Author's notes: Wow, I updated this surprisingly fast. I really got to start updating my other stories but I can't seem to stop writing this one (maybe its because this one is, A] giving me more feedback, and B] I actually feel like writing it) oh well. Yeah the title for this chapter is actually sort of a pun, you'll see why if you read the chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia, the characters, world and setting belong to Namco
*Glares angrily at Namco people*
Chapter 2: On the Road to Salvation
Trees, grass, mountains, the sky, so far those had been the only thing Lloyd had seen all day, and he was tired of it. They were just so boring. Then again, was there anything out here that wasn't?
Well, besides Kratos of course, but he was just weird.
The man was strange, far stranger than most he had met (and you could believe it when he said he'd met some real weirdoes). He always wore purple; purple gloves, purple swallow-tailed cloak, purple sleeveless shirt… Lloyd had never seen another person were so much purple.
He also used really big words when talking and Lloyd figured he would probably never understand some of them. Really, what kind of word was 'civilization'?
Kratos's hair was also really funny, it was always spiky, and it stuck up at the oddest of angles and its auburn shade wasn't very common. Lloyd didn't even know hair could be that reddish. (1)
The man's strangest feature by far though, had to be his eyes. Cold and fathomless, the red-brown irises were. More often then not, no hint of emotion escaped his mask, yet, Lloyd sometimes caught the man staring at him strangely. There was such a sad and soft look in those eyes at times that Lloyd wondered if they were even the same person.
The man in and of himself was a mystery, an enigma that Lloyd just couldn't figure out no matter how long or hard he thought about it.
At times he was cold and distant, and yet others, gentle and caring like... a parent. Then again, what did Lloyd know about how a parent would treat their child? He barely remembered his.
Lloyd, deep in thought, stopped quite suddenly, attracting the attention of the object of his ponderings.
"Lloyd, is there something wrong?" The man asked him raising an eyebrow in question.
Finally returning to reality, Lloyd blinked rapidly at his older companion. The boy then smiled and skipped ahead of Kratos before turning to stop directly in front of the man. "I'm fine!" Lloyd chirped over cheerfully. "So, we're going to this place called Triet right?" He asked, eyes lighting up in excitement. "I can't wait to get there! I wonder what it's like? Are there lots of people? It is really nice? It must be nicer than that dumb old village anyway." Lloyd muttered that last part.
"Lloyd, slow down." Kratos commanded calmly. "I can only answer one question at a time and can't answer any of them if you refuse to take a breath." Kratos finished in a stern yet kindly manner. When the boy didn't say anything further, Kratos took that as his cue to continue. "First of all, Triet isn't all that interesting, unless you look at the history behind the oasis town that is. Secondly, it is not all that large, a few more people than Iselia yes, but a fairly small community in general. Lastly, I believe you can be the judge of that when we get there. However, before Triet, we will be staying at the house of salvation for the night, before attempting the desert."
Lloyd's face fell at the last part. "Why?" the boy whined slightly.
"Because the desert can be an extremely dangerous place if one is ill-prepared." The mercenary stated in a calm, fatherly tone.
Kratos couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at the boy's slight pout. "Fine." Lloyd grumbled, sounding slightly irked.
However, as they walked on, the child's demeanor changed rapidly and Kratos soon found himself answering many unusual questions again.
Though Kratos thought the boy's incessant chatter somewhat irritating it was certainly a pleasant change from the unending silence he had suffered through for over four years. Four years were nothing when compared to the rest of his lifetime, but to him, they had felt like an eternity. Time which he could not hear his wife's musical laugh, or his child's idle prattle, and though nothing could bring Anna back at least he had his son again, even if he could never tell the boy.
"What's that?" Lloyd piped up, pointing at a rather old, dingy building with a thatched roof. It was in fact a House of Salvation, built mostly for the chosen's journey, but sheltered many a weary traveler.
"That is the place we will be staying tonight," Kratos replied, seemingly unmoved by the child's enthusiasm.
The boy gave the building a scrutinizing gaze before breaking into a wide grin. "Race ya there!" Lloyd shouted, already running ahead of the man.
"Lloyd, wait!" Kratos called after his child, just barely managing to keep the hysterics out of his voice. Who knows what all manner of trouble the boy could get into?
Lloyd, noticing that Kratos was actually racing after him, and gaining fast, picked up speed and ran as fast as his much shorter legs could carry him, giggling all the while. That was, until the boy tripped and fell.
Lloyd turned around and giggled at the man who was just catching up to him. That was, until he saw the look on Kratos's face. He had a fierce look in his eyes, and the anger clearly written on his face was terrifying.
Lloyd cowered back and stared at the man wide-eyed in fright, and he raised his arm for fear of being hit.
"What were you thinking, running away like that?" He began furiously. "That was completely stupid what you did back there!" Kratos nearly shouted at the boy. "You could have been killed or worse and…" Kratos's voice fell short as he saw the tears running down pale cheeks, and those haunted, terror-filled eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it won't happen again." The boy kept mumbling fearfully to himself.
Kratos swallowed thickly. What had he done? He was supposed to be the boy's father and he goes around scaring him half to death.
Lloyd tried to scramble back as Kratos reached for him but he wasn't fast enough to escape. The child whimpered slightly, expecting a beating, yet finding himself surprised when the mercenary drew him into a tight embrace.
The child felt the tears fall faster as the man began rubbing his back soothingly.
Finding himself unable to resist, Kratos kissed his son's temple, and spoke quietly into the boy's ear. "I am sorry, Lloyd. I didn't mean to startle you like that. I was simply angry and worried that you ran off like that. Can you ever forgive me?" The child's eyes watered again at that, and Lloyd, wrapping his thin arms around the man's waist, began sobbing convulsively into his chest.
"Lloyd?" Kratos sounded worried, but the child made no form of reply, and merely gripped him tighter, as if afraid the man could disappear at any moment.
Kratos made no further comment, and instead settled for simply rocking the boy back and forth while humming softly in his ear.
Eventually, when Lloyd had finally calmed down, Kratos asked him, "Will you be alright now?" The boy sniffled slightly, nodding into the man chest. "Alright," he said gently.
It was that moment when Kratos looked up that he realized they had lingered there far too long. The sun had set and a few stars were already out.
"Pretty." Lloyd mumbled, looking up at the night sky.
"Yes, they are." Kratos stated just as softly. "We cannot linger here any longer Lloyd, we have to get to the house." The man said after a few moments, glancing down at the boy.
The child hiccupped slightly, and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Can we look at the stars again sometime?" Lloyd asked, innocently resting his head on Kratos's shoulder.
He smiled softly at the boy's request. "Of course," he whispered gently before rising from the ground, carefully balancing Lloyd in his arms.
As Kratos trekked the last stretch of land to the House of Salvation, he thought that perhaps there was some hope for them.
Endnotes: I hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. I loved the father/son fluff at the end. (my favorite thing, fluff. Well, that and angst.) I personally thought it was really sweet.
Hehehe, get it? The Road to Salvation? They're on their way to the House of Salvation? Yeah, I didn't think it was very funny either.
1) Clearly he has never seen Zelos's hair.