(GS3) Field: Cardfight Training Area

[RosaliaIzanami]

Rosalia felt a small smile starting to form on her lips, only for it to fade when Seifer's phone vibrated. Was someone else in danger? But then she had a deck in hand, looking down at the Kagero cards while she remembered him last having Dragruler... Wait, Draguler? His avatar was Mordred... When Seifer kissed her lightly, then headed away, the female wanted to cry again. Don't leave... Don't leave like I did... But she didn't speak as he made his way out of the facility, wiping her eyes again, before holding the deck close to her. "J-just come back soon..." Rosalia whispered to herself...

She took a deep breath. It was shaky on inhale and exhale, so she took another.. and another... She had to calm down, and she had to change.. The redhead looked at Dragonic Overlord the breakride, rubbing her thumb over the face of the card. Keep him safe... A-and I'll try to keep everyone else here safe... Red... Strength... Passion... With the start of a new resolve, the female glanced at her surroundings, seeing Yugure and Darren had finished their fight, and Tsubasa and.. some other guy.. was around too. She decided to walk over to Yugure and Darren, focusing on the other female who had just won the fight. "H-hey.. is there anything um.. I can do around here to help?... I know we brought some snacks and such, but snacks won't win this w-war, will it.."

[Jello]

Death doesn't conquer all bodies it seems. Even when Haruka Nakahara ceased to breathe in his hospital bed the day before. When the doctors were carrying the corpse off to the morgue in the basement of the hospital, another entity sprang to life.

Sera was still alive; still in control of the human functions that the host had previously possessed. Haruka was in fact still alive, but in such a deep slumber due to from fatigue and bodily harm it might as well been a near eternal coma. Until the mission is complete, Sera cannot leave Haruka's body, therefore sapping him of all of his energy and nutrients to keep his conscience motor working.

The body was fully recovered upon awakening from its untimely death, without a rot in it. No wonder it was so well preserved; didn't even go into rigor mortis. After several hours of check-ups, he was allowed to leave with his belongings, save for one Nova Grappler deck he gave to Alex. Sort of a waste really...

Without a second thought, he went to where the last most concentrated amount of Reverse energy lingered; the Cardfight Training Area. Looks like everyone was finally getting to work. Perhaps the generals he had chosen were good choices after all. He proceeded to walk inside, noticing the insane clutter of the area. Things were all over the place, and a few lights looked to be out. What a mess.

It only him a few moments to see everybody congregated around the main floor. Lots of familiar faces; other ones he had seen less of than others. A few stuck out particularly.

His original target was disappearing from the area. He only barely glimpsed him flee from one of the girls' sides.

Haruka's lover was well it seemed, just finishing a fight not too long ago. Sharing compliments with the other fighter. He was previously reversed, considering the lingering Reverse energy on him. All fighters who have fought another Reversed fighter have slight lingering ties, whilst the Reversed fighters themselves tend to hold onto an aura, despite no longer under the direct lock.

With a sigh and a shrug, he went to make believe. Deceit had worked on pretty much everyone before, why would now be any different?

"Ya-ehermm... Yahellooo!" He called out with a wave, pocketing his left hand.

[Golden Sage NovaRaizer]

Darren saw Rosalia come over, smiling to her as he saw the look in her eyes. He frowned at seeing it as it was the the same thing he felt when he had been Reversed once before and now she was basically here by herself. Darren walked over to her and said, "There's lots of stuff you can do to help. I mean, if I can then of course you can too." He tried to be reassuring, not wanting to ask anything specific about what happened to her as it was hard for even him to think about.

[Cherry]

Yugure shook Darren's hand, and nodded. "I'll need to hear everything you can remember. We need information on those who were unreversed. However, it seems we can simply discuss this in the War Room with many of us here."

There were enough generals and tacticians around to have a large scale meeting concerning the invasion's beginning and how it was affecting the two planets. Rounding up their information and confirming or scrapping theories would be a large help in understanding Link Joker. Cero should be around as well, so they should be able to get more of a statement- and Seifer's leaving.

Goddammit, Yugure needed people gathered.

... Wait, is that Haruka? She hadn't seen him in a long time, and they didn't text nor call each other either... The soldier was busy and didn't get to send anything, but he might have in the middle of reports flooding her phone. Not only did that send her mind in a bit of a pleasantly surprised confusion, but Rosalia had come asking if there was anything she could do. Yugure wasn't sure the girl was all that informed, and not being in the loop likely left her only to her thoughts.

"Rations are important", was all the woman said as some form of reassurance. Snacks weren't exactly a meal, but they were still food. Food is necessary to win a war to keep soldiers going. ... Now if only Ahmes could get Yugure to actually  eat.

"Where did Seifer go?" Yugure questioned, needing to drag him back. She would then get to Haruka in just a second.

[Hope]

After the spectacular fight, Hana finished munching on her popcorn, drinking her soda, eating vanilla ice cream, chewing on gum, and drinking her frappe. Where did she get all those? Who the hell knows. Either way, she was quite out of it for the past few moments, but it seems like people were just going about their business. About sometime after, a quick exchange of people took place where Seifer went into the magic hat known as the door to trade places with Haruka. She was quite excited to see him since she hadn't seen him for awhile and she was glad that she was ok.

"Yahellllo! Haruka! I haven't seen you since the park, giving weird handshakes to Seifer and Hikaru and stuff." She waved and scratched her head, "Ah, I was pretty beat around that time because of all the reverse fighters there... glad you didn't run into em like Hikaru and Seifer probably did cause Seifer started doing so and looking over Umano today, Hikaru has been-..."

Wait.

"By the way, where have you been?"

[Jello]

"Hmm, me? I have been, hrm..." He furrowed his brow scratching his chin, remembering the places Haruka had been with witnesses.

"The hospital. A couple of times." He raised his head also coming to several deductions that even without witnesses they cannot truly confirm his whereabouts prior unless Hana had been spying, and by now she would have definitely confronted him at the time. Not many people had seen him during those events, they remained consolidated. He triple checked each case to make sure before passing out that no witnesses could catch him in the act... Or at least that he could manage in the dying vessel that was Haruka's body.

"Around mostly, looking for all of you mostly. It seems you had evading me more often than not, since the cultural festival." This was true. He hadn't exactly lied here, he simply saw nobody during that time is all and it became a toll on Haruka; thus one on Sera as well.

"Where have you been?" He showed minimal attention to Yukino, flashing a brief smile to show he noticed. Must keep appearances when this is all over.

[RosaliaIzanami]

Rosalia paused in her approach, only for her to be close enough to hear what seemed to be the tail end of Yugure's and Darren's conversation. She glanced at Darren when he spoke though, nodding slightly in response while keeping one hand over the Kagero deck that now sat at her hip alongside her own Pale Moon one. That's right... Hana had texted before about getting Darren back... Was he.. Reversed like I was?... "A-ah.. Seifer went.. um... somewhere... He.." She frowned and looked down again, clutching the Kagero deck that now rested at her hip next to her Pale Moon one. "H-he said he had to go somewhere... but he wouldn't say where, and I that I couldn't follow him..." She glanced up again when Haruka appeared like the rest of them, but she was never really close to him anyways.

Instead, she looked back to Yugure, taking a deep breath and a half step forward, as if stepping back physically meant keeping quiet as well. "I-i-i heard you.. say you needed information.. on those unreversed... I-i don't know how much help I'll be... B-but I was unreversed by Seifer... A-and.. I-i... I reversed Noel... She's still out there... I-i don't remember much though... W-wait, actually.."  Rosalia pulled out her phone, flipping to her text messages. Sure enough, she still had the message from Neo luring her out to the park, and showed it to Yugure. "I remember meeting someone before being Reversed... and I hate s-saying this.. but I'm almost positive it was Neo.. A-and I still have this.." She put her phone away, withdrawing her Pale Moon deck next. She held up a card to Yugure, though certainly Darren and anyone else listening in would see it: Silver Thorn Dragon Queen, Luquier "Reverse". And yet, despite what the card was, Rosalia held it close in case anyone tried to take it from her.

[Golden Sage NovaRaizer]

Darren was about to tell Yugure that they were better off working with what they had now then fishing for more people and wasting more time, but then Rosalia said her peace. He was right, she had been Reversed as well, and not taking it as well either. Darren looked at the unit, a black ring. It was like his Reverse Daiyusha, but... why was it there? His became Great Daiyusha after the Reverse energy left him. What did it mean that she still had that unit?

"I guess we have that in common," Darren said to her lightly. "Let me guess, her voice was running through your head and it was one of the reasons it made you do things. Daiyusha did the same to me... That's why I don't have him in my deck anymore. I chose to leave him out. Anyway, if Neo is one of them then it means that going places alone is probably a bad idea from now on." Saying that caused him to immediately place his palm onto his head as he realized that Seifer had done exactly that.

[Hope]

"Evading you? I mean.... I haven't visited the hospital lately, sorry, plus with all the reverse fighters around, I was evading them not you haha" Hana laughed and teased, "unless you're one yourself. Which I'm glad you're not right?"

She remembered the night at the park, was truly glad she was alright unlike the three that she had met up with. Her fatigue during the time kind of kept some things a blur though, plus she had to fight for this place immediately after. A part of her wanted to press the hospital thing further, what it was he was hospitalized for, because that somewhat concerned her. Did he get severely hurt?

"Well, seeing as how you were the only one that came out fine after meeting up with Sliffer and the Underground King, that would be funny if you were the source of all this." She scratched her head a little, walking up to him and looking him in the eye, "Huh... I do want to ask about how you ended up in the hospital."

Right after that she also remembered that this was Haruka she was talking to as well. Something else seemed off, but her natural imouto reflexes led her to yell it out.

"Haruka! AGHH!!! You're going to make out with Yukinee again!"

[Cherry]

Yugure looked at the deck Rosalia had a firm grip on. Seifer told this poor girl she couldn't follow, and didn't tell where he was going. This was a private matter that sounded like it could turn into a problem. "I'm going to need to find-" The woman couldn't even finish her sentence as Rosalia mentioned information from the unreversed. She was Reversed before?! Shock was expressed upon hearing this and Noel still being infected. That was Seifer's sister, wasn't it? ... Yugure stayed quiet, shock fading some, to listen to her. More details would have to come out in the War Room's conference.

Though, Neo was a name unheard of in awhile. Judging by having met him before her memory gaps... it's safe to say Neo did it. How in God's name was he Reversed too? That train of thought broke apart when Luquier "Reverse" was presented. Several researchers almost lost their minds seeing it, and the paladins within the Chosen Sword's mental lobby jumped out of surprise and readiness to address a threat. A couple of heart beats were skipped... That is definitely what Salome reported before: Dark Zone got hit.

"Why..." Yugure didn't understand an interesting point of this. If Rosalia was completely unreversed, how does this card exist in her hand? ... A troubling bit of evidence for suspicions that maybe... the invaders still have a hold over Pale Moon and their Vanguard.

"... Could I see that for a moment? I'll hand it right back to you."

Giving it back might make things worse, but easing the girl's mind was important. Okay, she had an infected card in hand. Instead of saying she may still be infected, handing it back was a way of saying "everything's fine".

[Jello]

"That would be really funny, you know. Maybe those handshakes were really my way of sending some evil code. Spooky, right?" He joked to her. Technically, well, logically, Haruka doesn't know what Reverse really is and has never encountered a Reverse fighter. Not only that, but he had never heard the term dubbed like that.

"Were they hurt afterwards? I saw Seifer run off just a moment ago I thought... Hikaru has been out of view since that day since then. Sort of wish he would have stayed a bit longer to chat."

He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. Game of wits. Hana was making this game, rather than a battle. Her voice conveyed an innocent and foolish tone, but she was competent and capable and Sera was more than aware of that. He had a few choices to fill the in the cracks to make sure nobody so the fault in his plan. Luckily nobody here had really seen him recently...

Wait.

"Hana, you were in the park? Why didn't you come and say hi to us or anything? Everyone else left me alone and it was sort of weird. Everything got hazy and ended up passing out really soon after myself." Sera rested a hand on his side, partially hiding the pain from semi-internal bleeding happening as they spoke. A painful life indeed. Luckily his face was often masked with vacancy. Sera was really good at that.

Oh, the hospital/

"Kept waking up in random places, and I felt worse and worse each time. Eventually I just went and checked into the hospital so I could get treated. So I didn't die or anything like that."

Too late. Sera would have to formally apologize for killing of his lover before he left the host body.

[RosaliaIzanami]

Rosalia hesitated when asked for the card. She should have known Yugure would at least see it... but as long as she gave it back... "J-just.. be careful with it..." she answered, offering the card. It wasn't a request though for Yugure to not just rip it up right there, but more so.. it was like if Rosalia was offering any other card of her deck. She just wanted it to be cared for... and to care for a Reverse card? What other colors are there?... Light blue.. trust... Then she remembered what Darren just said. Her voice was running through your head... Daiyusha did the same to me... That's why I don't have him in my deck anymore. I chose to leave him out... She glanced to her formerly reversed companion, then to her deck. Do you know why I'm still here in this empty world of gray?...

Rosalia looked back to Yugure, holding her hand out for the card back. "I-i think... After I was unreversed, and I saw this card still in my deck, I remembered things like the darkness, and a red ring around me on a blackened circus stage... I also saw.. what I thing was either Earth.. or maybe Cray?... Just everything was gray... But I'm starting to like, remember.. remember colors, as weird as it probably sounds... and I think until I can get over doubting myself, to fill in the missing colors, then... maybe Luquier Reverse will change again... It's just.. a lot harder than you think.."

[Golden Sage NovaRaizer]

Her story sounded like his in a way. Her unit wanted her to see that the world was grey ant that she could use the Reverse to bring color to it. It was just as how Daiyusha told him that power could save the world from the invaders. Did this power make all of the units this dishonest? He chose not to say anything about it. It was confusing enough without telling her that the unit probably lied to her.

He moved his hand to place onto her shoulder lightly. He smiled lightly and said, "Nothing will happen if you really want it back." Most people would have reason to distrust her for protecting a reverse unit so much, but Darren knew that face, those eyes. She didn't have any of its influence anymore. She was scared and confused. He would have been the same if he didn't spend his time working on building himself up as he thought through his next course of actions. "If its really about colors and doubt then we can work on that one step at a time. I mean... you and I went through the same thing, so I wanna help."

[Hope]

"I didn't say hi because I too was dying and of exhaustion!" She stomped her foot a bit, just joking of course. "Anyways, you said that your handshakes were evil codes to send the dark energy?" She thought for a moment. Haruka was being funny as always, may as long go with it.

"I'll go tell scientist-san to go take note of it and add it to the data as well as tell Yukino!" She nodded and happily skipped away. A voice in her mind spoke, "Wait, are you being serious? I just took down his energy reading." Hana laughed and responded, "Of course not, but I guess that doesn't hurt.. huh?" She did actually ask the scientist to put Haruka on a watch list though, somehow she never knew how far to take a joke. It would be extra work for this scientist now, poor guy.

She turned back over to him, somewhat ticked off yet glad that he hasn't started his make out session with Yukino yet. More important was his condition at the moment though, since she didn't like of him feeling that way nor hearing of her friends ending up in hospitals in general. May as well celebrate his return, though she wasn't sure how. "By the way, you should make me my favorite frappe, if you remember how I still like it. We should head on over somewhere tonight to celebrate you feeling better."

[Cipher Izanagi]

After finishing up at the beach, Seifer stepped off of a bus after paying for the transport, walking into the the facility and... He stopped mid stride, staring right at Haruka. He just stood there like that. He hadn't seen Haruka since... Since... when? When was the last time he saw him? Stupid memory problems. Why couldn't he remember anything? Standing off to the side he continued to stare at Haruka, trying to think... Trying to remember. It was odd for Seifer to be so focused on one single person.