Ch. 37: Mizuho

Young: So I owe you all a huge, huge apology. Things happened, and I wasn't able to write. A little while ago my sister did something and ended up in the hospital. She just got out the other day, so I decided to write this. Once again, I apologize for the ginormous delay.
Lloyd: Eh...
Me: What's up, Lloyd? o.o
Lloyd: Nothing. Anyways, want me to disclaim you?
Me: Why not.
Lloyd: Okay. Young doesn't own ToS or Namco.
Me: Onward. :)

As soon as they entered the forest, Lloyd's guard went up, and his hands flew to his swords. Zelos flashed him a questioning look before his human ears were able to pick up the faint sound of clinking armor. Colette, who was standing next to Lloyd, grabbed her chakrams, narrowing her eyes and paying close attention to the sound.

"Guys, we have company." Lloyd said just as the guards appeared.

"There's the fugitives! Get them!" The lead one shouted.

Lloyd charged at the man who'd spoken, slashing down his armor, searching for a weak point. He found it, and pushed his free sword into it, causing the soldier to cry out, blood spurting from the wound and his mouth. The angel paused briefly, wondering when fighting became so easy, but shrugged it off and attacked again. The fight was over within minutes, the brunette not even breaking a sweat.

"Wow, Lloyd! You're so strong!" Colette commented, smiling.

The twin swordsman chuckled and made his usual embarrassed gesture before examining the rest of the group. Everyone seemed to be just fine. A silent decision was made, they had to press on no matter what. Presea hung back, as if the forest scared her slightly, but a small spark of hope had appeared in her seemingly lifeless eyes.

"I want to go home." The small girl droned.

Zelos nodded, "If my hunny wants, my hunny gets. Let us go!"

With that, they headed further into the dark forest. Lloyd shivered, hating the atmosphere here with a fiery passion. Even the shadows seemed to reach out for them. It sent chills down his spine. Shaking those thoughts away, he focused on not tripping over roots. As one could imagine, Colette had already tripped many times. The blonde always got back up, brushing her self off and murmuring "oops".

It didn't take long before they reached the end of the forest, or what seemed like it. The path they followed broke off into two paths. They started heading for the one that Sheena pointed out, but stopped when Lloyd suddenly ceased moving. The other's curiously watched as his brow furrowed, mouth forming a thin line.

"What is it?" Raine asked.

"I can hear footsteps. It sounds like armor clinking together." Lloyd spoke softly, as if they (whoever they were) would be able to hear him if he talked above a whisper. The brunette looked over at Colette, who nodded, affirming that she had heard them as well.

"Hold on, I'll send Corrine to scout." Sheena spoke up, summoning the fox.

He ran off in the direction that the ninja had indicated. They waited in a tense silence, all wondering the same thing. Were there more guards? Obviously, if both Lloyd and Colette had heard them, then there had to be. If it were true, then where would they go? They couldn't turn back. Not when they had come so far. A couple minutes later, Corrine returned.

"Sheena! There's a bunch of soldiers heading this way!" The fox shouted before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

"Well what now?" Genis asked, placing his hands on his hips.

Suddenly, something, a streak of blue, fell from the trees, landing in the middle of the group. Lloyd cursed, hands flying to his weapons, but the stranger shook his head.

"I do not want trouble. I just wish to speak with Presea." Said girl backed away.

"This guy is going to hurt Presea!" The smaller sage shouted, glaring.

Lloyd cursed again and charged at the man, Presea swinging her ax to get the stranger away from her. The brunette swung, missing by mere inches because the convict back-flipped out of his way. Glaring, he ran at him again, trying to find a break in his defense, but this guy was strong. He dodged nearly every strike that Lloyd threw at him.

It wasn't until Zelos ran up to the twin swordsman's side, shouting "Light spear!" And shooting the guy into the air. Gravity led him back to the ground, and he landed on his back, unconscious. The redhead cautiously approached the body, prodding it with the butt end of his sword.

"Where can we go now?" Raine questioned, putting a hand on her chin.

"I guess...I guess I can take you guys to Mizuho." Sheena spoke up.

Zelos sent her a curious look, "Won't you get in trouble?"

The ninja nodded, "Yeah, but that's not what's important right now, right? So let's go." She began to walk towards the exit that would lead to Mizuho, but she stopped, suddenly remembering something. Turning back to the group, she looked towards the convict laying in the dirt, "Zelos, carry the big guy."

"You want me to carry this oaf? I don't think I can." With a grunt, the swordsman feebly attempted to lift the body, but found he could not, "See what I mean? He's heavy!"

"Here, let me help." Colette approached. As if she were lifting a piece of string, she picked up the blue haired man, "Oh, he's not as heavy as I thought he would be. I think I can carry him." Smiling, the blonde turned to Sheena, gesturing for other to lead the way.

Zelos, Genis, and Lloyd stared after the four who'd began walking towards the exit.

"W-what just happened?" The smaller Sage asked, eyes wide.

"I don't know..."

"Let's go, guys. We don't want to fall behind." Lloyd said and they headed out.

Mizuho was a rather small village. Well, it wasn't really small, just not as large as some of the places they'd been recently. People wandered about the streets, all of them dressed in some weird, unfamiliar clothing. As the group entered, the villagers eyed them warily, and sent Sheena curious and, in some cases, angry glances. A man dressed in all blue approached them at the entrance.

"Orochi, inform the Vice-Chief that I've brought the travelers from Sylvarant."

The man nodded, though still wary of the others. He headed off towards a house in the middle of the village. Lloyd guessed that that was where the chief resided. The town felt so homey to the brunette, yet it was so unfamiliar. Everything seemed different from what they experienced. Perhaps that was why they were not "mainstream"?

After a while, Orochi came back.

"Wait here, guys." With that, Sheena followed him back to the Chief's house.

Lloyd sighed and turned his gaze back towards the man laying on the ground. Colette had set him down as soon as they arrived, though she didn't look tired. The brunette knelt down by him, examining him and wondering why he had wanted to talk to Presea. With a sudden jerk, the criminal rose and nearly knocked himself into Lloyd. If Lloyd hadn't grabbed him and forced him to the ground using his angelic strength, he would have had a bruise on his forehead.

"Where am I...?" The blue haired man asked as Lloyd let up on him, chocolate gaze still fixed on him and watching him cautiously.

"You're in the village of Mizuho, and you're also our prisoner, so don't try anything." Genis spoke up, crossing his arms, but also standing slightly behind Lloyd.

"I like to think that I'm smart enough to know not to try anything when I am easily outnumbered."

"So what's your name?" Lloyd asked, sitting down on the dirt. Before the older man could reply, Sheena came back, telling them that the Chief requested their presence. Nodding, they stood up again and followed her towards the house. A nervous feeling wormed its way into Lloyd's gut, but he pushed it back and forced himself to be calm.

When they arrived, the chief invited them in, "Traveler's from Sylvarant, because of Sheena's failure to kill you, we now face persecution from the Tethe'alla Royal Family and the Church of Martel." The Vice-Chief, Tiga, stated, his face surprisingly blank, "Now, I have a question to ask you. What do you plan to do now that you've saved the Chosen?"

Lloyd looked at his feet for a moment, pondering his words, before he spoke again, "I've been thinking about that for a while now. Someone asked me once why I came to Tethe'alla, what it is we came to do. I know now that I want to find a way to save both worlds. I want a world where everyone can live freely."

Tiga smiled faintly, "You're an idealist. However, Tethe'alla and Sylvarant flourish only by stealing one another's mana. Anything you say now is merely wishful thinking."

The twin swordsman stood, a determined look in his eye, "Then we need to change that structure. This world was created by that Yggdrasil guy, right? If a human or elf built this, then we should be able to reverse it!" The fire in the brunette's eyes burned stronger than usual.

"You sound like the hero, Mithos. He was an idealist as well, just like you. He ended the war by convincing the two opposing countries that there was a way they could live in peace. Are you saying that you can become the next Mithos?"

"I'm not Mithos. I want to make my own path, one were we can-" The teen's speech was cut off by a wracking pain that seemed to originate from where the crystal was. He cried out, crashing to the floor and writhing in pain before his movements stilled.

"Lloyd?" Genis shouted, standing and rushing to his friend. The rest soon followed suit. Raine knelt by him, murmuring healing spells under her breath. The other's looked worriedly at the still form of their comrade.

"Is he alright?" Tiga asked, worried.

"He should be fine. I don't know what happened..." Then, suddenly Zelos spoke up.

"Do you have a room where we can lay him down? I've got something to show the rest of the group." The redhead asked the Vice-Chief. Receiving a nod, the magic swordsman motioned for Colette to pick up Lloyd. Once that was done, they followed Orochi out of the house and to a nearby, smaller house. Inside was one bed and a fireplace, along with a table and a couple of chairs.

Colette gently laid Lloyd down, and Zelos went over to the bed. He began unbuttoning Lloyd's shirt, and when it was off, he pulled the tank top over his friends head. Then, he turned the teen over, and gasped.

"Oh my god..."

Me: Am I evil or what? xD Cliffhangers to the max! -fist pumps-
Lloyd: Whatever, just review and stuffs. It'll make her happy.
Me: Yup yup! Do what he says or the teddy bear gets it!