Author's note: Thanks for waiting!
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Meanwhile, back in Lasberg, while Patroklos and Helen were out, Pyrrha gazed into her reflection in a large mirror in Hilde's quarters. She sighed as she closed her eyes, before she said, "I'm not sure if I'll ever regain my normal self after all this."
"I know you still got it; even with your new appearance, I'm certain you'll redeem yourself." the red-haired woman told her.
The Greek girl's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "You...You think so?"
"Yes, a hundred percent."
Hilde's words of encouragement were enough for Pyrrha to smile, before she said, "Okay. I'll try and do my best sparring, allright?"
She smiled back, and before long, they left the room together for the courtyard.
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When Pyrrha got to the courtyard some time later, she was greeted by Z.W.E.I., Viola, Greed and Malice. "Gettin' better, lately?" the blond asked.
"I think so. Well, I think it's about time I have a friendly match against you." she replied, looking over at the silver-haired man.
"Don't mind if I do."
As he brandished Kreuzgriff, he added, "Come on out, E.I.N."
The moment he would soon bring out E.I.N., this prompted Pyrrha to almost flinch. Thankfully, she did recall seeing him in battle a few times, so she quickly kept her cool.
And with that, Z.W.E.I. charged for her, attacking her with a few slashes. The final hit meant for her was blocked, fortunately for her.
Despite the fact that she would wield Soul Edge thanks to Nightmare and Tira, she'd wound up using it for the greater of good. Since agreeing to help her brother, the MHN, and even Schwarzwind, she had hoped to redeem herself.
Pyrrha performed a few kicks on the silver-haired man, before deciding to follow things up. She lunged and struck him several times with her sword, before he parried her.
"Guess you don't wanna be a spoiled brat anymore, don't you? Besides, you really are starting to act like the Pyrrha that her brother knows and loves." Z.W.E.I. asked.
"I am!"
The Greek girl took some damage from some slashes from his blade, before evading him. From there, she figuratively tore through him, with her hits even breaking some of his armor.
"This girl is nuts!" Malice exclaimed, to which Viola nodded, as they and Greed watched the fight.
Pyrrha growled, indicative of her Critical Edge, to which she would successfully carry out. Once it was done, Z.W.E.I. crashed to the ground.
"Holy shit, she really did train under Nightmare!" Greed added.
It wasn't long for Viola to run over to Z.W.E.I., asking with a look of worry, "Are you allright?"
"Yeah, I-I think so. Seriously, I have to agree with what Greed said."
As he was helped up, Z.W.E.I. noticed Pyrrha on her knees, panting. "You okay there?" he inquired.
"Y-Yes."
Pyrrha raised her head and managed a weak but warm smile, and that was enough to make him and Viola smile back. "Then I think it's about time you get back at that bastard for turning you into what he envisioned as a so-called 'successor'." he told her.
At the same time, Viola had also brought the Greek girl back to her feet. "Now that I think about it, I think I should see my crystal ball and find out if Pyrrha's moon remains red, even if she's here."
With that, the white-haired girl brought in Quattuor Orbi. Before long, she gazed into it, hoping that Pyrrha's moon has changed or not.
At first, she was crestfallen when the moon in question was still red. However, it slowly began to develop a faint shade of blue, and her mood brightened a bit.
"I believe redemption is in the cards for you, Pyrrha." she said to her.
Pyrrha nodded, before adding, "And when Patroklos and Helen return from Greece, I'll tell them the news."
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A few days later...
Walking through the streets of Athens had always brought Patroklos memories of his childhood with Pyrrha and their family, but also memories of being mentored by Ares, and to an extent, Athena.
He looked over at Helen and asked, "So how have you be doing under Cassandra's thumb?" he asked.
"Well, she's inquired me how long I've been wielding my lance." the Russian girl replied.
"Really?"
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"So how'd you get into battles and war, and all that fun stuff?" Cassandra asked her as she put her sword and shield away.
"I'd been studying the art of war since I was 10, but luckily, I didn't go to war because I was too young."
As Helen spoke those words, the Russian girl had also put away her lance, before they chose to sit together in the courtyard.
"Yeah, that would've been really terrifying." the older woman said with a shudder of fear.
"But luckily, when I turned 15, Baron Varkov knew I was ready. And here I am, at 16, hoping to prove how capable I am as a warrior after years of training. Especially with what awaits us in the future." Helen added with a smile.
Cassandra smiled back as her fear vanished, before Helen asked, "But what about you? How'd you get into sword-fighting like your sister Sophitia?"
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"So you wanted to be a warrior since you were younger?" Patroklos asked.
"That's right."
As Helen smiled, she gently took hold of one of his hands. She looked up at him, who in turn, smiled back.
Sure am lucky to be with a girl who's so sweet all the time, he thought to himself.
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Knowing that it was the last day (and night) residing in Greece, Patroklos and Helen had made the most of it. In addition, they had just finished having a spar fight to demonstrate each others' combat abilities as usual.
As he reclined into the bath, the Greek youth brought his eyes up to the night sky. He had always recalled seeing the stars whilst bathing, and that helped him unwind every night.
Just then, he heard the sound of swimming around, and saw that it was Helen, judging by the rose-colored hair freed from their braids. She was nervously fidgeting at first, but dropped her towel and entered the bath.
"Helen?" she heard him ask.
"Oh, um...P-Patroklos!"
When she spoke those words, the Russian girl quickly blushed. "I have a feeling that this reminds me a bit of the night I bathed with Leixia, Natsu and Isuzu." she added.
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Not so long ago...
"Hey, have you seen a guy naked before?" Natsu asked.
Her question was enough for Helen and Leixia to blush, though Isuzu raised an eyebrow as she grinned. The Russian girl asked, "Uh, no. I never have."
"You wanna peek on Xiba and Patroklos? I wonder what they look like without those clothes and armor anyway!" the red-haired ninja eagerly asked.
"Count me in, Natsu." Isuzu said.
"Hah! I always knew you were the adventurous sort!"
"But what about you? Have you ever peeked on a guy?"
Natsu's face reddened as she crossed her arms. "N-Not really." she stammered.
"Then I'll help you check out the goods. Trust me, I went swimming with Patroklos and got to see for myself. Even though he wasn't completely nude." Isuzu replied with a wink.
"Fine by me, sis. By the way, I can't wait to wear that kimono tonight!" she said with a grin.
Isuzu and Natsu would swim over to one of the statues, where began to try and see if either Patroklos or Xiba, or maybe both, were around. As for Helen and Leixia, they stayed put.
Both girls were noticeably flustered at the thought of seeing the two youths, and Helen sunk into the waters. She never even seen a man naked whilst bathing...
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...until now.
Helen smiled meekly as she swam over to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "And now that I think about it, this is probably the first time I've ever had a bath with a man, too."
Patroklos gave her a small but reassuring smile, indicating things were going smoothly for them. "You shouldn't be ashamed of seeing me buff again." he said.
The Russian girl nodded, before giving him a small kiss on the cheek. He kissed her back, but this time on the lips as he deepened it, too.
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After spending the next ten or so minutes intimately, he asked, "How'd you like it?"
Helen unexpectedly grinned before kissing him full on the lips, and replied, "Pretty good, I'll admit. Thanks for helping me brush up on what Lydia calls 'dirty talk'."
"I think it's about time we clean up and call it a day."
"Agreed." she said with a nod. "But I'm afraid we'll also be leaving for Lasberg tomorrow morning. But it was a lot of fun, while it lasted."
Both Patroklos and Helen smiled, and not only were they confident they've returned to Germany stronger than before, but they were also confident about a possible final battle with Nightmare, too.
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With love for my fans,
Chrissy