A tall, black-haired figure stepped under the stream of water.

"Dad? What are you doing?" His son, who was in the shower at the time of his entrance, stepped back against the wall as Laguna advanced.

"Shhh..." Laguna placed his index finger in front of his pursed lips and leaned in. "Don't scream." With swift movement, he captured his slight son in one arm and held his head still with the other while he kissed his flushed lips.

Long strands of black hair fell into Squall's face and he tried to struggle away, but his father was too strong. The marble was cold as Laguna pushed him up against it, spreading his legs with his knee, and not breaking the kiss. This isn't happening, this isn't happening...Squall chanted in his head over and over again as he felt tears swell in his stormy eyes. But it was, and even though this was half the reason for his creation, he bit down on the intruding tongue hard enough to draw blood.

Feeling his blood trickling into Squall's mouth and down his chin, Laguna broke the kiss and hit him as hard as would keep him conscious. He smiled at his son cowering in the corner, curling up where he had fallen, crying quietly, not even sobbing, just trying to protect his body from more assault. That was enough for now. Laguna stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel and his clothes. "Hello? Hello! Squall? Irvine? Is ANYONE there?" The phone yelled, forgotten in Irvine's palm.

Irvine held the phone to his ear and spoke. "Yeah, Zell. Look, I need to ask you a favor, can you just come down to Squall's room?"

"Uh, sure. Why? Is something wrong?" Came a static-ridden response.

"Tell ya when you get here. Just hurry." Click. Irvine set down the phone on the counter and looked over his shoulder in the mirror at Squall. He was watching him. There was also something on his lips and chin, aside from the huge bleeding bruise developing across the left side of his face. "Shit." He whispered to himself before turning around and facing his broken friend. Irvine stuck his hand under the water and felt the temperature. Freezing, just peachy. He turned it off and held up a towel to Squall. A shaking hand reached out to take it, and Irvine turned to face the wall and give him some last bit of dignity. "Do you want to tell me what happened, Squall? Or do I have to tell Cid what I saw?"

"Nothing happened. There's nothing to tell. You'll only get people upset and hurt." Squall said, pulling on his boxers and wiping off his face with alcohol. "I figured you'd say something like that. I didn't want to resort to doing this but... If you don't tell-"

"-Us, we're calling Seifer. I have the number for his hotel. Plus, I just saw your father walking down the hall. Do you think he should know, too." The door opened and Zell checked inside. "Squall... You're face..."

Irvine looked at his feet and mumbled. "He is one of the few people who knows what did just happen."

Self-control breaking, Squall slammed his fists on the counter and whirled to face them. "Nothing happened! I fucking told you that! There's no reason to tell anyone that the President of Esthar was kissing and feeling on a lowly SeeD!"

Zell scoffed and pushed Squall back over to the mirror. "And who did this?" His finger pointed to Squall's cheek.

He looked away. "It's my fault."

"Oh, so now you're going to tell me you slipped and hit it on the wall, right? I can see a ring impression, Squall. That's it, I'm calling."

"No!" Squall dived for Zell as he went into the bedroom. Irvine reached out his arm to stop his assault, but got caught in Squall's rush and fell with them. The carpet cushioned Zell's fall, his butt cushioned Squall's fall, and Irvine just landed awkwardly straddling Squall's hips.

Zell looked over his shoulder and couldn't contain his laughter. He hoped Cid would knock and walk in at that very moment. "Damn Squall, Seifer's really gonna be pissed now with you fucking us, too!"

Said brunette rolled his eyes and tried to get up, but Irvine held his wrists and Zell rolled over and held him by the waist. "This isn't funny. Let me up, now!"

"You know you have no sense of humor at all? Just because you and Seifer fuck, it doesn't mean you're his possession." Irvine smiled, grinding his hips down into Squall's boxer-clad buttocks. "Would it really be that horrible if we didn't have clothes on right now?"

"I mean it, Irvine! Both of you get off! Is it 'Sexually Assault Squall Day' and no one told me? Or is everyone in on fucking up my head?" Squall writhed, bit, and kicked, but only dislodged his single article of clothing more. "Irvine, he's right. This is wrong." Casting a sidelong glance at the bed, Zell winked at him and released Squall's waist.

"Thank you." Squall sighed with relief.

"Carpet burns could be called into question."

"WHAT?" The cowboy hooked his arms around Squall's waist and legs while Zell locked his wrists together over his chest. They carefully swung him onto the bed and pinned his body down. "Don't touch me! I..." Squall attempted before his face was pressed into the pillow and he felt the silk leaving his skin. Amorous hands wandered every inch of his flesh, then pulled away suddenly. He lifted his head to see what had happened.

Someone was knocking on the door and calling his name. "Squall? Squall, are you okay? Hello? The headmaster sent me because the student next to you said they couldn't sleep with all the noise. Squall? I'm coming in!" Quistis's fingers were noisily working with the lock on the door.

"Shit, this is gonna look bad, Irvine!" Sitting up from his crouch on the bed, Zell pulled the covers over Squall's delicate form.

"No it won't, just play along." Irvine winked and went to the door, straitening himself up before it opened and he blocked Quistis's view of the room. "Yeah?" He asked her casually.

One look at Irvine's state of undress and Quistis knew. "Where's Squall?"

"He's laying down, didn't feel too well. Zell and I came over to see if he needed anything." He answered, leaning in the doorframe to block the bed especially.

Quistis craned her neck around to his other side, still trying to get a look. "I need to see him... Now."

Squall could hear her voice and register it as help. He tried to struggle up from the mattress, but Zell held him. "Quistis, he-" Came out muffled from behind Zell's hand, but he had at least squirmed enough to sit up. The blonde tackled him again trying to indiscreetly push him back, but he lost his balance and they fell to the floor, landing in another provocative position.

Irvine glanced over his shoulder and looked back blushing. "Well, Squall's busy. Come back later."

Getting fed up beyond irritation, Quistis pushed past Irvine and stopped, gaping.

Squall was on his back, half off the bed, naked except for a white sheet. Not that she could see anything, Zell appeared to be covering that up as he was lying between the other's spread legs, one hand pinning his wrists, the other over his mouth.

Quistis heard the door close and lock again. "What are you doing?!" She screamed at Irvine and he shrugged.

"What does it look like we're doing?" Zell lifted his head off of Squall's chest to answer.

Concern written on her face, Quistis kneeled next to Squall and checked his face. His eyes were closed in anticipation and fear, and he flinched away when she lightly traced the bruise over his cheek. Quistis glared at Zell and Irvine. "You're both in deep shit."

"But, we didn't do that," Irvine calmly explained, still leaning in the doorframe, "it was his father."

"Laguna? Did you see it?" Turning back to Squall, she tapped his shoulder to get his attention. When one of his eyes opened she smiled a little and pointed to his cheek. "Did Laguna do this to you?"

Zell moved his hand so Squall could speak uninhibited; but he wouldn't answer her. He turned his head and looked at the wall.

"Squall! I'm trying to help you, don't just ignore me."

He turned his head back to face her again. "It doesn't matter who did it, can't you just help me now?"

"Christ! Is that your programmed response to any crisis? Laguna fucking did it, stop sitting there in denial's little closet!" Irvine swore.

Quistis sighed and pressed something she had been carrying in her hand. For thirteen minutes they sat in silence, just waiting for something to happen. Zell had tried to sneak his mouth to Squall's several times, but he had either been bitten or smacked. Irvine was slumped against the same wall he had been leaning against and looked as if he were about to nod off. Quistis had turned around so she could sit up with her back against the bed and it gave her a view to see when she had to thwack Zell off again. And Squall... well, Squall hadn't changed at all. He was still staring at the wall with a blank look of unhappiness, which became even unhappier each time Zell tried something.

At the end of the time period, ten SeeDs knocked on the door before kicking it down. The door landed on Irvine who got up cursing. They all looked to Squall, raised an eyebrow, then looked to Quistis as she stood and brushing herself off.

"It sure took you long enough, we could have been dead by now." She said rolling her eyes.

One of the men stepped forward, glancing at Squall again, and apologized. "Is that the President's son, sir?"

Squall visibly cringed. He pulled away from Zell, not even bothering to use the sheet for cover, and grabbed his discarded clothes, heading for the bathroom to change. Unmistakably, everyone in the room could see all of his bruises: the large one covering the left half of his face with a ring mark in it, the set on his wrists, the set on his biceps, the one on his right thigh, and the last, making a sharp purple line across his lower back.

Quistis sighed and gave the orders to retain Zell and Irvine, and when Squall returned to escort him to Cid's office for a report.

Squall was lying down on a couch in Cid's office. He had been doing so for four hours since he had refused to tell anyone who had inflicted all of his injuries. They had called his father, who was on his way back in from town. Squall wondered what would happen when he saw his father again after their little scene that morning. They also tried to call Seifer, but he was already on his was back, latest SeeD mission complete. Squall sighed and rolled over on the narrow cushions. He hoped Seifer would never find out what happened.

Zell and Irvine were in one of the MD levels being interrogated. They were probably just going to be on house arrest for awhile, not being able to leave their rooms without a SeeD escort. Squall could care less what they had done to him, but it really pissed him off that everyone else did.

The door made a sound and Squall heard it open. Probably just Cid or Quistis coming in to check on him, Squall didn't bother to look. He could hear someone in front of him, supporting their weight on the back of the couch as they leaned in closer to his face. Obviously feigning sleep, Squall tried not to move, wondering what they would do.

The back of a hand caressed his right cheek lightly, sweet words following it. Seifer's voice and hands, Squall could have told them apart from anyone's. When the fingers came near his lips, he used his tongue to pull a few in. He could hear Seifer sigh with pleasure as he sucked gently at each digit. Another hand ran through his hair, combing out his bangs and moving them from his face. The weight shifted to move beside him, spooning up against his back.

Squall cringed as Seifer grabbed one of his bruises. Seifer noticed. "What's wrong?" He said, pulling off Squall's jacket to look at his arm. He sucked in his breath sharply and inspected the long finger-shaped bruises.

Shit. So, he wouldn't be able to get around an explanation. "It's nothing, really." Squall hesitantly rolled over and looked pleadingly into Seifer's eyes, asking silently for him not to question.

Seifer's eyes widened when he saw Squall's face and other arm, but he honored Squall's dignity. "Where else?" He smiled sadly and pulled off Squall's gloves, guessing the next place.

Tossing his jacket and gloves to the side, he began stripping off articles of clothing, each revealing one or several bruises. Squall sighed and hugged Seifer, now only in his boxers. Slowly enough not for Seifer to notice, he started unbuckling Seifer's belt and pants.

"Wouldn't Cid have a heart attack if he came in and you were doing that?" Seifer laughed, reaching down to help him.

"Damn, found out. Here I was trying to be smooth and jump you, but..." Squall was cut off as Seifer kissed him gently, but deeply. He lay back, bringing Seifer down over his body, and wrapped his legs around his muscular waist. Squall pressed his erection against Seifer's, moaning for the way it felt to be touched just by this one person.

Seifer shifted and removed his jacket and shirt, while Squall used his feet to push his pants down to his knees. He reached down and pulled off Squall's boxers, adding them to the pile of clothes on the floor. Seifer's eyes traveled slowly up Squall's body, stopping at each wound for a moment, and ended with the confusingly blissful smile on the abused face. "Squall, are you sure you want to do this here? Now?"

Squall broke into a brief fit of laughter. "Hell yes!"

"Good, so do I." Seifer brought Squall into another long kiss, breaking it only to wet his fingers, then going back down. Slowly, he put one of the fingers between Squall's legs and pushed it inside.

Squall pushed back against the finger, bringing it in further, wincing a little as Seifer's hand brushed the bruise on his thigh. Another entered him and soon a third, all moving to find his A spot. Seifer spread his fingers and massaged Squall's tight channel until he arched up, moaning loudly into his mouth. He removed his fingers and broke the kiss.

Growling impatiently, Squall wrapped his legs tighter around Seifer. "You're such a fucking tease! Are you just waiting for someone to walk in on us?" Seifer laughed and pressed the head of his cock in gently, silencing Squall. "God, you bitch a lot, then when I say anything about it, people give me the weirdest look. Don't tell me I'm the only who hears it." He rested head into the crook of Squall's neck, lifting his hips in his hands and pushing in the rest of the way slowly.

Squall had to bite his lip to keep from crying out, he felt so wonderful. His body moved before his brain did, and he was thrusting up to meet each of Seifer's. "You should hope...you're the only... one who hears me say that." He bit his lip again to stifle another cry of pleasure as Seifer hit his spot again.

"So..." Seifer started casually, deafened for a moment by Squall's moans in his ear, "are you going to let me in on your secret yet?"

"Secret?" Squall said between thrusts.

"These bruises..." he squeezed the one on Squall's thigh lightly to get a reaction.

"Why, Seifer Almasy, what are you doing to my son?" A mystery hand ran up Seifer's bare buttocks and back.

Both boys froze and looked at each other before looking up at their interruption. Squall curled into Seifer's body. Seifer reached for his coat so he could give them at least a little dignity.

Laguna knelt down level to them and caught his hand before it found the material. "I asked you a question, and I want an answer." His tone was so serious, so unlike Laguna, who might have laughed at the situation. "Or how about an easier question? Are you enjoying fucking him?"

Seifer's temper flared and he glared at Laguna, pulling his wrist away. "Are you enjoying humiliating us?" He pulled Squall protectively against him as he sat up. For the first time he noticed the four Esthar soldiers standing around them holding weapons ready.

Raising an angry eyebrow, his other eye twitching, Laguna stood and smirked. "Well if we're both having so much fun, then why did you stop?"

"What?! I'm not going to fuck Squall in front of his father! I have just a little more respect for him than that."

Laguna held his stomach while he laughed, having to sit down on one of the tables mounted into the wall across from them. "Then I guess he didn't tell you how he got that little scratch on his face, huh?"

Seifer looked to Squall's cheek, then to Laguna's right hand. "...Bastard! What did you do to him?"

"Nothing," Squall interrupted, "He just hit me. It wasn't that bad, okay? Stop talking about me like I'm not sitting here on your God damned cock, Seifer!"

"Come on, Squall, tell him. If it wasn't that bad then you'll tell us all about our shower." Laguna gloated.

Sighing in frustration, Squall turned to Laguna. "Dad, can you just piss off for a second and shut up?"

"How can you even call me 'Dad' now?"

"How can you talk so much with a hurt tongue?"

"Umm, Squall?" Seifer said into his ear, wishing he would realize he was riding his lap pretty roughly, taking away his breath with the force of his legs. Squall looked down and blushed, releasing his vice-like grip and resettling himself. "Sorry."

"Don't stop." Laguna commanded seriously, tilting his head to the side. "What?" Squall and Seifer asked at the same time.

"Don't stop." He said again and smiled. "Fuck him hard, Seifer."

"Have you lost your mind? We just went through this!" Seifer shrieked.

Laguna pulled a handgun from behind him pointed it at Seifer's head. "Do it, now."

Seifer started to protest again, but Squall squeezed his hand and whispered, "It's okay." Sighing heavily, he pushed Squall back down to the couch and pulled out, preparing to re-enter him and start over.

"Hard. Make him bleed." Laguna reminded and cocked back the hammer.

Squall spread his legs wider, more inviting, placing them up by his shoulders. He closed his eyes in calm anticipation and gave his hand another squeeze. Leaning forward and squaring his knees beneath his lover, Seifer took in a deep breath and jammed his whole manhood in. The flesh ripped so violently, it was almost as loud as Squall's cry. He waited for the initial rush to subside and his eyes to clear of the blackness coating them. Squall was squeezing his hand so tightly, just trying to breathe without screaming again. But he knew he would.

Laguna smiled sadistically. "Keep going. This is about pain, remember?"

Seifer opened his blurry eyes and smiled. At least he could look at Squall, but he should be the one holding his breath in pain. He let it out, and pulled out from Squall completely, which let him at least pant it off. This was so wrong, it shouldn't be happening. There was already so much blood...

Aggravated beyond tolerance, Squall's father marched up to Seifer and backhanded him with the gun, leaving a long abrasion on his cheek. "What the Hell is wrong with you? I said to fuck him! If I have to get up again it will be to do it myself over your corpse. Be glad you're getting the choice, insolent fool."

Squall lifted his head less than an inch and tried to look at Laguna. "I... We killed her though...Seifer? Please, it's all right. Don't..." he had to pause and let his head fall back, "Don't get killed because of me."

Rubbing Squall's thigh absently, Seifer took another breath and exhaled shakily. "I love you, Squall."

"I love you too, Seifer."

Seifer leaned over Squall's body, holding his hips again, and thrusted in viscously and kept thrusting. He tried to ignore Squall whimpering and crying his name as he continued, but soon his face was just as wet. He pulled almost completely out and tore back in, wordlessly apologizing for nearly killing his beloved, and did it again. And again, and again, until it could have done permanent damage he slowed and kept to a merely animalistic pace.

Despite the lower half of his body beginning to feel numb from pain, Squall was happy. At least it was Seifer killing him. He wondered if he really would die from this and almost hoped so. Then Laguna would shoot Seifer, and they would die together. Squall forced his protesting body to react to Seifer's dick. He pushed back against it as hard as it came. The pain was making him black out, but he wanted to feel Seifer's release first and quickened the pace.

"Squall!" Seifer cried as he came deep into his bloody passage.

"Seifer..." Squall's voice cracked and he showed a broken smile before falling into an unconscious rest.

The tall blonde looked down at his hand in amazement. A warm, clear fluid covered his fingers and palm. It lightly mixed with the blood that was everywhere, turning it pink. Seifer brought it to his mouth and swallowed every drop his tongue would reveal.

"That was pathetic, Almasy, you barely lasted an hour." Laguna yawned and raised his gun again. He suddenly acted surprised. "What happened? Seifer, how could you? Someone call a doctor!" Rushing forward, he gathered up his son in his arms and tried to wake him, gently slapping his unharmed cheek. Laguna looked up confused and acting more like himself than he had the entire day. "Seifer... Please tell me I'm seeing this wrong! Tell me I'm just making the wrong assumption!"

Cid walked into the room, just as the drama began. All he had to do was look around and it was enough to raise an eyebrow... or several. Seifer had his head in his hands and his pants low around his hips; blood splatter painting the unclothed sections. He appeared to be crying, but who could ever tell what that uncontrollable shaking was directed from or at? The object drawing most attentions was Squall, bleeding and naked, cradled by his sobbing hysterical father. The look vaguely worn into his maimed face was of unmarred happiness. There was little one in Cid's position could do. Laguna requested that he take his son back to Esthar as soon as possible, and oddly enough, to bring Seifer with them as well. It seemed fair that he should decide, the victim being incapable at the moment.

Seifer was lead cuffed to the same dark limo as his lover was carried into after a brief cleanup of both distraught figures. His mouth couldn't even form words yet, he just let them dress him and lead him away with no fight.

Pained and heavy eyelids cracked open just in time to see one stray blonde lock follow as rest of its owner was flung carelessly through a door next to the one Squall was being carried into. "Seifer..." The words barely left his lips, but his father carrying him heard and bent down his head to whisper soothingly to him.

"It's okay, he can't hurt you anym-m-more..." The words tripped over Laguna's quivering lips as he tried to hold in the emotions he knew were yet to be justified by the witnesses.

"Squall! Wait! I..." Seifer began only to be cut off when one of the escorting soldiers planted his foot into his lower back and kicked him the rest of the way inside the unknown room, following and shutting the door.

With a slow speed that was agonizingly humiliating to Squall's pride, yet impossible for any other human being in that situation, he lifted his head and mumbled to his father. "When can I see him again?"

This nearly brought tears to Laguna's eyes as he carried his child in and set him gently on his bed. "When you're feeling a little better, okay? Why, do you want to tell him something?"

"Yeah," Squall nodded slowly while he thought about it. "Next time you see him, tell him I'm sorry and that I love him."

Laguna stiffened and closed his eyes as if he were listening very closely to something. "Well, I'll make sure his corpse hears it." He laughed like his throat was shared by two voices. "Tell me something, should I go pay him back for doing that to you? Take revenge on his young body like a good daddy?"

"Oh..." Squall trailed off, realizing he was speaking to a different person now. "You again. Didn't we kill you? ...Several times?" Squall laughed like he's just been told he was going to die.

"Yes, well, technicalities and all..." Laguna faded off, sitting on the edge of the bed by Squall and leaning over to his prone figure sprawled aimlessly across it. "So..." He began casually, letting his hand wander up his son's delicate body, "You must be awfully tired after everything. Why don't you lie down and get some rest? I'll go deal with your little boyfriend."

The weight on the bed shifted and Squall caught his wrist and pulled him back, knowing there wasn't much he could say to make him stay away from Seifer. "I..."

"Yes...?" He looked over his blue-clad shoulder with a smirk and asked as if he didn't know the obvious question.

"S-stay?" Squall fumbled lamely, pretending he was actually speaking to father when he was little. "It's just... I get nightmares sometimes, and...wake up crying and screaming... and I know I'll wake up like that in a few hours so could you just wake me up or something when it starts getting bad?"

Startled for a moment, but not stalled, Laguna had him pinned on his back shoving his tongue down his throat. There went Squall's innocent delusion. Nothing mattered though, as long as he could keep Seifer safe for awhile. His body didn't resist, but his mind screamed at him. Would Seifer be able to hear him being tortured? Again, it didn't matter, as long as it was for his love. A hand slid up the inside of Squall's shirt and his brain waves blipped like the catches in his throat. Laguna whispered softly in his ear as his hand moved lower at a threatening temper. "I know what you're thinking, boy, and it'll do you no good. Just lie here and let me put you to sleep."

Tears ran quietly down his cheeks, while his mouth filled with bile. It was disgusting, his father doing this, merely for the mindfuck, if nothing else. Cool air refreshingly washed over his skin as his shirt was removed and Laguna started on the belts that had only been hastily reapplied. "No...I-I can't do this! Let go!" Squall planted his knee hard into Laguna's thigh and rolled him off, getting up and running for the door.

The assault from earlier was impeding his speed tremendously as Squall ran down the hall past bewildered guards. The footsteps coming up behind him warned Squall of the end in his escape, for a body lunged and tackled him from behind. Falling at the feet of two shocked sentries Laguna flipped him over and continued removing his clothing. "There's no point in even trying these stupid stunts, you'll always come back... I have the very thing you want most."

Squall sobbed and tried grabbing at one of the soldier's boots, pleading with him for help even as he was stripped entirely naked.

He shook his head in response and looked strait forward again, pretending the boy at his feet didn't even exist. Sure he felt sorry for the pitiful thing, but there was nothing he could do about it, this was... Wait, maybe the kid did have a chance.

A door down the hall opened and tall dark-skinned figure in a white robe emerged from it to investigate the unusual sounds. Kiros came as close as he dared before assuming the obvious. "L-Laguna? What are you doing?! Stop!"

Barely phased by his discovery, Laguna slowly propped his head up under the heal of one hand, economically using the other to keep his son still pinned. "What does it look like I'm doing?" He laughed indulgently; ignoring the look Kiros was giving him.

"B-but that's...!" His advisor stammered.

"Well, duh! But just LOOK at him, Kiros!" Laguna turned and pulled Squall's face up for examination. "Wouldn't you?"

Whimpering a small plea, the subject of inspection put on his best pitiful look, one that Selphie had shown him many times in the past. "Help... please... I-I don't want this..."

"Laguna!" Kiros scolded fiercely, "That is your only son which you neglected for your entire life until now when you decide to kidnap and RAPE him! Let. The. Boy. Go. Now!"

Laguna checked Squall's face and body once more before coming to a decision. "No... no, I don't think so. But if you're that desperate to have some then we can make a deal." He stood slowly, propping a boot on Squall's lower back to keep him still until he had zipped himself up, reprimanded the guards there for letting him get that far, and then pulled his son up by his arm. "You any good at cards, kid?"

Kiros marched behind his employer with barely restrained violent anger. "La-gu-na! This is the worst idea you've ver had! What the Hell has come over you? In fact, just who are you?"

"Shhh... You wouldn't want to wake Sleeping Bitch would you?" Laguna flashed a demonic and uncharacteristic smile back at his assistant while he set Squall's unconscious body into a high-backed chair. He turned and gestured to the door where Seifer was being brought in by two armed guards, looking for all the world like a drowned cat. "Ah, and here we have contestant number two. Do please have a seat, dear child."

Less than willingly, Seifer took the chair next to Squall's and looked around the rest of the room. It was too dark to see anything beyond the tight circle of four chairs, but in the center was small table with a pack of cards in the center, the like of which he'd never seen. The small space lit from above by one shaded lamp hanging low above his head.

"Kiros, won't you join us?" The president cast an open hand to the place next to Seifer, then plopped into the other across from him. Sliding a hand up Squall's nude thigh, he pinched the skin harshly, receiving the reaction he wanted.

Squall's first reaction was to curse, quite loudly too, the next to immediately pull away into a fetal position and stay there until someone said something.

Kiros was the first. "I'll have no part in this." And he turned and left, the door slamming in his wake.

(TBC...Eventually...)

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