Chapter 27

Shards of Regeneration

Happy Easter!

To my readers,

Before anyone asks… my cats do what Noishe does, except they take pencils and pieces of paper, not earmuffs. Umm kinda Easter-y (sorry I wasn't able to get this up any sooner, think of it as a late Easter treat), thought the "Bunny" is green and not… uh whatever color he's supposed to be. Next chapter they'll get in the temple, I promise!

Kasan Soulblade

"Have it?" Colette asked.

"All the gear's set!" Genis grinned. "We won't be caught off guard this time."

"This was a great idea Genis, you're a genius!"

"I know, I know." The small wizard rubbed his nails on the front of his sky blue coat.

Soon ear plugs purchased at Izoold were passed around, then the earmuffs picked up in Asgard were brought forth. Though without angelic halo or anything else "holy" about them they seemed the most beautiful things in the entire world. From somewhere up ahead Raine was twitching, was dancing and twitching as she looked upon the grey stone step pyramid. This was the oldest ruin in the whole world, it stood attacks during the Kharlan wars, had served as sanctuary to the ancient people who now lived in Asgard. Once, even before Asgard had existed, it had been a shrine to the tribal polytheistic people who -after the angels had "enlightened the world"- now existed bond to monsters, like the Dragon Riders. History was seeped into every stone, every line, chisel mark, scratch, held great import not only in ancient history but modern lore as well. It loomed above them like a squat version of the Tower of Salvation, climbing up and up till's it's peak was lost to sight by the wispy clouds that crawled across the heavens...

Raine continued her interesting mix between seizure and what Colette termed as a "happy dance". Kratos stared at the crazed scholar and backed up. His eyes wide were wide, his hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword for comfort.

"Ms. Sage, I swear to Origin... Hell will freeze over before you dragoon me into carrying another damned basket..."

Suddenly Raine went still, her eyes wide, watering. Genis and Colette shoved in the plugs and snapped the earmuffs over that.

"MARVEL-"

Lloyd swore that birds took flight, the sky cringed, the winds winced, and the grass whimpered in terror at the sheer volume of that cry. Of course that whimpering might have been Noishe, who was stuffing his paws into his ears and looking like he wanted to go back to Iselia or something. Poor Noishe, dragon riders, storms, crazy scientists, crazy elf ruin modes, he was just plain suffering. Especially since Kratos was really mad at him, for not coming back right away when Lloyd had gotten captured a few days ago.

Sighing Lloyd put the earplugs in and put his earmuffs over that.

"I'M GUNNA BE OVER THERE TAKING NOTES!" Genis yelled, holding a sheaf of paper and sealed inkwell and feather in his hands he could only jerk his head to a small hill very far away from the ruin.

"OH, LOOK, A DOGGY!" And so saying, Colette skipped to some shadowed half wall that marked the place that some building had been centuries ago. She advanced on the innocent dog with a wide smile. The animal would never know what hit it.

"Me and Kratos are going to be sparring." Lloyd told the confused Raine in a somewhat more normal voice then the others had used. "Come on Kratos."

He considered the man, the cape fluttered in the eternal winds around this place, and Lloyd grinned. He snatched up a tip of the cape -one for each hand- then dragged the shocked man off. Fair was fair after all, Lloyd thought with a grin as he imagined the man's hissed words that (because of the earmuffs etc.) he couldn't hear, you dragged me off by my leashes now you get a turn.

X

"Death by asphyxiation is not how I want to go." Kratos rasped, he'd unclasped his cape and had set the thing under the nice large rock Lloyd had brought for him. The boy had pocketed the ear plugs but had lain the fuzzy grey 'muffs by Kratos' cloak. "That was ill of you Lloyd."

"Hey now… no changing languages on me… stick to one language Krabos."

"We are not going through that again!" Kratos snarled, anger flashed in his dark eyes at the corruption of his name that Lloyd had tagged to him at Iselia's temple.

"Come on, how many times do I get to get one up on you? And since we're sparring it's not like you're going to get back at me in like five minutes."

"Sparring…" Kratos growled. "Isn't a way for me to "get back" at you Lloyden. It's just there for me to teach you, to keep you from dying, because I won't be able to save you every fight. You have to be able to save yourself. The world is harsh, cold, cruel Mer Ori, and sparring is just a way for me to teach you, to shield you even when I'm not there to physically do so. Never, even for a heartbeat, think I take any satisfaction from the fact that in order to teach I must sometimes leave marks upon you with my blade."

Lloyd blinked; startled by the intensity that Kratos said that last bit.

"I… I'm sorry… I didn't really mean it like that. It… was a joke… really…" Lloyd gulped as those black eyes bore into him with a disturbing intensity. There were times –few and far between but they still were there- when Kratos got so serious, so intense, that it freaked Lloyd out. This was another one of those times.

"Perhaps,-" Kratos frowned, "-but you meant it. There are things -many things- that you joke about, that you mean; that bring me anger and grief."

"Maybe if you didn't take things so seriously-" Lloyd grumbled. "-you'd actually find my jokes funny."

"If you took yourself seriously, you might make better jokes." Kratos snapped. "Just draw your swords Lloyden, think about what I've said as we spar."

Sighing, Lloyd did as ordered.

"You know… when we're gunna to travel together I think the first thing I need to teach you is how to laugh at things."

"Lloyden, there is very little in this world that inspires awe, mirth, or anything after you've been alive for as long as I have."

"Whoa, I'm going to be all old and cynical when I turn twenty? Scary."

There was a flash of green a little taller then the grass; Lloyd began to stalk around the mercenary, deliberately going away from the green thing advancing on the rock.

"I'm older then twenty.' Kratos growled, he thrust with his blade and Lloyd backed up, holding each arm out, the blades rested in an "at ease" so they kinda drooped. The mercenary frowned. "This isn't a game!"

The man accented his words by a sharp swing of his blade. Letting out an oath Lloyd shifted his grip and crossed his blade, he didn't have enough time to lock his arms or anything, and was thrown back so hard that he landed on his stomach a foot away.

"Oww…"

"You should have been able to block that." Kratos scolded, sounding so Oriss like that Lloyd fought down laughter despite the fact he was hurting like no one's business. "If you had paid attention and focused on what was important rather than running your mouth…"

"Like you?" Lloyd snickered.

"What was that?" Kratos' eyes blazed.

Ignoring the threat Lloyd smirked, looked past the mercenary. "Run Noishe, run!"

It was then Kratos turned. He whipped around just in time to see the green and silver creature stoop down, snatch his cape in his jaws, and bolt.

"Noishe, return my cape, right now!" Kratos bellowed.

Noishe skidded to a stop a goodly distance from Kratos. He looked over his shoulder, met the mercenary's eyes, and then turned his back-

-and began to wiggle his rear at Kratos.

"I think that's a "nah nah na naaah nah."." Lloyd said sagely.

"Laugh as much as you like Lloyden," Kratos growled. "But you have failed to notice that your earmuffs are missing."

"Say wha-!" Lloyd hopped to his feet, and he'd be damned if his earmuffs weren't missing! "Noishe, bad dog!" Lloyd snarled. "Give them back, right now!"

Noishe turned, shifted his position, and then wiggled his rear at his master.

"I believe that is a "nah nah na naaah nah" response, correct me if I'm mistaken, after all you are the Noishe expert." Kratos returned blandly.

"Shut it!" Lloyd flared. "Give it over Mutt… Now!"

"Whine?"

"That's it!" Lloyd drew both his blades. "You get back here!"

"Lloyden…" Kratos sighed, but it was too late, Lloyd was off and running, holding his blades over his head, promising to do a number of painful things to Noishe when he caught up with him. "He want's to be chased…"

To run faster Lloyd had tossed aside his swords, and seemed to be actually gaining on the tail wagging dog shaped creature. At least until Noishe moved out of his crisp jog and went into an all out run.

Rubbing his temples, Kratos walked over to pick up Lloyd's swords.

"You are still a child Lloyden, I don't know whether to grieve in that… or rejoice."

Then, since Lloyd was still so young, and was in need of someone around him who could defend him, Kratos worked the blades onto his dress belt and followed the path of the charging "dog" and the "dog's master". Though who was master to whom, was -in Kratos' mind- open to a great deal of debate.

"Damn it Noishe, get back here!"

Shaking his head, letting out a bitter sigh, Kratos sheathed his blade and then jogged after Lloyden. Gods only knew that with an Assassin around, the Impostures, monsters, and the land belonging to three very playful spirits with equally twisted senses of humor, Lloyd might find himself running into all three. At once.

X

"Bark!" Noishe skidded to a stop less then two feet away, kicking up grass and dirt.

"Hey!" Genis shielded his notebook with his body, the earmuffs and earplugs that rested in his lap.

His protest was ignored, the green and silver dog dropped something large and black, and something small and grey on the startled wizard's lap.

"Hey aren't those Kratos' cape and Lloyd's earmuffs?" Genis muttered, drowning somewhat under the folds of black fabric.

"Bark!" Tail wagging Noishe bobbed his head and Genis laughed, pulling aside the cape and scratched the dog's chest.

"Good one, you know for a dog you're really smart."

Noishe lolled out his tongue. Watched with scrunched up liquid brown eyes as Genis fished out a pen and clean piece of paper to take the prank down in his notes for how to pull off better jokes. Seeing his opportunity the dog snaked his head down and Genis found the half of his book obscured by teeth and a green snout.

"Hey!" Genis tugged on his book. "Let go!"

"Grrr!"

"You're drooling all over my notebook, let go!"

Noishe shoved the wizard off with a huge paw, prize in hand… er mouth… he knocked the small elf down. Something black was tossed over Genis, the elf herd a "click" then the heavy pinning weight was gone. The silver haired boy stood, his eyes blazing.

"Give me back my book dog…" He hissed. It was a good Kratos impersonation, certainly it sounded scary enough to make Noishe take a weary step back. Genis clambered to his feet took a step forward…

And the wind kicked up and nearly blew him away. It was then he realized that the "click" had been Noishe clipping (who wore clip on capes… no one in their right mind wore something that cheesy, but then Genis knew Kratos was nuts anyways so it wasn't that much of a shock) the mercenary's cape to the small elf.

"Ahh!" Genis pin wheeled his arms, then fell over and grabbed at the ground to keep from being blown away.

Safe for the time being, Noishe turned on his paw, did his fast becoming trademark "the butt wiggle" then ran off.

"Help!" Genis screamed, hearing the heavy footfalls that heralded the approach of someone. He didn't care who it was, just so long as they got this horrible, gangly, ugly, hazardous, thing, off of him!

"Genis… whoa what happened to-?"

"That dog, that evil, sadistic, homicidal, dog did this!" Genis bawled. "I'm losing my grip… help!"

"Hold him down; Sylph would not be above making him fly off." Kratos' voice barked out from somewhere behind Genis.

But all Genis could see was flowing black fabric, he whimpered, and then gasped as something large and heavy smashed into him.

"Oww... Lloyd… Can't breathe…" Genis grunted.

There was another click; the feeling of something tugging at the cape, trying to use it to drag him off the ground was gone.

"Got it! Wha- oops…"

Kratos easily jumped up, snatched the cape and settled it across his shoulders even before he had landed from his four foot hop.

"Holy Martel!" Genis croaked eyes wide. "That's impossi-"

"My ex-sphere has many attributes, much like Lloyd's." Kratos said, for once his hair wasn't in his face as the winds had thrown it back so it looked like a porcupine was nesting on his head or something. "I am able to enhance certain non-combat related feats, jumping, landing, running, so on and so forth."

"Normally I have to concentrate and junk…" Lloyd grumbled.

"I've been around longer then you, and I've had my exsphere a lot longer then you Lloyd…"

It seemed as if Kratos had stopped himself from saying something. Lloyd nodded, almost like he knew that Kratos was leaving out and understood. Before Genis could ask Lloyd pointed to the hill that Noishe was gleefully mooning them all from, Genis growled, flexed his fingers and Lloyd went for his swords.

"You dropped these." Kratos sighed, handing Lloyd his twin katana's.

"Oh… heh; thanks Kratos!"

"Thank me by gaining some sense." The mercenary snapped. "Never drop your blades; it's the greatest show of immaturity a swordsman..."

"I said I was sorry…"

"Bath time, you hear me you mutt, bath time!" Genis yelled. "Maiden of tranquil waters, expel this creature… no bathe it… really soak it…."

"HOOOWL!"

"Ummm… Genis…" Lloyd gently shook his friend's shoulder. "He's not there anymore…"

"Huh?" Genis came out of his fantasies of a saturated screaming dog being swept out to sea by a massive title wave born of his mana when Lloyd interrupted him.

"He ran off, like a minute ago."

"You get back here Noishe!" Genis screamed, drawing his kendama. "I want my diary back!"

"You keep a diary?" Lloyd blinked. "Hey, I wanna read that!"

Genis glared up at his friend, something like a Raine-ing promised in his eyes but with electricity.

"Ummm… I mean… Noishe needs a flea bath! He's being beyond bad today, let's go stop him!"

"Well now that you have your sword-" Kratos turned to walk off and leave the children to play without him in attendance. His plans were spoiled when Lloyd made a grab for the ends of his cape. Seeing the move Kratos easily backed out of the attack, he glared at the young swordsman.

"Come on Kratos, we need you, you're the only one strong enough to wrestle Noishe to the ground."

"Wrestle Noishe the ground?" Kratos sputtered.

Genis nodded. "I'm going to magic up a lake and Lloyd's going to tie Noishe up."

"Then we're going to scrub him." Lloyd growled. "With bubble soap, he hates bubbly soap."

"I'm not participating in such childishness." Kratos growled. "And neither of you will "magic" up a lake." The mercenary barked. "The ecosystem is delicate; making an artificial lake in the middle of a plain could cause all sorts of problems and lead to the determination of the natural order of…"

"He's Raine talking…" Lloyd whispered to Genis.

"I know, he's scary when he does that, isn't he?"

"Scarier than Raine." Lloyd murmured.

Kratos shut up at that, crossed his arms in front of his chest and was about to say something…

Something green whizzed in the air and smacked into the back of Kratos' head. The man growled, clutched at his head and whirled, his eyes blazing. Tail waging, the dog lolled out his tongue.

"Noishe, why'd you throw your throw disk, I'm supposed to throw it then you're supposed to catch… Uh oh! Kratos, are you alright?"

"Colette!" Genis giggled. "Do you have my book?"

"Yep, I was gunna give it back but Noshy took his throw disk to play fetch with himself." Colette told them, coming down the hill to join them.

"I'm going to turn you into a pelt Noishe." Kratos hissed; his black eyes blazing.

"Bath time!" Genis growled, flexing his fingers.

"Flea bath time!" Lloyd snarled.

"Oh I love tag, can I play too?"

With a gleeful bark in answer to Colette's question Noishe ran off. Two swordsmen and a wizard were thinking of nothing more then bloody vengeance, the skipping Chosen and green and silver dog only running for the sake of running and for the fact that the weather was fair.

X

They finally caught Noishe, he was sitting on a mess of their packs, dark eyes glittering with a hint of teasing scorn. Since he'd won the game he had treated himself to the contents of Kratos' afternoon rations. He waged his tail in greeting, then pulled out one of Kratos' socks and tossed it to the winds. The black fabric was picked up by the playful breeze and sent fluttering of some distance away. By the looks of things he'd rooted through everyone's packs and tossed all the socks around. Hints of red, blue, white, orange, and black, peaked out amongst the grass all along the hill by the temple.

"Noishe!" Lloyd gasped, clutching his side he couldn't scream like he wanted to, but managed an indignant squeak.

"D… damn it…" Kratos rasped, even the man's formidable stamina was all but spent. "You know we're going into a death trap later today."

As if to dispute that claim, the winds brought the sound of another of Raine's MARVELOUS!'es to their ears.

"Alright… possibly tomorrow…" Kratos wheezed. "That does not give you leave to… is that my food?"

"Whine?" Noishe nearly doubled his eyes in size and looked innocent.

"You damned dog!" Kratos rasped. "I'll…" Drawing his sword the mercenary advanced on Noishe.

"Me first!" Genis croaked.

"Un uh…" Lloyd coughed. "My turn!"

"Oh, a sock hunt!" Colette chirped, only a little winded, but then she hadn't been yelling as she ran. "You think of the best games Noshy!"

"Bark!" Noishe yawned, looked at the homicidal males then looked around at the socks that –any second- could be blown away by the winds.

"Later, you are mine!" Kratos hissed, sheathing his blade. "Pelt, you hear me dog, pelt."

Noishe yawned, rolled on his back and stared at the clouds over head, and the mess of flying socks that the next gust of wind sent to flying all around.

"Get them!" Lloyd yelled. "Their flying away!"

So the "sock hunt" began.

"Gotta black one, eww Kratos you need to wash these!"

"Shut up magi, Lloyden, you need to stitch the hole on this one…"

"Lloyden, ha ha makes him sound like a gir-"

"Shut it or these blue ones meet my swords!"

"Oh look, lots are here, I got 'em!"

"Hey, you're cheating, no using wind magic to blow them to you!"

"I'm not cheating!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"When did this become a game? When is chasing laundry enjoyable?"

"Kratos look out!"

"My sock tastes that good, eh Kratos?"

"Eng…"

"Better then Raine's cooking."

"Pleh! Indeed..."

"Hey, Sis's cooking isn't that bad!"

"Yes it is!"

"Yah, chasing socks is fun!"

"Colette…." The two boys sighed.

"A… frilly blue sock… heh."

"Shut up!" Genis flared. "Their dress socks, for church! Raine… made me buy them…"

Seeing the chaos was in full swing and wouldn't be ending anytime soon Noishe put his head on his crossed forepaws and decided a nap was in order.

X

Raine came back around nightfall. A fire had been set, some animal had been skinned, and was coking over the fire. Lloyd and Genis were tucked away in their bedrolls; the Mercenary was curled around some small project. A bit of red thread ran through a needle as he lifted his hand, then it was gone as it speared the whatever it was that Kratos was sewing. That wasn't new, Kratos tended his armor and like during his watch, it was Colette who shocked her. She stood by Noishe –a tied and gagged Noishe- gently weaving ribbons through his wet newly brushed fur.

Spotting her the dog's eyes went wide, he twitched in her direction, and though gagged he tried to speak

"Mmmph!"

A number of buckets were about, and white mounds of soap suds were so plentiful that if might as well have snowed. Looking at her sleeping brother she was surprised that his hair was wet, and Lloyd was actually curled up in Kratos' blankets, the mound of wet red fabric had been weighted down with a few rocks and left to dry on some squat pillar.

Not even bothering to look up from his work Kratos growled a gruff "Don't ask."

"I wasn't… going too…" Raine muttered, settling down on her blankets she was surprised to see that as she set her piles or newly made notes aside that someone had taken out all her socks, washed them, then folded then into tight knots and left then on top of her pillow.

"Hee hee… are you having fun Noishe?"

"Murmp!"

"You'll look nice and pretty in a little, then I'll put on some perfume and you'll smell pretty too!"

"Muuurrrrrm!"

Smiling, satisfied, Kratos set the needle to his teeth. He made a knot at the base of whatever he was working on, bit off the end of the knot, and then wound up the remaining red thread around the hilt of his knife. He lifted up the red sock, looked up to admire darning and sewing job, then set it aside and reached for the socks mate and went to work on it.

"Kratos… are you mending to Lloyd's socks?"

"He needs to sleep." Kratos replied just a touch defensively. "He worked on the others, but fell asleep over these, so I thought I'd finish for him. We won't have time tomorrow if we find the entrance."

Raine really wanted to ask, almost did, but the look that Kratos cast the thrashing Noishe told her not to.

"I couldn't find the stone." Raine sighed. "I looked everywhere, read the writing, so far as I can tell there is no oracle stone."

"Not all seals proclaim themselves to be seals, we'll all look tomorrow. Did you consult Linar's notes?"

"Yes, there was an altar where he indicated, but it was not of the Martelian make, some pagan replication, obviously it's an artificial piece put in a few centuries ago..." Raine sniffed.

"Ah…" Kratos' dark eyes glittered strangely in the light. "Perhaps the holy order of Sylph, seeing their temple was falling into ruin; brought the most sacred artifact from their chapel here so that the Martelian pagans would guard it… thinking it was their own."

Raine's face went red, and the mercenary chuckled.

"Pagan means unbeliever, I used the term properly. All explanations and adventures can wait until tomorrow though."

Kratos threaded his needle; red trailed after the point of the needle, and went to fixing the hole on the heel of the sock.

"Go to bed Ms. Sage. Tomorrow will be a long day."

Then he paid her no more mind, went to his task with a single minded determination that made her –despite herself- think of Lloyd.