Author's Note:
Hello once again and welcome to my lair, er, I mean, fic. I was planning on having some long and drawn out speech for the author's note, but it's a bit too late for that and I'm way too tired to try being eloquent. So, I'll make it brief, or as brief as I can with it making an ounce or two of sense.
Thanks to all of you who favorited, alerted, read and spun around in circles. Also, ginormous thank yous to Stephy825, freakyanimegal, silent romantic, Destiny's Light, Kiomori, Amekoryuu, Droaerion and Firehedgehog. Thank you all so much for your words of praise and reviewiness. That all made me smile very much.
Mya, onto the disclaimer.
Disclaimer: I don't own ToS, because if I did, Zelos would get the ability to use Judgment as a normal technique, not just as a cameo attack if you pick a certain ending... which I usually do.
Zelos: No love, man. No love.
Me: Hey, I believe in chapter's past I stated my perfect ending of not choosing between characters and Yuan's joining of the party at the last segments, thank you very much. Believe it or not, I feel bad about certain events that happen when I pick.
Zelos: But you rarely pick the other endings.
Me: .... I still do feel bad.
Chapter Eleven: Rocky Recommencement
"Where... the hell is he?" Lloyd groaned as he ran out of the ninth building on the far end of the rich row of structures. For the past two hours, Lloyd had searched practically every construct in the Aristocrat's Quarters, from the royal reception hall to the 'Eccentric', or better known as the bat crazy, but with an abhorrent amount of money, 'Lady's house. The first grader had just escaped by means of a window from the clutches of the ancient old biddy, who had tried to make him sit through the ten photo albums of her pet parakeets.
"Who the heck takes ten photo albums worth of birds anyway?" Lloyd hotly asked no one in particular as he dashed down the cobbled walk towards the center square of the aristocrat's end. "A bird is a bird is a bird is a bird. You can either eat it, or you can't. That's a bird."
Snorting to himself, Lloyd stretched out his arms over his head and kicked the dust off his shoes. He'd made it back to the main square just beyond the city stairwell, but there was still no sign of Kratos anywhere. Lloyd sighed dejectedly. Even though he'd scoured most of the Aristocrat's quarters, he hadn't seen hide, nor hair of the angelic swordsman who had escorted him there.
"Why is it.. that every single time I don't want him to show up, he's right there taunting me, but when I DO want to find him, he's nowhere to be found?" The young boy groaned, his arms crossed against his chest. He glanced around for a few more minutes, his cherrywood eyes scanning the entire area, but it was futile. There was no trace of Kratos anywhere. Just as he was getting to dash off again, a wave of exhaustion hit the tiny boy's body and he had to snag a stray lamppost in order to keep himself standing.
'I gotta sit down.' Lloyd blinked harshly to keep his eyes open and spotted a series of marble steps from across where he stood in the upper quarters of the aristocracy's domain. They looked as good a place as any to recuperate and figure out where to check next for the angelic warlord. Pinching his cheek so he would stay awake, Lloyd crossed the main square like his legs were caked in cement and collapsed on the stairs of a gigantic building to the far left. His forehead came to rest upon the palms of his hands and he stared vacantly at the paved streets, his mind racing with theories on where the 'Angel of Death' could be at that moment.
'He wasn't at the reception hall.' Lloyd thought to himself tiredly. 'The guy at the front desk said I was the first person he'd seen all day and there hadn't been anyone else. He also said he would have remembered if there had been.' Since the host at the front desk had looked as though he was going to collapse due to sheer boredom, Lloyd had believed him and left to scout out the other structures.
'I don't think he was that good an actor, so chances were he was telling the truth.' The six year old nodded. 'The middle aged ladies eating cake didn't see anyone, and neither did the guys who were staring at the maids doing laundry.' Even after that though, no one he had talked to had anything helpful or interesting to say. No hints, no leads, not even a stray feather, with of course, the exception of the loony bird lady.
Exhaling sharply again, Lloyd peered up from where he had been in a heated contest with the pavement and gazed up at the robin's egg blue sky that graced the Meltokio area with it's presence. The blazing summer sun drenched the royal capital of Meltokio with beams of light and sweat dripped off of Lloyd's face and down his back, which felt royally disgusting. All that running and searching fruitlessly had worked up his blood temperature and his body was trying to cool itself down as a result. Grimacing at the strength of the heat that cascaded onto his body, he stretched, loosened his scarf around his neck slightly and tugged at the heavy velvet ribbon that held his medal to his chest.
'Maybe I should take this off.' Lloyd thought pensively as his thumb and forefinger grazed over the glossy finish of the medal's surface. Although it was weighing him down somewhat, he had been so proud of his recent victory over in the coliseum, he had been hesitant to remove it. After he eyed it for a minute or two, the young boy sniffed, let the medal slip from his fingers, so it landed back against his chest with a hollow thud, and smiled.
'No, not yet.' He thought, his shoes tapping on the steps below him. 'I don't care if it is a bit flashy.. or heavy.' His medal was proof that he was just as good a fighter as he had been when he was older; that even though he may have looked like a small boy, he was still the same Lloyd underneath.
'I'll take it off later.' The first grader stated firmly and yawned into his fist, the full brunt of his lethargy setting in. He shook his head in an attempt to stave off his oncoming sleepiness, but all that did was make the bandage on his head drift down and cover part of his eyes.
'.. great.' Lloyd grunted and pulled up the linen bandage out of his eyes with his tiny thumbs. Once the bandage was back in place, memories of how Kratos had tended to the abrasion on his forehead arose in his mind and flickered back and forth. Snorting, Lloyd flopped his cheek onto the palm of his hand and sighed sharply.
'He helped me.. but why?' He asked himself. 'It makes no sense. I'm his enemy... aren't I?' Lloyd tried several times to understand, but all he managed to get from brainstorming was a grand heaping pile of nothing and a royal headache. As he continued that train of thinking, another thought drifted into his mind, one that made his internal organs freeze like they had been thrown into a snowbank in Flanoir.
'Maybe he left already.' The miniature swordsman blinked in horror. If that was the case, he was completely left up the creek without even the handle of a paddle. If Kratos had already left the Meltokio area, there was nothing the boy could do to find him. It was difficult enough trying to track the older man when he was his normal size. Now that he was the size of a shrimp, it would be nye impossible.
'Y'know, I'm pretty sure he said he was going to do something up here.' Lloyd mused, his eyebrows creased in a frown. 'He said he had business or something.' Groaning, Lloyd poked himself in the forehead and rested his chin on his palm.
'Why can't I remember?' He sighed. 'I know he said it, but where...' Lloyd's thoughts cut off when a loud series of large clinking sounds emanated through the entire square and echoed throughout. The first grader's head shot up like the crack of a whip and he blanched.
Papal Knights, dozens of them, were headed straight towards him. Whether or not they were specifically targeting him wasn't relevant. All he knew was they were all headed his way and that made the small boy turn an unhealthy shade of gray.
"Uh oh.... that's not good." Lloyd gulped as the papal knights came closer. Even though he was now much smaller than the Lloyd they were searching for, the tiny swordsman wasn't sure that his 'I'm too short' excuse would really be of any help with getting his bacon out of the fire. Sure, it had worked on the announcer, but that guy had more polka dots than brains, so it was a crap shoot at best. Lloyd quickly jumped to his feet, the adrenaline completely wiping the lethargy from his body. He didn't have time to think, just act. Wheeling around, Lloyd bolted up the steps he had been sitting upon and wrenched open the doors at the top of the stairwell. Once the weighty doors finally budged, the small boy ran inside and, using his full body, slammed the doors back into place. At the sound of the doors locking into position, Lloyd exhaled exhaustedly and rested his bandaged forehead against the oaken doors, the rest of his body following suit.
"Whew... that was close." Lloyd let out a breath of relief and readjusted his scarf so both of the tails were once again over his shoulders. Nodding to no one in particular, Lloyd pivoted on his heel and his lungs froze mid breath as he realized exactly where he was.
'... oh, crud.'
In his desperate attempt to escape from the sights of the Papal Knights, Lloyd had inadvertently run into the entryway of the Meltokio Martel Cathedral. Standing in the hall like Noishe who spotted a particularly nasty looking monster, Lloyd swallowed hard and scanned the huge entry hall of the church. With the exception of a large gaggle of fancy looking women who were all huddled parallel of the rectory door, there was nary a soul inside the church.
'Good.. no sign of either the papal knights or the Pope.' He breathed a sigh of happiness and rested his fists on his hips. He'd managed to dodge yet another bullet, so as a result, newfound enthusiasm crept onto his face and shone in his eyes as he stood there. As reveled in his insanely good luck, that's when it hit him.
The church. Kratos had business with the church. That was it. Lloyd beamed at himself for finally remembering what the angel had mentioned before, but his smile quickly faded when he glanced around for the seraph, yet was met with nothing.
"He's supposed to be here but I don't see him any-"
"There he is!" One of the women squealed as the door to the rectory creaked open and one Kratos Aurion strode out of the compact room, tucking what looked like the ends of a pile of wood into the small wing pack on the side of his belt. Lloyd, thrilled that he finally found Kratos, tried to get closer, but one of the full skirts slammed into his side and threw him into one of the bench aisles.
"Ouch.. dammit that hurt..." The first grader groaned, latching his hand onto the rim of the pew and pulling himself to his feet. Apparently, that skirt wasn't full just because of a crinoline. Although the tiny boy had been lobbed into a pew via a serious set of thighs, none of the women seemed to have noticed. They were far too busy giggling like a bunch of inane school girls over the seraphim's sudden presence.
"Ooh, isn't he just gorgeous?" Another woman murmured as the flock huddled together. Lloyd raised an eyebrow, watching them with curiosity.
"I'd just love to take him home, mmhm." A third, with a hair piece that looked like she had mauled the awning outside of the item shop for it's fabric, added.
"Just look at his face, I bet he's got loads of experience!" The fourth, with an odd array of swirls in her hair that made Lloyd think of whirlpools, piped.
'Wow, they're weird.' Lloyd scrunched up his boyish nose at all of the women and snorted. However, the word 'experience' caught Lloyd off guard and he glanced at them all with confusion and suspicion, his tapered eyebrow caulked upward underneath his head bandage.
'What? ... what are they talking about?' The first grader asked himself as he looked them all over. Suddenly, a feeling of sheer disgust washed over him and he lurched over, gripping the pew for support.
'...Wait... they aren't talking about-'
"The way he's standing there, acting like he has far better things to do!" The third squealed girlishly, giggling as she did so. "That's so attractive!"
'... they are. Good night Martel, they are!' Lloyd's face contorted in horror and his legs cemented to the floor, unable to move, talk or even think straight. The women, however, didn't notice Lloyd's presence at all from behind the pew and continued their ogling.
"The way his hair covers up the side of his face, like he's all mysterious and stuff." The first woman added, her cheeks growing red with excitement as her eyes lingered on the seraph across the room. "I bet he's a really good kisser."
"And not just his face, the rest of him is pretty nice to look at too." The second cooed, fanning her face with a lacy pink fan. "Too bad there are so many clothes in the way of that view."
Once Lloyd finally regained the use of his vocal chords, he said the first mature and brilliant thing that popped into his mind.
"... Eww."
"Okay girls, corner him before he gets away!"
Lloyd shook out of his stupor just in time to see the flock of women descend upon the unknowing seraph, who was still tucking the last pieces of wood into his pack, and circled him like a pack of rabid, fluffy and overly colorful hyenas. Glancing up from his pouch at his hip, the angelic swordsman noticed that he was surrounded and raised an eyebrow in response.
".. can I help you?" He asked, his deep baritone voice resonating through the silent church. The women all looked to each other, broke into a fit of giggles and turned back to him.
"Ooh, yes you can, hunny." The first lady winked and stuck her hip to the side. "You can help me all you want."
Kratos frowned and watched them all, eyebrow still raised.
"... excuse me?"
"Oh no you don't. You got the last one, this one's mine." The second woman smacked the first with her fan. Almost immediately, the two women began to bicker amongst themselves, which led the other two to start leaning in. Instinctively, Kratos took a step back away from the pair, though all that did was encourage the two painted up women to follow him, fire in their eyes.
'What are they doing?' Lloyd blenched in horror as the two women backed Kratos into a corner, leering at him with all they were worth. He'd never seen Kratos quite like that. Usually when he was cornered, he had always been the picture of tranquility. However, this time a hint of frustration graced the corners of his face, though it hadn't completely broken his emotionless mask.
'It's because he can't fight them like a normal battle, I guess.' Lloyd justified as he crawled out from under the pew. 'That's probably why he looks so annoyed.'
Lloyd observed them for a moment, as both women who weren't arguing amongst themselves had cut off Kratos' path to the exit. The boy frowned. Judging from the way Kratos glanced at the entryway, he was planning to make a break for the oaken doors the second he got a chance. If he did escape, Lloyd didn't figure his little legs would be able to catch or even keep up with Kratos. He was a lot taller than Lloyd for one, and he was an angel as well, so his stamina wouldn't fail him like Lloyd's would if the boy chased after him.
'If he runs off, I won't be able to get him to take me with him. I'd better let him know that I'm here.' The boy added, strolling down the isle towards the squabbling women and the ensnared angel against the stone wall.
Meanwhile, one of the women had gotten a bit too close to the angelic swordsman and had covertly copped a feel. Very irritated that he was backed against the wall, yet could not retaliate against them, and had been violated, the seraph sharply batted her hand away and folded his arms against his chest.
"I would prefer you keep your hands to yourself." Kratos stated curtly, his voice edging on dangerous as he stared both of the frilly women down. However, they didn't back off or even seem to be phased. If anything, they were more inclined as ever to get closer to him.
"Ooh, feisty. I like that in a man." The lady with the swirly hair purred, her voice drenched in saccharine as she inched closer. "I bet you're feisty with everything that you do." She took a step forward, her eyes scanning him from top to bottom and she winked.
"And I mean.. everything."
The fire behind Kratos' eyes flared, the cherry coloring in his irises shifting bright crimson with anger.
".. are you propositioning me?"
"Maybe, if that's what you wanna call it-"
"Kratos!"
All five gazes shifted sharply to the sound of the voice as the former teenager turned first grader bounced forward and grinned at the seraphim brightly.
"There you are." Lloyd beamed in greeting, the tails of his white scarf bouncing as he swayed from side to side. "I've been looking all over for you, y'know."
"Lloyd?" Kratos raised an eyebrow in surprise. The first grader nodded and stretched, so much so that the bandage had drifted into his eyes again and covered one eye like a white curtain. Groaning at the linen strip, Lloyd hooked a thumb under the bandage and laughed when he peeked at Kratos from under it, as he found the rare dumbfounded expression on the older man's face absolutely hilarious.
"Happy to see me?" Lloyd asked, once the bandage was back in place. The older man didn't reply, but from the relieved look in his eyes, Lloyd gathered that he wasn't completely unhappy that he had shown up.
However, the gaggle of ladies were less than thrilled.
"A kid?" The woman with the pink fan gasped, taking a step back. The first woman groaned and ran her hand through her gaudy hairstyle.
"Aw, that's such a letdown." She sighed. "And here we were all gonna have so much fun." At the woman's remark, Kratos glared at her, which led Lloyd to believe that whatever she had planned that would be 'fun' was not going to happen in her lifetime.
"Stinkin' kid." the fourth snorted unhappily, pushing part of her sleeve back onto her shoulder, as she had let it hang below her shoulders for some reason.
"Why is there always a kid?" The swirly haired trollop whined bitterly and retreated back to her pack of ravenous snakes. The shrunken swordsman looked over at the group of hyenas and then turned back to Kratos, his face riddled with confusion.
"Wait... huh?" Lloyd blinked and glanced at the women again, who were scowling hatefully at him and then back to Kratos.
"What'd I do?" He asked. Kratos didn't reply. Instead, he stepped in front of Lloyd and folded his arms against his chest, staring all of the women down with his signature 'death glare'.
Scowling venomously at the small boy, the women all gazed longingly back at Kratos, who merely gave them all dirty looks in response. Sighing in a collective 'hmph', they stuck their noses in the air and strode haughtily to the front doors and exited, their egos thoroughly wounded.
Lloyd watched them all stalk out the door in a huff and turned back to Kratos, his eyebrows raised.
"What's their problem?" He asked, obviously still confused. He didn't think he'd done anything to really make them all that upset. All he had done was say 'hi' to the seraphim. He didn't think that really merited stomping off like their new toy had been taken away.
Kratos didn't respond. He continued to watch the door, his eyes narrowed into slits, just in case any of the vultures decided to go for a second round.
"... I don't know." He eventually replied curtly. Lloyd peered over at the door and snorted disdainfully.
"Huh. What a bunch of weird trout." Lloyd stretched his arms over his head and folded them behind his head so his fingers interlocked with each other, the back of his skull resting in his palms. It was so odd that they all dispersed like that. The small boy rubbed his nose with his sleeve and shook his head. Maybe people got a little cuckoo when they reached their ages, he didn't know.
"Lloyd.. thank you." Lloyd was shaken out of his thoughts by the older man's voice and he peered at Kratos, who had not taken his gaze away from the doors.
"Huh?" The six year old gave him a quizzical expression. "What for?" Kratos glanced down at the boy briefly before he returned his eyes to the oaken barrier to the outside.
"Your presence diverted their attention, and for that you have my thanks." He responded simply.
"Oh." Lloyd blinked. "Uh, you're welcome, I guess." Scratching the side of his head, Lloyd restlessly bounced from side to side as a blanket of tranquility settled over the empty church hall.
The silence seemed to be there for nothing short of an eternity, until it was broken by the sound of a clearing throat.
"Lloyd, what are you doing here?" The angelic being finally asked, observing Lloyd from the corner of his eye.
Lloyd's throat ran dry. He'd been expecting this moment to come, though dreading it would have probably been more accurate. He had to think of a story, a story that would be simplistic enough to be the truth, yet complicated enough for him to skate by with little questions asked.
Making up the story wasn't the really difficult part. In all actuality, making up a story would probably be rather the least of his worries.
The trick was getting Kratos to believe it.
'Start off slowly and work your way up.' His voice echoed in his head encouragingly. Steeling himself, Lloyd straightened out his shoulders and pivoted so his whole body faced Kratos.
"I was trying to find you." Lloyd replied. If he started out with the truth, chances were very good he could slip a lie or two in between the cracks here and there and hopefully Kratos wouldn't notice, 'hopefully' being the keyword.
"And why were you attempting to locate me?" The seraph asked, his eyebrow in an arc. "Aren't your friends your primary objective?" The tiny boy sniffed and rubbed his nose again.
'Play it cool.. like a rock... cool like a rock.'
"They are!" Lloyd interjected hotly. "But I couldn't find them."
'That.. could have been cooler.' He grimaced internally, though he fought to keep it from showing on his face. Kratos continued to eye Lloyd skeptically, his hand instinctively at the hilt of his sword.
"Oh?" The angelic being asked, disbelief hinting his tone. The tiny boy nodded and continued on.
"Yeah. they weren't here." He stated firmly. "I looked and everything, but since I didn't find them, I came back here to find you."
Kratos regarded Lloyd stiffly, his arms folded against his chest.
"You looked and didn't find them, so you came straight back." He repeated.
"Yeah." Lloyd nodded.
"And that's all you did."
"Yeah."
"Oh, really?" Kratos raised an eyebrow at the boy and gave him a flat look. "Then where did you get those swords and that medal?"
Lloyd froze. In all of the confusion and the gaggle of bizarre women, he'd forgotten all about his medal and new swords that hung at his sides.
'Make up a story quick, Bud!' Zelos' voice chorused through his mind. That was exactly what he had to do. He had to make something up and quick.
"Uh... I bought them." The six year old replied lamely, scratched the side of his head with his left hand. Kratos didn't relinquish his gaze. If anything, it intensified.
"With what?"
"Er.. money in the street that I found."
Silence filled the church again.
'....... you really need to work on your lying skills there, Bud.'
Lloyd pressed his two index fingers together, not wanting to look up at Kratos, who was probably still giving him the scrutinizing stare. Although he couldn't see, the tiny boy could just feel the waves of disapproval emanating from the man in front of him. All he could do now was hope that by some off chance, Kratos had had a lapse of judgment and actually believed his laughable story.
'Please buy it, please buy it...' Lloyd prayed as he peeked up from his fingers at Kratos.
Judging by the raised eyebrow and deadpan expression, Kratos wasn't buying it. Instead of purchasing the makeshift story that the boy had made, he folded his arms against his chest and gave Lloyd a scrutinizing eye that would have made any kindergarden teacher proud.
"Lloyd, how did you really obtain those swords and that medal?" He asked, his voice flat as a board. Lloyd's heart sank into his stomach and he swallowed hard. The last thing he wanted to do was to actually admit that he had run into two of his friends and completely blow his cover in the process. To put it mildly, that wouldn't sit well with both the seraph and the two other children he'd found.
"Uh... well..." Lloyd fidgeted with his sleeves and glanced up sheepishly at Kratos again. Letting out a sigh, the tiny boy mussed the strand of his hair that always fell in front of his face. There was no point in trying to make up another lie. He'd been caught outright.
"... I.. I went to the coliseum." He finally admitted, and almost immediately his head shot up and stared at Kratos with unwavering righteousness. "But I had a good reason for going in there! There was this lady, she helped me out when we were stuck in the Sybak Academy's basement, and they were gonna kill her just because of that. She didn't stand a chance because she's a half elf and I heard they execute half elves without a second thought." Lloyd's hands clenched into fists and he glared at the ground.
"I couldn't just leave her there to die." He added tensely. "That's not right." Completely riled up by his idealism, Lloyd failed to note the expression of complete and total incredulity that flashed upon Kratos' face. It was fairly obvious by his countenance that while he had expected something weird, that had certainly never crossed his mind. However, by the time the boy glanced up, the seraphim had successfully masked it with his taciturn nature.
".. you went to the coliseum." He stated flatly in confirmation.
"Huh? Uh.. yeah." Lloyd sheepishly nodded, looking off to the side as he did.
"And you fought."
"Yeah."
"And you won."
"Yep." Lloyd grinned broadly and held up the golden medal for Kratos to see better. "They didn't treat me like I was serious and that's when they got their butts kicked." The seraphim observed the outstretched metallic medallion and gently took it from Lloyd's hand, the gold shine glinting in both pairs of eyes. He briefly examined the craftsmanship of the coliseum medal and turned it over before he let it slip from his fingers, so it hung limply from Lloyd's neck once more.
".. Ah." Kratos replied curtly.
"'Ah'?" Lloyd repeated, his quizzical expression once again adorning his face. "Is that a bad thing?" Kratos sighed and shook his head once.
"No. Just surprising." he responded simply. The six year old blinked and scrunched up his nose in indignation.
"Wha- why's it surprising?" Lloyd demanded, his hair spiking further in irritation. The angelic swordsman glanced down at Lloyd, let out a tired exhale and returned his gaze to the door.
"As of right now, you do not have the appearance of one who would best the fighters in the coliseum." Kratos explained offhandedly, his left hand returned its proper place on the hilt of his sword. "To be completely frank, you look more like you were about to go play the recorder in music class."
Lloyd snorted at the 'recorder' comment and folded his arms, glowering at the angelic swordsman. Even though Lloyd was glowering with all he could muster, Kratos didn't seem to be phased by the cross expression whatsoever. He never did. Glancing over at the irked boy, the angel closed his eyes and folded his arms against his chest.
"Did you find your friends?" Kratos asked again, his expression cool and calculated like a frost in January. Lloyd jumped in surprise to being addressed suddenly and stared at Kratos, his mind blank.
"Uh.." Lloyd's mind froze and he blanched, trying to kick start his thoughts with all he had.
Kratos raised an eyebrow.
"No, no I didn't." Lloyd shook his head quickly, not wanting to get himself into any more hot water. The angel lord regarded Lloyd momentarily before he began his descent down the steps of the altar and towards the door. Dreading that Kratos was going to leave without him and thus ruin the plan he had, Lloyd trailed after him, his miniscule shoes tapping across the floor. Kratos seemed to notice that the boy was following after him because his pace was considerably slower than Lloyd remembered.
"I see. Then what do you plan to do?" The older man inquired, his eyes still on the path to the door.
This was it. The moment that would determine whether or not Lloyd would be able to keep an eye on Cruxis and prevent them from hurting his friends while he searched for them. Gathering up all the fortitude he had, Lloyd steeled his nerve and inhaled deeply.
"Actually, I was kinda hoping I could come with you." He spouted as seriously and powerfully as he could in his boyish voice.
It must have worked, because Kratos stopped on a dime and shifted his attention to Lloyd completely, both of his eyebrows raised.
".. what?" The seraphim asked, his tone suggesting that he wasn't sure he had heard Lloyd properly. Anxiety welling up inside his chest, Lloyd took in another sharp inhale and locked his cherrywood eyes with Kratos'.
"I haven't found my friends yet and I don't want to stay in this city by myself. Can I come with you?" Lloyd poked his two index fingers together again and frowned when both of the tips of his fingers curved upwards. Kratos remained silent, not moving a muscle, and Lloyd's throat ran dry like a desert. Silence usually meant that the answer was 'no' or it meant a brief consideration, which was then followed by 'no'.
His fortitude and nerve was slowly ebbing away, only to be replaced with uneasiness and worry. The petite boy fidgeted under the awkward tranquility and pulled at his bandage with a stray hand.
"So.. uh.. can I?" Lloyd asked again, observing the seraph in front of him with the hopes that he would grant him permission, preferably without any more questions. Kratos scrutinized Lloyd for a good three minutes before he let out a shallow breath and turned his back to the boy.
"I don't suppose I have any objections." He finally replied curtly. "You may do as you wish." Beaming, Lloyd almost bounced with joy over his plan not being squished before it began to fight and readjusted the medal that hung precariously around his neck.
"That's great!" The former teenager glowed and ambled over to Kratos. He was thrilled that he was going to be able to follow the seraphim around and keep an eye on what he was doing. Maybe then he'd be able to figure out what the heck the older man was talking about most of the time, instead of getting annoyed at his cryptic statements. After all, keep enemies close and friends closer, right?
'No, it's the other way around.' the mental voice of the Professor chastised. Snorting in irritation at his own thoughts lecturing him, Lloyd flipped his scarves over his shoulders and proceeded to march alongside the angelic swordsman, three steps of his own for every one of Kratos'. Kratos didn't pay much in the way of attention to Lloyd's cadence, for what Lloyd could tell, but he pushed open the substantial doors with the ease that Lloyd would have picked up a feather. Just how strong was Kratos anyway? Casting that thought aside for the time being, Lloyd stretched and peered at Kratos with a sideways glance.
"Where are we going now?" He asked inquisitively, the stray strand of hair billowing in the breeze that had flooded in from the outside world.
"I intend to go to Sybak next." the stoic swordsman responded quietly as he held it back so Lloyd could go through. Getting the hint, the six year old rushed out off the church and onto the veranda outside.
"That's a good idea." Lloyd agreed, shoving his fists into the pockets of his shorts and taking in the fresh air. "Maybe my friends are there." Kratos let the door fall back into place and strode into the middle of the aristocrat's square, Lloyd right behind him.
"Maybe." He stated indifferently when he pivoted and began to walk down the steps that led down to the city gates. Lloyd followed suit, his new swords clinking at his sides and then he remembered something. Something that had been tugging at his brain for the good part of twenty minutes.
"Hey Kratos, why were all those ladies circling you like a bunch of vultures?" The first grader asked perplexedly as he trotted next to the older swordsman, his bandaged head tilted slightly to the side. "And what does 'propositioning' mean?"
Kratos was silent and continued to descend the steps, his face emotionless and impossible to read as ever.
".... I don't want to talk about it, Lloyd."
Sheena fumed, her face red as a beet and perhaps even redder than her outfit. Slowly and with all the ferocity of a peeved tiger, she peered up at the boy who watched her from the tippy top of a tall piece of furniture, waving at her smugly as he sat. Her hands curled into fists at his all too pleased reaction and she threateningly shook her fist at the chosen, just dying to use it on him.
"Zelos, get down here so I can pound you!" Sheena demanded, her fists clenched tightly together to the point that her nails were indenting into her palms. Zelos, who had taken refuge on top of the tallest filing cabinet in the Elemental Research Laboratory, shook his head, the smug grin still on his face, and flopped down onto his stomach so it rested against the cold metal surface of the dust ridden cabinet.
After Lloyd had departed on his mission to locate and trail after Kratos, Sheena had been in quite the state, which involved fretting over what was going to happen to Lloyd, worrying about the others and where they were, prying into the research results of their tests and personally promising that she would make sure that Zelos' voice NEVER returned to the deepness he had before. Grimacing at the thought of never being able to woo hunnies without a sultry voice due to a lack of puberty, the bitty chosen stretched out along the cabinet and crossed his legs behind his back so they hovered over his hamstrings. He then folded his arms in a cross and flopped his head to the side, yawning as if he was going to indulge in a well deserved, in his opinion, nap. After all, Lloyd didn't exactly weigh nothing. In fact, he probably weighed the complete opposite of nothing.
'It's decided. His new nickname is 'Brick Boy'.' Zelos yawned, gingerly rubbing his shoulder with a free hand, as Lloyd had used it as a stepping stool while getting the lock on the dungeon door open.
While he had initially been downright terrified of Sheena's rampage, he hadn't been so impressed since he had acquired a new perch that she could not reach. It was somewhat like the lion in the Meltokio Zoo. While it was probably strong enough to take a person's head off, from a safe distance where the lion couldn't reach, all it did was look annoyed as it paced back and forth, glancing up to see if it's target was in reach yet.
'Huh.. ironic.' Zelos mused as his eyes shifted back and forth as Sheena stalked around the cabinet like said lion. 'She's even doing the pacing thing too.'
"Mm, no I'm good, thanks." the red headed chosen yawned as he stretched out along the top of the cabinet. "I don't think it would be in my best interest if I mosied over there for a good chat. Because knowing you, I'd end up on the other side of the room in the wall."
Yawning again, Zelos stretched again and eyed the irate assassin.
"Besides, it's not like I did anything wrong." He added loftily, fiery hair in his eyes. "You don't need to get your underwear in a twist. I didn't do anything bad."
"Like fun you didn't!" The minute ninja shrieked, landing a sharp hit on the cabinet with her foot in an attempt to knock Zelos loose. "Now Lloyd's gonna get killed or even worse!" Atop the filing system, the shrunken Chosen blinked and stared at Sheena, his face perplexed.
"What might that be, O wise and cranky one?" He asked, crimson eyebrow raised as he rested his right cheek in the palm of his hand. Sheena paused and her slender eyebrows scrunched into a frown. She hadn't honestly thought of the details over what they could do to someone of Lloyd's size and stature.
"Well there's lots... um.. that doesn't matter! What DOES matter is that now he's gonna find Kratos and then he'll be in real deep water!" Sheena snapped, not admitting that she hadn't thought of a concrete example of how Lloyd would be in trouble. Regardless of her lack of an imagination, she knew it would be bad and that was enough for her to justifiably kick Zelos' behind onto his shoulders.
Zelos didn't seem too phased. Sheena couldn't reach him and that was all he really cared about right then.
"I know you think that, but I gotta tell you. Bud's probably better off with the old fart right now." he responded offhandedly, batting at the air with his hand so some dust flitted back and forth. Pausing, Sheena peered up at the sluggish second grader and stared at him quizzically.
"What do you mean?" She asked, hints of curiosity lingering in her voice. Smiling cryptically, the red headed chosen gazed down at her from his perch and held out his left index finger.
"I mean, the Renegades are after him and all that, right? If he's with Kratos, the almighty angel who could smite them all by looking at them funny, they won't pull anything." Zelos explained coolly. "And for some reason that we don't know, Kratos has his own reasons for not squishing Bud right off the get go, so we might as well roll with it and use it to our advantage. Renegades won't try anything and we get the lowdown on Cruxis. There's no downside."
While Zelos had been cavalier in his description of his thoughts, it was only partially true. He knew perfectly well why Kratos was so vested in Lloyd's welfare, due to what he'd gathered from mini Mithos and Pronyma, not to mention all of what Yuan had said, but he sure as hell wasn't going to tell Sheena, or anyone else for that matter, the truth. That was one can of worms he was NOT going to be the one to unleash. Someone else could do that, thank you very much.
"So, I did Bud a big time favor, wouldn't you say?" He winked at the dumbfounded ninja on the floor below, reveling in her gaping expression. She quickly noticed his smirk and
folding her arms against her chest, looked off to the side, snorting as she did.
"Well... I guess that's right." Sheena grunted, highly unhappy she had to actually agree with the stupid chosen who might not be so stupid after all.
"So.. perhaps you might have a.. a point." She relented apprehensively, not able to look Zelos in the eye. Noticing her sudden silence, Zelos popped down from his safe perch and sauntered over to her, a smug grin plastered on his seven year old face again. Reminiscent of his older self, Zelos snaked a pink sleeved arm around Sheena's shoulders and pulled her close in a smooth motion, which in turn made Sheena freeze.
"Now what do you say?" Zelos prompted. "I think a 'Thank you, Zelos for your wonderful insight and wise plan, which I highly admire and appreciate! Now, let me shower you with my endless love-'"
Zelos' plan of grandeur was thrown off course when Sheena's fist collided with the side of his face.
"Don't even think that's happening." The miniature shinobi growled, her fist still grinding into the side of the chosen's skull. "I'm still mad at you." Letting him drop to the stone surface of the lab's floor, she kicked him for good measure and yawned. Sheena then, after carefully stepping over the twitching puddle of Zelos on the floor, meandered over to the half elf researchers and peered into their research.
"How goes the research?" She asked, her black puff of a ponytail swishing from side to side. Kate glanced over at her, sighed and went back at her work.
"It's taking much longer than I anticipated." she reported. "The findings make little to no sense and thus they require further study." The little girl at her side huffed tiredly, her spiky raven hair drifting into her eyes.
"Urgh, that stinks." Sheena's shoulders drooped and she flicked part of her bangs out of her face. "And you don't have a clue when it'll be done?"
"I do not know an exact time frame, but it will be a while." Kate replied, pouring some of Lloyd's blood sample into a test tube and shaking it to merge it with the congealed yellow gel at the bottom." Perhaps it would be wise for the pair of you to accomplish another task in the meantime." Frowning, Sheena stared at the floor and closed her eyes, trying to think.
"Huh, something else to do.... something to do..." The miniscule summoner thought for a moment or two, her fist tight against her chin. "We were gonna see if we could visit Shadow next to get his pact, but-"
"Actually, that might not be a bad idea." Kate interrupted as she set Lloyd's blood sample in the centrifuge next to her station. "By the time you go see Shadow and forge the pact with him, we should probably be done with all of the tests by then."
"Alright then." Sheena nodded jubilantly and turned to Zelos, who had just then peeled himself off the floor. "Zelos, let's go see Shadow!"
Zelos stared at her like he'd been told that she was going to launch him off the roof via catapult.
"Whoa, whoa, hold on. Don't we need back up?" He pointed out quickly in an attempt to sway her. "We need help with that kinda thing and-"
"That isn't really an option right now." Sheena cut him off, waving her hand back and forth in a dismissive manner. "We have no idea where they all are and time's something we don't have. Besides, Gnome said that Mithos did it all on his own, so I want to prove I can too." After she'd made pacts with a good portion of the summon spirits, Sheena's once intense phobia of pact making had disappeared and in its stead grew an ambitious passion for bettering herself each and every time.
Unfortunately, Zelos did not share her enthusiasm.
"What about the sorcerer's ring?" The chosen pointed out hopefully. "Doesn't Bud have the ring? Can't get through the temple without the ring-"
"Lloyd doesn't have the ring. He gave it to me before he left." Sheena dove a hand into her pocket and pulled out the shiny sorcerer's ring. "See, no problem there."
Zelos felt his heart sink into his stomach and do the backstroke.
'Thanks a lot Bud. Remind me to put tomatoes in your cereal.' He growled and shook himself from his thoughts again.
"That's great and all, but-" Zelos looked longingly off to the side and sighed dramatically. Sheena raised an eyebrow.
"But what?" She asked. Zelos gave her a pining gaze and whimpered piteously.
"My hunnies.. they miss me."
The vein in Sheena's forehead throbbed dangerously and her cheek twitched.
"WHAT?" She bellowed, making everyone in the room cringe in pain. "Oh, no you don't. You can mess around with those floozies later. We have work to do!" Snagging Zelos by the ear, the tiny summoner yanked the chosen up the stairs, the red head dragging his heels every step of the way.
"But I wanna see my hunnies-" He complained, but that only made Sheena's grip tighter, her slender fingers digging into his ear.
"Hussies later, pact now!"
"It's 'Hunnies', not 'Hussies'."
"Same thing!"
Humming a cheery tune about the weather to herself, Colette sauntered down the desolate halls of the renegade base, a spring in her step as she went. She was so thrilled that she had new clothes that didn't try to attack her whenever she moved that she jubilantly skipped in a steady cadence, her new soft shoes clacking on the polished floor. However, when she reached the large circular room in the center of the Renegade's Flanoir base, the blonde chosen paused and peered around. Even though she had barely set foot outside of the hall where Yuan's office laid, Colette found that she had inadvertently gotten lost, and it only took her three minutes. That was a new record.
"Huh.. where do I go now?" She asked herself aloud as she rotated in a slow circle. "I've never been to this Renegade base before and I don't know where the kitchen is." While she had been the other base in Triet, Colette had never frequented the kitchen, so any plans on a hint with the similar layout of the new and unknown base were completely shot. Sighing, her slender eyebrows curved downward into a rare frown and she began to think, her belled sleeves crossed against her flat chest.
Suddenly, a brilliant, in her mind, idea soared into her mind and trilled with delight.
"Oh, I know. I'll ask for directions." Colette landed her miniscule fist into her hand and grinned at herself. Craning her neck upwards, the little girl scanned the room for any sign of a viable source of navigating the base. Her eyes eventually landed on two soldiers, who looked to be in a heated conversation about something very important.
"They look nice. I'll ask them." She smiled and toddled over to where the two sentries, who, judging by the youthfulness of their voices, were brand new recruits in their early twenties.
"I'm telling you, Celsius is the best looking summon spirit and that's all there is to it." The first one spouted crankily, which in turned caused the second to snort.
"You're crazy. You saw that pinup of Luna, don't tell me you didn't like looking at her curves-"
"Um, excuse me." A hand reached up and snagged the pant leg of the first soldier, tugging at the folds of fabric gently. Pausing, both soldiers stared down at the five year old girl and gaped, as the secret and covert operational base was probably the last
place they had imagined they would see a little cherub of a girl smiling at them.
"Uh.. yeah?" The soldier who had been siding with Luna as the prettiest spirit asked, while the other continued to gawk at her. Colette, too sweet to notice she was being stared at, swayed from side to side, her blonde hair flowing along with her.
"Could you tell me where the kitchen is?" She asked politely. "I'm kinda hungry and I was wondering if I could get a snack." Both soldiers stared at each other and the first one gingerly hooked his thumb towards the hall on the far left side of the main circular dome.
"It's.. er.. that way." The renegade pointed to the metallic hallway. "Second door on the right."
"Thank you so much!" Beaming, Colette hugged his leg as an added thank you and trotted off towards where he indicated. As she left, both of the renegade soldiers watched her go, their jaws thoroughly dropped and their argument over spirits long forgotten.
".. Is it just me, or is this job getting weirder?" The second peered down the corridor that Colette had disappeared into and glanced back at his comrade in arms.
"It's not just you."
Once Colette reached the door the very nice and helpful soldiers, she brought up her miniscule hand to the door and rapped on it smartly twice. The knocks echoed through the hallway, which were then followed by the same eerie silence as before. However, the silence was swiftly broken when a set of stomping feet thundered from the other side of the door and made the whole area shake.
The door opened to reveal a very plump woman with pointed ears, granny glasses that were perched on her nose and orange hair pulled up in a bun. She wore the same colors as the other renegades, but her outfit was much more lax in style and the whole thing was smothered in a worn, yet crisp white apron.
"I told ya, there's no snacking and I don't care if you boys eat your own shoes first, you aren't getting-" Frowning as she didn't see any young recruits panning for handouts, she readjusted her glasses and looked down at the small girl in front of her. Instantly, her demeanor shifted from cranky to warm and fuzzy in a heartbeat.
"Hello there, and what have we here?" She asked, her eyes turning upwards in a smile at Colette. The bitty chosen blinked and smiled back at her joyfully.
"Hi, I'm Colette." She introduced herself, doing a little curtsy. "I'm staying here for a while to keep an eye on Mister Yuan. It's really nice to meet you."
At the 'keeping an eye on 'Mister Yuan' comment, the cook's face turned bright pink and she instantly had the urge to coo at her. 'Mister Yuan'. How cute was she? She couldn't wait until the girls in the weapons room heard about this.
"Well, hello there, Colette." Her eyes misting at the five year old. "And what can I help you with today?"
"Um.. would it be okay if I had a snack?" She asked, twisting her foot back and forth in place. "You said there wasn't any snacking but..."
"Oh, that? That was just for those peckish boys who keep sneaking in here wanting to stuff their faces." The cook replied, her plump hands curled onto her hips. "Goes right through them and just wastes the food." She beamed at Colette and gently tapped her own nose with a flick of her thumb.
"But for you, name it, hun." She offered and bowed to the side so Colette could enter the kitchen. Matching her warm smile, the little vessel to be wandered into the room and froze. Pastries, dishes and foods that Colette had never seen before rested on the tables and piled towards the ceiling, each one more complex than the last. Gazing in awe at them all, a dish filled with scones caught her eye and made the teeny chosen's stomach growl.
"Could I have a scone?" She asked, pointing to the scones, a strawberry one in particular. The cook, still overwrought with the new and petite addition to the base, seamlessly strode over to the tray, plucked up the scone and held it out for her.
"Sure thing." The rotund woman responded as she offered the treat to Colette.
"Thank you." Colette replied politely as she took the scone and bit into the top corner. It was delicious, nothing like she'd tasted before. Sweet and sticky, yet light and fluffy like a cloud. The closest thing to the scone had been Genis' cookies, but he rarely made them outside of special occasions and he only knew the one recipe. The cook eyed her for a moment as she reveled in the scone and returned her hands to the sides of her hips.
"Anything else?"
Colette stared thoughtfully at the floor, still slowly munching on her newfound snack. After a minute, her sapphire eyes shifted from the floor to the cook and she tilted her head at an angle.
"... what does Mister Yuan like?" She inquire curiously, crumbs of scone adorning her cheeks.
The cook, who had preoccupied herself with some sweeping, paused and peered up from her work at the little girl and her scone.
"Hm?" The head chef asked, her hands still wrapped around the wooden broom handle.
"He's been so busy lately and I didn't see him eat anything, so maybe he'll be hungry when he wakes up." Colette explained cheerily. "So I want to get him a snack." She took another bite out of her scone and beamed at the cook's perplexed expression.
"He's napping at his desk right now." She added, picking out a piece of strawberry with her fingers and popping it into her mouth. Deciding she didn't think she needed to know, the middle aged half elf leaned on her broom, rifling through her thoughts for any pastry ideas that the Renegade Commander might fancy.
"Hm.. he has always seemed to like pie." She commented offhandedly. Colette's head shot up and she bounced like a performing seal who was being tempted with a fish.
"Is there a flavor he likes best?" The chosen pried hopefully.
"Apple's his favorite, I think."
"Would that be okay if I got him a pie then?" Colette asked hopefully, her eyes shining. The cook glanced down at the five year old, smiled warmly at her and patted her head twice.
"Sure thing, hun. Now sit tight and I'll get you that pie." the cook patted the stool next to Colette and went into the far side of the kitchen, gathering up her pie tools and ingredients. Nodding, Colette scrambled onto the stool and she snacked on the strawberry scone she'd gotten as a treat, waiting patiently for Yuan's surprise snack to be ready.
Yuan blinked an eye open and sat up from his desk, his face feeling like he had been pummeled with the broadside of a shovel.
'Wha.. what happened?' He asked himself groggily as he held his head in his hands. 'Did I... I must have fallen asleep.' It had been a while since he had dozed off, perhaps a week or two, and he hadn't realized how much his body had needed to shut down in a brief and well deserved reprieve. While his headache was mostly gone with the assistance of the siesta, his eyelids were still lead heavy and the angelic commander had to fight intensely to stop his brain from going into Round Two of his nap.
Before Yuan had the chance to fully register that Colette was no longer at her place on the couch, the door to his office slid open and the golden crown of Colette the chosen one peeked through the door. Seeing that he had some semblance of being conscious, the kindergardener glowed and stepped through the entrance, the remains of her scone under her arm and the warm pie clutched tightly in her petite hands.
"Hi, Mister Yuan!" Colette beamed and held out the pin tin that was filled with sweet apple goodness. "I thought you might be hungry, seeing as how you're a part time angel and all, so I brought you pie-iiiiee!"
As if on cue, Colette tripped over a gigantic mountain of air and fell flat on her face. When she did, momentum wrenched the pie from her hands, sent it sailing through the air and hit Yuan squarely in the face with it.
"Oh, no!" The kindergardener squealed in horror, her eyes the size of dinner plates when she saw what she had done. "I'm so sorry, Mister Yuan!"
Yuan didn't respond. He instead blinked several times, gingerly removed the pie from his face and set the remnants of it on the surface of his desk, doing so while not saying a word.
"Are you okay?" The five year old asked, her deep blue eyes still round with worry and concern. Still silent, Yuan blinked as a large piece of the crust ran down his cheek and closed his eyes tiredly.
"..... I'm fine." He replied exasperatedly, pinching the bridge of his nose. The tiny chosen looked away, obviously feeling very bad over what had happened to him because of her chronic klutziness.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. I just kinda... tripped." Wringing her hands, Colette gazed up at Yuan, who merely sat there at his desk, his face and expression unreadable since he had just been attacked by pie.
"Uh..... I'm gonna find something else to do, so I'll be back later... okay? I'm really, really sorry, Mister Yuan." Colette's head hung down by her shoulders and she slowly walked out of the room, feelings of guilt and shame emanating from her tiny frame.
Watching her go, Yuan continued to observe where she had departed, even when the doors had sealed shut, leaving him alone in his office with the pastry formerly known as missile. The angelic commander sniffed for good measure, brought up his right hand and ran his index finger down his cheek, which left a clean streak in the yellowish goo that coated his face. Raising a turquoise eyebrow, he eyed it and licked the tip of his finger.
'Huh. Apple.' He deduced, his eyes shifting to the remains of what used to be a fresh dessert. Reaching into his desk drawer, the half elf angel pulled out what looked like an army knife and flicked it open to reveal that a set of utensils sat amongst the end options. After he selected the fork end of the knife, Yuan glanced at the pie, then at the fork, then back at the pie.
'... I do like pie.' Sticking the fork into the middle of the ruined dessert, Yuan began to eat the pie, all the while parts of the sweet filling still strewn about his face.
Woo, another chapter's done!
... I want a scone.
Lloyd: Great, now we can get going to Sybak! I'm going to look extra hard for all my friends so we can get back on track with the pacts.
Zelos: But.. I don't wanna go to the Temple of Darkness with the banshee. She'll breathe fire at me and singe my hair.
Sheena: I don't want to go with you either, you pain in the behind, but I don't have any other options.
Zelos: ... nickel for every time I heard that one....
Sheena: What was that?
Zelos: Nothing!
Colette: Poor Mister Yuan, I threw his snack at him .... it's all my fault.
Lloyd: Don't feel bad Colette, we'll get this all sorted out when more writing gets done....
*pauses and looks around*
Hey, where'd she go?
Kratos: She left to get a scone about five minutes ago.
Lloyd: *blinks* Oh.
Colette: Please review!