With Somebody Who Loves Me - Prologue
"Tokishima… Tokishima Haruto… Wake up! Pino, is there anything we can do?"
"Mn… There is a way of saving Haruto. Pino isn't sure if you would like it."
Time was of the essence for L-Elf. With each passing moment that Haruto was no longer breathing, it would be harder to bring Haruto back to life. Whatever Pino was about to suggest, it still beats Haruto being unconscious.
Pino had suggested putting Plue's remaining runes into Haruto. While it might be a gamble, it seems like a plausible idea. Pino had warned L-Elf that the runes from Plue might have some strange side effects and Pino could not be certain of how long Plue's rune will last in Haruto's body. Despite the fair warning, it didn't matter to L-Elf so long as he would see Haruto again.
A soft green glow exited the screen and directed towards Haruto. In an instant, Haruto's body was radiating with the same glow before it faded into stillness. L-Elf was impatiently waiting for any signs of life from his friend. As minutes passed, L-Elf was on the verge of giving up.
"Yo..You, it's yo-you ag-again. Wh-Who are yo-you ag-again?"
"Tokshima! Tokshima Haruto! It's me, L-Elf. No, it's me Michael. I'm your friend!"
L-Elf was now in a frantic trying to figure out the next course of action. In no circumstances, L-Elf wishes to put Haruto back into that leather seat again. All he could do was to reach out to Carmilla in hopes of bringing them back to M77, or what was left of it.
In a swift motion, L-Elf had gotten Haruto into a makeshift medical bay. With the help of the professor, Haruto was given intensive care based on the knowledge they had figured out about the Homo Sapiens Novus thus far.
"His vitals are stable. Why not you take a break and I'll keep Haruto company,"
As much as it pains L-Elf to leave his friend alone, L-Elf knew that the professor was right. L-Elf could have used this time to freshen up while waiting for his friend to regain his consciousness. As he returned back to their shared quarters, L-Elf began stimulating different scenarios as to welcome his friend back.
"A-A-Drei!"
"Tell me, L-Elf, what is so special about that Unit 01 pilot?"
In the midst of chaos, A-Drei wanted to amend his friendship with L-Elf only to found out that A-Drei's existence had been replaced by Haruto. There was a long pause between the two. L-Elf refusing to volunteer any information and A-Drei hoping that he would get a form of closure at any moment. L-Elf had picked up a set of clean clothes before leaving the quarters completely ignoring A-Drei's question.
A-Drei let out a disappointed sigh as he knew that deep inside, he had just lost his childhood friend to an artificial lifeform.