"I took a liking to him, I said. It took him far longer to decide I was anything but a criminal and a nuisance. Which I am, to be fair, on both counts. But considering my life quite literally hung in the balance, he kept me waiting for a damned sight longer than I wanted."

Akira's laugh is slightly forced, but it's real enough. Despite all odds, the story has a happy ending. The middle doesn't matter. The middle doesn't count.

So he skips ahead, and hopes the gap will go unnoticed.

"As I stood on the gallows, he had the ship I'd been held captive on detonated as a distraction while three of my crewmates cut me loose and whisked me away to a hiding spot. From there, he took my place as a decoy to lead away the pursuit--he'd dyed his hair to match mine, and he confiscated my shirt--while I sneaked out to a getaway boat." He grows increasingly animated as the story goes on, his eyes alight with excitement. "That was his intention, anyway. Instead, I circled back to make sure he got out safely, too. We fought our way through the constables sent to catch us--I was still shirtless, mind you--but one of his crewmates shot him in the back as we ran to the boat. I killed the sorry bastard with his own gun and carried Goro to safety...though he was demanding I put him down most of the way."