AN: Alright, I think it's time for you guys to read chapter six. First though I must make acknowledgements. Normally I'd thank you all by name but apparently, I'm not aloud to anymore. So instead, thanks to everyone who reviewed. I've actually received 9 reviews, 10 if you include the one I got through non-traditional channels. I do believe it's another new record. WOOT FOR THE NEWER PERSONAL RECORD! Now let's try for more.

Wow! I haven't had a short AN for a while now. At least not for this story. Perhaps this would be a good time to share my life's story… Nah! It's way too boring. Even the fight scenes suck!

You know how it goes, read, enjoy, and when you feel like being a nice person review.

Disclaimer: Every time I tell you that I own nothing to do with Tales of Symphonia, a small piece of my soul goes wafting away. Oh look, there goes another one.

Ch. 6 The Ruined City

"PYRE SEAL! DEAMON SEAL! CYCLONE SEAL!" Sheena was throwing cards like it was her only reason to live. She was throwing them left and right, front and back. Never once missing. Then, one Desian slipped past her barrage of cards. He was charging straight for her. Sheena just noticed him, but it was too late. Genis had already fried him with a lightning bolt.

Off to her left, Regal was fighting like a demon. Rising, falling, his feet were a blur of motion. To her right, Zelos was as flamboyant as ever. It was as though he were performing an elegant dance of death. This was in Sheena's opinion the only beautiful thing about Zelos. Every stroke of his blade looked like it was made for show and that it was by mere luck that it actually hit, but Zelos knew what he was doing.

Behind her, Presea was chopping and hacking away at a small group of enemies. Those who were able to block were sent flying into the nearby trees while the others were cut down at the legs, waist, or down the middle. Next to Presea, Colette was throwing her chakrams like a machine. As soon as they returned, she would launch them again at another unfortunate foe.

When they had finally finished off the enemy force they were all tired.

"How many do you think there were?" asked Zelos. "I'd swear there had to be at least forty of them."

"Fifty," Presea corrected. "I counted at least fifty enemies."

"Are serious!" Genis said, amazed that they had attracted that much attention. "That must be the largest search party we've seen yet."

"I don't think that was a search party you guys were fighting," Lloyd said, returning from the small battlefield with some provisions he had found off some corpses.

"What are you talking about, of course they were a search party," argued Zelos.

" If they were a search party then they were a poorly equipped one," Lloyd stated. "They had no trackers, no binding materials, and only enough food for a few days. They were scouts for a larger force. Maybe a border patrol."

"We are still at least three weeks from the border, so it was probably a scouting force," Genis pondered out loud. "Either way however, it would probably be a good idea to lay low for awhile."

"That is sensible," agreed Regal, "but where can we go? If we are still in the Desian Empire where can we go and be safe?"

"We could go to Mizuho," Sheena added her voice to the conversation. "It isn't too far from here, and the Desians don't know about it."

"Yes but would they allow us entry?" Raine asked. "I've studied what I've been able to find out about Mizuho and all I know is that they are a very secretive culture. They never allow outsiders into their village without a very good reason."

"I'll give them a good reason," Sheena assured her. "Above all else, the people of Mizuho love to see the Desians fail. We are too few to actually fight them, but we can still delay their operations. The chief would love to help us as long as we can show him how it will hurt the Desians."

"Then let's get going!" said Lloyd.

… The next day…

They were walking along a very crude and well-hidden path. This was the path to Mizuho.

"Hey Sheena," Lloyd was saying, "how much farther to Mizuho? I'm getting hungry."

"It shouldn't be more than a few miles away," she replied. "But I'm a little worried. I haven't seen anyone. No scouts, no patrolling ninjas. We should have been intercepted by someone by now."

"Maybe they're just celebrating some holiday and you forgot about it," Lloyd offered the possibility. "It happens to me all the time."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Sheena admitted. "I even forgot my own birthday once, a few years ago!"

"Yeah," Lloyd said. "It's hard to remember every day of the year."

"Shhh, quiet!" Colette said with urgency. "I hear footsteps. There are a lot of them. They are marching. I hear voices also. I think it's an army, fresh from a battle."

"Everyone hide!" Lloyd hissed. "How far off are they?"

"About one hour away."

"Maybe we can setup a trap," Sheena commented.

"No," Colette rejected the idea. "This sounds like a pretty big army. Possibly thousands."

They all ran into the bushes to the far side. One hour later the army began to appear. At the head of them was a woman with green hair, and red leather armor. She carried a mace in her right hand, and floating around her were several golden blades. She was Pronyma, the second strongest warrior in the Desian Empire.

Lloyd couldn't believe what he saw. Half of the army was severely wounded and on stretchers. The other half looked like they had fought demons and only just succeeded.

"They are coming from Mizuho!" Sheena whispered to him. "We must get there quickly."

Some time later, the army had finally moved on, the last soldier just turning the bend. They left there hiding places and Sheena ran off ahead of them. They did their best to keep up but she was just too fast. When they caught up to her, she was staring down at what lay in front of them.

It had only a few days ago been a quit city. Its people went about their business. It had simple homes of wood. Running through the middle had been a small river. But now, it was an expanse of fire and ruin. Its people were dead. From the oldest to the youngest, none had survived. The once beautifully simple buildings were just charred piles of wood. The river was red with blood. This was Mizuho.

As they walked the streets, the city told its story to them. The Desians had come without warning. They struck fast and hard from the north. By the time the warriors of the city could organize, all that was left to be done was make one final stand. They had fought hard and well, taking thousands of enemies with them. But in the end, they were overwhelmed by the shear numbers of the Desian army.

"This is awful!" exclaimed Lloyd.

Then, as if running had become her favorite thing to do, Sheena ran back into the forest. The others decided to go to the outskirts on the south side of town.

…Later that day…

"I'm going to go find Sheena," Lloyd said, his voice showing his concern. Sheena had now been gone for hours and the sun was getting low.

"Try to be back soon," Raine said. "It's getting late and we don't want to be separated incase another patrol comes by."

With that Lloyd ran off to the forest on the north side, hoping that Sheena hadn't gone far. He looked for what seemed like an hour until he found her. She was sitting on a rock in a clearing, her head held low.

"Sheena," Lloyd went up to her, "are you okay?"

"My village was destroyed, what do you think?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"I think you want to cry," Lloyd said, sitting down next to her.

"Why do you think that?" she asked, try to put up a strong face despite the fact that he was right.

"Because you already are," Lloyd commented. He was right too. Her face was clearly stained with tears.

Sheena couldn't hold back anymore. She buried her face in his chest, sobbing loudly. Lloyd was shocked but wasn't going to object. Instead he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"It's alright Sheena," he said soothingly. "It'll be okay. Just keep crying."

And that's exactly what she did. She cried and she cried. She cried for her friends. She cried for her teachers. She cried out in rage against the Desians. But then when she thought she had nothing more to cry over, Sheena was still crying. She was crying not out of rage or sorrow, but joy! She was happy to know that she still had at least one friend in this world. The fact that it was Lloyd made it even better. She had known him only for a month now but she felt closer to him than to any other. She cared for Lloyd! And the fact that he was trying to comfort her meant that he cared for her!

When she finally stopped crying all she said was, "Thank you Lloyd." She then fell asleep, completely exhausted, in his arms.

"Anytime Sheena," Lloyd said to the sleeping woman. He then picked her up, and took her back to camp. When he got there, no one was on night shift, apparently they had decided that they would be safe. Lloyd laid her down and put a blanket over her.

"She's so beautiful when she's asleep," Lloyd thought. "I hope she'll be alright. I guess I'll know tomorrow. I should get to work. It'll take time…"

…The next day…

Sheena awoke from a very fulfilling sleep. As she looked around she noticed that she was at the camp. The others were all asleep. But Lloyd was gone! Where had he gone to?

She got up, grabbed a scrap of bread and went off to find him. When she did, he had just finished burying the sixtieth grave.

"Good morning," Lloyd said, looking up from his work. "You okay?"

"Yeah thanks for letting me cry on you," she said. "What are you doing?"

"The dead need to be buried if the living are to go on," he said. "At least that's what my dad said. But he also said to bury the dead, you must first give them peace."

"Have you been doing this all night?" she asked.

"Yeah, I figured I could get most of them done by midday. But I counted wrong and it will probably take much longer. I'll get it done though."

"Thank you Lloyd," she said taking him into a tight hug.

"It's nothing really," Lloyd said, shocked at the sudden display of affection.

"Lloyd do you know who that was at the head of the army yesterday?" Sheena asked pulling away. "Mizuho tradition dictates that I must avenge my people."

"That was Pronyma at the front of the army," he explained. "I've heard she is Forcystus's second in command. I suppose she's the one your after."

"Then I'll kill her," Sheena said, her voice turning to steel. "I swear upon the graves of my people that I shall claim revenge for all of them."

Lloyd was shocked at her sudden resolve. She had only yesterday realized that she was the last of her people and already she was putting aside her grief.

"But first," Sheena continued, her voice lightening. "I think I should help you. I'll bury them with you, and then we will continue on the road to our enemies."

So for the rest of the day they buried the bodies of the people of Mizuho. In the end it would take them a total of two days of digging holes, lifting corpses, and marking the graves. When they were done, they left the city. They would never return.

AN: Done. Yes I know, this chapter is done and you suddenly feel compelled to review. If you however don't review, then I hope you have nightmares of my annoying eight-year-old cousin asking you why you didn't review. That'll teach you. Mwahahahahaha! Okay I think I just lost my sanity again. Don't worry it's back. Now please review. I'll see you next time at Ch. 7: The Shackles and The Swords. I know, double importance. Laters!