A/N: This is kind of a "preview alternate take fic" for a longer idea I have from Flynn's POV detailing how he got to this point. I couldn't decide if I wanted to do this scene or the longer fic, so I decided to do both, heh.

The hall leading to Alexei should have been more heavily guarded. A Giganto, guards, something. But no, there was nothing. Just emptiness leading to where Yuri knew Alexei had to wait.

Nothing, but Flynn.

"Flynn!" Estelle's voice rang out from behind him, grateful. His sudden disappearance had worried them all, and no one could deny they felt relief in seeing him well and unharmed. She ran forward slightly, then stopped, catching herself. "I'm glad to see you're okay."

Flynn's lips twitched briefly. "Lady Estellise." He nodded towards her, haltingly. "You're looking well. Yuri-" He looked up at the dark haired swordsman, the rest of his words trailing off. Finally, he managed, "You finally made it."

"Yeah." Yuri held up a hand, almost saluting him slightly. "Sorry it took so long. But hey, now that we're here, let's go kick Alexei's ass together." He grinned at his friend, holding up his hand as he started to walk by. Flynn only looked at him, blue eyes sliding away from his gaze. It was the only warning he had before the point of Flynn's sword came to rest under his chin. He stopped walking as everyone else let out surprised cries, his head rising slightly away from the sharp edge. "You too, Flynn?"

"I can't let you kill Alexei," was all he said, his voice broken. "What he's doing… someone can stop him without killing him. He… after everything he's done for me, for us, he deserves that."

Yuri didn't move, but slid his eyes towards Flynn's form. Everything Alexei had done for them? What could he be talking about? The first part, things started to make sense. There was no way that any commoner, no matter how talented he was, would rise as quickly as Flynn did. Having someone like Alexei pulling strings for him, well, that would make it so Flynn owed that bastard something. What baffled him was that Flynn made it sound like he had done things for Yuri too, which he knew was blatantly not true. He owed no debt of gratitude to that asshole. "What are you talking about, for us?"

The swordpoint held steady, then moved away from his throat, still pointing at him. "After Mom died, do you remember what happened?" Flynn's voice was steady but distant, holding the pain of a memory he never quite overcame. "How we still had a place to live and I came home with food every once and a while?"

"Yeah. The other people in the Lower Quarter threw any spare change they could to help a couple of orphaned…" Yuri started, trailing off when Flynn shook his head.

"They helped, but it wasn't enough. What we could raise in one week barely paid for what we ate in one day, much less our housing. I had to promise… when I turned of age, I would join the military if Alexei would house and feed us." Flynn's eyes finally caught Yuri's, his gaze imploring. "If I would help Alexei, he would help me. Don't you see, Yuri? He doesn't deserve to be killed like some criminal escaping punishment."

The words were in a language he understood, said in a way he could comprehend, and yet they made no sense. It was hard enough to see his best friend, someone he always knew as stalwart and true, holding a sword to him and barring his path to someone they both knew was going to destroy everything they knew. Hearing his reason for doing so, hearing why he called a man about ready to kill thousands someone that doesn't deserve to be killed… "Even if that's true," he finally said, pulling his sword out and tossing the sheath aside. "It doesn't change what he's about to do, and the fact it needs to be stopped."

"I know." Flynn's voice was almost a broken whisper. "But there has to be another way. Something other than killing him."

Alexei had to been lying to Flynn this entire time. Manipulating him, telling him that he was his benefactor so he could use him at a later date. It was the only thing that made sense. He couldn't have… there was no way… Yuri shook his head, trying to ignore the thoughts. It didn't matter now what was true or not. What he knew now was that Flynn was between him and a man that was about to raise Zaude, and they didn't have time for this. "Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. But if you're not going to fight with me then get out of my way. We don't have time to talk about this."

Flynn shook his head. "If you want to kill Alexei, you have to go through me," he finally declared. "But if I win, I get to do it my way."

"Heh." While they were fighting, Alexei could finish his plans. But- "No other way, huh? Well, I guess everything's been leading up to this." Yuri held up a hand as Judy, Estelle, and Karol started to rush up behind up. "Just you and me, like always. What do you say?"

Flynn lifted his chin slightly, acquiescing. "Let's see how strong you've become, Yuri!"

And with those words, their blades met with a crisp metallic clang.