a/n: this is based on the anime version of the scene rather than the game one.

~Reverse~

Silence fills the air the moment this battle is deemed to be over. A blood stained blade is pushed through a young half-elf, thats the final blow. The battle had gone on for far too long and in the end, there could only be one victor. He knows its all over now. Everything he's done for all these centuries; its over. And just when he was so close, if he had landed the winning blow, the world could have been his.

Kratos, the one to have finished off this four thousand year old child, swiftly pulls the sword out of his body. He lacks any sort of reaction to what he's done. All the mercenary knows is that this was necessary if they wanted to continue on, to move forward. In a battle, hesitation would lead to death. That is what led to his.

"No…" Mithos opens his mouth, words finally finding their way out of his throat. They had been stuck there for what seemed like minutes. The time that had stopped during that fight had now returned, granting him the ability to speak once more. "No, Genis!"

The blonde half-elf finds strength in his legs and takes a step forward, nearly falling. He's not gravely injured, he can walk perfectly fine. But his body, his heart feels so heavy. It feels as if he's taken the same hit as Genis had.

Before he can take another step, he's stopped by someone. His sister, Martel.

There's a painfully sad look on her face as she gently puts a hand on Mithos' shoulder, preventing him from moving forward. "Mithos…" Her voice is as gentle as her touch, but there is not much she can say. And saying nothing at all seems the best for now.

For once, her brother does not want to listen to her. He just wants to help his friend, or the person he thought was his friend. Genis still was his friend, wasn't he? Yes. He would always consider him one. They had made a promise. They would be friends forever.

But it was his fault that he had died. Mithos was a distraction. The reason Genis had hesitated was thanks to him, what he said- what did he even say to make him stop for just that second? It wasn't that long ago yet he had lost that memory. What filled it was that piercing blow, the loss of life that flowed out of his friend's eyes, the blood dripping from his body.

What a friend he was, being the cause of his death.

"Mithos…" Genis speaks, voice so weak its painful for the blonde to even hear. He's doing all he can to remain standing, a hand covering that fresh and mortal wound. It wouldn't be long now before his body would begin to disappear. He'd lose his physical form and eventually be confined to that cursed gem.

"I'm…sorry…"

Why are you apologizing? Mithos wanted to ask, yet again words had been stuck in his throat. He mentally curses at himself for being weak, for not being able to save him.

"I...wanted to stay here longer…" There are genuine tears filling Genis' eyes. He's crying for the first time in years. Its a foreign feeling, having water fall and slide down his cheeks. Yet, he recalls one time when tears would not stop falling so much, more than they were now. When he had lost his sister. "For just a while longer...I wanted to be your friend..."

"You could have! You still can!" Mithos shouts, desperation in his tone as he tries to pull away from his sister. He doesn't. "There's still a chance you can live!" He wants to believe that there is. Genis can still live. He can. He has to. He will.

All that hope is lost the moment Genis' body begins to falter. Its becoming a shining yet transparent hue. His time is nearly up. That crystal is calling for him, wanting that life that is finally burning out.

"I'm so tired of this," Genis breathes out. "I'm sorry, Raine. I'm sorry..." He apologizes over and over. His tired and weak voice eventually regains some energy. Although dying, he's finding some life to continue for these final moments.

"You know what to do." He's fading away, his image becoming that of a ghost. The angel's body returns to how it was minutes ago, unharmed and healthy. It didn't even look as if he had been fighting for his life, that is if he hadn't been in the process of disappearing. "Destroy my crystal, please."

Its not directed to anyone, but Mithos feels as if he's speaking to him. Genis' gaze had been focused on the whole group, though found his eyes resting on Mithos every now and then.

"Kratos…" His eyes are never taken off Genis, even as he speaks that man's name. Mithos does not need to finish that order.

And the human doesn't need any more. He understands. Finish what he started.

Mithos' shuts his eyes tightly, waiting for a sound of a gem being shattered. He doesn't want to see his death, not a second time. This one would make it permanent. There would be no more hope for Genis the moment his crystal was shattered.

"I guess this is my final goodbye." The sound of metal colliding with crystal is heard. His Cruxis Crystal is shattered. "I could not follow your ideals. In the end, I will always follow my own. No matter what, I would never falter from my chosen path."

The moment he feels Genis' mana completely disappear, Mithos drops to his knees. Tears now fill his eyes, overflowing and run down his cheeks. He can't stop them but he was glad to have held them in for so long. He never wanted Genis to see him cry.

Martel is quick to kneel beside her brother. She knows how much the other half-elf had meant to him, how close they had gotten during their short time together. It hurts her to, she had come to like the boy as well. "There, there." She coos, a hand rubbing the boy's back. You were in so much pain, we only wanted to help.

Kratos looks away from the scene, looking emotionless. Yet, he's not proud of this outcome. It could have been different. You could have lived with us.

Yuan, like Kratos, seems unfazed by what has happened. Although anyone close to him would be able to tell that he was unsettled, bothered by what he had just been a part of. He may not have liked that angel, but even he knew life must come to an end. Your dream could not be fulfilled, even if you did achieve your goal.

Anna, the Chosen, cannot bear to see how hurt Mithos is. She wishes that Genis could have lived. In another life they could have all been friends, that is what she thought. That is what she wanted to believe. If only you would have found the beauty in this world.

Mithos continues to cry against Martel, letting out as much as he could. Though he knows that he can't let his emotions take over. As much as he wants to cry and plead for Genis to have a second chance, for them to start over, for a chance to save him, he won't be given it. You'll always have a place in my heart and you'll always be my friend, Genis.