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"If there is training going on, I would like to come along if you guys would let me" Neo asked

Neo hadnt even used his new deck even once. He has seen it in action when Bashiro used it against him in the tournament but other then that, Neo had no control of his new deck.

"H-Hold on." Yukino sweat a little at Rosalia and Neo wanting to join. Training her pupil and little brother how to use swords was already going to be a task, but she knew nothing of being a medic for her sister to learn. There was much less confidence in Yukino's skill with Vanguard to help Neo. This all only served to remind her that Darren wanted to train his new powers too, and she didn't even understand all that she had. The Chosen Sword isn't running a dojo of many trades, nor is she looking into starting one up! "This training is for... actual weaponry. I'm teaching them how to use swords!"

You know. Thinking on it, Rose could get some experience from Yukino going hard on them and beating them harder than necessary. Builds strength and endurance. Neo... hmm. Perhaps going to Bashiro for some insight in honing the art of a simple fist could assist?

Rosalia jumped slightly at the exclamation on swords. Okaaaaay? So? People get hurt with training with actual weapons! Not to mention the countless times people thought that touching the sharp end of a sword was a good idea (*cough cough* Yukino and Seifer). In any case, the pinkette only nodded and smiled to her sister-in-law and fiancé, starting to rock on her heels again. "I can't use a sword, and I don't think I can use medical armaments... but I can just sit to the side until someone gets hurt? Knowing you guys, you'd get hurt even in a padded room..."

Was she implying that everyone was crazy? Eh, they probably were, but so was she, so it didn't matter. The medic female giggled to herself, practically jumping in place with excitement. Even if it was for a war, she got to spend time again with Yukino and Seifer. It just made her feel, well, happy. Though it would be a lie if she wasn't curious as to how the others could use swords from Cray to begin with. "So we just gotta wait for Haruto to show up? I never got a chance to really say thanks to him for when I first got back.."

Noel was tired of being at the medical ward. Despite being physically exhausted still, she cant stand being in a bed doing nothing. I gotta get out of here... it's so boring! The girl got off the bed and attempted to get up but nearly crippled down to her knees. How drained was she for this to happen?!

"I can't be this weak... come on.... get up!" Noel spoke to herself as if commanding her body like a robot. Somehow mustering strength to get up. Not really fully back to normal but as long as I can take it easy, I should be fine... Noel opened the door and walked away from the medical ward. The doctors noticed her leaving but didn't dare stop her, they knew better since they were the same ones she knocked out while getting inside Darren's room when he was still out.

On her way around the base, she stumbled across Seifer and company. "Oh, hey everyone..."

Xat walked i to the hidout with Riko with her to look for Yukino so that Riko can join the resistance, they looked over and xat was about ot let out a sigh whne riko pointed over to some people. She looked over and smiled running over to them wiht Riko not to far behind. "Yukino!" Xat called as she ran up to them with Riko

"... Alright, alright. Rosalia can come along. I'll have to see what I can do about Neo. For now, we'll wait until Haruto arrives, and-" The Chosen Sword admitted defeat, secretly pleased with the idea of beating Seifer and Haruto senseless for combat training while her younger sister could simply restore their vitality. Their wounds would be cleansed, and she can continue brutal lessons. The violent queen needs not be encouraged, but it was far too late. An excited smirk was hidden beneath her soft, accepting smile. However, she was cut off by the arrival of Noel and Xat calling out to her with a new friend, it looked like.

"Noel... and Xat. Good to see you both. Who is this?" Yukino inquired, pointing to Riko after greeting them all.

After some time to himself, Darren decided to return to the base. His reasoning was simple, if anything were to happen there would be no way to contact him. He still had no phone or a Reality Bangle to communicate to him with. He was just there in case he was needed. He still had no right to stand next to everyone, but he was fine being in front of them, taking the first attack head on and making the way for the others. This wasn't like the situation with Glendios. He wouldn't stand to the side and watch any longer.

He went to the side, trying to avoid the gaze of anyone. He probably still had a lot to answer for but he really didn't feel like doing that now unless it was necessary. He still needed time to learn more about what he was capable of, and he didn't expect any kind of help. Yukino was busy as it was and he didn't trust himself to train with anyone who couldn't handle actual damage.

Xat smiled while Riko looked at Yukino oddly. "Shouldn't you tell your name frist before asking someone else for there name?" He asks not use to being around people after being Exicled for so long.

Xat looked at him "Be nice,." She told him, before looking back at Yukino "This is Riko he is from assissne tribe like me. He is the cheftan of the village before they all decided to leave the village and start a new life. Riko hear was impressed by Haruto, Aoi, and Aiden, so he wanted to come and join us. He runs the Great Nature clan. He has my Great nature deck sence it was originaly his." She exsplaned and introduced.

"I'm the commander around here, so your identity determines whether or not I throw you out", the Chosen Sword snapped at Riko's response, trying to get at her manners. Common courtesy called for one to give their name before trying to get someone else's. However, with the paranoid queen and being the general, everyone's names came before hers or they're going to be surrounded very quickly. In the distance, she noticed Darren seeming to arrive back at HQ, then duck out of gatherings. Something else she'll need to tap soon.

Anyway, she turned her attention back to Xat and Riko, already not pleased with Riko's lack of respect for a military authority. She folded her arms and listened to Xat introduce him, speaking of a village of... an assassin tribe. Aoi, Aedan, and Haruto did something to impress him? Interesting, but she was more worried about the usefulness of an assassin against Reapers. They work from the shadows and use instant-kill techniques or anything to put their foe down as quickly as possible. That... wasn't exactly going to help against gigantic abominations, but it did against Reaper Drones.

"My name is Yukino Espoir", the woman started, actually introducing herself by her birth-name for once instead of "Hikari" or "Yugure". "As stated, I'm the leader of the Resistance against the Reapers. I can take any and every hand I get so long as no one's trying to keep secrets from me, and I can trust all my men. If you want to put down enormous horrors that can erase time and space, I can give you a Reality Bangle."

Well, at least Rosalia could go along with! And Yukino seemed to smile about it! The pinkette felt as happy as could be at the thought of helping out somehow, and helping meant practice for herself. It was the perfect situation. However, they still had to wait for Haruto.

In the meantime, Noel and.. Xat plus one arrived to talk to the Chosen Sword. Or at least Xat plus one did. Rosalia only waved, letting them be while turning to Noel with a bright grin. "Heyo, Noely~ How're you feeling, Ms. Hero?" she teased, giggling softly at the name. Well, Noel deserved it. Though in all honesty, she was actually worried about how the Jewel Knight vanguard was recovering. It was after the first battle that Rosalia acted as medic, so she wanted to make sure there were no repercussions for using her unique healing factor... not that Noel knew anything about the affinity.

Riko listoned to Yukino speech and nodded. I am sorry about how I acted ms. Yukino I didn't mean to offend you. As for agenst such horrers i will be honered if ypu will let me join your group." He said as Xat waved at Rosellia before hugging her. "im so happy your back." She said with joy

Darren went off to the side, a training facility. He gave a sigh and closed his eyes. He should be with his friends, talking and celebrating that they could defeat one Reaper, and preparing for the next. Unfortunately, Darren didn't see himself as someone who could stand with them. He was a non-human fighting for the sake of humanity.

"Is this really what you want?"

"Uru... yeah. Its better this way. Seifer's expression that day said it all, and it wasn't wrong. I could change back to Malice at any time. I don't even know if this power I'm using had a danger of making me like that again."

"You wouldn't be using it if you thought that was a risk. The Sins of Malice do not reflect on you."

"They do... it was my body. And it happened because of my mistake. Kaiser told me not to fight, but I did anyway."


"And why do you not speak to anyone about these feelings? Organics always speak out on their emotions and it helps them, does it not?"

"Who would understand something like this? I'm not a Singularity like Yuki or Seifer..."


"He isn't really..."

"I'm not human, and I'm not a Seeded Fighter either, reincarnated or otherwise. Its the same as when I had the power of the Reverse. Using a power outside of this world to try and save the world. As I am, I really shouldn't exist. Since I do, I have to use this power to help everyone."


.......

"Let's get to training. I need to build my stamina."

The talking ended. Uru Buster materialized in front of Darren, taking on Darren's size. In the boy's hand, a sword appeared. The sword of Sin Buster, shrunken down to a size that could fit his hands. It was... heavier than he remembered, but he was still able to use it. The Seeds must have enhanced his strength. It wasn't super human but he was stronger than a comic book geek that never went to a gym ever should be.

The two stared one another down, Darren gripping the blade in his hand as Uru Buster prepared his own. They both sparked with electricity. Within an instant, the sound of clashing metal could be heard. An odd thing to do in a Vanguard Training Area, but it was the best place he could think of that no one would come into and interfere. Besides, no one but a Cardfighter would see Uru Buster or Darren's sword.

"I'm doing good I guess.... ugh" Noel managed to say as the physical exhaustion translated into pain which made her limp and stagger a little. "At least that's what I want to say... still a little tired..." The Jewel Knight vanguard yawned, she still has not fully recovered. Ms. Hero huh... I sure don't feel like one. I barely survived against that Reaper, anymore and I wouldn't be standing right now. Noel thought in disappointment. Her increase in strength was still not enough to stand a good chance against the invaders. How can she be called a hero like that?

Rosalia made a face as Noel staggered, wanting to reach out and help some. Maybe using her affinity again would help the Jewel Knight vanguard? Well, no harm in trying... if the pinkette wasn't hugged out of the blue. Actually, it took her a solid thirty seconds to even remember Xat fully. She had just heard Yukino say her name, but did Rosalia and Xat talk much?... They did a little bit... I think. Anyways, she returned the hug lightly, then tried to nicely pull out of the other woman's embrace. "I-it's nice to see you again too, Xat.. Been a while, huh.."

"Excellent", Yukino replied with a better tone. "My men will run a background check and get you a Reality Bangle. Information you need on the Reapers is available to you from any person here or a computer. Similarly, Reaper Drones as well." The Chosen Sword welcomed him early, allowing him access to dire info he'd be needing in the future. Better to know they're fighting horrors led by an invincible enemy sooner than later. Looking around, everyone seemed to be occupying themselves well enough. A large amount of soldiers rushed for Noel, chanting the hero's name, along with keeping the beacon of light standing, seeing her not in tip-top condition. The smiles on their faces were... cocky, happy but cocky. They had so much confidence built up on Noel's and Haruka's accomplishments.

Yukino closed her eyes.

"Tell Seifer, Haruto, Rosalia, and Neo to come to the Espoir Manor", the Chosen Sword told several soldiers, and departed from Headquarters.

"thank you." He said as Xat smiled at Rosealia. "It's good to see you back with us." SHe said with a smile before hearing Yukino and seeing her leave headquarters. Riko saw her go and stood next to Xat wondering how diffrent people seem to be then the ones he grew up around. "Come let us go to my home Riko." Xat said as her wolf appered which she climbed on followed by Riko. "Catch you later." She told them before taking off heading to her home.

Seifer had been mostly zoning out, spacing rather harder than usual when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking over at the person who had done so, he noticed it was a member of the resistance. "What's up?..." he spoke to the nameless soldier, who relayed the information Yukino had left for him. So they were meeting at the Mansion? ...Alright. Great, time to see Father Espoir again. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.

Rosalia waved again as Xat took her leave... on the back of a magically appearing wolf. When the heck did that happen? Well, truth be told, why did that surprise her? Everyone nowadays can do some weird... stuff... Whether it be swords, wolves, or healing, apparently everyone had some sort of ability. Or history. History was always a pain.

In any case, Noel was being swarmed by soldiers, and even in her exhausted state, the pinkette figured the Jewel Knight vanguard was going to have some heads rolling. Or she would pass out, and then the soldiers would be blamed for stressing one of their heroes. Whatever the case, Rosalia glanced at one of the soldiers who relayed Yukino's instructions, and merely nodded in return. Guess she was needed elsewhere, and out the door the medic went.

The door to the training area opened. Darren gave a small sigh as he walked out of the room. His body had cuts but his clothes weren't torn. He must have taken them off during the process. The room itself was in bad shape, though. There were Metalborgs inside already repairing the damaged tables and scarred interior. Still, Darren felt like he had a little more control over his ability now. At least he felt he could hold it longer.

When he started to look around, he noticed everyone but Noel was gone. He started to walk up to Noel, the usual smile on his face. She didn't need to know what was on his mind. "Hey, Noel!" he called out as he was hoping to pull her away from the mob. He waved his hand to signal her to come over to him, hopefully to get away from the large crowd. He knew she didn't like crowds.

Neo had went to the bathroom to freshen up and relax after that little rant he went on just now. He knew things would be back to normal but it wasnt anytime soon, there was work to be done. On the way back a solider came up to Neo:

Ms. Yukino wanted me to pass the message that your needed at Espoir Manor"

"Oh, thank you" Neo replied

Espoir Manor.. it had been a long time since Neo had been there. So Neo packed a bag and made his way to the manor.

From among the hype and excitement of seeing all the lower ranked soldiers shouting praises and the like, Noel heard a familiar voice. She managed to look over and saw that it was Darren, an escape route! It's not like she wanted all this attention, she liked it but it's way too much for her right now. It would of been better had this would of been more peaceful times. Maybe once this is all over with, then maybe she can let this praise as a hero fill up her ego to tolerable and moderate amounts. Now to think of an escape plan. Now how to get them away... oh! I know!

"Hey isn't that Haruka? The tournament champion?!" Noel exclaimed a lie and pointed a random direction. Sadly, it worked and the overjoyed mob started heading to that direction to eventually get disappointed. This was her chance and made a run for it. She passed Darren and yelled back at him, "If you need me or something then follow me, I just need to get out of here!"

Darren gave a laugh as he saw her lead all of her fans in the wrong direction. It made sense why she would. She was never one for big crowds, and she had to have been worn out after the previous battles. Not that any of the soldiers really understood that. To them, she was something beyond human, which was funny because Darren only saw himself as that right now.

When he was signaled to move, he nodded with a small grin. He ran with her, moving to keep up with her speed. Jewel Knights always were fast, though Darren wasn't without his own speed. "Nice to see you're up and moving already," Darren said to her with a small laugh.

Noel was surprisingly fast even though she was still physically weak. Next thing she knew, the Jewel Knight vanguard was at the top of a hill where she can have a complete view of the base from where she stood. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand here we go Noel thought as if she knew what was about to happen. Her body, mainly her legs cramped up in pain from running while still recovering. The girl sat down as she tried to soothe the pain by rubbing her hands on each leg, maybe a massage can help ease the pain. It still hurt like hell though.

"On top of being surprised of being able to run this fast, I'm surprised you even kept the pace. Although, nothing really surprises me anymore..." Noel said as she noticed Darren was able to keep up with her. "So, what's up? Need something from the heroic beacon of light?

Darren ran up the hill right behind her, looking down at her with a frown when he saw her pain. He sat next to her, both of his hands going to her leg and rubbing it to try and assist her with the massage. He looked at her with a soft smile as he wanted to reassure her that he wasn't there just because she saved the world.

"Actually, I just wanted to talk with my best friend a bit," Darren responded. Is that okay, or are you busy with the fan praise?" His tone was a quick indication that he was joking. "I know you're not good with crowds but you did a lot against the Reaper, even after you were drained from doing so well in tournament. You've gotten a lot stronger. I'm really happy for you." It could be inferred now in his tone that praising Noel wasn't the only thing on his mind.

"What do you think you are doing?!" Noel said as she saw Darren reaching over to rub one of her legs. Even though Darren is a trustworthy(?) friend, no way will she ever let someone else, especially a male, touch or rub her leg. She then smacked his hands away did hand signs saying she doesn't need his help for something like this.

"Talk? I'm not much of a talker you know. You of most of the people we know should know that. I mean, I'm not exactly busy. I'm really not used to being this so-called hero." Noel said as she kept on rubbing the pain away. A lot against the Reaper? And stronger? What is he talking about? She passed out without knowing if she even did any significant damage. Not only that, she didn't even finish it off or anything. Haruka ended up doing that. "I didn't get stronger, it was all adrenaline and fear of screwing up. I didn't even win the tournament. And I still lose to the Reapers, nothing has changed. I relied too much on my lingering Reverse energy and now my body is paying the price..." Noel looked away towards the base, angered that she knows deep down, nothing about her strength changed. The Reverse power is still there.