A/N: Well...I couldn't resist writing another couple of fluffy Presea and Lloyd short stories, hehe...so this is the first update, of which there will be a few more. It's my favourite pairing, and has just so much more resonance than Presea and Genis. Anywho, I'm leaving the chapters in the order that I uploaded them in, but in terms of chronological order, this short story takes place between Heimdall Part 2 and Release.

Presea found herself blinking subconsciously as she prodded her reflection in the eye; the water rippling and distorting the features that stared outwards from the lake's surface. Keeping her finger immersed until a cool numbness began to spread through it into her hand, the pink haired girl sighed again, still not really knowing why she was doing so.

The boat she was draped in began to turn gently in the still waters, and Presea shifted her gaze to the rope that tethered the wooden vessel to the nearby bank. It was peaceful here – the small lake being almost entirely surrounded by a thin circle of woodland and thus affording a relative level of solitude. The sounds of birds and tree-dwelling creatures punctuated the serene silence every so often, and tiny clusters of butterflies and other assorted insects traced irregular paths over the lake's surface. Presea shifted her position so she was sat resting her back against the inside of the boat and looked drowsily up at the clear blue sky, feeling the scorching heat warm her face.

I should be happy, she thought as she closed her eyes against the brightness of the sun. No, wait…I am happy, but I'm also…

She suspended her thoughts for a moment and frowned. What was that feeling? Now matter how hard she tried, Presea just couldn't grasp the range of emotions that continued to run rampant through her mind. She and Lloyd were together now, and that generated a nice feeling of warmth inside of her body, but at the same time there was something about it that filled her with an intense uncertainty.

Unable to settle, Presea moved again, peering back over the side of the boat to catch sight of her reflection mirroring the unease and frustration on her face.

So young…I look so young.

That was it, wasn't it? When it came down to it, that was the real cause of the insecurity. Lloyd had never said anything on the subject, but she still found the future filled with doubt and uncertainty anyway.

"Presea!"

The small girl jerked her head up to see Lloyd stood by the bank waving at her. Waving back, Presea felt heat flood to her cheeks, fuelled by something akin to guilt for having such thoughts when the young man had been nearby.

Oblivious, Lloyd ran down to the lake edge, his grin full of youthful enthusiasm. "Mind if I come aboard?"

"Of course not," Presea reached over for the oars. "I shall bring the boat over."

"Nah, it's all right." Without a moments pause, Lloyd leapt forward and dived headfirst into the water, sinking with surprising grace beneath the clear, rippling surface. Presea followed his blurred form as it moved powerfully towards the boat before the young man surfaced to swiftly complete the remainder of the journey. Presea smiled affectionately at him as he grasped the side of the boat and began treading water beside the vessel.

"I've been looking for you everywhere," he said, returning the smile. "How's it going?"

"I was contemplating…things." Presea let the word carry in the air and studied her companion at length. "You should have waited; I would have brought the boat closer. Now your clothes are wet."

Lloyd laughed and shook his head, beads of water spraying everywhere. "It's really warm today," he replied – looking up at the cloudless blue sky. "I'll dry off in no time. You should come in and have a swim."

Presea smiled faintly, but realised that whatever she was thinking must have reflected on her face as Lloyd paused to stare at her. Pulling himself up into the boat, he looked across at the pink haired girl with concern on his face.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "You've been really quiet since we got back from Derris-Kharlan. Are you still thinking about when Mithos…took you?" It was obvious from the sound of his voice that Lloyd still found disgust in what their enemy had done, and the small girl felt an overwhelming amount of affection for the young man consume her.

"I…have?" She met his gaze, wondering why she queried the statement despite knowing it was true. "No, it's not about Mithos, it's…it's nothing…do not concern yourself with it."

"Oh," Lloyd hesitated and turned to look elsewhere. "Um…have I done something wrong?"

"What?" Presea heard the alarm sound in her voice and shook her head ferociously. Of course you haven't, she thought and placed what she hoped was a reassuring hand on his knee. "No…I-I'm sorry…it's just that I've been…uncertain of something." The small girl paused, frustrated that, despite being able to open her heart to the young man once already at Heimdall, she couldn't seem do so again.

Lloyd nodded and took her hands in his; they were still cool from the water and damp. "Well…we can talk about it if you want. I mean…" he coloured visibly. "…That's kinda what we're supposed to do now, right? Now that we're together."

Together. The word sounded delightful to Presea, giving her a small shudder of pleasure as she heard him say it. Giving his hands a quick squeeze, she felt a nervous tingle spread through her stomach as she met Lloyd's eyes "…That sounds nice. Together." The pink haired girl tried the word out for herself, and the warm sensation intensified – flowing unrestrained, until she caught sight of her reflection in the water again.

"Did you…really mean it?" she whispered absently; the question so quiet it seemed almost as though she was asking herself. "Did you really mean it when you said we'd grow old together? And…and that you…loved me?" It was strange, she thought, how giddy that word made her feel.

"Huh?" Lloyd's thoughtful frown belied the confusion in his voice. "O-of course I meant it." His fingers entwined themselves with hers. "I don't understand, why are you asking this now?"

Presea bit her lip and looked up at the sky. "I am probably being irrational again, but…does my…my…" she frowned impatiently and waved a hand up and down her body in frustration at being unable to find the right words. "My…appearance is…"

The young man stared blankly at her, nonplussed. "Your appearance? I, uh, I don't get it."

Presea glared angrily at her reflection, irritated at her poor description. "It is going to be…problematic isn't it? I look so young."

"Oh…" Lloyd met her gaze and smiled. "…Yeah, but you're not, you're –"

"I know," snapped Presea, and then looked away, feeling guilt at her outburst. I have to stop hitting out like this, she chastised herself. "Lloyd…I apologise…"

Lloyd pulled the small girl into an embrace so she was sitting between his legs, her back resting against his cool, soaked chest. "Presea…you can't help what the Exsphere did to you, you know."

"Yes, I know…" The small girl swallowed, feeling her throat tighten at the subject matter. Even now, what had happened with the Exspheres generated so much confusion and pain that she often felt too uncomfortable to talk about it. For some reason, it was only with Lloyd that she found the strength to discuss those issues, and was grateful that she could.

Lloyd wrapped his arms awkwardly round her. "Right, it's not your fault! Your body may have stopped ageing during that time, but the rest of you didn't." He paused for a second and Presea heard him suppress a chuckle. "When you think about it, you're practically an old woman!"

Presea tilted her head back to meet his gaze. "That was an attempt at humour…correct?"

"An attempt?" Lloyd sighed in mock-misery. "I thought it was quite good."

The pink haired girl smiled faintly, and shifted herself up a little so she could plant a kiss on Lloyd's cheek. The action was awkward and gentle, her lips brushing softly, nervously, against the young man's skin. "…It really does not concern you then?"

Lloyd's face grew serious for a moment and Presea was grateful for that. She could believe his answer without any doubt if he gave it without injecting humour into the conversation.

"No," he replied, "I've never even thought about it. You may look younger than you really are, but you're not, so I'm not sure that really matters. Um…that make sense?"

Presea smiled, feeling the giddy warmth that came with complete reassurance. "I think it does…"

"The important thing is that you're you, right? So don't worry about it." The young man stroked her hair softly. "Besides, we'll be growing old together…remember that!"

"I will…" Presea nuzzled her head under his. "…I love you."

Lloyd laughed nervously at her admission, and rested his head gently on Presea's. "Ha…I love you too, now stop it – you're making me blush."

The pink haired girl snuggled herself further into his embrace, feeling the dampness in his clothes soak through into hers. Despite that though, she still felt warm and cosy. "That was not my intent," she replied drowsily, "I just wanted to let you know…and I like saying it. I do not understand what it is exactly, but I get this wonderful feeling when I'm with you. It is hard to describe, but it feels…um," she tried to find a suitable word. "Fuzzy."

"Fuzzy?" Lloyd thought for a moment. "Yeah…I guess that's a pretty good description of it."

"Yes." Presea allowed the sound of the buzzing insects nearby to fill the air for a few moments before she looked up at Lloyd again. "I…still get nervous though. Being with someone, like this, it…it is not something I am familiar with. It is difficult to know what I should be doing…or if I'm getting it right." I want to get it right, her thoughts added. I want to…because it's you.

"Heh, yeah, I know what you mean." Lloyd squeezed the pink haired girl close to him, and tentatively kissed the top of her head. "But I don't think you're alone there, I think it's like that for everyone – including me."

Presea made a contented noise and closed her eyes. "That is reassuring to know," she murmured, feeling drowsy with ease. A thought came to her then, through the haze of almost-sleep. "That being the case, would you…like to hold hands more?" She blushed a little; feeling embarrassed at the sudden subject change, and at Lloyd as he looked down. "Um…I mean, I just thought…it would be nice to do that when we're just, um…together. In general, I mean, in addition to when we're…like this."

"Sure we can," Lloyd replied. "If it's something you like doing then we'll do that."

"It is. I…like it because, when we're holding hands, I feel as though I belong to you. As though I'm really yours…" Presea thought about it for a few moments. "It is the nicest feeling I think I have ever experienced."

Lloyd nodded his head in agreement. "Heh, yeah, gotta admit that it is a really nice feeling."

"Yes." Presea smiled softly to herself. "The experience is much more preferable to the one of hugging a damp person." She looked up to meet Lloyd's eyes and the smile broke into a grin. "You are uncomfortable when you're wet."

"Huh, was that your attempt at humour then?" It was obvious that he was feigning the sullen tone. "Well, sorry for being wet…but there's always something we can do about that."

Without warning, Lloyd grabbed the side of the boat and rocked it furiously – piling all his weight and strength behind the effort. The wooden vessel groaned as it complied with the movement, lurching sideways and capsizing – unceremoniously dumping its passengers into the cool water.

Presea let out a small squeak of shock as she entered the lake's embrace, paddling for a few moments under the water before emerging with a spluttered gasp. The surface was strangely warm compared to the rest of the body of water, no doubt heated by the intense and relentless sunshine. The small girl looked across to see Lloyd surface beside the upturned boat, smiling broadly at her.

"That was…unnecessary," she said, paddling over to his location.

"Aw, sorry but I just couldn't resist," Lloyd grinned roguishly as he flicked beads of water at Presea. "But you're wet too now – so now hugging me shouldn't be so bad."

He laughed as Presea slapped down on the water between them, spraying him with water, before sweeping his arm down through the lake's surface in response, sending the liquid cascading over the small girl. Presea found she was also giggling happily as the friendly battle intensified, feeling a light, but intense happiness come over her. Twisting and splashing about in the lake, the pair gradually found themselves floating closer together as they fought. Presea leapt forward, intent on pushing the young man into the water, but the action stopped short of that as her arms wrapped around him, and she instead found herself turning to kiss him passionately.

Lloyd returned the kiss, and the pair treaded water for a few moments – tightly embracing while their lips found each other. Opening her eyes, Presea looked up and stared contentedly at the young man before her.

My Lloyd, she thought happily – liking the sound of the statement. And I am your Presea. Yours alone.

"I am going to enjoy growing old with you," she murmured aloud and leaned up to wrap her arms around the back of Lloyd's neck, bringing him down to rekindle their kiss.