Beach

Okuri couldn't help but laugh a bit at Carlos who seemed really hesitant to order as he pleased. "Of course, whatever you want get it. I said don't worry, I'm covering everything." he said to assure him it was alright. Haruka seemed intent on paying Okuri back which he wasn't having.

"Haruka don't worry about it. I've got lifetimes of savings and all the time in the world to get more if I ever run out. This is the least I could do for the new friends I've made since joining this group." he said smiling back at them all. Haruka then turned the conversation to a little more solemn topic. But thankfully he seemed to be trying to convince himself it was possible they could win. Much better than their first encounter. He had seemed so defeated and hopeless then. Perhaps this marriage business had lifted his spirits. His question was how would they celebrate after it all. An interesting question to be sure.

"Hmm..." he started thinking as the others replied. "I'd just like a peaceful life with the companionship of good friends..." the reply began but it was obvious his mood was taking a bit of a dive. "... But then I'm going to outlive you all..." his voice quivered a bit as he continued. This was part of what had made recalling the various women he had loved difficult. They had meant everything to him in the moment but time's endless march had taken them from him as it had taken everyone else. He knew what he was doing getting close to the members of the resistance like this. He was setting himself for future heartbreak when they all ultimately succumbed to their short limited human lifespan.

The food had arrived and he tried to brush off the sadness that had come over him so the others wouldn't worry. He started eating but his mind wasn't focused on the food much now.

Haruka nodded with a grin on his face to their responses. All of them seemed to be pretty natural and excited responses. They were the reason that Haruka was confident in his own future after the Reapers. He was trying his best to think it would work itself out, but he realized that wasn't... exactly the case.

Okuri's side comment about outliving them took him a little off-guard. He blinked, picking up the freshly arriving coffee from the waitress. His smile turned to a slight sour note, feeling a bit bad that Okuri himself would not get to keep these friends forever...

"I'm... sorry."

He didn't mean to bring that sort of topic up for him, in all honesty. His heart hurt a bit at the thought of living forever, but not being able to take the things you love most with you.

Haruka sipped the coffee that arrived, but his stomach too was no longer feeling the food ordered. He figured he would take the two bowls down in one shot in order to finish them despite his stomach rejecting it.

With Okuri's approval, Carlos felt completely relieved. "Oh thanks! You're my favorite do- Person right now! I could even kiss you and I wouldn't mind even if it's anti-hygienic!" He exclaimed, ordering everything that interested him. He noticed that Jessie was laughing when he mentioned his problem with the candy. "Hey! Don't laugh until you eat it! Even the bread here is really good!". Soon after, not-Sera asked them how they wanted to celebrate their victory over the Reapers... If they managed to defeat them.

"Hard candy, of cour- Wait, no. Forget about it" Carlos answered. "I... Really don't know. Maybe hanging out with friends, and having cardfights that don't mean the end of the world if someone loses. But hey, don't say it like that. I think we still got a chance to destroy them for good". He knew that the odds of beating the Reapers were... Low, but they managed to defeat like three or four of them when in the beginning they couldn't even scratch them. "But first we need to feed their 'minions' or whatever they are called- Oh, the food is here!" He interrupted himself once the food was served. "That was fast. Well, enjoy!".

"Hey man, don't anybody worry about outliving or living life short. Life is just what you make of it", the wise words of Bashiro Hakaisha began to be noted. "If you want to think of it as sadness until death or someshit, it's gonna be shit. If you think life's just gonna be grand and you live it to the fullest, shit works out." The brawler continued, and these words touched the hearts of the lowlives about to feast off of Okuri's earnings. It made no sense, but all he wanted to do was cheer up the spirit. He may outlive them, but if they dwell on that fact, everyone's going to be upset. Better to not think about bad things, right?

"Um..." Jessie looked at the... vast assortment of sushi rolls before him. "... I didn't order this much."

Okuri could tell he'd ruined the mood as he'd feared. He wanted to be happy but when decades had at times escaped him without much notice it was hard to think of just how quickly time moved for him. Thankfully Bashiro spoke up to improve people's spirits. It didn't make much of any sense to Okuri who had to take a minute to try and figure out what it was he was trying to say. But he got the intent of the message. Okuri had already accepted Chronojet's help to continue living his life. And if he let the idea of losing everyone sadden him now then the decades he had with them would be ruined for nothing. And so Bashiro just trying to say something ended up working. Okuri's mood improved or at the least he pushed the depressing thoughts from his mind. The pace at which he was eating picked up and the smile crept back to his face.

Meanwhile Jessie had more sushi than he knew what to do with. It seemed the boy hard ordered more on top of Okuri ordering just about every type they had. Okuri laughed a bit at his confusion.

"I thought you might like to try a bit of everything. I probably should have mentioned that before you ordered. Eat what you want I'm sure we can clean up between all of us here." he said as he began picking out parts of the various rolls to try himself. A resounding "yeah" from the crowd assured that yes there was nothing that had been ordered that wasn't going to be eaten by someone or other. Thankfully Okuri did still very much enjoy fish so the meal was a success as far as he was concerned.

Haruka quietly sipped his coffee, trying to also fix his mental fortitude. After the prior events, he felt it was wrong to be depressed after experiencing such a happy moment with loved ones. Maybe there was someone out there secretly pulling the strings, making everyone suffer.

He contemplated the idea, deciding if he was given the chance he would slay that entity given the chance. However, his thoughts did quickly recover back to the group and he grinned. Something was different about the atmosphere. Despite them all knowing the looming threat in the distance, they all recovered immediately it seemed.

Like whatever hope they were looking for was secretly still in them, they just wouldn't believe it 'til it came true.

The difference is, hope is for the masses. Action is driven by the heroes. One cannot hope to change fate with hope alone.

It takes action.

"Everyone... Everyone!"

Haruka stood up, holding his cup of coffee.

"I want to propose a toast." He said with a rather mature voice. Growing up fast.

"A toast, to a future we all desire. To the world we will save with our own hands."

He looked to Bashiro.

"To love."

Then Jessie.

"To brotherhood."

Next, Okuri.

"To Friendship. Real friendship. Eternal friendship."

To Carlos.

"To Cardfights!"

And to the rest of the thugs...

"To a world we saved."

"To the future? Come on, how about a nice girl's hips? Get your girl to get some meat-" Bashiro actually stopped midway recalling that Haruka comically snapped over the thug getting on his girlfriend for her light weight. He quietly chuckled, still wanting a toast to a well endowed woman. Everyone else was all for the cheers to the future and Jessie was definitely for brotherhood. As stupid as Bashiro was, Jessie was proud to be his kin and even happier to fight alongside him. He's fine being just Bashiro's brother, so long as they're a duo and the world knows there's nothing without the other.

They and the thugs raised their various drinks up high.

Haruka didn't seem anything like he had been that night Okuri had first met him. He seemed to have somehow really convinced himself that what he thought was impossible was somehow possible now. Was this somehow Hikari's doing? Humans tended to do crazy things for their mates, even if they hadn't married each other yet. Haruka proposed a toast and his gaze fell on each person as their dreams for the future were called as part of it. Okuri was touched when Haruka spoke of eternal friendship. The idea that their relationships could somehow carry on into the eternities was something he very much wanted to believe in. The thought shown for him by Bashiro and now Haruka meant a lot to him as evidenced by his eyes watering up some. He raised his glass to join the toast.

"And to good luck with a marriage." he said to sneak something into the toast for Haruka. "I don't know Hikari well but sources would indicate you're going to need it." he smirked. These were honestly good people. Even the guys who'd just come along to take advantage of his money again. Okuri appreciated the time with them and hoped to be able to enjoy it for as long as possible.

Haruka stood there, clinking drinks with the crew that joined for this late escapade of fun. It was different, not being surrounded by danger... the fact that the state of emergency the country has been in hasn't made everybody stay inside their own homes is a feat on its own. These brave souls here are all willing to put their life out on the line now to save people.

Heroes indeed.

"What do you mean meat--- Ah, forget you. You wouldn't know personality on a woman if its tits slapped you in the face."

Haruka made a fake pout, as to entertain the thugs. Then, on to the much kinder comment at hand.

"Thank you, Okuri. I appreciate it... Bashiro doesn't seem to." Haruka chuckled, re-seating himself and sipping the last of his coffee, and chomping down the last bit of the beef bowls he ordered. The appetite returned to him once the spirits of the table were lifted. It felt good knowing that everybody here was prepared to ride together.

Or die together.

But hopefully not that part. Dying is a no-no, and Haruka doesn't want to go through that whole phase of life and death again.

"When this battle is over, I really hope the Resistance doesn't disband... I like hanging out with you guys"

Haruka admits. He likes the thugs. What a twist from two years ago.

Things got more lively with all the boys around, the toast fully revitalizing their spirits. Conversations overtook the general noise of the foodery, mood vastly improved from what HQ would normally look like. Jessie began taste-testing some of the sushi rolls, and already liked it tons more than the ones back in Umano. Then, the chief spoke. Ah, he knew what Bashiro meant with meat. But, it's not like he was wrong. A couple of thugs chuckled and agreed with Haruka. Yet, there were some scumbags who clearly stated a nice butt came before a personality.

"Look, I'm all for personality. But I also count a lady's front and back as part of it." Bashiro defended himself with no shame of how asinine that sounded, and Jessie rolled his eyes over how much of a shallow asshole he was. The boys continued to laugh heartily, having a good time. The brawler didn't bother to bug Haruka with further panicking over the marriage, just let him be happy about it. Everyone was digging in, and this was grand for business.

"Same, you guys are great", Jessie agreed with Haruka's sentiment to stay together.

"I'unno man", Bashiro started. "From day one I was ready for retirement."

"To retire, first you gotta get a job AND a check." A thug snorted.

"Ain't dat right?" Another followed up and Bashiro groaned while some beat on their tables.

Okuri was happy to see everyone enjoying themselves. This is what he had wanted when he had offered to pay for a meal. Perhaps not quite on this scale but even those from the slums he didn't know made for energetic company. Haruka spoke Okuri's mind on the resistance after the fight was over. He'd like to have them all around afterwards as well. As the meal progressed a waiter came over to Okuri and raised a concern that as it stood the bill would be rather substantial and advised merely to keep that in mind before ordering anything else. All he could do was laugh a bit and assure the man everything would be fine and they'd get all their money up front. He even went as far as to order desserts for everyone on the spot. This was too good to be true for the restaurant provided there actually was money coming their way.

Now it was time he shifted his attention to Haruka, the one human here he didn't really understand all that well. Bashiro despite being super humanly strong wasn't hard to understand. The same was true for the various thugs and such as well. But then there was Haruka. As he continued casually eating at whatever was around Okuri began questioning him.

"So Haruka, I couldn't help but notice your interest in my 'stories' earlier. Not exactly a common thing. I was wondering if you couldn't tell me a bit more about yourself. People's story's always fascinate me in how they explain certain things about them." he said.

Haruka couldn't help but find himself laughing along with the boys at the dinner table. It was like an adoptive family of misfits. The kind Haruka was missing a lot in his younger days... He shook off the regret immediately, realizing there was no baggage worth carrying from back then.

Okuri was apparently talking to one of the staff about potential money issues, which he seemed to swiftly brush off. Haruka was sweating, coming to the conclusion that he was probably significantly poorer than Okuri and using roughly

ALL OF HIS MONEY

on a wedding ring, it was becoming clear.

Then, he asked Haruka about his own stories, as Haruka had once asked of Okuri of his too. He scratched his chin, thinking of what to say, or rather, what story to tell. Something the whole group would like, but something Okuri would find particularly fascinating. One of love? Action? Suspense?

Haruka opened his mouth, remembering the story of death. Back during the invasion. While some would call it a morbid topic, maybe this would spark Okuri's interest. After all, he's never experienced his own death... and to be completely honest, most people shouldn't have died and come back before. It's unnatural. But then again, considering the Reaper circumstance, not a whole lot is really natural anymore.

"How about I tell you the time I died?"

He set down his coffee cup carefully, clasping his hands together.

"It was late in the fall, but nearly snowing. I was being inhabited by a seed of the Reverse. A parasite that follows you if you defeat the current bearer of a seed improperly. Without killing it. However in my case, even though I ended the life of my seed bearer, it followed me... we don't know why."

Haruka caught his own breath, trying to recall the story carefully.

"I was getting sicker by the day... By body was becoming weak and frail, and I was soon fatigued at even the prospect of lifting my pinky finger. I was unsightly, but Yukino would disagree... Well, actually, she wasn't really around much during that time. She was still organizing the first semblance of the Resistance. Before we set up shop in the slums permanently."

He leaned back, gripping at the sword... a mortal reminder of the past that haunted his shadows.

"Anyways, I... was instated into the local hospital. I was only visited by a few souls. A friend, Alex visited me... as did another named Tsubasa. They were close, dear friends to me. Alex hasn't been around recently with flight troubles, and Tsubasa..."

Haruka closed his mouth, staring into his nearly empty cup of coffee. The dark brown liquid gave a tainted reflection of Haruka's face. He still smiled at it, anyways.

"In the middle of the afternoon, I fell into a deep sleep. I told myself that, maybe this one nap will make me feel better. I'll be able to get out of bed, and do things again. And like that, I was gone. I didn't feel it... I didn't even recognize I had died, and in fact it I was only consciously aware of it, several weeks later. A massive battle in the shopping district, the one that was obliterated? That was me, and Yukino, and Hana---... and Cero, and many many others. Seifer was there too and it was..."

He bit his lip.

"A bad time, to say the least. The seed controlling me was given a name, ironically, the 'Seraphim,' like an angel or something from high heaven. Let me tell you, he wasn't very angelic. And I say he, because the seed in fact did have a gender. And a personality. And eventually, developed a conscience. We eventually shortened his name..."

He took a last gulp of his coffee, hoping to keep the group's attention a moment longer for the suspenseful moment.

"We named him Sera. Sera Nakahara, is the seed that inhabited me when I died. Yukino brought me back from death in that battle, beating the ReBirth out of me. You know, Overlord and all that. Our connection was majorly severed after that battle, as my consciousness resurfaced after some time."

He blinked, looking to Bashiro, Okuri, Jessie and Carlos specifically.

"And I'm alive today because Sera let me, and he's alive today because I let him. Knowing what he did, I can't say that was the fair move. But I felt it was the right one, despite it."

During the toast Haruka proposed (Yes, he finally learned his name), Carlos was unable to participate appropriately because of he food. Yeah, it was that good. He would've proposed a toast for the honor, for the family, for the tradition, for the donuts, for the friends, for that sexy blonde girl who turned out to be fighting with the Reapers... But well, another day.

His friends continued talking, but the young man didn't pay attention because he was busy eating to his heart's content. Something about meat, tits, personality and the permanence of the Resistance. He finished when Okuri asked Haruka more about him.

After listening carefully to Haruka's story, Carlos couldn't help but drink a nearby glass of water and ask a simple question. "What?". 'What?' indeed.

"This is exactly why I think you people are crazy", Bashiro responded to Haruka's entire story with this one line and he wasn't even remotely wrong.

Normally when questioning people Okuri would expect details of where they were born, what their family and school life was like, what sorts of activities they enjoyed and other such trivial things. But Haruka caught him by surprise and told a story about his own death. It detailed something of a power called Reverse as well as how Sera came to be. There was good reason they looked just like each other. Sera hardly seemed like an evil monster when Okuri had encountered him briefly. But this all clearly wasn't a lie. The story held Okuri's entire attention until it's conclusion. Coincidentally that's about when the desserts hit the table. The restaurant was providing awfully fast service, probably hoping for a rather large tip on top of the enormous bill that was quickly building up.

"That's..." Okuri started the awe of it all apparent in his voice. "That's incredible. I knew not to expect ordinary people in this Resistance but you and Hikari and even Jessie and Bashiro here, there's so many amazing things about all of you." he said. He was hoping to learn even more fascinating things were hidden away in the members of the Resistance. Bashiro noted he felt everyone was crazy which was probably accurate. There was one disappointment perhaps in the story, namely that Haruka wasn't conscious of what being dead was like.

"Is death really so subtle a thing though I wonder. It sounds like when I reincarnate. I'm not aware of it happening, merely that it does and suddenly the memories of past lives come into me and yet feel removed from me. Sounds similar enough I should probably go bug Sera some more about it all next I see him." Okuri concluded. That reminded him the first attempt at this little meal get together was going to involve Sera and yet instead it had Haruka now. "On the subject of Sera, where has he been since the encounter with Harbinger and Sovereign?" he asked Haruka figuring that if anyone knew where Sera was, it would be the person who looked just like him.

"Crazy... yeah, probably." Haruka chuckled a tad to himself, feeling a little drained after telling his story. In fact it took him a bit by surprised that everybody else managed to remain mostly calm. Guess when you're in a position of authority, most will believe what you say. That was more directed at the generic thugs that showed up with Bashi, Jessie, Okuri and Carlos. He was more or less content with how he ended it.

Okuri was complimenting the Resistance members, about their extraordinary moments and strange life moments. Haruka scratched his chin listening to his explanation of reincarnation, and how Haruka's explanation of death was something similar. Maybe death was in reality something similar to reincarnation.

Okuri also brought up a rather interesting point.... where was Sera?

"I honestly hadn't seen him since we found Harbinger. He left the battlefield nearly right after Yukino and I began fighting. Dark Zodiac reached Aqua Force HQ and insisted that he had important duties elsewhere to attend to..."

Haruka sipped his 2nd cup of coffee, mostly unsure what happened to Sera or where he went.

"No sign of Sera then. Oh well I'm sure he'll turn up eventually. I'll just have to remember I want to talk to him... and not mistake you for him in the mean time. That one's going to prove difficult for a while. Don't suppose you have any tips for differentiating the two of you?" Okuri responded to Haruka. By this point the remaining table space was getting pretty limited even as waiters worked diligently to clear away the finished plates. Desserts were being set on the table in their places. Elegant looking cakes and pies along with ice cream, cookies, brownies, just about anything that could be thought of as a dessert was there.

Despite being pleasantly full of actual food Okuri always enjoyed the sweet things that humans made. Especially this chocolate substance. He soon had a rather rich and dense looking slice of chocolate pie in front of him and was eating away at it without a care in the world it seemed.

"Come on now everyone we're not finished here yet. Hope you saved room for dessert." came the call to finish the meal. The restaurant staff was clearly tiring from serving this large and energetic group. Okuri signaled for one to come over saying they were finished ordering and would gladly pay the bill as people finished. The sum was impressive yet Okuri simply handed them his card and continued attacking the various desserts, most of them rather dense in chocolate. A moment later a woman let out an audible exclamation of disbelief. Not only had the card gone through to really pay for everything but every waiter involved had received about a hundred dollars for a tip. Okuri smiled to himself, pleased with how easy it was to brighten people's day with a little bit of the money he'd been saving for decades now.

Leading the way to the beach once again, the brunette seemed to be kind of out of it as he sat down at an outdoor cafe, looking out at the ocean. The waiter told him that they'd have to wait a minute however, as they were currently busy with another customer... To which Seifer merely waved his hand saying it was fine, and continued to stare out at the ocean.

Rosalia followed her fiancé quietly, save for softly humming, to the beach cafe. Her fingers were entwined with his as they walked, her free hand adjusting her shawl and scarf. It wasn't that it was super warm; actually, she was quite comfortable. It just got a little messed up with her dozing off... again.

While waiting, however, the pinkette looked to Seifer with a tilt of her head. He wasn't staring at her like he had been doing for the past.. well, however long Rosalia had made her return. Except for one or two moments when everything and the kitchen sink decided to go wrong. "Sooooo... What'cha thinking about?..." she mused, reached across the table to poke the male's cheek. Did the conversation between Yukino and Darren bring something up?...

At the poke the male turned his head in her direction, giving a soft, half hearted smile. "Not to much. Just... A lot of things that I've done lately. Things I shouldn't be forgiven for." he gave a light sigh shaking his head before looking down. He just couldn't get away from his suffering could he. And in reality, he really shouldn't be forgiven for much of anything he did... No matter how much confidence he had...

The pinkeye frowned, more like pouted, at how depressed her fiancé seemed to be. Not like she was any better, having disappeared twice now. If she was around back then, would she have been able to help Seifer through whatever troubles he had gone through? Well, what happened to his little pep-talk earlier? They had to work towards the future, not wallow in regret of the past. She reached over and poked his forehead this time, albeit a tad harder than the initial poke to his cheek. "Then stop thinking about it, and do what's right to make up for whatever else happened. You told me to not be so depressed and feel defeated, so you should listen to your own advice and just keep moving forward. Whatever happened can one day be forgiven, but only if there's actually a future for that to happen in..."

The poke made him shut his eyes, but he just sighed. She was right, very much so. But he still couldn't help it himself. He was hypocritical. "I'm sorry." another soft sigh as he stared at Rosalia, this time actually smiling, even if he still looked a bit sad. "...I suppose I should tell you this stuff shouldn't I. ...Even if it doesn't mean much now."

Quietly he fiddled with the ring around his finger, looking down at his hands. "After you disappeared again, I left everyone, abandoned them to try and fix a lot of things. ...Stuff I had no business meddling in." he looked up again, still messing with the ring. "...You remember Hana and Tsubasa right?..." he asked, staring the pinkette in the eyes. This... was probably going to be a long story.

Rosalia smiled just a tad when he smiled in return, hoping that if she was happy, then he could be happy too. But he continued speaking anyways, the tone of the conversation dropping. At the mention of old friends, the female only nodded. "Sort of.. I never knew Hana very well, but I know she disappeared with me, from what I heard the first time I came back.. Tsubasa is gone too, right?... His brother, Haruto, is still around though..." What else could she say? Her memory wasn't the greatest; she really couldn't remember much anymore about that far back in the past. At least, it felt long ago to her. Disappearing twice into oblivion really didn't help her memory.

He nodded slightly looking back down at his hands. "Hana disappeared around the first time you did. And Tsubasa..." he paused clenching his hands tightly together, a pained look on his face. "Tsubasa gave his life to stop the previous invasion. He's gone hun." he stared into his hand. "I tried to end it before it got to that point, and I failed... Going into a coma for about three months. After that..." he started searching his memories... trying to remember details. "Everything after that you know because you came back again, but... When you disappeared again..." he bit his lower lip shutting his eyes.

"I abandoned everyone to try and bring Hana, Tsubasa and you back. To fix everyone's lives. ...Even if it cost me my own..." another side smile, his eyes shut. "I sacrificed Garnet Star Dragon to try and fix everything. The only thing I managed to do was screw up, and nearly get myself killed." sighing he shook his head a bit. "After that I returned to everyone with a shortened life span. I was disappearing... And then.." he held the side of his head, a slight pain shooting through it. That was different, but it didn't really mean much in the long run. Maybe.

"...I got reversed again. ...Three times, three times I feel to that power..." he sighed, still believing that was one of his many sins. "It was different this time though. I was, fully aware of what I was doing. Working with the enemy. Working with Harbinger." he shivered. He still really didn't like how she looked, let along the size of her chest. "There were other humans there to, droned for her use against the Resistance..." looking up at the pinkette, he looked like he was about to cry. "One of them, Mirai... It was my fault. She became an enemy because I was to weak to stop myself..."

It was quite the story to hear at a beach-side cafe, but it was what the female missed when she was, well, missing. What she imagined Seifer going through was nothing close to the reality that actually occurred. But whereas the brunette seemed about to cry, the pinkette sat still, her hands folded in her lap. Hearing that Hana and Tsubasa were gone was still hard, though the name Mirai only sounded briefly familiar. They met once... maybe, right? However, Harbinger was a name she learned only recently as the "invincible evil behind it all", from what she gathered by eavesdropping on Yukino's and Darren's conversation earlier.

Everything that Seifer himself had to go through, however, is what struck home. So Reverse was still a thing, and was working with these Deletors? Well, Link Joker was Link Joker, she supposed. By the end of the story, Rosalia lowered her head, eyes shut as she sighed softly. So much more had happened this time around when she was gone... "Now we just have to figure out how to fix it all..." Another sigh, but afterwards, she lifted her head and returned Seifer's violet gaze with her own crimson one. "We do this one step at a time... But we'll find a way through it all." No matter what, we have to just keep pushing forward... To keep telling ourselves that we'll find a way... but is there one?...

She reached over, resting her left hand over his gently before entwining their fingers. It was an odd position, reaching across the table in a diagonal, but this way, both of their rings were close to each other. The metals glinted in the light in unison with its partner. "I'm not going to disappear again... I'll pull you through if I have to..." What else could she say except for empty words, no plan in mind?..