Gathering 1.1
Kazanari Genjuro stared up at the workers suspended on scaffolding over the ruins of Kadingir, slowly removing chunks of the walls, and let out a soft sigh through his nose. Even now, knowing who she was and what the construct was for - the aching throb in his gut didn't let him forget - seeing Ryoko's work dismantled pained him. It was brilliant work, regardless of the fact that it had been intended to blow up the moon, and-
Genjuro shook his head. No rationalizing this feeling. It was an irrational feeling, this pained possessiveness, but humans weren't supposed to be rational, no matter how much his father said otherwise. Or Tsubasa tried. Irrational feelings were to be identified and monitored, not buried.
As if the thought were a summons, crunching rubble heralded Tsubasa taking her place next to him. "Commander," she said, nodding her head politely.
"Tsubasa," he replied back.
"So, they've found the Staff of Solomon, then?" she asked.
Genjuro nodded, turning his gaze towards a trio of men untangling a pile of rubble. Tsubasa took in the scene, expression unreadable, even when one of the men accidentally dropped a chunk on another man's foot. She did raise an eyebrow at some of the swearing that resulted.
"I'm surprised it survived."
He'd been surprised, too; Durandal had been thoroughly wrecked by the attack that had defeated Ryo- Fine, and Nehushtan had crumbled with her body. The Staff, though, had by all their readings come out intact, and might even still be functional. Hence why Tsubasa was here, in case it was accidentally activated.
The two stood in silence as the men continued to slowly uncover the staff, and Genjuro took the opportunity to study his niece's body language. The tension that had held her ever since Kanade's death had… eased. It wasn't gone, and would probably never be gone, but… Genjuro mentally smiled. Hibiki and Chris were good for her, in their own unique ways, as was getting some closure on Kanade's death. Of course, that brought his thoughts back to Ryoko, and Fine, and the inescapable conclusion that she was responsible for the Noise attack that had killed Kanade in the first place. Another small sigh escaped him, drawing a look from Tsubasa. When he didn't do anything else, though, she went back to watching.
Finally, some minutes later, the last piece of rubble was shoved aside and one of the men triumphantly held the Staff of Solomon aloft, not a scratch visible upon it. Both and Tsubasa relaxed fractionally at the lack of Noise, but remained on guard. The Staff could still activate, after all.
So of course, what happened next came from a completely unexpected angle.
With a low blooping sound, someone with a thing for black and yellow popped out of a crack high up in what was left of Kadingir's facade. With Tsubasa and Genjuro focused on the ground, neither noticed for a few crucial seconds. The workers up on the walls did, and they took one look at the situation and began scrambling to get out.
The newcomer only came to their attention when they sprouted cables that buried themselves in the walls. Now anchored, the newcomer hung in the air for a brief moment and then shot down to the ground propelled by a puff of gas. A massive cloud of dust, thrown up on impact, was the first clue Tsubasa and Genjuro had that someone had joined them, and with the dust obscuring everything Genjuro could only stand back and wait for it to clear, Tsubasa taking the opportunity to activate her Symphogear.
When the dust cleared, the newcomer was revealed to be a young girl with blonde hair streaked with sea green. To Genjuro's dismay, she couldn't be more than fourteen, wore a cocky grin that felt at least partially affected, and retracting into holsters slung across her lower back were the cables that had held her aloft. Her outfit - a black, sleeveless jacket with a yellow lining and a brilliant green gem at the throat over what appeared to be a black leotard - was noted and dismissed for its dissimilarity to Symphogear armor.
Oh, and she was examining the Staff of Solomon in one hand, the workers unconscious around her - or dead. "Well, it looks like what she described…" he just barely heard.
Beside him, Tsubasa drew her sword and pointed at the newcomer, expression hard and flinty. "Who are you?" she icily demanded. "And what do you want with the Staff of Solomon?"
The cocky grin somehow got even wider, and the girl casually crossed her arms behind her head and leaned back on her heels. This also, notably, placed the staff even further away from Tsubasa. "Lotta questions there, Blue," she said. "Tell you what. Beat me first, and maybe I'll tell you."
Tsubasa's eyes narrowed at the invitation, and, switching her sword to an overhead grip, she darted forward. Immediately, the other girl's hands shot to the holsters at her back, the chords flying out into the wall again and pulling her up, leaving Tsubasa impotently glaring at her on the ground.
"Come on! It can't be this easy to leave you helpless!" the new girl taunted.
Tsubasa answered that with a Blue Flash that was easily dodged.
Back on the sidelines, Genjuro clenched his fists. As much as he wanted to jump into the fight, he could see the tactical possibilities of that cable system and knew he'd be even more handicapped than Tsubasa. And, as another throb from his wound reminded, he was still in no shape for a fight of this level. Very well. If Tsubasa failed, he would step in as a last resort. But only then. No matter how much it galled him to wait.
Around him, the ruins of Kadingir began to hum.
Back to the fight. The blonde girl seemed content to just continually re-anchor herself, outmaneuver Tsubasa's attempts to get at her, and throw taunts, which was a good strategy to create an opening to either try and get away or end the fight in a hurry. That his niece had a temper under her cold facade only made it more effective. But to his eye, the blonde girl wasn't trying for either outcome. She was very deliberately staying just out of reach of Tsubasa's blades, not even attacking. So what was she trying to do?
Finally, Tsubasa, having run through her arsenal of ranged attacks and even more attempts to just jump up to no avail, called up the flames of her Soaring Phoenix Slash, rocketing toward the blond girl. In a move that in any other time Genjuro would have been impressed by, once Tsubasa closed the distance the blonde suddenly detached the chords keeping her aloft, planted a hand on top of her opponent's head, and flipped over her, slipping right between the fiery swords. He did not miss the hand she planted on Tsubasa's back.
No follow-up attack came, and when the two touched the ground, Tsubasa sheathed her sword and walked up to take her place next to the blonde girl, confirming his worst fears.
Around him, the ruins of Kadingir began to vibrate.
"Whew!" the blonde girl said, wiping some sweat from her forehead. "That was close. Thank Go-" She stopped, as if suddenly realizing that Genjuro was still present, and shook her head, turning to walk away. "Right, never mind. C'mon, Blue Girl, let's get-"
"What do you intend to do with the Staff of Solomon?" Genjuro interrupted.
The girl paused, and turned around, giving him a searching look. "What's it to you, old man?"
His eyes narrowed. "It is a tool of destruction and death. And if you intend to use it, instead of lock it away-" He raised his fists, sliding into a ready stance. "Then I will stop you."
Not really - the girl alone, he could have beaten, but her and Tsubasa? In his condition, he knew he stood no chance.
Still, when the blonde turned around and regarded him, hands going for her holsters, he thought his hasty plan might actually work.
"Yayaka, Commander Kazanari is stalling," Tsubasa cut in, and Genjuro fought back a curse. "Our battle, and possibly your arrival, has destabilized Kadingir. What energy is left is going to be released soon."
"Big boom, right?" the girl - Yayaka - said questioningly. A nod from Tsubasa. "Right, well, nothing for it." Reaching into a pocket on the coat, she drew out a small, many-sided gem, and threw it on the ground, spawning a round portal with the same blooping sound that had accompanied her arrival. "Later, old man. Maybe we will get to fight." And with that, she and Tsubasa hopped in, the portal closing behind them before he could take more than a step.
This time, Genjuro indulged in a single, spat curse, before scanning the cracked tower. The workers on the walls had sensibly long since evacuated, which just left the trio Yayaka had left unconscious. Sprinting over, he checked their vitals - alive, thank God - and then threw up an arm as, with a crackling roar, explosions blossomed all along Kadingir and tore it apart.
Outside, Aoi and Sakuya had been getting the situation from the evacuated workers when dust bloomed at random around Kadingir, followed by the tower collapsing in on itself. The two gaped at the sight, and then, shortly after the roar of the collapse went silent, exchanged a glance and sprinted for the rubble.
"Commander!" Sakuya called out when they reached the edge of the rubble pile. For a moment, nothing happened, and then a tanned fist punch clean through a large slab. The rest of Genjuro followed shortly after, his clothes torn and covered in dust and three unconscious men slung under his arms and over one shoulder. No blood dripped out from under his shirt, to their relief.
Immediately, Sakuya scrambled up the pile to take one of them, Aoi dialing a number in her Section 2-issued cell phone.
"Hello? Yes, we need a medic at the Kadingir ruins. There's-"
"Mild physical trauma, three unconscious," Genjuro interrupted.
"Three cases of mild physical trauma. They're all unconscious. Yes, we had to move them, unfortunately..."
While Aoi continued to talk to the medics, Genjuro and Sakuya carefully placed the unconscious men on the ground, Genjuro turning to his subordinate.
"Sakuya, contact Hibiki and Chris, explain what's going on and get them to headquarters so they can sortie on short notice," he said.
"Yes, commander," Sakuya nodded. "Though, commander… what is going on?"
Sighing, Genjuro stood, and to Sakuya's shock seemed to age several years. "A new enemy, a young girl, has taken the Staff of Solomon and did… something to Tsubasa. Something that has turned her against us." Reaching up, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll send you a full briefing on the situation as soon as I can type it up."
Sakuya, face grim, nodded and walked away to make the necessary call. Once he was out of earshot, Genjuro fished out his own phone and, heedless of the cracked screen, called a specific number.
"Shinji?" he said once it picked up. "I know what her father said, but we're going to need her help. I can feel it."
A pause, and then… "I'll get her on board, commander."
AN: I've wanted to write a magical girl megacrossover for years now, ever since the Battle Fantasia collaborative fic over on Spacebattles died. Sadly, my own limited anime-watching habits teamed up with a lack of a good plotline to stonewall that desire. Well, that, and the failure of a couple more collaborative efforts that I was actually involved in.
But now, both issues have been resolved, and the fic can start! This will be my main writing project for the foreseeable future. And yes, there will be more series crossing over.