This one was a tough one to write, but I think it was worth it, in the end. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorite, and followed. Every little bit of reaction I get to this makes me grin like a madwoman. Thank you also to my beta, xXLiquidSugarXx, who is invaluable.

~10~

The Captain didn't say a word as he began to approach the armoire, his mouth set into a grim line. Yuri pulled the assassin's knife from his stolen belt and prepared to fight. He had no hope of talking his way out of this, especially when he was sure he'd just overheard the First Captain murder one of his colleagues.

Yuri burst from the armoire just as the Captain took a step towards it. He swung the knife in a smooth arc towards the man's face, and the clang of two weapons colliding filled the bedroom. Yuri jumped back, preparing to ward off an attack but was surprised when none came. Repede had sprung from under the bed but hadn't tried to attack the man. He instead let out one loud and reproachful bark. Yuri shifted his eyes back to Captain Schwann's face and felt his heart forget to beat for a moment.

Staring dumbstruck back at Yuri was Raven. Even with hair covering half of his face, he was unmistakable. Yuri was certain that he must have lost his mind because there was absolutely no way that Raven was the First Captain of the knights. It was ridiculous. The surprise on Raven's face quickly morphed into an unreadable mask. The blank expression was so out of place that Yuri wondered if this might be Raven's twin instead.

"Dammit, kid, what took ya so long? I thought he was gonna kill that girl, and ya still hadn't shown up."

That drawl was unmistakable. Yuri's heart was beating so fast and loud that he could barely hear himself think. Raven had been lying to him since they first met. "What the hell is this? Just who the hell do you think you are?"

Raven opened his mouth to reply with undoubtedly more lies but was interrupted by shouting and the sound of metal boots racing down the hallway.

"Let me handle this," Raven said just as the door flew open.

The large female knight from earlier stood in the doorway, her face twisted into a snarl of pure rage. "Captain Dilan is dead! I will tear apart whoever is responsible!" Her brown eyes focused their anger onto Raven. "Schwann wha—"

"Dilan died by his own folly. He was intoxicated when he tumbled from the balcony," Raven's voice was cold, and there wasn't a single hint of the drawl Yuri had grown to love.

"He what?" the knight snarled. She set her burning eyes onto Yuri. "You! This is your fault! I sent you up here to take care of things!"

Yuri took a step back and raised his sword as Repede snarled at the lieutenant. He was still disguised as a knight, but even when he had been one for real, he had no qualms about defending himself from crazed superior officers.

Before the enraged knight could step into the room, Raven moved to stand between them. "Lieutenant Rosaline." His voice was sharp, and it made him sound like a disapproving father. "Dilan's death was no one's fault but his own. Now, move aside."

A few moments of tense silence passed between them before the fuming lieutenant moved. Raven walked through the doorway with graceful determination. Yuri glanced around the bedroom but saw that the only other exit was the balcony. He reluctantly followed, leaving his sword unsheathed. Repede followed after him while still growling at everyone in sight. There was no guarantee that Raven wouldn't turn on him at any moment. If he did, Yuri needed to be ready to fight for his life.

The hallway was packed with knights that were gaping at the scene Raven and the lieutenant were causing. Yuri felt terribly exposed and regretted not finding a helmet with the rest of his disguise. He hardly wanted to be recognized by someone he once knew and have word get back to Flynn about all this.

"Officer William," Raven spoke to a short and burly man standing to the side of Lieutenant Rosaline, his voice still pitched into that unrecognizable tone. "Take these knights and clear the premises of guests."

"Yes, sir." William saluted before barking orders at the assembled knights. A group broke away and scrambled to comply.

As the knights scurried down the hall, one of the doors opened, and a small woman in a torn dress and smeared makeup peered out. She was shaking, and her eyes were wide as she took in the commotion in the hall. Yuri saw Raven tense from head to toe as the lieutenant made an irritated noise at the sight of her. The moment the women set eyes on Rosaline, she let out a yelp of fear and made to run through the crowd. Some of the gathered knights tried to stop her.

"Let her go," Raven commanded, and the knights cleared the way.

The woman disappeared into the crowd, but not before Yuri caught the sound of another sob. He felt guilty at the sight of her as Raven's words came back to him. If he hadn't gotten arrested, he might have gotten here earlier, and he could have stabbed Dilan before he laid hands on her.

"Lieutenant, I trust you can take care of the arrangements for the body," Raven continued on as if the woman had never appeared. Yuri's anger rose. Raven was just at fault as he was. He could have thrown Dilan from a balcony long before tonight.

Rosaline scowled suspiciously down at Raven before giving a resentful, "Yes, sir."

She ordered the remaining knights in the hall to follow her, and soon Raven, Yuri, and Repede were once again alone. Repede had stopped snarling and watched Yuri and Raven intently.

"Yuri," the clinical tone was gone, and in its place was something quiet and unsure, "I—"

"What are playing at? You pretend to be some slime ball from the guilds, and then chew me out and tell me this is all a bad idea. Then you go and do it yourself! Is this what you do to entertain yourself in your spare time? Fuck with people's heads?"

"Keep yer voice down, alright," Raven spoke in just above a whisper. "I know I got a lot ta explain, but we don't got enough time right now." He took the few steps needed to shorten the space between them. "I wasn't just pretendin' ta be a slime ball from the guilds. I am a slime ball from the guilds, as well as a Captain."

Yuri felt a flash of irritation at the fact that Raven was completely unconcerned about his still drawn sword. "And what's stopping me from going out there and telling every knight I can find just what you really are?" he snarled.

Raven's one visible eyebrow rose before he let out a short and sharp laugh. "Ya can go ahead and try, but none a them are gonna believe ya over Schwann Oltorain, First Captain of the knights." He switched his tone back into that cold, unrecognizable one, and moved his arms out in a flourish at the end, tilting his head to the side.

Yuri's anger reached its peak, and he attacked. Raven smoothly stepped aside, but didn't draw his own blade. Repede still stood silently, his good eye now focused on Raven alone.

"I get that yer pissed, but we can't duke it out right now. Did ya not just hear me say we don't got any time?"

"You are such a bastard!" Yuri swung at him again for good measure, and Raven sidestepped in return.

"Yeah, but you knew that before all this went down," Raven shook his head. "If yer done tryin' ta cut me in half, I'll let tell ya where Karol is, and how ta get outta the city quick and easy. Can't have good ol' Rosaline try comin' after ya."

Yuri's anger flooded out of him at the sound of Karol's name. He couldn't believe he'd left Karol all alone with this lying bastard.

"What did you to him?" Yuri demanded, suddenly unsure if Raven's previous kindness to the boy had been an act or not.

Raven stepped back again as if Yuri had swung his sword instead, a wounded look on his face. "Hey, now. I'd never do anythin' ta hurt a kid. He's at one of my houses, safe and sound. He's the one who convinced me ta help ya out, ya know. I was gonna leave ya here ta yer own devices, but he threw a fit. Said we couldn't leave ya behind." Raven pulled a brass key from one of his pockets and held it out to Yuri. "The house is down on the third level, on Jennings St, number 5790. This key unlocks a trapdoor in the basement that leads to a passage that'll get ya and the kid outta this damned city."

The key shone in the lamp light of the hallway, and Yuri lowered his sword. Raven's words had cut deep, and there was a genuine hurt in his tone the led Yuri to believe he wasn't lying. Yuri sheathed his sword and took the key from Raven's hand. Raven nodded before shifting his face back into an unreadable mask and headed towards the stairs. The key felt heavy in Yuri's hand, and he found that he couldn't get his mouth moving to tell Raven where he could stick his help and his key.

"A week." Raven's voice cut across the hall, but Yuri didn't turn to face him. "In a week, I'll be at a pub in Dahngrest called Comet. Whether ya wanna fight or want some answers, stop by. I'll be waitin'."

Silence filled the hall, and Yuri finally forced himself to turn around. He just caught the sight of Raven's back as he disappeared down the stairs. He felt betrayed, guilty, and angry, but in the middle of that was a wisp of relief. This didn't have to be the end of it, if he didn't want it to be.

"Damn you, old man," Yuri said to the empty staircase.

~10~

The house wasn't a mansion and belonged to a small section of the city where a merchant middle class lived. It was two stories tall with a thin line of green lawn out in front of it and had the same intricate grey stone façade as all the houses around it. The windows were all dark except for one on the second floor. Yuri was having trouble wrapping his mind around the fact that Raven actually owned property, much less that he probably had houses all across Terca Lumireis.

The streets were just as empty as they had been when he'd made his way to the party, and for that Yuri was grateful. His exhaustion had hit him again with a vengeance, but he still had to face Karol after trying to leave him behind. Yuri wasn't sure what to do with the fact that Karol was the reason Raven had used his illustrious identity to try and help Yuri murder someone.

Yuri was standing on the small front lawn, with Repede sniffing at the front door. He kept trying to get his legs to move up the short front staircase so he could knock on the door, but so far he had just hovered in the yard like a fool. He was still reeling from everything that had happened at the mansion, from Dilan's scream as he fell, to the sobbing girl running away, to Raven standing there and telling Yuri that he was some sort of double agent. He's the first Captain of the knights, but he's also Raven, from the guilds. He must be spying for the Empire, but why would someone with so much influence be doing something so risky? Why the hell would he help Karol and I out, especially now that we know his secret? He has no reason to trust us with it, and we have no reason to trust him.

Repede grew impatient and started to bark, knocking Yuri from his thoughts. Before he could try and quiet his friend, the door to the house burst open. Karol almost tripped over Repede in his haste to rush down the stairs.

"Yuri! You're OK!"

Karol stopped a few feet from Yuri. Though relief gleamed in his eyes, he was visibly unsure of what say or do. He didn't have his gloves or shoes on, and his bag was missing, but he looked healthy and whole. Yuri noted that no else appeared to be in the house.

"Where's Raven?" Karol asked when Yuri remained silent. "He said he was going to make sure you didn't get killed. He's not hurt, is he?"

Yuri was surprised at Karol's concern for the man. He didn't seem very upset about Raven's lies or Yuri's illegal activities. Before Yuri could speak, clanking footsteps rang from the nearby stone staircase.

"Let's get inside," Yuri said.

Repede dashed through the open doorway and flash of panic crossed Karol's face before he followed. In a few moments Yuri had strode into the house and softly closed the door behind him. The air in the house was stale, and the furniture was covered with sheets that shone silver in the moonlight. Repede paced around the front room, before lying down on a sheet covered couch. An orange light glowed from the hall upstairs, and it dimly reminded Yuri of the contrasted lighting in Dilan's room. Karol was standing on the first step of the stairs and was watching Yuri carefully. His skin looked far too pale.

"Karol," Yuri began, trying to keep his voice from taking on a sharp edge, "do you have any idea what happened tonight?"

Karol gulped, and took an unsteady step forward. "Y-yes. You went to stop the leader of this city from h-hurting anyone else."

"And how did I do that?"

Karol looked down at his sock clad feet.

"I-I know that you k-killed him, I'm not stupid." He looked up, and his eyebrows drew together in determination as he met Yuri's eyes.

"I know that's why you wanted me to leave with Raven, but I don't care that you k-killed him, or the governor at Nor. You're hurting b-bullies to protect everyone else, and I don't see anything wrong with that."

For a moment Yuri wondered if he'd really known Karol at all. He certainly hadn't expected that crying boy from Halure to stand in front of him and tell him that he thought murdering corrupt leaders was perfectly acceptable behavior. Something wasn't quite right.

"Is there anyone waiting for you back in Dahngrest?"

Karol's resolve fell apart as he was blindsided by Yuri's sudden change in topic. "Um, no," he replied in a small voice.

"Don't just agree with me and my actions because you feel like you don't have anywhere else to go."

Karol gasped in shock at Yuri's words before stepping off the stairs to stand in front of Yuri. Karol was shaking as he balled his hands into fists. "I'm not just agreeing blindly. I told you that I'm not stupid! I do think what you're doing isn't bad. There's been so many times I just wished—" he scrunched up his face like he was in pain. "I wished that the people that hurt me and Nan would just disappear! That's what you're doing for these people, Yuri. You're making those bad guys disappear."

A flare of protectiveness filled Yuri's chest at Karol's words. He found himself wanting to know what had happened and who had hurt Karol. He wanted to do something to get rid of the pain that marred a face far too young for it. The urge blindsided him, and Yuri wondered just when he'd started to care so much. Karol had the wrong impression, though, and he needed to fix it. Karol couldn't become like him.

"I'm not a hero, Karol," Yuri said quietly, "I'm doing this because the right way was too hard for me. I need results fast, and so I strike at what I see as the root of the problem. That makes me impatient and selfish, at best. " He stepped closer. "Karol, you shouldn't be alright with this."

"B-but what else can you do? The only thing that stops bad guys is strength."

"You think that my sneaking around and stabbing old men in the dark is strength?" Yuri shook his head. "That's not strength. Strength is—"

Yuri's mind focused on a memory, one that still haunted him even after he gave up on his attempt at being a knight.

"I have this friend, Flynn, and he's like a brother to me. We grew up together and shared everything, including pain. There was this time when we were maybe six years old, running around the Lower Quarter like it was a giant playground. We made a wrong turn and ran into a small gang, literally. They were furious and started beating the crap out of us.

We weren't in some back alley, we were on a main street. There were knights hanging out in front of a nearby building, and they didn't do anything to interfere. In fact, they laughed before walking off. The only reason we didn't get beaten to death was because some of the locals intervened instead. I was so angry, and not just at the bastards who'd beaten us up for no reason, but at the knights for not doing what they were supposed to. I wanted to find a way to get back at everyone who had hurt us. But Flynn didn't see it that way. He was angry, but instead of wanting revenge like me, he told me that this showed that we had to change things. When we grew up we had to make it so the knights actually gave a damn and make sure the Lower Quarter didn't have rogue gangs prowling the streets. He was so young, but he was already so strong.

That's what strength is, Karol. It's taking pain and using it to make something better. I promise you that murdering bullies isn't the answer." For the first time since he'd met Karol, Yuri found himself unable to make eye contact.

"T-then why?" Karol's voice was pitched high, and it cracked with unshed tears. "Why are you doing this if you think it's wrong?"

"I told you, I couldn't do the right thing, so I'm doing what has to be done instead. I'm better suited for it." Yuri let out a weak laugh that cut off abruptly. "You shouldn't stick with me after we get to Dahngrest. Go join another guild and try to make things better in the city. You're stronger than you know."

Yuri finally looked at Karol and saw him staring back with wide eyes that shown with unshed tears. His mouth was hanging open. A moment passed before he gave Yuri a small smile.

"N-no one's ever called me strong before." He rubbed the back of his head. "At this point, I don't know how many guilds would be w-willing to accept me. Why can't I stay with you? You shouldn't be doing this alone. I-I know your friend Flynn wouldn't want you to be alone."

Yuri snorted to cover up the clench of his stomach. "Flynn would probably want me arrested if he found out about everything. You really want to stick it out?"

"Yes," Karol was looking Yuri in the eye again, and this time his solid determination was ruined by a brilliant smile.

Yuri put his hand on his hip. "I never would have pegged you as the stubborn sort."

"I've let too many people leave me behind already. You're stuck with me." Karol's smile wavered and he kicked one of his feet against the hardwood of the stairs. "You still haven't told me where Raven is."

Yuri was knocked out of the fondness that had been gathering in his chest at the reminder of what had happened earlier in the night. "Raven's fine. He has business in the city. I'm surprised he didn't tell you."

Karol bit his lip before replying, "H-he didn't tell me anything. He wouldn't let me go with him to help you and told me to wait here for you guys to get back."

"He didn't tell you whose house this is?"

Karol paused for moment, obviously confused. "He just said it belonged to a friend of his. Yuri, w-what's going on?"

Yuri realized then that Karol wasn't upset about Raven's lies because he didn't know about them. If he had known he wouldn't have been able to hide his distress this well. The boy was an open book, after all.

"Nothing," Yuri lied. He would tell Karol the truth, but now wasn't the time. He didn't have the energy to deal with Karol's tears in the face of such a betrayal. "I was just curious." He walked further into the house and entered the living room, scanning it for the stairway down into the basement. "Raven gave me a key and said it unlocked a passage in the basement. We need to head out right away."

Karol shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I'll get my stuff and then we can go."

He turned and rushed up the stairs, his feet pounding loudly on the wood.

Yuri felt lightheaded but steeled himself to keep moving. He didn't have time to rest. Repede whined from the couch, and Yuri forced himself to walk over. The dog scooted over to make room, and Yuri allowed himself to sit down. He would be walking for another few hours at least. There was nothing wrong with sitting down for a few minutes. He closed his eyes and was asleep in moments.