Siren: Where the hell have we been?

Muse: Man...I thought we died.

Siren: I miss the days when we updated normally.

Muse: Um...and we did not do anything for Christmas. Or New Years.

Siren: Or Valentine's Day.

Muse: ...Forgive us?

(poof) Kratos: ...Not you guys.

Siren: (yawns) Just get on with it, I'm not up to any crazy sexual fangirl antics tonight.

Muse: It's morning, actually.

Kratos: Shut up, Muse. Sirens & Muses do not own ToS. (poof)

Siren: Review? Please?


Rule #9: Children don't know how to dress themselves based on weather patterns. That's up to you.

Revision #9: Even if they should know how to dress themselves, you will be blamed.

"Lloyd, you need to change," Raine said firmly. "You can't train in that outfit."

"I've been training in this outfit since I got it," he objected. "It's just so cool!"

"Cool or not—" Raine said.

"It's not," Zelos and Genis interrupted at the same time.

"—it's almost ten below zero and snowing. That won't keep you warm."

"Aw, come on, Kratos doesn't care, do you, Kratos?" Lloyd turned to his father, who shrugged.

"I certainly don't recommend it, but it's up to you—"

"See? Kratos is letting me make my own decisions!" Lloyd said. Raine frowned.

"Fine. Fine, do what you want." She threw her hands up in resignation. "Freeze if it makes you happy! What do I know?"

"Yes! Let's go!" Lloyd ran out the door before Kratos could say anything else. The older man sighed and followed his son.

"Lloyd, Raine is right. It's very cold out here, and your attire is hardly…warm."

"I'll keep warm while we train," Lloyd answered. "Besides, this outfit's fine."

"Lloyd, you are dressed like a pirate." And he was. Since they'd met Aifreed in Luin, Lloyd had refused to wear anything else beside the costume. "Pirates don't dress for Flanior weather."

"Aw, come on. Genis wears shorts and t-shirt, and he's never cold," Lloyd pointed out. Kratos frowned, unable to think of a good argument before his son bounded out into the snow.

"You're wearing a vest with no shirt on underneath." Kratos crunched through the snow. "I'm just worried that you might…freeze."

"I'll be fine." Lloyd unsheathed his swords and faced his father. "Let's go!"

They started training, with Kratos occasionally commenting on Lloyd's technique. They stopped after an hour or so, Lloyd panting.

"Very good." Kratos put his sword away and nodded towards the town. "Let's head back, before dark."

"Aw, come on," Lloyd said, grinning. "We have time. I want to play in the snow."

Kratos shifted uncomfortably. "It's much too cold to play, Lloyd."

"Please?" Lloyd pleaded. "Please, Da-Kratos, can't we play outside? Just for a little while?"

Kratos caught the slip. "…I suppose it can't hurt. Only a few minutes," he added sternly.

"Whoo!" Lloyd fell backwards into the snow. "I've always wanted to do this. It never snows in Iselia." He began to furiously wave his arms and legs.

"…" Kratos walked over and stared down. "How are you not frozen?"

"I dunno." Lloyd stopped moving and held up his hand. "Help me up, I wanna look."

They stood side by side, staring at the misshapen angel Lloyd had made. "Not bad," Kratos said.

"I'd love to see you make a better one." Lloyd suddenly grinned. "Actually, I would like to see it. Come on, make a snow angel."

"Lloyd, I am an angel. In the snow. I don't need to make one."

"Oh, yeah?" Lloyd gave Kratos a shove. "Come on, give it a shot."

"No." Kratos was again shoved. "Stop it."

"Only if you make me a snow angel," Lloyd said.

"…" Kratos sighed and extended his arms, falling back into the snow. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"I wish I had a canbra," Lloyd said.

"A what?" Kratos half-heartedly waved his arms. Lloyd shrugged.

"Sheena said that it kind of paints a picture, only really fast." Lloyd thought for a second. "Like they had in the human ranches."

"Oh, a camera." The older man stood up and brushed snow off himself. "Yes, the human ranches had video cameras. Is this satisfactory?"

"Ha! It even looks like you!" Lloyd laughed while Kratos sighed and started walking away. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Back to Flanior. It's too cold to play anymore." Something wet and cold hit the back of his head. "Ah! Lloyd, did you just throw a snowball at me?"

"No…" Lloyd said innocently. Kratos narrowed his eyes. "I swear! It must've been the wind."

"The…wind? The wind threw a snowball at me?"

"…Um…yeah." Lloyd shrugged while Kratos sighed. "Aw, come on! Just a few more minutes!"

"No, it's almost dark." Another snowball hit him, this time on the butt. "Stop it, Lloyd!"

"It's not me!" Kratos glared at him. "Alright, I'm coming."

Lloyd jogged up to where his father stood. "Why you insist on being so childish is beyond me."Kratos slowed his pace very slightly, falling only a few steps behind Lloyd.

"It was just a game," Lloyd grumbled. "Lighten u-ack!" The teen spun around to see Kratos a just behind him, smirking.

"Yo-You! You just! Ah, you just threw a snowball at me!" Lloyd picked up a lump of snow, taking aim at Kratos. "You jerk!"

"It wasn't me, I swear," Kratos said, holding up his hands. "It was the wind."

"Ha! I'm telling everyone that you got into a snowball fight!" Lloyd threw his snowball and immediately picked up another one.

"Fight? No, no," Kratos said hastily. "I just wanted to get you back for earlier."

"Now you've started a war," Lloyd said evilly. "Get ready, old man."

"Old? Old man?" Kratos dodged his son's snowball and picked up his own. "I am not old!" He launched a snowball that barely missed Lloyd.

"Oh, come on! You're older than the dirt you're standing on!" Snow landed on Kratos' shoulder. He tossed another snowball at his son. "Gah! You got me!"

"…Alright, that's enough!" Kratos held up his hands in surrender and received a snowball to the chest. "That's not very sportsmanlike."

"Sorry, it seemed a waste not to use it." Lloyd was grinning and red-faced as they headed back to Flanior. "Man, that was awesome! We should do that again sometime."

"…" Kratos brushed snow off Lloyd's shoulder. "Are you cold? We should've gone in soon, you're going to get sick."

"I'll be fine," Lloyd said dismissively. "That was so much fun!"

They arrived in Flanior and went into the inn, where Raine verbally abused them about the cold.

"…Reckless and stupid, it's below zero outside, and all you're wearing is a vest!" She wrapped the blanket tighter around Lloyd before rounding on Kratos. "And you! You should've known better! Letting him leave dressed like this! Weather like this isn't a game, Kratos!"

"I apologize," Kratos said.

"Whatever," Lloyd said. "Guess what? We got into a snowball fight!"

"A…snowball fight?" Raine said, her eye twitching.

"Lloyd, I don't think you should-" Kratos said hastily.

"Yeah!" Lloyd said. Then he caught sight of Raine's face. "Uh, Professor? You're looking scary…"

"You decided it would be a good idea to have a snowball fight with a half-naked teenager?" Raine snapped, narrowing her eyes at Kratos. "Are…you…insane?"

"Who's half-naked in there?" Zelos called from the other room. They heard Sheena smack him. "Oww…"

"What do you have to say for yourself, Kratos?" Raine demanded.

"I-uh…he started it," Kratos mumbled, staring at his shoes.

"Oh, he did, did he?" Raine shrieked. "Well, I'm going to finish it, young man!"

"Young…man?" Lloyd started laughing.

"You will both write me a five hundred-word paper on hypothermia and how to prevent it," Raine said. "I expect it to be handed in to me the day after tomorrow."

"With all due respect, Professor Sage, I am not one of your students." She shot Kratos a withering look.

"Just write the paper, Kratos, it'll be less painful for all involved," Genis called from the other room.

"It could be worse," Lloyd said as Raine left the room. "At least we didn't get sick."

"…Yet," Kratos corrected him. "We didn't get sick yet."