Title: Afterwards (for now at least)

Characters: Main ToS crew mentioned with Kratos and Yuan as well.

Pairing: Only a little bit really, but ZelosxLloyd

Disclaimer: So do not own any of where this came from.

Summary:

This is just kinda my musing on what happens after the ending of ToS. It's a one-shot, but really, I could just as easily take this in two different directions, both being much, much longer versions. For now though, I'll stick with this little thing.

The line Kratos says at the end, "Don't die before I do, Lloyd," kinda got to me. I was like, "Dude, you've already lived 4000+ years. How long do you want Lloyd to live anyway?" Then I was wondering if the exsphere on Lloyd's hand and the wings would change him any and then there was Colette and Zelos to consider, as both of them have wings as well. Some musings later, and this idea was born.

It was a day like any and all of the others. The sun rose, people got up, and things started moving. Just like any other day. However, for the group standing around a small clutter of stones, the day and it's new beginnings didn't even register to them. There had already been too many like them and there would be too many more to come. And while, in the past, that hadn't been so much of a burden, in fact it had been a joy, now though... Now it was something that ached and hurt. Staring down at the gravestone, the figure dressed mostly in red looked at the cold marble sadly, and a little wistfully. This was all that was really left. This and their memories. It had all been so, so long ago…

Right after Lloyd and friends had brought the two worlds back together and given new life to the Great Tree, the group still occasionally called it that, despite Lloyd having given it a new name when he had germinated the seed, everyone decided that it was finally high time to go home to the friends and families that missed them and were missed in return. In some cases, the reception was better than others, but knowing that there wasn't any more world threatening danger that would have to be faced, made each homecoming sweet in its own way. Eventually, after the joys of being around family and friends wore off, they each set off to do what it was that was needed of them.

Lloyd had his goal of finding and destroying all the exspheres so that the sorrow that lingered with them would never have to be felt again. Sometimes he had an easier time with some than he had with others, but he always managed to get his goal that one step closer to coming true. He sometimes became lonely since the person he had asked to travel with him refused to do so at the beginning, but he understood. They had things to do just like he did.

Raine and Genis traveled around, doing what they could to help relations between the half-elves, humans, and elves. They weren't always successful in changing deep-seated opinions, but sometimes, they were able to at least plant the seed for future generations and to make others stop and think. That was all right with them though. They both knew that, unlike with fighting, people's opinions weren't going to simply change in an instant.

Colette, despite her wanting to travel with Lloyd on his journey, stayed behind in Iselia. With the mayor having been publicly taken down by the people, they needed someone new to take his place. Colette had been nominated, even though she was still just a child. In her stead, her grandmother took care of things, while Colette provided the newly growing city with a symbol and example of the new times and changes. No longer was she a figure set apart from the others. Now she was a role model people sought out and friends always surrounded her.

Sheena took over as leader for the people of Mizuho. Now an accomplished fighter even amongst her own people and an even more accomplished summoner; she already had the claim to be the successor, but where people had questioned her ability to lead in the past, the questions that remained now were more to help her lead rather than to question her leadership. Sheena did her best to spread the Iganuri style and rebuild her home to its former glory. Some people would say that under her leadership, it was; and some would say that it wasn't the same, but that wasn't a bad thing. As a whole though, there were few within the village that were displeased with the way Sheena lead them.

Regal and Presea stayed together and helped each other out with their life's work, at first using their ties to Alicia as their main reason. But as time passed and the effects of the experiments on Presea wore off, and she started aging once more, that reason no longer stayed valid. It wasn't a surprise to any of the more perceptive members of their band, but everyone could see how the two were good for one another. Regal, with his strong bearing and new resolve, dedicated his company to undoing the wrongs that had been wrought upon the world by Yggdrasill. The endeavor was even larger than he had first though, but he was determined not to give up. Standing by his side, Presea with her presence alone undid the damage that Regal's reputation had suffered, as she was perceived as a small and gentle woman who any soul would want to protect, not that Regal was ever fooled knowing that she was still just as strong as she ever was, but she was also the one who was free to say the things that he could not.

Zelos, though he never said publicly what his goal was, went back to Meltokio and began using the remaining influence he had as the Chosen to change things for the half-elves. Because the Chosen wasn't as important a position as it used to be, Zelos had to work quickly, and change, or at least start, as many things as he could. But that all came second to what he chose to do first. Within months of the worlds being reunited, Zelos managed to release Seles from the abbey she had been confined in. He never sought out Seles after that, claiming he had done what he had to do and he didn't have any more time for little sisters, but she was seen paying him a visit on occasion, though the visits never lasted very long.

Those were the things that mattered in the beginning. Those were the things that matter so much and the things that they finally had a chance to work on. The things that they had to do and that that they wanted to do to change the world even further. But that was all at the beginning. And a beginning never last forever.

Eventually, time passed. The world did change and people aged and continued on with their lives. At least, it did for most normal people. But because of everything that had happened, Lloyd, Colette, and Zelos did not change. They may have changed and continued to do so on the inside, but their outward appearances never changed. The three of them remained as they were at the end of their long adventure.

At first, it didn't bother them. They had more time to accomplish their goals and spend with their friends. Genis was especially happy because that meant that he wouldn't have to say goodbye to his best friend as soon as he had thought. The three of them could keep the gears that had been set in motion going and prevent things from slipping to how it used to be. And in Zelos's case, he had more time to play up on his flirty persona and not be called down for it. But as the days passed and the seasons changed and the years passed, the fact that none of them would age another single day slowly started to become a burden.

It started with the death of Regal. It was understandable. He had lived a long and full life and he had started his journey with them much older than the rest. But most of all, he was still a normal human, and thus, his time was limited. There was sorrow for the first member of their group to leave them for places beyond their reach, but they still had others who would share the memories with them to lessen the burden and so, life went on.

Sheena was next, and then came Presea's time, followed afterwards by Seles. And while it was hard to deal with, there was some light to the sadness. They had their descendants to talk to and look after. They could still reminisce with them about their parents and grandparents, who still knew the people they talked about in person and knew that they had been actual humans and not just see them as the people talked about in the books read in school.

Also, Kratos and Yuan, who had both left on Derris-Karlan claiming that there was no place for them now that the worlds were on the path for healing, had decided that enough time had passed and they wanted to see how much things had changed. Lloyd had been ecstatic to be reunited with his father and, even though the sadness of losing Sheena, Regal, and Presea still stayed in his heart, the fact was easier to live with now that he had the chance to get to know his father better. Plus, there was still Raine and Genis around, though they were still aging as the years went by.

Although there had been deaths, the burden of their situation still hadn't fully dawned upon the three forevermore teenagers. Kratos and Yuan knew of the pain that could come, however, when they finally understood what it meant when a being couldn't age a single day. And so, they stayed with them, ready to offer their support when that day finally came for each of them.

Zelos was the first to realize what the burden was. Though he appeared outwardly the same, the ones who knew him noticed a drop in the amount of flirting he did. The game simply wasn't as amusing as it had been. And he realized that it didn't matter whether or not he kept up appearances connected to who he was or had been. From that point forward, he spent more time with Lloyd, finally truly making good on a promise he had made so long ago.

No one knew who was next as Colette was good at hiding the things that troubled her and Lloyd finally came to the realization in a subtle and quiet manner. Neither one spoke of what finally made them understand what their situation was, but there were guesses. The leading ones being the news that Raine had died due to old age. Their teacher, Raine, who was supposed to live longer due to the fact that she was a half-elf, had died before them because of the simple and natural fact that it was finally her time to go.

The day that Genis died, Lloyd stopped speaking. Despite everyone's best attempts, the brunette wouldn't speak and he wouldn't speak again until he was done mourning and accepting of what his death meant. In time, always with time because they had more than enough and it was easy to just wait things out, Lloyd did speak again. He wasn't the same, but then again, none of them were. Still though, his love for life and the support he had from those still with him kept him going on and living in the world that was now so different from what they remembered, but there were still things that were the same, despite the time.

More and more time passed. Things continued to change and people were born, lived, and died. Cities and villages grew and inventions were created to change the way of life. Medicines were created and discovered that made sicknesses that had once been a matter of life or death, nothing more than a common hindrance. Opinions that had once been predominant were seen as silly and radical ideas were no longer radical. Rather, they were the normal train of thought now. Throughout all of the changes to the world and to society, only two things stayed the same. One thing was that the Great Tree continued to grow and grow, flourishing under the love and care of the people and its protectors. The tree's protectors had just appeared one day and kept the tree from all harm, or so the stories said. The other thing that stayed the same was the small remaining group who could remember the time when the world was not one, but two.

As Lloyd continued to stare at the grave of the person who had been his best friend when he was a child, he couldn't help but wish that he could go back in time. In a way, it was possible since he was still in possession of the Eternal Sword, but to do so would be to undo all that he and his friends had worked for. Lloyd, no matter how selfish he might feel sometimes, would never do something like that. So instead, he stood and stared at the grave from the past. Where once it had been un-chipped and new, time had worn it down so that there were cracks and the lettering was harder to read. It was a testament to how long he had lived and all he had seen.

It was only when he felt a soft hand being placed on his shoulder that Lloyd looked up from his musing and into soft blue eyes. Lips danced with a small smile, more from habit than anything else, but the sentiment behind them was genuine. Zelos had taken to braiding his long hair, but it was casual, not like when he had done so to keep it neat for formal occasions. Messy strands still framed his face and his eyes still had that lazy, exotic tilt to them, but time had changed the look in them.

"Are you ready Bud?" He still called Lloyd by that silly nickname, but Lloyd was the only person that Zelos used that particular nickname for. It was the same as how he had a special nickname for everyone in their group. Colette was his Angel, while Kratos was the Fairy, and Yuan was Blueberry. They were the only ones he had special nicknames for.

"Yeah. I just wanted to say goodbye, you know?" Lloyd answered, nodding and smiling as they headed back to where the rest of the group was waiting.

"Are you ready Lloyd?" Kratos asked once more, but for a different reason. "It'll be a long flight since we'll be going under our own power."

"Yeah, I'm ready," he replied, nodding and copying his father's example. Only Lloyd and Zelos had yet to spread their wings in preparation for the trip ahead of them, but now they were a small group of brightly winged individuals, with Lloyd's wings being the largest.

"We'll have good dreams, won't we?" Colette spoke up, expressing her momentary concerns. She wasn't worried about what they were going to do, but it'd be nice if they were to all dream rather than just slip into a dreamless state.

"According to Martel, she'll make it so that we have nothing but a pleasant sleep," Yuan stated, already hovering above the ground. He wasn't in a hurry to leave, but he had fewer ties than the others did, so he wasn't as sentimental.

"You know, becoming spirits protecting a giant piece of wood wasn't exactly what I was expecting to be doing with the rest of my life," Zelos quipped, taking off as well, but not before he managed to sneak in a quick kiss.

"Oh? And what were you expecting to do that you haven't already done?" Kratos drawled, flying by Lloyd's side, but just a little underneath his wingspan. Getting hit by those things was not something he wished to repeat, no matter how much he wanted to protect his son from the idiotic ex-Chosen.

Here, Zelos shrugged. "Find out what Sheena's measurements were?"

"Zelos!"

The stories said that the Great Tree's protectors simply appeared one day. That they came from the sky, with wings of all colors that shone in the light and gave off a special light of their very own. The Protectors, a simple title, but it seemed to fit, were angels who came from the Heavens sent to keep the Great Tree safe and thus, keep the world safe. No one has ever seen who these Protectors were, but there were stories. There were stories of a swordsman who used two swords, but who could wield a blade bigger than he, and of his companions and their adventures. However, no one knew who any of them were. Time had taken away their names and any physical descriptions of what they might have looked like. The only thing remaining that might have proved of their existence was the stories and the presence of the Great Tree. But if a person was to pay a visit to the Great Tree with no malice, they could get whispers of maybe what was the swordsman's dreams.

The idea is that, Lloyd and company lend the tree their strength in return for letting them sleep away the ages. They all continue to protect the tree and do something useful with their lives, but not actually having to do anything since they've already lived for so long anyways. Kinda sad if you look at it, but I wasn't exactly going for happy, happy with this. Still, it's not like it's meant to be a tear jerker either.