Second Chances
By Chomper318
Author's Note: Tales of Symphonia belongs to Namco. I'll String Along With You belongs to Diana Krall. This ficcy belongs to me. I hope readers will like it, it's my first TOS fic.
I'll String Along With You
You may not be an angel
Cause angels are so few
But until the day that one comes along
I'll string along with you
I'm looking for an angel
To sing my love song to
And until the day that one comes along
I'll sing my song to you
For every little fault that you have
See I've got three or four
The human little faults you do have
Just make me love you more
You may not be an angel
But still I'm sure you'll do
So until the day that one comes along
I'll string along with you
--Diana Krall
Chapter Six
In hindsight, Kat should've known she wouldn't make it far by running. After all, Katz were not known or naturally built to be good runners—or even half-way decent runners. Thus a human in a Katz costume would fail miserably if they attempted the exercise. This was exactly what happened to Kat. After taking only about five steps, she stopped—and Kratos caught up.
"Wait," he said, "Please,"
Kat turned her head and looked at him. She was beginning to feel angry. Why was she reacting this way? Why did she run from him? Why did she think that he was going to kill her? Kat shook her head. Enough was enough.
"My name isn't Anna," was the first thing she said in a steady forceful voice. "It's Kat."
Kratos nodded slowly. "I'm sorry. You reminded me of someone, someone I lost."
Kat looked at Kratos and noted the sad expression on his face. Her heart ached but it was time to take control of all these weird unfounded emotions that were raging inside her. She was a Katz after all and Katz were always in charged. She could handle anything.
"Well," she said, "I'm sorry for your lost. But as you can see, I'm a Katz." She then added, "Meow."
Just then, Lloyd caught up with them. Not having the same angelic advantage as Kratos, he had to swim from the boat back to shores a second time around. As he dragged his wet and slightly cold body onto shores and towards his dad and the Katz, he thought bitterly to himself about the lost of his temporary angel wings.
"Why couldn't I keep them?" he muttered to himself as he wringed the water out of his overcoat. He then walked up to his dad and the pink Katz.
"So...what's up?" asked Lloyd.
Kat turned towards the young man, "You dad mistaken me for someone,"
"Oh," said Lloyd curiously, "Who?"
"Someone named Anna," she said in a flippant manner and regretted it because the young man's jaw dropped and eyes widened in shock. Kat felt a prickling of sorrow once again and squashed it immediately. She saw how the young man whipped his head to stare at his father as though expecting him to comment on what she just said. But the older man simply ignored him and continued to look at Kat in an inquisitive manner.
When Kratos remained silent, Lloyd asked, "Is this true?"
Kratos left out a sighed before saying, "Look at her. Look at her and tell me."
Lloyd turned his attention towards Kat and stared. Kat was getting very uncomfortable and was going to tell him to stop when he finally did stopped staring. He then looked at his feet. Both men were silent now.
Kat couldn't take it anymore. "What? Well?"
Lloyd continued to look at the ground. Though Kat didn't know the young man for long, she knew something wasn't right when he refused to make eye contact.
"Well?" she repeated.
Lloyd tentatively looked up at Kat, then at Kratos, and then back at Kat again. He said quietly, "I guess. I guess now that you mention it." He gestured towards the Katz ears before continuing, "If you look past the Katz bit...you do look like her.... Like mom."
Kat was floored. She looked away from Lloyd and back at Kratos. She didn't know what to do. What to think. Why are they saying this? She wasn't Anna? She's Kat...right?
But Kat knew the answer to her last question. She wasn't a Katz. Not really. She was a woman, lost in a world she didn't remember and did not know. It was only because of the Katz that she had any sort of identity. Here she was on Thoda Geyser where two men said she reminded them of a woman. What if she was her? How would she know if she was or wasn't? Who was she to say when she truly didn't know in the first place?
Kat took a deep breath. What could she do, but to hear them out. "Alright," she began, "I remind you of someone..." She looked at Kratos, "Someone you both lost. Well?" she asked, "What happened to her?"
The young man looked at his dad, waiting for his answer.
Kratos took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes as though he wasn't sure how to answer her rather simple question. He looked straight into her eyes and said, "Anna," he sighed, "Anna is dead."
Kat didn't think she heard him right. The woman she supposed to be or at least resembled was dead. How?
She must had said her last thought out loud because Kratos answered it.
"She was killed...by me." He waited for Kat to react.
She didn't. She just stood there and stared at the man who just confessed to murdering a woman. She couldn't believe, but yet.... She looked at Kratos and Lloyd. Lloyd was looking down at his feet again. Surely this was a nightmare. Kat swallowed.
"Why?" she managed to say.
Kratos finally looked away from her. His attention was now on the stretch of sand that was in front of them. He then gestured towards an outcrop of stones where they could seat. They slowly made their way there. Once they all sat down, he told his story. Kat just sat there and listened. When Kratos finished telling his tale, he simply stopped and looked at Kat. Lloyd, who was quiet during Kratos' recount watched Kat closely. They both waited for Kat to respond.
Kat had a lot of information to process. She started with the most obvious point to their tale.
"If what you say is true, and I'm not saying that it isn't. But if it is true. Then Anna is dead. That's just it. Therefore, I'm not Anna because I'm alive."
Kratos nodded in agreement. "This is true. But the resemblance is remarkable. Perhaps...perhaps you are related to Anna somehow. I know that she was the only daughter but maybe she had a cousin or something. In truth, I don't know much about her family. Do you have family from Luin?"
Kat shook her head. She didn't know. She didn't know anything about her family except for the one she made in Katz Village. Kratos mistook her gesture as one of denial because he said, "If you don't have family from Luin, then maybe your family moved or something. It doesn't really matter I guess. How did you end up with the Katz?"
Kat opened her mouth but nothing came out. She didn't know how she ended up on Katz Island. Nothing made sense to Kat. She resembled a woman who died 18 years ago. She had no memory of who she was or how she ended up on Katz Island. She didn't know anything or anyone when she first awoke inside the Katz Village. She was going to tell them that she didn't know anything when Tabby and Stray called out her name.
"Kat?" Tabby shouted. "Kat? Where are you? Meow!"
Kat stood up. Kratos and Lloyd looked and saw two Katz making their way to them.
"There you are!" Tabby said. "We were worried. Meow. That was a good nap." She stretched. "When we woke, we didn't see you." The newly arrived pink Katz turned and motioned to the two humans. "Who're they?"
Kat walked over to Tabby and Stray. She felt safe with them. With them, she knew who she was, she was a Katz. A Katz out on her first expedition. She pointed to Kratos and Lloyd and introduced them to Tabby and Stray. She then introduced the two Katz to Kratos and Lloyd.
Stray nodded at them but Tabby eyed at them suspiciously. "Well," she said, "What do they want? Do they want an expedition or something? Meow"
Before Kat could answer, Kratos said, "No. It just that this woman," he nodded to Kat, "reminds me of someone."
Tabby stared at Kratos. "Well, is she at Katz?" she said, emphasizing the last word.
"No," he said, "She was human."
"Was?" Tabby pounced on the verb. "So she's no longer here then?" She laughed. "Well, obviously she's not our Kat." She turned away from Kratos and back towards her companions. "Come on. They said they don't want an expedition. Let's go. I think we should head towards Palmacosta now."
Tabby started to walk away but neither Stray or Kat moved. Tabby looked at Stray astounded. "What are we waiting for? Meow?"
Stray looked away from Tabby and at Kratos. "You say that Kat reminded you of someone. Meow. Is there a chance she's related to Kat here?"
Kratos nodded, "It's possible. We were just talking about that when you two walked in." He turned back to Kat, "You were going to say something."
Kat looked at Tabby and Stray. Stray put his arms around Kat and answered for her. "She doesn't know anything about her own family. She can't remember."
If Kratos was surprised by this statement, he didn't show it. Kat nodded slightly. "It's true. I don't remember anything. If you don't know whether or not Anna had any relatives....Well, I can't help you."
Kratos just looked at Kat with an intensity that took her breath away. She moved closer towards Stray and Tabby for protection and strength.
Lloyd finally broke out of his uncharacteristic quietness. "Well, if she can't remember, what can we do?"
Kratos finally paid attention to his only son, "Well. Perhaps we can go to Raine." He turned to the Katz. "We have a friend. She excels in the healing arts. If Anna, I mean Kat here lost her memory due to some illness or injury, our friend should be able to help."
Tabby shook her head, "No. We are out on an officially Katz Expedition." She gestured towards Kat, "There's nothing wrong with her. If her memory comes back, it'll come back on it's own. We're here to take care of her. Meow. We're her family—the Katz. If something comes up, we'll send you a letter." She pulled on Kat's arm and started walking away, "Besides, this is Kat's first Expedition. Kat's very excited, right?"
Kat nodded, she was excited about her first Expedition.
"See," Tabby said, "We'll keep in touch." She continued to walk away with Kat.
"Wait," Stray said, effectively stopping Tabby and in turn, Kat.
"I know you want to protect Kat. I do too. Meow." He walked up to them. "But if there's something that coulc help Kat, we should do it." he gestured towards Kratos and Lloyd, "I think it's safe to say that we all want to help and find the truth. Right?" he said to Kratos.
Kratos nodded, mentally thanking the blue Katz for his help. "If this woman here is a relative of my Anna, I want to know. And I want to help. She would be family after all."
Tabby faced the two men, both strong and stubborn in their own ways. "Fine," she huffed, "Meow. We'll go see this Raine. Where is she?"
Lloyd spoke up, "She's in the town of Iselia. We can stop by my dad's first...I mean my other dad. I mean, oh never mind. I know a place where we can rest first before going to Iselia." He turned towards his dad Kratos, "I know Genis and Raine are back in Iselia. Let's head to dad's and rest there first. Okay?"
Kratos nodded. "We can set sail now. If we head southeast from here, we'll be able to reach Dirk's." He turned to the Katz, "Dirk's home is at the northern tip of the continent where the Linkite Tree is, it's not too far from...."
Tabby cut him off, "We know where it is. We are Katz you know." Kat elbowed Tabby gently; there was no need to be rude. Tabby looked at Kat and then back at Kratos. "I mean, we do map making. I didn't mean...."
It was Kratos' turn to cut her off, "It's okay. No offense taken."
Tabby mewed. She knew that everyone had Kat's well-being at heart. That soothed her. She couldn't help but think back to her impression that once Kat left Katz Island, something big was going to happen. It seemed that Tabby was right—she hate being right all the time. She let out a sigh. "Well, let's go then. Off to Dirk's House!"