Disclaimer: Bleh... I own nothing. Namco does. Cause you know... it's awesome like that.

Author's Note: God, this one is... old. I was backupping my PC (backupping - word? O.o) and found this. I seem to do that quite a lot. I finished it... so it goes up here.

This is not exclusively GxK, to be honest - it's just the two of them spending a typical day in Namco x Capcom when they're not fighting. And food. Yeah. Food.

Heheh.

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"I'm back." A voice called from outside. Klonoa looked out, poking his head through the flap of the tent, and scowled at the person who was approaching.

"I thought you'd never turn up." The cabbit said crossly. "I've been watching the Red Clan for about two hours now and getting heartily sick of it. Where were you anyway?"

"Chill, Klonoa." The young man laughed, brushing a lock of hair away from his eyes. "If you were sick of my baby I wouldn't let you ride along with me." Klonoa blushed at that, turning away, but the other didn't notice. "I was in the marketplace. We're not out to battle, our battle date is two weeks. Until then we'll just have to keep on base and guard the fort, and mess about in general. There are a lot of Moos around, I saw them. It's only us in base for two weeks, so we can hunt around."

"Great. Anything other than Moos around, Guntz?" Klonoa's ears perked up at the sound of rustling. "Food!" He jumped to the bags that the hunter had been carrying, poking around.

"Hey, hey, calm down!" Guntz pulled one of the bags away. "We're economizing."

"Awww..." Klonoa's ears drooped and he sighed. Guntz, upon watching that, softened a bit and patted the cabbit's head gently. Klonoa looked up, and the hunter brushed a lock of his headfur back, smiling. Despite his disappointment Klonoa couldn't help smiling in return, blushing softly.

"We've got vegetables and some meat. Most of it's jerky, but we have some fresh ones. We'll have to eat that today and tomorrow." Guntz inspected the contents. "There's a small river nearby, and the water is quite clean there - we can save money and drink from there, but I just got some bottles anyway. And the river has fish." He looked to the east. "I'll have to teach you to fish in a few days. Other than that, I just have some snacks and that's about it."

"You even thought of snacks." Klonoa remarked, already unwrapping a small bar of caramel. "That's new."

-----

The sun was shining brightly overhead. It was a beautiful afternoon, sunlight sprinkled over the waters of the river, and the two lay on the ground, eyes closed and relaxed. It was a nice feeling to lie under the sunshine, away from the worries and dangers of combat and just lie there lazily. Klonoa was dozing, and Guntz was absent-mindedly stroking his gun. This did not come off as strange to the cabbit; he knew that the gun was not loaded, and Guntz was much too careful to set it off even if it were, and that he was an expert, so it did not worry him at all.

"Guntz?"

"What do you want, kid?" The reply came. The hunter sounded very drowsy, almost asleep. Klonoa looked over at him. His eyes were shut and his normally firm, sharp features were softened; he looked just like a normal teenager instead of an assassin. The cabbit found himself staring at the hunter for a long time, taking every detail in, having completely forgotten what he was going to say.

"Hello? Earth to Klonoa?" A gloved hand waved about in front of his face. Klonoa jumped, startled, and stared at the hunter again, looking blank. "What was it that you wanted?"

"What? Oh..." Klonoa fell silent again as he tried to recall what he'd wanted to say. "Well.. I wanted to ask you something."

"Fire away. I'm listening."

"What do you feel like now... that Janga's gone?"

There was silence.

"...What the hell?" Came the reply, sounding confused and slightly annoyed. The cabbit winced and drew back.

"No, never mind... I was just curious..." He murmured, thinking that he had said something wrong. Janga was, after all, a delicate talking point and Guntz's most hated person until now. He shouldn't have mentioned the name at all. Klonoa was just thinking of an excuse to go back into the tent and avoid further confrontation when a gloved hand gently cupped his chin.

"It's alright." Guntz said softly, looking at the cabbit. "You were bound to ask in the end." His hand dropped to the ground and he stared up at the sky. Klonoa watched him, waiting. Guntz would answer him in the end, however long he took.

"After Janga died..." The hunter sighed. "Well, I was triumphant. You know that much. But after you lot had all gone to sleep..." He trailed off, burying his head into his arms. The cabbit moved over and looked expectantly at him. "I stayed awake. I'd lived my life for a sole purpose, killing Janga. But he was dead and... I had nothing. There was no purpose left for me. I was empty."

Silence reigned for a minute.

"Then...?" Klonoa slowly asked. Guntz sure didn't look empty - there must have been something else.

"Well... I thought about the situation for hours, and then I realized I maybe had some things to live for, after all. Not money. Money's no purpose for anyone and I have plenty of that anyway. One of to rid Lunatea of evil. Not very difficult, because Janga's dead now and there are few foes left in Lunatea. I knew I was grasping at straws when it came to my other purpose - but it was worth keeping it in mind, I suppose, so here I am now."

"What's your other purpose?" Klonoa asked curiously, but Guntz only smiled, shaking his head. He got up.

"No time for that now. It's suppertime. We should get to work with cooking." He was walking towards the tent, whistling to himself. The cabbit watched, a small grin on his face. Guntz had become a lot more agreeable and gentle since his nemesis had been taken care of, and Klonoa liked it that way. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard a slithering sound coming near him. Klonoa looked around, ears perked up, but didn't raise his guard.

That was the mistake.

A Moo was dashing towards him, its little stone sword pointed. Klonoa stared, transfixed; it was only a small Moo, but he was unarmed and those small creatures could do a lot of damage if angered. The cabbit tried to get up, but the Moo was coming fast...

"Guntz!" Klonoa cried, turning back to run. He could outrun the creature quite easily. But just as he was about to move, he felt a sharp pain travel through his leg; the Moo's sword had struck his ankle, and he fell down with a pained cry. The Moo was getting ready to attack again, its little face showing nothing more than hate. It pointed its sword at Klonoa, ready to charge once more. Klonoa gasped - whether from the pain, or in dismay, he didn't know - and shut his eyes.

A shot sounded from behind him, and the Moo fell down. Klonoa opened his eyes, to see that the little creature was still, the sword embedded onto the ground. Slowly, it's body began to glow, until it was all broken up into golden coins and sky-blue dreamstones. Guntz was standing behind the cabbit, a bemused look on his face, and helped Klonoa up gently.

"First catch since we've come here, I suppose. You okay?" He asked. The cabbit nodded, shaken but regaining his calmness.

"Keep absolutely still. I don't think the blade was poisoned, but it might still have caused much damage."

"Tell me about it." Klonoa laughed shakily. "Thanks... for saving me, Guntz..."

"No problem, kid. Only for you."

Guntz was looking straight ahead, gaze fixed on the dreamstones and the golden coins, seemingly ignoring the red blood spattered on the ground.

"Is that your blood or the Moo's?" He asked directly to Klonoa, who winced a little as he looked down. There was blood running down his ankle, yes; but it was only a trickle, and certainly not enough to make a mess on the ground.

"It's the Moo's." Klonoa answered. "You... sure did make a lot of mess. Normally your targets don't even appear to shed blood, they just drop down and die."

"That Moo was small enough for the bullet to go right through it." Guntz answered back with a ghastly cheerfulness. He began picking up the dreamstones and coins, shaking off the drops of blood, putting them into his pocket and humming to himself softly. "Oh, pretty red dots on the floor..."

-----

"That's better, isn't it?"

"Much better." Klonoa answered, as he drew his leg back and inspected the bandages. "Wow... you've done a really professional job here, Guntz."

"I had to learn," The hunter replied calmly, putting away the kit. "It's a rough world. You'll be okay in a few days or so. Lucky we haven't got any battles in store." He finished putting away the bandages and then looked back. "Rest, Klonoa. I'll get on with dinner."

"What's for dinner, then?" Klonoa asked with interest. Guntz only winked and went out of the tent, and soon the cabbit could hear a crackling as the bonfire was lit. He sighed and laid back, looking at the green canvas cover of the tent.

Guntz had changed.

He was gentle, he was calm. Ah, the bliss of being with the hunter; Guntz was openly honest and wonderful to the cabbit, his sapphire eyes always gleaming with life when Klonoa approached him. Guntz had never been like that before. Before their journey to become a hero ended, the cabbit only knew Guntz as... cold. Emotionless and ruthless as well, never caring for other people much. But the hunter had matured into a young man of sixteen now, and was now friendly and cheerful. That was his unique charm. Klonoa had spent the last few days in almost-heaven.

"Klo', come over a sec if you can, could you?"

"What is it?" Klonoa dragged himself with some effort to the entrance to the tent. "Guntz, what the-"

"Lend us some Wind energy. The fire's too weak and there's no wind about, and I have no clue how to use your ring." Klonoa raised an eyebrow.

"But surely you know how to increase a bonfire flame, Guntz, you've lived out in the open ever since you were little."

"I was lucky then." Guntz muttered. "Just hurry up."

"Yes sir." Klonoa mock-saluted, and disappeared into the tent. He appeared again twenty seconds later, holding a jewelled ring. He pointed the jewel towards the flame, while Guntz watched silently. "Ruprudu!"

Instantly, the fire shot up and flared a deep, fiery red, transforming so suddenly that Klonoa flinched. The hunter however seemed to find this vaguely amusing, and only poked the fire more.

"Stop that!" Klonoa yelped. "You want to burn us all up or something?"

"Chill." The hunter replied lazily. "I threw gunpowder in the fire. It works like magic." He pointed to the sky, where a Flying Moo squawked and fell into the flames, getting nicely roasted in the process. "Look, instant meat!"

Klonoa sighed. "We can't actually eat Moos, Guntz..."

-----

"Dinner's done." A voice called from outside. Klonoa crawled over to the entrance, looking wary. "Stop looking like that, Klonoa. I haven't done anything to it. It hasn't got bits of Moos in it, dessicated, roasted or otherwise." Klonoa made a face, shuddering.

"Talk again and you'll just put me off dinner."

"Tough." Guntz was checking a saucepan; there was a wonderful scent as he took off the lid, a savoury one, and Klonoa breathed in appreciatively. "Klonoa, do you want to slice the bread?"

"Where is it?"

Guntz took out two large rolls out of a bag and laid them on a board. "The knife's there. What's soup without bread?"

"Not much." Klonoa laughed and began slicing the bread into chunks. There was silence for a while as the two got on with their work. The silence was broken when Klonoa put down the knife and arranged the chunks of bread onto a dish. "There you go!"

"Well done. Now we can eat." Guntz smiled, and took the ladle. Klonoa watched him, the flames lighting his face, eyes filled with happiness and curiosity.

"Here." Guntz handed him a bowl, filled with a hot, steaming liquid. Klonoa took the bowl and peered into it, absent-mindedly fishing around in his bag for a spoon. Guntz had settled into his own space, opposite the cabbit, with his own bowl. Looking into Klonoa's eyes, Guntz softly murmured the traditional Lunatean prayer before the meal, the cabbit joining in quietly after a word or two. The words faded away between the crackling of the fire, but they held meaning to the both of them and that was what mattered.

Klonoa dipped his spoon into the bowl, sipping the contents, and his face brightened. "Wow." He said softly, staring into the bowl. "Guntz, you're a good cook!"

"I try." Guntz smiled, and took up his own spoon. The soup was hot, but not too salty; the meat inside was tender, being cooked throughly. There were a few vegetables as well but Klonoa didn't mind for once, as he could barely taste them, and he concentrated more on the creamy flavour. Neither of them spoke as they enjoyed the meal.

"Have another helping if you want," Guntz spoke once, and then he lapsed into silence again. Klonoa took the ladle and took some more. "And you could give me the rest, if you please."

After two helpings each of the soup, both were full and content. Klonoa murmured his thanks to Guntz, and to the Goddess Claire. Guntz smiled, giving his thanks to the Goddess also. "Stay here," He said, taking the bowls. "I'll wash up and come back. Keep watch."

"Okay."

-----

"Guntz?"

"Hmmm?"

"Care for chocolate as dessert?" Klonoa held up a chocolate bar, grinning. Guntz's eyes widened.

"Hey, Klonoa- what the hell- that's-" He spluttered, but then as Klonoa pouted and went teary-eyed, stopped. "...Alright."

"You're not the only one who likes chocolate, you know." Klonoa scolded with good humour, breaking the bar into two. "You could have bought two." Normally he would have thought this fact irritating; but it was Guntz he was dealing with, not anyone else, and he was used to it. But Klonoa was nowhere near prepared for the answer.

"It wasn't for me." Guntz replied softly.

Klonoa stared. "What?"

Without further talk, Guntz took up his half of the bar, unwrapping it and biting off a square. Klonoa watched him.

"The bar was yours, by the way. Nice of you to offer." Guntz continued speaking, after he'd finished savouring the square. "This is really good. Try eating it slowly."

Klonoa unwrapped his own half gingerly and took a bite himself. The chocolate was sweet and rich, with the faintest hint of bitterness, with subtle creamy smoothness that he never realized was in chocolate. The chocolate had no fillings in it, being solid milk chocolate, but it was lovely to just hold it on his tongue and let it melt.

"See?" Guntz laughed, seeing Klonoa's face brighten.

"I do," Klonoa replied, grinning. "Strange how you know so much."

"I know a lot of things." Guntz replied vaguely, and took another bite. There was silence in the tent for a while, the two watching the bonfire, with one occasionally prodding the wood deeper into the flames to create more heat. There was something about the atmosphere, silent yet oddly calming the nerves. Klonoa's fingers lightly brushed Guntz's arm, and they both smiled. The cabbit didn't notice that his other hand was dangerously close to the fire, but Guntz did.

"Careful!" Guntz quickly pulled Klonoa away. "You could have burnt yourself!" But Klonoa was hardly listening.

"Guntz, your hands are so cold!"

"I've been cold before." The hunter remarked with little emotion, settling down again. "It's nothing serious."

"Still..." The cabbit trailed off, and gently held Guntz's right hand in two of his own, trying to warm it up. "It's not healthy to have cold hands, Guntz."

"I've been like that for a long time." Guntz replied quietly. "There's not much use in trying to warm me up now."

Klonoa didn't reply to that, but merely looked at Guntz.

"Don't look at me like that." The hunter said, sounding somewhat annoyed. "That's not going to work on me, I tell you, because-"

"It's not that, Guntz." Klonoa began to giggle, nudging up close to the older one. "You're still really childish, you know that? There's chocolate smudged on your cheek, although Goddess knows how it got there."

"What?" Guntz lightly touched his cheek with a finger, feeling the smudge of chocolate, and knew that Klonoa was speaking the truth. "Huh. Guess I'll have to just... wipe it off, then..." He reached next to him for his rucksack, trying to get himself a tissue and regain his dignity before anything else happened. But he was stopped by a hand gently grasping his.

"Tut-tut... tissues won't make it any better, everyone knows that." Klonoa teased gently. "Here. Let me help you."

"...What are you going to do to me?" Guntz asked, looking wary. The cabbit merely grinned, pulling the hunter close to him.

"Just shush." He said, and reached with his tongue before the hunter could pull away from him, licking his cheek; he licked away the chocolate, wetting the fur on the hunter's cheek in the process, and giggled again, dabbing at the wet spot on his cheek.

"There you go. Clean."

Guntz had said nothing during the whole process, and he merely stared at the young cabbit as he pulled away. He mindlessly touched his cheek, feeling the slight moistness, but did nothing to wipe it away; he seemed bewildered at the sudden act.

"Guntz? Are you alright?"

No answer.

"Guntz?"

The hunter did nothing but stared into the fire. Yet Klonoa, with his sharp eyes, could spot the faintest speck of a blush rising on the hunter's cheeks, and grinned again. He nuzzled closer to Guntz and smiled at him.

"...That was..." Guntz finally broke the silence. "...well... unexpected."

"At least you're clean now."

"True." The hunter dabbed at his cheek, and glanced at the cabbit again, his expression hovering between confusion and affection. "Well... thanks."

"Anytime." Klonoa grinned, and then without waiting for a reply, enclosed the hunter in a tight embrace. "Love you too!"

"Klonoa- get off-" Guntz protested, wincing as the cabbit landed a huge smooch on his cheek. "What's gone into you today?"

"I dunno what, Guntz, but maybe it was the chocolate-"

"Teh." Guntz scowled briefly, but then his expression softened and he patted the cabbit softly on the head. "Come on then. Time to go to bed. We're up early tomorrow - I'm going to teach you how to fish, and by the looks of the river I think the best catches are in the morning."

"If you say so." Klonoa was already laying out the bedding, collapsing on the soft material with a giggle. Guntz followed suit, having taken off his jacket, and dimmed the oil lamp so they could go to sleep easily. The cabbit rolled around for a few seconds and then nuzzled close to the hunter, sharing his warmth.

"Guntz?"

"Yes, kitten?"

"You know that Moobird you roasted," An awkward silence. "Well... what happened to it? You didn't... eat it, did you? We can't eat Moos..."

"Of course we can't eat Moos." The reply came, sounding annoyed. "I know that much."

"Then where is it?"

"Tell you later." The dazed reply came; the hunter seemed to be falling asleep. "Tomorrow... when we go fishing..."

"What-" Klonoa suddenly paled. He could imagine, and the thought was extremely disturbing as it was.

"No you did not." He whispered. "No way we're going to use that as bait..."

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Ladies and gentlemen, please gather around for this week's incredible offer - Smoked Moo Bait for Fishing, only ten dreamstones for two! Alternatively, purchase a twelve-pack for only fifty dreamstones - it's a steal! Those who want variety can purchase a Moobird flavoured bait, either Smoked or Compressed. We're robbing ourselves (instead of robbing you - oops, pretend we didn't say that O.o) - has to end Monday!

...O.o

Jesus Christ, I disturb myself sometimes. xD Now I have an image of Guntz frantically skinning and roasting a Moobird over a campfire. And it's all my fault.