A/N: If you enjoyed the last part, you should love this part :3
(Note: This has been updated on Friday because I'm going on holiday for a week, and I won't have internet on Saturday. Figured I wouldn't leave you guys hanging)
They were just clearing the trees when the explosion rocked the Ranch. The heat hit them first, before the force of the explosion sent them all flying forward, hitting the ground.
The trees towards the centre had started catching fire, and the group pushed themselves up, knowing they needed to get away before they were caught in the blaze.
"Is everyone okay?" called Raine as they pushed themselves up, Kratos shifting his grip on Lloyd.
"Miss Clara hasn't gotten up!" Colette called from a little behind, where she and Clara had been bringing up the rear.
Kratos turned, his gaze slightly panicked, and Raine's frown deepened before she turned her attention back. She made her way to the two girls, kneeling beside Clara.
She gently looked over her over, then frowned as she felt Clara's head.
"It looks like she's bumped it. She should be alright, but she might be out for a while," she assessed before looking around. "Noishe?" she called, and the protozoan padded over to her. She patted him then lifted Clara onto his back. "Keep an eye on her," she instructed. Noishe barked then bounded over to Kratos, staying by his side as they headed back out of the forest.
She woke slowly, her mind groggy. Everything was like it was covered in a blanket, and she frowned as she tried to think what was going on.
'Lloyd!' was her sudden thought, and she sat up quickly, looking around. The others in the group looked at her in surprise, but she her gaze was immediately drawn to the teenage boy sleeping beside her.
..He looked like Lloyd. He had the same hairstyle, and hair colour. Even the skin tone and face shape was similar. But...he was so much older.
"Clara?" someone called, and she turned, her gaze landing on Kratos.
"Kratos! What's happened? Where's Kvar? And why is Lloyd so...big?!" she cried.
A boy sitting beside Kratos scoffed. "What, have you got amnesia again? You beat Kvar up back at the Ranch, remember?" he said.
"Are you alright, Miss Clara? You bumped your head," a blonde girl on Kratos' other side said, looking concerned.
She looked around at them. "Why do you keep calling me Clara? My name is Anna."
Kratos suddenly went very still, then let out a long breath before massaging his forehead. It was at times like this that she saw his age, and the tiredness that came with it.
"Dear? What's the matter?" she asked.
A white haired woman sitting a little beside the boy raised an eyebrow before looking at Kratos.
"Mr Kratos, I think you should explain a few things. You've been extremely protective of Lloyd and Clara for a little while now, and now she's calling you 'dear'...Are you actually all related?"
Anna raised an eyebrow. "Kratos, I'm getting very confused," she informed him before looking at the woman. "My name is Anna. Kratos is my husband, and Lloyd is my son," she informed her simply.
The boy and girl went quiet, looking between them, then the girl smiled brightly. "Oh, that's great! I'm really happy you actually are related!" she said with a giggle.
Kratos shushed her, then turned back to Anna. "Please...just listen a moment, dear. It's been a while since your last memory...Several years, in fact. I thought you were and Lloyd were dead. Lloyd has been growing up by himself, mostly, and you've had the persona of Clara since Kvar attacked us."
Anna frowned. "What..? But..I don't..."
Slowly memories were coming back to her, and she paled as she went through them.
"Oh..." she mumbled, gazing down at her hands. Then she frowned. "Does Lloyd...know I'm his mother?" she asked finally.
Kratos inclined his head. "He is aware of it, yes, thanks to Kvar."
Anna sighed in relief, then turned to Lloyd, gently feathering his hair. He looked so innocent...just like when he was so much younger. She smiled, happy that he still retained his childishness despite being so much older.
Lloyd gave a little mumble before blinking his eyes open blearily, looking around. "Huh...wha..?" he mumbled. Anna's smile grew wider as she caught sight of his wine red eyes, so like his father's.
Lloyd saw her and smiled as well. "Morning Clara," he greeted, sitting up and shifting uncomfortably.
Anna hesitated, so Kratos took over. "She remembers everything," he informed the dual blade weilder.
Lloyd paused, taking this in, then blinked as what this meant occured to him.
"So...you remember that you're my..?" he trailed off, looking uncertain.
Anna smiled. "Yes...I remember that I'm your mother," she replied. Lloyd gave a wide grin, then turned as Kratos stood up.
"I would like to speak with both of you in private," he said quietly. They shared a glance then stood up, following him further away so that they had more privacy.
Genis gave a sigh. "What d'you think is so important they couldn't speak about it infront of us?" he wondered.
"Anna, do you remember when Lloyd got his wings?" asked Kratos as they settled down.
Anna frowned a moment, then nodded. "Yeah...They didn't look like normal angel wings."
"They're not. I've never seen any wings like them before," Kratos replied, frowning, then shook his head. "Still, that isn't the point. Lloyd, how are you feeling at the moment?" he asked.
Lloyd considered. "Um, well, I'm not really...feeling," he mumbled.
Anna looked confused, but Kratos nodded. "I expected that. You may find that you lose your voice at some point as well, though it will likely only be for a short while seeing as you've already been through the Angel Transformation once before."
"What? I don't understand.." Anna said, frowning.
"The Angel Transformation has four different side effects; the first is a loss of hunger, then an inability to feel heat or cold or to sleep, and then lack of pain. The final stage is the loss of voice. However, these effects are only temporary, though it varies for how long they last depending on how the wings are gained. They also have various bonuses, such as better eyesight, hearing, health and longetivity."
Anna frowned. "That doesn't sound very good..."
Lloyd shrugged. "I've dealt with it before, so I should be fine. It should only last for a couple of days, at least."
Anna pouted. "I don't like the idea of my baby boy being in pain though," she muttered, pulling him to her and hugging him.
Lloyd laughed awkwardly. "I'll be fine...Mum."
Anna glanced down at him, then smiled and hugged him tighter. "I know you will," she murmured. After a moment, she glanced up at Kratos, laughing at his hesitant expression. "Come here, idiot," she said, pulling him forward and hugging him as well. She sighed happily, burying her face in his hair.
Lloyd glanced at Kratos hesitantly. "Is she usually like this?" he mouthed.
Kratos considered the Anna he knew, then nodded. "Just go with it," he mouthed back.
A/N: So, Anna knows who she is! Finally!
(I'm gonna assume you all knew she was Anna anyway)
Also, from now on people will call her Anna instead of Clara, but they don't for a while :)
Now we just need to reveal who Lloyd's mentor is *evil laugh*
Review?
