Disclaimer - Tales of Symphonia and all it's characters are property of Namco

Triple Agent - Chapter Three

Raine paced back and forth in the dusty cavern, beside herself with worry. The party had each trickled in to the safe area one by one, each relaying their instructions to wait for Zelos to return. The teacher had made herself ready to heal the others as they came through, but found everyone in top condition. Concentrating, she could sense the familiar residue of healing magic surrounding them and knew Zelos' had been at work. Pacing another lap, she tried not to think about how much he was exerting himself to bring everyone back safely. The woman cast a glance over at Presea who was sat in silence with Sheena. The young girl had been the last to come through the portal, bringing with her the task Zelos had set her with as she stepped delicately off the metal disk. 'Keep everyone from going crazy' the girl had intoned, and Raine couldn't help but smile at that, it sounded so much like him. The pink haired girl's arrival had done a terrific job of calming everyone's nerves, but the scholar couldn't help but worry. Her brother and her…whatever that man had become to her… were both still out there. The silence in the room was almost deafening when the transporter opened without warning and Genis came flying through the portal, landing in a heap before them all.

'Genis!' Raine cried, rushing to the boy's side and turning him over, frantically checking him for injuries. 'What happened, where's Zelos?'

'There were soldiers right behind us and he threw me! He threw me into the transporter!' the mage cried hysterically, looking wildly back at the open portal he had come hurtling out of, as did the others. After a long, tense moment, Zelos came falling backwards through the beam of light. He landed hard on his shoulders and rolled swiftly to his feet, wincing when pressure was placed onto his injured leg. In an instant, there was a hiss of metal clearing its sheath as the man whisked out his sword and threw his arm back, wordlessly telling the others to stay back. He stood motionless, staring that the light he had arrived through. He was about to breath a sigh of relief when a lone angel soared through the closing portal in a gust of feathers. Disorientated from its trip, the soldier continued its path towards Zelos. Ducking its wild swing, the red head thrust his sword hard into the angel's chest, burying it to the hilt. The sharp steel sheared through the soldier's chain mail and flesh alike, piercing its body savagely and bursting out its back, just between the shoulder blades. Zelos held on tightly to the struggling body as the last breaths gurgled from its throat. The angel blinked for a few moments longer, its mouth opening and closing soundlessly, before the last of its life drained from its body. Shoving the soldier aside, the red haired swordsman fell backwards into a sitting position and looked behind him at the stunned party.

'Would anyone mind taking this damn arrow out of my leg?' he ground out. The rest of the group crowded round him, relieved to be reunited again. Before anyone could say anything, Raine grabbed his head in both her hands and pulled him into a fierce kiss. If the silence before was huge, it was nothing compared to the one that followed the silver haired teacher's action. She broke the kiss and pulled Zelos into a hug.

'Thank you for bringing my brother back' she said shakily, more for the other's benefit than anything else. She hoped idly that they didn't suspect anything and thought that her sudden outburst was down to relief for Genis' safety, which it was, but only in part. Those few seconds of uncertainty before the red haired man burst from the transporter had been among the worst of her life. Although, she wasn't about to admit that to anyone else anytime soon.

'No problem, Professor Babe, I'll make sure to do it more often if that's the reward for a job well done' Zelos said with an excess of his usual bravado. It had the desired effect as the tension that had isolated the pair from the rest of the party was wiped discreetly away.

'Yeah, well done, hero' Sheena spoke up, smirking 'just don't go thinking you're getting one from me though…'

'Oh, come on!' Zelos groaned, a whine creeping into his voice 'I've earned kissed from everyone by my count, honey' he looked up at the ninja with a comically pleading expression while she looked straight back, her mouth twitching 'No dice?' Sheena shook her head, trying to suppress her smile. The red head turned his gaze to Regal with an expectant expression. 'How 'bout you handsome?' he asked slyly. The businessman's smile faltered and his shoulders tensed as he processed the words. After a second he exhaled slowly;

'Heavens, Zelos I thought you were serious' the large man muttered.

'Who said I wasn't? It's either a nice big kiss or you sign over fifty percent of your company, Mr President' Zelos deadpanned back at him, trying to contain his laughter at the large man's discomfort 'decisions, decisions…' The rest of the party laughed until Raine gently tapped Zelos on the top of his head.

'Enough' she said sternly, back in her role as healer, turning her attention to the man's injured leg. Sure enough blood had seeped through his white pants, leaving a sizeable mark.

'Man, that's gonna stain…' Zelos griped, watching Raine work. First she snapped off the head of the arrow, then the tail before starting to ease the shaft out of his thigh. 'Easy there, darling' he said, wincing.

'Don't be such a baby' the woman reprimanded with a noticeable hint of affection 'its half way out already, see?'

'Yeah, yeah' the swordsman answered with a long sigh, and with one last tug, the arrow was pulled free. Immediately Raine closed the wound with her magic and Zelos smiled up at her. 'So, Doc, am I gonna be able to dance again?'

'Run, dance and chase skirts to you're hearts content' she replied, smiling that smile she had come to save just for him when he sent her a covert wink.

'Well alright then' Zelos said, getting gingerly to his feet, stretching his newly healed leg 'time to go to work, everyone on the transporter' the group obeyed and awkwardly squeezed onto the too small metal disk. The red haired man punched in the co-ordinates and climbed into the tightly packed huddle, sneaking the opportunity to pull Raine close to his chest under the guise of conserving space. As the device powered up, the group was wracked with the sense of instantaneous travel that was impossible to get used to and, as one, they vanished from the dark cavern.

The disorientation that often came with portal transportation was six times worse when the party arrived all at once on a transporter designed for pairs. First Genis fell with a yelp, dragging his sister down with him, and then when Regal lost his normally steady footing it was all over. The blue haired man stumbled backwards, knocking into Zelos and Sheena who fell like dominos.

Y'know later when we tell Lloyd and Colette about this daring escape…?' Zelos grunted from the dusty ground '…can we all agree to leave this part out?'

'Seconded' Regal said sheepishly, giving the red head a hand to his feet while Presea, who had miraculously managed to remain standing, offered her small hand to Sheena.

'Now what do we do?' Genis chimed in, the sage siblings looking quite comical as they helped each other to stand. The group automatically turned to Zelos, who for the duration of the escape, had been silently nominated as their de facto leader. Squirming ever so slightly under the sudden rush of attention, the swordsman looked around the room, taking his bearings. Either side of him there were two passageways, one leading upwards, the other heading deeper underground.

'Right, you guys need to head that way' he said, pointing towards the first tunnel that led higher 'It'll take you to a balcony over the Great Seed chamber, that's where Mithos is, and Lloyd will be there soon, if he isn't already, and he's gonna need backup' Raine opened her mouth to protest, but Sheena beat her to it.

'What about you?' the ninja asked, concerned, and Zelos turned to face the group, noticeably avoiding Raine's eyes.

'I'm going to get the Aionis for Lloyd' he said quickly, gesturing over his shoulder to the second dark tunnel behind him 'without it; all this will have been for nothing'

'You're going alone?' Genis' small voice sounded from where he stood in front of his sister, surprising the other's with his sudden concern. Zelos understood completely. He and the mage hadn't exactly been the best of friends during the journey, but the near miss they had just shared had thrown a few things into light for the young boy. Zelos had almost been killed trying to save him, which was something he was going to remember for the rest of his life.

'Yeah, I'm going alone' Zelos reiterated evenly, looking back at him squarely.

'But you saw those angels!' Genis persisted, shaking his head wildly 'they called you a traitor, what if they told everyone else? What if they told Yggdrassil? Zelos stepped forward and knelt in front of him placing a hand on his small shoulder.

'Then I'll be careful' he said firmly, giving the emotional boy a light shake 'right?' when Genis didn't respond he shook him again, harder this time 'right?'

'Okay…' the mage said in a quiet voice, blinking harshly and wiping his eyes with the heels of his palms.

'Okay?' Zelos asked, unconvinced, ruffling the boy's silver hair

'Okay' the younger Sage said again, stronger this time with a much more confident disposition. Raine's breath caught in her throat when her brother timidly stepped closer to the red haired man and wrapped his small arms around his middle in a hug. Zelos was taken aback for a moment before patting the boy's back gently. Pulling away sniffing, Genis stepped back allowing the tall man to stand.

'Right,' Zelos said, giving the short mage one last ruffle of his spiky hair 'let's do this.' He motioned for the others to follow him to the mouth of the cavern. 'Head straight up, it'll take you to the balcony' he told them 'help Lloyd, I'll be along soon' giving the affirmative, the group set off at a run, wasting no time, while Raine hung back. Wrapping her arms around Zelos neck she pulled him into a brief but intense kiss.

'Please be careful, Zelos' she whispered, resting her head against his. He brought up a hand to caress her cheek softly with a gloved thumb.

'No problem, babe' he returned with a confident smile 'now go' patting her boldly on the rear, he took off towards the second passage.

'Impossible man!' she called after him, laughter in her voice, before she raced off to catch up to the others. Zelos chuckled as he strained his memory to remember the twists and turns of the caves and how to reach his next destination.

'You better be there Aurion' he thought sharply as he entered the darkness once again.

Two left, one right, one straight, one right and…' Zelos murmured under his breath before he came to a round room almost pitch dark '…bingo' he focussed a small measure of his magic into his palm and conjured an orb of fire which floated above his outstretched palm, casting some light into the silent room. 'Aurion?' the red head called out, his voice echoing around him. Suddenly a second ball of flame appeared to his left, and Kratos himself stepped into view.

'You're late' the seraphim said imperiously and it was all Zelos could do not to feel like the badly behaved student he once was to the man many years ago.

'Bite me' the red head replied waspishly, tossing his fireball into the air, where it hovered in the centre of the room. Kratos did the same, and the two orbs of flame merged, growing larger and illuminating the whole room. The two stood in silence, staring at each other for a long moment before Zelos spoke;

'Do you have it?' he asked. Wordlessly, Kratos' hand disappeared into his thick cloak and he drew out a small chunk of faintly glowing rock. 'Wow, that's it?' Zelos asked, stepping forward to inspect the stone. Kratos tossed it at him with a flick of his wrist, staring as the younger man fumbled to catch it.

'That's all there is' he said gruffly, pointedly ignoring the other man's annoyed expression 'and its all that's necessary' as Kratos withdrew his arm, Zelos noticed the unmistakable colour of blood coating the older man's hand, trailing right down to the elbow.

'What happened to you?' he inquired, tipping his head at his former mentor's arm. Kratos raised his hand up and regarded it with a detached expression.

'A containment of angels reported to me a short time ago, informing me of Zelos Wilder's treachery. Apparently I was the closest superior to their position' he smiled a wolf's smile 'I convinced them otherwise' the emptiness in the older man's voice was enough to make Zelos require suppressing a shudder.

'Thanks, I guess' he replied grudgingly, Tossing the metal between his hands 'for this too' he added, holding up the aionis before tucking it safely into his jacket pocket. The seraphim nodded sharply before he swept towards the exit. 'You know, you could come back to us' Zelos called after him. Kratos stopped at the mouth of the tunnel, turning his head, but not fully looking back at him.

'I can't' he said, his voice sounding pained 'there are too many complications for me to simply…' he trailed off and something clicked in Zelos' mind.

'Origin's seal' he murmured, his memory turning back to a conversation with Yuan, long passed 'It's you isn't it? I mean I knew you were the one guarding it but…It's actually you isn't it?' Kratos looked at the ground.

'Yes' he replied simply 'for your Summoner to make a vow with origin, I must die' he turned fully to face his former student 'that is why I can't come back. I will not do that to Lloyd'

'He won't accept this' Zelos said sharply 'you do know that right? He wont rest until he finds another way, you'll see' Kratos smiled ever so slightly

'There is no other way' the older man said, resignedly 'but I appreciate the optimism.' He started to move off again.

'Yeah, yeah' Zelos replied dismissively dispelling the fireball above him with a quick snap of his fingers and he jogged to catch up with his fellow swordsman. They walked in silence for a short time, cutting briskly through the dark tunnels. 'He's already forgiven you, y'know' the red head spoke up at length, and Kratos head turned sharply to face him. 'Lloyd. For fighting against him, all the deception… everything. It's just not in him to hold a grudge' Kratos remained silent, absorbing his words as Zelos continued 'Because in the end, you're doing everything you can to help him, and that's what matters. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but…' he took a fortifying breath 'he's lucky to have a father that cares so much for him' Kratos stopped dead in his tracks, startling Zelos, who had walked on a few steps before pausing. The older man looked him in the eye and gave him the most genuine smile Zelos had ever seen from the stoic man.

'Thank you, Zelos' he said, his voice shaking almost unnoticeably. He moved forward and slowly held out his hand. Zelos looked at the offered hand for a moment before taking it in his firmly. The two shook hands swiftly, all the dislike and mistrust that had existed between them over the years melting away leaving only mutual respect and a shared sense of dedication to a common cause. They let go and regarded each other as if seeing for the first time.

'You've grown' Kratos said softly, the tone of his voice was almost fatherly.

'Thanks in no small part to you and your son' Zelos replied honestly, placing his hands in the pockets of his white pants. Kratos was silent again for a long moment.

'I'm proud of you, Zelos' he said simply, truly meaning his words. The younger man didn't know what to say, receiving such words of praise from Kratos was like being given a gift from heaven. He settled for bowing his head slightly, like he did when they were teacher and student, so long ago. Suddenly there was a great rumble echoing own the tunnel, making the men lurch into the walls. They turned as one in the direction of the source.

'What are the odds that that's Mithos pitching one hell of a fit because he can't get his own way? Zelos inquired loudly over the din.

'More than fair' Kratos replied, narrowing his eyes in a scowl 'You better go' Zelos didn't need telling twice, and he took off at a run towards the Great Seed chamber, leaving Kratos in his wake.

As Zelos was closing in on the balcony he had sent the others to, there was another mighty tremor and the man had to dive to the edge of the passageway to avoid being crushed by a huge mass of rock as it fell to the ground.

'I won't let you do this, do you hear me? came Mithos' hysterical shriek, reverberating from the room ahead.

'Somebody's pissed' Zelos chuckled with satisfaction, doubling his pace. Breaking the surface of the rock tunnel, Zelos dashed to the edge of the balcony to see the party facing off to Mithos, Lloyd at the front. Behind the deranged angel stood Colette, who was looking around herself in confusion and fear. It seemed what Yuan had hypothesised had come to pass. Martel had been ashamed by her brother's actions after awakening inside an unwilling vessel and sacrificed herself to release Colette's body back into the young girl's control, and if the steady, throbbing glow was any indication, had returned her soul to the Great Seed, floating level with the balcony.

'Hey, Lloyd!' the red head called from his position above the room. All heads turned up to him and the party minus Lloyd showed relief written all over their faces. Raine in particular sagged against her brother who waved exuberantly up at the man. Comprehension dawned on the brown haired swordsman and his face lit up.

'Zelos, you came back to us!' he cried up to him, waving his own hand 'I knew I could trust you!' Zelos smirked at him, silently thrilled that the young idealist had kept his faith in him even after his apparent disloyalty. Vaulting over the railing, the red head dropped to the ground elegantly, and moved swiftly to Colette's side while Mithos stared, his mouth flapping open and closed in shock and rage.

'Hey there, blondie' Zelos said brightly to the girl, placing an arm around her small shoulders 'miss me?' The girl nodded and giggled in response, beaming up at him with a wide smile. Mithos pointed a shaking finger at the red haired swordsman.

'You would betray me, now? The angel hissed, quivering with fury 'after I agreed to release you from your fate as the Chosen?'

'I guess I changed my mind' Zelos replied with an air of nonchalance, picking an invisible piece of dust from Colette's hair, making the girl squirm and giggle with laughter dispite their situation. With a scream of rage and frustration, Mithos thrust out his palm, sending a white hot orb of light towards the pair. Quick as a flash, the red head pulled Colette behind him, shielding her with his body, and with a hiss of scraping steel, he drew his blade and swung hard, deflecting the blast away. The magic streaked through the air and into a pillar, exploding in a flash of light and a shower of rubble. Zelos tried to block out the pain in his arm from the quick defence and shot Mithos a cocky grin, infuriating the blonde further. Immediately, the demented angel gathered the power for a follow up attack. The red haired man turned and took the short girl in his arms and dashed in a wide arc around the large room as Mithos fired wave after wave of rage fuelled light at them. Almost within the fold of the group, Zelos put on an extra surge of speed, but the dangerous angel saw it and fired ahead of them, the small explosion as the spell struck the ground threw up hunks of rock and dirt. The red haired swordsman screeched to a halt and threw up an arm to shield Colette and himself from the falling debris, leaving them vulnerable. Seeing the wicked gleam of victory in Mithos' eyes, Zelos hurled Colette towards Sheena who caught the girl in her arms, stumbling backwards to the ground. He turned to see a blinding flash of light blistering in his direction. With no time to dodge or attempt another deflection, Zelos tensed for the deadly attack to land. Suddenly there was a loud cry and a blur of brown and red as Lloyd dived in front of him, turning away the blast with a mighty swing of his twin blades, it smashed into the ground covering the two swordsmen in a coat of earth. Blinking through the smoke, Zelos tossed an arm around Lloyd's neck, laughing madly.

'Good to know you've still got my back, bro' he said, infinitely grateful that the red clad swordsman had stepped in.

'Yeah!' Lloyd replied with cheer, positively giddy to have all his friends back 'you got mine?' he grinned, dropping into a crouch, raising one of his swords towards Zelos, who recognised the gesture immediately.

'Do you even have to ask?' he replied, drawing his own blade with a flourish, clashing it lightly against Lloyd's in what had become a sign of camaraderie and respect between the two. Moving onto the balls of his feet, he began to sway back and forth, the familiar feeling of shifting momentum lulling him into a state of battle readiness. Mithos looked between them, his power rising, a white glow bathing his small body and a mass of shimmering feathers swirled around him.

'You will pay for this treachery…' the angel growled towards Zelos, sending him a look of purest loathing. The rising hum of power reached a blinding point, and the party shielded their eyes from the blast of pure light, looking up in time to see Yggdrassil's butterfly like wings fanning out behind him, an expression of loathing on his now adult visage.

'I will kill you all!' he roared, thrusting a palm out towards the two swordsmen. Both males dived in different directions to avoid the razor sharp spears of rock that burst out of the ground beneath them. The sudden attack rallied the party into motion, Regal and Sheena lunged forward to support Zelos and Lloyd while Colette and Presea took defensive positions in front of the two Sages, who began to weave their respective practices of black and white magic. Meanwhile the two swordsmen rolled to their feet, ready to face the next onslaught. The very air around Yggdrassil seemed to crackle as he met the frontal assault presented by the ninja and convict, and with a pulse of energy, pushed both of them backwards, not caring when they both managed to keep their footing. The mad angel appeared to be everywhere at once as he warped erratically around the chamber in bursts of white light, harassing the melee fighters and the spell casters, leaving little window for counterattack. The party learned quickly not to cluster together in order to avoid being caught in the wide range of Yggdrassil's destructive sorcery. Suddenly there was a cry of triumph from Genis who had gone unheeded by the enraged angel from the battles opening. Raising his kendama, the small mage unleashed his magical energy.

'Move!' he cried to the others still trying to engage the malovent cruxis leader. As one the fighters leaped backwards to safety as Genis set the very air around his target aflame. The angel brought up his arms and his wings wrapped around his body in a desperate attempt to stave off the mighty flames. At the source of the spell, Genis felt rather than saw Zelos step up just behind him and he definitely felt the sudden surge of mana coming from the red head and the following blast of fire from his outstretched gloved hands. The fiery plume shot towards Yggdrassil while he was still caught in the harsh fires of Genis' spell. The two black magic spells fed off each other and combined into a colossal explosion that shook the very foundations of the large chamber. The two casters held their ground as the flames subsided and the excess molten rock left behind began to cool and gave off a wide screen of billowing smoke, obscuring their view. Zelos shot Genis a sidelong glance and a smirk, holding out his hand, palm upwards. The small mage recognised the gesture as something that the red head and Lloyd did sometimes, and with a shy smile, slapped his own hand down onto Zelos'.

'Nice job, kiddo' Zelos said, closing his eyes with a long sigh of relief 'that takes care of that crazy –' his words were cut off by a piercing shriek from behind the pillar of smoke. With a mighty blast of wind, Yggdrassil flew through the obscuring fog, his body badly burned and a look of berserk fury on his scorched face. His mad eyes fell on Zelos and Genis, and with a surge of rage and power, launched himself towards the stunned pair. For the second time, Zelos grabbed Genis and bodily threw him aside and out of harms way. The party watched in horror as Yggdrassil descended with terrifying speed on the red head, thrusting out both his arms. Zelos brought up his sword in both his hands in a last ditch attempt to protect himself from the coming assault, a blue guardian bubble enveloping his body. It wasn't enough. The furious angel slammed into the hasty barrier with all of his considerable strength and it shattered, as did the red heads sword. With a blast from his enemy's hands, Zelos was blown backwards; slamming into a pillar with enough force to carry him through it and his limp body hit the ground hard and skidded to a halt where he lay motionless on the tiles. The last thing he saw in his hazy vision before blacking out was a blur of purple landing in front of him wielding what appeared to be a sword of pure flame. The figure lunged to engage a surprised Yggdrassil, the sword blazing through the air. The red head's eyes slid closed and he knew no more.

Chapter 4 coming soon