LOG: KRATOS AND ANNA AURION
CHARACTERS: Anna Aurion (soulify) and Kratos Aurion (sternjudgment)
WHAT: Kratos has just been dumped by Gojyo and seeks comfort within Anna.
WHERE: In the Inn near Heimdall, after Anna finds Kratos in the ditch.
WHEN: Yesterday evening
RATING: ...PG-13 for a few side notes, and Kratos' dvhjdfkas ahem. :|
NOTES: Your character didn't see this. Gojyo may have seen Anna take Kratos from the ditch in front of their house, but none of you saw this. +A+
The light drizzle happening about her was no match for Anna's determination, flying between trees and over rocks to find this house that Kratos and Gojyo lived in. And Anna had no doubt that Kratos was taking this particularily hard. Her wings flapped and she sped up, finally arriving at the house by the most lucky of chances, landing and looking for Kratos. She doubted he was inside. Not after what Gojyo said..
Kratos lost track of how much time he'd spent out here. He knew that at least a day had passed, since the night came, but other than that, he had no idea. He looked at his sword laying beside him with small traces of blood. That had been a pathetic attempt. He tried to reach for it, only to be greeted with a sharp pain in his side. At this rate, it'd be a miracle if his ribs ever healed right.
"Kratos!" Anna finally spotted him, kneeling in front of him and practically gaping at his wounds, the weird way he was holding his ribs.. "Oh, goddess, Kratos..!" She looked so panicked that she had to take a minute to gather herself. ".." The site of blood on his sword caused her eyes to widen, and she turned to him, eyes filling with tears and wide with fear. He didn't..did he?
"..." Kratos kept up a stoney silence, although there wasn't any anger towards her. He couldn't blame Anna for anything. Instead, he tried his best to roll away, not wanting her to see him like this.
"...." She watched him, summoning her strength and lifting him from the ground. She left the sword where it was, not caring for it. And honestly, she was a little more than upset with Gojyo. But moreso with herself. "..we're going back to the inn, Kratos..and don't you dare struggle, because if you do, I'll just have to force you unconscious." She was totally not in the mood for Kratos turning suicidey D:
Kratos wasn't exactly in any position to struggle, so he just gave a small nod. The only other motion was his hand reaching pathetically for his sword-- he wouldn't be caught dead without his weapon- ever.
With him carefully nestled into her hold, she flew out of the viscinity of the house and above the trees to find the house with smoke coming from the chimney. The air was almost blistering fast- not to mention her wings were molting- stressed out liek woah. D:
Kratos was used to flight thanks to his own adventures, although he couldn't help but be intrigued at how fast Anna was moving. Especially when carrying All of Kratos' weight.
Being an angel for 13 years has it's perks, but there are very few. Soon, she landed, practically kicking the door down and placing him on the couch, "..I'm going to go get the first aid kit, okay..?" Despite how angry she had seemed, her voice was full of concern.
Another slow nod would be her answer as Kratos turned to face the back of the couch, wincing slightly at the pain.
It took her a little bit to find the kit, but she returned and held her hands together at Kratos' chest. "..first aid!" Green light appeared at her fingertips, and she attempted to pull some of the pain from him before she bandaged him up. First Aid was the only spell she knew, and she knew that it wouldn't fix the problem but she would do everything she could to make it better. Her wings, however, did not go away.
Kratos was thankful for the pain duller, but he barely showed it. His face and eyes especially remained emotionless, and he seemed to just stare into empty space.
"..." She looked at him, then looked down, squeezing her hands together tightly. "..I'm sorry.."
"..." a hand reached up to gently touch Anna's as Kratos shook his head. It wasn't her fault. Not as much as it was Kratos'.
"It is! Because..I came back and..I forced you to chose, and I never wanted that.." Her wings idly twitched a bit. "If..I would have never come back then..this would never have happened. I'm only bringing grief and..I don't want that at all.."
"...I was so happy to see you back..." Kratos whispered huskily. "....Don't ever think you only bring grief..."
"..what about now?" She murmured, not looking at him. "..now that..I've ruined everything..?"
"...It wasn't your fault...."
"...." She looked like she had more to say, but all she could do was move beside him and wrap her large wings around his shoulders. "..I'm sorry.."
Kratos reached with both arms so he could cling to her. "...don't be."
She wrapped her arms around him in turn, holding himand rubbing his back a bit- while she was upset, she knew that Kratos was more so. "..everything will be fine, soon, though..okay? Promise.."
".....I don't deserve to have you either."
"..is that what you really think, Kratos..?" She sounded hurt, despite her lack of hesitation.
"...You're too good to me." he conceded, clinging tighter. "...Even after..."
"..." She held onto him, rubbing his back softly and tearing up while he wasn't looking. He was hurting.. "..that wasn't your fault..that was never your fault..no one ever blamed you for that, Kratos..!"
"I still do."
"I'm not mad at you..I don't blame you and..I can't blame you Kratos." There were words she wanted to say, but she couldn't.
Kratos only clung tighter to her, taking care not to have his face rub against hers, especially with the slight stubble that already started to grow.
Anna's wing closed in around him, and she held him close, trying to soothe him if at all. "..everything will be alright.."
Kratos clenched the fabric of the back of her shirt, "...He's better off without me. I was nothing but bad for him."
"That's not true, Kratos.." Anna murmured softly, her wing moving off of him and back behind her. Above her head was a very faint halo, but it was so faint that you would probably have to look for it to see it.
"...I don't want to be alone again, Anna."
"..you won't be.." Anna managed a small smile, pulling back enough to where she could see his face, and she smiled softly. "..I'm sure that..Gojyo just needs to cool off. And when he does, you can go talk wiith him! I'll stay with you..until then, if..you don't mind my company." Something was fishy about her wording. She hesitated after her offer, afraid she would say too much for now.
"...Until then...?"
Her eyes widened. Even in this state, Kratos was still as observant as he ever was, and..he caught her. "..that's right! Because..I know that I shouldn't be here. I'm starting to throw things out of balance completely..and..well.." She looked back at her wings. "..God..told me that I should come back when I need to. So.." Anna trailed off.
The moment se even hinted at leaving, Kratos wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in against him, "...Please."
She expected it, but didn't move away. "..there is a new life here..waiting for you, Kratos. Here..with Gojyo."
"...He won't take me back. He'd be insane to."
"..Kratos, he will take you back..I know he will. And..as much as reliving our days long ago would be, we..can't. Because I know that you still love him, too..otherwise, you wouldn't be hurting so much, would you..?"
"I belonged to you first."
"..K-kratos, I.." She put a hand on his cheek, moving back, and rubbing her thumb across his rugged beard. Very sexy. Not like she was noting the sexy right now, though. ".." She was at a loss of words. Everything she was telling him was getting reworded and thrown back.
It wasn't rugged-- it was manly stubble. Get it right Anna. Geez. "I'm sorry." His voice, never rising above a whisper, dimmed down even more.
"No, don't.." She stopped him, moving some of his hair out of the way. "..don't apologize. Okay..? Things are going to look up soon, I promise. So..don't be so sad, alright?"
"..." Kratos couldn't will his voice to work anymore. Not now at least. He could only nod dejectedly and half heartedly.
"....if you have anything to say, I'll listen to you, Kratos.." She hated seeing him so down on himself like that.
"...I know." he did his best to hide his voice cracking.
"..m-maybe it's time for bed! It's getting kind of late and..people always feel better when they wake up in the mornings.." She started to stand, trying to think of a room that wasn't occupied right now. Martha and her husband were gone for the week, so..that made all of the rooms pretty much vacant.
"...I'll stay here. Can't sleep anyway." Kratos rolled so his back faced Anna.
Her hand reached out to touch him but she retracted it, touching her own arm instead and looking down with a sigh. "..I understand. Please excuse me.." With that, she turned towards the backdoo and stepped outside to the porch, sitting on the stone that was hidden beneath the shading. As much as she tried to convince herself things would be okay, she was stuff..hesitant and skeptical. It made things hard to judge.
"...Forgive me..." Kratos whispered to nobody in particular. His raspy voice broke the silence easily enough, he just wasn't sure who it was meant for: Gojyo? Anna? Maybe even himself?
".." Anna was quite tired, and mistakenly fell asleep in the comfortable atomsphere outside, leaned against a wall with her wings folded petitely behind her.
After an hour, Kratos began to feel antsy, worried that Anna too had abandoned him. (He wasn't in the best mental health right now). So he willed himself to his feet and looked for her, ignoring the dull ache coming from his side. When he finally found her resting against the backyard wall, Kratos immediately set himself next to her, wrapping his arms around her once more. He didn't want her to catch a cold, but even more so, Kratos feared being left alone yet again.
Anna woke up a little, but only leaned into his hold a bit more, lacing her fingers through his over her shoulder. "..it's okay.."
"......Will you stay?"
"..I'm not going anywhere now.."
"Never."
"..you can't see it now but..I can see that you'll be very happy with him. As happy..if not happier than you were with me, Kratos, and..maybe you'll even agree with me."
Right now Kratos' mental health was as bad as it could get... "...You're just looking to leave me as well. Aren't you." His voice wasn't accusing. It was more rejected than anything.
She leaned up, smiling softly at him and touching his cheek. "..I'm still here, aren't I?"
"...Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me.." Anna leaned in against him again, looking out at the forest beyond the inn yard. "..but you do have to at least lie down. Would you at least lie down and close your eyes if I went inside with you..?" She looked up at him, then stretched a bit.
Kratos nodded. Looking back on this, he'd realize how pathetic he was acting, but he ignored it for now.
Anna stood up, holding her hands out for him to take so she could help him up in his weakened state. There was a sweet smile on her face. "Alright! Let's go find somewhere, okay?"
"...Okay." Kratos took her hands gratefully and brought himself to his feet.
Lets see..there are four rooms here..one of them is mine. Where do you want to stay, Kratos..?" She led him inside, holding his hand firmly, to let him know she wouldn't let go.
Even though he knew he didn't deserve it, Kratos asked, "...May I stay with you...? Just for tonight....
She blinked at his question and then smiled happily, nodding. "Of course you can..you can always stay with me, Kratos!" With that, she began to lead him down the hall and to her room, in which she slid a door open and stepped inside. "..w-well..here it is.."
The room wasn't outstanding, but there were photographs of the area around them, and a camera that sat near her laptop on the desk. Her bed was a large, king sized bed (the owners loved her very much.) with a large, light brown quilt covering the top. It was average but..it seemed to describe Anna perfectly.
"...It's nice." Kratos complimented her.
"N-no, it's..not really anything special.." Her face heated up a bit, and she moved aside to let him inside. "..you can..." She pointed towards a neat pile of laundry- it was the laudry of the family, and the man of this house was a pretty big man, so his pants would fit Kratos just fine. Anna, however, wobbled a bit, rubbing he eyes and forgetting to finish her sentance.
"...You're tired." He murmured again, watching her rub her eyes.
"A-ah, no, I'm fine! Really, I just..I guess flying around makes me a little tired when I'm not in heaven doing it.." She looked over to the pile and pointed. "I'm sure that you can find something to wear to bed in there, or if you want to, you can just lay down in those and I'll clean the sheets tomorro, okay?" It was obvious that she was trying very hard. Nevertheless, she smiled happily once more,
Kratos decided not to make things any harder for her, "That's fine with me... thank you."
"..then..I'm going to go and change first while you pick something out, alright?" She picked up a pair of pajammas and carried them into the bathroom, beginning to change once she shut the door.
"...All right." knowing Kratos, he'd just pick whatever was on top... which is exactly what he did. As he pulled off his shirt he realized... he need a shower. Badly. Spending a couple of days out in the mud did that to you.
Anna walked out, her hair let down from it's once high ponytail into wavy locks that fell over her shoulders. Her pajammas were quite big, but she seemed to like them very much. "..?" He was standing there like he was thinking about something..
"...Shower."
"..o-oh! Right! Go ahead!" She smiles sheepishly, scratching the side of her head and walking out of the way.
The bathroom smelled like fresh apples, as did Anna nowadays. Anna was busy prepping the bed.
"Thank you." Kratos walked straight inside, hit by the smell first thing. He stood for a moment, taking it in. It was nice and mild... just like Anna. He turned on the water spray, not caring too much if the water was hot or cold. He deserved to be burned, or frozen... and he suddenly felt very sick. Sick enough to double over the toilet. He was hit by the second wave of reality concerning what he'd just done. What he did to Gojyo.
Anna heard something and walked over, knocking on the door politely. "..i-is everything okay.?" D8 sounded not okay. But.. D:
"F..Fine..."
"I-I'm coming in.." She stepped inside, a bit surprised to see him doubled over the toilet, but she went to the cabinet to get a cold washcloth andthen knelt next to him, touching his forehead with it. "There..relax. The more tense you get the more likely you'll throw up again.." She rubbed his back and dabbed his face with the washcloth carefully. Anna was unafraid XO
Kratos opened his mouth to respond, only to start heaving again. There wasn't anything in his stomach to purge, so it was mostly dry retching mixed with an even drier sob. Anna's touch made him feel slightly better, but he couldn't tell her.
The cool washcloth rubbed against his forehead softly as she rubbed his back at the same time, watching him sadly. Her washcloth stroked his cheek a bit and dabbed the tears from his eyes until she had to flip the washcloth backwards to keep it cool.
"S-sorry..." Kratos managed to choke out.
"It's alright.." Anna comforted him softly, waiting for an opportune moment to get up and rinse the washcloth and dampen it with cold water again.
Kratos continued to heave, although the gagging stopped for now. The reaction had been more emotional than physical, so he called upon his natural barriers to quell his feelings, even if only for the moment. He looked up at her, trying to show Anna he was okay with a glance, although his eyes lied.
"..you don't have to lie to me, you know. It's okay to feel bad every once in a while..!" She smiled sadly, moving some hair from his face to behind his ear and out of the way. "..I'll stay with you as long as you need me to. Okay?"
"...Thank you." Kratos' head leaned to the side and onto Anna's upper arm.
".." She ran her hand through his hair, othr hand holding him gently. "..it's nothing.."
"It's everything."
"..huh?" She looked at him, her handpulling loose from his hair without hurting him, and watched him.
"It means everything to me..."
"..." She looked a bit guilty, but only for a split moment before she smiled again. "..are you feeling better..?"
Kratos caught that flash of guilt, but he said nothing of it. He didn't want to make her sadder than she probably already was, "...Yes. Thank you."
"Alright! Do you think you can stand..?" Her hands moved down to his to help him move. "..are you still going to take a shower..?" Anna's acting was top-notch- for someone who was looking for sadness, it would be easily seen, but she played off happiness in an attempt to make him more comfortable.
Kratos gave Anna two quick nods, his new (manly) stubble probably scratching her arm a bit as he did so.
"..then..I'll leave so you can do that. Do you need help getting up..?" Her legs bent a bit, moving to get up.
Had this been fifteen years ago, Kratos would have invited her to join him. However as the other day proved, that wouldn't be a good idea. Instead, he began to rise as well, "...Thank you. Again."
Anna smiled softly, laying the washcloth in the sink and turning to leave, wings curled up enough so they wouldn't hit things when she moved about. As she shut the door, her wings seemed to stretch out as far as they would go, then the door closed.
Kratos caught the sight of her wings stretching from her back from the corner of his eyes. She was so beautiful in his eyes, she didn't need them, but they didn't hurt accentuate it. Once he was sure he could move, he began to pull his muddy shirt off, wincing at the pain in his ribs.
Her eyes looked around the room- just knowing that Kratos had been in it made the room feel a little bigger, but she pushed it aside. With her wings came to the new urge to want to be outside, rather than cooped up inside, despite how late it was. Anna's lips began to move, and she began humming a Luin Lullaby that she was taught when she was younger. moving out of the room and back outside where she had previously fallen asleep.
With his superb angelic hearing, Kratos was able to catch the lullaby with no problem. The gentle notes hit him right in the center of his normally stone cold heart, helped by his current mental state, putting him at ease. It took what little will power he had left to go back to the task at hand-- removing his pants and taking a shower.
Being by herself for if not only a few minutes would give Anna enough time to consider her options- all of them, which ranged from keeping Kratos to herself to returning to heaven right here and now. The smile that she had forced upon her face faded as she slid down the wall and pushed her palm to her forehead. A huge hole that she had dug by initiating this in the first place. And he was practically throwing up his heart and cowering in fear of being alone because of it.
The temperature of the water didn't really matter to Kratos. He wasn't really looking for comfort, and only wanted to scrub off the mud caked to his body and hair. There was the sinking feeling of disappointment when he could no longer hear Anna's lullaby, so he closed his eyes and tried to imagine the notes in his mind... only to be greeted with the feeling of someone wrapping their arms around his waist. He leaned back, and could of swore he felt Gojyo's chin on his shoulder-- he was taller than Kratos, and never let him forget it, so he was sure it was him. Kratos sighed, unaware that this was nothing more than a hallucination formed by his broken mind.
As if God was listening to Anna think, an owl flew down from the hole of it's tree to her shoulder, watching her. Anna looked quite surprised to see it, stopping the lullaby entirely to stare at it with awe and confusion. Then, she couldn't help but return to her thoughts, contemplating returning to heaven or not, and almost as if the owl was reading her thoughts as God was, the owl dashed through and nipped at the skin just below her jaw, as if he was biting her. She let out a yelp, loosing her balance and unconsciously waving the owl away hurridly, touching her neck. It only bled slightly, which was good, but..that was possibly the most unusual thing that'd happened to her since she arrived.
That yelp snapped Kratos out of his fantasy world, and he leapt out of the shower, ignoring the searing pain in his side. He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist, not one to forget such a thing, and ran to where he heard the sound, ready for a fight. He glanced at Anna, then at their surroundings, and finally back to her, "What happened?" he questioned, breathless.
She looked up at him, jumping when the door opened and his voice sounded through, then released her hand from her neck to reveal a small line of blood. "...." she was in a bit of surprise now, unsure of how to explain what happened.
"Your neck..."
After coming to her senses a bit, she stood up and smiled sheepishly, shaking a hand and returning the other to her neck. "..I-I'm fine..an owl.." She couldn't help but laugh a bit, unsure how to talk about it. "..an owl came down and..when I thought of returning..he bit me! Or..nipped me! Or..however you want to say it..." What an awkward message.. "A-a-anyway, don't worry, I'm fine! You can go finish your shower, I..didn't mean to interrupt you." Kratos in a towel = \o/ but it was a secret.
"...Where did it go?" How dare some random owl pop in out of nowhere and bite Anna. The nerve. "There must have been a reason..."
"..l-like I said, it's alright.." She waved her hand a bit. "He just surprised me.."
"We should wash it at least, so it doesn't become infected." Kratos seemed to have forgotten he was in a towel, and he bent down to examine the cut closer.
Anna's face flushed considerably, and she found her hand sinking from her neck and slipping to her side when he got closer.
"...It's shallow, but we should still be careful."
In the distance, an owl cooed. Anna looked in that direction and then back to Kratos. "..I'll be sure to bandage it up, okay..? You finish taking your shower..there are some clean clothes for you in the pile I showed you earlier!" She brought her hand back up to where she could examine the very little blood on it.
"...If you're sure." Kratos sensed something else underneath Anna's insisting, but once again he kept it to himself.
"I am!" Anna smiled happily, looking back at him. "Don't worry so much! Now come on..lets go back inside, okay?" She was still a little red from the fact that Kratos was only dressed in a towel, but kept to herself about it.
"...All right." Kratos stood up again and walked back into the house... but not before the towel slipped just a bit below his waist. Hooray for fanservice.
dsflerlhlsekrjawegweg fanservice. Damn you. Anna looked away, not wanting to tempt herself. Or let him tempt her, even if it was by mistake. fsdaghkwehg. When they returned to the bedroom, she found her first aid kit and began to treat the wound as Kratos would have wanted, then put a bandaid on it.
Kratos was satisfied with that, and went back into the bathroom where the shower was still running. He blinked, unable to recall exactly he was doing in there. Oh well, it didn't matter. What did matter was scrubbing himself clean. He grabbed the soap and began rubbing his body, closing his eyes once more... and once again fell into the illusion his mind created before. This time, Gojyo was teasing him about his face stubble. "...Shut up."
The bandage was applied and she blinked at it in the mirror, sitting in achair with her legs bent in a ladylike position, which was kind of strange for Anna. When she looked in the mirror, all she could see was the pair of wings, and..she felt like she had forced herself into a corner.
From the bathroom came a muffled, "I said be quiet!"
"..." His speaking caused her to look up at the bathroom door. Who was he talking to..?
Himself really. As far as Kratos was concerned, he was arguing with another man, in their shower.
Anna was at a loss of what to do; Kratos was going to go absolutely crazy if he couldn't be with Gojyo. While it hurt, it was one of those 'put others before yourself' ideals that she lived by. She had to go find Gojyo, apoligize, leave, and let both of them go. The idea in her head caused her to rise, looking outside a window and humming the same lullaby she had earlier, but..this time it was accompanied with a tone of sadness.
If Anna left, that would put Kratos into another state of delirium. Right now, he just couldn't take the stress of the situation. Combined with everything else, his mind just buckled. He opened his mouth to launch another playful retort at the invisible Gojyo, when the lullaby started again. Kratos' eyes snapped open again, and he found himself poised in the shower, soap in hand. What was he just doing? Perplexed, he finished washing himself, the sad song keeping his mind grounded in reality.
"..and the birds in the trees will call you..to heaven and the skies..." She sang softly, a hand touching the windowpane. He stopped talking to himself..was he listening to her? She sang a bit louder, unaware of how melencholy her song sounded from the original lullaby.
Kratos sighed when Anna sang louder. He loved it when she sang. Turning off the water, he reached out for another towel, roughly drying his hair. He wrapped the other towel around his waist again, ready to venture back out into the hallways in search of the clean clothes Anna pointed out before. He couldn't find a razor in the bathroom, so he didn't shave his face, which may have been a good thing. Right now, Kratos plus any kind of blade was a bad combination.
The clothes awaited his pick up, laying neatly on top of the pile. The pants were a little big but they would fit Kratos easily. Anna's voice died down and she sat on the bed, her wings stretching out again before curling up tightly.
Kratos found said clothing and began to slip into it, adjusting as needed. He felt a lot better now that he'd bathed and changed and knocked on Anna's door, peeking inside.
Anna jumped, standing and turning around, "C-come in!" Her sleeves rolled long over her fingertips as she watched the door open.
First, Kratos peeked through, his head appearing from behind the door, "...Are you sure?"
"Of course." Anna smiled sweetly, walking around the bed and opening the door further.
Kratos walked inside once she opened the door fully. He liked Anna's room, for some reason it felt so welcoming.
She shut the door and behind him, looking at the bed for a few moments, then flopping onto it, letting out a small, happy sigh. She looked kinf od tired. But not enough to sleep.
Kratos fought the urge to flop on top of her, and instead sat at the bed edge, smiling down at her.
She turned to look at him, bringing her hands to her face and smiling against the bed.
"Hey." Kratos mock pouted, "I want to see your face."
"Noo..!" She played, her hands covering her eyes.
Kratos pounced on top of her, "Let me see!" he smirked.
Anna squeaked a bit, wiggling beneath him and resisting still, giggling a bit with a smile on her lips.
"Anna," Kratos pouted again.
her hands fell from her face and above her head as she watched him, pale green eyes blinking curiously.
"Hello."
She tilted her head a bit on the bed, smiling happily soon after. "Hello, Kratos!" <3
Kratos smiled warmly back, reaching up to brush a lock of hair from her face.
An eye shut as he moved the hair from her eyesight, but the other watched him. "..did you have a nice shower?" When she was with him it was as if she could forget everything that troubled her.
"Mm." Kratos confirmed.
"Good..!" Anna moved as if she would sit up,Her eyes shut a little more.
Kratos pulled back to allow her to sit up, still smiling.
She looked at him, tilting her head and smiling happily, if not curiously. "What is it?"
"Hmm?"
"I don't know..you're smiling like something really good happened!"
"...You're here. That constitutes as 'good.'"
At his comment, Anna's face heated up quickly. "..th-that..that is.." she looked down, scratching her face a bit.
Kratos reached out and brought her close against him, "...You... you won't leave me..."
His words struck a chord in her, and she allowed herself to be pulled to him. "..I...I'm not sure yet.."
Once he heard that, Kratos stiffened. He was convinced he wasn't going to be alone again.
"Kratos.." she murmured his name softly, feeling him tense up. "..listen to me.."
He kept silent.
".." She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice failed to carry through. Rather, she began to try and pull away to try and sleep on the bed. Explaining what you can't phrase correctly will only lead to ruin.
Kratos was, in a word, crushed. He let Anna go, only because he needed the room to stand up and leave, heading straight for the couch outside.
"W-wait..!" She rose from the bed quickly, grabbing his arm. "..I'm sorry, Kratos, I.." she looked away. It would be better for his mental stability if she spoke comforting words to him. "...I-I was..just tired. I...won't be going anywhere." She felt happier saying that, and as soon as she did, the big wings on her back dissapeared, and she wobbled back into the door, unsure of what was going on. But..she looked to Kratos.
"...Do what you want, Anna." Kratos' voice was quiet, "...Don't... change any plans because of me."
"...come here." She took his hand and led him back inside the bedroom, seating him and then herself.
"I promised you that I would stay here with you and..I will not break my promise. Kratos..I'm just worried for your judgement, right now. When people hurt, everything that they do seems to magnify and reach farther and farther from their problem.." Anna gave his hand a light squeeze. "..it's hard because..I know I'm not the one." Her eyes filled with water. "..and..I wish I was, every day that I've been here, I've wished that I was. But..I can't be."
Kratos squeezed Anna's hand back, almost desperately. "If it's not you, then I don't know who it would be." his voice cracked again. Obviously, he didn't want to believe this was true, "...He doesn't want me back. I don't blame him."
"..so am I..the backup? Or..the rebound?" She was just as hurt as he was at that moment in time, shutting her eyes to keep the tears from flowing, but they did just that. She looked quite heartbroken. But she held onto his hand longingly.
"..." Anna had him there. Kratos couldn't admit it, but he'd been treating her as both thus far. He loved her, after all, she was his wife.
She smiled sadly, standing up. "You can stay in here tonight, I'm going to go sleep on the couch."
Kratos shook his head, "I don't... no. I don't sleep anyway. It would be pointless... and it's your bed."
She was already walking away, humming Luin's lullaby once more, making her way out of the room to the couch. If she turnd around, she would likely start to cry.
Kratos had been abandoned once more, and, just like the first time, it was all his fault. He dropped into the bed, and stared at nothing. Slowly, he withdrew into himself until he even forgot to breathe (not that his body needed it). If he could, he would've just died right now.
Rather than moving to the couch, she shut the door behind her and slid down the wall next to it, bringing her face inbetween her knees and trembling softly, repressing any noise. She knew of his excellent hearing.
Not that he would hear her now, anyway. Kratos' current state was that of a comatose man, except his eyes remained open-- glassy and staring into nothing.
Slowly, she wobbled and went in and out of sleep, until she finally fell to her side, out like a light. tears ran down her face absentmindedly.
WHAT: Kratos has just been dumped by Gojyo and seeks comfort within Anna.
WHERE: In the Inn near Heimdall, after Anna finds Kratos in the ditch.
WHEN: Yesterday evening
RATING: ...PG-13 for a few side notes, and Kratos' dvhjdfkas ahem. :|
NOTES: Your character didn't see this. Gojyo may have seen Anna take Kratos from the ditch in front of their house, but none of you saw this. +A+
The light drizzle happening about her was no match for Anna's determination, flying between trees and over rocks to find this house that Kratos and Gojyo lived in. And Anna had no doubt that Kratos was taking this particularily hard. Her wings flapped and she sped up, finally arriving at the house by the most lucky of chances, landing and looking for Kratos. She doubted he was inside. Not after what Gojyo said..
Kratos lost track of how much time he'd spent out here. He knew that at least a day had passed, since the night came, but other than that, he had no idea. He looked at his sword laying beside him with small traces of blood. That had been a pathetic attempt. He tried to reach for it, only to be greeted with a sharp pain in his side. At this rate, it'd be a miracle if his ribs ever healed right.
"Kratos!" Anna finally spotted him, kneeling in front of him and practically gaping at his wounds, the weird way he was holding his ribs.. "Oh, goddess, Kratos..!" She looked so panicked that she had to take a minute to gather herself. ".." The site of blood on his sword caused her eyes to widen, and she turned to him, eyes filling with tears and wide with fear. He didn't..did he?
"..." Kratos kept up a stoney silence, although there wasn't any anger towards her. He couldn't blame Anna for anything. Instead, he tried his best to roll away, not wanting her to see him like this.
"...." She watched him, summoning her strength and lifting him from the ground. She left the sword where it was, not caring for it. And honestly, she was a little more than upset with Gojyo. But moreso with herself. "..we're going back to the inn, Kratos..and don't you dare struggle, because if you do, I'll just have to force you unconscious." She was totally not in the mood for Kratos turning suicidey D:
Kratos wasn't exactly in any position to struggle, so he just gave a small nod. The only other motion was his hand reaching pathetically for his sword-- he wouldn't be caught dead without his weapon- ever.
With him carefully nestled into her hold, she flew out of the viscinity of the house and above the trees to find the house with smoke coming from the chimney. The air was almost blistering fast- not to mention her wings were molting- stressed out liek woah. D:
Kratos was used to flight thanks to his own adventures, although he couldn't help but be intrigued at how fast Anna was moving. Especially when carrying All of Kratos' weight.
Being an angel for 13 years has it's perks, but there are very few. Soon, she landed, practically kicking the door down and placing him on the couch, "..I'm going to go get the first aid kit, okay..?" Despite how angry she had seemed, her voice was full of concern.
Another slow nod would be her answer as Kratos turned to face the back of the couch, wincing slightly at the pain.
It took her a little bit to find the kit, but she returned and held her hands together at Kratos' chest. "..first aid!" Green light appeared at her fingertips, and she attempted to pull some of the pain from him before she bandaged him up. First Aid was the only spell she knew, and she knew that it wouldn't fix the problem but she would do everything she could to make it better. Her wings, however, did not go away.
Kratos was thankful for the pain duller, but he barely showed it. His face and eyes especially remained emotionless, and he seemed to just stare into empty space.
"..." She looked at him, then looked down, squeezing her hands together tightly. "..I'm sorry.."
"..." a hand reached up to gently touch Anna's as Kratos shook his head. It wasn't her fault. Not as much as it was Kratos'.
"It is! Because..I came back and..I forced you to chose, and I never wanted that.." Her wings idly twitched a bit. "If..I would have never come back then..this would never have happened. I'm only bringing grief and..I don't want that at all.."
"...I was so happy to see you back..." Kratos whispered huskily. "....Don't ever think you only bring grief..."
"..what about now?" She murmured, not looking at him. "..now that..I've ruined everything..?"
"...It wasn't your fault...."
"...." She looked like she had more to say, but all she could do was move beside him and wrap her large wings around his shoulders. "..I'm sorry.."
Kratos reached with both arms so he could cling to her. "...don't be."
She wrapped her arms around him in turn, holding himand rubbing his back a bit- while she was upset, she knew that Kratos was more so. "..everything will be fine, soon, though..okay? Promise.."
".....I don't deserve to have you either."
"..is that what you really think, Kratos..?" She sounded hurt, despite her lack of hesitation.
"...You're too good to me." he conceded, clinging tighter. "...Even after..."
"..." She held onto him, rubbing his back softly and tearing up while he wasn't looking. He was hurting.. "..that wasn't your fault..that was never your fault..no one ever blamed you for that, Kratos..!"
"I still do."
"I'm not mad at you..I don't blame you and..I can't blame you Kratos." There were words she wanted to say, but she couldn't.
Kratos only clung tighter to her, taking care not to have his face rub against hers, especially with the slight stubble that already started to grow.
Anna's wing closed in around him, and she held him close, trying to soothe him if at all. "..everything will be alright.."
Kratos clenched the fabric of the back of her shirt, "...He's better off without me. I was nothing but bad for him."
"That's not true, Kratos.." Anna murmured softly, her wing moving off of him and back behind her. Above her head was a very faint halo, but it was so faint that you would probably have to look for it to see it.
"...I don't want to be alone again, Anna."
"..you won't be.." Anna managed a small smile, pulling back enough to where she could see his face, and she smiled softly. "..I'm sure that..Gojyo just needs to cool off. And when he does, you can go talk wiith him! I'll stay with you..until then, if..you don't mind my company." Something was fishy about her wording. She hesitated after her offer, afraid she would say too much for now.
"...Until then...?"
Her eyes widened. Even in this state, Kratos was still as observant as he ever was, and..he caught her. "..that's right! Because..I know that I shouldn't be here. I'm starting to throw things out of balance completely..and..well.." She looked back at her wings. "..God..told me that I should come back when I need to. So.." Anna trailed off.
The moment se even hinted at leaving, Kratos wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in against him, "...Please."
She expected it, but didn't move away. "..there is a new life here..waiting for you, Kratos. Here..with Gojyo."
"...He won't take me back. He'd be insane to."
"..Kratos, he will take you back..I know he will. And..as much as reliving our days long ago would be, we..can't. Because I know that you still love him, too..otherwise, you wouldn't be hurting so much, would you..?"
"I belonged to you first."
"..K-kratos, I.." She put a hand on his cheek, moving back, and rubbing her thumb across his rugged beard. Very sexy. Not like she was noting the sexy right now, though. ".." She was at a loss of words. Everything she was telling him was getting reworded and thrown back.
It wasn't rugged-- it was manly stubble. Get it right Anna. Geez. "I'm sorry." His voice, never rising above a whisper, dimmed down even more.
"No, don't.." She stopped him, moving some of his hair out of the way. "..don't apologize. Okay..? Things are going to look up soon, I promise. So..don't be so sad, alright?"
"..." Kratos couldn't will his voice to work anymore. Not now at least. He could only nod dejectedly and half heartedly.
"....if you have anything to say, I'll listen to you, Kratos.." She hated seeing him so down on himself like that.
"...I know." he did his best to hide his voice cracking.
"..m-maybe it's time for bed! It's getting kind of late and..people always feel better when they wake up in the mornings.." She started to stand, trying to think of a room that wasn't occupied right now. Martha and her husband were gone for the week, so..that made all of the rooms pretty much vacant.
"...I'll stay here. Can't sleep anyway." Kratos rolled so his back faced Anna.
Her hand reached out to touch him but she retracted it, touching her own arm instead and looking down with a sigh. "..I understand. Please excuse me.." With that, she turned towards the backdoo and stepped outside to the porch, sitting on the stone that was hidden beneath the shading. As much as she tried to convince herself things would be okay, she was stuff..hesitant and skeptical. It made things hard to judge.
"...Forgive me..." Kratos whispered to nobody in particular. His raspy voice broke the silence easily enough, he just wasn't sure who it was meant for: Gojyo? Anna? Maybe even himself?
".." Anna was quite tired, and mistakenly fell asleep in the comfortable atomsphere outside, leaned against a wall with her wings folded petitely behind her.
After an hour, Kratos began to feel antsy, worried that Anna too had abandoned him. (He wasn't in the best mental health right now). So he willed himself to his feet and looked for her, ignoring the dull ache coming from his side. When he finally found her resting against the backyard wall, Kratos immediately set himself next to her, wrapping his arms around her once more. He didn't want her to catch a cold, but even more so, Kratos feared being left alone yet again.
Anna woke up a little, but only leaned into his hold a bit more, lacing her fingers through his over her shoulder. "..it's okay.."
"......Will you stay?"
"..I'm not going anywhere now.."
"Never."
"..you can't see it now but..I can see that you'll be very happy with him. As happy..if not happier than you were with me, Kratos, and..maybe you'll even agree with me."
Right now Kratos' mental health was as bad as it could get... "...You're just looking to leave me as well. Aren't you." His voice wasn't accusing. It was more rejected than anything.
She leaned up, smiling softly at him and touching his cheek. "..I'm still here, aren't I?"
"...Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me.." Anna leaned in against him again, looking out at the forest beyond the inn yard. "..but you do have to at least lie down. Would you at least lie down and close your eyes if I went inside with you..?" She looked up at him, then stretched a bit.
Kratos nodded. Looking back on this, he'd realize how pathetic he was acting, but he ignored it for now.
Anna stood up, holding her hands out for him to take so she could help him up in his weakened state. There was a sweet smile on her face. "Alright! Let's go find somewhere, okay?"
"...Okay." Kratos took her hands gratefully and brought himself to his feet.
Lets see..there are four rooms here..one of them is mine. Where do you want to stay, Kratos..?" She led him inside, holding his hand firmly, to let him know she wouldn't let go.
Even though he knew he didn't deserve it, Kratos asked, "...May I stay with you...? Just for tonight....
She blinked at his question and then smiled happily, nodding. "Of course you can..you can always stay with me, Kratos!" With that, she began to lead him down the hall and to her room, in which she slid a door open and stepped inside. "..w-well..here it is.."
The room wasn't outstanding, but there were photographs of the area around them, and a camera that sat near her laptop on the desk. Her bed was a large, king sized bed (the owners loved her very much.) with a large, light brown quilt covering the top. It was average but..it seemed to describe Anna perfectly.
"...It's nice." Kratos complimented her.
"N-no, it's..not really anything special.." Her face heated up a bit, and she moved aside to let him inside. "..you can..." She pointed towards a neat pile of laundry- it was the laudry of the family, and the man of this house was a pretty big man, so his pants would fit Kratos just fine. Anna, however, wobbled a bit, rubbing he eyes and forgetting to finish her sentance.
"...You're tired." He murmured again, watching her rub her eyes.
"A-ah, no, I'm fine! Really, I just..I guess flying around makes me a little tired when I'm not in heaven doing it.." She looked over to the pile and pointed. "I'm sure that you can find something to wear to bed in there, or if you want to, you can just lay down in those and I'll clean the sheets tomorro, okay?" It was obvious that she was trying very hard. Nevertheless, she smiled happily once more,
Kratos decided not to make things any harder for her, "That's fine with me... thank you."
"..then..I'm going to go and change first while you pick something out, alright?" She picked up a pair of pajammas and carried them into the bathroom, beginning to change once she shut the door.
"...All right." knowing Kratos, he'd just pick whatever was on top... which is exactly what he did. As he pulled off his shirt he realized... he need a shower. Badly. Spending a couple of days out in the mud did that to you.
Anna walked out, her hair let down from it's once high ponytail into wavy locks that fell over her shoulders. Her pajammas were quite big, but she seemed to like them very much. "..?" He was standing there like he was thinking about something..
"...Shower."
"..o-oh! Right! Go ahead!" She smiles sheepishly, scratching the side of her head and walking out of the way.
The bathroom smelled like fresh apples, as did Anna nowadays. Anna was busy prepping the bed.
"Thank you." Kratos walked straight inside, hit by the smell first thing. He stood for a moment, taking it in. It was nice and mild... just like Anna. He turned on the water spray, not caring too much if the water was hot or cold. He deserved to be burned, or frozen... and he suddenly felt very sick. Sick enough to double over the toilet. He was hit by the second wave of reality concerning what he'd just done. What he did to Gojyo.
Anna heard something and walked over, knocking on the door politely. "..i-is everything okay.?" D8 sounded not okay. But.. D:
"F..Fine..."
"I-I'm coming in.." She stepped inside, a bit surprised to see him doubled over the toilet, but she went to the cabinet to get a cold washcloth andthen knelt next to him, touching his forehead with it. "There..relax. The more tense you get the more likely you'll throw up again.." She rubbed his back and dabbed his face with the washcloth carefully. Anna was unafraid XO
Kratos opened his mouth to respond, only to start heaving again. There wasn't anything in his stomach to purge, so it was mostly dry retching mixed with an even drier sob. Anna's touch made him feel slightly better, but he couldn't tell her.
The cool washcloth rubbed against his forehead softly as she rubbed his back at the same time, watching him sadly. Her washcloth stroked his cheek a bit and dabbed the tears from his eyes until she had to flip the washcloth backwards to keep it cool.
"S-sorry..." Kratos managed to choke out.
"It's alright.." Anna comforted him softly, waiting for an opportune moment to get up and rinse the washcloth and dampen it with cold water again.
Kratos continued to heave, although the gagging stopped for now. The reaction had been more emotional than physical, so he called upon his natural barriers to quell his feelings, even if only for the moment. He looked up at her, trying to show Anna he was okay with a glance, although his eyes lied.
"..you don't have to lie to me, you know. It's okay to feel bad every once in a while..!" She smiled sadly, moving some hair from his face to behind his ear and out of the way. "..I'll stay with you as long as you need me to. Okay?"
"...Thank you." Kratos' head leaned to the side and onto Anna's upper arm.
".." She ran her hand through his hair, othr hand holding him gently. "..it's nothing.."
"It's everything."
"..huh?" She looked at him, her handpulling loose from his hair without hurting him, and watched him.
"It means everything to me..."
"..." She looked a bit guilty, but only for a split moment before she smiled again. "..are you feeling better..?"
Kratos caught that flash of guilt, but he said nothing of it. He didn't want to make her sadder than she probably already was, "...Yes. Thank you."
"Alright! Do you think you can stand..?" Her hands moved down to his to help him move. "..are you still going to take a shower..?" Anna's acting was top-notch- for someone who was looking for sadness, it would be easily seen, but she played off happiness in an attempt to make him more comfortable.
Kratos gave Anna two quick nods, his new (manly) stubble probably scratching her arm a bit as he did so.
"..then..I'll leave so you can do that. Do you need help getting up..?" Her legs bent a bit, moving to get up.
Had this been fifteen years ago, Kratos would have invited her to join him. However as the other day proved, that wouldn't be a good idea. Instead, he began to rise as well, "...Thank you. Again."
Anna smiled softly, laying the washcloth in the sink and turning to leave, wings curled up enough so they wouldn't hit things when she moved about. As she shut the door, her wings seemed to stretch out as far as they would go, then the door closed.
Kratos caught the sight of her wings stretching from her back from the corner of his eyes. She was so beautiful in his eyes, she didn't need them, but they didn't hurt accentuate it. Once he was sure he could move, he began to pull his muddy shirt off, wincing at the pain in his ribs.
Her eyes looked around the room- just knowing that Kratos had been in it made the room feel a little bigger, but she pushed it aside. With her wings came to the new urge to want to be outside, rather than cooped up inside, despite how late it was. Anna's lips began to move, and she began humming a Luin Lullaby that she was taught when she was younger. moving out of the room and back outside where she had previously fallen asleep.
With his superb angelic hearing, Kratos was able to catch the lullaby with no problem. The gentle notes hit him right in the center of his normally stone cold heart, helped by his current mental state, putting him at ease. It took what little will power he had left to go back to the task at hand-- removing his pants and taking a shower.
Being by herself for if not only a few minutes would give Anna enough time to consider her options- all of them, which ranged from keeping Kratos to herself to returning to heaven right here and now. The smile that she had forced upon her face faded as she slid down the wall and pushed her palm to her forehead. A huge hole that she had dug by initiating this in the first place. And he was practically throwing up his heart and cowering in fear of being alone because of it.
The temperature of the water didn't really matter to Kratos. He wasn't really looking for comfort, and only wanted to scrub off the mud caked to his body and hair. There was the sinking feeling of disappointment when he could no longer hear Anna's lullaby, so he closed his eyes and tried to imagine the notes in his mind... only to be greeted with the feeling of someone wrapping their arms around his waist. He leaned back, and could of swore he felt Gojyo's chin on his shoulder-- he was taller than Kratos, and never let him forget it, so he was sure it was him. Kratos sighed, unaware that this was nothing more than a hallucination formed by his broken mind.
As if God was listening to Anna think, an owl flew down from the hole of it's tree to her shoulder, watching her. Anna looked quite surprised to see it, stopping the lullaby entirely to stare at it with awe and confusion. Then, she couldn't help but return to her thoughts, contemplating returning to heaven or not, and almost as if the owl was reading her thoughts as God was, the owl dashed through and nipped at the skin just below her jaw, as if he was biting her. She let out a yelp, loosing her balance and unconsciously waving the owl away hurridly, touching her neck. It only bled slightly, which was good, but..that was possibly the most unusual thing that'd happened to her since she arrived.
That yelp snapped Kratos out of his fantasy world, and he leapt out of the shower, ignoring the searing pain in his side. He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist, not one to forget such a thing, and ran to where he heard the sound, ready for a fight. He glanced at Anna, then at their surroundings, and finally back to her, "What happened?" he questioned, breathless.
She looked up at him, jumping when the door opened and his voice sounded through, then released her hand from her neck to reveal a small line of blood. "...." she was in a bit of surprise now, unsure of how to explain what happened.
"Your neck..."
After coming to her senses a bit, she stood up and smiled sheepishly, shaking a hand and returning the other to her neck. "..I-I'm fine..an owl.." She couldn't help but laugh a bit, unsure how to talk about it. "..an owl came down and..when I thought of returning..he bit me! Or..nipped me! Or..however you want to say it..." What an awkward message.. "A-a-anyway, don't worry, I'm fine! You can go finish your shower, I..didn't mean to interrupt you." Kratos in a towel = \o/ but it was a secret.
"...Where did it go?" How dare some random owl pop in out of nowhere and bite Anna. The nerve. "There must have been a reason..."
"..l-like I said, it's alright.." She waved her hand a bit. "He just surprised me.."
"We should wash it at least, so it doesn't become infected." Kratos seemed to have forgotten he was in a towel, and he bent down to examine the cut closer.
Anna's face flushed considerably, and she found her hand sinking from her neck and slipping to her side when he got closer.
"...It's shallow, but we should still be careful."
In the distance, an owl cooed. Anna looked in that direction and then back to Kratos. "..I'll be sure to bandage it up, okay..? You finish taking your shower..there are some clean clothes for you in the pile I showed you earlier!" She brought her hand back up to where she could examine the very little blood on it.
"...If you're sure." Kratos sensed something else underneath Anna's insisting, but once again he kept it to himself.
"I am!" Anna smiled happily, looking back at him. "Don't worry so much! Now come on..lets go back inside, okay?" She was still a little red from the fact that Kratos was only dressed in a towel, but kept to herself about it.
"...All right." Kratos stood up again and walked back into the house... but not before the towel slipped just a bit below his waist. Hooray for fanservice.
dsflerlhlsekrjawegweg fanservice. Damn you. Anna looked away, not wanting to tempt herself. Or let him tempt her, even if it was by mistake. fsdaghkwehg. When they returned to the bedroom, she found her first aid kit and began to treat the wound as Kratos would have wanted, then put a bandaid on it.
Kratos was satisfied with that, and went back into the bathroom where the shower was still running. He blinked, unable to recall exactly he was doing in there. Oh well, it didn't matter. What did matter was scrubbing himself clean. He grabbed the soap and began rubbing his body, closing his eyes once more... and once again fell into the illusion his mind created before. This time, Gojyo was teasing him about his face stubble. "...Shut up."
The bandage was applied and she blinked at it in the mirror, sitting in achair with her legs bent in a ladylike position, which was kind of strange for Anna. When she looked in the mirror, all she could see was the pair of wings, and..she felt like she had forced herself into a corner.
From the bathroom came a muffled, "I said be quiet!"
"..." His speaking caused her to look up at the bathroom door. Who was he talking to..?
Himself really. As far as Kratos was concerned, he was arguing with another man, in their shower.
Anna was at a loss of what to do; Kratos was going to go absolutely crazy if he couldn't be with Gojyo. While it hurt, it was one of those 'put others before yourself' ideals that she lived by. She had to go find Gojyo, apoligize, leave, and let both of them go. The idea in her head caused her to rise, looking outside a window and humming the same lullaby she had earlier, but..this time it was accompanied with a tone of sadness.
If Anna left, that would put Kratos into another state of delirium. Right now, he just couldn't take the stress of the situation. Combined with everything else, his mind just buckled. He opened his mouth to launch another playful retort at the invisible Gojyo, when the lullaby started again. Kratos' eyes snapped open again, and he found himself poised in the shower, soap in hand. What was he just doing? Perplexed, he finished washing himself, the sad song keeping his mind grounded in reality.
"..and the birds in the trees will call you..to heaven and the skies..." She sang softly, a hand touching the windowpane. He stopped talking to himself..was he listening to her? She sang a bit louder, unaware of how melencholy her song sounded from the original lullaby.
Kratos sighed when Anna sang louder. He loved it when she sang. Turning off the water, he reached out for another towel, roughly drying his hair. He wrapped the other towel around his waist again, ready to venture back out into the hallways in search of the clean clothes Anna pointed out before. He couldn't find a razor in the bathroom, so he didn't shave his face, which may have been a good thing. Right now, Kratos plus any kind of blade was a bad combination.
The clothes awaited his pick up, laying neatly on top of the pile. The pants were a little big but they would fit Kratos easily. Anna's voice died down and she sat on the bed, her wings stretching out again before curling up tightly.
Kratos found said clothing and began to slip into it, adjusting as needed. He felt a lot better now that he'd bathed and changed and knocked on Anna's door, peeking inside.
Anna jumped, standing and turning around, "C-come in!" Her sleeves rolled long over her fingertips as she watched the door open.
First, Kratos peeked through, his head appearing from behind the door, "...Are you sure?"
"Of course." Anna smiled sweetly, walking around the bed and opening the door further.
Kratos walked inside once she opened the door fully. He liked Anna's room, for some reason it felt so welcoming.
She shut the door and behind him, looking at the bed for a few moments, then flopping onto it, letting out a small, happy sigh. She looked kinf od tired. But not enough to sleep.
Kratos fought the urge to flop on top of her, and instead sat at the bed edge, smiling down at her.
She turned to look at him, bringing her hands to her face and smiling against the bed.
"Hey." Kratos mock pouted, "I want to see your face."
"Noo..!" She played, her hands covering her eyes.
Kratos pounced on top of her, "Let me see!" he smirked.
Anna squeaked a bit, wiggling beneath him and resisting still, giggling a bit with a smile on her lips.
"Anna," Kratos pouted again.
her hands fell from her face and above her head as she watched him, pale green eyes blinking curiously.
"Hello."
She tilted her head a bit on the bed, smiling happily soon after. "Hello, Kratos!" <3
Kratos smiled warmly back, reaching up to brush a lock of hair from her face.
An eye shut as he moved the hair from her eyesight, but the other watched him. "..did you have a nice shower?" When she was with him it was as if she could forget everything that troubled her.
"Mm." Kratos confirmed.
"Good..!" Anna moved as if she would sit up,Her eyes shut a little more.
Kratos pulled back to allow her to sit up, still smiling.
She looked at him, tilting her head and smiling happily, if not curiously. "What is it?"
"Hmm?"
"I don't know..you're smiling like something really good happened!"
"...You're here. That constitutes as 'good.'"
At his comment, Anna's face heated up quickly. "..th-that..that is.." she looked down, scratching her face a bit.
Kratos reached out and brought her close against him, "...You... you won't leave me..."
His words struck a chord in her, and she allowed herself to be pulled to him. "..I...I'm not sure yet.."
Once he heard that, Kratos stiffened. He was convinced he wasn't going to be alone again.
"Kratos.." she murmured his name softly, feeling him tense up. "..listen to me.."
He kept silent.
".." She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice failed to carry through. Rather, she began to try and pull away to try and sleep on the bed. Explaining what you can't phrase correctly will only lead to ruin.
Kratos was, in a word, crushed. He let Anna go, only because he needed the room to stand up and leave, heading straight for the couch outside.
"W-wait..!" She rose from the bed quickly, grabbing his arm. "..I'm sorry, Kratos, I.." she looked away. It would be better for his mental stability if she spoke comforting words to him. "...I-I was..just tired. I...won't be going anywhere." She felt happier saying that, and as soon as she did, the big wings on her back dissapeared, and she wobbled back into the door, unsure of what was going on. But..she looked to Kratos.
"...Do what you want, Anna." Kratos' voice was quiet, "...Don't... change any plans because of me."
"...come here." She took his hand and led him back inside the bedroom, seating him and then herself.
"I promised you that I would stay here with you and..I will not break my promise. Kratos..I'm just worried for your judgement, right now. When people hurt, everything that they do seems to magnify and reach farther and farther from their problem.." Anna gave his hand a light squeeze. "..it's hard because..I know I'm not the one." Her eyes filled with water. "..and..I wish I was, every day that I've been here, I've wished that I was. But..I can't be."
Kratos squeezed Anna's hand back, almost desperately. "If it's not you, then I don't know who it would be." his voice cracked again. Obviously, he didn't want to believe this was true, "...He doesn't want me back. I don't blame him."
"..so am I..the backup? Or..the rebound?" She was just as hurt as he was at that moment in time, shutting her eyes to keep the tears from flowing, but they did just that. She looked quite heartbroken. But she held onto his hand longingly.
"..." Anna had him there. Kratos couldn't admit it, but he'd been treating her as both thus far. He loved her, after all, she was his wife.
She smiled sadly, standing up. "You can stay in here tonight, I'm going to go sleep on the couch."
Kratos shook his head, "I don't... no. I don't sleep anyway. It would be pointless... and it's your bed."
She was already walking away, humming Luin's lullaby once more, making her way out of the room to the couch. If she turnd around, she would likely start to cry.
Kratos had been abandoned once more, and, just like the first time, it was all his fault. He dropped into the bed, and stared at nothing. Slowly, he withdrew into himself until he even forgot to breathe (not that his body needed it). If he could, he would've just died right now.
Rather than moving to the couch, she shut the door behind her and slid down the wall next to it, bringing her face inbetween her knees and trembling softly, repressing any noise. She knew of his excellent hearing.
Not that he would hear her now, anyway. Kratos' current state was that of a comatose man, except his eyes remained open-- glassy and staring into nothing.
Slowly, she wobbled and went in and out of sleep, until she finally fell to her side, out like a light. tears ran down her face absentmindedly.