Disclaimer: I can't have ownership to this game so lawyerman, go away!

Okay, I've been holding onto this for a long while now because I wanted it to be a chapter in a long series that I just can't get myself to write. It was going to be called "Becoming Human" but sometimes stories take off, sometimes they don't. Anyway, Anna is older than she looks due to the Angelus Project and her body's slowed down like Kratos'. My head cannon has their life together being longer than others, and this is just one moment in their life. Please enjoy! I have a few other soon to be one-shots left for this fandom coming soon.

WARNING: sensitive subject in story, though kept vague. You have been warned.

Their First Sunset

"What about this Boltzman technique?"

Kratos looked over to Anna briefly before shaking his head and returning to the book he was flipping through. They were in just one level of the Tower of Mana's libraries. Finding the solution to their problems there was unlikely, but maybe pieces of it. He was grateful the woman had learned to read as a child before going to the ranch; he did not have the time to teach her and he doubted she'd be a good student. If Noishe could tell them clearly what he could find, he'd have the protozoan help too. The next Chosen was on his journey in Sylverant and he didn't want to run into him. "Not possible."

Anna glared at the seraph, hating all his criticisms. "And why is that? If we used this technique, I could remove the exsphere, turn into a monster, and then be put back to normal within a few minutes! We could leave it for Kvar to find and he'd finally be off my trail. Win win!"

"I doubt that." The swordsman flipped the page, glaring at each cryptic word. If she knew the ancient language, they could go through these books faster, but she only knew the common language. His stacks of books and scrolls were significantly larger than hers. "Kvar is insane, in one of the worst ways possible. He won't stop until his experiment is successful, and believes you are key to this. Even if he gave up on you, he'd put it on some distant relative to you who has similar mana, and still hunt you down for pride's sake."

Jutting her jaw in annoyance, she huffed out a breath. "Okay. Then we don't leave it for him to find. We... toss it in the ocean or something."

"Have you heard of the Kraken between Izood and Palmacosta?" He flipped another page, annoyed as well. Her ideas were incredibly foolish. "Someone threw one off their boat then, and a jellyfish ate it. It warped into that. Active exspheres have unusual effects on other living beings, and that's not a normal one."

"FINE!" Frustration radiated from each of her features. "Then we just destroy it! How about that?!"

Kratos shrugged, admitting that would be the best option besides using it (which Anna refused to ever happen), but still didn't agree to this method. "What to do with the exsphere isn't the problem. We simply cannot perform the Boltzman technique."

"Why not?!" Glaring fiery spears at the man, she was ready to throw the book at his overly large head. "What's wrong with it?!"

"Nothing is wrong with it," he stated coolly, flipping yet another page. This conversation was pointless. "The technique saved a Chosen's life two centuries ago. We simply cannot replicate the spell."

"Kratos..." She shook with fury at the man. She did this a lot over the past two years. He could be so infuriating! "You've being cryptic again."

"The Boltzman technique requires a capable healer and a unicorn horn. We have neither, and are not likely to get them." The statement was quite clear, a fact they had to accept. Yes it would be the best way to be rid of the exsphere and allow Anna to live a normal life again, but they could not perform it. He thought of the option earlier and quickly dismissed it.

"What's wrong with your healing spells?" He actually looked at her for the question. Anna seemed quite earnest in her questions. "You healed every one of our injuries without fail, with that... what was it? First Aid? Isn't that a basic spell? And you mastered it. I think you're quite capable of handling this."

"Anna..."

"And you swiped the key to this place." She motioned to the front door Noise was guarding/resting in front of.

"Borrowed," he corrected, but she didn't listen.

"All you have to do is swipe the horn from someone for a few hours and we're in the clear!" She put on an encouraging smile, even though she was still irked with him. "It's the perfect plan!"

"There isn't a unicorn horn in Sylverant." That stopped her in her tracks, allowing him to explain better. "The last one was ground into powder and used to make finishing glaze of the altar at the Martel Chapel in Palmacosta. The only whole one I know of is in Tethe'alla, at the university in Sybak, and that was forty-six years ago."

"Ooohh... Kaaay..."Anna thought over it for a moment before suggesting the next impossible thing. "What about finding a unicorn and getting it from the source?"

Sighing heavily, Kratos started another lecture. "Also not possible. The unicorn is currently trapped at the bottom of Lake Umency. In order to reach it, we would need a pact with Undine. Neither of us have the right to make pacts, and Yggdrasil currently has a pact with her." 'Though it should be broken by now,' he thought privately. Mithos clearly broke his vows. The mana links remained because the summon spirits were much smarter than they seemed. "We can't reach it.

"And even if we released the unicorn, it wouldn't do us any good." He shook his head in annoyance, tired of this discussion. He looked back to his book. "Unicorns will not let themselves near anyone but a pure maiden. Since I'm male and, judging by your comments, you're clearly not pure, we cannot get the horn.

"So put the Boltzman technique out of your mind." He flipped another page, insisting the get back to work. "It'd take a miracle of circumstances to perform it."

Silence finally filled the room, allowing the man to concentrate on what he was reading. Magical theory was harder to understand than most, even in his native tongue. Why was this woman such a chatterbox? They had a lot of other problems to think about. If only he could find a dwarf...

"It wasn't my idea you know."

The comment made Kratos look up to the woman, confused. Her voice sounded forced, on the verge of breaking. He hadn't heard her talk like that before, ever. She stonily was looking at the book, shaking slightly. "I wasn't getting with the Desian's program of being miserable. Sure I did all those ridiculous exercises and let them beat me, but I was the queen of sarcasm, turned everything into a game, and used to sing to myself as I worked. I made myself cheerful. Turned them all into jokes.

"So they decided to make me really miserable, in the worst ways possible."

Kratos' stomach plummeted as he stared at her, trying to be strong when she was clearly broken. He'd seen this before, during the war. It was one of the things he fought to end. A spark of fury entered his chest towards those who hurt this girl as she continued to talk.

"At first their plans worked," Anna murmured, stonily flipping a page at last. "I was mortified. Then I realized they were just trying to make me like the others: miserable. None of the others got the same treatment, but were worse off than I. I... I didn't want to be like them. So I started to laugh. Turned each of those Desians into jokes. Even Kvar.

"It was a relief actually when you refused all my offers." A bitter smile played on her features, but there was no humor. "I was beginning to think there weren't any honorable men out there anymore." She paused for a moment, then tried to shrug it off like she did so many other things. "Then I met your personality and I was a little less impressed. Could it kill you to smile?"

"What were their names?" The coldness in his voice made the woman look at him in surprise. Kratos gripped the edges of his book tighter than he should have, barely containing his rage. "I'll take care of each one of those monsters. Just give me their names and I'll-"

A small laugh escaped Anna's lips before she covered them. Small tears were threatening to come before she spoke. "Do you honestly think they ever gave me their names? I never even saw their faces." She bit her lips closed as she looked back to the book, an honest, though sad, smile on her face. "Thank you though for caring. Not many would."

Watching her, forcing herself to smile and be strong after everything she'd been through, Kratos didn't know what to do. Inside he felt so many conflicting emotions he hadn't in so long, and they confused him to no end. Part of him wanted to fly to her side and hold her tight. Another wished to hunt down every man who touched her and give them hell. The rational part of his brain knew he should do neither and continue to find a way to help her be free of her exsphere so she could be on her way and he could focus on reversing what they did four thousand years ago in peace. Where went the time when he only listened to reason and the other parts of him had no voice?

Still staring at her and knowing he couldn't concentrate, he made a decision. Snapping his book shut, the old soldier went to her side and slowly took her tome from her hands. Anna gave him a confused look as he set both volumes next to the bookcases and took her hand. "Come with me. There's something I want to show you."

"Okay..." Confused, she let him lead her through the safest path of the building. He knew his way through each of the seals, having reset the traps and puzzles after journeys a few times along with helping the Chosens solve them. There was a secret path though that allowed him and others to access the roof quickly, and that was the path they took. No monsters threatened the seraph, having released his wings to light the path and ease the way.

Like always Anna put her hand through his mana made feathers, still dazzled by them. "Could you not do that?"

"Could you tell me where we're going?" Apt point, but he still didn't like her playing with his wings. It didn't hurt, but sending ripples through his mana was unnerving. He could only imagine what she would do if she met one of the half-elves with feathered wings.

"The roof." They finally made it to the warp pad and to the last set of stairs. Breaking into the crisp evening air, they could see for miles around the old building. Though the first thing to see there was the seal itself, that was not what he was after. Not anymore.

Gently he turned this woman away from the dais and towards the western sky. He heard her gasp in awe, and smiled. It truly was a sight to see. The sun was setting over the nearby mountains, making the peaks glitter like diamonds. Oranges and reds melted from the sun's yellow and into a deep purple leading to a blue that would fill the entire sky within an hour. Stars were just starting to come out and only a few clouds hid them, changing color along with the horizon. The summer air only enhanced the natural magic of the sight, one they could never forget.

"It's beautiful..."

"Not many get to see it." Gently Kratos led her to a stone part of the dais so she could sit and watch. "The Chosen are encouraged to get through the seals quickly and often leave as soon as they are able, missing out on this sight. There's a special mana field around the top of the tower, preventing anything from flying up here, except Aska. You have to go through the tower to see this, and wait for the right moment."

It was breathtaking, keeping them talking in a low voice even when no one else was around. He always loved watching the sunrise and set on that tower, ever since he and his old companions traveled up there the first time four thousand years ago. While Chosen rested after the seal, he would return to the roof just to watch nature's majesty play out before him. It reminded him a little of his mother, what few memories he had of her at least.

For once, he stayed in those memories, and spoke. "When I was a child, my mother told me a story, explaining the rise and fall of the sun and moon. Aska and Luna. They were the dearest of friends and wished to play more often than work, but they needed each other to perform miracles. Aska always flew ahead, steady from day to day. He would rest more in the winter and flew longer in the summer. Luna's pace changed every month, often chasing Aska but never catching. Some days she shared the sky with him, singing in harmony, and others she was too tired to play and rested day and night. She was a weaker spirit than her dear friend.

"One day Luna was very sad and wouldn't come out to play with anyone. Aska became worried about her and found her hiding behind a cloud. Luna had her heart broken by a mortal, the one she made a pact with. Aska took her away from the cloud and held her tight, casting the world in her shadow for a few minutes. While the world panicked, the two made a promise to never abandon each other to the whims of man. They let go of each other, casting the world back into light, but neither really letting go of their bond. The next time Luna made a pact, Aska was there with her to help judge the worth of the pact maker. Both feared if the next one betrayed them, the world would be forever cast in shadow, but they would never betray each other."

They sat in silence for a long moment, watching the sun slip over the horizon. Kratos could feel Anna shift and look at him while he spoke; she hadn't turned back. Smiling, she whispered, "That's a beautiful story."

"One of the oldest." He missed hearing it from when he was little. Though he knew it wasn't true, having watched the sun and moon from above the worlds, he liked it none the less.

"I thought the sun and moon were lovers?" Anna's voice took him out of his memories so he could look at her. "Kept apart by the shadows so they would do their duty bringing light to the world instead of making stars."

That earned her a snort. "You've never met Aska. Though you might meet Luna here."

He looked back to the seal behind them, the resting place of the summon spirit of light. Though her power rested, her consciousness didn't have to. Aska still flew around the world, even with his power sealed. Nothing hindered the power of the sun.

"Oh yeah, brag about meeting all the summon spirits why don't cha." Sarcasm dripped from her lips playfully, but Kratos didn't mind it. He shrugged nonchalantly and moved on. They watched the sun continue to fall and the stars coming out all around them. The majesty of the universe was before them, and for their eyes alone. Who could want more? "Thank you."

Kratos looked back to Anna, whose smile glowed with contentment he'd never seen. "This... This is beautiful. Maybe the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"Just wait until the moon sets." He pointed to the waxing crescent, near the horizon. "The stars will be brighter tonight than you've ever seen them. Though the moon helps us see, it also diminishes the stars' powers."

Carefully he stood up, taking the woman's attention with a start. She quickly grabbed his arm, bit scared. "Where are you going?"

Looking back to her and the subtle fear behind her eyes, he placed a hand on hers and smiled ever so slightly. "I need to get you some blankets and supper. We can sleep up here tonight and greet the dawn."

"You don't sleep." Anna didn't quite believe him. He tried to shake her off far too often to do so.

"Noishe does. I'll lock the door and guide him up here with a few books so I can continue to search. I can read in the dark." A subtle flap of his glowing wings passed as an explanation. He looked into her eyes, trying to reassure her. "I'll be right back. Besides, Luna's more likely to come out if I'm not here. Nothing is going to attack you while I'm gone. I promise."

The doubt slowly left her eyes and she finally let go of him. "You better come back."

"I don't abandon my friends." He gave her a reassuring look and turned to leave for a short while, feeling her eyes on him the entire time. He sighed a bit, not knowing if he wanted her to trust him or not, but she should this one time. Anna was indeed a strange woman by his standards. She forced herself to be happy so much, he only wished to give her true happiness for one moment.

He just didn't know how much he succeeded until many years later.

END

A/N: So it's kinda a romance prequel? Not sure. Anyway, these two have a moment and this was the moment Anna fell in love with him. He doesn't until much later, or at least doesn't realize it until later. That's my head cannon at least. Anna has to be quite willful in my opinion so I made her really spunky, kind of like Lloyd.

Hope you've liked! Sorry I don't have it in me to do all of 'Becoming Human', but this was fun anyway. Stands alone rather well. TTFN!