(A/N) Hello all! I'm pleased to tell you that this chapter is on time as well as lengthy! The only issue with it is flow- if it is a bit choppy, I apologize. I sat down and wrote different parts at different times (and in different orders o.O)- as always, enjoy!

And thanks go to Marina Ka-Fai, 1412 karasu, Reina Ann Vilre, and Arodelle for being such fantastic reviewers! You guys rock (even if I don't respond to every review!)

Disclaimer: If I owned ToS, and therefore controlled the production of ToS2, I would've vetoed it until they added Kratos and fixed the mini map. Obviously that didn't happen, so you're free to draw your own conclusions.

Chapter 16

Yuan awoke to an empty tent, pleasantly lit with the sort of musty gray light that first breaks dawn. He could hear the movements and organization of soldiers outside, as many of them were early risers, and he sat up quickly. Kratos. Where had the Tethe'allan gone to? It could be bad if some of the other troops confronted him, and Yuan was personally responsible for anything that happened. He shot up, adjusting his cloak and hair while pulling on his boots. Hopefully nothing had gotten too out of hand.

As Yuan stepped outside of his tent, he could spot several soldiers making their way to the center of the makeshift village. That's where breakfast would be dished out to any militia posted in the location. Yuan fell into step with them, unsure if Kratos had either gotten bored or actually ditched him to return to Tethe'alla. Yuan ran a hand through his hair nervously, unaware that he had mussed its perfect state. He caught himself just in time, though, and fixed it. What was the world coming to when he was messing up his own hair?

"Well, it looks like you managed to get Yuan frazzled." The familiar voice of Kenta sounded behind him, quietly observant. Yuan spun around to see his second-in-command standing next to a very indifferent looking Kratos.

"Hn. Must not be that difficult." Kratos stated dryly, not even meeting Yuan's relieved expression.

"I don't know," Kenta continued amicably, "I've known him for a while, and I think that was some kind of record." He was far too cheerful for Yuan's liking.

"Hey! Cut me some slack! I thought he bolted on me!" Yuan was quick to argue, despite Kenta's smile. Yuan directed his statement more at Kratos- er, Raiden, than Kenta, though. A raised eyebrow and apathetic silence from the boy was all that was garnered from the effort. Kenta barreled forward brightly into the quiet, oblivious to any deeper meaning.

"Yes, well, I found him walking along the pathways looking rather lost and decided to show him the ropes." Kratos scowled at that briefly, and Yuan had no doubt that he was not actually lost. "Though I am surprised his absence put you in such a state." Kenta now seriously took into account Yuan's half-woken expression.

"I was simply put off a bit." Yuan exhaled calmly. He easily slipped between Kratos and Kenta on their way to the central square, which was much smaller than one might expect. Kratos seemed composed, so Yuan just knew there was something up with him. He rested a hand on the Tethe'allan's shoulder, steering him lightly down the correct path.

"Lost, hm? You could've woke me up." Yuan mentioned lightly, feeling Kratos tense slightly at the implication he was capable of getting his directions mixed up in such a small camp.

"I was merely going for a walk to clear my head. It was early, and you seemed tired enough to sleep for at least a few more hours." The prince replied impassively. Yuan was quite honestly intrigued that the boy who could barely keep his eyes open the other night got up so early. Interesting.

"Well, next time you'd better wake me, or else we both could get into trouble for you having free reign over a Sylvaranti outpost. Not to mention the other soldiers won't take kindly to you being unsupervised." Yuan reminded the Tethe'allan who had most likely already considered such things before actually going for his 'walk'. That made it all the more aggravating. Someone that took the risk unknowingly could easily be convinced into not doing so in the future. Someone like Kratos that analyzed the risk and decided it was calculated and therefore worth taking was infinitely more clever and incorrigible. Kenta again was optimistic and ignorant.

"Yes, well, he's perfectly nice enough. I'm sure everyone will take to him just fine." Yuan's eyebrows were so high they practically met his hairline.

"I'm not nice." Kratos was quick to retort, so monotonously, in fact, that Yuan had to chuckle at Kenta's expression. He blanched considerably when Kratos' russet eyes pierced him with a menacing glare. The coldness of Kratos' apparent lack of social skills was his preference, but when Yuan gave it further thought Kratos was completely wrong.

"Yes, because a particularly mean person would blow up mortars to save lives." Yuan jabbed sarcastically. Though Kratos probably didn't take it as such, it was a compliment.

"I do believe the operative words in that sentence are 'blow up'." Kratos blandly mentioned. Huh. Yuan had to agree with him there, but had no intention of letting Kratos know that he won. He was saved from answering when they reached the line of men outside the kitchen area.

"I'm starved." Yuan's stomach grumbled at the scent of food drifting out of the wooden establishment.

"Yea, most of us skipped dinner last night." Kenta agreed. Kratos was strangely silent, though Yuan admitted it wasn't actually that strange for him. Well, he was never really talkative, so Yuan didn't pay it much mind.

While they were eating their homogeneous mush that was probably oatmeal, Kratos glanced about at the other men.

"Yuan, what happens next for you guys?" He seemed a bit perplexed. "The Latheon pass is no longer a point of contention, so this outpost should become obsolete." Yuan's brow furrowed slightly. He didn't know where they would be posted next. It freed up so many soldiers that an escalation in border warfare was almost inevitable. He sighed.

"Hopefully we'll get assigned to somewhere quieter, like Ossa Trail. For now, we'll wait on orders. No doubt some messenger has already set off for Triet, then Palmacosta. The higher-ups will sort everything." Concluding with a shrug, Yuan scooped another spoonful of brown paste into his mouth.

"Ossa Trail would be pleasant." Kenta agreed, a faraway look in his eyes. Kratos was about to respond when a commotion could be heard approaching. Or rather, a person.

The eating area was outdoors due to necessity, and wooden picnic-like tables were strewn in something resembling order across a courtyard. Half-full with those that had woken early, the later men were just pouring in now. The quite angry looking veteran coming their way was one such person. He wasn't very quiet about his disruption either. Kratos figured 'veteran' was the best way to describe the austere man as his hair was in the process of graying and he had a wicked-looking scar down the left-side of his face. The scar didn't run through any facial features, but it was prominent enough to be noticed and easily a decade or so old. If Kratos were a betting person, he'd say that a curved Tethe'allan blade caused that wound.

"Yuan!" The angry call made the half-elf to Kratos' side roll his eyes as if he'd been expecting such a thing.

"Suguro" was the subtle acknowledgement. Kenta stiffened though, so Kratos figured the man must have some kind of pull in the Sylvaranti military. The wait was awkward while the man finished his hasty approach. It was odd how silent everyone had gotten; even the idle chit-chat among other tables ceased. Vaguely, Kratos decided that it would've been better if he had called out a bit later so as to perfect the timing.

"I've been told that you brought back a Tethe'allan without consulting the others." Kratos should've been concerned, the issue regarding himself, yet it was near comical how furious the man was. Yuan had his poker face on, Kratos noted.

"Being of equal rank, I was under the impression that I didn't have to consult you on anything if it did not impact you in any way." His eyes were narrowed. Suguro, on the other hand, was still boiling. His eyes were a muddy shade of either dark brown, or black- Kratos couldn't tell. Immediately, though, the aforementioned eyes locked onto him.

"Why isn't he being treated as a prisoner of war?" Suguro was still looking at him, but apparently not talking to his face. That rubbed Kratos the wrong way. He had decided to stay out of it, but this man was incredibly annoying. Patience.

"Because he's not one." Yuan's voice was edged with razors.

"Well, why the hell isn't he?" Kratos stood up abruptly. The man succeeded in making him mad, and he made it a habit of letting people know not to cross him when he was angry. Stepping away from the table, his hands formed fists.

"I am right here, you know. I can speak for myself." If he tried to refer to him like he wasn't present once more, Kratos could very nearly punch him in the face. His best Aurion glare burned like flames. Though the commander seemed put off by Kratos statement, he was doubly so by the glare.

"Tethe'allan scum! The courts will have to deal with you. Yuan, you'll be court-marshaled for this one!" he roared, leaning forward, presumably to shove Kratos. However, the Tethe'allan didn't let him get that far. Drawing his blade swiftly, Kratos twirled it expertly to rest on the man's neck, just above his clavicle. His eyes flashed.

"Maybe next time I should just let you die." Kratos waited for a look of confusion to cross the man's still incensed expression. "Get all the information before you fall back on your petty grudge against Tethe'allans. Simply because you were bested in battle once doesn't make every single one of us your enemies. Callous militarism does not make you a good soldier, either. In fact, I would shake the hand of the man who gave you that scar." he spat hotly before returning his blade to his sheath and stalking the way they had come. He needed to cool off. Sure, he'd been having a bad couple of days, but running that short a temper wasn't natural. Now was probably a good time to leave before he made any more adversaries.

Yuan could not keep the smile off his face. Kratos didn't lose his cool often, but he had blown up spectacularly at the well-hated general. Twice as amusing as Kratos' reaction was the stunned response that left Suguro silent. The audience-composed of a large number of avidly watching soldiers-provided optimum embarrassment. Hopefully that would humble the man, especially after not a single troop came to his assistance. Even better, as the object of his hatred retreated, Kenta began clapping. Soon enough, a booming applause and cheers rang through the mess hall. You'd think that they'd just won the war with the exuberant expressions and laughter bouncing around. Still smiling, Yuan noticed that Kratos had not ceased his wayward march. Kenta and he stood to go chase the kid down before he decided to ditch them.

"Oi! Raiden!" Kenta called out after they had left the buzzing of the square. Kratos barely glanced over his shoulders before continuing.

"Don't bother. I'm leaving." He didn't sound angry any more, but more distant. Yuan jogged up to him and tugged on his elbow, causing the Tethe'allan to meet his eyes irately. "What? I know I probably shouldn't have done that."

"No. That was perfection. I'm sure if they didn't like you before, you're everyone's favorite Tethe'allan now." Kratos looked at him skeptically, noting the grin plastered on both of the Sylvaranti's faces.

"It's true, didn't you hear the applause?" Kenta chimed in, looking somewhere between reverent and awestruck.

"You could get in serious trouble for that." Yuan scolded in a mock-serious tone, "Besmirching another general's good name in front of your supervising officer? I may have to completely disown you." They both began to laugh heartily, while Kratos continued to scowl. Yuan noticed, and his laughter died down.

"You're not seriously going to try leaving again?"

"I really can't afford to make any more enemies." Kratos shrugged. Though Kenta probably agreed, only Yuan understood how true that statement really was.

"You likely just made an army full of allies, if that helps." Yuan added, while they all continued walking.

"Though, I understand what you meant by not being 'nice'. I'll try not to get on your bad side." Kenta stated with a light-hearted laugh. Kratos felt himself smile a little. Perhaps it wouldn't be too bad to stay a while longer.

Martel's eyes had the appearance of sharpening when she was deep in thought, Xilia noticed vacantly. Somehow the researcher couldn't put her full focus on her work. It was odd enough working with a younger woman, but even more so with a half-elf. She didn't have much experience with them in Sybak, mostly because half-elves were not often afforded educations. She'd been told they were lesser beings, tainted with the blasphemy that accompanied mixing races. That somehow didn't seem to match Martel, though. The woman was smart, clearly. She was working her way around the limiting programs in the portable mana signature sensor like it was nothing. Her hair color and eye color were unique- Xilia had never seen green hair before. That piqued her intrigue, as she had first been a genetically geared researcher in the hereditary wing of their institute. Martel seemed kind, much like the half-elf Daisuke had brought with him. Relatively easy-going.

Someone was wrong about half-elves, then, because Xilia had met three now that acted like normal humans might. Martel's brother, Mithos, was incredibly shy around her. Given his age, though, Xilia imagined he hadn't met too many strangers.

"I've got it!" Martel cheered melodically, holding up the hand-held device to better catch the light. Apparently pleased, she screwed the back panel back on and powered it up. Xilia quickly realized that she'd been staring and flushed slightly at how little work she'd compiled. Martel had asked for mana records, and there was little to be found.

"I can't say I found much. Very few researchers have even scratched your subject area- which is quite fascinating actually." Martel was enraptured by her device, fingers dancing over the screen lightly. Quickly, she pulled up a data overlay that held a single fluctuating number. Pulling it closer to herself, she watched it rapidly rise. The device was working.

"Perfect." she sighed contentedly, finally meeting Xilia's questioning gaze.

"This will tell us the content of mana in the air, and by taking readings in various locations, we can develop flow charts and concentration maps. I just removed the protocols that kept the machine from being hyper sensitive. Mana signatures are measures of a number of things, primarily volume, so it was easily adapted. Downsizing it from people, now we know how much mana is naturally in the air- a much smaller number, but still there." Martel informed her.

"Wow." Xilia was impressed with the speed of her advances. She'd only just arrived, and they already had the means to experiment and collect data. "I'll get a mapping program roughed out, then, and we can start collecting!" She rushed back to her computer station, excited by the knowledge that lay just within reach. Briefly she wondered why no one else had looked into such an important topic. Mana was the source of life, wasn't it?

Upon hearing the news, Yuan found Kratos lying idle in the wiry grass. He looked almost as if he was cloud-watching.

"Hey, we're all headed to Triet until further orders are given." Yuan relayed the information he'd just received. Kratos didn't stir, still fixing his attention on the sky. A soft sigh escaped his lips though, and Yuan sat on the ground beside him. They'd been doing little to nothing all day while waiting on the messenger's return. Kratos still seemed to be considering something. They were in a fairly secluded location, just outside the camp where a few measly plants found hold in the rocky terrain.

"Could you help me with this?" Kratos turned to face him, one hand still behind his head. The other, however, he brought in front of him and held it as if to snap his fingers. After taking another deep breath, Kratos snapped his forefinger and thumb together. Yuan was befuddled at Kratos' antics until a bright spark sprung from the boy's hand. The bluish arc of electricity cracked once before disappearing.

"You can do magic?" Yuan was at a loss for words. Humans shouldn't have the ability to cast any sort of spell, yet Kratos had managed a spark without even uttering words. "That's not possible."

"Evidently it is." Kratos shrugged, "I nearly set the grass on fire when I discovered it an hour ago."

To say Yuan was shocked would be an understatement. He was floored. Kratos' face suggested it wasn't an unusual discovery. Indifference could be infuriating sometimes.

"How is this not a big deal to you?!" Yuan felt like pushing the kid just to get a proper reaction, but knowing Kratos, that wouldn't do it either.

"You said it the other day- 'our lives are pretty screwed up'. I've stopped being thrown off by such things." Kratos' eyes narrowed. "Will you teach me?" He was as straightforward as he could be.

"Help you what? Learn magic? I'm not even sure you could. It's not as if you need it." Yuan was easing into the topic. The more he thought about it, a Kratos with magic wasn't really something he wanted to force on the world. On the other hand, it could be used as incentive to keep the boy in Sylvarant. Yuan was still unsure as to why he thought it would be best for Kratos to stay with him, but it made some sense. Who knew what else that kid would do on his own? Yuan still did owe him a favor or two after that stunt with the bridge. Perhaps that was contributing to his guilt. No matter the case, Kratos wasn't going to get out so easily. The Tethe'allan was patiently waiting for a real response, or he had stopped paying attention- Yuan could never tell.

"I could try teaching you, actually. It just takes practice." This prompted a reevaluation of the Sylvaranti by Kratos, a somewhat surprised look on his face.

"Really?" It wasn't a 'really' reflecting excitement to learn a new trade, but a 'really' asking what Yuan's angle was. As if he was manipulating him! Yuan scoffed at the thought. Wait. Maybe he was- just a little. It was a hard habit to break, assuming he wanted to. Manipulating Kratos into staying was not a bad thing, though, so Yuan pioneered ahead.

"What were you expecting?" Yuan allowed an amused smirk to cross his face. It was incredible how well Kratos could guess his motives.

"Less of a polite 'Okay' and more of a 'You've already blown up enough bridges without magic'." Kratos' apathy in the statement made it comical. The real irony was that it had been Yuan's first reaction to the idea.

"I suppose it had crossed my mind."

"I could tell. You looked horrified."

"No, I didn't!"

"Whatever you say."

Martel peered down at what was becoming her most precious possession.

"3.2 TP" she called out when the numbers finally stabilized. Xilia scribbled it furiously on her map while they continued walking to another arbitrary location within the city of Sybak. Gathering menial data was more interesting than staying within the grey confines of the research facility, so Martel was happy for fresh air. She never felt completely at ease indoors, something about being cut off from nature and surrounded by coldly refined walls was just uncomfortable. Perhaps it came from growing up in Yggdrasil, where the basic necessities were melded with the forest. Martel stopped again, prompting Xilia to stop next to her.

"3.8 TP" a slight change. Xilia hastily copied it down while her eyes darted over the other data points. Her map of the city was littered with numbers, but she sifted quickly and found the trend.

"It appears that the mana content steadily increases to the south west." That was immediate progress that they hadn't been expecting.

"Geographically, that'd be the grassland prone to the world's worst hurricanes, right?" Martel deftly linked the mana content to weather patterns. Xilia pushed up her glasses.

"It's possible, though we have to cross-reference this with population densities. Interference needs to be removed before we can be sure." They could work out contour densities back at the lab.

"It's true," Martel admitted, though she still had an edge to her voice betraying excitement, "not to mention- we are dealing in TP, the smallest unit of mana. These fluctuations may not even be patterned." Contrary to what she said, her entire research thesis was based on the fact that the mana flowed. That was no excuse for shoddy research, though. She was prepared to take every step necessary. Xilia hummed softly in acknowledgement as their feet clipped solidly on the cobblestone pathways. Delving into the population records should clear up any discrepancies caused by interfering mana signatures.

Maybe the mana was linked to extreme weather- Martel felt like there was much more to it.

Kratos trudged alongside Yuan towards Triet, soldiers in messy approximations of ranks behind and in front of them. The desert city was a fair journey from Latheon Gorge, but they'd only have to camp one night. Or so Yuan told him. During their desultory march, Yuan was ardently describing the wonders of their destination.

"The city itself is beautifully built. Labyrinths of awnings are constructed to provide shade across the entire infrastructure, hundreds of expertly crafted pillars holding them up." Yuan was eagerly painting the scene of his hometown. Kratos, somewhat taken in to the conversation by his demeanor, furrowed his brow.

"Isn't that dangerous? What are the awnings made out of?" It almost sounded like the Sylvaranti had put a ceiling on their town in order to protect themselves from the sun.

"A lightweight stone, a type of polycarbonate, I think. It's commonly the product of mining in the region and manufacturing the various ores." Yuan shrugged. "The architecture is too good to allow a serious cave-in. Even if one happened, the distribution of the weight is in segments, so the rest of Triet would be fine." His face lit up again, "You'll be impressed with the arches, though." Years had gone into the carving of the stone buildings and layout of the desert jewel, and Yuan would brag on it every chance he got.

"Where does your water come from?" Kratos had begun by humoring Yuan, but was now genuinely interested. There had to be better locations than a desert to build a city. Yuan was prepared to boast again, and Kratos let him.

"There's a nearby oasis- a small lake bubbling up from a large aquifer. Aqueducts span across the distance from the oasis to the city."

"Why not just build the city on the oasis?" If there was a lake in a desert, Kratos would've definitely built there if at all.

"I think it started as a religious temple underground- high mana levels or something of the sort." Yuan had been taught that in history class, but he'd been more geared to pay attention to information regarding the war front. The war was what could threaten their homes, so it was worth his focus. History- not so much. Yuan quickly switched back, "But Triet is sheltered on two sides by mountains, which makes it more defensible than open terrain."

"Not if you're a hundred times more vulnerable." Kratos was very quick to bring reason. The Sylvaranti were lucky the border dispute never caught hold this far into the desert. Triet could be taken in a very short siege. "All the Tethe'allans have to do is put a break in your aqueduct system, and Triet is history." Yuan blanched slightly at that. He didn't like the immediacy of the subject, and Kratos had a very valid point.

"I suppose that's from a Tethe'allan's point of view." Yuan shook his head slightly.

"No, that's from a logical point of view." Kratos bristled, "I don't know what you're trying to say." There was no need to point out nationality. They were just talking. Yuan shook his head more definitively this time.

"No, I mean that I gave you an achievement and you turned it into a weakness." Yuan's tone was calm and controlled; whereas Kratos looked dangerously close to another blow-out. Funny, usually it was the other way around.

"I was helping you." Suddenly Kratos' cool was firmly rooted yet again, but Yuan could still see his eyes flashing dangerously.

"I'm not very well going to change the location of my hometown. Though, it is good to know how my enemies think." Yuan admitted that much, expecting it to alleviate some of the tension. Kratos, however, looked put off even more.

"I'm glad that I think just like your enemies, then." The sarcasm was cutting, and Yuan realized his mistake too late. Kratos had gone so far as to not commit to either side in the dispute- even ran away from everything he knew in order to do so. The Tethe'allan had been very particular to give him a neutral perspective, and Yuan had responded bitterly to the criticism. His love for Triet had biased him to its weaknesses.

"You know that's not what I meant by it!" Yuan didn't need this, after all the trouble he'd gone to gain Kratos' friendship. The cutting russet glare met his own in full force, examining, calculating. It softened slightly, and the redhead let out a sigh.

"I know. It's just-" The teen scowled exasperatedly, "if not even you can get past your hatred of Tethe'allans as foes, then how am I to expect everyone else to?" A quick shake of the head obscured the blazing eyes once again with auburn locks. Yuan saw his discouragement.

"Maybe we can't." Yuan noted, a bit morosely. "I'm starting to think that we've been fighting for so long that we don't remember how to not." That elicited a hollow laugh from his companion- completely devoid of humor.

"Guess we won't know until we try." Despite Kratos' cynical tone, Yuan smiled faintly at his use of 'we'.

"Guess so."

(A/N) so... pretty lengthy and a lot of stuff happened that needed to happen to get the plot rolling. We've hit the 50K words mile stone! YAY! Hope you liked it! Review? xD