A/N: Some of you probably remember this fic. Or at least, I hope some of you do. This fic was removed by the site for breaking guidelines. I hope, however, that I have removed any 'illegal' material from this fic. So, let's try again and hopefully it will stay up this time. Oh, and the 'alterations' -hence the title- are in my bio, thanks.
Disclaimer: Why do we even have to put these here? It's not like any of us actually own the rights to these things. And if we did, do you really think we would be writing fanfics? But, some people have sticks stuck up their $$#$ and so these must be included…sigh. I do not own Tales of Symphonia, Namco does (lucky bastards); I am making no profit from this. Save for the simple happiness I get from writing this and reading (hopefully) good reviews. And please note that this disclaimer counts for all chapters and if you want to read this that badly, you can read it before you change the chapter. Thank You.
"Are you ready Anna? It's almost time to be on our way," stated Kratos as he finished packing the necessary medicine and food that would be needed for their yearly trip.
"I'll be ready humph as soon as I humph manage to get humph this stupid humph suitcase humph closed…" replied his wife, who had apparently tried to fit too much into a single suitcase.
Shaking his head and chuckling under his breath, the red-haired swordsman walked the short distance down the hall to the bedroom they shared. Leaning against the doorway, a bemused expression settled across his face as he watched his now disheveled wife continue to try, in vain, to close the much too full suitcase.
Watching her try several more times, Kratos decided that it would be in the best interest of the suitcase to calm his wife down, before she threw it across the room. Leaving his station at the door, he walked up directly behind Anna and stopped only when their bodies were pressed together.
Feeling the contact, Anna instinctively settled back against his hard, muscular chest. Staying in that position for several moments, Anna eventually turned in her husband's embrace and buried her face into his chest. They stayed in that position for several minutes, and would most likely have stayed longer had the front door not opened and closed.
Looking up at her husband, though not leaving his embrace, Anna's eyes silently pleaded for the help he would offer in getting the suitcase to close.
Smiling down at the woman in his arms, Kratos released her from his arms before opening the suitcase to see what could be taken out. Noticing the cause of the problem almost immediately, Kratos lifted the small sculpture of their son from case. Turning to his wife, Kratos silently arched an eyebrow in question.
Blushing slightly, Anna answered. "I wanted to take it with us."
Giving his wife a loving, if not somewhat chiding, look, Kratos walked over to their vanity and replaced the statue that Dirk had given to Anna as a birthday present earlier in that year. Going back to the suitcase, Kratos easily closed it and hoisted it up.
"Finish," he whispered softly, gently kissing her on the forehead before walking out of the bedroom.
Sighing quietly, Anna straightened and smoothed out her dress before going to work on her hair; all the while ignoring the subtle feeling that something was going to happen.
…
"Hey dad," greeted Lloyd as his father walked into the den. "Almost ready to go?"
"As soon as your mother finishes getting ready, we will be leaving," he replied, setting the suitcase down next to the door.
"Hope you guys have fun," he told him. "Professor Raine wants to see me for some weird reason, so I came in to say bye."
"Knowing that woman, she probably wants to use you as some sort of example," Kratos said, chuckling.
"Probably so," Lloyd laughed. "Anyway, I'm going to go say bye to mom, and then head on over to the classroom."
"Very well son," he said, moving in to give him a hug. "Just try and make sure you stay out of trouble."
"I'll try, but that's about all I can do. You know how trouble seems to follow me everywhere I go," Lloyd retorted.
"sigh Get going Lloyd, I don't want to have to postpone our trip because Raine smacked you into a coma for being late."
Shaking his head, Lloyd walked down the hall to his parent's room so that he could say goodbye to his mother.
"Hey mom," he said gently as he entered the room.
"Hello Lloyd," replied Anna. "Here to see us off?"
"Wish I could," he told her solemnly. "But the Professor wants to see me for some reason, so I'm here to say bye."
"Well then, don't just stand there, come here and give me a hug," she chided softly.
Smiling, Lloyd closed the small distance between them and wrapped his arms around his mother, fighting back the tears that would only come with her departure.
"I'm going to miss you, mom" he whispered sadly, slightly tightening his embrace around her.
"I'll miss you too, dear," she whispered back.
Resting in the others embrace for several more moments, Anna finally pulled back though still keeping her hands on his waist.
"Be good for Dirk, all right," she ordered softly.
"I will," he agreed.
"You'd better go see what Raine wants," she told him. "It probably wouldn't be smart to keep her waiting long."
"She'll understand, but if I don't leave then you may not finish getting ready," he joked, moving completely out of the embrace and walking to the door.
"I love you mom," he said, stopping at the door, his tone gentle, yet serious.
"I love you, too, Lloyd," she replied, watching as he smiled and walked out of her line of vision. Sighing sadly, she turned back to face the mirror and finish her hair. 'That is always the hardest part of this,' she thought to herself. 'Leaving my little boy here, without me here to look after him.'
Leaving his home, Lloyd began walking to the other side of Iselia, where the school was located. After several minutes of walking, Lloyd finally made his way to the school. Opening the door, Lloyd stepped inside and made his way to the only room in the building.
Seeing that the Professor was in the middle of one of her lectures, Lloyd decided that it would be in the best interests of his health to wait until she was finished, and not interrupt. Sitting down against the wall just inside the door, Lloyd began listening to her lecture about the Desians and why they were here.
From the corner of her eye, Raine watched Lloyd enter her class. Half-expecting him to announce his presence, she was somewhat pleased to see him sit down against the wall and begin to listen attentively to what she was saying. Deciding not to address him just yet, she continued her lecture for another half-hour.
"Class," said Raine after she finished her lecture. "I want you all to take a short recess while I attend to some business that needs my attention."
As expected, she heard no complaints from the students. Motioning for Lloyd to come over to her, she watched as he stood up and walked over to her.
"So Professor, what did you want to see me about?" he asked, curious to her answer.
Looking away from him and to her class, she said. "Not in here, let us talk outside."
Not wanting to argue with the moody teacher, Lloyd obediently followed her out of the school.
"I want to apologize first, I know that your parents are leaving on their trip today and I am sorry if I have pulled you from seeing them off," she told him as soon as he closed the door to the school.
"Don't worry about it, it's actually harder to say goodbye as they're leaving anyways," he replied casually.
"Well, at any rate, I'm sorry. But I'm afraid that is why I need to speak with you," she said, ready to get to the point of her calling him.
"What do you mean Professor?" he asked, somewhat confused.
"The Temple Priests, as well as myself, fell that the Oracle will arrive sometime very soon, maybe even today. You know what that means don't you?" she asked him.
"It means that Collette will be called as the next Chosen," he answered simply.
"That's correct, but in order for that to happen, she must pass the trial."
"Huh, trial? I've never heard anyone say anything about any trial."
"That's because it is something that is rarely spoken about outside the temple. But suffice to say, that it can be rather dangerous. And also, the priests are not so young anymore. They might not be able to provide Collette the protection she will require to succeed."
"I see, so the priests were originally planning on having Dad go with Collette, but since he's leaving today, you want me to take his place," he said simply.
"That's correct Lloyd, but I'm afraid that there will be certain rules that must be adhered to once inside. You will need to go to the Temple immediately and learn what those are," she told him, a small hint of urgency creeping into her voice.
"I gotcha, I'll head over there right now and I'll be there all night learning those rules if I have to. I'm not about to let anything happen to Collette," he said to her, hoping to allay the anxiety he was feeling from her.
"I needn't remind you of the dire situation that Sylvarant is in, Collette's journey must succeed. If she doesn't, it might be too late for Sylvarant by the time the next Chosen is called," she replied.
Nodding his head at the graveness of her statement, Lloyd turned and began the hike to the Temple of Martel.
…
Finally finishing fixing her hair, Anna walked into the main hallway where she saw her husband waiting with the in one hand and the other supplies slung over his shoulder. With his Flameberge hanging at his waist, and the Arredoval setting on his left wrist, it was quite obvious that he was more that ready to leave.
"In a hurry dear?" she questioned, one eyebrow arching higher than the other.
"Yes," he answered, his face taking on a grim appearance. "I feel as though something is going to happen soon and I want to be here to make sure Lloyd and the others are safe."
"You worry too much, Kratos," Anna said gently, walking up to her husband and wrapping her arms around his neck. "You know that Lloyd will be able to take care of himself and the others. You haven't spent the last fourteen years training him for nothing. He's almost as strong as you are. He'll be fine."
"You're probably right, as usual," he said, giving her a warm smile.
"Of course I am," she replied teasingly. "Aren't I always?"
Deciding not to answer, Kratos leaned down and gave his wife a tender kiss. The kiss, though not passionate, managed to show just how much love was shared between the two. Pulling away after what seemed like an eternity, they allowed themselves a few moments to bask in the love radiating from the other's gaze.
"Come on," said Kratos, breaking the complacent silence of the room. "It would be best not to keep Mithos waiting."
"Oh, all right," she agreed, pouting cutely.
Restraining himself from kissing her again, Kratos removed himself from her arms and gently pushed on the small of her back, indicating that she should go first. Once outside the house, Kratos locked the door and whistled for Noishe. Watching as the ancient life form came to a stop in front of the, Kratos set the suitcase and carefully lifted Anna onto its back. Once Anna was situated, Kratos handed her the supply bag and motioned for Noishe to pick up the suitcase. Once Noishe had the suitcase handle firmly between his jaws, they began their trip which would eventually take them to Derris Kharlan. But in order to get there, they would have to reach the nearest Cruxis facility, namely the Triet Human Ranch. From there they would be able to contact Mithos and be transported to Derris Kharlan by means of the Eternal Sword.
"I wonder if anything new has happened since we last saw Mithos?" asked Anna once they were safely outside of Iselia.
"I don't know, I am personally more interested in how much longer it will be before an Angel is sent to begin Collette's transformation," he stated wearingly.
"You're positive that Collette can be saved just by attaching a Key Crest to her Cruxis Crystal right," questioned Anna, worried for the girl she had come to see as her daughter.
"Yes Anna, I am sure," he answered, chuckling at his wife's unwarranted worries. "I will allow her to complete the ritual, shift the mana flow, and place a Key Crest on her crystal. After that it will be as though nothing has changed, with the exception of her maintaining her Angelic abilities."
"I'm glad," she whispered quietly. "So, have you decided on whether or not you take Lloyd with you when Collette's journey begins?"
"Yes, I think I will. Besides, you know Lloyd, he would just follow on his own if I told him no," he told her, amused at his son's sometimes blatant disregard of orders.
Laughing at the mental images that her husband's words produced, Anna began to prepare herself for the pain and worry that would come when the inevitable finally happened. She was shaken out of her reverie, however, by the wolf that was unfortunate enough to leap out at them.
"They never learn," she heard her husband say as he stepped in front of them and drew his fiery blade. The wolf, having no comprehension of who it was dealing with, leapt at the figure standing before it. The fight was essentially over before it even started as, while the creature was still in mid-air Kratos attacked it with a Super Lightning Blade impaling it through the beast's throat before the mix of lightening and wind sent it flying backwards, effectively stopping any blood from tarnishing his clothing.
Pulling a cloth from his belt, Kratos wiped the animal's blood from his sword. Once he was satisfied that the blade held no more blood, he replaced both the cloth and the sword.
"Well, that was a waste of time," he said to no one in particular, highly annoyed at the interruption. "Let's continue on."
On Derris Kharlan…
"Soon dear sister, soon your new vessel will be ready. Tomorrow Remiel will be sent to the temple and the girl will begin her transformation," whispered Yggdrasill Mithos, as he stood staring at the lifeless body of his sister Martel.
"Lord Yggdrasill," entreated a somewhat hesitant voice.
"Yes, what is it," he demanded, not happy that his musings had been interrupted.
"Lord Kratos and his wife are on their way to the Triet Ranch, my lord," said the voice.
"I see, thank you, you may leave now Pronyma," he stated, not even bothering to look at the voice's owner.
"As you wish," she said obediently before leaving just as quickly as she had come.
"I hope you can forgive me for what I am about to do, my dear friends. But Martel will be awakened," he whispered, once he was sure that he had no other company. "I can only hope that this does not cause them to hate me," he added, before leaving the room to put the final touches on his plan to revive his sister.
A/N: Ehh…That didn't turn out very good, at least not in my opinion. Anyway, be kind, the next chapter will be much better, I promise. Just a little preview of events for you; Lloyd meets Sheena at the Martel Temple, Kratos and Anna reach Derris Kharlan, Mithos' plan gets set into motion, and Genis gets smacked by Raine…okay, so maybe that last one might not happen. Just so you know, I only have the vaguest outline of where I am going with this, which means that I am mostly writing it as I go. An example of that would be when Lloyd meets Sheena. My original plan had been for it to happen at the same time as it did in the game, but then I got to wondering about why Sheena didn't go to the temple to assassinate Collette in the first place, so I decided to change the meeting point. Hell, who am I kidding, there probably isn't going to be any assassination attempt at all. But don't worry, I have no intention of rushing head-long into immediate Sheloyd romance, unless that is what you guys want; if you do, please say so and I will oblige. Thanks for reading, and please review.