"Whoo, go Sheena!"

Sheena smiled a little to herself as she picked Lloyd's voice out of the crowd's loud cheers, shaking her hands once as she stood in the centre of the large arena, awaiting her opponent's arrival. She had easily been able to take care of the first three enemies that had stood in her way, they had been laughable compared to her current strength. 'One more to go...' She had watched and cheered as Lloyd had gone before her, and he had simply cleaned up without any effort at all, much to her delight. She had expected as much, but now that it was her turn, she was remarkably pleased to hear his voice cheering for her.

She watched with mild surprise as the large doors swung open, revealing her last opponent. She had to cran her neck to look up at the mammoth armour-clad man, and her stomach dropped a few inches in her torso. He easily was handling an axe about as tall as the summoner herself, and she saw his beady eyes grinning at her through his iron helm. He wore the bottom half of a battle-suit, the leather seemed to be crying as it tried to stretch across his giant tree-trunk legs, and he had no clothing on his torso, revealing the bands of rippling muscle across his hairy chest. Sheena swallowed noisily.

'Oh... Shit...'

The crowd behind her had gone silent, as though they were already predicting her doom. Gritting her teeth, her hand gently caressed her Asura card, her body tensing in anticipation. 'The bigger they are...' She reminded herself inwardly, crouching slightly into her stance, 'the harder they fall.'

"BEGIN!"

The man brought his axe down with more speed than Sheena ever would have expected, and only the years of Mizuho training she had undergone saved her. She threw herself backwards with a grunt, the sharp steel of the weapon sinking into the ground as the wind it created blew her hair from her face. "Holy–!"

Blocking out the commentary from the sidelines, she focussed her mind on her enemy, taking in everything she could see. He truly was a giant, he was larger than her in every way possible, and the axe he was holding seemed way too heavy for her to lift even if she wanted to. He handed the axe with one hand, his other steadying his body as he used all of his strength to swing it, and his legs seemed rooted to the ground whenever he swung the deadly weapon. On his hands, she noted with shock, were two Exspheres, glowing a sickening crimson as he faced off with her.

'Two...?' Sheena had to throw herself to the left as he approached her, ignoring the shooting pain up her left leg from the sudden movement. He moved clumsily though not without purpose, and she could see that he was trying to corner her. He had already taken half of the arena away from her, blocking off her escape with his sheer size as he lumbered forwards and slightly inwards, causing her to dance away from his giant axe. 'Jeez he's big!'

"Dancing is pretty, but not good enough to save you." The giant spoke with a husky laugh, bringing his axe down dangerously close to her side. When she tried to avoid him, her left shoulder touched the far wall, and she hissed as she realized he'd pinned her in. He was laughing as he held his axe above his head with both hands, ready to bring it down right on her with everything he had.

'Find your opening, and take it.' Sheena didn't waste a moment, using the wall to push off, she threw herself at him, her hands already moving to channel her mana into her card. "Pyre Seal!" The resulting explosion barely rocked the giant back a foot, and with a hiss she tried again, this time pulling a second Asura from her pouch, focussing even more of her mana into the seal. "Again! Pyre Seal!"

This time it did the trick, he was sent backwards with a surprised grunt, but it was enough for Sheena to dodge around his wildly swinging weapon, giving her the opening she had been looking for. 'If I put enough mana into it, I should be able to float him for half a second, that'll be enough to hit him from below...' "CYCLONE SEAL!"

The attack barely lifted the man off the ground, but it was enough as Sheena raced in, moving her hands as quickly as possible as the Asura card began to glow with her mana. "Okay... Let's do it!" With a grunt, she slapped the card against his back, hissing, "Demon Seal!" He staggered forward, giving her enough time to hit him in the side with another seal, but this time he seemed ready, whirling around and swinging his axe low.

Sheena gasped as she ducked, sliding her left leg backwards to steady herself. Her eyes widened in horror as her left ankle simply gave out with a groan of pain. Off balance, she collapsed onto the ground, her left leg curling uselessly underneath her as the man's axe whizzed harmlessly an inch above her nose. Seeing that she couldn't get up, he approached her, standing over her with an ugly smile that made her heart freeze in dread.

Lloyd, having watched all of this from the stands, instinctively got to his feet, but the action was lost in the crowd as the rest of them did too, craning their necks to see the end of the battle. The cheering was nearly deafening as he watched the axeman stroll up to the fallen summoner, and he could picture the ugly look of triumph in the man's eyes. His hands twitched towards his swords, and they settled on the handles as the man raised his axe. It took all his strength to root his feet to the floor and remain still and silent. His blood thundering in his ears, Lloyd muttered, urging her in a voice lower than a whisper, "Get up Sheena... Get up!"

The axe came down with a murderous shriek, but Sheena threw herself into a roll, narrowly avoiding getting sliced in two. Curling her arms tightly against her chest, she rolled farther right, avoiding the second attempt on her life. 'Dammit, my stupid ankle... I can't even stand!'

The man was far too close for comfort now, she could see her reflection in the Exsphere. Something clicked into place then, and she didn't think twice as she used her hands to push off from the ground, forcing herself up, landing mostly on her good leg. Wincing at the throb of pain from her ankle, she spun out of his reach, her hand already moving to grab the hidden kunai she kept on her at all times. With a hiss, she dodged his third swing, jumping in as close as she dared. His hand was now level with her eyes, and with a snarl of defiance, she plunged the dagger into his Exsphere, watching with a dark satisfaction as the crystal shattered on impact.

She didn't waste a second, repeating the performance on his right hand, watching as his entire body sagged under the stress of the heavy weaponry and armour. With a little smile, she watched him collapse to the ground, completely exhausted without the power of his Exspheres. Her ankle moaned under the weight she tried to put on it, and clumsily, she leaned on her right leg instead, wincing a little as the commentator declared the battle.

She barely remembered making her way back to the resting room, but she flopped down on the edge of the bench, cradling her injured ankle in her lap, removing her boot with a wince. She gingerly rubbed the injury, careful not to irritate the already inflamed skin, 'Damn... I should've known better than to fight with this stupid thing... It was fine this morning, all the jumping must have aggravated it.'

"Sheena?" Lloyd asked worriedly, ignoring the calls from the receptionist as he walked into the room, sitting down beside his friend. She smiled weakly at him, but he saw her hands move quickly to pull her pantleg back down to hide the injury. Frowning, he asked sternly, "Sheena, what happened out there? Your ankle just gave way like you broke it or something. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I must've sprained it jumping on Zelos this morning, I should've known better than to trust that he'd break my fall." Sheena lied flatly, shrugging a little. She had lowered her eyes however to avoid looking at Lloyd, knowing he could read her like an open book. 'Why does he have a selective intuition...?'

"Sheena, show me your ankle." Lloyd's voice was stern, and looking up into his serious adust eyes, she knew better than to argue with him. Silently, she rolled up her pantleg, looking away as she let him see what had happened. Lloyd's eyes widened in shock at the sight of her reddened skin, around her ankle was a perfect tattoo of the giant tree's root which had wrapped itself around her in the tower and dragged her into the shadows. The half-closed gash was still a dark red colour, giving hint to a deep tissue damage that must have gotten inflamed. "Th-This is from..."

"When Zelos saved me, we didn't have time to stop, chat, or heal. I put a gel on it and hoped for the best." Sheena explained tiredly, slowly pulling her pantleg back down to hide the torn flesh. The feel of the fabric rubbing against the wounds only made her flinch, but she ignored the pain as she put her boot back on. "I guess it didn't take as well as I hoped..."

"You should've told Raine about it before we got to Meltokio, how long has it been hurting like this?" Lloyd asked with narrowed eyes, recoiling as he imagined how long she had been hiding her pain. They had walked from the Fooji mountains to Meltokio, weary to be caught by any of Mithos' rogue supporters who may have had it out for them, and imagining how long she must have suffered with her wound made him ill. "Sheena..."

"Seriously, it's nothing to worry about!" Sheena exclaimed, completely flustered by the worried look on the twin swordsman's face. She tried to get to her feet but her ankle cried out violently in pain, causing her to stumble and fall back onto the bench with a groan. "Ughn!"

"You can't walk like this..." Lloyd sighed, shaking his head a few times as he clambered to his feet, debating on how to get her across the city to the mansion. He smiled suddenly, and held out his arms for her, explaining cheerfully, "Fine, if you can't walk, I'll just carry you back."

"H-Hell no! I can walk!" Sheena protested, blushing to the roots of her hair at his offer, attempting again to stand. But as before, her ankle failed her, and she wobbled slightly before Lloyd's hands gently settled on her shoulders to steady her. Glaring at the ground for her weakness, she mumbled awkwardly, "R-Really Lloyd, I d-don't want you to carry me around Meltokio..."

"I don't mind Sheena." Lloyd insisted, not really understanding why she was so flustered. 'Does she not want to go back to the mansion or something...?' He'd already made up his mind, she could barely stand on both feet, let alone walk, and he wouldn't leave her there by herself. Whether or not she liked it, she was going back with him. "You're either in my arms or over my shoulder Sheena, I'm taking you back so Raine can take a look at you. That ankle won't heal without proper attention."

"You wouldn't dare." Sheena tried to hop a step away from him as he advanced on her, a sly light in his eyes as he kept his arms open, ready to snatch her. Looking around fearfully for an exit, she cursed when she couldn't find one. Lloyd had her cornered, and she had the uneasy feeling that he was serious about throwing her over his shoulder if she kept on fighting him. She had no chance of escaping him with her injury, he could easily catch her and drag her along by force. "G-Get away from me!"

"Over my shoulder or in my arms Sheena, it's your choice." Lloyd warned her again, his eyes dancing with childlike play though he managed to keep his voice entirely serious, a feat for him. He took a dangerous step closer, watching with some satisfaction as she grew desperate to escape. She had shrunk back entirely into the corner, her eyes wide with fear and the same crimson flush rising steadily in her face. "Which is it?"

Sheena bit her tongue, not really in defiance but mostly out of embarrassment. She had no desire whatsoever to be tossed over his shoulder like a sack of rice, but she also didn't want him to carry her back to the mansion. She could only imagine what rumours she'd be facing if she arrived there like that. 'That stupid Chosen would never let me hear the end of it!' Taking a deep breath as she knew defeat was imminent, and kicking herself fiercely for her lack of pride, she finally mumbled to herself, 'I cannot believe I'm saying this...' She answered him in a low mutter, "Your arms then..."

"Okay." Lloyd grinned, all signs of fake menace gone with her grudging answer. He didn't pause, knowing she could change her mind in an instant, and with a flourish he scooped her up into his arms, carrying her the only way he knew how, bridal style. Her arms wound around his neck, more out of instinct than desire, and he chuckled when he felt her face grow hot against his shoulder. "There, now you don't need to walk."

"I'd still rather walk." Sheena muttered under her breath, her voice already muffled as she hid her face in Lloyd's chest to avoid being seen. He held her rather easily and that surprised her, but when she felt the strength of his arms curled under her knees around her back, she knew that he had truly grown much stronger since they had first met. She blushed fiercely as her mind began to imagine what it would feel like to have him on top of her... 'Dammit, stop it!'

Not noticing Sheena's inner turmoil, Lloyd proceeded to carry her out of the coliseum, not seeing the glances some of the participants gave him. His ears were not as dull however, and he picked up some whispers from a few random viewers in line.

"Would you look at that, he's carrying her like they just got married or something. That's really cute."

"You don't see young men doing that often these days, how chivalrous."

"That's charming... Oh and look at the young lady, she's so red she matches his clothes!"

Lloyd frowned a little, noticing that with each whisper Sheena was growing more and more uncomfortable, hiding her face against his chest as her entire body stiffened. Cradling her more protectively, he walked into the street, enjoying the warm sunlight that rained down on them. He felt Sheena perk up just a little, raising her face into the sunlight, her frown melting into a gentle smile. Lloyd smiled in return, glad to see her in better spirits. The sun did wonders for the summoner, and he found himself enchanted by the gentle violet hues in her dark hair. He asked quietly, "Feeling better now?"

"Now that we're away from the stupid crowds, yes." Sheena answered with a grumble, but she couldn't deny the pleasure of holding onto him as he carried her through the streets. She ignored the second glances some people in the streets gave them, nuzzling just a little into Lloyd's hold with a quiet sigh. She felt better when he rested his chin on top of her head, feeling the steady thump of his heartbeat against her shoulder. 'It's nice... No one's ever done this for me before, it's really nice...'

"I'll have to get Raine to look at your ankle when we get back..." Lloyd sighed with mock exasperation, watching as she huffed and let go of his neck, crossing her arms instead. He felt odd as she dropped her arms from him, and he pouted at her fake anger. "Sheena, don't get mad at me... I just want you to be okay."

"I'm not an invalid." Sheena grumbled half-heartedly, but she responded to the aching warmth in his voice and wound her arms around his shoulders again. He laughed at her easy surrender, but she didn't reply, watching with some frustration and embarrassment as he carried her down the streets towards the mansion. Embarrassment and pride winning out over her affection, she grumbled under her breath, "I don't need this kind of chivalry, I'm no damsel in distress Lloyd."

"Oh hush, Raine will fix you up then you can go wherever you want, without me if that's how you want it to be." Lloyd told her with some injury, but he tried his best to cover it. He understood the summoner's want to be independent, he felt it too, but he felt this strange compulsion to protect her regardless. He didn't just want her to be okay, it had transformed into a need. Falling silent, he continued the walk, wondering numbly, 'She's gotta be pissed at me now... Damn...'

'Dammit, why am I so stupid? I can't act feminine to save my life. He's just looking out for me, why am I getting so defensive?' Sheena closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath to steady her rapidly racing heart before she risked a peek up at him through her bangs. His jaw was set in a expression close to anger, but his eyes reflected pain, something that jolted Sheena. 'Did I... I hurt his feelings?' Wincing at the pain the thought caused her, she began softly, "Lloyd...?"

"Yeah?" Lloyd looked down, startled to see the sincere apology in her eyes, and the emotion that made her lips tremble as the formed his name. Instantly concerned that he had somehow injured her ankle while carrying her, his grip redoubled on her slim form and he asked worriedly, "Did I hurt you Sheena? Am I walking too fast? Should I slow down? I'm sorry."

"Wh-What? N-No, this pace is fine..." Sheena, completely bewildered by the complete flip in his attitude. She noticed his hold had tightened, but not uncomfortably, and she was resting more securely against his chest now. Blushing slightly, she continued, "Lloyd, I'm sorry I snapped at you... I'm just not used to this kind of stuff... I don't get carried around that often, I'm supposed to be tough, you know?"

"You don't have to be tough all the time, Sheena. You're allowed to be weak when you feel weak." Lloyd told her simply, smiling at the fact that he had to tell her this. She was too caught up in her facade. He watched with a secret pleasure as she flushed red, ducking to hide her face into his shoulder, muttering incoherently into his shirt. Unable to help it, he laughed, setting his chin on top of her dark hair, "You know that regardless of what happens, if you're smiling, laughing, or crying, I'll always stand by you, right?"

'Do I really know that Lloyd?' Sheena found herself wanting to ask, feeling the throb of pain in her chest that she had come to accept over the past few months. It only had grown as she found herself falling even more for the swordsman, regardless of what she told herself. Every time she watched him smile at Colette, another piece of her heart shattered and fell away from her. Forcing herself to hide the pain, she smiled weakly up at him, feeling him nuzzle into her hair before they were walking again. 'Lloyd... You're such a dork...'

By the time they reached the mansion, Genis, Presea, Colette and Zelos had all vanished, leaving only Raine, Regal and the butler left. Lloyd was careful to be as silent as possible when opening the door, and he sighed in relief when he saw the two adults pouring over the chessboard that had been the focus of entertainment for the man lately. The swordsman thought to himself with an odd smile, 'Guess they must be out somewhere in the city... I'm actually glad... Sheena's embarrassed enough as it is... No need to let the others know about this.'

He set Sheena on the edge of the couch, coughing once to get their attention. Raine raised one hand in a silent gesture, her eyes still focussed on the board before a bit of a smile curved her lips and she moved her rook in position to take Regal's king. she announced triumphantly though not withot a hint of vanity, "And that, my friend, is checkmate." Looking up then, she noticed Sheena rubbing her ankle with a grimace, giving her a good view of her pain. Raine sighed, smoothing an invisible crease in her robe before asking tiredly, "What happened?"

"Your wound from the Great Tree has aggravated itself again?" Regal questioned, his attention successfully diverted from his loss. Sheena didn't look up at him, though he noticed her eyes flickered once to Lloyd before her cheeks reddened. 'She surely couldn't have walked back here by herself...' He glanced at Raine, whose eyes betrayed the same thoughts in his mind, but he didn't say a word, knowing the young warriors had to sort things out for themselves.

"Well, let me have a look at it then..." Raine sighed with mock exasperation, getting up from her seat to walk over to the injured summoner. Sheena didn't meet her eyes as she rolled up her pantleg, wincing as the fabric scratched at the wound. Raine was careful to keep her face impassive as she knelt beside the young ninja, her eyes keen as she studied the wound. 'It could very well be infected after such an extended period... Her stubbornness could very well cost her her life... It's inflamed for certain...' "Alright, I think my First-Aid will do for your ankle, but I want you to keep off of it for the rest of the day. I don't know how deep the damage is, or if it's even infected. So you're to remain here for the rest of the day, understood?"

"Do I have a choice?" Sheena asked with heavy sarcasm, but when Raine simply raised an eyebrow, the ninja sighed. Nodding once to show she understood and wouldn't cause a fuss, Sheena watched as Raine began to focus her mana, causing her hands to glow with an odd greenish hue.

"First-Aid!"

Lloyd watched as the mana flowed straight into the wound, shooting off several sparks as the skin began to glow before her wound sparkled with mana. 'Good...' Sheena sighed softly as the warmth sank into her ankle and around her foot, slowly healing the damage in her tissue before sealing the cut, leaving only a faded scar. A deep rooted ache rang out in his chest as his eyes focussed on the scar, coupled with an overwhelming surge of guilt. 'She'll have that scar forever, won't she...?'

Sheena was silent as a ghost as she slid out of her bed, her bare feet making no sounds as they swept across the thick carpet. She cast a quick glance around her room before she opened the door as quietly as possible, slinking down the empty hall before heading down the stairs. The entire mansion was as still as death.

Sweeping down the stairs, Sheena paused at the door, glancing up at the top floor with a little smile. Her keen ears picked up the snores coming from the men's rooms, telling her that no one had awoken yet. Grabbing her bag before she left, she was out the door, closing it behind her with a whisper.

"The city's so peaceful at night..." Sheena murmured to herself as she walked slowly down the empty streets, admiring the warm glows of the lamps that lit the empty city in the night. Shouldering her bag, she exhaled happily, watching as her breath turned to mist in the cool air. 'It's getting chilly now that fall's fading... Soon it'll start to snow...'

Glancing towards the closed gates, Sheena smiled mostly to herself, stretching her legs casually as she prepared herself for the jump. 'I hope he's still waiting there...' She took a running leap towards the closest home, landing neatly on the roof on her tiptoes. "Ha!" With perfect balance, Sheena lifted her left leg, examining her scarred ankle with interest. Her pantleg was still rolled up to give the wound some air, and she spoke to herself quietly, "The scar won't ever fade, but I'm surprised how easily Raine managed to heal me... I should stay in the mansion tonight, but I promised I'd go see him..."

Grinning at the thought of her awaiting companion, she raced silently across the roof, leaping from the edge to the next, laughing quietly to herself as she did it. It only took her a few moments before she had made it to the great walls, and with a flip that was more dramatic than necessary, she hopped over the rails to land on the grassy area outside of Meltokio's doors.

"I'm really going to have to thank her again for the First-Aid." Sheena reminded herself with a gentle laugh, scanning the dark hills with interest. The pale light from the torches wasn't nearly enough to let her get a good view of the area around her, but she was completely at ease regardless. Crossing her arms against the cool breeze, she looked around curiously for any sign of her awaiting friend. "Now where is he hiding...?"

The soft sounds of grass crushing underfoot alerted her, and her face widening into a smile, she turned to see who she'd been waiting for. Her smile warming, she opened her arms in invitation, exclaiming cheerfully, "There you are! Here I was worried you'd ditch me tonight. I'm glad you're here, I have so much to tell you about today. I missed you."

AN

Dun dun dah.... And before anyone asks, I am not telling you who she went out to meet! It's a secret! XD But seriously, lol, thanks to those who reviewed in the first chapter, I'm hard-pressed to continue so, heehee. Thanks sincerely! And someone (no names) asked me about my unwritten rules of an author XD So I think I'll give you another rule each chapter. Rule #2: Any idea once written is the property of that author, to borrow it without permission is theft, plain and simple. :3 So it's my personal obligation to ask permission from any author about anything that I think might be theirs, in conjuction with rule 1, give credit where it's due!

Also, lol, my apologies for the huge amount of sarcasm, it's my native tongue so it tends to get into my stories a lot... Hehe, jokes for me are normally sarcastic and I notice it can tend to get dry, so my apologies if that gets annoying.

Btw XD I'm uploading this from school, (I'm there, lol) so my apologies for any typos, I'll fix them the second I get home!

Sky