Author's Note:

Hello Everyone. I'm happy to be tackling this story. This will be challenging to be sure. This series has dramatic depth, and reaches wider than one might expect as a story. That said, I've felt eager to explore it. This is my take on what happens after Season 2. This is where my universe diverges from the canon.

I will greatly appreciate any feedback and suggestions.

Every Day: Chapter 1: The Job

Itami

All Itami had wanted to do today was pick up his dojinshi.

He knew that explaining that to the officer who sat across the table from him wouldn't get him very far. They called people with his hobby otaku, perverts, degenerates. There were bar graphs run every night on the local news dedicated to explaining why people like him were single-handedly ruining Japan.

And a long time ago, Itami had learned to smile. He wore that very smile as the officer asked him questions, knowing that if he held the smile for long enough, eventually the matter would pass as it always did. Yes, I'm with the SDF. Yes, my female companion is registered to carry that terrifying halberd. Here are my papers.

It was there in the interrogation room of the police station that a woman in a crisp black suite, an expensive one, albeit lacking in visual flair, entered. She wasn't police. Her suite was too expensive. Government? Itami didn't recognize her.

"Excuse me officer. I believe you heard from my office," she said.

The officer offered the new woman his own smile of surrender. "Ah yes, miss." He gestured to Itami as one might to a sacrificial victim. The officer left and it was just Itami and the strange woman.

She pulled up the chair, a large folder falling upon the table with a thud. "Itami. Yoji," she said with practiced disinterest. Placing a pair of glasses upon her nose, she pulled a brightly colored book from a bag at her side, "these?"

"My books," Itami answered, maintaing his smile. Doujins over a year in coming, more like.

She glared back at him. "Is this what's passing for books these days?" she asked. She flung the book as she sat back in her chair, gazing coldly at him. The book flapped through the air like a dying bird before falling to the dirt-scuffed floor. Itami winced. "I don't have enough time for make believe, Captain. Too many... more important things to worry about."

"If you know my name then you know I am a member of the SDF on authorized leave. My call will be coming in shortly..."

"Of course," she said smugly, "I just wanted to get a measure of you... the hero of your own little story, Itami Yoji," she said, giving hero a mocking emphasis.

"And who's hero are you, miss? Are you working for the opposition party?"

She gave him a viper's smile. "You've had a long time to gallivant on the other side of the gate, Itami." She adjusted her glasses as she began to leaf through the papers in her folder. "A lot of corpses. Some underage girls. A couple Coup D'etats."

Itami kept a still face.

"You understand that we have rules as a nation, Captain?" she asked, leaning in, eyes drinking in all they saw like hungry demons, "Little boys breaking those rules while playing soldier is a national embarrassment. When the adults take over, you will answer for all of them."

If your from the opposition party, you will want to find a scandal, even if there isn't one, Itami thought to himself. You will try to smear mud on us for politics, not justice.

Itami got up from the table and picked up the doujinshi, brushing the smeared dirt off of the pages. "It's been a pleasure meeting you miss...?"

"Maita Yoko," she said with a smile. "We will meet again soon."

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It was only after closing mess that Akira Tomita had been able to steal away into the night. He started the day promising himself that he wouldn't think about her.

Halfway through, he'd given a little ground. Maybe he could think about her, a thought here and there?

By closing mess, her name was a burning coal in his chest. He felt his legs moving on their own as he made his way through the streets of Italica.

The only thing that slowed his progress towards her was the flower stand that he'd seen earlier in the day. A special girl like her... her long blond hair, her confidence and pride. She needed all the flowers in the world as far as Akira was concerned, the mother of his child.

The other Rose Knights knew about Bozes pregnancy, enough for little giggles as he passed, as they pointed him down the corridors of the palace of Italica. A girl motioned to him. "She's in there," she said with a warm smile, "go get her!"

Akira walked in, expecting to see Bozes getting ready to retire.

Instead, he opened a door into a dingy room with flickering candlelight. The smell of feces, vomit, and urine assaulted his senses. Hardened soldier though he was, he gagged, bringing the flower up to his face as he covered his mouth.

"N...n..no more," a voice whimpered. Then there was the dull noise of a heavy impact on flesh, and a scream of pain.

"Oh we're just getting started." That voice, Akira thought to himself. That's her. He walked into the room, saw the girl he loved standing over a broken man, lying naked and sobbing as blood dripped from the stumps of pulled teeth which lay, roots and all, in fleshy puddles of blood on the floor between them. A man stood over the prisoner with a hammer. The blood splatter was on him so it appeared he was doing most of the torturing.

Akira stopped in his tracks, stunned. "Bozes..."

She turned, and smiled. "Oh Akira!" she smiled as she walked to him, throwing her arms around him in a warm embrace. But Akira kept his gaze on the prisoner, who pitifully gazed back up at him with hollow eyes.

"Akira... what's wrong?" Bozes said, rubbing Akira's shoulder sweetly. She nodded back to the torturer, "You can continue, torturer!" Bozes called out.

"You're... torturing him with a hammer?" Akira said, narrowing his eyes.

Bozes shrugged. "Well we started with the teeth, naturally."

Akira clenched his jaw.

Bozes raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Look Bozes... I have to tell you that what you're doing. we don't support that," Akira said in a hushed voice. "That's not how you should treat prisoners."

"That piece of filth almost killed the crown princess," Bozes hissed back, "his life is forfeit. The only matter is if he has something useful to tell us."

There was another thump and another haggard scream. Akira raised the flower that he'd kept in his grasp. "I got this flower," Akira muttered, "it reminded me of how beautiful and... gentle you are." Akira regretted the last words. As they left his mouth they sounded far too much like an accusation.

The two held that eye contact for a long moment before Bozes drew her sword in a flash. The flower split in two, the top half fluttering to the ground. Bozes turned from Akira, closing her eyes. "Perhaps it is best you leave," she muttered, "before you insult my honor any further."

Akira hesitated, sensing it was a trap. "I... I won't leave. I love you, Bozes."

"I won't tell you what to do as a soldier," Bozes said softly, "do not tell me what to do as a knight of the Empire."