Cain had seen Michael grow from a promising private to a celebrated hero among the Dorssian ranks. He'd witnessed the hardened ruthlessness and surgical tactics in person, as well as hearing stories from others. Michael was cold and calculating. Everyone knew that. What most didn't know about was his passion.

But Cain knew.

He was well aware of the fire that stirred within Michael and drove him to all his successes. And that meant he was most certainly the kind of man who could overthrow a government in one night.

Michael could have. If it was any other government than this one. But Cain had been his teacher in many things and thus was his better. And he knew a weakness when he saw one. So he took the shot, sending Haruto to the ground.

"You're still a child in many ways, Karlstein", Cain said, approaching Haruto's limp form. The wound itself wasn't life threatening but it was enough to make Michael second-guess himself. Cain held Haruto to himself and put the gun to his head, mirroring Michael's own position with the fuhrer. Michael had yet to take the shot and now he never would.

"Release the fuhrer and surrender", Cain ordered.

"You think I'd give up years of planning for someone like him?", Michael questioned.

"I think you will", Cain said.

Michael didn't make a single move. He had to think. How could he get Cain away from Haruto. Could he react before a bullet? Why was Haruto even out in the open when he had a designated safe room? Could he rely on the others to save Haruto? Should he just give Haruto up and let him die?

No.

That was the only thing not up for debate. He would find a way to save Haruto. He had to, he was more than smart enough to figure this out.

"D...don't...", Haruto slowly began to open his eyes. "Don't give up", he said.

"Shut up, you idiot", Michael scolded. "I'm trying to save your life. I haven't given up yet."

"I'm saying don't give up on your dream. On your goal", Haruto said. "Forget about me."

Michael's eyes widened. Haruto...was saying...to just let him die? He tightened his hold on the fuhrer, trying to ground himself and not fly into a rage.

"I'm not doing that", he bit out.

"Michael, you have to. You have too many people counting on you. What's one life against millions?"

"When it's yours it means everything!", Michael said before taking the shot, hitting Cain square in the forehead. Before his body even hit the floor, Yonah let out a cry and snatched a gun away from Ira, shooting Michael.

"No!", Haruto shouted, running over, forgetting his own wound. He paid little attention to the fuhrer moving away from Michael's fallen body. Haruto got closer to Michael to look him over. "You can't. You can't die. Michael? Michael!"

"Shut up, you idiot", Michael groaned, bringing a hand to his torso. "I'll be fine. Don't let the fuhrer get away."

Haruto looked up and saw he had already been apprehended by Michael's comrades. Yonah was on his knees by his father's dead body, tears streaming down his face. Haruto felt for him, even if he didn't know him that well. But right now he was more focused on how relieved he was that Michael was fine.

"You're the idiot", Haruto said softly. "You really think that? My life is worth millions?"

Michael didn't answer. Instead his cheeks turned a little pink and he closed his eyes, refusing to reply to that. Haruto waited for a moment before realizing what Michael was doing.

"Are you pretending to be unconscious so you don't have to talk?"

"I'm passed out from the blood loss", Michael said, eyes still closed.

"There's hardly any blood! I've lost more than you!", Haruto pointed to his shoulder. He then remembered that he had in fact been shot in the shoulder and the pain returned.

Some more rebels came in to tend to the wounded and deal with Cain's body. Haruto went under as they worked on his shoulder but the moment he woke up, his first question was about Michael.

"He's fine", the doctor had said. "Even came to visit you himself. He wanted me to pass on a message."

"A message?", Haruto prompted as he slowly sat up.

"He said saving millions means nothing if he can't save a single person when it counts the most."

Haruto shot out of bed, rushing out of the room, ignoring the doctor's cries. Haruto sprinted through the palace, shirtless and shoeless, only in his pants and a bandage on his shoulder. If Michael was fine enough to visit him, he would be up and about. And that meant he could only be in one place. Haruto ran to the palace's war room and burst through the doors, ignoring the half dozen other people in the room. He only had eyes for Michael.

Haruto stepped right over to him and pulled him in for a kiss. Michael didn't stop him but when they pulled apart, he was glaring.

"You're aware I'm in the middle of a meeting?"

"Yeah", Haruto answered, breathless.

Michael let out a sigh. "Don't make a habit of this", he said before pulling Haruto into another kiss.