Title: Disintegration

Author: Tenohikari

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia

Pairing: Mithos(Yggdrassil)/Lloyd, and more pairings to come.

Warnings: male/male pairings. Ratings will go up in some chapters. AU twist but with a lot of Symphonia Game/Manga/Anime spoilers. Oh yeah, the story is 100% unbetad – so it's probably littered with tons of grammar/spelling errors.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia. I do own a copy of the game, the manga series, and some doujinshi... obsessed? Probably.

Summary: During the end of the Kharlan War, Lloyd had died before his lover and brother-in-arms, Mithos. Four thousand years later, Lloyd Irving finds himself not only on the journey of World Regeneration, but into the past he no longer remembers.

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Dearest Lloyd,

I do hope your last letter wasn't implying that I am unmanly; I would certainly hate to see a jar of tomato sauce find its way into the cake Martel is making for you. I am glad you enjoyed your birthday present because it took quite a while to make it. Do be careful not to damage it while you're fighting and watch your back out there. I know this asking too much, but don't do anything stupid.

Mithos

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Chapter 2

And yesterday's dreams –

"Genis, Collette, stay behind me," Lloyd ordered quietly. The teenager's doubt from before was now gone, and in its place was more confidence than he ever felt before. "Keep your distance, use long range attacks only."

He would be forever grateful toward his adoptive father for always nagging him to carry around first aid supplements. Healing gels and bandages were always on his person, since he walked through a monster inhabited forest on a daily basis. Lloyd quickly checked his supply and nodded in satisfaction when he had more than enough to share with his friends.

"We don't know how many enemies we'll encounter up there. Judging by Sayrune's burns, there is probably a fire Magi with them. Here, Genis, take this."

He threw the younger boy a pack of his orange gels before unsheathing his swords. Maybe one of these days he would convince his father to give him swords with steel blades; but the practice wood carved ones were better than nothing. Lloyd hesitated though, about removing the bandage around his hand and hoped that he wouldn't have to.

'Never take off that bandage around yer hand, Lloyd. No matter what happens, no one must ev'r see it, ya hear? Promise me!'

'Sure dad, I promise.'

Upon reaching the top of the hill, the trio hid behind the bushes for cover. Genis watched in amazement as Lloyd practically blurred out of sight. His best friend may not have been the brightest crayon in the box (as Raine would say whenever she graded his homework), but he made up for it outside the school house.

Lloyd excelled in physical activities and endurance. Genis had to admit he admired his friend's leadership and agility. Whenever they went off around the forest looking for adventure, the older boy had lead them through a couple fights, giving them orders like a high ranking officer would his subordinates. The teen actually analyzed their opponents (monster slug worms and the occasional 'demon' rabbits) during battle, found their weak points, and before they knew it, the time to beat their enemy decreased with each encounter. Yet the situation was completely different, they had never fought Desians before.

Desians were far worse than the forest monsters; they were known to march into non-treaty villages and burn homes with families still inside, all for their amusement and their sick sense of justice. The forest monsters feared the Desians as much as the humans did, and there was probably dozens in the village… how would three school children fight them off? Before thoughts of backing out came to mind, Genis was quickly pulled out of his reverie when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.

"It'll be all right," Collette smiled gently at him. "I believe in Lloyd."

He only nodded and eased on the tight grip he had around the Kendama when he saw Lloyd's signal.

"Yeah, me too."

* * * *

Taking caution not to be seen, Lloyd weaved carefully around the trees and bushes in his path, and arrived at the spot he needed to be in to execute his plan. He took cover behind the foliage, and watched with narrowed eyes, as armored clad soldiers had finished cutting down the temple guards with ease.

So much death in so little time; Lloyd was quaking and he inwardly struggled to keep his rage back when the last soldier – one who always greeted him in the mornings – fell dead at his murderer's feet. The sight of steel swords, glistening with blood, stirred a whirlwind of emotions that Lloyd had never felt all at once: rage, hatred, even fear.

'Damn those, Desians! Damn them to hell!'

He gripped his swords, and felt his heart drumming in his ears as he signaled Genis and watched in satisfaction as the soldiers were pelted by fire ball spells. Before they could even put themselves out, he shot out from his hiding place and attacked.

'I will damn them,' an alien voice vowed softly in his mind, 'even if I have to become the devil, himself.'

His wooden swords weren't as lethal as steel ones, but they did their own level of damage. Lloyd disarmed one man, before slamming the hilt into his unprotected jaw, sending him stumbling back. He quickly brought up his other blade where it needed to be to block a blow coming from his blind spot, before delivering a powerful kick into an approaching Desian's midriff.

He attacked without thinking, bringing one sword to jab at unprotected areas of his enemies' torsos, while using the other as a guard. His whole body moved as if it were possessed, he couldn't even manage to recall learning some of the moves he was able to perform. Fighting in such close combat, for some odd reason didn't feel overwhelming as it should feel for a teenager armed with training swords against a group of mass murdering half-elves.

Yet, whatever adrenaline rush he had just experience was beginning to burn out as his breath ballooned in his chest, and muscles screamed for rest. Lloyd panted as he quickly counted his remaining opponents, most of them were wounded and unconscious… and it was odd, there was actually more Desians here than there had been before. He hadn't even noticed than the enemies must have called for backup.

"Not bad for a human child," one of the few who were uninjured and still standing spoke almost in a tone of admiration. "I admire your strength and courage, boy, so I'll be generous and make your death as painless as possible."

Lloyd glared at the man as he struggled to catch his breath, and moved in a classic fighting stance. The half elf smirked as he drew his sword from its scabbard before stepping forward, leaving the others to drag their unconscious comrades away. Lloyd's eyes followed them, relieved that they did not head into the bushes far behind him where Genis and Collette were hiding in.

"Eyes up front, boy," the remaining Desian called out to him before charging forward.

The teen felt a pulse beat from his bandaged hand and quickly brought up his arm to counter the devastating blow that would have cleaved him in two. Lloyd couldn't help but gasp as his arm throbbed in pain; it almost felt like it was going to snap like a twig… along with his sword that began to splinter under the assault. This was why he carried two swords rather than one with a shield. He quickly leaned forward with all his strength, before thrusting his second blade at the other's face.

Even though the Desian was wearing a helm with a face mask that protected his eyes from being gouged out; the strength of the impact sent him staggering backwards. Lloyd took advantage, springing into another series of attacks and cursing when the stunned man wasn't caught off guard. That infuriating smirk grew wider and if Lloyd wasn't worried before, he was now.

Blows were raining down on him from both left and right; he struggled, and yet somehow managed to counter all of them. Some blows were nicks on his blade, others sliced off pieces from them. He cursed, knowing his weapons that wouldn't hold up for much longer.

"Lloyd, duck!" he barely heard Collette over his rapidly beating heart but obeyed as one of her chakrams sliced through the air towards the enemy's blind spot. The half elf soldier raised his weapon and batted the projectile with ease. Though the way his jaw had dropped open in surprise, made the teen assume his friend did hit him.

"You…" the man started, his voice lost all arrogance it had been full of earlier, "your name is Lloyd?"

The brunet straightened and both his friends left their hiding place and were now flanked at his sides. When he didn't respond, the older man only frowned and Lloyd felt as if he were being scrutinized behind the small slits of the Desian's helm. He had a bad feeling about letting the enemy know his name.

"H-Hey Genis," he muttered to his best friend. Those violet eyes quickly glanced his way before focusing back on the enemy.

"Gotcha, fireball!"

The Desian didn't even have time to duck as he was to busy staring at the brunet human child in wonder. He felt the breath knocked out of him as one of his comrades had returned to shove them both out of the way. The trio watched as their enemies tumbled backwards down the temple's concrete steps, before heading towards their destination.

* * * *

Landing with a dull thud at the entrance of the temple, both half elves groaned as they struggled to compose themselves.

"Are you all right, Captain?"

"I'm fine, Elric… I was just caught off guard. Thanks for saving my ass."

The other soldier shrugged, "No problem. I was coming back to let you know that Lord Botta and his team are up there now. Our Leader told him to tell me to tell you to head back."

Sighing, the man who had been fighting earlier simply nodded. "Very well. Oh Elric, deliver a message to Lord Botta for me, would you."

"What is it, sir?"

He sheathed his blade and turned in the opposite direction of the temple, frowning even more. "Tell him to watch out for that boy in red named Lloyd, he's probably going to be trouble."

* * * *

"You were amazing, Lloyd!" Collette beamed at him, making the brunet blush in embarrassment as they ran towards the temple entrance, catching Desians off guard on the way. "You were really fast! I've never seen you fight like that!"

"Yeah," Genis agreed before he quickly swallowed an orange gel to replenish his mana, "have you been holding back on all our monster fights this whole time?"

Lloyd stared at them, eyes quickly darting to the bandages around his gloved hand and shrugged. "Yeah a little, I was just really lucky to have good friends back me up at the right time, that's all."

Both of his closest friends smiled and Lloyd felt the pangs of guilt tug at him when he touched his other glove hand. He would tell them what was hidden underneath when the time came to break his promise do his adopted father. He didn't want to do that either, but if the Desians came to attack Iselia, what other choice did he have?

When they arrived, the three children were shocked to see Collette's grandmother was the only one standing between the temple doors and the group of armed Desians. Phaidra was a tough old lady, but there was no way she could stand up to even one of them!

"Where is the Chosen of Regeneration, old crone?!" demanded a Desian who surprisingly was not in a similar uniform as the others. "This is the last time I ask."

Phaidra stared back at the leader of group unflinchingly. "Then this will be my final answer," she responded calmly despite all the bloodshed that had happened around her. "I will not tell you."

One of the Desians turned to the speaker who only frowned crossly at Collette's grandmother. "Lord Botta, we have no choice but to kill her!"

Botta only nodded as he folded his arms across his chest, "very well."

"No, Grandmother!" Collette shrieked causing the group helmed heads to swivel in their direction. Lloyd and Genis groaned; so much for the element of surprise. They quickly readied their weapons and Lloyd could only hope his wooden swords would be able to hold up during the fight.

At the sight of three innocent children ready to do battle with murderers, Phaidra lost her calm composure, her eyes widened in horror. "Run Collette, get out of here!"

The one that was called 'Lord Botta' only smirked as he spotted Collette, "So that is the Chosen. Kill her."

Lloyd glared coldly at the man who just ordered the death for his best friend when she hadn't even done anything. What were the Desians thinking, and why break the treaty they had all of a sudden? He didn't have anymore time to think as he could hear Genis chanting from behind. He met Collete's gaze and nodded – that they would stick with the usual routine - before charging forward to fend off the group of attacking Desians.

He felt another pulse coming from his bandaged hand, and felt its power coursing through him once more.

'Lend me your strength,' he begged it, 'so that I can save my friends.'

"Lord Botta!"

Even upon hearing his name, the half elf leader could not tear his eyes away from the fight as one of his soldiers ran towards him. How the hell were three school children besting his men after they had taken down the village guards so easily? Well one of them, the little one with silver hair, was a magi which gave them the upper hand; but somehow even the Chosen, a little girl, was fairing better than his soldiers, by accidentally tripping on her own feet she had managed to take two grown men down. Then there was the boy in red…

The human boy cut down his men as if his swords were made of steel and not wood, and as they fell, Botta noticed that they were still breathing. It made him curious; humans should all detest the Desians, so why not pick up a real sword and go for the kill?

"What is it, Elric?" he asked as the other half elf stopped by his side and was equally taken back by the fight.

"That's the boy in red that ambushed our first squad, the Captain told me to warn you… his name is Lloyd."

'Lloyd? What an unlucky coincidence.' Botta tear his eyes away from the fight to look at the messenger with a disbelieving frown etched on his face, before signaling one of his strongest fighters from the back.

"Vidarr, take care of them."

* * * *

Lloyd panted as he stood over the bodies of four fallen Desians, all of whom were still alive but wouldn't be waking anytime soon. He stared, stunned at his own arms which had practically moved on their own throughout the whole fight. Once again, combat was second nature. His arms knew exactly where to strike and when to block to avoid serious injury.

He unconsciously groped at his bandage hand, amazed how much skill could have been unlocked by one little stone. Lloyd almost wondered if it made him smart enough to pass one of Professor Raine's math tests and decided not to press his luck. Looking back up, Lloyd and his friends gaped in horror at the approaching Desian.

The man was a monster. Big and mean looking as a grizzly bear and Lloyd would have preferred the latter as he unconsciously took a step back. Was he trembling? His arms suddenly felt like lead weights as the hulking Desian effortlessly began to swing around a chain over him, and at the end of it was a mace ball that was bigger than a human head.

"What's the matter boy?" Vidarr sneered at him, "Scared? You should be."

The chain snapped forward and Lloyd reacted quickly, diving over to his left and knocking both Genis and Collette out of harms way. They scampered about when the mace ball came crashing down above them, leaving a nasty looking hole in the earth where Collette lay seconds ago. Rolling over into a crouch position, Lloyd glared at the Desian. How dare he target Collette!

He charged forward, ducking and leaping over Vidarr's swings as he got up close to the huge man's torso.

"SWORD RAIN!" he automatically yelled the words that came to his head as he proceeded to send a series of stabs into the Desian's exposed belly. His body finished the attack by launching itself up and kicking his stunned enemy in the jaw before landing a yard away. He heard the sound of the mace ball slam into the ground once more as Vidarr backed up, wheezing and coughing up blood.

"Way to go, Lloyd!" Genis cheered him from behind.

The brunet turned his head, and tiredly gave his best friend a thumbs-up. Mistake. Lloyd knew he made one the second the younger boy's facial expression of awe turned into absolute horror. From the corner of his eye, he saw it coming, the mace ball - and all its deadly spikes - was headed straight towards his face.

He squeezed his eyes shut, his arms lifted, bringing his swords up to shield himself. When it came, the impact sent him sailing backwards. Lloyd could hear the screams of his friends over the sound of his blades being utterly destroyed. He knew his head was soon to follow. The pain was indescribable and his vision was nothing but a sickening swirl of red and black.

* * * *

How long had he been falling? All Lloyd could remember was closing his eyes as the earth shattered under his feet and swallowed him whole. Was it all just a dream? Was it possible for a living being to breathe without air for this long? He felt tired, and no matter how hard he tried, his eyelids refused to open. His other senses were also numbed, leaving him helpless as he continued to plummet further into the unknown depths of either frigid dark water or his own consciousness. He couldn't help but wonder if this was what the aftermath of death was like. An ear-drum splitting response instantly shattered the deafening silence.

"YOU CAN'T DIE!"

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End chapter 2