Me: Hello, everyone!

Kratos: *nods*

Me: Only a nod? C'mon Kratos! This is my first hello to fanfiction after all!

Kratos: ...

Me: Fine. Well, at least help me do the disclaimer.

Kratos: LinktoTwilight does not own any of the Tales of Symphonia characters. They and their story belong to Namco.

Me: Such enthusiasm... Anyway, I hope you like this! Pleeeease review, as I'm new to FanFiction and would love some feedback!

Chapter 1

"Come along, Lloyd. He's gone."

Lloyd sighed, his head down. The fight with Mithos had left him a little dizzy. "Yeah. Yeah you're right." He began to turn. "Are you guys-"

He was cut short suddenly. Everyone behind froze, not comprehending what they saw. Lloyd stared ahead for a moment, then slowly lowered his eyes to gape at the blade now protruding from his chest.

Mithos's image appeared, weak and flickering. "I said I would make the same choices over again. But if I'm ended here, I'm taking you with me, Lloyd Irving." He once again vanished, this time permanently, the sword disappearing as well.

Lloyd swayed for a moment, gasping, before faltering and falling backwards, his swords clanging to the ground, the wound already sapping his strength.

"LLOYD!" Kratos roared, running forward with Colette close behind. Kratos caught his son just before he hit the ground. He held Lloyd's head on his arm, terrified of the blood now flowing onto his purple sleeve. "Lloyd! Lloyd, do you hear me!"

Lloyd gasped and writhed, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Lloyd, no!" Colette yelled. "Professor, Kratos, please heal him!"

Kratos already had his hand out, focusing. "First aid." Lloyd relaxed as the wound closed before their eyes, but Kratos knew, hated to know, that there was too much internal damage. That sword hit too close to Lloyd's heart.

"Did it work?" Colette asked, looking between Kratos and Lloyd, tightly gripping the younger swordsman's hand. Kratos merely grunted. He continued to heal, giving as much of his own mana as he could, the affects starting to make him feel dizzy. This had to work. It had to. He would give his own life to make this work.

Unfortunately, Lloyd realized the same thing Kratos did, and hit his father's hand away. His breathing was shallow, but he smiled just a fraction. "Don't, Kr-Dad. We just got you back from Origin. I won't let you make the same mistake twice." His body shook for a moment as he suddenly coughed into Kratos's sleeve, blood coloring his lips.

"Lloyd…" Dad? He called me Dad? Now, of all times? How can he call me that when I couldn't even protect him…?

"What is he saying Kratos?" Genis's voice asked. "He's not…"

Colette raised her head and looked around. The entire party was grouped around the trio on the floor. Genis was closest, clingingly tightly to his sister's sleeve.

Kratos closed his eyes. Already the boy in his arms was growing pale, his eyes stuggling to stay focused. He grabbed Lloyd's other hand. This was not happening. It couldn't be happening. He had already lost his son once, so long ago. Now, after everything, when they were so close to victory, fate was being so cruel as to make him lose him again.

"There's nothing more we can do. I've closed the wound, so he won't bleed to death, but it's only a matter of…" He choked on his words, his teeth clenched. Anna, I'm so sorry.

"Lloyd!" Colette exclaimed, leaning towards her best friend's face, tears streaming down her face. "You can't leave now, Lloyd! We need you! You have to use the Eternal Sword and revive the Great Tree! We're about to join the worlds!" She shook her head. "This is the world you fought so hard to build! You have to be there to see it!"

Lloyd began to tremble. His eyes filled but he refused to let them spill over. He was going numb, and it was getting harder to breathe, but he had to stay strong for her. He had always found the strength for her. He would keep that until the end.

"It's alright, you dork. We all knew this might happen. You have to take care of the worlds for me, Colette. You all have to." He tried to raise his head and look at his team, his friends. They had all come so far…

Genis was still gripping his sister, tears running silently. Raine sobbed softly, her hand over her mouth. Presea and Regal stood in the back, sad and respectful. Sheena was shaking with rage and helplessness, frozen to the spot, not noticing she was crying as well. Zelos stood as close as Genis was on the other side, his head bowed, eyes and fists clenched shut.

"Zelos." Zelos raised his head at the sound of his name. Lloyd held out the Eternal Ring. "You know what to do with this. Make a new world for me okay? Be sure not to mess it up."

Zelos gave a shaky grin in return, not sure whether he was angry or torn by the way Lloyd was joking at a time like this. "You got it, Bud. Leave it to me."

"Lloyd…" Lloyd looked up at his father. This man had been his guide, his friend, and his enemy. They had been so close to finally opening up to each other. They had only begun to be father and son. And that, almost more than anything, was cutting at Lloyd's heart. "I'm so sorry, Lloyd. This is my fault. How could I…you can't…I should have protected you." His grip tightened around Lloyd's.

Lloyd was shocked to feel tears land on his arm. Kratos was crying? He did his best to shake his head, but even that was becoming too much of a task.

"Dammit don't think that way. You taught me to keep my guard up until after a fight was done. I should've listened. I'm sorry I can't stay with you, Dad. I want to. Live for me, okay? Don't give up. I-"

Suddenly he stiffened as a new wave of pain racked his body.

"Lloyd?" Colette asked.

Lloyd couldn't stop the tears now as his vision began to fade. Damn. So much for staying strong. Try as he might he couldn't help but admit it: "Colette…I'm…I'm scared." His voice cracked.

Colette broke down and threw her arms around Lloyd, sobbing. Her friend, her knight, her savior, was leaving and there was nothing she could do to help. "It'll be fine, Lloyd. You'll be fine," she whispered over and over again in his ear.

She could only continue to cry as her angelic hearing listened to the sound of Lloyd's heartbeat gradually slowing down. Kratos could hear it too.

Finally, after a few eternal moments, his son's hand did not return his grip.

Lloyd was gone.