Insaneiac: Okay, I can already tell myself that when this chapter ends, people are going to have mixed emotions. Let me just remind you before this begins that Raine Sage is a realist. She's not prone to thinking what everyone else jumps on. She comprehends all options and possibilities at most times. With that out of the way, enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia or the characters within the story. Namco does.
Chapter 3: Reunion
"Yuan…why did you do that?" Raine reprimand as she let the staff fall back to her side, gently inspecting his jaw line to see if the very large bruise had faded away. "Sheena was closer to Lloyd than anyone else… what could have convinced you to tell her?"
Yuan sighed once, pulling his face away from Raine's hands so as to bring one of his own to the newly healed jaw. He rubbed it for a few moments before he was satisfied. "That's exactly what did." Yuan reasoned, letting his hand drop away. "She, more than the rest of you, was closest to Lloyd. Doesn't she deserve to know why her heart's desire is currently the single most threatening thing to walk upon the world?" His head hung off his shoulders in shame momentarily, as a long and shaky breath made its way into his lungs. "Raine, she was being kept in the dark."
"Because Sheena is-"
"Raine, you know it as much as I do. Sheena is our only chance to get Lloyd back." Yuan interrupted, silencing the white haired healer. "If what Llo…Mithos said was true Raine, then Lloyd watched Sheena die, apparently at your own hands. That means we need to bring Sheena to Lloyd." A low murmur escaped Yuan's lips as his hands found their way to his hopelessly messed up hair, brushing another chunk of it out of his eyes. "Kratos is too busy being blind to realize that, and instead tries to keep her in the dark. For a man of over four thousands years, you'd think that arrogant fool would have an inkling of sense towards dealing with distraught women in love!" With a slight huff, Yuan pushed off the chair and to his feet, taking a handful of steps away from the table.
"You still blame yourself, don't you?" Raine inquired, turning to the kitchen.
"What do you think Raine? Even you wanted to throttle me when you found out what I did to Lloyd, and that was before he ended up becoming Mithos." Yuan retorted agitatedly bunching his hair up in his hands. "Kratos is probably going to kill me sooner or later."
"Not in this village he won't." Raine replied firmly, setting the teapot onto the stove. "As long as you stay in Iselia, I can guarantee your safety."
Yuan eyed the back of Raine's head dryly as he retorted. "Kratos is one of the best swordsman alive Raine-"
"And I am the Mayor of Iselia. And as long as I am, Kratos will follow my rules or I will kick him out." Raine stated solidly, turning to face Yuan. "What you need to realize now is that blaming you is useless now. We need to focus on getting Lloyd back, not finding the scapegoat to blame." As she finished, she saw Yuan's hands drop from his head and reveal his face, his eyes wide and filled with speechless gratitude.
"Your people might begin to hate you Raine."
"Yuan, thank you for the consideration but…" Raine began before swiping a nearby wooden spoon through the air, disturbingly fast. "…I doubt anyone would be dumb enough to challenge my authority."
As his left eye rose in confusion, Yuan began to smile like he used to. "Oh and just how are you going to manage backing that up? With your amazing talents in swordsmanship?"
The half-elf woman shook her head in response, a sly grin filling her face. "With a weapon far more powerful than anything on the good green planet…" Raine teased, flipping the spoon in her hand once before pointing it at Yuan. "…My cooking."
For a moment, the two simply stared at each other, each wearing a smile that twitched more and more before they broke down into laughter, the room quickly filling with the joyous sounds that seemed to have abandoned it a half week ago. The two continued like this for a good handful of minutes before they began to calm down, their eyes locking together, two pairs of blue eyes locked in amidst each other. And for a brief while, not a sound echoed in the room as the two half elves gazed at one another. Not until the first drop of rain bounced off the roof the house, followed swiftly by a steady fall of water from the Heavens.
"Raine…" Yuan muttered, giving his head a somber shake before turning away. "I'll fix this…Somehow." Raine stared somberly at the back of his head, and frowned. It was not a disapproving frown or a disappointed frown. It was a saddened frown, one that a friend would wear when they beheld their friend going through a period of suffering. Soon, the only sound that existed within the house was the steady pat of raindrops upon the roof. Despite each pitter and patter of heavenly water that hit the roof, Raine could even hear Yuan breathing his slow, calculated breaths. He began to twist around, turning with a mouth open to say something when his eyes locked with Raine's and his voice was caged. He could see her depressed facial features as clear as day.
"Yuan, I'm not going to just let you take this on alone." For some reason, it was these simple words that stirred something that had been hiding in Yuan for the last few days.
"Why do you care Raine?" Yuan muttered, taking a few steps towards Raine. Surprisingly enough, each footstep echoed and mixed in with the raindrop sounds upon the roof. "I just can't get it through my head. Why do you care what happens to me?" His voice seemed to fluctuate between higher and lower tones. Finally, he stopped walking when he was right in front of Raine, glancing down into her eyes. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because this isn't your fault Yuan." Raine responded, her eyes suddenly hardening. The answer struck deep into Yuan, rippling through him visibly. "How long have you beaten yourself up over something or another? Yuan, this was beyond your control." Yuan shook his head once in return before he opened his mouth to retort. He was quickly silenced by a raised hand from Raine. "Stop trying to convince yourself that you're to blame and start helping us get back Lloyd."
A loud slam echoed through the house as the door whipped open, the two half-elf heads turning rapidly to the door to see a drenched Zelos. His mouth was wide open as he stood there, signaling he was about to say something. Slowly, his head titled to the side as he began registering the fact that Raine and Yuan were no more than a few inches from each other, both looking way to comfortable for it to be coincidence.
"Zelos?"
"OH. Right!" Zelos began, shaking his head twice. "Kratos is back! And he's brought Regal and company!" Zelos finished before dashing back. Yuan and Raine exchanged a pair of quick blank glances before they followed suit and walked out of house in turn.
--- Outside ---
Regal, Genis and Presea stood in the center of a large group of people, all ranting and raving about what had happened since they left. Regal who had long since removed his shackles and become a freed man once more, was in very respectable attire that was quite becoming of a duke, answering the questions of the Iselia villagers like it was just another news conference. Behind him were the aforementioned Genis and Presea, dressed in attires befitting of those living on the very privileged side of the tracks. Both had gotten themselves a change in hairstyle, though one could not earnestly tell in the weather. Genis' once wild and uncontrollable white locks was now trimmed short and, even when wet and slack, didn't stretch down past his eyes. Presea had given up pigtails, wearing her hair slack. It was amazing how one difference could make Presea look all the more beautiful. Despite the rainfall that was now coming down in full force, they crowd mingled together, chatter and greetings exchanged as though they were all old and great friends.
Through the crowd, however, Genis spotted Raine coming out of the mayor house, her new headquarters as it were, followed in tow by the one person he'd never thought he'd see again. Yuan. What was more was that Raine was, or at least, had been recently, blushing. For the first time in his little life, Genis Sage was absolutely, positively, unquestionably dumbstruck.
'My sister…And Yuan? What the hell!' Genis screamed mentally, eyes wide as he watched the two come towards them. Turning ever so briefly, he could see Kratos' usually unreadable face contorted into a vicious sneer in Yuan's direction. 'Kratos has been too damn silent. He won't even explain why he's back. All he keeps saying is that Lloyd needs us.' Genis recounted, rubbing the back of his neck. 'Well then, where is he? If he needed us all, shouldn't he have been one of the first to greet us?'
"…Genis?" Raine blurted out as she laid eyes on her little brother for the first time in over a month. Flashing a quick look to Yuan, who gave a half smile, Raine dashed towards her little brother. Genis smiled widely as he embraced his sister, a quiet "awwww" emitting from the crowd before a loud smack silenced them all, and plastered surprised looks onto the faces of the masses. Holding the back of his head, Genis cried in pain as Raine glared down at her little brother.
"So you LEAVE and then you forget all about me! No letters, no notice of your existence!" Raine reprimanded, waving a finger at Genis. Suddenly, her features softened again as she hugged her little brother once more. "I missed you Genis."
"I've missed you too Raine…well, parts of you at least. It's been nice not having to get slapped every so often."
--- Elsewhere ---
While the group mingled, Yuan watched from a distance, arms crossed in front of him. Not surprisingly, Sheena had refused to come out of her house. He could already tell by the atmosphere that there was confusion, but not anger. Whatever Kratos had told them to get them to come, it wasn't the truth. As if on cue, the moment that Kratos' name popped into his head, he began searching the crowd of people for the seraph, wondering if he had just disappeared. Where ever he was, Kratos was out of sight and hopefully out of mind. That was when his mind switched back to another thing that was nagging at him. Raine Sage.
More importantly, Raine Sage being able to cast an angelic spell while not being an angel. His mind may have gotten two steps into the topic when a rough hand gripped his shoulder and whipped him away from the public eye, yanking him behind a house. With a grunt, he felt himself hit the muddy ground face first before pushing to his feet and whipping around. He was about to start yelling when he saw Kratos standing with his back against the wall, glaring daggers into Yuan. Despite the evil glare, Yuan composed himself as best as possible, wiping the mud of his face and standing at his tallest before glaring back towards his old friend.
"Kratos."
"Get out." Kratos returned with a voice as frigid and unforgiving as black ice. "Take your stuff and remove yourself from Iselia. Now." There was no compassion in his voice, no level of caring. He was vicious and completely devoted to the demand.
"I fail to remember the day that I started following your orders Kratos." Yuan retorted. He sighed miserably as his soaked hair began to get in his eyes once again. Brushing it aside, Yuan continued. "For that matter, why would I follow your orders?"
"You've done enough to these poor people. Remove yourself from here and stop getting involved in things that do not concern you."
"I am many things Kratos, but I am no coward. This is partly my fault, and I'm going to do what I can to fix it." Yuan retorted.
"This is all your fault Yuan. Lloyd is in trouble because of you, and I refuse to let you harm him anymore. Leave now…or I'll force you out myself."
"Kratos, you have no right to speak like that." Yuan retorted, taking a step towards the fellow seraph.
"He's my son; I have every right to say that." Kratos returned resting his hand gently on the hilt of his sword. If anything, this seemed to stir Yuan on further. It seemed to trigger something that, had Kratos been more picky about his words, would have remained dormant.
"HAH!" Yuan broke out, running a hand through his hair. "And what the hell would you know about being a father Kratos." Yuan didn't need to look at Kratos to tell that he was getting much less composed over the issue. Pushing off the wall, Kratos walked towards his friend, and pulled his hand away from the sword.
"What's that supposed to mean, Yuan?"
"What do you think it means Kratos?" He spat back. For a moment, there was nothing but the heavy patter of raindrops all around them. "Plainly put, you are a coward Kratos Aurion."
"I fail to see the validity of that comment, Yuan." Kratos spoke slowly and deliberately.
"You've run from Lloyd his entire life. You abandoned him after Anna was put to rest; you attacked him not once, not twice, but three times in total with the intent to kill him. To top it all off, you fled when the worlds were rejoined, off to Derris-Kharlan where you could be as far as possible from him." Yuan explained, his words just as venomous as they were honest. "Hell Kratos, what kind of father are you? He wanted a dad, what he got was a man too afraid to open up again."
"That's enough." Kratos murmured, shifting his head away from Yuan. Whether it was in disgust or in shame, Yuan couldn't care enough to find out.
"Comon Kratos! I'm more of a father to him than you are." As soon as he uttered those words, Kratos' head whipped back to Yuan's, their eyes locking together in a death glare. "I've watched him since he wound up in Iselia Kratos. I've kept tabs on your son, keeping him safe from the Desian's eyes. Why do you think he kept that exsphere for so long you fool?"
"That means nothing…"
"You didn't even know he was in love Kratos. You traveled with him for a time, and you couldn't see the way he acted around Sheena. I knew it, and I was watching him from a damned screen Kratos."
"Yuan, stop this now." Kratos muttered darkly.
"You're a coward Kratos. If anything, you should get out. The way you've been around him, the only way you'd be his father is by blood relation. That's the end of it, since you seem too freaking afraid to be there for him." Yuan winced as Kratos grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and lifted him up. He knew he was angering Kratos, but after being slapped, punched, stabbed (repeatedly) mocked, broken, and despised, Yuan just didn't care anymore. He wanted to vent, and he wanted to say something that Kratos needed to hear.
"Shut up." The words sounded like warning smoke from the nostrils of an enraged dragon.
"It's your fault he's in trouble Kratos." Yuan growled, not doing a thing to remove the hand. "And if I leave it to you, you'll probably just solve it the way you did with Anna." The second he uttered that, he regretted it. He knew that with Anna, Kratos had no choice but to kill her. To Kratos it was like carving his soul in two and throwing half of it into a blazing inferno. Yuan wanted to take back what he said the second it left his mouth, but he really didn't have the chance. Kratos dropped him to his feet, and took a step back before swinging his right hand through the air and connecting with the side of Yuan's jaw, knocking him to the ground.
"You have no right to say that!" Kratos shouted. Yuan rubbed his chin, grimacing as the pain returned from Sheena's punch. He was getting awfully tired of people punching him, whether he had earned such notions or not aside.
"Kratos you arrogant bastard! Tell me if anything I said was wrong! You abandoned Lloyd once, and when Mithos was gone you did it again. Why Kratos?" Yuan continued as he seethed anger. He craved an answer from Kratos, he hungered for it, but when his former comrade stared blankly at him, he continued regardless. "Let me answer that for you then. You, Kratos Aurion, are afraid. You are afraid of your own son Kratos. You're a coward then, and you're a coward now!" This time, Yuan ducked the attempted punch, driving his own fist into Kratos' stomach. He didn't know if it was anger, or pent up urges of vengeance, but he felt like punching Kratos regardless. "Why? Why are you so damned afraid of him huh? Why can't you find it in yourself to love your own flesh and blood Kratos?"
"Shut…UP!" Kratos yelled, swinging his elbow into the side of Yuan's head and knocking him off his feet. Yuan landed on his side with a dull thud, his head ringing like a gong. "I'm not afraid of him."
"Then what is it Kratos. Why do you always run from him? Even when the end came, you had an "injury" Kratos. You've never been there for him. So please, do tell me…" Yuan slurred, holding the side of his head as he stumbled back to his feet, pulling his hand away to see his blood get washed away by the rain. "…why you can't face him?"
"I don't want to lose him. You can't lose what you willingly give up." Kratos muttered dejectedly, hanging his head. It took Yuan a few moments, but when it hit him, it hit him hard. "But I can't watch this happen to him. I can't let Lloyd become corrupt like Mithos was." Yuan had to pause for a moment after he heard Kratos speak, to find the strength to continue. The fact that someone like Kratos could actually be focusing on crushed him.
"Kratos…you're not trying to save Lloyd…you're trying to kill Mithos." Yuan spoke slowly, his eyes as wide as plates. Yuan had known Kratos for well over four thousand years. He had stood by his side in major conflicts, looked up to him for help and in admiration, and even saved his life a minor handful of times. Not once had he ever believe Kratos to have a side of him that was so brutally and truly cold. Not this man, who had been betrayed by friends and family more than any man should, who had been just as quick to heal the wounds of the man he might had just killed, should he be within reach of redemption. This was Kratos Aurion, the formerly the single most feared warrior of Cruxis, but the one man who would never truly turn on the ones he loved and cherish.
Whoever was standing before him now, whoever was standing in the purple battle suit he had come to hold great admiration for, it was not the man he looked up to as a father, or stood beside like brothers.
"I want Lloyd to live in peace and happily. He can't do that as is. I may not be the best father…I might be a monster by all standard." Kratos muttered, turning to face Yuan sadly. "But I love my son. He deserves to live free. If he can't, then it is my responsibility to free him." Kratos spoke somberly. Slowly, Kratos closed his eyes and let the rain briefly wash over him, breathing deeply before opening his eyes once more. When he did, he took a right hand to the center of his face, knocking him clean off his feet. His head hit the muddy ground with a thunk, his body followed suit. He felt a hand grab him by the collar and lift his head up from the ground and pulling him into another vicious right hand that finally drew blood.
"You love him, yet instead of trying to free him, you immediately consider him lost." Yuan growled, punching his former comrade once more, just as hard as the other times. "What will tell his friends? WHAT WILL YOU TELL SHEENA! That it was your duty as his father to take his life from him unquestionably." Yuan yelled, punching Kratos yet again. "I can't believe that this is coming from you Kratos…that you would do something so heartless." As Yuan went for yet another punch, Kratos lunged forward driving his head into Yuan's gut and knocking the blue haired man off of him. As Yuan rolled to his feet, Kratos tackled him brutally, launching out from behind the buildings and into the middle of the town. Kratos rolled off of Yuan quickly, pushing up to his feet to glare back at Yuan. Yuan slowly pushed up onto his feet, turning his head to glare maliciously at Kratos as he did.
"Yuan, you are in no place to pass judgment."
"Kratos, what you are saying…" Yuan snarled at he pushed off his hands and onto his feet. "...is the same thing as saying that your son has already died. This is the child you unsealed Origin for, that you betrayed Mithos for…Do you really think so little of him Kratos?" Yuan reasoned. He could see the words had had an effect on Kratos, and he felt it twice as much as Kratos' right hand caught Yuan in the side of the jaw and knocked him off his feet. The back of Yuan's head landed in a puddle that was not-so-oddly deep. As though the water was a rejuvenating fluid, Yuan pushed back to his feet and glared at Kratos. As though the skies themselves were approving, the rain harden, each drop exploding into the ground around them with a thrilling and enrapturing force. His eyes narrowed as he watched his comrade steadily, his vision blurring every so often.
"Yuan, leave now…" Kratos began with a voice of eerie calm."…Or I'll kill you."
Yuan had heard those words before, constantly to be exact. Almost everyone he knew had uttered to him at least once in his lifetime. In many ways, it had become a common occurrence for his presence to draw those words out. However, this was the first time Kratos had ever uttered those words to him. Three words that he had so honestly believe to have grown deaf to, filled him to the brim with fear. Yet that was not enough to silence and defeat the leader of the Renegades.
"Kratos…you've changed."
"No Yuan. I've gained a purpose again. I'll free Lloyd from Mithos, I swear on my life." Kratos muttered, rubbing his wrists slowly. "And if you don't leave, then on that same vow, I'll kill you."
------ Regal's Group ------
"You don't call, write, visit, or even give me a sign that you're still alive. Tell me, is your name still Genis?" Raine repeated again, Genis pulling backwards in fear. "And now you're afraid of me too! I don't see you for a month and already Regal has turned you against me." Raine continued admonished, quickly shooting her head up to the taller, very well dressed and now positively drenched Regal. "No offense." A dismissive wave of the hand and a simple smile allowed Raine the piece of mind to return to Genis.
"The rainfall is unwavering. It would take us 12.7 seconds to enter a house and remove ourselves from the downpour." Presea spoke up, for the first time. Raine reared her head back and blinked a few times before actually noticing that it was, in fact, coming down in literal buckets. Sighing, Raine extended her hand to her house, and smiled.
"Thank you Presea." Raine spoke, before turning towards the house. Her head stopped in mid turn as she caught sight of something bone chilling. Kratos had his foot planted on Yuan's neck, and his sword was hanging just above Yuan's forehead. For some reason, out of the entire group, she was the only one that could see it. For a split second she was stunned and motionless before her hands pulled themselves into action. A quick yelp from Zelos was the only thing she could clearly hear as her hands wrapped around the hilt of his sword and withdrew it.
"KRATOS! NO!" Raine screamed as she charged towards the dominant warrior. Just by looking at him, she could see his demeanor was one of raw fury. For some reason she could not come to understand, seeing that vicious aura around Kratos made her speed up. As the blade was a mere heartbeat from piercing Yuan's head, Raine swung Zelos' sword with all her might, connected viciously with Kratos' blade. The force of the attack had been enough to drive the weapon from Kratos' hands, and imbed it into a wall quite a ways away. Blinking once, Kratos soon felt the hilt of the blade connect mightily with his nose, shattering it and knocking the man into the air. Kratos landed with a dull thud in a large puddle, blinking a few times as his face was rained upon, swiping the blood down along his face as it flowed from his nose. With a grunt, Kratos pushed to his hands and glared at Yuan before hiss vision shifted to the face, the immeasurably angry face, of Raine. Her eyes were narrower than he had ever seen before, and her whole body was trembling with rage. In her hands was Zelos' sword, gripped tightly within them and pointed at the soft neck of Kratos. All in all, it left him completely shocked that a healer could catch him off guard.
"What are you…"
"SHUT UP!" Raine yelled, silencing Kratos. From behind her, she could hear everyone gathering, everyone rushing to see what was going on. She didn't need to glance at them to see the confusion running rampant amidst the people.
"Why are you protecting the man responsible for turning my son into Mithos Raine?" Kratos growled, his voice untreated enough to allow it's meaning to flow into Raine, and loud enough for the words to reach everyone else. Instantly, the entire group turned to face Yuan as he struggled back to his feet whilst coughing viciously. All around them, the silence descended. Raine's glare hardened considerably as she realized just what Kratos was doing.
"…Yuan…you did what…?" Genis muttered first, blinking in complete awe. Genis was the only one who could truly utter a word at that point, as everyone else stood and glared at the man. Again, the sound of heavy rainfall became the only sound that resonated from the group. Eyes began to narrow in Yuan's direction, and fists began to shake. Yet before anything could happen, the sound of a sword becoming imbedded in the ground filled the air, before the solid and raw sound of a slap followed. Kratos' head was wrenched to the left as his right cheek burned with the fury of a woman scorned.
"Kratos Aurion. The fact that you openly disrupt the peace and attempt to murder a friend within my city aside, do you know what I think…who I blame?" Raine began coldly, walking over to Yuan to see if he was okay. A pair of nods was exchanged before Raine turned back around and faced the slowly angering mob. With a breath, she prepared herself for what was to come.
"I blame Lloyd."
"What?" Kratos spoke shocked, only receiving a nod in return from Raine. Murmurs of varying tones passed through the crowd, except for Zelos, Colette, Genis, Presea and Regal, who were all staring at Raine in morbid awe.
"I blame Lloyd Irving Aurion." Everyone, even Yuan, had shifted their gaze to Raine as she spoke again, the rain doing well to hide the tears that were coming down her cheeks. "Lloyd was the one who told us that whatever may happen, if you fight and never give in, then you never truly lose. He never once gave up when things were incredibly tough, he never abandoned hope when things were looking down. He encouraged us all to keep holding onto our beliefs and dreams. That we only lose when we admit defeat." Raine paused for a moment, staring at Genis. When all she could see was his ruthless glare, she turned to each person in order. Nothing positive came to her from them, until she came to Yuan's eyes. In them, she felt her strength renewed and rekindled. She felt the courage to continue saying what must be said.
"Lloyd gave in…because of one thing that happened in a dream. Lloyd gave himself to Mithos. Lloyd gave himself to the person he promised to never give in to. The hero and man we all love and cherish, the one responsible for us all being strong enough to fight our own battles, gave into a trick and allowed himself to become Mithos. That is why I blame Lloyd."
For a moment, not a soul spoke. Yuan could only stare in awe at the woman who had just spoke not only in his defense, but fought against her best of friends and even her own family in defense of her own belief. All eyes shifted to Kratos, who began to walk up to Raine somberly, his hands tightening and loosening rapidly as he approached Raine. In the back of his head, Yuan could here himself threatening to destroy Kratos if he touched her.
"You...bitch." Kratos spoke darkly, before turning around and walking away. He took seven long strides through the rain before his wings revealed themselves and he flew off into the cloudy sky, leaving Iselia in the dark. As they watched him leave, slowly everyone's vision turned back to Raine, who was now shaking and shivering. Not as though she was cold, but as though she was completely mortified with what she had just done. Walking up slowly, Yuan rested a hand on her shoulder for comfort, which she let rest there without motion. Sighing once, Yuan raised his head to the group or on lookers, and nodded.
"Could someone please go get Sheena? There is much I have to explain…This is not as easy to understand as you might think."
------ ? ------
"Hmm?" A voice spoke from the darkness of the forest, a figure sitting on a log, wrapped in a dark cloak. "What is that you say?"
A smile formed on the figure's lips, as he let a hand snake to his brown hair that hid beneath the hood of the cloak. "Where are we going? That's easy."
"Mizuho."
A/N: ZOMG! I suck for taking that long. I'm sorry, I have been fighting with a bit of writers block, and it took a period of four days baking under the sun to free me from it. Well, here you all go. I warn you now, the next chapter is a large discussion chapter, but it does reveal one very important part to the story. Finally, the next chapter will explain, in full, the Aeon Jewel. Peace!
