A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a little while since this has updated. Life certainly likes getting in the way of things. Good news though, university has started again and that means I'll hopefully be getting into the swing of things in the next coming weeks. That'll hopefully mean updating more frequently. As I said last chapter, I'm getting close to the part that I have completely typed, and there are things that I'm tweaking and changing, so it takes longer to edit these. It's really my own fault for writing such huge chapters and then being indecisive about the plot...

Anywho, a very special thanks to all of you who are continue to review and read this story. It means a lot to have everyone's support, even though I've been less than grand at releasing chapters. You're all amazing and I can't thank you enough. It's what keeps me writing.

Enjoy,

Orangepotato

Chapter Thirty Seven

Lloyd's knees gave out from under him, only being caught by Yggdrasill's firm grip on his arms. Tears streamed down his face, incoherent words coming from his throat as he stared at the sight before him.

His father had fallen to the ground, blade still sticking out through his back. It glistened with blood, matching the growing puddle under the auburn.

The teen couldn't stop staring, watching as his father struggled with his quickly fading life. He wasn't dead yet, still barely alive, but with each passing second, Yggdrasill was getting his wish. Kratos was dying for Lloyd's sake.

"Stare at your dying father, Lloyd, and blame yourself for his death." The blonde leader smirked at the dying man, eyes gleeful.

Shaking violently, Lloyd felt the hands on his arms release and he crashed to the ground. He dry heaved, feeling his entire body revolt against the sight, the smell; it smelled like death. It rolled over him, the salty iron odor, rich against his senses, made him dry heave again.

"Do you have any parting words for Kratos, Lloyd?" The blonde looked down at him. In that instant, he felt someone release his restraints and he brought his arms around, cradling himself as his emotions ran out of control.

Sucking in breath after breath, Lloyd tried to stop crying. He couldn't control his thoughts as they spiraled around inside his head. He still couldn't believe what had happened. His russet eyes fell on the auburn, the man barely breathing.

The teen didn't know if Kratos could even hear anymore.

"Dad-" He chocked the word out, clenching his hands into fists and shuddering in another breath, "Dad." He sounded hoarse, his voice scraping against his throat as he watched the man's chest hitch. "Don't die, dad, you can't-"

"Lloyd," Kratos' voice was almost a whisper, head turning from facing the ground to his son. His eyes were void, almost like he couldn't see the brunette.

"Dad," the teen sobbed again, hot tears rolling down his face as he forced his limbs to move. Still shaking violently, he dragged himself over to his father's body, staring down at the man. It took some effort, but he managed to turn him over and cradle his head in his lap.

Dull wine colored eyes stared up at the teen, forgotten tears streaming down his face.

"Dad," Lloyd's tears dripped down onto the man's face, ignored.

"Shhhh," the auburn whispered, sounding further away, "Don't bother yourself with tears, Lloyd."

Hiccupping, the brunette shook his head, "Don't die, you can't-"he sucked in another breath, "You did this for me… why?"

The man gave a dazed smile, "Because you're my son."

"That isn't a reason." Lloyd fought back more tears, feeling sorrow and anger roll around in his system.

Kratos hitched another breath, screwing his eyes shut in pain. He was fading quickly and the teen felt panic rise in his chest.

"Dad, you can't-" He was hushed again as the auburn's pulse slowed. Lloyd could feel the man's heart beat as it lessened, the blood continuing to leak out of his body as he took his final breaths. "Damn it, dad, you can't-"

He heard Yggdrasill speak from behind, no longer caring what was happening with Kratos. His attention was on Rodyle, "Why should I keep Lloyd alive?"

The gangly half elf replied, his shrill voice resounding against the walls, "There's something of value that he's been hiding from you." He could hear the smirk in the man's words.

"Oh really?"

"Yes, my lord. I believe you'll be very interested to know what he knows…"

"Then tell me, Lloyd."

The teen froze all while his heart hammered in his chest. He could still feel his father's fluttering breath, slowly losing his life in the teen's lap, and the blonde wanted to have this conversation now?

His thoughts flew to Colette and Sheena, the two women who waited for him down in the ranch. He'd fail Colette again, just as he had failed his father. He was obviously powerless against the blonde leader, and even as he desperately tried to pretend he wasn't, the truth hit him hard in the stomach.

It'd be his fault that Kratos died; it'd be his fault that Colette would continue the Journey and ultimately face her death…

Russet eyes stared at the man in his lap, seeing the ashen skin contrast with locks of red hair.

His real father was dying and Lloyd suddenly wanted more time with him. He'd lost years with his father and now, he was losing the man all together.

"Save him," the brunette demanded. His words came out stronger than he thought they could. It even seemed to shock the leader, who asked him to repeat himself. "I'll do whatever you want, just save him!"

Lloyd turned as best as he could to face the blonde. For once, he didn't notice how badly he was shaking or how terrified he was. Hot tears rolled down his face, but he ignored them. Instead, all he focused on was glaring at Yggdrasill, teeth bared.

"I'm not going to," the blonde stated coolly. He'd propped a hand on his hip, waving away the notion with his other hand.

"Damn it, I'll be your slave, I'll be your son, whatever! But only if you save him."

"It's too late for that."

Lloyd felt fury engulf him, blinding him for a moment with intense red. He laid Kratos down on the ground, happy for only a second to find that he still had a faint pulse, and then advanced on the two men. He growled at them, "Save him."

Yggdrasill laughed dryly, "You're wasting your time, Lloyd."

"Am I?" In a flash, the teen darted for Rodyle, snatching the gangly half elf by the hair and slamming his head into a wall. He repeated it, over and over, as the man gave out an inhuman scream. The blonde simply watched, though there was a small speck of horror in his eyes.

Blood spurted through the air, decorating the wall and the brunette in the red glow.

With one final slam, the half elf's skull was crushed, the bone giving off a loud snap as red and gray matter splattered onto the pure white wall. It created a gruesome image as Lloyd released his grip on the man.

Rodyle slid down to the ground, head falling forward to expose the mess that had been created.

"Save. Him." Lloyd narrowed his eyes on the blonde, stepping towards him now. Energy buzzed through him as he saw, for the first time ever, true fear in the man's eyes. He wasn't hiding the raw emotion that echoed from his green orbs.

"You think you can harm me, boy?" The man spat, though there wasn't a threat in his words.

The teen repeated himself, "Save him." The brunette was standing directly in front of the blonde now, rust colored eyes drilling into green ones. "Save him or you're next."

Just then, a loud explosion echoed through the hall. The double doors slammed open and a plume of dust filled the room. Lloyd instantly dropped himself low to the ground, his many years of training kicking in.

He ignored Yggdrasill as his eyes rested on his father. The man's chest shifted slightly up and down, proving that he was alive. Barely.

In that instant, the teen watched as a man clad in black broke into the room. He darted through the dusty air with ease, making a bee line for the leader.

A sword was in the man's hands a second later, blade sailing through the air and clashing with Yggdrasill.

Several more men dashed in, each wearing a similar outfit to the first. One made it to Kratos' side, white mana forming at their fingertips as they attempted to heal him.

The hell?

At that moment, one made it beside Lloyd and scooped him up. The teen was about to protest when he was hit swiftly in the back of the head.

An explosion of color filled his vision and then, darkness.

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

In all of his years, Zelos Wilder never thought he'd be attempting a rescue mission. It was hardly his style, to swoop in and save people from danger, but he couldn't complain.

Lloyd tossed haphazardly onto his back; he made a mad dash out of the room. He'd been lucky enough to get the assignment to grab Lloyd. At first, he'd been ready to object, but after he'd thought about it for a couple of seconds, he supposed he was the right man for the job.

After all, he'd gotten to hit the teen in the back of the head, what was the downside?

His shoes clacked against the tile of the black castle, cerulean eyes resting on the temporary warp that waited just ahead. He'd been told it'd lead them somewhere safe, though he still secretly doubted it. The second in command had been less than reassuring. He'd simply told the Chosen, 'It'll work.'

'And if it doesn't?' Zelos had posed, but to that, the man had smiled and sent him on his way. The red head found that particularly annoying, especially since he and the others had been sought for help in the first place. The least any of those weird people could do was be straight with him.

And answer a few of his god damn questions.

Ignoring everything else, the Chosen ran into the warp, feeling his molecules being ripped apart before he could blink away the oppressive castle.

As he flew through space, recollecting on the other end of the warp, Zelos focused his attention in front of him. He'd been told that he should appear in a remote location, where others would be waiting for him. Apparently, it was to ensure that no one used the warp that wasn't supposed too.

That'd posed another question that no one had answered for the red head: how the hell would those guys know who he was?

All he saw at first, however, was land spread before him. He was obviously in a field of some sort, trees standing tall in the distance and circling around him. Tall yellowish grass whispered at his knees and he almost let his guard down… until he heard shuffling.

Instantly, he was on guard, shifting Lloyd around on his back a bit to ready his hand at his blade. If worse came to worst, the Chosen would have to ditch the brunette in order to fight off several enemies. It wasn't what he wanted to do, but if it was necessary-

"It's the Chosen," one person whispered.

A few more voices mimicked the words, one finally showing himself.

He was a tall man, a rough beard etched on his face and dull blue eyes staring hard at them both. His clothes were simple, matching, as Zelos recognized, the uniforms of the Desians of the declining world. There were minor differences, though the red head was sure it was only his trained eye that caught on.

"I am the Chosen," the red head spoke, frowning, "Who are you?"

The man smiled, just a little bit, "I'd be your ticket out of here, I'd imagine." The man waved for the others to stand, several more men, dressed and masked in Desian-like uniforms, stood. They all had swords at the ready, but seemed more relaxed now that they were sure of whom they were dealing with.

The man said quickly, "We must hurry. Denzel, Simon, you both stay here with your squads until you hear otherwise, everyone else, follow me." The man took off, feet barely touching the grassy earth as he darted to the tree line. Many others followed, though a few hung back till Zelos got the gist.

Sighing, the Chosen ran towards the tree line as well, keeping his senses clear as he made his way through the thick brush of the trees.

Several minutes passed, the entire group moving silently through the forest.

Zelos had no idea where they were going, but he assumed it was somewhere safe. For how long, he didn't care to guess. He preferred, at the moment, to pretend that he wasn't running for his life from an unpredictable enemy.

Just as the sun was starting to rise in the sky, the group broke into a small clearing, the forest still sitting silently around them.

Blue eyes took in the sight before him.

A small building stood in the clearing. There were no windows, a sliding black door the only thing that allowed for entry into the strange place. Several plants had grown over it, masking it even further. However, small patches of gleaming gray metal had resisted the growth over the years and were hued orange in the coming light.

"Where are we?" He asked, more to himself than to anyone else.

A few of the men around him glanced in his direction, though none answered. They continued walking towards the building, stopping as the man from before opened the door.

He pressed several keys, disengaging the lock, and then stepped forward. Instantly, the door slid open, a cool breeze coming from within.

The man turned around, "My name is Beauregard. It's an honor to meet with you, Chosen."

Others turned to look at the red head, as if seeing him for the first time. He could tell that none of them were impressed, because they returned their gaze to the tall man in front of them.

Beauregard continued, "Let's get that boy inside, shall we?" He entered the building, everyone following. Zelos didn't bother arguing about it. Instead, he stepped inside, shoes clattering on the polished ground.

What he saw inside wasn't what he'd been expecting.

By the camouflage, he'd been thinking it was a secret base of some sort, with knobs and buttons lining the walls alongside giant projections of the area around them. He was disappointed. It seemed it was only a shelter, bunks of beds lining the walls with a door which led, presumably, to the bathroom. There was a small kitchen area and plenty of food stored on the counter space.

It was like a hidden house.

"What are we doing here?" Zelos inquired, following someone's orders to lay Lloyd down on a bed. The brunette was still unconscious, his entire body limp as the red head slid a blanket over the teen.

Beauregard smirked a bit, his eyes twinkling, "It's a safe house. The Renegade use these all the time. They're especially useful for missions like this."

Renegade…

He'd heard that word before, but the memory was hazy. In fact, he wasn't sure he was familiar with what they were at all.

Just as he was about to ask, the door's lock disengaged and slid open, revealing the very man who'd have all the answers.

He was different than the last time the red head had seen him. A black eye patch covered the left side of his face. There were pale lines across the exposed flesh, obviously scars from something horrible. They seemed to stretch down his neck and, Zelos would wager, covered the man's entire body. However, it was the same person, no doubt about it.

"Yuan," Zelos greeted, "It's nice of you to join us."

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

Sheena sat on one of the plush beds, watching as Colette slept. She'd been up worrying again, wondering where Lloyd was or how the teen was doing. The dark haired woman had fretted that the blonde would worry herself into sickness, so she'd insisted that she rest.

It hadn't been long after Colette had lain down that she'd fallen right back into a deep sleep.

Sighing, Sheena laid back on the bed, the comforter consuming her.

Even though it felt good to be out of the cell, she still felt trapped. She supposed she'd take being trapped in a warm, well furnished room over a jail cell, but it was all the same, really. Desians came and dropped food and water off for both of them three times a day. No words were ever exchanged, not that Sheena wanted a conversation with them anyways.

The blonde teen was more than enough company. The two of them had had many conversations, and within a few short days, Colette felt like a sister.

It was a strange sensation for the dark haired woman, who'd never regarded anyone as being that close. After the incident at the lightning temple, she'd started unintentionally keeping people at arm's length. It'd been easier for her, though a large part of her regretted it.

Colette had broken through all of that, though. They hadn't known each other for very long, but Sheena had confided a lot of information in the girl. It'd felt both good and terrible to reveal some of her darkest fears and some of her greatest desires with a near stranger.

Sheena closed her eyes.

There wasn't a reason to think about that now.

More pressing was the fact that they hadn't seen Lloyd in a long time. He'd assured them that he'd make an appearance, but it hadn't happened. The dark haired woman wasn't worried about that specific detail though… yet.

There was a lot for the teen to get hung up on and she didn't necessarily trust him.

Sitting up again, she glanced around the room. It'd become habit, her amber eyes flicking to each of the corners before she felt safe. She didn't know if it was just her paranoia, but she felt watched. A large part of her believed that Kvar was observing them, just out of sight.

Shaking off the feeling, she stood and stretched.

She was still sore; her body protesting as she gently started walking around the room.

There was nothing else to do, of course. She'd traced the outlines of the room dozens of times by now, each time memorizing each contour and edge. It was soothing, just a little bit, to be able to walk off her anxiety.

By the third time she'd passed the sleek black door, her sensitive hearing picked up a conversation.

Two muffled voices echoed in the metallic hallway beyond the door, but it was obvious they were trying to keep their conversation quiet.

Pressing her ear to the door, she listened. Years of training in the lines of stealth allowed her to block out all other noises and focus solely on the two people conversing in the hallway.

"-Rodyle."

"I can't believe it. What does Lord Kvar have to say about that?"

"I heard from someone that Lord Kvar is extremely upset… something about a deal going wrong. I think he might be planning on killing those two-"

The other man was silenced, "Shut up! You don't want anyone over hearing you!"

Sheena felt a chill roll through her as she quickly discovered what they were talking about. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. Something had happened between Kvar and Lloyd and now she and Colette were in danger.

Wasting no time, the dark haired woman darted to the sleeping girl's side, gently but quickly shaking her awake.

"Colette," she whispered, "Colette, wake up!"

Blue eyes opened slowly, confusion in them, "Sheena? What is it?"

"We need to get out of here."

Blonde eyebrows furrowed as she sat up, "What do you mean? We can't leave; we have to wait for Lloyd."

Sheena didn't want to tell the girl that something bad was happening, but she didn't have much of a choice, "Kvar is planning on killing us."

Colette shook her head, "He wouldn't. He's using us as leverage against Lloyd."

"I'm aware, but we don't have time. Lloyd will be able to take care of himself, we have to get out of here." She'd been hoping the days they'd waited, that the brunette would've reappeared with an escape plan, but now that wasn't going to happen. The two of them would have to figure it out for themselves.

"Sheena-" Colette was cut off by furious knocking on the metal door. A voice resounded from outside it, sounding furious.

"I'm coming in!" The person yelled. The door slid open with a whoosh and Sheena's amber eyes rested on a Desian whose blade was at the ready.

Several more stood behind him, swords drawn as well.

The man spoke, "I have orders to kill you."

Colette stiffened beside the dark haired woman, but Sheena gripped her hands together. She didn't have any weapons, but that'd never stopped her before.

If I can just get a hold of one of those swords…

Swords weren't her specialty, but she had trained with them.

Before the first Desian could move, Sheena darted forward, leaping into the air and landing a kick to the side of the man's head. He crashed to the left as the dark haired woman landed and span, lashing out another kick to a nearby enemy.

By then, the rest of the Desians had figured out that they were in for a fight.

One immediately started casting while the other charged Sheena.

She dropped to the ground right as the blade whistled over head, snatching up a discarded sword and bringing it, metal to metal, against the man's blade. A sharp noise filled her ears as she pushed back against the weapon, finally shoving the man and using the opening to cut him across the stomach.

With a solid kick, she sent the man flying into the mage and locked swords with another enemy. The two swung out, blades vibrating through the air with each forceful block or strike.

Colette gave a small shriek, catching the dark haired woman off guard for a moment. Amber eyes darted to see the blonde getting attacked by one of the Desians.

"Colette!"

A sharp pain registered in Sheena's side, the enemy having stabbed her while she wasn't paying attention. She grunted and lashed her blade out, cutting the man across the face. His helmet split in two, blood spewing forth from the injury. He gave an inhuman growl and withdrew his blade, staggering back before falling to the ground, dead.

Immediately afterwards, she darted for the bed, leaping up and bringing her sword down on the man who was haphazardly swinging at the blonde Chosen.

The silvered blade sank into the man's shoulder before Sheena pulled away and landed a kick to his back. He stumbled and collapsed on the ground, red life liquid pooling underneath him.

"Sheena," Colette whispered, then her blue eyes narrowed on the mage, "Look out!" Quickly, she shoved the dark haired woman out of the way, both of them crashing against the hard floor as a fireball seared the air where they'd previously stood.

Swiftly, Sheena was back on her feet, running towards the man with the blade ready.

With only a staff at the man's hand, he was unable to defend against the lightning fast flicks of the blade that criss crossed his chest, finally ending in a splash of blood.

He collapsed quickly, the dark haired woman breathing heavy as she surveyed the scene. All of the Desians were dead, their ashen bodies resting in crimson puddles. There was sure to be more, however. The dark haired woman clenched the sword at her side and then turned to the blonde, who'd stood.

She seemed shaken, but spoke smoothly, "We need to get out of here."

Amber eyes rested on the doorway, which was still open, then flitted over to Colette, "Yeah, let's go… before more Desians show up."

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

Yuan regarded Lloyd on the bed, his good eye travelling over the teen's thin body. He had a few cuts and bruises, as well as a sizeable burn that seared his jacket open and revealed his blackened chest below. It was with only a little satisfaction that he saw Lloyd was breathing. The brunette's chest rose and fell sharply, breath feathering the hair that hung in its way.

With a set scowl, he took a few more steps into the building, allowing the men following him to enter. One man carried Kratos, laying him on a bed near Lloyd. The auburn was in a horrible state, healing artes only having a small effect on his wounds. Yuan didn't want to be negative, but he doubted Kratos would ever wake into full consciousness again.

Shaking the thought away, he regarded Zelos, who looked irritated. His arms were crossed over his chest, mouth set in a firm line.

"I'm glad you did as Botta instructed."

The red head growled at him, "Are you going to explain what's going on?"

"I'm glad to see you're in a chipper mood as always." Yuan strolled past Zelos, messing with the dials and buttons on one of the control panels. In an instant, he brought up surveillance of the outside sky, the colored images showing nothing but the crisp air.

He supposed it was a good sign. Yggdrasill, apparently, hadn't followed them. He didn't know how long the luck would last, but he'd take it.

Zelos span around to speak to him, "Cut the crap. What the hell was that back there?"

It was more than frustrating to have the red head's constant nagging, but Yuan held back his irritation and looked back at the man with cool green eyes, "That was a rescue mission."

"What, for Lloyd?"

"Who else?"

The Chosen hissed, "And why do you want him?"

It was one of the men who'd walked in with Yuan, a man Zelos knew decently well, who spoke in the half elf's defense, "The escape was facilitated so that the maximum number of people would survive."

"Regal, I didn't ask for your opinion," Zelos snapped, glaring at the prisoner, "Why are you on his side anyways?"

The older man shrugged, "He helped us escape. While I question his use of force, it was successful."

Yuan interrupted the two, "Regardless, what matters now is our next move." The half elf moved back into the center of the room so everyone could see him. "Yggdrasill will surely be sending out his angels to find Lloyd, now that he has Origin's seal on him. We have to keep Lloyd away from Yggdrasill at all costs."

Zelos raised his hand, almost mockingly, "I have a question."

The blue haired half elf sighed, glaring in the red head's direction, "Yes?" He had a feeling that the Chosen's attitude was going to be a regular occurrence until he got all of his questions answered.

"What do you mean by 'Origin's Seal'?"

If Yuan had to explain everything to Zelos, it was going to complicate things. He'd only saved the Chosen for two reasons. One was the red head had a good chance of rescuing Lloyd successfully. The other was that he still needed the annoying curly haired man. It was a frustrating combination.

"All questions should be saved till after I'm finished," the half elf responded in a similarly mocking tone. That earned him a sneer from the Chosen, but not another comment. After a brief silence, he continued, "Someone needs to stay with Lloyd until he wakes up." He didn't bother mentioning Kratos. "Beauregard, I trust you can handle that? Everyone else needs to make sure they're prepared for the journey into Sylvarant. The Chosen will be accompanying me."

The entire group nodded, moving then to do their allotted tasks. Zelos, of course, made a beeline for the blue haired half elf. Regal joined in as well, keeping a pleasant, yet serious, face.

"Why do I have to come with you? I have things I need to do as well, especially in Sylvarant."

"I know that already."

"Then you can shut up and leave me alone."

"It doesn't work that way."

"The hell it doesn't. You left me high and dry for months and I'm supposed to come back and be your little dog? I have someone I need to save!"

"You mean Sheena?"

That seemed to halt the red head's momentum. He paused, his eyes flickering with doubt. It allowed the prisoner time to speak.

"How do you know about her?"

Yuan regarded the man seriously, "I know because I was the one who sent her there."