Yar: Part Four

The next morning, Lloyd, now unfortunately back in his usual trademark red jacket, trudged back to the tavern where the others were waiting. After the incident from yesterday, it was the unanimous decision to leave as soon as possible the next morning. Presea and Sheena had kindly taken their turn to gather supplies and all that was left was the usual morning preparations. Lloyd, meanwhile, had taken the opportunity to slip away (out of the way) to see the fortune teller. Not for the first time, he wondered why he even bothered.

"Yo, Bud!" Zelos called to him, catching sight of the hero first. The red-head waved enthusiastically. "There you are!" As soon as Lloyd drew close enough, a strong arm shot out and seized the brunette by the shoulder, pulling him chummily under. "So," he whispered, conspiratorially but with a wide grin, "did you make up alright with Colettie-poo?"

Lloyd wrinkled his nose at the new nickname, but otherwise nodded. He and Colette had never really sat down to have a heart-to-heart, as Raine continually professed was essential, but rather he had looked to her- as the second person awake- and she had smiled back at him. It was not one of her energized, bubbly smiles, but instead a smile of "okay". Such had somehow been enough.

"Wonderful!" Zelos cheered and promptly smacked Lloyd hard across the back, almost making him choke and at the least causing him to stumble forward. Purposefully ignoring that, Zelos set his hands on his hips and stuck his chest in the air, letting out a mighty guffaw, " Ha ha! Today is turning out splendidly!" The others glanced at him, somewhat annoyed due to the early hour clashing with his robust energy, but Zelos just nodded to himself. "Yes, indeed," he continued- loudly- to explain why the day was so wonderful. "Colette is back to her angelic self, dear Presea personally picked out our supplies, Sheena is in drag-"

"They're pantaloons, you chauvinistic moron!" the she-ninja shrieked with indignity and Lloyd turned to see that Sheena had indeed opted to wear her Successor outfit instead, presumably in an effort to better protect her skin. He was somewhat glad she had done so; he could now recall that she had looked red for most of the previous day.

Zelos picked up flawlessly, "And our beauteous scholar, Raine, was unable to make breakfast today!" The last was boldly a cheer and a dark leer was sent his way from a certain half-elf. Good thing he was so selectively observant… "All in all, a good day to be alive, eh, Lloyd?" he winked down at the red hero.

'Your smile looks more real today,' was the thought that went through Lloyd's head first. He found himself grinning and nodded. "Yep!"

"Though you know," Zelos murmured thoughtfully as he loosened his hold on Lloyd, allowing the younger man to finally straighten, "that's too bad about your pirate outfit…" Not wanting to linger on that too long, he flashed a thumbs up and one of his toothy grins. "But if you want, we can all prance around in our swimsuits." He didn't even have a chance to laugh at his own joke as he suddenly had to reach out and stop Lloyd from falling over. "You ok, man?" he blinked down at his friend.

Lloyd weakly smiled sheepishly back up at him. That had been weird. Even as Zelos had finished his sentence, he had suddenly remembered the red-head's choice in swimwear. His whole face got uncomfortably hot as his slowing mind added together that tiny piece of purple fabric and the area of skin it failed to cover, so much skin… So apparently he should have been paying more attention because he must have tripped or something because suddenly his whole knees decided to give way on him. It didn't help that he was now strangely very aware of Zelos's hand on his arm. Fully straightened and steady on his feet, he negated the suggestion, "That's alright. I think we're fine as is." To stop any further expansion on the subject, he firmly began to push Zelos toward the town entrance. "Now, let's go! The others are waiting!"

"Right, right," Zelos pretended to whine, though lilac eyes peered curiously down at the brunette. "Just out of curiosity," he brought up innocently as they walked, twirling a strand of red round his index finger, "why did you look so frustrated when you came over?"

Lloyd let himself relax. "Ah, that," agate eyes darted to the side in remembered annoyance. "I had gone to see that fortune teller again." Red clothed arms were brought up behind his head as he settled once more into a long conversation with Zelos.

Zelos blinked idly, recalling the brief instance he had seen said-fortune teller before the woman had rudely ushered him and the others from the tent. Apparently it was a habit of hers to say whatever she had to say to them and then privately give Lloyd some sort of fortune. Some girly thing about relationships and levels. Zelos had never personally bought into such things. (How many times had he been confronted during Festival by a girl, fresh from a fortune teller's booth, exclaiming that the heavens had ordained them to be each other's own true love? Bah.) "So what did she have to say?" he figured he might as well ask.

Lloyd made the disgruntled face from earlier and gave a casual shrug. "Beats me," he huffed. He focused his eyes on the bright blue above him. "Something about soul mates, a life-long bond, yadda yadda yadda," he yawned and stretched his arms. "She shook me by the hand, for crying out loud." He scowled lightly at the memory of the woman, tears in her eyes, and how she- for once- seemed more disbelieving of her own telling, muttering about stubbornness, thick heads, and banging said thick heads.

As both puzzled over the woman's strange behavior, the strangeness of women in general, and moving on to dozens of different conversations, neither noticed Colette glance back at the picture of two smiling warmly, walking side by side along Noishe, and smile herself; they were both much too caught up in each other.

- - - -

Not much later, they were drawing near to the end of their adventure. There was no blaring sign and no one dare really bring it up for pondering, not only because they were so busy with everything else going on at once but also because it felt as delicate as a dream and to consciously think of it was to bust that illusion. Yet they could feel it, could altogether sense that they were getting closer.

And now here they were.

Mithos had been defeated but the group couldn't help but wonder if such had only been the prelude of what was sure to be the toughest match, especially for Lloyd. Once more the hero in red seemed more calm than any of them were. As they had grown to do during moments like these, Zelos and Lloyd had drawn aside, alone, to talk during that long, long night. Surprisingly, it had been Lloyd helping Zelos lift the weights off his chest, setting them down gently with that same smile and "stubborn as hell" assurance. For the first time they dared to talk of "after", of a future beyond all the chaos.

And it would come tomorrow.

Surely, surely tomorrow.

And as they had smiled at each other to once more lie down beside the other in the night, where it was literally demonstrated how much closer they had become, they couldn't imagine it any other way.

And Zelos, laying sleepless that night for it seemed an ability almost beyond him now, soaked in Lloyd's heat and felt his heartbeat echo through the darkness, his thoughts swaying on the edge of the realization that he was now carrying two secrets between his shoulder blades.

- - - -

Origin was won.

Huffing for breath, Lloyd reached out to take hold of the summon spirit turned sword. His joints ached from the two consecutive grueling battles, but at the same time his nerves were filled with not only the rush from victory, but from the resounding knowledge that this was it. They were so close, so achingly close... The blood flooded to his head as one of his red gloved hands reached out to grasp the gleaming handle...

Then some voice- familiar, yet it should not have been there- spoke up behind him and his hand grasped at air. Bewildered, he turned to the others, looking for a 'how' and a 'why'. His eyes locked with Genis at the same time he realized why he should not be hearing that voice. A red flickering orb removed itself from Genis's hold and regardless of the many stunned gazes watching, promptly moved its way over to Lloyd. Perhaps he should have dodged or moved away, but Lloyd had no time to think before the orb struck him just above his heart and a fierce wave of cold- a frozen cold so sharp it bit and burned him- drowned him.

With a shuddering breath, he tensed all his muscles in an instinctive attempt to keep a hold of himself. Yet even though his fists were clenched with all his might, there was no enemy to swing out at, no opponent to beat back- for the foe lay within. His body, however, seemed to be slipping from his control, growing lax even as his fists continued to clench so tightly; it was like slipping into sleep, his mind fading into an ease as though to fade away into dreams…. The core that was still Lloyd shrieked out in terror and defiance.

He was losing himself!

A burning ache growing between his shoulder blades registered itself to him, but since it made as little sense as anything going on, he dismissed it. What troubled him more was the belated realization that his vision had gone from hazy to fading in black. Such prevented him from seeing the torn looks on his friend's faces, though they were ready to spring at the slightest opening. He also could not see his father struggling in vain to clamber to his feet. Yuan, without taking his eyes off the dangerous situation before him, rose with him but tightened his grip to hold the man back- he needn't have bothered. The sake of his only child might have given Kratos the impossible strength to rise to his feet, but it was not enough to charge forth; he would not make it in time.

Mithos!

Words were whispered in Lloyd's ear but their meaning was lost to him. It was all dark now and a freezing cold slithered into his bones, chilling even the burning between his shoulders, but it was all fading now… fading even as his soul screamed out…

Then he was jostled all at once, like leaping awake, as something- someone- pushed him away. His vision and feeling abruptly returned all at once, making him momentarily dizzy. The strength seemed to have all but disappeared from his body so that he became lock-kneed and trembled. Yet when his mind finally caught up with what his eyes were seeing, it just further knocked the breath out of him.

It made no sense… no sense whatsoever…His heart pounded with the remembered frustration and helplessness when he had watched Colette… then Kratos… and even this one…. All walk away. But this, Lloyd's mind couldn't put it together. Because Zelos was not a self-sacrificial person. Zelos wouldn't sacrifice a damn thing. Ever.

Which was pretty ironic because Zelos was thinking the same thing as he stared down at the Cruxis Crystal in his palm. But it just further added to the bubbling feeling in his chest, a swell of laughter that contained no fear, just a sweet, luscious sense of victory. For this was what he considered it to be, even as the orb began to glow and the light flooded into the corners of his mind. Because Zelos Wilder never sacrificed a damn thing.

And then there was nothing….

- - - -

And then there was snow.

Zelos felt no cold, even with his arms bare to the fluttering snowflakes and whispering wind. A normal person would have been bewildered at the loss of sensation, but Zelos had long since fallen past normal. Instead, resignedly, he watched as a lone snowflake floated down into his open palm and with a grim humor, observed it melt into a tiny puddle in his hand. Well, at least he had some body heat left.

He shook his hand off in habit to clear off the moisture, despite the fact that more and more snowflakes whirled around him. Lilac eyes peered off into the grey sky that was all around, the only shade distinguishable from all the white. A notion itched in the back of his mind, a feeling that something that was off but dream-like, he couldn't bring himself to care. He did know, as he peered down his nose superiorly at the gathering ice crystals at his feet, that he did not like being in all this snow, not one bit.

Cursed snow. Die, snow, die! He childishly rubbed his foot into a particularly high pile, squishing it down.

Again came that nagging notion at the back of his mind. Just where was h-

A voice called out his name; a voice he knew so well that the sound drove away even his unfinished thought. Puffing out a single breath, Zelos turned to face the one he knew would be coming. Even so far away, that streak of red came blazing out the snow. His evolved vision allowed him to take in the grinning face, the waving arm, and his ears almost pricked forward to hear the laughter in the voice.

Lloyd...

Breathless, the hero in red finally stopped in front of his friend. Seeing the puffs of breath the brunette released, Zelos eyed the boy's light covering critically. "Hey man," he began, falling into his usual tone flawlessly, "what do you think you're doing? Aren't you cold?" The fact of snow equaled cold was jolted back into his memory and looking at Lloyd almost brought back the bite of the sensation.

Lloyd grinned up at him, his cheeks flushed from both the run and the cold. "I found you," he cheered, heedless to Zelos's question. "You dork, what are you doing out here?" Then, as though he had not noticed their surroundings before, he turned to take in all the bleak white and gray. But even as the snowfall dusted his hair with the absent color, nothing seemed to able to lessen the vitality of that red.

Zelos grinned back, happy to see it, but again was that funny feeling. Like Lloyd wasn't supposed to be standing here in front of him… but he squashed that firmly. Whatever dreamy sort of sensation had infiltrated his head, he rather liked being focused on only the here and now. Still…

"Lloyd," he called softly, not really sure of his intent but wanting to mouth that name. He reached out to grab- touch?- Lloyd by the arm, but before his touch could land, Lloyd's attention swung from the sky over in his direction, his eyes widening with horror. With a guilty twist in his stomach, Zelos let his hand hover before he realized that Lloyd was not looking at him, but rather behind him. Then it was Lloyd reaching out to him, Lloyd calling out his name, and Lloyd-

Zelos fell backward, but it was more like the world tilted on its axis and a bright light filled his vision, such a splendid white that was it the snow or... The twist in his stomach tightened so hard that it hurt more than when his back collided with the ground; indeed, it was as though there was no pain through his back at all, but an absent part of his mind put together falling and colliding and concluded that there must be pain. But there was no time to think about that, because even as Zelos scrambled up, his vision became stained with red- bright crimson red.

And then he remembered- he had gone through all this before.

The snow, the grey, the red-

The Red...

Except before him, on the ground, wasn't his mother, her red gown spilling out along with her life's essence and golden hair coming undone for the first time in his short-lived eyes. No, that haunting image faded from his mind's eye. Gold hair dissolved away into simple brown- no, not simple because he could remember bright, sunny days that tinted those strands with an auburn glimmer- and there was no red dress so much as a very familiar red jacket that was getting soaked with red snow. No, wait, it was the other way around...

How stupid, how utterly brainless was it that his first thought was: "Poor Lloyd. First his pirate costume and now his jacket, both getting stained with blood. How unlucky."

Then it was like the world cracked open and focus slid into his vision allowing him to see what was before him clearly for the first time. Lloyd, on his back, before him with his chest looking like it had been torn out. The burnt fringes of his once-whole jacket still steamed slightly even as the winter air chilled them. And there was blood... so much blood... Yet still the white snow continued to fall, heedless of where they fell and simply adapted the brilliant color as its own as it started to frost over the young man's body.

"Lloyd!" the name was screamed as an echo into his head and regardless of whether he actually said it aloud or not, his throat still felt achingly raw. With his faster reflexes, Zelos scrambled up and over in a clumsy display because the only focus was to get as close as possible to Lloyd. His knees landed hard by the boy's head and he crouched over, wanting to lift the boy up and into his arms to clutch at that life for as long as possible, but the pooling red so held his attention that he was afraid to even move his friend in the slightest. In a heartbeat he settled for cupping his hands around the hero's face, brushing away a few strands of hair kindly from those agate eyes.

At the touch, Lloyd's eyes became somewhat more aware and turned his attention from the endless gray sky to the face above him. Amazed beyond belief that the boy was even still conscious, Zelos struggled to put on a semblance of a smile on his face. "Hey boy-o," his voice shook despite his efforts, "what a silly thing to do, eh?" He swallowed, hard, because his throat was getting too dry to speak easily. "Now," his mind was racing, trying to put some order to what should come next, "I need you to stay focused on me, ok? I'm gonna..." Shit- what was he gonna do? "... I'm gonna get some help, ok? And I need you to stay awake so we can fix you up, ok?" What was with all the "ok"s? It was uncharacteristically unsure of himself but he just felt if he could get Lloyd to respond then...

Then what? Everything would be ok?

Raspy breaths were his only reply and one hand managed to lift itself, barely, to tug on Zelos's pant legs. The red-head gingerly dared to gently lift the brunette's head the meager distance from the ground onto his lap. Tan hands gripped tighter at his pant legs although out of gratitude or pain, it was hard to tell. Zelos once more smoothed back the young man's hair, an ironic human gesture. Lloyd's mouth opened once, mouthing what he could not say, and agate eyes stared intently into lilac ones, again trying to see something that probably was not there. Then, even as those eyes stared forever onward, the hand grasping at him loosened and fell limp. For a moment, two hearts stopped beating at the same time until the next single breath when one disappointedly continued on alone.

For the third time in a short while, Zelos heard himself calling Lloyd's name. He started patting the face still cupped in his hands as though to rouse the boy from sleep and then, to rouse himself from the nightmare, started shaking the shoulders wildly. 'Why!' was the question shrieked within his own mind and continued to echo for there was no answer. He finally looked up in the direction the killing shot had come from, peering through faster falling flakes of snow which momentarily blurred his vision with more white. Sure enough, a shadowed figure stood not too far from him. The still figure seemed to watch him arrogantly.

And he recognized that person.

It was that woman again... the same as that night long ago that his young eyes had discerned through falling snow. But it was impossible, this was all impossible! Had he not seen that same woman escorted from a hastily made trial into a death sentence? Yet it was her, a younger him exclaimed within. It was her, it was her, it was her!

And then the woman strode forward and her coloring became more visible. Their eyes connected even as she lowered the hand that had sent such a blow. Yet it was not that woman, but-

"Celes?" Zelos murmured, once again not understanding. It made no sense, absolutely no sense! "This is a lie!" he cried out rebelliously, shaking his head even as he held the body in his arms. "This is nothing more than a trick!"

Cold eyes stared down at him, having yet to even glance at her unfortunate victim, and as they filled with growing disgust and hatred, Celes sneered. "How pathetic," she spat. "Have you so blinded yourself to the truth that you no longer recognize your own blood in front of you?" Giving a derisive snort, she casually flicked back a few strands of the red hair they shared- a habit the both of them had somehow managed to acquire.

Zelos's resolve flickered and thus weakened. "But," his shoulders sagged as he began softly; he looked down forlornly at Lloyd, whose blank eyes were still ever-staring up at him, "… why?"

"You should have given it to me, brother," Celes snapped, her brilliant eyes narrowing down into slits. "But, no- you just had to overreach yourself. Silly fool."

"Is that what this is all about?" Zelos cried incredulously. "Over that stupid position as Chosen?" For the first time, he was growing angry. "Because you wanted that horrible status?"

"No," Celes answered softly, "because you did."

That brought Zelos up short from his righteous fury. "What?" he gaped openly.

The girl's small shoulders sagged, weary and worn. "Because there's a difference between a destiny forced and a destiny accepted," she whispered, her eyes distant. But then the hardness came back into them and she straightened herself haughtily. "And you messed everything up the moment you deemed him worth staying on as a Chosen- even if only for a little while." She sneered. "What an arrogant attitude for someone who was not even supposed to be born."

The harsh mix of cryptic and blunt words made Zelos's spirit flinch. And indeed, he had little clue as to how he was supposed to reply to such a thing. Lilac eyes squeezed shut in firm denial.

"That won't save you," Celes's voice still managed to pierce into him. "You know everyone would have been better off if only you had never been born. See for yourself!"

And images flooded into his mind…

Lloyd with Sheena, both dressed in the clothing of her culture and stationed outside her house in Mizuho, his head on her lap as he dozed in the moonlight and her smiling so gently as she ran her fingers through his hair…

Lloyd leaning against Genis's back, next to a flickering campfire illuminating a dark night of one of their many adventures, and they spent the long hours exchanging made-up ghost stories to scare the other while trying to hide their own nervous fear...

Lloyd playfully teasing Regal as the businessman shyly loosened his professional tie to don an apron and chef's hat to cook a dinner for two...

Lloyd and Presea hiking their way up a mountain trail when the pink-haired girl stumbles slightly and the hero in red effortlessly catches her hand, casting a faint blush upon the normally stoic face...

Lloyd sitting backwards on a classroom seat, getting inward pleasure at watching an awkward Raine- the poor professor pointedly ignoring his presence- lecture to a whole new generation of little ones...

Lloyd coming to a simple home at the end of a long day, exhausted yet still managing to put on a glorious smile to a welcoming Colette, looking even more angelic with a warm aurora of love as she enveloped him into her arms...

All different futures, all different paths that could have been taken- who was he kidding? - that could still be taken; all futures of a loved, happy, smiling, alive Lloyd Irving-

... with no Zelos Wilder by his side.

It was as though his own existence had been snatched, crumpled, and then stuffed down his throat because he was choking on it. The images were so burned into his mind that he did not notice a sad looking Celes fade away in the white or that the heavy weight of Lloyd's body suddenly disappear. But this did not leave the poor Chosen alone. Another presence joined him, smirking even as he laid an unsympathetic arm across the shaking red-head's shoulders.

"Ssh, ssh," came a boyish voice by his ear, mocking the tone used to soothe an upset child. "There, there. Do you see now?" The hand on Zelos's shoulder clenched, as though to sheathe claws into his flesh. Strands of golden hair fell forward into the edge of Zelos's vision. The young boy then hissed out his words with venom, "You should never have double-crossed me, Zelos Wilder. Just what did you think you were doing?"

It was Yggdrasil. Mithos. Whatever the hell the psychotic, self-proclaimed ruler of the world(s) wanted to call himself.

Zelos couldn't bring himself to care.

Mithos, smirk overflowing with smugness, idly twirled some of the Chosen's red strands round his finger. "Everything in the world you ever wanted, ever dreamed of, I offered you," his child's voice spoke softly, deceivingly calm for a moment before hardening to stone, "and you dared to spit it back in my face." He tugged hard on the strands, pulling so roughly on the hair that it brought Zelos's head drastically forward. Mithos grinned cruelly, baring his teeth. This is what he wanted, to see the red-head in as much pain as he was capable of inflicting and more. Heart beating fast with this vicious pleasure, he couldn't help but lean forward himself to try and catch the delicious expression that was sure to be on the young man's face. The moment he caught sight of it, however, he froze.

Zelos was smiling.

Even as the soul inside his eyes was breaking, a wide grin was planted onto the handsome face. The same as he wore after meeting his sister, the same as upon meeting Lloyd and the group with the knowledge that he could very well lead to their death, the same he had used to hide his mixed emotions while telling Lloyd the darkest part of his past, the same used to disguise his calculating mind even as he betrayed those closest to him. It was nowhere near the sort of smile he used after gathering a bit of hope that perhaps Celes did not detest his entire existence, different from the hazy quip of the lips that he couldn't help upon waking after the most restful sleep he could remember, different from the grin cracked up when he just burst out laughing for no reason, and utterly different from the touched smile he had buried into his pillow without letting go of the hand of the one person who loved to be with him. His heart had carefully, but unceasingly, regained feeling and sensitivity, but if that were the case why couldn't he stop smiling admist all this sorrow?

"Stop it," Mithos muttered, bewilderment evolving quickly into anger. "Stop it!" He swung his grip on the red hair back and forth. "Why aren't you hurt?" he cried out, using his other hand to grab onto the scalp under all that crimson and the color filled his vision. "I want to see your pain, you inferior being! I want to see your blood!" Mithos was screaming by the end of it and words disappeared into grunts and nonsensical cries. "Submit to me!"

Even with the emotional hurricane inside him, Zelos wasn't taking the shrieking pain of his head passively. At first he had been stunned when, with each harsh tug, the feeling of pain was being restored to him and quickly. Then, just like with any human, being hurt gave way to annoyance and anger. "Get away from me!" he cried. Building up those feelings, he hardened it into the strength to pull back his head, clench his fist, and promptly slug the legendary hero of old on the nose.

Or, at least, that's what should have happened.

"Zelos!"

"His will is… throwing me out…"

"Mithos! Leave him alone!"

Just when one mass of flesh should have made contact with the other, everything disappeared again. It was kind of like going through the pathway that connected the twin worlds- the feeling of being pushed, cramped down and then being pulled and stretched out- except to a much higher degree. And the world went from an empty void of white to a sharper, brighter image of color and sunlight. It took Zelos, whose mind was still reeling, a few moments to take in the sight of trees, grass, and bright blue sky.

However, all was not well in this bright atmosphere.

Bewildered as he was, Zelos felt his body trembling with rage and his eyes began to tear up. Without really thinking, his eyes were already blinking them away rapidly. His throat was so hoarse, made worse by the dry-heaving he was inducing upon himself by trying to talk. It was as though Zelos had been transported back in time to that short while ago when Lloyd had slipped away in his arms, but there was one drastic difference this time around- these emotions were not his own.

This overwhelming wave of despair, of rage, and utterly loss of hope was not of his origin, but rather his to feel as though through someone else's eyes. As tears fell- and he could feel their wet descent down his cheeks even though he was growing more convince that these were not his cheeks at all- his vision came a little clearer and Zelos became able to discern the limp form of a body before him. The pooling of the blood under an unmoving corpse that even with her- the natural curves were somewhat visible- face down on the ground had an arm outstretched as though seeking something, the sweep of the- emerald, not gold- hair...it was so hauntingly familiar that the twist of nausea that gutted his host was felt twice as much by him.

Feeling that looking any longer would cause a throbbing heart to come up through his throat, narrowed eyes turned their attention past the body and Zelos took in a new character. It was male- he thought- but the features remained blurred, although "his" eyes were now so dry that it could not be tears that were deadening his vision. Though only a mental self, Zelos did his best to squint whatever it was that he was using to see to try and get a better look. Apparently, no matter what he became his heritage as a Chosen was carried over, for he still managed to make out some details.

Zelos's put his sharp mind to use and settled on the firm possibility that this was most likely the killer. The man had a wide smirk, bordering on the edge of a manic grin if anyone cared to notice, but his pallor so white, so pale... Was this all some terrible accident? But then the image flickered. There was still a young man standing there, but now he looked completely bewildered, even taking a step back as he glanced from side to side.

"What is this?" someone outside exclaimed, but no one seemed to hear.

Then the image flickered again and the smirking, steadfast, man replaced whatever illusion that was.

Wait a minute... illusion...

"Martel…" his lips moved on their own to softly put the name out in the air. Zelos's host timidly reached out a hand as though to take hold of the hand reaching out to him. "How could this have happened?" the small boy's voice screamed hoarsely at the villain before him. Zelos's self shifted in recognition. Mithos…

"Human!" someone screamed to his left. His host did not turn to look, but he caught, in the edge of his vision, long blue hair... that cloak... that voice... Yuan. The man's voice was simultaneously filled with utter rage and despair. The sound of it touched a sense of shared pain within Zelos, although he couldn't remember that mere moments ago he had been filled with the same intense emotions of his own. "We take you in and you repay us with treachery!" The half-elf angel outstretched a hand with an energy bomb fully ready.

"Wait!" came that same voice again that no one seemed to hear. "Hold on a minute... What is this?" The enemy in front flickered again... browns... red...

The quick unsheathing of a sword... Zelos peered to his left. Red hair... that mass of purple... Ugh. Kratos. "So this is how far you are willing to go," the ever-serious angel growled, incredulous all the same. "And all for the sake of controlling the mana?"

"Father...?" the voice whispered with such emotion one could almost see the shoulders sagging.

"I will never forgive you!" Mithos cried and Zelos again felt the eerie sensation of lips moving without his control. Their fists were curling tight too. Forget magic and swordsmanship, Mithos was willing to beat the man to the ground himself. "You… your kin…" Mithos ground out the words through clenched teeth. "All of humankind! I've had enough! None of you will have any of my forgiveness."

There was a poignant pause in the air. It was the moment for the clash, all three readying to unleash all their fury and might. Zelos's vision blurred again and all he could see was red… all that red… He had no voice, but with well-bred stubbornness, he willed the words to reach the one he knew was truly standing before him. It made no sense, no sense at all, but he could not afford the chance that this all could be true.

And so he called out, though he had no voice, "Lloyd!"

Things flickered again and for a moment he could clearly see the brunette in red. The familiar features twitched in a recognition not fully realized. Zelos took hope in that.

"Don't fall for it!" his being called out. Stupid him. He had to give more, explain more. So Zelos put out his theory, "It's an illusion! Nothing more than something put together by Mithos's memories!" He couldn't help but feel worried. Would Lloyd be able to understand? Hell, Zelos himself didn't understand half of everything going on!

"Quit interfering," Yggdrasil's voice hissed in his mind.

"Oh, put a sock in it!" Zelos snapped back without hesitation, feeling a bit less vulnerable in this existential state. In the edges of his vision, he saw the hesitation flow out of Lloyd as the hero took hold of his twin swords.

And then the dream was over.

- - - -

"You freakin' idiot!" Zelos yelled back at him for the umpteenth time.

Lloyd pouted and would have shaken his head had he not been busy with running at top speed behind a strangely irritated red-head. While a small part of him was mischievously pleased with his friend suddenly talking so much, he was overall confused. However, as he usually did with Zelos, he just took things in stride. "I'm not gonna apologize," he asserted childishly. "And I don't get while you keep trying to start an argument when all I can think about is how happy I am to have you back." Honestly, even Lloyd had to think it was kinda rude when the person rescued just turns around and yells at you for having lost everybody else.

Like he really could have planned such a thing.

Zelos stumbled, almost imperceptibly so, but Lloyd managed to notice. In fact, for a moment everything became so deeply focused and the detail of his vision so sharpened that it hurt. He squeezed his eyes shut for just a moment and when he opened them again, everything was back to normal. Must have just been his imagination.

With an almost ethereal sort of grace, Zelos effortlessly recovered and kept charging full steam ahead. Laughing over the awkward moment, Zelos teased, "Lloyd, when this is all over, do you still plan to have all these heart-to-hearts?"

Lloyd blushed, despite himself. "I wouldn't have to if you would just get some things through that thick skull of yours," he muttered, but Zelos seemed to pick up on it anyway. The redhead just laughed and paused at a corner to let the brunette rest, having noticed that the brunette was starting to become flushed and close to hyperventilating.

"Oh?" Red eyebrows quirked as he stared Lloyd down, somewhat worried as the hero tried to steady his breathing. To distract him, Zelos went further with the teasing, "I'm thick, am I? I seem to recall catching on a lot faster than you in most instances."

As Lloyd's breathing eased, his annoyance escalated. This was really not the greatest time to be provoked. An ache had begun to build up between his shoulder-blades as well as amongst his ribs which wasn't helping much with his anxiety over the unknown fate of his friends. The moment he had retrieved Zelos, he had been able to breathe easier, to think clearer, as though the world had shifted right back into focus. Things were just right when Zelos was with him. Lloyd couldn't understand it, couldn't understand it, but- Quick as a dart, he took hold of Zelos's collar and pulled him down closer. "Then why don't you get it!" he exclaimed, with as much frustration at Zelos as he had with himself. "Why can't you see it?" There was something somewhat hopeless about this, wasn't there? Something a great deal like resignation. It was draining the strength from his grip but he just couldn't let go. So, really, though slightly ashamed, he couldn't bring himself to look up into those lilac eyes as he whispered, "I don't ever want to be without you."

A moment of silence that was broken only by the whir of machinery that made up this cold and unfeeling world.

Lloyd's breath almost caught as Zelos gently tipped his chin upward. Inwardly he braced himself for a snide remark, the joke that always came that would clear away the seriousness, yet at the same time, just push Lloyd away farther. But nothing was said. He just stared up into lilac eyes and tried to convey meaning without words. Don't laugh it off. Take it seriously. Take me seriously. Yet he couldn't say any of this, for Zelos had to mend that break. In those lilac eyes there was so much confliction and it stirred a sort of... yearning in Lloyd.

Realizing this, he suddenly became very aware of his close proximity, of the blood pumping in his ears, and even more aware- almost inhumanly aware- of his breath mingling with Zelos's. He should step back, move away, because this was feeling too personable. He was used to contact with people, but there was nothing casual about this. Lloyd was completely comfortable with his friends- patting Genis on the back, holding Colette close, and the numerous touches that filtered throughout the day. But none of them had ever produced- what was the word? What Zelos produced with every look, every touch, every instance of proximity next to him.

Need.

Zelos's eyes surveyed him gently, taking it in like a sentimental treasure, once thought lost but then found unexpectedly. Then those lilac eyes darted down to Lloyd's lips and the brunette felt a thrill of victory. There was a clear course of action before them- almost scary with its ease and certainty- but why did Zelos still not say anything?

Lloyd's heart sank. He bowed his head again and released his hold on Zelos, stepping back to physically convey the separation. The guilt emanating from Zelos was almost palpable, but Lloyd only felt foolish. Now was not the time.

Zelos started, "Lloyd-"

"There's an angel at your shoulder," Lloyd interrupted. In the time it took for Zelos to blink at the odd weirds, Lloyd had already unsheathed both his swords and unleashed a Demon Fang and Sonic Thrust at an empty-eyed angel who had attempted to sneak up on the pair. The angel was easily vanquished and its even emptier shell collapsed at the feet of the hero. Lloyd could feel Zelos's stare upon his back and he gripped the hilts of his swords tighter. This was really going to be the climax of it all. He was feeling that now. One way or another, everything would come to its culmination. Just as he had once stepped out of blinding light that had manipulated his world for so long so too must he move out from the shadows that warped what was really there. And that would apply to everything as big as the world to- his heart growing stronger, he turned to look over his shoulder at Zelos- even something as small as this.

But for now... Lloyd shook his head. "Our friends need us," he put simply to Zelos and he felt a twinge of guilt at remembering them. "We must go." The red-head nodded solemnly and they continued on, full pace. 'I hope this means you won't leave me,' the brunette thought to himself as the Zelos raced beside him. 'Will you still come with me when this is all over? Perhaps if I could understand what was going on in your heart, I could finally understand what is going on in mine.'

- - - -

Everything happened so fast.

Mithos's final moments. Being confronted by Origin. His honest wish, that came not so much from his own self, but from the spirits of all he had encountered- let everything return to the way it was meant to be. It had felt like an ending...

But then it all slipped away again. Back on the earth, the seed of mana floating away- it somehow had gone so horribly wrong. Another heart might have despaired, but frankly it just pissed Lloyd off. He raised up Origin once more, throwing every bit of will into this last wish. Voices tried to tell him it wouldn't work, it would be impossible for anyone. The only thought Lloyd spared them was the wish for them all to shut up.

Then Origin was gone.

It hadn't worked.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

The sunlight gleamed off of his exsphere. All those sacrifices, all they had gone through... had it all been nothing? "Wait!" he screamed, because his limbs felt so heavy and useless. "Don't go! Please, wake up!"

His shoulders suddenly felt like they had caught on fire, but then in the next instant, they cooled. It felt so odd, as though he had been sitting a long time and then stood up to stretch his arms and legs. Yet this feeling was not coming from his arms or legs. That's when he saw at the corner of his eye shimmering blue light.

Wings… His blood inheritance had finally come through.

And Lloyd thought, 'Well, I can use this.' Without much further deliberation, he raised up his newly released wings. It was as natural as standing, as simple as lifting a hand. The wind was so cold across his sensitive feathers and it lifted him up so easily. With the strength of young limbs, his infant wings gave a powerful beat against the air and up he went into the deteriorating sky.

It was time to end this.

- - - -

"That idiot!" was the censored version of what Zelos cursed between clenched teeth. He almost couldn't believe that his best friend had just sprouted wings and flown away, but, hey, this was Lloyd after all. Still, as he watched Lloyd go higher and higher, becoming less visible by the second, he was growing increasingly agitated. A small part of him was envious that Lloyd had taken so effortlessly the freedom he had been denying himself. Even now, his angel wings remained contained within him, never having fully achieved their potential.

For so long he had simply reaped the benefits of being turned into an angel by the Institute: extra sharp hearing, heightened vision, higher physical endurance. Without them, for example, he would never have heard of that incident with Colette before anyone else or see Lloyd cut-off the man's head with his own eyes or reach them before anyone else. Yet, at the same time, he also had to deal with the mean whispers behind his back. Always the good with the bad and usually the bad outweighed everything.

But now here was his chance. He could unfurl his wings and go up there, join Lloyd in this conclusion. He knew that, could feel it, but he could not summon the self-confidence to unfurl his wings in turn. Instead Zelos was plagued by the uncertainty that even if he unfurled his wings, he would lack the ability to fly. It would just figure that someone such as he would be cursed in such a way.

But still… But still….

"Colette!" he finally snapped, whirling around to meet startled blue eyes. "Get up there! Get up there now!"

The rest of the group was taken aback as well.

"Zelos!" Sheena shrieked. "Don't be so unreasonable!"

Zelos blatantly ignored her, concentrating instead on staring down Colette. Don't do this. Don't let him be up there all alone. Colette returned the seriousness; of course she, of all people, would understand. A faint nod was all she gave before unfurling her beautiful pink wings and taking off into the sky. Her twin Chosen watched her go, his heart with her.

He soon noticed Sheena giving him a look. "You're up to something," she grumbled, wiping dark strands from her eyes. "But don't get too full of yourself. When this is over I fully intend to get in your way."

Zelos's lips twitched for a smile; there was almost something comforting about Sheena's old habits. Smirking slightly instead, he countered, "What makes you think there will be an after? This could be the end of the world as we know it."

This time Sheena's smile was true and she turned her gaze up into the sky. "With those two up there," she murmured, but Zelos heard her clearly, "can it be anything other than fine?"

'How sentimental we've grown,' Zelos thought fondly and turned his attention to the hope of their future.

- - - -

Two worlds as one.

Balance restored.

The quest was over.

- - - -

"Mom…. Dad left," Lloyd stared fondly down at the tombstone, the only physical memory he had of his mother. In his hands he bore his father's sword, the one thing Kratos had left behind. Even with a whole world newly created and with his entire self-appointed journey ahead, it had felt right to come back home, to where Dirk and his mother were waiting. The others had also naturally gone their own way. Lloyd had been a bit taken aback when Zelos had waved and chuckled that he was going back to Meltokio, but in the end he convinced himself that Zelos had only been joking about joining him after all. Despite the hopefulness of this new beginning, Lloyd couldn't help but feel more than a little forlorn at being left behind twice.

"Don't die before me… Lloyd…my son."

Lloyd gently set the sword down. "That was ok, wasn't it?" he whispered to the stone, as he had in his younger days, having quiet conversations with his mother. Even now, with all he knew, it seemed to make more sense than talking to the stone on his hand. "For me to let him go… it was ok, right?" He was trying to convince himself, he knew that, but it seemed that had Kratos had left them both, not just him.

"Lloyd," Dirk called softly from behind him. The brunette rose to his feet, not yet turning around. "You wanted to go with him, didn't you?"

Lloyd shook his head with a small smile, "No… I have my own path to follow." He looked up to the blue, blue sky. Such was what Kratos had really wanted, he knew. Kratos would've wanted his son to live freely. "And Dad has his. … And besides," he dipped his head and spoke quietly, "I already have a dad here."

"I see," Dirk gave a slight tilt of the head, but with the ingrained knowledge of a parent, knew his son would be alright. "Then I won't say any more."

Lloyd stretched. "Mom, I'll leave Dad's sword here with you," he continued in a normal voice. He felt somewhat content looking at the sight of the tombstone and the sword together; his parents were finally together. "Well, I'll be off!" He could hear Noishe trotting over and he felt his spirit fill with the excitement of an oncoming adventure.

Dirk stroked his beard. "I should get back to work then," he murmured, his mind already conjuring wonderful images of a hearth and his tools and his-

"Dad?" Lloyd called suddenly, turning around sharply.

"Hm?" Dirk mumbled, startled from his ponderings.

Lloyd just grinned and turned back into the gravestone, "Nothing. Just checking."

The dwarf tweaked an eyebrow and turned around, intending to mutter about "strange kids" when he stopped short. He blinked in surprise, but then chastised himself. He really should've known better. "Lloyd," he called back, "there's someone coming down the path."

"Hm?" Lloyd turned around then. There was Noishe and Dirk… He stopped still and his breath caught. For indeed there was a figure walking up the path. The red hair, the pink jacket, and that stupid grin spread across that face…

"Oi, Lloydie McLloyd Lloyd!" Zelos waved an arm, calling gleefully. "You weren't going to leave without little ol' me, were you? Ha ha!"

Agate eyes focused on nothing else, Lloyd hurried over to him until he stood before him, staring up at the man disbelieving. "But…you…I thought," he was forced to stammer as his thoughts refused to organize themselves.

Zelos chuckled. "Right, right, sorry about that," he waved a hand dismissively. "But I had to take care of some things back in Meltokio first." A bead of sweat slid down the back of his head as he remembered…

"See, look what happened!" Zelos spoke loudly for the whole court to hear and a nearby guard winced at his volume. The red-head didn't care. This was his moment of triumph and he wasn't going to let anything ruin it! He gave a dramatic sigh and continued to lecture the king standing irritated before him. "It's all because the Pope had to open his big mouth and tried to banish me… and stuff." No need to get too specific. They would be here all day and he had better places to be. "The whole world got messed up!" Technically two worlds, but who was counting?

"Well then, Chosen One," the king massaged a throbbing vein on his forehead, "what would you have me do?"

Zelos grinned. That had been precisely what he had been waiting for. "We'll send an emissary of peace to Iselia," he proposed. He had to start off slowly, lead the guy to the right place.

"Emissary?" the king blinked, surprised. "Who do you plan to send?"

Check and mate. The smirk Zelos gave was positively devilish.

"How about Sheena from Mizuho?"

Poor thing. But it was her own fault for openly announcing her intentions. An amateur mistake and one Zelos almost felt guilty about taking advantage of.

Almost, but just not quite.

"But that's all taken care of now," Zelos laughed nervously. He'd have to keep an eye out for assassins… again… Damn.

Lloyd shook his head. "So…" he began, taking a breath, "what are you doing here?"

Zelos's smile faltered. "We're going on a journey aren't we?" he gave a half-hearted chuckle. "Did you forget, Bud?"

"No!" Lloyd cried suddenly, but then brought himself up short. He tightened a fist and bowed his head, averting his eyes. "But maybe…. I don't think it's such a good idea for you to come with me now." The words screamed against the very thing he wanted, but… Argh! He was so confused!

The red-head gaped, "Why?"

"Because…" Good question. "Because…" Lloyd squeezed his eyes tight and laid his fist over his heart as though to give it comfort. "Because of this…"

A happy, soft sigh of relief. Lloyd opened his eyes just as Zelos gently tipped his chin up. The thoughtful look had returned to his eyes, but there was no longer any torment in them. An elated feeling filled Lloyd's heart, making him slightly giddy, but he could not tear his eyes away. His fist loosened and Lloyd let the hand fall to his side. Something inside seem to whisper, "Finally," as Lloyd's agate eyes slid closed and Zelos leaned forward.

The older man was trembling. He had kissed and been kissed before, had even gone on to further levels beyond kissing. Hormones had lent him pleasure and more than once his body had been satisfied. But- as cheesy and stupid as it sounded- nothing like this. Before he had disdained those that had combined the feeling of love and the agreeable activity that supposedly followed it. One was not necessary for the other and Zelos had not been about to deny himself what little selfish pleasurable he was able to glean from life. Now, though, with a willing Lloyd leaning into him and the two of them so close…

Holy Martel, the two of them hadn't even done anything yet and already the feelings of pleasure flooding him were more powerful than anything he had gone through previously. The strength of it made Zelos feel almost guilty, surely he wasn't meant to take part in this sort of pleasure. Lloyd was nothing like those girls that had been merely bodies, as full of hormones as he had been. They were nowhere near the same category! And Zelos didn't just want bodily release, he wanted… He wanted…

Closing his own eyes, Zelos leaned forward and softly brushed his lips against the corner of Lloyd's left eye. There was a sharp intake of breath on both sides but as lightning had yet struck Zelos down- sure proof that Kratos had indeed left the planet- the red-head continued on more heartedly. He took in every scent and feel that the brunette had to offer by kissing Lloyd's cheekbone, under his ear, the bottom of his chin… He was growing more and more intoxicated, but he needed one final shove until he was pushed over that edge.

Lloyd, meanwhile, was completely enraptured with the array of emotions he had never even dreamed he could ever feel. It was so strong and so right. How could he had ever dreamed that he could belong anywhere but in this man's arms? A growl purred through his throat as Zelos kissed the tip of his nose. The blasted man was taking too long! He wanted… He wanted…

As Zelos dipped down once more for a target unknown to even him, Lloyd went with an impulsive desire and fell forward into the red-head's arms, catching that warm mouth with his own. At first Zelos had been greatly surprised by the boy's sudden weight, but then more important things entertained his thoughts. His heart became full and he embraced Lloyd tightly, never wanting that presence to leave him. He kissed the bruising mouth again and again, never harshly, but with all the firmness of his feelings. Whatever bruises remained on his spirit were smoothed continuously as the hero proceeded just as eagerly and returning those feelings in full.

Three words. Zelos whispered them against the brunette's mouth even as he went to capture the boy's tongue. As he drew a breath, the boy leaned in closer and repeated the words back, but this one adding a fourth word to the very end.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Dirk sighed and turned from the display. Rolling his eyes, he pondered momentarily if the two would ever be sensitive to a father's feelings. Probably not. The joke amused him and he chuckled to himself as he stepped into his house. "How many times must I tell that boy?" he sighed despairingly to himself. "Dwarven vow number seven, Lloyd. Dwarven vow number seven."

Dwarven Vow Number Seven: Goodness and Love will always win.

- END

For Erro,

Without you, this would have never gotten finished nor would it have been as much fun. Thank you for the wonderful journey.

And for you, dear reader,

For reading through this ridiculously long piece, you have my thanks.