Airport

Lua ran a hand through her hair, looking at the departure times on a screen. Her plan, to dodge these attacks that had been destroying local places, was to take a trip to China for a while, see some relatives that moved to the shore, then come back when things were calmed down.

She tapped her foot impatiently. The flight wasn't for another fifteen minutes, and she really wanted to get out of here. Her hand wrapped around the handle of her pull-along suitcase and squeezed it a bit.

"Any minute now...come on..."

Green eyes focused themselves on the coward that rushes away from the coming end of life. Bright, filled with energy and cheer, a smooth patch of similarly colored hair traversed the tall crowd of the powerless. The hoodie-clad lass squeezed through the hordes of the average and weak, short sleeved arms reaching for she who yearned for youth and the excitement of life. One named Lua.

"Excuse me..." the maiden called to in a soft tone, pulling at the blonde's sleeve. "But why are you running away?"

Some girl was tugging on her shirt. A hoodie-wearing girl. Yet...

"Running away? I'm not running away, I'm going on a trip to see relatives." Lua shook her head. "I dunno where you got that idea. Just gonna be away for a few days and come back to work."

A blatant lie, but it was too creepy of this girl to guess right on the first try.

"I'm good at finding liars..." The lass revealed a talent, knowing for many reasons why Lua was departing, everyone in this airport was leaving for the same reason. They would guise it under "business" and "vacation with the family", but it was because they were frightened and weaklings. "Being weak isn't very becoming. You should stay and do something grand. Maybe get a boyfriend, or do something about the wreckage of this nation."

She spook in an almost sickeningly sweet manner, oozing pleasant spirits. That alone was odd considering the state of said nation.

"Excuse me?"


Lua lost her cool for a second. "First of all, just because I'm going on a vacation doesn't mean I'm running from this hellhole. It's not like I can actually live in China, y'know! And second of all...the boy I like got taken, alright? Happy?" She grit her teeth.


"Just who in the hell are you to tell me how to live my life?!"

The greenette giggled kindly in response to such hostility. This was working in her favor to make Lua miss the flight. "I'm Chris", she answered the blonde's last question. "This place isn't a hellhole, I don't think you thought that before those big, scary monsters appeared..." Chris disagreed, folding her arms and looking up toward the ceiling while defending her country. Glorious nippo- err, the land of the rising sun was a precious land for both humans to thrive in and reapers to destroy. Clapping her hands together once, she spoke: "So why not take him back? There's plenty you can do if you try... Try and get some help, anyway..."

Lua shook her head. "I can't do that. Marriage...I can't interrupt something like that."


She assumed a defiant stance. "I'm not going to change my mind, you know."

"Why not? What if you could just move the girl from the picture without hurting her? Swoop in and cheer the lonely boy up, it sounds like a cute cliche!" She clapped giddily, happy with the thought of bonding over the usual cheese one would see in reality television - soap operas and the like. "Give me a moment of your time, I'd like to show you the power to do it. The power to stop being scared and get what you deserve - being happy!"

The green lass plucked a deck out from her pocket, wanting to play cardfight vanguard.

"If you're not satisfied, I'll let you go, and pay for your next flight if we're not fast enough. I'll even pay for food!"

"Oh, come on! Vanguard, in the middle of an airport?! Who cares about that when---"

Lua sighed, putting her palm against her forehead, squeezing her eyes shut. "Fine. One game. If I win, you get me my next flight, because I'm probably missing this one thanks to you." She unzipped the top pouch of her suitcase to show a beautiful leather deckbox.

"You're pretty P͏̷̴O̸̶͘W͝͝͏E̛͏́́R̶̡͟͡͏L̡͞E͏̷̧́S̴͟S̸͞ aren't you?"

Of course, one aligned with evil had a facade they would drop to make it obvious. Chris was a cheerful, energetic maiden who loved Machining - her little bug friends that everyone else found disgusting. Lua wasn't an exception, Machining Tarantula was a giant spider. Logically, anyone would find that gross. Regardless, the game pressed in Lua's favor, as Chris horded far too many Perfect Guards and dealt with a small lack of triggers. However, that was made up for with the ability to stun the vanguard - to prevent it from standing. What this did was remove Lua's Twin Drive, which was vital in ending the game where it was.

So she asked the above question when Lua's makeshift power up meant nothing.

Chris revealed the power to delete, the "gift" she wanted to bestow to this girl who was nearly another coward that ran from the country. Through genuinely sweet words, the twisted youth succeeded in getting her opponent to hear her out, promising the ability to erase the "bride" of a marriage, ultimately cancelling the marriage before it can even begin.

"Come to Shop Handsome! You can meet Harbinger there!" Chris spoke of the "nice lady" and her location, offering to lead the way.

Well, she had lost, and she had missed her flight. But Chris's words, as that final turn with deletion happened, enchanted Lua. She couldn't hide it. She still wanted that man who was going to get married. And she was going to get him, even if it meant eliminating a perfectly innocent girl...

"Let's go, then." Lua's eyes had changed from a lively blue to a deep, faded purple.

Perhaps it was a weird place to get food, but with many of the districts ravaged by the deletors, businesses had to find places to go. The Airport and Train Station now featured many a familiar local eatery, trying to scrounge for money given the Reaper forces destroyed their original places.

"This'll do." Satoshi pointed out a small ramen place in the airport. He had been spending most of the trip over to the airport in the rain with Mizumi and Sakuya cheery by talking about various little misadventures on the farm and around the world. It was his aim to show there was light amongst the darkness. And there was. It was just...hard to find.

Placing their orders was quick and easy. A nearby bench offered ample room for the three of them. The Peacekeeper leaned against the back of it as he sat down. "So!" He smiled at the priestess. "Rumor has it you're the Korean Vanguard Champion. I figured I recognized your face from somewhere."

Sakuya sat herself beside the couple, being sure to give them a little extra room on the bench if they wanted to get closer to one another. It's not that she minded being a third wheel in a situation like this, she just wanted to be polite.

"O-Oh, um, yes. I'm the Korean Vanguard Champion, whatever rumors you might have heard are correct. Um, I don't really like to make a big deal of it, though... It's really not that big a deal. There are other national Champions stronger than me anyway, they're much more impressive..."

Sakuya was thinking back to Aoi. The girl had seemed childish, and... maybe a little slow in the head, but she her skill was unparalleled. She had already lost to Aoi once... If they ever went head to head on a national level, Aoi would probably be the victor there, too.

"Still, it's quite an achievement. And an honor." Satoshi gave her a wink, then sighed. "I knew the Japanese Vanguard Champion. She's...not really with us anymore." Hana had a bright future that kind of faded away with her disappearance alongside the invaders. One could only wonder if she'd ever return, and if that was part of Yukino's motivation these days...

Actually, that was interesting to think about. No one had replaced Hana in that role. It had been a while since she was seen...so that could only mean there would be another national tournament soon to replace her. Even then, so soon following a reaper attack would perhaps be a tad foolish. Still, Satoshi didn't put it past anyone for it to be the case. Stranger things had happened, of course.

"What brought you here to begin with?"

Sakuya put a hand up to wave off the praise. "Um, well... I was here visiting home for a time, since the tournament season is over for right now... But since those monsters have been attacking recently, I found myself joining up with your Resistance force. So I suppose I'll be staying in Japan for a while longer."

She'd have to rearrange some of her schedule, but it would be manageable. With the tournament season not starting for some time, she'd be able to stay with the Resistance for at least another few months...

"...But, I will have to leave eventually. Hopefully I'll have enough time to see the end of this crisis. I'd hate to leave before the end."

"If it's any consolation, this could affect more than just Japan and go global at this rate, if Harbinger and Sovereign are that strong." Satoshi went and received their order which was called, and brought it back. "So if you were concerned about having to leave, it probably won't leave anyone behind unless we do something about it now."

Interesting she hadn't mentioned anything about Hana just yet, but all the same, he didn't necessarily expect her to bother. There were few that remembered the Princess of Cray, even in the elite of the game.

"Hopefully the attacks at least get staved off for a bit, or don't hit another major place. Like here or the train station, for instance. Then we'd be in real trouble."

Mizumi remained... absent-minded. Other thoughts had been occupying her thoughts since even leaving the shrine. Haruka and Sera hadn't checked in with her in several days now and the thought they might not be okay after the battle was just settling in. She had thought up several excuses as to why she should probably leave and go tend to them, but after awhile she sort of realized there was no point to leaving now.

It would be rude, and Haruka and Sera are able to take care of themselves to a degree, at the very least.

Though, in all honesty, Mizumi missed about 90% of the conversation Satoshi and Sakuya had been having. Something about championships and the crisis going on. She sat quietly, twiddling her thumbs, occasionally nodding respectfully.

Satoshi caressed Mizumi's head a bit. Having to sit through these two talking about things she wasn't necessarily a part of was likely making it difficult for her to stay involved. He placed a little kiss on her forehead, reminding her he was still here for her if she wanted to say something.

Actually...

"Sakuya, this might be a bit out of nowhere, but...about earlier, at the shrine. Did you...have a vision of something?" His smile lowered with his eyebrows, his look turning serious. "Because I did."

Sakuya froze, looking Satoshi right in the eyes. "A-A vision? Um... Y-Yes? Er, it's not that odd to see things in such a spiritual place, er..."
Sakuya tried to play it off, but the moment Satoshi asked her about her vision, a feeling of fear crept up her spine. This man had also had a vision? Could it have possibly been the same one as her? And if it was... What did that mean? Did she really know him from some time that she couldn't remember?

Mizumi ran her eyes between the two people, wondering what in the world they were really talking about. Maybe they were both secretly oracles and she wasn't clued in on this? Mizumi had been through weirder situations.

Like Reapers.

While she did adore being pet and getting little kisses, her attitude was still not particularly up to par. Maybe the feeling of something missing was all.

"Visions...? Are you sure you guys are okay? Satoshi took a hard fall earlier, and you did just pass out at the shrine. Maybe you two really just need rest..."

She shrugged off the premonition that these two seemed to share. Jealousy? Maybe. But mostly just being left in the unknown kind of ticked her off. It was probably something she wouldn't understand at first anyways. No sweat.

Her words and her reaction showed different positions. That could only mean one thing.

"I saw someone from my past that you reminded me of. And this person was...well..." How exactly could Satoshi put this? "Let's say her premonition was that the only way to right the world was to do it the way she envisioned, and it wasn't pretty." He stared at his leg, which had his Regalia still tied to it. "And that same person...was actually slain by my hand because of what she meant to do to everyone."

He bit his lip. "Normally, I'm not one to be violent. I'm peaceful because of how I was raised 'n' all. But...I had to do what I did because I had no other choice, and I regret it the more I think about it, because of how much it goes against me as a person." A weak smile formed as he put his hand back on her shoulder. "But...you don't seem like her more than figurewise, so it could just be a memory. Who knows?"

Satoshi's hand touched her shoulder, and Sakuya felt a jolt like electricity surge through her. Her vision whited over again, and more images came rushing back to her, Satoshi's words ringing in her ears. A girl who sought to right the world, falling at this man's hand, the feelings of regret that came with them...

Sakuya's whole body felt heavy. She was on the ground, laying on her back. She couldn't move. Someone was standing over her. It was... Satoshi. There was no mistaking it. That's right, she remembered this. This was when she had fought Satoshi before. Their interests and goals clashed. That's right. She had gone to Umano to help purify it, from the evil that plagued it. That's right. This was when she-

This was when she died.

Reality came crashing back into her vision, and she found herself back on the bench, staring at Satoshi with cold eyes. She wanted to scream. To cry out, or just to cry in general. But she couldn't move. She couldn't even think.

Mizumi could tell noticeable changes between her beloved and the girl he was touching.

...

She was already upset that Satoshi was spending a fair amount of time giving physical attention to this girl, but no less she seemed to be in some sort of traumatic shock. As if the touch paralyzed her. Mizumi nearly wanted to break contact between the two but she simply watched, in horror.

"H-Hey, Satoshi, what's going on? Sakuya...? ... Anyone?"

She wanted answers because it was getting weirder and weirder that neither of them wanted to give up the answer to what was going on, yet they were both aware there was something deeper apparent here.

Yeah, there was no denying it at this point. Sakuya had awakened her memories, and they certainly weren't pretty. Satoshi sighed. This was his fault, but as he had mentioned, it was what he had to do. And her silence, despite her bitterness, was evident she was perfectly aware of this.

"Look...I know you probably want to kill me, knowing everything that came flooding back. But this isn't the time." His look softened. "We need to be able to stand together, even if there's reasons for us to split apart at the seams."

He tilted his head slightly back to explain to Mizumi what had happened previously.