Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia or the cover image.

Chapter 1: Question and Answer

On the day Kratos first rescued Anna from the ranch, talking to him was like trying to make conversation with a brick.

At first, she was just so shocked that someone like him would even bother trying to save her. According to what she had been hearing around the ranch, she was "of great importance" and "precious to the Angelus project". He seemed so enchanting, as if she was her guardian angel that had come to save her from destruction. Then, she regained her proper conscience and her burning curiosity came crawling back to her.

The only things he answered were the important questions, which were mainly all of the questions she had asked, but he refused to respond to one. It seriously was frustrating her, because in her mind set, it was the question that needed the most answering.

"Why did you save me?" she tried asking again as they walked through the forest, the trees casting distorted shadows across the grassy pathway. She forced herself to look at him to see his expression, but, as usual, he showed nothing on his face. Her eyebrows furrowed with irritation and narrowed her bright green eyes. "Kratos?"

"…The topic is not important. It needs not to be discussed," he replied shortly after a couple seconds of tense silence. He said that every time she asked him. Honestly, bricks. What else did she expect—"Although you are most likely frustrated with my lack of a response, you will receive your answer one day." Oh. That was new.

"…Okay," Anna mumbled in a disgruntled tone, slightly unhappy with his current answer. She decided not to push it, as it was the tenth time in a row she had asked him in the past thirty minutes. On the bright side, he did offer to tell in the hopefully near future.

"…Anna, was it?" he spoke suddenly, surprising her. He barely started conversations on his own accord. She knew at least that much after spending around six hours with him.

"Yes, that's my name. Why do you ask?" she wondered, turning her gaze to the ground, watching her feet shuffle through the gentle tones of the dirtied oranges, mellow yellows, and burnt reds of the leaves. Autumn was such a lovely season to behold.

"…Anna, what is the reason you ask so many questions?" he inquired. Her head snapped up, looking right at him on impulse. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but his eyes seemed a little more focused on her than usual. It made her feel a little more flustered than your average run away.

"I—well," she stumbled over her words, her mind straining to conjugate and structure a proper response. "You're the one who broke me out of the ranch and you seem to have a high status there, so I just assumed you would have the answers. I…trust you."

"Are you certain I am really one to trust?" he challenged, straightening his back. Oh, dear, he appeared so much taller that way. He clearly really wanted an answer to that, especially since he was staring at her with such an intrigued gaze. It sparked her wonder as well.

"What would I do if I couldn't trust you? Kratos, maybe you don't know this, but you're all I have left here," she sighed, internally reprimanding herself for telling strangers all of this. But, was he really going to be a stranger at the end of the day? "When I was taken away from Luin to the Asgard human ranch, my parents were slaughtered for trying to resist. When my grandmother interfered also, they took her life too. As probably one final punishment, they burned my house to the ground. My family told me we had no relatives left, except grandma. I…I have nothing." She took a deep breath, blinking.

"…Then, why do you continue?" he pushed further, still looking at her with that same seriously puzzled look. "What is your reason for life, if you claim to have nothing?"

"Oh—I don't know," Anna murmured softly, looking straight ahead of her and up into the sky, where the blue was adorned with puffy white clouds. "Maybe I just want to prove I'm stronger than the Desians. I want to see the world, because I think it's beautiful. I can do so much more. You know? I have a lot of time left." She felt the corners of her mouth tip upwards and the sudden twinge of genuine happiness warmed her scarred heart.

"I know all too well about time myself," Kratos whispered. He suddenly seemed as if he had battled through wars and tore through thousands and thousands of years of nothingness and pain. He appeared so…worn. "I don't…have much left either," he admitted, avoiding her gaze. "May I ask you one last question?"

"Of course."

"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"

"Me? I…would love to go to…Iselia—the village of oracles."

"Is there a reason for that?"

"You said the other question was your last," Anna laughed, now smiling fully. Kratos seemed taken aback by his own actions, stiffening up in embarrassment.

"Oh, my apologies. I'll stop," his voice was low and uncertain, as if he was a puppy being scolded for wetting inside the house. The sight almost forced another laugh out of her.

"I don't mind the questions, in all honestly. I enjoy answering them. As for why…Actually, it just seems like a nice place to settle down and live a calm, peaceful life. Maybe get married and raise a family? I have no idea…"

Kratos was silent and stared out into the road, either pondering what to say next or just thinking about her answer. Anna began to wonder if her answer was truly so strange. Sure, there were other grander, better places in Sylvarant, like Palmacosta, for example. But, yet, ever since she heard about Iselia, she had dearly wished to go and live there.

"…That is a nice idea," Kratos said. "How about…I promise to take to you to a place called Flanoir one day?"

"Flanoir? I've never heard of it."

"That's not surprising. Nearly no one in Sylvarant does. It's a large city and it's always snowing there. It may sound chilly and bitter, but it's a very pleasant area. The people are welcoming and hospitable. There's also a certain lookout where you have a view of the entire city. It's best when you look at it at night, because the lights make the sight…well, perhaps more magical." Anna blinked in shock. She never heard him talk so much in one sitting.

"Why would you ever take me there?"

"Truthfully, I always wished to take someone there to enjoy the place with me. I don't particularly have any friends, so…Yes. That is all." He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Hey, could you show me where it is on the map? I've never seen it charted," she pointed out, suddenly running behind Kratos to try and open his backpack to reach in and grab the world map. "It is down south? Or west?"

"Neither," Kratos gently grabbed her hands and led them away from his backpack. "There's no map in there, regardless."

"Then…where is it?" It was his fault for getting her so interested in a place she hadn't known existed. The least he could do was informing her of the basic information.

"It's a secret."

"Wha—Huh?" The Kratos Aurion, steel statue of us all, simply stating it was a secret? It seemed almost childish to say so, or even…playful? No. It was impossible to tell with his emotionless, stoic tone of voice. "Can't I at least have a hint?" she begged.

"…Very well. All I will say is that no matter how you long search on Sylvarant, you will never find it."

"But—then, how does this town even exist, if it's not on this world?"

"It does exist. I've been there."

"…I don't believe you!"

"You'll believe me once I take you there."

"If you ever take me there is the question."

"…No, no more questions."

"But—?"

"Enough!"

AN:

Next chapters:

Chapter 2: Kindness and Care

Anna finds herself constantly being pestered by Kratos, whether she wants it or not. She knows it's just his strange way of showing he cares, but worrying about paper cuts simply isn't helping. But seeing him so careful warms her heart. Perhaps, he would even be willing to reply to her question that went unanswered.

Chapter 3: Trust and Reassurance

I hope this was enjoyable! Please tell me what you think of the fanfiction so far. I'm planning on making this around 11 chapters, and they will all be in chronological order. It would absolutely make my day if you reviewed! It lets me know you actually read the whole thing and like it. Thank you so much!