(A/N) Another fast update! Hope y'all enjoy this chapter...Please Read and Review!

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Chapter 3

Kratos didn't trust this man, but perhaps he could use him as a ticket out. The guards were everywhere now; he'd missed his easy escape by getting too caught up in his freedom. There was no doubt that the exits and entrances to Meltokio were more heavily guarded than ever. Why couldn't his father just let go of the prospect of him ever being king? He figured it was time for him to cut to the chase. The man he was walking next to was so clearly Sylvaranti. He'd had to have gotten in under the radar somehow.

"Hey, Yuan." The man's head jerked up quickly. Hm. Maybe 'Yuan' was his real name after all, Kratos mused briefly, "We both know you're Sylvaranti, so how'd you get in?" The teenager looked completely taken aback at Kratos' comment, but even more so at his curious expression. He was genuinely interested in simply how he got there, not cursing his guts for being his arch-enemy.

"What gives you that idea?" Yuan muttered defensively. Kratos simply shrugged.

"It doesn't exactly take a royal education to figure that out," the man stuck out like a sore thumb, apparently he didn't see it that way, though. Yuan fixed another hard look on him. "I'm just trying to get out." Kratos sighed, "You've seen those guards, too. There's no way I can slip through an exit."

"So you know I'm Sylvaranti. It's only fair that you tell me what you did to get so much attention." Kratos shook his head.

"I'm not an idiot." Yuan looked disappointed and paused in his tracks.

"Oh, that's right. You're a Tethe'allan patriot happily conversing with a Sylvaranti spy. Care to explain that much?" Yuan spat irately. Kratos met a questioning glance. Apparently he had confused the man quite a bit with his casual attitude.

"I don't hate you for where you were born, or what you feel obligated to do." Kratos replied simply. "To be completely honest, I just want this stupid war over with. Too many people have died." Aether, Thetis, and Typhon flashed through his mind painfully evoking strong memories. Yuan looked surprised yet again. "I still wouldn't let you kill the king, though." Kratos narrowed his eyes a second time and choked back the emotion threatening to stir up.

"Oh, I wasn't going to kill the king!" Yuan responded hastily, as if that was too underhanded for him. Though being a 'spy' as he so aptly put it, Kratos imagined underhanded was really his sort of thing. This was greatly contradicted as Yuan vehemently shook his head.

"Whatever you say," Kratos had more important things to deal with than a Sylvaranti with skewed morals. He peered around the next corner, which fortunately was devoid of guards. Yuan followed him with an amused glance at his cautionary antics. Kratos shot him a glare in retaliation and was pleased to see his expression falter. He'd never lost a staring contest.

"Running the risk of repeating myself, how did you get in?" Kratos was now fully facing him, gaze intense. His burnet eyes had the quality of smoldering embers, and Yuan seemed surprised that he was capable of such gravity.

"Ah, well" Yuan stammered, Kratos knew that the sooner Yuan got rid of him, the easier it would be to finish his task. It was in his best interest to help him. "The sewers lead right under the main gate." He still looked hesitant, as if by admitting such information, Kratos could find a way to arrest him on the spot. The sewers then, Kratos contemplated that route. To get a big enough entrance, he'd have to back track through the busiest part of town and cut through the western part of the market. On the bright side, he doubted many guards would be patrolling the city's center.

"That's not a bad idea" he murmured, still deep in thought. The clanking of armor resounded around the corner of the street, and loud voices conversing. Kratos swore under his breath and ducked back into the alley. Light on his feet, he slipped into the dark shadows that were cast about when the sun was at such an early slant. Now that Yuan knew he wasn't the one being pursued, he allowed more of a laid-back attitude.

Several soldiers with the royal crest engraved into their armor rounded the corner at a brisk pace, at the sight of Yuan, one of them made their way to talk to him earnestly.

"Uh," upon closer inspection the guard had realized he was a half-elf and shifted uncomfortably, "Excuse me, sir, but have you seen this young man?" He held a photo of 'Daisuke' in a noble's outfit and not looking too pleased about wearing it. Yuan kept a blank face.

"What did he do exactly?" He pretended to angle his head for a better look. At that question, his elven senses could hear 'Daisuke's' feet stalling as if about to bolt. He felt a triumphant gleam in his eyes as he patiently waited for a response. The soldier, however, looked at him blankly as if he should know.

"He's King Aurion's son, next in line for the throne" that explained the look. "Sir Kratos went missing this morning." Yuan fought to keep his face blank.

"Oh, I apologize, I haven't seen him." He waved the guards away. As soon as they rounded the next bend, he whipped into the alleyway. It was too late; Kratos had taken off for the sewers.

That boy had been royalty? He certainly hadn't acted like a prince. More importantly, he had been Yuan's reason for searching out the castle and he was his mission. How had he missed that? If anything, the russet eyes should've been a huge give away. Really, who has red eyes other than the Aurion family? The boy certainly seemed special, and that made his ignorance of the fact that Yuan was both a half-elf and Sylvaranti increasingly abnormal. Yuan took off at a sprint down the alleyway, trying to remember the path that might take him fastest to the sewer system entrance. If Kratos left Meltokio, he might never find him again. That also begged the question, why was he leaving? Yuan just hoped that he was quick enough to find out. He had the benefit of not being chased by palace guards, hopefully that would slow Kratos down.

Kratos was a fast sprinter, and in circumstances like these he was grateful for that. Unfortunately, his above-average run was greatly tarnished by the fact that he had to stop at every corner and often back track and loop around to avoid the guards. They should definitely get points for persistence. He peered around the next building. Clear. He was nearly to the sewer entrance, and then it would be a straight shot out of there.

That Yuan character, however helpful he might seem, was still a Sylvaranti spy. His knowing that he was a Tethe'allan prince would stab Kratos in the back sooner or later. Hopefully, the half-elf wouldn't follow him and just put his mind to whatever purpose he was originally here for. Now, though, Meltokio had become a prison of sorts, and he had to break out. Not to mention if he was caught now, his pride might never recover. Kratos was capable, if it came down to a fight, there was no doubt he could best his opponent.

The exciting pace at which his day was running was at least a tad more interesting than the bleary routine of castle life. Kratos crossed a couple of streets stealthily. He was close now. The sewers would be easy to get to if it weren't for the miniature manhole covers dotted around the city. Sewers were a relatively sound technology, but people didn't like to remember they were there beneath their feet. Stupid aesthetics. Kratos only knew of one manhole cover large enough for a person to fit through, and that was often just for repairs. He was glad that he'd payed attention during the sanitation presentation his father had been forced to endure when he was still well. You never did know when something might come in handy.

The manhole cover was unguarded, as expected, and Kratos kept an eye out for the blue haired Sylvaranti. He was relieved that he was alone, and lifted the cover to slip inside the dank chamber.

Firstly, the smell was god awful, and its assault on his nose had to be illegal. Secondly it was dark, and Kratos pulled his only holy bottle out of his bag. The faint glow was enough to illuminate the narrow pathway ahead of him, carving sharp lines through the river of sludge. The things he'd do to escape. Kratos squared his shoulders and set off down the narrow walkway. His footsteps were drowned out by the sound of flowing water.

Yuan had made it all the way through the sewers, and he was fairly certain that he'd beat Kratos there. There was no sign of the boy's most definitely rushed passage, and at the speed Yuan had blown through, he was sure he would have caught up if he were behind. He smiled. That meant the young prince was coming up behind him anytime now. Unsuspecting. The element of surprise was invaluable when dealing with this kid. Not that he couldn't win in an even fight, Yuan quickly corrected himself. He definitely could.

Either way, he loitered about by the entrance he had taken into the city, finally settling behind a concrete beam. Now to wait, it would probably be a while. Yuan's self esteem took a cut for the worse when he heard the light tread of footsteps not twenty seconds after he had hid. Damn that kid was fast if he'd already managed to circumvent platoons of guards and navigate quickly through the maze of sewer system. Yuan had only gotten through that rapidly due to knowledge from his trip in. The boy could handle himself pretty well. There was no room for error now. He silently readied his weapon, a wide two-handed butterfly blade, knowing he'd have to use it. Kratos was fast approaching, and Yuan was sick of playing his game. So far, the kid had outsmarted him at every turn, and he was so close to slipping out of his grasp.

Sure enough, the auburn haired teen stepped into the light and blinked at the sun, his hand ever resting on the hilt of his blade. Yuan waited patiently for him to pass and his back to be turned. He stepped from his hiding place without hesitation, spinning his butterfly blade to squarely point at Kratos' neck. The boy tensed and Yuan smirked. Gotcha. God did winning feel good.

"Hey, Kratos, I'm gonna need you to come with me."

"Hn" Kratos all but rolled his eyes at the voice of his half-elf acquaintance. He should have been expecting that with such a delay to his escape. However much he might want to chat, capture by the Sylvaranti was not an option today. With his signature, lightning-fast draw, Kratos whirled to face his new opponent and twisted the side of his blade to catch Yuan's peculiar one. The half-elf had better reflexes than he had expected, though not quite good enough.

The man looked utterly shocked at his risky maneuver, and Kratos used that to his advantage to push off and jump a safe distance away. Yuan was warily sizing him up. Hopefully he had some respect for him now. Kratos gave him his best Aurion glare, and Yuan's eye twitched. Point Kratos.

"You can't really think it would be that simple?" Kratos laughed, swinging his blade down and across, mockingly leaving a wide target. Yuan twitched again. Kratos 2, Yuan 0.

"Dammit, why can't you just be a predictable teenager?" He spouted coarsely. Kratos arched an eyebrow tauntingly.

"You clearly underestimate me." Kratos dryly observed. Yuan shrugged.

"Perhaps I do. I don't think I'll make that mistake again." His gaze sharpened coolly. Kratos peered back into the sewage tunnel.

"I don't suppose any one followed you, then." He sighed with some measure of relief, "So your actual name is...?" Kratos left the question open ended. It was only fair now that he knew his identity. Yuan seemed to accept that much.

"Yuan Kaafei, Sylvaranti commander of the Triet regiment." He stood a bit straighter when reciting his base of command, and Kratos noted with some disdain that Yuan was several inches taller than himself, he put it down to the age difference.

"So Yuan Kaafei, how exactly is this going to work?" Kratos inclined his head to their given situation and twirled his blade in preparation. Yuan's eyes darted around their location. Reluctantly, he spoke again, this time with an almost pleading tone.

"I don't suppose you'd come quietly?" He was practically wistful. Kratos felt his mouth twitch in amusement. This guy sure was a character.

"Not likely." Kratos angled his body into a fighting stance. "I don't suppose you'd let me just walk away, then?" Yuan let out a bitter chuckle.

"Not likely." Kratos hefted his perfectly balanced sword in one hand. As much as he desired to avoid violence, there was no other way to do what he needed to. If he happened to kick the half-elf's butt and serve him a heaping portion of humility along the way, then so be it. It might even be fun.

Yuan struck first, lashing his thick blade towards Kratos' right hand side. He was fast on his feet, and Kratos readily brought up his own sword to parry. Pushing Yuan's weapon upward, he swung his own back around to the Sylvaranti's undefended side. The man side stepped, but not fast enough to spare the ends of his ponytail from being clipped off as he jerked his head back. Soon, their blades were caught in a flurry of light and heavy blows, clashes reverberating across their makeshift arena. Kratos realized that Yuan was trying to pin him in a corner, so he feigned right and ducked under Yuan's blocking arm to slip a couple yards further away.

"Demon Fang," He called as he summoned mana into his strike. Yuan was caught off-guard, and the blow hit him in the leg, but he kept his footing. Yuan had yet to use any magic, but he was having some difficulty finding any opening with Kratos on him so ferociously. He never remembered the other Aurion sons having fought so well, and this kid was only a teenager. He had potential, but that wasn't what Yuan was supposed to be focused on. If this kept up for too much longer, someone was bound to notice the ominous battle noises this near to Meltokio. If that happened, Yuan was as good as dead. He did not need to be seen fighting with the recently MIA prince of Tethe'alla. Just narrowly blocking another swipe of Kratos' blade, Yuan did his best to prolong the strike. The muscles in his arm strained under the effort, and Kratos' eyes went wide when he realized what Yuan was doing. Too late, Yuan was pleased to observe. He finished chanting the short spell under his breath, and felt the mana in him stir.

"Wind blade!" Kratos attempted to dodge left, and was nearly successful. His shoulder got caught in the sharp current of air and sent him backwards into the cement pillar Yuan had chosen as his hiding spot. His head hit hard on the grayish stone and he slumped to the ground unconscious. The blow wasn't actually that hard, and Yuan was disappointed he didn't have the time to cast another stronger spell. Wind blade was elementary, but it had gotten the job done. He allowed himself to be pleased at his victory, if not a little annoyed that it was a fifteen year old that had put up such a fight.

When Kratos woke up, he'd leave out the bit about the fall doing all the damage, as opposed to his magic. He'd won fair and square. Yuan walked over to the limp body and removed Kratos' sword and sheath. He hid them behind a few rocks. He wouldn't need that any more. Kneeling by the kid's side, he swung one of Kratos' arm around his neck and limped awkwardly on while supporting the boy's dead weight. Hopefully he could get out of Tethe'alla territory before nightfall. Sure the boy had a couple good shots, but winning a few battles never did you any good if you couldn't follow through. Yuan was going to win the war.

(A/N) That was pretty lengthy for me. Review! XD