(GS3) Field: Forest

[Beryl]

Satoshi sighed. "Listen, before that...I need to apologize to you. I kind of wish Haruka was here too, but..."

He stared out at the trees on his side. "A lot of what's been going on recently, I've felt very detached from, because you two and Hana...all three of you are special. All three of you got to remember what happened two months ago, or at least somewhat. I didn't get that at all until Seph finally told me." He kicked the tree a little with the back of his foot. "I got really jealous of you two because even though I know you're both hurting...you still got gifted with things that let you work towards the future, while I was stuck behind like an old fogey." He frowned, now staring at the ground. "Sometimes I felt like I was wasting both of you guys' time by being around, especially now that you two are a couple. The fact that you two were working together, even through all the pain you're going through...I dunno, I guess it feels like you don't need me."

Satoshi bit his lip. This was hard to say, and yet even so, it had been on his mind for a while. "So I went and met Neu because I wanted to do something relevant for all of us. Find out what's going on, try to understand how the workings of her mind are. Everyone's got something that bothers them. For her...it's not having fun, apparently." He shook his head. "All she ever wanted to do was fight. That's the only thing that excites her, and she's more enthusiastic when she wins than when she loses, even when she says it doesn't matter. She's completely unbearable."

He kicked the ground. "But I still went through with it because I want you guys to have your friends back. I feel guilty that I'm the only one that still has his ties intact. I want to fix everything if I can help it, because the more I see you and Haruka like this, the more I hate myself." He sighed and sat down.

"And that's why I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm being a selfish jerk. I know you must hate me right now because I still have everything and you got everything ripped from you. It makes sense if you want nothing to do with me because of that." He closed his eyes. "So if you want me to just not come back to the Manor for a while...just tell me now."

[Cherry]

Yugure almost broke her phone, gripping it as tightly as one would need to strangle a man. This must've been some kind of joke. Hate was far too strong a word, but extreme irritation would best describe what she felt. He gets to keep everything, she lost everything for doing absolutely nothing but try to make things right. All things about Neu's personality - motives, they all pissed her off! She didn't care, that woman took her precious Royals and Shadows - Ahmes and Yunos - for little reason! Grinding teeth, Yukino almost exploded. ... It took a few seconds to calm down though, none of this was Satoshi's fault. He was only trying to keep up and do what he thought was right.

Though it was still infuriating, she didn't yell.

"You don't have anything to apologize for, dork", the woman began. "You haven't been selfish nor a jerk."

Short, yet true were the words of the emotionally challenged queen.

"You can come to the manor whenever you want. Let's go meet with Hana and Miyuki."

[Beryl]

Satoshi shrugged. That still wasn't the vibe he was getting from Yukino, but it was her choice to not lash out and still have him around. In the meantime, it did seem like a good idea to meet up with Hana and Miyuki.

"Yeah, let's go, then..." He started walking in the direction of town, assuming she wanted to walk by herself.

[Lance Korilum]

There was quite a lot on Cero's mind.  Although his drive and determination had returned, he still knew he lacked the strength to prove that woman wrong.  She believed anyone who didn't play Vanguard for fun was wrong, and mocked those that desired strength...  There was no issue playing for your own entertainment, but what she did was simply infuriating.  Cero needed more strength....  The strength to defeat the woman and show her what his Vanguard truly was...  He walked though the forest, the place where his drive had been re-ignited, in hopes it would help calm his mind...  Another issue he had was that of a new rival.  Rivals were what gave him excitement, what made Vanguard "fun" to him, and lacking any made it empty.  Who could he select as his new rival?  Far too few people had the strength to actually match the King.  Jellal, perhaps?  ....  If he could find him.  They hadn't met at all outside of the semi-finals in nationals.  So if not him, who?

[Jello]

After escaping the clutches of the Espoir Household, and getting several pictures taken by the staff, Haruka and Yukino make their way to the restaurant near the forest.

It was a bit more than Haruka expected himself. There were fancy chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling and candlelit tables everywhere and the finest cuisine Haruka had ever seen. They got in to be greeted by a host immediately. Once notifying them of the reservation, they were given a seat farther off towards a large window with a view of the area.

Lovely.

As they were seated, they were given a good bit of time to decide on their orders.

"So, Yukino... What're you thinking of having?"

Yeah, good one Haruka... Man up already!

Haruka was giving all of his attention to Yukino, but at the same time he had to bolster courage to spit out those three little words. This was the ultimate challenge.

[Cherry]

Yukino hid it, but good lord did trying to leave home annoy the hell out of her. It took the girl yanking on Haruka's shoulder and abruptly giving everyone a farewell as they rudely ran out the door. The speed of which she bolted was a surprising feat given she was in heels. At least they were out of there... and after that, the gentleman led his date to a rather... fancy looking eatery. Seeing these weren't all that shocking or awe-inspiring, but... her concerns were more directed toward his wallet. He already had repair bills back at his place, could he even afford this? The queen would offer to pay, but that'd probably just put a heavy dent in his pride. Dad always said the man pays for dinner.

Still... the hint of awe Haruka was holding back was easy to see. Was this gonna be okay?

Then she heard about the reservation. Oh, he must've dipped into something, this was just too good to believe considering his social status.

When seated and handed menus, Yugure sort of tensed up. Appetite didn't return with lighter moods, yet, it'd be bad if she didn't eat much of anything... Even if she ordered a lot, if she didn't eat it, her crush here would just be left disappointed.

"Something with... eggs... probably", Hana had Yukino witness so many constructs with egg as the main ingredient, she sort of had a craving for them.

[Jello]

"Eggs?" Haruka wasn't particularly sure why that confused him. But it did.

"That's fine I suppose. I'll probably do the spiral sliced ham and turkey."

If Haruka couldn't have sweets, protein was next on the list.

He sort of fidgeted in his seat. Something felt off, but couldn't a finger on it. He dismissed the thought, assuming he maybe just forgot something small to bring. Enjoying the night was the best he could do.

Haruka reached across the table to grab Yukino's hand.

"I'm really glad you went out with me tonight. It, well, it means a lot."

Haruka opens his mouth to speak but it comes out a bit shaky.

"I, uh, well..."

He was freezing up a bit. The words he was trying to say were failing to escape his mouth. His heart hurt a little knowing he'd be unable to confess properly.

If you can't say it, then show it.

Sera suggested perhaps the most cliché method of doing this. And he was probably right.

He would have to wait for an opportune time to do it though. It was hard to put his lips on her from across a table.

"Ah, sorry. Lost my train of thought." Haruka tried to go with it. He was already quite anxious as it was.

[Lance Korilum]

  During his walk, Cero realized he was starving...  He had been neglecting his eating in search of rivals, just like he had two months ago.  Remembering a restaurant he had heard about nearby, Cero decided it'd be in his best interest to eat there.  The walk was fairly short, but the uphill climb only made Cero hungrier...  When he entered, he noticed it was far more ornate than he had initially expected.  Everything was pristine, spotless, with a number of chandeliers and candelabras beyond what could be considered a practical limit.  Pillars adorned the walls, carved with ornate golden designs....  And then he noticed...  Them.  Yukino and...  Someone he presumed to be her boyfriend, which was rather odd since the man looked a few years younger than Yukino, and couldn't be much older than Cero himself.

  A host approached Cero, asking the usual questions a host would ask.  Cero responded far quieter than his usual self, actually having the manners to not disturb those currently dining.  When he said the table was for one, several people gave him rather odd looks, though Cero took no notice to them.  He requested the finest tea they had available, and when it was brought to him, they asked for his order.

  "I'll take this, this, some of this, as well as this item, and this...."  Cero continued, pointing to various items whose name's he was simply to lazy to pronounce despite several of them being derived from French, his native tongue.  All in all, he ordered enough to make up approximately five full course meals.  "Also, if I receive my food before anyone else who doesn't have their food within the next ten minutes, I will tip all of the chefs and waiters that bring it out 30 000 yen each," Cero told the waiter taking his order.  The waiter, absolutely shocked at the wealth of this man, took off to the kitchen to inform the chefs of this insane foreigner's request.

[Cherry]

Yukino's surveying of the menu was halted when Haruka took her hand, and her full attention darted straight to him. She stayed quiet, getting an idea of what he wanted to say, and would rather him come out first. There was no particular reason, the woman simply wanted to hear the three words exactly from his mouth, not tacked with a "too". Yet, he was stumbling on his nerves, and it made her giggle. Finding his fumbling nature adorable, words of calm were offered: "Relax a little, Haruka. I'm glad you brought me here too. More importantly, I'm glad you're here with me."

Nothing on the menu really stood out, so that was bad. Body language would be betraying words if she didn't pick something out...

"Transforming Furikake Gohan?"

Of course, she picks out one of the most expensive things on the menu.

However, Cero's arrival caught her off guard. While she was going to put it off and focus on their date... well, he flaunted his money to get his food before anyone else. Of course, the king was still ruder than rude. Whatever bothered him enough to punch a tree days ago was gone, clearly. The queen was irritated now.

[Jello]

Haruka did as he was told. He relaxed. The problem lies in that he was already a bit upset it took so long to get here, plus the problem he had with speaking, all tacked onto the worst possible mix of emotions.

Love and anxiousness.

At this rate, Haruka was going to panic attack before the order got to the table.

"Right. I'm sorry. Its just a lot of stuff running through my head is all." He loosens the grip on Yukino's hand a little, trying to ease up. His usual bubbly demeanor was surfacing, but it was difficult to keep up in such a high class facility. For him, at least.

He noticed Yukino looked a bit irritated.

"What's wrong, Yuki?" He felt sudden nervous pangs run through him. Maybe she didn't want to do all this? If she was so upset, maybe it was too late?

Can I panic yet?

[Cherry]

"That asshole..." Yukino answered, looking off in the distance without turning. If it didn't mean leaving Haruka, she'd go knock Cero's lights out. Letting out an annoyed sigh, she looked back at Haruka. Apparently, telling him to relax a little did absolutely nothing. In fact, she was now hoping he wasn't twice as nervous as before. The queen wanted him to break his own ice with some of his goofy, fumbling self to help him ease into the date. It was difficult if she couldn't fix whatever was intimidating him.

"Don't worry... and don't apologize either. You're fine."

[Jello]

"Er, right..."

This was all just turning on its head. The waiters for the order hadn't shown up, Yukino was pissed off at something, and Haruka felt his stomach do backflips at record speed.

"I-I, uh, er, crap." He scratches his head trying to figure out what to say here.

"Something has your attention, I think. Wanna talk about it?" His mind was focused on making tonight extra special, but things were just.

Not.

"... Uh, erm.." Haruka coughs, tripping over what he was going to say.

"Yukino. I, uh, had something I wanted to tell you. For, er, at least a month or so now."

The tension in his chest is almost bursting.

Now or never.

[Lance Korilum]

  When he initially saw his old Rival's expression of irritation, Cero believe his plan had worked.  However, she chose to focus on her date instead of taking up Cero's challenge, something that came as a bit of a surprise.  The Yukino he knew would've walked straight up to him and taken his challenge, yet now she simply attempted to ignore it.  Sighing, Cero stood up, deciding he'd figure out what brought these changes to his rival.  He walked up to their table, took out his deck and slammed it onto the table. 

Returning to his usual self, Cero shouted his challenge, "I, Cero Kirguis, Europe's King of Vanguard, challenge you to a cardfight, Yukino Hikari Espoir!"  Cero's eyes were practically brimming with energy, desiring to bring his old rival back.  The one who on multiple occasions provided him with cardfights more intense than any others.  Cero then slid his deck  over to Yukino, continuing, "However we won't be using our own decks.  We'll each be using the other's deck!"

[Cherry]

You know... Yukino was depressed for a good while now. Her emotions have been bottled in, unwilling to give them out. A spiky shield over her heart, in order to focus on others, while not paying any mind to her own happiness or needs to live. ... So long... and now, while she's finding joy again, this guy crashes everything. Without hesitation after Cero approached them, her leg shot upward, heel meeting Cero's face. It was hard enough to launch the ignorant, rude king into the air.

"You... asshole! Interrupting our perfect evening with your thirst for this stupid, stupid game! Haruka, give me my deck!"

Internally, Yukino felt bad about turning her efforts into stomping the king. Haruka looked like he had something to say too... Though, so did she. And Yukino wanted the entirety of her heart focused on him for when she would speak it. This would be simply clearing the air, and getting their food. Maybe some of their money back for Cero's messing with her date intentionally. Though, reluctant to hand her Gold Paladin to someone else, it was to get back to her beloved as soon as possible. This genuinely surprised Ezel, seeing as she felt better with him around.

The lion was beginning to grasp how much she actually loved that bumbling idiot of Vortimer's Vanguard.

Tossing her deck case, she took Cero's Narukami.

"And it's not Hikari anymore, it's Yugure!"

[Lance Korilum]

The kick from Yukino sent Cero flying, causing him to land straight on the table of a married couple behind them, breaking the table, and ruining all of their food (Along with Cero's jacket).  It was an impact like that probably would've knocked most people out, but Cero simply stood back up, quite injured, but fully capable of cardfighting.  He smirked, knowing that the rival he once knew had returned at least for now. 

The fight progressed fairly smoothly for Cero.  Although an early critical on "Yugure's" side caused him to be at a disadvantage in the early game, it didn't take long for Cero to take control of the game.  However, one odd occurrence happened to Cero during the fight.  While saying the chant he used for Garmore, instead of saying Great Silver Wolf Garmore, he almost accidentally said Fang of Light Garmore...  The rest of the fight was fairly normal, however.  Cero got triggers off of his top-deck Superior Calls, but that didn't stop him from keeping control of the game, and eventually winning it. 

Cero grunted, unimpressed at his once-rival.  "You lack the resolve to face your problems you once had," and with this, Cero turned around back to his table, completely forgetting about the table of the couple he had just landed on and the food covering the back of his coat.  "If you can't get back what you've lost on your own, I'll be willing to lend a hand.  I still need a rival," Cero said as he walked away.