A/N: Hello, everyone. I'm pleasantly surprised to see that more than one of you like or are intrigued by Rai, and that I'm successfully characterizing him in an interesting way. There's plenty more to find out, so don't worry on that count.

As always, thank you all for your reviews. I hope you realize how motivating it is to get constructive feedback - positive or negative. It means a lot to me when you take the time to not only read my work, but also leave comments. Please continue to do so.

And to those of you who read but do not review - although it would be great if you weighed in your opinion, know that I appreciate you all the same :).

I hope you continue to enjoy.

"I accepted the job of guarding the Chosen, but I must ask - what is this I hear about children coming along?" Kratos fixed Raine with a narrow-eyed glance, arms crossed in front of his chest.

Genis jerked in surprise, then glanced at Raine too, curious about what she would say. He'd almost forgotten about what Rai had said earlier at the temple; he'd had no idea that there was any talk of them coming along. Lloyd hadn't seemed surprised, so obviously he'd been the only one in the dark. His fists clenched and he briefly thought back to that time at the temple.

The recollection reminded him of something else he had found strange at the time; the Desians they had fought had been different in appearance than the ones at the Iselia ranch. The details of their uniforms had been subtly different, something he probably wouldn't have noticed had he not been captured by Desians earlier. As he'd learned from spending time around Rai, even the smallest discrepancies are usually important. He couldn't help but wonder why nobody else seemed to have noticed this, instead immediately assuming that these were Desians from the Iselia ranch and were therefore breaking the treaty. He found it especially hard to believe that Rai hadn't noticed - it was more likely he had, but for some reason hadn't mentioned it. He had been acting pretty odd after that...

He looked up, pausing in his musings when he realized that his sister hadn't given a response yet.

Raine paused for some more time before answering, her gaze flitting uncharacteristically around the room where they were all gathered. It was the first floor of Colette's house, and everyone from the temple was present except for Lloyd and Rai, since they'd been banished from the village. Kratos was leaning against the far wall, and Raine sat next to Phaidra and Frank. Colette occupied her other side, looking unusually downcast. A fire crackled near where Genis sat on the floor, and the silence felt charged.

"The situation is complicated," Raine said finally. "Lloyd and Rai have been banished from the village, and it would be dangerous for them with both the hate from the villagers and a Desian ranch close by. Not only that, but knowing Lloyd, he would probably try to follow us anyway, and I'd rather he be with us rather than trying to travel through dangerous territory alone."

To Genis's surprise, Colette spoke up, her eyes troubled. "But...if Lloyd stays with Dirk..."

Genis couldn't help but interject. "Colette, don't you want Lloyd to come along?"

She glanced at him, startled, then lowered her gaze, fisting her hands in the white cloth of her dress and biting her lip. Genis made a note to ask her later what was bothering her.

Kratos narrowed his eyes, and addressed Raine again. "What about your brother? It doesn't seem as if he's banished."

Genis gritted his teeth and stared at the floor. Kratos was right; he had no excuse to go along with them. Still, it rubbed him the wrong way how the man was talking about him like he wasn't even in the room.

"Genis has had some controversial accusations leveled at him, and has recently been involved in events regarding the Desian ranch which the villagers would rather forget," Raine murmured. "I don't feel safe leaving him alone in a suspicious, hostile village without even his friends by his side." Genis glanced up at his sister in surprise. He had expected her to argue for him to stay safely in the village...

Kratos looked unhappy, but grunted and turned his head to the side in concession. "That's your choice, I suppose. As long as the children don't get in the way of our objective..."

Raine glanced away from Kratos as well and addressed the room at large. "We have other things to discuss. Specifically, Colette, about your - "

She stopped in surprise as Colette suddenly stood up urgently. "Wait!" The blonde Chosen turned to Genis, who looked at her quizzically. Raine followed her gaze and seemed to come to some sort of understanding.

"Genis...I'm sorry, but could you leave us? There are some things..."

He felt a surge of annoyance. "Oh, right, the unavoidable important information that's too serious for a baby like me to hear. I completely forgot about it, sorry. I'll get out right away so you guys can get on with discussing adult matters." Even as he said it, he knew he sounded incredibly childish, but that did nothing to abate his anger.

Raine looked both shocked and resigned, but Genis didn't give her or anyone else a chance to respond as he stormed out of the house.

"I wonder what they're talking about?" Lloyd sighed for the sixth time. "I'm so - "

Rai opened his eyes and fixed him with a ferocious glare before he could finish his sentence. "Yes, Lloyd, you're bored. I know. I heard you the last five times."

"How can you stand this, anyway?" Lloyd bit out, pacing back and forth and fingering his sword hilts. "Just being out here while the rest of them talk about the Journey?"

"You do know that if you hadn't insisted on getting yourself exiled you'd be over there with them?" That had come out a bit more derisively than he had intended...

Lloyd's eyes flashed angrily and he suddenly whirled around and punched the tree, narrowly missing Rai's head. "Okay, I'm tired of this. If you've got a problem with me, just come out and say it!" Somehow, Rai found himself backed against the tree trunk. They were practically nose to nose now, but Rai wasn't going to be the one to back down, startled as he was at the sudden intensity. He resisted the urge to avert his gaze.

"I'm not sure what you mean," he said slowly, trying to buy time with which to gauge the situation.

"Oh, you know exactly what I mean," Lloyd snarled. Rai half-expected to be grabbed by the collar and punched into oblivion at this rate. "But fine, I'll tell you anyway. I've been nothing but nice to you and you're just always making jabs at me! If I'm doing something you don't like, just say so!"

"I -" Rai, for once, wasn't sure what to say. Why was he always so annoyed around Lloyd? No, he knew why - it was because of his stupid emotional side, the side that rejected Lloyd as his half-brother, sharing the same father, and the side that resented how everyone always seemed to be on Lloyd's side even though Lloyd never made any sense. But he could hardly voice any of that. It would make him seem petty. Maybe because you are, murmured a voice sadly in his mind. Rai ignored it, realizing that Lloyd was already continuing.

"And back at the village, I was defending you! Although you don't seem to appreciate it - "

At this, Rai couldn't keep quiet. "Look, I get that your intentions were noble and everything, but that was definitely an idiotic move. It didn't achieve anything; those villagers were never going to listen. If you'd just kept quiet only one of us would be exiled instead of two - "

"I'm not a fucking machine!" Lloyd snapped, so angrily that Rai was shocked into silence. This outburst seemed ridiculously out of character for Lloyd, even taking into consideration all the events of the game. He had no idea how to react, having never predicted this kind of situation. Maybe Lloyd had a point. Not everyone could be expected to act logically, but that didn't mean he should be happy about that...ugh, what did Lloyd want from him?

He could feel smugness emanating from the emotional corner of his mind, where that nagging voice resided. Elsewhere, Akira was snickering.

Aww, are you getting all flustered, Rai? Are things getting a bit out of hand?

W-what? Despite himself, he felt blood rush to his cheeks and willed himself to regain control. Shut up. Maybe he should just be honest; he'd already been silent for too long. "You're right," he said finally, in a strangled sort of voice. "Sorry. There are actually some reasons I don't get along well with you, but it's not something I can tell you..." He felt sick. He couldn't remember the last time he'd really apologized to anyone, and it wasn't a good feeling.

Lloyd was looking a bit calmer now, and slightly uncomfortable as he seemed to realize how out of control he'd been. He still looked irritated, but he leaned back, putting some distance between them, and let his hands drop. Rai let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"So you're saying you hate me, but you can't say why." There was a hint of hurt in his voice now alongside the anger, and despite himself Rai felt like a bit of a jerk. He supposed it wasn't really Lloyd's fault that Kratos was his father, or that he was such an insufferable idiot whose every action went against Rai's philosophy of life...At the same time, he knew that most of this thinking was coming from that corner of his mind he was starting to call W. W for weak - emotional.

"I don't hate you," he protested weakly. "Look, I - ... I'll try to be more civil from now on, okay?"

Lloyd sighed, the anger seeming to drain out of him. Now he just looked tired. He raised a hand to his hair and slumped against the tree next to Rai. "I guess that's all I can ask for. ...I'm sorry too, for lashing out at you like that..."

Rai felt a rush of relief that the moment was over. He was never comfortable in situations involving too many emotions. He searched for something to say in response, but another voice interrupted him.

"Were you guys fighting?" It was Genis, glancing between the two of them suspiciously as he walked over. Lloyd said nothing, so after a pause, Rai answered for him.

"...Not really. More importantly, what happened at the meeting?" Unsurprisingly, Genis's face twisted into a bitter expression.

"How would I know? I'm just a kid. I got sent away so they could discuss important, adult stuff not meant for my ears."

Rai sighed inwardly. He should have known Genis would have taken this harder than he did in the game, since this time he hadn't had Lloyd sent outside with him. "Did Raine tell them about us going on the Journey, though?" he prompted.

To his surprise, Geins's expression darkened even further. "Was it your idea, Rai? She did tell them, but it was news to me. You did say something about it outside the Martel Temple. Why did neither of you guys tell me about this?"

Great. He'd bet everything on Lloyd telling Genis, but it was starting to seem like he knew a lot less about Lloyd that he'd thought. "Genis, I'm sorry - since I was banished, I didn't get much of a chance to talk to you. I was the one who convinced Raine to let you come along as well."

Genis still looked unhappy, and he shot an irritated glance at Lloyd, but his blue eyes had softened slightly. "Fine, I guess..."

Something occurred to Rai. "Wait, Genis, I had something I wanted to give you..." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out one of the exspheres he had obtained from the ranch, complete with the key crest he had gotten fixed with Lloyd's help. He held it out to Genis, but instead of taking it, the young half-elf looked startled and then looked away, eyes shadowed.

"Actually, I already have one..." He pulled out a round exsphere, equipped with a key crest. Rai stared at him. How had Genis gotten both an exsphere and a key crest? He glanced at Lloyd just in time to see the swordsman give Genis a knowing look and his stomach clenched. Obviously, Lloyd knew the details, but it seemed Genis had failed to share some important information with Rai.

After a heavy silence during which Genis avoided his gaze, Rai said slowly, "Genis, can we talk? Lloyd, if you'd leave us alone for a bit?"

Lloyd looked at Genis. The younger half-elf nodded reluctantly, so the swordsman inclined his head and walked off in the direction of Dirk's house.

Rai placed his hands on Genis's shoulders firmly. "Genis, look at me." He tried to keep his voice soft, but to his dismay he saw when his brother finally turned to meet his gaze that his eyes were filled with tears.

"G-genis - " he stammered, but the younger boy only burst out sobbing. Rai's hands left Genis's shoulders and fell limply to his sides. Great. More damn emotions. Now what was he supposed to do? He refused to consult W for this.

Hug him.

W-what?!

Akira sounded impatient now. Look, I get that you aren't good with emotions. Neither was I, but I learned a few things while I was alive. Trust me on this. Your brother is crying, so you're supposed to comfort him.

Damn. Here goes nothing, I suppose. Awkwardly, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Genis's shoulders, pulling the other against him. His brother was significantly shorter, so this meant that his face was now buried in Rai's chest. Rai could feel his shirt becoming damp with tears as Genis hugged him back, still sobbing. He felt a flash of annoyance; how could he be expected to help if he had no idea what was going on? He had never understood why other people felt like crying about their problems was a good idea. It was ridiculously unproductive. They don't do it to be productive, they just feel helpless, W whispered sadly. Just like that time back then, when you -

Don't you say another word, he snarled, and at the same time Akira started warningly, Don't - but broke off as W retreated back to its corner with a resigned air. Rai wondered what Akira had been about to say, but his past self didn't offer any clues.

W has a point, you know, Akira said after a pause. Although I agree that it's pointless, you have to get that people aren't perfect. Sometimes they're going to take inefficient steps. He paused, and somehow Rai could imagine him smirking. ...By the way, don't you find it weird that you've got a voice in your head that you've named W? Or is that just me...?

You're a damn voice in my head, too, Rai shot back. He could tell Akira was going to continue, so he decided to beat him to the punch. Shut up.

He realized he was still hugging Genis and that Genis was still crying. How long was this supposed to go on? He awkwardly patted him on the back, trying to get him to stop. Eventually the sobs quieted down and Genis pulled away slightly, sniffing and trying to rub the tears away. "I'm sorry. I know you don't like this sort of thing..."

"It's fine, don't worry. Just don't start crying again," Rai warned. "Now will you tell me what's wrong? It should help." Probably. And why has he told Lloyd about it but not me?

"I - I killed Marble..."

"Wh-what?"

He listened in shock as Genis blurted about his experience in the ranch and how Marble had supposedly been killed because of him. Inwardly, Rai sighed. This wasn't something someone as young and pure as Genis should have to experience. He wasn't sure why he felt so much older and more jaded than his brother, considering he was only two years older, but it was like something set him apart from this innocent child. He half-expected Akira to make a comment about his just being a brat too, but his past self was uncharacteristically silent. In fact, Rai thought he could feel something like apprehension from Akira, but he pushed the thought away in favor of the more pressing situation.

His first instinct was that it was indeed Genis's fault, or at least partially, because he really shouldn't have barged off to the ranch like that, but even Rai knew that it definitely wouldn't be a good idea to say so. Instead he said, hoping he sounded soothing, "Genis, it isn't your fault. Blame the Desians."

Genis's gaze snapped up to meet his so quickly that Rai almost stepped back. His brother's blue eyes were filled with frustration, and tears were beginning to leak out again. "That's exactly the problem," Genis said, voice trembling. "The...the Desians aren't all bad people. They just hate humans, but I can understand why because sometimes I - " He cut himself off with a choking sound and pressed both hands to his mouth as if he'd said something he hadn't meant to, more tears running down his cheeks.

Instantly Rai realized what the problem was. He berated himself for not having thought of it sooner, but he hadn't expected for Genis's thought process to have matured this much. "Genis, it's okay. I agree with you," he said quickly. His brother looked up at him in shock.

"B-but," he choked. Rai shushed him, putting a finger to his lips.

"Hear me out. I'm glad that you've made this realization. You're right, Genis. The Desians aren't all totally bad. Nothing is black and white, even though people tend to paint things that way for convenience. Humans hate all half-elves because of the actions of a few; the Desians do exactly the same thing. That doesn't make all of them bad - not individually." He paused, trying to gauge Genis's response, then continued, "I know what you were trying to say - sometimes you kind of agree that humans are kind of hateable, right?"

At Genis's guilt-stricken expression, he knew he'd hit the nail on the head. Rai sighed. "I'm the same way, okay. It's normal, damn it. As long as you know that not all humans are necessarily scum just because some are, you're fine. I'll slap the idiocy out of you if you seem to be slipping too far, okay?"

That pulled a halfhearted laugh out of his brother. Emboldened, he continued, "At any rate, even though you can't blame individual Desians, as long as you believe Marble's death was wrong you have to admit that at least the system of the Desians is flawed. You can blame the system - the system and those at the top of it. If you want to avenge Marble, focus on changing that system - and whatever portion of the blame you might share, just make sure you learn from it so you don't make the same mistakes again." Wow, that was surprisingly idealistic. Am I turning into Lloyd now? Well, whatever it takes to make him feel better, I suppose... Genis seemed to be listening intently, so he added, "Actually, on the topic of blame, I share some of it myself. If I hadn't been so harsh with you, you wouldn't have run off to the ranch in the first place."

"What? No, it's not your fault!"

Rai smirked a little. "That's exactly how you sound to me when you try to blame yourself. Do you get how ridiculous it is now?"

Genis blushed a little, but he was smiling. "I...thanks, Rai." Unexpectedly, he threw his arms around Rai again. "Sorry for making such a fuss," he mumbled into the cloth of his shirt.

Despite being slightly uncomfortable at the close proximity, Rai smiled as the first drops of rain began to fall.