No Matter the Differences, We are Alike

by little rosebud

In a desolated world raged by war and tragedies, two opposite souls befriend each other despite the conflict separating their two races. Can they change the fate of their ravaged world? Flynn/Yuri, Collab, AU

7. Chapter 6 : Hope

A/N: Hey guys! Here we finally are with chapter 6!

Saenda: I am so, so sorry about the long wait. I've been so busy with midterms and finals that it was hard to find the time to write. Thank God for the holidays coming soon.

We won't make you wait any longer, so we'll be brief~

Disclaimer: Of course, this belongs to Namco, not us, because otherwise, Yuri would pounce Flynn whenever he's got the cat ears attachment.

This isn't betaed, so be warned for mistakes.

Well, have fun reading~!

---

Chapter 6: Hope

Flynn inhaled a deep breath as he faced the trial that awaited him. One hand grabbed that hilt of his sword tightly, its blade in an upward position, while his other hand caressed the smooth and cold surface of the weapon as he readied himself. It would not be easy. He did it countless of times and each and every one of them ended up in failure. Today, however, he could not afford to lose. If he did, everything would shatter. If he failed, he would need to sacrifice a strong trump in his biggest fight. He could not bear the thought. This was why he prepared himself to his maximum, making sure his mind would be as sharp as possible for he would need it the most. Winning this meant everything.

"So, boy, are ya comin' or what?" the man standing before him called out with amusement lacing his deep voice.

Flynn stared at the tall figure of Don Whitehorse, resolve flaring in every pore of his skin as he took a fighting stance. His sapphires traced the other's posture; he knew it too well for analysing it for years now. And yet, never did he truly uncover its secrets. A lazy yet strong hold on a sword leaning on a shoulder. Feet planted firmly in the ground, but that would seem so light once they took off. Hard muscles twitching in excitement at the prospect of a fight. It was proud, powerful, flawless... no weaknesses.

Today, however, it would change. It needed to change. For the sake of everyone. The lieutenant could not afford to lose, only to win. An ebony flow flashed and onyxes bore into his mind for a brief second, then he darted off to his opponent in a silent cry of war. For the sake of everyone.

Swords violently clashed together in a clicking noise. Sparks were provoked by their incessant collision of rapid up and down movements as the blonde Angel aimed for the old man. His feet danced on the dirt in a crunching sound, his fighting taking strength from his legs as he pushed himself forward, trying to gain the upper hand. The Don was strong, as strong as always, but after all those years, Flynn knew the white haired man's moves almost by heart. It would be the lieutenant's advantage.

And so, even though the other's weapon was fast, usually too fast for anyone fighting the old man, the young knight managed to avoid it and parry. The grin on Whitehorse's lips told Flynn that he was surprised, but pleased. It would not be an easy fight for any of them. The Don was definitely having fun. For the first time, the lieutenant felt he could win. In all those years they knew each other, in all those countless battles they encountered, Flynn had never believed he was on equal footing as the other man, even if he tried to be.

Today was different. Flynn was able to dance in unison with the Don. Their swords met with equal strength, something that never happened before. It should please the blonde Angel. It did not. It was not enough. He needed to be more than an equal; he needed to be stronger, faster, better. He would.

For the sake of everyone.

Someone gave him vigour, force and energy. A sleazy smile appeared before his eyes and a snickering echoed in his mind. Flynn could not disappoint that person. What kind of laughing stock would he be reduced to if he could not win this? An amused smirk stretched the young Angel's lips. This was not an option. He would come out victorious.

Whitehorse's weapon came crashing on Flynn's left, but the lieutenant parried on time and their swords twirled together for a brief second until both men jumped apart. They circled each other, analysing quickly for an opening, and the Don was the first to leap back in. The blonde ducked the attack and shoved the hilt of his sword in the white haired man's stomach. The latter oofed in pain and stepped away, but it was merely enough to make him chuckle in delight. The young knight knew that the old man was having the time of his life. It shined in his eyes.

"Well, ain't ya full of energy?" Whitehorse called out mockingly.

Pride coursed in Flynn's veins and his smirk widened. The headman's recognition only served in fuelling his taste for victory. He would not be defeated today!

"It's because I have things I need to protect!" the lieutenant explained as he dashed towards the Don, clashing his sword against the other's.

When it did not lay a blow, he shoved his shield in the old man's chest before he kicked him in the shin. A shoulder met with the metallic guard instead to push it back, but the leg was not spared. There was a hiss and the old Angel's body flinched ever so slightly, leaving Flynn the chance to fully shove his shield into Whitehorse.

From then on, the battle turned in the blonde's favour. Even though they were both growing tired, Flynn managed to land a few wounds on the headman's arms and sides, while he avoided his opponent's strikes. His mind pictured the Don's moves with an accurate precision that almost scared him. And so the lieutenant moved, spun and slashed relentlessly. His muscles were now trembling under the strain, but the adrenaline made it impossible for his mind to realise it.

Whitehorse was far from being in a better state. He was out of breath – even if grinning widely – and he seemed to have difficulties standing on one leg. It was Flynn's chance. He dashed forward, feigning to go to the white haired man's right. Their blades clashed. The lieutenant, in a cry releasing his energy, pushed his opponent's sword upward before he ducked. He placed his shield above him for protection and, as Whitehorse's weapon descended on his protection, Flynn shoved the hilt of his own sword into the old man's wound in his left leg. The latter's legs gave ways and he collapsed in a surprised exclamation. The blonde helped him fall by jabbing his heel in the Don's stomach. The former left it there, even when his opponent was splayed on the ground, motionless except for his stomach moving up and down as he gulped air.

"I won," Flynn exclaimed simply, a huge grin playing on his lips.

Don Whitehorse roared in laughter, obviously pleased by the turn-out of events. He did not move from his spot for a while, even when the lieutenant removed his foot to replace it by an extended hand to help the other up. When his amused barks finally died down a little, the Don clasped his hand on the young Angel's palm and stood up. The old man then slapped Flynn's back, making the latter almost fall off on the ground now that he could feel how wobbly his legs were.

"That was amazin', kid!" he bayed with pride. "Best fight I've had in a long while! You've grown strong!"

Flynn's cheeks turned a light shade of pink at the compliments and he turned his head away in embarrassment. He was really pleased with his victory, and more with the fact that the Don was acknowledging him so. However, as he stared at the village ahead, his mood darkened and seriousness took a hold of his features once more.

"Don Whitehorse, now that I have won this fight, my conditions are as we've discussed briefly before the battle. Not only will you finally let my unite and myself help your village by bringing food and supplies, but you will also help me against the council as you are certainly the best trump I have in hands," Flynn stated matter-of-factly, not wasting any time in idle chatter.

He needed to be quick about this, make sure that the Don would support him.

The white haired man rolled his eyes and motioned for the lieutenant to follow him.

"Well, ain't ya quick ta cut to the chase," he huffed half-amusingly as he headed towards his home, the young knight on his heels.

Once they crossed the doorstep, Flynn sat on a chair in the kitchen, copying the headman's movements.

"So, what's this all about, kid? I might've agreed to help ya, but care explainin' to this old man what yer plannin'?"

Whitehorse was curious; when Flynn had mentioned earlier about fighting against the council, his attention was immediately perked up. This kid had something in mind that was bound to be interesting.

The lieutenant smiled in amusement with a ting of relief. At least, the Don was receptive to his demands. The blond had been nervous that the headman might not want to have to do anything with it regardless of their deal. Flynn had barely added those conditions, after all. Whitehorse would have been in the right to refuse.

"I want to bring peace between the two countries," the young knight announced with finality.

Dark eyes widened in shock at those very words, but the young Angel kept going before his elder could say anything.

"I want this incessant war to stop. I don't want any more needless blood spilling for nothing at all. There's no point to this war. We're fighting for no real reason, yet we kill as if there's no tomorrow. But we're all humans. We all deserve to live. It doesn't matter if we're Demons, or Angels: we're the same deep down, despite our differences. I want everyone to live a happy life. I want to stop this suffering, for everyone's sake."

Whitehorse's expression turned serious as he stared at the lieutenant.

"Ain't this delusional thinkin', kid? This war's been ragin' fer years, now. It won't stop tomorrow mornin' because ya want ta. People have hatred deeply rooted in them. They want blood. Many won't want ta follow ya because of that. What makes ya think it'll even work?" he warned darkly, yet Flynn's features never wavered, keeping their resolve.

"I know it will work," he declared without a doubt. "The king is an understanding man and I already have lady Estellise and master Ioder on my side. I know I will be convincing enough and I already have a plan that I will soon set in motion. However, one problem is still the council, which is why I need your help. I need you to tell the king what they've done wrong, what they've kept hidden from him. This is a very important matter. Please, Don Whitehorse, I know you are an understanding man. If I manage to finally bring peace, we will have enough men to take care of the monsters lurking near the village and no Demons will come slaughter the innocents. I do this in everyone's best interest. Will you help me?"

A smirk replaced the doubtful purse of the Don's lips as he crossed his arms on his chest.

"You've got guts, kid. Not that I didn't know already, but ya manage ta surprise me more and more," he admitted with laughter, his dark eyes twinkling. "Alright, I'll help ya. You've already beaten me, so let's see how further ya can climb up."

A beaming expression was immediately on the young Angel's face as he nodded curtly. He knew he could count on Whitehorse. The man was a sensible person who cared deeply for his people. He would obviously make the choices that would protect them most.

"So, what's this plan of yers?" the old man suddenly asked.

Flynn hesitated for a moment, but decided against telling it to the other man.

"I'm sorry, I'd rather keep it as secret as possible. I doubt there would be anyone listening here, but I'm not going to take any chances. Besides, I will set it in motion very soon."

The white haired man huffed in light annoyance.

"Well, that's no fun, keepin' yer ally in the dark like that," he complained, though Flynn knew he was not really sincere.

The lieutenant stood from his chair and bowed his head to the headman.

"Thank you very much for accepting. Your help will be very precious. I'm also sorry, but I'll have to take my leave now, otherwise my captain will start wondering what I'm doing. I only ask that you be ready to travel to the capital with me when I will come get you the next time I come to the village. I won't be back until then."

Don Whitehorse merely nodded at his words. They exchanged farewells before Flynn exited the house to get his horse.

Everything was going smoothly. Now, the only thing left was to start up the plan.

---

Muffled clip-clops slowly made their way on the path leading back to the capital. Flynn was on his horse next to most of his squad's walking men, his captain at the head of the troops. Cheerful chatter could be heard among the knights at the victory they just experienced. However, the lieutenant was not sharing their enthusiasm. He stared at the horse attached to his own, following compliantly; or rather, he stared at the form attached on the animal's top in an uncomfortable position.

Yuri's head was dangling on one side of the horse, his long dark hair brushing the ground, while his feet were on the other side. His wrists and ankles were bidden with a tight rope while his mouth was gagged by a rag to prevent him from biting off his tongue when he would wake up. The blonde Angel shut his eyes tightly and turned his head in front of him, not wanting to watch his friend's state anymore. He did not like this. Did not like it one bit. He could not believe he went along with it. What the heck went through his mind when he accepted to do this? He should not have. What if something happened to Yuri when they would get back to the capital? What if Flynn was not able to protect him?

But what was done was done. The lieutenant could not go back in time. It was already too late; Yuri was in the Angels' hands. He would just have to make sure that nothing serious happened to the Demon. Flynn was just still shocked how he agreed to his friend's plan.

"If Ryuku won't accept a peace treaty, then we'll have to force it on him. We have to find his weakness and play on it. If we do, then we might have a chance," Flynn said thoughtfully.

Yuri pondered over the words, his forehead creasing in concentration. It seemed finding a weakness to the general was not an easy task. As much as the lieutenant wanted to help his friend find something, the former barely knew the cruel Demon, and so even though he was trying to come up with ideas, he was a bit short on them.

"I'm sure we can find one," Flynn tried to encourage as he saw the dark haired Demon's face fall in discouragement. "There's bound to be one. Isn't there something that he can't afford to lose? I don't really know how things work in your country, but would he be keener on talking if we took something important from him?" the blonde questioned as he sat next to Yuri on his bed.

The Angel only realised the impact of his words when his friend's face illuminated and spoke up an idea.

"It's me!" he told in a soft whisper.

Flynn's eyes widened and he wished very hard he did not hear that. His hopes were crushed when Yuri continued.

"I'm his weakness. I'm his only child, his only guarantee of keeping his lineage safe. If I were not around anymore, shame would be brought on him because he would have no heir anymore. I can be used as money exchange."

Yuri had a smirk on his face as he stared ahead, surely imagining his father in a tight position. However, the lieutenant was not sharing his enthusiasm. Instead, he grabbed the sheets under his hands tightly, trying to calm the anxiety seizing his throat. He did not like that idea, did not like it one bit. It had so many flaws! So many things could turn out badly and, if they did, Flynn would never forgive himself for accepting.

"We can't do that," he whispered, looking away from the Demon.

The latter frowned and turned to his friend, unable to understand what was wrong with his plan.

"What? Why? Flynn, this is the best we can come up with! We have to try!" Yuri exclaimed, but it far from convinced the blonde who turned a hard and angry gaze mixed with worry at the raven haired male.

"Have you even considered the impacts of the consequences, Yuri? This is dangerous! If we use you as money exchange, this means you'll be in the Angels' custody! Do you know what could happen to you? What if people here hurt you? I wouldn't be able to protect you all the time, lest I be taken for a traitor before I can convince everyone of bringing peace! And if it doesn't work on my side? What will they do to you, huh?"

It took every ounce of control for the lieutenant not to raise his tone as his body trembled violently. He could not believe Yuri even dared suggest putting himself in danger for their goal. Flynn simply could not accept it.

"And what about your father? You told me yourself, you're certainly not in the best of relationships. What if he decides that he doesn't want you back? What if our plan fails on that side? We'll have endangered you for nothing!"

As he ranted, Flynn missed the faint blush and uneasy expression on his friend's face, which were soon replaced with light mock as Yuri leaned the back of his head in his hands.

"What, you're that worried about me?" he joked lightly, hoping to ease the mood.

It did quite the opposite. The Angel glared at the raven haired male, his eyes holding such seriousness it took the Demon aback.

"Of course I am!" he roared as silently as possible. "What kind of person do you take me for? You're my best friend, Yuri! I don't want to endanger you!"

Embarrassment took a hold of Yuri's features a second time, but faded after a mere moment for annoyance and he huffed irritatingly.

"What happened to your resolve, then?" he reproached harshly. "What happened to the fact that we need to do everything in our power to bring peace? It's not like you to be so pussy, Flynn!"

The insult flared the other's anger, but the raven haired male ignored it.

"We swore we would bring peace, whatever the means. Right now, this is the only solution we've got; there's nothing else! You mean to tell me that you'd be ready to sacrifice everyone's happiness because you're a little worried for me, because you're scared that it might not work? Anything we'll try might not work, Flynn! That's why we've gotta try! We won't know until we do, until we've given it our all! I'm well aware of the dangers I'm putting myself in, but I don't care. I'll do everything to live in a world where you and I can be friends freely! But if you're not willing to work hard for it and be scared of uncertainties, then I guess I'll have to work alone," the Demon finished in a spat.

He then turned his attention back on the Angel and saw how shaken the latter was, arms wrapped against himself.

Flynn was conflicted. He hated how undecided he felt at the moment.

"It's not that I don't have any resolve!" he retorted, closing his eyes tightly. "I just don't want something bad happening to you! If it did, I would never forgive myself, because it would mean I would not have been strong enough to protect you. And even if it brought peace, what would be the point then? Being unable to share that world without you would be too painful," the Angel explained his worries.

He could not believe how shaken he was. To say that Yuri had come in his room tonight for Flynn to reassure him and his resolve... Now, it was the Demon who was putting him back in place. It left a bitter taste in the blonde's mouth; not at Yuri, but at himself.

"What, so everyone's happiness doesn't count anymore?" the Demon reminded harshly and the bitter taste in the other's mouth only grew.

He half regretted his words now.

"Look, Flynn, I'm not gonna die."

This time, the long haired man's tone was gentler and, when the blonde looked up, he saw a resigned yet soft expression on his friend's features.

"You have to stop worrying so much for me. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to stop this war, even if it puts me in danger. You have to understand that. And I'm sure that, even though it doesn't show right now, you'd be willing to do the same. And as much as you hate this idea, we won't know if it'll work or not until we try. If it doesn't, we'll just find something else. We're strong, Flynn. We can manage just fine. I can manage just fine."

The lieutenant sighed heavily. Yuri was right. They needed to put this plan in motion. It was the only one they had. Flynn could not refuse simply because he feared for his friend's safety.

Sometimes, the Angel admired Yuri's will to sacrifice himself for others. Despite the Demon's words, Flynn was not really sure he could be able to do that. Yuri was definitely more selfless than he would ever be. It brought a light smile on the knight's lips. Who would have thought that Yuri Lowell would teach him a lesson of humility?

"All right, we'll do it. But if anything happens here that turns really bad, I'm busting you out of here, understood?" the Angel agreed with his condition, to which Yuri rolled his eyes before nodding in agreement.

Now, the only thing left to do was to think of a plan that they would need to put in motion.

It was how they came to agree that the next time both their brigades would fight, Flynn would capture Yuri. To the latter's damn, they knew it would be fairly easy not to fake their battle because the Angel was definitely stronger than his friend. Since the lieutenant would get to capture the Demon general's son himself, it would give the former an opportunity for an audience with the king of his own country. It would then be the best time to convince everyone in the high society to offer a peace treaty to their enemies.

This was also the reason why Flynn went to Don Whitehorse beforehand and asked for his help on the matter. The more trumps the blonde Angel had in hands, the better it would be for his case.

The hard part was not winning over Yuri, far from it. It was not convincing his men of bringing the Demon away instead of killing him on the spot either. Once Flynn explained it would be a great source of information since this particular enemy was the general's son, everyone in his brigade complied fairly easily. It was not even persuading Repede that everything would be all right for his master. The dog growled at the Angel with both betrayal and confusion when Flynn knocked down the long haired Demon, unsure if it should leap in to save its master or if it should stay on the side. The blonde turned sad but determined as he faced the animal, and voiced a very low 'It's okay, he'll be fine, I promise.' It was enough to calm Repede's anger and it whined instead as it stared at Yuri's form that was being taken away.

None of these were hard.

The hardest part was Schwann.

Or rather, the whole brigade. Once the Demon captain realised what was going on with his underling, his face fell into horror before it hardened into fury. Despite the fact that he was fighting against Duke, a newfound strength helped him gain the upper hand rather quickly. His movements quickened and he changed his strategy as he jumped backwards, putting distance between the two opponents so he could use his bow with more precision. It was the way Schwann fought at his best, and even if the Angel captain tried to cover the gap, an arrow was shot right into his side's flesh.

Flynn's eyes caught the scene and his commanding side immediately took over, covering the cold dread that died to seep in his veins. He barked to a few of his men to take care of their captain while the archer shouted orders of his own, demanding that his Demons bring Yuri back no matter what. By then, Flynn and the rest of his men fought the other troop with more fervour, stopping them from getting to the general's son. The blonde lieutenant reached Schwann who was making his way through everyone at a very fast speed, shooting arrows to anyone blocking his way. The now commanding Angel managed to either avoid or block with his shield each and every one of them and he arrived in front of the Demon captain, blocking his way.

From that moment, it was a fight to the death. Schwann's features were contorted in pure hatred as he stared at the instigator of his second lieutenant's demise. Despite his rage, Flynn was a match. He could not let the other man ruin their plan. They needed to do this if they wanted to bring peace. The young Angel wished it could be simple: that he could tell the raven haired captain it was all a setup and that Yuri would come back safely later. But of course, Schwann would never believe him and people around would hear. Flynn would immediately be labelled as a traitor. No, he would need to fight and he would stand his ground, making sure that Yuri was brought back with him to the capital.

Sword met dagger each time the small weapon reached for a vital point. The Demon was quick, but the lieutenant was used to such quickness. He fought the Don countless times, after all. The captain was rushing, impatient. His worry for Yuri made him restless and distracted him slightly. Flynn used this fact to his advantage. Whenever Schwann would run away to gain distance as well as to reach for his second lieutenant, the blonde Angel would follow him, keeping the short space between them. It unnerved the captain who attacked to every opened spot he could see. However, Flynn parried them with ease, pushing back the raven haired man at the same time.

At some point, the captain managed to graze his opponent's side and the latter hissed in pain, a hand now covering his wound. Schwann believed it would be enough to distract the lieutenant and put more of his attention on the path that would lead him to Yuri. He did not count on the fact that his enemy would ignore his wound and would stick his sword into his foot. A scream of pain crossed his teeth as he collapsed, unable to stand anymore. As Flynn released his weapon from its grip, Schwann quickly forced himself up with a push of his good foot, ignoring the pain, and took steps away in a defensive stance, analysing what he should do. Tenebrous night met fiery ocean as the Angel prepared yet another attack, but a deep and cold voice stopped them both.

"Let them be, Schwann."

The two pairs of eyes turned to the source, one in outrage, the other in horror. Ryuku was standing not too far from them, an uncaring expression gracing his features.

"What? You can't be serious, Ryuku-taishou?" the raven haired captain demanded to his general, face contorted with both rage and pain as Flynn observed them from the side, too shocked to move.

He could not believe what he was hearing. Ryuku wanted to abandon his own son! They did not even really start their plan and already the blonde lieutenant knew it could not work. If that cold hearted Demon did not care about his own flesh and blood, what would assure them that Yuri would truly be the general's weakness, that he would truly be useful as exchange money for a peace treaty?

Ryuku's features hardened at his captain's questioning of his orders.

"I have sounded the retreat, Schwann. Do not make me repeat myself," he told harshly and Schwann clenched his teeth as infuriation shined in his night blue orbs.

At the same time the general spoke, a bell rang on the Demons' side and voices cried out for retreat. Despite that, the dark haired captain seemed tempted to disobey his superior as he stared once more at Flynn, but then resignation replaced everything. It was clear he had no choice but to obey, and so he called out to his men to stop the fighting and go back.

At that moment, Flynn turned his attention back on his own men while the Demons retreated. He saw how at an advantage his own troop was, pushing back the enemy with fieriness he barely knew them. Soon, all Demons were gone and the Angels were left alone, crying victory. Flynn would have allowed himself a sigh of relief and a light smile if it was not for the worry gnawing at his insides. He still could not believe the general's words. What would they do if their plan failed? What would happen to Yuri? The young lieutenant hid everything behind his usual seriousness and gave out his orders. They were to go back to the capital after making sure that captain Duke was all right.

Their superior's wound was not too serious and, once it was bandaged, he was able to stand. He would need rest for a couple of days, but at least, he would manage to make the ride back to the capital on his own horse. The knights told their captain of Flynn's exploits, relating that it would have been easy for the lieutenant to kill the enemy captain if it was not for the fact that they fled. Duke was impressed and told his underling just so, but the concerned one barely managed to give a half-hearted smile and a nod before disappearing back to his own horse, giving the excuse that he wanted to check on their prisoner.

He was not in the mood to be proud of his accomplishments. He especially would not have been proud of killing Schwann; the man seemed to be sensible and on the battlefield only because he had no choice, just like Yuri and Flynn. Besides, murdering his friend's captain that the long haired Demon held in high esteem would have made him feel all the more guilty. Oh, how he wished that their plan was going to work.

When they arrived to the capital, they were welcomed with a curious crowd. A messenger was sent earlier to the king to brief him on the recent events, and it seemed that news travelled even faster among the people. As they entered the castle, two knights took care of the prisoner to bring him in the dungeons. Flynn wanted to follow them, but a servant came to meet him and his captain, announcing that King William was awaiting the both of them.

The blonde's eyes widened, not believing things would go so fast, and also protested about Duke's presence, suggesting that his superior should go rest instead. However, the captain stopped him and assured he would hold on for the meeting. Flynn threw a last glance at his friend's disappearing form, hoping very much he would be fine, before he followed the servant and his captain to the throne room. When they arrived, he did not expect to see not only the sovereign, but also commandant Alexei standing at his side. Flynn and Duke both bowed in front of their ruler. The latter harboured a proud smile and his turquoise eyes – so much like his children's – twinkled as he stared at the lieutenant.

"Flynn Scifo. Knight at age fifteen, lieutenant at seventeen, and now barely eighteen, yet with so many accomplishments few ever made," the country's leader detailed while Flynn kept a neutral face, unsure if pride or embarrassment should take over. "I have heard so many good things about you, lad. You certainly did not disappoint any since you joined the knights. It seems I was right to put much faith in you," the king continued and, this time, light pink shaded the youngest man's cheeks.

"Your highness is giving me too much praise," Flynn humbly replied, staring directly at his king, hands behind his straight back, chin held high.

William chuckled and stood slowly, approaching the object of his attention with nonchalance.

"At ease, my boy," the sovereign permitted and his underling relaxed slightly, his arms now on each of his sides. "And you are too humble. I am not giving too much praise. I am merely stating the facts Duke and Alexei related to me about you. You certainly deserve the respect everyone is showing you, including mine."

The king was now standing right in front of Flynn, a smile gracing his lips. The lieutenant stared at the features and hair resembling so much Ioder's, but in an older fashion. The father and son were so much alike in so many aspects; physically wise, but also personality wise. This was how a true ruler should be: kind and just.

"You've done a good job, my boy," William congratulated in a soft tone and Flynn finally permitted himself a smile of his own.

"Thank you, sire," he whispered gratefully as his interlocutor gently patted his shoulder in an affectionate gesture.

The latter then turned slightly towards the commandant who stayed on the side of the throne.

"Alexei told me you were almost about to beat a captain," the king exclaimed, impressed, and Flynn could swear he could hear the grin in the ruler's voice. "That is one heck of an exploit!"

But the lieutenant shook his head at those words.

"He was distracted and nervous. I merely gained the advantage because of that. Besides, I wasn't able to beat him in the end."

He was not sure he wanted praises for this. He never wanted to kill Schwann, after all.

"Even distracted, a captain is still strong, alert to his surroundings, and hard to beat for any ordinary soldier. The fact that you could exploit such weakness out of him means you have grown much stronger and to his level."

This time, Alexei's voice was the one to fill their ears and the lieutenant turned surprised eyes to the commandant.

"I saw myself how you fought against him. You are quick, precise and skilful, and I am certainly not the only one to think so. You have trained hard to get to the level you are now, so do not degrade yourself so."

The light grey haired man's face was neutral, his tone matter-of-fact, but Flynn felt his chest warm at the words. He was feeling his goal within arm's reach, as though the only thing left to do was stretch his arms and grab it. His blue orbs travelled back to the king who was flashing him a huge grin.

"Your leading skills are also to be envied."

The youngest Angel turned his attention on his captain who was giving one of his very rare smiles.

"You have charisma and our men would be ready to follow you to hell, I'm pretty sure. You know how to give out your orders for them to give their maximum strength and you take care of each and every one of them. You have the true characteristics of a leader."

Flynn's eyes widened and excitement filled his stomach. The way they were all speaking... it could not be what he was hoping for, could it?

"And on top of that, you think of a strategy to bring back the Demon general's son. The real spirit of a strategist, would you not think so, Captain Flynn Scifo?" the king suddenly said with amusement lacing his tone.

The lieutenant stopped breathing at that moment as he turned his attention back on his sovereign. For a moment, he truly believed he was dreaming this scene and that he would wake up in his bed in the following instants. But his surroundings never changed and the grin that was thrown his way was still much present in his line of view. He was not dreaming.

"My lord?" he breathed ever so softly, as if to make sure that it was not an error.

King William chuckled and walked back to his throne.

"Would you not like that? Your very own brigade to command, prestige among the society... From the way you have been working, I am pretty sure that it is something you are striving for," the ruler trailed off.

Flynn gulped, already feeling flustered by everything that was coming in a rush. But then, determination took over and he straightened his back, gaze staring unwaveringly at the king.

"Yes. It would be a huge honour, sire," Flynn declared, barely able to contain the excitement in his voice.

He was being named captain. He could scarcely believe it! He was one step closer to his goal and it would be so much easier to achieve it now!

"I'm glad to hear that! If you'd told me otherwise, I could've said you were lying. Your eyes betray how thrilled the idea makes you," William pointed out and the lieutenant-soon-to-be-captain glanced away for a brief moment. "I'm glad you're accepting. I've been thinking we were a bit short on the leading part and Alexei here seemed to agree with me. With three captains, we'll gain the same advantage the Demons have. Smaller brigades will also be best for each of you to lead."

The commandant nodded at the statement.

"Of course, there will be a mass held for your new title. Plans have already been made for the day after tomorrow. The sooner we give you your new title officially, the better."

This would add to the things Flynn had been planning to do in the next few days, but it was worth it. Captain. He could not believe he was named captain. This was a dream come true!

The lieutenant looked back at his sovereign who was speaking once more.

"Well, now that this is settled, I've been meaning to ask you something, my boy," the king trailed off. "I'm rather curious as to why you've been working so hard to gain those titles. You insisted at the age of fifteen to become a knight and, since then, you only accelerated in promotions. I'm thinking there's a goal behind it all, am I wrong?"

That was it. This was Flynn's chance to finally speak about the peace!

"If I may, my lord, before I answer your question, I would have a request," the youngest man said with resolutions, his whole body irradiating how much he wanted this request to be answered.

King William raised an intrigued eyebrow, resting his cheek in the palm of his hand, and motioned for the knight to continue.

"I need to speak of an important matter in front of you and the members of the council. This is the first part of my goal and I would rather speak of the rest in front of everyone. I know I am bold, especially when you have barely given me new titles. I'm not doing this to show any disrespect, on the contrary. It's just that this matter is becoming urgent and I would need to speak about it very soon."

The ruler seemed taken aback a little, but was not angered in the least as he replied.

"Now I'm even more curious. I might not be able to gather the entire council until at least four or five days, however," he warned.

Flynn shook his head lightly.

"It would be fine that way. I need some time to gather a few things and prepare myself. And since there will be the mass the day after tomorrow, four or five days will be perfect for everything I need to do."

The Angel's leader nodded.

"Very well. I will send a servant to you when the exact time will be decided. Until then, take care of yourself, lad."

Flynn bowed briefly and, along with Duke, he took his leave from the sovereign and commandant. He then parted ways with his captain and went in the direction of the kitchens where he grabbed a quick meal that he brought away on a platter. He did not have much time, but he would at least make sure that his friend was all right. As he reached the entrance to the dungeons, he saw a knight of his brigade guarding the way. The lieutenant went to him and handed him the platter.

"Take this to the prisoner. I want him fed and kept well because I need him alive. Am I clear?"

His underling nodded. Satisfied, the blonde knight left quickly to take care of other urgent business. He wished he could go see how his friend was faring and if he would be all right, but sadly, everything was thrown into motion and he did not have the time to do so at the moment. He would go when the excitement would die down.

For now, he had a peace treaty to work on, for both Yuri's and his sake.

---

The following days were filled from morning to evening without even a moment to rest. And when Flynn was finally able to hit the bed somewhere very late in the night, he immediately slept like a log, to be awakened early the next morning by the rising sun. He never got time to visit Yuri, having to prepare himself for the ceremony that would be held at the cathedral. Not that he did not try many times, but each moment he did, something or someone suddenly came up and he had to rethink his schedule. It killed him not to know how the Demon was doing, but at least, he took comfort in the fact that he asked a knight to take care of him.

He was given a new uniform for his new position: light blue and white were now the colours clothing his entire body. He wore a long-sleeved black shirt under a long sleeveless tunic stopping at his thighs and held by a thick white belt, as well as black pants. His shoulders, arms and legs were clad with silvery armour serving as pad shoulders, gloves and boots. A blue cloak embroidered in white designs proclaiming his new title and separated in its middle from his upper back landed below his knees.

Aside from the various trying on sessions of his new uniform, the lieutenant-soon-to-be-captain had a few rituals he needed to take care of, such as confessing to one of the priests in the cathedral, praying alone for a few hours straight, fasting the entire day before the mass, and so on. It was ridiculous and Flynn could not, for the love of him, understand their use, but he never questioned anything and took it all in one stride.

The mass in itself went by quickly. The ceremony was not so different from the two previous ones. The bishop purified him in the exact same way, calling out for God's protection – or so he thought he understood for everything was in the ancient language – and just like the first time, the king was the one to end the ceremony. The only different element was that the ruler bestowed a new sword to his surprised youngest captain. Wide sapphires stared at the beautiful blade offered in Flynn's hands.

It was a marvellous work of art, something he had never seen before. The weapon's hilt was long, slim and of a pure snowy white, but stretched out in four blue curves, two on each side, set with yellow orbs on their edge. The blade could not be differentiated from its hilt and was of the unexpected sky colour. It was the same as his new uniform and the young Angel understood it had been forged expressly for him. The gesture touched him deeply. He would make sure to treasure this weapon. He swore to himself that it would not slay and kill any human, and would only serve for peace.

The ceremony ended, but Flynn was far from free. Now that it was over, he could concentrate entirely on his own cause. When the king's servant announced to him that the meeting would take place in two days, the new captain did not waste any more time. He first met with Estellise and Ioder. They decided on the best course of action for the meeting. They exchanged point of views, arguments, and everything else that would help Flynn's speech.

After that, the blonde knight travelled back to the villages near the border. It was time to get Don Whitehorse. Just as settled, the headman was ready to follow the young captain back to the capital, leaving his village in the care of his right hand man. As they travelled back, the blonde briefed his elder with the situation: how he had captured the general's son and had the intention of using him in exchange for a peace treaty. The Don was rather impressed, commenting that it might actually work. It boosted the young Angel's confidence and he tried to hope that the white haired man was right.

They arrived late that evening, but Don Whitehorse was still met with Estellise and Ioder who greeted him with high respect. The old man was as respectful to the two teenagers, but in his own cocky way that only reminded Flynn of Yuri. An amused smile briefly graced his lips before he showed the place where Whitehorse would be staying, along with the two siblings. They explained that the king himself was not able to come greet the headman because he was actually kept in the dark. The trio wanted to keep the effect of surprise that the Don would bring.

Of course, there was the possibility that King William hear of his presence through the rumours circulating among the people living in the castle, but the headman's presence would still have a huge impact if nothing was told officially.

It was only on the afternoon of the fourth day that Flynn was finally able to breathe a little. Immediately, the image of his friend rotting in jail came to mind and the young captain guiltily realised he was not able to visit him at least once. How was Yuri? He must be bored at this hour! Not that the blonde could have done something about it, he had just been too busy until now and the many times he tried to visit ended up in failure. Still, it did not stop him from feeling culpability. But now that he had time off, he could remedy to it and check on the Demon. Considering the time, Flynn decided to first visit the kitchen in order to get his friend a meal before he headed to the dungeons.

He noticed something was off when he realised that the door leading to the dungeons was unlocked. It was supposed to be kept locked. A light scowl appearing on his forehead, the blonde put away his key and opened the door to proceed in climbing down the stairs. The more he went down, the more his body felt the temperature drop drastically. Anxiety started gnawing the captain's insides. He knew that the dungeons were a cold place, but it never was that icy. And yet, here he was, his body trembling strongly because of the low temperature.

When he reached his destination, it did not take long for Flynn to find Yuri's cell; it was the one right in front of the stairs. And when the Angel's eyes lied on his friend's form, he almost dropped the tray he was holding to the ground.

"Yuri?" he called out, his voice holding an edge of worry.

The Demon was currently in a sitting position, his back to the wall, his knees against his chest and his hands securely held between. He was unmoving except for the occasional trembling of his body now turned white. His lips were slightly bluish and it was no wonder: someone had removed the majority of his clothes, leaving only something to cover his intimate parts. That was not all; the man was gagged, as expected, but he was also blindfolded and mufflers covered his ears to cut all sound. It was no surprise that he did not react to Flynn's presence – if he was still conscious.

Shaking, the blonde put the tray down on a table and frantically searched for the keys to his friend's cell. It took him a couple of times to unlock the door when he found them and he cursed as he tried to calm himself. Yuri would be fine; he had to be fine...

Who was he trying to fool?

When he finally managed to get rid of the obstacle laying between the two of them, Flynn rushed to Yuri's side. His fingers brushed his friend's freezing shoulder, but the mere gesture sent the other flying as he cowered away from the touch, a muffled whimper escaping the cloth in his mouth. Trembling of fright seized his body and his face seemed to contort in pain as he became withdrawn. That's when the blonde noticed dried blood on the other's arms as well as fresh one now sipping down on his skin from his cuffed wrists. Horror grabbed the Angel's heart and he approached more slowly, carefully reaching for the mufflers without touching Yuri anywhere else. He spread them from the Demon's ears and immediately whispered soothing words once he knew that his friend could hear him.

"Shhh. It's okay, Yuri, it's just me. It's Flynn."

Despite his reassuring tone, the long haired man did not seem to entirely recognize him. It did not discourage the captain who attempted to get through to his friend, never stopping to speak as he carefully reached for the gag that he unfolded.

"Come on Yuri, talk to me. I'm here now, it's going to be all right."

"F-Flynn?" his friend's voice was husky, as though he had not spoken in days.

He must not have drank or eaten much in that time either. Rage was slowly beginning to replace the worry he had been feeling. Who had been crazy enough to dare hurt his friend like that? Flynn had specifically told that knight to take care of Yuri. What happened? Was he the one to torture the Demon in such a horrible manner? He would make sure to make whoever was responsible pay for making his friend suffer.

"Yeah, it's me. It's all right, Yuri. I won't hurt you," Flynn whispered gently, his fingers lightly caressing the other's hair in a calming motion.

However, the Demon snapped his head in another direction, his body cowering away.

"D-did you hear that?" Yuri questioned with panic.

The Angel turned his head in the same direction, alert, but realised that there was nothing after a while and he put his attention back on the raven haired male.

"Yuri, there was no noise," he answered softly.

The Demon whimpered again in pain and Flynn gazed worryingly at the bleeding wrists.

"Hold still. I'll remove your blindfold," he instructed and unfolded the cloth.

Yuri kept his eyes closed at first, but he slowly opened them, trying to adjust to the light he had not seen in days. Thankfully, it was not very bright in the dungeons, so it was easy for his irises to get accustomed. His breathing was becoming hard because of his hurting wrist and the cold seeping through his entire body. The captain looked around, trying to spot his friend's clothes. He saw them outside the cell, of course. He just hoped that the key to his handcuffs was also near.

"Hold on just a little more, Yuri. I'll get rid of these as soon as I can."

The blonde then stood up in order to gather the clothes in his arms, and then proceeded in grabbing every key he could find. He laid everything on the floor next to the Demon, except for the other's shirt that he securely wrapped around his shoulders and arms, but before he did anything else, he needed to get rid of this unending iciness. It was not a normal cold, so a device must have been installed somewhere.

He exited the cramp space a second time, searching for anything out of place. His gaze finally landed on a weird box and he immediately recognized a blastia in its center. That was where the cold was coming from. In a furious strike, he slashed the machine in half and sparkles crackled. It did not remove the cold, but at least none would be produced anymore and the room would return to a normal temperature eventually.

"Yuri, I'll leave for a few minutes, but I'll be back soon. I need to get supplies to treat your wounds and covers to warm you up. So don't worry when you'll hear someone come back, I promise it will only be me. All right?"

The other barely made a noise of acknowledgement. His eyes were closed and his head was resting against the wall. His skin was so pale and his lips so blue that it worried the captain deeply. He needed to be quick! He left the dungeons in a hurry and ran to his room, ignoring the odd looks thrown his way. He rummaged through the supplies in his cabinet, taking everything that would seem useful. Then, he went to his wardrobe and grabbed a few thick blankets and a change of clothes he kept for colder times. He would need much to help Yuri regain warmth.

Flynn returned to his friend's side. He was careful to announce himself not to startle the Demon who was, understandably, in a very weary state. The young captain helped his friend put the pants and warm socks on, then after removing the cold shirt, wrapped one of the blankets around his shoulders and arms, rubbing them for a little while. As gently as he could not to provoke any pain, he next examined the cuffs' keyhole before he detailed each key he brought. He did not have much, but he hoped one of them would work.

The first one he tried out did not even enter the hole and the second could not be turned. Thankfully, the Angel was lucky on the third key and a click resounded. Slowly, carefully, he removed the cuffs, realising with dread that spikes were entering the flesh each time the arms were moved. They pierced it so deeply that Flynn had to be very careful, and even so, the Demon hissed, groaned, and squirmed in absolute suffering. It pained the young knight to see his friend hurting so much. He never stopped uttering soothing words, trying to comfort him.

Once the cuffs were finally removed, the Angel did not waste a single minute. He immediately seized a towel and plunged it into the bowl of water he brought to wash the profusely bleeding wounds. He cautiously dabbed the cloth on the wounds, but the reaction was immediate: Yuri started to squirm again, trying to remove his wrist from the pain the washing provoked, whines crossing his lips. If he continued, Flynn would not be able to take care of the injuries properly.

The latter threw a worried glance at his friend, feeling the rage at the person responsible for his friend's demise. This was not how Yuri usually acted. The Demon was cocky and stubborn. He would usually hide everything he felt behind a poker face and mockery. But now, that usual gleam of life in his onyx orbs was gone, replaced by a delirious one. Being cut from most of his senses was bound to make him react differently. Damn it!

"Yuri, calm down," he whispered with softness and placed a hand on the long haired man's shoulder.

The latter jumped, but as the Angel kept talking, he relaxed slightly. By then, with prudent movements, Flynn shifted Yuri's position and brought him securely into his arms, making sure to stop every moment the other seemed on the verge of panicking. Each time the captain hushed him gently and his friend would calm down slightly. Flynn was finally able to place the Demon's back against his chest, his legs on each side of the raven haired male, an arm wrapped securely around the other's waist.

That was when Yuri began to truly relax at last. The blonde took the opportunity and carried his washing on. The water in his bowl soon turned a deep crimson, but at least, the bleeding had died down. It gave the captain the chance to apply ointments on the sore wrists. This time, the Demon did not react much. In the comfort of his friend's arms, he was now half-asleep. With a sad smile, Flynn took advantage of that fact, glad that Yuri was not feeling much pain now.

He disinfected the injuries and bandaged them securely. When he was done, Flynn removed the blanket over the long haired man's shoulders in order for him to put on his friend the simple black long-sleeved shirt he brought along. He was careful with his movements and made sure not to hurt the other's wrists. By then, he took most of the covers he fetched and wrapped Yuri in them, making sure to cover his head as well, before he rubbed the other's arms and back in tenderness. The Demon's skin was still too pale and his lips too blue. The captain would not be surprised to learn that his friend had hypothermia. He seemed to have been exposed to this cold for quite a long time, after all. Flynn was just glad that no part of Yuri's body had frostbites. The Angel was not sure he would have been able to help otherwise.

As he helped Yuri heat up, the latter shifted in the blonde's arms, moving so that they were now chest to chest. The Demon grabbed a handful of Flynn's tunic, rested his head in the captain's neck and wrapped his legs around the other's waist, seeking more of his friend's warmth.

For a while, Flynn did not move, completely shocked at the sudden shift in position. His cheeks reddened and his heart beat faster, which only fuelled his embarrassment because he was sure Yuri could hear it. But even if he did, the long haired man did not show any signs of recognition. Instead, he merely murmured a soft "M'cold," which snapped the Angel out of his daze. A determined expression crossed the latter's features and he resumed his rubbing. It was normal for Yuri to press himself against Flynn: it was vital. It was not the time to be overly conscious about it.

"I'm sorry, Yuri. I'll make you warm again."

If only he'd come sooner. If only he had not listened to anyone who had come to get him each time he went to visit Yuri. Then maybe his friend would not be in such a horrid state. The captain suddenly realised that the other's breathing was too low and even, and anxiety took over. He gently nudged his friend as he continued to rub his limbs.

"Hey, Yuri, you can't fall asleep. Talk to me instead."

The Demon groaned and protested, burying his face even more in the blonde's neck.

"Let me sleep," Yuri mumbled in a slur.

Flynn shook the other's body a bit more, all the while being careful to be gentle.

"I can't let you do that, Yuri. If you fell asleep, it could be very bad in your current state. I need you to stay awake. Talk to me."

His friend did not answer him and with a frown, the Angel moved the other's head to check on him and make sure he did not fall asleep. Flynn did not expect Yuri to startle and suddenly struggle in his embrace, trying to pry himself away. His eyes were wide and frantically moving around the cell before he forced them shut, covering his ears with his hands. He was panting distraughtly and, as Flynn observed him, the latter knew it could not be good for the Demon's body. So much stress would only provoke the cold blood of his external limbs to reach warmer blood in his vital points.

"Yuri..." the captain softly called out, attempting to bring back his friend into his safe embrace, but the other shook his head.

"Shut up! I told you to leave me alone!" the long haired man yelled, shocking the blonde.

But the latter knew the words were not directed at him when the Demon continued.

"I'm sorry, alright?" His tone lowered into barely a whisper. "I didn't have a choice. I'm forced to do it. I'm sorry, I'm... really sorry."

Yuri's voice broke and so did he. Sobs erupted from his lips and, this time, Flynn was able to pull him back into an embrace without the Demon struggling. The Angel's friend was delirious again, and it provoked haunting memories of painful acts. The captain closed his eyes tightly in sorrow as he slowly rocked the raven haired male, hating those sounds that should never have come out of his cocky and strong best friend.

"Shhh, Yuri. Calm down. There's no one here that holds anything against you. There's no one here except me," Flynn soothingly pointed out, stroking the other's ebony strands. "You're safe, Yuri. No one wants you harm right now. I'm the only one here and you're completely safe in my arms."

Without much realising what he was doing, the Angel pressed his lips on the top of his friend's head. Before he could ponder about it, however, he pushed the thought in a distant corner of his mind for later analysis. Right now, only Yuri mattered and he would make sure he would put his sole attention on the latter.

The trembling that had seized the Demon's body slowly subsided and, soon, he was back to his unmoving position as he was before his agitation. Flynn was on the verge of reminding him not to fall asleep despite his obvious tiredness, but was saved from it when Yuri spoke up.

"Flynn, I'm... I'm messed up."

A low bitter chuckle followed the statement and the captain knew that his friend was having a flash of lucidity. It reassured him and he squeezed the Demon just a bit tighter to show him how relieved he was to hear his 'usual' attitude. The raven haired male returned the squeeze and grabbed a handful of the captain's clothes tightly.

"Yeah, you are," Flynn teased with a light amused smile.

A mock offended scoff resounded, but Yuri did not move, enjoying the most warmth he could sap from the other's body.

"But it's not your fault. I'm sorry, Yuri. If I'd visited sooner, I would've been able to help you. You wouldn't have to go through that ordeal for four whole days. I should've protected you better; it was my job after all."

Guilt laced the blonde's tone as he held his best friend, regretting the many opportunities he did not take to visit.

A small laugh emitted from the other's lips snapped the Angel's attention back on Yuri.

"Moron," he amicably insulted without seeing the other's annoyed gaze. "It's not your fault. You were busy and you couldn't have known. Don't blame yourself when I'm not even blaming you," the long haired man chastised kindly.

Flynn heaved a sigh, but smiled warmly in the end. Count on Yuri to make him feel better so quickly with just a few words. However, the captain's expression soon returned to seriousness as he stared at the stone wall in front of him.

"Yuri, what happened?" he questioned softly, obviously inquiring about who did such a thing to the Demon.

The latter instantly became rigid in his friend's arms and his limbs began to shake once more. The blonde felt the other's mouth open to attempt an answer, but only hesitant syllables left his mouth. Flynn knew it was too soon to speak about it, the torture still too fresh in Yuri's memories. It would be best for him to find the knight he had put in charge of Yuri and ask him directly.

"Okay, shhh... I'm sorry, it's too soon to ask you that. I'll find out on my own, it's not a problem," the Angel reassured, rocking the raven haired male's body with gentleness. "Let's speak of something else."

Flynn was glad when Yuri's body relaxed again. He did not want his friend to go into shock, and so he started speaking about other subjects, starting by briefing the Demon on the recent events of the last four days, all the while making sure that his friend spoke, proving that he was not falling asleep. The dark haired man congratulated him for his new title, which made the captain embarrassed for a few seconds, but he soon regained himself and spoke of the meeting that was to be held with the council on the next he exhausted everything he needed to say about the subject, the blonde continued with fond memories that both boys shared.

While they conversed, Yuri relapsed a few times. He was either hearing or seeing things and was instantly cowering away when it happened. However, Flynn always managed to get the Demon to calm down and bring him back into his arms where it was warm and cozy.

After a few hours, when Yuri's shivering died down, the captain examined the former. He was glad to see that colours had returned to his skin and his lips were now a nicer shade of pink. The Angel's blue irises lingered on the other's mouth, staring at the pulpous and inviting lips. He only realised what he was doing when the Demon tiredly teased him about staring for too long and Flynn had to do his best to keep the blush that threatened to overtake his cheeks down. He ignored the wild beats of his heart in his ears and slowly detached himself from Yuri.

The latter whined at the loss of his heat source and the captain smiled apologetically. He explained that he needed to take care of a few things, but that he would be back as soon as he could with something to eat for the dark haired man. After all, the meal he'd brought earlier had been left untouched and it would be a bit cruel to feed Yuri with cold food.

"Take that time to get some sleep," Flynn advised.

As he stood, he grabbed the few covers left on the floor. He spread two of them on the floor in a semblance of a mattress and folded a third to serve as a pillow. By then, the Angel turned to Yuri and ran a hand in the long and soft dark strands, giving an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry. It's the best I can give you."

Yuri shook his head.

"It's fine. Don't worry about me."

He then shooed the captain with a wave of his hand and, with a last lingering glance, the latter left the cell with the promise of coming back later to make sure that the Demon would be fine.

---

The doors leading to the knights' gathering room slammed open and a figure strode inside. Everyone went still and quiet and each pair of eyes landed on the furious young captain who made his grand entrance. Flynn's deep pools were scanning the room with a hard expression and his anger emanated from him in waves, almost scaring a major part of the warriors already there. It was rare to see the ever so calm and collected lieutenant in such a boiling state.

"Where is the knight I have put in charge of the prisoner?" his booming voice demanded and everyone else glanced away, trying to find who he could possibly be talking about.

A timid body suddenly stood from its chair and shyly made its way through the crowd, approaching the captain. When he was next to his superior, the called out knight seemed very little compared to the blonde captain, even though they were almost the same height, Flynn being just a bit taller.

Despite the fact that the captain found the person he was looking for, turning his wrath to that single human, silence was still looming in the room and every stare was in their direction, curiosity gripping at each single soul. Flynn noticed immediately. He was not one to reprimand his men in public, and so he motioned for the knight to follow him outside. When the doors closed behind them, chatters exploded, the same subject on the tip of everyone's tongue: what happened to make Captain Flynn so furious?

It took a few moments for the blonde Angel to collect himself, not wanting to yell at the knight who looked so miserable, it was obvious he could not have hurt Yuri. Still, his tone was cold and reproachful when he finally spoke up.

"What happened?! Four days ago, I asked you to take care of the prisoner; to feed him and make sure he would be all right! Do you have any idea the state I found him in? What did you do?"

The underling's eyes widened in shock at the news and he fidgeted.

"I- I'm sorry, captain. I was about to do as you told, really, but then Councillor Garista came to me and told me he would gladly take care of the prisoner. He also told me there would be no need for me to come to the dungeons anymore. I merely followed orders, captain, I swear!" the knight stuttered in explanations, badly hoping he would not get punished for what he did.

At the revelation of who the culprit was, Flynn's face darkened and he violently shoved his fist into the wall next to him, cursing loudly, making the guard jump out of his skin. He should have known, Flynn should definitely have known! Who else but that sick bastard of the Council could take pleasure in torturing people in such a twisted way?

"I understand," the captain's words were even, just like his expression, but they also held so much bitterness, it was even scarier than his previous display of anger.

His gaze fell on the other knight who fidgeted once more.

"I'm sorry for lashing at you when it was not your fault. However, from now on, I want you to guard the entrance of the dungeons. I don't want anyone, Councillors included, to enter that place. If anyone tries to force their way in, just send them to me, I'll take care of them."

Relief washed on the knight's face and he nodded quickly, glad to have gotten away so easily. Not that it was his fault in the first place, but seeing such an enraged Flynn could only make one believe he was in deep trouble.

The captain watched his underling flee from his spot to his new job and, when he was out of view, the blonde's features hardened. It was time to pay a visit to that damn man and make sure he was not to touch a single hair on his friend's body again.

He strode down the hallways, ignoring anyone in his way that bowed to him in respect. He was focused solely on that person and he would not pay attention to anything else until he was done with this business. Yuri should be a priority over everything else.

The captain came to a halt in front of a single wooden door on which he knocked rather harshly. A voice he hated with all his might invited him to come in. The door was opened and closed calmly, but the rage was clear in every fibre of Flynn's being. And yet, when Garista's eyes landed on the newcomer, it did not seem to impress him. On the contrary, a cat-like smirk stretched his thin lips as he stared at the blond knight with evident mockery in his stance. The Councillor laid his quill back on his desk and folded his hands together, leaning his chin on them while his elbows were used as support thanks to the desk.

"Ah, Captain Scifo! What a surprise! It certainly has been a while we have seen each other. You are well, I hope?" his honeyed voice reached Flynn's ears, to whom it took every ounce of willpower not to show any signs of rage and weakness.

"Do not toy with me, Garista," the young blonde spat, already cutting to the chase. His fists clenched. "What have you done to the prisoner?"

The smirk on the other's lips only widened as he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Judging by your presence here, I would say you already know the details to what I have done to him," he explained with amusement lacing his tone.

He started and frowned, however, when two hands slammed violently on his desk.

"I said do not toy with me!" Flynn almost yelled, feeling his grasp on his control slowly loosening. "You understood very well what I meant! Why did you hurt the prisoner? No one asked you to do it, I never gave orders for that!"

"Hmph! As if I'd follow orders of a measly captain," Garista scrunched his nose in disgust, but was replaced once more with his previous sneer. "Besides, is it not why you brought a war prisoner of such importance? I mean, the general's son could give us so much useful information. I have found that psychological torture works better, and so I, in all my generosity, spared you the task of dirtying your hands. Should you not be grateful instead?"

The grey eyes jeered the captain, dared him to utter taboo subjects such as taking care of Demons. The short haired man shook with fury. That man was sick! Flynn knew Garista enjoyed torturing others, but now that he spoke so calmly of having done it on Yuri, the young captain could only despise the Councillor, wishing him sufferings a thousand times worst.

"No, Councillor, I did not bring the general's son to torture him about information. I had other plans in mind, and it involved him being healthy both physically and mentally. But of course, you had to ruin that because you did not consult me or Captain Duke!" Flynn reproached, surprised himself how calmly the words exited his mouth.

The sneer became a scowl.

"Your pity over those scums will bring your downfall, Scifo. Those ideals of yours can never be accepted among our society. I could easily report your traitorous little acts. No one would want of a conspirator captain."

At that, the short haired male laughed in amusement, confusing the Councillor.

"I'm sorry, but I doubt that. Everything is already set in motion, Councillor. Tomorrow, my ideals should be in arms reach and more than obtainable, do not worry about me."

On those words, Flynn turned around, ready to leave. However, Garista stood from his chair, an enraged expression painted on his features. He was obviously not pleased by the turn out of events. A strained smirk stretched his lips as he spoke to the young captain.

"You know, unfortunate accidents could so easily happen. Just like that poor girl you had taken a liking to, remember?"

Flynn froze in place, shock all over his face. Memories immediately flooded as he recalled about the female Demon Garista once forced him to whip. After that event, the knight was not able to forget about her and leave her to die, and so each time he was at the castle, he went to treat her and bring her food every day to make sure she would be all right.

At first, she refused his help vehemently, not touching the food offered. She was distrustful and Flynn could not blame her. Still, he always stayed a while and spoke of various things. She mostly never responded back, but with time, she opened up slightly and started eating the meals. When he would look at her, the Angel would instantly think about a certain dark haired male he knew too much. Her purplish dark hair was similar and so was her cocky attitude, he discovered. It was painful each time he thought about it, but the knight could never bring himself to stop seeing her.

But then, one day, as he came back from the battlefield, Flynn went to the dungeons as usual with a tray of food. Instead of being greeted by her now arrogant smile and inquiries of the world outside, he was met by a livid and still body. Her eyes were closed and her limbs completely limp, her stomach not moving to indicate she could be breathing. From the weird violet traces on her neck, the Angel understood she had been poisoned. Considering only three people ever came to this place and that two of them were on the battlefield – Barbos and himself – it only left one person.

Flynn was devastated, but he never could do anything about it. He was a mere lowly knight with no authority over anybody. There could also be no justice; who would want to punish Garista for getting rid of an enemy? No, Flynn was left with no option other than pray the female Demon for forgiveness and work harder to get promoted. Then, he would make sure to make the Councillor pay.

The young captain saw himself spin on his heels, saw himself stride to Garista and grab him by the collar before slamming him in the wall. This would bring so much satisfaction, especially now that he threatened Yuri's life! But Flynn stopped himself on time and inhaled deeply, not entering the other's game. He had to stay calm if he did not want the long haired blonde accusing him of harassment in front of everyone the next day. The captain threw a hateful glance at the Councillor.

"It will not happen. I'll put knights in charge of guarding the dungeons and the prisoner so that no one approaches him anymore, whatever their rank may be," Flynn explained collectedly.

Without another word, he exited the room, leaving a frustrated Garista inside. The youngest man had won this fight and he was proud. Now, he only needed to reproduce such victory on the morrow's meeting.

For now, however, he would go fetch another knight to help survey the dungeon's entrance, and then he would get another meal for Yuri who more than needed nutrients in his body. He had not eaten much in days, after all, and it could not be good for his health. Flynn just hoped his friend would not get sick because of the lack of food on top of the hypothermia.

---

"Flynn, it's going to be fine. No need to pace around like that." Estellise commented softly, eyeing her friend who was currently striding the length of the small room they were currently waiting into until a servant would go fetch the captain.

The latter stopped in his track and stared at his interlocutor, noticing the amused, yet reassuring smile on her lips. It eased his nervousness a little, but not enough for the need to do something except wait to be gone. He sighed heavily and approached the princess sitting on a chair.

"I'm sorry, lady Estellise. I just feel so tense," the blonde knight admitted, taking a seat right next to the pink haired lady.

He folded his hands together and rested his forehead onto them. She gently patted his shoulder in compassion.

"Everything is going to go well. You have us, remember?" Ioder reminded and Flynn looked up at the prince who was offering the same comforting expression his sister gave the captain. "We will be able to convince our father, I can assure you. He is an understanding man. With the right arguments, he will be convinced, I'm sure."

Ah, Flynn was just too uptight. He needed to relax and have confidence. What kind of message would he be sending otherwise? That he did not trust the siblings? No, he would calm down and be coolheaded. He could not let restlessness grab his heart. It would only gnaw at him once he would be in front of the king and his council if he did not let it go now and that would only affect his speech. He was strong and collected, that was the image he needed to send.

He straightened his back and a fierce determination lit up in his blue irises.

"Now that's more like it!" a deep voice boomed and, this time, the older blonde turned his head to Don Whitehorse who was leaning against the wall a bit further away, smirking at Flynn. "Ya have ta be convincin' out there if ya want ta make them see reason. Ya certainly can't do that lookin' all weak and nervous," the white haired man criticised, earning a chuckle from the knight.

Really, what did he have to fear? He had allies to watch his back if he made a misstep – which he would not. They were right: all would go well.

A servant made his way into the room and bowed to them.

"The king is awaiting your arrival," he simply stated.

Flynn stood and exited the room, the others following close behind. Resolve burned in his eyes and his steps were firm, more so as he walked inside the vast courtroom where King William and his trusty subjects already waited in their seats. There were more people than Flynn expected: the council held a total of ten members, of course, but Commandant Alexei, Captain Duke and even Captain Barbos were also present. This would complicate matters, but it did not scare Flynn anymore; he was determined to win this fight!

"Your request seemed of a rather high importance, so I took the liberty of including the military heads as well. I hope you do not mind," King William announced as the youngest captain bowed before him and the councillors in respect, already cutting to the chase.

When Flynn straightened up, he shook his head.

"On the contrary; the more people hear, the best it will be," he admitted as he wondered how things would turn out now that Barbos was here.

Flynn knew the other man would no less than attempt to raise hell. However, as he pondered over the matter, the young captain realised that his cruel colleague's presence might be a good thing. It would be easier to accuse him.

"Then speak, my boy. You have me curious about your goal," the ruler prompted.

At this very moment, the two royal siblings joined Flynn's side, having left Whitehorse outside the courtroom for now. It had been decided previously that he would only make his entrance when the blonde knight would summon him in, adding to the effect of surprise. Flynn also did not want unwanted questions to sidetrack his initial speech, another reason why the four allies agreed to leave the Don behind at the beginning.

Ioder and Estellise both gave encouraging smiles to their friend as their father stared at them in surprise. The latter understood that his children were in on the knight's plan, which left him even more inquiring. Flynn gave a curt nod to the prince and princess before his gaze fell back on his audience.

"Your majesty, members of the Council, I would like to first express my gratitude for the opportunity you have given me," he thanked out of formality. "There is a matter that has come to my attention a few years back and that I would like to settle. The war with the Demons has been raging for too long a time – thousands of years. However, it leaves us bare. Our world is decaying; we have barely enough food and water to sustain most of the people in our country. We send knights again and again on the battlefield, but too many are dying to the hands of our enemies and, if we keep that pace, we will soon be out of men and women to protect our people. This cannot keep going at the same rhythm, Sire, Councillors, or it will someday end in our downfall."

"So what are you trying to say?" a member of the Council asked in a bored fashion.

He was not even looking at Flynn, his cheek resting on his hand.

"Are you implying you have a solution to end this war for good? To finally get rid of the Demons? Why would you need the whole Council for this? It is a military matter, nothing more!"

"I would like to propose a peace treaty."

Silence fell over the room and none talked as all shocked eyes stared at the blonde captain. Flynn stopped his speech, awaiting the reactions of his audience with a calm and collected stance, as well as a determination that would not make him waver. He did not have to wait long. The room suddenly exploded in disbelieved and outraged exclamations, but none really spoke directly at their interlocutor. Only four of all the members remained silent: Duke, Alexei, King William and Garista, who was staring darkly at Flynn. The latter ignored the gaze, however, when his attention was drawn on a burst of mocking laughter.

"A peace treaty?" Barbos barked with sarcasm, making the youngest captain narrow his eyes in distaste. "You're such an idealistic little boy! Do you really believe this shitty idea could work?"

Flynn bit down on the retort he so badly wanted to throw, and King William also saved him from it.

"Silence, Barbos!" he ordered with a raised hand in the other's direction, his eyes never leaving Flynn.

The cruel captain scowled, but he did as he was told and the Angels' ruler spoke again.

"Continue."

His face was neutral, not betraying a single thought he was having about his youngest captain's suggestion. The blonde knight did not hesitate.

"My lord, our times are dire. We need to act quickly if we want to save our world. By instating peace, we could use the investments we spend on war and equipments for researches instead. It could be a good way to find what is decaying nature like that. If peace is instated, we could also ask the help of our neighbours. By working together, so much more ideas could come up. There's also the manpower we send on the battlefield each day. So many men would be useful in reconstructing our capital. They would be even more profitable in protecting not only the capital, but also the cities along the border. By not having any Demons destroying the villages, the knights could concentrate on the monsters lurking dangerously around, something we seem to forget a lot."

At his last words, the sovereign frowned lightly, his eyes slightly turning towards Barbos.

"I am not too sure I understand that last part. We already send knights to help the villages near the border."

Alexei suddenly cut in, staring at his underling intently.

"This is also what I have heard."

Despite his assessment, the ruler's voice held an edge of doubt and reproach, as if waiting for Barbos to explain himself. The latter grew rigid and annoyed at the brat who was putting him in such an uncomfortable position.

"We are going to the villages," he declared in his defense.

"Ha! Don't give me such bullshit!" a voice roared behind Flynn and the latter could not help the amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips at Don Whitehorse's arrival.

Trust the headman to make such a noisy and attracting entrance. At least, the effect of surprise was more than successful.

"Yer passin' through the villages, but it ain't like ya dare lay a single glance on any of the people there!"

Scandalised whispers travelled in the room at the interruption and the king raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"And who might you be?" the latter inquired.

His attitude was not threatening as most of the Council members' was; it was merely questioning.

"Don Whitehorse, headman of the villages near the border, yer majesty," Don Whitehorse replied without any protocol such as bowing before the sovereign.

Flynn was just glad he was respectful, but Whitehorse knew how much this moment was crucial. He would not have ruined it by being discourteous. It did not, however, stop the man from being his arrogant self.

"I'm here ta finally complain about the lack of help yer men've been showin' us in the last decades."

The Don had moved forward and was now standing next to Flynn, the two royal siblings having retreated slightly earlier in order to let the knight shine.

"If this really happened, why did you not come sooner? Why did you not request an audience?" Alexei asked in place of his king, on whom slight unnerve was present in his features.

At what, however, was still a mystery.

The tattooed man scoffed.

"It ain't as if I didn't try. But when I came the first few times, I was sent back with the excuse that the king was too busy for such trivial matters. It was clear that scum like us were unworthy of our ruler's time." Whitehorse's smirk was full of irony and the ruler's scowl increased.

The aura of outrage lurking in the room earlier had now been replaced by uneasiness.

"So I gave up askin' for the capital's help. I had ta protect my own people myself."

King William's furious eyes turned to Barbos.

The commandant was not in a better mood as he stared gravely at his underling.

"Captain Barbos, explain yourself," he seethed through his teeth.

Alexei could barely believe the shame one of his men was bringing him. The one-handed captain gulped slightly, his eyes roaming the room in uneasiness.

"It's not as if it's my fault!" the cruel captain protested vehemently. "That man refused my help! It's not like I could do anything about it!"

The Don only laughed at Barbos' pathetic attempt.

"Back when ya supposedly started ta help, a lot of the people in the village asked fer food, equipment and protection. But ya gave none! Not a single one of yer men lifted as much as their little finger to help. Y'all had enough supplies for the battlefield and nothin' more, apparently."

The headman's eyes turned to Flynn and a smile graced the older man's lips.

"Well, 'cept for the kid here," he declared, punching the young captain lightly in the arm. "Ever since he came to the villages three years ago, he hasn't stopped offerin' his help. I finally gave in and accepted. He's done the job that useless excuse of a captain should've done decades ago."

"Your majesty, those are all lies, I never..." Barbos started.

"Silence! I will hear none of what you have to say anymore," the ruler shouted, unbelievably angry at everything he was hearing. "Captain Flynn, is this true?" he still asked for confirmation.

The blonde knight nodded with seriousness.

"I'm afraid it is, your majesty. I've experienced myself the neglect captain Barbos has been showing to those villagers all those years. I was even reprimanded every time I tried helping out," he added not for pity, but to show how exactly the cruel captain could not have cared less about those people in need.

Alexei scowled softly.

"Then why have you never come to report to me, captain?" he inquired.

Flynn merely gave an apologetic smile.

"I was but a simple knight at the time. I did not believe a low-rank soldier such as myself would be able to get an audience with the commandant. Besides, it was very clear to me who you would believe between a knight and his captain. Also, Sir Whitehorse would not accept any of our help, so I wanted to convince him before I went to anyone. I apologize, commandant."

His superior shook his head, understanding the reasoning of his subordinate. He did not add more as King William's hard gaze turned to the council members.

"Garista, why have I never been informed of this? You were in charge of this case, were you not?"

The concerned Councillor feigned a surprised look, despite his ruler's fury.

"I was not aware of anything, my lord. Barbos has always reported to me the very same information I always conveyed to you. I have been as misinformed as you were, I'm afraid."

Flynn knew better, knew that Garista had purposefully kept the king in the dark. Unfortunately, the blonde captain had no proof, and so he remained quiet. Barbos was not so keen on caring.

"Garista, you little piece of –"

"Silence! I will not tolerate hearing another word from you, Barbos!" King William ordered and the colossal captain bit back the retort he was about to throw at the blonde Councillor.

The sovereign turned his attention back on Flynn and his guest.

"Sir Whitehorse, I must apologize for this horrible incident. I have shown negligence to my people and have not realised the sufferings I have put them through because of my mistakes. I will make sure to send supplies and protection needed for your village as soon as this audience is finished. I will put Captain Flynn on the case, as you both seem in good relation, and he will report directly to me to avoid such mistakes and confusion again. For now, however, I would like to return to our previous and main matter. Captain Flynn, if you will."

The blonde knight nodded.

"As I've said earlier, with peace, the villages would only need protection against monsters. We could put constant surveillance and predict the monsters' attacks," he added to his previous statement.

"Why are you proposing this, though?" another Councillor inquired.

He seemed a bit more interested than his colleague who spoke previously, but was doubtful as well. Just a little more convincing and Flynn was sure he would be able to win Council members such as him.

"They are Demons. They are our sworn enemies, the ones we've been fighting against for thousands of years. What would be the point in befriending fiends that do not believe in God?"

"Demons are humans. We are humans," the blonde captain replied. "We might suffer from their blades, from the horrible things they do to us, but they also suffer from our blades, from the horrible things we do. There are Demons that are cruel and wicked, but I'm afraid there are Angels who are cruel and wicked as well."

Flynn's eyes briefly and discreetly landed on both Barbos and Garista before he turned them back on his sovereign.

"There are also Demons that are prideful and strong, or courageous and a bit on the cocky side, but so very gentle and ready to sacrifice anything for other's good."

A gentle smile spread on the captain's lips.

"Because of Demons, Angel families are destroyed and men, women and children mourn every day for lost loved ones. However, Demon families experience the same. We are as every bit guilty in making people sad as they are. There is not a country superior to the other: we are equals, we bare the same feelings, the same needs to eat, breathe and sleep. When it comes down to it, we are the very same. The difference is in our traits, in our culture, in our ways of life, but all those are superficial details. Your majesty, I believe we could gain so much more by befriending our neighbours than by continuing to kill each other every day."

As the conversation grew, King William seemed more interested on his captain's ideals.

"And how do you propose we offer such peace treaty?" he questioned. "As I'm aware, I am not so sure the Demons will welcome this proposal with arms wide open. You have a plan, have you not?"

Flynn beamed inwardly as he nodded. This was going smoothly. The king truly was an honourable and reasonable man. The prospect of a happy life for all his citizens interested him greatly, more than eradicating his enemies.

"The prisoner I have brought is General Ryuku Lowell's son. As most of you are all aware, Lowell is in charge of our neighbour's country at the moment. Lowell's son is his only child, thus his only lineage. Demons are prideful in succession. I believe that an exchange for his unharmed son against a treaty might bring him to talk peacefully and accept our proposition," the blonde captain finally revealed his plan.

Whispers erupted once more in the room, but this time, they were impressed. Flynn was gaining more people on his cause.

"Your highness, I would be careful. This kind of talk is traitorous."

All eyes turned to the words' source. Flynn scowled upon seeing Garista speak calmly, but he had come to expect the man to attempt ruining his efforts.

"I do not think it would be wise to believe a word he says. I imagine he is trying to lure you into a sense of peace, but behind it all, I'm certain he hides a conspicuous plan for the Demons to win. No one has ever suggested such an idea and there are reasons for that. It would not surprise me that Flynn Scifo here is only seeking to win your favour so he can get his hands on our technology and give it to our enemies. You have to be careful, your majesty, lest he is a traitor who only wishes to obtain a higher post in order to lead the Angels to their downfall and bring victory to the Demons. I can relate, as I'm afraid he befriended Demons in the past and, even now, the prisoner he brought back with him is his ally."

The long haired councilman was calculating, his eyes briefly leaving the king's face a few times to glance at the youngest captain. He was careful in the way he talked and acted, feigning ignorance, making sure not to be put in a disadvantaged position as Barbos had been.

The turquoise irises that deviated to the blonde Councillor neutrally returned on the accused.

"Is this true?" King William merely asked.

Flynn straightened up and closed his eyes briefly. He expected it would happen, and he knew what his answer needed to be.

"Yes. Yuri Lowell and I are acquainted."

Gasps of shock erupted and Garista threw a victorious smirk, hidden to the ruler, at the young captain. Both Estellise and Ioder whispered his name worryingly, wondering if he truly was doing the right thing. But when they saw his confident composure, they eased up and the vicious Council member's sneer fell.

"I would even say he and I are best friends. We met by chance and have, since then, put our differences aside in order to befriend each other. We realised we strived for the same goal: a world where our two countries could be at peace together."

The fierceness and passion in Flynn's eyes shone even more brightly at the mention of his friend.

"If I was able to capture Yuri Lowell a few days back, it's because we both agreed to this plan. Yuri willingly sacrificed himself, knowing full well the consequences and danger he would be in, especially if my proposition was not to be accepted. He would do anything for our goal to be achieved, and so would I. Councillor Garista did tell the truth about us being allies, but not in the sense everyone here was thinking about. As for the rest of his statement, I'm afraid they are nothing but speculations in order for me not to be trusted. It was never my intention to bring victory to the Demons only."

The blonde captain found that stating the truth would be best. There was no point denying his relation with Yuri.

"Father, I believe Flynn and Yuri Lowell's relationship is exemplary," the pink haired princess suddenly stated as she walked up to Flynn's side and Ioder on his other. "By being friends, they show us a lesson of humility and acceptance. They prove that differences are not everything and that we are all humans. We can easily become friends with our neighbours if we get to know them. Because even if there are differences, there is bound to be resemblances as well. There is so much we could find in them," she insisted, her hands folded above her heart, her expression determined.

"Father, you always strove for me to take the best decisions for our people," Ioder followed up. "I consider this proposition of peace treaty to be the best for our people. We could gain so much by working together. No one would have to live in fear anymore. Of course, it might take a while before everyone accept such choice, but I'm sure that, with time and much convincing, everyone would be able to work together in harmony. We know it can work: Flynn and his friend are the very proof of that!"

A surprised yet fond look was painted on the sovereign's features as he observed his children.

"Estellise, Ioder..." he whispered softly before a smile stretched his lips. "Very well. We will consider your strategy, Captain. Come back by sunset and we will have reached a conclusion," the king announced.

Flynn nodded, already hearing his heart beating wildly in his chest. By tonight, they would finally know if one of the countries would accept peace. It was maddening to have to wait such a long time, but at least, they were considering it. Estellise tugged on the blonde knight's sleeve, sending him a reassuring smile, to which the captain answered. They returned their attention on the siblings' father as the latter spoke up.

"And Barbos, do come back as well tonight. I will discuss with Commandant Alexei your due punishment in the mean time."

The one-handed captain became livid, but he bowed none the less, grumbling incoherent things as he stepped out of the courtroom. The prince and princess followed suit, blonde captain and white haired headman in tow.

When Flynn came back at sunset, just as asked, the three others were still with him, badly wanting to know the outcome. Barbos was already inside, in a far corner, brooding. It was obvious he was scared of what would happen to him.

As they walked towards the councillors' high seats, they saw the smile gracing the ruler's lips and it was not very hard to guess what the conclusion which had been reached was. Hope rushed through them as King William spoke up.

"A decision has been taken and we believe this is for the best."

He stopped briefly, purposefully leaving an atmosphere of suspense.

"We will offer a peace treaty to the Demons."

Exclamations of joy escaped the royal siblings and the captain at the revelation.

"There is nothing to lose by trying it, after all. If everything works out, we will gain peace between our countries and if it does not, the war will continue and our lives will stay the same." the sovereign finished with assurance.

Commandant Alexei and Captain Duke – who also stayed behind for the decision – seemed of the same opinion. As for the council members, it was torn. Some were definitely not happy of the results while others expressed their agreement. Flynn had never been so glad in his life and his eyes shone brightly as he stared back at his ruler.

"When do you plan taking this course of action?" the king inquired.

The youngest captain pursed his lips, his mood darkening slightly.

"I had planned to do it as soon as possible, but a setback occurred. I want to bring my friend back to his people unharmed, to prove our good intentions. However, I have found him in a state of shock and hypothermia, with deep wounds on his wrist. Without my consult or Captain Duke's, Councillor Garista admitted to me yesterday that he took the liberty of torturing Yuri Lowell."

This was payback. Garista should have been more careful with his confessions instead of underestimating Flynn's power; it would have saved him great trouble. But now, the young captain drew great satisfaction in having the possibility to accuse him. He more than deserved it.

The councilman feigned shock and outrage after sending a glare only seen by Flynn in the latter's way. He was about to deny the accusations, surely lie again that these were proofs of Flynn wanting to torn the king and his council apart in order to gain the upper hand for his objectives, but Barbos cut him in before he could even place a word.

"No use lying, Garista. You told me so yourself. You even seemed to draw great pride from it."

The wicked captain snickered. Just like his young colleague, he too wanted to make the Councillor pay. What better way than to bring that noble down with him?

"I was not about to lie!" Garista spat furiously, obviously mad at his two incriminators.

There was no way he could get out of this anymore, not when two people were giving the same version.

"I had heard that Captain Duke and his lieutenant brought back a war prisoner of importance. When I learned that he was the general's son, I saw opportunity for information that we could gain over our enemies. I was not aware of the lieutenant's plans, that is why I never asked. Usually, when we bring back prisoners, it is for the sole reason of acquiring information. I merely prepared the prisoner for that purpose. If I must apologize, I will do so."

King William sighed heavily, already feeling a headache.

"You still did not consult either Captain Duke or Captain Flynn when you should have. I would appreciate you pondering over the consequences of your actions a bit more next time, Garista. Now..."

The ruler looked back at the blonde captain.

"I believe you will make sure that your friend's health is brought back at its best. When it will, do tell us. At that moment, you will go to the Demons and tell them on my behalf that there would be benefits to gain from our two countries working together. If you succeed in obtaining parlays, commandant Alexei and Councillor Garista will accompany you to represent me until I can be present to officialise everything."

Before the councilman could protest, the sovereign added, "This will give Captain Flynn the chance to convince you that a peace treaty would be the best solution amongst us all."

Garista nodded curtly, pursing his lips bitterly, having no choice but to accept.

"Well, now that this is settled, there is a last matter we need to take care of. Barbos!"

The one-handed captain fidgeted in his spot, but soon reluctantly took a couple of steps forward.

"Yes, your majesty?" he mumbled, barely watching the sovereign's face.

"You have failed to fulfil your duty as I and Commandant Alexei have asked of you. I will not tolerate such cruelty towards my people and you will have to face the consequences of your acts. As of today, you are stripped of your titles and are demoted to the simple rank of knight," King William declared solemnly.

At those very word, Barbos' face fell into disbelief and his body shook in fury.

"What? You can't be doing this to me!" the colossal man protested in rage.

He made a move towards the ruler, but Alexei, Duke and Flynn all made a motion to get their sword, dissuading the cruel white haired man.

"Silence! You will not speak to our lord in such a manner!" Alexei commanded harshly, vigilant of his subordinate's whereabouts, making sure to position himself in a protective manner near the king.

The ruler ignored the exchange as he resumed speaking, not feeling threatened in the least.

"Captain Flynn will now be in charge of your brigade and you will answer to him."

At this revelation, the once captain burst out in a wicked fit of laughter, already losing it. He clutched his prominent stomach with his only hand.

"If you believe I'll answer to that pathetic excuse of a knight, you're gravely mistaking!" he spat furiously, but that merely earned him a shrug from the sovereign.

"Very well, if this is how you see things, then you can quit the knights and do something more productive of your time," the latter answered in disinterest, not caring whatsoever what the man who failed him truly did from now on.

King William would actually be glad if Barbos left, considering it would be one less corrupted knight in his troops. The only thing preventing the ruler from downright firing the man was the fact that they could use the most manpower they had.

The one-handed man turned his murderous glare to Flynn.

"Don't think this is over, Scifo. I'd watch my back from now on, if I were you. I'll make sure you regret this," he seethed as he stormed away, heading for the double door exit, slamming them open and disappearing once they were closed.

The scowl that was creasing King William's forehead subsided into discouragement and he sighed softly, turning his turquoise gaze to the youngest captain.

"I'm sorry about all this. It seems that you will be in charge of a bigger brigade than expected. But if all goes well, you should not have to command it for war," the sovereign encouraged and Flynn smiled, chuckling gently.

"I will make sure I won't have to, your majesty," he stated with confidence as he bowed lightly.

While they spoke, most of the council members exited the room through a back door, either too unhappy about the turnout of events or having too much work to stay longer.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your decision. And if I may, I would have one last request," Flynn continued and the king probed him to go on. "Would it be all right to give my friend a room where he could rest more comfortably? Of course, I would choose a room without any windows and I would lock the door. A guard would also be watching so that he would not get out. I realise this might be asking for a bit much, but..."

He was not given the opportunity to finish his sentence as his lord completed it for him.

"But you're worried for your friend."

Flynn bowed a second time despite the king's warm expression.

"As long as he is not running anywhere inside the castle and an eye is kept on him, I do not see any problem. I understand it would be best for a fast recovery. Run along now, I'm sure your friend needs you."

The blonde knight thanked his ruler and turned on his heels, but before he could move forward, pink hair invaded his vision and tight arms wrapped around his back in a tight squeeze. Surprise crossed his features, but it soon melted in genuine happiness as he lightly hugged the princess back.

"We did it, Flynn!" she whispered and he nodded, grinning widely.

He saw Ioder standing next to him, the same joy twinkling in his eyes. When Estellise pulled away, the captain jovially looked at them both. He started when someone slapped his back, almost staggered, but regained his balance and noticed Don Whitehorse now at their side as well. Flynn's grin only grew. The only thing missing for this moment to be perfect was Yuri.

"Thank you so much, all of you. I would not have been able to do this without your help."

The princess vividly shook her head as she beamed.

"You did most of the work, Flynn, we barely even talked. It's your own efforts that were finally rewarded today," she argued.

The knight was about to retort, but King William suddenly called out.

"Ioder, Estellise, come here."

They could hear the laughter and affection in his voice. The pink haired lady threw Flynn a last chirpy glance before she ran to her father's arms, who had left his seat, Ioder following not too far behind. The captain and the headman both watched the tender display of affection as she hugged her parent tightly, but the blonde knight soon averted his gaze and rotated to leave the room. As much as the scene warmed his heart, as much as it made it squeeze lightly in jealousy. Besides, it gave Flynn the impression he was intruding and he would rather leave. He needed to take care of Yuri and announce him the good news.

As he left the room, Whitehorse followed him outside, but stopped once they were just out the doors.

"I'll take my leave, now," he announced and the young Angel spun on his heels, raising wide eyes to the tattooed man.

He was not expecting his guest to leave so soon, after all. He wanted to protest that it was already late and it might be dangerous to travel during the night, but never was given the chance.

"I've never been gone this long, I'm worried about everyone. So I'll go back. It'll give me time ta be back by morning."

Flynn's shock died down in understanding and he nodded slowly.

"I understand."

The Don sent him a grin and moved forward, ready to leave, but the captain stopped him.

"Don Whitehorse?"

The inquired looked back and rolled his eyes as he saw Flynn bow even in front of him.

"I'm very grateful for the things you have done for me. You have all my gratitude and I'll make sure to give all the help and supplies necessary for everyone."

Whitehorse started laughing immediately, making the blonde's cheeks flare up.

"Gosh, kid! No need ta be so formal already! I did what I had ta do fer everyone's sake, is all. Don't act as if ya owe me anything, because ya don't. Just do yer best out there."

Flynn chuckled, nodding. Even though he felt he would owe the older man much, he would still listen to him. Satisfied, the headman waved him goodbye before he left for good this time. The captain's gaze watched the other's form disappear at a turn, pondering on how glad he was to have such good friends. His thoughts grew fond as they diverted to Yuri and his feet took off in the dungeon's direction. He needed to transfer him and announce him the good news immediately!

---

As Flynn opened the door and entered the room, he was immediately assaulted by two hands grabbing both his arms tightly and he was barely given the chance to close the door behind him.

"Come on, Flynn, tell me you're finally coming to say you're getting me out of here! I'm going crazy here!" Yuri complained, desperately shaking his friend who could only laugh at the display.

The Demon was never one to sit still and the fact that he was forced to stay in a small room with no windows was bound to drive him mad.

"What, you're even laughing at me? You're horrible, Flynn!" Yuri added in a mock hurt tone, scoffing as he pulled away to cross his arms on his chest.

The Angel's laughter only redoubled as he saw the cute pout on his friend's lips. That, however, was only to hide his hammering heart and flushing state that threatened to take over at the sight. Flynn could not help it, he just loved seeing such a cute side of Yuri.

"I'm sorry," he apologized once he calmed down, the other still sulking. "It's just, I never saw you so desperate, I couldn't help myself," the knight explained and his long haired friend sighed softly, regaining a normal stance, a hand on his hip. "But you know, you have a shelf full of books. That should have been enough to pass time when I could not come to see you," Flynn reminded, stifling another fit of laughter at the face his friend pulled.

"Flynn, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not the book type! Isn't it obvious? I can't sit still, I need action! Of course books won't help pass time!"

The Demon threw his free hand in the air, rolling his eyes in exasperation. Still the corner of his lips were tugged slightly upward as he saw the captain cover his mouth to try not to laugh.

"Anyway, I was serious a minute ago. It's already been a week and a half. I'm bored out of my mind here. Please tell me you're finally getting me out of this place!" he repeated, his grey irises gleaming with hope.

The blonde smiled gently, not wanting to make his friend wait any longer.

"We're leaving tomorrow."

Relief submerged the dark haired male's features. Despite that, the blonde's chest constricted in uneasiness. In all the time they were here, in that week and a half Yuri had recovered in this comfortable room, Flynn could never bring himself to tell his best friend how General Ryuku had refused to go after his son. Even though it would enrage Yuri to learn it, the Angel also knew it would crush him deep inside, even if slightly. It would also bring his friend worry over the peace treaty; would Ryuku really accept it? There was no need for the two of them to be gnawed by anxiety. Flynn definitely required his friend's perkiness to ease him.

There was also his concern over the Demon's health. His wrists were fully healed and he was doing definitely much better, but there were still times when he flinched at the captain's proximity or when he would avert slightly widened eyes, obviously listening to something else that he only could. Yuri was doing his best to hide it all and it could work to an untrained eye. However, Flynn had known the dark haired man since they were child and, moreover, the blonde was observant. He knew his friend's mind still haunted him.

"Finally!" Yuri uttered with his trademark grin, revelling in the news.

Flynn made himself comfortable and moved to the bed where he sat. His friend joined him, but instead of sitting next to him, he simply threw himself on the mattress with a content noise. The captain chuckled. That bed had been a revelation to Yuri who definitely enjoyed the soft and cushy mattress on which he could sleep each night. The blonde could relate; he never understood how Demons could be comfortable on such a slim bed that Yuri called a futon. Some of their neighbours' way of living was of the utmost strangeness, but Flynn was curious to learn more about it nonetheless. Besides they were bound to find the Angels weird as well. It was merely a question of habit and traditions.

"Just remember you won't really be free even if you leave the room," the captain reminded as he heard his friend grumble as a reply.

Another chuckle escaped the former's lips as he reached for the silky dark strands on the Demon's frame. It was a habit he had developed over the week, both to help accustom Yuri to contacts coming out of nowhere and reassure his friend, as well as to satisfy a desire hidden deep inside him. He just loved those ebony locks so very soft to the touch. As he grazed over them, he sensed his friend becoming lightly rigid and gasping softly, which made Flynn stop. But then, the other relaxed again and the blonde was able to brush through the strands in careful motions.

"You'll be transported to the battlefield in a locked carriage, and I'm sorry, but you'll also have to be shackled and gagged. It won't look convincing, otherwise, and it would raise suspicion with your father. When we'll arrive on the battlefield, the troops already there will all retreat and that's when we'll request to talk to General Ryuku."

Flynn briefed his friend on the morrow's events.

His friend's reply came in a muffle because his face was buried in the pillow.

"And then, I'll be able to come here as I please."

The blonde could hear the smile in his friend's voice, and a warm expression of his own graced his features.

"Nothing ever stopped you from coming here as you please," the captain reminded as he lightly shoved his fist into the other's shoulder, earning him a muffled protest.

Flynn chuckled.

"But yeah, you'll be able to come without having to hide and I'll be able to show you around properly," he declared fondly, excited for this day to come.

At the rate things were going, it might be very soon. It would only depend on how Flynn would be able to convince the general. It would be a different ball game than with the king, after all.

"Hey, Flynn..."

The captain looked to Yuri's face now turned to the side and their eyes locked.

"Do you... think it'll all work?"

The blonde could see doubt, doubt that the Demon's father would really accept the peace treaty, doubt that he would even accept to parlay. The former could understand it, especially with what he witnessed. Still, it did not stop him from mocking annoyance as he shoved his fist in his friend's shoulder for a second time, but harder.

"What, are you doubting my skills?" he retorted, crossing his arms on his chest while Yuri rubbed his sore limb grumpily.

A smile graced the Angel's lips, no longer able to fake irritation.

"It'll be fine, Yuri. I'll do everything in my power to bring peace, even if it means knocking some sense into your father's head," he teased and it earned a chuckle from the Demon.

Yeah, everything would be all right.

---

They were on the move for a few hours already and were soon going to arrive to the battlefield. Flynn, who was currently leading his troop, looked back slightly at the wooden cell-looking carriage following him, where Yuri sat in a bored fashion, looking at the sky. Just as the captain warned his friend, the latter was shackled and gagged. Frankly, though he would never admit it, the blonde was a little glad for that. He feared the Demon would speak a lot to gain attention on him otherwise.

Alexei was at his side and Councillor Garista was not far behind. The commandant's brigade was still on the battlefield, led by his lieutenant, and was fighting alongside Duke's brigade. The head military had to go back alone to get the king's instructions, but in the end, it mostly consisted of staying by Flynn's side as a precaution because the young captain would be the one taking care of the parlays. The latter was the one who had offered the idea; it was only normal he was given the task.

They left Garista to the camp site where he would be safe before they kept going. They knew they reached their destination as they heard the roaring cries in the air and the clashing of blades. The blonde captain redirected his horse to a knight who was staying in the background. The former nodded to him and the underling reached for the clapper under a giant bell and proceeded in clattering it on the instrument's sides, sounding the retreat.

As Flynn returned to his troop, he watched the Angels leaving their shocked opponents, as no particular side seemed to be winning at the moment. The young captain gave a look to his superior before he jumped off his horse and slowly made his way towards the Angels' abandoned side, the commandant in tow. The enemies seemed to understand that something was going on as they did not make a move. Besides, the knights did not go too far, meaning it would easily be possible to come to the two's rescue if needed be.

Flynn stopped a few yards away, his stance fierce and determined.

"We would like to speak with your General," he shouted in a clear voice, making sure to be heard by all.

Slowly, the Demons' heads turned and some stepped on the side, leaving space for someone to make its way through the crowd. Ryuku soon appeared, head held high in his cold and imposing stature. He strode to the two lone figures, blade in hand.

"What is the meaning of this, Angels?" he spat ruthlessly, glaring at his two enemies. "Unless you are here to surrender, which would not bring you any mercy, we are here to fight, nothing more."

This certainly was not off to a good start, but Flynn merely straightened up. He was not to get impressed by the other's presence.

"We are not here to surrender, nor are we here to fight," he replied matter-of-factly, earning him a venomous stare.

The Angel continued before giving time for the general to attack him.

"We have someone in our possession that is of importance to you. Your son is unharmed and was taken good care in our custody for today's purpose. We would like to offer him back in exchange of parlays."

The poison turned to iciness and a sneer took over the Demon's features.

"I would think wise for you to check your hearing, Angel," he suddenly mocked. "I do remember ordering my men to let my useless son be captured and you were present at that moment, for you are the one who captured him, after all. Why would I even accept this ridiculous attempt of yours?"

Of course he would say that. Flynn knew the man did not care a single bit for his child. It enraged him to no end. He would not abandon now, not when they had come this far.

"He is your only child, thus your only heir. If you leave him with us, if you refuse to parlay, we will kill him. This would leave you with a broken lineage. Does this not bring shame in your country?" the captain renewed his attack, using the little knowledge he had on his enemies thanks to Yuri.

This time, Ryuku's features contorted in pure rage and he readied his sword.

"You impudent little brat! What do you even know of our customs? I will make you pay this outrage!" he roared.

Immediately, Alexei reached for his sword at the very same time Flynn did to protect the latter, but someone stopped them all.

"Ryuku-taishou, stop!"

Everyone turned to the sound as captain Schwann hurried to his superior's side.

"Please, Ryuku-taishou, at least listen to what they have to offer!" he pleaded, holding the general's hateful stare with his own, never wavering.

The brown haired Demon's hands were gripping the hilt of his sword too tightly, whitening in the process.

"I believe this is none of your business, taii," he seethed through his clenched teeth.

It was, however, not enough to make the captain back down.

"I'm afraid it is my business. We are talking about one of my men. You refused that I go after him when he was capture, but now that they are offering to give him back, I will not let this chance slip away."

The staring contest kept going, onyxes boring into deep night gems.

Ryuku was the first one to give out, turning his gaze towards Flynn.

"Tch! Why are you even offering these parlays? What is it that you Angels want?"

The blonde would have loved to let the grin that died to sprout on his lips be. He was truly thankful to the dark haired captain. However, nothing was won yet and he needed to stay focused.

"Paradis would like to offer the country of Jigoku a peace treaty," the young Angel simply stated.

The general's eyes went wide with bewilderment, and so did Schwann's. However, their expression took opposite turns: one of outrage and one of hope.

"What?! This is utter rubbish! Do you truly believe we will accept such ridiculousness?"

Ryuku was shaking with rage, doing his best not to jump at his enemies' throats for a second time. And yet, in his fury, he still managed to inhale deep breaths and recollect himself, regaining his ever so cold and imposing self. It was even more frightening.

"Take back that useless burden with you. He has brought shame on his name and family anyway and I will not tolerate such a thing. Parlays are thus out of the question."

Flynn could not believe how dead set the man was on this war! Was it not possible for him to think about the possibilities? To think about his people? Could he never stop being cruel?

"Ryuku-taishou, I do not believe Yuri has brought any shame to his family when he fought honorably before his capture!" Schwann insisted rather harshly, resolute in getting back his second-lieutenant. "Besides, think about the offer they are proposing. It is peace we are talking about. Peace for us, peace for our warriors, peace for our people. Do not judge so hastily when you have your entire nation to think about!" the man urged, earning him another glare from his superior, glare that he ignored.

The general was obviously furious with his subordinate's rebellious attitude and Flynn could not help thinking they had a peculiar relationship.

Soon, Ryuku sighed angrily.

"Very well," he told the two Angels. "We will be back by sunrise with the decision. Our men will withdraw until then. They will stay on the field, but no attacks will be held. I do believe the same will be true on your side."

The blonde nodded quickly.

"Of course. We will stay put until your return. Thank you for considering."

The brown haired Demon scrunched his nose in disgust and turned on his heels before striding away. The dark haired captain stayed behind a while longer, watching his young enemy with mixed feelings the latter could not decipher. Then, Schwann followed his superior as the two Angels returned to their own troops.

---

The fire crackled gently as Flynn carefully grabbed the ladle inside the pot to pour some of the meal inside a wooden bowl he was holding. He took bread laying in a tray next to the fire as well, then walked towards the cart where Yuri was held, seizing a warm blanket on his way. The Demon must be getting cold as he was kept away from any fire. And just as predicted, the knight saw his friend trying his best to suppress a shiver running down his spine.

The captain fumbled in his pocket and produced a key that he inserted in the door's keyhole. He was soon by Yuri's side, putting the bowl and blanket on the floor before he unfolded the gag on the long haired man's mouth. The latter sighed in relief at the same time his friend wrapped him in the blanket.

"Thanks, Flynn."

"You're welcome. I'm sorry I couldn't come any sooner. Since we had time in front of us, I decided to go deliver the supplies for the villages today instead of when we'll return to the capital, and it took a while," the blonde explained apologetically.

Yuri shook his head, not minding at all.

"Anyway, you must be hungry. I brought you some food," Flynn continued as he unlocked the shackles.

Once free, the Demon rubbed his wrist, more out of habit than out of pain. He then reached for the bowl that his friend offered him and dug inside with the spoon that came with it. The captain watched Yuri eat in appetite with laughing eyes before he sat next to the other, bread in hand so that the dark haired male could eat some whenever he felt like it.

"Have you eaten yet?" Yuri inquired between two bites, snatching the bread from his friend's hands and chewing it.

Flynn shook his head.

"Not yet, but I'm not really hungry for now. I'll be fine."

However, as soon as he finished talking, his stomach grumbled loudly in protest and the captain had to avert his eyes from the other's raising eyebrow.

"Look, I can't really leave you here unshackled without any surveillance. Not everyone would be ready to trust you as I do, unfortunately. So just finish eating and I'll go get myself something after, is that all right with you?"

When the Angel looked up, he saw his friend roll his eyes before he resumed munching his bread, not entirely pleased that he would come first when Flynn obviously was the one who ran everywhere all day. The blonde was glad that Yuri did not protest, not wanting to start an argument at the moment.

When he was done, Flynn shackled him back.

"I'll be back soon," he merely told as he grabbed the empty dish and left the cart, locking it as well.

He grabbed his own diner and went back to the cart, this time sitting outside so he could look at the stars above. Tonight was a surprisingly calm and peaceful night with much less clouds than usual. They could see breaches of the sky, a rare sight, and little dots were shimmering brightly.

"It's really beautiful," the blonde whispered in awe.

Could this be a prediction for the next day's good fortune? Or was this the calm before the storm? He dearly wished for the former option.

"Yeah, it is," Yuri breathed as he too stared at the unending display above.

It was almost like staring at the gems back at the cavern but, at the same time, it was not comparable.

"Hey, Flynn?"

The concerned one looked up to his friend's face, encouraging him to go on.

"I think my father will accept, tomorrow."

The Angel tilted his head on the side, asking for more explanations.

"I heard around that Schwann was the one who convinced him to think everything over. I'm almost certain he'll succeed. Schwann is not like my father, he'll think for the good of our people. And even though I can't understand why, they're really good friends, so I'm sure my father will listen to him and be persuaded. So you don't have to worry about tomorrow."

Flynn smiled softly in response, grateful. The worry had been gnawing at him all day, after all. Trust Yuri to notice immediately and try to ease his mind. The Angel was so lucky to have such a friend.

"Thanks Yuri. I'm sure you're right."

---

The next morning, at sunrise exactly, both military heads and both captains marched towards the battlefield to its center, stopping not so far from each other. The general's cold grey gaze bore into the blonde's sapphires, but the latter did not let himself be impressed. He held the stare with a strong expression, not divulging any weakness that could be turned against him.

"Just as you've asked, we have come back to hear your answer," Flynn confirmed in an unwavering tone. "Will you or will you not accept to parlay with Paradis?"

Silence fell between the two sides for a while longer. The youngest captain glanced at Schwann who was eyeing his superior intently, urging him to tell a particular answer. From the way things looked, Flynn hoped it was as he imagined. He was torn from his thoughts when Ryuku finally spoke up.

"Why would a pitiful captain be the one to come to us and speak up? Why is your superior, your commandant, staying silent on the side when he is of higher rank? Does that not bring shame to him?" he accused harshly.

A flash of indignation went through the blonde's eyes, but he hid it expertly as Alexei stepped up.

"This young man was the one who came up with the idea. He was the one who convinced our whole nation of the good a treaty could bring between our two countries. And so our king bestowed the task upon him to convince your people as well. There is no shame in letting a charismatic figure take over. What would be shameful would be to usurp another's idea," the commandant explained matter-of-factly.

His underling could not help the light smile that tugged at his lips, even though it disappeared as soon as the general's eyes turned back on him.

"We have agreed for parlay," Ryuku finally announced.

At that, the Angel captain's heart began to beat wildly in his chest, not believing his ears. Still, he needed to calm down. Nothing was decided as of yet. They were just given a chance to convince the general of the good a treaty could do.

"You are to follow us to the imperial palace where the decision will take place. You are to bring a small company only and, of course, my son has to be with you. We will wait for you here."

Flynn quickly bowed to the temporary ruler.

"Very well. You have our gratitude for the consideration you have shown."

Ryuku humphed irritatingly before the Angel captain and his commandant turned around, leaving for the encampment in order to get a very small fleet as well as Garista who would serve as the king's true representative.

The first thing the blonde did, however, was to get Yuri while Alexei took care of the knights and the Councillor. When the Demon saw his friend, the latter smiled and motioned him to stand up. As he unshackled the long haired man in order to tie his wrists again in his back, Flynn announced the good news.

"Your father accepted to parlay. I'm pretty certain Schwann was the one to convince him, just by the way he was looking intently at him. You were right."

As much as Yuri would have loved to express his joy, he could only grin behind the gag. It was still enough for Flynn to see and he chuckled.

"Now the only thing left is for him to accept the peace. I do hope Schwann will show as much conviction," he trailed off as he helped the Demon get off the cell.

"I'll leave you in the care of a knight that'll accompany us. Don't forget to look convincing when we'll approach your father," the captain reminded as he spotted the small crew Alexei had gathered.

He asked one of the soldiers to take care of Yuri before he left to find Sodia. The minute he had officially been made captain, he had asked Captain Duke if he could keep the girl as his lieutenant. The white haired man had accepted quite easily, knowing the professional chemistry there was between the two. He knew his young colleague would need as much trustworthy people in his new brigade as he could get.

She was not too far and when he found her, he ordered her to take care of the brigade in his absence, not knowing how long it would take. When this was done, he met with the small fleet once more, seeing that Alexei and Garista were now with them.

Once everyone was ready, they left for the battlefield where Ryuku and Schwann were still waiting for them. Not a word was exchanged as the general turned around to lead everyone to Jigoku's capital. He barely threw a disgusted glance at his son, despite the fact that the captured Demon was pretending to struggle. Flynn also looked at his friend, but saw that he was ignoring his father, surely mad he was treated with such disdain.

When they reached the city, a Demon fleet having joined them on the way, the usual hustle and bustle of the citizens' daily life quieted in an eerie silence. Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at the strangers – at the enemies – penetrating the gates of their haven. It was even more confusing for them that they were accompanied by the general himself. After all, they did not look like prisoners who were usually treated a thousand times more roughly than they were. What was even more alarming was that those enemies were holding prisoner a Demon. It was impossible to tell what was going on.

The odd group ignored their public, simply crossing the streets to the imperial palace. The guards posted at the entrance let everyone in at the general's orders, staring at their hated neighbours with incomprehension and disgust. As he walked away, Flynn heard those guards whisper about filthy Angels setting foot in a sacred place. Now that he pondered over it, the blonde could not help but see that they were lucky. No Angels could relate such an experience, and Flynn would be one of the first.

They roamed in a few hallways before they entered a huge area, empty of any furniture except for the raised throne that stairs led to at the far end of the room. Two rows of thick columns led to the throne, supporting the high ceiling. As they made their way to the emperor's seat, General Ryuku barked a few commands and servants hurriedly walked inside, installing cushions here and there: one at the top of the stairs in front of the seat, one next to the steps and three a few meters away, facing the other two.

As the brown haired Demon made his way to the top cushion and Schwann to the one nearest, Flynn signaled to the knights to stop a bit further from the official Angels' sitting spot. The latter copied their hosts and kneeled on the pillows. It was rather uncomfortable, and the young captain wondered how their neighbours managed to stay a long time in this very position, but he would not complain, despite the fact that he knew his blood circulation would soon be cut.

"And so you are present here to offer us a peace treaty from Paradis, in exchange for my son's safe return. Do go ahead, Angels. Convince me of the legitimacy of this treaty," Ryuku's voice echoed strongly throughout the room, heard of all.

Flynn did not need to be told twice.

"Our countries have been at war for far too long. We are gradually losing men to fight in this unending battle, men that each of us has more and more difficulties replacing. If this war stopped, we would finally be able to replenish our population and concentrate on protecting that very generation we desperately need. We could concentrate on eradicating the monsters that is as great a threat as we are to each other at the moment. We could even work together in order to protect everyone, especially the villages near the border."

The general stared at his interlocutor boringly.

"I believe we would be able to take care of this ourselves," he stated, mind narrowed.

The Angel captain did not let himself be discouraged.

"And I am certain we could gain much from working together. Our world is decaying; we have barely enough food and water to survive. If we team up, it would be easier to find a way to bring our lands back to what they once were. However we may look at it, our best solution is to stop this useless fight and use our strategies for other, more productive means," Flynn insisted, glancing at Schwann who was listening to him intently.

At least, there was one of the two who took this matter seriously.

"Ryuku-taishou, this boy is right. We have nothing to lose from accepting this offer. Imagine the relief it could bring to the people, the numbers of death that would diminish drastically, the costs we would save. The supplies we send for war could be used for families instead. Weaponry would not need to be produced in such high quantity anymore. I am also pretty certain we could exchange resources if the need arises."

The dark haired captain told the last part while he turned his head towards their visitors. Flynn nodded curtly in assessment. Silence met the older captain's words and nervousness slowly started to build up inside the short haired blonde, even though his features betrayed none of it. And then...

"Very well. It seems you have managed to convince me, Angel," Ryuku stated reluctantly, as though he were forced.

Somehow, Flynn believed it to be the case. Schwann seemed to have a stronger influence on the general than he would have believed.

For the first time since the previous day, the young captain allowed himself a small smile in front of the head Demon and he bowed his head in respect.

"Thank you. As promised, your son will be released from our custody."

As he spoke, he turned to the man holding Yuri and nodded to him. The knight unfolded the gag and unshackled the Demon who sighed in relief, rubbing his wrist and rolling his shoulders to ease the pain. He made his way through the Angels unwillingly as he spotted his father gesturing him to come to his side, not even sparing a glance to Flynn who understood very well right. The latter stressed slightly, wondering how his friend's father was going to react. He was glad when the general did nothing more but to whisper something in his son's ear, but seeing the way Yuri's face hardened, the blonde knew it could not be heart touching words.

"I believe there are terms that need to be discussed about this treaty, am I wrong?" Ryuku suddenly questioned, getting his attention back on his neighbours.

This time, Garista was the one to answer.

"I will be the one to take care of such task. King William has relied to me what he wants to be said until he is able to meet with you in person," he agreed.

For a moment, as Flynn observed the Councillor, he wondered if Garista would try anything funny. But as the discussion progressed, the captain found that the long haired blonde was sticking to his role and was doing nothing more but conversing about the conditions each country wanted to be included in the accord. They spoke for at least half an hour, Flynn listening carefully and Alexei sometimes intervening in military matters.

"This means that the only thing left to consider are emissaries," Garista concluded.

Ryuku frowned slightly, obviously not following what the other was going about.

"Emissaries?" he inquired.

"Yes. We believe it would be best if troops of each country would serve as emissaries of peace, meaning that they would take care nothing disturbs the terms we have discussed," the blonde captain explained. "Of course, I was given the role by King William, but we still need someone from your liege if we want equality."

The Demon general pondered over it, an unpleased expression plastered on his face. But then, a glint of satisfaction crossed his eyes and a very subtle smirk tugged the corner of his lips.

"Ah, of course. I have someone in mind for such a task. However, I'm afraid he would not be able to start just yet. Still, I'm certain he would do perf – "

"I'll do it!"

All heads turned to the source of the sound. Yuri was staring intently at his father. The latter's eyes narrowed dangerously as he seethed through his teeth.

"Pardon? I think I already told I had someone for the task, and I was certainly not speaking of you. Know your place!" he warned dangerously.

However, the dark haired male ignored him.

"And I said I would do it. I'm sure that the person you were thinking about is already full with whatever tasks you give him. I'm ready to devote myself to it. I'm by far a better choice," he retorted cockily with a smirk, not caring how furious he was making his parent.

The latter was trembling in rage, but he was also attempting to compose himself.

"That is an interesting idea," Alexei suddenly intervened. "He is your son, after all. Since you are the head of this country at the moment, he would make a perfect emissary. It would officialise this role. After all, what better team than the son of a strong leader and the hero of a country?" Flynn spun his head towards his commandant with eyes wide as saucers.

He could not believe what the man was saying; it could not be more perfect!

The smugness Yuri was throwing at his father only grew and Flynn knew it took the man everything not to rip it from his son's face. The general inhaled deeply.

"Do what you want," he spat and the long haired Demon sent a victorious expression to his friend who only responded with a half-discouraged, half-amused one.

He was distracted when Alexei stood from his cushion, stretching discreetly.

"Now that this is settled, I will go fetch King William with an official escort. He will want to officialise this treaty as soon as possible. We would arrive by tomorrow morning, if this is alright with you."

The brown haired general nodded curtly, then looked at the other Angels.

"Some of my men will accompany you outside. As for the rest of you, if you wish to stay until the arrival of your king, I will prepare rooms for you. Servants will be at your disposal when you are ready. You are free to visit the palace, but I would suggest not going to the city alone. Since no official announcements have been made, I doubt the people would take your presence kindly," the general warned before he stood as well.

On cue, everyone else followed his example. Flynn saluted his superior, thanking him for his help. Alexei then left with the knights they came with, as well as with the Demons that followed them earlier in the morning.

The blonde captain almost started when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He almost believed it would be Yuri, but was surprised to see a smiling Schwann in front of him.

"That was an impressive display, young man," he praised.

The Angel was pleasantly surprised.

"I was certain you would be mad at me for taking one of your men away. Judging by your expression the last time we met, I did not think you could forgive me," Flynn admitted, wondering how the other captain could be so forgiving.

He knew that Schwann was a rational yet compassionate man, but to what extent did it last when someone took away a person important to you?

"Indeed, I was. But not only have you brought him back, you also took care of him and cared only for peace. I cannot be mad at such values."

The young Angel was about to reply, but saw his interlocutor's gaze grow worried as he stared above Flynn's shoulder. The latter turned his head and saw Ryuku shove his son harshly out of the room. Anxiety built up in the pit of his stomach at the sight, more so when he heard the resigned sigh from the Demon captain.

What would happen to Yuri?

---

A/N: Muah ah ah~! Cliffhanger, yet again! God you must hate us XD

Saenda: I have so many things I want to say about this chapter! First, I'm so happy you guys weren't able to guess what Rose and I planned xD It must've been a surprised, right? And as you must have guessed, this chapter marks the first chapter of the second arc! Let's see how long peace will last :3

By the way, before anyone says anything, yes, it's intentional that Alexei acts as such. Rose and I wanted him to be as they've described in the game before he goes nuts: a strong leader who wants the good for the world. We didn't need another bad guy considering the ones we already got xD

God, fight scenes, again. I hope I did them justice. Thankfully, there should be less in the upcoming chapters, what with no war anymore... well, I hope so.

I do hope you liked the fluri hints I've squeezed in there ^w^ The prison scene was definitely my favourite. As to why I chose mental torture over physical, well, I'm not very good at it, contrary to a certain someone *stares pointedly at Rose*

Well, I think that pretty much sums it up. I'm certain I'm forgetting something, because I always do, but anyway. Hope you enjoyed!

Rose: Yes, you forgot to wish a merry Christmas and a happy new year to our readers in advance, because I doubt I'll have time to write the next chapter until then hehe… XD

So, merry Christmas everyone, and a happy new year! We wish you happiness and love in this oncoming year, and that some of your dreams might come true! :D

This chapter was brought to you by~

When we stand together (Nickelback)
One dream (Sarah Mclachlan)

Thanks again and see you next time!
Rose&Saenda