1Disclaimer: I wish to one day rule all of Tales of Symphonia, and all of its themes and characters! BWAHAHAHAHA! But, for now I don't. Namco does...

A/N: THANKS TO ALL OF YOU! I now have over 80 reviews with eight chapters! That's 10 reviews a chapter. At this rate, I'll definitely have over 100 reviews in no time! WOOHOO! I'm glad everyone has loved the story so much. It's only my first fanfiction, and still I'm on over 12 favorites, 9 alerts, and I have over 80 reviews. YEAH! Remember All-read, enjoy and review, in that order.

I got a lot of reviews from chapter eight, my most so far. Apparently it was a big favorite. I told ya I was good at writing romantic humor! Was I right or what? Well, like I said earlier, this chapter will be a bit emotional and dark. Something BIG will happen in this chapter. Something really BIG.

Just one more heads up. I will only be able to update chapter 10 after this before my vacation to Europe. It's two weeks, and I will arrive back on the 9th, or something. You won't be able to read chapter 11 until the 11th or 12th of July. I'm Sorry! Therefore, expect the end of "Together Forever" in mid-July. The epilogue will come out soon after chapter 11. But, enough about me... What are you doing sitting here listening to me ramble on for! Read the Story! THAT"S what you've been waiting for!

Chapter 9: Kharlan Eve

"Sheena..." whispered the mysterious voice. Yuan's ghostly image appeared in front of Sheena. "How could you kill me, Sheena? I was your friend! I was your Father!" he screamed at her. Suddenly, Yuan's face changed. It changed into a purple-skinned face with goat horns and glowing red markings. It changed into Destron's. "IT"S YOUR TURN TO DIE!"

"Nooo!" Sheena shouted, waking from her terrifying nightmare. She took several deep breathes before she realized where she was. She was in her hotel room in Altamira. She could hear the waves outside the building, crashing against the shore. She could feel that she had been sweating. Her new night robe was sticking to her. The night robe that Lloyd had bought her the day before.

She looked over at her fiancé, sleeping next to her. He was half-naked and snoring loudly. She smiled. She remembered that he had promised to always be there when she needed a shoulder to cry on. Well, she needed that shoulder right now!

"Lloyd..." she whispered, ruffling his hair. "Wake up!" He didn't budge. "Lloooyd!" she whispered louder. He still didn't even move. The only response whatsoever was that he started to snore louder. "Hmmmm..." Sheena thought. She bent over and kissed him. He awoke immediately.

"What...what I miss?" he asked sleepily. He looked up and saw Sheena hovering above him with a sad look on her face. "Sheena, is something wrong?"

"Lloyd, I had...another nightmare," Sheena said, embarrassed. But, instead of laughing it off, Lloyd replied with concern. He wrapped his arm around her as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Was it...Corrine?" he asked carefully.

"No...it was Yuan," Sheena said as she started to cry. "I keep remembering how I...I..." she sobbed. She couldn't even finish her sentence. "Oh, Lloyd...I didn't want to..." she said, crying. Lloyd hugged her tightly. She kept crying.

"I'm sorry, Sheena. I know it's hard. Believe me, I know. But you had to do it. There was no other way..." Lloyd trailed off as he felt the falsehood in his own statement. They both knew that there had to be another way. They knew it. "Just remember that Yuan loved you. Protected you. And remember, nobody ever really dies as long as you remember them in your heart."

"Lloyd..." Sheena moaned, sobbing. "I just can't face it. He was my father! And I just...just-"

"Sheena...it's okay," Lloyd said, comforting her. "You had to do it. And remember, we're getting rid of the Roots tomorrow night. Yuan will finally be avenged. He'd be proud of you!"

"But, but..." Sheena started before another sob stopped her. "Lloyd...I don't want to lose you, too!" she cried as she hugged him tighter. Lloyd smiled as he held his fiancé close to him.

"Don't worry, Sheena. I'm not going anywhere."

The Next Night (Kharlan Eve)

"Alright! It's starting soon!" Colette cried as she dragged Zelos to the stones. The group was all gathered at the Oherwordly Gate with about a hundred other people. It was Kharlan Eve, the anniversary of the end of the Great Kharlan War. Everyone was dancing and cheering. The party was in full swing. Sheena and Lloyd had already danced for so long, their legs hurt. They, however, weren't as cheerful as everyone else. This wasn't just a party for them. It was the night they were getting rid of the Roots of Evil.

Raine had explained everything. As soon as the moonbeam hit the Gate's stones, they were to throw in the Roots of Evil. This would seal the cursed weapons away in another dimension, where they could do no more damage. No one would ever be hurt by the blades again. Or by their dark master.

Now, everyone was gathering around the stones. It was almost midnight. Finally, the Gate would be activated. Everyone was excited as they wanted to see the spectacular show.

"Alright, it's coming!" Lloyd shouted. "I can't wait!" He was holding Sheena's hand. They were both in their formal dance attire. Sheena squeezed back.

"And then we can finally be rid of this curse..." she said, relieved. Suddenly, the moon began to glow. A beam of light appeared and began to head towards the Gate. Everyone started to cheer and clap as the brilliant white light sped towards the Gate. Fireworks were set off. Finally, the beam reached the stones. They began to glow their white carvings.

"Lloyd, Sheena!" Raine yelled out through all the cheering. "Do it now!"

"Right!" the two said. The couple ran up and Sheena got out the Roots of Evil. She commanded her Cruxis wings to appear. Lloyd did the same. The two each grabbed one of the cursed blades. Together, the two ran up and threw the cursed weapons into the light. There was a huge flash, and then they were gone.

"It's finally over..." Lloyd said, panting with relief. He looked over at Sheena who was looking down at her Exsphere and smiling.

"You've been avenged...father." Together, the two removed their Exspheres. Everyone else had already removed and destroyed their Exspheres. They were the last beings on the planet with Exspheres. It was time. "Good-bye, mother" "Good-bye...friend" As one the two drew their weapons and, with one final strike, released the trapped souls imprisoned within them. Tears began to fall from Sheena's eyes. Lloyd wrapped his arm around her.

Suddenly, the earth shook. Lloyd and Sheena turned to face the gate. The stones were vibrating violently, and their carvings changed. They were no longer bright white. They were now blood red. Suddenly, the entire moonbeam turned blood red. The earth continued to shake.

"Professor, what's happening?" Lloyd asked. She had a bewildered expression on her face.

"It's the teleporters! They've changed polarity!"

"What do you mean?" Sheena asked.

"The Gate; it's not set to send anymore! It's set to receive!"

As the heroes watched, the Gate began to vibrate even more violently. The light pulsated. Eventually, a figure began to become visible inside the beam.

"Look, something is coming through!" Colette said, excited. She thought it was part of the show.

"Why is this happening, Professor?" Lloyd asked.

"When...When you threw the Roots of Evil into the portal, it must have summoned something. Something from Limbo..."

"Limbo..." Sheena said, worried. "Oh no..."

The figure began to step out of the portal. It was holding the Roots of Evil. Lloyd and Sheena gasped as the figure became fully visible. It was a tall, purple figure. It wore only gray leggings and a red belt. It had sharp horns and red markings carved throughout its entire body. It was Destron. The Demon Prince.

"NO!" Sheena cried out. They couldn't believe it. The demon they had worked so hard to stop was standing before them, fully restored. And he was holding his own cursed weapons. He began to laugh as the Gate crumbled behind him.

"Finally...FINALLY!" he shouted out to the now terrified crowd. "This world once again belongs to me!" Slowly, Destron raised his hand above his head.

"Destron, no! Don't do it!" Lloyd shouted as he saw the huge ball of dark mana gather in the demon's hand.

"Hehe.." Destron chuckled. His voice was cold and dark. Just like before. "I suggest you run! SHADOW STAR!"

"NOOO!" Lloyd cried out as Destron fired the bomb at the ground. "GUARDIAN!" Lloyd's technique was amplified by his Cruxis wings. But, it still only protected the eight friends. BOOOOOM! As the bomb hit the ground, dark mana exploded everywhere. The ground caught fire and the evil mana spread like wildfire.

After the dust finally cleared, Lloyd and Sheena looked around. Their friends were alright, protected by Lloyd's Super Guardian. But everyone else was gone. The hundred people that had been there before had been instantly vaporized by Destron's lethal attack. Sheena looked around at the charred island.

"No...this is horrible," she said. She stopped as she heard laughter above her. She looked up and gasped as she saw Destron floating above the group. He had...Cruxis Wings. Deep, black Cruxis wings.

"It's been awhile since I last killed in my own body," Destron said, chuckling. He turned and peered down at the group beneath him. "You two! Seraphim!" he called. Lloyd and Sheena looked up at him with scorn. "It seems as if you two will stop at nothing!" he said as he landed in front of them. "Very well, if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you will get," he said with a smile. "If you truly want to try and stop me, meet me at the Source of Mana. I'm sure you know where that is! I'll be waiting," he said as he began to teleport. And with that, he was gone.

He teleported away, leaving the group in shock. The greatest evil the world had ever faced was back. And they would only have one chance to stop him. At the Source of Mana. At the Great Yggdrasill Tree.

The Next Morning

Lloyd got up quietly, making sure not to wake Sheena. The beautiful ninja was lying practically on top of him. She had her leg wrapped around his and her head was resting on his chest. Lloyd slowly got up and carefully moved Sheena from on top of him. He unwrapped his leg from hers. He, very carefully, got out of bed and began to dress. He put on his trademark red jacket and black pants. He had just finished strapping on his swords when Sheena woke up.

"Lloyd, where are you going?" Sheena asked as she got out of bed. She walked over to him, despite the fact she was only in her night robe.

"Oh, I was just...going...for a walk!" Lloyd lied. Sheena raised her eyebrow.

"And you're taking your swords?" she asked.

"Um, well...I, uh..." he sighed. He was a terrible liar.

"You were leaving without me!" she said, agitated. "What were you thinking?"

"I don't want you to get hurt!" Lloyd exclaimed. "I want you to stay here!"

"But, why?" Sheena asked.

"Because I love you!" Lloyd shouted. Sheena took a step back in surprise as Lloyd began to cry. "I won't lose you! I won't get you hurt because of me! I'm sorry!"

"Lloyd..." Sheena said as she walked over to him. "Lloyd, you made a promise yesterday, remember. You said you would never leave me. You said we would always be together!" she said as she wiped away Lloyd's few tears. Lloyd sat down and Sheena sat next to him. "Lloyd, remember when you said that you would always be there when I needed a shoulder to cry on? Well, let me do that for you!" Lloyd smiled as he leaned against Sheena' shoulder. She hugged him.

"Thanks, Sheena. I'm...sorry," Lloyd said.

"It's okay, Lloyd. Just don't do it again. We're getting married soon! We have to understand each other!"

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"But we should still get going soon," Sheena said, smiling. She kissed Lloyd. She changed into her kimono and uniform while Lloyd waited. She no longer felt embarrassed changing in front of Lloyd.

She packed all of her cards. The two were preparing for battle, after all. A big battle. A fight even greater than the one with Mithos. They were going to face off with a 4000 year-old Demon Prince, bent on destruction and bloodlust. An they were fighting him at the Yggdrasill Tree. This fight would determine the fate of all of Symphonia. They had one chance, and one chance only. There was quite a lot of pressure.

"Maybe we should leave early," Lloyd said, concerned. "I don't want to bother the others." Sheena nodded.

"You're right, we shouldn't worry them," She said as she opened the door.

"Well, you still have to say good-bye!" Lloyd and Sheena looked out the door to see their six friends waiting for them outside.

"You weren't leaving without saying good-bye, were you?" Zelos asked, grinning.

"We didn't want to bother you," Lloyd said, embarrassed.

"Bother us?" Genis asked. "We just want to say good-bye!"

"Yeah!" Colette said, cheerfully. "And we can't wait until you get back!"

"Uh, get back? But we might..." Sheena trailed off. Raine smiled.

"Don't even think like that. We know you will win!" she said enthusiastically.

"But, but..."

"We know you will return," Regal said sternly.

"We just wanted to wish you good luck," Presea said.

"Wow, thanks everyone! We promise we'll return as soon as Destron is defeated!" Lloyd exclaimed as Sheena held his hand. The group grinned as one.

"Yeah, we know," Genis said, smiling.

"Give em' hell, troops!" Zelos said, laughing.

"We'll see you soon! As soon as Symphonia is safe once again!" Lloyd said as the couple boarded their Rheaird. And with that, the two left with the cheers and applause of their best friends behind them.

"Yuan...We will win!"

A/N: Told ya it would be pretty big. Destron's back, baby! Sorry if this chapter was a bit short, but it was important. It was short and powerful. Kinda like a midget with a machine gun. The next chapter (If you haven't already guessed) is the big fight scene. The chapter will be rather long, and it will be one of the biggest and most powerful chapters. It will also be the last updated before mid-July. Sorry! Now, review away! Remember, my goal is 100 reviews! Oh Yeah!

I hope all of you liked this chapter. Be prepared for a big fight scene and big surprises in the next chapter! Next up, Chapter 10: Showdown for Symphonia! Peace Out, True Believers! (Hehe...Stan Lee is always funny...)