A/N: This is one of those "I wrote it on a whim" oneshots. I just finished writing a Tales of Phantasia fanfiction and had a need to write something for Baten Kaitos... But I wasn't in the mood to write a full-fledged fanfiction. This started as a little two-paragraph thing I had no intention of publishing online, but it just kept growing and eventually turned into the mindless drabble you see before you. This is supposed to take place before they reach Alfard for the first time, right after Disc One. I haven't played the game in ages, so if I missed something or messed something up, please forgive me.
Disclaimer: I do not own Baten Kaitos.
Lackluster Raven
Beautiful white wings for you...and for the world...death and destruction.
Somehow those words still rung in the back of his mind, though he couldn't quite remember where he had picked them up. Kalas took a deep breath, trying to separate his thoughts and clear his head. He rested his arms on the rails of Melodia's ship, which had been lent to them since they had decided to infiltrate the empire of Alfard. It seemed as if their entire journey had started only yesterday, but in fact, it was much longer ago than that.
"Is something bothering you, Kalas?" a soft, feminine voice asked gently. Kalas turned his head to the side just as Xelha came up beside him, holding Meemai in her arms.
"No, nothing really," he replied after hesitating for a moment.
Xelha seemed to catch his pause, but decided not to press him. "We'll be in Alfard soon. Are you ready?"
He forced a confident laugh. "Yeah, of course I'm ready! I've had enough of Geldoblame's plans. We've got to put a stop to them, once and for all."
Xelha smiled. "It's good to hear you say that, Kalas. I was afraid you'd...never mind."
He turned to her, unable to hide the curiosity suddenly gleaming in his sapphire eyes. "Afraid I'd what?"
She turned away from him, a red flush tinting her cheeks. "Nothing! I said it was nothing..."
"Heh. Whatever you say."
Xelha sighed, a bit disappointed he didn't continue to press her for answers. "I was afraid you'd eventually leave us,"sShe whispered.
"Huh? Leave? Why would I do that?"
"Because...you never wanted to join me in the first place, remember?"
"No, not really."
"In Pherkad...you told me, 'Castles may fall, nations may perish. It's none of my business'."
"Yeah, and I meant that," Kalas replied a bit harshly. "And I still do."
Xelha's gold eyes widened with surprise. "Kalas!"
"Hey, hey, calm down," he said, holding up his hands. "Remember how I said I was only with you guys because I wanted to take out Giacomo?"
She nodded slowly, "Yes, I do."
"Well, now I suppose...maybe it's a bit more, y'know?" he said quickly, turning his gaze back to the endless clouds. Xelha smiled softly at the faint, barely visible flush on his face.
"What does Estelle think?"
Kalas did a bit of a double take. "Huh?"
"I asked, what does your Guardian Spirit think? You know, Estelle?"
Kalas shrugged and turned, looking up to the sky. "Well? What do you think, Estelle? Why am I still hanging around with these guys?"
The Spirit was quiet for a moment as she thought. "It's because you want to be with them, Kalas. They're your friends."
He raised an eyebrow. "Because...I want to?"
"Yes," she replied, her melodious voice ringing slightly in his ears. Xelha giggled softly at the expression on his face.
"Do you like being with us, Estelle?" she asked, turning to face the same direction as Kalas.
"Of course I do," the Spirit replied, a note of approval in her tone.
"See?" Xelha said, turning to face Kalas. "Estelle likes being with us, and so do you. I'm glad you decided to join me in the end, even if it was for your own reasons."
"Yeah, well, don't get used to it. I could leave at any time, y'know," Kalas said, nervously scratching the back of his head.
Xelha patted Meemai's head. "I know it sounds silly, but...I think fate drew us all together."
"What, this motley crew of misfits? Highly unlikely, in my opinion."
"But, doesn't it seem strange? We were all sort of...drawn together...it's as if fate decided it for us."
"Xelha, sometimes you say the weirdest things," Kalas remarked, frowning a bit at the saddened expression on her face. "But I guess it makes sense...in a weird way."
"You think so?"
"Yep. I mean, it's not every day you travel with a fisherman, a rejected Imperial soldier, and a crabby mercenary."
Xelha laughed again. "And what am I in this group?"
He thought for a moment. "Dunno. You're sort of an enigma."
"How so?"
"Well, for starters, I don't know a lot about you, except that we first met in Sadal Suud. You were traveling to the ruins, looking for something. The End Magnus."
Xelha didn't reply at first. They stood in silence, watching the clouds pass below them at a slow pace. "The only things I know about you... You're from Mira, and your grandfather took care of you," she said, her voice growing quiet.
"Yep. That's pretty much it, isn't it?"
"I suppose so." Xelha sighed a bit, frowning again. "There's still so much I don't know about you, Kalas."
"One day, Xelha," he replied. "One day."
"Hey, you two," a familiar, boisterous voice called from inside the ship. Kalas groaned; it was Gibari.
"What is it, Gibari?" Xelha asked, instantly adopting her usual smile.
"We're almost to Alfard. Melodia wants us to all be inside, just in case the Goldoba is hanging around or something. We don't want a repeat of the Trail of Souls," Gibari said, standing in the doorway with his arms folded over his chest. "C'mon, get inside."
"All right," Xelha said, grinning. "I can't believe we're almost there... The last End Magnus is going to be here. We have to get it before Geldoblame does."
Gibari moved out of the way as Xelha passed him and returned to the cabin. "You coming, Kalas?"
"Yeah, yeah," Kalas responded, rolling his eyes. "Just give me a second, will you?"
Gibari smirked. "Spending some alone time with Xelha, eh? What were you two talking about?"
"Nothing important," Kalas said with false indifference. "Just talking about the End Magnus, what we're going to do once we get to Alfard..."
"Heh. Whatever you say, kid," Gibari said, still smirking mirthfully. "Whatever you say."
"Hey! I'm telling the truth!" Kalas snapped, turning around to face the fisherman. "We weren't discussing anything important!"
Gibari already had his back turned to Kalas and was returning to the cabin. "All right, all right! I won't press you for answers. Don't take things so personally." Although Kalas couldn't see his face, he knew he was probably trying to stifle a laugh.
"Don't argue, you'll only make it worse," his Guardian Spirit warned.
"I know, I won't," Kalas hissed under his breath. He looked back at the clouds one last time; in the distance, he could see the bright, golden glow of Mintaka, the Imperial Capital.
Cast light upon the darkened earth. Save those lost in despair. O Mighty Ocean, guide us as we journey through...the darkest pit of night.