A/N: Enjoy!
Ken Akamatsu twirled a cape around his shoulders, laughing in what he hoped was a sinister manner.
"All of you inferior beings cower before me! For lo, I am the mighty and terrible... Mithos Yggdrasial! RAWR!" He flared the ends of his borrowed cape up, roaring and gnashing his teeth. But instead of running away shrieking in delighted terror, like he had imagined they would, the children of Mizuho tackled him to the ground.
"Get his feet!"
"Make sure you tie his hands up!"
"Does anyone have a knife? Let's cut his hair off!"
"Hey hey HEY!" Ken pounded his fist against the ground a few times before it was snatched up and bound by nimble fingers. "This is not the way this is supposed to- Mmmoh!" His words were cut off as they shoved a few rags into his mouth, lacking the proper gagging material. Ken's blue eyes widened and he wriggled on the ground, making angry, muffled noises as the children laughed. He spat out the rags, making a face, before reprimanding them from the ground.
"This is not how the dastardly Mithos Yggrasial was defeated by the nine heroes, you know!" he said. "Not all of them were ninjas in training! They didn't tie him up and- and and- and aahahahhahah! No! No please, I- I- ahahaha! No! No, no, stop tickling me! I'm a hardened warrior, do you hear me! Nooooohohohohohoho!" He writhed on the ground, tears of laughter streaming down his face, much to his eternal shame.
"And so Ken Akamatsu proves his mettle by being bested by children... again," Orochi said, watching from afar with Sheena by his side. He sighed.
"You don't honestly expect him to fight children with the intent to kill, do you?" Sheena asked, Gnome cuddled up in her arms as she stroked his soft brown fur. Currently, he was in the more familiar shape of a star-nosed mole, small beady eyes watching Ken with amusement.
"I just feel embarrassed for him, acting in such a way." Orochi shrugged, uncomfortably, pulling his mask down to reveal a scowl. "He might have the skills of a shinobi, but he lacks the discipline. He's still a foreigner and he still hasn't revealed to you, his chief, what his true name will be."
"Give him time," Sheena said. "He's still learning the language and customs, but he learns fast." She turned from him, walking towards a nearby grassy field where she could take off from. Her Rheiard was safely shrunk inside her pocket, with the Wing Pack. "Now that I am Chief, I'm taking a new stance on outsiders. Gnome?" She looked down at him, smiling. He quickly changed into a mouse and nestled in her pocket, again refusing to simply go back to his shrine until she called him again.
She stood, with one hand held out into a fist, glaring out at the rising sun. Unconsciously, her posture shifted to match that of a certain brown-haired swordsman, determined and ready for action. "We'll open our arms to change," she said to Orochi. "But not let that stop the traditions of old. We need a new, fluid mind that will adapt to this new, fluid world." Her cheeks turned red as she noticed the corniness of her stance. She smiled, self-consciously, and clasped her hands behind her back, scuffing her foot against the ground. "I've been reading some history books," she continued, "And I always see that a nation thrives and expands when there is cultural diffusion. An exchange of ideas... yeah..." she glanced down at Gnome, who grinned at her with his little mousy face. Feeling encouraged, Sheena pulled out her Rheiard. She hopped into the seat and started it up, hovering a few feet in the air before Orochi.
"I'm naming you Vice-Chief, Orochi," she said, after a moment of silence. "Tiga is aging, and I don't think there's a better man in this village to take the responsibility. Do you accept?"
"I do." He bowed, deeply.
Sheena grinned. "I'm glad you didn't let me down."
Orochi had his mask lowered, so she could see his smile. She could also see when he shook away his emotions and got back to business, again showing his concern for her. "But are you sure you don't want me to accompany you in finding my brother, Fujibayashi-sama?"
"Honestly, I would feel more secure if I was acting alone," she told him, and if she felt guilty she didn't show it. "You are his brother, after all. If it came down to killing him, I would understand if you had hesitations. He's the only family you have left." She gave her Rheiard controls a quick scan, doing a system check to see that the machinery was working at full potential. "You'll be the first person I report to when I-"
"Sheena, no." Orochi reached out, putting a hand over hers, stopping her from operating the Rheiard. "Kuchinawa... isn't the last thing I have. I still have you, Sheena." He had her hand clasped between both of his, now, and she couldn't look him in his eyes. "And maybe once we're married we can start anew with... with our own family. We can watch it grow in this new world you made, and there's no one else I'd rather do that than you. I love you."
Sheena lowered the Rheiard so she could hug him tightly, her arms around his neck and his around her waist. "I love you too, Orochi," she said, busily wiping the tears from her eyes as she pulled back, flying away as fast as her Rheiard would take her. But not the way you want me to.
Walking up the steps to the lavish mansion in Meltokio's noble district, she couldn't help but think of what it must be like to be as fabulously wealthy and respected as Pandora did. The very first thing she did when she arrived in Meltokio was to drop off her battle-worn purple kimono at a tailor's. She knew the owner, so there wasn't much explaining to do, just like she liked it. Quick and efficient. It would be done by tomorrow, he said, so she decided she would stay in Meltokio for a few hours before leaving to follow Kuchinawa.
She knocked on Pandora's door, which was almost instantly answered by a young woman in a frilly maid's uniform.
"Hi," she said to the maid. "I'm Sheena Fujibayashi of Mizuho. Your Mistress knows of me. Is she at home?"
"Can Pandora come out to play?" Gnome added from his place nestled in her pocket.
"Lady Epiphany has strict orders that you are to be allowed inside at all time, but I'm afraid the Mistress is not at her home this day. If you would care to wait here as a guest, you can see her when she returns from her business trip to Altamira."
Business trip, yeah right.
"No, thank you." Sheena bowed, politely, before remembering that she wasn't in Mizuho anymore. She flushed, turning and leaving before the maid could say anything else and ran to the post office. Because most of the original group was constantly on the move, Zelos had established a few mailboxes for them in Meltokio. Wherever they were, they could send letters to the address and whenever they stopped in Meltokio, even if they didn't have the time to say hello, they could always keep in touch.
Sheena coughed nervously as a few dozen unopened letters poured out of her box. She quickly gathered them up, discarding all the old ones from Zelos and only keeping the most recent. His were usually uninteresting, mainly promises of riches beyond her dreams if she married him (plz kthnx).
But the latest one, in Zelos's familiar messy handwriting, actually surprised her with its contents.
Hey babe! It started out, with a small doodle of Zelos at the top waving hello. Come visit the mansion when you read this! Pippy and I miss you! I know you read your mail even though you ignore me when I ask you to go to parties! Anyway, Pippy is asking you for the favor this time around. Mighty fine shindig 16/8! Pippy being brat, will not attend even with threats of death and dismemberment. PLEEEEEEASE SHEENA MY SOCIAL STATUS IS AT STAKE! P.S. Botta smexy dress for you already so you HAVE to come!
Sheena snorted, trying not to laugh at the doodle of a tiny Zelos. A tiny, angry Zelos. It was true that she hadn't visited him in a while, though she always made it a point to write to him whenever she ventured outside of Mizuho. She tucked the note into her pocket, looking at the five remaining letters. One from Regal, one from Presea, and two from Colette and Lloyd.
And one from Raine.
She stepped outside of the post office, letters all clenched tightly in one hand as she looked down at the plain white envelope. Raine. Raine never sent her letters. Raine never made any attempt to contact her at all. As far as Sheena was concerned, Raine had fallen off the edge of the world and never returned. A sudden burst of strong, cold winter wind howled past, snatching the envelope out of her limp fingers. She watched it go, fluttering along the road, before her willpower snapped. She took off after the letter, shoving past anyone in her way or jumping clear over them when she was impatient. She ricocheted off of a garden fence and leapt into the air, snatching the letter with the tips of her fingers. She landed in a spectacular heap onto the cobblestones of the noble's district. Hissing in pain at her scraped knee, she noticed the blood dripping freely, flowing down the street, crimson flowing crimson spreading through the water.
Sheena blinked, shaking her head fiercely and slapping her cheeks to try and get herself together. Standing and looking around her, she realized she had gained quite a bit of attention and flushed, running for the nearest sanctuary.
Zelos's mansion.
Opening the unlocked door, she slammed it shut behind her and leaned against it, still blushing. She had just made a fool of herself, and for what? She looked down at the letter in her hand, so innocent and unassuming. What was inside? She knew she should discard it, but she read it anyway.
Sheena, it read. Sheena could almost hear her voice, reading it out loud to her. Her hands clenched down on the stark white sheet, shivering unhappily. She read it again. Sheena. Why was she torturing herself? She ripped the letter to shreds, her eyes burning with anger. Let the maids handle it.
She stalked over to one of Zelos's comfortable couches, plopping down and reading her other letters. Colette's were bubbly and full of news about the Ex-sphere hunt and the puppies, as usual. But it also hinted that things might not all be well, and asked if she could visit them sometime this week, as they were visiting Meltokio next. Presea had nothing but complaints about Regal's stuffiness and overbearing nature, while Regal asked only that she try to talk some sense into Presea, who had been acting more and more disagreeable over the past few months.
Sheena sat back, letting the letters drop down onto the coffee table. All of her friends seemed to be having troubles lately. Now that she was out of Mizuho, she needed to check the validity of her lead. But she also knew that she could catch up with her friends. She didn't want to lose track of any of them, even Genis, though he rarely ever sent her letters any more.
First, though, was the matter of Pandora and-
"Sheena!"
CRASH!
…Zelos.
Sheena found herself pinned down on the couch, Zelos squeezing her tight enough to crack ribs. "Squeee!" He said, nuzzling his nose against her neck. He reached up, unpinning her hair to let his hands run through it, whispering into her ear. "Sheena…"
"Wh-whoa!" Sheena flushed, wriggling in his embrace. "Zelos! What the heck?"
"I missed you so much…" he said, cerulean eyes heavy-lidded. He kissed her roughly, clasping his hand down onto her left breast to feel her heart beating.
CRASH!
Zelos found himself pinned onto the floor on his stomach as Pandora yanked his arms behind his back, her normally expressionless face a cold mask of anger. "I can not believe you!" she said to her fiancé, securing his arms with a pair of handcuffs she pulled from seemingly nowhere.
The daughter of the head of the Meltokian Law Enforcement stood up straight, exhaling and smoothing back a strand of her ebon black hair. She put a hand to her hip, glaring once at Zelos before turning to a flustered and breathless Sheena, still on the couch in a state of shock.
"I'm sorry," she said, though by her emotionless face you wouldn't think so. "He's probably still drunk from that party this morning."
Zelos snored loudly from his place on the floor before a few maids arrived to tote him off to his room. Pandora tossed the keys to his handcuffs to one of them as they passed, her expression bored and tired.
"Ah… ah…" Sheena sat up, flushing so much it reached down to her neck. "Er.. I- I guess that explains a lot." She snapped to attention. "Hey, a-aren't you supposed to be in Altamira?" she asked, trying desperately to change the subject and forget it ever happened.
Pandora got the hint, shrugging and collapsing down onto the couch next to her, one booted foot propped up on the coffee table. Instead of her usual furs and silks, she wore one of Zelos's old shirts and a pair of laced leather pants, her endless black hair held up in a no-nonsense ponytail. "That's the excuse," she said, the edge of her mouth turning upwards in a smile. "This is how it works, my dear Sheena. I say that I am in Altamira for business matters. Automatically, everyone assumes I'm there to sample the beach and local cuisine. While that's not true, I'm still on vacation, and no one is the wiser. Especially my father and uncle."
Sheena had finally managed to get her blushing under control and smirked at Pandora. "Are you taking sneaky lessons from Zelos?"
"My dear, he's taking them from me."
Sheena smiled wider. "Hehe. Now I remember why I like you so much."
"You shouldn't." Pandora settled down on the couch, making herself comfortable. "It will make you more than a few enemies. So did you get Zelos's letter? Did he tell you what attending this party entailed?"
"He said he bought me a sexy dress, but that's about it."
Pandora sighed. "That figures," she said, shaking her head. "Princess Hilda's birthday is coming up. It's around the Harvest Festival, so generally they merge the two celebrations and have a masked ball, and he wants me there." Standing up suddenly, she began to pace around the room like a big cat. "But I have other plans."
"More important than that."
"Honestly, I've been to so many of these parties the novelty is wearing off. Which is why I'm asking you to go in my stead." She looked up at Sheena, the barest hint of emotion dancing behind her dark eyes. "Please? We look similar, so if you wear a mask, no one will know the difference. They can't see that Mizuho slant in your eyes."
"Don't give me the puppy eyes, Pandora…" Sheena complained, slamming her forehead down against the arm rest. "You know I'll do it anyway."
Pandora grinned; she reached out with both hands to lift her head back up and pinch her cheeks. "But I enjoy manipulating you, Sheena."
Sheena flushed. "Whatever. I'll be back in time for the party, but right now I gotta split. I only had enough time to only drop by for an hour or so." Standing up and moving Pandora's hands away, she made for the door.
She was blocked by Pandora's sword, whipped out of nowhere to rest on the door handle. "I don't think so," Pandora said, coolly. "I have some unfinished business with you still."
"Pandora, I really have to go!" Sheena said, pushing the blade away. She was careful not to cut herself. "I'll fight you some other- Wah!" She rolled to the side as Pandora sliced again, not aiming for the door this time. Sheena crouched nearby, her cards at the ready.
"You're paying for any blood stains I get!" she warned her, one hand held to the shallow cut the sword had etched into her arm. Pandora didn't answer, instead lunging forward, the blade shining from the sunlight streaming in through the windows.
Pandora opened the door to Zelos's room a few hours later, sweat and blood trickling down her face. She didn't bother to knock. He was lying peacefully on his bed, his face buried into the soft down pillows. She unsheathed her sword, the blade so fine it rang with sound when the barest wind blew past it-
Shhhhhhheennnnn
-and raised it high, high above his head, plunging the point deep down.
Tunk.
Zelos opened one eye, lazily turning his gaze to her towering over him. He wiggled his fingers- she had driven the tip of her sword down in the space between said appendages. "Are you trying to make a point?" he asked her, trying to hide his grin in the pillows. "A point, like, you're trying to say 'Stay away from my Ninjasweetiepie'?" He raised his hand a little, flicking the fine steel. Ping
"Ninjasweetiepie?" Pandora's eyebrows shot up.
"Or whatever pet name you have for her."
Pandora clambered up onto the bed, kneeling beside him on the mattress and holding onto the hilt of the sword with both hands, leaning forward to glare at him. "I'm trying to say, 'Zelos, I am angry with you for bringing Sheena into an argument between us.'"
"So you're saying, 'I'm very angry.'"
"I'm very… very… angry," she said. "Especially since I remember her mentioning you once made a promise to keep your hands off of her. You're willing to break that promise just to prove me wrong?" She leaned closer. "And you say you've changed? You're despicable."
Zelos couldn't hide his grin now. "Every word you say only proves my point more. You're never this passionate about somebody else, be it hatred or possessiveness or…" His eyebrow waggled. "…Maybe something else?"
"Maybe you should mind your own business," she snapped. "Maybe then you'd stop coming up with ridiculous conclusions."
He propped himself up on one elbow. "Is it so ridiculous? I'm definitely sensing something between you two, and you're not saying anything, and I'm getting suspicious. What am I supposed to believe?" Zelos puffed out a small breath, blowing his long hair out of his face. "If you're going to be my wife, aren't you supposed to share everything with me?"
"You've got to give to receive. You expect me to tell you my secrets when you disappear at night to go Goddess-knows-where?"
"But that's the catch, you see." He grinned again, snatching at her elbow to draw her closer. "You know where I go at night. But I don't know why you keep such a possessive attitude about Sheena."
"Trust me," Pandora said, "I wish I didn't."
He perked up at this. "You mean you wish you didn't have such a possessive attitude about-?" he started, the Devil twinkling behind his eyes before she slapped him and yanked her sword free from his mattress, the tips of her ears turning red.
"It's none of your business, Zelos!" she said, slapping him again, but the flustered look on her face was more stinging to Zelos than any blow. The flush had spread from her ears down her neck, tinting her cheeks a bright scarlet.
"No…." Zelos said, his eyes wide. He hadn't really believed… he'd suspected, but this… "No way."
Pandora put a hand to her face, looking away. "It's not what you think," she muttered, trying to get her emotions under control. "It's not. It's not. Goddess, only you could make me have this sort of- you're impossible Zelos. Just…" She took a few steps back. "Just give me a week. I'll have your answer by then."
"But…" Zelos could only smile, dazed and confused. "Why else would you be acting this way?"
She flushed again. "I'm- I'm-" She looked around her, desperately trying to find some route of escape. "I'm going to go take a bath!" she shouted, turning and leaving. She slammed the door shut behind her so loud it reverberated through the entire house.
Zelos sank back into the pillows, twirling a crimson strand of hair in one finger as he watched the closed door, as if his eyes could pierce through the wood and spy her storming away. That was the most emotion he'd seen her display since they had… well… He grinned.
A maid entered the door, curtseying politely. "You have a visitor, Master Zelos."
"…Huh," he said. "Who?"
"Raine Sage," the maid said, curtseying again and leaving.
"…Raine," Sheena said, clutching the towel tightly to her chest. She tried to breath but her chest was too tight. Her wet hair steadily dripped onto the carpet, a rivulet of water trailing down her shoulder to fall from her elbow, down, down, down, plip, plip, plip.
Raine gave no reaction, reclining easily on one of Zelos's couches, one leg tossed over the other as she stared Sheena down. So cold. So cold. So angry. Sheena flushed with shame, turning tail and running away to Goddess-knew-where in this maze Zelos called his house. Dimly, she became aware of someone chasing her, of wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her, keeping her from running further. Her shoulders began to shake.
"Slow down!" Zelos said, turning her around so he could hug her. "Hey, hey, slow down! It can't be that bad, Sheena. You have to face her sometime."
She shook her head against his chest, her chest heaving. "No, no, no!" she said, her voice raw. "I can't! I can't! Oh Goddess! She still hates me! She hates me! She hates me even now I knew she would never forgive me! Didn't you see the way she looked at me? Zelos…" She looked up at him and her eyes widened and she pushed him away with one hand, the other one holding her towel up as protection.
Why did he look so guilty? Did he recall what he did when he was drunk? She glanced away, covering her chest with both arms. No… it was probably pity. "…Just go," she said.
"Sheena-"
"Just… go, OK?" She said, closing her eyes as she felt her face begin to get hot again. "Tell her I jumped out a window or something."
She expected him to argue, but he didn't. Instead he bit his lip. "I won't ask questions just this once," he said, turning and leaving. "Your room is on the third floor, fifth corridor. Second to the left."
"…Yeah…" she said, turning away in case he looked over his shoulder, her arms still held protectively. "…Thanks."
A/N: Rah! Fourth chapter. 3,873 words. I'd have posted it sooner but I've been sucked into what must be the worst show in the world- "Strawberry Panic". Really. It's just bad. REALLY bad. Yet somehow I find myself addicted to the corniness of it. Ah well. I like the theme song to it. And those of you who noticed Pandora acting a little touchy-feely towards Sheena in the later chapters of "RUNAWAY" might have seen this coming. (All two of you!) But trust her when she says "It's not what you think."
Comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome! Remember that I'll still upload even if I get no review, but I'm also a Review Whore. I'm just good at hiding it. Or I think I am. I might be really obvious. BUT I SHALL PREVAIL. Sorry if the ending seemed rushed.
Next Chapter- COMBO! Genis and Yuan.