Siren: Ugh...so...tired...

Muse: (snore)

Siren: You people should be thanking us. We gave you update at the expense of sweet, inviting sleep.

Muse: Why don't we ever write during daylight?

Siren: Because, Muse, sleep deprivation is the fuel for our creativity.

Muse:...Of course. Disclaimer!

(poof) Pillow: Ssssllllleeeeppppp...

Siren: (yawn) I'd love to...

Pillow: Sirens & Muses don't own ToS. They need to sssslllleeeepppp...

Muse: We know. (snores)

Siren: Review, please...(snore)

Pillow: Now that they are asleep, I can RULE THE WORLD! Mwahahahahahaha!

Rule #7: It's the quiet ones you have to watch.

Revision #7: Keep an eye on the loud ones, too.

"...I can't hear you…talk louder…no, I'm a natural blonde…"

Kratos rolled over and yanked his pillow over his head with a soft thump. He and Lloyd were, once again, sharing a room at the inn. The Cool Breeze, in fact, the most expensive inn in Asgard. Colette had a single room, Genis and Raine shared one, and Lloyd and Kratos shared the last.

"…Thank you, I will have a cup of tea…only one lump of alligator, please…"

At the beginning of the trip, Kratos had been very interested when he found out his son talked in his sleep. None of the other three found this behavior strange; in fact, Raine told him that Lloyd did it in class. Occasionally, Genis would throw things at him to make him be quiet, but it never really bothered anyone too much.

"…Yes, I want the flaming kitty tattoo…on my third elbow, please…"

For the first few weeks, he'd listened intently to Lloyd's mumbling words, hoping for some sort of hidden wisdom. However, all he'd learned so far was that Lloyd's dreams were weird.

"…Look, a pony...where's his head…?"

"Oh, shut up," Kratos groaned, tightening the pillow around his head. He groped underneath the bed and pulled out one of his shoes. Sitting up straight, he lobbed it and hit Lloyd's stomach. The teenager snorted, rolled on his side, and started snoring. Loudly.

The snoring, Kratos decided, was better than the talking. He closed his eyes and attempted to get at least a few minutes of uninterrupted dozing.

After a half an hour or so, Kratos was awakened by the sound of footsteps and the door squeaking. His eyes snapped open and he stood up, sighing.

"Lloyd," he called. "Lloyd, get back in here. You're not to go out alone."

The footsteps continued. Kratos followed, still calling Lloyd's name.

"Lloyd, stop." He caught sight of Lloyd leaving the inn. Quietly, he crept after his son. "Okay, the joke's over. Get back to sleep."

Something wasn't quite right, Kratos thought. Lloyd wouldn't just ignore him like this; he was usually blatantly disobedient. He jogged up next to the teenager. "Lloyd, are you sick?"

Lloyd's face was blank and dazed. He continued walking past Kratos, who gripped his shoulder gently and shook. Suddenly, Lloyd started talking again.

"…Yeah, the steak scored three points…"

They had reached the exit of Asgard. Kratos examined Lloyd carefully, watching his even face and glassy eyes. Unless he was very much mistaken-and he didn't think he was-Lloyd was sleepwalking.

"…I can't go to the doctor, my flower garden is moving too much…"

"…Lloyd?" Kratos asked tentatively. "Um, can you hear me?"

"…It's too cold to have a chocolate fountain here…"

"I suppose not." Kratos squeezed his upper arm and tried to lead him back into town. However, Lloyd shook him off and gave an unnaturally loud shout of laughter.

"…Is that journey a potato…?"

Lloyd had led them out into the forest. Kratos wasn't sure if it would be safe to wake him up, or if it would be better to just take him back. His biggest concern, at least right now, was that Lloyd would try to fight while asleep. That could end in disaster.

"…The frosted cupcake is a vampire…"

Kratos was surprised to see that Lloyd navigated through the forest better when he was asleep. He didn't trip or stumble over the roots or walk into low hanging branches. But he clearly not aware of where he was going or what he was doing. Kratos tried once again to redirect Lloyd back to Asgard, but this time, Lloyd flinched. He swung out and punched Kratos in the face, knocking him backwards.

"Umph!" Kratos fell back against a tree with a grunt. "Lloyd!"

"…My mother says when I walk, I'm pregnant…"

Kratos stepped forward, following Lloyd. He was about to simply wake Lloyd up when he heard a noise. A growl.

Kratos unsheathed his sword, but a moment too late; the beast launched forward and knocked Kratos onto the ground before rounding on Lloyd.

"Lloyd, wake up!" Kratos was on his feet, but the monster charged at his son. There was a loud growl, a shout, and metal clash.

"…Yellow chairs eat their young…!"

Lloyd had drawn his weapons faster than he'd ever done awake. He attacked, moving smoothly and fluidly as he never had before. His face remained blank and emotionless, but he defeated the enemy in a matter of minutes, while Kratos stared in awe.

When the battle ended, Lloyd continued walking to…wherever he was headed. Kratos chased after him. "Lloyd, this has gone far enough." It was only after he said it that he realized Lloyd couldn't comprehend a word he was saying.

Kratos stood directly in front of Lloyd, blocking his path, and grabbed his shoulders. "Lloyd, wake up. Now." He shook him gently, then harder when there was no reaction. Nothing.

Kratos slapped his face. Still nothing. He kicked his shins. Still asleep.

Finally, he stood back and let Lloyd pass. If nothing short of beating his son repeatedly was going to wake him up, he might as well just let him go. If Kratos followed him around and watched him, Lloyd would be fine. After all, he seemed to fight better asleep, anyway.

Lloyd had gotten a few strides ahead of him and was nearing a clearing in the woods. It was already sunrise; there was a stream of golden-pink filtering through the leaves.

"Gah!" Lloyd suddenly swung his sword wildly around, almost slashing Kratos across the chest. The older man ducked and grabbed Lloyd's leg, pulling him down. With a grunt, the teen was on his back, looking wildly around.

"Kratos! Wh-whe-what's going on?" Lloyd sat up. "How-how did I get here? What are we doing?"

"Calm down, Lloyd," Kratos said. "Did you know you're a somnambulist?"

"I'm a son-soma-sobam-did you just insult me?"

"You sleepwalk, Lloyd," Kratos said, holding out his hand to help him up. "You left your bed about an hour ago and started walking. I couldn't wake you up."

Lloyd looked stricken. "You mean, like a zombie?"

"Nothing like that," Kratos said. "You were simply asleep and moving. And you were talking nonsense," he added.

Lloyd relaxed a little. "Oh, yeah, that I knew. So, I just kept walking?"

"…You killed a monster in your sleep."

"I what?" Lloyd asked. "I-I fought in my sleep?"

"Yes. You were actually pretty good." Kratos motioned to Asgard. "We need to get back so the others don't worry."

Lloyd grinned. "So cool. So, this sobamulist thing, is it normal?"

"Not exactly," Kratos said. "There's no shortage of people who have it, but I wouldn't call it normal. It's usually brought on by stress."

"I've had plenty of that lately," Lloyd muttered. "Am I sick or something?"

"No. We'll just have to lock doors at night and keep an eye on you so that you don't go wondering off." Kratos gave him a sideways look. "Don't worry too much about it."

Lloyd, grinning and fully rested, practically skipped to Asgard. They made it back before everyone else was awake, for which Kratos was glad. He didn't want to explain to Raine why they were wondering around in the middle of the night.

"Hey, Kratos? Thanks. You know, for keeping track of me." Lloyd gave him a thumbs up.

"You can repay me easily," he said.

"Really?" Lloyd asked. "How?"

Kratos smirked. "Well, now that I know you're capable of such a superior level of swordsmanship in your sleep, I expect you to do the same when you're awake."

"Aw, c'mon," Lloyd groaned.