C9 here with another oneshot for Dawn of the New World, almost entirely ignoring Marta and Emil and focusing in on our man Lloyd (who, as stated in my review, I believe to be the true main character of this game lol). This fic would take place some time towards the middle of the game, *SPOILER* a bit before Lloyd joins you.

Inspiration for this story came from listening to What It's Like and How to Save a Life (by Everlast and The Fray - respectively. Look 'em up) while in the middle of a rainstorm. Also a very powerful, very real desire to not-study for my Econ final. I had a day off, rigorous not-study time included.

Disclaimer: I looked outside today and noticed a distinct lack of four horsemen, so I gathered that today was not the day I own NamcoBandai (not today...).

And as normal, Twilight Scribe has used the Lens of Truth to clear my work of most mistakes, being the grandest Beta on the website and all.

Lloyd let out a slow exhale, watching his breath fog before him in the cold air. It was raining in Meltokio, and the former "hero" of Symphonia couldn't even get a room for the night at an inn. It seemed word had spread of his alleged massacres of whole cities and he was shunned whenever he appeared at a city seeking food or lodging. No guards would try to hold him back, but when it came to goods and services he couldn't very well force people to give him what he wanted. He just wasn't like that, he never had been…

He hugged himself tighter and suppressed a violent shiver, pressing himself closer to the building he was huddled against. It was a cold night and the rain didn't help matters. Every gust was magnified threefold by the wetness. At least he'd found a building with a slight overhanging. It protected him so long as the rain didn't come down at a slant…like it was doing now. 'Maybe it's what I deserve…' He thought to himself.

Lloyd shook his head. 'No, stop thinking like that. I've got to find the cores; I don't have time to wallow in self-pity.' He forced the thoughts out of his mind and tried instead to think of the other ways he'd managed to keep warm when sleeping outside during the rain. He chuckled at the first image that came to mind. 'Noishe…'

His beloved pet that he left behind when he first began this second journey, Noishe, was usually always there to keep him warm when the weather made a turn for the worse. He remembered the times during their last journey when he'd slept using Noishe as a blanket against the cold. Noishe never minded, for him it was like having his own bed heater. Lloyd let out a frigid laugh at the times they'd shared. 'Not anymore though. He's with dad, running around Iselia or something.'

His mind wandered from there. Iselia, his hometown from where was once banished. But after the journey of world regeneration Colette had returned to the village and explained everything, and Lloyd had been welcomed back with open arms. She was an amazing girl…

They'd known each other since the first day of school. 'Hard to believe that was almost fourteen years ago.' She was sitting in the middle of the room, but for some reason no one wanted to take either of the seats beside her. Lloyd didn't understand what the problem was, so he took one of the empty seats and introduced himself. She seemed so much happier after that, because while he didn't know it at the time, he was the first friend she'd made in the village. From then on they spent almost all of their time together, exploring the forest, making crafts at Dirk's house, everything there was to do in a small village at the edge of the world. Lloyd didn't realize it at the time, but there was definitely something different about Colette. She didn't judge him like others in the village did, she just took him as he took her: a true friend.

Lloyd let out a sigh. That was what he had taken her for, but in hindsight he doubted that was all she'd wanted. While he couldn't have recognized it at the time, he was old enough now to get that she had feelings of "more-than-friendship" towards him for some time. How would he react if she still felt that way today? Would he even know what to say?

He shook his head again. 'That's not important in the big picture. I need to focus on the mission at hand, not worrying about something that may not even happen.'

He thought back to his hometown and immediately the Sage siblings came to mind. Genis came to the village some time after Lloyd had and Lloyd noticed the same thing with him as he did with Colette. It wasn't long before he'd made friends with him as well, and from then on the three of them – Lloyd, Genis, and Colette – were inseparable. Genis could be a brat sometimes, always showing up Lloyd with his intelligence, but that was one of the reasons the two got along so well. Lloyd was the brawn, Genis was the brains. Any situation Lloyd accidentally brought down upon them Genis could think of a way out of.

Like the time Lloyd had led a night hike for the trio and ended up lost. They were just kids at the time, so wandering the forest aimlessly after dark caused a bit of trouble in the village when they discovered two of their children were missing. When they'd finally made it back a little after midnight Raine was furious with the three, but Lloyd took the brunt of the punishment for being the ringleader. That was when Genis stepped in and somehow managed to convince her that Lloyd meant for it to be a chance to take their studying astrology a little farther, because it was just so interesting that the classroom didn't do it justice.

Lloyd smiled to himself. Without Genis helping him then, he'd probably still be getting spanked by Raine. It was only after that night that Raine had applied for the job of teaching the children of Iselia. Perhaps it was because she felt that the classroom could in fact do astrology justice, and they should be studying something far more important such as ruins. Or maybe she just wanted to ensure her younger brother received a quality education. Whatever the reason, Lloyd was glad she became the new teacher in the village.

She was a different kind of instructor, one who actually cared about her students. She made sure every student had mastered whatever subject they were covering, no matter how far behind they'd fallen. This position of "last place" was usually filled by Lloyd himself, but she never lost her patience with him. In truth he sometimes felt a little guilty for all of her time he'd wasted. She'd spend hours tutoring him after class hours in preparation for a test, and once he passed by minimal standards he'd promptly forget everything he'd learned. He was a horrible student when it came to academia and he knew it. But it didn't bother him too much; he always felt that books-smarts were overrated anyway. What really mattered was what someone could do, not think. Of course he never shared this point of view with Raine though, as she also had her share of real world experience. That was one of the main reasons he respected her so much, because of her encyclopedic knowledge of everything, and her willingness to re-explain the same concepts as many times as it took for Lloyd to comprehend. He probably knew most of the things he did now because of her teachings. 'I'll have to thank her for that, if I ever see them again.'

Though Raine certainly hadn't been his only instructor during their travels. Kratos, the mercenary-for-hire they'd met in Iselia at the start of the journey who in time revealed himself to be an agent working for the enemy and Lloyd's biological father, had always been there to advise Lloyd when it came to the art of combat. Lloyd doubted he would be half as skilled as he was now if not for Kratos' guidance with a blade. He remembered one of their first training sessions, under the stars of the rolling plains between Iselia and Triet. While sitting on a hill a short distance away from the others sleeping soundly by the fire, Kratos had asked him why he was fighting.

For some reason he had to think hard for a moment. It wasn't a question one was asked every day. But now Lloyd knew the answer was simple. He'd turned to the mercenary and responded "So the world doesn't have to." The man let out his trademarked "Hmph" and stood, signaling for Lloyd to do the same so they could continue training.

That was how Kratos took everything. Lloyd learned to recognize in time that it was simply Kratos' gruff exterior. Deep down, Lloyd knew he'd struck a cord because from then on he was treated like more than a thick country boy. Like at that moment Kratos had seen something in him that proved Lloyd really was his son.

But Kratos was more than just a "someone" Lloyd had learned a thing or two from. He was a symbol for Lloyd in many ways. For a short time Lloyd wanted to be like him when he was older, until Lloyd realized that he was his own person with his own destiny. He was a reminder to Lloyd that not every betrayal is without its own reasons. But most of all, Kratos would always serve as an icon that no matter how far someone had seemingly fallen, no one was past redemption. Lloyd frequently thought of where his father was now, sometimes staring at the stars for hours wondering. However he'd made peace with the fact that he probably wouldn't see him again – at their last goodbye the older man had told him he wouldn't be able to return to the world. The most Lloyd could do now was live out his own life to the best he could, and trust his father would try to do the same.

Thought of teachers reminded him of the brief time when Zelos played the role of tutor. The period was short lived, given the Chosen's lack of any actual textbook or combat knowledge, but it was somewhat enjoyable nonetheless. He'd spent more "class time" talking about how great it was – being him – and telling Lloyd how to score three women at once while letting Genis teach himself trigonometry than trying to teach them anything important. Lloyd didn't mind as much though, it meant getting a break from Raine's teachings, which included straining his brain and lots of homework. Worst thing Zelos ever assigned was "Go talk to those five women and ask them if they've ever heard of the Great Zelos Wilder."

Lloyd did laugh at that, adjusting himself a bit to escape the trickle of water splattering the ground next to him. Zelos was the kind of guy that could have insightful thoughts if it was in his nature, in the same way that an illiterate person could go through the hassle of learning the whole form of reading. But he usually only applied it when it could help him achieve his much more shallow goals. He preferred shoving the unpleasant feelings down and ignoring them, pretending as if nothing was wrong while surrounding himself with material indulgences. Lloyd understood that; why would someone opt to feel sad when they could be having fun? It was just that Lloyd's ideas of fun usually differed from Zelos' quite a bit.

Where Lloyd would prefer spending time with people he knew and trusted, all Zelos ever seemed to want to do was meet complete strangers (all women) and spend the night away from the party. Lloyd never really got why at the time, he just guessed one of Zelos' finer personality traits was being very sociable. Nonetheless, from what he'd heard Zelos had been one of the most outspoken people in defending Lloyd from the accusations that had been haunting him since six months ago, and he felt very grateful that at least one of his friends hadn't lost faith in him. It seemed that doubt had even begun to spread amongst his old companions…

'No, they can't be blamed for that. What have you ever done to tell them otherwise? What are they supposed to think?' He chided himself as he thought of Regal, now traveling with two kids in the quest of gathering the Centurion's cores. Lloyd couldn't see how the man could have any faith in him whatsoever anymore, after seeing him in Flanoir just after the attack. Regal was intelligent, there was only so much he could take on blind faith before he started thinking for himself.

In truth Lloyd preferred it that way. His friends shouldn't compromise who they were deep down for the sake of keeping up Lloyd's name. And that was one of the many things he admired most about Regal. The man never let any external forces push themselves upon his morality. He never allowed any inexcusable action be justified through him or anyone else. His only limiting factor was himself, the judge that condemned any spot on his otherwise spotless character an irreparable blemish. It was ironic, given that he was the ideal gentleman; smart, kind, strong, mature, yet at the same time nobody could be made perfect. His flaw was being so regretful about the past. Though given he had to kill his life's love, Lloyd didn't feel anyone had the right to judge him.

That had been one of the obstacles they had to overcome as a group during the journey of world regeneration when Regal first joined. It was a silent division, but the group had been split between those who supported Presea and her being unable to forgive Regal for killing her sister, and those who felt Regal had done all he could, served his time, and had never forgiven himself for doing what he'd done. But eventually as more knowledge of the incident was gathered and Alicia was avenged, Presea learned that despite Regal's claims, it wasn't his fault. He wouldn't have done any different than what anyone else in the party would have done. It was a major turning point for Presea, the first time she'd shown any signs of developing past her robotic state since they'd fixed her Exsphere.

Since that day, she'd become more and more likable. Albeit somewhat slowly, she started to smile, then laugh, then be able to tell jokes. Perhaps it was because of how much of her time was spent around Regal, the sole connection to her past, but her sense of humor tended to gravitate around his – dry and straight-faced. It made it difficult to tell when she was kidding sometimes, much like Regal.

Though it wasn't long before Lloyd found some common ground with her. Crafts had always been a favorite pastime for him, growing up in a craftsman's home and all, and it turned out she was quite the adept woodcarver. She even had a small business to support herself using her skill in making fetishes and fashion accessories. In fact her skill in woodworking had helped them make a pact with Luna last journey. Lloyd may have been able to do the basic things like whittling, but he didn't have anywhere near the skill that she did when it came to finer instruments.

He'd been surprised when she had approached him one night near the end of their last journey with a shy look about her. When he asked what was up, she asked in the smallest of voices if he would be at all offended if she made Genis a better kedama. She pointed out several design flaws with the first one Lloyd had made for him for one of his birthdays, but at the same time she didn't want Lloyd to feel like she was trying to prove herself better than he was… which when it came to woodcarving, she was. She had just wanted to do something nice for Genis as his birthday was coming up.

Lloyd was stunned for a moment, more impressed that she felt she needed to ask than "offended" about anything. When she started to turn, figuring that he was too angry for words, he started laughing and calling her back. Of course he didn't mind, they were all friends. In fact he had been telling Genis to get a new one ever since they started their journey, and this was a perfect opportunity. He knew his half-elf friend liked the girl and he always felt bad when she never responded to Genis' attempted advances. This was a chance for him to see that she at least knew he was there. 'Young unrequited love…' He thought to himself, chuckling.

Lloyd let out another exhale, wishing he could somehow draw warmth from the steam. 'Then again…I guess I wasn't much better. When it came to-'

Thunder interrupted his thoughts, making him jump and try to move a bit further under the wall. It reminded him of his last friend on the journey, Sheena. Until he'd convinced her to face Volt, she'd always been terrified of the sound of storms. While they'd first met as enemies, her trying to kill Colette, they finally came to see that she was a kind person and a trusting friend. She usually hid her feelings under a tough demeanor, often going between refusing to admit her feelings and trying hard to do so, but over time she really seemed to open up to Lloyd in particular. She had her funny little quirks and was always fun to hang around with; Lloyd felt he was truly blessed to have such a great pal.

He mentally kicked himself. She always got angry whenever he used that term. Lloyd never quite understood why at the time, but now he thought he might comprehend all of her subtle hints if he ever saw her again. Ever since the pact with Volt, she had only grown warmer towards him and the two became the best of companions. That was one of the things he liked most about her, how she could be strong and independent yet soft and gentle. Just as with Colette, he thought he now realized what she felt towards him. He had to admit, he really knew how to put himself in these tough situations. 'But I can't lie, I do feel-"

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doin'?" a voice from the corner of the building shouted. Lloyd turned to cast a weary eye over his shoulder to see a fat homeowner (presumable of the one he was resting against) brandishing a broom at him. The man was draped in warm clothing and the scent of smoke coming from the open door beside him told Lloyd that there was a fire inside, but by the tone of his voice Lloyd guessed that he wasn't about to get an invitation.

"Sorry, just trying to escape the rain…" Lloyd apologized, not realizing his leaning on the base of the wall could be harmful to the people on the other side. Just then the man seemed to realize who he was.

"Y-you're him! The monster!" he yelled, making stabbing motions with the broom handle. "G-get away from here! You're worthless trash who kills people for kicks!"

"No, I didn't – that was just…" Lloyd wanted to, but he couldn't explain himself to this person. Shapes could be seen moving behind the windows further down the street and Lloyd didn't want to make a scene, but he certainly wasn't going to silence this man. Ignoring the man's senseless gabbling, he let out a heavy sigh and gathered his things before setting a slow pace down the street to find another place to rest for the night. 'There are always the sewers... Though I suppose even the rats wouldn't have me. Wouldn't want me ruining their prestige.'

He walked down the middle of the deserted street, ignoring the large ankle-deep puddles he was trudging through. Lloyd was already soaked to the bone; there was nothing a puddle of muddy water could contribute to make him any worse off than he already felt.

A soft light to his side caught his eye and he stopped to look for the source. He was facing a large house, likely nobility, and the light was coming through one of the wide glass windows that every home in Meltokio had along the front. On the other side of the glass there was a living room, full of expensive looking decorations and furniture. But it wasn't these that caught his eye, it was the fire in the hearth and the group of people clustered on the floor in front of it, all talking and laughing together. As he watched a large dog made its way into the room and curled up right in front of one of the owners, looking to be pet. The group was enjoying the friendship that surrounded them; not worried about who among them was smarter than the others, which of them could learn the best, who could score the most women in the shortest time, worrying about the ghosts of their past, or trying to deal with complicated romance triangles. They may have all had nothing in common, coming from greatly differing backgrounds and pasts, but none of that mattered when they were together like this...

For a brief moment Lloyd could have sworn he saw himself in the house – sitting in front of the warm fire with Noishe beside Kratos and all the people that were important in his life. There was Colette and Genis, playing some game involving hand motions from the village of Iselia while Presea sat quietly beside them carving a small bear from a chunk of wood. Raine sighed, deciding there would be time for reading later and closing her book before engaging Sheena in conversation about Mizuhoen life. Zelos lay back on his elbows next to Regal, trying to weasel information of Regal's love-life before Alicia out of the man, to which Regal simply replied with a small smile and repeated "A gentleman never kisses and tells…"

Rain drops weighed down a bang of Lloyd's hair, causing it to fall in front of his face and flick up as they slid off. But he didn't even notice, so caught up in his passive stare at the window where he saw himself with his friends again.

"Some day soon…" He whispered to himself, breaking the trance and clearing his head as he continued his search of shelter.

After nearly half an hour of looking, he finally found a suitable spot beside a steam vent of an item shop. With the overhanging sign that took most of the weather and the vent that occasionally let out bursts of hot air, it was a homeless person's dream spot.

He huddled close to the vent and let out a sigh of contentment as the hot air warmed every fiber of his being with one gust. After the full day he could already feel sleep coming to take him.

But before it did his mind drifted back to one of the people he'd been thinking of earlier that night. The person he'd missed more than any of his other friends since they'd parted ways. He wondered… Did she feel the same way for him that he did for her? It wasn't until recently that he recognized the emotions that he held for her. He knew she felt something for him some time ago, but had that changed? What if she'd moved on? Maybe he was too late, maybe he missed his chance…

'It's been over six months since she went back. I doubt she'd still…' Lloyd's thoughts trailed away. 'Or maybe… Maybe now that I've seen her for what she is to me, she might want to start over as something more…'

"Guess I won't know until I see her again." Lloyd muttered, smiling slightly. The thought of his love alone was enough to warm him to the core. She didn't look it, but she was tough as she was compassionate, bright and talented. And while she usually tried hiding her troubles, he knew in his heart that together there was nothing the two of them couldn't overcome. A true one-of-a-kind type of person. Lloyd had never felt the way towards anyone as he did for her, and he knew he never would. She was just so…

'Words can't describe.' He finished, chuckling and laying his arms out to the sides. Now it was too warm. "But we'll just have to see in the coming time. I think things will all work out to be okay. Some day soon… I promise.


Hope you liked it, was actually pretty fun to write.

The hardest part was trying to transission between characters, but things kinda flow once ya get the hang of it. Please, tell me what you thought of it. Is it irritating to keep reading DotNW stories about Lloyd or do they make for nice breaks? Any opinions at all you'd like to share, let me know in your review, and I am PM accessible for any further questions.

PLEASE NOTE: This story was not meant to begin any sort of ridiculous "pairing wars" or character bashings. Let's try and keep the Dawn of the New World clean of all that stuff yeah? I have faith in you guys.

'Till next story,

Celsius009