A/N: I apologize. It's late. I finally just sat down and did it. The Kratos POV is for the reviewers that made me feel guilty.

--

"Lloyd, I hope you know that there will be serious repercussions for this," Anna said, holding the referral and detention slip that had been sent home. She crumpled it in her hands and sighed. "Bad grades. Permanent record. Do you want to look like a hoodlum? Do you want to work at Dirk's because you can't get a job anywhere else?"

"I'm going to work there anyway," Lloyd said sullenly, snatching it back from her and tossing it behind him. "It doesn't matter. I don't want to get in trouble, you know that. It's just …" He looked down. "I like people like Genis. I can't just stand there and do nothing while he gets treated that way, when he's a million times smarter and cooler and funnier than them. It isn't fair, but no one really cares."

Anna sighed. What happened to his smile, last year? She'd barely gotten used to it, after he'd gone silent when her parents died. Maybe she'd been neglecting him in the new house, caught in her ridiculous revenge quest against someone who was locked up. But she couldn't tell him if she wanted him to ever get back hope in humanity, so … what? "You're right, Lloyd. And I'm proud of you looking after Genis. Just … be a little more cautious, okay? Don't pick the fight. You know you can intimidate. And if you have to, do it outside of the classroom and the school grounds, okay?" She couldn't believe she was saying this. But she wasn't his mother and he barely listened to her, so how else could she keep him safe? "I want you to promise me that you won't fight over a few petty insults, Lloyd. Do you want the jerks out there to win? They're the only ones who are going to if you rise to their bait."

He looked down, subdued. "I promise."

"Good."

"Now, um …" Lloyd's foot scuffed on their new tile kitchen floor, "can we go over to Raine and Genis's house? It's only two neighborhoods over. We can walk."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea …" Anna said slowly, remembering what Raine had let slip about her mother. "You can't just barge in on people, Lloyd, not on the first day you know them. I don't even know why you asked where they lived."

"It wasn't like that! Genis just asked me where I'd moved into, and so I told him where, and he said that his house was only two neighborhoods over, since we were on the same bus and all, and so I asked where … and he told me. Honest!" Lloyd protested, hands in front of his face. Anna smirked at him, and he lowered them. "So can we go? I want to get his home number, anyway … "

"There's absolutely nothing preventing you from doing that tomorrow. At school."

Lloyd put on a pleading expression. "But I don't know it I'll have him in any of my classes tomorrow! And besides, you told me not to talk then. The hallways are all loud and crowded. We'll just walk over to say hello and if they're doing something, we can walk back. It'll be good exercise, and we'll get to see the neighborhood. C'mon, please?"

Anna broke. Because she couldn't stand not to make him happy if it was humanly in her power to do otherwise, even though she was worried about risking her fragile friendship with Raine by intruding or worse, humiliating her by seeing whatever made it so hard for her to keep a grip on Genis.

"Alright, alright! But if you make me lose my second friend here, I will so tell Dirk about the fight you got into at school!"

"That's totally unfair!" Lloyd gasped, staring at her in horror. His expression turned considering as the rest of her statement sank in. "Wait … second friend? As in, more than one geeky person has befriended you?"

Anna cuffed him in the head. "Yes, actually. He is a geek, though he's popular, too. And he's friends with a guy I hate. Wait – why am I talking to you about this?"

Lloyd thought deeply for a second. "Because I'm your younger sibling and we went through a traumatic past together and move around a lot and you love me very, very much and tell me everything?"

She scowled. "Somehow, I don't think that's it."

--

"I'm bored," Lloyd whined. "This is taking forever. Maybe we got lost."

"We better not have gotten lost," Anna warned, looking at him sideways. "You said you knew the directions. As much as I love you, I have a lot of other things I'd rather be doing than wandering around out here for several hours …"

"It's good exercise, sis. You never do anything but read. Plus, I think I just found the street."

"Good." Anna looked at the sign. "Elm Street or Filfolia Way?"

"Elm Street." Lloyd pointed straight ahead. "Come on. Theirs is the fourth down on the right, and Genis said that it's next to the one with green trim and white stucco, which apparently belongs to a teacher at our school, who actually dyes his hair blue. Weird, huh?" He scrunched up his eyebrows. "I bet he's better than stupid bald Mr. Koton, though. That guy is so annoying."

"Lloyd, you shouldn't speak badly of your teachers," Anna chided. "They have to put up with you two, you know. And your questions."

"Hey, they're supposed to teach me about interesting stuff, and if I don't understand whatever they're going on about the first time it doesn't mean I'm stupid, just that they explain it weirdly and I don't understand it like when you do – "

"Come on, Lloyd." Anna walked up the steps. "If we're knocking, you're knocking. Now ring the doorbell."

"I have such a helpful, protective big sister," he grumbled as he pushed it and the peal sounded faintly through the door, stepping back hurriedly. "What if there was a serial killer in there or something?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Then it would be your fault for leading us here."

"I love you too, sis."

Suddenly the door flew open, nearly whacking Lloyd on the nose and revealing a crazed-looking woman in a ratty green bathrobe, face looking almost like Raine's with the way she cut her silvery hair. "What do you want? Are you trying to sell something? If you are, I don't want it. I couldn't buy anything anyway. Not since my worthless husband died and left me with nothing but his stupid life support every month."

Anna stared at her in shock and trepidation, very much so. Father died in an accident … this, then, must be Raine's mother, Virginia. No wonder she couldn't drive Genis to school.

"We aren't selling anything," Lloyd said, brow furrowed in puzzlement. "Though I'm sorry about your husband. We're looking for Raine and Genis. Are they in?"

"Raine?" The woman squinted. "Raine's just a baby. And I don't know who Genis is. No one lives here but me, not since my worthless husband died." She drew her robe about herself. "Just who are you people?"

"Lloyd? What are you doing here?"

Lloyd spun around in surprise, trying not to look guilty, an unfortunate reflex of his, even if he was doing absolutely nothing wrong!

"Hi, Genis," he said, watching as Raine appeared around the corner of the block, carrying more groceries. "You told me where you lived, so I, um, wanted to see it. Anna and I don't really do anything alone in the afternoons, so …"

"I see."

Raine looked enquiringly at Genis. "You told your new friend where we live?"

"I – I – " he stammered, flushing. "It wasn't like I just told him or anything! We were talking about all the places he'd lived, and I asked him where he lived now, and he told me, and so I said that wasn't far from where we lived, and so he asked where, and so I said – "

Raine sighed. "It's okay, Genis. It's a natural discussion. I don't want you to feel like you have to be ashamed of where we live. Come on, let's go in the house."

"Wh-who are you all?" Virginia asked, huddling in on herself fearfully. "Why are you here? Little Raine's inside, asleep. You don't want to wake her."

Raine sighed wearily, walking up to the front step to stand level with her mother. "I'm Raine, Mother. Now stop talking like that, and let us in. Genis and I are holding groceries."

She moved aside silently, retreating from them all into a back room Anna assumed was where she slept. Raine and Genis put down their loads and quickly ordered everything in the kitchen, Anna and Lloyd both watching self-consciously. It was a very quick, awkward time before they were done, and even Lloyd could tell that Raine was the one that organized the kitchen.

"There, done," she said, balling up the grocery bags and taking them into the mud room. "Come on, Anna, Lloyd, you can have a seat on the couch …"

"Sorry about this," Anna said timidly. "We didn't mean to intrude. Lloyd just wanted to see where Genis lived, so …"

"No, it's great to have you come over." Raine sighed heavily. "But you know about my mother. I guess you saw her when she answered the door. She's still under the delusion that my father's just died and Genis and I are children still, which she uses as a device every time she gets frightened. In her room she keeps a baby doll and a stuffed mannequin with hair scribbled on it in marker in a little girl dress that she changes."

"That must suck," Lloyd muttered, not quite possessing the tact of most people. He looked at Genis. "Is she insane or something? I mean, how can she not notice how her two amazing kids have grown up? I mean, Raine's really responsible and Genis is really smart. Why would she want to pretend you're still little?"

"Thanks, Lloyd," Genis mumbled, blushing. "Thanks a lot."

"It's because of the accident," Raine said. "Her mind snapped when she heard about Father's death. None of the medication the doctors give her helps. She's just … mad. But harmless. It isn't that bad, really." Her shoulders shrunk in on each other.

"Yes, it is," Anna answered firmly, taking her by the shoulders and looking at her. "Lloyd and I lost both our parents when they died. You lost your mother when your father died, too, only it's worse because she's still here and looks like her. Things like that hurt. You need to get out of the house more. Why don't you come over and help Lloyd and I unpack?"

Raine bit her lip. "But Mother might get into trouble …"

"C'mon, sis," Genis pleaded, tugging at her, "we can tell Mr. Regal to keep an eye on her if she wanders out of the house or something. It'll be fun. Please?"

"Well, okay. If you two really need help with your unpacking."

--

The afternoon turned into dinner, which turned into a movie after it, because Genis was a genius with electronics and had managed to re-rig up the TV. The movie, sadly, was an action movie and pretty darn boring, so Raine and Anna escaped up to her room to talk about things.

"So …. Kratos?" Raine asked. "Pretty bad luck that the guy who happens to sit next to you in your first class is his best friend, huh? Yuan's pretty cool. I mean … a little annoying, but …" she blushed.

Anna grinned. Talking about Kratos wasn't fun, but a friend with a crush she could handle. "You like him, don't you? You liiiiiiike him. Well, I guess he is sorta cute. And anyone willing to grab a girl's bags because she refuses to re-enter the cafeteria has to be a good person."

Raine frowned. "I wouldn't say that I like him, per se. He's just reasonably clever and attractive. Besides, he's had a crush on Martel since before the first grade. She'll never fall for him, even though they're friends, but he doesn't date …" she trailed off hopelessly.

"Don't worry," Anna said soothingly, flopping back on her bed and stretching her arms out. "Yuan isn't stupid, you know. Eventually he'll realize that he can't be with her." She sat up in grinned. "Besides, who wouldn't want you? You're intelligent, beautiful, responsible, caring, self-assured, independent, helpful, informative …"

Raine threw a pillow at her in a decidedly non-"helpful" and "caring" manner, blushing again. "Oh, I'm sure – the day Yuan asks me out is the day you and Kratos are found kissing in a supply closet."

"Then I'm very sorry for you," Anna told her, perfectly straight-faced. "Now, can you believe what Yuan told me about my English teacher and what he and his wife do on break in the broom closet?"

--

"Kratos, where are you going?" his mother asked, leaning in the door as the porch lights caught his retreating back. He froze, straightening.

"Nowhere in particular, Mother."

She sighed. "Kratos, there's no need to be so formal. Your father isn't here anymore. And you never go just 'nowhere in particular.' "

Actually, he did. He had always like to wander the neighborhood at night. Tonight, however, he did have a specific purpose, and somehow she sensed that. His hands tightened in his jacket. The girl's face was burned into his mind. How could she be that angry – at him? As if he were his bastard of a father? He couldn't sleep. He couldn't stand of being thought of like that. He needed Yuan to prevent him from doing something rash. But first he had to get past his mother. "I'm going over to Yuan's house. I need to talk to him."

"After curfew? I told you that you didn't need to spend the entire afternoon helping me."

"I didn't need to go see him until now." Kratos didn't turn around. Just let me go … "I was busy. I wasn't thinking about it."

"Oh." He knew he could see his mother shrink in on herself if he turned around. She was so happy these days, so free … it broke her heart that he wasn't. But he couldn't change the past, and he couldn't shake that girl's face. It had been his father who'd caused all that pain. "Well, then … if you need to talk to him … that's fine. But remember, you have school tomorrow. And … I'm here for you, too … if you ever need me." Like she couldn't be before.

"Thank you, Mother. I'll be back before midnight." Kratos was walking before she closed the door, running after it. Yuan's house was just down the street, back-to-back with Mithos's and Martel's. That's how they'd become friends, when his and Yuan's ball catapulted into their yard.

When he got there, he climbed the tree outside of Yuan's window – Martel joked that Yuan's big, strong girlfriends could sneak up it in order to take him out on dates – and flicked pebbles at the window, startling him awake. Yuan's blue hair was faceplanted in the strewn papers of what he swore someday was going to be a graphic novel, snoring. Kratos knocked harder, and he jerked awake. "Wha - ? Kratos?"

He came over and opened the window, letting him slide in. Yuan yawned. "Dammit. I knew Anna would make you come here, so I was working late but then I fell asleep anyway … too much partying this summer, I guess. I heard there's one tonight, but Martel refuses to go to any before at least a week is up since Mithos needs his rest and study time, which means we'll be going to Zelos's pool party bash bonanza. I hate that thing. Need to talk?"

"How can she hate me like that?" Kratos asked, running his fingers haphazardly through his hair. "How? We've barely exchanged words."

"Because she thinks you're like your father," Yuan said, meeting his eyes squarely. "Sucks, but it's true. I overheard her and her new friend talking. She just found out yesterday that your dad survived the crash. Obviously she's a lot angry and a lot hurting. She doesn't know what your father was like. So she thinks of him like … like you." He took a deep breath. "I tried to talk to her. I know how it reminds you of … him."

"I remind even my mother of him," Kratos replied, pacing the room. "I can see it sometimes, when she looks at me, thinking that I look just like my father. I hate him! Why couldn't he just – " His shoulders shook. "Leave me alone? Why can't she?"

"Because that's the way life is." Yuan clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Life, such as it is, sucks. And you'll have to talk to her eventually. I suggest the pool party. And if you want her to understand … take her to meet your mother."

"You think that'll work?"

"Trust me. I know what I'm talking about."

Kratos snorted. "And yet you cannot get a girl to save your life."

"I can too!" Yuan exclaimed, shocked. His shoulders sagged. "Every girl but the girl I want …"

"I believe you're right." Kratos put his hand on the windowsill and looked out. "Life, such as it is, sucks."

"Damn straight it does. And, for the record, you just stole my line."

"…"