Due to the constant poking, prodding, and pain-giving I have received from my alter ego...

ß®££§¥: You may thank me later.

...I have updated somewhat earlier than my due date of Friday. Enjoy.

Kat-Chan: Yike! Iupdatedpleasedonthurtme! (in small voice) ...glad you like... eep...

Green Maj: Yay! Nonviolent review! I'm glad you liked the fluff. Yes, snow days are UNGODLY in their almighty power. FEAR THE SNOWDAY! (I'm writing the rest of this update on another snowday, and posting it on the snowday after! BEWHAHAHAHAHA! NJ OWNS winter snow.)

MoonCannon: Here be ye update. Glad you enjoy my fic.

TimmyCheese: (Interesting choice of name, but who am I to say anything?) Just out of curiosity, what stone are you referring to? And as for the Salamander, that's for me to know and you to find out.

ß®££§¥: Basically, he doesn't remember.

Sh-Shut up, you! Disclaimer duty!

Ilvinaeda: Thanks again for the massive review of eternal longness. Longest review I've ever seen, let alone gotten. We've had our chat by email, I'll just post the most important parts.

• Aside from the hotel scene, I didn't think they were taking it too fast. I mean, most of what happened was accidental (on their part, not mine). Even within the hotel scene, they're still acting as friends, albeit close ones. (Think Lloyd and Colette from The-AlFluffy-One-Whose-Name-I-Am-Unworthy-To-Speak's earliest works.)

• With regards to the hotel scene, you have to take into account the following circumstances:

1. Presea's still half-asleep: her judgment and typical cautions are dimmed at best.

2. She's terrified and still under the effect of adrenaline from the nightmare. (Never a good combo, especially with #1.)

3. (And I kick myself for forgetting to clearly state this, I'll fix it in this chapter) These nightmares are all about losing Genis(...), the one person that she has left. Put yourself in her shoes for a moment: She's young. She's lost everything and everyone she ever knew. All she has left is a half-elven boy about her age, whom she finds herself developing feelings for. If she started having vivid, vicious nightmares about losing him, she might want him around for comfort, ya?

(I swore I said something to that effect after the second nightmare, but upon review I notice I was far too vague. My apologies. Thank you greatly for catching that.)

• I find it hard for people our age to really appreciate the honest, pure innocence of such an act. We think of sleeping with someone in such a different light, as actually "sleeping with" someone, something dirty, wrong for someone their age. They, on the other hand, have no intent of doing anything of the sort; Presea is feeling insecure and frightened, and thus, I do not think it too much of a stretch to think that she might want Genis around for comfort, especially to help her relax after a vicious nightmare about him.

• As for Genis, since his days back in the game he's been rather protective of Presea. To see her suffer and do nothing about it, or directly contribute to it, would have been rather like asking him to ram a knife through his chest and twist. He would do anything for Presea; this is not to say that he wouldn't feel awkward about it, as he did in his thoughts during the hotel scene.

• Sorry. I know you don't like it when I take so much space to answer a review. I just had to clear that up for anyone who was confused. I'll make it up later in chapter length.

AngelSora: I'm sorry you're discontinuing the fic. Setting its not-being-ToS-canon aside, it was a fairly good fic. Good luck on any future writing projects. I'm sorry if I was responsible in any way for scaring you off writing it.

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One further thing: If anyone wants this to develop into a lemonfic, please inform me now so I can commence HUNTING YOU DOWN AND SLAYING YOU. The fact that you would even think of a lemon between two 12/13-year-olds is beyond perversion, degrading into mental illness. This is pure romance, between two young lovers. Go elsewhere for your disturbed pleasures. You sicken me beyond words.

LAME LEGAL FORMALITIES (ie THE DISCLAIMER):

ß®££§¥: Just in case your common sense has failed you, it is to my extreme distaste that I must inform any of you with an education in law and the stupidity to use it that the one known as ¿ObviousMan? is in no way, shape, or form the owner, manager, possessor, or even shoe-shiner of Namco, its project Tales of Symphonia, or any other creations owned by another party, nor does he claim to be. All copyrights and trademarks belong to their respective owners and are, out of necessity, not documented here in legal form.

¿OM: Partially because, if I did, there wouldn't be a a story, just a 10-pg long lawcode on how I don't own anything but the computer in front of me, this story + "He's Dead," Aramil from Chapter 2, the Salamander, and the title "The-AlFluffy-One-Whose-Name-I-Am-Unworthy-To-Speak". Said title applies to the great and powerful Lil-Samuu; I am unworthy to be spoken of in the same breath as the aforementioned.

Fic now.

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And so I stood there, helpless, as Raine struggled to save the life of the one person I had left in this world. I realized bitterly that I had never felt so utterly helpless in my entire life...

RAINE:

'...Dammit! How could I have let this happen?' I berated myself as I kneeled before my little brother's devastated body. 'One second we're winning, hardly a scratch on us; next second, I'm pinned under a giant lizard's head, and Genis is lying half-dead!' Beside me, Presea stood there, blankly staring off into some spaceless void located between my brother's eyes. She looked like a puppet whose strings had been cut; after a few seconds of staring, mouth hanging ajar, she dropped backwards as limp as a rag doll. Unfortunately, I could not afford to take time from my ministrations to check on her. 'She'll be fine,' I thought. 'She's just stressed. Genis, however...' I turned back to my efforts, struggling to force the mana back into my brother's broken and bleeding form. No time to worry about Presea...

PRESEA:

...Why is it, in nightmares, that we have no control over our bodies? We simply float there, passengers within our own minds, as our bodies move of their own accord. It is eerily similar to my Crystal experience; there, too, I was a spectator, a ghost looking out the windows of my eyes, watching the world pass me by and unable to do anything. Perhaps this is why the nightmares are so terrifying; they are echoes, shadows of the life I once led and am so anxious to leave behind me forever.

It was the same dream again; for the past week I have had this nightmare over and over without fail. It begins with me walking down the street of an abandoned yet familiar town. The buildings are all as gray as the cloud-covered sky. Despite the drab coloring, everything was realistic. The buildings had individual planking; the ground, covered in lifelike peat moss. The trees in the background have individual leaves which would drop to the ground like slow-falling snow. If I did not already know the outcome of this dream, I might think the scenery beautiful.

Deep down, I knew what would happen next; despite my best efforts, I could not stop myself. One step, two step— no amount of begging, pleading, or desperate struggling would stop my body from ignoring my commands to halt. I eventually consigned myself to my fate, as I had done in each dream thus far.

As I neared the clearing before the abandoned armory, I saw Genis exit the building. Unlike my surroundings, he was in color; I wonder at the significance of that. Knowing what would happen next, I redoubled my efforts to wrest my body back under my control, to no avail. My efforts neared frantic as he approached. How I wished I could simply call out to him, to warn him; nothing I did would release my voice for even a moment.

"Here, Presea. This is for you." He reached into his pocket, groping around for something. What he was trying to give me, I will never know, for at that point a shadowy figure floated out from the building behind him. A knotted, twisted staff held a blade of black metal in the traditional form of a scythe. The sickly purple fluid dripping from the blade gleamed in the lamplight as the figure raised its weapon. The blade flashed once; the figure was gone. All that remained was Genis. Gaping and gasping for breath, his eyes bored into mine desperately as he tried to speak, to convey his last words before the darkness overtook him. But it was not to be.

His body toppled, severed cleanly in half at the waist. His torso landed atop of mine, pushing me to the ground. With the last of his strength his hand reached, quivering, for my own; his eyes were still pleading as the light left them forever. His upper body slid off mine to join his legs, laying face-up in a pool of his own blood. All that was left of the life I had held so dear was the warmth of his blood on my body and hands.

Overcome by the horror, I began to run, directionless, off into the void now surrounding me; yet no matter how far or fast I ran, if I looked back over my shoulder I could still see the remains of the last person I had had in this world.

Varying voices, all familiar but none placeable, began circling me, taunting, guilting, laughing. Soon all the voices cascaded into one, a horrible, high-pitched androgynous laughter. The amalgam of voices coalesced into a single being before me; the black wraith was back. Laughing insanely, it raised its scythe again; the flash of the blade, the bite of cold steel, and the world dissolved into darkness. The last thing I heard was the horrible laughter, coupled with the last gasping breaths of Genis...

I awoke, soaked in cold sweat as if emerging from an icy river. I lay on top of white, damp sheets in a room I had not seen before. A light blue blanket lay in a ball at my feet. Standing over me was Genis. Bandages covered most of his upper body making motion difficult, if not painful; this had not stopped him from clasping my hand with both of his own. He smiled, concern giving way to relief as I sat up in bed and turned to him.

I did the only thing I could: I grabbed him in a fierce, desperate hug as the tears began streaming down my face. Despite the burning red blush on his face he held on to me, whispering soft comforts into my ear as I sobbed pitifully into his shoulder.

"Genis... It's all my fault! If I wasn't so close to the creature, you'd... you'd..." my voice dissolved back into helpless crying.

"Shhh... It's alright. I'm alright. Raine says I'll live."

"But if Raine hadn't been there, you... you might not have..."

"Don't worry about that. I'm fine." He released me as I pulled back to dry my eyes. It was awhile before anyone spoke. Finally, the silence was broken as Raine opened the door.

"Well I'm glad you're feeling better now," Raine told Genis sarcastically. "You're well enough to walk around the building to visit Presea, but you couldn't be bothered to..." Her voice trailed off as she saw I was awake and being comforted by Genis. "Oh." She cautiously made her way over, taking a seat at the foot of the bed. "Are you alright now?"

"I... think so. Thank you." I replied, my voice still shaky.

"Okay." She responded, clearly not believing me but willing to humor me for the moment. "...So, are you ready to talk about it?" the healer asked me. Even in my current condition, it was blatantly obvious what she was referring to. Gripping Genis' hand for comfort, I took a deep breath to calm myself. Then I began the tale...

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Hey! I finished the chapter! Yay! Since I have all of today off, (SNOWDAY! HAH!) and I'm posting at 6 in the morning, there's a decent chance I might have the next chapter up by Sunday. If not, definitely by the following Saturday.

Sorry this one is kinda short. I'll make it up next chapter, if I can.

Good luck and goodbye, —¿ObviousMan?