Lyn: Thank you Vampwriter and Elonie Kyle for Reviewing. We love Reviews and Suggestions!
Lea: Sorry if Kratos seems a little out of character in this chapter. I tried very hard to make him act like himself while still doing what he dose… Any spotlight to Lloyd!
Lloyd: Lea Andrews dose not own Tales of Symphonia, but she dose own Mira/Lyn.
Lea: Now on with the show. It's a long one tonight! 3
"Kratos, what exactly is this journey about anyway?" Lyn asked as the group was entering Ossa Trail.
"It's a journey to regenerate the world. Collette, the chosen, must release all of the seals and become an angel. After that, she will travel to the Tower of Salvation and release the final seal. From there she will be taken to heaven. If Collette succeeds, she will be the 13th Chosen."
"Oh I see, but who would attack her anyway."
"…" Kratos sighed.
"Is the Chosen of Mana among you?" asked a woman with black eyes, black hair, and a purple kimono.
"Yep, that's me!" Smiled Collette.
"Prepare to die!" The assassin said, charging at Collette. Collette accidentally tripped over a lollypop switch and a hole opened beneath the assassin's feet.
"Oh no. Is she alright?" Collette asked.
"Probably." Lyn assured her.
"Judging from the distance down being 10 meters, and a bunch of other calculation crap, she should be fine."
"Oh really?" Asked Collette.
"Yeah. Let's just hurry before she gets up again." Said Lloyd. "Chances are that we'll meet up again later. And I'm not even going to ask why there's a trap door in the middle of nowhere."
"A wise choice." Kratos said.
"It's the underground mine maintenance passage." Raine said, "Let's go." The group traveled, almost reaching the end of the trail, when suddenly, she showed up again!
"Wait!" She yelled, "I'm not letting you get away that easily!"
"Wow, she caught up with us."
"Die!" She yelled, charging at Lyn, mistaking her for Collette. Kratos quickly jumped in front of her in a flash and hit her in the stomach with his sword hilt, sending her flying.
"Wow…" Lloyd said, everyone looked amazed. After everyone snapped back to reality, they quickly left for Izoold. When the group had reached there, no more ships were available. The group had no choice but to accept a girls offer to deliver a letter in order to cross the sea. The group's boat was then taken off coarse by a storm, and they had to port in a harbor to the South of Palmacosta.
"This bites!" Said Lloyd. "What now?"
"We head for Palmacosta!" Smiled Collette. The group then headed towards the large city, but the sun had almost set.
"Let's set up camp here." Said Kratos. A moment later, Lloyd said
"Man, this journey is getting boring!"
"Lloyd!" Raine yelled.
"Well, why don't you spice things up?" Lloyd said.
"Spice things up? Like things aren't dangerous enough!" Raine yelled.
"But Professor!... How about you Kratos? You must get board! You wear that same face all the time. Seriously."
"Well maybe things would be less boring to you if you started training more and less time worrying about my face and girls."
"Well teach me something!" Lloyd yelled.
"If he wanted to learn about things in class this much, I would be considered dumb." Genis muttered under his breath.
"Ok, Ok, I'll teach you something." Kratos sighed, "Lyn, you should start practicing your drills to. You don't want to get rusty."
"Alright." Lyn started her drills at camp, and Kratos took Lloyd to start his lessons in the nearby woods.
"Alright, Position your arms like this. From here, you can dodge or cut through the enemy's defenses to attack."
"I know that already. Can we spar? I learn better that way." Lloyd asked.
"Fine, I'll spar." Kratos sighed. Since when did my son become such a brat! Kratos and Lloyd spared for a little while, with Kratos always ending the victor.
"How do you get so good?" Lloyd asked.
"Practice. I depend on my sword." Kratos replied, knocking Lloyd off his feet once again.
"Kratos. I'm sorry... about the prank and about being rude." Lloyd said, getting up. "It's just… I want to grow stronger. I want to learn more. I don't like it when people call me dumb, and I hate it when I can't protect someone. Even when I did that prank, or asked you all of those embarrassing questions, you never loose your calm. The Professor and Lyn even blush when you help them, yet you have no interest to it. I've never had a girl like me… I… I just want to be like you."
"You… Your swordsmanship isn't bad; I can help you with that. You do seem to loose interest at school, but the Professor and Genis can help you with your brain. Collette's a nice girl, too. You have several different opportunities in front of you. Just take them." Kratos said.
"You're right. Let's head back." Lloyd muttered. They headed back as the sun set, to see Lyn finishing up practicing, and Genis building a fire. Kratos laid on a nearby rock, and Lloyd sat next to Collette and the fire. Lloyd then turned to Kratos, who sat alone.
"Kratos, you know how good I am, but could you help me figure out my capibilities?" Lloyd asked.
"You mean like a test?" Kratos asked.
"Yes, but I want to see how good you are too. You usually just block my movements, but I want to see you in real action, doing rash things to make me stronger. You know what I mean?"
"Hm… Ok, I propose a game. It's a game of many against one. It involves teamwork, skill, instinct, luck, and brain power. Those are all basic skills all groups need, especially one that has to guard the chosen. Anyone else want to play?"
"Sure!" Genis and Colette said.
"I have no objections." Said Raine.
"Why didn't you suggest this sooner." Lloyd asked.
"Because I want to have confidence in all of your abilities before I put you up to something like this." Kratos said.
"I think I'll pass. I have a bad feeling about it." Said Lyn.
"Aww Come on." Said Lloyd.
"We'll need a judge. Lyn, you can do that, if you don't mind." Kratos cut in.
"Very well. That doesn't sound so bad." Lyn smiled.
"I will explain the rules in tomorrow morning before we start." Kratos said, and went out to keep watch.
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Lyn couldn't sleep. It drew near to midnight… The fire went out, the moon was full, and the stars were shining so brightly that it illuminated the ground. Kratos was staring at the stars again, until a large green creature ran up beside him and crouched down. It was Noishe. The dog laid down behind Kratos, and Kratos rested on his side, stroking his fur. Lyn couldn't take it anymore, so she got up and walked over to him.
"Hi Kratos san."
"Hello Mira. Is something wrong." He asked.
"Yeah. I can't sleep." She sighed.
"You know. There was something I was meaning to give you. I was waiting to give it to you later, but with the assassin incident, now should be the best time. Could you, sit right here, and close your eyes for a second?" He asked.
"Sure." She said, sitting down beside him, nervous. Then she closed her eyes, and felt something cold around her neck.
"You can open your eyes now." He said. She saw a beautiful golden necklace with a white diamond-like sphere as a jewel in the center of the charm. "It's an exphere. It's special. The one I ware, and the one Lloyd has are it's only equals. Mira told me to take it when she died, so I did. I have no need for it, and it would only loose its touch if it isn't used."
"But, how do I use it?" She asked.
"It dose it automatically, but I was told once that if you were in great danger and you wanted something so much with your heart and soul, the exphere would reflect your emotions like a mirror, and give you the power to make your wish possible." He explained.
"Wow." Lyn said. "That's cool! Oh yeah. About this game…"
"It's something my friends and I used to play to get stronger. Of coarse, back then, things were a lot more difficult for us. Lloyd will definitely learn from it. Get some sleep and don't worry about it."
"Alright. If you say so."
"Oh yes, Mira. One more thing. I wouldn't recommend wearing a dress tomorrow… at all."
"I'll take your word for it." She sighed, getting up and going back to sleep.
"Yes… This should be fun!" he smiled under the moonlight while no one saw. "Lloyd, it's time for payback."
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The next morning finally came, and Lyn couldn't sleep, but for some reason, she felt a hundred times better. Her sight, hearing, speed, strength, and senses got a lot stronger. "Is it the exphere?" She muttered to herself. "She put on a different outfit of aqua breaches, a white shirt, and a vest, rather then the normal green dress, and she put her hair in a ponytail.
Everyone had packed for the next day, and Kratos was talking to Noishe. Lloyd was confused why Noishe had preferred Kratos over himself, but he was more interested in Kratos's "game." Everyone was prepared to head out, putting their bags on their backs, but none noticed Lyn's exphere. Kratos was still spending time with Noishe, and seemed to be assuring the dog of something.
"Kratos. What is this game? I'm curious." Lloyd said with a slight tilt in his head.
"Alright. I'll explain. It's a search and capture game. I will give you three days to find me and catch me. If you are able to touch me once or corner me, you win. The game will be in Palmacosta, and no one is aloud to leave until the game is over, or else you're disqualified. If you want to quit the game, or when the three days are over, we will meet at the House of Salvation to the North of here. Lyn will travel with me and be the judge. Simple enough?" Kratos asked. Everyone nodded to show that they understood, except Lloyd. "Oh yes, you may need this." Kratos said, throwing a small bag filled with gald in front of Lloyd.
"Yeah, Ok. But when dose the game start?" Asked Lloyd.
"It starts now!" Kratos said, jumping onto Noishe. Noishe burst into a run, and Kratos grabbed Lyn's waist and headed towards Palmacosta.
"WAHHH!!!" Lyn yelled. Kratos had a small smile on his face. This is what it must have felt like when Hades kidnapped Persephone, he thought smiling. Five minutes later, he slowed down Noishe. Lyn calmed down, and Kratos adjusted so she was riding in front of him. Then he continued towards Palmacosta. Noishe was happy for the run, but Lyn was surprised to see a smile on his face.
"I'm sorry if I scared you. They're a good two hours away, so we should have plenty of time." Kratos said, turning back to his serious cold self again as they slowed down to a trot.
"Ok, I admit, it was fun, but the others might be in shock, especially Lloyd." Lyn sighed. I'm almost afraid to ask what he was like when he was my age! She thought as they entered the city.
"Yes, but Lloyd did ask me to be rash." Kratos replied. "Don't let it bother you. Have fun. This is a game."
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Everyone stared at the trail for nearly 10 minutes. Finally, Lloyd broke the silence. "Did Kratos just do what I think he did?!" He asked. Everyone nodded with shock all over their faces.
"I thought I would never see the day when he would do something so irresponsible!" Said Raine.
"Well, I did ask him to be rash, but this is kind of overdoing it for him…" Lloyd sighed. "Well, I guess he's trying to show us his full extent."
"I'm not going to play anymore. Agreeing was a mistake!" Yelled Raine, angry.
"But you agreed to the game, Professor." Said Collette, "Don't give up before you start!"
"Yeah, let's go to Palmacosta and get this game over with. They can't be that hard to find." Lloyd smiled.
"Lloyd, you've never been to Palmacosta. Kratos has most likely traveled there several times, and knows all of its cracks and crannies. He also took the only other person who has even been to the place. Plus, you have to add the fact that Palmacosta is Sylverant's largest city. The only place close would be Luin!" Said Genis.
"Oh yeah. That could be a problem." Lloyd said sweating. The group started heading for Palmacosta.
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Kratos and Lyn had already set up a room at the most expensive hotel that there was no way Lloyd could get into because of the Security. On top of that, Kratos got the two of them in for free! They had gone into their room, and Kratos dropped off his stuff. Lyn was stunned at the finery.
"Kratos, how did you ever get free passes here?" Lyn exclaimed.
"Yuan and I once saved the owner from a dragon. He gave us passes to this hotel for free, whenever we wanted. He told us it was the least he could do. That brings me to the next thing I need to do. Want to come along?" he asked.
"Nah. I'll take a nap. Just don't get caught while I'm not there." Lyn sighed.
"Don't worry. I'll be back in a moment." Kratos said stepping out of the room, into the streets. He noticed a familiar carriage passing by, and he grabbed one the handle and jumped in.
"Hello Yuan." Kratos said.
"Don't scare me like that!" Said the blue haired half-elf Yuan. Kratos sat across from Yuan.
"I heard about your little bet with Mithos. I can't do anything to Lord Yggdrasill, but I can to you." Kratos said, gripping his sword hilt.
"Ok, ok, ok, I'm sorry!" said Yuan. "I'd rather not get in a fight in a small carriage in the middle of the city. You know we both would never hear the end of it. And by the way, I saw you come here with you know who. Weren't you supposed to leave her in Iselia?"
"I did. She had to "deliver a package" too the Chosen and they asked her to join. If I said no, I would never hear the end of it, either. Even so, I was supposed to be hired by the Church, so I don't get much of a say in the matter. I did manage to make it so she could come along if she never came close to the seals or the Tower of Salvation. That was the best I could do, and it should be enough for Mithos." He said.
"So, what do you want?" Yuan said, poring himself a small glass of wine and sipping out of it.
"I want to make you a bet." Kratos smiled. Yuan spewed the wine all over Kratos's face and started coughing.
"You make a bet with me?" Yuan said looking horrified.
"Yes. You see, I'm playing "the game" we used to play in the forest to keep our skills up, except this time in the city and with no weapons."
"Well, that's no fun!" said Yuan, "Go on."
"They have three days to find me and either touch or corner me." Kratos smiled
"For them, that's impossible." Yuan laughed.
"Yes, as impossible as you getting a girlfriend!" Kratos said.
"What!" Yuan yelled. "I can too get a girl!"
"Really? I don't think you're man enough to get a girl, Yuan." Kratos replied sternly
"I so am!" Protested Yuan.
"Ok then, prove me wrong. I bet you to get a girl of my choice to fall in love with you and kiss you before these three days are over!" Kratos smiled. "I'll pay you 20,000 gald if you can."
"DONE!!!" Yuan said, "Pick your girl! She'll fall in love so fast. You'll see." Yuan and Kratos drove by a few people, threatening to pick out ugly girls or sluts passing by. Finally, the Chosen's group came into town and passed by the carriage, and Kratos pointed Raine out.
"The half-elf with the silver hair?" Yuan said, trying to keep his cool.
"Yes, that one. Use any method you like, just remember to have a witness or proof, or else you won't get the money or bragging rights.
"Alright! This will be easy!" Yuan boasted as they both dismounted. Yuan started walking towards Raine.
"Sweet revenge never tasted better." Kratos smiled.
"There's Kratos." Said Lloyd. The group ran to get them, but as luck would have it, Raine ran into Yuan and lost track of Collette, Genis, and Lloyd. Kratos jumped onto a roof top, and the group eventually lost him and Raine. Then they stayed together to find where their Professor had gone. Kratos then slipped into the hotel window with his angel powers, but making sure that no one saw, but forgot to put back his blue wings because he was used to having them out in Darris Kharlan . He set down his sword and took off his purple swallowtail cape. He walked over to Lyn, who was wearing her blue dress because she had nothing else to ware, and starting to wake up.
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"I'm so sorry Miss. Are you alright?" Yuan asked Raine.
"I'm fine. That was my fault." Raine sighed, starting to run off, but dropped her favorite book about ruins out of her bag. Yuan picked it up and went after her, but couldn't find her. He sighed and walked to his favorite coffee shop and ordered herbal tea and some crumpets.
"I'll run into her again, hopefully. That didn't turn out how I expected, but at least I have a reason to see her again… Kratos, if I succeed, I'm going to rub this in your face for the next 1,000 years." Yuan smiled comfortably.
Lea: That's all for now! I actually had to cut some of the end of this section out and put it in the next section cause it was too long. But That's ok. We will now leave you with an awful Cliffhanger between Kratos and Mira. Buhahahahaha!!!
Lyn: This is how Lea gets if she doesn't get reviews cause at home, she's a very sad and lonely person.
Yuan: Yes, please Review for our sake!