A/N: Just drabble I wrote when I was bored and realized that Mithos and Zelos don't interact that much when they're travelling together. No spoilers, not really, but you shouldn't be reading fanfiction if you haven't beaten the game!

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The campfire flickered quietly over the sleeping faces of the group: Lloyd, Genis, Raine, Colette, Sheena, Presea, and Regal. The two other members of the party were still awake; one had his back to the fire, keeping the watch he had uncharacteristically volunteered for. The other stood just behind him, unnoticed, looking down at his companions with an expression that, had it been seen, might have ultimately given him away. He drew a silent breath, then stepped forward, the soft sound of his footsteps nevertheless drawing the attention of the night watch, whose face lifted. Shadows fell away from Zelos as he rose, but the shadow in his eyes remained one second longer before it was masked by the glow of the fire. "Hey Mithos," he said, surprised. "Why aren't you asleep?"

Mithos looked down at his feet nervously. "Um… I should be, I know. But… Zelos?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

Zelos raised an eyebrow and studied the boy for a moment before responding. "Sure," he said with a shrug, stepping away from the fire. "Come on."

Mithos followed him out into the darkness, his white attire still casting a faint glow in contrast to the dark red and black that wreathed Zelos' slender form. They stood atop the faint rise of the hill that sheltered their sleeping companions, each lost in their own thoughts. (Interestingly enough, each also thought the other's thoughts were far more naïve than their own.) Then Mithos whispered, " Zelos? I know that Lloyd and Colette and the others are all okay with Genis and Raine and me being… half-elves… but…." Here he paused, though both knew what he was leading up to. "You… you're not. I can tell."

Zelos blinked down at the boy, then shrugged, unashamed. "Well… it's true that I was raised to hate and despise half-elves. I mean… that's the way it is, now. I can't just get rid of my prejudice that easily." He added more quietly, almost to himself, "People don't change that easily."

There was an uncomfortable pause, during which Mithos looked off into the darkness, and Zelos looked down towards the fading firelight below.

"But…." He sighed, regaining Mithos' attention. "It… does get easier. They're… not bad people. Half-elves. You're not a bad person. I know humans better than I know half-elves, and humans can think and do some pretty despicable things." He chuckled softly to himself. "So I can't blame you for hating us. And maybe I'll get more accustomed to hanging around with you guys, who knows. But don't worry—it's nothing personal."

Mithos gave him a faint smile. "Thank you, Zelos."

"Heh." Zelos gestured toward Lloyd and the others. "They're the ones you should be thanking. If anyone can get the world to change, they can."

Mithos nodded. "Still… thanks."

Zelos ran a hand through his long hair unconcernedly. "No problem. I'd better be getting back to my post," he added with a nod toward the campsite. "And you should get some sleep."

"I will. I'll go back in a minute," Mithos assured him.

Zelos' gaze rested on him for a moment longer, then he turned to head back down the grassy slope. "Alright. I'll be waiting."

Mithos watched Zelos' retreating figure as he returned to the sleeping companions; then, when he was sure Zelos would be unable to see him in the darkness, he allowed a grimace to twist his youthful expression and his small hands to clench into fists. "That's a lie," he whispered into the night harshly. "That's not true. It won't ever happen." He turned away from the warm scene below him, his dark gaze challenging the sky, but not seeing it. "It won't. Not then. Not now. Not ever."