Worth Waiting For
Ch 2
Beta read by: k3ybl4d3, JadedSilk, YanaQuNozerith on Y!Gallery, and leichan0767 here on FFnet
Disclaimer: Tales of Symphonia and all of its characters belongs to Namco, not me.
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Not much had changed since the last time Lloyd had been in Meltokio. Ignoring the stares of the residents as he ran through the streets, Lloyd dashed straight for the lab. Upon reaching the doors he barged right on in, glancing down at Zelos again as he reached the stairs.
Lloyd's heart jolted and stopped for a full three seconds.
Zelos wasn't breathing.
Cursing the weakness he felt from having removed his Exsphere, Lloyd all but leapt down the stairs to the lab's basement. Skidding to a halt, he nearly fainted in relief as a familiar face greeted him.
"Lloyd? What are…" Raine trailed off as she recognized the pale and bloody body in his arms.
Lloyd ran over to the speechless half-elf, childish eyes wide as he pled in a tiny, broken voice.
"Help him."
Ignoring the stares of the lab's staff, Raine shoved Lloyd over to a small table covered in folders and papers. Unceremoniously dumping these to the side, she took the limp redhead from Lloyd's arms and laid him on the table. She dug through a bag and produced a life bottle, dumping its contents onto the immobile Zelos and praying he wasn't too far gone. Life bottles revived the unconscious and healed wounds, even bringing back those on the edge of death but… If the soul had already left the body, there was nothing she could do. Without an Exsphere there was only so much she could do to help. Pouring what little mana she had into the prone swordsman, Raine prayed for some sign of life.
Raine motioned for Lloyd to find gels in the bag and pour them on the wounds while she worked. The minutes ticked by. Zelos remained motionless.
Finally, Lloyd set aside the gel he'd been holding, moving over to Raine as fresh tears formed in his eyes. He turned away from the still form of Zelos and placed a hand on Raine's sleeve.
"Professor," he began, choking with tears like the child he appeared to be, "I… don't think…"
Raine just shook her head, gritting her teeth in determination. She ignored the tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm NOT giving up on him, dammit! Come on, Zelos! Breathe!"
But the redhead was silent, still and white as a marble statue. Raine choked back a sob as the light faded from her hands, her mana sucked dry. Without an Exsphere she couldn't even access her most powerful healing spells. Letting her hands fall to her sides in defeat, she finally turned to embrace Lloyd, pulling the boy tightly to her.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, a muffled sob escaping her.
Lloyd couldn't believe his ears; he felt numb to the world. His senses were filled with a roaring as time seemed to stand still. It felt too surreal. Zelos couldn't be dead, not after everything they'd been through. It just wasn't right. Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut tightly, oblivious to everything but the sudden, aching void in his chest. It was as though someone had hammered a hole in his heart and his spirit was bleeding out. Just like the life had bled out of Zelos. This pain… this must be what it feels like when one's heart shatters. Broken, like Zelos' body had been. Making no effort to wipe away the tears streaming down his cheeks, Lloyd wondered how he could possibly pick up the pieces. He felt so lost.
Stunned with grief, Lloyd almost missed Zelos' gasp behind him.
"H-hey… what's with all the waterworks? Did somebody die?"
Lloyd turned, mute with shock as his eyes met the cornflower blue of Zelos' gaze. He blinked… and laughed out loud with relief. Raine smiled and laid a cool hand on Zelos' forehead.
"You nearly did. I... thought you had," she whispered, unable to keep the wonder from her voice. She had stopped believing in the grace of a goddess a long time ago, but… perhaps miracles were real after all.
Lloyd's elation soon waned as his gaze fell upon the raw flesh of Zelos' torso. The wounds had scabbed over and were starting to close up, but... Still, Zelos would die without further treatment. Voice somber, Lloyd whispered, "All we did… was buy more time, though. You lost so much blood…"
Raine nodded in agreement as Zelos frowned. "Lloyd's right. It looks like I'll be staying in Meltokio for a while longer. You're not out of the danger zone, yet."
With a quick apology to the lab's staff, Raine motioned for Lloyd to carry Zelos and they quit the lab, heading for Zelos' mansion. Upon reaching the building, Lloyd quickly carried Zelos to his lavishly furnished bedroom and gently laid the redhead on the bed. Most of the blood covering his pale form had dried to a rusted brown. Raine arrived after a minute, probably having just filled Zelos' butler in on the situation. Pulling a kit out of the bag she had been carrying, she began stripping the ruined garments off of Zelos.
"Lloyd, you should probably find Seles. I'm sure she would like to know that her brother is badly injured… and while you're at it, track down Genis. They're both in the city, and Genis should be in one of the shops. I sent him out earlier to buy some things for me… Seles has been staying here, I heard, but I don't know where she is at the moment." Done speaking, she returned her attention to Zelos. Lloyd took her silence as dismissal and left, shutting the door quietly behind him.
Raine continued to peel away the blood-soaked garments that had become practically glued to his skin. When she had successfully removed Zelos' long gloves, pink coat, and black undershirt, she moved to his belt without pause. The loud clank of the scabbard striking the floor seemed to wake Zelos from his half-aware state. Raising an eyebrow, he reached down to touch Raine's hand.
"Whoa, now. Hang on. I didn't think you were THAT eager to see me naked."
Raine fixed Zelos with a murderous glare. "If you weren't already injured, I'd hurt you for that. Goddess, can't you take something seriously for ONCE in your life!?" She shouted. "You nearly DIED. You still might, if I can't fix you." Blinking away tears, she turned away from the redhead before continuing. "Do you have any idea how badly you frightened me? And Lloyd? I don't think I've ever seen him so distraught. Have a little respect for HIS sake, if not your own!"
Zelos was speechless. As the silence stretched, Raine turned around to scrutinize the swordsman. Finally, her lips stretched in a sly grin. "Or… could it be… that the great Zelos Wilder is afraid I'll ACTUALLY see him naked? I heard some things… from one of the ladies around here."
At Zelos' blush, Raine knew her suspicions had been confirmed. "AHA! I knew it! The great Zelos Wilder is a virgin, after all!"
Zelos glared as a flush to rival his red mane crept onto his face. Raine laughed and turned away. "Fine. You're unharmed from the waist down, anyway. I need you to take those pants off so they can be washed. Most of the blood missed them, so they're probably salvageable. Cover yourself up, and let me know when I can turn around again."
Again Zelos was silent, but for a different reason. Sensing something amiss, Raine turned back around to find the most somber expression she'd ever seen on the redhead's face. "…Zelos?"
Zelos had propped himself up on his elbows, but had moved no farther. Breaking eye contact with Raine, he began to tremble. It took Raine a moment to realize that he was crying. Quickly, she strode over to the bed and knelt beside the redhead. "Zelos, what's wrong?"
"I…" he began, softy falling back. Slowly, he turned to face her, reaching up to grab her shoulder. "I… can't."
Raine was bewildered. "What do you mean? Are you still too weak?" Frowning, she scrutinized Zelos' wounds. "The gels and the life bottle should have restored a lot of energy along with my mana…"
But Zelos shook his head. "It's not that," he mumbled, turning away, eyes filled with shame. "I need help. I… can't… move. Anything. Nothing from my waist down." He closed his eyes, letting more tears fall. "I can't even feel the pain from the wound on my stomach…"
Raine bit her lip, unsure how to react. Finally, she leaned over to embrace the swordsman.
"I'm sorry. I'll do what I can, but there are some things..."
"Some things magic can't fix. I know," Zelos cut her off. "What am I gonna do? I promised Lloyd I'd go with him," he whispered. "But look at me now. I can't even effing WALK." Suddenly, he seemed to shake off the dark cloud of depression. Blinking, Zelos grinned at Raine, crossing his arms behind his head. "And now I'm NEVER gonna get laid, either."
Raine huffed before reaching down to roughly yank the white pants off, flipping a sheet neatly up to cover the brief-clad and pouting Zelos.
"Wait here. I'll be back." Raine darted out of the room, returning a minute later with a basin full of steaming water, a second empty basin, a pile of cloths, and a roll of bandages. Setting these beside her medical kit, she began to soak the cloths in the steaming water. Having done that, she began cleaning the wounds.
"Zelos…" Raine began uncertainly. The redhead gave her a worried look. "…These sheets will never be the same," she finished with a smile. Zelos just rolled his eyes.
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