[Somehow, those words made sense. For all of Souji's jokes and affections, he always had seemed to be from the outside and acting in a role once the walls came down and the fragments of truth came out. In some ways Souji was terrifying; in others, he was innocent.

It was a conundrum, just like that playful smile of his, but it was one that they would figure out.

Together.]

I see. To tell the truth, it's been a long time since I've seen someone myself-- and that was a long time ago, way before Quark was even something I'd imagined. I was a different kind of guy then too. I wasn't worried about the people I care about getting hurt just because they knew me. But, isn't that just how war goes?