Tic: AND NOW FOR CHAPPIE TWO
Lloyd: COOL. ...but now I'm bored.
Kratos: -.-
Genis: LLOYD LOOK there's a Sorcerer's Ring! Why don't you play with that?
Lloyd: REALLY?!?!?!??! COOL :plays with Sorcerer's Ring:
Genis: :sighs and runs off to make cookies:
Kratos: -.-
Colette: Tic, have you forgotten?
Tic: OH YES OF COURSE. Uhhh.... Thanks to all that reviewed n.n me is really happy now :nodnod: So... yeah... n.n
Lloyd: I'm bored. Can I do the disclaimer now?
Tic: Yep. Go right ahead.
Lloyd: YESSSS I LOVE YOU :clears throat: DISCLAIMER: Tic does not own Tales of Symphonia! I repeat, she DOES NOT OWN IT. Now.... I'm bored. What do I do now?
Tic: Why don't you just go look at that lovely Sorcerer's Ring over there? :)
Lloyd: COOL A SORCERER'S RING----
Everyone: -.-
P.S: I forgot the darn title last time... so... meh, whatever XD
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A New Home... A New Life?
I was surprised when I was led into the ranch itself. The guards that joined us to increase the security around us were actually respectful and had well-kept uniforms, along with heavily polished and sharpened weapons. The interior was well lit and even now I could see a miserable bunch of humans scrubbing wearily at the wall with soap and brushes. Then we passed them and we walked in silence for what seemed like hours, twisting through spotless white passages and many, many doors.
My feet met the floor in soft thumps. The soles of my shoes were nothing more than thin papery strips, and soon I began to shiver. Shouldn't someone turn on the heater, bring some warmth to this cold labyrinth? Forcystus, however, still maintained his swagger as he walked unnoticing of the cold. Finally we reached what seemed to be a huge network of cages. The cells were tiny, with strong metal bars and shiny bowls placed on the floor like dog bowls. I cringed at the sight. At least in Kvar's ranch they gave us our food in proper containers. One by one I saw my companions led to their respective cells. The girl I had attempted to comfort during our trip here looked at me pleadingly before she was lead off also.
"Anna... this'll be my home for now, right? Will we... meet each other again?" Her hard, begging tone made me realize what she was asking for. She wanted to meet me again... for escape.
"Yes," I told her firmly. "Yes."
Before I could say anything more, before she could reply, the guards led her up the stairs to the second floor of prison cells. That left me all alone, standing among the scattering of Desian guards. Forcystus peered around, his face narrowed as though he were looking for some sort of problem. He found none, however, and turned toward me.
"You will not be staying here with... them," he said, his reddish eye piercing into my thoughts until I could feel nothing except fear. "I have received... special orders to have you live in a more, shall we say, comfortable place." His eyes gleamed with maliciousness and I knew then how much he disliked Kvar. I wondered what had come between them, but naturally I did not ask.
Then again I didn't really know what else to say so I simply followed him as he led me through even more winding corridors. I was beginning to feel fatigued; days without proper food had left me weak and exhausted. But finally we arrived in a very large room, with four cells built into the wall on the far side of the room. These cells were considerably larger than the others. Two of them already held people: glum, petit, frail-looking people with soul-less eyes and pulsating gems firmly embedded into their hands. I instantly recognized them as Cruxis Crystals, though they emanated only a dull energy. Probably experiments that were doomed for failure. No doubt Forcystus was trying to keep them alive to at least cultivate some sort value from them.
Forcystus didn't say a thing to me as he pushed me rather vigorously into the cell. Everything inside was simply a larger version of the smaller cells. The bowls were glued firmly onto the floor, and all I had for a bed were 4 thick, scratchy blankets. Forcystus left quite abruptly, leaving a Desian swordsman to explain the rules of the place.
"Remember, human, the most important rule is to not escape. You will be given food twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. As you can see your water bowl is already filled; it will be changed only once a week, so be careful not to dirty it. As for use of toilets... there's one in the back of your cell. Do not cause trouble, now, human. To do so would be more than your life's worth." With that he left.
For the rest of the day nothing happened, and it was because of this that I became frightened and sad. The only people to accompany me were the dying people in the cells next to mine, and they were incapable of normal speech. All I heard were soft moans and pitiful calls, and occasionally a few words strung together in a twisted sentence. I was even more depressed as I attempted to drink from the water bowl. I finally managed by cupping my hands into the water and bringing it up to my face. It was more difficult than simply sucking it through my lips, but I was not willing to lower myself like that. Not yet. My food bowl was still empty, since they would not be filling it until morning. The "toilet" at the back of my cell was nothing more than a hole. It was extremely deep and didn't smell bad at all, but there was not a flush button in sight.
I assumed that it was nighttime when I felt sleepy, since they did not dim the lights, even at night. Though the blankets were thick I could still feel the cold stone floor through them. Shivering and lonely, I found myself reflecting on my former home, my parents... the life I had loved before I had been captured...
I felt myself begin to drift off into dreams...
"Anna, please wake up now, naptime is over and its time to walk Fifi..."
The little brown-haired girl stretched, opening wide her gap-toothed mouth. Two teeth had fallen out this week and she was very proud of the spaces. But now it was time to walk the family dog, Fifi. The six-year-old leapt eagerly out of bed and ran to her mother. Her mother was a very pretty woman with soft blue eyes and wavy brown hair, though around her eyes were laugh lines. They did indeed make her look cheerful, although a bit old.
"Would you like me to come and walk with you?" she asked her daughter lovingly. Her child was nearly perfect, but she had a tendency to lose her focus on things that did not interest her and she was a bit chubby. Unlike her mother she had her father's nearly black eyes, but she kept her mother's soft wavy hair.
"Yea, Mommy, pleathe!" she begged, smiling brightly and revealing the hole in her mouth that made her speak with that lisp.
"Alright, let's go leash Fifi now," she said, picking Anna off her lap and setting her on the floor. Anna rushed away, finally finding Fifi asleep under her mother's bed. After tying the rope around Fifi's neck, she eagerly ran out the door and flew down the dirt path, leaving her mother laughing and jogging after her.
"My, you're so energetic today. Let's go walk to the garden." The garden was actually just a lone patch of lively green grass, with many wildflowers blooming about it, but it was a beautiful and quiet place to relax. Anna grinned and trotted alongside her mother.
They finally arrived at the garden, and then Anna and her little dog began to romp about in the grass, laughing and tugging at each other's hair. They were soon tired out and sat with their faces to the sky, looking at the clouds.
"Mommy, why do cloudth have shapeth?" Anna inquired.
"Well, it's because the angels in the sky are just as bright and curious and artistic as you and I. They like to make shapes and paint too but they don't have any mud or paint like we do here. So they make do with the best they can. They take clouds and make sculptures or they take rain and paint beautiful rainbows in the sky for all of us to look at and enjoy."
"Then why do the cloudth thtop looking like thtuff after awhile?" she asked.
"Because the angels don't have a lot of cloud to work with, so they must destroy the work they have now to make new ones. They're sad about it, but they get happy when they make the new sculptures because those new sculptures are just as pretty."
"I see, Mommy. You're tho thmart. I wish I could be ath thmart as you thomeday, too!" She turned toward her mother, smiling, but her mother's face was only there for a moment. The next instant the smiling visage of her mother disappeared.
I awoke so suddenly I cricked my back. Somehow that bright image of my mother's face had brought me back to wakefulness, and though that dream had been quite a cheerful one, it left me with a feeling of impending dread. Somehow I found myself thinking...
It's not fair... I don't know why my mind kept repeating those three words.
It's not fair. I glanced around my bare cell, noticing with a sickening wave of depression that I was being watched through two cameras.
It's not fair. I peered at the food bowl and noticed two large pellets, soft looking and brightly-colored. Was that to be my food for the day?
It's not—
My ears picked up the sound of faint footsteps, growing louder and louder with each passing moment. The owner of the footsteps wore heavy boots, I could tell. After another minute or so a soft, haughty voice began to speak.
"...so I want to make sure that you condition her as well as possible. I want to be sure Kvar will receive a perfect Cruxis Crystal when I return her to that pitiful—mighty, I mean—Grand Cardinal." Forcystus stopped right in front of the bars of my cell, his single eye glittering. I glared at him hatefully and pulled my blankets farther up my body.
"Well, I'll have to admit she is a bit timid... and defiant at the same time. But I should think that won't bother you?" He spoke to one I could not see while frowning.
I continued to glare at him as a deep, musical, but hard voice answered, "Do not think she will trouble me. I will do the best I can and I assure you it will be more than necessary." Forcystus paused for quite a long time, then nodded curtly and left. I shuddered as I watched him swing his replaced arm.
Now that Forcystus had left the man he was talking to appeared in my field of view. I looked at him with a sort of timid shock. He, like Forcystus, was handsome, though that face was chilling in the fact that it was expressionless. Almost like a mask. His eyes bore a strange mix of emotions, ranging from curiosity to anger to sadness to confusion. Those red-brown eyes had a dim veil over them, but it was as if I could see all the emotions of his life through those eyes. They were frosted windows to his past. His messy red hair nearly covered those eyes, though, and with a sweep of a gloved hand through his hair and a beeping of the electronic door he entered. A long sword rested in a hilt at his belt, though I could not see what sort of blade it was. He carried his shield strapped to his arm, and swung that arm carelessly. He must be quite an experienced swordsman to act like that. He was dressed in a blue-purple outfit that was complicated to describe but dashing all the same. I felt myself blush as he peered sternly down at me. My eyes averted involuntarily as he continued to stare.
Finally he greeted me. "You are Anna, correct?" he spoke softly, in that same musical, hard voice. "I am to, shall we say, become your teacher for the next few weeks. My name is Kratos Aurion."
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Tic: HAHAHAHHA and another chapter done.
Everyone: :snoring:
Tic: :cries: Fine, be that way :runs off:
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Okay, I came back. Here's thanks to the reviewers n.n
WhitterZ: Thanks for the review! I'll attempt to keep Kratos in character, but the life of a chicken is hard and perhaps... yeah, ok XD
TrinitySilk: Thanks for the review, I'll try to keep all of you readers happy n.
TheFireV: Thanks for the review, I'll try to update as fast as possible with all of this school and homework and the like... :P
Jellybeanz225: yaaaaay another Kratos x Anna fan n.n Thanks for the tips, although I must say I will probably disappoint you on the fast update/cliffhanger stuff :( Inspiration hit me now but I have SCHOOL :growl: and I'm not very good with cliffhangers, but I'll see what I can do!
Seventh Sage: Thanks for the review. Anna stories make me sad too but I'm such a big fan . Agreed on the Kvar/Forcystus thing...