Quiet Days

Lloyd sat on top of the hill right next to his house; his legs were sprawled out onto the green grass comfortably. He eventually laid himself down onto the solid earth, throwing his hands behind his head as he watched the sun beginning to set. The light hues of the sun's rays dispersed throughout the sky, seemingly setting the heavens alight in flames.

"The twilight sunsets are always the most beautiful, aren't they?" Lloyd heard a man say from behind; shifting quickly onto his stomach, he tensed at the being, before sighing loudly.

"Dad, you have to stop startling me like that. If you had come any closer, I might have cut your leg off…" he complained as he sat up, resting his arm onto his right knee. His other leg was straight, lying on the grass, and his free hand was planted onto the ground.

Kratos simply smiled, setting himself down next to the boy, sitting in a similar fashion. "It isn't my fault that you are a dreamer, Lloyd." he said as he planted his open-gloved hand onto his son's brown hair. "Anyway, have you completed all of your chores, like you were asked?" he responded, his face turning slightly serious.

Lloyd chuckled slightly, part of it being a little weak. "Almost. I was just taking a break. That and I wanted to watch the sun go down. It's my way of relaxing after hard days like this." he replied as he shifted his legs again, bringing them closer to his chest; he wrapped his arms around them, sighing contently.

"Well, make sure that whatever you need to finish gets done before it gets too dark, alright? And after dinner, you need to hit your school books." Kratos said, jokingly wagging his finger as if he was displeased. "Speaking of school books, what was your grade on that last test you took the other day? It was in Math, was it not?"

"Heh. Yeah, it was. I got an eighty-five percent on it." Lloyd said, somehow hoping that the good grade would give him a slight increase in his allowance. He felt Kratos place his hand onto the back of his head, running his hand through it affectionately. "I always love it when you do that." he smiled contently, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the head massage.

"See what happens when your mother and I make you study? You would do so much better if you would just do it on your own." Kratos sighed lightly, a smile somehow breaking loose during his mild chiding.

"Well, yeah, but I always understand things when you explain them – the Professor is a good teacher, but I can't seem to grasp things they way she teaches it. Why can't you be a teacher, or at least an aide? That would make class that much better." he grinned at his father as the man laughed to himself.

"Because you would ask me for help at every moment of the day, and you would ask for the answers to the questions so you would not have to think about them, that's why." Kratos said, chuckling over the playful pouting of his son. "You should be grateful that you have a parent with a high income – most children at your school have parents that just get by."

Lloyd frowned slightly, thinking about some of his friends. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. But Dad, you're also a mercenary – you make good money off of that." he said, suddenly getting a thought. "By the way-" he began, when Kratos shook his head.

"No Lloyd, you cannot come with me the next time I go off." Kratos said.

"But Dad, I'm seventeen and you're helping me improve with my swords! Why can't I come?" Lloyd whined to the man, watching with disappointment as his father face-palmed into his right hand.

"Because you have school, that's why. And you know your mother would kill me if you got hurt." Kratos said, closing his eyes. "She's still afraid you might cut yourself with your twin blades, even though I made sure that they were single edged swords, as opposed to my double-edged blade." he sighed again. "And that was over ten years ago."

Lloyd sighed alongside the man, hanging his head low. "When will I be able to come then? I really want to see how everything works and I want to explore the world! I mean, you've been everywhere!" he grinned at the man, closing his eyes happily. "How cool is that?"

Kratos could not help but smile at his young enthusiasm; Lloyd reminded him of himself when he was his age. "You really wish to see the world, don't you?" he asked the teen, noting how excited he had gotten. Lloyd was grinning ear-to-ear, pumping his fists into the air. "Well, if I happen to get a job over your summer break, and it does not clash with when the new school year starts, I will talk with your mother about it. But that-" he tried to say, when he got tackled by the teen.

"Yes! Thanks Dad!" he shouted, lying on top of the man. "You're the best!"

"Now Lloyd, that does not mean that it will happen," Kratos warned, shaking his finger. "Your mother has to agree on it first. It would take some time, but you have to set yourself up in the mind setting that it would not happen. That way, you aren't that disappointed if, in the end, you cannot come." he said, watching as the teen slightly deflated in enjoyment.

"Geez, Dad, I know you're trying to help, but did you have to kill my fun?" he frowned, sighing heavily. Kratos slightly widened his eyes, guilt setting in. He unintentionally revealed a frown similar to his son. "I know that I probably won't be able to go, but the thought of it is what made it so exciting. I mean, you go off on your jobs, and I wonder if you'll make it back in one piece. At least if I was there, I'd give you some help so you can return home safely."

"I'm sorry." he replied, turning his head away. "I guess I don't understand modern youthfulness anymore…"

"It's okay, Dad." he said with a smile. "You'll figure it out eventually." the two men started to laugh light-heartedly, embracing each other in a short hug. "Love you, Dad." Lloyd said before pulling away from the man.

"I love you too, son." Kratos replied, turning his head to the sky. "And you still have some chores to do. Get on it, young man." he said with a smirk, watching in slight delight as Lloyd gasped lightly.

"Oh shoot! I lost track of time! Gotta hurry off and-! See ya inside, Dad!" he shouted, running off for the pen where Noishe was kept.

Kratos sighed, rubbing his forehead. Leave it to Lloyd to take care of Noishe last... he thought, deciding that he should get himself inside before dinner was complete. I wonder what Anna is fixing tonight… And is it my turn to set the table, or is it Lloyd's? he continued in his mind as he opened the front door to their two-story wooden house. I'll just do it tonight, since Lloyd is still taking care of Noishe… he finalized as he walked over to the pantry, pulling out the dishes. He then made his way over to the wooden, rectangular table, placing three plates in their appropriate places.

He then spied Anna coming out of the kitchen with a whole cooked chicken on a platter, almost running into Kratos in the process. "Oh! Excuse me, honey." She said as she regained her balance, settling the bird in the center of the semi-large table. "Would you might helping me bring out some of the other food I made?" she asked as Kratos walked over and planted a light kiss on her lips.

"Of course, dear." he said with a smile as he headed for into the kitchen. "What else did you cook?"

"Oh, just a few things – potatoes, carrots, a side salad… And a few Bell Peppers." she said, tallying off everything to make sure that she did not forget anything. "Oh, I forgot the milk. Let me hurry and get that." she whispered to herself as she scurried off into the kitchen. Digging into the new magi-technological device that Kratos had picked up (he had called it a "refrigerator," if she recalled correctly) while returning from his last job several months ago, she pulled out the jug of milk they had, smiling at how fresh it smelled.

As she was walking into the dining room, she heard the door slam shut – while it was not loud, it was not quietly either. She knew what that meant. "Lloyd, dinner is almost ready. Please wash up before you come to the table." she said with a light giggle, hearing the boy's usual response. She then hurried to the table, setting the glass jug onto the mat she had made out of straw – as a means to prevent a stain from appearing on the wood. "Lloyd?"

"Coming, Mom." he said, walking into the dinning area. He took a seat next to Kratos as Anna sat across from her husband. "Everything looks delicious, Mom!" Lloyd commented, almost reaching out to grab a piece of the chicken had he not known any better.

"Thanks, sweetie. Now then, shall I start?" she asked, looking at her two favorite men with a smile; they merely nodded their heads in response. "Okay. Thank you for this wonderful food and may it bless us heartily. Okay, dig in boys! I know you two must be-" she said, her eyes closed. Upon opening them, she found the two already had full plates and were stuffing it into their faces.

They stopped eating when they felt the woman's eyes staring at them, both grinning sheepishly. "Yes?"

"Oh… Nothing." she said, not having the heart to say anything. Well, at least some things never change… she mentally sighed as she watched the pair gobble up their first, second, and lastly third servings. "How's it taste?"

"Great!" Lloyd said quickly, going back to his food. "Your food's always delicious, Mom."

"Thank you, sweetie. I'm glad you both enjoy my cooking so much." she said, slowly eating her food. Conversation seized after that, their attention on their dinner.

Eventually, Lloyd leaned back on his chair, a content sigh escaping his lips. "That was good." he said with a grin, gasping lightly. He swiftly grabbed the napkin on the side of his plate, whipping his mouth clean. "I'll take the dishes into the kitchen." he said, standing.

Kratos cocked his eyebrow. "Afterwards, you are hitting your books."

"I know, Dad." the teen replied with a slight roll of his eyes as he grabbed the man's plate, placing it on top. "I'll get started once I finish with the dishes." he said, going out into the kitchen and setting the saucers into the sink.

Anna smiled at her aide as she got out of her seat. "Thank you for helping me with the dishes, Lloyd. I can wash them while you study." she said.

"Alright." he responded, heading upstairs and making his way towards his room. He looked at the books that sat on his desk, a sigh escaping his lips. Sitting into his chair, he opened one of the books, pulling out a paper that was inside it. Ew. Homework. Bad enough he had chores and training to do every day, now he had to do this as well. Better get this done before Dad gets on me… he mentally sighed, pulling out a pencil from one of his drawers.

"Math, again?" he said with a moan, now digging for a piece of scrap paper. "Hmm… I remember part of this." he said, opening his book to the proper page. "Yeah, this definitely looks familiar. Now if only…" he said, writing on the scrap. He followed the procedures he learned earlier, using the book as a reference.

Half-an-hour later, he smirked to himself, proud of his achievements. "This has to be right. Maybe I should get Dad to look over it." he pondered, tilting his head. "Nah, he'll probably make me do it over again if I was wrong…"

"What was that?" Lloyd uttered an inaudible sound of shock and mild disgust. "Oh, you are finished with your Math homework. Let me see…" Kratos looked over the paper, checking each answer thoughtfully. "Hmm… Very nice – though you have that last answer wrong. You're off by just a little bit though, so it might have been a calculation error." he said, scratching his head. "I'm glad that you are paying attention to your classes."

"Well, what do you expect? If I don't pay attention and you find out, you kick my butt harder than normal during training…" Lloyd winced, recalling past memories. "And that's just as bad as what Mom does…" he said with a moan, opening his next book.

"Ah, yes, I'm never around when your Mother does her chastising. Just like how she's never around when I knock you roughly down onto the ground." Kratos smirked, patting Lloyd on the back.

Lloyd shook his head. "Yeah, you guys are strict in so many areas… I have to do a lot to keep up with your standards, you know." he said, raising his eyebrow; he sent a glance at the man, causing him to laugh.

"Lloyd, we wouldn't have those standards if we didn't think you could do it." he responded, rubbing his hand through Lloyd's hair. "Why do you think we push you so much? Because we know that you are capable of performing at that level."

"Really?" the teen responded in surprise, widening his eyes. "And you're just telling me this now because…?" he asked, chuckling weakly.

"Had we told you that earlier, we were afraid that you would let it get to your head." Kratos replied, sighing into his hand. "At least if we had told you when you were younger and haven't matured as much as you have now. So to prevent that, we kept it secret and pushed you so you would push yourself."

"Oh," Lloyd frowned, placing his pencil behind his ear, "meaning you thought I was too cocky when I was younger. I'm still overconfident, I guess, but I'm not as bad as I was. At least I hope so…"

"Yes, Lloyd, you have gotten better – because we didn't explain our reasons for encouraging you to work hard." he replied, continuing to massage his son's head. "Now why don't I help you out with your studies?" he said, grabbing a book from Lloyd's desk. They talked for the most of the night, often turning their eyes toward the stars…