Chapter 3: I'd Start to Cry

"Oh dear, we're out of eggs..."

"Mom! I'll go shopping!"

"You will? Thank you Anna." The young girl ran out of the door with a smile on her face. She had a blue sun dress, and a short, shoulder-length bob haircut.

"OK, got the eggs!" she smiled as she put them in her shopping bag.

"Run!! It's the Desians!!" a woman screamed as she held her child to her chest and ran.

"Desians...?" she said wide-eyed.

"Where is she?! Where's Anna?!" a younger Pleur bashed into her house after getting permission to leave Sybak Academy for a while. Her mother and father both were sitting, weeping.

"Anna...!" the mother screamed into her handkerchief.

"Where is Anna?!" she demanded. Her father shook her head.

"Anna... Was taken by the Desians..." the father choked on the words.

"No...! My sweet little sister...!" she cried and curled into a ball on the floor.

"Why do you ask of my sister?" she whispered.

"You have nothing to fear. She is alive and well. I'm making sure of it." he told her, and she flipped up her head.

"Anna's alive?! Please tell me!! Is she working at the human ranches?!"

"Until about a month ago, she was doing extreme labor. But I'm doing my best to take care of her now."

"Thank you...!" Pleur felt tears come down her cheeks, "I can't believe it... I'm 25, which makes Anna..."

"Twenty one." he told her, "By the way, where are her parents?"

"Mother and father are..." she sighed sadly, "Gone."

"What...?" he was in shock.

"During a Desian raid in Palmacosta while I was gone at Sybak academy, they were killed."

"I see... I'm sorry..."

"She also asked about Noel, right?" she smiled.

"Yes."

"She... Died just a few days ago, while giving birth to mother's dream puppies, a half wolf, half Noel dog. They're cute little twins."

"Again, I'm sorry, but these two will live on."

"Yes. Oh..." she walked over to Kratos, "If it's possible, could you bring this puppy to her?" she asked.

"A puppy?" he asked, and looked down in her hand to see a sleeping puppy, so small that he could fit it in his pocket. It was very beautiful and healthy-looking as well.

"I can't take it now," he softly stroked the little one on the head, "But I'll come for it when I get Anna out of there."

"You're going to help her escape?! Thank you so much!" she bowed, "Please, come stay with me when you're ready." she smiled brightly.

"We'll try." he told her, and walked towards the door.

"Thank you! Please come again!" she called, and he nodded.

When he got back to Anna, he spoke with her about everything that happened. Despite hearing all the loss she had, she just smiled and said, "I'm glad Pleur is well." But was Anna hiding emotions from Kratos, of all people.

"Kratos, I've come to pick up the specimen." the man Kvar told him a few weeks later. The two looked up to see the mustached man walking towards Anna to bring her to the lab.

"All right... I'll see you later, Lord Kratos." she smiled, bowed, and was lead by a Desian soldier away. Kratos sat at the table for hours, waiting her to return. It had been almost 3 hours since her leave, when he heard a scream... And it sounded like her! He jumped from his chair and ran outside to look for her.

"What's wrong, Lord Kratos?" a soldier asked him.

"Where is Anna?" he asked quickly.

"Oh, the specimen? She'll be back in a few minutes. They're almost done for today."

"Good. I'll wait for a bit." he walked back to his room and sat down, holding his hands in anticipation.

"Kratos." a female voice kindly called, and he whipped his head up.

"Anna, are you all right?" he walked towards her, he was very worried.

"Yeah." she tried to smile, but he could tell she was forcing herself. Then he saw her hand held behind her back.

"What are you hiding?" he asked firmly.

"N-Nothing!" she stepped back.

"Tell me!" he raised his voice for once.

"NO!!" she screamed. He looked at her, shocked, maybe even hurt. She held her other hand over her mouth and gasped.

"I'm... Going to sleep. Good night."

"Yes... Please excuse me."

He walked to his side of the room where the bed for him was placed and layed down. She sat down on hers and curled in a ball, feeling a tightening in her chest. She felt guilt, sadness, anger, but most of all... A feverish feeling in her cheeks that wouldn't go away. She pulled her hand up and looked at it.

"What if he hates me because it's so ugly...?" she asked herself in her mind. But she trusted Kratos, she really did. So, she got up and walked over to his bed.

"Kratos... Are you awake...?" she softly asked him. He turned a little bit in his sleep, and she sighed, "I guess not. But, Kratos... I'm sorry. I didn't want you to see my hand. My ugly, ugly hand... They mess around with the exsphere in my hand every day, and I hate it, it hurts. Someday, they say the Angelus project will remove all my feelings with that Cruxis crystal," she felt tears falling from her eyes, "I just... I didn't want you to hate me because I'm not as strong as I look...! I knew that when I started to tell you about it, I'd see your face, and I'd start to cry...!" she sobbed quietly, "So please, don't hate me Kratos, because you're the most important person in my life." she confessed.

"I'd never hate you, Anna." a murmur came out of his mouth. She gasped as he lifted himself quickly from the bed and held her in his arms.

"Kratos...?" she whipered, and he placed his finger on her lips. Her emerald eyes with tears as polish looked into his of pure love. He released her softly, then moved his face closer to hers.

"You know what...?" he whispered, "You said I'm your savior, but you're mine." he looked straight at her, "I love you." Then she placed her finger over his lips and smiled, with tears coming down her cheeks.

I LOVE YOU TOO, she signed with her lips, and then kissed his with them. He stroked his hand down her hair, and wiped away the tears that she cried.

"Anna..." he told her, and kissed her forehead, "Let's escape, together."

"Yes..." she smiled, "Together."