"Okay, the housing compartment is fully welded in. All that's left is to attach the prosthetic to the link and connect the nerves." Charlotte would inform, her sitting next to Artorian on an operating table. She had spent the last three hours preforming the surgery required to attach a nerve-synched prosthetic for the hybrid, the bulk of time going to the connection unit for the limb.

"How long will that take?" Laying on the table, Artorian was perfectly calm as he looked up to the bright light over him. He had gritted through most of the operation, painkillers being the only comfort through the grueling process of feeling metal and wiring connect to his nerves' ends.

"This is actually the easiest part." Charlotte answered, getting up and retrieving the shiny new replacement for Artorian's forearm. "Although fair warning, it's the most painful part."

"Please, I'm not a kid Charlotte." He'd chuckle before closing his eyes, steeling himself as he felt the scientist get it into position. "Ready when you are."

"Okay, I'll connect the nerves on go." She nodded, slowly piecing the attachments, stopping at the final procedure. "Three… Two… One!"

"GAH!" The hybrid howled in pain, barely keeping himself from pulling his arm away before she finished. Once it was done though, he'd hold his right arm over his chest and cling onto it with his left, shooting an annoyed glare at Charlotte. "You said you'd don it on go!"

"Yeah, I did." The scientist chuckled as she walked to the sink, taking her bloodied gloves off and tossing them into a bin before washing her hands. "How does the new hand feel?"

"It feels… odd." He admitted, massaging his metal palm while looking to it. "The metal's surprisingly light and warm, although I can't feel my thumb with it."

"Yeah, we haven't fully gotten down the sensation of touch with artificial limbs yet." Charlotte informed, looking over her shoulder to talk. "Although it itself will feel more alive than most prosthetics, it is still a mechanical limb. Be sure to properly maintain it. I'll send the proper maintenance method to you while you're on your break."

"Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for that." Artorian said, testing the movements of his fingers and wrist. The new arm worked perfectly, following his subconscious commands as if it was the real deal. "Anything on our guests?"

"They've refused to talk much to me, and barely say a word to either Mei Mei or Chris."

"Chris volunteered to help watch after them? I thought he was too busy being Claire's-"

"I know what you're going to say. Gross. And yes he felt like offering his time to help would ease them into trusting us. Since both him and Mei Mei aren't Slayers the Hunters may lower their guard around them."

"Fair enough." The hybrid nodded. "Anything else before I head out?"

"I made something extra." Charlotte revealed, pulling something out of her pocket before throwing it at Artorian. He was caught off guard, but managed to catch it before it hit his face. And with it in hand he saw a folded cloth, unfurling it to reveal a military grade strap.

"Okay… what is it?"

"A prototype, I made it awhile ago but never had my hands on what I needed for a full-on test." She revealed, motioning to her back. "Put it on, metal looking side on back and cloth on front." Although slowly, the hybrid followed with the instruction, placing one end of the strap on his shoulder while the other rested at his hip. When she saw it, Charlotte would smirk before going over to the operation table and grab hold of his sword.

"Wait Charlotte let… me…" He slowly let out, his words dying in his mouth as the small scientist lifted the blade with both hands, showing some strain but managing.

"Huh… it's heavier than I remember." She commented on the weight behind it. "Damn, I'm only in my forties and I'm feeling like this? That or I'm out of shape. Maybe both."

"Um… Charlotte?"

"Oh sorry, reminiscing." The scientist said before walking to the hybrid, lifting the sword up to him. "Here, place the blade against the back of the strap. And let's see if I've done it again."

"Sometimes I forget you had enhancements implanted in you." Artorian sighed, getting over the momentary shock of seeing such a small woman pick up a Lord's weapon and taking it from her in his robotic hand. Putting it over his shoulder, he'd place the blade down and hear a faint hum. After a moment of realization, the hybrid released his hold on the sword, and was surprised at the lack of metal cluttering. "You actually did it."

"Hehe, the first magnetic holster for a Lord's weapon. I know, I know, I impress myself sometimes." The scientist smiled to herself, shifting her glasses as the hybrid rolled his shoulders to test the magnets strength. "You cannot believe how difficult it was developing that. Lord metals aren't easy to come around, and they really like to screw with magnetic fields."

"I'd buy it, even Lords haven't gotten it down right. I can't believe you actually managed this." Artorian chuckled, patting the scientist's head before turning. "Thanks Charlotte, this'll make moving around easier."

"Oi, I'm not some kid or a high schooler with a crush." The scientist commented at his little gesture, getting a laugh from him.

"No, I guess you're not. But I mean it Charlotte, second best gift you ever gave me." He responded, giving her one last smile before closing the door behind him, getting the scientist to look down.

"Cheap shot Artorian. Cheap shot." She muttered, although smiling faintly as she took her glasses off.

"Damn, it got later than I thought." Artorian commented as he walked across the park in Little Garden's central district. The moon was high up, and a second look at his PDA put it close to midnight. The surgery didn't feel nearly as long as it was, putting him off.

'Well, I guess at least our shore leave is tomorrow so we can actually go on break.' He shrugged, relaxing himself as he walked the path for the park. 'Never thought I'd be heading back to Yamato so soon after finally getting out, but I guess I did make a promise.'

"Guess all I have to do is burn some time until our plane leaves."

"Artorian?" Hearing his name be called, the hybrid turned around in response, surprised at who he saw.

"Claire? What are you doing up still?" He asked before taking a look at the blonde, seeing her in a running shorts and a sleeveless shirt. "Jogging?"

"Of course, is that strange?"

"Most people don't go jogging five minutes to midnight. You can be quite the weirdo sometimes you know that?"

"W-Well you're out this late!" She shouted, defending herself as she pointed to the silver haired hybrid.

"I don't sleep, and I just got out of surgery."

"Just got out of surgery?" It was then that Claire realized he was now sporting two arms again, taking note of the silver shine on his forearm. "Dr. Dimandias finally finished the prosthetic."

"Making it wasn't a challenge, finding time to perform a three-hour surgery was what really kept her busy." He answered, raising the arm to better show it. "What do ya think? Almost feels like I never lost it."

"Almost?"

"My nerves are connected to the limb, but that's solely to operate the fingers and wrist." He explained. "No sense of touch as far as I'm aware of. Couldn't feel my hand when I touched it.

"I see, medical advances are far more advanced then they were just a few years ago, but recreating senses is still a ways away." She nodded, motioning to the limb with her hand. "May I?"

"Curious about it?" He'd ask, smirking as he held his hand out to her.

"I'll admit, synthetic prosthetics have been a pass by interest. However most people I know aren't reckless enough to lose a limb for it." She took a jab, placing both her hands on the metal. "It's cold."

"Well it is metal."

"But these prosthetics are meant to mimic the body temperature of the wearer." She countered, looking to him. "I'm not claiming it's anything bad, I'm just surprised that with you being a Variant your body temperature is lower than the average person."

"Eh, there's things about me that exceed my virus." He shrugged. "Can't be helped, but according to Emilia it feels relaxing."

"I suppose… wait what do you mean by that?"

"So Claire, you didn't answer why you were out so late." Artorian responded, dodging the question and getting a measured glance from her.

"I couldn't sleep, I spent nearly sixteen hours working on setting up security and all of the activities for the Founding Festival." The blonde answered, crossing her arms as she looked to the side. "Along with the previous four days spent doing the same, I couldn't help it anymore and needed to get moving. I've barely managed to have time to train and eat, so I wanted to take the time to enjoy myself."

"Sheesh, a workaholic as always I see." The hybrid chuckled.

"Maybe, but breaks like this make it bearable." She admitted. "I can't sit still long enough to sleep, and working out gives me something to do. It's the best I can put up with."

"Well, if you're not doing anything I might have an idea."

"Forgive me if I'm not confident in your idea." Claire responded, looking at him from the corner of her eyes as he smirked.

"Think you can finally give me one of those lessons you promised?"

"Huh?"

"This is-! Garbage-!"

"You need to keep your head up, lowering your head is natural but if you're not going to hold your breath you have to elevate yourself."

"Easier said than-pah! Done!"

"Well you're not going to get better if you don't try."

A few minutes after running in to each other, the two Slayers were now in the pool behind Claire's estate. With the dividers in the pool removed, the two were able to move freely in the water, more for the blonde as she held onto Artorian's hands to help him learn to peddle properly.

Seeing that the two were alone for the first time since their mission, the hybrid figured it was the best time to take Claire's offer to help teach him to swim. On one hand, it was the best time as neither was doing anything and had no need to worry with the lights illuminating for her. On the other hand, Artorian was almost comedically bad at swimming, evident by his poor form and struggling to listen to her recommendations.

She had always caught on that the Slayer was stubborn, but sometimes stubbornness and pride can be blurred. And his pride was certainly getting the better of him, to the extent that teaching him felt harder than herding cats.

After roughly of hour trying to get it right the two took a break, the hybrid sitting on his recliner while Claire was laying back, looking up to the night sky.

"So… not good?"

"If I had a comparison, you seemed much more cooperative in our first duel than now." The blonde answered honestly.

"Yikes, that is bad."

"But I don't get it. You're prideful, but I haven't seen you ignore directions as much as you were." She stated, sitting up and looking to him. "You seemed too distracted, honestly I would think you were focusing on anything other than swimming."

"My mind's been a bit busy is all." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Having everyone ready to head out for break alone makes me feel I need to be organized. Old habits from keeping tabs on Karen. It started as just me and Karen, then the hospital staff said Miharu had to come and now Emilia and Sakura are coming… thing's just got a little complicated is all."

"Where are you going for break?" Claire asked, getting an annoyed sigh from Artorian as he laid down on his chair.

"Yamato, I promised Karen we'd go to the Bon Festival when she was healthy enough to."

"So you're going home for break?"

"I wouldn't call it home, rather a shit location I was forced to stay in." He groaned, closing his eyes as he held his hands behind his head. "Anywhere else would make things easier, but I made a promise and I'll keep it."

"How noble of you." Claire laughed, smiling as she looked to the young hybrid.

"What about you?" Artorian asked, opening an eye to look at her. "Liddy, Erica and Matthew will be back in a few hours. How will the famous Perfect Queen of Little Garden spend her summer break?"

"Well, while the security and activities of the Founding Festival are done, the schedule for Slayers has yet to be written up. Along with determining the proper pairings for active duty." She explained, crossing her arms under her bust as she cupped her chin with her fingers. "We also need to account for the added security that Britannia and Warslran are offering. And then finish planning everyone's break shifts accordingly with requested times."

"…Are you serious?"

"What? Everything hasn't been set up yet." She responded, raising an eyebrow to Artorian's dubious stare. "And as Little Garden's commander, I have a duty to oversee everything. I don't require a summer break, not while there's still work to do."

"…Nope, fuck that." The hybrid stated as he sat back up, reaching for the table next to him and grabbing his PDA. He would type in it for a few seconds, confusing her as he browsed through. "Prices went up, not surprising. But I suppose this is why I work in my free time."

"What are you…"

"Shush." He responded, holding his robotic finger to her lips as he continued typing. "Adding in last minute along with getting the right seat… and the fare for possessing a Hundred… there." He finished, tapping prominently one last time before smirking, taking his finger off Claire's lips as he looked to her.

The stare confused Claire, but that confusion went to shock when her PDA went off, looking to her table as she saw the screen light up. Reaching for the device, she'd keep an eye on Artorian before having to put in her password. When she checked the notification, her eyes widened in surprise and shifted immediately back to him, staring agape at the hybrid.

"Y-You didn't!"

"Artorian… why is she here?" Sakura asked, standing next to Karen and Miharu with the former in her wheelchair. Who she was referring to was Claire, the blonde awkwardly standing next to Artorian and Emilia. They were all standing in Little Garden's departure lobby, awaiting the plane that would take them to Yamato.

"Oh, that's easy Sakura." The hybrid smiled, patting Claire's shoulder as he spoke. "Claire here seemed rather lonely, and as the generous knight I am I offered her to come with us for the trip."

"Uh-huh, and?" Emilia asked, giving him a measuring stare from his side.

"Oh come now, can't I just be nice to our commander? After all she's done for us?"

"Like scar your forearms?"

"Or bash your breakfast out of you?"

"Hey, it's surprisingly less than the negatives you two caused." He countered, getting the idol and Slayer to look away in embarrassment. "And besides, it's not like I hold any grudges on her over it. I don't expect any of you to be angry at anyone I clearly have no issues with." He then sighed, taking his hand off Claire.

"I apologize if I'm intruding, if you don't want me to come than I am willing to stay and-" Claire attempted to respond, getting stopped as the hybrid slapped her shoulder.

"Oh no, you're not getting out of it that easily." He stated. "Look, all joking aside I invited her because she needs a break. And if she isn't taken off this stupid boat she won't be able to relax. So I thought coming with us is the best choice, finally let her cool her jets since our mission."

"Is that really it, you want to help her?" Karen asked, looking to him. When she saw his nod, she turned to Claire and gave her a smile. "If he's okay with it, then I guess I am too."

"Thank you, I-"

"I'm still mad at you for hurting Artorian though!" The girl huffed, looking to the side with a pout.

"Hehe, don't worry." Emilia chuckled, elbowing her side playfully. "She's hard to get to get on the good side of. I think only Sakura and Miharu got that right away."

"You're still on the watch list, Crossfode." Karen noted, gesturing between her eyes and the Slayer. Although due to her nature, everyone couldn't help but laugh at the cute display of warning.

"I see… I still think I should at least be helping coordinate everything."

"We're fine Claire." Liddy responded; her, Erica and Matthew all in uniform as they approached the group. "You've done more than your fair share; we can handle everything else from here."

"Liddy's right, we're fully capable of taking care of things while you're away." Matthew added in, elbowing Erica's back as he did. "Isn't that right Erica."

"Y-Yes, of course." The bespectacled Slayer stuttered, shifting her glasses as she looked to the blonde. "The rest of the affairs aren't an issue. You should just… enjoy your time with Artorian and the others."

"You're absolutely certain?"

"Gods Claire, take your vacation." Matthew sighed, huffing before giving her a smile. "You earned it, so give yourself a break."

"Okay, but I want the reports once everything's finished. Are we clear?"

"Of course." Liddy responded, giving the blonde a salute before looking to Artorian. "Please make sure she at the least gets the right amount of sleep. According to LiZa she's been skipping on a few hours."

"Liza told you!?"

"Don't worry Liddy, I'll make sure she gets her sleep." Artorian said, winking to her before pressing his hands on both Claire and Emilia's backs, pushing them ahead to the others. "Now come on, the flight leaves in an hour and I want to be at the gate ahead of time."

"Jeez, you're so old. It doesn't take that long to get through security." Sakura joked.

"When you're traveling with Hundreds and aren't certified for free carry like an idol it can." He countered, everyone moving to the security gate and out of hearing.

"Okay, you can break down now Erica." Matthew permitted, covering his ears as he braced himself.

"It isn't fair!" The brunette whined. "If she needed a break so bad she could've come back with me to Liberia! It would've been great for her! Now she's going with Artorian and it's going to put me in another disadvantage!"

"There, there Erica." Liddy comforted, patting her shoulder as she held onto her partner and turned them around to walk out. "When she's back I'm sure there won't be too much of a difference in their relationship. Artorian seems genuine on wanting to help her relax, I doubt he'll make an advances."

"Y-You think?"

"I do."

"I don't. He's a flirt machine, he's probably dropped ten pick-up lines since he walked away."

"Nooooooo!"

"Yoo-hoo!" Mei Mei cheered as she opened a door in the subdeck, a bright smile on her face as she walked in with several platters of food. "Lunch is up! I hope you're all hungry!"

"Jeez, she's still shouting like that…" Krovanh muttered as he picked his ear, looking away as the cyber-cat maid and Chris entered, the latter carrying only a single tray that had several beverages on them.

As Charlotte stated, the Hunters were being kept quarantined into a single room in Little Garden. However the room was less of a cell and more of a lounge room; with plenty of space, three beds for them, a couch and TV even to keep them occupied. It seemed more like they were quests than prisoners.

"Today's theme is Liberian food, so I hope you are excited to try something new again." Mei Mei announced happily, placing most of the trays across the table in the room, Chris placing the beverages down for them to pour on their own.

"Dr. Dimandias personally recommended the entrees, she said they were all quite enjoyable." Chris explained, looking to the Hunters who were sitting across the couch, the boy of the group giving him a dirty look.

"Like we give two shits what she has to say."

"Now, now, there's no need to be rude." Chris chuckled nervously. "After all, you've been treated well thus far. Why the hostility?"

"Because if I could, I'd ring your neck." Krovanh stated, growling at the boy while flashing his sharpened teeth, getting Chris to look away worried.

"Krovanh." A dark aura formed behind the Hunter and his instincts flared in panic, getting him to look back and stare in surprise that it was Mei Mei, the maid giving him a measured stare before looking to the foot table in front of him.

'W-What kind of presence is this!?' He thought, the Hunter sweating nervously as the presence behind the cyber-cat maid remained strong.

"You and Nakri didn't drink your milk." That pressure seemed to slowly fizzle out at her words, looking to the two glasses of milk, Nesat's glass empty.

"And why should I? Garbage tastes like shit anyways." Krovanh responded, looking to the side to avoid staring directly at her.

'What the hell was that? Was I just imagining things there?'

"That is not an excuse, and you will watch your tone young man!" Mei Mei scolded, surprising the Hunter as she pinched his cheek and began to pull. "You need to drink your milk if you're going to grow, both you and your cousin need nutrition in order to develop properly."

"Well maybe we don't care about that!" Nakri shouted, remaining adamant on their defense of not drinking while Nesat sat on her side of the couch in silence.

"No excuses!" Mei Mei responded, reaching and pinching Nakri's cheek as well, having the two Hunters wincing and attempting to pull away from her iron grip. "You're both young, you need to take care of your bodies to be healthy. And I will not let you all treat yourselves poorly and disregard perfectly reasonable nutrition."

"Owowowowowow! Let go you crazy bitch!"

"And then there's that!" She continued to scold, pulling tighter on their cheeks. "You need to watch your language! You swear so much and it's discourteous to both of us! It's rude and you should know better. Now apologize to Chris for what you said to him."

"N-No Mei Mei, there's no need for that." Chris said, wincing at seeing the Hunters struggle to free themselves. He knew well that Mei Mei possessed many talents, and while many of them were in caretaking, she certainly knew how to discipline. Her pinches were extremely painful, with strength behind them expected of a Slayer with an armament activated.

"No Chris, they need to learn to appreciate what you're doing." She stated. "You are being very courteous and threatening you was disrespectful. So they need to apologize!"

"Aaaah, fuck fine! Sorry for threatening to rip your throat out!" Krovanh shouted, relenting as he couldn't stand the intensity of the maid's pinch.

"Y-Yeah, damn it! We're sorry now please let us go!"

"No, no, without swearing!"

"Ah come the fuck-GAH!"

"No swearing!"

"SORRY!"

"There we go." Mei Mei said happily, letting the two go and returning to her bright smile.

"Ah god, that hurt." Krovanh muttered as he rubbed his cheek, numbing out the pain.

"What the heck is she? That should not have hurt that much." Nakri added in, jumping when Mei Mei appeared in front of them.

"Well I'm a few things. I'm Charlotte's assistant, Chris' caretaker, and Claire's former caretaker. But currently I think it'd be best to refer to me as an assistant." She explained, keeping the Hunters on edge.

'She's too strong and fast, there's no way this chick is human.' Krovanh thought to himself, attempting to calm himself as she walked away.

"Is there anything else you need?" Chris asked.

"Go suck a…" Krovanh started, only to pause when Mei Mei stopped short of the door. "I mean… no I think we're good." Hearing a giggle from the cyber-cat maid brought a sigh of relief to Krovanh, getting a nervous laugh from Chris.

"I realize we're technically not on the same side, but I don't see why you're acting as hostile as you are." Chris stated. "We haven't done anything to deserve it; you've been fed well, you have a comfortable room, we've been treating you well."

"Oh so we should just be grateful to the dogs of Warslran and act like everything Slayers have done is just okay?" Krovanh responded, giving the kid a dirty glare.

"Well, I think giving them a chance wouldn't be bad." Chris admitted. "Slayers have abused their power in the past, but everyone on Little Garden would never do such a thing as Al-Salaam had. Guilt by association isn't a good rule to live by."

"And where do you think you can say that?" Nakri spat, snarling at the boy. "You don't know the first thing about what we went through, you've been cared for your whole life. How would you react if you ran into someone in the same occupation that took away your life? No one can forgive Slayers for their corruption."

"Well I can." Chris said, the whole room going quiet. Even Mei Mei remained silent, looking down as Chris responded to Nakri's question with a straight face.

"What?"

"I have lived a good life; I can't claim I have been unfairly treated by anyone too harshly." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck before continuing. "But my family has been wronged by the Slayers, but I can't blame all of them. Claire and many others have treated me well, Artorian had helped save your lives from the Scorned, and they worked with your sister to defeat the Dragonfly."

Chris would then walk past the couch, stopping by the door beside Mei Mei as they prepared to leave. "I don't know what you've been through, according to Artorian's report it was something horrible, but he refused to go into detail. All I can say is, I understand what it's like to be unjustly hurt by Slayers and I truly hate those that commit atrocities of any kind. But I could never hold that same anger towards Claire or any of the others. Not every Slayer is bad, much like not every person is."

"And that's all Slayers are, people. There are those that abuse their power, and those that help people. Destroying all of them doesn't help anyone, it just means the balance of power changes position to people who are just as likely to do wrong. That's all I want to say for now." Chris said before walking out, leaving without looking back.

The Hunters were left in silence, Mei Mei closing the door behind her as she followed the boy. They couldn't put a reason as to why they believed a word he said, but a subconscious instinct made them think every word he spoke was the truth. A chill down their spins that was felt when he talked about his anger. It was genuine, whether they could understand fully where it comes from or not.

"…You two were rude." Nesat would finally speak up, walking over to the table and loading food onto her plate.

"Oh come on, are you serious Nesat?" Krovanh responded. "They aren't our friends; it doesn't matter if they are keeping us in a fancy room. We're still their prisoners. They're our enemies!"

"Maybe, or maybe we're just two sides with different ideals being put against each other?"

"Um… isn't that what being enemies is about?" Nakri asked.

"If we have to ask, do we really have the right to call them our enemies?"

"Ngh, we'll talk about this later." Krovanh growled, getting up and stepping next to Nesat as he put food on his own plate. "I'm too hungry right now to debate, but I shouldn't have to remind you why Slayers are the enemy. And besides, we joined Vitaly for this very reason."

'But Vitaly isn't our ally either…' Nesat thought, conflicted on the position they were in. She herself had plenty of reason to despise Slayers, after she lost her eye she could've easily been blinded with hatred. But ever since the Zwei Islands, she's began to question where her anger is now being pointed at.

She knew that while they were wary of her, Krovanh and Nakri had enough faith in Vitaly to give them the power to change the world. To remove Slayers from any position of power and give this world the peace it deserves. To free them from the threat of Savage and advance humanity to become self-reliant. But what she saw in Vitaly's lab the last time, the work she was working on outside of her Artificial Variant research sent a deathly chill down her entire body.

'What she's working on… whatever she's working for, it can't be humanity.' She thought, her memories flashing to the dark room that was Vitaly's main laboratory, remembering the countless monstrosities she saw contained in capsules suspended on the ceiling. Or the five on the ground, the cold eyes that stared back at her.

"Wow, this place looks busy!" Emilia said in awe, looking around the airport to see countless people all moving around, most coming off flights or waiting for their family to make it.

"The Bon Festival is popular in Yamato, especially after the Second Attack." Artorian explained, rubbing her head as he stepped past her.

"Still, this many people around is distracting." Claire commented.

"Just stick together and it won't be a problem. But the important issue now, who here speaks and reads Yamatan?" Artorian questioned, raising his own hand in gesture. Obviously Karen and Sakura both raised their hands, having grown up in the country.

"I learned specific phrases for medical procedures, unfortunately I can't read the symbols very well." Miharu answered.

"I… well I only remember how to speak it." Emilia admitted, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly.

"I've never been in Yamato; I learned a bit, but I don't recall most of the casual phrases." Claire responded.

"Okay, so worst case Claire is broken off. Luckily a large chunk of Yamato speaks two to three languages so anyone who doesn't speak it should at least be able to ask for directions." Artorian informed the three, gesturing everyone to follow as he took the lead through the crowd. "But it's still best that if you head out to take one of us who reads it with you."

"I call dibs with Artorian!" Emilia announced, rushing up and hugging his left arm.

"W-Wait a second! You can't just do that!" Claire exclaimed.

"Uh, yes I can. I called dibs." Emilia responded, smirking at the blonde proudly. "So it means I get to be partnered with Artorian."

"That is hardly the proper way of handling things Crossfode! As the host Artorian has the responsibility of deciding groups!"

"Yeah, so why not back off and let us decide!" Sakura added in, hugging onto Artorian's right arm, her and the crossdresser glaring at one another competitively.

"Oh yeah? And why should we let you be deciding?"

"Because just like Artorian I know the language perfectly, and I serve as a representative for our group." She stated. "So we'll come up with the plan for groups, so sit your butt out of this Emile."

"Okay, before we cause a scene two minutes into the trip may I explain things?" Artorian asked, looking to everyone as he did. When everyone got quiet, he sighed briefly in exhaustion. "Good, there's no need to plan the groups. I already had them thought up during the flight. If we aren't together it is as follows: the first group is Claire and Karen."

"What!? Why!?" Karen protested, the blonde's shoulders slacking down at the girl's displeasure.

"The second group is Emile and Sakura."

"No way!"

"And finally I will be traveling with Miharu." He finished, going through the group layout before responding to the shared arguments. "As for why these groups were made, it is very simple. As it stands, we have three combatants and three non-combatants. And seeing as two of the non-combatants will serve as the translators and guides, it is best to have active fighters with them. This gives a good balance and besides, these groups are only recommendations for if we aren't together. But I would prefer that one of us is with you three at all times." Artorian added, gesturing between him, Claire and Emilia in regard to the others.

"Do you think we may be attacked?" Claire asked, getting a nod from Artorian.

"With me around, most likely. I didn't exactly leave town on the best terms with everyone. Hell, most of the damn country wouldn't mind taking a crack at me." He explained, getting sympathetic looks from Karen and Miharu. "With a large group it's less likely, but if I'm present it'll happen sooner or later."

"Did you do something to aggravate everyone?"

"Maybe by the sins of the father; most times I get in a fight I'm throwing the punch second." He answered. "Yamato has a bit of a delinquency problem, a lot of angry kids who were orphaned after the Second Attack. So don't be surprised if people look for a problem rather than already having one."

"Comforting."

"Just don't make the wrong enemy and you'll be okay."

"Is this the place?" Emilia asked, being the last one out of the taxi. The group had been riding together for roughly thirty minutes, and after such a long flight most were getting tired of the constant transportation.

"Yep, we'll be staying here for the trip." He answered, pulling out his wallet and handing the money to the driver. The action caught Miharu's attention, the nurse noticing him paying what seemed to be well above the amount their trip should have. But a single glance of the driver's annoyed expression told enough, the Slayer walking away as the car drove off.

"What exactly is here?" Sakura questioned, being the one pushing Karen's wheelchair up the stone path.

"The best place I could find that wouldn't have any trouble with us." Artorian responded, taking the front as he carried both his and Karen's bags. The path they were following was rough, the stone having seen better days with all the cracks and chunks missing. Ahead Claire caught sight of the building it led to, getting her to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

'A dojo?'

"Yeah it isn't the best place, but it'll be good enough." The hybrid commented, having read the atmosphere and the questions that would've likely came from the group. "I'm not allowed at most hotels in town, the closest is an hour away from where the festival will be held. So I figured I'd call in a favor and get us to stay here. Bastard has enough futons for us to sleep in and an extra room for Karen."

"Who?"

"So you are here!" Miharu was only able to ask the single question before a voice shouted out, the group stopping and looking up to a tree to the side of the stone path.

Standing on the branch of the tree was a young woman in a white and blue martial artist's uniform, a wooden sword in hand as she focused solely on Artorian. She had long red hair, waving in the wind as she looked to the hybrid with resolve, her bright orange eyes glowing in determination.

"You know her?" Miharu asked, Artorian giving her his own confused glance while shrugging his shoulders.

"I always knew you'd come back; I've been training non-stop in preparation for this chance!"

"…Good for you?"

"And now that you're here, we'll put this to the test again!" The girl announced, gripping her sword with both hands as she spread her legs in preparation. "Face me!"

"Seriously, you don't know her?" Sakura asked, the group looking to Artorian in confusion.

"I don't remember her, the only person who lived with Bastard was me. I don't recall a young redhead ever staying here." He answered.

"It you won't come to me…" She continued on, narrowing her eyes as she planted her feet. "Then I'll come to you!"

"Wait that tree's always been unsteady, if you jump you'll-" Artorian attempted to warn, but stopped as the girl started to lunge, the branch breaking and her balance being completely thrown off as she was propelled forward.

"Oh no!" The girl realized too late, falling down swiftly thanks to her forward momentum right towards Artorian. The hybrid showed little concern though, the rest all moving away as he just stood calmly. And just as she was about to crash into him, he turned around and reached out, catching her by her ankle and stopping her from crashing onto the ground.

"Whew… that was close." She sighed in relief, placing a hand over her chest. "Thanks for the save."

"Wouldn't have had to if you listened." He said, holding the girl upside down as he remained upright, her looking up to him as he stared down. "So are you going to explain why you just attempted to attack me? Or are you just looney?"

"What do you mean why? I told you we were to face again!" She shouted, pointing her wooden sword up to his chin. "We're having our rematch! You said we'd have it the next time we met!"

"I did?"

"Don't tell me you forgot! It was only three years ago!"

"Three years ago? What are you talking…" The hybrid started to say, but slowed down as the girl was looking up to him. Now with her closer he could get a better look at her face, and when he saw the small strands of yellow in her hair, his eyes widened in realization as he lowered himself to stare closer at her. "Wait, you!?"

"Aha! You do remember me!"

"What the hell are you doing here!?" He shouted, although the smile on his face showed the boy was more excited at seeing the girl, getting several measuring stares from the women around him, the only two smiling being the girl in his grasp and Miharu.

"Training! I've been trying to find you but Shisho said you left after the tournament! Saying something about looking out for yourself and getting away from some annoying lady you didn't want to see anymore!"

"Um Artorian, care to explain?" Emilia asked, getting the two's attention as she forced a smile.

"Huh, oh right her." Artorian muttered before standing straight, holding the martial artist out towards the group, both grinning as the girl waved while inverted. "This is the crazy chick that knocked a tooth out of me during a tournament!"

"And?"

"And what?" Artorian responded. "I never got a name. She kinda showed up in the tournament under a fake alias and I never asked for her real name."

"So you remember her solely on the grounds she knocked a tooth out?" Claire questioned, making sure she understood correctly.

"Yeah."

"…Why?"

"In terms of a straight up fight that was the most someone hit me at that point."

"That's right!" The girl said proudly, crossing her arms under her chest as she smiled confidently. "I was his rival, someone who could push him to his best!"

"I knocked her out of the ring in one swing." He clarified, getting an embarrassed gasp from her.

"It was not that easy!"

"You got the first hit; I got the second. Mine won."

"We fought for five minutes! It was a battle!"

"No, you swung at me for five minutes. I blocked the attacks and your last one hit, so I returned it with my own."

"You're lying!"

"Touka, why are you yelling so loud?" A voice spoke up from the dojo, everyone turning to see a man dressed in a martial arts uniform similar to the girl's. His black hair was long, tied back to keep it out of his hazel eyes. He'd then rub his eyes to see everyone, looking amongst the women before his eyes landed on Artorian, the hybrid giving him a tired stare.

"Oh… you guys are early."

"We're late." He said, shaking the girl in his grasp as he stared at him. "So, a new pupil?"

"You sound jealous."

"A young girl pupil."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't go there." The man warned, pointing at the hybrid. "Touka's my niece, I have more tack then that."

"That doesn't sound encourag-!" Artorian's eyes then widened as the man's words registered in his mind, looking back and forth between the man and Touka as he processed everything.

.

.

.

"…Artori-ah!" Sakura was about to speak up, but jumped back in fear as Artorian threw the redhead at the man, hitting him in the chest and knocking them onto the ground.

"You damn idiots!"

"Hey, watch it you little shit!" The man shouted as he sat up, Touka squeaking as she fell off him onto the wooden floor of the dojo. "That stung!"

"Like I give two shits Bastard!"

"Watch your tone! You should know better than to speak to me like that!" The man growled, him and Artorian butting heads as they reached each other.

"I'll talk however I want Bastard! You have a lot of explaining to do!"

"Show some respect for your master punk! I'm the reason you can even fight worth half a damn!"

"I guess this is one of the bad terms he was talking about." Claire said, everyone staring in confusion at the two men pushing their foreheads against each other with fury in their eyes.

"Nah, Shinsho says this is just how they communicate." Touka said, skipping past the two to reach the group. "Sorry, I should better introduce myself. My name is Touka Kenzaki, Shinsho is Ryusei Kenzaki; my uncle and Artorian's former mentor."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you." Emilia said, smiling as she shook the girl's hand. "My name's Emile Crossfode, I'm Artorian's partner on Little Garden."

"And I'm Claire Harvey, his commander." The blonde introduced herself.

"Huh, Shinsho said he'd probably have women around him, but neither of you feel right." Touka said, tilting her head as she looked to all of them. "None of you do."

"Um… what do you mean by "feel right"." Sakura asked.

"None of you feel like Vessels, obviously."

"TOUKA!"

(A/N): Boom, didn't take a month! This chapter took a bit longer to write then I hoped but I'm glad I didn't keep you waiting a month for another update. Just had a few gaps in thought on where to go with certain parts so I worked through it the best I could. Although I still enjoyed the chapter and finally got to introduce two characters I like.

Yeah, sorry if anyone was expecting something different, but Touka and Ryusei were the ones I was waiting to introduce. But I really liked the characters and have had plans for them since I got invested in Abysswalker. Touka's changed a bit, but Ryusei is more or less the exact way I had him planned for awhile now. I also just really like the dynamic of the characters, Ryusei's a fun character to bring up and as I've stated a few times before for others I felt Touka's role in canon was kinda wasted on what it could be.

But luckily I've thought up a few good ways of getting the character to develop, and there's a few changes to her character that I felt was necessary based on the discomfort I felt reading Hundred. Mainly her age, it felt very uncomfortable to me she was 13, so unceremoniously I'll say she's 15 in Abysswalker. It doesn't feel like an important detail to point out in story, so I leave it in the A/N so that it's known. Just something to quickly point out without ruining the pacing.

But with this chapter out I can get to the next one, where I can not only get to a few scenes I've been waiting to write but also introduce a character that's gotten me excited. And no need to worry, this one is an original character, not in canon of Hundred so you'll get a new experience. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next. Peace!