Somewhere I Belong

Disclaimer: I don't own the great song entitled "Somewhere I Belong" by Linkin Park, or the awesome video game 'Tales of Symphonia,' so buzz off!

NOTE: Things may not be the same as in the video game itself, I'm just making a few things up.

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My mouth becomes dry as I stare out at the sea of flames threatening to engulf the entire village. Behind me, I hear Genis weeping for the loss of Marble.

Damn those sick Desian bastards! It's bad enough they had to kill my mother, but now this?

The Desians have fled, but I get the feeling they'll return as long as I'm here.

Then the mayor comes up to me, looking very mad.

"Lloyd!" he exclaims, "Look what you have done! I thought we were finally going to be left in peace, but now you had to screw things up! People are dead and houses are destroyed, and it's all your fault!"

It's all my fault . . . the words echo in my head.

(When this began)
I had nothing to say
And I get lost in the nothingness inside of me
(I was confused)
And I let it all out to find
That I'm not the only person with these things in mind

Suddenly, Genis is in front of me, arms spread wide.

"Wait!" he shouts, "It's not his fault! I took him to the Human Ranch!"

"Genis . . ." I whisper softly.

"So, you both broke the treaty?" asks the mayor.

"But the Desians broke the treaty too and attacked the temple, remember?"

(Inside of me)
But all the vacancy the words revealed
Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel
(Nothing to lose)
Just stuck/ hollow and alone
And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own

The mayor just waves his hand.

"That's different," he says, "And in any case not only did you go to the Human Ranch when you weren't supposed to, you interacted with one of the prisoners!"

"Yeah!" exclaims a woman. "It's better just to let them die as long as no one in the village gets harmed!"

I can't help but stare at them in shock. Are they really too blind to see that slave labor is bad?

I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real
I wanna let go of the pain I've held so long
(Erase all the pain till it's gone)
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real
I wanna find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong

The mayor stares at the both of us, long and hard. Then he says, "It seems I have no choice. By the power vested in me, I declare you, Lloyd Irving and you, Genis Sage, to be banished from Iselia, FOREVER!"

This causes many people to gasp in shock.

"Mayor . . . don't you think this is a little harsh for someone their age?" a young woman asks nervously.

"What's done is done," The mayor says. "You can't change that." Then he walks away. I sink to the ground in despair.

I don't want to live in a village that hold a treaty with those Desian bastards . . . but . . . this is the only home I've ever known.

And I've got nothing to say
I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face
(I was confused)
Looking everywhere only to find
That it's not the way I had imagined it all in my mind
(So what am I)

They allow me to go back to my house to gather up my belongings. Genis can't go to his house because it's already burned to the ground. I can't help but feel responsible. I throw a few things together into a small bag, then sling it over my shoulder before taking a final look at the room.

As I walk down the steps for possibly the last time, I catch a glimpse of my father. We look into each other's eyes for a full minute, before he moves away. I wonder if he's ashamed of me. I want to say something to him, but I just can't. Silently, I walk out the door into the harsh sunlight.

What do I have but negativity
'Cause I can't justify the way, everyone is looking at me
(Nothing to lose)
Nothing to gain/ hollow and alone
And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own
I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real

When I reach the plaza, I become aware of the cold eyes on Genis and me. I swallow and walk though the gateway leading out of the village. When we get a few miles from Iselia, we stop for a moment and rest underneath a shady tree. My mind is clouded with thoughts. To think, this morning I was ready to go on a journey with my friends. Now, I'm an outcast, shunned by my former home.

I wanna let go of the pain I've held so long
(Erase all the pain till it's gone)
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real
I wanna find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong

I will never know myself until I do this on my own

"Lloyd?" I am shaken out of my thoughts when I hear Genis's voice. I turn to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"D-do you think they'll let us back if we find Colette and the others, and help regenerate the world?"

I smile at him.

And I will never feel anything else, until my wounds are healed

I will never be anything till I break away from me
I will break away, I'll find myself today
I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real
I wanna let go of the pain I've held so long
(Erase all the pain till it's gone)

"Yeah," I say, leaning back against the tree. "I hope so."

But until then, I'm gonna have to keep searching the world for somewhere I belong.

I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real
I wanna find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm somewhere I belong
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm somewhere I belong
Somewhere I belong