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Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia or any of the characters in this story except Sara. Namco owns.

- Aemiz

The sounds of swords clashing and shrilling cries of pain echoed through the young child's mind. When her vision came into focus, she felt hot tears roll down her cheeks and the warm embrace of her mother's right arm attempting to sooth away her fears. She slowly glanced at her fraternal twin brother Lloyd being held in a similar embrace on the left side before diverting her attention back to a warrior garbed in purple with his back to them and his faithful protozoan at his side. The warrior, her father, gripped the azure hilt of a silver sword in his hands as he assumed a fighting position, ready for any of the soldiers charging towards him. Already several corpses of these soldiers lay motionless on the ground around his feet, and if she could even catch a small glimpse of the fierce look in her father's eye that intimidated the ones who still had their lives, she was certain that many of these soldiers knew they were charging toward their deaths.

In an instant she caught her father muttering something under his breath before shards of a blinding white light came raining down from the sky, disintegrating anything in its path. She was now truly petrified by this light and took the opportunity to bury her head in her mother's chest as her firm grip on the fabric of her mother's tunic tightened.

"Mommy…" She muttered subconsciously.

"Everything will be alright, Sara." Her mother gently pried her head from her chest as she stared into her child's bloodshot amber eyes with her identical ones. Sara noticed how the terrifying white light reflected beautifully off of the side of her mother's face and added a sparkle in her eyes that melted her anxiety away. She tugged at the sides of her lips and managed to smile as her mother did the same, probably seeing the same in her. "Just promise me one thing…"

"Mommy?"

"Promise me… that if something should happen to daddy and I, you'll take Lloyd and Noishe and make a run for it." She stared at her with an intent gaze before turning towards Lloyd who wore the same bewildered expression as his sister. "You too, Lloyd. Protect each other, please."

"Don't say that, Mommy! Nothing's going to—." She began to protest, but was cut off as she felt her mother forcefully pried from her grasp by a Desian soldier. The soldier quickly kicked the now screaming Sara onto her back while Lloyd fell out of his mother's arms and landed beside her. She turned towards her brother and helped him to his feet as she fearfully gripped his hand in hers. The soldier who pried them from their mother bound Anna's hands with his tight grasp while another soldier coming to his aide ran towards her and held the tip of his sword to her neck with his free hand reaching out for the strange blue gem embedded into her crest.

"Mommy!" The twins called out fearfully, hoping to get their father's attention. Sara quickly glanced over her shoulder to see where her father was and noticed that he was still trying to fend off whatever came his way.

Meanwhile, their father quickly glanced over his shoulder as he heard his children scream and knew he had to fight his way out of the chaos in order to reach them. He quickly turned his attention back towards the fight and deflected a swift jab from a soldier he had previously locked swords with before slamming him in the stomach with the hilt of his blade. The soldier collapsed to his knees as Noishe landed in front of his master, signaling for him to go and help his family. He nodded gratefully at his faithful companion and quickly bolted towards his family, striking down anything in his path.

As he drew closer and closer towards the scene of chaos that threatened to take away everything he loved dearly, Sara watched as her father's fierce crimson eyes dilated while his face looked upon his beloved in horror. When she turned back towards her mother, she watched the soldiers rip the strange gem out of her skin and toss her to the ground as her body began to morph.

Their mother, who struggled to find her way onto her hands and knees, locked her eyes with those of her children, who stood there motionless and frightened at what she was becoming. Sara stared so intently into her mother's eyes as they winced and were eventually engulfed into the putrid green skin that had consumed the rest of her body.

Her father soon reached their side, murmuring their mother's name to himself as Sara and Lloyd stared up at him helplessly, "Anna…"

Before she knew it, Sara caught herself staring into the single orange eye resting atop this monster's head. A flash of lightning blocked out a piece of her memory before her clouded vision once again subsided and revealed the monster roaring with fury, raising its arm before the child and bringing it down to strike her.

She cried out in pain as she felt herself flung backwards into the air, feeling the ripping sensation of its claws shredding the skin across her stomach.

Her vision began to subside as she felt herself fall down a long way, and black out completely before she even reached the bottom.

Sara awoke with a start, her tearing eyes struggling to see clearly as a bright fluorescent light from above met her gaze. She winced as she warily held her tiny arms over her eyes, blocking out the disturbing glow from penetrating her vision. It took her a moment or two to adjust to the light that reflected off of every corner of the room before she could clearly process her surroundings.

Sitting up ever so slightly, she writhed in pain as she tried to move her legs and lifted her gaze to stare at them, noticing how they were covered in a strange white bind. When she tried to move her feet within the bind, she let the tears fall steadily as she gritted her teeth from the immense surge of pain, though unable to scream the way she so desperately wanted too.

"Sara?" She heard an eager voice whisper from her bedside. She relaxed herself back into bed before shifting her head to the side, still holding her arms up to block out the light. The figure that sat beside her was not her father, but someone else she faintly recognized.

"You're awake… don't worry; you'll adjust to the light eventually." The voice sighed contently as the figure rose from her bedside. She reluctantly let her arms fall to her sides as she caught sight of the blue-haired man who had stayed with her while she slept. He stared down at her, gazing intently into her eyes with a look of uncertainty as he noticed the tears streaming down her flushed cheeks, "You were crying in your sleep; you still are. Are you alright?"

"..." The child opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't. By now her vision had completely adjusted and she recognized the man as her 'Uncle Yuan' as she smiled weakly at him, closing her mouth.

"You remember me…" The man answered awkwardly, not at all used to talking to children. Though she's probably afraid of me… "Why won't you say anything…? Is your throat sore?"

"…"

"Are you worried about your father?" Yuan folded his arms impatiently, noticing the expression on Sara's face light up eagerly. Ah… so that's it. Of course.

"He's alright. He's resting…" He shifted uncomfortably as she sent him a questioning stare. How am I going to explain to her that he was injured in the battle as well…?

"…?"

"Uhhh… Daddy has some boo-boo's and they hurt a lot so he's resting." He murmured uncomfortably as he felt the flushing heat of embarrassment rush to his cheeks, hoping that Kratos and Mithos weren't around to hear him.

Sara paused for a moment to process the information Yuan had relayed to her, but quickly realized what he had been trying to say and threw the covers off of her, attempting to get out of bed. She didn't understand why she was here or what was going on, but all she knew was that she desperately wanted to see her father.

"Wait!" Yuan held his arms out, preventing her from leaving as he sent her a firm, authoritative glare. "You're still in critical condition! I cannot allow you to leave!"

She wasn't exactly sure what he had just said, but from looking at his arms and the intent gaze from his eyes she knew he wasn't about to let her go. It was not as if she could regardless, as her bound legs prevent her from moving. Realizing that she was trapped and was denied a chance to see her father, she began to lose her composure and did the one thing most three year-olds do when they don't get their way..

"Ah!! Oh no! Please don't—." Yuan quickly panicked, but stopped himself as he noticed only tears fall but no shrilling cry of any sort. Huh. That's weird… "Alright, alright, don't cry." He sighed, rather annoyed, as she wiped the tears away with the edge of her sleeve and sniffled. "I'll bring daddy to see you, but only if you promise to stay here."

She stared at him skeptically, wondering if he was truly being sincere; while he mirrored her expression with his own, unsure as to whether she would throw a tantrum or meet him halfway.

"Here…" He held out his coiled hand with his pinky finger sticking up. "Pinky swear?"

Sara glanced down at his hand and smiled subconsciously at the childish gesture, remembering how she used to pinky swear with her brother whenever they promised each other something; whether it was not to tell mommy who knocked down the vase, or whether they shared a secret exclusive to just the two of them. They had so much fun together and were the best of friends... her and her brother. Her Lloyd.

As she reached her hand out and laced her pinky with his, she felt her brightened expression falter once again, wondering where her brother was and why they weren't together. In fact, this had to be the first time in her entire life that she had woken up without her brother by her side, and she felt complete dismay upon realizing this. Yuan cocked his eyebrow with uncertainty at her faded expression and flinched as tears began to race down her cheeks once again.

"What is it now!?" He yelled impatiently and absent-mindedly, but suddenly regretted doing so as she lowered her head, cupping her face in her hands as the tears continued to fall. "…Damn it!" He swore to himself and rushed towards the door. When he reached the doorway of her room attached to the medical ward, he glanced over his shoulder and called out to her. "I'm getting daddy right now, okay!?"

She lifted her gaze as he called out to her and nodded slowly, once again clearing away the remaining tears with the edge of her sleeve.

"Phew… Okay, stay!" He held out both hands and sent her a firm, authoritative glance as if he were speaking to a dog. She cocked her head to the side in question as he turned and left the room, bumping into Kratos on his way out. The older, taller Seraph stood motionless, towering over his old friend with his arms folded; obviously annoyed with what he just heard.

"She's not a dog, you know." He growled under his breath as he brushed past the equally annoyed looking Yuan. "And I would appreciate it if you kept the language to a minimum around her."

"…You're welcome." He grunted to himself as Kratos shut the door behind him.

Sara's eyes lit up as she saw her father approach, holding her arms out for him as he sat at her beside and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"You're alive…" He murmured to himself as she buried her head in his chest, tightly clutching her small fingernails into the fabric of his strange white clothing while he caressed her back. His tightly shut crimson eyes managed to open ever so slightly as he lovingly rested his head against hers. "Sara..."

"…"

"Aren't you happy to see me?" He weakly smiled as he pulled away to stare at her melancholy eyes. "…Sara?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but once again the words just wouldn't come out.

"She wouldn't speak to me, either." Yuan interrupted, leaning against the door frame with his arms folded subconsciously.

Kratos did not break his gaze with her as he lifted his fingers and pressed them against her neck while she attempted to speak. The instant he didn't feel a vibration of any sort, he stood up from her bedside and turned toward Yuan with the same desperate look he wore when he tried to save her life. "Call a doctor, immediately!"

"Say 'ahhh.'" The doctor, a lifeless angel, spoke in a monotone voice as it examined Sara's throat with a tiny flashlight and held its artificial fingers up to her neck.

"..." Sara quivered nervously and refused to budge. Why was this strange man pointing that thing in her mouth? And why were there so many people in the room staring at her?

"Come on, now." It tried to coax her, this time noticing that she at least attempted to do so. "Hmm…"

Sara glanced fearfully from her father, standing anxiously beside the doctor, to her Uncle Yuan, with an equally concerned stare, and finally to the last bystander who had long blond hair standing by the doorway with his arms folded and a blank stare.

"She has indeed lost her voice." The doctor replied, resting the flashlight back in its case as he stared at Kratos with an emotionless expression.

"Because of what happened?" The blond-haired man asked rather shrewdly.

"Obviously, Mithos." Yuan retorted, earning a swift glare from his superior.

"I believe it is only temporary, but it may be months, even years before she can speak again. This is a very rare, yet serious illness brought about by trauma and grief." The doctor stated as-a-matter-of-factually. "The only known 'cure' for this illness is for the patient to come to terms with her grief. But she is also young, and there's a chance that this will leave her traumatized for the rest of her life. So the nature of her recovery is uncertain at this time."

"Sara…" Her father stared intently at her, taking her hands in his as he took the doctor's place at her bedside. She locked eyes with her father, noticing the serious look in his eyes and then glanced fearfully at everyone else; unsure of what was going on as they left the room one by one.

Interesting… Mithos, the last of the spectators to leave the room, thought to himself as he stared at the anxious-looking father and daughter from the doorway.

After Kratos left the room moments later, the three Seraphs and the doctor stood out in the hallway as they proceeded with their discussion.

"How is Sara going to come to terms with this? She's only three." Yuan broke the awkward silence, staring intently at the lifeless doctor for an answer.

"It's different for everyone." The doctor stated very simply, earning an unsatisfied look from his superiors.

"That's awfully vague, Doctor." Mithos and Yuan sighed simultaneously. "So there's nothing you can do?"

"No." He replied very simply. "My apologies, my Lord. There's a chance she may experience dreams about the incident, but..."

In a sudden burst of rage, Kratos's fist collided with the cement wall beside him and left an unmistakable fist shaped mark in its wake. Both Mithos and Yuan jumped at the sound and stared at him defensively.

Anna and Lloyd are dead, Noishe's gone and Sara is…

"This discussion is over." The angered Seraph allowed his numb hand to rest atop the hilt of his blade as he stormed past all of the lifeless angels who deigned to spare a glance, returning to the somber silence of his own room.