A/N: And yet another Z-skit from Cute But Psycho. ::sweatdrops:: I know, I know, I should be working on My Anna, and I am. But I hit a spot of writers' block, and so I worked on this to get past it. It helped, too. Hehe. Next chapter of My Anna should be up before goes into maintanence mode, but if it's not, it'll be directly after. Until then, this should tide you over.

As always, this contains spoilers. If you haven't hit the scene at Altessa's house on disk two with Yuan and Kratos, this WILL spoil things for you. That's just the way it it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia or any related characters/places/whatever. I just have an overactive imagination. kthnxbye.

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Kratos was aware when the young, brown-haired boy quickened his pace to catch up to him as the rag-tag group walked through the Palmacosta streets, though he didn't seem it. Lloyd seemed to be deep in thought, and Kratos knew that if he had anything to say, he'd say it. Until then, he'd leave the boy alone.

"Parent's love for a child is amazing, isn't it?" Lloyd said finally.

Kratos looked over at the boy. He was surprised at his choice of topic – that is, until he took into account the recent events with Dorr, and the conversation Lloyd had had with Colette just moments before on the lie that he had told Dorr just before his death. Still, Lloyd did not normally discuss topics like this with him, and, to be honest, it made the so-called mercenary a bit uncomfortable. He was almost afraid he'd reveal more than he meant to.

"So it would seem," Kratos replied, choosing his words carefully. The thought of having the boy find out who he truly was was frightening, especially knowing what he was going to have to do once the group reached the Tower of Salvation. It would already be difficult to betray the seventeen-year-old, as he looked up to the older man so much. Having to do it with Lloyd knowing who he really was... would be nearly impossible. And there wasn't much that an angel of Cruxis found impossible.

Lloyd grew solemn, looking at his feet with an almost sad expression on his face. "I wonder if... mom died protecting me from Desians," he said quietly. The thought was probably meant to be silent and not spoken aloud, but Kratos couldn't help but ask a question anyway.

"You don't have any memories of when your mother died?" Surely the boy had been old enough to remember something, at least. How old had he been? Five?

"I was only three," Lloyd said, answering Kratos' unasked question. "I hardly remember anything."

Kratos nodded slowly. That's right, he thought. It had been slightly longer than he'd thought it had. After four thousand years of life, time seemed to go by so quickly, and yet slowly at the same time. It was difficult to judge how much time had gone by since that night.

"I see...." He looked over at the boy, who in turn looked up at him. It was eerie how similar Lloyd's eyes looked to his own, at least in appearance. The feeling behind them, though, was clearly all Anna's. Her eyes had always held care and hope, and the look in them was much akin to the look in Lloyd's. Thinking of Anna brought another thought into his mind, one that he vocalized. "Then the only thing you can do is to live her share as well."

Lloyd smiled. "Yeah," he said. The two walked in silence for a moment, until Genis called for Lloyd. Kratos watched out of the corner of his eye as he slowed his pace and dropped back to walk with Genis.

Live a good, full life, Lloyd. For Anna... and for me, as well.

FIN.