A/N: I updated! Yay! I finally finished this chapter, and the next chapter is the reunion. I promise. Oh, and that will be in 3rd person, that way I can focus on multiple people. So... this is from Presea's POV, and it's a lot shorter than the others. It's probably rushed too, but I couldn't think of what to write, and so this is what happened. but enjoy it all the same!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia

Chapter 4

To Forgive

Presea sat once again on the Sky Terrace, although not in front of Alicia's grave, it was hard to do that. She sat overlooking the ocean, unlike most thought, she loved the water.

She had received a phone call last night from Colette, about the reunion. She had been told that everyone was going to be there, just to meet at the beach at about nine-thirty a.m. Presea had also been told not to tell Regal why, apparently it was a girl organized thing, except, of course, for Kratos.

She sighed, and heard the elevator come up next to her, and Regal appeared. She nodded, still not to keen on the whole smiling thing, and he went to Alicia's grave. He came up here, everyday, at this time. He said it was because this was when he had killed her, and so he came to honor that time. He only spent a minute or so, and it was one of his few free moments.

He went back down the elevator, and Presea again noted on how much better he looked without the shackles. After she and him had spoken at Alicia's grave, at the end of the journey, he took them off, right in front of it. It was as if he was proving that he kept his promise.

Presea looked out over the ocean once more, and then went inside. She had a lot of work to do, and it wasn't going to be done for her. She sighed and went into the building, heading for the second floor, where she worked.

Regal spent his time organizing the destruction of the Toize Valley Mine, and other exsphere manufactures such as Desian Ranches. Presea was using her time to make sure that all of these operations were actually carried out, and were done with minimal violence.

Her job was to try to make things go as smooth as possible, meaning that she spent extensive time with him, figuring out the way to go about making the things smooth. Of course, she still hadn't forgiven him.

She trusted him, she knew he was a good person, but Alicia was her sister, his lover yes, but her sister first and foremost. She still didn't have it in her to forgive him, she just couldn't do it. Some day she knew she would, but today was not that day, nor one in the very close future, at least not her knowledge. They were… acquaintances that was the best word for it, or maybe co-workers was better. Either way, they weren't too close.

She had long arrived at her desk, and she got distracted. Another thing had come to mind. There was a copy of the letter that she had sent Genis three days ago, she had set it next to all of her work, and she decided to read it, just one more time:

Dear Genis,

How have you been doing these days? How is the journey to help make equality? Regal and my jobs are going well, the exsphere manufacturing abolishment is almost no trouble. We haven't had much struggle, as there are more jobs being opened else where for people to go.

How are you? It's been six months since we've seen each other, although it seems longer. For some reason I have not been able to focus without some sort of back round sound.

Although, I still do not function as I used to. It is hard being separated from the group, there is no obnoxious Lloyd spouting out ideals, clumsy Colette tripping over nothing, Zelos flirting with Sheena, who ends up slapping him, nor Raine to go into ruin-mode when she sees something over 50 years old.

There is also no you, making Lloyd realize his wrongs, helping Colette up, yelling at Zelos for making fun of you, you trying to stop Sheena from slapping him again, nor you trying to hide Raine's ruin-mode from people outside the group.

I miss you. Life is very different, and I need to ask you something, I am wondering about a time when I still was forming a Cruxis Crystal, but it will wait until I see you. It is not something I would like to ask or be answered in a letter.

Hopefully I will see you soon. Six months is too long to be separated from everyone. I wish you well Genis. Goodbye.

Yours,

Presea Combatir

She set it down once more, happy that she would get to ask him, now that she would see him tomorrow. Just until tomorrow, that was the only wait she had. To see if it was indeed he who had said it, said "I love you…" in a very soft, quiet voice, no one else could hear it.

She sighed once again and went back to her work. She was trying to get as much done as she would in two days, seeing as how tomorrow she wouldn't be working.

Instead of doing that, she spent her time thinking of whom she was acting like. Although she didn't know it, she and Raine were doing the same thing, thinking, waiting for someone to come.

But that wasn't going to work. No, it wasn't, she pushed it from her mind, and set about doing her work.

When she decided that it was about time to stop, she looked up, and saw that it had been four hours since she had last taken a break. Now, it was quitting time, and she went to the Altimira hotel to have dinner.

She always ate alone. It was just what she did, she never talked, so anyone who had sat by her, stopped as they found it quote boring to sit there and just eat. So when Regal sat down in front of her, she was startled.

"Presea… I… wanted to talk about something," he began, rather uncertainly, which was unlike him.

"Yes Regal?" she asked, using a polite, formal tone.

"Well, you see, I was wondering if—if you still—still hadn't forgiven me," he finally said, quietly.

"Well, I'm not sure. To be truthful, I was thinking about that today. A lot of things seem to keep coming up, and this was one of them. Regal, I—I forgive you. I think I did the day you took your shackles off in front of Alicia's grave. So many things have gone better since then. I feel freer, and if that doesn't mean forgiveness, then tell me what does." she said very quickly.

"I think a thank-you is all I need to say." he said, now reverting to his formal tone. That was how he seemed to react to her when she said anything more than a few words.

"Your welcome." she paused as if hoping to see what she did see, he relaxed. "Now that I told you that, I think Alicia will finally rest in peace."

"I think she very truly will" Regal replied.

After that, they finished their dinner in silence, neither one wanting to break what had just happened. When he was done, he left, but before he did, he smiled at her. She responded with a curt nod, and a hint of a smile.

When she was done, which was not long after Regal had left, she went to her room. As she slipped beneath the covers, she could've sworn she hear something, a voice reciting facts from a textbook, over and over again.

She knew that voice was Genis's, the thirteen year olds voice was unmistakable, and she smiled. Somehow, her mind must have created this allusion for her, probably seeing him tomorrow was doing it to her.

Slowly, his voice still reciting in her head, she drifted off to sleep, wondering what exactly tomorrow was to be like.