Author's Note:

Hey, everybody! Finally out with another chapter. I believe this one is the longest yet. I sort of enjoyed making this chapter a lot! Not entirely sure why, but I enjoyed making it. Anyways, I wanted to go ahead and reply to a comment I saw posted on the chapter prior to this one. It mentioned something about Fujimaki being smart.

The reason I had Fujimaki interview/interrogate the sniper was because I figured it would be a good opportunity to show how much of a badass Fujimaki really was! Honestly, the guy is awesome! He's completely underrated, even in the anime series! I also never considered him a 'moron', like Noda. Although they share similar 'I'm a badass' / 'I'm a delinquent' attitudes, I never thought Fujimaki was really that dumb. Fujimaki was cocky, but I don't think he was a moron (except for the fact that he's the only one who can't swim). But I figured it would have been a good idea to have him conduct the interview just to kind of give him a little bit of 'play time' within the story! I plan on trying to do this hopefully with some others as well.

Also, thanks again everyone for your time in reading this story! It's seriously given me some sort of drive to get through some of my work days. I'm probably not the best writer/brainstormer out there, so I spend quite a bit of time at work figuring out the storyline to the next chapters to be honest haha! But hopefully I can hurry up a little bit (for the third time saying that). Hopefully I can keep my words this time, instead of being late on my productions! Thank you all for your positive comments and critiques! I SERIOUSLY appreciate it!

"KISS YOU LATER" -TK

Much love, Parahdoks

Three years ago…

Lightning illuminates the sky for a split second. The heavy splash of the raindrops and delayed burst of thunder deafen the ears of the soldiers of both sides of the harsh battle. Guns ablaze, projectiles suddenly piercing into random bodies of opposing troops, bodies of the incapacitated crowded the concrete field within the city square. The small flood carried a stream of crimson through, into a storm drain near the middle of the large walkway.

Hundreds of bodies clashed. With determination, both opposing forces would fight until their brakes fell off. One side had desire of power and total control; the other with righteousness burning in their hearts. Both were inclined to win, but only one would take the prize... The outcome would both end in control of the peace or evil.

A small distance away from the fight, another conflict was in progress…

The defeated old man tried lifting himself up with his trembling arms, quaking in what was his long-sleeved black robe, which was slashed all over from the conflict. He looked up with a sight of pain and despair towards both opponents. One which was a girl in soaked khaki pants and grey blouse, had grey eyes, and black hair, which ran all the way down past the small of her back, and her bangs hanging partially over her face. She held an evil smile. The other individual was a boy with short, dark, spiked hair, wearing all black baggy slacks, a short-sleeved hoodie, a fedora, a black scarf that covered his mouth, and fingerless gloves, wielding a long katana in one hand and a handgun in the other. The boy looked down at the man with less of a 'crazy' demeanor than the girl did. He held neither smile, nor a crazy look in his eye. If anything, looking into his eyes from the old man's point of view would spark more of a suspect of sympathy.

The old man began to try standing, barely even making it to his knees. He was forced down by his own injuries obviously sustained from the fight he had just endured. The girl began to chuckle.

Artemus: "You cannot win alone, Master Romatsu"

The man does not budge. He keeps his eyes up at his opponents, not expecting himself to be spared by the mercy of his enemies. The dark-dressed boy looked into the girl's eyes. She looked into his as well, changing her attitude completely. Her cheeks suddenly turn a slight pink. She is taken aback by his sudden glance.

Hiramo:(Nervous) "Wh-What are you looking at, Wren?"

Artemus: "Mesome… You've helped me more with my ability to fight and lead than anyone has ever helped me with anything in my life… I've never been at peace with myself than ever before. And now is the most golden of times I've been able to prove it to myself"

The man watched, barely able to move, confused at the boy's sudden notion.

Hiramo: (Confused, but flattered) "Wren… Wh- What are you doing? We're in the middle of-"

Artemus: (Interrupts) "I do not care. Mesome, everything you have sacrificed for me, the tedious and strict training sessions, the lectures of leading others, sword fighting, and of course… Your love…"

Hiramo: (Trying to hide her smile, blushing) "Wren, stop it! We're in the middle of-"

Artemus: (Interrupts) "I've never loved anyone as I did you… I loved you more than anyone I've ever met, even when I was alive"

Hiramo's smile slowly turns as soon as she hears him say the word "loved".

Hiramo: (Confused) "Loved…? Wait… Loved as in, you did love me?"

Artemus: "Yes…"

Hiramo: "But… What about now?"

Artemus looks down on the ground in slight dismay. Hiramo begins to frown and reaches towards Artemus with her hand trembling.

Hiramo: (Hesitant, murmuring) "But Wren… I…"

He grabs her arm and pulls her towards him and embraces her. She gives a surprised look as he holds her tightly, dropping only his Katana. Her surprised look turns into a smile and she closes her eyes, wrapping her arms around him as well. She digs the side of her face into his chest and begins to tear up. Artemus's expression is nonexistent.

Artemus: "I'm sorry, Mesome"

Her eyes suddenly bolt open as she hears the sound of the hammer of his handgun being cocked back. She tries pulling away in a panic, but to no avail. Her eyes are pinpoint in a state of sudden fear after feeling the cold steel barrel of his gun through her soaked hair.

Hiramo: (Yelling) "Wren! What are you doing?! Let go! Please! Wren!" (Crying out hysterically) "Let go of me you bastard!"

Artemus: (Calm) "I love you, Mesome Hiramo…"

Hiramo: (Prolonged yell) "Wren~~!"

With the flash of the lightning and roar of the thunder, he released her from his grasp. Her body fell to the ground, hole on the side of her head, bleeding into the small flood, lifeless and cold. Her grey stare, gazing into space, no life within her body, at least for now.

Artemus picked up his katana and walked over to the old man, who smiled up at him.

Artemus: "Now, shall we finish the fight?" (Assisting Master Romatsu)

Romatsu: "You are a valiant man, my young Artemus… Now, we go"

Master Romatsu slowly stands on his two feet, no longer burdened by the pain of his wounds. He unsheathes his own katana and walks towards the battle, which raged on a small distance away. Artemus continues on as well, holding both his gun and his blade. He stops and looks back at Hiramo, who lay dead in a swirling, crimson pool; her eyes coincidentally aimed at him. He felt her anger just by looking into her deep, grey gaze. Even though she was dead, Artemus could feel a shiver down his back. He could sense the unrest within her very soul, just by her gaze, which aimed directly into his eyes, even though she was dead (temporarily of course). He looked forward and continued forward, knowing what would come in the future now that his one true love had in an instant become his worst enemy. Artemus continued towards the battle.

"Peace and righteousness could be restored once more in this world… But for this to be possible, he must be willing to break his own heart… Such an ironic twist, yes? How love must be destroyed to eradicate the evil…"

-Master Romatsu

Chapter 11: Past and Present

~ 16:00 (4:00 PM) SSS HQ Conference Room; Yuri, Takeyama, and Hinata

The room is slightly dark, with only lights from multiple computer monitors illuminating all areas except the far corners of the large room. Takeyama is busy at work, sitting at Yuri's desk, doing some hard research on her personal computer. Yuri and Hinata watch over her shoulder.

Takeyama: "Funny how close The Guild managed to place their underground area to the Scarlet Twenty's hideout. I'm quite impressed that they've yet to have been found, after these few years of constant activity especially…"

Yuri: "Chaa built it pretty low into the Earth. He should be coming within the next few days with a new shipment of weapons and ammo"

Hinata: "Finally! We've been running dry for so long, even before we were-…"

Hinata stops himself, remembering that the SSS being held captive was an extremely sensitive subject.

Yuri: (Confused at Hinata's sudden silence) "Huh? You okay, Hinata?"

Hinata: (Playing it off) "Ah, haha! Everything's fine, don't worry about it"

Yuri shrugs and looks over Takeyama's shoulder to see his progress on the work he was conducting on Yuri's computer.

Takeyama: (Typing away at the computer's keyboard) "Surprisingly, the Scarlet Twenty's network is pretty low-tech. I can access their files no problem. It's as if there HAS to be a catch on why it's so easy to do it…"

Hinata: "Well, he did say their home was open to us. His group has scouted our area some since we've been here, so I wouldn't be surprised if they had their own access to OUR computers, right?"

Takeyama: "That may be the smartest thing you've ever said in your life, Hinata"

Hinata: (Grinning and taking in the 'compliment') "Well, ya know I've always…" (Realizes it was more of an insult-compliment) "Hey, wait a damn minute! Are you calling me stupid?!"

Takeyama ignores his notions and continues on.

Takeyama: (Intrigued by a potential useful file) "Wow... This might… actually be pretty pertinent info"

Yuri forces Takeyama over by placing her hand on his face and pushing him to the side. He grunts and almost falls over, slightly annoyed. He sighs and regains his composure, standing in the back behind Hinata. Yuri's eyes grow, also surprised at what Takeyama was able to look up.

Yuri: "Whoa! This is… This is Artemus' file…"

Hinata: (Surprised) "Open it!"

Takeyama acts as if he isn't surprised and pushes his glasses upward to fit his face. Yuri double-clicks on his file, opening up a spreadsheet with columns and rows of text.

Yuri: "It's just his normal information… As if it were just some department store with its employees background information"

Hinata: "What does it say?"

Yuri: "Chill out! I'm reading it!"

Yuri follows along with her eyes through the large wall of text within Artemus' file.

Yuri: "It says…" (Following along)

"Full name, Wren Artemus… Age, 19 at death… Total age + time dead, 36… History/Affiliations, First 11 years as an independent wanderer… Spent 4 years in Sinister… 3 years and ongoing within The Scarlet Twenty…"

Takeyama raised an eyebrow. Something didn't set right with him. He looked closely at the screen. Yuri looked back and noticed his confused expression.

Yuri: "What's wrong?"

Takeyama: "This math is wrong. He's been dead for seventeen years now. He spent eleven years wandering this world, four years in sinister, and three years in Scarlet Twenty. The amount of time he spent in this world says seventeen, but the times don't add up correctly with the time he's spent under the history and affiliations section. According to this, he's been dead for eighteen years, not seventeen"

Yuri looks closer and snaps her finger.

Yuri: "Hey, you're right! Something isn't right about this! This is made up!"

Hinata: "Before you jump to conclusions, shouldn't you maybe keep reading?"

Yuri continues on, clicking on files with Artemus' name on it.

Yuri: (Following along) "In his first year of joining the ranks of the Scarlet Twenty, already Wren Artemus has achieved what one could only do in ten years' worth of success. Espionage operations were conducted under his discretion towards an enemy group for an entire year, granting The Scarlet Twenty limited, but adequate access to Sinister, evolving and improving our operations against them. During Wren Artemus' last year in Sinister, he's made countless meetings with Scarlet Twenty leadership, exposing plans and blueprints of Sinister's critical operations"

Yuri scrolls down and notices a picture of Artemus bowing to an elderly gentleman wearing a robe. The elderly man in the picture was placing a medal around his neck as Artemus bowed at him. Yuri then notices an article in quotes under the picture…

Yuri: (Following along) "Though it is an annual of him creating a presence within the ranks of our beloved Scarlet Twenty, I have never been given the honor to bestow the rank of Master's Advocate in this short time of duty…"

Hinata: "Master's Advocate? That must be a high rank or something"

Takeyama: "It's what it says it is, you fool… an advocate of a master. In other words, he might as well be second in command of his group"

Yuri: "So… He has only been dead for seventeen years… Except, he joined The Scarlet Twenty while he was in Sinister… That's absolutely cunning of him. I'm honestly quite impressed…"

Hinata: (Surprised at what Yuri had just stated) "Wow, Yurippe, that's pretty noble coming from you"

Yuri: "Anyone who can go up against an entire group made up of potentially hundreds of people all alone deserves my respect. That was bold…"

Yuri continued on reading different files that could be of possible interest. Hinata and Takeyama also followed along, all intrigued by this group that had only heard of two nights ago.

~16:05 (4:05 PM), Unknown Area…

The grass swayed, matching the direction of the wind as it carried a small bit of chill through the air. Artemus walked along the field, passing many innocent souls passing their time just enjoying the beautiful, clear day. He walked along a dirt path, his left hand placed over the hilt of his katana on his left side and his right hand swaying as he walked. Artemus' ear was suddenly caught by the whispering of passerby's. He closed his eyes and smiled, putting both of hands behind his head, his elbows rotating forward to cover the sides of his head so no one else would notice him. He took a deep breath and continued on.

Suddenly, a melodic voice called to him from behind with a slight chuckle, "You can't hide it, Wren. You're pretty famous here now"

Artemus stopped in his tracks, smiling. He put his hands down by his sides. Few people on the track stop, slight amazed, beginning to gossip with one another about the Artemus and the other person who started talking to him.

Artemus: "I don't particularly mind it. It makes me smile when I know I have done something good for people…" (Pauses) "What are you doing here, Kaishine?"

The girl behind him giggled. He looked back; low and behold, there she was. Kaishine Tsukaro. Tsukaro wore a long, elegant, sleeveless, violet dress that stopped around her ankles. She also wore long, violet, fingerless gloves that ended at her forearm. Tsukaro was a short girl, looking a few years younger than Artemus, only coming up right under Artemus' chest in height. Her skin was light, her hair long and shining black, draping down her back, and ending all the way behind her knees.

The gossiping continued in their background lightly.

"It's them! Two of the Three-Headed Beasts!" "I don't believe it!" "Wow! It's really them!"

Artemus: (Smiles) "Do you think it's wise for both of us to be here?"

Tsukaro: "Why not? We can both handle ourselves, could we not?"

Tsukaro walks closer to Wren. He turns around and continues his stroll. She follows along next to him.

Artemus: "Where is Ishono?"

Tsukaro: "He's still at the prison taking care of some business"

Artemus: (Chuckles) "He doesn't stop working. He's going to stress himself out if he keeps depriving his time off"

Tsukaro: "Master Romatsu and I have tried talking to him… Even the Warden's Advisor tried to take over so he could rest"

Artemus sighs. He puts his hands behind his head again and continues on.

Tsukaro: "So what are you up to now? No doubt trouble, am I right?"

Wren chuckled, bumping into her playfully with his hip.

Artemus: "You know it" (Pauses) "I like the fresh air, is that a problem?"

Tsukaro: "Not at all, but I do have a small bone to pick with you…"

Artemus: (Chuckling) "Oh? And what bone might that be?"

Artemus looks at Tsukaro, noticing that her facial expression has gone slightly cold and serious. There is a long pause.

Artemus: "You must mean that informal alliance I proposed to that group"

Tsukaro: "Afterlife Battle Front it is, right? Where does the name SSS come from? Who are they even?"

Artemus: "You sure have a lot of questions" (Laughing)

Tsukaro stops and begins to raise her voice slightly, pinning her arms to her side and becoming slightly less patient.

Tsukaro: (Slightly raised voice) "This isn't funny, Wren! We don't even know who they are!"

Wren stops smiling. He places both of his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. People all around were watching. Crowds of people growing silent.

Artemus: "That's enough, Kaishine…"

Artemus releases her and puts a hand on his head, taking a deep breath.

Artemus: "I'll explain… The Afterlife Battle Front is a group much like us. They fight evil just like us. Honestly, they're not as organized as S-20, but they're pretty powerful. They definitely could pose as a threat, but… They definitely have a certain craziness that we don't have…"

Wren looks down in slight disappointment.

Artemus: (Smiling) "Honestly, looking at them, it kind of makes me wish I were young again…"

Tsukaro: "You're nineteen years old…"

Artemus: "But counting the years I've been dead? I don't feel nineteen. I may look it, but I honestly feel thirty-six…"

Tsukaro: "Wow, you really are old as dirt"

Artemus: (Laughing) "I suppose you might be right"

Tsukaro: "So who exactly are they though? I knew they existed for a while, but…"

Artemus: "They're a group that targets evil; more so the group Sinister. They're like us. They're also located in an area that's pretty dangerous, so it's good we have a contact near an area we can probably combat the evil. We can get them to help us locate different hideouts and even help us fight"

Tsukaro:(Looking down in disappointment) "We have been losing quite a few people lately… I feel as if S-20 might be losing it a little bit…"

Artemus: "You might be right. We still need to replace three brigade officers and recruit a lot more people"

Tsukaro: "Maybe it is for the best that we ally with this group…" (Pauses) "Wait, if they're called the Afterlife Battle Front, why are they nicknamed the SSS?"

Artemus: "From my sentiments exactly, I believe the initials 'SSS' are for the name of their group in Japanese… I believe it's Shinda Sekai Sensen…"

Tsukaro: (Giggles) "So you can speak Japanese now?"

Artemus: "Very little. You promised me that you'd teach me…"

Tsukaro: "Nintai… Watashi ga o shimasu!"

Artemus raised his left eyebrow at her and thought for a moment…

Artemus: "Wait, did you just call me a dumbass?"

Tsukaro begins laughing out loud.

Tsukaro: "You're too funny, Wren!"

Tsukaro skips along the dirt path. Wren scratches his head and tries following along with her.

Artemus: "I'm serious!"

Tsukaro continues on, giggling.

Tsukaro: (Skipping along) "Be patient!"

Wren crosses his arms and smiles.

Artemus: (Whispering to himself, smiling) "That girl is something alright…"

~17:00 (5:00 PM) SSS HQ Courtyard

Yuri stood in front of the fountain in the courtyard, reading a piece of paper that she had written on earlier. She had on her white beret, signifying of an up and coming mission. She padded on her plush headpiece and smiled. Everyone else watched as she prepared for her supposed new briefing, expecting a new mission.

Yuri: "Okay! So I finally found my beret!"

Everyone stood still, raising eyebrows, whistling and wondering if they were just there because she wanted to announce that she found her beret, or if she was actually going to brief them of a new mission.

Sekine: "Umm… Okay… Good for you?"

Yuri: (Snapping back immediately) "I'M NOT DONE!"

Sekine flinches back, her pupils pin-pointed and legs shivering nervously.

Takematsu: (Silently to everyone but Yuri) "Yurippe seems as lively as ever"

Yuri: (Slightly annoyed) "What was that?"

Takematsu: "Oh nothing, carry on, Yurippe!"

Yuri suddenly goes from an annoyed, angry expression into a lively, bright one, crossing her arms, closing her eyes, and smiling.

Yuri: "I do have some good news, but also some kind of sort of bad news to go along with it… Nothing too serious though"

Noda: (Excited, yelling) "ALRIGHT! FINALLY! Another chance to kick some serious ass! I'm ready! WHO'S WITH ME?!"

The silence that Noda has drawn from the crowd infuriates him greatly, causing his face to glow bright red, and steam rushing from his ears.

Noda: (Yelling) "OH COME ON! Don't tell me all of you don't feel like kicking ass!" (Glances at Fujimaki) "Fujimaki?! I know you wouldn't let your buddy down! We're practically tag-team partners!"

Fujimaki: (Rubbing behind his neck) "Uhh yeah, about that… I've already slit like four throats this week, and I'm kind of getting tired of washing my blade…"

Noda suddenly goes into a frenzy, gripping his hair tightly, straining his poor scalp.

Noda: "Matsushita the fifth?!"

Matsushita5 crosses his arms and shakes his head, grunting lightly a noticeable "uh-uh", signifying a no.

Noda: "TAKEMATSU?! I know you're just BEGGING to let those muscles loose!"

Takematsu: "I apologize, Noda" (Pushing his glasses up with his index and middle finger) "But I prefer not to scratch the paint, if you catch my drift. These muscles are purely for my cosmetic needs, not for combat"

Noda suddenly goes into a depressed state, his head hanging low, and his halberd drooping down, barely held up by his hand.

Noda: (Depressed) "You all have failed me…"

The awkward silence once again engulfs the entire group.

Yui: (Whispering to Hisako) "I think the moron is a little sad…"

Yuri closes her eyes and looks down in humiliation, suddenly slapping her palm onto her forehead with a noticeable 'smack'.

Yuri: "If we can let Yuri Nakamura speak, she might be a little happy"

Yusa: (Monotonous) "I think Yusa wants Yurippe to speak as well…"

Yuri once again slaps her palm on her forehead, leaving a noticeable red mark.

Yuri: "Really, Yusa?! REALLY?!"

Yusa shrugs her shoulders. Yuri pauses and regains her composure.

Yuri: "ANYWAYS… As I was saying before this long epidemic of stupidity… This mission isn't going to be an awesome, ass-kicking, throat-cutting, bloody, gun-slinging, gruesome fight-fest… Sorry, Noda"

Noda lets out a small whine.

Yuri: "This mission will instead be based off of letting off some steam and having a little well-deserved fun"

Everyone within the crowd begins to liven up, almost excited to even have Yuri mentioning some long-overdue time off.

Yuri: "GlDeMo, if you don't mind, I might actually need you to play a little concert, if you guys don't mind it"

Iwasawa and the other girls from the band smile. Iwasawa raises a hand up to her head, giving Yuri a thumbs up.

Iwasawa: "Count on us!"

Yuri: "We're going to setup a festival"

Everyone suddenly smiles and begins talking amongst themselves even more so than before.

Takematsu: "Yuri…" (Pushing up his glasses with his index and middle finger) "What exactly is the occasion?"

Yuri: "I'm doing it for a number of reasons. None of the reasons being for violence or provocation of course. I'm doing it because A) I want our group to become more known throughout this world, so we can develop a good relationship with the regulars in this world. B) This is a just because thing! Why not have some fun, right?"

Everyone cheers (except for Noda).

Yuri: "And C…" (Stops herself for a moment, looking directly at Otonashi)

Otonashi is taken aback by her sudden stare. She stops smiling, but no one except Otonashi really notices her sudden change in demeanor.

Yuri: "We're once again a whole… Ya know, we never did celebrate Otonashi's return…"

Hinata suddenly nudges an elbow at Otonashi, giving him a striking stare. Otonashi smiles and waves his hand, trying not to draw too much attention to himself. Naoi suddenly latches onto his left arm, his cheek resting against it. Otonashi is taken by surprise, his cheeks glowing an embarrassed pink. Yusa looks past a few bodies, noticing Naoi's sudden turn of affection.

Yusa: (To Naoi) "I knew you were gay…"

Naoi suddenly flinches away from Otonashi, his face as red as an apple. He glances angrily at Yusa, who stared at him with an emotionless face.

Naoi: (Pointing angrily at her face, his finger barely touching her nose) "YOU..." (Whispering to her) "Your guts… I hate them… SO MUCH!"

Yuri takes off her beret, noticing a long strand of hair on it. She tries putting a little sunlight on it to look at its color.

Yuri:(Yelling) "WHY THE HELL DO I HAVE A BLONDE STRAND OF HAIR IN MY BERET?!

~21:00 (9:00 PM) That night at the city square…

A large power-outage around the city square occurs, crowds of people cheered in front of a large, metal platform. Suddenly, the sound of guitar feedback begins to vibrate the air around them all. Suddenly, chords beautifully strummed by the hand of Iwasawa, perfectly and in a fluent motion. Suddenly, the crowd begins to roar louder than ever, as if they've been waiting this entire time for an encore. Girls Dead Monster, in one night had somehow made it to fame, despite their first appearance being interrupted. Suddenly, the deep hum of Sekine's bass guitar makes its presence known, followed by the light tap of Irie's cymbals and soft push of her bass drum pedal. As the lights begin illuminating the stage, TK takes center, captivating the female audiences with his blank, but blinded-by-a-bandana stare. He begins breaking down into simple dance moves, then suddenly into complex twists and breakdowns, as the music moved through his body like an electric current. Iwasawa began to think to herself as she got ready to sing the first line.

"Holy crap, this dude can really dance...

TK: "GET SET AND GO! LET'S ROCK SOME KISSES, MISSES!"

As TK yells out his little 'battle-cry', few girls within the audience nearly faint at the glory TK somehow began to emit.

"Mugen ni ikitai Mugen ni ikiraretara Subete kanau, Demo irun na mono ga atashi wo oikondeku, Ikiru nokori jikan Yume no zahyou Yukue, Zenbu daiji na mono na no ni, Iisa kokora de chotto amai mono tabete iko, Sou iu shikou teishi bakari tokui ni natta..."

Noda sat on the ground, his back against the brick wall, holding his beloved halberd on his lap. He made a deep sigh, disappointed at the lack of 'kickass-ness' involved in this so called 'mission'. A dark, female shadow begins to form from into Noda's vision from his right. As he turned his head, he noticed a quick hand being put in front of him. He looked up and noticed her dark, red-ish eyes peering into the depths of his purple gaze. He's stricken with silence, falling for her glance and taking her hand. She lifts him up and she stares at him with her emotionless and stunning glare.

Shiina: "Why sit here all alone when everyone is having fun?"

Noda comes to, regaining himself from her seemingly hypnotic eyes.

Noda: (Sneering) "It's nothing…"

Shiina crosses her arms and lowers her eye-lids half-way, giving him a very sarcastic look.

Shiina: "You're something, Noda…"

Noda is suddenly stricken with surprise. Not since the days before Noda even joined the Afterlife Battle Front, Shiina hasn't ever called Noda by his name. Shiina is realizes that she had done so. The shock had hit Noda so hard, Shiina could feel it resonate within her as well.

Shiina: (Surprised) "Oh wow... That was…"

Noda: (In awe) "You haven't called me by my name in three years…"

Shiina tries to hide herself with her 'carefree' attitude, glaring within her closed eyes and crossing her arms…

Shiina: "Ugh! This is so stupid!"

Where Yuri stood sat many of the Afterlife Battle Front members, all of them gorging on a large array of prepared food, sorted out on many, long picnic tables under a large, park gazebo in the garden of the city square. From there, a perfect view of the stage is set. Yui in particular for Hinata; he stared only at her, practically blocking everyone out. He smiled and watched.

Otonashi: "Interesting view, huh, Hideki?"

Hinata: "Whoa! Wait! What did you just call me?!"

Otonashi: "Oh, sorry! If you don't want me to call you by-…"

Hinata: (Interrupting with haste) "No! That's awesome! I'd prefer it if you called me by my first name! You and I are great friends, so it's only fair, right…?" (Pauses) "…Yuzuru?"

Yusa: "You know, I think it was a bit too much putting TK as a dancer on stage..."

Naoi: "Nonsense. He seems to be enjoying himself up there. The girls seem to like it, too"

Yusa: "You can feel the estrogen from here...

Naoi: "But aren't you a girl, too?"

Yusa: "That's a stupid question, Naoi... What, are you interested in me?"

Naoi: (Slightly abashed) "Dammit, Yusa! Why?!"

Otonashi smiles and laughs. Angel, who sat right next to him stuck her arm through Otonashi's and leaned in close to him, resting her head onto his shoulder. Otonashi looked down at her and smiled, leaning his head slightly to hers, and kissing the top of her head. She smiled and they all watched the performance.

The energy from the entire Afterlife Battle Front was as better than it ever was. Everyone was happy, smiling, enjoying themselves, and had no worries (other than Noda). Yuri, who sat at the end of the table, noticed a figure out in the distance. One was a familiar face, whom she recognized almost immediately as Artemus, wearing all black and equipped with his katana on his left side. Beside him was a companion of his. She was short, and had noticeably beautiful, long black hair that actually reflected light from the stage, despite it not even aimed at them particularly. Yuri perked her head up to get a better look. Suddenly, she stands up with a bright smile, waving at them with both of her hands to get Artemus' attention. He notices her almost immediately and waves back. He and his small partner walk over, avoiding the crowd as much as possible.

Yuri: "Hey, fancy seeing you here"

Hinata: "Well, aren't you happy to see an ally, Yurippe! Just yesterday you weren't this excited to actually meeting him!"

Yuri: "Quiet, you!"

Takematsu: "I suppose that is a little unorthodox of you. But an ally is an ally"

Matsushita5: "How's it going, Artemus?"

Wren and his partner bow at the group. Most members of the SSS who weren't stuffing their faces lightly bowed their heads, acknowledging Artemus' gratitude.

Wren: "Evening, everybody. I see you have all taken the liberty of creating such a festive event"

Fujimaki: (Stuffing his face, trying to talk through his food) "Yerp! Yurrpe grt thr gurild tr mrke thrs frood! SRRR GRRRD"

Fujimaki continued stuffing his face along with Matsushita5.

Hinata: "Nice, dude…"

Wren: (Smiling) "I see… It all looks nice. I'm sure your guild didn't mind creating all this, did they?"

Yusa: "Actually, not at all. For some strange reason, I think they actually get themselves off in making things…"

Naoi: "I swear, Yusa, what is it with you and these sexual jokes?"

Yusa: "But I didn't intend on making an innuendo… Are you sure it's not you with a polluted mind? Did you know if you take the first letters of the words 'For Unruly Carnal Knowledge', you get the word Fu-…?"

Yuri: (Immediately interrupting Yusa with a loud response) "OKAAAAYYYYY! MOVING ON!"

Wren's partner suddenly bursts into laughter, nearly tearing up. Her high pitched laugh and voice causes most people at the table to smile. Angel notices the girl particularly and is the only one at the table who does not smile. She perks her head up off of Otonashi's shoulder, staring at her with such a gaze that you swear the girl could feel. The girl notices Angel's gaze and stops laughing. They both catch each other's stare, immediately entranced. Otonashi notices their exchange of looks and notices something amazing that completely takes his mind for a spin.

Otonashi: "Whoa… Look at Angel and Artemus' friend…"

Hinata: (Looking at Angel, then at the other girl next to Artemus) "Whoa, you're right! They're complete opposites!"

Angel stands up and walks over to the girl, not taking her eyes off of her. The other girl does the same, walking towards Angel. They both stop near Yuri's seat, a couple of feet away from the table. Everyone had eyes on them. All except the concert and the sound of a crowd is heard, but is drowned out by this strange phenomena of Angel and this other girl somehow completely opposite in terms of color. While Angel wore her light-colored clothes (aside from her brown skirt), her hair was long and white, leading all the way down to the back of her legs. The other girl wore a long, black dress, with the same skin tone as Angel, and long, black hair leading down all the way to the back of her legs as well. And while Angel had deep, gold-colored eyes, the other girl had dark, blue eyes.

Artemus: "It seems we have twins among us… I honestly didn't even notice it myself…"

Yuri: "Who is she, if you don't mind me asking?"

Artemus: "Oh, my apologies! This is my friend Tsukaro… Kaishine Tsukaro"

Angel and Tsukaro are completely stricken by surprise at how similar they both look.

Tsukaro: (Intrigued by Angel) "What is your name?"

Angel: "My name? It's Tachibana, Kanade"

Tsukaro: (Repeating slowly, comprehending her name) "Kanade… Tachibana. Such a beautiful name…"

Angel: (Smiling) "Kaishine Tsukaro is also a pretty name"

Tsukaro: (Smiling) "Thanks!"

The both of them smile and give a light giggle.

Artemus: "Well, would ya look at that! Interesting… Just a few days ago, Kaishine could barely speak. She seemed miserable for some reason. For two weeks, she barely talked, just stayed in her room and sulked. I don't mean to sound arrogant or anything, but ever since I started talking to you guys, it's as if it cured her somehow. It's interesting…"

Yuri's heart suddenly skips, and then beats faster… She puts two puzzles in her mind together, completely stunned at what she had just heard.

Yuri: "Wait, you said she was sick for two weeks?"

Artemus: "Yes I did"

Yuri: "And that she just got better a few days ago?"

Artemus: "Yes… Is something wrong, Nakamura?"

Yuri pauses for a moment. By this time, some few other people went back to chowing down on the delicious food, while a few others seemed fairly interested in the conversation, not really understanding what Yuri was apparently seeing.

Yuri: (Smiling) "Oh, no, nothing is wrong. I just had an interesting thought though…"

Hinata: "Is it something bad?"

Yuri: (Rolling her eyes) "No… I just said there was nothing wrong…"

Hinata smiles and continues watching the performance, which by now has entered halfway into its second song. Yuri looks at the table and notices a few unoccupied areas on the bench.

Yuri: "Hey, guys, make some room for Tsukaro and Artemus! Let them enjoy the food, too!"

Matsushita5: (Excitingly) "Here we go!"

Matsushita5 excitingly pushes the person directly to his right (Takematsu), forcefully shoving everyone to the right of Takematsu down. Everyone Matsushita5 managed to push gives a loud yell, and Naoi, who happened to be the one sitting at the end of the table, was suddenly knocked down onto the concrete floor.

Naoi: (Yelling) "Ouch! Jerk! That hurt!"

Matsushita5: "Sorry!"

Artemus goes ahead and takes a seat, smiling. Angel goes ahead and takes her seat next to Otonashi, while Tsukaro takes hers next to Artemus. Both pairs of people sat right across from each other.

Otonashi: "So Artemus… If you don't mind me asking, what is your ethnicity? Your last name is definitely not Japanese. I'm curious…"

Artemus: "My last name? You know, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what country it originates from. But my ethnic background is Japanese-American. My father is from Japan, while my mother is from America. My first name is also spelled in English as W-R-E-N, rather than R-E-N"

Takematsu: "Ah, an American. That is rather interesting… But if you're American, how are you…?" (Trying to think of a way to ask a question without being rude) "What I mean is… How did you…?" (Rethinks the question in his head some more)

Yusa: "I doubt those really constitute as legitimate questions, Takematsu…"

Artemus: "It's fine" (Chuckling) "I was originally born in the city of Seattle. My mother owned a small business in the city. My father played infield, or more preferably short-first for a professional baseball team in the same city. Both my parents met somehow during that game. My mother had apparently been a fan of that city's team since she was younger. Somehow they just managed to meet"

Hinata had especially taken interest into the story. He smiled greatly, amazed that Artemus' father was really a player for Seattle's professional baseball team.

Hinata: "Wow! You're dad played for that team?! They weren't my favorite team, but some of my favorite players were definitely on their roster! Wow! That's amazing!"

Artemus: "I suppose it would have been awesome for me…" (Suddenly his voice growing depressed and less enthused) "But I will keep the rest of the story to myself…"

Hinata catches himself, with-holding all other questions and comments.

Tsukaro: (Trying to brighten up the mood) "You guys must be really good at throwing parties! This is one crazy place! I can't believe you have your own personal band!"

Yuri: (Smiling) "Yup! Let me tell you, they weren't easy to come along!"

Tsukaro: "How did you meet them and get them to join you all like that?!"

Yuri was sucker-punched by the question. How was she able to answer a legitimate question with a legitimate answer when all of them came from some world that no one would ever believe? After all, for all they know, the SSS are the only ones to ever have come out of the Afterlife School without reincarnating into a different life.

Yuri: "We all just kind of, I guess… Erm..." (Thinking of a white lie) "We all just sort of came together I guess!"

Tsukaro: (Intrigued) "That's interesting… They're REALLY good!"

Yuri smiles along with the rest of the group.

Yuri: "Well, we can save a few glasses for GlDeMo later, but I would like to go ahead and propose to Otonashi…"

Yuri's eyes suddenly widen at the thought of her own words and how she said it. She waves her hands rapidly in the air. Otonashi began faking a smile with a slight glare, realizing her words as well.

Yuri: (Yelling) "NO! I MEAN…!" (Regaining composure) "I'd like to propose a toast… To Otonashi for his safe return!"

Everyone looked at their table, confused at why Yuri said that.

Angel: "Yuri, we can't propose a toast…"

Yuri: (Confused) "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Angel: "We have no glasses or cups…"

Yusa: "Or even wine for that matter…"

Yuri's left eye suddenly twitches. Anger suddenly begins to build up humorously inside of her. Everyone could feel the anger, but unable to help the humor of the situation.

Yuri: (Yelling) "DAMMIT! I USED TO BE SUCH A GOOD PLANNER!"