WARNING: This contains boyxboy content. Those offended should leave right now. Press that 'back button. Nothing explicit. Or even romantic.

Disclaimer: I still rely on my family to feed me. Do I have a job? No. Can I make something this epic to save my life? No. THIS IS NOT MINE. Except, you know, the actual fic you're about to read.


Zelos blocked the blow that the twin swordsman had launched at his head in an almost lazy manner. He hated this, the whole betraying thing, but he was doing it to help everybody, including himself. Including Lloyd too. His death wouldn't be in vain. If anything, the only person, maybe even people, he had come to care about would become even stronger. Strong enough to defeat Mithos, strong enough to save the world. Maybe things could have been different. But it was too late now. He felt his death coming, but he had never felt more alive.

~Zelos, can I trust you?~

"Collette, come here for a second." Zelos said in his self-assured manner. He couldn't stop a slight smirk when she began walking over to him with her own smile.

"Huh? Oh, okay." She was so naïve, so trusting, just like- no don't think about that! He chided himself.

She had such a confused look on her face until the angels appeared. Colette was shocked until Pronyma showed herself, then her face showed mournful realization. Before the woman warped her next to her, she turned that look on Zelos, asking why. "Bring her to me." Was all the half-elf commanded.

"Sure thing." He watched as that look shock returned as she appeared next to Pronyma. Sorry Collette, was all the red-head could bring himself to think, trying to convey that thought with his eyes. He didn't know if she caught it or not.

The brat shouted something. Sheena shouted next: "What the hell are you doing?" The look she gave him was a sad one. Out of all of the others, he felt closest to her and Lloyd, for different reasons.

"Oh, shut up. I'm just putting myself on the winning side." The words fell smoothly off of his lips, the lips that had lied so often, in the midst of their final, greatest, lie. "What you're trying to do is hopeless and meaningless." I believe that you can succeed. "What's the big deal? Collette wanted to be a sacrifice, remember?"

"Zelos, you traitor." That hurt. More than anything else. Those chocolate-brown eyes staring up at him with barely restrained anger. It's better this way.

"It's so funny you would say that. It's not like you trusted me in the first place." The looks he was getting from them hurt, more than he thought. I wish things could be different.

"Betray you, how amusing. Zelos was our spy from the very beginning." Interfering bitch. He wondered how she would die; too bad he wouldn't be there. "Isn't that right, Zelos?"

"Is that true?" Those eyes were marred with confusion and pain. Don't cry, I'm not worth it.

"It's not true is it? Please say that she's lying…" Collette. She really was such a nice person. In a different time and place he would have hugged her and called her a 'little angel' but now was not that time.

"I side with the strongest. It was the simple matter of weighing the Renegades, Cruxis, and all of you." Just play along, became his mantra in that moment. For a life as superfluous as his, it had to end with a bang, good or bad. …..I…

"You were leaking information to the Renegades too? I can't believe you!" Neither can I, hunny, he thought "You were always a pervert but I never doubted that you were a good person when it came down to it!"

Why thank you my sweet voluptuous hunny." He couldn't help the amount of sarcasm reaching his words. It was painful to lose all of them. "But in the end I choose this side. Because Mithos promised to release me from my fate as the Chosen of Mana." ...love...…

You hate being the Chosen so much that you would betray your own friends?" Regal, always one to get into the heart of the matter. If it weren't for this he could have learned to get along with the Duke.

The smirk left his face as he turned his back to them, "Oh yeah, I do. It's because of that title that my whole life has been a total joke." The sadness was starting to set in. "I can't stand it. I can't wait for Seles to become the Chosen instead." A little bit of the grim truth came into his words.

"…You're lying! I still trust you. You hear me?" Zelos didn't want to hear that, It hurt too much. "You're the one who told me I could trust you!" ...…..you…

"What are you stupid?" Why these cursed words had to be said, some distant part of him wondered. He gave some stupid order to Pronyma in his flirty voice and she "Left the rest to him" Collette called out to Lloyd three times before vanishing. He stepped forwards to the group he had come to know. Genis with his book smarts, Raine with her fear of water and large amounts of knowledge, Regal with his assuring presence, Presea with her amazing capacity for pain and loss, Sheena with her desire to protect the world and those close to her, and Lloyd with his will to save the world, and the will to succeed. "So this is how it ends." For me, he thought. ...so...

"...Why Zelos? You were our friend!" A knife for every word.

"Friend …huh? …I never did get you to trust me though." So sad. ...much...

"That was…" It's okay, I'll always forgive you, thought Zelos.

"Don't feel bad about it. I mean, I did deceive you after all." What half-truth would come out next, he wondered.

Lloyd was still spluttering about how there must be some other reason for this. Sorry, bud, not this time. An endless eternity passed of these thoughts. "I don't know what to tell ya'. I'm just a weak, lazy bum. All I want is a fun, easy life. Nothing more, nothing less." He called out his wings. It wouldn't be a life without you...Lloyd... And the battle began.

~I trust you~

He looked up at their faces. Making sure to absorb them up for the last time. He knew every detail of one face, but all the same he took special care with it. Lloyd's face. Sheena was looking at hime with those eyes. He willed an apology to her with all of his heart. She felt it. She glanced between him and Lloyd, realizing the unsaid words. She looked at him pityingly. Zelos just gave her his usual half-smile-half-smirk, privately. And he let the last of his life leave him as he instructed them to destroy his Cruxis Crystal.

He hoped they got his letter. The one he had left with Sebastian. It was hard to die, although, he couldn't say he regretted all of it. Maybe one or two parts …Lloyd… but that was his final wish. Please let Lloyd find happiness in his new world.

And he fell.


A/N: I wanted to write something like this for a while. I felt that Zelos needed a one-shot from me, tragedy or not. So this being my first fic posted, I'll lay a ground rule: You can tear my work to shreds, if it helps me get better. Otherwise it's pointless. I write to get even somewhat better. Not to listen to random flamers. Same goes for good work. I want more than just a "Nice, good work." WHAT made it good? So anyway, please review.