This was going to be a one-shot, letting the readers decide how the chat between Sheena and Zelos went, but then I got some ideas and those chibi-muses are persistent :) Lots of people were asking me to write another chapter for this story, hopefully they'll enjoy it :) It makes a slight reference to "Want to talk?" but should make sense on it's own. The scene in the game where Zelos chats with Lloyd in Flanoir (if you chose to talk to him, which some of you might have not done and thus might not know the scene) provided a little inspiration, but it's not essential for you to have seen it for this to make sense. Plotless fluff, as usual :)
For the real-life counterpart of one of my chibi-muses, for no particular reason other than she's a wonderful friend who I often have great chats with which could, perhaps, be described as 'girlie' chats, even if we do run screaming from make up and such :) Thank you to her and the other chibi-muse real-life counterparts who really are the most amazing friends, and thank you to the chibi-muses, may you and the chibis always be in my imagination.
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Tales of Symohonia. Namco are the people who do I believe.
"Hey, Zelos. Got a minute for a chat?" Sheena called out.
"What's that my voluptuous hunny? "Zelo's head appeared around her doorway.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" the summoner looked at him hopefully. He nodded, walked into the room and, sensing the seriousness in her tone, pulled the door closed before sitting beside her on the bed.
"What's up?" he asked, turning his head to face her. She paused, thinking about how to go about this conversation. She could have done with more time to think of the right things to say, the right questions to ask, but it was too late now.
"Tell me something, why is it you feel the need to flirt with every woman we seem to meet?" she asked the first question that popped into her head.
He sighed, pulling his thoughts together. The summoner probably didn't know it but she'd touched on a painful subject. But, he thought, he was glad it was she who'd asked and not one of the others. Not that long ago he'd opened up a little to her and the angel and he sensed it was safe to do so. They wouldn't tease him, mock him or hurt him. The blonde, who seemed to have become close friends with the dark haired girl sitting next to him, was kind-hearted. Like Lloyd was, he thought, and he guessed the brown haired swordsman could probably be trusted as well.
Yes, those two were good to talk to. Innocent, honest, open.
As for Sheena, well, she was just special, although he'd taken a long time to put his finger on the reason why.
"You won't get mad at me if I go all angsty on you for a minute?" he asked."No, I asked you a question and would appreciate an honest answer, whatever it's nature," she nodded.
"And this doesn't leave this room, alright? Well, except maybe to the little angel, I notice you guys seem to talk a lot about all sorts of, well, just stuff," he said.
"Not a word to anyone except in the strictly confidential environment of the girlie chat," she said, making a gesture he knew was her village's equivalent of the one he'd use to mean 'cross my heart and hope to die'. He laughed gently at the idea of her and Colette having a 'girlie chat' as neither of them were particularly 'girlie', but he guessed it was still the best way to describe their friendly nattering as he couldn't think of a better phrase.
He turned serious again and his gaze turned to the ground.
"To be honest I was always rejected, everywhere I went. I know being a Chosen must sound like something special, magical, like you'd be treated so well because you're special, but really it's not."My parents, the church, the Royal Family, no one really accepted me. I felt lonely and hollow and tried to seek out love. But I guess because I'd never experienced it I didn't know what it was properly. I knew pretty girls were supposed to be desired, so that was what I sought. But it's always felt, well, sort of a game rather than something serious, which I think I'm beginning to see love should be.
"Travelling outside the small world I lived in, seeing such strong bonds within the group, I'm learning so much, and I think I now know what it truly means to love someone, there's someone who's special to, uh, um," Zelos, who found talking to Sheena a very pleasant and cathartic thing to do, suddenly realised what he was saying and who he was saying it to. He stopped and blushed, his face turning a similar colour to his hair.
"How do you know they're special?" Sheena asked softly.
"I just, I just do, she, I, I feel like I never want to be apart from her, like I always want her to be a part of my life. Like she makes me feel whole, and I want to hold her and tell her how special she is. That's love, right?" Zelos was blushing profusely and staring at his shoes like they were the most interesting things in the room, although there was something, or rather someone, he'd prefer to be gazing at not far from him at all. Trouble was was that he didn't have the courage to. He laughed at himself, the great Zelos Wilder, flirting pervert extraordinaire, couldn't find the courage to look at a pretty girl. This love thing really was weird sometimes.
"I don't know why you're asking me, I've not got much experience, well, any experience of love at all, not romantic love. Family love, friendship love, I feel I get that in the group, and that's wonderful, but..." Sheena shook her head and sighed. "Have you told this girl you like her?"
"No," Zelos shook his head sadly. "I'm too afraid she doesn't feel the same way. Or that she only sees the flirting, 'philanderer' side of me and won't forgive me for it or thinks I can't change. But she's the only woman who's ever meant anything to me, and I feel like I'd never need to look at another woman again if I had her by my side.
"I think she thinks I've done more with other women that I actually have, although that's probably my own fault, I tried to create an image when I was younger, and did a bunch of exaggerated bragging.
"But, yeah, like I said I'm scared she doesn't feel for me like I feel for her, so I just tease her all the time, I guess to try and protect myself and my feelings, but I never mean to hurt her,"
He finally found the courage to raise his eyes. He studied her face, wondering if she'd picked up on the hints he'd dropped. He really was scared, what if she didn't like him in that way, or didn't like him at all? He didn't know if he could handle the rejection. Sure, he'd been turned down by girls before, but none of them meant anything to him the way Sheena did.
He spotted a look of something he couldn't quite recognise in her eyes. He hoped with all his being that it wasn't some form of anger or disbelief, that she didn't think he was feeding her some pick up line. He tried to convey the sincerity of his words by looking into her eyes, knowing his own would not lie and hoping she knew this as well.
"Ah, I'm sure it'll work out in the end," she smiled a big, beaming smile and patted him on the back in a friendly way. "Thank you for chatting, it was good to talk. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone what you said."
From the tone of her voice he guessed she was finished with the conversation and wanted him to leave. Damn. He was confused. Had she got the hints he'd dropped or hadn't she?
"Night Zelos," she smiled at him, making it clear that, yes, she was done talking and wanted him to leave now. He sighed.
"Sleep well voluptuous hunny," he said, and was surprised when she just smiled at him and didn't make any comment about the nickname. She'd not said anything when he'd used it earlier either. Could it be?
Ah, he didn't know. He shut the door behind him, frustrated. Best thing to do, he guessed, would be to sleep.
When he got to bed, however, he found himself unable to doze off, their conversation playing over and over again in his head.
He was distracted suddenly from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps and a yawn from the hallway. He heard the sound of paper being slid across carpeted floor and then the footsteps retreated.
He switched on the bedside light and saw a piece of paper with his name on it by the door. His name in her beautiful handwriting.
He jumped up, grabbed it, then got back into the warmth of the bed. He unfolded the paper and began to read the letter.
As his eyes flew across the flowing script on the page he felt as though he wanted to scream and shout with joy, to tell the whole world how wonderful he felt. She had picked up on the hints he'd dropped and she did feel the same way about him as he felt about her. She'd just been afraid that she wasn't anything special to him, that he saw her as just another woman, like all of the others. But she wasn't, and he felt like he'd be the luckiest man in the world if only he could show and tell her that every day.
He reached the end of the letter and, feeling light and giddy, got out of bed and sat at the desk. The room didn't feel cold because he felt fantastically warm and fuzzy all over.
He grabbed some paper and a pen and began writing back, telling her how very happy she'd made him.
He sighed happily, he'd found someone who genuinely accepted and loved him, a dream come true. And she was hot as well, which, the slightly perverty side of his brain thought, was a wonderful bonus.
He signed his name and folded the paper before returning to bed and switching off the light. Judging by that yawn he'd heard her make earlier she'd be asleep by now. He'd give her his letter at breakfast tomorrow.
He closed his eyes, smiling, and was soon dreaming beautifully pleasant dreams about what the future might hold. Bliss.