A/N: Okay so in this chapter you will be hearing Genis' thoughts and stuff so I don't know what point of view that would be, but the bottom line is in later chapters you will be hearing Presea's so just a heads up. Now for this disclaimer:
I do not own Tales of Symphonia, Namco does. I sure as heck wish I did, though.
Enjoy!
After breaking yet another mana link, everyone was exhausted and decided to stop at Flanoir. Raine was reading a book, and Regal had already went to bed. Lloyd was lying down on the couch with Colette curled up next to him, both dozing peacefully while Sheena and Zelos were still arguing relentlessly. The things they could sleep through was amazing.
"You must be so tired after forming that pact with Celsius, Sheena. Why don't you come over here so I can give you a massage-" The sound of Sheena's slap echoed around the room.
"I'm not your hunny, Zelos!" Sheena shrieked with defiance. Zelos clutched the red mark on the side of his face.
"Geez Sheena! That hurt! My precious face..." Zelos whimpered. The ninja raised her hand, about to hit him again when Zelos held up his hands in front of his face.
"Hold your fire! I'm sorry, alright?" he pleaded. Sheena lowered her hand with a look of victory on her face.
"Good boy," she said.
Genis sat in front of the fire, with Presea sitting just a few inches away from him. She just stared dully into the bright orange flames. The silver-haired half elf had thought about saying something to her many times, but it never seemed appropriate. She looks so sad, Genis thought. I want to cheer her up...but how? He looked over at her, taking in the sight of her spiky pink pigtails, strong arms that were mostly covered by her long grey gloves, and the glimmering cruxis crystal that sat in the base of her neck. Her usually sparkling blue eyes were dark, and full of despair.
"P-P-Presea?" Genis stuttered. C'mon Genis! Don't stutter, he scolded himself. He just got so nervous around her. She looked over slowly, tearing herself away from the smoky fireplace.
"Yes?" she replied, not noticing or not caring about his stuttering.
"I-I was, um, wondering, if, ah," Pull it together, you can do it, he thought. "Would you like to take a walk with me?" Genis blurted. At least I didn't stutter. Presea remained as emotionless as ever.
"I would like that," she answered in a monotone. They both rose from their seats next to the fireplace and strode to the door.
"Where are you two going?" Raine demanded.
"Genis and I will be going on a walk. We will be back shortly," the pink-haired girl replied. Raine nodded and returned to her book. Genis' face burned red and Zelos flashed him a wink. The mage blushed even deeper. Presea led the way into the cold air of Flanoir and they walked around the small town. Genis took this as his opportunity.
"Why do you look so sad, Presea?" he probed. Shock crossed her face momentarily before she covered it back up.
"Do you really care?" she whispered, tears prickling the corners of her eyes.
"What? Oh, yeah I care. Why else would I ask a question like that?" he said. Presea nodded, deciding on telling him the truth.
"Ah, I see. I'm sorry. I will tell you then," she responded flatly. They stopped at a snow covered balcony.
"From the moment you placed this key crest on my neck, reality has become a cruel idea for me. The years that I have lost, the people I have lost. It is all sorrow. Sometimes, I wonder if I would have been better off never having this key crest. The world is no place for a person like me. I've lost everyone, and everything. People think of me as a monster. I even assisted the people who have caused you all so much trouble. I'm a burden. You probably hate me." Her eyes became watery again. Genis was so shocked that he forgot all his nervousness.
"Presea, you are no burden. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me," he said. Presea's attention was immediately caught and she turned her head so she could look at him. She saw nothing but sincerity and seriousness in his eyes. He continued, "That day we gave you that key crest, I was so happy. You could live again. Those years aren't lost, Presea. Sure, you aren't living them in the time you would have before, but you can live them now, with different people that you wouldn't have met otherwise. As a half elf, I know what it's like to feel left out. Nobody wants anything to do with you, and they treat you like scum. But there are people out there who don't care about what you are, they only care about who you are. Everyone inside that inn is like that. I haven't once viewed you as a monster, even when you were still frozen in that state without emotion. It wasn't your fault that you helped those people. It was theirs for using you. You haven't lost everyone either, Presea, because I will be here for you. Always. I will protect you. You may think that the world won't ever be accepting with you, but I would lose the world without you. I love you, Presea." Genis couldn't believe he had just done that. He had came out here to cheer her up, not confess his feelings! What if she didn't love him back? He looked nervously at her face that remained in a look of shock. She didn't know what to do because no one had ever spoken to her like that. (A/N: I know I said I wouldn't give her thoughts until later but I'm kinda cheating;)) A warm, unfamiliar feeling spread through the pit of her stomach, and she didn't know what it was. Could this be...love? she wondered. She had never opened up her heart like this ever before, and now all her suppressed feelings towards him had come bursting out. He's the only person for me, she thought. Genis was starting to get really scared when she still didn't respond. Then, she spread into one of her rare smiles.
"Thank you, thank you so much Genis," she said, while a few tears started to roll down her face. "I love you too," she confessed. Genis stood there, staring incredulously into her bright blue orbs. Then, he rushed up and gave her a hug, holding her as close as he could. Presea was rigid for a second, and then she relaxed into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his back. He pulled back slightly to face her, their breaths mingling from the closeness. They both were smiling, and Presea took her chance to display her own love. She leaned in slowly with her eyes closed slightly, and then kissed Genis gently. He kissed her back, with slightly more force. He didn't know how many times he had dreamt of this moment, and he couldn't believe it was happening, that the girl of his dreams loved him back. They broke apart, each blushing slightly. Presea raised one gloved hand to caress his cheek, while her other grasped his hand. This was the first time she had succumbed to her emotions, and she actually...enjoyed it.
"M-maybe...we should head back," she told him, a blush blossoming. I can't believe it, Genis thought, she actually stuttered...and blushed! She's even cuter than before.
"Yeah," he agreed, also blushing. They began their short walk back to the inn and right before they entered, Presea nudged Genis.
"Hm? What is it?" he asked, truly curious. Instead of answering, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him quickly.
"I love you," she muttered. Genis really liked it when she said that.
"I love you too," he replied. Grabbing her hand, they made their way into the inn. When they got to the room, Lloyd and Colette were still sleeping on the couch, but Raine had gone up to bed and Sheena was playing with her cards. Zelos had fallen asleep in his chair, which was a good thing because he would have prodded Genis for every detail of him and Presea's walk otherwise. Sheena snapped her head up to look at the two standing in the doorway. Her eyes lowered to their entwined hands. The summoner's face spread into a grin.
"Are you two..." she whispered, not wanting to wake anyone. Presea nodded while she cracked a smile. Sheena gasped.
"Congratulations! Whoa, did Presea just...smile?" she asked. Her face was a cross of shock and happiness. Presea blushed and leaned into Genis.
"You two better go up to bed, it's late," Sheena told them, still smiling. "That's so great for you guys," she said.
"Thanks, Sheena," Genis responded quietly. The new couple walked up the stairs and went into their separate rooms. Everyone had their own rooms in this huge inn. Genis lay in his bed, unable to sleep. He kept thinking of how soft her lips were and how warm she was against him. She's like a new person, he thought, but I like it. He lay there for about an hour with his mind racing. Then, his door creaked open a little bit. Genis grabbed his kendama, preparing for a monster to burst in. Instead, he saw Presea's head peek out around the door. Genis let out a sigh of relief and dropped his kendama.
"What are you still doing up?" he asked as she opened the door the rest of the way and walked in.
"I should ask you the same question," she countered. Genis smiled.
"I couldn't sleep," he admitted as he sat up on the bed. She joined him.
"Me neither," she said quietly. Her gloves were off and Genis grabbed her hand, realizing how cold it was.
"Are you okay?" he asked. Presea turned her head and stared straight into his eyes.
"Yes," she replied quietly.
"You're lying," he said. Her eyes gave it away. She sighed in defeat.
"I...I kept thinking. How I had never opened my heart to anything before, and how I used to think emotions made me weak. But, I don't anymore. I want to feel them now. And I just can't stop thinking about you. I close my eyes, there you are. I open them, and I am only aware of emptiness. If I did go to sleep, I'm afraid of nightmares. In my dreams...I always lose someone. And now I'm afraid it's going to be you." A tear slid down her cheek. Genis wiped it away with his hand and chuckled. Presea looked at him, confused.
"Did I say something wrong?" she asked.
"No, I was just thinking of how tonight is the first time I've ever seen you cry."
"Oh." They sat a few moments in silence, with Genis' arms around her.
"Genis?" she asked.
"Yeah?"
"May I sleep with you tonight?"
Genis was shocked. It made him happy just to have her with him now, but for her to stay with him all night would just be...amazing.
"Of course," he finally replied, smiling. The pink-haired girl smiled at him and kissed his cheek. Then he scooted over to make room for her under the covers. She wrapped her arms around him and he stroked her hair. It was all spread out and loose opposed to the normal pigtails she wore it in. It's so pretty, he thought. She's so pretty.
A/N: Okay, so here's the first chapter:) I've actually written this story all the way up to chapter 24, and it is still going, but it was uploaded on a site called Wattpad. Anyways, I'll upload all those chapters as fast as I can. A side note: I'm copy-pasting the chapters from Wattpad, some of them might not have italics and bold and whatnot because I didn't always have access to it, so sorry for that. Reviews are oh-so-appreciated, and you know the drill, so make me a happy girl! :D
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