DarknessGryphon is very sorry! I really meant to update sooner, but video clips of Gackt kept distracting me! Seriously. I guess some of the clips were PIERROT but that doesn't really matter now does it?

Like always, DarknessGryphon would like thank her reviewers:

Maiyoko Iwagashi

Wish on a star6

Seraphim Rhapsody

IJustWannaBeMe

Jana-Yggdrasil

Birth of Venus

brandy mallory

Aesira

Liu Barrowin

PrincessKaina2

Thank you for supporting me! This chapter is kinda like a downtime chapter… sorry. Unfortunately, school starts tomorrow and I will try to update soon, but I simply don't know when I will next be able to update.

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Chapter 6 Answers Around the Campfire

No less than fifteen minutes later, Zelos was tired of walking.

"You know, it's kinda strange to be on a journey and be taking it like a stroll in the park," the redhead complained.

Lloyd punched him playfully, "Quit complaining Zelos, at least we're outside."

Kratos responded to the former Chosen's remark without turning, "We're going to camp tonight. It's good for you."

Interestingly enough, this was a valid answer. The journey from Meltokio to Iselia took only a long day of walking (or twenty minutes by rheaird).

"We could just as easily sleep outside of Dirk's house, but we're not going to get there at this pace," Zelos tried again.

"Don't be a loser, Zelos," Yuan chided.

Truly, it was a bit irrational to insist on taking the trip in two days. As always, however, the seraphim had their reasons. This way, they could gently prod the red-clad boy for input without seeming at all suspicious. Unfortunately, making the journey longer meant dealing with short attention spans.

Surely enough, a few moments later, Lloyd began to vocalize his boredom. Amusedly, Yuan watched his auburn-haired, lover begin to twitch as the twin-swordsman and Tethe'allan became increasingly obnoxious. After an hour, which Yuan was proud of Kratos for enduring, the human seraphim began to crack. It was easy to see why though, Lloyd and Zelos we're playing some stupid game (it involved a lot of shouting and throwing things in random directions), and Yuan had started to absently hum tunes that stuck in one's head like knives.

When he couldn't take it anymore, the War God spun around and swiftly produced five dark bottles. Kratos released all of the bottles at once, smirking, " There, now you won't be bored anymore."

The dark essence filled the air and coated them heavily. Almost instantly they heard the keening and wails of now frenzied creatures.

Although they couldn't see yet, they ran like Hell was whipping them (yelling "Faster you fools!") because the entire country seemed to be after them. Scores of monsters scurried, slithered, crawled, or flew towards them.

The run did get them closer to Iselia, but they had to spend so much time fighting off monsters before the dark bottles wore off, that it was pointless to travel farther.

Kratos and Yuan got the camp together while Lloyd and Zelos ended up getting firewood. Yuan was teasing his auburn-headed swordsman about the dark bottle when the younger men came back with wood.

"Kratos, I'm so bored. I'd sure like to be chased by all the creatures within a fifty-mile radius of me." Yuan frowned. Kratos looked up.

"Okay." He proceeded to chase the other seraphim around the camp before finally tackling him. Zelos cleared his throat before they… did more.

Kratos took the wood gratefully and quickly started a fire. Once the fire was burning well, all four of them looked at each other. Here was the dilemma: who was going to cook? None of them were especially great at cooking and all of them were exhausted. All of them reached a fist toward each other and…

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

"Crap!" Kratos, Yuan, and Lloyd all threw scissors. Zelos had done paper. Lloyd shoved the ingredients into the former Chosen's hands.

"Just don't poison us, 'kay Zelos?"

Although he did consider it, Zelos didn't poison them , and except for a small food fight, dinner went well.

They all sat by the fire, talking quietly and relaxing. Yuan was nestled in Kratos' lap, sleepily resting against the –auburn haired swordsman's chest. Lloyd looked into the fire, and Zelos was on his back studying the stars.

"It's strange. When we were saving the world, we usually didn't have enough peace of mind to just sit. Now that it's all over, It makes you realize how much we hurried back then," Lloyd wondered aloud as a breeze stirred the flames. Zelos looked over at him and was relieved that the twin-swordsman wasn't sadly reminiscing.

Yuan smiled a bit, "It's a good thing life isn't that hectic anymore. I would hate to not be with Kratos." He reached up for a kiss. Lloyd looked at them and smiled.

"How did you two fall in love? - or know it at least?" The seraphim smiled at each other in what seemed a loving way. In reality, Lloyd had fallen into their trap. They would bring the conversation to him and find exactly what he wanted in a partner. It'd save them time and potential embarrassment.

"Well, this blue-haired nightmare and I became inseparable at a time. When we drifted apart more and more, I thought about Yuan increasingly. I wanted to deny it and label it as missing my friend or wanting a break from my responsibilities. By then, Yuan had figured himself out and kept wearing me down until I could deny it no longer."

Yuan poked Kratos for referring to him as a nightmare, "Well I figured it out because of Martel. She kept teasing me when I would talk about Kratos. Goddess! She was surprised when I proposed. But when, centuries later, I realized that I could not get enough of Kratos and I would stare at his ass, and hair, and eyes, and… you get the point. But this idiot didn't even realize that he checked me out too. So… I just kept trying to prove it to him until he gave in."

They kissed again. Zelos had propped himself on his side with his chin in his palm. He smiled a little sadly and looked from the couple to Lloyd a few times. Yuan caught him staring but said nothing.

Without any prompting, Lloyd began to answer, "That sounds wonderful. I don't really think love is for me, though. I think I'd be too clumsy for romance and altogether too clueless."

The other three men mentally yelled, "CRAP!" but remained outwardly composed.

Strangely enough, the stone-faced Kratos saved the day, "Well Lloyd, I used to feel the same bet I fell in love."

"Yeah… maybe…" Lloyd was distant. Zelos frowned slightly at the couple as though he was trying to figure out what game they were playing, then stood up and started shepherding Lloyd into their tent.

"We're all tired and it's late. I think it's time to head for bed."

And with that brilliant save from Zelos, which made the seraphim like him a bit more, they all went to bed.

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Lloyd had fallen asleep fairly quickly, but Zelos had no such luck. He was almost sure he'd go insane if he didn't fall asleep soon. He couldn't help running it over and over again in his mind that he was stuck in a small enclosed space with his best friend whom he was also madly in love with. The former Chosen couldn't stop staring at the brunette next to him.

He sat up and brushed a lock of hair from the sleeping boy's face.

"You were right about one thing, you are too clueless," Zelos whispered. Sighing, he leaned down and gave Lloyd a thistle-down kiss on the forehead. With one last fond glance, he layed back down and rolled over to face the side of the tent.

He had already fallen asleep before a certain seraphim-shaped shadow detached itself from the shadows.

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This chapter kinda sucked… I couldn't figure out how the seraphim were going to probe Lloyd for answers but I think that I managed to save it at the end.

Who was that seraphim shaped-shadow? I will try to update as fast as possible, but I will make no guarantees. I'm actually very sorry again. I was distracted by Pierrot and Miyavi while I was typing. I'm sorry.