As I've said… I need some time to think over the flow of the story as a whole…

One of my biggest conflicts was that if this chapter will be best served after or before the continuation of Kage and the 7th division's story. After much thinking I've decided that it must be served before. There will be one more chapter, and then we'll continue with Kira's arc. The time I spent on this chapter had allowed me to get a few ideas on how to proceed with Kira's story. So… patience.

These events happened on the last year Kira enjoyed in Zala household before Ray Yuki and Lennore Zala departed once again to Junius.

Just as I have reintroduced the Alliance, chapters before, this time, I'm reintroducing Zaft as well. Its world, its society, its culture, its people. This will lay a foundation on what will come next in the future chapters.

NOTE:

"Doryaaaaaaaaaa!": normal talking

"Charge!": special case

'Darn!': thoughts

GWA HA HA HA! : Giant creature speech

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING!

Please… read and review

The Mirage Fog.

Generations of Advanced children living in Zaft grew up under its fog. And yet, they also grew up having never seen what it actually looked like. The fog was gargantuan. It encompassed the entirety of the expanded Pacific Ocean from the western tip of Alaska to the eastern edge of Russia. Which means it was large enough to envelop almost half of the planet's surface. It was that large that no one was able to clearly see its true form. But what the fog 'did' though, was something a little trickier to see, but once one can 'see', one will understand the Fog's existence. The Mirage Fog has but one effect: to render all those under its shroud completely invisible.

When George of Glenn was locked in stalemate between the fledgling Zaft and the powerful Order of Blue Cosmos, he was actually being beset by a certain issue more crucial than diminishing housing lands. He understands that the first and best line of defense for the ailing people of the Advanced race during the time of genocide is anonymity. For most of the Advanced this comes easy. After all, their bloodline limits don't usually appear on the surface. This enables them to pass off as Naturals, if they're clever and composed enough to maintain the disguise for extended periods of time. However, there are some whose bloodline limit altered their appearance drastically to the point hiding in plain sight is just not an option. It's not that big of a problem when one wish to hide one or two… but to hide an entire nation full of such 'problem child' is downright impossible. It was in this hour of desperation, that the answer literally came to George from on high. Legend tells that during an expedition, George's army was cornered to a cliff by the Order's enemy when a terrible storm struck them. The storm routed their armies, and a lightning blasted the Warlord off the said cliff, sending him plummeting down unto the ocean.

It was there, in the moment when George struggled to hang to life, that he bore witness to an impossible sight: a gigantic island sized 'winged whale' with a fully functional ecosystem on its back, lying at the bed of the Ocean. Recognizing the call of destiny, rather than resurfacing, George immediately chose to swim deeper into the abyss to reach that miracle. What he found was not just a miracle… but the means to ensure the future of his race. Within the cavernous halls of the Winged Whale, was information carved in indestructible plaques, written in the ancient language of the Old Ones. The information not only provide him with instructions on how to utilize this great relic, but also points out to the location and hideouts of other Regalia, each was a great tool capable of performing miracles, and this Winged Whale Regalia is one such Regalia – the largest in history; one of the two Fortress Islands that still remained. Disregarding the multitudes of other features he could no hope to understand, one feature he does understand. The Winged Whale is a sentient living organism. As it swam, it secretes some type of bacteria spores that formed a thick mist. This mist reflects light, rendering everything covered by it invisible. This was exactly what George was looking for.

Long story short, George's life was saved; he left the Winged Whale where it was only to return at his earliest convenience and brought with him a whole army of scientists and scholars to find a way to activate the Winged Whale regalia creature and all its wonderful features. The knowledge pertaining Regalias that George gained from the study of the Whale granted him the power he needed to save his people and fathered a nation. And these days, said Winged Whale, and its twin, now christened Boaz and Jachin Due, guarded the approach on the 11 Zaft Continents in the Pacific by constantly generating its world spanning mirage fog that render an entire nation invisible as it sail circles around the Zaft seas.

It is indeed the first and the best line of defense one can ask for when one wishes to stay hidden. Of course, that's not the only defense Zaft used to defend their borders. Apart from a fleet of patrols and the constant surveillance by several dedicated Sensor type Bloodline Advanced squadrons, Zaft's climates and ecosystem also conspire together to resist any external invaders who wish to intrude upon Zaft's dominion. Zaft's Plant continents are not naturally occurring landmasses. They were artificial continents made by mere mortals, borrowing the power of the Gods. That being said, their existence actually defies all natural law. As such, the law of Nature around the island gets bent up, somewhat. Each continent had its own climates and weather. At any one time, one island can experience a scalding hot summer while the other are battered in freezing winter. This drastic difference in weather creates an unnatural weather phenomenon around Zaft's oceans. A ship can be battered by a hail only to be thrown into a calm windless sea before being swallowed by a skyscraping tsunami all within a span of minutes.

It was already hard enough to cope with this nonsensical weather even when one can see them… what happens when one can't? Alliance fleet had tried for hundreds of years to penetrate the fog… sending vast fleet to penetrate the fog. Fact is, even if they can cope with the invisibility, the unnatural weather will severely cut down their invading fleet down to size. What little that survived was immediately eradicated by all the firepower that Boaz, or Jachin Due, or, in the most unfortunate of cases, both island fortresses can bring to bear.

So if normal Naturals can't navigate through these seas safely… how did the Advanced do it?

The Advanced had been living in Plant Continents covered in the Mirage Fog for hundreds of years. Everyone who was born and lived under its influence inevitably iningested some of the bacteria spores within the fog – it's in the food they eat, the air they breathe, the water they drink, it's everywhere. As centuries past, absorbing these spores at daily basis from cradle to grave, an Advanced born in Zaft began to develop some kind of… homing sense. Just like how Salmon fishes or flocks of migratory birds can always found their way home. All Zaft citizens that went abroad and then return to Zaft waters will immediately felt it in their instinct as soon as they came within the shroud of the Mirage Fog – they just… know which direction they must take to go home. It's like having a compass inside your head. Everyone had taken to call it: the Coordinator Sense – because it allowed them to coordinate movements in a sea where everything is concealed in invisibility. There are even those who called the Advanced with the moniker Coordinators. However, knowing the direction is one thing, getting there, is quite another. Coordinator Sense won't tell you about the hailstorm, the whirlpool, the tsunamis, the thunderstorm, and just about a hundred more naval disasters that await you from where you are to hearth and home.

Does that mean only Advanced born and bred in Zaft can find their way home? Well, that's not entirely true. There have been many examples of people who tried to find a way to penetrate this obstacle and succeeded in their own way. Samurais proved this many times – when they still bothered to pay Zaft a visit. With their superhuman constitutions and some really well built ships, they literally marched through the fog with sheer force of grit and will. And there are rumors of Pirates who managed to navigate, even mapped, the entirety of Zaft waters. And the Alliance? Well, the Alliance fleet that once destroyed Junius used Zaft prisoners to guide them through the fog. Of course, all this was before Jachin Due was activated. After which, the fog grew denser and thicker to the point where even a Zaft born Advanced would have trouble getting through – requiring a dedicated Advanced Coordinator with Sensor capability to find the way.

Regrettably, neither Athrun nor Nichol was one such sensor. Hence the reason, a month after they've completely left Orb waters so at least they no longer had to worry Orb's fleet hunting them, they're still edging at the perimeters of Zaft waters, right at the outskirts of the Fog. That's the problem with the Mirage Fog superbly tight security: it's almost foul proof, but even the citizen of a nation can't enter their own country without a proper person to lead them. It's problematic… but after Junius, none of the citizens of said Nation, Athrun and Nichol included, complained. Unfortunately it also means they had to eat what they catch in that ocean for a few weeks straight as they waited at the edge, trying to find a chance to get back into their own country. Some of their catches include: sea bass, mackerels, sharks, or even some unfortunate pirates they managed to catch and their pantry pillaged. But before long, even the most vicious nautical menace began to know to leave the two – three if you include Fatum - predators well enough alone. And soon, their pantry grew increasingly vacant.

Still, they're nowhere closer on achieving their goal.

"The idea is very simple. We'll find a fleet that's coming back in for resupply and piggy back! In the midst of all that fog, no one would notice a ship or two adding up."

It sounds so simple and doable that even Alliance should've been able to do it years ago after the Junius incident. But as mentioned before, Mirage Fog and Zaft unnatural weather is not the only thing guarding Zaft borders. Zaft fleet patrols, the Sea Watch, filled to the brim with dedicated Sensor types waits inside the fog to scan any unwanted character that try to infiltrate Zaft. Unfortunately, Athrun and Nichol, both are now wanted by Zaft authorities for their transgressions, fall under the classification that are no longer welcome in Zaft waters. Athrun's plan is not without its risks and gambles. And worse, there isn't much naval traffic into Zaft in the last few weeks.

"But… Athrun-san… I had to ask… why do you insist on going back into Zaft?" Nichol asked the first time. "I mean… you've made it a point that you want to break away from Zaft military and help them in your own way."

Athrun had kept it quiet for some time. 'Should I tell him?' In regards of his stolen weapon deigns, Athrun had been playing it rather close to the chest. But after a while, even he had to admit, Nichol had proven himself quite trustworthy, considering he was willing to endure exile for his sake. Plus, he's known him since the academy… what harm is there? "Well… the truth is…"

And so Athrun told Nichol what he had endured. What he had discovered back in Indonesia. Of how the Alliance even had a toy he had made at his childhood as well as many of his inventions and designs, and how they've used it to improve their own technology. But he skipped the details regarding the steam sphere and his meeting with Cagalli and Yoon. When he was finished, Nichol expression was that of sheer utter horror.

"B… But… that's… that's just unbelievable! I mean… preposterous…!"

"Why?"

"Why… because…" Nichol bit his lips. "Because that would mean there's a serious breach in my order."

"Serious breach? Your order?" By Nichol's order, Athrun knew it meant the Onyx Hassassin's order. A knightly order specifically trained for assassinations and counter espionage. "You mean to say somebody in your order fucked up that some of my designs fell into the enemy?"

The green haired boy pick his words very carefully as Athrun now gave him his undivided attention. "It's… more than that, Athrun-san." He bit his lips, now looking very uncertain. But then he took a deep breath and explained. "Ever since the incident with the London Lohengrin crisis – where our OWN scientists was absconded off to Orb en masse, the Order of the Onyx decided to start a secret project to prevent something like that from ever happening again. We've assembled a list of Zaft citizens with exceptional capabilities: Inventors, scientists, doctors, even politicians, we're talking about people whose work can influence Zaft as a whole… in a good or bad way. We keep a close watch on these people, watching over for signs in case any one of them decided to turn traitor, in any form of danger, or desert. We were supposed to… 'convince' them to stay, protect them – or kill them if we can't."

Athrun rolled his eyes. "I'm guessing I'm on that list."

"High enough… that my superiors ordered a single agent to be placed at your side so that you can be put under surveillance, at ALL time."

Athrun twitched. "Wait… that agent is…"

Nichol Amarfi, Athrun's best friend since the academy, came clean with a finger pointed at self. "That's me."

Athrun look on dumbly like a guy whose 200 plus IQ just took a big dip. Clarity dawned and he slapped himself for not noticing something so blatantly obvious. "Of course you are."

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I really don't mean to fool you or anything… but I really took the job because I understand!" Nichol explained. "Your work had indeed been such a gift to our people. You are, without a shadow of a doubt, a man of such enormous importance to Zaft! The things you've made, all the innovations you've invented… The Isolde's revolving mechanism, the Tristan time fused mechanics, the Fangrider Transformer armor, the portable collapsible siege tower, the Aquarius prototype steam engine, even this ship; the Nazca! The contributions you've made to Zaft are as innumerable as they are essential! I can't even imagine us surviving a war against the Alliance in the last 10 years without your inventions! Surely you can understand just how concerned we are if anything were to happen to you, or if you decided to turn against us!"

"Right, right." Athrun nodded. "This makes it easier then." The raven haired boy chuckled. If Nichol went the trouble of actually confessing his cover, that just scratched him off the list of anyone who can actually smuggled his weapons to the enemy. "If you really have put me under surveillance under that particular reason, doesn't that also mean you've also watched over all the people around me? Any one of them could've done this?"

"I… I'm not so sure. We've placed everyone in your social circle under watch… none showed any indication that they could've done this."

"I see." Athrun smiled bitterly.

"Still, seeing we're trying to go back into Zaft to find the purveyor of your inventions, I'm guessing you had an idea on where to start?"

"Right after I broke out of Bastille Secundus, I ran into some old friends. They gave me a clue on where can I get started. This wasn't the first time somebody took Zaft's weapons and sold it to the enemy."

"So… where are we going?"

"I need access to lord Yuki's head office. In Boaz."

"Boaz. Lord Ray Yuki's office…" Nichol raised an eyebrow. "Might you be referring to his office in his manor, which has since been turned into a public museum, or the Principal office in the Military Academy, which has been refurbished to accommodate his replacement?"

"Neither." Athrun stated. "I need to get into his Personal archives within the Hall of Lustitia."

This third location bewildered Nichol enough that his jaw dropped.

Owing to the honored reputation of the previous owner of the first two locations Athrun mentioned, they were some of the most treasured and thus heavily defended locations on an Island filled to the brim with the best of Zaft's military might. Even with Nichol's newfound ability of invisibility and superspeed bloodline limit, to get in there without being detected is already a virtually impossible feat without attracting at least the whole military might of very angry Zaft Knights down their heel.

But the security within the third location will make the first two seem like a nursery by far. The Hall of Lustitia, named after the ancient Goddess of Justice, it is, as the name implies, the Supreme Court of Law in Zaft Empire. Outside the Crimson Emperor's palace, it is the second most heavily guarded location in the whole planet.

"O… Okay… and… do you have any… plan… to get in there?"

"Figure I'll just walk right through the front door."

"…" Nichol blinked in confusion. "You know what's waiting inside that building… right?"

Chapter 55:

Athrun's Side: The Golden Days

Judges.

That's what they call them.

Every now and then noble houses often entered in a feud with one another. During such cases, the chivalric code of knights demanded that the issue between knights must be settled honorably. A one on one duel being the most preferable method of solution. Winner takes all. Losers must bury the vendetta. Unfortunately, even when blood had been spilt, it was not enough. A feud between two families can last for centuries. For some of the most ancient noble family, it may not even be over with just a simple duel. A one on one fight between two superhumans was already bad enough. Older, more powerful Noble Houses possess private armies of their own. When such families fought, a duel may even escalate into all out no bars hold war between private armies, with bloodline limits may be used freely, further amplifying the destructive potential of such feud. In best case scenario, this may result in the annihilation of one of the quarrelling families, and its vassals served the victor, or decimated altogether. And in worst case scenario, at least both families will be wiped out, including all their vassal families. Whichever the case, the collateral consequences is always the same: an unacceptably huge loss of life, not only in military personnel and infrastructure that can better be used elsewhere in this warring ages, but also in civilian lives.

Ray Yuki once theorized that perhaps it was a form of oversight on George of Glenn's part that he did not discuss such eventuality in his Codex in depth. When he first composed the original Codex, he didn't even imagine of creating a system of law to regulate the rules and regulations beyond the absolute necessity. He failed to understand that rules that govern normal humans sometimes rendered irrelevant or outright failed when dealing with an entire civilization of humans possessing special abilities. Some would argue that it was a time of war, a war to ensure the survival of the Advanced as a race. This enforces a form of cohesion only possible in the face of extermination. During those times, the concept of 'Advanced backstabbing another Advanced' seemingly improbable. Furthermore, in a war, some form of compromise in morality and code of conduct is always needed. Questionable actions that hover in the grey area must sometimes be overlooked as a wartime necessity. Which was why the Codex George had created seems to be filled with many loopholes that overlook many things. A simpler theory is: George died before he had the chance to amend the codex.

And so, when Ray Yuki became the Grand Knightmaster, he set about to create a way to deal with this issue. The Circle of Lustitia was his brainchild, which is one part of his numerous modern modifications to the Codex. First, the Knightmaster crafted a set of Ethical Rules, Code of Law, Protocols of Conduct and Regulations all of which was tailored to govern on how these feuds and conflict between Knights must be settled based on Ethics, Honor and Justice. The idea was to limit the collateral damage that occurred whenever two exceptionally powerful Advanceds are fighting one another. However, rules are just rules. Without oversight, foul play and fraud ran rampant. What's more, there has been known examples of a particularly cunning Advanced who used their Bloodline Limit so subtly to 'cheat' in such matches. In many cases, the deception was found much later after the case was settled, resulting in much dissatisfaction to those who was cheated – but there's little they can do because by then, all of the most critical evidence had either been disposed off, overlooked, or forgotten. In few, it was never even found – because either the perpetrator was that devious… or because all loose ends had been cut off. To that end, Ray Yuki decided to create a special group of select Individuals, tasked to oversee such feud to ensure they were engaged within set rules. No ordinary group of people was this, for they must have a certain talent and disposition that enables them to observe and perceive things that ordinary people cannot. They were also trained to possess a thought process beyond common sense. Or in some cases, forgo common sense altogether, for sometimes, that is exactly what is needed. How else were you able to perceive foul play committed by people with special abilities that sometimes defies common sense?

To further empower this new Order, Ray Yuki come not to the Emperor, but he in fact went straight to the Tribunal of the FAITH Guards. The petition is that this Circle is also part of a way to protect and preserve the continuation of Zaft Empire itself. The FAITH primary duty has always been the preservation of the Zaft Empire, that above all. The FAITH Guard always acted outside the traditional political hierarchy, and thus they've always considered petty feud between Noble families, as destructive as they can be, is beneath their notice. But they also acknowledge that threat to the continued existence of an Empire can come from outside and within. With that in mind, the FAITH Guard came with an unprecedented decision: to acknowledge the Circle not just as a simple institution of the Empire, but also as an actual part of the FAITH Guards military constitution itself, that is to say the Circle now stands as equal with that of the FAITH Guard, focusing on dealing with Internal threats whilst the FAITH Guard can now focus more on external ones. The Circle now possesses a virtually limitless authority, unbound by territory or even familial bloodline. They can pass on judgment on anyone short of God. Now, all feud between Noble families, whether they big or small, fall under the oversight of the members of the Circle, soon to be known as Judges. And all knightly order with an enmity to settle must now answer to them before they can engage in anything worse than a shouting match. And in the case when conflict is inevitable, such conflict must be fought with a set code and standards, upheld by the Judges.

As the founder of the Organization, Ray Yuki carefully and personally select those who he deemed worthy to bear the mantle of a Judge – so great was the power wielded by one. Ray Yuki was one of the very rare Nobles who understand that Lineage and Nobility is no guarantee for competence, and talents and honor knows no origin – they can come from anywhere. And thus the recruitment of the applicants came from all walks of life, not just nobleborn, but also commoners and even former or active criminals with special skills and disposition. However, to ensure Judges can never abuse their virtually absolute power and rise above their station as Overseers, all members must swear an Oath of Impartiality: if the Recruit is a Nobleborn, as a Judge, one forsakes all their birthright, their title and lordship, even their inheritance. If the Recruit is of Common birth, he must understand that all his actions, all the accomplishment he will achieve as a Judge will remained unmarked, they will gain no glory, and they will never earn any chance to attain any Titles. All applicants will sever all connections to their past life, their families and friends, even their own identity – which is why all Judges were granted a codename. This detachment is necessary so that there can never be any leverage pulled against them. In return for never being ruled by another, they themselves must never rule over others. But even with such a huge pool for their source of recruit, such was the standard set, those who pass through even the initial screening process never past more than a handful, but those that do are considered some of the most inquisitive and intelligent of the advanced race, if not the most eccentric altogether.

During the early days of the Circle's first inception, when the authority of the Circle's Judges was far from implacable, a particularly brazen Noble House commit to a gruesome slaughter of a rival House, massacring almost everyone in what supposed to be a peace summit, a blatant defiance of one of the Circle's Code of Ethics. The Head of that House was particularly brutal, and to ensure no one knows that he has broken the code, he killed everyone involved in the scheme, even civilians who knew or care very little about it. But for all the Lord's attempts to conceal the affair, a very thorough investigation by Ray Yuki's team of Judges revealed the duplicity and the brutality that was committed to ensure its anonymity. As punishment for this affront, Ray exposed the treachery in public, and then, not only he brought down his own army and all the available Judges, he also rallied other houses with a vendetta against the treacherous House. Two other Hakutenkuns along with their respective armies also came to enforce this justice. No single Noble House, no matter how old or how powerful, can survive an assault from one very angry Hakutenkun, much less three all at once. An entire dynasty was put to the torch and sword in less than a day. The survivors were condemned to serve the Family they had wronged as a lesser vassal family, to be absorbed to a total extinction a year later. Ever since then, only the most brazen, the most stupid, or the most deranged would dare to blatantly disobey a Judge's authority. Not even the Emperor and his relatives are above this law.

In short, that's the one organization any sane people should steer clear from.

"I think I'll be fine."

"Even if you're Lord Yuki's student, I don't think they would let any non judge to just waltz in."

"My point exactly."

"…eh?"

"It's been 8 years… but I think they still haven't revoked my membership. So… I think I'll be fine."

"Wait… wait. What are you saying? You mean you're…

"…yeah. I'm a Judge."

….

….

….

Athrun swiped his hands several times in front of Nichol's blank face. Shock. He was really, shocked, apparently. "Earth to Nichol. Wake up buddy."

"You. A Judge." Nichol blinked several times. "Of course you are. How the hell did I miss that?"

"I haven't been active for a lot of years, Nichol." Athrun chuckled. "Besides, at that time, the Judge thing was some kind of… part time job. I mean… I was only 8 years old, after all."

"You're a Judge when you were 8!? Are the Circle REALLY that understaffed?"

"…well… it's a long story. And I think it's going to be a long wait." Athrun chuckled. "I never knew. At first. In all honesty, I didn't even know what I was getting into. If you really keep track of my work, then you're aware of that incident where I blew up the Zala manor in my Energy Project."

"The Steam Sphere prototype incident?"

"It was downright miracle nobody died in that incident." Athrun sighed. "But I was in a completely downward spiral of depression and slump, combination of grief and guilt I just can't get over from." And of course he should be. The accident nearly killed his best friend for God's sake.

"I can just about imagine."

"That's when my f… an associate of Lord Yuki came with an offer. An invitation. So to speak."

00000000000

A little less than 9 years ago…

An 8 year old Athrun nervously paced back and forth in the Zala mansion's antechamber. Every now and then he kept glancing at the door, as if hoping it would open and a certain someone would finally show up, but he quickly turned away when the door just won't budge.

"Lord Athrun, do calm down." Caridad Yamato tried to ease Athrun's worry.

"Mrs. Caridad, you're sure today's the day?"

Caridad smiled sadly. "My Lord, I have given you the letter, you have read it yourself again and again until the paper tears. It is exactly what it says: today."

It's been three months ever since the Steam Sphere explosion. Three months after conventional doctor had declared his best friend, who just jumped into the maw of destruction for his sake, was beyond saving. Three months since an incredibly stroke of good luck saw to it to save his friends life, by sending in an extraordinary doctor of reputably godlike skills who had heard his friend's plea and decided to help. Three months since he last saw his brother in friendship, a shattered husk one breath away from the grave, being carried away to heal, or so they say. The Zala mansion has been rebuilt. It was as if the accident had never happened and all of its household staffs had returned to work.

All but one.

Athrun had not invented anything, had not even known a good night's sleep in the last three months after that incident, he barely eats, barely rest, fact is he could barely do anything right. And then a week ago, lo and behold… a letter came to them. Handwritten by Kira himself, stating he's coming back. At long last. If before Athrun could barely sleep, now he was so excited, so nervous that he couldn't even sleep even if he tried. At times his servants found him jabbering to himself, rehearsing what he would say when he saw his friend again… but ultimately produced nothing but gibberish.

As the deadline grew ever closer, Athrun grew more and more frantic. And finally, at the promised day, Athrun was the first to wake up (even earlier than the roost), the first to dress up (he ironed it himself, just to be absolutely sure), and now here he is. Moments away from finally seeing his best friend again. But at this rate, his heart might gave out first before-

Clack.

The telltale sound of the door knob turning instantly turned Athrun's head towards it. He stopped pacing and then slowly, ever so slowly, the door opened. The first to walk out was surprisingly…

"Lord Yuki?"

"Athrun." The Hakutenkun smiled bitterly. "It's been a while."

Athrun smiled happily for once – though the faint trace of disappointment did not fail to escape his tone. "Yes… it has…"

"Don't worry. He's here."

And his happiness went back to cloud nine in an instant. "Where-" But before he can inquire further, Yuki firmly raised his hand. "Before you get too excited, understand this. Kira's current state is not exactly… fit for duty, as the expression goes."

Athrun suddenly suppressed a nauseating feeling of discomfort down his throat. "Lord Yuki? Where is he? What has become of him?"

Ray Yuki nodded grimly. He motioned Caridad to keep the door open as he turned around and brought the man in question into view.

Athrun had spent the last week reimagining what his reunion with Kira will be like. But this… this is just beyond even his wildest darkest imagination.

What the Hakutenkun brought forth was a mass of bandages barely forming the shape of a human boy, sitting lifelessly on a wheelchair bedecked with multitudes of sophisticated medical apparel. Tubes run inbetween these apparels straight into the boy's body, infusing and extracting liquid in and out of the boy's body. The only indication that this thing was a human was the strands of brunette hair sticking out of his head, his one visible purple pupil sticking out of the darkness of the bandages covering his face, and his barely functioning right arm still twitching on the wheelchair's armrest.

For a moment, Athrun was at lost. "…Lord Yuki…? W… who is this? What is this? W… Where's… Kira…?"

Ray Yuki didn't answer. Athrun already knew the answer, he was just denying himself.

Athrun dared himself to approach this bandaged thing on the chair. He knelt down to look at him in his one visible eye. Athrun's lips trembled as his green eye widened in recognition. "…K… Kira…?"

The purple pupil reacted to that name. The bandages around the lower half of the face began to shift, and Athrun could scarcely hear a series of coarse hiss, forming words. "A… AtHruN…"

The tone was horrid. The words barely formed the proper syllable. The voice is breaking like a flute which had too many holes. And yet, Athrun could barely recognize a hint… just a small trace of his friend's real voice in that horrid sound. With that realization, Athrun collapsed on his knees. "K… Kira…" Athrun take one more look at this ruined visage that was once his beautiful friend. "Oh God… Kira!" Tears exploded from his eyes as he fell on Kira's lap. "Oh, Kira, I'm so sorry! I'm so… sorry!" And Athrun just cried. Despair compounded the physical and psychological burden he had endured in the last few months, and Athrun blacked out.

00000000000

When Athrun woke up again, he was looking at the ceiling of his room. He glanced to one side and saw the sun has started to go down. He looked to the other side for a minute and saw a mass of bandages. And he knew what happened. "I… fainted…"

The mass of bandages shook briefly.Athrun can barely hear what pass for a chuckle beneath it. "You… Fainted… I thought… I'll… never… see… the day…"

"Kira…!" Athrun looked in horror at this thing that is still his friend. "By the Gods… Kira…" Athrun struggled to get up. "What have that doctor done to you?"

"Saving… my life… it seems." Kira shrugged. "Did… the best… he… could. Which is… more… than… what… anyone… would've… done."

"Ki… Kira… God… I'm sorry… I… I…"

"A… Athrun… for… the love of… God… Athrun… don't you… ever… try… (cough!) to… remake… that thing…"

"I… I promise… no… I swear… On my mother's life I swear…!"

"DON'T JINX IT!" Kira snapped. For someone with a severely injured throat, his angry yell came out remarkably loud. Obviously it took much effort as Kira can be heard coughing violently afterwards. Athrun quickly get up from his bed and came to Kira's care.

"Sorry… I'm so sorry." Athrun looked at Kira's hunched head with concern. "But it's not a jinx… my mom made me swear on her life. Not my choice: She MADE me swear. On her life! That was after she beat me to a shit stain, by the way."

"I… wish… I could… see… that…" Kira hissed. He probably wanted to chuckle, but then it turned into a violent cough.

"Alright, alright! That's enough! You need to rest! Come on now! Take it easy buddy. You need to stop talking and start snoring! You had any prescribed medications or something?"

"No… I have… rested… enough…" Kira grunted. "And… I'm not… exactly… staying, Athrun."

"What? Of course you will!"

"Look… at… me…" Kira gestured at his state: wheelchair bound, and the only limb he can move is one eye, his lips, and his one arm. "I… can't… serve you… like this!"

"To hell with servitude. I don't want you to serve anybody! You were never my butler, you're my friend! My brother!"

"I… share… your… sentiment. It's… the reason… why… I'm… here." Kira stated, his right arm barely pointed at an unnerved Athrun. "I'm the one… who's… falling apart… yet… it looked as if… you're the one… who's… dying…"

Kira gestured at Athrun's paling complexion. His once tough arm had been reduced to almost skeletal. His steady fingers now trembled every so often. Athrun had lost a lot of weight in the last three months. As a Zoan with a very demanding metabolism, Athrun shouldn't even be able to move. The fact he fainted just now was proof he had been carrying on in the last few weeks by sheer willpower alone. "I… heard… what… happened. What… becomes… of you." Kira continued. "You barely… sleep, you… barely… eat… You're a Zoan… you… keep this up… killing yourself… will be… the least… of your… worries!"

"THAT'S why you came here? You're the one who's falling apart and you're more worried about ME rather than yourself!? A simple letter would suffice!" Athrun looked incredulously at his friend.

"Will… it?" Kira chuckled again. "I… sent you… a letter… judging… by those… eyebags… it had… the opposite effect… of calming… you down… no…? You… know me… I do… what… I… had to…"

"Oh, Kira…" Athrun sighed in exasperation. "This is hardly the time for you to be worried about someone else."

Against all odds, Athrun can see elation in Kira's eyes. "If you… can talk… like that… you'll… be doing… just… fine… now…" Kira's visible eye curved in happiness. "Despite… how I look… the Doctor… told me… I'm… on… the… mend. In… time… and some… rehabilitation… I… will make… full recovery."

"R… Really?" That's probably the best news Athrun heard in months.

"Give it… a year… or… so… Despite… how… I look… I'm… still… an Advanced. You… don't need… to… worry… about me… anymore. Just… concern yourself… on your… own… affairs."

"My affairs?" Athrun chuckled bitterly. "If… If by my affairs you mean to go back to work as I used to… I… I don't know about that…"

Half dead he maybe, Kira can still detect something wrong with his friend. "Athrun… I… don't… blame you… for the… sphere… It… was… an… accident."

"My pride turned you into… this…" Athrun gestured at what Kira had become. "The house has been rebuilt, damage undone, and besides you, all those who had been injured had made full recovery and act as if it never happened. But I haven't reopened my workshop in the last three months. Not only because my mom forbade me from doing so… I… I just… couldn't bring myself to do my usual stuff… after everything that has happened." Athrun growled in frustration as he took a seat on another chair next to Kira, clawing his raven colored hair. Three months of bottled up frustration and dejection, and finally he can let loose with a dear friend. He showed his once steady hand, it's trembling, and it has nothing to do with his… malnutrition. "I could barely lift a hammer… I couldn't even bear to hold a pencil to draw the simplest blueprint… I can't… trust my own damn mind. I even asked help from a psychiatrist… and he told me I should probably steer clear from doing anything related to inventing for a while. But… my mind's like an engine… it keep trying to push forward, I tried to redirect it to something else… but it felt like I'm being torn apart as it ran rampant. You know what I mean?"

"I… think… I… do…" After all, Kira also spent three months lying on a gurney completely helpless under the scalpel, while his brilliant mind remained painfully aware, raging in a prison of his own disabled body. To be able to only think but not able to do it… it's quite a torture.

"They told me… that I should try to do something else. Well this last two months… I've been trying to do a lot of things after I recovered my full motion… Nothing works. I keep coming back to inventing… but I don't want to. It's… problematic."

Kira frowned. "Athrun… let's… go back… to the… beginning… why… did you do… what you do… What are you… trying to… achieve? Why… did you… became… an inventor… in the first place…?"

"Because that's what I'm good at? To create things that blew up in your face every now and then? To invent malfunctioning junk that has the potential to tear up towns!? Because apparently that's the only thing I know how to do well." Athrun chuckled bitterly.

"You think so…?" Kira chuckled. "…you are… capable… of a lot of things… but self pity… is not… one of them. You create… you… discover… not so that… you… can… be… an inventor… but it's… because… you're… already… an inventor. So… why… do you do… what you do?"

Perhaps because Kira spell it out word per word so that the question became easier to digest, or because Athrun had racked his brain to chaos and beyond to find the answer without knowing the exact question, the words just came out fluidly from Athrun's mouth. "I did it because… I want to do something. This… intelligence the Gods had granted me… it's a gift. A privilege. And I want to use it for something. For the good of all. I see things… and I don't see on how it should be… I see it for what I could be. And it could be… better."

Athrun blinked. And just like that, the confusion and chaos that has tormented his mind for months just died down. He looked at Kira and smiled. And he can tell that Kira too was smiling behind all those bandages.

He nodded. "Athrun…" And then, to Athrun's shock, Kira's hand began to move around the wheel of his chair. He's trying to move it around. To his amazement, he can, though only at a snail's pace. "Need… change… of the atmosphere… help… push me…?"

That goes without saying. Athrun gently pushed his now wheelchair bound friend. "And where do you wish to go?"

"Out of the mansion… Into… the city." Kira shrugged. "I think it's time… I showed you… my secret… pastime."

Athrun did not question. He made Kira like this… and now his friend wanted to show him something and asked for some help. Anyone who says he can't give his butler a help after everything he did for him can go to hell. Avoiding attention and the guards, Athrun managed to carry Kira out the mansion because apparently that's where he wished to go. They quickly reached the streets and well outside the observing eye of everyone. Under Kira's instruction, they moved deeper and deeper into the most remote and unseen corner of the city. The deeper they get, the more Athrun wondered on the exact nature of Kira's secret 'pastime'. His first thought was cooking. Lord knows his mother's disastrous recipes had ignited that passion in him, for better or worse. But as the atmosphere of the journey grew increasingly grimmer, Athrun began to realize this is nothing of that sort. Now his loyalty to his friend is accompanied by genuine curiosity, and a little caution on the side.

One turn later, and Kira pointed the final direction on where he wished to go.

He was pointing at a drainage lid.

"The sewers?"

"Yeah. It's my home… away… from… home… before… I lived… in your house."

Athrun is officially in shock. "How come nobody noticed the stink?"

"Did you… ever… take a whiff… of yourself!? The kind of stench… your workshop… smeared… on you… on me…!" Kira howled beneath his bandages.

"Ah…" Athrun shirked, guilty as charged: sulfur that smell like powdered fart, charcoal with its burnt smell, fish oil with its heaven affronting stench, petroleum with its rotten egg scent… none of these things smells heavenly, and he's dealing with these chemical substances at daily basis. Couple that with his unhygienic sedentary lifestyle… and he always wondered why there were fly corpses wherever he walked around.

Athrun opened the lid. And then slowly, he went down and bring Kira down with him. This place is not exactly designed to be used by a disabled. But they managed anyway. Now they're down in sewage tunnel. "Now… where to next?"

Kira gestured Athrun to push him just a bit forward. He looked to wall on the side. There's an engraving there, carefully hidden in the shadows. Kira struggled to rummage the mass of bandages on his belly… and then he pulled something out and gave it to Athrun.

Athrun looked at it and choked. "Kira… where did you get this badge!?"

"Slot… in the engraving… put it… there…"

With trembling hands, Athrun did so. He put the badge on the slot, and it fit nicely. He gave t a light push, and the badge instantly sank in, and a hidden mechanism was activated. The wall caved in before it slide open. But as soon as the door was opened, a sword welcomed Athrun by the throat.

"Wha… ATHRUN!?" Ray Yuki gawked in fury as he immediately recognized the interloper. "Athrun what are you doing… what is he…" But as soon as he caught sight of Kira, he understands. "KIRA!? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR GOD DAMN MIND BOY!?"

"Athrun… can… help…"

"THAT'S HARDLY THE POINT!?" The poor Hakutenkun looked like he was about to have a coroner. "AAARGH! Get in! The both of you!" He yanked them both in. After he took another look around to ensure no one was following them, he activated another mechanism and the secret door was closed once again, blending in with its dark surroundings.

As soon as Athrun was brought into this room, at first glance, it looked like a massive study room. Rows upon rows of library stationed at the corner. On one side, an entire wall was made into a massive writing board. Clippings of sightings and events were placed on it, each was interlinked with wires to signify the existing connection between events. But as Athrun studied the details of the content within this room even further, he suddenly realized he just entered something that is worlds apart than the world he had known.

Explosion of a chemical Plant in Aristotle City killed Thousands

Civil Unrest in response to the Murder of the Duke's Firstborn Son

The Princess Catherine of Venuina found murdered in a Ball

And more besides. Athrun's eyes were as wide as his aghast mouth. "Kira… what… how… wh… why…" Finally, his eye landed on a sigil. The same sigil that was born on Kira's badge. The badge depicted a five pointed five colored star, with a stylized yin yang at its core. This is Lord Yuki's personal sigil. The star is encircled by 12 serpentine creatures facing horizontally in a clockwise circle. He would know that Sigil. Any self respecting student of the great Knightmaster would know that sigil. He looked at Kira in disbelief and paced breath. "Kira… you… are a member of the Circle!? THE Circle!?"

"Welcome… to… The Hole." Kira only nodded. "My… code name… is… Noir. At… your… service…"

And apparently it was too much for a very tense, very starving, Athrun Zala to stomach in one day.

THUD.

And he fainted like a champ for the second time that day.

Kira can only moan. "Ready… something… for him… to eat… before… we… wake him…?"

00000000000

"It is no secret that due to it extremely stringent selection process and standards, the Judges of the Circle is always understaffed. Thus, as soon as he retired, Ray Yuki began searching for a way to address this issue. And it hit him: the same skill and abilities that allowed the Judges to administer feud between Knights and filter out cheats and foul play by people with special abilities can also be used for other purposes. Before he was a White Heavenly Noble Lord, Ray Yuki was part of the Law enforcement, serving as its Chief Director. After he retired from field active duty, he regained that post, and reassumed his mantle as the Chief Supreme Judge of the Circle. Each continent is managed by a senior Judge, called Magister Judge, and beneath them are other Judges. By tradition and by necessity, a Supreme Judge is always posted in Aprillus." Athrun explained. In so far, he managed to keep the name Kira from ever being mentioned. "That's what Judge Noir told me anyway."

"Judge Noir… THE Legendary Judge Noir… oh my God… Athrun, we of the Onyx order still use his cases as the golden standard in investigative works and counter espionage tactics. I read all his cases and even collected his clippings! Oh my God… you… wouldn't happen to have any of his autographs do you?"

Athrun chuckled inwardly, not expecting this side of Nichol. If he had known about it, he would've asked Kira for his autograph the last time they met. "In any rate, Aprillus, the largest, densest city of the 11 continent, and the capital of Zaft… is also the center of deceit and intrigue that was the source of all 'evil' as they say. All the great noble houses from the entire breadth of the Empire had a stake in some form or another in Aprillus. The web of Political relations between them is already as mind boggling as it is when they're separated by the vast distance between continents… put them together in one city, even one as big as a continent, the complication is, to put it kindly, amplified a thousand fold. Greed, corruption, and deceit is everywhere: from the words they use to the fashion they wear even to the food they eat. Honestly, you can find anything in Aprillus except honesty. So as you can imagine, Aprillus is also the city with the worst crime rate in the entire Empire." Nichol, a native from Marchus found that rather hard to swallow, but hearing from Athrun who grew up in such a city…

"A high crime rate in a bustling and dense metropolitan is nothing new… but the problem is that Aprillus is also the Capital of our Nation. In this cesspool of corruption and deviance of common sense, in this webwork of politics and agendas, chances are, the majority of the crime committed here always had some political motives laced into it. Blackmail, murder, even a simple thievery had a far reaching political agenda behind it. A Judge was supposed to rise above all of such temptations. In here, Ray Yuki found the perfect training ground to nurture the sort of talents he needed for the Circle. Before he tossed the new recruits straight into the big blue world of yonder, they were expected to first undergone real life training in a domestic setting, and Aprillus is just perfect."

00000000000

"So… let me get this straight…" Athrun throw the chicken bones to the already mounting pile of bones of the previous victims. "For the last two years, Kira had actually been working as an Apprentice Judge under your tutelage, Lord Yuki?"

"In all honesty, if we're talking skill wise, at this point Kira's already as good as a fully active Judge. But… he's only 8 years old. Last time I checked, employing somebody of that age is considered Child Labor." Ray Yuki sighed. "But… as soon as he's of age…'

"And you're okay with this?" Athrun looked at Kira.

He only shrugged. "Got… nothing… to… lose…"

"That being said… Kira, no, Noir… as your teacher, and boss, I'm afraid I really can't approve of what you've done! Athrun maybe your friend, and yes, I do trust him! But you can't just bring a non-circle individual to this place! I'd like to point out you're not even supposed to be here when those bandages are the only thing holding you together!"

"Never… was… much… for… legwork… even… before… this…"

"Which is why I'm the one helping you in that position. What's the problem with our current setting?"

"That case… We… were… getting… nowhere… second opinion… might… work…"

"That case…" Ray frowned.

"A case?" Athrun turned towards them with gleaming eyes. "You two are working on… a case!?" Athrun couldn't believe this. Ray Yuki, the Exemplar of Knights, the idol of all warriors in Zaft, Athrun included, and Kira, his best friend and supposedly his squire… working together not as master and servants or teacher and student… but as equals.

Ray looked at Athrun, his eyes are still clear and unjaded like Kira's and his. Every fiber of his being screamed that he should do what he should've done five minutes ago: kick both of these kids out of here and for Kira, fastened him to his sickbed with chains and throw away the key until he heals. But his gut tells him… maybe… maybe Kira was right. Maybe they need a fresh look at this case they're dealing with. What's more… neither kids knew that he won't be long in this world. And so… against his better judgment… Ray began explaining as he pulled down a rolling paper depicting all related events to this case. Surprisingly, Athrun found his name on the board, though his involvement, at the present, was rather minimal.

"Let's wind back a year. One of my Judges in New Guinea reported that Zaft forces there are being battered by a particularly malicious Alliance Sergeant in some backward territory who recently gained access to a large amount of arsenals. They've already murdered the local magistrate and his entire family safe one. What's alarming… is that they're using Zaft arsenal with impunity – unmarked Tristans. As you well know, Zaft Imperial Armory has exclusive ownership of any war artillery molds. To make sure of, they cast a Zaft emblem on all Cannons produced. This one we found in New Guinea… has no Zaft Royal emblem on it. Which means it was illegally made. The Judge is rallying the locals to mount a stubborn resistance, but frankly, they're outgunned and outmatched. The Judge has also commenced an investigation and found no forges there big enough to produce the amount of cannons and shots they've reported. So we know that somehow, the enemy has been getting their weapons from someone… we just don't know from who, until… well… remember that accident? When the both you used my Meteor and went into a tangle with a bunch of gangsters who somehow gained access to military grade hardware?"

"I remember."

"I start looking into it right after I've fired all my Honor Guards. Thanks for that, Kira." Ray sarcastically glared at Kira. No harm done though. He already set them up for something suited to their position. "I recognize that cannon: unmarked Tristan model. The same one used in New Guinea. I quickly interrogated those gangsters. And as it turns out, they didn't steal the cannon per se. They found the cannon… to be specific they excavated the damn thing out of the ground."

Athrun took a minute to digest that statement. "Run that by me again? They excavated freshly built cannon straight out of the ground?"

"According to their testimony, one of their colleagues literally tripped on the tip of this cannon barrel and they work their way from there. They know not where it comes from; they dug it out of the ground."

"My Lord, are you sure they're not drunk?"

"We tested their urine, no alcohol." Ray shrugged. "What's more, it was Kira himself who questioned them. They owe him their life, they won't lie. To make absolutely sure, we told them to bring us to the excavation site. They've already cleaned up the hole… but they were clear signs. They're telling the truth."

"So how-"

"How can a factory fresh, military grade cannon that was used in a racial genocide half a world away was found sticking out of the ground as if it just swam up the earth?" Ray Yuki nodded, realizing how ridiculous he sounds. "Welcome to our world, Athrun."

Athrun began thinking. He looked at the chart on the wall. "This was not the only thing you guys found, I trust?" Ray nodded and gestured at their findings. The cannon were the first find. Afterwards they also found spears sticking out of a man's rose garden, a couple more shots rusting away in a well's wall, half a dozen swords jutting out of the solid stone pavement nearly tore a horse legs off.

"Seeing the pattern of the weapons' appearances and the locations where we found them, we traced that… however these weapons made their way there, they were heading towards the dock, which means they were meant to be shipped out."

"Which means somebody, in Aprillus, is bringing them abroad… selling them to our enemies?" The more Athrun heard of this, the angrier he became.

"Correct." Ray Yuki nodded. "I've already ordered for the harbor patrol to check all ships coming in and out of the harbor and even initiate a limited blockade – no ship can come out. We've locked down all confirmed ports where we found weapon caches. But we still can't figure out how it gets out without notice, who's causing this, and where it comes from. We've checked all factories big enough to produce that amount of weapons. But none of them had the mold to produce unmarked Tristan cannons. Whoever did this came from an unofficial source… a local blacksmith. But there are thousands of them in a city as big as a continent."

Athrun looked at the cannons, the swords, the spears… suddenly, something just… clicked. "All these weapons… they're all metal, yeah? Aside from where they're heading… how do you… how do you plan to track where they come from?"

Kira replied: "Purchase order…"

"We've tried to track them by checking their purchase order of Irons from every Refinery. We reduced the thousands into just 500 who had purchased enough iron to possibly commit this incident. But… that's still too large of a pool. And none of them had purchased more than was necessary." Ray Yuki continued.

"If they're unmarked, the makers made the trouble of not marking them. The possibility of them coming from one source is looking more likely right?"

"Our thoughts exactly. But we can't trace to find one among hundreds…"

"Kira… remember what I taught you about the composition of metals?"

"You mean… the one… you told me… during the Steam Sphere… something about… carbon and iron… mixture…?"

"That one yeah." Athrun's eyes gleamed with epiphany. "Every iron artisan will have their own recipe of what they consider a proper iron carbon mixture. It's their signature, and they can't conceal that. No two artisans will have the same recipe; it's a jealously guarded secret; they may be similar, but there will be telltale signs of difference. Because every artisan would believe that their ratio is the best. If I can get a sample of the weapon's metallic composition… we may be able to track it all the way to its maker?"

Ray Yuki stand stupefied. He looked at Kira, and Kira looked back at him with a smug eye saying: 'See? I told you so.'

In short…

Athrun quickly also set up shop inside the Office, a smaller, more compact version of his personal workshop. Incapable of producing the same destructive inventive genius, but it'll serve him just the same.

"But this is amazing, Kira." Athrun excitedly looked at Kira. "You. A Judge in training. Do you realize what this means!? When the time comes, you'll be on par with the Faith Guard! Heck, my Father might even have to call you My Lord!"

"A Judge… will gain… no… glory. That… is… our… oath."

"Just the same. It's still amazing." But on the other hand, Athrun suddenly felt something in his heart breaking. His confidence. His conviction crumbled. All this time, Athrun used his intelligence and ingenuity in the field of science to create all these… tools. These toys. He's a glorified toymaker. And though he may preach that all he does is for the good of the people… in the end, he's only serving to sate his own ego.

Kira trained to be a Judge. Right now, Ray Yuki supervised him to solve serious crimes in this city that has such a far reaching consequence on the war at the front line. That itself is already a supremely noble task, to serve and protect the citizens of a nation, to protect those without power from those who abuse it. And one day, when he finally ascends, he will become the paragon of Honor and the keeper of Order and Justice, responsible for the continued existence of an empire. And yet, through it all, Kira will remain an unsung Hero. His achievements, grand and noble will they be, will forever pass unmarked.

In comparison to that, what Athrun had been doing all his life seems laughable and trivial in comparison. Honor? Loyalty? Responsibility? He didn't even know the meaning of these words. "I guess… what I'm trying to say is… it's an honor to be working with you in this."

Strangely enough, Kira didn't seem to be as enthusiastic about this as he was. "For… a start… this… doesn't mean… you are a Judge… truth… be told… you're not… even… a recruit."

"Not yet." Athrun grinned.

Kira didn't. Unlike him, Athrun still has a romanticized idea of what a Judge is. He still thinks it's some kind of a dream job. "Secondly… be… prepared… this… world… you're entering… it's a dark world. Past the glamour… past the flair… it's an… ugly… world… it will… leave a stain… and it will be… irremovable…"

And for a moment, even Athrun's enthusiasm waned slightly. But then, Ray Yuki returned, carrying that same cannon the brigands had used to fire at Kira and Athrun the other day. "Alright. Here we go." He dropped the object right then and there. "Now do your magic."

And Athrun did more than just his magic. Within an hour, he already produced the exact composition of the cannon. "And here we are. Hmm… this is quite a mixture… but not uncommon. But… I know for a fact that there are a little over 100 workshop that used mixture similar to this one."

From thousands to a hundred. Wow. Talk about a quantum leap. Ray Yuki rolled his eyes. "That's still too big of a pool."

"Too big…!" And for a moment, Athrun was at lost…

"Courtney's Iron Shop." Kira suddenly interjected. "The… purchase order…"

"Purchase order?" Ray blinked. "Again?"

Athrun also caught up. "Got it. The first time, you guys were filtering that list based on the amount of iron purchased. But right now, what we're looking for is the buying pattern. To produce their signature mixture, every ironworker will purchase a very specific amount of Iron and Carbon to ensure maximum efficiency in production. There will be distinct clues in their purchasing pattern. Like buying 3.5 tons instead of 4. I can match this sample of iron with that list. We can narrow those 100 to probably just a few dozen."

Thousands to a hundred… a hundred to a dozen… all in less than a few hours and minutes. Ray Yuki humbly took a step back and watched the picturesque image of the golden duo eagerly worked together.

"And… DONE! Wow! Okay. So of all the shops… we reduced it to just three shops whose purchase pattern fits the metal composition. You guys can start to check from there?"

Ray Yuki smiled at the corner, watching him. "Okay." He nodded several times. "Fine, fine. Athrun, we've reached the point… where it's time we do some legwork. Which means we're going to the site directly… personally. Which also means, this is the part where Kira, as you can see, can no longer participate. Not directly at least." The Hakutenkun shrugged at Kira's state. "Athrun, do you know my bloodline limit?"

"Of course. Conscious Sharing. You have the ability to… literally connect with someone. To share their thoughts, their emotions, their every senses."

"Or… in this case… I can let them share mine." Ray Yuki explained. "That's how I've been doing this job with Kira. He would stay here, safe and sound in the office, but I will share him my senses. He can see, hear, smell, even feel everything I experienced, as if he was literally walking in my shoes – provided the parties involved hold a piece of my body." As he did this, Ray suddenly cut a flock of his hair. With practiced hands, he braided them into a rope. "Kira have held a flock of my hair… that's how he's been doing his investigations, with me as his proxy."

Kira showed his bandaged hand, and Athrun noticed that he was holding a rope made of Ray's braided hair in his hand. Meanwhile, Ray finished a new hair rope and gave it to Athrun. "Tie this in your wrist."

Suddenly, Athrun knew right away what will happen. He eagerly took the rope and tied to his hand. "Like this?"

"Yes." Ray Yuki took a step back. "When two parties each hold a piece of me, I can connect them to one another. I'm going to connect Kira into you now. So now… you're going to be Kira's proxy. You will be his eyes and ears, arms and feet. A word of warning: be very careful. Stay calm, and stay focused on who you are. The connection is a two way street. Kira will be in your head, and you will be in his. You two will share not just your senses, but also some of your memories and secrets. You two have some secret you haven't told each other yet?"

"My Lord, we grew up together. We're eight. How many secrets we can carry in our lifetime?"

Ray smirked. "You'll be surprised." He Hakutenkun placed his two fingers on his temple and closed his eyes, frowning, concentrating. Sensing two minds, resonating with each other… "Here we go."

Athrun suddenly jerked and his pupils rolled upwards. The first that assaulted his body was cold. Deep freezing cold that stab all the way into his bone. And then pain. Sheer abominable pain. In his mind's eye he saw that moment when his body was ravaged by cold fumes that pierced through his organs. "GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" As tough as Athrun was, it was a pain beyond imagining. The boy collapsed on his knees, teeth clattering, and the icy chill of fear assaulted his spine. With one jerk, Athrun hurled to the floor, his nostrils are bursting blood as his brain was torn apart. He collapsed and starts rolling on the floor, gasping and jerking violently.

Likewise, Kira also spasmed violently in his chair, though he was less so compared to Athrun. When he's doing it with Lord Yuki, the Hakutenkun was practiced in balancing their connection so that the flow of thoughts is manageable. Likewise, Kira had been taught by the Hakutenkun on how to manage his own mental faculty during the connection, so his mental fortitude is quite tough. But this is the first time he was connected with someone who is completely new in this. The inflow of memory was… overwhelming. He sensed anxiety, fear, pain, guilt, horror, shame, anger, and more besides. His brain felt like it was on the verge of exploding.

"ATHRUN! KIRA!" Ray gasped in surprise. He did not expect such a strong response, and this was just the opening part. The connection these two shares were even stronger that he had anticipated. "I'm stopping this now-"

"NO!" Athrun suddenly roared as he snapped a glare at Yuki with bloodshot eyes. "I CAN TAKE THIS!" Panting, even with his shaky legs, Athrun got back up, holding tightly on the hair rope tied to his wrist. This freezing cold… this unimaginable pain… this is the pain Kira endured when he protected him from that blast. This is the pain that Kira still feel even NOW! Even adults would've screamed themselves to death. How was Kira able to endure this and still go on living is beyond him. It was too much for him. Athrun collapsed again on the floor when another wave of pain wrecked his body. And still he yell: "Keep… going!"

For a moment, Ray thought if he should stop this now. But then, he heard a crash. He turned and – GODS! Kira just fell off his wheelchair! He quickly dragged himself forward using his one moveable hand towards the downed Athrun. He stretched out and grasped his twitching hand.

ATHRUN!

Athrun's pupils regained focus as he can hear Kira's voice booming in his head. Not his broken, whispery and coarse voice, his actual voice.

ATHRUN! HOLD ON!

"…K… Kira…" Athrun grabbed his hand and tightened their grip. The two gave Ray another reassuring look. And Ray obliged.

The two jerked again. More memories burst through their heads. Fortunately, these are the memories of their friendship, of the life they had shared together, as friends, and brothers. Unfortunately, while these memories are indeed their most pleasant ones, it passed by so quickly for the two. When Athrun finally came to, all he sees is the darkness. "What…? Where am I now?" As his eyes grew adapted to the darkness, Athrun began to perceive his surroundings… this looks like… a dungeon? No. Sewers?

Athrun took a step, and he can hear a sickening crunch under his feet. He looked down just as his eyes fully adapted to the gloom atmosphere…

He just stepped on a dead child's face.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Athrun stumbled back, producing more crunching sound. He looked back, and saw more dead child's corpses on his feet. "What the…!?" The waters in these sewers were filled with corpses. It looked like that illustration of a river from Hell. But then, he noticed a movement amidst this scenery from hell.

A boy. A living boy with an overgrown and disarrayed hair was trudging across the corpse filled sewer. He was carrying a bag filled with trashes, its stench affronting heaven. Then again, everything in this place is nothing like Athrun had ever smelled. And yet, as he strained his eyes, Athrun realized he recognized that boy. "K… Kira?"

The boy, the younger Kira didn't hear him. He just keep walking about with dazed empty eyes, picking ever more revolting things out of the muck. Just then, he plucked something out: a mouldy bread, soggy and soaked in filth and maggot… and yet the boy Kira smiled so wide, he looked like he just found a prized King's Cut of a Sirloin. Athrun was wondering what he was about to do with that thing unfit for human consumption when the answer came as soon as Kira planted his teeth at it.

"What the-!" Athrun clasped his mouth in disgust. The boy devoured the spoiled food hungrily, as if he was having a feast. "Kira…! What are you-"

Suddenly, Athrun felt a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned around and saw the Kira he knew holding him by the shoulder. "Kira!" This Kira is not only of proper age, but also lacking all the injuries he had suffered. Although his face is a bit grimmer than he used to.

"It's okay, Athrun. This is just a memory. It's… not real." His voice also reverted back to his original state.

"Not real…?" Athrun looked at this kid, barely human in appearance, with the Kira next to him, properly grown courtesy of proper human food entering his system. "But… memory… than this is… THIS WAS you!?"

"I've told you. This is the world you never saw. The world where I came from is a dark world." Kira glumly noted the darkly nostalgic scene. "Cruel and unforgiving. I had to live from shadow to shadow, just to survive. I didn't know what light looked like until I met your mother. By that time, it was nothing but… blinding."

"…" Athrun was virtually speechless.

"I think you've seen enough." Kira tightened his grip, and in an eyeblink, the form of Kira's barely human younger self vanished to nothingness. Though its image will be forever seared in Athrun's memory nonetheless.

When Athrun woke up again, he's on the floor, with Ray Yuki looming over him. "You're alright?"

"I… I guess…" Athrun quickly get back up, albeit on somewhat shaky legs.

"Sorry… I should've warned you. First connection is very rough. But… to think even remote link can actually knock you out… the connection must be really strong."

"I saw…" Athrun gulped.

"You saw me, right?"

Kira's voice echoed in his head. "What? What? Kira!?" He looked around, but he only saw a bandaged mass lying on the floor.

"I think it's safe to say the connection was a success." Kira didn't even move his lips. His voice just boomed in Athrun's head. And only in his head.

"Kira!" Athrun quickly helped his friend up before putting him back on his chair.

"It worked, alright. You can hear my thoughts, no?"

"This is you?" Athrun touched his head. "I keep hearing these voices in my head…"

"Real Time Telepathy… Direct mind feed… no problem whatsoever. That is some connection." Ray nodded in amazement as he monitors the mental link. It's even stronger than his connection with Kira, for better or worse.

"I can also see things through your eyes, hear through your ears." Kira chuckled in his head. "Take a look at the mirror and you'll see."

Athrun used a sword's surface to look at his own reflection. His green eyes now had a tint of Kira's purple at the core. 'Hoo… not bad… I might actually gonna like this color… Maybe I can try using some contact lens…? He, he… Mom's gonna freak!'

"Umm… Athrun? I can hear your thoughts as loud as day."

"Gah!?" Athrun gawked.

Kira chuckled. "This connection is a two way street. Your thoughts and emotion can enter my mind just as easily as I can enter yours. This means instantaneous communication, and information can be exchanged without error or misinterpretation. But be warned: every thought, every emotion you feel will get transferred whether you meant to do it or not. Too much information input will just be noise. They'll get in the way. I need to train my mind to keep my thoughts and emotions from spilling over every time I'm connected with Lord Yuki. You need to learn to do the same."

"Hoo boy…. This is gonna take a while to get used to."

"It'll be increasingly easier once you get it. Don't worry, knowing you, you'll figure it out in a jiffy." Kira smiled. "Now. Time to go to work."

"Here. Put this on!" Ray Yuki had returned and threw something to Athrun's hands. A large trench cloak, colored in dark magenta with silver rim. The cloak also came with some built in light armor on the shoulder.

"This is…"

"The garb of a judge. In a manner… seeing you're a proxy of a Judge (in Training)… might as well look the part." Once Athrun put the Judge cloak on, Ray also handed him a helmet. "Let's see… Kira has taken the name Noir… so you too have to leave the name Athrun Zala behind while wearing this garb… so… by the power vested in me by etc, etc, and by all the witness and whatnot in here… I, Ray Yuki, with all my titles and whatevers, hereby dub thee… letseee, lessee… Provisional Judge Rosso."

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"Rosso?" Nichol gawked. "Ahaha… but of course you are. Noir's fame was also shared by his inseparable partner, Rosso." This one came less of a surprise for Nichol. To think one of the two most famous judges in Aprillus is right there under his nose all along.

"Don't. Breathe. A word. About this… to ANYONE."

"Athrun, I think I've proven to you I know how to keep my lips… sealed."

"In any rate, I wasn't a legendary anything then. I was the overeager brat who had absolutely no idea what he just jumped into. The problem is, seeing that we're at war and Aprillus is the center of our Empire's governance, these political agendas will sometimes had far reaching consequences on our boys at the front line…"

00000000000

"Judge… Rosso…" Athrun looked at the faceless helmet that will be his face. He calmly put it on. Lo and behold, Judge Rosso was born. 'If only Lord Yuki could do this a little less half heartedly, I might've felt a little happier…'

"Athrun, you're not a judge yet. Not even a recruit yet. Fact is, even I am still a Judge in Training. When we've finished and earned Lord Yuki's approval, then, and only then, we'll get the proper ceremony. But… let's keep that optimism until you finish this case, yeah?"

"GAH!" Athrun blushed behind his helmet. 'This is getting embarrassing. Start training… control my mind, control my mind…'

"Now then." As it turned out, Ray Yuki had also donned his full paraphernalia. "Let's start the investigation. 3 shops. Where to first, Judge Rosso?"

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When they finally set out to the street, Athrun wasn't exactly sure which one of them is causing people to cringe and jump away in fear: A famed Hakutenkun in his full regalia, or one of the infamous Judge, diminutive he maybe, but a Judge nonetheless – both are clearly about to kick someone's behind to Kingdom come. Both marched across the street atop the Hakutenkun's famous war chariot, the Meteor. It still bear the modifications that Athrun made on it, hence allowing the Hakutenkun to utilize the chariot's features even after all his Honor Guards are no more.

In any other time, Athrun might've enjoyed the experience of the ride, but his thoughts kept flying back to that scene in that horrid sewer. He's not even sure what he was seeing. And how come there were so many dead bodies in the sewer!?

"It happened every day, you know." Kira's voice echoed again. Athrun kept thinking about that scene so hard, he might as well shout about it at the top of his lungs in Kira's head.

"But… those… kids I saw?"

"Orphans and homeless. Back in German, they go down there when the climate on the surface above ground is too cold or too hot. Some get washed out downstream, some… wasn't so lucky. Didn't see much difference here."

"But… but you… you were…"

"Athrun. Focus. What you saw there, it's in the past. The ink is dry. What happened, happened. Now, calm your mind and focus. Stay on the present. We've got work to do, and people to save."

Knowing that to be true, Athrun immediately concentrated, realizing that remembering that horrid image with Kira linked to his head means Kira also keep seeing something he probably wouldn't want to remember. They have greater concern than his best friend's messed up childhood. "Right. I understand, of course. Ummmo… let's get back to this shop."

Rosso took a deep breath to clear his mind of all conflicting thoughts and concentrate on the case at hand. As Kira had said, it gets easier once he's used to the idea of someone else is in his head. And then, after a moment of clarity, he began voicing his analysis. "Cannons and shots are no small thing. If there's an illegal forge out there, forging and selling illegal arms and munitions to our enemies, how did they manage to deliver them across the city without anyone noticing?"

"Well… the same reason we found them sticking out of the ground allover the place. Whoever did this had the ability that has to do with subterranean mobility. Quite possibly he has the ability to bring things with him while moving underground. Those weapons we found were… let's just say something that fell off the wagon?"

"A bloodline limit to move underground? That's a BIG sized IF! Don't you think that's kinda of a stretch?"

"Athrun, we're surrounded by people with abilities that sometimes defies norm. You have the ability to take a shrapnel to the head and recover as if nothing happened. That's how a Judge's mind worked. That's why we were chosen. Our job is to figure out the unthinkable and pursue the possibility no matter how thin it might be."

"We're here."

They've arrived at a forge. Its workers and employees gawked in shock when someone as important as a Hakutenkun literally showed up at their door, accompanied by a Judge, nonetheless – albeit a rather diminutive one. It was a rather small workshop. No molds for cannons were visible. The biggest thing they can build is probably anvils. Just this, and already Ray Yuki and Rosso saw what is wrong in this picture. How can a workshop this small… procure that much iron?

"Well… we're not as small as we appear, my Lord." The head manager of the workshop replied nervously. "We have other branches. When we purchase, we didn't just purchase for ourselves."

"I see. How many branches?"

"Around three, My Lord."

'Three… the same number as the shops Athrun stated to produce the same signature of iron carbon mixture. Well, well… is this the part where I get to say bullseye?'

While Ray Yuki was questioning the workers and the managers, Rosso was told to stay put at the corner. He did so… but he also, under the suggestion of the little voices in his head, walked around, observing everything, much to the nervousness of everyone but the Hakutenkun.

"Look around Athrun. We know they're liars. And liars would try to their very best to keep the lie from being found. They would attempt to remove all evidence. We caught them off guard, so they'll be doing it in a hurry. They'll be sloppy, that will leave behind a trail. Footprints in the sand. As thorough as they can be… there will always be traces or leftovers, something they left behind. If there's no trace left of the evidence, then find proof that they try to swept the evidence under the rug. That's as damning as any."

"Why is that?"

"Because that will be a proof that they tried to hide something. Retracing their methods may not reveal a physical proof, but the fact they try to hide the proof is also a proof that they're guilty."

That's when Athrun also realized, seeing he's the only one who can hear Kira, he looked as if he was talking to himself. Which is why it also earned him confused stares. "Uhh… they're gonna think I'm weird now, will they?"

"Ignore them. You can't yet manage your thoughts yet. Until then, I encourage you to speak your opinion out loud. That's what I did when I first started. Don't worry, most of the time people won't understand and eventually they'll ignore you. They'll think of you as a freak, but the masked helmet will hide who you are, so your dignity and social standing won't take a hit. After all, your face is the mask right now, Judge Rosso."

"Okay. Okay."

Athrun found himself on those rare occasions where he felt like he was absolutely clueless. Kira had been doing this… for at least two years – discounting the fact he's doing this part time and in secret, he was able to do this as easy as breathing. Given his capacity to learn very, VERY fast… that's a HUGE amount of knowledge that he had learned in 2 years, which also means Athrun had a lot to catch up with. "Clues… traces…" He looked around the workshop. After all, he used to own one, so he'll knew the staples that any self respecting blacksmith should have. Furnace. Anvils. Tool chest. Molds… "Molds…?"

"Athrun?"

"Umm…" Athrun was about to ask something, but his lips felt empty. He knew there was something wrong… but he can't quite put it to words. To make it worse, he can now feel all attention are on him. Kira immediately recognized the problem immediately and imparted some advice to the rescue.

"The first rule of interrogation, silence is golden."

"…!" Athrun wisely kept quiet.

Kira began analyzing what he felt when Athrun first saw the mold. There's something about it. Something that sparked something in his train of thought. "Athrun, you wish to know more about these molds? " Athrun didn't verbally answer, but he nodded.Kira quickly continued. "Alright. Second rule of interrogation… If you know more than the opposition, you must keep it to yourself until the most opportune moment. If you know less… don't let them know. Athrun, ask them first on what exactly do you need to know about these molds. Keep it short, keep it simple, and keep it easy to answer."

'Keep it short… simple… easy…' Athrun took a deep breath, and his mind is now calmer, with the voice of Kira encouraging him… and so he asked. "I'm sorry to interrupt but… what mold is this?"

"That's the mold for a pipe, my Lord. For drainage tunnels."

"I see." Rosso looked around. "And… this?" He plucked out another mold. Suddenly, the workers had trouble answering.

"Third: Observation is key. There are markers. Subtle ticks that can tell you when someone's lying or just being nervous. If he swallowed a gulp, that's a sign. If he blinks too much, that's a sign. If he replies a few seconds later or earlier than he should have, that's a sign."

Rosso looked at all the suspects… they're looking at each other, sweating, blinking… they're all very nervous… They're doing everything except answering the question.

Ray glared. "My Associate, Judge Rosso had just asked you a question, gentleman. For your sake, you better answer. He's not as forgiving as I am."

"It's… for a spit pot, good sir."

That was enough for Athrun. "Is this the part where I can say… bullseye?" 'Or in Kira's words… the opportune moment?'

"…huh?" Everyone except Ray Yuki gawked in confusion.

"Do you know how Zaft made their first cannons?" Rosso knelt down and looked at the mold scattered about. "The basic principle of cannon is simple: You stuff an explosive into a closed pipe with one exhaust exit, and then put a projectile on top of it. And then you ignite the explosive. The explosion funneled and boom goes the projectile. An oversimplification, but that's the basic theory." He touched the mold, studying it, measuring its size, comparing it against a Tristan cannon's dimension. Some of the workers in the workshop winced. The more they cower, the more Athrun's confidence builds up.

"Back in the day, the most primitive cannons of Zaft, we built using molds of… household appliances and some imagination." He suddenly punched the mold with a controlled force, splitting it cleanly in two. He placed the bisected mold in display, to show the object created, a pipe. He then bisected another mold, and then, chuckling as he saw the picture, placed the second bisected mold before the first one in just the right place…

Lo and behold. The mold for a 'pipe' and the mold for a 'spit pot'…

Joined together, they made a mold of a Cannon. An unmarked Tristan Cannon.

Ray Yuki raised an eyebrow. "Oh. How very interesting."

Suddenly, the owner turned around and dived straight into the ground. Instead of crashing, the owner literally sank into the earth, as if he just plunged into a pool. He's literally swimming in the earth. At the same time, the other workers also bear their fangs. Some bring out their weapons, some turned into a half beast creature, and some literally turned parts of their body into a weapon. Ray Yuki merely brings out his sword. "I'll deal with this! Capture that man, Rosso!"

Now, this, Athrun knew he'll excel. His nose sniffed the air, locking on to the man's scent, no matter how deep he dived into the ground. His muscles flexed with beastly strength as his eyes turned to serpentine slits. And he ran. Each foot step cracked the ground with the sheer force of unbridled beastly strength. Three full grown men jumped towards him to stand in his way, but the miniature juggernaut merely contemptuously swing his one arm, and two was hurled aside like leaves standing in front of a charging tornado, while the last one was helplessly trampled underfoot.

It doesn't take long until Athrun sensed he had overtaken the primary target. With a crack of bulging muscles, Athrun punched the ground until his whole arm stab all the way into it. Unlike the graceful 'swimming' of his prey, his was sheer overwhelming brute force. It achieved its goal just the same. Before long, his claws clenched upon a body, and with a violent yank, the man was literally ripped out of the ground. To make sure he won't swim anywhere, Athrun hold him by the neck and hang him up. To help, the still shorter Athrun stand on a rock to add his height and to make sure the taller man's feet keep flailing impotently above the ground. But then, the man suddenly produced a sword and immediately thrust it straight to Athrun's stomach. Athrun grunted… but in his head, Kira shrieked.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Kira!?" Rosso gasped in shock. "Kira, are you alright!?"

"…FUCK, IT HURTS!"

Ray Yuki also heard that scream. 'Even PAIN gets transmitted in full clarity!?' "Rosso! Your connection will also transmit ALL sensation, including PAIN to your partner! Avoid getting hit!"

More than the ineffectual injury on his belly that will heal in seconds, Rosso was more furious that this man had inflicted pain not just on him, but to his friend who's already in as much pain as he is. "You little piece of…" In rage, the Proxy Judge raised the gaping man over his head, and in fury, slammed him back to the ground, where his knee welcomes him. A sickening crack and a scream later, the man fell rolling on the floor. He tried to crawl and then swim back to the earth, but the murderous Rosso grabbed him by the leg, pulling him all the way to his collars and then he start sending punch after punch at the man's face. Anger blinded Rosso to the point he didn't even realized the man's blood had caked his fist and face, and he's still punching.

Back in the office, Kira watched all this in horror. Athrun's mind was so consumed by rage, he can even feel something else is scraping at the back of his head. Something bestial and primal. He had felt it ever since Athrun showcased his superhuman zoan strength, but that one was under control. This time, it's trying to break out using this rage as stepping stone. "Oh no… Athrun. Stop! STOP!"

Unfortunately Rosso's rage deafened his ear. Forget hearing Kira's plea booming in his head, he couldn't even hear the sound of the skull creaking beneath every punch he landed. The man's face didn't even resemble a face anymore with all his teeth ripped out of the lips beneath his now sunken nose and he already lost consciousness. One more punch, and it won't just end with just a cracked skull. Fortunately…

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" A booming voice entered his ears and his head at the same time, and it knocked Rosso out of his rage. That, and the iron clad grip of Ray Yuki also stopped his arm midswing. "That's… enough."

A few hours later, the local law reinforcements finally arrived and had all the convicts placed in cages. Strike forces were called in and they raided the other two locations with impunity. All its employees complicit in this treachery, and the owner's family (and thus sharing his Bloodline limit) were rounded up and secured for further questioning. The poor Owner and mastermind of this operation was immediately carried off in a gurney to receive an intensive care.

"Well, Canaver… I leave this to you now." Ray Yuki addressed his right hand Woman and most trusted Second in Command, Eileen Canaver. "He's definitely involved with that incident in New Guinea. We need him to talk."

"First, gotta make sure he can breathe first." Eileen looked disapprovingly at this mess of a man's head. Then she glared at the culprit: the clearly mortified Judge Rosso. "Is that a new judge? Is it just me, or they're getting younger and younger by the day? Are you that desperate Ray?"

Ray merely shrugged in exasperation. "I'll take care of it."

"Okay."

Meanwhile, Ray Yuki had this workshop ransacked inside out until they found out how this illegal forge managed to elude them for so long. The secret forge was built underground. There was neither entrance nor exit. The owner, his family, and anybody else he came in physical contact with, were the only ones who can get in or out using his bloodline limit. That same trick is also what allowed him to carry an entire carriage full of this stuff across the city to the harbor without anyone noticing. Of course, every now and then, one or two gets off the wagon for various reasons; a pebble in the way, the rope lashing the goods were loose, a mole wandering off, etc, etc.

But a brief background check revealed a more severe issue. The Owner turns out to be the vassal family of another Noble house. The Lord of that Noble House had a quarrel with a particular Noble Lord in New Guinea, and out of spite, sold weapons to the enemy in a hope the Alliance will destroy said Noble family for him. In response, Ray Yuki had already dispatched other more senior Judges to immediately bring said family to Justice.

As for the workforce…

Athrun's blood boil with rage as he watched lines of starving and sickly children and woman, filthy head to toe and nothing but skin over bone, as they were escorted out of the secret forge. When his eyes landed on the owner, fury once again washed over him as the image of him beating the man to death filled his mind. And Kira saw this all too familiar rage.

"Athrun… STOP. We've done our duty; it's up to the system now."

"How could he… betraying our country, helping the enemy… and even THIS!? Some of these kids are not even older than we are for God's sake…! And all for WHAT!? A feud with another noble house!? All are citizens of the Zaft Empire, is that not the greater affiliation!? How could they do this!?"

"Well… what do you expect? He's a vassal family, he must obey his lord. And he gotta run his workshop somehow. Child labors and struggling widows are cheap workforce. And they're not exactly rare in these parts. Less noise when they… disappear."

It bewildered Athrun even more seeing how Kira was able to take in all this in a stride. "How come you can… face all this with ease?"

"I came from this world. I know how you feel. Every time I solved cases like this, watched some of these bastards, the things they do, the things they've done, and WHY they did it… trust me when I say, in comparison to what we've stomached at daily basis, this guy's a saint. For those who are way worse… God help me. In times like that I wished I had your strength. And with it I want to tear these people apart, and the world would be better for it… In this world… life is… too cheap."

And for the first time in his life, Athrun found something he disliked about Kira. "…I don't think I like the way you view this world."

"And I really wish you'll never have to view it that way. But I didn't force you; it's an invitation, you could've said no, but you're the one who want in. And I just gave you a sneak peek. Do you like what you see?"

"…No."

"Good. That means you're still sane."

"And you're not?"

"I'm Japanese. You know what they say, we're born insane."

It unnerved Athrun how Kira sound rather… gleeful about it. The Kira he knew was prone to crying and very kind to a fault… of course, as time went by, he noticed his friend cries less and less. Athrun had chalked it up to their quick mental growth to maturity… Some had even called them adults trapped in children's bodies. But he never imagined something like this also played the part. For the first time in his life, Athrun finally saw the other side of Kira he never knew. And insofar, he's not sure he likes what he sees.

"I'm signing out now. I'll give you some time alone to think if this through. And you better think this deep. Chew it right down to the bone. Lord Yuki, cut the connection."

And then, Athrun jerked slightly, and he can feel his eye color returned to normal. And with Kira gone, Athrun suddenly felt he's distinctly less angry about the whole thing – he even felt somewhat mortified of having let that rage consumed his better judgment. He looked up and saw Ray Yuki is also looking at him with pity in his eyes.

"Kira's right, you know." Ray Yuki began explaining as he walked Athrun home. "You did not come from this world. You're… you're the prince of Zaft. A Nobleborn. I hate to say it, Athrun… but you don't know what it feels like to be… us. To be angry… to be hateful to your bones. To know how that feeling can cloud your mind… and understand how it can warp and twist your morality. You and Kira… you're both are brilliant children. But Kira… well, in his everyday life you know him. But he has that… side of him. The side that forever clawed his conscience… to just… throw away restraints and surrender into this… base instinct. That… dark and brutal side of him."

"How do you know?"

"I've been in connection with him a lot longer than you. I felt it every time. I know what it feels like." Ray chuckled. "When I connect two other individuals in the Connection, I also oversee that connection; I can see and feel everything's happening between you two as the Overseer. I know which emotions belong to whom. Your connection with Kira was the strongest I've ever seen. It was so strong, not only thoughts and memories were shared, but emotions and sensations too. Sensations like pain, unfortunately, gets transmitted in full clarity."

Athrun almost want to beat himself up now. He's used to pain on the account knowing that he'll heal within seconds afterwards. But to Kira… even though the injury wasn't real, the excruciating pain is real enough. That's what he surmised from that scream.

"The problem is… your emotions are also connected. When you were consumed by rage so bad it blinded you… and you beat the man halfway to death… I can feel it. You are a generally very patient and rational man, Athrun. And yes, the situation as such, you are entitled to be pissed off. But that rage you feel? That's not just yours… I suspect 60% of it was Kira's."

"What?"

"As angry as you are… Kira was even more so. He, more than you, wanted to tear that man to pieces. He can hold it, rein that emotion courtesy of experience under his belt that forged his self control… but you've never experienced the sort of fury the likes of which that Kira can muster whenever he really let loose. It's a horrifying all consuming rage that blackens your very soul. I felt it many times whenever I became Kira's proxy. I'm sorry, I should've warned you."

"Is that normal?" Athrun gulped, suddenly realizing his best friend may not be so simple after all. "He's of my age, but… how can he have that much… rage in him?"

"Well… I'm Japanese. I suspect Kira had said something about… we're not being fully sane to begin with, right?" Ray Yuki clasped Athrun's shoulder. "Well… I won't argue with that. He's not wrong. Of all the children conceived by the Old Ones… of all the Old Ones that could've blessed us… the Japanese had to have that Psychotic Bitch Izanami as our matriarch."

"Psychotic what?"

Ray Yuki wanted to slap himself silly. Advanced he maybe… with maturity level way ahead of his age, but Athrun is still 8 years old, God Damn it! If his mother heard her son start spouting the 'language', she'll hunt whoever's responsible to the ends of the earth. "M… My point is… Kira is a lot more complex than he may seem to be. That he showed this side of his to you without holding back is proof of how much he trusted you. But more importantly, he gave you a glimpse of the world beyond what you already know. A world beyond the glamour and the flair. It's intimate and ugly. Kira and I are in deep already. Now for once, try not to think about what Kira, or anybody else would think… but you have to think about yourself on this and consider it very carefully. You dip so much as a pinky into this world, you'll have a hard time of ever letting go… or being let go."

Athrun tucked his head down for an inordinate amount of time. But when he raised his head up again and exchanged looks with the Hakutenkun, Ray suddenly knew the answer that will escape those lips.

"…teach me."

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Nichol had just finished picking his jaw up. Athrun was the personal protégé of the Legendary Knightmaster, that's public knowledge. But this? "But… isn't Lord Yuki… you know… and you…"

"I wasn't thinking too far, back then." Athrun sighed. "I mean… I didn't know that we only had less than a year left together. Still… I asked willingly, and he still taught me everything I need and want to know. As did Noir. He had been at this a LOT longer than I."

"If you are Rosso… then… you really… dealt with all those cases!?"

"Before his… predicament, Noir had 60 cases under his belt, dozens pouring in at weekly basis. And more besides. Aprillus is the largest city in the Empire, and that means… a lot of problems. Usually he solved them using Lord Yuki as a Proxy. But… being a Hakutenkun with all its responsibilities meant they can only do this every now and then – which means a lot of cases went unsolved. But now… with me as the proxy… he… we can do this at almost full time. And thank god we did. I mean… I didn't realize that day of how MUCH I have to learn. The relationship between houses…"

0000000

House Terryn and House Ragwilt, two houses VERY hostile with one another for decades. Currently, the situation was worsened by the sudden disappearance of Lord Ragwilt's first born daughter, with the Ragwilts easily accusing the Terryn. Both families are one breath away from going on an all out war with one another. Fortunately, Ray Yuki was able to convince the two heads of the family to sit and verbally discuss this in the conference table, so here they are shouting abuses at each other with poor Ray trapped in the middle, enduring it all while he assigned Rosso on the special 'diplomatic mission' to ensure peace.

Athrun spent a week getting a crash course from Kira over the tenets of man hunting, tracking, interrogation, and gathering tiny clues from seemingly thin air, searching the whereabouts of the missing princess. After a long while, Rosso and Noir finally found the location which they believed to be where they can find the missing Princess.

But when they get there, the Princess was not all they found.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh yes! Ah! Ah! Hard-"

Kira keep his eyes shut. And Rosso knew he HAD to avert his gaze immediately. In the conference room, the overseeing Ray Yuki spit his coffee out. "Umm… uh… Lord Yuki… Noir… isn't that Lord Terryn's firstborn son I saw?"

Not long after…

Now that the prince and princess are clothed, Rosso can commence some form of interrogation at least.

"I suppose I can say for certain that you're not exactly kidnapped, Princess?" the Judge trainee crossed his arms.

"I'm so sick of this! Our two families had been at each other's throat for so long… we don't even remember what started all this in the first place."

"You do realize your parents right now are but one breath away from going on all out war because you went missing."

"Let them!" Terryn Jr. growled. "Maybe we can start fresh afterwards."

"Hear, hear!" the unrepentant daughter also growled.

They're in love. That much is certain. The classic case of Romeo and Juliet. Not that Rosso didn't understand the sentiment, of course. "Lord Yuki, you're getting all this?"

"God. Yes." Now the Hakutenkun had to think of a VERY different diplomatic approach now. Ray gulped nervously as the coffee splattered Lord Ragwilt and Lord Terryn are now staring at him very curiously. "My Lords… there's been a new development. I think, our first order of business… would be to call in a priest to officiate a… shotgun wedding."

For the first time in decades, the two lords were in unity as they echoed: "Begging your pardon!?"

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"…And of course, the ability to remain calm in some situations that are just… horrendous."

0000000

"Holy mother love of…" Athrun had to resist the impulse to hurl as he walked across a hall full of corpses. Even at the back of his mind, he can feel Kira also recoiled in horror and on the verge of crying himself. "What the hell happened here…?"

"I don't… know. But… judging by the way their wounds were situated… it looks like everybody killed themselves or stabbed each other willingly. It's a mass suicide."

"Mass suicide? The whole family, down to the last child!?" Athrun gulped. "What are we looking at here? Mass hypnotism? Subliminal suggestion? If that's true… who the hell did this? Why?"

"Athrun, keep calm. Before we know what caused this for sure, it is better we don't make assumptions, okay? First and foremost, we have to gather facts before we make conclusion and NOT the other way around."

"Umm… wait a sec…" As Rosso looked to a pile of bodies… he saw someone moving. "I think… I think there's a survivor."

"It could be a survivor, or a perpetrator. Keep your guard up."

"B… But… it's a…"

A kid. Even younger than Athrun and Kira. He's a very ordinary 4 year old kid, no matter how Kira and Athrun looked at it, there's just no way this child is the perpetrator of this… carnage. But… Kira's eye for detail also noticed something. The child's eyes, aside from the fact it is normal innocent blue, there's this red hue encircling his pupil. But that red hue quickly vanished before Kira can study it further.

Athrun knelt down and looked at the boy in the eye. "Are you okay?"

"…O… Onii-chan?"

"Umm… I'm not… your brother?"

The boy knew that when he heard Athrun's voice. "Where's… Onii-chan?"

"Calm down… we… we'll find him…" Athrun gulped as he looked at all the corpses around him. Having this child looking at each of these faces and identify his brother is a horrifying prospect.

"Athrun, ask the boy if he saw who or what did this?"

"Kira, are you seriously asking a boy to-"

"He's our only living witness! We have no choice."

Athrun swallowed a gulp. He looked at that child again. "A… Alright. Ah… what's your name, little one?"

"A… Akito."

"Akito-kun… uhh… do you know what happened here?"

"Onii-chan."

Rosso bent his head down, not sure he get it right. "Excuse me?"

"…Onii-chan did this."

And the two Judges had no idea how to respond to that.

0000000

"And it was hard. Really, hard." Athrun smiled bitterly. "Being a Judge means I have to learn to cut off all attachments. Even if it means… having to arrest my friends."

0000000

As cases after cases flowed in and solved, they grew increasingly harder in many ways. Behold Athrun's hardest hurdle as a Judge, the first of many to come.

If anyone asked, Athrun would easily say Kira was his best, most important friend… but he's not the only best friend he had. As the heir apparent of the Zala family, one of the oldest most powerful noble families in Zaft, Athrun naturally attracted a lot of social attention. Some say, perhaps due to his Father's political savvy instincts that Athrun had also inherited which nurtured his capacity for politicking, that building strong connections with various noble houses at such a young age is already a second nature. But in truth, it was simply because of Athrun's own outgoing personality combined with his calm cool demeanor and calculative instinct that contributes to the ease of which he bonded and befriended with all sorts of people. Many nobleborn children came before him, some out of genuine wish for friendship, to lobby a connection with the Zalas, others to share in the glow of his name. To Athrun, he handled them all with the calculating but benign logic: at best, many he would be happy to call dear friends, at the worst, he just wouldn't want to be enemies with them. Small wonder then, that even at such a young age, Athrun had already constructed – literally constructed – a vast network of connections in a society of Aprillus Nobleborns – which, as probably been mentioned before… can be dangerously cutthroat at the least. In his part-time duty as a Judge, Athrun's knowledge over the relationship between houses and his many connections sometimes aided him greatly.

But today, in this case, it really backfired in the worst way imaginable.

Lord Gregory Rickord is one of the many nobles Athrun actually respected and befriended. In public, he was a well known philanthropist, sponsoring many foundations that provide Scholarships for the poor but able. Even his sons were great men, all students of Lord Yuki several years his senior which he's proud to look up to. With all in mind, there were words that he's running for the election for the Prime Minister. If Athrun's father had not been running for that seat himself, Athrun know to whom he will cast his vote.

All that gone down the drain when Rosso had to arrest all three of Lord Gregory's sons.

Apparently, for the last few years, his sons had been using the money that was supposed to go for those scholarships for their own personal uses. Adding insult to the injury, those poor kids that supposed to be receiving those 'scholarships'? Some sold off as child prostitutes or as slave labor in an underground and highly illegal 'flesh shop' ran by the three sons, a place that, apparently, Lord Gregory had no idea even existing.

The furious revelation drove Rosso and Noir into a rage fueled manhunt all across Aprillus. One by one, Rosso captured and cornered them all. The first son he arrested in his own office – as in the Brothel's office. He caught him red handed engaging in the act with several of his victims. The biggest problem he had with this one was stopping himself from hammering the man's face with his war hammer halberd to oblivion. The second one had heard what happened to the first and put up quite a resistance. The man gave him quite a run – a week long wild goose chase across the city that started off from the top level of the Rickord manor, continued with a gauntlet of barricades, a whole army of sellswords, an onslaught of traps, and even a rain of artillery barrage that he had to plow through, until he finally cornered and arrested the man, hiding out in the sewers, disguised as one of the many homeless vagrant there. The crook was that desperate to escape, the arrest devolved into a mud packed wrestling match in which Athrun actually lost an eye to a spoon (of course he regenerated it in a heartbeat) but one should look at the other guy. The last one… the last one was the most disastrous. Athrun had to arrest him in public, during a Charity ball celebrating the anniversary of Gregory's Foundation as well as, to his horror, Lord Gregory's own birthday. The problem is, the eldest is also the most cunning of the three, and a very proficient Arch Magi. Having heard what happened to his two brothers, he had a bright idea of making unknowing hostage out of everyone attending the party, including his own father, by planting manor sized explosive Bounded Field on the castle grounds designed to destroy everything within the area if the caster put even one foot out of the Castle grounds. If Rosso wishes to arrest him, he must do so before the party's over because the spell was also set to automatically explode then.

Fortunately, the Circle of Lustitia is nothing but resourceful. To aid in this case, Ray Yuki brought down his own army of Battle Mages and Rosso, lead them into the castle grounds to systematically dismantle the Bounded Field, one rune at a time. For his part Athrun didn't want to arrest Lord Gregory's son in front of so huge a crowd, and was content to wait it out until the party's over and then discreetly arrest him. But the choice was taken from him. The Mages had taken down all runes that construct the Bounded Field safe one: the last rune, the one master rune that kept the spell going was hardwired into the Gregory Rickord's own heart. The only way to take it down is by killing the old man… or kill the caster, the son.

Understanding the problem, Ray Yuki gave Athrun a direct order to pull back. He'll set loose an Onyx Assassin into the party to discreetly poison the son, making it look like a heart attack. They've made their choice, they're going to kill the son and save the father… and everybody else.

Athrun made a different call. Against orders, he went into the party as Rosso and confronted the son in secret. The eldest son, the ringleader of this corruption, somehow already caught wind of Rosso, had heard what happened to his other two brothers. Athrun desperately tried to convince the Eldest Son to abandon this foul plot, pointing there's no way out. Even in the worst scenario where the Eldest will blew up the castle and kill everyone anyway, the proof of his crime is more than enough to lead to his arrest by Elite Knights of Ray Yuki already waiting outside, regardless of what he'll do. To make his point, Athrun even intercepted the poisoned wine meant for the son, showing how it killed the plant it was showered upon.

So frustrated however, of the son's constant defiance, Rosso ended up angrily denouncing the son in public, revealing his heinous crimes for everyone to hear. In the end, Rosso's effort only ended up pushing the Eldest further down into despair, and in a half sane fury, he lunged at his father with a poisonous dagger in hand. Rosso lunged at the Son, and a brief but ferocious brawl erupted. No one knows exactly what happened, but at the end of it, the son was found dead with his own knife lodged unto his heart.

Athrun was devastated as he is horrified. That was the first time both kids actually saw the actual death of their quarry. Quite in fact, that was the first time both kids saw someone actually died right in front of their eyes. But nothing was even more heart breaking than the sight of Lord Gregory's hysterical scream as he cradled his dead son's body in his arms. He swore vengeance against Rosso… but it was all but impossible. When he heard about the arrest of his other two sons, the corruptions they have committed, the foul depravity they had partaken… that was beyond any hope of redemption. The whole accident was considered justified by the court of law. The Judge involved was clearly in self defense as he performed his duty. The desperation and despair was too much for the old man.

After one suicide attempt too many, Gregory Rickord now reside in the insane asylum, his remaining two sons now languished in prison for the rest of their lives. On the other hand, this case also made a legend out of Rosso. Before that day, many still considered Rosso to be nothing more than an auxiliary judge in training. Many even thought him as Noir's muscle bound brainless bodyguard puppet. Now, everyone finally recognized Rosso as more than just an extension of Noir, he is an actual Judge, as unyielding and tireless as the signature Iron Hammer halberd he bears into the field. With more dread than awe, for his unstoppable dedication in the hunt of his prey, many had started to embellish the Red Judge with the moniker: Rosso the Relentless.

But for his part, Rosso… Athrun did not enjoy that recognition. Not one bit. For the first time in his life, he truly regretted the choice he made to be a Judge as he began to understand the sheer weight and burden of this role he had chosen.

For weeks afterwards, a mortified Athrun locked himself in the Hole, crying to himself, refusing to talk to anyone, not even to Ray Yuki. In fact, the Hakutenkun even feared Athrun will was shattered beyond recovery. At the third week, Kira, by that time had already regained his capacity to walk for short distances, finally decided Athrun had moaned enough and braved himself to approach him with a new case.

"Athrun… get up! Mopping around won't make things better."

"I don't think I made anything better." A gloom faced Athrun crept up with eyes heavy with lack of sleep. "I… destroyed the life of a man I respected. Caused the death of his son, and damned the other two."

"You upheld Justice." Kira replied back with his coarse face. "Those three sons are crooks. What they did to those children was beyond forgiveness, and on the sidenote they've also stolen millions of taxpayers' money. I've seen street brigands being hanged for less. They were lucky they're still breathing in a room, much less getting fed two times a day."

Kira's lack of emotional conflict as he described the event caused Athrun to boil with rage. He rose up and looked at Kira in the eye, fury evident. "It's not… easy… it's not easy for me. Understand!? I respected them. They were my friends, they were like my older brothers just as you were like mine! …and I just damned them!" His tone trembled, even tears that seldom appear began to crown his shaking emerald eyes. "It's… it's not easy… having destroyed the life of people I looked up to!"

"What about the people you don't look up to?" Kira replied back flatly, his lips concealed beneath his stifling bandages."What about the people you have to actually look down to see? Those who crawled at your feet? The powerless, the helpless, the poor… all those people who suffered by their hands… what thought, do you think, these people gave them?"

"You had it easy, don't you? To hate them. Nobleborns. To detach yourself completely, to be the unfeeling, heartless machine, because you were never one of us!?"

"Did you just listen to yourself? So… for you… the only people worth considering as people are those who stand on equal ground with you? While those who had no choice over their birth, those who can't exactly choose which family they were born into, you didn't even consider them as people!?"

Athrun flabbergasted for a moment. "That's not what I meant, and you know it!"

"THEN PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER MAN!" Kira shoved Ray Yuki's braid in a balled fist to Athrun's chest. "So you destroyed their lives!? Big deal! Let's put it in the context: they lied to kids! They promised them future and instead they destroyed THEIR lives! KIDS! Athrun! KIDS! And they've been doing it for years to HUNDREDS of KIDS! And we're KIDS! It could've been you! It could've been me! It could've been any other unknown child among thousands more out there! WE PUT A STOP TO THAT!"

"AT WHAT COST KIRA!? WHAT COST!?"

"…what cost!? Hundreds of children who had their lives destroyed vs the life of a dysfunctional family? How exactly do you calculate that balance? And I'd like to point out the fact the third kid was about to kill a whole house full of people! One of them is you, as well as his own father that you respected, if you recall!?"

Athrun frustration and self loathing reached its peak. His eyes sees black, but just as his fist raised up, his heart screamed to rage and shout, and his head screamed back that his friend was right. Kira's not the one he wants to hit. The one he wants to punch was himself. For being such an insufferable idiot. So he did.

CRUNCH!

Kira was treated with the sight of Athrun punching his own jaw so hard he can hear the bone snap to pieces under his balled fist. "RAAAAHHH!" And he punched himself again, and again, and again…

By the time he was done, Kira note how Athrun's face now resembled all of his victims: barely recognizable as human. Unlike his victims, Athrun had the fortitude to not faint from the shock of the pain and the luxury of regenerating it back to the way it was. Which means he can quickly do it again and again if he felt the first beating he gave himself wasn't enough.

Fortunately, one self beating was enough. Athrun tucked his head down as he sat on the floor as dejected as before, waiting for his face to fix itself up. Swells began to deflate, jawbones reknit itself as his chin revert back to its original shape, blood stopped trickling out as teeth grows back and all that…

"Feeling better?" Kira tilted his head down. "If not, you can try punching a mirror. I don't know if it'll feel better but I know it'll hurt."

As soon as his jaw regenerated, Athrun asked: "It's that how you… deal with it? Punching a mirror?"

"You do remember that time when I had my arm on a sling for a week and I said gardening accident?" Now, Athrun deigned to chuckle. A sign he's improving his mood for once. "No, Athrun. Unlike you, I don't have the strength to punch my face to oblivion and then recover so quickly afterwards. That's your privilege. Not exactly enviable."

Another chuckle.

"…no. This… is how I cope with it." Kira handed Athrun a letter.

Interest piqued, Athrun took the letter and opened it. It was clumsily written with crayon. Inside it is just a few simple words.

"Some of the kids we managed to save before they were auctioned off were taken in by Lord Yuki. He had taken over the management of the Gregory's Foundation. Lord Yuki used his own fund to fix the foundation, restructure it from ground up. Now the money goes where they should, and the kids are finally getting the education they need." Kira smiled. "This is from one of those kids… 5 years our senior. And yet only three weeks ago he didn't even know how to write. The teachers at the foundation taught him how to write, and this is the first thing he wrote."

Athrun's fingers trembled as he saw the poorly written words in the paper.

ThaNk You, RosSo aNd NoIr

"Normally, our job is thankless. To maintain our anonymity, personal correspondences with victims are extremely limited if not outright forbidden, but… just in this case… Lord Yuki pulled some strings."

Tears began to form at the corner of Athrun's eyes.

"We started this, because we wanted to make things better. Of course, it goes without saying it doesn't mean it'll be better for everyone, especially the bad guys… and sometimes, that also means us as well." Kira placed a hand on Athrun's shaking shoulder as he began to cry. "I mean… we're just kids. You're the screwball inventor who solved crime as an alternative to get your brain working. I'm the crazy insane kid who needs an outlet for my murderous anger issues. But this isn't about us. What we do, we do it not for ourselves. We do it for them. Don't think on the life we take, think about the life we save. We are the last hope for the hopeless, the last line of defense between truth and lies, the last light to illuminate the darkness of the impossible. When the helpless cried for a help that won't be listened to, when the guilty made the innocent cried a final plea, when the desperate had nowhere else to turn… we're there. The Judges. That's what gets me through. The knowledge that we are making things better for these people, with every case I solved together with Lord Yuki… and with you."

"…" Athrun get back up as he swiped the last tear from his eye with a determined look. Kira handed him his mask.

"Now… We got another case. Some corrupt Law Enforcement chief who we suspected had been abusing his position, apparently he was suspected of personally robbing 7 banks… 7 different banks in 7 different continents… at the exact same time. Are you in?"

Athrun nodded and took it.

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Athrun looked at the helmet of his aegis armor. The whole armor he based on the one Lord Arshemar used to wear, but the faceplate and its overall shape were based on the helmet he used to wear as a Judge Trainee. As he watched his own reflection staring back at him, he saw everything: the success and the failures he made as a Judge.

"We did a lot of other things, learned so much… It was bitter work. Lord Yuki and Noir… neither was easy or merciful as a teacher. But every day they made me stronger, wiser, smarter man than I was a day before… I sure miss them." Athrun looked back at Nichol. "More is the pity that it was so short lived." Nichol understands of course.

Suddenly Fatum suddenly began acting up behind him. He's sniffing to the foggy air excitedly. "What's wrong boy?"

Fatum ran to the edge of the ship and sniffed excitedly to a certain direction, compelling Athrun to follow his line of sight.

At some distance is a ship. At first glance, it resembles the average Zaft battle barges. But it has a distinct white and gold coloration, with elegant and luxurious design – clearly not for combat purposes. Dreadfully, the ship had angelic skull like design ornamenting its beauty. Athrun's eyes widened in disbelief. "I…. It can't be."

"What? What is that ship?"

"…that's the Deathwatch ship, the Silverwind."

"By Deathwatch, you mean the Tasmanian Junius Deathwatch?" Nichol blinked. The Deathwatch is a branch of the Ruby Exorcists specifically tasked to keep an eye over Junius and all the pilgrimages. "I don't know they have a white cruise ship."

"That's no ordinary ship." Athrun would know that ship more than any other. "The Deathwatch kept that one in reserve for a very specific, very special occasion. The first time they put it to use, it was when my mother boarded it."

"You mean to say right now that the last pilgrimage just returned from Junius…" Nichol paused as he ruminated the implication. "…alive?"

Athrun immediately remembered the list of participants of the latest pilgrimage. "…Lacus."

Nichol knew right away that they're going to board that ship, even if it means swimming all the way there. "So…. How are we going to go there?"

"Well… that ship won't stop. They'll sail day and night until they arrived at Aprillus, the capital. So… drawing their attention towards us is right out. And we CAN'T exactly leave Nazca lying around unattended in the middle of nowhere like this… so…"

Meanwhile, the crews aboard the Silverwind naturally noticed a ship as big as Nazca lying around in the ocean. They notice it even more… when said ironclad just turn around… and charged straight towards them at full speed.

"I… is that thing is trying to… ram us?"

"SOUND THE ALARM! EVASIVE MANEUVER!"

The knight rang the warning bell as loud as he can as the ship's crew went into panic. The Nazca is about twice bigger than their Barge after all. Unfortunately, for reasons they can't explain, it's also twice, nay, THRICE as fast. They won't be able to dodge it.

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" The Captain roared as the Nazca is right in front of his nose.

But at the last moment, the ship just slowed down rapidly… and finally stopped. The tip of the trident like ship is just 3 cm apart from the edge of the barge. Most of the crewmates were bracing and even closed their eyes for an impact that never came. When everyone aboard regained their wits, the Nazca just float there, completely motionless. They were still wondering over this enormous ship looming over them, they didn't notice a little something happening down below.

Popping out of the water, Athrun quickly climbed the Silverwind's surface with Fatum tucked on his back. Athrun gave a gentle knock on a closed cannon port, and Nichol, having already infiltrated the ship far faster and easier than he ever could, dropped his invisibility to open the port from the inside and let Athrun in. Once inside though, Fatum became even more excited. He sniffed the air in joy, and jumped out of Athrun's clutches in his zeal to find the source. "Fatum!" Athrun quickly chased his wayward dog. But as soon as he turned around the corner, he felt a sharp wind pressure at the nape of his back which his battle honed instinct recognized as a lance being thrown at his head. Within seconds, the Kokuyou Aegis armor had enveloped his being and the lance bounced spinning off his armored throat.

The lance spin through the air before returning back to its owner's hand: a fully armored female knight with magenta pink armor. Her horned helmet enclosed everything but her mouth. "I don't know who you are." She also swings a long sword on the other hand. "But you trespassers picked the wrong ship at the wrong time to sneak into!" And she immediately took her battle stance with both of her weapons in hand.

Judging by the way her voice trembled, it doesn't take a genius to know the armored female knight is not in a good mood. But Athrun could not help but to find her stance and voice seem oddly familiar. Unfortunately, before Athrun can inquire further, the Lady Knight lunged at him with murderous intent. Her lance jabbed multiple times. Athrun calmly dodge each and every one. When stab failed, the Lady Knight use attacks with wider strikes, her blade swing ferociously. But the Knight parried each and everyone, with his bare armored hands. Seeing the woman in action, Athrun had already deduced who she is. That being said, he had no intention on fighting her – though he also noticed said Lady Knight seem to be blinded by rage – a rage that went beyond simple annoyance over his trespass. That's why he didn't even bring out his spear or shield. Unfortunately, the woman misunderstood it as arrogance of the enemy, further worsening her already uncontrollable fury. Her attack came even more rapidly, and more dangerous. Pretty soon, even Athrun's gauntlet is having trouble catching all incoming attacks. Not that he was in any real danger, but at this rate, the commotion will draw too much attention. "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Suddenly, Athrun generated the Scylla Shield just as the Angry Lady Knight swing her sword at him for the nth time.

CLANG!

The Lady Knight snapped to attention upon seeing her sword broke in half upon impact with the inviolable iron maiden face embedded on the said massive kite shield. Her rage momentarily dissipated at this most unexpected event. What's even more unexpected happened immediately after the shield was removed from her sight. She was expecting a cold sharp pain of a stab by a sword or a spear, but instead, in lieu of a stabbing weapon, is a very direct straight punch to her face that stopped inches away from the tip of her nose. But the sheer force of the air pressure from said punch harmlessly went through her head, knocking away her face plate, revealing the face of a girl with pink hair beneath it. A face whose identity Athrun had already deduced even before he saw it.

"Lady Lamia, I'm not your enemy!" He started.

Lamia blinked. "Who are you to speak my name so casually, Intruder!?"

"Someone who will never do you any harm." As he said this, the fiery lantern lighting the hall swing close by, revealing his masked face to Lamia. She gasped in recognition.

Lamia's eyes went wide in an instant. "L… Lord Rosso!?"

Upon this recognition, all hostility ceased in a heartbeat. Lamia's trembling hands almost dropped her remaining weapon, but she managed to firm her grip. "B… But… what… how… why…?" Her lips trembled, as confused as she is shocked.

Rosso wanted to reply, but then he heard footsteps all over the deck. Apparently, their commotion was heard and now they're heading towards the source, them.

By the time the Deathwatch Exorcists arrived, they saw Lamia standing stiff with a face of utter fear and awe and next to her is a masked Knight in full armor.

"Who is that…!?" Just as the Deathwatch reaches for their weapon…

"HOLD!" Lamia screeched. "Hold your weapons! This is… This is…"

"…" For his part, Athrun was almost as surprised as Lamia, surprised that someone still recognizes him by facial recognition alone. Athrun decided to test the luck of his secondary long forgotten identity. "I'm Judge Rosso." In an instant, Kokuyou retracted Athrun's armor to the barest minimum, leaving only the mask and some pieces of armor covering a cloak, and he also fabricated an exact replica of the Circle's badge based on his memory, which Rosso immediately displayed. "I'm sorry for the rude intrusion."

As soon as the name escaped his lips, and the badge showcased, everyone immediately recognized the face… the mask… and most importantly, the Badge. Their expression and behavior took an about-face turn: from hostile to shock, and then guarded caution.

Athrun was inwardly quite surprised that it still worked, even after years of inactivity. Perhaps the name of a Judge who almost single handedly cleaned the streets of Aprillus in less than a year still command one hell of a respect. Preserving the shape of his Judge mask in his helmet was the right decision after all. "Calm down… I'm not here to judge anyone." They all stood up, relief filled their faces. "…but I do have some few questions." And the relief vanished yet again. "But first… courtesy demand I apologize for this little… intrusion." To make his point, Rosso showcased Lamia's broken sword. "In retrospect, I did perform a breaking and entering. You are all well within your rights to be hostile."

Everyone managed to break a chuckle. "That ship outside that was just trying to ram us… that was yours, Milord?" Lamia asked.

"Yes. I was… patrolling the border when I saw you… And again, I'm sorry for such a rude intrusion. But… when I saw this SHIP… This particular ship…" Athrun struggled to keep his voice level. "I just had to know. I just had to make sure." He looked at Lamia, who gulped under his gaze. "You just survived the Pilgrimage. ALIVE. As it was 12 years ago, when the Grand Priestess Lenore Zala managed the same. I know even if I hailed you, you guys won't stop until you reach Aprillus. Which is why I decided to take a rather drastic measures. I apologize if I give you a scare." Rosso actually bowed his head down, flustering everyone.

"But… on your own… milord?" The Deathwatch guard. "…we checked that ship and it was… empty! No one else! How can one person…"

"Does it really matter on how I did it?"

And everyone shut up almost immediately. Rule of a thumb: Don't bother asking a Judge what he can or cannot do. Judges are Judges because they are capable of performing things that sometimes defy common sense.

Seeing how scared they are of him, Athrun tried to relieve the tension a bit. "…well… I'm not exactly alone… this is a bit embarrassing really… but… in truth…"

After some explanation…

"Arf! Arf! Arf!" Fatum is still barking excitedly allover the place when Rosso just showed up behind him.

"Fatum!" Rosso growled as he crossed his arm. Fatum calmed down almost immediately upon hearing his master's angry tone and Rosso immediately pluck him up by the neck. He whimpered as Athrun glared at him. "Bad boy! Bad boy! You shouldn't have run off like that on me! What's gotten into you anyway?" Then Athrun looked at the object that had made Fatum so excited. It was an iron safe, sealed and locked. But apparently it was not the safe per se… it's what's in it. "What's in here? I think Fatum smelled something he really likes in there. Did you keep some sausages here?"

"No, Milord." Rosso noticed their expression immediately gloomed. "What's in there is…" Lamia bit her lips. "Proof of blasphemy and heresy."

"…what?"

With reluctance, the clearly mortified Exorcists, the survivors of the latest Junius pilgrimage, opened the safe. Within it… was scores upon scores of Shadowforged weapons, ones they were allotted and not taken by Orb Samurais. As soon as Fatum caught the smell of these eerily black bladed weapons, he grew more excited as he can smell the scent of another familiar someone from these weapons… now if only he can communicate this to his master in a language he can understand…

"What is this?" Rosso frowned seeing that eerie black color. "And this smell… blood? You put someone's blood in the forging?" As Athrun's head is bombarded with question, he turned to Lamia only to see her on her knees.

"…Milord… I you will permit me, I will tell you this tale of treachery. And after that… we are under the mercy of your judgment."

That was when Athrun realized… there's something that went very wrong in this particular pilgrimage. "Lady Lamia… what happened? Where's… your sister?"

But before Athrun can inquiry further, the warning bell once again sounded. "ALLIANCE! ALLIANCE SHIPS AT THE HORIZON! ALLIANCE SHIPS!"

Rosso and Lamia snapped to attention.

"We have to move away from here." When Rosso and Lamia finally climbed up the deck, the Deathwatch ship crews run amok across the deck. The Silverwind is a fast moving cruise ship, but it's not meant for battle, and the Nazca's relative immensity can be seen from miles away. There in the horizon, they also saw Alliance battlecruisers massing towards them. No Advanced ship is truly safe before they entered the fog covered sea. "B… but… how do we move… that?" To reiterate: Nazca is twice bigger than the Silverwind – and it has no crew. "Maybe the Exorcists can board it-"

"Don't joke! We can't even begin to comprehend on how to move that thing…"

The answer came when Rosso generated and slammed the butt of his Halberd on the floor. Crimson metallic circuitry flowed from that point into the Nazca. And just like that, before everyone's bewildered eyes, the roping came to life, the sails unfurled, the steering wheel turned, and the rows began to paddle on their own. The giant of a ship began to move… with only the lone Rosso as the sum total of its crew. Everyone was still stuck in a jawdrop of awe watching Nazca began to sail away when another voice roared: "WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING!? MOVE YOUR ASSES!" Andrew Waltfeldt stepped forth out of the bridge as his voice boomed.

As if to enforce this point, already they can hear the booming sound of the Alliance's Gottfried Cannons firing at them, followed swiftly by pillars of water erupting in the background when the shells landed.

"Alright! Let's go! GOO!"

The Silverwind quickly followed the larger ship into the mist. Fortunately, they were already at the edges of their nation's border to begin with. Before the Alliance straggler can unload their second shot, the two ships already vanished like a mirage…

Not long after the two ships finally had the luxury of stopping and gather their wits. And Rosso in particular, finally had time to be vulnerable for once. As soon as they're well inside the fog and within calm waters, he finally collapsed on his knees as the ironclad ship finally stopped.

"Milord!" Out of reflex, Lamia ran to his side. "Milord, are you alright?" Her ears can hear labored breathings beneath that helmet and a rather weak heartbeat. He's clearly exhausted… and dying.

"Need… rest… and… food…" Athrun hadn't eaten properly for weeks. And he's a Zoan, and that's the problem right there.

"Food! NOW!" Lamia roared. The Deathwatch returned with a plateful of bread and some water. Seeing the food, everyone wondered if they will finally had the rare opportunity to see what a Judge looked like underneath their mask…

Or not. Athrun had spent a good long time adjusting the various deficiencies and other usage of his new armor. Kokuyou is integrated into his bone marrow, lining up his organs, that is to say, it's already a part of his body and therefore his metabolism. A mass of Kokuyou's cloak erupted and turned into a gigantic maw. With one gulp, the food, the water, even the plate was consumed. Everyone can hear the sound of growling and munching and then the living cloak literally spit the plate and the jug out of the system.

"That is just disgusting." One of the Deathwatch Knights just couldn't help himself. Then he realized his folly and slapped his mouth shut.

But Rosso was far from offended. "If it's any consolation, it made the food taste more disgusting than the process of eating it. But it's much faster… and it's more efficient. Pity the food though, and apologies to the chef."

And once again, everyone snickered. But then, even though their tenseness had been alleviated, they also began to wonder. Is this really the legendary Judge? One of the legendary Golden Duo who had pacified a city so corrupt many had considered it beyond help? He had been gone for years, no news or even a whisper of his shadow heard, and now here he is? Of course tales of how certain Judges can go into missions that take years had happened before… but there are also tales of charlatans who had used the title Judge for vanity sake.

But between the feat he just performed and the feeble state he had shown, everyone was torn on whether they should welcome him or throw him out.

"My Lord…" Reading the situation, it was Waltfeldt who take the fore. "You are indeed, Judge Rosso, the one who studied under Lord Yuki's tutelage?"

Athrun immediately snickered. "I've been gone… so many years… And I'm more than aware that my form and height had drastically changed from how I was 8 years ago. It's called growing up. And I'm aware… how my return can raise questions. Then again…" Rosso looked at Lamia kindly. "You recognized me. After all these years… I fully expect no one even remembered what I looked like…"

Lamia gulped. "Well… you are significantly bigger than I remembered, Lord Rosso. But I do still remember you. It's not about how you look. But your fighting style, the rhythm of your movements, the sound of your vitals… its been years, but they're still perfectly identical to the one that time. We've met before, milord. I'm not sure if you remember-"

"The Princess Catherine of Venuina case." Rosso's eyes curved through the visor of his mask. "I remember every case I've ever solved. And of course, I remembered every person who had helped me in solving it." At the recognition, Lamia blushed even more.

Athrun still remembered that case like it only happened yesterday… around that time, Kira, as in Noir, had recovered well enough that he can actually moved quite well without his wheelchair, though he'll need his walking stick. Also, he still can't move his left arm and the left side of his face remained non functional…

Still… crippled body clearly did not deter him by the least bit in taking direct action into the field, much to everyone's chagrin…

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A little over 9 years ago…

A male knight was hurled back until he grinded to his knee. And just before he could rise up, a blunt object smashed his head down, forcing him to fell down to the ground, face first.

Lamia walked away from her latest battered training partner, swinging her practice wooden sword contemptuously.

"Very well done, Lady Clyne!" A young nobleman clapped as he watched from the sideline. "A most splendid performance! As expected from such a distinguished bloodline."

Lamia merely scoffed. That's not the kind of compliment she's looking to hear.

"No." A firmer, colder female voice replied. "A most horrid performance."

Lamia stood in attention. There. That's the kind of comment she needs to hear.

Everyone stood to attention when Cornellia Li Britannia walked into the scene. She went straight at Lamia, her eyes shooting daggers. "What is that horrid sword swing, Miss Clyne? So full of useless flamboyance! Where do you think you are? A dancing class!?"

"No, ma'am."

"Then why didn't you take him down two moves earlier?"

"My first blow was not strong enough, ma'am!"

"NO EXCUSES!" Cornellia barked, Lamia winced into silence. "One or two moves too many can be the difference between life and death in battle! If your first blow is not strong enough, that means you have not trained enough! Drop and give me 50!"

Lamia didn't protest or complain. She dropped on all fours and start pushing up and down as Cornellia watched. Everyone in the barracks merely watched at this familiar scene.

Some say, the root of this enmity can be traced back to a certain incident. There was a time when people still having a hard time differentiating the twin Clyne Princess, where everyone would always mistook one for the other. When one of the greatest swordman in the Empire came visiting – said visit went somewhat disastrously wrong due to too much wine, but it ended up okay, thanks to Lacus. But then and there Veia also recognized a once in a thousand year talent for sword art in Lacus' veins, much to her father's horror. While the elder sister showed no interest whatsoever in the sword art, a letter of recommendation came, directed to one Lady Clyne. An error in communication saw it failed to recognize which Clyne the letter was referring to. The confused messenger delivered the letter to Lamia, who was as confused as she is pleased by the erroneous recognition. The Letter was an offer by the said Hakutenkun to come visit a Bladebane training barrack in the Capital. Perhaps he was trying to spark an interest for the Art of the Sword within the Clyne by showing her first hand of the way. When Lamia arrived, no one, not even Lamia herself, realized that they've brought in the WRONG Clyne. It wasn't until they get to the training arena that the misunderstanding was revealed, in the worst way possible.

Lamia was not her sister. She's a good talented warrior, and given time she will be a great one, but her talent is like a firefly to her sister's full moon shine. Not knowing this, Goud Veia arranged her to fight against one of his toughest and most draconian instructors, Cornellia Li Britannia, using real swords no less. She barely escaped the ordeal with her life with only a fractured jaw, a partially mangled hair, and a neck that was almost cleaved off. Fortunately, Veia was able to stop it before irreversible damage was inflicted, finally recognizing the case of the mismatched identity. But that was the very last straw. Both for Lamia and for Lacus. Lamia decided then and there, to the chagrin of her sister, to completely cut her long hair off to a neck length, and keep it that way, so that no one will ever mistake them again. And no one ever did since then. On the other hand, this incident also marks one of the very, VERY rare instances in which Lacus was genuinely, extremely, FURIOUS. And what an unlikable thing, her wrath was. Despite Lacus and Veia's strong friendship, her sister's near death experience is something Lacus had never forgiven Veia for. Though the two remained friends, she made her rejection absolutely clear: Lacus performed a combination of acupuncture surgery and some form of anaerobic exercise upon herself that completely atrophied all the muscles in her arms that are essential for sword wielding, much to Veia's horror. Now, the largest bladed utensil she can wield by hand can never be heavier than a steak knife.

In stark contrast though, the incident did achieve Veia's goal, somewhat: it did spark an interest in the path of warriorhood within a Clyne. A week after the incident, a fully recovered Lamia made the actual, conscious decision to join the military, a decision her father and sister strongly resisted. Against all odds and oppositions, Lamia actually enjoyed this warrior path. But ever since Lamia enlisted to train in the military barracks as a recruit, Cornellia Li Britannia, the same instructor who once nearly chopped off her head in that infamous incident, pay an extra fierce attention on this particular recruit. Not a day goes by the Britannian lady knight did not criticize even the slightest lapse of performance by the young Clyne and punished her severely for it: swing her sword 1000 times until her fingers swelled, and swing another 500 times after it swelled; shoot 50 bullseye in the middle of a heavy rain; and shoot another fifty every time she failed to score anything less; denied a rest before she can swim 20 laps without stopping in an Olympic length swimming pool, and etc, and etc. By the time Lamia was 8 years old, her body was all but battered by this brutal training regime. But still, she endured it all with silent obedience and commitment.

Cornellia Li Britannia, AKA the Witch of Britannia, has been known as one of the most brutal military commander of the empire, ruthless both to herself and to her underlings. But when it comes to Lamia, it looks as if her malice to her is on a completely different level. Rumor has it, the reason was because Cornellia was somewhat bitter that she was denied the chance to train the right Clyne. It was Lacus, the older one, who was said to be the one with once in a thousand years talent. But that one was shot to hell after she crippled herself. And so she got the little sister. The one who is only 'good' but not 'great'. Curiously, Lamia never complained. Every disparaging remarks, every punishment, every harsh treatment thrown her way, she endured it all without protest and then some.

As soon as she finished her fiftieth push up, she quickly stood firmly upright, awaiting further instructions from Cornellia, still hovering over her with her piercing glare still boring at her. "100 laps around the hall." She even produced a sandglass. "Finish the deed before the sand ran out. Fail that, and you will do another 100. You're not allowed to eat if you fall before then."

"Yes, ma'am." And without further comment, without even so much as a break or a breather, she ran while Cornellia kept watching the sandglass as it trickle down. The other recruits who were also running laps around the training hall stare at the poor girl with almost pity in their eyes. Not even guys were worked that hard.

"Oh lady Lamia, how harsh is your fate." One of the male recruit that was able to run at Lamia's pace started. Lamia didn't even give the nobleman so much as a glance to know who he was. Edmund Von Reingraze. One of the top recruits in the academy. Apparently he's also a very well known womanizer. Needless to say, he had Lamia on his sight from day one. But seeing lamia had made her point of what she think of man very, very clear, she's just not interested… and that's her putting it kindly. Doesn't mean he's giving up though. "Lady Lamia, it grieves me to see you struggle so. This weekend, in my summer palace, there will be magnificent masquerade ball. May I invite you to join me?"

"Will you shut up?" Lamia growled. "If you have time to flirt, you should spend it practicing your sword." With that said, Lamia quickened her pace and rushed far ahead of rest.

"You should give up, Milord." One of the recruit chuckled. "That one is the one Rose who's dedicated to sharpen her thorns. Besides, don't you've had plenty already?"

"And that's where the fun isn't it? I'd be looking forward to watch her break once she's of age." Edmund chuckled sinisterly.

'…do those idiots forget that a Clyne can hear every word they say from way up here?' Lamia growled as rage swelled up in her already frustrated chest. 'Scum. That's all men are. Assholes who only think girls are mares to broken, mounted, and then thrown away once they served its purpose. Well, FUCK you sir-OOMPH!" Lamia was so lost in her rage filled thought, she just ran straight into a brick wall.

No. Correction. It's not a brick wall. It's as hard as a brick wall but it's not. Brick walls don't look at you apologetically when you hit them. Brick walls don't grab your hand to stop you from falling. And most importantly, Brick Walls don't say:

"I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

As the dizziness from her head cleared, her blurry sight also regained focus, allowing her to see what she just hit.

Even with his red cloak, it was obviously a boy. No less older than her and slightly taller, with raven colored hair, and green emerald eyes. But that's all he can see, for the rest of his features are covered in a flat angular metallic black mask. The mask of a Judge. He's wearing a dark magenta colored trench cloak that covered his whole body. But he was holding Lamia with one of his outstretched hand to prevent her from falling on her back and while his other hand was holding a briefcase. She had struck him in a head on collision. She didn't see him on the account of being a little too angry at the time. She should be the one apologizing, but her anger made her say: "Watch where you're going, you idiot!"

"I'm so terribly sorry." The masked boy was not offended. "Can you get up?"

That's when Lamia realized the boy is still holding her hand. Blushing furiously, Lamia get back up and slapped said hand away. Contrary to what she expects, it felt as if her hand just slaps a solid hunk of iron instead of human hand. Needless to say, it hurt. Lamia bit her lips and her already flustered face turned redder. 'What the… what is he…?'

The boy can easily tell it hurt. What's with the obvious swelling on said hand. "I'm so terribly sorry." Before anyone can say anything, the boy ripped a part of his own cloak and used it to bandage her injured hand. Through it all, Lamia can only stand stock still and speechless. By the time the boy was finished, Lamia's face was even redder than her own hair. "Wha… wha…"

"HEY! Who are you to touch lady Lamia's hand!?" Edmund suddenly stepped forward. He shoved his hand towards the boy to push him back, but instead he was the one getting pushed back. It felt like he was trying to push a small mountain. The boy was virtually an immovable mass. 'What?' The boy bit his lips while everyone around him looked at him all bewildered.

"Rosso?" It was Cornellia who suddenly break the ice. She angrily walked towards the boy, while everyone else step aside to make way. Meanwhile, the activity in that hall also ceased. The name Rosso began to arise in air, hushed in whispers. By that point in time, no citizen of Aprillus would call themselves as such if they had not heard that name. "Judge Rosso? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Lady Cornellia." Rosso nodded courteously, but Cornellia was inconsolable.

"I'm asking you again, what the hell are you doing here, disturbing my class?"

"Apologies, Lady Cornellia. But I'm afraid you must indulge us. We're here on an official business."

Cornellia's eyes twitched. "We?"

"We." Rosso turned around and to everyone's gawking horror, the masked boy pushed a wheelchair, and situated on that chair was yet another masked figure, his whole body shrouded in a ragged cloak. Unlike the firm flat faceless and angular faceplate that covered Rosso's face, this one's face is covered in a mask of a more curvous and more sinister looking, with its bone white coloration and slits for eyeholes. While his cloak is of similar designs with Rosso's it was ragged and torn, what's with it being black in color, the man looked like a wheelchair bound grim reaper.

Everyone's blood runs cold when they saw this ominous character. Unlike the now relatively more benign first Judge, they can barely see anything remotely human beneath the dread garments of this second one. They can't even see anything remotely like eyes on the slits, but they can all feel him staring back at all of them. Ignoring everyone's horrified state however, Rosso pushed his wheelchair bound grim figure into the room and he placed him just next to the door before he himself came to fore.

"As you can see, Milady. That the both of us were sent here… that even my partner to come here personally… I assure you this is serious."

Sending one Judge is one thing, sending two means they fully expected this to have the potential to devolve into a disaster. Cornellia have no need for such a hassle. Better this Judge to just get on with it. "Who are you here for?"

"Is there a lord Edmund Von Reingraze here?"

Lamia, and everyone's heads, turned to Edmund. His white skin grew a few shades paler upon hearing his name being mentioned by the one Judge you don't want to mess with.

When Rosso's faceless masked head turned to him, Lamia can hear a rather audible gulp from Edmund's throat. "You are, Lord Edmund Von Reingraze?"

"I am."

Rosso noticed several brawny man standing behind his quarry, their fingers twitched dangerously as their menacing eyes were locked on him. "Sir, I suggest we step outside so we can talk about this in private?" Rosso gestured at the still open door.

"Or you can just discuss it here." Cornellia suddenly interjected. "Right here, in front of everyone." Rosso and Edmund looked at Cornellia, but she was unflinching. "This is my Training hall, Judge. I made it a point that nothing happens on this building without me knowing about it. And I don't care if you're the top Judge in this continent, you WILL indulge me in this."

Rosso raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. And then…

CLACK!

It was then everyone finally realized that the dark clothed Noir had actually stood up from his wheelchair and took the liberty of closing the door shut, even padlocking it for good measure and took the key with him. The slits of his mask wordlessly stared at every horrified occupant of the now sealed room, and more specifically, he also stared at his partner and gave him the slightest of nods. Cornellia merely raised an eyebrow. The Judge made his point absolutely clear: if this is where the interrogation must take place, then no one leaves until this reach its finality, one way or another.

Rosso nodded back, sensing his partner's blessings. "I'm fine with that." while Edmund frowned a bit. "…So am I."

Lamia's ears however, caught something completely different. Rosso's heartbeat has been calm throughout, and it only skipped a beat just now before returning back to normal. Whilst, Edmund's had been going upside down and sideways, and now it's skyrocketing. It's obvious to her which one was most troubled by this arrangement.

Rosso then slapped his hands together and slammed the ground. Alchemical circle suddenly sparks up, and electricity coruscated through the wooden floor. The wood of the said floor suddenly reconstructed itself. By the time the electricity died down, a simple table and two chairs on both sides stand ready. Rosso took a seat. "Lord Edmund, if you please?" He gestured at the other empty chair, opposite to his side. Edmund reluctantly took that seat. Cornellia mediate by standing right in between the two. As for Noir… he began to walk. Quietly, slowly, holding a walking stick, the grim Judge dragged his feet as he start walking in circles around the wide training hall, with the party of three at its center, his invisible eye can be felt fixed on the accused. None dared to bar his way, none even dared to so much as to make eye contact, as if fearing some misfortune will befell them.

The table was situated right at the center of the hall, so naturally it became the central focus of everyone, Lamia included. Though in all honesty, she's still at lost on what the fuss is all about. So she whispered a question to one of Cornellia's Honor Guard, Gilbert.

"Psst. Sir Gilbert? Who are they and why is everybody so scared of these two?"

"I take it you're not from around here?"

"My sister and I hailed from Februarius… so… no."

"That's Judge Rosso and Noir. They're the two Judges from the Circle, specifically tasked to oversee Aprillus."

"I'm aware of what Judges are. But what's the big deal with these two?"

"We know not who they are, and like all Judges, their origin and all background information had been kept a secret – so there's not much fact, only rumors. What we know is this: Noir was the more senior of the two. The rumor said that Noir used to be the Knightmaster's Chief Advisor, and the original Magister Judge of Aprillus, aiding Lord Ray Yuki in his task as the Supreme Chief Judge… that is until Noir suffered some major accident that render him unfit for field duty. And then Rosso came to prominence very recently, as an apprentice to Noir to take his place, or so the rumor says."

"…with all due respect to the Judges, Milord… Judging by his diminutive size, Lord Rosso can't be any older than me, how can he be a Judge at such a young age?"

"My thoughts exactly. I even had a feeling even Noir… is actually a lot younger than one might suspect… probably nowhere older than you, young lady." Gilbert frowned at Noir's diminutive figure, to Lamia's bewilderment. "But the result of their work was there for all to see. Within several months after Rosso's appearance, the Golden Duo combination, as they have been called, had quite literally cleaned Aprillus almost clean of crime, solving impossible cases after impossible cases with zeal and brilliance hitherto unheard. And in only 6 months since the Golden Duo went into action, major crimes dropped 6 feet under, Corrupt lords and nobles are so scared of them, they even came forward and confess their crimes as soon as they heard a mere whisper that these two are on them. In fact, even those who accept bribes would rather betray their benefactors than to cross these two."

"6 months? Just the two of them!?"

00000000000000

"Now that's an exaggeration. Back then, we had Lord Yuki's support behind us. I mean, literally, all the virtually unlimited resources that a Hakutenkun of his caliber can muster were at our beck and call. We wouldn't even be able to arrest a pickpocket if it weren't for his influence."

Lamia, and many others chuckled.

Waltfeldt also smirked. "But if it weren't for you and Noir managing those resources, Aprillus children will never know what it's like to walk its street without fear of never seeing their next birthday."

"Just doing our job sir."

The tales of Rosso and Noir's accomplishment has been treated as an urban legend amongst the citizens of Aprillus. To the younger generation, they're like a boogieman or some romanticized hero in shining armor. The aggrandizement may sometimes caused its factuality to be contested, but to the older generation, to those whom had seen facts are facts, the truth is Rosso and Noir's campaign in Aprillus has been nothing short of an undisputed success. So much so to the point that even now, 8 years after Rosso and Noir's absence (which some now understand is caused by one of them needing the time to actually grow up), Aprillus crime rate, while it's currently on the rise again, never did recover to its previous heights of infamy. The two Judges had damaged its criminal elements to such extent, the ashes of the criminal empires they've burned laid a foundation for the newly restructured local Law enforcements to combat what's left on even ground, keeping an uneasy peace but peace nonetheless. And for that, generations of Aprillus Citizens will forever name them as the unsung Heroes of their city.

Still, backed by the Clyne Princess and the Hakutenkun himself, none now doubted the truth of Rosso's identity. This time, they all knelt in reverence. "Forgive us for our dishonorable weaknesses, milord."

"Being vigilant is never a weakness." Rosso stood up. "Stand up!"

Everyone staggeringly get back up. "B… But… Milord… where have you been? What were you doing? You've been gone for years and now we found you alone in the middle of nowhere…?"

"I was dealing with a case, of course. The nature of which, unfortunately I cannot disclose… but I can tell you, it involves fighting a Blacklist Captain and an Orb High general, both fights I barely escaped with my life, and more importantly it had cost me many good men, all my men in fact… and it almost took my life as well, as you just witnessed." Lamia clasped her mouth in horror. "Some of those unfortunate casualties include my Navigators. Hence why you find me having trouble entering my own home country."

Everyone now nodded in understanding. As powerful as Judges were, they clearly can't do everything themselves. Andrew immediately came up with an idea: "We can have our exorcists man the ship. While we can see Judge Rosso may not need help to do so single handedly, surely having a crew will lighten the burden?"

"Very much so. And the Deathwatch should have a few extra backup navigators they can spare?"

"But… we have no idea how to man such a ship! We've never seen its like or make before…"

"Nero will help you."

"Nero?"

As if knowing that was his cue, Nichol, wearing a makeshift mask to cover his identity, dropped his veil of invisibility and appeared out of thin air right next to Rosso. Everyone jumped back in horror upon seeing a masked Onyx Hassansin just entered their sight without warning.

"Nero, my assistant, had stayed aboard that ship long enough to know its workings. He will help you."

The exorcists and the crews nodded. Nero motioned them to follow him as they start moving things to the steel clad and larger ship. Though everyone understandably somewhat unnerved to work under the supervision of an Onyx Hassassin that can disappear from view. One can have enough trouble as is even when one can see an Onyx Assassin coming. Dealing with an invisible one is a terrifying prospect to say the least.

Lamia was less surprised. Somewhat. Understandably, the Red Judge had changed drastically over the last several years, which was why even she had trouble recognizing him the first time… but some things don't change. For lo, once again, as it was a little over 8 years ago, the Red Judge had a dark natured partner.

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"What made their reputation so frightening is not only in the speed in which they've pacified this particular sector known to be irredeemably corrupt. Most of the dread people feel came from the fact the Golden Duo's uncompromising and impartial stance against crime. All Judges in every sector are expected to be as such, but these two Judges are on a completely different level altogether. They don't care how high your birth is. Whether you are a minor noble lord or even ruling elite of high lords, once the Golden Duo determined the guilty party, they will relentlessly chase their quarry from the highest spire of the most lavish castle down to the darkest depths of an underground gutter and pitilessly bring down draconian but even handed Justice to the guilty. No crime will ever went unpunished under their watch, no convict will ever escape justice when they were on the case, no matter what their position or origin in society. Further solidifying this reputation of uncompromising impartiality is that throughout their short 6 months career and over a hundred cases of sensitive nature, they have never EVER lost even a single case."

"Being an uncompromising idealist is good and all." Darlton, another one of Cornellia's guard, joined the conversation. "But in a city as bent as Aprillus, idealists are liable to find themselves dying in the gutter with a knife on their backs in less than a month. The fact that they survived and even thrived in such environment is testament to their skills. Rosso, the Red Judge. A machine cold calculating and relentless, tireless, hunter that will never stop until the prey is cornered, captured, and surrendered in despair before justice is served. And Noir, the Black Judge. Unseen and unnoticed most of the time, but he sees all and hears all – the physical incarnation of the saying: 'no lies last forever', he unraveled any form deceit and deception no matter how cleverly woven as easily as breathing." Darlton surmised the Golden Duo in one breath. "The combination of these two Prodigal Judges in matrimony of their uncompromising zeal created something akin to an unstoppable force of nature that had been the bane of many corrupt officials and evil worshippers shrouded in nobility who once thought themselves unassailable. Fact is, many, including our own Judges in Novembrius, had attempted to emulate the success these two had achieved… some barely surviving it, even fewer succeeded in the attempt, and even that are not even remotely close to what they've accomplished."

"Bottomline, everybody in Aprillus had made it clear that once these two are on to you, the only way you walk out of THEIR chopping block is that if you are proven completely innocent."

"So the convicted now is Lord Edmund?" Lamia could hardly conceal the elation in her tone.

But Lamia didn't have time to entertain that thought further as Rosso had begun his session. The aura around him completely changed. His eyes became firm and fierce, like a predator eying a prey at his table. "Mr. Edmund. Will you please, for the record, state your full name?"

"Edmund Von Raingraze."

"Right. Mr. Edmund, are you aware of the incident in the Lacy Manor?"

"This again?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so, Mr. Reingraze."

Everyone rolled their eyes. The murder in Lacy Manor is a rather old case. Six months ago there was a party, and a murder. Its host, a young noble princess, Princess Catherine of Vinuena was found killed in her room. Autopsy implied the young miss had been raped before her gruesome death. The suspected murderer and rapist was a servant. He had been tried and word has it, today, he's but a day away from the gallows. The guest of honor of the party was Edmund Reingraze himself, and Edmund was the key witness who allegedly saw the murder. So they were also implicated as suspect as well. But, due to the lack of evidence, the investigation was called off. But rumor has it is because it was in no small part due to the family's influence.

"Can you please repeat your testimony again, Mr. Reingraze?"

"I don't see why-"

Suddenly, Edmund's reply was interrupted as an eerie whistling filled the air. With the exception of Rosso, everyone's heart skipped a beat when Noir began inexplicably whistling to the tune of London Bridge is Falling down as he continued his circling. Cornellia was somewhat annoyed at the interruption at first, but none dared to tell the eerie Judge to stop. Still, the interrogation continued even with Noir's eerie whistling in the background.

"Mr. Reingraze, your opinion is irrelevant." Edmund, who lost his built up momentum due to the sudden whistling, was glared down by Rosso to the point until the bigger of the two seem to shrink in size. "Just answer the question."

Edmund finally nodded. "On that day… I… invited Miss Catherine, the victim, to my room… for some fun." He smiled mischievously to himself. "She said she'll go on ahead, and she'll wait for me. I had to do a few things, I was rather busy at the time… appointments… with a few cups of cocktails." He chuckled. Athrun's face remained stone cold, unamused. "…and then, finally, after answering nature's call, I was reminded of my need to fulfill the promise. So I went there, to my room. Where Lady Catherine would be ready and waiting for me for our… fun time. Imagine my surprise, when I get there… I found her body dead on the bed, and that sumbitch servant, Ashem-"

"London Bridge is Falling down, falling down, falling down, my fair lady…" Once again, Edmund was interrupted as his momentum is lost once again by surprise. This time, Noir took the liberty of actually singing vocally. Unfortunately, thanks to his croaky voice, it produced a song more horrid than rhythmic. It achieved its goal just the same as Edmund grew increasingly frustrated by the interruption.

"My Good sir, do you not understand that I'm trying to regale a sad horrid story!? If your partner is not interested-"

"As hard as it is to believe, my partner actually had a personal vested interest in this case. Which is why he even bothered to come here personally in the first place." Once again, the Red Judge seem to be the only one in the room who paid no heed to the bizarre eccentricities of the Black Judge. "And to remind you, this is not about him, this is about you. Now… continue where you left off sir?"

Flabbergasting as his composure continues to crack, Edmund nevertheless continued even as a horrid nursery rhyme playing in the background continues to disrupt his concentration. "…so there I was, watching that lowborn servant standing there, with a knife in his hand… blood smeared allover his hand." Edmund even visibly gritted his teeth in anger.

But Rosso remained unimpressed. "Uh huh." He quietly rubbed his chin. He rummaged his case and then produced a scroll. The scroll depicted a blueprint of a certain room. "You recognize this picture, Mr. Edmund?"

Edmund, and Cornellia, looked at the picture. It is a depiction of the bedroom where the victim was found murdered. "Yes. I remember this picture. The Investigator reconstructed the room using the blueprint. They depicted the location of everyone during the incident."

"As I understand it, you found lady Catherine's body on the bed?" Rosso drew a cross on top of the bed. "And you… you came out of the front door… so you're standing here. Right here, at the entrance?" Rosso draw a circle, right at the door. "Yes." Edmund, still not understanding, nodded. "…and you see Mr. Ashem… right here?" Rosso drew another, a square this time a location some distance away from the circle.

"Yes. This is exactly it."

At that point, Noir's nursery rhyme song reached its crescendo as he neared a pillar. "Wood and clay will wash away, wash away, wash away. Wood and clay will wash away… my… fair… LADY!" and then, with a snort, he jabbed his walking stick unto the pillar…

"OW!"

Everyone blinked. The wooden pillar just squealed. And then, a layer of the pillar began to peel away. And then, falling beneath a blanket colored very similarly to the color of the wooden pillar was a young petite girl with flowing pink hair completely identical to Lamia's.

None was more shocked, or more embarrassed, of this hidden figure than the sister of the said intruder. "LACUS-Nee-sama!?"

"Ow, ow, ow…" Lacus groaned as she held her fanny, the spot where Noir's walking stick had poked her… HARD. "Hey! What's your deal!?" She squeaked to Noir's uncaring gaze.

"Right back at you, young lady." Cornellia rose to her feet with fury evident. "This is no place for you. I thought I've made it clear that you are no longer welcome here, how dare you infiltrate my class in such a manner!?"

"I'm here, milady, to make sure my sister's head remained on top of her shoulders this time." Lacus defiantly stood up as she brushed herself up.

"Why… did you conceal yourself?"Noir's croaky hiss formed the question.

Lacus replied with a singsong tone: "Can't a big sister give her little sister a big huge pile of: Surprise…!?"

Noir was unmoved. Neither did Rosso. "Young lady, for your sake you better answers Noir's questions. We've dealt with too many cloaked daggers hovering at our back to the point we can no longer tolerate a thing such as the art of concealment as a practical joke." This is definitely not a joke. As Darlton had said: being an uncompromising idealist in the most corrupt city of the empire had brought more than a few assassins' blade down upon them. Many of them employed abilities that made their deadly skill all the more harder to avoid if Rosso and Noir did not constantly look over their shoulder. Chameleonic assassins, smoke composed killers and even shape shifting bounty hunters made their sleep less soundly at night. Understandably, such environment is stressful, especially for children of their age, making them somewhat intolerant to jest of this sort.

"I'm not joking." Lacus jovially answered. "The last time my sister was under Cornellia's care, she nearly lost her head. I came because I'm concerned. The concealment was a regrettable necessity. Lady Cornellia had deemed me persona non grata in these halls."

"That's because your attitude is poison, missy." Cornellia barked. "Undisciplined and unprincipled, your presence will only demoralize my other students, setting a bad example. You will never be welcome here. I demand you leave at once!"

Lacus merely laughed. "See what I mean?" completely ignoring the fuming Cornellia, she tilted her head as she smiled cutely at Noir.

Rosso and Noir exchanged bewildered looks. So… the rumors are true. The first daughter of the Clyne family was a… bit of an oddball, to put it kindly. Yep. Like they're in any position to talk. Other kids have fun playing make believe knights in fantasy for pastime, their pastime involve solving crimes and tangling with psychos and a-holes.

"You really think I'm an Assassin, do you? Do you?" Lacus giddily, and fearlessly, looked at Noir straight in the eye to the point even Noir was somewhat unnerved.

"Noir?" Rosso asked Noir for the final confirmation if the odd girl is not part of their concern.

"If she plans to kill us…"Somehow, much to Lacus' horror, Noir had gotten hold of Lacus' big bag filled to the brim with her beloved candies. He rummaged into the bag and stiffed back in repulsion. "…the idea would be to make us contract diabetes, and she had to find a way to convince us to eat all these… sweets." Noir wrinkled his face in disgust seeing so many sweets in one place. "And I don't need to tell you how impractical that'll be…"

Lacus angrily marched towards Noir. "Gimme back my sweets! They're for my sister!" But Noir put the bag aside and used his walking stick to literally held Lacus out of range as she futilely spin around her useless punches in the air. "Gimmegimmegimmegimmee…

"It's confiscated for disturbing an official duty." Noir hissed.

"Wha-" A pouting Lacus did stop struggling, but she merely puffed her cheeks as she crossly sat on the floor like an angry little girl that she is. Lamia merely covered her face in embarrassment at her sister's trademark antics.

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The blush of embarrassment in Lamia's face now mimicked the one she had years ago. Her sister, in her own style, fit into the story quite nicely. But as she was reminded of her sister, she remembered another issue that demanded an immediate response. Lamia quickly embraced a thought. "My lord, that ship is a warship, is it not? I think it would be prudent if… if we move all weapons, provisions, and all military assets, men and inventory, to your ship. From what I see, it is a ship far better equipped for war than the Silverwind."

Rosso perked. "War? You're not going to Aprillus?"

A Deathwatch crew spoke up: "Milady, I still think it is best we return to Aprillus to deliver the good-"

"MY SISTER WAS KIDNAPPED BY A MONSTER!" Lamia shrieked, and Athrun gasped behind his helmet. "HOW IS THAT, IN ANY WAY, A GOOD NEWS!?"

The Deathwatch Knights shirked back in horror before the younger Clyne's fury. Her blue eyes glowered red with murder, as if she can kill them all with but a glare. "Rest and merry making is not what I want right now. If Boaz is mobilizing for war against the Devil, then that's where I need to go." She hissed dangerously. "We needed something fit for war, not a luxury cruise. Gather all the provisions, weapons, and ammunitions you can spare and load it to that ship!"

"Y… Yes, milady." With that said, the Deathwatch Knights dispersed, as do the remaining participants of the ill fortuned pilgrimage, leaving only Athrun and Lamia.

Lamia can see Rosso's widened green eyes behind his mask. "Lamia… what you said just now… Lacus is…?" Ever since he first set foot on the ship, he did sense something had gone wrong. But this?

Lamia frowned in deep sorrow. Her firm and sturdy visage looked as if she was on the verge of breaking to tears. "Like I said, Lord Rosso. This is a tale of treachery the likes of which was unprecedented. I will tell you all… and surrender ourselves to your judgment."

"Tell me, Lamia. Tell me everything."

Before long, the two ships finally part ways. The Nazca now host a full accompaniment of able handed, if only inexperienced in seafaring, crew; its hold once again filled with provisions and its magazine now carry the needed ammunition and equipments for a small scale war.

In all that time, Lamia had also managed to regale the tale of what had transpired in Junius to an understandably horrified Rosso in a closed room, attended by Andrew Waltfieldt and Hilda Harken. "He appeared from the darkness. We have been isolated in Junius for quite a while, so we know not who he was. How is it that he was able to insinuate himself among the mercenaries we had hired is also a mystery. But… against our better judgment… we asked for his help anyhow. We were… we were too entranced by his abilities."

"…entranced?"

And Lamia explained, in a chronological order, the series of events that lead to this state whilst describing Kage's qualities that made their blood chill. His brutal intelligence – as taught by the great Grand Knightmaster Lord Yuki himself, his lethal skills fueled by his blatant declaration of absolute hatred for Zaft, and most importantly, the one thing they cannot hide: his ability to kill Genma, and the literally divine revelation that they gained from it.

Even Rosso, who had stomached the weirdest of bloodline limits throughout his life found this really hard to believe. Inside, Athrun felt faint as he tried absorbs all this unbelievable information in a systematic manner.

So if he was to summarize it in one breath, it would go like this:

The Pilgrimage… a LIE!? His mother and his honored Teacher… and countless more lives… they all died because of a LIE!? Adding insult to the injury, the one who finally discovered the truth of this is actually a Captain of the Alliance… who happens to be an Advanced that was once a student of Lord Ray Yuki – confirmed by the person himself (which already turned into an Undead Lord), which essentially means this Kage is a Traitor Advanced with a bloodline limit that made him an anathema to demonic undead as well – the kind of bloodline limit that Zaft Empire would give anything to acquire. And even that Traitor status must also be put under question, for Kage had also shown a blatant enmity to Zaft's ancient enemy resurrected, the Order of Blue Cosmos… who had been desecrating Junius even further for the last few years by weaponizing the dead.

If this information had been given to any mere Advanced, their mind would be lost in a torrent of insanity due to the world shattering ramifications of this tale. Fortunately, Athrun was no mere Advanced. Being a Judge had trained his mind to make sense of the unbelievable and connect the unseen web of implications of impossible cause and unthinkable effects.

As Rosso remained still in rumination of this revelation, even Lamia began to doubt that even the Great Legendary Judge Rosso could stomach all this without losing some bits of his sanity. "My lord?"

"…" Rosso shifted to Lamia. As stoic as his trained mind could be, even Athrun would not call himself human if he's not the least bit shaken by this revelation. "The Pilgrimage a lie… The ability to kill Genma… what the Empire wouldn't give… what I wouldn't…" If only they had discovered that there's someone like Kage out there 10 years earlier… how many lives could be saved? His beloved mother, his honored Master… they may not even have to die!

"I know… how unbelievable this story is… but… I swear to you My Lord, it's…"

"The truth." Rosso replied calmly, much to everyone's pleasant surprise. "I do believe you. As unbelievable as it may sound, the story you unravel does make this current conclusion logical." As Rosso spoke again, he showed everyone the stoicism of a Judge in the face of the impossible. "…I told you before that a little while back, I had the misfortune of running afoul with a Blacklist Captain, did I not?"

Everyone gawked. They no longer had to guess which Blacklist Captain the Judge had a run into.

"Chronologically… I can clarify that encounter of mine happened right before the events you just described." Rosso briefly gave the audience a quick recount of the Siege of the Archangel and its disastrous outcome. "If we are to calculate the timing of these two events… It is safe to assume that right after the events in Japan, Kage departed with his army and mid way, decided to take a detour to Junius, where he encountered your party."

"Why would he make such a detour?"

"My best guess? Supply run." Rosso reiterated his analysis. "After the siege, I would assume that with so many mouths to feed, Kage would have a difficulty feeding both his troops and the civilians he cared for. With that in mind, he chose to take a sojourn to Junius, to take the untouched supplies preserved in our Granaries. Something must've gone awry, which result in Kage being separated from his team… and then by coincidence, he ran into you."

"So he's tomb raiding. That is sacrilege!"

"A minor infraction in comparison to what the Order of Blue Cosmos had done. I'd like to point out the fact that before my encounter with Kage, I also ran afoul with not just a mere remnants of the Blue Cosmos, but a fully functioning organized military body comprised of lunatics and psychopathic professionals, well armed and funded, that would fit their MO. Your tale further support my theory that the Order of Blue Cosmos is still very much alive and operational, and I had a strong suspicion that, they had deeply insinuated themselves within the Alliance military body."

"And Kage? This abduction of my sister, is it some insidious plot of the Order as well?"

"In all honesty, I'm not sure if this is an actual abduction." Rosso shrugged, and he can already detect a faint of anger and confusion in Lamia's face. So he took the initiative of explaining. "I think the thing you're overlooking is the fact that Kage was not the only Traitor Advanced on the scene. Based on Lord Yuki's testimony after the event of the Babylon Harlot's death, there was another Knight, one who was clearly aligned with the Order. Kage on the other hand, based on your stories, had shown no indication that he was ever part of the Order. It was that Knight who had deigned to take your sister's captive, and that Kage merely rescued her, before unforeseen circumstances forced his hands."

"Well that's what he said!" Lamia snapped fiercely.

"Did you see it? I mean… see, with your own eyes, see Kage took your sister by force? Or did he rescue her? Did you see either happened right in front of your eyes?"

"We… did not." Andrew finally answered with a bit of an uncertainty. The problem is that no one, not even Lamia, had personally seen the events that transpired within the body of the Harlot of the Babylon that led to the supposed abduction of Lacus. What they reiterated to Rosso is what had been told to them by Lord Ray Yuki himself. Lord Yuki's reputation and history as an honored figure in Zaft is the only reason they can take his testimony as pure truth.

"Exactly. Theories. Guesses. That's all it is, but the best we can do is make it an educated guess." Rosso looked at Lamia's flustered figure. "I think, if we are to understand the kidnapping of your sister, we must first understand the motive. It all boils down to one question: Who is Kage? Milady, you declared that Ray Yuki recognized Kage as his student. Did he gave you any other details that may better explain his identity?"

At this, Lamia took a more guarded approach. No matter how they put it, Kage's action is the worst of all crimes. They are talking about treason here, which is a crime that a Judge, especially THIS Judge, take very, very seriously. When judgment falls, and it will, it won't just be the Traitor that will be affected; the prosecution will damn everything and everyone else perceived to be involved, no matter how slight. She couldn't even begin to imagine the horrific repercussion that might be visited upon all those involved or perceived to be involved in this… heresy.

Throughout her debriefing of the tale that transpired in Junius, Lamia had been very careful to omit some incriminating details. She still remembered those details quite clear: of how Ray Yuki acknowledged whoever's behind Kage's mask as someone as close as brothers with a certain son of a Zala family… which happens to be his sister's fiancée. The closeness between Kage and the fallen matriarch of the Zala family seem to be even more damning given the display of emotion he showed at her grave.

No. If she told him this, it will be another wave of prosecution to fell upon not just Zala, but also the Clynes. No. She cannot allow this to happen. Not again. And so, carefully, measurably, Lamia answered: "No, My Lord. I'm afraid we were left a bit unclear on the matter. Lord Yuki merely acknowledged him as one of his once brightest students… and nothing more."

Hilda and Andrew winced deep inside, but they managed to conceal their unease and they too held their silence.

Athrun raised an eyebrow behind his mask. No details? No implied information from his devious and meticulous master? Even if he had been transformed into a Lord of the Dead, this is so unlike him. "Well… this is problematic. The tale of how a student of my Master had fallen from grace was not unheard of, though the extent of Kage's treachery is unprecedented. But if there's no other detail other than that… we are still looking at a very huge pool of suspects."

Lamia kept her unease well hidden, such that even Rosso was unable to see through her. If Noir was here, things would've been very different though. Fortunately… he's not around, she noticed.

"I'll be honest with you, milady." Rosso explained. "Right now… I'm in a confused state. The last time I encountered Kage in person, I met someone… utterly hell bent on the destruction of our people, using whatever methods he can use, no matter how inhumane or cruel. In retrospect, that is exactly the sort of man that the Order would LOVE to recruit. But… then the Kage in which you just described possess the same level of cunning and brilliance, but his actions are contradictory in many ways to the conclusion I initially arrived in. If we are to assume that Kage is the kind person who operates based on a strict code of ruthless meritocracy, then I see no merit in the actions he took: providing you with Shadowforged Weaponry, destroying the Order's operation in weaponizing Genma, unravel the lies of the Pilgrimage… if he's truly dedicated in the goal of a complete destruction of the Advanced race, these decisions he made seem counterproductive to that goal." Rosso then took a deep long silence. After which, he spoke again with flat tone: "I think…" Rosso continued. "My best guess is… sentiments."

"Sentiments?"

"It is the only logical conclusion I can came up with, in the face of this seemingly illogical decision making. Sentiments." To help himself to process this further, Rosso began to take a walk whilst verbally explaining his train of thought – a habit he picked up during his days as a Judge Trainee. "The only reason Kage would do what he did… is because he's an idealist. He strictly followed a set of codes of conduct, with a sense of honor only he can comprehend, drawing a clear and firm line of what he can and cannot do."

"Where's the honor of being a traitor to his own race!?" Hilda harked.

"That's what I meant: he has his own sense of honor that only he can comprehend. He felt it's okay to betray his own kind… but he just couldn't stomach letting you all die in some godforsaken island of the damned." Rosso turned to Lamia. "…what I'm trying to say is… there's actually a very good chance… that your sister is still safe and unharmed under his care."

"Wha…!?" Lamia jaw dropped.

"That's the conclusion I arrived in. I think Lacus is safe."

"…and you're basing this conclusion on a Blacklist Captain's sense of honor – who happens to be a traitor to our race!?" That is the most unbelievable conclusion Lamia had ever heard.

"Yes. And… you will keep this, ALL this… a secret. And not just about how Lacus being kidnapped but also Kage's identity as Ray Yuki's student and an Advanced."

"WHAT!?" Andrew and Hilda were on the verge of grabbing Lamia, thinking she will hurl herself in fury towards Rosso for even suggesting what he just said with so cold of a tone. To her credit, she keeps her calm, but the corner of her lips tightened.

"If anybody asked, you will tell them that Lacus has been sent home to Februarius for mental reinstitution for having suffered a severe mental trauma due to what you experienced in Junius. They will understand. No one must know that Lacus was kidnapped."

"YOU RISK MY SISTER'S LIFE BASED ON A THEORY AND GUESSES! IF YOU CARE ABOUT IT AT ALL-"

"Will caring for her actually help me save her?"

Lamia stopped dead midshout in the face of this unfeeling heartless face and voice. She choked the answer: "No."

"Then I'll continue not to make that mistake." And Rosso, as in Athrun, found himself extremely calm as he delivered this conclusion regarding his own fiancée with so flat a tone and emotion so controlled it surprised even him. Now he's just like Kira as he was then: calm, cold, and almost unfeeling, calculating and processing information by logic without letting his heart led his head astray. Kira would probably be very proud if he can hear him now.

"Why… should we do that?" Andrew immediately asked on Lamia's behalf. The girl was one breath away from exploding.

"We all know that… Kage's an Advanced… And now, he's in a position of command: a Captain of the 7th Division and essentially a Hero of the Alliance. I sincerely doubt that he would be able to attain that position if his Advanced status had been a public knowledge. And yet there he is, a captain whose reputation is soaring at a meteoric rate, which puts him on a spotlight. I'm guessing, he used that mask to hide something in his face that will expose his true identity as an Advanced. Which means… he will have to be very careful, not wanting to draw too much attention, keeping to himself, preventing suspicion… all this to a poor degree of success, I imagine." Rosso continued. "Now, let's try to put yourself in his shoes. You're already having as much difficulty as is keeping secrets under the spotlight… suddenly, you find yourself in custody of a Zaft princess who… as we all know… had trouble being discreet."

Andrew, Hilda, and even Lamia nodded at that cosmic truth.

"Let's now assume… that all my conclusions are on the mark. That Kage's sense of honor will keep Lacus alive long enough for us to find her again in the warzone we're about to plunge into. If that's true, honor will demand that he must return her to you, as he promised. Which means he will desperately try to keep her safe, from his men, from his colleagues… and most importantly, from the Alliance high Command. If, that is indeed the whole idea, then Kage knew that the first and best line of defense is anonymity, the less people in the Alliance are aware that they had the First princess of the Clyne Family in their custody, the better."

Rosso paused to give his audience some time to digest his analysis. Andrew nodded in understanding, and Hilda followed shortly after. But Lamia still feel somewhat perplexed, something Rosso noticed.

"Lamia, Rosso's right." Andrew gently grasped Lamia's wincing shoulder. "If the idea is to keep Lacus safe, going around shouting: 'he kidnapped my sister!' for the whole world to hear is not an ideal solution."

Hilda also gave Lamia a look of tortured understanding.

"I don't… like this…"

"You don't have to like it, but if it keeps her from further jeopardy, you will have to endure it. We all have to."

"And what if… what if we get there… and we found out he was not as honorable as you assume?"

"If I'm wrong… and the worst happens…" Rosso dropped his professional emotionless and cold tone, allowing a genuine anger and frustration to flow out for once:

"Then I will personally hunt him down to the ends of the Earth and kill him with my own two hands."

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"Just because I decided to hold my tongue doesn't mean I approve of what you've done, young lady." As soon as Rosso concluded their meeting and went well outside earshot, Andrew wasted no time berating Lamia over what she had done, chiefly: "Withholding critical information from a Judge is not just some mischief young lady, that's a capital offense! You heard him! He needs more intel regarding Kage, and as I recall, Ray Yuki gave us PLENTY!"

"If you recall correctly, those intel includes the fact that whoever's behind the mask of Kage is a close, brother like close, friend of Athrun Zala, who happens to be my sister's FIANCEE!" Lamia retorted just as fiercely. "Can you even comprehend the complication that will befall my family if a JUDGE, THIS JUDGE in particular, get involved!?"

"Not as complicated as the troubles you'll get when he found out you haven't been completely honest with him."

If the Judge of the Circle began to suspect her sister of treason, that might discourage them from rescuing her alive. Heck, worst case scenario: they might deem her expendable or worst, a traitor that must be killed on sight. As of right now, Lamia's priority is not Kage, but Lacus' safety. And she doesn't want anything that might jeopardize that chance. "Of course, I have no intentions of withholding this information away from Lord Rosso in perpetuity. And yes, I know it'll be on my head. When the time comes, I will tell him myself. Just… not yet."

"This. won't. end. well." Andrew departed with those final cautionary words.

Lamia sighed, knowing her surrogate father and mentor is probably right. Still, she better play this one close to the chest. She starts listening in to every sound aboard the ship, filtering the noise, searching for a specific voice…

Found it…

They're on deck.

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"I… can't even begin to imagine how this must feel for you. Kage? A student of Lord Yuki?" Nichol start talking. "I know he's like a father to you."

"He's like a father to us all." Athrun sighed. "Being a student of the Great Knightmaster is an honor kings would kill for. But… there are many nobleborn sons who thinks it's a one way ticket to fame and glory. They're not wrong in that regard but that's not the point is it?"

"And Lord Yuki didn't mind that at all?"

"He doesn't care. His knowledge belongs to all children of Zaft. And when I say all… I mean all: Commoners or Nobleborns… he will teach them if they're willing… and if they can stomach his lessons. The training is its own filtration process, the standards were that high. As many students who get accepted into his program, the number who quit because they just can't take it were just as many. It wasn't just the knowledge. But it's also about way of life. Honor. Duty. Responsibility. That's the most important thing he's trying to teach us. Of course… not everybody gets it that way. That's why some of them were also kicked out for conduct unbecoming. Fact is… as I've said, the story of Lord Yuki's student fallen from grace is not exactly new. Noir and I both had our fair share of arresting them. And many of them are bitter about it."

"Noir…" Nichol shrugged. "Judge Rosso… what happened afterwards?"

"What?"

"That case… the Princess Catherine case. I know that case. As I recall, that was THE case." Nichol looked at Athrun. "That was the last case you two solved together. After that… Noir was… reassigned? What happened? Was that case really that hard?"

"That case was different. All the earlier cases I've mentioned to you before? What they have in common, is that the party related to each case has the capacity to greatly affect the social situation of Aprillus in a major way. Civil war between houses, effects on the front line, and so on and so forth. We cleaned the city but good. Almost too good. By that point in time though… we've managed to do the impossible: we've solved major cases faster than they can be perpetrated. With that said… we began concentrating on cases that… quite frankly, minor and rather insignificant. The murder of the Princess Catherine was one such case. At first glance it seems simple enough… But… Noir just can't seem to get over it. He keep pushing it forward. When we finally had time, we finally focused on it, and solved it in a heartbeat. It's so easy, the guy was a total idiot…" Athrun scoffed a snarl.

Nichol even snorted.

"…the problem start… right at the end of it…"

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"Moving on…" Rosso grunted as Noir nodded and made sure this eccentric Princess kept in check. "Do you know why you're enduring this interview again, Mr. Reingraze?"

"Why don't you tell me, Mr. Judge, Sir!?"

"To clarify…" Rosso grunted. "Your bloodline Limit is… the ability to alter atmospheric condition in a closed room, yes?"

"What? What kind of question-"

"Just answer the damn question. Is that your bloodline limit?"

"Why… yes."

"So you can't exactly see through solid objects?"

Edmund's face widened. "I wish I could sir. All the fun things I can do with that."

"Okay." Rosso nodded. "When we investigated this case, we came to the realization that the law enforcements that investigate it was… corrupt. They were on payroll by a certain someone, paid to overlook a certain detail, namely…" Rosso produced another paper and overlaid atop the previous doodled blueprint. "The placing of the furniture."

Edmund and Cornellia looked down at the new picture, and then Cornellia's eyes opened. "Oh… Oh I see…"

The picture depicting the locations of the furniture revealed that there's a furniture standing between where Edmund allegedly stood and where the witness had stood.

"The furniture in question is a small table, 60 cm tall, with a vase 80 cm tall set atop it. You're 180 cm tall whilst Ashem is only 160 cm tall. That's a 140 cm tall obstacle blocking your view. The most you can see of him is from shoulder above. So… if you say to me you can't exactly see through solid object… how exactly you can see what's in his hands when there's a giant vase right between you and him?"

Cornellia, as do everyone, now glared angrily at Edmund. The accused flabbergasted as he reached a new level of nervousness. "O… Okay… I… I may not see… the knive… b…. but…"

"I suppose you think that's hilarious." Rosso's cold flat tone coupled with a glare so sharp it felt like a blade was placed on Edmund's throat had all but scared the poor man shitless. "Condemning an innocent man just so that you can have some bragging rights in front of the ladies. But Judges takes matters like false testimony very seriously, Mr. Edmund. Because that just elevated you… no, I suppose I should say DOWNGRADED you from cooperating witness to possible suspect."

"W… Wait… Wait, wait… O… Okay… I confessed, I lied. But… But… Mr. Judge, sir… no… My Lord… aren't you forgetting something? Why on earth would I want lady Catherine dead?"

"I'm so glad you asked that question." Rosso hissed even colder. "Among other things, the Reingrazes are known for something else. They were a family of builders. They designed the Imperial palace, the Grand Cathedral, the Platinum Glass Opera Hall…"

"Ah! I know that one!" And out of the blue, Lacus suddenly chortled. "That was the place where I sang the first time! There was that competition…"

Cornellia gave Lacus a glare. "Young lady, if you don't shut your mouth-"

"Actually…" Noir stated: "That's where we get started. As I recall correctly, the competition the princess spoke off was cancelled mid show, was it not?"

"The reason of the cancellation was because they found cracks on the glass that shaped the building's ceilings. Apparently, the resonant effect of some of the singers' tones produce high frequency that was too much for the glass to endure. That thing was on the verge of collapse when they had to evacuate the audience." Rosso shrugged. "We studied its constructions afterwards. The blueprint is sound but we found some very serious structural flaws on its foundations. There has been clear signs of corner cuttings, mixing inferior and cheaper materials, and also shoddy construction works, performed by people, which, in this Judge's personal opinion, don't even know the first syllable of the word Structural Engineering."

"The Platinum Glass Opera Hall was just the start. After that, we found serious flaws in various other construction projects built by the Reingraze Constructions. The Illurio Manor that will crumble in half a year, the Gelleria tower which we found will collapse if a strong enough wind blew at it at the side, and many more VERY unsafe public structures allover the city. What do they have in common? They were built by the Reingraze, but more importantly… the head foreman… happens to be you, Lord Edmund."

"O… Okay… Okay… look… I'm starting to get where this is going. But I thought we're talking about Lady Catherine here. What does that had to do with…"

"You should've noticed when Noir start singing London Bridge. Then again… it wasn't about a bridge. It's about the manor itself." Rosso glared. "The Lacy Manor itself. The latest project you botched. Who exactly contracted you to build that manor, Mr. Reingraze?"

If Edmund's face can get any paler than it already is, it will.

"That manor is the manor that the Princess asked you to build. 7 months of work, and then when it was finished, the Princess inspect your work and had already discovered something that is seriously wrong. She invited you to the party in the Lucy Manor to confront you about it."

"Why… yes. Look, sir, I don't know where do you get your analysis-"

"Me aside, you really think the Princess is that much of an idiot?" Rosso growled. "Princess Catherine graduated maxima cum laude from the Imperial Academy, her thesis include some very ground breaking construction techniques and designs. She's one of the best Structural Engineers on this realm. In other words, she could've built the damn manor herself, why do you think she go through the trouble of hiring an incompetent cheat like you in the first place?"

"Wha…"

"She's been investigating your family for quite some time, Mr. Reingraze. She was not only a brilliant engineer, she's also a very dedicated one. She was deeply concerned that there's an unethical engineer out there who had been stealing money, building VERY unsafe public buildings that can potentially kill thousands of its occupants." Rosso glared even more intensely at the convicted. "Unfortunately… the crook was such a master builder. All his constructions: shoddy and flawed as they are, they were artfully concealed so well, you can't see the flaw until the whole building collapse."

"Unfortunately no one ever took her seriously." Noir hissed. "It was the word of an up and coming amateur engineer against the word of a very well known family of master builders. Desperate… she plotted a scheme. A very clever scheme."

"First, she hired that corrupt builder. And then, she let him do his work. She gave him a design… a seemingly unassuming manor. But it was in fact clever designed for one purpose: it would've allowed you to use all your tricks… all your under the table deceptive construction… and ever so subtly, it will allow one to see all your dirty work in the open, if they know where to look. And when the project was finished… in a ball erected to honor the house's completion… she will denounce him. She will shout out loud of what you've done so that everyone would see and know what you've done. But how…? Verbally denouncing you won't do the job. There was only… one… way."

Somehow, Lamia suddenly understood where this is going. It was never a murder. "She killed herself." The audience gawked. "That's how she got the message out, she killed herself?"

Rosso tucked his head down in sorrow. "Yes. That's the idea she came up. By turning a party into tragedy, she was shouting for help in a way she will get listened to. Hoping beyond hope that we will pay attention. So that we'll investigate. And we did, just as she wished."

"… But… but… then… Then that means I didn't kill her-"

"Did I ever say this is about me accusing you for the murder in Lacy Manor, Mr. Raingraze?" Rosso growled. "No sir. This is me honoring the last wishes of a bright and morally sound woman who wish to save lives at the cost of her own. This is me, accusing you of being a morally corrupt engineer who compromise his constructions to steal money in order to fund all your expensive lifestyles and parties."

"You have no proof of that. It could've been done by any one of my workers! I will not be dragged around like some criminal-"

"You're already under suspicion for false testimony, Mr. Reingraze. You are a criminal already." Rosso glared daggers at the noble. "Don't add resisting arrest to the list." However, the two burly men behind Edmund, now Rosso identified as Reingraze's bodyguards, are now showing hostile gleam in their eyes. Violence is imminent. "I'll say again. Please cooperate and come with me-"

But before Rosso can finish what he say, Edmund suddenly pushed a sword straight towards his face. Everyone gasped, and even Cornellia was caught completely off guard. But in the end, the blade never did found its mark.

Rosso's hand had grabbed the blade firmly, the tip edging a few inches away from his forehead. "False testimony, resisting arrest… now you even tried to kill an official servant of the Law." Rosso's glare turned ferocious. Gone was the kindness, gone was the stone cold composure. Now there's a beastly rage glowering. "That's strike three, Mr. Reingraze." With a slight push of his fingers, the blade snapped. "Mr. Reingraze, I am now authorized to use force if you remain uncoopera-"

Again, Rosso was cut mid sentence. Edmund's bodyguards suddenly took action and both bodyslammed Rosso, bulldozing through the table and their sheer combined weight crushing the boy to the ground, chair and all. "Young master, RUN!"

Edmund quickly turned tail and run. But Lamia quickly gave chase after grabbing a training sword. Edmund was about to reach the door when the Lady Knight in training barred his way. "Out of my way wench!" Edmund brought out his spare sword and slash it towards Lamia.

But to Lamia, it was as if the young lord is swinging his sword in a slow motion. She calmly moved her sword to block the attack. She blinked when she hardly felt the slightest bit of pressure from blocking a sword slash from a vastly older and taller man. As if moving on instinct, she bent her sword and let the blade slide across her sword until it reached the hilt. With one confident flick of her wrist, Edmund's sword was snapped off his hands, travelled shortly through the air, and fell firmly on Lamia's grasp.

Edmund looked as if he still didn't know what just happened, only that suddenly, he found himself with a pair of blades scissor-ed against his throat. "I told you-" Lamia growled "-you should've spent your time training rather than flirting." Everyone looked at the sight in disbelief, none saw that coming… none except a proudly smiling Cornellia. Meanwhile, Edmund's bodyguard fared no better. They were still struggling to hold Rosso down beneath their bulk, but his hands plunged out and reached towards their faces… and that's when they start screaming in pain.

"GYAAAAAAA!" "AAAARGHH! LEGGO! LET GO! AAAAH!" They retracted their arms pinning Rosso and start using them to claw at his hands. Said hands were gripping their faces tight, they can hear their skulls cracking beneath the pressure of his fingers. Before long, the two brawny men were on their knees, whilst Rosso had get back up on his feet, his iron hard grip is still locked on his victim's faces. He too looked at Lamia's achievement. "Well done, Milady." And with that, Rosso yanked the two men's head and slammed them unconscious to the ground.

Lamia also rolled her eyes. With both of his arms outstretched, everyone can see what Rosso was hiding beneath his cloak: a set of full body metal armor encapsulating his small frame. He came here ready for war.

Five minutes later…

The case was closed with Local law Enforcement Knights marched into the training hall to arrest the condemned. The guards dragged the still somewhat calm looking Edmund, albeit he's under the now condescending gaze of everyone on the training hall. Lamia gave him one of her very own 'fuck you' look as he sneered her way. But then, Rosso stood at her side as her fingers inadvertently stroked his cloak. "My lord."

"Well done, miss Clyne." Rosso gave her a nod of acknowledgement. "If only your swordwork can be practiced on a worthier foe."

"Well… one cannot have everything." The two watched in disgust as Edmund was dragged as he continues to gloat.

"You think you two got me!? This isn't over Judges! This isn't over!"

"She can't… stand it… can she?" Lacus sorrowfully noted. "The pressure… the knowledge she gained of the mortality of it all… she looked at the buildings you've built, lord Raingraze, and she saw not houses for the living, she saw mass graves. She shouted and screamed to warn everyone… but no one listened." She looked at Noir's grim figure next to her. "Except you two."

"There was another who listened."Noir mourned. "The one who witnessed her final moments, the one she confided to before her last moments. Her last gambit… in case her suicide failed to draw the necessary attention."

As if on cue, the door knocks. Noir merely turned around and unlocked the door.

Waltzing in timidly is a young boy with tanned skin and pale blond hair, around 15 years old.

"You!?" Edmund immediately recognized the boy immediately.

"Before she died, Catherine told her findings to the only person she trust… her secret lover, Ashem."Noir explained. "She taught him how to discover your cheats. Your misconducts. All the faults and its concealment tricks you've used in the building of the Lacy manor. She learned it all as you build her that mansion. And then she taught Ashem how to unravel it."

"I've already told everything to the Imperial Royal Engineer, your father. He already inspected your work and he found all your faults." Ashem glared defiantly at Edmund. "All your projects are being reviewed right now. He will see what you've done. Everyone will now see."

The condemned gritted his teeth and struggled no more. The guards took the now limp convict away from the crowd…

But just as they went past Kage, Lacus and Ashem… just when everyone thought the case is done… suddenly, chaos erupted. Somehow, Edmund managed to pick out a concealed knife out and crying murder, he rushed towards Ashem.

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"In hindsight, we've accomplished more than anyone could've dream of. But… I think… we've become conceited. I mean… we were kids. There are some who said we were already adults trapped in the body of children… but that was just a jest. We're children. We were never mentally prepared to deal with the darkness of that world."

"What happened?"

"Our campaign against the crime was such unmitigated success… but of course, it's not without its hiccups." Rosso clasped his fingers as he looked upon the calm seas. "To a certain extent, our enemies began to understand our pattern: whenever possible, in the event where we have to choose between solving the crime or saving the life, we will, beyond the shadow of doubt, chose the latter."

Nichol scoffed with bitterness. "Typical of the criminal classes. In desperation, they're using the innocents as shields."

"Who do you take us for, Nero? We're not some moral constrained heroes from the fairy tale. The incident with Lord Gregory had taught me much. Ever since that incident, we've changed our methodology. In each case, 95% of the time we invested on it will be spent on data gathering. We need to know everything about everyone involved in a case: from their psychological profile to the size of their boots, and not just the culprit and the victim, we study everything, including potential hostages. From there, we prepare at least a few contingencies to anticipate any situation we expect to arise. At the times when we seemingly had to let the culprit escape in order for the crooks to release their hostages, we've already prepared a series of plans to anticipate his attempt beforehand: sabotaging their safe houses, cutting off their escape route, arresting all of their associates beforehand, even setting up traps in every direction, and even better, secure the hostage BEFORE they were made into hostage in the first place… We've made so many plans and anticipatory counter plans, outthinking the enemy several tens of steps ahead, sometimes it ended up with the culprit surrendered themselves a few days later in despair when they realized they've been dancing in the palm of our hands all along."

Nichol laughed in awe. "You made it sound so easy."

"Yeah, well… I had help." Rosso sighed. "The thing is… that method proved to be so successful, the criminal elements that managed to survive our… 'purge'… up until to that point grew increasingly desperate, petty… and ruthless. A horrifying trend began to take shape. As time went by… the number of victims that survive… decreases." Rosso clenched his fist in anger. "It's not that the criminals began to outsmart us… no. They know we can outsmart them into releasing whatever hostages they hold… so they're starting to see little value in keeping the hostages alive. At times they elected to just kill them before we can get to them. Or left the hostages so scarred and battered they can't even be considered alive at that point: rape them, torture them, mutilate them… fewer and fewer victims were left intact by the time we get to them. They no longer care that harming their hostages will make things worse for them. They just want to spite our efforts, the victims were made to pay the price of our victory over their evil."

Nichol looked at Rosso with horror.

"Judges exist to save lives… not to take them… Of all the Judges that served the Circle… none embody that principle deeper and better than Noir. Others work for duty, for honor, for responsibility… Noir… Noir truly do this because he truly believes in our duty to uphold the sanctity of all life – nobleborn or commoner alike. His ruthlessness was a necessary evil that he embraced in order to save as many as he could. But with the number of innocent deaths took an ever upward trend, many of which are commoners… a bitterness began to swallow him. To him every innocent death he cannot prevent is a bitter personal failure, and he grew increasingly desperate to save as many lives as he could. But the bitterness, fueling the fury he always feel… they twisted his desperation… giving birth to…" Athrun gritted his teeth.

"…to something that was not quite human…"

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It all happened so fast, by the time Rosso realized what happened, Lamia had instinctively jumped in front of him. But that's not all that happened.

Suddenly, a chill of fear instantly gripped everyone's spine. It was an explosion of a murderous intent. A wave of death and bloodlust so thick, even battle veterans such as Cornellia and her guards felt their hair stand on end. Their battle instinct screamed a murderer, a bloodthirsty killer had exposed himself in their midst. At first they thought it came from Edmund. But when they saw his face, they saw not the face of a would be murderer… they saw a face struck in fear when it realized that death is right in front of him.

And indeed, quite literally, death is staring back at him in the face.

Bursting through Rosso, Lacus and Lamia, a small dark clad figure marched forth, his expression of absolute fury and bloodlust was concealed beneath his bone white mask, its eye slits shined violet red with murder. By all accounts, a child is rushing forward, his one arm swinging.

But the onlookers that day could've sworn they saw an angry Death God swinging its reaper scythe straight into Edmund's mouth.

It was over in a blink of an eye, Noir landed with a slide and Edmund stand stock stiff. There was no pain, no screams of horror, and there was seemingly no injury…

And then suddenly, they start hearing the sound of choking. Edmund dropped his knife and start coughing… which immediately worsened to choking and gagging as he held his throat, signifying his difficulty to breathe. When he fell on the ground he began to spasm uncontrollably with foam spilling out of his gargling mouth, everyone immediately realized nothing was right.

Rosso immediately rushed towards Edmund, his face is turning purple as he choked on the leftovers of the thing Noir shoved down his throat. "PHYSICIAN! WE NEED A PHYSICIAN NOW!"

"Wha… what?" Darlton immediately came to Rosso's assistance. "What is this? Poison?"

"No. It's…"

Rosso immediately removed the leftover substance from Edmund's gasping mouth, but his condition showed no signs of improvement, and Rosso's scream grew more desperate "PHYSICIAN!"

"No… this is bad! He won't make it!" Darlton was also at his wits end… "Breathe boy! Breathe…!"

In the midst of it all, Rosso gave a damning look at Noir. "Noir… were you… you're…"

To his horror, Noir looked back at him with an eye so cold; it doesn't seem to belong to a human. And that's all he can see externally. Athrun decided to connect their mind as he grasped Ray Yuki's braid.

What he saw inside was even more horrifying than what he perceived on the outside.

An eye depleted of sanity and a smile so inhuman welcomed him… It immediately repulsed him back to the real world with a horrified snap.

Meanwhile, Edmund's condition grew worse as his face took an ugly purple shade…

"What is happening to him!?" Darlton grew desperate…

"Runny nose…" Noir hissed as he raised his one functioning arm. "Hives on skin… and there are marks of old scratches around his throat and lips… as well as a diet that avoid certain food types… all of this… are signs. Big. Glaring. Signs… of SEVEREpeanut allergy." He dropped the thing he had shoved into Edmund's mouth…

…a supposedly harmless Peanut Sandwich.

Rosso looked at Noir in horror.

And the expressionless bone white mask speaks no more.

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Arcane Magic

Final part: The Tale of the Warrior, the Deceiver, and the Wise

Ever since George of Glenn granted them the lands they need to build their own society, the Mages have built their own society and culture entirely centered on the ability to cast magic, and thus most of the Magical society have long abandoned the preconception of ever being a part of the mainstream humanity. This magical society had considered themselves a nation unto their own, they were quite in fact content to look only to themselves and leave the dirty wartorn world of the non magical kind behind. Of course, knowing that Calron's actions will damn the whole world, they still lend him the aid to George, if only to repay the kindness he once gave them and to avenge all the wrong that has been inflicted upon their people. But they have never even considered the idea of joining that realm with that of Zaft, or any other nation for that matter. And when George passed away, the Magical society no longer felt any obligation whatsoever to stay with Zaft and long to return and rebuild their magical haven.

What most people did not realize at the time was that the Mages had grown increasingly powerful over the time, equaling the first generation demonic mages of the Pre Two Emperor era, minus the corruption. During their time in Haven, when it is still safe, the most powerful witches and wizards of their time had felt safe (and confident) enough in their abilities, that they began to further deepen their research into the arcane. The study revealed much and had enhanced their magical capability to previously unheard heights. Some now believed that perhaps this sudden spike in magical prowess is what drew Calron's attention to the Haven in the first place. But then, when the ashes are cleared, the Magical society finds themselves stronger than anything that has come before: their population had grown, up to the point they no longer need the aid of any other nation to sustain themselves. The Founding War had strengthened their military body to such extent; they can now defend their own kind without needing the protection of any other nation. Their much improved magics allowed them to boost their ability to fulfill their own food supply without having to trade with other nation. Simply put, the Magical Society had all the necessary foundations they need to build their own nation safe one: a land big enough to support their now burgeoning population. The Samurais and their allies had forged their own Nation in the east, ruling over its lands with strength and honor, but closed its borders to look for themselves. The Alliance had taken what's left, fighting amongst themselves over leftovers of the fallen empire, but still vast and powerful nonetheless. And Zaft had decided to just leave everything behind and literally made their own lands in a realm shrouded in invisibility.

With Haven all but destroyed, the Magus realized… if they are to rebuild their own kingdom… they can't do it in this world. During their research of the Arcane, the Magus had attempted to search for the origin of Ether Mana and how to better control them. And in doing so, they discovered one simple fact: humans are not alone in this universe. Yes. There are daemons (from which where Ether Mana originated) and there are Gods, each with their own worlds, opposing one another… and there are those who exist right in between. A word where phantasm and dreams made real. Long before the Founding War reached its crescendo, the Magus had begun attempts to contact this world. Checked ambition and caution see to it that these attempts are limited to just that: minute contact and distant observation. With the end of the great war, the death of their primary foe, and the desperation that comes with it, all reservations were cut off. A conclave of the world's most powerful Mages, led by the greatest of their ranks, the Sorcerer Supreme known as the Warlock King, finally attempted their most daring experiment yet: they won't just observe or contact… they will try to pry a gate open into this world, big enough so that they can bring their whole society in to colonize these new lands.

Against all odds… they succeeded.

What they had not foreseen is the fact that they've opened a gateway into a world where humans are no longer the peak of the ecosystem. The denizens that reign supreme in this realm inbetween realms are not demons… but not quite Angels either, but vastly older and far more powerful than any lone mortal. They are capricious and some are even dangerous in the extreme. Unfortunately for the Magical society, the Warlock King was a very combative wizard, a Warrior King with one simple philosophy: what they need, they'll take with force. The war that erupted overnight between the humans and the denizens of this realm, dubbed Alpheim, caused much destruction and spilled rivers of blood from both sides, but it was obvious that the humans are losing. Unlike the humans who were relatively new in the ways of arcane and magic, most, if not all of Alpheim denizens are part of an ancient civilization vastly older than humanity, and they were born out of magic, lived with magic, fought with magic. They've been using magic since the dawn of all creation before humanity had existed. To them, the most powerful magician of the human realm is just as powerful as their most powerful novice. Still, human tenacity and adaptability saw to it they endure long enough to establish a foothold. Unfortunately, the Warrior King will not live long enough to see this, thanks to a stray magical arrow that struck him by the throat. His younger brother succeeded his title and his war.

The new Warlock King was a much more cunning man than his combative brother. Instead of open war, the younger Brother decided instead to pull back their armies and strengthen their defenses, keeping to their hard earned borders, feigning a defeatist attitude. And then he began to study the realm, its society, its politics, its culture. A civilization, no matter how old or well constructed, cannot escape the grips and lure of the politicking and the vices that comes with it, so long as they were built by beings with power, no matter how ancient they are. And he was right. There are factions within this realm, factions which, in their own shape and form, had crafted their own hegemony within these lands; some are not exactly on friendly terms with one another. Through carefully study, the second Warlock King began to understand the ebbs and flows of the relationship between the great powers that lies within this realm, and he began to act accordingly. Pacts were made, bargains were struck, alliances were forged, lies uttered, oaths sworn… all of which are to be broken and undone when it benefits him, and his realm, the most. With careful machinations, the second Warlock King set his foes against each other, allying with one side only to betray them later. With deceit and cunning, the human realm in Alpheim was rebuilt upon the corpses of the deceived and the betrayed, making it stronger and bigger than ever before. But what the deceitful Warlock King failed to realize until it was too late was that oaths and pacts made in a magical realm are not so easily broken. Not without incurring a very severe retribution. None knew exactly what happened to this Deceiver King. He had broken so many oaths, betrayed so many sworn allies, the backlash would've killed mere mortal a thousand times over… But in the end he just… vanished. And his name forgotten. No one knows which oath he had broken that brought about this punishment, but everyone agreed he had it coming.

Finally, the Leadership fell unto the third brother. Unlike his two brothers, he was a humble man. And though he too, like his brothers, wished humanity's hegemony upon these lands… he also understands that challenging the natives of Alpheim with brute force is simply not the answer, and deceiving them was even worse. As with his brother, the Third Brother decided to withdraw completely to his borders, now vastly larger and stronger than ever, but, thanks to the efforts of his previous predecessors, humanity was treated with contempt and hatred from all sides. This, he accept with stoicism, as he began to work towards mending these broken relationship, no matter the cost. This saw the third brother having to give up some of the ill begotten lands that his two brothers had acquired through blood and deceit, resulting in a sizably shrink of the humanity's realm in Alpheim. But at the same time, the Third Brother also began the move of reestablishing contact with their homeworld, the human world. Envoys were sent to Zaft, who, by that time, had established their empire in the new continents raised by the Regalia. The envoy was welcomed in the new Crimson Emperor's court, with an offer: the Magi will once again join Zaft's fold, in return for a land in which they may inhabit.

Back then, Zaft was in its era of expansion. The 11 continents had just been raised and the chaotic weather that was caused by it had just stabilized, allowing Zaft to venture forth and recolonize these lands. The Crimson Emperor, a second George of Glenn was at an impasse over granting the Magus' request: on one hand, he had heard tales of how powerful these Magi are both in combat and in life. They would be a great asset to the nascent Zaft empire, making them stronger than ever, more prepared in case a second Calron Azrael rear his head. On the other hand, he accurately speculated that the Magical society had grown to be more than just a pack of surviving refugees. That they are, in fact, a civilization powerful enough to be considered an empire of its own right. If such society wishes to rejoin the Empire, the plot of land that the First George of Glenn had granted them ages past will no longer be enough. They may have to surrender an entire continent for their use… or maybe two. They have eleven more manmade continents but with the damage inflicted upon the Land Creator, they can no longer make more, and Zaft booming population will need every inch of land they can get. To the surprise of the Emperor, the Warlock King only requested double the size of that plot of land that was granted to them by George. "Leave the rest to me." He said.

Bewildered but relieved, George the second was more than happy to grant that land in the newly discovered and not yet settled continent, Februarius. And then, the Third Warlock King revealed his plan by casting a new spell, the complexity was beyond anything ever attempted before. This spell is neither about opening a gate or closing one. What spell was used was unknown and remained one of the Magical World's most closely guarded secret, but the result was there to see: the human city in Alpheim was instantly transported and anchored into Februarius… but more importantly, they also brought a portion of Alpheim with them. An entire city lies in a state of limbo, not exactly part of the human world, not exactly part of Alpheim either. The small plot of land barely enough to house a city now become vast enough for it literally sport a whole world within its confines. From this city, theoretically, humans can now walk into Alpheim and so can denizens of Alpheim enter human realm. The city became known as the Gateway.

Of course, when the Alpheians learned what the Third Warlock King had done, many of them are not exactly happy about humans opening ajar a gate between two worlds. Between that, and some of the more opportunistic of them, decided to attack Gateway, either to close it or to invade human world. But this time, things were completely different. In addition to the much more intensified defenses of the city, by the order of the Warlock King a group of dedicated wizards and witches used their magic to soothe the ocean around Februarius. This allowed the Crimson Emperor to quickly send in fleets of settlers… and more importantly, the much needed reinforcements. Overnight, Gateway's manpower was more than doubled, its defenses bolstered. When Alpheian armies attacked Gateway again, they were welcomed by a city fortified in a tall marbled wall of steel and stone. They were welcomed by not only an army of veteran Battle Mages, but also rank upon rank of disciplined army of knights led by an immortal Hakutenkun, supported by a barrage of heavy siege weaponry coupled with bombardment of some of the most deadly spells within the Magi's repertoire.

With these reinforcements many now petitioned for the Warlock King to now take back the lands they've lost to the Alpheians. These requests, the King sternly rebuked into silence. He had enough of bloodshed to last seven lifetimes. This time, the Warlock King sent envoys to the Alpheians. The envoy came with a simple message: an apology in form of remunerations for the many wrongs mankind had committed, and an offer of friendship in form of trading deals. Fortunately, while the Alpheians are not easy to forget or trust, they're also easy to forgive. Oaths and pacts were signed. And unlike the Deceiver King, the Third Warlock King was a man of his word and more. Such was his dedications and skills in diplomacy, Gateway was given back the many lands in Alpheim they've lost before. The city, and by extension Februarius, flourished as trading between two worlds brought much wealth and prosperity to all. Before long, a unique ecosystem was created in Februarius, where men and magical creatures can live together side by side in harmony. The strange atmosphere of Februarius also led to an increase of birthrate of humans with magical capabilities. Today, most of the Mages in the Empire came from Februarius.

As years passed by, the Third Warlock King, now embellished with the title the Wise King, continued to build this magical civilization within Zaft Empire. Many of the detractors of the city began to fear that they may be looking at seeds of magical rebellion brewing within the empire. These criticisms were immediately silenced by another pact made by the Warlock King to the Crimson Emperor to further cement his loyalty. Working together with the Zaft Imperial War Academy, the Wise King lay down the foundations of what would later become Magia Academia: an organization that was formed from the distilled knowledge gathered from the Magi's research into magic over three generations of Sorcerer Supremes and from their magic war with Alpheim. This allows the regulation, development and dissemination of some of the most powerful and most deadly war tested spells ever made by men into Zaft military, which essentially more than quadruple their strength and firepower. The project will also eventually gave birth to a very powerful new caste of Knights: the Elemental Soldiers. Powerful hybrid warriors that will now serve Zaft as its frontline field officers. Unfortunately, it is a development that the Wise King will never witness. By then, he had attained a great age and wasn't long for this world. When he passed away, men and Alpheians alike mourned the passing of the much beloved King. An offer was made by the ruling class of the Alpheians themselves that the Wise King to be buried in the tomb of their own Kings. The offer was accepted and a mortal King was buried as equals to the greatest of ancient kings.

Centuries afterwards, the legacy of the Warrior, the Deceiver, and the Wise lived on as Mages now formed an irreplaceable backbone in Zaft's vast army.

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To those who don't know, the London Bridge nursery rhyme is a song that was actually made to criticize the depredation of the old London Bridge back in the 16th century England and its lack of effective attempt on actually fixing it.