This is another story i started working on during my classes due to boredom. I had watched this anime and enjoyed it as a whole, BUT was dissatisfied with how weak Cruz's character still was by the end of the series. This fanfiction takes place 5 years after the original anime. I have not read the manga version of this anime so please forgive any inaccuracies you may see, same goes for grammar or misspellings as well, thanks for clicking on my story :D

"Ahh afternoon, young man. Anything to drink?"

The bartender asked in a gruff yet polite manner. Cruz shook is head though. He had business to attend to. He chose a small table near the back, allowing him to view the entire room with ease. It hadn't even been ten minutes when he heard the door slam open with a loud bang, followed by two very familiar voices.

"No need for those puny glasses; just a full bottle for me, good sir!"

the first voice bellowed. There in the doorway stood a strong built man with sunglasses and jagged coat while wearing a wide grin and a green crystal adorning the middle of his forehead; beside him stood his trusted partner in crime, a well developed girl with an aloof expression across her face. Cruz couldn't help but let out a brief grin, they hadn't changed at all. Slowly he made his way over to them, they were now sitting at the front of the bar on high stools. Before he could say anything the man had already sensed his presence behind them and quickly turned around.

"Well i'll be damned! Eve, look who it is!"

The girl spun around, after her eyes rested on him she leapt up and barreled into him with a hug.

"Yamada!"

After regaining his balance he felt a large hand on his shoulder.

"How you been, kid?"

Cruz smiled again, he truly had missed them.

"I've been alright. I see that you and Eve haven't changed on bit."

He said with a fond look on his face. Blade let out a loud laugh and tilted down his sunglasses as he replied,

"Well being as awesome as I am, why change at all!"

Eve nodded in agreement. Out of excitement she gave Cruz a large slap on the back taking him by surprised causing him to fall forward.

"You ain't the shrimp you used to be, Yamada!"

She said with a smile. Cruz straightened up again and re-adjusted his long jacket he now wore.

"Five years is a long time, i'm nineteen now after all."

He finished with a little bit of pride in his voice. Seeing them, it felt like only yesterday he had been fighting alongside everyone against Arclight, but everyone had gone their separate ways since then, including his beloved sister, Aruka. It had been a long five years.

"So what brought you here to the town of Leos?"

Blade's question snapped him back to the present. Cruz cleared his throat before replying.

"You two, actually."

Both Blade and Eve looked at him curiously now. Eve then stuck out her tongue.

"Aww did you miss us so much, Yamada?"

Cruz gave a light chuckle before continuing.

I've been asking around seeing if people had seen you two, out of all the leads I was given, this one seemed the most likely."

Blade finished chugging the last of his drink and quickly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Well you found us-"

"Yea so spit it out, Yamada!"

Eve interrupted which Blade promptly returned by banging her on the head with the empty bottle in his hand, which she quickly brushed off and returned with a large punch to his face forcing him off his stool. Cruz sighed as they began to wrestle and pick up other bar stools to spar with. Sadly their attention span hadn't changed either. While the chaos grew rather rapidly he calmly turned around to the bartender and asked for a drink of his own. He was already quite used to their attitude even after being away from hem for five years and knew they would eventually get bored of the sport.

After most of the tables were snapped in half and only one window remained unbroken did they finally settle down. Unsurprisingly the bartender demanded they pay for everything they had broken. Eve blankly looked at Blade as he reluctantly set down a the large sum of money on the counter. Conveniently three bar stools still remained, just enough for the three of them to sit back down and continue their previous conversation like nothing happened.

"Now the reason for my being here has to do with the incidents that have been occurring lately. I'm sure you two are well aware of them."

Adam took another large sip from another large drink he had ordered.

"Of course we have. We were asked to investigate since Gido suspects that something is behind these random attacks."

Eve nodded in agreement, but continued ringing so Cruz spoke again.

"Well I have some information that might be helpful. You see I've been investigating too. We already know that each village was destroyed by a mass fire, but actually all of the inhabitants of those villages were infected by some type of virus. The fire was to hide the evidence."

Blade and Eve looked intrigued and skeptical at the same time.

"You sure know a lot, Yamada."

Eve said. Cruz nodded in response.

"After each fire I went back to the villages, already suspecting that it was being used to cover up for something else. I just so happened to have the idea to take blood samples of every other person I could find and found strange similarities between them that shouldn't have existed."

"You've been busy, kid."

Blade added. Cruz was about to respond when the door opened and Eve jumped down off her stool in excitement; running into a man's warm embrace and giving him a big hug. It was Gido.

"All three of you together again?" It reminds me of old times."

Gido said with a warm expression on his face.

"Hey old man!" Cruz found us and told us about the incidents, do you know about them?"

Blade was quick to getting to the point. Gido nodded slowly.

"I'll explain what I know. Another round of drinks though first!"

He replied with a smile. Eve cheered as Blade excitedly began ordering again. Gido smiled.

"I can see that they haven't changed one bit."

He said towards Cruz with an unsurprised grin as he also scanned the rest of the destroyed furniture and windows. Cruz returned his comment with a small nod and smile. Gido sighed and used this chance to pull Cruz aside and talk to him more privately. Gido, like Blade and Eve, were like a family to him, but Gido was also the only one who knew his secret and the only one of their group that he had seen recently in the past five years; and his closeness to Blade and Eve worried him in the back of his mind.

Gido placed a comforting hand on his shoulder seeing through Cruz's forced smile.

"I won't tell them, but you should."

Cruz averted his gaze.

"They don't need to know."

Gido sighed again. "Where is the mark now?"

Cruz used his right arm to pull his left arm closer to his body as if he was protecting it from Gido's concerned stare.

"It hasn't moved in a while."

Gido nodded. "You've grown and changed a lot, Cruz. But that doesn't mean that you need to face this alone either. Stress, whether it be physical or mental, can cause the poison to spread. Telling them might help."

Gido finished hopefully, but Cruz's expression remained unchanged. Gido knew that this was not a subject that Cruz enjoyed talking about. He knew how much Cruz had been through to achieve the hidden strength he now possessed, but this new threat to his body made him feel weak, a feeling he had grown to despise.

"Tell me if it gets any worse, that's all I ask."

Cruz now looked a bit more relaxed knowing that this conversation was coming to an end.

"Don't worry, I will."

Thanks for reading! and to be continued! Reviews are always appreciated! :)