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Kash: I am happy you were happy about it. As a matter of fact, he did overhear, which is mentioned in the next couple of paragraphs. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for the birthday wishes.

A Happy New Year to my readers!

Disclaimer: Namco owns Tales of Symphonia.

Chapter 25:

He had known it had gone too far. The human mind was a fragile thing, the emotions easily confused when faced with dramatic shock and sense of loss. Humans cling to the closest thing they can find for comfort, in the blind hope that it will free them from the pain they are suffering.

Kratos could only imagine what was going through Anna's mind at that moment he had heard her confessing her feelings for Kratos to the protozoan, but he knew that though it seemed like a logic conclusion in her mind, a step towards a fate she believed unavoidable, it was illogical in all aspects.

Perhaps it was his fault for abandoning his life in Cruxis, the organization that stole his humanity, and attempting to regain it as a way to show his dissatisfaction for a mistake too far-gone to fix. In a false sense of righteousness, he once again damned an innocent human to a life of hell.

It was true that Anna already knew hell, surrounded by death at a young age and suffering for years unknowingly caused by his hand. The irony of her apologies and blaming herself filled him with guilt. Nothing she did to him would ever equal the pain he had caused in her life, regardless if it was indirectly. And, to further condemn the young woman, he had opened himself up in his own desire to regain his humanity and pulled her into a false belief that he would always be there for her.

This was exactly the reason he had forsaken his humanity before, to prevent having to walk away and cause pain in doing so. His life did not—could not maintain relationships, new friends and companions. If he allowed such things to occur, he would never have survived for as long as he has. It was improbable, impossible even, and yet he had done the very thing he had sworn not to and now the consequence would be Anna.

He sighed heavily.

Silence suddenly filled the air and it disturbed him. He looked up, scanning the darkness. Anna watched him worriedly. "What's wrong?"

He frowned. "It's quiet..." he wasn't sure exactly of what was wrong either. It was just the sudden silence interrupted his thoughts, though he couldn't recall any noise previously.

She giggled for a second and he looked at her sharply, his eyes asking the question he didn't speak.

Anna opened her mouth, and then smiled looking down. "I thought you wanted me to stop, when you sighed like that. You sounded irritated."

Kratos stared at her, confused. "Stop what?"

Anna looked to the side, brushing her hair behind her ears. "I was humming."

He had no reply to her answer. Humming... he clarified to himself, attempting to recall the memory himself. She had been humming...?

"I guess you didn't realize it." She brushed dirt off her already filthy leggings. "You seemed to be thinking pretty hard."

Kratos stared at her for a long while, unnerved that he hadn't been more alert to his surroundings, but she didn't look up, instead taking a great interest in the state of her clothing. He slowly turned his gaze from her when Noishe growled softly, thumping his large tail. Kratos looked down at old friend. The protozoan's white fur was coated in a gray filth from the dust. Even the aqua tinged fur was darkened by it. With state of his fur and his earlier discomfort with Anna's conversation with him, Noishe was clearly irritated and uncomfortable. Kratos smiled lightly down at him, rubbing Noishe's head reassuringly, which was answered with a quiet stare from his black eyes.

Noishe's resentment to Anna's confessions earlier was understandable to Kratos as well. Noishe had been burdened with a similar concept to Kratos for years as well, living as long as protozoans do. He found comfort in Kratos' companionship, a bond that wouldn't be easily broken with the passing of time as it would have had it been another. Noishe felt more threatened by Anna's presence with each passing day and even more so, by the relationship she felt with Kratos.

At one time, Kratos would have found the entire ordeal absurd, but now, he wasn't entirely certain. Logic reassured him that his duty to Anna was profitable to him in disrupting Mithos' plans. As long as Kvar did not complete the Angelus Project, Mithos would not gain a powerful exsphere. He didn't know exactly what importance this exsphere held, but it was safe to assume that it was worth his time.

A soft sound rose through the silence, and Kratos' eyes flickered towards Anna. She was leaning back against the wall, eyes closed, humming again. He stared at her, the quiet, unfamiliar melody filling the tunnel. Her head rocked back and forth slowly in time with the song.

Kratos felt a strange sensation, possibly labelled as...comfort? He frowned and turned his gaze away from her, though it did nothing to disrupt the music. Oddly enough, as much as he considered telling her to stop, a part of him rather enjoyed the sound. This bothered him, mainly because he usually preferred the silence.

He found himself turning his head back towards her, but he was startled to realize she was watching him. An odd expression filled her face when their eyes locked and the humming faded away, leaving Kratos to feel the oppressing silence again. It unnerved him and he cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should leave. It should be dark enough by now."

"Okay." Anna smiled, stretching and rising to her feet. "Which way are we going?"

Kratos stood. "We will by-pass the western end and head for Triet. Even if we get pass the Desians on this side, we will be left exposed on the flat terrain." He paused for a moment, thinking. "If we are lucky, we can reach the other side before dawn."

Noishe growled and shook himself, dust flying from his fur, causing Anna to cough. Kratos frowned at him, but Noishe stalked past him. Anna rubbed her hair. "Triet? I don't think I have ever been there." A smile filled her face. "What's it like?"

Kratos stopped and looked at her blankly while she grinned back at him. "What is it like...?"

Anna nodded. "Well, I assume you have been there before and I am curious."

Kratos found he was speechless. They were trapped between two groups of Desians and were forced to sneak pass them and she was wondering what the town was like. "Perhaps you should be more concerned about us getting past the blockade first." Kratos finally replied, annoyed. "This isn't a vacation so you can sight-see."

Anna scowled back. "I know that!" she flushed and looked away, mumbling. "Just never mind."

Kratos shook his head, sighing. Just when he thought he had figured her out. "Let's go."

--

They reached the entrance and after Kratos assured that it was clear, the three slipped out into the chilly night air. Anna couldn't help but shiver, wrapping her arms around herself and Kratos glanced at her. Dust clung to her stringy brown hair and dirt smeared her face, clothes and hands. He most likely appeared the same, though he was impressed that she hadn't complained about her state. She absently tucked her hair behind her ear, looking around fearfully, flinching at any noise. His face softened and he realized that she hadn't actually forgotten about their situation. She was still afraid, but she had been trying to distract herself and he had done nothing to aide in that.

Noishe lifted his large head, alert and listening. Kratos motioned to Anna, gaining her attention. They only had the night to reach the other side and they couldn't afford to waste time. Noishe waited as Kratos and Anna started up the steep, sloping road, before trotting after them silently.

They traveled in silence for the most part. Kratos moved like a wraith, avoiding the loose stones and wayward roots that threatened to snag feet. His vision was not impaired by the darkness and his years of experience aided him in the tricky ascent.

Noishe had little problem either, even with his massive size. The protozoan lingered in the back, stopping and listening occasionally and sometimes vanishing altogether. Kratos didn't worry about him, but he did worry about Anna.

She never voiced complaints or annoyances, fear preventing it, but Kratos could tell she was struggling. Her breathing was laboured by the time they reached the top-most part of the trail and he motioned for her to stop and rest. Despite her attempts to travel quietly, Kratos knew that every time a rock clattered down the trail or a branch snapped, there was a chance that the Desians would hear it.

He stood, watching her as she sat on the ground shivering, head resting on her folded arms. He didn't even have anything to offer her, the majority of their supplies abandoned in Izoold.

Noishe appeared out of the darkness suddenly, causing her to jolt and nearly jump to her feet. He stared at her with a tilted head before snuffing and stretching himself out across the ground, panting.

Anna settled back down and Kratos noticed her white-knuckles as she clenched her arm. Sighing, he stepped towards her. "Are you ready to move on?" he spoke quietly, looking down at her.

She turned her head up, nodding and moved to get up. Without thinking, he extended his hand and she froze, looking up at him. After a moment, she took it and he pulled her up. She stared at him and then smiled. "Thank you."

Kratos nodded and then quickly dropped her hand, walking away. He clenched and unclenched his hand. He could still feel her cool skin on his fingers...

Noishe rose and bared his teeth at Kratos as he walked by, but Kratos narrowed his eyes at him and protozoan lowered his head, trailing after the two.

--

The camp was oddly silent. Dev would have found it amusing if his present company didn't already annoy him. Pronyma scrutinized her plate of food, while Garret dished out more for the others. Her expression clearly revealed her displeasure at the level of luxury granted her. Cold food, no shelter, no seats, Dev wasn't about to treat her better than his soldiers, even if she expected it.

"Sir?" Garret spoke, extending a plate. Dev nodded and took it.

"Thank you, Garret."

The conversation was limited and stiff. The soldiers, even Garret and Quill were politely refined when they neared Pronyma. Dev figured a few of them knew who she was, or at least guessed her status. He hadn't bothered introducing her to them since many had turned in to catch some long needed sleep.

Garret gathered up an armload of plates and excused himself, leaving Dev and Pronyma alone. Dev would have preferred Garret to remain, but he didn't want to cause discomfort for his friend. Just as he expected as soon as Garret retreated, Pronyma set her plate down, smiling at Dev. "Your soldiers respect you greatly. I have never seen such discipline under your level of authority." She glanced at the small silent groups. "Quite remarkable."

Dev cocked his head, trying to ignore the irony of her statement and focusing his annoyance on her subtle insult. "The level of command doesn't reflect on a soldier's discipline, but how the authority is utilized, my Lady."

Pronyma returned her piercing gaze on to him, her smile forced once again. "You really are one of Kvar's Commanders, you reflect him in your use of words."

Dev stiffened, staring at his food. "Lord Kvar expects all of his soldiers to understand the importance of knowing proper conduct." He lifted his gaze to hers. "Especially when we are honoured with an unexpected visit from a Cardinal, my Lady"

Pronyma released a light laugh, causing some of the soldiers to look warily towards their Commander, worried. Dev turned back to his food, a little put off that she should find his attempts to insult her humorous.

"I applaud you, Commander Olsen. You are definitely a man of clever words. It is no wonder you so quickly surpassed your colleagues and assumed this position. Kvar would be a fool not to." Pronyma watched him, but he ignored her, continuing to eat. However, she wasn't put off that easily. "In fact, it was only four years after your initiation into Kvar's ranch that you assumed the title, was it not? An astounding feat for someone with so little experience."

Dev lowered his fork, raising his eyes to her face again. Her expression was no longer friendly. Her eyes flashed as she smirked and Dev tensed. She was digging.

"Tell me, what made you so determined that you would impress even Kvar? Not many can accomplish that."

"I don't believe that is any of your business." He informed her tersely. "Excuse me, my Lady, I must check on my soldiers."

Pronyma rose swiftly to her feet with him, her black cloak swirling about her legs. "Let me accompany you. I would be most interested."

Dev gritted his teeth and closed his eyes as he strode past her. "If you wish, my Lady."

"Wonderful ."

Dev exhaled heavily as walked towards his friends cluster. They were huddled beneath their cloaks or blankets, the air chilled as it came off the mountainside and he had said no fires. He could hear their soft murmur of voices. A few heads poked up, smiling as he approached. Quill even started to raise his hand in a wave, but dropped it quickly when he saw Pronyma behind him. The conversation stopped instantly when they came up, and Dev immediately felt a little guilty for causing them this awkwardness.

"Commander." Kris nodded her head, her eyes flickering onto Pronyma. "My Lady."

Pronyma smiled at the acknowledgement and Dev rolled his eyes, causing Garret to smirk. "How are your injuries, Kris, Trey?"

The Kris shrugged and Trey smiled reassuringly. "We will survive. Kris' arm will be in a sling for another week at least. Don't want to try and heal before we are sure the bone is set properly." Kris turned her head away.

Dev nodded and turned to Garret. "Where's Cal?"

Garret shrugged, but Quill pointed quickly to their left. "Over there. He has been brooding ever since Izoold." He smiled, but when he noticed Pronyma's stare he ducked his head and busied himself with eating.

Dev nodded. "Very well, rest up; we are beginning the search at dawn. Quill, inform the other groups." He ignored how the small man slumped as if one condemned to unavoidable fate and turned to Pronyma. "Now if you will excuse me, my Lady, I need to have a word with one of soldiers privately."

Pronyma's hard eyes fell on him, filled with unspoken curiosity, but Dev didn't leave time for her to respond and swiftly strode away from her toward Cal's humped shape. Speaking to Cal wasn't an excuse to rid himself of the Cardinal, but it was definitely a benefit.

Cal saw him coming and rose to his feet, aiming to move away, but Dev cut him off. "Cal." The big man stiffened, but stayed where he was. Dev sighed and stopped a few feet from him. "I would prefer to talk to your face."

"Why? So you can see my humiliation?" Cal growled. Dev didn't respond and after a moment, he did turn. "What do you want?"

Dev sighed and lowered his head. "I want an explanation."

Cal's mouth tightened and he looked away. Dev glanced down and noticed he was still favouring his injured leg. "Did no one heal that?"

"It's fine." Cal grumbled, shifting his weight. "You want my explanation. Fine. I wanted to kill that bastard myself. I deliberately overruled your orders to do it too."

Dev stared at him. "I know that already. I want to know why."

Cal's face reddened. "Why the hell do you care so much? I disobeyed, now dish out my punishment if demoting was not enough! Send me back like Garret wants you to!"

"I don't care what Garret wants me to do. I didn't send you back because I require you here. You are useless to me back at the Ranch and you are useless to me wounded."

"Hell, you are bloody soft commander. I disobeyed your orders for Martel's sake." Cal growled, but Dev noticed the relief on his face.

"Whether I am or not, it doesn't change the fact that I am your leader. Now answer the question. Why did you disobey?"

Cal sighed heavily and rubbed his face. "That man—that Aurion guy—he is the cause of all this bloody mess. I was irritated and annoyed and that just upped when you restricted orders on attacking the village."

"They were innocent people." Dev reminded him. "They were unknowingly assisting the Project and Aurion. The deserved the chance to release them."

"I don't believe that." Cal scowled and rubbed his face again. "Humans are completely aware of what they are doing. Bloody bastards hesitated even when you gave them the chance. They didn't give a damn about how chasing those two around the world affects us and our lives."

"You don't care about them either." Dev replied tersely. "You don't know what goes on in their lives, just as they don't know what goes on in yours." Dev scoffed in response and Dev studied him. "It's about your father isn't it?"

"You leave him the hell out of this, Dev." Cal snapped. "Don't you dare mention that damn bastard—"

"He is the reason you attacked solo. Garret spurred you on and you lost control." Cal's hands clenched, knuckles white, face red, but Dev ignored him. "I know what happened with your parents. I read the reports. However, if you want to take your anger out on someone then save it for him. Kill him, give him scars of his own, I really don't care what you do to him. That is your choice."

Cal, like a foreboding tower, stared down at Dev with flashing eyes. "Don't—"

Dev lifted his hand, his expression angered. "I won't put up with your emotional family problems. I got enough to deal with. I just need to know whether or not you can handle following my orders or not."

Cal seemed ready to explode and Dev knew the others were watching from their huddled group. He hadn't meant for them to raise their voices, but he wasn't in the mood. Dev held Cal's deathly glare without flinching and gradually Cal relaxed. "Yes, Commander."

Dev nodded. "You will resume Second-in-command once we rejoin with Lyle. Until then, I would appreciate your opinion. Unofficially, of course."

Cal blinked and then smirked. "Sure."

Dev turned to leave when Cal called. "Hey, Dev?" he glanced back and Cal half-smiled. "Thanks."

He hesitated. "We leave tomorrow at dawn." Then Dev continued to walk. "Get that leg healed, Cal."

--

Anna slipped and Kratos' hand sped out and pulled her upright. "Careful," he cautioned.

"Sorry," she murmured. "How close are we?"

Kratos paused, staring out at nothing as he listened for the sounds of the Desians below them. He could hear them and he could smell the smoke from their dying fires. "Close," he replied finally.

She looked at him strangely, questions on her face, but smart enough to know not to ask them now. He knew what she would ask in any case and he wouldn't be able to answer fully either way. On the other hand, Kratos found himself confused as well. Anna's behaviour seemed completely different than what he had experienced with from her before. Her playfulness was absent, as well as her childishness and now she simply did what she was told for the most part. He reasoned it was because of their situation and her lingering fear of what happened to Seth.

She most likely blamed herself for Seth's predicament because she hadn't listened and it was plausible that she feared something similar would happen to him if she didn't now. Kratos wasn't about to complain, but for some reason, he felt guilty for being responsible for this fear. She should be concerned for her own life, not his.

These thoughts followed Kratos as he helped Anna descend the steep slope. Following the road would have been much easier, but Kratos had directed their path off to the side in case they ran into a scout, though it made travel slower and more difficult for Anna.

"Wait," he hissed, grabbing her arm and pulling her back into the shadows. Her expression was between fear and annoyance. It irritated her that she couldn't hear what he did. He figured she believed him to be paranoid. He would let her believe that.

She sighed and scanned the darkness when she let out a small shriek before Kratos slammed his hand over her mouth, cutting it off. Noishe stood, nearly invisible in the shadows, despite his white fur, eyes fixed on them. Kratos frowned at him, but Noishe merely snuffed and turned his head towards the trail, body tense. Kratos heard a low growl rumble from the protozoan and he immediately released Anna and pushed her behind him.

The three waited silently, watching the road when a shadow stretched into view. Kratos heard her sharp intake of breath behind him and he laid his hand on his sword. Noishe had lowered himself into a crouch, lips quivering as he bared his teeth.

The Desian soldier came into full view a second later, nervously searching his surroundings. He probably heard Anna's shriek while keeping watch, Kratos thought irritably, hand tightening on the hilt.

Kratos studied the soldier. He appeared young, his body structure small and lanky, but considering his race appearances could be misleading. It was more of his behaviour that convinced Kratos that he was inexperienced, his movements were jittery and he was obviously nervous.

He could feel Anna shivering behind him, but he forced himself to ignore it and slowly unsheathe his sword. The soft scraping caused the soldier to freeze in his tracks, head swivelling in all directions as he attempted to find where it came from.

Kratos didn't hesitate and the soldier didn't know see him coming. Anna choked as the soldier slumped to the ground, his neck slit and she leaned against the tree eyes closed. Noishe continued growling as he stalked over and grabbed the Desian's foot with his large mouth, dragging him off the road. Anna covered her mouth, turning her face away. Kratos lowered his sword, "Are you alright?"

Anna shook her head. "H-how could you do that?"

Kratos sighed. "It had to be done."

"He didn't even have a chance! He was—"

"He was a threat, Anna. In a situation like this, there are two choices I could have made. His life or yours." Kratos frowned at her. "I chose yours."

Anna stared up at him, before shaking her head. "It just doesn't seem fair to make it that simple. He was just a kid."

Noishe reappeared before Kratos could respond and growled, throwing his head in impatience. Kratos turned. "Let's move on."

Surprisingly Anna followed quietly, but a glance at her face, he knew that she hadn't let it drop. Kratos knew that there was no reason for him to have to explain himself, but he almost felt compelled to. He never questioned his decisions before and he knew Anna was the reason why he was now.

It wasn't long until they spotted the Desian encampment. Noishe had vanished again, but Kratos didn't worry about him. The soldiers were all asleep, even the sentries that were slumped against nearby trees. Beyond the cover of the trees, Kratos could make out the subtle lighting of the black sky as it stretched above the distant mountains.

Anna looked at him. Her face seemed strangely pale and her breathing had quickened considerably. Hesitating for only a moment, he jerked his head for her to follow and stepped onto the road. They were exposed, but they couldn't risk creating any excess noise through the brush.

Kratos led the way, easing past the sentries. Anna had found his hand when she teetered unsteadily and he found it clammy. Perhaps she was much more frightened than she led on. He was impressed with her ability to keep her fears under control.

Noishe appeared on at his side suddenly, striding past him quickly. He caught a glimpse of blood on his muzzle and paws. He must have come across another sentry.

Anna stumbled again, but his grip kept her upright and he looked back at her, but her head was down.

Noishe moved ahead and then cut to the left, hugging the forest to circle around the camp, leading them. The camp was smaller than Kratos anticipated, consisting of little more than a dozen or so men. It reassured him that should they be spotted, he could easily deal with them.

They were nearly clear of the area when Kratos felt Anna's hand squeeze his. "Kratos!"

He turned to find her clutching at her chest, her face deathly white, but despite that, she was staring at a soldier a few feet from them who was rubbing his eyes blearily.

Kratos reached for his sword and started forward, but hesitation flickered through his head. His eyes flickered down at the soldier's short sword and he grabbed it just as the soldier turned and looked at him. The man's mouth opened and Kratos slammed the hilt into his unhelmeted head and he slumped back down to the ground soundlessly.

Kratos grimaced, annoyed with himself when he heard Noishe whine and he turned to see Anna staggering. "K-Kra—" but his name died on her lips as she crumpled to the ground.

A new year already...Time seems to be going by so fast. I guess that just means we need to hurry and make the best of it.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Please Review!