lobsterbox | time stop

As aware as he was that Lloyd had followed him - Lloyd wasn't exactly subtle - he wasn't at all aware of what Mithos sensed inside the house. The atmosphere felt tense, but...of course it would. Mithos said the Ozette Cold was aggressive, and everyone else must have been just as worried about Raine as they were. Especially since, until his friends got back, she was alone.

Thinking of that made him feel uneasy, but he trusted Mithos. He always knew so much and was always helping them. It was really lucky that Mithos knew what to do to save Raine now, too. So now, the flowers had to work. Especially if the doctors weren't able to help (and with Raine being half-elven...he felt like they wouldn't).

Fears aside, Genis returned Mithos's smile weakly, nodding. "Yeah, let's go!"

Not wasting another moment, he dashed inside without bothering to close the door behind them before he rushed around the corner into the room where Raine was resting. It seemed the moment they got inside, though, everyone had hushed. More than just the usual quiet there'd be around a sick person resting. No, it was still. And tense.

The quiet, mixed with his friends' expressions, wasn't helping his uneasiness.

"We're back!" he started, breaking the silence but hardly raising his voice. "Mithos knows how to cure Raine." He looked over at his friend, the flowers still gripped in his hand. "Come on, we just need to extract the nectar, right?"

It was just their companions - save Lloyd - in the room, so the doctor plan had fallen through. They really needed to hurry; this wasn't the time to wait around.

"W-what are you-?!" The loud outburst came from Sheena as the group turned to Genis, clearly not ready for him to barge in so suddenly.

Mithos followed, a bit more slowly, arriving a few steps behind Genis. He had realized as Genis dashed in that, aside from just keeping up with him, there was no need to hurry, and his face had gone blank. That was because...he could already tell. There was something he could no longer hear.

He didn't need to look at the expressions of the people there, which ranged from upset to apologetic to solemn, to confirm anything. Yet...for some reason, his palms felt sweaty as he forced himself to reply to Genis and address the others. "...Um, yeah. Did something happen, though?"

For a moment, it didn't seem like any of them knew what to do. There was only stiff silence, shifting eyes, someone's sniffle. Finally, Colette spoke in a tiny voice. "I...I'm sorry, Genis... We..."

When she trailed off, Regal picked up, his voice level but his eyes sympathetic. "...It seems your sister took a turn for the worse while we were gone."

Genis rarely became so aware of his own heartbeat. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, though, panic settling in like a lead weight.

It hurt. It hurt in every way it could hurt. His chest hurt, his stomach hurt, his heart hurt. He felt like he had tunnel vision as his eyes moved from one person to another without really seeing them. And in a way, he did have tunnel vision. Everything and everyone but Raine seemed so inconsequential at that moment.

"W-what?" he mumbled in a small voice. That couldn't be right. They were only gone for a little while. Raine hadn't even shown any symptoms until today. They were all trying to help her, even Zelos. This wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't possible.

It couldn't be possible.

In the end, he snapped, body going rigid as he looked up at his friends' faces, "What are you saying?! Raine— What happened?!"

He was shaking, and as much as he wanted to run past his friends to his sister's side, he couldn't move. If he did, he'd...know exactly what they meant.

He just couldn't let it be that way.

It was impossible for anyone to break this news gently, Mithos knew. He stayed silent and clenched his fist around the flowers in an effort to keep his feelings in check. Your sister took a turn for the worse. Those words struck a painful chord in him, and he stood nearly as rigid as Genis.

Although Zelos and Presea also remained composed, Regal continued to answer Genis. "The doctor in Flanoir was too busy to leave, so we had to return. The others were already here."

"We located the doctor in Meltokio and successfully retrieved him," Presea picked up the chain of events. There was an undercurrent of anger in her hushed voice, and she met Genis' gaze unflinchingly. "But her condition had become critical, and...he refused to resuscitate her."

Zelos' lips twisted into a humourless smile. "Said he was a doctor, so he couldn't risk catching the virus and spreading it to his patients and all."

"Bastard!" Sheena exclaimed again. Her eyes were red. "What kind of reason is that?!"

Before he knew it, Mithos began to speak. He said what they all must have suspected was the truth: "It's because she's a half-elf...isn't it?" It was rhetorical, though--of course that was the reason. Humans were always like that...

However, Mithos had noted a conspicuous omission from their story. "But wasn't Lloyd here?" he asked with what may have been a hint of accusation.

Refused to resuscitate her? Refused to resuscitate her!? Genis grit his teeth, his hands balling into fists as tears began to sting his eyes. Sheena said exactly what was on his mind, and he knew Presea had to be just as angry as they were. Refused to resuscitate- a doctor refused to save someone for some half-baked excuse like that!?

His body visibly trembled as he fought to keep himself from breaking down.

Even more so because...Mithos was right. Genis knew he was right, and so did everyone else. That was why the three of them always had to take care of themselves. No-one would willingly save a half-elf. Only...

...Lloyd would, and he still hadn't come back. Genis finally lifted his head, looking to Mithos again.

"...Yeah, he was supposed to be here..."

...He never hated Lloyd before, even a little, and least of all when he knew that Lloyd must have followed them to protect them, but they didn't need it.

From there, his thoughts spiraled into contempt. Lloyd had less faith in him being able to take care of himself than he did in Raine, when she was the one how collapsed just a few hours ago! If he was here with her, maybe he could have done something, and maybe she'd be okay now. Instead, everyone abandoned her, and now...

They were all his friends, at the moment, he hated them. No-one saved her. Mithos was the only one with a plan that might have worked, but there was no way of knowing now.

He couldn't stand it. This whole thing...

Just as abruptly as he had run in, Genis turned on his heel and ran back out.

The group exchanged uncertain looks at the mention of Lloyd, because none of them knew where he had gone and none could imagine a good reason, either. There would be no excusable reason after this.

Colette called out to Genis when he ran off, but Mithos shook his head. "No offense, but...it wouldn't do any good for a human to chase after him right now. Trust me. I understand." And it was no lie--he really did, and it caused his words to be laced with bitterness. He didn't wait for a response before he followed Genis outside the room.

--And with incredibly bad timing, Lloyd was attempting to sneak in through the front door of Altessa's house.

He knew, deep down, he shouldn't be running off like this and that he was just going to make Colette and everyone else worry, but he didn't really care anymore. Everything just kept piling up, and...it really hurt. If there was any one of his friends that would understand how he felt, it would be Mithos, but...this really wasn't another thing he wanted to have in common with him.

Still, it was because of that reason that Mithos really was the only one he wanted to see right then. He'd understand all of it. His sadness, his loneliness, his hate...

He heard Mithos, and he was right. He was the only one. When they got far away, maybe they could talk, and...

What he got instead was his other best friend.

He couldn't help but gasp as he came to a sudden stop before he could plow into Lloyd.

"Bad timing" was right. This might have been the one time Lloyd was the last person he wanted to see. And on top of that, he was crying and tense. He felt so small. There was a lot he could say to him right now, a lot of feelings he was trying to hold back (to some success). Lloyd was always the one he could really be himself with.

So he just snapped without hesitation, "Lloyd! I can't believe you! What were you thinking?!"

Mithos froze in genuine surprise, too--he'd been so caught up in everything that he hadn't noticed Lloyd until now--but he quickly recovered and walked steadily across the floor, watching the pair like a hawk. Raine's sudden death had struck a nerve...or rather, her cause of death had. She didn't die because of the virus, as far as he was concerned. No, the virus could have been easily cured with the flowers. The real cause was human neglect, as always. It didn't matter what Lloyd's intentions were; failure to be where he was actually needed was just as bad as if he'd actively murdered her himself.

After all his preaching about believing in his friends, the son of Kratos ultimately killed one of his friends with his lack of trust. Kratos was wavering lately, too--what a despicable trait they had in common.

As for Lloyd, surprise also crossed his face at running into Genis, but there was no way he could overlook his best friend's obvious distress. "Wha...? Genis, what happened?!"

Lloyd was as clueless to what Genis was feeling as Genis was to Mithos's feelings. Really, not much else was registering for Genis beyond his own grief, and maybe that's what made Lloyd's reaction so infuriating.

How could he act so normal and calm and stupid when it was his fault?!

Genis looked up at him incredulously, gritting his teeth as he dug his nails into the palms of his hands. "What happened"?! What happened was he should've been here, should've stayed with Raine, should've found a way to save her... Instead he was trailing him because he thought Genis didn't really have it in him to be on his own and take care of himself and Mithos.

(And maybe if Lloyd didn't follow them, he and Mithos would be dead, but...they were alive now and Raine wasn't. That was the only part that stuck out to him.)

The words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat, coming out as just a choked sound before he lashed out at him, punching his chest. It was a lot like punching a wall, all things considered, most of all when he just wanted to hide away instead of fight him.

"'What happened'?! You—" Abandoned my sister.

Even as mad as he was, he knew that wasn't fair to Lloyd.

So he shoved at him, trying to get past him. The sooner he was outside, the sooner he was away from all this, the sooner...

Well...it wouldn't be any better...but he still didn't want to be around all of them.

"Just- Just leave me alone! I don't need you!"

Shock, hurt, confusion, concern--they all crossed Lloyd's face, though the first was most prominent. In stunned silence, he allowed Genis to push him aside before he recovered enough to take some kind of action.

"Wait--Genis-!"

Mithos chose that moment to cross Lloyd's path, though, preventing him from giving chase. "Don't bother," he hissed in a low voice. He had seen enough; there was no need to keep up his innocent pretense, even if he didn't feel like revealing the full truth just yet. "You can't do anything for him. You're only a human, after all." As he spoke, his tone turned to disdain.

Frustration and anger started to take over Lloyd's expression, so Mithos chose to end it there. He turned his back on the treachourous human to follow Genis at a quick but unrushed pace.

He heard Lloyd call after him, distantly, over his rushed footsteps, but for some reason, that was all he heard.

He really thought he would run after him, even after that.

Running like this, on the uneven, rocky ground around Altessa's house, would probably make Raine yell at him and warn him to be careful because he's always tripping over his own feet—

But she didn't.

As his toe caught itself against a ridge in the ground, sending him tumbling to the ground and scraping his arms and knees...there was still nothing. And that's when it really hit him that there never would be, ever. She wouldn't rush over to him and lecture him to be more careful because healing arts couldn't cure infections. She wouldn't sit with him and Colette and go over a new lesson while they stopped just for a little while on their journey. She wouldn't put a hand on his shoulder when he felt like crying.

She wouldn't be there with him when their journey was over. When this was all over with, he'd be alone. And...

He expected Lloyd to follow after him, but he didn't. He didn't think anything people would say would keep him from doing what he wanted to anyway, but the footsteps he heard didn't sound like Lloyd's.

...He was still mad at Lloyd and told him to leave him alone, but he didn't think he actually would. They were friends, and...

And Mithos was his friend. He had been beside him the whole time, listening, waiting, and now, following him.

...Yeah. Mithos understood how he felt. He had lost his sister, too. They were both alone, though for Mithos, it had been so much longer. So much lonelier. The iciness that gripped his chest, the tears that wouldn't stop—Mithos knew that too, didn't he?

Thinking of that just made him feel worse. His head started to throb as he hugged his face in his arms, all the effort he felt like putting in to hiding at the moment.

His steady steps soon brought him to Genis, and Mithos slowly came to a halt just behind him. After everything--the scene in Altessa's house, Lloyd's disgrace, the crumpled flowers in his hand--and now, watching Genis, a pressure squeezed his chest, so tight it made his ears ring and his words come out almost icy when he spoke.

"Don't cry, Genis. It won't change anything."

She was gone. His sister was gone.

(Both sisters...)

He wouldn't accept it.

His hand shot out to grab Genis' shoulder in a tight grip. However, the sharp edge faded from his voice as he continued in a more soothing tone. "But don't worry. We can still change things."

Genis choked back a sob, flinching like Mithos's words themselves were a blow. It won't change anything. He knew that, and he knew Mithos knew that, but why? Why was it like this?

He jumped again when Mithos took his shoulder.

And his confusion was enough to make him finally lift his face from the ground.

They can...change things?

He blinked past his tears, wiping his face on the back of his arm. Change things. What were they meant to change when Raine - when both of their sisters - were gone? Nothing was going to bring them back. And now, that was the only change he cared about.

He didn't have it in him to be anything more than numb and confused. His voice was small, still unsteady with grief. "Change what...?"

"Even if the body dies, it's not the end...not as long as the soul remains." He paused for a brief moment, then added, "You all use Exspheres, don't you? Including your sister. Do you understand?"

He waited expectantly for an answer; he was sure that Genis would begin to realize what he was getting at. There was even the possibility that he would start to understand even further--understand who Mithos really was--but it no longer mattered. Mithos felt his faith in Lloyd was shaken enough at this point, anyway.

"Mithos...?"

As he stared at his friend over his shoulder, it started to sink in. He thought of Marble and how he could always feel her presence when he used his Exsphere. Like her soul was still there, always there, with him. It continued to live on.

He knew what Mithos was trying to say. He knew knew what he meant now.

But Mithos was his friend. When he looked at him and remembered all the time they spent together, he couldn't see him any other way. If Mithos knew what he was thinking now, he'd probably take back what he said and apologize, and things would go back to normal. Right? He just really missed Raine, and now he was losing his grip on himself.

He shook his head. "That's true, but... Mithos, what are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying it's not too late yet," he responded, his manner encouraging but holding an intense edge in the stare he fixed on Genis and the fingers that gripped a little tighter.

And that edge only sharpened as he hissed, "You don't need to let those inferior humans take your sister away from you!"

Raine, Martel... Those inferior, filthy, treacherous humans! echoed in the back of his mind. Nothing ever changed, even after hundreds of years.

"Mithos-"

His eyes only grew wider as Mithos continued, as he watched him begin to crack. His grip felt painful on his shoulder, and the intensity of his gaze left him frozen. He couldn't have any doubts now. He wanted to, but he knew now. He remembered that night when they couldn't sleep and stayed up talking together.

I couldn't forgive the humans who killed her!

You understand my feelings, don't you?

Mithos was so angry, but then - and now - he was hurt too. And...he did understand, didn't he?

He hated the humans despised him just for existing. He hated the humans that just let her die in front of them. He hated that Lloyd didn't trust him. He hated that he abandoned her when she needed him. He hated that he was alone now.

He would do anything to see Raine again. It was the same for Mithos, wasn't it? He just wanted his sister back.

Without realizing it, his body began trembling. In the back of his mind, he knew this was wrong. He could feel the reality of it looming over him like a dark shadow. But he picked himself up onto his knees and turned to face his friend, resting his hands on his shoulders.

"Do you really think that it's not too late...?"

His hatred writhed in his chest like an angry beast ready to lash out at anything--even Genis, if he couldn't ultimately accept the truth that Mithos was revealing to him. The look on the other boy's face suggested that he might not be able to...

"Do you really think that it's not too late...?"

Just like that, his agitation calmed--the raging beast caged once again--and he loosened his tight grip on Genis' shoulder. He couldn't help but have doubts, but now he was a little relieved...after all, if anyone were to understand, it would be Genis.

In response, he nodded, all traces of his former intensity gone for the time being. "Of course! Her soul should be tied to the Exsphere, but it won't last forever. Eventually, her consciousness would be weakened and fade away...but we can prevent that with a temporary vessel and a source of mana."

It was strange. Just moments before, he was a little scared, but seeing Mithos change and calm down before his eyes, some of that fear faded. He seemed like his old self - the Mithos he knew - again. What he was saying hadn't changed, and neither did the situation, but...he wasn't as scared. This was his friend. The one who wanted to be with him forever.

His hands remained on Mithos's arms to keep both of them grounded as he ran over his friend's explanation in his head. Eventually, her consciousness would fade away...and she'd really be gone. He couldn't help but think of Presea's sister, trapped and fading away in her Exsphere, unable to move or speak. How miserable she was. That wasn't the kind of life Raine would have wanted.

But she wouldn't always be trapped, right? She was going to come back again.

(At the cost of what other lives? Someone else would die so Raine could live again, right? Like Colette...)

He couldn't stop shaking; his hand still trembled over Mithos's shoulders. But he steeled himself. There had to be another way, right? One where their sisters and everyone else could live.

Right.

"Then what should we do? How will we find a temporary vessel?"

Mithos placed his free hand over one of Genis' shaking ones in a calming manner. Of course Genis would still be upset--he wasn't quite over everything that had just happened, after all, nor did it change the fact that those humans were at fault...

But first things first. He was confident as he gave a brief explanation, well-versed in the knowledge of Exspheres and the maintenance of souls by this point. "It would be enough to house the Exsphere in a stable environment, one created by magitechnology. After all, having it placed on a person isn't good enough--the mana wouldn't remain stable, and a human would be dead in the blink of an eye compared to us.

"But think about it!" As he kept going with a smile, enthusiasm crept into his voice. "You can still talk to her this way, and a vessel like that would last for centuries!" Long enough to find a permanent vessel...if one was to be found at all.

You can still talk to her this way.

That was all Mithos really had to say to get tears to sting at Genis's eyes all over again. Being reminded of humans' short lifespans didn't exactly make him happy, but not needing to sacrifice anyone (immediately?) did. He could talk to Raine again, just like that. He didn't care about the mana and how long it would take to bring her back. She would be back. And he wouldn't need to be alone anymore.

And as long as he and Mithos were together, it was possible. Mithos was here for him. Mithos understood him. Mithos was going to help him, just like he always did in the past.

"I- I'll really be able to talk to her again? I won't be alone?"

His hand curled under Mithos's, gripping at his cloak.

"I want to do it! Please, Mithos. Let's bring our sisters back, together."

"That's right!" he affirmed with cheerful conviction. "You'll never have to be alone...so don't worry."

Hearing Genis say that he wanted to go through with it would have pleased Mithos enough. But for him to want both of their sisters back... It was like music to his ears. A hint of a deep and genuine smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Genis...we'll bring them both back."

A brief pause, and then he closed his eyes a moment, continuing, "Nobody else can understand what I want...except you, Genis. I know I can count on your help for everything." After all, there was no way that Genis would return to his other sad excuses for friends, not after this. Right?

They'll bring them both back. Neither of them would have to be alone. They would both have their sisters.

It had been so long since Mithos had seen Martel, had spoken to her. He could only imagine how much pain he had to be in after so many years. Mithos was the only one who could understand him now, and he was the only one who could understand Mithos.

Thinking of that made him feel pretty important. For the first time since they returned, a warm feeling swelled in his chest.

A small smile came to his face that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Yeah. You can count on me for anything. I'm here for you, Mithos. We're friends forever, right?"

What about Lloyd? What about Colette?

...

Mithos had been alone for so long. He deserved to see his sister again.

He nodded. "Forever." And forever was perhaps longer than Genis actually expected--he was still a normal half-elf, and so could only live for a single millenium--but once he was able to come to terms with his new reality, Mithos could truly show him that forever was in their grasp. Friends forever, their sisters with them forever.

But for now, Mithos turned his focus towards the present. There were a few things they had to take care of, after all. "Genis, let's go. If you want your sister back, we need to get her Exsphere first."

After a pause, with sympathy tinging his voice, he added, "Or would you prefer if I got it back for you?" It would have to be removed from her dead body, unless the humans had already done so--in which case...they still had to retrieve it, one way or another.

Forever wasn't even a thousand years for Genis. It was just as long as the two of them were still alive - as long or as short as that would be. His mind couldn't wrap around any other answer.

But Mithos was already turning that on its head already. Death wasn't going to be the end. His sister was still going to live even after her death. "Forever" might lose its meaning altogether. They'd never die. It was...a little comforting. Not having to fear death or loneliness. (Not the way Mithos had for so long.)

His hand moved to grasp Mithos's, only partially out of solidarity. Raine's Exsphere... It felt like so long ago that he ran out of the room and abandoned her and the rest of his friends. And hearing Mithos's voice grow so gentle, it reminded him of the reality that he was running away from.

He needed Mithos beside him for this. He couldn't do that alone. But he wanted to say goodbye to her one last time before he saw her again...and he needed to face his friends, too.

"...Can we go together? I don't want to leave her there... And I, I should say something to everyone, too."

"Something". That was the most explicit answer he could even give himself now. Rationalize what it means to live forever? Just trying to understand how to go through the next few minutes made his head hurt. But he had Mithos, so he wasn't alone. And Mithos was giving him hope, so...it would be okay.

He slowly pushed himself to his feet, tugging Mithos up with him.

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