Alaia Skyhawk: Do I even need to say?

I don't own Tales of Symphonia so please don't sue me. I do however own Krishka, Dallinius (Dalli), Aluran, the Alurannai and any OCs, except Sanaro and Annule, who belong to Mr.Who2123, and Mika and Fiuras, who belong to WingedWithFieryMana, so please don't steal them...

Enjoy

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Chapter 38: To Bend Until They...

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"I'm fine, Kratos, I think I can manage to carry the laundry basket ten yards to the laundry room."

Anna dumped the basket on the floor as her husband came in behind her. She was just over three months pregnant now, and Kratos was fussing more than ever. She honestly believed that he was close to that point where he would try and make her sit there while he did everything. Ridei had already tried that with Yilara, and was now walking around with a confused and bewildered expression on his face. Trithan had also tried it to the same result, as had Rennan. Taraie said that Fernden wasn't too bad at the moment, but all the other women knew now just how fast that could change. So far with Kratos he was just trying to stop her from picking anything even remotely heavy up, such as the laundry basket, and for the most part that wasn't too bad... But the persistent questions about little things she might want or need were seriously starting to wear down her patience.

I need some space right now.

Leaving him to clean the washing, Anna made a break for it to the Group Room. Maybe one of the other mothers would be there and they could vent off some steam by complaining to each other about over attentive husbands. Slipping out of the house, she headed along the walkway through the treetops, letting the sounds of the forest ease her tattered nerves. It was well into summer now, the trees heavy with deep green foliage and the first startings of this year's seeds and fruits as the warm wind made them sway.

With a flutter of her green and gold wings, Anna hopped over one of the many small gaps between sections of the treetop streets, the spaces allowing the structures to flex as the trees moved in the wind. She never noticed the sway now, in fact she was so at home on the ceaselessly moving platforms that she felt strange when she was on the ground. Stepping lightly she slipped around a pair of alurannai coming towards her, smiling at them as they greeted her. That was sonething else she'd gotten used to, she had been greeted occationally before she'd married Kratos, but after donning her azure reta she was greeted by all the passed regardless of what she was doing. Whether she be strolling along or in a rush, they never failed to acknowledge her in some way, even if it was only to nod and meet her eyes as she passed.

Stopping, she turned and looked out across the forest, eyes thoughtful.

On second thoughts, Kratos will probably still bug me if I go to the Group Room, but at my parent's house he always let's them be in charge of my 'well being'.

She reached out as she'd been taught and began prodding at the mind of a certain Arshis to let him know he needed to 'listen'. As soon as she felt she had his attention she 'spoke'.

/Noishe, can you take me to Clear Falls? I'd like to spend some time with my family. /

The answer was immediate.

Sure, I'll meet you at the Sentinel.

Grinning, the green eyed angel descended a nearby stairway and headed off towards the Nae Shiu Sentinel. It only took her ten minutes to reach it, and there as he said he'd be was Noishe.

Climbing up onto his back she gripped the straps of the enchanted harness he wore. He'd explained to her that he'd gotten it from the Dwarves back during the war, but had stopped wearing it because he kept forgetting it was there and getting caught on things. Anna smiled to herself as she remembered his account of how he'd tried to pounce on Yuan and had ended up getting snagged on a tree branch to be left hanging from it as the mage looked on and laughed. He wore it again now because it made it easier for her to ride him, and in turn protected her on these jaunts with the wardings that were cast on it.

With her now securely holding the tan coloured straps, Noishe trotted over to the Sentinel and took them through, breaking into a moderate run once they'd arrived at the other end.

The Safe Town of Clear Falls was about an hour's walk from the nearby Sentinel, and had been named after the waterfall at the end of the small valley in which the town lay. Anna's parents had been placed here because of that closeness, and also because the thickly wooded area between the open area of the town and it's fields, and that gateway, meant that they could reach Farrell and Jancine's home on the outskirts without being seen. Openly visiting in sight of the townsfolk would have led to awkward questions, so the pair had picked a house that backed onto the trees with a large kitchen garden out front, and had deliberately set the path from the front gate in a way so that those inside the front room of the house could see anyone coming. It was the perfect set up, and allowed Anna, Kratos, and Noishe to head out the back door should anyone show up unexpectedly.

Enjoying the slightly different feel of this woodland from that she'd just come from, Anna closed her eyes as the faint smell of brine on the wind came to her from the coastline just a few miles away. She never smelt the sea before her first visit here, and had never seen it until Kratos had taken her down to the shore to watch as the town's small collection of fishing boats headed out to sea. The wide open ocean stretching to the horizon had entranced her and led to her making Kratos promise to take her flying over it someday.

Nearing the town itself, Noishe slowed down from his run as they reached the back of her parent's house. Sliding from his back, Anna headed up to the door and tapped on it. Seconds later it was opened revealing the smiling face of her mother.

"Anna, it's been barely a week since your last visit. Why back here so soon?"

With a sigh of long suffering, Jancine's daughter entered the house and settled herself on the low couch in the front room, Noishe settling himself by her feet.

"It's Kratos... His constant fussing over me is really starting to seriously get on my nerves. I know he doesn't realise how over the top he's being, but I'm not sure I can put up with it much longer. I thought I'd come here and get some space, at the very least he won't fuss here the way he fusses back at home."

Jancine handed her a cup of tea, her face sympathetic.

"It's a shame you can't stay here for a few days, but with no one here knowing about you visiting you can't. Still, a few hours peace is better than none. Spirit's know I did what you're doing often enough myself with your grandmother. Farrell may not have been as big of a fuss as Kratos is being, but even I had to get away once in a while."

Anna chuckled, and then looked around the room.

"Speaking of Dad, where is he? And Jason for that matter?"

Offering her daughter a biscuit, Jancine then picked up her own cup of tea and began to sip it.

"They're down at the shore, fishing. Your father thought he'd try his hand at it and Jason wanted to have a go too. They've been down their since this morning, though they should be back in an hour or so. They know they'll be in trouble if they get here after dark."

Sure enough a glance out the window at the sky showed it was getting late on in the day here. Clear Falls was on the Balacruft Continent's eastern coast, and some three hours ahead of Nae Shiu, and it had been late afternoon there when she'd left. Night wasn't far away here in the Safe Town, which meant she couldn't stay too much longer. If Kratos knew she'd travelled back to the Sentinel after dark he'd have a fit.

Resigned, Anna sighed.

"And I can't stay until they get back. Unless Noishe flat out sprints, which he won't given my 'condition', I won't make it back to the Sentinel before dark if I wait for them... I guess I should have come earlier, then I could have stayed longer."

Jancine patted her on the arm.

"It's alright, you could come back tomorrow. I'll make sure your father and Jason stay in so you can see them."

Her daughter smiled.

"Thanks, Mom. I'll do that." Setting her now empty cup on the small table at the end of the couch, Anna got up and nudged Noishe to get him up. "C'mon, let's head back now before Kratos decides to send out a search party." She looked at her mother again. "See you tomorrow, Mom."

Heading out the back door, Anna once again climbed onto Noishe's back, and the two of them set off into the trees.

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Things didn't quite go as she'd hoped. When he hadn't been able to find her at the Group Room, and no one in Nae Shiu could point a direction they'd seen her go, Kratos had immediately realised she'd gone to visit her parents. Having come through the Sentinel, he met the two of them when they were about half way back from Clear Falls. Anna had originally planned to ask the local jiisumura to take her back through since Noishe couldn't so soon, as it ended up Kratos was the one taking her back. All relief from the stress, that Anna had gotten in her two hours or so of peace, was gone by the time they'd made it back to Nae Shiu, and once they were back in the Nartana's apartments she was ready to strangle him.

Anna regarded her husband with narrowed eyes as he flustered about, sitting her down on the couch, before he headed to the stove in the corner and started cooking.

'How could you just leave like that?' He says. 'No one knew where you were!' He says. 'You could have been hurt! Anna you have to be more responsible!' I'll give him 'responsible', if he doesn't pack this in soon he's going to be 'responsible' for me losing my mind!

Eyes still narrowed, she followed him with her gaze as he continued preparing the evening meal completely oblivious to the glare he getting. As soon as the food was ready and on the table, Kratos came over and hovered by her as she walked to her seat, as though afraid she might fall over or something.

Sitting down, with her husband insisting on pushing her chair in for her, Anna began to eat the simple meal of vegetables and egg fried rice. By this point, if looks could kill, Kratos would have been dead at a hundred paces. Throughout the meal, he kept passing things she reached for even when they were well within arm's length of her, and every time he did it she smouldered a little more. Finally, after fifteen minutes of this... the burning fuse reached the explosives...

In the blink of an eye, as he moved to pass her the salt pot that was just six inches from her elbow, she grabbed the front of his shirt and flung him at the far wall hard enough to make a very solid thud. She then picked up her fork and threw it at him.

Seeing only the flying utensil heading for him, Kratos ducked as the prongs embedded themselves in the wall where his head had been. Over it all his wife shrieked.

"I'M PREGNANT, NOT A BLOODY INVALID!!!"

More knives and forks headed his way as she got hold of the basket on the counter that held them. Kratos, face bewildered, dodged them frantically as she continued to yell at him. They were mundane, and would never have hurt him, but it was the principal of the thing. His wife was throwing cutlery at him so hard even spoons were left stuck in the wooden wall. Making a break for it, he bolted out the door so fast he hit the walkway railing and tumbled over it. Sat in a dazed heap on the forest floor, he heard the front door of the apartment slam.

Hearing the commotion, nearby alurannai came out of their homes, many spotting him and peering over the railings as he continued to sit there looking shell shocked. Murmurs of sympathy came from many of the men, while the majority of the women simply smirked. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had just happened to their Inartu.

Once word had spread, three men descended the nearby stairway and pulled Kratos to his feet.

Rennan patted him on the shoulder, as Trithan and Ridei began to guide him to the stairs.

"Welcome to the club, Kratos... Welcome to the club..."

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Alaia Skyhawk: That was so FUN to write! XD I've had that line in mind for ages.