Reverie
Chapter Nine: Chosen

"Glad to see you made it."

It was mid-morning and I was standing outside the Luin Inn. Before my departure this morning, I had crept in Yuan's room and stood there. More than ever did it strike home what I was doing to him. Yuan was supposedly supposed to help Yggdrasill alongside me to take control of the world and revive Martel. However, Yggdrasill had no clue on our secret alliance. He himself just thought we were driving away from the idea. He had no idea, and I kept that information secret.

"Is something on your mind?"

Striking myself back into reality, I glanced at Spiritua who was rocking on her feet a few feet in front of me. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail as her bangs fell on the sides of her face. Vacantly watching her, I crossed my arms and scuffed.

"No, nothing of much concern. Are we all ready to depart?" I asked, glancing at Faroh and Anna. Each bore an eager and excited posture. They seemed ready to strike down an enemy at any moment, but their skills seemed absolutely novice. Sighing to myself, I blinked and began to drift into thoughts about the journey. How many nights would I go without him?..

"Yes, we stocked up on the apple gels." Anna smiled, and signaled to the backpack on her. Nodding diligently, I glanced over at Faroh who was observing his unsheathed blade. If it was any attempts to intermediate me, it wasn't working.

"But I won't be needing to use any." Faroh replied smugly, sheathing the sword and giving me a stiff stare. Stunned, I blinked back as defensively and he furrowed an eyebrow. I wouldn't let myself be caught off guard by a simpleton such as himself.

"Faroh, be nice." Spiritua hissed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Our first stop is the Summon Spirit of Wind, correct?" I asked, trying to drag the others back into the conversation of the seals. It was my reasonability, after all, to make sure Spiritua completed her quest and fulfill her destiny as Martel's vessel.

"Yes." Spiritua replied with a smile.

"On the way we can spy on that human ranch they're building to the north-east." Faroh glared into the air, bearing a scornful look. Stunned, I wondered if that was such a good idea. The ranches were, after all, used to create panic in the Chosen. Maybe passing by wasn't such a bad idea? Besides, these three couldn't possibly do any damage to such a magnificent structure as the Asgard Human Ranch.

"I'd rather stay away from that place, if at all possible." Anna added in, stuttering at her own words. Behind my thick locks of auburn hair, relief rushed over me. I knew my duty, and any added quarrels were not for the best.

"Are you afraid or something?" Faroh snickered back.

"N-no.. I just don't like those places." Anna replied, glancing downward as the whips of brown hair flew across her face.

"What's wrong Anna? You're never this awkward." Spiritua began, as she walked over to her best friend and place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. It took a few moments for Faroh to sigh miserably and shake his head in utter disbelief.

"Spiritua is the Chosen! If anyone can put an end to those ranches it'll be her." Faroh implied, as Anna glanced up at him. "And besides, a true warrior isn't afraid of anything. Especially human ranches." Faroh glared irritably.

"I still think it's in our best interest to release the Wind Seal before we even attempt to infiltrate the ranch." I advised, trying to find a chance to jump into the conversation.

"Can we please stay away from the Ranch.. and the Desians.." Anna whispered.

"What's your problem! If you're going to be afraid of them then why even come along?" Faroh snapped irritably.

"Faroh! Anna is my best friend and I bet she's better than you with the blade. So shove it." Spiritua scorned her brother, flashing a deafening glance at Faroh.

"...They killed my mother." Anna suddenly whispered. Furrowing my eyebrows, I cleared my throat and turned to the brunette.

"Come again?"

"They killed my family... I don't want to ever see those creatures again!" Anna snapped at Faroh, bearing a determined look.

"They--... What!" Faroh suddenly realized, jumping backwards from startle-ment.

"That's horrible!" Spiritua voiced.

"...I suggest we respect Anna's wishes and make haste to the Wind Seal." I offered. Faroh and Spiritua to me and nodded in agreement. This was going to be difficult to keep these three on the track of success if they keep darting around the subject this often.

"Come on sis, let's see who can make it to Asgard first." Faroh grinned. Spiritua flashed him a smile before the two siblings charged off out of Luin. Sighing miserably, I silently began to wish I was somewhere warm, preferably in Yuan's grasp. Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair and turned to Anna who was starring out into the distance.

"We better catch up." I offered once more. It took her awhile to glance over at me with her brown eyes and nod slightly.

"Thank you." She whispered, as we began to walk to Asgard. Hopefully Faroh and Spiritua had begun to become fatigue and we'd catch up with them sooner or later. Glancing over at her, I saw gratitude written over her face. "I heard mercenaries were cruel and greedy humans, but I guess the rumors are wrong." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, either way, it was a good idea to avoid the ranches for now. I'm not quite sure how well we all can stand up against them." I shrugged, placing a hand on my sheathed sword.

"I'm sorry if I came off as the wrong impression. Usually I'm full of ideas and energy, but lately I've been thinking about my family. Mother was slain when we lived in Iselia, and then Father brought me to Luin. However, while out on one of his research missions, he was captured and imprisoned in the Palmacosta ranch." Anna sighed.

"So your dad's alive?"

"Yes, or at least I hope." For someone who looked as weak as her, she kept a steady pace.

"Well, if we do make it to Palmacosta ranch, I'll assist you in freeing him," I suggested, bearing a slight smile.

"You don't have to do that." Anna sighed.

"We're a team now, and if one part of the team crumbles, the whole team suffers." I advised, flashing her a determined stare.

"You know, you're kind of scary when you're serious." A light smile crept upon her face and she lightly giggled.

"Is that a... bad thing?" I asked, tilting my head lightly. Not even Yuan had made that comment. Perhaps his care for me altered the whole 'scary' title and impression.

"Well, seeing you really aren't all that scary, it's not so bad." Anna smiled as we hurried our pace. Slowly, I began to wonder how fast both Valens could run. If it wasn't for this human by my side, I'd use my wings to catch up. But that'd give away my secret agent name.

When I and Anna arrived to where Faroh and Spiritua were, it was getting dark. We were on the outskirts of Asgard, about a mile away. If we continued on, we'd surely be caught in the thick of the forests at night. So we concluded it'd be for our best to camp out here tonight. It was by a river, and we had gathered around a bon fire. Both Valens and Anna were thick in conversation.

So that left me to myself. Glancing upwards, I starred vacantly at the stars... each one brought back the name Yuan had given them. Sighing, I wondered just exactly when I'd be able to see him. Possibly I could sneak off tonight and arrive before morning. Glancing over, I sighed and wondered how long it would take the others to fall asleep.

"What's your opinion, Kratos?" Faroh suddenly called out.

"On what issue?" I replied hastily.

"On the whole Cruxis Angel thing. Do you really think they're all angels and stuff. What do you think they look like?" Faroh asked, starring intently at me. Oh dear.. gulping down a big clump of nerves, I shook my head absent-mindly.

"I'm not quite sure, but when Spiritua received the oracle, that man seemed to be an angel. So we can assume they all have wings and only appear at seals, or so it would seem." I had to act knowledgeable, but not too much so I would give away my secret position.

"Hmmm.. exactly what I thought." Faroh staggered as he glared at Spiritua as if to prove a point.

"Also, it's getting late. I think it'd be best if we call it a night and depart fairly early in the morning. We'll need our strength for the journey and battles to come." I nodded wisely. The others seemed stunned, but hastily agreed.

"Fine. But tomorrow I'm getting some real training done." Faroh sighed, as he walked over to where a tree was. Leaning against it with a piece of folded cloth as a pillow, he closed his eyes in attempts of sleep.

"Yes, good idea." Spiritua smiled and took the seat next to him and dragged a blanket alongside her.

"I'll sleep by the fire." Anna suggested placing a pillow at the edge of the log we were sitting on. Resting her head against it, she grabbed her blanket and closed her eyes. I waited around five minutes to make sure everyone was fast asleep. In fact, they were all heavy sleepers because as I walked, not even one stirred.

"..."

Closing my eyes, I felt the usual warmth of my house. Glancing around my room, I noticed it was around nine o'clock at night. Mayb e Yuan was still awake. Grunting, still a lot on my mind, I made my way to the kitchen and glanced around.

The whole house was pitch black, and the dim moonlight shimmered through the window panels. Reaching out, I grabbed a cup from the sink and poured myself some water. Taking a gulp, I wondered what fortunate the next day would bring. Yet again I would depart and be the leader of the Chosen's group. Shaking my head, I tried to clear my mind of everything. None of this had significance when I was here.

Taking a seat at the stool with my cup, I starred out the window once more. The river behind the house was raging as strong as ever, and even in here I could here the gentle 'whish' sound it made. Taking in a deep, relaxing breaths, I began to drift into a light slumber. However, it was halted when a hand reached out and was placed on my shoulder.

"Kratos?"

Snapping my eyes open, I glanced up at the form of Yuan in front of me. Heart-skipping a beat, I reached out and meshed our lips together eagerly. Stunned, the half-elf was all but too happy to respond as he ran his fingers through my hair. When the lack of air became an issue, he broke away and glanced at me.

"Another hard day?" He guessed, looking downward.

"Yea.." I sighed, trying to keep my mind focused.

"I've been meaning to ask you something." Yuan called out, glancing back up at me so his gaze could meet mine. Tilting my head, I sat back on the stool and signaled for him to sit on the one beside me. Sighing, he looked downward and breathed heavily.

"Yggdrasill met with me today." Yuan began.

"Did he harm you?" I began, trying to keep my cool.

"No, but he wanted me to keep an eye on the human ranches. I couldn't refuse without blowing our cover completely, especially back at Heimdall and after what you've told me. Either way, he has no idea about the renegades. So maybe this double-timing might turn out for the better." Yuan attempted but then yawned sleepily.

"My thoughts exactly." I smiled lightly.

"Hey.. Kratos.." Yuan whispered.

"Yes, what's wrong?" Glancing back at him, I saw a few waves of confusion swirling around in her emerald eyes.

"What do you think Yggdrasill will do when he learns about.." As he began, his words became stutters as his eyes snapped close.

"The Renegades?" I guessed, crossing my arms and keeping my fixed gaze upon him.

"No.. Us." Yuan finished.

"Oh.." It hadn't really occurred to me before. What would Yggdrasill do? His two former companions in love after the war was over. Even worse, Yuan had been engaged to Martel, Mithos' sister. So if he did learn about our secrets, it'd be horrible for the both of us.

"If Yggdrasill does summon us together, you've got to act as stubborn to me as you did during the war." Yuan whispered.

"I hate to say it, but that's the only thing we can do." I grunted before reaching out and running my hand through his loose aqua hair. "But now, now can we just remain like this for a little while longer?" I whispered, placing my forehead against his softly.

"S-sure." Yuan replied with a light smile.