(A/N) Hey! Sorry 'bout the slightly longer wait... Anyway here it is! Please R&R! XD

Disclaimer: Nope. I'd put something witty here, but I've got nothing (not even ToS, so don't sue!)

Chapter 14

Kratos had the immediate sensation of deafness and- falling.

That wasn't part of the plan. Kratos spun himself around in midair, trying to get his bearings. His stomach felt like it had been left somewhere up above. He was picking up speed now, and he didn't know how to break his fall either. The bottom of the Gorge was approaching too fast. At least he'd had the satisfaction of seeing all those wretched weapons blowing up. He'd accomplished something in his life, then. Every breath he exhaled was snatched away by the winds and left far above.

Despite the imminence of his death, Kratos experienced the entire ordeal with a strange clarity. He wasn't really afraid of dying. He just didn't want to stop living. Even in this pit, the world was beautiful. The rapids of white water at the bottom neared and glittered like jewels; the coarseness of the stone and texture of the shadows-

It was all so real, so vivid.

Kratos felt more like himself than he ever had. Every limb in his body was relaxed, every muscle pumped full of adrenaline. Every nerve was sending too much feedback for his mind to process. There was just so much- so much of everything. He couldn't die and miss it all.

He realized that his hand was searing again, and this time he glanced down at his left hand glove. The material, though thick, could not suppress the glow of the stone from shining through. He speculated that it was probably hurting, but he was too pumped full of adrenaline to realize. This one moment felt both eternal and ephemeral- the ground was speeding towards him so quickly, yet it felt as if he had all the time in the world.

Kratos didn't dare shut his eyes against the wind- he wanted to see it all for as long as he could. Inhaling sharply, Kratos spread his arms to catch the wind. There was no way he'd be able to slow his descent enough for survival, even if he were to strike the water dead on- the rocks and surface tension would feel like a brick wall. If he fell like this, useless as it might be, it was almost as if he was flying.

The heat in his hand was building, spreading throughout his entire being. The heat left his skin tingling, and prickling near his back. He was so close now, that the river that looked like a slender snake from above stretched wide and menacing below him, and the rocks that seemed like pebbles were smooth gray boulders as big as buildings. Kratos braced himself for the collision. Regrettably he couldn't come up with any noble final thoughts.

But the ensuing impact never came.

Maybe a hundred yards from becoming a pancake, something inside him imploded. It wasn't like he broke, but rather that some thin shell within him split, allowing tendrils of energy to escape. The resulting resistance yanked him back hard by the spine. His left shoulder screamed from its previous injury, but Kratos was too disoriented to react. He was somehow gliding across the river instead of dropping like a stone. What the hell is happening? Kratos' brain switched back into gear, and he twisted his neck around to see what had attached itself to his back.

Kratos blinked.

Cerulean wisps of- of- wings? had sprouted between his shoulder blades. They glowed mutely like tresses of colored light, arched to catch the air. The appendages cushioned his fall like a parachute might, and though he was still falling swiftly, Kratos knew he would live. Turning back to his now forward motion, Kratos saw the river flying beneath his feet, blurring into dark strips of glossy color.

He'd crossed over to the other side of the trench, and a slender piece of land bordered the water before the vertical wall of the Gorge sliced upward. His momentum was petering out, and his toes were brushing the ground now. He sunk just a bit lower in the air, and started running as soon as his boots hit rock so as not to fall on his face. Coming to an abrupt halt, Kratos stood still for a moment.

He wrenched his head around again to reexamine the objects he was tentatively classifying as wings. The peculiar strands of light flapped once and then dissolved into the air, leaving nothing in their wake other than a very unpancake-like Kratos at the bottom of a very deep pit.

Kratos sunk to the ground, heavily leaning against a fairly large boulder to steady himself. Peering back up at the sky, he could see the crumbling remains of the bridge and thick clouds of smoke. Sighing in satisfaction, he watched the remaining debris fall and splash down. There was no Latheon Gorge pass any longer. He yanked off his left hand glove to better examine the exsphere.

The deep crimson was tinted darker and felt more ominous. The mana swirled in rich bands inside it, Kratos realized. It was his mana. Perhaps the exsphere simply infused his mana with a powerful catalyst, or something of the sort. Either way, the Cruxis Crystal had to be the source of the burst of mana that created those wings. He felt somewhat weaker than normal, and he could only conclude that the wings drew from his own mana supplies. It would be a bad idea to try summoning them again, if he even could.

He slipped his gauntlet back over the jewel. For the immediate future, that left him with few options. He could either swim across to the Tethe'allan side and risk injury or drowning in the rapids, or he could climb up on the Sylvaranti side where he was now. Either way he'd have to scale the steep walls, an activity he was not looking forward to in the slightest.

Kratos hoisted himself up off of the ground. He might as well get the worst of it over with. The smartest decision would be to climb up into Sylvarant, though his next step would be a more difficult choice to make. Less people would be able to recognize him in the foreign country, but it would be hard to explain his sudden appearance if he were to be caught in military territory, which would be likely given the circumstances. He'd come up with something.

Kratos craned his neck up to find his destination. It would be a while before he'd reach the top, but the angular crevices supplied ample hand and foot holds for climbing. He rolled his left shoulder and grimaced at the discomfort. It would have to do.

And he began the arduous journey back to the land of the living.

Yuan exhaled in a short sigh, forlornly gazing at the depths of Latheon Gorge. Kratos deserved that much. Yuan fleetingly wondered if he hadn't turned around, if Kratos would be remembered at all for such a heavy deed. The men behind him were regrouping among the craters, oblivious to his mourning.

Cheers rang out, soldiers embracing and ecstatic in their survival. Yuan smiled sadly. A few questions had surfaced about the Tethe'allans' weaponry problems, but most had written it off as a serendipitous fluke. Unfortunately, Yuan knew without that kind of technology, Sylvarant would be toast in the war. This set-back did nothing to even the playing field. Tethe'allans had breached the barrier that had not allowed any previous mana weapons to draw from the environment, thus expanding their horizons to limitless destruction. Yuan felt a hard lump in his throat. He couldn't judge them for it.

Sylvarant would've done the same, Tethe'alla just got there first.

Yuan let his head fall into his hands, still seated near the edge of the precipice. When had they become so hell-bent on destroying each other? What issue were they trying to resolve? Symphonia just couldn't contain two forces that refused to coexist. It took a teenager's death for him to see that the war wasn't going to end until one was entirely obliterated, or the world gave under the stress. Kratos had seen it, and now Yuan could, too.

"Why the long face?" Kenta comfortably fell into a crouch beside him. Yuan settled for a half-truth, he wasn't prepared to answer all the questions that came along with complete veracity.

"Just wondering how we're going to get through this." Yuan felt a strong breeze ripple through his cloak and tug with invisible fingers at his hair. All of a sudden, he felt very tired. The actions that needed to be taken could not be ignored, though, and he dragged himself up. He still couldn't tear his gaze from the darkened pit that opened up like the maw of a giant beast. It was as if he was anchored in this spot, unable to move without some sort of closure. Maybe closure wasn't really the word for it. He'd barely known Kratos, only for several weeks. Their encounters were brief, and not even on friendly terms. Somehow he still felt camaraderie with the boy. He didn't need much longer to decide what kind of person he was.

"We should drop back to camp, just because the Tethe'allans left doesn't mean they won't come back with more of those death machines." Yuan looked up to see Kenta's sharp nod. Good. He could count on Kenta to keep everyone together, which meant he could be alone with his thoughts for a moment.

"Yes, sir!" Kenta dropped back and called out loudly to the others, whereas Yuan remained thoughtfully stationary. Slowly, but steadily, all of the Sylvaranti troops trickled away between the rocks. Yuan just needed to check one last thing away from all of the distracting presences.

Each bright blaze of mana began to fade with distance, and Yuan closed his eyes and extended his senses across the pit. If nothing surfaced, he'd be forced to accept Kratos' death. But if there was just a chance that he survived then-

Yuan jumped when he felt it. Without any nearby fluctuations, a presence was like a glowing flare on the horizon. Unmistakably powerful. The mana even appeared slightly depleted, but the strength of it was the likes of which Yuan had never seen. It couldn't be Kratos- Yuan had felt Kratos' mana before. This was something no human could come close to matching. Yuan's eyes shot open and his feet trailed along the edge of the Gorge as he shot to the left. He was nearing the stifling presence, the mana shone as clearly as a beacon. He didn't even have to concentrate to pinpoint its location now.

Yuan realized it was below him. A kernel of hope settled in his chest, along with a considerable amount of unease. If this was an enemy, he wouldn't be much of a challenge alone. The unknown being must be scaling the cliff-side at a steady pace, because the upward draft of energy was palpable.

Yuan quickly summoned his butterfly blade just in case.

Kratos chipped away at the distance a bit at a time. His arms were aching and sweat was making his hands slippery and unsure. Nevertheless, his progress was considerable. Kratos hefted a gasp as he found a sound landing to take a break. His shoulder was his biggest problem, and he was beginning to regret ever traveling to those blasted Fooji Mountains in the first place. He dried his palms on his tunic. He had decided to ditch the Tethe'allan armor at the bottom. It was a little cumbersome and incriminating for his destination.

Kratos ran his hands through his hair, a prickling feeling tickled at the back of his skull. A deep inhale later, Kratos coined the feeling as a single being not too far above him. It appeared as if someone was waiting for him at the surface. He could only hope it wasn't an attack, though a small part of him considered it might be Yuan, unlikely as it was. Yuan didn't even know he was here. Kratos supposed he would know when he got there. There wasn't much he could do until then.

He could see the top, the very last stone he needed to pass some hundred meters above. The majority of the vertical distance he covered in the tail end of the afternoon. As evening was cooling the cliff, Kratos had quickened his pace. He could only climb as long as the light lasted- and he doubted that he could wait a night clinging to the cliff face while facing yet another deadly fall, wings considered.

Slipping his fingers into a rigid crevice, Kratos pulled himself up a couple of feet and wedged his toes into a crack that wound upward like a strange geometric impression of a snake.

Balancing forward, the climb began anew with a figure's presence looming above him.

Yuan held his breath as he could hear the toiling of the person climbing up the face of the trench. Labored breathing and the scrabbling of hand and foot on rock. He exhaled stridently as a head of red hair peered over the ledge. Kratos heaved himself over the steep corner and rolled onto his back.

"Hey," he rasped out breathlessly. Yuan's face split into a grin.

"Quite the climb, huh?" He kept his voice even despite the fact he was relieved to the point of giddiness.

"Oh, that?" Kratos got up on his elbows so he could face Yuan properly, "that was nothing. I've seen worse." He played it off, though his heavy breathing betrayed his voice.

"Sure," Yuan helped the Tethe'allan to his feet and ruffled his hair, much to Kratos chagrin.

"What was that for?" Kratos wore an affronted expression, though his burnet eyes still sparked with friendliness.

"I thought you were dead." Yuan didn't even question how Kratos could've lived through a fall of that magnitude. The jovial mood quieted quickly.

"Oh." Kratos muttered, shifting his gaze. He didn't think Yuan had seen what he did. That made explanations infinitely more tedious. He wasn't even sure how to approach asking the favor he needed. The silence was odd, but Yuan was again struck with how much raw energy Kratos seemed to be full of. The power roiled like a contained sea within the small figure in front of him. The strangest thing was that Kratos was looking at him with the same curious examination that he felt he was giving him.

Kratos was familiarizing himself with Yuan's mana signature. It was different- sharper and more attuned than that of a human. It was as if Yuan was capable of directing his own mana whereas humans had no means to do so. Half-elves had a different kind of order to their mana, and it was intriguing. Kratos wondered if his was like that.

"So what now?" Yuan adjusted his cape. Kratos shifted from foot to foot a bit awkwardly.

"Aah, well- we are in Sylvarant." He unconsciously glanced across the void to the land of Tethe'alla, "I should probably find a way back." The sentence was hanging as if he was unsure that was exactly what he wanted to do. Yuan knew it was somewhat dangerous for Kratos to be here, but at least no one really knew him. The boy turned and began to walk along Latheon Gorge, clearly with a destination in mind. Yuan blinked. That was it?

"Wait." Kratos stopped and spun around, with the gall to have a bit of irritation gracing his features, "You're leaving?" Kratos arched an eyebrow as if to say, 'Why, yes, I think I said that'. Yuan bristled. He just danced with death, practically giving Yuan a heart attack, and then played it off like nothing? Unacceptable. Yuan marched up to him and tugged him by the arm in the direction of Sylvaranti camp.

"That's ridiculous. You need rest. C'mon, we'll come up with something." Yuan expected some resistance, but the kid must've been more tired than he let on, because he simply huffed and trailed along side him.

Camp was a bit of a ways off, but it was mostly a straight shot across the jagged rocks. Yuan was burning with curiosity he could barely contain. Kratos trudged half-heartedly in his infuriating silence. Yuan recognized that there was something different about the boy. He seemed- Yuan would say darker, but that didn't quite fit- almost withdrawn. He was changed. He was quieter, if possible; the corners of his mouth turned down in a frown as if he was contemplating something grave. Yuan wasn't sure what to say, but he couldn't let the matter rest.

"How did you even end up here?" Yuan twitched uncomfortably, "I thought you were going to stay in Sybak." Kratos scowl deepened and Yuan could practically see the walls close him off.

"Something came up; I had to make a trip to Meltokio. Things got a bit out of hand and I got stuck with some Sylvaranti saboteurs coming here." Yuan's eyes widened. Sylvaranti? Kratos smirked, though any actual humor in his eyes was missing.

"I was disguised as a Tethe'allan Knight." He added, shrugging as if it was boring. Yuan was about to chastise him for his elusiveness when he remembered why they had Sylvaranti stationed in Meltokio. The King's funeral. Yuan was silent.

"Then the canons from Hell arrived and you know the rest." Kratos concluded, obviously leaving out all of the important parts. Yuan let it slide.

"Those weapons are going to turn the tide of the War." Yuan admitted a bit sullenly. "They could have easily been the end of us." Something about that made Kratos angry.

"How could you lead your men into that? You're a half-elf. Shouldn't you be able to feel that kind of mana?" Really he was just frustrated at being stuck on the Sylvaranti side, but it felt nice to blame it on Yuan temporarily. "You're so irresponsible." Kratos jabbed irately.

"I didn't feel it until they were right on top of us." Yuan admitted a bit guiltily. Kratos broke from his tirade for a moment.

"Really? That close?" A thoughtful look took over his previously angry expression.

"I'm a half-elf, not a superhero." Yuan muttered darkly. Kratos seemed to have let that subject slip though. Yuan dropped it too, it really was such a relief that the kid hadn't died. He didn't realize how much he dreaded it until he saw him falling. Just thinking about it made Yuan's stomach churn. Suddenly, Yuan felt like he needed reassurance.

Yuan slapped him on the back companionably, unknowingly jostling Kratos' jarred shoulder. Kratos winced a bit, immediately regretting the involuntary action. Maybe Yuan wouldn't notice. Unfortunately he did. Casual manner aside, he sized the red-head up.

"Hey, are you injured?" Kratos averted his gaze.

"Of course not." The Tethe'allan scoffed, though not very convincingly. Yuan prodded his shoulder again, and Kratos twitched.

"You're acting injured." Yuan decided. "What'd you do? It wasn't the fall, was it?" Kratos didn't respond. His silence was supposed to be intimidating. Or perhaps it was intended to deter the half-elf from poking him, but either way it did not serve its purpose. Yuan tapped him yet again, this time seriously expecting an answer. Kratos mumbled something incoherently, causing the soldier to raise his eyebrows.

"What was that?" Kratos clearly wasn't proud of the event.

"I said 'mountain-climbing'." an aggravated Kratos edged in. Yuan chuckled at the indignant look on his face.

"So you go mountain-climbing, parade around as a Tethe'allan Knight, get captured, and then have the gall to call me irresponsible?" He seemed to be enjoying the prince's plight a tad more than was healthy. "Why yes, you're the picture of responsibility!" He was half-laughing now. Kratos scowled.

"Shut up." The Sylvaranti broke into fits of uncontrolled mirth as the boy turned and started walking away.

"C'mon, don't be so touchy," Yuan trailed after him, only mildly unsettled when Kratos gave him a chilling glare that would've killed any lesser man. Yuan raised his arms in a placating gesture. "Can't I be concerned after witnessing you fall to your death?" Kratos scoffed when he averted his gaze.

"Concerned? You?" The very real laugh that followed hurt Yuan's sense of character. It was his turn to frown.

"Why can't I be -er, worried?" That word didn't sound like him, and he wanted to take it back right away. At that, Kratos trained a curious set of wine colored eyes on him, eyebrows raised. Yuan hated the feeling of being evaluated.

"Because we're not on the same side." He stated simply, "-and it doesn't suit you." He added, removing the weight of his stare and turning it to the landscape rather uncomfortably.

"That thing you did-" Yuan began awkwardly, "it looked like we were on the same side." Kratos exhaled sharply.

"I would've done the same thing if it were a bunch of Sylvaranti annihilating Tethe'allans." He sounded irritated, and even a bit tired. His face held that same determination that was present when he'd stood up for Yuan at the Tethe'allan camp. Realization flashed in Yuan's eyes. Kratos was irritated because he didn't seem to get it, and he'd already explained it. But Yuan did understand.

"I know that." Yuan struggled for words, "It was really-" he paused, "selfless of you." He made eye contact with the boy. "You saved my men, everyone, really. Thanks." Kratos wore a half-smile at the gratitude before turning to walk.

"Oh, and Kratos?" The boy turned back to look at him, the exhaustion finally starting to show.

"Yea, Yuan?"

"Don't you ever pull that altruistic crap again." Kratos' smirk came back in full force despite the fatigue.

"I wasn't planning on it."

And they continued walking as night began to overtake them.

(A/N) Thanx for reading! Yessss... Finally they are reunited! Review? ;)