Lake Miseria

After all the chaos that happened within the tournament, Darren knew that he had to take more time to master his abilities. He was able to battle an army of Reverse units single handed, and though he barely won the battle and used all of his stamina doing so it was a sign of what he was capable of. The seeds he had within him had the power of demigods within them. As they were fragmented, they could never be expected to have that strength, but Darren had to have something that could at least come close.

It didn't help that he knew the issue was with the Metalborg deck. It was forged from the power of the Seed so it activated the Seed's power. His own body still fought that power, and for good reason. If that was not the case he would be corrupted and another Malice would be born, if not worse. It wasn't the fault of the Metalborgs. Malice had to have done this on purpose, a fail safe in case anything happened to him. His deck was all but tainted to Darren but it was the power he had to use. Not just by force, he wanted to give them a chance at redemption.

He was now sitting at the lake, legs crossed in meditation. He needed to be one with his mind, body, and spirit in order to understand what Malice had took 3 months to understand. The power and limitations of Seed power. The power that made him something different from everyone else. He couldn't call himself human and he wasn't a Singularity like Yukino or Seifer. He wasn't technically a Seeded Fighter, so what was left? He stood in a pool of blood and bodied at the Resistance base and didn't bat an eye; it felt familiar to him. What did Malice do to his mind and tolerance? He had no idea, but he stood by the idea that humanity deserved to be protected, no matter what form that protected had to take. It was not the choice of Reapers to decide when their time was up.

He could only wonder the progress on restoring Daiyusha. He couldn't even communicate with the Dimensional Robos as they were all focused on that task.

Okuri had happily trotted alongside Jessie and the others on their return trip back from the morning's party. As they had reached the edges of the slums Okuri was starting to feel slightly less intoxicated but was by no means sober. All the same he told Jessie he would catch up with him later and had taken off on a walk through town. Had anyone objected to it he hadn't been listening. He never had set his illusion back in place so as he moved about town people were alarmed. That said most news feeds had shown him at several reaper fights helping the resistance and enough people recognized it to not be too alarmed. Still seeing the large dog walking about wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world.

Somehow Okuri's walk brought him to the lake which he had yet to visit. In his still slightly buzzed state of mind it was all very lovely. Nature was just great. Hey, nature, great, Great Nature, he got it now. What "it" was only made sense to him. Giggling at this new found insight he continued around as he noticed someone sitting at the edge of the lake. They seemed pretty focused on something. Looking at it, that was the boy they had brought back from the shrine. Seemed like a great time to talk to him about what all that was. Or just meet him in general.

"Heeeyyy!" he called out completely oblivious that the person might be preoccupied with something. So this was going to be something. Enormous talking, half-drunk dog calling out to someone who probably had yet to see him.

Darren was taken out of his entranced state of focus as he heard someone call out. He hadn't expected anyone to be around, nor did he expect anyone to search for him. He could at least see who it was. He turned his head, seeing a... is that a dog? It was a big dog. Its not like that was the strangest thing he'd seen in his life time. In three months of Malice going to as many dimensions as he could just to learn the Seed's full potential and gain as much knowledge as possible, it was safe to say nothing really surprised him anymore.

Upon further study, the dog was familiar. He had fought Malice that day... and was hurt badly for it. He looked down for a moment. He would likely have to apologize. Maybe he would react like Seifer and despise him. If that was the case, Darren knew he deserved it. He waved to the canine with a light smile, the same smile he always gave. "Hey there!" he called out to him, giving him a signal that it was alright to join him.

Despite the bit of alcoholic stupor Okuri found himself in it seemed he'd correctly identified the person at the lake's edge. That or this person just wasn't alarmed. That'd be pretty crazy. The world was kinda just crazy since the fight with Chimera. Okuri saw it was okay to approach and as he came to the water's edge his front left leg slipped due to his coordination still being a little out of whack. The leg went about halfway into some water before hitting some ground letting Okuri pull it back out. Smooth start to things.

"You're the child everyone was trying to save that day at the shrine aren't you? I didn't know you'd recovered yet... though I suppose it's been long enough." he said as he readjusted himself and took a sitting position at the water's edge nearby Darren. He was sort of laughing to himself about how clumsy that had been of him. "I didn't count on anyone else spending their morning out this way. Hope you've been alright what with all the craaaazy stuff that's been going the last few days." he said. It was a little more energetic than he'd usually have put things. Not too bad for a drunk centuries old canine spirit though right?

Now that he was a little closer, Darren was able to confirm it. This was a large talking dog. It still wasn't the strangest thing he had ever seen. He couldn't help but give a small laugh to himself seeing the canine stumble until he sat down. "I've seen worse," Darren said regarding the comment about the crazy stuff happening lately. It wasn't as if he were lying about that. "And I guess a lot of people did try to save me... for what that was worth. Either way, now that I'm around, I wanna make sure I can make up for what he did all of that time. Not that I expect people to forgive what I was at that time."

"You make it sound like your living is a crime." Okuri said pondering. He was calming down a bit and the boy's words seemed to strike a chord in heart that was able to resonate some sense through his being for the moment. "I think you'll find your friends aren't looking for apologies or atonement. They merely wanted you to be able to keep living. That's all I wanted anyway. But then I hardly know you. I'm sure you've other people to lecture you." he said as he began stretching out with a large yawn.

"You certainly know the nice quiet spots to come to though I'll give you that." he said commenting on the surrounding area. More so than the park this was a more natural capturing of nature had been like while yet untamed by man. It reminded him of similar bodies of water in his mountain home in days long past.

"Something like that," Darren responded. He knew that most of his friends weren't looking for atonement but he hurt a lot of people that weren't his friends at all. Not only that, but even a few of his friends looked at him oddly thanks to what happened. The best he could do was to make up for that. It was funny, he was swearing himself to fight for humanity when he was no longer human. Then again, saying that to a talking dog wouldn't mean much.

"I wanted to find a place where I can think in peace," he said softly. The tranquility brought a smile to his face. "Its better this way for me anyway. Nothing like an area like this to get your mind going..." Before all of this happened he hated outdoor places like this. Oh how things have changed.

"How unkind fate seems to have been to so many of you. Perhaps that's what helped draw the resistance together. Though I'm reminded I never did hear your name. I didn't last very long in the fight to help save you. Might I ask you for it? I myself am called Okuri." he asked the boy at his side. At least he thought he was a boy. He seemed young. Maybe not Jessie young. The alcohol must have really been wearing off as he was beginning to think of more things he hadn't been for a while. Like his illusion for one.

"You know I'd almost be inclined to comment on your lack of surprise at my appearance but then I've hardly actually startled many of you." he said thinking on the state of affairs. Under any other circumstances he'd have been about the weirdest thing the average person encountered in their life time.

Darren gave him a wave of the hand and said, "Good to meet you, Okuri. I'm Darren." He realized a bit late that Okuri had never been given Darren's name. He probably should have mentioned it a lot sooner. "Fate really doesn't have a lot to do with it though," Darren mentioned after that. Many worlds had come under attack. Some perished, some survived broken. This was one of the very few that continued to thrive. Maybe that's why the Tomato Head was so fixated on it. Whatever the reason, you couldn't really say it was a fated hand that only they survived this long.

"Trust me, you're not the strangest thing I've seen. When you go from one dimension to another you see some strange stuff. Then again, I have a feeling that thanks to Vanguard, the idea of a giant talking dog isn't that odd at all. Wingal exists, after all." He gave a small laugh at his statement. The Seeker Wingal was the best example of a large talking dog that didn't come into question.

Darren spoke of other dimensions and referenced Vanguard units as existing. Both of the ideas were things Okuri had been thinking of for some time. Hikari had mentioned timelines when giving details on Harbinger, Haruka had spoken of talking with his units. Here was another one speaking of both ideas. His suspicions seemed to be holding true.

"They are real then, I thought as much... Tell me Darren, are you able to communicate with them? The units that is. Haruka seems capable of speaking to the members of the Aqua Force and I imagine others are as well. Where do they live, these other dimensions you mentioned?" he said excited to maybe be getting some answers to things. Perhaps he was expecting a little too much out of one person. "If you're willing to tell me that is. It's a lot of information and you seemed busy earlier." he said calming down some.

Darren couldn't help but give a small smile. He was able to answer all of Okuri's questions, actually. It wasn't as though it was really a secret anymore. "Yep, they're real and I can..." Darren said simply, almost as though it was second nature. In the game we know them as being from planet Cray, and that's pretty much the truth. Cray is as real as any other place. Haruka can talk to his Marines and Yuki talks to the Paladins all the time. My buddies are from Star Gate, though. The Dimension Police."

He looked down to his hand for a moment. His deck wasn't in his hand but he thought as if it were. His Dimensional Robos were gone, restoring Daiyusha because of what he had done in the past. And now all he had was the power created by Malice. He was surprised no one freaked out from him using it against Fubuki. It was probably a good thing he didn't last long in that tournament. "As for the other dimensions, there are a bunch of different timelines, worlds, and dimensions that all have different things. Yuki's from one that isn't this one and so are Seifer and Haruka's twin Sera. There's some others two but that's a bit more private."

"I've had a feeling for some time they were living beings. Tell me, how did you come to be able to talk with them? I want to get to know the members of Great Nature who've fought by my side but I can't even see them outside of our battles with the power of the reality bangles." Okuri said, the excitement over learning more of what was going on here returning. A whole planet where the units of Vanguard resided. It was more than just a little story for the game. And then to think that there were alternate timelines. It explained how people around him seemed to have suffered so much more than should have been possible in their lifetimes. But for now his focus was on his own friends and allies. The ones who came to him while nearly dead from the fight at the shrine.

"I'm... probably not the best one to ask about that," Darren admitted. "Truth be told, my reason for being able to communicate with them is a long story, and its one that can't really be copied. Its a good thing too... When the Link Joker first came to this world they corrupted monsters and fighters alike. I was one of the first to get hit. The corrupted Daiyusha spoke to me, or at least I thought he did. I trusted him enough to let him into my heart and it gave the the ability to talk to all of them. I guess you can say Link Joker changed me from the inside. After the... Malice situation... I became able to communicate with any unit. Before it was just the Dimensional Robos. Sorry I can't really give a better answer."

"Hmm... suppose that isn't something I'd want to go about replicating you're right. No need to apologize though I already greatly appreciate you being so willing to talk with me. It's been a great help." Okuri started. He was to continue but as he began standing his footing still hadn't quite recovered from the drinking earlier and before long he tumbled over head first into the lake. Scrambling to his feet with quite the fair bit of splashing, Okuri was now pretty much sober again for the shock. By the time he stepped out of lake he was now thoroughly soaked and a little aggravated. Stepping sufficiently far away from Darren he shook himself out to the point of being mostly damp as opposed to soaked.

"Suppose I needed that. Thank you for speaking with me Darren. If you're intent on helping the resistance we'll see each other around. If ever I can be of help to you be sure to let me know." Okuri said as he turned to depart. Where he wanted to go at this point he wasn't sure. Drunken him had had a lovely walk planned out but now after a quick dip in the lake he'd forgotten most of it. It was gonna take forever for him to dry out.

Darren waved to him as he saw that Okuri seemed to be feeling better, at least better able to keep balance. They would meet again. He was still going to fight for the sake of this world he almost helped to destroy. He owed that much to the people of the world. He also owed it to Vanguard to bring the fun of the game back into this world.

"I guess that counts as an apology..." he muttered to himself as he hadn't forgotten what happened to the canine during the battle to free him from the Seed's influence. There were more people he needed to apologize to, but thinking of Seifer's reaction, he wondered if he should just keep what he used to be a secret for as long as he could. "This is fine..." he said lightly as he realized he was by himself once again.

Where was he now? There was a gentle sound of wind and water... Oh, the lake... How'd he get here? Doesn't matter he guessed.

Sitting at the edge of the water, Aedan... Seyer? Whoever he was stared out at the shifting water, his eyes shut halfway, dull and lifeless, hair pitch black now. What was his life now? He accepted he was a murderer, and cursed Chronos's existence for ruining their second chance at life. If they were just going to be deleted, what was the point really of revealing their past lives? To force them to suffer? Chronos... "You really are no better than the Reapers..." Seyer muttered, hugging his knees. He'd accepted it... All of it, and now he was going to isolate himself from the world... Disappear quietly.