Rosa - "The Long Road - 4"
Title: The Long Road - 4
Theme + Number: #32 Betrayal
Claim: Rosa (challenge)
Characters/Pairings included: Kain
Rating: K
Warnings: None.
Writer's Notes: Depending on how you view Rosa, this one may not be up to what you would expect of her. The new version of the Theme of Love is doing wonders for me staying in the right mood/feel for the story. I wanted to get this out today since the game officially released in Japan today. Again, not very long, but it felt like the best spot to stop.
Summary: Rosa finishes her preparations to seek out Cecil, and just when she and Kain are about to set out in search for him, things take a turn for the worse. [This story arc takes place in the time between Cecil leaving for Mist and Rosa appearing in Kaipo.]
She checked her supplies once more. The vibrant green and oceanic blue of her potions and ethers made a strange spectacle of soft light in her pack. Any other time, she would have marveled at their intrinsic beauty, their allusion to the very forces of nature she called upon with every spell she cast. She didn't have that luxury of time. Her quiver was filled, her bow checked and re-checked by twanging the taut line. All that remained was Kain's return from the castle.
"Where is he?" Rosa thought. She looked out her window. The sun had become a small orange speck on the horizon. Just when she feared the worst for her comrade, she heard a heavy knock on the door.
"Rosa."
"Kain!" Rosa stepped briskly to the door and opened it to see him standing tall and strong. As glad as she was to see him, one look at helmet adorning his head made her lurch. How she loathed the helmet hiding his face. She never said it, the thought always running in the back of her mind. It spoke of monsters, and demons, and everything which Kain was not. Why did Baron's soldiers need to don the mask of beasts? She wanted to remove it and show Kain the man she knew he was, but.. no. She could not. Like her beloved, he would have to learn that for himself.
"I was starting to worry, you took so long..."
Kain remained stoic, his eyes hidden by the yellow slits of his finely crafted helmet. His silence echoed from him, a terribly dark silence that felt as though it would smother her.
"Kain... you're acting strange. Did something happen in the castle?" Rosa implored, her eyes shining with a faint light of concern.
Kain looked away, "I'm okay. The king is sending a search party to Mist and the next nearest town, Kaipo."
"That's good news," Rosa replied. As she said it, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was holding something back. "Kain... if something happened, you know you can talk to me. Right?"
"Yes..." Kain nodded.
Though the feeling lingered, Rosa didn't want to press him. She slipped a belt to her waist, a knife resting to one side which caused it to hang down on her thigh. Gathering the rest of her necessities, she exited her home and locked the door behind her. She took a final look, realizing in the moment what her journey would mean. Her gaze went back to Kain.
"Are you ready to look for Cecil?"
"Almost," Kain said, voice gravelly. "There's just one last thing."
Rosa wondered what he meant as Kain reached into a small pouch at his side and removed a small object. Dangling from a golden chain, the blue crystal had a faint glow. Rosa was speechless as Kain held it out to her.
"This crystal is a family heirloom, passed down to me to give to the person I want to protect the most. It sets fear into monsters," Kain explained. "I would like you to wear it."
Rosa hesitated, shocked by the sheer weight of his offer. "Are you sure?"
"I can think of no person more worthy of the power held within this crystal."
She was reluctant, yet knew him well. Her gentle fingers took the chain from his hand and brought the ends to latch it behind her neck. Its light grew stronger as she hooked the ends in place.
"Thank you, Kain, I-AH!" Rosa cried. The crystal's light pounded into her eyes and sank beneath her skin, worming its way deeper. Her muscles twitched and convulsed as she felt its power coursing into every nook and cranny. It was washing over her, and she knew what the crystal truly wanted.
She wouldn't let it happen. Summoning all the strength in her heart and soul, she fought the crashing waves of energy that came from the crystal. Slowly but surely, she beat them back. Her limbs stilled, and she could hear a loud cracking. In moments, the crystal shattered and burst into a thousand tiny fragments, and the light died with it. She panted and heaved.
"Kain... what was..."
"He said the crystal would work!" Kain lamented. "No matter, I can take you by force. Come, Rosa, we must see Golbez and the King!"
Theme + Number: #32 Betrayal
Claim: Rosa (challenge)
Characters/Pairings included: Kain
Rating: K
Warnings: None.
Writer's Notes: Depending on how you view Rosa, this one may not be up to what you would expect of her. The new version of the Theme of Love is doing wonders for me staying in the right mood/feel for the story. I wanted to get this out today since the game officially released in Japan today. Again, not very long, but it felt like the best spot to stop.
Summary: Rosa finishes her preparations to seek out Cecil, and just when she and Kain are about to set out in search for him, things take a turn for the worse. [This story arc takes place in the time between Cecil leaving for Mist and Rosa appearing in Kaipo.]
She checked her supplies once more. The vibrant green and oceanic blue of her potions and ethers made a strange spectacle of soft light in her pack. Any other time, she would have marveled at their intrinsic beauty, their allusion to the very forces of nature she called upon with every spell she cast. She didn't have that luxury of time. Her quiver was filled, her bow checked and re-checked by twanging the taut line. All that remained was Kain's return from the castle.
"Where is he?" Rosa thought. She looked out her window. The sun had become a small orange speck on the horizon. Just when she feared the worst for her comrade, she heard a heavy knock on the door.
"Rosa."
"Kain!" Rosa stepped briskly to the door and opened it to see him standing tall and strong. As glad as she was to see him, one look at helmet adorning his head made her lurch. How she loathed the helmet hiding his face. She never said it, the thought always running in the back of her mind. It spoke of monsters, and demons, and everything which Kain was not. Why did Baron's soldiers need to don the mask of beasts? She wanted to remove it and show Kain the man she knew he was, but.. no. She could not. Like her beloved, he would have to learn that for himself.
"I was starting to worry, you took so long..."
Kain remained stoic, his eyes hidden by the yellow slits of his finely crafted helmet. His silence echoed from him, a terribly dark silence that felt as though it would smother her.
"Kain... you're acting strange. Did something happen in the castle?" Rosa implored, her eyes shining with a faint light of concern.
Kain looked away, "I'm okay. The king is sending a search party to Mist and the next nearest town, Kaipo."
"That's good news," Rosa replied. As she said it, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was holding something back. "Kain... if something happened, you know you can talk to me. Right?"
"Yes..." Kain nodded.
Though the feeling lingered, Rosa didn't want to press him. She slipped a belt to her waist, a knife resting to one side which caused it to hang down on her thigh. Gathering the rest of her necessities, she exited her home and locked the door behind her. She took a final look, realizing in the moment what her journey would mean. Her gaze went back to Kain.
"Are you ready to look for Cecil?"
"Almost," Kain said, voice gravelly. "There's just one last thing."
Rosa wondered what he meant as Kain reached into a small pouch at his side and removed a small object. Dangling from a golden chain, the blue crystal had a faint glow. Rosa was speechless as Kain held it out to her.
"This crystal is a family heirloom, passed down to me to give to the person I want to protect the most. It sets fear into monsters," Kain explained. "I would like you to wear it."
Rosa hesitated, shocked by the sheer weight of his offer. "Are you sure?"
"I can think of no person more worthy of the power held within this crystal."
She was reluctant, yet knew him well. Her gentle fingers took the chain from his hand and brought the ends to latch it behind her neck. Its light grew stronger as she hooked the ends in place.
"Thank you, Kain, I-AH!" Rosa cried. The crystal's light pounded into her eyes and sank beneath her skin, worming its way deeper. Her muscles twitched and convulsed as she felt its power coursing into every nook and cranny. It was washing over her, and she knew what the crystal truly wanted.
She wouldn't let it happen. Summoning all the strength in her heart and soul, she fought the crashing waves of energy that came from the crystal. Slowly but surely, she beat them back. Her limbs stilled, and she could hear a loud cracking. In moments, the crystal shattered and burst into a thousand tiny fragments, and the light died with it. She panted and heaved.
"Kain... what was..."
"He said the crystal would work!" Kain lamented. "No matter, I can take you by force. Come, Rosa, we must see Golbez and the King!"