So here is chapter one! (: Quick question first though: What day of the week would you guys prefer me to update? I'm thinking either Sunday/Monday so you can start with it at the beginning of the week, or on Fridays so you can end your week with it. What do you think? ^^

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Chapter One

Is that… what's going to happen to me? Zelos wondered with a small frown as he watched Colette out of the corner of his eye. That soulless, empty gaze of hers was thoroughly disquieting. Zelos held back a shiver and he tried to keep himself calm. If everything went right, he would never have to endure that terrible transformation.

He just hoped the Renegades pulled through.

"Zelos, watch out!" a voice cried out, and Zelos snapped out of his thoughts as Lloyd pushed him to the side. He stumbled as a roaring beast barrelled its way between them, narrowly missing its charge.

"Idiot!" Zelos heard Sheena cry out. "Pay attention to your surroundings!" she growled.

And that was really all that needed to be said. Immediately, Zelos' mask was back on.

"Whoops!" He laughed a little too loudly as he dodged the next monster and pulled out his weapon. He was already coming up with excuses for his absentmindedness as he joined in the fight which, frankly, finished almost as quickly as it began.

"Hey, what was that about, man? Are you okay?" Lloyd asked him as he sheathed his swords.

Everyone else was already turning toward the narrow uphill path, eager to finish their climb up the Fooji Mountain. With Sheena leading their group just as she had last time they had navigated through this territory, Lloyd allowed himself to linger in the rear with Zelos, who waved off his question with a carefree flick of his wrist.

"Oh, I'm fine," the redhead said with a cheeky wink. "My mind was just wandering a bit… you know?" He signaled towards the female members of the group with a nod of his head, his expression blatantly insinuating.

Lloyd blinked uncomprehendingly. "Um, I guess...?" he replied in a tone that said he had no idea what Zelos was trying to imply.

Zelos let out a small snort. Is he for real?

"Don't worry about it, kid," he said with a small chuckle before picking up his pace a bit. He could see the top of the cliff coming to view, and more importantly, the Rheairds they'd come to retrieve.

"Ugh, I hate this mountain," Genis complained, panting a bit. He snuck a glance at how Presea was doing—she looked as composed as ever, her unwaveringly still expression not unlike Colette's—and immediately straightened up so he could pretend he wasn't as exhausted as he felt.

Lloyd, not nearly as winded, jogged up the front, excited that they had finally made it to the top. Sheena spared him an amused glance as she followed along at a more leisurely pace.

"So, how exactly are you planning on carrying these things?" Lloyd asked Zelos, who had frankly heard this question far too many times throughout their trip already.

Raine looked just as intrigued as her student, the inquisitive glint in her eye brightening up her pretty face, so Zelos winked at her as he approached the Rheairds and waved the group over.

"Oh, I'll show ya. Come over here for a sec."

He put on a friendly grin as he waited for them to approach. There was a small bout of guilt settling in his stomach as he watched them walk right into the Renegade's trap, but he ignored it. After all, Seles' life was more important than these people. Why should he care?

"So?" Lloyd prompted again, but he'd barely finished saying the word when a force field sprang up, imprisoning everyone except Colette.

"What the hell?"

Genis stumbled into Lloyd, who in turn stumbled into Zelos. Presea seemed unaffected, but Sheena and Raine immediately took a defensive pose as they looked around, wondering what had happened. Then, Yuan stepped out of the shadows.

"You walked right into my trap, fools."

So far, so good , Zelos thought to himself as he helped Lloyd straighten up.

Lloyd let out a long groan as soon as he saw Yuan's face. "Not you again!" he complained.

Beside him, Genis shot Yuan a fierce glare. "Get away from Colette!" he said.

But Yuan took no notice of the blonde Chosen. Instead, a thin smirk curled his lips as he approached the force field. "This time you're mine, Lloyd," he declared. The quiet triumph in his voice made Lloyd blanch and back away from the wall that separated the two.

Zelos' brow furrowed in confusion. Weren't they supposed to be after Colette? He began to worry that the Renegades weren't going to follow through with their deal. It wasn't as if Zelos actually wanted her to die or anything—as a fellow Chosen, he understood her plight more than anyone else—but, it would have been better if she had never come to this world.

He must have been radiating his worry because Yuan spared him a split-second glance before turning to address his underlings.

"Retrieve the Rheairds," he ordered, putting Zelos' fears at ease.

The group began to protest in earnest as the Renegades took off with the machines. Zelos, however, couldn't help but to breathe a little easier, knowing that without them the group had no reason to go messing around Volt's lair. He could avoid the seal, at least for a little while longer.

"Lord Yuan?"

Suddenly, another voice, a woman's, joined into the fray. Zelos' eyes widened as Pronyma approached them.

What the hell is she doing here?

The strikingly beautiful green-haired woman spared their group a brief glance and a wicked smirk, but she gave Yuan all her attention.

"What brings you to this place, my lord?"

Her presence had Zelos' fingers curling in at his sides, the twitching movement a nervous gesture. Everyone else seemed just as preoccupied though, allowing Zelos the time to compose himself.

"That woman… Haven't we seen her before?" Raine murmured.

Lloyd frowned, tightening his grip on his swords. Beside him, Sheena and Genis shifted uneasily.

"I should ask you the same, Pronyma!" Yuan looked displeased by her appearance. "The role of you Desians is to wreak havoc upon the declining world!" Though he was visibly irritated by her interruption, he took the effort to reign himself in, taking in a deep breath. After a beat, his expression relaxed into something cooler.

"I assume you've come to retrieve the Chosen?" he asked, nodding in the direction of the blonde.

"That is correct, my lord." Pronyma graced Yuan with a respectful bow, but her countenance seemed disingenuous. "I've come here on Lord Yggdrasill's orders," she said loftily, offering Yuan a thin smile before approaching Colette.

"Colette, run away!" Lloyd hit the force field with his fist in a futile effort that only made Pronyma laugh. The very sound of that mocking, cruel voice chilled Zelos to the core. This was so not going as planned. If they took Colette then Tethe'alla was screwed!

"Get away from her!" He joined in the protest for all the good that that would do.

As for Colette… The blonde Chosen didn't move an inch, looking as zombie-like and as eerie as ever with her blank face and red eyes. She continued to float idly even as Pronyma approached her.

"Your words cannot reach a Chosen who has already lost her soul." The Desian sneered at them as she snatched the blonde Chosen tightly by her arm. But her mocking expression froze as she noticed the gaudy, secondhand Key Crest that Colette was wearing. The one that Lloyd had crafted for her back in Sybak, painstakingly etching each rune with care into the pendant that he'd promised to give her for her birthday.

"Why is there such a crude Key Crest upon the Cruxis Crystal?" She grimaced with profound disgust. "…How pathetic. I shall remove this ugly thing at once."

Crapcrapcrap. Zelos' eyes darted around. He wondered if magic would work against this force field. He tightened his fists at his sides and heard Lloyd curse as Pronyma's fingers closed in on Colette's Key Crest. But just before she managed to grab hold of the necklace, Pronyma's hand was smacked away.

"N-No!"

The loud protest came from none other than Colette who had broken out of the spell that had kept her soul under lock and key and her body in stasis. Life had returned to her eyes, the dull, red tint replaced by the soft blue shade she had been born with. They shone with a fierce determination as she covered up the pendant Lloyd had given her with her hands, cradling it protectively.

There was a moment of frozen silence as everyone stared at her with varying degrees of shock.

"S-She… She spoke!" Genis was the first to manage to do anything other than simply stare. That seemed to trigger everyone else to react.

"Impossible!" Zelos heard Yuan mutter as Pronyma's face darkened with rage.

"Colette! You're back to normal?!" Lloyd couldn't be more ecstatic. The unending joy and relief in his voice was palpable.

"How could this happen?" Pronyma snarled. She lunged towards the blonde Chosen, her intentions to tear Colette's Key Crest away from her clear.

Colette automatically reached for her weapons and with a swift strike, knocked Pronyma back again. But it was an awkward movement on her part, and she lost her balance half-way, stumbling back.

Zelos watched, almost impressed at their luck, as the blonde fell on top of the machine that had created the force field, subsequently breaking it.

"…Oh no, I broke it!" Colette cried out, looking equal parts confused and remorseful about what had happened.

Pronyma growled but she didn't draw any closer. Now that everyone was free and eager to fight, she had grown more cautious and less eager to engage in confrontation.

That suited Zelos just fine. He grinned and sauntered forward so he could help his fellow Chosen up to her feet, glad to be out of that prison.

"All right! Good job, my little Colette! I think I'm falling in love~" He gave Colette a wink before unsheathing his dagger and moving to stand beside Lloyd, who was already poised for battle.

"Some things never change." Zelos heard the Professor laugh as she too followed his lead.

"Seriously." Sheena laughed as well. "That brought up some painful memories."

"Tch." Yuan let out an irritated sound. "Enough of this. Lloyd, you are coming with me!" he declared as he took out his blade and, without further word, lunged at him.

His weapon produced a loud clang as it clashed against the metal of a sword—but it wasn't Lloyd who had parried the move. The broadsword that had blocked Yuan's weapon rested in the hand of a man Zelos hadn't expected to see.

"…K-Kratos!?"

Lloyd's shocked voice held a brittle edge to it that drew Zelos' attention away from Kratos. The fierce mix of hurt, anger, and frustration in Lloyd's face was so palpable it was hard to stare at for too long, but Kratos seemed unaffected by it. He didn't bother giving Lloyd more than a brief glance before his attention returned to Yuan.

The casual dismissal pissed Zelos off a bit and prompted him to get in the first word.

"Gee, it's just been one after another of you guys. Was there a party I didn't get an invitation for?" he asked, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

Kratos didn't bother to acknowledge Zelos' words, not that he had been expecting otherwise.

"Leave, Yuan," he said instead, his voice cold and emotionless. "Lord Yggdrasill has summoned you."

Yuan put his blade down, growing pale. "…What are you doing here?" The timber of his voice dipped into something wary and frustrated. Not something Zelos was used to hearing from him.

Kratos didn't bother to answer Yuan, however, turning to face the Desian Leader instead.

"Pronyma, forget about the Chosen for now. It's the toxicosis," he said, and with these words, both Yuan and Pronyma grew still in shock.

"…I see." Yuan's lips thinned. He glanced towards Colette with a look of pity as he unfurled his wings. But before he took off, his eyes settled on Lloyd and he held his gaze with a narrowed look in his eyes.

"Our battle will have to wait," he said. And with those last words, both Pronyma and Yuan were gone.

Leaving only one enemy for them to deal with.

Kratos turned to the group and leveled them with a glare. "Why have you come all the way here to Tethe'alla?" he asked, his voice thick with disapproval.

Lloyd immediately jumped up to respond, aggravated by Kratos' tone.

"We're here to save Colette!" he declared. He stood protectively in front of the group, glaring daggers at Kratos that could have cut down a lesser man.

But Kratos wasn't even slightly affected by this display. Moreover, he was less than impressed with Lloyd's answer.

"And what good will saving the Chosen do?" he asked, invoking another growl from Lloyd.

Zelos' eyes narrowed slightly, similarly annoyed by his reply. But Kratos merely pressed on, indifferent by the reception his words had received.

"The worlds will continue vying for each other's mana. The seals from the regeneration ritual merely serve to reverse their flow," he continued, laying down the indisputable, unchangeable rules of the world. "Will you forsake Sylvarant for her sake?" he asked, and this time, just like many times before, Kratos didn't wait for an answer.

"H-Hey, wait!" Lloyd protested as Kratos took off without another word. They watched him fly off into the sky, unable to stop him. "Damn him!"

Sheena bit her lip, trying not to frown. As Kratos' winged figure disappeared in the distance, a blanket of guilt began to weigh her down. "Has Tethe'alla… already begun to decline?" she wondered in a quiet, somber voice.

In response, the Sylvaranti could only bow their heads, looking just as guilty. Zelos didn't let his own worry show though. Instead, he let out a loud sigh and stretched his arms over his head.

"Well, this was a waste of time," he declared lightly. "But at least some good came out of it!" He approached his fellow Chosen again, who looked as downcast as the rest of the group, and tilted her head up by propping his fingers beneath her chin.

"Come on now, my cute little angel. After all this trouble to bring your soul back, you should at least grace your saviors with your cute smile~" Zelos told her, giving her a small wink.

Colette's bright blue eyes peered up at him, sparkling with curiosity. "Let's see, you're… Zelos, right?"

"You remembered my name!" Zelos beamed. "We Chosen have to stick together, you know?" He put his arm around her shoulders and pressed his cheek against hers, squishing them together. But in the span of a blink, Zelos found himself roughly shoved to the side by Genis.

"Colette! Are you okay now? Is everything back to normal?" Genis' face radiated with concern. He purposely ignored Zelos, who threw him a dirty glare as he straightened up.

Colette giggled. "Yup! I think I'm okay now. Thanks, everyone! And I'm sorry I made all of you worry so much," she said with a shy smile, but not a moment later, her expression shifted curiously into one of surprise.

Lloyd became immediately concerned and hurried over as well. "Colette, are you okay?!"

But Colette merely shook her head, dismissing their worries with another smile. "It's just… I think I'm hungry for the first time in a long while!"

She looked so delighted to be able to say that and mean it, a feeling contagious enough to have the rest of their group sharing genuine grins. Most of them anyway. Although Zelos was quick to put on a celebratory smile, he couldn't say he was happy about the way things had turned out. Not with the threat that hovered over his own head. Not with Colette being a very present reminder of the reality he might have to face.

Loss of appetite, the inability to sleep, feel or even speak, followed by a loss of self…

He held back a grimace. Zelos couldn't allow that to happen to himself. He wouldn't.

"What should we do now?" Raine spoke up then, as always the voice of reason. "The Renegades, the Desians, and Cruxis… It looks like we've made a big enemy. Now that Colette has regained her soul there's no immediate need to return to Sylvarant, but…" she trailed off, sounding unsure. The feeling trickled to the rest of the group as a tense silence stretched among them.

"We can't allow the worlds to continue like this!" Lloyd suddenly declared. His eyebrows drew together as a determined glint entered his eyes. "We have to search for a way to save both worlds from this twisted system, in order to prevent any more Chosen like Colette!" he decided.

Zelos blinked. He peered at Lloyd's earnest face with a bit of admiration and respect. It was a noble but impossible dream in the end though…

"I agree with Lloyd." Colette spoke up, her voice small but determined. "I promised Sheena too," she added, making the Mizuho ninja blush slightly.

"Colette…"

"But what about Presea?" Genis pitched in. "We can't keep dragging her around like this!" he exclaimed, peeking a glance at her.

Most of the group looked a little sheepish at that statement. They had forgotten about the reticent pink-haired girl that they had accidentally picked up along the way.

"…I…want to go home." Presea spoke up then, the inflection in her voice as monotone as ever.

"Hmm, the Tethe'alla Bridge is probably still closed off." Sheena bit her lip, wondering how they could get across the ocean now. "Oh! I have contacts in Meltokio, let's ask them for help!" she suggested.

The group perked up at the news, but it was only for a second. "We're wanted traitors now though… Can we even get into Meltokio?" Genis wondered.

Zelos took that as the opportunity that it was and jumped in to offer a solution. "Just leave that to me, I know Meltokio like the back of my hand!" he declared confidently.

His words were well-received. The group looked relieved and Lloyd smiled at him gratefully. "All right, we're counting on you, Zelos!"

"Well, of course you can, Bud!" Zelos gave him a small wink before spinning on his heels so he could lead the group back to the city. Inwardly though, he was putting in his best effort to ignore the worrying knot that was beginning to tighten at the base of his stomach.

Zelos stared at the ceiling of his room with a dark frown that would not budge. Today had certainly not gone as planned. The Sylvaranti were still here, he had been declared as a traitor by the Pope, and his sister… She was still missing, and he had no idea if she was even somewhere safe.

Was she at least eating properly? Was Tokunaga with her? She had always had a poor constitution and the uncertainty of her situation ate him away. Zelos had to close his eyes to keep his anxiety at bay. It was hard not to become swallowed up by it, so he clung to anger instead. Anger towards the Pope, towards himself, hell, even towards the world.

Why did Seles have to become involved in all of this? It wasn't fair.

Nothing ever is, he thought bitterly, clenching his fists tight, before out of sheer force of will loosening them. He got out of his bed then, unable to stay in it any longer. He just couldn't fall asleep, not when he was feeling like this.

In a practiced, quiet manner, Zelos snuck out of his room and down the stairs of his mansion, making sure not to make a noise. He had no interest in waking anyone else up, feeling less than sociable.

When he hit the bottom floor, he took soft steps across the floor of his foyer. The sharp coldness from the polished tiles seeped in through the bare skin of his feet. He stopped once he was standing in front of his mother's portrait. As always, the perfectly etched lines of her face stood at odds with the last memory he had of her, but the sight managed to scrape him from the inside out all the same, leaving nothing but a hollow feeling behind.

A self-deprecating smile tugged up the ends of his lips. This feeling of self-loathing was comforting in a way, a reminder of his place in the world, so he did not move from that spot, nor look away from his mother's distant, cold gaze.

I know… I know… he thought. If I hadn't been born, you would have been much better off. Seles could have lived a better life. Her mother and our father would still be alive. But I destroyed that happiness. And even now, I'm still destroying what little she has left.

He almost wanted to laugh. His life really was nothing more than an awful joke that kept him waiting for the punchline. Nothing ever went right. Every inch of control that Zelos tried to take over his own life always wildly spun out of his reach.

If only the Renegades had nabbed Colette in time. If only Pronyma hadn't shown up. Why the hell had she been there anyway? Zelos hadn't told her a single thing about all of this. And he still wasn't planning to. As long as his sister was missing, there was little to talk about with Cruxis.

What am I going to do? he wondered. A small bout of hysteria bubbled up in his chest. Would he really have to turn into an angel to save Seles? After seeing the state Colette had been in before… The very idea sickened him.

But what do I have left to live for anyway?

That was the question worth about a million gald, wasn't it? The one that plagued his days ever since he was a child, ever since his mother had opened his eyes to the cold reality of his existence.

He wondered how she would have answered that question if she was still alive now. He wondered every time he stood in front of her portrait, but the remains of her memory had no more words for him, no matter how much he wished otherwise.

"…Zelos?"

A voice suddenly called out into the darkness, disrupting Zelos' brooding, and with his heart at his throat, he swiveled around to face it, his fingers automatically reaching for his dagger. But when he realized he had carelessly left it in his room, he panicked.

Then, the figure stepped forward, and under the pale light of the moon coming from the tall windows, Zelos was able to recognize who it was.

"Lloyd!" Zelos immediately slumped in relief. "What are you doing up this late?" he asked, immediately wiping all dark thoughts off his face.

Lloyd rubbed the back of his neck. "I got thirsty a while ago, but couldn't find the kitchen," he explained with a sheepish grin. "By the time I did, I was too awake to go back to sleep."

Zelos snorted, imagining the scene clearly in his head. "Heh, sorry about that. I guess I should have given you guys more of a tour, huh?"

Lloyd's grin lit up with excitement. "This is one of the biggest houses I've ever been in! Well, the Palace was even bigger, but I guess that makes sense, huh?"

A comfortable silence took over the two, broken only by the sound of Lloyd's approaching footsteps. Zelos was surprised his mood had lifted so fast.

"Is this your mother?" Lloyd asked once he was close enough, gazing up at the portrait of the beautiful woman.

And there it goes again. Zelos inwardly sighed as his mood dropped back down. It wasn't like Lloyd could have known, but…

"Yeah," Zelos replied with a light shrug. "She died when I was young though. Didn't have much of a chance to get to know her, you know?" He let out a quiet, superficial chuckle, ignoring the hollow ache widening in his chest. A still silence followed his words, which drew Zelos' gaze back to Lloyd.

He was surprised to see the sad expression that had settled on the other's face.

"…Yeah, I know," Lloyd finally replied. His gaze dropped down to stare at the Exsphere in his hand. "My mom died when I was young too," he confessed softly.

"Oh." Zelos hadn't been expecting that. He was astonished and even a little touched that Lloyd had confided in him with this information.

"I don't really remember mine either," Lloyd continued speaking as he let his hand drop back down to his side. "But you're lucky, Zelos. I wish I could've at least known what my mom looked like." He rubbed the back of his neck and turned his head to look at him again, a genuine smile on his lip.

Zelos was quick to avert his gaze, not wanting Lloyd to catch his troubled expression.

"She… sure was something," was all he managed to reply, trying not to show how visibly uncomfortable he felt about this subject.

A few more seconds elapsed in silence. To Zelos it felt like an eternity.

"We should head to bed," he suggested gingerly after some time. He almost let out a sigh in relief when Lloyd let out a hum of agreement.

The two of them made their way back to the staircase, down the halls and towards their rooms. Lloyd's room was pretty near his own, so they walked together in silence. When they turned to part, however, the brunet stopped him, grabbing onto Zelos' forearm.

"Hey," Lloyd said softly, not wanting to wake up the others. There was a bit of an embarrassed expression on his face. "I just wanted to thank you for everything you're doing for us. I really appreciate it," he said, scratching at his cheek with his other hand as he looked off to the side a little. "Sorry for causing so much trouble," he added, referring to the earlier incident with the Pope.

Zelos was genuinely surprised by Lloyd's words. It wasn't the sort of consideration he had expected from him. His eyes softened and he shook his head lightly.

"Don't worry about it. Whatever will be, will be."

He shrugged off Lloyd's grip and gave him an honest smile. Then, assuming the conversation was over, Zelos continued to walk to his room. But as he was about to turn in, Lloyd's voice stopped him one last time.

"Oh yeah, I never asked you. How come you were up this late?"

"Heh." Zelos smirked a bit as he opened the door to his room. "Maybe I'll tell you another time."

The way Lloyd's forehead wrinkled in response had Zelos chuckling lightly. He gave his fellow swordsman a small wave and an accompanying wink.

"Good night~" he said before stepping into his room and closing the door behind him.

"…Night," Lloyd called back into the empty corridor with a nonplussed expression.