As you'll probably be able to tell, a fair bit of time's passed between chapter two and this one :)
Gothichika: hopefully this'll answer the first question you asked in the review, and the answers to the second and third are yes and yes, the pairings will become more apparent during later chapters :)
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Tales of Symphonia. Nor do I own the song "You are my sunshine" or whatever it's called. It is one of the few songs I can play on an ocarina, but someone cleverer than me wrote it :) And I'm aware the characters aren't singing the correct lyrics, it's intentional :)
"I love the sunshine, oh yes the sunshine," Colette hummed."It makes us happy, when sky's not grey," Sheena added.
"Mad," Raine smiled.
Colette grinned and stretched lazily. This laying in the sunshine in the garden business was lovely.
"How are you feeling?" Sheena asked her.
"Fat," Colette giggled and patted her very large bump.
"Hello baby, you having a nice day too?" Sheena propped herself up on her elbows and addressed Colette's stomach.
"You've lost it," Genis laughed as he, Lloyd, Zelos and Presea wandered up the path."I think it's nice, talking to the baby," Presea said quietly and smiled.
Lloyd lay down beside Colette and put his arms around her.
"Don't move me," he grinned, his eyes closed blissfully.
"Or me," Colette said, a similar expression on her face.
"Not even for dinner?" Zelos asked.
"Mmm, what are we having?" Lloyd asked.
"Stew, I'm cooking," Genis answered.
"Oh, maybe then, ask again later," Lloyd laughed.
"You're going to be a gorgeous kid, and you're a wonderful excuse for your auntie Sheena to take a holiday, yeah you are, can't leave my best friend when she's pregnant now can I?" Sheena rubbed Colette's tummy.
"You're convinced it's a girl huh?" Zelos asked, sitting down on the grass.
"What did you do to find out? Some ancient Mizuho technique?" Genis asked.
"Uh, yeah, how'd you guess?" Sheena smiled and sweatdropped.
"That crystal was so pretty!" Colette said.
Sheena fished about in her pocket and pulled out a small crystal on a thread. She dangled it above the blonde's head and Colette lazily batted at it playfully, stopping every so often to admire the pretty colours the sun and crystal made when they blended together. She wondered what the child inside her would be like, a blend of herself and Lloyd. She blushed happily.
"So, what did you buy?" she turned to her husband.
Presea passed Lloyd a bag and he pulled some small clothes out of it.
"Cute," Colette smiled. "But I didn't think you were going shopping for baby stuff." She'd been shopping with Lloyd and the girls a short while ago.
"We couldn't stop him," Zelos rolled his eyes.
"And wait, there's more," Genis pulled a similar expression.
"Plushies!" Lloyd giggled, tipping the bag up and letting a small shower of soft toys rain on his wife.
"Awwwww!" Sheena squealed, picking up a small plush lion-type creature.
"Thought you'd like that one. It's yours if you want it, to say thanks for helping to look after Colette," Lloyd smiled happily.
"Thank you!" Sheena glomped the couple.
The friends spent a lazy afternoon sitting in the garden with iced drinks.
Reviving an old habit Lloyd and Genis set up a campfire to cook dinner over. After they'd eaten most of the friends just sat comfortably relaxing. Colette, however, didn't cuddle up to Lloyd, sitting in his lap as usual. She seemed restless and kept attacking plants, pulling up any weeds she could find.
After a while Raine looked over at her thoughtfully. Lloyd noticed the expression on the healer's face.
"Colette, are you OK?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.
"I, well, I do feel a little peculiar," she said.
"Maybe it'd be a good idea if you went inside," Raine stood up and guided the blonde into the house. Lloyd followed.
The others stayed in the garden, but after a while of nervous fidgeting Sheena got up and went inside as well.
"What are they up to?" Zelos asked. Genis and Presea glanced at each other then both whapped the red-head on the back of the head.
A long time later, as the sun was going to bed for the night, Sheena stuck her head around the door, a large grin on her face.
"Is it?" Presea asked. Sheena nodded. Presea and Genis both leapt up and ran into the house.
"Seriously what IS going on?" Zelos asked as he walked through the door. This time it was his wife who hit him. She dragged him inside.
"See," she beamed. "I told you it was a girl." She gestured towards where an exhausted looking Colette and an insanely happy looking Lloyd were making a fuss of a small, blanket wrapped bundle.
"Aww, you're cute," Genis cooed at it."Oh, NOW I get it," Zelos rolled his eyes. Sheena gestured to Raine and the half-elf applied paper fan to back of head.
"What's her name?" Presea looked up from the bundle to the parents.
"Hope," Lloyd nodded. "Her name's Hope."
