Howard hasn't stopped pleading while the fight broke out, except to scream some useless advice for Zouichi to watch out when a Kessek went to attack Zouichi's back. Words keep ripping their way out of his throat, now made hoarse from sobbing and screaming.

"Please, please don't do this to us, please, please, we're only kids, we didn't know, we didn't mean to, he's just fourteen, we're only kids…"

Not that that has ever made any difference. Not that in the history of Howard's life since the FAYZ, that age has ever protected them from anything. That the universe ever stopped for one instant and realized they were still children. Why should it start now?

His arms are completely numb from hanging like this for nearly half an hour now. The pain in his shoulders tells him that one or both are probably slowly getting dislocated from his own body weight. God only knows what Orc's feeling right now.

He looks over at his best friend, hanging there almost entirely motionless except for the rise and fall of his chest. He's so tired of seeing that look on Orc's face. Waiting for the inevitable, beyond caring enough to fight it. And the inevitable is always bad.

"I'm sorry, Orc, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I'm sorry." And then he's crying too hard to speak.