Disclaimer: I do not own any of Namco's characters. I also do not own the Legend of Zelda, Nintendo does.

Chapter 2: A Long Time Coming

The streets were lined with angels. All had come to see their leader off. For some, it was as if the world was coming to an end. For others, it was a celebration. And then there were others that didn't even care, only going because it seemed like the right thing to do.

Kratos Aurion waved a hand at a group of angels. He hated to leave them, he really did. It hurt so badly, knowing that many of these angels looked up to him as a savior from their former ruler. To see him leave was… just unbearable to some. A single angel flew to him, tears pouring down her face like a river. "Lord Kratos! P-P-Please… come back soon! Return to us! PLEASE!!" she begged, now on her knees.

The Seraphim looked down at this woman, this… holy being. Seeing her on her knees, pouring her sorrow on the ground below him was almost too much for him. But he kept his composer. He didn't want the other angels to see their leader on the ground. Instead, he smiled and placed a hand on the head of the angel. "I swear I will return. In the mean time, you will be in good hands. Do not despair because I am not here physically. I will be with you all in spirit, and as long as you have hope, I will be here. I will right the wrongs done to you; I will erase the pain of four thousand years. However, this is something that must be done before I can do that. Understand, that if I don't… not only will the world of Symphonia be lost, but Derris-Karlan as well."

When he ended, he looked up at the rest of the angels gathered. The mood had changed dramatically, from one of sorrow to one of hope. Kratos knew that these people would survive, even if he wasn't there to ensure it. With a final pat on the head, he beckoned the woman to rise up. Her eyes were still flowing, however, she had a fire in her eyes that had been awoken. She smiled brightly at the Cruxis Angel and flew to her family. Now with renewed energy, Kratos walked to the teleportation pad that led to the now ruined Tower of Salvation. As he stepped on to it, he turned to look at the angels of Derris-Karlan one last time.

"Yes… they will be alright."

And then he was gone, off the face of Derris-Karlan.

Lloyd's day was not getting any better.

As he opened the door to Professor Raine's home, he was welcomed with a spear to the ground. "AH! WHAT THE HELL?!?!"

The Tethe'alla Chosen laughed. "Hey Lloyd, my main buddy! Missed me?! Ya know you do! Come on… say it! Say you miss good old Zelos!"

Lloyd quickly proceed to push Zelos off him. The Chosen had a smug look on his face. "Yes… I've missed you… Zelos…" he answered, adding a hiss to the last word. The others simply giggled.

Getting up, he happened to notice the ex-convict and president of the Lezerano Company Regal Bryant was standing beside Presea Combatir. Regal was in a very flashy business suit, his hands long un-cuffed. His normally wild hair was now straighten and his composure was that of a politician. Presea had not changed much in the year since the unification of Symphonia, however she was taller. "Say… when did you guys get here?" asked Lloyd.

Regal was first to respond. "Only a few days ago. Raine had asked me to come here so we could discuss ways to help the economy and various other details. Presea was with me so I brought her along as well. I'm sure it's been a while since she's seen you all." Presea nodded and smiled brightly.

Genis almost instinctively froze up. "Y-Yeah… it's nice to see you again P-P-Presea!" he said with difficultly. While he was now only a few inches taller than her, his secret crush was only more beautiful. He felt ashamed that he had come home dirty. Zelos noticed this and grinned.

Raine bowed her head to Regal. "Yes, sadly the economy is going down since the reformation of the Church of Martel. And that reminds me! Lloyd, Collete, if you would please come with us, we need to take inventory of the Exspheres you have destroyed."

As the four began to walk into Raine's office, Lloyd was struck with a question he had been burning to ask for a long while.

"What does 'economy' mean?"

Dinner time at Raine Sage's home was always quiet and a time to think about books, ruins, and relaxation.

This wasn't the case tonight.

"LLOYD! PASS THE BUTTER!!!!!!!!" yelled Genis. It was a mad dash to the food on the table, a feast that Regal had made. There was turkey, chicken, duck, roasted pig, just about every piece of poultry on the table.

And in a matter of minutes it was all gone, either on someone's plate or inside someone's mouth.

Regal walked over to Zelos, who was taking his time eating his turkey. "Would you like two scoops of sugar for your coffee?" he asked with a hint of curiosity. Why he would drink coffee this late at night was beyond him.

The Chosen waved it off. "No thanks… but I know what two scoops I'd like to have." he cooed, eyeing Sheena. Thankfully for him, she was on the other end of a rather large table so she simply gave him a death glare.

Raine narrowed her eyes. "Where are your manners Zelos? This is a dinner table! I will not allow…" was all she said. When she noticed him talking to Lloyd, pretending that his apple and orange were breasts, she gave up. "Someone needs to stop this chaos… I'm going to go insane…" she sighed heavily.

Almost as if an angel had heard her, there was a knock on her door.

Everyone flew out of their chairs and ran right to the door, attempting to answer the poor soul who had knocked. Lloyd had gotten there first and swung open the door. "WHAT?! CAN'T YOU SEE WE ARE EATING?! I MEAN WHAT KIND… of… idiot… are…"

Kratos Aurion smirked. "You? Well I would think four thousand years would make me at least smart, if not a genius. But I suppose I am a fool for interrupting dinner time."

Everyone stood dumbfounded, at a complete loss of words. All save Lloyd, who threw himself into his father, hugging him tightly. "DAD!" He laughed. It took a moment for the angel to respond, but he returned the gesture quickly.

They hadn't changed a bit.

Kratos pulled up a chair and sat down, eager to hear what had been going on since he left for Derris-Karlan almost a year ago. "Come! Tell me everything!" he exclaimed.

Lloyd was first to speak up. "Boy… where to start?! Well, me and Collete-"

Raine interrupted him. "Collete and I." she corrected.

Lloyd shrugged it off. "Whatever. Anyways, we went off to search for Exspheres around the world, and destroying them. It's been tiring but worth it." Collete nodded, a great big smile on her face.

"Raine and I went to some of the big cities and have been advocating the acceptance of half-elves. A lot of people were surprised to learn that half-elves helped create Symphonia." Genis explained. "And we visited ruins… lots and lots… of ruins…" Kratos chuckled slightly at the Professor.

Zelos was next. "Weeeeeell, after the great Zelos Wilder had his word with the King, we placed a new Pope as head of the Church of Martel. Which, speaking of, just recently went through a reformation of sorts. The "holy" laws were rewritten to include half-elves and the Great Tree. I, myself have become a new person, a much better person with morals, and manners, and all that crap."

Sheena leaned over to Kratos. "He's still a perv." she said loudly, enough for everyone to hear. Everyone laughed while Zelos frowned and folded his arms.

Regal coughed. "Presea and I have been hard at work rebuilding the cities that were destroyed. My company has used it's funds to help the poor and influence politicians to provide support."

Presea nodded. "Not to mention that we wish to build a museum of sorts, to show people what really happened. They shouldn't be left in the dark." Kratos gave a slight nod in agreement.

Sheena was last to speak. "Well, Mizhou has flourished since the unification of the worlds, having moved into the forest nearby Iselia. We like to think of ourselves as a small army for this town. Protecting our new family and all." she said, winking at Lloyd.

"And we accept her and her village's protection." replied Lloyd, winking back. He turned to the Cruixs Angel. "What about you? How has Derris-Karlan been?"

"A little chaotic to be perfectly honest." answered Kratos. "As we traveled, we would release a couple hundred Exspheres into space. While not all of them are gone, we are getting close. As for leadership, the angels allowed me to rule, seeing me as a hero for saving them from Mithos' dictatorship. But it has been quiet, and lonely at times." Kratos sighed as he began to reach around to a small knapsack he had brought with him.

Raine spoke up, eyeing Kratos as he opened the sack. "Well, I'm sure you didn't return because you were feeling lonely… so something must be amiss."

Kratos nodded. He removed a small chest and opened it, revealing a small, glowing shard laying on a purple silk cloth. Raine gasped and leaned in to examine it closer. "No… this can't be… but… can it…?" There was a quivering in her voice that made the others nervous.

The Seraphim spoke gravely, looking at everyone with eyes that could have killed. Once again, the images and sounds of killing, of children and women screaming filled his head. "It can, and it is. This is the shard of the Demonic Sword, Soul Edge."

And that's it for Chapter 2! I'm going to try to get Chapter 3 out next week but in the mean time, please Review! Let me know how I'm doing! Constructive Criticism, anything! I'm here for you!