Heart of the Phoenix
Author: Shaddowind
WARNING: Kratos spoilers aplenty! You have been warned! Also, if you haven't beaten the game, you may wish to revisit this fic later….
Summary: Confusion abounds as the Chosen prepares to leave on her journey of World Regeneration….PG-13 for slight instances of potty-mouth, but no worse than already in the game.
Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia or any of the game's original characters, dialogue, or settings - I just bend them to my will in this story.
A/N: To those of you that have taken the time to review, I thank you so much! Hope you enjoy the next chapter!
Chapter 2
What did she do to me?
He strode into the temple with the Chosen in tow. At least that went as planned.
Somewhere further back, the boy and his elven friend tagged along. Yet another complication. It had to all be a coincidence.
It has to be.
This… Lloyd… was rash, stubborn, mouthy, and largely untrained with the … wooden?… blades. His presence was… an irritation. Yes. An irritation.
That's all it can be. Get the Chosen to the oracle chamber, and all will be righted.
But then, bringing up the rear of the party… she was there. The girl that had shaken him with a glance. The girl that had avoided even looking at him ever since. Liane, they had called her. She had insisted upon coming along, spouting something about a promise to keep the children safe. She refused his healing in favor of the weak gels that she had stashed in her bag. She was plain, yet fair to look upon, he had to admit. But it was hardly what had caught his attention. She fought well and with fire, with little regard for herself, evidenced by her beaten appearance. But beneath the scratched-up and ripped façade, there was something. There almost had to be for it to have gotten under his skin with a simple look.
Perhaps it was just a trick of my mind… perhaps I'm so glad to be within sight of the end of this…
… glad?
He sighed and shook his head slightly.
It has to be in my mind. I haven't been glad for anything in fourteen years….
Kratos shrugged the thought from his mind, centering his thoughts on the trek to the top of the Temple. But not before one last word slid tauntingly through his mind.
One word. One name.
Anna….
Liane followed the party through the Temple, fighting the urge to turn and run back to the town. She was an adult. She had responsibility of the safety of Lloyd and Genis… especially now that Kratos had been officially hired to take responsibility for Colette.
Kratos….
She knew him. She didn't know why she did, but she did. Liane trudged in silence, calming her mind by distracting it… namely, by counting her steps. It was idiotic, it was childish, but it was mind-numbing. She didn't have to listen to the sporadic conversations around her. She simply had to center her mind in the moment.
Stop thinking about it.
The voices that had materialized in her head in the battle were, at most, whispers now. And better, whispers that she could ignore. Perhaps it was just the day… the anticipation of the Oracle and this impromptu adventure that Lloyd, Colette, and Genis had dragged her into. She was tired… even the gels couldn't change that fact. The pain was gone, too… the pain that felt like her head had been cleaved in two.
Maybe I'm getting sick… maybe I'll stay in bed tomorrow.
She nodded, willing herself to start to actually listen to the conversations around her.
Until one unavoidable fact reasserted itself over her newfound calm.
But I know him.
She stopped the thought before it got beyond that simple fact, cramming it away into a corner of her mind through the sheer power of denial. She followed the group through the maze of the temple, aiding the front lines against the monsters that they encountered, and stood witness to the oracle that confronted Colette at the altar. She, like the others, gaped in awe at the magnificence of the other-worldly winged being.
But somehow, it didn't impress her as much she felt as it should have. She even felt like she resented the younger members of the party… for their undisguised wonder at the vision before them.
Why am I so jaded…? she wondered, her brow furrowed as she watched the angel begin to ascend back into the light. Maybe the priests taught me too much of the lore….
She sighed, her eyes traveling back to the ground. Maybe I'm just not worthy of such a vision anymore….
Then, she noticed something… she averted her eyes as quickly as she realized that she had actually looked at him… his attention was on the angel… but his stance - his crossed arms, his bored stature - it all spoke of reaction to this miraculous event that mirrored her own.
Her eyes were drawn back to the angel as he referred to Colette as his daughter. His daughter? But the doctor has always spoken of the Chosen's very real birth… he'll tell anyone who will give him half a second about the child born with the Cruxis crystal. Is it even possible that…? Liane cut off the thoughts of the fidelity of Colette's mother, who had paid the price for bringing the Chosen into the world with her life. She sighed.
Even for the attention of one so… divine?… How could you betray the love of the one you were promised to before the Goddess?
She snorted slightly at her romantic notions… one thing that she did hope that she would someday finally grow out of. They had already proven costly… Liane almost chuckled as she remembered back to just after her ninth birthday. She, Lloyd, and Colette were playing in the treehouse at the edge of town. She was climbing up the rope after them and she had slipped – she vividly remembered seeing the rope casually sway out of her reach. She would swear that she could still even hear the horrified cries of her playmates as she fell. But what she remembered with crystal clarity was closing her eyes and not even trying to catch the rope again. The knowledge that her angel would save her so solid in her mind that it took impact with the leaf pile at the base of the tree and the sickening snap of her forearm to prove to her that no angel was coming for her. There would be no winged savior for her. Her parents had punished her for her choice to play in such a place… 'what if you had gotten hurt again?' they had asked through tears that she could still see plainly in her memory of that day. 'You might not wake up this time,' they had ranted and cried. But she cried for days. Not for the pain in her arm, but for the knowledge that her angel hadn't saved her.
No, no angel would come for her.
But this one had come for Colette.
Kratos sighed heavily and Liane was certain that she was the only one who had caught onto his boredom. "You've received the oracle. Then let use leave now, Chosen."
Colette, still staring to the glassed dome in wonder, babbled distractedly, "Oh… yes."
"We're going on ahead," Kratos nodded in satisfaction, stepping onto the warp ring. Liane looked away, unwilling to catch even a fleeting look from the mercenary as he was whisked away from the ancient technology.
Colette shrugged uncomfortably, left alone with her three closest friends. Three friends that were, for all intents, now strangers on a different path. "Uh, thank you… please stop by my house later."
With a self-conscious giggle, Colette followed Kratos through the warp ring.
"She left…"
Liane looked to Lloyd, who stood looking forlornly at the warp ring. He was already realizing that his friend was slipping away from him. She felt sorry for him… and Genis… and even herself. Colette was a friend to all of them.
Genis was the first to break the thoughtful silence. "The rumor was true…"
"What rumor?"
Liane smiled at Lloyd's obliviousness. She knew exactly what Genis was referring to, as she had heard the murmurs about the town as long as she could rememeber.
"That Colette is the daughter of an angel and is not really related to her current father," Genis sighed.
Lloyd's expression hardened. "Even if you're not related by blood, family is family. At least, that's what I think."
Genis shrunk back slightly. "I'm sorry."
Hey, don't worry about it," Lloyd smiled, clapping his friend on the back.
"Well, we should probably be following their example, in any case… after you, boys…" Liane interjected, motioning to the warp ring.
Lloyd grinned, the sensitive moment now but a memory. "Ladies first?"
Liane shook her head. "Nope. I have to make sure you both get out of here in one piece, otherwise Dirk and Raine will have my head. Thank you, but I insist…."
"Hey, I tried," Lloyd shrugged, stepping onto the ring and disappearing.
Genis stopped short of the ring and looked at her.
"Do you think I hurt his feelings?"
Liane smiled. "No… as a matter of fact, I'd bet gald he's already forgotten it. Don't worry."
Genis sighed, nodding in agreement as he stepped onto the warp ring, leaving her alone in the altar chamber. She stepped onto the warp ring and let it sweep her back to the entry chamber where the boys awaited her.
Then she saw why they were so careful to not leave without her.
Raine.
"Ha… you guys are so in trouble," she chuckled as she strode past them and down the stairs.
"Yeah, you brought us here," Lloyd grumbled as he and Genis fell in step behind her.
Raine turned at their voices, her hands on her hips and Liane couldn't help but cringe.
Oh, boy….
Liane followed Genis and Lloyd back to town, watching their limp with a shake of her head.
She told you to stay and study….
Raine's scolding glance at her hadn't been nearly the punishment that she had meted out to the boys, but Liane knew that the Professor didn't agree with her assistant's judgement. And maybe she was right… but it still seemed a better option than to let them go alone. Still, her mentor's disapproval was almost as bad as a blow.
The three traveled in silence… noticably lacking the excitement of the trip earlier in the day. Even the monsters left them alone.
They entered the village and Lloyd led his friends to Colette's house. It was mid-afternoon, and the day was still bright and full of promise to the citizens of Iselia.
As they approached the door, they could hear voices from inside.
"… the protection of the Chosen to Kratos and Raine."
Liane winced at the voice of the Mayor.
Lloyd began to gently push the door open, apparently trying to respect the conversation already in progress.
"I have no objections."
At the mercenary's voice, Liane stopped short, every fiber of her shouting at her to turn away… if not simply run. Unfortunately, Genis had been behind her, and he had firmly planted his hands on the small of her back and forced her into the room. They stood respectfully near the door, all of them well aware that they weren't part of the conversation.
Liane's mind was hardly on being respectful… it was much more centered on remaining unnoticed by the mercenary.
I… I can't handle that again….
Liane stayed close to the door, careful to stay behind the mercenary's field of vision.
"Thank you so much for your help earlier!" Colette smiled, waiting for a pause in the discussions so that she could welcome her friends, her cheery demeanor brightening the already cozy cottage.
Phaidra seemed to notice their visitors for the first time. "Oh, you're back! Thank you for your assistance earlier!"
Lloyd stepped eagerly to the table. "Say, were you talking about the world regeneration journey just now?"
"Yes," Phaidra answered simply. Liane could only guess that she was trying to avoid encouraging him in anyway that she could without lying to him.
"Wow! I want to go, too! I wanna see Colette regenerate the world!" Lloyd cheered, enthusiasm exuding from every pore.
"If Raine is going, I want to go, too." Genis added, puffing up his chest and stepping up to the table beside his friend.
"No. You'll get in the way," the mercenary's voice cut into the enthusiastic boys' declarations. She glared at the back of his head… but still couldn't bring herself to vocalize an objection.
"Wh..what?"
Articulate as ever, Lloyd, Liane sighed, gritting her teeth. She wanted to defend the boys… she truly did. Truth be told, she wanted to go as well… but she knew that the children of the village still needed guidance… and without Raine, the mantle would fall to her until Raine's return. But she also knew that the world was currently very dangerous… it was bad enough that Colette had to go, but she couldn't watch the boys go, either….
Kratos sighed heavily and pushed his chair back to stand from the table. "The battles at the chapel were nothing compared to the journey that awaits us. Children need to stay home."
Liane saw Lloyd bristle, his fists shaking in anger at this stranger that was getting ready to take one of his best friends from his life.
The Mayor snorted. "Kratos is absolutely right. Now then, we still have things to discuss. You should head home."
Liane stifled her instinctive response to the village official, her distaste growing for him with every day that she aged. He had watched them all as they grew, his intolerance for anything but absolute obedience from everyone in the village – especially the children – following them into every aspect of their lives. In fact, he was the only voice in opposition to her being appointed as Raine's assistant when she returned from her training. She didn't understand where his hatred of all of them had come from.
And, quite frankly, at that point, she really didn't care to know anymore. But, she did have the sense to keep quiet when she knew she couldn't win against him – especially as she knew that he was right.
He's right… Colette is in the best hands with Raine and Kratos. Damn….
"Come on," she put a hand on each of the boys' shoulders and guided them back to the door, pushing a bit more than she liked… she hated feeling like she was enforcing the Mayor's decree.
"It's not fair…" Lloyd grumbled as he walked under the trellis of the Brunel home and stubbornly kicked at the dirt of the road.
"I know… but someone has to keep things in order here… for when she comes back," Liane offered, hoping to soothe the anger somehow.
"Wait…"
The door to the house cracked open and Colette slipped out onto the porch. Liane smiled, and took it as her cue to depart.
"I'm going to go home for a while," she nodded to her companions. "Let me know when you decide what will happen in the morning." Colette nodded, stepping quickly over to hug the girl who played the role of her big sister. Liane hugged her back, with a feeling of dread eating at the edge of her mind. Then she turned and waved to the trio, heading back past the schoolhouse to the far edge of town where her family's home awaited her return.
Liane let the kitchen door close behind her and dropped her satchel to the floor. With a groan, she leaned back against the door and allowed herself to slide to the floor, grasping her knees to her chest.
It's over… finally.
"Liane?"
Her mother's voice instantly put her on edge, but she was far too tired to react.
"Liane! There you are! Oh – you're hurt! Ben! Liane's here…!"
Liane pushed herself from the floor and gathered her mother into a hug.
"I'm fine, mother. I'm just tired."
The gray-haired woman looked at her suspiciously. "I heard you went to the Temple. Honestly, Liane…"
Nodding, Liane stooped to grab her satchel. "No one else seemed willing to go… I really had no choice."
"You could have let the men take care of it. That was no place for women and children," she heard her father interject from the doorway to the common room. Liane was tired. Too tired for this conversation, and far too tired to mince words.
"All that were willing to go were 'women and children,' father," she sighed. "I suppose you'd rather I had sent Michael the Mighty in my stead? Or… even better yet, Frank Brunel!" she chirped in a brainless lilt.
She saw her father bristle, but he had more control of himself at the moment than she did.
"Those kids will get you into trouble, Liane… they always have…." Ben Dale growled slightly.
"Those kids are my friends, father. And I wasn't going to let them go alone."
"Dear… Michael was by a while ago… he said that you wouldn't go with him this afternoon…" her mother innocently inserted into the conversation.
Do we really have to do all of this now? Liane groaned.
"That's right, mother. I had no interest in going to his chosen homesite."
"Why? Michael is a fine lad… he's a proper age, he has a good income, and a good family…" Dora continued, either ignoring or simply not paying attention to her daughter's ire.
"Then why don't you marry him?"
Dora's mouth dropped in shock and her father grew red in the face as he visibly shook.
"You will not speak to your mother like that!"
"Then you will not tell me who to marry!"
Ben strode to face his daughter. Liane wearily pulled herself up to her full height to stare back into his eyes. She knew it was a test of her will… any weakness… any at all… and she would only be seen as the delicate, quivering woman that he and her mother always seemed content to see her as.
"He's a fine match, Liane. We've already met with his parents… you are perfect for each other. Tell me why he is so repulsive to you." Ben spoke evenly, his eyes drilling into her.
"Father, he's just not right for me. He's pushy, he's needy, he's complacent, he has no sense of adventure, he sees me as an object to be possessed, he's not imaginative, and he's not…"
…Kratos… her mind slipped into her rant, only a fortunate twist of a lack of breath keeping her from blurting it out. Her eyes widened in horror, but she managed to find a weak, but suitable closing…
"… he's not for me, father."
Ben glared at her suspiciously for a moment longer before shaking his head in frustration and turning away.
"Do as you will."
The stocky man plodded back into the common room without another word. Liane stared after him, her heart pounding.
Did I actually win?
"We only want the best for you, dear," Dora sighed, placing her hand on the back of Liane's shoulder.
Liane hung her head, and reached to cover her mother's hand with her own.
"I know, mother," she sighed. "I… I'm tired… I'm going to go take a nap. Raine and Genis have invited me for dinner tonight and Genis will be over for me in a while. She felt like she was lying to her mother, but she knew that if she did end up being hungry, Raine would probably find something for her to eat.
Dora nodded and Liane started up the narrow stairs to her upstairs bedroom. There, she placed her satchel and daggers on a small table beside the bed, and untied the tattered blue ribbon and, with a sigh, discarding it in a bucket beside the door. Grabbing a towel and a bar of simple soap from a chest at the foot of bed, she slipped back down the stairs and into the small bathing room just off the kitchen, grateful that her parents had gone elsewhere.
Closing the door and opening the warm water valve to the tub, she discarded her ruined dress and slipped into the water, sitting on the edge until the water filled the tub. Turning off the valve, she sank into the welcome warmth, dragging her scrubbing cloth and soap into the depths with her. She scrubbed away the dirt she had accumulated from sliding across the terrace of the Temple, and winced as she cleaned out the scrapes and wounds that hadn't quite closed yet.
It was quiet. Everywhere. Even in her mind.
Maybe it was a fluke… maybe….
But his eyes haunted her. His voice rang in her ears. But it wasn't the words he had spoken in the temple… it was the non-articulated words that bounced inside her head. His voice was unmistakable.
But where did she know him from? And how could she ever have forgotten him?
She hauled herself out of the tub with a deep sigh. Hoping she could still manage to get even a blink of sleep, she wrapped herself into her towel and drained the tub.
Liane didn't even register the trip back to her room. She grabbed her pillow from the bed and tossed it on the floor in the corner. After dressing in a soft tan tunic and her favorite black breeches, she crawled into the corner and curled around the pillow. She knew that her sleeping habits were strange, but it was all she could do to be comfortable. Her training at the temples had been less than luxurious. Her eyes slid shut as she willed herself to relax… she really needed some sleep….
And she opened her eyes to a starfield as far as she could see.
'I told you this was the most breathtaking place I had ever found.'
She nodded in blissful agreement, not even wanting to blink. She could feel a solid warmth against her back as she laid back against his chest. It felt strange, yet natural at the same time.
'I can't believe that I never knew about this hill.'
'But if you had, then what would I have had to show you to impress you?'
She giggled. 'Just your eyes… I knew you from your eyes.'
'You knew me?'
She shrugged, unable to take her eyes from the speckled night sky. 'Don't sound so surprised. The heart knows.'
"Liane… wake up!"
She awakened to find Genis standing over her with an exasperated pout on his face.
"Genis?"
"Man, I didn't know you could sleep that soundly… I didn't think I was going to be able to wake you up. Come on… we're all going to Dirk's."
She stretched and nodded.
I was dreaming…? But that voice… it was his….
Genis and Liane walked together to the house he shared with his sister. Liane couldn't shake the dream from her mind, but she also couldn't miss that her friend's mind was somewhere else as well.
"Genis? Anything wrong?"
The boy shook his head thoughtfully.
"No… I'm just thinking. It's going to be sad to see Colette go."
"But it's for the best for everyone. She knows what she has to do."
"I know…" Genis sighed, not sounding convinced.
He pushed the door to his home open for her to go in, but even as the door swung open, she hesitated. Seated at the table beside Colette… was Kratos.
"There you are!" Raine sighed. "It's getting dark… if we're going to see Lloyd, we need to get started."
She realized she was staring at him at the last possible moment and glanced away as he turned to the door.
"Hmmm…" he commented, standing from his chair and strolling out the door almost knocking her over without even acknowledging her presence. "Let us go, Chosen."
Colette giggled, grabbing Liane by the arm and pulling her out the door.
"Let's go! We still have to get through the forest!" The excitement of her younger friend was almost enough to make her forget her anger towards the mercenary.
Before long, they were well into the forest. Colette and Genis had paired off and were babbling quietly at each other not too far ahead of her, and Raine hovered over them, practicing her protective guidance of the Chosen, Liane supposed.
Poor Colette won't be able to breathe without Raine worrying over her….
A heavy sigh singed the edges of her hearing.
She growled slightly and planted her feet on the trail.
Just do it. Don't let him keep bothering you, she mentally coached herself.
She spun and found herself, once again, face to face with the swordsman.
"Are we really that boring to you? We didn't ask you to come along, you know…."
Kratos stared down at her, his bangs halfway shadowing his face by the brightening moonlight.
Those eyes… NO! Don't let him get to you….
"I'm sorry…?"
The puzzlement in his tone emboldened her that she had taken him by surprise. Coupled by the lack of the mind-rending pain that she was dreading if she ever happened to meet his eyes again, she grinned.
"What's with the heavy sighs? If you have something to say, then say it!"
She knew full well that it could have been a trick of the shadows, but she swore she saw him smirk.
"All right… this little jaunt is pointless, and even if it were necessary to the Chosen's journey, you and the boy are not."
She stared blankly at him.
I wasn't counting on that much honesty….
"What… have you never had to watch someone you cared about leave you behind?" she blurted.
The mirth in his eyes was extinguished immediately.
Oops. Hit a nerve….
His countenance grew into a steely gaze as he started to stroll away.
"As a matter of fact, I have."
She exhaled deeply and fell into step behind him.
"I'm sorry…" she offered. Stranger, jerk, or ally, she really hadn't meant to hurt him.
"Are you going to tell me why you've avoided me all day until now?"
"I… I don't even know you…" she sputtered, knowing full well that it wasn't any kind of an answer to his question. But she also knew that he had held onto that particular advantage. He had to know how uncomfortable he had made her!
He sighed and continued to look straight ahead.
"I see. That's right. You don't."
His face remained an impassive mask as he turned from her and followed the others.
What was that? Why does he even care if I've avoided him?
The rest of the journey through the wood was comparatively uneventful – a fact for which Liane was grateful. Part of her felt bad that she had hurt him… and the other part was still irate at how he had played her in return. She knew that it was wise for her to keep her mouth shut for a while. But at least, for that while, she didn't dwell on the implications of their meeting.
Besides, he'll be gone after tomorrow.
They approached Dirk's cabin, they could hear raised voices floating through the woods.
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"
Dirk's lower voice growled his response. "Don't get involved with the Desians. Your mother protected you and that exsphere with her life. Don't go throwing either away."
"I don't think I've ever heard Dirk raise his voice before," Colette whispered, staring wide-eyed at the cabin across the creek.
"Maybe we should leave them alone…" Genis suggested.
"Then Colette won't be able to see Lloyd…" Raine shook her head. "We'll just wait."
"So will you make me the Key Crest?"
"Lloyd!" Dirk exclaimed again, louder than before, "Have you been listening at all?"
"Who is that?"
Liane turned to find Kratos watching the cabin intently.
"Dirk… Lloyd's foster father," Liane answered calmly, surprising even herself. Maybe it was just a matter of being tired after all….
"Yeah, I heard you! But you can't expect me not to do anything now that I know!"
A hollow thump resounded from the wooden residence.
"You don't have to hit me!"
Lloyd emerged from the cabin, slamming the door behind him. He drew up short when he saw that he was hardly alone, even as the others all seemed content to act as if the creek was the most interesting thing they had ever seen. "Oh, let me guess… you heard that just now?"
Genis kicked at the dirt. "I'm sorry, because of me, you…."
"It's okay. It's not your fault."
Liane wondered if anyone else caught Lloyd's ever-so-quick response… it wasn't like him to cut Genis off like that. Excitable, yes. Rude to his closest friend?
Rarely.
Raine cleared her throat. "Lloyd, you should go speak to Colette. We'll wait here."
"Okay," Lloyd nodded.
Colette smiled. "Lloyd, let's go up to the terrace.
Lloyd paused to speak with Genis and Colette went ahead, pausing at the bench near Noishe's pen to wait for Lloyd.
Liane mulled around the bridge near Raine. "So you're really leaving tomorrow?"
Raine nodded. "Colette and Kratos will need help."
"I almost wish I could join you… but someone will have to watch the school, I suppose."
"You're more than capable, Liane. Will you check in on Genis while I'm gone? I know he can take care of himself for a while… but I'll still worry about him."
"Of course… I… I'd be honored to watch over him."
She glanced around the yard of Dirk's house and saw Lloyd wandering down the path… to his mother. The one place that she refused to go in this place that was like a second home to her for so many years. Lloyd's mother's grave was something sacred… something she felt like she was profaning by even thinking of it. It still amazed her… but the further she got from her accident, the more she swore it affected her. Death had held her for two years. It took her memories… and then she escaped it. But she knew that she would fear it for the rest of her life.
Liane wandered to a small bench, not far from the path. As she sat down, she glanced around. And stopped. Lloyd wasn't alone at his mother's grave. The mercenary had somehow been there before him.
No wonder he didn't go talk to Colette yet… I'd want to know what he was snooping there for, too, Liane thought with a slight snort. How rude….
The two spoke quietly for a few minutes. Liane could only assume that the grave had caught Kratos' eye.
I suppose it is a bit of a curiosity out here in the woods, she decided, giving Kratos the benefit of the doubt.
A few more seemingly awkward words were exchanged between the two and then Lloyd turned and went back into his house. Colette was waiting for him. The sweetness of the pair made her smile as she saw Kratos linger for a moment longer at the grave before shaking his head slightly and then striding back down the path to the creek to wait with the others. Liane sat on the bench, her back purposely to the path until she was sure that he was well past.
I really should go there… I owe it to Lloyd. His mother would want to know that he has good friends
Her heart beat harder in her chest, but she couldn't deny the pull… something was happening… something was going to change… and, for some reason, she knew that she had to make peace with this embodiment of death. She stood and turned back to the group milling about outside the door to Dirk's home and counted the silhouettes…
Raine, Genis, Kratos… they're all there.
Drawing a deep breath, she let her feet carry her to the place she dreaded above all others. A place that represented the deepest loss that one of her dearest friends had ever sustained. A place that represented the deepest fear that lived her heart.
Before she even realized that she had walked the distance, she found herself on the cobbled patch before the stone. Anna's stone.
"Anna…" she whispered. "I… I'm Liane… I'm a friend of Lloyd's…." Her brow furrowed… what did she have to say to this woman? Liane stood in the silence of the night, the full moon overhead only lending its power to the sacred place. The quiet….
… the quiet, she realized with a start. The whispers… they're gone…. For the first time since the temple, her mind was calm. Everything was as it had been.
"I… I promise that I'll watch over him as I can. He has good friends, Anna… and a good heart. I think you'd be proud of him," she smiled. It's all right… Liane reassured herself with a deep breath and a slight smile. Death is not here… but hope is….
Then, she saw her long fingers reach to brush over the carved stone….
And her mind had only the briefest of instants to register the cool of the stone before her world once again shattered under the deafening howls of the voices and a blinding barrage of images.
"We should be going soon," Kratos commented coolly as he stood with the professor and the boy, Genis.
"Lloyd and Colette need some time to talk," Raine shrugged. "They've always been close. Just a few minutes longer, Kratos."
I could go on ahead… they can hold their own in the forest, Kratos sighed to himself. This is not a place I should be….
A strangled whimper broke the serene creekside setting as the three of them spun in the direction of the grave.
"Where's Liane?" Genis asked as he sprinted down the path with Raine close on his heels.
Kratos turned just in time to see the girl collapse before the gravestone.
What the…?
The mercenary followed the others to find Liane curled into a small, shivering ball on the cobbles, sobbing hysterically.
"Liane?" Raine knelt and spoke quietly to the crying girl. When no response came, she shook her head with a sigh. "She's had a rough day."
Genis sat down beside his friend and grabbed her hand. "Liane… Liane… what's wrong?"
"Kratos…"
Kratos straightened at the girl's broken whisper. Why would she call for me…? She wouldn't even look at me since the terrace of the temple.
Genis looked up to him. "Kratos… I think she's asking for you…."
He stood tall for a moment, not acknowledging the boy's comment.
Raine sighed. "Kratos, we'll get Colette… can you carry Liane back to the town? She's exhausted…."
"Fine. Get the Chosen," he motioned Genis to move aside so that he could crouch to pick the girl up. With a last glance down to his friend, Genis nodded and fell in behind his sister as they hurried back down the path to the front door of the cabin.
Kratos watched them for a moment longer before gathering the fallen girl into his arms. He groaned as he realized that the professor would probably never let him hear the end of it if he threw Liane over his shoulder for ease of travel back to the village.
Suddenly, he felt his cape tighten around his shoulders. He looked down to find Liane's fists balled into the fabric, her tear-soaked eyes open… but staring unseeing into the starry night.
"Kratos… please… kill me…."
He flinched, feeling as if someone had clubbed him over the back of the head as he almost dropped her back to the ground.
No….
Then her eyes slid shut again, allowing a single tear to slip from her eye as her head lolled against his chest.
A single tear… that threatened to rip all of its kin from him. He looked up to the stone guardian of Lloyd's mother's grave, with a confusion that he hadn't felt in years… until this day. Until this girl had disrupted everything. He had learned much this day. But it was all simply complications in his life now. At one time, it would have been hope… or at least closure. But now, there wasn't any of it that he wanted. He looked down at the girl in his arms, her breathing now peaceful as she slept.
I have to get away from here.
He stood and collected himself before he started back to the bridge over the creek. He could see that the Chosen had already rejoined her friends and they were all awaiting his arrival.
"Is she okay?" Colette asked, concern oozing from her inquiry as she caught Liane's hand.
"She's asleep," Kratos answered. "We have to get her back to the village. Are you done here?"
Colette took one quick glance back up to the second story of the house before smiling sadly and nodding slightly. "Yes… we all need our rest."
Kratos took the lead without looking back.
I will not see this place… again.
The moon was more than bright enough to guide them through the forest. Each was quiet, each bearing their own thoughts. Kratos was more than comfortable with that arrangement, as his burden was now physical as well as mental. This girl… this Liane… he didn't know what was happening to him when he was around her. But he did know that he had to get away from her. He couldn't be distracted like this. He had to be decisive… ready to do whatever it took to protect the Chosen and the Regeneration.
Even if it meant never knowing why the sleeping girl cradled in his arms reminded him so much of… her.
They entered the village of Iselia and took Colette to her home, agreeing to meet for breakfast the next morning and then parting ways with the Chosen.
Their next stop was Liane's home, as Genis and Raine decided that her parents would probably not well receive the mercenary on their doorstep carrying their unconscious daughter. He had to agree with their assessment of the situation. As eager as he was to get the journey underway, there was an order, things that had to be done to get to the end. It was as true for this day as it was for the rest of their impending travels.
Raine knocked quietly on the front door, seeing that there were still lamps burning in the common room. The door cracked open, and Dora Dale peered out into the darkness of the porch.
"Raine… what…" the woman's eyes searched past the teacher and her brother to where her daughter lay in the arms of a stranger. "Oh… Liane," a strangled gasp escaped the woman's lips as she clutched her bedrobes close around her.
"No… Dora… she's just asleep. We're just bringing her home. This is Kratos, the man that has been hired to accompany Colette."
Dora's shoulders sagged in relief. "Oh… oh, dear… yes… please… Mr. Kratos… Genis, can you show him to Liane's room?" Genis nodded and slipped into the house as Dora and Raine stood back to allow Kratos to pass, leaving the elder woman and the teacher to talk quietly. He followed Genis through the little house and turned sideways to carry the girl up a narrow stairwell to a small room. There, he laid her carefully on the quilt-covered bed. She never even stirred. Genis stood beside him as he straightened, his eyes still fixed on her. It was fairly bright in the room, with the light of the moon streaming through the half-opened window. If he let his mind wander slightly from the moment… wander from the time that his mind knew he was in… the darkness almost disguised her… her dark hair splayed out from under her on the white pillow, her eyes closed in peaceful slumber….
No. It's not her.
"She's not going to like this."
He glanced down at the silver-haired boy, grateful for the distraction.
"Why not?"
Genis shrugged. "She never sleeps in her bed. Not since she got back from her training. She can't get comfortable. She sleeps on the floor…."
"Hmmm. I think she's asleep enough not to notice."
"Whatever," Genis commented, turning back to the stairs and starting downstairs.
Kratos watched the boy depart before turning back to her. Maybe the shadows shifted, or maybe reality had reasserted its grasp, but the girl that lay before him was not… not Anna. He sighed and reached to a light coverlet that lay folded at the foot of the bed, unfurling it and letting it drape over her.
"Kratos… please…"
He shook his head, unwilling to let his memory take him back to her words… or the plea that they mirrored from so long ago. That was another lifetime. He started to leave, but a stray thought stopped him. A moment's concentration brought familiar runes to life in the air around him…
"First Aid…" he whispered, and the girl glowed green for the briefest of moments.
He was gone before she could draw her next breath.