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Games » Tales of Symphonia » Last of the Salri Line

B s : A A A

Author: MixedBreedMaiya

Fiction Rated: T - English - Romance/Adventure - Reviews: 39 - Published: 04-26-06 - Updated: 07-08-06

id:2913449

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Dude...Once again, it's been a while.

Raine: And once again, I had hoped you'd forgotten.

Nope...Just had writer's block I think. But I'm ba-ack!

Raine: Joy...

I know. Isn't it? - Let's go!

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"Now remember, my lovely couple, we are watching you. You say one wrong word, make one wrong move..." Karla gave them a meaningful look.

"We know," replied the Duke, rather flatly.

"You've only told us three times," added Raine. With a glare and a nod, Karla motioned them forward.

"I, David, and Eric, will be awaiting your return on the ship. Matthew will be watching you, ready to activate the device around your beautiful bride's wrist. Should he do so, she will be injected with a rather potent poison, which will begin to take effect immediately, and continue to progress. Only I have the antidote. So not a word about what's going on, do you understand?"

"Did we not just answer that question?" Regal cocked an eyebrow in the woman's direction. It was a clever plan, he had to admit. But that was not a helpful factor, and did nothing to aid in their escape. He lightly took Raine's arm, and shared a glance with her as they started to walk.

"She certainly has this all planned out, doesn't she?" murmerred Raine, loudly enough only for the man walking beside her to hear.

"Indeed, she does," he agreed. "It is unsettling to think that our lives are, in effect, resting in that woman's hands."

"Unsettling is not the word for it." She gave a sigh.

"There you are!" cried a voice that Regal knew to be Sheena's, after they'd walked a short distance. Both newlyweds turned to face the Summoner, who looked both annoyed and relieved. "Where have you been?"

He shared another glance with Raine, before he answered the question carefully. "Does it matter?"

"Yeah, actually, it does. I looked everywhere for you two, and it was like you'd just vanished or something! I was afraid something might have happened."

"I assure you, it has been quite...tame."

"Why were you looking for us?" piped in Raine, her expression unreadable. She appeared to be good at hiding things, especially considering that there was a man ready to poison her from the shadows should she say something wrong. He admired her for being able to restrain even the slightest show of anxiety.

"Mostly because I didn't know where you were. And the more you eluded me, the more worried I got. Sheesh... Don't do that to me," said Sheena, scowling at them.

"I'm sorry," blinked Regal. "We did not think our lack of appearance would be cause for concern."

"After something like Deryn, you can never be sure," Sheena sighed.

"Indeed." Raine's gaze flicked to him, and he saw her mouth, "Keep. Talking. To. Her." With a barely visible nod, and a look at Sheena to make sure she'd caught that, he inclined his head just the slightest bit at Raine, to avert the Summoner's attention to her, even as he talked.

"I see the others are not with you," he said, carefully watching Raine out of the corner of his eye. She was mouthing something again, to the guardian-user this time, carefully keeping her head completely still.

"Get. The. Others," she was trying to communicate. "Deryn. Sister. Has. Come. For. Revenge. There. Is. A. Man. Watching. Us. So. I. Can't. Voice. This."

"I do hope Zelos is staying out of trouble." Regal had almost forgotten to keep speaking in his anxiety over what Raine was trying to do. If Matthew happened to catch sight of this, and was able to read lips well enough...She was putting herself in very real danger.

"Planning. To. Leave. On. A. Ship. After. We. Supposedly. Tell. You. We're. Leaving. For. A. Vacation. Sheena. You. Have. To. Let. The. Others. Know." She gave the the latter a hard look. "Karla. Is. Just. As. Dangerous. As. Deryn. If. Not. More. So. She. Can. Not. Be. Allowed. To. Roam. Free."

"Anyway, Sheena." Regal was resisting the urge to turn his head in the direction which he assumed Matthew was in. He wanted to know that the other man had not noticed...But if he turned to look back, it might tip him off that something was wrong. Or it might be regarded as "doing the wrong thing," and Raine could be attacked anyway. It was a no-win situation.

He continued on, in hopes that Raine would be fine. "Raine and I," he said, "are to leave this afternoon on a ship. We wanted to make sure someone knew about it beforehand, just to be on the safe side."

Safe, hah. That "device," disguised cleverly as a bracelet. No one would ever think twice about a trinket on her wrist, even if it hadn't been there before. No one was paying that close attention to her jewelery. "Please inform the others."

He heard Raine gasp beside him, felt her jump in surprise, and his own heart leapt with her. No... She had been poisoned. Matthew had caught it. When Regal turned to her, he immediately moved to catch her as she started sinking toward the ground. "Raine!"

Sheena stepped forward too, as Raine spoke in a stressed, broken voice. "Go," she gasped, "and find...Lloyd...and the others..." She squeezed her eyes shut. Sheena nodded, and started off. "Regal. Go with her," ordered Raine through gritted teeth.

"I cannot leave you here," he retorted.

"You can...and you must. Please, Regal. Trust me. It is more of a threat to Karla if...you are against her, as well. If Sheena leaves now, and you're still...here with me, chances are...she would re-capture both of us...Go, now!" she cried, half out of what he supposed must be pain.

"Raine..."

"Regal, she's right. It could all be over if she gets you both. This way, she needs Raine alive no matter what, to ensure that she still has some hold on you," said Sheena, who had stopped to assist Raine's attempts at persuasion. "I don't want to leave her either, but we have to tell the others!"

Raine made no further reply, but she was tense in his arms. He could see the logic in their arguement...but how could he simply leave her there, possibly to die?

"She...won't...kill me...until she has you...in her grasp...too," whispered Raine. "Don't...worry." Her hand raised to his cheek for comfort. "I can...handle her."

He grasped her hand in his, tightly, before he laid her down with the utmost care. Her hands dug into the sand as she visibly tried to cope with the pain she was obviously being caused.

This was the last image he had of her as he turned, and started to run with Sheena, already hating himself for the decision he'd made.

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Awww, don't hate yourself, Regal. They have a point, you know!

Raine: ...You poisoned me.

Yeah. Yeah, I did.

Raine: Why...did you poison me?

Because I had to keep the story going, dearest. Sta-ay tu-uned!

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