A/N: Written to the songs "Only Hope", "there's a song that's inside my soul, it's the one I've triedto write over and over again...", that lyric rather fits this story really well. An update or two for Shards, then I'm going back to Defiance for a little longer. Oh and once upon a time (about twenty chapters ago) there was a place called the Seal of Fire... and there were adventures there that are once again brought up in this chapter. I don't know who'll remember it, but if you don't you won't get some of the dialogue within.

Wind feeds Fire

chapter 29

Behind them, they left a trail of feathers, pink feathers, ruminants of their play, of an old joy. It was amazing -- mind numbing actually -- how much the world changed in a few steps; how walls and shadows of a room could so dampen their cheer could turn play into a memory.

It was amazing, sad, and yet… necessary.

How much he despised necessity, perhaps more in this moment than all the others in his life combined.

Raine looked up, fear banishing her customary mania, and the sight of her pale face and wide blue eyes, he nodded. Not in approval (he did not nod in approval over her state) but in understanding and acceptance. Behind them, there was the hiss of steel, the slash of century old blade sliding through the air. Behind them, the winds stirred eternally, caught along the flaws of the stone so that thier voices could be heard.

Kratos cocked his head as he heard the winds distort and warp to a sound that was vaguly reminecent ofa child's laughter, sparing a glance at Lloyd. The red clad boy was confused, and Kratos did not blame him in the slightest. In this quest they walked upon sacred ground. All of the seals rested in a holy place by a mass of conflicting faiths. A ground sacred to the angels of Cruxis, a place marked by so many years that ages of history had seeped into the stone (which considering the elven woman's insanity when it wasn't subdued was religion enough), and was the focal point of the elemantal pagan faith that Kratos reveared.

As the regeneration group walked deeper in the temple, avoiding traps and the like, the mercenary could not help but think of the legends, the tales that had been the sustience of him during a hard bitter youth. He dwelt upon Sylph, the spirit with a soul so faceted that it had become three beings that shared one soul. He recalled how the children of wind walked in the shadows their home, randomly rushing out, to become -not Sylph, the spirit of Wind, but more primal then even Sylph itself. The three aspects of the Wind God would become the Untamed Gale, the Savage Whirlwind, and the Healing Breeze. Once upon a time they could have broken from their earthen confines to race across the world at whim. They would have been free to spurn the earth and play amongst the clouds, and stoke the flames of the distant stars, and harass innocent gods of light bearing the sun... No longer now, he could hear them, somewhat sulky despite their eternal patience, their steps, their patience, would someday be rewarded and what those of the Martel faith dubed Derris fa Derri Aerosy, would someday fall as the ages passed

The Gods -or rather God as Sylph was both a God and many Gods -- in their bordom had carved a confusing path, and while it was not as… visible as, say, a river's white flecked trail, the effects of the constant breeze could be faintly seen. Halls were wider than they had been crafted to be -- only by a few inches -- but then the winds were gentle even as they were trapped in an earthy prison. The winds were patient, gently worrying away at the stone walls that the humans had built here centuries ago. They'd be free, someday, so they waited, walked down the paths, never resting, never tiring.

They'd be free soon enough, so the winds drifted through the halls, carelessly smoothing bricks and scraping away the scriptures upon the stone and making featureless the statues constructed in their honor. He sighed and leaned against the wall, hoping that unlike the last one he had leaned against, this one might not try to spear him. It was safe it seemed, safe for now.

Hopefully that wouldn't change too much in say... the next five seconds.

Near him, Lloyd grumbled something about damned booby traps. Hearing those words which demeaned the historical monument that was all about them, Raine's once dormant mania immediatly flared to life. She insisted prattling on and on about how those booby traps were used to protect the Balcruf family treasure.

"Treasure, what treasure!" Lloyd snapped, rubbing his leg, wincing as the phantom pain of the last healing ran through him. "All that's in here are a bunch of dead people in boxes!"

Lloyd was smacked, and Kratos winced in sympathy. He'd have done something to defuse the situation -- if nothing else, to put himself bodily between the elven woman and human swordsman -- before Raine could push the arguement to the point of hitting; however, the deep gash in his side needed attention.

He hissed in discomfort as cells quietly knited together under the silver blue light of his healing mana, squirming ever so slightly as he could feel the blood rushing to the wound, spreading amongst damaged tissued and saturating the muscles and skin with sticky crimson. Slowly he opened his eyes, blinked back the span of disorientation and turned to see Lloyd's concerned gaze on him.

"I'm fine, the last one grazed me, that's all." Kratos allowed his lips to curl into a comforting smile. "Being able to heal one's wounds is definatly an advantage in a place like this. Now then, your arm..."

"Huh?" Lloyd blinked, then laughed sheepishly and extended his arm, marveling at the small cut he hadn't realized he'd picked up. "Oh this, it's' not important, just a scratch..."

Kratos glared and Lloyd sighed, offered his arms and winced at the force that Kratos' cold fingers applied as his they clamped around his wrist.

"Don't squirm," Kratos growled, letting his eyes close to mere slits.

Like everyone else who heard that warning, Lloyd ignored it. He squirmed and winced as he watched the small gash seal closed. Still it was better than just closing his eyes, better than not watching, because then he could feel it, he could feel every inch of the cut knit closed... Watching it made the feeling better somehow-- it didn't make the feeling quite as strong, crazy as that sounded.

"What did I tell you?" Kratos opened his eyes and Lloyd shrugged.

"Beats me, you weren't listening either?"

The mercenary growled then mock punched the boy's shoulder. Lloyd winced at the blow, but managed to keep his feet, unlike the other times that Kratos had teasingly socked him. It was an improvement, and hopefully a sign that he was getting stronger. Shaking his head to chase off the fuzzy feeling that Kratos' mana always left him with, the Iselian swordsman looked around to see similar scenes unfolding around him. Raine was scolding and healing her brother at the same time. The golden halo above Genis was so familiar now that it didn't bother Lloyd like it used to.

Genis got hurt, Raine fixed him. Colette got hurt, Raine fixed her. Raine's healing made angel-like halos appear around the person being healed. Raine's healing took away the pain with gentle warmth, but left scars.

That was just how it was.

"You coming?" Lloyd asked over his shoulder, half turning to look at the purple clad mercenary. The auburn haired man smiled, then shook his head to say no. Lloyd watched as the man leaned against the wind-smoothed wall.

Kratos liked to be alone; Kratos liked to brood; Kratos was intense and alone, that was just how it was.

But it was not how it always was going to be, was was not always will be. Despite what Raine and Kratos thought, just because something was one way didn't mean that it always had to be that way.

"Well, you're coming," Lloyd growled. It took some effort to keep the satisfaction that he felt flare up in him when he saw Kratos' expressionless facade shatter and show -just for a second- a bit of shock and confusion. "Just cuz we've seen traps doesn't mean that there aren't monsters or anything like that not hiding." He turned, one hand still wrapped around the hilt he offered his free hand to the startled mercenary. "I'm not leaving you alone, not here. It's not safe."

"I can take care of-"

"Sure." Lloyd snatched the mercenary's hand and dragged the startled man to his feet. "I'll help, let's go."

X

There were empty tourches along the walls, and the incident from the fire temple was the only thing that kept Lloyd from rushing ahead to light the torches with the sorceror's ring -- that and a stern reminder from Sis.

"-and further more, Lloyd Irving, I don't care how silly the traps look, or how tempting the boxes filled with marvelous fascinating..." Raine shook her head as if to banish her mania. "...relics look, you will leave them alone."

"Yes, Professor," Lloyd sighed, scuffing his foot while looking back longingly at a trap that made a "boing" sound before making the floor sprout spikes.

"But if the boxes contain books, will you leave them alone?" Kratos murmured under his breath. Genis' pointed ears twitched as he heard that, and he glared at the mercenary.

"You think if they have swords or shiny armor you'll leave them alone?" Genis snapped.

"I can resist temptation, but I recall once when you were fairly warned, you succumbed to the lure of a trap box in the first temple," Kratos growled, absently reaching out in the gloom and snagging Lloyd's leashes before the younger swordsman wandered off.

"That was their first temple, Mr. Aurion..." Raine began, her voice becoming hard.

Colette just sighed, flapped her wings, and then sheathed them. Without the pink illumination they had no light, darkness fell, and all the talk stopped. There was a long silence broke only by the sounds of wind against stone and the "boing" of steel spikes.

"Chosen, we need the light of your wings to see by," Kratos growled.

"No."

There was another span of quiet. Genis could feel his face twisting with shock, and he could easily imagine Raine's surprised look.

"I'm not drawing them until everyone says they aren't going to fight anymore."

"Colette..." Genis heard his Sis sigh the half-angel's name.

"I'm not drawing them until everyone promises to stop fighting," Colette's repeated, tone as hard as steel. Genis squirmed despite himself.

"Kratos started it!" Genis whined.

"Did not!" Lloyd leapt to the mercenary's defense.

"Did too!" Genis growled. "Why do you always stick up for that jerk-"

"Kratos is not a jerk!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Enough!" Steel rapped firmly against the stone floor of the temple, and both boys fell silent. "Since the Chosen will not be providing light I will supply," Kratos rumbled, no doubt glancing in Raine's direction with a pointed glance. "Unless Ms. Sage would like to offer some sort of light?"

"At the moment-" Raine's voice was icy, "-I'd rather not."

"Fine."

There was a rasp of steel sliding into it's sheath, then it came. A red star formed above them, becoming a stout flame as it drifted higher upwards. Slowly the fire spread, filling the cupped hand so that it illuminated the face and upper body of the mercenary in hellish red and orange hues.

"It's not as bright as light mana, or angelic mana, but it's enough to see by." Kratos swept the fire holding hand from side to side to offer them glimpses of the hall around them. Genis felt kind of dizzy watching Kratos swish the fire ball left and right and up and down and up again...

"Whoa!" Lloyd hopped back as much as his leashes allowed, and then tugged weakly on the ribbons. "Don't hold onto me and the fire at the same time Kratos!"

"Mer phan, Lloyden." Kratos released the white fabric, and Lloyd gave Kratos a wide berth while the man was playing with the fireball.

For a little it almost seemed like it was going to work, Kratos' swishing of the fire was enough to see by, and even though it made Genis a little dizzy it wasn't all that bad.

As they rounded the corner, there there came a loud howl. The wind shrieked down the corridor, roaring towards them with a force that made them all cringe. Kratos squinted as the dusty gale swept over him. His hair was -for once- pulled out if his eyes. His cape flared out behind him, looking like a pair of twisted, blood seeped wings in the red light. Raine winced at the rain of red sparks that were born from the flame Kratos bore. Raine lifted up her orange sleeved hands in front of her face, while her ruby tipped staff was gripped tightly in one hand as if to beat back the rouge flames even as she cringed from the conflagration. Colette let out a loud "meep", staggered, then tripped, falling next to him so that Genis tripped...

"Kratos, cancel the spell!" Lloyd yelled, as the elongated flame arched over Raine and reached up going higher and higher till it licked at the stone ceiling above.

Snarling a few oaths the mercenary closed his eyes, and for one second Genis could sense a struggle. Wind fed fire, so to cancel a spell or damp the effects of the wind-enhanced mana flames would be harder than canceling a mere fireball spell... Lifting his head, squirming out from under Colette, the wizard began to gather his energies for a water spell. The fire had fanned out -- it was so thin that it was only a little more than a red and gold mist over their heads. For one moment the hall was painted in hues of gold and crimson, then slowly the sparks went out, and the flames dissapted until the light of the false starry sky went out.

"Kratos!"

Genis turned the the mercenary at Lloyd's startled cry, watched in shock as the man staggered then leaned against a wall. Raine got to the man first, muttering a few words she set a glowing hand to the man's brow.

"Genis, get an orange gel."

"I'm fine." Kratos grunted, "I am just a little winded from containing Sylph's anti-"

"Two orange gels: he's obviously a little confused from the mana depletion to be talking about fairy tales as if they were real."

"I am fine, Ms. Sa-"

Genis had returned with the gels, and the scholar picked them out of her brother's hands and turned to the mercenary.

"Well, Mr. Aurion, are you going to take them, or am I going to have to ram them down your throat?"

Sulkily Kratos took the gels from the woman, not doubting in the least that she would shoved them down his throat if he protested.

X

Golden light pouring from the tip of her staff like a misplaced sun -without the dangers of wind making it a threat to hair and the parties general well being- Raine took point.

And at every place there was runes, scripture, or statue they had to pause as Raine slid into her ruin mode and all progress stopped.

If this was going to be how it was through the whole temple then perhaps the world would be so far in it's decay that all of Cruxis' might wouldn't save it.

"No," Lloyd hissed, seeing the mercenary's hands twitch. "I know, I have a headache too, but no."

"Why not?" Kratos grumbled.

"Because... I... umm..."

"Yes?" Kratos murmurred.

"Well... I don't know, it just wouldn't be right."

"But the headache would stop, wouldn't it?"

"Genis would kill us."

"He'd try." Kratos conceeded with a grimace. "Then I'd have to kill him, then the Chosen would of course be upset by this..." Kratos cursed and Colette rolled her eyes.

Kratos was acting even sillier than usual. All he had to say was that he'd stop fighting with the Professor and the half angel would draw her wings. What was so hard about that? Well, obviously it was hard, very hard. Like how Ivan and Lloyd never would say that they respected each other. Their anger was hard, sharp, and hurt them and everyone around them.

Lloyd and Ivan's anger, Raine and Kratos' anger, it was the same type of anger that hurt everyone.

A small hand wrapped around her wrist, she couldn't feel it, was only aware of the pressure of the touch, no longer bothered by the hot and cold of it. She turned, and seeing the familiar tuft of silver hair looked down. Genis tightened his grip, scooted a little closer and then got on his tip toes to better whisper in her ear.

"I don't like Kratos all that much, but I think you're right: they're being stupid with this."

From up ahead Kratos twitched and Colette giggled, nodded, and Genis smirked.

"Wanna see a fast way to get Raine out of you-know-what-mode?"

Colette nodded, and the small elf smirked and let her hand go. Planting his hands on his hips he stomped up to his sister who was trying to hug a wall covered with anchient angelic script that -from what little she could read around the orange coat that was smushed into the wall- talked about giant legs and arms...

"Raine Sage!" He snarled, doing a really good Kratos impersonation. Lloyd hopped and looked to the purple clad man to see what was going on. The mercenary only shrugged, half turned to watch the two silver haired elves better. He seemed to forget about the monsters and traps that might be lurking in the darkness around them as Genis lifted one hand and waved a finger under Raine's nose. "What in Martel's holy name do you think you are doing!"

Stiffening, with great dignity, the elf scholar straightened her coat and rolled her staff under her hands. The shadwos around them shivered, save for that tiny black shadow that seemed intent on following them around. Colette ignored that. She lifted a hand to stiffle her giggle as Raine said in a sulky little kid tone that she was "conducting research".

"You, are not conducting research!" Genis yelled. "You're drooling something that's four thousand some odd years old!"

Kratos shifted, coughed and Lloyd looked at the mercenary in confusion. The man promised to explain it later, but his tone sounded like he'd never explain it if he could.

"What you need to do, Raine, is to pick up that staff and march ahead! I don't want to see you even looking sideways at a ruin until we're out of here! After we save the world you can "ooh" and "aww" over rocks as long as you like!"

Raine stiffened and her eyes nerrowed. She raised her hand as if to smack her little brother.

"He's right, Professor," Colette chimed in, "and you know it. And more important you promised."

Raine stiffened, her hand unclenched, her eyes cleared...

"Amazing, words do work," Kratos growled to himself.

Anger flashed across azure orbs. Raine's lips tightened into a thin line and she whirled on the mercenary her mouth open as if to yell. Colette cringed back from the show of anger, even though it wasn't directed at her. Her eyes stung a tiny tiny bit, but she couldn't cry anymore, so she didn't.

"Apologize."

The mercenary now had a turn, he stiffened, his eyes blackened with rage. He whirled on Lloyd, part in rage, part in pain.

"You do not give me orders, boy."

"When you're being a stupid ass, yes I do," Lloyd growled. "You both need to say you're sorry. Yeah, she provoked you, like a week ago, and I know for a fact you'd yell at me if I was like that to anyone for that reason. So why can't I do the same at you? Because you're an adult? Well I'm one too, at least I was one in Iselia." Lloyd grimly met Kratos' black eyes head on then tilted his head to indicate Raine. "You can ask her if you wanna know about that, she can explain it better than anyone else here."

"You didn't!" Raine gasped.

"I did, he passed, deal with it." Lloyd snapped. "Stop fighting, you're both being brats. Come on guys!" Lloyd snatched Raine's staff from the shocked elf's grasp. "We're going to go save the world, you two can do whatever you want. We'll be that a way." Lloyd pointed to the path ahead, and holding Raine's glowing staff in hand marched off into the gloom.

Sheepishly Genis followed, casting his sister an appologetic glance. Colette, who possesed a hundred times more confidence in Lloyd's judgement, merrily began to skip. Her wings -which appeared with thier customary golden light- left a trail of gaudy glowing feathers behind.

Looking at the mercenary, her expression of horror was fast fading into the regrouping shadows. Kratos' face -as always- was smooth and quite expressionless. With only the faint flush of chagrin to add color to his palid checks the man drew his blade and brushed past the elf scholar.

Nothing had been said, no appologies had been tendered. Raine knew -even as she knew that the mercenary wasn't aware- that Lloyd would make sure there would be all hell to pay for that.

X

"Well?"

"Well what?" Kratos growled.

"You didn't?" The red clad boy's eyes grew flat, unfriendly.

"No, now's not the time."

"I guess not," Lloyd agreed, but the fire in his black eyes didn't die down in the slightest. Tightening his grip on his sword, wondering at the strange tension in his gut, the mercenary nodded. "Raine's staff went dead." Lloyd shook the length of wood, tapping the butt of the weapon against the stone floor of the temple that was more mazethan anything else. The beads rattled, feathers shivered, and nothing happened. No miricles were forthcoming from the "sacrid" item that had been given to the Chosen's party. The light that had shown on the weapons' tip did not re-ingnight despite the magic illiterate boy's attempts.

Such a wonderous angelic weapon had been gift of gratitude for saving the populance of Asgard from the claws of a demon. Despite himself, Kratos' lips curled into a half smile. Like all his smirks it was part mockery part joy. The mockery was directed at the blind faith of the nearly decimated village, the joy was born of rememberance of a battle gone well.

"Lloyd, you're going to break Raine's relic if you keep doing that!" Genis protested. "She'll raine you into next year if you do that."

"Raine will raine." Kratos snorted. "Amazing, I'm begining to grasp your obscure lingual..."

"Give me that young man!" Raine growled, storming out from the darkness and snatching her staff from the swordsman. The younger swordsman had turned it upside down and had been shaking it, muttering a few curses as it refused to re-light.

"Professor!" Colette chirped. "I wanted to ask you something ruin-ish... if you're mode's gone away I mean..." The girl lost her enthusiasm, stammered the last and looked at the floor.

Taking a deep breath, Raine walked up to Colette, drapped an arm over the child's shoulder.

"I think my mode's gone away, and even if it hasn't you shouldn't be scared to ask me anything."

"Can vases walk?"

Genis groaned, Lloyd snorted, and Kratos rolled his eyes at the inanity of the question. For once the three males were united in their opinion of Colette's question. Raine squirmed, the word "vase" probably sniffed around the edges of awakening her mania. Then, in a tightly controlled voice Raine assured the girl they didn't.

"Then why's that one walking?"

They all turned and stared at where the Chosen had pointed.

The vase was small, no higher than Genis' knee. As if aware of the attention that was fixed on it the gold patern that had been shivering and slowly propelling the thing after them went still. One second, a faint glitter, and the drooping swirling marks of purple and green stiffened, became a fanciful swirling patern favored in earlier eras. The vase like creatures elongated drooping neck sucked in and straightened with a soft "crack". Soundlessly the maw full of miniscule teeth flatened and became triangular paterning that ran along the very lip of the creatures mouth.

"Raine, don't fall for it." Genis pleaded, grabbing the tail of his sister's coat. "It's not an artifact."

"No, it's a fake." Raine assured her brother. "Anyways, the patterning is obviously counterfitted, and it isn't even aged. I wouldn't fall for something that obvious."

As if to disagree with her the creature's hide molted along the belly, The scales were scales, for only a mometn, then they became dark, grey, fragmented... dust... In less than an eyeblink of time the monster had aged itself. Kratos frowned, tilted his head as he examined the creatures handiwork. At last he nodded, grudging respect in his voice.

"Impressive."

"Let's... just leave, now." Raine whispered. "Colette, sweetie, if that thing starts following us again tell us."

"Yes, Professor."

They walked down the hall, it opened, into a room. Pedestals made a virtual forest of stone about them. Thier was no order, no convienent rows. A pillar that was half of Genis' hight rested by a one so tall that Lloyd would have had to stand on Kratos' shoulders to get to it's top. On every peak, illuminated in the soft pink light of an angel's wings was a vase, all aged, all showing signs of millenia's worth of dust on their surface.

"Hey, I have an idea," Lloyd said in a sick sounding voice. "Let's avoid touching anything that looks all ruin-ish."

Genis whimpered, cringing against his sister's side, looking scared. And in good cause; if all those vases were alive like the one behind them, the boy had good cause to be scared. Kratos counted easily fifty of the things in his survey of the room, the largest were as thick as a man and could easily rival him in height while the shortest were the size of terrier dogs.

"Fan out, look for a door. Weapon's out. No one touch anything." Rolling the hilt of his blade he tightened his fingers as it slid into the proper place. A place where the caloses were hardest, a span of fleash shaped to take the handle of a weapon, a place earned after a lifetime of holding a sword. The Mercenary reached out with a free hand to grasp his client's hand. "Chosen, you're with me. And I swear-" the man grimaced as he saw one of the vases on the upermost pillars shiver in response to the light, "-you better damned well not trip."

"I promise I won't," Colette whimpered.

"Good girl, the rest of you fan out, stick to the walls. You find a door, you call out. If one of those things pounces... kill it fast before it rouses the others."

"What if they all do?" Genis whispered, looking around the room, his eyes wide.

"Just pray to whatever God you believe in that they don't," Kratos growled.

Pulling Colette behind him Kratos strode ahead, his one visible eye darting about as it flicked from relic to relic.

"It's going to be alright," Raine promised. She held her staff and twirled it 'till the feather's spun and the beads tinkled. The gesture caused the light to be reborn, now bathing both the Iselian boys in the light of her mini-sun. She offered her hands to the both of them. Genis took it though Lloyd couldn't because of the steel that was in both hands.

"Right behind you guys," Lloyd said, trying his best to smile. Trying not to show his fear as they walked into the heart -and what a strange heart it was- of the monster's lair.