It happened so suddenly.

One moment they were all sitting around Altessa's house and the next moment she collapsed. Raine, the healer of the party, running a high fever. Chaos insued as Genis and Lloyd tried to wake her up by shouting, while Mithos and Collette wrung their hands in the background. Regal frowned silently while Presea knelt and took a pulse.

"She is alive, but very hot."

Zelos jumped forward into the circle of concerned persons. "Hey, I know this doctor in Meltokio, so..."

"And I know a good one in Flanoir." Sheena interrupted the Chosen's speech. For once they weren't fighting.

With unfamiliar gentleness, Zelos and Presea picked up the professor and carried her into the guest bedroom. Tabatha, Altessa's automaton already had a bed prepared and they laid Raine down. The group huddled around the bed while Sheena picked Regal to accompany her to Flanoir, and Zelos chose Collette and Presea. They hurried outside and left on their Rheairds.

Meanwhile Mithos took Genis aside began to whisper something to him. Curious, Lloyd followed them and listened behind the door.

"Let me get Lloyd then, and we can go get it!" Genis' voice.

"No! I want to do this by ourselves! After all, she is kin. I want to show everyone that we can do something!"

Lloyd peeked outside in time to see the two run off together. "Oh boy!" Worried now and only a wee bit jealous (or so he told himself) he followed them, leaving the professor in the care of the aged dwarf.


She moaned as she tossed on the bed. Hot, so hot! Where was the water? Where was her mother? She was drowning in heat! In her delirium, she thrashed about and hit something with her arm.

A cool hand grasped hers, while another grasped the damp cloth that had fallen from her forehead. Eyes dimmed with fever opened, trying to get a glimpse of her rescuer. A shock of light brown hair framed the face that looked back at her.

"Kratos?"

Silent as a wraith, he gently set her hand back on the bed and used two hands to wring out a new cloth and set in place. Dropping the used one back into the bucket, he returned to his place and again took her hand. His eyes gazed at her, worry only thinly veiled behind the bangs that fell in front of his face.

The sufferer was silent now, her features relaxing as she felt the contact of a human hand. Softly her eyelashes fluttered closed as sleep overtook her. Her body having cooled slightly from the frequent application of cold clothes, Raine struggled to stay awake a moment longer. With effort, she managed a whisper.

"Thank you for staying…"


He stayed with her while she slept. Only Tabatha saw him slip away before the others returned; a silent shadow as always, though he stopped and looked longingly at Lloyd before disappearing completely.

As for Lloyd, he waltzed into the room at a safe distance behind Genis and Mithos. Raine sighed as she heard the others lambaste him for playing around while there was a sick woman in the party. Sheepishly he scratched the back of his neck while Collette defended her friend.

Wearily shaking her head, Raine spoke up from her spot on the bed. "Never mind. Thank you all anyway."

Mithos grinned and Genis winked at Lloyd, while the others milled around and expressing their relief. In the midst of the welcome confusion the professor turned away.

"Thank you, Kratos."



Author Notes:

You can get this scene during the game by speaking with Mithos at Altessa's house. If you choose to stay, Lloyd sticks with the professor while she's sleeping, and falls asleep himself. In the second option, he follows and helps out Mithos and Genis while they retrieve a rare plant to cure Raine's fever. So who stays with Raine? This is my take on what happened while everyone was out and about.