Opening Notes: So despite a slight screw up on my end regarding when Echidna and her fellow Travelers actually got their power, I'm hoping this chapter will still be enjoyable folks as Astrologer maybe starts getting over her trust issues with our boy. Also Contessa is still up to no good, but when is that news to anyone? That aside, been helping crystalwatcher with a LOTR Waifu Catalog story called From Arda, With Love, as well as Robynthewitch with an MHA Self Insert/Friendsert story called What Makes a Hero that you'll hopefully enjoy guys and gals. For now, let's get on with the show!

Chapter 9

Starlight, Star Bright

The Protectorate Base, Hero's Playroom control room

September 7th, 2007, 4:37 PM…

Zachariah 'Zeke' Drakos/Eidolon POV…

"Watch out!" Bahamut shouted, wasting no time in protecting a teammate that had, thus far, had made no secret that she wanted his head on a platter. Zachariah just hoped it'd be enough to start clearing the air between Sumire's distrust and her past trauma in regards to the noble knight, who's personality had seemed to be triggering her. But with what he too also knew about Sumire's past, Zachariah could understand all too well why she didn't feel comfortable around him.

"How are they doing?" Keith asked as he joined Zeke in the control booth.

"Better than expected." Zeke stated without looking away as Bahamut and Astrologer tore apart the Chevalier clones that the holo-Echidna had already sent out. "If this doesn't work, we might have to seriously consider taking Astrologer off the official roster."

"I know." Keith said with a sigh. "I just hope she doesn't get picked up by one of the gangs if we do end up having to kick her outta the Wards program."

He nodded quietly in agreement, seeing no point to say anything further since there wasn't anything more to say on the matter. Either Sumire Nazuko would get past her issues with the noble knight, or she wouldn't. There was no middle ground in their line of work. Either one succeeded in saving as many lives as possible, or they died in the process, and sometimes the only thing that separated the two were the teammates you had at your side. Without trust in those teammates, then you were just a danger to everyone, yourself included. And in Eidolon's experience, even if most people tended to be intimidated by his mere presence, being able to work alongside anyone, to trust them to have your back without hesitation, that's what could make all the difference during a time of crisis. And with Endbringers attacking the world three to four times a year, there was always a crisis on the horizon. And that was just Endbringer attacks, that wasn't getting into supervillain groups like the Slaughterhouse 9, or just a random Parahuman gang attack on a city if not the rare, extremely dangerous lone villain like Heartbreaker, the Fairy Queen, and many others he could name off the top of his head.

All of them were dangerous for one reason or another, and some of them were able to pose threats to entire teams of heroes. Just getting out of such a fight required coordination and trust to simply survive such an encounter. If Astrologer couldn't get that, then she'd end up getting dozens of people killed, herself included, and they were already outnumbered almost ten to one. But he pushed such thoughts aside for the time being, and focused entirely on the training exercise taking place. And to his relief, it seemed that tricking them into thinking their lives were in very real danger was working.

Granted, he could see clear as day that Astrologer didn't fully trust Bahamut yet, but he could also see that there was a little less friction between them as they began to assist each other. Better still, neither of them sought out every fight they could find, evading Echidna's clones where they could, and utterly annihilating any of them they couldn't, especially once they found any of the simulated civilians they were tasked in evacuating. It was too early to tell if it'd stick, but at least for the moment they were beginning to see past their differences. But that didn't mean he was going to make it easy on them as he regarded Officer Daniels and the other techs working the controls for the Playroom, his helmeted visage obscured as ever, which didn't fail to make even the normally relaxed Daniels stand to attention. "Add Echidna clone series 56 through 62, and throw in more mundane clones such as giant spiders, rats, dogs, and anything else that's on record for this simulated trial."

"Yes sir." Daniels and the other techs wasted no time in carrying out his orders, leaving Eidolon with some mixed feelings if he were being honest. On the one hand, he was grateful that everyone respected him so much that they always tried to do their best whenever he was around. On the other hand though…it made for a lonely existence, being seen as the strongest, the most powerful, but it was the burden he had to bear. If not him… who else would?

No, he wouldn't wish this on anyone else.

Besides, this was his legacy. Every life he saved, every crisis he averted, every Endbringer he fought to a standstill. It simply added to his reputation, the hope he inspired, the strength he projected. But even if he was loath to admit it, Zeke also understood he was crushing himself under his self imposed weight of his growing legacy. Maybe Contessa was right, maybe he should get some help for the insane amount of stress he was putting himself under? On that note, maybe he really should get to know Dion on a more personal level? Because even Zeke could admit, the young knight was already proving to be a beacon of hope all his own in his unique fashion. All told, Zeke knew he wouldn't be around forever, so finding a potential successor would be required of him eventually. As such, he was beginning to think Dion might be the one to carry that torch, depending on how he did in the months and years to come.

He wouldn't admit it outright, but he had already taken more of an interest in the upcoming hero than he had in many, many other Capes. Not because of his powers, impressive though they were, which were slowly weakening much to his shame since it just added to the large amount of stress and anxiety, but because of Contessa. The woman was convinced, utterly convinced, that Dion could be just what they were looking for. Could be, even she wasn't certain, and in regards to a woman who was usually certain about everything… well, it made him pay attention.

Close attention.

As such, he began to notice things that seemed slightly out of place with the kid.

Any one of the things he observed as the exercise continued could've been written off easily enough, but when taken all together, there was just something not quite adding up with the whole picture, especially with what they knew about the young knight's background before his appearance halfway across the country. That he'd come so far just to be a hero only added to his mystique, but also the mystery as Zeke watched him take command, probably without even realizing he was even doing it. "Pack of mutant dogs incoming, coming towards us through what's left of Times Square. Ambush positions, move!"

"Don't order me around, asshat!" Yet Astrologer didn't hesitate to obey the knight despite her protests to the contrary.

His movements, the way he looked around, it reminded Eidolon of some veterans he had worked with. Ex-soldiers, or police officers who had experienced urban combat in one form or another. Granted, there hadn't been a standing military since the Endbringers had put a stop to such things shortly after they'd first appeared back in the eighties, but he'd seen enough military documentaries, and had worked with enough former soldiers who'd gone into police and emergency response services, to know what he was seeing.

Someone had trained Dion Lesage to fight and think like a soldier.

How curious in this day and age.

Of course this begged the question who could have done so, and why? Nothing in his files indicated any connection to ex-military veterans. That wasn't to say he didn't have a neighbor or a friend of a friend that he knew in his hometown that could've trained him, but it was still a mysterious aspect to the knight. However, he couldn't help but feel like this mystery was only part of the reason Contessa was as convinced as she was despite her uncertainty. A hint to a greater truth neither of them could see.

He wondered just what it was that marked Dion as so special. Curiosity such as this had been… rare in a long time. Too focused on protecting, saving, and expanding on his legacy to pursue such simple, selfish interests. This time though it didn't seem selfish, not when Dion might be a key, or at least a stepping stone to their long sought after victory. Cauldron's mission would be over if Dion proved half as capable as they hoped he was, but Hero had been just as capable in his way, and the Siberian had ripped him in half. That had been a day none of them in the Triumvirate would ever forget, because it'd been the day that their hope had died. The Slaughterhouse 9's killing of Hero had crushed them in a way they'd never been able to recover from, not really. So even if Dion proved just as powerful in his own way, the chances of him dying were great, and Zeke didn't want to hope out of fear they'd just end up being crushed again.

But it was difficult not to with how Dion conducted himself both on and off the field.

Because what Legend had said the other day was true, Hero would've loved him since they were similar in a lot of ways. Enough so that Zeke sometimes found it difficult to look at the young knight without seeing Hero's infectious cheer staring back at him. It also helped that both of them were welcoming to anyone and everyone, although Dion was quieter, more reserved by comparison. Yet both of them were huge video game nerds, citing obscure facts and references about their favorite franchises with very little prompting, references that usually went right over Eidolon's head on a good day. Still…it was no surprise so many of the veteran heroes, himself included, were constantly reminded of their long lost friend with the way Dion carried himself.

He just hoped Dion's story didn't end the same way.

Echidna Doomsday Simulation

4:46 PM…

Dion Lesage/Bahamut POV…

"I'm really starting to get annoyed with these things!" Dion shouted over the sounds of combat as his lance cut down one mutant clone after another, these ones with bony spears of their own that they used about as well as the real Jouster. Having to fight copies of one of the first friends he'd made in the Wards wasn't helping his mood in the slightest as he cut through one after the other as best he could. Worse still, the Jouster copies were able to use the real Jouster's power better than he could, their elemental effects at the tip of their bone spears more potent by a dangerous degree as parts of the ground erupted in lightning blasts, fiery explosions, and jagged pillars of ice that showered the immediate area anytime they appeared with razor sharp shards. At least Astrologer was on his side now, mostly, as fiery comets slammed down all around him, stemming the tide, giving them some much needed breathing room.

It helped, but even the constant barrage of comets didn't drown out the screams of dying civilians. Whoever was running this simulation was either a sadist, or very, very committed to realism, probably both. But then again, this was Worm, thus it was expected that things would go to shit, even in a simulation, so the constant assault on their senses was just par for the course really. It didn't make him any happier though as Dion's lance lashed out again and again as he spun it this way and that in an elegantly deadly dance, cutting beams of light following every slash that cut down more than a few of the clones in the process.

"We need a plan!" Astrologer yelled as she called down another barrage of comets on the heads of a pack of giant, hairy spiders with far too many eyes sticking out of their bulbous back ends.

"Well I'm open to ideas because I'm fresh out!" Dion retorted only to get a punch to the face, his helmet ending up tilted somewhat as the chin strap came loose. "Shit!"

"I didn't know you could curse." Astrologer's grimly amused comment was followed by another rain of meteor like projectiles, clearing the immediate area at last. She closed the distance between them just as he got his helmet secured once more, and frowned when she saw at the same time he felt his lip was bleeding. "You look like shit by the way."

"Thanks…" He grimaced, both of them covered in sweat, blood, and gore of who knew how many of Echidna's mutant freaks of nature at this point. "We can't…keep this going forever."

"We need to get outta here." Astrologer retorted flatly, looking just as exhausted as he felt.

"We still have a job to do…but we can't do it if we're dead." He relented, not liking their chances if they kept trying to push into the seemingly never ending swarm that Echidna had unleashed on the city. He took a deep breath and focused on the goal, survive, evacuate, and take as many civilians with them as possible. He hated to think it, but actively looking for civilians under these circumstances would just give Echidna and her monsters more time to find and swarm them. So they needed an escape route, and they could pick up whoever they found along the way.

If they'd been forced to evacuate soldiers, or Capes, this might've been reasonably doable, however with a horde of wounded, and scared civilians their chances of moving undetected were practically nonexistent. There was really only one thing he could think to do, but he wasn't sure Astrologer would go for it. As if reading his intent behind his helmet's visor, the four glowing 'eyes' of his draconic shaped helm giving something away, Astrologer scoffed and shook her head before growling out, "You're about to propose something batshit crazy aren't you?"

"Yeah…but I don't see any other choice in the matter, do you?" He asks, genuinely curious to hear what she thought. "If you have a better idea, then I'm all ears, otherwise…I don't think we're gonna make it out of here if we don't send these people ahead while we cover their retreat at every step."

"You want us to hold the hordes off while they run? You know that we're likely to get ourselves killed doing this, right?"

"I know how dangerous a rearguard action is, yes, but we took oaths to keep innocent people out of harm's way, even at the cost of our own lives if that's what it takes." He looks past her at the dirt and grime streaked faces, eyes wide with fear. None of them were real and yet they certainly look the part. He had seen it after all, in another life, in another time. "I'll stay behind, you clear the way in case they run into trouble."

"What? You think I'm just going to-"

"You will because you must." He interrupts her instantly. "We don't have the luxury to choose here, I'm the best choice at delaying these things. I'm tougher than you, faster. I can draw them away, keep their attention. We'll need your firepower to burn through anything getting in the way, and fast." He shrugs at her disbelieving look. "We all have our roles to play, Astrologer, and I take my oaths seriously."

"You…you'll die though!" She stammers out, having momentarily forgotten this wasn't a simulation, but more importantly, she was truly beginning to fear for his life.

He smiles sadly, his mouth just visible to her wide eyes, and shrugs once more. "To every man upon this earth, Death cometh soon or late. I knew what I was getting into when I first decided to take up this path. Now it's the time to see if you have the same resolve."

"...Fuck…you better get outta this so I can kill you myself!" She finally shouts, despite the tears that had started to run down her face as it fully hits her that he wasn't at all like the son of a bitch that had hurt her.

He smiles more openly in response even as he starts to back away from her and the civilians at her back. "I wouldn't want to deny you the chance, my lady."

"Asshole." She mutters, but she stands straighter as she starts away from him, bolstered by his quiet confidence and strength. "Let's move it! We're almost to the evac point, so unless you want to get mulched, I suggest you get your asses in gear!"

"She'd make an excellent drill sergeant." He muttered to himself approvingly before manifesting his wings once more. Remembering a bit of 40K lore he'd received from a dear friend in his first life, Dion charged away, his wings only aiding in his flight as he soon enough spotted another horde of monstrous clones. His words started softly at first, but with every swing that followed his initial plummeting strike that took out several in an explosion of light, his voice grew in volume and strength. "Against iron and steel and fire and smoke, most things cannot stand. Hope seems weak, and effort overwhelmed. A symbol rallies men against the dark. It shields hope from the fire, and armours effort against iron. A flag, a standard raised, a ray of light, a banner held aloft, a winged figure ascending, alive with light!"

Unlike last time, he stopped holding back, his body beginning to glow and crackle as he entered his partially Primed state. His next strikes were noticeably stronger as every swing of his lance produced much bigger waves of cutting light, scything through everything in their path like a hot knife through butter. "I am the Warden of Light, the Dominant of Bahamut! And you shall not pass!" He emphasizes the point by Jumping high, higher than he's ever Jumped, only to come down like a comet in his own right, his lance poised to spear through the first thing he landed upon. Except dozens of circles appeared throughout the monster packed main street, where just as many lances of holy energy erupted from below. Where Dion himself landed however, the ground positively lit up like the Fourth of July, wiping out everything within thirty feet that had the misfortune of being too close to his divine fury. There were still dozens more, but he'd cleared the street for dozens of feet in every direction, buying Astrologer and her fleeing survivors some much needed time to escape. He just hoped it'd be enough as he turned to face the next wave with Bahamut's fury guiding his lance ever onward.

Around the same time…

Sumire Nazuko/Astrologer POV…

"And you shall not pass!" She winced slightly at the loud explosion of sound and fury she could hear over their comms, but Astrologer didn't stop running, didn't stop dropping her conjured meteors on anything that looked at them even remotely funny. And with the amount of enemies still trying to swarm her and the civilians she was leading to safety, she had quite the target rich environment to choose from. But none of that mattered, only getting out of this Hellhole mattered.

Bahamut was going all out, of course he was, he had to keep the attention on himself. Yet despite her lingering mistrust, it was quickly dying in the realization he was willingly staying behind, that he was willingly putting his own life in harm's way for her sake, and for the sake of total strangers. …She hadn't expected such selflessness from a guy that pretended to have a bigger dick than was strictly necessary to be impressive. Not only that, but she was starting to come to terms with the fact that his 'too nice personality' really wasn't an act at all. He truly was as noble as he presented himself as, that he wasn't wearing a mask in the slightest. That he…wasn't like HIM at all, like the son of a bitch that had stolen her mother right in front of her, something that she hadn't been able to stop from happening at all.

He had destroyed her innocence without ever laying a hand on Sumire herself.

Her world had come tumbling down when Heartbreaker had walked into their lives with a smile and a charming swagger, only to walk right back out with her mother slavishly devoted to his every whim. So it only fit that her power had manifested the same heartbreak, by letting her bring down the sky. She'd never forget the look on her mother's face as she abandoned her own daughter willingly, or not so willingly really given the way Heartbreaker's power worked. Not that it had changed the outcome since Aya Nazuko had packed up her clothes, her jewelry, and emptied their bank accounts before all but throwing herself into Heartbreaker's lap before he'd driven off, leaving Sumire to just gawk from the doorway of a suddenly empty home. That he hadn't had her own mother kill her as a means to cement his control over her mother was just blind fucking luck, but he might as well have killed Sumire for all the damage he'd caused her. If not for her aunt, Sumire knew she'd have likely wound up dead in an alley somewhere. But she'd never trusted anyone like Heartbreaker again as a result, so it was only natural that Dion had set off every alarm bell she'd possessed ever since that day.

But where Heartbreaker was known to throw his thralls at any problem that were beyond his means to handle while he made a fast getaway via the use of teleporter capable thralls or those Capes that were able to fly, Bahamut was staying behind of his own volition just to buy her time. Sure this was just a simulation, something she'd momentarily forgotten about although she'd never admit it later, but Eidolon had said that the safeties had been disabled, and after she had been hit a couple of times or thrown about earlier, she believed him since she was absolutely certain she'd have very real bruises when this was all said and done.

Her distraction nearly cost one of the civilians their lives as she almost didn't react in time to save them from a sudden attack from what looked like a horribly mutated lion. Its furry hide had burst all over its body, revealing bulging muscles beneath the surface of its flesh, jagged teeth revealed in its bloodied jaws when it gave a thunderous, almost deafening roar, and a multitude of lashing tails that were covered in razor sharp looking bony teeth and barbs. Bringing down the sky barely slowed the beast down as it leaped and ran between the explosions that followed, drawing closer at a pace that made Sumire very uncomfortable. Catching a steel bat from one of the civilians, she had barely turned to face the great beast before it leaped for her with the intent of tearing her throat out. Luck was with her though as she managed to jam the steel bat between its jaws, forcing its mouth open even as it pinned her to the hard ground.

"Fuck!" She howled, the claws on its front paws threatening to tear her to ribbons as it tried to spit out the bat between its teeth, shaking its head wildly from side to side. She really needed to get her suit reinforced after this, assuming she lived through it anyway. As it was though, she didn't hesitate to bring down a meteor right on the mutated lion's back, the heat from her own projectile's explosion blistering and reddening the skin of her face at the same time most of her mask was burned away. The lion came out far worse for wear however, growling its pain and fury as it rolled away, trying to put the flames out on its back that now had a fairly large hole in it. Not that it seemed to notice much, leaving Astrologer to wonder if its pain receptors had been deadened to some extent as she brought down two more meteors in quick succession while scrambling away so she didn't get caught in the following explosions again.

The heat still stung her already irritated skin as the shockwaves from the impacts nearly threw her to the ground. Bits of torn, burnt and smashed meat were thrown about, and yet she could still see something move about in the dust left in the wake of the latest impacts, so she called down another barrage, her eyes scanning for other threats even as she gestured and shouted at the civilians. "Keep moving!" She ordered them just as the sound of more monstrosities reached her ears. "I'll cover you!"

So… this was it.

Somehow she didn't feel as upset about the fact as she thought she would. She lagged behind, covering the back of the fleeing crowd, the shattered remnant of her mask informing her that more and more civilians reached the required distance to be considered safe, a flickering number winking in and out of existence in the corner of her broken visor.

That… that was good.

She just had to buy them a bit more time. Just a few more precious seconds. Even if it felt like every inch of her body was burning, that her limbs were lead weights, she wasn't about to give up the ghost. She still needed to kill the son of a bitch that had destroyed her family, her life, her innocence, and she needed to…to apologize to that handsome bastard that was even then throwing everything he too had left in the tank at the horde of nightmares. "Let's see how bright my star will burn." She murmurs, mustering every last bit of her strength for one final cataclysmic barrage. And the sky ripped asunder, revealing the largest meteor she'd summoned yet as it burned across the heavens towards the densest cluster of Echidna's nightmarish creations she'd seen yet. The world soon burned in response when it found the mark dead center of said horde. And every building around the point of impact was summarily shattered from the thunderous detonation that followed, not that Sumire was able to appreciate it as her consciousness failed her at last.

"Hope…that…was enough." She whispers to the dead silence that had fallen at last, the ground never reaching her as she fell…fell…fell……

"Ugh…" Blinking slowly, Sumire could only weakly put an arm over her face, only to be reminded most of it was burned and blistered with a hiss of pain that snapped her out of her befuddled state. "Fuck! Owwww! Wait…" She mutters, suddenly confused for a whole other reason as she slowly managed to push herself onto her elbows, and saw that the simulation was over. "Did we…make it? Where's Dion?"

"Take a deep breath, Astrologer, you-"

"Where the fuck is Dion?! Is he alright or not?!" She didn't quite shriek, but not seeing him anywhere in the now empty arena was doing Sumire's nerves no favors.

"He's fine, he just took a hard hit near the end so he's getting looked at." Eidolon said, his commanding voice cutting through her quickly mounting panic at the same time. Sumire slumped back onto the ground with a relieved sigh just as another team of EMTs came to her next. "But you've passed, Sumire Nazuko."

She found she didn't actually care about that at the moment even as exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her again. She needed to see that fucker's face again, just so she could punch it a few times to make herself feel better. "P-passed?" She managed to get out, still trying to fit everything that had happened together in something approaching sense.

"Indeed, I expect from now on you and Bahamut will have less issues working together." She nodded weakly at that. It didn't sound like a request, and after everything that had just happened she was inclined to at least be civil with Bahamut… Dion.

She couldn't pretend as though nothing happened, but the least she could do is give him a chance. A chance to prove his own character instead of just viewing him through this damn lens she'd carried for too long as it was, although the very few people that knew her whole story had all expressed sympathy for her plight. But that didn't excuse her from being a complete psycho about people that truly were just doing their best like Dion, rather than putting up the act just to get close enough to brainwash whoever struck his fancy like Heartbreaker had. God but she really needed to get her shit in order since this whole exercise could've been a very real nightmare scenario, and she was self aware enough to know that this could've gone a whole lot worse if she hadn't started to see Dion for who he truly was, rather than what she had expected him to be. Fuck…she was going to have to apologize, something she'd never hear the end of once Jouster heard about it. But she couldn't help the little relieved smile on her face either as she was gingerly lifted onto a gurney before she was rolled out of the arena.

Maybe working with Dion wouldn't be so bad after all?

The Protectorate's Infirmary

5:26 PM…

Dion Lesage POV…

"You shall not pass? Did you really go full on Gandalf, D-man?" A cackling Jouster asks from the next bed over, sitting on the edge so they could comfortably chat.

Dion blushes a little in response as he rubs the back of his head as best he can, despite the fact moving his arm too high made his chest hurt quite a bit. "Ow…but yeah, though at the time it seemed rather appropriate given the mess we were in. Is Astrologer alright?" He asks, sure that she'd still been breathing before he'd been carried out of the arena, but that'd been some time ago now.

"I'm…fine." She weakly groans from a distant bed in the largely empty infirmary. "I feel like I lost…a fight with a flamethrower, but…I'm alright, asshole. Don't you…pull a stupid stunt like that…again, you hear me?!"

Dion was all smiles despite the heat in the young woman's words as he replied, "I'll try very hard not to, Astrologer."

"...Fuck, just call me Sumire already." She groans, shuffling about in her bed until she's got herself propped up on her elbows. "You've…earned that much, you fucking reckless ass."

"Wow, I think that's the nicest thing you've said to him yet." Jouster quips without missing a beat.

"Fuck off Evan." Sumire testidly retorts just as quickly.

"Hey now," the newly named Evan retorts, "you didn't have to go and spill my real name like that."

"Then maybe don't run your goddamn mouth for a change!" She didn't quite shout, only for both of them to turn to Dion as he gave a heartfelt laugh at their bickering.

Smiling at the looks they gave him, he manages to taper off into warm chuckles before finally saying, "I think we're well beyond the point of being unable to trust each other with our real names, Sumire, Evan. You know mine after all, although I feel the urge to ask if I should leave you two alone?" Sumire's response was to throw one of her pillows at him with a bit more force than was strictly necessary, but even though it hurt his chest, Dion still laughed, feeling rather good about how things had turned out. Soon enough, his cheer proves to be infectious as palpable relief and joy settles upon all of them in turn. And through it all, he couldn't help but admire the Asian woman's face, how the tension seemed to well and truly bleed out of her since the first day he'd met her. There was still something clearly weighing her down, something that made her smile not quite reach her eyes, but this was still the most relaxed he'd seen her to date.

And he found that she had a very pretty smile.

Still, the laughter eventually faded, and Sumire sighed solemnly as she fiddled with her bed's controls, raising the head up so she didn't have to balance on her elbows anymore. Thankfully Evans seemed to pick up that something heavy was in the air, and stood to his feet without prompting. "Well, I better get outta here. My mom's probably wondering where the Hell I am since I'm normally halfway home by now."

"Take care Evan." Dion says to the kid's back with a nod of his head as he too readjusted his bed in a similar fashion while Sumire mutters a farewell around the same time. It's only after the automatic doors to the infirmary slide shut that Dion slowly gets to his feet with a grimace, grabbing hold of his IV's pole before walking the dozen or so feet to Sumire's bedside. It's only when he's sitting on the edge of the bed on her right that he somewhat slumps, having exhausted himself pretty badly during the last push against Echidna's hordes. Still, he wasn't so tired that he couldn't patiently wait for Sumire to get whatever was on her mind off her chest.

He didn't have to wait long.

"...Six years ago, someone stopped by my hometown of Bright Falls, Mississippi. He was charming, polite, and he was even nice to me when he didn't have to be. My mom had been alone since as long as I could remember, and while we were happy on our own, I knew it wasn't easy for her, going it alone as she had for so long." Sumire takes a steadying breath before slowly looking at Dion's face. "It was all a fucking act though. I didn't notice at the time, I didn't know what was happening until it was too late…but that son of a bitch…he took my mother away a month after he showed up in town. She wasn't the only one, but…"

"But she was the only one you cared about." He finishes for her, earning a shaky nod from Sumire while tears began to appear in the corner of her eyes. "Who was he, Sumire?" He gently asked, both to satiate his own curiosity, but to also, hopefully, get her to open up to him, and to maybe ease a little of the pain she so clearly carried.

"...Heartbreaker." Shit…no wonder she'd had such an issue with him. So much of their time together, such as he'd call it that, suddenly made a lot more sense as so much was put into a new perspective.

"Jesus…" Was all he could think to say after digesting that bombshell.

"...Yeah…I know how his power works, he needs time to get his hooks in, but once that's done? His puppets will do damn near anything he asks with a smile, but I was…my own mother abandoned me. I know it's not her fault, but I still…hate her for it, but I hate HIM way more. So you coming in here, being all 'nice', and 'kind', and just…naturally charming? It just reminded me of that fucker who took everything from me."

"And now?" He asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sumire, to his surprise, manages a watery smile as she wipes at her eyes with the back of one hand as best she can without further aggravating the thankfully light burns on her face. "You…you were willing to throw yourself in harm's way, just to give me and those holo-civilians time to get away. Heartbreaker would've never done that. He would've rather thrown his puppets on the pyre while he made a fast getaway with his most powerful thralls."

He smiled grimly in response to her audible amazement. "If we're not willing to risk our lives during a simulation, then why should anyone trust us to do the same during a real life crisis?"

"Yeah…I figured you'd say that, but I still want to punch your face in since you could've died doing that shit." She grumbled, but while she tried to glare at him, Dion wasn't fooled. He could see the relief and gratitude in her tear filled eyes just fine.

Still, he only smiled soothingly before he softly said, "Like I said before, I would hardly deny you the chance to take your vengeance out on me for worrying you, Sumire. But…if Heartbreaker ever returns, I'll stand by you, whatever you decide to do." She didn't answer, not aloud at least, her voice no doubt choked up with tears as she simply nodded her head. Dion didn't move from his spot on the adjoining bed, making it clear he wasn't going anywhere, not until she calmed down anyway. It was the least he could do for her, but silently, Stephen swore to gut the son of a bitch from balls to brains since no one should have to endure what Sumire had gone through.

There'd been enough broken hearts as it was.

End Notes: Sorry for the delay on this one, as I said up top, I've been a bit busy with other stories. Still, hopefully you all enjoy folks.