Title: For Good
Genre/Rating: General/K+
Summary: The history of Genis's and Lloyd's friendship is not what everyone thinks it is. Life isn't always peachy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia.
A/N: A random plot bunny just attacked me. I really need more motivation to update my other fics…
For Good: The Miserable Start of School
Genis opened his eyes and rubbed them sleepily. Sunlight poured in through his window. Today was his first day of school for the year. It wasn't like he was excited though. He was going to be the youngest student in the class—again. He would also be the only student who knew all the information and topics that were going to be studied in class—again. His sister, Raine, was the teacher of the small one-room school, and she had dragged him against his will to many research sites and museums. Not only that, but she demanded him to read over his school breaks. He had read almost every math textbook and knew all the information inside and out.
Besides math, Genis had read a ton of history books, as that was Raine's favorite subject. Their small wooden house was filled with books from the floor to the ceiling. Raine was especially interested in ancient ruins and such, so Genis knew a ton about the history of Sylvarant.
As for science, Genis knew all of that too from Raine who had already completed school and had saved her school textbooks. Genis had read those already, obviously.
In fact, Genis Sage was a very well-rounded student and there was no class that he couldn't pass with flying colors. It was considered low for him to get a 97 percent or lower in any class.
The only class he struggled in was of course PE. This goes for most academically strong students. Genis couldn't run, play football, or do any sport to save his life. He barely got an A in PE with a 93 percent flat through the written tests. Of course, this led to a lot of teasing from other students who were not very bright, but very athletic.
Genis reluctantly clambered out of bed and got ready for school. He gobbled down his breakfast and walked to school with Raine. He helped prepare the classroom for the start. Finally, it was time. Genis sat in his favorite seat and let Raine ring the large bell that signaled for the start of school. Kids flooded into the room heading off towards their favorite seats too. New kids were also coming in, looking shy and timid, and sitting next to older siblings or other people they knew.
"Welcome, everyone! My name is Raine Sage. I am your teacher this year, as many of you know. This year, we will be covering the history Sylvarant, primarily the warfare and the culture," Raine announced.
"GOOD MORNING, PROFESSOR SAGE!" the student chorused together.
"Good. Let's start the year!" Raine clapped her hands and took a piece of brand-new chalk. "We're going to talk about the Systems of a Culture. Can anyone tell me what they are?" As usual, Genis's hand was the only one that shot up in the air. Students rolled their eyes.
"Yes, Genis?" Raine asked.
"The Systems of a Culture are the five things that a civilization needs to become a society. They are Social, Economic, Aesthetic, Political, and Belief," he said. The new students looked surprised, but the old students rolled their eyes more and whispered to each other.
"Very good, Genis," Raine sighed and wrote the five systems on the board. She continued on about them and asked for the sub-divisions. Once again, Genis answered and once again, there was more eye-rolling and whispering.
Math was not much better. Genis was the one who came up with the solutions first and knew all the formulas. The students were beginning to hate him even more. Science commenced in the same way.
"I really hate that kid," a boy whispered to his friend.
"Don't worry. You'll get a good laugh out of him once PE rolls around," his friend responded. The both snickered quietly. Finally, it was PE.
"Genis, may I speak to you for a second?" Raine asked. Genis nodded, for he was glad to speak to Raine rather than go outside to PE. The other kids rushed outside eagerly. The classroom was soon empty and the only ones standing were Genis and Raine.
"Genis, I want you to not raise your hand so much. I can tell that the class isn't responding well to it," Raine told him.
"I know…it's so hard, though!" Genis replied. Raine sighed.
"Genis, I know it's hard. Please try to not raise your hand so much. I know you get teased a lot at PE. It's only going to get worse if you keep answering questions. I don't want you to keep getting hurt. It pains me to see you covered in dirt with a bloody nose," Raine said softly.
"I'll try sis," Genis mumbled.
"Now go outside," Raine gestured towards the door.
"No! Please! I don't want to! I hate getting teased," Genis cried.
"You have to Genis. Otherwise, they'll think that you're trying to be a teacher's pet," Raine pleaded.
"Fine…" Genis glumly walked out.
The kids outside were already playing football (1).
"Hey look! It's Genis!" a girl yelled. Everyone laughed. The girl kicked the ball at him. The ball smacked him firmly in the face and Genis went tumbling backwards. The laughter of the other kids filled Genis's ears.
"Leave him alone!" Genis heard. The ball was lifted from his face. "Are you alright?" It was Colette Brunel. Genis had known her for a long time, and she got along well with Raine. Genis didn't consider her a friend since she was notably popular among the other students. He did, however, harbor a rather large crush on her. She was so pretty and so nice.
"Yeah…I'm fine," Genis grumbled, sitting up.
"Come on Colette…there's no reason for you to need to waste your time on a loser like him," a boy told her.
"No…everyone deserves to be treated fairly!" Colette shouted.
"Why are you being so nice to a kid who's always showing off in class and stuff?" asked on of Colette's many friends. Colette had no answer. She stood up silently and joined the game. Genis sighed. Wham. The ball smacked him in the face again and he went tumbling backwards again, his nose pouring blood. The other kids tried their hardest to conceal their giggles.
"Oops! I am soooooo sorry Genis!" a girl said sarcastically. She burst out into a fit of giggles. Genis stood up, more angry than sad. He could not control his anger. Fwoosh! A large gust of wind picked up. Three gigantic fireballs zoomed out from nowhere.
"Eeeekkkk!" the girl yelled, running away from the fireballs that were hot on her track.
'No! What the heck am I doing?' Genis grabbed his hair and threw himself to the ground, trying to control his anger. The wind stopped and the fireballs crumbled away.
"What the hell was that?"
"That was freaky!"
"Are you alright, Violet?"
Surprisingly, no one suspected it was Genis who had set off the tempest because he was pretending to act surprised. He stared into the sky with large eyes. Raine rushed out.
"What in Martel's name was that?" she gasped. No one said a word. She sighed, knowing who it was…not wanting to reveal it.
"Class is dismissed early. You may go home," Raine said. The students dispersed, talking about the tempest.
"Raine, I'm sorry. I couldn't control myself…" Genis wailed.
"Genis, be quiet, please. Let's go home and clean you up," Raine said soothingly.
'Great job, self. You've really blown it.' Genis thought to himself as he trudged home with Raine. 'I hope you're happy that your life is so over.'
(1) The football in Iselia is supposed to be like soccer. I couldn't exactly find another term for it, since there's no soccer (says my beta reader). Therefore, I changed it to football.
A/N: Short chapter, I know. I was going to write more, but though this was a good place to end the chapter. Where's Lloyd you ask? You shall see! Please review!