Thanks for all the favorites, follows, hits and views of this. You all are so awesome. I've been graced with three reviews, too. Thank you Yue Twili (your username is so familiar), Guest#1 and xxXTheFallenXxx for your kindly reviews / comments. I appreciate it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss and/or Tales of Vesperia or their characters; just this fan-fiction plot. I forgot to put that in the first chapter. My bad.


Threnody and Ire

Chapter 2

"ND 1996, a boy of royal blood shall be born in the Malkuth nation's land of Hod on the month of Ifrit-Decan. He shall be born with hair of the brilliant sun, and eyes azure of the sky. His name shall be, "the loyal chrysanthemum of unity" and bring his family into peace."

-x-x-x-

ND 1996 — Ifrit-Decan, Loreleiday 41st

~Hod, the Flourishing Isle of Fortune~

-x-x-x-

"Lady Eugenie! He…he's beautiful."

A woman with pale-blonde hair, which was strung down to her backside, with warm, auburn eyes smiled once she had a crying, wrapped bundle in her arms. The infant was wailing, but that was to say, naturally all babies would once born. The beautiful gift of life was cradled in its mother's tender, caring embrace, and soon enough, was lulled to sleep by the humming of her gentle voice. After the pain of labor was over, she was greeted with a Scorer from Daath, who had read to her from a fonstone of her child's birth. The lady's maidservants were busying all around, hurrying to take care of the chores and attending to the lady herself as well as the newborn.

Eagerly entering the room was a girl around nine years old hurried in to the woman's left side of the bed. She had straight, blond hair and dark blue eyes, and wore an adorable red and white dress and matching shoes. She also had red and white ribbon adorning her hair, which was tied in a single ponytail. "M-Mother," The young girl chirped happily as she saw the bundle the other blonde was holding. "Is…Is that…?" Her eyes went wide with excitement.

"Yes, Maribelle. This is your brother, Gailardia." The woman, Eugenie, said with a graceful, elegant smile on her face. "Come have a closer look, honey."

Maribelle, the girl by name, but mostly comfortable being called simply "Mary", beamed as bright as the fonstones in the room lighting it. She climbed onto the bed—carefully and quickly—and sat beside her mother. When her dark blue eyes found the face of the bundle, she had to hold in her giddy cheer. What she saw was a soft, beautiful babe with the tenderest complexion of skin that nearly matched hers. The small, stringy waves of pale-blond hair sculpted his dome. His plush-looking, rosy cheeks were tinted with a shade of pink she recognized as a flush. It seemed he had just calmed down from the screaming he had done a while ago and now was relaxing to the song the mother began humming again. She knew it would be awhile until he opened his eyes, but the girl knew they would be beautiful and blue like hers. Maybe a shade lighter, like the Score predicted he would have.

"Gailardia…my very own baby brother. I-I'm so happy, Mother!" Mary said as she gently stroked the babe's head.

"I'm so glad, Maribelle. Will you help me take care of him?"

"Y-yes! I will, Mother. I'll be the best big sister he ever had!"

Eugenie chuckled proudly at her daughter's response. "I'm very sure he will be happy about that."

"And so will Father! I overheard the maids saying he was on his way here. Oh, I can't wait for him to come!"

Her mother smiled again as she continued rocking the sleeping infant. "Of course he will. Mary, dear, can you bring Cantabile and Vandesdelca here?" The blonde-haired girl blinked curiously at her mother's request but smiled nonetheless. Her best friends were just as excited to hear about her sibling's birth and wanted to know how everything went. Since they couldn't be excused to leave school lessons, Mary was pardoned to leave early so she could be with her mother. Nodding to as her positive answer, Mary climbed off the bed and rushed out of the room, thundering through the mansion with glee in every step. She bumped into her personal maidservant, Sonia, along the way and excitedly asked her to come with. She just had to get to her friends quickly! Mary, and Sonia behind her, nearly bumped into several maids on their way down and through the large home, but they successfully made it outside—as many Malkuth soldiers bowed to her—Mary—in respect once they exited—and bound their way towards a familiar route.

The schoolhouse wasn't far and not really out of the way, either. It stood out like a sore thumb, but what else stood out like a sore thumb was a young boy just around six, possibly going on seven years old soon, with short, rusty, tan-brown hair, a tan complexion and beautiful blue eyes holding a wooden, practice sword in both of his hands. He was wearing a cream jumpsuit, though underneath it were padding for protection. Standing on the opposite side of him was a girl around eight years old, with short, dark violet hair with bangs that covered partially over her left eye. She had eyes the color of copper-gold, which were, needless to say, very beautiful. She, too, was adorned in a similar jumpsuit with padding as her fellow student and equipped with a wooden sword. A man with ear length platinum-blond hair, cerulean blue eyes and wearing a taupe-colored shirt, black slacks and leather gloves was standing referee over the two. He sported glasses on his face and simple sandals.

Standing off to the side was a teenager around fifteen years old, wearing a simple maroon-red jacket and wore that over a white shirt he had underneath. He had matching pants, shoes on his feet, and had short, silvery-white hair. His bangs were parted evenly and some of his hair naturally struck out towards the bottom of his dome. His eyes were a deep shade of auburn and a comfortable grin was worn on his features. With the sun still overhead but turning a shade of orange in the sky, Mary and Sonia hurried over to the small gathering of people they knew.

"I believe that is enough for today, you two." The man with glasses said as the two children holding the wooden swords ceased clashing. "Cantabile, Vandesdelca, you two are dismissed for the day."

"Ah, yes!" The girl with violet hair chirped happily. "That means we can go see Lady Eugenie and her new baby, Van."

"Yeah, I've been waiting since Mary left school earlier. I hope it's a boy." The tan-haired boy replied eagerly.

"I hope it's a girl. That way Mary and I have someone to play with!"

"There are already two of you, though. If it's a boy, then I'll have someone to play with." Van said as he was taking off his jumpsuit, revealing his earlier outfit underneath. Cantabile, the other girl, was doing the same. They put their practice swords on top of the jumpsuits and by then, a familiar blonde-haired girl was running towards them, a leap in her step.

"Cantabile! Van!" Mary squeaked excitedly, unable to contain it. The two friends turned simultaneously to greet the blonde, a huge grin on both of their faces. Sonia stayed off to the side, but only smiled when the friends came over eagerly at the sounds of their names. Mary had once stated she included her in the group of friends, but Sonia reminded her that she was only there to serve her, although she didn't mind being friendly with the young lady of the house.

"Mary!" they both beamed, a small, group hug between the three was in order.

"You two, you must come to the mansion. My mother has summoned for you both." The nine-year-old blonde said, still smiling. "She wishes for you to see the baby!"

"U-us?" Cantabile gasped a little, surprised. She knew some reason why though. She and Van were very close friends of Mary, the daughter of Count Zygmunt Bizan Gardios. Van's family, the Fende family, was bound to the House of Gardios and Cantabile's family had – thirteen years ago – been employed into the Gardios household. Since then, hers and Van's families have somewhat intertwined with one another, making them as close as siblings as possible while working within the Count's home. Since she and Van were so young, they were treated more like friends than servants towards Mary and her now sibling. Still, they would perform duties fulfilling to that of servitude, but not many until they were a little older. "But, we're only your servants, Mary."

The girl by name shook her head. "No, you're not to me and Mother. You're my friends and I shall treat you that way no matter what. Come on, let's go!" Not missing a beat, the four friends eagerly rushed back to the mansion, now with soldiers escorting them back. Once they were gone, the man with glasses, having watched the reunion and reactions of the children not long ago, smiled as he approached the teenager who had also seen them.

"Have you thought about where you will be going off to Alexei?" The man questioned him. It was no surprise to the white-blond.

"I have, Pere, I have." The teen by name said with an impassive expression. "I plan to travel to the Ilccyian continent soon and become a knight of Zaphias. That's something I've always wanted to do when growing up." He stopped for a bit to allow the older man to absorb the words. "Now that I'm older and stronger, I'll definitely climb the ranks and see that this world is changed for the better."

-x-x-x-

ND 2002

The Fall of Hod

-x-x-x-

"Run! Everyone run! Run!"

ND 2002, The One Who Would Seize Glory shall destroy the land upon which he was born. A land by the name of Hod. War shall thereafter persist between Kimlasca and Malkuth Empire for a full cycle of seasons.

Hod was in total, utter chaos. This year, it was predicted; the fall of the island of Hod, and by a young lad of no choice. Vandesdelca Musto Fende, only eleven years old, had been taken—probably abducted, but no one knew for sure—and led to a place where no man should have gone. Against his own will, he was strapped to a fonic device by researchers of Hod because of his affinity to fonic artes, and had been forced to create an artificial hyperresonance, which outright destroyed the pillar—the Sephiroth—keeping the island floating above the forbidden grudge of mud, sludge and toxin—the miasma. But, of course, he didn't know this. Nobody was there to help him; nobody would be there to save him. All except one, who had snuck around and followed those so-called researchers and watched from a distance. As the isle had begun to fall to its predicted death, many citizens of Hod had suffered under the poison or the inevitable collapse of the crumbling ground.

Cantabile had saved Van from the wrongs of the research, but suffered losing one of her eyes in the process as glass and sharp objects had impeded her way. The two children had hurried through the collapsing Hod in desperate search of their parents, Van especially. His mother was due with his unborn sibling, and if he lost her…no, no he couldn't think of that. He had to find her, Mary, Gailardia and Sonia. They were the only ones that mattered and were missing from their usual group. He had to believe they were alive, that they would at least make it. This entire tragedy happened because of…what? He knew Kimlascans attacked Hod but they began evacuating quickly once they noticed the land falling. Did they plan this? Did they plan on causing more destruction than what he had done?

Van's thoughts were interrupted when he heard his name and people he recognized were running towards him.

Pere, one of the school's mentors who had been educating Gailardia and Mary in their sword teachings of the Sigmund Style. Not only that, but one of his older friends, the Lieutenant-Colonel Alexei Dinoia was carrying a young woman in his arms and the two children easily recognized her. It was his mother. Pere, too, was carrying someone and he and Cantabile recognized it was his friend and sworn liege Gailardia, however, he was unconscious. Beside them were Sonia and Mary, both injured and bloodied, but alive. They were alive, all of them. But, why was the Lt. Colonel here? Did…did he know about the downfall of Hod and tried to help? Now that they were here, what would they do now? The land was collapsing and at an unspeakable speed. At this rate, their survival of Kimlascans attacking their fare city and Van's unwilling cooperation in causing a hyperresonance would have been for nothing. But…what now? What could be done before they were doomed to meet their end?

Van's panicking mind snapped open as he realized something.

The songs his mother used to sing to him when he was younger. The hymns of Yulia had a strange, mystical and yet, comforting power hidden in them if the person singing them knew the melody and the meaning behind them. As a descendant of Yulia himself and having been taught the songs and the understanding of them, he could use them! He would have to act fast if he wanted to save whoever he could. "Everyone, gather around me!" the young tan-haired preteen commanded with authority, standing in the middle of them all. Without a second thought, the small band of Hod's citizenry stayed close to Van, knowing the boy thought of something.

"Kuroa ryuo zue toue ryuo rei neu ryuo zue…"

The melody escaped his lips in perfect rhythm, and as they did, an encasing sphere of light surrounded them like a huge bubble, allowing them to descend slowly with the ground they stood on as support falling from under them. As they continued their slow descent, they could only watch in horror as the once glorious harmonious, glorious island they once knew fell before their very eyes. Countless people's cries were heard, and yet, they could do nothing but watch. Why did this have to happen? Why did it happen? Whoever knew this would happen, why didn't they put a stop to this? With those thoughts on mind, Van could barely see what appeared to be a city…underneath the land? Wait, what was this place? It was dark, gloomy, and eerie and it felt dead. There was no other explanation to this other than that. How on earth could people live…here? Curious as all, Van, still controlling the hymn's might with his voice, allowed their descent towards the city-place, hoping they could find some help…anything

-x-x-x-

"Ungh…" A young boy croaked as he seemingly woke up.

"…You're awake." Another boy's voice said softly as blue eyes gazed into a pair similar to his own. "I'm glad, Gailardia."

The young Malkuth noble, only six years old, sat up in a bed unfamiliar to him. His azure irises gazed around the strange place, noticing how empty the atmosphere was. Where was this? How did he get here? Oh wait, no! What happened to his home?! "V-Van?" The boy tried, looking at his brother-like servant. Vandesdelca smiled warmly at his young charge, and watched as Gailardia appeared confused and stunned. It was natural, seeing as waking up in a place that wasn't your home.

"Van, what happened? Where is this? Where are my mommy and daddy? A-and Mary?" The blond's voice squeaked as he asked his rounds of questions. The only one he knew here was his best friend, who treated him like a brother more than a master and servant relationship.

"Gailardia… I'm sorry to say this… but your mother and father are…dead." Van knew he shouldn't have said this, knowing Gailardia was just a child, but he knew the boy would understand.

And understood, he did, as the reaction the blond made was evident enough. Tears were streaming down his face when the news of his parents reached his ears. How? How did they die? No, wait. He…he knew! It was a man with dark, red hair and his guard of soldiers that did this to them, that hurt them! That man was obviously from Kimlasca, and he outright slew his family, right in front of him! He remembered screaming their names, wondering why they weren't moving, and then… …Mary! His sister came in, defending as much as she could with her fonic artes, grabbed him and ran throughout the mansion. The soldiers were in hot pursuit of them, chasing after them like prison escapees. When they finally caught up, they were cornered in a single room. Mary had hidden him in the unused fireplace as maidservants and Mary herself was using their own selves as a shield to protect him. Why! Why did they do it!? But, those last words he heard Mary say…

"You must live, Gailardia. You must survive."

No, no. Mary, no. He couldn't bear to lose her. No, it can't be! More tears streamed down the blond's cheeks, coupled with an overflowing nose of snot and his tiny voice garbled. "V-Van! …M-my sister, Mary. Where…where is Mary!?"

At first, Gailardia was met with a face of dread from his brother-like friend. No, it couldn't be that Mary was slain, too? He couldn't remember if she was or not. All he remembered were the maids and her surrounding the fireplace where he was placed in and overheard cries of pain and seeing blood splatter everywhere. His little heart thumped rapidly against his chest as his memory wouldn't complete the entire thing, until moments after, he was found by his teacher, Pere and the man Alexei. Everything after blacked out or was…just missing completely. But, he was so scared to remember it. The very thought of the screams were causing him to panic and stir uncontrollably. But, he had to know if his sister was with him or not. He couldn't bear the loss any long. "Please! Van! Please, sh-she can't be… M-Mary… she… my sister…!" The blond grabbed the tan-haired boy's tattered sleeve, desperately begging for an answer.

Why was Van not answering him!?

"…Gailardia, Mary is…"

"No, no she has to be… she has to be—!"

"She is still with us, Gailardia."

The male noble of Gardios stared incredulously at his best friend before allowing his words to fully sink in. His…sister was still alive! She was still with him?! But, where? Where is she? If she was still with him, then why wasn't she right beside him like she normally would be when he would cry? Where was she to comfort him? Where? He wanted her so badly! He needed her! Right now!

"Where is she? Mary? Mary!" Gailardia called out as he struggled to get out, only to be held back by Van. Why was he doing this? Why was he keeping him confined in one spot! "Van! Let me go! I have to see Mary!"

The tan-haired preteen shook his head, patting the noble's head comfortingly. "No, Gailardia. Listen to me." When he was sure he had the weeping boy's attention, he continued. "Mary, Sonia and Cantabile survived too. But, Mary, your sister and Sonia, her maidservant, were badly injured and had to be sent away to be treated for their wounds. They couldn't stay here, but don't worry." He hugged the boy tightly. "You'll see her again, I promise."

Gailardia sniffed and hiccupped, burrowing his little head into the chest of his best friend. "V-Van. I-I-I miss her already. I…I want to see her. M-Mary…"

"It's okay, Gailardia. You will see her. I will make sure you do. But…there is something I need from you."

The blond-haired monarch blinked as his young, blue eyes looked up to stare curiously into the ones of the Yulia's descendant. Van needed something from him? It was usually the other way around, but given that he was still just a child, all Gailardia needed was love and attention. He got plenty when he was with his family and friends. But, that was all gone now. It was destroyed, shattered, and what was left of the happy, bouncy and joyful bundle of blond was a sorrowful, hurt, pained and crushed child. He could long for the days of the old to return, but they would not be coming back. He knew they wouldn't, but his naivety and gut told them he would just need to wait and his parents would be all right. He was just a child, after all…

"What… What do you… need me for Van?"

"Gailardia… I want to do something about this. Our home island is gone and your parents are gone, too. My father was killed, the citizens of Hod were killed in the destruction of it all." Van began, his voice becoming cold as ice. "I want… revenge."

"…R-revenge? What is… What is that?"

Van looked down at his young charge with softened expression. "It means we can get back at the people who made us suffer; they who took our loved ones away from us. We need to hurt them just like they hurt us. I want you to help me, Gailardia. I want to make them pay for hurting you especially. But, I can't do it alone. Together, we can do this, but only if you help me." Sniffling, the blond boy stared at his friend, absorbing the other boy's explanation like a sponge. Getting back at the people who hurt him? That didn't sound nice. Wasn't it wrong to take vengeance against people? But, they did hurt him. They came from nowhere and killed everyone he loved dearly. They didn't have any sort of remorse for them when committing the act so why should he? Finally understanding his servant's words, Gailardia's once soft eyes began to harden as much as a six-year-old could.

"Van, I wanna help you. I want t-to get back at those people who hurt my mommy and daddy and yours, too. I want to do something to help you, Van. Y-you help me so many times. I-I should help you, too." Gailardia replied finally, a frown etching on his little face. He was a crying mess, his face was tinted red, evidence he had been crying for a long time. When he saw his friend's smile, the boy knew he made the right choice. If Van smiled, that meant he was happy. He wanted to make his best friend happy.

"Gailardia, thank you. When you get older, I will tell you more of our plan with Cantabile too, okay?"

The noble nodded. "O-okay… But Van? How can I help you? I'm… I'm too small."

"No, there is a way you can help me, Gailardia." Van assured the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder. Glinting with some hope, the Gardios boy sparked up with interest, wondering.

"How Van?"

Smiling, the tan-haired boy replied simply with, "By using fomicry."

-x-x-x-

ND 2006 - Shadow Redecan, Lunaday 19th

Four years later…

~Baticul, the Capital of Light – Kimlasca-Lanvaldear~

-x-x-x-

It had been some time since the boy had been to this city, but it was only because he had to come. His guardian was a captain in the knight guard of the Illccyian-Kimlasca Unit, as well as apart of the Royal Guard of Zaphias, and as such, he would simply have to come along. But, he had hidden well with the crowd and found a way to ditch the ship that led back to the imperial city of the Illccyian continent. Ever since his foster parents passed away three years ago, the boy had lived on the streets, stealing whatever he could find, especially for his dog. But, living with the guardian wasn't so easy; the boy was rowdy, unpredictable, and loved to play outside. He was also rude, dropping sarcastic comments when he could, never apologizing, and really, just an uppity child. His hair had since been cut to be tamed at a reasonable length since said guardian of his said "boys shouldn't grow their hair out that long!" and demanded to get it cut. His dark black hair was reasonably at neck length, his moderately long bangs sweeping across his face naturally, some hanging down to cup his face and ears and strangely enough, hummed a violet-purple hue somehow. His eyes were as stone of a grey tint as they could be, and his fair complexion made him easy to spot. He wore a simple long sleeve black shirt with a dark grey button vest, similar shaded pants and shoes on his feet. Lastly, strapped to his left was a small sheath which housed a small sword in it. Of course, it was only a machete—a sword used in chores, but he carried it proudly. His puppy, well, he wasn't much of a puppy now, being the size of an adolescent dog, had a decent ruby collar around his neck with a simple name tag on it.

The boy had named him personally and enjoyed the name, too. It suited the dog, truthfully told. The canine had matured in over the years, but in comparison, he and the young boy were just around the same age in their own way: ten years old.

"Finally got away from that old man…" the dark-haired boy said with a light cackle as he and the dog made their way through the bustling capital city. "They'll be coming back within a few weeks to notice we aren't there." The dog simply barked in response, almost happily. If anything, getting away from the watching eyes of their companions—father in the dog's case—was good enough for them. Seriously, a break now and then would have been fine. "Let's see what we can find, Repede!" The blue-furred lupine's next reply was a chirpy bark again and the two dashed around the streets, watching out for people—and still clumsily ramming into them accidentally. The ten-year-old and his dog watched some street performers called the Black Troupe perform for kids of a younger audience, but the sight of them doing something silly caught his attention.

Growing bored of that within the next few minutes, the two eventually paraded down some stairs repeatedly, "racing" one could call it. The boy thought he could out-speed his pet, but that was proven incorrect several times. After calming down beside the stairway leading to the middle-quarter of the lower quarters of the city, the boy managed to purchase a few sandwiches with his allowance he had on him, giving the extra meat to his dog as they ran around a few corners to hide in the alleyways. Perfect to have some peace and quiet from all the hustle and bustle! "Mm! Ham and cheese are my favorites!" the boy hummed as he took a chomp out of the sandwich, smacking greedily as he chewed. Repede, the dog, deliciously tore through the meat he was given. He knew his young master didn't always like how they packed extra meat on any of his sandwiches, especially given when the boy himself didn't do that when he made them. So, it was always nice to be treated with human food every once in a while.

Just as the boy was finishing his sandwich, he heard something fall; trash can lids. What on earth? "What was that?" He wondered, blinking curiously as he rose from his spot. The blue-furred lupine also rose, though crouched down low and began growling. "Huh? What is it, Repede?"

The dog simply barked, keeping his ground. Though it was a warning bark, he still found his idiot human to wander away and towards the source of the noise. If Repede were a human, he would have slapped the dark-haired child. Unfortunately, the world was not so generous so he opted to grab his young master by his pants and tug him backwards from the imposing danger he sensed. This seemed to garner the necessary attention, though the dog couldn't say if it was good or bad. "Repede? Hey! Let go! I just wanna see what's over there!" The ten-year-old grumbled, trying to free his pants from his dog's mouth, to no avail after awhile. "Come on… pleeeeease?"

The dog grunted as if to say "hmph" before letting him go eventually. Still, he paced by the boy's side and kept his light blue eyes peeled open and his ears twitching to hear anything suspicious. Sounds of shuffling and someone moaning made it to his ears. His human also caught onto the noises and quickened his pace. Repede sometimes wondered if his human was a daredevil when he often explored dark, creepy places or areas that housed strange noises on purpose. Still…perhaps it was just a rat or something that was deemed harmless. Baticul was, in fact, protected by a Blastia core—some fontech creation from way back in the Dawn Age, though the dog and child couldn't really care anyhow—and kept monsters out. Really, monsters were getting fierce lately…

Anyhow, the dark-haired ten-year-old eventually stopped when he spotted the source of the noise…

It was…a boy. He seemed a little timid, but maybe that was because of the huge blanket he had over his body. He seemed like he had a hard time standing, given the crooked position of his legs and feet. He had small scrapes over his face, evidence that he may've been hurt by something. Underneath his shielding blanket was an oversized cream shirt, fitting tan pants that were torn and tattered in various places on the legs and he was barefooted. His hair was bright, brilliantly blond like the sun and short like his, the dark-haired boy guessed. Really, who has bright hair like that even in dark areas of cities? And there was no sun around here, either. Well, barely. And, from what the boy could tell, the timid one had soft, azure eyes, like the color of the sky. Wow, those were…kind of pretty.

Deciding the child wasn't a threat, Repede's back fur settled down as well as his growling. His human smiled and deduced he should go introduce himself to a fellow orphan. Really, technically speaking, he still was an orphan. "Hi! What are you doing?" The dark-haired boy called over to the blond one. The reaction he got was expected, but nothing like what he witnessed. The blond gasped loudly, dropping the trash can lid he was holding and then…fell down backwards because of his incorrect footing, and the blanket upon him fell off his shoulders. Just like the black-haired boy thought, the blond had blue eyes, which rounded on the boy who had spoken. His body trembled visibly and he couldn't find the words to speak. Curious, the boy in black clothes grinned and carefully approached the other boy.

"My name's Yuri! Yuri Lowell! What's yours?" He said as he knelt down and offered a hand to help the blond boy stand. The timid child stayed down, looking at the offered hand, and then tried to process the words that this Yuri boy said to him. Now, what was that again? His blue eyes fixed on the dark-haired child's grey ones, trying to figure him out as if he were some strange puzzle, but in fact, was trying to get this new name in his mind and maybe, maybe do something with it. Do what with it, though? "Uh…hello? Aren't you gonna answer?" Yuri said again, frowning. Did this kid even have a clue what he was saying?

For a moment, Yuri thought the blond wasn't capable of speech, given the kid hadn't said anything. That or he didn't feel like speaking. That was understandable, given he had outright spooked the pants off him. But, something deep down in his gut told him to wait a little longer and maybe he would say something. Anything, even if it happened to be a swear word.

And then it came. "Y-Y-Yuuuuureeeeee?" the other boy tried to say the name, drawing out the words unnecessarily and chopped. Yuri laughed lightly at the strange pronunciation of his name, but had to admit, if this kid wasn't capable of speech and this was his first time, it was a damn good try.

"Yeah! C-Close enough! But say it like this: YU-RI." He instructed. The other boy seemed confused by the miniature lesson he seemed to be getting but tried again.

"Yuuuree." He said, not really drawing out the long "i-sounding-like-an-e" vowel.

"…Yeah, just stick with that…" Yuri chuckled. Man, this was weird. "I guess you don't know the Fonic language, huh?"

"Faaanik?" the blond tried saying "fonic", and obviously failing. Yuri and Repede simply sweatdropped at the attempt. The dark-haired boy couldn't get over how cute the other looked and his fumbling over words was unnaturally funny and adorable. Wait, adorable? Guess it was, then.

"Yeah. Fonic language. Anyway, do you know your name?"

"N-N…N…Na…?"

"N-A-M-E. Name." Yuri repeated slowly.

The blond boy just stared at him quizzically, trying to figure out the word but failing. His concentrated face consisted of it being scrunched up and Yuri had to resist laughing. But, that look he was witnessing was easy to notice; the kid simply couldn't remember it or worse, he didn't have one. "You don't have a name, do you?" The blue-eyed child stopped thinking of how to pronounce "name" and glanced up at the speaker again, tilting his head. The dark-haired boy grinned. "Don't worry! I'll just give you a new one!" Pondering a moment, Yuri browsed through the random list of names he magically pulled up from nowhere. "Huh, I'd name you something awesome in Ancient Ispanian but my Ancient Ispanian knowledge isn't really that good, so maybe just a name that…seems cool then and fitting."

Mentally, he searched for the right one, knowing Repede and the boy were watching him intently. Hm let's see. Robert? Nah, that's too boring. Garland? Nah, he's no flower. LeRoy Jenkins—wait, where the heck did I get that from? Ah who cares. Um… Yuri stood up to his full height of four foot six inches, tapping his foot rather impatiently as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Christopher? No. Theodore? No, not really good. Mathew? Uh, nah. …Oh, oh! The black-garbed ten-year-old smiled when his eyes met the blue-eyes of the blond's. "I know! Your name can be Flynn!"

Repede blinked and the other boy just stared at him some more as Yuri jabbed a finger at him, grinning wide. "Yeah! I like the sound of that name! You look like a Flynn to me. …Of course I'll have to recall my Ancient Ispanian studies sometime later to figure out if that means anything, but that can wait." Yuri squatted down to meet the blond's face, smiling. "Try out your new name, Flynn! Say it! F-U-LUH-EN! Flynn!" He pronounced slowly.

Now, he had to play the waiting game to see if the other could pronounce it just as he had. A moment seemingly passed with no luck, though the blond was attempting to register the new word into his memory and vocabulary. "F-F-Fu-Fu…" He began trying, getting Yuri's hopes up. Those grey eyes beamed happily at the shy child, smiling wide when he was at the second syllable. Come on, you can do it! Come on Flynn! Say your name!

"Fu-Fulah-Fulah…in."

Yuri's grinning face instantly melted into a straight line, but couldn't resist chuckling. The boy seemed to be trying his absolute best. "C-Close enough, Flynn." He praised the other child, now helping him stand. "I'll keep helping you with it." He steadied the blond to his feet, noticing his crooked stance once again. "I think I should show you how to stand up better first. You got it all wrong… But you look hungry." Flynn, even though he couldn't say anything yet, appeared to have understood the word "hungry". His bright blue eyes bored a hole through Yuri's soul—well it seemed like it—and the dark-haired child seemingly understood the glance. It was official; Flynn was hungry.

"Well, I guess body gestures will work, too." He noted before getting an idea. He took out an unwrapped sandwich in plastic that he was going to save for later and offered it to Flynn. "Here, take this, Flynn!" Yuri said with a brimming smile. At first the blond didn't take it which prompted Yuri how to show him. Ah, this was getting quite tedious and fun. "Like this," he began, helping Flynn grab the sandwich and bring it to his mouth. "Then open your mouth," Flynn understood this "command" and did so. He took a bite on his own and chewed slowly. He seemed to like the sandwich as he repeated the same 'steps', his blue eyes watching Yuri for any 'approval' of his actions. The smile the black-garbed boy wore on his face assured Flynn of his success. Perhaps he should stay with Yuri. He was being so helpful, so kind, and maybe he could learn more things. He didn't know where else to go, truthfully.

"Good Flynn! By the way," Yuri directed his attention to his trusted canine companion. "This is Repede, my dog. Say hi, Repede!"

The blue-furred dog simply wagged his tail as he sat down beside his master, grinning in a way dog's could. Flynn stopped eating out of his sandwich to notice the dog—most likely for the first time since he only had his eyes on Yuri the entire time. His first reaction was quite normal; fear lacing in his eyes. Yuri quickly mended the situation. "Flynn! It's okay! Repede won't bite or hurt you. Show him, Repede. And be gentle!"

Obeying, the blue coated lupine slowly made his way towards Flynn who at first backed up, froze and would have tumbled down on his rear if Repede hadn't been quick enough to catch him with his teeth. The wolf-like pet gently pulled the clumsy child back to his feet as properly as he could manage then brushed his head under the boy's opened hand, putting his ears back to further show he as safe. If anything, gestures should be the kid's forte. Thankfully for Repede, it worked. Flynn's heartbeat stopped accelerating at panic speeds and began slowing down, the boy's hand slowly making its way on his head. Repede was expecting to be petted but seeing as it was this human's first time showing affection and even touching him, he'd let this slide. "See? Repede's not scary. He's friendly. He's a dog." Yuri said as he stepped forward and scratched his trusted dog under the ears. The azure-coated lupine responded with wagging his tail, happy to have finally be getting his 'well deserved' attention.

"R-Re-peed?" Flynn managed. Yuri shrugged mentally—it was as good as he'd get for now.

"Yeah, Repede." He repeated, smiling. A thought crossed his mind as he continually petted Repede and Flynn taking much interest into the creature, now embedding him into his memory possibly. Where would Flynn go to when Yuri left? Who would teach him how to do things? Who would even care? As how he saw it, nobles were stuck up prissy men and women who only look out for themselves and treat the poor people like dirt. He used to live in the lower quarters of Zaphias when he was younger, and couldn't believe his eyes when nobody helped them out. It was, dare he say, infuriating. A pang of guilt struck through Yuri's conscience and heart. No, he couldn't leave Flynn here by himself. Sure, he was just a kid, but he had some money. They could survive a few weeks on that for food…right? Right. And if he ran out, he'd just steal it. Flynn was becoming more and more important to him, like a little brother. Yeah! That's it! He could adopt him like a brother! No, he would be his little brother.

"Hey, Flynn!" Yuri finally said, breaking from his thoughts. The boy with the tattered attire had been nibbling on his sandwich and it pleased Yuri he responded to the name. Good, he was getting used to it. "From now on, you're gonna be my brother, my little brother! But you can't have the Lowell name, because Flynn Lowell sounds weird." The boy tapped his chin thoughtfully again, humming randomly as he searched through the list of random names again. I wish I had my Ancient Ispanian book with me. But oh well, it can't be helped. He thought as he continued pondering. Something good had to go with the name 'Flynn'. Something that started with…a C. No, wait not a C, maybe an F? But, his first name was already an F-name. Hn, how about a Y? Bleh, that would look weird, considering his name began with a Y. So, he scrolled through the fonic alphabet until one in particular strung him on a good cord.

The letter S.

Now to randomly start naming things off that began with the letter S or names he remembered seeing; Sandwich? Wait, why would he name him after food? Safi? Solomon? Hm, that sounded good, but no, not quite. Samuel? Eh, nope. Santos? Hm, nah that didn't bode well. Sean? Sebastian? Severus? Sigvurd? Spiridon? Stanley? Stephan? Sc—something! Wait. The letters "Sc" sounded quite fun, like "Scott". Now what else could be there? S-C-A? No, looked too ugly. How about S-C-U…no. S-C-O…nope. S-C-E? Erm, not really that great. Come on Yuri, think! Think! There's gotta be a name in there somewhere. Make it up or something! S-C-I-hn, that sounds pretty cool. Maybe…maybe that F I wanted to be in his last name could be there. So, maybe S-C-I-F. Yeah, yeah, and, and then… O! S-C-I-F-O! That's absolutely cool sounding! He beamed. He figured out something! But then it suddenly dropped when he realized it.

"How the heck do you say S-C-I-F-O? Scifo. S-eye-fo? Maybe that C is silent…" He pondered, grinning a little. "Let me try it… Flynn Scifo."

"Flynn…"

Yuri looked up to notice that the blond had spoken, albeit softly, but hadn't in such a long while, Yuri thought he was dead. But, the jittery feeling he was getting wasn't because of him speaking. It was the name he just said. He had spoken his own name and correctly, too! "Yeah! That's how you say your name, Flynn!" The dark-haired boy laughed happily, watching his now adopted brother shy away. Well, he was certainly the…modest one, hm? Still, it didn't really matter. He would have to take care of him now since nobody else would. Him and Repede would.

"From now on, you'll be Flynn Scifo, brother of Yuri Lowell!"


1. Yes, I added Cantabile. I was inspired by the story Reflections (Tales of the Abyss) to include her. I also changed some of the story, as you've seen.

2. I apologize if Yuri's kinda out of character, being a kid and all. I tried.

3. I'm not sure if I added First Strike into this or not. I haven't seen it yet, lol.

4. Don't ask why I put LeRoy Jenkins in this. It was random…and I was bored. I needed a laugh.

5. Threnody means "a song of lamentation".

6. Yeah I made up Hod's little title thing and the birth score. There wasn't one so I provided. I took the meaning of 'Gailardia' from the hidden notes in TotA that I found on the web. Unfortunately, I didn't write down the source but I will find it. So, credit and kudos to that person who did that.

So, thanks again for any favorites, follows, reviews and hits for this. I've proof-read this chapter personally, but there could be mistakes lying around in wait. I apologize and have done my best without a beta. Betas…so hard to find.

Edited on 6/10/2013