Disclaimer - Tales of Symphonia and all its characters are property of Namco

Killed in Action

The door to Yuan's office slid open with a metallic hiss. The Commander knew who it would be before he would even look up from the empty desk he felt like he'd been staring at for days. None the less, he gave the door his full attention as his best agent staggered into the room looking in worse condition than he had ever seen him. How the swordsman had made it through the base without breaking down was beyond him.

'Zelos' Yuan greeted quietly as best he could, already on his feet and moving around his wide desk to meet him. It was a good thing too, as the redhead sank to his knees in anguish before he had taken more than three steps into the office. Yuan caught the younger man and, as though he had been doing it his whole life, held him close while sobs wracked his body.

'Botta…' the red head choked out in between gasps of air '…he's…he was…' unable to form the words, he gave in once more to his grief, clutching Yuan tighter.

'I know…' the older man soothed quietly. Zelos attempted to say something in response, something to explain himself, but Yuan cut him off gently 'I know…' the two men remained there on the ground in silence while the younger of the pair tried desperately to compose himself long enough to talk.

'I was right there…' the red head muttered into his commander's shoulder after a few moments of quiet 'and I didn't do anything…not a damn thing'

'Couldn't' Yuan corrected lightly, releasing the swordsman, allowing them both to stand, one understandably less steadily than the other. Zelos interlocked his fingers behind his head, a gesture Yuan had come to recognise when the young man was under heavy stress.

'He looked straight at me, just before the shutter went down' the Chosen said, walking around his Boss' desk to sit in his large chair. 'He looked me in the eye and smiled. Then we were outta there. I had to pretend like it was no big deal, like this is just another day in the life, like I hadn't just lost a parent!' Emotions getting the better of him, Zelos pushed up from his seat and powered fiercely around the room, anger momentarily eclipsing his sorrow. Yuan folded his arms, and leaned against the wall, allowing the younger man to vent some of his rage. What he had said was true, while he was still undercover with Lloyd's group he was allowed no time to grieve for what had been a crippling loss. That much was clear when the mismatched group had returned from Rodyle's base to give him the news. While the younger man rampaged around his office, Yuan allowed his mind to drift back to earlier that day.

The Renegade leader allowed the words of the group in his packed office to wash over him, his attention, as discreetly as possible, was centred on the bowed head of Zelos Wilder, who was stood at the back, his shoulders slumped in shame. Lloyd was boldly standing before him, with the nerve to suggest that he didn't care that he had lost his closest comrade. It was at this absurd statement, that Zelos finally spoke up.

'Drop it, Lloyd' he demanded, his voice almost nonchalant, although Yuan knew better 'these guys have known each other for a long time, we have no place to say otherwise' the smallest inflection of emotion in his voice the only evidence that he had been affected in any major way by today's events. But to his commander, he might as well have been bawling. The Renegade leader spared a glance at the people he had assigned his best agent to travel with, and was largely unimpressed. Not one of them had noticed the anguish in the young man that he personally could see clear as day. His eyes fell on the eldest Sage and found that she too was watching the red haired swordsman out of the corner of her eye with surprising concern. Perhaps he had judged too soon. Zelos seemed to sense that he was being watched and he abruptly turned away, staring hard at the ground. With one last glance at the silver haired teacher, Yuan brushed away his concern at his agent's cover being compromised.

'You're free to leave' he sighed, seating himself behind his desk. The sooner they left, the sooner Zelos could extricate himself and return alone. He needed to find out where his agent's head was at after today, although if that shamefaced expression was anything to go by, then he already knew. At his declaration, the Irving boy, or perhaps more appropriately, the Aurion boy, squirmed uncomfortably, opening his mouth hesitantly.

'Yes, you can keep the Rhe'ards' the Commander added, turning his gaze to the boy 'although why you would ask, since you stole them in the first place, is beyond me…' to his credit, Lloyd held his gaze for all of a second before dipping his head. In no mood to feel amused, Yuan swivelled his seat to inspect the painting high on the wall behind him. Taking their cue, seven pairs of feet crowded out of the room leaving one behind. Yuan didn't need to turn to know who was left.

'I'll be back when I can' Zelos whispered, his voice dead.

'Take care' Yuan implored, just as softly. The younger man stood in silence for a moment longer, before he too exited the room, leaving the old angel to his thoughts.

Back in the present, Yuan was shaken out of his earlier memory by an almighty crash as Zelos loosed his bookcase from the wall and slammed it into the ground, scattering books across the carpet. Peering around, the older man saw signs of similar destruction. He shook his head, hoping to learn not to drift off so easily in the future. His anger finally spent, Zelos lowered himself to the plush carpet and stretched out on his back, glaring at the tiled ceiling. Discarding his station, Yuan folded his cloak beneath him and lay down beside Zelos, folding his arms over his torso. He opened his mouth to ask if the random vandalising of his office had made the younger man feel any better, but wisely opted against it. He turned his head to observe the red haired swordsman, who was still staring unblinkingly above them, breathing heavily, a tear sliding across his temple.

'He's gone' Zelos mumbled, his jaw set.

'Yes, he is…' Yuan admitted. He reached down between them and took Zelos' right hand in his left '…but we're still here. And we will keep fighting until no more sacrifices like his have to be made' Zelos squeezed his hand in response, grateful for his support and the closure his words provided. Turning back to face upward once more, the two men lay in a more comfortable silence, each remembering the third member of their makeshift family in their own way. After a few minutes of merciful quiet, the door to the office opened tentatively and a uniformed soldier stepped in. from behind his polished visor he took in the destruction of the room and his superiors lying in the centre as though oblivious to the debris.

'Sirs? I heard a commotion, is everything alright?' he asked awkwardly. Yuan regarded him with a vaguely amused expression while Zelos eyed him incredulously.

'Everything is fine, Scifo' the Commander assured, gesturing towards Zelos 'Junior here had a bad day at school, that's all' despite himself, the red head released a snort of laughter, the first of its kind since the days events had unravelled. Yuan waved a hand in dismissal to the soldier who seemed more confused than ever.

'Ah…understood, Milord' the guard floundered for a moment, offering a short bow before retreating from the room. When the door closed, Zelos released his laughter.

'I was trashing your office for ten minutes and he shows up now?' he managed to say, wiping the tears away from his face. 'Tell me he's not your bodyguard' Yuan's only response was a smirk before he heaved himself to his feet, offering the swordsman a hand to his own. Zelos accepted the aid and stood straight once more, looking far more put together than when he had entered.

'It's good to hear you laugh, Zelos' Yuan admitted honestly 'it's been a difficult day'

'Yeah, thanks Mom' the redhead responded, his sense of humour more or less back in place, laughing once more when Yuan gave a long suffering sigh at the title. 'C'mon we talked about this remember. Botta was the tough-guy Dad and you were the nagging Mom, right?'

'I can't believe he taught you to call me that, you shouldn't have even been able to talk at that age!' Yuan lamented, pinching the bridge of his nose with a gloved hand. Zelos patted him on the shoulder in a mockery of sympathy.

'Good times' he grinned, the smile not quite reaching his eyes but a smile nonetheless 'right, I'd better go before they notice I've gone' he straightened his coral jacket and plastered a beaming expression on his face. Yuan had always hated that look, the face that Tethe'alla had demanded of him, but that was out of both of their hands. With a wink and a nod, Zelos made for the door and back to his assignment while Yuan moved towards his desk, ignoring the mess for now.

'Zelos…' he called to the younger man, who paused at the door, looking back at him in question '…contact me if the other kids pick on you, alright?' It was his turn to laugh when the redhead's response was a rude hand gesture Botta had also taught him many years ago. With a swish of his hair and jacket, the man was gone behind a less than gently slammed door. Now settled behind his desk, Yuan idly inspected the shoulder of his thick cloak that was still damp with tears from where Zelos had rested his head earlier, and he felt a sudden rush of gratitude for the younger man that none would understand, save for Zelos himself. As an angel he was unable to shed his own tears over the loss of a loved one, but in Zelos Wilder he had not only a son, but a dear friend who was able and willing enough to cry for the both of them when a member of their family was taken from them so suddenly.

-End-

Just a short one-shot this time, sort of a 'fill in the gaps' excercise. You could call this a prequel to 'Unprofessional Behaviour' which hopefully reads a little more lighthearted than this one. Anyway, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it.

Still not 100% on that title...