A.N: OK, 4th chapter (I managed to get here, wow!). This one is, I think, slightly longer than the others. Hope you enjoy it

And again, thank you to all reviewers, and the people who have added this (or even me) to their favourites lists! You people are great.

Metaphorical Flames

Zelos sniffed at the air triumphantly, letting the wonderful aroma of his perfect cooking wash over him. The dish, his Jambalaya, was a veritable masterpiece. One that would cause the brat kid, Genis much suffering for his earlier cruel comments about the red-head's precious 'hunnies'. Of course, it helped that Zelos was going to slip in a little extra spice for Genis, without the kid knowing it.

"Let's see those smart-ass comments come out when his mouth is on fire," Zelos muttered, snickering to himself in what Regal described as his 'disturbing laugh'.

Slapping a portion onto a plate (and mixing in enough peppers –and chilli which is not exactly a traditional ingredient – to be deemed cruel), Zelos pushed the plate aside, before screaming:

"DINNER!" at the top of his lungs and moving to the window to watch his friends walk back to the cabin they were staying in.

Lloyd, he noticed, had jumped up and was already racing towards the house, Colette and Genis in tow. Regal, Presea and Sheena strolled behind at a slightly more leisurely pace, and there, in the distance, were the unmistakable figures of Raine and Kratos.

Zelos smirked. Everyone knew that Kratos was totally 'into' Raine, as the ex-chosen put it. Everyone except Raine, that was.

The 'ultra-cool-beauty' seemed oblivious to the man's affection for her. She could genuinely be, but then again, she could also be fully aware and not interested.

'He should put the moves on her, Zelos thought as he dished out the rest of the food 'but it's not exactly Mr 'play-it-cool's' style is it?'

His thoughts about the situation of the two were interrupted suddenly, however, by Lloyd bursting in through the kitchen door. The teen was jumping around like an over excited child.

"Finally! I'm starving. Can we eat already?" he looked over to the plates of food on the table

"Um…shouldn't we wait for everyone else, first?" Colette suggested, filing in behind Lloyd, alongside Genis.

"But I'm hungry!"

"It's good manners, Lloyd. It's rude to start eating without the others." Genis informed, looking out through the window Zelos had been looking out of only moments ago.

"But you saw how far away the professor and Kratos were….they'll take ages to get here." Lloyd whined.

Zelos rolled his eyes "Go, sit in the dining room, bud. They'll get here soon enough."

Lloyd grudgingly nodded, then shuffled through the door to the dining room, scuffing the floor as he went with his feet. Colette followed and Zelos could hear her speaking to Lloyd, trying to cheer him up about the lack of food no doubt.

"You think they're ever gonna get together?" Genis asked suddenly, and it took a moment for Zelos to figure out what he was talking about.

"Huh…oh, you mean Kratos and Raine?"

"Um…maybe," Zelos replied, scratching his head, wondering why the brat-kid was asking him about this. Specifically him.

Genis turned to look at him, a white eyebrow raised. "Ok, you're actually speechless, for once…what's the deal?"

"Umm, nothing…" the door to the kitchen opened and Sheena and Regal walked in "Ah! Look! Sheena, Presea and Regal! Look Genis, it's Sheena, Presea and Regal!"

The aforementioned trio gave the ex-chosen a look that clearly stated that they thought he was acting oddly.

"Um, yes, it's us. What's so special about that?" Sheena asked, glancing between him and Genis.

"Oh, nothing," Zelos stated before scuttling into the dining room to escape his companion's gazes.

"OK…that was odd," Sheena commented "What was that about?"

The white haired boy shrugged "Not sure. I just asked him what he thought the chances of Raine and Kratos getting together were."

"Why?"

He shrugged again "Dunno"

"I sense that Zelos was uncomfortable with your question." Presea explained, gesturing to the doorway which the Speedo-clad man had just exited through.

"Why's he uncomfortable? I'm the one asking the uncomfortable questions."

"More importantly," Regal interrupted "why were you asking?"

"I just…I wanted to know what he thought about it, that's all."

The trio shifted slightly, uncomfortable.

"You're uneasy with the thought of them being together." It wasn't a question.

"No! I..I want Raine to be happy, but…"

"But?" Lloyd asked, walking into the kitchen, clearly having been eavesdropping.

"But it's Kratos," Genis continued, looking down at the floor and squirming restlessly under the scrutiny of his friends. "It'd be weird," he explained "Kratos would be like…my step-dad."

Lloyd shrugged "He is my dad."

"That's different."

"Genis, relax, it's not like he's gonna try and act like your Dad or anything. Besides, think of it this way…if Kratos and the Professor get together, we'll be brothers."

Lloyd's comment seemed to do the job of reassuring the teen, because he looked from the floor and smiled.

"Yeah, that's true…plus it'd be pretty cool to have you as a big brother."

The brunet grinned at his younger friend. "You know it…"

"It'll still be weird though," the magician mumbled, looking out the window at the approaching figures again.

"Yeah," Lloyd agreed, following his friend's gaze "But it'll be weird for me too. Think about it, Raine'll be like my step-mom and my step-sister."

"Ew, that's creepy."

"You know," Sheena whispered to Regal and Presea, so the two boys couldn't hear "Lloyd's being surprisingly mature about this."

Regal nodded. "I wonder how long it'll last."

The brunet suddenly turned and glared at them.

"OK, I don't know what you just said, but I know you're talking about me, since you're whispering….and I really don't have a problem with Kratos and Raine getting together. Come on, my Dad can't mourn my Mom forever…I don't think she'd want him too."

Lloyd glanced out the window as he spoke, noting how close the couple were now.

"Damn. They got here quick."

"So much for 'they'll take ages to get here' huh, Lloyd?" Genis smirked.

The older boy merely stuck his tongue out at his friend.

"Fascinating as this topic is," Sheena interjected, diverting the argument that was about to occur between the teenage boys "we probably shouldn't speak about it when they're around. If it's going to happen, it'll happen. They'll work it out for themselves."

"I agree," Regal…agreed "they can sort this out without any help from us."

"If Kratos ever makes a move!" Zelos shouted from the dining room.

"Just because he's not as perverted and as forward as you!" the ninja yelled back.

Genis rolled his eyes and grabbed a dish of jambalaya, walking into the dining room "whatever. Let's just eat and not mention this at dinner."

Lloyd followed suit, grabbing another bowl of jambalaya and followed the younger Sage into the dining room.

"Yo! Sheena, grab a dish for me, yeah!?" The red-head shouted.

Sheena muttered something under her breath, going to pick up a second bowl when a Colette's cheery voice stopped her.

"Hang on Sheena, I'll get it!"

The former chosen suddenly ran into the kitchen, grabbed two bowls of jambalaya, conveniently grabbing the plate set off to the side that Zelos had intended for Genis to have. He had, however, completely forgotten about his prank.

The blonde girl returned to the dining room a few moments later, setting the meal in front of the other ex-chosen, whilst the remaining people in the house trickled in with their respective meals.

Lloyd glared sullenly at his food, before proclaiming "See! Kratos and Raine are going to take ages know that we've sat down and are ready to eat! Screw etiquette or whatever, I'm starting without them." He snatched up a fork from the table, aiming it at a particularly juicy looking bit of meat.

"Whilst I'm impressed that you are aware not only of the fact that the word 'etiquette' exists, but also that you managed to use it correctly, Lloyd," Kratos stated, appearing behind his son "That is not an appropriate attitude."

Lloyd turned slowly, looking guiltily at his father. "Uh…hey Dad."

The older man merely shrugged and took his seat, which was, most bizarrely, directly opposite where Raine was sitting.

"Footsie!" Zelos coughed, eliciting stares, glares and sniggers from the other members of the party at the table.

Raine swiftly reached over and smacked him upside the head.

Still sniggering, despite the pain that was now radiating from the back of his head, Zelos grabbed his fork and took a bite of his dinner….

And promptly burst into metaphorical flames.

Sheena, who was sitting opposite Zelos, stared at the chosen as his face turned the same colour as his hair, and silently offered him a glass of water, which he declined before calmly sliding out of his chair and leaving the room casually.

The group who remained seated at the table waited in silence, before hearing a torrent of water crash onto the kitchen floor, followed by a loud and way-too-high-pitched squeak from the man who had just left the room.

"Ooookkkk?" Lloyd questioned, staring at the doorway to the kitchen.

"I believe Zelos' meal was too spicy for him." Presea answered, responding to the stunned looks of the diners.

The aforementioned 'philanderer' chose that moment to re-enter the room, shivering, water dripping from his hair and body, face still the colour of a beetroot. He said nothing as he crossed the room, calmly took his seat and continued eating his meal, without so much as a hint of discomfort over the heat of the food.

"So…uh…" Sheena started, casting around for a topic which they could discuss to break the stunned silence "...Raine, Kratos, how's it going with you two?"

"What do you mean?" Raine asked, apparently not noticing as Kratos choked on his meal at the topic.

"Well…uh, I just mean, we haven't spoken much, you know? Had a chance to catch up or anything? All of us, I mean, not just you and Kratos. Not that there'd be anything wrong with just you and Kratos catching up. You're both adults and you don't need us telling you whether you can…um…talk or anything you know, especially as Kratos is over 4000 years old. But age isn't a problem is it? It's not like it should stop people being friends, or more….or, or, just acquaintances…not that you're just acquaintances anyway, well, you might be but you know each other too well, or maybe you don't, but that's your choice, but you could get to know each other better, it's not like there's...uh, anything to…stop….uh….you" the ninja trailed off, heaving in breaths at her long, babbled monologue.

Raine, for once, didn't look like she had a clue what was going on, and chose to look at Kratos for any sort of idea.

The mercenary merely shrugged and took another bite of his dinner, studiously looking out the window and anywhere but Raine's eyes.

Stymied by the lack of response from anyone over Sheena's random monologue, Raine merely replied with a curt, not to mention patronising; "Yes, Sheena."

The former assassin blushed a shade similar to that of Zelos' face after just taking a bite of his meal, and she promptly dropped her head.

The rest of the meal was spent in various silences, brought on by embarrassment and tension in equal amounts.

It was finally Kratos who broke the pervasive silence with the suggestion that, following the protocol of washing up the dishes, the entire group should engage in some sort of amusing activity as a whole, thereby ridding them of the tension, and the problem of, as Lloyd put it 'what the hell are we gonna do for the rest of the day?'.

"Swimming!"

"I veto anything that involves water." Raine replied sharply to Genis' suggestion.

"Ooohhh, I wonder why that is…are you maybe….scare..OW!"

"I am NOT afraid of water," Raine informed Genis (and the rest of the group) coolly, whilst rubbing her now red hand that was sore from the blow she had just dealt her brother.

"So why not go swimming, my ultra cool beauty?" Zelos questioned, not missing the warning look that Kratos sent him but Raine, apparently, missed.

"We'll sunburn so badly."

"In water?"

"Water acts as a magnifying lens, Zelos, it focuses the sun's rays so you'll burn more."

"Plus it would mean that Kratos would have to show some skin, and we can't have that," Sheena quipped, winking at the mercenary and exaggeratedly trawling her eyes down his body (Lloyd gags at this point).

A quiet, unamused "humph" was the only response Sheena received from the stoic man, aside from a slight glare.

"How about volleyball?" Colette suggested meekly.

"Yeah! I second that," Zelos replied, a little too enthusiastically, a wide grin on his face.

Raine just about caught the words 'bouncing' and 'chests' from him, and subsequently, the idea was quickly squashed.

A brief discussion (for discussion, read 'argument') erased any chance of sand-castle building, treasure hunting and pretty much anything else you could think of doing on a beach.

"The only other thing we can do together is talk," Lloyd commented, flopping down listlessly onto the sand.

"That is not true," Presea stated

"So what're we gonna do?"

"Perhaps we could spar….after all, we are all fighters."

Regal nodded in agreement at the idea. "Presea is right. It should keep us entertained for a good amount of time, and it seems fitting that we should essentially relive our journey together through this."

"Well, since all talking seems to do at the moment is start arguments, I believe sparring is probably the best option we have right now." Kratos murmured, looking out towards the ocean.

"Alright!" shouted Genis, "I have waited so long to show you this new attack!"

With that stated, the youngest member of the group sprinted into the cottage to retrieve his kendama. Everyone else quickly followed suit, walking back to the house to retrieve their weapons.

And a completely lame ending I know, but I was so ready to just get on and write the next chapter (so excited about that one! Big, important chapter!!!), so I apologise for the ending. I also apologise if there was too much about cooking, food etc. in it...and if anyone was expecting more Kraine stuff...I just wanted to cover what the other characters thought of the situation.

Anyhoo, reviews are as always appreciated, and any questions, ideas, requests etc. are very welcome.

Please review...reviews inspire me:)