Okay, so it's been ages. I guess it was about time to update this one. I'm falling behind on all of my fanfictions and I'm really sorry about that. I'll try to be better, okay? And now, enjoy!
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Quattro:: Attack of the Giant Boobs
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They booked three hotel rooms, one for Genis and Raine (although Lloyd had volunteered to keep an eye on Genis and Genis had volunteered to keep an eye on Lloyd), one for Colette and one for Kratos and Lloyd. The two lovers had tried to sneak into the same room, but Raine wouldn't let Genis spend the night without her, arguing that he was still her little baby boy (something the others would remember for a long while). The hotel itself was tiny and cozy, a small wooden building far away from the noisy center of the town. The staff was friendly, always smiling as they passed by, ready to serve their every need.
It was a nice evening, cooling wind from the north made them feel relaxed after the extremely hot day. The sky was dark blue, not a single cloud had ventured into its vastness. The moon glowed brightly, it's round white face somehow melancholy. Around it millions of stars shone, forming constellations, each trying to shine brighter than the rest. Inside the bartender brought the travellers we know far too well drinks on a wooden tray. Genis, being the youngest, had been the first one to go to sleep. And he wouldn't have been served anyway.
Colette coughed quietly, trying to hide her nausea. After having fallen over at the ruins, she had felt her condition deteriorate. Seeing herself in the mirror made her feel even worse, her eyes were glassy, lined with dark circles, her lips were purple, her bearing was no longer straight. As she touched her skin, it felt like plastic. Whatever was going on, she decided to hide it as long as possible. She didn't want to worry others.
"Are you okay?" Raine asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Your face is all white."
"I'm-I'm fine", Colette answered, not sounding very reassuring. She left her drink on the table, trying to excuse herself quickly so that she wouldn't ruin everyone's evening.
"You should definitely sunbathe a little", Lloyd blurted. "Even your lips are turning purple."
"That's not it!" Raine snapped. Had she reached, she would've slapped Lloyd. "We need to get her to a doctor!"
"Wait", Kratos joined the conversation. He had been quiet for a long while. It had seemed like he had wanted some time alone, his dark clothes and the aura of mystery surrounding him, his bangs covering half of his face, solemnly gazing at his drink. He loved the pink little umbrella they had put in it. "We better not move her."
"Why? Is she paralyzed?" Lloyd asked, genuine worry in his eyes. Secretly, he was jealous about the umbrella.
"No. We must remember the angel's words." Kratos said. "The angel transformation process requires her to overcome a trial. Rather than taking her to a doctor, it would be best to let her rest here."
"I'm sorry to cause so much worry." Colette said, her eyes cast down. She tried to wipe the tears to her sleeve before anyone would notice.
Lloyd had seen her eyes glitter and hurried to say: "Don't apologise! You're the one being transsexual!"
"Transformed." Kratos corrected solemnly. He had noticed that long sentences, as well as long words were hebrew to Lloyd and needed to be avoided in conversation with him. Still, he had to correct him.
"You're right, Lloyd. I'm sorry I apologised." Colette said, taking the brunette's hand in her own. She forced an sheepish smile, the equivalent of an apology.
"It's all right." Lloyd answered, smiling at her. She blushed slightly, turning her gaze away. She couldn't help it, she liked the brunette. She always had. But whatever she had seen in the forest she had not liked. She had meant to apologise for eavesdropping, but decided to let it be.
Colette excused herself and wobbled upstairs to her room. After a few drinks the others were all tired enough to go to bed as well. Before Lloyd went to the room he shared with Kratos, he decided to stop by to see if Genis was already asleep. Besides, he was still jealous about the umbrella. He stepped into the mages' room, finding Raine sitting by Genis's side. The boy was sound asleep, his chest went up and down as he breathed. Every once in a while he'd snort and turn around.
"Lloyd", Genis mumbled in his sleep. "Forever…."
Raine smiled gently as she watched the young boy hug his pillow. Lloyd glanced at him too, trying to keep his thoughts innocent, but to make sure Raine wouldn't notice he decided to sit down.
"He's really attached to you", the older mage said, her voice soft and loving. She brushed a few hairs behind Genis's ear.
"He could be something else too if we shared a room", Lloyd murmured.
"Hm?" Raine asked, leaning towards him. "Did you say something?"
Genis sat up, covering Lloyd's mouth before any more would blurt out. He had been awake ever since Raine had arrived, only pretending to be asleep. "Can't I even sleep in peace? Get out, both of you."
"But Genis…" The two said at the same time, their thoughts on the exact opposites of the scale.
"Raine, you do know that the brain needs sleep in order to function properly and process all of the day's information?"
"Yes, you're right. We should all go to sleep." The older mage agreed. Lloyd didn't answer, he was too busy trying to understand what the boy had just said.
"Lloyd doesn't have to. He's a lost case anyway." Genis said, laying down again. The mages both chuckled.
Lloyd scratched his head. He'd missed the punchline, but wouldn't let it bug him. Raine went to brush her teeth and when he was sure she had the toothbrush halfway down her throat, Genis said apologetically: "I'm sorry, Lloyd. She insisted we share a room."
"It's okay." The brunette said, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. "She's still brushing her teeth."
Genis answered his smile with a devilish one. "Okay, but quickly then. Come, slip in."
Lloyd turned the lights off and slipped under Genis's covers, feeling the boy's warmth near him. It was almost completely dark in the room, they could only feel each other's warmth and the occasional hand that wandered to places where it shouldn't have.
"This is nice." Lloyd said, snuggling closer to his beloved.
"Mm-hmm", Genis mumbled. He was already drifting back to sleep. Lloyd felt the same drowzy feeling take him over. There they lay, right next to each other, Lloyd's hands around Genis as the mage breathed against his chest. The brunette wasn't sure, but he had a strange feeling Genis would've purred had he been able to. Just when he was about to fall asleep, Raine's staff hit him hard on the forehead.
"Get out of there, you perv!!" She bellowed, her staff hitting him again.
"Hee-hee!" Genis scorned. "She got you!" He didn't laugh long. "OW! Raine, don't hit me!"
"But!" Lloyd tried as he lifted his hands to cover his face. "But you said he's attached to me!!"
"Not THAT attached!!" Raine kept hitting him.
"Okay, okay, okay!!" The brunette begged. "I'll get up if you stop hitting me with that thing!!"
Raine stopped and checked had her staff suffered any damage. It was an artefact, something she had recovered from an archaeological finding many a year ago. It was hand-crafted, right before the glorious civilisation had fallen to ruin. Despite a few drops of blood on it, it seemed intact. She still knew how to handle priceless artefacts. Carefully she let her fingers trail up and down the beautiful wooden staff, momentarily lost in thought.
The brunette was already getting up, when he let himself fall on top of Genis. "Oops, I fell!"
The mage shrieked, unable to understand why Lloyd would risk whatever they had by trying to pull moves on him in front of his big sister. Who was like his mother. Like his violent mother. He tried to escape to the bathroom from all the shame, but was now trapped under his beloved. Lloyd's mouth was quick to find his neck, but Raine's staff wasn't much slower in finding Lloyd's head. "Get off of him!"
"Owwie", Lloyd rubbed his head. "I almost seriously fell over!"
The brunette acted as if he was getting up, but let himself fall again, crawling under Genis's blanket. He was pretty sure Raine wouldn't find him there. Not many would've thought of a hide as clever as his. For the first few seconds he received Genis's foot in his face, but managed to control the boy's panic by taking him into a strong, demanding hug. In utter panic, the mage only tried to push Lloyd off, unable to have any romantic thoughts.
Raine's staff was merciless, but her aim was also very bad. After having broken everything breakable in the hotel room, she hit Genis in the darkness as well, causing a complete chaos. The small mage yelped, more of panic than pain. The two rolled off the bed on the floor, Lloyd hanging onto Genis's waist as the mage tried to push him away while Raine mercilessly beat anything in her range.
"I'm not touching anything!" Lloyd tried to defend himself in the dark. He had been trying to touch, but Genis had countered it with a foot, so it didn't count.
"I wouldn't mind if he did!!" Genis yelled, covering his head with his hands.
Raine had gone into a frenzy. She wouldn't stop whacking everything in the dark as she bellowed: "I'll touch you just a little! And I hope it hurts!"
"Oww!! It does!" Lloyd squeaked as her staff found his back.
Genis tried to crawl under the bed for cover. "Don't hit me!"
"Why me then!?"
"Stop the violence!" Genis shouted.
Raine jumped on the bed to reach the brunette better. "I'll show you violence, you perv!!"
"Hey, that's the blanket you're hitting now." Lloyd sat up, holding the smaller mage by the ankle. He was wiggling on the floor like a snake, looking desperately for a place where he would have cover from his insane big sister.
"Oh, thanks." The older mage hurled the staff directly at Lloyd's forehead.
"That hurt! You're breaking my nose!!"
"Get out! Out! Out!"
After a lot of new bruises and a little bloodshed Lloyd was finally allowed to leave. Or rather, Raine's boot showed him the door and the corridor. Genis looked after him with an apologetic look, trying to cover himself with his blanket. He looked so fragile, still in a deep state of shock. His hair was a complete mess.
Quickly Lloyd composed himself and retreated into the room he shared with Kratos. Although it was clear that the mercenary as well as everyone else had heard their little scene, he said nothing. He just lay on the bed, gazing at the ceiling as if it were the starry sky.
At breakfast everyone was feeling rejuvenated after a good sleep. Lloyd kept glancing at Raine, waiting for her to smack him again, but she was calm and collected as usual. Despite the few drops of dried blood on her staff nothing seemed to remind them about last night. Genis gave Lloyd some very angry glares as he drank his orange juice. At times he would rub his head with a grimace, obviously a memory of the night still bugging him. Colette wasn't hungry, but she wouldn't say anything. She emptied her plate on the handkerchief in her lap, then excusing herself for the bathroom. There she emptied the handkerchief into the toilet bowl, hoping that whatever she was going through would pass soon. It would be terrible if the others had to worry about her constantly.
"This is really good", Colette said as she came back.
"What? An empty plate?" Lloyd asked, genuinely surprised.
Colette smiled at him gently. He really wasn't the brightest bulb in the box. Genis would've made a remark, but he was too hungry. He just kept gobbling everything down, making not very pleasant sounds. Table manners were never on top of his list when he was hungry.
"COVER YOUR MOUTH, young man! I don't want to swim in your spittle and snot!!" Raine was quick to put an end to his dinner theatre. Genis stopped immediately, a few noodles hanging from his mouth, shaking a little. He stared at her with wide eyes, not having expected this kind of reaction.
Lloyd chuckled, leaning towards his plate to eat faster.
"You too, mister! Chew your food and sit straight!" The older mage commanded. Not only Lloyd sat straight after that. Even Kratos paid special attention to his manners. Maybe he had noticed the dried drops of blood on Raine's staff.
As always, the older mage was the first to force everyone to either gobble down their breakfast or leave it. Lloyd devoured Kratos's bacon while the mercenary looked away. Raine was in a hurry to get to the seaside city, not because she was eagerly awaiting their trip across the ocean, but because if they had more time there, they could probably even find a plane. Or at least she would have more time to plan her escape.
Mountain air was cool and refreshing. Around them small, shy clouds sailed in circles, looking for a destination they would never find. The path they were walking on was rocky and more than once Colette fell over, sometimes because the stones were slippery, sometimes because her foot got stuck between them. Everyone else had problems with their balance as well. However, they felt as if the scenery was trying to make up for the tough ground. It was absolutely breath-taking, the vast fields spreading into the horizon, turning into mountains with snowy tops that reached out for the heavens. With a turn of the head, the view was completely different. A large city sat by the water, behind it an ocean glittering in the rays of the sun, small white caps racing for the beach. Some seagulls hovered above the harbour, probably looking for something to eat. Before they had time to admire the magnificence any longer, a woman's shouted: "Stop right now!"
Everyone did as told.
"Thank you very much", she continued as she dropped down from one of the trees, bowing a little. She had long dark hair in a messy hairdo, black leggings and a purple jacket with a cleavage no man would leave unnoticed. She had tied a large bow on her lower back, looking a little like a geisha.
"What?" Lloyd asked, reflexively moving closer to Genis. Raine pushed him away, he was sure he had heard her growl. For a moment he watched the staff, waiting for it to hit him on the already sore forehead, more afraid of the older mage than the girl who had just landed from a tree.
"Is she a friend of yours?" Colette asked, tugging at Lloyd's shirt.
"Not that I'm aware of," answered Lloyd. Clearly amazed, he continued: "My friends aren't that busty."
Colette glanced down, tying her jacket tighter. A sigh erupted from her lips.
"Is the Chosen of Mana among you?" The woman demanded, pointing at them.
The blonde girl's face lit up with childish joy, "Oh, that's me."
"But she doesn't give autographs!" Lloyd took a step forward, intent on protecting his friend. The woman lifted one questioning eyebrow, looking at Genis, who only rolled his eyes. He was somewhat happy that Lloyd had managed to use a long word correctly, but his remark had been completely off-topic. Although it annoyed Genis, he let it slide.
Meanwhile the assassin had decided to ignore what the brunette had said and yelled: "Prepare to die!"
She began running towards them, pulling something out of her pockets. She ran smoothly like a panther, her eyes shining with the intention to kill. Colette gasped and took a few hasty steps backwards, stumbling on something. She fell into a bush, letting out a cry and at the exactly same moment the woman vanished. Colette recovered quickly from her shock and crawled out of the bush with a sheepish smile, having no idea that her clumsiness had saved her life.
"She's invincible!" Lloyd shouted with awe, turning to face the others as he pointed at the spot where the assassin had stood just a moment ago.
Genis sighed, slapping his forehead. "It's invisible, you idiot. And besides, she only fell into a hole."
"Oh, no!" Colette said as she got up. "What did I do? I'm so sorry…"
"Don't worry. You might've been killed." Raine said, giving her an encouraging smile. Colette looked down, feeling sorry for her opponent, no matter how much she had wanted to end her life. She didn't want anyone falling into a hole because of her.
"But still…" She mumbled, but didn't continue under the understanding gaze of her professor. Raine knew her well, and although she herself wasn't the fastest to apologise, she appreciated the ability in Colette.
Lloyd burst to laughter as he ran closer: "Did you see that? There must be a secret lavatory down there!!"
Genis buried his head in his hands, seeming desperate. He had rejoiced too early. "Lloyd, laboratory, not lavatory. Don't use long words."
Colette lifted her hand to her mouth, genuinely worried. "I hope she's okay."
"I do feel sorry for her though", Genis said as he walked to the hole. He peeked into it as he continued: "Assuming her weight to be 45kg, and this hole to be 10m deep, and calculating the gravity constant at 9.8, she should remember this for the rest of her life."
"I'm fine!" They heard the woman's shout.
Lloyd lifted a stone and dropped it in. No one tried to stop him.
"OW!"
"Are you still fine?" He crouched as he yelled into the darkness.
"No! Besides, I broke a nail!" The assassin answered in an angry tone.
Colette ran to the hole, clasping her hands together. "I'm really sorry, lady killer!" She shouted.
"Nails grow approximately one mm per week, so assuming she drinks her daily basis of milk and gets the necessary nutrients for ideal nail growth-"
"Genis", Raine smacked him. "You're just showing off."
"Maybe", the mage shrugged.
"Man, she's got some really bad luck." The brunette said, stepping away from the hole. "You don't see people falling through trap doors every day."
Raine's eyes lit up upon closer examination. She was gearing up to start a lecture: "Actually, Lloyd, this is one of the hidden passage ways used when the Forbidden City was still off-limits for peasants. The emperor would come from these little passages to the mountains to enjoy-"
"We should get moving." Kratos cut her off, already knowing she wouldn't stop otherwise. "That woman will come after us and I'd rather take her on in a better environment."
Despite Raine's murmur, they continued their journey. Lloyd tried to walk next to Genis to sneak his hand into his, but Raine's icy glare scared him enough to walk a few feet behind. Genis knew she wouldn't leave the two of them alone in a long while, unless he gave her something much more important to think about.
He leaned towards Kratos, whispering: "Wouldn't you ask Raine about the Forbidden City?"
Kratos turned bright red, his eyes on everything but the boy. "S-s-sure."
Genis giggled on the inside, also wanting to see would the mercenary stutter while talking to Raine.
"Raine", Kratos took a few long steps to catch up with the professor. "Tell me about the Forbidden City." He finished flatly. The young mage scrutinized him, having noticed that he hadn't stuttered at all when talking to his big sister.
"Oh, so now you're interested? It didn't seem like that a while ago", the older mage commented, crossing her hands on her chest. Kratos shrugged and fell silent. He was in his own thoughts again and didn't mind at all to have missed a lecture. Raine glanced at him, obviously waiting for him to beg to tell him everything she knew about the subject.
"Oh fine, if you insist", she sighed in exasperation, grabbing his hand. She had got tired of waiting. "About 500 years ago a monk had a dream about the most beautiful city in the whole world, which he then told to a famous bandit known as 'the Black Dragon.' He was so-"
Genis slowed down a little to walk next to Lloyd. Raine's voice trailed away. The sweet scent of conifer trees hung in the air. Every once in a while a small bird would dash from one tree to another, only to sing again what it had just sung.
"You just need to know how to handle her." The small mage said with a grin. "She'll forget about last night if you pretend having interest in history."
"And suffer for three hours in a row every time? You know I couldn't stay awake even for one hour in class!"
"Well, you were the one falling on me." Genis accused, narrowing his eyes.
Lloyd only chuckled. "You would've done the same."
"No, because unlike you, I'm smart." The mage said arrogantly, running his fingers through his hair. He rolled his eyes as he continued: "If I knew you had even one thought in that head of yours I'd ask what the hell you were thinking, but since your brain was left somewhere along the way when the stork brought you, never mind."
"Stork?" Lloyd leaned his head. "I wasn't brought by a stork. I'm an orphan."
Genis sighed. He stopped, looking at Lloyd with a pitying gaze. The brunette stopped as well, turning to look at him with a slightly surprised expression.
"What?" The brunette asked, lifting his hands.
"Look." Genis said, pulling him close. "You're the biggest idiot I've ever known. But somehow…" the mage fell quiet as he scrutinized the brunette's lips. It had been a while since he had tasted them. An almost shy smile appeared on his face as their eyes met. Lloyd was warmer than he remembered, his eyes were so inviting, so pure, so honest. The condescending tone was gone when he finished his sentence: "…somehow it only makes me love you more."
"You little nasty-"
Genis covered Lloyd's mouth to cut him off. Irritation showed on his face. The young mage bit his lower lip to calm down, but still the words erupted in an angry tone. "Do you always have to ruin everything by opening your mouth? Nothing good ever comes out of it, so make better use of it!" And with that, the mage pressed his lips on Lloyd's. The brunette's eyes widened, but as he felt Genis's arms around him, he relaxed. He answered the kiss, first calmly, then demandingly. His fingers dug into the soft silvery hair as he bent Genis backwards. Soon the mage gave in and lay on his back, his blue eyes yearning for more, his hands tugging at Lloyd's shirt.
"But still don't think I'll forgive you about last night anytime soon." The boy said, gazing into his eyes. It didn't seem like it.
"Of course not", Lloyd answered mischievously, trailing his hands up and down Genis's sides. "But down there's someone who wants to meet you." The brunette said, pointing at his pants. The mage giggled, grabbing his shirt and pulling him into another, more passionate kiss.
Their moment of sweet bliss was soon interrupted by Colette's scream. At first Lloyd hoped she had only stumbled again, clumsy as she was, but as they heard Kratos calling for them, they had to quit. Lloyd murmured as Genis pushed him away, adjusting his clothes and combing his hair with his fingers. He straightened his shirt as they ran to the others, only to see that the woman from earlier had returned.
"This time I will kill you dead!" She bellowed, looking a lot like a tiger going after its prey.
"Oh, you're you! I couldn't forget if I tried to remember!" Lloyd exclaimed.
"No one's ever survived breaking my nail!!" The assassin shouted, showing them the broken nail. It was just chipped, actually, but annoying nevertheless.
"We'll see about that!" Genis barked, drawing out his kendama.
The assassing bounced for Colette, drawing out cards. Lloyd burst to laughter, unable to even hold his swords. Raine giggled as well, something very uncharacteristic of her. No one had expected her to notice what was going on. For the last couple of hours she had been succumbed to the story of the Forbidden City, enough to bore Kratos out of his mind. He had even considered taking his own life. Too bad no one had noticed his pleading looks (truthfully, no one had dared to intervene in case they would've been sucked into the vortex as well).
"What are you going to do with those?" Lloyd asked, pointing at the deck of cards in her hands.
She seemed to hesitate a moment. "I'm… I'm killing you." She said, slight disbelief in her voice.
"With approximately 10,000 paper cuts, we might bleed to death." Genis said, his genius side taking over again.
The woman said nothing. She was probably wondering about her bad weapon of choice. Faced against a half-elf wielding a staff with a rotten targetting, an idiot with two swords who would probably fight a mirror if he saw himself in it, a guy trying to decide whether to take his own life or fight, a girl who would apologise if she didn't die and a small loud-mouthed boy with a toy… She narrowed her eyes. This lot wasn't going to win. Even if she had only cards.
"Get ready to die!" She dashed towards Colette, trying to slash her wrist with her cards.
"Owww…" Colette said, having had one of the cards against her face. So far, she hadn't got a scratch.
"Why do you want to kill us?" Lloyd asked, puzzled.
"Is that any of your business?" The woman asked in the midst of the card storm. She threw an ace at Lloyd, but it only floated in the air for a while before crashing into the ground. The brunette accidentally stepped on it, but wasn't harmed.
Lloyd tried to hit her, but she was more agile and he missed. "I guess it is…"
"I'm sorry we're not dying." Colette apologised genuinely as she took a few steps back, readying her weapon.
The battle went on for a while. Lloyd and the others were too confused to focus enough because their opponent had only cards as her weapon, while she desperately tried to do at least some damage. So far she had only managed to cut herself a few times. Realizing that she was only humiliating herself, she decided to try something else: "Okay, let's make a deal. A game of poker. You win, she lives. I win, she's mine."
"No way!" Genis barked. "We'll kick your butt all the way home!!"
"Just you wait! I swear I will kill you all next time!" She shouted, it was targeted at Genis. She took a small bomb from her pocket and threw it on the ground, waiting for it to blow and give her the cover of smoke to secure her escape. They all waited for a while, when nothing happened they all exchanged questioning looks.
"Just a second", the woman said nervously, taking another small bomb from her pocket. That worked and in a moment, she had vanished.
"We should keep moving." Kratos didn't let the others relax. "We are in constant danger."
"Those clothes..." Raine mumbled to herself. She was sure she had seen them somewhere, they were so familiar, but couldn't remember where. She would need a library to jog her memory.
"Is something wrong?" Lloyd asked, not having heard her.
"No, I'm fine. Anyway, let's go look for a place where we can get a vehicle to cross the ocean." The older mage said, walking past him. By 'vehicle' she meant everything but ships.
"If Genis goes, I go", Lloyd stated. "No one else needs to go, right?"
"If you go, I go", Raine growled, glaring at him as she positioned herself behind Genis.
"Is something the matter, Raine?" Colette asked, gearing up to apologise. Even if she had a feeling it wasn't her fault, she was still ready to be sorry for everyone else.
"No", the older mage gritted her teeth. "I only believe I need to talk to Lloyd."
The brunette leaned his head. Genis grimaced. He knew how painful it could be.
"Alone", Raine defined, pointing Lloyd with her finger, then slicing her neck with it as if it were a knife. Before the brunette could answer, she grabbed his hand and dragged him into the forest, far away from the others to make sure they wouldn't hear anything. When she stopped, she let go of Lloyd's arm so abruptly that the brunette fell over. She did nothing to help him back up, only crossed her hands on her chest.
"Now we talk." She growled, her light blue eyes narrowed.
Lloyd tried to think of a way of avoiding more hits from her staff, coming up with only one solution. "What about the Cruxis crystal?"
For a while Raine was caught off-guard. Her eyes widened and mouth fell open. She was taken aback that first of all, Lloyd could pronounce Cruxis, and secondly, that he was interested in something for once. Maybe there really was one lonely brain cell in the vast darkness of Lloyd's head, banging itself against the walls, desperately trying to show a sign that it had not died yet.
And so began the five-hour lecture about Cruxis crystals and there was nothing Lloyd could do about it. Kratos found them, forcing them to keep moving in case the assassin would return, but did nothing to save the brunette. And each time Lloyd stumbled because he had fallen asleep while walking, she would give him a new beating. The only thing Lloyd learned was to never ask her anything again. Genis did have good laughs though. He hadn't forgiven the brunette for having caused panic at the hotel.
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There it is! I hope it was satisfactory after such a long wait! I'll try to update sooner and introduce Zelos in the next chapter…
And now, because you all love fanfiction, please review! You know it makes my day!