Sage of Spirits: Merry Christmas! I was afraid this wasn't going to get posted!
Genis: Why?
Me: Well, I can't say entirely - just I might expect the Internet to go down for a while. n.n' Disclaimer.
Genis: Sage owns nothing.
Me: Please read!

Switch

Chapter 1: Adjusting to New Surroundings

Kratos was unnerved at the constant staring of his new entourage and slowly took a seat next to Raine – the only available seat left – almost stumbling over, forgetting that Lloyd's twin swords were around his waist. Noticing the continual staring from his son's friends (as he was getting rather annoyed now), he slightly narrowed his eyes. "What?" he said in an aggravated tone.

The others jumped slightly, not expecting such a cold reply from the teen. "Where did you go, Lloyd?" Genis asked, slowly handing him a plate with one of Raine's sandwiches on it.

Kratos mentally smiled; his switch had worked after all. "I went for a walk." He said, taking the sandwich hesitantly, knowing that he was going to have to eat – probably a lot too. I wish I had more of my tablets. For now, I can eat for a few weeks just fine, but soon I'll need more… he sighed, picking it up and taking a bite. He began to chew, hoping that it was safe to actually eat. He swallowed hard.

Genis looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "But that's not what Raine-" he began, when Kratos looked at him with an annoyed glare. The half-elf boy nearly wet himself, his face frozen in shock. His face grew pale and his teeth were revealed in a horrified frown.

"I went for a walk." Kratos reiterated, saying every word with a slight pause; his eyes were constantly staring at the boy. It was only five minutes, and Kratos was already in a bad mood.

"R-Right… S-Sorry L-Lloyd…" Genis stuttered in mild fear, hoping that the teen was not going to hurt him for prying. "A-Anyway, we were just talking about going through the Garroacchia Forest. It might take a day or two to cross over, and then after that the forest returns to normal. Then we can hurry and take Presea to Altessa." he said, turning his head to the pink-haired girl. "Is that fine with you, Lloyd?"

What am I supposed to be, their leader? Kratos asked himself, sighing in his head. And I guess that pink-haired girl is Presea… She reminds me of the Chosen when she was hanging before death's door… he thought. Right, I was supposed to answer a foolish question. "Alright." he said, hoping that was how his son would have said it. "We'll leave when we're ready then." he said, receiving nods from everyone, save the pink-haired girl. She's non-responsive, just as the Chosen was… Could she be developing a Cruxis Crystal within her? And if so, are the Desians involved?

"Lloyd?" Colette asked the teen, tilting her head slightly. Her bright blue eyes were growing concerned as worry set in. "Are you alright?"

Kratos flinched mildly; he had not noticed the Chosen talking to him. Looking around, he noticed that the others had already started to head toward the forest. Remember Kratos, do not call her Chosen at any time. Lloyd never calls her by title… "Y-Yeah. Why?" he asked back, hoping he did not already expose himself.

However, Colette merely smiled. "Nothing, I was just worried about you. The Professor said that you went to talk with Kratos, so…" she said, looking away in slight fear. Kratos frowned; she was afraid of him yelling or glaring at her…

"Well, I kinda didn't want to talk about it, so having the others on my case got on my nerves." he replied, rubbing the back of his head; Kratos was grateful that he had caught his son doing this whenever he was embarrassed. "I did talk with Kratos." he said, mentally chuckling; it sounded rather humorous to refer to yourself in third person, he realized. "The Professor said that talking with him would help me get over the fact that he betrayed us." he paused, feeling his heart ache; it was still so painful to talk about, and he knew it. He shivered slightly, wanting to grasp his chest and remove the pain in his heart.

"Did it help?" she asked, frowning lightly. Kratos would have exasperated physically, were he not in front of Colette and pretending to be his son.

"Yeah, it did. I feel a lot better too." he forcibly smiled, trying to relieve the girl's fears. I cannot believe that I have to try this hard just to fake a smile... he sighed for what felt like the fiftieth time today, being with the group for only twenty minutes at most. "So Ch- Colette, don't worry about me, okay?" he said, hoping that his slip-up went unnoticed. Nice one, Kratos. Why don't you just tell her you are not Lloyd?

Luckily for him, however, she appeared to have missed the accidental inkling. "I'm happy for you, Lloyd. I hope you and Kratos can get along again." she said, walking toward the forest entrance.

Kratos frowned once more. Lloyd was happy to being doing something with him again, but was it truly what the boy wanted? "Would we really have been able to do what he wanted?" he mumbled softly, turning toward where the others had gone. He broke into a run, noticing how far behind he was. I feel like I'm running faster for some reason. he thought as he ran; suddenly, he remembered. Oh, that's right. I'm younger now. I'm Lloyd's age… he grimaced as he arrived to where the other members of his group were. Yet for some reason, part of him was happy. Maybe if I experience things at his age, I can better understand him… …Where did that come from? he asked himself.

"Lloyd, what's taking you so long?" Genis asked, staring at the teen with annoyance. He was tapping his foot against the ground lightly. "We need to get through the dark part of the forest as fast as possible."

Kratos rubbed the back of his head for a moment. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something." He said, faking a small smile. "Come on, let's get going. I'll lead the way." he inwardly smirked; his angelic senses could actually be put towards something for the betterment of the worlds. I have to remember that his friends would most likely have poor vision in this dead forest… Not only that, but my strength is also limited. he thought as he led the way. He suddenly stopped, hearing voices nearby. What the-? he thought, instinctively unsheathing one sword.

"Ambush!" Raine shouted at the attacking Papal Knights; she noticed how Kratos was guarding with one sword. "Lloyd! Unsheathe your other sword!"

Kratos gasped lightly, forgetting about the twin sword style his was supposed to use. Blast… I'm so used to using one sword that I forgot about the other one strapped on me… he thought as he unsheathed the second sword. Now then, what was an attack that could be used…? It's been so long since I've used this style… he thought, trying to remember an attack. "Humph." he scoffed, noting how the knights assumed he was open.

"Lloyd, look out!" Genis shouted, trying to hurry with his spell. Just as the knight was about to land a blow, Kratos swiftly slashed across the armor knight's chest with his left hand, a smirk growing on his face.

"Heh. Next time, don't get so cocky just because you think someone's off-guard." he said, bringing his left hand back to his side. He then charged off toward another knight, slashing his chest with his right hand; swiftly thrusting his left hand forward, he performed a simple Sonic Thrust, followed by a Sword Rain: Alpha. Hmm, I seem to be remembering the moves now. Though I cannot be too fluent in them – or else I'll have them on my case again. he thought, watching as the last of the Papal Knights fell onto the ground, a pool of blood surrounding them. "I don't think there are anymore around right now, so we'd better hurry." he responded, turning around; he began to walk off, wondering if the rest of them were following him.

"What's gotten into him?" Genis asked once he thought that Kratos was out of hearing. "It's like he went from being depressed to being…" he paused, trying to think of the proper word he was looking for, "being… tough, or something. Maybe even on the borderline of determination."

"Yes, you're right. I suppose talking with Kratos was the best thing for him. He's a lot more focused on what's ahead now, rather than what happened." Raine commented, nodding her head. "Come on – we should keep up with him. It would not be wise to get lost in this part of the forest." she said as they tried to catch up to him.

Kratos smirked slightly, feeling rather lucky; his son's friends really were not the brightest people after all. While I'm saddened to find that Lloyd is not good at picking smart friends, that is what is helping me right now. But I should really learn to act a little more like him, and not like myself… I was lucky this time… he said as he turned his head around; he spotted the group making their way to him. Standing still, he decided to wait for them to get closer. After all, I do not want them to find out about my connection to him. I suppose that means that I'll have to tell Lloyd the next time I see him. Otherwise when he finds out, there may be no way to reconnect…

But… he thought, lowering his head, what if I tell him and he rejects me anyway? He has his friends and Dirk. He does not need me – he's managed without me for fourteen years. he continued forlornly, checking for his son's friends behind him; they were still out of hearing range. Is there no easy way of getting through this…? "Anna, please grant me the strength you've been giving our son…" he said, turning around. "I thought you wanted to get through the forest as soon as possible."

"Yeah, well it's not our fault this place is so dark." Zelos whined loudly; Kratos fought off the urge to physically exasperate and place his hand onto his forehead. That, or punch the man in the face for acting like an idiot. "If it weren't for Her Highness, we'd have no light source."

Colette nodded her head. "Yeah! I can see fine, though!" she giggled, closing her eyes. "I'm happy that I can see so that I can help lead everyone to the lighter side of the forest!"

Kratos unintentionally smiled at the girl's innocence; he had not seen someone like that since Martel. "That's just like you, Colette." he chuckled slightly, turning himself toward the road ahead.

"Lloyd, wait a moment." Raine called out, hoping to get his attention. "Are you sure we're going the right way? How is your vision in this abysmal place? Should Colette be in front with you?"

Kratos sighed inaudibly, trying to think of a cover-up for his angelic vision. "It's dark, but I can just barely see the path ahead." he lied, hoping they would believe him. "Colette could be in front, but if someone charges in from the front, they could easily attack her. And since the Papal Knights are after her, it would be best to keep her in the center. That way they would have some obstacles before actually getting to her." he said, wondering how right he was in his assumption about the knights.

Everyone stared at him with mild shock. Kratos sighed again; he really had to stop doing that. "What? I'm just trying to keep Colette safe. Is that a problem?"

"No, it's not." Raine said, smiling. "It's just a little shocking to hear you come up with such a well-planned out idea. Very good, Lloyd." she said, causing Kratos to get extremely irate (as angry would have been an overstatement because there were far more things to get angry over than something like this); he did not know whether it was buried parental instinct that he did not know he still had, or knowing from contact with the boy that Lloyd was not a complete idiot. Sure, he was not as smart as Genis, but he did know some things. After all, Lloyd had one thing on them that only he could do.

"What, are you saying I'm too stupid to come up with an idea?" he said bitterly, narrowing his eyes threateningly. He gritted his teeth, releasing a light scowl before turning his back to 'his friends' and stomping down the path before him.

Raine gasped lightly, lowering her head in shame. "Come on, let's try and catch up. He might accidently go down the wrong path…" she said forcibly as she walked on. How could I have said something like that? What kind of teacher am I to have mocked the intelligence of one of my own pupils? she mentally sighed, scanning the area for any signs of Kratos.

The rest of the group was following behind her, utterly silent. "Hey Genis," Sheena asked the boy, who had slowly turned his head toward her, "do you know why Lloyd acted that way?" The boy simply lowered his head, a frown revealed.

"You know how Lloyd isn't the smartest one around, right? Well," he said, trailing off slightly as if trying to find the appropriate words, "he hates it when people talk down to him like that, especially if they're talking about his intelligence level."

"But Genis, you mock him all the time! How is this time different?" she continued, looking for the fleeting form of the teen.

"Well yeah, I do, but I never mock his intelligence. I may have referred to it certain times, but I put it in a way where he wouldn't know it. You know, being ambiguous." he said, rubbing his cheek. "The first and last time I actually said something like 'you're so stupid, Lloyd' he punched me in the cheek so hard that it left a bruise for several weeks. Raine even had to cancel class for the rest of the day because of it."

"Really? Wow, I didn't know my Bud would take something like that so seriously." Zelos said, crossing his eyes. "Thanks for the warning – I do not want him mad at me like that."

"Wow, I didn't know either. Lloyd doesn't seem to be the type who would do that – it's quite surprising." Sheena said in small shock. "What happened that day?" Sheena pressed on, hoping to learn more.

"Lloyd had caused a bit of a stir. After he punched me, he turned to the rest of the class and shouted, 'anyone else want to call me stupid?!' He held his fist out at each of our classmates, which only scared them even more." Genis said, looking at Colette. "But he didn't direct that at Colette – he knew she would never do something like that to him."

"Oh, you were there, Colette?" Sheena asked the girl, who weakly nodded her head. "How careless of him to do something like that in front of you."

Colette shook her head vigorously. "He didn't know!" she shouted in his defense, looking around afterward. "Our classmates always talked about him. They thought he was too… 'stupid,'" she said, shuttering at having to say the dreaded word, "but he knew. It took all that he had just to ignore it. So when Genis openly called him that, he snapped and threatened to beat up our class if they said it too." she said, eyes watering up.

"Raine got angry at the class and dismissed them – she knew she couldn't teach a class when they were riled up like that. It was just the four of us left inside. Raine, even though she knew it wasn't his fault, glared at him for hitting me." he said, turning his attention to his sister. "She then helped me up and took me home. Colette later told me that for the first time, she saw him crying."

"Yeah… So everyone never called him anything that had a relation to that word again, because they were afraid he would beat them up. But the villagers were hoping something like that would happen." Colette said, looking down as they continued searching for the teen.

"What? Why?" Sheena responded, gasping lightly.

"They were looking for a way to exile him from the village." Raine said, entering the conversation. "With his outburst in the classroom upon being called that word, the parents and the villagers went straight to the mayor. If it weren't for Phaidra, Frank and Colette, he would have been exiled that day."

"That's horrible! It was their fault for making him sensitive to the word!" Sheena shouted, gasping lightly. "Sorry, I forgot we were trying to keep up with him. He shouldn't know that we're talking about him… Continue please…"

"They didn't care – he wasn't living in the village and he was raised by a dwarf, yet he came everyday to go to school. They treated him like an outcast. Only the younger children who didn't know of the incident actually went near him after that." the half-elf woman said. "At the end of that next day, I dismissed Lloyd to go home. I kept the rest of the class stay longer. I wanted to make sure that every one of them apologized to him or they would face harder homework assignments and stricter punishments until they did, even if it meant failing them for the year. Even Genis, though I knew he would right away."

Further ahead, Kratos was listening to every word that hung on their tongues, his hand in a fist. He was beyond angry now. "I bet they wouldn't have done that had I been there." he grunted softly, trying to be one step ahead of the group. "I think I'll have Lloyd evacuate the Chosen's family and those young children and have Yggdrasil destroy the village with those foolish people in it." he said, staring at his fist. "Just for fun." he said, watching as the gem glowed a bit. "Anna, I'm sure you would do something far worse." he sighed with exasperation, his face meeting with his gloved hand.

He walked further, finding himself in a small clearing. If he remembered correctly, they were almost out of the darkened state of the forest, and were soon coming into contact with healthier forests. He figured that by now they would expect him to have 'cooled off,' so he decided to wait for them. Leaning next to a nearby tree, he closed his eyes, trying to analyze would had happened earlier.

Something hit me from behind, I know that much. And since that something could not have gotten to me without help, I can guess that someone shot it from somewhere… he deduced, drooping his head a bit. But the only problem with that is I did not sense anyone nearby. So that could only mean that someone was spying on us, and shot whatever hit me from beyond my hearing and sensing… he thought, hearing the group get closer; he figured that by now they would be able to see him – or at least the Chosen would. The question is who… Who would do this?

"Lloyd?" he heard someone call out; opening one eye, he saw the Chosen running toward him. However, she must have failed to notice that root nearby, as she tripped over it. "Ah!" she shouted, extending her arms as she face-planted onto the ground.

Kratos turned away and placed his hand onto his forehead (as he did not want her to see him doing that) and walked over to her, grabbing her hand. "Here Colette, let me help." he said, pulling her up. "You need to be more careful. You never know when there are loose roots around." he scolded lightly, hoping that by now she would learn her lesson and actually looked before she leaped.

Colette smiled happily, nodding her head. "Okay! I'll be more careful! Thanks for the help, Lloyd." she giggled as the rest of the group came up behind her. Kratos wanted to shake his head at her, but did not have the heart to do so; after all, she could not help that she was a complete ditz.

"It's fine, but I think we're almost out of the bad part of the forest. After we can get through this little bit, it should return to normal and we can get further to helping Presea." he said, hoping he got the name right. By watching the Chosen's reaction, apparently he was right. He mentally sighed; if he had screwed that one up, even she would have been suspicious.

"Yeah! I hope we can help her out…" she said, turning her head to the girl. "It's saddening to see someone being experimented on just because she was…" she paused, as if trying to remember the word that she was supposed to use. "Compatible! That was it! Compatible." she smiled, ignorant to Kratos' mental expression.

So she was experimented on… I can only assume that she is making a Cruxis Crystal in her after all. And I can bet that if that's the case, it's probably the Angelus Project. he thought, an angry expression visibly showing on his face. And if it is the Angelus Project, then the Desians are involved in this.

"Lloyd?" Colette asked, shaking the teen out of his trance. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing much." he stated, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I'm just mad that they researched on an innocent person on the Angelus Project." he said, unconsciously folding his hands into a fist.

"Don't worry, Lloyd! We'll save her!" she responded with enthusiasm, hoping that she was helping him with his anger. "Once we see Altessa, I'm sure she'll be fine again!"

He began to smile lightly. He was beginning to understand why Lloyd liked her so much. "Yeah. So come on, guys, let's hurry!" he said, running toward the borderline between health and dearth. Kratos gasped lightly in his mind as he slowed his pace a bit. Where did that burst of youthfulness come from? That seemed to have come from out of nowhere… Well, I just hope it does not happen again… he concluded, walking onward.

Or rather, he would have, had he not sensed someone within the vicinity. Placing his hands on both swords this time, he cautiously stepped into a larger clearing. He saw the two paths that led to either Ozette or a dead end. Spying the healthier trees once one stepped out of the Garroacchia Forest, he felt relief. It was tiring being in this dreadful place.

Kratos saw the group catch up and placed his hand in front of them. Upon seeing what he was doing, the group looked at him with concern. "What's wrong, Lloyd?" Genis asked the teen, who was looking around for something.

"I have this eerie feeling that someone is here…" was all he said, turning to Colette. "Do you hear anything, Colette?" he asked the girl, who looked down the pathway to Ozette.

"Umm…" she paused, closing her eyes to slightly improve her hearing. "I hear the clanking of armor down that way… There are a lot of them… Could they be the Papal Knights?" she asked, turning to Kratos. "Is that what you sensed?"

"Not quite, but that would be a problem if the Papal Knights were waiting for us to exit the forest…" Kratos responded, rubbing his chin with his hand. "I wish we could find out if they really are there or not… That would save us the hassle of being caught."

"Don't worry." Sheena said, entering a summoning stance. "I've got it covered. Corrine!" she shouted loud enough for the spirit to hear and hopefully not loud enough for the possible knights to hear. Corrine landed on her shoulder, rubbing his head against her cheek.

"What is it, Sheena?" he asked, hoping for the ninja to stroke his fur. Smiling, Sheena placed her hand onto his head, rubbing it affectionately.

"Corrine, I need you to do some scouting for me." she said, staring down the pathway Colette mentioned. "I need you to see if the Papal Knights are waiting for us down this road or not. Hurry!" she told the spirit, who jumped onto the ground.

"Gotcha! I'll be back, Sheena!" he said and scurried off. Don't worry, Sheena – I'll protect you. Just as you protected me…

Kratos' stance had not eased in the slightest; something was wrong, and he knew it. He gasped suddenly, unsheathing his swords; he jumped backward, just as a man landed in front of him. He noticed the shackles on the man's wrists, and instantly knew he was a convict. "Who are you and what do you want?" he said, adjusting his grip on both swords.

"I mean you no harm." he said, placing his chained hands partially up. "I wish to speak with her." he said as he pointed to Presea; she had not reacted to the blue-haired man's comment.

Kratos grunted. "Humph. Do you honestly believe that we'd let you do that? We don't know your motives. What makes you think we'll just let you do that?" he said, tilting his head to the side, his eyes narrowed; his upper lip was raised in annoyance, his teeth exposed.

The man lowered his head slightly. "I can understand where you come from – I was ordered to take the Chosen of Sylvarant in exchange for a promise to be fulfilled, after all."

Colette tilted her head in confusion. "Huh? You were supposed to capture me? Why?" she asked.

"You are the Chosen of Sylvarant? I see… I do not know – I was not told any specifics in the reasoning behind your capture." he responded, frowning.

Raine stared at the man, wondering how such a convict could speak with such fluency. Holding back that question for now, she asked the one that was bothering her most. "Who sent you to capture her?"

"It was the Pope." he said, shifting his feet. "In exchange for capturing the Chosen, he promised…" he paused, finding that he was coming up with an excuse for his actions. "I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you the rest. It would just be an excuse for the crimes that have been committed."

Zelos sighed nonchalantly, throwing his arms out. "Why must that old geezer get in our way somehow?" he asked, laughing weakly. "I mean, he acts like he wants something that he can't have, and has to do whatever possible to get it."

"Zelos!" Sheena shouted at the man, waiting to see Corrine. "We need to take this seriously! What could he want? He probably wants to have Colette killed to keep Tethe'alla prospering, but he doesn't know that if Sylvarant dies, so will Tethe'alla."

"What?" the blue-haired man replied, obviously shocked at what he had heard. "You said that if Sylvarant dies so will Tethe'alla? How was that possible?"

Kratos sighed at the man; for being rather fluent in his speaking, he did not seem to understand just how dire the situation was if Sylvarant was destroyed. "The worlds are connected…somehow," he paused, realizing that they probably had not figured the "why" out just yet, "and we need to find a way to save both worlds from dying." he finished, looking down the pathway. Oh no, they are on their way now…

"Everyone, hurry! There were a lot of knights coming and they are heading this way!" Corrine shouted before stopping, the urgent news being dire in nature.

"But the Papal Knights are waiting for us on the other side if we go back." Raine said, turning her head back the way they came. "It seems like there are no other alternatives…" she responded, looking grim.

Sheena sighed, knowing it was their only hope for survival. "Then that leaves me with no choice. We're heading to Mizuho. Move quickly before they spot us!" she said, making a dash for the exit to the south. Everyone began to follow her down, not wanting to complain just yet. Kratos, Raine and the blue-haired man remained there.

"You're coming with us." Kratos told him, still having no sight of the Papal Knights yet – to his relief. "Right now, you are our prisoner. Do anything rash and I shall cut you down. Understood?" he said, his authoritative aura revealing itself in a glare. The man nodded his head in consent. "Then hurry!" he said, pulling Raine by the arm. They ran down the path and exited just before the knights were able to spot them.

(--Outside the forest…--)

"Lloyd, is it really a safe idea to have him come with us?" Genis asked, looking nervous about having the man walking with them. "I mean, he could be a spy or something!" he said. Kratos looked at the man again, raising his eyebrow.

"What's your name?" it was more of a statement than a question.

"Regal." The convict responded, feeling Kratos' aura overpowering his. "I wish to speak with the pink-haired girl about something." he said, closing his eyes while he tilted his head.

"That is not possible." Raine quickly stated, placing her hand onto her chin. "She is in a non-responsive state until we can get a dwarf named Altessa to replace her key crest." she said, watching as the man appeared to be in a slight state of shock.

"She is a victim of the exsphere?" he said with a hint of anger; the group nodded their heads, agreeing with what the half-elf said. "Then I ask that I help you with recovering her heart. Please. If there is anything that I able to assist with, I would be glad to help."

"I don't know." Genis said, looking at Presea; he was still suspicious of the man. "He may end up betraying us or something."

"Actually, I think we should let Pops here fight." Zelos said, much to Genis' dismay. "He won't try anything until he gets to talk to Presea, and he's willing to help her, so he's obviously got some tie to her. Although I'd be a little freaked if he was a ra-" he tried to say, when Sheena hurriedly smacked him in the head. "Sheena…!" he whined, pouting.

"You shouldn't say things like that around certain people!" she replied, sharply turning her head to Colette, hoping that she was not going to ask what the red-head was going to say. "Anyway, I can't really say anything. I was once your enemy too."

"Sorry Genis, but I have to agree with them." Raine stated with a slight smile on her face. "He might prove to be beneficial to us, and he increases our fighting force to eight members. It would be easier to take on someone like Kratos now." she said, noticing Kratos flinch slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry, Lloyd. I should have watched what I said…"

Kratos turned his attention onto the teacher and shook his head. "It's alright, Professor. I know that you would feel that way about m- him." he said, almost slipping up. "Anyway, Sheena, how far is this Mizuho?" he said with more enthusiasm that he thought he would have. That was another weird thing that's happened to me. Could this be an effect of my age changing? I should alert Lloyd to be on the lookout for such changes, just to be sure. he thought, stroking his chin.

"Mizuho is about three days away, including the rest of today, if we hurry. Judging by how much time we have though, it might take the night of the third day to the morning of the fourth. And I would recommend arriving in the morning."

Colette tilted her head in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Colette, we ninjas are shadow stalkers. Most of us are more active at night so we can carry out with our missions in secret. However, that also means that we are more alert at night because of possible sneak attacks." Sheena said, shifting her weight onto her other leg. "So entering the village at night might just stir the villagers into attack us, even going so far as killing us."

"So you're saying that we should wait until morning to enter the village if we would arrive at night, right?" Kratos said, turning serious; he saw Sheena nod her head. "Got it. We don't want to get them after us if we are in need of their help."

"Yes. The networks in Mizuho would really help us out, especially when they can help us find where the Rheairds were taken. Luckily, I had a seal placed on my rheaird, so if it's still there, they should be able to find them faster than normal." the ninja explained. "Anyway, we've wasted enough time – we should get going to the village. I'll lead the way." she replied, heading for the Mystical Village of Mizuho…

Me: As promised, Freaky. Merry Christmas! :D
Genis: Whatever. Hey, what happened to Lloyd?
Me: You'll see. Heheh... Anyway, Merry Christmas, guys! (And of course, Happy Holidays for everyone. n.n) Review Please!