Sorry about the long wait for a miserably short chapter, but I really am trying! My muses, however are on vacation. So I'm borrowing Kratos as my muse!
Kratos: Why me?
Me: Well, the story IS about you.
Kratos: about torturing me!
Me: Yeah, so? In this world, Kratos, bashing a character like that is almost always out of love. Basically, I write this stuff because: A, it's fun, and B, I think you're cool.
Kratos: -sarcasm- oh. Well then, that makes it so much better.
Me: -hurt- meanie. Just say the disclaimer and leave me to go emo about how no one loves me! -cries in corner-
Kratos: uh oh... Well, Sueslayer2 doesn't own me, Tales of Symphonia, or Kirby.
Lloyd burst out laughing, joining Zelos and Sheena. Genis also decided to join in.
Presea, who was the second strongest and therefore, much to the dismay of the males, had been given the job of keeping a firm hold on the arm of the Kirby in Kratos' brain, looked mildly amused. "That might pose a problem," she said.
"Oh, no!" said Colette. "How will you eat?"
"That's a good question," he said, looking at Raine. She just shrugged.
"Well," said Lloyd, "Remember when the Kirby tried to suck you in? Maybe he was trying to eat you. Maybe that's how Kirbies eat."
Raine looked wonderingly at Lloyd. "Lloyd, that's the second intelligent thing you've said in as many days," she said, as Colette hugged Lloyd again and he blushed. "Kratos must be rubbing off on you." She turned to Kratos. "Try it, Kratos. It might just work."
Kratos put the sandwich down in front of him and sucked in a gulp of air. The sandwich came flying into his mouth, and before he could stop it, right down his throat and into his stomach. He felt a burst of energy enter his system as it was almost instantly digested.
"That's... better. Thank you," said Kratos.
"No problem!" said Colette.
They continued on. They walked. They walked. They walked. And, just for a change, they walked some more!
Kratos, who had to take four steps for every one of theirs, was truly exhausted.
Practically asleep on his feet, he did not notice that Colette had stopped until he walked into her leg. He looked up to see what was going on.
A group of thin, half-starved, hungry-looking wolves was stalking toward them, looking at them with hungry eyes.
"They look hungry," said Lloyd. (AN: It's a bird! It's a plane. IT'S OBVIOUS MAN!)
There he goes, stating the obvious again,
Then, the wolves attacked. Quickly counting them, Kratos figured out there were ten. Must be a... hunting party. (Me: OBVIOUS MAN STRIKES AGAIN! Kratos: Shut up or I'll kill you. Me: WTF! How did you get into my AN? Kratos: Doors can't stop me. -evil smile- Me: Meep! -runs away- Kratos: Wow, she didn't even realize that she left the door unlocked. Heh, she's more gullible than I thought.)
The group began to fight off the wolves. Kratos, conscious of his tiny, pink, relatively harmless body, got out of the way. He watched the battle from high in a conveniently placed tree. Presea had shoved Kratos' body down by the same tree and sharply ordered it to stay put. It seemed to be listening, for the moment. Good thing, Kratos thought.
Genis cast a spell. Wind whistled by, shaking the branch Kratos was clinging to. He fell off and plummeted towards the ground. He landed on his back, quickly rolling on to his feet. There was a wolf between him and the tree. Damn, Kratos thought. He felt something at the corner of his mind, the instinct of the Kirby niggling at him. He wondered what it was trying to say, and then,
His mouth opened against his will and he sucked in air. The wolf went flying into his mouth, and he felt an odd sensation spreading along his tiny limbs, like fire. After a moment, he saw that he had sharp teeth and claws. With a wolfish growl, he attacked, slashing with his claws and biting with his teeth as the wolves did.
A moment later all the wolves had been defeated. Kratos stood staring at them, horrified. Suddenly, the kirby's instincts took over again and he burped. A strange little star-shaped thing came flying out of his mouth and bounced away, and Kratos was in the normal Kirby body again.
Everyone was silent, staring at him in shock. "Woah..." said Lloyd. "Kratos... how'd you do that?"
"So that was what the Kirby was trying to do to Kratos..." said Raine. "I must figure out how this works!"
"Kratos!" said Lloyd. "Run! She's going into Ruin Mode!"
Kratos immediately began to run madly but Raine, with her infinitely longer legs, caught up to him quickly. She picked him up, then paused. Kratos used her moment of hesitation to jerk free. He continued running. "Lloyd!" he called. "Help me!"
Instead of Lloyd, it was Colette that scooped him up. She put him on her shoulders, and he clung to her hair. "Hold on!" she said. Shining wings came out of her back, and she floated up into the air. She hung there, just out of Raine's reach, while Lloyd, Genis and Regal calmed Raine down.
Raine stopped, realised what she was doing, and blushed with embarrassment. Colette dropped down to the ground and retracted her wings. Kratos hopped to the ground.
"I'm sorry, Kratos," Raine said. "I shouldn't have done that."
"It's fine," said Kratos. He turned to Colette. "Thank you," he said.
"No problem," said Colette, smiling as always.