Phew. Valentine's Day. Obviously, there is going to be some cheap fluffiness in this chapter... but hey, it's Valentine's Day! Responses to reviews:
To Tsuruoka – Glad you enjoyed the previous chapters; I hope that this one is amusing, too!
To RPGs r the BEST! – Well, we shall see what Genis and Presea end up doing in this chapter. Heh, heh. Thanks for reviewing!
To Cerse Liminara – ...You just want Genis to use Indignation on Zelos so you can be amused. Am I right? I am sooo right. :P
To ShadowSessMarlfox – Don't be sad – Kratos is in this chapter! Not too much... but he's there!
To kuramagirl44 – Here's the Valentine's Day one that you wanted; hope it's to your liking!
Disclaimer: I'm too lazy to think of something creative, so I just don't own Tales of Symphonia, mm-kay?
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)Chapter 3 – Valentine's Day!(
"It's so beautiful here." Sheena looked from left to right, taking in the mystique that Iselia Forest held. The trees formed an arch that covered the dirt path that the small group of friends trekked along. Thin beams of sunlight peeked through the canopy of leaves, faintly lighting the trail. The air was so fresh and untouched that one could not help but appreciate nature in that environment.
"Yeah, it's pretty and all..." Zelos agreed, clearly having something to add to his comment. Sheena, Regal and Presea all turned their heads to face the Chosen as he said, "...but I still don't get why we all have to hang out together at every holiday. I mean... it's Valentine's Day for Martel's sake!" Regal and Sheena sighed; Zelos had missed the serenity of Sheena's statement entirely. "It's supposed to be a romantic time," Zelos continued, "I mean, I love my buds, sure... just not in that way! I wanna be with my hunny, and only my hunny!"
Presea tilted her head slightly, still trudging along the pathway, "Only... one hunny? Are you not mistaken, and mean to say that you would prefer to be in the presence of many hunnies?"
Zelos grinned and practically flounced as he picked up his pace, "Nope! Just one!" he turned around and walked backwards so that he could see Sheena, and then winked in her direction. The summoner sighed and rolled her eyes.
For a bit of time, there was silence. Presea seemed to be consumed with thought, Zelos was still walking backwards, Sheena was admiring the scenery out of the corner of her eye, and Regal was counting the shadows that he saw dashing through the brush. "Tree, three feet ahead," Sheena said spontaneously.
"Huh?—OW!" Zelos stumbled forward onto his knees after the back of his head collided with a tree branch. He exaggeratedly whined about all of the pain that he was in. Sheena casually made her way over to the fallen Chosen and held out her hand to help him up. Without any hesitation, Zelos accepted her aid and was pulled to his feet. "Thank you, my voluptuous hunny!" he exclaimed cheerfully, suddenly recovered from his 'injury'. Sheena ignored his thanks and kept on walking. "Aw... come now! Don't be like that!" Zelos shouted after her before running to catch up.
Regal and Presea were left behind to find their way to Dirk's house on their own. The president of Lezareno looked toward Presea, noting the sense of contemplation in her eyes. "Is something on your mind, Presea?" Regal asked concernedly.
"Valentine's Day... it is a time of love, correct?" Presea inquired, unfazed by Regal's intrusion. The older man simply nodded, leaving it up to Presea to elaborate on her own question. "Then, it would be an ideal time to express your emotions towards another..." she mused aloud, yet in a whisper.
Regal cocked an eyebrow, "What was that?"
Presea dithered, trying to think of something to cover up her words. It was not necessary, however, because a shriek from up ahead distracted them both. They rushed forward to the source of the cry... only to find that it was just Sheena and Zelos playing around. "Zelos, put me down!" Sheena demanded, though it was obvious that she did not want him to obey, as her arms were wrapped securely around the Chosen's neck.
Zelos had an unwavering smirk on his face. "If that's what you really want..." he said, knowing that that was not what she desired. Sheena's hold on Zelos tightened as he moved to set her down on the ground. "Guess that means you don't really want to be let go." Sheena blushed slightly, but still did not let go. Against her wishes, Zelos placed Sheena down. "If you can't resist being close to me, the climb onto my back and I'll carry you like that." It did not take a moment's thought for Sheena to get onto the Chosen's back. "Ooh yeah," Zelos grinned, "Ride me, baby!"
"Don't be gross," Sheena scolded, lightly hitting him over the head.
Regal and Presea both stared blankly at the couple. "Umm..." the foot-fighter searched for something to say, "...how much farther is it to Dirk's home?"
"Just ahead!" a new voice broke into the conversation from behind them. Sheena, Zelos, Presea and Regal all looked back to find out who it was... and Regal was tackled to the ground. It was Lloyd. "Glad I caught up to you guys before you got the house!"
Lloyd stood up, getting off of Regal and allowing the man to get up. "Lloyd!" Colette and Genis ran up the path the join the group. They skidded to a stop in front of the others; Genis was panting heavily as Colette beamed, seemingly fine. "Hello, everyone!" she greeted.
Between forced breaths Genis asked, "How can you not be tired?"
Colette thought for a moment, "Hmm... Now that you mention it, I guess I am... kind of... sleepy..." Sylvarant's Chosen collapsed onto her back, closed her eyes and smiled. Everyone simply stared at her confusedly. Finally, Raine joined up with the group of friends, having gone at her own pace. The Professor looked down at her student lying on the ground. As though she could sense the eyes locked on her, Colette sat up and glanced towards Raine. "Professor! You're finally here!"
"Yes, Colette. I'm here," Raine repeated the obvious, "Now can we please hurry up and get to the house? This forest is... unsettling."
"Really?" Sheena said inquisitively, still on Zelos' back, "I was just saying how tranquil it was before..."
Zelos held Sheena's legs close to him, making sure that she would not fall. "Ignore her, hunny," he assured, "She just doesn't have a poetic heart... let alone any heart at all..." Tethe'alla's Chosen added the final statement under his breath, but Raine was still able to hear it. And she did not like it. For that reason, she kicked him... and he fell... with Sheena still on him. Sheena was fine, though; Zelos provided nice cushioning for her fall. The swordsman tried to pick himself up off of the ground, but seemed to be struggling. "Gah! I'm being crushed by my sweet hunny's voluptuous body..." Zelos needed to learn to keep his mouth shut, because no one in the close group of friends enjoyed his stupid comments.
Sheena pushed down on the Chosen's back, shoving his face into the dirt. She then got off of him and began walking down the path to Dirk's house. "Come on, let's go!" the summoner called back to the others. They shrugged to each other, and then followed Sheena... leaving Zelos alone on the ground. He whined to himself as he finally got to his feet, and then ran to catch up with everyone else.
The group of friends all entered the front door of Dirk's house, and what they saw traumatized them. Lloyd's dwarven father pulled a tray out of the oven and then faced the world's heroes. He was wearing a frilly pink apron that read 'Dwarven Vow #122: Bake your troubles away!' and was holding a tray of freshly baked heart-shaped cookies in his hands. "Ah, you're finally all here!" Dirk exclaimed, "Come on in and have a cookie! ...Or a cupcake!" The dwarf placed the cookies down on the table and motioned towards a plate of cupcakes that were lathered in pink icing with little heart sprinkles on them. "They're just out of the oven!"
"Dad..." Lloyd lowered his head shamefully, "You're making a fool of yourself by treating Valentine's Day like it's a big deal."
Dirk's eyes gleamed with the fire of passion, "What. Did. You. Say? Valentine's Day is a big deal!" The dwarven man gripped his kinda-son by the collar of his shirt, "If you'd ever experienced love, you'd know that! Love is no childish game where you give each other Valentine's cards and giggle! There's more to it!" He let go of Lloyd and moved to the other side of the room, gazing out of the window dreamingly, "No... there s so much more to love."
Lloyd stepped towards his father, "You were in love, Dad?" he asked.
"Yes," Dirk sighed, "Her name was... Anna."
"Anna! You mean... Mom!"
A choked sob came from outside, "Anna..." Curiosity got the better of the large group, and they all ventured outside to find out where the voice had come from. Natural instinct led them to Anna's grave... and let them well, it did! For when they reached the tombstone, they found Kratos kneeling by it, holding back tears. "This holiday... it devastates me..." the swordsman whispered.
"Kratos?"
"Eek!" Kratos jumped up to his feet and turned around to see the gang of friends. The Seraphim cleared his throat, putting on a calm expression, "Ahem... I... was not expecting anyone to come here."
Zelos rolled his eyes, "Obviously."
"A'right, a'right," Dirk shoved his way through the kids and adults so that he stood out to get attention, "Why don't you all head on back to the house? I'm sure it'd be more interesting than hanging around here and grieving over lost loves..."
Lloyd seemed disturbed. Both of his fathers had been in love with his mother... and that very statement in itself was extremely messed up. Everyone began in the direction of the entrance of Dirk's house again, but Lloyd slowed his pace so that he fell behind the others. It was Colette, Raine, Sheena and Zelos that noticed Lloyd' hesitation. "What's up, bud?" Zelos questioned, approaching his friend.
"I can't hang around here!" Lloyd blurted out, "I don't even want to think about the humiliating things that Dad will do..."
"Which dad?" Colette inquired.
With a desolate sigh, Lloyd replied, "Both of them."
"Well then what do you expect to do?" Raine piped up, "You can't rightfully just run away from your home, Lloyd." The swordsman said nothing... and that nothing said everything. "Oh, goddess..." Raine lowered her head slightly, "You are going to run away, aren't you?"
Lloyd shook his head on reflex, "No!" he paused, "Well... temporarily, yeah. Just till tonight! You know... stow away into the forest for a little peace and quiet and no Valentine's Day cookies?"
"Ooh, we'll come with!" Zelos volunteered both he and Sheena. The summoner would have objected, but she actually thought it nice to explore the forest for the day.
"Me, too!" Colette chimed in.
Lloyd had a look of triumph on his face, while Raine wore an expression of clear disapproval. Although in the end, it did not make a difference what Raine thought about the situation. "...I'm coming, too. There's no way that I'll be able to have an enjoyable time if I'm worrying about what kind of stunts you four will pull being out on your own."
With that, the five companions went off into the forest.
Presea was about to enter Dirk's house when she turned around, "Did Colette, Lloyd, Raine, Sheena and Zelos just go into the forest without informing us?" she asked, perplexed by the fact that they had not bothered to inform everyone that they would be going for a walk.
Genis looked at the girl and smiled calmly, "Don't worry, Presea! I'm sure they'll be fine and come back soon. After all, as long as my sister's with them, then won't be in any danger."
/Several hours later.../
Raine looked towards the sky, peering through a space in the shelter of trees. She took note of the fact that the sky was glowing a shade of orange; the sun was setting. "We should return to Dirk's house soon," the professor suggested, "It will be turning dark in no time."
Lloyd stretched his arms over his head, cracking his back in the process, "Ow!" he shouted as his vertebrae made a snapping sound. A few confused stares were sent in his direction – after all, this was a big tough swordsman – and so he quickly recovered, "Y-Yeah, Professor Sage. I agree. So... which way did we come from?" Everyone stopped in their tracks. They glared at Lloyd (except for Colette, who was as cheerful as ever), and Lloyd glimpsed from face to face. He did not quite understand why they all looked like they wanted to hurt him (once again, except for Colette). "Umm... what is it?"
"You mean you don't know!" Raine exclaimed, her eyes widened in horror. She slowly approached Lloyd, her arms outstretched as though she was about to strangle him. The swordsman gulped, backing away from the fuming professor. "You. Don't. Know!" Finally, the slow motion pursuit sped up, and Raine pounced on Lloyd like a wild predator about to devour its prey. Lloyd shrieked and Raine moved in to obliterate him.
"Professor Sage! Stop!" Colette ran forward and attempted to pry the rabid teacher off of Lloyd, "Please don't hurt Lloyd; we'll find our way back!" Reluctantly, Raine moved off of her student. It was so difficult to go against Colette's requests – they were always so peaceful. "I have faith that we'll get back. I'm sure of it!" The others all nodded in agreement. When put into a situation such as this, one had to have faith. Colette glanced in different directions, trying to recollect which way they had come from. "Ehm... Where should we go?" she asked.
Everyone else also looked through the forest passageways. Then, in unison – while each gazing in completely opposite directions – they all announced, "That way." After the words were spoken, they all turned to face each other. Upon realizing that none of them agreed on where to go, they sighed. This was utterly hopeless. Unless...
Colette, being the only one who had not had a say in the vote, got to state her suggestion. And her choice was the obvious one: "Let's go in Lloyd's direction!" Zelos, Sheena and Raine sighed again. Lloyd beamed and gave the blonde angel an affectionate hug. Colette giggled happily, returning his embrace. After Lloyd let go, Sylvarant's chosen smiled, "So let's get going!"
Displeased – but bound by the majority nonetheless – Raine, Zelos and Sheena followed as the two teenagers went off, deeper into the forest.
"I'm worried," Genis stated, looking out of the window for any sign of his sister and the others. Had Presea never brought up the fact that they had wandered into the forest, he would have probably not been so nervous. But now... "What if something happened?" Genis began a rant in super speed, "What if a monster came out and attacked them, and just when things were going their way—BAM! The monster knocked out Raine, and there's no one to heal them! Except for Zelos... but he doesn't count, so the bottom line would be that they're doomed!"
For a moment, there was no sound. After taking in everything that Genis had just slurred together, Presea responded plainly: "Genis, you are over-exaggerating." Genis sighed, glancing down at the ground sadly. When Presea noticed the look of grief on the half-elf's face, she rethought her statement. "I am sorry, Genis," she apologized quickly, "I did not mean to upset you. I only meant to say that they will make it back safely."
The young magic user nodded, "Yeah... You're right. Thanks, Presea." Genis gave a small smile to the taciturn girl, and she returned it. He could have swooned right there when she smiled... but at that moment, there was too much stupidity going on in Dirk's dining area for Genis to react at all.
"I'm tellin' ya, they're not in the town, they're in the forest!" Dirk objected to something that Kratos had said, rising from his seat.
The mercenary simply stared up at the enraged dwarf, "And I am telling you that the town is where we need to go to find them."
"No! The forest!" Dirk challenged again.
"The town," Kratos replied calmly, slowly rising from his seat, as well.
"Quiet!" Regal suddenly shouted, silencing Lloyd's fathers, "You are both being ignorant!" Kratos and Dirk sat down at the table again, waiting for Regal to elaborate. The president of Lezareno pointed to a certain area of a board-like map that was spread across the table, "The Ring of Fire Magic would obviously be located within the Flame Geysers, you fools!" Genis and Presea said nothing; those three were supposed to be the adults, and there they were playing a role-playing board game while the majority of their friends were missing.
Kratos nodded in agreement with Regal, but Dirk once again protested, "No way! That is far too obvious!"
"Such is the reality of these games, Dirk," Kratos insisted.
"Will you three just cut it out?" Genis snapped, "You shouldn't be wasting your time with that inane game now! We should be out making sure that everyone else is okay!" There was a brief moment of silent thought, and then murmurs of "yes, he's right" and "we really should check" could be heard. "Good," Genis smirked, "Then let's get going!"
It did not take a long time for the group consisting of Lloyd, Colette, Zelos, Sheena and Raine to realize that they were not going in the direction that they wanted to go in. The forest had fallen into darkness, and the sounds of night's beasts echoed through the land. Raine led the way, her staff emitting a faint light to ensure that at least they manage to stay on the path (which would hopefully end in the field). Colette held firmly onto Lloyd's arm for assurance that he would protect her... and Zelos held onto Sheena in the same manner. "Will you be a man for once?" Sheena scolded, "Honestly! This forest at night is no different than Gaoracchia Forest in the middle of the day!"
"So?" Zelos' grip tightened, "That place is creepy, too..." Sheena rolled her eyes and shoved the Chosen away, causing him to fall down onto the ground. "Eek!" Without complaint, Zelos scrambled to his feet and returned to Sheena's side, acting calmer, "I'll be good." A discreet smile on the summoner's face, she took Zelos' hand in hers and squeezed it comfortingly. The redhead smiled at her actions.
Raine turned around to face the others, "I see something up ahead," she proclaimed. The professor looked ahead again, studying what she saw, "It appears to be a cavern... but it is a habitated one."
"Habit... ated?" Lloyd repeated, "Shouldn't it be habit eaten?"
His teacher shook her head to herself, "As impressed as I am with your grammar, that is not at all what I meant. I mean that it's a home... or it was one at a time." They made their way to the cave and found that it was, indeed, a house. An underground house. The entrance was covered in a wooden door that had different pictures carved into it: two crossing axed, hearts, vines... "I wonder what kind of person could have lived here."
Lloyd stared at the door anxiously; he had an idea of whose house this had been. He refused to accept it, though. Raine pushed open the door, and they all entered the dark room cautiously. The professor directed the light of her staff to each corner of the room, noting every item hanging from the wall. Suddenly, something caught her eye and she stopped scanning. Everyone was unsure how to react... it was a sign... and this sign told them at they were in... "The Dirkinator's Love Shack!" Finally, the reactions came. Zelos and Sheena broke into a fit of laughter. Raine was laughing too, but much more restrained. Colette stared blankly at the sign. Lloyd... was rather horrified. "Dad! For the love of—"
))(())Change of time scene!(())((
"Wow. Dirk must have been quite the dwarven love machine," Zelos stated, looking at all of the pictures of ladies that Dirk had lined up on his dresser. It was now lighter in the underground home because they had found half-melted candles that Zelos lit with his fire magic.
Lloyd sighed. "I'm so ashamed..."
"If Zelos were a dwarf, this would be his house..." Sheena commented in disgust, "...I'm glad that Dirk left this lifestyle behind him."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Tethe'alla's Chosen appeared hurt... but that did not last too long. "Oh! You like the fact that he changed because it makes me all-the-more original, right? That's so sweet of you, hunny!" He threw his arms around Sheena, making them both fall back onto the bed of Dirk's past, which resembled a typical honeymoon suite bed.
Raine stared at them sternly, "Stop fooling around. We can't spend the entire night here; we have to get back."
Zelos groaned, disappointed; but he got off of the summoner, anyway. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he looked from Raine to Lloyd to Colette, "And how exactly do you propose that we get back, oh wise Professor?" he inquired, blatantly directing the question at Raine, challenging her views.
Beads of sweat trailed along the teacher's face. "Ah, uhm... well..."
Sheena sat up on the bed, next to Zelos. "Don't tell me that you don't know, Raine," the ninja teased.
"Lloyd..." Colette suddenly murmured distantly. The swordsman turned to face her, to find that the angel was leaning against a wall for support. "I... I feel dizzy..." She held a hand up to her forehead, feeling it throbbing.
At this point, Lloyd appeared very concerned. "Professor!" he shouted, "Something's wrong with Colette! What is it?"
Raine's thoughts were still off somewhere else, however. She was trying to find out how they would manage to return to Dirk's. With this loss of thought, Raine replied absent-mindedly, "I don't know... Angel Toxicosis or something..."
"What!" Lloyd responded in disbelief.
"Then again, probably not," the professor quickly corrected herself, thinking better of giving Lloyd an uneducated response. She wandered over to Sylvarant's Chosen and took in her condition, appearance, and all of that stuff. Lloyd was breathing down Raine's neck the entire time, of course. "Has it ever been questioned whether or not Colette is anaemic?" Raine questioned.
Lloyd blinked. "Anaemic? What's that?"
"It's when a person is low on red blood cells and lacks iron," the teacher explained, "Its symptoms are usually dizziness, pale skin, and overall loss of energy." Everyone stared at Colette, judging her state: she was dizzy... pale... and not too energetic. "I wouldn't worry, though," Raine assured, "As long as it doesn't get too out of hand, she'll be fine." Then, a realization donned upon the archaeological mania as she looked at the other people in the room, "Actually... you're all pretty pale. Have you been eating your meat to get iron?"
Sheena, Zelos and Colette's eyes shied away. Lloyd grinned, "I love meat! In fact..." he looked towards his three friends whom were trying to be inconspicuous, "I've been eating their shares, too!"
"Lloyd!" they all shouted in unison.
"Aha!" Raine exclaimed triumphantly, "Shame on you all. You should know better."
"You're one to talk!" Zelos accused, "Look at how pale you are. You're skin's as white as your hair!"
The professor quickly searched for an excuse, "I, uhm... I'm... an albino! Yes, that's it! I can't help it."
"But you're eyes aren't red-"
"Magic!" Raine broke in, throwing her arms into the air to add drama.
Spontaneously, the door broke down and a cloud of dust particles filled the room. At first, fear pulsed through the veins of the five friends. Frozen in their spots, they could simply stare at the doorway as... Regal emerged through the wall of dust! "I am here to rescue you!" he cried, his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out proudly. Silence. Stares. Confusion.
"That is quite enough of that," Dirk stated, shoving Regal out of the way. "What are you all doin' in my old home?"
Lloyd, Colette, Sheena, Zelos and Raine were all wearing somewhat ashamed looks. None of them wanted to admit that they had gotten lost. Finally, after being intimidated by Kratos' prying stare, Lloyd caved, "We went into the forest to escape you guys, but the next thing we knew it was getting dark and we didn't know which way we had come from, and then we ended up here! Don't hurt me!" With the final request, Lloyd shielded his head from the whack that he was expecting.
"Oh, is that all?" Dirk questioned, "Well then... I guess we're all stuck here for the night." And that was that. No complaints about the fact that Lloyd had wanted to escape his fathers; no complaints about making them break away from their board game... nothing. The punishment was simply for all of them to sleep in that house. That one, tiny, crowded, made-for-one-person house. With one bed.
"We call bed!" Zelos hurriedly announced, pushing Sheena back onto the bed and joining her.
Dirk, Lloyd and Genis all yelled in unison, "Damn!"
Aside from Sheena and Zelos on the bed, everyone else was having enough trouble fitting in the home while standing... let alone lying down on the floor. "The chance of us all receiving the necessary hours of sleep in this teeming room: 3.1415923 and so on percent."
"Pi!" Raine exclaimed excitedly.
"Really? Where?" Lloyd looked around hopefully, thinking that she meant the food 'pie', and not the lovely number used in mathematics. Raine sighed and shook her head slowly. It was official: Lloyd learned nothing in math class... or any other class.
Kratos then said, "I will sleep outside. Dirk, Raine and Regal shall join me. The others should manage to fit in here."
"What? And why us?" Dirk and Regal challenged simultaneously. The Seraphim merely motioned towards those who were to remain in Dirk's old home: Zelos and Sheena, Lloyd and Colette, Genis and Presea. "Ohh..." they chorused, observing that it was the couples that remained. "The day of love," Regal commented, "Come on. Let us go outside." With that, Kratos, Dirk, Regal and Raine exited the house.
"So... we have to sleep on the floor?" Lloyd asked. The only response was a nod from Colette. "It doesn't look very comfortable... but I guess we shouldn't complain." He sat down in one of the corners of the room and opened his arms out to Colette. The angel smiled and lay down in Lloyd's arms, resting her head on his chest. "Happy Valentine's Day, Colette," the idealist whispered, earning a content giggle from Colette as she cuddled closer to him.
Zelos and Sheena were both snug under the warmth of the bed's blanket. "This was a pretty crappy Valentine's Day," Zelos muttered, staring vacantly at the ceiling.
"Don't say that," Sheena warned, "It could have been a lot worse. At least we were together, right?"
Tethe'alla's Chosen grinned, holding Sheena close to him. "Aww... that's so sweet, my loveable lady!"
"Hmph. That's a new one," the summoner observed, "Not bad, either... Better than being called your violent banshee."
"Or voluptuous hunny?"
Sheena smirked at Zelos, "Definitely better than that one." They both chuckled quietly to themselves.
Genis and Presea were not as comfortable as the others were. Neither of them had the nerve to approach the other. "Um... P... Presea...?" Genis finally spoke timidly.
"...Yes, Genis?" Even Presea seemed rather shy in her way of speaking.
"Would you, uhm..." the half-elf searched for a way to voice his question without sounding like... Zelos, "...would you sleep near me?" A light tint of red was present on Presea's face as she nodded slowly. She moved over to where Genis was and lay down. He took his sleeping spot next to her. By no means were they nearly as close to each other as Colette and Lloyd, or Sheena and Zelos... but as far as Genis was concerned, this was all that he could ask for. Mainly because he was only twelve years old.
Outside, the idiocy of the role-playing board game had returned! Apparently Dirk had insisted that they bring it along. Raine watched the three men from a distance with a look of disapproval on her face; how juvenile they were being. Very little time had passed, and Kratos was already growing bored of Dirk and Regal's constant bickering. He rose from his spot on the ground, politely announced his leave, and then turned to re-enter the depths of the forest. "Wait!" Raine called after him. The Seraphim stopped in his tracks and faced the teacher. "Ah... Kratos, I wish that you wouldn't leave..."
Kratos gave a reserved smile, "If you want, I'll stay for the remainder of the night, but I will have to leave at the moment that the run rises."
"That's fine," Raine said, calmly taking a seat on the ground, "I simply don't want you to navigate that deathtrap on your own at night... I can assure you that it is a very difficult task." Kratos nodded in agreement and sat down next to her.
They both sat there rather awkwardly for a moment, but the silence soon passed as... "Share the love!" Regal unexpectedly popped up next to Raine and Kratos, and dumped a heart-shaped box of chocolates on the mercenary's head. At this point, it was made clear that Kratos and Raine were the only serious adults in that group. So while they stared on in awe, Regal burst into the house, once again shouting, "Share the lo—" But he was cut short as he took notice to the young ones all paired up. Shakily, he raised his finger and pointed to Genis and Presea, "Th-they're... children that are sleeping within a foot of each other!"
"So?" Zelos asked groggily, staring up at the blue-haired man, "They're not doing anything."
"It's a law!" Regal cried, "Two people under the age of fifteen of opposite genders must not sleep within a foot of each other!"
Zelos continued to oppose what he was saying, "And where exactly is this law... huh, Regal?" Lezareno's president looked from one person to the next, hoping for some form of support; however they were all against him. As soon as he realized that there were no allies in this room, he threw a box of chocolates at Zelos and then ran out of the room, laughing maniacally. "...Ooh, chocolates!" the redheaded Chosen opened the box and proceeded to eat its sweet, sweet contents.
"Chocolates?" Sheena moved closer to him, "I could go for some chocolates..."
Zelos grinned, "Well of course you may have some, my-"
"I want some, too!" Lloyd interrupted, jumping onto the bed.
"Me, too!" Colette joined him and stared hopefully at Zelos, who was still holding onto the box of chocolates.
With a sigh of defeat, he held out the box and let the teenagers take their share of the treat. Presuming that Presea and Genis would also want some chocolate, Zelos looked towards them, "Hey, twerp. Wanna go ahead and take some?" When there came no answer, Zelos realized that they had both fallen asleep. "Cute," he said while observing the sleeping children. After that, he snuggled back into bed with Sheena and they ate what remained of the chocolate, while Lloyd and Colette had returned to their corner of the room.
Outside, Regal emerged, shouting about how wrong it was for Genis and Presea to be together. That did not last long, however, because Raine whacked him with her staff since she was trying to have a conversation with Kratos. Rejected, Regal returned to playing the role-playing board game with Dirk. They made it all the way to the Castle of Brimstone when they were slain by a dragon. And that was the best Valentine's Day ever.
#-))Happy Valentine's Day!((-#
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Honestly, as I went on writing this chapter, I had no clue where I was going. XD This is somehow how it ended up. Not bad, not bad... more fluffy than funny, though (towards the end, anyway). Well, I hope you guys enjoyed it! The next chapter will be... (thinks) Holy crap, what is the next chapter going to be? I guess I'll have to figure that out when the time comes... bye, everyone and please review!
