Chapter III: Afterthought of an Action - Freedom, Free-DONE

As promised chapter III is now going up, first review in, thank you so much for your support Marina Ka-Fai, I hope I don't disappoint you. You're the first person to comment on my style of writing. I've much more to this story and I hope more people review. Stay tuned, for if the incredible number of hits continues, this story will be updated faster.

Remember every 50~100 hits I will post up another chapter IF it's available.

Woot 157 Views! Keep it up, I love you guys!

PLEASE REVIEW, I DONT THINK YOU GUYS KNOW HOW CRUCIAL IT IS TO AN AUTHOR TO RECIEVE REVIEWS GOOD OR BAD. HOW ARE WE TO KNOW WHAT YOURE THINKING WHAT YOU LIKE AND DONT LIKE, AND WHAT WE NEED TO CHANGE, WORK ON, OR IMPROVE WITHOUT YOUR REVIEWS! PLEASE REVIEW IT'S CRUCIAL!

Anyway...here it is Chapter III Enjoy!

The Akuren Princess: "I wonder who's going to do the disclaimer this round…"Ah yes Irving Dirk! Will you do the Disclaimer for me?"

Irving Dirk: "Ah course I W'll"

Aurion Kratos: *Eye Twitching* "YUAN!"

Ka-Fai Yuan: *looks at his best friend, interpreting the silent, deadly intent in his friend's eyes and voice, starts chanting, as his friend does the same*

Aurion Kratos: *Taking up his infamous pose, concentrating his mana into his sword* "Sacred Powers Cast Your Purifying Light Upon This Corrupt Soul…"

Ka-Fai Yuan: "I Call Upon Thee, In The Land Of The Dead, To Unleash Thy Fury Of Thunder"

Aurion Kratos: "Rest in Peace Sinners!"

Ka-Fai Yuan: "Come Forth, Divine Lightning!"

Aurion Kratos: "JUDGEMENT!"

Ka-Fai Yuan: "INDIGNATION"

Aurion-Irving-Lloyden: *jumping in front of his adoptive father, his mana wings flaring, shouting* "GUARDIAN!

Brunel Colette: *jumping behind her adoptive father in law, shouting* "DAMAGE GUARD!"

Together the two shields hold up against the double assault leaving the dwarf unharmed much to Kratos's dismay

Aurion-Irving-Lloyden: "Genis!"

Brunel Colette: "Professor!"

The Sages: *interpreting Lloyden and Colette's intentions and starting their unison attack spells*

Sage Genis: "GROUND DASHER!"

Sage Raine: "RAY!"

Sage Raine: "Ready!?"

Sage Genis: *shouting* "PRISM STARS!"

Aurion Kratos & Ka-Fai-Yuan: *Neither have time to throw up their respective shields, not expecting retaliation call from Lloyden. Both are hit with multiple, flying, fluffy, stars and are knocked into outer space, seeing pretty birdies, and stars*

Aurion-Irving-Lloyden: *flaring his mana wings and going after the two sailing away from him, once he catches up* "I'll show you divine Justice: FALCON'S CREST!" *hitting both his real father and his uncle with the flat of his "blade" he sends them further towards Derris-Kharlan.

AN: Lloyd's using a paper fan for a weapon bought at Luin once they've restored it.

Irving Dirk: "Aight, I'll do the disclaimer now! THE AKUREN PRINCESS DOES NOT OWN TALES OF SYMPHONIA, NEVER HAS NEVER WILL, even though that makes her sad…"

The Akuren Princess: "What a display, nice tech exposition. Anyway on with the fic. And Lloyden, bring your father and uncle back onto the paper safely please"

Aurion-Irving-Lloyden: *landing with both his father and uncle in tow* "They're going to have one hell of a headache, and won't be able to sit for an extended period of time while their "wounds" heal when they come to…"

Kratos's PoV: (His and Lloyden's house)

Quietly sighing to myself, dreading the coming questionnaire session I let my hand drop from my temple where it had been. Taking a breath, I placed my hand on the door knob to our home, turning it and gently pushing the door open. The light from within blinded me momentarily, but it soon went away as my angelic eyes adjusted to it. I stepped inside still holding the unconscious in my left arm, it bearing all their weight. After closing the door, I brought my other hand back under her, shifting her back into the bridal style to carry her.

I flicked my wings, and the remaining blood and water droplets fell to the black mat beneath my feet, I then released my wings, pulling them back into my body with a bit more concentration that I normally needed, the feeling was very alien, the slide of them as they entered my body, but I never even thought twice of it, my only thoughts were on the unconscious in my arms and saving their life... I'd have to remember to use my wings a bit more, the pain from having them explode from my shoulder blades was excruciating, almost as bad as the first time I used them, shortly after Mithos transformed Yuan and I into Angels…

Wait…Pain? What was this…I was feeling again after four thousand years, why after all this time was I feeling again, my heart racing with realization. The next moments caused my speeding heart to stop mid beat at the next thing I felt. Warmth…I could feel the body I was holding, the heat that it held. Emotions threatened to overwhelm me, my frame shaking with the force of the blows reality had so cruelly dealt to me. I was still and Angel and we are not and were not suppose-to feel after losing ourselves to the process, I was regaining my human senses and I had no idea what the catalyst for the phenomenon was…

After overcoming my shock, willing my heartbeat to return to a normal rhythm as to not alert the other two in the house to my distress, I hovered past the living room quickly, not making a sound, and praying to Martel they would not question my motives at the moment. I managed to make it up the stairs without any questions, but I knew that when I returned Lloyden would be up, most definitely sensing what was upstairs and I would be forced into a corner, and pleaded with puppy-dog eyes to tell him what was going on. This would in turn allow the other little angel gracing our house a way to further push me into a corner till there was no escape. The only chance at freedom I'd ever be allowed was when they were satisfied with the responses I gave.

Oh hell, I was in for a very long night, Thank Martel I didn't need to sleep…or so I thought…

Arriving at the door to my master bedroom, again shifting my charge into my left arm, I twisted the handle and entered my personal domain. On the far wall I had my rack of swords, and short daggers, everything from Excalibur, to Fafnir, the cursed short dagger which was part of the Devil's-Arms-Weapon-Set. The fire in the hearth was quiet, a pile of ashes had accumulated, and there was no heat emanating from it since the early hours of this morning. I'd have to start a fire and remove the swords from the room after I ensured her health.

After laying her on my bed, I cast another first aid, hoping that it would numb the pain so she could get a few more hours of peaceful sleep while her body regenerated. Her clothes soaked from the rain had to be removed, and it wasn't my first time laying my eyes on a female body, but it had been a long twenty one years since the last time. I was nervous, and the shaking my body had started confirmed that thought.

She was in a hooded shirt, much like a cloak but warmer with some sort of contraption running down the front of it. A small hook like object was sitting at the top of the contraption, at the base of her neck. Her pants were baggy, with chains crisscrossing each other attached to rings that ran in odd intervals down the legs. Her shoes, were nonexistent, her bare feet were covered by the bottom of her pant legs. Her waist was covered by the hooded shirt she wore, but she had to be small, her weight that I felt when carrying her back to the house, even with the rain drenching it wasn't any more than Colette could have been.

Slowly, and always cautious of her damaged arm, I undid the contraption running down her chest; this revealed a black tank top much like my son wore under his jacket. What caught my eye were the curves of her body. Taunt in all the right places, and a body like a goddess, the black shirt clung to her form.

Running my eyes down her lithe form, they landed on her narrow hips. My breath caught in my throat as I looked her over from head to toe, and I felt a stirring within me that I hadn't felt in nearly twenty-one years. I was craving companionship, not a relationship, just someone to talk to, besides, how could I even have feelings for someone I hadn't even met yet after all? The shocker to all this is that I hadn't craved anything, whether it be sex, or a relationship, or friendship with anyone since I murdered my wife with my own hands and thought my only son, Lloyden, dead.

I swallowed the feeling, knowing that this wasn't the time, and that it was probably the strange effects on my conscious due to my "humanity" returning to me. I knew if I didn't get her out of her cold, wet, clothes shed catch cold, and that would further impair her recovery. Even though she was unconscious, I felt like a teenager all over again, nervous in the presence of a female, not trusting myself or my actions or reactions. My mind instantly ran to memories of Anna, and our first night together, the conception of Lloyden, the sweetness and intimacy of the moment. My life forever changed then, I became a father, Anna a mother, and we a family.

Now I was faced with a young adult around the age of twenty three and I had no idea why feelings were stirring up after so long being dead. I promised myself that after I lost Anna I would never love again, I would atone for her death for the rest of my existence. Would Anna ever be able to forgive me for moving on, allowing myself that chance at happiness once more, to allow another woman a chance at weaving herself into my heart? I would never know those answers; Anna wasn't here to answer those questions that plagued my very existence, and would haunt me for eternity, since death was no longer an option.

After stripping her down to nothing but her undergarments, which were black as well, go figure… I laid the warm, down-filled covers over her body. Her skin was cold and clammy to the touch, her breath patterns slow, shallow, and much too few within a minute for my liking. Her skin was an unhealthy translucent white, and I could clearly see all the veins and arteries running just underneath it. She was still shivering, and I figured it would be awhile before her body regained its normal temperature level. Turning from their form, towards the fire, I grabbed a chair, laying her pants, and jacket and, muscle shirt on the back of it facing the dead fireplace. Starting the fire would be no trouble with a controlled fireball magic spell, but getting rid of the ashes that plagued the hearth, well that…was another story in itself.

I never liked ashes, and this time proved no different as I struggled to breathe while scooping them into a bucket. Once I had succeeded in getting almost all the ashes out of the hearth, I placed them outside on the balcony, the fresh air hitting my lungs and I sighed a content breath of relief. The ashes would remain outside and the balcony doors would remain locked so it couldn't blow back into the room.

Gathering some tinder, and a few smaller twigs to get the fire going, I lit it, channeling the tiny conjured fire-ball spell and with pin-point accuracy lit the small bundle. As those bits of tiny tinder took, I gradually added in larger and larger pieces to it till it was a steady, stable flame. The flames, casting a warm glow on the room, lit ting up the room so, that candles were deemed unnecessary.

Casting a quick glance towards my newly adopted ward, I pulled a chair to the fire, then grabbing a book off the shelf, I sank into it. The light of the fire lit the pages, and even without it I was sure that I could have read with no trouble. Angel senses did have their perk that's for sure, I'd be sure to thank one Yggdrasill Mithos later, even though to attain these processes, Yuan and I had to give up our humanity in its entirety.

I couldn't help but look back on the night's happenings, the images flashing back to me through my photographic memory. I found myself questioning myself why the hell I'd raced out in a thunderstorm to save a stranger falling from the sky. What compelled me to do that, was I out of my fucking mind?

The simple, most logical answer to my inquiry, NO I wasn't crazy, there had to be an explanation that was the catalyst for my behavior tonight. I shook my head, my messy mane of hair loosing the water held within each individual strand, my hair then naturally falling back into the style Id kept for over four thousand years while I served the Yggdrasill siblings.

I felt fatigued…I hadn't felt the sensation of being fatigued since…Yuan and I gave up my humanity to Seraphdom…what the hell was going on with me….I chalked it up to the withdrawal of adrenaline through my body and prayed it would go away.

Meditation, ah, Meditation, yes that's what I was going to do; I was going to find my calm, cool, icy exterior, Angel Of Death, Seraph self again. Dirk had gotten off easy thus far, and I wasn't about to let the little Halfling get the upper hand on me. However I couldn't fully meditate with a pretty much naked female in my bed and my mind constantly straying towards, and getting lost in thoughts of them. I hadn't had contact with another human other than Anna in so long; it was unbelievably weird to feel that stirring within me…

Sure, I was an Angel now, and pain was nonexistent; until tonight that is… but I could have died and never felt the pain that accompanied it. I would have to dig deep inside myself to find the answers to the questions that were now racing though my brain to the forefront of my conscious.

I was noticing changes within myself, noticeable to say the least, the feeling of pain that tore through me tonight after existing four-thousand years without feeling anything in the form of pain, pleasure, etc, was more than unbearable and I wasn't sure why I was experiencing these fluctuations in my physical body's reactions after being stable for so long.

Then the one after-thought of my actions of the night hit me full on and it made me groan in displeasure:

My newly acquired Freedom was now Free-Done…and I only had myself to blame…

The Akuren Princess: "Hey Kratos, what's that supposed to mean Freedom – Free-DONE, I mean…*taking a shaky breath* "do you regret saving me?"

Aurion Kratos: "No, it's not that, I've just grown tired over the "years" of baby-sitting, get rid of one ward to gain another…and you …remind me of…her…"

The Akuren Princess: "…Kratos… I'm sorry…"

Aurion Kratos: "It's not your fault Miss Akuren…Please don't trouble yourself with a pathetic being like myself"

Appearing out of nowhere…

Stunt Double Kvar: "Hah, you admitted that you're A Pathetic Inferior Being!" *jumping up and down clapping his hands, smiling that evil smile he always held in the game and OVA*

Aurion Kratos: * not realizing that this is a stunt double, and not the real Kvar* "No, I did not, re-read the fine print Kvar, you squinty eyed, pathetic inferior being…"

Kvar: "You can't do this!"

Aurion Kratos: "I can't do what?" *raises one eyebrow*(all the while knowing full well what he's doing)

Stunt Double Kvar: "Die, you pathetic inferior Being!"

Aurion Kratos: …aren't you dead…? Oh well…*slashes once* "Feel the Pain"...*slashes twice* "…of those inferior beings…*slashes a third and final time* "…as you burn in hell…." *nudges him off the paper and out of the cast calling*... "Blame your fate…"

Stunt Double Kvar: *gurgling* "Noooooo"

Aurion-Irving-Lloyd: "You bastard!"

Aurion Kratos: "Lloyden, Watch your tongue…"

Aurion-Irving-Lloyd: "You're going to get all fatherly on me now? You weren't in my life for the first fourteen years of my life, then you show up and spend parts of the next three playing at Mercenary, Seraph, and Traitor; and you chose to become all fatherly NOW?"

Aurion Kratos: "…"

The Akuren Princess: ANYWAY, good job Kratos, you killed the Stunt Double…!

The REAL Kvar:*whispering to himself* "Ha ha, you PATHETIC INFERIOR BEINGS" *sneaks off without being seen,*

The Akuren Princess: Alright folks it's over, that's a wrap, nothing to see here, MOVE ON!

Onegai REVIEW, tell me what you didn't like what you did like things you want to see in the story…not that I can guarantee that they will be included but feedback is nice. *smiles* Ja Ne

Aurion Kratos: "If you do not REVIEW, then be prepared to "Blame…Your…Fate"