eye ridge. "We are under human jurisdiction here, which means we are obligated to follow human regulations. Killing another Sangheili outright is against regulation here, not to mention the humans hate cleaning up the mess afterward."

-Which is correct,- the Arbiter confirmed. –You were out of line in that situation.-

"It would seem so….," the ultra conceded with a low growl and sat down.

-But this does not excuse the display of deviant behavior to begin with!- Councilor Amon growled.

"Semo acts are not considered 'deviant behavior' by humanity as a whole," Zeno pointed out.

-But we are not 'human', Ambassador, which is another problem we have with you.-

-Indeed,- Councilor Gane said. –All this time you have spent with humans has changed you: you seem to have forgotten what it is to be Sangheili.-

"Strange…," Zeno said scratching a mandible, his tone slightly mocking. "It was my familiarity with human customs and culture that caused you to promote me to this station to begin with."

-Yes, but now you have become TOO familiar,- Councilor Amon said. –You have practically 'become' human!-

"So?" Zeno said defiantly. "It makes it easier for humans to work with me, to relate with me."

-The point, Ambassador,- Councilor Krom said. –Is that by acting human, you no longer accurately represent our people.-

-Not only that,- Councilor Amon continued. –But the very fact that your…semo lifestyle has become public knowledge has many keeps on edge. They do not like one of 'your' kind representing us. Yes, being a semo is not a crime, but nor is it acceptable. Until recently, we have been able to reassure the populous that you would not flaunt your deviant lifestyle, but no more.-

-Indeed,- Councilor Visi agreed. –In fact we suspect this deviant lifestyle of yours is the reason you kept losing control of your emotions as of late.-

"And it is obvious to me, councilors," Zeno growled, fighting to keep his temper in check. "That, with the exception of the Arbiter, none of you have ever been in love before. Until you do and someone threatens your loved one, you cannot know how hard it can be to control one's self."

-He has a point, my fellow councilmen,- the Arbiter said softly. –I have tasted such rage before, though at the time, the one responsible was not within easy reach.-

"As have I," Rtas admitted. "Though to a lesser extent."

"Love…bah…," the ultra grumbled. "Such a useless emotion: it causes nothing but trouble and weakness."

There were several growls heard, though Zeno could not pinpoint all of those that emitted one due to growling himself. The other councilors seemed to shift uncomfortably, apparently uncertain on how to respond to the current topic. Then, an unexpected voice spoke up behind Zeno.

"Noble Council, I know this is a Sangheili affair and I have no right to be here, but I have something to say that you may want to know."

Luke! Zeno thought as he turned his head to look behind him. Sure enough, it was Luke standing behind him a couple of rows back. When did he sneak in?

There were a couple of low growls of annoyance from the council. –Who are you, human?- Councilor Visi asked.

"Lieutenant Luke McGuire, of the Office of Naval Intelligence." Luke replied.

-I doubt whatever it is you have to say will sway this council, human,- Councilor Amon growled. –But for amusements sake, go ahead.-

If Luke was insulted by the comment, he didn't show it. "Noble Council, I have known the ambassador since he was assigned to ONI's orbital station towards the end of the war. He has changed from a grumpy, reluctant and human-hating man to a sympathetic, light-hearted and understanding one. You may not approve of semos, but you have not seen the change in Zeno's character ever since Sani first arrived on this station. Prior to Sani's arrival, Zeno suffered from frequent mood swings. These mood swings ranged from prankster prone behavior to severe depression that resulted in bouts of drinking and increased aggression." Luke let that set in a moment before continuing.

"After Sani arrived, especially when their relationship took off, Zeno's behavior greatly improved. His depression was gone, his aggression during certain human holidays ceased, the pranks have all but stopped and he has been, overall, much happier. He has become a better, more productive individual since his relationship started, semo or otherwise. If you cannot see the value in that, then…well…I guess you are heartless old fools."

Zeno had to clench his mandibles tightly to keep a snicker from being heard at Luke's jab at the council Well spoken, my friend, he thought, looking up at the council. It was hard to tell, but the Arbiter looked like he had a slight smirk on his face. As for the rest of the council, they all looked like they were about to burst in rage.

-Who are you to judge us, human!- Councilor Amon roared. –You know nothing about our customs!-

"I know more than you think, thanks to Zeno," Luke said curtly. "And many of those customs would be considered 'outdated' and 'barbaric' to us. However, I am not here to debate who has the better morals and customs here, so I will just say a simple statement many of my kind try to live by and that I think applies here."

-And what silly statement would 'that' be?-

"'You have no right to judge, unless you have walked a mile in the other person's shoes'."

-I do not understand,- Council Visi said. -Why would I try to wear your shoes?-

"It is a metaphor, Councilor," Luke explained while Zeno again had to suppress a snicker. "It means that unless you have experienced what other person has, you cannot accurately judge that person due to the lack of that kind of experience. For instance, if you have not been in love, you cannot know the actions love motivates or the reasons behind those actions."

-But knowing what everyone has experienced is impossible!- Councilor Krom protested.

"Indeed, but that does not mean you cannot try to understand it from the other person's point of view. That is what many of our juror's have to do in our own court cases, so they can give the most accurate verdict. It's only the reasonable and fair thing to do."

The council grumbled and shifted, again looking uncomfortable. Several minutes passed with no one saying a word. Then the council started to mutter amongst themselves, their voices too low to hear. After several more minutes of this, the Arbiter finally spoke clearly.

-It has appeared we have come to an impasse,- he said. –We cannot come to a unanimous agreement on your fate today, Ambassador. However, we will continue to discuss this matter on our own. In the meantime, you will continue to perform your duties as normal, though I would highly suggest you mind your actions from this point on, lest they be used against you. Understood?-

"Understood, Arbiter," Zeno said.

-Then this hearing is officially adjourned.-

A couple of months later….

The single sun was starting to set, sending beams of light dancing through the forest trees. Sani watched this every day, fascinated by how alien, yet beautiful it looked. The smell of the trees and songs of the local fauna were also pleasing and relaxing. This was especially so when it rained, but he really loved it when they came here during winter: he had never seen such big fluffy snowflakes before. Unfortunately, it was now spring here, so the time of snow had passed.

Regardless, Earth was no Sanghelios, but it had its own share of beauty and wonder. He could see why Zeno came here as often as he could, away from civilization and prying eyes. The cabin they stayed in was on the edge of a national forest, so there were few humans here besides the park rangers that patrolled the few roads and their neighbor, Leon Steele: a grumpy military vet that didn't like their kind but left them alone, until recently that is.

Sani reached up and rubbed the still healing wound on his shoulder. He and Zeno were ambushed while taking a walk in the forest a few days ago by a group of, what did Leon call them? Militias? Regardless, he was struck in the shoulder, only a graze really, but enough to tell them that it was intentional, especially when more shots were fired. Zeno had managed pull him behind a large rock before any more injuries were inflicted, but they were pinned down. Leon had came by and drove the rogue humans off before leading them back to the cabin.

They reported the incident to the rangers, but hadn't heard anything else. Zeno had asked why Leon helped them and was told that while he didn't like them, he didn't want another war started up because of those idiots. Sani could understand that: neither species were really in good shape right now to start another war with anyone.

Still, the incident got Sani thinking. It bothered him that they had yet to hear from the High Council about Zeno's position. The silence screamed that they were up to no good: for all he knew, those militias could have been hired by them to take him and Zeno out. Paranoid thinking, yes, but he knew Zeno was wondering it as well.

The other thing that was bothering him was their relationship. It was missing something, something Sani knew what it was but was afraid of it at the same time. Once he tried to recall what it was like to have sex with Zeno, only for Runi's face to fill his mind, discouraging him from thinking about it again. Sani feared their relationship was going stagnant because of his fear and worse, it was becoming evident that Zeno was hiding something from him.

Lately he had been traveling to a small tourist town that was about ten miles away from the cabin, alone. Zeno would only tell him he was going there to get food for the cabin, but Sani's gut was telling him something else was going on while he was down there. Was Zeno seeing someone else? Was he getting tired of him because he did not want to have sex? He did not want to believe it, but there was no evidence saying otherwise.

"Honey! I'm home!" Zeno's cheerful voice called out, breaking Sani from his thoughts.

His hearts soared at the sound of his voice, but that feeling faded quickly when he remembered his suspicions. He did not want to lose Zeno to anyone and he realized what he had to do to prove to Zeno that he was still worth it. With a heavy sigh he stepped back inside from the back porch and headed for the living room.

Zeno was just beyond the living room in the kitchen, unpacking groceries. "Ah, there you are, sweet," Zeno said cheerfully. "I got enough to last us for the rest of our stay here this round, unless you go on a cooking binge again that is."

Sani managed a chuckle. Yes, he had taken up cooking as means of coping with the stress of his ordeal with Runi. The problem was though, that he often ended up using all the food in the residence when he had one of his 'fits' and while he was proving to be a good cook, there was no way the two of them could eat everything. They ended up having to give away a lot of it so it didn't go to waste.

"Does that mean you will not go back to town alone anymore?" Sani asked as he helped him put the food away.

"Should not need to, until we come here again," Zeno replied. "Is something wrong, sweet? You sound like you have something on your mind."

Sani paused and then hugged him gently, discreetly sniffing him as he did so. He did not smell another Sangehili on him and Zeno's return embrace was as warm and gentle as ever. Was he wrong? "I…," Sani started, feeling anxious. "I want to have sex with you tonight…"

This caught Zeno by surprise. "Are you sure you are ready for it again?" he asked softly.

"No, but…." Sani clenched the fabric of Zeno's clothing. "I feel I need to."

"Why?"

"I just do!"

"Alright," Zeno said softly, Sani feeling the warm caress of his tongue licking his forehead. "As before though, if you feel you cannot handle it, let me know OK?"

Sani numbly nodded.

Later…

He did manage. It was hard at first due to being so tense, but eventually Sani was able to relax and enjoy it. Sani sighed blissfully, so happy to have beaten back his fear to do this, but did he accomplish what he set out to do?

"Now," he heard Zeno said softly as they lay cuddled up in bed. "I admit I am curious: what brought this up all of a sudden?"

Sani gulped and hesitated, as it was becoming more and more clear that he was mistaken in Zeno's recent actions. "I wanted to prove to you that I am still worth it…," he finally blurted out.

"Sani…." He felt Zeno cup his head with his hand and lift his face so he was looking at him. "All I have to do is look at you to know that you are worth it."

With that, tears started to form in his eyes, guilt filling his hearts. "Then why…," he sobbed. "Why have you been so secretive lately? Why do you keep going to town alone without me?"

Realization lit up in Zeno's eyes as he apparently figured out what was bothering him. "Oh Sani," he said as he hugged him tightly. "I am so sorry about worrying you. I would never cheat on you, for you are my one and only."

"Then…?" Sani left the unspoken question hanging.

Zeno sighed and rose out of the bed. Sani watched him as he walked over to his discarded clothing and sorted through them before pulling something out. He didn't get a good look at it, as it was wrapped in some kind of tissue paper.

"I was hoping to get a chance to figure out how best to do this but…," Zeno said as he returned to the bed, but instead of climbing back in, he knelt beside it in front of him. "Forgive me if I sound like a blubbering idiot."

"Why would you…," Sani started to ask but his question as stopped in mid-sentence when Zeno unwrapped the item and his eyes went wide in shock.

The item was a pendant made of polished silver set on a sterling silver chain. The pendant itself consisted of two large crescents that overlapping each other, with two smaller crescents tucked under the point of the lower part of each larger one, their tips touching the other larger one. Sani knew what this was: the symbol of union, and as a result, knew what Zeno was about to ask.

"But this…this…," Sani stuttered, trying to find the right words. "This is only for…."

"Under human law we can," Zeno said. "I do not give a damn what the High Council will think of this."

"I…I see…."

"So…uh…." Zeno blushed as he struggled to form the proper words. Finally he held out the pendant toward him and asked softly in a sincere voice: "Sani…will you marry me?"

Sani smiled, for there was really only one answer he could give.

"Yes."

~ Fin

A/N: Untold Truths, the last of the series, I will start posting either this Saturday or Sunday. :) That one will be posted weekly.