1Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia, or any of its themes or characters. I don't think I ever will. I'd let you know if I did. I promise.
A/N: Are you ready for chapter 3? I hope you all loved chapter 2. In this chapter, the two finally meet up with the rest of the ToS gang. Yuan also further explains the "Destron Curse" and he reveals some of his mysterious past. And what does his past have to do with Sheena? Read on to find out!
Also, I'm holding a contest for whoever can guess the mysterious culprit that stole the Roots of Evil. Hint: It was character that appeared in the game. All contestants can just guess who it was in their review. The culprit will be revealed at the beginning of chapter 5, so please guess away! Whoever guesses it right will get a congratulations, and I just might write a special chapter in their honor!
Okay, time to read chapter 3! A special thanks to everyone who sent their reviews. You guys are awesome! Now please, read, enjoy, and review. In that order.
Chapter 3: The Gang's All Here
"You are gonna wish you hadn't done that!" Lloyd exclaimed as he drew his Material Blades. He and Sheena had woken up only moments ago to find their items being stolen by a group of bandits, and their pet ogres.
"Lloyd!" Sheena yelled. She was still in her somewhat revealing Mizuho night robe. Lloyd was likewise in his red and black pajamas. "Lloyd, hold them off! I'm going to summon a spirit!"
Okay!" agreed Lloyd. "Who wants to go first?". The bandits charged. Lloyd put down two of them at once with his Sword Rain attack, and stabbed another one with his Sonic Thrust. He then attacked another two individually with each blade. Schfooom! Fsssht!
One bandit caught fire, while the other was frozen solid. It pays to be able to both burn and freeze your opponents at the same time.
"Lloyd!". Lloyd looked over to see the last bandit heading towards Sheena. He was most likely the lead bandit because of his extra muscles and the two top-quality blades he carried. He looked like he was going to grab Sheena. And not in a nice way.
"Get away from her!" Lloyd screamed. He suddenly felt uncontrollable rage flow through his body. He felt nothing but anger and rage towards the bandit. Before he realized it, Lloyd was in the air. "Yaaagh!" screamed out the lead bandit as Lloyd performed his Rising Falcon attack. He finished his attack and cut right through the Bandit. The bandit fell, his body separated.
However, Lloyd had forgotten about the two ogres in his rage. The two beasts roared as they ran up, ready to club Lloyd. Lloyd cringed, waiting for the attack. It never came. Lloyd looked up to see Volt in front of him. Sheena had summoned him.
"Now!" Sheena commanded Volt. The two ogres could do nothing but scream in pain as Volt sent millions of volts of lightning surging through their bodies. After about a minute of blinding pain, the fried ogres fell over, bodies still cackling form the electricity.
"Well..." panted Lloyd, tired from the fight. "This has been an interesting morning!"
Sheena could only smile.
Around Noon
"Finally! We're here!" Lloyd exclaimed as the two reached Hima on their Rheairds. "And just in time, I'm hungry!"
"Have you ever not been hungry?" asked Sheena, jokingly.
"Yeah, once. It was a Thursday," Lloyd joked. The two laughed until their Rheairds landed in Hima's opening trail. The two got off and headed for the solitary Inn only meters away. As they entered the inn they spotted four people sitting at a table. There were two half-elves, one male and one female, a blonde girl, and a tall young man with long red hair. Genis, Raine, Colette, and Zelos.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Lloyd said enthusiastically. It had been almost two weeks since he seen his friends. Sheena was equally excited. The two sat down at the table with the rest.
"Hey Lloyd! Did Yuan contact you, too?" Genis asked his best friend.
"Yeah, has he come yet?" asked Lloyd in reply.
"No, he hasn't," Raine said worryingly. "And we just received word that Regal and Presea will be late. They were held up in Altamira."
"Hey, bud!" said Zelos as he gave Lloyd a gruff pat on the back. "What have you two been up to?"
"We went on a journey together, until we met with Yuan," Sheena said. She could feel a blush forming on her face as she realized what she just said. This did not go unnoticed.
"Gee, when's the wedding you two?" Genis said, laughing.
"Yeah, I'll have to go to Meltokio to get my tux!" Zelos said, joining in with Genis' laughter. Though it must have been hard, Raine managed to smack both of them at the same time.
Lloyd and Sheena both began to blush even deeper than before. "We are not going out!" they both said at the exact same time.
Genis, still laughing exclaimed "See! You're already perfectly synchronized!". This resulted in another smack from Raine.
Zelos joined right in again. "Hey, Lloyd, word of advice! They usually stop denying it once you get them in bed!". That turned out to be Zelos' last word of advice because the resulting smack from Raine knocked the Chosen unconscious. His head fell forward and banged against the table.
"Oops...Oh, well. At least he'll be quiet now." Genis shut up instantly.
Colette, always the peacekeeping one, offered "Um, why don't we have lunch before the Professor knocks someone else out?". Zelos was just beginning to come to.
Sheena was the first to take the hint. "Sure. Why don't I make some Pineapple Curry? If that's alright with everyone..."
"Definitely!" Lloyd exclaimed. "That stuff is delicious!"
"Okay, then! Six big bowls of curry, comin' up!" Sheena said as she headed into the inn's kitchen.
After Lunch
The entire group leaned back in their chairs. Everyone had a full stomach from eating so much curry. Well, everyone but Lloyd who was busy chowing down on his fifth bowl of curry while Genis and Zelos chanted "Go! Go! Go!" Raine just watched disapprovingly. Sheena and Colette entered the room and sat down. They had been washing the dishes. Finally, Lloyd finished his bowl and belched.
"Lloyd!" Sheena scolded disapprovingly
"Oh...excuse me," said a now tired Lloyd. Everyone laughed.
"So, are you two going to the dance tonight?" Colette asked Lloyd and Sheena.
"What dance?" asked Sheena.
"There's going to be a big dance up at the summit tonight! We're all going. You should too!" exclaimed Colette.
"Yeah, but you have to have a date. It's couples only!" interrupted Genis.
"Well, then I guess I won't be going." Everyone looked over to see Yuan teleporting into the room. "Yuan!"
"Yes. it is I. I'm sorry for my late arrival," replied Yuan. He took a quick glance around the room. "I have already talked with Regal and Presea. I see all of you are here. Perfect," he said emotionlessly. "Meet me at the summit. I will explain everything there." And with that, he was gone.
At the Summit
"Okay Yuan, what is this all about?" Lloyd asked. All six of them had just climbed to the top of Hima's summit. They had arrived to find Yuan looking off into the distance.
"Yeah, why did you call us all here for?" asked Genis. Yuan didn't even turn around. All he said was "take a seat." They all obeyed.
"Now, as I have informed all of you earlier, Destron was the demon who started the Great Kharlan War four thousand years ago," Yuan began. "He was also defeated by us four thousand years ago."
"Wait, wait, wait," Zelos interrupted rudely. "If Mithos defeated him, how tough can this guy be? I mean, Mithos was strong and all, but we beat him, so what is the problem. This Destron guy can't be too powerful, right?"
"Wrong," Yuan answered. "It took all three of us to defeat Destron, and we still didn't manage to actually kill him. I should also point out that he has been sealed away in Limbo with nothing to do but to gain power. I'm sure he is already significantly stronger than Mithos could have ever been. I'm sure his power has at least doubled since he was sealed."
Lloyd spoke up. "But, it's it not like he has escaped or anything, right? He's still sealed away...isn't he? Has he escaped since we were there?"
No," Yuan answered, "but I told you his weapons, the Roots of Evil, were stolen. Those weapons were cursed with Destron's power and his evil. Whoever wields them may be able to resurrect Destron himself."
Yuan stopped and turned around to finally face the group. All of the members looked apprehensive. "The reason I tell you this is because we must stop this culprit before he or she manages to resurrect Destron. And you are the only ones strong enough to stop him. However, I can only take two of you with me." Yuan was immediately bombarded by voices of protest.
"Why can't we all go with you? We want to help!" Colette said.
"Because only two of you can even hurt him," answered Yuan. "The Destron Curse states that he can only be harmed or killed by the descendants of his defeaters. Since Kratos helped defeat him, Lloyd must come with me."
"But, you said that you needed two people. Who is the other person?" Raine asked, curious. Yuan hesitated to take a deep breath. Finally, he spoke.
"As you know, Mithos never had any children. However...I did."
"You had children!" Lloyd asked, dumbfounded.
"Yes," Yuan said, his voice heavy. "I was married to a half-eleven woman for a short time. I kept it a secret even after her death, but we did have one child. A daughter..." Yuan stopped and scanned over the group. His eyes stopped on Sheena. "Sheena, you are my daughter."
Silence. Every head turned to look at Sheena who had a frightened look on her face. She looked up at Yuan, tears forming in her eyes. 'Yuan...is my fa-father!,' she thought. 'How can this be possible?'. She was suddenly overwhelmed with fear. She couldn't believe it. All this time and he never told her! She couldn't bring herself to speak.
Yuan anticipated what she was feeling and spoke. "I left you in Mizuho to protect you from Mithos and Destron. I'm sorry, but you will be accompanying me and Lloyd." He turned and started to slowly walk away. "I'm sorry."
"Wait," Genis spoke up. "If you only needed Lloyd and Sheena, why did you call us?"
Yuan answered. "It is possible we will die fighting. I wanted Lloyd and Sheena to have one last week together with their friends."
He began to teleport away. "Please take care. I will contact you in one week." He stopped and looked at Sheena. She was holding onto Lloyd and crying softly. Lloyd had his arm around her. He was attempting to comfort her, but to no prevail. He knew exactly what she felt like.
"Sheena, my daughter," Yuan said softly. "...I'm sorry." And with that, he was gone.
That Evening
"Admit it, you like her!" Genis said, laughing. He and Lloyd were sharing a room in the inn. Genis was all dressed in his outfit for the dance, and Lloyd was busy changing into his. He was worried about asking Sheena to the dance. And Genis wasn't helping.
"I'm telling you, we are only friends! And besides, who are you going with?" Lloyd said, trying to change the subject.
"Presea!" Genis said dreamily. "She and Regal arrived an hour ago and she agreed to go with me! When are you asking Sheenie?". Genis laughed at his own little nickname for Sheena.
"Stop bugging me! And that isn't her name," Lloyd said as he left the room, thoroughly ticked at Genis. But he couldn't blame the annoying half-elf. He was spending a lot of time with Sheena. He started heading towards the room Sheena and Colette shared. Sheena had been really depressed lately, because of Yuan. He was determined to cheer her up. He was about to knock on the door when Colette left the room in her 'My Fair Lady' dress. She saw Lloyd and smiled.
"Oh, hi Lloyd," she said, "Have you come to ask me out?"
"Huh? I...uh, well," Lloyd stuttered. He wasn't expecting this. He just wanted to talk to Sheena. But, he didn't want to upset Colette either. "Actually, I'm...uh, here to, uh..."
Colette laughed. "I'm only joking! I know you're here for Sheena!" she laughed. "I just felt like saying that. Sheena is inside our room." Colette turned and began to run down the hallway.
"I'm going with Zelos!" she shouted before disappearing out the door. Lloyd laughed. 'Zelos would ask her out, wouldn't he?' he thought, laughing to himself. 'Wait a minute...she dumped me for Zelos!'
Lloyd turned and faced the door again. Once again, the door opened before he could knock, and this time Sheena came out in her 'You Look Great' outfit. They bumped into each other and blushed. "Oh...hey". "Hey." They looked at each other and smiled. Lloyd was the first to speak.
"Wow, Sheena! You look great," he said. She giggled.
"Lloyd, that's the exact same thing you said to me at the party.," she said, giggling.
"Well, it's true!" he exclaimed.
"Thanks," Sheena said. "You look really good, too." Lloyd blushed. 'Well, it's now or never...' he thought. "Um, Sheena?"
"Yeah, Lloyd?"
"Uh...well, I was wandering if you ...uh...wanted to go to the dance...with me?" he stuttered out weakly. His attempt sounded poor even to him. But, Sheena smiled.
"Sure! I was just going to ask you!". The two laughed and locked arms. They left the Inn and headed to the dance together.
Later that Night
The couple returned to the inn early. Neither of them were big fans of get-togethers. And they were both tired from dancing all night. They hadn't sat down once for hours. They had decided to go to bed early and get a good night's sleep. Sheena was already feeling much better about her Yuan-related incident, thanks to Lloyd.
"Sheena?" Lloyd asked. They were right outside her room. "Are you sure you are okay about Yuan?". He remembered how he felt when he discovered that Kratos was his father. She was taking it rather well.
"Yeah...it's still kinda weird, though," she replied, "I mean, he still doesn't feel like my father." She sighed. "But it helps that you are here with me." She closed her eyes and gave him a gentle hug. "Thanks for dancing with me..." she said as she kissed him on the cheek and entered her room. Lloyd blushed all of the way back to his room.
One Hour Later
It had been an hour since they came back, and yet no one else had entered the inn. Sheena couldn't get to sleep. She was very tired, but she just couldn't get to sleep. She felt as if something was...missing. She suddenly figured it out. 'I can't believe I'm even thinking of doing this...' she thought.
She got up and left her room. She walked across the hallway to Lloyd's room and knocked on the door. Lloyd answered the door instantly.
"Oh, hey Sheena! Are you still up?" Lloyd asked. He hadn't gotten any sleep either from the looks of it.
"Yeah, I can't sleep. Can you?" Sheena asked. Lloyd shook his head.
"Well, can I - can I sleep...with you?" she asked, blushing. So, of course, Lloyd blushed, too. "Uh...sure, come on in."
The two entered the room and Lloyd closed the door. Sheena slipped under the bed covers, and Lloyd followed shortly after. Sheena instinctly cuddled up to Lloyd and they both blushed.
"Good night, Lloyd. And...thanks," Sheena said. Lloyd smiled. "Good night, Sheena." They were both asleep within seconds.
About twenty minutes later, Genis opened the door to go to bed. He had been dancing with Presea and he was very tired.
"Hey Lloyd," he said. "You left your scarf at the..." Genis started and ended abruptly. He saw Sheena and Lloyd cuddled next to each other in the bed. He shook his head and smiled.
"You two just can't stay away from each other, can you?". He placed down Lloyd's scarf at the end of the bed and smiled an evil grin. "Wait until Zelos hears about this!"
A/N: Aaaand, that's chapter three! A lot of stuff happened in this chapter. I wanted to get at least one chapter with the entire gang together. Sorry Regal and Presea didn't appear much (If at all.) They will both have actual parts in the next chapter. As you can see, I continued the "sleeping together" theme in this chapter (am I a perv or what?) What do you all think about Yuan being Sheena's father? I know it's a big change, but I always thought they acted alike at times. It just seemed normal to me. I'll explain more about that in the next chapter. I hope you all loved this Mega-Fluff chapter because next is Chapter 4: Saying Good-Bye. Remember, send in those reviews and guess who the mysterious culprit is! Peace Out till Chapter 4. See ya!