Title: Disintegration

Author: Tenohikari

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia

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

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

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.

Chapter 5

After getting chewed out during a long medical examination, Lloyd was grateful that Professor Raine didn't physically punish him by adding onto his injuries. He did wince and cringe in sympathy for his best friend who probably had the worst spanking of his life. Genis' sister was sorely tempted to give him the same treatment after seeing the blood on his clothes, hearing how he fought the Desians in combat and how his head nearly turned into a pin cushion. She had all but ordered him to go home to rest and thank the Goddess that she didn't make him go back to the school house and write on the board for hours on end.

Class being cancelled for the day was another blessing. Raine was just too preoccupied with the attack of the Desians and the Chosen's Journey of Regeneration to be upset. After a meeting at Phaidra's house, the boys learned that the Professor and Kratos Aurion would be the ones to accompany Collette. Although Lloyd had insisted on coming he had been quickly shot down not only by the Mayor of Iselia but also by the stranger, Kratos, as well. The teen frowned and wondered what the mercenary's problem was.

"Well you did ignore him when he was trying to give you really important advice," Genis offered as he sat down on Lloyd's bed – wincing as he was reminded of the spanking his older sister had given him earlier. "He probably thinks you're some stupid kid who doesn't listen when adults tell you to do something that could save your life."

"Hey, I listen!" he then paused and then lowered his voice down to a whisper, "you don't think she'll tell my dad about how we left the school house to help Collette, do you?"

Genis only rolled his eyes which gave Lloyd little hope that he would not be grounded for the next month. He was just lucky that Dirk was out getting supplies which earned him at least a whole afternoon of freedom. As he cleaned up, changed his clothes, hid the bloodstained ones and broken wood swords in the closet; Genis went downstairs to feed Noishe and make them some lunch.

The aroma was definitely mouthwatering; but too sweet to be soup his friend usually prepared with sandwiches. Being the taller of the two definitely had its advantages as Lloyd peered over his friend's shoulder to see what he was cooking on the stove top. To his stomach's delight, he saw a tray of freshly baked oatmeal and peanut butter cookies that he just had dive into before the sandwiches that were already prepared on the table. He prepared to reach forward to make a quick grab, only to stagger backwards when the half-elf elbowed him in the ribs.

"You can have some after lunch," Genis scolded as he turned around and pointed to the plate of sandwiches, "and not all of these are for us."

Lloyd was never the one to back down after one failed attempt made another when he thought the younger boy had his hands full washing the dishes. However, instead of biting into a crisp warm cookie, he had a mouth full of soapy water. He really should have known better not to annoy the little magus who had an equally short fuse.

"So who are the rest for?" he asked, sitting down at the table and eating his sandwich in defeat. "Collette and the Professor?"

"No, I'll make them a batch when I get back to the village. The rest is for a friend who lives outside."

The young swordsman blinked and stopped chewing. Now that was a surprise. Although Genis and Lloyd have been best friends for years; other than Collete and her family, the young half elf wasn't very close to humans. Animals were a different story, but he couldn't have any pets out of fear Raine would attempt to experiment with them… or worse, make them eat her horrendous cooking. So Lloyd started to wonder if Genis made pals with a wolf or something. That might be interesting; Noishe could have a new friend.

"Is she cute?"

Genis looked up sharply from sandwich he had been nibbling and swallowed hard. "H-How did you know it was a 'she'?"

"Gut instinct!" Lloyd exclaimed proudly. "So is she? Will Noishe like her?"

"Noishe?"

"Yeah, it'll be neat if he could have a buddy around while dad's working and I'm at school. I can feed her to when you're busy. So what kind of food does she eat other than cookies? Hey maybe dad will let me keep her and…"

He stopped babbling when the other boy sent him an incredulous stare. It was the same look the genius half-elf gave him when they were in class, and he had had quickly spouted out some random number for a math question when they were studying history. Lloyd rubbed the back of his head in emabressement.

"Not a dog?"

"Nope."

"A rabbit then? Is it a cat? Don't tell me it's a bear!"

"She's human!" the younger boy exclaimed, "Her name is Marbel. She's a human being and not some wild animal."

Lloyd chewed slowly as his mind slowly processed this new information. There was a human living in the woods of Iselia? Surely he would have heard about it, at least from his father who often traveled around for supplies or to go hunting. The only humans around, lived inside the village or the…

"Wait a minute!" he snapped, dropping his sandwich and forgetting his appetite completely. "Your friend isn't a prisoner of the Ranch, is she?"

Seeing his Genis avoid his intense gaze out of guilt was confirmation enough. Silence permeated the small house that had once been filled with noisy chatter. Lloyd leaned back in his seat and wished he had been wrong this time.

A Human Ranch was exactly what was; a place where human beings were treated as livestock. Many of these unfortunate people - men and women of all ages - had been taken from their villages and towns that were ravaged by Desians to be worked to death. It made both Lloyd and his father sick to think about what kind of inhumane treatment was going on just miles away from their own home.

"I… I know it was stupid…" the half elf spoke apologetically, "but she's always starving! Those monsters don't give her much to eat because she can't work as hard as the others. But being an old lady isn't her fault!"

Although he was touched that Genis had gone out of his way to help a person in need, it still bothered him that his friend had put himself in mortal danger without telling anyone. He could only imagine the world of hurt Raine would send her little brother to if she were to ever learn he visited the Ranch frequently. The Mayor of Iselia would gladly exile both the Sage Siblings from the village if word got out they interfered with the Desians. There was no doubt he would even blame them for violating the peace treaty despite the attack earlier today.

"Please, Lloyd," his best friend pleaded. "Please don't tell anyone! Promise me!"

The brunet frowned as he leaned forward over the table and gently whapped the smaller boy over the head. Genis should have already known without asking. No matter what, he always stood by his friends.

"Of course, dummy." It was strange calling the smartest student in class that, but both boys ended up cracking a smile. "Just promise that from now on, you'll let me come with you."

After surviving a deadly encounter with the fearsome Desians, any person with a shred of common sense would not knowingly put themselves in a similar situation again in the same day. Genis was probably the most level headed person Lloyd knew, and it surprised him that he was the one tagging along on his friend's dangerous venture towards a place where most adults in the village did not dare to take even ten steps in that direction. Still if his friend wanted to help someone, he was going to help his friend.

"Dwarven Vow #2: Never abandon someone in need."

Most people would call him a fool and he wouldn't care. Genis needed him to watch his back every once and awhile, and that was all there was to it. Besides, Lloyd and Genis were just delivering cookies to a little old lady. It's not that they were expecting to fight the Desians again. But if the opportunity to score payback against those monsters presented itself, they would be extremely careful about it.

Noishe was an excellent scout through the woods, as they manage to find their way to the ranch without being spotted by patrolling Iselian guards. If Lloyd wasn't already convinced his dog was a genius, he was now. The moment Noishe heard the words 'Human Ranch' the dog had whimpered but left the comfort and safety of his pen to tag along. Genis was just thankful that his friend's unusual pet was at least green and could act as camouflage.

Lloyd fought off the feeling of unease when he caught sight of the gates of the Human Ranch that appeared like an oversized cage. As they approached, their furry green shield let out a low whine and ran back into the woods. The two friends approached cautiously from the side. While the older boy looked grim, Genis' face lighted up as he spotted an elderly woman dressed in a ragged prisoner uniform that looked like it was made of burlap.

"Marble!"

The weariness on Marble's face seemed to vanish as she climbed to her feet and approached the gates to smile at the short silver-haired boy.

"Genis, you came!"

"Sorry that I'm so late, were you waiting long?"

She shook her head and glanced curiously at the other red-clad teenager.

"Oh this is my friend, Lloyd," said Genis. "Lloyd, this is Marble."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lloyd." Marble greeted him with a warm smile that he returned wholeheartedly.

"Likewise."

The half-elf set down his book bag, and pulled out a thin canteen of water, small wrapped bundle of cookies, and a sandwich. Lloyd had his doubts that the food would be able to pass through the wire mesh, but Genis must have been doing this often as he was able to hand it over to Marble who quickly consumed the meal as if it had been her first in many days. Lloyd wouldn't doubt it, remembering when his best friend's earlier outburst. It made him appreciate just how lucky he was to be free… even if he felt horribly guilty about watching people being treated inhumanely.

As she ate, Genis told her all of the exciting events that happened today and both were caught up in the excitement of the Oracle's appearance. Marble's smile grew wider by the minute as the mention of the Chosen's Generation; her weary eyes sparkled with hope. Lloyd kept out on the lookout as they talked, but every so often his eyes would stray to the Tower of Salvation.

The strange dreams he had at school came back to him, though not as vivid. He could recall seeing the same massive structure that was the Tower of Salvation but somehow not the half-elf girl who had been speaking to him. However, Lloyd had forgotten what was spoken in those strange one-sided conversations. Did his sudden forgetfulness have something to do with his head injury from before? Or was he just exhausted.

Lloyd sighed and reached up to rub his temples and turned towards Genis who was still chatting with Marble. He tried not to stare at either her painfully thin frame or scarred and dirty hands as she tried to clean them off on her dress. Lloyd couldn't help himself, as caught sight of a familiar looking stone, embedded into the back of her hand.

"Hey Grams," he spoke to Marble who flinched when he crouched down to examine the stone more closely. "Is that an exsphere?"

"Her name is Marble." Genis frowned at how Lloyd had addressed his other friend, finding it rude and disrespectful. The elderly woman only smiled fondly at the two of them.

"It's quite all right, Genis. As for this stone," Marble frowned in dismay as she looked at the back of her hand. "I'm not sure what it is called. As soon as we arrived at the Ranch, the Desians implanted them into us. The stone is helpful when it comes to hard labor, but dreadful to look at."

Lloyd nodded in agreement as he stared at bluish-veins that stuck out unnaturally around the embedded exsphere. "They didn't put a key crest on."

"A what?"

The brunet turned slightly to catch his best friend's inquisitive stare. That's right, there was no way Genis would have known of the exspheres, raised in a village of free humans. Lloyd had kept his own hidden under layers of bandages the entire time with the same excuse that a craftsman had to protect his hands. It was a lie, and despite the promise to his father, he couldn't help but feel a surge of guilt.

"Attaching an exsphere directly to skin will eventually make you really sick, unless it's mounted to a key crest," he explained. "Only dwarves can make them."

At the last part, Genis nodded in understanding, while his blue eyes clouded in worry while Marble looked amazed at this new information.

"You're quite knowledgeable, Lloyd."

The student who usually got the lowest marks when it came to exams; couldn't help but flush with pride and embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his head. An idea suddenly came to him as he lowered his arms and examined the single bandage around his hand. Although they couldn't free this kind old lady from imprisonment, maybe there was some way to help her like Genis was.

"My dad is a dwarf blacksmith," he informed Marble. "I can probably talk him into making a key crest for you."

After all, it was part of their vows to help someone in need. Marble was a prisoner of the Human Ranch and needed all the help she could get. Well, it was probably for the best that he not mentions the whole visiting the ranch part. He didn't need to add onto the head injuries he received that day.

"That's great, Lloyd!" Genius was enthused… so much so that the half-elf child had completely forgotten where they were.

"Sshh!"

The red-clad swordsman heard the sound of approaching footsteps and grabbed onto his friend when two Desians on perimeter patrol came into his line of vision. It was too late, they had been seen. Lloyd quickly whistled for Noishe who came bounding back just time for the brunet to toss his startled friend onto the large dog's back. With a quick swat to the side, Noishe took off back into the forest as Lloyd drew his blades free from their scabbards.

With his twin swords he was able to counter both charging Desians at the same time. Once more he called upon the strength from his own exsphere, as his two opponents tried to overwhelm him from both sides. From the corner of his eye he saw Marble tense, bringing her hands to her mouth in muted horror.

"Grams!" he managed to shout through clenched teeth. "Hey! Don't just stand there! Go on, run!"

Realizing there was nothing she could do being on the other side of the gate, Marble fled while praying to the goddess that the young man would be all right. Fortunately her prayers had not fallen on a dead deity's ears. Luck was on Lloyd's side once again as he sidestepped to avoid one opponent's blade as he used one of his own to slash at the second's throat with deadly accuracy. Seeing his comrade fall, the remaining Desian snarled as he charged at Lloyd, raising his massive sword over the youth's head.

Lloyd reacted quickly enough, crossing his blades in the form of an "X" as he blocked the devastating blow. He gritted his teeth and glared up at his enemy who leered back in response, putting more of his weight behind the blade. His eyes quickly darted in all directions for an escape route that won't lead the Desians back home.

His options were few of course. There was forest behind him, but he didn't want to run the risk of getting lost or leading them back to Genis and Noishe. Then there was the main road which meant he would be out in the open. Finally, there was the cliff that he wouldn't be able to climb down while being chase, sure he could jump but that would be close to suicide. Still… jumping would be his best option, especially when the number of enemies increased.

"There's the intruder, get him!"

"Damn!" he cursed, spotting more Desians appearing around the corner.

Capture was not an option. While using one of his swords to keep the enemy's weapon at bay, Lloyd yanked his other blade and slashed his startled enemy across the chest. His heart beating more by the second, he didn't even wait for the man fall as his feet carried him to the cliff and right over it. There was a strange yet familiar feeling to not have the solid ground beneath his feet. Lloyd felt the gentle pulse of his exsphere and a sudden throbbing pain coming from his upper back before his vision swam and then… darkness.

"Impossible!" gasped the first Desian who arrived at the edge of the cliff. Had the half-elf soldier not been wearing his helm, he would have rubbed his eyes.

"The fool jumped to his death?" asked a newcomer. "Well that certainly saved us time for tracking him down."

"I… I don't think he's dead."

"Are you kidding? No human could survive a fall like that."

"T-That's what I'm saying! I don't think he was human!"

"Explain."

The group of Desian simultaneously stiffened upon turning to the low commanding voice that belonged to Grand Cardinal Forcystus. At the sight of him, the human prisoners crowded around the gate at the commotion, quickly scattered in terror. The tall muscular looking Desian commander glanced down warily at the two fallen bodies at his feet before turning his single narrowed gaze to the soldier standing at the cliff.

"Well?"

"Well, sir…it's just that I thought…" the half-elf swallowed hard at the intense gazes from his lord and peers and just forced the rest of the words out. No matter how strange they sounded to his pointed-tip ears.

"I could have sworn that the intruder had wings!"

End Chapter 5

Author's Note:

I'm really sorry for the year long delay, actually was planning on discontinuing until I received some very encouraging reviews and have fallen in love with Tales of Symphonia all over again (may even go back and play the first game until I get the Zelos ending), so I'll try and update on a regular basis. Thank you all for reading, and please let me know what you think by sending me a review.