Lost Path

The team arrived at Helraios and seemed relieved at how seemingly normal it looked. Since it was a factory, Rutee and Leon felt at home; they had visited the production plants with their father a few times in the past. But there were no complex lift puzzles, no falling floors and no thin girders where monsters had the opportunity to pin them down with ease.

-I'd watch out, though,- Chaltier stated, -There's still a few sets of flamethrowers…even a room with a whole floor filled with them. If you're not quick, you'll get burned.-

"Way to bring down the mood again, Chaltier. But then again, I'm the quick one," Rutee said.

Stahn exclaimed, "What about the rest of us? Rutee can outrun a lot of obstacles, but our reflexes aren't that good. What do we do if we get caught up in the flames?"

Dymlos chuckled. -Pray it doesn't hurt too much and that Rutee didn't get too far ahead.-

"That's reassuring," Leon muttered, "But I guess we don't have too much of a choice in the matter. If we come across any flamethrowers, then go as fast as you can without looking back."

-They need time to recharge once they fire,- Clemente added.

Stahn whispered, "And that will so help us when we're fried the first time we run through their systems. Lilith is lucky she's being spared from hearing this conversation."

S...S

Finally, after being zapped by more flamethrowers than they could count and dealing with a particularly infuriating password, the team made it to the back of the laboratory. There, blocking the way to the facility itself, was Ilene. She looked downcast the second she saw Stahn standing there while Rutee tossed her a dirty glare; how dare she do something like this to him.

The woman's eyes reflected sorrow as she stared into his. "So, you've come. I should have known. But I owe my loyalty to Master Kronos and his vision; he wishes to remake this world for the better. There will be no more sorrow, no more pain once he's finished."

"Yeah," Rutee sarcastically remarked, "We'll all be too dead to have any sorrow!"

"Ilene, he's lying to you, using you. Come to your senses and help us instead!" exclaimed Stahn.

Ilene shook her head and told him, "I cannot. The world is too dirty to change now and our only option would be to start over. Please, instead of fighting me why don't you join with me to help Kronos."

"Never in a million years! Especially not at the request of someone like you!" yelled Rutee.

Leon thought, 'Here it comes…her jealousy is reaching its peak. There goes my sister off on another tirade. Why doesn't she just tell the idiot why she's so mad at Ilene?'

Ilene sighed. "I thought you would listen to reason. Oh well, I guess it couldn't be helped. Don't tell me that even you desert me, Stahn?" Her eyes were on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry," he replied, "But I know that this is wrong. And I owe my loyalty to my friends to help them see this through to the bitter end. We will have to sacrifice a lot, I knew that, but I never expected this. Still, my mind…is made up. It is with great sorrow that I lift my blade."

"So…you're the seductress who has gotten to my brother! I'll kill you!" exclaimed Lilith as she charged forward. Stahn yelled at her to calm down or else she'd be killed.

In defense, Ilene called forth several robotic creatures to defend her. But Lilith was ready for them. To the shock of everyone in the room, Stahn most of all, Lilith's body became electrically charged and she began striking each of the robots. Eventually, the girl jumped in the air and let out a wave of electrical energy from her hands, destroying the remaining bots and hitting Ilene as well.

Leon muttered, "That girl is actually useful. And to think, she thought that stupid speech up while listening to one of Rutee's jealous tirades."

Rutee brought out Atwight now that she saw Ilene all alone. "You have no more minions. Why don't you just give up? Give up and surrender. I'll gladly take your life if you don't; nobody plays my father for a fool and gets away with it." Silently, she thought that the real reason for her anger was that Ilene had played Stahn for a fool moreso than Hugo; at least with Hugo it was simply a contract to work for him rather than any emotional attachment.

"You're not being honest," the woman stammered out, "I know the real reason for your anger; I see it right in your eyes. But, after that crazy girl's attack I can barely stand."

"Ilene, please. Let's find what's wrong with the world and fix it together," Stahn suggested.

Ilene told him, "It's impossible. What's wrong isn't the system of government or the fact that there are rich and poor. It's what's in people's hearts. You saw how they treat one another. Cavalese is filled with discrimination for all others, Aquaveil cannot trust its neighbors and the rich hound the poor."

Rutee stepped up and surprised Leon by not yelling again. "I know those are horrible things. But look at me. I was born to a rich family but I've never once held the poor in contempt. My mother was a housemaid but my father loved her all the same as if she was a princess. From them, I learned that it's not the wealth you accumulate, it's what's in other people's hearts."

"We can work together," Stahn added, "If we take baby steps, I know we can change the world. The people on our team accept all: rich, poor, Erth'er descendant, Aetherian descendant, Seinegaldian, Aquaveilian and everyone in every other country. We may be small, but we are an example of what people can do if they try to get along. So, if we do our best we can show others to follow this lead."

"I guess…it's idealistic. But I know that if people are like you, then the world can change. However, I have done too much, it's time for my role to end," Ilene whispered. She shakily walked over to the air lock and opened it, inching towards her doom.

Stahn yelled, "Ilene, don't! You can still make up for what you did by helping us."

Ilene smiled. "You're so pure and honest. Rutee, please take care of such a wonderful man. I have no regrets as the curtain falls on my life." With that, she jumped.

Stahn would have jumped after her had his friends not grabbed onto him. He yelled at Dymlos for trying to calm him down and fell down on the floor to cry. Rutee felt sorry for him; even though Ilene and her would never have been able to be friends because of Stahn's affection for her, she didn't want the manger to meet such a horrible death.

"Leon…go with the others," Rutee whispered, "I want to talk to Stahn alone." The boy nodded and left to go help repair Igtenos. Rutee sat down besides the upset young man.

"What do you want?" he asked.

She replied, "I'm sorry about Ilene. I know you liked her. I was upset because I thought you liked her more than me. But I never wanted her to die like that; it looked like she would surrender for a time there. I hope she can find peace in the next life."

He looked away for a little. "What do you think of our world, Rutee?"

"Huh? Oh, what she said," the girl replied, "Well, I don't think it's the best, but it's not worth throwing away. There are horrible people like Lydon, but also pure and honest ones like you. I agree with Ilene's last statements; if people would all think like you, then we could save the world."

"I don't fight for the world. I'm just fighting for Grandpa and Lilith," Stahn confessed.

Rutee put her arm around his shoulder and stated, "Well, I'm the same way. My only goal is to make sure that when this is all over I can return home with Emilio and we'll find our father waiting there for us. Saving the world is the big picture, but we all keep our eyes on our own wishes."

He thought about what she'd said. "I guess you're right. Thanks for trying to cheer me up. It's just…I really did care about Ilene. Not as a romantic interest, it was more like that of the teenager who has the crush on his mother's hot best friend or his best friend's hot, single mother. Never a serious thought to love, but there was still attraction."

"And here I was worried," she whispered, "Worried you really found older women attractive." It was as close as a confession as she would give at that time, but it wouldn't register for him. Nor would her embrace cause him to pause in wonder; Stahn simply thought she was trying to comfort him.

But for Lilith, who had stayed behind to watch the two, a smile crossed her face. She thought, 'Oniichan, Rutee. Please, find your happiness soon and tell one another how you really feel.'

- - - -

Teefa's Last Words...

Had to add in that hug because it was just too cute an idea not to add. Rutee and Stahn are just too cute together. If I were an artist, I'd love a picture of her hugging him like this, either in her ToD clothes or her clothes from this fic.