Mr.Who2123: Ah, let's see if I can knock off another chapter. AHH!!! Five more!!!! Wow, it's ending so quickly!!! O.o Well, I own nothing, but you know that already.

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Sometimes, time goes by so slowly that you feel a certain moment can go on forever. Other times, time goes by so quickly that your head spins with all the speed of which events pass by. Kratos has been suffering both at the same time. He couldn't believe that his son was already three, and that he could create sentences and run without toppling over in a couple minutes…or seconds. And time moved so slowly as well. He looked and looked for a dwarf, and it feels like he had been doing it his whole life. However, his searches were still unfruitful.

Now in the middle of a forest in below Iselia, close to the House of Salvation, Kratos and Anna had set up camp for the night. The strong reds of sunset were fading to purple, and then inevitably to black as it did every night. The three were having a dinner at this time, and Anna had made fresh vegetable soup with bits of chicken. Lloyd's baby teeth had grown in, and now he could eat harder foods. His mouth bit into anything that looked edible, because the growing boy was constantly hungry. His cuteness and big eyes were still there, but the figure was just growing more into a defined person, and less of a little boy. His fingers were nimble and he could catch anything if it was in view. He had a quick reaction speed, but not a very good mental one. He thought over his words slowly, and he spoke less than normal. The boy was truly changing.

In addition to him growing, Kratos had begun to teach Lloyd how to fight with two swords. The boy insisted on two instead of one, saying he could hit the bad guy more, and Kratos knew he wouldn't be able to convince the boy otherwise. The boy could make quick, yet wild slashes, and missed his targets most of the time, but he was learning quickly. The target was also usually a tree, with a red line as the slash area. Kratos would chuckle from time to time when Lloyd would stumble with the wooden blades. However, he never gave up; his will and stubbornness always got him to get a few nice strikes on the tree.

Lloyd took the makeshift bowl from his mom, and looked into the soup. Seeing food in there, he immediately wolfed/drank it down with speed only he could muster. He ate through the chunks of carrots, chicken, potato, and anything else in there, his teeth moving quickly. Within minutes, the boy was asking, "Seconds, seconds!"

Kratos merely finished one bowl of the soup before he became satisfied, and waited for others to finish. Suddenly, Lloyd stopped his second bowl and looked at his parents with seriousness.

"Mommy…Daddy…why do we move around a lot?" he asked, looking from the asked parents. Kratos looked to the right, scratching his nose while Anna gently nudged the fire on with another log.

"Well, Lloyd, it's because there are some bad guys chasing us…and we have to run away until Daddy can find a person that can help us beat the bad guys," Anna explained simply with a sad smile. Lloyd looked from his mom to his dad, and nodded. If mommy says it's true, then it IS true.

"How come Daddy can't use his sword to beat the bad guys?" he asked again after a couple more thoughtful bites. Kratos took this question as his own.

"There are too many Lloyd…Daddy could get hurt…and I don't want to let any of you get hurt, either," he replied, his dark eyes looking from his wife to his son. They both looked at him with a mix of solemnity and gratitude at his defensive position for his family. The eating continued in silence after that, Kratos passing dark glances at his wife, while she sighed. The spirit became dull and sad after the answer had come around, and it was not lifting at all.

By this time, it was nightfall, and the small stars twinkled in the night sky. Kratos looked up at them, and ironically, smiled. He was never the first to smile, but something humorous had arisen in him. He glanced at Lloyd, who was now full and fingering his red train. He still loved to look at them whenever he was bored, and his imagination would run wild.

"Son, let's go out for a bit…I want to show you something," he said softly. Lloyd looked to his mom for answers, but she was just as confused as he, and Lloyd stood up. He grasped the large, gloved hand with both of his tiny ones, and they walked off. Anna sighed as she followed them with her eyes.

"They're more alike than they think they are," she muttered to herself. After another moment, she let the fire die down, and set up the blankets for her family. "I can't wait to see what my son will do when he grows up…he'll be just as amazing as Kratos." She didn't even know how right she was.

The light of the campfire left the two's sight, and Lloyd's confidence with it. He shivered, moving closer to his dad.

"Where we going?" he asked softly, craning his neck to his father. Kratos looked down at him with a smile and loved in his eyes, and pointed forward. Just ahead was a large, grass field. A lone tree stood conspicuously in the middle, tall, thick, and brave. They moved to it, and then Kratos suddenly sat down against it. Beckoning his son, Kratos put a hand on his lap. Lloyd eagerly crawled into it, and put his back against his father's chest. Suddenly, Lloyd wasn't cold anymore, but warmly embraced by his father.

"I won't be able to do this much with you anymore," he whispered. Lloyd looked back, sadness glinting in his big, brown eyes.

"Why?"

"Because, you're just getting too big, Lloyd," he answered. "And you won't fit in my lap in a couple years." Lloyd looked down, and cuddled against his father's chest. He could feel the warmth coming from it, making him snuggle even closer.

"Daddy?" Lloyd asked, looking up. A warm smile beckoned him to continue.

"Is Mommy sick?" There was silence. Kratos looked away, sadness in his dark eyes.

"Yes…yes she is, but I'm going to find a cure so she'll be all better," he answered. Another hesitation before the Seraph continued. "…Let's not dwell on that. I just want to be with you." Lloyd nodded and smiled, still snuggled against his father. The boy found his eyes drooping, and he let sleep overtake him. He snuggled even closer, and Kratos placed his arms around the small body with love.

"Son…," was what Lloyd suddenly heard. He looked up to see it was still the dead of night. He was still in his father's arms under the tree. "Look at the stars, Lloyd. There's billions." The boy didn't know what 'billion' meant, but he knew it was a big number. Doing as his father did so, Lloyd turned around, and faced the open sky.

It was just as his father said. There were billions of stars in a dark sky. They all twinkled differently, each one individual in its own way. Suddenly, a light blinked in the sky, and then shot across it, brighter than all the rest. And then it disappeared as soon as it appeared.

"Wow, Daddy, what was that?" he loudly whispered, turning around. Kratos smiled and looked up.

"That's a shooting star, Lloyd. Legends say if you make a wish when you see a shooting star, that it will come true," he whispered kindly back. Lloyd smiled and turned back towards the sky. He felt warm arms embrace him tightly as he did so. Silently, the young boy made a wish.

Let Mommy get rid of her sickness and let her be happy, he thought. Lloyd looked up again, and smiled at the large number.

"Lots of them!" he whispered.

"Yes, there are," was the soft response back. "You can go to sleep, if you want. I'll be here, to protect you." Lloyd had no doubt that his father would do so, and silently closed his eyes. The billions of stars disappeared from his view, but he could still see them in his mind. He numbly felt warmth spread around his whole body, even past Kratos' arms length. There was a light blue light shining in the creases of his eyes. It was a beautiful color, and somehow, it lulled the boy into sleep, making him smile as he did so.

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In two years, the size of the Renegades skyrocketed from 300 to 1,000 members. The bases had also grown, from one to two, one in each world. The Triet was in Sylverant while the Flanoir one was in Tethe'alla. Either way, they were both hidden very well.

Each and every person had been a volunteer from various cities or villages, and most of them from Tethe'alla, especially since many were disgusted at the caste system in that world. The armor had changed from simple, conspicuous, and battered to looking exactly like a Desian's high-tech armor, except for one thing. To distinguish Renegades and Desians, the fakes would wear a special transmitter on their right shoulder. To further protection, each one was personally programmed, so only the proper owner could speak into it without the device completely self-destructing. Also, it was only activated while on missions concerning Desians so no accidents happen in the base itself. The bombs, in fact, were created specially by Yuan and Sanaro together.

One of the days, Yuan and Sanaro both set out for Ozette so that they could recruit any half-elves or humans there, even if it was am orthodox area. Most people stood strongly against half-elves and followed the church with sick and twisted dignity.

This time, however, instead of using posters and making a private speech, Yuan had decided to make this public, for Martel's sake. He remembered vividly when she had spoken in this same area, unafraid of the dangers that could befall her. Yuan was to do the same, with only Sanaro as support.

Shaking, Yuan stepped on a makeshift stage that he pulled out of his wing pack. He looked among the people who noticed this act, and headed towards him with skepticism and mistrust in their eyes. They could tell Yuan was a half-elf right off the bat. Already, the going is tough, and Yuan hadn't even started talking yet.

A young, dark haired half-elf walked by the village of Ozette. He wore a circular, blue hat over his ears, hiding his identity while he was in the place. Sure, he may have lived here, but people still treated him like dirt whenever they found out what race he was. His blue eyes caught sight of a half-elf, proudly not wearing a hat or hiding his ears, was beginning a speech. The young half-elf's interest was piqued, and he walked over.

"Citizens of Ozette. My name is Yuan, and I am a half-elf, and this is Sanaro, my human friend," he began. Immediately boos came from everywhere, and Yuan frowned at the people.

"Get the dirt and the dirt-lover outta here!" one shouted, louder than the rest. The half-elf looked to the person, and glared at him. Angry cheers were with him, and the noise grew louder. While everyone blindly yelled, the half-elf saw Yuan make a purple light in his hand, but it disappeared the second it was seen. A second later, thunder rolled across the sky, and purple bolts fell extremely near the village. The outbursts ended, and the speech began.

"I am here to give peace and equality to all half-elves, as well as create a world that is filled with peace. Just like there is Sanaro, there are also many humans in this organization as well. Remember people…just because you're a half-elf doesn't mean you're dirt, and just because you're a human…does NOT mean that you are higher than others! Now, whoever wants to create a world without discrimination, come with me!"

Yuan stepped the stage and opened his wing pack to put the stage inside of it. Sanaro folded his arms as his eyes darted across the people with a mix of grief and anger.

The young half-elf smiled at the two daring people. Shakily, he grabbed the blue hat and pulled it off of his head. Dark hair, spiked back, was shown, and the beginnings of a beard were shown as well. He smiled wider, feeling the breezy freedom, and ran over to the two Renegade leaders.

"Sirs Yuan and Sanaro…could I…could I join your team?" he asked. So far, he was the only person who had approached the two. Sanaro smiled at the young half-elf, rustling his hair with his glove.

"Of course…what's your name?" Yuan replied, a smile on his face.

"Botta, sir," he answered.

"Will you work hard for this group?" That was Sanaro, his arms folded.

"Harder than anyone else, sir,"

"Then do us a favor," Yuan began as well. He pulled out three Rhieards out of his wing pack, one for each. It seemed there was to be no one else coming.

"Sir?"

"Don't call us 'sirs'."

"Yes, s-…Yuan!"

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Mr.Who2123: CUTE!!! I loved the fluff! And yes, that is where Botta comes from! Yay!!! Well, please review…FOUR MORE CHAPTERS NOW!!!!