A/N: Somehow I managed to turn out another chapter before June! Wish me luck on finals! Thank you to my beta, xXLiquidSugarXx, for keeping me from screwing up too badly.

~7~

Capua Torim was the complete opposite of its sister harbor, lively and full of happy people. The buildings were built into the hillside, giving the town a layered look, and the lack of any ridiculously glamorous mansions was a refreshing sight. The sun beat down with a blistering heat that almost made Yuri miss the gloom of Capua Nor.

Yuri had calmed down and stopped shaking hours ago. He could remember having a similar reaction the first time he killed someone when he was just a teenager. He supposed he reacted the way he had last night because in the past all of his other kills had been in self-defense. None of them could really be classified as murder. Yuri had a bad feeling that his memories of last night would be as clear in his mind as the first time he'd shoved a sword through a bandit's chest.

They had reached Torim by mid-morning, and Yuri had been so exhausted that Raven had to be the one to dock them to a pier. Karol almost fell into the water when he tried to climb out of the boat, but he'd caught himself at the last moment. Raven was doing his best to answer the questions of a small group of excited dockworkers, while Karol stood at the corner of the pier farthest from the group. Karol kept glancing between the irritable Yuri and the crowd of onlookers with a worried frown.

"You guys came over from Nor, didn't y-?"

"-been a storm blocking the port-!"

"-have any news from Ilyccia?"

Raven handled the rapid fire questions with ease while Yuri wobbled precariously on his way out of the boat. Even when he was standing on the solid pier, he could still feel the sea rocking beneath him. Repede leapt out after him and barked in concern.

Karol stepped closer to Yuri, griping the strap of his bag in a white knuckled grip. "Yuri, did you sleep at all last night?"

"No," Yuri mumbled, "I'm going to the inn, and I'm sleeping for a couple years."

"Al-alright. Sleep well."

Repede followed behind Yuri as he shuffled his way past the excited locals. Despite his exhaustion, or maybe because of it, Yuri focused on Raven as he passed. It was the first time he'd seen the man in broad daylight, and he was taken aback by the amount of purple that was assaulting his eyes. Who did Raven think he was, dressing like that? Yuri craned his neck to watch how Raven shifted his expressions seamlessly into one another, so that he had just the right smile or just the right frown to appease the little audience he had. Yuri jolted his gaze away when Raven's eyes met his. He hadn't realized he'd been staring.

He picked up his pace. He just needed some sleep, and then he would stop gawking at old men with shifty smiles and stupid purple coats.

~7~

The sun blazed down mercilessly on a courtyard filled with a raging mob. The people jostled against a thin line of knights that kept them from overrunning an executioner's stage, their hate filled dissonance causing the guards to flinch. A man kneeled at the center of the stage in front of a gore covered block. His appearance was nondescript, and the only feature that stood out was the terror etched onto every line of his face.

"Please!" he begged. "You can't do this! I haven't even had a trial!"

He was nearly drowned out by the crowd, but Yuri could hear his cries well enough. He walked up the stairs leading to the platform, the sun's heat beating down on him like a physical force. He used both hands to carry an axe that shone nearly white in the sun.

"You can't do this!" the man cried as a faceless knight forced him to rest his head on the block.

As Yuri swung the axe down the crowd's roar became deafening before cutting off into complete silence. There was a squelching thud before a head landed face up on the stage. Yuri lost his grip on the axe when he saw Clay's lifeless brown eyes staring blindly back at him.

"No!"

A hand landed on Yuri's shoulder and he spun, his fist flying forward automatically.

"There's been a mistake!" he yelled even as the heat of the courtyard melted away.

"Hey, Yuri, wake up!"

Yuri was encased in a blanket that was too warm, and someone had his right hand in a death grip. He tore his hand free and ripped off the blanket. He jumped out of bed with his fists raised for a fight.

"It wasn't my fault!" Whoever was in his room wanted to arrest him. They were going to execute him, just like Clay.

"I'm sure it wasn't! Now quiet down!"

He threw another punch at the intruder, only to have his fist caught again.

"Snap out of it, kid! We gotta go!"

The panic that had Yuri's heart pounding began to dissipate. His eyes focused, and he was greeted by the sight of Raven doing his best to keep Yuri's fist from colliding with his face. Yuri was in his hotel room in Torim, and it had all been just a dream. He relaxed, but Raven didn't let go of his hand.

"Ya finally done tryin' ta break my jaw?"

"How did you get in here?" Yuri demanded to hide his embarrassment. "I locked the door to keep weirdoes like you out."

Raven sighed dramatically. "I'm tryin' ta help ya out, and yer worried about that?" He let go of Yuri's fist as his eyes sharpened. "There are knights from Nor investigatin' the governor's murder. We need ta get ya outta town."

Yuri's jumbled mind focused at that. "Where are the knights?" He had slept in his clothes, so he grabbed his boots and starting pulling them on.

"Their boat docked a couple minutes ago, and they're askin' a lotta questions that will lead straight ta us. C'mon, we gotta go." Raven's voice was cold and quick, and Yuri thought he might actually be worried.

After grabbing his bag and sword he turned to face Raven. "Where's Karol?"

"I already got him up. We split a room since ya were already out like a light." Raven opened the door, checking the hall carefully. "Looks like all yer yellin' didn't wake anyone up."

The hallway was dark and deserted as Yuri and Raven rushed through it and down the stairs to the first floor of the inn. Karol stood at the foot of the stairs, his hair ruffled and his eyes heavy with sleep. Raven swooped over to a door with a crooked handle just as the sound of clanking armor and voices drifted over from the lobby. He opened the door to reveal a filthy alley. Yuri was relieved to see Repede waiting patiently outside.

"Are you guys sure we have to leave right now?" Karol asked with a bit of whine.

"We could stay if ya want the knights ta drag us off. How do ya think they'd treat someone who isn't an Imperial citizen?" Raven admonished.

"N-not very well."

"Shut up," Yuri whispered to the two of them. A knight was lounging at the end of the alleyway. He hadn't noticed them yet, and Yuri didn't want to change that.

Before they could reach the other end of the alley, the back door of the inn opened. Yuri looked back to see a thin teenager carrying a bag of trash. He stopped when he saw them but didn't call out. Instead he continued on to the garbage can as if he hadn't seen anything. Yuri sighed in relief and was thankful they were in a Union controlled town. The chances of the populace helping out the knights in their search was slim.

A few blocks away from the inn their smooth escape was cut short.

"Hey there!" a boisterous man's voice broke the silence, and Karol let out a strangled squeak at the sudden noise. "I'd like to have word with you." A stocky knight with a liberal amount of stubble dotting his face was waving at the four of them.

Yuri put a hand on his sword, debating whether they should just make a break for it, when Raven actually responded.

"What kinda questions?" he asked as he stepped in front of their little group.

"I know it's unorthodox for the knights to be here, but we have reason to believe a murderer may be in your midst," the knight responded politely.

"Aren't we all just murderers ta ya Imperial types?" Raven sounded so genuinely bitter that Yuri had to remind himself that it was only an act. "Why don't ya go back were ya belong and leave us decent folk alone?"

"Excuse me, sir," the knight was doing his best to rein in his anger, "but I hardly find that a fair assessment. The man we're chasing is a dangerous fiend who brutally murdered a government official in his own bed. He's a-"

"He murdered a noble?" Raven made a motion to leave behind his back. Yuri grabbed Karol's arm and started heading for the gates, Repede trailing behind them.

"W-well yes."

"Then give the guy a medal!"

"W-wait! What do you think you're-" the knight cut off with pained cry.

Yuri glanced back to see that the knight had fallen to the ground and blood was gushing from his neck. Karol's mouth hung open in shock while Raven was rushed towards them with a bloody dagger clutched in his left hand.

"Come on!" he yelled as he barreled past them.

They rushed out of Torim and through the tall grasses that lay right outside the barrier. The few monsters that were wandering about paid them little mind. It wasn't long until they'd made it into the infamous woods that covered most of Tolbyccia.

"Why did you kill him?" Yuri demanded moments after they stopped.

"He woulda opened his big mouth and told the resta his unit that we left the city. This way they don't know anythin' fer sure. Besides, I don't know if ya got any right ta be mad at me fer killin' someone."

Yuri's entire body went cold. He remembered what Raven had said when he'd woken him up, and he put a hand on his sword as Repede started growling. Raven was the only person who knew that Yuri had killed Ragou.

"Everythin's fine now." Raven glanced significantly at Karol, who was wringing his hands and looking between Raven and Yuri in obvious distress. "We should make camp and try ta get some sleep."

"I-I think that sometimes you just have to do stuff so you can survive," Karol spoke up. "We shouldn't start fighting each other 'cause of that."

Yuri moved his hand from his sword, and Repede relaxed. "You're right." He pointedly did not look at Raven. "We shouldn't make a campfire, in case the knights decide to look outside Torim."

They quickly set up a perimeter of monster repellent and put out bedrolls as Repede sat in the middle of the campsite, his intelligent eye watching them all closely. Karol tried to break the strained silence a few times, but his attempts fell flat. Eventually he laid down and fell asleep, his snoring mixing with the sounds of the wildlife. Raven and Yuri had sat down at opposite ends of the camp, but the moment Karol began to snore, Yuri flew to his feet and was standing in front of Raven in a few long strides.

"I don't want any trouble," Raven whispered as he stood, forcing Yuri to take a step back. He looked over at Karol's prone form. "Let's get away from the kid, at least."

Yuri glanced down at Repede, who stood next to him. "Stay here and keep an eye on Karol."

Repede growled at Raven before turning and walking regally over to where Karol slept.

"I don't think yer dog likes me too much."

Yuri was satisfied to see Raven looked nervous. "Repede doesn't like anyone," he replied with a sharp smirk.

He started trudging through the woods, Raven following beside him. The older man kept looking over his shoulder, but once Yuri stopped walking, he collected himself.

"The minute ya told me where ya were goin', I knew ya were gonna kill the governor. I didn't stop ya 'cause it's no skin off my back." Raven spoke as he had to the dockworkers, with an easy charisma that practically screamed 'trust me.' Yuri wasn't foolish enough to fall for it. "I'm tryin' ta stop these guys too, and if one a 'em gets stabbed, I'm all fer it."

In that moment Yuri knew he had to make a decision on whether or not he should trust Raven to keep his secrets. Raven had gone through the trouble of passing on information when he had no obligation to on many occasions, and he hadn't stopped Yuri when he'd gone to kill Ragou. Despite this, something about Raven rubbed Yuri the wrong way, and he just couldn't put his finger on what it was.

"Come on, kid, we could help each other out," Raven continued in the face of Yuri's unmoving silence, and even in the dark Yuri could see him grinning.

"Why?" Yuri asked.

"What?" The grin slid of Raven's face.

"Why are you helping me? It's not just because we're investigating the same thing. You had no reason to give me those letters, or to tell us the knights were coming."

"So a man can't be nice without ulterior motives?" Raven sounded thoroughly offended.

Yuri crossed his arms. "Not men like you."

Raven shifted in the dark. He straightened out of his slouch and lifted his head to look Yuri in the eye. The charisma was gone, replaced only by blankness. "Do ya want me ta leave?"

"No." He had expected more denials and eventually an explanation, not this. "I just want to know if I can trust you."

"Ya don't trust me." Raven shifted again, leaning his weight onto his left foot. Yuri could hear anger in his voice, and this time it was genuine. "I held a knife ta yer throat, and I stood over ya when ya were sleepin', and I didn't do nothin'. If I wanted ta hurt ya or the kid I woulda done it already."

Yuri uncrossed his arms and tightened his right hand into a fist. "That doesn't mean you're not going to turn me in at your convenience. Even if they don't know who murdered Ragou, a reward will still be offered for information."

Raven took a half step closer. "Ya think I'm gonna turn ya in? A man who doesn't have any human rights accordin' ta the Empire?" He shook his head. "I'm practically yer accomplice, not to mention I burnt down some mansions last time I was in Zaphias. I'll be right next ta ya on the headsman's block if I was as stupid as that."

What Raven was saying made sense, and Yuri felt a bolt of embarrassment run through him. He must seem like such a fool, demanding answers from someone he'd already let his guard down around. Something was still off about the whole situation, and it bothered Yuri like an itch he couldn't scratch. He didn't have any real reason to distrust Raven, though.

Yuri sighed and let his right hand relax, feeling a sting where his nails had dug into his palm. He noticed then that in their argument Raven had moved so close that there was hardly an inch of space between them. Yuri's heart was beating erratically. He had thought it was because he was angry before, but now his anger had slipped away. Oh no. Tension seeped back into Yuri's shoulders. At least he knew now what bothered him about Raven.

Raven reached for something at his hip and held up a small metal canteen. "Ya look ya could use a drink."

Laughter burst from Yuri's lips, but it grated in his ears. "No thanks, old man." Yuri stepped back, feeling warmer than he should have in the cool night air. He did his best to make it look like he wasn't running away. "I'll trust you for now, and we can help each other out, like you said."

"Yeah and when we get ta Dahngrest we can finally get that drink, in a warm bar, without any arguin' or knights chasin' after us. It'll be great." Raven took a swig from the canteen.

Yuri smiled, but he turned away from Raven so he wouldn't see it. "I'm going back to sleep before the sun decides to rise."

His mind raced as he trudged back to camp. He could hear Raven a few paces behind him, so Yuri sped up. This wasn't something he'd expected. He'd had trysts in past, but they had all been with men close to his age. None of them had been as crooked as Raven was, either. Yuri stomped through the foliage. Just because he was attracted to someone didn't mean anything had to come of it. Raven had proven useful to his work, and Yuri wasn't going to complicate things.

Never mind the fact that Raven kept insisting they get drinks.