Summary: After the journey of world regeneration, Kratos decides to make a visit to the others. But after Raine is attacked, his plans for 'vacation' are ruined.
Rating: PG-13 (T)
Disclaimer: The Tales of Symphonia characters and previous plot belong to Namco & Kosuke Fujishima. I own only the plot of this story.
Salvation Vacation
Chapter Four : Matters of Clothing
Raine awoke the next day with her face in the soil. Apparently, she had rolled off the path and into the garden overnight. With a sigh, she picked herself up off the ground and brushed the dirt off of Kratos' outfit. Eyes widened she realized the consequences: the fiery wrath of said mercenary over the destruction of his favorite costume. Wait, was it his favorite? Raine couldn't really tell.
In what she hoped was a stealthy manner, the half-elf scurried around the side of a house only to run into Zelos, who was leaning against the wall.
"Woah, my intellectual beauty! What's got you in such a hurry?" the former Chosen asked.
"Have you seen Kratos?" Raine asked, flustered.
"Can't say that I have. I've been sitting out here ever since Sheena kicked me out. Speaking of which, it's been pretty quiet in there for a while. I wonder if she got out somehow?.."
Without warning, the Professor slid open the door to the chief's house. Indeed, it was empty. "She's not in here," Raine called from the main room.
Zelos walked – or, rather, strutted – into the room. "Which means we are alone. Oh, I understand!" he shouted gleefully.
"Oh, really?" Raine cocked her head. "Then where are –"
"This was all just a magnificent ploy to get alone time with me! Whoever knew the innocent Professor could be so cunning? Anyway, what did you have in mind, my –"
A large smack resounded throughout the room. With a sigh, Raine walked out of the room and paused, leaning on the opposite wall. "Something tells me it'll be YOU sleeping outside tomorrow!" she called back. "Ugh, some things –"
Once again, Raine was cut off as the trick wall swung around, leaving her sprawled out on the ground by the wall. Cringing, she got back up and looked around. She spotted Sheena on the bridge, apparently giving out orders as to what to do in her absence.
"Sheena!" Raine called, dashing off to the bridge and grabbing the Mizuho native's hand, running away before she had time to protest. The villagers left behind stared and whispered.
"Shady friend?"
"Crazy assassin?"
"Estranged lover?" cackled a particularly nasty old lady.
"I never thought about it that way," said Zelos, walking up behind them.
"Neither did I," said a dazed Orochi, earning him numerous stares. "Er…"
- - - -
In the distance, Raine questioned Sheena.
"Have you seen Kratos? I was planning on leaving early, if that's okay with you."
The chief thought for a moment. "I have just about everything taken care of here," she said. "I think Kratos was making arrangements to get us Rheiards. He should have taken Zelos with him."
Raine laughed. "I don't think that would make for very interesting conversation."
Little did they know, Kratos had found Zelos after Raine's ambush of Sheena and the two were flying to Altamira for rentals. Their chat went something like this:
Zelos: So… not many hunnies on Derris-Kharlan, are there?
Kratos: …
Zelos: Eheheheh…heh.
Kratos: glare
Zelos: I'll shut up now.
Raine sighed. Suddenly, Sheena noticed the state of her clothes.
"We can't let Kratos see you like that! You've ruined his favorite outfit!" Raine raised her eyebrows. Maybe I was right after all. "Come on, let's get you a bath and some new clothes."
Raine followed obediently and entered the bathhouse, having grabbed a towel and soap on the way in. She took a nice, long bath, and had just emerged and was drying off when suddenly, she heard from outside, "No, you CAN'T take those in to her."
Another familiar voice replied in a whine. "Aww, why not, Sheena? She needs clothes!"
"No."
"Why not?"
"NO."
"Pleeeeeeeeease?"
"NO!"
"Aww, you don't have to be so jealous, Sheena! You know you're my one and only –"
SMACK. A few seconds later, Sheena called, "Are you covered?"
Raine wrapped a towel around herself. "The coast is clear," she replied, and Sheena slid open the door, leaving an outfit much like her own chief outfit, except for the fact that Raine's was white with a purple obi.
"Here you go," she said, standing at the door. "Kratos and Zelos are back. Apparently, he took him after all," she said, bemused. "So whenever you're ready, we plan to go to Sylvarant and see how Lloyd is doing."
Raine remembered with a start. "Genis!" Hastily, she fixed her towel. "He'll be all right, won't he? He knows how to take care of himself," she said, wracked with concern.
"Don't worry!" Sheena laughed. "He's perfectly capable. Now, I'll let you get ready." She slipped out the door, closing it behind her.
Raine smiled. "Genis is fine," she reassured herself aloud as she got dressed. Realizing that Sheena must have taken Kratos' clothes with her to be washed, she sighed in relief. I can't imagine that he'd speak to me ever again after that. Holding up a conversation with him is hard enough as it is. She sighed and exited the bathhouse, gathering her deck brush before walking to the entrance of the village.
Kratos was leaning against a nearby building as Sheena fended off Zelos' advances. "Are you ready?"
Raine nodded, surprised that he had even said something. The mercenary headed over to a dark blue Rheiard, but Raine was kept from following when Zelos grabbed her arm.
"Wait, Raine! Ride with me," he pouted. "The banshee is angrier with me than usual."
"Let's go, Zelos!" Sheena called, pulling him back with her.
"Have mercy, Raine!" Then: "Oof! Well, Sheena, I'm glad you trust me enough to pilot this thing!" WHACK. "Ouch."
Raine got on the blue Rheiard behind Kratos, securing her deck brush under a conveniently placed cargo strap and closing her eyes. Ever since she had visited Exire and her mother – no, Virginia – she had begun to fear heights. As soon as the craft roared to life, she breathed in sharply and grabbed Kratos. The angel chuckled nearly inaudibly as Raine focused on taking deep breaths and holding on. When she finally opened her eyes, they were descending onto the Gate. Zelos and Sheena landed soon after. Kratos and Zelos turned off their crafts.
The old attendant stumbled out of his shed, grumbling something to the effect of, "…didn't have two worlds when I was a kid." Raine felt Kratos stiffen under her hold and analyzed the mercenary in front of her. He's known about the two worlds for thousands of years.
There was a click as the attendant shifted the bar, causing the Gate's platform to light up. After several seconds there was a quick period of blackness before they appeared in the area surrounding Triet.
Zelos wasted no time and quickly started his Rheiard. "To Dirk's house, then?" Sheena shouted over the whir.
"…"
Raine sighed and yelled back, "Right!" But she noticed that Zelos was whispering something to Sheena, who seemed to be reluctantly agreeing to something.
"Want to race?" Zelos challenged.
"…" Raine was greatly relieved.
"C'mon, it's only for ten minutes!"
Kratos responded by starting their Rheiard. "You can't be serious!" Raine laughed nervously.
"All riiiiiiiiight!" cheered Zelos.
"Wait, wait –" Raine continued.
"Three, two, one –!"
The two Rheiards lifted off the platform, leaving a bewildered attendant behind. Sheena was laughing and holding onto Zelos, but Raine was just holding on for dear life. After about of a minute of stirring up sand (the two teams had been staying relatively close to the ground), the half-elf watched as Zelos gained altitude, craning her head around Kratos. Her eyes widened and she shrunk back behind the swordsman when she saw what was ahead: they were entering the forest.
"Hold on."
Raine whimpered and clutched harder as the craft zoomed through the trees. She cringed at some of the squeezes between the shrubberies; often, it was a very tight fit. But she couldn't blame Kratos – he was doing an amazing job… of saving them from a violent, fiery death that he himself had put them in danger of.
After what seemed like forever to Raine, the Rheiard emerged from the forest and entered the clearing before Dirk's house. Kratos slowed the craft down to a halt as he circled the clearing and came to a halt. Several seconds later, the orange Rheiard descended from the sky at an alarmingly rapid pace. There was a small scream before a cry of "SYLPH!" echoed throughout the land.
The three spirits used air to ease the inevitable hard landing but couldn't prevent it completely. Sheena was thrown off the craft and was subsequently caught by the Sylph. Zelos met a more violent fate, flying in the opposite direction and into the house.
Raine was unaware of her mouth hanging open but quickly closed it when she noticed Kratos getting up and walking smoothly into the house as if nothing had happened. She started to get up but subsequently fell off the Rheiard, discovering that her legs had gone numb with fright.
Regaining her composure, she got up and watched as Sheena dismissed the Sylph and walked over to the half-elf. "Now, what to do about him…" the summoner said, bemused.
"Oh, right." The two walked over to Zelos' crumpled form by the house.
"Ohh…" Zelos moaned. "Sheena, you are so cruel sometimes!" She huffed and stormed into the house. "You'll heal me, won't you, Raine?"
Raine sighed and walked back to the Rheiard, only to find that her deck brush had been snapped in two, most likely from flying too closely between the trees. And to think, that could have been me. "This is for challenging us to the race," she said with a smirk. Talk about the epitome of bad karma. Zelos moaned and fell unconscious. This will be amusing, Raine thought. Kratos heal him? I doubt it. She uncrumpled Zelos' form from its spot against the house and laid him out flat on the ground.
"Raine!" She looked around. "Up here!"
Genis was up on the balcony. "Genis!" Raine shouted back. He grinned and disappeared into the house then came outside on ground level a few moments later.
"Sis! You're okay!" He smiled.
"I can take care of myself, thank you," she said, mussing his hair – which was getting diffuclt to do, as he was rapidly approaching her height in his adolescence.
"So can I!" he replied in defense. "But it doesn't look like he can." Genis pointed to Zelos.
"Oh, right. Do you have a lemon gel?"
"Of course." Genis pulled one from his bag and handed it to his sister, who took Zelos' blade from its sheath and slit open the gel's hard casing. Raine poured the contents into his mouth. After several moments, the Chosen regained consciousness.
"Oh, Raine, my kind savior, how I owe you my –"
"It was my gel," Genis interrupted.
"Oh," Zelos said simply, getting up and walking to the door. "Shall we?" he said, opening the door. Raine let Genis go first, who stuck his tongue out at the Chosen as he walked past. Zelos was forced to keep a calm face for Raine but made a few obscene hand gestures while she wasn't watching.
Inside, the others – Dirk, Colette, Lloyd, Sheena, and Kratos – were at the table. Almost in unison, Colette and Lloyd stood up and shouted, "Hello, Professor!"
Raine laughed. "Hello, Lloyd and Colette."
"Don't I get a welcome?" Zelos asked, coming in behind Raine. "I need a hug to make up for being ignored," he whined.
"NO, he doesn't," Lloyd and Sheena said as Colette started walking towards him.
"So, Kratos, what brings you here?" Dirk asked – whether irratbly or in his regular tone, the others couldn't tell.
- - - -
A long discussion ensued as Raine and Kratos retold their stories. There was a short silence afterwards as everyone decided what to do.
"Where's Presea?" Genis asked suddenly.
"My little beauty is working with that other guy. They're still overseeing the destruction of the mines. Regal said it was his mission, and he couldn't be interrupted."
"Oh."
Lloyd finally said, "Well, se should go to Sybak tomorrow to figure out why Seles went after Raine, since she couldn't be working alone. It's very uncharacteristic behavior of her as it is. Anyway, we might find some clues there." The others agreed. "Well then…"
"I'm hungry," whined Zelos.
"I'll cook!" Raine offered.
There was a long silence as everyone stared at Raine with looks of incredulity written across their faces.
"Er…just kidding."
Author's Note:
Holy cow! It's been so long since I posted a new chapter. ...sorry... I've had it on my to-do list for ages, but somehow it just kept getting pushed back. So today, I was bored in journalism, and thought, "I should probably update that story of mine." I've been busy playing Tales of Legendia and doing my fourth playthrough of ToS, so I blame the demon that is laziness. And Joan of Arc for existing, since I have to do a research paper on her now. Anyway, I've been unconsciously working on detail, since this chapter seems to be less talking and more depicting. At least, I think so. I hope you're not upset that there's not too much action in this chapter; I plan for plenty of events in chapter five. But I snuck a few things into this chapter:
-the color of Kratos' and Zelos' Rheiards correspond to the color of their angel wings;
-the outfit Sheena gave Raine is Kratos' extra outfit from the PS2 (Japan only) version of the game;
-Regal's off doing other stuff because I don't like him (...no offense!) and would butcher his character.
Mhmm. This has been an incredibly long Author's Speech by me, so I give you kudos for reading it. And extra thanks to Mayu of the Fallen Kitsune, who reviewed chapter three recently and reminded me to write this chapter! Review, review, review, and don't forget to eat your vegetables!