True Pain
Mr.Who2123: Yay! I got Chapter 3! Disclaimer time! Come, Lloyd!
Lloyd: Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Mr.Who2123: Why are you saying that?
Lloyd: I don't know…
(Kratos comes in)
Kratos: Lloyd why are you so dumb? You're an embarrassment to the Aurion family.
(Lloyd cries uncontrollably)
Lloyd: (stops crying) uncon…trollably? (Can't you tell I love Lloyd moments!)
Kratos: (sigh)
Mr.Who2123: Lloyd, just do the disclaimers!
Lloyd: Mr.Who2123 does not own Tales of Symphonia or their characters, but if she did…Lloyd would die!
Mr.Who2123: Mwahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
(Lloyd cries and then dies o.O)
Mr.Who2123: Yes! The drug worked
(Kratos has his Last Fencer pointed at Mr. Who's neck)
Mr.Who2123: I mean…poor Lloyd…
(Lloyd gets up)
Lloyd: What did I miss?
Mr.Who2123: NOOOOOO (starts crying)
Kratos: We're starting now…
"Kratos!" Anna cried as she ran next to him, and knelt down next to his motionless body. She placed two fingers on his neck feeling for any kind of pulse to signify his life, and found one after a short time. Anna began to desparately shovel through the pack Kratos carried, throwing out anything that didn't seem useful. Anna scanned the contents in the bag quickly and spotted a clear bottle that read "panacea bottle."
She grabbed it quickly, uncapped it, and forced it down Kratos' throat. At first, he spit it out, his body trying to keep the liquid away, and Anna had to rest his head on her lap to clear his throat. Finally, he managed to down the liquid, and his breathing started to even slowly.
Anna sighed with relief, and then grabbed an apple gel that was also from the bag. Quickly after trying to get the gel down his mouth, Anna found it difficult to get him to eat the healing gel. She forcefully put it down his throat and clamped Kratos' mouth shut with two hands while the gel gently slid down his throat. Anna, satisfied with her work, stood up to clean up the contents of the bag she had spilled in her rush. She picked up bottles and gels, some she had never seen before, and some she knew very well. One bottle was silver that shone different colors depending on the sunlight that would reach it. Anna was dazzled by the beautiful blue colors that shimmered in the setting sun. Reluctantly, she put the bottle away, after reading "miracle bottle" on the side.
Anna finished her cleaning before the sun had completely left the horizon, dying the ground and sparce trees orange and red, and the heat of the sun began to leave. Anna turned her head to check on her protector, and when she saw he was still unconscious, she moved to the closest tree which was a tall elm with long branches that reached like a child would to their favorite toy. Anna placed her arms behind her chocolate hair and closed her eyes, drifting to sleep.
Kratos woke with a sharp pain in his chest, and looked down to see the arrow. Kratos shifted his arms to hold himself up with his elbows, and tried to get up. The sharp pain of the arrow increased and Kratos was forced back down into the uncomfortable position he had been in while he was asleep.
How am I alive? The poison should have killed me by now. he thought, befuddled. Kratos then bore in his surroundings to see if Mithos had taken him while he was unconscious, but he was surrounded by a large plain with trees spread out with a fair distance between them. It was dead quiet except for the soft brave chirps of the first crickets. The light of the sun had almost left to rest the night as half of it dipped slowly lower so subtle that no one could notice. Purple began to creep up among the trees as night would soon fall upon him.
Then he remembered Anna, the annoying, talkative captive who followed him out. He looked around quickly, but he couldn't find her. Did the desians get her? Suddenly, his keen ears picked up a noise coming directly behind him. At first it sounded like a fierce growl of a hungry wolf or the gurgle of a stream, but he focused on the noise to find it was a snore. With most of his strength, Kratos shifted himself right until he saw Anna curled up beneath an elm, snoring like there was no tomorrow.
Kratos smirked at the surprisingly loud noises that such a strange woman could make.
Kratos limped over to Anna to make sure she was fine. She was muttering something in her sleep, but Kratos couldn't understand her mumblings. Anna rolled over to her back to reveal an exsphere embedded in her hand, a different hue than his cruxis crystal or an exsphere. It, like all other exspheres at the ranch, were keycrest-less and endangering to anyone without one. Kratos widened his eyes slightly. It's the research for the Angelus Project Mithos kept talking about, he exclaimed in his thoughts. He continued to watch her chest rise and fall, until he finally tore his eyes away from the half cruxis crystal. What have I gotten myself into?
The sun had completely set when Kratos stood up and walked over to Noishe who had been silently sleeping next to his pack. He absently stroked his ears, as stars came up all over the sky of Sylvarant. Like the stars, I need to stand bold, despite the obstacles that may pass, he thought, watching the blinkling lights with fierce interest.
The next morning, Kratos walked over to Anna who had slept all of yesterday. She was still crouched next to the tree, saying various comments in her sleep and snoring as loudly as well.
"Anna, wake up," he called as he shook her awake, but her hand just slapped him away asking for five minutes. Surprised by the automatic reply, Kratos couldn't help but smile, and he tried again. "Anna we have to go," he said slightly louder. Anna opened her eyes and yawned. Kratos walked back to Noishe and packed his items quickly.
Anna yawned again and stretched her arms. She felt like falling back to sleep, but her back ached from the position she slept in. Anna finally stood up and walked over to Kratos.
"How long to Luin?" she asked casually as the two began to walk. "About half an hour if we hurry. We would have made it yesterday if the Desians hadn't come," he replied. Anna smiled broadly. I get to see my parents, she thought. My life will be back to normal!
The two continued in silence, Anna thinking about seeing her parents, and Kratos…was being Kratos. Anna would twirl around, or jump in the air with glee. Kratos cocked his head in confusion to why she was so happy and acting so childish. She didn't have a normal childhood, idiot. She was raised in the ranch, he remembered.
After twenty minutes of silence, Kratos pointed to a bridge far off in front of them. "It's Luin," and when Anna heard that, she broke into a run. Kratos quickened his pace only slightly and followed her to Luin.
Kratos and Anna made it to Luin within five minutes. Anna was racing through the bridge, and then jumped into the town.
"Ha! I beat you to Luin!" she said as she twirled. Kratos sighed. "It's not a race, Anna," he replied, crossing the bridge. "It is to me," and Anna stuck out her tongue mockingly. Kratos was glad to be able to part ways with this childish girl.
Anna walked over to Kratos and grabbed his arm. "Let's go see my parents!" she suggested. "Anna, I don't think that…," he began, but she stuck out her lower lip and sniffed. Anna put on a surprisingly sad face, and clasped her hands together. "..Fine." he gave in. Anna smiled deviously, and then practically dragged him all over Luin to her mother's house.
She finally stopped at one of the larger houses, and ran up the stone steps, but instead of knocking like anyone else would; she barged right in, dragging Kratos with her
"Mom, it's Anna! I'm back!" she yelled in the hallway. A voice replied not minutes later. "Anna? I'm coming!" a woman in a simple blue dress and gray-brown hair pushed into a ponytail bustled over to Anna and hugged her.
"I missed you, Mom," Anna said. "Me too." Her mother replied, still holding her daughter that she missed. Kratos stood there awkwardly, wishing he was gone. He folded his arms and took in his surroundings. Her house was quite large for someone in Luin. Granite lined the counter tops of the kitchen and a giant embroided rug lay in the middle of the house.
Finally, Anna's mother noticed Kratos. "Who's this, Anna?" she asked, walking up to Kratos. "I'm Kratos, a mercenary. I helped protect Anna," he explained. Anna's mother thanked Kratos and then turned back to Anna.
"I'm making dinner, why don't you two get some clothes and supplies for Kratos?" she suggested. Anna smiled. "Yeah, it'll be fun," she replied and brought Kratos outside. "Let's go to the clothes shop, Kratos," and she dragged him out.
Suprisingly, Anna still knew the way through town and ran around other pedestrians until they found a simple shop right next to the church.
The shop was huge. A young woman walked up to them, and smiled. "Welcome," she said. "Who's getting new clothes?" Kratos nodded to Anna, and the young woman brought Anna to a display of clothes and began to show her the various clothes that were in stock. Kratos decided to sit down and think things out. I can't leave her here, the Desians are after her, and this city will be destroyed if she stays. He was going to find another mercenary to bring her too Izoold. She'd be safe there. No Desian ranches were nearby the small fishing village.
Kratos waited a little more until he heard someone approaching. He looked up and saw Anna, now dressed in traveling clothes. She wore a short sleeved deep blue shirt and tan shorts. Two belts were around her waist, and a dagger was hung at her side. She had two black gantlets on her hands. Anna's brown hair was tied together at the end of her hair with a ribbon.
"Kratos, you've been staring awhile now," she spoke up, clasping her gloved hands together. Kratos blinked and stood up. "You look like a real traveler," he said and turned to the saleswoman.
"How much?" he asked, taking out his Gald "It's only 240 Gald," she replied cheerily. Kratos paid her and left with Anna beaming behind him.
As soon as they were out, Kratos stopped and turned to her. "Anna, you can't stay here in Luin,"
Mr.Who2123: All done! Wow, I think I did pretty well. What do you think, Lloyd?
Lloyd: Pre...tty?
Mr.Who2123: You're hopeless…
Kratos: …Please review