Hospital

The blonde was sitting upright, looking around the room when the brunette awoke. Smiling softly at Rosalia, Seifer cupped the side of her face, caressing gently with his thumb. "Mornin', try to be quiet though yeah? We've still got sleepy heads." his smile didn't fade, even as he gently kissed her forehead. "Sleep okay?"

Rosalia shut her eyes as she felt the kiss to her forehead, relaxing some. "It was alright," she replied quietly, sitting up in her chair. "How are you feeling?..." The brunette couldn't help looking over the cooling bandages, frowning slightly that he was hurt because of her. She still felt bad about it, but there wasn't anything she could do about it now except to be better prepared for the next attack... which was easier said than done.

"I'm alright. These bandages, the painkillers, an whatever was in that gum Aoi gave me helped a lot. There's a bit of a twinge here and there, but over all... I feel like I could get out there and suplex one of those things myself." he meant it to, though there was no way he'd try it. Not even close. "We should probably get going though. We need to check out soon."

Noel felt movement in her sleep. Good thing she wasn't a heavy sleeper so she woke up and realized both Seifer and Rosalia were awake. "Huh? Oh hey guys... didn't even noticed I fell asleep, haha."

Rosalia relaxed some when Seifer said he was feeling better. She was going to worry nonetheless, but oh well. She glanced over though when she heard Noel, smiling softly. "It's alright. I fell asleep too... We should see about getting checked out of the hospital though. It looks like Seifer is feeling better. Not much you can do for broken ribs except wait it out, unfortunately..."

With another yawn, Rosalia got to her feet and stretched, really needing a good shower and a change of clothes. "I'm not sure about what Yukino-oneesan is up to, or anyone really... Maybe we could take a short break from the havoc that is apparently going on nowadays to get my stuff from the old house or something... Better that you take it easy too, hun."

"Man..." Seifer complained when he was told to take it easy, sliding off the bed carefully and pulling on his jacket lightly. He almost didn't zip it up but... He couldn't go walking around public with his upper body semi exposed. In any case, the male motioned for them to follow as he went to check out. Though... He made sure to send a text before they left.

'Just got out of the hospital. Two broken ribs. Not much we can do about it except wait it. Where are you all at?' he texted Yukino before leaving the hospital with Noel and Rosalia in tow.

Old house? Did something happen during her three month absence with the house? That curiosity got Noel's attention and got her fully awake. "Umm, is there something I should know here? Did something happen to your house when I was gone these past three months? I mean, if you guys need money to maintain then you can borrow from me if that's what it is..." Noel wasn't sure what it was but houses and having the word 'old' with it usually meant that it was being sold, foreclosed, or something among that sort. She didn't mind helping with money if that was an issue.

She got her things ready and got up while waiting for their response. Not only did she feel distant from them two but they were still family and Noel wants to know what happened with them, including the house.

Rosalia rolled her eyes at Seifer's complaining, but smiled anyways as they started on their way out. But, when Noel asked about the house, the brunette couldn't help a small giggle before shaking her head at the concerned female. "No no, nothing like that... Seifer was adopted by the Espoirs, so he's living there now, so the other house is up for sale since we don't really need it. I just came back myself the day we met in the park, Noel, so I didn't know about it either until a few days ago. I'll be living with the Espoirs for now too."

Tapping her chin, Rosalia also considered anything else Noel may have missed in the past day or so... Oh! The ring! "S-so uh... Noely, we're also engaged..." She held out her left hand, which did in fact have a beautiful purple sapphire set in white gold. "Do you like it? It'll be interesting to see how the wedding will turn out, but I don't even know where to start when it comes to planning it.. Guess right now we can't think about it too much, given the invasion.."

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! HOW?! WHEN?! WHY?!" Noel burst in shock and surprised. They are Espoirs now?! Noel calmed down for a second after letting those big hits of news sink in. She then sighed and closed her eyes. That explains a lot honestly. It explains why they feel so distant from her. They can act and be the same but it was always something that bugged her that gave her the yellow flag that something was not right. Not right for her at least. Now Noel really felt lonely. T-Tha-that's nice to hear! Con-congratulations! Uhh, yeah. Wow, I.. I can't believe this is all happening! I'm so happy!" She wasn't but hid it.

"Fff..." Bashiro carried a surprisingly hefty Hikari with him away from the area, quickly venturing to the hospital for Carlos, Trinity, and Dalis in case she was wounded as well. The brawlers vanished, and the thug collapsed, allowing the snow queen to land on top of him with her own injuries. There were already screams and the news was on the case of a massive city-sized crater immediately. "Shit..."

"Damn... it..." Yukino clutched her side, rolling off of the man.

Rosalia followed Yukino, or more like Bashiro who was carrying said woman. Her own unit, her beloved Spring Petal Magus, disappeared the same time the Brawlers have, though the brunette wasn't sure how to feel. The last she saw of Hoshiko, it was just..... gone..... She shook her head. No, she couldn't think about it. If she broke down now, how could she be of help for anyone else?...

And yet, she felt tears run down her cheeks as she ran to the hospital's receptionist so she could get help for her companions. When she returned with any doctors or nurses she could find, Rosalia dropped to her knees by Yukino's side, biting her lip. "I-i got some help... Hang in there, okay? You and Bashiro and everyone will be alright... Where does it hurt the most?..."

Clutching his side as he hauled in another person... Someone he managed to find on the way out of retreating from the reaper, Seifer inhaled sharply as he set the unconscious girl down on a waiting room chair, waiting to be treated.. He'd never seen her before, ever... Though the blonde, no wait... He'd seen her before, just barely. At the park a few days ago. That aside, Seifer went to check first on Noel while clutching his own side, his breathing heavy. Karin and Raiden were brought in as well. It was to close... Turning on his heel from the ones he'd brought in, Seifer made his way to Yukino still clutching his side... Everyone was in a bad way, and he didn't fight... what right did he have to complain about anything?

"Don't... worry... about me", Yukino grunted and breathed, gripping the side of her bleeding head. Bashiro groaned, getting back on his feet. Unlike her, he wasn't badly injured, despite flying into a wall just like she did. The Chosen Sword, however, had some very obvious bruises under that coat, and probably some internal bleeding from objects crashing into her sides violently - she was lucky a rib wasn't broken. The commander grit her teeth, shakily cursing the Reapers to Hell. Yes, hell, an infinite sulfur that they would suffer in for eternity. She wasn't a religious woman, but if there was such a place where the Reapers would suffer instead of ceasing to exist, she'd believe in it.

"Aaargh! Dammit!! We couldn't stop Sovereign!!" Hikari wailed in agony, slamming her fist down on the concrete, surprising the medics. The woman was crying, gripping onto consciousness defiantly. Injuries like these meant nothing if even a second was wasted while the timeline was annihilated.

Bashiro couldn't even speak. He didn't know what she was going through, and was distracted by not knowing where Jessie was. He made doubly sure to text Aoi to ensure her safety, and she responded in a text saying she wasn't even in Hoshiko.

Raiden groaned as he began to stir. He held his chest for a moment as he looked to realize he was in a bed. He looked at his deck for a moment, hoping it was all a dream. It was not. His units were deleted. Margaux was gone and one of his Coil was as well. He sighed as he realized what they were up against.

I already thought it would come to this... he thought as he tried to stand. At least... I know what we're fighting... It wasn't much to go on, but he was sure by the fight he had, the true body was never there. This was something he had to tell someone, but who? Who was able enough to hear this information?

Rosalia jumped along with the nurses at Yukino's outburst, biting her lip. She sniffled softly, wiping the tears that ran down her own cheeks. Seeing the woman cry just made the brunette feel worse... So, she did what she felt was right; the only thing she could do right now was hug Yukino. She wrapped her arms carefully around the other female's shoulders, more so because Rosalia was afraid of any internal injuries that her sister may have endured. "Oneesan..." she said softly, one hand picking out any debris in Yukinos' hair. "We couldn't defeat that monster this time, but we will have another chance. If we're going to win next time, we have to be ready... which means you need to get fixed up, okay?... You're hurt, and you can't go into battle again like this... We can't lose you..."

Seifer gave a light sigh, flinching a bit with the exhale. The void light that engulfed Hoshiko... It felt... Well, like nothing... and the weight of everything at once. He thankfully didn't get trapped in it but... Placing his hand on Yukino's shoulder, Seifer shut his eyes. "Nee-san, there's nothing we can do now. We need to try and regain our strength, otherwise we won't survive the next one... Please... Don't, don't over exert yourself." he frowned, knowing all well what he was saying was hypocritical.

Removing his hand from Yukino's shoulder, he flopped down in the floor, the jolt bringing new pain... But he almost didn't feel it. He just... felt tired now... "Rose is right..." there was a light smile on his face, rather sad... the dark circles under his eyes seeming to grow darker. "If we lost you... ...I couldn't replace you. I'm not as strong, I can't do the things you do. You're invaluable to everyone. More than that... More than your abilities as a leader, as the Chosen Sword... You're my sister, even if we're not related by blood..." he shifted a bit to lean back against the counter, shutting his eyes. "You matter to more people here than you probably realize..."

Yukino's trembling breaths were the only sounds out of her for a moment, listening to her younger siblings.

"You're right..." She started.

No, the Chosen Sword didn't believe that right now. She entirely believed humanity is screwed, and her coming back meant nothing. All the suffering endured was going to end with a simple non-existence. Yet... as the commander - as a top general for Earth, she couldn't be truthful about that. Not for a second could anyone see that she thought they were done for. Perhaps, everyone else being motivated will give some drive back to her?

Honestly, the Reapers were on the verge of completely breaking Hikari.

"Survive... I matter... I'm fighting... for you all... Survive..." Yukino quietly chanted in Rosalia's arms, in a bit of a mild panic.

Bashiro's trained, lazy as hell eyes could tell when they saw a defeated woman. Being a sleazebag let him know: Yukino Espoir was spent right now. The thug decided not to relay that information in any way to Seifer and Rosalia, and checked on the others. Looks like Raiden was getting up.

"Hey man, you alright? Can you hear me?" The brawler rushed over with a couple medics preparing to take him.

Darkness. Everywhere. All that Cero could see was Darkness... No, it wasn't even darkness. It was nothingness. He was surrounded by an abyss of absolute nothingness. Then there was something... At first, Cero had no idea what it was. In his mind it was blurry, shapeless. However, as it started to take shape, he realized what it was. A Deletor, and he was seeing it perfectly. Somehow, he could tell it was the very same Deletor he had just encountered. Cero, for once, felt true fear at the sight of the Reaper. It spoke in a jumbled mess, yet somehow the words were easily comprehended by Cero.


The Deletor's tail whipped out from behind it and impaled Cero's heart. The pain from this burned throughout Cero's entire body, only getting worse as time went on. When he looked down, he realized his body was slowly disappearing from the inside out. He was being Deleted. Cell by cell. Writhing in pain, Cero screamed as the Reaper cracked a sick, disgusting, sadistic smile.

"D-damn you, monster... I won't.. L-let this... Happen so... easily..." Cero tried to speak out, his pride overcoming the pain. Even speaking such a simple sentence was extremely difficult.


As Cero neared complete Deletion, something stopped it from continuing. His body reappeared, as if it had never been deleted. However, the wounds, two separate puncture wounds, still remained. The Reaper was no longer in sight, yet Cero could still feel its presence. The wounds within his chest began to glow. One crimson, the other a mix of black and purple.

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Cero awoke from the nightmare in a cold sweat. He was in the hospital. Dammit. Looking at his chest, the wounds weren't there, yet he still felt a burning pain from where he had been stabbed in what must have been a nightmare. Not only that, his left arm was now in a cast. Huh. Must have been broken at some point.

"What the... Hell...?" Cero thought out loud, extremely confused by what had just happened. The headache was gone, and Cero attempted to stand up, shakily exiting his hospital room. Several hospital workers tried to stop him, saying he should sit down, but Cero refused. He prepared to exit the hospital, and when he reached the waiting area, he saw the group that had assembled. The thought to tell Hikari about the dream crossed his mind for a brief moment, but the thought was almost instantly erased.

Raiden saw people coming towards him. He didn't have time for this. He started to push them aside as he said, "There's something they need to know..." He looked at Bashiro for a moment and said, "I need you to let me talk to them... I confirmed information that they will need..."

Raiden started to walk up to them after that. He had a cane in his hand as he needed it to help him stand. Most of them had one near their bed thanks to their conditions. It did seem fairly necessary. When he was there, he saw Seifer, Rosalia, and Yukino. They didn't seem to be in the best condition. Moving to hasty was the last mistake he made in a situation like this.

"We can't hurt them the way things are now..." he said simply. Even though he knew jumping the gun was bad, he also knew it needed to be said. "They have an advantage right now we can't overcome. Our only chance is to change that."

Seifer's breathing became a bit heavier... He was starting to drift into unconsciousness, but before that... Reaching into the jacket, he retrieved five cards... Placing them in Yukino's hand. The cards he'd held onto for a while. Cards he shouldn't of had. They belonged with the Royal Paladin leader. Whenever she decided to look at them, she'd see familiar sights. The white dragon, and the blade of courage she'd given him three months prior. "These will help you better than me holding onto them..." he knew she was drained and broken, but even then... No matter what anyone thought... he himself though humanity always had a chance. And while he didn't know Yukino's feelings at the time, his unwavering belief in their fighting chance didn't change.

"You sure about this?"

Satoshi was nearly ready to enter, when Sephirot phased into existence behind him spiritually. "They haven't seen you the past two times. You really should've been there." The representative of Neo Nectar wanted his champion to be completely sure he knew what he was getting himself into here.

The farmboy shook his head. "You're right. I probably shouldn't be. But what Mizumi told me just now, about the Reapers and Haruka...they deserve to know, don't they?"

"Maybe. But now isn't the time, if anything. Yukino...from what we understand, she's a mess. The rest of them aren't in much better shape."

Satoshi thought these things through. It was true. Right now, they were all in rather rough shape. Seeing him, unharmed, wouldn't pose well for him in the long run. He could hear them...

"Why weren't you there? We're your friends! We'd die for you! Why won't you do that for us?"

"Because no one needs to die."

He spoke suddenly, out loud, answering his own thoughts without realizing it was. He shrugged to Seph. "It still needs to be done. I need to see Yugure about this." He jerked his head over to his gun-holstered leg, cloaked again by his jacket. "Even if she's in rough shape, I need to know what this can do, so that if it does something...I can help for real."

His guardian sighed. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He turned away, letting his champion walk in as he phased back out. Satoshi immediately went to the front desk and got himself directed to the wing where everyone was staying.

Trinity had been knocked unconscious from the battle with Sovereign. As soon as she was laid on a bed in the hospital though, it took 15 minutes before she woke up wide awake, her mind remembering Famm and Fianna fading away from existence. She sat up rather fast as she screamed. "NO!!!!!!!!!!" Breathing and sweating a bit hard, Trinity blinked as she looked around frantically, half scared of being attacked and the other confused on the sudden change of scenery.

Bashiro helped out Raiden's movements, and almost immediately, Trinity was screaming. "Hey, hey, calm down! It's gonna be alright!" Making sure Raiden could move on his own with the cane, the thug rushed over and gently tugged her by the shoulders. "You're at a hospital, are you okay?"

The Chosen Sword clutched onto the card Seifer gave her, and remained silent. The Reapers are unstoppable, and humanity is going to lose. She can't lead like that, as much as she'd like to bring everyone into a hopeful charge, anyone with sense knew. Sovereign, the Vanguard of Destruction, proved there was nothing to really do. Everything they threw at him was meaningless, and even Overlord was swallowed by the void. Even when their simulated fights against Kraken were won, Kraken itself barely got a scratch.

The medics got Yukino on a stretcher after securing other injured parties, and a lot more were already flooding in. This hospital was about to be very, very busy.

Chronos just added to it by randomly flashing in while people were carrying an empty stretcher for someone else, and carelessly dropped Xat on it.

Prick.

"Third floor, to the left", the receptionist told Satoshi.

Raiden walked up to Yukino, trying to tell her before she was carried away on the stretcher. He sighed as he felt that he wouldn't have time. Raiden turned to Seifer. He was her brother and another fighter. If he told this person, then it would reach the intended target eventually.

"I won't be staying here..." Raiden said to Seifer. "In the battle I could plainly feel that our opponent didn't have a physical form the same as ours. As it stands, they may be invincible to anything we can currently do. However, if we can cut off its path to its own world, there is a chance that will force the creature to have a physical form the same as ours."

Raiden looked at his deleted units for a moment. He sacrificed their lives for this chance. Before now he wouldn't believe that, but now he understood the weight of what he did. "With these cards in this state, I believe the energy signature left on them to do such a thing could be used to find the source that they come from... Hopefully..."