Gaoracchia Forest was never a fun place to be, everyone knew that. At least most of the Tethe'allans did. Zelos had given the ghost story warning way back when he and the others first had to pass through this forest. It was a fun scare, but they were nothing but rumors. And it was a sad thing that he couldn't play the same trick on Lloyd twice. Another scary story about this forest? Not going to work.

But telling tales of ghosts was not on his mind. For now, it was getting out of this forest with Lloyd. Taking the Rheairds would have been much easier, simpler, faster to get from Ozette to Meltokio. There wouldn't be as many stops, plus they wouldn't have to deal with monsters, and the duo could have easily been at Zelos' home by now! Relaxing and recovering before heading out to hunt down more Exspheres. Zelos would never understand Lloyd's choice in deciding to take the scenic route.

"You know what would be really good right about now?" The red head Chosen asks, grinning as he puts an arm around his bud's shoulder and pulls him close. He really doesn't need to get so close, they both know, but he enjoys it. Plus, its grown to be habit.

A sigh escapes from Lloyd, already going to regret asking this. "What would be good right now, oh mighty Zelos?" Theres sarcasm when he gives his friend that title. And he's expecting more whining, complaining about having just flown across this maze of a forest. He had been trying to change the brunette's mind all this time, but Lloyd just wouldn't budge.

"A whole ton of hunnies coming to greet me! They escort me out of this dingy forest and we have a wonderful party back in Meltokio. Nothing but gorgeous hunnies in sight!" He sighs as well, though a dreamier one. "You can come to. You are my honorary bud after all."

"What makes you think I want to go to something like that? I don't get your parties…" They were different from the parties that he was used to. They were much fancier, formal. The ones he had been to in Iselia were rather small, like a get together of family and friends. Maybe it was a cultural thing, a difference in worlds and status to. But the country boy just didn't like them so much. Getting dressed up and being polite to everyone, even the pompous aristocrats, he just couldn't do that for a night. The food served was great though. If only he could go for the food and make his exit, but even then he wouldn't leave without his friend.

"Ouch, that stings. I invite you and you already decline? I thought you loved me." The older pouts.

"Only to a certain extent," Lloyd said before pushing Zelos off of him. "Anyway, we don't have time for parties. We're on a very important mission."

As the brunette reminds him, Zelos makes a defeated sigh, slumping over the air and looking as if this was the worse thing he's heard all day. It might be. Or not. Not taking the Rheairds was probably the worst thing.

"I know, I know, search for Exspheres, collecting them and so on. More boring serious business-y stuff. But we have to let loose and have fun sometime."

"You know, you were the one who wanted to come along with me…" He could never understand why the other complained so much. At first it was a bit annoying…actually it still was. But, that was Zelos. Doing anything tedious just wasn't him, which was kind of odd he agreed to come along with him in the first place. But it was his choice and the brunette was glad to be able to go on this journey with him. The Chosen of Tethe'alla was good company, annoying at times, but had a good heart.

Lloyd believed that the other had come along because they were friends. They had been through a lot together and the red head had even opened up to him. It was unexpected at how close they had come in their previous journey, but the friendship that grew between the two was something worth the trouble.

Zelos had come along not only for their friendship. He trusted Lloyd. It was a rare thing for him to do, trust in someone and be so vulnerable with another person. The Chosen couldn't remember the last time he had put so much trust into a stranger. He didn't like it, not at first, not while he was traveling with Lloyd. But, something had happened. This bright eyed and naive idealist was unlike any other person he had crossed paths with before. Lloyd had changed him, saved him from his darkness. The kid probably didn't even know how much he meant to Zelos. That was fine with him. As long as he was able to be by his side, that really was good enough.

"You don't have to remind me on that. Oh, but I do wish one of the cute hunnies would have come along with us. I miss my sweet angel, the little cutie, the gorgeous sister, and even that voluptuous banshee."

"We can see them any time we want, Zelos."

"Except now."

"You know, I think I'm just going to go on ahead and leave you with your imaginary hunnies. I'm sure that stampede of girls will be coming for you soon. I bet you won't even need my help to get out of this forest." He begins to walk, letting Zelos go on about his precious girls.

There's a fake and hurt gasp that comes from the Chosen. "Even the hero of this world is leaving me behind, so cruel…truly heartless. My poor hunnies aren't going to like when they hear you left me behind."

Sadly, that doesn't get Lloyd to stop for him. There are times when Zelos being a bit overdramatic just doesn't work anymore. Of course sometimes he does humor the other, though they both know its just to give the red head some attention.

"Just kidding, don't leave me!" Zelos shouts and rushes to his bud's side, clinging onto his arm as if he were scared to let him go.

"You know I'd never leave you, even if I want to sometimes," the brunette jokes as he smiles at his dear friend.

"Oh come on, you don't really mean that." Zelos pouts. He knows that he's kidding. A part of him does fear that its true. Why wouldn't he be serious about leaving someone like him? But the thought and fear is pushed aside. Lloyd's proven more than enough that he means what he says, even if it is ridiculous.

Before more of their friendly banter continues, Lloyd shushes the other. Zelos assumes its for him to shut up, but then he hears some rustling in the bushes. The red head had heard it not too long ago, but never gave it much thought. Monsters wouldn't get the better of them and there were rarely any other people who decided to walk through this forest. No matter what creatures it may be, the duo can handle them. They've fought them all before, plenty of times. It wouldn't be anything new.

Zelos frees Lloyd from his grasp, stepping away from him so they'd be ready to fight. Lloyd's hands are quick to draw his blades, always ready for a fight. Zelos is unsheathing his own weapon, getting into a defensive stance.

"Show yourself!" Its Lloyd who shouts out that challenge and as expected, some plant monsters seem to pop out from behind the bushes. They were monsters they'd seen before, just a little more than they had expected. Still, it wasn't anything they couldn't handle.

"Why must it be weird tree creatures? Why couldn't it be one of those cute plant girls?" Zelos whines.

"Seriously?" Lloyd deadpans.

Instead of their verbal throwback with each other, the two begin moving forward, fighting off these monsters that interrupted their peacefully quality time together. It doesn't take long for them to go down, they knew how to fight these things, knew their weaknesses. Well, Zelos was more aware of their weakness, Lloyd was the type to just go head on into the fight.

"Phew, is that all?" Zelos asks, one hand swiping the light sweat from his head while the other is still clutching onto his weapon. Although it looked as if he were taking a break and had his guard down, he was still prepared for any more that may decide to strike.

"I think so. Though if any more come, we'll just slice them down!" Even in danger the bumpkin is energetic. It puts a smile to his face, seeing the brunette still so excited and not letting anything get him down. It was a nice charm of his.

"Yeah, yeah, just don't slice down any of my lovely followers, okay? It'd hurt not only them, but me if you did that." There's a smile on his face as he walks close to the brunette.

Lloyd rolls his eyes to that response and playfully shoves the other away. "I think I'll hurt you first before I hurt them." He says with a grin.

Zelos gives a light chuckle and the two are silent again. They're both on guard, listening for any other sort of movement. Lloyd doesn't hear anything and figures that nothing is out there, at least not close. But Zelos, he doesn't budge. There's an oddly serious look on his face, which causes Lloyd to grow worried.

"Hey, Zelos? Whats the matter? There aren't any more monsters, you don't have to look so serious."

The words seem to go unheard, the red head seems to be lost in thought, no, concentrating on something. The brunette has no clue what, he wasn't a mind reader. But he knew that whenever Zelos went silent, it never meant anything good. Something was wrong and bothering him, but what?

"Lloyd, we-" Zelos begins his warning, just about to grab Lloyd's arm and drag him, move him out of his stationary spot, but he's too late. An arrow flies past the Chosen. He feels his heart skip a beat as it passes by, worried for his friend's life. Thankfully, his bud has quick reflexes and the arrow manages to only graze the brunette's arm.

"Ah! What the hell?" Lloyd quickly puts a hand over the new injury. Though, he doesn't let that faze him. It was only a scratch, but it was one sent not by a monster, but a human. The injury stings, but Lloyd is ready with his blades for another fight.

Zelos is already waiting for the mysterious attacker- attackers to show themselves, pointing his blade towards the source of nearly silent shuffling. Only an angel could pick up on such a sound. "Come on, we know you're there." He doesn't bother with one of his playful nicknames to the strangers, a sign that he's not in the mood for this. Why would he be? Someone just tried to kill them, one of them through a cowardly tactic, and probably would have killed his companion if he didn't have a warrior's reflex.

"Oh, I'm so scared. They both know we're in hiding." A voice says, the body it belonged to appearing from the shadows of the trees. Along with the one that spoke, three other people step forward. A small group of…assassins? No, they're not. Those uniforms…

"Desians." Lloyd spits the word out the moment he recognizes them. It shouldn't be much of a surprise. Even after defeating Cruxis and having the worlds become one again, certain half-elves that associated with Yggdrasill had still wanted to fight for him. They probably never learned the truth about their true leader, they were just small underlings wanting to get revenge on those who united the worlds. Or revenge for killing one of their higher ups. It was always some revenge motive with these remnants.

"Hmph. I'm glad you still know who we are, but you won't for long." The one that had spoken earlier, the leader of this small group takes a step forward.

"What do you mean by that?" Zelos asks, an ominous feeling rising within. Normally these leftover bunches were a piece of cake, but this was the first time they had tried to ambush them. Usually there was some declaration of a challenge, a fight ensued, and the duo were the victors.

"I hit the mark…" One softly speaks. The one that had the bow and arrow in hand, this one is staring at Lloyd.

"Hit the mark…?" Zelos raises a brow to that, confused. They had missed, only scratching Lloyd. He was perfectly fine...wasn't he?

The leader smirks and points to Lloyd. Zelos doesn't need that cruel hint of his to hear his friend fall to his knees, blades dropping to the ground as well. Some coughing follows. In the blink of an eye, Zelos is already at the brunette's side, weapon already dropped due to this urgent moment.

"Lloyd!" Theres a noticeable panic in Zelos' voice. He's usually better at concealing something like that, but he doesn't have the time to worry about keeping his mask on perfectly. He has to worry about his friend's health, thats more important than anything right now.

Zelos grits his teeth as he notices the small changes in Lloyd's demeanor. He still looks strong, ready to fight, but theres some weakness to him. He falters a little as he moves, tries to force himself to stand. The Chosen keeps him down, a hand on his shoulder. His breathing is uneven, the color from his face is beginning to fade, though its not too noticeable yet. It takes a lot to kick this kid down, he of all people should know that, yet here he was, already on his knees before the battle began.

"What did you…" Zelos stops himself, it clicks and he knows the reaction, the cause of Lloyd weakening. "Poison."

"It seems like the Chosen has some idea on whats going on." The leader chuckles before going on about their plan.

The words of his enemies drowned out. Their mocking him, them. Zelos doesn't care what bullshit they spew about him, its probably true anyway. Theres some mocking at Lloyd and it just fuels his anger. A hand of his reaches for his weapon, his grip already tight, its a miracle that it doesn't hurt.

"I'm fine, Zelos…I can fight." Lloyd speaks, trying to play it cool, trying to be strong. Maybe he is fine, fine enough for the time being. But they both know what poison could if not treated quickly. It will slowly take away his life.

Zelos stands, not looking to his friend as he does so. He's staring straight at their enemies. "Don't move, Lloyd." Its a command and the seriousness in his voice makes Lloyd look up to him. There's a dark look on his face, an angry one. Its a rare sight, to see Zelos legitimately angry. He's not even sure if he should speak, but he knows that he shouldn't disobey the other right now.

There's no time to use magic or any sort of item (they were out of potions anyway) to get rid of the poison. He could cast a first aid, allowing Lloyd to have some more time, but there was a problem. Casting that meant he'd be left open for an attack and he could lose focus. It'd be easier if they had a third member, someone to cause a distraction and he could cast a spell on Lloyd, but its only them two. If he wanted to help his friend, he'd have to take these remnant Desians out first.

"You know, four on one really isn't fair." The Chosen smirks, a playful tone that hints at annoyance, anger.

I shouldn't do this. I don't want to do this.

"And you're really pressuring me into a tight spot here, targeting my friend and all."

I have to save Lloyd, its the only way. It's the only way.

"I can kick your butt so easily on my own, but that'd take too much time."

I'm no Colette, but I have to do this. I can't waste any more time. I can't let Lloyd die.

"Quick question though, have any of you ever met one of the angels from Cruxis?"

Confusion is on their faces for a second, but they only believe he's bluffing. Seeing their faces relax, the Chosen smirks. Oh, he was going to have some fun before hearing so much from his friend.

"I'm one of them."

And as he speaks, shining sunset colored wings spread from his back. The four enemies gasp, taking a step back upon the sight of shimmering angel wings. They figure he's the real deal, not every angel they knew of had wings like his. Zelos hears a gasp from Lloyd as well, followed by some coughing from him to.

"Zelos, you're a…?"

"Not now, my injured hunny. I have to take care of these misbehaving Desians." He doesn't look to Lloyd, he can't imagine the look on his face right now. There weren't supposed to be anymore secrets between them and here was one- a big one shoved right in his face. Angel wings, which also meant angelic abilities and all that 'fun'.

He was definitely worried over this reveal, but he couldn't let that get to him. There were Desians he had to take care of. And thankfully, showing off his wings seemed to put them into a state of frozen fear.

This definitely worked out in his favor. Without hesitation, Zelos had begun to gather some mana for this angelic strike. A smirk had played upon his face as it didn't take long and a glyph was created underneath him, stretching out towards his enemies. The angel was then lifted into the air, his wings seeming to stretch out, shining even brighter than they already were.

"Shining bind!" Zelos shouted and rays of light began to extend from glyph, shooting upward and striking continuously at the Desians. To those taking this burst of energy, it seems like an eternity, nothing but pain shooting through them. And when the pain stops, they're all thrown back by the last bit of energy produced by the angel before he gracefully floats down and the glyph had disappeared.

The damage had been done, knocking out three out of four. He really needed to get some practice on this move, but this wasn't so bad for a try. Though, it did leave the leader, weak and trying to stand, looking ready to run. He's aware of angels being powerful beings. He knows of Cruxis, but he never heard of the Chosen being one, which greatly worked in his favor.

"Spare me, I only want Cruxis to-"

The leader doesn't get a chance to finish speaking, Zelos has already pushed his blade through him. The angel does not want to hear his voice, it sickens him.

"Sorry, you hurt my hunny. You don't get to be spared," Zelos whispers to his ear. Then, he drives the blade deeper and pulls it out once the job is done. Its a nasty sight to see fallen Designs again, but he doesn't concern himself over it so much. They hurt his friend, they deserved this ending.

After putting his own weapon away, he turns to Lloyd, rushes to his side and nearly forgetting about the wings that are still on dispaly. Oh Martel, he really hopes that he didn't waste too much time on those guys. Sure it was a quick attack, but poison doesn't waste time spreading. There has to be time for Zelos to get Lloyd to the nearest town. Syback is the closest. It'll do.

"I've never seen you get so serious…" Lloyd comments, not looking any better though tries to keep up that tough look. Lying really doesn't suit this kid. Neither does this dying and weak look.

"They hurt you, so its only fair. Now come on, we gotta get you out of here and get that poison out of your system. Now, be a true hunny and stay still while I carry you like a special princess." Zelos grins, masking his worry so naturally but he's certain that Lloyd is well aware of how worried he is right now.

Th angel scoops up his injured friend in his arms. There's a sudden gasp that comes from Lloyd, it was supposed to be a protest but came out more as a weak little cry. Oh it sucked being poisoned and not having anything to cure it right away. Plus he didn't want to hear any teasing from Zelos about this later. Though he did have the upper hand with questioning him about his wings.

"I can walk…" Lloyd pouts. Even in this state, he wants to stand on his own.

"I know, but I don't think you'll make it in time. Besides, I haven't taken my bud on a flight before." There's a wink from the red head and before Lloyd can speak up again, Zelos is already lifting him up into the air.

...

They stay at the inn located in Sybak that night, Zelos is the one that suggests it. He wanted to make sure Lloyd is fine, enough to be at full strength by the next day. The Chosen had flown into town after that battle, ignoring the looks with his pal cradled in his arms. It wasn't every day those of Sybak were able to see the Chosen with wings and holding that brunette hero. Upon landing, he had rushed to the closest stall, bought the potion that would rid of poison, and had even given an order for the doctor within the area to come see Lloyd at their room. Lloyd felt fine with just the potion, but it didn't seem like Zelos was. The brunette commented about the Chosen going soft and he laughed. Maybe he was.

Zelos remained outside the room when the doctor had arrived and had even remained so when she had left. He made the excuse that he wanted to give his bud some time to rest on his own and that he had some hunnies to speak to while here. But really, he was just nervous. Nervous about seeing Lloyd. Nervous about him confronting the angel about, well, being an angel.

Come on, Zelos, you can do this! The guy trusts you with his heart and soul! Its not like he'll run away. He never ran away from Colette! He even helped her out, the guy was really supportive of her, remember?

Yeah, but friendly reminder, I'm not Colette.

But you're his friend.

A traitourous friend.

Still, a friend.

He hated this battle of thoughts in his mind. As much as Zelos believed he could trust in this friend of his, it was hard to get rid of the doubts in his mind. The mindset of 'things would be better if I was gone' was still there, but thankfully not as much thanks to joining with Lloyd and company. Though mostly it was thanks to Lloyd, if he had to admit. Still, old habits die hard. And such thoughts weren't just going to disappear even with magic.

Lloyd was the one to trust him, believe in him even after he had betrayed him. He had come to Zelos, still wanting him to be the one to go on this Exsphere search with him. He's the one who stuck by his side, even after seeing his mask fall. He was an idiot, but a good one.

Thinking about Lloyd, a little smile formed from his lips. It was a real one, nothing fake about this one. That idiot swordsman had been the one to tell him to stop running away, hadn't he? That he should face his problems head on. And if he needed help, that kid would be there to help him.

"Kid's a real sweetheart without knowing it," he says quietly to himself.

It's time, Zelos decides, to go and speak with Lloyd. If he stays out too long, he has a feeling that the kid would spring forth from his bed and begin searching for him. Lloyd's a bit restless like that, can never stay in one place for long. He'll get bored without his precious red head Chosen around.

"Yo, its your favorite Chosen! How you been, bud? Feeling better?" Zelos speaks in that perfectly created cheery voice as he opens the door.

There's an awkward silence as the red head and the brunette's eyes meet. Zelos tries to keep up that smile, he's so used to it hiding his nerves, but its never easy when around Lloyd. His smile is weaker when there's only the angel is trying to convince that he's okay.

"Not even a 'hey I missed you,' huh?" Zelos mutters as he shuts the door, having his gaze drift elsewhere in the room. It was difficult to look at him. Lloyd was giving him that serious look and he knew what to expect.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Tell you what?" He didn't intend for that to come out, its more on instinct.

Lloyd has his arms crossed, staring right at the nervous red head. "You know what I'm talking about."

Zelos sighs as he makes his way to the bed, sitting down right beside Lloyd. He still refuses to look at him. He's quiet for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts about this subject. He could always beat around the bush, find a way to get this talk to be pushed back to another day, but wasn't it better just to get this over with?

"Well for starters, the topic never came up, nor was it easy to bring up. Can't just go, hey everyone, guess who's an angel? I mean, I could have joked about it, you know." Like he always did. No one would have believed him. "Would you have believed me?" He asks, now looking straight to Lloyd.

"I...I don't know." It was a truthful response, he had to give him that. "You never showed any signs like Colette when she was becoming an angel..." He tries to think if Zelos had. But this guy was a master at pushing others away. If something was wrong, he wouldn't let it be known to the group so easily. And then he thinks of Colette and how she had done all that she could to not make anyone worry about her transformation. She had been hiding it to, the pain. Was Zelos doing the same? Lloyd could only imagine how terrible the angel process must be, he had seen it once after all.

The brunette wanted to slap himself for not noticing Zelos' pain. "When did this happen?"

"A little after I got this," Zelos points at the crystal resting on his chest, "back from Seles. You know, I never thought it would affect me. Make me become a soulless being like those other stupid angels…"

"But you're not. You're still you, Zelos."

"Haha, I know I am. You just can't get rid of me that easily." He jokes, trying to make things not to serious.

Lloyd only frowns to that. He really dislikes when the other is trying to play around during something important like this. "Why…didn't you ever at least tell me you had become an angel?"

"Sorry, I thought that it was something best left unsaid." And he never thought he'd be the one to end up on this journey with him either.

"But you've gone through so much, without telling anyone! You could have at least come to me. I may not know how it feels, but I know its nothing good. And holding in something like that- of course its better to admit that you're hurting. You have friends, remember? You have me. You're not alone, Zelos."

Zelos couldn't respond, not for a few moments after that. Its...nice to have someone worry about him for once. Someone genuinely caring for him. Lloyd's words are sincere, true. Its a nice reminder to know that he can rely on the brunette.

"Take a breather, Lloyd," Zelos sighs, voice going softer as he continues to speak. "You know, it took a lot to tell you about my mother. I don't tell just any one a story like that. And if that was hard to get off my chest...you can imagine how hard it is to speak about being an otherworldly being."

"But I'm your friend, you can trust me."

"I know, you don't need to win my heart with that line. Look, I'm sorry I never told you, alright? But now you know. Secret's out, I'm an angel. Not a part of Cruxis though. Gotta clear that up with you."

"And?" Lloyd had a feeling there was a little more he was holding back. Maybe it was just his instincts kicking in or he was just getting better at reading his companion. "Anything else?"

Another sigh escapes the red head. "I still have some problems with the side effects." He defeatedly admits. "Kind of. I've gotten better with them since I first found them out." While he couldn't control everything, he did manage to occasionally have a taste of food, and get a couple of hours of sleep; there was no luck with not being able to feel though.

"You know, people call me an idiot but I think you're the bigger one."

"I'm so hurt…"

"You have someone who is willing to help you out no matter what and you didn't even think of coming to me. Even before, during our journey, I would have helped you out."

"I…know." Its just hard to accept that fact, this reality. Someone actually cared for him, cared that he was alive for him and not his status. Someone who generally liked him for…him. The womanizing mask and troubled soul. Lloyd accepted both sides of him, all of him. Whatever he was.

"Look, if you still have problems with it, then I'll help. Or ask others to help. I'm sure Colette and Yuan might be willing to lend a helping hand."

"I'll choose the little angel over that old man any day."

"Right. And I'll try not to let it slip that you're an angel."

"Really? For me?"

"You don't seem like you wanted others to know. You didn't even tell me."

"I'll tell them in time. Besides our sweetheart, she's going to be the other person to know."

"Yeah. But you know, I can't wait to see them again."

"See what?"

"Your wings, duh. You angels all have really beautiful wings. But I think yours and Colette's are by far the best." He says with a grin, changing the conversation to something much lighter. Whether its intentional or not, Zelos doesn't have a clue, but it does surprise him.

The angel has a smile on his face. Its nothing compared to the one thats constantly on his face, this one is smooth, fits him easier. Like the one earlier, except this time its actually being seen by Lloyd. He deserves to see his true smile after all.

"I bet you wish you had some to, huh? Oh, don't you? You had those big and fancy ones. Even prettier than mine; I'm so jealous." He teases, easing back into a more relaxed state. He was expecting the conversation to be worse, much worse, but he's glad that it had ended up like this.

"Yeah, but I don't really know how to summon them or anything…" That and he thought it was a one time thing. He never really thought about those wings too much. Its not like he was an angel because he had them, was he?

"Guess that means our little angel is both going to be teaching us something, huh?"

"What? Why do I have to learn about using my wings to?"

"Isn't it obvious? So we can all be angels together! And do you know how many hunnies want to be with a real angel?"

Lloyd doesn't bother to answer, turning away from him. Things are seeming to go back to normal, but the lack of response scares Zelos. It does only for a moment until a pillow is quickly hit to the Chosen's face.

"Gah!" He definitely was not expecting that.

"Go to sleep, Zelos."

"What? But I'm not tired! And you should be the one going to sleep instead!" He reminded as he lowered the pillow from his face.

"I am, though you should be going to your room for the night."

"Huh? My room? I was only able to check into this one, none of the others were available."

"But there's only one bed..." Lloyd mutters while Zelos grins. The Chosen then playfully latches onto Lloyd's arm.

"You know what that means, my hunny~! Its just you and me tonight on one bed."

"Don't say it like that!" Lloyd's cheeks heat up. It had taken him a while to get used to his innuendos, but after being by his side for so long, he was bound to pick up on some things sooner or later. Honestly, a part of him wished he never did learn about such things. "And let go of me! I can't sleep with you like that on me!"

"But, hunny!" Zelos whines and gives another pout. But Lloyd does not give in. Instead, he just uses another pillow to smack Zelos right in the face again. The Chosen releases Lloyd from his grasp and lies back on the bed, acting as if he had been defeated by the other. He's being dramatic again, but it makes Lloyd laugh a little. Hearing that makes this night worth so much more. Especially when he's able to catch some sleep beside his friend.

a/n: I don't think I have much to clear up on this chapter. I sort of forgot how the monsters look that are native to the forest, so sorry about being vague about that, as well as the quick fight scenes. Those aren't really my specialty. For the Desians bit, I don't know if they'd all just stop once Cruxis was gone. I imagine it to be kind of like Team Rocket, trying to do something to get their leader back for a while but end up not doing too much (and maybe they're replaced by the Vanguard or join them? I dunno). I know I make Zelos switch between bud and hunny for Lloyd. I like the headcanon that he calls him both since in the Japanese version he gets called hunny anyway. Other than that, I think thats it! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!