Hm...
Colette: What's wrong?
Me: I'm not sure I'll be able to end this in ten chapters like I said...
Colette: Oh?
Me: Hm...we'll see, it won't be THAT much longer but I dunno about ten...
Colette: Oh...okay... Freakyanimegal owns nothing!
Me: Enjoy. n.n
Filler, filler...trauma...?
"Grr...I can't find it anywhere!"
With that Lloyd slammed the book shut, dropping it rather forcibly on the floor before pulling out another and scanning its
contents. They had been searching through the archives for HOURS and they hadn't found anything that could cure
Colette... Sure, he supposed he should be thankful Zelos' fast thinking and Colette's wings managed to get their names
cleared...though now most of Meltokio was certain the blond was the 'Return of Spiritua' but whatever... Point was, he
couldn't find whatever it was Kratos had meant... None of these seemed to have anything in them...
"Lloyd..." Colette trailed.
"It's gotta be here somewhere!" he growled, grabbing another book.
"Lloyd...it's okay," she said, "you all can stop."
"What?" Lloyd looked at her. "Colette-"
It was then that the blond tripped, over nothing, yet as usual something good happened as a result of her clumsiness and
a rather archaic looking book fell and almost landed on her head. Lloyd snatched it out of thin air before helping her up with
his free hand, looking at it.
"Huh? I don't think I've seen this one..." Lloyd trailed.
"Lloyd! Let me see that!"
Lloyd stood no chance when Raine came for it, so forked it over and asked Colette if she was okay. The blond assured him
that she was fine when Raine let out an 'ahah!'.
"This is it!" she said.
"What?!" everyone turned to look at her.
"Wow, Colette's clumsiness is truly blessed..." Sheena said.
Colette frowned a bit while Raine read it.
"Hm...apparently it's an infection that causes the body to become a Cruxis Crystal," Raine stated, "the same name as
Altessa's diagnosis. First the epidermis crystallizes...the the organs follow shortly after and then..."
"The subject dies," Colette said.
"..Yes," Raine nodded.
"...Okay, so how do you cure it?" Lloyd asked. "There's gotta be something in there!"
"Calm down...here it is, we need something called a rune crest," she said, "made from...zircon, mana leaf herb, and a mana
fragment, it seems."
"My company handled zircon," Regal stated.
"Mana leaf herb...is probably in Heimdall," Raine stated.
"We'll need permission from the King for that," Sheena said.
"Don't worry about that, I'll take care of it," Zelos smirked.
"That's good, but what about mana fragment?" Lloyd asked.
"...That's...in Derris-Kharlan," Colette said.
Lloyd flinched, suddenly much more aware of the locket against his chest.
"...Well, then we'll just ask Lloyd's daddy to-" Zelos grinned.
He was rewarded with a smack from both Raine and Sheena.
"Th-that's the enemy's base," Lloyd ignored them, "we'll do that last."
"M'kay then, let's get permission from the King and hit Heimdall," Zelos grinned.
"Right," Lloyd nodded, "don't worry Colette, you'll be cured soon."
"...I'm sorry for being so much trouble," she smiled weakly.
Lloyd sighed, making him remarkably like his father.
"Stop saying you're sorry, okay?" he said.
"Oh...okay, I'm sorry,"
They all sighed before heading off.
Mithos was in a rather...distasteful mood. He had scavenged the room in a haste, trying to find the object he was seeking
so desperately. Grr...he knew he should've put it somewhere else, but after four-thousand years he really didn't think he'd
need it again... The blond huffed, his infamous temper reaching its peak. He better find that damn thing NOW or-
Then something caught his eye.
"...Yes..." he grinned, picking up the object.
Heh heh...that idiot wouldn't be such a threat now...
"Here you go,"
"Gee, thanks mister!"
The group smiled as the elven child ran off with a Ymir fruit, allowing them entry into the elven village. They had been rather
irked about having to get that fruit. Though then Lloyd brought up the point that instead of using the ridiculously long
method of 'having the animals help', Colette could just fly up and grab the dang thing. Needless to say, the group couldn't
decide that they were more shocked they hadn't thought of it, or because Lloyd had.
"Great," Lloyd smiled, "let's go in."
"Right away oh fearless leader," Zelos said.
"Shut up, Zelos!" Sheena slapped him.
"OW-! What was that for-!?"
It was then that he stopped when he noticed everyone else had, frozen in their tracks as they noted the figure standing in
their path before village gate. Who happened to be Kratos.
"..." Lloyd froze.
"I see you made it this far, at least," the Seraph stated.
"...D- Kratos-" Lloyd stammered.
"The Village Elder can direct you to your goal," Kratos continued, "I'd suggest you hurry."
"W-wait a second!" Lloyd snarled. "Just what are you-?!"
"Well DUH," Zelos rolled his eyes, "he's just being a good daddy and helping his baby-boy out-"
He was silenced by two smacks.
"Time is short, you want to save the Chosen don't you?" Kratos stated.
"...Fine," Lloyd glared, "let's go guys!"
They began to walk forward as Kratos walked past them-
"Wait,"
Lloyd grabbed Kratos' arm, locking eyes with the ancient man.
"..." Kratos looked at him.
"...I'm going to want some answers later, got it?" Lloyd said, not breaking his gaze.
"..." Kratos closed his eyes, "As you wish."
With that he almost fluidly broke away from Lloyd and walked off into the forest, leaving Lloyd watching after him but a
minute before walking to the gate with the rest of his friends, aside from Genis and Raine of course. Several minutes later
they were walking through the Elf Village and into the home of the elder, Lloyd unresponsive seeing as his thoughts were
still on his blue-winged father.
"Excuse us," Regal said, "we have come regarding an important matter."
"Hm-? Kratos-?" the elf said when he spotted Lloyd.
Lloyd jolted violently.
"Ah, no...I apologize, you must be Lloyd, correct?"
"...Y... Yes sir," he nodded, "...I'm sorry, but do you think you could give us some mana leaf herb? A friend of ours is very
sick and she needs it to get better."
"Hm...sick, you say?" the elf frowned.
"Yes sir..." Colette said.
"She has Chronic Angelus Crystallus Innoficium," Presea stated.
The elf jolted.
"That's-! ...I see, that's why Kratos..."
"What? What about Kratos? What did he do?" Lloyd demanded.
"...Take this staff and show it to the gatekeeper in Latheon Gorge, he'll let you enter to find the storyteller who possesses
the herbs," he said, handing the staff to Lloyd.
"But what about-?"
"I have nothing left to say to you humans," the elf said, turning from them.
Lloyd glared a bit before turning and heading out the door with the others in tow.
"...Lloyd? Are you okay?" Colette asked.
"Fine," he said, "now we can get that herb though! We'll have you cured soon!"
"...Yeah," Colette smiled weakly.
So they were off to the gorge. The trip was a bit annoying, but easy enough. Using bubbles and flowers to get from place
to place was rather repetitive and tedious, meaning...
"Gah..." Lloyd sighed.
"Let me guess, you're bored," Genis said.
"I-it's not that! We're just taking too much time!" Lloyd stammered.
"I'm sure it's not much farther," Colette said nervously.
"I hope not..." Lloyd sighed.
"Yeah, I'm so sick of this place!" Zelos whined.
"Holy crap, it's contagious," Sheena said.
They gave her some disgruntled looks before continuing onward. Of course, Colette was right. They found the storyteller's
house and with not much more effort managed to get into the cave that apparently housed the herb. Of course, they were
met by the 'flower'...which attempted to eat them, naturally.
"Gah-!" Zelos leapt aside as a tendril swiped at him.
"FLAME LANCE!" Genis cast, the mana-weapon hurling at the main body.
Lloyd ran for the plantix, weaving in and out of its attacks in an almost rhythmic, dancing pattern, fluidly striking the
monster at random intervals. He was beginning to get used to the effortless way he could evade and assault his enemies,
it made him feel...well, strong. It made him feel agile, fluid, graceful, and of course, deadly. It was...nice.
"Cyclone Seal!" Sheena cried.
The plantix staggered a bit, having been caught in the tornado of paper seals. Lloyd took advantage of this opportunity and
(having been facing its back) ran up along the skeletal spine and then performed a well-aimed 'Rising Falcon', cleaving
through its skull. It let out a roar of pain before bringing what was left of its appendages and went to strike the dual
swordsman. It was over in an instant. Lloyd barely realized he had moved before the arms, roots, and tendrils alike were in
pieces on the ground and then he leapt forward toward the main body...
"HUNTING BEAST!"
The creature was blown back and hit the cave wall before its body shattered into millions of tiny pieces, almost appearing
as dust while the small remnants floated to the floor.
"..." Lloyd blinked.
"...Woah..." Sheena said.
"That was...wow," Genis stared.
"Amazing..." Colette trailed.
"...What?" Lloyd said. "It was just weaker than it looked, is all..."
"Lloyd," Raine glared.
"...What? Why are you looking at me like that?" he fidgeted.
"It took its data with a magic lens," Raine stated, "that was NOT an ordinary monster."
"...So?"
"We're talking it was stronger than Luna and Aska," the half-elf crossed her arms.
Lloyd almost fell over.
"W-what?! Are you kidding me?! We had problems with those two all together! There's no way I could've just done that to
something like that!" Lloyd stammered, shocked.
"Well you did," Zelos said, "I didn't even get to hit it!"
"Hm...interesting..." Raine bit her lip.
"...Why are you looking at me like that...?" Lloyd trailed.
"...What is it you said did this to you again?" Raine bit her lip.
"I told you, I don't know! It was this big...cat...snake thing!" he said.
"You killed it, correct?"
"Yeah! But then its body disappeared..." Lloyd trailed.
"...We're going to have to look into that as soon as we cure Colette," Raine stated.
"Hey, I don't see anything wrong with it," Zelos said, "if he kicks more ass, better for us!"
"I hate to say it, but I agree, how could that be a drawback?" Sheena asked.
"Well...it can't hurt to be sure..." Raine said, "as for now-"
Then she spotted the mana leaf herb...
"MARVELOUS!!"
Then everyone ran to the cave exit as fast as they could.
"What?!" she asked.
After making their way back to the storyteller's home (and tried to escape a lecture by Raine about the Olfe Uprising), they
stopped in to verify if they had in fact retrieved the right plant, and maybe vent a little for not being warned about the
dangerous monster.
"How come you didn't tell us?" Lloyd asked.
"Your actions would not have changed, that, and I know of you..."
Before they could question him the elf lifted a finger and pointed at Lloyd.
"You've been transformed by the Lestuk, the serpentine panther creature that dwells in the shadows..."
Needless to say, THAT got their attention.
"What-?! How did you-!?" Lloyd cried.
"Those who can tell, can tell," he said simply.
"Wait, you know of this creature?" Raine asked. "Has this happened before?"
"A beast that emerges from the shadows, forever seeking an opponent worthy of its time," the elf said, "it is said to be a
demon, manipulating its foes to make them more powerful in order to appease its thirst for battle. Many an adventurer
have fallen at its claws."
"What? I've never heard of such a beast," Regal said.
"Not many have these days, I know of it only by the stories handed down through the generations," the elf smiled weakly,
"I pass down the stories of history, the stories of our world. The Lestuk has not been seen for...several centuries now, I
believe. The opponent then...succumbed."
"You mean he died?" Lloyd asked.
"Yes," he nodded, "the Lestuk has been beaten only once before you."
"...Really?" Lloyd stopped. "...Wow... Wait! Do you know how-?"
"How to return to your original form?" the elf asked. "That I can not say for certain. As I said, only one before you has
defeated the Lestuk, so the details are sketchy."
"Sketchy? Why?" Genis asked.
"It happened over four-thousand years ago, during the time of the Kharlan War, during the time of Mithos,"
"Woah woah woah!" Zelos said suddenly. "Isn't Mithos' name taboo in Heimdall?!"
"This is not Heimdall," the elf said, "I tell the stories and histories free from the customs."
"Just who was Mithos anyway?" Lloyd asked. "We hear his name everywhere, the pacts, the stories, the legends...it even
came up in the way to cure Colette! Now it's even involved with what's happening to me?! If he was so great, why is his
name taboo? Nothing makes sense about that!"
"Mithos was a half-elf, born and raised in Heimdall,"
"Woah woah woah, wait, a half-elf? No way!" Zelos snapped.
"Mithos was indeed a half-elf," he said, "he and his companions ended the war of old."
"Then why is his name taboo?" Colette wondered.
"Because he's a half-elf!" Genis spat.
"No, Mithos' name is taboo because he is a fallen hero,"
"...A fallen...?" Lloyd started.
"Mithos, beloved by Origin, received the Eternal Sword and with its power split the world in two," the elf trailed, "Mithos
Yggdrasill, his older sister Martel, and their companions Yuan and Kratos. They changed the nature of the two worlds, thus
their names are taboo."
Lloyd almost stopped breathing.
"W-wait...you're saying Yggdrasill of Cruxis is...Mithos the Hero?!" Sheena stared.
"What! That's impossible! It's been four-thousand years, no one can live that long!"
"Mithos and his companions used the techniques of the ancient times to halt their metabolism, stopping their internal clock
and thus their aging process," the elf said, "this enabled them to live longer than even us elves."
"...Kratos is..." Lloyd whispered, dumb-struck.
"As you said, the legend of Mithos is connected to the cures for both the girl and yourself," the elf looked at him, "the only
one to ever triumph over the Lestuk was Kratos, the human companion of Mithos Yggdrasill."
"..." the dual-swordsman had frozen, choking on his saliva.
"...Lloyd...?" Presea started.
"I...I need to get out of here, I'm sorry,"
Lloyd ran out of the house.
"Lloyd-!" Colette followed after him.
"...Please," Raine said to the elder, "...do you know of the cure?"
"...Due to the legends there existed an ore of similar components of aionis," the elf said, "all that is known is that the ore
was combined with magic of some kind."
"...I see, thank you," Raine nodded, turning to leave.
Outside, Lloyd was once again clutching the locket around his neck, trying to digest the information. Mithos the Hero was
Yggdrasill? Martel was his sister? Yuan and Kratos...his father, were over four-thousand years old? That and...wait...if
Kratos had defeated the thing that did this to him...did that mean he had had his age mangled too? Is that how he knew it
was him...? Then again, with what Yuan said and how Kratos acted... Yes, it was more than likely. ...So...Kratos knew about
it the whole time...he knew everything... He found himself fingering the feather in his pocket, wondering to himself...
"Lloyd?"
He looked up, Colette and the others were looking at him.
"...Are you okay?" she asked.
"...Y-yeah," Lloyd said, "...look, I'll be fine...right now we have to get you cured first."
"...But Lloyd-" she started.
"Lloyd's right, let's get moving," Raine stated, "we can't spend any more time lolly-gagging. Besides...the sooner we cure
you, the sooner we can get Lloyd back to normal."
"What?" they looked at her.
"There's a way to-?" Lloyd started.
Raine nodded.
"Yes, according to the storyteller," she said, "I'm sure that once we run into Kratos again he can..."
She stopped when she noticed Lloyd clutching the locket.
"Nevermind, let's go,"
Lloyd nodded.
"All right...zircon next, right?"
"Yes," Regal stated, "as I said, my company handled the substance. We should be able to see where the last shipment
went to if we view the archives in Altimira."
"WOOT! ALTIMIRA!" Zelos grinned.
"Zelos, we're not going there to play around!" Sheena said.
"Aw..." the red-head moped.
"We should get moving," Presea said.
"Right," Lloyd said.
He turned and headed down the gorge once more, his thoughts still on his enigmatic father... Heh...he must have sounded
so stupid, so many times... When he called him his brother during the journey, when he told him that he didn't understand
what he was going through...everything he said and did, almost, probably made him look like a fool in his father's eyes... He
sighed and began fingering the feather again, hoping no one would notice.
"Motherfucker..." Lloyd muttered under his breath, blaming Kratos for his predicament.
"Hey, wait," Zelos said.
"What?" Lloyd looked at him.
Uh-oh, had he heard him...?
"Y'know, I just thought of something," a grin grew on Zelos' face.
Lloyd didn't like that grin...
"...What?" Lloyd asked somewhat reluctantly.
"Know what's funny? Bud always called Kratos a bastard, so he was pretty much dissing himself when he was saying his
grandparents weren't married!" the chosen beamed, ecstatic.
Silence fell like a hammer.
"Z-zelos-!" Lloyd stammered.
"You know what's funnier?!" Zelos grinned. "Since you just said it, Lloyd...you really should be quieter, by the way. You
were talking about Kratos when you said 'motherfucker', right? The irony of that, Bud, is that he DID fuck your mother-!"
Lloyd punched Zelos in the face.
"OW-! SON OF A-!!"
"Don't talk about my parents again!!" Lloyd roared.
"What?! It's true-! OW! NOT THE FACE-!!"
And so, after Lloyd beat an apology out of Zelos (and the others tried to suppress their snickers or disgust at the situation),
they finally made their way to Altimira. The records were found without much trouble, though once Kuchinawa threatened to
make off with it there was a bit of a problem... Luckily, it was resolved at the price of Sheena's bell, and her promise to fight
along with it. Lloyd and the others didn't like it, but they respected that that was what Sheena wanted to do. The zircon
was found not long after, and though Lloyd wanted to head to their destination (Sybak) immediately, it had gotten late...
"We don't have time for this..." Lloyd groaned, antsy.
"We can't fly at night, you know that," Genis said.
"But...but still..." Lloyd bit his lip.
Genis froze.
"...What?" Lloyd asked.
"I'm sorry, but when you do that..." Genis twitched a bit.
"Let me guess, I look like Kratos?" Lloyd sighed.
"W-wha-? N-!"
Lloyd raised an eyebrow.
"...Okay, you do, but..." the half-elf fidgeted.
"It's okay," Lloyd sighed.
"We'll be staying on the fifth floor," Regal stated, having been the one leading them into his hotel, "it's large, so it should
be able to accommodate all of us comfortably."
Of course, it lived up to what Regal said and more. The place wasn't a room, it was a practical house, a luxurious house at
that. Beds were claimed before dinner was brought up...and after Raine volunteered to cook room service was instantly
called (needless to say, Raine was rather offended). So they had begun to settle to bed when Zelos spoke up...
"Hey, Bud," Zelos said.
"Hm?" Lloyd looked at him.
"Mind if I talk to you for a second?"
"Uh...sure..."
Zelos motioned for Lloyd to follow him outside the room, where the dual swordsman followed before the pink-clad male
turned to him with a wide, mischievous grin. Lloyd fidgeted.
"...What?" he asked.
"I was just thinking bud...you're technically over twenty-one now, right?"
"Yeah...?" he trailed, not liking where this was going.
"...Come on," Zelos headed for the elevator.
"Huh?" Lloyd blinked.
"There are some things a man can't enjoy until he's twenty-one, fun things," Zelos smirked, "and bud, since you are so
hopelessly oblivious to all the fun you can have, I, the Great Zelos Wilder, am taking it upon myself to educate you."
"...I don't-"
"Okay, fine, be a stick in the mud, I'll go by myself," the chosen shrugged.
Now, Lloyd may have been oblivious, he may have been mentally still a kid, really, but he was (even regardless of his
current body) a young man near adulthood that had certain...curiosities.
"Well..." Lloyd trailed.
"It won't hurt, right?" Zelos smirked. "No one will know, right?"
"...I..."
"And you're over twenty-one now, right?" he winked.
"...Sort of-"
"See? So what's wrong with it? We'll be back before they even know it!"
"...All right," Lloyd said, glancing around a bit nervously.
"There we go! Come on! Two buds on a wild night on the town! WOOT!"
Lloyd sighed and followed after Zelos, wondering just what it was he had signed up for. The two males walked out into the
night-life of Altimira, and before long had made it to the...'adult' playground of the place. The Casinos, Bars, and...'Pleasure'
places... Lloyd suddenly felt much younger than he actually was, having been the simple farm-kid he was. Zelos, however,
was right at home and instantly snagged a couple of groupies for himself.
"Hello, ladies," he smiled charmingly.
"Oooh! Hello!"
"Hi, Zelos!" another smirked seductively.
"...How do I get the feeling you've been here before?" Lloyd frowned.
"Oh? Zelos, who's your friend?" a rather hookerish women asked.
"This is my bud, Lloyd," he said, "he's...well, he hasn't had much 'experience', you know..."
Lloyd was at this point sincerely wondering if he should go back.
"Oh?" a busty woman purred.
The woman and another scantily dressed female clung to either of Lloyd's arms, the brunette shooting bright red with shock
and embarrassment as they made no effort to hide their...proportions. Lloyd stammered, unable to think. Oh no, what the
hell was he doing here?! He didn't want to be like Zelos! And- and- just NO! This was wrong! ...Okay, he liked the hot girls,
but he didn't want them TOUCHING him-! The only girl he could ever be okay with doing that would be Colette- but- but
even that was only-! Not-!
"Aw, he's embarrassed," one cooed.
"We'll fix that..." another grinned.
"Z-zelos-!" Lloyd stammered.
"Sorry bud!" Zelos waved, walking off with some women. "You're on your own!"
"Z-zelos-!!" he cried, red in the face.
"Come on, cutie, don't be shy," a woman giggled, trying to lead him off.
"W-what-!? N-no-! I don't-! I can't-!"
"What, is he gay?" one asked.
"Oh man! All the hot ones are!" another whined.
"WHAT?! I'm not gay-!!" Lloyd protested.
"Then come on," one giggled.
"Yeah, hottie, we'll let you have one free since it's your first time..."
"One?" Lloyd froze. "What do you...?"
The girls smirked at him.
"..." his eye twitched.
That did it.
"GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE-!!" he cried, attempting to escape.
"Wait! Come back!"
"You'll like it!"
"We don't have STDS! Really!"
If they were hoping that would make him turn around, they were solely mistaken, seeing as it only made him run faster for
the tram. He was never listening to Zelos again, ever, hell, he wasn't going out after dark again! He knew Zelos
was...um...flirty, but for the love of mana! This was just wrong! Oh geez... he was never going to listen to Zelos again,
never never never never never never-
"Well, don't you look traumatized,"
He flinched, coming to a halt. Wait...that voice sounded like...?
"YUAN!?"
The long-haired half-elf was looking at him as if resisting the urge to laugh...he also had a woman on each arm. Lloyd
twitched some more as Yuan slid from their arms and walked forward.
"...Wh...what the hell are you...?" Lloyd twitched.
"This? Oh...that's nothing," he coughed, "ladies, I'm going to have to say farewell."
"Oh, really?" one whined.
"But it's so early!" the other said.
"I know, my dears," Yuan said suavely, "don't fret, I'll be back for you."
"All right, Yuie!"
"Whatever you say!"
With that they pranced off, but not before blowing kisses to the blue-head. Yuan smirked and turned to Lloyd, who was
gaping at him like an idiot with his right eyelid twitching periodically.
"The Tethe'allan Chosen took you out, hm?" he smirked.
"...Wh...what the HELL was that?!"
"Oh please," Yuan rolled his eyes, "Seraph I may be, I am still a man."
"...So you go with hookers?" Lloyd said blandly.
"Hookers?" Yuan mocked offense. "They're...escorts."
"They're hos," Lloyd said.
"Well, it's all the same really," Yuan shrugged.
"...I thought you were..." Lloyd trailed, "...I don't know..."
"Mature? I'm not the one who ran away..." he smirked.
Lloyd glared.
"Heh...so Kratos told you, huh?"
"W-what? How did you-?" Lloyd stammered.
"You're wearing his locket, genius, not that hard to figure out," he pointed.
"...Oh..." he trailed.
"...Heh," Yuan chuckled a bit.
"What's so funny?" Lloyd glared.
"...Kratos was rather uncomfortable the first time I took him out too," Yuan smirked, "damn bastard...the ladies flocked to
him and he didn't want to tap any of them...though I managed to snag a couple where he left off but-..."
Lloyd seriously looked to be in a catatonic state at this point.
"...Never mind," he sighed.
"Sh-shouldn't you be doing something or something!?" Lloyd snapped. "Being a double-agent should have you...I don't
know, busy or something, right?"
"True, but these...escapades, are the only reason I haven't cracked yet," Yuan admitted.
"...Yuan..."
"Yes?"
"...Are you all really four-thousand years old?"
This apparently took him by surprise.
"...You figured that out, hm?" Yuan said, acting more like his usual stern self.
"...Yeah," Lloyd nodded, "...what happened to me...happened to D-...Kratos, before, didn't it?"
"...Heh, you did learn a lot," Yuan smirked dryly, "...yes, Kratos had his age mangled too."
"...When? Or...how? Why?" Lloyd asked.
"..." Yuan sighed, "...if you really want to know, I can summarize it-"
"Yes I want to know!" Lloyd said.
"..Fine," Yuan sighed, "...well...Kratos and I were rather...adventurous, when we were around your age- as in, your real
age, but you get the picture. So that often ended us in trouble..."
"Yeah?" Lloyd prodded, eager to hear more.
"...In particular there was this abandoned factory of sorts we were told never to go by," he continued, "apparently it was
haunted, cursed, dangerous, etcetera, etcetera, so...one day we were bored...and we went in."
Lloyd stared.
"What?" Yuan asked icily.
"I was trying to imagine you young..."
Yuan's eye twitched.
"Do you want me to tell you or not?"
"Y-yeah! I'm sorry! Okay? Just tell me!" Lloyd stammered out.
"...We went in and got separated..." Yuan continued, "...I found him unconscious a while after that..."
"And when he woke up...he was..." Lloyd frowned.
"Exactly," Yuan said, "he managed to defeat it and get back to normal and all, though it popped up again several years
later...and that's another story."
"That's it?" Lloyd said, disappointed.
"Yes," Yuan said, "now, if you'll excuse me...I think I'll have a drink or two before I head back to my base, if you don't
mind...unless you care to join me?"
Lloyd twitched and the half-elf laughed out loud.
"You're just as humorless as Kratos sometimes, honestly," he smirked, "well then...I'll be off..."
Lloyd sighed and headed back for the inn, not noticing that Yuan had not headed for the bar but into an alley way where
Zelos leaned against a wall, his eyes meeting Yuan's sternly.
"So?" he asked. "I lured him out and all, aren't you going to capture him?"
"In time," Yuan stated, "...from his mana signature, I can tell capturing him now would be risky...he'll have to be suppressed
somehow before I can get him."
"Bah, you just got scared," Zelos rolled his eyes.
"You'd do well to hold your tongue, Chosen," Yuan glared.
"Yeah yeah, whatever..."
There was a minute of silence.
"...Well...since we're here and all..." Zelos trailed.
Yuan raised an eyebrow.
"Have you ever been to 'Miss Pussies'?" he grinned evilly.
"...Can't say I have," Yuan stated coldly.
"Oh? Shame...they got some...'exotic' ones there," Zelos conitnued.
Yuan remained silent.
"Nice ones...they're all clean too," he smirked, "that and there's a lot of...good stuff."
"...Tch," Yuan spat.
"I'm a regular there, me and a buddy could get in free..."
"...So?" Yuan glared.
"...Just saying..." Zelos shrugged, smirking.
There was a moment of silence.
"...Show me the way," Yuan said.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Zelos cackled, leading the Seraph off.
...Forgive me, but I can totally see Yuan as the type to do that.
...
Oh yeah, I locked Colette in the closet so she wouldn't be traumatized by this chapter...
(Unlocks door)
Colette: Yay! I'm out! n.n What'd I miss?
Me:...Oh...nothing much...(shifty eyes)
Colette: Oh...okay, review! n.n
Me: Virtual cookie to anyone who can find and identify the cameo word in here! n.n
