Hello!
The user Shiroi Iyasu suggested a Lloyd/Mithos/Kratos piece, so I got to work on it almost immediately. Gotta say, though, I believe this is more of a Lloyd/Mithos with some shades of Mithos/Kratos piece x_x
Anyway, the scene is set from Mithos's point of view. I don't know the character this well –but it seemed a fun challenge, so I went for it. There's some AU, but it's only related to a minor event and there aren't major changes in the story after that. No OoC on purpose, if it's there it's because I failed at keeping the characters IC.
Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia and the characters which appeared in the game, and I do not earn any money from this story.
Mithos slowly closed the door leading to Genis's bedroom; the entire hallway, filled with priceless pieces of furniture and ornaments, was drowned in utter darkness and silence, at least for mortals' eyes. The half-elf could clearly hear his new friend shuffling around under the bed sheets, too anxious about Colette's illness.
"Sleep well, Genis…" he whispered, lingering in front of the entrance some more. The entire thing was getting out of hand; he was there just to keep a closer eye on her sister's vessel and the group's movement, and on whoever was supplying them with information. Kratos, most probably.
He strolled down the corridor, pausing a little in front of every door to listen to what was happening behind the obstacle; that little girl Genis was so infatuated with –it irked him, for some reasons- was surely asleep, her breathing slow and even. Her sister's vessel –which was her name, again?- was instead coughing and curling up, surely out of pain due to the crystallization of her skin. And Raine-
"Yo, milord" Mithos stopped in his track, sensing the red-headed Chosen behind him "Did you get lost? I can show you your room again, your highness"
"Be quiet" the half-elf hissed and glared at Zelos "The vessel can hear us, she still has her angelic senses"
The red-headed Chosen circled around the younger –although just his body looked younger- boy, irritably waving his finger at his face all the time "Our little angel? Nah. She's too good"
"Zelos-"
"-So good" so, apparently, he wasn't finished yet. Mithos removed the locks of red hair which managed to get on his shoulder "She wouldn't tell anyone. This is the second time she's dying, and yet she stayed silent again" he then unlocked the door of his bedroom, mumbling about how he would have liked to bump in with jublees "So don't worry, milord. She won't talk"
The half-elf walked away before Zelos had the chance to lock himself in the room. He was yet another irritating human whelp, and a useless spy to boot. If he did his job as good as he claims himself to be, he wouldn't be here now-
Where was Lloyd?
He looked over his shoulder; the summoner and that murderer – ex-president or whatever- occupied the last two bedrooms, and the empty rooms left were in front of him. There was no way he could have missed Kratos's son, in case he was in the guest brim of the mansion to begin with.
He backtracked his steps to the stairs, uncaring of any excessive noise he may be producing; he hastily climbed all the way up, flinching slightly as someone –he didn't care who, as long as it wasn't Genis- dragged a chair across the floor.
Finally, he arrived the door giving access to the mansion's roof; he pulled on the handle, finding it already open. Mithos grinned and easily went up the last stepladder.
The nocturnal air must have been chilly, judging from the visible wisp of air coming out of his mouth when he breathed. Angels technically didn't have to inhale or exhale, and he was glad he remembered about this detail as he eyed the young swordsman.
Lloyd was sitting as far away as possible from the edge, his glaze locked on the stars despite how he was rubbing his arms and shivering. Mithos had heard the legendary tales about the boy being able to fall asleep in any situation –currently, his record was sleeping with two buckets in his hands while standing up and Raine teaching in a class full of noisy brats-, so maybe he was just trying to surpass himself.
The half-elf hoped the leader of the insurgent group wasn't this stupid. It would mean most of his subordinates were really even dumber than a person scoring a total of 25 points out of 400 at Palmacosta's Academy, or they were just less skilled than said country bumpkin.
Either way, both his organizations needed new recruits.
"Lloyd?" the young swordsman turned immediately at Mithos's concerned voice "What are you doing out here? It's freezing…"
The boy just gaped at him, surprised "Mithos! How did you find me?" he crawled toward him, his swords clacking against the tiles "I thought you were with Genis, or sleeping"
The half-elf smiled, hiding behind his gentle demeanour how frustrating Lloyd was being "Uhmm, instinct, I… Guess?" he shied away at the swordsman's touch, making him back away a little as well. It was still too early for a scared half-elf of Tethe'Alla to accept a human's presence so easily.
Lloyd chuckled embarrassed and massaged his nape "Oh… Sorry" he muttered, his eyes softening "You didn't have to look for me, really. I…" his voice lowered a little, but for Mithos it was still booming "I was just stargazing"
"What are you doing, Master?" the half-elf had sneaked behind Kratos as he seemed too busy staring at nothing, but the older soldier had caught his hands just fine before he could temporarily blind him.
Kratos smiled, which made Mithos gasp in surprise "I was looking at the stars. Here" he spread his coat next to him, patting on the cloth afterward "Sit down, I'll show you"
"…You must be really dedicated" the half-elf found himself smiling. The swordsman smiled back goofily, making some space next to him.
"If you don't feel like sleeping, we could watch them together!" he offered, pointing at his side. Mithos was going to decline quietly –he didn't like where this was going-, but then Lloyd smacked his forehead "Ah, I'm such an idiot!"
He crept back at his original sitting place, and picked a sheet up. The half-elf was ready to wish the swordsman goodnight and climb back in the mansion, and yet his body moved away from the entrance, waiting eagerly for Lloyd to come back.
"Here!" Mithos looked at the sheet now placed right below him "I don't have anything to cover you from the cold, though"
And there it was Lloyd's stupid grin plastered on his face. Seriously, the boy basically wore his heart on his sleeves, but this? It summed him up nicely. Anyone else could have understood on the spot what kind of idiotic, optimistic person Lloyd was. If he hadn't been a little bit good with those swords of his, if he hadn't been Kratos's son, he would have ended up dead years before…
Kratos was pointing at various constellations and telling him their names, but Mithos just gave them rapid looks when the man looked at him, since he spent the rest of the time staring at his teacher.
"Why do you like stars so much, Master…?"
Mithos's question seemed innocent enough to him, but Kratos's eyes suddenly lost their sparkles. The half-elf leaned in, murmuring "Master? Master, are you ok?" endlessly as the older man failed to answer.
Mithos waved his hands "It doesn't bother me! Well, not so much…" he sit down on the sheet the swordsman offered him. If he tried to protest against Lloyd giving up that piece of clothing for him, he would have surely beamed him with that stupid smile again and told him he was used to it.
That smile of him troubled the half-elf so much. At least Genis wouldn't do it.
"Why do you like stars so much, Lloyd…?" he asked humbly, avoiding eye contact. The boy didn't know he was helping him by staring at the night sky again.
He puffed in his red gloves, and then rubbed them together "They're relaxing" he then pointed at a specific group of stars "And they're full of myths! Some are said to be even older than Mithos the Hero" he paused, scowling at himself "N-Not like I've got anything against Mithos the Hero, or your name, or…"
The half-elf sweat dropped, fighting the urge to face palm as well "I don't see why I should be offended by that" he watched amused Lloyd becoming more red after each second. He could see why Zelos and Genis found so amusing to tease him.
"Well…" the swordsman shook his bangs away from his face "Back in school, people would make fun of me or insult me for believing in old godmothers' superstitions" Mithos clenched his hands on instinct, anger slowly creeping up "Then there were the priests in every church or house of Salvation, berating me for following heathen beliefs. Colette and Genis tried more than once to get me "purify" my sins…"
"…Stars are silent, but if they could talk, they'd reveal us the knowledge of the universe"
Mithos turned back sharply at Kratos's voice; with a shiver, he noticed it was the same apathetic voice he's heard out of him the first time they met "Stars are above us, immortal, watching us perpetually. They're above fate"
The half-elf sit down again slowly, trying to find comfort in Yuan's or Martel's sight not far from them. However, Martel was sadly watching her open book, and it was obvious she wasn't reading it but listening to Kratos. Yuan just wrapped himself up in his sleeping bag.
"Mine is probably just a delusion" the older man pursed his lips, and suddenly his voice was full of life again "But I like to think I can stand above fate as well when watching them, even if just for a second"
"You'd be surprised..." Lloyd patted on his back, making Mithos turn to watch the previous constellation "I just needed to point at it and say "Look, that's called Volt's Belt", and they would all be on me"
"Oh, Volt, the Summon Spirit of Lightning you've made a pact with, right?" the half-elf clapped his hands together, not having to force himself to look interested. Which clearly wasn't normal, but he couldn't be bothered to keep his mind alienated from everything and everyone this time.
Lloyd nodded enthusiastic "There's no mention of Volt or other Spirits in the teachings of Martel aside from them being mindless extensions of Martel's powers. They're ranked even below the lowest angel" was it Mithos's impression, or was Lloyd's voice raising little by little? "I had nothing against the church or anything, and then…"
The swordsman's fists were shaking visibly "And then… And then suddenly Desians are part of Cruxis and they've been lying to everyone for thousands of years!"
Of course they were, yet the half-elf refrained himself from mentally insulting Lloyd. Or else there would be no reason for the Chosen to go on the Journey, and no Chosen would mean no vessel for his sister. Since the Journey implied the Chosen's death, he had needed a strong motivation to push every human down the path he had created.
Even if it meant destroying the past and any documents behind it, condemning into oblivion countless lives that worked for a future now impossible. Humans and elves were going to suffer the destiny they've built themselves, and the worlds would be only his. Martel would be back and the old group would reform once again, this time in a world rid of discrimination.
"…But now…" Lloyd trembled violently before sneezing and cleaning his nose with his own shirt "I wonder why Yggdrasill is doing this"
Mithos's eyes widened in shock, but the swordsman didn't notice it, his eyes glassy and far "I-I don't even know who Martel is, after all. All this has been set up for her… I want to know"
"Lloyd, you…" the half-elf was genuinely surprised when the boy jumped at his voice, as he thought it was so low a normal human couldn't have heard it.
"But still, I think the whole system is wrong!" the swordsman snapped back, but only determination could be found in his tone, and no anger "The worlds are dying, everyone is running out of time, and I… I just can't stand watching and doing nothing!"
"Mithos, I can't approve this rash behaviour of yours-"
"But, Master!" the half-elf extended his arms, standing in the middle of a devastated battlefield "All these corpses, all this blood… We can't let it continue without doing nothing! People are dying! We have to do something to change this system, it's WRONG!"
Kratos just sighed, defeated by his pupil's stubbornness.
Lloyd was nothing like his father; he had inherited Kratos's eyes and features without a doubt, but they were so full of will and inner fire that he suddenly looked like a completely different person to Mithos.
He looked like the half-elf's younger self.
The illusion shattered all at once as Lloyd stood up, partially shielding Mithos behind him, growling at the newcomer "…Kratos!"
The seraphim had just landed on the roof as his blue wings could tell. The breeze was pushing the detached strands of his outfit in the air, so similar to Lloyd's white ones, and his hair, but the rest of his body wasn't moving.
Conveniently, his wild hair was covering his eyes, but Mithos could imagine them shifting from him to Lloyd back and forth.
He mentally laughed delighted: so he was right, Kratos was the one passing the information to Lloyd! And he just busted himself in front of the Leader of Cruxis now.
"…Lloyd" the seraphim approached the boy, prompting him to unsheathe his swords "I'm not here to fight you-"
"Right, you're just here to take Colette away!" Lloyd shouted, frowning at the older man "I won't let you!"
Kratos shook his head, biting his bottom lip "You're going to go to Meltokio's Castle Library tomorrow, won't you?" Lloyd merely gritted his teeth, refusing to answer. This was surely going to amuse Mithos to no end. "Then you should look up the chronicles on Mithos's journey-"
"Why do you care!" the swordsman yelled, tilting his swords a little. He was grasping them so hard his fingers must have gone numb by now "So you can take Colette once cured and bring her to heaven, won't you!"
The ex-mercenary walked up to his son a little, gripping the hilt of his sword in return. Mithos knew it was a tic of his –and of many other swordsmen they met during the journey-, but the boy backed a little, his hands now quivering.
"That half-elf…"
…Oh, he wasn't going to bust him, was he-
"He's a half-elf, yeah, so what?" Lloyd moved completely in front of Mithos, raising one of his weapon as he set himself in a fighting stance "So are Raine and Genis, and I don't care!"
Mithos grasped Lloyd's suspenders, squeezing the leather as his life depended on it. It wasn't the truth, but he had an appearance to keep on. The young swordsman winced at the touch and looked over his shoulder slightly.
"Mithos, when I distract him… Run inside and tell the others" he was pale and shaky, lowering his voice as much as possible in an attempt to talk with the half-elf without Kratos hearing them "I… I can't beat him, and if I fail I won't be able to protect you"
Dear Kharlan Tree… He was serious. His eyes didn't falter at all when he said that.
"No, Lloyd, I'm not going to attack either or you-" Kratos's eyes widened vaguely when the boy did his best to glare back at him and stepped forward.
"Why should I believe you!" he yelled, and more than someone turned the lights on in their rooms as they all could see from the lighted windows "You… Angels like you destroyed his hometown! Are you here to finish the job?"
"No, I-"
"SHUT UP!" Lloyd slashed the air, a gust of mana forming on the blade and dashing toward Kratos mere moments after. In a split second, the seraphim's sword was out, crashing against the Demon Fang and dissipating it.
Now the group was out of their rooms and racing toward the roof, with Zelos loudly complaining about country bumpkins destroying the tiles of his roof. Kratos then sheathed his weapon and summoned his wings again.
"I won't let you do it!" Lloyd shouted against the ex-mercenary's back "I won't let you hurt any of my friends anymore! I swear it!"
The half-elf tugged on the boy's shirt, trying to get him to calm down now that the seraphim was flying away, his figure already almost invisible for a mortal eye.
"And I swear I'll protect Mithos from you and Cruxis!"
Thankfully, the rest of the group then appeared and bombarded Lloyd with questions about what just happened. The half-elf used this situation to sneak back him, although he had felt like staying around a little more when his sight laid on Genis.
And then he was alone in his bedroom, listening to Raine physically dragging Lloyd back to his room and scolding him for staying on his own out in such a cold night, and that her magic couldn't have healed a cold or a flu or any other natural illness…
Finally, he smirked, now that there wasn't anyone possibly checking him. Oh, his master was so in for a good punishment once he was back in Welgaia!
But it couldn't have been just Kratos passing them information. Genis had talked about the leader of the Renegades wanting to take his hands on Lloyd… He decided to stick with the group a little longer, just for the time necessary to track down the other major cause of leaking data.
Someone rapped on his door.
"Mithos? Are you asleep?" he easily recognized Lloyd's voice, and went to the door to open it and invite him inside. He noticed the boy's swords were still strapped to his belts; at least, his master's lesson about not letting someone's guard down had somehow stuck to him.
"No, not really" the half-elf smiled and locked the entrance as soon as the boy was inside "Just a little surprised, I mean…" he looked down, clenching his white clothing as his lips quivered "…Just…"
And Yuan had told him so many times he couldn't act!
"I meant it, Mithos" Lloyd grabbed both his trembling hands. His stupid grin was nowhere to be found; instead, all the half-elf could see was a gentle smile "I won't let him or any other angel destroy your life again"
Mithos couldn't avert his eyes from the boy's gaze; it was just so intense, so sincere it nearly hurt him inside, and yet he didn't want to miss any detail of them "We'll all change this system and save the worlds, together"
"…Together…?" where did Mithos's breath go, all of the sudden?
"Together"
And then the goofy grin was back again, but Mithos didn't judge it irritating anymore. His mind was completely lost elsewhere, trying to strain itself in both his past and the present and a possible future.
Maybe… Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he had just been piling mistakes after mistakes, and he stopped being sensitive to the bloodshed he once hated.
Maybe Lloyd was right, and he had been completely blind about his actions, masquerading them under a hypocrite cover of his past honour, his feelings for his sister –and their old group, just the four of them against the world- and his hatred against discrimination –which his organizations were fueling further.
And if Lloyd failed his quest, he whom was so similar to his past self, would he follow his path as well?
Mithos gulped. He had to get out of there, far away from Genis and Lloyd as soon as possible. Screw the Leader of the Renegades, there was still time for it.
Kratos was going to pay dearly, both for leaking information and siring Lloyd.
Now that I think about it, maybe the request was supposed to have some romanticism in it? I should have asked first, ugh. I'm sorry Shiroi Iyasu, I can re-do it if you want '''
I hope you all enjoyed reading this piece. If you didn't, I'm sorry I've wasted your time.