….Yikes. This took a week simply because of the plot. Hopefully it turned out okay.
For some reason the transfer to the site replaced some random letters with what I swear were Kanji symbols. I think I got all of them, but if you spot one that I didn't, flame me mercilessly until I fix it.
As usual, hopefully this is competent.
Infinity
She was safe.
Of course, it didn't matter much to Zelos. The King's favor was nothing more than a tool for him. A tool now regained with the timely rescue of Princess Hilada from the Papal Knights. She and her father requested a celebration, a feast worthy of all who saved her.
And here they were.
Glancing around the hall, Zelos spotted Sheena talking avidly with Lloyd and Colette, their conversations muffled by the casual chatter of the partygoers around them. The lights soon dimmed, and a four-piece jazz band began to play, signaling the beginning of the dances. Zelos watched as Colette shyly took Lloyds hand, saw Regal and Raine eying each other with the same intentions in their heads. For a moment, he thought to ask Sheena, but quickly decided against it, fearing the inevitable buise and headache he would wake up with in the morning.
So he stayed, calm and collected, his unusual behavior ignored by those in the hall. The music just started as the grand clock at the center of the hall chimed the 10 minute warning to midnight.
"Ten minutes, huh..."
Zelos tore his eyes away from the clock and back to the floor. The band had started playing, a slow, bossa-nova tune that was easy to dance to. He noticed everyone but Genis and Presea on the dance floor, the small genius desperately trying to work up the courage to ask the taciturn girl. He couldn't help but chuckle at that.
Nine...
Idly, Zelos's mine slipped off into thought. The rescue of the princess was no easy feat; the Pope had used every dirty trick in the book to try to escape. But in the end, the monster was put down for good, and the Papal Knights were either killed or imprisoned. Trials would have to be held, determining thoes with pure intentions versus those who followed the Pope's every whim. The whole idea was silly to Zelos, but he was starting to appreciate individuals. If only a little.
Eight...
"And yet...he mused to himself. we're still fighting. People are still dying.
Seven...
His mind began to wander again, his thoughts drifting to the prisoners in the Palmacosta ranch. Though he knew very little of Lloyds journey before he joined up, he understood what the human ranches were. How Lloyd had gone and destroyed each and every one, saving the lives of those trapped inside.
Six...
And yet, they just left them behind. Even Raine, who suggested the idea of using the prisoners as a distraction, had no regrets in sacrificing their lives for their own betterment. Ask anyone, and they died for the betterment of the world.
"An eye for an eye..." Zelos began musing aloud again, but quickly shut up when the band stopped to switch tunes. They started playing a pretty fast tune now, an old Sylveranti style Lloyd told them about: funk It seemed to be a hit, the crowd was roaring in approval.
Five...
"No life should be born for the sole purpose of dying...Lloyds words were ringing in Zelos's head, almost taunting him, trying to convince him. And though his actions gave him credit to his words...
"An idealistic hypocrite..."
Four...
He didn't stop Sheena from trying to sacrifice herself. He let Colette become an angel, by the very organization that tried to kill her. And though he wised up to his mistakes with Colette, only Zelos's quick thinking saved Sheena from an untimely death.
Three...
The band had changed tunes again, desperately trying to fit one more song in before the final chime of the bell. A slower, shorter song came on, one that worked perfectly for the romantics. Zelos thought he would be interested, but was too deep in thought to care at that particular moment.
Two...
He thought of his mother, needlessly sacrificed due to some long-forgotten feud. He thought of his younger sister, the one who hated his guts, just for being him. for being what he never asked to be in the first place. The Chosen.
One...
"And none of them get to see this. The happiness, the food, the fun...Zelos ducked his head, feeling a mixture of shame and anger. They can't have fun. They can't have what we have. The opressed will be saved, but will never be happy."
For the first time in quite a while, Zelos felt a surge of guilt, trying to find answers to his actions.
He found none.
Zero.
And as the clock struck twelve, and as the partygoers cheered for the start of a new day, Zelos could only snort in disgust. Turning away from the madness in front of him, he opened the grand doors and stepped into the cool spring air.
Wondering just what he was getting himself into.
Story End.