Faye: (Disclaimer: Tales of Symphonia is owned by Namco and I make no profit from this fiction.) This story may vary slightly from the original. There are spoilers in this fic, so don't read if you didn't finish the game. This first chapter is simply to set up the characters as seen by Sheena and to give a brief description for those who have never played the game. This is a SheenaxZelos so if you completely hate the pair, don't bother reading. For everyone else, please enjoy and as always, review.
Sheena Fujibayashi hung on to the edge of the pit for dear life as she urged Lloyd Irving to continue down the long corridor without her. "Save Colette and don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. Now go!" she yelled at him, knowing that he was the only one capable of saving the girl now. With an uneasy look, he turned down the hall and left her to fend for herself, knowing that there was nothing he could do.
You were foolish to think that you had a chance with him. His heart belongs to her alone, she scolded herself as she hung to the ledge, trying not to think of her inevitable end. Her mind wandered to the journey that she had begun just a short while ago and all her new friends.
She sighed to herself. Ya know, it's funny. I was originally sent to kill this group and save Tethe'alla in the process. It was Lloyd's own words that had changed my mind. Even I, one of the greatest ninjas of Mizuho, had succumbed to the preaching of such a passionate young man who fought for peace for everyone. But then, that's Lloyd, innocent, naive, and ready for any adventure. He is always trying to save everyone, especially when he found out about Colette's fate as Chosen. He is someone you can always count on to be there in a time of need. I have yet to meet someone who does not admire his unfaltering courage, even when all hope is lost. His beautiful brown eyes and smooth brown locks add to his appeal. He's the kind of guy who would make a wonderful leader for Mizuho. Too bad she met him first.
Colette Brunel is similar to Lloyd in her naivety, but holds a certain self-confidence that is unique to most people. She loves the world and its creatures and would do anything to protect it, even if that meant dying as the Chosen One of Sylvarant. It's hard not to look up to her belief that there is good in everyone, no matter how naïve it comes off as. She has golden locks that go down to her lower back and clear, blue eyes that seem to pierce your soul with a single glance. She was transformed into an angel to become the vessel for Martel, Mithos' sister and goddess of the worlds. She was and has been saved time and time again by Lloyd. He seems oblivious to her feelings for him, but she's not bothered by it. There are many things that make Colette who she is. But of course, her most recognizable quirk is her clumsiness. I mean, that girl has made more holes in buildings than the Meltokio demolition crew.
Then there's Genis Sage. He is the cute little runt who's more like the baby of our makeshift family than the deadly magician he is. He's incredibly intelligent and highly skilled in offensive magic, which he uses to protect those he loves. He can be over confident at times and does get pretty cocky. That's when Raine Sage, known simply as Professor, makes sure to put him in his place, often very violently. As much as he hates Raine's lectures, he loves his sister more than anything. For all his boasting and bragging, he is often found huddled in a corner when he is afraid. He hates this about himself and, at those times, wishes he were more like Lloyd. Genis and his sister are the only half-elves in our troop. His silver hair flies in every direction in crazy spikes that somehow never lose shape. His light grey eyes and short stature give him a unique look from children his own age. His goal is to simply be accepted by people, humans more than anyone.
Raine sage is Genis' mirror in academics and magic. She uses her healing art to pull together the team when entering a tough battle. Usually reserved, she is seen as the voice of reason and logic on the journey, thinking with her head instead of her heart. Lloyd often fights with her about what the team should do in certain situations that involve saving a person's life. While he wants to jump in the fray and fight to defend, she believes in coming up with a well-thought out plan. She is usually backed by Kratos, who also seems to hold the same type of logic that the Professor holds. Raine is a beautiful half-elf with shoulder length silver hair. Her light grey eyes are full of knowledge and passion. One passion, in particular, is her love of ancient artifacts. I find it funny (and slightly scary) that she, who is so held in reserve, gets so worked up over some old rocks. Everyone knows that nothing and no one gets in between her and her research.
There's also Kratos Aurion who…well…pretty much kept to his own devices. The only one he would converse with when he wasn't bashing Lloyd, was the Professor. They usually walked behind the group, speaking in low voices so as not to be overheard. He supposedly works for the enemy, Cruixus, but I don't buy it. He cares too much for our little group and Lloyd in particular. He is constantly criticizing Lloyd's swordplay and giving him useful pointers that Lloyd rarely listens to. He has auburn colored hair which is often found around his face and spiked in downward thrusts. His brown eyes remind me of Lloyd's and hold many dark secret, such as the fact that he is now an angel who is currently over 4000 years old. I wonder what else he's hiding. Whatever it is, I have a feeling that he will come back to us eventually to explain everything.
Our other little one is a cute, 12-year-old girl named Presea Combatir. That girl has some serious strength. She swings around a huge battle axe as tall as herself as though she is playing with a toy. There's a lot about her that was thought impossible even by Professor. You wouldn't believe anything about her if you didn't already know Presea. She's a brilliant girl who is always giving us the stats of how slim our chances are in battle. Charming, ehh? There is something that bothers me about her though. She doesn't seem to respond to too many things and rarely puts emotion into anything she does, usually responding to questions in a robotic tone. Come to think of it, the only time I saw some type of expression on her face was when Regal showed up. It was not an emotion of joy, but more of shock and resentment. It is speculated that this has something to do with Alisha. Presea has pink hair which she keeps tied in pig-tails. This would look so cute on her if she didn't act like she was thirty. She also has light blue eyes that seem soulless when you look into them. The only one, besides Regal, who seems to really care for her well-being over others, is Genis. He seems to have a cute, little crush on her. Just don't tell him that.
Regal Bryant is, to say the least, nice on the eyes. He is very muscular and keeps to himself most of the time, brooding about this or that. He does, however, have a fierce intensity that he is not afraid to show. His blue hair is in a mullet-type cut and his eyes are such a deep blue that you could swim in them. Of course, his attire leaves much to be desired (torn belly shirt?), and his personality a little too angsty for my taste. He punishes himself for the death of his loved one by keeping his hands bound and fighting with greaves attached to his legs. It was as much his fault that Alisha had died as it is Lloyd's fault that Marble had died. I don't know too much about the situation seeing as I wasn't with the group yet and no one likes to talk about it much. He is also a great chef as opposed to Professor Sage who could burn cereal (don't ask). O, and can't forget that the guy is loaded (you'd think he'd buy some decent clothing) and president of the Altimira Co. One thing I will say for him, on a more personal note, is that he's a great listener and doesn't judge you based on your problems. He gives sincere advice and doesn't want anyone else to suffer the way he had to because of the exspheres.
Finally, we get to the one who got me into this mess in the first place: Zelos Wilder. The name says it all. Born with good looks and the title, Chosen of Tethe'alla, Zelos decided to kick back and let himself be pampered instead of fulfill his duties as Chosen. To sum him up, Zelos is a pompous, arrogant, egotistic, womanizing jerk who doesn't know when to shut his mouth. I'd hate to admit it but even I was attracted to him myself when I first saw him. That long, fire red hair, slick smile, and those aquamarine eyes caught me in its spell. I was mesmerized that a man could be more beautiful than most women. Just as I was about to be fully hypnotised by his looks, he opened his mouth. That ended the spell as quickly as it had begun. So, instead of falling into his arms, I sent him into the wall with a roundhouse kick. Yup, that's the kind of guy Zelos is. Don't get me wrong, the guy's smart. He knows advanced mathematics and always finds a way to get what he wants without consequences. Well, almost always. He's been after me since we first met and not only do I continue to deny him, he often suffers my wrath for his inappropriate behavior. I could never be with a modern day Casanova like Zelos. That's just who he is I guess. He was always so laid back on the journey and didn't seem to have a care in the world. It came as a real shocker when he turned on us. Even I thought more of Zelos than that. sigh Live and learn, I guess.
Suddenly, Sheena was jerked out of her meditation by a tugging on her leg. She was so wrapped up in thought that she completely forgot about the hunk of mana tree that was trying to pull her down the supposedly bottomless pit. She sighed to herself once more and decided to not prolong the inevitable. The previous fight had taken a lot out of her and she simply was in no condition to fight this beast. She would give her life to help her friends. What more can I do? They'd be grateful, right? Hope Lloyd doesn't blame himself. She slowly let go of the rocky edge she clung to with her right hand and plummeted down the rocky, cylindrical abyss, right behind the fiend that dragged her.
She was falling so fast that she could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness. Better to die without feeling the pain, I guess. Suddenly, she heard the monster bellow in protest as something that looked an awful lot like a lightning bolt shot into its body. So much for not feeling the pain. O well, I'd rather die now than later anyway. She braced herself for the oncoming attack from whatever it was that had killed her antagonist. Instead of pain, however, she felt someone falling with her and gently placed hands under her knees and lower back. They stayed this way for sometime. Sheena was too afraid to think of what would happen to her, so she kept her eyes shut, preparing for the slow death this person obviously had planned for her. Why else would it save me if not to enjoy my pain? Suddenly, Sheena realized that she no longer felt the air rushing beside her. This is impossible. I know we didn't hit the ground because we would have been crushed by our increasing velocity. Who is this person? Before she passed out, she stole a look at her rescuer. He had deep red hair and a familiar smile.