Muahahah! Another chapter! Man, when I get the "writer's vibe", I could write until my fingers fell off...

Disclaimer : -sigh-...I don't own Tales of Symphonia...


Kratos crawled to the edge and watched helplessly as Anna fell. He wouldn't be able to catch her, even if he took his wings out, she was falling too fast. Raine ran towards him, kneeling beside him.

"She's...gone...she's..." Kratos muttered. Raine wrapped her arms around him. That startled him, he didn't know she was there. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"I guess it can't be helped..." He said.

"I guess. What are we going to do now? Do you want to go back to Iselia?" Raine asked. Somehow she felt like the answer was going to be one invlolving Anna.

"Yes. I think it would be best if we told Lloyd about Anna." He replied, before standing up. Raine stood up behind him. He turned to face her, leaned closer and brushed his lips against hers, but backed off when he heard the sound of Yuan's voice.

"Kratos! What are you doing here? You told me you would return my rheairds after you got to Sybak." Yuan asked. Kratos wondered if he saw Raine and him together just a moment ago.

"I had to make a detour." Kratos answered calmly. Yuan looked at him skeptically.

"What would you need to do in Hima?" He asked. Kratos didn't answer that one, and by the look on Raine's face, Yuan could tell it was something they didn't want to talk about.

"I will return the rheairds to you once we get back to Iselia."

Yuan rolled his eyes, but accepted and left Kratos and Raine alone. Kratos gave one last look at the spot where Anna fell, then got onto one of the rheairds. Raine followed close behind. During the whole trip to Iselia, Kratos was thinking about what he was going to say to Lloyd. He couldn't just say "Lloyd, Anna died". That was much to dry and many questions were left unanswered for Lloyd. Somehow, he feared returning to Iselia. He feared breaking it to Lloyd. But his fear came true as the small village became visible through his angelic senses.

The two rheairds descended to the house a few miles away from Iselia, Dirk's house, where Lloyd and the others were. Apparently, Lloyd had been dying to see his mother again and couldn't wait for them to return. As soon as he saw the two rheairds landing, he ran outside. But he was disappointed when he realized that Anna wasn't with them.

"Dad! You're back! But...where's mom?" He asked as soon as Kratos got off his rheaird.

"Lloyd, can I talk to you for a moment?" Kratos asked, trying not to look at Lloyd.

"Ok!" Lloyd said. He followed Kratos to Anna's grave.

Soon after, Genis came to greet Raine.

"Welcome back, sis!" He said cheerfully.

"Did the others leave?" Raine asked, looking around.

"Yeah, they left not long after you guys left with Lloyd's mom. Is she...okay?" Genis asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Genis...Anna is...well, you know." For some reason, Raine avoided the word "death".

"Oh...Lloyd is going to be heartbroken..." Genis said, before following his sister inside the house, leaving Lloyd and Kratos outside.

Kratos stared into his son's eyes with the most serious expression possible. Somehow, Lloyd already knew what this was about.

"Lloyd...I'm sorry. But Anna, you see, she..." He began.

"...Mom's dead, isn't she?" Lloyd finished.

Kratos nodded. Tears welled up in Lloyd's eyes, but he was trying to force them away.

"How...how did she...?" Lloyd asked.

Kratos calmly explained what had happened. From the conversations in Kate's lab, to what happened in Hima, he explained it the best he could. When Lloyd realized Anna died willingly and that no one forced it upon her, he didn't seem as angry about it. But Kratos knew it bothered him, just by the way he walked into the house, with his head low and his feet dragging with every step he took.

Sighing, Kratos turned to face Anna's grave.

"If you can hear me, Anna, I'm sorry...I'm sorry for not being able to do anything when you fell from Hima, or even when you were turned into a monster, fifteen years ago..." He whispered, so that no one else could hear him. He remained silent for a few moments, then decided it was time to move on. He walked silently inside, where everyone was sitting at the table and waiting for Genis to finish the meal. Colette was trying to cheer Lloyd up, but it didn't seem to work. Raine was quietly reading and Dirk was helping Genis with the meal.

Kratos sat down next to Raine. She lifted her head from her book and smiled when she realized who was sitting next to her. His mood seemed to have changed, he seemed more relieved. Perhaps it was the thought of losing Anna, then having to break it to Lloyd that made him look so awful earlier.

"Dinner's ready!" Genis said as he placed some plates on the table. "I made some spaghetti!"

Kratos frowned at that last statement. He looked down at his plate. He twitched, then got up and muttered an "I'm not hungry..." before leaving to go upstairs.

"What's wrong with him?" Genis asked, slightly ticked off that someone declined his meal.

"Genis...Kratos doesn't like tomatoes." Raine said, after giggling.

"Oh...well he should've said so!" Genis said before sitting down beside Lloyd . Then he noticed Lloyd's expression. "What's wrong?" He asked, between a few bites.

"It's nothing..." Lloyd answered. That didn't convince Genis, but he already knew why Lloyd was being this way, so he decided to leave him alone and continue eating. Once Raine was done, she put her plate in the sink and headed upstairs, where she found Kratos on the terrace, looking at the stars. She walked up beside him, and moved closer.

"The stars are so beautiful tonight..." She said.

"Yes, they are." Kratos answered and wrapped his arm around Raine.

"You probably already know this, even though I've never said it, but...I love you, Kratos..."

Kratos smiled and stared at her, before leaning forward and closing the gap between them. A few moments later, the two broke apart.

"I love you too..."

That sounds like the perfect ending to this fanfic, but I don't want it to end here...so it won't!

LloydIrvingIsMine: Eats sugar-filled food and hands you a lollipop Yess...Anna dies...sorry -.-BUT she MIGHT come back in the next chapters...MIGHT...(just because I'm evil XD)

Idignation Judgement: YAY! Thanks. That's a miracle for me but, eh, miracles happen once in a while :p

Miss Raine Sage: Hahah. Brain-dead-ness sucks...Especially when you're supposed to write an essay or something for class D: