Title: Change
Fandom: Tales of Symphonia
Pairing/Characters: Lloyd, Kratos
Warning(s): Spoilers!
Genre: Gen
Part VII of the Regal and Lloyd Do Manly Things Together Saga. Last one for a while, ha ha.
Kratos has to look twice when Lloyd shakes himself free from the group in front of Origin's seal- there is something very different about the boy he loved. Whatever it is it's not obvious. Lloyd seems to be standing straighter now, and there is something in his eyes that reminds Kratos of a four-thousand-years-lost Mithos.
"I'm not going to hold back this time," he says, to cover his own confusion.
"I know," Lloyd returns. "I won't either."
He says it with such conviction that Kratos knows his hunch is true; Lloyd has changed.
As soon as they lunge at each other he realizes that it's not just his son's purpose or drive that has reinvented itself. Where Lloyd used to press forward recklessly, a boy covering his lack of confidence by abandoning his safety, he moves more carefully now- like an animal stalking its prey- and Kratos suddenly realizes that if he doesn't kick it up he's going to lose.
They trade blow for blow, horribly even; somehow, somewhere in the last months, Lloyd has gotten much better. He drives forward with more power, steps with more authority, and commands his swords with more grace than Kratos remembers him ever having.
By a stroke of luck he manages to knock away one of the swords. Lloyd throws away the other one and, while Kratos is still stunned by this, knees him straight to the chest. Something much harder than flesh and bone comes into contact with him, and Kratos hears the sound of his ribs cracking as he flies backwards.
He coughs and sees blood. Before he has a chance to stand up, Lloyd is over him, a look of concern on his face. His pants are shredded enough that Kratos can see the glint of metal underneath.
Well, he thinks, comforted even as his vision fades, He's worried unnecessarily about his enemy. Some things never change…
Somewhere within himself, he's proud of Lloyd.