AN: I'm sorry for such a long lack of updates. I'm going to try to finish up this story in (I'm hoping for) next week.

Chapter 12 -Day 9: A Sudden Change of Plan

Raine walked solemnly outside of her house. She had decided to take a morning stroll around the village to clear her head. She felt uncertain, although the professor didn't know why.

She came upon a familiar face soon after it began. It was slightly covered by a lock of hair, but it was obvious who it was. His jagged maroon hair was quite conspicuous. Raine walked past a crowd of people and approached him.

"Good morning." She greeted him politely.

Kratos turned his attention to Raine.

"Could I ask you something?"

He nodded gruffly.

She took a seat next to him on the park bench.

"Why do you want Lloyd to get married all of a sudden?"

The swordsman was silent for a moment and then also replied with a question. "Is that all you want to know?"

She shook her head. "Alright, if you don't want to talk about it, then that's okay. What I really wanted to ask you was…" The young woman paused uncertainly, "Were you happy when you were with Anna?"
A rare sign of surprise appeared on his face for a short moment, but then quickly disappeared without a trace like the rest of his emotions.

"Yes…. Yes I was."

Presea rapped gently on the Sage family's wooden door. She waited patiently, yet anxiously.

The door opened slowly, revealing a young silver-haired boy.

"Oh, hi Presea." Genis blushed, but then suddenly stopped when the memory of that day returned to him.

"Um… Genis?" Presea began after realizing what had went through his head.

"Uh, eh?"

"Would you like to come out with me?"

"Genis' eyes widened for a moment, but then he started to smile, "I'd love to."

The pair walked out of the yard together and onto the road.

Lloyd gently touched his lips with his index finger and blushed, recalling the shocking experience he had just yesterday. I wonder why I did that…My body just moved on its own…

It had been a little awkward after the experience. The two were silent for a moment, both of them with flushed red faces. At last, the silence was broken when Lloyd said uncertainly, "Well… um, see you later."

"Yeah, you too." Colette replied in the most nonchalant manner she could do.

The young man raced out the door quickly afterwards.

Lloyd sighed as he recalled all this. "I shouldn't have just upped and left like that, maybe I should have said something else…"

Then a thought him like a mallet.

"Sheena!" he gasped aloud. Lloyd had been so caught up with himself that he had completely forgot about the wedding, which he just remembered was tomorrow. The young man scurried through the door and toward the chapel, not really sure why or what he was going to say to his "fiancé".

Surprisingly, she was already standing outside the holy structure waiting for him.

Lloyd screeched to a halt. "Hi Sheena, I--" he said uncertainly.

"Yeah, I heard about yesterday, Colette's feeling much better. It's almost as if she was never sick in the first place."
"Uh… yeah…" he replied with almost a sigh of relief, "So… I came to--"

"Yeah, I'm sorry Lloyd but…" Sheena gulped with an agonizing regret in her heart, "I… can't marry you anymore…" She almost screamed when those final words came out, but instead a small squeak-like sound arose from the depths of her throat. "I'm sorry." The summoner turned to go, her face flushed red.

"Sheena wait!"

She stopped for another moment before she disappeared and whispered, "Right now I don't feel as if I'm worthy… I'm going to try again, except more like my true self…"

Lloyd frowned. He, of course, was totally lost on what she was trying to say.

"So… Presea…" Genis began. "You still haven't told me why you brought me out." His heart soared with the possible thought that Presea might have changed her mind.

"First… I need to say I'm sorry."

The little boy's eyes widened. "Why?"

"I was not very kind to you earlier. I guess you can say I was blinded in my ambition to…" she made a long pause, "never mind."

"It's okay, I forgive you." Genis blushed.

"Thank you. I feel like a great weight has been lifted off of me."

"So… um… I…" he tried to begin but sadly was cut off short.

"I'm sorry Genis, but I don't think it will ever work out between us."

The mage frowned, crestfallen.

"I mean… I am technically twenty-eight-years-old… and…" she sighed, "I guess it will never work out for me." Presea hugged Genis, "But I can still love you in a sisterly way."

The half-elf's face light up in delight and then he gently laid his head on her lap.

"Let's watch the sunset!" he exclaimed.

"Okay."

"Hey…" Genis whispered, "Don't tell Raine but I like you better as a sister."

Presea just chuckled softly.

"I always wanted to get married and start a family like my mother… but it seems like fate is against me."

Kratos made no comment; he just sat there motionless. A small bird flew onto his shoulder, but yet he made no attempt to neither budge nor even look at the new guest residing on his shoulder.

"But I realized recently that maybe… just maybe you don't have to be married to be happy."

The man finally turned around. "You have to decide…"

The sun disappeared from the horizon and stars started to appear.

AN: Meh…. Short chapter, sorry! We're coming reeeeally close to the end! Stay tuned!