Memento

A Raine/Kratos one-shot, taken place after the game.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the game, Tales of Symphonia.

Raine could feel her breath caught in her throat, with her heart pounding rapidly. Her sapphire-blue eyes were wide, locked onto Kratos's dark maroon ones. Moonlight had oozed around his lithe form, casting silhouettes across the floor. With the position they were in, the half-elf had to muster all of her strength to keep her expression stoic.

"Where is it?" he asked, his voice low, cold. "Where have you placed it?"

Blinking, she tried to gaze away from his piercing stare but found it difficult, as she was not sure where else to look. He had her cornered, pinned against a wall, his right hand balled as a fist above her head, his left hand grasping her arm.

"Placed what?" she inquired, calmly. "I don't quite understand what you're –"

"Don't play games with me, Raine," he said, his fingers tightening slightly on her arm. "You know well that I want that locket that you took from me…"

"What makes you think I have it?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Just because it's gone, doesn't mean that I was the one who stole it."

Frowning, Kratos leaned closer, his forehead now a centimeter away from hers. "Someone's hinted to me that you were in possession of it," he said, stiffly. "I would not assume my own son would lie to me…"

Feeling his warm breath caress her face, she struggled to keep her voice from wavering. "Why is that locket…so important to you?"

"Is this really relevant?" Kratos asked, irritation seeping into his tone. "Why I am so concerned about this is none of your business…now if you would please, return it to me…"

"…No," she said, staring directly at him, defiance flickering across her eyes. "No, I will not."

"And why not?"

"I wish to keep it…as a…memento…"

For a moment, Kratos did not speak, as if taken aback from her answer. With everything quiet, the only sound that could be heard now, was their shallow breathing, reverberating slightly against the brick wall. Unable to withstand the silence any longer, however, Raine spoke.

"Will you allow me to…to keep it?" she asked, softly, sounding almost tentative.

Without answering, Kratos's hand slid up her arm, moving to hold the left side of her face. His eyes lowering, he brought his lips to hers, capturing them with an ardent kiss.

Her spine stiffening, her mind was suddenly unable to process any reaction, any words. All she could do was close her eyes, as a low moan escaped from her throat. Feeling his right hand snake around her waist to bring her closer, her body arched towards his and her lips parted slightly, an invitation for him to proceed.

Kratos's tongue slithered into her mouth, exploring every corner as if curious, while his left hand began to lightly stroke her cheek. A sensation similar to electricity coursed through Raine's body, sending a shiver through her.

As his right hand began to straddle her waist, she found her arms securing itself around his neck, pulling her even closer to him. A nagging feeling in the back of her mind, however, pulled at her, admonishing that something was wrong, that Kratos wasn't simply kissing her arbitrarily. She knew that he had a motive, and this was simply his means of bringing himself closer to it…

Then why couldn't she shake herself out of his embrace? She just knew that he had no feelings for her, that he was either only fulfilling his carnal desires or was hoping to change her mind about that locket. Yet, it seemed as if a memory, imbedded deep within her mind, refused to let her budge…

--

"Kratos…"

The name escaped from Raine's lips almost automatically, her tone of voice low and quivering with shock.

"…Raine," he said, turning to gaze at her with surprise. "I did not…expect to see you outside here."

"I have to say the same for you," she remarked, as she ran a hand through her silver hair. "What are you doing here?"

Glancing down at the white, snow-covered floor, he did not answer.

"Answer me, what are you doing in Flanoir?" she repeated, a bit impatiently this time. "Please answer me."

"I came to see Lloyd," he answered, stiffly. "I mean no harm. You may ask him if you do not believe me."

Turning, he began to walk away, his footsteps sounding softly on the crunchy snow. Clenching her hands into fists, Raine called out, "Wait a moment."

Seeing him halt, the half-elf promptly continued, "I may not understand all of your actions, nor do I believe you wish to explain all of them, but tell me at least one thing. When you pretended to side with us…had you ever truly cared for us?"

Exhaling sharply, Kratos closed his eyes, as if relieving a painful memory. "For a few of you, yes."

"And who exactly were those few?"

"Lloyd…and you."

Taken aback by his answer, she widened her eyes, reiterating incredulously, "And me…?"

Giving a curt nod, he said, "Yes, you." His words were short and devoid of emotion, yet, it gave off the strange vibe of an underlying feeling.

"Why?" she couldn't help but ask, unable to fathom why he would care for her of all people. "I don't understand."

"It's the way you use an intellectual, cold façade to cover your softer nature," he answered, quietly. "It reminds me…of myself in a way…and it intrigues me."

"To the point in which it leads you to care for me," she stated, licking her lower lip nervously. "That…doesn't quite make much sense. Just because I interest you doesn't mean you have to worry about my well-being."

"Let's just say you're more fascinating then you give yourself credit for," he said, vaguely. "And now that I have answered one of your inquiries…will you answer one of mines?"

"Of course," Raine nodded, her eyes darting from his face to the side. "What is it?"

"Throughout the time we spent together…how did you feel about me?"

"I found you to be logical, mature, and responsible, as well as talented."

Frowning, Kratos turned, beginning to walk towards her. "You did not answer my question. I asked you…how did you feel about me?"

Recalling the memories of their time together, Raine thought carefully on the emotions she was experiencing throughout that time. "I respected you, and I was curious on some of your actions." Sighing, she continued, "Why do you want to know anyway…?"

Now standing in front of her, he locked his eyes with hers, saying coldly, "Raine…you are hiding something from me." Reaching forward, he used his finger to tilt her chin up towards his. "You keep going around the question, not stating your feelings straightforwardly."

She felt her body tremble, as if cold, yet, she was wrapped adequately in warm clothing. "There is nothing for me to hide," she retorted. "What exactly did I say that makes you assume so?"

"You say that curiosity and respect is the only thing that you felt," he explained, patiently. "Yet…you did not tell me the amount of affection you felt for me. Since you hold me in slightly high regard, I will choose to believe that you were…somewhat fond of me."

"Fond would not quite be the right word," Raine said, musingly. "Truthfully…I cared for you like a friend. At times, I had wondered how you viewed me, and if you felt the same. That is all." Jerking herself away from him, she walked back a few steps, feeling the need to place more distance between them.

"…And now…you only see me as an enemy," he remarked, stoically.

"I must admit…I have a small hope that you are an ally to us still," she said, slowly, "but I am still cautious. I cling to that prospect while I am still looking out, not just for myself but for everyone else as well. However, in a way, I trust you. I do not think that you would lie, so, if say you mean no harm, I will accept that."

"You speak in riddles," he commented. "If you say that you believe me, then why are you trying to move away from me? Don't tell me you're afraid…"

"Of course I'm not," she said, indignantly. "I just…I feel more comfortable farther away."

Raising an eyebrow, he began to step towards her. "Is that truly the reason? Hope…you know that it can…vanish easily."

"Even so," she said, quickly moving backwards each time he came too close, "it doesn't mean a new one won't emerge…you just can't give up too quickly…"

Feeling her back hit something made of steel, she quickly glanced over her shoulder to see that Kratos had cornered her against the street lamp. Swallowing hard, she soon found herself staring into dark eyes, hovering only a few inches away from her face.

"So this doesn't bother you at all?" he asked, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Or does this still cause you discomfort?"

Her voice suddenly felt hitched within her throat, and she struggled to mumble, "I…well…it's…" Blinking, she managed to compose herself once more. "That doesn't really matter…but what I want to know is…" She hesitated, searching for a different subject. "Why do you care for me? I'm a half-elf."

"That does not matter to me," he said, softly. "It doesn't change the fact that you're still you…"

Pushing a stray strand of her hair behind her right ear, he let his finger linger on the edge of her lobe before completely withdrawing his body. Turning, he began to walk away, and this time, Raine did not call out to him. She merely stood there, his words reiterating itself within her mind…

--

Feeling Kratos's warm hands and the tantalizing heat of his lips, Raine snapped out of her reverie, her mind rushing back to reality as she could feel her body practically pressing itself against his. Wanting to regain her self-control, she lowered her hands, bringing them against his chest. Opening her eyes, she managed to roughly push him. Withdrawing his face from hers, he slowly half-opened his eyes. He was breathing hard, almost raggedly, as if he had been underwater. In his eyes, they held the half-elf with a fierce passion, and the words she had prepared to say became jumbled around her tongue.

"I…ah…Kratos…" she murmured, struggling to form a sentence. "Wh…why…?"

"Think of this…as a second memento," he whispered, caressing the side of her face with his right hand. "If I hadn't given this to you…I would never forgive myself."

Taking a step back, he then turned, quickly hurrying away, his long, sanguine-colored hair flowing behind him. Feeling bereft of breath, Raine could not move, only watch. Only after had he melted away into the darkness, could she react. Shutting her eyes closed, she silently leaned her head against the brick wall. Thoughts circled around her head, and, as each one processed, she could feel her heart sink lower. With a trembling hand, she reached into her pocket, feeling for the locket she had hidden there. As she had expected, her fingers came up empty, enclosing around nothingness.

"I'm such a fool," she muttered under her breath, bitterly. "Losing myself just from a simple kiss…"

Opening her eyes, she gazed up at the inky black sky, biting her lower lip. Slumping to the floor, she brought her knees up, hugging them tightly. Hearing a small clinking sound, she blinked, glancing down at herself.

"Impossible…!" she exclaimed, widening her eyes.

At that moment, a tear cascaded down her cheek, followed by several more that dripped steadily onto the pavement. Although her vision blurred, she could still tell what hung around her neck. Ostentatiously glistening in the moonlight, the locket dangled boisterously, the two halves of it opened slightly to reveal a picture of a silver-haired half-elf with sapphire-blue eyes.

Well, I know in the game, Kratos has a locket of Anna and his son, so think of this as a different locket or something. xD Anyway, I really had fun writing this story, so I hope you enjoyed reading it! Reviews are appreciated although not necessary - I'm just glad you took the time to read this!