The Birth of Evil? The Elemental Vanguard Fully Assembled.

The master and Haruhi appeared in a room with a long, rectangular table in it. It had an expensive looking chandeler over the table. The room was decorated with a eleborate, red a black carpet, and various paintings littered the walls of the room. At the table sat 6 other people. 2 sat one on the long sides, 3 sat on the other long end, and one sat on one of the short ends. There all had garments of various colors; although each of their respective garments consisted of one main color, with some variations and designs on the clothes: The Blue, Brown, Red, Green, and Black wearing people sat at the long ends. The one with the Gold clothes sat at the one end. Two empty chairs were next to the table; one at the other short end, and one at the long end near the Red and Green dressed people. The Master made his way to the seat at the short end of the table.

"Haruhi, take your seat next to Axis and Lucy please." He turned to other members of the Elemental Vanguard.

"Please excuse what our guest is wearing. She hasn't had an opportunity to change into something more sutable, and I wanted to get this meeting underway. This is the first meeting of the Vanguard after all." The members reacted differenly; The Gold one glanced at Haruhi for a moment, then turned his attention back to The Master. The Black one completely disreguarded Haruhi and just stared at the far wall, his face hidden behind a black demon mask. The blue dressed person, an old man, eyed Haruhi up and down, and grinned at her before turning his attention to The Master as well. The Brown-dressed member offered a soft, friendly smile at Haruhi, and then he stared down at the table. Axis, the one in red, just stared at her. Every part of his face but his eyes were hidden by what appeared by cloths that made him look like a red ninja. Lucy, the green one, took one look at Haruhi, shook her head, and muttered something about "inappropriate conduct."

She could feel their eyes boring into her...she could feel their disdain for her. But it was nothing she wasn't used to and she nodded slightly, taking her designated seat without a word. She still had the card in her hand, but she kept it in her palm, making sure not to bend it, but keeping it hidden. She sat straight and tall, as she had been disciplined to do in the military.

She made a mental note of every person in the room and how they had responded to her presence. She would definitely be sure to avoid any unnecessary contact with these other immortal Vanguards. To cross one could mean a confrontation. However, she was prepared to fight them off....all of them if she had to. She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind and looked towards the Master, awaiting his words.

The Master spoke up.

"Alright, let me go over the bases. You all are the highest ranking humans of Nexus. You are allowed to take any amount of subordinates who are ranked lower then you to for your own squads, if you wish. You can look at potential candidates on these." The Master made a motion with his hand. A strange white material appeared in front of each of the Vanguard members. It shifted and began to take a solid shape. Eventually they became a bunch of devices with a screen, a keypad, and a speaker.

"These devices work as a phone, can access the "internet" as people call it, and can access Nexus's database. You can give it voice commands, like ask it to give you a list of eligible candidates for your squads. And of course, you can do all of this anywhere; even if places where phones and internet wouldn't normally work. It's interesting how things have changed over the long years. I remember when people used to use horses to deliver mail." He paused for a moment.

"Now then, the moment at hand is to discuss your main missions. The subdivision of Nexus in this world, POD, is taking care of most of the tasks in this world, including getting it ready for purification. The world as it is right now is on a path to destruction; our main mission is to maintain balance and order. However, Axis and our newest member, Haruhi, will remain here to help P.O.D.'s efforts. Axis, we trust that your mission is going smoothly." The guy in the red clothes with elaborate blue and gold patterns and shapes and a yellow symbol that looked Japanese in origin on it nodded. He grinned from behind his face-cover.

"Of course master. There's only one real obstacle left. Soon the current government will dissolve, and Japan will be under complete imperial rule again. With me as the ruler, of course." He chuckled.

"Yes, congratulations on your recent accomplishments. The empire will be the mightiest that the Earth has ever seen. Axis, it is imperative that you and Haruhi get along, since you may have to partner up with her. We don't want any disputes between any of my members." Axis shifted slightly in his seat.

"Yes sir, there won't be any problems whatsoever." Axis looked at Haruhi like was looking at a specimen that he had caught.

"Lucy, Regulus, your mission is to go to the world of Ar goll Byd and found a Nexus sub-divison there. That world is full of corruption; the pollution is unbearable, huge corporation rule the world and control everything and fight for limited resources. They ban public dueling to increase their profits during public events that allow you to duel, and it's gotten so bad that many people have resorted to underground dueling. You are to go there and try to salvage the situation." Lucy nodded and Regulus (the blue one) frowned, but didn't say anything.

"Terran, you are to enter the upcoming tournament in this world tomorrow to fill in for the elite POD member that got defeated today. We're afraid that she isn't going to be able to duel in her current condition. After you are done with the tournament, you are to go to Ar goll Byd and provide back-up for Lucy and Regulus." Terran (the brown one) looked down at the floor, looking really nervous.

"I'l..l do my best s..sir...." He stammered out. The man in Gold chuckled but didn't say anything else. The master turned to him.

"Deiter, as much as we would like to know what the joke is, we have more important issues to dwell on. I was originally going to send you and Terran to Sacrare Terra since the situation there had become critical. However it seems like that world is not on the path to major peace thanks to some strong duelists in that world. Most notably people like Zeon and Ishvaarah, along with a few others. We need to keep an eye on those duelists; they may present a problem with their skills should they ever decide we're their enemy. Zeon in particular since he obtained immortality. I have sent an agent over to that world to gain info on the Envoys of God, the divine-cards of that world, as well as to make certain that things will remain stable.Powerful cards like those really interest me. If the situation becomes unstable again, go over there and make sure the world doesn't destroy itself." Deiter grinned.

"If you sent me over there right now we could have that world in balanced within two days. It would be easy to defeat all the people there who are causing trouble there." The Master sighed.

"We know that you are the best human duelist in Nexus, Deiter. Although your services probably won't be even required. Valor is a good duelist in his own right; he'll take care of things in that world. You can just overlook things and perform your regular duties until I need you. You do have a lot of responsibilities as leader of the Elemental Vanguard." Deiter sat back in his chair; his arrogant grin still on his face.

"I know, I know. I'll take care of anything you ask of me. I never fail at anything." The Master turned to Haruhi.

"As for you, since you're the newest member, your job is to provide support to POD and the other members of the Vanguard that will be stationed in this world. You can either partner up with Axis or Terran; one of them show you the ropes and help you get the hang of things. You can stay at one of their places for shelter, and we'll take care of any expenses you need for food and other necessities you require. We'll supply you with some normal clothes, as well as the ceremonial robes that the Elemental Vanguard wear on duty. You can wander around the city if you wish; just make sure to keep in contact every once in awhile. Everyone but Axis and Terran is dismissed. Haruhi, pick which one you're going to partner up with." The other members of the Vanguard left the room through two huge oak doors, except for Axis and Terra, both of whom sat at their places at the table, looking at Haruhi. Terra smiled softly at her again, while Axis just stared at her.

At least things weren't completely different from what she was used to back home. This was more like one of the many military briefings she'd participated in...though it was odd to be treated as the newbie. Of course, she understood that she was new to being a "Vanguard" as the "Master" called this group of supposed elites. She also understood that it would take a while to gain respect in the eyes of her comrades. But she was also determined to become the best...making it back to her war at home was her top priority.

Saving her family was just a bonus at this point in time.

Haruhi looked at the two Vanguard members looking at her. She had to make a decision as to who she was going to be training with. The one named Terran looked as if he wanted to make friends with her. That might have been appealing to anyone else...but she was not in the mood to make friends. She looked into the eyes of the one named Axis. This one looked serious, but she sensed potential trouble emmanating from him. The way he looked at her...it almost sent chills up her spine. Almost.

"I think for now, I will work with Axis." Haruhi began. "You mentioned we needed to learn to get along, so I better start now." She sent a threatening look in the red-robed duelist's direction. "I don't want him or his obvious dislike of me getting in my way when the time comes for me to destroy my enemies." She secretly hoped for a reaction out of Axis, who couldn't seem to take his beady little eyes off her...though she did not expect one. Not now at least.

She turned to face the Master. "When do I get a D-Fighter? I think mine was damaged in that explosion." The thought of having gone back in time returned to her and her eyes narrowed slightly. "You...DO have D-Fighters....don't you?"

The Master shook his head. Terran looked down at the floor while Axis stared at her with incredulity. Apparently he had never heard of "D-Fights"

"Haruhi, in this time period the best that the human race has is a bunch of chemical rockets that have only gotten them as far as the moon in terms of space travel. The invaders who attacked Earth in the future aren't that much ahead either; they've managed to get to the second planet in their solar system with slightly more advanced technology, but their weapons are not that much above Earths at the moment. We do not have D-Fighters, but then again, neither do your enemies. The closest thing we've got to that practice are D-Wheels, which are motorcycles that activate the field spell "speed world" that only allows you to activate Speed Spells, and you need counters to activate most of them, similar to your D-Fighter fights. We'll supply you with new cards if you don't have enough regular or speed spells, and we'll give you a good D-Wheel if you so wish." Something beeped from a pocket in the masters cloak. He pulled out a PDA and pressed a button, moving away to the far end of the room. Snippets of his conversation could be heard.

"What do you mean you won't be able to show up there? Your new deck can't be made until after the tournament? But you're already..... your old deck should..... Fine, don't go. I'll have someone fill in for you." The master walked back towards the 3 Vanguard members, muttering incoherent words.

"It seems like POD's rank 7 won't be showing up at the tournament due to some complications. Axis is going to be busy with his mission, so Haruhi you will have to fill in for him. The tournament will be tomorrow. This tournament is going to be a big thing; XYZ monsters haven't been released yet, and the main prize for the tournament is a deck that utilizes XYZ monsters, along with the title of champion. Basically, this promotion will make this the biggest and most important tournament held on this world to date. If you need new cards let me know, also here." Some more of the strange material appeared in The Master's hands, and took shape into a white robe, with a picture of a dragon head with a face of light blue, dark blue head plate, and a spot on the end of the head plate. The design was on the front and the back of the elaborate robes. He handed them to Haruhi.

"Wear these when you're on official business, at our meetings, and to other special events concerning our organization. I believe one of those is coming up in a couple of days. Axis here is getting married soon. You can borrow some clothes of hers for formal wear in public places; I'm sure the betrothed of Axis wouldn't mind it if a friend of his borrowed some of her clothing." The master chuckled at this, and Axis grinned from behind his mask; clearly this was an joke shared between the two of them.

"No, she wouldn't mind, I'm sure of it." Axis then stared at Haruhi again after he said this.


"Very well, all of you are dismissed." The master disappeared, leaving the 3 Elemental Vanguard members alone in the room.

"Well then, shall we get going, Haruhi? I suppose I better take you to my living quarters. We should get going as fast as we can. It's quite the distance away." Axis moved towards the Oak doors. Terran caught Haruhi's eyes, and mouthed "Be careful around him."

Haruhi could not believe how....primitive Earth was this far back in time. With all the advances in technology they'd found just in her own time, she'd have thought there would be more to her history. "I want a D-Wheel, if that's the best I can get. I want control over its modifications, though. I'm also going to need a good set of these 'Speed Spells'....they cant be any different from the cards I'm used to using." She frowned as she discovered her first assignment was going to be a tournament. Filling in for an incompetent suboordinate was not her idea of ranking up. Nevertheless, she nodded in agreement. She would fight as needed.

She knew of the XYZ monsters....and she wondered what would happen if she used hers. She doubted anyone had ever seen the cards she ran in her deck. She would have an edge on her opponents. She wondered how much time she'd have to modify her D-Wheel for the tournament...with any luck, she'd have an edge with that as well.

She accepted the robes that the Master had materialized....they weren't that bad looking, though they felt a little too religious-like for her tastes. She frowned again, however, when the Master began talking of attending a wedding. She wanted to object, but didn't get the chance. She never even caught the hint of a supposed joke. The Master was already leaving, leaving her alone with the othe two Vanguard.

Haruhi nodded as Axis requested that they get going and she immediately began to follow him. She caught Terran's eyes and watched as he mouthed a few words of warning. It seemed she had definitely made the dangerous choice. She nodded and blinked once, signing she understood and mentally thanking him for the warning. She was even more certain that she was right in seeing the potential trouble in Axis...now she just needed to see just what kind of trouble he would give her. The idea of being alone with him in his living quarters now seemed like a very bad idea.

But she was ready to face anything. If he tried anything, she had her own training and methods to deal with whatever he threw her way.

Axis opened the Oak doors and waited for Haruhi. When she got there, they went through the hallway that was covered with dim light bulbs on sticks, lighting the way through the hallway. The path branch off into several areas; first they went down a right path, the an left path, then left again.

"The wedding is more then it seems. It's really important that it happens; I know quite a few people who would benefit from it not happening. You're basically going to act as a guard there in case someone makes a move there. If this goes through after all, I'll be the ruler of Japan. Don't screw this up for me; this is going to be my world." They reached an elevator and entered. The elevator went up. It opened up on what a appeared to be a small airfield that wasn't too far off from a loading dock. A a few large buildings loomed behind them. A bell off in the distance rang, and a large group of people came out of the various buildings and heading off towards various destinations. on what appeared to be an island. A helicopter was active on the runway, awaiting people to get on it. Axis moved towards it.

"Come on Haruhi." Axis climbed into the helicopter and awaited Haruhi to do the same.

"Whatever you say." Haruhi followed Axis outside, her body tense as she surveyed her surroundings. This world....it was so different from the one she'd grown up in...it felt so alien to her. SHE felt like an alien here. "But when i get back to my time, I better not find out you screwed things up...I might get a little upset about that." She smirked slightly. Obviously, she wouldn't really be able to do anything about it if he did screw her world up with his reign...unless of course he was still alive then. If he was immortal like she supposedly was...that could be possible.

They reached an airfield with a small runway. On the runway rested a strange machine with spinning blades on both its back and tail. Intrigued, Haruhi stepped forward, fighting against the wind the blades were causing. "What is this machine called?" she asked Axis. It was nothing like the sleek hoverpads and cars she was used to riding...not even the military's load transporter was near as primitive as this. "What do you guys use for fuel for your vehicles anyways?" She got on the helicopter and waited for Axis to join her.

Axis got on to the helicopter, and someone closed the door behind him, the wind instantly dying down and the sound of the helicopter blades spinning became a duel roar.

" It's called a helicopter, and this particular one runs on gasoline I believe. A lot of things these days run on that. Don't you have any history classes in the future? Or assuming you had them, did you sleep through them like a lot of people do? That's what I did when I was younger." The helicopter began to take off.

Haruhi shook her head, inwardly laughing at him for his ignorance of the things of the future. “You wouldn’t understand. And I see no need to explain my story to you.” She looked outside the vehicle and watched as the earth moved beneath them. This was nothing like flying in a D-Fighter or even a military personnel transport (MPT). It was boring. She was secretly happy that she had been born in a time of such advanced technology.

Ironic that she would have to travel BACK in time to this period of primitive weaponry and machines in order to save her much more advanced world.

Axis looked puzzled, but then just decided to let it go.

"Suit yourself. Now then, let's go. My home awaits." And with that, the helicopter took off and went off towards it's destination. (End topic. I'm making a new topic to continue it.)