Disclaimer: As much as I wish it were true, I do not own Tales of Symphonia or its characters. They are property of Namco Tales ltd.

This is a mature fiction romance involving Genis and Lloyd competing (discreetly at first..stay with the story for more direct clashes) for the love of the beautiful rosebud, Presea Combatir. There is minor lemon-ish content in here, but that is simply complying with the 'M' rating; this story is more about feelings and plot than sex, but as the rating is indeed Mature, you have been forewarned (anyone under 18 may want to refrain from this story). Please read, try to enjoy, and I politely implore you to send reviews and constructive criticism/comments. My first fan-fic ever, by the way, so I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know how I'm doing. Thanks and enjoy!

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The Scholar, the Swordsman, and the Rose: Chapter 1: Internal conflicts

GENIS SAGE:

Title- "Love struck" -His senses focus only towards her. The title for one whose heart is blissfully consumed by that special girl.(Increases Intelligence, Defense, and TP)

Giggles and the odd smack of timid lips coming together and then apart, mixed with the romantic crackles emitted by a soft fire, filling the room in the Asgard inn, where Presea and I had our own private room together. The atmosphere simply cried out for passion and love. My dream girl broke a long kiss and we paused, starting at each other with warm smiles.

"Genis, I love you so much...and I hadn't even known.. what love was.. until I met you..." Presea Combatir's cerulean eyes gleamed with a mix of passion and warmth as she leaned forward to kiss me again, her hand gently brushing my right cheek and her beautiful face decorated with a rare smile between kisses. My eyes, despite the normal human tendency to close during such tender moments, were fixed on Presea's angelic face, thinking it a sin to ever close off the most effective medium of taking in her beauty.

"I'm so happy we're together...I've wanted it this way ever since I saw you Presea!" We kissed again, then hesitated for a second before Presea spoke.

"Genis..." She hesitated, which wasn't like her at all.

"What is it Presea..you can tell me anything..."

"Take me...please..." Presea arched her back, feeling an urge of happiness and I could see her shuddering in anticipation as she then returned her face to mine. I couldn't believe this was happening. A trace amount of happy tears collected in my large oval eyes as I held onto the girl I couldn't live without, bathing in naive feelings of ecstasy and passion as we continued making out innocently, hands interlaced. Then, the touching turned more passionate, I dared to sneak a hand up Presea's nightgown, sliding it over her maturing breasts, producing a pristine moan from her beautiful mouth..feeling her hardening nipples...

And then I woke up.

"Genis, pay attention!" My sister had her usual coldness in her voice as she chastised me, probably for looking at Presea and letting my mind wander yet again.

Argh! Another fantasy ruined! I seemed to startle myself as I broke out of my trance. My face then cringed a bit as I came back into the harsh reality that set in far too quickly. In this, the REAL situation, all signs pointed to me failing in my quest to woo the "beautiful rosebud", as that perverted Zelos calls her. Yes, there were other matters that anyone else would deem so much more important, but I was only in partial commitment to these. Never mind the fact that we were in the midst of a perilous journey to defeat Mithos Yggdrassil, the corrupted half-elf who was obsessed with creating some kind of new world order populated with lifeless beings...I knew that the situation at hand was important..but despite the potential for death and harsh experiences that could very well await me and my companions in the very near future, it all seemed to pale in comparison to my inner conflict with Presea; THAT'S how love struck I am. She was so perfect...her voice was pure and captivating, despite her tendency to speak in monotone, and her quiet confidence constantly played out in combat, or whenever logic and common sense were needed. The superficial features? Yeah..I may be considered mature for my age, but I was powerless to resist these as well. Presea's small cute body, the uniquely styled rose colored hair and especially her azure eyes that, while rarely rich with emotion despite having recently acquired an effective key crest from Altessa, had a mysterious gaze in them that hypnotized me. I wanted to bond with her..I wanted to protect her and be there for her..and..like most hormone raging pre-teens, I eventually wanted her physical form for myself too. But...as stated, there didn't seem to be anything that suggested me making any progress with her. Even after her sanity was restored, I could scarcely get her to say more than a sentence to me when I attempted making casual conversation. 'It's because you're too passive when it comes to this stuff.." I thought, as I remembered my childish blushing, recognizing my inexperience in a mature way. "People never get intimately close without TRYING! I've gotta...do..something!" That much I knew for sure, but it was one thing to realize my errors and quite another to correct them.

Our party was walking through Meltokio, the Imperial capital of Tethe'alla. Had it not been for Presea's overwhelming influence in my mind, I'd have been enthralled more by the richness, color and festive atmosphere that the city had to offer. However, I just kept walking, head fixed on Presea who was slightly aloof from the group, walking to the left side of everyone else, with her massive ogre ax casually slung across her shoulder as if it was a golf club or baseball bat. Ugh..she was so hard to please..I love a good challenge, but this stuff was so much different than my scholarly focuses of years past. What made matters worse, Lloyd, upon the official joining of Presea to our group, had started spending less time with Colette, and more time walking close to Presea, stealing glances at her perfection...argh! Stupid Lloyd! He already ruined one of the best chances to get on Presea's good side. Upon saving her and restoring her sanity, in her state of gratefulness she had appreciated the comment that Zelos made about protecting her..and before I could boldly declare that I would be her knight...Lloyd goes on with one of his typical "Ok! Lets get going!" lines, leaving me with the empty feeling of a missed opportunity!

"Hi! You're charming." Zelos bowed in a falsely projected gentlemanly manner to an attractive young blonde, who instantly blushed and smiled, giving Zelos a paper with most likely her address on it before she continued on her way. One thing I had to give that perverted Chosen credit for...he knew how to get the attention of girls..but I wasn't yet desperate enough to ask him for advice. Not NEARLY desperate enough. I sighed (as we all usually did) as Zelos went through his usual 'rituals'. And, before things became too bland, Lloyd piped in with another of his instinctive comments which had no real bearing whatsoever.

"That Coliseum was fun!" Lloyd enthused, referring back to when he volunteered to rescue Kate from the prison. "We should go check to see if there's any new tournaments there so we can, y'know, get stronger for our next quest!" His face darted to everyone in the group, hoping for a favorable response.

"I think that'd be a great idea Lloyd!" Colette exclaimed. I just wish Lloyd would go to Colette..she's the one that actually likes him...it would make things so much better for us all!

"There certainly were worthy opponents last time around," Regal added, "And since there are rules against fatalities, this would actually be a good time to train." I didn't say anything; I was scared that if Presea also had passion for this that my resistance stance on the issue would leave her questioning my courage.

"Yes. Combat experience without fear of death equates to an increase in energy output and confidence level." Presea, although not smiling or anything, looked Lloyd in the eye. My heart cried silently for a second...argh..that hurt. My suspicious of Lloyd grew as I saw his reaction, staring right back at my dream girl, smiling brightly, before saying,

"All right! C'mon guys!" Lloyd glanced at Presea a second longer before dashing onto the left fork in the road on the way towards the castle.

We entered the coliseum for the second time, and my sister went up to the front desk, obviously thinking Lloyd would embarrass our group if he had one of his 'stupid' moments while registering.

"Oh? What's this?" Raine was looking at a new rule within the regulations. "Two-on-two match-ups," She read. "Place your trust in a friend and take on the new challenges in the Meltokio coliseum!"

"Wow! What a twist!" That was typical Lloyd...being impressed by the slightest innovation. "Um.." I saw his face change color slightly as he looked down at Presea. "Presea, I think you and I would kill this tournament!"

"Incorrect usage of terms; however, I am most willing to lend you my assistance, Lloyd. You have my full support."

I couldn't believe this. My instincts kicked in.

"Uh...gee Lloyd, don't you think you could use a little magic to back you up? I mean, it's great that Presea's so interested in this," I stole a glance at the gorgeous ax-girl. "But this is man's work, don't you think?" I looked at him with a stern expression, already regretting my awful selection of words. "Man's work?" Yeah..that will DEFINITELY up my odds with Presea...damn it. He seemed to be pondering the exact relevance of the terms I used, something I never thought Lloyd would do.

"Sorry Genis! I mean, you didn't even say anything about this when I mentioned it; Presea's saying she wants to do this, and I'm not about to say no! Besides, We're so alike in our fighting styles; with our power, the thugs in there won't know what hit them!" Then it happened, the gesture that pierced my heart and soul. Presea smiled..not a standard smile that you or I would give, but still, you could clearly see her luscious lips curved upwards, as she looked up at Lloyd with bright eyes.

"Affirmative. There will not be a problem, Genis. You can be sure that Lloyd and I will emerge victorious; no nemesis shall stand in our path." I was already hurt by these words, even more so though since she was looking at LLOYD, not me, while she was telling me this. It wasn't supposed to be this way...!

LLOYD IRVING

Title- "Silent Plotter" -He has a plan to make her his own; the title for men who use subtle tactics in their pursuit of love, silently abolishing those who stand in their way. (Increases Intelligence, Accuracy, and Evasion)

Wow. I mean, holy crap! Presea smiled at me! I can't believe it, it's really going my way! Heh...Genis might like her too, but you can't be so passive in the game of love. I hate to admit it, but Zelos does make sense sometimes; he's always so forceful in his advances, and although he fails a lot more often or not, he at least gives himself a lot of chances. That's what I'm starting to figure out, I think. I mean, I never cared for girls before this journey started, knowing only Colette as the only one my age, and I just don't like her that way. But, I realize now's the time for me to start trying this stuff; I mean, everyone's doing it, right? And I can't help but be entranced by Presea. I'm sure Genis likes the same things about her as I do. She's really cute, and so strong, and man, I can't stop thinking about her! And, strange as it is; I think I'm more suited for her than Genis. I mean, she's actually closer to my age in reality because of the Exsphere. I'd figure..not that I know her exact age, but I remember her telling me "For the time being, think of me as the same age as you", that she'd be around 17 or 18. And here she was, happily willing to come with me into this fighting competition. Augh! I'm thinking way too much, damn it! I kinda realized that I'd have to do O.K. in this fight to try and impress her, without Genis' eye-candy magic spells to get in the way and such.

"Okay Presea, are you ready?"

"Yes. Let us begin." Presea looked at me as she moved her ax from her shoulder and lowered it, ready to fight. As we left, I looked behind me instinctively and saw Genis staring at us, making a bad attempt not to look angry as he saw us walk side by side into the entranceway.

Our first opponents were standard fare...a couple knights aided by a female mage.

"Presea! Lets take out the girl first!" I suggested.

"Affirmative. Absence of magical force will increase our odds of victory by 4." As we started to pick up speed, running side by side, I asked her,

"Why only 4?" Presea smiled AGAIN at me slightly (damn, she's so cute!), already leading my mind astray as she replied,

"With our combined strength and similar attack patterns, our odds of winning are already escalated to 88." I smiled back, as we dashed in between the two knights. They were amateurs, giving us a wide gap to charge through as their clumsy sword swings were easily evaded thanks to our Exsphere-enhanced quickness and reflexes. The mage was just starting to conjure up a lightning spell as we closed in. I jumped high in the air allowing Presea to continue the main route towards the girl. She said no words as she pummeled her with two grand swings, using her resolute infliction. Before she could recover from her stagger, I landed on top of her with a left cross slash, then sent her flying with my Tiger Blade technique. Presea followed up with a devastation, crushing her into the ground unconscious, then instinctively pulled a 180 degree turn, ax held in front of her, parrying a blow from one of the knights. The other was aiming for her too; I knew she couldn't defend against both. I thrusted into the advancing knight just before his sword could be thrust at Presea. He reeled backwards, and I unleashed my beast attack, sending a shockwave of blue energy into him. As he flew away from us about 20 feet, Presea and I teamed up on the other knight, who was feebly trying to get some sort of attack started on Presea, who simply blocked each of his blows with next to no effort. A few more slashes and our fight was finished. I noticed neither of us had broke a sweat. I accidentally stumbled backwards as I was sheathing my sword, brushing the back of my body against hers. I felt both of our bodies tense up a bit, before I hastily turned around and looked at Presea.

"That was way too easy!" I flashed her a smile. She grinned yet again.

"No damage detected. Combat efficiency: 94. Good work, Lloyd!" Ah, the richness of emotion that made her voice even more captivating.

"You too!" Wow! I never noticed how great we were in tandem before. I was in such a daze looking at her that I almost forgot to notice the rest of the gang was watching us in the stands as the referee announced our victory. Most had approving looks on their faces; Regal was grinning, Zelos winked at Presea (sigh...typical..) and Raine gave a look of approval, but Genis was sitting down, appearing uninterested, one arm on his knee with his hand in his chin, like he was thinking hard about something, yet still intently glaring at us. Or at least, at Presea...

PRESEA COMBATIR

Title: "Blooming Rose" -The forces of two others are opening doors to her inner emotions and thoughts; what is it that she's feeling? The title for one who is anticipating the answers to their curiosity. (Increases Strength, TP, and Intelligence)

I saw Genis Sage looking somewhat...abnormal...when Lloyd gestured me to gaze up at our traveling companions. His face showed signs of discomfort..almost..pain..as his eyes penetrated mine. This odd feeling was made more confusing when I looked at Lloyd, seeing the excitement in his eyes whenever he looked at me. I wasn't used to this feeling before...two males exhibiting less than normal tendencies, and yet, only, it seemed, when they were around me? I should feel more disturbed but..I feel an unfamiliar sense of anticipation...it's as if I am looking forward to what this strange emotion I'm feeling will evolve into..I must identify it...

Forgive me. I have always been trained in the fields of statistics and scheduled work...but since having the freedom to think for myself again...with time flowing again..I am overwhelmed with the new feelings and sensations that have come with it. Although I'm twenty-eight years old, my body has only now begun to feel the hormonal changes associated with adolescence...and this was clearly evident. I felt slightly warmer..inside and outside..during the battle alongside Lloyd..and it was not a result of the heat that was released from our mild physical exuberance. I noticed Lloyd, his movements, his strength and agility...and as I did this, my usual calculations that went on in my head didn't happen; I found my eyes fixed on his form, only to be distracted whenever my battle skills were necessary. And when we touched accidentally after the battle, I couldn't help but gasp under my breath; it felt like...companionship, but of a different kind than simply traveling with my new friends.

In regards to Genis, I've noticed his abnormal behavior around me as well...turning red, and looking away from me as soon as this change happened. His voice could not maintain a fluent course, constantly stuttering and fading in and out... Is there something wrong with me that would cause him difficulty when speaking to me? I just..don't understand. And the way he would attempt to cover my position at all times during battle; always casting his potent magic spells towards the enemy in closest proximity to me...I could not fathom why he would do this. But enough...I must resume in assisting Lloyd.

Lloyd and I charged through several more fights, before coming face to face with an abnormally large drake; a carnivorous flying dragon whose agility and strength were exponentially greater than most other beasts in this world. Perhaps Lloyd and I were overconfident at this trial's outset. Lloyd charged straight towards the low-flying dragon, only to be sent flying back more than double the distance as the drake exhaled its potent fire breath. I was just to the right, and I could see Lloyd's face twisted in pain as the florescent flames buried into him. At that moment, My inner body started boiling over, while my mind tried to tell me what it was I felt. I could feel my fingers reaffirming their grip on my axe, my muscles twitching with...anger...I think it was...I had to protect Lloyd. That was my mind's eventual interpretation to all these feelings. Before the drake could swoop down upon Lloyd, who was still on one knee, unable to defend effectively, I leapt with a force that even I didn't know I had, and plunged my ax through its scaly hide in its neck, leaving a deep gash. The drake roared terribly as I landed just in front of Lloyd.

"Presea...!" Lloyd started as he finally established a balanced posture.

"Lloyd, are you O.K...?" As I asked him this, the very question felt more genuine and emotional than anything I can remember myself saying. My eyes were agitated by water..although I had no explanation for tears at this moment...

"Yeah! I was just a bit reckless! Lets take this thing down!" Lloyd's eyes were filled with resolve, and I felt a strange happiness despite the situation we were in. I then refocused, and leapt to the right as a fireball spewed from the drake just missed me. Lloyd went around to the left side, causing hesitation within the reptile as it could not focus on either of us at one time. While the drake was still on the ground, I hacked at its legs, whirling around in circles using my punishment maneuver, and as I looked up, I saw Lloyd screaming down towards the drake, like a falcon, swiping his sword near the spot where I wounded its neck, and then he kept falling...towards...me!

"Ahh!" I cried out as Lloyd accidentally crashed into me. He did have the sense to quickly sheath his sword after his attack, but the impact still registered on a large scale. Lloyd didn't have time to apologize; the drake was at the peak of its rage. Lloyd pulled me up quickly by the hand, and I gratefully accepted as I felt his considerable strength hoisting me up. He dashed to the left a bit, but then noticed the drake spinning to the right, its tail ready to strike me at a velocity upwards of 65 mph.

"Presea...!" I was uncharacteristically slow to react; the attack was destined to knock me out cold. However, just before I closed my eyes to brace for impact, a brilliant red figure flooded my vision for a split second, then pushed me backwards as the tail continued on its course and struck Lloyd, sending him literally flying into the air. My senses jolted as I could almost feel Lloyd's impact as he struck the hard sand base of the arena floor. Another sensation captivated me; this one even stronger than before.

"Die!" I leapt over a return swipe of the drakes tail, and leapt for its chest, piercing it with the sharp tip at the height of my ax. It reeled backwards, then took to the air, forcing more fire from its mouth. In its chaotic state, its aim was poor. The energy that did make its way to me, I merely shielded with my wide ax blade. My ax now was imbued temporarily with elemental energy, and thus I wasted no time in continuing my assault. I dodged a bite attack, then slammed my ax down onto the beast's snout, forcing it to collapse on its stomach. Without mercy, I leapt upon it and finished with a deadly destruction move, removing the last traces of energy from the beast as I slammed down onto it with immeasurable force. Knowing already that the fight was over, the referees words passed right through me as I leapt off and ran to Lloyd. He was still unconscious; his costume burnt and torn in spots. I couldn't believe this feeling...I was more concerned for Lloyd now than anything. I got him into a position where I could sling him across my shoulder, and carried him out slowly. I did have the sense to look up at the crowd, where I could see everyone looking concerned. But Genis I saw getting up hastily, dashing out of the spectator's area. I assumed he was concerned with Lloyd's current physical status. Before I could question that assumption, I realized my cheeks burning red as I gripped Lloyd tightly. That fight did provide some physical exertion, I thought. But I'd never had my cheeks become this red as a result of a taxing battle. I tried to ignore it as I realized how careful I was making sure I would never let Lloyd slip from my grasp as I carried him. Argh...what is it I'm feeling? Lloyd...I would've thought that he would be the best person to ask, considering his open-mindedness and honesty. But then why do I feel that he is the one person I should not consult in regards to this feeling? Perhaps I should ask his best friend, Genis...

-To be continued...?

-Well, I had a lot more fighting and action than I originally intended, but perhaps that's not a bad thing. It should be obvious that although the rest of the cast do exist; this story is primarily focused on Genis, Lloyd and Presea. Anyway, please review; I love feedback! Thanks.