Tales Of Syphona Fan Fiction ❯ To be a Father Again ❯ A stormy Reunion ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 2

(Normal P.O.V)

 

Inside the Inn, safely shielded from the harsh cold outside, Lloyd and his friends sat around the fireplace in the lobby, chatting happily with each other.

“...and then I walk in, the king sees me, and he just about shits himself! Oh man, the look on his face it was priceless!” the others laughed along with the red-haired ex-chosen as he finished his story.

“...but still, it's so strange...” Colette spoke up, a small frown on her face, “How did you manage to come back? I thought you were... well...” she trailed off, hesitating. Zelos let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head slowly, before giving Colette a reassuring smile,

“To be honest hunnie, I don't know... The last thing I remembered, was Lloyd bending over me in the tower, then... next thing I know.... I'm waking up, good as new in Tethe'alla...”

“It's still so weird...” Lloyd muttered, before quickly adding, “I mean... not to say we're not glad you're back... it's just.... weird...” Zelos nodded in agreement,

“I totally agree, but I'm glad to be back.”

The group continued to talk with each other, swapping stories on things that had happened to them since they were last all together, and joking with one another. It was until almost midnight that the group finally bid each other goodnight, slowly making their way to the stairs, heading to their respective rooms. Several people sent them annoyed looks as Genis and Zelos yelled at each other in tired wails as they fought about something stupid, and most like pointless. Lloyd sighed, shaking his head as Genis earned a slap from Raine, and Zelos, one from Sheena, the two females hissing at the males to 'Shut up or else...'. He couldn't help but smile slightly at the amusement it brought him, as he slowly made his way over to the front doors of the hotel. Noticing that he was not heading towards the stairs like the rest, Colette hurried after Lloyd, stopping him by the door as she asked, with concern in her voice,

“Lloyd? Are you alright?”

“Huh?” Lloyd glanced at his blond friend, smiling and nodding in reply, before saying, “Yeah, I'm alright, I just want to go for a short walk before bed.”

“Do you need me to come with you?” the ex-chosen tilted her head in question, staring at Lloyd with her wide, innocent blue eyes.

“No thanks,” Lloyd said gently, shaking his head, “I just want to be alone for a bit, no offense.” he offered her another smile before he let out a soft laugh, “Besides, the others are going to need some help making sure Genis and Zelos don't secretly try to kill each other hm?” Colette joined Lloyd in light laughter, before she reached over, giving him a light hug.

“Well, goodnight then,” she waved before running over to the stairs, “Don't stay out too long! Raine will be upset if you get sick!”

“Don't worry!” Lloyd replied, returning her wave, before slipping out the front door, and out into the snowy city.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kratos sighed softly, as he pulled his purple cloak-cape from his shoulders, hanging it over the railing. He crossed his arms as he leaned forward, resting them on the snow covered rail, letting full effect of the icy snow penetrate his skin, though his gloved arms protected him from most of the cold. His wine colored eyes slowly slide shut, as he tilted his head upward, letting the soft white flakes fall on his face, melting almost instantly on contact.

Anna... he thought sadly, He's probably happy now... together with his friends... he doesn't need me... does he? Anna, my love... what should I do?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lloyd walked along the walkway of the inn towards the balcony,

“Man, those two never stop! Seriously, it's annoying as-” Lloyd trailed off, looking at the balcony ahead. Someone was standing there, and from the dim light of the moon, they appeared to be wearing something without sleeves. The young swordsman slowly shook his head, sighing. Some people can be so stupid... he thought, as he made his way over the the oddly familiar silhouette.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hearing footsteps behind him, Kratos lowered his head, hiding his face behind his bangs. His hand slowly moved down to grip the handle of his sword, listening carefully as the footsteps got louder. Waiting until the footsteps were as close as Kartos dared let them get, he turned sharply, trusting his blade towards the throat of his 'attacker',

“W-w-whoa!” a young boy, clad in red, with dark brown hair, shouted jumping a few inches back, “S-Sorry sir! I didn't mean to-” The clouds, which had been covering the moon earlier, shifted, and moonlight fell across the balcony, bathing the two figures in pale light,

“K-Kratos?” the youngest stuttered, eyes wide. Kratos froze, sword still raised, eyes wide, and silent. Lloyd was here now. He couldn't run, and he couldn't suddenly change his mind, now, there was no going back.

“L-Lloyd I...” the purple clad mercenary began, but was cut off as Lloyd darted forward, wrapping his arms tightly around the surprised seraphim,

“Kratos... you're here, y-you're really...here...please... please tell me this isn't another dream, please... oh Martel...” the swordsman shocked slightly, his voice trembling, “Please... be here for real this time...” Kratos' eyes, if possible, widened ever more. Lloyd's words echoing in this head.

'Please... be here for real this time...' Had Lloyd missed him that much? Did he have dreams of the mercenaries return, only to wake up alone, and miserable?

Kratos let his sword fall to the ground with a soft, 'whump' into the snow, not caring that the sword, that seemed to be made of flame, was slowly melting thought the snow, burying itself in the white, fluffy substance. Pushing the lump in his throat back down, he wrapped his arms tightly around Lloyd's small frame, muttering softly,

“Lloyd, I'm here, don't worry, it's not a dream. I'm here....my son...” The older of the two swordsmen felt the younger bury his face into his purple shirt, pushing his face against the older man's chest. Kratos nearly jumped as Lloyd began to tremble, and he felt something wet, slowly seeping into his shirt.

“Kratos...but...how...?” the young twin-blader looked up, his eyes red and slightly puffy as he gave Kratos a curious, yet still almost happy look, “How...how did you get back? I...I thought there was now way for you to...” he trailed off, not wanting to continue the thought.

Smiling, Kratos shook his head softly, running a hand through Lloyd's hair,

“I'll explain everything to you, but not now.” he moved his hand from Lloyd's hair to his mouth, cutting off the open mouthed teens mouth, before he could voice a protest, “I'll explain tomorrow, Lloyd, but your friends must be worried, you should-”

“No...” Lloyd interrupted, pulling away from Kratos' hand, “You're coming with me, to my room, you can't have anywhere to stay, not this late, you couldn't have gotten-”

“Lloyd...” Kratos started, looking uneasy,

“No!” the chocolate-eyed teen shouted, “Come with me, inside the inn,” the mercenary frown, giving Lloyd a skeptical look, but the teen ignored it, continuing,

“Zelos got us all rooms... they're huge, with two rooms each, bathrooms in each room, and a walk-in closet, it's almost like a Meltokio apartment... please.. dad, don't go...” Lloyd finished, desperation and sadness in his voice, as he gave his father a pleading look.

Kratos sighed, running a hand slowly through his hair, staring in his son's chocolate brown eyes. This was his chance... this was his chance to come back, to raise his son, to be with him. It was his chance to be the father he always wanted to be, and be the father Lloyd so desperately longed for. Raising his hand slowly, he touched Lloyd's shoulder gently, trying not to shake his head,

“Lloyd...” began slowly, but fell silent, seeing the crest-fallen look on the teens face. ...Lloyd... how is it you always do this...? he thought, a small smile finding it's way onto his lips,

“Alright....” he muttered gently, moving his head upward to run it through Lloyd's hair, “You win Lloyd, I'll stay.”

It was silent for a moment, as the shock that Kratos' words caused Lloyd wore off. He stood stalk still, staring up at his father, who now looked concern at Lloyd's lack of response,

“Llo-” but the seraphim was cut off as the swordsman darted forward, throwing his arms around his father's waist, letting out a cry of joy, sending them both falling backwards into the snow.

“Thank you!” Lloyd shouted happily, tears of joy gathering in the corner of his eyes, “Dad... thank you...” Kratos felt something catch in his throat as Lloyd used the a title he hadn't heard in almost fifteen years, and the older angel's vision blurred as he felt tears of this own gathering in his eyes. Pushing the lump back down, he sat up slowly, pulling Lloyd with him as he stood up,

“Come on, we should go back inside, you must be freezing, and it's late, you need you're sleep.” Lloyd frowned, crossing his arms as he protested his father's command,

“You need sleep too!”

“Yes,” Kratos admitted, nodding his head, “However, I do not need it as much as you do. Remember, I am a seraphim, not an angel like Colette, thus I can get around for longer without sleep, from days to even weeks.” Lloyd smiled as he looked up at Kratos, his eyes sparkling with mischief,

“True, but you're forgetting I'm an angel now too. Granted, I'm not a seraphim, like you, but still.”

“...” Kratos frowned slightly as he crossed his arms, giving Lloyd a look that said, 'Are you arguing with me?' Noticing the look Kratos was giving him, which he had never been good at disobeying, he laughed lightly, hastily changing the subject,

“And look! My wings, they changed! It couldn't of been more then a week after you left!” (2)

The mercenary watched in interest, as a beaming Lloyd materialized two, large, beautiful, sparkling blue wings from his back. The stretched out behind him, fluttering slightly, their long feathers blowing in the breeze. It took him a few moments to notice, but it dawned on Kratos, that the wings that now rested on his son's back, were a perfect replica of his own. (3) Smiling, Kratos placed a hand on Lloyd's shoulder, a sense of pride and flattery filling him,

“...It may be true you are an angel Lloyd,” he glanced at the wings on his son's back, before continuing, “However, I am your father and no matter what rank of angel, human, elf or otherwise you may be, that will not change, and I'll still be your boss.”

“Yes, well....” Lloyd trailed off, trying to think of something he could use as a retort, but his brain came up short, “Um... well...dammit, you;re good...” he muttered, putting his wings away, and glaring at Kratos as he smirked,

“Come on then,” the seraphim chuckled, leading Lloyd back towards the inn's door,

“I bet everyone is asleep by now...” Lloyd muttered as they walked into the lobby, looking around, “They they went upstairs before I came out.. so...”

“I can imagine so... from what Yuan told me, you've all had a very busy week.” Lloyd stopped at the stairs, looking back at his father,

“You're week can't of been much easier,” the swordsman stated, frowning, “Seraphim or not... you look exhausted...” Kratos blinked in surprise, staring at Lloyd, it wasn't until just then that he realized just how tired he was.

“...I...Suppose you're right...” he muttered, brushing past Lloyd as he started up the stairs, staring off into the distant as he got lost in thought, nearly jumping out of his skin when Lloyd suddenly burst out joyously behind him,

“Oh man! I totally deserve a reward or something! I must be the first person since mom to get you to sleep.” glancing back at Lloyd, highly amused at his son's simple joy of getting him in bed. ((A/N: O.o that sounded wrong...))

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When they reached the sixth floor, Lloyd darted out of the stairwell and down the hallway, his feet pounding softly on the plush carpet below him, shortly followed by Kratos, who walked down the hall at a slightly ((A/N: Meaning he walked instead of disturbing the poor innocent people of the hotel)) The seraphim walked over to where Lloyd was standing outside a door, waiting, silently. Upon his father's arrival, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a key, and opened the door, holding it open until they were both inside. Letting the door fall shut behind him, he flicked the light-switch, blinking slightly as the bright light hit his eyes, much brighter then the light in the hallway, or the dim light outside. Glancing at Kratos, he smiled slightly, gesturing down the hallway on the other side of the room,

“It's... a little big for just me... but it's nice. Come on, you must be tired.” he grabbed Kratos by the arm and pulled the man down the hall, obvious to the look of shock on the others face. ((A/N: I love suites...I stayed in one once... it was like... my own mini apartment... >.> with my parents and cousins in it...))

At the end of the hall, there were two doors, one to the left, the other to the right. Opening the left door, he peered inside, nodding once, before looking back at Kratos,

“You can use this one, it's bigger, and it's got it's own bathroom.” Kratos stared at Lloyd, his normally sharp eyes softening to the level of cotton-fluff,

“I don't deserve it...” he muttered quietly, raising his hand to silence Lloyd as the other began to protest, “...but thank you...” I hope I can repay you... and atone for my sins... by being the father you've longed for, and deserve. he added silently to himself, not daring to speak it aloud. Smiling, Lloyd nodded, taking a step forward, and giving Kratos a somewhat awkward one armed hug,

“Goodnight, dad.” he said gently, before turning and walking into the other room, letting the door shut with a 'click' behind him. Kratos stood frozen in the hall, his whole body heating up, shock coursing though him. Not only had Lloyd hugged him but.. the name 'dad' repeated itself over and over in his head. A small smile grew on his face as he said to the good,

“Goodnight...Lloyd, my son...” before walking into the his own room, shutting the door as he went.

Looking around the room silently, he slipped off his cloak, hanging it over a nearby chair, before sitting on the bed. Slipping off his boots, he placed them at the foot of the bed, and leaned his sword against the beside table. He leaned back, falling against his pillow, sighing in content. Not bothering to pull the covers over himself, he shut his eyes, falling into an almost content sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

~Later that Night~

Lighting flashed outside, illuminating the whole room, followed by a loud crack of thunder. Kratos bolted up, looking around the room, expecting an attacker, but upon realizing it was only thunder from outside, he calmed down, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. A thunderstorm? He thought, frowning, This is supposed to be the city of eternal snow.. why on earth is it...? His thoughts trailed off as he shook his head, leaning back against the pillow, wincing as another crack of thunder rang outside, pounding in his ears, the sound magnified at least ten times louder then any human would hear it, thanks to his angelic senses. He shut his eyes, ready to fall back asleep, when he hear the soft patter of footsteps outside in the hall. Immediately, he tensed again, his whole body on full alert. How could someone have gotten into the suite without him knowing? He heard the door open, and he remained still, waiting until the footsteps stopped besides his bed. He threw his arm out, grabbing his sword, and thrust it upward at the attacker's throat, ready to take whoever it was out, when a surprised yelp caused him to stop,

“W-w-whoa!! Dad it's me!” gasping, Kratos' hand had a mini spasm of shock, and the sword fell to the ground with a clatter.

“L-Lloyd...” his eyes darted downward to his son's neck, and his already pale face paled more, as he noticed the fairly nasty gash that was now bleeding heavily. Raising his hand to cover the cut, a green mana-aura appeared around it as he chanted,

“First aid!” The gash quickly closed itself up, healing perfectly, not even leaving a scar. The blood that remained was wiped away by Kratos with his glove, and immediately, he bowed his head,

“Lloyd... I'm so sorry...” the twin-swordsmen smiled, slightly, shaking his head, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke,

“I-it's fine... I just had a flashback to Triet, that's all.” he laughed, remembering all the times he had come up behind the mercenary or walked over while he was sleeping, earning the same reaction, but noticing the mercenaries downtrodden look, his smile faded as he placed a hand on the other's shoulder, “It's fine, dad.” Kratos' head snapped up, eyes wide and shocked, why was he being so easily forgiven? He couldn't for the life of him understand, but the thought was banished as he realized something else.

“Lloyd, why did you come in here so late? Is something...wrong?” Kratos asked, watching as Lloyd's face paled slightly,

“Uh... n-no, not really, I um...” the red-clad swordsmen glanced out the window, fear dancing in his eyes, but as he turned back to his father, he tried to hide his current fears with a smile,

“Crazy storm, huh? I just came to... see if you were alright, I mean, I think it's loud, but it must be even worse for you, because your ears are much more sensitive them mine... and the power went out and all... it's pretty cold and I wanted to make sure you were alright... but I suppose it doesn't matter, because the cold doesn't bother you as much... oh but isn't it so strange? A thunderstorm in the middle of a city of sn-” he stopped abruptly as another crack thunder rang through the sky, and he couldn't hold back a yelp of shock as he jumped slightly

“Lloyd?” Kratos called gently, placing his hand on the others shoulder, “Are you... I mean, is the storm...scaring you?” he gave his son a concerned look, unsure of what to do. ...Did he never grow out of his childhood fear of storms? Was I too soft with him about it? Maybe I should have... his thoughts were interrupted as Lloyd spoke up again, his voice shaking more then before,

“W-what? O-Oh! N-no! I'm fine!! Re-” another crack of thunder rang outside, echoing around the room. Letting out a surprised yelp, Lloyd dived forward, burying his face in Kratos' chest, clinging to the other swordsmen as he trembled, whimpering like a small child.

Kratos' eyes went wide, he froze completely for several seconds, still trying to process what had just happened, before he slowly moved his arms up, to wrap them around Lloyd's trembling figure,

“Lloyden...” he muttered softly, rubbing circles in the others back, “It's alright Lloyd... it's just a storm... thats all, nothing more, just rain, and noise...” his voice had a gentle, comforting tone to it, but he trailed off in his kind words, hearing Lloyd mumble something against his chest, but it was too muffled to make out,

“Lloyd?” tilting his head upward slightly, Lloyd glanced up at Kratos, his chocolate brown eyes wide, tears gathering at their edges,

“You... must think I'm such a baby...” the younger swordsman whimpered, clinging tighter to the seraphim as lighting filled the room once more. Kratos shook his head slowly, smiling gently down at Lloyd,

“No, I don't Lloyd, not at all...” he ran his fingers gently through the boy's chocolate locks, closing his eyes as he spoke, “It's alright to be afraid, and you don't have to hide your fears from me, like you have the others. I'm here for you, no matter what...” A small gasped escaped Lloyd's lips as he stared at his father, eyes wide,

“Y-You noticed that?” the mercenary smiled slightly, nodding

“I'm your father Lloyd, I'm supposed to be able to notice such things, it's parental instinct.” Lloyd chucked softly, but the laughter died instantly as a particularly nasty crack of thunder filled the room once more, and his face was once again buried into Kratos' chest.

“Lloyd...” he muttered, stoking his son's hair gently, trying to sooth his uneasiness away, “It's alright... just noise... thats all...”

“Dad...” Lloyd muttered, peering up at Kratos with one eye,

“Yes...?”

“Could I um...” he trailed off, hesitating.

“...?” Kratos blinked, looking confused, what on earth could have been making Lloyd so uneasy?

“Can I... I mean, please... can I stay, with you tonight?” The seraphim's jaw dropped, not expecting that question at all. His eyes glazed over as memories of a small, three year old Lloyd, running into his bedroom in the middle of the night, sobbing his eyes out, terrified of the storm raging outside. Unsure of how to handle the situation, Kratos spoke slowly, hosing his words carefully,

“Lloyd... I don't know if that would be wise... you're almost an adult now... and I don't know if-” he was cut off by another abnormally loud clap cracked outside the window, and Lloyd screamed, trying to push himself closer to Kratos, looking as if he was, in fact, about to burst into tears. Sighing, Kratos ran a hand slowly through his hair, mentally cursing whoever controlled the weather,

“Alright... alright...” he finally agreed, pushing Lloyd back gently so that he could scoot over to the other side of the bed, which was fairly large for being a queen, “Just for tonight...” Lloyd beamed, his face lighting up with joy as he slowly crawled back into the bed, but it was short lived, as more thunder rang out, and he dived under the covers, clinging to Kratos once again,

“Where is all this coming form!?!?! This is a snow town!! Not rain!!!” he whined, his voice cracking slightly, nuzzling closer to Kratos as his father embraced him gently,

“It'll all be over soon Lloyd... just go to sleep... everything will be better in the morning.” Several minutes passed by, and with Kratos' comfort, Lloyd seemed to calm down, finally falling into a content sleep, still hugging his father tightly. A small smile rested on the seraphim's face as he stared down at his son, memories of the past, and hope for the future filled his mind, as he kissed Lloyd's forehead gently, muttering,

“Sleep well....my son...” before he fell into the first peaceful sleep he'd had in over 4,000 years.