Disclaimer and all that jazz: Of course I personally do not own anything written here except what I've written. I mean that I don't own Tales or the characters. There. I said it.

It's Life

Chapter 1:

Colette Brunel buried her face in her warm pillow at the latest inn. She, Raine, and Genis were always traveling around the worlds, trying to find peace for all the people. Tears began to travel down her cheeks as she thought about her best friend, Lloyd Irving.

"How could this have happened?" she asked herself, turning over on the bed. "Why did he have to die? It is all my fault."

There was a knock on the door, and Colette took a deep breath and called with as clear a voice as she could muster, "Come in; it's open!" The door opened and Raine Sage entered. She immediately noticed something wrong with the young girl, and she came up to the bed and sat on the corner.

Raine said, in a most soothing voice, "Colette, please put that behind you. Stop torturing yourself with him."

"I'm not thinking about anything. I'm fine." Colette tried to smile, but instead more tears fell down her face. "Really...I'm fine." She choked on her tears, and collapsed onto the bed again, sobbing.

"Honey," Raine soothed, "it's fine to be upset, but you are letting this rule your life. Find time to mourn, but don't allow it to take over completely."

Colette shot up, her wet cheeks puffing out in protest. "I will not let him go! I have complete control over my life! Go away!" Colette slammed herself back on the bed, a sure sign for Raine to leave.

Raine opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it again. She sighed and got up, making her way to the door. She began to close it and as she left, she told Colette, "There's more to life than sorrow. I wish you'd know that. Please, understand." She closed the door.

Outside the room, Raine sat down near the door, sighing again. "How can she do this to herself? She needs to realize her pain is not all there is. We all have pain." With one more sigh, Raine stood up and walked to her room. The open window gave much light to the dim room. She breathed in the fresh air and warm sun of Triet. Raine opened her notebook and began to write.

It was nearly a year since the battle with Mithos. And the loss of Lloyd. That was enough time to go on with life and still give tribute to the brave soul. He gave his life to better the world, and it can't be warped into something selfish.

Colette has taken his gift to the world and made it her own problem. She always does that. It's as if she feels she is immune to all pain, but she lost those abilities. She now feels the pain, and I fear it is too much for her. She may end up like Lloyd. Dead.

Genis waited for any reason to get up. His mind searched and came up with nothing. The best he thought up was to comfort Colette. That had become routine by now. She was always in a fit of depression, and that is scary to see. The always cheerful Colette crying all day and never eating.

Genis stretched in the bed, and then swung his legs over the side. He yawned and stood up, feeling slightly hungry. He put on a fuzzy robe and left his room in search of edibles. They had a breakfast service in Triet, so Genis went down the stairs to the main room, where the innkeeper gave him directions to the dining hall. Genis thanked him and entered the room.

He smelled the wonderful food and then opened his eyes to the gorgeous array of eggs, bacon, and the usual breakfast treats. Quickly gathering a plate to shovel on food, he noticed that Raine wasn't down yet. He usually saw her first thing in the morning and hoped nothing was wrong with her. She seemed to be much more tired and irritable lately. He worried about her.

He decided to check on her after he ate. Finding a table to gorge on, Genis sat, ready for food. The day would not begin until he had filled his stomach.

After the meal, Genis cleared his table, and hurried up the stairs to Raine's room. The door was closed and there weren't any sounds coming from the other side of the door. Genis knocked and Raine's voice emitted from the room, "You can come in, Genis."

Genis entered and said, "How did you know it was me?"

"Who else could it be?" Raine had her notebook out, which usually means she is worrying about Colette.

"Good point," Genis said. He walked over to the window where Raine had perched and sat himself. "How are you feeling?"

Raine touched her forehead. "Only a touch of a headache. I'm fine. Really."

Genis looked at her. "I was worried. I missed you at breakfast."

Raine gave Genis a caring stare. "Don't worry about me. You should be more worried about Colette. She needs friends right now."

Genis looked into his sister's eyes. "Will she be alright?"

"I hope so. But no one can tell how she'll be except for herself. Just comfort her and be there for her." Raine drew closer to Genis and gave him a hug. He didn't squirm away like he usually did. Instead, he returned the hug.

"Thanks, Raine," he said, getting up to leave. "I'll go get ready. What are we doing today?"

Raine stood and placed her notebook on the end table. "Good. We'll see about our agenda. In a while. Right now, let's just see to Colette. She needs us, remember."

"I know," Genis said, closing the door behind him. He went to his room and dressed, ready for another uneventful day.