NOTE: As this is a different take on the Innocent Sister event, the following may contain spoilers from Senki Zesshou Symphogear X-Drive Unlimited.


"Maria, you've had too much!" Tsubasa scolds as she rips the bottle out of my hands. "You still need your liver for the next eighty years."

I lazily reach towards her, with only a soft groan in protest as she returns the bottle to my hidden liquor cabinet. Unable to pull her back, I grab my pillow and hurl it at Tsubasa.

"Stupid sword fanatic... Ruining my morning... Leave me alone, damn it," I curse. But I didn't mean it.

Maria Cadenzavna Eve, international superstar, former terrorist, savior of the world, and alcoholic.

That's me.

"What would the girls think if they saw you like this? It'll be a shock, I'm sure."

"You're right. Tell them I'm sick," I mutter as I dive back under my blankets, "Ah, scratch that. It won't work."

Tsubasa's expression softens.

"Was it that dream again?"

From the corner of my eyes, I see my reflection from the dressing table. Behind the curtain of dishevelled hair, a pair of hallowed eyes stares back at me.

"You know it."

"How do you feel?" Tsubasa asks as she hands me back my pillow.

Holding the pillow like a child hugging their stuffed animal, I whisper, "I want to die."

"Take it easy, Maria. Not many people can do what you do," As gently as she can with her calloused hands, she tucks me into bed. "I'll have Ogawa tell them that you won't make it to the recording session today."

After making sure the liquor cabinet was locked up and out of sight, Tsubasa leaves my apartment.

Alone once more, those thoughts return to haunt me again.

I'll never forget when she told me, in the bravest voice she could muster, that she would stop the Nephilim. The look of relief on her face when she realized I was safe after the monster fell. Her frail body, weakened from the fight, standing proud as the building collapsed around her.

There was more. Perhaps I never actually saw some of these things. Maybe they were created by the darkest parts of my imagination, but the dream did not end there.

I saw her little hand, mangled and bloody, sticking out from the rubble, as if reaching out for something. I remember Mum's anguished cries as the workers tried to pry her free of the slab that crushed her. Worst of all, I remember digging through the rubble with my bare hands until my fingers bled. Pushing away the debris until I found a little body, bloodied beyond recognition.

Serena Cadenzavna Eve.

I hate all of it. I hate remembering every sickening detail. I hate being unable to save her. Most of all, I hate myself.

Part of me is proud to wield the Airgetlam Symphogear. It feels like Serena is smiling down on me from above, giving me her approval from the other side. Like she is telling me, that even if death separated us, she would still be here by my side.

The other part of me is ashamed. I committed atrocious acts as a member of FIS. I put many people at risk, and I have killed some as well. I lied to Kirika and Shirabe. I pushed away all who tried to help. I supported the Doctor and almost doomed humanity. And yet, today I stand here beside the Symphogear wielders of SONG like nothing happened. Am I still worthy to be using Airgetlam?

Worst of all, I can't help but feel that I have stolen Airgetlam from its rightful wielder. My sister stood there, immobilized from her injuries that day; but I was perfectly fine. If I didn't hesitate, or if I had been faster, maybe Serena would have survived? Yes. I had killed Serena by not taking action fast enough. I had killed her and stolen her Symphogear.

But this cross is mine to bear. Everyone at SONG gets the gist of what happened, and thankfully, no one decided to pry deeper. No one else can know of this suffering. Not even Kirika and Shirabe. They treat me as a big sister, but even then, I refuse to tell them all about my past.

Ever since the Gjallarhorn began to ferry us to and from other worlds, I can't help but wonder.

Could there be a world out there where Serena still lives?

Could there be a world where I made the right choice?

Right on cue, my phone rings. It was from HQ. The Gjallarhorn calls for us once more.


The door to Hibiki and Miku's dorm room opens violently and a silver-haired visitor enters with angry strides. She catches the door before it can dent the nearby wall and continues moving towards the room's two inhabitants.

"Oi, Blockhead," Chris Yukine snaps, "What do you think you're doing?"

Sitting at a desk is Hibiki Tachibana, who replies, "Eh? Oh, it's Chris. I'm doing my summer homework."

"Why are you so upset, Chris?" Miku asks.

The Ichaival user plants a hand on the table, her eye twitching. "SONG business. Now."

"B-But my summer homework, this is the one time I've…" the brunette protests, but her voice trails off as she realizes how livid her friend and coworker is.

"And whose fault is that?"

The gentle black-haired girl steps away from the two with an apologetic smile, as if telling Hibiki that she couldn't save her this time. Hibiki lets out a nervous laugh. "But Chris, it's due soon… if it's only Noise wouldn't the rest of you be enough?"

The silver-haired girl looks down at her. The fact that Chris is standing over Hibiki, along with the anger radiating off of her pale skin, as well as the dark shadow cast over her features all make the five foot tall girl look extremely threatening. "I wouldn't have run up those flights of stairs to get you if we didn't need you."

Of course, the elevator was under maintenance today.

Not knowing when to stop, Hibiki says, "But you could have just called me, and I would have gone."

"But you don't answer your phone or pick up your communicator."

"Of course I do, but you never…" — the brunette checks both her devices and laughs weakly. Her phone is turned off and her SONG-issued communicator's battery had run out — "Oops."

Muttering something about making sure batteries are already charged, Chris grabs the younger girl by the scruff and drags her out of the room. Hibiki flails and calls out to her roommate, "Miku! Help me!"

Knowing that this is something Hibiki needed to do, Miku smiles back. "Have a nice trip."


Naturally, as is the nature of such emergencies, the order for Noise extermination had arrived right as Kirika and Shirabe were about to start their day visiting the art gallery in a nearby town. As expected the two girls aren't too happy about it.

"Kiri, why is it that our time together has to be cut short again?" Shirabe asks with the irritation in her voice showing through.

A crestfallen Kirika sighs, "I was really looking forward to today too! It's like the Noise are trying to sabotage us!"

Both girls are yelling out their words over the sound of the helicopter's propeller.

"Are you ready, Kiri?" The black-haired girl holds her relic pendant out.

Pulling out a pendant of her own, the blonde girl answers with a hot-blooded shout, "Damn right I am!"

"... Did you learn that from Chris?" Shirabe raises an eyebrow at her partner. "Kiri, you shouldn't hold your converter unit out of the vehicle like— oh."

"..."

The two girls look at the broken ball chain in Kirika's fist before looking at each other, then at the tiny magenta speck below them.

"ZEIOS IGALIMA RAIZEN TRON"

Kirika shouts her activation chant as she dives out of the helicopter after her pendant, and Shirabe jumps out after her.

"Kiri! No!"


After asking Shinji Ogawa to take care of the the studio, Tsubasa leaves the building jogging to the parking lot where she parked her motorcycle.

The recording session was supposed to be for an anime that she and Maria had been casted for. A period piece about a female ronin who meets the heiress of a wealthy family.

Being the inheritor of the Kazanari name, Tsubasa had believed herself to be the perfect candidate to play an innocent rich girl. Likewise, having seen lived through war and strife first hand and having traveled many countries, Maria believed herself to be the perfect choice to play a stoic battle hardened young warrior. Of course, the director thought otherwise, and the fans agreed with the decision. Both superstars were in shock after the news. Tsubasa because she felt her womanly charm was lacking, and Maria because she was disturbed by how the fans saw her as a naive sheltered princess.

It takes her a little fiddling, but eventually Tsubasa manages to fit both her ponytail and an earpiece inside her helmet. Her hands gliding over the dashboard, she starts the engine and switches on the bike's red emergency lights.

Over the communication system, a young man's voice reports, "Team Seven en route. Your orders, Squad Leader?"

"Evacuate the citizens as usual. Block off any roads to and from the district," the blue-haired woman orders. With her toggled off so none of the squadron can hear her, she mutters, "I have a feeling that today is going to be worse than usual."

Turning on her sirens, she rolls out of the studio's parking lot.