AUTHOR'S NOTE: I bet you haven't ever seen anything like this.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Tales of Symphonia. If I did, I would take the Play Station 2 versions off the shelves.

"So, this is the summoner who formed a pact with Volt? Pathetic!" exclaimed an angry Kuchinawa. He sheathed his sword and slung the sheath over his back.

An exhausted Sheena, kneeling on one knee, catching her breath, shook her head. "I'm… I'm sorry, Kuchi…"

"For what? That you killed nearly everyone including my parents, trying to form a pact with Volt, saying you failed, but then, turn around and made a pact with him and seven others?"

"…"

"Or, being assigned to kill the Chosen of Slyvarant, but instead join her, and helped her, and now Meltokio does not want to have anything to do with us, and treats us, people of Mizuho, like half-elves?"

"…" Sheena hung her head, and sobbed quietly.

Lloyd drew his right sword, "Shut up!"

But, before Lloyd took another step, Kuchinawa pulled out a shuriken and held it above his head, like he was going to throw it. "One move, Irving, and this will splint Sheena's skull!"

"Then, go ahead and do it, then, if you hate me so much…" Sheena said, coldly.

Kuchinawa squinted his narrow eyes and stared back at Sheena, in a death stare. In a flash, Kuchinawa threw the spiral dart towards Sheena and into her shoulder. Sheena screamed, more out of shock than pain, and collapsed to the ground, grasping her right shoulder with her left hand.

"Sheena!" Lloyd shouted, rushing to her side.

"Sad…" Kuchinawa said, under his breath. He turned his back, and started to walk off…

…but, "Kuchi…nawa… wait," Sheena struggled to get out, between grunts of pain. "Why?"

"I already told you…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bell with a red ribbon. "Something struck me as odd, though, Sheena. What ever happened to Corrine? Why do you have his bell?"

"He died…"

"Did he?" He tossed the bell at Sheena's feet, who was now being helped by Lloyd. "I guess that means you have no more friends left, does it?"

Sheena bent down and picked up the jingling trinket. Kuchinawa turned and was about to walk off. "Wait, Kuchinawa…" Sheena called out, staggering away from Lloyd, holding her shoulder, which was bleeding through her fingers. "Don't go…"

"Why, Sheena, I have never seen you so persevering, before. You usually go back and hide behind shadows when you fail." He swung his arm in the air in a horizontal path. "Go home!"

"Kuchi…nawa…" she fell to her knees.

Kuchinawa then vanished in a clouding mist, with no expression of remorse in his eyes.

Sheena started to feel faint. She felt herself get picked up by Lloyd. "Come on, let's get you back and stop the bleeding along the way.

"Lloyd… never mind… thanks…" she fainted, and Lloyd helped her onto the boat and laid her down, and wrapped a cloth around her wound. He grabbed the oar and rowed off.

Up on a high tree branch, far from the waters below, Kuchinawa sat watching them drift through the rivers current. "Do not come looking for me, Sheena. If you and I were to meet again, I'll kill you…" He stood up and looked at the smoke rising from the woods of where Mizuho is. "Same goes to you Orochi… and anyone else there… I don't want to go back!" He punched the tree trunk next to him, in frustration and confusion, rather than anger.

He withdrew his hand. His knuckles were cracked and bleeding. Ignoring the pain, he sighed.

Now, he had to go see a doctor…