(GS3) Home Field: Ni'ihau Private Estate

[xateramusa]

Xat smiled at Yugure victory and was even felt more happyness when she saw Saotoshi back ot normal. "Oh ya here is a list of were all the generals are." She handed thme a sheet of paper. She then looked at Noel, then back at Yugure. "We will get through the darkness of our past together with each other and all our friends." She told the 2 ladys. Being with the group helped change Xat for the better, and she was glad for it.

[Cipher Izanagi]

Even before the fight, Seifer felt... on edge. Why? He didn't really know. He just didn't feel comfortable. Something was eating away at him mentally. What was it? He tried to grasp it, tried to figure it out... but the fight drew his attention, breaking his grip on whatever it was. The fight just mostly seemed like a blood bath waiting to happen. And so that's what seemed to happen. The whole idea of how Yukino, who continued to call herself Yugure, acted and went during the fight seemed... Off to Seifer, the brunette growing worried and somehow tired.. Why was he tired? His head started to hurt as well, the male leaving well before the end of the fight, just stumbling around the estate. His mind was swimming and he couldn't see straight. And after wandering for what felt like ever, he passed out... away from the eyes of everyone.

[Beryl]

Satoshi fell back from the field. Grand Ezel Scissors had come, right on cue. It was a lucky guess, but Ezel's resonance with Yugure was unmistakable. The strikes against Nebula Lord were intense, doing a number on his soul, but the beast was gone.

---

As he fell back, his mind wandered to Cheru, who was fading.

"Cheru...I'm sorry, I can't just..."

The hooded girl simply shook her head and smiled back. "The Star-vaders aren't welcome . It's okay, darlin'. We appreciate that you tried." She wiped her eye a bit, tears forming. "I appreciate it for sure."

Satoshi closed his eyes. "Maybe someday you guys will come back as non-Star-vaders, and then...then things will be okay..."

"It'll take some time, but eventually, maybe." Cheru moved over to him as she was nearly fully faded, and placed a light kiss on his forehead. "Still, thank you...for everything...I'll try to see you soon if I can..."

"You do that." Satoshi smiled as his other inner self faded from existence.

---

Haku stood at the door, crossing his arms and staring at the results of the situation. Things had happened that he was aware of; something had most definitely been wrong with his boss, but it was not his place to question it, which is why it took this group to solve it. Thankfully, his boss was freed of the influence. Good. Now to clear up something.

He gripped the woman's shoulder that he saw in his boss's office, trying to steal legitimate information. "Information you found was off of a Navy computer regarding the locations of American generals. For your sake, I would forget what you saw, or you could be pinned an international criminal."

"He's...not lyin', you know..." Satoshi leaned up off the ground, brushing himself off. Nebula Lord expelled from his body, he was pretty much back to normal. Well, almost. His hand remained marked, but when he touched it with his fingers, it felt cool and not painful at all. It was like the rings were a tattoo now, a reminder of what had been. It was painful to look at, but if it wasn't something that would simply fade upon his liberation at the hands of Yugure, then he would atone.

He walked over to Xat and showed the marked hand. "When Nebula Lord contacted people, it was via a hivemind link used by sending messages while touching these rings. He didn't actually know where they were, and as far as I could tell, his plans were well-thought out. He wouldn't just leave information out on a computer somewhere if there was an easier, more incognito system." He shrugged. "Like my pal Haku said, you should probably forget what you saw there. The Navy's already gonna kill me when they find out I have a connection to their database because I share an island with 'em."

He turned to Noel and Darren, specifically walking to Noel and directing his response to her. Seifer was nowhere to be found, he'd get back to him later. "You're right, in a way, that I was pathetic in letting this take me over. I was marked over a year ago; it was beyond my control and a lot of circumstances led to my reversal." He looked down. "Of course, that doesn't mean I don't regret everything. I do. So many areas taken over, harvested, mainpulated because I had this power..." He looked up to her and smiled, putting a light hand touch to her shoulder. "So I'm hoping that over time, I can make it up to all of you in any way I can."

Now, for Yugure. She was hunched and panting from the intense strikes she had given Nebula Lord. For her, a person who told him that one of his best friends was no more...Satoshi helped her up, then hugged her tight. His savior still cared, even if her words did not give that impression, and he had to respect that as best he could. In such a way, Yukino would live on, but as the soldier Yugure was certain she should be.

"Thank you...Yugure..." He laid his head against the back of her neck and gave a slight smile. "I know you hate nicknames, but I have a new one..." He closed his eyes.

"Spring Blade. The sword that brings life to those who think they are dead."

Yugure +10 AP
Noel +5 AP
Darren +5 AP

[Golden Sage NovaRaizer]

Darren was amazed to see the battle, the power of Link Joker and what they could do. He didn't like how Yugure was acting either, practically putting her humanity to the side just so she could fight. Still, in the end she seemed to understand that was wrong, if only a little. Now that the battle was done he felt a wave of darkness leave the room. Satoshi had come back. While Darren didn't outright call Link Joker or even Satoshi himself pathetic for falling to Link Joker, unable to do so considering he did first, he did still feel that the Star Vader needed to be dealt with, and it was.

"Glad you're out of it Satoshi," He said, after seeing him pour his heart out to Yugure he couldn't help but feel like he understood him more. Maybe the Reverse helped to reveal hidden parts of people, bringing them out. There had to be something redeeming in that. "By the way Yuki, I really gotta say you're a lot better as a general then as an emotionless sword. I dont know what the past mistakes you were talking about are, but you're still the Yuki that saved Satoshi. After all, a sword can only do what its told, and you're a lot better than that."

He then turned to Noel, knowing that the entire experience did stir her memories. He didn't know what happened but her reactions before the fight were more than enough to say she had a hard time. She wasn't alone in that. He smiled to her lightly, wanting to say they were one step closer to getting things back to normal now, but it was already implied.

Satoshi: AF+5
Noel: AF +2
Xat: AF+2

[Cherry]

Yugure found herself... rather happy with what she did. Not just saving Satoshi, but killing a commander... yes, it was cathartic. Sweet release, almost as if similar to spending a night with Haruka. This pent up fury was let loose, and the queen nearly let herself take insane delight in it before Satoshi grabbed her. That's right... she did this for her friend first and foremost. Returning the embrace, silent apologies were conveyed. Knowing that the person he actually saw as a comrade first is gone... and how she wouldn't let them back... This was a selfish thing to others. A task that had to be done, however, as Yukino Espoir only serves as dead weight. "Spring Blade..." an embarrassing title given again. He was fond of them though, so fine, she'll let it pass. The woman was just happy to have one of her best friends back.

Ezel was almost a little jealous.

The Chosen Sword told him to lighten up, like he should with his hair.

"No, never", he rejected. His glorious mane is forever. Still, they got a laugh out of it.

Darren shared his opinion of her stance as a soldier. The Chosen Sword had all but decided an object doesn't need a heart, and being just a weapon is easier. Yugure... still believed her own words. At the same time, she believed in his words some too. It wouldn't be enough to break the shell entirely or desire her old name, but she made note to remember that.

Though the list Xat gave may not be as much of a help, her words were more than the list would've been. Yes... they would overcome their darkness. She, Xat, and Noel would. The soldier wasn't really sure what she was talking about concerning herself and Noel, but...

"Hmph..." A small chuckle. "You know, the United Sanctuary... is hiring anyone who can spew out cheese."

Yes, the paladins were all the overlords, rulers, and conquers of generic, lame, cheesy one-liners.

Yugure didn't stop to rest though, noticing Seifer was gone.

[xateramusa]

Xat looked at them and nodded. "I didn't know they were america generals i was just follwing the tip hyukki vouge left me." she said to them

[Beryl]

Haku was just on the cusp of going to look for this boy that had wandered off, when Satoshi called him over. "Hey, I may as well introduce you since these guys likely don't know who you are, right?" His boss grinned at him with a face he had not seen in a long time. The large, stern Hawaiian stared at him for a brief moment, then nodded shortly and lumbered over.

Satoshi gestured to his overseer. "Everyone, this is Haku. I can easily say that over the course of a year, he and I have done a lot together." He nodded to himself. "Yep, when I aimed to take a break and find myself, I wanted to go somewhere a bit more remote, but not stay in the same places as before. So I was recommended an excursion to Hawaii." He shrugged, chuckling. "Kind of weird to be told about a summer vacation spot as a distant location, but when I met Haku and his tribe, I could easily say that the Hawaiian islands have their fair share of places that aren't so inhabited."

Haku nodded. "Smaller islands're less traveled. We make our villages there. Very peaceful, very bountiful."

Satoshi smiled. "It was that kind of attitude that really got me involved in learning their way of life. All of 'em were doing their own style of farming with pineapples, something I never worked with back in Japan, so we were able to exchange tricks of the trade and also got on the subject of living life." He shrugged again. "Turns out these guys're Buddhist because of the simplicity of it all."

Once again, the enormous islander nodded. "We do just to do. Such is a good teaching." Upon stating this, something clicked in his head, and he then gestured a hand to the farmboy. "Perhaps you should think of this Cheru of yours in this framework."

Satoshi raised an eyebrow. "Cheru, in the Buddhist framework?...How so?"

Haku cleared his throat and pulled a coin from his pocket, and proceeded to give the longest explanation his boss had ever heard him speak in the year he's known him:

"Consider this coin. This coin has two sides. We say that many things have two sides: day and night, life and death, good and evil...but all come from the same association. Day and night in time, life and death in existence, good and evil in world." He pointed the coin at Satoshi's nose. "What is to say this Cheru is not one side of your life's coin? You are one, she is the other, but both are not necessarily distinct or separate from one another. Remember: not one, but both." He turned to the group as a whole. "Such practice leads to extract worry from one's life. If you are making something separate from yourself, it is to say you are trying to remove yourself from the world as a separate entity, when you are a being that in fact lives and embraces your surroundings daily."

He stepped to Yugure and gazed down. "This, too, could be said of this other side of yours, Spring Blade." He didn't exactly know her actual name; when Nebula Lordified Satoshi had given him his directions, he was to memorize faces, not names. So Spring Blade would have to do. "It is not to say you cannot live your life as the one you believe yourself so strongly to be. But to reject your other self is to prevent yourself from being whole." He put a strong hand on her shoulder, which made his boss cringe a little because he was expecting a harsh response, but to his surprise, his overseer then gave a gentle smile, something not befitting of his typical stern, quiet nature. "Your friends know you as all parts of you, and they love and cherish all of those parts. There are two halves of your life, but to claim one has died would be a disservice to your human existence in this large world." A light pat. "Whether you choose to observe this or not is up to you, however. Simply do as you will. That is the long, but pleasant way to what we believe is enlightenment."

He stepped to Noel, Darren and Xat and nodded to the three of them. "You all as well. The shortcomings of your past, the bad decisions you may believe you have made...yes, perhaps they were without thinking, or they did not deserve forgiveness. But you did as you did. And you learned to do otherwise. That is, in itself, righting a wrong, but it is how you yourself take it upon you that matters. Fix to fix, live to live. Fight to fight. Whatever it is you must do."

He walked back to Satoshi and nodded again. "Apologies. Needed to be said." The farmboy simply stared back in awe at his foreign friend's wisdom. Whether it would have an effect on the group as a whole would be entirely subjective, but...yes, that was a crash course on what he learned over a year. So if he was right, that likely meant...

He nodded, and gave Haku a pat on his back, smiling. "You might just be right, big guy."

Turning his attention back to the room, Satoshi gave a bit more of a stern look of his own and smacked his fist into his hand. "Right. Let's get Seifer. There's a bit more cleanup left to do with the Star-vaders, but as far as I can recall, you guys are starting to hit the homestretch. Let's not let anything stop us now."

[xateramusa]

Haku's words gave Xat felt a quick moment of contempt but it was shoet lived as she had a flahback to one of her kills from when she was young.

The guy beggi g for mercy and his life but xat didn't care she just cut the man in half. The blood rained everywere in the room and Xat just smirked as she let the blood that fell cover her, the dead eyes of the man staring huntedly at her, before she left the room to go find her next pray.

The memorie was very harsh on her, and she closed her eyes trying to forget it however there was no way to get the blood stained hands clean. Xat then walked out of the room into the hallway before finally let her tears flow. She heard them talking about finding seifer through the door and hopped he was alright.

[Golden Sage NovaRaizer]

Darren didn't exactly understand everything that Haku said, but he could plainly tell that there was something in all of their pasts that they regretted. For Darren, it was the Reverse. Even though he was manipulated, he rarely felt like he wasn't in control. With a small sigh, he smiled as he was already trying to make up for that time.

Seeing Xat walk away like she did made him want to follow. He thought he saw a tear fall but he could be wrong. He wanted to follow, but what could he really say? He didn't know Xat's past well enough to say anything to help her through this. He was afraid he could make things much worse by saying the wrong thing. That was the last thing he wanted.

Hearing about Seifer made him snap out of his own thoughts. He looked around and wondered where he could be. He walked out to the hall, going up to Xat as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to deal with it alone," he said to her before he started to look for Seifer. Where could he be, and why would he leave after such an important battle?

[xateramusa]

Xat watched Darren go and once he was out of ear shot she shook her head. "I'm byond redemption, no one can help with my past for its a blooded one." she said softly before she walked away to find Seifer. Hopeing that he was alright