Mikhail would not give up; he would not be the Champion of Hope if he just gave up. He kept on following Fred, trying to form an answer to the sad boy's words.

"Fred..." Mikhail addressed him directly, once he was in range again, "please, I know you're sad and angry right now, that you're hurt inside. I know you're in pain, like nothing can ever make it all better, including me." As he approached closer, Mikhail continued:

"I owe Rob [i]everything[/i]. We only talked a few times, but when we were in that dark place, he became the person I admired the most. His black hair, his green eyes, his smile, that helped me gain the hope I have right now, hope that was lacking when I first came here, fresh from the deaths of my parents."

"And so I can't let you keep getting hurt, because if I let you keep getting sad and angry, without me trying to help...that would spit on Rob's grave even more than anything I did already. And I don't want to do that." [i]Because I loved Rob, in the way that I may love Sarah in the future. But should that happen, our hearts will still go on with Rob's memory.[/i] 

"Please..." pleaded Mikhail. "Come with me, come to the party."