Wow… That's… a lot of reviews. And look, I'm still alive! And the flamers haven't eaten me, no worries. I've just been slightly busy with something… (www (dot)nanowrimo(dot)org) That thing. :nods: And yes, I made it. 50,000 words:grins: Anyway, yesh, now I can go back to fanficcy-writing… Aren't you all so glad? (Or horrified, whichever it is. XD)

…Except it's February now, isn't it? I've been busy. Yup. But now I'm (hopefully) back, and guess what? I have a Kratos/Lloyd website. (heart heart) I'm assuming that if you're actually reading this, you're a K/L fan, so here's the site: m(dot)1asphost(dot)com(slash)wingsunfurled And yes, I do occasionally update the comics.

And lookies reviews, I got two flames this time. One flame for chappy one, two flames for chappy two… Do you think there's a trend? XD And yes, one of the flames particularly amused me. She (I think it's a she, anyway) said that our dear Kratos and Lloyd are doing "dirty things". Now, do you think talking's dirty? O.o And she called all of us "horny freaks". I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm willing to take that as a compliment. :smirks:

And all I can say to flamers is, at least read the story before you comment on it:sweatdrop: Otherwise, you just sound stupid, as our current flamers demonstrated.

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Now, review responses… And I'm not even gonna bother with the flamers, 'cause I'm tired and sick and meh.

Darkened Skye – Heh heh, I have a history of taking forever to update. XD And I think this one gets updated more often than any others, so that's good… :giggles:

Nico-Chan – :glomps back: I tend to try to focus on characterization as much as I could. Because I'm a fussy and picky little girl. XD

tsuki-san16 – Awww, thankies. Hee, answering an answer.

I'm not sick!...no...really- – I like this pairing, really.

Lady Testu-Maru – Hee, thankies. I'll try to make Kratos less whiny soon. I think he's just confuzzled right now, that's why. :nods:

SDS-Yukichan – Lookies, I updated:smile:

Raiknii – Heehee, and I like the thing about the manor of denial. XD

Willow-189 – Yay, thank you. I don't particularly like incest either, believe me, but I just happen to like this particular pairing.

AkiraNyaag – Thankies!

destiny – Thanks. I appreciate it. :smiles:

Cathowl – Thank you! And here's the next chapter.

Eike – Heh, sorry about Lloyd using big words. I was in a somewhat big-word mode when I was writing it. :sweatdrop: And my excuse is that his thoughts are abstract, so when they're put into words, whatever word fits could be used. Something like that. Meh, I'm not very good at explaining myself… .

SunkissSBM – Yesh, I love this pairing too. Awww, don't hunt me down. If I'm dead, then I can't write, ne:innocent look:

ryder77 – Mmm, I actually wasn't too aware of sexual hints in the first chapter. :sweatdrop: Sorry, I'm dense. Eh-heh… But, hey, Lloyd really was obsessed with Kratos from the very beginning, even in the game. XD

Rakka Ravi – Aww, thanks. About the Exsphere thing, though… They transform when the Exsphere is taken off without a Key Crest, wasn't it…?

Zakari – Yay, thanks.

Xeora – I'm sorry about how short it is. I'm usually accustomed to much longer chapters (such as what I have for On That Starry Night, but I wanted to change viewpoints more often here.)

Random Pass-by-er – Ah, if you don't know what they are, it's probably better I don't tell you. But I'm glad you like this.

fallenharbinger – Thankies!

XKuroneko-TenshiX – Thanks… I think? Hmmm, I'll give you a quote too, from my friend: "Incest is fine as long as they don't make babies."

xHWRobynx – Thanks.

The Evil Maid – Aww, thank you. I'm flattered.

speshuled – Thank you.

venustenshi – And here is more, yup.

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Disclaimer: I don't own TOS, etc, etc.

Warning: Kratos/Lloyd pairing, but you should know that already. Not much spoilers in this one if you've gotten past the Triet Ruins already…

And, um, just once again reminding you guys that events and dialogues are not exactly as they are in the game. (Firstly, because I'm too lazy to find/make a game transcript; secondly, because there would be no point in writing a fic if I copied the dialogue from a script, ne? Oh, and thirdly, script-form dialogue and story-form dialogue are different, and should be different anyway – different things need to be shown in different ways.)

Now, on to the fic, ne?

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Guardian

It was hot in the desert.

I realized that a few days ago, when Genis and I entered it for the first time, but I didn't have anyone to complain to, then. Now, I did, and a lot of people.

"It's too hot," I whined, pouting and shifting my bag onto my other shoulder.

Genis rolled his eyes. "Lloyd, we all know it's hot."

"But I'm wearing red!" I protested. Red was like fire, so that should make it feel even more hot, right? See? I have a reason to complain. After all, Genis was wearing blue, so that was like water, so that should make it cooler. I nodded in my head.

Genis could only roll his eyes again. What did I say now? "Lloyd, colour has nothing to do with it!"

I blinked. "It doesn't?"

"Actually…" It was you who spoke up. "…Colour does have something to do with it."

"Aha!" I stuck out my tongue at Genis, ready to retaliate. After all, if you said so…

"…But," you continued, "not the colours themselves, mainly their darkness – or rather, how close they are to black. I admit, red is a rather dark colour, but not so much as certain others may be."

Black. You were wearing black. That was your way of telling me not to complain since you weren't, wasn't it? That was so not fair. Just because I wasn't arrogant and have that oh-so-great attitude…

But I said I wouldn't let you defeat me again. And I won't, not even in something as simple as this.

It seemed like forever before we managed to reach the Triet Ruins. Do you really think there's a seal in here, and this isn't just some plot the Professor hatched up to get us to go to a ruin? How would you even know where the seals are? It's not like if you're an angel or anything. (1)

"Be careful. We don't know what might be around."

I turned and looked at you incredulously. We're not a bunch of children! …Well, we are, but we're not as weak as you might think. We can hold our own.

And besides, I didn't see any monsters around. Why did you act so tense? There seemed to be nothing here, just a weird stone structure coming out of the ground. Are you sure this is the seal? I mean, it looked to me more like… a giant rock.

I spoke too soon.

It was not a moment before the monsters came. They weren't particularly powerful, kinda the same as the ones in the desert, really, but they were still a bother. And, of course, of all of us who could have gotten hurt, it had to be me. Not that I'm complaining, exactly. Colette and Genis and the Professor… they were all so fragile, so it was good that they were all right. And you…

I'm glad you weren't hurt.

But then, you weren't the type to get hurt, were you? No, you were careful, and strong, and… and so much better than me…

Why? It's not fair.

"Are you hurt?"

I looked up, surprised. You? Why were you here, with your concern? But of course. The Professor was much too busy staring at the ruins, and my minor injury was difficult to see anyway to begin with, especially against my red shirt. It wasn't very deep or dangerous, but it hurt.

…But there was no way I was going to admit that to you, "Mr. Perfect".

"No, I'm fine." I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out and instead turned away, pouting. Maybe I was too old to pout too, but… oh, who was going to say?

"Hn. If you say so" You raised an eyebrow. I had a feeling you didn't really believe me. Was I really that easy to read?

"I am!" I insisted. I knew you could heal, but I was not about to admit that I wanted to be healed. Not going to admit that this is actually uncomfortable. Not going to admit…

"First Aid," you murmured, placing a hand over my side. A small, green glow surrounded the gash there, and it closed almost miraculously. It certainly didn't hurt anymore.

"H-how…" My eyes widened as I realized that you, standing a bit away from me before, were right behind me. "Wh-when did you get over here!"

There was something faintly amused in your voice. "When you were daydreaming, perhaps?"

I felt my cheeks colour. "I-I wasn't daydreaming! I was thinking!"

"Of course." Again, that ghost of that mocking tone.

"I… I was!" I insisted. I didn't know why I had to prove myself, to you more than any other, even. I didn't know why I had to… seek to reach your level, to… become like you.

"Of course," you said once again. Same tone, same lack of commitment, of belief.

We gathered around the ruins now, joining Genis, Colette, and the Professor. It did not take long for Colette to open the ruins – by the Professor's suggestion, she put her hand on something called an "Oracle Stone" and the door opened itself.

I'm sure the Professor would have wanted to study the mecha—mecha-something of it, but you called us over. (2)

"The enemies inside will be more dangerous," you informed us. "Also, there will likely be a guardian at the seal. It would not be so easy to meet the Oracle as the first time, at the Temple of Martel."

I raised an eyebrow in challenge. "How would you know?"

Yes, how did you know and what mystery are you hiding? I wonder if I would ever find out.

Your dark eyes, calm and steady, met mine without even a hint of a flinch. "It is merely an educated guess. Would you not agree that it would be logical for the Chosen's trials to become more difficult as she progresses?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"Lloyd, just give it up," Genis interrupted. "You know Kratos's right."

I sulked. He was supposed to be on my side! "Sh-shut up, Genis."

You merely watched during this exchange, that amusement in your eyes. Finally, you called attention to yourself again. "Does any of you know techs to properly defend yourself?"

"…Techs?" I tilted my head, curious. "There're techs?"

"Yes." Though you spoke patiently, you arched your eyebrows in a way that seemed like you were trying to explain to a child. "Techs such as Guardian, which, you may or may not recall, I used in our battle moments ago."

I tried to think back. How was I supposed to remember something I've never seen before? But then again, I've seen all your other techs, so it must be…

"That weird, green, round glowy-thing?"

You nodded, though your brow raised again at my word choice. "Yes, the green, spherical release of energy."

I made a face. Fiiiiine, use big words I can't understand. But that couldn't possibly have been the only thing you wanted to tell us.

In a moment, I found out why you really asked. "Since it seems none of you know anything about it, I suppose I shall have to teach you."

"Who wants you to teach?" I asked, feeling unusually sour. Dammit, I was supposed to be the one who protected all of them, not you! They were my friends, not yours! You were only a hired mercenary. You were only… But you were so strong, knew so much…

How could I ever compare?

Did I really want to compare?

…What was I saying? Of course I did. And I will, someday! I'll become stronger than you, and defeat you, and…

And what if those were just foolish dreams…?

"Lloyd." Your voice broke through my daydrea—thoughts. I do not daydream.

"What?" I ask automatically.

"Learn this tech." Your eyes caught mine, eyes that brooked no arguments. "That is, if you wish to have even a chance of surviving."

"Fine, fine!" Really, why must you always know everything? Why must you always be so high and mighty?

I watched you; the tech itself was not so difficult to perform, but it was definitely not something I would think of doing. And not something I would remember to use either, by the looks of things.

"Guardian," you called it, and Colette, Genis, and the Professor seemed to have devised their own versions of it, more suitable to magic. What did it guard? I didn't need guarding!

"It takes up a lot of a person's mana to use," you cautioned us. "Use it wisely."

"Lloyd doesn't know the meaning of 'wisely'," Genis piped up.

I glared. "Sh-shut up, Genis!"

You shook your head in amusement, as you always did, as if we were small children. So we were younger than us. So what? You weren't that much older! (3) Finally, perhaps deciding that our exchange was starting to bore you, you spoke up again. "Then let me put it this way. Use it only when you must, to protect either yourself… or someone precious to you."

To protect someone precious to me?

…Yeah, I guess I could do that.

-

Notes:

1) HAH! Irony. XD

2) "Mechanics", if anyone cares, is the word Lloyd forgot. XD

3) …More irony.

…And I meant to have this chappy longer, I really did. They were supposed to have gone in and gotten the oracle. But that seemed such a perfect place to end it.