Kira awoke with a start. His head felt like it was being used like a drum by a pack of insane musicians. Come to think of it, his entire body ached. However, it was his right shoulder, just where the shoulder became the neck that really throbbed. It felt like someone had ripped a large chunk of his flesh out just using his or her teeth. Kira closed his eyes and tried to remember what had happened. His eyes flew open with a start. "Zacharis!" he shouted, struggling to sit up.

"You don't need to worry; you and all your friends are safe." A man with brown and black speckled hair and green eyes that twinkled with deep inner amusement said from a nearby chair. He drew back one of the curtains surrounding the bed. "Your friend Athrun is right next door, see?"

Athrun was indeed right next door, not more than five feet away. He was also awake and was sitting upright. He wore a neck brace and bandages were wrapped around his head quite a few times.

"You okay, Kira?" Athrun asked, turning his head slowly and carefully.

"I feel worse than I did after you self destructed the Aegis right next to me, but I suppose I'm alive." Kira replied. "What about everyone else? Lacus… Cagalli?"

"Are just fine. Recovering in another ward. Girls ward and guys ward, you see." The man sitting next to Kira said in a jolly tone. "It was you guys that got the crap kicked out of you. The girls were just treated for minor injuries; scrapes, cuts and bruises. And of course for psychological trauma, they were pretty scared." The man continued.

"Who are you? What about Dearka and Ysak?" Athrun asked.

"I'm Alkire. We met at the airport, remember? I'm the guy that dragged your half dead carcass to this hospital." Alkire replied with a smile. "Ysak is just beyond Athrun there. I'll open the curtain in a minute, but he's not feeling very communicative. He suffered a pretty severe injury to a rather personal spot. He'll recover, but he won't be hitting any home runs with either of my girls for a while." Alkire told them. "As for Dearka… the blond haired guy with purple eyes, right? Well he's in surgery right now. That rat bastard who bit you, Kira, well he stabbed Dearka in the right lung with that carving knife and collapsed it. He was within about three minutes of death by the time we got him to this hospital. The doctors tell me he should pull through just fine though. They've fixed his lung, which luckily wasn't ripped or torn and he should be back to normal in a few weeks. Damn, but you Coordinators are tough."

"Not as tough as Zacharis though." Kira said bitterly. "Cagalli shot him in the shoulder and then Dearka put four rounds in his lower abdomen and then shot him twice more afterwards. This was of course after Athrun kicked him in the groin, Dearka clubbed him in the head with the butt of a gun and I had fought hand to hand with him for several minutes. How the hell is he still alive… unless you guys killed him?"

"Nope. Afraid not. James nearly took his arm off with an upper arm hit, but he ran off before we could finish him. But he should be out of the picture for a long time. There's no way he could recover before a few weeks have passed, even if he spent all that time in intensive care." Alkire replied. He still shivered, remembering how his shot had hit Zacharis squarely in the chest… and the kid hadn't even flinched. Then how when James opened up he somehow managed to miss or near miss, despite only being about twenty feet away. Alkire still wondered if he'd dreamed that or not. Dodging bullets wasn't humanly possible.

Just then a doctor came in. "Your friend… Dearka Elsman… has just left the surgery. He's unconscious but he'll make a full recovery. He's very lucky. If the people on site hadn't given him excellent first aid, he'd likely have died. We'll put him in here so you can be around when he wakes up." The doctor informed them and then left. Suddenly there was a very loud stomping out in the hall. Everyone clearly heard the doctor say "Sir… you can't go in there without a pass. Sir… Sir!" and then the sound of someone falling and hitting the ground very hard. Everyone tensed.

Kisaka stormed through the door like an angry bear. Alkire reflected that it might not have been a good idea having called him and told him about the whole incident. He hadn't expected Kisaka to just drop everything and come here, which is what he must have done to get here so soon. Kisaka's eyes darted about the room until they came to rest on Alkire. Kisaka stomped over and lifted the thinner man out of the chair by his collar. "What the hell is going on, Robert? Why did I get a call saying that Cagalli had been hospitalized in an incident? Why where YOU the one to call me?" Kisaka demanded.

"Oh, come on sir, do you really hate me that much that you would suspect I had anything to do with this whole thing?" Alkire protested. Kisaka considered that.

"Maybe not you, but certainly Vladimir. If you're involved, that means he's involved. And if he's involved then I'm going to be very angry." Kisaka replied.

"They saved our lives. Or some of our lives anyway. Cagalli's certainly." Ysak called from behind his partition. Kisaka dropped Alkire and moved over to Ysak's bed.

"What do you mean?"

"If Alkire and Vlad and James hadn't come along when they did, Cagalli, Lacus and Miriallia would be dead… skinned alive by a madman, right now. Kira would be dead too… bled out from his bitten shoulder and Dearka would be dead from a collapsed lung. I'd say they did a lot more good than harm, if they did any harm at all." Ysak told him. Kisaka glared at Alkire.

"We wouldn't have been there at all if I hadn't remembered something you taught me. "Coincidences can still get people killed", remember?" Alkire said. Kisaka kept glaring at him but slowly gave a nod of acceptance.

"Fine. Good work, Robert. Don't think I've forgiven you yet, but this is a start. I'm going to see Cagalli. Don't go anywhere, Robert. I want to talk to you when I get back." Kisaka ordered before leaving the room much calmer seeming than when he entered it.

"I have to know. What is the deal between you five and Kisaka?" Athrun asked after the door was shut. "I mean he really seems to not like you, and from what I've seen of you, you seem like the people he would at least respect, if not admire."

Alkire considered for a long time. "I suppose I can give you the short version." He said at last. "Basically, Raine, Victor, Vlad, James and I were once students at a guerilla warfare academy where Kisaka was an instructor. This was five years or so before the war started. We were his star students… the ones that were so good we helped him teach everyone else. We were like members of the same family. But then Kisaka's girlfriend… fiancé actually, was kidnapped, by Blue Cosmos it turns out. She wasn't a Coordinator, but she was a supporter of Coordinator rights, a public one. Kisaka tried to rescue her. He took us along. We were so confident in our special status that we expected the mission to be a breeze. We were overconfident." Alkire said.

"And then?" Kira asked.

"And then we blew it. Fucked the entire mission over good. We found out that Vlad was a secret supporter of Blue Cosmos when he turned on us. In the ensuing gunfight, Kisaka's fiancé was killed. She died with unborn twins inside her. Kisaka's kids, to be exact. We don't know exactly who fired the bullets that killed her, but Kisaka suspects it was Vlad. It was only much later that we learned that Blue Cosmos had been blackmailing and deceiving Vlad into being their pawn. That was about when the war started. Understandably, Kisaka lost all trust in us, and especially in Vlad. He loathes Vlad. Having us turn up again is going to remind him of his fiancé and their unborn kids. He'll be really touchy for a while." Alkire explained.

"Vladimir was Blue Cosmos?" Ysak exclaimed. "So that story Dearka told me about him was true? Did Vlad actually know the Strangler Horrificus?"

Alkire looked at the floor. "Know him? Vlad IS the Strangler Horrificus." Alkire said neutrally. "We never knew much about his background till after that mission, but we later learned he'd only been taking Kisaka's class so he could learn better infiltration techniques for his raids on the PLANTS. If you see him later, you'll see his kill markers. Red circles for military people. Blue circles for civilians. Purple circles with green rims for children below age 12. One circle per person. A horrifyingly simple system."

"He's real?" Athrun asked, disbelieving. "I thought he was just a bedtime story. I mean, I know there were lots of unexplained disappearances in the PLANTS over the years, and some unexplained murders, but I never expected that it was just one guy doing it all."

"You let children of any sort be around somebody like him?" Ysak said in horror.

"Vlad's changed. I don't know exactly what it was they were blackmailing him with… but it was enough to change that gentle hearted man into the worst killer in the last two centuries. Now that we've rescued him from Blue Cosmos control, he's really not a bad person. He hates himself more than anyone else does for what he's done. He knows there can be no forgiveness for him. But that doesn't stop him from trying. And that's what makes him my friend. He loves those two girls with all his gigantic heart. He'd do anything for them. And, as you have probably heard, he's very protective of them. He wants to shelter them from the horridness of the real world. Which is why every guy they've been interested in has fled screaming into the night. Except you." Alkire replied. He sat down in his chair again, after pulling back Ysak's curtain so everyone could look at each other.

"That's a lot to digest." Kira noted.

"Take your time. None of you are going to be leaving those beds for a few days." Alkire advised. It was at that moment when Kisaka came back in, looking immensely relieved. He actually came over to Alkire and placed a hand on his shoulder in thanks.

"Thank you, Robert. I misjudged the situation, and judged you… from past experience." Kisaka admitted.

"No problem, sir. You were right to do what you did back then. But now is now, not then. With your permission, I'm going to go see Vlad." Alkire replied. Kisaka stopped him before he could get out the door.

"Tell Vlad that I can't forgive him… no matter what he does." Kisaka said in a low voice.

"He knows, sir. He knows." Alkire whispered in a sad voice, before leaving the room. Before Kisaka could say anything else, a stampede of girls came barging into the room. Cagalli and Lacus led the pack, but the other girls weren't more than nano-seconds behind. The girls split up upon entering the room like a river flowing through obstructions, each fork smoothly heading along the path of least resistance to get to where it was going, except with girls, not river forks. They all began talking at once, each trying to convey worry, happiness and relief all at once. All except for Miriallia, since Dearka was still unconscious and sedated from surgery. Mir just held his hand and placed it gently on her forehead.

"I guess this means you won't be resting your head on my shoulder for a while." Kira said, trying to be light hearted. Lacus burst into tears anyway. Kira knew that she probably would have done so no matter what he said, but he was still discomfited. "Lacus… Lacus." He repeated over and over again until she looked at him again.

"I was so frightened! I couldn't do anything to stop him! He… he was going to… going to…" She stammered.

"Hush. He's not going to do anything to you. Not when I'm around. We stopped him, Lacus. He's gone. We won." Kira told her.

She put her head on his stomach and cried. "It's… it's just… just that when he bit you and you were fighting on the ground. Your… your scream… it… it felt like he was tearing at my soul when you screamed. And then you went limp… so limp. And he slammed your head into the tree… you just fell down… like a rag doll. And I thought… I thought… that you… you were dead."

"It's okay. It's okay. I'm fine now. Especially since you are safe. It's okay." Kira kept repeating over and over again.

"I'm really okay." Athrun said to Cagalli in the next bed over. "It's just a bad sprain. They only have the brace on because of standard procedure for neck injuries."

"That's not what I'm crying about." Cagalli replied. "It's that I came so close to losing you again. When Zacharis pointed that gun at you I felt my heart stop. I thought I was going to helplessly see you gunned down before my eyes by that maniac." She sobbed.

"I should have come after him in the forest." Athrun said, clenching his fists in rage as he noted the deep purple and black bruises in the shape of human fingers on Cagalli's throat.

"You wouldn't have been able to do anything." Cagalli said sadly. Athrun looked at her indignantly. "It's nothing against you. But he took down Kira when Kira was in his berserk mode, and he did it without too much trouble. He did the same to Dearka, and that was AFTER I shot him in the shoulder. He nearly skinned Lacus alive after getting seven bullets pumped into him, kicked in the balls, clouted in the head and stabbed in the shoulder. Unless you had a rocket launcher with you, you couldn't have done anything. And even then, he might have dodged the rocket." Cagalli said placatingly.

"I still don't know whether to believe that or not." Athrun said. "Dodging bullets… that's just insane."

"Do you really think Dearka could have missed from twenty feet away with a fully automatic weapon?" Miriallia asked suddenly, appearing at the foot of the bed. Athrun shook his head. There was no way that Dearka, unwounded, would have EVER missed at that range, even with an unfamiliar weapon.

"No. He couldn't have missed. It's just so hard to believe." Athrun replied. "Almost as hard to believe as me getting my butt kicked by a Natural bimbo."

"She's not a Natural, actually." Kisaka said, clearing his throat. "I looked at the preliminary findings of her examination on the flight over here. She's been put in the critical care ward of this same hospital. She used to be a Natural, back when she was eight or so. But since then she's been pumped full of drugs that the books don't even have names for, as well as received both biological and mechanical implants of startling complexity."

"So what does that mean exactly?" Ysak asked, from where Chanel and Katie were fawning over him for being so brave.

"I don't know. But it seems more than likely that this Zacharis Frost… the one that got away despite what should have been mortal wounds, was also modified like she was. Doing so would have required a top end medical lab and billions of dollars in funds. There are few with the resources to do so and only one with the motivation to make Coordinator killers. Blue Cosmos." Kisaka replied.

"Hey… I just realized something. Where's Sai?" Kira asked. Everyone froze.

"That guy… the one supposedly in charge of the games but was actually the Blue Cosmos leader…" Miriallia began.

"Ray Sark was his name. Lieutenant Ray Sark of the Atlantic Federation Army." Kisaka provided.

"Ray Sark then. When Ray was gathering us to go out to the woods, he tried to go get Sai, but then came back and told us that Sai would be joining us later, after the games. But of course the games were just a ruse to get us set up for slaughter… so… you don't think they killed him, did they?" Mir asked in a small voice. Nobody answered. Nobody knew.

"I'll start investigating." Kisaka promised, getting up. Everyone else looked at each other, sobered by the realization. Somebody might not have made it. Somebody might not ever celebrate anything ever again. How could they have celebrated without knowing whether or not EVERYONE was okay?

------------------------------------------

"This is a fiasco! A disaster! A catastrophe! Captain, what do you have to say for yourself?" Cervantes Zunnichi raged, pacing back and forth across the floor of his office.

"They killed my boy. Shot him right in the head." Asmodeus Sark whispered, his eyes drained of all feeling.

"Captain… this operation to protect my daughter has cost us ten good people, eleven counting your son, one BCPU 5 is dead, our only BCPU 6 is going to be in intensive care for the next three months and Blue Cosmos is getting attacked in the media world wide for attacking children. What were you thinking?" Zunnichi said, so angry he couldn't even scream.

"Killing Lacus Clyne and her friends was not my idea. It was my sons. He died for it. That's enough, in my opinion." Sark said dangerously. "As for your daughter, she was busy banging herself silly with a boy named Sai Argyle the entire time. They flew to your Hawaiian estate shortly before the police arrived in Switzerland. They are both there now… still banging each other silly. The mission was completed successfully." Sark continued, heavy on the sarcasm. Zunnichi went white around the lips.

"I should kill you for speaking about my daughter that way." He mused.

"Then kill me! You think I want to live, having outlived my son? I want revenge! I don't care what I have to do, but I want to give those responsible what they deserve!" Asmodeus shot back. Zunnichi pursed his lips.

"Look, Asmodeus. I shouldn't have blamed you for the losses. It was your son's idea alone and like you said, he has more than paid for it, dying for the cause. You have my condolences, truly. I can give you some time off, if you need it. Our schedule has been pushed back by several months anyway."

"Damn time off! I want you to promise me that you'll devote some resources towards avenging my son! Call off a few preplanned riots or something and give me a team. I'll go root out those murderers and make an example of them. Mr. Zunnichi, I'm not going to ask for much. This doesn't have to be right away. Just promise me that it'll happen." Asmodeus replied.

"I promise, Asmodeus. I swear as one father to another that your son will be avenged. Just be patient. Now… you said my daughter is with someone at my estate?" Zunnichi said to his subordinate.

"His name is Sai Argyle. Father's name is Bruce Arglye. Family owns the former Argyle Industries on Heliopolis, which specialized in zero G industry and commerce. Formerly engaged to Flay Allister, deceased, daughter of the former Vice Foreign Minister of the Atlantic Federation. A crewmember of the Archangel class ship "Archangel". He was apparently on board from the moment Heliopolis was destroyed up until the end of the war. He served willingly as an Electronic Warfare Specialist during that time. All personal files indicate a high degree of natural intelligence and great aptitude for computer programming and electronics work. He's not bad looking either. 170 centimeters tall, blondish hair, brown eyes, and good fashion sense from what I can see. He's 17 now.

"I've heard of the Argyle's. A solidly middle upper class family. Really too bad about their company's holdings being destroyed. They would have been in my top five choices for our first space manufacturing subsidies for Mobile Suits. Where are his mother and father now?"

"Staying in the Atlantic Federation, in the old state of Colorado. They have some estates there. They are living off insurance payments and banked income. They are planning to pick Sai up from Switzerland in two weeks time."

"Can we divert them? And then send someone in their place to see who comes to greet them at the Swiss airport? That would go a long way towards figuring out who killed your son." Zunnichi asked.

"I can connect you with their house line later sir. I'm sure they'd be more than pleased to find out that their son is bedding your daughter."

Zunnichi winced. "Please, Asmodeus, use more tact. No father likes hearing about how his sweet daughter is sexually active, even with someone from an acceptable social station."

"Sorry sir. It's different with a son. You're proud then rather than uneasy."

"Quite. Now, give me the Argyle's phone number. And then arrange for a flight to Hawaii. You and I are going to go meet this Sai. I'm sure there's a lot he can tell us about a great many interesting things."

-----------------------------

"Sai…" Vanai said sleepily.

"Mmmm?" he replied, rolling over on the luxurious king sized bed so he could face her.

"Do you really love me?" she asked. Sai blinked.

"Of course. Whenever I look at you I feel like I'm taller than the clouds and lighter than air itself. My heart does flip flops and my mouth goes dry. If that's not love… then nothing is." Sai answered, propping himself up on one elbow so he could look down at her. Her red hair was spread out all over her side of the bed, like a fan of fire. She gazed back at him with yellow eyes that could be fierce, passionate and vulnerable all within seconds of each other. "Besides…" Sai reached out and laid a hand on her stomach, feeling her flesh through the thin sheets. "… I've certainly never done this with a girl I didn't love." Though I certainly have with a girl that didn't love me. Flay and I had that one night together, the night our engagement was announced. And then she slept with Kira just to spite me. Sai thought bitterly.

"Thank you. I've never been in love before. All the other guys have just wanted me because I'm beautiful." Vanai replied. "They didn't say sweet things to me or care about what I felt."

"I… I also know what that feels like. To have been used just because a girl thought I was good looking." Sai replied. Vanai snuggled closer to him and laid his head back down on the pillows. She held him close.

"Tell me about it. Maybe I can help you feel better." She said.

"Her name was Flay. Flay Allster. She was my fiancé. I thought we cared about each other. I certainly cared about her. I would have walked through fire for her. But then… on the way home on the Archangel, her father was killed. And after that she wasn't the same. Eventually she admitted to have been sleeping with my best friend, Kira Yamato, a Coordinator. After that she didn't even bother keeping their relationship a secret, from anyone on the ship. Not only did she cheat on me, but also she let the whole ship know that she had discarded me for someone she considered to be a better man. And that man happened to be my best friend, who never even told me. We… still aren't as friendly as we used to be, even now that Flay is dead." Sai poured out.

"Doesn't sound to me like this Coordinator, Kira, was much of a friend to you. I mean, he slept with your fiancé and didn't even try to stop her or anything, it sounds like to me. He may have been planning to all along. Flay sounds very beautiful, Kira was probably jealous. Even among friends, things like that can happen." Vanai said quietly.

"I don't know. I just don't know! I mean, Kira was a great guy and all… he risked his life for everyone on the ship innumerable times, even though we all knew he hated the very idea of fighting and killing. But how can I trust him again after he cuckolded me like that? I couldn't even get into a fight with him over it, because he's a Coordinator and I wouldn't have had a chance against him." Sai continued. Vanai held him closer still.

"It's okay, darling Sai. That part of your life is over. You don't have to worry about anyone forcing you apart from the people you love ever again. Even if my father told me this instant to dump you outside… I'd… I'd ignore him!" Vanai declared.

"Who is your father, anyway?" Sai asked, surprised that he hadn't done so earlier.

"You've heard of Cervantes Zunnichi, right?" she asked him in return.

"Of course. He's the CEO of Cosmos Weapons Manufacturers, and probably the third richest man in the world. So that's why you have so many huge houses. I'm overwhelmed." Sai replied, speaking truthfully.

"Your family isn't exactly poor either." She pointed out.

"True, but most of our holdings are space debris now. My family lives on bank interest and insurance pay offs these days. My dad is still in shock. It'll take some drastic work to get the company back in shape." Sai responded.

"Hey Sai?"

"Mmm?"

"I'm tired of talking about serious things. Are you rested?"

"Oh… yes."

---------------------------------

Several hours later Sai was brushing his teeth after getting out of the shower. He had initially gotten into the shower an hour ago, but then Vanai had joined him and they had both found out that Sai wasn't as exhausted as he had thought. That had extended the shower considerably. Sai pulled on some clothes recently purchased from an airport clothing store. It was just a loose white collared shirt with black slacks and a new belt. He went barefoot and left the shirt unbuttoned in the Hawaiian humidity. There was no one around to see, anyway. Or not anyone whom he didn't want to have see, to be more exact. Sai picked up a razor and shaved off the little stubble that he accumulated and then went back out into the main room of the seashore estate. Vanai wasn't around, though the door to the beach was open. Sai picked up his orange tinted sunglasses and sauntered outside. Vanai was sitting a few dozen yards away, at the very edge of the shoreline, where the waves just nipped at the tips of her toes. She was dressed in a plain black one piece bathing suit that looked like it had been spray painted on her. Sai headed over and sat down next to her.

"You sure your dad doesn't mind… you know… us?" he asked.

"I haven't exactly told him yet. It's only been about a day since I first met you. Hard to believe, isn't it?" Vanai replied.

"Yeah. But I believe it." Sai said, putting and arm around her shoulders.

"In answer to your question though, we'd know if daddy minded. He'd send Asmodeus to toss you out if he thought you were unsuitable. It's happened before. It's never fun for the hapless guy who didn't meet daddy's standards." Vanai said.

"Who's Asmodeus? He sounds like a person I'd not like to meet in a dark alley.

"Asmodeus is my father's chief of security. He's also a Captain in the Earth Forces Army Special Forces. He's actually a really nice man, though his son Ray is a total ass. He tried to rape me once, but I threatened to tell daddy and his father before he could. And then he wondered why I wouldn't spend time around him any more. He was a moron." Vanai informed him.

"If this Ray character ever comes around here, I think I'll have to punch him." Sai decided. Vanai shaded her eyes and looked out across the sea.

"That's funny, I didn't know there was a supply run coming in." she commented. "My father keeps this estate supplied by floatplane, since it sits on its own island. But I thought the next flight was Tuesday… it's only Sunday." She looked at him. "That was a really nice thing to say. You're getting me horny again." She whispered.

"I wish I could, love. But I'm as drained as a wrung dishrag. Manly failings and all that. Girls have more stamina or maybe you just recover faster." Sai replied. "Besides… that'd be the eighth time in twenty four hours… roughly once every three hours. That has to be some sort of record."

"I could always try to… motivate… you. I don't mind. There's no one around to see." Vanai said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"Ummm…" Sai said, turning bright pink. Vanai licked her lips and drew closer, so that she was practically sitting on his lap. Before anything else could happen though, the seaplane passed by overhead and splashed down to a perfect landing in the surf about fifty yards off. Vanai looked at it in annoyance, her expression quickly changed to uncertainty.

"That's my daddy's personal transport plane. I wonder what he's doing here?" she said. Sai scooted away from her rapidly.

"I'll take responsibility. That way he'll only get mad at one of us." Sai volunteered. Vanai pulled him closer again.

"You'll do no such thing, love. There's nothing to be ashamed of. Its not like we've been doing something unnatural." Vanai reminded him.

"Unnatural no… immoral, maybe…illegal, yes." Sai responded. She slapped his arm in mild rebuke.

"It didn't feel against morals to me. Did it for you?" she asked.

"No." Sai replied after a moments consideration.

"As for illegal… on this island, my father is the ruler. He has no written laws forbidding underage or unmarried sex. So don't worry. We've done nothing wrong." Vanai told him.

"My head gets that. It's just my heart won't stop fluttering and a certain other part of me is trying to shrink into nothingness." Sai half joked. He gulped when the plane taxied into the shallows and a ramp extended out onto the beach. A tall, broad shouldered man in an expensive business suit walked out onto the beach. His white hair was impeccably styled and he had the same yellow eyes as Vanai. A short mustache and goatee bristled on his face. His face was only slightly lined, though he looked to be at least sixty. He carried a cane of what looked to be white stained wood with a yellow topaz the size of a man's thumb on the top. Behind him strode a man in a Captain of Special Forces uniform, obviously the man known as Asmodeus. Asmodeus had graying hair with thin upper lip mustachios that were still black. He had a wiry but muscular build that seemed to suggest endurance and arm strength along with lightning quick reflexes. Asmodeus's eyes were a blue so pale they looked whitish.

"Hey daddy!" Vanai called, waving her arm at Cervantes. Cervantes stepped briskly along the firm beach.

"So that's Sai Argyle. He certainly looks relaxed." Cervantes commented.

"He should… given that in the last twenty four hours he's climaxed seven times, three of those times in the last six hours. I'm surprised he was able to walk as far as he has." Asmodeus replied.

"I know I shouldn't ask this… but where do you get your information from?" Cervantes asked.

"You were the one who told me to bug all of your daughter's rooms once she reached puberty. It's just a manner of activating the right set. Which, sir, can only be done if you tell me so or in times of emergency, like last night." Asmodeus replied.

"Right… Asmodeus?"

"Yes sir?"

"I'll need a transcript of your recordings on my desk before I get to the office tomorrow."

"Yes sir."

"Vanai… how have you been? I heard about the horrid happenings at the Swiss manor yesterday. I'm just glad you are all right." Cervantes said, giving his daughter a quick hug and peck on the cheek.

"What happenings?" Vanai asked.

"There was an accident at your party after you left. Ray was killed. A Coordinator shot him in the head." Asmodeus said bitterly. Vanai gasped.

"Oh no. Asmodeus, I'm so sorry. I didn't know I had invited any Coordinators." She told him, forcing tears out of her eyes when she really wanted to laugh and dance.

"It's not your fault dear. They're a sneaky bunch. Almost impossible to detect unless you know what to look for." Cervantes said.

"Um, sir?" Sai spoke up. Cervantes looked at him full on. Sai looked straight back, which pleased Cervantes. The boy had a spine. "What did the Coordinator who shot your chief of security's son look like?"

"He was wearing a ZAFT uniform, everyone thought it was just a politically incorrect costume. He had silver-ish hair, blue eyes and a large scar from just above his left eye that ended just above the bottom of his right cheek. He sneaked a ZAFT service pistol in as part of his costume. Why?" Asmodeus asked.

"I know that guy. His name is Ysak." Sai said slowly.

"Friend of yours?" Cervantes asked. Sai shook his head in denial.

"He's a friend of a friend of mine, but I personally think he's an anti-social jerk most of the time. He's the son of a PLANT Supreme Council member, Ezaria Jule. I hear he's been convicted in absentia up at the PLANTS for war crimes." Sai spilled out, his bitterness brought to the fore and keeping him speaking long past the point of no return.

"You don't say?" Asmodeus said, hiding his glee. This kid was going to be a gold mine.

"Is this Ysak the kind of person who would have a grudge against Naturals for any reason?" Cervantes asked.

"Hell, yes. Sorry for the language sir. But yes, definitely. He's always looked down on Naturals. He always berated his friends about their relationships with Naturals. He's the cold, unfeeling and arrogant type too. He was at the Panama massacres and he fought to defend the GENESIS laser when it was firing on Earth, killing Earth Forces personnel in the process." Sai informed them. He didn't know why he was being so negative about Ysak, but for some reason his bitterness at being betrayed by Flay for Kira was just spurring him on past all reason.

"Is he violent, this Ysak?" Asmodeus asked.

"He attacked two Natural girls… twins… when they came to see him out of love. He threw a knife through a door and nearly killed his best friend in the process later that same night. During the war he destroyed a shuttle full of fleeing civilians… all Heliopolis survivors… just out of spite. He is the pilot of the Duel, one of the Gundam's the ZAFT forces stole from Heliopolis. I sometimes felt physically threatened when he was about, for sure." Sai replied.

"He sounds like a monster. We should take him into custody as soon as possible, before he hurts someone else, maybe someone you know." Cervantes said, inwardly celebrating. This was just what he needed. Perfect!

"I can help you with that. I can give you the address of our apartment complex, the code to get in, stuff like that. If Ysak's started killing people, he needs to be stopped, and soon." Sai continued. Asmodeus and Cervantes looked like they wanted to hug each other. Vanai smiled radiantly and put her arms around Sai, pressing up against his back, hard. Cervantes just smiled.

"Sai Argyle… I think you and I are going to get along just fine. You and my daughter have my full blessings. I'm glad to see she finally found a responsible and upright man. And don't worry about your parents. I already called and talked to them. They're fine with you staying with Vanai as long as you want." Cervantes said.

"Thank you sir, that's a serious weight off my shoulders. But how did you know to call my parents?" Sai asked.

"Sai… Sai… I'm Cervantes Zunnichi. There is very little I don't know or can't learn. I found out that you were with my daughter and as a pure precaution, did a background check on you. I got a hold of your parents and told them you were no longer in Switzerland. They were overjoyed to learn that you had finally found a girlfriend you could trust." Cervantes said lightly.

"That is for sure, sir. I trust Vanai. With my heart, my life, with all I am." Sai replied.

"Very good. I'm glad to see that your depth of feeling is deep indeed. Why don't we get inside, out of this humidity? We can talk about many things, serious and not." Cervantes said, putting an arm around Sai's shoulders and his other arm around Vanai's shoulders and gently steering them back toward the house. Asmodeus saluted at his bosses back and went back to the transport plane, to get to work using the information Sai had just given them and to prepare the recording transcripts for reporting.