'Sui: Oh my god guys. I'm so sorry. I know, it's been like 6 months, but my computer crashed (twice) so I basically lost everything and had to put everything back, so I forgot about this. And the past month has been REALLY busy for me, but now that exams are done and that I'm out of school, updates may be much faster. :D

Yuan: Oh, joy. Just when I thought I was free from you...

'Sui: MWAHAHAH! You'll never escaaaaaape...

Yuan: ...I try not to think about that... Heisui doesn't own Tales of Symphonia. If she did, Kratos would make an appearance somewhere in Tales of the Abyss.

'Sui: Oh yes. xD Well, enjoy!

Chapter 10: A New Arrival

Dear Diary,

Pain. So much pain. I'd never been in that much pain in my life. Childbirth is truly horrible.

But, it's worth it. I'm now the proud mother of a healthy baby boy named Lloyd! I really like that name. Kratos was the one that suggested it to me, and at first, I wasn't sure if I agreed with him. But now that I've given it a lot of thought, it just seems to… fit, somehow.

I'm so proud of myself. I've endured nine months of morning sickness, swollen feet and mood swings, which is something I could have never imagined myself doing. And I'm also thankful for Kratos, who helped me get through it. Seriously, even I wouldn't be able to put up with my complaints. I wonder how he did it. Maybe he secretly wore earplugs, or something.

I find myself wondering what Lloyd will grow up to be. Will he be… a strong swordsman just like Kratos? A talented artist of some sort? A scholar? Hmm… well, whatever path he decides to take, I just want him to be happy.

But for now, I'll just concentrate on teaching him how to eat a meal and not end up wearing it. I'll never figure out what is so truly fascinating about getting applesauce all over yourself.

I've also noticed that Lloyd doesn't like tomatoes. I always wondered why he started crying every time I tried to feed him spaghetti, but yet he loved chicken noodle soup. It amazes me that I only came to that conclusion when I remembered Kratos didn't like tomatoes either.

I'm really tired lately, since Lloyd has been waking me up every two hours of the night for the past week or so. It's been waking Kratos up as well, but since he's an angel and doesn't need sleep, it's not really bothering him. My mother used to tell me all about how I'd wake her up all the time when I was a baby, and I never really believed it was that bad. Until now…

Speaking of my mother, I wonder how she'd react if she knew she was a grandmother? I really wish she was still alive, and I could have her meet Lloyd and Kratos. And my father, also. I'm sure they'd be both so happy.

Now this brings me to think about the Desians and the Human Ranches. I don't want Lloyd to go through what I did. I won't allow it. Because of Iselia's peace treaty with the Desians, I'm hoping we'll be safe here, despite the fact that they're most likely still looking for me and my exsphere. It's been about a year since I escaped from the ranch, but Kvar's too much of a stubborn bastard to have given up on me.

Well, that's enough angst for now. I try not to think about these things much, but I guess it comes with having a child. Oh, I'm going to be horrible when Lloyd'll be older and want to go out somewhere on his own. I'm probably going to end up secretly following him around, making sure that he doesn't get himself into danger. And Kratos will be telling me not to worry so much about him, but I'm still going to do it…

Wow, I'm really thinking too much about the future. People tell me I live too much in the past, but now I've completed skipped over the present and gone to live in the future!

Oh my, I've just realized. Now, on top of Crhistmas, Kratos' birthday and Lloyd's birthday, I'm going to have to think of something for Fathers' day as well. I never had the chance to do something for my father on Fathers' day, since I was too young to afford getting him anything and I didn't even know a "Fathers' Day" even existed. Hm, I guess that also means I get to get something on Mothers' Day too…

I've heard that the Chosen of Regeneration is to be born here in Iselia. A few priests gave a public announcement the other day, saying that she'll be born in roughly a year. Which brings me to wonder how they knew it's going to be a girl. Since Kratos explained to me the whole scheme behind the "World Regeneration", I wonder if they just made it up.

But it also makes me sad to think about how that poor girl (or boy, depending if the priests just made it up) will be raised into believing that she'll be saving everyone by Regenerating the world, when she'll unintentionally be causing the people of Tethe'alla to suffer. For her sake, I hope she doesn't find out about Tethe'alla, and doesn't have to pick a world to save, while being aware that the other is going to suffer. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone.

I wish there was a way for both of the worlds to be able to exist together, but I suppose that's impossible. Unless someone used that Eternal Sword, or whatever it's called, to fix everything up. Maybe I'll ask Kratos about that later…

Off-topic I suppose, but I really hate the new mayor of this village. He's the previous mayor's son, and he's a real asshole. Last week, I asked him if he was planning to hire a new teacher, since the last one recently died of age. He told me that he didn't have the money, and that he didn't want to ask the village for donations, which I believed. But then, when the priests gave the public announcement, he had people help pay for a special house to be built for the family of the Chosen one. What the hell? The Chosen's only supposed to be born in a year, but we need a teacher right now, since the school year's not over yet!

He'd better have a teacher hired by the time Lloyd gets old enough for school, or he'll be facing the wrath of one very, very angry mother!

Well, I think it's about time I changed Lloyd's diaper. Kratos did it last time, now it's my turn…

'Sui: I think there might be up to 3 chapters left, since well, you all know what happens to Anna soon. D': Anyway, REVIEW TIME!

Kratos Wilder: Heheh. xD Yeah, since I basically have to make up Anna's personality and opinions here, I base some of them off what I think too. :D

andy: Thanks. That's what I'm aiming for!

Memee: Ouuuh, I'd LOVE to see that. 8D

Elemento: ... :: stays away from arms' length::

genny62890: Yes, actually. I'm planning to go up right to the night before she dies, if I can. Ah, I know, it makes me so sad too. D: Poor Kratos...

Scaff: XD! Am I sensing a sequel?

Lunar Kestrel: Hee! I had fun writing that part... x3

Thanks for the reviews guys, and I'm glad you all liked it. :D Now, reviews for this chapter would make me happier!