Celsius's Test

TITLE: Celsius's Test

AUTHOR: WotanAnubis

FANDOM: Tales of Symphonia

DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters and am not making a profit.

PAIRING: Raine/Sheena

RATING: NC-17

NOTE: This fic was written pretty hastily, so I'm not altogether sure I'm entirely happy with it. Still, here it is.

* * * * *

Sheena never slept alone, although she wasn't aware of that fact. Nobody had ever told her that forming a Pact with the Summon Spirits meant that some part of them would always travel with her.

Celsius watched her sleep now, strange and alien thoughts going through her head. She found herself doing that a lot lately, allowing all of her being to be near the girl, but she didn't know why. She had a few suspicions, but she didn't dare voice them. Not just yet.

Celsius...

Celsius tried to stop her annoyance showing on her face as she saw the darkness in the corners of the room changing itself into Shadow.

"Shadow," she greeted coldly.

Here...

"Yeah," she said. "So?"

Again...

"Well, what of it?" Celsius demanded. "You got a problem or something?"

Possibly.

Celsius hated the way Volt's words just turned up inside her head rather than just be spoken like those of any ordinary Summon Spirit.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

Volt appeared in front of her. You exceed the demands of our Pact, it intoned.

Attracted... Shadow whispered.

"I am not attracted to her," Celsius objected.

You keep constant vigilance over her, Volt crackled. That is not required of us.

Celsius relaxed a little. Volt might have been imposing, but it didn't understand humans and Shadow's comment had gone completely over its head.

What was she thinking? She wasn't human either!

"Look, I was just thinking about messing with her a little," she said.

'Messing'?

Toy...

"Testing," Celsius said.

She has been tested.

"I know, I know. I'd just like to test her a little more. See how she reacts."

There is no point.

"There doesn't have to be."

Shadow snickered. Leave...

Shadow and Volt faded, though they were not exactly gone. Still, they were gone enough to not be able to tell what she was up to. Then again, she wasn't exactly sure what she was up to either. It had just been a random thought, yet it was curiously... beguiling.

Perhaps she would test Sheena in some way.

Just to see how she would react, of course.

-----

Raine couldn't sleep.

Or, to be more precise, she could sleep, but felt no need to. There were far too many fascinating books to read to waste her time on sleeping. Besides, she could always catch up on her sleep tomorrow night. Provided there weren't still books that needed to be read tomorrow night.

She looked up when the door to her room opened and Sheena quietly slipped inside. She looked awkward for some reason.

"Can I help you?" she asked politely.

"I was hoping you could," Sheena said. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Go ahead."