Genis forced himself onwards; he had to be getting close, he recognized the landscape despite the dying light.
Sure enough, he could spot Altessa's house in the very far distance, if continued on, he'll make it before midnight.
And so he ran.
— — — — — — —
Raine sensed something.
She didn't exactly know what, but something was setting off what others like to call her Barometer.
Usually when her woman's intuition told her something, it involved Genis.
And so she ran.
The moment she exited the house she saw Genis coming down the pathway that led to the house in that walking-jog one got after running for too long then tries to go over one's stamina limit.
In the blink of an eye, she had him in her arms. "I was so worried!"
Genis hugged her back, "I missed you, Sis."
She held him tighter, "I was so scared. I thought I'd never see you again."
"She sure can be intimidating when she's scared."
"I totally agree, bud."
Raine released Genis and looked up to see Lloyd and Zelos with their heads next to each other's, apparently whispering in a failed attempt to be quiet and not disturb the reunion, judging by the guilty expressions on their faces at being overheard.
Well, Lloyd's expression was guilty, Zelos's had already slid into its customary carefree smile.
Zelos was riding on Colette's back who carried him with the ease she had picked up Regal with not too long ago, her arms hooked under his legs, supporting him like he weighed nothing.
"Sorry, we're kinda late; we planned to make it back by nightfall because of injuries. Though it wouldn't have been a problem if someone hadn't used all the gels on lemon cakes and apple bread." Sheena said glaring at Lloyd.
"Hey, you made us kept some!" Lloyd defended weakly.
"That's only because you were one gel short of another loaf." Sheena turned back to Raine. "Anyway, we didn't have enough to heal, so here we are."
"Yeah, I ran outta energy for my healing magic before I realized how bad it was, that's why I can't walk."
Raine noted the shoe in one of Zelos's hands and her gaze shifted to where his pants were rolled up to his knees and his bare right foot was sporting a swollen ankle that couldn't be pleasant and Zelos could not possibly have any excuse to make light of it, not even manly pride. Still, "You made Colette carry you the entire way back?"
"Of course not, I took over for Lloyd once we met back up; he must have carried him long way, he looked about to collapse."
Raine had a feeling that Colette had stumbled upon the three probably only minutes after Lloyd and Sheena had discovered Zelos themselves and Lloyd had merely been unsuccessfully attempting to lift Zelos up.
Manly pride is such a ridiculous concept.
"As much as I hate to have my hunnies have to carry me, I had no choice. But that's not my most urgent injur-wait, whoa," Zelos's eyebrows rose, "Wow, brat, and here I thought we fought an army. What'd you do, wipe out the entire wolf population? Or was it the bear?"
Raine looked down at Genis, taking in his appearance for the first time, "Sweet Martel! Your clothes are covered in blood!"
Zelos gazed at Genis for a long moment and a serious expression slowly formed on his face, "Hey, bud," he said quietly, Colette seemingly oblivious to the words as she looked on worriedly.
"Yeah, Zelos?"
"What do you think happened to him?"
"I don't know, Yggdrasill supposedly attacked him, but he's healed and it wasn't Raine because we arrived right after Genis did."
"Maybe Yggdrasill came to his senses and healed him." Colette offered, apparently having actually heard.
Sheena scoffed, "Something like that, I'm sure; if it was that possessive creep he probably did it during one of his psychotic lapses or something."
Zelos raised an eyebrow, "You're certainly passionate about that. Any reason why? It's almost like it's personal."
Sheena flushed in indignation and surprise at her words being commented upon, "I-It is personal!" she said without thinking.
"Really? Does it have anything to do with the term 'surprise sexuality'?" Despite his words, Zelos took careful note of her response.
"Are you referring to the time we find out that-"
"You bet, bud. It's still difficult to believe that guy's straight; or not even bi. "
"Well, it was something similar to personal…" she tagged on weakly. She sighed, choosing her words carefully, speaking them just softly enough not to be heard by the Sages as Raine continued her extensive examination of her brother for injuries. "Did you see what Yggdrasill did? I mean what he really did? I'm worried that, no, I know that he won't leave Genis alone and he'll cut down any in his way."
Zelos gave her a long look. 'How do you know? Why are you so certain? What did you see that everyone else missed?' he wanted to ask but kept it to himself.
Zelos turned back to the Sages and narrowed his eyes.
He needed to ask Genis something.
"Colette, let me down."
"I don't think that's such a good idea…"
"Please?"
"Okay." She agreed hesitantly.
She lowered down and the moment his right foot touched the ground, he yelped in an extremely undignified manner. "Ah shi-Pick me back up! Pick me back up!" He'll ask later.
Colette sighed as she did so and Sheena rolled her eyes.
"You seem fine…" Raine said incredulously at Genis, "Your clothing is the only thing with damage."
"Hey, now that the brat's well-being has been established, can we get some help over here?" Zelos interrupted. "I have a really important injury that needs to be checked out."
Raine took in their conditions, they didn't seem too worse for wear. Zelos appeared to be the only one needing any real medical attention.
Raine had a suspicion that Zelos hadn't run out of healing magic at the time he implied he had.
No matter how much he tried to hide it, underneath his superficial front was someone who actually cared for others.
Or at least for Lloyd, as he was the one who looked like he'd been healed as opposed to Colette who looked like she had never gotten hurt in the first place.
Brofriends, indeed.
Sheena looked fine except for the bleeding near her hairline that would need to be checked out. Though Sheena looked like she was taking care of it when she snatched what looked to be Zelos's headband, most likely the spare he always kept around 'just in case', out of the hand not holding the shoe and used it to wipe the blood off her forehead then furiously rub at her hands—in particular, her gloves—with it in a manner like having done it several times over their return journey before handing it back.
"Gee, thanks." Zelos said looking at the once white cloth that was now stained red with the blood from Sheena's wound but mostly from the blood on her hands, "And just when it was starting to dry. What's with you and your obsession with coating my headbands in blood?"
"Would you rather I tear your clothes for bandages?"
"No, but I just finished trying to get the stains out of them. And why'd you have to steal my spare? Wasn't it enough that you took my main one before we split up? I got my spare all dirty and I had to drag myself all the way to a river to wash it. I should have wrung them out on you."
"Which time? The first or the twelfth time on our way back?"
Raine raised an eyebrow as they all began inside, "You used his headband to tend to wounds? Is that why you had blood all over your hands? Because you were hurt?"
"So she claims," Lloyd said playfully, "She barely looked hurt where I found her. There weren't really any monsters in the city despite the time of night; though I have a good feeling where they went."
"Bud, I don't know about you, but in my experience, Tethe'allan cities don't ever have monsters wondering the streets."
"Really? I've never been out in Tethe'allan cities at night that much…"
Colette set Zelos down in a chair.
Raine now took a good look at them all.
Sheena's half-gloves were still bloodstained despite her repeated attempts to clean them, and now that the blood had been wiped away, Raine could see that she had a shallow, straight cut across her left temple.
Zelos's ankle injury looked like the worst injury to the right foot Raine had ever seen, not even in a book, and the worse foot injury she's ever seen in person.
Of course, just because it looked that way didn't mean it was. Still, something had to be done.
"First things first, Zelos, let me see your ankle."
"What? No! I have a much more urgent wound to take care of first!" he turned his head and pointed to a small scuff on his left cheek that probably came from scraping it against the ground when taking the spill that resulted in Zelos's real urgent injury. "See? Isn't it awful? My beautiful face!"
Raine firmly prodded Zelos's right ankle, causing him to let out a loud, undignified yelp.
"Nothing seems terribly broken."
She pitilessly twisted his foot straight to ensure it mended correctly then cast Heal on it.
"Hey, Sheena," Zelos began, eyes still clenched shut in pain, "you have any more of those apple gels you took from Lloyd?"
"Nope, used them all up."
"Great…"
"How'd you get like this?"
"Oh, I was fighting a sh-crapload of monsters, fell down a small cliff, landed in the absolute wrong way; you know, the usual reason to end up like this." He had somehow managed to refrain from cursing earlier in his utter agony this far, so he might as well continue doing so. Besides, there were ladies present.
"I see…and why is everyone's clothes wet, but not yours?"
It was true; everything on Sheena, Lloyd, and Colette from halfway up the shin down showed signs of recently being completely soaked as did the clothing up to their elbows.
Upon closer inspection, what looked to have originally been the evening light causing Lloyd's clothes to seem darker was in reality the fact that his clothes were damp from the neck down.
"Dear all matters of luck and fate, Lloyd! How did you get so wet? We need to get you out of those clothes right away!"
Lloyd blushed almost as bright as his clothes, "W-What?"
"I never knew you were so forward, your highness." Zelos commented smirking.
Raine gave him a withering look before turning back to Lloyd, "Go on and change."
"Right!" he rushed off to the bedroom, trying to evade his embarrassment in the process.
Zelos laughed, "You should've seen him right after he got out after falling into the river; he looked just like the old man."
"A river, so that's how your clothes got into such a state. And you, Zelos? Why don't you have water all over you?"
"I was smart enough to take off my gloves to attempt to clean my headband and roll up my pants when I put my foot in that friggin' cold river."
"You were at a river when they found you?"
Zelos rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, I just managed to drag my sorry butt over there so I could keep my ankle from swelling to twice its size at least for a little while. But it sucked that I had to keep taking it in and out after it had numbed for too long in the water. But, hey, I didn't want anything bad to happen to-What?" he asked at her astonished expression.
"You know how to reduce swelling and the ill-effects of gradual exposure to cold temperatures?"
"Yeah…" he grinned, "What? You thought I was just some big-headed city slicker who doesn't know the first thing about how to tend to my injuries without a doctor or magic?"
"Basically; yes."
"You wound me!" Zelos cried out dramatically.
Raine rolled her eyes, "I have to check on Altessa, you all go get changed into dry clothes."
She left and the other females went to enter the bedroom, Sheena calling out a warning to Lloyd they were coming in.
However, Zelos held Genis back.
"Hey, brat."
Genis was preparing to instinctually snap back at the name when he registered Zelos's tone.
He turned around to face him, "What is it?"
"That Mithos guy, he didn't…"
"Didn't what?"
Genis noted how Zelos seemed to be uncharacteristically choosing his words carefully, "Did he ever make it seem as though he liked you, even in hindsight? Like creepering on you."
Genis confusedly at him, "What do you mean?"
Zelos searched for a way to phrase this so a twelve year old whose eyes were clouded by friendship could understand where he's coming from. "I suppose you wouldn't be able to tell, given your situation. Let's see, how about if he ever seemed possessive of you?"
Genis tried to think of a time, but all he couldn't recall anything that he didn't think was more than mere friendly affection.
"Perhaps wanting to know if you liked him better than someone else? Like if your sister accuses him of being your sworn enemy, who would you believe?"
Genis shook his head, "No, Mithos loved my sister; he practically acted like she was his own."
"I bet." Zelos commented dryly before he continued, "Maybe if he and bud got in a fight, whose side would you take?"
Genis's eyes widened, "That's…That's exactly what he asked."
"And lemme guess, you said his side, right? Because of bud's knack for doing stupid stuff." Genis nodded and Zelos sighed, running his fingers through his hair, "No wonder he was so pissed with your reaction to being betrayed. But when you tried to stop Lloyd…"
"We promised to always be friends, so I guess…"
"Best friends forever, eh? And like the crazy possessive psychopath he is, he took it literally and nabbed you." Zelos sighed and ruffled Genis's hair and began towards the bedroom, "C'mon, brat, let's go to bed. We'll deal with this tomorrow."
"If I didn't know any better," Genis began, following him, "I'd say you've actually shown evidence of giving a care in the worlds about someone other than yourself."
Zelos laughed, "What the hel-ck gave you that idea?" he stopped himself from swearing just in case Raine was still within earshot, though he was fairly sure it didn't matter since she had that Barometer thing of hers going on. "I want to know how far away I have to stand from you to keep my pretty visage clear from the full possessive creeper wrath of his Yggy-ness. Plus, I don't think I could live if anything happened to my lovely hunnies—just think, what if my voluptuous hunny wasn't voluptuous anymore, or if he made my bud like the old man was like." Zelos theatrically shuddered, "The horror."
Genis gave him a strange look, "What would he do to Sheena? And I highly doubt Lloyd would ever become anything like Kratos."
"Well, I meant he would make bud his bitc-err, actually, you're probably too young to think about that kind of stuff, so forget I said anything. And don't tell her highness told you anything. Please. Though, speaking of my hunnies…" Zelos trailed off as they reached the door.
Genis realized right before they entered that they had given no warning to the room's occupants that they were about to come in; not doubt because Zelos hoped to catch a glimpse of them changing, especially given the look on his face.
Luckily, they had finished up and were now in the pajamas given to them by the tailor that had basically kidnapped their group upon getting 'sudden inspiration' and had needed models that very instant.
"-and that's when Lloyd found me." Sheena finished.
"Wow," Colette said amazedly, "I knew he was really good friends with Genis, but I had no idea it was like that."
"So what were you doing before that?" Lloyd asked.
"Hey everyone! How're my hunnies doin'?"
"Oh, it's you."
"Aww, don't be like that."
Genis went over to where his pajamas were and was about to peel off his bloodied clothing when he paused, blushing at what he nearly did.
"Don't worry about it, brat, I'm a guy too and it's nothing they haven't seen before." Zelos assured as began shamelessly undoing his vest.
Genis still hesitated.
"Do you want me to come over there and help?" Lloyd offered grinning.
Genis gave him a withering look before proceeding to start taking off his shirt while pointedly ignoring that he was doing so. Instead, he directed the topic elsewhere, "So Sheena, did you really spy on us while we were changing?"
Sheena blushed, "I-I had to observe my target to plan out my course of action. I had to if I was going to try to kill Colette. No offense, Colette."
"Not at all," she said smiling.
"But wouldn't the guys change separately from the girls usually?" Zelos inquired mischievously.
"Nah, I was fine changing with the girls. Sis raised me so it was like my mother seeing me undressed and I was fine with Colette because of all the times me, her, and Lloyd stripped down to our underwear to swim in ponds when we were little."
"And you bud?"
Lloyd blushed, "It was different from when we went swimming…"
"He always left the campsite to change." Colette said, "Mr. Kratos always went with him because it was 'improper for a man to disrobe in the presence of maidens', probably some chivalry thing from way back when he was growing up. But now I think about it, he was really just making sure Lloyd didn't get hurt when he was out there alone without his clothes on. Besides, apparently the Professor isn't a maiden since she said she couldn't approach the unicorn."
The shirt Zelos had just pulled off fell from his hands and his eyebrows flew up all the way to his headband, "Her highness isn't a vir-maiden?" he quickly corrected his wording at the look Sheena shot him that told him that the other three didn't know the full definition of a "maiden".
"So did you ever spy on those two while they were changing?" Colette asked Sheena in a very teenage girl way.
Sheena blushed brilliantly, "W-What?"
Colette giggled, "Oh, come on, they didn't always go that far away from camp, you know. Sometimes when I used my angelic sight I could still see them."
Lloyd turned so red; they could almost swear he glowed.
Sheena wasn't faring much better, "It was only once, I was gauging how much trouble they'd give me and then they started moving away from their campsite. It wasn't like I watched them bathe or anything. I'm not like Lloyd."
"H-Hey! That was all Zel-"
"But you wanted to." Zelos said before Lloyd could go on, as he pulled on his pajama pants.
"S-Shut up!"
"Though I do wonder, did the old man really have pajamas?"
"No, just one spare set of clothing, he'd wear just the shirt and pants for the following day."
"The real question is, among me, bud, and the old man, who looks better with his shirt off?"
"I'm not answering that!"
"It's a tough decision," Colette said after some thought, "I mean, they're all attractive in their own ways. They each have their different appeals. Lloyd is the cute, optimistic one who will always cheer you up when you're down. Mr. Kratos is the classic tall, dark, and handsome, a mystery waiting for the right person to solve. And Zelos is the sexy playboy pretty-boy whose attention you have to fight for but is worth the challenge." She finished by smiling brightly.
Lloyd flinched, "Did you have to state it like you got it off some gossip column?"
"That's all well and good but I asked who looked best with their shirt off?"
Colette blinked, "Oh, well Mr. Kratos, of course."
"What? B-But-but-"
"I totally agree."
"He's Kratos! He's old!"
"Not from my point of view he wasn't," Sheena sighed and shook her head, "They just don't make them like they used to."
"You mean like they did four thousand years ago?"
"Though that guy we saw near Sybak training shirtless with a sword and ax that looked a year younger than you did redeem the fact it was really hot that day."
"It was hot indeed, in more ways than one, and that cute kid hanging around near him looked about your age too. Though let me tell you, the real one you're looking for is,"
The males exchanged glances when Sheena leaned over to whisper in Colette's ear.
Both Chosens' eyes widened and Colette's face took on an excited expression while Zelos appeared downright horrified before looking thoughtful, "Actually, from an objective point of view…"
Sheena pulled back, "He'd thrown open the door looking absolutely murderous when I was being told about some of the terrain of Sylvarant before glancing about the room and moving on; except he'd been in only a towel."
Zelos laughed fondly, "Ah, I remember that, I'd been aiming for hot pink, but apparently no dye is that strong; still, bright purple was just as good."
"I figured it was someone like you. But, wait, why were you at that place?"
"'Informing the Chosen of all updates on the status of Tethe'alla', through a stroke of bad luck, they managed to track me down and drag me there to be told about the existence of Sylvarant. I was able to slip out halfway through the meeting and found the bathrooms. I decided to add the hair dye I had in my pocket to a random shampoo bottle and there you go. I had to stay an extra day because they caught me trying to escape, so that's how I ended up witnessing the results."
"What were you doing with a random bottle of hot pink hair dye in your pocket?"
"It was originally for the Pope. But lemme tell ya, when I put in that dye, I'd hoped I'd get someone important, I never expected I'd hit the head honcho himself."
Lloyd got an unpleasant expression on his face, "You guys do know he acted like a total creeper when I first met him? Seriously what's his issue? Stepping so he was like two inches away from my face to mention 'seeing a resemblance' when he could see perfectly fine from where he was, especially with the über-vision he should have; then he left sayin' that, 'next time we meet, you're mine' crap and all."
Of course, neither of the two would admit to the immature insult exchange that preceded those events.
Zelos slung his arm around Lloyd's shoulder, "Aww, c'mon, bud, you know it was just because he was so repressed. He was likely seein' your old man when he was looking at you, he did mention seeing a resemblance after all. And if what the ladies say is true, he probably was imagining all the things he wanted to do with him. Obviously he doesn't know how feisty you are in bed like I do."
Lloyd laughed and lightly shoved Zelos, "Oh shut up."
As he pulled the last of his pajamas on, Genis looked on as Zelos and Lloyd messed around and Colette and Sheena were deep in conversation.
Genis looked on and remembered.
He missed Mithos.
His gaze wandered to his pile of ruined clothes.
But it was all just an act or, rather, the twisted fantasy of a madman wanting to keep Genis captive as his 'friend forever'.
Looking at the clothes also reminded him of what happened the previous night.
Who was the one to help him in that alley?
He had a very short list.
A list that's down to one.
Sorry for the cut-off, TheRecorder would have killed me for it too if she hadn't been like two hundred miles away at the time.
Hints: TheRecorder has expressed the wish to quote, 'drive them insane', but which she means give you, my readers, absolutely no help in figuring this out (admit it, Rec), however, I am not so cruel.
-There is more than one correct answer to this mystery, but the answer I wrote this story with the intention of using is not who you think it is, but there's one big reason that person is the Original Solution
-To make things easier/more difficult, basically every single word the characters spoke was true
-You shouldn't take everything at face value
-If you're serious about figuring this out on your own and finding all the clues—first of all, I love you, have some cyber-cookies—and second, you will have to re-read a bunch of the fic
The Sages and Zelos kinda took the role(s) of detective here, or at least are used for the gathering of 'evidence' for the reader.
I also realize that the 'surprise sexuality' thing was incredibly vague so I'm going to say outright that it is Yuan. Congrats to those who figured it out before I told you!
Also, there are notes/clarifications/hints(?) to this story, if anyone wants I can add them onto the end after the Author's Note. Oh, and if anyone just wants the answers, just review/PM me telling me so and whether or not you want a short (hopefully I can keep it that way) explanation on why it's who it is.
EDIT: Answers-
Primary Answer: Sheena
Intended/True Answer: Zelos
Betcha weren't expecting that.