Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Author's Note: The ideas for this are coming surprisingly quick. Some of it, I admit, is based on The Best of Friends by wonder-chef and the rest, I think, come from writing Kratos and Yuan's interactions as adults for so long, and especially in Photographs of Freedom, that it's easy to write them as kids too.

Some of the events here are mentioned in Photographs of Freedom.

This is all waaaaay before Tales of Symphonia.

-/-/-/-

Or would you rather be a fish?...

A fish won't do anything but swim in a brook
He cant write his name or read a book,
And to fool the people is his only thought
Though he slippery - he still gets caught

But then if that sort of life is what you wish
You may grow up to be a fish...

And all the monkeys aren't in a zoo,
Every day you meet quite a few,
So you see it's all up to you...
You can be better than you are...
You could be swinging on a star!

-Swinging on a Star (Bing Crosby)

-/-/-/-

In the morning, Kratos sometimes catches Yuan running a hand along the spines of his books. Sometimes, Yuan will even be flipping through the pages, stopping at the pictures.

Once, Yuan had waved him closer. "What's that?" Yuan had asked, pointing to the page.

"That's the ocean."

"Oh. Is that what it really looks like?" Kratos nods and Yuan studies the picture. The ocean really was the color of Mama's eyes. "Have you ever been there?"

Kratos shakes his head. "Agenor says that it's too dangerous, that the closest oceans are in elven territory."

Yuan had met Agenor once or twice. He was a kind enough man, if a little bland in personality.

After another one of these mornings—sometimes, it seems like Yuan never runs out of questions about the pictures in the books—they're walking to school when Kratos stops to look at him.

"...D'ya wanna learn how to read?"

Yuan stares at him. And doesn't stop staring. Finally, he finds words. "What? Are you insane?"

Kratos shakes his head and shifts his weight. "I've seen you look at my books. Don't you wanna know what's in 'em?"

"I've been fine so far." Yuan said. "Readin' can't be all that important or Zaren would've taught me."

"Yuan, have you ever known a half-elf who knows how to read?"

Yuan thinks about it for a minute before shaking his head. "No. Mama never knew how either. She just had pieces from the newspaper all over her walls, ones that had pictures of important people in the war." Yuan doesn't tell him about Dehua and Kail, doesn't tell him about the brothers he's never known, the warriors in the fairy tales.

"I think it's 'cause all the schools are either in human or elven lands."

"The elves don't want nothing ta do with us." Yuan tells him. "Poppi told me so."

"And humans…" Kratos doesn't want to finish the sentence.

But he didn't have to. "They think we're scum on their boots."

Kratos flinches at the blunt wording. "More or less."

Yuan tilts his head and considers Kratos. "You don't think like that, do ya?"

"Huh?"

"That we're scum?"

"No, of course not."

"Why not?"

Kratos shrugs. "I dunno. I think it's 'cause you don't look any different than me. My teachers always used to tells us that half-elves were monsters and stuff like that. But you don't look anything like a monster. You just look like a kid."

"But…it's against the law for a half-elf ta be able ta read, ain't it?" Kratos nods. "You could get yourself into so much trouble! Or your dad into trouble! Why would you do something like that? Why would-"

"Because you should get that same chance!" Yuan doesn't know this Kratos. It's the same person, but the voice and face don't look like him. There's a stubborn set to his mouth and he doesn't sound nervous at all. "If you want to learn, why shouldn't you?"

"Against. The. Law."

"But why'd they make that law anyways? It's stupid! Reading…it's so incredible. And…maybe I won't be the best teacher, but I'll help you. Any way I can, I'll help."

Yuan stares at him. "But…then I'll owe you."

"No you won't. I haven't lent you anything."

"Not that kind of owing. Owing." Kratos looked at him, uncomprehending. The same way Yuan had looked at the school the first time. "It's like…the way it works is…It's a little like…" Yuan can't find the words to explain it, isn't sure that there are words for that sort of thing.

Kratos bites his lip a little before saying, "How about this? You…be my friend and I'll teach you to read."

"Sorry, what?"

Kratos shifts uncomfortably. "…You heard me…Be my friend and I'll teach you to read. I don't think I can be that great a friend and you'll probably get made fun of a lot, but we can laugh about it later and make fun of them back and-"

"Kratos," Yuan says firmly. "I'm saying this as your friend," A teasing smile lifts the corners of his mouth. Kratos was willing to get into huge trouble for him. To teach him to read. Yuan's never known anyone who would do something like that. "Shut up or you'll be late."

Kratos breaks out into a delighted smile. "…Race you there?"

Yuan grins at him. "You're on."

Kratos loses, as he'd known he would, and he's breathing all too hard, but they're both smiling and laughing in between pants for breath and when Kratos goes into the classroom, the other kids are all staring at him and some of them whisper and point to him, snickering behind their hands. Kratos knows it's because he probably looks disheveled and his face is probably all red from running, but he finds that he doesn't mind them looking at him like that for the first time.

He's got a friend. His first friend. Maybe there was something to this wishing on stars after all.