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Jesse said nothing. His head was on Sammy's shoulder, with one hand firmly tangled in Keir's. His gaze slid from Kei to Sam as they exchanged small talk. Jesse understood Sam's panic, but the Negaverse wouldn't recognize them as civilian's. They had some for of safety net.. Maybe. He blinked, just staring off into nothing before he sighed and closed his eyes with a soft noise.

--

Ahri paced nervously from his hiding spot a short distance away. He could see them. He was so close. He was so close to a family he had had and lost. Ahri'd found them. They were right there. But... But...

Argh.

Pulling out his phone, he blasted a text to Keir. Ahri felt like he couldn't breathe. Why was this so hard?

To Keiran:

Ahri whined. "N-no." He said, tugging at a strand of his hair. "I don't know what to do. I left on bad terms with both of them." What if neither of them wanted to talk to him... What if neither of them wanted to see him again. "I'm scared, Keir... What should I do???" Ahri glanced from the man, to the two on the bench.

Maybe this had been a bad idea. Maybe it was still too soon.




Jesse made a noise when his perch moved, frowning as he dragged himself over to the bench before resuming his position. "He's just excited." Jesse said softly. "He's always been easily excitable." The young man sighed again, closing his eyes as he got as comfortable. "They're not looking for us." He added. "I think it's been to long.. Yeah, you were a General but, you were in a lull... It's not like you were in the middle of anything important when you left. Last they saw you were poisoned by Chaos. I don't think they are all to surprised you dropped off the face of the planet." Jesse yawned, hiding it behind his hand. "I was even more of a dead beat, so I'm not worth anything to them. We kept it quiet and didn't tell anyone. They have no one to trace back to us."

Ahri whined softly. "I don't know if I deserve to fix things. I hurt him, trying to push him into doing something... And... God, I don't even know where to begin with Na- er... Lyon you said? He resented me. I got so mad at him for things that were beyond his control. I knew deep down that wasn't him talking, not clearly anyway but I hated him. I hated myself, for hating him. I said nasty things, to both of them. I didn't care if they got hurt, were hurt." Ahri glanced at the pair on the bench with a sigh.

"You did that stuff because you had to. You would have been in trouble otherwise. Yeah, the guys were probably more so under the watch of the Negaverse then you, but you would have likely gotten the worse of the two punishments for not doing what you needed to... I was never a fan of how Corrupts were treated... Even though they are suppose to be considered 'equal'." Not many saw that same sort of status... and those who did had lost themselves completely. With another sigh, he looked at Keir again. "...Go with me?"

--

Jesse huffed, swatting at the offending nuzzle. "God, my hair is already a wreck." He groaned, sitting up long enough to tug the hood of his sweater up and over his head.

"If anything, Keir is in more danger then either of us. We luck out in the fact our names changed. His didn't. He wasn't like some of other Corrupts that dawned a mineral instead of a star. He's still recognizable." To some degree, Kerberos had more of a target on his back then Nile or Lyonnesse ever would. "Though, his friend seems to do a decent enough job of keeping people at bay."

Ahri made a face. "One of us couldn't tell though." He paused. "Well, two, if we count Natron after coming back..." He fixed Ahri with a blank stare, before shrugging.

Not something he'd know to much about.

"...I always looked at it like it was just a color. Everyone had good and bad in them.. It's what they chose to act on that defined them." He sighed, glancing at the the pair on the bench. "O-okay.."

--

Jesse rolled his eyes, though he released a content noise as Sam leaned against him. For once, he felt content. Not bothered by the things that have worried him since crossing sides. "Hmm.. It's not gonna take long at all if you sit there and say it out out." He said, glancing at the other.

"We didn't have it too bad. It was fortunate that I wasn't stuck under someone else's watch when you brought me in. Those we worked with were relatively decent. Although, you seemed to be the one that picked fights with everyone, no matter where you went." While Lyonnesse wasn't actively trying to agitate Lellouch anymore, Jesse was quite certain the Corrupt bothered the Knight out of pure spite.

His attention was snagged as Keiran came back, friend in tow. Ah well, happy feeling gone, he supposed. He snatched up Sammy's hand, holding it tightly, nervously. "...Keir? Who...?"

Ahri just shrugged. "I guess... I mean, I always knew my actions as a youma were a bit.. Ah... tame... in comparison to most. I could hold my composure around Corrupts better then I probably should have.." And for that he was grateful. Ahri wasn't sure what he'd have done if he had hurt Kerberos at any point. "I knew I was different than most but I don't think I ever thought I was infected... Just different."

Keiran had to practically drag him after a certain point, nerves crashing back into him as he thought this was a bad idea. At one point he nearly tripped over his own feet. He stood awkwardly in front of the group.

Oh

So those were the names they took now. Huh... How fitting. He couldn't quite explain why it made sense to him... It just did. When Sam spoke, Ahri nearly jumped out his skin, crashing back to reality. "Huh? Oh... Uh... Show you this... I guess." Fidgeting with the ring on his finger, he took a deep breathe, and concentrated. Civilian faded to powered and Ahri gave way to Necromanteion. "Uuuh... Tada?" He said sheepishly.

--

Jesse huffed quietly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie as Sammy's attention seemed to be dragged elsewhere. He seemed to shrink back inside his sweatshirt. A mildly impressive feat for someone over six feet tall. He shot a skeptical look between Keiran and this new person before sighing. "You're a Page. So what." That didn't mean they knew who this was. He'd definitely never met this Page before.

It took everything in Necromanteion's power to not jump a short distance back when Keiran reached up towards the feather in his hair and twirled it around his finger. He could not, however, stop the flinch that tore through him. "Sorry..." He mumbled almost immediately afterwards, glancing at the smaller man. Though when Sammy spoke again, the Page gave a sheepish smile, and an even more timid wave of the hand. "Surprise?" Oh god, he must have sounded pathetic. "I... Uh.. Yes? Er.. Well, yes and no I guess?" Depending on how they wanted to look at it. "But... It's really me."

When Sammy gave way to Lyon, the Page took a timid step back. "... Is it a good idea, if there is more then one of us here???" He fidgeted nervously with the band on his arm, glancing at Jesse. He still hadn't said a thing.

---

Truth be told, Jesse hadn't heard a thing after the young mans form shifted and gave way to another. He'd seen it almost immediately. Feather in his hair, the beads scattered about the uniform, the arm band. He knew that mark. That had been something he used back then. The only other who had had it was... was..

Jesse sprang from the bench, crashing into the Page. He gave no mind to Keir and Sammy, not paying attention in the slightest if he bowled them over or not as he and the other fell to the ground with a solid thud. Necro groaned under him and the noise that came from Jesse was just as pathetic. Jesse babbled apologies as he hid his face against the Saturn uniform. His shoulders shook and his knuckles were white as he held on with everything he had in him. "It's my fault."

"Yeah, but only two are powered u-" Ahri was cut off as he was slammed to the ground with a wheeze. Ugh... Coughing, he tried to prop himself up. Well that was definitely not the reaction he'd been expecting... "Hi to you too..." Ahri said quietly. "But yeah... It happened just before the summer.. I crossed paths with Keir not long after that." He said, glancing at Lyon before dropping his gaze to Jesse.

"What's your fault?" He asked, tentatively wrapping an arm around the shaking man. "You didn't do anything... Hell, if anyone's to blame it's me."

--

Jesse shook his head. "I left you when I said I wouldn't. And then after that I did nothing to help you, let alone try to find you." He had hid... Just as he had before. "I failed you..." He couldn't help Natron, and he couldn't help Ahri. Some partner he'd been. Jesse still hadn't let go of the other, but his grip eased slightly.