Seeking Redemption

Zelos

"And where were you two lovebirds last night?" I ask as they walk into the clearing, holding hands. Lloyd blushes, his face matching his shirt.

"Zelos!" Sheena exclaims, slapping me on the arm. I grin at her.

"We should have run off, too babe."

It's so worth the slap.

During our bickering, the other two seem to have slipped off. They are now talking to Raine and Genis. Regal is waking up Presea. Genis serves them breakfast, which they both quickly eat.

"Seriously though, where were you two?" Sheena asks.

"Hey!" I exclaim. So she gets to ask but I don't?

"Watch your tone, Chosen." Sheena says, slapping me again.

Colette giggles. "You two are so cute!"

"S....shut up!" Sheena stutters, blushing. "You're avoiding the question."

"Lloyd and I flew to a field..." Colette begins.

"Wait a minute. Flew?" Genis asks. "Did you have a Rheiard?"

"No. Lloyd summoned his wings again." Colette answers cheerfully.

"Colette, did you have to tell them?" Lloyd grimaces.

"....I'm sorry..." Colette ducks her head. Lloyd surprises us all by giving her a quick peck on the lips. Colette blushes.

"When did this happen?!?" Sheena exclaims.

"I think it's cute." Presea says.

"It certainly is expected." Regal remarks.

Lloyd and Colette crack up.

"I'm training her to stop apologizing so often." Lloyd replies.

"I don't think that'll work, Lloyd." I start out very serious. Everyone looks up at me. I break out into a grin. "She'll only want to apologize more!" I laugh heartily at my own joke.

"Yeah, Lloyd. The only way to train someone to shut up," I hear Sheena say, "is to smack them!"

"Oh no." I hold my hands up and close my mouth. "Please. Not again..."

Smack!

"...Sheena!" I moan.

"You deserved that." Sheena says, stomping away to stand by Regal.

"Lloyd, how did you get your wings to work again?" Regal asks, ignoring the Sheena and I. How could he? I should just sit quiet and examine my wounds.

"I don't know." Lloyd answers, looking at his left hand. "It sort of felt like mom, but the more I think about it, it couldn't have been."

"Perhaps you are more like Kratos than we imagined." Raine says thoughtfully. She, too, is ignoring my whimpers of pain. "We could ask him..."

All of us perk up except for Lloyd, who studies our reactions. I mentally curse myself for giving it away, even if the others did as well. We had all decided not to tell Lloyd that his father had passed beyond reach.

"It's okay guys. I already knew." Lloyd says, his face unreadable.

"Lloyd." Colette murmurs. He ignores her.

"I knew the moment Derris-Kharlan was gone forever."

I keep forgetting that Lloyd has matured. Nearly more than me. He still has his childish moments, admittedly, but at age twenty, he has become more reserved and thoughtful. I almost miss the brash, hot-headed Lloyd. That Lloyd would have told us off for keeping it a secret just to protect him. This Lloyd understands that we did it out of kindness. He actually thought it through.