Disclaimer: I don't own Namco or Tales studios so please don't make the wrong assumption that I own anything.

Warning: Moses/Jay. Slash and spoilers.

Note: Have I mentioned that it's my first fic? Or that English is not my first language and I suck at it? Now you know. Thanks for reading it anyway D

Chapter 2

Jay can consider himself lucky that their close neighbors were not around to witness his humiliation at the hands of one stupid bandit. He sure as hell wouldn't let that happen. He'd rather die than suffer the indignity of it all, and since he's not inclined to do that, he'd rather that the beast tamer be the one to die first, at his hands, preferably.

"I can walk, Moses, so put me down!" The bandit ignored the stern, no-nonsense tone of voice of the younger teen as he continued to walk. But when he neared the descending steps that would lead to the main center of the village, Jay balanced his upper body up and gave the bandit a whack on the head with his elbow.

"Oww! Wha' was that for, Jay?!" Moses rubbed the numbing spot at the back of his head with his right hand, still not letting go of the young strategist with his left.

"Do you need to ask, you idiot? Let me down, now!" Moses knows that Jay's almost non-existent patience in dealing with him has miraculously stretched far enough for Jay to actually let himself be touched and even playfully manhandled by him this way, but Moses just couldn't stop himself from teasing the younger teen more because nothing is more adorable than an irritated Jay. The way his cheeks would color a tinge of pink in anger looks as fetching as a blush, and his lips would curve in that adorable pout of his, which is as radiant as his smile. Then his eyes, those dark depths seemingly cold and without emotion would be filled up with passion, and can be as sharp as his dagger if it could kill; the epitome of deadly cuteness, which is his Jay. What older brother can't be proud of having a little brother like that? So the bandit could only cherish the sight by saying,

"But Jay, I know you'd just disappear on me if I let ya off my back..." At hearing this, Jay only got more irritated because the bandit chose that moment to be smart about something. Usually, Moses would act like the naive and ignorant savage that he is, but who's to say that apes can't be smart enough to survive? Finding himself at a loss, Jay decided that in order to get this torture over and done with, tagging along with the idiot now would be best. And maybe he could think of a means to cleanly dispose of the bandit along the way. So, after letting out an exaggerated sigh, he said

"Fine. I won't disappear on you. I'll go with you to the forest." Jay then felt Moses shift him gently, pulling him down slowly along the bandit's front until his feet touched the ground. They stood close, with Moses' arms still wrapped around the younger teen's back, and with Jay's palms flat in the bandit's chest. Jay could only look up at the taller man in front of him with a bewildered look in his face.

In that few seconds, Jay felt like he was the most treasured "sack of meat" in the land. Jay had never liked being touched. Growing up without such intimacy had never allowed him to get used to it. The touches he had initiated in the past to a select few are wary handshakes, and an embrace or two. One to a woman who deserved it for her gentle nature and the other...

Well, now that he think about it, somehow he had instinctively reached out, sobbing against the bandit's tanned chest in the middle of his grief when Grune was about to leave. Now, he had just realized that the only person whom he had ever allowed to touch him and had ever touched him with such fondness and gentleness, that makes his heart beat faster and his stomach flip in a strangely pleasant way, was this stupid idiot standing right in front of him. In his befuddled state of mind his eyes could only bare the question, 'Why?'

The unnerving thoughts that followed brought him back to reality, which made him realize that they had been gazing at each other's eyes for a while now. He now came to feel the weight of the bandit's arms around him, which caused him to suddenly jerk and push away from the warm embrace, to avoid the other's inquiring gaze.

The troubled look that Jay had when he moved away was unfortunately mistaken by Moses as a look of disgust, which caused the bandit to stammer out an apology.

"What?" Jay asked, not sure if he had heard the other correctly.

"I'm sorry..." Having repeated the apology, Moses conveyed all the sincerity in it. Even though the young strategist allowed him a lot of things, which tells him that they at least had gotten closer over the months they had been forced to be together because of Senel and the other erens' situations, Moses still can't help but feel that the former ninja merely tolerates his presence like he says most of the time, despite his hope to believe otherwise. Hoping that somehow along their journey, Jay had finally accepted him if not as a family, but as a friend.

"What are you apologizing for?" Jay asked, surprised that he had indeed heard correctly after all, but what's got into the idiot's mind now?

'For being a nuisance, for being an idiot, and for being a stupid bandit' were some of the things that were going through the beast-tamer's mind, but foremost in his thoughts was one thing that he's sorry for, 'I'm sorry for not being worthy to be called your family…' "Nothin'." Moses said, as he turned to side step around the other teen and cheerfully skipped towards the steps leading to the shops below. "Let's go Jay! Everyb—I mean, the forest's waitin' for us!!" the bandit called back before descending down and disappearing from sight.

Jay thought he saw a sad look fleet through the older teen's face before he turned away, but as he saw the rambunctious bandit disappear down the steps, he thought he must have imagine it. He didn't miss the "slip" though. Really, if the "Fun Bunch", as Norma calls their group, wanted to send someone to fetch him to 'surprise' him, they should have known that the idiot's not the best one to do it. Perhaps they were counting on how persistent and annoying Moses could be, and if they were hoping for that to work, Jay thought he should at least give them credit for that. Letting out another sigh, Jay decided to catch up to the bandit before he could mess up anything more than he has to.

-----

A young man stood at the bow of a ship staring at the sea, seemingly lost in his thoughts. His slender frame was covered by an animal skin which is dark brown in color, tailored as a shirt that hung off his shoulders and loose fitting pants that hung of his slim hips. His long straw-colored hair that ended in a braid upon his waist was still and unruffled despite the ship's movement.

'The sea's unusually calm, almost as if it's aware of our need to find the SelXes.' The young man's musings were then disturbed by a shriek of a bird. Round hazel eyes rose up to see a Peepit flying towards him. Instead of being alarmed by this, the young man raised his right hand as if welcoming an old friend from its long voyage. The fingers of his right hand glowed and when he spoke, his words seemed to come out as a sound the bird understood, for the Peepit then swooped down to rest its sharp claws gently at his outstretched hand, managing not to scratch his cream-colored skin.

"What news do you bring from Renawes, my friend?" Again, his fingers glowed and the message seemed to be understood by the Peepit, who replied at him with its shrieks. At hearing whatever reply conveyed by the bird, a frown appeared on the young man's face. Whatever news he had heard seemed dire, for his frown was replaced by a look of determination.

"We're running out of time. Our people are counting on the SelXes. We need to find him and soon." The young man said aloud, and in his thoughts only one name resounded,

'Moses…'

A/N: I'm floating on a river of plots. Don't know where it will take me right now.