A/N: Short chapter

ArkNavy: You'll find out soon enough... and what the heck is KH2?

FairyV: Maybe, I'm trying to put up the whole fic before I go back to class, because when class rolls around I wont have any time.

Lady Serifina:Trust me this fic may look like it's over but hold on it has several twists, and the nature and extent of Kvar's involvment is one of them. During the Falinor Scene Kratos says:However, Anna and I were pursued by Cruxis. We traveled from place
to place, and when you were born, with you as well,when Cruxis enters the hunt you will know that the fic is winding down, and the conclusion is something that I doubt you'll expect.

Chapter 29

There was a sense of wrongness in his soul, a gnawing doubt. He walked through the door fragments, and beheld a horrid sight. Noishe lay on his side, his limbs were twitching, the scent of cooked meat hung in the air. He ran across the length of his home, ran to the protozoan and sank to his knees at his poor companion's side. Power arched between his hands, snapped into the protozoan's seared flesh. Slowly, so slowly the power was mending the burns, he could feel it run through Noishe, it tried to heal all the damage but failed. There was too much, internal bleeding, physical trauma, scorched flesh... Closing his eyes Kratos dove deeper into his power, a drop of his blood slid off his wings, fell onto Noishe's face. Those expressive brown eyes slid onto him, tears were pouring down the canine face, then it was all lost in the green runes that pulsated along the floor. A green wind rouse from the runes, engulfed the protozoan, when it faded Noishe still lay on his side, but most of the damage was gone. When the protozoan made to get up Kratos held him down with a hand, called one last time on his mana. Water whispered around them, soft, gentle, it lapped into Noishe's wounds, cleaned them, mended what the winds could not. The whole house was filled with a silver blue light of his mana signature, the very air sang with his power. There was no help for it though, when the last of the power he summoned dissipated into nothing Kratos released Noishe. Slowly the protozoan opened his eyes, he twitched his hind paws, swished his tail, then with a grimace found his feet. With a whine Noishe ran... no he staggered to Lloyds room... ran straight to the bed, and howled. Kratos walked over the body, paid it no heed, and stood in the door way just taking in the sight of Noishe howling mournfully at the empty crib. Dazzled Kratos went from his son's room to his wife's, it was as empty as all the others.

Noishe's howls echoed throughout the house. Gripping his sword the Seraphim staggered out of their room, went back to the body, and turned it over. It's features were little more then a smear of melted flesh, it's throat a ruin of dangling skin and dried blood. The garb may have once been a soldiers, but now all it was black ash. All identification had been destroyed, cursing Kratos stood.

There had to be some hint something more, there had to be!

It was when he got to the main room, to farther take in the scene Kratos noticed it. A small black box, a rectangular box that could rest easily in a man's pocket. He recognized it, his blood went like ice in his veins as he recognized it. For one second he stood, numb, not wanting to believe. Reality would not change for him, would not bend to his soul's desperate cries. Hands coated in ash, with blood, the Seraphim reached out and touched the box. As if possessed his fingers slid to the small indent, the box hummed with mana, he could feel the power that it absorbed just by laying there. Not even on it ate the mana around it, fed the natural power to keep it self alive. Taking a breath, ordering himself to be calm, the seraphim pressed the small indent, there was a flash of grey light, then a voice came from the box.

"I imagine you know how to use this. You've come home, in a panic, no doubt wondering where you're pet's are. We will get to that My Lord, we shall, but to a more pressing matter. You may not remember me, my name is Kvar, I am a Desian Grand Cardinal. You have something that belongs to me, I merely have come to take it back. It's been a good chase My Lord, a very good chase indeed, you have kept me busy for almost five years, for that I thank you and now strive to return the favor. Your animal, I hope you don't mind his condition all that much, but as I understand it death's permanent. Unless you wish to go over their now and try to resurrect him... You can do that after we are done talking... Don't worry, it wont be all that long now, we are almost done. As I said earlier I only came to fetch one item, but as it is it seems as if I'm lucky. I snagged a little something extra. You know what I'm talking about don't you? As it is I have no need of it, I don't particularly want it, and if you know of me at all you know that what I don't want I tend to get rid of swiftly."

Kvar drew a dagger, the device was so powerful that it picked up the hiss of steal slipping out of it's sheath.

"But I'm not an unreasonable man, I'm quite willing to make a deal. I have an agent waiting for you in the "Rip Tide", he knows you on sight. Go there, he will give you your next set of instructions. Oh I imagine you will want to kill him, and all of my other pawns, feel free to do so... But I'd get the message's first, after all I'd hate to have to keep sending you notes like the one you got earlier today. I'll start with hair of course, but your wife will eventually run out of hair after all, and she only has so many fingers and toes. So be prompt, because when I run out of conventual tokens to take from your wife I'll start taking them from your son. Oh, and don't try to do anything too creative, you will get your son back one way or the other, but weather or not he is sane when he is returned to you... Keep that in mind when you get ideas."

The box shivered, then the grey light it radiated disappeared. Numbly Kratos stared at it, in his mind he could still hear Kvar's voice. With a snarl he brought his fist down, the magi-tech talk box broke in half. His soul raged, his mind felt like it housed fire. He had failed them, again! He'd lowered his guard and this Kvar had come in and taken his family!

"Noishe come..." Kratos' whisper cut through the house, and after a small pause the protozoan slinked out of Lloyd's room. Noishe looked at Kratos, met his eyes, and backed up when he saw the hint of insanity in the Seraphim's eyes. Kratos didn't pause to see if the protozoan came, he went for the door, walked out of the house, and after a second to get his bearings went in search of the tavern Kvar had indicated.

"We don't let animals in our establishment." The taverns owner growled, looking meaningfully at Noishe. Kratos paid the man no heed, let his gaze run through the patrons of the tavern. None of them were half elves, none of then were marked as were all the Fallen with a scar on their forehead. Some one cleared there throat, Kratos looked to the tavern owner with dead eyes. He took in the mans scarred face, the hairless head and dull blue eyes. "Your animal, make it wait out-"

Kratos cooly drew his sword, pressed it to the man's throat. The patrons looked on bored, fights were common here, deaths were rare, but still were dismissed as the norm.

"My companion stays with me." It was a hiss, a whisper, and the tavern owner paled. He didn't mention Noishe again, and all but fled the mercenary's presence. Annoyed, frustrated, Kratos scanned the crowds, and was not too surprised when he felt someone's eyes on him. Turning the mercenary looked to the darkest corner in the tavern, there was a man in the shadows regarding him intently. A chair had been pushed out, a mute offer to sit. With a stiff nod Kratos acknowledged his observer, sheathed his blade, then made his way to the table. He sat, absently shifting his sparrow-
tail cloak so that it would drape over the back of the chair, he considered the young man before him, and it was all he could do to keep from pulling a dagger out from his belt and slashing the bastard's throat.

"Hello Kratos, having a bad day?"

The Seraphim only glared at the human.

"I can't believe someone as strong as you could be so weakened just by taking a woman and kid away. Guess you aren't as strong as I thought."

Kratos growled, his eyes narrowed to slits.

Laric grinned, and leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes, seemed totally content with the world, he looked almost ready to nap. Sharp pain run across the Seraphim's back, he rolled his shoulders, exerted the ragged bits of his control to keep his wings in.

"Here's your note, and don't worry, we'll see each other again soon enough." With a smile the man reached across the table, patted the Seraphim's cheek, then walked out of the tavern. Trembles racked the Seraphim, he ached to lash out with his power, to annihilate Laric. The man's retreating back was little more then a target to Kratos, power sizzled in his hands, white, the aura of divine judgement. Pain, sharp pain, made Kratos come back to himself. Seeing that Kratos was not going to call of his most powerful spell, Noishe loosed the Seraphim's arm. Fresh blood marred the protozoan's face, he had bitten deep to make his point. Or rather he had tightened his bite when the Seraphim had not responded to the gentle warning nip that Noishe always gave him. Ignoring the small injury the Seraphim ripped open the letter, it was a note really, he ignored it for the moment, pulled out the lock of rich chestnut brown hair. He rolled it on his fingers, his mind empty of all but his rage. Noishe whined, nudged the parchment that rested in his other hand. With a shudder Kratos forced himself back from his hate, he read the few words scrawled on the letter.

Hima,

Echo Inn

Spasmodically his hand tightened, the parchment crumpled under his death grip. It would take him three weeks to get to Hima if he took Noishe. He didn't have that much time, didn't dare leave Anna in a ranch that long. He would not leave then there to rot for that long while this mad man dragged him from one corner of Sylvarant to another.

He would not play this game by Kvar's rules, he would make his own. Power flared in his hand, consumed the paper. He let the ashes fall to the floor. No one had seen the power, none had been paying him any heed.

Sane people did not regard the insane, did not turn their gaze on them for fear they would too become crazed...
For a long moment Kratos sat, planing, scheming, then gently he folded Anna's hair, placed it in a empty pouch on his belt.

It was time to move on, he had a plan sired from his desperation, but it would serve. It would have to.

xxx xxx xxx

Kvar held him, was carrying him much like Daddy would. Still it wasn't the same, Kvar's hands were like wet snow. Lloyd didn't like being held by Kvar, he wanted to go home, to see Daddy again. He even said so. To his words Kvar would smile, and tell him to be quiet, that they would all see Daddy soon enough. Once in a while the world would get all blurry and spin around, then they'd find themselves somewhere else. That was scary, he cried the first time. Kvar held him tighter, rocked him just like Daddy, whispered soft reassurances, and told him it was all almost over. When he said that Mommy went pale, she looked scared.

Mommy never looked scared before.

They set up camp for the night, it was just like being on a quest. like the quest to stop the bad people, the little quest's Daddy went on. Lloyd scampered around their campsite, doing the thousand and one little things that needed to be done that he could do, Kvar watched him. Mommy said nothing, did nothing, well until Lloyd sat by her. She smiled faintly, held him, and her eyes sparkled. They sparkled like the stars, like wet stars. When Mommy fell asleep the old man named Kvar beckoned to him. Curious, Lloyd left mommy. Joined the man who was dressed in weird black and blue clothes. At his approach Kvar smiled. it was a weird smile, not like Mommy or Daddy's. Suddenly Lloyd wished he hadn't come, he wanted to go back to Mommy. But those grey eyes held him, kept him from leaving. Kvar smiled, reached out and touched Lloyd's face, cupped it so that the boy would look up. Lloyd shivered as the cold hands touched him, then slowly the hands slid, caressed his cheek, then ruffled his hair. Lloyd was so cold now his teeth were chattering, he wanted to run, he really did, but he couldn't...

"Don't worry my boy, this wont hurt but for a moment." Kvar's voice was a whisper.

And the cold that was in the man's hands seemed to creep into his skull. Lloyd's little legs buckled, and the Desian Grand Cardinal held him up, kept him from falling, all the while his mana poured into Lloyd's mind, gentle, he was gentle so not to wash away the boys wits... After all it wasn't his goal to drive the boy insane, but to make him a tool in his plans to come.