Tales of Symphonia Story, Tethe'alla Chronicles (3)

QUIZ START: Kratos walked calmly through Yuan's 'Desian' base. Clutched in his hand was something Yuan might find... Interesting.
It was a small, carefully carved...animal figurine, *She was his sister...* the man thought. (I want to say that the animal looked like that little, metal, animal-model thing Ed made for his mom when he was a kid, Ed from Fullmetal Alchemist) *This was probably going to be a gift for her...* Kratos thought. He walked into Yuan's main room, the half-elf instantly stood from his chair, and all the 'Desians' quickly got on their guard.
"Kratos. What are you doing here?" asked Yuan coldly.
"I found something that I think used to belong to you." he held forth the animal figurine. Yuan was silent for a moment, staring intently at the figure.
"Everyone. Your dismissed." the half-elf announced,
"Sir?" asked one of the 'Desians' unsure that their leader really meant them to leave.
"I said your dismissed." he repeated calmly, keeping his eyes on Kratos.
"Y-Yes sir." the 'Desians' left the room.
"What is that, Kratos?" demanded Yuan,
"I was hoping you would tell me." Kratos responded. He set the figurine down on Yuan's desk,
"I'll allow you to do what you will. I must be going." the Seraphim turned, and left, without even a second glance. After Kratos left, Yuan's head began to hurt. *I know this...thing...* he sat down in his chair, still examining the model on his desk. Slowly the half elf reached out a hand, and touched the model. Sudden pain shot through his head, making him black out. His head falling on his desk, one arm still by his side, the other hand still resting on the model.

Yuan was just a little kid, maybe nine. He was wearing a light blue short sleeved shirt, cacky shorts, and his blue hair was shorter. It was tucked behind his ears, clearly showing his right eye was silver, instead of blue like the left. The past Yuan was working on that same model, with a hammer and chisel. But it wasn't as nicely formed, it was lopsided and lumpy. His...mother walked over to him, she smiled sweetly at her son,
"Look mommy! Look what I made!!" he said, holding out the figurine,
"Its beautiful sweetie."
"I made it for Aura!" he said. His mothers face fell,
"Wh-what?"
"Yeah!!" he had a broad smile on his face "It's gonna be her birthday soon! She's gonna be four! Last time I was there, she could say my name, and even say Big Brother!" Yuan's past self sounded so...so...proud, "I've been workin' on this for a long time, I know she's gonna like it!"
"I'm sorry sweetie." his smiling face turned to confusion, and he lowered the figurine, he tilted his head to one side slightly
"What?"
"You can't go see Aura this year, sweetie."
"Wh-...why?" he asked. He sounded disappointed, "I worked so hard on this. I promised her I would be there."
"I know sweetie, but we can't go see her this year..."
"Ok. That means I can make this even better, so Aura will be even more happy, next year! Then she's gonna be...uh..." he counted for a minute "Oh yeah! She's gonna be 5!" Yuan was smiling again
"...No sweetie." the child Yuan's face fell again,
"Huh?"
"You can't go see her this year, or next year. You...won't be able to see her any more. Ever."
"Huh?"
"Yuan, she's only your half sister. She's human, your a half-elf..."
"But...she's my little sister. I don't care, all I wanna do is give Aura her birthday present. Even if she knew I was only her half brother, she wouldn't care."
"I'm sorry, Yuan. But you can't see her any more." then his mother left. Yuan looked at the figurine in his hands...
"I don't care what mom says. I'm gonna make this figurine better and better. And I'm gonna keep working on it until I see Aura again! I'm gonna give her this when I see her!!" Then Yuan started seeing flashes, he was getting older and older, but he continued working on the figurine, it was looking better and better, until it looked like the figurine he had now.

Yuan groaned quietly as he started to wake up, his eyes opened alittle. His vision was slightly blurry, but he could see that he was still in his office, where he had blacked out. He was still sitting in his chair, one arm at his side, the other draped on the desk, hand resting on the back of the figurine.
"Ah..." he sat up, and put a hand on his forehead "Aura...my little sister..." he looked to the figurine still sitting on his desk "...I made this for her...when we were both little kids. I never got the chance to give it to her. But then after I found her...I forgot..." he picked up the figurine; examining it carefully. The Renegade leader sighed quietly, putting the figurine in one of the desk drawers, then sliding the drawer shut. He relaxed back in his chair, putting a hand on his forehead, and staring blankly ahead of him, "Kratos..." he muttered, closing his eyes "...Thank you..."
"Your welcome." Yuan snapped to attention suddenly. Kratos was sitting in a chair in the room, watching him. The Renegade leaders eyes narrowed in a dangerous glare,
"How long have you been there?" he demanded.
"Just the past 30 minute. You were out fore nearly an hour." Kratos told him.
"Hmmm..." is all Yuan said. He laced his fingers together, rested his elbows on his desk, while leaning forward slightly. He studied Kratos' appearance and expression; something was different about the Seraphim. But what? When he finally realized it.

Kratos...was worried.

At first glance Yuan could hardly tell, but now it was obvious. It wasn't like Kratos to be worried, though
"You're worried." Yuan told him plainly. Kratos didn't respond "...About what? The Chosen?"
"No." Kratos said, he sighed, and hid part of his face in one of his hands, looking at the floor in front of him instead of Yuan. Then he admitted "It's...Aura." Yuan's expression hardened with the mention of his half-sister.
"What?"
"Aura... I'm worried about her...She...she's in danger. I know it. Lloyd and the others can't protect her, they aren't strong enough...I want to help her, but I can't."
"If I acted so coldly to someone I 'cared' about, and carelessly Broke Their Heart." the half-elf put emphasis on those last three words, before continuing, "'Worry' for them wouldn't be the first thing I felt after."
"I didn't want to do that to Aura." Kratos growled, turning his head to the side slightly and glaring at Yuan out of the corner of his eye "You know that...I care...about her..."
"I used to know that. But now I'm not sure if its still true." Yuan responded coldly.
"How could you think that?!" the man demanded, standing from his chair. His expression was hard and cold; his eyes narrowed in a deadly glare at Yuan "You know how much Aura means to me! Why else would I keep her promise, when I could have just as easily broken it?!" the Renegade leader stood as well, his expression almost as hard as Kratos'.
"..." Kratos saw how that touched something inside Yuan. And pressed deeper into the 'promise' issue.
"I had plenty of opportunity. I could have told Aura her whole past in the length of that journey. But I held my tongue, and tried my hardest to keep her promise... Although, I'm not sure if I could the same about you." Yuan mentally flinched. "I loved Aura. And I still do."
"You have no idea what you've done to my sister, do you?" Yuan demanded, ignoring what Kratos told him about his promise, "You broke her heart! You lied to her! She believed in you, and then you betray her and say everything that you felt for her was a lie!" one of Kratos' hand balled into a tight fist. What Yuan said touched a nerve, and even more anger flared inside of him
"I made a mistake! I never should have done that!" he almost yelled "I lost someone I loved four years ago, and now I've probably lost her forever! Do you understand that--?!"

Saying that, was a mistake. Yuan had lost someone important to him. Someone he loved. And not because they ran away, because they were killed. Then Aura, his half-sister, ran away. Yuan cared about her just as much as Kratos did. But demanding if Yuan understood the loss was a mistake. The Seraphims anger instantly subsided when he realized what he said.
"...Yuan, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said--"
"I think its time for you to leave." Yuan told him, anger laced in his voice. He was leaning over his desk, hands planted on the desk. The half-elf was no longer looking directly at the Seraphim, hands clenched into tight fists on his desk. Even though the man knew saying that was a mistake, he still felt strong anger inside of him about what Yuan said, how Kratos 'didn't care' about Aura. He turned and started to leave. But just as he reached the door, Yuan called,
"Kratos." he looked back. He had never seen the half-elf glare so coldly before. Yuan's words were like venom when he spoke again "This is your One warning. I don't care how you 'feel' or how you claim you feel about Aura. You've done enough to my sister. Stay Away From Her." the man didn't respond, but walked out of the door, and left the base. Kratos had no intention of doing what Yuan told him.

Yuan sat back down in his chair, seething over the argument he had just been through. He inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to calm himself as he leaned back in the chair. But it wasn't helping *Damn him...!!!* he thought, cursing Kratos mentally. But that thought just made him even madder. Soon, Botta entered the office. But he froze just inside the door, seeing how mad his leader was,
"What is it...!?" Yuan asked, doing his best to keep his voice level.
"Sir," Botta explained, trying not to make Yuan any madder "Kratos has just left the base, and returned to Derris Kharlan."
"...And what of Lloyd and Aura?" the Renegade leader asked, calming down more and more; Botta gradually relaxed, but stayed on edge just in case Yuan should...snap.
"Our spy has said they are headed to the Fooji Mountains." he informed,
"...The Rheairds...." Yuan mumbled, a plan forming in his mind.
"Sir?"
"The Rheairds are still on the Fooji Mountains. Are they not?" he asked.
"Yes sir. Lloyd, Aura and the others have abandoned the Rheairds, and no one has gone anywhere near the mountain range." Botta confirmed.
"..."
"...Sir...?" Botta asked. Yuan stood from his chair, anger gone *I will protect her...* the half-elf leader thought *I will protect my sister.*
"Botta," Yuan said "Get two officers, Wing Packs, and a portable Force-Field Generator."
"Sir!" Botta agreed, saluting, before running out of the room. After his officer had gone, Yuan sat back down, and began to think.