You guys are all too nice, but I must say I appreciate it n.n Thank yooouuu

You may all have cookies (throws cookies)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

NOTE PLEASE: I suppose I should've cleared this up right off the bat, but instead I didn't and got the expected reaction. I am not saying all self-inserts are bad, there are a couple I enjoy quite well myself, and I never said the SI I have that I started years ago is an exception to this SI surge. What I got fed up with is the sheer NUMBER of SI's and constantly dwindling new stories that have actual...plots, you know? I have no problem with SIs here and there the fact is there is hardly ANYTHING new posted that ISN'T an SI. It's quite upsetting :/ Now whether or not you wish to believe this or immediately think I'm saying I'm better than everyone else is not my problem.

So to conclude:

Not all SIs are horrible

I do have an SI myself

I ONLY WROTE THIS BECAUSE OF THE SHEER NUMBER OF THEM. IF YOU WANT TO WHINE BECAUSE YOU HAVE ONE I WASN'T TARGETING YOU SPECIFICALLY!

And to those of you with SIs who realized I wasn't trying to insult you , thank you very much. n.n

On a lighter note, have more cookies 'cause sugar makes me happy. Hope you enjoy!

Lloyd stared up at the behemoth and wondered briefly just how many steroids this guy had taken before he was forced to dodge an attack, his face going pale as he noted the weapon was in fact a ball-and-chain type combination. Oh great, where was he, the middle ages? Even in the middle ages he didn't think people dressed like this though…

All right, he had to think- the legs! Yeah, if he could hurt this guy's legs it'd give them a big advantage- at least a chance!

"Hey! Blonde-girl!" he shouted over at the girl, who flinched and looked at him. "Those are charkams right-? Try getting his legs!"

She blinked and then nodded quickly, readying her projectiles to the man's right knee. Lloyd danced between the attacks, attempting to keep the foe busy while Colette tried to attack his legs-

"Fireball!"

Lloyd's jaw dropped as a mass of fire flew through the air and hit Vidarr in the arm, the man letting out a shout of anger and pain…though he was quite sure it was mostly anger.

"D- Did you just-?" Lloyd gasped, staring at the short silver-haired boy. "How did you do that-?"

"Look out!"

Lloyd whirled around with barely enough time to bring up his swords to stop the hammer from smashing his bones. He was knocked into the ground and with one quick motion Vidarr backhanded the two other adolescents into the ground.

"Finish them!" the leader shouted.

Lloyd had a brief flashback of playing Mortal Kombat, when the background voice yelled 'FINISH HIM' ….and then they got their heart ripped out.

This wasn't a very good day.

Vidarr went to do as he was instructed, Lloyd's eyes widening in horror as the man brought up his sledgehammer to flatten them.

"No-!" Lloyd shouted.

He was cut off with a loud bang, those assembled all freezing as their ears rung and the large man simply froze in place. Lloyd blinked, stunned as he wondered what had just happened. After a few seconds of silence a trickle of blood slipped down Vidarr's face, the goliath collapsing backwards onto the ground with an earth-shaking thud. His helmet fell off, revealing a bloody hole right between his eyes.

A gunshot-?

Just then he realized the old woman and the remaining attackers were staring at something behind him, so he of course turned to look as well. What he saw was…a mixed blessing.

"Dad-?" he gasped.

Kratos stood there, still in his business suit, holding a smoking gun that he had pointed at the soldiers, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Dad? How did you get-" Lloyd began.

"Lloyd, are you all right?" he asked, not moving his gaze or his gun from the attackers.

"Wh-? Uh, yeah…" he trailed, blinking, "Where the hell did you get a gun?"

"Later, Lloyd," he hissed, advancing on the troops.

"Who…?" Botta began, staring.

Kratos' eyes narrowed and with his other hand he took out a small red pack of sorts, flipping it open with his hand.

"I assume this might clear it up for you," he said dangerously.

Lloyd hardly believed his eyes when the gun all but disappeared into a pack that no way could've held it, but damn near had a heart attack when his father pulled a FREAKING SWORD out of it in turn, taking a stance as he pointed it warningly at the troops.

Botta got the message.

"Damn-! You weren't supposed to- retreat for now!"

Looking at their fallen comrade, they didn't have to think twice about that order. They fled the scene before anyone could really say anything, through truthfully…it wasn't like anyone had snapped from their shock enough to say anything yet.

Kratos didn't seem fazed by this, however, and simply turned on heel and walked over to Lloyd, hoisting him up by the arm.

"D- Dad-? How did that-? Who were-? Where are-?" the brunette stammered like an idiot.

"How on earth did you get here?" Kratos snarled at his son, his wine eyes flashing.

"H- How did I get here, how did you get here? Where is here?"

"Uhm…excuse me…"

Both Aurions looked toward the speaker, who was the blond girl as she got to her feet and smiled weakly.

"Th…thank you both for helping us, I'm Colette," she said.

Once again the teen went to say something but ended up just staring. The sun on her golden hair, that just as sunny smile…wow…she was pretty….

"Uhm…who are you- if you don't mind telling us?" she asked with a slight frown, shaking Lloyd out of his trance.

"Wh-? Oh-!" Lloyd shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm Lloyd, and this is my dad, Kratos."

"Wow, he looks kinda young to be your da-" Genis began

"We get that a lot," Lloyd continued to smile in sheepish fashion, "Er, so-"

"Thank you both for helping to save the Chosen," the old lady spoke up, approaching them warily, "Though…I'm afraid I must ask…you see you both are rather…strange for these parts, I hope I give no offense…"

"Not at all, it's understandable," Kratos cut in hastily, "However before I answer any questions I need to have a word with my son, pardon me."

"With me-?" Lloyd started.

"Let's go," Kratos said simply, grabbing Lloyd's wrist and pulling him down the stairs.

"W- what-? Hey! Dad, let go! What's going on? Who were they-! Where are we-?"

The man ignored him until they had gotten out of sight of the others, pulling another object out of his strange red pack. It was roughly the size of a softball, a rather high-tech looking gadget with a strange screen on which just as strange symbols whirled.

"Huh-? What is that-?"

Kratos ignored him and pressed his thumb against the screen, holding on tightly, the machine whirred-

…and nothing happened.

"Uh…" Lloyd blinked, unsure of what exactly his reaction was supposed to be.

Kratos snarled, his eyes narrowed dangerously on the device.

"Of course, he shut off the receptors. Damn you, Yuan," he muttered.

"Receptors? What- Oh to hell with it! What the hell is going on, Dad? Tell me-!"

"Hush," Kratos stated, slipping the device back into the pack.

"How can you tell me to 'hush', Dad? Where are we? Who was that blue haired guy earlier! What's-"

Lloyd silenced immediately when his father turned his narrow eyes on him, giving him a glare that he had seen several times before, and always when he knew he was in deep trouble. Kratos surveyed him a moment and then released his wrist, his gaze not leaving his son.

"Lloyd, listen to me very carefully," he stated, "You are not to say a word at any time until I tell you otherwise, is that clear?"

"Huh-?"

"Is that clear?" Kratos snapped.

The boy flinched, eying his father a moment before he nodded.

"I'll tell you what you need to know when I can, for now you must remain silent," he said, his eyes darting back up the steps, "You have your mother's…memento, yes?"

The teen nodded.

"Good, take it out," Kratos said, his eyes returning to Lloyd's face.

"Mom's-? Why? What is-"

"We don't have much time before they come down," he snapped, "Do it."

Lloyd did as he was told, pulling out his mother's stone- and barely had it out before Kratos snatched it from him, snapping the chain right off of it. His son gasped and went to shout at his father when the man grabbed his wrist again, placing the mount of sorts onto the top of his left hand.

"There," Kratos stated, "That should do it."

"Huh-? Dad what did you-…"

He cut off, staring dumbly at nothing. When he had placed the gem on his hand…things felt different; it felt like he was full of energy, like he could run a marathon, like he could bench press that big guy that had attacked them just minutes ago. What was this? What was going on? He stared at the gem, tilting his hand and gasping a bit when the stone did not slide from the spot where it was attached- attached? It was attached to him? Huh? What the heck was this?

"Let me do the talking," Kratos stated, "Just try not to draw attention until I can explain what you need to know."

"O..okay," he said dumbly, too stunned by the new development with the gem to really think about it.

"Good, let's go," Kratos stated with a curt nod, turning and heading up the stairs.

"Wh-? I-…fine," he sighed, finally giving in, "But you'd better tell me what's going on later!"

If Kratos heard him he didn't show it, merely kept walking up to the chapel with Lloyd in tow.

"I apologize for that," Kratos stated as soon as they had come into sight of the old woman and two children, "As I imagine you must be quite unnerved by our appearances and the like."

The only response was a slow nod from the trio as Lloyd shifted uncomfortably, feeling their eyes on him.

"We're travelers from a rather remote place," he stated smoothly, "our homeland is relatively unheard of to the rest of the world, and as such you can understand our rather…different, styles, yes?"

"I- I guess that makes sense but- but what the heck was with that thing you had?" Genis said. "That metal thing that smoked and- and it killed that guy!"

"And- and he- Lloyd, right? He…kinda fell out of the sky…"

Lloyd stiffened at his father's side and Kratos' eyes narrowed, his hand tensing a bit. He didn't know about that, did he? Lloyd swallowed a bit, waiting to hear what kind of excuse his father would try to pass off for something that really couldn't have a convincing explanation.

"Pardon?" the man asked calmly.

"He fell out of the sky and landed on two of those Desians!" Genis huffed, getting red in the face.

"He really did," Colette frowned and nodded, her grandmother doing the same.

"I'm afraid I have no viable explanation for that," Kratos stated simply, "Sorry to have intruded on you, we shall be leaving now-"

"What?" Lloyd and the other two kids blurted.

"You can't just leave like that-!" Genis began.

"We're gonna leave just like that-?" Lloyd stared.

"Yes, we are," Kratos stated curtly, his tone holding a sense of finality that could have paralyzed a charging bull, "Let's go, Lloyd."

"I- but-" the teen stammered, his brown eyes glancing aside as his face furrowed in a frown.

"Please, wait!" Colette cried. "Can't you- uhm-"

"Would you please hear my request?"

Kratos glanced over at Phaidra, whom had spoken, and Lloyd looked over at her as well. The old woman frowned a bit, hesitant, before she took a breath and spoke.

"This is a brazen request, and honestly, I would not be asking this if I had any other option," she sighed, her wrinkled face furrowed further with worry, "but the Chosen was to receive the oracle in company of the priests, and with them dead she has no escort. Sir, if I might request, could you please escort her to the oracle?"

"Huh-?" Lloyd began, but was cut off by his father.

"I must decline," he said simply.

"Please, Sir, she will be likely to die if she is left to go by herself-"

Lloyd didn't even realize he had said anything until he felt his father's glare on his head.

"We'll help," he said, "we can't let her do that if it's that dangerous-"

"Lloyd," his father snapped, a deadly snarl in his voice.

"W- We can't!" he scoffed up at his father. "I mean, if it's dangerous then she needs someone to go with her! We all just got our asses handed to us but that one guy just a few minutes ago, and now we're just going to let her go by herself into some big dark temple-thing filled with who knows what? No way!"

"Lloyd-!" Kratos scowled, looking ready to back-hand his boy.

"No," Lloyd said, glaring right up at him, "Dad, I can't watch someone get in trouble and do nothing."

They looked at each other for a moment, Kratos frowning deeply as his son looked back with that fiery determination that was one of his defining traits. A trait Kratos would never doubt came from his mother, as the boy looked so much like her when he gave him that look he found himself flashing back to when she was alive… The thing was, knowing Anna, she'd want them to make sure the girl didn't get killed either.

"…" he sighed, turning to Phaidra, "If you're truly honest in asking for our assistance I suppose we may for now."

Lloyd grinned widely, obviously happy with having gotten his way, but Kratos slipped into silence with a frown plastered on his face. This was in no way good at all, Lloyd had no idea what they had gotten into and if he couldn't find some way to get Yuan to active the device again there would be no way they could return. Though, Lloyd did not seem to…care about that, at all. He seemed to be nothing but excited, he was more curious about this situation than he was unnerved.

"Thank you so much!" Colette smiled, giving a little bow.

"Hm…" Genis bit his lip, eying the pair warily.

"Hey no problem," Lloyd smiled, "So…uhm…Colette and Genis, right?"

"Yup!" Colette chirped. "Thank you for helping us, Lloyd!"

"Pick up those swords you used earlier, Lloyd," Kratos stated simply, glancing at the discarded weapons, "You'll need something to defend yourself."

"Huh-? Oh, right," he nodded.

However as they entered the temple, like most things that Lloyd got excited about, his enthusiasm faded quickly. They had barely set foot in the temple when confusion and frustration began to plague at Lloyd, as the million questions one would expect in his situation came surging forth again. The problem was he knew better than to say anything in the company of the girl and the short weird-haired boy, as they were already standing out like a cactus in a cafeteria. So while he was left unable to ask the billions of questions, instead he found himself being asked them in turn, mainly from Genis.

"So where did you guys say you were from again?" the boy asked coolly, narrowing his blue eyes on them.

"Uh.." Lloyd hesitated, looking to his father.

"No place you would have heard of in all likelihood," Kratos stated simply.

"Try me," the boy huffed, crossing his arms over his little torso.

"We were asked to come, we did not ask to accompany you," the man said, closing his eyes, "Therefore it would be rather rude to inquire information of the person you are asking a favor of when they would prefer not to answer, correct?"

"Ugh, he's using the big words," Lloyd muttered under his breath, wincing a little bit.

"…" Kratos sighed and kept going.

"Okay, fine, so you won't tell us," Genis pouted, "…and I guess it is private, but-"

"Genis, they said they didn't want to talk about it," Colette smiled softly, "So let's leave them alone now, okay?"

Lloyd looked at her a moment, noticing how Genis reluctantly gave in and the girl thanked him. Was she really that trusting? Or was she just stupid? …No, he didn't think she was stupid- maybe a little blond, but she was certainly trusting. That was probably a bad thing, yet at the same time he found it very….nice. It was hard to be very trusting, he thought, so maybe she was a bit naïve but he had to admit he respected that. She was really…something.

"Lloyd," Kratos broke his thoughts, "get ready, we have company."

"Huh? I don't see any more troops- …is that a giant spider?"

"A giant spider and two blobby things, I think," Colette chirped, "…oh wait…"

Lloyd went bug-eyed and stared at his father, doing his best not to shout 'what the hell?' at the top of his lungs. Kratos sent him another curt 'go with it and shut up' glare and took out his sword, Lloyd anxiously doing the same.

"Oh man…" he muttered under his breath.

"Fireball!" Genis cast, damn near making Lloyd jump to see magic again.

Colette whirled her charkams and Kratos rushed forward, cleaning slicing one of the blob like things in half. Lloyd stared a moment, having never seen his father use a sword on anything that was…alive, but then snapped out of it, trying to focus on fighting himself. Okay, so he was in some weird church in some weird world being attacked by an eight-legged freak and two living boogers, but he had to stay focused- …This was going to be hard. How could he do this-?

"Lloyd!"

He barely managed to bring up his swords to block an oncoming spider, which had launched at him. The teen yelped as the arachnid attempted to snap at him around the blades, its mandibles snapping, its eight eyes whirring and bulging. If there wasn't the fact a girl was watching him, he probably would've screamed like a two-year-old, but for the sake of his pride, he managed to hold it down. He knocked the spider to the ground with a shove of his swords, blocking another onslaught with one blade as it launched at him again and then-

…well he wasn't quite sure how he did it.

He felt a surge of warmth, a tingling sensation up from his left hand, into his arm, filling his whole body. Then the next second he just…acted.

"Demon Fang!" he shouted, whirling his sword forward.

He almost had a heart-attack when he saw the…wave, of sorts, leave his sword and bash into the spider, knocking it back and effectively severing one of its eight legs.

"How the hell did I-?" he stared, his mouth gaping slightly.

He didn't have much time to dwell on it, as the spider along with a couple other monsters found they didn't quite care about his shock. The battle continued for a few more panicked moments until the group of creatures lay dead on the ground, leaving Lloyd and the other two adolescents panting.

"Not bad, let's move along," Kratos said simply, sheathing his word.

…God help him, he was going to tear his father to SHREDS later if he didn't get a freaking explanation!

A bit shorter than the last one, and I was a bit iffy on part of this chapter, but I did it the best I could. Nonetheless I hope you enjoyed it, n.n thanks for reading.