A.N: Yay! I've actually managed to update on time for a change. Thanks very much for reviews as always, hope you'll continue to.
On with the fic.
Enjoy!
Always have to look
They rushed into battle with the Desian without half a thought, the morning sun shining down upon them in burning rays.
Pronyma stood, or more accurately, floated before them, painted lips twisted into a snarl, eyes narrowed as she wrenched her staff free from its holding in one of the armour plates that circled her protectively.
"You will pay for making a fool of me!" She hissed, raising the sharp edged staff, summoning a spell instantly.
Zelos and Lloyd dashed forwards to meet her head on, weapons drawn as they charged the woman. Runes danced around her as they darted for her and Raine sprinted to the side of the battlefield, casting defensive spells in preparation, one eye watching Yuan. The half-elf stood at the side of the battle, arms folded across his chest, watching the scene with mild interest, his gaze never leaving Lloyd.
Blue runes danced around the Desian, hints to the spell she was about to release and Genis instantly called up his own spell in response, purples runes circling his feet as he flicked the kendama expertly, young eyes watching his older comrades as they charged for the woman.
Blades slashed down in wide arcs, stopped short and flicked back in the opposite direction in the blink of an eye, only to strike heavily against armour plates, the sound ringing out over the mountain top.
Zelos flinched, snapping his sword back, jumping away from the woman deftly, holding his weapon up in front of him, preparing to guard for an attack he knew was coming.
Lloyd followed suit, jumping to the side just as Pronyma swung her staff towards them in a wide horizontal arc, her high voice screech out an attack.
"Aqua laser!"
A jet of water, fashioned like a blade shot forwards towards the group, Zelos managing to call up an orb of mana to protect himself just as the water ploughed into him.
Sheena darted forwards from the back of the battlefield, glaring at the other female, crouching low to the ground as she ran, a card held firmly between two fingers. The staff was swung horizontally again, skimming over the head of the ninja, clashing into the blocking blade of Zelos. He smirked, locking his blade against her staff just as Sheena burst upwards within the circle of plates that protected the Desian and she slapped a card against her abdomen, raining blow after blow upon her, her arms and hands blurring with the speed that they were moving at.
Last card deposited neatly onto the woman's chest, Sheena back-flipped away from her, landing behind Lloyd who charged forwards again. His swords were flung forwards, clashing against gold for a second before pulling back and releasing a mighty wave of mana as his blades struck metal again.
"Beast!"
The woman tumbled back, metal plates scraping across the ground as she did, the metal buckling as it was bent into unnatural angles. Scrambling, she skidded to a halt, righting herself and instantly casting another spell. A black and purple ball sparked between her hands and Raine instantly released her own spell, forming thin protective barriers around the combatants as they rushed to attack the woman, Genis finally releasing his attack.
"Thunder blade."
The glimmering blade shot down through the air, mana slamming into the woman as she cast, electricity sparking out from it in waves of energy. Regardless, she continued casting, the vaguest look of pain crossing her face as electricity jumped from plate to plate around her.
"No way!"
A grin flickered across her face as she lifted her hands, eyes locking onto Presea as the girl charged forwards, axe trailing behind her as she ran.
"Dark sphere!"
A cloud of shadow enveloped the small girl, drowning her in darkness and Raine gasped as silvered runes ghosted around cloud, calling forth dark mana, exploding upon the girl with a flurry of black and purple.
…Photon. It was the exact opposite of Photon and Raine's eyes widened as Presea staggered forwards.
She was using a dark version of her own spell….she, Raine, was on the same level as a Desian leader with her magic.
Enraged at the abuse of her own spell, Raine took a step back, calling up her own mana. Unconsciously, she saw Presea rise and attack the woman as if nothing had ever happened, Lloyd, Zelos and Sheena at her side, Genis' face screwed up in anger as he began casting his own spells again. Red runes encircled him, brighter, stronger and redder than usual, as if his anger had managed to manifest itself into his magic. Raine felt her own anger bubbling inside her, wondering if it would have any effect on her own attack.
She let it swell, feeling the magic inside her building to breaking point and she released it with a hoarse cry of "Photon!"
The green haired woman buckled under the attack and Raine gave a smirk of satisfaction at the sight.
The others took the opportunity to attack the figure as she crumbled, lashing at her with various weapons and it was with a shriek of pain, anger and surprise that she pushed herself from beneath them.
She stumbled away from them, the currents that supported her collapsing without her concentration, leaving the woman half hanging in the air.
Her eyes narrowed as she began to pant, wounds torn into her flesh slowing her down as she began to cast another spell, releasing it as quickly as possible, releasing a wave of circles that ploughed upwards, firing Raine into the air as she stepped forward and was trapped in the magic area.
"Leonazium!"
The professor landed hard as the mana died away, letting her slam back into rocky earth, her shoulder falling against a small rock that jarred against her.
"First aid!" Cried Zelos as Raine rose, healing wounds as they formed, seeing the others charge forwards to protect her as she fell, some circling about her, the others charging Pronyma to distract her.
It happened again and again. She cast attack after attack, knocking them down whilst Raine or Zelos built them back up. But neither of the women's supply of mana was inexhaustible and Raine felt herself tire, saw the others begin to slacken in their attacks until only the occasional hit landed.
It was only a final desperate attempt by Zelos that saved them as he plunged his sword forwards, between the gaps in her armour and into the flesh of her thigh, wrenching it out and releasing a flow of blood that had her clutching at her leg desperately even as Zelos pushed the tip of his sword against her throat.
"Not even a contest." He murmured to the woman.
Lloyd grinned as the man held her to sword point, pride obviously swelling as he turned to face Yuan, something glinting in his eyes dangerously.
"This is the perfect opportunity! Yuan! I'm going to settle our score right now!"
He charged for the older man and Raine let her mouth drop open at his utter stupidity. Not only was he exhausted from the last fight, wounded and still hadn't got his breath back, but he was challenging the leader of the Renegades, whose strength had yet to be judged.
Twin blades carved down through the air towards the blue haired man, but he merely raised an eyebrow in mild amusement.
A second later, the swords stopped in mid-air and it took the whole audience, with the exception of Yuan by surprise. Raine blinked, taking a moment to understand the situation, her eyes tracing up the long silvered blade of the sword, over a blue gloved hand and up a white sleeved arm.
Her stomach dropped when she saw the hair and face of the figure.
"Kratos!" Lloyd gasped, staggering away from the older men. Kratos slid his sword back into its sheath even as Yuan turned to look at him, looking irritated.
"…What are you doing here?" Yuan questioned lowly, both men completely ignoring all other people present.
"Leave, Yuan," Kratos answered simply and Raine shuddered at the voice, the cold tone which she had never wanted to hear again. Because she knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of that tone. She tried to avoid staring at him as she stood, floored and enraged at his sudden appearance but seemed unable to draw her gaze away.
"Lord Yggdrasill has summoned you."
Yuan snarled at the other man. "Are you taking the Chosen?"
Kratos shook his head. "No…we shall leave her for now. It's the toxicosis."
"…I see. Lloyd, our battle will have to wait."
He drew back a few steps, a soft glow coming from behind him and within a few seconds wings were materialising behind him. Smaller and softer than Kratos', coloured purple and he darted backwards, jumping from the edge of the cliff and soaring easily up into the air, currents bearing him away. Raine felt her mouth drop open further as she watched the Renegade retreat, wondering just how many people they had encountered were angels. And what, exactly, the connection was between Yuan and Yggrdrasill.
"He's an angel, too?!" Sheena exclaimed as Lloyd dashed to the edge of the cliff to shout at the figure that was now just a speck.
Raine's eyes, lowered in anger and nervousness, turned painfully slowly to Kratos, forcing herself to look at him. The man she loved and hated with every breath her aching chest took. It stung as she breathed and she lifted her hand to the wound Kratos had inflicted on her a few days ago, finding it to have re-opened with the fall against the rock. She closed her mouth with a quiet snap, glaring at the man who had betrayed her, determined not to let just how much his presence was hurting her show.
Anger is better than misery.
Kratos, on the other hand, seemed to be completely oblivious to his former lover's presence, his dark eyes locked onto his son. Raine's anger grew.
"…What are you doing?" He asked lowly, a grating almost snide tone to an otherwise smooth voice.
Lloyd turned back to look at the seraph.
"…What?"
"Why have you come all the way here to Tethe'alla?"
"I'm here to save Colette…"
Kratos snorted heavily. "What good will saving the Chosen do? The relation of the two worlds vying for each other's mana will not change. Their positions have merely been reversed by the regeneration ritual."
"Has Tethe'alla begun to decline?" Sheena asked quietly, drawing Kratos' attention away from the boy who was barely holding back his rage.
If she could have, Raine would've turned and ran from the mountain top. If it wouldn't look like she was running away from him and he would know that he would be the reason for her escape. But she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of winning, despite her eagerness to just get away.
She didn't want to be here, looking at the man who she loved and hated, didn't want to notice how the white of his outfit defined the clean lines of his body, didn't want to hear the subtly soft tones in his harsh voice, didn't want to know the information he was providing, the intelligence that understood the situation so easily whilst they groped in the dark. She didn't want to admit that she wanted to be standing there beside him, the centre of his attention.
"Lord Yggdrasill does not consider it twisted," Kratos explained in response to something Lloyd had said, the seraph's voice spitting out the word 'twisted' with disdain "If you want to do something about it, use your own head."
He cocked his own head to the side, regarding Lloyd through a thick curtain of hair, his eyes sharp on him. "…I thought you weren't going to make any more mistakes?"
Lloyd's expression hardened with determination, clearly roused by Kratos' words.
"Yeah, I'll do it! This stupid system of two worlds stealing mana from each other… I swear I'll change it!"
Something like pride and the faintest smile flittered over Kratos' face for the briefest of instants, revealing his true meaning to her only as he spoke to his son.
"Heh…well, do your best."
There was no true scorn in the mocking statement, just disbelief and encouragement for the boy, whether he knew it or not.
With that he turned away, blue wings bursting from his back in a splash of colour and light, Pronyma scrabbling after him, away from the distracted Zelos. He stopped at the cliff even as she jumped into the air, ceasing for a moment and turning to look at the assembly watching him, his eyes scanning each of them for the briefest of moments, his eyes on Raine for just a second longer.
Snorting and shaking his head he turned back and jumped into the air, wings carrying him high and out of sight.
Raine watched him without comment, feeling only anger and disappointment flowing through her at his sudden appearance and disappearance. The rest of the group were staring off after the seraph too, and it was only Genis' snapping of his fingers that brought their attention back to the present situation.
"I remember! That Pronyma was the one on the projector at the Asgard ranch!"
"That means she's a Desian!" Sheena stated.
Genis nodded. "And now that Kratos came to interfere and all—it looks like the Desians and Cruxis are really the same organization…"
Raine hummed quietly to herself, trying to guide her thoughts away from Kratos, focusing instead on the other recently revealed angel.
"It would appear that Yuan is connected to Cruxis as well."
Pronyma's submission, however scathing it was, and Kratos' intervention with saving the other angel could only mean he was worth paying respect to. And that wouldn't occur if they even suspected what he was doing.
Lloyd shook his head. "This is all so confusing! In other words, they're all our enemies, right?"
Raine's eyes narrowed. All their enemies…it was rather childish and simplistic…but that might just be how she needed to look at the world at the moment. Perhaps pushing adult desires and feelings aside was the best way to deal with her personal issues at the very least.
"Yes. That means we must be careful of everyone, including the Renegades."
She lifted her eyes to look at the worried faces of the group, stopping on Colette in particular. So much had happened and the girl had only just returned to them. They should be welcoming her back and so she offered the girl a gentle smile, despite her own state.
Genis seemed to get the hint and turned to the girl, asking how she was. Raine stood back and listened quietly, watching the youngsters interact, noting the way Lloyd's face fell a little when Colette revealed her wings. Apparently, her return to humanity had not taken them from her and Raine partly wished it had. At least then there would be less of a reminder of the mess they were in and person who had betrayed them. Him and his disgustingly beautiful wings.
She frowned when she heard Zelos mentioning something about Chosen's 'sticking together' and decided it would be an appropriate time to intervene.
"Now what shall we do?" she asked abruptly, glaring at Zelos. Colette remained, oblivious as ever, to Zelos' intentions, just as Lloyd was.
"Since Colette has regained her soul, there's no need for us to head immediately back to Sylvarant, but…"
…but they now had no idea of what they were doing. Saving Colette was their main goal and with that completed, they had no plan. She looked to Lloyd for ideas.
"We know what we have to do!" he announced "We're going to search for a way to save both worlds in order to prevent any more Chosen like Colette!"
Some agreement ran around the group, but Genis quickly interjected, looking to the still-silent Presea.
"What about Presea? It's not fair to keep dragging her around like this!"
"…I…want to go home." The girl muttered, looking up at the young half-elf with dulled blue eyes.
Zelos looked at the girl with a raised brow before realisation seemed to strike him.
"Oh yeah, that's right, we need to bring Presea to that Kate chick."
"Unfortunately, I doubt we can use the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge anymore." Raine pointed out, given the recent run in with the Papal knights.
"I have contacts in Meltokio. Let's ask them for help." Sheena suggested.
"But we're wanted traitors. Can we even get into Meltokio?" Genis asked.
"Leave that to me. I know Meltokio like the back of my hand." Zelos stated, an obnoxious grin on his face once more. Raine was half expecting a joke along the lines of 'Hey that freckle's new'. Fortunately, it never came.
"Now my hunnies, we're off to Meltokio!" Zelos announced, leading them away from the barren mountain top and back to the city.
--
Kratos bit his lip, slamming the door to his quarters shut behind him, leaving a startled Yuan in the corridor.
He had been such a fool in going to the Fooji mountains, knowing that Lloyd's group would be there. After all, that was the point and exactly why Pronyma had gone, but there hadn't been anyone he could trust to send the message to her not to retrieve the Chosen. Especially when she had returned to life.
Lord Yggdrasill had been furious at the development, of course, whether it be a result of the key crest Lloyd had made or the Toxicosis. Several of the servants and even Pronyma had marks to prove the extent of his wrath.
He himself, as well as Yuan, had managed to avoid such treatment. They commanded too much respect to be treated so in the presence of a lowlife such as Pronyma. Still, it left Kratos wondering as to why exactly Yuan had been there in the first place. He wasn't sure on what Yuan was supposed to be doing at the moment anyway, but he had certainly not been ordered to retrieve the Chosen.
Perhaps it had been merely to confront Lloyd, whom he seemed to have taken an interest in, but Kratos could not remember a time when the two had met, save for when the boy was very young and Anna had still been alive.
The seraph frowned, wondering what the other was up to exactly. He would have to keep an eye on him in future, wherever possible. The problem was with all of his own plans, serving Yggdrasill and keeping an eye on Lloyd's activities, he had very little time left. And what he did have was reserved for simply trying to get his thoughts in order.
Like right now. Not only were Yuan's actions concerning him, as well as Lloyd's next move and his own, there was another factor to add in to his thoughts. One that he shouldn't have let happen, but he had.
Now what was he going to do about Raine Sage?
He had known she would be there when he had landed, and it had been painful just to look at her when he had arrived. The sheer guilt had almost made him turn and leave and if Lloyd hadn't attacked Yuan right at that moment, he probably would have. The boy would've been beaten to a pulp by Yuan, team or no team, should he have decided to attack.
It didn't change the fact that he had remained though and it certainly didn't change the way he was feeling. He had not allowed himself to look at Raine for the entire exchange, for fear of seeing what her reaction to him would be. He deserved to be hated by her, wanted her to hate him, but at the same time he couldn't stand it. He had not connected to another as he had her since Anna and the loss of such a relationship was something he hated.
He shouldn't have let it happen. He had known he would suffer for it in the end, just as he had with Anna, but he had done it anyway. After all he had learnt after all his years, he thought he would have learnt by now, but it seemed that in some respects, he was still just a child. And worst of all?
He had looked.
After all the willpower it had taken to get through the short meeting with Lloyd and co. he had caved. He had been on the edge of leaving, could have merely released his wings and followed Pronyma. He could have come back here and ignored all thoughts of her, because if she was out of sight, she was easier to put out of mind. But no, he had looked, and it had stung him to see her. He hadn't been able to place the expression on her face. Such a mixture of emotion that she was so hard to read now, not like the carefully constructed woman she had been before, the one he had found hard to read because she controlled herself so well.
He had done that to her. Perhaps his plan of making him hate her wasn't working as well as he had thought. For though there were many negative emotions, they could not all have made her wear that facial expression or hold her body the way she did, as if she was unsure of everything that was occurring now herself.
And the wound. He hadn't noticed it initially, but the wound he had inflicted on her just a few days ago had been bleeding, dark liquid soaking into the orange of her travelling coat. Just a thin stream, but there, and apparent to him.
Sighing, he crossed to the bed and slid onto it wondering just why he had to make things so complicated. Why he always had to look.
--
Raine trudged behind the rest of the group with her mind reeling as she went, her hand pressed to her shoulder, staunching the thin flow of blood. It wasn't worth calling first aid up to heal, especially with her mana levels as low as they were after the battle.
They had eaten lunch halfway down the mountain, Colette having joined them at long last, and though spirits were high among the rest of the group, Raine wasn't feeling so enthused.
Why did she let him affect her so? She should know better, a grown woman like her should never fall so easily, especially not someone so sure of their self, so strong.
The run in with Kratos had shaken her and drained her in a matter of seconds. Just the sight of him had destroyed the barely held together construction of her thoughts, the teetering understanding of her feelings, leaving her struggling to stay focused as they travelled back to Meltokio.
It was only the task of sorting the information of everything that had happened before Kratos had appeared that was keeping her from dwelling on it completely and breaking out into a furious rage or depressed furrow. Though the furrow was still partly formed, and she found herself listless despite Colette's return to them, refraining from conversing with the rest of the group.
Colette, Lloyd, Genis and Sheena were talking animatedly, filling the girl in on everything that had happened since the Tower of Salvation. Zelos walked alongside, listening in, filling himself in on the details as well as getting to know the other Chosen.
Presea, as always, was walking in the middle of the group, silent and alone, despite the attempts of the others to make her feel like one of the group, talking to her and trying to include her. Silence was her only response.
Zelos looked back at the girl after one particular attempt, his eyes straying from the girl's to Raine's. She held the gaze for a moment before pulling away, hoping that he wouldn't take the eye contact as an invitation for him to come and talk to her. The last thing she needed was another male invading her thoughts.
He had though and he quietly slid back through the ranks to where the woman was walking.
"Hey there, cool beauty."
Raine cast him half a glance, before continuing to stare straight ahead as she walked, eyes locked onto the distant city.
"Not playing ball, huh? What's up?"
"What do you want, Zelos?"
"Well you seemed a little lonesome back here, thought I might bring my salivacious company to you."
"How generous."
"I thought so." Zelos replied smugly, ignoring the harsh sarcasm in her tone.
They lapsed into silence for a moment. "So…" Zelos began conversationally "…what do you make of this morning?"
"Eventful, what else can I say?"
"True enough. Have to say though, I'm a tad confused."
"Over what?"
"Well you all know who this Yuan guy is, and you seem to have some inkling of that Pronyma chick. And that Kratos dude, you've explained about before but…I'm coming in from the outside, I have no clue what's going on."
Raine sighed. "You know about Kratos, and all we know of Pronyma is that she's a Desian. As for Yuan…he's the leader of a group called the Renegades, which opposes Cruxis, but now he seems to be working with them as well. He and Kratos seemed very familiar."
"So that's all it is that's going on?"
"As far as we know. I have a feeling were in the middle of something much too big for us to handle."
"Maybe we are. But Lloyd's not going to let us out of it in a hurry."
"True."
"Anything else on your mind then?"
"Actually Zelos, yes," she finally looked to meet the blue eyes "I've been meaning to ask you this all morning… how exactly were you planning on moving those rheiards?"
Zelos sniggered lightly. "Like I told Lloyd, it was to be a surprise."
"But it's over now, so is there any reason to hide it?"
"Hehe. Well then, have it your way . We have technology called wing packs here in Tethe'alla, it converts matter into mana so that large objects can be carried."
"Really? Fascinating."
"Thought you'd like that."
"Mmhmm."
"Well, Ms. Sage, if I'm excused I'll return to my hunnies up front."
"Yes Zelos, of course."
"Oh and Raine?"
"Yes, Zelos?" Raine sighed.
"Dunno what you think, but after everything he's done to you well…that Kratos guy is an ass. I wouldn't worry about him too much."
Raine lifted an eyebrow, wondering just what the man was going on about. "Um…thank you for that Zelos, but I'm quite capable of deciding how to deal with traitors myself."
Zelos swallowed thickly. "I'll bear that in mind."
He darted away to the front of the group, throwing a glance back to Raine as he did before turning away, sliding back into conversation effortlessly with the rest of the group.
--
The day was wearing on by the time they reached Meltokio and Raine was quite ready to retire for the rest of the day. Trekking down a mountain and then across a continent, as well as fighting an enraged Medusa look-a-like was rather tiring.
It seemed, however, that it was not going to be as simple a case as merely popping inside the city and finding an inn for the night, when the guards informed Zelos that they couldn't allow them entrance to the city. Apparently, there was a wanted status upon them now. Not that the news surprised any of them and Zelos quickly led them down a path to a small water trench that flowed out from the city walls. They ducked inside the entrance, out of sight of the guards, urging Noishe to run past the guards and distract them from the fact that the wanted group were sneaking inside.
Under Zelos' instruction, they made their way into the dark of the sewers, Zelos explaining their function as they made their way through dark, stinking tunnels.
Raine, for once, stayed quiet and deigned not to ask any questions that may slow them further. She just wanted to get out of the wretched place.
Eventually, after a series of odd mechanisms and puzzles that seemed to have been set up purely to stop them from making their way inside they found themselves walking alongside a large staircase that seemed to lead out of the sewers and they rushed forwards, blurring past slime covered walls, eager to leave the dank darkness.
It was just as they reached the foot of the steps that they were unexpectedly stopped, three bald men dressed in rags leaping down in front of them. There were thick metal collars around their necks, their wrists bound in chains, barcodes tattooed onto the sides of their shaven skulls.
Thick wooden clubs were held in grizzled hands.
Zelos, who had been leading, backed up immediately. His eyes flicked from face to face of the convicts, scanning over shaven skulls, hard features and grizzled facial hair.
"What's goin' on?" he asked slowly, hand falling to the hilt of his sword.
"I sense…" Presea whispered "…danger."
One of the men, apparently the leader, stepped forwards, raising a club to slap down threateningly into an open palm.
"…We've been waiting for you, travellers from Sylvarant."
Zelos cocked his head, eyes narrowing at the statement, wondering just why. One of the other convicts answered the unasked question.
"The Pope promised to lighten our sentences if we got rid of you. We've got nothing personal against you, but we need you to die!"
The three rushed forwards the second the words had finished leaving the convict's mouth.
Apparently, the three men weren't too smart. The fact that they were three men armed with clubs facing a group of seven all in possession of rather specialist weapons didn't phase them in the slightest. The fact that half of them had travelled from another world had seemingly no effect on their thoughts of their odds of winning. And the fact that they had an angel with them also didn't seem to cross their minds.
In fact, it was rather sad that they even tried in the first place. True, desperate criminals would do anything to earn a reprieve but this was just bordering on pathetic. It was even more sad that when they were tossed to the floor a few minutes later, utterly defeated, they actually looked surprised.
Zelos smirked, opening his mouth to make a smart remark, but he was cut short by the descent of a large blue-haired man onto his back. The red-head grunted loudly as the weight crashed down onto his back, pinning him to the floor. Raine stepped forward as the man turned and looked over his shoulder to the group.
"Don't move…If you move, the Chosen dies. Understand?"
She froze, meeting a dark, stern gaze framed by scruffy, matted blue hair.
Zelos understandably, protested loudly. "Whoa whoa whoa! You think you can get away with doing something like this to the Chosen?"
The man shook his head. "One who plots the destruction of the world…can no longer be deemed the Chosen."
Zelos grunted, somehow turning his head to look at Lloyd, meeting the boy's surprised gaze.
"Oh…hey, Lloyd! If you abandon me here, I swear, I'll come back to haunt you!"
Lloyd shrugged casually, apparently unconcerned as to the danger of the situation.
"…I just had a sudden, violent urge to abandon you."
Presea chose that moment to dash forwards, swinging her axe in a wide arc at the man. He moved the second he saw the axe coming towards him, clustering with the three convicts as Zelos scrabbled to his feet and dove behind Lloyd, wrapping his arms around his shoulders in a tight hug. Raine lifted an eyebrow.
Presea still stood in front of the group, glaring at the abnormally tall man and in the dim light, Raine could just make out that his hands were bound by shackles. He was a convict too. Currently his gaze was fixed on Presea.
"You're…" he gasped.
Genis growled quietly, apparently deciding that the man's interaction with Presea had gone far enough and he released a flurry of fireballs at the man.
He evaded the attack easily.
"Ugh…retreat for now." He ordered, turning and dashing up the stairs, the other men in tow.
The group watched them go quietly. The pope was still on their tail, which meant that everything was going to be so much more difficult from now on.
Lloyd sighed heavily, finally pushing Zelos off him. The chosen looked mildly put out at the action.
"Looks like it's over for now."
There were a few quiet murmurs of agreement, and after a moment, they silently decided to move on, slower this time, listening out for any signs of danger. The surprise attack had made Lloyd realise just how much danger they were in at the moment, how big the events they were trapped in the middle of were.
Finally, they climbed up a ladder set into the wall, pushing a manhole cover aside and crawling out to find themselves in the backstreets of Meltokio. Fortunately, with the sun beginning to set, no-one was around to see them.
Distancing themselves from the sewer somewhat, they slid into a back alley to speak without the danger of being seen.
"Now we can meet my friends." Sheena commented, her voice hushed as they spoke.
"Where are your friends?" Colette asked.
"At a place called the Elemental Research Laboratory. I learned my summoning arts there. It's also where Corrine was born."
"Ok, let's go to that Elemental Research Laboratory place, then." Lloyd suggested. Raine held out a hand to stop him.
"Let's leave that until tomorrow. We'd best lay low for tonight considering the pope's actions towards us. Going to somewhere as influential as this laboratory would probably be a bad idea."
"Then we find somewhere to stay for the night and try tomorrow morning?"
"That would be best."
"How are we gonna find somewhere to stay for the night though? The inns will probably have been warned about us."
Zelos sniggered. "Leave that to me."
"We seem to be leaving a lot to you lately, Zelos." Raine commented.
"And I've only failed you once, through no fault of my own. Besides, I'm just proving that I'm helpful and that you can trust me."
"I suppose…"
"Well then, nothing to worry about. Let's head to that inn."
They walked there quietly, trying to keep to the shadow as much as possible, avoiding the occasional patrol by the papal knights.
Once at the inn, Zelos approached the front desk cockily.
"Good evening, charming lady. I was wondering if you might have enough rooms to house my friends and I for the night. 7 of us in total."
"Ah Chosen…I would but….um, I'm sorry but you're currently wanted. I.."
"Oh don't worry about that, my gorgeousness," Zelos interrupted, resting one elbow on the desk and leaning forwards. "I swear we'll keep quiet, no-one will know we're here. And…I'll make it very worth your while."
A slow, almost lecherous grin crossed his full lips.
"I…I'll show your friends to their rooms."
"Thank you, sweet hunny."
The woman, blushing, beckoned for the group to follow, showing them to their respective rooms. Raine listened quietly through her door as Zelos remained with the woman.
"Tell me…is your husband home?"
"N…no, Chosen."
"Then all is well."
She didn't hear anymore after that, only aware that the two had moved on somewhere else, most likely the woman's room. Raine rolled her eyes, walking away from the door and throwing herself down onto the bed, too exhausted to even bother undressing.
--
"That's insane!" Sheena exclaimed to the small group of researchers clustered in front of them.
They had managed to reach the Elemental Research Laboratory with no problems and had met many of Sheena's associates, including a man named Kuchinawa who she had apparently grown up with.
Currently, they were discussing how to cross to the other continent without using the bridge. Raine lifted an eyebrow at Sheena's outburst.
"What's wrong?" Lloyd asked.
"They want us to cross the sea in an Elemental Cargo!"
"An elemen what?"
Raine listened quietly as Presea explained that an Elemental Cargo, or EC was a device used for transporting materials and goods for businesses. The idea didn't set too well with Raine, though if it was the only way to cross it had to be done. It was only when the word 'surf' came up that Raine started to wish there was another way.
"S…surf…"
Lloyd glanced at her, noticing her apprehension. Apparently, like his father, he had twigged that she had a fear of water too. Though, she thought it might actually be quite obvious.
"Isn't there any other way?" He questioned, turning back to the researchers.
"The bridge is closed." He explained slowly, as if Lloyd were a small, dumb child. "You don't have the necessary identification to use an ocean liner. And on top of that, there are two half-elves with you."
"…Not that again." Genis tutted. Raine tapped him on the shoulder in warning as the researcher shrugged.
"That's the kind of world Tethe'alla is. …We, too, hardly ever get to leave this building."
"Ah, well, there's no point in getting all gloomy. So will you make that modified EC for us?" Zelos stated, looking to the researcher.
"If you'll wait a day, we'll have it ready."
Raine groaned inwardly. Another day in the city, fearing to be caught by the authorities. Brilliant.
"Ok. Well, then, let's go rest at my mansion." Zelos suggested. Apparently, spending another night with a married woman you've already slept with was a bad idea, especially when her husband had returned home that morning and thrown you a suspicious glance.
"The Pope's minions aren't going to be waiting for us there, right?" Sheena questioned, looking worried.
"We're going to have to spend the night in this city," Lloyd pointed out "So it doesn't matter where we are, it'll still be dangerous."
Sheena nodded in understanding.
With the plans for the day decided, they left the labs, making their way out and up into the nobles' quarters, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Something that was proving difficult for Zelos. It was fortunate he was so well liked by the town's people. It meant they remained loyal to him, and would lie to the papal knights when questioned.
Zelos mansion proved to be a particularly large, ornate building and as they approached, Raine had to wonder how one person could need such a spacious home. It was nice to have room to move about, but this was ridiculous. She rolled her eyes at the peacocks that strutted over the neatly trimmed lawns. They seemed to be a metaphor for their owner.
The inside of the building was no less impressive as they made their way in. The floor was pure marble, set with small white stones that glinted in the light of the room. The walls were adorned with lustrous wall paper and swathes of material that gave the chamber a luxurious look. Large exotic flowers in pots were scattered around the room, pretentious portraits on the walls and a baby grand piano at the base of the red carpet lined staircase.
Presents were piled atop it, unopened but, Raine noticed as a small detail as she passed by, the keys were yellowed with use. She wondered if that was due to Zelos himself, or the woman whose portrait hung on the wall, perpendicular to the fireplace. Judging from the flaming red hair that fell in front of her shoulder in a tight twist, she was his mother.
Eyes glued to the portrait of the beautiful woman, she crossed to it as Zelos spoke to his butler and the others milled about the room.
Families had always fascinated her…the connections between parent and child. It was something she had little experience of herself, like Lloyd, but after all these years, he had a father, even if he didn't know about it. A father who had recognised his son instantly.
She wondered, if her mother were still alive, if she would recognise her grown up daughter. Or son.
"My mother, Mylene." Zelos commented.
"Yes, I had guessed."
"She passed away when I was just a kid."
"I'm sorry."
"Cheers," he cleared his throat "I'm guessing that you aren't in contact with yours either."
"No. She's…I assume she's no longer with us."
"You don't know?"
"It's hard to know if your parents are alive if you haven't had contact with them since you were a small child."
"And vice versa, I would say."
"I guess so. But why do you say that?"
Zelos froze for a second before blinking and grinning. "Just…must be hard for a parent to lose a child, you know? Children expect to have to deal with the death of their parents, eventually, but not the other way around."
"That's true."
They fell silent, looking up at the portrait before Zelos turned away. "Well, I'm gonna go schmooze with the losers."
"Lloyd and Genis?"
"You got it."
"Thank you for referring to my brother as such."
"Heh. Love the brats really. See ya later, beauty."
He disappeared, leaving Raine to stare up at the portrait again, thoughts about her own past swimming through her head. The images of ruins under a full moon.
And Kratos. The loss of his child in the night. The child that stood behind her now, chatting to Sheena, unaware of the events conspiring around him.
I...don't quite know what happened with the ending, but the whole parent-child thing seems to be a big issue in ToS since there are so many mentions of lost mothers and fathers and even though Zelos can bug the hell out of me sometimes, he deserves to have some more background. Plus, he can kinda associate with Raine in some aspects which is why there's quite a bit of Zelos and Raine interaction at the moment - he's not as dumb as he seems, bless him. And...the whole parent/ child thing can link her back to Kratos thoughts so...yeah.
The whole family aspect of ToS is something I quite liked too, so I might explore it a bit (as if I don't already have enough work with trying to sort out the Kraine stuff).
Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Please review. Oh and thanks to all the people who have fave'd this too.