A/N: WAHHHH! I JUST FINISHED THE FURUBA DVDS! I haven't cried so much in such a long time... I wanna write a Furuba fic now! But ALAS. I have to at least update this one first... and I'm going to skillfully make a plot next time... Anyway, if this ends up being short... don't get mad... I already drew out the plotline for everyone. Now, to avoid rants!

Disclaimer: I don't own ToS and all that loverly Disclaiming crap...

Touched By An Angel

Chapter 4

It was soon that the days became weeks, and those weeks added up into months. Upon reaching the Tower of Salvation, fate waited patiently for their arrival. Zelos carried out his double-betrayal. Mithos was defeated at his own game, and the worlds were combined. All was well: Zelos and Kratos had succeeded. But was Zelos happy?

"What?" His jaw dropped, about ready to hit the floor. That... couldn't be right!

"That's what Lloyd told me," the summoner explained. "Kratos requested to be sent to Derris Kharlan, but--" Her sentence fell as he ran out the door. Sighing, she clasped her hands together. "I don't know if I've ever seen Zelos' face like that. I didn't think Kratos meant that much to him... Well, he did know him from Cruxis. I wonder..." She walked back into the cozy home, sitting on a couch. Sheena was to go back to her duties, but she needed some time to think first...

"What could he be thinking? Not even a goodbye?" He was angry, he was sad, he was frustrated. Why would Kratos want to go back there? But he focused his thoughts into getting to Iselia forest without crashing the Rheiard.

When he landed (and turning up some soil in the process) he ran for Dirk's house immediately, thinking that the three of them would be there. The dwarf was standing outside, and upon seeing the redhead, he cocked his head quizzically. "Zelos? What are you..."

"Where's Kratos?" he demanded immediately. "Where is he?"

"Out back. But--"

Zelos did not hear the rest of the sentence, running off to find the one he probably needed most to live. And sure enough, was Kratos, speaking to Lloyd quietly. "You're leaving?" he shouted, falling on the grass, panting. Both Aurions looked back at him, eyes wide. Lloyd's chocolate eyes remained opened, while Kratos' settled into a myseterious calm look.

"Why are you here?" he asked, voice deep. It was either a growl or curiousity... but it was impossible to tell the difference.

"Why... would you leave without a goodbye? Why would you go at all?" He was fighting the tears back as hard as he could, but he was so exhausted, that it was ten times harder to control himself.

"I must take blame for what Cruxis has done. So..."

"What about Yuan? What about me?"

"Yuan and you both have things to attend to."

"I don't have to do shit! And you have to watch your son!" Lloyd jumped slightly at this.

"Lloyd will be fine on his own. He and Colette are--"

"Collecting Expheres, I know that! But... you haven't seen your son in so many years... why wouldn't you spend time with him? Why... would you leave so suddenly..." His body was shaking, ready to completely break down. He was cracking, so quickly.

"Zelos. This isn't about Lloyd." Cobalt crystals widened instantly. "You are upset that I would leave without seeing you."

"That's..." A tear escaped, strolling down his sweat-glazed cheeks. "not true.."

"Yes, it is." He walked over to and knelt by the former Chosen's side. "But what I do not understand..." To the youngers' surprise, the angel bent down and embraced the male. "Why I did not see this before. How did I not know... the way you looked at me..." Zelos wrapped his arms around Kratos and held on tightly. He shattered completely, once a flirtatious man now just a sobbing boy. Even after the world was settled, Zelos was still lost in himself. And this was the one person who had ever yielded as much as a lamp to guide the way. These feelings that he held for Kratos... they were ever-so truly the feelings that one could only come close to describing as love.

"Kratos... I-I..." But he couldn't come to say it. His vocal chords were tangled in his throat. "I-I'm so sorry... I... this wasn't..." Just as the novels always read. Overused and meaningless, the words can spill so easily, and are hardly every thought of. But when they are filled with so much memory, so much tension, and so many feelings, they were gentle. That they seemed to be fragile, and they'd break the moment he attempted to speak them.

"Sorry? Why would you be sorry, Zelos? If that is how it is... then why not embrace it?" Confusion floored him. Embrace it? What was he talking about? Or was he totally clueless after all? Love between two men... that was... it was taboo! And Kratos of all people to say this. That simply didn't add up! "I'm sorry too..." Several blinks came from Zelos. "You looked so helpless that day... I knew we would meet, but I never thought that our destinies would become this."

"What are you saying?" he asked softly, voice cracking.

"Do not regret falling in love." So he did know. And the tears only seemed to fill faster, falling quicker than rain. "Because... you mean a lot to me too, Zelos. You... are something that filled the empty spaces in my heart. What I have been missing for 4,000 years, and what I have lost since that night fourteen years ago..." The former Chosen lifted his head to look at Kratos. And for the first time, the corner of Kratos' lips lifted gently, forming a sincere smile. "You are rotten sometimes, but... you are so much different inside." All the things that went unsaid were carried away by the evening breeze. And although Lloyd thought that his was extremely awkward to know his dad had fallen in love with none other than the flirty redhead, he was filled with such a breed of emotions. He couldn't say anything.

"Are you really going to leave?" Zelos asked.

"I must. It... is what I need to do." They both released and stood up. "I'm sorry. But... it is only for the best. I do not want you to end up unhappy."

"Unhappy? What do you mean?"

"You will find out, one day..." He walked towards his son, and nodded. "You must send me to Derris Kharlan now, before it is too far away..."

Zelos could not help but continue to sob. It wasn't fair. His angel was being sent back into the Heavens... and he wasn't going to ever see him again. Not even in the afterlife. And when his body was gone, he fell to his knees and screamed... screamed until he wasn't able to breathe, and collasped.

When he came to, he was laying in a bed, and his vision coming into a clear focus, he remembered this room as Lloyd's bedroom. He sat up and groaned, but no voice coming from his throat. "You're awake." Zelos jumped, looking over at his rescuer.

"..." He had spoken Lloyd's name, and yet there was no sound.

"You... you..." His red-gloved hands balled into fists. "How... dare you!" He shut his eyes tightly, fighting back his own torrent of tears. But what was he talking about? What had he done? He was the one who sent his father to the sky! "You... you made my mother... into nothing!" Two eyes widened. "Dad doesn't even... think of her, because now he will only think of you!" He looked down, drops of bitter tears falling onto the wooded floors.

"I'm sorry..." was all that Zelos could think. "This is all my fault for being the Chosen... I'm so sorry..." And he cried as well, his drops of regret wetting the sheets he laid in.

A/N: OMG! HE HAVE SOME PLOT! ...KUSO! I just extended the story more... didn't I? Oh well! It has a good twist... I guess... feeeehhhhh...

Thank you for all your support as I continue to write! Gomen nasai for being so slow... it's what some call writer's block...