A/N: Thanks to all of my absolutely wonderful reviewers and readers. Unfortunately, I won't be able to respond to any reviews this time around because I'm pretty busy. I'm just popping on to post this chapter, but I always enjoy the feedback. You are all so wonderful!

Enjoy,

Orangepotato

Chapter Ten

"Kratos?" Colette asked, her blue eyes holding wonder.

Lloyd looked over at her, nodding slightly.

She made a thoughtful noise then lay back on her bed. The blankets gave a soft whoosh at her weight, and she stretched her arms out, staring at her ceiling.

He'd relayed the story to her, hoping she'd have some words of advice.

After he'd learned the man's name, Kratos had urged him to head on back and come visit again when he could. Lloyd hadn't wanted to go, but something in the man's voice had made the teen concede, and he'd reluctantly trekked back to his room.

Colette's soft voice rose over his thoughts, "Do you know where he came from?"

The teen shook his head, gazing out the window. Clouds covered the moon and stars, masking the only light source in the night. It created an almost palpable darkness and Colette had mentioned earlier that it was getting closer to winter.

Lloyd had had to remind himself that that was true. He'd gotten used to taking his vest and shirt off to work on Zelos' mansion due to the oppressive heat, but in Sylvarant, the weather was opposite.

"I don't know anything about him except his name."

"That's so strange," Colette spoke, sitting up. She pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her chin there, "Why do you think he's being so secretive?"

Lloyd smiled, "I wish I knew that, too."

"You're just going to have to talk to him again."

"I suppose, though I don't know when. Like I said, I have a pretty tight schedule."

She pondered that for a second, "You'll find time. You find time to visit me."

While that was true, it was because he did it at night. During the day, he was constantly working or being watched. The idea of constantly eluding his father or Yuan's gaze seemed daunting. He sighed, lying down as Colette had done minutes ago.

She giggled and lay down next to him, laying her head on his arm.

She was so warm. He could feel her heat radiating into his body, his core, and heating him up as well. They were so close he could faintly make out her heart beat, a steady rhythmic pattern that slowly fell in time with his own.

Turning towards him, she rested on her side, eyes quizzically looking over the teen.

He gazed back at her out of the corner of his vision, russet orbs examining her face.

Beautiful would be the word he'd use to describe her. Nothing else seemed to fit. Sure, he could say 'cute' or even 'adorable', but that would be skin deep. No, he was looking deeper than that. She had a wonderful personality and her compassion seemed never ending. What she wore as her skin paled in comparison to the person she was on the inside.

Her strength and determination seemed to radiate out of her, and, after thinking about it, he'd discovered that that was what had drawn his attention.

Well, that and her smile.

As if she knew what he was thinking about, her face broke into a smile. It was genuine and soft, making the teen's heart rate increase.

"What do you do all the time that you're not with me?" Colette asked, drawing Lloyd's attention.

"I have a job," he stated semi-truthfully.

"What do you do?" Her curiosity seemed truer than his words.

"I build things." It was another half truth, but at least he wasn't lying to her.

"Like houses?"

"Exactly like houses."

"Where do you work? Are you building one around here?"

Lloyd gave a small shake of his head, "No, it's further away from here, but sometimes I have to make runs to Triet, so I stop by here."

She was quiet for a moment, soaking in the information, then she questioned, "What kind of house are you building?"

Lloyd turned on his side, facing Colette with a smile, "Why are you so interested?"

"Well, you always ask me a lot about myself, so I thought I'd ask a few things."

"Fair enough."

"So answer," she beamed up at him and he gave a smirk down to her. Even if he wanted to deny her, he couldn't.

"It's a big house," he answered, deciding to stick with the half truths, "it's for a wealthy person in Palmacosta."

"Do you build it all by yourself?"

"No," he gave a small laugh, "others help, but I'm in charge of the production."

"How far have you gotten?"

"Pretty far. Why? You want to live there?"

She gave a thoughtful smile, "I don't know, how big is the house?" They both laughed a bit, but she pressed, "How much longer are you going to be working on it then?"

"A few more months, probably."

"Then you'll go where the next job takes you?" He could tell there was a hint of sadness in her voice, so he quickly came in to curb that.

"Colette, I'll still be making stops here," he smiled at her, which seemed to cheer her up.

"I wasn't asking about that," she spoke, covering her concern. "I was just wondering if maybe, you know, the next job will bring you closer to me."

The words made his heart hammer, his blood racing through his veins.

God, he would love to able to be closer to her, be able to see her more than a couple of times a week. The idea of being able to be in the same city, the same neighborhood, the same house, the same bed…

"It might," he stated, smiling at her.

If he could be this close to her all the time…

"I hope it does," she added happily.

Silence passed, him looking deep into her cerulean eyes. Truthfully, he could block out everything in the world when he was looking at her. Instead, he focused on the sound of her faint heartbeat, the way her face was tinted with a blush and the warmth of her body. She was intoxicating to him, and he found, the more he focused on her, the more he wanted to close the distance between them.

"Lloyd," she spoke, gazing at him, "I was thinking."

"About?"

"Kratos."

"What about him?"

"I think…" she paused, as if she was unsure whether she wanted to state her opinion.

Lloyd rested his hand on Colette's, gripping it softly as encouragement, "Go on."

She nodded, smiling a bit from embarrassment, "I think you should try to free him."

Lloyd was only slightly taken aback by that. He'd come to know her as a compassionate person. They'd had lengthy discussions about half elfs and Desians, and she'd always said the same thing. 'Everyone has a right to live. Everyone deserves a second chance.'

"I don't really know if he wants to be saved."

"You should convince him otherwise! I can't imagine how horrible it'd be to be stuck in prison when he didn't do anything wrong." Her features were determined.

He had to admit, even with the limited amount of information he'd actually told her, Colette seemed adamant about her thoughts. It was admirable, and he smirked at her enthusiasm.

"I think you're right."

"Lloyd," she looked sternly into his eyes, "Promise you'll help him."

"I'll do my best."

She smiled sadly then glanced away, "No one deserves… be trapped like that." She sounded depressed, the weight of her words bearing down on both of them.

The words hit him deep and he had no idea why.

It was then that he noticed she was crying. Soft tears rolled down her face and she hiccupped.

"Colette," he spoke, putting his arm over her, resting his hand on her back and nudging her closer to him. She didn't resist and instead, wrapped her arms around him, tucking her head into his chest. He could feel her shaking as she began to sob, finally moving her hands to his chest as well, gripping his vest between her fingers and crying.

All Lloyd could do was rub her back, placing a kiss on her forehead as she shook.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, "I'm so sorry."

He hushed her, stroking her hair, "its fine."

"I don't," she sniffled, "I don't know what's wrong with me."

He kissed her forehead again, "There's nothing wrong with you." He let her cry into his vest, pulling her close. She seemed to take comfort in it, her body not shaking as badly. Lloyd whispered again, "Absolutely nothing."

Silence passed, the teen not bothering to count the seconds. Whenever he was with Colette, time didn't seem to matter as much. Even now, when they weren't communicating, he was comforted in the fact that he was with her.

Finally, she spoke to him, her voice slightly muffled, "Lloyd, please stay with me tonight."

His heart made a solid thud in his chest. There were several things he needed to do, lies he needed to weave, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her no. Especially now, that they were so close, and the only desire he really had was to stay there and be close to her.

"Of course, Colette. Of course."

He felt her smile against him, "Thank you, Lloyd. You've made me so happy."

As a response, he laid a gentle kiss on her head, "get a good sleep."

She nodded, already falling into sleep.

He vaguely wondered why she'd gotten so emotional. Her words had been heavy, but that wasn't any reason to cry… he supposed she probably knew but thought her reasoning was ridiculous. Really, to him, nothing she thought would ever constitute as ridiculous, but he would explain that to her later. Now, he was fine listening to her breathe slow down to a gently in and out, feeling her chest expand and contract next to him.

Her heart beat smoothly and she nodded off, sound asleep in his arms.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Zelos wasn't keen on meeting in the dead of night, but he had little choice. As the heat swarmed around him, smothering his attitude in the process, the Chosen leaned casually against an old brick building. He would have had his arms crossed but the humidity would have glued them to his chest.

"What's with all this cloak and dagger stuff, huh?" While he wasn't in the mood for jokes, that one slipped out.

The woman before him didn't seem amused. In fact, she didn't even bat an eyelash at the comment, and since his opinion of the woman wasn't very high, part of him wondered if she even got the joke. However, he waited patiently for her to comment.

"There have been some interesting… developments." Her tone was thoughtful and rate of speech slower than usual, like sometimes she had a hard time getting the words out.

"What do you mean by that, Pronyma?" Zelos questioned, cutting to the chase.

The woman looked at him curiously with her amethyst colored eyes. Her lips were pursed, like she'd tasted something sour.

"Zelos, what has gotten you in such a foul mood?"

"This isn't about me," he sighed, waving a hand through the thick air, "what's this 'interesting development' that you're talking about?"

It appeared that she took a moment to ponder whether to continue with the conversation or not. That really made him curious. Normally, the woman did nothing but talk on and on about his mission or what was expected of him, but now her silence boggled him.

That probably meant this 'interesting development' was a bad thing.

"My dear woman," he smoothed the charm over his words despite the disdain he held for her, "I can't very well help you if I don't know what it is."

Another beat of silence, and she parted her lips, "You're right. The news is a person from Tethe'alla has somehow gotten over to Sylvarant."

Instantly, the Chosen's eyes hardened but he betrayed no other emotion.

Pronyma continued, "A woman from Mizuho was spotted by one of our… members." She spoke the last word vilely, the contempt she held for the person evident.

She was about ready to continue when the red head felt a jolt.

Wait, a member of Cruxis?

His thoughts flew to Lloyd, who'd recognized Sheena in the image at the bar and subsequently lied about it, then to the strange man who'd come around asking for him. The blue haired man had been a defiant half elf. Most half elf's were quiet and reserved, their emotions withdrawn from years of discrimination, but this man had almost spoken with a arrogant tone in his voice, which had peaked the red head's interest.

Zelos knew, for the most part, only half elf's were involved in Cruxis. If that blue haired man had, in fact, been a part of that organization then why had he come looking for Lloyd?

Unless Lloyd was this 'member' Pronyma was speaking about.

"Wait, wait, wait," he called, "Who's this person who said they saw someone from Mizuho, huh?"

"It's not important."

"Like hell it isn't. You can't honestly believe a story like that. You explained to me that there was no way to cross over the dimensions in space." He took a breath, organizing his thoughts. Most of what he knew about Sylvarant came from Botta, a high ranking member of the Renegades. He'd only been told a handful of information from Pronyma regarding the same issue. "I think your 'person' was lying."

She seemed honestly conflicted on the issue.

Of course, if there was one thing the red head knew about the woman, it was that she had an infatuation with Yggdrasill, so the only reason she'd even bring this information to him in the first place would be, "Yggdrasill wants to know what I know, huh?"

The woman jolted a bit with shock at the accusations, but didn't outright deny it.

"Pronyma, babe. I can tell you with full honesty that I don't know what you're talking about." After a moment, he could tell the woman wasn't sure whether to believe him. She had orders and he knew that that meant she'd want to follow them to the letter, however, she had to know how ridiculous she sounded.

Someone going over to Sylvarant? No one was supposed to know about the other world and it was strange to accuse anyone otherwise.

Of course, that didn't negate the truth. Sheena had been sent over by the King and pope for the sole purpose of assassinating the Chosen of Sylvarant. The Renegades had given them all of the information they'd need, but it was still pretty hushed. Some of the higher members of the Research academy had been informed so research could be done. Other than them, the King and his family alongside Zelos were the only ones who knew.

Well, that and there'd always been a few eccentric scientists who'd spoken of a 'differential shift theory' which included the belief in another world.

Most people didn't even pay attention to those guys though. The public accepted the existence of Sylvarant only in legend.

"Pronyma," the red head stated, getting to the point, "if someone somehow got to Sylvarant, what would be their purpose there, hmm? I don't mean to sound rude, my lady, but there's no reason to go there."

"There is eyewitness testimony, however, that puts someone from Mizuho in Sylvarant."

"You sure they weren't lying?"

"Lord Yggdrasill has the highest faith in this person. They'd have no reason to lie."

"Well, you don't trust this guy, do you, hon?" Zelos raised an eyebrow, already knowing the answer. He watched as she stammered for just a moment, composing herself quickly.

"What I believe doesn't matter. I'm to ask if you know of anything. Lord Yggdrasill worries that a person from Mizuho could mean that Tethe'alla sent an assassin over to kill the Chosen of Sylvarant."

"Is this Chosen close to coming of age or something?" He tilted his head, uninterested. He knew that the girl was. Botta had included a lot of information about her, stating that it was imperative that she be killed before she could complete the Journey of Regeneration.

"One could say that, yes." Her answer was vague and there was a slight shift in her demeanor. Apparently, she wasn't comfortable with giving that information away.

"So what?" The red head questioned, feigning ignorance of the issue, "I don't understand why it's a big deal. I seriously doubt anyone maliciously entered Sylvarant. Hell, I don't even think it's possible."

Pronyma grew contemplative and Zelos regarded her indifferently.

The heat rose off the pavement in waves, the swell of noise from the cicadas still filled the Chosen's ears and absently, he flicked some of the hair that hung in his face. God, it was too hot to have this conversation.

"Is that all?" He asked, hiding his irritation.

"Well…" She really couldn't argue his logic. Since he 'didn't know' about the mana flow, there was no reason he'd or anyone else would send an assassin to the declining world. Unless she wanted to explain the entire situation to the red head, she couldn't dispute the issue. "I suppose you're right."

Infallible logic always won.

He gave a flirtatious smirk, "Now don't go worrying your lovely head lady Pronyma. I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding between Yggdrasill and the lowly person who gave him the information."

She nodded a bit, buying into his lie.

"You're probably correct. Lord Yggdrasill puts too much credence in that pathetic human."

Ah, so we're not dealing with your average, run of the mill half elf, huh?

"Other than myself, you'd think he'd learn that humans are not to be trusted."

"Yes, well, this one is special to him."

"A slave?" Zelos ventured, hoping to get it wrong.

"No, no," she answered, taking the bait like a fish, "he fancies this human more of a son, actually."

"Really? I'd never take Lord Yggdrasill to be the type of person to have children."

"The boy does not belong to Lord Yggdrasill," she spoke quickly, "he's more… adopted."

Zelos gave a smile, nodding, "I see."

"Yes, well… I shall report back to Lord Yggdrasill then. Perhaps that human can actually get a beating. He's nothing but a filthy dog and yet, I see that my lord treats him nicely enough. Maybe this will put that boy in his place."

Nodding, the Chosen moved from his spot on the wall, feeling his skin peel off the brick. Hiding his disgust, he shot the woman a glance as she was getting ready to leave.

"Ah, one more thing, my lady," he gave a smile, "what did you say this human's name was?"

She regarded him for a moment, probably trying to decide if she should say or not. The red head was fairly confident with the outcome though. He'd won her trust. She'd opened up and dropped the accusations, which, at least for now, would keep Sheena safe.

Not daring to think about what would happen to him after Yggdrasill found out Zelos had lied, he focused on Pronyma.

It was the moment that would either confirm all of his suspicions or completely bust them. Honestly, he didn't have enough proof to confront Lloyd on the issue and his entire reason for asking was based on mere suspicion, but he wanted to know anyways.

Information was power, as the old saying went.

Finally, she spoke, "His name is Lloyd," and then she turned and walked away, disappearing into the night.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Your eminence, surely you understand," Yuan spoke his words elegantly, hoping the boorish man would pay attention, "the assassin you sent is in danger and if she fails, I don't believe I have to explain to you the dangers that Tethe'alla would face."

The pope reclined in his chair, a hand stroking his round chin.

The half elf had been trying to win the man over for an hour now. It seemed like he really didn't care if the assassin failed or not, despite knowing the consequences for Tethe'alla. Not that the pope had the people's interests at heart.

"Not only Tethe'alla, but your likelihood as well, would be on the line. If the Tower of Salvation disappears from the skyline, there will be outrage in the streets. You are privileged as to know why the Tower would go missing, but everyone else will simply believe their time of prosperity has ended. Now, your grace, I don't need to remind you whom the masses blame when bad things happen."

He looked directly at the pope, watching the dawn of realization cross his face.

"They'd have me hanged," he whispered hoarsely.

"Yes. They'd become highly unhappy with your performance and you'd lose everything." The blue haired man swept his arm across the desk, giving the man serious implications to ponder. "They won't listen to reason if the Tower of Salvation disappears."

The chubby man sat up straight, beady eyes narrowing, "and you said you have a plan?"

"Yes. Similar to the one where we sent the assassin into Sylvarant. If we can buy her time, she'd be able to complete her assignment and Tethe'alla and your job would be safe." Green eyes stared directly into the pope's dark colored orbs.

It was important that the man understand the urgency of the situation.

"What is your proposition?" The man finally questioned, fear evident on his face.

Yuan didn't even think twice, "It's quite simple. The people in Sylvarant are even denser than the masses here. They're in so much despair, they'll believe anything. As long as there's proof, they'll bow down and worship it." He didn't mean to sound crude, but it was true. Cruxis had had a much easier time convincing the people of Sylvarant to follow the religion of Martel than the people of Tethe'alla. Shaking his head, he continued, "So the answer is quite simple."

"What is it, then?" The pope resigned. The half elf was secretly disgusted with the man. He would sell out anything as long as he could continue to reign from his position. Yuan didn't even have to convince him of the details.

With a smirk, the blue haired man laid out his plan, stating the very first thing they'd need, "The answer is Zelos Wilder, the Chosen of Tethe'alla."