Chapter 14 is here. Trying to update earlier this time. Thanks for your reviews...or essay in Maurice A. Nigma's case (seriously your review is actually longer than one of my first one-shots! (Wouldn't advise reading it.)).
"It worked!" shouted a Renegade. "The tree is gone, the Mana Cannon destroyed it!"
Sheena bent over, breathing heavily. She felt absolutely exhausted after summoning four spirits at once. "What about the others?" she asked worriedly, she got the signal that the Human Ranch had stopped supplying mana, but what happened with Forcystus? "What about Lloyd?"
"Sheena." Came a voice over the radio.
"Yuan? What happened to Lloyd?"
"Forcystus is down. Lloyd and the others were able to defeat him and everyone in the Human Ranch has been freed." His voice was as calm as ever.
"Thank goodness." She smiled in relief. Although she had faith in Lloyd, she could not deny that she was worried. She wasn't there to help after all.
"Colette has collapsed, however. She took a direct hit from Forcystus and is now resting in Iselea."
"What?" she gasped, "Is she okay?" she felt slightly guilty about not even thinking about the others.
"Lloyd has asked for you to meet them there." He replied, blatantly ignoring the question, "I'm sure they would explain..." but he was cut off by an ear splitting explosion as the entire building shook as if an earthquake hit."Sheena! What's going on? What happened?"
"I don't..." but before she could finish a Renegade had looked out the opening of the tower.
"IT'S YGGDRASIL!" he yelled.
Sheena rushed to the opening and looked down. Sure enough, a blonde haired, white figure was standing outside of the entrance to the base, an arm outstretched. There was still smoke pouring out of the hole that once stood the entrance to the tower. "Yggdrasil! Yuan it's Yggdrasil!" but the faint sound of static was all that responded. "Yuan?" and then it hit her, Yggdrasil did not yet know that he was the leader of the Renegades. He had cut off the transmission in order to keep his true intentions secret. He had used her and was now saving his own skin. "Damn you, Yuan." She looked back out of the opening to see that several Renegades had run out to meet him head on. Yggdrasil merely swung his arm as a wave of energy tore through all but one of them. Even from this height she could tell the remaining soldier was terrified, and sure enough he had tried fleeing towards the ocean and away from Yggdrasil. Again, Sheena could tell that there was an evil smirk on his face as she watched him raise an arm towards the fleeing soldier, pausing as if giving him false hope. Eventually he launched another wave of energy, obliterating any trace there might have been of the Renegade. "That sadistic bastard!" she said aloud, "He was trying to flee. He wasn't even trying to fight back." She felt a small note of fear welling up inside her as Yggdrasil glided into the base.
From then, all that was left was her imagination as she heard the sounds of explosions, screams and god knows what else as Yggdrasil moved through the tower. She looked towards the two Renegades who were watching over her whilst firing the Mana Cannon; the rest of the Renegades were scouring the facility, ensuring no Desian could even attempt to stop her. They knew what was happening to the others...what was eventually going to happen to them. They looked towards the locked door; there was no point trying to barricade it. Yggdrasil would break through no matter what was blocking it.
'Sorry Lloyd.' She thought, 'I guess I lied when I said I'd be fine.' And as scared as she was, she couldn't help but laugh, 'Just think, I could be fine if I decided to bring my Rheaird with me. But no, I had to leave it outside.' It was probably in a thousand pieces by now. They heard footsteps outside the door; they were getting louder...and closer. Sheena drew her cards and saw the Renegades draw their swords from the corner of her eyes; they were shaking. They weren't as good as hiding their emotions as she was. The footsteps stopped...and nothing...the silence...the wait was tearing them apart.
After what seemed like an eternity, the doors blew open, and Sheena charged before the smokescreen had cleared. She jumped and swung her arm down as Yggdrasil emerged from the smoke. He smiled as he swung his arm against the oncoming assault and Sheena was sent flying through the air. She flipped herself and landed on the floor in a crouching position. She glared at her new foe and watched as the two Renegades charged in themselves. "NO! Wait!" but it was too late. Yggdrasil swung his arm again and the two soldiers were gone in a flash of blinding light.
He smiled again, "Greetings, my dear." He bowed almost mockingly. She growled, "I must admit I was surprised to hear you were the one breaking all of my old pacts. Who knew Mizuho was hiding a summoner from me all this time."
"Your old pacts?" she gasped. "What do you mean? It was Mithos who made those pacts."
Yggdrasil laughed mockingly again, crossing his arms. His demeanour was so calm it infuriated her; he obviously held no doubt that he would be able to defeat her. "Ah, I suppose I haven't officially introduced myself to you inferior beings. It doesn't matter." He waved a hand dismissively, closing his eyes. Sheena took advantage and threw one of her cards at him; he didn't even try to dodge as the card exploded on impact. She smiled for a brief moment as she gave herself some slight hope of winning, but a cold laugh robbed it from her instantly, "I guess this means you no longer wish to talk. Do you honestly believe you stand a chance?"
"Try me!" she yelled and she charged in again. She swung her card downwards, only to have him dodge sideward's effortlessly. She striked again at his side, and he grabbed her arm.
"Defiant one aren't you." He chuckled, and he squeezed her arm tight, laughing as she tried to contain her cry of pain. "Very well, I'll humour you." He span around and through her against the wall.
Sheena grunted as she slowly slid down to the floor. "Damn you." she muttered, slowly getting to her feet. Defying all reasoning going on with her mind, she charged again. She threw a card at Yggdrasil's feet, its explosion created a veil of smoke blocking his view of her next attack. She jumped and came down on Yggdrasil with a powerful kick. He raised his arm and blocked the attack with ease. Sheena landed and instantly went on the offensive again; she threw punches and kicked from any and every angle she could think but he blocked every single one. No matter how fast she was, Yggdrasil was faster. He threw his own punch and Sheena was once again sent flying into the wall.
"Tiring already?" he taunted, noticing how it took much longer for her to stand this time.
"Go to hell!" she snarled, and she started to concentrate. She had one last trump card...she just needed the time to summon.
"Do you really think one of them can help you?" he laughed, "Feel free to try."
'He's just...standing there!' she gasped, surely he wasn't that confident? She shook her head defiantly. 'If he's not gonna stop me summoning then it's his loss!' "Come, Efreet!" A large red figure arose and glared at Yggdrasil with hate beyond what she had seen. "Take him down!"
"It will be my pleasure!" and Efreet launched himself at Yggdrasil, grabbing him with his claw like hand. "Burn!"
Again, he just smiled. He swung his arms outwards, breaking free from Efreet's grasp. He threw a punch at the large summon spirit who was thrown against the wall next to Sheena, the impact sending her skidding across the floor. "I'm sorry...Lady Summoner." And the spirit disappeared before her eyes.
"Efreet!" she yelled.
Yggdrasil was laughing again, "You call yourself a summoner? The spirits draw their strength from you...or shall we say your weakness."
"Damn it!" she cursed. She knew Yggdrasil was stronger than her, but he had barely begun attacking and she was in such a state. She forced herself up and felt the energy leave her. She wouldn't last much longer.
"Sheena!"
"I won't give up." She threw two of her cards towards him, and started to concentrate, forming hands signs as they flew. The two cards multiplied into dozens as they reached their target. A few more hand signs and they began spiralling around the Seraphim, preventing him from moving so much as an inch without touching them. With a final hand sign, they all exploded simultaneously, once more creating a smokescreen. Without waiting to see if this had worked, she charged again, throwing a punch at where his face would be, putting everything she had left into it. A hand came flying out of the smoke.
He caught it...caught her hand. "I think we've played enough now don't you?" he squeezed hard, causing her to wince in pain. She heard a loud cracking sound, and any strength she might have had left was gone. Yggdrasil had crushed her Exsphere. He used his free hand to grab her by the throat, slowly lifting her off the air.
"Sheena!"
"Go on," she grunted, "finish me." She could tell he was still toying with her as she could still breathe.
"Oh no." He laughed evilly, "That would too easy. I have much better plans for you." His laughter echoed through her mind, reverberating as realisation hit her.
"Sheena!"
He wasn't toying with her for fun. His grip on her throat tightened.
"Sheena!"
He was going to use her against her friends. "No..." she gasped, as darkness crawled over the edges of her vision.
"NO!" Sheena bolted upright, sweat pouring down the sides of her face.
"Sheena!" a worried voice came from her side. "Are you okay? You were dreaming. I tried to wake you but..."
"Colette?" she asked confused. She looked around and remembered. They were in an inn at Flanoir, and she was sleeping in a room with the young Chosen. "I'm sorry, Colette." She brought her knees together and wrapped her arms around them. "I guess it was too much to hope that the nightmares would be gone. Maybe you should have shared a room with someone else."
"Don't worry, Sheena." She smiled, "You don't need to be on your own right now. You need your friends." She placed a hand on her shoulder. "Did you want to talk about it? I'm no Lloyd but I'd like to help."
Sheena smiled; Colette was a really good person. "It was...the Mana Cannon...when Yggdrasil..." she couldn't. "I'm sorry, Colette. I can't seem to...I want to talk about it but..." she sighed, "I don't want to admit...how strong he is...how weak I am."
"You're not weak." Urged Colette, "Sheena, you're the strongest person I know. You're brave, you stand up for what you believe in, and you're always there to protect your friends." She smiled, "I bet you gave him a run for his money."
"That's just it. He threw me about like I was nothing...everything I tried...he just laughed." Colette noticed her fingers clenching her knees tightly.
"But look at you now!" she almost yelled, she was trying to cheer her up but everything she tried seemed to make her just feel worse. "You took him on again and really showed him what you're made of."
"But I failed...I had a chance to stop him...to save Lloyd, and I blew it!"
"Sheena..." Colette brought her hands together and clenched her eyes tightly. "I'm sorry!" and she slapped her. Sheena's eyes widened in shock...Colette slapped her...she actually slapped her. "Oh Martel, Sheena I'm so sorry I never meant..." she was interrupted however by something she never thought possible.
Sheena was laughing; it began with a slight giggle but soon developed into a full blown fit of hysteria. "I never thought I'd see the day," she began, "where you of all people would slap someone." She brought her hand to touch the side of her cheek, "Thanks, Colette." It was the first time she had laughed since she was rescued...and it felt good.
She brought her hands together again, "I'm sorry, Sheena. I just thought I'd take a page from your book."
"Don't apologise, it worked." She looked into the young angel's eyes and smiled. "I mean it, thank you Colette."
She smiled back, "Don't worry, I was just glad I could help." Her smile faded slightly, "I just feel like I'm holding you back."
"What do you mean?"
"We could be going to rescue Lloyd, but instead we're wasting time on me."
"Don't say that." She answered calmly, "Don't ever believe we are wasting time on you."
"But...I know how much Lloyd means to you."
Sheena paused before continuing, "I won't lie to you, Colette. I want him back...more than anything. But..." she took a deep breath. "You are in more immediate danger; you're toxicosis is spreading. Lloyd isn't being held like...like I..." she gulped, and took another deep breath, "He's not being held like I was. As much as I hate picturing him there, he's safe."
"But Yuan threatened..."
Sheena couldn't keep her anger down at this, remembering the last thing Yuan told them before they left. "Yuan would be endangering his own wellbeing if he revealed himself." She looked up to see Colette still looked troubled. "Hey, if Lloyd's in danger from anyone then it's from us." She smiled at the look of confusion on her face. "Lloyd promised us that no-one would be sacrificed on our journey, and I'd say he broke that promise. We're gonna be the ones who'll have to show him it's a bad idea." She raised her hand and clenched it into a fist, "You can show him your new Colette style slap." She laughed as a blush appeared on her face. Her laughter died down, before looking at the young Chosen with concern in her eyes, "Can I...can I see it?" Colette looked away, with slightly frightened eyes. "Please..." She sighed and slowly rolled up her sleeve, "Colette..."
Her arm was green just below the elbow, all the way up to her shoulder; she guessed it went further but she would not ask Colette to show her. "It's not as bad as it looks." She said, trying to smile, but Sheena stroked a finger over it and winced. She hoped it only looked like crystal, but the texture proved otherwise. How long had she been hiding this?
"How far?"
"Just below my neck." Noticing her continued look of concern, "It doesn't hurt."
"We'll get you healed Colette." She promised. 'Then we'll rescue you, Lloyd.'
0000000
Zelos was standing on the outskirts of Flanoir, glaring at the city most would find beautiful...too many memories. The warmth beneath his Exsphere was the only reason he was out there. He assumed it would be Pronyma appearing before him; there would be no point for Yuan to appear so soon, and he had a feeling Lloyd would not be allowed to do leave Cruxis so soon after his victory. 'Things are so crazy.' He thought to himself; their journey was going so smoothly until their pact with Luna. Since then everything went from bad to worse. Even now, with Sheena back in action and a potential cure for Colette found, Lloyd was now in danger from someone who was suppose to be helping him. The last thing Yuan told them before they left for Flanoir was still etched in his mind.
"Remember what it means if I am to be discovered. As you know, Yggdrasil does not tolerate betrayal."
The way he said it was clear in its meaning; Yuan would reveal himself if they challenged him. So now it seemed that both Lloyd and Sheena were being forced to work for the two warring angels. He couldn't decide if it was poetic, ironic...or just sick that it was to protect each other. Yggdrasil would go after Sheena if Lloyd didn't obey, and now Yuan would reveal that he is still alive to Yggdrasil who would then kill Lloyd. "And I'm caught spying for both bastards!" he yelled.
"I would be more careful of where you let your anger out." Came a voice behind him, "Anyone else and you would have a lot of explaining to do."
"Yuan." He growled, "What are you doing here? You could be spotted and then..."
"You have nothing to worry about." He answered calmly, "Yggdrasil does not pay attention to little details in either world. He will not know I'm alive unless I want him to."
"We left your base and headed straight for the inn." He pointed into the city, "Did you really need an update on that?"
"You can drop the attitude, I'm not here for information." There was a slight tone of annoyance in his voice, "I'm here to give you information, or should I say instructions."
"What do you mean instructions?" He did not like the sound of this already. "You know what, who cares? I'm done! I don't want any more to do with you!" everything Zelos had been bottling up these last days; fear, anger, regret; they were all coming out now. "You say you're fighting against Yggdrasil and his ideals, but you're no different. You're threatening Lloyd's life so that Sheena will do what you want!" He glared at Yuan's face, which had the signs of a scowl.
"Are you done?" he asked, not waiting for an answer, "Then let me tell you something; you still have no idea how ruthless Yggdrasil can be. In order to defeat him one must also be ruthless, and the sooner you and your band of heroes can get this through your heads the better. The ideology of a world without sacrifice was a notion that died millennia ago." He paused to let this sink in, "And as I am obviously like him in your view I will act as such. If you refuse to do what I tell you then I will show myself to Cruxis."
"You..." growled Zelos.
"I doubt your friends will be happy to find out who had caused Lloyd's death. Imagine what they'd think of you." Zelos was speechless...he had no choice. Not even allowing himself to speak, he nodded. "Good. Now listen closely, I will not have the opportunity to repeat myself. The time is soon upon us where you will need to show your true side."
"What?"
"The pact with Origin alone is not enough; the Ring of the Pact will also need to be forged in order for Lloyd to challenge the right to the Eternal Sword."
"And what does that have to do with me?"
"One of the materials required is very rare. So rare, in fact that only Yggdrasil has the quantity we require."
Zelos was getting impatient, "Get to the point! Why does that require me to...to..." he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Because," started Yuan, talking slowly as if to a toddler, "it is also the key to your reward for your loyalty to Cruxis. It is also required to remove the affects of your Cruxis Crystal...to remove your status of the Chosen once and for all. I doubt I need to explain the sacrifice required on your part. You will only be given enough for one use."
"I'll never escape from being the Chosen." He whispered. This was something he desired for such a long time now. Could he really give up this dream so easily? 'For my friends,' he thought, 'yes.' "What will I need to do to prove myself?"
"Why by presenting Martel's vessel as a gift of course."
0000000
Sheena was slowly walking down the stairs of the Inn. Although her talk with Colette had calmed her considerably, she was still unable to sleep and decided a glass of water may help her. She paused half way down, as she saw the view from the window. It was such a beautiful sight. It was snowing, and she could see the cathedral in the distance. How she wished she could be standing on that balcony with Lloyd, looking out on the beautiful backdrop. It would be such a romantic experience, no doubt ruined by some oblivious comment Lloyd would make, "That idiot." She giggled, 'My idiot.' She continued on down the stairs, her mind easing slightly, and was surprised by the sight of another member of the group. "Raine?"
The half-elf looked up in surprise, she had been curled up in one of the chairs reading a very ancient looking book. "Oh...Sheena." she sounded nervous, something that Sheena rarely ever heard before.
"Can't sleep either?" she asked, curiously.
Raine looked away from her gaze. She felt really uncomfortable; this was the first time the two had been alone since the incident. "Indeed..." she managed, "there have been many thoughts on my mind recently." She looked up at the ninja, who merely looked back with an innocently curious look on her face. Zelos words echoed her mind.
"She deserves to know why only Lloyd came for her."
"Sheena." She began, "There is something we need to talk about...something you need to know." The seriousness of her voice caught Sheena off guard. She sat down in a chair next to hers. "How much...do you remember of your rescue?" she asked.
This question shook Sheena quite hard; it meant looking back on a time she'd rather forget. "I...I don't remember much." She began slowly, "I saw Lloyd, but then I saw him come so many times, each time only..." she couldn't continue. "The last time, he did not...we were running and then Yggdrasil appeared. The next thing I know is being in Mizuho." Some tears did well in her eyes, but she fought them off. "I guess, you guys took me there."
The expression on Raine's face saddened dramatically. "Sheena...Lloyd was the only one who came for you. The rest of us continued on our journey." Sheena gasped...that couldn't be true...surely they all came to help. They wouldn't have left her there, let Lloyd stage a suicidal rescue attempt alone...would they?
"Wh-Why?" was all she could muster.
"It was my decision." Raine had now avoided her eyes completely, "Lloyd was worried and went to search for you. He returned and immediately asked for our help in rescuing you. I...I was the only one awake and...and I refused...I actually tried to convince him that you weren't alive. I told the others you were ill from summoning a number of spirits at once and that Lloyd had taken you back to Mizuho so he could look after you. Without us to help him, he turned to his only other option...Yuan." She looked up; Sheena had her head down now, her fists were clenched tightly on her knees and she was shaking.
"Why?" she repeated, a mixture of anger, sadness and hurt in her voice.
"I believed...that you...that you were providing information to our enemies. You were recruited by the Renegades and they were aware of exactly what we were doing. I assumed you were using this kidnapping to lure out Colette." Sheena stood up and turned away, "It was my fault Sheena. The others would have wanted to help you. They were furious when they discovered the truth." She allowed a few tears to escape down her face, "I am the one to blame."
There was a very long silence, where neither Raine nor Sheena moved. "Raine..." started Sheena, "I'm...I'm furious." Raine flinched, there was no anger, no hatred, no sadness...just a steady voice coming from the woman in front of her, "But I promised Lloyd that I would keep us all together...as a team. That includes you. I'm not sure if I can forgive right now...but we need you. For Lloyd and for Colette." She began to walk back up the stairs to her room.
"Sheena...I'm sorry." She didn't stop, and soon she was lost from her sight.
'So that's what she thought of me. A traitor?' She was shaking, a couple tears now freely flowing. Raine had never seemed as close to her as others in the group, but she never believed that she thought that way. 'That explains why Lloyd was so mad. It was Raine.' She understood Lloyd's sudden attitude change back in the Renegade's base, but still he told her to keep the peace in the group. She entered her room, trying not to wake the now sleeping Chosen. She lied herself in bed, and forced herself to sleep. There was no way she was going back down now.
0000000
"That's enough." Said Kratos, after blocking a powerful blast of light from Lloyd. "You have improved drastically since our last session. Lloyd couldn't help but smile. After a couple hours of resting and having his wounds healed by Kratos, he insisted they continued his training again. "So, care to tell me how Sheena is?" he asked calmly.
"What?" asked Lloyd shocked, "I don't know what you mean...I was down dealing with Yuan." A blush on his face was giving him away however.
"I know that you let Sheena hold onto that ring after we found it." He said simply, and at at the look on Lloyd's face he added, "Don't worry; Yggdrasil is not aware of this. So tell me," he repeated, "how is she?"
"She's fine." He answered simply, "She was in the Renegade base and she was perfectly aware of everything." His face lowered slightly, "She was scared though...my wings scared her. She denied it but...she said she was afraid if losing me." He looked at his arms; he already missed the feeling of holding her within them, "Kratos?" he asked, "I've not been eating...or sleeping as I did. Am I...am I going to end up like Colette was?"
Kratos looked into his son's eyes and saw so much sorrow and fear. He could tell he was imagining what it would be like to not be able to care about Sheena...to be soulless and emotionless. "Only the Chosen Ones were doomed to that fate, Lloyd." He explained, "They needed to be soulless so that Martel could possess them without resistance. The angel transformation only involves slowing the body's metabolism to the extent that the person's body clock is slowed to a crawl. This means we are able to live prolonged lives without eating or sleeping as a human, elf or half-elf would."
"Metabolism?" a puzzled look was etched on his face. "I don't know what that means, but you're saying I won't lose my emotions?"
Kratos sighed slightly, but continued, "Yes Lloyd, you have nothing to worry about. You're feelings for Sheena will not change."
Lloyd blushed again involuntarily, he was still adjusting to the fact that Kratos was his father, and as such still felt uncomfortable discussing his feelings this openly. They stayed in silence for a bit, before Lloyd looked around, as if trying to ensure no-one was listening in on them. "Kratos, both you and Yuan have talked about breaking Origin's seal, but neither of you have told me; how do we do this? How can we break the seal?"
Again, Kratos looked into his son's eyes. He had just removed a large amount of worry from them, should he really re-fuel it? "I am the seal." he answered simply.
Lloyd gasped, "You mean I have to..."
"You will need to best me in battle, Yggdrasil's seal means that I cannot willingly allow it to break. I must find someone capable of defeating me and choosing the seal to remain broken." He wasn't lying, but he was not stating that he must be killed.
"Is that...why you're training me?" he asked, "So I can break the seal?"
"Yes, Lloyd." He was impressed that Lloyd had caught on to this, "And this is also why you must now train on your own."
"Huh?"
"You are now capable of using your angelic abilities. Now you know the basics you must perfect them on your own, in your own style."
"But why?" surely he would become stronger, faster if Kratos continued his training.
"If you are to defeat me then it would be best if I did not know your full abilities. If I knew all of your moves it would make it easy for me to counter each one and defeat you."
Lloyd folded his arms and nodded, "So, if you don't know my moves, you won't be expecting them?" he smiled as Kratos nodded, "Okay then. I'll start developing my own moves and show you what I'm made of." He raised a fist in front of him. "You know, I'm looking forward to our rematch."
Kratos smiled, "And I'll be waiting for you Lloyd." But he could not help but wonder if the boy would be as excited if he truly knew what must happen. "I'll expect you not to hold back."
0000000
There was darkness. Complete darkness. "Hello?" she called out. She heard screams...familiar screams. She ran, ran as fast as she could. She didn't know where to but she had to find them. "Hello?" she called again, and then she saw them. There was a small boy, laying face down, his head to the side...in a pool of his own blood. His eyes were lifeless. "Genis?" she asked. "Somebody help!" she called, "Raine! Zelos!" she needed a healer, but no sooner as she said that did she see two more bodies, both with gashes through their bodies, a pool of blood surrounding them. "No!" she cried, running toward the two bodies, "Don't die on me! Please!" She heard more screams, and the sound of a sword flashing through the air...through flesh. She ran towards the sound, only to find a young girl, a hole in her chest, and again lifeless eyes. "Presea."
"Augh!" came a gruff voice, as a large body landed in a heap next to her, lifeless eyes...and a broken neck. She heard another scream, and recognised it instantly.
"Colette, no!" she would not let the same fate happen to her; she would stop the person responsible. She ran again and two figures materialised from the darkness. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening at the sight. A red clad swordsman, with large spectral wings, holding a blood stained sword in one hand...and Colette's throat in the other. He had her raised in the air, just as Yggdrasil had herself. "Lloyd?" she asked, watching as the young Chosen was struggling for consciousness, writhing in his grip. His head turned to face her and she gasped in horror. His eyes were blank, but tears were flowing down his face, "Why?" she moaned.
"All for you, Sheena." He replied. Colette's struggling was slowing down, as Yggdrasil materialised behind them a cold smile etched on his face, his hands were raised, wriggling his fingers as if he had a puppet on a string. Colette's wings had disappeared and her arm fell limp. "All for you."
Sheena bolted upright, gasping for breath. She breathed heavily for a few minutes, her mind pulling together from her second nightmare that night. This one was new, and it scared her more than any other she had yet to experience. She looked over to the bed next to her. Colette was still blissfully asleep. 'Good.' She thought, bringing her knees together, 'There's no way I could explain to her what I just saw.'
There we go. Kinda feel slightly guilty, spending 2 years on the last chapter, then doing this longer one in 2 weeks. Oh well, good news is I seem to have gotten the habit again. I have a couple new one-shot ideas and have actually thought of a couple new stories. Not sure about the story front though as both are similar to the extent of Lloyd meeting with Sheena before he meets with Colette etc. Don't particularly want to repeat myself and both will even end in a similar point in the game before it continues as per actual story. I'll think about it.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed.