I decided that I should write this story after something very similar happened in my Tales game. The idea wouldn't leave me alone. I suppose that those muses of mine are finally getting off their lazy asses and doing some work for a change.
Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia. If you thought for I second that I did then you are the most gullible person on Earth.
/S/o/u/l/M/a/t/e/s/
Title: Soul Mates!
One-shot
Location: Triet Desert/Triet
/S/o/u/l/M/a/t/e/s/
"Hey! Guys! Since we're headed all the way back to Iselia we should stop by Triet on the way! You know, to stock up on supplies?"
A young human dressed in primarily in red perked up and looked over at his half-elvin friend in interest.
"Yeah! That's a great idea Genis!" he responded with a grin. "We could also stay a night at the inn! It's been ages since we've slept in real beds!"
"Wow! That would be amazing!" A blonde girl happily agreed as she slowed to walk beside her two friends. "It has been so long!"
"Yeah! And I can also see who loves me!" Lloyd exclaimed, happily pumping his fist in the air. This comment caused the entire group to come to an abrupt halt. Lloyd, noticing the stares directed at him, lowered his hand back to his side and gave a nervous grin, lightly kicking the sand the small group of six had been trudging through for the past four hours.
"I-I mean I can see who is…trustworthy…uh, yeah! Trustworthy! You never know who could be a desian in disguise! Heh heh heh…" Professor Sage was the first to turn away, writing the whole thing off as one of Lloyd's quirks.
"We won't get to Triet by just standing here. Let's go." She said looking at the group's resident mercenary for confirmation of their new traveling direction. "Further south, hm?"
"Desians in disguise?" Sheena repeated skeptically as they began moving again.
"Yeah!" Lloyd said, trying to think of some one who was a desian in disguise so he could prove his point. "Like Kavar!"
"…"
At that point everybody began tuning out the young swordsman. They had learned not to bother correcting him on things like this a long time ago.
"Two hours," Kratos murmured to himself while massaging his temple. "Just two more hours and I can be free until morning."
/S/o/u/l/M/a/t/e/s/
"Hmm. Not much has changed." Lloyd observed as the group walked through the entrance way to the city of Triet.
Kratos rolled his eyes and restrained himself from making a sarcastic comment about Lloyd's powers of observation, Lloyd's sword technique…heck; he refrained from commenting on Lloyd in general. The last thing he needed was the boy challenging him to a sparing match today. The mercenary's eye movement caused the rest of his companions to come into his line of sight
"I'll go reserve us some rooms at the inn," he hastily volunteered as he saw Colette, Raine and Sheena all look over at the open air market while simultaneously reaching for him. Or rather, while simultaneously reaching for his wallet. With that simple explanation the auburn-haired man was gone. Lloyd, ever observant of his surroundings, stared up the street toward the fortune teller's tent, oblivious the dangerous situation Kratos left him in.
"I'm going to go visit the fortu-"Lloyd quickly cut himself off as he noticed his female companions staring at him in a scary fashion. A feeling of dread crept up his spine. This was the creepy look they got when they wanted to- The swordsman quickly looked for a scapegoat. Namely, Kratos.
"Hey, Kra—crap." The tail of the mercenary's purple cloak disappeared into the door of the cities only inn moments after Lloyd laid eyes on him. After a brief moment of panicking and stuttering the red-clad swordsman came up with a clever escape plan. He always did come up with his best in life-or-death situations.
"I'm going to the…food…place! You know, the place that sells food down there!" he exclaimed while pointing strait ahead. "Bye!" With that Lloyd disappeared, a trail of dust and the blank stares of his companions the only sign that he had been there.
Three pairs of eyes settled on the last male in their party. Genis nervously took a few steps back.
"Uh…Lloyd may need my help getting food! You know how hard it is for him to decide between a sandwich and an omelet! I'd be surprised if he remembers what ingredients are even in an omelet! I'll just be-"
"We need help carrying all of the things that were going to buy, Genis. Besides it was you that suggested that we stop by Triet for supplies." his older sister reasoned, taking him by the shoulders and forcibly steering him towards the market. The other two females trailed behind and began talking about what they were going to buy and what stores they were going to visit.
"Lloyd! Help! I'm too young to die!"
/S/o/u/l/M/a/t/e/s/
"Phew! Made it!" Lloyd exclaimed happily as he ducked into the fortune teller's tent. "Now to get my friendship fortunes!"
The fortune teller looked up at the sound and smiled as she saw a customer.
"How may I help you?" she asked with a polite smile.
"I would like a friendship fortune on all of my companions." Lloyd said with a wide grin.
The fortune teller's smile slipped a little. "I'm telling free friendship fortunes today." She said with a sigh, resigning herself to the fact she would not be making any money off of this one. How unfortunate. He didn't look like he was too bad off either…
"Really! Awesome! Free friendship fortunes! Oh! I know! Do Colette first!"
The fortune teller rolled her eyes before closing them. "Alright, boy, this is how it works. You concentrate on a person that you know and I will tell you what type of bond you have with them. Got it?"
"Yup!" Lloyd said with a smile. "I'm ready."
"Hmm…The person you are thinking of…is your soul mate! You were made for each other!"
Lloyd blushed and rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "Really? Wow…that's…"
The fortune teller quickly brought up a hand to hide her sudden smirk. She just thought of the best way to get even with this kid for only wanting friendship fortunes on free-friendship-fortune day!
"Who is next?" she asked, trying to keep the glee from her voice. It wouldn't do to have the boy suspicious. That might ruin her fun.
Fortunately for her Lloyd was still too caught up in her last fortune to notice the slight waver in her voice.
"Oh yeah! Um…Genis is next."
It was a difficult battle to keep herself from bursting out in maniacal laughter as she heard the next name she would be focusing on.
"Right. The person you are thinking of …is your soul mate! You're really lucky!" the fortune teller said with a (slightly evil) smile.
"Wha…! But…Genis!" Lloyd shook his head. He must not have been focusing on Genis hard enough. Colette must have slipped back into his thoughts. He shook his head again to clear it of all thoughts of Colette. This time the fortune would be right.
"Can we try that one again?" Lloyd asked sheepishly. "I wasn't really concentrating hard enough."
"Of course," the fortune teller replied. "From the top."
Both closed their eyes and focused.
"The person you are thinking of… Is definitely your soul mate! Congratulations!"
Lloyd's head snapped up as he stared in horror at the fortune teller. How could…! Maybe …it was a fluke. Yeah that was it. The old lady was having a bit of trouble telling the difference between soul mates and best friends. He would just have to try somebody else.
"Umm…Why don't we do someone else?" Lloyd suggested. "How about…Professor Sage?"
"No problem," the fortune teller replied with a smile. She should have thought of this idea a long time ago! This was hilarious! "Concentrate upon the person whose bond you wish to see."
Lloyd turned his mind to the professor and only the professor. This time his fortune would be right.
"The person you are thinking of is your soul mate! My! Some people have all the luck!"
Lloyd stared at the fortune teller. This had to be some kind of sick joke! (If only he knew!) There was no way he could have three soul mates! She had to be lying! Genis and the Professor…that was just…no! There was only one way to be sure.
Lloyd eyed the fortune teller warily "The next person is Sheena." There was no way she could be his soul mate. Heck, he'd only know the ninja for two months! And that was including all the time that she had spent trying to kill him and his friends!
"Hmm," the fortune teller said while closing her eyes. The boy was suspicious. She might as well tell the truth on this one.
"The person that you are thinking of…Thinks very highly of you! Work a little more and your bond will be unbreakable!"
"We…we're friends?" Lloyd asked tentatively. "Just friends?"
"Yes. Just friends. Not everybody is your soul mate, you know. Was that all of them?"
"Uh…no. There is sill one more. His name is Kratos." The swordsman began to relax again. Sheena was just a friend. Kratos had to be just a friend. At most he is a brother figure. He and Kratos couldn't be soul mates. It didn't make sense. Genis and the professor didn't make sense either, but…. It was just a fluke. This one would be right.
"The person you are thinking of…is your soul mate! You were made for each other!" the fortune teller said with a smile.
Lloyd was torn. Should he begin crying? Or maybe screaming? Oh! Hysterical laughter sounds good! What he eventually did was a combination of the three as he staggered out of the fortune tellers tent five minutes later, once he had regained the use of his motor skills.
The fortune teller watched him go with a delighted smile upon her face. She had just found a new way to make people leave her tent in tears.
/S/o/u/l/M/a/t/e/s/
Kratos glanced over at the door to his room as it opened and watched in sight fascination as Lloyd staggered acting like he had been bitten by a rabid dog. His curiosity climbed a notch as Lloyd froze in the doorway, staring at him in fright. The mercenary was about to question Lloyd on his appearance when the younger swordsman cut him off
"I'm sorry Kratos but I can't be your soul mate."
Kratos blinked in surprise as Lloyd tuned and staggered right back out the door, which shut behind him with a soft click.
"…"
Kratos stared at the door for a few more minutes before he decided that there were two things that he could do. The first was assume that he had fallen asleep for the first time in four thousand years and was having a really strange dream/nightmare. Or he could decide he really didn't want to know what Lloyd was babbling about and deny that the swordsman ever set foot in the room.
Considering the first was nearly impossible, Kratos decided that he could work with his second option. Now, to go back to what he was doing before Lloyd stumbled in so he could have a decent alibi if anybody else walked in and questioned him.
With that thought Kratos turned back to the blank stone wall.
"Hmmm…which stone was I on?"
/S/o/u/l/M/a/t/e/s/
Hmmm…This wasn't nearly as amusing as it sounded in my head…Or as amusing as it was when this happened in my game…
Oh well. It doesn't make me cringe and/or want to burn my computer so it can't be that bad.
Constructive criticism is welcomed.