Espoir Mansion

Quietly after being healed... Seifer dismissed Mordred's blade, standing up and dusting himself off. He was still covered in sweat, but at least he wasn't bleeding or bruised anymore. Turning his attention toward the other two boys in the room he decided to let them speak to one another before turning on his heel stretching a bit. "I'm going to go take a bath or something. You're free to join me if you like." a whisper that only Rosalia would be able to hear as the brunette left the training room.

Rosalia got to her feet when her fiancé did, but paused at the whisper. Her face lit up to a red that was darker than her crimson eyes or Seifer's scarf. At least her face was turned away from the other boys in the room so she didn't have to feel entirely embarrassed as she followed the brunette out the door. "B-baka," she whispered at first, but once she caught up to Seifer's side, she crossed her arms with a huff. "I think I could use a shower too, though.. Haven't had once since the Reaper Battle, and that was rough..."

He gave a light shrug, choosing to forget about the battle for now. He was still a bit salty about getting screwed over again with the tournament before hand. Oh well. "Yeah, I think we all could use one." he mentioned everyone in the Resistance though he knew nothing about anyone else's lives other than his own, so he was really just making small talk as they walked down the hall toward the closest bathroom. Thinking about it though, they'd need a change of clothes... Hm...

As the engaged pair ventured closer to the bathroom, the pinkette glanced down at her outfit. Surprisingly, it wasn't as dirty as it should be. She was good at keeping herself from getting all grimy, but even she had her limits. Rosalia tapped her chin as to where she would get other clothes, then remembered that she actually lives here. Even after vanishing, her stuff should still be in Seifer's room here at the Espoir Mansion, right? And she certainly didn't grow during her time while Deleted, so all of her clothes would fit still. "Well then, I guess we find our/your room, use the bathroom there, then get changed?"

".............."

Haruto did not know how to answer, should he tell Neo about his situation, should he tell him about what he almost did at the shrine in the name of his rage....should he tell him that he would have murdered this person for his brother....

"..Neo do u have a family?" he asked.

Of course he has a family!! But what he means by the question is obvious when you consider his past...

Yukino walked outside, calming and relaxing in the caress of fresh air after training with her disciples. Now, the main question she's been asking: where the hell is Haruka? She had some regret about not having their nightly "party" during the night of the celebration. Curse her conscious, she's not letting him "just rest" again until they're both satisfied. Guh, the queen was visibly annoyed and admittedly sexually frustrated. The animal in her wanted to go a couple around with the Marine General after working up a sweat, but the elegance left in her knew she should go take a quick shower at the very least. ... But she loved being an animal and he pet her for it. Forget it, shower's out of the question until they have fun. Her cell phone popped open. Before the numbers were dialed, the Chosen Sword noticed a bubbly gumball jogging about.

"Aoi?" The General called out to her recruit, who stopped to see the queen.

"Ni hao, captain!" Aoi cheered, saluting in her greet. Yukino raised a hand, motioning at ease. Aoi bounced a little in place, showcasing her hyperactive mind - so much energy that was burning. "I couldn't help but noticed you seemed a little steamed."

"I was a bit irritated."

"You always seem irritated."

"I'm an irritable person, unfortunately."

"That's no good!" Aoi declared, bouncing into the Espoir yard through the open gate. Yukino was a bit taken back by this rabbit lass literally hopping to her. Dramatically, a gumball was slammed into the Chosen Sword's hand. The queen was honestly completely lost, but looked at the little ray of sunshine smiling and lightly giggling. ... They had soldiers like this? This was the girl that was involved with Haruka and the "incident" involving this candy? ... Well, she is... bigger than Yukino, is a sense... Lovely, her grace was feeling inferior and self-conscious. However, Aoi's voice pulled her out of it. "Eat it! It makes pain go away!"

"A-Ah... So it's medicine of some sort?"

"Probably."

"P-Probably?"

"It'll help you feel better, make you less angry all the time! Anyway, I'm gonna go find Bashy back at HQ! Sayonara, General-chan!"

Aoi darted off, leaving Yukino dumbfounded. She was Chinese, yet just uttered "sayonara, general-chan". Isn't that the wrong way to be addressing- you know what. Yukino just began to snicker quietly. That girl has a nice aura that can help people by just being impossibly optimistic. She'd get along well with Darren, more than likely. Anyway, speaking to the prodigy did calm down her hormones a bit.

"Shower", Yukino accepted, her elegance and properness as a lady kicking back in. The Chosen Sword decided on calling Haruka after she was cleaned up, along with reading the report that just came in. Walking back inside, the towering Father Espoir was roaming about. ... Well, maybe she didn't have to call Haruka. Her dad was so antsy about Haruka, he'd probably know where he is. "Father?"

"Yeah?" The lion of a man turned to address his daughter.

"Have you seen Haruka?"

"No, and I'd prefer it that way."

Yukino huffed and pouted. "Father, you're going to have to get used to him!"

"The hell I do!" Daddy snapped back. "I don't like that boy fooling around with you all the time. Don't think I don't know what's going on in this house. You scream so damn loud, the whole house can hear it! He isn't any better!" He complained, causing his daughter to blush with great embarrassment over the revelation of how boisterous their nights were. Sure, they didn't exactly try to be quiet, but the entire house... No, Yukino shook her head, still flushed pink. This stance needed to be made for Haruka to finally be on good terms with the Espoir family - just father.

"L-Look! I'm sorry, but you still have to get used to it! What if we get married?!"

"I know you're getting married, dammit! I'm not blind, I know what that ring is!"

"Well?!"

"Well, I still don't have to like him!"

Oh my god. The two gave exaggerated, frustrated sighs. They both even ran their hands through their hair at the same time. Father Espoir looked at his annoyed daughter, knowing she was right, and motioned her to come upstairs. The queen followed him up, and watched him sit down on the floor, leaning against the wall in front of the stairs. His precious little girl who was tiny compared to his enormous size sat down next to him. They sighed again, and again, unsure of what to say to one another. Yukino had to get through this for her future with her beloved, and Father Espoir would never be as cruel as to just walk away from her. ... Why did she have to be of age? Why did Haruka have to be of age? Oh how he wished he could just say "you're too young for this nonsense". But she isn't. Especially after this war, neither of them are emotionally young enough for this.

"Look", the dad began. "You're my little queen, okay? Hana was and still is my little princess to. And I don't want anything to happen to either of you, and I don't know why I'm so overprotective about it. It's just an impulse. I'm not going to say it's because you're my blood either, just... Even if you weren't, I just want to protect you and make sure you're happy."

"... I know all that."

"So you know why I just... can't like him. Maybe because I'm kind of upset about everything."

"Everything?"

"... Your mother's coming back home. Says she knows I'm lonely with Hana gone and you out all the damn time. Or, when you're here, you're just with the boy."

"Lonely, huh."

"Sounds ridiculous."

"Not... really." Yukino cringed, thinking about the time she cried and cried over not being able to recreate a teacup. It was the cherry on top of dozens of other failures that destroyed her. She broke down in her room, away from the eyes of those expectant. ... Obviously, Father Espoir was just as hurt, having lost one of his daughters to a mistake in the rift - Hana fell into a hole in time. That's the only way they could explain their guess, as she never appeared like everyone else did after the distortions faded. The family duo were less annoyed, and now filled with more remorse and understanding.

"... Life is rough." Father Espoir put bluntly.

"No kidding."

"You think that boy makes it less rough, huh?"

"Haruka feels like what I want from Hana. When I make a mistake, I feel like she would hit me again. Her eyes were always judgmental, I feel. I was supposed to be her big sister, and I blew it by never being the sister she wanted. But Haruka... I feel like I don't have to try my damnedest to be someone. He's happy with who I am... I feel safe around him and his kind, warm aura."

"Look, I already went over my drinking limit for the day, I don't need to hear all this."

"I'm just trying to convince you-"

"I'm... fine with it."

"Huh?"

"... I'm not the best dad, let me start with that."

"... Well, I'm not the world's greatest daughter."

"Ain't that the truth." Father Espoir jeered, getting a surprised, angry look from his kin. He cracked a smug smile, chuckling lightly. "If my roughhouse of a daughter finds joy in someone who accepts her, and he actually accepts my roughhouse of a daughter... I guess I shouldn't complain so much." The man sighed, finally admitting defeat after so long. The day he met Haruka and Satoshi, he believed he'd destroy the both of them. Now, he's letting one marry his kid, and the other is her best friend. He supposed he was... content with this outcome, if she was.

"Really?!"

"Tell him he can look forward for some extra pay."

"Thank... Thank you...!" Yukino looked at him as if she was five all over again. Glowing, bright eyes filled with hope and joy staring right at daddy with gratitude and love. They were a different color, but the emotion behind them was still the same. She was still his little girl, and he's willing to send her off to what will keep her eyes like that. He placed a hand on his daughter's head, ruffling up her hair a bit.

"I love you, kiddo."

"I love you too, father."

Father Espoir stood up, beginning to walk off, and turned back. "I'm sure Hana does too, and she never stopped." He closed with, leaving the queen to her thoughts. Hana's ghost didn't appear with the same stoic gaze as usual, so perhaps... he was right. Maybe Hana truly did forgive "Yukinee" before being stolen away. The Chosen Sword wanted to be happy with knowing Haruka finally had her father's blessings, but did not want to ignore finally finding her sister or her sister's spirit, and getting her approval. Yukino sat quietly for awhile, thinking about how... things had come a long way. She had been through so much, but hearing Father state that Mother called him "lonely" hit home as to just how long everything had been going. Yukino was rarely home now, always handling war matters, and Hana was gone. On top of that, Mother was always traveling the world. ... There was the staff, but they and she know Father Espoir wouldn't be entirely happy with that.

Yet another of many sighs.

Yukino thumbed through her phone. Check with Haruka soon. Read report now in case it's an emergency.

Turns out it is and a Reaper signal was picked up. Welp, shower and lust-filled fun with fiancee would have to wait until another dead abomination. With newfound hope, the Chosen Sword began rushing to base to get a grasp of the situation.

Im actually all alone because when I was younger my parents disappeared and I havent been able to find out much on why.. I just know Vanguard is involved. I think about them everyday. But im all by myself fighting each and everyday.

Neo said to Haruto. Neo knew what it felt like to lose a family member, so he wasnt going to go all hell bent on Haruto if something happened in his altercation with Tsubasa's murderer.

If anything, Tsubasa was the brother I wish I had. We were very close and he saved my live once..

Haruto heard this and did not know how to respond, was he to feel worse for Neo who had not even gotten to know his family before they disappeared or was he to feel jealous that he did not have to suffer as much as he does...Haruto was so out of balance with his thoughts, as if a whirlwind of emotions was trying to come out but if it did it would come out in an improper way.

"...He saved u? How exactly?" he asked.

There was a time when the Reverse was in full force and.. I was one of those who were Reversed. I was one of those who started the movement. Back then I had a lust for power. I reversed people left and right without a care in the world. Then Tsubasa stepped in. He beat the Reversed side of me and freed me from that pain.. just shortly after that I had ran away from all of that and.. yeah.. to this day I wish I never left.

Neo was talking to Haruto while trying to hold back his emotions. He didnt want to break down in front of him.

"I see..." he said, as he thought about the situation more.

Haruto kind of understood the situation better now, he even could relate to Neo's 'Reverse' state since he basically did the same thing at the shrine and was only stopped because his avatar did not give up on him...the sad part was that it was not a friend, while Haruto did think of his Liberators as his friends and new family he still thought that his friends could support him till the end like Tsubasa did with Neo...except this time, it was still not enough.

"Don't freak out about this but...I understand what you mean by the Reverse state, I....almost went into something of the sort when I confronted this person.....the person who murdered..or I guess assisted in the end of my brother, he regrets it and is trying to do better as a person....I want to forgive but...everytime I see him my blood boils and I lose control...maybe I just have not accepted my brother going away even though I said I would, but it's more that...I feel alone.........I have my units...but something is missing, something I would have gotten if my brother did not blame himself for what happened that night 13 yrs ago." he said, his face converying a sense of sorrow and sadness.

He had no idea why he was telling this to Neo but...he felt inclined to he felt like he could trust him, his brother had told him about him but talking with him like this made him understand what Tsubasa meant by "A true friend."

"They're opening up to each other like they've known one another for a while..." said Aglovale.
"...Some friendships can transcend lifetimes Aglovale." said Percival, trying to remain as monotone as possible.

I understand Haruto.. the feeling of being alone, the feeling of missing that important person in your life. I always feel alone everyday knowing that.. I never truely knew my parents and ive been searching for them ever since I was 7 years old. I was in and out of foster homes, then many years later I ran away and moved here. But I was a loner. The only thing I ever thought about was finding out what happened to my parents. Despite this.. Tsubasa was the first person I met and we were like brothers. Looked out for each other and the whole 9 yards, but ever since ive come back, the lonely feelings have come back because no one is the same.. Because of the reapers and this war..

Just then Neo's reality bangle started to glow signaling that something was going wrong.

Oh no.. looks like theres a reaper attack going on.

Haruto ready to show em our new tricks we learned?!

Haruto listened intently to Neo's words, he wanted to try and understand this person's pain for some reason, because that was the first step to understanding him better. Haruto himself had much more to tell, and he would have probably teared up doing it yet...he was cut off by a distress call. Another Reaper attack...

"Of course, i'm not about to let those Reapers do more damage." he said, standing up as he and Neo headed out towards the the field of battle.

Seifer scratched the back of his head as he walked with Rosalia before glancing at his phone. An emergency? Now? An audible groan and then sigh. The shower would have to wait until later it seemed. "We've got more work to do it seems... C'mon, stick close to me." he spoke to Rosalia before turning to leave... Hopefully not being seen by Father Espoir on the way out. Right now, he didn't feel it was the best time to see him. Though he still had to talk to the man. That'd not be fun.

Rosalia was looking forward to the shower. Nice, calm, warm water... washing away all the tension and stress and grime... spending time with just her and Seifer, alone.... And then the world had to rain on their parade. Well, more like the Reapers were still not over this war. Great. She didn't think that winning this war would be easy, or even after a single battle. But from the emergency alert that was also sent to her own phone, the situation did not look promising... No matter the case, they had a duty to the Resistance. The pinkette especially would be needed on this one (which was never a good sign). So out the door she went, keeping by her fiancé's side the entire time. While running, she remembered to put her Reality Bangle back on, considering it was still in her dress pocket from her earlier practice.

-Pant- -Pant- -Pant-.. Finally Made it..

Neo and company had finally made it to the Mansion. Neo was tired since he was carrying 2 of his friends with him but he knew there was no time for rest. He opened the gates to the mansion and went to the back entrance.

Luckliy this leads stright to the training room.. Dont want to alarm anyone right away..

Neo opened the door and headed up the stairs quietly to the training room and closed the door shut. He put Haruto and Jellal sitting up against the wall and collapsed on the ground next to them. He couldnt believe he actually made it safely.. but it wasnt the first time he had to carry someone to safety and he knew it sure wasnt going to be the last.

Neo then just sat there.. with this empty feeling.

Jessie and Yukino are gone, everyone is split up yet again and now things arent looking good for any of us.  

He just sat there staring at his decks and steel gloves.. which gave him something to do in the meantime until either Haruto or Jellal wake up or someone else notices there all in the training room. He just looked at the gloves and his deck as he was still in shock from the events that just took place..

Theres nothing more to do now but wait..

Neo was so tired he passed out on the ground..

Haruka trudged. His body was a machine. Soldiers attended to him on the way back, many knowing of the consequences that were befalling the forlorn soldier right now. He shook his head. There was no dread on his face, nor was there any sadness. No despair. No happiness. Nothing.

Numbness flooded every pore and vein of his very being, the bones no longer shaking in the skin but simply lying still. He took the brother he wished to protect, and his able-bodied sister back to the house. They entered the front door of the building, Haruka having clearance to enter immediately once they noticed the situation.

A few of the staff questioned where Yukino was. She was nearly always by the side of the new King, and even Haruka for a few moments would think she was there. His brain was on the very brink of madness, believing in an image that wasn't there. But he didn't look. He knew if he looked, that if he really believed for even a slight moment that she was there with them now, he would breakdown and never recover.

Haruka carried Seifer to a couch, very gently... carefully, placing him on the cushions of the sofa. He propped a light purple pillow under his head, and nodded to Rose. He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was thin air.

He shut his mouth and nodded again, wearily standing up and venturing to a nearby chair. A small black recliner. It was the chair Yukino sat on during their first ever moment of... physical contact?

One of Haruka's fondest memories.

He grimaced at the thought of it.

Tears stopped falling about three-quarters of the way home, unable to sustain them and his heart too heavy to allow it. Seifer probably got a few teardrops to the face and neck on the way home, being carried back ever so carefully.

Everything Haruka had been trying to keep inside of him...

His wit.

His strength.

His hopes.

They were suddenly distorted and being drowned out by ebb and flow of a treacherous and cruel sea.

Haruka sat up, looking across from him. He didn't dare tilt his head to look at Rose or Seifer again, for fear of emotions rising again. He didn't want to feel anything right now. All he wanted was the familiar warmth of Yukino's irregular heartbeat against his chest.

Staring out the large pane-glass window, Haruka's eyes became dull. The life in them was draining by the moment. He struggled to the very end to keep from giving up on everything he promised to fight for. A sworn future where he and his lover would make it to the end. Nobody dies. Nobody was allowed to die. That was the promise. That promise was broken and Haruka had nobody to blame but himself.

Crack.

Why fight a war you can't even win if that future you were promised by the one you held closest was torn from your own goddamn hands! Why even bother...

Crack.

He lost his mind in the sound of the world ending and if he knew anything about the world now, it was that one thing was clear. The world ended in bangs, not whispers. These were thoughts he could not simply put to bed.

Crack.

...

His heart would shatter now, should it be some temporal glass encasement to his very soul. But instead, it was his mind that broke. His eyes dulled, glazed over, becoming empty and devoid of work. Haruka had run through denial and anger rather quickly, bargaining happened first this time around... What was there left?

Acceptance?

"How can I accept this..."

These words came out, nearly in a single, long, drawn-out breath that echoed in the first few halls of the overly-sized Espoir Manor. It was empty. Cold. The family of this house was either away, dead, or deleted. There was one man left who owned this property...

Haruka felt sympathy for the man who had lost both of his young ones at the hands of war or otherworldly beings.

"How can we accept this fate?"

One more, long, drawn out, echo.

Rosalia said not a single word on their way back to the mansion. Could this really be considered their home? It just wasn't the same without Yukino... Haruka, she knew, would take it the worst. To lose someone that he pledged his life to... Was this what Seifer was like when the pinkette had disappeared? It was a sight that shredded her heart to pieces. She never wished this sort of sorrow and loss onto anyone, even Harbinger...

The thought of the Reaper Queen was quickly pushed away from her thoughts. She couldn't bear to think of the one that stole their own queen away. Anger should have made its way into Rosalia's very core, but it didn't. All that filled her now was loss, sorrow, worry... She met Haruka's gaze and nod with one of her own, though she didn't even attempt to speak. The medic female merely sat on the floor next to the couch, not even bothering to pull up a chair. Her head laid next to her own beloved's, eyes shut halfway as she stared at nothing. She was afraid that if she shut her eyes now, all that would play in her mind was Yukino's Deletion over and over again. Tears trickled slowly during their walk home from the battlefield, and continued to do so now. Her eyes were sore and puffy, deeper crimson than normal.

When Haruka finally spoke, it was only fresh wounds into the female's heart and mentality. She was breaking. She wasn't even sure if her own fiancé would pull through, let alone what she felt from losing her sister-in-law. Despite having disappeared twice already, she would give anything to disappear a third time, if it just meant Yukino would be spared. It was clear that the Resistance needed their leader, but Rosalia, Seifer, Haruka... Father Espoir... They needed Yukino; their family...

Part of her wondered if Father Espoir would hate her. Rosalia was now the only female "daughter" of the Espoirs, even if she was only part of the family by marriage to their adopted son. She had no right to be called an Espoir, not after such failures... With her head on the same pillow that Seifer was propped up with, the pinkette took the brunette's hand into both of her own, rubbing the back of his hand lightly. "I-I don't know, Haruka..." she answered softly, even if he was ignoring her and lost in his own fractured world. "Oneesama... This shouldn't have happened..."

There was darkness, screaming... The silence. He was drifting in the darkness.

"So that's it. You're just going to let yourself wither and fade away?" a voice pierced the silence.

"Who..." his voice echoed back.

"You don't recognize me? Have you fallen so far you don't even recognize yourself?" a massive abyss dragon appeared before the drifting male, a large white dragon appearing behind it. Wait...

"Thing Saver?... Mordred?..." the brunette eyed them both, speaking their names as if it was the first time they were meeting. He started to feel really tired all of a sudden.

"So you do recognize us. But use my real name, please." the white dragon spoke, before the air around it become static, as if it was disappearing... Much as Seifer's old deck had done at Illusion Umano.

The brunette stared up at the white dragon at a loss for words, opening his mouth, only to close it. He didn't know. Didn't remember.

"You forgot? That's upsetting but..." the white dragon turned black, as it's light was given to Seifer... Thing Saver turning into Phantom Blaster "Abyss". He shouldn't of been surprised, but with the trauma of his injury, his mind wasn't all there. "That's fine. I'll tell you again, just like I did when we first met. It's Praesul." it's voice was oddly calming for the brunette, who continued to drift. "I'm sorry I forgot... Just, I feel so tired... My head feels like it's swimming... So tired... Let me sleep..." he muttered, his eyes drifting closed.

"You can't sleep. You still have to much to do, so wake up." Mordred's voice from Dragruler this time... Instructing the Shadow Paladin user to arise from this space.

"But..." before he could protest further, both abyss dragons forced him awake, his eyes opened... and he tried to sit up... only to fall off the couch, tumbling onto the floor. He struggled to get on all fours, sweating... his skin pale white, his breath short. Why was he so weak? ...Right... Wound, blood loss. Where was he?

Haruka's body was close to a jump. Generally that would have frightened him enough under most circumstances to cause his entirety to fly into the air. Instead he only jolted a tad, like any human would when somebody you assumed to be sleeping peacefully suddenly fell to the ground awake.

He clasped his hands together, struggling to spit words out. He just shook his head, drooping his head parallel to the floor.

"Are you okay, Seifer?"

Haruka had the decency to check for Seifer's own well-being before getting into the awful nitty gritty of the events that happened tonight. His own heart was having trouble comprehending it, but if somebody had to tell the news, it was best that one of the ones with him did it and did so swiftly. Haruka was already uneasy about trying to spread the news to somebody as close as Seifer, let alone to the father of the household, assuming he didn't already know.

Haruka's breathing became thin and light. No deep breaths or hearty sighs. Just enough oxygen to physically stay alive.

Rosalia yelped when Seifer rolled off the couch, and half onto her. She was sitting on the floor right next to the couch, after all, and was even sharing his pillow. The pinkette frowned as she noticed what condition her beloved was in, and helped him get back onto the couch. How she did that considering he was six feet of nearly dead weight was a mystery no one could solve. "Stay still, okay?... Just breathe. Take deep breaths..."

The medic sighed, placing a hand lightly on his forehead. "We should get you something to substitute your blood loss... Some sort of saline solution, or just anything to get your blood volume back up since getting a transfusion now would be hard..." Well, she was trying to do her job anyways. She glanced at Haruka, wondering if he was going to get sick himself. That would be troublesome, but at the same time, he sort of deserved the chance to just... sit alone for a while. He was taking it the worst of all; the King had lost his Queen.

"At least just rest, okay hun?... You're safe right now... We're in the Espoir Mansion. You lost a lot of blood, and you should try to keep yourself healthy for a bit while your body recovers..." Rosalia mused slowly, and softly. She was sure that he would be disoriented, so she was doing her best to catch him up while not subjecting him to the sadness that was clear in the room.

Being anemic, the brunette was slow on the uptake to the situation in the room, but he heard Haruka's voice... heavy with misery. That being said, Seifer let himself be helped back onto the couch... He was dizzy and just trying to help Rosalia lift him onto the couch caused his heart to increase dramatically. What was wrong with him?... When Rosalia mentioned blood loss he understood, sort of. He was still out of it.

"I'll... Live, I think." he replied slowly to Haruka, still short of breath. He was being told to relax, but for some reason he felt anxious. He couldn't just relax. "W-Where's Yukino nee-san?..." he asked, looking around the room for a moment... He was having trouble seeing clearly to. Was this another side affect of his blood loss?

Haruka didn't keep his attention there for very long. His eyes reverted back to the large window, reflecting a haunting image back at Haruka. His own face was just sad. For lack of a better word, he looked depressed. The air around him grew stale and awkward.

It was when Seifer asked the question, the one he was hoping he might take a bit longer to get asked, that Haruka almost snapped. Like a branch, woodchips and shards with angry backlash prepared any everything. But none of that nonsense arose. He simply scooted forward a bit in his seat, unable to form complex sentences or really even start putting words together.

"She's..."

His voice was dry. It sounded like that of a desert traveler in the Arabian Nights, desperately searching for water to parch his thirst, and even when he found that water he would come realize it was an oasis- an illusion the brain designed to keep you from losing it.

Haruka probably already lost it.

Rosalia lowered her gaze when Seifer asked the taboo question. It was clear how much Haruka was going through, but everyone deserved to know. She also knew that the King probably wouldn't be able to voice the explanation. So it was left up to her... and it hurt her all the more. She never got a chance to truly bond with Yukino because of the war... and now, she was never going to get that chance...

"Oneesama... was Deleted..." There was no need to go into detail, but Seifer would probably ask why. Eventually, anyways, so might as well get it over with now. Everything was already as depressing as could be, even if she would never be able to properly explain it. There were no words that could depict the the glory and horror that happened.

"She and Chronos together used Stride... She was able to hurt Harbinger, but only a bit... She was Deleted, and now that entire area is lost to the void..." Tears found their way down the pinkette's cheeks again, but each tear burned on her skin. Her eyes were as red as could be, practically on fire despite the tears that stained her cheeks. Wiping her eyes hurt all the worse.

"I-i'm sorry..."

Father Espoir sat quietly in his office for what felt like eons. His wife was on her way back to Japan, and she wasn't going to meet who she think she would. ... The person she was going to come back home and reunite with was gone, and the lion of a man wasn't ready to break it to her either. A deep sigh escaped from his lips, then another after some moments of silence, then more and more as time went by. For the sake of his sanity in the middle of it, he turned a picture of the family face down, and did the same with another of Yukino and Hana as small children. Grunting, he started forcing himself out of his chair, nearly losing all of his breath doing so. He felt as if forty more years just got slapped onto his life. What kind of father outlives both his kin?

Keeping a stoic expression about him, getting up and simply moving was a decision made with haste. Mentally prepare himself if nothing else.

Aaaaand a bunch of damn kids are in the house wallowing. Fantastic, just what the doctor ordered: sad kids to help a sad dad.

"The hell happened to him?" Father Espoir inquired, pointing to Seifer. He... was avoiding the subject of Yukino after seeing Haruka. For both of their sanity for just a moment.

Wait... "She was... deleted?..." still short of breath, but he repeated the answer he got. It stung, his gaze turning to Haruka. Not that long again, Rosalia wasn't at his side... And it tore him apart, to the point he pretty much had forfeit his life. But even that, seeing Haruka like he was, like he had been... "W-where's everyone else?... No screw it..." the brunette's focus shifted as he tried to stand again, only to collapse again onto the floor, sitting on one knee... He was being stubborn.. Wanted to leave, get out and find everyone. "H-help me up, I need to find everyone..." did he not care that Yukino was deleted? ...No that couldn't be it, Yukino is his older sister, and he cared deeply for her, so why was he acting like this?

Deep inside, something he wasn't going to show the other two was that he was in denial. Yukino, his older sister... the person who he looked up to for guidance and training. One of the few people he trusted with his darkest secrets, his past, the other timeline... She couldn't be gone. He didn't see it, so she had to still be there right? this was some cruel joke right?

Gritting his teeth he used the couch to try and stand, only to fall once more... He really was going to kill himself at this rate, but the others... "I have to know they're okay..."