Review Responses

-Twitches- h-h-holy… crap. So many awesome reviews! –Cheers- 60+ reviews people!

Unfortunately, due to the lack of time I have to write this chapter, I can't respond to the reviews. I'm incredibly sorry! I've been at my grandparent's house all weekend and… yeah. I'll be responding again next chapter! Once again, I am very, very sorry!

Voting results

The votes are in! Rabbit wins! –Throws confetti-

Okay! Now, this is the second last chapter of this story (Sad, huh?) so the next question is:

Should there be a sequel involving YUAN'S time as a RABBIT?

Yes

Or no?

And now, the disclaimer, with your host Snape and his special guest…

Raine!

Snape: You know… I'm not even going to try to do this fast anymore. So go on and do whatever you want.

Raine: I'll make up a lesson plan! WAHAHAHA

Lloyd: -randomly pops in- NOOOOO

Snape: You're a teacher?

Raine: Duuhhhh

Snape: so you're sane.

Genis: -also randomly pops in- well… I wouldn't go THAT far.

Raine: Rawr! –Whacks-

Snape: Then you know about hogwarts?

Raine: Hogwarts? I must dissect it!

Snape: Eep… Shadow does not own ToS, me, or this crazed teacher from the bowels of he—

Me: this is rated K, no words like that.

Snape: Heck… there's the word I was looking for.

Chapter 6: Not Everyone is Cut Out to be a Babysitter.
Dirk was right when he'd said Kratos would wake up bright and early. As luck would have it, Lloyd had had to use the bathroom anyway, so he had tiptoed past his father, who was curled into a tight ball that seemed humanly impossible. However, when he had come back upstairs, Kratos was wide-awake and running around the balcony, sniffing the air, which was heavily scented by the rain and trees.

"Oh! Lloyd! Good morning!" Kratos chirped, whirling around and grinning at his son, who was scratching his head groggily. "I'm feeling a lot more humany today! Maybe we could go on a picnic? Or go visit someone? Or…or… GO DIVING!" Lloyd slammed his palms against his ears, but found that Kratos' happy bantering was only amplified. "I have an idea!" the young swordsman called, while Kratos hopped away. "I have to go shopping today, and Raine and Genis and Colette are coming. I'm going to let you stay with Sheena!" Lloyd gulped; hoping his father wouldn't catch on to the fact that he had asked the Mizuho Chief to baby-sit him.

Lloyd had no such luck, for Kratos immediately stood up straight and caught his son in a piercing 'Kratos glare' "Are you hinting," The seraphim seethed, "That I am not qualified to look after myself?"

"Not really." Lloyd said, backing away from the other man's death glare. "I'm just saying… as a concerned son… I don't want you to choke on some yarn or something." He offered weakly.

Kratos folded his arms. "Wouldn't Dirk be here?" he asked, turning from being insulted to hopeful. "Can't I stay with him?"

Lloyd made a face at this suggestion. "Dad wouldn't be able to handle you…er…Dad." Well that sounded weird.

"Fine. But I'm not staying with Sheena, I'm not staying in that stuffy hut all day." Kratos folded his arms and waggled his ears.

Lloyd grinned. "Okay then, put on your coat and hat!" He cheered and barreled downstairs, three steps at a time.

Five minutes later they were all gathered outside, Kratos in his new attire, which looked much better in the daylight, while Lloyd, Raine, Colette and Genis all wore their regular clothing. While the four Iselians were all babbling excitedly about everything ranging from swords, books and fuzzy animals, The seraphim snarled profanities in angelic.

"Come on, Kratos, cheer up! There are lots and lots of cats and dogs and other animals there, you're sure to have fun." Colette said, patting Kratos on the head, as he had whipped of the hat, which made his ears itchy.

At first the angel tried to pull away, but as they had all learned, his new weakness laid behind those large, auburn ears.

Lloyd and Genis began to laugh hysterically when a strange sound erupted from Kratos chest area. He was purring quite loudly.

"He purrs whenever you do that!" Lloyd laughed, "I tried it out last night."

"That's mean, Lloyd, just because he purrs doesn't mean you can laugh at him!" Colette scolded, taking her hand away from Kratos head. "If he was normal he'd get really mad!"

Lloyd and Genis squeaked in fear and Colette smiled, thinking it was her scolding that had induced such an action. However, she was disappointed when she turned around to find Kratos, glowering at the two cowering boys. "Oh…" The Chosen sighed, "Don't hurt them Kratos." She said, or rather, pleaded while Kratos was held back by Raine, though with his angel strength, he was more or less dragging the healer along.

Lloyd looked around and grinned mischievously, "Come on, dad, let's race!" His massive spectral wings appeared and he grabbed Genis around the waist, lifting the two of them into the air.

Colette frowned. "What? Don't you think I can win?" She demanded.

Kratos smirked, "Lloyd thinks you can't handle defeat, Colette." He said smugly, lifting Raine up bridal style, earning a startled 'Eep!'. Colette stared at him in shock and drew up her own wings. "Fine!" She said in a surprisingly cool voice.

"Now this is getting exciting!" Lloyd laughed, while the Sage siblings yelled their disagreements.

"Kratos Aurion, if you want to be able to breathe without difficulty in the near and distant future, put me DOWN!" Raine shrieked.

Kratos smirked. "Don't worry, Ms. Sage, if I drop you, I'll do it over an ocean so you'll have a soft landing."

"Kratos!" Raine screamed.

"GO!" Lloyd shouted, flying forward with Genis crying like a newborn baby.

"Hold on Raine, I do not intend to lose." Kratos said, wincing when The Professor practically crushed his neck through hugging it for dear life. She let out a loud squeal.

After five minutes they were over the ocean, and Kratos was in the lead, followed by Colette, with Lloyd quite a ways behind, which was only logical, since he still hadn't gotten used to flying.

Raine was now content to cling to Kratos' neck, whimpering every now and then.

Kratos' grin widened as he looked down, estimating the distance between the three angels and the water. With a silent nod he started to laugh quietly. This would be good.

Another minute of flying and Kratos put his plan into action. Feigning a sneeze he lifted his hands to his head, consequently dropping Raine, who began shrieking.

"Raine!" Genis shouted.

"Professor!" Colette and Lloyd cried.

Kratos smirked and fell into a free-fall. His spectral wings vanished until he reached the half-elf; they were mere meters from the water. Air rushed up as Kratos called forth his wings and stopped, not even three feet from the ocean waters.

"Kratos!" Raine screamed, slapping him loudly across the face. "You idiot! I could have died! Why did you drop me?"

Kratos winced and rubbed his cheek. "Who says it was on purpose?" He demanded innocently, ignoring the throbbing pain that was now resonating through his face.

"Idiot!" Raine yelled, whacking him again. Kratos frowned, and promptly dropped the teacher into the water. "I take full credit for that!" He announced as Raine spluttered, trying to keep afloat.

"…" Lloyd and Genis stared in shock with Colette while Raine bobbed up and down in the water. Finally, Genis took action. "Get her out, Kratos!" He shouted angrily.

Kratos looked up at the angry half-elf and nodded, swooping down and offering his hand to Raine, who took it, with a maniacal glint in her eye.

Splash

In one swift movement Raine had dragged the half-cat angel into the ocean, then called for Colette.

The girl flew down and pulled Raine from the water, then stared at it expectantly. After a few moments there was a loud gasp and Kratos surfaced, rising into the air and hissing angrily at Raine. "I tried to help you!" He exclaimed furiously.

Raine frowned disapprovingly. "You were the one who created the situation." She said, nodding to enforce her words.

"So I was supposed to let you keep on slapping me?" He demanded. He flew into the air, determined to ignore her as he sped off in the direction of Mizuho.

"I think you hurt his feelings, Professor." Colette said suddenly.

"He dropped her, Colette!" Genis said angrily shocked that the angel was actually taking Kratos' side.

"But he did catch her, didn't he?" Lloyd added, looking down at Genis.

"Well… I guess…" the young half-elf muttered, looking away from Raine, who was glaring at him for not taking her side.

Suddenly a faint voice filled their ears. "Are you all coming?" They looked up to see Kratos as a mere speck, at least four or five miles away.

Ten minutes later they landed in Mizuho and Sheena ran over, squealing like a child. "Hi! You're early!" She laughed. She hadn't changed at all, her hair was the same style, and she was now wearing the successor garb she had been given when they were still on the journey to save the world. "I've missed you all!" She hugged Lloyd, Colette and Genis before noticing that the two eldest of the group were glowering at eachother. "Am I… missing something?" Sheena asked.

Lloyd sighed and began to explain.

"…And then Dad flew off and yelled at us for being slow." He finished, watching Sheena blink, then grin, chuckling softly. "Sounds like you've had fun." She decided.

Kratos broke his glaring contest with Raine and looked at Sheena, smiling. "Hello Sheena!" he said cheerfully.

Sheena gaped, "Wha—is something wrong with Kratos?" She asked, "You said he was a cat… but did it change his personality or something?"

Raine nodded angrily, still glowering at the angel, who was amusing himself by batting at the ribbons on different people's robes. "Yes, he's certainly not normal, he nearly killed me coming here!" the Professor accused.

Even Colette rolled her eyes at this. "But Raine, you started the whole thing by hitting him!" Genis stated.

"He dropped me in the water!"

"He went after you!"

"Humph!" The two siblings turned away from each other while Lloyd got Kratos' attention. "Dad!" Kratos looked up, "We're going now, er… listen to Sheena, and if you need anything… Um… let her know, okay?"

Kratos nodded impatiently and went back to chasing one of the village's many ninjas.

The group watched in shock as the angel and ninja bounded around, one desperately trying to get away from the other.

Sheena laughed good-naturedly. "Hey, maybe we could include him in our training today. It would certainly amuse some people." She gestured to the crowd surrounding Kratos and the ninja.

Lloyd grinned. "It'd probably wear him down, I tried racing him, he's gotten a lot faster because of the cat thing."

Raine jumped into the conversation enthusiastically. "Yes, the Felis Catus, or House cat, is known to have magnificent senses! Add that to angelic powers, I'd say he could here a whisper from a mile away!" She clapped her hands together happily. "I wonder if his anatomy has changed? Oh this is absolutely fantastic!"

Colette grinned with Raine. "Look, Lloyd, look! The professor is happy again!" She exclaimed gleefully.

Sheena continued to laugh. "You all haven't changed at all! It's great to see you all again—" She was interrupted when Kratos shouted in shock. They all looked over and saw that the angel was pinned down, writhing and squirming beneath the foot of the ninja he'd been chasing. "Caught you, now stop chasing my clothing!" She scolded.

"Fine! Fine! Lemme go!" Kratos shouted.

Lloyd chuckled and gestured to Raine, Genis and Colette. "C'mon, we had better make this quick so he doesn't kill himself."

Sheena smiled and five minutes later was waving to the four's retreating forms. She looked at Kratos and shrugged. "I guess you can go do whatever you want, just stay in the village, okay?"

Kratos nodded and went left several feet, then leapt casually over a fence so he could sit under the tree it surrounded. With a peaceful sigh the angel spread out on the grass and smiled dreamily, watching the clouds overhead until he slipped to sleep.

"Kratos! Hey! Kraaatooss?" The seraphim opened his eyes to Sheena, dressed in the attire he'd been used to on their journey. His eyes traveled casually over to the large bow on her back.

"I was wondering if you'd like to spar?" She asked.

He nodded and stood up. "I would." He said calmly, "But Lloyd felt it was in my best interest if he took my sword." Good, now she'd leave him alone so he could nap some more in the afternoon sun.

"Oh, that's okay, we have plenty of swords!" Sheena said happily.

Great.

Ten minutes later they were outside the village, in a small clearing in the woods.

"Let's get this over with." Kratos growled, sliding into a defensive position. He was using a thin katana, and, against the weight of his regular sword, he found himself wondering momentarily if the blade would even hold.

"Alright! Here I come!" Sheena lunged at him, and while normally the female ninja's speed was unmatched, Kratos found he easily leaping away and rebounding off a tree. "Here I come!" He responded with a smirk.

Sheena yelped and blocked the attack with her magic cards, but stumbling back. "Wow." She breathed, darting forward, "Pyre Seal!" She yelled.

Kratos smirked and leapt into a tree, creeping unseen through the leaves until he was in the perfect position. "Hah! Lightspear!" Of course, it wasn't nearly as powerful as it ought to have been, but it was enough to bruise said summoner. Sheena smirked and dove into the trees. "I summon thee, maiden of the mist! Come, Undine!" Said summon spirit appeared at her side. "Could you scare that cat out of the tree?" She laughed.

Undine smiled and nodded. "As you wish." She made several intricate hand movements and a column of water blasted Kratos out of the tree, and a good twenty feet extra. "Whoa! Too much power! Stop him before he hits something!"

Undine frowned. "I believe I am too late, summoner." She said tonelessly, gesturing at Kratos, who had been smacked dead-on by a large raven.

"Save him anyway!" Sheena cried, "before he hits the ground!"

Undine sighed and complied with Sheena's command, lowering Kratos on another pillar of water. After falling the last three feet he spluttered desperately, trying to rid his nose of water.

"Kratos! Are you all right? I didn't think that would happen! A-are you laughing?" Sure enough, the seraphim began to roar with laughter, trying to stand up and gather his bearings.

After a moment or two he looked at Undine and addressed her. "I suppose you remember the last time that happened?" He asked in amusement.

Undine nodded quietly. "The last time this happened you went much higher though, Mithos did not ask me to hinder my power."

Kratos looked at Sheena, who looked absolutely lost. "You summoners have a nasty habit of siccing summon spirits on people." He shook his head in amusement. "Last time I made Mithos mad by calling him a whining child… I must have flown a hundred and fifty feet up and fell half the way before he decided to save me."

Sheena looked at Undine. "Is that true?" She asked suspiciously. "Yes." The spirit clarified, "I have never heard a human male yell quite as loud as he."

Kratos growled in irritation. Undine merely gave him a smile that clearly read 'You-know-it's-true'

Sheena cleared her throat hesitantly. "Er… thank you Undine, that's all."

"As you wish." The spirit said as she disappeared.

Kratos frowned. "Why couldn't you use Sylph to save me? At least I was on good terms with them!"

Sheena blinked. "I'm sorry. I'm just most comfortable with Undine." She shrugged.

"So was Mithos, the first pact you make is usually the one you prefer relying on." Kratos explained quickly, glancing skyward after a moment. The sun was setting behind the mountains and he could now see Mizuho, probably fifteen minute's walk away.

"When did you get back from Derris-Kharlon?" Sheena asked curiously.

"About a week ago." Kratos admitted.

"Why didn't you come and visit anyone?" She asked suspiciously.

"Well…" For the next ten minutes he explained his experiences as a cat, from his talks with Noishe, to Milo.

"And just yesterday I became human again." He concluded, looking up to find the hidden village of Mizuho, and Lloyd, Colette, Genis and Raine standing before him.

Lloyd blinked. "Hey, Dad… Why are you soaked?" he asked.

Kratos sighed, "I'll tell you on the way back." He promised, calling forth his wings.

"Er… okay… hey, thanks Sheena!" The Eternal Swordsman looked at Sheena, who blushed and shook her head. "No, I-it was no problem!" She stuttered.

Kratos shook his head and flew into the air, followed by Lloyd and Colette, carrying their friends. Who knew? Maybe he'd be back to normal soon, he was feeling more human anyway.

"I suppose only time will tell." He said confidently to himself, flying towards the sunset, his destination, and possibly a place he could call home.

Heh, chapter 6 is DONE last chapter next folks! Review review review! And remember, everytime you lie, a Kratos kills a Zelos, please, think of the Zelos!

-bows- well, I'm outie, and just so you all know, School starts in two days, so my update will take a while.