Tales of a Journey

By: Rogue White Dragon (aka Dragoness)

Disclaimer: I don't own TOS

Chapter 16 – Siena's Meddling

I landed my reihard just outside of my dad's house, and slowly climbed off. Talking to Colette right now was something I desperately needed. Maybe she'd know what I should do about Lan. He hated me now, didn't he? Lan probably thought I abandoned him and Sheena. I didn't though, so why was I feeling so guilty? My shoulders slouched a little as I stepped up to the front door.

As I opened the door, I could hear a high pitched scream coming from Colette

"Mattrim, get back!"

Dirk shouted, stepping into the front door, I saw my dad swinging his hammer, aiming it at one of Arkus's soldiers. One of the intruders disarmed him, while another hit Dirk with the hilt of his sword. I stood frozen for a moment, to shocked to move. How did they find my family?

Colette saw me from across the room and I wasted no time in drawing my swords. How many men had come here? It didn't matter; I had to protect Colette and Mattrim. Colette turned our son away, making sure he wouldn't see any of the fight. She was holding her hands over his ears, and his hands clutched tightly to her dress. He was terrified.

I found myself fighting against several men, each obviously had more skill than any of Arkus's other men. I was put on the defensive, trying not to get surrounded in the small space of the living room area just inside the front door. Managing to slash one of them across the chest, I quickly turned to block another attack from behind. I didn't know how much longer I could keep this up.

"So, we meet again. Lloyd Irving."

The voice sounded familiar, and I knew that I'd met him before. He was faster than the other men I was fighting, and it was difficult to avoid being slashed into bits.

"Mattrim!"

Colette screamed. Turning my attention in the direction of my small family, I saw that two other men had snuck up on them. One had grabbed my son, dragging him from the house, while the other used the tip of his sword at my wife's throat forcing her to follow our son. I moved to stop them, but the man who'd spoken to me only moments ago jumped in front of me, and before I knew what was happening, he stabbed me in the side. He pulled the blade upwards slightly, and I cried out in pain. I gasped when he withdrew his weapon, and collapsed on the floor. It couldn't end this way. It just couldn't

"…and that's when I got wounded."

I was sitting with my friends downstairs, explaining to them what had happened. There was a moment of silence. Of course, I left out most of what had happened, and told them just a summary of it. I spared a glance towards Lan, but he wasn't even looking at me. Siena was watching him with narrowed brows, and he flinched slightly when he met her gaze. Sheena was sitting beside Zelos, and starring at me intently. Zelos looked a little sad about something, and I wondered briefly what was bothering him.

"Are you well enough to get going, Lloyd?"

Presea asked, looking slowly around at the others while she spoke. I gave a slow nod. Thanks to Raine's healing, I was feeling pretty much ok. Just a little sore still. Nothing serious.

"Yeah."

Besides, I didn't want to waste time in finding Colette and Mattrim. Arkus was going to pay for this.

"I think perhaps we should return to the Renegades' base and see if Kratos and Yuan have returned. We may need their help in getting to Arkus's son."

Raine said with a firm nod of her head. She stood up, fully expecting the rest of us to agree.

"Sounds like a good idea."

Genis said, standing up as well. The others murmured silent agreements, and after saying goodbye to Dirk, we left back for the Renegades' base.

(Siena's POV)

I glared at Lan's back from behind him on the reihard. He hadn't said anything to Lloyd. The idiot wouldn't even look at him. I scowled, and pinched Lan's side. He yelped, and spared me a quick glance over his shoulder

"What was that for?"

He demanded

"For being a jerk."

I said, pinching him again. He yelped again, and growled

"Would you stop that?"

"No."

I pinched his side again, and this time he reached a hand back and grabbed my hand.

"I said to stop it, Siena."

"And I told you to talk to Lloyd, but you didn't."

I told him stubbornly. I pulled my hand back, and pinched his arm this time. He growled at me, and said angrily

"Maybe you should just stay out of it!"

"You promised you would, Lan. You liar."

I folded my arms across my chest, glaring at his back again. He sighed, exhaling slowly, before saying in a more civil tone, without looking back at me

"I know, I just, I need some time, ok?"

"Because you think it was all your fault, right?"

He didn't reply, so I pinched his arm with my fingernails. He jerked his arm away, and nearly lost control of the flying machine. I found myself grabbing onto his waist so that I wasn't thrown off the reihard. I looked up at him, to find his face beat red. I paused, grinning for a moment, before letting go of him, and settling back down behind him.

"Would you pay attention to where you're going?"

I said, still grinning

"It would be a whole lot easier if you stopped-"

I pinched him again, and chuckled when he turned to glare at me

"That's really get irritating."

"Really? You just passed the base."

He looked down, and glared at me while turning his machine around, parking it behind where the others had landed theirs. Everyone had already dismounted, and was walking towards the entrance by the time we got there. I jumped off, and didn't bother waiting for Lan as I ran to catch up with the others.

I found them talking to a few Renegades, asking if Kratos and Yuan were back yet.

"They should be returning soon. Lord Yuan contacted us and said they'd be back in a day or two."

A day or two was soon? Stupid humans. Lloyd turned to the group, and said

"Do we want to wait that long?"

He looked a little anxious, probably worrying about his family. Well, he should be.

"Looks like we don't have a choice. It'll be nearly impossible to get to Arkus's son, and we don't know what else to do. I'm sure the two will know how to find Colette and your son, Lloyd. We just have to be patient. They wouldn't have kidnapped them if they were going to kill them, so I'm sure they'll be fine."

Raine said while staring at Lloyd. Lloyd gulped slightly, and said

"I think I need some air. I'll be back soon."

He turned to leave, but Sheena followed

"Not without someone, you don't. Last time we found you nearly dead."

He grimaced slightly, but shrugged. The two walked back out of the base, and I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Zelos. He was watching them a little sadly. Don't know why, Lloyd was married, so what did Zelos have to worry about? Apparently a lot. Gah, stupid humans and their stupid frail emotions.

"Soooo, what are we supposed to do till they get back? Just sit around?"

Genis asked, sounding a little annoyed. They could wait a little, couldn't they?

"Hey Lan, wasn't Lloyd training you?"

I asked, turning my attention towards Lan. The others turned to look at him as well, and he glared at me

"What's you point?"

I glared at him, poking him in the chest

"What do you think my point is? You jerk, you're such an idiot."

I turned and stalked away, in the direction where I assumed our rooms from before were.

"At least I can tell where I'm going."

He said running up behind me. He grabbed my arm, and turned me towards a different hallway.

"You want to go this way."

Stupid human trying to make me feel like an idiot. I shook my fist at him before stalking off again. He sighed, and followed. Didn't Lan have someone else to bother? I found myself trying not to smile though, and I began to wonder why.

"Do you intend on staying in my room all night?"

I asked, glaring at Lan. He was sitting on a chair in my room. It was sometime after dinner, and I'd spent most of the day in the room with him, being completely quiet.

"Well, actually, yeah."

Because otherwise he'd have to share a room with Lloyd, right?

"Coward."

I said, throwing my pillow at him. He ducked, and it hit the door

"Am not."

He denied, grinning at me

"Then go to bed."

I said, trying to make my voice sound stern.

"And give me back my pillow, thief."

I told him, holding out my hand. He gave me a black look, picked up my pillow, and said

"You're the one who threw it."

"Am not."

I replied, giving him an innocent grin. He tossed the pillow back at me, and I caught it in both hands. I placed it back down on the bed, and then stood up. If he wasn't going to go talk to Lloyd willingly, I'd just have to make him. I smirked slightly as I walked towards him. He gave me a strange look, before wincing when I grabbed his ear and twisted it. I got him to stand up, and led him out the door towards his own room. I needed sleep too, damn it.

"Hey, Siena let go."

Lan whined, trying to pull my hand away from his ear. I only twisted his ear again, and replied

"You're going to your room."

"But Siena…"

He whined again. I stopped in front of his room, opened the door, and smiled when I saw Lloyd sitting on one of the two beds in the room.

"Hey Lloyd, could you possibly take him off my hands for a little while? I'm kind of tired of baby sitting him."

Lan glared at me before I shoved him into the room, closing the door quickly. I pressed my ear up against the door, waiting for one of them to say something.

(Lan's POV)

When I got my hands on Siena, I'd make her pay for this. I told her I'd talk to him in my own time. This was just forcing the issue.

"She's a, uh, forceful girl, isn't she?"

Lloyd said, looking a little nervous. I was surprised he'd even talk to me. It was my fault he nearly got killed, wasn't it? I laughed nervously in reply, and said

"Yeah."

There was a moment of awkward silence, as I made my way towards the second bed on the other side of the room. I began taking my daggers off, with my back towards my father. It was kind of weird knowing who my father was. I never expected to actually find out. After all my daggers were resting on the bed, I sat down, and began unsheathing them. I had to clean them. Well, I didn't have too, but I didn't exactly feel like talking to Lloyd. I think I liked it better when I didn't know he was my father. Now it seemed like there was a lot more tension in the group. That was my fault too, wasn't it? I just had to know.

"I'm sorry, Lan."

Lloyd said suddenly. I froze with one hand above one of my daggers, and slowly looked over at him. What did he have to be sorry about?

"Don't be. I'm sorry."

I replied looking back at my daggers. We were silent again, and I decided I'd break the silence this time.

"So, uh, how long did you know I was your son?"

I asked, finally looking over at him. I couldn't help but ask, could I? Lloyd actually laughed. I gave him a blank look, and he turned from his sitting position to look over at me, grinning

"Remember when we first came here, and I sort of blacked out?"

I gave him a strange look

"Well, that's when."

My jaw dropped. That was only a few days before he told me, wasn't it? I found myself laughing suddenly. Maybe it was just the image of Lloyd passing out because he found out I was his son, or maybe it was just a release of tension, but I laughed. When I settled down, I asked

"So, what ever happened between you and my mom?"

Lloyd sighed, and gave a small shrug

"Well, uh, I think you should probably ask her yourself. I don't want you thinking badly of her when you hear my side of it."

I frowned at him.

"I think I should hear both sides."

I told him. He sighed, and replied

"One day your mother just left."

That was it? She left? I lived without a father because she just up and left?

"She left a note that said 'I'm not ready'. I had no idea what she meant by that. I assumed it was that she wasn't ready to get married or something like that."

I defiantly had to ask my mother about that.

"When did you marry Colette, then?"

I asked, not quite sure why I wanted to know

"About three years later."

He replied, looking away now. I admit, it wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear, but I guess it could have been worse. We were quiet for a little while again, and I found myself looking out the window. It wasn't dark yet, so I turned to Lloyd, and asked hesitantly

"So were you, uh, going to train me still?"

He looked a little surprised at this, but then smiled

"Of course."

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Well, I hoped you all enjoyed the update . The fic is going to get back to the whole 'Arkus trying to take over the world' thing pretty quick. Please leave a review

Thanks to those who did review:

Fan Fan Girl: haha, evil powers for good. Sounds like Siena . thanks for the review!

Sieg15: Hope the ending wasn't a disappointment from what you were hoping would happen between Lloyd and Lan's little talk. Thanks for reviewing!

Hemila-Rose: Glad you liked it . thanks for the review!

JKaitz: lol, glad you like Siena thanks for reviewing!