I'm sorry for the late update! But you mix a massive writer's block, slight depression, school and you'd take forever to update too…

Genis: Wow, there's a first for everything… or everything to happen at once, anyway.

Zelos: That's weird…

FireEdge: And just a note, there are MAJOR spoilers for those who HAVE NOT gotten Kratos's ending. As in you had ZELOS in your party and NOT Kratos.

Reviews:

Destiny's Light: Hehe, you know the storyline better than I do! Haha, I'm joking. And you'll find out whose blood that is this chapter! ;)

potter29vo: Yes, I'm hoping that I can keep up with that kind of length for the next chapter! ;; Yes, and I got the idea for flashbacks in italics from you! And I loved that skit also, I couldn't stop laughing when I first read it. And don't worry, I was only referring to the fact that you and TheOneAndOnlyT are both romance saps! I know the other differences!

Detective Anna: Thank you!

Serpentine Rose (x2): Yes, I reread it and did find that some of the words sounded repetitive. And thank you for the compliment! I'm glad you think I've improved. And that's a good idea about Raine's past… I'll be sure to do something with that in later chapters. Heh, and that visual you imagined, I already have some ideas in my head. Though not for this story, I'm getting some ideas for another one. But I might not have that up for awhile… And as for your second review. I actually know that it's not that impossible, but if you look at the way Namco makes Kratos's personality and controls the storyline, it's pretty much impossible to achieve in the game itself. As for the ending, I haven't quite figured out how I want it to end, so…

RiddlenKid: Thanks for reviewing!

Kratos Aurion's Keeper: Thank you for the compliment! :)

Devil's Little Sister: Haha, I'm fixing it!

Josh (x2): Yeah… maybe they are…

Kitten Kisses: -Bowes- :P One day we will find out what is in her diary… but today is not that day. Don't worry, we will find out eventually! ;)

Tifa-Carbuncle: Thank you for the compliment! And I'm sure Zelos enjoyed that hug!

Zelos: Damn right, I do! No one respects me around here!

Willow-189: Thanks for the review!

SweetMisery430: Yeah, I think that's why girls like Zelos too, but I think they like his looks too, not sure why thought. :

Lloydlover26: Heh, don't worry, I won't abandon this fic!

Kristy: Yes, this is one of my favourite pairings too! Hehe, that's why I wrote it.

SilverKidia: Thanks! And as for RegalPresea… I don't really like that pairing; I'm more of a Gesea. I also like Regal with Alicia.

D.C.: Yeah, it's kinda hard to believe that cold ol' Kratos could fall in love, isn't it? :P

Disconsolate Seraph: Thank you and I'm glad that you don't mind the review thing anymore!

tyrantyoshi: You're hooked? Cool! Oh, and I've gotten both the Kratos and the Zelos ending. But if we want to be all technical, in this story, it's the Kratos ending.

TrevorX1: Yeah, poor Kratos, so confused. For once. And no he won't read the journal, but that doesn't mean someone else won't! ;)

Ragnarok-legend: Hehe, you're a poet and you didn't even know it!

Tsutanai Shikaku: I love tormenting people! :) I'm just kidding! I'm glad you liked my flashbacks!

S.R.: YAY! 100 reviews! I'm so happy! I never thought I'd ever get this many reviews with so little chapters!

Shadow Fox 05: Thank you!

murky burning: Yeah, I feel the same way when that happens in the game! But when you find out that Kratos is Lloyd's father, your hope goes down the drain. -.- I'm a fan of angstyish romance, so I'll definitly add some angst in it later on!

Kratos Aurion: Don't worry, this story will hopefully last for a decent amount of chapters!

Hamano Ayumi: Thank you!

Waddle Freakin' Dee: Heh, thanks!

AngelBabie4u: Thanks!

LateNiteSlacker (x3): You were going to write one if I hadn't? Wow! ;; Hehe, yeah, listening to music while you're typing isn't very smart, is it? Funny how you read it later to make it last longer! Thanks for the compliments!

Nanu-Kun: Yeah, I hoped, but it didn't. But here's the next update anyway!

countkata: Thanks for reviewing!

sea-tiger170: Yeah, I do have a lot of reviews don't I? I never expected so many when I first wrote this fic! ;;

Amazon Bunny: That's a good idea, but unfortunately, it's not Raine's…

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

Midnight Visit

Chapter 5

They slowly entered the Tower of Salvation one by one. It was always an eerie place to be. With what looked like hundreds of coffins floating around. Raine shuddered slightly as she gazed at them again.

Stepping onto the warp pad, they all arrived at the next floor. Walking forward, their clinking footsteps came to a halt as they all stood in front of the Eternal Sword's altar.

"Well, Zelos?" Lloyd asked. Zelos smiled and waltzed up to the altar.

"I said I had everything under control, didn't I?" But his grin faded at the look everyone was giving him. "All right, all right! Colette, can you come here for a moment?"

"Huh? Me? Colette asked, a look of confusion on her face. "O-Okay." She then walked forward and stood next to Zelos. Suddenly they all heard a warping sound and, above the altar four forms started to take shape.

"What the--?!" Lloyd exclaimed. The figures then took shape into Pronyma and several angels.

"Good job, Chosen." Pronyma smiled.

"Why thank you, Lady Pronyma." Zelos replied. Pronyma then swooped down and grabbed Colette.

"AHH!" The girl let out a yell.

"Colette!" They all cried. All their eyes turned to Zelos.

"You!" Lloyd drew one of his swords. "How could you betray us?!"

"Betray you?" Pronyma laughed. "He was always on our side, isn't that right, Chosen?" Zelos closed his eyes and opened then again.

"That's right. I've been deceiving you from the start." He paused for a moment. Then looking at Pronyma, he started to speak again. "Lady Pronyma! Leave them to me! Take Colette and go!" Pronyma hesitated for a moment, but nodded slowly and warped away along with the rest of the angels. Leaving them all to look at Zelos expectantly.

"Ze-Zelos! Tell me this is all a joke!" Lloyd demanded again. The red-haired Chosen gazed at them with sad eyes.

"This is no joke, Lloyd." They all stood in silence, staring at him or staring at the ground. Raine frowned. Twice they had been betrayed. Twice she failed to protect Colette like she was suppose to. Phaidra had entrusted Colette's safety into her hands… and Kratos's… But Kratos betrayed us, and put Colette's life--no, her humanity in jeopardy. Yet… I cannot be angry with him…

From beside her, she could hear Sheena shifting. Looking up, she saw the ninja walk up next to Lloyd. Though the half-elf wasn't sure if anyone else noticed, but the black-haired woman's eyes shone with unshed tears.

"Zelos… I always knew you were a pervert… But I never doubted that deep down inside, you were a good person." Zelos's eyes, full of regret and sorrow rested on Sheena.

"Why thank you, my voluptuous hunny." Sheena's eyes closed and a single tear fell down her face. But she said no more.

"Zelos… " Lloyd stepped up again. "Why are you doing this?!"

"Because Mithos said that he'd release me of my title as Chosen."

"What?!" They all stared at him with wide eyes full of shock.

"You did this just so that you didn't have to be Chosen anymore?" Demanded Lloyd furiously. Zelos turned away.

"Being Chosen has made my life an entire joke. Of course I don't want to be Chosen! Now Seles can be Chosen. Just like she wants to be." He then drew his sword. "If I'm not Chosen anymore, everyone will be happy."

"Fine. If that's the way you want it." Lloyd replied firmly. Behind him everyone understood. This was a fight. A fight to the finish. One of them wasn't going to live after this.

Raine gripped her staff tightly. This is just like before. It's starting all over again. Lloyd charged into battle, his twin swords flashing. But this time it's Zelos, not Kratos. She held up her staff as she finished conjuring her spell.

"Field Barrier!" She called out, as a protective aura surrounded everyone. As she prepared to concentrate on another spell, she spotted Sheena from the corner of her eye. The young woman was standing off to one side, trembling, clutching her cards tight in her hands. She doesn't want to fight him… She must really love him…Sheena is… strong to be able not to just fight and run away from love… Unlike me.

"Nurse!" Her staff raised again to heal Lloyd and Presea as they both took hits from Zelos's sword. Beside her she could hear Genis muttering the incantations for a spell.

"Engulf this pathetic soul… Ground Dasher!" As Zelos was taking the damage from the massive earth spell, she saw that Sheena had looked away, unable to continue to watch.

But soon, the battle was over. Zelos collapsed, clutching a deep wound in his side as blood poured from it through his fingers.

"That was pretty good…" He said as he fell.

"Zelos…" Said Lloyd as he caught him. The red-haired Chosen smiled.

"… It's okay. To tell you the truth, I was getting tired of living anyway…"

"Don't talk like that!" Lloyd exclaimed. But Zelos acted like Lloyd hadn't uttered a word.

"Oh yeah, about Colette… She's below, in the hall of the Great Seed. Make sure you save her."

"W…Why did you fight us?" Lloyd asked, even though he knew the answer.

"Because my life was a mistake. But… once I'm gone… Seles might… be happier and … they'll finally let her out of that abbey…" He replied, a smile on his face. The other swordsman's eyes widened.

"Don't tell me that's why you…"

"Heheheh…" Zelos laughed, his voice hoarse. "Nah, that was just a bonus… Make sure you destroy my Cruxis… Crys… tal…" He muttered as his eyes slowly slid shut and his breathing became slower and soon stopped completely.

"… Damned… idiot…" Sheena cursed under her breathe, looking away. Tears trickled down her face. Looking at the red-haired man on the ground, Regal spoke up.

"What shall we do about Zelos's body. We cannot leave him here."

"You're right. But, I don't know what we can do with him…" Lloyd replied. Suddenly they heard a warping sound behind them. Spinning around, they saw that it was Orochi, and a few others from Mizuho. Orochi's eyes widened slightly. He then saw Sheena, her face streaked with tears. His gaze then went back to Zelos's body.

"We'll take care of him." He replied.

"Thank you, Orochi." Lloyd replied, seeing that Sheena wasn't able to say anything more at the moment. Walking up the steps, they stood upon the next warp.


The place they arrived at looked to be almost a labyrinth. The ground looked to be made of dirt, and the walls of stone. Giant tree roots sprawled everywhere. The ground, the walls, even the ceiling.

"Look at these tree roots! Where do you think they're all from?!" Asked Genis, with a gasp.

"I'm guessing they're from the Great Kharlan Tree." Raine answered, taking a close look at them. "But I'm sure the Sorcerer's Ring can burn through them with ease."

"Cool!" Lloyd jumped up in excitement. They all shook their heads. After such a devastating incident, he was overjoyed at the thought of burning tree roots.

As Lloyd started to blast everything with the Sorcerer's Ring, Raine dropped behind to talk with Regal.

"Regal… we need to talk…" She started.

"It's about Lloyd, isn't it?" The blue-haired man asked. The half-elf nodded.

"Yes… we have to take… priorities. And as you know, you're the only person I can really talk to about this…" She replied. Normally she would have talked about this with Kratos… But he's not here anymore…

Regal nodded. "We have to protect Lloyd at all cost. He's the only one who can stand up to Mithos…"

"That's right. We can't let Lloyd be hurt."

"Right."


They had already lost Regal and Sheena to this place. Lloyd didn't want to lose any more as he and the rest of the group ran into another room. Looking around they spotted a weird looking machine in the middle of the room. At the back, they could see a large steel door.

Lloyd ran up to it and pushed it with all his strength. But it didn't budge.

"Dammit, open!" He kicked the door to no avail. Raine then approached the machine in the middle.

"It looks like you can control it from here. Leave this to me." She replied as she started fiddling with it.

"Professor Sage, hurry!" Cried Lloyd. Raine frowned.

"Don't rush me… This is it." She said, a tinge of sadness in her voice as she finished entering the access code.

"You did it! Whoa!" Lloyd cheered as one of the doors slid open, but was cut off as the ground began to shake violently.

"Ahh!" Raine lost her balance as the ground shook underneath her. Suddenly behind her one of the tiles gave way and she fell. "Ow…!!" She yelped as she fell, hurting her self on the rough surface. Catching her self on the edge, she carefully pulled her self up. The ground then stopped shaking.

"Professor Sage! Are you okay?" Lloyd asked.

:"Yeah, Raine, be careful." Genis piped up beside him. Presea nodded in agreement. The young half-elf woman gave them a false smile.

"… I'm fine. I just made a minor input error." She replied.

"Be careful, okay?" Looking down at the machine, she continued to hack into its system.

"It's okay now. I'm opening the next door." As it slowly opened, a monster jumped at them.

"Another input error?" Lloyd asked, as they all backed away.

"No! Now hurry up and defeat it!" They all growled underneath their breaths but charged the monster. As they fought, Raine started working on the next door. As her fingers moved, her mind reeled with thoughts. Am I doing the right thing? I know Lloyd won't like this… But I don't have a choice. Even if it costs me my life…

"This is quite an intricate trap." She murmured to herself.

"Professor Sage, are you really making that many mistakes?" Lloyd asked, his voice annoyed by the delays. Suddenly realization dawned upon his youthful face. "Wiat, are you…"

"There's no time to worry about that! I'm opening the next one!"

"Not again!" They all cried as more monsters leapt out with the opening of the next door. As they ran through to get to the monster, the tiles behind them fell.

"What? Professor Sage! I knew it…" Raine looked at him, a determined look on her face.

"Lloyd, you need to focus on saving Colette right now! Don't get distracted!"

"… Grr" Lloyd growled. Genis and Presea also wore a frown on their faces as thy started to kill the monsters once more. As the last monster dropped dead to the floor, Lloyd turned quickly on his heels and ran back to Raine.

"Professor Sage, it's okay now! Hurry up and come--" Suddenly the ground shook even more vigourously than before. The tiles around Raine and the machine were quickly loosening and falling. Supporting himself with the wall as much as he can, Lloyd called out.

"Professor Sage!"

"Lloyd, this room will soon collapse. Hurry up and go." The half-elf replied, holding on to the machine for support.

"No! I'm not leaving you behind! I don't want to sacrifice anyone anymore!" He protested. Her brows raised at the remark.

"Sacrifice? When did anyone become a sacrifice? I believe in your ideals. A world that would accept those of us caught in the middle. I believe in your vision of the world. It has become my hope. I came all the way here in order to realize that dream. I've no regrets." She said. Though her voice hinted that some part of her speech was false. But Lloyd never noticed, he was so intent of saving her.

"Saving the world won't mean anything if we lose you!" He protested.

"He's right, Raine!" Genis yelled out from beside the swordsman.

"My soul will live on in the world you create. But if your ideals die, then my hope dies as well. Living on without hope is worse than death, don't you think?" Asked Raine.

"I… I don't understand that at all!" He replied defiantly. The silver-haired half-elf sighed.

"If you don't understand, then make use of your remaining life to think about what it means for a person to live. That's my final lesson to you as your teacher. Now, go. Do as your teacher says." She commanded. Her glare was enough to make both boys back off and start towards the warp.

"Professor Sage… I'll never forget you!"

"Raine!" Genis called out in a final good-bye. Presea said nothing, but a silent farewell was exchanged with a morose glance. As the three of them disappeared in the warp, Raine closed her eyes.

"The rest is in your hands, my precious student…"


Stepping off the warp, Kratos looked around. Hmph, this pathetic labyrinth again. He walked forward, stepping over the sprawling tree roots. A few more steps took him to another hall. Looking on the ground, he saw that the roots there had been burned. Scorch marks lay upon the ground.

Bending down, he felt the soot between his fingers. It was barely warm. They had been here perhaps twenty minutes ago. Dusting off his hands as he stood up, he continued on his way. He didn't need to follow the marks of the Sorcerer's Ring to know which way was which. He had to pass through this place before. And with his photographic memory, it was simple to traverse his way.

As he approached a doorway, he could hear the sounds of fighting behind the door. What in the world is going on in there? The mercenary barged through, sword in hand.

In the tall circular room, he saw that Regal was fighting hordes of angel swordians and angle spearians. Seeing that the blue-haired convict was exhausted and on the verge of collapsing, Kratos spread his wings, giving him the look of authority. He then stepped into the centre of the room.

"STOP!" He commanded. The angels stared emotionlessly at the seraphim. Without hesitation, they flew from where they came, leaving Kratos and Regal alone. Turning to the hand-cuffed man, Kratos spoke.

"Are you alright? Where are Lloyd and the others?" His voice was calm and level. But his mind was reeling. Where are they?! Did they get themselves in trouble? Was Lloyd alright? … Was Raine alright?

"I sincerely hope they are alright. But I don't know what has happened to them." Regal replied, standing up. "But I suppose I should thank you." Kratos nodded in acknowledgement.

"We should hurry and see if they're all okay." Nodding, the two men broke through the barricade that Regal had previously made and ran to the next warp.

Running down the winding staircase, they soon reached the bottom.

"What happened here?" Regal stared at the giant tree and the hole below it.

"It would seem that something was fired at the tree…" Kratos remarked. Suddenly, his sharp senses picked something up. Leaning near the hole, he heard a groaning sound coming from below.

"Is something down there?" Asked Regal, kneeling down next to Kratos.

"I think someone's down there. Stay here. I'll be back." Spreading his wings once more, the angel warily flew down the pit. After several moments of darkness, he alighted onto the ground.

Creating a fireball in his hand, he used the light to look around. His eyes widened as they rested on Sheena's unmoving form upon the ground. Walking over, he tested the pulse on the summoner's neck. A slow but steady beat could be felt underneath his fingers. Picking her up and hoisting her over his shoulder, he extinguished his flame and started to fly upwards.

"Sheena!" Regal exclaimed as Kratos appeared into view. Laying her down on the ground, he looked at Regal.

"Stay here and take care of her. I doubt that I could carry both you and her across at once, and we're running out of time. For now I'll search for the others and find you an alternate route." Without waiting for a response, Kratos flew across the gap and was soon on the other side of the warp.


Raine wondered about what she had said to Lloyd as she waited for her inevitable death. Had she really told him the truth? Did she really have no regrets? No she hadn't told Lloyd the truth. She did have regrets…


Raine sat up from the position she was laying in. Her small body was wrapped in a thick blanket, keeping her warm. The swaying of the boat reminded her that it had only been yesterday that she had fallen out… fallen into the freezing waters…

Her eyes widened slight and she started shaking, despite the warm wool blanket that covered her.

Suddenly, the boat gave another lurch. Raine let out a cry as she was flung to the ground. As she tried to get up, the door burst open.

"F-Father?" She asked shakily, as the man came in. His face was worried and stressed. Kloitz walked over to his daughter and gently picked her up.

"Come on, Raine. We have to go."

"Go where?" She asked, her big blue eyes wide with fear.

"You don't have to worry about that. Now take your things."

"O-Okay…" She slipped from her fathers arms and carefully picked up the bag that her mother had prepared for her, before hand.

"I'm ready!" Kloitz smiled at his little girl.

"Come on." Picking her up, again, he walked out onto the deck. Looking around, Raine could see that they had stopped. Where were they? Craning her neck, the young half-elf saw her mother, holding Genis, her baby brother tight in her arms.

"Virginia… Let's go." Kloitz called to his wife. The other woman nodded. They slowly started off the plank, but suddenly lightning struck from the sky. Blacked planks lay where Kloitz had stood moments ago.

"They've caught up to us!" Yelled Kloitz. "Run, Raine!" He put the frightened girl down and drew out his bow. Running to the port side of the ship, he could see that another ship was near them. An elf mage lowered her staff. She was the one who had cast the spell. Many more elven mages and archers could be seen.

Kloitz took aim with his longbow, pulling back, his arrow struck the mage. From the other ship, the elf collapsed.

"How dare you wound our kind, you despicable human!" Another elf cried.

"I'll wound as many of you as I can, if it protects my family!" He roared back.

"Kloitz!" Virginia called.

"Go, Virginia! Take the children and go!" She heard his reply. The elven woman was torn. Hesitating a moment, she pulled Raine towards her.

"Mother?" The little girl asked, her eyes round with fear.

"Raine… be a good girl and take of your brother." Her mother replied. She tucked the newborn into Raine's arms, along with a bag of supplies. "Go to the other side. Go and live the life that I could not give you." Virginia gently pushed Raine towards the small island, towards the giant ring of rocks. Her cheeks were streaming with tears.

"M-Mother?!" Raine cried, clutching the crying baby Genis close to her.

"Go, Raine! GO!" Frightened, Raine turned and ran towards the center of the ring of rocks. Above her in the sky, the clouds moved, revealing a shining full moon. A beam of light fell a top the little half-elf, and a blinding white light covered her. Raine couldn't see, the next thing she knew, she was falling.

She landed with a light thump. Looking around, she saw that she was sitting on tall grass. It appeared to be night time. Beside, her Genis lay, crying.

"Oh! Genis!" She picked up her little brother. "Don't cry Genis!" She cooed, though tears flowed freely down her own cheeks.

Standing up, she picked up her things and started walking. As she walked, she soon saw the wooden gates of a village. Maybe I can get help there? She thought as she approached the gate.

"Who's there?!" A guard yelled out, hearing the snap of twigs. "Huh?" His eyes widened as a little girl with silver hair came into view. She was clutching an infant against her chest, holding a bag. Her large blue eyes were shining with tears.

"Please help me! Me and my brother were being chased, and our parents are gone! I-I don't know what to do! Please help me!" More tears formed in her eyes and she dropped to her knees. The soldier knelt down beside her.

"It's okay, little girl. We'll help you. Come on." He gently took the girl's hand and led her to someone he knew would take care of her.

Raine took the man's hand and let him lead her towards a large wooden house. The man knocked three times upon the door. She could hear footsteps coming from inside. As they slowed down, the door opened, revealing a woman who looked to be in her forties. The blonde woman's eyes widened as she saw the young girl with the guard.

"Oh my. What's going on?" She asked.

"Phaidra, this girl showed up at the gates. She said she was being chased and the she doesn't know where her parents are. I know the mayor won't really like us taking in strangers, but she's only a child. I couldn't just leave her out there with all those monsters and Desians!" The soldier replied. Phaidra nodded.

"Alright, I'll let her stay with me for the night, and see what we should do in the morning." Phaidra dismissed the guard and turned to Raine as he left. "What's your name?"

"I'm Raine, ma'am. This is my brother, Genis." She showed the woman her still crying brother. Phaidra smiled.

"Come in, Raine." She closed the door as the little girl walked in. "Would you like something to eat?" Raine nodded shyly. Sitting her down at the table, Phaidra called her son down.

"Frank!" A man in his 20's walked down the stairs at his mother's call. "Prepare some food for these children, will you?" The man nodded after seeing the two half-elves. He then hurried and started to cook something on the stove.

Phaidra then turned to Raine, as she took Genis into her arms.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Raine, ma'am. Raine Sage."


Raine never had the chance to repay Phaidra and Frank for their kindness. She never got to see Genis grow up into a healthy young man. She'll never see the new world that Lloyd was going to build. And most of all, she'll never see his angelic features again…

Kratos warped through the portal. As he landed on the other side, he immediately felt rumbling.

"What's going on here?!" He quickly ran farther in, despite the massive earthquakes. As he neared the center of the room, the sight before him made his eyes widen.

Raine stood at the center of a pinnacle with a giant machine.

"Raine!" He called out. But she didn't hear him… the platform collapsed. The half-elf started to fall down the endless pit.

"RAINE!!!"

FireEdge: All done! Sorry if this chapter is short. And I also apologize for the choppy beginning. I'll try and make up for it, next chapter. Please tell me if I have any grammer/spelling mistakes as I do not have too much time to read this over...

Genis: Uh huh…

Zelos: I'm dead?! How am I still here?!

FireEdge: Plot holes, my pathetic muse, plot holes. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sleep…

Genis: Please review…

Zelos: X.x

--FireEdge--