I was feeling kind, so here's the update a week early, I'll get started on the next chapter…when I can.

Mostly a filler chapter, a bit of foreshadowing and some fluff, but what else is new? …sheesh, Yoshi's got nothing to say today.

Read. Now.

….

"It's hooooooot…" Lloyd groaned. No, he couldn't feel it, but he was very bored, and annoying Genis was always a good pastime. "My feet huuuuurt!"

"Lloyd, I swear to Martel, if you don't shut up and stop complaining, I'll fireball you." Genis' adolescent voice was still cracking from the tears he had shed the night before, and Lloyd could hear his friend sniffle every so often, but he knew that the only way to keep them going was to help Genis forget his grief and to distract him. Even if it got Lloyd's hair singed in the process.

Marble's exsphere sat safely in its place on the back of Genis' hand. The key crest that Dirk had made for Marble, the one that he had given Lloyd and Genis before they had run off to save Iselia, caressed it and kept Genis safe. Just like it was supposed to. Lloyd had shown him what to do with it after they had eaten last night. He could sense how much Marble was helping the little half-elf, after all, Genis had never been this far from home and he would have, under normal circumstances, already have needed to rest, but he had held up from dawn, when they had started out, until noon when Lloyd had made him rest so that they could eat.

"Can't you cast a water spell or something?" Lloyd begged, despite knowing that Genis, even with his exsphere, wasn't strong enough to call on water mana so close to another seal. In a few months, the small mage would have no problem doing this, but until that time, they would have to settle for wind-spell backup in battle.

"I've told you, you idiot!" snapped Genis, his temper running very short, "We're in a desert and I have to use the water mana that's in the atmosphere! Do you think there's any water in this damn desert! Hmmm?"

"That's really lame…" grumbled Lloyd, "And all your stupid mana theories give me a headache, you know that."

"Then why do you always bring them up? Just shut up, Lloyd. Just shut up." Genis stamped ahead, moving southwards, toward where, on their map, Triet lay.

"Don't go too far ahead Genis; there are bandits and stuff around here!" Lloyd raced to catch up with his friend; all supposed exhaustion forgotten in favor of keeping his friend safe. It would be just his luck to say something out of the ordinary, piss off Genis, and have him run off only to be killed by a bandit or a snake or something.

"Goddess Lloyd, you're so bipolar!" growled Genis, not bothering to slow down or wait for Lloyd, "One second you're the annoying little brother and the next you're acting like my dad or something! Make up your mind."

Lloyd cursed himself; he had to be more careful. He caught up with Genis, but didn't open his mouth again, in case something suspicious came out…again. Why was acting like a dense seventeen-year-old harder than he remembered? He knew that the Journey had matured him huge amounts, not to mention the time in between the end of the Journey and when he had actually gone back in time, but he hadn't imagined that he could screw up being himself.

"And now," Genis said snidely, "you just completely stop talking. You know who you remind me of? That Kratos guy. I mean, one second he's being a total jerk, then he saves your ass, then he just stops talking again, are you trying to be like him?"

"Look I-I guess I've just been…stressed lately…" Lloyd sighed, "Yesterday, and this Journey and all the near-death experiences are starting to put me on edge…that's all…" He didn't look at Genis, he couldn't. He didn't doubt that his face showed the lie he was telling.

And Genis didn't buy it, "That's crap Lloyd, you've been acting weird for…I don't know, ages… Since the Oracle, no, before that even! You're hiding something, I've known you for five years, and you're not hard to read… Tell me what's going on."

Lloyd opened his mouth, completely unsure as to what he was going to say, when he was saved from saying anything be the arrival of Noishe. The huge green and white beast, though not fond of the hot and sun, had raced off as soon as they entered the desert. The place was crawling with monsters, and Noishe was skittish; this, Lloyd had learned from his father—Kratos—was because his mother had been turned into a monster and tried to kill Noishe after he had saved Kratos and Lloyd from her first attack. Lloyd hadn't been sure of what Noishe was going to do, but he trusted that the Protozoan wouldn't get himself killed. Noishe ran off often enough last time that Lloyd had grown used to the idea, but he wondered where Noishe had been in this barren place.

Noishe barked and tackled Lloyd, the "teenager" fell back onto a sand dune and allowed himself to be covered in Noishe's affectionate licks, his hair and face being coated in saliva, then shoved Noishe off. The dog was heavy, but Lloyd was stronger, now with his boosted abilities. "W-what is it Noishe?" Lloyd wiped the saliva off his face.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Lloyd saw Genis sigh as if he thought that Noishe's interruption was Lloyd's way of avoiding Genis' question. A lucky break, but nothing that Lloyd had done purposely, but he wouldn't have put it past Noishe to have saved his ass.

The dog whined and motioned with his snout in a southerly direction. "Something over there? Monsters?" Noishe growled, but shook his head. "People? Is it Triet?" Noishe nodded and Lloyd pushed the dog further off of him so that he could stand. "Right, so I guess we go that way! Noshy, lead the way!" Lloyd pumped his fist into the air in enthusiasm. Genis sighed.

Triet was huge, or it was in comparison to Iselia. Triet was more trading post than city; the inn was teeming with the more profitable traders while the streets were lined with the tents of other travelers selling their wares. It was late afternoon but there was no sign of the city shutting itself down, in fact, there seemed to be twice the population of Iselia out on the streets at once.

Lloyd carefully fabricated his comment, with any luck, he would keep Genis trusting him if he acted the fool again, "Whoa, this place is huge!" he cried with a huge grin—the smile was hardly fabricated—"How come all these people are outside now?"

"Because, as you pointed out earlier, the desert is hot at noon, so the people come out in the morning and evening to stay out of the hot, idiot." Despite Genis' harsh words, his eyes glittered as he looked around the bustling crowds. "…this place is huge!"

Lloyd looked around; it truly was a sight to behold, despite the fact that all of Triet didn't amount to the size of Meltokio's market. The hot wind in their face, the shouts of the merchants, the smell of exotic foods and the braying and barking of animals combined to make a symphony of life that was glorious.

"Fish! Fresh fish from Palmacosta!" called one rather plump man, across the dirt path, another man was trying to sell his hats, swords, armor, anything and everything imaginable could be seen. Lloyd would have liked very much to browse, but they didn't have time, if they missed being caught by the Renegades, everything would be thrown off…Lloyd couldn't let that happen.

"Come on, Genis. We don't have time to shop; we have to find Colette, Raine, and Kratos." Lloyd started to lead the way through the crowd, followed by the reluctant pair of Noishe and Genis. He could sense their waning attention for the task at hand, so he continued to lead the way, trying not to become hopelessly lost in the twisting maze of booths and tents that created the bulk of Triet.

Lloyd turned left, right, left again; once, he had had the path to the fortuneteller memorized because, despite the fact that his father had found the woman a waste of space, not to mention money, Lloyd had always been impressed by the accurate—if not vague—predictions she made. Now, however, he found himself loosing track of their location. Why did it feel as if something had changed? Certainly, every day the sea of tents had to change and adjust, there were no permanent paths through the marketplace, but Lloyd was getting lost and dizzy.

"Lloyd…?" Genis called from behind, "Lloyd, where are we going? You haven't asked anyone about where Colette might have been, you just started walking! For the love of Martel, she and the others might not even be here yet!"

Lloyd mentally smacked himself: how could he have been so stupid? How would he explain that he had automatically known where to go? He couldn't, it was as simple as that. All the same, he doubted that they had too much time to waste. "R-right, of course, sorry, I guess I was as carried away as you…"

Genis groaned, "Lloyd, make up your tiny mind, either you're my dad, or an idiot. So which is it?" Genis waited for a heartbeat, as if expecting an answer, but when it became obvious Lloyd wasn't going to give him one, Genis just sighed, "Come on, let's ask that kid if he's heard of the Chosen's group coming here." The little silver-haired half-elf led the way to where a boy was playing with a dusty, dirty ball on the side of the street. He was obviously poor; his ripped clothes and dirty face showed as much. "Hey," Genis began, "excuse me! My friend and I were wondering if you'd heard anything about the Chosen's group being in town…have you?"

For a long moment, the boy gave no answer; Genis looked nervous, he seemed to be wondering if they should back out now, when he spoke up. "I dono 'bout any Chosen's group," he said, his language rough as his face, "but if you wanna find someone, go see the Future Lady, she'll tell ya whatcha need to know."

Future Lady. Lloyd silently thanked Origin that they'd been put on the right path so quickly; at the rate they were going, Lloyd might actually get his timing right! Wouldn't that be wonderful?

"The…the who? The Future Lady? Who's she?"

"Oh, she knows everything!" the boy grinned a rather horrible, patchy grin. He was missing several teeth. "I'll take ya to her if ya like…she pay well if ya bring her custom."

So that's how it was, the Fortune Teller put out little spies all over the market and if someone came asking, they could bring her back for a shiny penny. What a way to do business! Despite this, Lloyd was more than willing to be shown the way.

"That'd be great!" he smiled, trying to look friendly, "lead the way, kid!"

The boy gave another wicked grin and then took off through the crowds faster than Lloyd would have thought possible. It took Lloyd, Genis, and Noishe all they had simply to keep him in their sights. Lloyd recognized very little of the way that they took, but he had faith in his sword, even if it was wooden. If they boy led them into a trap, something Lloyd didn't doubt he would do, Lloyd would get them out of it.

He just hoped it wouldn't take too long; they had a deadline, after all.

The tents seemed more spread-out the deeper they raced in, and soon there was a better-defined path, one that Lloyd recognized; it led the way around the oasis that was the reason the town could exist, to a few more permanent shops. One of which was the Fortune Teller.

Her tent was large and made of a deep blue fabric that was a very unintelligent choice for the hot weather. The flaps of the tent were held open with thick, decorative ropes and above the door, a single, badly drawn eye watched over all whom entered. It had a very thick, very fake feel to it, and Lloyd could not honestly remember why he and Genis had decided that it was a good idea to seek help from this woman. But they had, therefore, so too would Lloyd again.

The boy stood smirking by the door and he allowed Lloyd and Genis to enter first as he waited, he swept into a bow and Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Don't even think about trying to sneak money out of us, kid."

A slight blush spread over his cheeks, but, other than that, he held his expression.

"Well done, Ha'ull," whispered an airy voice from the darkest corner of the room, "Very well done. I have been expecting you, Lloyd Irving."

Lloyd didn't bother to jump, but he felt himself tense and a light sweat break out over his face: this had certainly not happened last time. He wondered how much she would say…or how much she knew. He and Genis exchanged surprised looks and went to sit down in front of the Fortune Teller. Her face was mostly covered in fabric as gaudy and colorful as the tent's covering. On the table in front of them, her crystal ball sat, glimmering in the half-light. The smell of incense wafted through the air, dulling Lloyd's senses. He felt almost sleepy, almost, and clenched his fingers around his sword; the wood of the blade cutting into his skin and waking him up.

"…you are looking for your friends," the Fortune Teller stated, not even bothering to ask for money, "You already know where they are, why do you come to me?"

"Miss? What are you talking about?" Despite the fact that the woman had obviously been talking to Lloyd, it was Genis who asked the question. "We have no idea where Colette and the others are!"

The Fortune Teller's eyes slid to Genis and Lloyd could almost see the small smile in her eyes, "Ahh, young Mr. Sage. You have a very bright future. So many new friends, but loss too. Stay strong, and be weary; those you let into your life may not always be what they appear." With this to analyze, Genis quieted. She returned to Lloyd, "You know where your friends are, but I shall tell you anyway; they are searching for the Seal of Fire. They've been here already, and they will come again, but when they do, you will be with them. Destinies are made today."

This sounded just like her and it all made sense. But what was going on? How could she know he was from the future…she was a fraud, right? Telling two people searching out the Chosen that they would make new friends and be betrayed was simple, easy guesswork, so why did Lloyd have a bad feeling about this? She knew, he feared.

"Do not be afraid, Lloyd Irving, you will not be late, but a choice is coming, one that you are well aware of. You will have to decide soon, for what you do will change the very course of time and history. Do not make the wrong decision." She did know!

Beside him, Genis stiffened, but Lloyd did not look down at him, how could he? He would give something away. "So, you're saying that Colette, Kratos, and Raine are out in the desert, looking for the Seal?"

"Yes," but the Fortune Teller seemed uninterested with the fates of the Chosen's Group. "Darkness. And old enemy, but a changed one. He is smarter now that he, too, knows what is to come. If all does not go according to plan, many will die, but death is imminent no matter what path we take."

Suddenly, Genis stood, "Thanks a lot for telling us where the others are, we really appreciate it, but we have to be going now, destiny waits for no elf!" Genis grabbed Lloyd's arm and pulled him to his feet.

"…thank you," Lloyd bowed his head to her; "We'll keep what you've said in mind."

"You can't save the world by yourself, Lloyd," she said in her cryptic and unhelpful fashion. "You have friends for a reason."

"Yeah, yeah thanks!" Genis pulled Lloyd away, looking nervous. "Come on!"

As they were leaving the tent, she called one last piece of advice, "Remember, Lloyd, the future is not so stable as we would like to think: it changes, it is different now from a moment ago. It will continue to change with our choices. A path has been laid, but it is up to us—to you—to decide if we stay on it. Do not make a mistake or all is lost."

"If Lloyd's the one calling the shots," growled Genis low enough that only Lloyd could hear, "then the world is screwed one way or another."

Lloyd groaned. Someone knew! Did that mean he was as see-through as Genis always said he was? Or was it just…supernatural powers? Honestly, he hoped for the latter, but hoping wasn't something he had time for at the moment. He couldn't afford to leave things to chance, no more screw ups!

…unfortunately, he feared that he'd be telling himself that every time he made a mistake. Damn.

"What an old coot, she was so full of crap! I mean, you already know where your friends are! Yeah, in our hearts, right? What a fraud! I'm just surprised she didn't try to get any money out of us… Maybe she figured that if we're with the Chosen's group she shouldn't be charging us…"

"Something like that, yeah…" Lloyd made grunts of acknowledgement and nodded with what Genis said as they made their way back around the Oasis and into the city of tents. By sticking to the outskirts of the market, they were able to make decent time and reach the entrance to the city where they had left Noishe.

However, when they reached the inn, Lloyd froze. "Damn it…" he growled. Three Desians—not Renegades, Desians—stood in front of the notice board with several paper signs in hand. Lloyd grabbed his half-elven friend and skirted around the back of the inn, coming out on the other side, invisible to the Desians, but within natural, human earshot of the group.

"So this kid is the most wanted criminal in the world?" growled one, he was short, and his Desian uniform seemed a little small for him, his middle bulged out from beneath his armor. "He doesn't look like a threat."

"This kid is the son of the experimental host body and…well, you know the story. The higher-ups said careful around him, he's got the Angelus on him, so he's not the run-of-the-mill human. Lord Kvar wants him brought alive, if he's dead, you're dead." The reply came from the tallest of the group, he wore extra armor, and Lloyd took him as the leader. "Got it?"

"Yes Sir," the last of the group was a female, dressed in the usual Desian female wear, her arms and legs were bare and her armor only covered the bare minimum of her skin. "So we put up the wanted posters, then get the hell out of this shit-hole of a city?"

"Exactly, our sources said Irving should be heading to this city, so be on the lookout for him and his little friend."

With a solute, the three Desians dispersed throughout Triet, but not without leaving a wanted poster out for Lloyd to see.

"Damn," he growled, "so now I'm the most wanted person in the world? You've gotta be kidding me, like life couldn't get more complicated…" But it did, of course, and what was worse was that he was now convinced that the Kvar that he'd seen in Iselia was… damn.

"…but what were they talking about? They mentioned your parents…and…what's an Angelus?" Genis looked up at Lloyd and the teenager sighed.

"Angelus, remember? That's what they called my exsphere. So the 'experimental host body' is my mom."

"Then they know…Lloyd! The Desians know who your dad is!" Genis' eyes lit up. "If we could grab one and tie them up and ask them, they might tell us something! Then you could find your dad!" As excited as Genis seemed, Lloyd wasn't about to go there, they were still on a tight schedule.

"…" Lloyd stood there for a minute, as if debating it, then, "…no. Genis, we have to stay focused or we might lose track of Colette, Kratos, and Raine. We have to catch them, I can worry about what happened to my dad after we save the world, okay?"

Genis looked surprised and almost disappointed for a moment, but then he nodded, "…you're probably right, I just thought…you know, this could be your first big lead!"

"Yeah, but we're in enough trouble as it is, we need to focus…" Lloyd looked around as he said this, then, when he saw no Desians, walked over to the board where his wanted poster was posted. It was worse than he remembered it: his face was misshapen and his hair spiked upward in every direction, but in thick, greasy-looking spikes. His eyes were muddy and his ears were huge. The only thing that they got right was the fact that, in the picture, he was wearing red. Of course. "…well, they'll never find me with this…" Lloyd grumbled, looking at the idiotic-looking image of himself.

"I don't know, the resemblance is uncanny!" Genis snickered, "They obviously think of you as a very attractive guy, Lloyd."

"Yeah, shut up, elf," Lloyd snapped. He tore down the poster and folded it up, sticking it in a pocket. "Well, I'll hang onto this and see if it does any good later." They turned and Lloyd braced himself to see a Desian, and he wasn't disappointed. There, in the crowds, was the female, she was obviously scoping out the situation before she attacked, hiding herself in the swarming crowds to watch them.

While Genis began to walk off toward Noishe's pen—they had left the protozoan with the other tethered animals, much to his dislike—when she attacked.

"You!" she shouted, "You're the wanted criminal, Lloyd Irving!" She raced toward them, pointing her long spear at them. Genis froze, then spun.

"…no I'm not." Lloyd gave her a grin, "I'm Kratos Aurion."

Genis gave Lloyd a long look, as if gauging how seriously he was taking this before coming up without an answer and turning his attention back to the threat.

Lloyd's lie seemed to throw her for a moment, then, "Bull, you look just like the wanted poster! You have to be him, and you're supposed to be in this city with a dog and a brat, you're Irving!"

"And you graduated top of your class, didn't you?" Lloyd rolled his eyes, he knew he was getting cocky, but it was amusing watching her smug look turn to annoyance, then angry shock as she realized that Lloyd was stronger than he looked.

She charged at him again, her spear going straight for his stomach, but Lloyd pulled out a wooden sword and knocked it off course before she could so much as touch him. She used the momentum of her spear to swing around and try to smack him in the side, perhaps in the hope of breaking a few ribs. Lloyd stepped out of the way, and then ducked down, as this time she didn't have time to use the momentum and had to stop herself. He slammed his wooden sword into the unprotected part of her thigh and heard a satisfying snap as she crumpled slightly.

The Desian woman used her spear as a crutch, staring at him in shock and anger; she was obviously not happy with the idea that a boy with wooden swords had just taken her out in a few seconds. Genis, who had been readying himself to cast a backup spell cut the spell short and Lloyd felt the air mana release back into the atmosphere.

"Lord Kvar was right, you're stronger than you look…" she growled, "But I suppose that's just the exsphere, yes? You're just a stupid human, you'd be nothing without the exsphere you stole."

Lloyd felt himself grow red in the face, how dare she imply that he was nothing, and that he'd stolen his mother's exsphere. He knew she was baiting him, but that didn't stop the sudden strong urge to want to rip her limb-from-limb. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her press a switch; she'd distracted him so she could call for backup! Lloyd swore loudly.

"Genis, she's calling for help, let's get out of here!" Lloyd grabbed Genis' arm and dragged him toward Noishe. "Come on, Noshy, let's go!" He rushed them away, the adrenaline pumping through his veins distracting him from the rather obvious sight of more Desians approaching the front gate. It wasn't until Genis shouted and Noishe barked that Lloyd realized that they were caught. His hand darted toward his sword, but before he could pull it fully from its sheath, he felt a stinging pain in the back of his head, his vision swam, then everything went black.

….

Okay, I love cliffies! Promise, next chapter won't be as bad…and you'll get a lot of explanation too, okay? Yes? Good.

R&R

~Yoshi