She had considered it all very carefully. She was in the right, she was sure of it. This was the best way, the only way. But as she heard Lloyd scream Regal's name as the doorway collapsed behind them, she found that she couldn't breathe. They had both known this would happen. This was what they had planned. But now, now that it was there, happening in front of her, she didn't want it. It always seemed to be that way.

Then her turn came and she felt... at peace. She'd finally found the way she could make up for what she'd done. They would leave her behind, but they would carry on without her. They'd make it. Then the flash of orange wings and red hair found her in the bottom of the pit and the soothing waters of a healing stream straightened the broken bones and sealed the open wounds, and she was... almost disappointed. She was alive. She had to find some other way to atone for it all.

That night, afterwards, when they all sat about quietly, each lost in their own thoughts, there was a clink of metal chains beside her and Regal was sitting there, head bowed. He was alive as well.

"Did we do the right thing?" she asked. It was weakness, she knew it, questioning herself like that, but she needed to know.

"Yes," he said softly. "There was no other way."

"She gave so much," Raine said, looking beyond the fire to where Colette lay in the middle of a huddle of her friends, Genis pressed against her back and one of her hands extended out to be engulfed in both of Lloyd's as the boy lay across from her. She hadn't cried, not once. She'd even taken Zelos's hand and thanked him with a kiss on the cheek. Actually kissed him, the one who had betrayed them. He'd tried to steal a more intimate embrace, earning himself a blow from Sheena and a loud protest from Lloyd, but Raine had seen the shock in his eyes before he grinned lecherously to cover it. He hadn't believed it either. She'd forgiven him.

She'd forgiven Raine too, the one who had known the whole time, who would have stood there and watched her die saving the world and not lifted a finger to help. Who would have let an entire world die to save one person. Who couldn't make up her mind about which decision had been right. The sheer trust that Colette managed to exude from every fiber of her being made Raine's stomach twist in self-loathing.

They couldn't have just left her. Even if it had meant every single other one of them dying.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly to the man next to her. "I'm sorry for having asked any of that of you. It wasn't fair of me."

"Mithos is to blame," he said. She turned to look at him. He had dropped his gaze to his hands, resting between their manacles. "He is responsible for what has happened. We can only react to what he has done. Without access to his thoughts and plans, we can only do what we know to be best. You merely decided on what was the best course of action based on what we knew then. And I agreed with you. You were not alone in the decision." His shackles rattled as he drew his knees up and rested his elbows on them. He stared out into space as well. They were both quiet for a little while

"Besides, if I remember correctly, we found you in a situation much worse than my own," he said finally. "You did not ask anything of me you were not willing to do yourself."

She didn't believe him. They'd left him facing dozens of angels, trapped in room with no exits. She'd merely fallen down a hole. She had just been able to close her eyes and let herself tumble. He'd had to fight to keep the enemy at bay, because if he fell, so did the rest of the party.

"If you wish to ask forgiveness from anyone," he continued, "let it be from Lloyd. It will take him time to understand."

Yes, it would. The young swordsman had been quiet, uneasy, refusing to let anyone out of his sight, as if scared they would disappear. Everyone, even Zelos and especially Colette. It was as if he were a child afraid his parents were going to leave him behind. His smile was still there and he did not cling to anyone, but she would see his eyes scan the fireside as if counting the faces. He probably wasn't even aware he was doing it. He probably didn't know just what it was that was making him so uneasy. But the way his fingers were intertwined desperately with Colette's in his sleep made it clear. Raine had to look away from them. She would have seen them separated once upon a time. She hunched uncomfortably.

"I can keep watch," Regal said. "You should rest."

"I couldn't sleep," she replied, letting one hand stray along the length of her staff where it lay in her lap. "Go ahead and rest yourself."

He didn't argue, just nodded after a moment and stood. She straightened a little and brushed her hair out of her eyes, then stiffened in surprise when he settled one of his broad, heavy hands on her shoulder instead of moving on immediately. She looked up at him. He didn't smile, but his face was soft and sincere.

"We have a difficult burden, but we do not have to bear it alone."

"Thank you."

Then he went to quietly unroll his bedding.

Zelos rolled over and said something in his sleep, stirred into not-quite wakefulness by the soft clinking of Regal's chains. Raine watched the red-haired Chosen until he settled again. She didn't hate him. She surprised herself in that she didn't. Memories of other betrayals nipped and stung. Kratos jumped immediately to mind. He had turned on them, had known all along that he would do so. He was like her in that way, knowing more than he let on from the very beginning. Zelos, the boy in a man's body, had just been lost. He'd been flailing about for attention for so long and she had missed it. She should have seen it and so she couldn't hate him for it. She hated herself for her blindness instead.

Her gaze fell on Regal as he awkwardly wrapped himself in his blankets, hindered by his shackles. For a fleeting moment, she felt the urge to walk over and tuck him in, as if he were Genis or Colette in the throes of a bad dream. Then the feeling passed. It was odd, the realization that he was too old for her to do that. With Lloyd, Colette, Presea, Sheena, even Zelos, who was only a year younger than her, she had no problem falling into the role of mother. It came second nature, after having fulfilled the role for Genis for so many years. But Regal managed to be a fellow adult, who understood and acted with a maturity befitting his years. It was somewhat unnerving to no longer be the only voice of reason in the party, or occasionally to even have him bring her down to earth. And she trusted him to do that. With Kratos, she had never been quite she he wasn't hiding something, laughing secretly at whatever they were doing.

But somehow, the phantom weight of a hand on her shoulder and the knowledge that someone else understood without judgment made her feel safe. She would be there, for Lloyd and for Colette and for the world, and there would be people, her friends, there for her.

A/N: Set right after Zelos' betrayal obviously. I tend to use that point in the game a lot, just because of how many character relationships it brings to a head at one time. A lot of stuff changes, including this dynamic here.

'M not sure how many chapters there will be. It's probably going to be more of a collection of loosely connected one-shots rather than having any sort of Epic Plot (tm). I like exploring characters' heads.