Tales of Symphonia Story, Sylvarant Chronicles (1)

QUIZ START: Raine told the others that Aura would be fine.
"Thats good..." Lloyd sighed, "I was really worried."
"Yeah...me too..." Genis agreed.
"Yes, but after everything that's happened, someone should probably stay with her." Raine voiced. Before anyone else could even ask a question,
"I'll do it." Kratos volunteered. Lloyd looked at him with a slightly confused expression, *Kratos is acting... weird...* he thought,
"...Alright. Aura is sleeping now." the Mercenary walked into her room, and sat down next in the chair next to her bed. Late that night, Kratos was sleeping, his head resting on her bed, when Aura woke up.

You felt an odd tingling in your back as you slowly woke up. The first thing you noticed was that your shirt had been removed, and you were now covered by the blankets from the bed. Ignoring the tingling you try to sit up, but the moment you did extreme pain rocketed through your back. You bite down hard on your lower lip, tears of pain brim in your eyes, your back screamed at you to lay down and you quickly oblige. The pain subsided and you catch your breath gratefully while wiping away the dried tears. When you hear soft breathing. You look next to you on the bed. Kratos was sitting in a chair, and using the free space on the side of your bed as a pillow. He was fast asleep. You smile softly at him.

Kratos was...well, cute when he was asleep. Instead of being hard and serious, his expression was calm and peaceful. Most of his stiff hair, now more limp, was falling in his eyes, and made him look even cuter. *I wonder what he's dreaming about?* You giggle quietly, reach out one of your hands, and lightly stroke the side of his face. After a second he shifted a little, then his eyes slowly open,
"...Wha...?" he mumbled sitting up,
"Sorry I woke you." you tell him, pulling your hand away. Out of bashfulness you pull the blanket closer to you. His expression softened understandingly to your actions. However the expression faded soon, and was replaced with a slightly serious expression,
"You're alright?" you nod, "...good."
"Depends on what you call alright... I can't sit up."
"...To be expected." Kratos told you softly. He ran his hand through his hair, pushing the spikes that normally fell in front of and around his face back. Then he pulled his hand away, and let his hair fall again. Now only the usual single spike fell in his eyes. You giggle quietly at him. It was kind of funny, the way he fixed his hair. The Mercenary looked at you questioningly,
"...Did I do something funny?" he asked,
"N-no. Its nothing." you assure,
"...Why did you do that?"
"Do...what?"
"Stand there when Clara was about to attack you." he asked,
"Oh...its--...I--..." you sigh, and shift your head so some of your loose hair fell in front of your face, so the Mercenary couldn't see you. "...." you didn't say a thing, unable to come up with a way to explain what you did. Kratos' hand rested gently on the side of your face *What?* he brushed your hair out of your face, and tucked it behind your ear. He ran the tips of his fingers through your hair slowly,
"...What is it?" Kratos asked again. You look up and him, then down at the floor,
"Clara...what she told me-- She said...'I hate you'..." you explain softly, "I don't know why, but after she said that I--...I just couldn't move..."
"...Yes." Kratos agreed, gingerly resting his palm to the side of her face, you look back up at him, "Hearing someone you care about, or want to help, saying that they hate you... it's almost...painful...to some extent." you smile just slightly,
"...thanks for listening."
"Hm..." his eyes shifted from your face to your back. The blankets had slipped down to just below your shoulder blades, showing the bandages which wrapped all the way to just under your arms, "...does your back still hurt?" he asked, his eyes remaining on the bandages,
"J...just a little--it's nothing serious." you respond,
"..." he mumbled under his breath, so softly you couldn't even hear him. He lightly rested his hand against your back, "First Aid."
"...?" green light shown from his palm, moving through your body. He moved his hand down slowly, the healing energy following his hand. In the end, his hand came to rest on the small of your back, and the healing energy faded, "Th...thank you." you murmur softly, pink trying to find it's way to your cheeks. The Mercenary pulled his hand from your back, resting it in his lap.
"...If you're feeling better, you should consider going back to sleep." he advised gently,
"Right..." you agree quietly. You close your eyes, and drift off to peaceful sleep.