I guess you could call this a chapter exchange? What's that you ask? Lol, I'll answer that. Katra said she'll only update her story if I update mine, and since she hasn't updated it for a week and a half, I felt compelled to update mine too. Yea, I'm a marsh mellow sometimes. Uh-huh. Yea, and after talking to my little sister about this pairing and plot, I've come up with a logical plan for this story. Yes, it will actually have a plot, gasp. And the relationship will grow slowly (I know Katra is un capable of slow kratos/yuan relationships...) anyhow, enjoy this chapter.

Reply to Review time!

Katra..; Wait a second, I already answered your review on aim. You're not getting it answered here too, hehehe.

Dawn; Aww thank you :) I love your fanfictions too, hehehe.

Emerald Flame
Chapter Two: A Different Kind Of Hell

Breakfast the next morning was not as blissful as Kratos had wanted it to be. The night's before conversation had led the two seraphim's to the idea of sleeping arrangements. At first it seemed like a huge issue, but Yuan had quickly resolved it, he himself slept in the bed, and Kratos sat either on the floor, or in the bathroom. He had his pick. Choosing the floor, Kratos had a miserable night, but the only light of this whole ordeal was that Yuan hadn't forced him out into the harsh cold. Somehow he was thankful to the angel for this. Even though he knew he could have handled it.

Returning to the idea of breakfast, the crisis of limited food was brought up. Searching desperately throughout the limited amount of rooms and cabinets, they came up with a very bantam amount of bread. Becoming overly frustrated, Yuan had cussed every known swear in the book at Kratos, and locked himself in a room, as far away as he possibly could. Which left Kratos was the lingering idea of the night before. Why was Yuan so care-free the night before, b ut so uptight this morning? Concluding that the crisis was now sinking in, and this was just a usual reaction for Yuan, Kratos ignored his rash behavior.

Conversation ceased at around ten that morning. Seeing Yuan was locked in his room by will, there was no idea of talking to him left. Daylight came at around eleven that morning, even though you couldn't really tell it through the thick sheet of snow that was continuously falling. For now Kratos was alone, completely to himself in a room, with limited amount of food. Not daring to eat it, he pushed the pieces of bread away and looked down.

"What have I gotten myself in to," Kratos murmured to himself. Without complete discomfort at this situation, all he could do was wait until Yuan came around. And that's exactly what he did, wait in the lobby, watching it snow for hours on end. But it was only an hour at the most before the day slowly began to become auspicious.

Yuan had finally left his room and walked out in the lobby. By accident or not, he found himself looking at Kratos. Eyes seemed like they were glued on the seraphim's body. Trying his hardest to pretend that he could care less about Kratos, Yuan slowly brushed past him, almost in a cruel manor.

"Are you hungry now Yuan?" Kratos' question rang out through the hollowness of every log of wood used to build this so called prison. Still, Kratos didn't leave the chair he had taken an hour before, and only amusement filled his garnet eyes, and that look trailed down to his lips, which curved curiously at Yuan, searching him for a response. Any at all. Whether it be truculent or out of character benign.

"Don't get me started, I have a bad enough head ache as it is, and it would help if you didn't add in your sarcastic, smart mouth remarks!" Yuan hissed angrily, starring at Kratos defiantly. Both emerald eyes were fixed on Kratos, and weren't eager to be taken off either. At this action, Kratos could only snicker, and a smile approached his lips but was easily whipped away from Kratos' inner control. If he had any left.

"I swear, you go through more mood swings then my mother did on her 'bad days'," Kratos joked. What a horrid idea to have crossed Kratos' mind to even say that to Yuan. Almost immediately, Yuan charged over to where Kratos sat, and slapped him once more. At first he wanted to kick him, or perhaps punch him, but a slap was always something that ended up happening.

"I said to shut your vile mouth, and now I'm shutting it for you," Yuan complained, and that halted their conversation for another hour.

The minutes only trickled by, leaving Kratos and Yuan starring out the windows in opposite directions. Last night was their only chance to escape this wasteland, but their naive attitudes towards it had caused them to be stuck here, whether they admitted it or not. The ferocity of the storm had produced vast amounts of snow, resulting in them being trapped in the hotel. For as long as the storm raged, that is.

Going for twenty four hours without food isn't an easy thing. And Yuan was learning that the hard way. Daring a glance in Kratos' direction, more so to look at the bread that just sat on the table near him, he swore his stomach groaned for the sensation of eating. Or just to indulge in the taste of food once more. Sighing, Yuan tried his best to ignore this craving he had, and just went back to staring out the window. Was this really what it was going to be like until this storm subsided? Waking up, and just staring at snow, then falling asleep? And the issue of food was no laughing matter either. Even though they were half seraphim, they still needed food to survive, at the very least a small amount of food.

What had really caused Yuan to fizzle out of this day dream of horror, was a piece of bread being chucked through the air at his head, and hitting him, hard. Clenching his teeth in brutal rage, Yuan whirled around and saw Kratos glancing over at him, almost in a blank stare. Flagrantly, Yuan sharply turned away and looked down at the piece of bread. This was a trial of will over mind, or stomach as it seemed. Casually, Yuan glanced a look over his shoulder to find Kratos looking the other way, now was his chance. Shoving the delicate piece of grain in his mouth, the pulse racing sensation of real food flooded over him, but left rapidly as he watched Kratos turn his head over to see Yuan eating.

"Can't I eat in privacy?" Yuan grumbled, swallowing the food and exchanging gazes with Kratos. After hearing a unearthly silence, Yuan dared another short phrase of words to throw at Kratos, in offense of course. "I'm amazed you're little lackeys haven't come to burn you out of here by now. To think they don't even come to save the one they worship as 'Lord Kratos', but rather watch him die is utterly pathetic," Yuan sneered.

"Yes, it would be rather peculiar as you attempted to say, but I told them I was going out on a journey for Lord Yggdrasill and to ignore my absence, rather it be a day or a month," Kratos chortled under his breath. Those words, and Kratos' odd laugh caused sparks to fly up to Yuan. Not just any sparks, but alert sparks. The question on why Kratos had lied to his own followers was a question itself, but to say it was a journey for Yggdrasill went against all odds.

Just what was Kratos planning before he had found me? Yuan thought to himself, watching Kratos carefully. Scuffling his feet together, he pretended to be oblivious of the fact it was his turn to say something in response. Either it was just him, or the air in this room was starting to become glacial for multiple reasons.

"Lost for words? I wasn't expecting you to reply anyhow," Kratos soughed, and tried his best not to look at Yuan. Try was the key word, and he found himself turning his attention back to Yuan within moments of telling himself to look away. This strong urge to watch Yuan was bizarre, but to want to be around Yuan was even worse. Just what was going on.

"I'm not lost for words. I, unlike someone else in this room, was thinking of a way to escape this living hell. Or is that not the goal we are trying to achieve here," Yuan's sharp words caught Kratos off guard, and it took a few minutes before Kratos could sharply nod in agreeance. But truth be told, that wasn't the only goal Kratos was starting to feel like achieving. But secrecy was the best thing at a time like this. Based on the current crisis and Yuan's displeasing mood.

"Right, I wasn't thinking. I ask that you forgive me for my unfitting remark," Kratos whispered, slowly, word by word in hopes Yuan wouldn't hear, or wouldn't care what he had to say. But oddly Yuan did care, and his ears perked up when hearing Kratos utter the words forgive me. Never once did Kratos ever ask him to forgive him. Just a meaningless sorry now and then, but never a forgive me.

"Right then, I forgive you," Yuan replied cooly. For some reason just saying those words was victory in itself. But the next thing Yuan knew, was that he was saying things that he honestly did want to be said. "I guess you're not as heartless as I thought you were..."

"Don't judge someone from the sins of their past Yuan," Was all Kratos could reply with. Their sins of their past? Either way, Yuan found this odd phrase different from what Kratos would usually say. Giving up, Yuan forced himself to sit next to the other seraphim, to inspect his actions alittle more closely.

"But how can you forgive someone if they allow those sins to keep happening," Yuan found himself asking. Those words lingered on his lips for a few moment, before he lowered his head and starred at the wood table, letting a few stray strands of aqua hair hang down freely.

"This is only a inference, but I'm thinking that you're worried about me leaving you again to side with Mithos, aren't you Yuan?" Kratos spoke, without his usual smile. All was to be done was to talk, nothing more and certainly nothing less. Silence was highly overrated.

"Do what you want, you won't see me sitting around groveling you to stay," Yuan retorted angrily, raising his head to stare Kratos sternly in the eyes.

"You were always such a polished liar," Kratos observed, a hint of amusement passing his face. Stunned by that, Yuan felt his cheeks turn the slightest shade of pink, but tried to hide it by looking away.

"You're avoiding the point of this conversation now," Yuan stuttered. Just stuttering around Kratos was punishment enough. Usually he was stern about what he was saying, but to stutter. Was he just nervous? Or just talking to Kratos openly was making him feel so unnerved. Yuan arose to his feet, about to make off to his room to settle this inner quarrel.

"Right, I apologize. And one more thing, Yuan," Kratos rang out, watching Yuan attempt to leave. These words caught Yuan's attention, as he glanced down at the sitting seraphim.

"What?"

"I think," Kratos began, but looked away. Yuan just stood there, confused by Kratos. Sighing, Yuan glared at him.

"Think what?"

"Think," Kratos tried again, but growled to himself and looked back up at Yuan, putting on a fake smile. "Think that I should stop talking now."

"Whatever, i'll be in my room if you need me. I doubt you will, man of many secrets," Yuan joked, and didn't even notice a smile had creeped up on his lips. Just to see Yuan, the cold and at times godly Yuan smile was a reward in itself. Still oblivious that he had smiled he just stood there watching Kratos. Waiting for a return response before he made haste to leave the seraphim to himself once more. Not in a cruel way, but just some time to think.

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you."

Author's Note:

Yea... I know, the shonen-ai is like very little, if at all none so far. Well, the relationship is still growing, and it will take time to grow damnit. I'm not going to make a pointless drabble or smut just to make lemon-obsessers happy. That's not my game. This is a story that will have a plot (which will be revealed in a later chapter) and a solid foundation of a relationship. As always, this is your authoress Lady Rina, signing off. Please review, if you don't, fine by me, but I'd appreciate a review.