A/N: Okay, here's the 5th chapter! This one's shorter than I intended it to be, but after some thought I realized that this was probably a good place to split it up (didn't want to throw too much at you guys all at once lol) Added a few descriptions, which have been severely lacking in my mind, though I'm not too happy with them...Not too happy with this chapter in general, but meh. Next chapter will (hopefully) be a little better! :)

***IMPORTANT! I've written a one-shot for this fic, centering around Lynne and her parents about 11 years ago (before they left her). And I was wondering whether I should post it now, save it for later, or what. I'd like your opinions on this (since I'm doing it for you), so I created a poll on my profile that you can answer, or, if you don't feel like doing that, then either review or PM me your decision! Thanks! C;****

I'd like to say a big "Thank you!" to Strawberry Eggs, Guest, DarkXFeatheredCosmic, and Giga39 for reviewing! You guys made my day(s)! XD

Enough of my rambling, on with the 5th chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia

Chapter 5: Selera Fujibayashi-Wilder

Lynne's POV

"Whoa…"

Meltokio, in a word, was magnificent. Its beautiful architecture and abundant grandeur awed and astounded Lynne and Gina when they first laid eyes upon it. So much so that the two girls had to stop and stare for several moments outside the gate, their eyes wide and gleaming.

They were so transfixed with the sight that they didn't notice the guards' growing discomfort. Most people that walked up to the great Meltokio gates either were there for business or personal reasons, and always seemed to be in a kind of hurry, not stopping to stare at the city from the outside. This and their outfits made the guards naturally weary. The younger girl with the silver hair (which only made the guards more nervous) was wearing a light blue dress with what looked like pants underneath, but they stopped just under the knee and hung loosely at the end. Over the dress was a light blue mini-jacket that hung until just about the end of her ribcage, and had white swirling designs on it. The dress had a thin belt wrapped around the middle with what looked like a wooden toy hanging off the side. Her hands and arms were bare, and on her feet were white boots that flared to the outside.

The other, taller girl with brown hair was wearing a pink sleeveless top with a neckline that was a severe V. The shirt hugged the girl closely until her hips, where two thin brown belts hung, the front and back continuing a little father before making a V until mid-thigh. Underneath that shirt was another white shirt that covered her chest modestly and poked out slightly from underneath the pink shirt at the hips. On her legs she had on navy shorts that were slightly baggy. Also, on her legs were the same colored tights that went all the way to her boots, which were white and went up to mid-calf. Wrapped around her neck was a white scarf, the ends of which were so long that they hung to her knees. On her arms were gloves that had a single pink and blue stripe, respectively, and went all the way to her shoulders. Hanging from the belts were two swords sheathed in navy leather, and hanging from around her neck was a tarnished-gold locket and what looked like an ebony-colored stone. Neither of the two unusually-dressed girls noticed the guards' stares until one of the guards spoke, "Um, excuse me, but what is your business here?"

Both girls lowered their heads so their eyes focused on the young men, who fidgeted under their gazes. "Oh, sorry, we're here to see…a friend." The one with the two swords said.

"Oh, and why are you carrying weapons?" The other guard asked.

"We're travelers," the same girl who had spoken before shrugged. "You can't be too careful, right?"

The two guards looked at each other. It was pretty obvious that the girls were travelers, judging by their appearances. Besides, people came into the city carrying weapons every day. The girl was right – no one could be too careful. Turning back to the girls, the guards said, "You may enter," and stepped aside to let them pass. Both girls shot the guards grateful smiles and proceeded through the gate.

"Phew, for a minute there I thought those guys were gonna apprehend us or something!" Gina huffed as they climbed the central stairs leading to the upper quarters.

Lynne chuckled, but quickly gasped in a breath from lack of oxygen. "Who knows, maybe they will yet?" She joked.

Gina grinned, and the two girls settled into silence as they finished climbing the first set of stairs. As they walked across the courtyard to the next set of stairs, many middle-class citizens turned to stare at them. Their eyes lingered on Gina's bright hair and Lynne's swinging swords, curiosity written all over their faces. The two girls shrugged off the stares, already used to them from their time in the other towns they had traveled through. A silver-haired young quarter-elf girl and a tall, dual swords girl traveling together were bound to peak a few people's interest, after all.

After crossing the courtyard, the two girls began to ascend the much grander staircase that led to the nobles' quarters. Immediately after reaching the top, the feeling of being horribly out of place settled onto their minds as they gazed in awe at grandeur of the place. It was evident that these gardens were taken care of more so than the other one down below from the several exotic flowers to the pristine fountains and the marble statues and benches. Both girls could see several nobles milling around in the spectacular gardens, their magnificence matching the beauty around them. After a minute of gawking, Lynne murmured, "I think we're in the right place."

"We'd better – I'm not climbing another set of stairs," Gina grumbled, breaking the spell the courtyard had held on the girls.

Lynne laughed. "Well, we might have to go down, but I don't you think you have to worry about climbing any more ridiculously long staircases for a while."

"Good," Gina huffed. The quarter-elf looked around the plaza, and frowned. "Which way do we go?"

"Uhh…" Lynne muttered, looking just as lost as Gina did. "Let's go ask someone. She's famous, someone will know."

The dual swordswoman quickly scanned the area until she found a noble about ten yards away sitting on one of the marble benches. Smiling in triumph, Lynne walked confidently over to the young man, stopping when she was a few feet in front of him. Gina dashed over to the friend, panting a little from moving quicker than normal. Lynne cleared her throat, causing the young man, who was reading a book, to look up at her. Gina noticed that as the young man took in Lynne's appearance his cheeks became slightly flushed, as if he was embarrassed. Gina narrowed her eyes at this, but Lynne didn't seem to notice, she just smiled and asked, "Excuse me, sir, but could you tell me where Selera Fujibayashi-Wilder lives?"

The man looked a little stunned, but shook his head and said in a stammering voice, "Oh…uhh…s-she lives that way," he pointed to the girls' left, "but, umm, s-she might not b-be there right now."

Lynne cocked her head to the side. "Oh, why not?"

"Uhh…'c-cause she h-has to h-help set up for the c-celebration."

"What celebration?" Gina jumped in, making the man look at her instead. She noticed that as he turned away from Lynne the color in his cheeks died and his voice lost its stutter. "The Meltokio Festival. It's held every year."

"Oh," Gina frowned. She'd heard of it, but hadn't realized that it was happening soon. All this traveling must be making me lose track of the time, she concluded.

"Well, anyway, do you know where she lives? Maybe we can leave a message with a neighbor or something." Lynne shrugged.

"Y-yeah. Though it'd probably be better to leave it with her butler. Sometimes the nobles forget, you know," the man mumbled the last part, getting nervous under Gina's intense glare. "Anyway, she lives that way" – the man pointed to his left – "it's the biggest mansion on the left. You can't miss it."

"Thanks a lot!" Lynne smiled, making the man's cheeks redden again.

"Have a nice day!" She called as she and Gina scampered towards the staircase on the left. Unnoticed by them, the man sighed in relief and left quickly, wondering just who those two girls were.

"Well, I'll give the guy this – the mansion really is hard to miss," Lynne pointed out as she and Gina stood before a large golden brick mansion. It was huge, much bigger than any of the other mansions on the street, and definitely the right place, judging by the "Wilder" sign hanging above the door.

"That's an understatement," Gina muttered under her breath, glaring at the mansion in grudging awe. Something about the place told her that this was not going to be a quick in-and-out situation.

"Well, there's no use in standing around – let's go!" Lynne said, a smile already plastered on her face as she headed up the walkway. Gina snapped to attention and ran after her friend, catching up when they finally reached the door. Lynne hesitated for a second, then, with a determined expression, she knocked using the doorknocker once…twice…and a third time before resting her hands on her swords and waiting. Gina, finally catching her breath, stood up straight and put her hands behind her back, twiddling her thumbs. Finally, after seemed like years, a man with graying hair opened the door. "May I help you?" He asked solemnly.

"Yes, hello, I would like to request an audience with Miss Selera Fujibayashi-Wilder," Lynne asked formally.

"I'm afraid Mistress Selera is out at the moment – may I take your name?"

Lynne straightened, looking the man in the eye. "Yeah. Tell Miss Selera that Lynne Irving and Gina Sage would like request her assistance with an urgent matter. And that we'll be staying at the local inn if she wishes to send word to us." Gina tried her best to hide her shock and amusement at hearing Lynne speak so…upper-class. But even she couldn't help the small smile that spread across her lips.

The man opened his mouth to reply when a cool voice came from within the mansion, "Let them in Sebastian. I'll speak with them."

"As you wish Mistress Selera," the man – Sebastian – bowed, opening the door wider to allow Lynne and Gina to pass. Lynne bowed slightly while Gina curtsied at Sebastian, then, taking a deep breath, they stepped over the threshold and into the illustrious mansion, the door shutting softly behind them. At first, neither Lynne nor Gina could take their eyes off the sheer beauty the mansion held, from the many artworks framing the walls to the neatly arranged furniture and other décor. Both their mouths hung open until they heard a feminine laugh resound around the room. Both girls snapped their heads in the direction that the laugh was coming from, and saw a beautiful red-haired lady standing at the foot of the grand staircase, one arm resting lightly on the banister while the other held a glass of foreign liquid. She wore a magenta dress that hugged her frame all the way to the floor, the straps crisscrossing across her sternum. Her hands were covered in the same colored gloves at the dress, and they reached all the way to her shoulder. Her red hair was pulled back from her face in a complicated knot, her green eyes shining with mischievousness and cleverness. Her mouth quirked up into a smirk as she said, "Well, why don't we sit down?"

Lynne and Gina nodded mutely as they took a seat on one of the plush sofas in the sitting room. Selera gracefully sauntered over, handing the drink to Sebastian before sitting delicately across from the two friends, one arm resting over the back of the couch and her left leg crossed over her right. "Sooo…" she drawled lazily, "you're the daughters of the famous Lloyd and Colette Irving, and Genis and Presea Sage, am I correct."

"Yes, we are," Lynne said, leaning back against the sofa and crossing her arms in front of her chest. "And I take it you're the daughter of Zelos and Sheena Fujibayashi-Wilder?"

"Why yes, I am," Selera smirked, bring her arm down of the couch to cross with her other across her chest, mimicking Lynne's pose. "And what brings you here to my lovely home hmm? All the way from Iselia, no less. I'm curious as to why you would make such a journey?"

"Because…" Lynne hesitated. She wasn't sure whether or not she could trust Selera yet, and she didn't want to blab her plans to anyone. For all she knew, as soon as she left Selera might contact her father or mother and tell them her plans, and they in turn would tell Lloyd. And that would be bad. Very bad.

Luckily, Gina came to her rescue. "Because we need your help." Selera shifted her attention from the brunette to the silver-haired girl, making Gina spontaneously and irrationally nervous, however she plowed on, ignoring her brain's sudden paranoia. "We need to get to Mizuho, but we don't know where it is. As the chief's daughter, you should know where it is, right? Will you tell us? Please?"

Selera lowered her eyes and seemed to contemplate something for a moment, her right hand absently brushing the arm of the couch. Finally, after a very tense and long moment, Selera lifted her head and looked at the two girls', her eyes, for once, holding nothing but seriousness and something that looked suspiciously like remorse. "I'm afraid I cannot help you," Selera said firmly. Lynne and Gina immediately began to protest, which Selera silenced by holding up her hand in a "stop" gesture. "Because," she continued, motioning for Lynne and Gina to sit back down, as they had risen in their anger. "I do not know where it is either."

"How do you not know where it is?" Lynne asked, jumping back to her feet in outrage. "You're the chief's daughter, for Pete's sake! Why wouldn't you know?"

"Because, I live in Meltokio, with my father," Selera stated. When she did not elaborate, Gina asked in a deadly tone. "Why would this matter?"

"Because," Selera said sharply, "as you know, Mizuho's location is the deepest secret any Mizuho resident keeps. To let it slip, especially to the government, could possibly mean death for the entire city, not to mention the entire culture and lifestyle."

"But, I thought Mizuho and the government were on good terms?" Lynne asked, confusion crossing her face as she slowly sat back down on the couch.

Selera snorted. "If you believe that then you are more naïve than I thought." Lynne shot upright again, but Gina stopped her with a hand on her arm and a glare. Lynne glared back at her friend for a long moment before reluctantly sitting back down, muttering curses under her breath. Gina, ignoring her friend's outburst, turned back to Selera and motioned for her to continue. Selera coughed lightly before saying, "That's what the government wants people to think. But I digress, now's not the time to discuss such boring things." Selera yawned as if to prove her point, but quickly returned to her former seriousness. "Any who, because of that, and because as I am a Wilder and very involved with other nobles and the government directly, it would be dangerous for me to hold such secrets, so I have no knowledge of the location."

"So you're saying, that in order to protect you and Mizuho, they didn't tell you Mizuho's location so the government couldn't force it out of you, am I correct?" Gina summarized.

Selera nodded at the silver-haired girl. "You really are a Sage, aren't you?" Selera smirked, causing Gina to twitch in irritation. That damn smirk! It was really starting to grate on Gina's nerves. "So, no, I don't know the location of Mizuho, and, unfortunately, that means I can't help you. I'm truly sorry."

Lynne sighed in resignation. "It's not your fault. Thank you for seeing us and explaining everything." Lynne and Gina got up and headed towards the door, deciding not to bother Selera any further, as there was nothing more she could do. However, when they were halfway out the door, the two girls heard her call, "Wait."

Turning around, the girls saw Selera half-standing, her face tight with hesitation and indecision. Looking at each other, the girls shrugged and turned back towards Selera, who still looked unsure. "What's up Selera?" Lynne asked.

The red-head looked back and forth between the two girls before sighing heavily and motioning for them to sit back down. Once all three of them were seated again, Selera sighed again and said quietly, so quietly that the two companions had to strain their ears, "I don't know where Mizuho is, but I know someone who does."

"Really? Who?" Lynne asked excitedly.

Selera looked straight at both girls, her face telling them that she was about to tell them a huge secret. Both Lynne and Gina stared back, silently willing Selera to trust them. After several tense moments, Selera sighed again and said, simply, "My brother."

Zelos/Sheena's POV

"And where do you think you're going?"

Zelos stopped, caught in the act of sneaking out. Turning around, he put on his best innocent face, but the violet-haired ninja just stared at him with her hands on her hips, her face and posture telling him that she didn't believe his "innocence" act for a second.

"Oh hunny, it's nothing to worry about! I just forgot something teensy-weensy that I need to take care of in Meltokio!" When Zelos saw that Sheena still wasn't buying it, Zelos put his hands up in innocence. "I mean it! Though, it might be more than just 'teensy-weensy', but it's still really important! Please? I'll and come back real fast, I promise! It'll take me only a day or so with my Rheaird!"

Sheena studied her husband closely. He certainly looked serious. Hmm…but why would he suddenly need to go back to Meltokio? Oh! That's right! The festival! Sheena sighed. Some things never changed, including Zelos's selective memory. "Fine," she finally conceded. Zelos whooped loudly, pumping his fist in the air, but his celebrations were cut short when his wife continued. "However, I'm coming with you."

"But…" Zelos started to protest, but at the look in Sheena's eye he swallowed his excuses. "Allllright, but we have to share a Rheaird." Zelos waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Sheena sighed. "Fine. Now let's go." Zelos whooped again and ran towards the edge of town. Sheena sighed again before hurrying after him. I'm in for a long ride….

Lynne's POV

"Your brother?" Lynne and Gina gasped. "Since when did you have a brother?"

"Since almost eighteen years ago," Selera snapped, effectively silencing the two companions. Abruptly, the fight drained out of her and she sighed, her hand coming up to cover her face. "Yes, I have a brother. But, he doesn't live with me."

"Where does he –" Lynne began, before Gina elbowed her in the ribs, effectively shutting her up. Gina looked at Selera steadily, holding the older girl's gaze. "He lives in Mizuho, I take it?"

The red-head nodded. "Yeah. I live with our dad, he lives with our mom. I'm a noble, he's a ninja. Personally, I don't know why anyone would want to be a ninja, but that's just me, apparently." Selera's face twisted in distaste.

"Okay, but if he lives in Mizuho, how does that help us? I mean, you don't know where Mizuho is right? So how does you having a brother in that city help?"

"I may not know where he is, exactly, but I can contact him using some of the ninjas Mizuho has secretly posted here." Selera's gaze swept around the room; as if just by looking she could make the hidden ninjas appear. "Through messages, I can ask him to come here and lead you guys to Mizuho, as a, let's say, personal favor."

"If there are several ninjas around here as you say, then why don't we just ask one of them to escort us?" Gina asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Selera sighed. They really don't know anything, do they? "It's because you need the chief's or the chief's son's permission to enter the village. No, my permission doesn't count," Selera added, cutting off Gina's retort. "As I'm not a resident of the village nor the heir."

"But, Lloyd's group didn't need permission to enter the village. Why do we?" Lynne asked.

"Lloyd's group was special, in that they technically broke the law when Sheena led them to the village. That won't happen again, I assure you," Selera explained.

"Okay, so will you send the message for us then?" Lynne asked, getting straight to the point, as all the details were starting to confuse her.

Selera nodded. "Yeah, I think I can trust you guys," she smiled shyly, earning shy smiles from the two companions. However, Selera's smile quickly transformed into her trademark smirk as the three girls heard a knock at the door. "Though, that will have to wait for a while. Right now, I have dates to go on!" Selera laughed, sauntering over to the door, stopping only to smooth down her dress before permitting Sebastian to open the door. There, standing on the doorstep, were several handsome young men, all jostling for a front position. Selera adopted her most flirtatious smirk and, with a wave to a stunned Lynne and Gina, and a few quick words with Sebastian, Selera headed out the door, shutting it behind her with a loud click.

The two companions stared at the door in shock for a moment, before Gina shook her head and muttered, "Well, now we know whose side she takes after, at least."

"You can say that again," Lynne murmured, shivering in distaste. Both girls looked at each other, and then burst out laughing. Their laughter was cut off, however, when Sebastian cleared his throat. Both girls immediately stopped giggling and tried to put on straight faces, but were failing quite miserably. Sebastian cleared his throat again before announcing, "Mistress Lynne and Mistress Gina, Mistress Selera has graciously allowed you two to spend the night here instead of at the inn, if you would prefer."

"That'd be wonderful Sebastian. Thank you."

Sebastian waved his hand. "No need to thank me Mistress Lynne. Now, shall I show you your rooms?" When the girl's nodded, the graying butler proceeded towards the grand staircase, motioning for the two girls to follow. Quickly, he led them upstairs and showed the girls their rooms, to which each girl gasped in awe. Gina's bedroom was a fairly large room with a canopy bed with purple bedding, a nightstand next to the bed, and a reclining chair that looked perfect to cozy up with a book and read for hours. Lynne's room had lots of space, with only a king-size bed with light-blue sheets up against the far corner, and a large mahogany dresser next to it.

After Sebastian left, after promising to wake them both up in an emergency or if Lloyd or one of his former companions came, both girls immediately flopped down on their respective beds, removed their gear and luggage, and promptly fell asleep. They were both exhausted from climbing all those stairs and dealing with Selera, who had managed to irk both of them. After a few moments, both girls' faces smoothed out, finally at peace.

However, little did they know that they were in for a very unexpected and undesirable visit….

A/N: Uh oh! Zelos and Sheena are coming! Will Lynne and Gina be found out? And who's Selera's mysterious brother? Will he help them or not? All will be revealed in the 6th chapter!

Please, Review! I love you're feedback! CX