Angels of Cruxis
by: Fehize
---
Noishe was thirsty.
Here he was, traveling all around the world for goodness knew how many days, doing absolutely nothing expect wag his tongue around! There was his best buddy, who was walking in his most awesome of poses with the super sharp sword hanging down from his hip, but he seemed to have that dull "I-don't-want-to-play" look. Noishe definitely did not like that look, for with that look usually came with the fact that his buddy wanted to just sit and ponder about his past...
Again. Trust his best buddy to turn angsty!
There was a warm, spring in rising through the gently rolling hills that were the outskirts of Asgard. Normally, this place was bloody cold, but for today, Noishe was happy that he had his thick wad of fur with green spots. His best buddy, of course, didn't need anything. This was cool, because he could remember the times when his buddy had to curl up near a warm fire in layers of warm clothing. It reminded Noishe of his earlier days (yes, so the little protozoan was old! He could remember lots of stuff, like the Kharlan War; which he should remember. The Neflim War, which was really bad, and the coming of the first humans, which he might have "accidentally" eaten three...of them...). There was snow on the mountains towards the far north, but only on the high altitudes that existed on those large, non-chew toys. He knew, he had tried chewing on them for a few moments before realizing they tasted bad and were hard.
Today, his best buddy was acting all mercenary-pro again. This meant that his buddy was walking around in something resembling purple spandex and a little cape that was always fun to bite when the red head was busy looking elsewhere. There was nothing in the area as they were still out in the goonies, but Noishe was still happy that he had finally gotten out of that large, bloody tall bone. His buddy called it the tall bone the "Tower of Salvation," but what Salvation had no good bones?
"Alright, Noishe," began the calm voice that came out of the man. "We are going to enter Asgard, but I am sure you know that already. You may want items that relate to dogs or puppies, but you are still as smart as a human in there. First of all, stop trying to chase and whine Katz away."
"Whine..." chasing Katz was always the fun thing to do, especially when they had something called "Grade" inside their pockets.
"Understand?"
"Whine..."
---
Noishe was still thirsty.
Asgard was just as tired and as boring as the little green and white "animal" thought it was going to be: I'm-going-to-die boring. The only thing of interest was something called the "Ritual Panel," that was on the far end of the city. There was this thing on four columns that looked like some sort of cross between Pronyma and a sad excuse for a joker in a deck of cards. Not chew toy material either, as it also looked like a clown. Clowns were creepy. The thing was short and made of something close to chalky grey, or sooty grey.
Noishe was still following his buddy around, as there was not much to do. Yadda, yadda, yadda; whine, whine, whine. The jobs that his buddy received were simple jobs—after all, his buddy was: a) a Seraphim, b) cool, and c)the awesomest owner alive, even if he did have a need for a bit of happiness here and there—and were done within a few moments, occasionally days. As a mercenary, his buddy had to do the things that people paid him to. Often, they were like "Can you get me some of them there Pellets in them there monsters?" or "Can you get me a Magical Cloth for my wife?" People once had the nerve to ask him things like "Can you get me some nuts from the tree?" or "Can you help me hit this carpet to clean it out?" Woah! If there ever was a thing to get his buddy more upset than those questions - aside from Mithos on his tantrum days - it would have been dead already. He was a sell-sword when he wasn't being an angel, and the protozoa knew that his buddy hated being an angel sometimes. Sell-swords DO NOT do 'Honey Dos', absoluetly not!
His buddy hated chores. Never would he do them. Ever.
---
There was the crackle of fire as three figures and a "dog" curled up underneath a nice roof in a small, mountain village. The lights from the outside were barely coming in, filling the area with the promise of a new day. This light hit the sleeping form of something that was only distinguishable by the brown tuft sticking out. Next towards the tuft was someone sitting up in bed, with his red eyes taking in the morning. No, he did not sleep that night, but it still was nice to be lying down and relaxing amid family.
"Kratty..." came a small cry from underneath the covers."Why...do you wake up...so earlyyy?"
The question came out in the form of a small yawn as the redhead, a man-Seraphim-called "Kratty," reached down and gently stroked the hair away from the brown fuzzed figure who spoke. "Don't you g-get any sleep at alllllllllll?"
"Sometimes," he responded, "and you shouldn't be trying to waste away the whole morning."
"Mommy. Hungrys."
"Y-You're allllllllllllways...hungry," came out another yawn from the woman as Kratos stood up from the bed and silently walked downstairs, after patting his protozoan's head.
There was a nice sun shining, promising a great day filled with few clouds. It was a perfect time to see the holy land that was the Holy Ground of Kharlan, but this man could see the impression of where the tower should be. It was there, but there was a Mana shield preventing anyone from seeing or entering it. Even Seraphim could only see it from twenty feet away, but it was not as if the adult wanted to see it. Why? There was no "Heaven" up there in Welgaia. Though the thought was a bit romantic, this man believed Heaven was right here in this house with his family. How "Holy" was the fabled Holy Land if there was death and wrongness written all over it?
With quick ease and grace, this man did something that three years ago he would have never considered. He grabbed his end of an axe and began to chop down wood for a fire to cook and one later that evening for the coming cold. With each swing, he managed to work what the average human would be envious of; after all, his working speed was something to awe at - granted if he wasn't looking at you. It was a rhythmic pattern, but he was still at peace with the world. In fact, his red hair bounced slightly as he turned around to face the woman that stood right next to him.
Kratos was still in a bent down position with the large, wood axe, so for a few seconds his wife towered over him. His red eyes glanced up to look at her slender figure as his eyes gentled slightly.
"Good morning again, Anna."
She, naturally, bent down and gave the Seraphim a small peck on the cheek, unaware that often he could never really feel it. It was, however, the thought that counted anyway. Once that was done, she nestled right besides his ear and then handed him a basket.
"Kratty, sweetie? Can you pretty please take this bag of laundry and hang it as I cook breakfast?" She did not purr, but there was the icing. "Pweese?" And the cake.
The male stood up and nodded slightly as he handled the bundle with a more stable pose.
"Anna, must I always do your chores?" he joked around. The voice that usually came with jokes, the one filled with joy and laughter, was not accompanied with the comment. This man didn't need it, for his eyes were good enough for the woman as she gave him an encouraging hug.
With a swiftness that only she could devise, his wife poked him on the nose. "You shouldn't be so susceptible to lambisaks." With that, she gave one of her laughs and then turned around to head back indoors where their small child was waiting for his morning breakfast. The child's small cries could be heard wafting from the kitchen.
Once Kratos's wife went back inside the house, he turned around and then faced the backyard. Within a few steps, he eventually reached the clothing line. As if she was expecting the Seraphim to do what she "begged" him to, there were the little wooden clips lying on the side of the wooden post where the hanging wire was strung from. After he grabbed them, he began to hang, one by one, the different assortment of shirts, shorts, pants, dresses, stockings, sweaters, and yes, underwear. To keep up with the speed of which he was hanging them, he had to place those little wooden holding pins in his mouth, holding them there with his lips.
If Mithos was there, he would have died of a heart attack.
Hell, a squirrel with spoon could have attacked the Lord of Angels.
"Daddyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyys!" came the small scream as the adult turned his head down to face the small child. The child jumped up and down, holding a book in his hands. "Daddys? Reads b-bookies! Now!" Lloyd's vocabulary was still missing some words here and there, but he could still manage to get his voice through, despite the fact that he was still only about two and a quarter.
"Lloyd, remember, you must always say..."
"Pweeeeeeeeses."
Kratos held up his hand and gently messed with his son's hair. It was still a wonder that he, Kratos Aurion, a member of Cruxis, a Seraphim, the "God of War", could settle down, have a wonderful wife, and father a child. He picked up the book and took a glance at the title, which was on the opposite side. It stated: "My First Angel."
"Daddys? What's wrongs?"
The red head slowly opened the book and then flipped a few pages, seeing the beings from his past hit the edges of the page. For some reason, there was now a discomfort in the way that he saw angels depicted in books, stories, or in the Church. It was never there before, until he met Anna.
"Why don't I tell you a story, instead?" he asked, placing the book inside the empty laundry basket. He'd take it back inside later.
"Woulds...be abouts boy calleds Lloyd?"
"'A boy called Lloyd,' Lloyd." He sighed softly as he rubbed the small head. "Yes, it will be about a boy called Lloyd."
"And doggies... Noishey?"
"And Noishe."
"And Mommys?"
"And your mother."
"And Daddys?"
With that, he did what Anna would claim to be something that came naturally upon being a father. He poked his child in the belly, making sure that he did not accidentally injure him, and then gave him a very small, calming smile. "Me too, Lloyd."
"There was once a boy called Lloyd who had a Mommy and a Daddy called Anna and Kratos," he began.
"Lasts names?"
"Aurion. All of them were Aurions. One day, they decided to have a picnic and then a wild Noishe appeared."
"Sillies, Noishey"
"Noishe wanted a picnic, too. So, then, they all decided to travel up a mountain." With those words, he "showed" Lloyd by moving his fingers up the tree trunk that they were resting on. Lloyd joined in as well, claiming that his fingers were his Daddy and his Mommy while Kratos's were Noishe and little Lloyd himself.
"Once they were all at the top, they ate and had a nice time. The End."
"Yours greats storyteller, Daddys."
There was some silence as the adult picked up his son, placed him in the basket, and then began to carry everything into the house. There was a cry of joy coming from the bowels of the basket and Kratos carefully made the basket move around like a roller coaster from the other world's Altamira. "'A great storyteller,' Lloyd."
"Oppsies...'A greats storyteller'!"
---
Late afternoon was in the air as the redheaded ex-mercenary began to enter the house once again. His son, Lloyd, was fast asleep in his room, which was really his parents' room as well, for his "afternoon nappy time," as quoted by Anna. She was busy making supper.
"Anna, I have the rabbit meat for you," he stated, making enough noise for her to realize that he was in the area.
For the moment, his wife was wearing a small apron with a large lace heart. There was a wooden spoon in her hands as she turned to face Kratos.
"Ah! That's perfect, Kratty! We haven't had rabbit in so long! If I recall, it's been easily more than three months, maybe since late summer." She wobbled towards the packaged rabbit, and after lifting up one edge of it, she gave her nod of approval. "Looks very plump! How on earth could you find such a fat one in the middle of winter? I thought they hid really well under the snow banks in the higher parts of the nearby mountains."
Truth was, the nearest edible rabbit resided in the next valley. It was times like these that he was glad that he was a Seraphim. It was just a simple teleport and he was grabbing the rabbit with enough time to gather some more for future dinners and lunches.
"I have my ways..." he answered instead.
With a smile, she cut up three potatoes from the storage basket.
"Ah, yes, your mysterious, wonderful ways, huh, Kratos? Sometimes," she began with a laugh, "I wonder if it was your mysteriousness that drew me into you." She was beginning to chop the potatoes into halves when she changed the subject. "Kratty, I've noticed that you are not very keen on religion. How come?"
The question did come as a surprise for him, but he managed to make sure that she did not realize it. Perhaps he did not try as hard as he did when he was in Cruxis areas, for she raised her eyebrow when his face faltered ever so slightly.
"I am 'religious,' in a sense," he tried to explain to her with a gentle voice, not wanting to give away the truth.
It were these words that Anna gave a little laugh before turning around, giving him a heartwarming smile. "You, religious? You never seem to be, and you always refuse to go to any Church, of any kind, to anything dealing with the Goddess. My mother would flip!"
The red haired figure knew that her mother was a bit zealous in her beliefs. The only problem was that Kratos had not disclosed to her that he was a Seraphim. She knew about the Desians, but only in the sense that they were evil. She knew nothing of Cruxis, nothing of vileness that was the Holy Four Seraphim; nothing of the truth that was of Mithos and his party of heroes. What his wife really knew was the 'long-lost' softer side of Kratos Aurion. He was not an Angel of Death to her, but a wonderful man who saved her.
"Kratty?" She held her hands at her hips. "I wonder...since I am a little bit religious," she was actually a lot religious, but not as bad as her mother, "and you aren't as much...will Lloyd be something like a half-believer?"
In his mind, Kratos sighed. "Anna, you have nothing to worry about. Besides, Lloyd is still too young to think of those things. Why not tend your rabbit, which is already beginning to—"
"Aiye! No! Our dinner!"
Yes, the man loved his wife dearly, but she could still learn a thing or two about cooking. They both took turns on making something, so today was Anna's day. Tomorrow would be his, then Anna's; a never-ending cycle of food and cooking.
"Kratty? Where do you think Heaven is?" This came from the female figure as she was trying to keep the fire from overdoing everything. From the background, Kratos was muttering a small spell to control the fire down. This, of course, was well hidden.
"Anna, you ask this often," he began with a smile, "that's why I shall keep it a secret even longer."
She whistled, this time with a bit more joy as she realized that only the underside of the rabbit was getting fried, and not the rest of the meat.
"Fine, fine..." Her brown hair fell sideways as she took a turn to face the man, switching conversation from one point to the next.
"Honey-Bun-Kratty?" she asked carefully as she began to stir the food to prevent the underside from becoming any more charred than it already was. "Would you mind waking Lloyd up? He seems to still be asleep."
---
The everyday going of his new life, for today, was all complete, and evening was settling in towards the small town that was Hima. Three figures were standing at the edge of the cliff, looking onwards towards the setting sun. The light brought rays of purple, blue, and gold, making for an interesting effect as the clouds turned pink.
Yes, Kratos thought as he turned to face the two others; his wife smiling at him as she was holding the sleeping figure of their child. Yes, this is where Heaven truly is.
---
Hey everyone! Is it just me, or am I forever cursed with horrible, bad, and awful things?
-.-
Last time, roughly a week and a half ago, you guys remembered that our crappy computer had a power surge and etc. Well... it works now, but I SWEAR that now my computers are on a mass conspiracy against me! Honest to goodness conspiracy! Why? Well... you know how I had my good comp., right? Well... My dad got a virus in it, and it doesn't even start up Windows.
-gives dagger glare to virus maker-
-then gives invis. daggers to her father for clicking on those spam/virus mail-
So, yes. All of my Photoshopping, my AoC screen-toned manga, my tablet programming... PFST! 'Tis all gone!
On better news...
Umm... My Calculus final is over? -sweats- On to AP tests and Spanish Finals...!
OH! For those wondering what the word "lambisaks" is... it's some word that my family uses for when: O.o This chapter was so short! XD 'Twas only about 3,000 words long. -holds a mock funeral for computer, then switches around-
One says or does cute, appraisable, wonderful things to a person in order to make that person do something they want.
Ex: Anna hugs Kratos to make him to her morning chores, which he does.
If lambisaks is even a real word... I'm sure I misspelled it. -nods-
(OMFG, I could totally see Kratos doing chores if Anna told him to do it. XD)
Sorry everyone, but I was afraid that adding even more was going to be "stretching the fluff", which is bad. Crap, I hate stretching stories. There is a fine difference between stretching and detailing! -nods-
I hope. -laughs-
(I also got my Beta for this chapter. -waves flag- First time, yah!)
(Oh, as a note... earlier, I made the first part of the chapter have a different meaning, but then I changed it around. -dies in embaressment- I made a mistake back there.)
Review please! -nods- Fehize runs on reviews! Yes, that she does!
