Chapter IX: Battle of Spirits

"Can we go yet?" the red-headed Chosen asked.

"You've asked forty-seven times since we woke up, and the answer's still no," replied Yuan as he watched the sun set.

"But, it's so close to night!" Zelos cried, "What will my beautiful hunnnie do without me! What!"

Regal looked at the panicking angel; poor Zelos was flying back and forth at such speeds that if he hit anything, it would probably spontaneously combust. "Zelos, just wait another hour and we'll leave."

"If you don't stop that zooming around I'll kill you," Mithos said half-heartedly. He let his head fall into one hand while he covered his mouth with the other, "Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick…"

Zelos, unable to contain himself any longer, broke through a glass window in the lobby of Hotel Lezareno and sped towards the Castle Raptor, yelling, "I'm coming, my illustrious professor!" as he did so. The shattering of the glass garnered the attention of the other guests staying in the hotel, and they all looked out of it and then back to the table at which Mithos, Yuan, Regal, and Presea sat. The four of them sighed, and when the crowd noticed that both the president and vice-president of the Lezareno Company were sitting there, they hurriedly returned to what they were doing before hand.

"I have to pay for that now…" Regal sighed as he and the others walked off to get the rheairds and follow the Chosen.

Kratos entered the throne room where the rulers of Castle Raptor sat. He walked up the red carpet towards the thrones, admiring his handiwork, or, as much handiwork as could be admired when one had to nail stone into stone with nothing but wood. The Seraph of Judgement sighed before kneeling and asking, "What is it that you are in need of, Lady Sheena?"

Sheena was building a house of cards on her lap: a very elaborate one, with a garage, a garden, and those creepy little lawn gnomes that every successful family seems to have. She looked up from her masterpiece at the kneeling night before her. "Oh, yes, Kratos, I did call you, didn't I?" she said in sarcastic voice as if she had forgotten that she had done so, knowing very well that she had.

"Yes, you did milady."

"Well, Lloyd and I have decided that these wood pegs really don't go very well with stone," she said, with a dark hint of things to come.

Lloyd, as usual, took a sip of his "Kool Aid for Adults", which had now brought him over seventy million gald in the span of one week, before including his input and his command. "So, because it is so very, very ugly," he said, narrowing his eyes before continuing, "Do it again, and this time, use rubber bands as nails." He and Sheena exchanged a glance before they let out a howl of laughter.

For all intents and purposes, Kratos's brain broke right at that moment. He stood up to his full height, his right eye twitching uncontrollably. The usually calm and collected Seraph had lost all sense of purpose, had forgotten his mission, and felt nothing but wild, unbridled, anger. "I have had it up to here with your outrageous commands and your evil ways! You are a disgrace to yourself, a disgrace to me, and a disgrace to your mother!" he yelled, his calm tone replaced by that of a rabid lion.

At the mention of his mother, Lloyd froze up, unable to do anything. Sheena could only stare at him in disbelief, as she hadn't seen Lloyd like this in a very long time. Lloyd's surprise and fear slowly, visibly, flared into uncontrollable rage. "You! Bastard!" he screamed at his father as he drew his Vorpal Sword and another blade and charged him.

Kratos was barely able to block Lloyd's savage strike in time by pulling his shield in front of him. As Lloyd pulled away to attack again, Kratos unsheathed his Flamberge and swung it at him, causing the two of them to be locked in struggle, each one pushing with all of their might in hopes of killing the other. "This is more like you used be, Lloyd," the Seraph of Judgement stated, his level headedness returning to him in the midst of battle, "Rash and instinctive." Lloyd let out an inhuman yell and Kratos was sent flying into a wall much like when someone throws a rag doll at a wall. As Kratos tried to regain his balance, his shoulder was impaled by one of Lloyd's swords and he could only grimace as he fell into unconsciousness.

The Demon Falcon fell to his knees clutching his head as if he were in terrible pain. Sheena rushed over to him, but he just pushed her away as he let out yet another scream of horrible pain. Sheena then glared at the knight's unconscious body and readied her cards, "I'll kill you!" she shrieked, stopped by a hand catching hers. She turned to look at the lord of Castle Raptor stumble to his feet.

"Guards," Lloyd said, somewhat regaining his composure as nondescript, heavily armed knights entered the throne room. "Take the traitor to the dungeon," he said, pointing at Kratos's incapacitated and heavily bleeding form. The guards nodded, pulled the sword that was stuck in the angel's shoulder out, and carried him to the dungeons as ordered.

"But Lloyd-" Sheena cried.

"He's mine to kill," Lloyd said calmly as he headed off into the castle. "I'm going to our room."

"Maybe I should-"

"No, stay here," he said as he disappeared down a corridor.

Sheena sighed and sat down in her throne room. "Damn you, Kratos Aurion! Damn you!"

Lloyd walked into a room with a king-sized bed and numerous other personal items. He walked to a chest-of-drawers and pulled one of them open. He reached in and pulled out a small orb. He held it next to the one implanted in his hand and stared at them for a while. "Even now, when I'm so close, you still don't leave me alone…" he said to them, glaring with utmost contempt.

"Of course not," the orb he held in his hand said. He dropped it and an image of a boy with silver hair who wore a blue suit appeared. "I'm your friend, Lloyd," the image said, "I can't just let you do every stupid thing you want to do."

Lloyd raised his foot to crush the exsphere that lay on the ground, but right as it was about to hit, another voice, this one feminine, spoke, stopping him. "Lloyd, now I may not have been able to raise you since you were very young, but you stop this right now before I'm forced to give you an ethereal spanking young man."

The Demon Falcon put his foot down and grabbed his head once again. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" he yelled at the voices "You buffoons don't control me! I am the destined ruler of this world!"

The image of the boy grew a large, ethereal sweat drop on the back of his head. "You spent every class standing in the back, holding two buckets of water and you still fell asleep! Rule the world my ass," he crowed.

"You did what!" the female voice screamed, "Young man, you better shape up, or no more snacks for you."

Lloyd's hands tightened around his head and he fell to his knees again. He thrashed around a bit before yelling, to himself, "You bastard! You bastard! You bastard! You bastardddd!" Suddenly, he let go and slammed his head against the ground with such force that the nearby bed shook. He pointed to the boy shortly before losing consciousness, smirking an evil smirk, "I… win…" With that, the Demon Falcon fainted.

"… That didn't go as well as I hoped," said the female voice, appearing from the exsphere imbedded in Lloyd's arm.

The boy smacked his forehead, "Trust a dumb ass to find a dumb way to return to being a dumb evil ass…" he sighed.

"Oh, when he gets up, he'll get such a spanking!"

"Kratos!" yelled Raine as the Seraph of Judgement was throne into the cell across from hers, still bleeding profusely. As soon as she was sure the guards were out of earshot, she grabbed a large metal pipe that she had found earlier that day in the corner of her cell. She rushed back to the bars of her cell and pointed the pipe in Kratos's direction. "Healing Circle!" she yelled, using the pipe as a focal point through which she could channel her healing magic.

As his wounds healed, Kratos groggily pushed himself off of the ground and moaned. "Lloyd…" he said weakly, yet loudly.

"Professor, what's wrong with Kratos! Why is he here!" Colette queried, rushing to the front of her cell.

"I believe he somehow got into a fight with Lloyd," replied Raine.

Colette looked down and balled her hands into tight fists in an attempt to subdue her anger. "I can't stand by and watch Lloyd hurt my friends anymore," she began, taking a few steps away from the bars, "So I'm going to do something about it!" She charged at the bars heroically, but, being the klutz that she is, the Tiny Angel let out an, "Oops!" as she tripped and knocked out the lock on her cell. The lock bounced off of the wall and hit another cell, bouncing off of it and hitting Raine's lock and breaking it. It continued to ricochet until it finally bounced off of one last wall and hit the lock on Kratos's cell. Numerous cell doors opened, including the one's to the two angel's cells and the half elf's cell. Colette quickly rose to her feet and ran out and bowed repeatedly to the Professor and the Seraph. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorrysorrysorry!"

Raine and Kratos exited their cells, Kratos giving himself a shake to regain his balance. "Thank you, Colette," Raine said.

Totally oblivious to the fact that she had done a good thing, Collete continued apologizing. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Kratos, having finally regained his senses, looked at the entrance to the dungeon. He then looked back at all of the locks on the floor and the open cell doors and ran to the wall closest to Colette's cell. "There's no time for apologizing now!" he yelled urgently, drawing Flamberge once again, "Fierce Demon Fang!" he yelled as he hit the wall with tremendous strength, leaving a gaping hole in it. "The guards surely heard that, we have to go now!" With that, the two women behind him ran toward the hole. Colette sprouted her wings and jumped into the cool night air, while Kratos grabbed Raine and followed suit.

"Raine'll be so happy I rescued her, maybe we'll-" Zelos began as he spun around in the air to show just how good he was feeling.

"Get your head out of the gutter, man!" Yuan yelled as he Zelos on the head.

"How could she resist this sexy body?" Zelos continued, raising his eyebrows in a mischievous manner.

Presea took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. "I do it every day," she said sarcastically.

Zelos smiled a sly smile, "See, you admitted I'm sexy again!"

"So I did," Presea sighed, paying no notice to the Chosen.

"Don't act like your not falling for me."

"I'm really not."

"Well you don't have to say it so calmly!" Zelos pouted.

"I know you're excited, Zelos, but please, no more flying out of windows in establishments I own," Regal pseudo-pleaded.

"I said I was sorry!"

"Would you people shut up!" cried Yuan, massaging his temples to relieve himself of the stress he was feeling.

"That's my job Yuan," Mithos glared at the rather cross half elf that was flying next to him.

"What's your job?"

"As the leader, it's my job to give orders, not yours!"

"Oh for the love of-"

"Kratos?" said Regal.

"Excuse me?"

"No, I mean Kratos is flying toward us with Raine and Colette," the company president said as he pointed at the three approaching people.

"No fair, Kratos saved Raine and Colette! He get's to chicks! No fair! No fair!" Zelos yelled spying the young angel and the scientist.

"How'd you get out of there?" Yuan asked as the man and two women stopped just ahead of him.

Kratos shook his head, "We don't have time for this; we're being pursued and if we don't leave now-"

"I'll find you," said Sheena as she stopped her rheaird behind them.

"Sheena!" yelled Kratos.

"That witch!" yelled Colette.

"Hotness!" yelled Zelos. He was then met by awkward stares from the rest of the party, including the other ruler Castle Raptor. "Err… I mean… That… Really evil lady!"

"I'm afraid Raine's coming with me," Sheena said after recovering from Zelos's pathetic insult.

"I'm afraid we can't let that happen," replied Yuan.

"Stop being cool, that's my job!" yelled Mithos.

"Would you just shut up, we're in a serious situation here."

"Bickering amongst yourselves? How pathetic!" screamed the Card Mistress as she made seals with her hands. "I call upon the heavenly messengers. I summon thee: Sylph!" she chanted. A large green circle appeared below her rheaird and three small, winged girls appeared, one wielding a sword, another a shield, and the last a bow. "I hope you're ready to die!" she cackled.

"You're not the only one with the ability to summon!" Mithos shouted.

"Um, Mithos, I'm pretty sure that won't work," Yuan stated.

"Oh, and why not!" said the indignant ruler of Cruxis.

"I'm pretty sure he can't fly."

"Just shut up and let me do my job," Mithos said as he struck a pose in an attempt to center himself. He began to chant, "I call upon the man who wields the largest sword, the King of Angst. I summon thee: Cloud Strife!" As he finished, a large wolf's head appeared below him, and the blonde warrior he had made a pact with the day before appeared. He floated there momentarily before drawing his outrageously large, yet cool, transforming sword and getting into a fighter's stance.

Yuan blinked a few times before he said, "You couldn't fly yesterday."

"With the power of the Advent, I can do anything as long as it's for the sake of coolness."

Yuan blinked a few times before he simply shrugged. The Seraph Leader looked at him, smirked, and blew a raspberry to show his victory over the Seraph Master of Lightning. Yuan simply glared back.

"Presea, do you have a red and whit cap?" asked Mithos, orienting himself to face the pink-headed woman. "Oh, and a radio?"

Presea reached into her pocket and groped around it, "I suppose I might, though I'm not sure why I would." She stopped searching her pocket and pulled out a radio and a red and white cap and handed the two items to Mithos. "What do you need them for?"

"I don't care what you need them for, can we hurry this up, I have better things to do!" the Card Mistress yelled from her rheaird as the Sylphs surround Cloud.

"Oh, shut up!" Mithos screamed as he put the hat on and turned it backwards. He then turned the radio on and "Beat the Angel" began to play, and he handed it back to Presea. He pointed forward dramatically and yelled, "Summon Spirit battle! I choose you, Cloud!"

"Cloud Cloud!" said the King of Angst.

"What the hell?" shouted Sheena at the strange display ahead of her. "Forget it; Sylphs, attack!" The Sylphs charged upon the waiting warrior.

"Dodge it, Cloud!" commanded Mithos.

"Cloud!" Cloud shouted as he twisted his body in strange ways to avoid the incoming sword, shield, and arrows.

Mithos nodded, "Now Cloud, deus-ex-machina thunder shock!"

"You mean Omnislash!" the King of Angst corrected, looking back at his summoner.

"Er… Right! Omnislash, Cloud!"

"Cloud!" Cloud yelled as he dropped his altitude a bit and separated his swords into five. Four of them surrounded the Sylphs, who had, sadly for them, regrouped close to each other. All of his swords began to glow and orange color, including the one he held, and he charged forward yelling, "Omnislash Version Five and Three Quarters!" The blonde-haired warrior unleashed thirteen slashes upon the Sylphs charging again and again from a different angle for each one. With the last four he would grab one of his swords that floated around the Sylphs and connect it the one he carried before each slash. He then returned Mithos's side and waited.

"It'll take more than that to defeat the Sylphs!" Sheena screamed. "Fairess, Air Thrust!" The one that carried the shield nodded and conjured a bunch of blades of wind to circle around Cloud, causing multiple cuts to appear on him.

"Ouch, dammit!… Er… I mean, Clouddddddddd!" Cloud yelled due to the stinging of the cuts.

Mithos scratched his chin, trying to think of a way to counter this turn of events. When an idea hit him, he snapped his fingers and ordered, "Cloud, use the secret technique!"

"What secret technique? There is no secret technique!"

"Just do something!"

Cloud looked at his sword and then back at the Sylphs. "Dammit! I can't let them down like a let down Square! Angst!" he yelled as he began to hit his head against the flat side of his sword.

Suddenly, inspiration raced into Yuan's head, "Cloud, Angst Beam, now!"

"You can't give my summon spirit orders, he's mine!" Mithos yelled, indignant again.

Cloud realized what Yuan was getting at and separated his sword into two. He then began to swing them around wildly and yelled, "Now feel my shame, my hatred, and all my whiney teenage years! Angst Ray!" With that, the King of Angst swung both swords forward and a giant beam of darkness hit the Sylphs dead on, knocking them out. The Sylphs disappeared almost immediately.

Regal blinked a few things before he said the first thing to come to mind, "I must learn that move!"

"Grr… You just wait for the next one!" Sheena shrieked, totally ignoring Regal's outburst and beginning to make more hand signs. Before she could finish, a hand grabbed her shoulder. "What do you—Lloyd!"

The Demon Falcon was perched on the back of her rheaird, his giant, ethereal falcon's wings sprouted and folded pointing forward. "We have work to do at the castle, Sheena, let us return," he said coolly as he took a sip of the blood red wine he refused to leave behind.

"But they have-"

"Let's go, dear," Lloyd said again, pushing himself off of the rheaird and heading back toward the castle.

Sheena watched him go and then turned her attention to the group in front of her. "You're lucky! I was just warming up!" she spat, and she then followed after the tyrant who had just left.

Cloud looked at Mithos and nodded, "Pleasure doing business with you." With that, he faded into nothing, returning to do whatever he was doing beforehand.

Yuan turned his attention to Kratos, "So, what exactly happened?"

"I'll tell you later, I believe these two would like to sleep in a bed without mice."

Colette blinked in disbelief, "They exist!"

Zelos, getting another one of his bright ideas, spoke, "If you two come to my room-"

"No Zelos," Raine said calmly, "We decline."

"… Shoot…"

The two Tyrants walked toward the science lab, making their way through the maze of corridors they each knew like the back of their hands. Finally, they entered a large room where the massive weapon, the Mana Cannon, was stored. Sheena couldn't keep silent any longer, "Lloyd, why did we let them go! They had Raine!"

Lloyd walked over to a wall. He pulled out a few bricks and there was a safe, disguised very well. He placed his hand over a sensor on it and it popped open. He stuck his hand in and pulled out a large pile of papers. He looked at them briefly before handing them Sheena.

"… Wait, I thought…"

Lloyd took a sip of his wine before answering, "My wings allow for many things, you know that."

Sheena continued reading the papers and smirked. "You clever little sneak," she complimented. They shared a look, and then broke out into the most deliciously evil laughter which was accompanied by the most deliciously evil music as the musicians had finally learned that they should probably follow their two lieges everywhere except the bathroom and bedroom and that they should always play music fitting their mood.

Notes: Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them, they help keep me going, though I'd finish this story even if no one read it. I certainly hope everyone enjoyed Cloud and his summon spirit awesomeness. There's more where that came from, and that's all I'm going to say about that. Anyway, I hope I'm not laying it on to thick with the pseudo-character development (i.e. I hope I'm doing it right). So, as usual, read and enjoy.