Forbidden

Amazon Bunny: Wh00t! Chapter 1! Well, I hope you all like this chapter, the characters are a little OOC...Oh, there's a bug on my computer that clumps up words together, so bear with me, I'm going totry to fix it somehow..and yeah...a couple of you noticed I killed off everyone else, but, heh...heheheheh...I think the rest of the story will make up for it? Eh...well, enjoy!
-There has always been a tale about the famed Aurion estate. How the current master's late wife still walks amongst the living. Hauntingly beautiful, with brawn and brain to boot, everyone says "no one can replace her". As soon as the second Mrs. Aurion steps into the house, she feels a presence that was lost, but not forgotten, a phantom preserved as perfectly as if she were alive; as she treads in the shadows of her predecessor, she is determined to uncover the lost, chilling tale of Anna Aurion.
I often wonder what my life would have been like, if my nosy tour manager.

His name was Leon Cervantes. He was tall, with rumpled brown hair and roguish green eyes flecked with gray. Thin, with gangly arms and legs, he looked like a pale walking stick. It was all his idea to journey to major cities around the globe to gain more popularity to Asgard. I think he seemed to think that if everyone would see me, the acolyte, they would want to journey tothe Wind City in the future.
It was a Saturday afternoon, I remember, and while we were in Luin, we stopped by the riverboat restaurant. It was very classy, that was for sure.The two of us were seated in a corner, and shortly, we were greeted by a short, squat waitress. Her small, piggy eyes glanced at me, and she took Leon's order with flourish. The waitress quickly took my order and waddled away. Before the food arrived, two girls joined our table. Both sat very close to a very annoyed-looking Leon.
"Mind if we sit here?" One of the girls asked, surveying me. It was obvious she would stay regardless. "Say, you're that one wind dancer, aren't you?" The other sat a little taller.
"The Wind Dancer?" the other girl demanded. After glaring at me, she snorted. "Well, I heard the Wind Dancer was a half-elf...a filthy, disgusting half-elf."
"Maybe she is a half elf, but she's definitely of a higher class than you lot," I shot back.
The two didn't know what to say. After much more glaring, the first girl said slowly. "Who the hell are you?"
"Give me your name, and I'll give you mine."
I have to thank Lloyd for that, I thought to myself. That's the second time it's helped me out in a tight spot.
"Their names are Kitty-" Leon pointed at the first girl. "-and Kat. Twins." He looked as if he had a foul odor under his nose. "Kitty was my ex-girlfriend from 3 years ago. I forgot she lived here."
"...I see,"I said softly.
Our food arrived, and the Kitty and Kat muttered something about having to leave. It was pretty evident they didn't want to be caught in the presence of a half-elf.
"Sorry about that," Leon gave a great sigh and tucked into his plate of steak.
I didn't respond. Kat's comment about "filthy, disgusting half-elves" was still on my mind. I stared down at my chicken florentine angrily. We ate in silence. After he finished eating, he excused himself to go to the hotel, to book two rooms for us. Not thirty seconds later, Kitty, alone, joined our table again.
"You know, I don't mind half-elves as much as my sister,"she said snottily. "But I still think they're insuperior compared to humans."
"I'm flattered," I said coldly.
"Say, look at that man," she giggled, pointing. "Isn't he cute? They say he can't get over the death of his wife."
I turned to look at whoever she was pointing at. The fork fell from my fingers with a clatter.
"Kratos!" I gasped.
Kitty gave me a suspicious glare. "Do you know him?" she said icily.
"No," I said quickly and looked away. The restaurant was oddly quiet. Maybe it was because everyone was too astounded to see Kratos, or maybe because it was two in the afternoon. Kitty gave me another dirty look and slunk away.
I left my pay and tip on the table and stood up to leave. The moment I stood up, the waitress from before scurried over to me. "Miss, that man over there wants to see you."My heart skipped a beat as she led me to the reserved table in the backroom.
"In there," she said huffily, and waddled away as she did before.
My heart thumping ridiculously fast, I pulled aside the thick curtain and walked into the room.
Sure enough, it was Kratos.
"Long time no see, Raine," he said softly.I had forgotten how beautiful he was, and how I loved his voice. All I could think was "I hoped he couldn't hear my heart pounding against my ribs". He gestured for me to sit down.
"Hello, Kratos," I said, trying to sound casual. "It has been a while."
"How have you been?"
"Uhm..." I struggled to find the right word. "Fine," I lied. I wasn't such a great liar in front of him, because he stared hard at me, and smirked.
"Feeling lonely, I suppose?"
I didn't reply, and was glad when he changed the subject. Of course, I was only glad for a little bit, because the topic changed to Leon.
"There was a man earlier in the hotel," he said. "He was looking for you. Your husband?" The last word seemed stiff and forced.
"No," I felt a smile pull at my mouth. "My tour manager. I'm the acolyte at Asgard."
I saw him give me a swift, searching look, as if I were lying to him. Finally, he said, "How's Genis?"
He immediately knew it was the wrong thing to say. Of course, he didn't know Genis had passed away years ago, but...
"Never mind," he said quickly. "Forget I said anything."
"It's okay," I said quietly. "You didn't know." I shut my eyes because I felt my eyes tear up.
It was rather quiet for the next few minutes.
"He died," I whispered. "They all died."
"I know," he said, equally soft."I suppose Lloyd and Colette got married? How much children did they have?" He seemed to try to cheer me up by changing the subject, but I knew-I knew- that it was equally hard for him to talk about his son when he didn't even show up for his wedding, his birthdays, or even his funeral.
"They had twelve," I looked up. "January...he was a little boy. Always tripping into things...blonde and brown eyes. Februrary was a boy... You should have seen; he was a cheeky little boy, with brown hair and brown eyes. March was a girl, brown hair, hazel eyes. I suppose she looked like..." I broke off. "And there was April," I resumed quickly. "She was the clumsiest of the bunch, but very spirited. Very... She had dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. May was a girl. She was a cute kid. Reddish blonde and brown eyes. June was also a girl, and she was like Lloyd in every way. She didn't learn to count to one hundred until she was nine. July was another girl exactly like Colette. Kept on apologizing even though it wasn't her fault...and then August...he was a boy. I don't know who his looks came from- he had black hair and blue eyes. Always quiet, and loved to be out in the forest or anywhere with trees. I remember he always wanted to be called 'Augustus'. September was a nice boy with blonde hair. Very talented with crafts, just like Lloyd. He wasn't very clusmy at all, but he wasn't very bright. October was a boy too. He dyed his hair green permanently on Halloween by accident. I think it was to scare April. Very roguish, but he used to always make me laugh. And then there was November. She was a tomboy; loved to play and romp around the forest with the boys. She cut her hair one summer because she said it was too hot-" I laughed, recalling the incident. "Colette told me she was shocked when November walked out of the bathroom with her hair short and uneven. October laughed himself unconscious, from what I heard. Then the last of them was December. He was a handsome little boy. Auburn hair and brown eyes. Always reminded me of..." I broke off, realizing what I was saying. "...you," I finished lamely.
I looked up to see a ghost of a smile on Kratos' face. He didn't say anything. "So, tell me," he said. "How've you been doing for these past hundred years?"
"I've said a lot already," I said coyly. "I think it'd be best if you told me first."
"Heh, I see you haven't changed much," the corner of his mouth twitched, as if he were trying to surpress a smile. "Very well, then... As you know, I destroyed Ex-Spheres on Derris Kharlan. I can say that all of them have been destroyed and disposed of. Rather boring job, really..."
"That's all you've been doing for these past years?"
"That's all I can tell you," he said. "Now how about you?"
"I'm an acolyte at Asgard," I repeated. "I'm on tour right now. In three days I will be heading off to Meltokio to preform a ritual for the King."
"Hm, well, do you like your job?" said Kratos.
"What kind of question is that?" I asked. "But I suppose I do."
He looked as if he restrained himself from rolling his eyes with great effort. "Is that because you get to study ruins up close?"
I blushed. "You sound like Lloyd," I told him. "He told me the same thing during the Regeneration. Remember, when I offered to take Aisha's place at the Wind Dais."
"Well, if you like your job so much," he said slowly, considering his words. "I guess you wouldn't want to hear my offer, then."
"What offer?"
He gave me a sly smile. "Are you sure you want to know? It could change your life forever."
I thought for a moment. "I guess so," I said. "Fire away."
"Alright then, but I warned you. You could either go along with your tour and go to Meltokio...Or you could come live with me. That's all."
"What? You mean as your secretary or something?" I asked, surprised.
"No, I'm asking you to marry me," he said. Seeing the expression on my face, he said hastily. "Of course, I didn't think you would, it was just a suggestion..."
"No, no!" I said quickly. "Not at all!" This was something I dreamed of years ago. I'd fantasized that that certain Seraphim had come back for me, with a beautiful proposal. I'd thought up every word he'd say, and what I'd say. But never-never- have I dreamt of a proposal in a place like this, in this situation. I was lost for words, and he'd thought I didn't accept. I couldn't turn this down, Itold myself firmly. This is what I've always wanted.
"Kratos, this is something I've always wanted to hear from you since the World Regeneration. I'd love to accept your offer." Those words tumbled from my mouth, unprepared and definetely informal; the complete opposite of my daydreams.
He looked up, almost unable to comprehend my words. When they registered in his mind, his face broke out into one of the first genuine smiles I had seen in a long time.

So it was settled. I was going to become a married woman.

To my reviewers:
Hamano Ayumi- heheheh! Yeah, Colette is clumsy...Poor Lloyd...knocking himself out with his swords. Ah, well, I thought it was a fitting ending... Thanks for the review! AND UPDATE 'GUARDIAN' or make another one-shot or something! I love your stories!

Skyraptor66- yeah, it's a horror-ish story. Just hang tight, you'll see, it'll get creepy. And yeah, I guess Anna will sorta come back as a ghost, if you can call it that! XP But I won't give away too much right now.

Yukashi Tenshi- Err...I don't usually put a lot of effort in prologues. But thanks! It made me feel good about my writing! XD well, I updated it! Thanks for the review!

Scarlet Kratos- heheh...it was fun! Thinking of ways to kill em all off...It was particularly fun to think of Colette and Lloyd's. I felt bad to kill off Genis, but I couldn't fit him into the story so... I was pretty happy to kill Regal though...I never really liked him XD

A Fading Shadow- Thanks! I hope this chapter was good, I thought it was a bit fuzzy.

Fenrir Hellfyre- Nice name! You don't by any chance read Ragnarok do you? (Your name reminds me of Fenris Fenrir, lol) Thanks for the review!

ShimaGenki- heheheh...that's what I was aiming for. Thanks for the review!

RWT- just like Colette, lol you'll read more about the kids later on...I might throw in a guest appearance by one of em or their grandchildren or something... I haven't decided yet.

One-Piece-And-Naruto-Fan- Hey, you like One Piece and Naruto too! I love the mangas! lol well, anyhoo, thanks for the review!

mernardi169- heh, glad you liked it! yeah, Raine's an old woman now...she's telling the story from that time... But the Raine in the story is still pretty young. She still looks the same, anyway. Elves and half-elves are long lived...it'll get more angsty as I update, you can be sure of that. And KratosRaine, of course...

Amazon: Well, that's it for this chapter! Hang tight for the next- It's on it's way! Don't expect a lot of writer's block (though there will be a lot, trust me)- there'll be a lot less than "Broken Valentine" and "What is this Thing Called Love" (which I haven't updated in a while. Sorry folks!). Here's a preview of the next chapter:

Leon gave me a hard, cold stare. "I really hope you know what you're doing," he said finally.
"Of course," I said.
He tried a different tactic. "You know we'll have to replace you. The tourists nor Asgard will be happy about this. You know this."
"Yes," I said calmly. "But I have decided."
"You're making a big mistake!" he growled. The lamp behind him made him look taller and lankier than ever as he towered above me. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into, and once you step into it, you won't come back out!"He glowered at me. "I'm telling you, don't get married to that guy!"
"I am prepared to make that 'big mistake' then," I said, getting frustrated.
My tour manager glared at me furiously, but realized he was fighting a losing battle. "Fine then...But I warned you- I warned you! He doesn't love you, he just can't go on living all by himself."