Lloyd had woken the moment he heard the door in his room open with a soft sigh, but out of sheer force of will, he managed to keep himself in bed. Only when he heard the lower door shut did he get up, and quickly race out of the bedroom. With as much silence as he could muster, he opened the door to the girls' rooms, peeking in to make sure they were still in their beds.

Colette and Presea were fast asleep in their beds, something that momentarily soothed the worry surging through his blood. 'Good...' Like a ghost, he shut their door and went to the next room, and he wasn't surprised to find Raine asleep in a chair, a book dangling precariously from her limp hands. 'Heh... Fell asleep reading, huh...?' As quietly as he could, he shut the door and slunk to the next room that he knew was Sheena's.

His hand froze on the doorknob as he remembered the words she had spoken yesterday about Zelos' sneaking habits. 'Uh... Damn.' Resting his forehead on the door, he silently whacked the wood, gritting his teeth. 'Did she actually put letter bombs on the door to stop him from sneaking into her room? I wouldn't blame her after this morning...' He flashed an angry glare towards the room where the Chosen slept, gritting his teeth further in fury. 'I swear I'll kill him if it was Sheena that left the house and I can't check on her! That idiot!'

He stood outside her room for what seemed like forever, weighing the pros and cons of opening her door. If she had been serious, which he suspected she was, the odds that he'd escape the alleged bomb were very slim and bodily harm was definitely going to happen. 'But...' The worry for his own safety seemed nearly invisible compared to the strangling snake of his fear for her.

Taking a deep breath, the young man steeled himself and opened the door as quickly as possible. Nothing happened. He breathed a very loud sigh of relief before he poked his head in, glancing around the smaller room in concern. He felt as though a hammer had been sunk into his stomach when his eyes came to rest on her bed. It was empty.

'She's...' Lloyd slowly shut the door, his legs suddenly feeling as if they weighed one ton each. He was torn in two by two entirely different emotions, both demanding knee-jerk action. He wanted to leave, give chase to her even though he had no idea where she had gone. The other was more curious, he felt incredibly angry. Angry enough to take out his swords and cut the entire house down. 'Where the hell did she run off to!? She's supposed to keep off her ankle, what if she injures herself again!? How the hell is she going to get back!?'

Completely taken aback by his sudden outburst of fury, Lloyd sank to a sitting position outside her room, hiding his face in his hands. 'What's wrong with me...? Why am I suddenly so pissed off...?' Gritting his teeth as he tried to understand what had flipped the switch, he took several deep breaths to calm himself.

The gentle scent of cherry blossoms was the first thing that he noticed, and almost automatically, he got to his feet and ventured slowly into her room. The scent clung to the bed where she had been sleeping, and he found himself setting on the edge of it, breathing deeply. 'Sheena.' Something hurt in his chest, causing him to wince deeply at the pain. 'Why wouldn't she tell me she had somewhere to go tonight...? I would've gone with her, she's hurt, she should know better...'

"I'm no damsel in distress Lloyd." Her words echoed painfully in his head, telling him exactly what she thought of his attempt to be chivalrous.

He winced again. 'Is she... mad at me....?' The agony he felt from that simple thought shocked him, he had to grit his teeth to stop himself from cursing out loud. He had never really seen her angry with anyone besides Zelos, but then again, she was the type to hide how she felt if she was embarrassed. 'I... Why does it hurt so much...?'

He didn't know how long he sat on the end of her bed, just breathing in her scent, trying to sort through his muddled mess of thoughts. The smell of the sheets was oddly calming yet at the same time it was twisting his stomach in unnatural ways. "What's wrong with me? This is so weird."

The door clicked below him, and mostly out of instinct, Lloyd was on his feet and out the door in seconds, having made it to the banister before he heard the warm voice he recognized. She was talking in a low voice to herself, but somehow she sounded happy. He listened intently, only catching the tail-end of her words.

"...glad I went out to talk to him, I probably wouldn't have slept well if I hadn't..."

Lloyd's blood froze in his veins, and the irrational surge of fury was back with a vengeance. For one heart-stopping moment, all he saw was red and his hands shook like he had just been struck by Volt's lightning. He barely was able to stop himself from jumping the stairs, seizing the summoner by the shoulders and yelling at her to his heart's content. He could actually picture her stunned face, and the anger that she'd react with.

With as much self-control as he could muster, he slunk back into his room, his teeth grit so firmly his jaw was beginning to ache. He had to take several deep breaths before he was calm enough to think again, and he listened intently as Sheena climbed the stairs and entered her room, the door clicking shut behind her. No one else had stirred since he had gotten up to investigate the noise. Part of him was still uneasy, he was debating going to her room to demand an explanation. But.. 'Isn't it her business where she goes on her own time...? She's my friend, don't I trust her...?' Even as he asked the question, he hit himself over the head. 'Of course I trust her!'

Him.

It echoed in his mind like a poisonous snake's hypnotic hiss, kindling the hellfire of fury that was choking his heart. He didn't understand the feeling, or the reactions his body was begging him to make. He wanted to go into her room, but not to scold her, or find out anything, but simply to hold her, to make sure she would never leave again. Then he wanted to leave her there, and find whoever this 'him' was that had taken her away from the mansion, away from him. He didn't really know what he would do to this mystery man, but he was sure it would be remarkably violent. The anger only made him more confused and hurt, driving him to further annoyance.

'Sheena...'

Sheena stifled a yawn as she trudged slowly down the staircase, hearing the small bustle of the group as they too woke up and prepared themselves for the day. She wasn't surprised to see Raine already awake and refreshed, her nose buried in yet another book, completely ignoring her breakfast. Presea was on the couch with Colette, pointing as the chessboard that she and Regal had taken over yesterday. She pointed at certain pieces, demonstrating with exaggerated slowness how each piece moved and how to use that to an advantage during play. Genis, though he was trying his best to pretend that he wasn't interested, continued to look over at the game, his mouth set in concentration as he too listened to the lesson. Sheena noticed with a jolt that Zelos, Regal, and most importantly Lloyd, were missing from the picture. "Where are the boys...?"

"I believe Zelos took an invitation from one of his lady friends who stopped by quite early this morning." Raine explained without even looking up from her book, her eyes moving surprisingly fast as she read over the tiny print, her fingers nimbly turning the page. "Though that's to be expected... I think Regal and Lloyd left also quite early to train somewhere, they didn't leave a note but their battle wear is gone too, so that's my best guess..."

"Training?" Sheena asked with raised eyebrows, palming her face in exasperation. The entire reason they had left to Meltokio was to avoid anything to do with battle, though she herself had already broken that rule at the Coliseum. Raine raised her head, meeting her eyes with a similar expression of fond annoyance, telling the ninja that she understood what was going through her mind without words. "Great... I'll need to drag him back here."

"I don't believe that would be a very good idea, Sheena." Presea spoke up suddenly, her pale eyes glinting as she looked up from the chessboard and into the surprised gazes of her teammates. Adjusting an invisible crease in her skirt, the tiny axeman continued plainly, "He didn't look much like himself this morning when he left with Regal, I heard him arguing with him about going out to train. Only after a long time did Regal agree to go. I think Lloyd is angry about something and is using the physical strain to meet his emotional needs."

"Angry...?" Sheena asked softly, blinking several times before her heart skipped several agonizing beats. She rarely had seen the adust-eyed young man angry, and the idea was actually quite scary to think of. 'What...?' Chewing on her lower lip nervously, she debated on bolting out the door, that her body seemed anxious to do, or sit down and try to force out any answers she could get from Presea.

Raine, sensing Sheena's internal debate, quickly turned her attention to Presea. The young girl had turned back to the chessboard as though she hadn't spoken, and the professor asked hastily, "Presea, did you happen to hear what they were arguing about? Was there anything that may have hinted about why Lloyd was angry...?"

"He never specified." Presea answered with a shake of her head, though a small tinge of worry had lined her youthful face. She continued uncertainly now, choosing her words very carefully, "However, Lloyd did say that he was going to go and train whether or not Regal accompanied him... Only after that did Regal agree to go along with him, I have no idea where the two went off to spar."

"He must have been really ticked off if he asked to spar with Regal." Genis voiced the thoughts of the group, also looking rather concerned at this new development. In terms of strength, Regal was at the top of the list, and he could give any of them a good training session if they ever asked, which they never did.

'He's not an aggressor, but if he was arguing with Lloyd...' Sheena continued to chew on her lip, trying to fight through her anxiety to see clearly. She had never heard the normally stoic nobleman raise his voice to anyone, and Lloyd was always the first to try to settle internal discord at the first sign of it. 'Those two fighting is like Efreet letting Celsius make it snow in Triet, not impossible, but really unlikely...'

"Sheena, I think you should go and find them." Colette spoke up quietly, the worry reflected in her soulful azure eyes. Sheena met her gaze, and it only took her a flat second before she nodded and raced out the door without a word. With a little smile, Colette said aloud, "I hope she finds them... She's the only one who can really talk some sense into Lloyd..."

"As horrible as it sounds, you're right." Raine agreed with a half-hearted smile, shaking her head. Genis rolled his eyes and left her side to join the two girls at the chessboard, leaving the professor to glance at the half-open door. 'Find them soon, Sheena...'

Sheena was already out of Meltokio by the time her mind had caught up with her body, and looking at the direction of where she was headed, she realized she was making a straight beeline for the Fooji mountains. 'Why do I know they're going to be training there...?' Looking around the area close to Meltokio, she could see no sign of the protozoan that was forced to wait outside for his master and she sighed. 'They used Noishe to take them to the mountains... It'll take me at least half an hour to get there on foot if I'm running flat out... I might as well use a Rheaird...'

Her hand was already in her pocket, producing her private wing pack that she carried on her at all times in case of emergency. Raising it above her head, her violet Rheaird appeared with a loud popping noise, settled on the ground awaiting her mount. Jumping onto it, she revved the throttle with a little smile before taking off into the air.

She kept relatively low, the ground below her turning into one long brown and green-coloured blur as she sped through the air. The mountains were fast approaching, and with ease she pulled her machine up so she could crest the peak to see if her friends were there. She flew a tight circle, searching the ground intently, her worry mounting very quickly.

'There...' Two figures, two small to discern from the height, were sparring, constantly jumping back and forth. Drifting down just a little, she could barely hear their shouting over the thrum of the engine. She settled even lower, hovering now as she spied the two, finally able to make out their features. 'It's definitely them...'

Regal was moving with the grace of a trained dancer, each kick and block blended into the next. He looked as though he was moving on the wind instead of ground as he fluidly avoided Lloyd's angry slashes. Blood was trickling down his cheek from where Lloyd had gotten too close and managed to hit him, but it didn't seem to bother the noble. Lloyd advanced again, roaring a curse as he brought his blade down with incredible strength.

With a muffled grunt, Regal raised his left leg just in time to take the blow from the swordsman, the Angel's Tear harmlessly bouncing off of his Dragon's Fang. He kicked the blade away, jumping backwards as Lloyd jumped forwards with another angry roar. Sweat was dripping from both of their faces, but neither were close to the breaking point. 'He's quite angry... I wonder if he even realizes he's been using all of his mana...?'

A roar of wind broke his focus, and Regal looked up in surprise to see Sheena's Rheaird landing a few metres away from where they were sparring. Lloyd too had looked up, though his surprise faded and his expression became indifferent. His swords found their sheaths, and he turned his back as Sheena jumped off of the machine, not even bothering to put it away. Noishe, who had been watching the battle with what could've been mistaken for boredom, was on his feet the moment he saw Sheena, jumping over to her side with a happy bark.

"Hello Sheena, did you come all the way out here to check up on us?" Regal asked politely, watching as Sheena spent a moment to affectionately fuss over the protozoan. Noishe stuck to her side like glue as she turned her attention to them, and out of the corner of his eye, Regal saw that Lloyd was making every effort possible to not look Sheena in the eye. 'Curious... I don't think I have ever seen him turn his back on her.' "My apologies if we worried you."

"No, you didn't worry me." Sheena replied as calmly as she could, trying to keep her voice from breaking. Lloyd's posture told her that it was her he was angry at, and she immediately felt the worry being replaced by hurt. 'I knew it...' Forcing her face to remain impassive, she turned her focus to Regal and said casually, "I just heard you two were fighting out here, and I figured I'd come to make sure neither of you got into it too seriously..." She raised an eyebrow as Regal's hot blood fell down his chin to splatter onto the dirt, and finished somewhat wearily, "Looks like I was too late though..."

"Ah, this was simply a miscalculation that Lloyd took playful advantage of." Regal explained almost defensively, though he knew that Sheena saw how his eyes flickered to the silent Lloyd. He raised his cuffed hands, wiping the blood away casually, at a loss for words. He knew she had come to see Lloyd, and his being there was hampering her intentions. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with Raine to keep. I promised to show her around the castle's interior."

"That's fine." Sheena smiled a little, picking up on the noble's not-so-subtle hint. She handed over her flight pack, smiling gently at his surprise before explaining kindly, "You can take my Rheaird to get back faster, you look like you're about to fall over. It's okay, I'll walk back with Noishe, he's probably been lonely."

"My thanks Sheena." Regal gave her a courteous bow before walking over to the Rheaird, sparing a glance for the two young warriors. He was unsure of whether or not to offer a ride to Lloyd out of common courtesy, but then Sheena was watching the young man with meaningful eyes. He made his decision quite quickly then. 'Heh... It's better if they are alone. Perhaps she can ease his anger...' "I'll take my leave then."

Sheena waited until Regal disappeared from her view before she turned back to Lloyd, who hadn't spoken a word since she'd arrived. Noishe, still by her side, tugged once on her sleeve, whining quietly as he sensed her growing emotional turmoil. The ninja gently placed her hand on the protozoan's head, taking a deep breath to settle her heart before she called quietly, "Lloyd...?"

"Yeah?" Lloyd asked stiffly, his hands impulsively twitching towards his blades as the anger rocked his tired body. Hearing her voice sent a rush of calm through him, and it was all he could do not to turn around and embrace her. Her voice sounded oddly husky, like she was trying to bite back tears. He girt his teeth angrily, he was too ashamed to show her his irrational anger. 'I can't let her see me like this, it's wrong. It's wrong on every damn level to be angry that she had her own life outside of the group, outside of me...'

Sheena bit her lower lip at his stiff tone, it hurt unlike any physical wound she had ever received in her life. Noishe tugged on her sleeve again, whining worriedly as a single tear made its way down her cheek. Raising her free hand to brush it away, she forced her eyes to stare at the dirt as she spoke coolly in an attempt to hide her agony, "Never mind then. It's obvious you don't want to talk to me, so I'll just get the hell out of your hair then."

"Huh?" Lloyd turned around at her bitter tone, but it was too late. She was already walking away from him, giving him an excellent view of her back. He started forward instinctively, only to be stopped by Noishe, who growled menacingly at him. Startled and confused, Lloyd's eyes widened at Noishe's behaviour, asking weakly, "Wh-What? What's wrong Noishe?"

Noishe growled again, jerking his head angrily towards Sheena before he turned his back on his master, trotting quickly after her. Lloyd watched in astonishment as the protozoan raced to her side, tugging tenderly on her sleeve before she turned slightly to pet his giant ear. He nuzzled against her side, whining very quietly in an attempt to console her. Lloyd stared. 'When did they get so close...? I've never sen him get angry like that before, was he... Was he defending her from me?' Not pausing to consider what that may mean, Lloyd shook his head and gave chase, knowing she could easily jump on Noishe's back and leave him in the dust. "Sheena! Sheena, wait!"

Sheena grit her teeth when she heard him call for her name, and she flinched visibly. Noishe growled quietly at her side, clearly not happy to see her in pain, and with a murmur, she settled him. "It's okay Noishe... I can handle myself..." She slowly turned around, watching Lloyd run down the path to get to her. Noishe turned with her, his fur bristling just a little as her hand rested on top of his head.

"Sheena, I'm not angry with you!" Lloyd exclaimed, injecting more passion than he had ever thought he could into his voice. The pain in her tone as she'd spoken to him shook the boy to his soul, he couldn't believe he had done that to her. She stood just a foot away from him when he stopped, and with the most self-control he had ever used, he forced himself not to close the distance. She raised one eyebrow at his claim, and he hung his head, explaining wearily, "I'm not, really... I'm just..." 'How do I explain this to her without telling her that I know she snuck out last night...?' "I'm frustrated."

Sheena said nothing, knowing that it was only half the story. She had always been adept at reading people, it helped her to stay alive, but Lloyd was the easiest person she had ever met. 'He wears his heart on his sleeve... What's really on his mind right now...?' "Lloyd... You can tell me what's bothering you, I'd like to help..."

Lloyd nearly told her right then and there, overwhelmed by the sheer concern in her voice and eyes. The guilt choked him like a hangman's noose, and he didn't think as he cleared the distance between them and yanked her into his arms with one tug. 'She... I don't deserve someone like her...' She gasped loudly at this but she didn't push him away, her arms curled against his chest in her instinctive attempt to protect herself. Clasping her tightly against him, he buried his face in her hair and whispered painfully, wishing he could take her pain and make it his own, "I'm sorry for hurting you, Sheena... I'm an idiot... Can you ever forgive me?"

Sheena was speechless as he held her, her heart pounding wildly in her ears as the blood pooled in her face. 'H-He's asking for forgiveness...? What the... What's wrong with him?' Even as she thought it, she was relaxing, gently leaning into his chest and inhaling his spicy scent deeply. 'Whatever it is... I'm almost glad...' She murmured into the front of his shirt, her arms falling to loop around his waist, "I forgive you..."

Lloyd said nothing, merely kept his hold on her. He felt her sigh quietly and he watched as she closed her eyes and held him. He ducked his head to absently press his face against her hair, breathing in her heady floral scent. 'She smells so good... I could stand like this forever.'

"Lloyd..." Sheena began hesitantly, glad that he couldn't see her face reddening as she mustered her courage. 'This is probably my only chance... Martel knows what could happen after this... I want to spend as much time with him as possible.' She was careful to hide her blush by pressing her face into his chest, muffling her voice but saving her some dignity. She completed in an embarrassed rush, "Do you– Do you wanna go somewhere today with me?"

"Like where?" Lloyd asked drawing away so he could study her. She didn't let go of his waist though, blocking his attempt and he quit after a second try. She didn't want to be let go, and that suited him fine. He couldn't really think of where she could possibly want to go, she never seemed very fickle about where they journeyed. "Where, Sheena?"

"W-Well, I was thinking maybe we could go to Luin or someplace..." Sheena suggested with a darkening blush, risking a peek through her eyelashes up at the swordsman. He smiled at her gently, running a gloved hand over her cheek with surprising tenderness. Blushing even worse at the caress, Sheena promptly ducked her face into his chest, muttering, "Stupid..."

"Luin sounds like fun, I've been hoping to see what the new funds have done to the place." Lloyd nodded in agreement, his lips quirking in excitement. They hadn't had much of a chance to visit the city that much, but had been supplying Pietro with as much Gald as they could spare. 'They've been going along so well though... I doubt they've got much left to do.' "Sure, I'd like to go visit Luin, I think everybody would have a great time."

Sheena winced as though he'd struck her, muffling her groan of disappointment and exasperation. 'Martel he's an idiot! He can't take any hints at all, can he!?' Taking a deep breath to calm her hurt, she raced through her mind to find something to give him a better nudge in the proper direction. 'Will I honestly just need to tell him straight out...? There has to be something I can say that'll make him see I just want it to be us...'

Lloyd felt her stiffen against him the moment he said 'everybody', and he was immediately concerned. She didn't speak, just continued to hide her face in his chest, her hands clutching at the back of his shirt. He gently moved one hand to brush at her hair, causing her to look up at him with wide eyes. He paused then, not understanding why it suddenly became so hard to look away from her face at that moment. 'I...' Something nudged inside of his brain then, and a switch flipped as he realized when she had raised the suggestion, she meant them together. Shaking his head at his foolishness, Lloyd corrected himself weakly, "You meant just us, didn't you?"

Sheena nearly turned her eyes skyward to thank the Gods at that moment, her heart expanding inside of her chest until it became hard to breathe. She nodded once, thankful that he'd finally gotten one of her many subtle hints. She realized with a jolt after her joy subsided that he was still staring at her with a strange expression, and on cue her cheeks began to redden yet again. 'Wh-What's...?' After a long moment of awkward silence, Sheena asked weakly, her voice barely above a whisper, "L-Lloyd...? Are you okay...?"

Lloyd blinked once, snapping himself out of his daze with a shake of his head. 'Why...?' He paused, swallowing past the stone in his throat as the odd yearnings in his stomach howled in remorse for breaking contact. His eyes had been locked on her face, and he had become hyper-aware of every single sensation in that moment. The way her slim body pushed every so subtly against his own, her soft curves meeting the harder planes of his body as her quick and even breathing against his neck sent goosebumps up his arms and down his back. 'She said something...?' "Uh, sorry...? What did you say?"

"Nothing..."

AN

So, that's the third chapter, lol. (grins) I'm nowhere near being done either, I'm having way too much fun... So, the next stop is Luin, where our heros (lmao) get to spend some real alone time together. There's going to be some other pairings hinted at throughout the next few chapters as well, though my main focus will always be Sheena/Lloyd because I am a hopeless fangirl... So, just to clarify, in this stage of the story, Luin is completely rebuilt, statues and all, just in case you were wondering.=I never can manage to fully rebuild the place XD I spend my gald on gels to heal my sorry butt... I'm on my fourth play-through now, and am quite enjoying it. This time, I'm actually going after the blasted Devil Arms and Sword Dancers because I want more of a challenge XD. Watch me get my ass handed to me on a silver platter.

PS: Hehe, depending on how it goes, there may or may not be a FULL fictionalized story appearing from me soon. (when I mean full, I mean more than ten chapters for definite) and it's going to be a sequel to ToS (my own version, lol). I've kept this little one in the closet until I could fully wrap my head around all of my ideas, and now that I have a concrete middle and end, I've decided to try my hand. We shall see how it comes along!

PPS: I'm uploading this from school XD So sorry for the typos, I'll fix them as soon as I get home!

Sky