AN: Oh my gosh, I haven't updated this in...uh...a year? I'm so sorry . This Chapter was freaking hard because I'm starting to develop Kranna stuff, but I've always been hopelessly hopeless with Romance. But it's not like I can write this story without romance right? XP Also, this is a bit more fast-paced than my past three chapters. i thought things went waaayy to slowly, and my writing's style's changed a bit. I've been gone for a year what didja expect?

Tales does not belong to me as much as I wish it did.

The following morning was rather uneventful. A quick breakfast, then they packed up the little amount of things they had brought with them. Anna shivered in the cold of the morning and drew her tattered dress around her to try to keep in as much warmth as she could. It was still early spring and her clothing was hardly adequate to keep her comfortably warm during the chilly hours of dawn and dusk. She wasn't one to complain- complaining was one thing Desians have beaten out of every prisoner at the Ranches- but Kratos noticed anyways. As they set off on the road again, Anna now wore Kratos' cloak.

One of their main concerns on the road was Noishe. The Protozoa was large and of an unusual colouring. Any other travelers on the road wasn't going to forget them easily. If Kvar worked a little to question passing merchants and pilgrims, they'd definitely pick up Kratos and Anna's trail. But there was little they could do short of sending Noishe away, and neither of them had even the faintest desire to do that. So they went on, acting as casual as they can whenever passing other people.

Because Anna was not in the best of physical condition, their pace was slow and leisurely. Anna found herself relaxing more and more as the journey wore on, the emotional barriers she had erected to survive the horrors of the Ranch starting to lower. Noishe trotted along happily beside her, holding his head high and proud. Noishe usually doesn't get along well with strangers, but Kratos noted that he seemed perfectly comfortable around Anna.

When the sun reached the climax of its journey, when shadows shrunk and some even became nonexistent, Anna realized that that she was starting to get hungry. She was about to call for a stop when she stepped on a rock jutting out of the road. She felt a pain in her right ankle as she tripped, and Anna instinctively thrust out both arms to pad her fall, closing her eyes.

She never did hit the ground, and as she looked up with confusion, she found herself supported by Kratos, both arms around her protectively. He seemed rather startled. Turning around and catching the girl was a natural reflex, one his mind hasn't registered yet. The two of them stayed in that position for several silent moments, each keenly aware of how close the other was. Anna had hugged him that day at the inn, but it wasn't like this. That had been a grateful gesture, a way for her to express her joy and relief.

"Are you ok?" Kratos asked softly, still holding Anna closely. She rested her head against his chest and nodded, comforted by the sound of his beating heart. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of his body.

"Yes, thank you." She whispered.

She finally realized why she felt so safe around this man. Kratos was cold, logical, yet he had a sincere compassion- compassion that had Anna's life had been devoid of for many years. That was why she believed in him so strongly, why she didn't doubt him when he told her the truth.

The two of them stayed in the same position until a hungry Noishe finally jumped and effectively bowled the both of them over in his complaint of the lack of food.

--

"Yes! Finally!" Anna cried happily a few days later as they entered the town of Hima. She had feared that her ankle would give her trouble after tripping, but she didn't hurt it severely and it was perfectly fine an hour later, hindering their journey only a little. She still can't forget those moments she stayed in Kratos's arms, him keeping her close. Just the thought of it made her heart skip happily, and she had no doubts of her feelings now.

Noishe barking madly at her heels, Anna ran to the first person she saw to ask them where the cheapest inn was. She didn't mind camping, but a soft bed sounded like heaven right about now!

Kratos was a lot more quiet with his entrance. He surveyed the town quickly and sighed. The last time he had been to Hima was hundreds of years ago -Mithos liked to keep him on Derris-Kharlan as much as possible- and the town has definitely deteriorated over the years. Many buildings were in disrepair and had seen better days.

Mana depletion was getting more and more serious in recent years as Tethe'alla continues to advance in magitechnology, thus consuming more and more mana. This had worried Mithos of course, who's whole plan of separating the worlds was to revive Martel and prevent the development of Magitechnology.

That was why Mithos was considering sending Kratos or Yuan to accompany the next chosen of regeneration to make sure it is completed this time. If they reverse the cycle, then Tethe'alla will start to decline, forced to abandon Magitechnology and it will take Sylvarant many years to recover. A delicate balancing act that could threaten to overturn both worlds.

"Kratos! Stop standing there like an idiot and help me find a place to sleep!" Anna called back to the seraph when she noticed that he wasn't following. With a smile, Kratos joined the girl and they found an inn near the entrance of the town. After replenishing some of their supplies -food, gels, and some warmer clothing for Anna- the two settled down in the small room at the inn.

Noishe claimed one of the two beds and refused to get off. Anna plopped down on the other, thoroughly enjoying at last the feeling of a springy mattress beneath her. She was exhausted and looked forward to a few days of rest at Hima.

"Hey, we're not going to stay at Izoold are we?" Anna asked, watching Kratos take a seat by the window.

"That would depend if the Desians catch up with us or not." He answered, looking down at the streets below. As the sun began to cast a bloody light over the mountain, the citizens of Hima began to retreat to the safety of their homes. The Tower of Salvation could be seen in the distance.

He was rather absent minded at the moment. He had no doubt that what he was doing is right, but he couldn't help but let his mind wander back to Mithos. He would not be happy, and Yggdrasill wasn't someone you could provoke without consequences. Say he and Anna did get caught by the Desians? Anna would be dragged back to a ranch again or killed- Kratos didn't know what was worse. Mithos'll confine him to Derris-Kharlan and possibly take back the deal he had made Kratos so long ago- the deal of returning the world to their original state if Kratos would cooperate.

Back then, that was all he needed. But now that he has seen the sorry state Sylvarant was in, the suffering of the people at the hands of the Desians...no, there was more then to simply just reunite the two worlds now. It wasn't enough, he had to do more for these people, he couldn't depend on Mithos.

"Hey, you forgot what you promised already?" Anna asked with a sly smile. Kratos blinked, what promise?

"You said you'll try to find a way to reunite the two worlds didn't you? We won't be able to do that sitting around Izoold!"

Ah, that.

Kratos thought about it for a moment. If there was a way he'd be able to reunite the worlds without Mithos's help, and save the worlds from their current situation, he would gladly do it. They'd need the Eternal sword though, which means they need to make a new pact with Origin, and somehow circumnavigate the condition of the previous pact- in which only a half-elf could wield it. Kratos wasn't particularly bothered by the fact that he would die as a result of the pact being made, as long as he can assure the success of the plan. But to get around the old pact...

Kratos knew more about summoning than many people, but he was still not completely clear about everything there is to it. And if they are to attempt this, the more they know, the better. Kratos explained all of this to her -leaving out the part about his life being the seal of Origin-, taking quite a long time since he had to fill her in on the background information he knew. By the time he finished, the only light in the room came from a flickering lamp beside Anna, casting everything in rich shadows.

Anna considered it all carefully.

"We can check Palmacosta. They have a rather large library there." She finally suggested. Kratos thought it over. The art of Summoning has long ago been forgotten in Sylvarant, but there might still be records somewhere that might mention something useful. There are always books written in the elven language. Very few remain in Sylvarant who can still read that ancient Language, even the remaining elf population, and there might be something important written in there. Kratos was not fluent, but he knew the elven language to a certain degree and it was somewhat similar to the angelic language.

"We can take a ship there from Izoold, so our destination is still the same." Kratos finally answered. He didn't have too much hopes of finding anything, but he had to try. "Get some rest."

Anna slid under the covers, watching Kratos who resumed to his staring out the window. Anna kept her gaze on him for a few moment before lying down and staring at the ceiling. She could never get used to the fact that Kratos couldn't sleep, didn't need to eat, and the general lack of mortal needs.

Yes, it was because of this that made their journey much more bearable- he could keep watch at night and they only needed to bring food for one person and Noishe, though the protozoa usually caught himself a rabbit or something to eat.- but she felt by now the regret Kratos had about his status as an Angel. He never drew out his wings after that time he explained to her what was going on in the worlds, and always seemed to flinch at the mention of the word 'angel'.

Anna understood that the loss of his mortality was something Kratos still hasn't come to terms with yet- and perhaps never will. Anna closed her eyes as she turned on her side, the last thing she saw being the glittering of her exsphere. It must be horrible, to have lost what it meant to be a human, and Anna would be reminded of her companion's pain constantly throughout their journey.

--

Their short stay in Hima passed faster than Anna could comprehend. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, she and Kratos were packing everything up and preparing to move out again. The journey from Hima to Izoold was nearly twice the length of the trip from Luin to here, so they have to bring more provisions with them. The path to Izoold was less well traveled, which meant good news in the form of them having less chance of encountering someone who would tip off the Desians, bad news in the form of more aggressive monsters.

They set out westwards, following the Hima Mountain chain. The trail became steadily less worn as they went on, and a few days later, as they turned southwards, the path was almost nonexistent.

Monsters watched them from a distance, but even the dimmest of them recognized the confident stride of an experienced warrior in Kratos, so most stayed away. Noishe alone was larger than half the monsters living in the areas. Between the two ancient heroes, Anna was quite well protected. The few monsters that did dare venture nearby were dealt with quickly, effectively, and without a second glance.

After following the shoreline for a week, they finally set foot in the small town of Izoold. By then both Noishe and Anna were utterly spent and exhausted, and both were cheered up considerably by the sight of the fishing town.

Anna and Kratos had discussed their plans and had decided to stay at Izoold for a month or two before setting out. It will take the Desians a while to pick up their tracks to this insignificant town, and they can use that time to relax and rest. They would also have to save up on the Gald needed to get a ship to Palmacosta, since the small amount that Kratos had brought with him when he first descended upon Sylvarant was nearly gone.

People cast them curious looks as they entered Izoold. The small town rarely got any visitors over land, as the nearest town of Triet was over the mountains and across a desert. The other path here was a very long journey from Hima, and crawling all over with monsters. So seeing such a small group come was a bit of a surprise. The people of Izoold minded their own business though, none of them bothering to ask the trio about themselves, so they were left in peace.

As the two of them settled down in the Inn, Anna -instead of sitting down on the bed immediately like she always did- went to stand beside Kratos as he took his position by the window once more, watching the ocean with his keen eyesight, picking out details normal humans would not have been able to in the darkness. Anna found herself leaning against him, enjoying his presence.

"Thank you so much, for everything." She whispered. Kratos looked down to regard her curiously. Anna straightened herself and broke away from Kratos, leaning against the wall now. She took a moment to find her voice again.

"You don't truly understand what you saved me from do you? Those ranches robbed everything from its prisoners. Our hope, our freedom, our dignity. I had to no reason to believe I would ever get out alive, or even enjoy a single happy moment for the rest of my life. I felt so helpless, everything was so meaningless..." Her voice choked as she fought tears back. She had spent so long locking those memories away, trying to forget the life in which she wasn't even worth calling a human being. "It didn't really matter anymore when I tried to escape with Ben. I was desperate, but I really had no thought of getting out alive."

Anna once again leaned over against Kratos, this time wrapping her arms around the Seraph. He didn't mind, and put one arm around her small frame, holding her close.

"But here I am. The first time in so many years, I think I'm free. I have control over my own life, I can think for myself." Wiping away the few tears she had shed, she smiled. "Thank you so much Kratos, I can never say that enough."

Kratos never really thought about it, about what it must have been like for Anna. She had lived half her live at the Asgard ranch, treated like dirt, stripped of any pride she had. It was amazing that the girl standing before him now was the way she is, so determined to take matters into her own hands. She truly was a strong girl.

Her next words caught him completely off guard, yet not unpleasantly.

"I love you Kratos." There, she said it. She had no doubts about it and she wasn't afraid. She truly loved this man, who had shown her so much kindness, even if he was not aware of it himself. Anna stayed in Kratos' arms for many long moments, and from his relaxed grip she knew that he returned her feelings. At that moment, nothing else seemed to really matter anymore.

"It's getting late." Kratos finally whispered, and she reluctantly nodded. As the two of them broke away, both felt their hearts beating a bit faster than usual. As Anna got ready for bed, Kratos looked back out the window, trying to gather his emotions. He had suspected the bond between himself and Anna for a while now, yet for her to say it out loud, to suddenly turn it into something tangible, to pin a name on it...

Love, it was a frightening prospect yet at the same time...

--

Kratos watched the waves crash against the side of the boat and seagulls flying overhead. The dark purple outfit he had on at the beginning of this all was now replaced by a simple black sweater and a dark pair of pants. He stood out less this way, and let's face it- it was a lot more comfortable too. His sword hung loosely on his belt, and hadn't been drawn since their trip to Izoold. Something threw his appearance off though, and it was a bow and quiver hanging across his back.

Well, the reason for that was quite simple. He found a temporary job protecting one of the small fishing vessels of Izoold for the past two months. Any large creatures that the fisherman did not want was easily dissuaded with an arrow or two, but a sword proved worthless from the decks of the ship. And while Kratos is not an exceptional Archer, he's been trained in the use of a bow during his stay in the army back in the Kharlan War.

Izoold could be seen above the waves now, the fishing vessel now heading back to port. This would be the last night Kratos and Anna would stay in this small town. Rumours spread of Desians heading this way and the two had no intentions of getting caught by them. Everything was prepared now, they had packed everything, and the ferry heading to Palmacosta tomorrow was all set. Everything went better than either Kratos and Anna could have dared to hope. They had thrown the Desians off their course quite effectively, and even now they weren't sure if the Desians were actually here for them or for other matters. But it was still better safe than sorry.

As the ship docked, Kratos waited patiently for the sailors to take care of what needed to be done to secure the boat before they could get off. Anna was waiting on the dock as usual and waved to Kratos the moment she saw him. He smiled as a response, waving slightly back to her.

Anna hugged him tightly as Kratos was finally on solid ground again. When they got back to their room at the Inn, all of their things was stashed in a corner, neatly packed. Noishe perked up the moment he sensed them coming and welcomed the two back with wet kisses and mad barking, just like a normal dog would.

"So you think we'll find something?" Anna asked as they finally settled down, and her topic was obviously about the Palmacosta Library. She stroked Noishe absently, the protozoa curled up beside her.

"To tell you the truth, no. The art of Summoning has long been lost from this world. But that doesn't mean there can't be something that could help us." Kratos once again settled next to the window, a habit of his that wouldn't break anymore.

"Well, anything's better than nothing. Good night Kratos." Anna leaned over to blow the candle out, and Kratos took a few minutes to adjust his eyes to the sudden dark. Noishe decided then to go to the side of his ancient friend and sat in front of Kratos. He regarded the seraph with intelligent eyes, eyes that showed how different he was from a monster or animal. There was understanding, empathy, and a sparkle in those eyes, yet he had the carefree innocence of his animal blood. Noishe had been a close friend for many years.

"You see it in her too don't you?" Kratos whispered softly. Noishe blinked and closed his eyes in contentment as Kratos ran a hand through his silky fur.

"That love of live, that untainted innocence...and such strong determination." Kratos looked back at the bed where Anna was now fast asleep and smiled. How could he not feel that fate had brought the two of them together? They met under such hard circumstances yet the two of them were kept together by a bond they hadn't realized back then.

"She's not a stranger to you is she Noishe?" Kratos understood now why Noishe seemed to like Anna so much, when he normally distrusted anyone he didn't know. "She's a lot like Martel."

Kratos turned back to look at Noishe, who seemed to understand every word. And he probably did, Noishe was, after all, one day going to evolve into a human. The protozoa gently nudged Kratos and curled up at his feet. The seraph once more let his gaze drift back to the women that had entered his life so suddenly mere months ago.

"I love you too Anna."

AN: Pfft, told you I was hopeless with romance. Unfortunately, I'll have to thread this type of thing in and our of the story until the very end. Just bear with me ok? XP If you see any Spelling mistakes, grammatic mistakes, sentences that were hard to understand or typos, please tell me alright? I edited this right before I had to run to a camp so i might have missed some things.