Muse: Wow, twenty some days and this is what we com up with? This short piece of crap about Lloyd's favorite word?

Siren: (sniffles)

Muse: You're still upset about what Tiger 002 said, aren't you?

Siren: (bursts into tears) HE IS NOT!! YOU HORRIBLE PERSON!!

Muse: Whatever. Ignore that, other readers. Discaimer time!

(poof) Barret: What the hell is this?

Siren: (cries more) Now you made me wanna play Final Fantasy again, and I DON'T HAVE A PLAYSTATION!

Barret: I'm not even from this game!

Muse: Just say the disclaimer.

Barret: Sirens & Muses do not own ToS or FF7. They do not own me, Lloyd, Kratos, Anna, or Yuan. However, they do own a tub of French Onion Dip and this bag of potato chips. (poof)

Siren: (blows nose) Review, please. (hands tissue to Muse)

Muse: Gross.

Rule #10: They always say the one thing you don't want them to.

"Look, Lloyd," Kratos said, holding out his son's shoe. "It's called a shoe. Can you say it? Shoe."

Lloyd turned his head to the side and giggled. Kratos sighed. Somehow, Anna had roped him into teaching Lloyd to speak something other than baby talk.

"Milpi!" Lloyd giggled and pointed to the shoe. His father shook his head.

"No. Shoe." Kratos held the shoe out again. Lloyd laughed.

"Milpi!"

Kratos sighed again and stood up. There was no use trying to teach his one-year-old to talk right; it'd be easier just to teach both worlds Lloyd-speak.

He handed his son a stuffed animal from his playpen, a dog. Lloyd grinned and hugged the toy tightly. Kratos chuckled a bit as the little boy began to play. He was making barking sounds and making the dog hop around. His father turned and went into his bedroom.

Anna was lying asleep on the bed, snoring lightly. Kratos worked as a mercenary, which meant he wasn't home as much as she was. Whenever he was home, she slept while he played with Lloyd. He didn't mind, really.

Kratos was leaning over to wake her up for dinner when he heard Lloyd speak in the next room. He said a full word, a real word. One that Kratos knew he shouldn't be saying.

"Basurd."

In the next instant, Lloyd was giggling as he watched his father loom over him. "Basurd!"

"Ah, Lloyd, no, don't say that." Kratos gingerly lifted his son up and held him up to eye level. "That's a bad word."

Lloyd stared into his father's eyes before laughing again. "Basurd! Basurd! Dadah basurd!"

Kratos sighed. He was going to hear it from Anna when she woke up. "Okay, listen. Shoe."

"Basurd!"

"No, shoe!"

"Basurd!"

Kratos closed his eyes and tried to think of where Lloyd had learned such a word. Anna was extremely careful around their son, as was Kratos. Who had taught him to say…?

"Yuan," he said viciously. Of course. Last week, they'd visited 'Uncle' Yuan to fix Anna's Reheird. He could remember how Yuan had somehow got onto the topic of Mithos. He'd called him a, 'ruthless, insane bastard who lacked a soul.'

"Lloyd, please, for Mommy, say shoe," Kratos begged his little one. Lloyd giggled again.

"Basurd!"

"Kratos?" Anna walked out to the bedroom, yawning. "How goes the talking?"

Kratos froze, trying to come up with a suitable explanation. Whether Yuan had said it or not, he knew he'd get blamed.

"Listen," he began, trying to figure out how to disguise his son's newly learned word. "Lloyd-"

"Soo."

Both adults stared at their son. He laughed again. "Soo, Ma."

"Oh, shoe!" Anna cried happily. "Good boy!"

She ruffled Lloyd's hair before going into the bathroom. Kratos glanced down at the little boy.

"Dadah Basurd!"

"Of course," Kratos grumbled. "I'm the bastard."