Hello again! Chapter 8! Wow! I've come so far...
Originally, this story was only going to be eight chapters. But if I end the story here, then there'll be too much unsolved and not enough that I want to include. I'm so happy that there are people out there who are waiting for each part of this, chapter by chapter! That really makes me want to do another story, once this one is finished.
Unfotunatly for some of you, I probably won't be doing another TOS story, but I'll definatly be doing some more!
My inspiration for this entire story comes from a big moment in this chapter. And I'm glad that nobody likes the triplets (Lainal, Leenal and Leonel? Worst names ever! Where did I even come up with them?)
AAAAHHHHHH! IT"S BEEN SO LONG! I'm SO sorry for the long delay, but I had a writer's block with the main problem behind what I should do for ZelosxSheena. And then homework. And then back to back piano concerts. So, PLEASE FORGIVE ME!
Anyways, please enjoy chapter eight, which slowly inches toward our main event...
Lloyd and Colette splashed each other with the warm ocean water. It was midday, but they honestly had no idea. All they cared about was that they were having fun and that they were together.
"Hey, Colette!" Lloyd said, after taking a giant splash to the face. "Check this out!" Lloyd took a deep breath and leaned his hands over his head. He tumbled into a perfect kartwheel.
"Wow! That's so cool!" Colette exclaimed, giving him a round of applause. "Let me try!" She attempted to do it, but got stuck with her feet in the air and she ended up collapsing on top of Lloyd. "Oops," she said, but they just ended up laughing.
"Ugh! Where are they?" Sheena asked, frustrated. Lloyd and Colette left the hotel with only a note that said:
Gone out. Don't worry, we won't leave the city. We'll be back by 8.
-Lloyd and Colette
"Well, they're not in the hotel and they're somewhere in the city," Zelos said, staring at the note.
Sheena rolled her eyes "Thanks for clearing that up," she said, sarcastically.
"Hey, I'm trying to be helpful!" Zelos defended
"By stating the obvious? Thanks, Zelos. Real helpful." she said.
"Well, what do you suggest, Sherlock Holmes?" Zelos asked.
"I say we just give up warning them until tonight, when they get back. For now, lets stop Leonel from finding them."
"Genius! Okay, um...where does one find a green-haired idiot?"
"I have an idea," Sheena explained. "Follow me."
Genis rolled onto his back and stared up at the sky. He felt left alone and unnoticed, like all of his friends went somewhere together and left him behind. Lloyd and Colette went AWOL. Sheena and Zelos were running around doing who knows what. Raine and Regal were decifering an anchient stone plauqe that his company found. He had no idea where Presea was, but she probably didn't care what Genis was up to.
He stared up at the clouds, which began to form shapes in his mind.
Just then, Presea came out into the garden and spotted Genis lying in the snow.
"Genis? What are you doing? You could catch a cold!" Presea yelled, alarming Genis (who had forgotten that he was lying in the snow). (A/N: Snow in a tropical paradise? Where was my mind when I wrote this...?)
"Presea! What're you doing here?"
"I was looking for you. Everyone else is doing something together, so I thought that we could," she said, in an as-a-matter-of-factly tone of voice.
Genis blushed and looked up at the sky again. "Really?" he asked.
"Really," Presea said, joining him on the ground. They sat like that for a while, both looking up at the sky.
Soon the morning hours dwindled to afternoon and the afternoon slowly slipped into evening. Genis and Presea spent this entire time in silence, each wondering what they should do to make the other happy.
The last light of day sparkled on the horizon before either of them dared speak or find words to say.
"Thank you." Presea said, staring at the setting sun.
Genis rolled onto his side and looked at her. "For what?"
"For letting me sit here and slow down. I never really noticed, but the sunset is beautiful in February. I never would have experianced this if it were not for you." She said, as if in a trance.
"I didn't do anything. Really. You're giving me too much credit."
"If you truly did not do anything, as you suggest, then I would have never known what it felt like to feel time moving."
Genis thought about her comment for a moment. Presea was right. It did feel like time was moving.
"Well, we'd better go." he said, not knowing what else he could do.
"Why? Is someone expecting us?" Presea asked, puzzled. She did not want to leave. And, truth be told, neither did Genis.
"Well, I, um, guess not. But, do you really just want to lay here in the snow all day?"
"Is that not what we have been doing? What harm could come from just a few more hours?" she asked.
"Yeah. I guess you're right. We can wait just a little bit longer."
Zelos bent over his knees in exhaustion.
"If I'd known that when you said 'I have an idea' really means 'let's search the town top to bottom', I would NOT have agreed to help you," he snarled in between breaths.
"I just don't understand. We went to every wedding related shop in town and couldn't find Lainal or Leonal. And we didn't even find Lloyd or Colette in the process!" Sheena muttered, mostly to herself.
Zelos began rambling about how ridiculous Sheena was being. Just then, Sheena saw a flash of green move by at the end of the hallway.
"SHH! Look at that!" she said, staring in concentration. She slowly moved toward the figure; and being the stealthy ninja she is, she crpet up to the person with success. "AHA!" She yelled, grapping onto the person's shirt. The person jumped up and turned around to face Sheena.
"Leenal!.?"
Lloyd and Colette sat on a bench near Alicia's grave. After paying their respects to her, they bought ice cream and sat on the bench. Lloyd and Colette were each eating in silence.
"Lloyd?" Colette asked.
"Yeah?" he replied.
"Thank you. Today was so much fun. It's almost 8:00, so we should probabaly head back soon."
"Thank you, Colette. Leonel was driving me insane, so it was nice to do something by ourselves for once," he said, sincerly.
They each finished their ice creams and headed back to the hotel.
As they were walking, Colette tripped over an un-even cobblestone and almost fell on her face. But Lloyd turned around just in time and caught her in his arms. They both turned a shade of crimson and Colette quickly straigtened herself out.
"Sorry about that," she said.
"That's okay. If you ever feel like your about to fall, I'll always try to catch you, okay?" Lloyd said, out of anxiouty from Leonel. He couldn't let Leonel catch Colette like that, so he had to prevent that from happening.
Colette blushed even deeper. "Oh. Thank you, Lloyd." Colette took his hand in hers. "It's cold," she said, explaining. And Lloyd and Colette finished their perfect day together arm in arm, walking back to the hotel.
This They both thought at the same time This is perfect.
"Oh! Like, you guys are totaly awesome! I, like, totally can't believe you followed me here!" Leenal exclaimed.
"We didn't follow you here, this is just a coincidence. We're here for the Valentine's Party. What about you?" said Zelos.
"Same! Well, to be presice, Lainal told me Leonel was totally gonna get hitched, so I ran here on a boat!" Leenal exclaimed. (A/N: again her idiocy shows)
"WHAT!.? WHER'S YOUR BROTHER!.? TELL US!" Sheena screamed. Leenal flinched from her harsh words.
"Ok! Ok! OMG are you wound up. Angry much? Well, anyways, he was making his way to the garden last time I saw him. Probably going to propose! I'm, like, dying to be there when he does, but I totally don't want to ruin the moment. I am like, completely loyal to my little brother!"
Sheena and Zelos looked at each other. They nodded, then dashed off to the garden.
Lloyd and Colette walked into the hotel to find Raine and Regal.
"Lloyd," said Raine "We need your dwarvedn knowledge for this anchient stone plauqe that the Lezerano Company found. Apparently, Key Crests were their specialty and instead of being used for Exsperes, they were for these pearls that were said to be blessed by Undine. Would you come help us with some facts? I understand that you probably don't know too much, but it's too late to go to Altessa's house."
"Sure. Do you mind, Colette? It'll only be about 10 minutes, probably." Lloyd said. Colette nodded, and Raine, Regal and Lloyd took off upstairs.
Zelos and Sheena ran into the garden and nearly tripped over Genis and Presea, whom were both asleep. Presea's head rested on Genis' shoulder, and Genis' head rested on hers.
"Genis! Presea!" Sheena yelled, waking them up.
"Did either of you see Leonel come by this way!.?" Zelos asked, frantic.
"I thought I saw him awhile ago, but he was headed toward the hotel. Why?" asked Genis sleepily.
"Because he's going to propose to Colette!" Sheena screamed. Presea jerked her head up and stared at Sheena with wide eyes.
"We must stop him!" Presea yelled, getting to her feat. Genis stood up, too, and the four of them raced back inside the hotel to find him.
Colette stood alone for a few moments before Leonel walked up to her.
"Hi, Leonel! How are you?" she said, happily. Leonel was her friend, after all.
"Hello, Colette. I've been looking for you all day. Can I talk to you alone?" he asked. Colette nodded and the two of them headed into the garden.
"Hey, look at that!" Colette said, pointing to two outlines of people in the snow. "Someone must have been lying there for awhile. They're gone now, though. So, Leonel, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Raine and Regal thanked Lloyd as they left the room. Lloyd ran downstairs to where he left Colette.
"Sorry that took a while, Colette, but...Colette?" He looked around, but didn't see her anywhere. "Maybe she went to the garden. After all, fifteen minutes is awfully a long time to wait for someone in a lobby." Lloyd, following his own advice, went into the garden. He gasped when he saw Leonel and Colette
"Col-" was as far as he got before Leonel began talking. They were too far away to hear him, but he could hear them.
"Listen, Colette. I know we've only known each other for five days, but I really like you. I-I want to be with you. You listen to me and you think my jokes are funny. My sisters like you, and, I, well...I want you to go to the Valentine's day dance with me." Leonel said.
Lloyd took two steps before he realized that he can't make Colette's choice for her. If she wanted Leonel, she should be able to choose him. Lloyd stopped and turned around.
Leonel is gentle. He may be stupid, but he won't hurt Colette. I don't want to give her up, but it's not like she was mine in the first place.
"Oh, Leonel," was all of Colette's respone Lloyd could bear to hear. He ran inside and into the hotel room. He slammed the door and let himself cry.
And that is the end of chapter 8! What do you think? Worth the wait? Heartwrenching? Or infuriating because you believe that Colette should not have said what she did?
I'm sorry about all the choppy parts in the middle, but this chapter changed point of views very often. I brought Leenal to Altimira mainly just to infuriate everyone, but she does have a purpose later on. Boy oh boy is this getting interesting! PM me your thoughts or put them in a review. I love hearing from you guys!
SPOILER: While Lloyd is inside his room, Zelos explains what happened the day Sheena ran off. Lainal comes back from Flainor, which she went to to make reservations for a dinner with herself, Leonel, Leenal and Leonel's "fiance". Raine and Regal complete the translation of the plaque with the help of Altessa and Genis and Presea begin their training on how to act around the other person.