A/N: Hellllo everyone! I'm back here in ToS land after finishing up my latest fic for Xenoblade Chronicles (The Restoration). For those of you waiting for more Darkness Falls, not to worry, I'll start updating it shortly. Before I dive into that long story, I had a thought for a short fic to get me back into the swing of things. And it's all about *Kraine*! This one is for you missemixox and Shinenite! There are only going to be four chapters here, so enjoy!


Naturally an early riser, Raine found it difficult to pull herself out of bed this morning. The consecutive late nights — later than she was used to anyway — were wearing her down, but she knew the end was in sight. Just three days left until the big event. Then she could sleep for an entire day, and return to work the next. At least, that's what she envisioned.

As she stepped into the shower, the half elven woman grimaced. One day wasn't ideal. If she could, she would take two: one for rest and the other for relaxation, ideally catching up on the latest archaeological study done by the Tethe'allan historical society, which, she could argue, was work related. One is better than nothing.

Reality permitting.

Besides, if the woman were unable to secure an extra day for rest, she only had herself to blame for her fatigue. When Colette had shared her concerns in her 'I don't want to burden you' way, the older woman scoffed and said she would happily help. Of course, Colette had tried to dissuade her former teach vehmently, concerned for her wellbeing (the half elven woman was rather busy these days), but it was useless. In this case, Raine had the opportunity to give the ex-Chosen a celebration she deserved.

That was six months ago.

After adorning herself in an orange and white dress with three quarter length sleeves that went just past her knees, Raine headed for Dirk's home. An hour later, she was sitting on the patio, a cup of tea in hand, going through a checklist of what was left to do in preparation for Colette and Lloyd's wedding. It was a beautiful summer day: the sun shone high in the sky and a slight breeze tickled the back of her neck. It was perfect: not too hot, not too cold. The weather was one of the things Raine missed about Iselia. Palmacosta was always windy, being by the ocean. This trip was a nice vacation from that.

Putting down her tea, the woman scanned the to-do list and ticked off a few items:

Final approval of catering menu

Final dress fitting for Bride

Ready home for bachelorette party

Confirm and purchase wedding favors

Confirm photographer

Each tick felt like a small win, but even as she did so, she became increasingly aware of the number of unticked boxes left: fourteen in total. How many tasks could she plausibly accomplish by the end of the day? The half elf wagered seven, and then she could leave the rest for the next morning before the bachelorette party. It was ambitious, but the woman had faced larger obstacles. As long as she was not distracted, she would be able to achieve this goal.

Therefore, she had to focus on the task at hand: finalizing the seating chart.

Turning her head to the right, Raine sighed. Neither Colette nor Lloyd was paying attention. She'd asked them to look over the large diagram and see if there were any changes they wished to make. However, they were more interested in gazing into each other's eyes and speaking in gentle tones.

A soft smile crept onto the older woman's lips. After the World Regeneration, Lloyd had finally realized his feelings for the Chosen and shared them with her. Colette reciprocated, which wasn't much of a shock to anyone other than Lloyd. Together, they had traveled the world collecting the remaining exspheres and at the end of the year-long journey, Lloyd had proposed. This was unsurprising to Raine as marriage was the natural progression of their relationship. Although, to be fair, she hadn't expected it to be so soon.

And as the days neared to their nuptials, the two became increasingly absorbed in one another.

Once again, unsurprising. But they would have time for all that on their honeymoon.

"Colette. Lloyd."

They jumped, startled.

"Yes, Professor?"

Even after two years of not tutoring them, they had not dropped the moniker.

"I need you two to confirm the seating chart."

There would be forty guests at the wedding, including the wedding party, and Raine wanted to assure that there would be no quarrels between the guests. Granted, that was impossible in such a situation as this. One person or another would always feel slighted if they were not closer to the bride and groom; then there was always the possibility of seating two people next to one another who were far from friends. Nonetheless, Raine would do her best to avoid such situations.

And selfishly, the last thing the woman wanted to do was run interference during the wedding and reception.

Let Yuan do that.

He was already in charge of security. This would be right up his alley.

"Well...um...it looks good, Professor." Colette said, studying the illustration.

"Lloyd?"

"I agree with Colette."

Raine sighed.

"And have you two decided on the ring bearer yet?"

"No, not yet." Lloyd grinned, embarrassed.

"Or the flower girl?"

"Um..." The young woman gave the half elf a guilty look.

The older woman pursed her lips. This was going nowhere.

"Alright. Colette, I do need you to tell me whether you like the bridesmaids dresses with or without the bow on the waist."

She hoped the answer was no.

"Yes, I think bows would be so cute!"

Damn.

Gazing downward at the checklist, she ticked off Bridesmaid dress design confirmation. Now that she had an answer, the half elf could arrange for a final fitting for the bridesmaids. It would have to be tomorrow afternoon, before the Bachelorette Party. She didn't think any of them would want to get up early the following morning after what was to be a night of revelry.

Inwardly, the half elf groaned. Finishing off the checklist and coordinating a bridesmaid fitting all in the same day...she would have to do more work today or get up early tomorrow in order to meet the deadlines.

Colette and Lloyd had resumed their conversation and she frowned. She wasn't going to get any more answers from either of them. Instead, she would make a few executive decisions. Not exactly what she had in mind, but it would cut down on the time it would take to finish the rest of her tasks and possibly allow her to do some of the work she'd set aside for tomorrow.

Jotting down a few notes, Raine heard the front door open.

"Kratos!"

Her head shot up.

What?

She turned around in her chair. Her eyes widened.

In the front doorway stood the angel.

Now this was unexpected.

"What are you doing here?" Lloyd said as he bounded over to his biological father.

"You are getting married, are you not?"

Lloyd flushed. "Uh...yeah."

They continued speaking, but Raine didn't hear them, eyes focused on the Seraphim. It was surreal. He was the last person she expected to see, and yet she knew it was logical that he should be here. Certainly Kratos would not miss his own son's wedding. And yet, in the two years that had passed since the World Regeneration, Raine had not seen the angel once. From her understanding, he had not left Derris-Kharlan since Colette united the two worlds.

But here he was, standing in Dirk's home, his face set in its usual serious expression.

"How did you know?" Lloyd asked.

Colette, who had joined the two, smiled. "I invited him."

Lloyd looked over at her, a wide smile growing on his face. "Really?"

"Yes. You said you wanted him to come. So I asked Yuan if he could help me." She smiled, clasping her hands in front of her. "Remember that day I said I wanted to visit the Mana Tower? I was actually visiting Yuan."

"Thank you, Colette."

From her position, Raine continued to observe Kratos as Lloyd continued the three-way conversation. The angel was dressed in a black jacket, white shirt, and navy pants. With his arms crossed over his chest, he was the epitome of nonchalance.

Suddenly, he turned and saw her. They locked eyes.

The intensity in his gaze jolted her.

Stop. It's just Kratos.

Forcing herself to relax, the half elf turned back to the table and grabbed the day's schedule she had written the previous evening. Examining the page, she found the next appointment. Her eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. They needed to go.

Raine stood, gathered her things, and entered the house, clutching the folder of documents and lists to her chest.

"I apologize but as much as I would like to let this reunion continue, Colette, we have an appointment with the florist."

"Oh...right." The blonde sighed.

Lloyd grabbed her hand and smiled; the young woman's face immediately brightened. Raine couldn't help but smile at their eagerness. That was the nature of young love.

She wished it had been that way for her.

As Colette and Lloyd conferred with each other in whispers once more, Raine shifted her gaze from the couple to the angel.

Their eyes met, both impassive. Once again, she was confronted with that fierce stare from his brown eyes.

She could hear Genis' voice in her head. Awkward...

It was. Raine wasn't sure what to say, much less how to begin a conversation with Kratos.

This was silly. They had been friends at one point (or at least friendly acquaintances). It wasn't as though they were meeting for the first time.

Though for some reason, it felt like it.

"Did you just get into town?" Raine asked.

"A half an hour ago."

"Well...welcome back."

Now that sounded silly.

"Thank you."

They fell silent once more, waiting for the soon-to-be newlyweds. Finally, Colette and Lloyd turned away from each other.

"Ready?" Raine inquired.

"Yes." Colette smiled at Kratos and Lloyd. "See you later!"

As the two walked out of the house and headed towards town, the half elven woman considered the man's sudden appearance. Though Colette spoke about the coming days in a dreamy voice, her mentor's mind was elsewhere. Lloyd had seemed genuinely surprised to see his father. Why was that? It seemed obvious that Kratos would attend the wedding. So why was his arrival unexpected? Perhaps she was attributing too much meaning to their interaction.

But her instincts nagged: something had happened between the two men. She wondered what exactly.

Inwardly, Raine glowered.

This was a distraction.


As Raine and Colette left the house, Kratos' eyes followed them. He had not known the half elf would be there. Not that it mattered; he would have met with her eventually, just as he would with the others during his time here. But their short conversation was rather stilted. Succinct. Different from how they used to converse in the past (not that he had ever been much of a talker). This was the result of not visiting for two years, he calculated. It would probably be similar with everyone else, though he never thought of himself as close with the Tethe'allans as he had with Lloyd, Colette, Genis and Raine.

Close, of course, was a relative term.

To him, it meant that he had spent the most time with those four on the Journey of Regeneration. The others, probably half that amount, with the possible exception of Sheena, as she had joined them in the first part of the journey as well.

And thus the amount of time spent in one's company generally made it easier to converse.

Though the angel and Lloyd had spoken every few months during the past year, courtesy of the magitechnology at Yuan's base, he had not seen the ex-Chosen for the two years. And yet she was as warm and welcoming as she had been the first time they met.

On the other hand, Raine was guarded. Did she think he had ulterior motives for appearing other than attending the wedding?

He wouldn't be surprised if she did.

She had observed him with striking eyes. He had forgotten her self-possessed manner: how she always assessed every situation.

"Kratos?"

Lloyd's voice interrupted his thoughts. The Seraphim turned back to his son, who had retained his expression of tentative excitement.

"I'm glad you're here." Lloyd hesitated. "It's not that I didn't want to invite you—"

"Lloyd. I understand."

"Honestly, I wasn't sure you'd want to come. Especially after..."

Kratos shook his head. "Think nothing of it. It's over. In the past."

Lloyd nodded, relieved.

Before the young man could ask another question, a pair of footsteps stomped across the wooden floor of the log cabin. The angel turned his head to see Dirk, dusted with soot, making his way towards father and son.

"Ah. Was wonderin' when you'd arrive," the dwarf said.

"Did you know he was coming to?!" Lloyd said.

"Colette told me. Wanted it to be a surprise."

"Jeez."

Dirk ignored his son's annoyance, furrowing his brow.

"Kratos, I could use some help bringin' in the new load of lumber."

"I can do that!"

"You better go upstairs and write those vows, son. I know you still haven't. And if you don't, Colette's gonna be disappointed."

Embarrassed, Lloyd hung his head and trudged up the stairs to his room.

Dirk crossed his arms over his chest. "He inherited yer stubbornness."

"I prefer to think it was his mother's."

Snorting, the dwarf exited the way he'd entered.

Kratos followed, well aware the dwarf needed no help whatsoever with hauling lumber. Silent, Dirk headed for Anna's grave, the angel stopping next to him.

Yellow poppies and pink tulips had grown over the burial site. A wash of emotions coursed through him, but the angel kept a straight face. The beauty of the flowers gave her grave the feeling of happiness, rather than one of tragedy and regret. Though he still mourned Anna, that wound had begun to heal, thanks to Lloyd, not withstanding what had recently occurred. It comforted him that if Anna were alive, she would be proud of their son.

"He's growin' up." Dirk said flatly.

"Yes."

"Didn't think he'd be gettin' hitched so fast."

"Neither did I."

"But when you know, you know. Am I right?"

Kratos didn't respond, his eyes focused on the gravestone.

"You've gotta lot more experience in this department than I have."

"Doubtful."

"Look...there are certain things I can't really talk with Lloyd about..." Dirk trailed off, putting his hands on his hips and looking downward.

Silence filled the air. Kratos knew the dwarf was asking for help. Raising Lloyd and being unable to give him the knowledge required for the next chapter of his life could only be hard on the dwarf. Though the angel had never said it aloud, he was grateful to Dirk for rescuing and taking care of Lloyd as a child and through his adolescence. He felt Dirk knew anyway. Now, it seemed Kratos could repay the dwarf.

"I understand."

"Good." The dwarf grunted. "But I'd like tah do the toast though at the rehearsal dinner."

"Of course."

Regardless, the last thing Kratos wanted to do was stand up and speak in front of a group of people.

Dirk nodded and went back into the house, sans lumber that was piled only a few feet away.

Kratos stood at the grave, contemplating. Lloyd was no longer a child, almost a man. Soon he'd start a family. Dirk thought that the angel could give their son advice, but the Seraphim knew he was the last person who should be an expert on this topic. What did he know about creating and caring for a family? He had lost his.

And now he was trying to put together the pieces.

Anna.

Kratos wished she were here. She would know what to say. She always knew what to say. Her gentle nature had given her the innate ability to see straight into others' hearts and understand their pain. That was what drew him to her in the first place: her amazingly large capacity for empathy. The woman could see the disillusionment and torment he'd suffered and she had welcomed him with open arms.

Though Anna was long gone, eighteen years now, he still missed her. Not in the way he once had. The pain was no longer fresh; he didn't feel the constant heartbreak at every reminder of her. No, it was different now: a scar on his heart that, when touched, emitted a dull pain but no longer set him aflame each day.

Lloyd had said that Kratos needed to forgive himself and let go. And they had argued. Impatient and heated, Lloyd had stormed off.

That was their last conversation a few months ago. At the time, he'd known Lloyd was getting married. In fact, he was the second person Lloyd had confessed the news to (Dirk being the first). After the fight, Kratos wasn't sure if he should attend the wedding. When Colette reached out, at first he'd flatly refused. But in her warm and angelic way, she had convinced him to come.

And now the man was here, hoping to make amends with his son.

He just wasn't entirely sure how to.


Ten after 23:00. Her eyes glanced over at the tavern's clock and she took a sip of her tea. She was determined to get everything done, even if it took her all night. She wanted Colette and Lloyd to have the best. They deserved it after everything they had been through, individually and together.

Raine sat at a large booth big enough for four, tea cup and tea pot directly to her right and a plate filled with the leftover crumbs of a piece of coffee cake to her left. Scattered across the wooden surface of the tabletop were papers, writing utensils, diagrams and budgets. Everything and anything related to the wedding. Underneath the layers of wedding materials were her students' papers. She needed to do some grading tonight, but there was an ever-growing chance that would not happen.

Pulling the seating drawing to her, Raine cast her eyes over it. She'd dismissed it after her morning meeting with Colette and Lloyd, but there was no more avoiding it. The woman had to give the final version to the vendor tomorrow. As she studied the chart, erasing two names and switching their spots, the light above was momentarily blocked.

Annoyed, the half elf looked up, meeting a pair of sharp brown eyes.

Surprised, she said, "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Neither did I." Kratos stepped to the right to allow the overhead light to shine on the table once more. "What are you doing?"

"At the moment? Seating arrangements. Then placing floral arrangements at both the wedding and reception sites. Then creating a transportation plan from the wedding site to the reception."

He raised his eyebrows.

"I didn't know wedding planning was your forte."

"It isn't. I am simply good at organizing things."

"As I said: Wedding planning is your forte."

He smirked. She narrowed her eyes, and then sighed.

"I suppose I have some sort of...affinity to it."

She scrunched her face together in disgust.

"Unfortunately, wedding planning is taking up too much of my time. I need to grade papers as well."

"Then I won't bother you any longer."

The angel began to turn away when she said, "You're welcome to stay. I could use the distraction. But let me finish this first."

Truthfully, her brain was exhausted. A little break and distraction would do her good. Then she could come back to the preparations with fresh eyes.

Or she might be too tired and head to bed. It was a risk she was willing to take.

"Can I get you something to drink?"

"Tea please."

Kratos took her empty cup and teapot and went to the bar.

Though she turned her face downward, the half elf watched the man from underneath her lashes. Curious. What was he doing here at this hour?

Raine didn't want to admit it, but their morning conversation had bothered her all day. It had been strained and almost uncomfortable. Two years ago, the half elf and angel had parted on amicable terms. Why was it different now? Had two years really made that much of a difference?

Neither of them were completely social creatures. She was an introvert at heart, though in the recent years, being a professor had pushed her limits, so she was able to find herself a little more comfortable in social settings with larger groups of people. On the other hand, she had never seen Kratos display any sort of 'social butterfly' tendencies. In fact, he was quite the opposite. From what she had observed, he was only comfortable around those he knew moderately well, and indifferent to those who he did not.

Regardless, the woman wanted to ask him about his intentions, if in fact there were more than being at Lloyd's wedding. At the moment, she was certain they had to do with Lloyd. All she knew was that her curiosity was getting the better of her. If in fact it had to do with Lloyd, it was not her place to interfere.

Turning her attention back to the seating chart, she gave it a look over one last time. She no longer cared. People would sit where she told them and that was the end of the matter. Just as she marked 'FINALIZED' at the top right hand corner, a cup of tea and teapot appeared on her right.

"Thank you."

It was a kind gesture. Despite his outward gruffness, he was well-mannered. It was very confusing.

He took a seat across from her, placing his mug on the tabletop.

"What brings you here at this hour?" She asked.

"Couldn't sleep."

"Do you ever?"

He looked at her levelly, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward.

Silence settled between them for a few minutes. She groped for something to say, but her mind had blanked.

Then he said, "Grading papers. I presume you have continued teaching."

She nodded, leaning back into the booth, clutching her tea cup to her chest, savoring the warmth.

"I'm a professor at Palmacosta University."

"University?"

"Yes. They built it a year ago. It's right next to the Academy."

"Convenient."

"The University's Board of Trustees decided archaeology would be one of the first subjects it offered. The Dean reached out to see if I was interested." She allowed herself a smirk. "I'm the head of the department."

"How many students do you have?"

"Three times than I did in Iselia."

"Hopefully they're more like Genis than Lloyd."

He did not smile though there was mirth in his eyes. She too couldn't help from smiling.

"Well, Genis is at the Academy so I can also keep an eye on him."

"Convenient."

Gracefully, she brought the tea cup to her lips and watched him.

"And what have you been up to, Kratos? All I know is that you have spent the past two years on Derris-Kharlan."

"Yuan and I destroyed the remaining exspheres."

"I remember Lloyd mentioning that. It's done?"

"As of last week."

"That's a relief."

He nodded and took a sip of his own tea, his eyes not leaving hers.

"What do you plan to do next?"

"Transfer data and records from Welgaia to Yuan's base."

"That's good. It would be a shame to lose all of that information."

"I disagree."

She cocked her head to the side. Her mind clicked.

"Magitechnology."

He nodded.

"It's not as though Yuan would share any detrimental information with either the Sylvarant or Tethe'allan governments. He was there with you during the Kharlan War." Raine said, putting her tea down.

"It's dangerous to have that information anywhere."

"There are certain ways magitechnology can be used to help people. They cannot be ignored. Surely you agree with that?"

"Yes. There is a way to disseminate and retain that information rather than keep the entirety of it." He said, putting his tea cup down and crossing his arms over his chest.

"But it would be better to educate people about the dangers of magitechnology rather than hide them."

"If you tell them about the dangers, then some will come to believe they can control it. They will try and bring disaster to Aselia once again."

"You're afraid of history repeating itself?"

He raised his eyebrows. "It's not fear. It's logic. That is human nature: to desire more power than one has."

"Is it also not human nature to learn and adapt? If we discard history, how will we ever learn from our mistakes?" She pursed her lips.

"The current story of the Great Kharlan War in history books is enough to teach people."

"Then we must agree to disagree."

"Alright."

Silently, they each picked up their tea and took a sip. Her blood coursed with adrenaline; she hadn't realized how excited she had become during the debate.

Setting aside her tea once more, she asked, "So you plan to return to Derris-Kharlan after Lloyd's wedding?"

"I do."

"I see."

Pause.

"You think I should stay."

"I said no such thing."

"Your tone."

"You haven't seen Lloyd in a long time."

"He and Colette are leaving after the wedding." Kratos shrugged and put his empty mug back onto the table.

"True."

"Then I should return to my duties."

He had always been one for responsibility.

Not that she was any better.

"Hey, Raine. We're closing up." The barman called, pausing his routine of wiping down the countertop before moving onto sweeping the floors.

"Thanks, Ralph." She called and turned back to Kratos. "Shall we?"

He nodded. As the half elf shuffled together her papers, he helped her as well, differentiating between the wedding materials and her students' papers. Once again, she was surprised by his consideration.

Stop. It's not as though he had, has, no manners.

Kratos handed the stack to her and she took it with a small 'thank you'. Together, they headed for the exit. He held open the door and she passed under the door frame, feeling the night air against her face. It was still warm; she loved it.

"Will you go home?"

"Yes. I don't think there is anywhere else in town open this late." Raine sighed. It would be easier to work at a coffee shop. Going home meant facing the temptation of sleeping.

"Let me escort you."

She was about to protest, saying she would be fine on her own, but she stopped herself. Raine still had yet to find out why he was here.

"You never did say why you were in the tavern."

"I didn't."

She looked at him unimpressed. He smirked.

"Really."

"Needed to think."

About...?

But she did not pry.

Instead, Raine asked, "Have you and Dirk discussed who is doing what at the wedding?"

"What do you mean?"

"The father of the groom has certain responsibilities."

"Such as?"

"Making a toast at the rehearsal dinner."

"Dirk has said he would like to do that."

"You could make a toast at the wedding."

"I will not be making a speech."

"Are you certain? You may like it. In fact, you may have an affinity to public speaking."

He grunted.

Simultaneously, they stopped just a few feet from Raine's home. Turning to one another, Raine found his dark eyes, though slightly overshadowed by his ruffled hair.

"Thank you for distracting me. It was diverting."

"I only spoke as I thought." She could hear the smirk in his voice. He continued: "Goodnight, Raine."

"Goodnight, Kratos."

She walked up the three steps to the doorway and unlocked the front door. As she stepped inside and closed the door behind her, a smile crawled onto her lips. It had been nice to speak in such a manner. It reminded her of the early days of the Journey of Regeneration, before his betrayal.

Kratos was a complicated, solemn man with a dark sense of humor. She liked that.

"Raine?"

The half elf turned to see Genis trudging out of his bedroom, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"You were out late."

"Last minute preparations for the wedding."

"Mkay. Need any help?"

"No, go back to bed."

"Ok. Don't stay up too late."

He retreated in the direction he'd come, leaving Raine to her thoughts.

Sighing, the half elf looked back down at the stack of papers in her arms. Seating herself onto her couch, the half elf dove head first into one of her student's papers. It was going to be a long night.


He watched her walk into the house and close the door. Turning away, Kratos headed back to the inn and the cold bed that awaited him. Surprisingly, the angel was tired. The five hour trip from Derris-Kharlan to the Tower of Salvation and finally to Iselia had taken much of his strength, and yet his mind still buzzed. He would not be getting much sleep tonight.

As he padded across the dirt road, the man's thoughts floated back to his conversation with Raine. She was still one for no-nonsense. He had always liked that about her. She wasn't quick to jump to conclusions or make heated demands, but she always saw the bigger picture, picked up on the details, made calculated guesses and gave practical, sometimes provoking, responses. The way her mind worked was distinct and it was not a surprise to him that she had already secured a professorship at the newly founded Palmacosta University. If he recalled correctly, she was only...25? 26? Either way, that was still rather young considering most professors began their careers at the age of 30.

It was impressive.

Kratos had gone to the tavern for a distraction from his nerves regarding Lloyd. And there she was, poking holes, trying to figure out what was bothering him. And the woman had scratched the surface, understanding that there was some sort of connection to Lloyd.

It was annoying how perceptive she could be.

Nonetheless, the angel could have saved himself the trouble of her pressuring by bidding her goodnight at the tavern. However, he enjoyed the conversation, though it wavered between the somber, the amusing, and the challenging. It had been a long time since he'd spoken to anyone outside of Yuan and Lloyd with half a brain, much less one who was a master debater. And Raine offered intellectual stimulation that was still on a different level from those two.

As he reached the door of the inn and stepped inside, he briefly considered telling the half elf about his argument with his son. Perhaps Raine would have some insight on Lloyd's perspective. Or even a solution to the current problem. After all, she did know Lloyd for longer than the angel had.

Shaking his head, Kratos entered his room and shut the door. It had been a long day and he was too tired to think more on these matters. All he needed was rest.


Excited? Can't wait to find out more? Let me know! Next time, the bachelorette party goes down. :D