And once again, Before We Begin...
First, thank you to all my supporters! I WUV you guys . and that's why I'm doing the contest... Of course, don't forget about Karma! The faster you review the faster I respond! ...Assuming doesn't unfairly remove my stories and ban my uploading for a while...
Second, there is a bit of a high-rated scene here (It's still R, don't worry!) but that is your WARNING so please don't freak out and flame me for it!
(PS: I'm currently holding a random Shonen-Ai based contest-type thing while looking for new pairings... - go check out my Author Profile for details! Genis Irving)
Spoilers: Umm... Sheena spoilers! Just to let you know! Nothing too serious though.
--4: Dancing With Illusion--
Time dragged on, battles merged into one another, and by the end of the day, with no sign of Asgard in sight, the group was more than definitely ready to camp out and get a meal.
At that time, however, Raine proceeded to rain down a crushing bit of news on the group.
"So, when do we eat?" Lloyd asked, his stomach growling.
"Yeah! I could do with a meal!" Genis perked up, happily, and then his face fell when he saw an awkward look on Raine's face.
"...Er... it's been a while since our last visit to Palmacosta, since we came here right from the Water Seal, and... we... I don't think we have enough" Raine put her arm behind her head, visibly shaken.
"...We what?" Kratos' eyebrow raised.
"What if we stretched it? Shouldn't we have enough then?" Colette asked. "We'll be at Asgard tomorrow anyway..."
"That's the thing" Raine shook her head. "Even if we stretched it, there'd barely be enough to get the four of us through the night, never mind Kratos and Noishe..."
The large, big-eared dog whined.
"Well, then that won't do. There's got to be some food out here" Lloyd pointed out, looking into the forest near them. "Bet you anything there's probably berries or something in there that we can eat."
"Hmm..." Raine thought. "Well, I suppose we could, but..."
"Then I'm on it! I'll be back shortly, you guys set up camp!" Lloyd waved behind him as he took off in the direction of the forest.
"L-Lloyd!" Raine started, calling after him, but the boy was already gone into the thick, dark trees. And apparently he wasn't hearing her. "...Well, that's just great..."
"Lloyd will be fine" Colette said, naively. "He's used to walking around in forests and stuff..."
"Except that there are tons of poisonous fruits and herbs out in forests" Kratos pointed out, sighing. "If we let him pick by himself, we're likely to get food poisoning!"
"Same if we let Raine cook!" Genis joked, and then he let out a yelp as Raine bashed him over the head.
"Oww... sis!" Genis whimpered. "I get the hint! You guys set up camp. I'll go find Lloyd and make sure he doesn't kill us all..."
"Genis... I'll go too" Raine started, but Kratos looked at her.
"Let Genis go. We need to set up camp and guard the chosen, because now is the kind of time where that assassin would come after us again."
"...Yes" Raine nodded. "Come on. Let's get a fire going and everything, before it decides to rain..." she caught Kratos' shudder out of the corner of her eye and felt guilty again, but decided to just ignore that for the moment and continue about her work.
The purple-robed assassin hid among the highest leaves of the trees, watching Lloyd innocently looking around.
"...It's a shame I have to do this. He's a good guy, and we could have been friends... but I have to save my land..." she whispered, silently, as she concentrating, gathering up the energy around her.
Lloyd hummed to himself as he knelt down, inspecting a bush with strange, tear-shaped red berries.
"Hmm... at times like this I really wish I had've listened to Raine..." he muttered to himself. "I don't think we've ever had these before... maybe I'll bring some back, and if Raine says their poisonous, we can just throw them away..."
He smirked to himself, at his brilliant idea (brilliant for him anyway) and picked a few berries, going to stand up.
He was promptly knocked over when a hard, blunt weapon struck him in the back. He stumbled forward and dropped the freshly-collected berries on the ground, trying to regain his footing and his breath at the same time, as he turned to see who or what had attacked him.
Needless to say, he was shocked when he saw Genis standing there, holding his Kendama roughly, a menacing look across his face.
"...Genis? Why did you do that?" Lloyd asked, his mind trying to think of one of the hundreds of possible explanations.
"Revenge, Lloyd Irving" Genis growled out in a tone that Lloyd barely recognised. It was the same angry, rough tone that Genis only adopted when speaking about, or to, Desians...
"...Revenge? What did I do to you?" Lloyd asked, scanning Genis up and down, looking for any sign.
"The first one was just running off like that... and this!" Genis swung the weapon around, and the attached ball swung around and caught Lloyd in the forearm, bruising him a lot more than Lloyd had expected from such a weak weapon, wielded by the young attacker. "This is just the first one to make up for every time you've hit me!" Genis growled.
"Genis... that hurts!" Lloyd complained, holding onto his arm where Genis had hit him, only for another blow to be landed to his fingers. Lloyd gave a shout of pain - after all, it felt like the weapon had just smashed the bones in his fingers to pieces.
"It's only fair, for all the blows you've dealt me, I'll deal one back to you" Genis growled, swinging the Kendama back then shooting it forward suddenly, smacking into Lloyd's knee and causing Lloyd to buckle and fall backwards.
"Genis, stop it!" Lloyd shouted back.
A cruel, twisted smirk shot over Genis' face, as he unleashed his attack again, this time aiming for the other side of Lloyd's body and damaging his other arm, getting another pained shout from Lloyd.
"What did I do to deserve this, now?" Lloyd demanded.
"It's too much, Lloyd" Genis growled. "Too much. You know how long I've loved you... every single time you hit me, you made me want to die! I think it's only right that you feel that pain too!"
The Kendama whipped around, smashing into Lloyd's side, just underneath the elbow, and Lloyd felt a powerful surge rush through him, as the impact bruised his sides. Now, though, it was only getting more and more painful; because Lloyd's emotions were being impacted by the powerful blows as well.
"Genis, stop!" Lloyd cried helplessly. He knew he was being attacked, but Genis' words packed such emotion and power that they made Lloyd feel as though he deserved it.
And he loved Genis. Even if Genis were going to kill him, he couldn't fight back. He couldn't hurt Genis.
"Ahh! Lloyd! Wh... What are you doing?" Genis shouted, as his shirt was greedily pulled off of him by older hands.
Lloyd was looming, almost dangerously, over him. There was some maddening look in his eyes, the same look he got whenever he seemed to be annoyed with Genis... except it was amplified and then mixed with love - it looked like... the only word Genis could find for it was lust. Genis noted to himself that if that was what lust looked like, he wasn't suddenly so sure that he wanted to see that look on Lloyd's face ever again.
A strong hand pinned Genis' back to the tree behind him, and Genis gave a rough shout of pain as he felt the tree's bark biting into his back harshly, tearing open the frail skin on his back.
"Lloyd!" Genis gasped out, trying to understand what had suddenly come over Lloyd. The way Lloyd was acting... Genis had an idea of what was going on. He didn't like that idea at all. He didn't like the idea of being raped by Lloyd.
"What's wrong, Genis?" Lloyd's free hand gently rubbed along Genis' side and then along his young, under-developed chest, teasing one of the boy's nipples. "I heard what Raine was talking to you about last night, I know that you want this..."
Genis gulped. That couldn't be right! Lloyd wouldn't do something like this, would he? Not with such force, not so dangerously... this couldn't be Lloyd!
Yet it looked and sounded like Lloyd, Genis' mind reasoned. It even acted like him - which was confirmed when Lloyd forced a kiss upon the innocent boy, trying to get Genis to open up. Though Genis wasn't sure he wanted to open up and mingle tongues with Lloyd when he was acting like this, the Sage boy's mouth opened anyway and he allowed Lloyd in.
All the while, Lloyd's free hand was sliding lower and lower, and was now gently rubbing Genis' rear. At the same time, though, one of Genis' hands was resting over his Kendama. Something told him this couldn't be Lloyd - but this illusion kissed just like him...
It can't be Lloyd! Lloyd would never try to do anything like this to me without my permission!
With that, Genis' hand gripped his weapon and he based Lloyd in the side, making him stumble off.
"Genis, the hell was that for?" Lloyd growled, startled, as Genis' hands grabbed onto his shirt, pulling it on quickly.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" Genis shouted as he stood up again. "Keep your hands off me!" he protested, though it was ignored as Lloyd pressed himself up against Genis, forcing another kiss on the younger boy.
"That's funny..." Lloyd whispered as they broke away. "I thought you liked this..."
"You're not Lloyd! Get away from me!" Genis slammed his Kendama into Lloyd's chest, taking off. A moment later, he heard the sounds of someone pursuing him from behind.
Lloyd looked up, his whole body aching, bruises coating his body from the constant assault.
"Genis, stop!"
"I'm not done yet!" Genis growled, pulling back the Kendama, before thrusting it forward again. This time, it was aimed towards Lloyd's skull.
Lloyd's arm, on reflex, grabbed for one of the swords at his side, and he drew it quickly, slamming it into the steel orb of Genis' weapon, thus diverting the attack. Lloyd stood up, holding the weapon at his side.
"Genis, stop!" Lloyd commanded.
"I said, I'm not done!" Genis growled, pulling back as his weapon seemed to fix itself, and he aimed at Lloyd again, swinging his weapon wide.
"You're not Genis!" Lloyd growled, as he slammed the blade into the Kendama with all the force he could muster. He heard a powerful clang and the sound of something cracking.
The orb of the Kendama shattered beneath his eyes. Genis recoiled in horror.
"Lloyd! Breaking my weapon! Why would you...?" Genis started, but Lloyd cut him off, an angry look on his face.
"I don't know who you are, but you're not Genis!" Lloyd shouted, raising his blade as he drew the other one.
"Of course I am!" Genis pouted, angrily waving the Kendama at his side with the exact same hand gestures that Genis would have done. It was hard for Lloyd to think that this was a fake. "What would make you think I wasn't?"
"The real Genis loves me" Lloyd stated, pointing one blade at Genis. "He would never attack me like this. He's not a brute, he's smarter than that."
Genis backed up, afraid. "Lloyd... you... I am Genis! How can you not believe me about that? You're... going to attack me, aren't you?"
"You're not Genis. If you don't want me to kill you, I suggest you start running" Lloyd growled, lunging towards Genis, as the light-haired boy took off running.
Lloyd jumped into the brush, following Genis, as the other boy ran, surprisingly fast. Of course, he was much more easily able to duck under branches. As the two went deeper in, the path was becoming more and more thick with branches and plants, one of which Lloyd swore nipped at his ankle as he passed.
Genis dived into a mass of bushes, and Lloyd charged into them, only to find himself thwarted. Quickly, not wanting to lose sight of him, Lloyd slashed into the branches, cutting his way through them as quick as he could, then running forward.
Genis was outside of his vision, he couldn't see the boy anywhere. Frantically, Lloyd stepped forward, looking for sings of movement.
Then he heard something. Off to his right, somebody was running...
Lloyd charged forward, jumping into some bushes and right through them, and he raised his blades when he saw Genis there, startled, in front of him, his shirt missing.
"Ahhh!" Genis screamed, jumping backwards, as Lloyd swung down.
"I'm going to kill you..." Lloyd growled.
"Stop it! You're not Lloyd!" Genis shook his head, and then taking a stand of courage, he reached for his Kendama. "You're not! So go away!"
Lloyd blinked. Wait a second... there was something not right here...
A moment later, it dawned on him. Genis' Kendama was whole, not shattered.
"...Genis? Is that really you?" Lloyd's swords fell to his sides.
"I'm not falling for that!" Genis backed up nervously. "You're not Lloyd!"
"Genis, it's really you, isn't it?" Lloyd asked.
"How can I be sure it's really you, Lloyd?" Genis growled.
"Ask me something. Anything. About our pasts" Lloyd smiled.
"Okay. Why were we exiled from Iselia?" Genis demanded.
"Because we are enemies of the Desians" Lloyd put his hand on his hips, as he sheathed one of his swords.
"...Lloyd, it is you!" Genis gently returned his Kendama to its place on his belt, as Lloyd sheathed the other sword. Happily, Genis leapt into the other boy's arms, knocking him onto his rear, and the two shared a strong kiss as they embraced each other. Lloyd's hands gently rubbed Genis' back.
"Genis, you... thank god..." Lloyd held the little boy close. "I..."
"No, you don't need to say sorry or anything..." Genis whispered softly. "We were both tricked..."
"By who, though?" Lloyd asked, as he looked over Genis' shoulder. Genis did the same, turning his head.
The two broke apart quickly, though, as they saw two figures standing there, twisted images painted over their faces.
They saw themselves, or, at least, twisted mockeries of themselves.
"Genis..." Lloyd tried to draw his sword, but now exhaustion at his physical activities and physical pain was really setting in, and he was unable to stand up like Genis had done.
"Stop fooling around, we know that this is an illusion!" Genis shouted.
The two images let out a long, rough laugh, and they faded into nothingness, shifting and swirling to form a new figure. It looked like some kind of psychedelic blob for a moment; it soon became a more recognisable figure.
It almost looked like the strange beast that the group had fought back on the Ossa Trail - after all, it had the strange circular wheel-like structure upon its back, and it was floating on a seeming cloud, though its tone was very dark and misty.
"...That is..." Lloyd whispered.
"I've got this one, Lloyd" Genis said, stepping forward, grabbing his Kendama.
"Genis! D-Don't... you can't fight him!" Lloyd complained back.
"Of course I can" Genis smiled. "Besides, if I didn't protect you, what kind of a boyfriend would I be?"
Lloyd flushed red, as the strange guardian monster began to float towards them, obviously intent on causing them harm.
Genis flipped his Kendama up and down in the air a couple times, a magic circle shooting from his feet outwards, glowing brown, as he continued to bounce the Kendama up and down.
"Pancake Time! Stalagmite!" Genis shouted, as he shoved the Kendama forward.
An earthquake seemed to shake the ground, and the guardian paused, confused. A moment later, a rift opened in the ground below him, and then huge spikes of ground convulsed upwards, spearing into the guardian and sending it high into the air. As it fell back down, its form faded out into nothingness.
Genis breathed hard for a couple more moments, as the magic circle disappeared from under his feet. He stepped backwards, and Lloyd caught him in his damaged arms.
"...Genis..." Lloyd smiled.
"See? ...Lloyd, you... you're hurt!" Genis finally realised, looking at Lloyd's arms and seeing the pain on Lloyd's face.
"It's... it's nothing" Lloyd said, but already Genis' young hands had undone the buckles on the straps of his pants, pulling them off of his shoulders, and tugged at the buttons on Lloyd's shirt, stripping it off of him.
Lloyd couldn't help but blush, and neither could Genis - after all, they were both halfway to being nude before each other.
"Genis... you don't have to..." Lloyd began, scared of the fact that Genis seemed to have become frozen as the younger inspected the older.
"...Lloyd, we need to get you to Raine. You're really beat up..." Genis said, grabbing onto Lloyd's shirt and tucking it under his arm, and then beginning to help Lloyd up. Lloyd stumbled a bit, and Genis caught him, finally trying to find a comfortable way for Lloyd to be leaning on Genis' side.
"...Thank you, Genis..." Lloyd smiled. "I..."
"...Lloyd, I just realised something" Genis muttered, as they continued to walk, and Lloyd noticed that Genis was increasing his pace.
"What's that?" Lloyd asked, blinking.
"That thing... didn't it look like the monster we fought on the Ossa Trail?" Genis asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"...Lloyd, the assassin woman is here!" Genis's pace picked up, and Lloyd forced himself not to show any sign of pain as he struggled a bit to put up with Genis.
"Colette... they're all in danger!" Lloyd stuttered. "Leave me, Genis, go help them"
"Nuh-uh" Genis shook his head, as he slowed down a bit. "We're going together. I know the others should be able to hold out..."
"...Thank you, Genis" Lloyd whispered, as Genis continued to half-drag him along.