Both Zelda and Rougie called me a bitch for the way I ended this one. Personally, I love it. We've got the first hinting at my pairing, I'm really only gonna pull one or two besides Kranna in here. Anyway, there's some father/son and even a bit of action. I skipped huge amounts of stuff because I think the majority of readers know what goes on at the Iselia human ranch, and I wasn't planning on changing a thing through there, so I assumed that it would be best to jump ahead, and, quite frankly, we get to the fun stuff faster.

Enjoy!

….

Lloyd was focused, yet he was as far from reality as one could be. His senses, unnaturally strengthened, probed the world outside his bedroom walls. He could see everything, the many wolves charging through the undergrowth, the odd monstrous bug or warped plant ready to prey on the unsuspecting traveler through Iselia Forest. He could hear the leaves rustling, the soft snap as twigs broke underfoot, the wind racing its way through the trees and around the rocks.

And, of course, he could still hear the screaming that echoed from the Human Ranch. Since he and Genis had pulled their little stunt that afternoon, the screams had doubled. He had known that he would regret stepping in to save Marble, he knew that he would have to relive the blame and hatred the decision to save her would cause, but, at the same time, it helped to know that it wouldn't last forever the village would forgive, he would be allowed back in several months. But as the screams echoed inside his head, he knew that the Desians would be punishing their captives worse than ever, for outsiders' interference.

Soon, he remembered, he would have to ask his father—Dirk, not Kratos—if he could make a Key Crest for Marble. This meant he would have to act completely ignorant of what was happening just a few short miles away. The thought made him sick. But he could feel the others coming, and if he did not ask, Genis wouldn't have a crest for Marble's exsphere… It was amazing how every little thing that happened came full circle later, in some way. If he neglected or forgot even one detail… he shuddered to think of the consequences…

Lloyd's red eyes flickered open and he blinked once, twice to focus them. The echoes of his traverse into Sylvarant's mana still whispered at the forefront of his mind, but he pushed them back, focusing on the room around him and the tasks at hand. He sat up and stretched, feeling his joints crack and pop and listening to his heartbeat increase. He put his feet over the side of the bed, the bare skin of his toes brushing numbly against the wooden floor of his room. He reached out and grabbed one red boot and, after pulling a sock from the depths, slid it onto his foot. He repeated the process with the other foot and stood.

Grabbing his jacket from its place, draped over the chair by Lloyd's desk, he pulled it over his head. It fell into place and Lloyd ran a hand through his hair, putting it back into its usual state of ordered disarray. He ducked under the lower part of the ceiling and moved down the stairs. His father was just cleaning up from some project or another that he had been working on when the teenager entered the room.

"Hey, Dad, can I ask a favor?" Not usually the best way to start off a conversation, especially with a dwarf (dwarves being naturally suspicious characters, they had a strict dislike of 'favors' as, with Dwarven Vow number seventeen "What you take should be returned; let no debts be owed," everything you did should be repaid.) "I need a key crest for an exsphere that's already been attached. Like the bracelet type or something…" Lloyd inwardly flinched at his wording, these simple terms were coming more easily, he was beginning a habit that had taken him almost two years to break.

"Whatdaya need that for, Lloyd? Yours break?" Dirk glanced at Lloyd's hand, as if he could see through the bandage that covered his exsphere to where the key crest was, his expression hovering between worried and suspicious.

"No, no, Dad, mine's fine, but I met this… guy today, a mercenary with an exsphere and he doesn't have a crest. I said I'd get him one…" Now that he thought about it, it really was a weak lie, but it was essential for Dirk to see through it, so he kept it almost identical to the one he had said last time.

"Bull shit, Lloyd," growled his adoptive father, "If a merc had an exsphere, then he'da had to'a taken it from a Desian! Desians all have key crests or they'd end up like them poor humans they torture, they'd be eaten alive by the damn things!"

Lloyd sighed, and by ducking his head—seemingly in shame—he was able to hide a small smile that threatened to crawl across his lips. "I guess that didn't work… I—…I went to the Ranch today, and met this woman. She had an exsphere, but no key crest… and I want to help her…"

"Ya went to the Ranch?" Ignoring mention of Marble or the exsphere, Dirk went straight for Lloyd's stupid move to follow Genis to the Ranch, "You didn't let the Desians see your exsphere, did ya?"

"W-well," Lloyd stuttered. Despite his adoptive father's height, he was intimidating; he was a stubborn creature, and his mud-colored eyes sparked intelligently. "See, there is this prisoner, she's an old woman, and…if she's got an exsphere and no key crest, she'll die! I have to help her!" Lloyd's tone swung from carefully controlled to passionate as he thought of Marble, sitting alone in the Ranch, probably punished severely for their earlier actions… before being turned into a monster…

"Genis, it's good to see you!" Marble's voice was broken with age, and the harsh environment of the Ranch did nothing to help it. All the same, the old woman smiled, her face scarred and lips cracked with dryness, lit up upon seeing the young half-elf. "And you brought a friend… my, what a strapping young gentleman…"

"Ya weren't caught by the Desians, were ya?" growled Dirk. "Ya didn let 'em see yer exsphere?" Dirk asked again.

"W-well, we were kinda caught… but I took out all the ones that saw my face!" Lloyd paled as he watched his adoptive father turn red with rage.

"Yer mother gave up everythin' to keep that exsphere safe, and you damn well had better be respectin' her sacrifice!"

Despite having had this conversation before—the exact conversation, at this exact moment—Lloyd still felt anger and frustration rise in his chest, his eyes narrowed and his gloved hands clenched into fists. "I know Mom sacrificed herself to keep Noishe and I safe, I know the exsphere is important, though I can't figure out why! Don't tell me that by protecting people, people who might meet the same fate she met, I'm not respecting her sacrifice, don't insult me like that!" The argument was delivered more harshly than he would have thought best, had he been thinking rationally, but he was seeing only red, thinking of everyone who would die in that Ranch while he went off on the 'Journey of Regeneration.'

But he couldn't tell Dirk that, now could he?

"Don be daft, boy!" growled the Dwarf, his voice sounding like gravel, and just as hard as slate, "If you'd been killed— …riskin' yer neck like tha' is not gonna save anyone, it'll just get you killed on top of it all, and don' you forget it!"

"Oh, to hell with this, are you gonna make the crest or not?" Lloyd glared, glared his father's death-glare, and saw Dirk visibly pale, but the dwarf held strong.

"Haven' ya been listenin'?" he hissed, "Stay away from tha' Ranch!"

Finally, Lloyd would hear no more of this; somewhere, in the cold, calculating part of his mind, he recalled that his father would make the crest, but Lloyd was not known for listening to that part of himself, he was far more likely to get angry than coolly assess the situation. That was his father's job.

Lloyd turned and stormed out of the house, slamming the door so hard that he heard something fall over inside. He didn't care at all.

As he turned away from the house, he nearly ran straight into the Professor. Behind her were the rest of his friends…and Kratos, as he couldn't quite count the stoic mercenary amongst his friends yet.

"R-Professor? Colette, Genis, Kratos, w-what are you guys doing here…?" Lloyd began to turn red, realizing that they must have heard the tail end of the conversation; actually, Kratos would have heard the whole thing from a mile away… For a moment, the thought, Colette would have heard it too,crossed his mind, but no, Colette was not an angel yet. He could not let his thoughts become so confused. "S-sorry about, um… that…" he looked away.

"Colette wanted to see you, and that, of course, dragged Genis along." Raine smiled sweetly at Lloyd. "Kratos couldn't let Colette go off on her own, and I assumed I may as well come along as well…"

Lloyd's blush deepened. "W-well, that's really nice of you guys… thanks…" He grinned and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Lloyd, can we go up to the terrace?" Colette asked with an embarrassed, shy smile.

"How 'bout in a minute, kay?" Lloyd hoped that he wouldn't have to give a reason; I want to talk to my dad wasn't quite valid yet.

"Of course, I'll go pick some flowers if it's all right with you…"

"Sure, see you in a minute." As Lloyd said this, Raine and Kratos split ways while Colette trotted off in the direction of Lloyd's flowerbeds. Genis stayed close, following Lloyd as he walked over to Noishe's cage and unlatched it. His father would be angry, but Noishe had every right to go see his old friend, and it really was kinda undignified for a Protozoan to be locked up like that…

Lloyd smiled down at his 'dog' and rubbed behind Noishe's ears, "We've got guests, Noshy, you wanna go say hi?" Noishe bobbed his head in a dog-like nod, and trotted off in the direction of Anna's grave and, Lloyd knew, Kratos.

"Lloyd…" He looked down at Genis' sad blue eyes, "I-I'm sorry, because of me, you and your dad are fighting…" Genis sniffled, "I-I shouldn't have asked you for so much, I wanna help Marble, but there's only so much we can do…"

"Hey, don't feel like that, if we just let it go, she'll die! I like Marble as much as you do, we can't let that happen!" Oh, yes he could. A voice, one that sounded somewhat like his father, snapped in his head, Lloyd, you have a mission, if Marble doesn't die, Genis doesn't get an exsphere, and who knows what could be the repercussions of that! Lloyd looked away from his friend, biting his lip. "I know…" he murmured to himself, "I know, I know, I know… shut up about it…"

"Who are you talking to Lloyd…?" Genis asked, his glassy eyes meeting Lloyd's own red for a moment, then flicking away. "N-never mind… Say, are you sick or something? Your eyes are gettin' kinda red…"

"Oh, no… maybe it's allergies, but I don't think so…" Lloyd rubbed his eyes, pretending to be concerned by what his friend said. "I probably just didn't get enough sleep last night or something…"

"Yeah… I guess…"

Lloyd left Genis pondering his eye color, afraid that his friend would ask further unanswerable questions, and wandered up the path, away from Noishe's cage and around the house, toward his mother's grave. He knew Kratos would be there, and he wanted to see how Noishe was acting…

… and, not that he would admit it. Ever. But he felt… more comfortable around his father: he felt safe, though it hadn't started out that way. In the beginning, Lloyd had rather hated Kratos. They grew close, however, as near-death experiences often do to people. By the end of the Journey, Lloyd could not think of anyone he looked up to more than Kratos.

As Lloyd wandered up the path, he was intercepted by Raine. She had been standing on the bank of the small creek that separated Dirk and Lloyd's home from the rest of Iselia forest when he passed. "Lloyd… you shouldn't keep Colette waiting so long, you know…" He looked up to meet her eyes. They were so much like Genis', but… deeper, more worldly than her preteen brother. They seemed almost sad.

"I know, I just wanted to make sure Noishe isn't bothering Kratos too much." Lloyd mentally grinned to himself. "I let him out of his pen and he dashed up that way, probably smelled new blood." Or really, really old blood.

"Ah," Raine chuckled, probably at the thought of Noishe tackling the uptight mercenary. "Well, just don't keep her too long…" Professor Sage looked away, as if she expected Lloyd to leave her, but he didn't.

"So, you, Kratos, and Colette, you're all goin' on the Journey tomorrow, right?" He already knew the answer, but wanted to hear her say it.

"Yes we are, since I am a healer, my skills will be very useful." Raine nodded, looking back at him.

"And you're smart, so you'll be able to figure out all of Remiel's puzzles and stuff. When he told Colette where the first seal was, he was really cryptic about it." Lloyd watched in slight amusement as the Professor attempted to hide a slight blush that crept into her cheeks at Lloyd's compliment. "…Professor, I wanna go too…" He knew it sounded childish, but it was Raine. He could tell her what he felt, what he really felt. "I want to keep Colette safe, make sure nothing happens to her. I want to keep you safe."

As Lloyd has first mentioned Colette, Raine had nodded; she had expected this, but when he spoke of wanting to protect her… Something changed, the blush returned and her eyes softened slightly.

"That's very sweet of you Lloyd, but you have responsibilities here. And the Journey will be dangerous. Stay in Iselia where I know you're safe."

It was Lloyd's turn to blush as she worried quietly over his safety. "…you'll come back, right? Iselia needs you; you're the best teacher we've ever had!"

Then, Raine turned the tables on their conversation. "Oh really, are you sure it's just Iselia that will miss me?" Her eyes sparkled teasingly and Lloyd's blush deepened.

"You're right, you know," but this time it was he who caught her off guard, "I miss you already."

Raine did not seem to be able to tell if she was pleased or not by Lloyd's statement, and he did not want to give her the chance to decide that he had stepped out of line; he still ached from where she had smacked him when she found that they had cut class and snuck out to the Temple of Martel with Colette. Lloyd turned and started back up the path, waving slightly over his shoulder, to go look for Kratos and Noishe.

Lloyd ducked under the clothesline that was stretched from a far tree to the house and saw Kratos standing, staring down and the inscription on Anna's grave. Noishe sat beside him; obviously, the greetings had already been had as they were both calm, but Kratos's hair was slightly more mussed than usual, leading Lloyd to believe that Noishe had already tackled his old friend.

"Hey Kratos, what's up?" Lloyd asked pleasantly as he approached from behind. Kratos jumped.

"Lloyd…" he paused for a moment, as if unsure of what he wanted to ask, "…if I may, whose grave is this…?"

Lloyd chuckled darkly, "Didn't you hear my Dad? It's my mother's, she… died making sure that Noishe and I were safe from the Desians…" He looked away. "Bastards…"

Kratos nodded, and his grunted indeed was more reserved, if not pained, than usual. "Do you know… if your father is alive then?" Kratos carefully avoided Lloyd's eyes.

Yes, yes I do, he's standing right in front of me asking stupid questions! Lloyd thought sarcastically, but, obviously, didn't say it. "No, but we think he's dead. I've been here for fourteen years, so I don't know what else could have happened… and I've got Dirk…"

But even as he said it, Lloyd heard a hollow note in his voice. "But, you know, I still feel like he's out there…" Lloyd turned away, out toward the trees so that his father would not see he small smile that crept over his lips. This was a conversation he had been thinking about, if not planning, for some time now. He had to be subtle, but not too subtle, not enough that his dad was thinking it was just Lloyd babbling thoughtlessly, yet still make Kratos realize that Lloyd did want him around, be him an evil Cruxis Angel or otherwise. "And one day I'm gonna find him, and tell him that I'm all right, tell him I've been takin' care of Noishe and that we miss him…"

He swiftly glanced over at Kratos, his red eyes darting to take in his father's eyes, suddenly wide and shocked with Lloyd's proclamation, before Kratos could hide his emotion. Both men looked away from one another, Lloyd down to catch Noishe's eye, and Kratos back to Anna's grave. "…your father would undoubtedly be very moved to hear that." Kratos was a fantastic actor; even at this point, he managed to seal most of the emotion from his voice and even inject some small amount of sarcasm, as if to say that, while Lloyd's speech was moving, was it really something that a complete stranger had to hear?

But Lloyd knew his father better than that, though he had only known him since… earlier that day, actually, he could read the way his father's hand tightened slightly on the hilt of his sword, or the way he positioned his feet, the way his legs and back tensed—it was similar to a fighting stance, but Lloyd secretly wondered if it was to stop Kratos from swaying slightly while his mind wandered—and the way that his ruby-like eyes (not Lloyd's terming, Colette's actually) held a glazed Lloyd under the emotionless mask.

"Hmm…" Lloyd looked quickly away from Noishe, the Protozoan had, very obviously winked at him, yes winked, and Lloyd was now trying very hard not to break into a small fit of laughter. "Yeah, I guess." Then he sighed, looking up at the sky, "Origin, is it already this late?" It was a good observation; while Lloyd had been making his rounds, the sun had set and the moon had begun its arched path overhead. "I should go talk to Colette before she has to head home. Night Kratos, have fun with Noishe!"

Several minutes later, Lloyd stood on the balcony with Colette. The sky was now fully dark and the full moon cast an eerie silver glow over the landscape. Lloyd's hand had automatically jumped to the back of his neck when Colette smiled at him, "S-sorry about not getting your birthday present done, Colette…" he sighed, "I've had a lot on my mind today, but that's not really a good excuse…"

"Oh, no Lloyd, please don't apologize! I'm sorry that I put so much pressure on you to finish it!" Colette's hands clasped in front of her and Lloyd sighed mentally; did she really have to pretend it was all her fault?

"Colette, no apologies, not today at the very least. It's your birthday, so just blame everything on Noishe, 'kay?" Lloyd's eyes twinkled as Colette laughed, her blue eyes closing and her face pulling up into a childish, relaxed smile.

"Poor Noshy! But then is it his fault that you haven't said happy birthday to me yet?"

Lloyd blushed. "Yup, he totally made me forget! Happy birthday Colette, and may you have many more." He knew it would hurt her to hear him say that now, but he also knew that it was a wish for the future. And she would have so much more to look forward to after they defeated Cruxis… together.

"Y-yeah…" suddenly, she was looking away. "…I'm glad I could live to this day…"

Lloyd somehow felt that, had he still been the young, naïve boy that had started this Journey the first time, he would have pressed Colette on her sudden mood-swing, but he didn't think he could handle to listen to her lie to him. He didn't want to make her lie to him, he let it drop; Colette wouldn't notice… he didn't think.

"So, the Journey starts tomorrow. I don't want to sound pushy, but… can I come? I know I can protect you, and I want to help you save the world… and end those damn Desians. It's… more personal now, more real to me after today and… and I want to help!" Passion flowed freely from his words, but he only stared up at the stars. It was easier to lie, and be lied to, when he wasn't looking at his friend.

"…" Lloyd thought that Colette must be looking at him, he wasn't sure how he knew, but he knew, and when she spoke again, there was something new to her voice, "Of course you can come, Lloyd, the Professor, Kratos, and I are leaving tomorrow at noon, come to the village then."

"Colette…" Lloyd looked back at her, he met her eyes steadily. He couldn't tell if she knew that he knew that she was lying, but he did knew that she went red as he eyed her. "I'll be there, I won't let you die, and I won't abandon you. Ever."

…

Genis was too slow, and as Lloyd's own long legs dashed over the dirt path through Iselia forest, he turned to Noishe beside him. "Go back, let Genis ride on your back! We have to go faster!"

Noishe moved to follow Lloyd's order and he spent a moment listening to the large 'dog' scoop the small half-elf up and charge ahead of Lloyd. Lloyd moved faster to keep up. In one gloved hand, he held the small key crest his father had made for Marble, but it would serve a far more noble cause—though Lloyd could not help but flinch in what would come next—in helping Marble be a part of saving the world. He had waited until noon like he was supposed to, spending the night making Colette's necklace, then, cracking the masterpiece with a shop hammer to make it look like it had been broken in his packs.

They raced around a bend in the path and there it lay: Iselia, nearly burned to the ground. Plumes of smoke wafted from most of the houses, some of which were only piles of rubble now. Blood splattered the ground, and, also burning, lay the bodies of what had once been the four men that made up the morning watch, the corpses unrecognizable. Lloyd gagged slightly and quickly turned away. He heard Genis gasp softly, "O-oh Goddess! The Desians, they burned down all of Iselia… a-all because of me…"

"Genis, focus! We have to help as many people as we can! Don't let this freak you out, stay focused and let's go help!" Lloyd looked at his friend, trying to force confidence he wasn't sure he felt into his voice. Killing monsters was one thing, but killing another person, even a homicidal one, was a little much.

For what seemed like hours, thought it could not have been more than half an hour, Lloyd and Genis raced around Iselia, putting out as many fires as they could and attacking or chasing off the Desians.

"Double Demon Fang!" growled Lloyd as he sent dual shockwaves after two fleeing Desians.

"And don't come back!" Genis shouted after them. After they had found the remains of Genis and Raine's house, he had shown no mercy against them, kin or not.

"Come on, Genis, most of the people are still missing." Lloyd started to lead the way toward where he knew Forcystus would be waiting for them. The Desian had most of the villagers held captive, despite how many were able to hide in the school house.

They rounded the corner by Colette's house at a sprint, and froze when they saw the Mayor and almost a third of the Village huddled together, surrounded by Desians.

"No…" whispered Genis, then louder, "Let them go, Desian!"

"Ahahah, this little one has guts," chuckled Forcystus to his companion.

"Indeed he does," said the other conversationally, "But it is not he we are after. How good to see you again, Lloyd." Kvar smiled deviously at Lloyd.

"Damn," muttered Lloyd; the games had begun.

…

Review if you think I'm a bitch! …haven't heard that one before :)

Anywho, I'd love to hear from you if you have suggestions or opinions. Domo!

~Yoshi