Rijuku Park

Amatsuki felt every small bond he formed while he was here with everyone. By everyone, he means everyone he was able to communicate with for even just a little while.

Fubuki, the first person he fought while he was here. She reminded Amatsuki of his sister. She loved Aqua Force and was a rather cold soul. Not heartless, mind you, just took awhile to warm up to.

Xat, a girl who wanted to fight under him ever since their own first battle. She was a wonderful fighter with spirit to stride and win, regardless of the results. Amatsuki wanted to teach her much more about the Stride Generation before he left... too late.

And finally... Sakuya. She was another seed entirely, and Amatsuki had to understand that even if he were to stay in this dimension, the chances of him and her existing on the same plane for much longer was slim to none. He was only living a dream that was going to end soon, and become a nightmare if he didn't wake up in due time.

Amatsuki breathed out a wisp of breath as well, pocketing his hands and staring up at the snowflakes. They reminded him of...

White feathers. Angel wings. He felt as though the snow on the ground was a world, a sanctuary in the sky, a haven for him and only him to exist without the consequence of others being hurt for selfish or undue desires. Amatsuki knew that wish, in itself, was a selfish and undue desire. He cracked a small smile, watching the snowflakes fall, his cheeks turn red from the cold, and his desire to exist slowly fade. He knew what was going to happen.

Time to accept the fate he had forged for himself.

"I see. Would it be okay, if I took a moment to say one last thing to a person? Just... as a good-bye message. I promise it won't hurt anybody. They'll be gone before long anyways so... please?"

Pleading with a murderer was something Amatsuki found himself acquainted with at this point in his life. But this man, whoever he was talking to, wasn't a pure murderer. He had some semblance of a heart. That made him happy.

"By the way... what's your name? I'm Amatsuki. Amatsuki Tokiya. It's a pleasure to meet my... end-er? Hahahaha..." He even laughed through telepathy. Strange phenomenons.

He could tell the man next to him had some connections in this world. And maybe something a bit... More? It might just be unrequited but it seemed to be there nonetheless. In any case the male nodded solemnly shutting his head. "I don't mind. A final request is something I don't mind upholding. ...I'll be going with you though. Not because I don't trust you, but because there's something bothering me in the back of my mind. ...Something else feels wrong." he shrugged. He was always a paranoid person. To that end he always thought something was wrong somewhere. But that was his reasoning. "I won't eavesdrop though, promise. In any case, I'm Seyer. ...It's nice to actually meet you Amatsuki." he replied, laughing with the man who was speaking with him telepathically.

"Oh, don't worry about either of those. You can listen if you like, it's a long-distance message... it might be sent too late for her to get it, but its worth a shot."

Amatsuki stood up from the snow, patting his pants off and adjusting his back and neck. He closed his eyes, and hummed for a second... then he began to sing.

The snow seemed to slow to a near halt. The atmosphere was no longer cold, but it was absolute. It was still and quiet, yet breathing and living. The world around them ceased to create and destroy but to sway slowly along to the song and sounds coming from his voice.

But his mouth wasn't open.

The sound of his soul poured out of his body and into the world around him, through the airwaves and into the spirit of everybody. The song of quiet calms and beautiful destructions and an unbelievable understanding of the world around them. The very essence of existence stood still to the souls in the nearby area, swaying and singing along to his soul song.

His message breathed life into things slowly, but surely. Water began to move again. The snow fell only a little bit faster, but bit by bit it began to increase in pace, just as his song crescendo'd. And when it became quiet again, things slowed down once more with the tone. He was a maestro, conducting his piece of the world in one absolute fabrication of music for the heart.

The sound vibrated and echoed and bounced off of every surface of everything nearby, creating a pulsing radiance around the surrounding area, as it bounced it slowed and sped up to match the pitch and frequency of the air and the world.

Amatsuki's body was glowing almost... no, it wasn't glowing. The snow from the ground... it was moving in reverse. The flakes began to move up, in slow motion. The resonance of his soul was power making the world move in reverse time almost.

His voice was carrying a symphony of souls and it only broke through once. Now.

His mouth closed once more as he looked into the sky finally.

"Sakuya... It's Amatsuki. If my voice is reaching you now, listen to me one last time. I know we only talked once. How much of that meeting even meant to you, I cannot possibly know now. But listen to the song I have sent to the world. I am me! I am Amatsuki Tokiya, and I feel you are one of the few people who must hear my last words before I depart. I'm leaving soon. Of my own volition, of course. The fate I forged for myself lead me here... I feel its only fair I share this news with you. The snowflakes out today remind me of the feathers of your angelic being. Its strange. They don't really even look like feathers to be honest. Maybe it was a metaphoric thing, I suppose.

Regardless. I do not really remember where I intended to take this message. Probably something about a confession of love but I would not dare say that out loud. Oh wait.... Hahahaha..."

Amatsuki was smiling where he was standing, arms laid out and eyes fixed upon the sun slowly setting at the pace of his music.

"I guess, I want you to know that I believe you can recreate your own fate too. So if you can, please do so. And, wherever you go, wherever you end up, remember someone believes in the future you believe in. After all...

You believed in mine."

Amatsuki promptly closed his mouth, and bowed, allowing time to resume to its natural state of things. He turned around to face Seyer, breathe in slowly, and then close his eyes.

"And to you, my new friend. Seyer. If you would... do as you came to do. I feel as though staying here any longer would be a violation of the words I sent to..."

He was choking back tears slightly. Sniffles and all.

"Her. Them. Everyone."

He nodded, waiting for Seyer's final response.

Seyer listened, shocked. He was in awe. This man was powerful enough to do something like this and it... Seemed to make the area around them seem more beautiful. It would make the end result even more powerful. As Amatsuki finished his message, and spoke to him, referring to him as a friend... He could feel his heart almost tear. The reasoning why killing the seeds hurt. They had their faces, the faces of his lost loved ones. Shutting his eyes, a prison, made just for them appeared, a cardfight board appearing between them. "This way... We can enjoy one last thing. Even if the end result is something sad and gruesome. We can get to know each other better, my friend." at the end of his speech, there was a sad smile on his face, his eyes near tears.

The fight between Seyer and Amatsuki was one of the few he believed to truly make his soul speak back to him. Trading blows between the powerful and radiant Gold Paladins with the spiritfire of the Dark Irregulars back and forth. Him and Seyer discussed... their past lives. The descent into sadness and uselessness.

Amatsuki listened to the message he was told. The world Seyer came from was one of pain, and that he was the reason for everything happening in his dimension. That he was the destruction and the cause of the hell he came out of.

Amatsuki refuted him. He refused to believe that a person, despite how they may act or do, is truly evil. No one's heart is born with impure intentions, so he is one who will always give at least another chance. He refused to believe the Seyer back then, or even the one in the future, was or will be such an awful person. Because the one in front of Amatsuki was the one he believed in, and that was enough.

The fought proceeded with the transcendence of the golden lion, Mithril Ezel. He was majestic, as Amatsuki pointed out. The fight proceeded with blow for blow, guard for guard, until it came down to Amatsuki's final draw.

His avatar came to his aid; Demon World Marquis, Amon.

With an impressive breakride, destroying the ugly mask that covered the face of his opponent and revealing his soul, he pushed forth by strengthening the bonds of his allies.

Amatsuki had a belief in the idea of his soul being the strongest thing in his body. And the more it grew, and the more that entered his soul, the stronger the bonds of him and his allies would be... This belief would hold true once more for his final assault!

With the power of 10 souls aiding his comrades, three of his rear-guards, as well as Amon, would receive an additional 10000 Power in the next attack. He commanded his forces to prepare the launch, everyone was to join together for their last attack. Should this fail, it would mean there was no turning back.

Amatsuki commanded, for the last strike, he knew there was no going back.

"Amon, go forth, show Ezel the power of our bonds and the beauty of our song!"

It hit. A critical strike! This was the path to victory he had hoped for! With only four cards left in hand, and 31000 power on his remaining column, victory almost seemed to be in his sights...

The rush began to set in, as he turned his card to strike forth.

"Flirty Succubus, attack Ezel, go!"

This command was of course through his mind to his units. And even with all the power these bonds had accumulated, there was no breaking the defense...

And so Amatsuki smiled a large smile. He put his head up high, and stared Seyer in the eye with determination. His hand was one trigger, a Grade 3, and two Grade 2 units. There was no realistic way to guard what was Ezel's final call to arms.

By accumulating the strength of his allies' bonds, Ezel gained an additional 10000 Power as well, as a self-imposed critical, atop of the 5000 Power his allies grant him. 26000 Power alone, but 32000 with Dindrane as a boost. Even with all of the guards in his hand, he had no way to guard out this attack.

Amatsuki sighed lightly as a wisp floated from his lips. He felt a warmth pour into his soul from this final fight. It was fun. It was teary-eyed. It was a friendship developing that he would cherish forever.

Amatsuki took two more damage in a final hit, sending him to six. His soul was not strong enough to overcome the paladin's feelings. And he was okay with that.

"Seyer... Thank you for the fight. And, thank you for coming today. I feel as though there is no better way I  could have spent my final day here in this universe. Even if this isn't my home, and if I'll never see anyone from here again, I can say with the utmost certainty, that for all you've done..."

He opened his mouth, and a slightly butchered of a very common phrase came out. A huge grin formed and what came out was a loud and proud,

"Sankyu!"

He grinned, as the prison began to dematerialize and the boards were withering away. The fight had concluded and so had Amatsuki's stay on Earth today. He was a lover, a fighter, a poet and a romantic. But he was a human being who cherished every small thing and every large thing despite the differences those things shared. That was his ultimate goal.

The little white wishes in the forms of snowflakes fell from the sky, as every soul on Earth wished for something.

Peace.

Harmony.

Love.

Understanding.

Clarity.

Honor.

Respect.

Affection.

Another to share these emotions with.

One day these people would realize what Amatsuki had realized not too long ago. It only takes yourself to carve your own destiny. So stand up. Do it. Because anyone can.



They just have to believe in the future they desire.

The fight was indeed heartfelt, the males sharing their stories. Seyer, who continually saw the face of one of his closest friends from his own timeline was torn, hurting from doing what he had to. The proud lion and the misunderstood demon. They traded blows, growing closer through the fight. This was a bond that had formed between two souls. Even if their bodies were to wither away, the bonds would stay, transcending the barriers of time forever. As it came for the final strike, Ezel growing more powerful with all the bonds accumulated not only in this fight, but Seyer's recent adventures in this world in which he did not belong, the strike went through. Piercing deep into Amon's soul, the prison would translate the damage to Amatsuki. Seyer, teary eye'd, hugged his new friend. Even if he looked like one of his frieds from his timeline, he was indeed a new friend. He hated how this had to end, so, before Amatsuki faded away... The brunette spoke his prayer. "I pray you are reborn one day. ...Away from the chaos and despair that was our lives. I hope you are reborn into a life in which you can be happy. ...Farewell, my friend. I hope to see you again someday."

After losing her fight with Darren and somehow losing the Seed embedded inside her, the Noel of the lost future found herself in the park. She knew it was only a matter of time before she vanishes so Noel decided to take advantage of her remaining time and enjoy everything around her. Everything in her time was all but destroyed and left barren, so seeing everything in this time still intact despite the invasion, it was a good sight to see.

I wish... I wish I had a second chance in life... to correct my mistakes and make things right. I ran away, leaving everyone to die terrible deaths and asking to stay alive is something I shouldnt even ask... but I must, so I can make ammends even if it takes an eternity. I want to seek peace for my soul and for the others...

Noel didnt want to leave this world, she wanted to stay so she can undo the errors of her own time and at least guide her friends that are still alive here so they can avoid any possible dangers that happens in her time. She thought it was a way to ask for forgiveness to her timeline friends that died, by protecting their past selves. She seeks hope for a better future, nothing more, nothing less.

As she thought about everything, she stumbled upon someone that looked familiar, someone that looked like her brother that died but doesnt look like him at the same time

The man in question was standing alone now, his friend having vanished from this world after the prison made dissipated. The look on his face was anguished, and he was gripping the center of his chest. Even in the snow, the white blanket of snow everywhere and the flakes falling before them... The tears streaming down his face was evident. Even if this Noel wasn't a true seed anymore, she might be able to tell that Seyer was indeed another seed, especially when Ezel showed up, placing a comforting hand on his Vanguard's shoulder. There was so much sorrow in the air, it was almost suffocating. The cold air didn't help much either.

This was her brother from another timeline. Noel was able to sense his seed and knew he wasnt of this world or her own. Couldnt be her own of course since she saw him die protecting the Kusanagi mansion, humanity's last stand. But regardless of where he came from, or what his name might be, Seifer will always be her brother. Her time was almost up so Noel ran up and hugged him from behind. "Don't give up hope like I did, seek a better future, seek happiness, the light from the darkness of where we came from was always there... we just need to believe. Our friends will always back us up no matter what. We are family and no matter what world we come from, I'll be there to support you!"

Noel smiled, she was able to hug a version of her brother one more time. As she started to vanish, Noel's final hope, her final wish, was to comeback and have a second chance to make things right again and to protect her friends.

As the arms, and familiar voice wrapped around Seyer's middle, his eyes shot open wide. Ezel almost flipped out, but didn't really have enough time to do so, since she was gone before he could really do anything. Seyer however, while she was still there placed his hand on her arms, crying softly to himself. He didn't think he'd get to see or hear her voice again. And the fact that she spoke like they were brother and sister from the same timeline... That they were brother and sister no matter what. It was almost to much to bear for him. He almost ended himself there and yet... He made a promise. His life wasn't his own to take. Lightly gripping her hand as she disappeared he nodded, shutting his already tired eyes tightly. "...I will... I'll keep going. Thank you... ...I love you, you're still my family, even if the times aren't the same. ...I'll see you again some day." replied quietly, trying not to burst into tears again. And like that, she was gone. What he'd said... It was a lie. He wouldn't be allowed to be reborn. His sins were to great. But, it was still something that came out of his mouth. He didn't realize how bad he missed his sisters until this very moment, and in the end... It was that thought that drove him. Maybe... Maybe he could still save one, the ones still in this timeline. As Noel from another time vanished, he turned, walking away from the park. There was one left.

A beautiful day to be at the park. No one believe that the city this park is located in was part of an apocalyptic war against alien invaders. Especially on this type of day where the park is so relaxing. A nice cool breeze gently rustling through along with a warm mix of the sun, that someone looking to take a nap by the park lake can do so in no time.

A young woman was walking by, enjoying the scenery and weather. She stopped and looked up, eyes closed, and started to take a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I'm back... I can't believe it's been three months already... so much has happened that looking at how the park is, it almost feels like a bad dream."

But it wasn't a bad dream. Noel Kusanagi has returned to the city after an agonizing three month training period with her father back home. The reason being for the Link Joker invasion and Seed fighter encounters that occurred three months ago. Her father has heard about and fought against the invaders as well which is why he forced summoned her back home. To make her even stronger since he absolutely hates weakness and after learning that Noel was Reversed, his disappointment in her grew even more. It grew so much that he felt that it was necessary to personally train her. A rare event, Noel's father spending personal time with her. It wasn't pleasant for the slightest however. Harsh training every day, every hour, every minute. All in attempts to "purge the weakness" out of her.

"FOOL! AND YOU EXPECT ME TO HAND OVER MY LIFE'S FORTUNE DOWN TO YOU?! PATHETIC! I RATHER DIE AND HAVE MY COMPANY BE TORN TO SHREDS BY OUR COMPETITORS! THAT PIECE OF GARBAGE SEIFER IS STRONGER THAN YOU?! HOW DARE YOU DISGRACE THE FAMILY NAME!"

The highlight of Noel's time back home. Her father not holding back on his tongue and insulting Noel for being so weak. He also had a special hatred towards Seifer. Mainly because he is not of family blood from his side. However, Noel pressed on and never looked back. It was something she was used to sadly. Her mom tried her best to at least make her time back home worthwhile. Tried. Now it's over and Noel feels like she did get stronger.

Despite being treated like trash, I think I actually got stronger than before... I have better control over the Reverse energy that stayed within me and my deck benefited from it in a good way. I can't believe that old bastard actually helped me for once... "And now I'm back. This time, I'll make sure not to let brother or anyone else be dragged down..."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile on the other side of the park, another young woman was walking by. If there were any guys around, they would most likely get captivated by her beauty. She has the look of a model. However, the look on her face clearly showed she was lost and that her mind was completely blank. Almost walking like a zombie, the clueless young woman got on the grass area and laid down staring at the partly cloudy sky. Such a pretty sky.... huh... wait a second... what am I doing again?

Despite her beauty, she is as absent-minded and forgetful as they come. She had completely forgotten what was the purpose of her going to the park. Just another day for the life of Mirai Hashira. A blue deck box was by her hip, a new cardfighter has arrived.

The slight breeze ran through his hair as Raiden sat on a bench in the park. He had spent three months asking questions and learning as much as he could. It was so much that he began keeping a journal of the whole thing. He looked at the book for a moment before putting it away into an inner pocket of his jacket. He looked up as he was dissatisfied at what he had learned. All this time and I haven't found out the answer to the big questions... That boy, Darren Shurensei... I know he was the one that fell into the darkness of the Seed. Still, I haven't found a thing about removing it...

He hadn't had much of an ability to ask Yukino about it either. Was he at a dead end? Supernatural things like this had literature about them, but he had to fish out the lies from the truth out of that just to begin looking for an answer. Didn't help that he didn't understand what the Seed even was. Based on what he saw, it almost seemed like another spirit, a possession. Was Darren's care the only one like that?

When he looked outward, he saw a girl. He went into his pocket as she seemed familiar. Sure enough, she was... Noel Kusanagi. She had been seen with Darren a lot. Apparently they were the best of friends. She wasn't at the battle with the Mad Queen. Did that mean she didn't know what befell her friend? If she did know, maybe she could shed some light on things. He stood up, walking to her as he noticed she was staring into space. He'd have to get her attention.

"Pardon me," Raiden began, trying not to sound threatening at all. "Your name is Noel Kusanagi, isn't it? I wanted to ask you something about this person, if you know him..." He was being very to the point, but introduction would have to come after he knew what she knew of Darren and his situation. He took out a picture from his pocket, handing it to her. It was Darren from the Culture Festival. Of course someone would have taken a picture of his Kaizard costume. Luckily it showed his face.

Noel was lost in deep thought, reminiscing everything that happened here. The first steps of her journey began in the park. She encountered many new friends. One of them being Rosalia, which pains her a lot. Noel committed horrible things against her, tortured her and ever ripped apart her favorite unit, Luquier. She knew it wasn't her fault, that it was the influence of the Reverse but the guilt ate her alive every time she thought of it. It makes more sense that her father would personally "train" her. Noel was took weak and that weakness hurt people she cared about deeply.

Suddenly a young man came up to her which brought her back to reality and away from those memories. "Huh? That's me, who are you and why do you have a picture of Darren? Don't tell me you are some kind of sick, perverted stalker, I'll call the cops on you if you are." Unless the person was a cop himself, no one in the right mind would carry a picture of someone, especially the one that was shown to her. It was a picture of Darren dressed up as Kaizard during the Cultural Festival.

Her caution was understandable. It would make sense for her to keep her guard up with him. With all that he had seen and heard she had reason to. Still, he wasn't an enemy. He needed a way to assure her of that quickly. He went into his pocket and took out his Liberator deck, looking at her with a small smile.

"No need to be afraid," he said to her. "I'm a cardfighter like you. You can also think of me as a detective of sorts. I've been looking into this town and the strange things that have been happening within it. The Reverse and the Seeded Fighters. There are some things I wanted to ask you, but before that I want to know if you know where this boy is."

He already knew what had happened to him, but the question was meant to gauge if she knew or not. It was a simple yes or no if she really didn't trust him would be enough for him to continue on. He just needed to know if she was aware of what Darren had become.

"After everything that has happened, you honestly believe I will buy into what you are saying so easily? These past few months have been nothing but hell for me, no way I will simply believe what you are saying!"

Noel saw him pull out his deck to show he is a fellow cardfighter. This was a perfect chance to see the fruits of her three month training. "I haven't seen Darren for a long time so if that answers your question, then that settles it. BUT I want to cardfight you. Just so I can be truly sure if you are who you say you are!" They say cardfights are the best way to tell fellow fighters about themselves in more effective ways than words. Noel pulls out her newly formed Jewel Knight deck and awaits for his acceptance.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mirai was staring blankly at the sky, now completely clueless of her purpose of being there. She knew that she was bad at memorizing things but this was too much. Just the sight of her just spelled out the word "unreliable."

The day is so nice for a nap... what a pretty sky... the sun brights as much as my blond hair when put against the light! Am I... a Sun too?! Teehee, silly Mirai. Mirai dozed off so calmly, not caring of what random bystanders thought of her when they passed by seeing her sleeping so comfortably. The nap didn't last long though since she started hearing a loud ruckus a little down the pathway. What she lacked in memory, her sense of hearing and others increased? Who knows, Mirai's brain is a mystery. She gets up and stretches, yawning a little loud. Never noticed a piece of grass was stuck on her cheek. Mirai got up and started walking lazily while rubbing an eye towards the commotion. "I wonder what's going on over there..."

Raiden couldn't help but smile. Her way of thinking was the same as his. He hadn't come here without expecting a fight of some kind so this was fine for him. He hadn't changed his deck in all of this time. He didn't have a reason to. His Liberators had seen him through a lot so far.

"That's fine by me," he said to her. "My name is Raiden Mujo. I'll be your opponent, Noel." He placed his deck down. Her eyes had determination. She had something to prove. Not to him, but to herself. He wouldn't hold back but he did want to see what she had to offer. Besides, he always believed the best way to build bonds was through cardfighting.

Mirai got closer and noticed two people standing on a table. Her field of vision was blurry because of her nap which is why Mirai then stopped and rubbed her eyes well so she can see again. There! Much better! I was afraid I would of gotten blind! It would be sad if I got blind from taking a nap in the middle of the park!

When she looked up, then she was able to see clearly what those two people were doing. They were having a cardfight. "Heyyy! They play too! I wonder how they will do against my Seeker deck! Purgy and Lighty are so hungry for a fight! I might just take a look from a distance. I can feel that this is something serious!" She spoke to herself. Even though she can be described as clueless and oblivious to surroundings, she is able to tell the seriousness of cardfights. Granted, Mirai has never taken any cardfight seriously in her life except for one time. Other than that, her care-free attitude when fighting allowed her to tell when her opponents were serious since she never was. Hey that girl can do two vanguards in one just like me! Hmmm, something about her seems familiar... she kinda looks like the girl in my movie dream! Her "movie dream" is a series of dreams she has been having lately that she would have every night. Sometimes they repeat themselves or sometimes they are different but still within the same "universe" of the dream. Due to the nature of those dreams, she refers to them as a "movie dream" because Mirai feels like she is watching a movie while sleeping. The fight seemed exciting to watch so she keeps watching while hiding behind a tree. Unknowingly to her, it looks like she is stalking them which is giving random bystanders the wrong idea.

The battle raged, Liberators fighting Jewel Knights. The Light of the United Sanctuary in two forms. Raiden fought to see what was within Noel's heart and he could tell she was fighting to understand something about herself. Her style was ruthless, so fast. It was similar to what he would normally do. He took the time to see what she would do, perhaps that was his mistake.

She rode a new unit. Yvain... out of the Paladins, that was a new name to him. Then again, so was Dragruler Phantom. The units she used to guard with early on went back into the deck. His eyes widened at the sight. Now she had two Vanguards. She called this ability Legion. A power of bonds so great that it transcended the normal rules and allowed for more than one unit in the center. When it attack, their power combined. With a boost as well and a skill not dependent on damage like his were, she had him at a huge advantage. He had to use Ingraine which luckily brought forth Mark. Without this combination, he would have taken mortal damage and been defeated.

Raiden used his Break Ride to try and battle back, calling 2 units and attacking to get a heal and a critical. It helped close the gap, but she still had a large advantage over him. Guarding early meant she started the turn at 1 damage. At the end she was at 4 but the hand different was spectacular. How was it she was able to hold a formation like this and attack for such strong numbers? Was this the power of Legion?

Raiden's defenses only lasted so long. He was preparing to use Garmore's Limit Break ability when he saw Noel going for his rear guards, but it wasn't enough. When Yvain attacks for 35000 power and 2 criticals, Raiden couldn't guard. That was when something happened. Her eyes gave a red glow and she was able to summon a critical trigger. 3 damage when he was already at 3. He couldn't get the heal. He had lost to this power... to Noel's power.

At the end of the battle, Raiden mentioned to her that he hadn't had such an intense battle since fighting Yugure. Noel knew the name. It was enough to get her trust. That was a good thing. However, when he mentioned that he was working with Yugure to help Darren, Noel had no idea what he meant. She really didn't know... They seemed to be close friends, so he had to at least tell her what happened to him.

"After the battle against the Reverse, there were beings known as Seeded Fighters. I'm certain you know about it. Darren battled one of them. Something in him changed from the start of the battle and in the end he lost. Instead of taking mortal damage as he likely should have, his body changed. He became no different from one of those Seeded ones. I haven't been able to get much information as to why or how this happened, only that now Darren is just like them, or more to say Darren is gone. What remains is named Malice."

Success. Her three months of hellish training was a complete success. Her new power in the Jewel Knight order, Legion. Thanks to the new unit Yvain, it was all possible. Ashlei was able to relax and watch within the deck as Yvain took care of everything. Almost like when a master watches over the pupil's progress. The look on Raiden's face when two vanguard units appeared in the center was of complete shock. It was normal afterall, the Legion ability is still new and in development. With the limits now broken, the strength from powerful bonds between fighter and deck can be unleashed with units that are capable of demonstrating that bond.

Without Noel knowing, her eyes glowed a crimson red on her last drive check which got her a critical trigger to win the fight. A complete kill, from three damage to six thanks to Yvain's legion skill of gaining an extra critical. The legion attacks were too powerful for Raiden to handle since his defenses were breaking apart while Noel was gaining defense thanks to her perfect formation.

That was when he mentioned that him and Yugure were working together to help Darren. Why did he needed help? What happened after she fled from her defeat by Glendios? That was when Raiden explained what happened. Him explaining about the Seeded Fighters was nothing new for her but the events that happened after them and the Reverse is whatstruck her hard. Darren had lost himself and became something known as Malice and joined the darkness of the Seeded Fighters after losing to one of them.

"That's not... no... first Tsubasa and now Darren... if only... tch" Noel tightened her fists and started getting angry at herself for not being there during that time. She started to blame herself for not being strong enough to be there and quite possibly help prevent Tsubasa's death and Darren's fall to the darkness.

Raiden took out his journal, looking through it for a moment as she took it all in. It wasn't because he was ignoring her. He wanted to get confirmation based on his own research. It was true, the power he felt was the same as the Reverse, but he wasn't any different after losing to it. She was fine to trust.

"I'm sorry..." was the first thing Raiden could say. "I know about Tsubasa as well. He fought bravely, even if I never saw him myself. Right now I am trying to learn as much as I can. There are still things I don't yet know about it, but I do know that there has to be a way to remove it. I don't know what you did in the past, but now, through your power, we can find him and save him from this fate."

He extended his hand out to her, a sign of friendship. "So, are you willing to help me to save him? I've heard you two were close, though I wouldn't know about it myself."

Everything looked good for the people in the Rijuku Park. Kids were playing, birds were singing, families were enjoying a nice day... The whole shtick. But on the other side of the park, was a starving and thirsty young man. He was sitting on the floor, besides his backpack and a sign saying "Will cardfight for food". He was hiding other signs reading "Will dance for food" and "Will strip for food", because he didn't know how to dance and he didn't want to be arrested for indecency.

Carlos was reviewing in his mind the events that led him to this situation. He couldn't understand what had gone wrong. "Wow... What did I do wrong? Everything was going so well. My plan was failsafe!". He got up and thought about what happened one last time before going to walk. "Maybe its just bad luck. Let's see what did I do once I got here..."


"Are you sure you want to buy all that candy, sir?"

"Yup"

"Its quite expensive"

"D'uh. That's why I need to buy it".


"... Yup, definitely bad luck" Carlos thought as he reached a bag of candy in his backpack and eating one. "Its incredible how these candies do nothing to take away my hunger". Looking for the bag, he touched his deckcase which contained his precious Narukami deck. "Oh, so you were hiding here...".

Recalling why he traveled so far to that place, he grabbed his backpack and his signs and started to walk around the park trying to find someone to play with. "Hmph, maybe if I walk I could forget the hunger and the thirst. After all, I walked here from the train station".

Noel just couldn't believe it. All she could do was blame herself that others had to either die or fall into darkness while she ran away feeling helpless. But now with this new power, she feels, she knows that she can be different. To be able to be among those who stand firm in the front lines against any other threat that may happen. Running away or standing there feeling useless is not going to happen ever again. It's her turn to be the one saving the day with the others.

Noel looked up and saw Raiden extending his hand to confirm an alliance and friendship between the two for the effort of saving Darren. He may be new to the area and she doesn't know anything about him but he can be trusted. So she did the same and shook his hand. "I don't know where you came from but I'll help you in this. He is one of my few friends and I can't afford to just let him rot in darkness. I'll make sure to bring that idiot back."

Raiden smiled lightly and nodded to her. "I look forward to your help," he said to her. After shaking her hand, he took out a card to hand to her. It was not a Vanguard card, more of a business card. "This is my contact information. You can use it to get in touch with me. There are others I want to find, but if you need me, I will be sure to do all I can."

He turned from her, closing his eyes as he spoke more. "Vanguard... I always saw this as a game that could bring people together, form bonds. There are many things about it that show there is another side to it, but I still hold true the idea that it is a good thing. Also, I am sure that it is the key to bringing him back." It was almost strange for him to care this much about a boy he never met, but Raiden was determined to help his friends to save Darren. "There is someone else I need to find as well, the likeness of one of the Seeds that battled in the other dimension. I believed they called him Seyfer. Yukino's Seeded form was a different version of her from another timeline. If this Seyfer was the same, there is a chance that person knows something as well about the power within the Seed and its connection to the Reverse. I believe that is the key to understanding how to help Darren Shurensei."

Seifer and Rosalia soon made their way to the park, which was easier with Seifer knowing his way around better now. Still they walked side by side, one of his arms around her waist and holding her close. He had no idea about the others here, as he hadn't seen them yet. Hopefully this doesn't turn out to awkwardly. "Hopefully she doesn't question you to death though." he spoke to the brunette at his side, continuing their conversation from earlier. "And hopefully she doesn't get any crazy ideas." he laughed slightly at his own, not super funny joke. Well, it was true though. He just hoped that Yukino would relax and not go test crazy or something. Then another thought occurred. Rose was back, what about the others? Could it be possible?

Rosalia only smiled a bit and shrugged as she and Seifer headed into the park. The thought of Yukino going crazy though was a sight she didn't know if she could handle. "Crazy ideas?... Like what?" she asked sincerely, wondering what exactly Yukino could come up with nowadays. The brunette female just wanted to see her again, but spending time with Seifer was still the best thing that they could do right now. "... All of my stuff is still in the house, right?... I mean, that violin you got me is still there? I just... I don't know what I'm supposed to do, now that I'm back and all... I thought maybe I could get back into practicing my violin, but if Yukino-oneesan lets me stay at the mansion with you guys, I wanna help out somehow..."