Hello again! Sorry it's been a while: I kept adding things to this chapter, and it sort of...snowballed. Literally nothing in this chapter is what I originally wrote it as.

But you don't care about that! Instead, here's the story! I hope you enjoy reading it, and thanks to those who have stuck around so far.

Travelling up the Fooji Mountains was a much more arduous task than climbing down. If you listened to Lloyd, it was an almost impossible feat.

"Ugh, my legs hurt," Lloyd grumbled for at least the third time. Kratos rolled his eyes. "There has to be an easier way to get up here."

"What did you expect, an elevator?" Genis snarked. Lloyd glared at him.

"Shut it!"

"Quit whining." Kratos nodded towards the summit of the mountain. "We're nearly at the top."

"Finally." Behind him, Zelos sighed dramatically. "I'm not sure this whole journeying thing is for me."

"Then go home," Genis replied. "Geez, you guys are babies. Triet was worse than this, all that sand…"

"Not to mention the Ossa Trail," Sheena added. "Trap doors do not belong on a mountain pass."

"Those damnable washtubs," was all Raine muttered.

"Ugh. Sounds terrible." Zelos shrugged. "I'm a city boy myself. Camping, boating, climbing…not for me."

They reached the top of the mountain and started looking around at the Rheairds. There were some that were broken: cracked wings and crushed metal. Zelos leaned down to examine them.

"Alright, Zelos. What's your plan?" Lloyd followed him over to the broken machines. "How are we going to carry these?"

"I'll show you. Over here, everyone."

He started to go around them, near the edge of the mountain. The rest of the group followed, except for Colette.

"…Hmm?" Kratos glanced behind him. The Chosen had turned and was fixedly staring at the rock off to the side. "Chosen?"

"What's up, you guys?" Lloyd turned back as well, but before anyone could say anything else, a light flashed. An orange beam of mana appeared around them, trapping them in. Colette was the only one left outside of it, still staring at the rocks.

Behind which Yuan was hiding.

"You fools fell right into my trap." Yuan jerked his hand at one to the soldiers behind him. "You. Retrieve the Rheairds." He stalked closer, his bright eyes focused on the boy in red. "I have you this time, Lloyd. You're just as slippery as your mother was."

"Don't you talk about my mom, you bastard!" Lloyd glowered from inside the trap, but Yuan didn't seem bothered. He turned to Kratos, who had his hand on his sword and absolute fire in his eyes.

"And you, Kratos. I've been wanting to have this conversation with you for a long time." Ysmirked at him, cold and without any humor. "I warned him that you would betray Cruxis again. And how right I was: the loyal lapdog, broken at Yggdrasill's feet, has suddenly become a wolf, eager to bite." Yuan stopped as something appeared in the sky. "What the hell is that?"

The object came closer, revealing a woman clad in gold, form fitting armor. She had some kind of ring around her, giving her defense like a curtain. Yuan swore under his breath.

"Pronyma," he snarled as she landed. Her eyes widened when she saw him.

"Lord Yuan. What brings you do this place?"

"I could ask you the same, Pronyma!" Yuan said indignantly. "What are you doing here?"

"Hmm? Do you not recall?" She gave him a confused look. "I'm here on Lord Yggdrasill's orders. I am to retrieve Colette."

Yuan didn't argue. "Fine. But I'm taking custody of Lloyd and Kratos. Agreed?"

Pronyma raised an eyebrow. "I thought Lord Yggdrasill ordered us to leave them alone for now."

"Yggdrasill orders you around, Pronyma, not me." Yuan gestured to Colette. "Take the Chosen and go. I'll worry about Yggdrasill."

Pronyma didn't look convinced, but she went to Colette anyway. Lloyd reached out towards his friend, but his hand was blocked by the trap. "Colette! Don't go!"

"A futile effort." Pronyma laughed, clear and cold and cruel. "Your words cannot reach a Chosen who has lost her soul." Her eyes spotted the Key Crest, dangling from Colette's neck. "What is this ugly little thing?"

Her thin fingers gripped it and started to pull it off. Before she could, however, Colette's hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. "What?!"

"No!" Colette snatched the necklace out of Pronyma's hands as she shouted. "This is a birthday present from Lloyd!"

There was a collective intake of breath from the group. Genis was the first one to recover. "Colette…spoke!"

"Colette!" Lloyd's face broke into a wide grin as his friend turned around. Her eyes, previously a dull red, had resumed their former bright blue. "You're back!"

"Impossible!" Yuan was staring at her, as was Pronyma. "There's no way that pitiful Key Crest could control the Cruxis Crystal!"

"It doesn't matter," Pronyma said dismissively. "I'll remove it later. Come with me."

As she reached out to grab Colette, the Chosen pulled her weapons out. The chakrams sliced against Pronyma's hand, causing her to recoil in pain. Colette herself backed up a few feet. There was a loud crack! and the trap around them disappeared.

"Oh…oh, no, I broke it!" Colette had stepped on Yuan's contraption.

"Alright! Nice job, my cute Colette!" Zelos grinned as Lloyd went to her and helped her up. "Getting us out of traps already."

Lloyd hauled his friend into a bear hug. "Colette!"

"Lloyd! Lloyd, I'm so happy!" She squeezed him back. "Thank you for the present! I wanted to say thank you, but I couldn't."

"Behind you!" Kratos readied his sword as Pronyma came at them. Colette bodily shoved Lloyd to the ground and threw her chakrams at the woman. They missed, but it left enough of an opening for Kratos to attack. Lloyd was on his feet quickly, one step behind Kratos as he attacked.

"You impudent fools!" Pronyma shrieked. She was blasting them with dark magic, but both swordsmen dodged the attacks. "Prepare to die!"

"She's weak to light!" Raine stepped forward, already conjuring a spell. "Colette!"

"Right!" Colette spun around, a bunch of pink feathers swirling around her. "Angel Feathers!"

"Photon!"

As the light spells hit Pronyma, so did Lloyd and Kratos. Well timed slashes, one after another, until they managed to break her guard. She leapt back like a wounded animal, but Kratos closed the gap quickly to attack. Raine had another spell ready, unleashing it just as Kratos pulled back.

Their attacks were coordinated, light spells and physical attacks working in tandem to keep her from casting spells. Eventually, she fell, unable to fight anymore.

"Gah…you little worms!" She was on her knees as Kratos approached her, ready to end it. Pronyma eyed the gleaming edge of his sword and grimaced. "Fine…you win for now. She's useless anyway." Before he could get to her, she teleported away, vanishing in a whirl of darkness.

"…Useless?" Colette blinked at the spot where she had been. However, she didn't have time to dwell on the woman's words, as Lloyd started speaking.

"Yuan! Let's settle this once and for all." He raised his swords, but Kratos quickly stepped between them. "Kratos!"

"This can wait. We have more important matters to attend to." The man's eyes slid to Yuan. "Well? Are you planning to fight us, with no back up beside some footsoldiers?"

"Sir!" Several of the Renegades stepped forward, ready to fight. Yuan frowned, then gestured for them to stand down.

"A truce for now. Just remember, Lloyd, we're not done here." He nodded to the men around him. "Get the machines. We'll retreat back to the base."

"Grr…" Lloyd glared at him. "What do you want with me?"

"In due time. I daresay we'll meet again soon." With that, Yuan led his troops back down the mountain, while Lloyd watched him go.

"He knows something about my mother," he whispered. Kratos stiffened.

"He's playing on your weak points," he said quietly. "Do not let foolish sentiment cloud your judgement."

Lloyd glared up at him. "What if it was your wife?" he hissed. Kratos froze and Lloyd pushed his way past to go talk to Colette. He wrapped his arms around the excited girl and gave her a hug, but over her shoulder he kept his angry eyes on Kratos.

When Botta entered Yuan's office several hours later, he found his boss sitting at his desk, twirling a pen and staring at the broken trap he'd ordered Zelos to set.

"So," Botta said, sitting across from him, "I am curious. You said you wanted to convince Sheena and the others to join our side. How, exactly, was caging them like animals supposed to help?"

"It forced them to listen to me. Although…"

Botta snorted. "Maybe not as well as you would have hoped."

"Damn Pronyma interrupted." Yuan reached over and picked up the trap. He turned it over in his thin fingers. "Otherwise, I'd probably have Lloyd convinced by now. And where Lloyd goes, Kratos will follow."

"So what now? We could set another trap, or we could go chasing after them." Botta ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Or we could just wait for them to come to us. They'll need the Rheairds before they can do anything else."

Yuan didn't reply. He was playing with the trap, flicking a thin piece of metal that was hanging off of it.

"Sir?"

"Someone tampered with this." There was no uncertainty in Yuan's voice. Botta raised an eyebrow.

"Sir, you said the Chosen stepped on it. She most likely broke it."

Yuan shook his head. "No. It shouldn't have malfunctioned when she stepped on it. Someone sabotaged it. Look." He indicated the piece of metal, which had a jagged edge, as if a piece of it had been snapped off.

Botta looked it over and attempted to sooth him. "Sometimes there are mechanical failures. It happens, it does not mean it's a nefarious plot."

Yuan snorted. "Hmph. Clearly, Botta, you don't know me as well as I thought. Have I ever made a machine that's malfunctioned?"

Botta wracked his brain. He hesitated, then admitted, "Well…I suppose you haven't."

"Exactly. My machines don't malfunction. Someone tampered with this." He tossed it aside angrily, where it landed on his desk and sent a stack of papers scattering across the floor. "Probably Kratos. That man has a knack for screwing up my plans."

Their conversation was interrupted by a beeping noise. Yuan pulled his communicator—the one given to him by Cruxis—off his belt. He narrowed his eyes as he read the message.

"Damn. Pronyma must've already reported back to him." He put it back on his belt. "Yggdrasill wants to see me, immediately. That means I only have about two hours before he sends a messenger angel to come find me." Yuan tilted his head back and exhaled. "He is going to be very upset that I went after Kratos. He specifically told us not to."

Botta resisted the urge to sigh. "Well, Sir, what do we do now?"

"I don't know about you," Yuan said. "But I have a splitting headache." He reached for his coffee mug. "I need to come up with some plausible reason for trying to capture Kratos."

"Hmm." Yuan reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a dark brown bottle. Botta's eyes went wide. "Sir, are you putting rum in your coffee?"

"Of course not. This is whiskey." He poured a healthy amount into his cup and then drained it. "Now. Help me brainstorm."

Lloyd wanted the group to head for Meltokio, but Sheena suggested a nearby House of Guidance instead. "It's closer," she argued. "Besides, I think we need a rest after all of that. Especially Colette." She gave her friend a smile. "I'll be you're hungry."

"I agree," Raine said. "We should sit down and parse out a new plan."

"Hey! Tomorrow, if we go into town, we can get ingredients to make cookies to celebrate." Genis cheerfully hopped over a few rocks. "What kind would you like, Colette?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said. She clasped her hands together excitedly. "Everything you make is always so good, Genis. What kind do you want, Lloyd?"

"Aw, c'mon, Colette," Lloyd said. "It's for you."

"Okay, um…chocolate chip!"

The House of Guidance wasn't far; it was situated on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. As they approached, a pair of nuns came to them, looking alarmed.

"Chosen. We were told that you…" One of the nuns, a young blonde woman, put her hands to her mouth. "Please, Chosen One, tell us it isn't true."

Zelos shrugged. "Okay. It isn't true."

Sheena rolled her eyes behind him, but the two nuns both had to hide their snickers.

"Listen, ladies," Zelos continued smoothly. "Do you really think that I, the Chosen of Mana, would…what are they accusing me of again?"

"Treason," the other nun said helpfully. She was a bit older, with darker hair that had grey at the temples.

"Oh, geez, couldn't they think of something more original?" Zelos rolled his eyes and two women giggled. "Well, do I seem like the kind of guy to commit treason? Of course not. You know the Pope, he's a bit, uh…" Zelos gestured with his hands, trying to find the word.

"…Paranoid?" the younger woman said. "He's always sort of worried about silly things."

"Yeah, well, you know." Zelos shrugged. "Listen, we don't want to cause any trouble, so we'll just go somewhere else." He turned around and motioned for the others to do the same.

"Wait, wait!" The younger nun reached out. "Chosen One, you can stay here!"

"Huh? No, no, we don't want to get you ladies in trouble."

The older woman shook her head firmly. "Chosen, we wouldn't hear of it. Remember, we nuns serve Martel. Not the Pope."

"Ah. Well, I suppose…if you're offering…"

"You can stay here," the younger one promised. "We won't tell anyone."

Zelos gave her a wide grin. "That's just what I wanted to hear."

"While travelling through Meltokio, I spotted the Chosen's group. Believing that I could isolate and capture Kratos, I met them on the Fooji Mountains and attempted to apprehend them. While there, Pronyma interrupted and attempted to take custody of the Chosen. The group was able to escape in the confusion." Yuan, who had been pacing around his desk, stopped and took a deep breath and glanced over to Botta, who was sitting at his desk writing a report. "How was that?"

"…What were you doing in Meltokio?" Botta questioned.

"Looking for supplies for the Chosen's treatment," Yuan replied quickly. "To make a Rune Crest."

"Hmm. Strange." Botta tapped his mouth with his pen. "A Rune Crest requires a Mana Fragment, Zircon, and Mana Leaf Herb. None of which require you to go to Meltokio."

"Ugh…whose side are you on here, Botta?" Yuan sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Sir, you asked me to poke holes in your story, so I'm poking." Botta stabbed the air with his pen to get his point across. "Yggdrasill will not believe you just happened to stumble across the Chosen's group."

"Then what should I tell him?" Yuan demanded angrily. "That I had a lunch date with Kratos?"

Botta sighed. "Sir, if I give you my advice, are you going to take it?"

"Probably not," Yuan replied petulantly. "But I'll consider it."

"…Fall on your sword." Botta twirled his pen in his fingers. "You were given specific orders not to capture Kratos. Admit to Yggdrasill that you went against his orders. I doubt he'll have a hard time believing it."

"Good idea, Botta. And while we're at it, I can bring him down here for a tour of the Renegade Base, too." Yuan rolled his eyes. "I want to get suspicion off me, Botta, not pile more on."

"That's what I'm saying," Botta replied evenly. "Admit that you have been following Kratos, looking for an opportunity to strike. As ill-advised as it was, you went against Yggdrasill's directions, and it backfired."

"…Hmm…" Yuan considered it. "Not a bad idea, Botta. I can apologize, grovel a bit…play the humble, contrite servant…"

"Let's not go too far, Sir," Botta mused. "Keep it believable."

"And Yggdrasill won't be any the wiser." Yuan pushed himself off the desk. "Very good. I'd better get up there, then, and stretch the limit of my acting skills. Wish me luck."

"Good luck."

"And thank you for the advice," Yuan added as an afterthought, already halfway out the door. Botta gave a chuckle as the door slid shut behind him.

"Just doing my job, Sir."

The nuns took the group upstairs, where there were two rooms. Raine quickly separated them into two: "Men in one room, ladies in another. And Zelos, I don't want to see you until morning."

"Ugh, you're no fun," he grumbled. Sheena smacked the back of his head.

Genis and Colette started to make dinner, happily working together to make a cream stew for Colette, who was ecstatic that she could taste again. Kratos would spot her occasionally sneaking bites of the ingredients before she put them in. When he raised an eyebrow at her, she giggled and hastily whispered, "Shh!".

"Ooh, and shrimp! Can we put shrimp in it?" Colette pulled out said seafood and held it up. "I haven't had shrimp since Palmacosta!"

"Of course!" Genis glanced around and shot a glance at Presea. "H-hey, Presea, you can h-help, too. Y-you know, if you want." She gave him a deadpan expression.

"I do not."

Zelos laughed. "Nice try, kid."

"Shut up!" Genis reached over and punched the swordsman in the shoulder, blushing a furious red.

Raine sighed. "Enough of your childish antics. We have a real problem to contend with." She folded her arms and stared around at them. "Colette, dear, I'm glad you're back, but we need to discuss our next step."

"Oh, yeah, we need to bring Presea back to that Kate chick," Zelos remarked. "Though, I have no idea how we're going to do that. The bridge is probably still blocked off for a while."

"Hmm…well, I have some contacts in Meltokio." Sheena was sitting cross legged on the floor. "Maybe one of them can help us out."

"But we're wanted traitors!" Genis protested. "Can we even get into Meltokio?"

"Ah, don't worry about it. I've got my ways." Zelos grinned. "I've spent enough nights sneaking in and out of Meltokio."

"Okay, Zelos, we're counting on you!" Lloyd grinned as he reached over with a spoon to taste the stew. Genis made a noise and smacked his hand. Not that it stopped Lloyd, who promptly shoved the spoon into his mouth.

"Lloyd! It's not finished!"

"Oh, come on, what's the harm?"

"There's raw shrimp in there, you dummy!"

Lloyd choked and spit out the spoonful. "Ugh!"

Colette laughed, a welcome sound after her recent silence. So welcome that even Kratos smiled. Lloyd was practically beaming.

"I'm so glad you're back, Colette."

"…Hey."

Kratos glanced up. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, flipping through one of his books. It was just after dinner; Kratos had snuck away to the males' bedroom to read in peace and quiet. It had been barely twenty minutes and Lloyd had just walked into the room, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. Kratos shut his book and set it aside. "What is it, Lloyd?"

The boy shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Are you mad at me?"

Kratos blinked. "Why would I be angry at you?"

"Because I keep doing stupid stuff." Lloyd gave him a feeble attempt at a smile. "Like getting into fights with Yuan."

Kratos let out a long breath. "I'm not upset with you. I'm just trying teach you not to let your emotions overtake your common sense."

"…It's not easy," Lloyd admitted. "How are you so calm all the time?"

"Time. Age." Kratos moved over to allow some room beside him. "Remaining calm when someone is pushing your buttons is a lesson that has to be learned the hard way, through experience."

Lloyd sat down beside him on the bed. "Do you think Yuan knows stuff about my family?" he asked abruptly. "Or do you think he's lying to get me to cooperate with him?"

"…I think Yuan is trying to trick you. He knows that you want information on your family and he's not afraid to use that against you." Kratos sighed. "Yuan will probably tell you anything he thinks you want to hear to get you in his clutches."

Lloyd shuffled his feet. "I know that. It just hurts, you know? It seems like everyone knows what happened to my parents, except for me."

For a brief moment, the thought passes through Kratos' mind: you could tell him. But he shoved it out of his head, reminding himself that Lloyd will be safer, happier, not knowing.

Instead, he squeezed Lloyd shoulder bracingly. "Don't let Yuan take advantage of you. You're smarter than that. Your plan is to save both worlds, correct?"

"Yeah." Lloyd took a deep breath. "Yeah, that's right. I will."

Kratos nodded approvingly. "Then continue working for that goal. Don't worry about what Yuan may know or not know."

The door opened, ending any conversation the two were having. Zelos loped in, as breezy as ever.

"Ugh, I hate places like this. Every time I stop here, all I get from the nuns and priests are requests to pray with them. It's such a burden being popular." He flopped on his bed and sighed. "What are you two doing, having a party?"

"Hmph. I would think that the Chosen wouldn't mind praying." Kratos folded his arms as Lloyd stood up and went to his own bed. "It seems strange you don't want to do it."

"Yeah." Lloyd scratched his head. "Colette likes to pray. She says it makes her feel at peace."

"Heh…well, Colette's a better Chosen than I am, I guess." Zelos smirked, though his smile didn't make him look any happier. "I'll be honest, I don't know if I would be so…enthusiastic about killing myself for the world."

"You can't think of a single person you'd sacrifice yourself to save?" Lloyd questioned. Zelos snorted. "Not even one of your girlfriends?"

"…Like I said," he replied. "Colette's a better Chosen than I am. Me? I'm selfish. What can I say?" He shrugged. "I am what I am."

Lloyd cocked his head. "I don't think you're selfish."

Zelos didn't say anything, although his disbelieving face said enough. There were a few moments of awkward silence, before Lloyd cleared his throat.

"Hey, as long as you're both here, um…" He scratched the back of his head out of habit. "Can we…maybe train a bit? I want to learn how to do that twirl thing."

"Light Spear?" Kratos questioned. Lloyd nodded. "Hmm. Well, if you want to, we can go to a more suitable location and I can show you how to do it."

"Oho ho!" Zelos practically leapt up from his bed. "Are we having a late night lesson?"

"We'll have to be back before sundown. Maybe an hour or two, but that's enough to get the basics in." Kratos stood up and pulled out his bag. "Lloyd, go ahead and fill some canteens downstairs. We'll grab some medicinal items, just in case."

"Sure! Meet you out front?" Kratos nodded and Lloyd went off. Zelos gave him a wry smile as the boy's footsteps faded away.

"Medicine, huh? You, uh, going to give some of that to me when you give me a black eye?"

"Hmph. I don't intend to harm you." Kratos carefully began to place life bottles in his pack. "Not unless you give me a reason."

"Ah." Zelos nodded. "And you just wanted to remind me not to give you a reason."

"Just a reminder." Kratos tied the bag closed and headed for the door. "Come. Lloyd is not a patient child."

"Huh. Wonder where he gets it from."