Diana-sama
"Tales of Symphonia: Possessor"
Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia or claim to own it nor do I make any money off of anything related to Tales of Symphonia, etcetera...
Summary: Eventual Kratos/OC. (:-D! Kratos) Maria wakes up to find herself in her recent favorite game, Tales of Symphonia! o.O Meeting up with the Chosen and her companions, Maria ends up on a journey surpassing the boundaries of a 'game' and finding herself in one of the most bizarre tales of fantasy and romance ever to be spun...
Chapter 1: I'm a... I'm a WHAT?
Maria yawned and stretched, shuffling the thick covers cuddled around her, as the morning sun began to filter in through the window to her right. She smiled sleepily, her surroundings still surreal and dream-like, (woah, just noticed all that alliteration...) as her long-lashed eyelids fluttered open, grey eyes meeting wooden ceiling beams. The pillow beneath her head seemed less fluffy than usual. Annoyed, she fluffed it up with one hand without moving her head, to no avail. It felt... different. And–
Wait.
The tranquil, surreal quality disappeared with a mental snap as Maria realized something and gasped.
My ceiling isn't a buncha wooden beams!
Jumping up, Maria's eyes flew completely open and she felt the color drain from her face. She was in what looked like a wooden hotel room or something, very old-fashioned; perhaps a log cabin or something that would be seen in a distant snowy place. Another oddity caught her eye and she freaked again, this time breath leaving as well.
My hair is definitely not shoulder-length or PURPLE!
Now Maria felt herself in a state of complete panic. Dashing out from under of the covers, she leapt towards the singular mirror in the room. Her jaw dropped, and she felt a pang of shock, horror, and helplessness drape over her like a thin and uncomfortable blanket.
The person staring back at Maria in the mirror was pale-skinned but looked healthy, with very light purple hair that was completely straight but for the poofy white-purple bangs that covered whatever the forehead might look like. Examining that with a shaky hand- which Maria noticed was smooth, as if this body had always been treated with care and never done any difficult labor- Maria saw a strange mark on the forehead. It was a blackened scar in the shape of a bird or something spreading it's wings.
What? Was all she could wonder, hopelessly. Gulping, she looked to her clothes: they were robes of some sort, done in purple and gold, with a few green items thrown decoratively in. For some odd reason, the feet were not bare, but still covered by traveling boots. Why would anyone be sleeping with boots on? Maria wondered.
Abruptly, with her eyes on the strange body's torso, she realized with supreme horror the worst thing about whomever's body this was she now occupied.
Flat chest- broad shoulders- and- and-!
Maria collapsed on the floor, a small squeaky whine emerging.
I'm a MAN!
-----
What seemed like centuries later, though it couldn't have been more than an hour, Maria stood, shakily, and breathed deeply. Calm down, she told herself, this is all just a hallucination or something. But it certainly felt real. Maria gulped. Or not... Either way, I can't just freak out in here all day. I gotta figure out where... and who... I am.
She absent-mindedly brushed pale bangs from her face and opened the door. Outside, she saw a hallway and more doors. So she was right, this was some hotel or inn or whatever. Calmly and cooly, she stepped out of her room, shut the door behind her, and strode downstairs. There were few people around, and none of them took much notice of her. She walked to a man behind a desk, assuming he was the innkeeper, and spoke.
"Have any of my companions come by?" she asked casually. She struggled to hide the femininity of her speech, and sink into tones that a man of her age- was he 17?- would normally speak in.
The man looked at her curiously. "No, sir, I'm afraid no one has come by looking for anyone of your description, and you came here alone last night, so..."
"Very good, thank you," she said gruffly. Man I need to learn to speak like a dude! "I'll be off then..." She paused for a very small moment, to see if he objected- had she paid for the room yet?- and moved to exit the inn when he did not.
Outside, she saw that she was in a mountain village, the sun shining down cheerfully. Walking along, her grey eyes- they had remained grey, was that supposed to mean something?- observed her surroundings with an odd feeling scratching at the back of her thoughts. It feels... almost... familiar. Have I been here before? This is so weird, of course I haven't, duh. But...
She looked to the mountainside, almost a ninety-degree angle from the ground, and spotted the path winding upwards. Again, feelings of familiarity bothered her. However, all thought was forgotten as a group of people headed down the mountainside, straight toward her.
Maria gaped. She definitely recognized them.
A brown-haired boy in red with twin swords; a long-haired blonde with blue eyes and a clumsy air; two white-haired siblings- they had to be related- both carrying magical weapons; a purple-clad mercenary with auburn hair and a frown; a girl in lighter purple ninja clothes with a bushy black ponytail and cards in her hand.
The white-haired boy noticed her looking first, but it was the ninja girl who spoke to her. "What're you looking at?" she muttered.
"Sheena," Maria stated, awed. The ninja girl's eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to ask a question, but Maria turned to look at the other adventurers. "Lloyd, Genis, Raine, Kratos, Colette... I can't believe this!" Her tone was somewhat disbelieving and somewhat desperate. "I'm in Sylvarant?"
They looked at her oddly. A few of the villagers- very few, for there weren't many around- gave her weird looks as well. "Who are you?" Kratos asked, his voice suspicious.
"..." How the hell do I explain that I don't know anymore...?
"I suggest you answer," he continued, his hand reaching for the hilt of his blade.
Maria frowned unsurely. "Umm... well... I-I don't really think you would believe me, if I told you now..." She thought quickly. What to do, what to say! ARG! "But I mean no harm to the Chosen, if that's what you're worried about, Kratos... um..." She'd nearly forgotten that the others didn't know Kratos was an angel and one of the Four Seraphim.
"What do you mean, we won't believe you?" Colette asked innocently.
Maria felt slightly guilty. "I... er... I'm not holding you up from anything, am I? You-you're all headed for world regeneration for now... Asgard Ranch, for Pietro, right?"
"That's right," Lloyd replied, surprised. "How do you know...?"
"I-! I, umm, that is... I'm..."
"You're suspicious," Raine remarked dryly.
"Well, I don't mean to be!" she exclaimed unhappily. "But it's all- it's all- just... very confusing! It's so darn confusing even I don't really understand it, so I'm sorry!" Maria sniffled.
"He sounds like a girl," Genis murmured to the nearby Lloyd.
Ooops... Maria thought guiltily. "Maybe I'll, umm, wait for you guys here... y'know... save Pietro an' all..." I do feel bad for keeping them, if time works in-game unlike what I saw out-of-game all the time... I'll feel absolutely horrible if Pietro dies because of me!
"How do we know you'll still be here, Mister Suspicious?" Sheena taunted.
"Mister?" Maria asked with innocent bewilderment before realizing what she had said and mentally kicking herself. "I mean... that's not a very polite nick-name..."
"I think we should bring him along, he's awful suspicious... he might try to do something while we're away!" declared Genis.
"I- what? No! I-I-I mean, how do you know I won't be killed or something? I never said I was good at battle, or spells, or healing- I-" she sighed. "I was never very useful before... and I don't know if I will be now... I'd probably just be a burden to you all."
"Before?" Colette questioned.
"Umm..."
"I think so too, Genis," said Lloyd. He smiled brightly at Maria. "Besides, you can explain everything to us on the way there!"
Maria frowned. "Well... if... if you say so... but, I probably will get in the way, I always manage to somehow..."
"Well, let's get going then," Sheena muttered. She glared at Maria. "Though you'd better not try anything funny! I'll be watching you!"
"Okay!" Maria squeaked. Instinctively, she curled in on herself and scuttled away from Sheena, closer to Colette. She knew Colette would never be cruel or irked at her...
They left the town, and Maria was slightly surprised when she did not recognize outside. Oh, right, I'm used to a battlemap-version... But here, they were still normal-sized. Briefly, Maria had a frightening vision of a battlemap-sized monster attacking them while they were little.
However, their first encounter- a Velocidragon and Dragon Rider- were normal-sized as well. Four people rushed up to fight it- Lloyd, Genis, Raine, and Colette- while the others hung back. Maria called out to them, "Genis! Try ice-attacks against the Velocidragon and do not use fire attacks!"
Genis looked at her oddly, and then turned back to the battle and chanted. A few moments later, he shouted "Icicle!" and blasted the creature with ice. It staggered, taking a lot of damage, and Lloyd and Colette both attacked it at once, killing it off. The Dragon Rider had been killed by Lloyd alone earlier.
"All right!" Lloyd grinned, coming back to them.
"That was great advice! Um..." Genis phrased it to sound like he was asking her name.
Maria shifted uncomfortably. "Maria." They all turned to stare at her, and she turned pink. "Like I said... it's very confusing..."
Ignoring her warning, Lloyd announced, "but that's a girl's name!"
Maria blushed. "I know."
They continued walking and looked at her expectantly. She sighed and twiddled with a green pouch around her waist. "Before this morning, I was Maria, a thirteen-year-old girl. I woke up to find that I was in a strange room, in this weird place, in this... guy's... body." She had to force herself to say the words. Her chest felt tight.
"What?" someone asked. Maria wasn't sure who.
"I don't know. I flipped out for a little bit after realizing that... But, coming to my senses again, searched inconspicuously for traces of whomever's body I now occupy." She stopped fidgeting with her pouch and focused on walking. "Apparently I came here last night alone, paid for a single room, and have had no companions, or enemies, come looking for me."
Maria glanced down at her fancy robes. "Though, the way I'm dressed, I think I'm occupying someone important. Only adventurers and important people wear fancy clothes."
"That's so weird," Lloyd remarked.
"Yeah, don't worry, I know."
"So where did you live before you appeared here?" Raine asked.
Maria winced inwardly. "Always knew you were a sharp one, Raine... but I'm afraid I can't answer that."
Raine frowned. Colette looked puzzled. "Why not?" she asked.
"I'm afraid I just... can't..." Maria looked down at her feet. At that moment, more monsters came. Maria sadly ignored them as, again, four fighters took care of the monsters. If I told you, you, or Kratos, or someone who could do great harm, would try to force me to reveal what I know, however unfinished. I can't risk that happening... I don't want to hurt you...
After the battle, Lloyd asked stubbornly, "so why can't you tell us?"
"It's dangerous," she said. "I can't tell anyone here..."
"Dangerous?" Raine questioned.
"I might be tricked into revealing things that are not meant to be revealed yet," Maria said uncomfortably, making sure she worded it right. "Things that could be dangerous."
"Dangerous how?" Lloyd continued, as if it were part of a game called Never-Ending-Questions-Even-If-They-Don't-Make-Sense.
"Just-!"
"Dangerous to whom?" Raine interrupted.
Maria cast her a half-hearted glare. "Too sharp, Raine, too sharp." Raine smiled slightly at the lopsided complement. "Dangerous to you, the Chosen, Sylvarant, possibly Martel an-... Martel. Ahem."
"What was that last one?" Sheena asked slyly.
"None of your concern quite yet," Maria sniffed snobbishly.
Abruptly, Colette brightened. "I know! We'll play the guessing game."
Sweatdrops ensued. "Um, Colette, I don't think that will work either..." Genis murmured.
"It certainly won't, and besides, I'm from someplace none of you have heard of," Maria chuckled. Abruptly she realized what she'd just said. "I mean-! Grah, curse you all!"
The rest of the party seemed to cheer up a bit as they realized how easily Maria could let things slip. Back home, she'd never been one to keep secrets of her own, though she guarded her friends secrets with a strange animosity. She just wasn't quite sure how to guard her entire past from people she longed to trust...
"How do you know we haven't heard of it?" Sheena asked with a knowing smile.
Maria looked at her. "I know exactly where you're thinking of, Sheena, and I'm not from there either." She's obviously talking about Tethe'alla.
"I don't know you know," Sheena declared.
"Well how about I give you a hint? It starts with a T and ends with an A. Does that match the place you were thinking of?"
Sheena's smile faded. "How did...?"
Another attack came. This time, Sheena fought instead of Colette. Kratos stood by Maria, slightly distant from the others, and said quietly, "I am surprised you know of Tethe'alla."
"I said I know dangerous things," Maria whispered back.
"And I presume you know about me, then, and what I am, and that is why you aren't worried over how I know about Tethe'alla?"
"Indeed I do. You are one of the four Seraphim, yes?"
"That is correct."
The battle ended, and the others were returning. "I don't know what the big, perfect picture is, I'm afraid. Just pieces of the puzzle. So far, there are still gaping holes in my knowledge." Now they were close enough to hear, so she barely whispered, "perhaps we'll continue later, Kratos."
"What were you just talking about?" Sheena asked, directing the question to both of them.
"We were talking about purple ninja chicken," Maria told her. "And the magical properties of unlimited power they contain. Tastes good with Red Satay." They gave her a weird look and she smirked. "You won't get any more logical answers out of me on dangerous subjects, so don't ask."
They pestered her for a bit longer, and she answered in nonsensical ramblings, eventually annoying them into stopping. Soon they reached the Asgard Ranch. Maria felt slightly nervous.
Lloyd moved to a boulder and pushed against it. When it didn't budge, Raine used the Desian Orb on it, and it moved aside. "I'm sorry, but I really would feel more comfortable staying out here..." Maria said uncertainly.
"We won't let you get hurt," Lloyd said reassuringly.
Maria shook her head. "I know. But I'll mess up something, or freak out on you... Back home, we never got into fights, except for the occasional argument in Debate Club... I wouldn't be of any use to you here, honest!"
"We shouldn't make him- her- go," Genis said. "After all, she didn't come to that body of her own choice, and it's not like she could travel back to Hima or anyplace by herself, especially without being a good fighter..."
"I agree. If Maria wishes to stay away from the danger, she should be allowed," Kratos murmured.
"You'll be okay here by yourself?" Colette asked.
Maria smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine! I'll just wait here for you, twiddle my thumbs, think of how in the world I got here."
"All right," Lloyd smiled back at her, going through the secret entrance. The others followed, Kratos being the last. He nodded to her curtly before following.
Maria watched him go curiously. That was... odd.
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W00t. That was odd. I blame this idea's birth on the fortieth hour of playing Tales of Symphonia... and I'm pretty sure it'll be continued, as I still have another disk to go. -.-;; Yeah, I just recently got to disk two. Oh boyo.
However, I really like this chapter for some reason... it really went in the direction I wanted it to go, unlike most of my other chaotic stories. Though, I hadn't wanted Maria to reveal herself so early- but she just had to jump out and say something. Hee hee... "purple ninja chicken"... snort
PLZ R&R!