Thought I was dead, did you? Well, I WAS waiting for Katra to get her chapter up, but she's a lazy ass and won't so I guess I'll put this up. (YOU OWE ME BIG KATRA)I shall warn you of innuendos, cussing, and that sort of crap. You catch my drift, correct?

Emerald Flame

"Are you absolutely positive this is the way to your Rheaird?"

It had been a long two hours of walking in the blistering cold, before Yuan had finally complained. The two hours felt like a day, and the prolonging storm threat loomed above them. At one point, Yuan could have sworn snowflakes had begun to descend from the heavens to cause the pair more difficulties.

"Quit complaining. We'll we there soon enough."

Even though Kratos spoke with such pride, Yuan highly doubted Kratos actually knew where he was going. And to be honest, the question of what was going to happen after that clung in both seraphim's minds.

"See, look, my Rheaird is straight ahead," Kratos extended his hand and pointed forward. Barely two feet in front of them was the fogged shape of Kratos' vessel. Smirks rolling across Kratos' face, he shoved himself onto the Rheaird, and awaited Yuan.

"What do you expect to do now? I can't possibly return to Cruxis without a certain death from Mithos," Yuan began, glaring down the mercenary with intense glances. Shrugging, Kratos extended his hand to help Yuan on.

"We'll worry about that after," Kratos murmured taking Yuan's hand. Unsure, Yuan gave in and got behind Kratos.

"You do know I'm not enjoying sharing this 'thing' with you," Yuan complained, wrapping his arms around Kratos' waist to make sure he wouldn't fall off. Kratos turned his head around and smiled at Yuan, blood rushing to multiple places.

"Y-yea, I believe you Yuan," With a quick smile, Kratos turned his face around and tried to get his mind off Yuan's hands on his waist. Starting up the Rheaird, he looked for any light to follow at all. Quite possibly the Teth'alle base would be the best bet for both of them. Soon enough, as Kratos rose into the sky, his mind drifted back to Yuan's grasp and his breaths on his neck.

"Why are we just hovering here? Get a move on!" Yuan commanded irritably, tightening his grasp. The dark blush overcame Kratos even more now, but the current situation hid his blush from Yuan. Stuttering, Kratos nodded and began to move south, trying to find the light of the base to follow. "Are you by any chance going to my base?"

"If it's alright with you?" Kratos asked meekly, fighting back any sudden urges to stop their flight and take Yuan. Blinking a few times, Kratos looked in all direction, trying to find the way.

"Go northwest," Yuan suddenly advised, taking one hand off Kratos' waist and pointing northwest. Kratos' blush deepened, and he nodded as he turned around and shot northwest. Just as expected, the dim glowing light appeared in the far distance.

"Told you," Yuan sighed, placing his hand back on Kratos' waist for support. Still doing his best to ignore his temptations, Kratos bit down on his lip and continued northwest. The sooner he got there, the sooner whatever was meant to happen, would happen.

"You're shaking immensely, is something wrong?" Yuan retorted in Kratos' ear. Opening his mouth to argue otherwise, he came up empty.

"No, I'm the same as usual," Kratos lied, trying short replies and avoiding any chance to stutter. Unexpectdely, Yuan's grasp became tighter once more.

"Liar. How many times must you lie to me before you realize I can tell the truth from a bold-faced lie," Yuan snapped. Completely ignoring the offensive remark, Kratos melted in Yuan's grasp. Only one more mile, Kratos told himself. At this rate, they'd be there in five more minutes. But could he last five more minutes with Yuan's arms wrapped around him?

"Sorry," Kratos muttered, taking his eyes off the course in front of them to look over his shoulder momentarily.

"Put your eyes back on the air before you crash into a moun-" Yuan began before the Rheaird scrapped it's bottom against a snow capped mountain, causing Yuan to jerk to the side and slip his hands. "mountain" He hissed. Immediately, humility rushed to Kratos, but then where Yuan's current new 'hand' placement was caused sparks to fly in his brain and hormones fluster.

"I wasn't paying attention, I'm sorry," Kratos quickened his pace, and hoped Yuan didn't take notice, or more so he didn't remove the hand at all.

"Just pay attention before you get us both killed, for the second time this week," Yuan lightly joked, watching them come closer to the base.

"Is it alright if I come in the base once we land to warm up, and dry off?" Kratos asked, almost in a whisper landing gently in the snow next to the entrance of the base. Getting off, Yuan crossed his arms and watched the mercenary.

"If you'd like, you did save me from the storm after all," The seraphim hesitated.

"Thank you," Kratos replied, walking alongside Yuan to the entrance. Waiting a few minutes, Kratos glanced over to Yuan. "Aren't you going to open it?"

"Go ahead, it still opens to your hand Kratos," Yuan yawed, obviously tired. Giving a stiff nod, Kratos placed his hand on the base door, and watched it fling open. Filled with pride, Kratos marched in, before Yuan, and walked down the halls to the main room.

"Washroom's on the second right," Yuan almost rasped, following behind Kratos. Pausing, Kratos turned around and looked at Yuan contently in the eyes. "Aren't you going to get washed up and go back to cruxis?" Yuan practically hissed.

"Humph, not just yet, patience Yuan." Kratos whispered, backing Yuan against a wall.

"Patience? I've been waiting four thousand years, and you tell me to have patience?" Yuan hissed in reply, but didn't realize he was being moved against a wall until after his offensive hiss was spoken.

"Even we need patience sometimes," Kratos whispered, placing a hand on the wall on the side of Yuan. Yuan starred at him, as his face began to become pale from Kratos hovering over him. "Know what I mean?" Kratos contiuned, extending a hand and running it across the smooth side of Yuan's face.

"What would you do if I said it I didn't know?" Yuan spoke, stuttering as Kratos' body pushed against his. Biting down on his lips, he starred at the mercenary who hovered inches away from his face.

"Like they always said, you're never too old to learn," Kratos murmured, pushing his lips against Yuan's ferciously. Stunned, Yuan took a few moments to realize this was happening, happening again but with a better purpose, or better goal.

"Learn, what?" Yuan spoke, gently breaking away. Kratos smirked mischievously and ran a hand down Yuan's side.

"The ways of love, of course," Kratos smiled, walking up to the washroom door and stood there. "I'll be out in a few moments. I'll meet you in the main office," and with that Kratos closed the door.

"This.. isn't real," Yuan whispered to himself. Was Kratos and him really going to? Feeling lightheaded, Yuan made his way to his room, slumped into his chair, and starred up at the ceiling.

"Yuan, I have a few matters to discuss with you." For some reason, Kratos always made his reappearances so formal and yet dramatic. Never just a casual hello as a greeting, but he got straight to the point. Running a hand through his auburn hair, Kratos walked slowly over to Yuan's desk where he sat. Glancing at the approaching seraphim, Yuan's heart sank, as he hid it with a stern and steady look.

"Matters? Of what?" Yuan replied casually, resting his elbows on the desk, and prompting Kratos to take a seat.

"About Yggdrasill's plans. I want you to stay out of it, and let him go on with whatever he pleases. I've told you before I have a plan for Lloyd, so I don't want you interfering."

"Interfering! I am not interfering! I'm trying to save this bloody planet from sheer doom, and you say I'm 'interfering'," Yuan grumped, giving a suspicious look at Kratos.

"Yuan, If I didn't believe I could handle this, I wouldn't tell you to back off."

"Now you're telling me to back off? You're ignorance will result in your own death, and your son's." Yuan hissed, not taking his eyes of Kratos.

"You will not harm my son!"

"Who said I was going to harm him? He means nothing to me at all, just a pwn in the games of Cruxis and the 'Do-Gooders'. No Kratos, you're the one who is going to end up killing him."

"That's preposterous!" Kratos thudded, slamming his fist on the desk, arising to his feet, and turned his back on Yuan. Snickering, Yuan gave the faintest sigh.

"It's true, you can't deny it. Why else would you use your own son as such an important piece of this puzzle?" Yuan murmured.

"Don't you think I've weighed all my options?" Kratos replied, turning around to face Yuan. He leaned on the table, pressing both hands on the wood for support. He glared Yuan in the eyes, in attempts to physically tell him to back off.

"If you would have weighed your options, you would have realized by now that people will die because of you're choices."

"Don't you think I know that?..."

"If it's not going to be Yggdrasill, yourself, or your son, do you by any chance wish death upon me?" Yuan asked curiously, not showing the feelings hidden beneath his cloak of hiddenace.

"Do you have to ask such an obvious question?" Kratos replied after a few moments, and looked down at the desk beneath him, trying to reason with himself. But whatever attempts he thought he was reaching for, didn't work.

"Answer the question." Yuan retorted sternly.

"..." Kratos opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"Kratos, answer me dammit," Yuan hissed.

"You know the answer to that question! I couldn't possibley kill you," Kratos growled.

"But you would easily allow one of those lifeless beings to, correct?" Yuan inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"How hard must I try to make you realize that I would never let you die?" Kratos groaned, looking back up at Yuan.

"You said you'd never leave my side after Martel's death, but that was a bold-faced lie. And I know you're lieing to me the exact same way now. And to think at one point I thought better of you, human." Yuan said, giving Kratos a steady look. Fear grew in Kratos' eyes, and the desperation to get his point across became more evident.

"I'm not lieing to you!" Kratos bellowed back.

"How can I trust you? You've never kept your promises," Yuan whispered to himself.

"Then I'll make sure to keep this next promise," Kratos began.

"Which is?" Yuan looked down, away from Kratos' look.

"Look at me," Kratos demanded, lightly grabbing the side of Yuan's face to meet his. "I won't let you die. I'd give my life to assure your well being. I promise you I won't let you die..." Kratos sighed.

"You're speaking in circles, once again," Yuan replied stiffly, pushing off from the desk, and arose to his feet. Giving Kratos one more glance, he walked into the ajoining room and starred out the window at the snowy mountains that lay before this land. "Why can't you just let me deal with this myself, instead of doing things your way?" Yuan whispered to himself.

"I want you to know something, Yuan," Kratos spoke, from the entrance to the room. Yuan didn't turn around to look at Kratos, but remained silent. "I meant what I've said during these past weeks. I truly meant I won't let you die, and I honestly, love you," Kratos whispered, and left the room, a few moments later, the door to the office was heard closing. He was gone..

"Kratos.. wait!" Yuan stuttered, and turned around. To his dismay, he didn't see Kratos anywhere in the room. "Shit, no..Kratos," Yuan huffed, and raced out of the room and through the halls, down to the entrance to the base. His imagination toyed with him, and it seemed like it took a larger amount of minutes to arrive at the entrance.

Racing outside, into the blistering cold that once threatened to take his life, wearing nothing but his usual clothes, he glanced out for Kratos' Rheaird. It was gone.

"K-k-kratos?... NO!" His whisper of Kratos' name became a holler when he reached the word no. Just the disturbing echo of nothingness came in reply to Yuan's plea. Closing his eyes tightly, Yuan felt his head.

"You never let me have a chance to persuade you otherwise..." Yuan whispered to himself, crossing his arms, in attempts to stay warm. He looked downward at the snow on the ground under him. "Damn you Kratos Aurion..."

"Yuan, old friend, how displeasing it is to see you again..." Yuan turned his head sharply to look at whoever had spoken those unpleasant words, but a sudden powerful blast of mana sent his mind astray, into the depths of nowhere.

One of these days, I'll learn to listen to Kratos...

AN:

Cliffhanger?... Yes, this means one or two more chapters at the most. Proabbly one more exciting one, and the last one will rap things up. Cherio! And remember, Lady Rina is watching!