Well, since I have a Creative Writing Class now, I don't get too much time to type regularly on my stories, so I'll post all the stuff related to Difference In Destiny here. Bear in mind, this was orginally done for school, so the language is cleaned up. And a few things may be slightly exaggerated. But if nothing else, this should give background information for some of the characters. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tales of Symphonia.

"Momma...Moooommmaaaa!... Time to wake up!" called a little blond haired, blue eyed girl. Her silky silver kimono swayed to and fro, making a 'swish' sound as her feet padded across the floor.

As the little girl reached her parents' bed, she pounced, landing on her mother's abdomen. The blond haired woman gasped sharply as she felt her daughter's bony knees drive into her pelvis, sending a searing pain through her legs.

She groaned, opening her eyes. 'There's no way it's already morning.' The woman thought, turning her head to glance out the window. Her suspisions were confirmed upon the sight of velvet darkness still shrouding the land, with the moonlight as the only illumination, though dim, as it streamed into the room.

"Kito, it's the middle of the night. Go back to bed dear." she said, using her nickname for her daughter's full name, Kitoushi. The little girl glanced around for a bit before smiling sheepishly.

"Oops, sorry Momma. I woked up, so I thought it was morning, 'cause I not sleepy." Kitoushi explained.

Her mother reached up, ruffling her hair. "Well, go back to bed and try, okay?" she said as her husband stirred beside her, slowly opening his eyes.

"Ryori, what's wrong?" he asked, before his eyes focused on his daughter. He mentally sighed. 'Why did she have to have a bad dream tonight? I just got home...' the man thought.

"Did you have a bad dream, Kitoushi?" he asked as he sat up and gathered his daughter in his arms and lifting her up off his wife's abdomen.

Ryori shook her head as she sat up, placing a hand above her now sore pelvis. "No, Arkansas, she--" Ryori began, before getting cut off by her energetic child.

"No Daddy, I just not sleepy." Kitoushi explained, then 'Oops'ed when she realized her mistake. "Oops, sorry Momma." Ryori smiled, glad to see her daughter remembered what she had taught her about respect, even if it was a little subdued.

"Anyway, you need to go back to bed, Masume." Arkansas said, before placing a kiss atop the blond child's head.

"Daddy, I'm not sleepy though. Oh, how about a story? Can you tell me a story?" Kitoushi asked, excitement in her voice.

Her parents looked at each other. They had come to dread their daughter asking for a story, due to her diverse genre request. Last time, she had asked for a historical nonfiction. The time before, a romance, and before that, a sci-fi. "What kind of story do you want tonight?" Ryori asked, doing her best to keep from biting her tongue.

Kitoushi tilted her head in thought, her blond hair cascading over her left shoulder. "Hmm... A scary story please!" she chirped.

Arkansas looked at her in disbelief. "Are you sure?" he asked.

The small girl nodded. Ryori closed her eyes, racking her brain for the requested content. "Err... Once upon a time..." she began, trailing.

"Silly Momma, that's how you start a fairy tale." Kitoushi giggled.

"Well, Momma's gonna break the rules, okay? Anyway, once upon a time, there was a family: a Mommy, a Daddy, and a child. The Mommy was Koume, the Daddy was Shota, and the child was Isaribi. They awoke one morning to explosions outside their house, so they went out to investigate, after telling Isaribi to stay inside. The little girl, not realizing what the explosions were, let curiosity get the best of her, and followed Koume and Shota.

Outside, there were evil soldiers attacking the village they lived in. One of the soldiers noticed the unarmed family as quickly as they had opened their door, and signalled to his platoon. They quickly had the small family surrounded. Isaribi cowered in tears behind her father as the soldiers closed in. Shota pushed his wife behind him, assuming an offensive stance.

'You think you can fight us?' One of the soldiers scoffed as three of his platoon came up from behind Shota, Koume, and Isaribi. Two of them made a dive for Koume, and one for Isaribi. The little girl screamed as she was lifted, while Koume struggled against the soldiers' grip.

'Daddy, help!' Isaribi shrieked, as Shota turned around with a horrified expression on his face. As Koume shook one of the men off, Shota threw himself at the soldier holding his daughter, only to have a jolt of electricity course through his body, rendering him unconscious as he collided with the hard, dry ground. A bolt of electricy struck Koume square in her chest, and she slumped into the arms of the soldier she had just been struggling against.

'Men, you're pathetic.' The man who had shot the bolts of lightning said as he came into view. The soldiers bowed their heads.

'I'm sorry, my lord.' The platoon leader. Later, Shota and Koume woke up in a strange place, with Isaribi in tears. After calming the little girl, Koume and Shota scanned the area for an exit. After spotting one, Shota picked Isaribi up, and they headed for the exit with Koume in pursuit. Once on the other side of the door, they heard a man yell out.

'Hey, where do you're going?' The leader of the platoon that had captured them yesterday boomed, sending a jolt of fear through the family's bodies. A few soldiers appeared from the gates, heading towards Koume and Shota, causing the couple to bump up their pace to a run. Despite having Isaribi in his arms, Shota pulled ahead of Koume as they left the premises of the facility.

Koume quickly began to fade, though, until the soldiers finally caught with her. 'Let me go!' she gasped, swinging a wearing fist at the nearest soldier. Shota turned at her yell, but as he began to out Isaribi down, she spoke out again. 'Go Shota! Get Isaribi out of here! I'll be fine, okay?' Shota tightened his grip on Isaribi as he took off.

'I'll be back, I promise!' he yelled back to Koume. Shota ran, and after a while, he stopped beside some bushes to rest. However, he and Isaribi became completely silent as they heard footsteps.

'I'm tired of these rats defying us! If you find them, then kill them!' The leader ordered. Shota wrapped himself around Isaribi, being sure that neither of them made a move. After a time, the two heard footsteps beside the bush, and Isaribi gasped in fear. The soldier looked at the bush as he drew his sword, before driving it into the bush. The father and daughter screamed out in pain.

The sword went completely through Shota's chest, coming out the front and grazing Isaribi's arm. 'Leave them for the monsters to eat.' The leader said, before signalling for the platoon to leave." Ryori looked at her daughter and husband, Kitoushi cuddled into Arkansas' side, both fast asleep. Satisfied, she laid down again, closing her eyes and drifting off.'

A ten year old Kitoushi lay on her mat, crying into her pillow. It had been five years since that night. She hated herself now for asking for that story. The bed-time story had turned into a real life tragedy. The morning after that story had been a reality version of it for Ryori, Arkansas, and Kitoushi.

Kitoushi sat up, clutching the only momento she had of her father, his wedding band. Lifting her hand, she wiped the tears off her face. The young blond haired, blue eyed child finally understood what the villager's who had found her meant when they said, 'Daddy might not wake up, little one.'

Her hands tightened into fists as a new flow of tears began to fall. "Daddy... Why?... Why did you have to stay asleep and die?"

This is the third person omniscent version. I will also post the third person limited, first person, and dramatic versions. This was done so she could see if we understood Point of View. If you want me to add more to this section (Kitoushi's flashback), review and let me know.