Tales of Symphonia Story, Sylvarant Chronicles (1)

QUIZ START: Everyone slept in a bit the next morning. It felt nice to not be rushed, but you felt a bit anxious with the end so close... Something akin to worry was lurking in the back of your mind... You had a bad feeling about what was going to happen to Colette once this was all over. This ritual sounded familiar once you sat and thought about it... First loosing hunger and taste, then loosing sleep, loosing feeling and now loosing their voice...
What...what was Colette going to loose next...?
Raine pulled you with her, back into the temple, and looked at your back again. She used her healing arts again, and nodded slightly, approvingly, telling you that your back was almost completely healed now.

You set out after breakfast, and you find yourself walking next to Kratos as you headed back towards Hima.
"You do not remember anything from your trance yesterday?" he asked. You think for a moment, trying to search back. You didn't know what you had been like in your trance... you were too busy trying to escape your own mind,
"...No." you respond finally, "But from what you told me, almost sounds like what happened in my mind."
"Hm..." Kratos mumbled thinking. You touch the back of your neck lightly, were you were hurt wasn't as sensitive as yesterday. Now that you thought about it...the cut hadn't really been that big or that deep, your neck was just sensitive.
"My neck was cut in real life, just like in my trance..." you murmur to yourself, lowering your hand back to your side.
"What?" asked the Mercenary. You were so busy with your own thoughts you'd forgotten he was walking right next to you,
"Oh, n-nothing..." you assure, "Just thinking out loud is all." He raised an eyebrow slightly while looking at you. A drop of sweat slunk down the back of your head, "...You don't believe me, do you?"
"You're a terrible liar, Aura." he responded simply.
"W...well..." you chew your lower lip lightly, thinking, then ask, "Promise you won't tell anyone...? I don't want them to worry anymore... I'm sure I almost gave everyone a heart attack when I blacked out yesterday..." he nodded slightly,
"...I promise."
"Well, you see..." you explain how you were locked inside your own mind, how you tried to get out, how your locket chain had cut your neck when your locket began to pull you.
"...Hm..." Kratos mumbled, somewhat interested. "And...your neck is really cut?"
"Yeah." you respond, reaching a hand back to touch the small cut again, "Just like it was in my mind..."

Once you two had finished your small discussion you had time to look around at the scenery again. Up ahead, you noticed Sheena whisper something to Genis; the two of them giggled, somewhat mischievously. You got a somewhat bad feeling, knowing how Sheena liked to try and play cupid. Raine was too busy flipping through Boltzmans book to notice; she had already agreed to teach you what she learned once she finished the book herself. Suddenly Genis ran off the path, heading toward the forest not far from the path,
"Hey! Genis!!" Lloyd called after him, "Where are you--?"
"Be right back!" he called, not looking back as he ran,
"Aw man, where's he going?" the brunette groaned. Kratos shook his head slowly with a sigh,
"Another side trip..." you look back at him, however he didn't speak a response to your look.

Genis returned afew minutes later, holding something behind his back.
"Okay! Let's go!"
"What did you go to get?" asked Lloyd,
"Don't worry about it." Genis told him with a grin. While walking, Sheena and Genis walked behind you and Kratos, and you could have sworn that you saw the little boy give her something. You decide to shrug it off, and continue walking. You heard Sheena whisper,
"Be careful! You're gonna hurt it!"
"Sorry." Genis apologized quickly. You glance behind you, they both quickly hide something behind their backs,
"What?" asked Sheena innocently,
"Hey, are you guys up to something?" you ask,
"What, us?" asked Genis with a weak smile,
"No. No, of course not." Sheena assured. You just shake your head a bit as you faced forward again. Kratos leaned down slightly and whispered,
"They're worse liars than you."
"Ah-! H-hey...!" you whine, elbowing him in the side playfully,

You'd gotten in a fair amount of battles that day, thus slowing your progress enough so that you risked having to spend an extra day traveling. You knew that Sheena and Genis were up to something; you heard them whispering back and forth all day long.
After helping Lloyd start a fire Colette volunteered to cook despite the fact that she couldn't eat. She assured you that she knew a good recipe, and she thought cooking would be fun.

Kratos asked if you wanted to sit with him while Colette cooked. He was going to watch the sunset a small wase from the camp. You agree with a smile, and follow him. The two of you sat next to one another; you watched the sun dip lower and lower in comfortable silence, and then watched the first few stars begin to twinkle to life in the skies.
"Okay." Sheen's voice whispered from behind you, "Go...but be careful...!"
"Right." Genis' voice whispered. You and the Mercenary glanced at one another, and through an unspoken agreement decided to let them think that you didn't hear them. You both listened to someone creep closer; Genis creeped up quietly behind Kratos, a flower in his hands. He tossed the flower over the man's head, the flower landing in his lap, and then the boy quickly dashed away. The Mercenary picked up the flower; a red rose.
"Genis, or Sheena?" he asked, noting how the thorns had already been cut off.
"Genis." you respond with a small smile.
"Do they know that they don't have to do this?" he asked,
"Probably not." you respond. He offered you the rose, which you took with a small smile, "Thank you..." you leaned your head against his shoulder, he didn't mind, allowing you to do so as he kept his eyes on the sky searching for more stars. You hold the rose up to your face, inhaling the scent of the flower with a slow breath. Kratos smiled ever so slightly, watching you out of the corner of his eye.

After a little while the two of you returned to the campsite together; Kratos informed Raine of what happened, which she didn't seem to happy, or surprised, about. You took the space next to Sheena who was trying to appear innocent,
"You and Genis didn't need to do that." you inform her softly, slowly twisting the rose between your hands. She smiled alittle, and rubbed the back of her head nervously
"I-I don't know what your talking about!" she insisted.
"Sure you don't..." she pushed you playfully
"What's that supposed to mean?" you both laughed lightly.