Shihna looked up at the ceiling, wondering when she would fall asleep. Probably never, she thought. All she could think about was Zelos. She could remember everything as if it was happening to her all over again. He had betrayed them as if it was no big deal. He had thrown away their trust, yet he came back to them as if nothing happened. She felt so mad at him and at herself. She had let herself trust that idiot. She had been so careless. If only she had more attention to him...she would've been able to tell. If only she could turn back time and start everything over again. She sighed. That would never happen. She had to face the facts. Zelos was a traitor that didn't deserve her forgiveness, even if the others did. He had all of the qualities of the things she hated most. There was no reason for her to like him any more. None. She would never forgive him.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"...I'm such an idiot," Zelos muttered to himself. He leaned on the railing of the porch, feeling irritated with himself. Had he really done the right thing? That was the only way he could've gotten the Aionis, but thinking about the look that Shihna had given him made him wonder if it was really worth it. He shook his head. "What am I thinking? Without the Aionis, we can't reunite the worlds." He banged his fist on the railing. If only Shihna would forgive him. He knew that the thing she hated the most was a traitor, but he had his reasons. He needed to talk to her, but she kept on avoiding him. I wish I could explain everything to her.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Shihna slipped into her shoes silently. Maybe a walk will make me feel better. She tiptoed towards the door. She opened the door slightly, catching a glimpse of Zelos' long, red hair. She stopped. "Shihna?" Zelos turned around. Shihna sighed and stepped outside. "What do you want?" she asked. "To talk to you. You've been avoiding me," Zelos answered. "I just don't want to hear your annoying voice," Shihna muttered. "Oh, really?" He started to walk towards her. "You have a reason for avoiding me, don't you? You wouldn't just ignore me for no reason."

"D-don't be stupid! I just don't feel like talking to you, alright?" She started to go back inside. "Shihna!" He grabbed her arm. "It's because I betrayed you to get the Aionis, right?" Shihna shook her head. "The thing you hate most is a traitor so you're avoiding me," Zelos continued. "So now you're-" "It's still the truth! We trusted you! How could you do such a thing and come back as if nothing happened?!" Shihna yelled as loud as she dared to. "You stupid bastard! I'm never going to forgive you!" Zelos stared at her in shock. He must've been the worst person in the world to have Shihna curse at him like that. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" she shouted. "I hate you!"

"You...hate me?" Zelos asked, his voice barely a whisper. "Of course I do! You have every quality that I despise!" Shihna fought the tears forming in her eyes. "You're a traitor, a philanderer and a liar! I can't believe Tethe'alla has a Chosen like this!" she ranted. "I'm sorry," Zelos mumbled. "I really didn't want to hurt you. I had no choice." A tear slid down his cheek. "If I was given the chance to do things differently, I would have. I...hate myself right now. I hate myself for everything I've done to you." He checked to see what Shihna's reaction was. She was studying his face. "Shihna?" A sob escaped from her mouth. "Are you okay?" Shihna shook her head. "...I forgive you!" she sobbed, hugging him tightly.

Zelos patted her head awkwardly. "It's nice to know that you don't hate me any more," he said, running his fingers through her hair. Shihna buried her face in his shirt. "I was so scared when you left," she murmured. "I thought you hated us."

"There's no way I could hate you," Zelos said. "Actually, I..." He hesitated. "You?" Shihna asked, looking up at him. His face leaned toward hers. "I..."

"Zelos?" Zelos and Shihna immediately pulled away from each other. "Oh, Shihna's with you?" Lloyd asked. "Were we interrupting anything?" Collet asked. "N-no!" they both exclaimed at the same time. "We were just talking," Zelos said. "Oh. It's nice to know that you're not avoiding each other any more," Collet said cheerfully. "Y-yeah," Shihna mumbled. "Don't stay up too late, okay? It's a big day tomorrow," Lloyd said, heading towards the door with Collet following him. "Yeah..." Zelos said. They waited for the door to shut behind them. "What were you going to say?" Shihna asked. "I'll tell you another time."

SakuMeiMei Says: I...feel...really...crappy...right now. And I have writer's block which doesn't make things any better. I just want to cry all night. Really. Which is kinda sad since it's Christmas Eve. DX Which is really pathetic in a way. I don't know what the hell I'm saying.

Anyways, about this chapter. Shihna's all depressed and Zelos is all depressed and...SO AM I! XD Yay! The things I wanted to say have just dissapeared...Damn.

The next few chapters will be Christmas ones and hopefully I'll be feeling more cheerful then. Look forward to it! DX