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The Lotus's Storm - Lucia x Male OC (PGR)

Spoilers for Cradle's Parade (Chapter 26)

The rain poured heavily onto the flat surface of ground all around two figures, the sky grey as a dusty chalkboard as lights flashed within the dull clouds above, with thunder roaring out and lightning flashing all around.

Waves upon waves from the sea crashed onto the solid grounded platform, that had taken shape since their arrival, leaving but a massive fluctuation of energy out into the atmosphere.

Ships carrying troops had arrived on the surface not far from the platform, Babylonian Constructs eyed the situation ahead of them as the foggy mist covered most of the commotion in front of them.

"Any idea what this is?" Lee tried to get a good eyes view ahead, but the odd looking mist blocked his peripheral vision. As his Gray Raven comrades, Liv and Lucia stood by, assessing the situation for themselves.

"Nothing yet so far, still can't get back to Command about any update of moving forward" A Construct informed Lee, who nodded at the Construct and returned to join with his comrades.

Thunder roared in the sky above them, lightning, dancing with colors between blue and purple, crackled ahead of them with a loud bang, as Liv kept assessing the strange energy source ahead to check for any forms of Punishing or Red Tide, Lucia had found herself daydreaming once again.

She knows today marks the day her beloved Commandant had mysteriously vanished, Babylonia thought this was the work of the defectors and Kurono, but oddly enough, it wasn't them, there was plans of them taking out the Gray Raven Commandant, but something got to him first and the group he was with...

No traces were found of him or the group when the investigation went out.

The investigation went out for so long, that most of Babylonia were convinced Jak was dead, and Gray Raven was left without a Commandant...

They have been left without one for a year now...

Lucia could still hear his voice in her head, recalling back to the times they spent together, the gifts he'd give her, though mostly just Froggie merchandise and whatnot, she appreciated his company so much. She never forgot the day they met in the hallway, when she was all alone.

It was hard for her to say it... But she felt something toward him, an odd feeling, one she hasn't felt before.

It was love...

But is it wrong to like someone that way?

To feel like you're on fire and your face turning a little red when you have specific moments together, whether it's holding hands or even hugging one another.

Maybe the feeling has always been there without her realizing.

But she was too late to tell him how she felt.

She felt herself broken in many places when Babylonia had declared him dead after the investigation dragged out for too long, she eventually broke down later that day, with Liv and Lee comforting her.

Gray Raven wasn't the same without the Commandant...

It wasn't the same without Jak...

She wasn't the same without Jak.

"Lucia?" a voice snapped her out of her own dream, thunder roared through the sky once again after she silently looked towards Lee, who was now joined with Kamui from the Strike Force with his arms crossed.

"I... I'm fine" Lucia looked ahead of her again, looking down at the mist covering the energy source ahead, blue and purple flashing across her view. "Just... Thinking".

"Thinking about what's going on in there?" Kamui spoke, breaking his silence. "Could just be Hetero Creatures or something, Captain hasn't given the greenlight to go in yet.

"Nor has Command responded back yet, I think this storm is interfering with our comms" Lee responded, trying again to reach Babylonia but only received static on the other end.

"Must be a powerful storm then" Kamui said with a smug look.

"Hmm" Lucia hummed to herself, she began thinking back on something, something that Jak once said, or has read out loud even.

"In the heart of a tempest, where shadows collide, A storm brews with secrets, where dark feelings hide. The sky shatters open, with a roar so profound, Each clap of the thunder, a truth that resounds."

"What was that, Lucia?" Kamui asks with curiosity, Lucia had said the poem out loud without realizing it which caused her to be dumbfounded in the moment.

"It was a poem... One that Commandant once read out loud to us while we were on a mission" Lee answered for Lucia's sake.

"Ahh, one of those poems? Not my thing" he shrugged. "I should get back with Captain, see ya!" Kamui then walked off as Lee looked at Lucia with concern.

"Lucia, you sure you're okay?" Lee asks her, concern written all over his face as Lucia tries to fake a smile.

"I'm okay, Lee" she responds, but he still doesn't look convinced.

"The look on your face doesn't help" he shot in the dark, Lucia's fake smile vanishing as she then sighed, closing her eyes for just a moment.

"Do you know what day it is?" she asks him.

"..." Lee fell silent.

"Do you?" she presses on again, looking for an answer in Lee's face, but he was always as stoic as ever, especially in this given circumstance.

"I do..." he answered finally, as Liv listened in. "I haven't forgotten" the once stoic look changed to that of discomfort.

"Nor have I" Liv finally spoke, multitasking with her analysis. "None of us have forgotten, Lucia".

The black and red themed Construct looked on, sorrow written on her face as her eyes gloomed down, before shutting as she held something in her hand. A boon that belonged to Jak, which he gifted to Lucia on her last Activation date, last year. It was a show of trust and love, which he clearly has for Lucia.

"Is that why you said that poem out-loud earlier?" Lee then broke the silence that fell between them all, as the sky continued to roar above them. "This storm is reminding you of one of his favorite poems, right?" Lee pressed on.

"Y-Yes" Lucia clutched at her chest with the boon in hand, looking down at it. "It was so that he once read the entire poem to me, and I ended up copying word for word so I could have a copy for myself" she continued, feeling an old fire in herself. She smiled briefly, but it vanished soon after.

"If you're thinking that this... Interference could be him... I doubt it" Lee said bluntly. "As much as I would hope that this storm would be the case of his appearance".

"That's... Odd" Liv said to herself, catching both Lee and Lucia's attention.

"What's wrong?" Lucia asked her pink themed friend of Gray Raven, Liv looked completely baffled by what she had just found within the storm, the readings were unlike anything she had seen before.

"These readings... They're not Punishing Virus, or Red Tide, and there's no Hetero-Creatures within the storm to confirm it" Liv soon replied.

"You sure the storm isn't also interfering with the scans?" Lee brought to her conclusion, but she shook her head.

"No, the storm may be interfering with our communications to Babylonia, but the scans coming from the drones are giving us feedback, we've already lost a few drones to the storm, but we've got still got a few up" Liv continued with her observation back to her friends. "The drones have also caught something moving within the storm, I can't make it out but I think it's... Two figures".

"Two figures?" Lee shot a look a Liv, then back to the storm ahead.

"I think so, they're hard to see within the mist with thermal on too" Liv nodded.

Lucia looked around her and saw the Purifying Force, and even Cerberus Squad on the field now, before overhearing similar feedback that Liv had given them, from other Constructs.

"The drones have picked up two figures inside the storm".

"They're moving so fast, it's hard to tell if it is two or not".

"The mist is hard to see through, even with thermal".

Before she could even fathom to question anything else, a huge surge of lightning crackled within the storm itself, illuminating with dancing blues. The mist began to unclear just a little, just to see that the observation was correct...

There is two figures... And it seemed like they were fighting.

Each roar of thunder they heard... Wasn't just the thunder in the sky, no...

It was their clashes that also roared out like thunder.

Their clashes shook the entire world all around the Babylonian forces...

"Woah!" Liv yelped out, losing her balance as Lee caught her in time, Lucia steadied herself with her thruster. "Thank you, Lee" Liv blushed a little, having been caught in his arms.

Before any words could be said, the clashes ahead continued, grabbing every Babylonian's attention as the mist settled in again, their figures now seen a little through the fog with blue and purple flashes through the dull space.

The figures looked like creatures, it was an odd shock to the Constructs and Humans, but they weren't Hetero-Creatures, at least they didn't give off any readings.

"Creatures? Liv..."

"They're not giving off Hetero readings... But they're giving off... The same readings that was detected earlier, but more intense" Liv said with a worried tone.

"Is it bad?" Lee questioned.

"Very" she gave him a one worded answer.

"We have to do something then" Lucia stepped past Liv, looking on toward the storm raging ahead of her, with a look of determination.

"Lucia, it's not a good idea. It's not safe" Liv looked at her with concern for her safety. "Until we get communications back up with Babylonia, we should stay here, but it is your call however".

"Liv's right, but it's your call, Lucia. I do think we should stay put, but it's up to you" Lee gave his answer.

Lucia contemplated as she looked onward to the provoking storm, black clouds in isolation ahead of her as she was lost in thought.

"Lucia?"

For a moment... The world around her faded into the background, the mist ahead of her began to clear out strangely, her eyes focused on the two unidentified creatures fighting, one who was purple and the other... Blue.

Both had a pair of wings, clawed hands and feet, blades that looked nothing like she had seen before. Their skin was scaly and vibrant, as their auras bloomed.

It was as if they looked...

Demonic

Her eyes mostly focused on the blue Demonic creature, holding a curved blade that resembled a katana, scaly and blue just like its' skin. Along with the scabbard he held in the left hand, connecting to the forearm.

"RAHHHHHHH!!!" a war-cry of a growl left the blue creature's throat, moving as fast as lightning, towards the target who also rushed toward him.

The sounds of blades clash against one another, sparks fly outwards into the air as the lightning crackles within the sky above, thunder roaring out while their blades locked.

"Is that all you got, Descendant of Sparda?" the purple demonic creature with the voice of a male taunted, as the blue creature scowled, tripping the foe before driving down the blade.

The sword however clashed with the bigger one in the purple demon's hand, and he regained his footing, kicking away the blue demon before transforming his blade into railgun of sorts and took aim. The blue demon acted quickly however, teleporting out of his sight as he fired electricity toward the blue demon's original spot.

"I've got plenty more in the tank!" the blue demon's voice, another male, echoed out, hand clutched in a fist before throwing it to his right, summoning a copy of himself after reappearing a few feet away from his original spot.

"This seems familiar" the opposing demon spoke out, looking at the clone the demon summoned.

"What?!"

"Don't matter, you'll die just the same!".

Their voices echoed in Lucia's ears, however as mysterious these creatures were, her focus was merely still drawn on the blue demon...

'That voice... It sounds... Familiar' she thought to herself. As she looked back to her teammates, after noticing the fog clearing up even more. "Let's stay put. Liv, are you able to run a check on that blue one with the drone?".

"I... I think I can" Liv nodded, getting to work.

"Lee, let's get ready, just in case if we need to stop this".

Lee nodded in silence, standing beside Lucia on standby as Liv continued with her scan, trying to get a good view, but with the blue demon moving so fast, she was finding it hard to keep track of it. Seemed she has to do it slowly then.

the other Babylonia Constructs stood by and waited for further orders still, watching on as the fight between these creatures continued, many still contemplated whether they should just jump in and stop the fighting before anything bad could happen, but from the way it was going? It seemed the blue demon was winning, just the now.

"Argh! I've forgotten how annoying that doppelganger is, you may have his power, but you're not him, that's for sure" the purple demon spat with a distaste in his mouth. "After this ends, I'll be sure to pop in to say hello to your friends, especially that precious one you hope to see again" he taunted further with a cocky attitude, beginning to rush toward the blue demon as he sheathed his demonic katana.

The mere reference to the ones he wished to see again had flashed through his mind, he meant harm to them, but did that mean this demon, who was once human, knew a way to get him back to them? Back to Babylonia?

Back to Gray Raven...

Back to Lucia?

The thought lingered for a moment, until it vanished as the so called 'Descendant of Sparda' stared down his foe as he rushed toward him. His sword now back in the scabbard while he waited for the purple foe to attack first.

Once the demon cleaved his blade down onto the blue devil, he counterattacked using his scabbard, using his strength to knock the blade away before sending a wave of energy with his sword, then rapidly slashed past him as the doppelganger stayed put. The wave of energy hitting the demon, freezing him into place.

He began swinging his blade through the air as the clone copied his moves, eventually up-close to their attacker before the blue demonic creature began rapidly slashing in one spot with his clone doing the same, blue streaks following with their rapid slashes.

"Rah!!" the blue demon yelled out with one powerful slash to finish the combo, sending his foe crashing across the ground as his doppelganger vanished back into him.

"Grrr!" the purple foe growled in anger, getting back up onto his feet with the support of his wings, gripping the sword tightly around his hand as the blue demon gripped his tighter, staring at each other hatefully.

As soon as lightning crackled in the sky, dancing between blue and purple, the two demons rushed at each other again, each yelling war-cries of their own, as a sonic boom went off at the moment blades clashed, sending out a shockwave.

The shockwave travelled out from the area, toward the Babylonians that were spectating them still, unbeknownst to the demons themselves... Or at least one of them.

"You both okay?" Lee checked with Liv and Lucia, as every squad was affected by the wave sent out from the blades clashing, the sounds of sharpened demonic steel loudly clanging together ahead.

"I'm fine" Liv responded, continuing on the scan still. "I wasn't affected as much".

"All functions green" Lucia then replied. "We were definitely ready for that one".

The blades continued clashing, hitting like metal clanging off of each other with sparks bouncing off their blades.

Using his strength, the Descendant of Sparda pushed the bigger blade away from his foe and spun himself around, slashing at the demon's chest, then teleported a few feet back with his katana now sheathed.

"Stay still" he growled, unsheathing and sheathing his blade rapidly, dimensional cuts out of thin air [Judgement Cut], ripping through his foe with an effect of glass being smashed or cut in that note. He drove himself forward, using his wings to gain more speed, driving his blade up to send the demon into the air and himself too, throwing two slashes at him before spinning upwards, sending his foe up before doing three more Judgement Cuts to cut right through the demon in purple.

He pointed his blade up and using his own weight, he drove down the blade once more, making contact with the ground as his foe bounced off of it, eventually halting to a stop once he managed to get a footing, growling in anger and pain from the Blood of Sparda's attack.

A blue sword summoned on his back as many more were being shot out of thin air with his own mind, burrowing into the demon as he shot forward with the summoned sword, driving the blade forward with rapid stabs that left burrowing blades within eventually imploded with crackling energy, sending him across the arena.

Soon enough, the blue demon collapsed to one knee, after almost thirty minutes of fighting originally, now just staring at his foe with a thought to question him.

The mist began to get even more clearer as time went on, the blue demon began noticing where he was at now that he could clearly see ahead of him without all the fog.

He noticed waves of the sea crashing in the distance, the water that did crash onto the platform however, didn't seem to slow him down, nor had it slowed down his foe at all. It was almost like...

Earth's sea...

His back was turned however, oblivious to the fact he's being watched by familiar faces while he was in demon form, along with the purple demon.

"Argh! Perhaps I underestimated you, Descendant of Sparda" the purple demon snarled, regaining his footing again. The blue demon noticed a smirk grew across the demon's face. "Alas... Descendants of Sparda are a surprise to behold, you should be thanking me for telling you the truth about yourself"

"You said you'd pay my friends a visit when you were done with me. How is that even possible? We've been trapped in hell for god knows how long" the blue demon gripped his sword tightly while using his summoned one to support himself

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Liv's eyes seemed to bulge wide upon the scan showing results in front of her view, she had seen these readings before...

The same readings she detected during the Kowloong incident, when Lucia was seriously injured by Alpha.

And from other events after that when he showed genuine anger.

"No... It... It c-can't be" Liv mumbled under her breath, but was heard by both Lucia and Lee.

"What's wrong?" Lee asked concerned.

"The readings have come back... They're... They're similar to the readings I got from Commandant a few times before" Liv responded, shocking both Lee and Lucia.

"Wait, wait... Are you saying...".

"I... Have my ways..." the demon smirked, his eyes catching onto the forces in the distance behind...

"YOU BETTER START TALKING!"

"Is that... Can it be?!" Lucia stepped forward, her hand gripping tighter on the boon, her eyes widening as the blue demon was replaced with a figure...

A human figure.

His hair was long, messy even, like he had been through hell, which he had been literally, now with a fully grown beard and his eyes sparkled blue with his demonic power at ease within him.

"It can't be... Can it?" Lee looked on in shock, not believing his own eyes.

The rest of the Babylonian squads' voices began to get louder the more spoke, each having their own reactions to the reveal that beheld them.

"Is that?!"

"It's... It's the Gray Raven Commandant!!"

"HE'S ALIVE?!! HOLY-"

"He's... He's different from what I remember"

The man, in familiar but ragged clothing, what was power armor from Babylonia, now stripped with some pieces left on his body, he looked like a scavenger from the way he looked. The man turned around slowly, just to see the crowd behind him in the distance with his eyes widening, now showing his face to them all.

He was back on Earth...

And he sees many familiar faces he can make out of from where he stood.

Then his eyes land on his old squad...

The Gray Ravens...

Lee, Liv...

Lucia...

"How... How did-"

"Our fight was a mere attempt to break the physics that bound us, Jak. All the fighting, the pain, the anguish... And all it took... Was us... Together" the demon smirked further. "And now they get to watch. you. DIEEEEE!" the demon lunged himself forward, using the distraction he hoped to use against Jak, who was caught in his own trance of staring right back at the faces he has yearned to see again.

A smile of relief seemed to dawn upon Jak's face, seeing familiar faces again after so long, after suffering in that hellhole that was the Underworld, failing to even notice he was about to get impaled.

"COMMANDANT! BEHIND YOU!!" a blood curling shout broke him out of his trance, the voice of Lucia. His eyes tracked to his side, sensing an incoming blade, crackling with demonic energy.

And his face scowled...

"YOU'RE MINE!!" the demonic creature shouted in victory early, but they always say that karma can come running back, when Jak simply raised his sword in scabbard high, blocking the massive hit as he held the massive sword in place with just the scabbard. "WHAT?!"

He thought back to what he said earlier, the threat he made toward his friends... It now made sense...

The demon knew this would happen, that their fight would break the laws of physics and bring him back, Jak should've seen it sooner.

"About what you said earlier? You'd pay my friends a visit after your done with me. Especially Lucia" Jak's expression changed to that which made the demon almost quiver in fear, showing the same expression to that of his great great grandfather, the one called... Vergil, the Alpha and the Omega.

"I won't let you hurt my friends... Hurt her in any way. NOT WHILE I'M HERE!" The part demon, holding his katana in scabbard in hand, pushed the blade away as he unsheathes his sword, driving his blade up that launched his foe into the air.

He jumped up with him, slashing through him twice before spinning up again like earlier, then performs a Judgement Cut, to keep him up as he teleports back to the ground.

Unsheathing his sword quickly to swipe his blade left, sending out a wave of energy as he clenches his fist.

"This. Is. Power!"

Swinging his arm right, he summons his clone again before dashing past his former ally that is the purple demon.

"At your leisure" he ordered his doppelganger, watching the clone get to work with his various attacks with his sword, following with attacks with the hollowed scabbard before performing rapid slashes, the final blow from the clone sending the demon towards Jak as he summons clawed gauntlets that fitted around his hands like boxing gloves.

A yellow stream of energy erupted from his uppercut, dashing to another side, doing a front flip with the clawed feet of that of Beowulf, leaving behind a yellow trace as he kicked his foe down onto the ground after ending the front flip, then striking the demon with rapid roundhouse kicks until he ascended into the air with two final kicks, teleporting back to the ground.

"Return" he ordered the clone, soon vanishing as his full power now stored within him.

Thunder and lightning intensified all around him, with the strikes landing some feet away from each strike he bestowed upon his former ally.

Jak summoned blades with the thought of his mind as they burrowed into the demon, being enough to juggle him in the air as he drove forward with Mirage Edge, placing his away within himself as he stuck out one finger.

"Let's have some fun".

The demon could barely even see at this point, having been slashed, punched, kicked, stabbed all around his body, then crashed down onto a spinning blade that then launched him into the air.

"This is the power of Sparda!" his devil sword crackled with lightning, his hand over the handle of his sword...

And then the world around him slowed, as it turned black and white, Jak vanished out of thin air as slashes appeared all around the demon he once called 'a friend within the Underworld', now unrecognizable after being corrupted by an unknown entity within the Demon World.

With a thousand cuts within reality around him, Jak suddenly appeared landing on the ground, driving his knee into the platform as he began sheathing his sword.

*Click*

Lightning flashed around him, as the sound of glass shattered, the world around him regained it's dull color as thunder roared in the sky above, hearing many pieces of his foe land on the ground as dared not look, he instead stood up, staring toward the sea in front of his view for just a moment.

'You're now free, Ash' he thought to himself, sighing at the fact he had to put him down, now that the reality had set within him that he was back.

But how? How did this fight that spanned for thirty minutes, across Hell itself, manage to create a way to bring him back to his timeline? Back to Earth itself?

Perhaps the answers are now lost since Ash is dead, he assumed the fight must've been the way to break the physics, or perhaps their energy might've been the case.

He sighed once more, calming his breathing at the sounds of the sea washing over his ears, the thunder and lightning soon coming to a stop as the storm cleared out. He senses a presence approaching him. One individual, ahead of many others.

He turned around just in time to see the one face he expected to see running up to him.

"Commandant!!" cried out a cheerily black and red themed construct, a huge smile dawning on her face with what seemed to be tears in her eyes? Before he could even react or say anything, Lucia had already tackled him, arms clinging onto him like she was about to lose him.

"Lucia..." he mumbled under his breath. He hears her muffled sobs, hearing her mumble his name over and over again, making him swing his arms around her too, making his sword vanish out of sight. "Oh... Lucia" he sighed with relief next, his heart tugging and hurting from the way she sobbed, he hadn't heard her sob before... Not like this.

She never usually gets this emotional, but for this moment? It was reasonable to show this much emotion.

"Jak, Jak, Jak-" she murmured into his shoulder, a water like substance still falling down from her eyes. She was even shaking which was something new.

Her calling his name reminded him of the time she was losing her memories slowly after her fight with Qu in Kowloong, oh how he hadn't fully discovered his demonic heritage right then and there, if he had? There'd be no need for Lucia to sacrifice her own memories, just to save him and Gray Raven, then repeating his name until she blacked out.

He thought he lost Lucia that day, but truth be told?

Lucia was born because of him, she said it herself once or twice.

Even with that memory loss, she slowly regained them back as time went on, her old feelings of him soon came back too, though she hasn't fully told him... Yet.

"I thought... I thought-".

"It's a long story" he politely interrupted, attempting to calm Lucia down, she pulled herself from the hug she orchestrated, looking at him with her own two red pupils, gleaming and glistening from the tears she still had as Jak wiped them away gently.

She felt his touch for the first time in a year, today marked April Fools day, it would be a cruel trick if the person in front of her wasn't the real Jak, but it is him... She knew it was him, just by the look he was giving her.

"Lucia... How long has it been?" he asks her, to which her facial expression saddens.

"It's... Been a year, Jak" she revealed to him, much to his shock.

"A y-year?!" he said with an dumbfounded tone as he looked away for a moment, breaking eye contact. "I'm so sorry... I'm... So sorry".

"You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault" Lucia gave him a comforting smile, cupping his cheek for a moment. She was about to say something else but decided not to, and save it for later. "We have all the time to catch up once you're back on Babylonia and caught up with everything you've missed".

"Commandant!" another voice shouted for him, this time it was Liv, who arrived with Lee and some other Constructs.

Jak broke away from Lucia for a moment, only for Liv to tackle Jak with a hug, just like Lucia did, but hers was softer, gentler.

"Oh, please don't tell me you're gonna have the waterworks too?" he joked lightheartedly with a chuckle, wrapping his arms around Liv next as she shook a little.

"Look who it is! Jak is back! And looking very... Eh..." Kamui greeted the now returning Gray Raven Commandant, looking him up and down as his hug with Liv continued. "Different".

"That's what being in the Underworld for... God knows how long, does to you, as a Non-Construct" Jak put it bluntly. "it's good to see all of you again".

"Likewise, I... I wasn't expecting you" Lee approached as Liv broke the hug for Jak to move freely, standing beside Lucia.

"Keeping the beard? I think it suits you" Bianca said from the back, a smile dawning her which Jak flashed a smile back as he dragged a hand through his facial hair.

"Thanks, but I'm shaving this off when I get back to Babylonia. Gonna need to get a hair cut too, this is too long for me" he pulled the part of his hair that was long.

"Hmm, I think it looks nice longer" Lucia gently touched his hair.

"You think so?" Jak asks, Lucia nods.

"Is no one going to ask the obvious?" Lee speaks up as they all looked at him. "Commandant mentioned being in this Underworld, no one's gonna bat an eye to that?"

"Yeah, it's... A long story, pretty scarred from it, but I'll do my best to explain all the details". Jak responded as held his chest for a mere moment. "Aren't you gonna give me a hug or something? Lucia and Liv have already done it".

"No" Lee said bluntly.

"C'mon! You know you want to! Come here, you!" Jak began approaching Lee with his arms wide open as Lee froze, unsure of what to even do in this situation. "Come give me a hug!"

"Wait, Commandant-"

"Ahh" Jak sighed, bringing in Lee for a big bro hug, everyone seemed to be amused by this, Lee was always a little awkward showing this type of affection and it can be seen on his face. "Nothing wrong with giving a bro a hug, huh?".

"..." Lee said nothing, showing a deadpanned look before he softened his look. "Okay, it's Jak alright..." he seemed convinced it was the real Jak he was speaking to, before he frowned. "You can stop now"

"Group hug!!" Kamui declared, going in for the hug.

"Wait, no, no-ugh, great" Lee rolled his eyes, feeling the hug getting tighter with Kamui in the fray.

Sooner or later, Lucia and Liv joined in, feeling the warmth of the group hug.

"Captain! Bianca! Wanna join in?!" Kamui shouted them over.

"I'm all good" Chrome replied. "I'm just glad to see you alive, Commandant" he smiled, with Jak giving a thumbs up from the pile.

"Hmm, sure" Bianca approached and hugged from behind, all surrounding the returning Commandant.

"Ahh... I missed you all" Jak mumbled under his breath, smile getting bigger as time goes on.

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Babylonia - Gray Raven Dormitory 18:28pm Present Day

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Jak now sat within the Dormitory that belonged to the Gray Ravens and to himself, the Dorm seemed to be the same from what he remembered, but there was some new additions to it now since he'd last been in.

"Place looks a little different but most of it still looks the same... Ah, home sweet home" he crashed onto the couch he sat on, sighing with relief. "God, that was a headache"

"Do you need some ice for that headache?" Liv overheard what he had said to himself, peeping around the corner of the kitchen.

"Figure of speech, Liv. I'm okay" he chuckled at her innocence, Liv smiled and turned back around the corner, leaving him alone in the other room.

He had previously returned from speaking with President Hassan, Commander Nikola and some other officials to discuss his unexpected return of all times after a year has gone by.

He tried to the best of his ability, to discuss what he had gone through in the past year, the absolute torture and hell he went through, so much, he thought he had actually died and the torture was his punishment for some reason, but he eventually found out he didn't die in the sudden ambush.

The group he was with were also there in the Underworld with him...

But they didn't make it unfortunately, they all died eventually, either from the Underworld's harsh environments or from the demonic creatures that roamed within.

He also had to show the uncomfortable scar left on his chest, which was the pinnacle to unlocking his demonic heritage.

The Council deemed that this information should be kept from the records, to prevent any panic that there is another threat out there other than the Hetero-Creatures and the Punishing Virus.

Jak reassured them that there is no need, since he had awakened, what he called a Devil Trigger and Sin Devil Trigger which he had used against Ash, he could deal with any demonic threats if they ever show up.

As much as the Council were dually concerned about this... Demon power of his also, he was to be trusted, and he is the Top-Gun of the F.O.S.

President Hassan had pulled Jak to the side after the meeting ended to discuss his future with Gray Raven, since they hadn't had a Commandant since his disappearance. He offered to give him a few months break before he could go back out onto the field with the Ravens, to ease him back into Babylonia again since it had been a year and he seemed to need the break judging from all the details he gave them about his time in the unknown Underworld, with the only info they had was old history of Earth that was half-missing from the database.

But Jak declined, wanting to get back out onto the field as quickly as possible whenever they were needed with him leading the Ravens again, to which Hassan wasn't too surprised. He allowed it nonetheless.

Not only that, Jak had already explained to the Constructs that were with him on the way back to Babylonia his experience in Hell itself, he was given comfort and hugs all around, though mostly from the female Constructs, it was the consolation he really needed.

He had caught up with all the events he needed to know, especially with what happened after his appearance.

Clones were made of him which eventually died, Vonnegut was still out there continuing with whatever plans he had in mind and the Ascendant Lamia apparently had been given a new frame which was a surprise, if she wasn't as deadly already.

But foremost, he missed a lot of fun events, even though they weren't the same without him.

And now that he's back? His presence seems to have uplifted everyone's spirits again, especially Lucia's. It was heartbreaking to hear what she went through upon his disappearance.

Jak sighed once more before his eyes caught onto Lee, who seemed to be reading a report from the tablet.

"What you reading?" Jak grabbed Lee's attention.

"Just the recent report from our last mission, the one where we reunited together" his eyes were dragged away from the screen for a moment to look at his Commandant. "Expected me to read one of those poems of yours?" he then asks as Jak chuckles at Lee's question.

"Ha! I know it's not your type of thing to read. But you did show interest when I read one to Lucia and Liv once" he smiled.

"Because I was in the same room that time" Lee deadpanned. "But... It would be nice to hear one of them again" he softened up with a smile.

"Oh really? Sure, I can get the book, if I can find it. Have I ever told you the book actually belonged to my great great grandfather?" he sat up, dusting off his trousers he had recently put on, replacing his ragged clothing and broken armor pieces.

"You never mentioned having a great great grandfather before" Lee noticed this new detail about him as Jak smiled in response.

"Well, I learned about my family's history when I was in hell, back before uh..." he paused for a moment after standing up. "Ash turned and showed his true colors" he continued to the bookshelf that was new to the Dorm, he wondered where his books were since Lucia had held onto them since his disappearance, they had all been placed there since his return.

"Ash, you speak of him like you owed him something" Lee brought up.

"Yeah, I owed him a lot. He saved my life, and he was the reason I know about my family now, my actual family. My father mysteriously vanished, he was a Demon Hunter, my mom died from the Punishing Virus, and I was an orphan until I was adopted, you already know the orphan part" he continued, his eyes scanning through the books placed within the shelf. "By Sparda, how many books is there? Not all of these are mine" he brought to Lee's attention.

"Ever since you vanished, Lucia had been reading most of the poets you mentioned in your diary, she picked them up with what Black Cards we had, they were cheap surprisingly" Lee responded.

"Huh, I see" he smiled warmly at this gesture, but he felt really guilty about his disappearance, leaving her and everyone behind all of a sudden, even though he had no control over the situation. "I feel guilty about it, leaving all of you behind...".

"If you continue to feel bad, then I suggest you don't, that'll just upset Lucia" Lee noticed the look on his face from where he sat.

"Yeah, you're right" his eyes finally set on the book he was looking for, the one with the V on the front and back, the book that had stuck with him since the day he was born. "There we are, found it" he brought it out and looked at it, smiling to himself as he noticed Liv peek around the corner of the kitchen.

"Jak, can you come to the kitchen for a moment?" Liv asked from the corner, as he peeked around himself, noticing Lucia at the pot, cooking something as his expression dropped.

'Oh in Sparda's name... No' he thought to himself, is this how he was really going to die? 'Lucia and cooking don't mix well'

"Don't worry, she's gotten better" Liv whispered, making sure Lucia couldn't hear her.

"?" he gave her a questionable look as he looked at Lee next, he shrugged however.

"To be fair, she hasn't done it in a while".

"That's why I'm helping her" Liv said quietly around the corner, as Jak focused on Lucia mixing the pot of what seemed to be soup.

However the smell seemed...

Familiar...

"What a minute, why does that smell... Familiar?" his curiosity got the better of him as he then walks into the kitchen, approaching the cooker.

Lucia seems to be humming to herself before taking notice of Jak now standing beside her.

"Oh! Jak! I didn't see you there" Lucia jolted a little in surprise, seeing Liv joining up beside him also.

"I asked him to come over, to give the soup a taste test" she gleamed as Jak kept his eyes on Lucia.

"The smell seems familiar too, I could smell it from the other room" he felt a little sense of nostalgia just smelling the soup up close. "You mind?" he said with a cooed tone and a smile. Lucia seemed to smile at this and nodded.

Grabbing a nearby spoon, Jak proceeded to get a bit of the thick and creamy liquid onto the spoon and put it to his mouth, taking in the substance as his eyes bulged wide open.

Lucia seemed to show a little worry at this moment, knowing her previous attempts at cooking, ended up with him in the Star of Life, but a satisfied hum.

"Lucia, this is... Amazing!" he gleefully informed her.

"Oh? Th-Thank you, Jak" Lucia seemed to blush at this compliment.

"I know this taste anywhere, my adopted mom used to make this when I was young, how did you replicate the taste?" he asks as Liv scoots over to drag and show him the book on the table, reading the recipe to the particular soup. "Wait... Is this my mom's recipe book??"

"Lucia found this book months after you... Vanished" Liv informed him as Lucia smiled at his shocked expression. "We found a stash within City-078, within a desolated building we assumed was being used by scavengers, and Lucia found this within one of the stashes tucked away and hidden" Liv remembered it clear as day, that was one of the days Lucia had broken down in tears over finding the book and his belongings that his adopted mother kept.

An incident once occurred that scavengers somehow managed to board a Babylonian craft and raided resident's businesses and homes for supplies, and Jak's adopted mother ended up being the victim, they stole a lot of properties, including the book. Either for information or whatever needs they needed this book for, it still didn't make sense as to why they'd want a book that has recipes.

"So that's why I noticed some old belongings in my office" he took note of this and looked directly at Lucia, who smiled at him. "I..." he had no words, his actions would speak louder than words however as he brought Lucia into a hug, taking her by surprise.

'God, I love her' he said in his head, a huge smile appearing on his face.

"Thank you" he cooed in Lucia's ear.

Heat rose up on Lucia's face, as a smile appeared. She accepted the hug without question. "Liv helped out with the process of making the soup. I'm glad you like it" she gleamed as Liv smiled with the hug between Commandant and Construct broke apart.

"Liv, would you mind?" Lucia then asked Liv unexpectedly to Jak's attention, as the support of Gray Raven realized what Lucia meant.

"Oh, yes. Jak, I'll let you take over on helping Lucia. I'll be in the other room if you need me" she smiled at the both. "Good luck, Lucia" she nodded at Lucia before taking her leave, which made Jak question what that was about.

"Uh... Lucia?" he turned to face her, but found her looking at his own two feet, with a shy looking smile. "Is... Is there something you wanna tell me?" he read the expression on her face like a book, she had something to say, but words couldn't leave her at this moment. "Lucia?" Jak stepped forward, gaining her attention away from the floor and up to him, her red glistening eyes staring back at him now.

"I've... I've rehearsed this scene so many times, knowing that some words need to be said out loud. But I've been so afraid to even say them to your face" she began as her cheeks flushed upon reading the expression on his face, the soft look on his made her chest feel heavy, not the bad feeling of it... But rather...

The good part, the feeling of butterflies, she wasn't exactly human, but her M.I.N.D. stimulated the feeling.

This was something she hasn't exactly felt in so long.

"When you vanished a year ago, I thought I'd never see you again, all these... Feelings I had for you, I thought I wasted not saying to you before, and the vow I made, the vow to stick by your side as your wings and blade, was thrown out of the window when you disappeared. I kept your books and belongings, because it always reminded me of you, and even when Babylonia stopped the investigation to finding you, I never gave up, no matter how many times I wavered. Gray Raven never gave up on the search for you" she looked toward the pot of soup that bubbled, she went ahead to stir the soup before putting down the spoon, making eye contact with her beloved Commandant again as he stood there... Speechless.

Lucia glanced at the look on his face, the face she yearned to see for so long, and now having him returned to her, the world around her seemed to fade into the background as her eyes glanced to his, the perfect blue irises that sparkled like electricity. She read the expression on his face, noticing a smile beginning to appear on his lips.

"I understand if you don't want to say anything if you feel pressured, I just wanted you to know that I... I Lucia, was born because of you, and that my feelings for you... Have always bloomed like the Lotus, and it's took me a while to figure it all out. The way you make me feel, the way your presence brightens me up, the smile you give me, the Froggie merchandise you gift me, it warms my heart... You... Warm my heart" she blushed, taking a glance away from him to look at the boon she wore on her chest before noticing him stepping up to her closely. Her gaze focused back on him as her eyes sparkled. "After all we've been through, no matter what is thrown in our way, no matter how many obstacles keep us apart, we always find a way back to each other" she stepped closer to him also, ignoring the bubbling soup as the world faded around her, and only Jak was in her view. "Commandant... Jak..." she paused as a smile appeared on her face.

"You don't need to say it" Jak broke his vow of silence, his smile growing bigger as his hand unconsciously lands on her cheek, feeling the soft tissue of skin in the palm of his hand. He seemed to slowly lean in, his eyes fluttering slightly.

But so did Lucia's.

Heat rose up in both their faces as their faces drew near, a smile bright as the sunshine on an early summer morning, on both their faces. Lucia placed her hand on the back of his neck as her other rested on his hip,

As soon as they made contact...

An imaginary scene of fireworks blasted off into the air and imploded with crackles and colors, the feeling Lucia's M.I.N.D. stimulated as she seemed to give out a little moan as their kiss deepened. The kiss was so vibrant and soft, electricity, butterflies, weakness was what dominated Jak as his lips were in sync with hers, the world blurring around him too.

This feeling?

It felt...

Right.

This feeling of his lips in sync with hers, was a fluttering feeling, it felt amazing, fiery, out of this world.

His free hand rested on Lucia's hip as her arms wrapped around his figure, their lips in sync smacking off each other, eyes closed, the feeling of butterflies and joy stimulating both of them in this one special moment.

However, Lucia was a Construct, she had no need for air.

Jak on the other hand? He was human, albeit part demon, he needed air to breathe.

The air in his lungs began to give out and he tapped Lucia a few times gently, to break the kiss, allowing him to breathe. He huffed and puffed gently as their foreheads connected. Lucia really took his breath away right then and there, but the air came back to his lungs after taking a few breaths.

A blushing smile appeared on her face as a giggle escaped her.

Jak opened his eyes to meet hers as he separated his forehead from hers, but kept his face close. "You may be my wings and blade. But... I am your Storm" he smiled. "Always will be".

"Let that be our vow then" Lucia kept her smile. "No matter what the future holds, I'll be forever standing by your side. Love will guide our way" she leaned in to kiss him again, wanting to at least continue but her attention drew to the bubbling soup, ruining the moment. "Ah! The soup!" she panicked, breaking away from Jak to check the soup that bubbled to the point it began to spill a little.

Jak when in to help, getting a cloth to wipe down the cooker as Lucia stirred the bubbling soup in the pot.

"I got distracted, I'm so sorry".

"Hey, don't be. Soup looks okay, it seems to be ready" Jak placed a hand on her shoulder, offering a smile and even a couple of headpats, making her smile.

"The soup isn't burned, that's good" Lucia sighed with relief, acknowledging his words.

Jak hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. "You did good" he cooed before kissing her cheek, now comfortable to give her kisses which resulted in her cheeks turning red.

"It was mainly Liv helping out, but if you think so, that makes me happy" she smiled.

"Ahh, I can't wait to have all of it" he said licking his lips while looking down at it.

"It's not just for you, Jak" Lucia seemed to giggle at his comment, stirring the soup a little more before setting down the spoon. "I'm going to offer some to Liv and Lee".

"How very thoughtful of you" he praised her, chuckling softly in her ear. "I might as well read one of my poems while we eat too, since I'm back and all" he continued.

"That'd be very nice. I'm always happy to hear you read" she smiled brightly before a thought crossed her mind. "Jak".

"Yes?" he responded, now unwrapping his arms from her to allow her to dish out the soup.

"Would it be okay if... I could stay with you tonight?" she asked, a blush rising in her cheeks.

"Yeah, I'd like the company" he cooed, smiling in her direction. "I'll help with dishing out the soup, tell Liv and Lee"...

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Fin...

Different thing on here for a change, check out my Wattpad for further details

Word Count: 8416