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Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia, or any of its characters.

So, I needed a break from writing my other story... I have some good ideas for it, but I lost the thread of where I had come from (I had taken a really long break from it) and decided I will need some time to get back into that story. I'll probably be posting a few one-shots for now =)

Enjoy!

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The face you see, you call it shallow. But what about you? None of you ever listened to me when I needed it… so, I no longer needed you. And now, you no longer need me. Now, we just try to get along...

...

"Yo, Kratos. What are you doing out here?"

The deep red-haired man sighed heavily and closed his eyes, picturing the flamboyant chosen who had called him by name. He was sitting in a clearing not far from Dirk's house, lost in thought after all that had happened in the past months- he was lost in awe at the young man Lloyd, his son, was turning out to be. Normally he would have stood to face a character like Zelos, but at the moment his wounds were still fresh and he was not in the mood to talk. The swirling purple sky beckoned to him and washed over his soul with guilt. There were no stars anymore. Whose fault was that?

Kratos was very reluctant to speak, but in the end he had no choice. Disgruntled, he muttered just loud enough for his company to hear.

"What do you want?"

He turned away from the arrogant chosen, and rested his head against the tree behind him. If there was something Tethe'alla's chosen needed to discuss, he knew that nothing would turn him away.

"Hey, don't you think you could at least look at me while I'm talking to you? " the dry, sarcastic tone of Zelos' voice lingered heavily in the still night air.

"Is that really necessary? If there is nothing you must say, then please leave…"

"You know, sometimes it's really hard to believe you and Lloyd are related."

Kratos allowed himself to chuckle softly. Somehow those words rang true, and he had to agree- how could he be the father of such a strong and admirable young boy…? The chosen had landed on the one topic he had hoped to avoid, the one person he still needed more time to figure out…

"You were thinking about him, weren't you? Your son."

"… It's none of your business."

"Hey, hey. You don't have to be so touchy. It's not like I care what you're thinking anyway."

Kratos was growing very tired of this. His back stung and he felt his skin beginning to stick to his clothes… it was a warm night, slightly uncomfortable even to him, and his bandages would need changing again in the morning.

"Your cot was empty, let's just call it curiosity. I wondered if you were really that desperate to get away from him."

"So you think I'm trying to leave?"

"I guess not. Since you're still here."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Fine, fine. I see how it is. I'll go back now, I just wanted to know what to tell Lloyd in the morning when he realized you had left him alone again."

"… I do not plan on leaving quite yet."

An awkward silence fell between them, and Kratos regretted being so brusque with him. He wasn't sure why the pink-clad man was so worked up about his son, but he didn't want the conversation to end on a bad note like that. This was one of Lloyd's companions, after all…

"Wait. Chosen…"

"Yes, Seraphim?" Zelos had his back to him now, and his arms were crossed.

"Ah, of course. My apologies. Zelos… I would like to hear… I would like to hear about your travels with my son…"

"It's a bit late now, don't you think?"

"The sun won't come for several hours, yet."

"What makes you think I would want to spend all night telling you stories? If you cared, you should have been there for yourself."

"Did I say something to offend you? Why are you so sensitive talking about Lloyd? Nobody else seems to matter to you."

"I don't seem to matter to anyone else, either! Although you wouldn't have noticed it, even if you were there. That kid is already accepting you as his father, but honestly, I don't think you deserve it."

He let Zelos regain his composure, and he took a moment to steady his own. Why was it bothering him that Zelos cared? He was glad that Lloyd had such friends, but something about this young man seemed as though there were still one or two secrets he was keeping to himself. It was unnerving.

"Lloyd has the ability to care about other people even when it's one-sided. He is naïve, and he trusts people even when he shouldn't. And, he wants to reach out to you." Zelos looked at the ground, and Kratos heard him breathing raggedly. He didn't understand what was going on. Lloyd would be curious about his biological father, of course he had mentioned it near Asgard not too long ago, but after all that had happened now, he had not expected Lloyd to forgive him or try to accept him…

"I really don't know why I'm telling you this, but it seems like if you haven't figured it out by now, maybe you never will. Every kid wants to be with his parents, no matter who they are or what they've done. They're still your parents and on some level, you will always want to… oh nevermind."

"Zelos…. ."

"Surprised ya, didn't I? Well, I'd better get back to my beauty sleep."

But Kratos was no fool. There was definitely something going on underneath the chosen's sudden change of tone. The man striding away from him seemed upset, indignant, almost jealous. It made no sense at all.

….

God, this is so uncool.

Zelos had to rub his eyes after running away from Lloyd's old man. They stung when he opened them, and he felt the cavity beneath the Cruxis crystal on his chest writhing in discomfort. He had been so close to giving everything away…

Lloyd was the first person who had really believed in him like that. How could it not mean something to him? Everyone else ignored Zelos, the idiot chosen, and so he had always tried to make the best of it. He had learned to brush off every snide comment with teasing and joking and practiced smiles. But Lloyd was different- they had developed a friendship based on sincerity, even though Zelos had never agreed to it- ever since their first encounter he had pushed him away, but now they had somehow become buds. That friendship was like a weed, growing strong and tall out of the dirt in the cracks between here and there- it seemed out of place, but it had a strength all its own.

Of course he was jealous… what had Kratos done to deserve Lloyd's friendship? That guy had betrayed him, and even fought him by the sword… how could Lloyd be willing to forgive everything so easily? Zelos knew he had been a traitor too, but… it was different. Of course he had to come back, he belonged here, and he had done it for Lloyd's sake in the first place. It went against everything he had lived by in the past, but… changing his ways was the least he could do for Lloyd, his closest friend. And what was Kratos planning to do? That old man was just going to abandon his son again, Zelos could see it in the way he looked up at that purple vortex in the sky. In the end, he would repay his son's forgiveness and kindness…. by abandoning him once again.