Mr.Who2123: Wow…I am on a role…I've been writing like a madwoman…
Kratos: Well, as long as this story finishes eventually, I don't care what you do…
Mr.Who2123: T.T You're so cruel!!
Kratos: …She owns nothing.
Mr.Who2123: Let's begin!!!
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Kratos was relieved to see the pier in sight. He was leaning against the rails of the boat, his arms folded on top of the metal barrier. It was a couple hours before noon, and the day was clear, with no clouds, and the sun warming the ocean with its rays. It was truly a beautiful sight.
Suddenly, the vision of the pier was turned black, and Kratos moved back in surprise. There was a soft pressure against his eyes, and Kratos immediately knew someone was covering them.
"Guess who," a voice said behind. Well, that's easy. It's not like Yuan or Sanaro would do this.
"Anna…," he murmured, and the hands came back off of his face. Then, lips met his cheek as Anna kissed it. The Seraph smiled and put his arm around Anna, whom was at his right.
"I love you," he simply stated. Saying that phrase felt wonderful, as if he had just saved the worlds, and was carefree. The feeling of being with Anna was the best in the world, and he savored every moment.
"I love you too," she replied softly in his ear. Her head fell on his shoulder, and the two waited for the boat to dock.
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Kratos shouldered his pack, ready to go. Yuan, Sanaro, and Anna had done the same, and now all three of them were ready to go. The captain eagerly waved goodbye, telling them to come again whenever they needed a boat ride.
The six, including the wolf and the protozoan, were at a small abbey west of the Toize Valley Mine. It would be no more than five hours to get there, and because of the early dock, they would make it by the end of the day.
Sanaro encouraged Anna to ride Annule, saying it wouldn't be a problem for the large wolf.
"He's carried me and two wounded soldiers at one time before. You won't be a problem," he added, smiling. Anna nodded, and mounted the wolf. The soft fur and large back made riding Annule increasingly comfortable, as she reclined, smiling.
Kratos did the same with Noishe. His wounds were almost completely healed, but he still limped. The journey would undoubtedly be more efficient of he rode on Noishe, whose size made it no problem to carry out the task.
Yuan and Sanaro were content walking, watching as the canines and their passengers went ahead.
"I saw them kiss before the ship docked," Sanaro whispered. Yuan grinned at the news.
"Guess what I heard, though," the lighting mage replied. Sanaro leaned closer, eagerly awaiting the juicy gossip. He felt like a teenage girl. "I heard them say they loved each other."
Sanaro chuckled, and threw his fist in the air.
"Yes! One step closer to getting them married!" he yelled, though not loud enough for the lovers' to hear. Yuan nodded, his smile wide.
Up ahead, Kratos was leaning forward on Noishe, his gloved hands holding tightly to the neck, though not enough to hurt the protozoan. Anna had reclined, her head on the neck, and her feet dangling off. Her arms were behind her head, cushioning it like a pillow. The two canines were close to each other, the sound of paws hitting a grass floor making a cadence that they followed, not missing a beat. Everything was silent except for the incessant, soft thumps of paws.
"Hey Kratos," Anna said, looking over at him. His eyes were formerly focused on the journey ahead, but he quickly looked to her. The tense focus of his eyes left, and in their place were joyful, loving eyes. She blushed, noticing she was staring, and looked forward. "Do you ever think…we'll get to settle down?"
Shock hit Kratos, as he nearly fell off of Noishe. "Well, Anna…" Kratos began, coughing. "Our journey is drawing to a close. The worlds will be saved, and there will be no more evil to keep us at flight. When that time comes, we will know the answer. But for now, keep your eyes on the present, and strive to do your best." Anna nodded, though her thoughts still wandered to what it would be like after the worlds have been saved.
Hm, Anna just said…'we'll settle down…' Does that mean…that she wants to get married? The Seraph shot a quick glance at Anna, who was faced towards the direction of the mine. Kratos smiled to himself. I cannot wait until that time comes, for I want to marry her as well.
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A giant, gaping hole of a door was in front of them. There was wood supporting the large amount of crumbling rocks, but it looked like a forbidding cave of no return.
"Well, shall we get started?" Sanaro asked, dispersing the silence of hesitation. Everyone nodded in return, snapping out of their gazing. Kratos started forward first, Anna beside him, and Yuan with Sanaro behind. The canines stayed behind, ready to warn the group if there were any intruders.
Inside, the cave was dark; the only light that existed were the mechanical torches on the sides. However, even those were dim, and it looked like the cave hasn't been entered in centuries. The group came upon a security system, armed and deadly.
"Well, what shall we do about this contraption?" Kratos asked, looking behind. Sanaro stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.
"Leave it to me," he replied, and knelt by the system. He pulled out a dagger from his boot, small and made with crystal, one of the hardest materials on the planet. He cut upon a small patch of metal on the control android, and it somehow didn't react. The other three watched as Sanaro fingered through wires, his expertly trained hands moving smoothly through the colorful wires.
"Do you know why cords are colored?" he suddenly asked, still going through the wires. He picked one out, looked at it, and then kept going through them. The hesitation was his answer, 'I don't know.'
"Because people can't tell which cord is which without being color-coded. However, I've learned every single frequency that every single wire makes. I know how each cord is made, and their small distinctions. I can even make any type of wire, whether they're wires for receiving energy, for connecting power, anything," he continued. The former Cruxis spy pried open the colored rubber around the wire, and split the metal inside.
The machine turned off, and Sanaro expertly put them back together. The system rebooted. Sanaro quickly pushed the cords back into the control android, and closed the metal flap. Muttering a weak spell, Sanaro shot a small fireball at the edge of the metal, melting it together, as if nothing ever happened.
The group shuffled through the open door, which freely let them in without attacking at all.
"How'd you get the door to stay open?" Anna asked, looking back. It had closed, and the security was online again.
"Well, it takes about seven minutes for the security system to reboot and be fully functional. I just had the machine turn off and reboot," Sanaro answered. The rest nodded, half amazed at the skills this newly aquatinted friend had, and wondered if he had any more hidden under the modest smile which he held.
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Mr.Who2123: I'm sorry! It's kind of short, but I had to end it there…
Kratos: (Dancing) I'm going to marry Anna!
Mr.Who2123: 0.0;; What the heck?
Kratos: (Embarrassed) Uh, sorry about that. Please review.
Mr.Who2123: (Dancing) I'm gonna get reviews!
Kratos: …