Fanfiction: The Cleansing Rain

By: Ran-Chan

Rating: R, I suppose

Genre: Ev'r'thin' unda da sun, ya?

Title(s) used: Tales of Symphonia

Summary: ToL update! With a fresh mindset, Kratos and Ran-Chan begin their quest again to Luin. With Yuan's help, the trip is a lot easier... but what's this about intimacy! Trouble in paradise for the old Seraphim's journey becomes apparent with the samurai girl's sad eyes. What really is in Luin...?

RATED FOR BAD LANGUAGE, SEXUAL SITUATIONS THAT MIGHT TURN GRAPHIC, AND LOTSA BLOODSHED. BECAUSE I'M AN ADULT AND CAN WRITE WHATEVER THE HELL MAKES ME HAPPY LONG AS I DON'T CARRY IT OUT, BITCHES. THANK YOU.

The Chapterly Rantings of an Authoress: This section has been permanently added to this series, just because I get out a lot of steam by writing this. My heart, like many other a heart in the world, is quite the lonely one, and to help myself become a much better person, I end up writing romance/adventure stories like this. Sure, clinging to the hottest guy in video games probably shows I'm a lunatic, but hey! What a better way to protect yourself from being hurt by another heart when you give it to a guy who doesn't exist! insane laughing No matter how lonely I might be, there's nothing I can't conquer, as strong as I might be. That's right. I'm strong... well, not really. Infact, not at all. I'm a loser, but I still write a good fanfiction. My stories get out what I need to get out of my system before it ends up killing me. I'm very expressive and imaginative. Why do you think I write about sex? Because I'm fucking horny, that's why. Think of my stories as like my diary. Because I've written all about fucking Kratos in my diary, and when my sister asks me what I'm on, I tell her "Kratos' sexy body, what else?" Yes, I take obsession to a new height. That doesn't bother me at all. If it bothers you, well, then... go the fuck away.

Tales of Love

Installment Five

"The Cleansing Rain"

The next beautiful morning in Triet brought sunshine, a bright sky, swarming humidity, and... lots of rain. Whoever thought that it rained in Triet, the Desert Oasis? The people who lived in Triet just shrugged and ignored it, going about their day with no problem. It was amazing to see just how much rain fell in the desert. That's exactly what Ran-Chan thought as she looked out the window watching the raindrops fall, waiting for Kratos and Yuan to wake up. Ran-Chan had never been in a natural real storm before, it was pretty cool to see what nature could do on it's own, without any help from anyone else.

"Mithos used the lightning of Justice to scare the people," Ran-Chan thought aloud, pressing her hand up against the cold window. "But now, nature uses lightning to look awesome." She smiled, bright about the falling water, even though the average Triet resident really didn't mind at all. Perhaps the heavy rainfall every rare once-in-a-while was how the palm tress grew the way they did?

Suddenly a huge boom of thunder sounded against the world, as it someone was pounding on the biggest drum in the world. It scared Ran-Chan and she dashed back over to the bed that Kratos was sleeping in. She climbed back in the bed, shaking with fear. She hoped that it wasn't the roar of the lightning of justice, sliding over to Kratos' warm side.

As if being awakened by a shock or a jolt, Kratos sprung up quickly. "What!" he asked, wiping off his face with his hand. "Oh, it's just you... what's with that look on your face? Have you seen a ghost?"

"...n-no... it's the... boom..." she said, ducking under the covers. "Like the Lightning of Justice that Mithos used on the people when he was really mad." Ran-Chan was not just playing with him, she was very scared of the sound.

He heard rain falling on the roof. It was a soft melodic sound which almost made him fall right back to sleep. "Oh, that's right..." Kratos said, pulling a pillow away from Ran-Chan's face. "Let me tell you... For about three days yearly, Triet has a huge thunderstorm! It's actually Triet's Harvest Festival and Celebration of Life..."

This made Yuan finally sit up and laugh heartilly. "This is my hometown, I know all about the Celebration of Life. I can tell you all about it if you'd like to know," he said, knowing exactly how Ran-Chan was going to react instantly. So he decided to tell the tale to fill in some anticipating silence. "Myth says that Efreet, the summon spirit of Fire, fell in love with the beautiful Celcius, the summon spirit of Ice. However, because of the direct opposite element that they were born with, Efreet's presence would kill Celcius, and he had to remain apart from her eternally."

Ran-Chan sat up and looked at him curiously. "Oh no! That's so sad for the fire god..."

"So Origin, the leader of the summon spirits, called them all to a meeting. Efreet was hurt very much by this seperation. He was so depressed that all of the people in the entire world were dying of famine, drought, and other things," Yuan added. "Luna of the Moon and Aska of the Sun gave an idea to Origin. Celcius could only stand Efreet's presence for three days, so he could have her three days and the world wouldn't be in such a bad shape. To help ease Celcius' pain, Sylph would blow the winds to keep it cool. Gnome said he'd do what he could to cool down the earth as much as he could."

"What a relief!" Ran-Chan chimed. "I was hoping for the best for him!"

"Continuing," Yuan said again, "Origin decided he had to let it happen. He couldn't allow Efreet to kill the entire world. He gave the idea to Maxwell after the meeting, and Maxwell told him to give it a go. Efreet was given three days inside Celcius' cave. Celcius was glad to embrace the old friend, even though it pained her to touch him at all. The fire of Efreet made Celcius melt slowly over those three days. The three Sylphs led the water they made all over the world, and over by the dry Island of Thoda, a new summon spirit was born in the collection of clear water they made. Undine was born."

By the time Yuan had completed that part of the story, he had changed clothes, donned his usual cape, and sat back down to see just how much Ran-Chan liked the story.

She was extatic. "Oh my goodness! Undine is Efreet's and Celcius' daughter? That's why the whole thing is called the Celebration of Life, right?" She stood up and jumped up on the matress once, then fell back on her tush. "That's an amazing story!"

"Well, no," Yuan said quietly. "I just made that story up at this very second. Seriously, I don't remember why they call it the Celebration of Life, and to be honest, I don't really care. The whole thing is for little kids and old people looking for an excuse to take a day off." He then smiled a little, bowed, and took his leave. "If you need me, I'll be at the base. I have something for you, though, Kratos, so don't go too far without me." When he left he shut the door completely.

"He made the whole thing up?" Ran-Chan asked. "That sounded so good though. He could be a really nice storyteller." She then dive tackled him, trying to pull off his pants. "We're alone now, so let's go!" she squealed as Kratos held his pants up with one hand and pinned her down with the other.

Kratos was pretty strong to be just human again. "Hey... we've been alone a whole two seconds. Give me a moment, would you?" he asked, snatching the suitcase they had gotten from the clothes shop in town with the hand he held his pants up with. "I didn't even think about it."

She then laughed, snatching his pants and holding them to herself with such dignity. "You wouldn't have until we got to Yuan's," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I swear, Kratos-sa... I mean, Kratos... that, umm... you have to take the time you're given... Besides your pants are SEXY."

"...I'm not even going there," Kratos said with a small grunt in his tone. "Thanks for helping me get them off, I needed to put another pair on so we can move on with our journey. You had to get drunk, get sick, and delay us an entire day?" He looked back at her, noticing her chest again bore the symbol he'd been trying to get out of his head for centuries. "...wait, why do you once again bear the Derris Emblem? It... was cancelled, wasn't it, ...Memoria?"

"Eternally bear the sadness of others, that's what you do. Others will hate you, dispise you, and even try to kill you. You want to see Kratos so badly, though, you're willing to find a way to survive. And you will do it without thought, without bearing. That is Memoria Skysong's true purpose in this world..."

"I will take up the study of the Kokoro-Ken Ryu, my father's swordsmanship style... I will fight without question... this is what I will do."

"Perfect. Now to find the yin to your yan!"

"Memoria! Memoria Skysong!" Kratos shouted, trying to get his lady love's response. "What's wrong? Memoria, wake up!"

She blinked and shook her head. "I zoned out again," she muttered. "I heard the voice of Mithos, reminding me about what my assignment was. To 'eternally bear the sadness of others'... As long as I have the Emblem, I... I am what keeps the Angelic Curse alive. I am the Blood Seal itself. There's nothing I can do to change it."

"We'll go to Origin's Seal. We'll confront him, and... together, we'll get it off of you," Kratos said quickly. "Don't you say you aren't going back to Hiemdall, because..."

"I'll go back to Heimdall," Ran-Chan answered. "I will give Origin my life. I won't live so selfishly anymore, and you won't have to worry about me... I just ask that you be there with me in my final stages of life."

Kratos felt his human temper rage, and he lifted his hand, slapping it across her pale face. "You aren't going to give up your life! Did you wait forever to be with me so I could watch you give your life to save the rest of the stupid world, huh! No, it's not going to happen!"

Ran-Chan shook her head, crying. "Why won't you accept it as fate?"

"...why do you accept it as fate?" Kratos asked, also crying. "My son taught me the wonderful lesson that I don't have to accept what looks to be reality as reality." He embraced around her. "I don't want to lose someone else... not to Mithos!" His whole heart hurt, no, ached unbelievably. He felt every beat, pulsing the pain through his body. It was almost too much for him to bear.

Ran-Chan shrugged, also embracing him. "Let me prove my love to you," she pleaded. "You won't let me make love to you, even though you've proved that you have perverted tendancies in that man-brain of yours. Every time I try to do something for you, you shoot it down... what can I do, Kratos-sama! What can I do to prove to the rest of the world, no... the universe that I love you this much!"

He ruffled her hair and whispered, "...but you don't need to prove your love to me. I know the love that you bear for me is worth your life to you..." He then pulled her chin to make her look into his eyes. "However, the love that you hold in your heart isn't worth your life. Not when you're so young, so pretty, and so smart," he added. Kratos kissed her slowly, letting his anger go. "Besides... if you were gone, who would I... do THIS to?" He stepped back away from her, turned her body around and pushed her toward the bed. "Let me explain, Memoria!" he said playfully. "If I give it to you every time you ask, it's just not right... but if I do this..." He reached around her waist, untying the sash holding her dress onto her body then pulling it off. "Then you'll-"

Ran-Chan flipped her body over and snatched his waist with her legs. "Ha ha ha. You know, you're a very unusual kind of person, Kratos-sama. I finally get you figured out, then you just go and astonish me with everything I don't expect," she said, unbuttoning his brand new kahki pants.

Kratos laughed as he gently fell on top of her body. "It's very easy to be so unpredictable," he said, making the entrance into the deep caverns of the female crevices. "And you know how unpredictable I can be."

"Oh yes, I do," she replied, a lot more tense than she was before. "What, are you trying to tickle me now?" Ran-Chan laughed, hitting him lightly upside his head.

His face showed a bit more of a serious demenor as he shook his head, going in a bit harder. "No. I take this love-making experience very seriously, it's just that... we've been way too serious lately. Thought I could be, you know... funny. Ever wanted to laugh with me instead of love with me all the time?"

"...umm..." she said, letting her mind float away with the motions the two bodies made together. "You never seem to want to laugh..." she muttered. "I'm being... umm, serious."

Again, Kratos thought. Again with the seriousness. Guess I can't be the comedy relief, huh? His mind wandered, and as it did, his body just kept fufilling the usual duty of the male during intercourse. I've always had a hard time laughing... my family taught me how to ignore humor... it's so stupid to be thinking about this now...

As if the penis was actually a radar sending out signals of distress, Ran-Chan could tell that something was on his mind because of what she just said. "Listen, your sense of humor isn't the question..." she said, quietly wishing he'd stop with the sex thing so they could talk about it without being distracted. "...but I can see that what I said made you think about everything in life... would you stop?"

"Not until you moan for me like you mean it," Kratos replied, starting to move faster and faster. He was really shoving it in there, and it was getting caught on all the things it shouldn't. Usually he was such a patient, quiet, and steady kind of sex artist, but he couldn't even think straight.

"Please, stop, you're hurting me," she said, grasping onto his shoulders. "Please... stop...!"

It wasn't until she screamed for him to get off that he actually got the picture. He shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose, saying, "I'm sorry about that... I was distracted..."

"About what I said," Ran-Chan answered without hesitation. "I know." She quietly pulled him down on top of her, noticing her emblem once again. "I don't want to make you think that you're inadequate because of one or two shortcomings."

"I thought about my family..." He said. "By the way, can I get and stay dressed now?"

"...sure, I'll do the same," she replied to that, climbing out from under him quickly, retrieving the suitcase. "If you're going to be like that, then making love's not going to be so much fun anyway..." Of course, Ran-Chan wasn't the type to actually be angry about mishaps like that, even though she was kind of disappointed. Her hands moved quickly, pulling on the new outfits they had bought the day before. "Kratos-sama, you're still my favorite person in the world," she said with a smile, pulling on the tanktop and skirt combo. She put her kimono, folded, into the suitcase where her outfit lay before. "And even moreso in a khaki pants and white shirt outfit..."

Kratos laughed, still holding up the pants. "Are you sure that it's really me?" he asked, lifting a leg to slip into the left half. "I was always in dark colors before." He was yet again trying to be funny, but his childhood jumped before him and he kept his mouth shut.

All though Ran-Chan heard it and smiled, it wasn't very funny. She just nodded to go along with it, trying to make her love happy. He didn't even see it, but perhaps the small effect could make the atmosphere better. "Before I go back to Iselia, I'd like to make a stop by Mizuho," she said, tying off her signature boots. "If you don't mind."

The white shirt fit quite well, but once they both realized that it was raining rather hard outside, Ran-Chan decided that the entire idea might not fit at all.

"What?" Kratos asked her, taking a glance at the window. "Who cares if it's raining? I'm a man, there's nothing I have to hide," he said with a slight laugh, turning to see that she was just giving him a look of disgrace. "Well there are things I must keep hidden, but there aren't any under what this shirt covers," he said as she just rolled her eyes the other way.

He did have a very good point, but she was the kind not to let those things slide by her. Well, usually. Okay, so she never had the chance to argue with someone over whether they were going outside in pouring rain in a white shirt. It was still something that she thought was wrong. "Listen," she said quietly, "I really don't think that's a wise idea. What if you catch a cold?"

Kratos looked up and nodded. "You're right," he said, "since we're mortals now we have to think about that kind of thing. Which means... you're going sleevless?" He pointed at her tanktop and noticed how thin the layers were, but when she grabbed her giant celestial printed coat, he couldn't argue with her at all. "You're not going to do this to me, are you?" he asked.

Ran-Chan let out a laugh. "...hmm. Well, if you bought an overshirt, you wouldn't have this problem, now would you?" she asked, walking behind him. "Those jeans make your ass look sexy, dearest. Why don't you wear the top that you wore before without the cape and those jeans? That would be nice."

"Since when did you lead in fashions?" he asked, doing as she told him to. "I can't win with any women. You're all so... demanding..." With the outfit was completed, Kratos ended up being as satisfied with it as she was, even though he wasn't obsessing over it. "Anyway, now that we're dressed, we can check out of this inn and make our way..."

"To the Triet base, right?" Ran-Chan asked. "Yuan said he had a gift for you. Perhaps we can find something to mount so we don't have to walk so much," she suggested, picking up the suitcase, wishing she could wear it on her back. She walked over to a small table and put down a few hundred gald for a tip for the housekeepers. "Yep, let's go."

Picking up what was his, Kratos followed. "Why not? Perhaps we can snatch a reiard from Yuan and fly to Mizuho," he suggested, feeling the air get colder as they left the room. "Chilly in here, isn't it?"

A housekeeper walked behind them, rolling up her sleeves. "Time to get to work," she said, darting into the room they just left.

They decended the stairs of the Triet Inn, making their way to the desk so they could check out. The process was smooth and quick, leaving the two of them to just walk outside into the pouring rain.

Before going outside, though, Ran-Chan stopped to peer out a window. She could see people running through the now muddy streets, celebrating the huge flood as if it was the most celebrated thing to ever happen. "It really is a celebration of life, isn't it?" she asked, pointing out the window. "It's more like a ceremony of sillyness to me..." she said with a sigh.

Kratos looked, too, feeling as if those outside were being rather stupid. He would have loved to run through the rain when a child, but his parents never allowed him to do anything fun. When he thought about this part of his personality, he decided he should go and run through the rain himself. Perhaps he could find a missing part of himself somewhere in the falling drops? "Ran-Chan," he said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "There's something I have to do."

"...oh, okay, I'll wait for you right here," she said, expecting him to have to make a last minute bathroom trip or something about what he forgot previously.

"Umm... sure," he said, going outside as fast as he could. With the rain wasn't as cold as he thought it would be, he could run out there for a while and not feel cold at all. His hair flew back as he ran, letting the wind and the water soak it until it was just one hell of a mess, letting his worries float away with the water washing over him.

From inside the inn, Ran-Chan just gawked. So, Yoshio, this is the man you would have been pleased to call your brother, eh? she thought, unable to stop laughing. I wonder why I'm not out there with him at this moment. She said in thought to her younger brother's spirit. However, she didn't go outside. She just waited as she said she would before.

Mother, he thought as he ran back towards the fortune teller's tent, your restrictive days ended so long ago... why did I not let myself go years ago? He darted back to the inn, but couldn't stop jumping and celebrating with the rest of the Triet residents, as if he knew what the whole thing was about. When he reached the door of the inn, Kratos managed to bring himself inside.

"Look who's all wet," Ran-Chan said, just staring at the mess his hair was in. "Wha-"

Kratos couldn't stop laughing, even though he had the feeling like his lady love was going to scold him. "I actually enjoyed myself, doing something just a tad bit stupid," he said, almost leading Ran-Chan outside. "I know my mother would have been pissed that I went and did something like this, but..."

"My brother used to do a lot of running in the rain before he was moved to Mizuho," Ran-Chan said with a smile, "Mother didn't care, but I used to scold him like the world was going to end for it." Her heart was more overjoyed than anything talking about it, and she felt bad for the fact that she was about to scold him for the same thing. "If you get sick, I'm going to have to haul your sexy ass all the way back to Iselia, and there goes our entire adventure before I go back to work," she stated, kissing his wet lips softly. "And we have things we must do, don't we?"

He nodded, picking up the suitcase that Ran-Chan was carrying before. "It's about time that we go," he said, "before I go back out there and start really making a mess out of myself." His voice was very quiet, even though the whole entire mass of people inside the inn had been staring at them for a while now. "To Yuan's?"

"Let's get going," Ran-Chan said, walking out the door. She felt the rain wasn't as cold as she expected, even though it was much more wet than she wanted it to be. Rain was just rain, and she was just glad that it wasn't the Lightning of Judgement she feared from years past. "Kratos-sama, does it rain through the entire desert when it does this?"

"Most," he replied with a shrug. "I don't know what to tell you about this crazy rain, other than it washes away bad feelings, if you let it." Kratos looked up into the cloudy sky, letting the whole flood engulf him for a few moments. "That may be why it's a celebration," he added as a smile crept across his face.

Ran-Chan didn't think about the emotional aspect of rain as it fell on and around her. "Like a nice bath," she said. "It's an ultra cleaning shower... if you let it be..." she repeated quietly, finally looking to the sky. "Kratos-sama..."

Kratos laughed. "You don't have to ask..." he trailed off. When he looked at her again, Ran-Chan was staring up into the clouds. "...dearest."

Her face had no real expression. Standing in the muddy streets, she rose her hands to show just how much she wanted to send her feelings up to heaven. "I send my heart up to you..." she whispered, "...so I may be free." Ran-Chan concentrated on it for a while, focusing it all into a message to send up in a magical messenger. "Allow this to be a rebirth..." she asked, sending the magical dragon messenger up into the sky. With that she smiled, and jumped up in a burst of emotion. "Perhaps Mithos will let his grudges go now..." she added in a whisper, finally turning to Kratos. "Now we can go to see Yuan."

"Fair enough."

The staggering walk all the way to see Yuan was long and hard. Luckily, they encountered no monsters because of the rain, so it was just that much lighter of an adventure. The couple talked the entire way there about nonsensical things, as if an entire load was taken off of their shoulders. Passing romantic banter back and forth had never been so easy for either of them before. Not only that, but the conversations were much lighter...

"It has been ages since I've been back here," Kratos said, suddenly serious again. "I've not been able to get this place out of my mind, honestly." When he reached the door, he pounded on it a few times. After not getting an answer, he just opened the door on his own. "Yuan! Are you even in here!" he shouted inside, turning to see Ran-Chan not following him. "...come on, you can come with me. Always."

Ran-Chan nodded and repeated, "Always," as she walked into the door after him. "I sure hope he's here, otherwise we have to circle around and head the other way to Palamacosta, which will be a bitch to walk," she said, hoping just a little bit of despiration would make luck change back around.

"I thought I heard someone's edgy tone," Yuan said as he came in the door they just entered. "Sorry, but I went back to Triet to get something right quick." He laughed a bit, throwing a tomato at Ran-Chan. "Like tomatoes?"

She nodded, catching it. "Of course, I love veggies," she said, throwing it back at him. "Tell me, what's the whole thing about tomatoes about, anyway?" Ran-Chan turned to look at Kratos and saw his very strange expression about the mysterious vegitable. "Umm, Kratos-sama?"

"I... I just don't... like tomatoes," Kratos grunted as Yuan laughed from the other side of the room. "Never have..." he said quietly, just trying to ignore his old friend's laughter. "Never will..."

The aura of the place had a very strange vibe to it, making Ran-Chan just about as strange as they come with facial expressions. "I have always liked vegitables, tomatoes almost as much as any of the others, you know," she said. "But I won't force you to eat a tomato or anything else you don't like." She turned to Yuan, finally realizing what the tomato was for. "You're being mean," she said to him. "Bringing the one thing he doesn't like out just for effect! Was that the gift you planned on giving us!"

Yuan just smiled and took a bite of the tomato. "For heaven's sake, no!" he said, waving his arm for them to follow him. "That was just a small prank, Memoria. Don't worry about it... for now, just follow me!" His signature blue hair was pretty easy to follow, even as it got dark in the old base. Pieces of machinery littered the place, revealing the age all too well. "I usually carry these around with me, but today I didn't think I'd need 'em!" Yuan laughed, opening a door.

Ran-Chan walked in the room first, her face lighting up as she saw the contents. "Oh! Reiards!" she said happily, "They'll make transportation much easier." She glanced up at Kratos to see his face a bit amazed. "Is something wrong, Kratos-sama?" she asked, pulling his hand closer to her.

"No, I'm just surprised that they work," Kratos said as he notice Yuan laugh. "What? You mean to tell me that they don't!" His face clenched up as he started to turn around. "We don't have time for your jokes, Yuan!"

With a slight tug, Ran-Chan pulled on Kratos' arm to catch his attention. "If they're broke, it should only take a few hours to fix," she said with a little begging under her breath. "Since we've got so many places to travel to, and so many things we have to get done with such a limited time, giving up a few hours should make the rest of our journey go much smoothly," she explained, walking over to a huge toolbox, dragging him with her. "Yuan, you should help," she added sharply.

"I can't fight you, can I?" Yuan asked, walking over. "Hey, both of you look really hungry. I'll fix the reiards, but only if you promise you'll go to Hiemdall before you go to Luin, ...Kratos!" His glare was stronger this time, but Kratos nodded instead of objecting.

In his own cloud of thoughts, Kratos knew he had to take Ran-Chan to face Origin to discover her fate before anything else could be done on this journey. In fact, he didn't even think he was going to have to go to Luin after all, Anna visited him to set him free. "Yes, that is my main concern as well," he said as he claimed Ran-Chan's waist in his hands. "In fact, Yuan... if you wanted, you could accompany us."

"No," Yuan said, pointing at the door. "Go up the flight of stairs to the right. You'll find the base's kitchen. I'll fix these things, just get out of my hair. I've got thinking to do anyway," he snapped, snatching a screwdriver. "Just go eat," he added peacefully.

The couple agreed, turning to leave the old hangar quietly as not to bother Yuan further.

"You think he was annoyed at us?" Ran-Chan asked Kratos as she turned around to look at his face. "He's starting to act more mortal every moment... and so are you..." she added, running her finger down the side of his face ever-so-softly. "Ha, ha..."

Kratos just picked her up off the floor by her waist. "It's nice to hear another person's laughter... it is very soothing," he said, planting a kiss on her neck. "Someone like you, who is always trying to be happy... is not annoying..." His eyes shined vibrantly as he put her down so they could walk together. "Huh?"

Ran-Chan's heartbeat faster as she held her hands right above her heart. "You bring me happiness," she said as she started up the stairs. "You make me the happiest person that ever could be," she added, slowly feeling tears develop in her eyes. "That's why I've always wanted you close to me!" She stopped and walked off the stairs, plunging into his arms.

"Hey," Kratos said, surrounding her with his arms. "Hey... now... what's with this?"

"I'm so afraid," she cried, "...I finally have you with me... I know it's selfish, but the one thing I have ever wanted in my entire life is to feel love... Kratos-sama, I love you!" Her whole body shook with each sob as she clung to him despirately. "I don't want to lose you!"

Kratos nodded as he replied, "The feeling is mutual." His hair fluffed back up as he gave her the support she needed for just a little while. "So if Origin wants to do anything that doesn't fit that adjenda, then I will do something about it. I promise..."

So, you knew this from the beginning, didn't you? Kratos thought, turning her around so she'd go up the stairs. How if you fell in love with me, that there would be this agony in the end. Still... you knew. You knew that you'd be falling into a trap... You are brave. The bravest woman I've ever encountered in my entire life... all 4,049 years...

"I know you're hungry," Kratos said happily. "Let's just go and eat, all right?"

chapter end

Notes: This one took me plenty of time to finally complete. The transition from the inn to the base took so long to finally get done, but I just love the rain scene. It brings about a lot of spiritual cleanliness, which I really do enjoy, it's just that... Triet took a lot out of me. The whole entire place just makes me go freaking numb when I think about the events that take place. Yes, I cried at a few events, and I laughed at others. This piece means a lot to me. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Cha.