#please pretend like i posted this yesterday KJDFHS i started it and got so busy so i couldn't finish it in time but...!!

[twohundredpower]

Lloyd had never really been good at remembering important dates. He’d grown up knowing the birthdays of his loved ones, but often forgot to get their presents to them on time. Even some holidays would fly past without him ever really realizing-- but travelling through the abundance of the world for two years truly taught Lloyd how to appreciate the time he was given there. Things could slip from his hands without warning, the loss of those he cared for imminent at any second-- so silently, he had decided to stop wasting that gift he had been given, to focus on everything around him, and keep those important moments close to his heart.

It was no surprise then, that today’s date had struck a definite chord in him.

A whole year had passed since his arrival to the island. It flashed by in what felt to be an instant; so many wonderful moments coursing through his memory, and fueling the warm feelings that were filtering through his chest. He had been given more than he ever expected here; time with his friends from home, new ones that extended their hand to him, a place where he could build a life of his own. A second chance to grow the relationship he had with his father.. and the opportunity to tell someone who had been by his side for so long that he loved him. 

Some of those things, he knew, he would have still felt in Aselia. Even if it took more time for him to realize them, the love he held for those people would never waver; in this life now, or the next. However, there was no denying that Spirale had opened up so much more for Lloyd in ways he couldn’t even articulate; but he would forever be grateful for them as long as he lived.

.. sometimes, though.. he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d keep these memories forever. There was part of him that knew he would be happy to stay here for the rest of his life, if not for the fact that his journey was not yet finished on Aselia. Even still, there were people missing from his life here; Colette, Genis, Raine, Presea.. and most importantly, Dirk. If things had been settled, if they were all here with him.. Lloyd was sure he’d have no problem never going back. 

But things couldn’t always work the way he wanted them to. Maybe someday he would be pulled back-- and if he was, would his time here remain in his mind? Or would he lose it, just as he’d watched in so many who left and returned? 

Lloyd couldn’t be sure.. and maybe, that was something he’d never get the answer to. But even so..

“.. it doesn’t really matter, does it. Even if I lose them for a while, I know those memories will live on in my heart, no matter where I am. They’ll stay with me, and I’ll remember them overtime-- I know I will.”

Instead of going home straight away that day, Lloyd instead found one of his favourite spots on the island; up high on a branch of the Ophiuchus tree where you could see the city streamlines, overlooking the many lives that occupied Spirale. The sun was setting across the land, casting an orange glow against the place he’d grown to love-- and Lloyd smiled at the sight of it all, feeling his heart swell.

“I’ll always love my home. Iselia is all I remember from my past, and it gave me my dad, and my best friends. And.. I saved that world with them. It’ll always be important to me, but..”

“This place always will be, too. For as long as I’m here with Zelos, with dad, with everyone.. I’m not gonna take the time we have together for granted. I wanna keep living alongside them for as long as I can. I know it isn’t perfect here-- it hasn’t always been fun, and they’ve all still gone through so much.. but I’ll keep doing everything I can to make sure they’re happy. At the end of it all, that’s.. all I really care about. That everyone’s at peace, that they get a chance to rest and live how they want to.. after everything, it’s what they all deserve.”

He paused briefly, thinking on his words for a moment longer before he laughed, softly. 

“.. and I wanna be at peace with them, too. It’s sort of weird that I’ve gone back to living a quiet life like this.. but it’s nice, too. I haven’t forgotten what I have to do back at home, but until I can be there again.. I’m gonna live.”

As the sun continued to set, Lloyd noticed a particular gleam of light bounce off of his Exsphere; casting his gaze down towards it as he smiled, caressing it with his hand. 

“.. well..!” suddenly, the brunette stretched his arms over his head; breaking his solemn moment alone as his hands eventually found their way back to resting on his hips. The expression on his face changed, as well; growing more excitable than serious as he began his descent down the tree. “It’s gettin’ late-- if I take any longer, Zelos is definitely gonna yell at me..! I don’t wanna miss out on dinner, either!” 

Lifting his head, Lloyd took one more look at the burning horizon before making his way back home.