Inspiration hits hard. I wasn't going to write another chapter for awhile but something last night changed my mind. I almost had a heart attack, then danced around my room screaming. What did I find? My beloved CD with the song Hemorrhage in my hands by Fuel. I squeaked so loudly since I've lost the cd for a year now. I will never lose it again. I love this song!

Choices Of An Angel

Chapter Two: An Unknown Illness

By: Katandshadow

"Memories are just where you laid them, Dragging the waters til the depths give up their dead. What did you expect to find? Was it something you left behind? Don't you remember anything I said when I said, Don't fall away and leave me to myself .Don't fall away and leave love bleeding in my hands, in my hands again. And leave love bleeding in my hands, in my hands. Love lies bleeding"

Another morning. I had already been up for a few moments but immediately knew something was wrong. The usual rays of sun were corrupted by a storm sending massive amounts of rain down upon the roof of our house. It had been so long since I heard the sound of rain. It was one of the things that soothed me. I twitched and realized another thing was wrong, Kratos hadn't made his daily routine on breaking the door down to awake me. That bothered me. He did it every morning I wasn't used to waking up normally.

Slinking into my clothes I walked into the hall. I was ready to smell the odd odor that followed Kratos' cooking, but no, nothing wafted in the air. That sent a shrill of alarm down my spine. Although Kratos wasn't good at it, he always cooked for us in the morning. I mean, I wish he wouldn't, but still. This wasn't like him at all.

"Kratos?" I spoke, more so to myself. Maybe Kratos had some of his urgent news he had to attend to. Or maybe he started his PMS, now that was a horrifying thought. I shrugged off that thought and made my way down the stairs, to the kitchen and were Kratos' room was.

"Kratos, where the hell are you?" I called a little disturbed of this silence. Not even the creaking stairs bothered me. I shrugged angrily, no reply.

"Fine, be an ass and don't reply," I muttered sitting down and yawned. I guess Kratos had really gone off. Maybe perhaps I should also. I walked over to the door and left the house. The rain thudded against my head in an annoying matter. Without much thought, I sent up a weak force field to protect myself against the weather.

"Noishe?" I called, the protozoan was gone. Yep, Kratos had left without even once letting me know. I growled under my breath and went back into the house. Closing the door I sighed heavily. What if something happened to that damn guy? Where the hell would I look for him? I didn't want him to die like Martel did. The least I could do was wait, wait for a few hours…

Two Hours Later

The storm had picked up. At one point I had feared the house would cave in. But it didn't, I was usually one to worry about those things. I have always worried ever since I was a child, seeing I was born a half-elf. But for some reason, Kratos hadn't cared what race I was. Of course, all he wanted was his money. But I'm sure he didn't discriminate against half-elves, did he?

It had been two hours since I have woken up. By now my stomach was feeling horrible and I couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened. I kept telling myself not to worry about him, he wasn't the type people worry about. I always told myself I could care less what happened to him, but I had never meant it.

"I'm going to go find him," I announced watching the lightning flash in the sky. Then I realized what really was going on. My heart stopped and my blood ran as cold as ice. I couldn't breath f0r a few seconds, I just stood, frozen, move-like starring out the window. This wasn't a storm at all, it was caused by Cruxis.

"Damnit Kratos," I complained as I sent a force field up and left the house abruptly. I didn't know which way he would have went. Noishe's paw prints were already washed away and left no trail. I sat down against a tree, hopelessly. There was no hope of finding Kratos in this storm. Why hadn't he told me where he was g0ing. Was something wrong. Ugh, just thinking about that made me hate Kratos' personality even more.

"…Martel, please find Kratos," I murmured under my breath. Somehow I knew he was safe, wasn't he? Or was he sitting in a pit somewhere, barely hanging on. I felt like I was going to be sick from the worry. Yet though he told me he always tells me everything, I knew he doesn't. If he had, then by now I would have known where he went.

The storms getting worse, and just walking around the houses lawn is getting tired-some holding up a force-field to block off the rain. Damnit, why did Kratos find the need to do such foolish crap! I shrugged and leaned against the house. Heaven knows what he got himself into. It's pointless, maybe I should just wait for his return.

"When you get back Kratos, I'm going to smack you so hard it'll hurt your ancestors," I muttered miserbly. Today was not the day to go off without warning. I mean, if he always did this I wouldn't care, but Kratos never did. He wasn't one to venture out into the world. But another question filled my mind, why did Cruxis send down a massaive storm. It just didn't make sense, and I doubted it would ever.

"...Awooo!" I knew that sound. My ears perked so stiff It felt like I was having a sesure, although I didn't know how one felt. I glanced over to my right and Noishe was carrying an uncoisioniss Kratos. My heart dropped so fast I felt like I was on a roller coaster at Altmaria. I couldn't re act from the shock at first, but Noishe came galloping over, carrying the limp body of the seraphim. I didn't know what to say or do first. Yell or find out what was wrong. It was in my nature to yell and cuss at him but right now I didn't want to.

"Noishe, shit, what happened?"I belowed starring down at Kratos. Noishe whined, obviously worried about him as much as I was, although it pained me to admit it. I nodded stifly and led the protozoan into the house, he dropped Kratos onto the floor in the kitchen with a thud. I would have expected Kratos to rudely awake from falling, but he didn't. He remanied numb, eyes shut tightly.

"Kratos?" I spoke silently. Noishe whined uneasily and licked Kratos' hand. I glared at his pet in annoyance.

"Stop that, he doesn't need slobber on him right now," I pratically hissed. I starred at Noishe and without words told him to stay put. I hurried into Kratos' room for a blanket, or something to keep him from getting deafly ill. My mind wasn't with me at the moment. It was trailing off, trying to figure out what had happened and why. It took me a few moments to find where he kept his extra blankets. But I stopped dead in my tracks. There, on his desk, sat his leatherbound diary. I didn't say anything at first, but hurried back to Noishe, diary in hand, with the blanket.

Noishe seemed to know what to do better then I did, which offended me alot. I felt like smacking them both at the time, but thought better of it. We didn't need them to bleed at a time like this. I starred at Kratos and checked his pulse, I wasn't so good at this but could tell he was still alive. Noishe layed down next to the seraphim for extra warmth and nestled his maw against Kratos' side. I starred at the pair of them. I didn't know what was going on, but it had been in my best interest to sit and wait this storm out, and keep Kratos alive until then.

I sat down at the kitchen table and flipped open Kratos' diary. It didn't have many entries, only three in all. My curiosty got the best of me and I started to read what he had wrote, although it was hard to dechiper his fancy style writing.

Today wasn't at all pleaseant. Yuan's spirits aren't lightening up at all, even with my best efforts. I can feel for him, I know his lost was great, but he needs to overcome it. He's turned from the best friend I once knew, to a expressionless, grief-filled elf. He doesn't want to do anything, and dislikes anything I attempt to do to make his suffering subdue. I just can't shrug the feeling that he's just toying with me, day after day. Ugh... Even Mithos wasn't like this..

My heart stopped at the first entry. Was I honestly like that. In my mouth formed a bitter taste of discomfort towards Kratos. But then I stopped. I was doing it again, just like Kratos said. I was grief-filled alright, of the worst sort. I glanced over at the sleeping Kratos. I hated when he was right, it was so annoying...

I flipped the diary to the third entry, I couldn't tell at all what Kratos had wrote, he seemed in a rush. I would have guessed he didn't want me to find this? I snicckered silently and flipped to the last entry. There I found the truth.

I'm going off first thing tomorrow. I'm going to find some information on a rebillion against Cruxis. Hopefully they'll except my past, and allow us to join forces with them. I'm going to bring Noishe along, I'm sure he wouldn't want me to venture off alone. But I'm not going to tell Yuan though. I doubt he would even care. So what's the point. Oh well... wish me luck.

Then I knew what had happened. It was some kind of weird sixth sense. I starred over at Kratos in fear. He had been drugged or poisened by the rebillion in hopes of destryoing part of Cruxis. I wasn't sure if the drug was deadly or not... But then I felt like crying out for help to her again... She had always been the one to aid us in our times of need. She was always there for us, no matter who we were. She found a good thing about every person, but she ended up losing her life to an unworthy cause.

"Kratos..." I spoke helplessly. Noishe raised his head a bit and barked at me for comfort. I closed Kratos' journal and sat down on the floor next to him.

"Why didn't he tell me,"I spoke bitterly, more so hating myself for the way I treated him. I had allowed Martel to corrupt my whole self, so much that even Kratos didn't find pleasure in confiding his plans, hopes, and fears in me. It felt like I was being betrayed all over again.
"I promise you I'll find a cure," I mutterted uneasily. Kratos didn't re act at all. he reamined limp and stiff. He didn't flinch when I placed my hand on his shoulder. Didn't cry in pain when Noishe jabbed his sharp maw into his side. I was staring at what I could have been just a few years ago without his, Kratos', interferance.

"Damnit, I promise you I'll find a cure," I spoke coldly standing up. Noishe rasied his head to look at me with alarm. I didn't pause until the protozoan grabbed the bottom of my cloak angirily in attempts to keep me here.

"What?" I asked bitterly. Noishe's eyes, I could tell, were filled with pain and worry. I couldn't tell what he had wanted me to do for Kratos. There had to be some cure for this, there just had to be. I would return Kratos' favor for me.

"Noishe, stay here, I have to go find a cure for this unknown illness,"