The sound of swords clashing brought screams behind him. Screams from frightened children. And if he didn't stop the guards, they'd be rounded up to be killed! He'd heard too much of the conversation between the guards to know just that. It was some example, theses were the kids of those who tried fight the Borgia! So there was more than one reason why he was doing this, but souly because they shouldn't die so young.

"You don't know what you're doing!" He sneered at the guard who had locked swords with him.

Of course, he was answered with a kick to the stomach and a shove backwards. Now he was on the ground as a brute came towards him, axe ready to end him. In the nick of time, he rolled out of the way and the axe smashed onto cobberstone, rattling.

As he was about to run back to the children, he heard a click and looked back, of course, there stood a musketeer. And another and another. Until there was enough to make swiss cheese out of him in one round should he move! The other guard chuckled, "Just give up, Assassino. We've got you outnumbered."

Though he was too stubborn to admit that. He quietly whistled a few times, then next thing any of them knew, his recruits were jumping from the church roof and onto guards! The musketeers' all were trying to fire at them, giving him the chance to stab a few.

BAM!

He looked over to the wall, there laid one of his recruits! One of his first, whome he knew very well. And there was a scream from one of the children, a young boy was shot in the leg and a guard was getting ready finish him.

"What's it going to be? You're precious recruits? Or the little children?" He had a sickly smile. Like he knew exactly what he'd choose. At the same time, brutes were holding down his other recruits, and the musketeers were all aimed at the children! It was a test.

He looked to his recruits, and one shouted, "Mistro! Don't worry about us! We'll be fine!"

The children were all to paralized with fear to move. His choose should have been obvious, all too obvious.

He casted the recruits an apologetic look, even though they already knew what was about to happen. Then he charged at the musketeers, managing to stab a couple before the air filled with gunfire and screaming! He wasn't given the chance to see it all unfold before a brute started to beat at him, chopping down at him with his axe and finally butting the end behind his ear!

Now on the ground with a small pool of his own blood around him, he was able to see the aftermath as the guards walked away. There laid eight noble recruits, and nearby him was twelve young children, all dead. His body suddenly felt hollow, like his insides were all pooling around him with his blood. It was all his fault. Completely his fault.

Leonardo was wrapping up one of the wounds as Ezio turned his head away and moved his forearm up to his face. Through his arm, he could hear a muffled sob. With care, and causion, his wrapped an arm aorund him, trying to comfort him. Though it did very little.

"Ezio, what happened?" Leonardo asked again, not expecting him to answer.

He could feel Ezio grow ridged in his hold, then move his arm from his eyes a moment. They were reddened and his cheeks strewn with tears. He barely gave Leonardo any look as he murmered, "I couldn't save them."

Leonardo blinked, "Save who?"

Ezio then pulled away, not answering the last question. Whatever did happen, it was probably devastating if he was this reluctant to speak of it.