1Disclaimer: I suddenly had this strange notion that I owned Tales of Symphonia and all of it's themes and characters. But, I'm pretty sure that's not right. I'm pretty sure Namco owns all that. Still. Yeesh...
A/N: Sorry I left you with a cliff-hanger. I just wanted to build up the suspense (and I think it worked.) I hope all of you liked the last chapter. I also hope everyone made their guess for the culprit. I will reveal who it is at the beginning of this chapter. Thanks for all of your great reviews! You guys are the best readers a guy could ask for. This chapter will have a big fight scene AND a big romance scene. Anyone who has read Holyknightsteve's "Unconditional Love" story will love this chapter.
I also want to give a special congratulations to Bane the Mad Demon Slayer. He was the only person to correctly guess who the mysterious culprit is. For that I give him a big thumbs up and CONGRATULATIONS! I will be writing a special epilogue featuring Lloyd and Sheena in his honor. It will take place one year after my fanfiction. I want to give a special thanks to everyone who took their time to guess. Now, on to chapter 5!
Chapter 5: Confessions
"It can't be..."
Yuan couldn't believe his eyes. The being standing in front of him couldn't possibly be the person he thought it was. Suddenly, the figure turned, and all doubt left Yuan. Sheena and Lloyd gasped. The figure in front of them was a person from their past. A person they never thought they would ever see again. It was Botta.
Yuan was in shock. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. His partner, and best friend, the Renegade leader who had stood beside him through thick and thin was standing before him holding cursed weapons and wiping blood of his shoulder.
"Botta! It can't be you!" Yuan exclaimed, still not believing.
Botta let out a laugh that sounded as if it belonged to a demon. He had changed. He had an eye patch over his left eye, and his left arm appeared to be covered in a reddish-purple mold. It was the same color as the Roots of Evil.
"Really, then, pray tell, who am I?" Botta asked in his knew, evil voice.
"You...you drowned!" Lloyd said, unbelieving. "You sacrificed yourself to save us!"
"How are you alive?" Sheena asked, obviously surprised.
"And what have you done?" Yuan asked, looking around at the dead elves laying on the ground, slaughtered by Botta. 'This is what we fought to stop, Botta,' he thought.
"Excellent questions. Both of them!" Botta said, smiling. He smiled a cruel grin that could heve rivaled Mithos'. "It begins at the Remote Island Ranch, I suppose. I know this from Botta's memory, of course."
"Botta's memory?" Lloyd asked. Botta smiled and looked at Yuan.
"Yes, as you can tell from my voice, I am not Botta. I am merely using this body until mine is recovered. I'm sue YOU know who I am!" Botta said to Yuan.
"Destron..." Yuan growled. Sheena and Lloyd gasped.
"Yes, but please, on with the story," Botta/Destron said, laughing. "Botta did indeed sacrifice himself for your cause. His heart was set on it. He was foolish. He did indeed die then, I suppose. He drowned with his men. But, he didn't stay dead."
Botta paused to whipe some blood of of his cursed weapons. "It happened when YOU activated my Mana Cannon!" he said, glaring at Sheena with contempt. She only stared back. "Yes, I am the one who created the Mana Cannon. It is one my...better creations," he said with an evil grin on his face.
"When you activated the Mana Cannon, power surged throughout the entire building. And Botta just happened to be dead right in the center of the Ranch. He was resurrected! He felt all of the Tethe'alla Summon Spirits flow through him. Especially Shadow. Shadow influenced him the most." Botta smiled and turned. He struck at the last remaining building. It was reduced into rubble.
"So...he escaped by quickly blowing a hole in the wall. He swam to shore exhausted, confused, and alone. He knew he couldn't make it to the Renegade Base, so he broke into my tomb for shelter. However, he found much more. He found my Roots of Evil, and we have been one ever since."
"And, now...Now I will have my just revenge!" Botta said as he charged. "IT IS YOUR TURN TO DIE!" Insanity glowed in his eyes. Insanity created from being trapped for 4000 years. As he moved forward, the Roots of Evil magically extended. They were chain swords.
Botta swung one blade at Yuan, the other at Sheena. Yuan blocked ut with a Mana shield, while Sheena used Guardian Seal. Lloyd used this opportunity to attack with his Material Blades. Botta was unable to defend, and thus took the attack head on. He quickly turned and attacked Lloyd with both blades. Lloyd tried to block, but failed. He took the attack in the back.
"Lloyd!" Sheena yelled. Luckily, Lloyd rolled out and was able to continue fighting. But, his back was bleeding. Sheena, furious, ran at Botta and attacked, but Botta dodged it. She attacked with a Pyre Seal, but that, too missed it's mark. Lloyd and Yuan charged at Botta, both on opposite sides of him. Lloyd attacked with his Sword Rain, and Yuan performed his own version of Lightning Thrust. Botta jumped into the air and Lloyd and Yuan ended up attacking themselves. Pain ensued.
While Botta was in the air, Sheena took the chance and attacked with a Cyclone Seal. It struck and sent Botta flying into a tree. Yuan rushed up and began to attack Botta with his Double-Blade. Botta blocked every attack. Except one. It struck Botta right in the chest. Botta let out a growl and used an Explosion. Everyone went flying. When the fires finally cleared, Botta was standing over a wounded Yuan. He was holding a great ball of reddish-purple mana.
"Now, it is your turn to die..." Botta said as he fired the mana blast.
"No!" screamed Sheena. "FATHER!" Sheena ran up to Yuan and flung herself in front of him. Botta's attack struck right in her chest. A huge wound formed, bleeding. She fell over, unconscious.
"SHEENA!" Lloyd screamed with all his might. With the last of his strength, Lloyd tapped into his anger. He used his love for Sheena to fuel the fire in his mind. He performed the Falcon's Crest attack. His attack struck Botta dead on. Botta screamed out in pain. Lloyd's attack had stabbed him through the chest. Then Lloyd sliced off Botta's head. The screaming stopped.
Lloyd stood there, panting until he saw Sheena, fallen. "Yuan, please...help her...," he said before seeing that Yuan was also unconscious on the ground. "I guess I'm on my own here..."
He kneeled down and grabbed Sheena's hand. He looked down at her wound. It was right in the center of her chest, directly beneath her breasts. He would have to remove her kimono if he wanted to save her. "I'm sorry, Sheena," he said as he removed her kimono, exposing her chest. He tried to focus on the wound. It was hard.
He applied a Miracle Gel, but that didn't do anything. Neither did the Elixir. "She needs more mana..." Suddenly, he got an idea. He placed his hand on her wound and used the technique Kratos had taught him. He transferred some of his mana to Sheena. The only problem was, she needed a lot of mana. Lloyd transferred so mush he became to get tired. But, he didn't stop. He continued to transfer mana until he slipped into a deep sleep. He fell asleep next to the half-naked Sheena. "Sheena..."
Hours Later
Lloyd awoke, fully restored. It looked to be about midnight, maybe later. He looked over at Sheena. She was breathing soundly. He sighed with relief. He also noticed she had her kimono back on. He looked to his other side and saw Yuan standing a few yards away. Yuan beckoned him over. Lloyd obeyed and walked over to him.
"I'm glad to see you are okay. That was a very brave thing you did, transferring the mana. It could have killed you," Yuan said, impressed.
"Yeah, I know. But, I had to save her." Lloyd looked at Sheena affectionately. He had promised to protect her. No matter what. He had failed. "I'd do anything for Sheena..."
And then, Yuan said exactly what Regal said. "You love her, don't you? You love my daughter."
This time, Lloyd didn't even bother to stall. He knew it was obvious. He knew he could trust Yuan. "Yes...I love Sheena." He looked over at her with concern in his eyes.
"Tell her," Yuan said. "Now."
"WHAT! Now!" Lloyd exclaimed.
Yuan looked at him with his usually stern face. "Be serious about this. Even though you saved her THIS time, there may be more dangers. An what if something worse happens? Do you want her to die alone and rejected, or happy and in the arms of her lover?"
It took Lloyd quite a while to answer. It was quite a lot to think about. "She...she loves me, too?" He asked, finally. Yuan nodded. Lloyd sighed. "Okay, wish me luck...," he said as he headed towards Sheena. Yuan grabbed him by the shoulder. "You won't need any luck," he said, smiling.
Lloyd gave his thumbs up and walked over to Sheena. She was finally beginning to wake up.
"L-Lloyd, what happened?" She asked. Lloyd smiled and held her hand.
"You took a bad hit from Botta while protecting Yuan. I...I gave you some of my mana to help."
Sheena smiled with some effort. "You shared some your mana. Th-Thanks, Lloyd. That was really brave," she said as she huddled close to him. She sat up carefully and rested her head against his shoulder.
It was time. Lloyd took a deep breath and said, "Um...Sheena, I need to tell you something." He looked down at the beautiful girl resting against him. She opened her eyes and waited patiently for Lloyd to speak. Lloyd looked into her eyes, like he did in Derris-Kharlan.
He saw concern there, for him and Yuan. He also saw loss, for Corrine. He saw fear there, too. He saw fear of failing. Of failing them. He looked deeper. And there it was. Hidden. He saw it. Love! He was sure of it.
"Um...Lloyd, this is kind of embarrassing. Weren't you going to tell me something?" Sheena asked, embarrassed. She started to blush as the handsome hero looked into her eyes. He sighed.
"Yeah, I need to tell you something I should of told you a long time ago." Lloyd took a deep breath. "Sheena, I...I love you!" he said, tears forming in his face.
Sheena looked up at him. Did he really just say what she thought he said. Yes! "Lloyd...Lloyd, I love you, too!" she said as she wrapped her arms around him. Lloyd hugged back. And soon, they shared their first kiss as lovers. It was the greatest thing in the world. The two never wanted to let go. They could 've kissed like that forever, but lack of air forced them apart. But, soon they were locked again.
From ten yards away, Yuan watched them. They were perfect for each other. He smiled. He wasn't used to smiling so much. 'Fiona, if only you were here to see this. Our daughter has finally found true love!.' He thought. 'I'm sure that Kratos would approve of this as well. If only you wee here, friend!' Yuan left the couple, still kissing, and walked into the Ymir Forest.
Finally finding an ideal location, he performed a summoning. He summoned Verius.
"Father of Sheena Fujibayashi! For what have purpose have you summoned me?" Verius said in his heavenly voice. "I make no pacts. I accept only vows of the heart."
"I know," Yuan said. "I make this vow for my daughter, Sheena, and Lloyd Aurion Irving. I ask you for a wish. A wish of the heart." Verius thought for a moment.
"Proceed," was all he said.
"Very well, thank you." Yuan cleared his throat. Talking to Summon Spirits was sometimes rather annoying. Too many rules. "I, Yuan Fujibayashi, make this wish for my daughter, Sheena, and for Lloyd Aurion Irving. My wish is for the two mentioned to love each other for their entire lives. I wish for their love to be eternal. I ask this of thou, Verius, Summon Spirit of Heart."
Yuan looked up, hoping to see Verius' approval of the wish.
"Your wish can not be granted," Verius said, unemotionlessly.
"Why not!" said Yuan, losing his composure. Verius smiled and then...laughed.
"Because there is no need."
"What do you mean?" Yuan asked, curious.
"What you have asked for is already a reality," Verius answered. Yuan smiled.
"You mean...they already have eternal love for each other?" he asked.
Verius smiled again. "Correct." And with that, he walked over to Lloyd and Sheena, now asleep in each other's arms. He whispered his blessing. And then, he vanished. And Lloyd and Sheena just slept on, holding each other, dreaming of the next morning. When they would be to see their lover's smiling face once again.
A/N: So, what do you think? I told you this would be a spectacular chapter. A big fight scene with the transfigured Botta, AND Lloyd and Sheena confessing their love. I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter. Once again, thanks to all for reviewing. Keep em' coming! I hope the culprit surprised everyone. I had to think about who it would be for quite some time before I even started the fanfiction. Once again, CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who guessed it was Botta (Bane the Mad Demon Slayer). Next chapter will feature a big surprise! Keep a watchful eye out for Chapter 6: Sacrifice! Peace Out, homies!