A/N: Muah, my first attempt at a ToS fic. I don’t know why that’s important to say exactly, but a lot of people do… and I’m one to jump on the bandwagon and sprain my ankle in the process.

I guess it’s kinda semi AU in the way that it’s still the basic function of the game, just that the situations of Cruxis, Sylvarant and Tethe’alla differ. Yeah, if you read it you’ll get it after a few chapters. Carries spoilers in here too, but the game’s been out for yonks so…

There’ll be some shounen-ai to come too, but in much later chapters (that’s the KratosxYuan stuff) so if you don’t like that… tough XD

Summery: The worlds of Symphonia have been reunited, yet the people of both Sylvarant and Tethe’alla do not get along, to put it mildly. And Cruxis are staying out of it this time, well, they’d like to, but sometimes things require an angel’s touch. So, the teams of both the reunited lands have launched a crusade on each other despite the fact they’re all friends anyway. It’s a crazy old world full of incompetence.

Disclaimer: Unless you’re a total prat I’d say it was pretty obvious I don’t own anything. Although, I would like to own Zelos and Yuan (pokes them) but who wouldn’t?

A Symphonia Crusade
The Sylvarant team ‘attack‘.

SYLVARANT: Stage one.

It’s been said that war and strife are terrible things, if not the same thing. But, obviously some people never took heed of what their parents taught them. Of course, that could only be said if one of your parents wasn’t an angel of Cruxis, but that’s not important… most of the time. Cruxis is neutral anyway, that’s all you need to know.

So, we follow the Sylvarant team currently consisting of Lloyd, Genis and Collette as they infiltrate Tethe’alla’s great Imperial Palace. Though it can’t hold a candle to Windsor.

“I don’t know how I keep getting into these things” the mage, Genis, mumbled as he crawled after his friend through the ventilation system of the Meltokio palace.

The red clad figure in front strained his head to look over his shoulder at the boy, “because you’re my friend.”

“Yes, I know.”

“My best friend, may I remind you?”

“Yes, I know” Genis sighed.

“Good! So you’ll go kidnap the Princess for us” Lloyd announced, his voice echoing across the metal walls.

“What? You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re our ‘Leader’ so you do it.”

“Yes, and as ‘Leader’ I’m passing on the honour to you.”

“Honour,” Genis snorted. “You just don’t wanna get caught by the Princess ‘cause she’s hit on you that many times.”

The swordsman huffed and crawled across to a grating panel in the wall that looked over into another overly posh and fussy looking room. Two figures stood across the long room partly blurred from the bright light glaring in from the lengthy window.

“Look at her, over there,” Lloyd pushed his face into the grating. “All prissy and selfish.”

Genis boggled. “How can you tell she’s selfish from just looking at her?”

“When she pounced on me all she kept talking about was her life. Her troubles. Her servants. How she could get her dad to do whatever she wanted, and how much she hated being a Princess. How much she wanted to cross the boarder to Sylvarant.”

“So,” Genis started slowly, “she wasn’t really hitting on you. More, just holding a conversation? And a severely boring one at that.”

Lloyd shuddered. “But you weren’t there! I was really considering jamming a fork into my eye just to get away!”

The half elf boy snorted in disbelief. “Oh, Lloyd, that’s so unoriginal. Couldn’t you think of anything more, I dunno, ‘you‘?”

“It’s not my fault dad has to take me everywhere when he commissioning for Cruxis. You’d think at least one other member would have a family,” Lloyd puffed. “I mean Yuan and Martel were doing so well together, and then dad interfered and messed that up! And I still don’t know why! We‘d have had a real “family theme“ as Mithos calls it, then. He said I‘m getting too old to use as the “Oh, we‘re poor and we have children to feed“ kinda thing. Jamming a fork in my eye would be the highlight of my life!”

Genis grinned throughout the charade, “you mean ‘Uncle Yuan’?”

“No, god, shut up!”

---

The Princess’ head shot up at the sudden echo from the ventilation shaft. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what, my darling?”

Her head snapped back the man stood in front of her. “Stop calling me that!” The man grinned at her and began rolling locks of his red hair around his fingers. “It sounded like a voice,” the Princess continued. “And there was a strange blonde girl outside the gates to the city, just stood there smiling. I’ve been watching her all day through the telescope daddy got me for my last birthday, “ she indicated the object.

“Well, you are nosey, aren’t you, honey?”

“You can’t insult me then call me “hunny”, Zelos! And I most certainly are not one of your hunnies!”

“No, no, of course not.”

The Princess growled quietly, “and don’t patronise me either!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, love. Though, I did call you “honey” not “hunny”.”

“What?”

Zelos rocked back on his heels and pushed his index fingers together. “There is a significant difference between ones ‘honey’ and ‘hunny’.”

The Princess paused and made a pretty decent impression of a fish. “Have you swallowed a dictionary or something?”

“No, of course not, Hilda, dear.”

“Arg!” She threw her arms in the air in frustration and turned away. Zelos tilted his head slightly as she whipped back around to face him again. “Still! I’m sure I heard a voice from the vent, go check!”

The red headed Chosen leaned closer to the blonde Princess and smiled wide. “Of course, the Great Zelos will be happy to oblige so long as you answer my question.”

Hilda leaned her body back but never moved a step. “I’ve already told you; I’m not going with you.”

“Aw, and after I came all the way here to visit you?”

The Princess snorted and nearly lost he balance in the process. “All the way? What,down the streetand up a flight of stairs? Very gallant.”

“I make the trip everyday” he pushed.

“I’m just surprised you don’t get Sebastian to take the rejection for you,” Hilda said indignantly.

Zelos pulled back slowly, yet still smiling wide. “Nah. Sebastian doesn’t do well with women. He’s too stuffy.”

“Evidently, something you could stand to learn.”

“You’re so witty,” the Chosen said in a somewhat sarcastic tone. “I wonder if I could get Sheena to come instead…”

“Oh, and you’ve forgotten about me already! Typical!”

“Why? Do you want to come now, or something… darling?”

The Princess stuttered and waved her hands while searching for the correct words as Zelos watched in great amusement.

“Of course I don’t want to go with you! I just find it despicable you forget about girls so easily.”

Zelos raised one eyebrow. “I’m sorry, have we just met?”

“Ooohhh, you!”

---

Genis pushed his face away from the grating. “Well, if she really is as bad as you say, I’d say she’s getting the punishment she deserves talking to him.”

“Damn,” Lloyd cursed lightly. “How are you meant to kidnap her and hold her ransom when Zelos won’t leave?”

Genis groaned. “And we’re still on the delusion that I’m the one doing the dirty work. You do know that if Kratos finds out about this, he’ll make you live in the Northern Tower of Salvation?”

“And do you realise that trying to talk me out of this is bad for your health?”

“But, think of poor Collette. She’ll snap if you can’t live in Sylvarant anymore.”

“No, she won’t” Lloyd replied, annoyed.

“Okay, okay, fine. Once again I find myself going against my better judgement and helping in your half-bossed schemes.”

Lloyd grinned, “I never know why you even resist in the first place.”

Genis huffed at something the Princess was telling Zelos when he caught his name and ‘twerp‘ in the same sentence. “Because someone has to put up a good and sensible image….even if it doesn’t last” the half elf reasoned. “Anyway I have a plan of how to get the Princess.”

“You do? That’s good, It’s getting awfully stuffy in here.”

“Yeah, yeah, all we have to do is…”

And Genis shoved his friend through the grating.

---

“Honey?”

“No!”

“Darling?”

“No, stop it!”

“Kitten?”

“Wha-? No!”

“Love?”

“Stop it will you?”

“You’re not very fun, you know that?”

“Shut up, I’m not going with you and that’s final. You always want what you can‘t have.”

Zelos folded his arms behind his head and turned away from the Princess. “That’s better then; you’re really not my type.”

“Not your type?” Hilda repeated in disbelief, “I’m female and past the age of consent.”

“That doesn’t bother me.”

“What doesn't bother you? That I’m female or that I’m past the age of consent? Oh, wait. I get it now.”

The Tethe’alla Chosen snapped back to attention. “Get what?” he asked highly suspiciously.

“I mean it really would explain a lot,” the Princess pondered aloud.

“Explain what?” Zelos asked with a hint of desperation seeping into his voice.

“I’ve always wondered… my girlfriends hint at it too…”

The redhead’s eyebrows rose to under his headband. “Girlfriends, eh?”

“My friends,” Hilda replied, deadpan. “I mean, the pink and all…”

Zelos hopped back and smiled. “Oh! A gay joke, like I don’t get them everyday.”

Hilda smiled. “Then why do you act the way you do?”

“Because I’m me!”

Hilda waved him off. “So, who do you like? It can’t be Genis since he’s a little twerp, even I agree with that. Um, how about Bryant? He always looked kinky and with you the way you are…” she looked at Zelos who had his hands over his ears and his eyes tightly closed. Still, she pressed on. “Kratos was hot, wasn’t he? The tall mysterious stranger always gets my attention at any rate. Who else is left? Hmmm.”

When a body collapsed from the vent and dropped to the floor in a loud heap the Princess shrieked and jumped behind the Chosen. She pointed around Zelos at the groaning Lloyd on the floor.

“There! There, I told you there was someone in the vents!”

Zelos uncovered his ears and put a finger to his mouth, “oh yeah, so there was.”

Hilda slapped his back which jerked him forward. “Is that all you can say? I could’ve been killed and you were too busy talking about your sexuality!”

“What? I wasn‘t doing any talking. Who can when you get going?”

Genis crawled out of the vent (using Lloyd’s form as a stepladder) and stood next to the Princess.

“Hello, you nincompoop,” he addressed Zelos.

The Chosen responded in turn; “brat.”

Lloyd coughed into the carpet as he dragged himself to his feet. The Princess turned to him sharply. “Do you mind? I’ve just had that rug dry-cleaned.”

“I’ll dry-clean you,” the swordsman mumbled.

“What do you want? Why are you here?”

Genis drew out a roll of paper. “Well, as you know Sylvarant and Tethe’alla are at war we’ve come to kidnap you and hold you ransom.” He handed her the paper. “We’ll need your signature on that to prove we completed our mission.”

“Why do you need a signature when Lloyd is right there?” Zelos queried, “isn’t he your leader?”

“Look, I don’t make the rules, I just follow them, “ Genis said with as much enthusiasm as a paper bag. “Who’s your leader?”

“I am!” Zelos threw his arm in the air. “I got voted by vast majority.”

“Only because you called on your horde of girl… acquaintances,” Hilda pointed out.

“And I won! The system works!”

“Master Bryant would’ve been better…”

“Sooo, anyway, Zelos,” Genis continued, “since you’re the opposition’s leader we’re giving you one week to come up with the ransom for the Princess.”

“But, you haven’t taken her yet.”

“Hello! Isn’t anyone going to ask me what’s happening?” Lloyd yelled to get the attention. “I am Sylvarant leader.”

“Oh bud, no one’s ignoring you!” Zelos sang and attached himself to the red clad boy.

“Ah, ah, ahhhh!” Lloyd clawed at the older man’s arms trying to get free.

Hilda hopped up and down in excitement. “Oh, oh, it’s Lloyd! That’s who you like! How could I forget Lloyd?”

And Zelos was across the opposite side of the room after he’d pushed Lloyd to the floor in the effort to get away from him. He scowled at the Princess.

“Are you going to take her or what?” he asked Genis.

The Princess paled. “You’re letting them take me? How could you?”

“Better you than me. And you’re very annoying, it’d be nice to have some quiet now and then.”

“Like there’s ever quiet when you’re around,” Hilda spat as Lloyd and Genis took hold of her arms and led her off.

Zelos waved after her. “Have a nice holiday!”

SYLVARANT: Stage one complete. Stage two soon in progress.
TETHE’ALLA: Uh, still in the planning stages? I mean, what’s the rush to get Hilda back anyway?

---

A/N: So, as always, it seems my first chapters are slow and uninteresting -- Gah! I so wish I could use a script format, I rule at those if I do say so myself.

Anyhoo, R&R if it’s worth continuing.

"Dragon" Yoru