"It's time for us to go after them instead of waiting for them to come to us."
No one seemed to be surprised at the determination that lay behind his gaze. The general concensus seemed to be 'Finally!'. Lloyd looked around the circle, only faltering when it came to Colette. "Um, Colette, I think you should stay here."
"Okay." Colette appeared crestfallen as she started to turn away. Suddenly she turned back, catching at the boy's sleeve. "No! I'm coming too! I can't stay here."
"But Colette..."
Lloyd's voice trailed off as Zelos broke in smoothly. "Oh come on, Lloyd. Let her come. It's not like there's anywhere else that will be safer for her. Or maybe you think that you're not man enough to protect her?"
Sheena chuckled dryly, shifting to eye the Chosen momentarily. "Much as I hate to say it, I agree with Zelos on this one."
No one else spoke, letting Lloyd struggle to make up his mind. Like most everything else, it was over with in a moment. "Okay, you can come with us. I'll protect you Colette. I swear it."
-----
"I'll protect you, I swear it."
Like the echo of the ages, it rolled through his mind. Just how many times had he sworn that very thing? Kratos shook his head, irritated that he'd somehow managed to fall into contemplating the past. What he did in the here and now was what was most important. The angel stopped momentarily to analyze what he'd just thought.
"Hmm. Well, I suppose I haven't ever stopped saying it, even though I've failed at it so many times. After all, I did want to grow up to be a hero." Quietly muttering to himself under his breath, Kratos finished typing at the information console. "Though I seem to have taken a wrong turn somewhere."
'After all, heroes aren't supposed to have blood on their hands.'
Turning quickly away, Kratos vanished from the crowd of angels that moved unconcernedly around the information booths. Maybe this time would be different.
Maybe.
It's not like he didn't have enough on his mind already...
------
Just outside of Flanoir...
Sheena winced as Raine took a firm grip on her arm. Pulling away from the group slightly, the professor eyed Sheena with interest. "So, what happened last night?"
'She was touching him. Her hand gently traced the line of his jaw, just below the cheek that she'd slapped not so long before. He stood rigid, not daring to move lest he find himself beyond any semblance of control.'
Sheena blushed as she remembered the sequence of events. She'd shocked Kratos, that was certain. When Lloyd and Colette arrived at the balcony, the two in the shadows had fallen instantly silent. Kratos wasn't keen on them finding him still in Flanoir, while she hadn't desired to deal with all the questions that would have come up from such a discovery. Be that as it may, it still hadn't stopped her from taking advantage of the situation.
'Her eyes conveyed a thousand messages, of which the angel could discern very few. Suddenly he had the feeling that it would be better for him to run very fast, no matter the chance of discovery. Still, something inside him warred against the common sense that dictated swift retreat. He stood still as she moved closer.'
"Nothing happened."
Raine snorted quietly. "Nothing? Then why are you blushing? Your denial is highly suspect. Now tell me the truth: what happened last night?"
'His lips suddenly pressed against hers...'
Sheena glanced quickly at the rest of the group before mumbling her reply.
Raine cocked her head to one side. "What?"
"I said, he's a really good kisser."
"Oh, really?" Raine's eyes lit up. "Do tell!"
Sheena's blush deepened. "Later, all right? This isn't really the best place to hold a discussion."
When Raine nodded quickly, Sheena realized that the ordeal had only been put off until later. The professor looked smug as they caught back up with the others, almost like she'd won some kind of contest. Well, she was bound to be disappointed; after all, they'd only kissed once...
'He kissed me...'
"So there I was, helpless before an assault that I very much wanted. Despite my desire to distance myself from everyone in the group, it seems that I am doomed to failure. Indeed, if all that we said with that one gesture is true, then I have fallen very far indeed."
"It's not like I tried to fall in love. I most certainly didn't try to get her to fall for me. The fates despise me, and everyone that I have ever felt kinship or friendship for has passed to a terrible future. Either death or madness. What kind of fool am I, to subject yet others to that fate?"
"And yet I am powerless to prevent it, other than by the one method that will ensure that the playing field is evened. If I were to succeed in this one endeavor, I will have acquited myself somewhat honorably to all those who I call my family. Beyond that, it will have to be decided by the fates themselves, fickle as they are."
"I only hope that in this, at least, I find peace. Doubt continues to assault my mind, ever since the confessions that have come from that one night in Flanoir. Perhaps it would be best to return to the shrine and wait for them to come. I can't face them again, or my resolve will waver."
"Farewell Mithos, Martel, Yuan."
"Farewell Lloyd, my son. Forgive your father, who knows not how to travel beyond the past."
"Farewell Sheena, Raine, Genis, Colette. Raine, take care of the children. Sheena, live beyond the past. Don't dwell on my fate too much, either of you; you cannot do anything to prevent it. The seal must fall, else the illusion cannot be dispelled."
"Goodbye, my family. It will now be an end."
Kratos Aurion
---
Pronyma closed the small book carefully, returning the journal to its resting place. That Kratos was up to something was certain. What it was that he planned to do, however, was less than clear. The Grand Cardinal moved over to sit on the bed, a frown on her face. Following the Seraphim was out of the question, since he'd already left.
"What is that fool human thinking?" Her wings hovered by themselves in front of the doorway, a barrier to anyone who might try to enter. Not that she feared Kratos' return; his journal made it quite clear that wherever he'd run off to, he'd certainly be staying until Lloyd's group arrived. It was also quite clear that he didn't anticipate surviving the encounter. The farewells were proof of that.
"Does he have a death wish?"
Frustrated by the lack of understanding, she stood, gesturing for her wings as she did so. The magical cloak instantly returned to her shoulders, wrapping her inside its protective shell. Pronyma strode out of the room without looking back as she headed towards the elevators.
The angel would turn up soon enough. Lord Yggdrasil hadn't seemed to concerned when she'd told him how Kratos had disappeared, as though he'd expected such news all along. Her steps faltered for a moment.
'Lord Yggdrasil...'
------
Inside the chamber that housed the mana seed, Mithos smiled. "Soon, mydear sister, it will be very soon now. We shall be reunited, and the world will be perfect for you."
His laughter echoed throughout the room, full proof of his steady descent into insanity.
------
"NO! This cannot be! Please, stop this!"
Alas that the words could not be discerned by the one they were meant to reach. In the center of the mana seed, Martel cried.
AN: And so we see Pronyma yet again. Yes, I've decided that this will probably take a slightly perceivable AU turn to it. Of course, this is still speculation on my part. Things are still falling in to place right now.
Of course, you now have hints of greater activity betwixt the angel and the summoner.
Sheena: But we only kissed once!
Raine: Are you sure that's all you did?
Ahem. Well, review and let me know how it is. I'll start working on the next chapter, which will hopefully be longer and more 'something'. (I'm not exactly sure what the 'something' should be.)