Chapter 3: Affections

"Kratos?"

Said person tensed upon hearing the elven professor call his name. He turned from examining a pillar to face her. Surprisingly, she had a rather downcast expression. He nodded to tell her he was listening.

"I just wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday. When you told me about the details of EBRUN I-I don't know what came over me…" She turned away, no longer able to meet the seraphim's gaze. "I-I just wanted to thank you. I'm sorry."

"I take no offense. Though I must admit, trying to kiss me and then having Sheena stuff a snowball down my shirt are very odd ways of saying thank you."

Raine faltered for a moment. How did he know about that…?

"So sis did have a reason. I just thought she had a crush on him or something…I should have known it involved ruins…" Genis whispered to Lloyd. Unfortunately, it was a bit too loud and the healer smacked her brother upside the head.

"All right. Sheena, you know what to do," Raine said once they reached the seal room.

The summoner nodded. "I call upon the disciple of everlasting ice. I summon thee! Come, Celsius!"

The summon spirit of ice appeared in a bright flash of sky blue light. "Why have you summoned me?"

"Um, we heard about an Experimental Biological Revival UNit that was sealed here. Do you think you could show us the way?" Sheena asked the spirit.

Celsius let out a sigh. "Mithos just had to choose my temple to store that junk in…All right, fine. I'll show you the way."

"Thanks, my cool beauty!" Zelos exclaimed with a perverted grin on his face. This caused everyone, including Celsius, to sweatdrop.

"You stupid Chosen!" Sheena yelled while raising her hand to smack him.

Zelos caught her hand and waved his index finger teasingly. "I'm not a Chosen anymore, remember?"

"FINE. You stupid ex-Chosen!"

"Much better," Zelos smiled as he allowed Sheena to smack him.

"Oooookay…" was Lloyd's response.

Ignoring the bickering humans, Celsius raised her right hand and opened a previously undetectable door behind the altar.

"Thank you, Celsius," the summoner chimed. The spirit nodded once and vanished in another flash of light. Speaking of light, they had a problem. The chamber Celsius had opened was completely dark, and using fire magic in an ice cave wasn't wise.

"Great. Now what?" Genis sighed.

"Leave this to me," came Zelos's response. His Cruxis Crystal shined before bright orange wings appeared on his back.

"Oh, I get it!" Colette exclaimed. She brought out her own pink and purple wings to add more light. Kratos and Lloyd followed the Chosens' example. The four angels led the way into the room. Raine gained the lead as soon as a magitechnology computer came into view.

"Marvelous!" She looked around for a moment, then frowned in frustration. "Lloyd, get over here!" The professor grabbed the boy by one of the white strips of cloth on the back of his outfit. She shoved him so that his back was against the control panel.

"Why me?" Lloyd complained.

"Because your wings give off the most light. Now hold still so I can see," Raine commanded. Genis and Zelos were snickering in the background and Lloyd shot them an annoyed glare.

'He should be here by now,' Kratos thought. 'I wonder what's keeping him?'

"Aha! That should start it up!" Raine shouted as she pushed a few buttons. Everyone turned to stare as metal shutters above the machine opened up. A large glass tube was pushed forward. The tube contained a now frozen liquid and a girl in her early twenties with short, bright green hair. She was dressed in a gray tunic with black armor covering her shoulders and upper chest. What appeared to be a white exphere was attached to her body directly above her collarbone. There were wires hooked up to her temples and the gem on her neck.

"So is that the EBRUN?" Genis asked to no one in particular.

Kratos took the time to fill everyone in. "Correct. This is one of the Renegade's and Cruxis's greatest projects. The Experimental Biological Revival UNit. In life, she was a human and an extraordinary healer. Both organizations took note of this. First, the Renegades, who initially began the project. Then, Cruxis realized it's potential, and stole it from them."

"Midori…" Everyone turned at the sound of a soft thump hitting the icy floor.

"Yes, her name was Midori. How did you know, Cho-" The seraphim cut off his sentence as soon as he turned to see Zelos on his knees with his head hung low. His fists were clenched at his sides and his shoulders were trembling slightly.

Lloyd approached the redhead with concern. "Zelos, what's wrong?"

"Stay away," he growled.

"What? Zelos, what's going on?" Lloyd persisted. He had never seen the noble act this way before. He placed a hand on his companion's shoulder.

"I said stay away from me!" Zelos shouted as he smacked Lloyd's hand away.

"Zelos! What's the matter with you?" The boy placed both arms on Zelos's shoulders this time.

"Get away from me!" He yelled louder. Without thinking, he shot a bolt of electrical mana towards the Eternal Swordsman. Lloyd screamed in surprise and pain as he fell back to the floor. He brought a hand to his chest where the lightning had struck. The flesh was badly burned and it was bleeding through his now scorched shirt. Zelos was staring at Lloyd with wide eyes, horrified at what he had done in a blind rage. He stood up and ran at full speed out of the room.

"Zelos…!" Lloyd called after his friend. Sheena and Colette held him back when he tried to get up.

"Lloyd, don't move! That wound is serious!" Sheena scolded.

Lloyd's gaze dropped to Zelos's exphere that had fallen out of his pocket during the jolt.

"Don't you dare lose that. It was given to me by someone special."

"Special? Who's that?" Lloyd asked while taking the exphere. He immediately regretted saying that seeing his friend's eyes take on a tint of sadness.

"She…was my first real girlfriend. Unfortunately, she disappeared about a year before you guys arrived in Tethe'alla for the first time. I had noticed her acting a bit out of it before that happened, but I didn't think she would run away."

"I have to follow him. Don't try to stop me!" Lloyd exclaimed as he broke free of the girls' grasp. Ignoring the pain in his chest he rose, scooped up the exphere, and took off in the direction that Zelos had gone.

"Lloyd!" Colette exclaimed as she started after him.

"Stop," Kratos stated while holding one arm in front of her.

"But why?" Colette asked with a hurt look.

"If anyone else interferes now, that idiot Chosen will most likely do something rash again. Lloyd is the only one that can help him now. We would only get in the way."

"But still-"

"Colette, listen to me. Out of all the people here, Lloyd is the only one Zelos has opened up to in the least bit. Anyone else might cause him to lash out again," Colette tilted her head to the side in confusion, but Kratos still continued. "So the best thing everyone can do right now is just stay here and wait. I will follow them in case anything goes wrong, understood?" The former Chosen still looked hesitant. Kratos sighed before whispering in a soft voice that only her angelic hearing could pick up. "Although I hate to admit it, I can relate to Zelos in a way. You could call Lloyd his 'light', easing the darkness that surrounds his heart. In that sense, I also have a person who is my light."

"Who's that?" Colette asked curiously.

"…" Was the reply as Kratos turned to follow his son at a safe distance, leaving the only remaining angel staring in bewilderment.

"What did Kratos say to you?" the ninja asked curiously.

Since she wasn't sure what Kratos had meant by light and whatnot, she put on a big smile and answered. "He just said he would follow them in case anything bad happens, and that the best thing we can do is to wait." Well, that was part of what he said. So it wasn't really a lie, was it? The party seemed to accept the answer.

"It sure is dark in here now," Genis mused. The others nodded in agreement.

Zelos came to a halt a short distance outside the entrance close to where they had obtained the Celsius's Tear flower. He unsheathed his short sword with a slow motion of his right hand. There was only so much a person could take, and he had finally had enough. At times, when they were on the journey to reunite the two worlds, Lloyd was the only thing that kept him going. Now, with the discovery of what had become of the first person he had truly been in love with, and now with the added weight of lashing out at the one he loved most, that had thrown him over the edge. He was tired of living. Everything about it was just one big mistake. It was as if he had fallen into a hole that was too deep to get out of. Now he realized, almost ironically, that he had been falling his whole life. Well, ever since his mother had died. He almost laughed out loud at the thoughts going through his mind. Zelos Wilder, ladies man and former Chosen of Tethe'Alla, the best at everything he did, was thrilled to finally be falling. Zelos couldn't help but burst out in humorless laughter. His expression darkened as he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. He slowly brought it up to the exposed flesh on his neck.

"Zelos!" came Lloyd's voice from behind. He dove for the figure in pink and grasped both his wrists in a tight hold. "Dammit, Zelos, get a hold of yourself! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Shut up, Lloyd. You wouldn't understand."

Lloyd was briefly taken aback by his companion's sharp tongue. But he soon regained his composure. "Try me."

Zelos laughed. "What would I know anyway? I'm just a weak idiot."

"That's not true and you and I both know that!" Lloyd shot back angrily. This caused Zelos to sigh. He should have learned by now that his carefree mask didn't work on Lloyd.

"I can't take anymore," Zelos began. "My life just feels so hopeless. I even ended up hurting you. I thought that you and everyone else would be better off without me…"

"Stop going on like that!" Lloyd shouted. Still keeping a tight grip on the redhead's wrists he pulled the older bishonen towards him.

Zelos let out a small gasp as Lloyd embraced him from behind. The idealist buried his face in Zelos's hair. The Chosen could feel his love's breath against his ear. "I need you with me, Zelos. Haven't you realized that yet?"

The magic swordsman felt his jaw drop in surprise. Did Lloyd just say what he thought he said? The sword fell from his hand and clattered to the ice harmlessly as his whole body seemed to go limp in the boy's arms. He could faintly feel the idealist's warm blood slowly seeping through the back of his shirt. He immediately spun around when Lloyd let go of his wrists. He wrapped his arms around the brunette's neck, returning the embrace. Lloyd pulled their bodies impossibly closer as Zelos started sobbing. The young noble's voice was barely a whisper. "Thank you."

Kratos made his presence known a few moments after that by clearing his throat. Lloyd turned around to face his angelic father and smiled weakly. He nodded to tell him that they would go back. The idealist turned to face Zelos again and offered him his hand. Zelos stared at it for a moment, then smiled. He entwined his fingers with the boy's and walked with him past Kratos. Said person stepped forward once they passed to pick up Zelos's short sword. The angel let out a small gasp. There were traces of both the boys' blood on its twin edges. Kratos suddenly sighed and smiled. His son was as reckless as ever. He had cut his hand when taking hold of the ex-Chosen's wrists. The seraphim slipped the sword into a spare sheath. He would return it to Zelos once this incident was over.

The tears were still free-falling from the magic swordsman's eyes. "Lloyd, wait," he said suddenly.

"Mm?" was the boy's response as he came to a halt. Still holding Lloyd's right hand with his left, he brought his free hand to the wound he had inflicted earlier. This caused Lloyd to flinch a little.

"I may not be as good of a healer as Raine, but here goes," He concentrated the mana of his body into his hand. "Healing Stream!" Lloyd inhaled sharply at the mana that flowed through his body, but relaxed as the pain in his chest subsided.

Lloyd brought a gloved hand up to the other man's face, gently wiping off the tears that were present. Both smiled and Lloyd turned to resume walking. Zelos wiped the blood from his hand on a nearby wall. The two opened their wings once they reentered the dark chamber. Colette came running to them once they were in sight of each other. She hugged both of them at once.

"Lloyd! Zelos! You're both okay!" Unfortunately, she slipped on the icy floor after finishing her sentence. The three toppled over with the klutzy ex-Chosen on top. "Whoops! I'm sorry," she said while rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"No, that's okay. Sorry to make you worry like that, Colette," Zelos replied in a soft voice.

Once they had managed to get off the floor Zelos padded over to the frozen Midori. He placed both gloved hands on the glass as a painful sigh escaped his lips.

"Midori was very dedicated to our organization and chose this path herself," chimed a new voice.

Zelos didn't seem to react but Lloyd turned in surprise. "Yuan! When did you-?"

Yuan looked at Lloyd, or rather Zelos, with sympathetic eyes. "I arrived here on Kratos's request. He told me everything through angelic telepathy," he paused while closing his eyes to chose his words carefully. "I'm afraid it's impossible to bring her back at this point," The blue-haired half-elf said as Zelos slumped over once more. Yuan walked over and cautiously placed a hand on the ex-Chosen's shoulder. "Would you like to say goodbye?"

Zelos's head shot up at this statement. What did Yuan mean by that?

As if reading his mind the angel answered. "Like others you have seen on your journey, Midori's soul is sealed within that exphere," he pointed to the white gem above the girl's chest. "The ice surrounding it will have to be dealt with," With that said, Yuan placed his hands on the glass and told everyone to stand aside as he muttered an incantation that shattered it into millions of tiny shards. He stepped aside and nodded to Zelos, who had already begun a fire spell. Instead of the usual fireball, he held the mana in his hand and pressed it against the ice. There was a loud hissing sound as the solid was instantly vaporized. With a trembling hand he reached out and grabbed the exphere, slightly surprised at how easily it slipped out of the key crest. The exphere began to glow at his touch and suddenly flashed a few times before a transparent figure appeared before them. The rest of the party rushed over to get a better look at the spirit, Lloyd was the closest besides Zelos.

"Zel-chan, it's really you!" The spirit exclaimed in delight. She giggled as he flinched at the old nickname. Her expression sobered as she realized her current state of existence. "So this is really the end for me…" She paused, looking down. "I'm sorry I never told you about this, and that I didn't say goodbye…when I was alive,"

Zelos instinctively hugged the spirit, shocked when he realized they could actually touch. "You don't have to apologize. I'm just glad I got the chance to see you again," he whispered.

"Me too," Midori replied. There was a long pause as the two just held each other. "Umm, I don't want to spoil the mood, but…" the spirit started cautiously. "I just have to say hi to that cutie over there!" She exclaimed in an excited and strangely familiar tone, pointing at Lloyd. Everyone fell over in exasperation.

Zelos got up, rubbing his head. "Even in death you flirt with other guys? You sure do know how to hit me where it hurts," the ex-Chosen whined. Midori didn't seem to hear this as she floated over to where Lloyd was standing.

"My, aren't you a cute little country bumpkin!" at that statement, everyone turned to stare wide-eyed at Zelos, finally recognizing the tone Midori was using. Zelos just stood staring and trying to go unnoticed. The spirit, however, seemed confused. "What? Why is everyone staring at my hunny?" The startled faces went from Zelos, to Midori, and back again. Sheena started to twitch and muttered something about a female version of Zelos. "Female version of…wait! You don't mean that after I left you started acting like me? Silence fell over the party; there were no objections. Midori stared for a moment, blinking, then burst out in a fit of laughter, that left Zelos looking rather annoyed as a blush rose to his cheeks. Still giggling, she turned back to Lloyd, giving him a once-over. Smiling in satisfaction, she spoke again. "Wow, you totally seem like Zelos's type! So tell me, what's your relationship with him?"

"WHAT?" Lloyd squeaked in a soft voice, his face soon matching the color of his outfit.

"Hehehe…I see…" The spirit replied mysteriously, as if she could see something the others could not. She giggled and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Lloyd stepped back in shock, bringing a hand up to his mouth. Ignoring him, the spirit walked over to Zelos and did the same to him. That task done, her eyes took on a tint of sadness (A/N: major mood swings, huh?) She let a sigh pass through her lips. "Zelos, I have one last wish before I lose my consciousness completely. Give me an angel's death."

"Angel's…death?" Lloyd questioned. Zelos seemed to understand, so he resumed watching.

Zelos's body glowed the faintly, angel feathers spiraling upward from a magic circle on the floor. "Goodbye…Midori…" he whispered as the spirit nodded. "Divine Judgment!" He shouted as the mana was released. Endless beams of light rained from above and shattered the Cruxis Crystal into millions of microscopic shards. An uneasy silence filled the room. Zelos turned slowly to face the party. "Well, let's go! The more time we have to party the better!" he said, smiling. Everyone else looked at him with slightly wide eyes.

'That smile…' Lloyd thought as Zelos walked past them towards the exit. '…It's not the mask-like one he usually wears…' The others began walking as Zelos motioned for them to hurry up. 'I think…' He still stood there as Genis and Colette encouraged Yuan to come back with them. '…that for the first time in a long while, he's actually happy.' Lloyd let a smile of his own appear as he ran to catch up with the rest.