Yay! One shot time. Hey guys I know it's been a long time since I posted as story. Sorry about that. My Computer decided it wasn't going to let me upload documents, so I had to get it fixed. Anyway I'm trying out a new story; so let me know what you think of it okay?

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia

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Crash! A streak of lightning moved across the sky. Thunder rolled through the heavens. The wind screamed and howled mercilessly as it tore at the houses. Heavy rain coursed down from the anvil shaped clouds, pelting the town of Sybak endlessly as if trying to smite the hamlet in anger. The storm raged eternally transverse the charcoal sky, its grey darkness broken only by flashes of lightning that ripped through the clouds. Needless to say, you'd have to be a total idiot to go out willingly into weather like this.

But not to sit comfortably at a window side and watch it. Which was where Lloyd Irving current was. The ragtag group was currently staying at one of Sybak's smaller inns. Although small, its rooms were warm and cozy. Everyone else had opted to go to bed, exhausted emotionally and physically from what had been a very draining day.

Lloyd however, could not sleep. His mind was far too restless. He had been sitting at the window long before the storm started and would probably be there long after it ended. Even with his mind running in circles, the storm still comforted him.

Back at his dad's house in Iselia forest, little Lloyd had often woken up to the sound of thunder. He had always curled up by his window and watched the storm dance the length and width of the heavens.

Beautiful, mysterious, fascinating and dangerous, that's what a thunderstorm was to him. Dangerous yes, but never had they frightened him. He loved to watch the lightning chains that spanned the heavens, looking for the entire world like fire racing the distance of the skies. In essence, storm watching was just as calming as stargazing.

But not tonight, all the storm was doing was making his head spin worse than it already was. Funny how the outside world reflected the state of his current inner self. What, pray tell, was causing him such emotional turmoil? The same thing that had caused it for a while now.

Kratos.

The angels.

Martel.

Same old, same old it seemed. Lloyd shivered and turned his gaze skyward. Lightning streaked across his field of vision. Kratos… why did his thoughts always lead him back to Kratos? The icy mercenary who had saved them at Martel Temple, accompanied them to the Tower of Salvation and…

Lloyd felt his eyes grow moist.

And nearly killed them.

A friend who was now their enemy.

Kratos worked for Yggydrasil now. No, Kratos had always worked for Yggydrasil. Maybe he had never been their friend. Maybe he had never been Lloyd's friend. Lloyd let out a choked sob. It was a possibility. Kratos could have been the enemy from the get go. Had never been or called any of them friends.

It hurt.

Gods above it hurt. It hurt more than it should, all things considered. Kratos had never been particularly warm hearted, but he hadn't exactly been maliciously cruel either. Lloyd had always felt sort of…connected to him. Raine and Genis had always said Kratos was cold, but Lloyd had known otherwise. Every heart has a secret sorrow of which the world knows not and often times we call a man cold, when he is only sad. Lloyd had always thought Kratos held a great sadness in his heart he chose not to reveal.

But that didn't matter now, nothing did. Anything they'd known about the world had been a complete lie. Like up until now, they'd been viewing the world through rose coloured glass.

And Kratos had been the one to shatter it, almost poetic in a sense. Their great protector had in fact been working for the other side. It was almost enough to send Lloyd into hysterics. Almost. Lloyd had already done his crying, already mourned his loss. Until all the pain was gone, replaced by numbness.

It was terrifying actually. The fact Lloyd couldn't feel anything when he thought about or even saw Kratos. It was just a cold empty feeling. Like there was nothing there, just an endless abyss you could get lost in, lose yourself in.

When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares into you.

Lloyd shivered and stared out into the storm. Would he eventually lose himself? Would he fall into the darkness of his heart, his own mind? Would he fall into the cold, unfeeling depths of his darkness? Would he allow himself to be eventually consumed by that darkness? Questions, terrifying questions and none did he have an answer too. Millions of morbid thoughts circled his mind.

Would he fall into darkness?

And perhaps even more terrifying…

Who would pull him back if he did?

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Everybody loves good old-fashioned Lloyd-angst. This story ran in a completely different direction than I originally intended so I want to here what you guys think.

R&R