Jason had had enough. He squeezed Alphard closely once more and whispered to her that he would be back in just a moment. The tall warrior then strode purposefully over to Suto and Nero. The two boys were standing scant inches apart, practically screaming at each other in pain and desperation. Jason stepped up to them, grabbed them firmly by the scruff of their shirts and slammed their heads together forcefully. They fell away, and Jason towered over them like a vengeful god. He glared down at the two friends and fairly snarled at them “[i]get up, you sons of bitches.[/i]”

Without waiting for them to comply, Jason went on in the same harsh tone. “I don’t know how either of you think you can got off saying things like that, but it was uncalled for from each of you. Someone has to set you straight and I gladly accept that position.” First, he set his glare on Nero. “You are completely out of line, asshole. So out of line, I don’t even know where to start with you,” he growled. “No you very well [i]can’t[/i] blame yourself. The deaths of your two friends were brutal and horrifying. But they were also [i]accidents[/i]. According to what I have learned from Alphard, Yari was killed by a Boss. No one goes up against a Boss unprepared to sacrifice their lives so that others might live. And Yari sounds like she was a truly fantastic person. If whatever I’ve heard is even close to being correct, then Yari was exactly the kind of person that went into each fight ready to die to defend her comrades. Now Kenshin? He was killed by a sick twist of fate or the most sadistic monster programming ever.”

Jason paused for breath, then went on. “Additionally, who the hell do you think you are telling your comrades that you aren’t really their friend? I understand if you don’t consider me a friend, you don’t know me. But these people have fought beside you for longer than any of us care to admit and you just cast them aside at a moment’s notice because you decide to pitch a bitch-fit? NO. The only reason you are alive right now is because they defended you in the fight that just happened. You whimped out, and they saved your ass. Get over yourself and thank them.” As an afterthought Jason added, “And if they weren’t really your friends, why do you feel guilt over the deaths of Kenshin and Yari? Finally, what do I see when I look at you?” Jason put his face centimeters from Nero’s and stared him right in the eye. “I see a scared boy carrying the weight of the world on his back and pushing the friends that seek to help away because he thinks it makes him a man.” He paused to let that sink in. “A [i]real[/i] man would know when to go to others for help.”

Next, Jason turned his furious glare towards Suto. “And you. Really? You see your friend hurting and you try to help him. Good, it’s what he needed. And you brought up very valid points. But then you had to try to go all pity party with him too! ‘I’m not strong enough. I’ll get stronger and not let anyone else die.’ Bullshit. Getting stronger may help to save some, but you’re not going to be able to save all of them. More people will die, and it’s highly likely that some of them will be your friends. It’s sad, yes, but it’s LIFE! That would happen even if you weren’t in this game. People die! If you can’t get over that, then something’s seriously wrong with you. You can’t save everyone, I can’t, Alphard can’t. No one can. We can make it as safe as possible, but never promise to save everyone. It’s an unattainable goal.”

Jason stepped back and looked at the two men in front of him. “Neither of you are responsible for the deaths of anyone lest they be at your hand. There is only one person responsible for the deaths that have happened so far. Kayaba Akihiko. He is to fault, ono one else.” A breath, to compose himself, and Jason concluded his rant. “Now, let’s do as Alphard suggested and finish this quest. Then we can all go our separate ways and forget all about each other if that’s what you so desire.”