Goodwitch08: Hi! I'm not usually a Tales of Symphonia fanfiction writer, I usually stay in the realm of Final Fantasy but I have read a few ToS stories and I adore the game. One of my favorite pairings that I feel doesn't get enough attention is Regal/Raine (I would have written a Zelos/Sheena ..but..we'll see..) and I decided to write something about them. The idea formed after I was playing the game and Raine almost got Kratos sick. If you recall, on one of the little skits, Kratos has to use first aid on himself because of her cooking. I didn't want the story to focus on any of the other characters too much, otherwise I would have made the other character's interactions with them more drawn out, but then it would have been quite lengthy (nothing wrong with that but I wanted the purpose to stay solid..). I hope I have kept them in character, I tried to pay a lot of attention to the way they act and speak in certain situations. Regal is..quite regal (the name speaks for itself, eh?) and tries not to offend. Raine ,on the other hand, has a harder edge to her soft tone. I think they compliment each other quite well. They are not complete polar opposites but they have enough things different about each other to make things interesting. Well, with that said, I hope you guys enjoy the story.

Silent Attraction

There was a certain area that the party liked to settle down and rest up before continuing on. It was never literally the same exact area, because that would be impossible and a bad idea, but they all held this certain feel to them. A certain safeness and security that would allow them to rest soundly enough to rejuvenate their energies. There was no better place than a clearing. It was even better when there was a waterfall at the edge of a cliff that was in walking distance to the clearing. That's where Colette, Lloyd, Genis, and Presea decided to go as soon as the group of nine decided to rest here. The clearing was virtually empty of any life but the birds that lived in the trees along with a few squirrels scuttling here and there. Virtually, because there was two people left in the clearing, but the two were so silent that it was as if no one was there. The others had left to do other things and not join in Lloyd's group for their frolic in the water. Zelos, Sheena and Kratos decided to go a nearby traveling merchant and purchase some new accessories for their weapons. The only two left were Regal and Raine.

Regal had sat up a makeshift table and was preparing dinner for the group. His blue hair was tied tightly back into a ponytail, though several strands had already begun popping out due to the sweat. He was leaned over his meal in the making in silence, chopping, dicing, slicing, measuring, and boiling in a perfect system. The wind would give him a moment of release at times as it blew against his hot skin from the water nearby, setting the entire clearing off in a unique scent of ocean and food. Though his hands were shackled, he cooked swiftly and efficiently, though sometimes he did wish for the use of both hands equally.

Raine, on the other hand, had found herself a place on a tree stump, beneath the shade of a tree that had grown closely behind it. She was reading a book on ancient runes intently; hardly anything took her attention away from her studies. Every once in a while, the wind would blow through the leaves of her book, causing them to turn without her will, she would quietly turn them back and continue as if nothing had happened. Also, the wind's fingers would intertwine her hair and cause the silver strands to fall into her face; she let them stay where they fell, for she was so engrossed in what she was reading that a few strands didn't matter to her.

There was only one thing that took her from her concentration sometimes, every time the wind blew in a certain way.

Raine sighed softly as the pages in her book were once again blown from the spot her eyes had been gliding over intently. She placed her finger into the book to hold the page and looked up briefly, Regal, with his back turned, caught her eye once again. A small smile twitched on her lips as she admired his tenacity and skill at what he could do.

There weren't many men that would happily show that they could cook (let alone with shackles on), and opted to do it every single time. She, herself, was not much of a cook though she did not like to admit it. Once, earlier, she had gotten one of the strongest men in the party, Kratos, sick from her cooking. He'd thought it was fine, until she admitted to messing the whole thing up. He had to quickly cast 'first aid' upon himself. After that she kept her practice at cooking to herself mostly.

She'd wanted Regal to teach her once, or even her little brother Genis, just a few helpful tips that would make her more useful than just boiling water and peeling onions when it came time to cook. The thought of asking Regal's help had crossed her mind twice since she sat with her book, but she refrained. It was not that she was intimidated by the man, he was quite humble and very polite, but it was that she never really found the time. Or at least that's what she tells herself. She and Regal didn't really talk to each other much, there was never really any reason to, unless it was something related to anything they'd just went through during their journey. All of their conversations had been limited to discussing factual things and usually with the rest of the group around. Regal was a very interesting man, but she never had a reason to talk to him that much, at least not on a personal level or even a casual level. The last thing she'd said to him today, in fact, was "thank you" when he helped her and Genis out of a tight spot with a fiend that seemed immune to and obsessed with magic casters.

Maybe she'd strike up a little conversation right now, ask him about what he was making or something.

"Regal…?" Raine placed a silver book mark in her reading and waited for him to respond. He looked at her over his shoulder, an eyebrow rose slightly in question. "…never mind. I'm sorry to bother you, continue cooking whatever that is as if I never called you." She opened her book again and went back to reading.

He watched her for a moment, reading her book silently from afar, he knew that was not what she was about to say, but he left it alone. If she had changed her choice of words, he would respect her decision. Regal turned back to his dish and picked up his knife again, continuing peeling his fruits. He was planning on designing a new dish for the group and wanted deep concentration to make sure everything went perfectly all the way down to the last grain of salt, but though determination was pure, he could not get Raine's interruption out of his head. It was not often that they spoke to each other, the way she had called his name; she must have wanted to say something.

"Excuse me, Raine." Regal brushed a strand of hair from his face and continued cooking. Speaking loud enough for her to hear. "Would you like to help me?"

Raine looked up from her book curiously. "What?"

"Four hands are better than two, if you would like to. If not, it is fine as well. I did not mean to take you from your studies." Regal continued to work silently, not checking over his shoulder to see if she'd join him or not.

Raine quietly deliberated for a moment. She did want to finish this book but she knew this was also an opportunity to learn something from Regal and maybe something about him as well. She sighed softly and placed her book back into her bag near the log, and then she stood and dusted off her clothes.

"I'll be happy to help, Regal." She approached him. "Though, I do not know how much help I will be since I am not very skilled, unfortunately."

Regal nodded. "I am certain you'll be helpful, Raine."

"I guess we'll see."

"Okay, well let's get started." Regal slid several fresh vegetables over to her then placed a large knife in her hand.

"So I just chop these up? They'll go in that boiling pot I assume." Raine eyed a large silver pot nearby. Its contents were simmering and a light cloud of smoke was coming to the surface.

"No, you don't merely chop them up." Regal put down his tools softly. "There is a certain way to preserve the vegetable juices while cutting."

Raine looked over at him, intrigued. "There is?"

Regal admired her interest in the investigative approach to learning. He smiled ever so softly, with a nod.

"Here let me show you." Regal put down his tools and walked behind her. "I hope you don't mind."

Because of the shackles, mostly, Regal had no choice but to situate his arms around her. It was efficient and much more comfortable, and nothing more. Or at least that's what he told himself as her back was pressed into his chest. Her hair smelled of some type of fruit based soap from the last town they'd visited. He couldn't help but breathe it in. He cleared his throat and apologized again, for the closeness.

Raine allowed him to take her hands in his larger ones, while she still held the knife. He tightened their grip on the handle. It seemed to get warmer than it was a few minutes ago; she told herself it was because of the mere closeness of their bodies compared to that of the simmering pot of hot liquids. She refused to admit that her cheeks were reddening. Pushing the thought from her mind she watched silently as he selected four completely different vegetables and laid them in a line.

"Okay, first we have the Liaitiae fruit." He pulled a long green tube shaped thing from the group. "It's not really a fruit but that is what it has been called for centuries..."

"Oh…really?"

"Hmmmhmm." Regal nodded. He guided their hands over the vegetable with the blade and brought it down at an angle, severing about a quarter of an inch off of the vegetable. "Cutting it like this will reduce the amount of juice that squirts out of it. Try to keep them inside."

Raine nodded and tried to ignore the heat rising into her face, she told herself it was merely a typical reaction when certain senses were engaged. She listened and observed closely as Regal showed her how to cut a tomato the correct way, and two other strange looking vegetables as well. She commented that she had never thought of it that way, that she thought cutting was just as simple as cutting.

"Most people do." Regal chuckled softly and released her hands and the knife handle. "But you seem to catch on well." He released him from her hold, relieved that he did not have to be so close to her for much longer.

With that, the two began working together on making the dish for the group. Every once in a while Raine would need some assistance and Regal would politely correct any small mistake she'd made in her part of the preparation. The two worked in a comfortable silence, merely glancing at each other every once in a while when the other wasn't looking. Finally, Raine asked Regal something that had been burning on her mind for a while.

"Who taught you all of this? How to cook?" she tucked back a strand of hair and watched him for a moment, never letting her hands stop what they were doing.

"Various people and experience. Most notably, my mother." Regal looked over at her. "Honestly, I can say I learned from everyone. Anyone you meet has something to teach you." His hair fell gently into his face. He tucked it back and returned to his work, it fell back into his face, he released an exasperated air but let it stay there.

Raine smiled softly. "That's nice, that you and your mother had a relationship."

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to stir unpleasant memories." He glanced at her sincerely before continuing his work. All he had to do now was put everything in that pot and watch it simmer. The breads were already made.

She watched him for a moment, a small feeling crept into the pit of her stomach, she'd felt it once before when he spoke of his past. The look that he could sometimes get on his face, he didn't want to offend anyone that didn't deserve it and always was modest enough to act as if it were his fault. Raine admired his humble persona.

"No...you didn't stir up any bad memories." She returned to the fruit salad she'd been working on. Her vegetables were currently being added to the boiling pot by Regal.

"Of course." Regal finished adding the remainder of the ingredients. He brushed his hair from his face and rubbed his aching wrists. The shackles would rub against his skin uncomfortably sometimes, it was moments like these where he wished he could take them off, but he knew he wouldn't.

His eyes fell on Raine, working silently and efficiently on completing a large fruit salad. Her hands worked deftly with the knife as she cut through apples, oranges, and peaches as if she'd always been efficient in the kitchen. He was right; she was definitely a fast learner. She might not be as good at it as he was but she was definitely determined to do well at it.

"Whatever project you put your mind to; you complete it to the best of your ability." Regal said thoughtfully, out loud.

Raine looked at him and cocked her head to the side. "What?"

Regal's shoulders rose and fell in a gentle shrug; he brushed his unruly hair from his face once again. "I was admiring your tenacity."

He hoped she would take it as a compliment, and she did. A small smile turned her lips up and her eyes twinkled with satisfaction. He felt himself smiling at her in return.

"Thank you. I was admiring your resolve." She smiled softly in return.

" And I was admiring yours."

They kept eye contact for a moment, no words passed between them.

"We're back guys!"

They took their eyes from each other and saw the speaker: Sheena. She was leading the group, behind her was Zelos and bringing up the rear was Kratos.

"Welcome back." Raine waved. She wished they would have taken just a little longer with the merchant. At first she had been waiting on someone else to return so that it wouldn't be just her and Regal, but now she wished for just a few more moments with just him alone.

Kratos, Zelos, and Sheena returned first with their new equipment. Genis and Presea returned second, with Genis sporting quite a bruise on his forehead. When Raine asked him what happened to him, Presea simply said that he slipped on a rock. Raine trusted Presea to be honest but something told her that he didn't just "slip" on a rock, but she left it alone. Colette and Lloyd returned a few minutes later, laughing about how Lloyd allegedly ambushed someone into the water. It was hard to tell who because of the giggling but it was pretty clear to Raine where Genis's bruise came from now. She couldn't begrudge her friends for having fun, she was too happy about how things had turned out with she and Regal's food preparation and the conversation was definitely a plus.

Genis was very surprised that his sister had actually helped prepare the food, for the fact that it tasted better than any thing he'd ever tasted from her. If he didn't already have a blue bruise on his head, Raine would have probably hit him for his little condescending remark, but instead she took it as a compliment. Kratos was polite but cautious at first when he found out Raine had a hand in making the dish, flashbacks of having to use first aid on himself because of her previous cooking, no doubt. The others expressed their genuine surprise but ate everything heartily. Especially Lloyd. He would have had fifths if Sheena hadn't protested it.

When they finished the sun had already set in the sky and the moon had taken it's place proudly. Everyone took themselves to their resting place, except Kratos who opted to be the night watch every time. The only other person that was supposed to be awake was Zelos. It was Zelos's turn to wash dishes and he did so even if he didn't want to. Regal wasn't sure if Zelos was making so much noise while putting up the dishes on purpose to spite everyone or not. The red head wasn't exactly someone he called easy to understand. Perhaps it was Zelos' noise in the distance that kept him awake, staring at the expanse of stars in the clearing or maybe it was the fact that his thoughts wouldn't let him rest.

His conversation with Raine had him on his mind whenever he closed his eyes he could see her smiling face in burned into his eye lids. He felt the only way to stop thinking of her was to look at the stars until sleep snuck up on him and took him. He couldn't bear to entertain thoughts of any other woman but Alicia, he had to remind himself. He felt he would betray her memory and that is something he would never want to do.

There was a crash nearby. He rolled over on his side and watched Zelos grumble and pick up a pot and plate that he'd knocked down. Regal rolled on his back again and stared at the sky.

The sounds of the night seemed to get a little more noticeable after Zelos's accident. Lloyd's soft snoring, Colette's sleepy whimpers, and Genis's sighs, and the night birds all seemed a bit irritating now. It was pointless to lay here dwelling on thoughts and avoiding others. He decided to continue to lay in one spot until Zelos finally laid down as well. He waited for about ten minutes, watching the trees above them sway in the wind. When he was sure the red head had went to sleep, he rose from his spot.

Regal silently took himself to the edge of the clearing, facing the waterfall. The moon hit the water in a way that caused it to glow a blueish silver. It reminded him so much of Raine's hair. He sat down and allowed his legs to dangle over the edge and into the pool of rushing water below.

Meanwhile back at the camp, Raine hadn't been able to sleep either. She'd seen his shadow pass over her and watched him dissapear behind some trees. Intrigued, she waited a moment for him to return and then rose from her spot between Presea and Sheena and followed him.

"Regal?" Raine stood quietly behind him. She didn't know whether to sit beside him or leave, he seemed to be in such deep thought. He was such an interesting man, though, she couldn't bear to go back to not talking to him again. Or, barely saying anything. She looked away from his back and toward the waterfall that made her feel small.

"Raine? Did I wake you?"

She shook her head, a ghost of a smile played on her face. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Of course not." Regal looked back at the water. His hair swung into his face, he let it stay there.

Raine settled down beside him, quietly. They didn't say anything, they simply enjoyed the thundering sound of the water fall and sat in a comfortable silence. Regal found himself watching the woman intently before he could stop himself. There was just something about her that intrigued him. Maybe it was the silent storm that seemed to reside behind her eyes, or maybe it was her strength in light of her own personal problems. He wished he could be like her, in that sense, never letting the past hold her back.

He decided, if he lived through their journey, that he would make changes and maybe be ready to be worthy of someone like her. He decided that if he was going to begin to feel like this about someone else, and this wasn't just a fluke because of their day together, he would do more than just talk with her to pass the time.

--

Goodwitch08: It took me quite a while to complete this one-shot (about four weeks) because I have so much going on, and my main focus is on a different story, but I did have fun writing this. I originally was going to have a little more happen in terms with Regal/Raine's relationship that would have involved an almost kiss, but the situation just didn't seem to merit that. This is more of a beginning, or an interlude as opposed to something that would get them emotional enough to kiss. This story, to me, is about a quiet attraction between the two that goes unnoticed by anyone else for now. Originally, as well, I was going to have Zelos say something quite hilarious which would have interrupted the almost-kiss, but I also decided against that. I might write another fanfiction about the two which will probably be radically different, and I also plan on writing a little story about Zelos and Sheena (my other favorite pairing) and perhaps a few stories that have nothing to do with romance and more with friendship altogether. I guess we'll see.

Tell me what you thought and what you liked/didn't like about the story. Feedback is the only way I'll know. Please review! I read and reply to every last one of them.

-goodwitch08