Hello, once again, everyone! I appreciate you all staying with the story so far, and those reviews I have received! It has been longer since this update as compared to last, but I have been rather busy that past week or so. First of all, I had family form another state visit for a while, and after that, my parents had to disconnect this computer while they moved around things in the room. (I had already started on this chapter before this happened) After that, a small span of Writer's Block struck, until finally…here I am. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, for it is a bit longer than the first one (as to try and make up for the time). And another note: review responses will come while I am halfway done with a chapter to nearly done with it, so be ready for them at really any time. I'll try to at least make chapters this long from now on!

Disclaimer: I do not, at all, own Tales of Symphonia or its characters in this story, though I do, however, own a copy of the game and any OCs I might create, as well as my version of Anna, though her in herself is entirely Namco's.


Wings of the Seraph- A Kranna Story

Chapter Three

"Kratos?" The said seraph mentally groaned. Ever since they had started again the next day, Anna had continuously tried to get his attention.

"Kratos?! Hey, listen to me!" The brunette's tone became sharp. 'Ugh!' The once-prisoner thought. 'What is he? Deaf?' "Hey, Kratos!" Again, no response from her companion. "Kraaaatos! Can yo-"

He stopped suddenly and held his hand out behind him, motioning for her to do the same. "Be quiet, I hear voices nearby."

'Is this just some scheme to get me to shut up? I bet he's lying! I don't hear anything, so how could he? And my mother said that I heard things rather well, so…so…' Anna pushed past him and looked him straight in the eye. "Now, look here, mister. I don't hear anything out there, and I know you're probably just hearing things, or trying to get me to stop bugging you! Am I right, or am I right?"

The red-haired man narrowed his eyes and glared. "Anna, if you do not want to be caught, I would suggest that you stay silent!" He hissed in a low voice.

"No, I won't be quiet! You should stop telling me to be, because-" He silenced her by throwing his hand over her mouth. A few moments later, Anna herself began hearing footsteps and hushed voices. Her eyes widened.

'He wasn't hearing things…or trying to quiet me…' She backed up a step and without another sound, went behind Kratos. If it wasn't for them being in a forest, they would have likely already been seen.

"Those inferior beings have to be somewhere out here! Lord Kvar said he saw them heading this way!" The seraph cursed inwardly. He knew he should have not gone in such a direct path! He drew his sword from its scabbard quietly and silently started towards the voices.

Anna was about to follow him, but Kratos gave her the signal to stay where she was. The former prisoner was about to protest, but she quickly stopped herself from uttering a sound. 'Good luck…You may hold a higher rank than those others, but…you are only human…' She bit her lip. What if her guardian did, in fact, get killed?

"Search the area! They might be around here, somewhere!" A Desian growled, one who Kratos found to be almost right in front of him.

"Yes, sir!" Said another half-elf. The Desian that was apparently in charge of the search party turned around and abruptly let out a gurgling sound.

"Sir?!" The other members of the search party found their leader sliding off the blade of the seraph.

"It's Lord Kratos! That means the host body must be nearby! Find her!" As some moved to try searching for Anna, Kratos sliced clean through one that lay within his reach. Another of his opponents charged at him wildly with a sword, in which he skillfully parried and countered with a thrust to the chest, thus ending his or her life.

While the member of Cruxis engaged in combat with another foe, a yell sounded from close behind him.

"Kratos! Help!" Clenching the hilt of his weapon more firmly, he incapacitated the Desian he was fighting and ran back to where he had left Anna. He cursed when he found her at sword point.

"Lord Kratos, Lord Kvar wishes to know why it is you saved this pathetic, inferior being."

"That is something Kvar does not need to know." The cold angel replied. The half-elf grinned and held his blade closer to the captive's throat. Fear showed in Anna's eyes. 'I don't want to go back there…I don't! I…I'm scared…of going back…'

Instead of moving to help her, Kratos looked deep in thought for a minute and raised his other hand. "Grave!"

Anna's captor seemed to be surprised as spires of rock shot out of the ground and crushed him between their might. True to its name, the spell seemed to truly be the Desian's grave.

"Anna, we must hurry and out of this area before more come." But, the said woman was almost speechless.

"H-how did you do that? You're human…a-and…humans can't cast magic!"

"It is of no consequence." He replied.

Grumbling to herself, the woman crossed her arms and walked over to the angel. "You're going to tell me sometime, or I swear, I'll…kick you!" She threatened.

"…Kick me?"

"Yes! That's right! I'll kick you!"

Kratos sighed and shook his head. "Whatever you say. Now, hurry. There are still a few Desians left, and I would assume you do not wish to be caught."

"Well, I…of course I don't want to be taken back!" This time, she was the one tugging on his arm. "Come on, Lord Kratos!"

"…" He took his arm out of her hold and walked ahead of her. "We will head to Asgard for supplies, and hope that they don't follow just yet."

Anna stared at him as the seraph so calmly walked off. She shivered and followed, not wanting to be left alone for the overlords at the ranch.

"How can you be so calm at a time like this? It's not…not human! It's…it's…" She trailed off.

"If I had panicked at any time earlier on, do you truly think we would have gotten this far?"

"You're right about that, but…you just killed them left and right. I know, they're Desians, but do you feel any remorse for those whose lives you take?"

"…No, not particularly." The former prisoner's eyes widened, and then narrowed.

"If you're so heartless, then why did you save me?" Once again, he stopped.

"Because…" He would have said, 'It was people like you who gave us the reason to end the Kharlan War,' but he knew he could not say that to anyone. "I chose to. Is that enough? You'll get on with your life, and I'll get on with mine once I leave you at Palmacosta. I would appreciate it if you didn't bother me with such questions!"

Glaring, Anna turned her head sharply. "Humph. Fine, then, jerk."

"Call me what you would like."

"I will, you jerk!" She stomped off in the direction off the Balacruft Mausoleum, though she, of course, did not know that was where she was heading.

"Anna…" He sighed. 'Why do I care about getting her to safety anyway?' A voice in the back of his mind pondered.

'Because I can't let Mithos get her exsphere.' He reminded himself. 'And people like her…don't deserve that… Part of the war could come back to relive these days if it continues on…and this time, there would be no 'Mithos the Hero' to save them.' The seraph yelled to his companion, who seemed to be content to be on her own for the time being.

"Anna, we are going to set up camp in a short time! Come back, now!" A minute later, the grumbling brunette returned, not even bothering to give Kratos the privilege of seeing her face. Taking it as a sign that she would bother him no more for a time, the seraph moved on.

---

Once Anna had finally fallen asleep, Kratos decided to watch the stars, as was his hobby for when he could not sleep. Obviously, since about four-thousand years ago, he couldn't, so looking at the nighttime sky became a nightly tradition.

A slight sound of a stick nearby breaking and a muffled curse alerted the seraph to another's presence. A normal human would not be able to have picked it up, but Kratos, with his angel senses, was anything but.

"Yuan," He stated, recognizing the unique mana signature of his friend. "I know it's you." There was a ruffling of bushes, and the other angel came into the clearing. Yuan had an almost bright shade of blue hair, bangs on the right side of his face hanging over it and on his back, it ending in a ponytail.

"So the rumors were true." His blue eyes, the same color as his hair, narrowed. "Are you two lovers?"

"Yuan, I've only known her for two days. Do you seriously believe I would be infatuated with her?" His friend shook his head.

"No, I would hope not. Has she given any signs of liking you?"

"She has not, as I had hoped. I wish to be free of her soon enough. Her presence is very…tiring." Kratos' comrade from long ago chuckled very softly.

"You? Have someone tire you?"

"…Why are you here?" The red-haired swordsman changed the subject after a pause.

"I had to see for myself if you really did go as far as to rescue a human this time. This is the exact reason Mithos kept you away from the human ranches for so long, you know."

"Yes," Kratos agreed. "but what's done is done."

"I know that, but why did you save her?"

"It seems everyone wishes to know that today…" He muttered, hinting that he wished to not say.

"Fine, have it your way. But, Kratos," The blue-headed man lowered his voice almost dangerously. "I will know someday."

"I plan to tell you another time, Yuan, but not now."

Yuan nodded. "I figured that. I suppose I can tell Mithos I was unable to find you, but heard from travelers that you seemed to be heading towards Hakonesia Peak."

"…Thank you."

The secret Renegade leader shrugged. "You know I don't exactly agree with Mithos anymore, either."

"Indeed." With his last words being spoken, the violet-winged seraph left as quickly as eh came.

'This significantly changes the plan.' Kratos thought with slight irritation. 'I suppose after Asgard, we could head towards Luin, and then Hima. After that, beyond to Izoold, and then, maybe I can leave her there, away from any ranch.' Another thought struck him just then.

'Whatever it takes, I know Mithos' promise to reunite the worlds is not good enough... I need to find a way that myself, or, perhaps another, trusted human, can wield the Eternal Sword.'


I hope to see you all next chapter, and review if you want to-it helps me bear in mind things while writing. I thank you all, again, who have reviewed with some CC, and hope you continue to critique my work. As I said, I will not say 'please review,' but every time there is one, I'll think of some clever or not-so-clever way for Kvar to so 'unexpectedly' die.

Also: For those reviewers, I will give a short 100-300 word preview of the next chapter in a review response from now on. So, a win-win situation, I suppose, eh?