Chapter Eighteen:

Crossroads

Genis shivered a bit in the cold air, although his companion affected not to notice. Honestly, just how did Lloyd do it? Flying all night in the bitter cold, yet he did not even seem to notice the biting wind of the night. Genis was already freezing, though they had left only a couple of hours ago because Lloyd had decided that it would be best for them to travel under cover of darkness. It was a strategy that Genis could respect, and so he had quickly agreed.

The biting night air, however, had been one thing he had failed to think ahead about. He was now paying for that as Lloyd flew onward relentlessly. It was nothing he could not survive, of course, yet it was a measure of the other boy's focus that Lloyd did not so much as comment on Genis' shivering...or shiver himself.

Or so Genis had thought. With a slight frown, he noted that Lloyd's wing flaps seemed to be...laborious. It was like the brunet was struggling, yet that was crazy. Why on earth would Lloyd be struggling? He had been perfectly fine, earlier.

A sudden jolt sent Genis' mind reeling in an almost-panic before Lloyd levelled them out. That had cinched it, though: there was something wrong.

"Lloyd? Are you okay?" he asked, somewhat frightened. If something was wrong with Lloyd...well, they were alone, soaring over the ocean. That had some serious potential for disaster.

"I'm okay, Genis," the brunet responded after a moment. The delay worried the young half-elf. If Lloyd was really okay, then why had he hesitated? As if to give ground to Genis' fears, Lloyd's struggling form bobbed slightly as they were struck by a slight crosswind.

"L-Lloyd!" he yelped, clutching hard at the brunet's red coat.

This time, Lloyd did not respond verbally, only carried on flapping, his iridescent blue wings seeming almost to shimmer and flicker in the darkness.

Flicker.

Horrified, Genis shifted in Lloyd's hold so he could get a better look at the boy's wings. Sure enough, the tips of the appendages seemed to be fading in and out. With that sort of thing happening, it really was no surprise that they were unable to hold an even keel.

On closer inspection, Genis noted that tendrils of blood red mana were starting to contaminate the normal sky-blue hue of the wings. Branching out from Lloyd's body, the red was slowly creeping further up the appendages, sending out long, web-like strands that formed long trails, almost like the interlinking roots of trees. Each strand of red seemed to conflict with the blue, causing sporadic, furious reactions to flare up between the two colours—or types of mana, as Genis was starting to realise. Spark-like bits of purple mana occasionally flickered in Lloyd's wings, breaking away and drifting off into the darkness.

All-in-all, it was quite terrifying.

"What's going on? Lloyd? Lloyd!" When his friend did not respond, Genis fought down panic. Maybe Lloyd just had not heard him... No! That was stupid. Of course Lloyd had heard him!

So then...

"Lloyd! Lloyd, answer me!"

Finally, the brunet responded with a grunt. That was all, unless you considered the way his wings gave a final, eye-jarring flash before fading entirely. Then they were falling, the wind stinging Genis' eyes and cheeks before they erupted into the ocean, sending a fountain of seawater straight up into the air.

Genis' initial thought was that he was going to die, and then his survival instincts kicked in. Thrashing out, he fought to keep them both afloat, silently praying that something, anything, would happen to save them...

"Well, that was completely and utterly useless," the redhead groaned to the protozoan walking beside him.

Tilting his head, Noishe whined quietly, reaching up to nuzzle his snout into Zelos' lax palm.

"You know, Noishe...sometimes a guy's gotta wonder how intelligent you really are."

Well, that might be mildly insulting. Then again it might not be; he supposed that was one of the consequences of possessing the form of an unintelligent entity. Zelos knew he knew more than most, certainly, but it often seemed that only Yuan, Mithos, and, of course, Kratos really understood him. Or, well, understood that he understood.

"So, what should our next move be, Buddy?"

Smoothly, Noishe aimed himself ahead and took off at a swift trot through the trees. He heard the redheaded human come barrelling after him, yet he did not even hesitate in his stride. Something up ahead had caught his attention, and he needed to find out what it was.

"H-hey, Noishe, Buddy. Get back here. I'll fly us to Flanoir."

The protozoan did not stop, if anything he picked up speed. He could feel an odd concentration of mana ahead; one that was both familiar and novel to him. He knew what it had to be: a foreign angel. The mana fluctuation was unstable, though. It was like there was some sort of question as to whether or not the person was truly an angel.

...it was so very like Kratos' when he had changed.

"...Noishe?"

Glancing back at Zelos, the white-and-green blotched creature whined gently before quickening his pace once more, this time to a lumbering lope. The undergrowth of the forest hindered his stride, yet he could tell from the salty air blowing past his nose that they would soon break free of the trees. Hopefully they would then be able to catch sight of whomever it was that was sending off such an odd mana signature.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming..." he heard the redhead mutter, breath coming out in a tired gasp as the sounds of the human's blundering increased. From the sounds of things, it was not hard to imagine that Zelos been raised in the city. Noishe really wished he could be quieter, but perhaps that was too much to ask of even an angel. Besides, Noishe's huge ears were probably a tad more sensitive than most. In light of that, Zelos' crashing was probably not all that, well...loud. Still, it was annoying.

Then Noishe froze. Nose twitching, his entire body tensed as he realised just what it was he was sensing. With a loud bark, he sped up, tearing through the undergrowth at breakneck speed.

"What the-? Noishe!" Zelos yelped out, taking off after the dog-like creature in a clumsy run. "Get back here!"

Noishe did not even slow, however, if anything he sped up. Lloyd was straight ahead. Straight ahead...and something was wrong with him.

None-too-soon, he pounded to a stop on the bank of the ocean. Growling in frustration, he paced back and forth, tail swishing anxiously. If only Kratos were there; he would understand...he always understood. Zelos, though...

Glancing back at the redhead, he wagged his tail weakly, glancing at the water, then back to Zelos. It was obvious by the way the carefree façade had fallen away that Zelos was starting to figure things out.

"What is it, Buddy?" he frowned, then. "It's Lloyd, isn't it?"

Barking in affirmation, he glanced back out over the water.

"Wait here," Zelos muttered, his own wings unfurling as he launched himself into the sky.

"No, Anna! I cannot!"

"Please, Kratty. Please..."

Screaming Desians cut out the rest of the words exchanged between his partner and his partner's mate. The next thing he heard was a wailing shriek, the 'shing' of a sword, and then...silence. It did not last, however, as Lloyd's piercing cry took up the call. Then even that faded, suddenly, as the clanging of Desians' armour took over a moment later. The cacophony was almost more than could be followed.

The disgruntled protozoan fought to figure out what was happening. He could not pick out individual scents, though; the stench of blood was far too overpowering.

Picking himself up from the bottom of the cliff, where he had been thrown by that...monster, Noishe tried to regain his bearings. Stabilising himself on shaky paws, he took a tentative step forward, one paw slipping in the slick, hot substance that was coating the grass.

Blood.

With a determined growl, the green and white creature moved to lunge forward, only to slip heavily in the red liquid with a force that sent him crashing to the ground. His own blood was adding to the mess staining the grass.

That thing that had hit him...it had been Anna. Why? Why would she attack her own son like that? Her family? It did not make sense, and nonsense terrified him.

The smell permeating the air was making him want to vomit; the air was thick and heavy, the scent of the dead and dying Desians overpowering every other sense. Even his ears felt clogged and stuffy. Lloyd's cries were gone.

Lloyd... Lloyd!

Bounding back to his feet, Noishe moved to attempt walking again, only to yelp softly in pain. Glancing down at his paw, he realised he must have hurt it when he fell. Staggering forward with his right forepaw tucked under him, he made it several steps before his left paw landed on something cold and hard. Whining a bit, he glanced down.

At Anna's exsphere...

Anna! Why had she done that? Had...this thing had something to do with that? It had fallen out when she hit him, had it not? That was...that was when her voice had returned, pleading with Kratos.

He knew what it was, he just did not want to accept it.

Picking up the exsphere in his mouth, Noishe grimaced a bit as the sharp taste of iron stung his tongue, yet he set off anyway, purple paws slapping hard against the sticky grass as he limped ahead.

He wandered for awhile. How long it actually was, he did not know, yet eventually he came across an abnormally large bloodstain. Several Desian corpses lay scattered around the area, though most were already being ravaged by monsters, yet that did not bother him. What did bother him was that, just for an instant, he caught a whiff of Lloyd. It was barely discernable over the sent of death, but it was undeniably Lloyd.

It was hard not to fear the worst.

Sitting back on his haunches, the protozoan tilted his head toward the partially-clouded moon and howled. Oh how he howled, his heart crying out in anguish. He had no idea how long he stayed like that; it could have been minutes, or hours, he really did not care.

Eventually, Noishe climbed back to his paws and set off, limping slowly. As he gained distance from the carnage, his nose twitched, picking up the subtle, but welcome, scent of Lloyd. The boy was alive! Well, at least he had moved. The distinct lack of a body fuelled the protozoan's hope, though. Lloyd had been here, but had then moved. It was more than enough to press the animal-like creature to search for him. Lloyd had to be found.

Determination set in, and so Noishe set off at a staggering lope, nose frantically twitching as he searched. Kratos had always asked him to watch out for the boy; Noishe did not mean to break his partner's trust, now. Especially not now.

As he travelled, the air freshened, leaving Lloyd's scent clearer and easier to follow. Of course, that also led him to an unfamiliar odour. There was someone or something with Lloyd, and he meant to find out who or what. It was almost as the thought crossed his mind that the first sound reached his oversized ears.

Freezing, he listened, ears upright and alert to every sound the trees had to offer, be they the normal noises of a prosperous woodland, or the unfamiliar ones he was looking for.

There it was again! It was some voice he had never heard before. Wait, now that he was not moving, he picked up a second voice...Anna!

Lunging forward, he burst into a small clearing to an interesting scene. There was a dwarf crouched over the still form of...what had been Anna. In the dwarf's arms was an unconscious Lloyd. At the sight of him, the dwarf said something, yet it went over Noishe's head as his entire being was focused on Lloyd. Walking over slowly, the huge creature lowered his head and nuzzled the messy mop of brunet hair on the top of Lloyd's head. For an instant, the dwarf tensed. It was only when Noishe made it apparent that he was in no way shape or form a threat to the boy that he relaxed.

"Ah can't say Ah've ever seen a dog like ya afore."

Letting out a soft whine, Noishe turned his eyes to the still form of what was once Anna. Walking over, he nuzzled her head gently before raising his snout to the sky and letting a long, rumbling howl break free of his throat.

The following morning, Noishe was awakened by loud wails. He had spent the night outside the village, a small town where the dwarf had taken Lloyd for the night, yet his massive ears still had no difficulty picking up Lloyd's cries.

Bounding to his feet, the clumsy animal took off at an awkward gallop, intent on getting to the mayor's house, where they were bedding down, as quickly as he could. He was stopped at the door, however, as the overweight man streamed outside, muttering about annoying, loud babies. The mutters quickly turned into a stream of curses when he caught sight of the huge protozoan.

"Get out of here! Get! Filthy animal..."

Whining, Noishe stepped back a bit, but he did not leave. As long as Lloyd was crying, he would be nearby. Kratos would have nothing less.

Eventually, the dwarf appeared, carrying with him a sniffling brunet toddler. At the sight of Noishe, however, the young boy immediately perked up.

"Noishy!"

Letting out a soft, happy bark, the dog-like animal thrust his head forward so the child could stroke his soft fur.

Yes. He would stay by Lloyd. Kratos would come back...he had to.

It was decided that the dwarf, Dirk, would be living in the area. While Dirk set out building himself and the toddler living quarters, Lloyd lived at the home of the mayor, much to the elder's chagrin. With the help of the townsfolk, it was amazing how quickly the cozy house went up. Barely a week after Noishe's and Lloyd's arrival, the building was done, allowing the newly-formed family of three to move in.

Lloyd settled in quickly. It was barely a day before the little boy was out, exploring the yard under the careful supervision of his guardians, both human and not.

Dirk was a carpenter, and the furnishings he was working on for the small house were beautiful. It would be awhile before everything was completed, but, for the time being, they were comfortable.

At least, Dirk and Lloyd were. Yet the way the little boy sometimes cried out for his parents when he was hurt or sleeping...that really bothered the protozoan.

About two weeks after the incident that had cost Anna her life, Noishe could no longer stand the whole 'sitting and waiting' deal. In his current form, communicating with humans verbally was impossible, so he could not tell the dwarf that Kratos was still out there. Noishe knew he was; he had to be. His partner would not let this stop him. Not while his son was still alive. So one morning, when it dawned overcast and drizzling, the protozoan left.

Paws hitting the damp earth in a steady one-two tempo, Noishe trotted back to the hilltop, the same place that he had last seen Kratos. Sniffing around, he did not manage to pick up any familiar scents. Even the bodies of the Desians were gone, along with all visible traces of blood.

He did not give up, however. Sensitive nose twitching, he combed the area. Eventually, the skies opened up, soaking him right through his thick coat and drawing shivers out of the odd creature. The wet grass bent under his weight, his paws splashing through the rapidly-forming puddles. Yet even the mud that was browning his snowy coat was not enough to stop him. He needed a sign, any sign, that Kratos was okay and would come back for them.

The day passed, with Sol slowly drifting down toward the horizon, even as the dark clouds hid it away. The rain had not stopped, though it had died down to a dreary drizzle by this point, yet still Noishe searched on.

Darkness was beginning to settle over the land by the time the protozoan made it to the top of the cliff from whence Anna had fallen. Seating himself on his haunches, Noishe looked around the area. His fur was plastered to his skin by this point, yet he was not quite ready to head for the dwarf's home, yet. No, he had not found his partner, and no, he had not even found any sign that the seraph was still alive. He knew, though, that Kratos was. Kratos had to be alive still. He just did.

Tilting his nose to the sky, he howled. Somewhere up there, beneath the thick cloud cover, was Luna, and if anyone could hear his cry, she could. She would carry it to Kratos...right?

One way or another, Kratos would be back. He was sure of it.

Zelos flew for some time before he could feel what Noishe had felt. Somehow, the protozoan was more sensitive to mana signatures and fluctuations than even Yggdrasill. When he did catch it at last, however, he wanted to vomit. There was...something tainted in the air. Frowning, he swallowed hard and launched toward it. Wherever that taint was, it was with Lloyd.

Following the trail, he was barely able to force himself all of the way to where he saw the two figures floating in the water. One was the brat, who was frantically fighting to keep himself and an unconscious Lloyd from sinking beneath the ocean. Without a second thought, he plunged downward, grabbing them both and pulling them into the sky. The taint was enough to make him want to pass out, but his determination won out and he persevered, jetting all three of them off toward where he thought that Noishe had been left.

Landing hard, he was barely able to release his burden in time to shift to one side as his guts heaved up what little was in his stomach.

Mithos was not pleased. The two people he had thought to be his most useful followers had managed to mess up big time. He knew now that they were conspiring against him, yet about what he could not say. At least, not yet. He meant to find out, though.

Of course, there was still the obstacle of the half-elf woman, too. She could easily be gotten rid of, of course, but he would rather not act quite so...openly. He did not have a great enough knowledge of the situation to do anything so rash. Once again, at least not yet. There just was no way of him knowing how she would be missed, and the last thing he needed was too many people asking too many questions.

Call it paranoia, or whatever you fancied, it was still better to be safe.

Of course, he would gladly rid himself of every waste of space on this damned ship to save Martel. It was just a matter of biding his time and waiting.

At least for now. After all, he had waiting four thousand years already, so what was a few more days?

He was going to continue telling himself that, anyway.

Shouldering his cloak, the young-looking half-elf made his way out onto the ship's deck. Unfortunately for him, years of flying everywhere had left him with leg muscles that were weaker and more unstable than he would like to admit. Walking was fine, even running was fine, but walking and balancing on the rolling deck of a ship? Not so much. He pressed on, however, making his way over to the bow to gaze out over the water—mercifully without any mishaps. Or at least to pretend to gaze out at the water. The idiotic fool at the helm would know precisely why he was there, and if the hurried departure Kratos made when he showed his face said anything, he had arrived not a moment too soon and probably several too late. Those two were scheming together, or he was a unicorn. Then again, what else was new? Those two had always been against him. By Niflheim, everyone was against him! They would never understand though, and that did not matter. So long as they obeyed.

The problem was, however, that he was not certain how long they could be trusted to do that any longer. The Chosen One was gone. How, by Efreet's blaze, Kratos had managed that, he very much wanted to know. The human angel was both a powerful warrior and a competent man. Yet the chosen vessel was gone, sure as the Church of Martel was a hoax.

Then there was also the 'minor' issue of the seraph's missing son. Lloyd...that boy had been nothing but trouble since his spawning. How Kratos could have failed to see the importance of reviving Martel over all else never ceased to horrify Mithos. He had picked some human woman over their goal. Despicable. Even her death had not ended things, and Lloyd was a constant, grating reminder to the half-elf of that betrayal. He might be a useful tool at times, but this issue just proved to Mithos that the boy was trouble. In short: the good did not outweigh the bad...and something had to be done about it.

Well, it was best to take things head-on, right? With that thought, Mithos turned and made his way back toward the cabin where Kratos was staying. It was time for some answers.

The day passed with agonising slowness, and as evening rolled around, Sheena found herself relieved to gain a slight break from babysitting the clumsy Chosen. Colette was sweet, and good company, but it really was tiresome trying to mop floors and tidy cargo holds with the girl tripping over everything that could be found. Actually, cleaning was tiresome on its own, but it ended up bordering on unbearable with Colette's 'help.' The girl's heart was in the right place, really and truly it was, but she just...lacked co-ordination. Though, Sheena supposed that it was not her place to complain. After all, not every kidnapper was lucky enough to have such a helpful target. Colette really was something else.

Standing at the rail on the starboard side, Sheena slumped forward, letting her arms dangle over the side of the ship as she relaxed for the first time that day. She was...definitely not looking forward to the rest of this trip.

Oh well. She had to continue telling herself that this was for the best. Colette was alive and safe...and out of the way. It was the best possible outcome for everyone, right? She hoped so, otherwise things could very well get ugly sometime in the near future. She did not imagine that Yuan would care for what she had done...but sometimes compassion had to win out. Colette did not deserve to be killed. Not for this. After all, was it fair to condemn anyone for wishing to protect his or her world? Because, if that were the case, then Sheena's own life should be just as forfeit as Colette's. In the end, they were the same in every way but one: Sheena was knowingly condemning a world, Colette was not. When one looked at it like that...well, it was a real eye-opener.

At the same time, though, Sheena knew that she could not abandon Tethe'alla. Not now, and not ever. She would fight and die for this world, should it come to that, and she felt that Colette must feel the same way. Even still, however, she wanted to keep Colette alive, because the girl had truly done nothing warranting death.

If one of them deserved to die, it was Sheena herself. It was a waste to fret over it now, though. Nobody was going to be dying if she could help it, so the best thing to do would be to just...move forward.

"Sheena?"

Ah, speaking of...

"What is it, Colette?" she asked, not turning away from watching the waves.

"I'm not feeling very well..."

Alarmed, the young ninja turned to her friend, frowning when she saw the abnormal paleness painting the girl's face a ghastly white. Concerned, Sheena quickly ushered the blonde off the deck and to their shared sleeping quarters.

With Colette seated on her hammock, Sheena finally asked, "I'm guessing you aren't seasick?" Somehow, that just did not seem like a typical ailment for, well...angels.

"N-no...I'm just feeling a little off, that's all. Sorry to bother you with this."

And there she went, apologising again. Sighing, the dark-haired girl waved it off. "Don't worry about it, Colette. Everyone gets sick now and again." Though this did seem a little...weird. She had been fine earlier, right? So why now...?

"Sorry, Sheena...and thanks!" And with that, the perky blonde laid down, clearly intent on trying to get some sleep.

Leaving the girl be, the ninja made her way back out onto the deck. She could not help but wonder, though...just what was making Colette ill?

Kratos only hoped he was prepared for this when the door to his cabin slammed open, revealing the furious face of a certain half-elven 'lord'. Despite the obvious explosion working its way to the surface, the human angel faced it with utmost calm. Because in the end, that was all he could do.

"Kratos," came the flat, displeased voice of Mithos. "You have some explaining to do."

"Yes, I understand," came the elder seraph's calm response.

"Then talk! Tell me, Kratos, where is your son? Where is Lloyd? And where is the Chosen?"

Wait, Lloyd? Oh no, this was not good. He had to say something, and fast, because if Lloyd's name was coming up...well, that could very easily turn ugly.

"Lord Yggdrasill," he began, calm as ever. "It is my belief that Lloyd left to look for the Chosen after her...disappearance."

"Disappearance, Kratos? Just what happened to her, anyway? Tell me!"

"She...left in the night. It is my belief that the Chosen gained cold feet and chose to run from her duties. Yuan was simply helping me look for her. Lloyd left, without my approval, to try and find her."

"Did he now? Well, you better hope for all of your sakes that he finds her." And with that, Mithos left, the door slamming shut behind him. With that, Kratos slumped against the wall, closing his eyes. This was so not good.

...I said I'll finish this, and I will, I just don't know when. I'm way more into writing Tales of Vesperia fan fiction lately, and getting up the inspiration for this one's harder. Hearing from my readers helps, though. I was rereading reviews today, and you guys rock. Seriously.

Anyway, on that note, I hope you enjoyed. Oh, and...

Happy Fourth, FYIT!