I loved Elemental Gelade, but I wasn't satisfied with the ending of the manga, so I decided to make my own continuation. I've had this idea for a while, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it. I have quite a lot of stories going on, so please don't expect very fast updates. Hope you like it ;D Please read the manga first. I don't reference the anime because I haven't watched it. I didn't like how they changed Cou's character in it. He just wasn't Cou to me :( He made Ren sad in the FIRST EPISDOE, when in the manga he was all forgiving and so nice. I love Cou and Ren so much. I hope I don't butcher their characters o_O

Disclaimer: Mayumi Azuma owns Elemental Gelade, not me. I wish I even had one eighth of her drawing talent! I love her artwork so much.

"Mom?" a little boy called as he neared a church, pushing the large door open with his little arms.

"Mom?" he called again, peeking inside. Soft light streamed in from the many winds and shined on a woman kneeling in front of an altar in prayer. Her long blonde hair caught the light and shimmered, cascading down her back.

"Mom!"

She turned around as the little boy ran to her, her clear blue eyes shimmering as her angelic face pulled into a smile.

"My little boy," she cooed, stroking his head. "Your hair is as cheerful as ever. Just like your fathers."

"I'm not a little kid," he pouted, crossing his little arms.

"Of course not," she chuckled, pulling him into her lap. "What do you need?"

"Dad wanted me to get you."

"Then we shouldn't keep him waiting." She smoothed the skirts of her white dress as she stood and extended her hand to her son. The little boy took it and followed her out the church doors.

"What were you doing, ma?" he asked with curious eyes, the same shade has his mothers.

"I was praying."

"Why?"

She just smiled down at him. "Nothing you need to worry about."

"Okay," he said. He didn't like the troubled look on her face.

"Hey!" a voice called and the boy forgot about his mother's expression. He let go of her hand and ran across the grass to the man with spikey blond-brown hair and warm brown eyes.

"Dad!" They both laughed as the man picked him up and spun him around.

"Good job on finding your mother," he congratulated him.

"She was hiding in the church." He missed the look his parents shared when his father set him down.

"We've been called to a meeting," his father informed his wife. Her angelic face turned grave and she nodded.

"Can I come?" the boy asked. His father nodded and turned to his wife, laying a hand on her cheek.

"You'll feel better, won't you." She gave him a small smile and placed a hand on his. The boy mad a face which his father caught. He chuckled as he knelt to his height.

"You'll think differently when you find someone to love."

"But I love you and mom," he objected.

"And we love you too," his mother said, taking his hand. "One day you will find the person you want to spend the rest of your life with."

"Isn't it too early to have this discussion?" his father asked, scratching his chin in thought.

"There's no time like the present," she argued. He pondered it a bit and nodded in agreement.

"You're right. You always were wiser than me."

"Someone has to make sure you don't do anything rash."

"I'm not rash," he objected.

"Dad's hotheaded," the little boy piped up. "Aunt Cecia keeps telling me so. She tells me not to grow up and be hotheaded like you."

"What is that woman putting in your head," he mumbled, arms crossed. "I'll have to talk to her about the stuff she puts in your head."

"Now, now," she soothed her husband. "Xephren won't be very happy with the way you speak to his wife. As the village head, he could order you to do mundane tasks."

"Fine," he conceded, taking the little boys hand. "He knows how I hate those."

"Much better," she happily said, kissing his cheek. "We mustn't be late now."

"Yes, yes," he sighed and they slowly started walking down the path.

"Now listen to me," she instructed her little boy. "One day you will find your soul mate and when you do, you make sure you protect her."

"What's that?"

"Your other half," his father said. "She will be the person you're destined to be with."

His parents laughed at his confused expression as they headed towards a large mansion made of stone.

"Do not worry. That is far in the future" she laughed. "You will know when you find her."

"And when you find her, protect her with your life," his father advised. "It's a man's job to protect those he loves."

"I will," the boy said with a determined face.

The man beamed with pride and ruffled his son's head. "That's my son!"

"Dear, we're here."

"Ah, we are. Don't get lost," he warned his son as they entered. The mansion was large and well lit, with artworks and flowers decorating the walls and tables. Loud voices were heard behind the door they neared.

"Stay in there and behave," he instructed his son, gesturing to a room across the one his parents were about to enter. The boy obeyed and trotted over to it. The man nodded in approval and disappeared into the meeting room with his wife. The room suddenly quieted when they entered and turned into hushed whispers. The boy kept glancing at the meeting room, and curiosity got the better of him. Glancing around, he tiptoed to the door and pressed his ear against it.

The voices were muffled and he could barely make out the words.

"Danger…"

"…moving…. border…."

"Can't… leaving…"

"Forces… Night… fight…"

He frowned in confusion. Night? What were they talking about? It was bright outside.

"It's clear what we must do," the clear voice of Cecia said. "We can't waste any time."

A few cries of protest were heard before a loud bang was heard, causing the boy to jump in fright.

"This isn't the time to be worried about honor and image!" the booming voice of Xephren shouted. "We are clearly out numbered. Think about the children. If they are to perish, who will carry on our duty?"

"Our duty is sacred and extremely important," his father added. "Who else will protect them when they seek refuge?"

"Many of us know how they must feel," his mother added. "We cannot sacrifice ourselves needlessly. We can regroup and strengthen ourselves so we can fight back one day." Many female voices agreed through the other side.

"Then it's decided," Xephren concluded. The boy could hear them getting up and almost collided with a breathless villager as he tried to flee.

"Headman!" the villager cried, bursting into the room. "They're here!"

"Dammit!" Xephren cursed.

"Evacuate the village! Get ready for battle!" he ordered. The people scrambled out of the room and narrowly missed the boy.

"Come!" his mother cried, gathering him into her arms and dashed out of the building with his father. They gasped at the scene they saw. The trees where burning, the sound of battle drifted over, and debris flew everywhere as the invaders moved steadily forward.

"Over there!" a bunch of cloaked figures shouted, pointing at them.

"Damn," his father swore, unsheathing his sword. He slashed in the air and an arc of flames flew towards the invaders.

"Gwah!" they cried as they were blown back.

"Go!" he shouted, dragging his wife and child with him.

A villager stumbled towards them, blood gushing from his wounds. "We're surrounded. All the exits have been blocked. Many of the invaders have Edel Raids with them."

His father swore and reached out to help the man. He shook his head as he swayed. "It's too late for me, but get your little boy out of here. I pray you make it out."

The little boy watched in horror as he slumped to the ground, glassy eyes staring vacantly ahead. His mother quickly buried his head in her chest and continued running.

"Where do we go?" his father growled in frustration.

"I know a place," his mother panted. "I prepared it for the worst case scenario, but only he will make it."

The little boy was too stunned by the death of the village man and the destruction to process her words. His parents nodded and took off in the direction of the church. They burst through the doors and his father forced him to look at him.

"I love you. Never forget that," he said, kissing his forehead before pulling away. He kissed his wife and embraced them both as she wept.

"I'll hold them off," he said before leaving, boarding the door behind him.

"Dad!" the boy cried as his mother carried him towards the altar. "Mom, stop! Dad's out there!"

"Your father will be fine," she said shakily, carrying the squirming child towards a statue of a woman holding a green stone in her hands. With shaky hands she placed her hand at the base and pressed a secret switch. The stone wall opened, revealing a little bottle and an ornament with paper seals on it.

"Put this on," she instructed the boy, quickly handing it to him. The boy obeyed as tears poured down his face.

"What are you doing?" he sniffed as she opened the bottle.

"Drink it, quickly," she said urgently. "Once I know you're save I will go help your father."

"Then you'll both be fine, right? You and dad are a super strong team."

"Yes," she said sadly, stroking his head as he drank the liquid.

"I hope you remember nothing of what happened here," she whispered. "I want you to grow up strong, healthy, and kind like your father. I'm so sorry for all the hardships you will go through."

"Mom, why are you crying? You'll come back for me, won't you?"

"Of course," she sobbed, holding him tight. "I want you to take a nap now."

"But I'm not sleepy. There's a bunch of bad guys out there."

"I know. Beware of them. Beware of Orga Night," she warned him, almost pleading. He nodded, holding his tears in.

"Good boy," she said, tears falling. "I love you Coud Van Giruet."

The seals suddenly activated and tightened around him. He stared at his mother with wide, panicked eyes but couldn't say anything.

"I'm so sorry you won't fall asleep immediately," she apologized. "Don't worry. When you're older they'll have no effect on you. Sleep now my little boy, and I pray you'll find happiness." She gently placed him inside the stone base of the statue and closed it. Light streamed in from the cracks, and he could make out his mother quickly running away. The building shook as something hit the doors and crashed through. The altar was smashed to pieces as someone flew into the statue.

"Gah!" his father gasped in pain, rising from the debris. He could hear the sound of footsteps thundering inside and the scream of his mother.

"Let her go!" his father roared, and Cou could only watch from a somewhat large crack as a cloaked man placed a sword at her throat.

"Don't move," he warned. His father clenched his fists and stayed where he was. More men grabbed his father, forcing him to kneel with swords aimed at his throat.

"It's your fault you know," the man stated, dragging his mother over to his father.

"It's such a waste, but orders are orders." Cou wanted to scream as the man ran his mother through with his sword.

"I love…you," she whispered before falling to the ground. Tears streamed down both son and father's faces.

"No!" he shouted before coughing up blood. He clutched his chest as blood started seeping into his clothes, right where his mother had been stabbed. Tears streamed down Cou's face as he could only watch. His consciousness was dimming as the seal took effect.

His father staggered towards his wife before falling, his hand on top of hers.

"You brought it upon yourselves," the cloaked man stated, his voice full of disdain as he looked at his parents.

"You're quite a nuisance even without your Edel Raids. But, it's so easy to kill both of you. All we need to do is kill one of you and the other follows. Efficient, but wasteful."

Cou couldn't hear anything anymore as his eyes grew heavy. He tried willing himself to stay awake, but the seal kept dragging him down. His eyes finally closed as the slaughter continued, the destruction continued, and his tears kept falling.

"Mm?" he mumbled drowsily, blinking against the light. He looked around blearily and lifted an arm to rub his eyes, feeling something crumble against his hands. Half of whatever stone thing was in front of him was gone and he could hear birds singing on the other side. With a grunt, he pushed the other half away and crawled out of his stone confinement. He stood unsteadily on his feet and looked around. All he saw was grass and trees around him. He looked back at where he came from and saw a rusted, dull looking statue of a woman who held nothing in her hands. Crouching back in front of its base, he looked inside and found nothing inside. His shoulders felt weird and he found a weird ornament draped over them. He threw it off with its dirty scraps of paper.

"Where am I?" he wondered out loud.

"Who… am I?" He scratched his head in confusion. Who was he and why was he here? He sneezed, causing a bunch of dust to fall off him. Sniffling, he took his jacket off and shook the dust out. Something on the inside of his jacket caught his eye. Coud Van Giruet was written on the collar.

"I'm… Coud," he tested. It sounded alright. With one last look around and finding nothing but wildlife, he walked aimlessly. After days of walking, he finally reached a rundown looking town. His feet were sore, his clothes were torn and filthy, and he was starving.

"Hey," he called to someone nearby.

"What?" the large man slurred, taking a swig of his bottle as he lay on a dirty blanket on the filthy street.

"Do you have something I can eat?"

"Not a charity, brat. Go steal something for yourself."

"Steal?"

"Yeah. Just swipe something from the counter before they catch ya and you got yourself a free meal. Make sure you run like hell," he cackled.

"Do you know who I am?" Cou asked.

"How the hell would I know that?" he slurred grumpily. He leaned in with a grin, making Cou back away. "But I'll tell ya what. I know what you are."

"You do?" he asked, a spark of hope rising.

"Yeah. You're like the rest of us," he said, gesturing to the other filthy and hard looking men lying on the streets. "Good for nothing thrown away trash."

"I'm not trash," Cou snapped.

"You better accept it, brat," the man advised. "You're just an orphan. Parents probably abandoned you along the way because you're such a cocky little brat."

Cou stomped away angrily as the man continued to laugh behind him. That couldn't be true… could it? The sun started setting and a dog barked nearby. He glanced around nervously as a lot more scary people were walking around. He ducked into an alley and found a ratty blanket lying on the ground. Cou shivered as he wrapped it around himself and curled against some boxes. He closed his eyes and tried to block out everything; his empty belly, the cold, and the sounds.

Tears streamed down his face and he couldn't figure out why when he felt so empty.