Hikaru: Uh . . .Hi, y'all! This is the final chapter of The Guilty, and I think you'll be needing some tissues for the really emotional people, because this chapter turned out pretty sad. Well, anyway, this time we'll have Raine do the disclaimer.
Raine: Hikaru Irving doesn't own the game of Tales of Symphonia. It rightfully belongs to the creators that earn their wages from pain-staking work at the company dubbed NAMCO.
Hikaru: Er . . .only Raine can do something as simple as a disclaimer and turn it into something very complicated. Oh, yes . . .there will be some alternate endings after this, so stay tuned!
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Kratos stood at the side of Dirk's house, staring, transfixed, at the newly added tombstone. Dirk had temporarily removed the fence so that there would be room to bury Lloyd's body next to that of his mother's. Kratos was sure Lloyd would have wanted that, although he probably expected to do the exact same thing to him, had the father and son switched places in life and death. Kratos gazed at the epitaph carved into the gravestone. It read, "Lloyd Aurion Irving, a boy so courageous, it saved the two worlds from absolute ruin." The Seraphim smiled weakly. It had been a month since he wrote that . . .since his only child died, no, the only word for it was murder. The small smile quickly faded at the thought of that. Lloyd was so young . . .he had a bright future ahead of him, deserved to have a family to call his own . . .he wasn't even an adult yet. Well . . .then there was no point in staying here . . .at all.
Kratos pulled his long sword out of its sheath, staring up at the starry night sky. He longed to look at the stars . . .with Lloyd by his side. What he wouldn't give to be able to tell Lloyd a bedtime story . . .just one more time . . . Heaving a heavy sigh, Kratos raised his weapon, aligning it sidelong to his neck. There was nothing left in this world for him . . .He had lived for four thousand years, and did nothing good with himself save end the Ancient War. Living this past month without Lloyd was unbearable.
"Anna, Lloyd . . .I will rejoin you shortly. I'm coming, so please be patient."
Without any further reservation, Kratos' hand jerked, dashing the blade against his flesh, slicing through his own throat. Blood ran down the sword, which Kratos dropped to the ground. Feeling somewhat relaxed, Kratos felt his legs give away underneath him, closing his eyes. Those burgundy eyes snapped open again almost immediately as he felt someone catch him, breaking his fall. The silver-white hair, the blue eyes, the orange jacket . . .it was Raine. What was she doing here?
Raine gently lowered Kratos' body to the ground, kneeling beside him. She appeared to be extremely cross.
"Kratos . . .Why?!" She demanded earnestly, gesturing to the fallen sword, the blade slick with blood.
"There is nothing . . .left for . . .me to . . .live for." Kratos managed to say despite his ruined throat. He felt his life fading fast.
Raine's expression changed from one of anger to one of sadness. Tears began forming at the edges of her eyes. Kratos blinked. Was Raine crying for him?
"You . . .damned idiot!"
Kratos failed to supple Raine with an answer. She took that as a sign to continue.
"Youdo have something . . .someone to live for!" She cried, her voice rising toward the finish of her sentence. Tears slid down her face freely. The Professor wrapped her arms about Kratos' neck, sobbing gently.
"You have me . . .I love you, Kratos . . ." She whispered those words into the angel's ear, her voice growing weak.
Kratos was shocked. All this time, during this past month . . .she had fallen for him of all people? No . . .she deserved someone better . . .
"Raine . . .I don't deserve . . .someone . . .like you . . .you have a . . .life to . . .live . . ."
His voice ran dry as the last of his life was spent.
Raine still embraced Kratos for quite a long time after that. Eventually, she lifted her head, planting a soft kiss on the deceased father's forehead.
"I love you, Kratos . . ." She whispered. "I love you, and I always will . . ."
---------Sheena gave out a resigning sigh, standing on the outskirts of Iselia. The village was peaceful, the children were playing outside happily, enjoying the sunshine. They were so oblivious to the world around them, and blissfully ignorant of all the pain and suffering the real world brings. She and Lloyd could have had children . . .Sheena shook off the thought. The summoner glanced down at her hands, and the red and white roses she was holding in a bouquet. The villagers called out a cheery "Hello, Sheena!" as she passed through the town, unaware of the pain that ached and throbbed deep inside her. Sheena was wearing her Successor outfit, as she was the new chief-to-be of Mizuho. The woman felt as though the yellow bandana loosely tied about her neck was choking her. The morning sun was burning down on the back of her neck, and she felt very dizzy. She didn't get an exactly restful night's sleep the previous day, either.
"C'mon, Sheena, pull yourself together," Sheena whispered to herself, striding on through the village.
The summoner gracefully bounded through the Iselia Forest on her way to Dirk's house, the flowers she held were held carefully and closely as she dashed throughout the forest. Sheena eventually made it all the way to the dwarf's house. She allowed herself access inside the dwelling to say hello to Dirk before visiting Lloyd's grave at the side of the house.
"Sheena! Welcome!" Dirk cheerfully greeted her. Sheena saw right through the dwarf's false happiness. In truth, he was just as sad as she was.
Ignoring that, the summoner handed a white rose that was in partial bloom to the dwarf, who gratefully accepted it. He placed the blossom in a beautiful green vase, which had the Summon Spirit of Wind, Sylph, carved into it. The white flower had many other roses besides in residing in the urn, all arbitrary colors . . .all sympathy gifts from Sheena. After a short while of conversation, Sheena ventured to the side of the house, where Lloyd and Anna's graves rested. As she rounded the corner, she encountered Raine, who was busy doing something. When Sheena glanced over her shoulder, she gasped in horror. Raine was busy adding another tombstone, next to Lloyd's. The newest gravestone read, "Kratos Aurion, a wonderful father who risked his life to protect his son, a vigilant guardian angel, and an invaluable comrade in battle."
Sheena placed a hand on Raine's shoulder.
"Raine, what happened to Kratos?"
The Professor stood, turning to face the summoner. The successor was shocked to see her grief-stricken, tear-stained face.
"Kratos . . .committed suicide just last night. I . . .I love him, Sheena."
Sheena stepped alongside the teacher, laying her bouquet of roses at Lloyd's grave, taking the dead flowers that she placed there previously. The summoner plucked a blood red rose from the bouquet, and stood.
"Kratos has seen too much suffering in his incredible lifetime. Seeing Lloyd die right before his eyes must have been the final blow."
Sheena turned to face Raine, tears sliding down her cheeks. She offered the half-elven woman the rose, extending her hand toward her. Raine blinked even more tears from her eyes, slowly taking the flower in her hand. She winced as her fingers curled around the stem. Blood began to drip down her fingertips. She had pricked her finger on a thorn. Raine couldn't have cared any less. She took Sheena in her arms as the successor broke down crying, rubbing the back of the young woman's head soothingly as she cried as well. Standing there, mourning for their dead loved ones, Raine and Sheena knew . . .they both knew that the guilty ones will always be them.
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Hikaru: Aw, how sad and angsty! Well, that's the end! I want to thank everyone that read this story and those who reviewed on it! Without your guys' support, this story would have been thrown forcibly out the window, along with my other story rejections. I hope you all liked this story! I might make a sequel to this, but then again, I like how this turned out. There may be a sequel . . .and there may not be. It all depends on you guys. Well, that was the end. Oh, and I don't own the Simple and Clean lyrics from Kingdom Hearts. I guess that about wraps this story up. Bye, now! See y'all later!!