Author: Lilia
Summary: Almost at the end of the story, Zelos and Sheena go out on a night flight on a Rheairds to get her mind off their uncertain future and regrets from the past.
Disclaimer: I don't own any copyright on any of these ToS characters
A/N: After an incredibly long time, I played Tales of Symphonia again and realized how much I still love the game. I've always liked Zelos, but only now I've really, really got into his character. This idea came about after I saw a scene on YouTube, which you can unlock, in which Zelos takes Sheena out to cheer her up and they go on a night flight over Altamira with the Rheairds. I don't know if this idea has been there a thousand times and I'm not that original, I didn't look at any other fanfiction before writing this one. It's kind of dramatic, kind of humorous, kind of romantic so it was difficult for me to categorize the story into just two genres
Sheena was still gasping for breath as she wrapped the sheet tightly around her body. She didn't dare look next to her. That hadn't really just happened! She couldn't believe it herself. She had been weak for just a moment and it had led to this?
"What a dreamy night, huh?" he said, sounding completely relaxed. She wanted to hide her face under the sheet. After all the innuendos, the stupid jokes, the digging at anything with a skirt, how could he have been successful with her? Or rather, how could SHE have let him be successful? He had called her "melons" an hour ago, damn it!
"Zelos..." she breathed, feeling panic rising inside her.
"Yes?" he replied without batting an eye.
"That was... that is..." She forced herself to look at him. Why were his features so soft? There was no trace of malice or triumph in it.
"You were worth the wait," he declared in his old manner and winked. "You really got it going, Sheenakins." She was almost relieved. That sounded more like the Zelos she knew. But when it really sunk in what he had just said...
"What are you talking about! That was my first time, damn it!" she blurted out.
"I know that," he explained.
"Oh, it's that obvious?" she asked, directly miffed.
"I just have my way with women, you know... it's really not difficult for me to recognize something like that."
She blushed. Admitting it to herself was the absolute worst thing, but despite the lack of comparative values, one thing was certain. He had known exactly what he was doing and that had ultimately clouded her senses to such an extent that she had thrown all her reason and better judgment overboard for just a moment and embarked on this adventure.
Perhaps it had been a mixture of everything. Altamira, how it glittered and sparkled... especially when you looked at the big city from above. How relieved she was to know her grandfather was back in his body and the simultaneous worry about when Kuchinawa would return to finally take revenge for the death of his family. And then there was Zelos, who had been in the right place at the right time to distract her from her worries. Lloyd had sent him ahead of all people! That was another factor...
"Nobody needs to know," she blurted out before she had even sorted her thoughts. "So... you keep your mouth shut about this, got it?"
He tilted his head. "I'm not stupid, you know. But I do have one question. Don't you want them to know what was going on or ... what's still going on?" He asked with that mischievous glint in his eye that had never before given her such a tingling sensation in her stomach.
She stammered. "You... Don't think I'm going to be that weak again, chosen idiot!"
"All right," he replied and leaned back. "I just got the impression that you kind of enjoyed yourself, Princess."
"We have completely different problems now anyway!" she said hastily. "We have to reunite the worlds and defeat Ygdrassyl. Those aren't exactly small tasks, don't you think? You could do something of importance for once in your life..."
"Something of importance..." he repeated thoughtfully and she was surprised to have apparently struck a nerve. Or he was just making fun of her and something stupid was about to come out of his mouth again?
"Whether the world ends or not, no one can take this away from me," he finally declared, exhilarated.
"You're disgusting!" she shot back. "Is sex really more important to you than the existence of all living beings?"
"I mean, you were part of it, can you really blame me?" He made an effort to put his arm around her, but she moved away from him.
"I honestly don't even understand why you're going along with all this if you don't care about the well-being of the worlds."
"Just had nothing better to do," he explained with a shrug. "And after I was wanted for treason, it seemed like a good idea to join some strong fighters."
She gave him a long, thoughtful look and tried desperately to read anything from his gaze, but that proved impossible.
"I refuse to believe that's all there is to it."
"Then you're a damn good match for our brave leader in red, congratulations. He also believes in the good in others until he falls into their trap."
She could feel herself blushing. "Lloyd and I are... very different. In some ways."
"Mmm. They say that birds of a feather flock together. But no matter how similar you are, you can't beat his link to sweet Colette."
The sentence may have been true, but it still stung her. Yes... there was little to shake how much Lloyd loved Colette. He had even risked the end of his own world for her.
"I couldn't care less," she claimed - definitely a lie.
"Oh, come on. If all the secrets are going to stay in this bedroom, why deny the obvious?"
She bit her lower lip. Right now she felt really, really naked.
"I don't know... if I..."
"Well, spit it out already," he encouraged her.
"Maybe I like him... maybe I admire his way of loving. Completely unconditional and uncompromising. Even when Colette's body was almost completely covered in crystal, he told her that it wouldn't change anything and that he would always be by her side."
"Don't worry. You'd make one hell of a sexy crystal, sugar baby. That doesn't scare me a bit," Zelos winked.
She just snorted.
"You can take comfort in that. Colette is such a good soul, just the right person to start a family and bring children into the world. But at the end of the day, he'll be looking for the allure of the forbidden with someone else and that's where you come in!" Zelos said casually.
"But Lloyd's not like that," Sheena explained, shaking her head. "I don't think he's even capable of lying. And when he makes a decision, he stands behind it and stays true to it. Colette and he are close friends from childhood... maybe not more than that." At least that was what she kept trying to tell herself.
"So you think as long as he hasn't made a definitive decision, because he's just super awkward about it and doesn't even see the advances of the sexiest woman in both worlds when they jump out at him, you still have a chance."
"Um... wait a minute," she replied, trying to sort out his statements in her head.
"I think it's good that you think like that, really. You have to be persistent with someone who is as slow on the uptake as my amigo. I knew about your feelings regarding Lloyd before, but I guess that's the clear answer as to why no one should know about us."
"Hey! Listen, I'm not planning on throwing myself at him at all," she explained sheepishly. "And the answer is that you're an idiot and could never take anything seriously or be faithful. I'd be making a fool of myself."
"Maybe I'm the one making a fool of himself," he said in a lowered voice.
"Pardon me?" she asked, confused.
"Nothing, buttercup. I mean, maybe you're doing me wrong. Maybe I just haven't had a reason to be faithful and take things seriously? Sure, my many admirers will be up all night crying their eyes out and one or two of them might want to get their hands on you... well, you can easily deal with that, huh? Celes is still the biggest problem."
She rolled her eyes. "Don't lose your pretty redhead about that. It'll never get that far anyway."
"I see," he replied and sighed deeply, then glanced out of the window. She did the same and automatically got to rest her head on his shoulder. She squinted up at him and tried to read something from his face. That was just another stupid trick of his, wasn't it? He wasn't really seriously disappointed or had somehow expected more?
"In bitter moments like these, I have to console myself with that one thought. I not only knew the magical summoner who travels through the worlds and carries the power of Summon Spirits within her but also gets to be future head of Mizuho and probably one of the most influential people in the future world..."
She became embarrassed and nuzzled her cheek against his bare upper arm. He smelled so damn good. What was he about to say?
"But I also deflowered her! Who can say that about themselves!" He laughed stupidly and she grabbed his ear in return, pulling it painfully.
"Ow ow ow!" he wailed, "Mercy, noble goddess!
In the scuffle, their faces had suddenly come dangerously close.
If you weren't such a damn fool, you'd actually be pretty okay," she half-declared. "In fact, I think you're a much better person than you realize."
Suddenly there was something bitter in his gaze. "Sure," he then said lightly, "I'm a bloody
benefactor. Ask my five girlfriends."
She pinched his cheek and he mumbled "Ouch!"
Sheena let go of him and straightened up more, careful not to let the sheet slip.
"You didn't have to stand up to the Pope. You did it because you knew it was the only right thing to do. You joined us without even a moment's hesitation."
"And that didn't seem suspicious to you?" he asked.
"What are you talking about?" she replied in surprise.
He was silent for a long time. Somehow he now had the air of a hurt little boy and she had a strange gut feeling. Something wasn't right.
"Do you trust me?" he suddenly asked.
She swallowed the stupid line she would otherwise have uttered. Everything was a little different than usual right now and she wasn't sure how seriously he meant the question.
"As for your womanizing and whether this thing we had going really stays between us... questionable. However, I think you're a good person who would do the right thing if in doubt."
"Interesting," he replied.
At her questioning look, he put his hand to her cheek.
"Nothing for you to worry about, my hot-blooded fighter for justice. Clarity will tell."
"That doesn't sound like a saying I remember" she replied a bit confused, when he unexpectedly pressed his lips to hers. She felt dizzy.
"Now there's really only one question left," he whispered after he broke away and looked her in the eye.
"And that would be?" she breathed sheepishly.
"Are you ready for a second round with the great Zelos? Just you and me, just between us... all top secret."
"But only if you stop calling yourself 'the great Zelos'!" she explained piqued, but allowed the sheet to be pulled off her body again without any resistance.
This promised to be a long night...