Many thanks to the reviewers! It makes my day every time I see a new review! )
Potter29vo: Thanks again for the reviews! I realize that many of my sentences are sometimes run-ons, but I like to think of them as my creative license! :) I would like to involve Sheena more, and I hope to in the future! But this fic does center around Kratos, so I will be focusing on him naturally more than any other character.
Xeora: No no! Not the window! I wouldn't want to lose anyone! Sadly, Kratos will be in this fic almost as he was in the game. I am only throwing in one extra tidbit that will become more clear as the chapters advance. And cute pics on your deviant art btw… :)
Kitten Kisses 5 and 6: Thanx! It's ok, I don't expect everyone to review every chapter! It means enough to me that you left a review at all, I'm touched by every one! :) And yes, Kratos can use some cheering up… hmmm… must devise a good way to do this… mwahahaha….
Zakari: Grounded from the Gamecube? Oh no! Well, I assume you have it back now, so you can enjoy real-live Kratos! Of course, you can always bum some ideas off my Kratos-muse if you like.
Me: ::pokes Kratos-muse:: Hey you! Give me some good ideas!
Kratos-muse: And if I said no?
Me: well… uhh… phooey!
Lil-Samuu: Why thank you! I try my best to put everyone in character as best as I can. Still, sometimes more of my thoughts slip out than theirs. That's when Kratos-muse must whack me over the head and say "What are you doing?!!!" It hurts when he does that! Ouch.
Akarui-kyohaku-heishei: I'm glad you like the fic! (And Kratos!) Another avid Kratos fan! Woohoo! I'm also pleased with the ending lines of chapter 8, they turned out better than I thought was possible at 4 in the morning… haha….
RidingGirl: I don't question how Lloyd gets into Kratos's hair, I simply accept that it's possible! lol
Sakasha: Thanks! I enjoyed all the campfire scenes during TOS, and I couldn't resist throwing a few in the fic.
Oreokids87: Interesting name by the way. Yay! I'm glad you like the fic! :)
Animegurl64: Thanks! Kratos is such an inspiration for me sometimes, sadly enough!
Jade Wyvern: I'm so glad you like the fic! lol! The idea of Kratos and Lloyd being brothers touched a soft spot in my heart, it was just too cute to leave out!
Piro the unforgiven one: Water temples tend to be evil in many games. ::cough cough:: LEGEND OF ZELDA! ::cough::
Destiny's light (chapter 8): Yes, Kratos does have many problems, so many that I've decided to write a fic about them!
Destiny's light (chapter 7): I've often wondered the same thing about Kratos. I have a feeling that if he had to do it all again, he just might do it all the same. Kratos is a complex character, and it's taken me a LOT of observation to try and get in his head… (no easy task!)
Kratos-muse: Why, whatever do you mean? Me? Complex?
Destiny's light (chapter 6): Yup! Everyone falls for Lloyd's sad and pathetic look. :)
Whitney: Again, thanks for your complements! Yeah, Kratos is pretty complex, despite what he might say. And as for what's messing with Kratos's head… well, I'll leave that detail for later in the fic… ::grin::
FireEdge: Yes! I did make a couple chapters longer for you! Haha! Kratos is getting old… it makes me wonder how he could still… um… yeah! With Anna after all that time…
Jellybeanz225: I'm so looking forward to those Kratos training sessions! It looks like I won't be able to see them for a little while though… :( Nonetheless, I'm still going to try my best to depict Kratos! :)
And now, le ficcage!
"Risotto! All right!!!" Lloyd beamed, ignoring the wonder smoke as the wonder chef disappeared. "Genis! You should make some now!"
The Genis gagged on the light purple wonder smoke, trying quite unsuccessfully to fan it away with his small hands. "Why don't… ::cough cough:: … YOU … make it Lloyd??"
"But I can't…ehh… why don't you make it Profes-" Lloyd began to hand the ingredients to Raine, but then decided against it. For the wiser I might add. "Uhh… I mean…"
"Hey!" The silver haired professor glared at her pupil dangerously. Then folded her arms and turned away. I was actually a bit surprised to see Raine act so childish. "You just don't appreciate the unique qualities of my cooking!"
"Yeah, if you wanna eat spicy cake…" I heard Lloyd mutter underneath his breath, making the Chosen giggle. Of course, nobody besides us could hear him.
"Umm… if you want … I can cook it for you Lloyd." Sheena murmured, still a little shy since she had recently joined the group.
"Really? That'd be great!" He exclaimed, all too cheerfully, and handed the ingredients to Sheena.
I supposed this meant we were stopping for a break. Lloyd really did get distracted much too easily, but that didn't matter now. They were very close to finishing anyway, and then I wouldn't have to worry about protecting the Chosen, or any of her friends. I wouldn't have to worry about Lloyd.
That statement was truer than I could have ever imagined. I wouldn't have to worry about Lloyd anymore, would I? How many hours had I wasted piddling my time away, worrying about this insignificant boy? He had crept into my thoughts, day and night, which wasn't too difficult since I rarely sleep. Now that I thought about it, he was constantly on my thoughts…
No! There I go again, thinking about inconsequential things. What lay ahead of us would take my full concentration, especially now that I have discovered certain problems that I didn't know were there.
I sighed, taking this opportunity to sit on a rock, which jutted conveniently out of the ground, and rest underneath the shade of a small tree. Everyone else stood anxiously around Sheena, watching her with inquisitive eyes as she threw some unexpected extra ingredients into the risotto.
This was indeed unsettling. Sheena had begun to warm to their hearts, finding a nook inside each of them to plant herself. They were beginning to trust her, all of them. I sighed, closing my eyes briefly. We would just have to finish things as quickly as possible. Then it would not matter if this summoner was among them or not.
They all shared her finished masterpiece, laughing and talking, meaningless words of the world regeneration flitting through their conversation. Good, none of them suspected the truth yet.
One of them was approaching me. Opening one eye, I gazed calmly at the Genis kid as he slowly shuffled his way over to the secluded area I was currently sitting in. Wonderful. One of Lloyd's groupies. What did he want?
It wasn't too long before my question was answered. "Hey Kratos, I noticed that you didn't get any of Sheena's risotto! Are you ok?" He looked at me with some of the most cheerful and optimistic eyes I have ever seen. Next to Lloyd that is. And maybe Colette. He held forward a plate of the summoner's risotto at me expectantly.
"Yes, I am merely concerned for the Chosen. She has a tough time ahead of her." I lied quietly, taking the small plate from the half-elf. Deciding that I wasn't hungry, especially for something that perhaps the most dangerous one of the party thus far had conjured, I set it aside. Genis appeared a little concerned at that, but I held up a hand, quickly silencing him. "Thank you Genis, I will eat it at a later time."
"O-ok." He stammered. Apparently that wasn't quite the response he had expected. He turned to leave, but then wheeled back around sharply on his heels. "Umm… Kratos, can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead." I asked, mildly curious as to what the boy would ask. Hopefully it would not be something dreadfully… stupid… like one of Lloyd's questions.
"Kratos, you seem to know a lot of things…" He began, his tone somewhat suspicious. "…things that I wouldn't expect any human to know…"
My ever alert ears pricked up at his hesitant tone. Genis was the smartest of Lloyd's group, next to his sister. Had he somehow figured out my secret? Did he know…
"… and you're amazing with a sword! I mean… Lloyd wouldn't even stand a chance against you, let alone any enemy!" The Genis kid continued incredulously.
Oh no! Had he figured out that it wasn't normal to begin 50 levels higher than the rest of them in the beginning of the game???
The boy shook his light silver locks back and forth freely, laughing with a child's light laughter. "I didn't think I could do it before, you're such a conundrum to understand! But I think I have done it now. You really aren't from this world…"
At this moment I wondered whether or not there was a god. If there was, would he allow me to face Yggdrasil's wrath without being terribly mauled?
"…you're from across the ocean!" Genis continued excitedly. "I hear there is a village of Katz people! Have you seen it? What is it like? Are they all as strange as the Katz people we meet now?"
"Genis…" I breathed a mixed sigh of relief and slight annoyance. I had become much too worked up over nothing! Perhaps my emotions truly were not in as good of a balance as I had hoped they were. "… as I told you before, I am a traveling mercenary. I have seen many lands and gained much practice with the sword in my time. Yes, I have traveled to this Katz village you speak of, but I'm afraid you won't find much of interest there, besides seafood."
"Oh! Ok. That's still pretty cool though!" Genis smiled, completely oblivious to the torment he had caused me. Very well, it was better that he did not know. But suddenly, his expression changed, flitting through a quick range of emotions that only a child of his age would be capable of doing. Within moments, his bright and cheery expression had altered to one of fearful intrigue. His voice lowered, and he leaned in a little closer towards me. "Kratos, there is something else I meant to ask you too…"
"What is it?" I asked, mildly curious as to what was disturbing the boy like so.
"I… I don't know how, but somehow I can just tell. You know what I am… don't you? That Raine and I are…" He murmured hesitantly. He needn't speak anymore, I knew what he meant to say.
"Half-elves. Yes, I know." I replied calmly, watching as the boy's emotions raced from hesitance to surprise, then a mixture of apprehension and gratitude.
"But you… you don't hate us, do you? I mean… you know we're what we are and you don't treat us any differently, from what I can tell…" Genis spoke, still unsure of what he should really say. I could tell that the thoughts were really racing through his mind. He was intrigued, frightened, and happy all at the same time.
"Genis, three of my best friends were half-elves. I do not discriminate against any being, human, elf, or half-elf." I spoke equally as quietly. It was possible that the Chosen could hear our conversation, but with Lloyd shouting loudly next to her, as he seemed fond of doing, it was doubtful.
"Were?" Genis picked up the tense immediately, much to my dismay. "Kratos, what do you mean?"
"Never you mind that. My past is my own business." I cursed mentally, as it seemed I did a lot nowadays. Another little slip like that really could allow this young boy to figure things out. "For now, let's just say that to me you are all the same. When you travel as much as I have, and have seen the things I have seen, race becomes irrelevant. Nearly everything does…" I trailed off quietly, thinking for myself of what I was really trying to say.
Genis was indeed our youngest member, but his brilliance never ceased to amaze me. "Kratos, you came with us for a different reason, didn't you? … something besides the money." The boy's tone had suddenly grown serious again, though not fearful this time like it had been before.
I didn't reply.
"It's not my place to ask you about your past. Like you said, it's your own business." He backed away a bit then, glancing over at Lloyd, who was trying to wave him back over. "But I want you to know that if something's wrong… we're all here for you." He smiled what most would call an adorable victory smile, then headed back over to join the rest.
I sat alone, on that convenient rock, under that convenient tree, thinking about how inconvenient life had become. "I have done my best to distance myself from them, and yet just now, Genis has proved that I have failed in this too."
I sighed, thinking of the mental repercussions this would undoubtedly incur. "They really care about me. They… shouldn't."
