Author's note: big thanks to Ranchii for beta-reading. And please, don't run away screaming because of my English.

Blue

It's done. It's all over. A few days ago he wouldn't even have thought that he was going to be there and yet…

Shuri Oak closes his eyes, feeling the morning breeze on his face. A few days ago…

'I'm the only one responsible for my actions,' Hakuren Oak, the renegade, the troublemaker and Shuri's first cousin, raises his head; there's a large bruise on his left cheek, but his violet gaze remains as hard as steel. 'You won't be able to change it.'

Lieutenant Konatsu, the interrogator, shakes his head, clearly dissatisfied, pulls on his gloves.

'In that case we will have to use other… arguments.'

Silence. A bold, stubborn silence. Shuri feels irritation welling up inside him. Look at him. A so-called bishop. A goddamn consoler of cripples, lowlifes and beggars. A slaves' friend… And he dares to call himself an Oak?

Wham. Lieutenant's fist hits Hakuren's face, the blood spills from broken lips, staining the front of the robe bright red. Shuri Oak, the heir and the hope of his family smiles with vengeful satisfaction. And how are you going to answer to that, cousin? Was it worth to mess up with the Imperial Army?

You mustn't mess up with the army, thinks Shuri, looking at the sky slowly turning blue. He can't remember if he had ever looked at it so early in the morning. Only fools do such reckless things. Only fools are bold enough to break family traditions. And the fools must be punished — that's what papa always said…

And when you want to prove something on top of all that…

His arm shoots forward almost instinctively. The first punch misses a little, it slips off Hakuren's chin instead of hitting his jaw. Shuri clenches his fist even harder and hits once again, this time with more precision. And once again after that. And again.

Know your place, Hakuren Oak!

Shuri Oak takes another deep breath. Fresh air. Open space. Such a refreshing change after all these hours spent in the cramped and stuffy interrogation room…

'Shuri… I'm sorry you had to do it…'

Shuri painfully clenches his fists. Pity… He had no need for that. He did what he was supposed to, didn't he? Such were the general's orders. Papa's orders. They surely had their reasons. Very important ones.

Hakuren is panting heavily, leant forward in his chair; not until the major brushes his tangled hair aside does he lift his head.

'Believe me, Hakuren-kun, it really gives me no pleasure.' Major Hyuuga's voice sounds almost apologizing. 'Think of it… You don't have to be here and suffer it all. Just a few words — and you'll be free. Who knows, you may even be able to gloriously help those in need… That's what you wish for the most, isn't it? You may still save many lives… All you have to do is tell us where is Teito Klein now, as well as the one they call bishop Frau… Isn't it a fair bargain?'

'I hate to disappoint you, major.' There is a calm resolve shining in Hakuren's eyes, even if he finds it hard to speak. 'I'm not going to sell them… no matter… what you do…'

'Umm?' The major cocks his head to the side, raises a questioning eyebrow. 'You would rather be a traitor then, Hakuren-kun?'

Hakuren smiles, much to Shuri's surprise; there's blood trickling down the corner of his mouth.

'I would be much more of a traitor, if I gave them away, major… The well-being of the Empire is not everyone's priority…'

A fool. An impudent, reckless fool. Only a fool could have dared to do something like that. Only an insane man could have opposed the Empire — and the Empire's army — all on his own just to… save someone. Why… why would anyone — intentionally and willingly — condemn himself to…

So cold… So much blood… Bodies on the snow… so frighteningly motionless. So irrevocably… dead.

Shuri cringes instinctively, an icy shiver runs down his spine — as if the winter from those northern lands reached here, if only for a moment — yet he shakes his head right away. Impossible. Here, in the south, it is spring now. The morning sky is clear, there are no dark, heavy clouds, heralding the snowstorm — only light wisps of mist hazing over the horizon. It is not Anwort.

Yet still…

'It seems your collarbone is broken, Hakuren-kun' says the major rather nonchalantly, bending himself over to look into the prisoner's face. 'And from the way you breathe I would say your ribs aren't in much better shape. Aren't you really going to change your mind…? You would save yourself a lot of suffering…'

'We have… nothing to talk about, major…' The weariness mixes with pain in Hakuren's voice. 'I've already told you… You won't turn me into a traitor…'

'You see, Hakuren-kun…' The major pouts his lips theatrically, looking up at the ceiling. 'Because of the pact we have with your father we cannot… damage you too much. However, if you still refuse to cooperate I will have to resort to a little… more drastic means…'

'In other words,' Hakuren narrows his eyes, a rather unpleasant smile curves his lacerated lips. 'You're going to beat me even more? To break my bones, perhaps? Or maybe there's something even worse you're hiding up your sleeve…?'

'I would rather avoid it, Hakuren-kun,' the officer's face suddenly becomes serious, leaving a fleeting impression that he would like to be anywhere else right now. 'But if you don't change your attitude, then Aya-tan might be very angry. And Aya-tan's anger…'

'Major…' The elder Oak is insolent enough to interrupt the major mid-sentence. 'My fate has already been sealed. You know that as well as I do…'

Shuri blinks in disbelief. Well, he hasn't got into the details of Hakuren's arrest so far; the only thing he heard of was that his good for nothing cousin had dared to speak some really ill things about the army, but… you can't sentence a man to death just because he speaks utter nonsense. Can you…?

Yes, you can, thinks Shuri Oak, his gaze fixed on the blue, spring sky above him. It's such a peaceful morning… The army can do anything. The chief of staff can do anything. And not only him…

'You really think my father will welcome me with open arms?,' asks Hakuren with surprising bitterness and for a moment he looks hurt and lonely — yet Shuri quickly brushes this thought off as unsuitable for someone in his position. Major Hyuuga casts Hakuren a thoughtful glance, tapping his fingers on the chair's back and then suddenly raises his eyebrows as if in the glint of understanding.

'Indeed…,' he says slowly. 'How could I forget about that… Your father is a true man of honor, isn't he, Hakuren-kun…?'

Honor. Honor and the family's good name — those have been the Oaks' priorities for ages. A scandal is the greatest evil, the fear of slander — the most dangerous enemy. That's why there is no place for renegades among them; no place for people like Hakuren who give priority to their whims over the family's will. Such people must be eliminated, burned out like a festering wound… You have to get rid of them once and for all.

Shuri bites his lip. He knows these words all too well; he has heard them since his childhood years and he believed in them deeply — after all, it was papa who said them, so they had to be true. But…

'The bonds of blood can really be a nuisance, don't you think, admiral?' The major's unconcerned tone sounds strangely out of place here, in the imperial prison's bleak corridor. Shuri shifts his expectant gaze to his father, hidden behind the commander's unmoved mask more than ever. Is… is that really possible? What papa said several minutes ago…?

'When there's a will,' admiral Oak casts the major a rather impassive look, 'they can also become insignificant.'

Shuri swallows. The image of Hakuren's face when the admiral has read him the letter from his father is still vivid before his eyes. He remembers the gentle calm of his features — and the untold pain in his violet eyes.

Hakuren — but not an Oak anymore. Excluded. Discarded. Deprived of his name, of his position, of his legacy… Left to his fate.

The lump in Shuri's throat becomes even harder. Is… is there even the slightest possibility his father could do the same thing to… him? Of course, he wouldn't even think about rebelling, but what if he somehow became inconvenient? If he stood in his family's way… would papa sacrifice him without hesitation?

Nonsense. Papa… well, he is papa. He wouldn't let one hair fall from Shuri's head. And as for Hakuren… Hakuren has only himself to blame and there is no reason for Shuri to be concerned about his fate. After all, it's not him who will execute the death sentence…

Why is he so anxious then? Where does this fear, clutching at his throat, come from?

Shuri narrows his eyes in the bright morning sun; so different from the cold light of the prison fluorescent lamps. Whatever doubts he had that morning, have disappeared entirely now; here and now, under the blue sky everything is once again simple and clear.

Even if in his mind he can still hear that…

…scream. Hakuren's scream, a piercing, painful one. Shuri tries to swallow but finds his throat completely dry; all he can do is gaze at the door that closed behind chief of staff Ayanami several minutes before.

Hakuren hasn't screamed so far. Not even beaten up by lieutenant Konatsu. Not even when major Hyuuga broke his fingers, one by one. What has the Black Hawks leader done to him to…

Shuri feels his legs are trembling. Of course he knows, who the Black Hawks are, but he still admires them, especially lieutenant Konatsu. Yet chief of staff Ayanami is different. His presence itself is enough to make Shuri feel uncomfortable, and there's that obscure power of his on top of that… It's… unnatural. Shuri wants to have nothing to do with that.

A scream, even more ear-piercing than before. Shuri steals a glance around. Lieutenant Konatsu looks really anxious, major Hyuuga rather worried and Shuri himself feels like he's going to be sick any moment. Still, he knows he can't afford to do so — not under his father's stern gaze.

He shakes his head abruptly, driving this memory off. That's what it is — only a memory. It won't play any part anymore…

Shuri once again fixes his gaze on the horizon. There's going to be a change, he thinks. A storm…

He can only hope there's enough time…

'Your silence is not going to save him,' states the chief of staff dryly. 'Teito Klein will fall into our hands — and thanks to you.'

Hakuren doesn't reply, or rather, as Shuri notices after slipping into the room behind the higher ranked officers, he's in no shape to reply, completely exhausted after the harsh interrogation. His face is grayish and covered with bruises, his lips swollen and cut, and there's black, dried-up blood in the corner of his mouth and it also covers his temple. It seems that every single breath causes him pain… and yet his violet eyes still burn with pride and stubbornness.

Shuri blinks, stunned. How… how can this be possible? Where does that pride come from…? That insolence? After all… After all it was the chief of staff…

He clenches his fists, feeling anger boiling up inside him. A fucking martyr. How dare he…? He isn't even an Oak anymore!

To be an Oak… Shuri smiles wryly, almost against his will. What does that mean…? And what's so… glorious about that…?

He looks into the sky as if its endless blue could give him an answer. The Oaks were better. The Oaks deserved all kinds of privileges — that's how he was taught and he has never really thought about it. Not even when he heard that question for the first time, two days ago…

'What's so glorious about that? What's so glorious about being the Empire's puppet?'

'I am nobody's puppet,' hisses Shuri furiously, grabbing a handful of his cousin's shirt. The apprentice bishop's robe disappeared, replaced by plain, civilian clothes. 'I'm a soldier. An officer. One of the Black Hawks. You're not even worth the dirt on my shoes!'

Hakuren shakes his head sadly, his eyes are unbearably understanding.

'You're but a pawn, Shuri,' he whispers. 'First they made you a torturer… now a jailer… Can't you see that, Shuri…?'

He furrows his brow. A pawn. A puppet. Unacceptable. Shuri Oak, the heir of the most powerful family in the Barsburg Empire cannot be anyone's puppet. Yet, as an officer…

'I follow my orders.' His fingers tighten their grip on Hakuren's shirt. 'At least I know my duties…!'

Hakuren sighs quietly; a mirthless smile playing upon his lips.

'Following orders doesn't excuse you from thinking, Shuri…'

'Shut up!' This time Shuri can't keep his calm any longer as he brutally pushes his cousin onto the narrow bed. Hakuren instinctively supports his weight on his left, broken arm and a short cry of pain escapes his lips. 'Don't get any ideas! Who… who do you think you are…?'

His cousin pulls his legs onto the bed, the shackles on his ankles clinking softly as he moves.

'I just want to live my own way,' he speaks quietly. 'I wish you could tell the same thing…'

Smack. As if his body moved on its own, Shuri lashes out at his cousin, slapping him hard across the face. Hakuren raises his chained-up hand to touch the aching cheek, his eyes more serious than ever before.

'Why so angry, Shuri…?'

A good question, why, Shuri wonders, his hair blowing in the wind. Why hasn't he just laughed at him? After all, Hakuren was but a pitiful fool…

Shuri looks at the far horizon, deep in thought. Now, after all is over, he understands better. But then…

'Don't you dare,' he says ominously, clenching his teeth. 'Don't you dare lecture me… You will not tell me how I'm supposed to live, while you're as good as dead yourself!'

'Some things are more important than one's own life…'

'Oh? And what's the use?,' Hakuren's calmness unnerves Shuri more and more with every passing second. Is that how a person sentenced to death is supposed to behave? 'You're going to die and the chief of staff will still lay his hands on that good for nothing brat…'

Hakuren furrows his brow slightly, casts Shuri a piercing look.

'Teito is not a fool. He will not rush here just to avenge me…'

'Is that so?' Shuri cocks his head to the side with a malicious smile. To tread him down. To break him. To destroy him. To see that accursed shell cracking, to tear it off to the raw…and to triumph… to triumph when the saint's statue finally shows its weakness. 'And what if he wishes to save you…?'

Touché. His cousin raises his head abruptly, there's a glint of fear in his violet eyes, if only for a split second.

'Impossible,' he whispers, deep conviction sounding in his voice. 'He has his own mission now… he will not give it up…'

'Not even for a friend who's ready to give his life for him?' Shuri interrupts him with cruel satisfaction. Suffer, Hakuren Oak. Suffer from your perfection. 'Not even when he gets to know about the public execution?'

Hakuren averts his gaze, a curtain of fair hair covering his face.

'I don't believe that…'

'Belief!' Shuri snorts disdainfully, feeling that his victory is near. 'You really think it alone can save him? That you're going to win with the army? That the chief of staff hasn't foreseen it? Don't you remember,' he adds when a memory strikes him, 'what he has said back then?'

Hakuren's slender hand clenches helplessly. A triumphant smile begins to form on Shuri's lips. Kill him off.

'They will get him, Hakuren. They will get them both. And you will die, knowing that your death is in vain…'

Once again he clenches his fists, feeling his nails biting into insides of his hands. What did he want to achieve? What did he await?

What was that what he expected to see?

'Why, Shuri?' whispers Hakuren, his voice resounding with sadness. There's unspeakable pain filling his violet eyes, when he lifts his head. 'Why are you so cruel…?'

Shuri, suddenly feeling strangely unsure, takes a step back, the smile dying on his lips. What the hell… It wasn't to be like that… It was supposed to be his triumph… His victory… Why then… Why does he feel fouler than ever when meeting Hakuren's gaze?

What the hell is going on with him…?

The distant sound of steps in the corridor causes Shuri's heart to skip a beat; yet the calm returns almost right away. The sky's blue is soothing, it restrains vehement emotions.

He couldn't leave it like that. He had to know. That's why… That's why he returned.

'What do you want?' asks Hakuren, his voice strangely blank. He is huddled up at the end of the bed, at Shuri's sight he lifts his head from his clasped hands. 'You came to have some fun at my cost once again…?'

Shuri snaps out of his reverie, furrowing his brow in irritation.

'I have no need to make excuses before you,' he replies in a high and mighty tone, raising his head rather arrogantly. For a moment Hakuren just observes him with an impenetrable look in his eyes; finally he sighs, resting his head on his hand.

'Why don't you leave me alone? Is it… that much fun for you? What have I done that you want to destroy me so badly?'

Hakuren's voice trembles slightly at the last words. Shuri gazes at him intently, his eyes wide open; inside of him something begins to stir… something wakes up…

How dare he… How dare he even ask…?

'You really don't know?' he begins, surprised by the calmness of his own voice. 'You turned my life upside down… and you think that nothing has happened?'

The steps are getting closer, even and calm. A smile lifts the corner of Shuri's mouth. He has stayed here for too long; he should have returned earlier and took care of his duties. Yet the blue sky is so alluring…

'You… You were supposed to be the heir', he continues, still calmly, but his inner anger blazes stronger with every passing moment. 'You, not me… And yet… you've thrown it all away… I couldn't understand it… All the most important things for me… to you they have been worthless… Do you know… do you know how I felt back then…?'

There is no reply, but Shuri doesn't expect one. His voice is breaking as he can barely hold back his feelings any longer.

'And then… then they told me that… that I was going to be… I didn't wish for that… and you… you just left… Why… Why couldn't I do it as well?'

'A whim is not the same as a conscious decision,' his cousin keeps gazing at him, his brows furrowed. 'You would be a coward…'

A coward, thinks Shuri. An Oak shall not be a coward… No Oak shall be one.

The steps resound even closer — and yet he still can't feel anxious because of that. Maybe… maybe that's what he was waiting for?

'I told you, don't you dare lecture me!,' Shuri grabs Hakuren's hair, wrapping it around his fist and pulling sharply. 'You have no right to judge me!'

'I know,' replies Hakuren quietly. "I haven't been of much use to you as a cousin… and now we aren't even family anymore. I'm sorry…'

All of a sudden Shuri releases him, surprised. His cousin rests his head on his knees; suddenly he seems frighteningly frail and helpless.

'Don't torment me anymore, Shuri…,' he whispers bitterly. 'Don't you have enough already? You have shaken my only hope… isn't it enough to you…?'

What…?

Without giving it a second thought Shuri reaches for Hakuren's face, lifting his chin offhandedly. And a second later he stares, frozen, at the tears in his violet eyes.

Oh no. Not so fast, Hakuren. Don't even think about it!

'Don't you dare,' he hisses, leaning over Hakuren and pinching him to the wall. 'Don't you dare to break down now… You're a fucking, living ideal… You have always been like that, as long as I remember. All my life I have stayed in your shadow. All my life I've been trying to free myself from it. Don't tell me that for all these years I've been trying to throw someone that weak from the pedestal… That I wanted to equal someone that can be broken that easily… Show me you have been worth it… worth chasing after…'

Where did those words come from? Where did those feelings come from? Was it possible that he had kept them locked inside for all this time?

The sky is silent, but Shuri is almost certain about the answer.

'Shuri…,' he can barely hear Hakuren's voice through the roar of the blood in his ears. Shuri Oak bows his head, clenching his hands tightly at his cousin's shoulders.

'Damn,' he whispers. 'Why… Why can't I even hate you as I should…?'

The sunlit landscape blurs for a moment, Shuri blinks a few times to see clearly. Isn't that strange? Isn't that… stupid? And yet… he doesn't feel lost anymore…

'You want to be sure? You want a warranty your death won't be in vain? That they won't be caught because of you…?

Violet eyes narrow suspiciously.

'You talk like a Kor, Shuri…'

A Kor…? Shuri furrows his brow, looking at his cousin in incomprehension; he tightens his grip on his shoulders. Hakuren winces in pain.

'Let go, Shuri…'

Much to his own surprise Shuri does as he is told; he takes a few steps back. Hakuren is coughing, covering his mouth with his healthy hand; blood seeps through his slender fingers. Shuri observes him intently. Was it… was it also his doing…?

'What are you aiming at?' Hakuren's question breaks his reverie, ordering him to go back to reality. 'What warranty can I possibly have, considering…'

'You can die,' Shuri doesn't allow him to finish, the words flowing fast as if in fear that he won't be able to say everything he wishes to if he hesitates even for a moment. 'Before the execution starts. You can die with honor. Like…,' he makes a meaningful break, 'a real Oak.'

Hakuren's violet eyes widen; surprise mingled with comprehension in his gaze.

'I'm not an Oak anymore, Shuri,' he replies slowly, looking at his cousin intently. Shuri only pouts his lips.

'But it happens that I am one…'

Hakuren narrows his eyes; casting his cousin a long, inscrutable look. When he speaks once again, he asks the one question that Shuri wanted to avoid.

'Why?'

Shuri clenches his fists helplessly. If he could only understand it himself… After all… After all, for all these years he has wanted to give Hakuren a lesson. Why then… Why the only thing he is sure of now is that's he can't stand the despair in his cousin's eyes any longer…?

He shakes his head, glancing at his uniform's torn sleeve. There's no use in deliberating over that now, when everything is over.

The liquid in the tin cup looks just like water, but both of them know how deadly it really is…

Shuri swallows hard. He feels uneasy — though Hakuren agreed to his suggestion. Or maybe that's the reason…?

He looks at the sky. As he has heard many times, this is the hour when the executions take place. And today… today an Oak will die.

'I'm ready.' Hakuren finishes his prayers; casts his cousin a determined look. Shuri takes a deep breath, trying to suppress the trembling of his hands. As if hypnotized he watches as Hakuren takes the cup from his hands and lifts it to his lips…

Shuri Oak closes his eyes.

He has no regrets.

'Don't!' One swing of his arm is enough to knock the cup out Hakuren's slender hand. The metal hits a floor with a clink — and in this moment Shuri understands that he can't simply look as Hakuren drinks his death, served by Shuri's own hand.

His cousin raises his head, a betrayed look in his violet eyes.

'Liar…'

Shuri doesn't reply. There's no time and no place for explanations. If they are to make it on time…

They had to hurry. It was insane, it was folly, It was the most illogical, the most inconsiderate action in Shuri's whole life.

And the only possible way…

The corridor seems infinitely long — cold, empty, overwhelming with its monotony. The only sounds are the ones of their steps and the quiet clinking of Hakuren's chains.

Shuri bites his lip, quickening his pace a little. They can't go much faster — his cousin can barely keep up with him, consequently refusing any attempts to help him. Shuri can't be really surprised by that — after all Hakuren thinks he's going to the execution place.

He clenches his fists, feeling a pang of guilt. Just a little bit more. Just a little…

There.

The corridor branches off here: its right branch leading to the place of execution, while the left one…

It is the last moment to change his mind — but he has already decided. There's no going back…

There's no going back. The steps are almost there. An Oak is going to die this morning. But…

'What is this place, Shuri?' asks Hakuren, looking around, stunned. He can barely stand. 'What are you…'

He stops, sudden comprehension reflected in his eyes. For a moment — as short as a heartbeat, as long as the eternity — their gazes meet.

'Shuri…'

'It's the Black Hawks private landing site.' Shuri turns his head away to avoid his cousin's gaze. 'Nobody beside u-… them is allowed here. There is no time. Come.'

Two simple touches and the shackles fell off Hakuren's wrists and ankles. Shuri grabs his hand firmly, dragging him to the right, to one of the hawkziles.

'Get on,' he commands him urgently, smashing the radar with his fist. 'Run away. They won't be able to track you and nobody observes that place. Go on.'

Much to Shuri's annoyance, Hakuren is still standing beside him, instead of mounting the vehicle and flying away.

'Shuri,' he begins in a very serious tone. 'Are you really sure about it?'

He has been sure — he still is. Maybe he still can't entirely understand Hakuren's motives. Maybe he still isn't sure about what has driven his own actions. Yet he knows that if he had to decide once more, he would do the same thing.

Once again he looks at his tattered sleeve. Oh yes. Exactly the same thing.

He casts a anxious glance at his cousin, cold fear rising in the pit of his stomach. Hakuren is on his last legs, his left arm broken, he coughs up blood… Is he really going to be…

'You're going to be okay?,' he asks, almost shyly. Hakuren offers him a surprisingly warm smile as a reply.

'You gave me my life back,' he whispers fervently. 'You saved two more lives. It's more than enough. The rest is up to me…'

Shuri drops his gaze and then, in a sudden impulse, he tears off the cuff of his uniform, with his teeth he tears the fabric into narrow stripes and then bandages Hakuren's left hand tightly. At least that much he can do.

He can't be more surprised, when a slender hand touches his forehead in a blessing.

'May God be with you, cousin…'

He knew. One glance at his beaten, bloodied face, one look in those grave, clever eyes was enough to understand that Hakuren knew… that he was fully aware of the consequences — the ones Shuri forbade himself to think about back then.

They will not see each other again.

He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to suppress the stinging in them.

'Go,' he urges. 'The longer you stay here…'

'Shuri.' Hakuren's hand rests on his shoulder; something in his voice orders him to look into his eyes. 'You are the second person willing to sacrifice his life for me. Don't think I'm going to forget about it…'

'You should rather remember who broke your bones,' he mutters, averting his gaze. He does not deserve that. Hakuren's should not look at him with such gratitude…

'We all make mistakes, Shuri,' whispers Hakuren into his ear all of a sudden. 'That's what makes us human…'

He raises his head abruptly. Only Hakuren… Only Hakuren could have said something so lofty so simply as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Shuri feels another wall breaking in his heart; uncovering recesses he has long forgotten about.

How…? How can you equal someone so good and pure? How can you hate him? How can you wish him death?

'I couldn't…' The words come unexpectedly; Shuri doesn't remember when he has spoken so frankly lately. 'I couldn't look at your…'

Slender arms embrace him tightly; his voice breaks, suddenly stuck in his throat. Shuri realizes that he's crying, tears are streaming down his cheeks.

He rests his head on Hakuren's shoulder. He couldn't leave his cousin to a certain death, he couldn't just watch him die. Maybe he's never going to be like him, but…

Why shouldn't he live according to his own rules…?

'Run.' Shuri frees himself from Hakuren's embrace. They can't linger here any longer; somebody is soon going to find out about their disappearance. 'Now.'

This time Hakuren doesn't tarry, carefully mounting the hawkzile.

'I will not forget, Shuri,' he whispers, squeezing Shuri's hand one last time. Shuri Oak only nods, unable to say, 'farewell'.

A few moments later the hawkzile is nothing more than a spot on the horizon.

He breathes deeply. It would seem hours have passed since that moment. Yet…

The steps finally stop. Shuri knows that when he turns away he will meet his destiny.

He looks up, at the vast, blue expanse. This is the last time. Could he have expected that he was going to be that calm?

A distant memory about blood on snow passes through his mind, but it leaves no impression this time. It's not Antwort. And Shuri Oak doesn't want to be a coward anymore. He wants to live — and to die — according to his conscience.

He turns away. His destiny smiles at him from behind major Hyuuga's dark glasses.

'Seems like you finally deserve to treat you seriously, Shuri-kun.'

Shuri Oak returns the smile. Several minutes ago he made his first fully conscious decision. Nothing stands in the way of making another one.

He draws his sword. Major's hand reaches for his katana's hilt.

The Oaks always die with honor.