Zelos shuddered as yet another branch brushed his hair. "You know, they say that a murderer hid a treasure in the forest, and that he used to kill anyone that tried to find it. After a while, he died, but his ghost still comes back to dispatch any who might seek after his treasure."
Lloyd gulped and Genis looked uneasy. "R-really?"
Zelos' eyes grew wide as he gasped and pointed. "What's that!" The two younger males jumped and swung widely about as they searched for any sign of an apparition. The Chosen snickered at the reaction. "Of course not, only idiots believe stuff like that anymore."
A hand to the back of his skull stopped Zelos in the midst of his revelry. He grimaced and held his aching head. "Stop trying to scare them, Zelos. It isn't funny right now." Sheena's voice was grim.
There was a sudden halt as the group entered a clearing. The blue-haired criminal from the sewers stood there, his gaze fixed on Presea. The girl merely stood there, silent. "I must speak with you."
"You leave her alone!"
The man sighed. "I see. Would it help if I made myself your prisoner for the time being? I swear on my honor that I will do nothing that you do not wish me to. My only wish is to speak with the young woman."
"Fine. But you will only be allowed to speak to Presea when she allows it. If she never wishes it, you will remain silent." Astonished, the group stared at Raine. The half-elf regarded the man with a steady gaze until he nodded.
"It is acceptable."
Suddenly Colette piped up. "I can hear lots of footsteps coming."
Startled into action, Sheena summoned Corrine to her. "Corrine, see who is coming." The little spirit bounded off into the forest, returning rather quickly with his report.
"Sheena! It's the pope's men. There searching the forest for you!"
Her eyes hardened as she considered the few options open to them. If they were to continue on their present course, the pursuers would come upon them easily. There was only one place that the pope's men would not be able to find them...
"Come on, I'm taking you to my village."
Zelos' eyes lit up. "Oh! The secret village with cool ninja beauties! No one really knows where it is, but we're going to go there!" He stopped as Sheena turned her glare on him.
"Shut up, Chosen, or I'll leave you here for them to find."
Silently and swiftly, the group followed the summoner into the obscure paths that would lead them to safety...
Evening, Miziho Village...
Her gaze was fixed on the last vestiges of the sunset when the footsteps approached. When they stopped beside her, Sheena risked a glance to see who had come to interrupt her now. Earlier it had been Lloyd, telling her that she really could stand up to Volt, that he would protect her. This time it was Raine, the half-elf quietly sitting down cross-legged beside the other girl. They sat there silently, watching the fading glow as it eased into the blacker hue of night. The stars began to glimmer overhead, while the moon made an appearance just over the treetops. Finally Raine spoke.
"So... does it still bother you?"
Sheena turned to look at her. "What?"
The half-elf's face was hidden half in shadow. "That we did not find anything of use in the library."
Turning her gaze downward, Sheena shrugged helplessly. "Uh, yeah, in a way. He sounded so certain that we would find something to help us and..." She stopped suddenly as Raine chuckled.
"Ah, I see."
"See what?"
"You like him, do you not?" Raine's voice made it clear that she wasn't really asking.
"Of course not! He's our enemy!" Sheena burst out, then sighed and quieted down again. "It's just that I keep thinking, 'Kratos is the enemy', every night before I go to sleep, and yet I can't really think of him that way. He seemed sad when he had to fight us, almost as if he wanted it to be some other way. And he seems to be trying to help us every time we meet, even though he doesn't have to say anything."
"And he's cute?" Raine prompted.
Sheena looked away and sighed again. "Yeah."
"And has such a great bod?"
"Uh-huh."
"I don't suppose his awe inspiring displays of martial prowess had anything to do with it either." Raine was grinning now, Sheena could hear it in her voice. "Or the way that he seemed to accept you, even when you weren't a part of our group."
Her only reply was an exasperated groan. Sheena buried her face in her hands. Raine could have sworn that the young woman was blushing.
"Enough... I like him, okay? I can't hate him. I just can't!" The whisper was almost heartbroken, and Raine nodded to the watching moon. Gently she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Sheena."
As Sheena's face lifted to regard the half-elf, Raine noted the glittering tear trails that crossed the summoner's cheeks. Raine blinked a couple of times herself as she recalled several late nights of her own, pondering this same subject. "I do not think that he lied to us. Whatever he referred to is probably out there in a private library somewhere. We just have to keep looking until we find it."
"In fact, he may not have betrayed us after all."
Sheena blinked, caught off-guard. "Then why do you keep saying that he's our enemy?"
Raine sighed. "Because I'm trying to keep things simple for the rest of the party, and also because that's how he wants us to think of him."
"Think of it this way; he's caught between a person that he's been loyal to for almost four thousand years and friends that he's only known for a few weeks or months. Now, based on the way Kratos has stuck with Yggdrasil, I'd say that when he makes a friend, they're a friend for life. Of course, I could be wrong. This is only speculation based on a random collection of facts, after all." Raine paused for effect before continuing, "But I would say, based on every encounter that we've had, that Kratos is not trying to harm us. He's trying to make us strong enough to survive the eventual termination of the Chosen's quest."
"Termination?"
Sheena was confused by the terminology used, and Raine hurried to explain herself. "Conclusion, eventual end, goal? The whole point of the journey? We're going to have to fight Yggdrassil eventually, and he wants us to survive it."
"Oh."
Light was dawning in Sheena's eyes as she stared at Raine. The half-elf noted the growing comprehension and held her peace. After all, it wasn't like she'd known this forever herself. She'd only spent the past weeks since the crossing of the worlds pondering the question.
"So that's why..."
Raine nodded. "Yes."
Forest, Origin's Marker.
"I guess you're wondering why I'm here this time."
One might have expected to find the angel sitting calmly before the stone marker, staring at the weathered inscriptions that marked its surface. It was not the case, as he strode back and forth, agitation plain upon his features. Kratos had few places where he could be so plain, for there were few who held his trust these days.
In this sacred place, however, he could still vent his frustrations.
"I know that I must seem foolish, but I still wish sometimes that I could have forstalled all of this somehow. That there was something that I could have done to make everything all right for everyone. But it seems that no matter what I turn my hand to, I fail."
"I could not protect Martel and Mithos, when they most needed it. I could not protect Sylverant and Tethe'alla in their hour of need. I could not protect Anna and Lloyd when they needed me. Even Noishe has had to survive on his own, and you the spirits have had to endure this unending cycle of destruction, something that we had never expected in the beginning."
"I can't even save myself."
Footsteps finally faltered, coming to a halt in front of the marker. The angel clenched his fists by his side as he admitted his faults to the cool air of the night.
"I swore that I would not injure another woman with my affections, and yet..."
A solitary tear fell upon the stone.
"And yet..."
Fingers unclenched, seemingly in resignation of fact.
"And yet I've fallen in love again."
Kratos groaned. He'd finally had to admit it, both out loud and to himself. It was eating away at him so much that the most astute of his aquaintances had begun to pick up on it. "Feelings. Heh, I'm not supposed to feel anymore. But maybe they started coming back when I found out that Lloyd and Noishe were alive."
"That maybe I hadn't failed them quite so much as I first thought. That maybe I could have another chance." A light breeze kicked up, wafting fallen flower petals across the stone. Idly the angel picked one up, gazing at it wistfully. "Redemption. Perhaps that is what I've been searching for all this time. After all, we broke our oath to you. This isn't the world that we desired so long ago."
"Now it's nothing more than a passing nightmare."
Taking a deep breath, Kratos calmed himself, reasserting his normal demeanor. Crossing his arms, he glanced upward to where the moonlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy above him. "Even though I know this, I still cannot justify harming my friends. I cannot fight Mithos openly, and yet, I will never bring death to my son. The only way that I see to end this conflict is to release you from your seal. I know that this can only happen with my death, but if it is the price that must be paid, it is long overdue."
"Perhaps when I spend the last of my lifeblood, all debts will be forgiven. Maybe at last my hands will be clean of the stains that have haunted me for years. Maybe at last Anna will forgive me for my weakness, and Lloyd will forgive me for my failure. Perhaps even Martel will be able to rest at last."
"Forgive me this last request,and know that you have my thanks for your long patience with me. When you are released, one will come before you, seeking your power. For my sake, and yours, please heed her request and grant her the power that she seeks. She will not use it amiss as Mithos, nor disregard it, as I." The angel turned away, preparing to take his leave.
"If for nothing else, do it to help me right what we erred in so long ago. It is all that I ask of you."
"Good-bye, my friend. When next I return, it will probably be my last. My life will no longer restrain your power, and you will not be bound eternally to the one who you now despise."
Sighing, Kratos set off down the twisted woodland paths, disappearing into the forest. Behind him, the stone marker sat in silence, as it always had since the day that Origin had been sealed away.
AN: Hm. This one kind of started to run away on me. Feelings are kind of out in the open now, though only the spirits could tell you what all was confessed. If you were looking for the 'Sheena is scared of Volt' scene, you'll just have to wait for me to do a side story or something. The focus of this chapter was the feelings that the characters harbor for others, and how they try to deal with things.
As for Regal - do you really think that anyone in the group could have knocked him out? The only weapons that might be able to do that without too much finesse would be Genis' Kendama and Raine's Staff. Sorry, I just don't see either of them being able to brain Regal in a fight. In the case of Genis, I only see him shouting 'Fireball!' as he tries to burn the blue-haired menace to a crisp. Yes, Genis is just as obsessive as Raine is, just about different things.
Thanks to Kitten Kisses for Reviewing 'Why do I Love You?', my Record of Lodoss Wars fic.
Thanks to the rest of you who review this fic, and read it. The Author is always reassured when he views the hits per chapter and/or looks at the reviews.