A/N: Disclaimer time!

Disclaimer: I don't own ToS in any way, shape or form. If I did, there would be a huge amount of Kratos/Lloyd Father/Son scenes, and Anna wouldn't be dead.

Bit of Lloyd's past in this one... *evil chuckle*

They'd had barely stepped onto the sand when Colette fell to her knees, panting and sporting a flushed face.

"Colette?!" several of them cried, rushing over to her and checking her over.

"She's okay. It's only a fever," Raine said quietly.

"We should get her to a doctor," said Genis worriedly.

"No, we shouldn't move her," Kratos replied, and everyone looked at him.

"But Colette.." Genis started.

"Is merely undergoing the Angel Transformation," Kratos interrupted.

"That angel dude did say that she'd face some pain for a day," Lloyd pointed out, and Clara nodded.

"We should set up camp here for the night. That way Colette can rest, and if she takes a turn for the worst, someone can easily get a healer from Triet," she said.

"Kratos, you're the traveller. Is there anywhere close by that would be a good camp?" asked Raine.

Kratos nodded. "Follow me," he said, starting off. Raine helped Colette onto Noishe's back before the rest of them followed, reaching an area next to the ocean. It had a few trees growing to provide shelter, and some wood which had floated in from the ocean over time and dried off from the hot weather.

Raine and Clara set about making Colette comfortable while Genis set up camp and Lloyd went to get some wood. Kratos hung back, keeping an eye on the others and watching for any monsters that might try and attack.

Eventually the camp was set up, and everyone was starting to relax a bit more. Colette's fever had broken, but she remained lying on the blankets, Noishe curled around her to provide extra heat in the cool night air. Genis and Raine sat around the brightly-burning campfire, Raine closer to Colette in case her condition took a turn for the worst. Kratos stood at the edge of camp, gazing out over the landscape as he searched for monsters. Clara sat with Colette, happily chatting to the girl, and Lloyd sat in one of the few trees, staring out over the water and up at the sky.

Eventually Genis, Raine and Clara settled down for sleep, grabbing some more blankets and getting as close to the fire or Noishe as possible. Colette stood, heading down to the beach and standing there, listening to the gentle waves. Kratos remained where he was, as did Lloyd, neither communicating but both lost in their own thoughts.

And the night wore on.

"Mummy, Mummy! Look! There's lots of water!"

"Hahaha, that's right, sweetie. It's called the ocean."

"Oshen?"

She giggled. "Close enough."

"I've booked a room at the inn. What do you want to do now?"

"Daddy! Let's go swimmin'!"

"Now Lloyd, we don't have any swimming costumes or towels...maybe next time."

He pouted, but nodded. "M'kay..."

"How about we go on a boat?"

"Yeah! And Noshy comes too!"

"If Noishe wants to come aswell, he can. Can you get us a boat, 'Daddy'?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, just wait here. Lloyd, go to your mother."

"But I wanna see the boats!"

"And you will, in a minute. Just wait here with Mummy, and I'll be back soon, okay?"

He sighed, but obediantly crossed over to her, holding her hand.

"I'll be back in a moment."

"We're not going anywhere!" she laughed, hugging Lloyd.

How wrong she was.

Lloyd jerked awake, barely keeping his balance as he nearly tumbled off the branch he had been sleeping on. Now fully awake, he sighed; he'd not dreamt about his parents for a few years now. Why was he starting again?

Glancing about, he saw the others were all still asleep. The sun was barely up, and the only person he could see was awake was Colette, who sat next to the dying fire.

Jumping off his branch, he deemed it safer to remain on the ground for now. Crossing over to the fire, he sat down across from the blond Chosen.

"Why are you still up?" he asked, confused.

Colette shook her head. "I've had some rest, I just woke up earlier than I expected," she replied, smiling brightly. He frowned, seeing the pain she was trying to conceal but not commenting on it.

"As long as you're sure you've had enough. If you need some more, I can stand watch."

"That's okay. Are you sure you don't need anymore?"

"I don't think I'll get back to sleep any time soon," he replied with a chuckle.

Silence invaded, Lloyd lost in his own thoughts as Colette found it awkward. Hesitantly, she asked a question.

"Lloyd..what was your mentor like?"

Lloyd looked at her, surprised, then relaxed, his eyes taking on a faraway look.

"He was a really kind person. If someone was in need, he helped them. He said that everyone deserved to be treated the same, and being a half-elf, I suppose he was right. I asked him once why he believed it so much, especially as I had seen how cruel people could be towards half-elves, and he just replied that it was what his dead lover would have wanted. Sometimes, I think he was an angel too. When we were fighting, it was almost like I could see wings on his back...but that was the only time I saw them, so I guess he wasn't."

"He sounds like a really good person," Colette murmured.

Lloyd nodded. "He'd probably have to be, with a brat like me."

"What do you mean?"

"When I was younger, I was a trouble-maker. I played pranks on people, beat them up, constantly ignored people when they tried to talk to me or help, and broke every rule he ever set for me. He was constantly bailing me out of danger because I never paid attention to my surroundings. He called me an air-head a lot of the time."

"Was it like that when those monsters killed him?" Colette asked, curious.

Lloyd's eyes darkened, lost in the memories.

"Run Lloyd! You've got to get away!"

"But.."

"There's no time! Noishe, get Lloyd out of here!"

"Bark!"

"Wait! Noishe, stop it! Put me down! Wait!"

"...I don't want to talk about it," he said curtly, trying to keep the snarl out of his voice.

Colette blinked, then looked worried. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"It's fine," Lloyd replied shortly, standing up and walking off.

Colette remained sitting there, looking upset. "...I'm sorry.." she mumbled.

Across the clearing, Clara frowned. He'd had a hard childhood...and she couldn't even remember her own. Clenching her fist, she was determined to find out more about herself, and help Lloyd while she was at it.

With his back to her, Kratos was thinking much the same thing.

"We should head back to Triet first and stock up on supplies," Raine said as they finished packing up.

"That is a good idea. It wouldn't do for us to find ourselves without adequate equipment," agreed Kratos.

"So we're going back to Triet? Cool! Can I get some stuff while we're there, sis?" asked Genis excitedly.

"I suppose so. We have enough Gald, after all. And while we're at it, we'll have to get Lloyd some new clothes," she murmured, turning her gaze on the young boy. He blinked, then shrugged.

"I'll be fine with what I've got," he replied.

"As if. We're getting you some clothes, end of," Clara huffed, gazing with a critical eye over his outfit. Not counting the fact that he had no shoes, it was more than worse for wear, with large holes burned into the shirt and trousers from the intense flames yesterday. Although undoubtedly it was in better condition than his previous attire, it wouldn't do in the long run.

"We'll just have to take Lloyd with us this time, right Lloyd?" Colette said chirpily. Lloyd hesitated, then nodded.

"R-Right..." he murmured, not meeting her gaze. Colette's smile faded, and she looked at the floor. Genis, confused as to why his friends seemed so upset, tried to soothe the situation.

"Should we get going?" he suggested.

They started walking, Lloyd once again insisting that Colette and Genis ride on Noishe.

"Lloyd, it's completely illogical for us to ride Noishe! I'm a half-elf, so we have higher stamina anyway, and Colette's an angel, so she could just fly! It makes more sense for you to ride him, especially as you don't have any shoes and could seriously exhaust yourself!" Genis tried to argue.

"You're younger, simple as. I'm more used to the desert than you guys. If I look like I'm going to pass out, then I'll ride Noishe, but until then you guys ride him," Lloyd replied.

"Gah! You're more stubborn than Clara!" cried Genis in frustration.

"Then just ride the damn mutt. You never win an argument with me, what makes you think you can start with Lloyd?" Clara sighed, getting a little irritated by their squabbling.

Genis sighed, face-planting into Noishe's neck, and Colette giggled. "You and Lloyd are really similar, Miss Clara!" she laughed.

"How do you figure that?" asked Clara, confused.

"Well, you're both really stubborn, but really kind, and you're great fighters. You're a great fighter too though, Mr Kratos," Colette added, trying not to insult anyone.

"Indeed. In fact, the similarities between the three of you are quite astounding," Raine murmured, her eyes narrowing.

"You think so?" murmured Clara, thinking. Then she gave a grin. "Maybe we're all related!" she laughed, throwing her arms around Kratos and Lloyd's necks.

"I find that highly unlikely," Kratos replied, gently extracting himself from her grip.

"Yeah, if my family was still alive, they'd have come looking for me," agreed Lloyd.

"I guess that screws that theory then! BWAHAHAHA!"

Everyone groaned. "You're far too easy-going, Clara," sighed Raine, shaking her head.

Noishe suddenly growled, ears pricked and body lowering.

"What's wrong?" asked Colette, confused.

"There's a monster nearby. A big one too, by his reaction," Lloyd replied, hands going for his swords. Not a moment later an ogre rose infront of them, bellowing.

"What's that doing here?!" cried Genis as Noishe jumped back and the others readied their weapons.

"Ogres are not normally found in the desert, so I must concur with Genis," Raine murmured.

Lloyd shook his head. "I told you. Monsters are attracted to me. It's why I shouldn't come along," he explained, eyes downcast.

"Jeez, shut up. Stop worrying about that and just fight!" Clara said, a little disgruntled, as she began to attack the ogre.

"I agree with Clara. Nobody minds. If anything, this will make us much stronger. You merely have to fight," Kratos murmured, before he also started attacking.

Lloyd sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Whatever," he muttered, though there was a slight grin on his face as he leapt forward, joining them in battle.

Raine hung back, eyes narrowed as she analysed their movements. Kratos was a decidedly graceful person, and obviously strong, cutting easily through the troll. Clara focused a lot on being much more flexible and faster than Kratos, spinning and side-stepping to avoid the blows. Lloyd's seemed a mixture of the two, relying on strength and speed, blocking and dodging.

It was like a ridiculously complicated dance.

"Those three..." she muttered to herself, tapping her cheek in thought.