(A/N) Two short ones today! Yes, spoilers. Just two separate skits I like... and if you guys like these, go ahead and look at 'A Snowy Encounter' and 'Tomato Soup' that I wrote a while back... those are also skits I might repost here instead, maybe with a bit more depth. Anyways: Enjoy, and please leave a review! I'll keep writing anyway, but it would be great to know if anyone wants to read more...XD


"Journey to Save the World"


The group sat around the fire, the night darkened everything around them, artfully casting jittering shadows that moved with the flames across their arms, their faces. Kratos calmly stared into the flames, as had become routine while everyone else went to sleep. It wasn't that he couldn't sleep, he didn't need to, nor did he want to because of the dreams that plagued him. It was always best for him to keep watch, and it was almost soothing on these traveling nights to look up at the stars. He recalled that being a hobby when Lloyd was a small child, and long before, but especially with Lloyd and Anna. The sky held fond memories. He tipped his head back, auburn hair falling slightly out of his face as he examined the ever constant stars that never lost their beauty. Lloyd begun to nod off across the fire while leaning heavily on Genis, whose eyes had also started to droop. Raine was sitting calmly to his left, and though he was trying to ignore her, her piercing gaze became uncomfortable. Never one to willingly start a conversation, he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Other than the Chosen, our group doesn't look like one that's on a journey to save the world." He observed softly, so as not to wake the drifting teens. The professor quirked an eyebrow, taking it the wrong way.

"You still don't trust Lloyd and Genis?" She looked prepared to defend their virtues, and Kratos shook his head slightly.

"They are much too young to bear the fate of the world." They really were so fragile and impressionable. There was no need to pain more souls with the wretched rituals than necessary. "I'm concerned that they will not be able to handle this journey." That was more true than he let on. He suspected that Raine knew what lied at the end of their path, she cautiously had accepted the Chosen's fate. Lloyd and Genis could never be told, never be asked to make that kind of choice. The professor's gaze softened briefly, but then her eyes narrowed quickly. Perhaps she had remembered that Kratos did not know anything of the Chosen's fate, Kratos guessed. He wasn't supposed to.

"While I may be an elf, I'm still just a school teacher from a small village." She trivialized her role easily enough. "And you're a mercenary who fights for money." Her voice was challenging, as if she knew that he wasn't who he pretended to be. "I don't think we're fit to handle the task of saving the world, either, wouldn't you agree?" She was trying to play to his ego. Kratos smirked to himself. He'd run into plenty of clever people before and never lost his cool. She wouldn't get what she was looking for, she couldn't outsmart a 4000 year old seraphim. He'd seen it all. Her point was valid enough, though. This group was far from prepared to Regenerate the Worlds, and there was an unspoken agreement that the Chosen's secret would remain just that.

"Hn, indeed." Kratos cut the conversation off and tipped his head back up to the sky. Whatever the outcome of their journey, the stars would remain for thousands of years to come, as they had existed for thousands of years past. The worlds needed at least some semblance of consistency, after all.


"Kratos' Intention"


"Kratos." Raine had trained her suspicious glare back on the silent 'mercenary'. She really had no evidence to prove that he was otherwise, his story was flawless. He just seemed to know too much, about anything and everything they encountered. More than her, even though he tried to hide it most times. She saw those times. Maybe it grated on her pride, or what not, for any reason, she looked askance on any of his intentions. She needed to see what was under that mask, and an interrogation was exactly what needed to take place to clear this up.

"Why did you take on the job of guarding Colette?" She'd seen how he looked at the children. Especially Lloyd, it was as if he had already resigned himself to hurting them. If he was simply detached, it wouldn't bother Raine, but he was getting so close with Lloyd. The other day, after training, Raine had seen Kratos smiling at the boy. It was the only time he'd smiled. Perhaps Raine was protective of her students, but Kratos didn't share much of anything. While these thoughts ran through her head, Kratos looked at her with mild annoyance.

"Hmph," his eyes had disappointment in them, as if he expected something better in her attempts to unmask him, "I'm a mercenary." As if that was more than enough to explain it. "That's how we earn money to live." Now that seriously wounded Raine's pride. She plowed on, searching for something deeper.

"In other words, it's just a job?" She needed him to acknowledge that he had no right getting close to her students. They were under her protection, and she knew that Kratos was going to hurt them. Building bonds with Kratos was going to be painful for Lloyd to break, the last thing the boy need was a father-figure snatched away after the job was done and Colette was... but they'd cross that bridge when they got there.

"That's correct." Kratos said brusquely. Everything about his manner was harsh around her. He knew what she was asking, too.

"That's really all?" Raine wouldn't accept his answer. She locked eyes with him, asking for that agreement. He had to leave Lloyd be, before it was too late. Kratos' hard gaze broke. It looked painful for him to admit anything at this point. Raine wouldn't allow any sympathy to reach her unyielding demeanor, though. Whatever he was trying to do wouldn't slip by her.

"Yes." Kratos reluctantly replied, much softer than before. That was what Raine wanted, a genuine acceptance. It wasn't personal; it was what she had to do. They sunk back into an uneasy silence with Kratos a bit more solemn than before.


Yes, both short, so I combined them, sorry! Please Review!