Let me first begin by stating that the current time is 3:10 AM. I proofread about twice, but there might still be some typos I missed. Anyway, this is chapter three! -does a dance- I'm too tired to think. Enjoy!
I do not own Tales of Symphonia. If I did, Lloyd would have had a sexy spandex outfit like Yggdrasill.
With passion, comes a price. Everything happened so fast, not that he regretted a single moment of it – neither did she. It had to be that night, or could it have been that one? Heck, could have been both. Or all. Wow, how many times did he go to her house, and how many times was she tempted to visit his, to relive that same passion? The number was far too great to imagine, and it only grew with each passing moment, but it was worth the sacrifice.
At that point, everything froze; even the wind stopped moving. Raine threw her face into her hand, wrapping the other around her now occupied mid-section, and let out a deep sigh of defeat. Standing some feet away, the suspected father threw his arms down to the sides and stumbled backwards as dilated brown eyes looked on in shock. His conscious tried to make sense of the situation. Fiery icy blue eyes grew broad before turning to Lloyd with a glare that could break through magitechnology stone, though the mage had another reproductive target in mind. The secret was out. If only he could find a kendama.
"Pre-pre-pregnant?" Lloyd managed to spit out between short breaths, shaking his head in countless directions as he tried to explain the matter at hand to himself. "Wh-what... how-I mean, I know how from the bees and the-but I mean 'how-how' and..." His incoherent monologue died down into a light mumble.
"...Raine... Raine!" The shock affected his ability to form any other words besides his sister's name, but it was more than enough.
Still, she said nothing, shaking her head from side to side and hiding her expression behind layers of drooping silver hair and that stone facade she built up over the painful years of existence. If one looked close enough, he could see small cracks forming. She felt warm and consequently unable to determine whether it was indeed the fever wrecking havoc on an already chaotic situation or a feeling that had been dormant for so long: fear. After all that happened to her over the years, one would think Professor Raine Sage would be immune to all surprises and willing to make any sacrifice necessary without such natural emotions conflicting her ability to make decisions. Was the idea of a new child coming her way really that much of a shock? Or was it something else?...
"Lloyd, you got my sister pregnant?" screamed Genis, still standing a few feet away. Had he been any closer, his petite fingers would have been wrapped around the swordsman's neck, making it even harder for him to breath. People on the street stopped to stare, pointing as if they were a part of a freak show. Some of the spectators were Raine's former students they gasped upon picking up a few stray words from the conversation. Some even snickered as they walked by.
Lloyd swallowed once, then twice, then a third time just for good measure as he tried to formulate an acceptable explanation for his indignant brother-in-law. Not even the Eternal Sword could save him from this, with its power over time and space. "... Wow... I-I don't know... Raine never told me anything an-"
"Don't you DARE try to pin this on Raine! It's your-GAH! I can't believe you slept with my sister!" Genis slammed his palms against his temples, trying to squeeze the tormenting thoughts of his sister sleeping with his best friend from his mind.
"Whoa, whoa, Genis! Calm down for a second!"
"I can't believe you! I never thought you'd do something like this!"
"Wait a minute," replied the swordsman, feeling as if he was being unfairly blamed for a crime. How could a new child be considered a crime, something worth punishment? True, a new baby would be the cause of major adjustments, but Genis was treating it like an act of sacrilege against the highest courts of the lands, himself being the all-mighty judge.
"Sis, do you hav-" Genis turned around to face his sister, jumping in his pants when he noticed his eyes did not come in contact with hers because she wasn't standing at the door anymore. In fact, she wasn't standing at all. "RAINE!"
"Raine!" Sprinting to her side, Lloyd dashed his way past Genis. He dropped to his knees, taking her hand in his and flipping it palm side up as he felt for a tell-tale sign of life. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he confirmed she was still alive, but her eyes stayed shut. She didn't respond to the pleas of her brother or fiancé, and her body remained limp.
x x x x x x x x
Darkness. Then light. Two opposing forces mixed together in a strange harmony, like a candle in an abyss. Her eyes felt heavy, fighting a losing battle for the right to use her sense of sight. She was lying still, but her head was spinning out of control. Somewhere in the unknown distance, a symphony of familiar voices filled the air, though she found herself unable to make sense of their song's conversation. She gave up, letting her back sink deeper into the most comfortable surface her body had ever been placed on, and tried her best to relax, hoping she'd regain strength over time.
She felt a warm hand on her exposed stomach, moving around in a circular motion as a voice described its process. Still, she found herself unable to regain conscious control of her body as it refused to obey, feeling somewhat violated. It was difficult to put blind faith in the person who was performing these intimate measures. Straining her ears felt like fleeing from a blank tunnel. Slowly, her mind constructed sounds into understandable articulations. The closest voice, the one she concluded had his hand upon her inseminated belly, was the first to make sense, using a variety of words describing her pregnancy.
"...three months... healthy..."
"... or boy?..."
"... find... later...test..."
By now, she could tell they were asking questions pertaining to the child. All she really cared about was her own health as well as her child's. Hearing positive reports allowed the last of her body's tension to dissipate, and she felt her head roll to the side of what she concluded to be a pillow filled with the softest substances. The silk case kissed her cheek with cool lips, contrasting the still warm glow of her face.
"...moved...!...awake...?"
"...really...?"
"... weak... few...rest..."
"...plan...wedding...started..."
"...I'm...not...rush...just...make...sure...she's...okay..."
The last voice belonged to her fiancé. A grin plastered across her face; the sound of his voice was like the sun after a storm, which perfectly described her current situation. Still, she found herself a bit discontent with the fact her child's father had to learn of her pregnancy from a doctor while she lay unconscious and unable to move as she pleased. Could nothing go as planned?
"She's awake!" exclaimed another voice, the first complete sentence she could comprehend since she'd fainted. "Raine, are you okay?"
Raine gave a monotone moan, opening her eyes for the first time in what felt like ages. Her eyes were greeted to a bright blur; a set of magitechnology lights glowed on the ceiling, and she blinked twice to regain a stronger sense of sight against the visual smear.
The doctor folded his arms and nodded with reassurance. "Looks like the medicine is starting to work. She may be groggy for a little while though," he said, looking directly at Lloyd who had been sitting in a chair anxiously awaiting her safe awakening. The swordsman's spirits brightened enough for a smile to break through. He thanked the doctor. "I'll be right down the hall if you need me," the doctor added before leaving the room.
"Sis, can you hear me?" Genis asked, climbing onto the bed carefully and setting his body's weight on his knees. He towered over her and looked into her eyes, waving his fingers across her blank face for any reactions. His silver locks blocked the overhead light, making things a bit easier to see.
The Professor replied with another groan, accompanied by a soft nod. "..yes..."
Lloyd's ears perked up upon hearing her voice. He jumped from his seat a few steps away and walked over to her bedside, setting his hands on the edge, palm-side down, and leaned in. "Feeling better, Raine?"
"Ye-yes. I'm fine now." She sat up, pulled her weight up, and rested her back against the headboard. Looking around concluded she wasn't in the Flanoir doctor's office as she had previously suspected. This room was much more high class, one made for royalty. A row of red wine plush chairs lined the wall opposite her bed with matching decorative wallpaper behind them. Faux stone pillars accented the four corners of the room. Delicate orange light glowed in the room from the closed window just off to the side, giving the time of day to be evening.
"I'm so glad you're okay." Lloyd smiled through his eyes and rubbed her hand.
"Sorry to worry you. What happened?"
"You fainted," explained her brother, conveniently leaving out the chain of events that occurred before her falling out. "The doctor said you were stressed out and had a fever Probably from school and teaching. Raine, you gotta be careful, especially since you're pregnant. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Me either."
Raine nodded. "I know. The fever must have been from my pregnancy."
The swordsman got closer, sitting on the edge of the bed, and took the Professor's hand in his. The feeling of Lloyd's weight on her bed was rather familiar for the both of them, bringing back some pleasant and intimate memories. Genis glared at Lloyd, embracing her other hand with both of his, feeling a bit threatened. The adjustment would not be without pain, which was understandable. He felt like he was competing with Lloyd for his sister, a completely untrue statement, but the heart has a mysterious way of tricking the mind into believing lies. They were both her family and both very important to Raine. One was raised from infancy. The other was taught for several years, while teaching the Professor lessons no textbook could accurately describe. In unity, there is rivalry. Hopefully the feuding could end before it was too late. What would she do if she was torn between her brother and her fiancé in a battle of the heart?
"You knew you were pregnant, didn't you?" He had been waiting to ask that question for quite some time. The thought of being a father overjoyed him, as well as frightened him, but it was a challenge he was more than willing to take head on. He learned from the mistakes of his past, he payed the price of his father's burdens. He'd seen Heaven turn against the world. Now this Gentle Idealist would teach his seed how to see the world through eyes of hope, determination, and forgiveness.
"Uh..." Raine broke her hand away from his. She placed it on her cheek and rested for a moment. "I had suspicions near the end of the school year, when things started to get strange and my body started doing things. Then when I did a home test, I was positive." She remembered that night vividly. It had been a cool day, one of the coolest the entire week, some time near late afternoon when the world was slowly making its transition into early evening. She had half a mind to release the class early. Her fever fogged her memories, making it hard to grade papers and concentrate during lectures. In fact, Lloyd noticed something strange about his fiancé, but she avoided eye contact with him. After spending a nice amount of time with the Professor, he grew accustom to her personal tactics, and his eyes could see through hers, making it nearly impossible to hide anything.
"Then why didn't you tell me?" His voice was calm, though he wasn't very pleased with the answer.
"Because it would have interrupted your studies for the final exams," replied the Professor, throwing her index finger into the air and tilting her head to side as if she was in lecture mode. "I planned to tell you some time around now, but the fainting incident was unexpected."
"Raine!" Genis pouted, rolling his eyes with his head slumped over. It was a reason only she could get away with. "Ugh... never mind."
"You spoke with the doctor about the child, correct? What did he say?" She put a hand to her stomach, feeling around for movements.
"Yeah. He said the baby's healthy and you're about two or three months along."
Genis cleared his throat loudly. "Lloyd, don't you remember?"
"Huh?" grumbled the swordsman with a blank look on his face.
"Grr! You've forgotten already? Seriously, Lloyd, what IS the extent of your brain's capacity?" the mage asked, a sarcastic look on his face.
"Shut it, Genis!" Lloyd shot back. "I really don't rem-OH!" He nodded. "I remember now."
"Finally," mumbled the academy student under his breath.
Lloyd hopped off Raine's bed, much to her disappointment. He read her eyes as they asked for his reasons for leaving her. Grabbing her hand again, he stroked it suggestively, his fingers playing with her engagement ring. The feeling of his flesh against hers was so tantalizing.
"I promised Genis I'd leave once you woke up so you two could talk. This would be a good time to talk to the doctor anyway and get some information on, erm, child care. I've never changed a diaper in my life..."
"Alright already! She's already pregnant! Just GO!" Genis shooed Lloyd away, waving his hand in the direction of the door.
"Ah, I see. Alright then," Raine nodded, fixing her sheets. With a nod and a smile, he left the room, closing the door behind him softly.
In the back of her mind, she had a feeling he wanted to talk, maybe because she wanted to listen. This was unlike anything that had happened between them before. Ever since his birth, he'd been with Raine; he grew up seeing her face every morning, feeling her hand against his backside every time he broke a lamp, and her embrace every time he hurt himself. Genis had to know the same boundaries would stay in place and what things would never change. He knew she'd always be his sister, but deep in his heart, something was cracking, breaking, bleeding, and only her recognition, only her reassuring voice could stop the breakage before it was too late.
"Speak your mind, Genis," she said a few moments after Lloyd exited. She turned to face him, making her eyes as soft as possible. "What's wrong?"
Feeling the coast was clear, he moved closer to her, resting near the edge with his legs crossed. He sat with his head drooped down, playing with his fingers in a childish manner, and took in a deep breath before starting. "We-well... I got your letter in Palmacosta the day after you sent it. I could have come earlier, but I just didn't... sorry, but it didn't feel right. I needed time."
"I figured something like that would happen." Writing that letter was harder than she expected. Her trash can was filled to the brim with crumbled rough drafts, as she found herself unable to put her unbridled joy into words without hurting her brother anymore than he needed to be.
"Of course not, Genis. I'm not expecting you to accept Lloyd as your brother-in-law as easily as I'd like. That's just a matter of life. All I ask is that you give him a chance and try to see him the way he's opened my eyes. You two have been best friends for as long as I can remember."
"...I don't want that to change." Tears streamed down his face, rolling off his chin and onto the comforter. "I-I don't want to lose you, Raine. I don't want to lose Lloyd either."
Raine reached over and wiped the tears away from her brother's distraught cheeks. "Genis. Listen to me. I will always be your sister; we will always be family. Always. That will never change. Lloyd will always be your friend for as long as you two choose to be."
Genis looked up and began to sob. His chest rose and fell as he tried to regulate his breathing, failing miserably. So many times the Professor had seen such a face, especially when he asked about the past, that painful past she wished to not speak of anymore. "Promise?"
"I promised the moment you were born. What reason do I have to break it now?" Raine replied.
"You-you're right. Thanks, Raine." He ran the back of his hand across his eyes, sniffling twice, and grabbed a tissue from the box on the dresser.
She just answered with a nod.
"Raine, can I ask you a serious question?"
The Professor's ears perked up. "Like?"
"Well, you got to actually see Mom and Dad before everything happened...their faces I mean... and... I was just wondering..."
She knew it was coming, but bracing for a fall doesn't stop the pain. She tried to maintain strong eye contact through the unbearable urge from her eyes to water relentlessly.
"Do you miss Mommy and Daddy?"
Raine looked down and closed her icy blue eyes against the hurt. The most painful question anyone could ask her, and it had to be from her own brother. But why would he ask such a thing?
x x x x x x x x
After a few days of bed rest, the doctor released Raine with the command to get more rest and stay away from as much stress as possible. She obeyed commands, and Lloyd made it a priority to keep tabs on her as much as possible. Between the three of them, everything had been patched up, and nothing else remained to be asked, questioned, protested, or corrected; there was nothing more to say. A weight had been lifted from all of their shoulders. It was time to move forward. It was time to live, love, dream, marry, and be happy forevermore.
Like a flower blooming before the rising sun, Raine was opened up to so many possibilities. For the first time in her life, she could finally use her feminine imagination to plan the wedding of her dreams. She felt as if she was a toddler in a toy store, or rather an archeologist with special permissions to inspect a new set of recently discovered artifacts. Either way, she couldn't be any more exhilarated. Being selfish was a difficult task. Her entire life consisted of making choices that benefited the greater good and she often sacrificed her own happiness. Now she was to choose things for herself, as well as her fiancé, though Lloyd stayed as neutral and lenient as possible.
After much contemplation, the decision was made: they would wed in Heimdall, village of the Elves. Each had a connection, though the Professor's was obviously the strongest. Within their forest, Lloyd fought his angelic father for the right to bear a pact, and won. For Raine, it was the land of her birth, her parent's wedding, and the beginning of her exile. She assured him she had no intentions of digging up cold graves by choosing this location. Though, in all honesty, no matter where they wed, there would always be something of a strong connection to their past, even Iselia.
But first, they would need permission. Walking through the Ymir forest was a journey to the past for both of them; everything felt so familiar, as if it had only been yesterday since they used the Sorcerer's Ring to call trouts and eagles, let butterflies listen to their hearts, and planted flowers to bloom. The memories were melancholy, but rather than dwindle on them, Raine kept her eyes closed for most of the walk.
Their destination was the Elder's House. Raine called in early a few days before her arrival, and the guards cleared her and Lloyd to enter. She earned a few strange looks from some of the villagers, but nothing as harsh as she would have gotten had it been years ago. She kept her head up, making sure her face was stern, as if she was teaching back in the schoolhouse. Lloyd stood by her side, putting his hand on her shoulder and smiling in only a way he could. And she relaxed, finding confidence in his touch. It was like magic, the kind too pure and wonderful for Mana to produce.
Lloyd knocked on the Elder's door and took a step back. Within a matter of seconds, it swung open. Before them stood an old acquaintance, if not a friend in the strangest of sorts. His appearance hadn't changed much: long silver hair combed back, now reaching his lower half, sharp facial features that demanded authority, and long, pointed ears, the pride of all pure blood elves. Each waited for the other to make the first move.
"Raine and Lloyd. I've been expecting you. Come in."
The two obeyed commands, stepping inside. The Elder closed the door behind them, setting his staff aside and against the closest wall.
"Thank you for having us on such short notice," Raine said, brave enough to speak first.
The Elder gave a soft nod. "It's an honor to have the Heros of the Welgaia War in our village, especially for such a joyous occasion."
"Is that what they call us now?" Lloyd asked with a chuckle. "Wow..."
"We've come to ask permission to hold our wedding here, on this date." She pointed to a piece of paper she had recently pulled from her pocket, clearly detailing every aspect of the wedding. It wasn't enough to just get married for her. During the previous weeks before arriving in Heimdall, Raine took the time to write out minute to minute schedules, contact information, prices, locations, and names. Organization was key, second only to the bride and groom themselves. Lloyd just nodded and pretended to understand.
The Elder looked it over with scrutinizing eyes, nodding in agreement to himself. "Everything seems to be in order. You have my permission."
"Thank you, Elder."
Lloyd and Raine stood to leave, one step closer to finally becoming one for the rest of their lives.
"You're welcome, Professor Sage. Consider it a wedding blessing from Heimdall."
Raine stared at him for a moment with a strange glint in her icy blue eyes. A blessing from the village that ostracized her family decades ago? "A blessing..."
"...Raine?" Lloyd turned around, grabbing her hand to break her train of thought.
"Oh, nothing. Let's go, Lloyd."
"Thanks again, Elder," the swordsman tugged on Raine's arm, pulling her out of the house. The Elder closed the door behind them. "What's wrong?" he asked once they'd reached the entrance to the Ymir forest.
She stopped walking, turning her gaze to the cloudless diamond blue skies. She used her palm to shield her eyes from the sun's intense light. "I just thought to myself about how many curses turned out to be blessing for me."
x x x x x x x x
The dress was a bit more time consuming than originally planned. Her pregnancy interfered with size matters. Large was too big and she couldn't squeeze into smaller sizes. At Zelos' suggestion, Raine decided to have her dress custom made in Meltokio by some of the best designers. She complained about the cost, waiting to stay somewhat conventional, but Lloyd wouldn't hear a word of it. Money was no object to him, as he acquired a nice sum after the World Regeneration. Before leaving for Derris Kharlan, Kratos left his son all his fortunes which totaled to an amount that still boggled his mind, though he would have easily traded it all to spend time with his father. Maybe that's why Raine was hesitant to spend such an amount, but he insisted. Lloyd was still hot-headed. She'd learn to love it.
"Miss Sage," asked one of the lead designer after taking Raine's measurements, "do you have any preferences for your dress?"
"No, not really. I haven't gone shopping for clothing in quite a while."
Her dirty blonde designer jumped up, scanning the Professor's body up and down as she nodded to herself, occasionally grunting. She quarreled with her own mind before coming to a conclusion that satisfied every part of her conscious. "That's fine, Miss Sage. We'll work together until we find something you're happy with."
"If I may make another awesome suggestion," offered Zelos who had been sitting down in the back of the room. He made his way to the Professor, earning a few heart-shaped stares from the shop's female employees. "I can see you in an exquisite hourglass-based style. You have the body for it, even with little Lloyd Junior sticking out."
"I agree with Mister Wilder. Is that okay with you, Miss Sage?" the designer asked with a giggle.
Raine rolled her eyes and sighed. "Since I have no reason to disagree, I'll try it."
"I'll be right back with some sketches then," she announced before dashing somewhere in the back of the store.
"Where's Lloyd?" The Professor walked around the store, looking at other items and picking out the era their designs were based on, concluding most had a strong root in the royal family's heritage.
"He's still getting fitted for his tuxedo along with Genis. Pretty awesome that Lloyd picked the shrimp to be his best man. I guess my stunning beauty was too much."
She ignored the insult, moving her attention to the jewelry section. On a wall, six receding shelves were filled with a dazzling array of tiaras, rings, bracelets, and necklaces that shined against the pure white light coming from the ceiling, causing rainbows to bounce in countless directions. "Your morals are as self centered as ever. I don't think that has anything to do with it, Zelos."
"Sure," replied the ex-Chosen with a wink. "We'll just go with that."
Raine arched her back a bit, moaning with discomfort. It felt like every day she gained a bit more weight. She even started to acquire a taste for things no self respecting human (or elf) would combine in the same meal. From pasta, to toothpaste, to fish, to mint chocolate chip ice cream: nothing was safe from her lunch-time mixing bowl. The conversations between the Professor and Lloyd pertaining to her new found eating habits were of the utmost hilarity for anyone within earshot. She'd growl and demand mayonnaise be drizzled over her blueberry pancakes. Lloyd would look on in horror, eye twitching speechless as her icy blue eyes glared at him for not obeying commands.
The designer returned with a dress in her hand, not nearly as detailed as the others. She assured Raine it wouldn't be her final design, just one used for measurements. Deep down, something on the inside resurrected, and she convinced herself this was how her mother felt over twenty years ago, before everything happened. The mirror smiled as she stood up and allowed the designer to make adjustment with a package of pins, stomach protruding, yet her beauty remained unhindered. She couldn't help but smile back.
A few moments later, a knock sounded at the door. Zelos stood and answered it, complaining that his fingers were too precious to handle a commoner's doorknob.
"Whoa, Shrimp! Have you grown taller or did you forget to comb your hair again?"
"Oh, shut up, Zelos!" Genis pushed his way through the redhead.
Zelos shrugged and sat back down. "I was trying to compliment you."
Raine turned around to face Genis, finding her eyes instead meeting a brown gaze."I'm all done with my fitting," Lloyd said.
"Then everything else is done," she replied, trying to visualize her wedding to-do list. "Once the dress is finished."
"Is that the dress?" he asked, eyeing her current attire.
She put her hand to her stomach, rubbing her palm against the material until she remembered what she was wearing. "No. This is just a fitting."
For some reason, neither had noticed the room was completely silent. The assistants retreated to the shop's back with their measurements. Zelos somehow slipped out of the room with one of the clerks for her lunch break. Genis sat in a chair, half asleep.
"Oh... you look beautiful though. I can't wait to see you in the real dress." His voice was as smooth as ever, like velvet.
The Professor turned her head to the side, lowing her eyes to avoid her cheek's blush reflecting in the mirror. The assistants oohed and ahhed while biting their lips to contain the giggles. Such words were priceless, but even more priceless coming from him. The definition of beauty varied from person to person, and just a while ago, Raine wouldn't even consider taking it any further had the word escaped his lips, but now it was so much more special because he meant it. And, well, it was true. Even without her hair done or makeup applied, she was stunning.
Lloyd bit his bottom lip. "... Did I say something wrong?"
"No-no. You didn't," she replied in a soft voice, rubbing her eyes. "I just have something in my eye."
The oldest trick in the book, and Lloyd wasn't too fool by it. Still, he let it go, feeling the answer would come with due time, or maybe it had something to do with her pregnancy. But as he sat down waiting for her to finish, he realized it was the first time, to his knowledge at least, anyone had called her beautiful.
x x x x x x x x
And then nightfall came; another day passed, and she was one more closer to the biggest decision of her life. Before hundreds, maybe even thousands, she'd stand and proclaim her matchless commitment to one and one only, a bond of the heart that is to remain unbroken by all things human, elf, and Heaven sent. Something in the depths of her stomach tingled as if she was falling in the cool air above, falling through the sky, weightless. Is this how all brides feel?
Though the moonlight kissed her face, she found herself unable to sleep with eyes wide open. Looking up with her hand on her back, she scanned the stars. There was nothing else to distract her: all planning had been completed. Soon, a week to everyone else, though it felt like eternity to her, she'd be in his arms, bound in holy matrimony. A lot was on the line here, mainly trust, and all eyes were on them. Professor Raine Sage would marry Lloyd Irving.
After staring off into the dark nothingness of nighttime, Raine nodded, taking in a deep breath through her nose. "Yes. I'm ready."
Not one of my favorite chapters, but still, I like it. Everything that needs to be explains has been. If it hasn't, I've left it up to your imagination. Why are they getting married in Heimdall? Iselia's too boring, Exile is just wrong, and they have connections to Heimdall. Feel free to disagree. -shrug-
Once again, tried to keep the fluff to a minimum... but with Utada Hikaru's First Love and You from Samurai Champloo playing in the background, the temptation is great. -shifty eyes-
Chapter four will be the wedding! Whee! I can't wait! Until then, tootles!
Now I need sleep...