Sorry for the long wait guys but I had two major exams and a speech to prepare. So, now I'm going to update. Oh, and I did want to let everyone know that I am planning on writing another story after I am done with these two. I'm thinking that the following story will be something that some of you may not like, but I think I'm going to write it anyway. So, with that in mind let's start the chapter. Enjoy


Chapter 15: Those You Love

Zelos couldn't believe he had let Mithos take Storm. He had promised himself that he would never let her go back there and then he had watched as Mithos took her away from them. He sat on the ground in front of Lloyd's house and watched as the others prepared to go to Derris Kharlan.

Sure, they were going to Derris Kharlan, and Lloyd was getting the Eternal Ring now so he could wield his new sword, but would they actually be able to save her? Zelos sighed as he looked at the ground almost as if he were looking for answers in it. He didn't even notice as Sheena quietly sat down next to him.

"Zelos, what's wrong?" she asked him almost in a whisper. She had been watching the others and was apparently the only person who saw that something was wrong with the red-head. She stared at him a few moments and decided to get his attention once again when she didn't get an answer from the completely distracted Zelos.

"Zelos!" she said loudly, trying to gain his attention.

Zelos looked up with wide eyes as he finally noticed that Sheena was next to him. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even realize she was there.

"What?" he asked, still surprised by her arrival.

"I asked you what was wrong," she reminded him while waiting for his answer.

"...Nothing's wrong...I'm fine..." he lied to her, trying to hide his true feelings from the summoner.

"Oh come on. You haven't flirted with me or any of the other females in this group for a long time. Actually, not since Storm left. Is that what's bothering you?" Sheena asked, half realizing what the problem was half way through. Actually, she was surprised that Zelos might actually be worried about her. "You can tell me, I won't say anything to anyone," she assured him when she saw that he was getting uncomfortable with the whole situation.

Zelos sighed, knowing he wasn't going to be getting out of this conversation. "Fine, it is about Storm. I promised myself I wouldn't let her fall into his hands again and then she was taken away. Who knows what's happening to her right now. Here I am sitting here waiting, and she's probably going through hell up there," Zelos blurted out in a huge rush of words.

Sheena looked at him, shocked by his sudden rush of words and emotion that had been bottled up inside. She looked over at him with a small smile on her face. "She's a tough girl and she'll be all right. We want to be prepared enough so we can actually get her back, and we will. Don't worry Zelos, she'll be fine," Sheena comforted him.

"I really hope you're right..." Zelos sighed as Sheena got up to go and see the others.

Before long, Lloyd and Kratos emerged from Dirk's house ready to go and rescue Storm. Zelos stood up, ready to give everything he had and save Storm.


When the group finally made it to Derris Kharlan, they walked along the halls until the made it to a spot that changed their entire plan. Suddenly, everyone save Kratos and Lloyd were trapped in some sort of barrier.

"Guys, are you okay?" Lloyd asked them as he spun around, terrified at the situation.

"We're fine, but we appear to be in some sort of trap," Raine pointed out.

"I'll find a way to get you guys out of there," Lloyd said as he began to think of anything that could possibly help.

"Don't worry about us, you need to go and find Storm before it's too late. We'll be fine," Sheena almost ordered him.

"Dammit. I'm sorry Storm I couldn't save you once again. I can only hope that Lloyd and Kratos are able to bring you back by themselves," Zelos thought before he and the rest of the group disappeared into the glowing circle. When he did, everything went black.

Soon, Zelos opened his eyes and realized that he was standing in the air on some weird platform. He looked over and saw Sheena and Colette appear as well. He had no idea where they were or how they had gotten there, but he was ready for whatever was going to come. Suddenly, a vortex formed underneath them, and all three began to try and outrun the void. Suddenly, Seles appeared in front of Zelos, completely throwing him for a loop. He wondered how she managed to get to Derris Kharlan. He looked over and saw the same expressions on Sheena and Colette's faces and saw that Kuchinawa and Frank were standing in front of them.

"Do you want me to help you Zelos?" Zelos' sister asked him as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Seles? What's going on?" Zelos asked the others who all looked about as confused as he did.

"Keep running Sheena, there's no escape," Kuchinawa laughed at the summoner's predicament.

"Kuchinawa...it can't be...this has to be some sort of illusion," Sheena stuttered, blwn away by the person in front of her.

"You've been raised in Mizuho for this long and you still can't tell that I'm not an illusion?" Kuchinawa questioned her.

"What a fitting end to such a pathetic Chosen," Frank told Colette as he sneered at her with a look on his face that could make someone believe that he had just smelled the most rotten stench on earth.

"What a pathetic person. You betray your friends then go crawling back for their forgiveness," Seles told Zelos coldly.

"You betrayed everyone in Slyverant who was depending on you," Frank told Colette who looked like she was about to cry.

The three were at a loss of words as Mithos appeared above them, looking happily down as his plan was being put into action.

"If you look below you, you will see a monster. If you are swallowed by that monster you will neither live nor die you will merely exist. If you join me and help me defeat Lloyd, I will spare your lives," Mithos informed them. If only the rest of the group only knew that the monster was actually just Storm, Lloyd, and Kratos.

"Like I'd help you do that," Zelos spat back at him.

"Zelos, think about it. You said that your entire life has been a joke. Isn't that why you tried to die anyway? That was a good choice on your part, you never should have been born anyway. Don't you remember your mother telling you that? Just end all the pain and join Mithos. Mithos promised to get rid of your title. He will make me the Chosen," Seles told him.

"You brought misfortune upon the people of Mizuho. If it wasn't for you my parents and many of the villagers would still be alive. Join Mithos and if you do everyone in the village, including me, will forgive you for the terrible things you did. Why even bother saving the worlds anyway? You will only cause pain to Lloyd's group, you never should have been born," Kuchinawa told Sheena angrily.

"My own daughter betrays her people. You were supposed to bring peace to the people in Sylverant, but all you did was raise their hopes only to bring them to misfortune. You weren't strong enough and couldn't sacrifice yourself and because of it everyone is suffering. I thought you would have been a better Chosen, but you should have never been born. Join Mithos and he will let you help those people again," Frank told Colette.

"I'll lose my title of the Chosen?" Zelos asked Seles, thinking it over a little bit.

"The people of Mizuho will forgive me?" Sheena asked.

"I can help the people of Sylverant?" Colette thought out loud.

Zelos was seriously considering these options when suddenly he heard an all too familiar voice break into the conversation.

"Colette, don't forget about what Mithos will really do. You know that he doesn't want to help the people of Sylverant, you'll only be helping him. You shouldn't have to sacrifice yourself. Everyone has a right to live," Lloyd's voice screamed out from what seemed to be the monster.

Zelos couldn't help but wonder if the monster had eaten Lloyd already and that he just hadn't seen it.

"Lloyd?" Colette asked.

"That's not Lloyd, the monster is just mimicking his voice," Mithos warned the three.

Zelos was a little hesitant about Mithos' explanation, but he was about to buy it. Suddenly, another voice broke through and this one was directed at him.

"Zelos, don't you dare listen to Seles, if you even want to call her Seles. You know that your sister wouldn't say something like that, you know that. Please don't forget that there is someone down here that is glad you were born. There is someone down here who would be heartbroken if you joined Mithos right now. Please, don't forget about me Zelos," Storm cried out to him.

Zelos had to admit that he was almost certain that the voice he had heard belonged to Storm. No monster could ever mimic the feelings that she expressed when she cried to him.

"Sheena, you know that your summoning skills are what got us this far. Without you we never would have been able to save anyone. You made one mistake, so did I. That doesn't mean that you never should have been born. Everyone's life has value," Lloyd called up to her.

"My life has value...?" Sheena asked quietly, almost to herself.

"No ones life has value, especially not a worthless Chosen, a traitor, and a murderer," Mithos pointed out to three.

"Shut up! They all have value because they're my friends," Lloyd said angrily to Mithos.

"Yeah, I know about feeling like I never should have been born," Storm began. "Pronyma used to tell me that all the time that she wanted me dead. I never really fit in anywhere and I betrayed my friends and family, both my families. I always felt that it would just be easier to run from all my problems and to think that I never should have been born. The day that I fought Pronyma I finally decided that I did have a right to live and I embraced it. Now, you all need to do that same and stop running," she told them all.

"You really are Storm and Lloyd," Sheena said with a sense of finality in her decision.

"Well, being friends with Lloyd is a pretty pathetic value, but hearing that my hunny, Storm, wants me makes it even more worth it," Zelos said.

"Your life will be a big joke again," Seles warned him.

"Maybe, but there is someone down there who doesn't think my life is a joke. Here I come my sexy lady," Zelos called as he let himself fall through the vortex.

Storm stood at the bottom of the vortex and shook her head while hiding her face as she heard Zelos' call before he came down.

"Looks like he beat me to it," Sheena said a little discouraged.

"You're going to run again?" Kuchinawa asked her.

"I am not running. Letting down the people of Mizuho would truly be running away," Sheena said defiantly.

"I'll raze the entire village of Mizuho," Mithos threatened her.

Sheena ignored his threat and allowed herself to be carried into the vortex. "Salvation or damnation...only one way to find out," she said as she went down.

"I guess it's just me," Colette said as she looked around.

"You're going to betray your people again?" Frank asked her.

"No, by helping Lloyd I'm going to find a way to save both worlds so no one else feels like they need to be sacraficed," Colette told him as she allowed herself to be carried away.

As the three went down the vortex they watched as the giant monster turned into Storm, Lloyd, and Kratos. They all breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that they had made the right choice. When they landed Zelos ran over to Storm and gave her a large hug.

"I'm glad that you decided to join us," Storm told him happily as she hugged him back.

"Well, it's not like I can run away from the fact that I was born. Besides, I couldn't leave my hunny to fight by herself," Zelos said.

Sheena looked over at the two and suddenly came over. "Wow, Storm must be really happy to see you Zelos, she didn't beat you for saying she was sexy or that she was your hunny," Sheena said in astonishement.

"Yeah, well, I think I'll let go," Storm said as she looked up at Zelos, "at least just this one time," she finished as they smiled at each other.

"We need to go and find the others," Colette reminded the rest of the group as they decided to hurry and find the rest of their group.


Well, that's the end of this chapter. I hope it was okay. We're getting close to the end of this one. I don't think that I will put in them rescuing the others just because. I wanna get this one done so I can finish Forbidden Love and then move on to the next story. This whole doing two stories is really hard when I'm in college. Anyway, tell me what you thought. Thanks!