Hey loyal reviewers and readers,

Back with Part II of Starlit Wings, a one-shot that is turning out to be much longer then first intended. This one chapter alone, forgive the lateness if it was taken as so, topped 6000 words. I kind of scared myself with it. Believe me, Part III isn't going to nearly this long~

Speaking of which, this fic probably will now end up being four parts, since this chapter was supposed to include the skit reference, but I couldn't make it any longer or I'd drive readers away.

So I hope you all don't mind that. I do hope this part is enjoyable. I have a cute little OC in there for awhile, hehe. There's also some rivalry in there that Lloyd retains in the beginning towards everyone's favorite mercenary. As we all know, at first Lloyd really wants to best Kratos more then enjoy his company. Oh, also, Kratos is of the Magic Knight class for those who see that reference and get confused.

It does, for those who want to know, have some angst in it near the end. It may make Colette seem OOC, and I apologize for that ahead of time. But I figure, with what happens to her beforehand, that any human being with feelings would break down upon having people react that way to your appearance, even someone as strong-hearted as Colette, who might I add has suffered ten times more than her fair share in her sixteen years. How she can always keep a smile on her face is quite amazing to me. But, that being said, I want to show a side of Colette that does feel hurt in these upcoming situations. Thought I'd share that muse with you all before you go off to read and review.

Disclaimer is on the last page, so deal with that there if you actually care about such things...

WARNING~!: There are SPOILERS for both Noishe's true race as well as Genis' and Raine's. Besides that I just hint at things as usual.

(Do not read this note if you don't want to be hinted to heavily at upcoming plot): I do want to point out that since this is only a few days after the Seal of Fire, not even Colette is completely aware of how heavily she's transforming right now for those of you who know what happens to her when she breaks the first seal, therefore she's unable to keep all of that confusion to herself at first. I mean, who wouldn't be scared of that? Though, as is obvious, this whole fic focuses on her wings so the other thing bothering her she's still hiding from the group. If I peaked the curiosity of any who don't know what the heck I'm talking about I suggest you don't ask questions or turn around and play Symphonia some more before reading this. I hate to ruin the game for anyone, but I need to put out this note to those who have played it through already and want to know why I had Colette break down a bit. Ahem, that is all for my typical long-winded author's chitchat.

With that, please enjoy Part II: To Feel Human


Steel met steel, blades dancing in the ever graceful art of swordsmanship as if an extension of the warriors wielding them. The swords collided again and again, restless, eager. Small yellow sparks rained down from the sweet contact made between edges as they clashed. Yet, one must always be aware that the weapon does not make the warrior. It was the very individual that determined the potential strengths of their partner weapon.

In this case though, years of diligent practice and experience waned all else…

The double-edged sword, belonging to Kratos, effortlessly managed to block and parry one of the single-edged swords handled by Lloyd, tossing it away into a patch of lush grass as if a mere stick. The man shifted laxly, unfazed, casting a looming shadow over his challenger—or unofficial trainee if one cared to venture that far.

The Chosen's group had arrived at the quiet little fishing port of Izoold about three hours ago, the entire party stressed from a tiring afternoon of climbing Ossa Trail, as well as dealing with some very unusual circumstances along the way.

Though it had taken much persuasion to get Max—the only accessible boatman—to lend a hand, the group had been able to snag available transportation across the ocean to Palmacosta, a bigger, far livelier port city on the continent to the east.

In spite of Raine relentlessly insisting the idea of avoiding crossing water all together by using the shortcut to the north reaching Hima, their ride was set for the following morning and Kratos had suggested that they use the remainder of the day to rest. Everyone eventually had agreed wholeheartedly, drained from the three days of constant walking and fighting since the Seal of Fire; if you didn't count the quick rest stop at Triet they'd had beforehand.

Raine had gone off to make the reservations for their stay seeing as it was dusk now, which left the rest outside with free time. Lloyd jumped at the chance to demonstrate his improved skills and had convinced Kratos to engage in a friendly spar with him. Both of them trained regularly now when time allowed for it. The seventeen year-old was determined to outshine the mercenary one way or another, even if he had to take unwanted tips from him.

Hearing word of this swordfight, people had flocked to the local inn, the practice under way gathering a rather sizable crowd. Residents, both adults and children, stood a few feet around the fray with excited intrigued expressions, thrilled to see what they perceived as rare entertainment taking place. Some sat in the grass while others chose to sit atop the stable wooden fences located near the sides of the building.

The skirmish itself was taking place behind the inn where the view was of mostly fields and mountains. Right now the purple-clad swordsmen had become more of a crowd favorite then the one in red, most of the people clapping whenever Kratos got the best of Lloyd.

Unlike Kratos the younger swordsmen was hunched over and out of breath, shoulders tense but arms shaking—much to his infuriation since it caused the remaining blade in his grip to quiver from his mounting weakness. Lloyd for some reason felt insulted by the Magic Knight's current poise, to him acting so high and mighty, flicking off his attacks with less effort then he would use to swat away a fly.

"You should never allow your opponent to rid you of one of your weapons. More than that, you hesitate when you do lose one because you are so dependent on holding two swords," Kratos explained sternly, offering no sympathy. "The stance you take before and during conflict is of critical importance, and your primary weak point is being caught off balance from being stripped of one of your blades. The opportunity for someone to exploit your weak point ensues due to your poor stance."

"Huh, what's that supposed to mean? My stance is fine," Lloyd unintentionally snapped. It appeared his frustration was starting to get the better of him. Although, that was not surprising when it came to matches with his fixed rival.

Kratos shook his head while gesturing at Lloyd's trembling arm and uncouth form. "You are a dual-wielder Lloyd, so your body is in constant focus of acting on battle stances suited for handling two weapons. Normally this is a useful habit to have, as you will move instinctively for the best results in combat," He paused speaking to walk forward, taking a hold on the end of Lloyd's trembling sword and lifting it up at a different angle, forcing Lloyd to stand straighter and place both hands on the hilt. "But it's only a good habit when you have two swords in hand. Once you lose one of them, you panic. Both your mind and body are unsure of how to react, and that brief moment of uncertainty sets you up for an untimely demise," he finished impassively.

"So I just won't let anything knock away one of my swords then," Lloyd panted out, feeling one of his eyebrows twitch to some extent.

"You need to improve on keeping your dual-wielding stances free of weak spots so you are not taken off-guard, as well as learning stances meant for single sword use in case you make an error and do end up losing a blade with no time to recover it," Kratos issued a glower, as if he was disciplining a child, "You cannot always rely on your Exsphere to make you strong enough in times of trouble."

His grasp on the blade loosened and he stepped back again, bringing up his own sword so it pointed directly at Lloyd.

With his hands decisively clamped on the handle of his weapon, Lloyd straightened, the mild glow of his Exsphere catching his eye before he leaned back in preparation.

"I don't always need my Exsphere to fight. And I can use a single sword just fine," he huffed, serious and determined.

Kratos sighed, his hope for understanding fizzled out by that remark. "Hmph, if that's what you believe then by all means, prove me wrong."

Lloyd took a minute though soon sprang forward. He swiped his sword up in a crescent, the metal grazing the ground and unearthing a few strands of grass as he attempted to sweep under and thump the end of mercenary's sword in order to fling it away, as payback perhaps.

It was to no avail. Kratos intercepted the incoming slash without difficulty by grabbing Lloyd's wrist and twisting him around so his front was faced away towards the crowd. He jabbed the hilt of his blade against Lloyd's back, not so much as to do any real damage but enough to send the young man rolling into the dirt a few yards away.

"W-why you…" Lloyd scowled after suppressing the ache riveting through his muscles. His Exsphere was now blazing as he forced himself to his feet, albeit wobbling a little, and lunged at Kratos to try and overtake him yet again.

This routine continued on; Lloyd trying to land a blow and Kratos repeatedly trouncing his efforts. It was clear to anyone watching that Kratos had been correct in his observations. Lloyd was unaccustomed to using one sword, and it showed. People still clapped for him however, especially a certain Chosen.

Genis and Colette had taken to the day's end shade of a nearby tree that gave the duo a perfect view of the melee between their companions. It had only been about forty minutes since the beginning of the duel. It couldn't be certain though since nightfall was so near and both childhood friends had been viewing the scene from its start.

Noishe had joined them in their relaxing. The Arshis was curled around the angel and half-elf affectionately, both leaning back against his flank with contented expressions.

His tail wagged lazily back and forth as he rested his head on his paws. He often liked to spend time with Lloyd's friends, and always made sure they were comfortable when he noiselessly offered to be a living cushion. He had a particular soft spot for Colette since she always fawned over him so lovingly. She also, seemingly, had an endless amount of biscuits hidden away for him. No canine, after all, could complain about free biscuits, especially when Genis had been the one to bake them.

"Do you think Lloyd's taking this too seriously? He's overexerting himself more then usual," Colette mused while scratching Noishe behind the ears, earning a very appreciative whine from him.

Genis looked up from the book he had brought with him to glance at the fight, sighing and shrugging when Lloyd swore audibly in his aggravation. "Probably, but he'll be fine… Lloyd's just too stubborn to give up, that's all."

The mage flinched when Kratos parried another swing and nearly unarmed Lloyd of his sword for the second time, though thankfully the dual-wielder jumped back and avoided that outcome.

"That, or he's stumbled upon a new level of stupidity. Kratos is the last person I'd want to fight," he added meekly, sweat running down his head.

"You have to admire his perseverance though," Colette beamed in esteem as her eyes intently followed Lloyd in his fighting.

Genis smirked in response to Colette's optimism, nodding his head before ducking it down back into his book. "I'll give you that, Colette. Lloyd's fortitude is to be admired for sure. I couldn't do what he does."

Giggling at the whimsical tone her friend had used, the blonde nestled closer to Noishe, sinking into his thick fluffy fur with a sleepy look on her face. She was grateful to get the time to relax like this with everyone on this journey. She'd thought, after leaving them in Iselia, that she'd never see Genis or Lloyd again.

Many citizens in the audience, so to speak, had approached her throughout the event. Whether it was showering her in luck, asking questions, or paying respects—everyone wanted a chance to talk with her.

She found herself frowning as she contemplated. She truthfully didn't enjoy the special treatment she received from people. When she was younger, the title "Chosen One" had often gotten her beleaguered in school by children who assumed she believed better of herself then everyone else in the world because she was an angel's child.

She also had endured the countless hours of lessons apparently considered necessary for the Chosen. None of them were like the lessons Raine taught her in public school, things that were useful, and better yet, fun. Her lessons were useful only to her duty for the world. No one had ever bothered preparing her for anything beyond that. Why would they need to? She was but a walking label.

Colette supposed that it was for those and many more reasons that Genis and Lloyd were so special to her. They were her friends, her friends. When they looked at her they saw Colette, not the Chosen.

They cared about her deeply and consistently amazed her with their benevolence, like on the birthday she'd had one year where they'd tried to throw her a surprise party after the festival Iselia had celebrated for her had ended. She remembered how she'd been out in the woods, crying about these very reasons, when Lloyd and Genis had found her and presented her with a picnic and presents. They had celebrated right there in the forest alone because the church declared both her friends—especially Lloyd—a distraction to her. They'd say: "One shouldn't be too attached to the Chosen."

But that day had been one of the best times of her life. It was days such as that where Colette felt she had a right to be herself. That's why, with them here now, she felt that she could do anything. Lloyd and Genis, they gave her the one thing she was never allowed to have. They gave her normality.

"C-chosen One…?"

Colette, who had shut her eyes and dozed from her memories, leaned up to locate who had addressed her. Genis too had unglued his attention from his reading to see who it was this time that wanted to approach the great Chosen One.

To both of their surprises, it was not an adult with praise or excitement to express. The question had come from a very young tan-haired boy in beige clothing. He hid half his face behind a stuffed dog with sewn button eyes, his stare peaking just above its plush head. He looked very withdrawn and was scuffling his feet.

Colette blinked a few times, taken aback. Before long though the angel graced the child with a tender smile, her gaze exceedingly gentle as she tilted her head to one side.

"May I help you?" she asked softly.

The boy hugged his puppy closer as he looked down to the ground.

"…There's no more room over there to sit down, and my two older brothers keep picking on me," he said as he brought his eyes back up to look at Colette, "…could I…sit over here? Mommy said that it would be disrespectful to you but I wanna watch the red swordsmen s'more."

Colette glimpsed over at two preteen boys making faces. The moment they noticed her looking they jumped back and acted as though they'd done nothing wrong.

She smiled wider, Genis nodding when she turned to him for approval. "If you don't mind my asking, what's your name?"

The boy reddened. "Aden," he then presented his toy by holding it out in front of him with both hands. "And this is Koty," he added, swiftly hugging the stuffed animal again once finished.

"Well Aden," Colette began happily while scooting closer to Genis and patting the space now free in front of Noishe, "it's perfectly fine if you sit here! I don't mind."

Aden lowered his toy slightly, revealing a shy smile, though when Noishe lifted his head and barked at him in greeting he hid back behind the comfort item.

"Don't worry. Noishe doesn't bite," Genis assured.

"O-okay," the boy said bashfully, timidly plopping himself down next to the blonde and against the Arshis.

Noishe twisted his head to nudge Aden's shoulder with a whine. The child cringed at the animal's touch, holding his puppy up as a shield.

"I-is this really a doggie, Chosen One? He's huuuuuge," he frowned while staring incredulously.

"Well, Lloyd seems to think so. His size does take some time to get used to, but he's really friendly," Colette stated cheerfully, rubbing Noishe's back.

Noishe poked his head closer to Aden, who nervously squeaked, only to lick the boy playfully on the cheek. Aden blinked in astonishment, soon entering into a fit of giggles, throwing his arms around the Arshis' oversized muzzle as the animal continued to nuzzle affectionately.

Genis rolled his eyes, though not in an unfriendly manner, at Noishe's typical actions as he went back to reading. Colette on the other hand was very much enjoying this child's company. Being the Chosen wasn't without positives once and awhile, she had to admit.

"Do you want to give him a biscuit? I bet he'd be willing to share with your friend there," she chirped while gesturing to his stuffed animal, rummaging through her pocket for the treat and holding it out with an upturned hand.

Noishe's jagged ears flicked as he smoothly dislodged from Aden's grapple, pulling his best 'Hmm, I'll have to think about it' face at the blonde's idea of sharing his precious biscuits. This was of course done jokingly.

Aden took the baked delicacy, offering it to the canine modestly. "Here you go, doggie."

The Arshis snatched it up happily, giving the boy a thanking lick before laying his head delicately in the boy's lap, Aden responding by stroking Noishe's large ears with the hand that wasn't holding Koty.

"You like dogs too, Aden?" Colette asked while she eyed the stuffed toy again.

"Uh-huh. I wanna get a doggie for my birthday next week," Aden replied, suddenly sighing. "But, mommy says we can't afford a doggie the way things are now."

"How old are you going to be?" the angel tipped her head to one side, inquisitive.

"Uh," Aden counted on his fingers then held out four of them, "this many!"

Colette folded her hands on her lap. "Well, I think you'd be able to raise a dog since you're doing so well with Noishe. If your mother can't adopt one, maybe your father will be able to," she said hopefully.

Her smile dulled when Aden rested his chin on Noishe's head, hugging his toy to his chest forlornly.

"My daddy went on a trip to Asgard and was taken by Desians to the Ranch there, so he can't come here for my birthday…"

Colette's eyes widened, Genis' as well, his book long forgotten. Both were shocked.

"But, that's okay," he continued, bringing up his head and offering Colette a small grin, "Mommy says that you're gonna regenerate the world soon and daddy will come home."

Colette had to bite down to prevent her mouth going faintly agape at the child's avowal. She felt mixtures of emotion bubbling up in her stomach. There were so many, she couldn't place them all with a word. Sorrow, empathy, pressure—it was overwhelming. Sure she'd been told of her job many times in her years, but never had it been reminded to her by a child so young.

She placed a hand over her heart. Her eyes shut and she turned her head away to ponder briefly.

"Colette," Genis rubbed her arm comfortingly, acknowledging her uneasiness, "it's alright…"

The blonde stayed that way for a moment, thinking. Then, as if never downhearted whatsoever, she twisted back to Aden with a genuine expression of warmth, patting the child on the head.

"I'll regenerate the world as fast as I can," she said pensively. "If I have to, I'll take the time to stop at the Asgard Human Ranch to get your father home even sooner than that."

"Really?" he squealed, holding Koty tighter. Colette nodded, and the boy astounded her with a brief hug. "Thank you, Chosen One."

Colette's placid persona nigh on faltered at the gratefulness. The idea of possibly letting this poor youth down after promising him something like that was scary.

But, she didn't allow herself to show this human flaw of uncertainty. She hugged the child back, and smiled. As always, she could only bring herself to smile, as any good angel should.

Genis found himself with the same expression, but his smile only proved the grief he felt was indeed affecting him.

"You're amazing, Colette," he thought despondently.

After Aden had released Colette and had gone back to cuddling Koty and Noishe, the three spectators took the next ten minutes or so to watch Lloyd and Kratos again. Even Genis this time had put down his book to observe them. This spar was drawing on much longer then first intended. He was, now that he thought about it, amazed his sister hadn't returned to break it up for the day.

"Aww, the red swordsmen lost the round," Aden pouted as Lloyd again stumbled into the ground.

"You're rooting for Lloyd to win this then?" Colette inquired.

"Uh-huh. He looks nicer then the purple guy," the child said while vigorously nodding his head. That caused Genis to chuckle.

"What do you know, Lloyd's got himself a fan," the mage announced sarcastically.

"But Lloyd really is strong, even if Kratos is more skilled," Colette argued as she found herself focusing on Lloyd again, eyes falling partially.

Aden studied her trancelike appearance and slanted his head, naive. "Is Mr. Lloyd your boyfriend, Chosen One?"

Genis clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle the burst of laughter caught in his throat from the bluntness of the question and the obvious blush now streaking Colette's face.

"N-no, that's not," the little angel stuttered embarrassingly, trying to shake off the burning, "He's my childhood friend, same as Genis."

"But your face is all red," Aden mumbled, pointing. "That means you like him, right?"

"N-not necessarily," Colette lied, "We're just friends."

"Oh, okay," Aden relented, clapping unenthusiastically when Kratos won yet another round.

Genis shook his head when the blonde hugged her knees, waiting for her blush to pass. He recalled that one of Martel's teachings instructed that the Chosen could not show affection or receive it. The Chosen One could not love, or be loved by any one human.

It wasn't fair, the magic-user thought, to either Lloyd or Colette. They clearly, apparent to seemingly everyone but each other, adored one another. Although Colette in all her selflessness couldn't bring herself to for once be selfish and indulge in her feelings. He knew that, and Lloyd probably knew it too somewhat. It was quite depressing.

Back in the midst of the fighting, Lloyd had retrieved both his swords, but he wasn't doing much better than he had been before. Kratos had corned him, the younger swordsmen's back against the wall of the inn with a sword to his throat. The crowd clapped for Kratos' fifteenth win in a row.

"We're done for today," the mercenary declared abruptly, earning a few disappointed cheers as he sheathed his sword and turned to head inside for the evening.

"I, I can still fight Kratos!" Lloyd wheezed, propping himself up using the wall.

"No, you can't. You need to rest or you'll pass out," Kratos retorted, turning over his shoulder.

"You think you know everything, but one day I'm going to beat you. Then you'll see that I can be strong without your help," the dual-wielder grimaced, his hands balling so tightly into fists that it stretched out the fabric of his gloves.

Kratos' expression remained deadpan as he curved his head forward and started off, though the tone he used as he issued a last comment while walking away was rather disappointed sounding.

"You need to remind yourself why you fight. If you don't, you will never be able to protect the Chosen."

Lloyd slammed his fist into the wood wall behind him as Kratos trekked out of sight, his Exsphere losing its glow. He was so mad at himself for losing to him every time, with people watching no less.

"I'll protect Colette my way," he muttered, anger fading and giving way to fatigue.

Sliding his swords back into their scabbards, he searched around for Genis and Colette among the talkative crowd who had yet to disperse. His two friends waved with reassuring grins when his eyes stilled on them. He rubbed his neck and found himself grinning back. They knew how badly he'd done and still showed him sympathy. Just another reason they were the closest to him, he supposed, as he made his way over to them.

Colette and Genis stood up, Noishe joining them along with their new friend and his stuffed toy. However, Aden surveyed the crowd and was sad to see two elder boys beckoning him over.

"I have to go see my brothers, Chosen One," he said after tugging on Colette's dress to gain her awareness. "Tell Mr. Lloyd that he did a good job even though he never won."

"I will," Colette nodded. "It was very nice to meet you, Aden. Koty too," she added, reaching down to pet the little plush puppy on the head.

"Thanks for letting me sit with you. Good luck with your journey," Aden murmured as he took a few steps back. "Bye-bye, giant doggie," he waved to Noishe, who barked and whined sadly.

He left just as Lloyd dragged himself over, body seething in exhaustion.

"Who was that, Colette?" Lloyd queried as he watched the boy leave.

"Oh, just a fan of yours who wanted a front row seat to watch you," she giggled, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Who would ever want to be a fan of Lloyd's? He's an idiot," Genis teased, earning himself a light smack over the head from his friend.

"I didn't do very well, huh?" the swordsmen admitted sheepishly, ignoring Genis' offended glare.

"Well, it's not that. Kratos is just more practiced," the blonde insisted.

Lloyd sighed. "I know. As much as I hate to admit it, Kratos is right about most everything I do when it comes to my swordsmanship. I should really just take his advice respectfully since he's letting me train with him," he clamped his eyes shut in the middle of speaking, "There's just something about the way he talks to me that gets under my skin sometimes."

"Well Aden seems to think you're strong Lloyd," Genis offered after he realized rubbing his head wasn't relieving any discomfort from the smack he'd been given.

"Aden?" Lloyd quirked an eyebrow, "Is that the boy who was with you?"

"Uh-huh, he really rooted for you to win and wanted me to tell you that you did a good job," Colette agreed.

"Heh, well it's nice to know that some people don't think I'm completely useless," Lloyd chuckled, curiously looking around for the child who'd praised him.

When he located the boy, his face became grim.

The angel and mage looked at each other after noticing Lloyd's change in mood, soon following their eyes in the direction the swordsmen's were in. What they saw shocked them, Colette covering her mouth with her hands and Genis almost dropping his book.

It seemed that while they'd been chatting amongst themselves Aden had been picked on by his two brothers, his mother engaging in conversation with some other adults and not in the right mind to notice.

The two elder boys had taken Koty from him and thrown it up on the rooftop of the inn, laughing when their younger sibling cried.

Aden, upset, had stumbled across an old pipe of some sort, no longer in use by the looks of it, that attached from the side of the building all the way up near the edge of the roof. Wanting his toy, he'd begun climbing up the pipe in the hopes that he could somehow retrieve his precious item.

He had climbed high enough by now for him to be in danger if he fell, and the pipe didn't look very stable under the presence of the boy's weight. His brothers, apparently, were still too pleased with each other and their prank to see their brother do this. This wasn't good, not at all.

When Aden finally got close enough to the roof he tried to reach out for his puppy, straining since his arms were just shy of being long enough to grab it. The pipe began to creak, the hinges breaking.

"He's going to fall!" Genis yelled, hoping to get someone's attention.

It was too late for anyone other than the trio to react by this time though, for just as Aden managed to rescue Koty from the roof the pipe broke away from the wall, taking the boy with it.

Lloyd in his panic was about to sprint, but Colette beat him to it, dashing ahead of him.

"Colette!" he shouted, throwing a hand after her.

She didn't stop running even after hearing the alarm in Lloyd's voice. Fortunately she had been only a little ways away and would be able to catch Aden in time if she flew. So, allowing her wings to appear, she jumped, taking flight and stealthily maneuvering to pull him into her arms and away from the rusted pipe, which toppled to the ground with a noise akin to nails on a chalkboard

Colette released the breath she didn't even know she had been holding in as she kept herself aloft. She was used to her wings now after fighting with them out on a regular basis; in fact it almost felt nice to stretch them after keeping them hidden for awhile. They fluttered elegantly, loose feathers falling to the grass below like leaves blown tenderly from a tree.

"Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?" the Chosen quickly sputtered as she remembered the boy in her arms, anxious.

Aden wiped his eyes using his sleeve, clutching Koty and clinging to Colette in fright. "I, I'm o-okay," he sniffled as he dared to look where he was. He rolled his head down, nearly jumping out of the angel's hold when he saw how high up they were. "W-we're floating!"

He turned to question Colette but was silenced when he peaked over her shoulder and saw the shimmering wings scooping up the air behind her. His eyes reflected the soft purple shimmers of energy that flowed through the segments like luminous waves.

"Wow, you have pretty angel wings!" he concluded at last, caught up in wonder.

The blonde flushed, shaking her head and leisurely descending. "Don't scare everyone like that, okay? Ask someone for help the next time someone does something unkind to you instead of trying something dangerous on your own," she said, her discipline given very evenly.

"I-I'm sorry, Chosen One," Aden replied ruefully as they reached the ground and Colette placed him on his feet.

Colette smiled down at him, but the moment her gaze trailed up, she paled.

Everyone was staring at her, absolutely every single person. Eyes were wide, quivering in astonishment. Some took some steps back. Others gasped with their hands shakily pressed over their mouths. All of them were thunderstruck, in the most frightened of ways—as if staring at some kind of godly creature that could smite them on sight.

But the thing that got to Colette the most, the worst of it, was when she witnessed a small girl crying in reaction to her form. It wasn't sobbing in the sense where wailing sounds were choked out, but the tears flowed steadily just the same. The girl scurried backwards, tripping, hastily moving behind her mother's leg to hide. The mother ducked and held the girl, trying to shield the innocent child from seeing Colette any more then she had already.

"Wings… She has wings, real angel wings," a man whispered while rudely pointing.

"I, It's true. The Chosen really is an angel," another stammered.

"Aden," a woman cried from the cowering mass, running up to the boy and yanking him away from Colette by his wrist, "Look what you've done! I told you not to approach the Chosen! We could all be punished by the Goddess for your disobedience!"

"B-but mommy, she's really nice. I—"

"No excuses! The Chosen is a person with otherworldly abilities. If you go against her wishes we could all suffer for it and end up like your father. Just look at her Aden, she isn't human!" the woman shouted, voice scarred by trepidation. She gawked at Colette when she finished scolding, her two other sons at her side with about the same facade as everyone else.

"Forgive us, Chosen One. We're leaving," Aden's mother breathed, pleading almost as she collected her family and jogged into the mob of citizens now retreating home.

All of them were gossiping as they left, and Colette could hear every word of it.

Aden, as his mother took him and his brothers away, looked back at Colette one last time. He had Koty under his arm as he waved sadly at her, and the now arriving Genis and Lloyd, in farewell.

Out of all the adults, all the children, he was the only one who gazed upon her winged appearance with eyes that portrayed no fear.

"What is wrong with those people? Colette just saved his life and they act like she's going to eradicate the entire town or something!" Genis spat as he watched them leave, quaking in irritation.

Lloyd was focused more on the blonde herself and the absolutely destroyed look beyond her now empty blue eyes, the angel's current physical state extremely unnerving to him.

"Colette, are you…okay?" he put a hand on her shoulder, trying to draw her attention.

She couldn't bring herself to answer, so hurt and humiliated that she wasn't breathing properly. When she did move, it was to bring her hands up in front of her. They were shaking uncontrollably in the bewildered agony devastating her small frame. Something warm and wet dotted her palms, and she glanced up expecting to see storm clouds in the barely lit sky. There was none, she realized, those drops hadn't been rain. She was crying.

"Colette?" Lloyd tried again, applying a small shake.

"I'm…" she wept softly, hugging herself, wings furling shamefully against her back before evaporating into thin air and leaving a flurry of feathers, "Am I… human?"

Her question, rising gradually with a melancholy probably pent up within her subconscious for ages, was rhetorical, meant for her own ears. Lloyd, however, still heard the harsh whisper and it made his heart wrench repeatedly. He gently grabbed both her shoulders and turned her to face him. She didn't look at him; her head bowed downwards watching her tears fall upon her hands. He had to really work to keep himself calm under the situation.

"Colette, it's not your fault. The whole thing happened unexpectedly, people panicked when they realized what was going on," he soothingly brushed his thumb back and forth over her shoulder as he softly continued, "Those people didn't know what to do. When you used your wings to catch that kid, the shock of seeing you use your powers piled onto their panic, and it turned into feelings that blew completely out of control. Don't degrade yourself just because others don't understand what you're going through."

"Lloyd, I don't even understand what I'm going through!" Colette whimpered, throwing her head into her hands, her voice barely audible through her soft sobs. "I've only broken one seal, and look at how people respond to seeing me. I have wings. Humans don't have wings!"

Lloyd bit his tongue. He himself was tearing up vaguely despite desperately trying not to. Colette was in such raw mental anguish that not even his utmost strength could put up a wall against his own raging emotions. Genis, if anything, only mirrored himself as he put a hand on Colette's side and tried to aid Lloyd in his comforting.

"The priests always told me that one day I'd become an angel, and while it was hard sometimes I was happy because I'd be able to help so many people with the changes I'd make, to both the world and myself. If I could somehow do that, somehow create a Sylvarant where everyone can smile and live every day to the fullest, I would gladly take on all the hardship of being the Chosen with no regrets."

Her arms fell loosely to her sides, as if numb, and she finally looked Lloyd directly in the face. Her usual brightness was shrouded in tears, in pain that Lloyd discovered she had probably bottled up for years.

"I want everyone to be able to walk outside each morning without fear of Desians taking away loved ones and destroying memories, like they did to you," she shakily said with laughter devoid of all humor, a weak smile being forced. "But, I… I have feelings too and… I'm so confused! I don't know who I am, what I am… Was I born an angel, with these wings of mine locked away until my quest freed them? What if I change even more at the next seal? I know I have to keep going. I will go on this journey even if I feel this way. It's my job and I want to regenerate the world so everyone can live peacefully…"

Colette's smile broke and she burst into more crying, her legs giving way and knees hitting the grass, Lloyd lowering with her to keep his gaze leveled. "But did you see the way they all looked at me? I didn't bring those people relief, I brought them fear… I don't know what to think of myself."

Lloyd slipped his hands down to her back as he pulled the blonde into a tight embrace, his arms encircling her shoulders as she sobbed soundlessly into his shirt, one of her hands frantically gripping into the red fabric.

He didn't know what to say to make her feel better, let alone help her overcome this problem. She had been suffering for so long under the pressure of her duties; he'd known that reality for long time. She wasn't at all to blame for this outburst. Colette cried seldom, but when she did it was for plausible reasons, either derived from obscene treatment as a person or inhumane stress levels.

He growled under his breath at all the dozens of people from his childhood that he remembered had helped teach Colette this ridiculous idea that it was necessary for her to conceal all her anger, her sadness, her guilt and fears for the sake of others, her image, and the world. Even feelings of joy had to be masked.

After all that, and now this—the sudden gain of wings that apparently garnered negative awareness rather than positive on a first impression—was too much for her. Lloyd could tell all this by the air around her, from her aura. He was sure Genis, in his equal closeness, could feel it too.

"Lloyd, Genis, what happened?"

Genis spun on a heel to come face to face with his sister, who was quite startled upon seeing Colette's present condition. Lloyd was too focused on comforting the crestfallen Chosen to give Raine any of his attention vocally, but he did offer a pained stare up in her direction.

The swordsmen's liquid brown eyes told her the whole story, and the healer stiffened.

Lloyd closed his eyes and rested his head on top of Colette's, pulling her to him more protectively. He didn't care if Raine yelled at him for being so close in proximity to her, as his teacher usually did when they presented too much fondness. He wasn't going to leave Colette like this no matter what.

"Sis, we…" Genis murmured, his eyes partially hidden by the fringe of his silver bangs.

Raine heaved a sigh as Genis trailed off, unable to find the means to speak. She trudged forward and ruffled her brother's hair affectionately, seeing that he was on the brink of crying a bit himself.

"We can all talk about this later… It's late, and we should be getting ourselves settled inside before Kratos gets impatient," Raine started kindly, her compassion twisting into the form of a frown when she studied Lloyd and Colette again.

"Colette should really lie down until dinner is prepared. It's only been a few days since she collapsed at the Triet Ruins, and I don't want her condition worsening to how it was then. Let's get her inside."

Genis didn't opt to movement at all at first. When he did, it was to step up to his two distraught friends after Raine had begun walking back inside.

"Lloyd, let's go…"

The dual-swordsmen stayed where he was, though spoke nonetheless. "…You go ahead. We'll follow after you in a minute…"

Genis complied dejectedly, his eyes transfixed on Colette's quiet form before he shakily turned to follow his sister away from the pair. On his way he signaled for Noishe to follow, the Arshis' ears drooping in distress as he did as told and took behind the magus. The small half-elf felt useless to Colette in his inability to ease her woes, and the guilt of it followed him around with each and every step he took away from her and Lloyd.

The curtain of night fell quickly after Genis had departed, the now moonlit tides pushing and pulling the sea upon the sands of Izoold's shores.

An intrigued gust of air picked up a lone feather left abandoned in the grass. The feather flowed with the air in a sorrowing waltz, shining translucently against the sun. Its final rays pierced through the fragment of angelic energy as the fiery orb sunk beneath the edge of the horizon, giving the moon its chance to play.

Lloyd lovingly ran a hand through Colette's hair as he used his other arm to press her into his chest, standing up and carrying her along with him.

"C'mon Colette, let's go inside," he suggested softly, tilting up her head by her chin to look down into her eyes reassuringly.

The Chosen for once couldn't bring herself to smile or say a thing to his notion, regardless of their chaste intimacy. She did nod solemnly though, wrapping her arms around one of Lloyd's so he could support her while they walked.

Lloyd could only abide by the unspoken request as they started toward the front entrance of the inn, his lips curving up into a sad smile as a single tear paved a watery path down his face.

If Colette couldn't smile, he thought resolutely, he would just have to smile for her.

The wind-carried lavender feather, against the coming blackness, retained its gentle radiance while watching the star-crossed twosome walk away. It scattered along the darkened sky as if a sort of saintly firefly. But, as all of Colette's feathers were fated to, the feather soon flaked off in small bursts of light that the breeze continued to clinch, its sight on the couple lost forever.

As if the world itself felt pity for the poor feather's loss to existence, the twinkling sparkles left behind were taken higher and higher to the heavens—each one speckling the blanket of night as the first of its millions of stars.


And that would be the end of Part II!

Good, great, needs something, other words not mentioned? This chapter took a long time so if you really like my writing I want to know in the form of a review so I can get a better start on Part III.

So~ review please!

After this story I'll be working on much shorter one-shots and maybe some occasional long ones too. But since this is my first it'd like to know everyone's impression. I hope there's no grammar errors or mistakes in spelling. I apologize ahead of time if there is any.

Well, until the next chapter minna!

Arigatou for those of you who have supported me thus far! It was very touching to read your thoughts. ^_^

~Kazea