stress relief (KRATOS)

[Sheena Fujibayashi]

“Augh!”

A loud smack echoed through the empty ruins as an angry cry rang out, causing a small flock of birds to fly off in surprise. The source of outburst was a very frustrated young woman who was currently venting her anger against the crumbling landscape - a process that wasn't exactly doing her much good. Still, she continued in throwing kicks and punches at inanimate objects, trying to fully drain herself of all frustrations. As if that could ever happen, though.

Panting, the young woman took a pause from beating up the landscape. There was a good collection of vines that were now laying limply on the ground, the only visible testimony to her work. Otherwise, she'd only been able to hit harder surfaces, which were slightly scuffed but otherwise still intact. One wall in particular had a reddish smudge on it however. Sucking in a breath, the dark haired female clutched one her wrists tightly, trying to dull the sharp pain shooting out from her blooded knuckles. Turns out punching a stone wall wasn't a great way of relieving stress after all.

With a groan Sheena let herself sink down onto a near by rock, cradling her hand all the while. She'd always been able to relieve stress by practicing with one of the villagers back at home or, while on the journey to reunite the worlds, Zelos had always proved to be a good punching bag. But right now she had neither of those options available to her, thus forcing the ninja to let her anger out through her most natural way of expression; with action. Her grandfather had suggested some other ways of calming herself, such as meditation. Yet nothing tired her out or made her feel more satisfied then letting loose a good few smacks against something – or someone.

This time however, she didn't feel any type of relief. If anything, she just felt even worse. Even if she could relieve her frustrations against the crumbling ruins, it didn't change the fact that she was alone here. Not that she wanted any of the people she loved to suffer the same twist of fate and end up stuck here too, but if only she could have some form of reassurance from them, to know she wasn't by herself in all of this... Absentmindedly the ninja let one of her bloodied hands rest above the hidden pocket in her robe. A small bit of her anxiety filtered away as her fingertips touched the small bell inside the cloth. 'I'm not alone', she reminded herself, 'Corrine is with me...'

What she would give to have her small furry friend with her now. She could never fathom how she could ever repay the small summon spirit for his faith and companionship. Their time together had been some of the best in her life, even if it had been spent as a constant struggle to show Mizuho how sorry she was. And now Corrine was... Head lowering, the ninja's ignored the sharp pain that spiked through her hand and arm as she made a tight fist. “I've gotten stronger, Corrine,” She murmured softly, “I know I can find my way back home, but... what do I do?”

---

word count// 539
tags// Kratos
music// Lost Pieces - Chrono Cross
OOC// Ninja angst derp. :X

[KRATOS AURION]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][bg=0e0e0e][atrb=style,padding: 40px 0px 10px 0px; height: 240px;][atrb=vAlign,bottom] 856 WORDS LISTENING TO "SOMETHING" BY SOMEONE TAGGED SHEENA IT'S OKAY, KRATOS IS HERE. stress relief

[bg=d3d3d3][atrb=style,padding: 20px;] KRATOS AURION Normal people would find his current situation rather displeasing and nerve racking. Pulled away from their own world and dumped in an unknown world with hardly anything to give them a sense of direction, but most people haven't lived as long as he has. Kratos was rather confused when he was first landed here, and felt kind of lonely, but he had embraced the idea of forever being alone when he exiled himself on Derris-Kharlan to drift in space. He would occasionally wonder what his son and his friends were doing and the only way to talk about it was talking to Yuan. Even then it didn't last very long when the plant became to far out in reach to send any messages to his old half-elven friend. Then the only thing that was left was the dead silence and mindless floating angels that continued what they were doing as if Mithos never died. He didn't have the heart, or patience, to try and explain the situation to the angels and would always reply with a simple "He's currently away" when they would inquire where Mithos or Yuan were. He wasn't completely sure as to why he was in this strange world called Suiren, but if the information that he received was correct there was a reason why he was here. Granted he didn't believe the idea that the Crystal called forth heroes because he was anything but a hero. He didn't deserve such a title and it was something that would be reserved for his late student, Mithos, and his son, Lloyd. Not a man like him who has killed countless people that would forever stain his hand, sword, and conscious. Thinking about the things that he had done would often times cause him to go into a state of depression, but he would eventually be able to shake off the feeling. Though thinking of Lloyd would put him into a more of state of depression. He knew that leaving Lloyd would cause the boy some distress, but Lloyd didn't need him anymore. If anything he was more of a constant reminder of how much he had hurt the world. In Kratos' mind, it was for the best that he had left. Glancing at the ground with a rather glum look on his face, his wine eyes slowly rise up towards the familiar ruins that he had been to not too long ago. Trying his best to clear his mind of all worries, wonders, and thoughts that didn't concern what he was doing. Granted he wasn't really doing anything important, just trying to pass by from Kesho to Sabaku. He just knew it wouldn't be a good idea to have a troubled mind when traveling through dangerous areas, even though he knew there were hardly any monsters or bandits in this area. He still couldn't have himself let his guard down just because he was lonely and wished he could see Lloyd again. Coming around the corner of a pillar his eyes flicker towards the body of someone near a crumbled landscape. This made him quickly back track to put his back against the pillar and slowly look around the corner to get a good look at the person. With the black hair, purple outfit, and familiar frustrated outburst it couldn't be anyone but her. What on earth was Sheena doing here? Well obviously she was trying to break that slab of stone, but he could only guess that she was in this world for the same reason that he was. That made him a little hopeful that he wasn't completely alone from his own world. Yet the feeling of his betrayal towards her group and not fully thinking that they had forgiven him made him hesitate. He would love the idea of being able to talk to someone about how Aselia was after months of no contact with Yuan, but could he really talk to her so casually like that? No, he was nothing more than a traitor. He didn't deserve such a chance. Turning his head away ashamed with his own self, his sensitive hears the ending of her pounding away at the stone. The sound of her slumping at the ground and the whispers of her own words. Then it dawned on him. He wasn't the only one who was all alone in this strange world. So was Sheena, and the very least Kratos knew some things of this world. Should he really hide away in his own feelings when someone obviously before him was just sitting there with no hope? Thinking it over for a few seconds he finally hardens his facial expression and walks around the corner. "You can first stop wallowing in self-pity and actually do something." Kratos says cooly. His expression giving away to nothing that he was thinking. There was no hello from the Seraphim, not a 'are you okay?' A simple answer to her question in his blunt manner. Sure he could be a little on the kinder side, but when has ever babying someone actually gotten them somewhere?

[bg=0e0e0e][atrb=style,padding: 10px; font-family: courier new; color: #d3d3d3; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 5px;]TEMPLATE CODED BY RAIN FROM OTE

[Sheena Fujibayashi]

Exhaling softly, Sheena stiffly ran her hands through her bangs, wincing from the sting that came with moving them. Ugh, that really hadn't been a bright idea. She glared down at her bruised hands, chastising herself for being so weak and stupid. Traveling with healers had always been a useful asset, and even without magic some of the essentials a ninja was supposed to carry around were balms or bandages to mask the scent and sight of blood. She should have listened to Orochi when he told her to always carry some, which she'd dismissed under the assumption he was just being his usual protective self. But no, yet again she was wrong and her stubborn attitude had ended up working against her. Sheena clenched her fists, focusing on the pain that shot through her hands and arms at the strain. Stupid, stupid, stupid...

"You can first stop wallowing in self-pity and actually do something."

A voice, a gruff but cool toned baritone, cut through the silence like a knife. During her angst party the summoner had entirely forgotten about her surroundings, and hadn't even noticed someone had joined her in her small corner of the ruins. Oh yeah, she was an ace ninja alright. With a start Sheena scrambled to her feet, seals appearing in both of her hands as she turned to face the stranger. Except, this person wasn't a stranger. She knew this person, this man, far too well. And yet, at the same time, she hardly knew anything about him at all. She'd believed him to be gone forever – not dead, but left to another place, on Derris-Kharlan. Lloyd had been the last person to see him, and he'd barely said anything to her about this man's whereabouts when she'd asked. Yet she'd been fine with that knowledge. Maybe a little disappointed in the man's choice of action, but content with the fact her brunette companion had come to terms with his relationship with the man.

But now, here that man stood, and she could hardly believe her eyes. Sheena's defensive stance faltered as recognition clicked into place. No... this couldn't be real. This had to be a dream. Sure, she could believe she was in another world, but this...? “K-Kratos!” She finally stuttered, eyebrows knitting together in disbelief, “W-What're you doing here?! I thought...” Her voice trailed off, as if her ability to speak had fizzled out along with the ability to discern reality. This place, this world, just kept on getting stranger and stranger. Eventually, Sheena finally comprehended what Kratos had said upon his entrance, and in an instant the young woman was back in defense mode. “I wasn't wallowing!” She said defiantly with a glare. Well, of course that was a lie, but Sheena wasn't about to admit that – especially not to someone like him. This guy... What was he even doing here? Shouldn't he be hanging out with the other angels back in Derris-Kharlan? Or maybe he'd been sucked into this world just like she had been?

"Wha... What are you doing here anyway?" She asked while eying the swordsman warily, inwardly kicking herself at her inability to form a single sentence. Honestly, she had to be stronger than this! It was only Kratos after all. She could take him if things got ugly... right? Even though he'd left them on good terms... Ack! This was all too confusing! Whatever his reason for approaching her was, she'd just have to stay on her toes and be ready for anything.

---

word count// 587
tags// Kratos
music// In The Shadows - The Rasmus
OOC// DADDY~ coughahem I mean.

[KRATOS AURION]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][bg=0e0e0e][atrb=style,padding: 40px 0px 10px 0px; height: 240px;][atrb=vAlign,bottom] XXX WORDS LISTENING TO "STEREO HEART" GYM CLASS HEROES TAGGED SHEENA Daddy should become a motivational speaker. B| stress relief

[bg=d3d3d3][atrb=style,padding: 20px;] KRATOS AURION The Seraph suppressed a smile from forming on his lips. Though his face did soften for a second at the sight of the Mizuho ninja quickly getting to her feet in a state of panic. Usually if he tried sneaking up on a Mizuho ninja, even with Kratos' experience, he would already have a dagger at his throat. Though Sheena was a bit lacking on the quick reflexes and the understanding of always watching her surroundings occasionally he couldn't blame her for not noticing him earlier. She seemed in rather deep thought and depression. She must feel lonely, just as lonely as he did. He was at least use to not having people to have around when you need someone to lean on. Seeing her defensive stance and the cards in her hands, he puts up a hand to show that he didn't come her to fight. He walks forward slowly as his eyes glance at her bloodied hand. What exactly was she doing to ..oh yes. She was punching at the slab of stone repeatedly. Enough to crack her hands and make blood flow from them. It also didn't seem like she planned on cleaning them at all. His eyes flicker up to her face when she questions what he was here. "Passing by." Kratos replies smoothly. It was a the truth, but he didn't feel the need to explain further towards his reason why. Walking closer to Sheena he looks her right in the eyes for a second as he stops only a foot away from her. His eyes falling down to her hands as he grabs her wrists with a firm grip as he examines them. His mind not really registering that he was more then close then he would usually prefer and ignoring any looks she might give him towards the matter. His hands were pretty beat up, and he could heal them with magic, but he didn't want to chance healing them with an infection festering inside. Looking up to hear her defend herself in the matter of walling in pity, he couldn't help but chuckle at it. Stepping back as he let her wrists go to look in his pack to clean her wounds. "Of course, forgive me. I suppose the term 'wallowing' no longer applies to those who afflict injuries to themselves out of depression." Kratos says with a rather amused tone to his voice. His hand pulling out some bandages from his pack before he starts to muse that he would need some clean water to clean the blood away. Kratos stops in his tracks as he starts to that he may seem really weird right now. It's just that. NO HUMAN CONTACT FOR LIKE...YEARS? Okay it's not that many years compared to his life, but he had kind of gotten use to being around people thanks to Lloyd's group. So he kind of felt obligated to help out Sheena, and maybe he was a little concerned about her? Granted he was sure Sheena cared little for the Seraph, since he did hurt Lloyd.

[/color] Kratos replies curtly. Like he was explaining plainly why he was acting that way. [tr][td][bg=0e0e0e][atrb=style,padding: 10px; font-family: courier new; color: #d3d3d3; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 5px;]TEMPLATE CODED BY RAIN FROM OTE[/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[Sheena Fujibayashi]

Sheena continued to watch the imposing swordsman warily, if albeit still a little defiantly. She hadn't been wallowing, d**nit. She'd just been... contemplating. Yes, that was it. Contemplating her situation and trying to figure out what the next best course of action should be. Just like her grandfather would have suggested. So how dare Kratos just strut in and lower her thinking to such a stupid action. Sheena Fujibayashi didn't wallow. … At least, not when anybody was looking. In her angry musings the ninja didn't fully comprehend the fact that the redhead was slowly drawing closer, and it wasn't until he was only a few steps away did her mind comprehend this. Jolted back into the real world, the summoner tensed, pressing herself against the wall, as if that would help keep the distance between them.

That tactic obviously didn't work, and when he didn't stop Sheena started to raise her hands with ofuda still tightly pressed between her fingers. “H-hey-” She started, trying to warn the man she was in fact still armed and ready to give him a face full of seals if need be. That was, of course, until Kratos reached out to take a hold of her wrists. Caught between shock and confusion, Sheena let out a stuttering 'e-eh?!' as the older man looked over her hands. Wh-what was going on here?! This was not the sort of reaction she'd anticipated when facing an companion traitor acquaintance from her own world - much less when it was from this guy. Briefly in shock, Sheena blinked stupidly up at the Seraph, unsure how to react to this type of treatment. That is until his tight grip on her hands reminded her that hey, bleeding knuckles here. Not really helping by adding pressure on them and all that.

Wincing, the summoner tugged at the swordsman's iron like grip, instinct telling her to move away and get some space between them. “Let go!” She struggled out, clenching her teeth in a mixture of determination and pain as she tried to free her hands. When he finally did let go, Sheena immediately took the opportunity to practically leap a foot away from the man, holding one of her wrists gingerly as she did so. U-ugh. That had been... rather terrifying. She'd forgotten how tall and downright strong Kratos was since their last encounter. While their fight against him had been such a long time ago, the sheer strength of his grip was startling enough for her to realize that she was... pretty darn out matched, should they potentially come close to fighting. That didn't appear to be Kratos' intent here though - far from it. He was acting almost... worried? The idea of using such a word in the same sentence as the name of one of the previous Seraph was just so bizarre to her though.

Sheena jumped a little when he finally spoke again, clutching her hands tightly against herself as if out of fear he'd grab them again. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance at the comment, boldness once again bubbling up inside her at the jibe. “That wasn't what I was doing either!” She replied with a small huff, gaze momentarily turning to the side, a rather childlike action if viewed in a certain light. “I was just... venting, is all.” Sheena shrugged her shoulders, as if the small admittance would explain everything as to why she'd bruising herself up. When she peered back at the redhead, it looked as if he'd finally realized something, and had paused in whatever he'd been retrieving out of his pack, as if in thought. Maybe it finally clicked in his brain how odd he was acting, or maybe he was realizing that he should be treating her in the opposite way. The kinda sorta the 'normal' way she'd originally expected him to do. But he had helped them in the end... and... Urgh. Sheena just did not know what to expect from this guy – even less so now.

Shifting her weight uneasily from foot to foot, she stared at him curiously for a few minutes, chewing the inside of her lower lip in thought. “How are you... here, anyway?” She finally asked, her mind once again trying to make sense of the man's mere presence here. “Why aren't you back in Derris-Kharlan?”

---

tags // Kratos
count // 724
music // THE SOUND OF MY FINGERS TYPING LIKE THE WIND
OOC // SCREW GETTING UP EARLY, I WANT TO ROLEPLAY. D8< coughanyway I'm REALLY sorry I have to skedaddle on you so soon like this. ;___; I'm crossing my fingers I have the ability to get on and type of replies while I'm out in Tuscon though. If I'm not I'll be thinking of you guys and hoping the week goes by fast. LOVE YOU YOMI~ <333333333