Disclaimer - Tales of Symphonia and all it's characters are property of Namco

White Magic - Chapter One

The group was passing through Meltokio and had opted to stay in Zelos' mansion instead of one of the inns. The treacherous Pope had finally been dealt with and the Chosen was free to, in his own words, show his beautiful self in public again. It was unanimously decided that the party would spend the evening relaxing so that they would be well rested for whatever hardship would inevitably be thrown in their path the next day.

As the evening had gone on, each of the eight retired to their beds, one at a time. Colette had gone first, still overjoyed at the simple pleasure of being able to sleep again. Lloyd and Genis eventually grew tired of playing cards on the floor by the fire with Regal, and the three ambled up the stairs bidding the rest goodnight, Regal's pocket a few gald heavier judging by the jingling heard over the clinking of his cuffs as he walked. Zelos noticed from his seat at the large dining table that Presea had fallen asleep, curled up on one side of the cushioned bench in the living area. He pushed up from the table and moved silently over to her, carefully gathering her up in his arms as though she were made of fine glass. He made his way soundlessly up the stairs, tossing a wink over his shoulder at the rooms last two occupants. Raine and Sheena watched as he fumbled with the guest room door at the top of the stairs, trying to open it without disturbing the pink haired girl's slumber. Managing to pull the door open, the Chosen stepped inside careful with his sleeping cargo. The two women exchanged a fond smile before the man emerged from the darkened room a few moments later, closing the door softly behind him. Sheena evidently decided it was her turn to retire for the night as she set her book down and made for the stairs. Zelos smirked as the two met halfway on the stairs, he matched her movements as she attempted to sidestep him. The ninja crossed her arms in front of her giving him her best glare, but the upturned corner of her mouth belied her annoyance. Conceding, Zelos stepped aside for her with an extravagant bow, and shaking her head as if trying to ward off his stupidity, she pushed past him and disappeared into the room she shared with Colette, careful not to wake the young angel. Duty done, Zelos headed back over to the table where a stack of papers lay, he paused briefly to hover over Raine, trying to peek over her shoulder at her book. Noticing he was there she hid the cover from him, causing him to laugh and he backed off to the table leaving her in peace. As the young teacher returned to her novel the Chosen went back to leafing through the documents before him. His absence and apparent excommunication coupled with his grand return to favour had left a lot of paperwork to be dealt with, and with the Pope gone, his place as Chosen effectively made him the head of the church until a replacement could be found. He sighed deeply, this was hassle he didn't need right now. It was going to be a long night.

An hour or so had passed when a sound brought his attention up from his work. Raine had placed her book down and strode purposely over to the table and seated herself across from him.

'Zelos,' the scholar began 'there's something I wanted to ask you about, something I've been curious about for quite some time now'

'Well Professor...' Zelos replied, a smirk rising on his face 'It's about time. I can honestly say I'm amazed it took you this long to fall for my obvious charm and sinfully good looks'

'Please' Raine scoffed, and Zelos was delighted to see the barest of blushes grace her features. 'I want to ask you a serious question; do you think you could be serious enough to answer it?'

The swordsman made a show of locking his mouth closed and mimed throwing away an imaginary key. The small display of foolishness coaxed a tiny smile out of the teacher, and Zelos gestured for her to continue. Raine seemed to debate with herself for just a fraction of a moment before she asked:

'Why did you become a healer?'

Zelos stared at her for a few long moments, surprise painted across his face. Raine stared straight back at him, impassively, determined to have his answer. Clearly it had not been a question he was expecting.

'Mind telling me why you ask, beautiful? Professional curiosity perhaps?' he was stalling and she knew it.

'I suppose you could say that' Raine replied, twisting her fingers in her lap. 'You're a sword master in your own right, and your offensive magic is among the best I've ever witnessed'

'Aw, honey, you're gonna make me blush' Zelos cut in, tossing his long crimson hair and was once again pleased to see another smile creep across her face.

'Twice in one evening' he thought to himself 'I must be getting good'

The Professor sidestepped this little interruption and continued:

'And then there's your healing artes. They're unique but the effectiveness they can produce is comparable to my own.' Zelos opened his mouth to protest but the teacher cut him off 'Let me finish' she said firmly 'Your spell that blends healing magic with water magic for example. I would never have thought to combine the two, the regenerative effects are amazing.'

'Healing Stream' Zelos said suddenly, and laughed richly at Raine's blank expression. 'That's what I call it' the chosen clarified 'Man, I must be spending way too much time with Lloyd and Genis if I'm naming all my techniques' he groaned, and Raine laughed beautifully in return, her slight frame quivering in her amusement.

'I did wonder about that when I overheard the three of you twittering about Demon Fangs and Sonic Thrusts' she said, comprehension dawning on her, and it was Zelos' turn to laugh this time.

'Twittering?' he exclaimed in mock outrage 'my dear Professor Sage, the Great Zelos would never be caught twittering with anybody'

The pair laughed together, trying to stifle their sounds so they didn't wake their sleeping companions. Their antics caused Sebastian to stare from where he was watering the house plants. He sighed softly at his master's behaviour and silently excused himself from the room, continuing with his many duties.

'Alright, alright' said Zelos at length, wiping a tear from his eyes and composing himself slightly. 'Why I became a healer' at this Raine leaned forward slightly as though she were a child about to hear an exciting story, barely containing her interest. Zelos smiled gently at her and began again.

'Two reasons, and I maintain that one of them is by far more important than the other, both of which I'm gonna have to go back quite a ways for you to understand.' He paused for a moment, peering across the table at her. 'It's quite a long story y'know; sure you want to be up all night waxing nostalgic with the Great Zelos?' a self assured smirk drifted onto his face 'what am I saying? Of course you do! Who would pass up a chance to hear the magnificent adventures of the divine Zelos Wilder, from his own perfectly proportioned mouth no less..'

'Zelos' said Raine sternly 'I am not Sheena. And I know what you are doing.' Zelos stared at her for a second, but recovered swiftly.

'And what might that be, sweetheart?' he replied, a low seductive tone that he had used a thousand times before in his voice. But he was faltering, and she saw it.

'You're stalling' she said pointedly 'you're trying to distract me, and you're trying to make me angry. It's what you do to deflect a conversation you don't want to have. I've seen you do it. And it works, I'll grant you, on women with short attention spans and even shorter tempers…'

'…like Sheena. Harsh but fair. Okay, okay I get it' the Chosen chuckled, holding up his hands in surrender, he sighed deeply and stood. 'If we're gonna get into this, then I'm getting something to drink' he disappeared into the kitchen leaving Raine alone for a moment before surprising her by returning with a large bottle of wine and two glasses. Opening the bottle he poured himself a generous helping and hovered the tip of the bottle over the second glass, quirking an eyebrow in question. Raine nodded softly, understanding. This was not going to be a happy tale. Zelos poured her a modest amount and slid the glass across the table towards her.

'Well,' said Zelos, taking a sip of his wine. 'Let's start at the beginning'

'Big brother!' screeched Seles as she launched herself into her brother's arms, latching both her arms around his neck. 'I missed you!'

'Ack! I missed you too Seles! Easy on the strangling!' Zelos squeaked, making his sister giggle. He then spun his sister round and round in the air until she squealed with delight, both of them ignoring the disapproving glares from the priests behind them. One of them hurried forward and attempted to pull them apart.

'Master Zelos, Lady Seles, please stop this behaviour at once! Children of the mana lineage must always…'

'Go to hell!' yelled the young Chosen causing several things to happen at once. Seles clapped a small hand over her mouth with a gasp, the priest's mouth sagged open in scandalised shock and two echoing chuckles drifted from the helmets of the two guardsmen standing watch over the group. Somewhat thrown by his own daring, the young boy took his sisters hand in his own, made an obscene gesture in the direction of the priests with the spare and took off down the empty cobbled street with Seles in tow, howling with laughter. Zelos pulled Seles through side streets and back alleys, their shot legs pounding over the stones and gravel until they reached the Meltokio slums, leaving the cries of their supervisors to fade into the distance. The two collapsed by a low wall to catch their breath, still laughing. Seles' giggling subsided into coughs that grew harsher with each passing second. Zelos hovered over her, anxious.

'I shouldn't have made you run, Seles, I'm sorry!' he exclaimed, dismayed, reaching towards her.

'I'm fine, big brother, don't fuss' she scolded, making a visible effort to shake of her coughing fit and batting away her concerned sibling's hands. 'I'm fine'

'Come on, honey' Zelos replied gently. 'You're my number one girl in the whole world y'know, I'm bound to worry about you at least some of the time.'

'No I'm not' Seles said bashfully, looking at the ground and balling her hands in her dress.

'Of course you are' the young Chosen insisted firmly, rubbing the young girls back 'and that isn't about to change. Now enough girly feelings for one day.' He leaped to his feet with a flourish 'What do you want to do today?' Seles' mood immediately brightened and she beamed up at her brother.

'Magic!' she squeaked in excitement 'show me more of your magic tricks!'

Zelos' smile slid slightly from his face, but he caught himself before his sister noticed. He gave an exaggerated sigh.

'Magic again, sis?' he groaned 'haven't you gotten bored of my silly little tricks yet? Zelos couldn't help but laugh at his sister's enthusiasm as she shook her head vigorously. 'Well alrighty then, let's get out of the city then, cutey' he said, poking her on the tip of her nose.

The young boy pulled his sister to her feet and allowed her to loop her arm through his and the pair set off towards the west corner of Meltokio's poor district. Their boots picking a familiar path through the broken down streets, chatting away aimlessly until they came to a thicket of bushes bordering the towering city walls. The two scrambled through the thorns, paying no heed to the dirt and the tearing of their fine clothes until they reached the base of the wall, where a small crack awaited them, small enough for a child to fit through.

'We're getting big now, sis' Zelos remarked, peering into the dark hole 'soon we'll be too big to sneak through here'

'Does that mean we won't be able to go out and play anymore?' Seles asked quietly, a quiver in her small voice.

'Of course not, sweetie' Zelos replied with cheer, ruffling her short hair 'it just means we'll have to find a new way to sneak out, won't we?' Seles looked up at him with watery eyes and nodded. 'Now let's get out of here'

Zelos squeezed himself through the gap with Seles at his back, her small hand clasped in his. After much scuffling they managed to climb out of the crack on the other side of the wall. Blinking the sun from their eyes, the two stepped into the lush green field surrounding Meltokio. Seles ran out onto the open plain shrieking with delight, Zelos looking on smiling fondly for a moment before joining her in her excitement. The young girl flopped down on the grass and looked up at her brother expectantly. Not wanting to keep his audience of one waiting, the young Chosen made a show of cracking his fingers and loosening his wrists. Seles giggled at his antics, her laughter tinkling in the breeze. She sat watching patiently while her brother concentrated. He closed his eyes as the crystal at the base of his neck began to glow. The boy raised his hands, both palms open towards the sky. Seles watched with rapt attention as her brother conjured a pair of fire balls between his hands.

Zelos tossed the two balls of flame into the air while Seles 'oh'ed and 'ah'ed, he then added a third as the two descended and began to juggle them, much to his sisters delight. With a snap of his fingers the three spheres converged into one which he sent spiralling into the air with a thrust of his arm. With a final sweep of his hand, the fiery orb exploded in a shower of sparks. Seles cheered as the sparks hovered in the air for a few seconds before getting caught in a stray wind and drifted a shimmering path towards the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge.

'Incredible, Zelos, the elemental manipulation, the focus…' Raine said, fascinated 'how old were you?'

'Ten' Zelos whispered softly 'I was ten at the time, Seles had just turned six' there was a long silence as Raine absorbed his answer.

'Ten, Zelos?' she asked slowly 'those parlour tricks of yours were complex spells designed for…'

'Combat' Zelos finished, taking a long drink of his wine 'I know. And I used them to make Seles smile. It made so much sense at the time, still does in a way. I'd still do anything to make that girl smile.'

'I know the feeling' Raine smiled softly, taking a delicate sip from her own glass 'when Genis was younger all I wanted was for him to be happy and safe. These feelings never change.'

'And they never will' agreed Zelos, raising his glass towards hers' raising an eyebrow 'to siblings?' Raine reached over and gently clinked her glass against his.

'To siblings' she affirmed, and the pair drained their glasses. Zelos topped up his own glass and held the bottle over the Professor's in silent question. She held his eye for a moment before giving him a nod and a smile.

'So what was a ten year old doing with dangerous spells like that?' Raine asked as the Chosen filled her glass with the red liquid.

'That, my dear Professor, is another story, for another time. This one's still got a ways to go yet, honey. But if you've had enough for one evening…' he trailed off, pushing himself away from the table, making to stand.

'No!' the woman protested, her hand darting across the table, almost upsetting the glasses as she grabbed his wrist. 'Don't go… I mean, I want to hear the rest if you wouldn't mind telling me' Zelos looked at the hand curled around his own, then into her eyes again.

'Well honey, all you had to do was ask' he said, voice filled with its familiar charm. He took her hand in both of his and softly kissed her fingertips. Surprisingly, she didn't pull away, but a blush creeped onto her cheeks, along with a small shy smile. There was a long moment as the two sat in a comfortable silence. Zelos seemed to snap out of a trance and he gently released her hand. Raine retracted her hand slowly, trying not to think about the sudden sense of disappointment she felt when Zelos let her go. Likewise the young man before her seemed to reflect the same feeling.

'I'll pick up where I left off, shall I? He asked, sounding distracted. Raine nodded, smiling shyly, and the man once again opened his memory to her.

'Wow, Zelos, you get better every time we play!' Seles gushed, giving her brother a tight hug.

'I hope so' he replied, making a face 'Mr Aurion makes me practice real hard every day'

'I don't like Mr Aurion' the girl announced primly 'he's boring'

'Yeah' Zelos laughed 'but he said I have to work hard and learn them if I want to be a good Chosen'

'You are a good Chosen, big brother!' Seles insisted, once again squeezing him around the middle 'everyone loves you!'

'Everyone loves the Chosen' Zelos muttered darkly. He put on a big smile for his sister's benefit and mussed up her short hair again. She squealed with indignation and responded in kind, reaching up and ruffling his long crimson locks with both her hands. Laughing, Zelos pulled away and darted off across the field, Seles hot on his heels, shrieking with laughter. The siblings chased each other around the vast expanse of the Meltokio Plains, climbing trees and ducking between large boulders. Zelos pursued his sister into a small clearing, and what he saw made his heart stop dead. Before him in the centre of the glade stood Seles with her back to him, and not a stones throw in front of her crouched a pair of large grey wolves. Seles stood stock still, staring at the beasts, her only movement her terrified trembling. Zelos fear addled mind reached out feverishly for his magic. He knew his spells were more than enough to blast the wolves into oblivion, but logic had taken a back sat in favour of fear for Seles' safety. She was so close to the creatures he wasn't thinking clearly.

'Seles' he whispered hoarsely 'don't move. I'm going to…' he was cut off as both wolves let out a shared snarl and in one fluid movement, crouched and sprang towards Seles, who let out an ear splitting scream. Instinct taking over, Zelos made a sharp, upwards gesture with his left hand and his cruxis crystal flared to life. Instantly, sharp spears of rock erupted out of the ground beneath the beasts bearing down on his sister. One of the wolves was pierced by the shards of earth and died in a mess of blood and fur with a wailing howl, the other was only grazed and kept its course, so close now to its prey. Zelos watched in horror as the creature pounce onto Seles, taking her off her feet in a blink, its claws tearing into her flesh, fangs descending. Before they met their mark, Zelos thrust both his arms forwards with a cry of rage. Razor sharp wind blades streaked toward the wolf, they plunged into its body, carrying it up and off Seles. The force of the spell dragged the doomed creature high above the ground and viciously tore it to shreds. The young Chosen stood frozen for a moment, gasping for breath. Seeing his sister on the ground brought him back to reality, there was so much blood. Seles began to sob.

'Big brother' she wailed n pain, tears flowing down her pale face 'it hurts'

'Its okay sis' he tried to assure her, aware of the tears sliding down his own cheeks 'you're going to be alright.' Zelos wondered who he was lying to more, Seles or himself, as he feverishly worked his mind for something he could do. As his frantic eyes darted around the empty glade, they fell upon the remnants of his earth spell, the sharp rocks still pointing toward the sky. A wild, desperate idea struck him like a hammer.

'Seles' he said, sounding braver than he felt 'I'm going to try and heal you, okay?'

'Okay, big brother' she whimpered, trying so hard not to cry, her small voice growing weaker. Zelos took her right hand tightly in his left, flexing the fingers on his free hand. The boy hovered his shaking hand over Seles' deep gashes and focused once more. He knew he had to get this right or his sister would die, the very thought of which terrified him beyond reason. Feeling a squeeze on his hand he looked down into his sister's face, seeing the absolute trust in her expression he found all the determination he needed. Concentrating again with renewed focus, he felt his magic reach its peak and his cruxis crystal burn like never before. Zelos released the restorative power over Seles' prone form and she became bathed in a warm white glow as the tendrils of magic encircled her body, soothing her wounds. Exhaling slowly, the young Chosen allowed the last of his mana to leave his body and enter his sister's. Looking her over he was overwhelmingly relieved to see that her wounds had all but disappeared, leaving trailing white scars.

'I'm so sorry Seles' he breathed, holding her tightly 'this was my fault, if I hadn't…'

'I'm okay big brother' she said firmly, getting to her feet gingerly 'thank you for looking after me' Zelos laughed long and hard as she buried her head into his chest in a hug, he had his sister back. He allowed Seles to tug him to his feet and together they headed back towards the city.

'She frog marched me straight back to Meltokio' Zelos finished, draining the last of his wine.

'From what I saw of Seles at the abbey, that sounds believable' Raine chuckled, tilting her own glass toward him 'even as an adorable little girl'

'Yeah' Zelos laughed heartily 'I could never say no to her when she got like that' the man sat pensively for a moment, staring into the fireplace. The two had long since vacated the large dining room table in favour of the long cushioned bench by the warmth of the fireplace. Zelos had dug out a giant blanket from somewhere and it lay draped over the pair of them, and a second bottle of wine rested opened on the floor between the two.

'Y'know that was the first time I actually healed anyone for real' he said, looking sideways at her 'All I'd ever done before then was read up on theory and stuff. Never healed anything bigger than a paper cut before that day'

'Sounds like you did a fine job' Raine commended him. When she looked over to him, his eyes were downcast, staring at his hands in his covered lap. 'Zelos?' she said, questioningly.

'I really thought she was going to die' he replied after a breath, his voice barely above a whisper 'she was just lying there… and all that blood. I didn't think I could save her'

'But you did' Raine insisted 'you saved her life that day'

'Yeah, I know' Zelos sighed heavily, looking at her 'It comes back in nightmares sometimes, y'know? I close my eyes and I'm back in that damn glade, only I can't save her. I have to watch her die' he turned away from her and bowed his head and Raine was surprised to see a tear slide down his cheek.

'Pathetic, right?' he asked bitterly, angrily swiping away the stray tear.

'Zelos, stop that this instant!' the Professor commanded, setting her glass down 'you can't allow yourself to think like this. You protected your sister and saved her life, that's all there is to it. Some things are that simple, they have to be for us to be able to go on living our lives'

The woman then surprised him by shifting herself closer to him on the bench, looping their arms together and slipping her hand into his. Zelos couldn't see her bowed face through her silver hair but he knew there would be a blush adorning her features. The two sat in silence for a long time, staring into the embers in the fireplace.

'So this is new' Zelos said at great length, nudging her shoulder with his own.

'It is' she replied simply, trying to force the blood to leave her flushed cheeks with sheer willpower.

A comfortable silence followed as the two sat together, truly enjoying each others company. Raine lowered her head onto Zelos' shoulder, and he responded by resting his cheek on the top of her head, savouring the feel of her hair on his skin. The young man found himself hoping that Raine felt as natural and comfortable as he did with this development, unaware she was thinking the very same thing. He cast an eye over to the window and saw that the sun was just beginning to rise, peeking over the trees in his garden.

'Wow, its late' he said softly, gesturing to the view outside 'or should I say early'

'We've been up all night?' Raine questioned sleepily, having gotten extremely comfortable leaning against the Chosen, peering past him to the window.

'Well honey, you've spent the evening with the Great Zelos, what were you expecting?' the man whispered seductively, unable to resist the opening. She smacked him none too gently on the chest.

'You had to ruin it didn't you?' she growled, trying to contain her laughter. Zelos saw that she was fighting off a smile and laughed, glad she had taken the joke as he had intended it. It had been a long night, he had opened up long buried memories and gained some measure of closure, and he had this beautiful, brilliant woman to thank for it. He felt uplifted after confronting some of his past, there was no doubt about it. He was definetly in the young teacher's debt, and Zelos Wilder never left a debt unpaid.

'We should get some sleep' Zelos suggested, reluctantly untangling himself from Raine, offering her a hand. She took it delicately, allowing him to help her to her feet and he led the way out of the living area. The two got as far as the second floor of the mansion before realising they still held on to each others hand, although neither moved to let go. The pair stopped outside the guest room Raine had selected for their stay in Meltokio, and an undeniably awkward silence fell, both of them avoiding the other's eye.

'Damn, I feel like a kid out on his first date or something' Zelos chuckled, crossing his arms and leaning against the stair banister.

'I can't say that I've ever been on one' Raine smiled, shaking her head 'so I'm unfamiliar with the feeling'

'Never?' Zelos asked, raising an eyebrow. He closed in on her, boldly placing his hands on her slim waist. 'Perhaps we can change that' he whispered, dangerously close to her now; the young woman could feel his breath against her face. Zelos leaned even closer and Raine tilted her head up to meet his, her lips parting slightly. Closing her eyes she felt Zelos lips touch hers, so light was the kiss she barely registered it. Feeling bold, the teacher brought her hand up to the mans chest, and softly gripping his black vest, pulled his body closer to hers. Zelos traced his tongue across her lower lip in a silent request and she immediately responded, parting her lips further and entwining his tongue with her own. The Chosen brought his own hand to gently cup her face, softly stroking her cheek with his thumb. Raine sighed in contentment and shyly raised her free hand to twist into his long hair, coaxing a low growl from his throat that reverberated deep in his chest. After what seemed like an age, the two parted, breathing heavily. They held on to each other for a long moment before Zelos stepped back.

'Good night' he said softly, taking her hand and placing one last kiss on her knuckles 'Raine' he added, looking her in the eye. With that he turned and set off silently down the hall towards his own room, with the scholar watching him go.

'Good night, Zelos' she whispered after him, and she too turned, and with a trembling hand, opened her door and stepped inside, closing it soundlessly behind her.

They both retired to their beds as they had intended, but sleep was a long time coming for the two, as they both replayed the moment they had shared in their minds over and over. When weariness finally claimed them, they both drifted off with a smile that remained until they woke.

Thank you for reading,

Chapter 2 coming soon