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How about some angst now?

CW

"So what do we do now?"

"The angelus project must go forth."

"We need a new test subject."

"And how do we find one with such a close biological match."

"I don't understand how Lord Yuan failed to apprehend the two—"

"ENOUGH!" Mithos snapped, raising his hand for silence.

Kvar and Pronyma fell silent and shrunk back slightly. The other three gentlemen did not. One was dressed in a brown sport coat, black pants, and a forest green shirt which clashed magnificently with his purple hair and red spectacles. Rodyle was the most recent recruit to Mithos's "political party" and was rather the mad scientist of the group.

The second gentle man wore a white polo, khaki's, and boots and he glared at the others from under a messy shock of red hair. Magnius, another new recruit, was much more casual than his companions and more willing to get his hands dirty.

The third man was a little bit of legend, a human rights crusader for half-elves, and had a certain air of dignity about him. His impeccably tailored, neatly arrange blue hair, and piercing red eyes only added to the sense of importance and power that hung around him. Forcystus alone had ignored the bickering of his fellows and was waiting to hear Mithos's orders.

"We can't delay any longer," Mithos said, straightening his white lapels. "Is everything in order at the Palmacosta, Iselia, and Asgard Ranches?"

"We are waiting for the test subjects at Iselia," Forcystus replied. "Everything is in order elsewise."

"We're good," Magnius added.

"I await your orders," Kvar said.

"Very well," Mithos said. "I meet with the governing body of Sylvarant tomorrow with my work camp proposal." Mythos grinned and so did his subordinates. "It should be no problem to get them to pass the order to pull test subjects from lower income areas. They desperately need the economic boost we will provide."

"What about Tethe'alla?" Pronyma asked.

"Tethe'alla has too much money and influence," Mithos replied. "They aren't as desperate for the project. Besides, there is still a lot of anger between Tethe'alla and Sylvarant. With the right amount of influence, we should be able to get our divide pushed through so the Tethe'alla won't become a problem."

"You really think the leaders will listen to you that much?" Rodyle asked with a sneer.

Mithos glared. "I have powers you do not know about Rodyle. I suggest you focus more on getting your ranch in order."

Rodyle glared. "Yes my lord."

Mythos held up a hand. "Dismissed." The group filed out and Mithos sat down heavily at his desk, his back to the large window. He would take no pleasure in seeing his city now, not when Yuan and Kratos had both failed him in such a spectacular manner. What was the world coming to when the people you thought you could rely on turned their backs on you. True, Yuan was still loyal and still useful, but Kratos…Kratos's betrayal stung him deeply. And all for a human!

It didn't matter, he supposed. Soon he would rule both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. Soon he would wield the gift Origin had given him and Kratos would fall with the rest of those pathetic inferior beings.

Anna got to her feet, still dizzy from the revelations, both Kratos's and Yuan's. Kratos had not moved an inch except to put his wings away. She stumbled a bit as she rose and Kratos reached out to help her without thinking.

"Don't!" she shouted, holding up her hands and cowering away from him. Kratos's heart wrenched to see her so afraid and so revolted by his touch. He should have expected this, but he wasn't fully prepared for just how much it hurt. The hollow feeling was back and after all this time, he finally recognized it for what it was: a broken heart. The pain of being without her. The pain of losing her.

What a fool he had been.

But then, if he had been a fool, Anna had been twice the fool. How could she have trusted him so easily? This stupid man who haunted her dreams. She should have known; the angel in her dreams never saved her, so why would the angel in the flesh? She had been taken in by him and now she had lost even more than she had with her father. She had lost her second chance, her fresh start, her hope.

Noishe came hobbling out of the woods up to Anna, whining and limping on a leg that was streaked with blood. He nudged his head against Anna's hand and for a moment she distracted herself by sinking her fingers into his warm, green fur and stroking him. She was glad he was all right—he was the one thing in her life that had never betrayed her.

Steeling herself, she looked back at Kratos, who still hadn't moved since she shouted at him. Even as loathing rose up, hot and acidic in her chest, her heart raced at the sight of him. She had fallen for him, she knew that, but she couldn't allow herself to walk blindly into the trap of loving him. She had to get away.

"I'm leaving," she said, hating the pain evident in her voice. Why hide it though? It hurt. She'd hid it for so long and for what? A ton of wasted energy that fooled no one. "And I don't want you to follow me."

"Fair enough," he said quietly.

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Give me the keys."

Kratos withdrew the car keys and went to hand them to her but she recoiled again. "Just throw them." He did as she asked, throwing them lightly and she caught them neatly, still valiantly trying to bite down the howl of misery inside of her.

"There's a safe house just outside of Hima," Kratos informed her. "No one knows about it. It's in the woods, about three miles north of the mountain. Noishe knows the way."

"I don't want anything from you," Anna snapped, clenching her fist tight around the keys.

"As you wish," he said, still in that same quiet voice.

A lump formed in her throat and her breathing hitched. She tried to ignore it as tears pricked in the corner of her eyes, hot and full of anguish. Why was he being so calm? Why wasn't he stopping her? He had betrayed her! He should be defending himself, explaining, fighting back! Why wouldn't he fight back! "And I don't want you to follow me!"

"I see."

"…You're going to follow me aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Don't!"

"Ok."

"I mean it, don't!"

"Ok."

Something snapped. The next thing Kratos knew, Anna was flying at him, so swiftly and so suddenly that he barely had time to notice. Still, he had more than enough time to block her. It would be so easy. She would fly at him, he would grab her wrist, pull her close, hug her to him while she screamed until finally she broke down and forgave him. He knew that's what she wanted: an explanation, retaliation, fight back. She wanted a reason to forgive him.

He didn't deserve forgiveness.

He stood stone still as Anna's fist connected with his jaw, ignoring the crunch of pain as his jaw snapped out of the socket. He fell backward from the force of it, not bothering to break his fall, not even as the breath exploded out of lungs on impact. Anna raged at him, pinning him to the ground underneath her and punching every inch of him she could reach, and he laid there absorbing every blow.

"I hate you!" she screamed. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" Her eyes were wild and he doubted she even noticed the tears streaming down her face. He noticed though. Each tear cut at him, punished him more than any physical attack she could deliver. He did not fight her, he couldn't. He just let her beat him, absorbing every punch, every scratch, and every shriek.

He knew the exact moment she broke, despite the fact that he had not fought back. He could it feel it. Her screams turned into to sobs, her blows became less vicious, her mutterings more and more muted, more laced with pain. She eventually folded in on herself, collapsing on his chest, gripping his shirt and sobbing her heart out.

Because that was the problem, wasn't it? She didn't hate him. Maybe a little, but it wasn't him she was really punishing. It wasn't him she was fighting. It was everything: the mother who left her, the father who beat her, the villains who chased her, and the man who she thought had saved her.

After a few minutes, she went quiet and mostly still, except for the silent sobs that shook her shoulders. Kratos quietly muttered "First Aid," healing himself and her and Noishe, but she didn't even notice. Eventually there was nothing for him to do but wait, staring up into the starry heavens.

Anna was exhausted and out of breath and more than a little heartbroken. She hadn't even had the energy to flinch when Kratos cast some kind of weirdo magic that healed the three of them. All she had energy to do was lay there, face pressed into the chest of the man who had both saved her and betrayed her and just let the tears fall. She wasn't even acutely aware she was crying now, the tears just kept coming like they had nothing better to do.

On the one hand, she felt horrible that she had basically tried to rip Kratos apart. On the other hand, he had been involved with her mother's death and had stood in silence while her childhood turned to hell. But sometime between punching him in the face and tackling him to the ground, she realized that it wasn't Kratos she was trying to rip apart. It was everything. She was mad at her dad for beating her, Yuan for kidnapping her, Kratos for lying, Yuan again for exposing truths she didn't actually want to know, and even her mother. Why did her mother even have to die? Why did Kratos have to lie?

"I didn't want to," he said, his chest rumbling under her forehead. "I wanted to be honest. I wanted to do so many things differently."

Anna realized she had spoken aloud and she lifted her head slightly, looking at him questioningly. He wasn't looking at her but up at the sky, his gaze far-off. He almost spoke as if she wasn't there, more to himself than anything, but she still heard him.

"I knew Kvar was a bad man. I knew he had a kid. I should have intervened, but I didn't." Kratos closed his eyes. "Mithos had me order Kvar to kill his wife."

Anna flinched. "I don't want to hear this."

Kratos continued as though she hadn't spoken. "I refused. I refused point blank. I have no idea why, it just felt wrong. I didn't care that refusing would land us all in jail. I didn't want to hurt an innocent. But Mithos said if Kvar didn't kill her, he'd send Pronyma and I knew Pronyma wouldn't stop at just the wife. She would have killed the child…you. She would have killed you too."

"That's enough," Anna said weakly. "Don't tell me anymore."

"The impossible choice…wife or child? How do you pick between two innocents. How do you reconcile with being an underserving purveyor over life and death. I refused the choice at first, tried to take the right course…but the right course was worse. So I chose the coward's way. I watched as Kvar murdered his wife. I did nothing. I may has well have pulled the trigger myself."

"I said that's enough!" Anna shrieked, shuddering, trying not to picture the violent death she had recently learned her mother had faced. "God damn you to hell, Kratos Aurion. I don't want to hear about how my mom actually died. I don't want to hear about Kvar and his orders, or you and your orders. I don't want to hear how you saved my life before I even knew you because it doesn't matter. None of it matters. I can't change it and neither can you." Anna sat up, not really paying attention to the fact that she was straddling Kratos. Despite their horrible situation, Kratos noticed, but remained as detached as he could. "What matters now is the future. Everything has changed now, everything is different. I have to keep going though."

Anna jumped to her feet, invigorated with knew purpose. Tonight had been a heavy blow, the rose colored glasses (which had never been all that rosy to begin with) had been brutally ripped off of her face. The father she thought she knew had always been a scum bag, except now she knew was a wife killing scumbag. Somehow it made the years of abuse easier to deal with. He hadn't been a loving Dad driven insane by grief. He hadn't been a redeemable lost soul: he had been a snake in the grass, biding his time.

And her mother hadn't had the peaceful death Anna had thought she did. She was murdered for trying to do the right think. She made the ultimate sacrifice in a quest for justice. How would she feel about Anna now, ready to crumble and give up just because the truth was a lot harder than the lie?

Yuan was a scumbag. Nothing new there.

And Kratos…enigmatic, cold, unfeeling Kratos. He had protected her before he even knew her. He had made an impossible choice. A wrong choice, but a choice that he thought to be right. He had done his best. The way he acted around Yuan, the way he spoke of Mithos…there was some connection there. They had been friends, probably close friends. Perhaps he had gone along with the madness out of loyalty. That didn't make it right, but she could understand that. He had withheld so much, but he had never lied. He had never harmed her. He had come back for her. No one had ever come back for her. No one had ever protected her. He was still a coward in some ways, still a criminal, but didn't the fact that he had faced down Yuan and mythos for he indicate that he was redeemable. Didn't the tortured sound of his voice as he described his past scream of regret?

"Kratos," she asked as he got to his feet. "Let me ask you one question. You have to answer me honestly, more honestly than you have ever answered any question in your whole life. Can you do that?"

Kratos got to his feet and looked into her eyes. They were burning again, this time with purpose and with a hope. His heart swelled at the sight. She wasn't broken. He hadn't destroyed her. She would go on. He may have lost her heart, but he could still protect that fire in her eyes. He had to. The day it went out would surely be the day he died.

"Yes," Kratos said. "For you, I can do anything."

Anna smiled. "Ok then, here goes. If you could undo all of this, if you could stop Mithos's plans, if you could reverse the things you've done and put this messed up world to rights, if you could take the right path instead of the easy one…would you do it?"

"Of course," Kratos said. "I wish I could. I always have wished I could."

"Would you do it if it cost me my life?"

Kratos gasped so sharply and so loudly that Anna started. His mahogany eyes went wide and he paled so quickly she worried his blood had mysteriously evaporated. The horror on his face was o sharp that for a moment she regretted asking. Till she had to know: was he doing this just because he had feelings for her, or was he doing it because he truly wanted redemption?

Kratos started to shake, but quickly stopped himself. The thought of her dead was more horrible than he could imagine. It made his chest ache, his breath ragged, and his soul cry out. He couldn't do anything that would harm her. How could she ask that?

But it was a rational question and the logical side of his brain took over for a moment. Could he do it? Could he sacrifice the entire world for her? Could he sacrifice her for the world? It was yet another impossible choice. But then…what would she want him to do? If he truly cared for her, he would do as she asked. So if it came down to it….

"I think…I think so," he said, scrupulously honest. "I'd attempt. If there was no other way at all, no other path, and I was absolutely without question sure that you wanted me to do it…then yes. But I would rip heaven and hell apart before taking that path. I would kill myself first. And if that wouldn't work, I would at least follow you into death." Kratos shook his head. "That's the most honest answer I have, Anna."

Anna nodded. "Fine. Then…will you help me? Will you help me?

Kratos's instincts screamed now, yelling that this was foolish, risky, and futile. But as he looked at her, face full of hope and optimism, despite all she had learned. If she could do as well as all that, given her horrible life, what excuse did he have?

"Kratos," she said softly. "Kratos, please. Please help me. Please come with me."

The simple request, her quiet but determined sincerity made Kratos ache to hold her. "Anna…" he stepped closer to her and she didn't move away, though wariness seeped into her eyes. Very gently, very slowly, he reached up to brush his fingers gently against her cheek, feeling the softness of her skin, absorbing the brilliant fire in her eyes. "Anna, I would follow you anywhere."

Anna stared back up at him, spellbound by his garnet eyes and the soft touch on her cheek. "I used to dream…" she muttered quietly, more to herself than to him. "I used to dream that there was an angel. Every night Kvar came from me, my angel would watch over me in my sleep." Kratos moved closer and she placed her hand on his, pressing into his touch and closing her eyes. "He had blue wings and he never spoke, he only watched. He made me feel safe. But he was so sad…so very sad. His eyes were the only thing getting me through those years, those fears. Those red-brown eyes."

Kratos swallowed hard. Anna opened her eyes and looked into the eyes she had somehow known for most of her life. "They were your eyes. Your ancient, sad eyes watching over me. How is that possible?"

Kratos shook his head. "I don't know, but I do know one thing: now that I have seen you with my living eyes, I promise to never let you slip away."

Anna gasped just before Kratos pressed his lips to hers, still gently, but it was more powerful than anything either of them had ever felt. Even more than their frenzied burning kiss in the alley. The air burned between them, searing away the past and shaping a new future, a new hope.

"I love you Anna," Kratos said gently.

Anna pulled away. "I can't. Not right now. I'm sorry." She turned away and pressed her fingers to her lips. "I…I have feelings for you too. That is obvious, but tonight has been too much I can't…I just can't say it back yet. I need time."

"I'll wait," Kratos said. As if he had a choice. As if he didn't own every inch of him. As if he was able to walk away.

He would wait for her forever if she asked him.

CW

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