(A/N) Hey guys! I tried to add some more action to this chapter. But we'll see how that worked out... Please read and review!

Disclaimer: If I did own Tales of Symphonia, there'd be many more Kratos Lloyd training scenes.

Chapter 7

Yuan had decided on a course of action. He would return to Sylvarant without Kratos. It'd be the first mission he'd ever failed, but it was the right choice. The boy didn't belong caught up in the nonsense he clearly spurned, so Yuan was preparing to leave. He didn't have much to gather, but he took his time straightening his things. He put off going to find the Tethe'allan royal for as long as he could. For some reason, he didn't know how to approach the topic.

After stalling around about the very tiny room, he finally managed to work up the boredom to go find Kratos. He had a good idea where to find him.

Kratos was beginning to regret he'd agreed to this arrangement. That lady, Xilia, was surely a psychopath with the things she asked him to do. It was 'lift this' or 'move that' and checkups every morning. And these were just baseline tests so far, he hadn't even put on the exsphere yet. He was about to go mad from boredom, until Yuan opened the door to the research facility.

"Yuan!" He did his best not to sound too desperate. Technically he was still on the time allotted for 'exsphere research', which meant he was getting paid. Yuan turned his head to spot him and started over purposefully.

"Kratos, I just came to tell you that-" Yuan was going to explain to him that he was returning to Sylvarant and that he no longer owed him a favor before Kratos interrupted.

"Hey, do you want to spar?" Kratos interjected, shooting a cautious glance at Xilia. Yuan raised an eyebrow at Kratos' peculiar behavior. Kratos never interrupted, he hardly even spoke most times. After witnessing the anxious glance, Yuan laughed in delight. Kratos was aching for something to do, almost frantically so. Kratos' expression faltered at Yuan's snicker, but it was soon replaced with his signature scowl. He should patent that, Yuan mulled over aimlessly. Kratos' eyebrows darted down in deliberation.

"C'mon." He coaxed. Yuan rolled his eyes. Though, it wouldn't be bad to tell him he was leaving after he kicked his butt a second time. There would be no contest. And deciding to leave Kratos there would be more humbling if the kid knew he could bring him to Sylvarant if he wanted to. Yuan's ego got the best of him.

"Okay, but you asked for it." He gave in. The corner of Kratos' mouth twitched up in that exasperatingly self-satisfied smirk.

"Let's go outside, then." Kratos led him to the back of the research facility and into a wide enclosed yard behind it. It was barren and flat, just a plain grassy field. Perfect.

Kratos stepped into the middle of the clearing and smoothly drew his new sword to point the sharpened tip at Yuan.

"Anytime you're ready." He challenged, now with an excited edge to his tone. His stance was lax yet dangerous as if lightning was about to strike. Yuan summoned mana in to his palms and pressed them together. His butterfly blade materialized slickly between his glowing hands as he spread his arms apart. Snatching it up at the grip in the center, Yuan spun it around experimentally. He loved the feel of this double-edged sword.

"Ready," Yuan leaned forward subtly, now on the balls of his feet and in his offensive stance.

Kratos didn't wait a second longer to attack. His first strike was straight out of a powerful jump as his sword sliced viciously through the air. Yuan swung the right end of his weapon to block, and the resulting screech of metal ripped through the peace and jarred up both of their arms. Kratos rebounded off of the shock quickly and spun into a low kick when both their blades were pushed off. Yuan took the blow and used the force to propel back slightly. Kratos was moving, if possible, even faster than before. He was also deliberately cuffing in short and powerful bursts. Yuan realized he wasn't going to overlook his magic again. He acted and reacted, extending his left blade dexterously to catch on Kratos' next parry and drag it down. He twisted the right side to try and land a blow on Kratos' shoulder, but he anticipated the maneuver and sidestepped, spinning into a jump that evaded Yuan's next low strike. It was as if he knew where Yuan was going to attack before even he did.

Yuan feinted right before wrenching his body left and using the flat side of his blade to propel a burst of wind elemental mana. Kratos fell for the feint and checked himself in time to duck the thin jet stream of air Yuan could produce without using a spell. Now low to the ground, he used the crouch to his advantage and kicked out Yuan's legs from underneath him.

Yuan was falling backwards, and sacrificed his double grip on his blade to vault into a one handed flip. Once on his feet again, Yuan was struck with the butt of Kratos' hilt in the stomach. How did he get there so quickly? Yuan was disconcerted by the speed at which Kratos seemed to be transcending his own reaction times. He was one of the few opponents that Yuan was sure was faster than himself.

Yuan attempted to bring up his own weapon to block Kratos' wickedly accurate blows, but his sword snaked its way under his handle in a precise show of technique and twisted it out of Yuan's grasp. The silver bolt of metal lightly rested on Yuan's neck.

"That was a good fight," Kratos brought his sword down and sheathed it at his side, while his left hand ran absently through his hair. They were both heavily breathing under the strain of the battle, and Yuan plucked his weapon of choice off of the grassy sod.

"Yea," he muttered sorely, hands glowing with summoning magic once again as he collapsed the blade in unto itself. Kratos watched on enviously while the butterfly blade disappeared into a separate dimension.

"I wish I could learn how to do that." Kratos rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Silently, he mourned the loss of his other sword, but that was in the past. Yuan was impressed with the skirmish to say the least. Kratos was faster than he'd thought, and his sword proficiency was of an incredibly high level.

"That exsphere is really something, huh?" Yuan deadpanned. He hated losing and his pride was poised to take a nosedive off of the nearest cliff. He'd just lost to a fifteen year old Tethe'allan prince unable to cast magic. And he'd already beaten him once. It was appalling.

Kratos couldn't contain his regalement. The teen started outright laughing at Yuan, in what first began as an amused chuckle. Yuan stared at him for a moment, but when the laughter didn't die down, he felt his patience slipping. Kratos didn't laugh. As far as Yuan knew, this was an extreme case, and he was laughing at him.

"Yuan," he managed, while the gratification of his apparent epiphany was wearing off, "I haven't put on the exsphere yet." Yuan felt his face redden slightly. His pride, still teetering on the precipice of certain destruction, had finally chosen now to jump. The kid was no stronger now than he had been before.

"Then why the hell was I sparring with you?" Frustration began welling up inside Yuan's chest, and he felt like he'd been made a fool out of.

"Baseline comparisons." Kratos shrugged it off, neglecting to recognize Yuan's tone as one of aggression. He pulled a wire out from his collar. Yuan noted that it was a heart rate monitor, and he found he couldn't really stay mad. Oh yeah, he was supposed to tell Kratos he was leaving. The boy turned to walk back inside the facility, auburn locks still splayed in every direction and catching the bright sun.

"Hey, Kratos?" It was more or less to get his attention, and the teenager spun to face him. A quizzical look momentarily crossed his features, but Yuan knew he was listening.

"I'm going to leave for Sylvarant tomorrow morning." Yuan informed him. Kratos looked almost surprised. Had he expected something else?

"Really?" He asked, "Just like that?" It seemed awfully simple the way Yuan said it.

"Yea," Yuan looked down a bit to meet the boy's sharp russet eyes. "I won't tell anyone you're here." Kratos eyebrows escalated further than before.

"And why would you do that?" He still sounded incredulous.

"I owe you a favor since that run in with the Tethe'allan army, and now I've payed it back." Yuan averted his gaze slightly. He still wasn't so sure what Kratos had been thinking while doing that.

"I'm not sure I follow." Kratos sunk back into his usual demeanor, calm and collected, and Yuan had no clue what emotions he might've been experiencing. Yuan snorted, how could he forget something so monumental?

"Don't play stupid, I know you're smarter than that," Yuan let a smile crack halfway. Kratos remained the picture of ignorance, however, and Yuan began to wonder if he imagined the whole ordeal with the reactions he was getting. "You stood up for me." He said seriously. A flash of acknowledgment sparked behind the boy's eyes.

"That?" his eyebrows crept together in puzzlement. Yuan felt like he was misreading the situation somehow. Kratos should've known that sort of thing right away. Kratos seemed to have his thoughts sorted a split-second later, and his attitude shifted to a more assertive one.

"Look, I'm grateful that you don't plan on broadcasting my location, but I don't need any favors for that. You don't owe me anything." He'd taken a step back to talk to Yuan, and he glimpsed the raw honesty and fervor on the half-elf's face. He was completely serious about the debt.

"Don't tell me that it doesn't mean anything, it was important to me. No one's ever done that before, and if you say it meant nothing, that would be an insult." Yuan thought the boy finally understood him, but he frowned as Kratos shook his head slightly.

"You don't get it. I would have done the same thing for any half-elf. I like you, but that's not the reason I told them off. It wasn't a personal favor to you, so you don't owe me anything." Kratos stressed the last bit, and Yuan understood. He didn't want Yuan to reward his version of the right thing because he didn't believe doing the just thing should be rewarded. Yuan was perplexed.

"So were even?" he cautiously tested the waters. Kratos smiled briefly.

"We were never not." he brushed off Yuan's wariness, but as a side note added, "Though I will accept an apology for the kidnapping attempt." He turned back to enter the institute as Yuan lightly chuckled at his sarcastic jab.

"Still not sorry." He muttered as he followed the red-head indoors. Kratos 'hmphed' softly at the response, but the mood was much lighter than before and both teenagers sported grins as they entered the research institute.

"Daisuke!" Xilia called from her computer station. Various gadgets and sensors littered the sloppy surface of her terminal, and she was currently intent upon data loading rapidly on the screen. Yuan chuckled at the now well worn alias and looked over Kratos' shoulder at the monitor.

"We're all set on your initial readings. Your heart rate is excellent, and you've got a much lower than average recovery time, which is good. I want to see how much endurance is improved afterwards, so I'll monitor a couple of things while the exsphere adapts to your mana signature. The roughest parts are already specified, though. Good progress for today, you can go home!" Kratos blinked. That was all for today? It was a pleasant surprise.

"When do we attach the Cruxis Crystal?" He inquired calmly.

"Mm. Probably tomorrow." She cocked her head while thinking about it. Kratos rolled his eyes, for a scientist Xilia was not very professional. She didn't even have a schedule worked out, though for now he could spend the rest of his day doing whatever he wanted. He followed Yuan outside absentmindedly.

It was ironic that the half-elf was leaving without another thought; he didn't expect such a quick change of heart. The teen didn't seem like a true adversary, but he did seem loyal to his country. If Kratos thought that kidnapping Yuan might end the war and tip the odds in his side's favor, he would try it. The man was a mystery, but Kratos took to him regardless of that fact. Or possibly because of it, he'd never been one to like ordinary people.

Yuan was also a better fighter than he'd let on. No one could last that long while fighting him. Not a single person he'd trained with after the age of twelve, including instructors, had fought for a continuous half hour like they just had. Winning felt good, especially to know that he hadn't lost his touch, but secretly he thought Yuan was more rounded than himself. The magical aspect he had a good mastery over must be especially useful for long ranged attacks, whereas Kratos might only be able to use a basic weapon like the bow and arrow instead. Anyone he considered an equal with himself on the battlefield was either worthy of being a comrade or an enemy. Kratos was sure that Yuan fell into the 'comrade' category, yet they both seemed destined for separate paths.

"You don't plan on getting captured again without me, do you?" He snapped from his musings when he noticed that Yuan was sending him a look that asked why he was taking so long. Yuan narrowed his eyes.

"That was a onetime deal, and we wouldn't have run into that little problem if a certain prince didn't run me in circles for twenty minutes!" Kratos shrugged indifferently.

"Mmhm. And I wouldn't have kicked your ass in that fight on an even playing field." Kratos retorted acerbically, tone laced with doubt. Yuan would've gotten captured even if he wasn't present. The Tethe'allan lines were nothing to be taken lightly.

"You sure are a sarcastic little brat, aren't you?" Yuan insulted back, though a short laugh betrayed that he didn't truly mean it.

"So I've been told." Kratos kept walking on course for the hotel. He wanted to drop off some of his extra supplies before finding something to occupy himself with for the rest of the day. Yuan seemed to be heading there too, though he wasn't sure why as he had just come from there beforehand.

Yuan realized that he was just going that way because Kratos was. He actually enjoyed his company. Huh, it was a strange eye-opener. Their banter was somewhat entertaining, and it wasn't forced either. He had said he would leave tomorrow, so he didn't really see the point in loitering around town aimlessly. He didn't mind Tethe'alla as much as he thought he would. The people were nice enough to him, though no nicer than could be expected seeing as how he was a half-elf. The city itself was nothing special, but Tethe'alla was a lot like Sylvarant in that regard.

"What are you going to do?" He asked Kratos for the sake of jolting the kid out of his comfortable silence. Who knew how long he could go like that, and Yuan was bored.

"Hang around Sybak, and possibly move from town to town." Yuan thought that was an extremely poor plan of action for anything, and it must have shown on his face, because Kratos clarified. "At least until the king officially passes the throne on to my sister, Nyx in his will. It'd be in all the papers if that happened."

Yuan's suspicions were confirmed. Kratos didn't want to be king, that much was clear. Yuan could understand that, he was only a teenager and he voiced that he hated the war. From the way Kratos said 'the king' and not 'father', Yuan guessed that they weren't on great terms with each other. Kratos didn't seem to love anything about royalty, anyhow.

"You'd hate being king that much?" Yuan knew Kratos had gone to great lengths in order to distance himself from Meltokio.

"I'd be a terrible king, and my sister would be an excellent queen. Somehow my father fails to see that." Kratos shrugged, "It was never an issue as long as I had three brothers ahead of me." Yuan deliberated on that for a moment. He'd thought Kratos was self-assured. He knew his upper and lower limits, everything he could do, but he also knew to stop himself if it was something he couldn't. On this matter, Yuan thought he might just be wrong.

"I think you'd be a good king." he spoke softly as he rolled the idea around. If it wasn't the throne of Tethe'alla, his enemy, he would hope that someone like Kratos was in charge. He had morals, audacity, and was unyielding in his beliefs. The more he thought about it, the only thing Kratos didn't have going for him was his apparent dislike for authority. Yuan then noticed that Kratos was giving him a glare, he didn't seem to grasp that Yuan was serious. If Kratos was king, though, Yuan would be eternally his adversary. He quickly twisted his words into a light jab.

"If you ever bothered to brush your hair, that is." He smirked as Kratos' eyes darted subconsciously to his messy auburn tresses. His glare softened to a mildly irritated scowl and Yuan knew he'd successfully played off the compliment.

"I think you brush your hair enough for the both of us." He noted Yuan's smooth ponytail. Yuan took his turn at frowning and fussed over his locks momentarily. Satisfied that the blue strands were in perfect order, Yuan turned back to him. He opened his mouth to find a clever comeback, but was beat to the punch.

"Between that and the cape, you made quite the first impression." They reached the doors of the inn and Kratos hefted the heavy door open. Yuan rolled his eyes, which he found he was doing fairly often lately. First impressions indeed. Kratos' was a first impression if there ever was one.

Yuan followed the boy inside and decided he didn't really mind failing a mission. Especially if it meant gaining a friendship.

(A/N) Okay... so maybe not as much action as I intended, whenever I get to writing Kratos-Yuan dialogue it gets out of hand. I swear those characters will talk about whatever they want regardless of what direction I want to go in. They've definitely got minds of their own XD. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon... Thanx for reading and please review! (I've been taking prompts for my World of Oneshots story as well, so feel free to add some input on that too!)