If saving people causes them to curse your name, would you?

Devil Arms: ReturnerS

Amidst the eternal waves of time
From a ripple of change shall the storm rise
Out of the Abyss peer the eyes of a shadow
Behold the Devil, it's wings a black sheath


Chapter 7: Zero Gambit

"So...?" Aoi asked, her hands on her hips, as she stared down at the bespectacled man who was absentmindedly writing something down on a clipboard. It has only been a few hours after the attack on the main street and they were all back at the 501st Task Force's, now codenamed "Shadow", base. Aoi, Shichiro and the Returners were looking at Shou who was looking exhausted.

"I don't know," the man said as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "For some reason, I can't find Senpai's information in the database so I can't do a DNA profile. Of course, if I took some blood from you two, I might be able to find something."

He said this toward Aoi and Shichiro who both nodded as he showed them to a seat.

"Where is he?" Subaru asked softly.

"Currently in the intensive care ward," Shou said simply as he prepared a needle. "I'm afraid its off limits to everyone but medical personnel. Even you guys."

"Why?" Sakura half asked, half shouted at him. "We're his family! We have a right to see him don't we?"

"The man has more broken bones than a freshly excavated skeleton. It looks like someone took a sledgehammer and decided to play whack-a-joint with his entire body. Not to mention the way he was fighting despite being in that condition. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't wake up."

"Can't we at least see him through a camera?" Alex asked, knowing that the man was no doubt under strict surveillance due to his unknown origin.

"Why not," Shou said with a shrug as he set the needles down on the counter and headed back to his desk where he brought up a large screen showing the unconscious man, hooked up to a bunch of machines and devices.

"Why are his hands and legs bounded?" Subaru asked, glaring at Shou who took a step back at her sudden outburst.

"It's because we are not 100% sure that it's actually him," Aoi answered for him. "You saw what he can do. We don't want to risk him blowing his way through the base once he wakes up."

"But...he helped us didn't he?" Marika asked softly, not entirely sure she wanted to get into this argument.

"All he did was attack the creatures. Something he seemed to have been doing before he even came out of that portal. There is no guarantee he won't attack us as well."

"But..." Sakura began but was cut off by Aoi.

"Young lady, I am in charge of all two hundred personnel on this base. If there is even a one percent chance that he could endanger even a single life, it is my duty to keep him under control. Do I make myself clear?"

Sakura was taken back at her mother suddenly raising her voice that she wasn't able to respond, causing Aoi to speak again.

"I said, 'do I make myself clear,' Ensign Kimura?"

"Yes...ma'am..." Sakura said softly, lowering her head.

"Good. Then the four of you are dismissed."

Sakura practically shoved Alex and Marika out of the way as she headed toward the door. The Returners looked at Sakura for a moment, then turned toward Aoi before leaving themselves.

"Isn't that just a bit too harsh?" Shou asked as he rubbed something on Aoi's arm. "It is her birthday after all."

"Then she should be old enough to understand how dangerous the situation is," Shichiro said, speaking up for the first time.

"Well, whatever," Shou replied as he picked up his needles. "So, are you ready?"

"Get on with it," Aoi mumbled, trying to hide her dislike of needles.

Shou smiled as his eyes wandered over to the man sleeping on the screen.

"Man, you sure gave her one hell of a birthday present."


"I hate this..." Sakura mumbled as the Returners were sitting in the cafeteria trying to relax.

"Sorry," Nahtan said as he walked up to the group to clear the dishes. "But due to today's unexpected turn of events, your father wasn't here to cook. Sorry, if it didn't suit your tastes."

"I don't think she was talking about the food," Marika said softly.

Alex and Subaru nodded, agreeing with Marika. That was the first time they had seen Aoi raise her voice at Sakura.

"Quite frankly, I don't see what the problem is," Nathan said. "It's only natural to keep someone that dangerous like that under control."

At this Subaru stood up and slapped him across the face, knocking his glasses clean off.

"Don't talk about him like he's some wild animal!" she spat at him.

Nathan, or rather, Daniel was just as annoyed as Subaru was.

"Damn it, you don't have to slap me!" he spat back. "Think with your damn head instead of that organ behind your breast! Just think, for two seconds! Why that man could ever possibly be considered dangerous?"

At his words, Sakura's body twitched while Alex determinedly shifted his focus at his hands and Subaru glanced toward the ground.

Null Enders.

That was the name revolving in their heads at the moment. That's right, in their shock of possibly finding Yuuki again after three years, they had completely forgot about the possibility that Null Enders could have survived as well, and that he could very well be the one in the medical room right now.

"Tch...idiots," Daniel muttered under his breath, but loud enough for them all to hear, as he replaced his glasses on his face, his expression becoming much calmer.

"Umm...what are you talking about?" Marika asked, tilting her head to the side. "Is something wrong with Sakura's brother?"

After all, Marika was the only person in the room that had no idea about the man behind the empty steel mask.

"We don't know for sure," Nathan said, skillfully avoiding the true subject. "But he has been known to lose control in the past. That is why he's being restrained for the moment."

"Umm...I'm sorry," Subaru said lowering her head even more.

"Not to worry you're just a bit wound up...hmm...I think I cut my cheek a bit," Nathan said as he moved his tongue over toward his left cheek and winced slightly. "Yep, definitely cut."

"Sorry," Subaru repeated, wishing she could somehow find a hold and just disappear.

"It's fine. Now if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to see Miss Ayumi about the next phase of the operation. Oh, but one last thing..."

Nathan stopped at the exit and turned back to them.

"It may be a bit late, but the circumstances are still the same after all. Happy Birthday Sakura. There is a cake your father made for you in the fridge in the back."

After he left, there was an awkward silence in the cafeteria until Marika decided to speak up.

"Umm...should I go get the cake?"

"Yes, that's a good idea!" Subaru said, forcing herself to smile. "Come on, I'll help you."

As the two of them went to the kitchen area, Alex got up and planted himself beside Sakura, who immediately rested her body against his.

"Cheer up okay?" he asked her softly. "Your brother's back."

"I only want one of them back..." she said so quietly that Alex could barely hear her. "The other could stay dead for all I care..."

The coldness of her words shocked Alex for a moment. He knew she hated Null Enders more than anything else in the world, for he took her recently recovered family and shattered it again in his blind, blood-thirsty quest for vengeance. Even though the man was technically her brother by blood, she hated him. But he didn't say anything as he wrapped his arm around her small body.


"How is it going?" Nathan asked as he walked behind Ayumi who was busy at her terminals.

"They're already trying to get the fools to face a military tribunal," Ayumi said.

"Public backlash for denying information given of an attack. If only a few people died, then they definitely would have been tossed out."

"Don't let Subaru hear that or she will do more than slap you," Ayumi warned him emotionlessly.

"You shouldn't spy on people," Nathan said rubbing his cheek.

"And you shouldn't be breaking into the storage," Ayumi said, eying the blade in his hand.

"A samurai should never be without his sword," Nathan mused as he turned toward the door. "Do me a favor and create a loop will you?"

"I wonder who you're referring to," Ayumi asked as she turned her eyes back toward her monitors. "Black or white?"


"This is an outrage!"

Aoi forced every fiber of her being to keep herself from smiling as the admiral slammed his hand on his desk.

"I demand to know what you are going to do about this?"

"If you are talking about the mass TSAB information break in," Nathan began as he looked down at his data pad. "You are asking the wrong people. Something like this is the responsibility of either those in Intelligence, or the force who had the leak in the first place."

The man looked like he was going to have an aneurysm as he stared the assistant down but Nathan simply returned it in a calm manner.

"I'm amazed that you somehow managed to let the hacker get so far into your files, Admiral Calares," Lindy said in a sharp tone. "Now the public is fully aware of the 501st, the strange black creatures, as well as the fact that the Admiralty Board knew about it but most of us decided that the information was...how did you put it?"

"I believe he said it was, 'Preposterous,' Admiral Lindy," Bradley said, placing his hand on his chin as if trying to remember it.

"What about that man?" A female admiral, Cynthia Wood, asked. "The one that appeared in the middle of the battlefield on that giant unknown?"

"The video feed was not cut in time," Nathan warned Aoi with telepathy. "They know the Returners took him into our custody."

"He is still currently unconscious and under intensive care," Aoi said truthfully. "It is dangerous to move him right now, but we have him under surveillance and guard."

"Nevertheless," another admiral spoke up. "I would like you to turn him over immdieately."

"I refuse."

Aoi's sharp and quick answered shocked all but three of the admirals.

"You wench!" Calares shouted as he began to slam his hand on the table again. "Are you defying the Board? Are you planning to keep that power all to yourself?"

Aoi raised an eyebrow at the man's accusation. She placed her elbows on her arm rests as she propped her head up with her hand before speaking again.

"First off, the 501st has been granted autonomy by the board so we are not under your command. We may report to you, but we have no obligation to follow your orders. Second, we found no unusual amount of magical energy from the man. He seems to be fairly normal besides his skill. So tell us Admiral Calares...what power are you suggesting he holds?"

"He has to have some form of power if he's able to take down those monster so easily!"

"And here I was thinking you didn't believe that they were a threat," Admiral Wood said, unamused at her fellow officer's tantrums. "You did, after all, vote against us on whether or not to section off the area."

"You should be grateful that a few mages were already there when they attacked," Admiral Chrono Harlaown said. "What were they doing there anyway?"

"They were celebrating a birthday," Aoi said with a shrug.

"In any case," another male admiral spoke up. "Thanks to their efforts, there were no fatalities...allowing most of us to save some face."

"Darn that Subaru," Nathan thought. "If she had just let one or two die then the board would have been so much easier to deal with."

"Those are nasty thoughts, boy," Aoi said telepathically as she turned her gaze towards him.

"Oh, did I transmit that?" Nathan asked the same way. "I apologize, but I am not a nasty person, I am a practical one."

"Don't worry. From the way this is going, I am inclined to think the same way. Oh and be a dear and increase the security would you? I'm afraid our dear Admiral Calares is about to do something very very stupid."

"Preparations have been in place since his first outburst ma'am."

"Have I ever told you how much I love your work?"

"At least once a month since we met ma'am."


After an hour has passed, Aoi and Nathan were once again faced with only three Admirals.

"Your little plan has everyone running around like headless hens," Admiral Bradley said with a hearty laugh. "Of course, that included my people as well."

"Was there a reason the pop ups kept on repeating 'You are an idiot' before laughing like a lunatic and splitting in two whenever you attempted to close it?" Chrono asked.

"Our hacker has a...unique sense of humor," Aoi replied with a smile.

"What about that mystery man?" Lindy asked. "Is it really your..."

"We haven't come to that conclusion yet," Aoi said quickly. "Plus he does not have the so called 'Devil Ärms' on his hands. He isn't spilling magic energy like crazy either."

"They do say that there are three people who look the same on every world," Lindy said thoughtfully. "Maybe it's a doppelganger?"

"Have you figured anything out about his equipment?" Bradley asked.

"Nothing much," Nathan replied. "His garb was mostly some kind of protective cloth that shielded his body from the elements. Where ever he came from, it seems that acid rain was prominent, thus the use of a breather mask and a full body cloak. His sword however...it's a metal with properties similar to iron but we have no record of it in our database."

"An unknown creature, an unknown metal...just where did this man come from?" Bradley asked to no one in particular.

"We'll contact you the moment he wakes up," Aoi said as the other three nodded and the monitors vanished only for another one to appear soon after.

"Hello," Shou said cheerfully. "Are you all finished with your secret talks?"

"Is it finished?" Aoi asked.

"It'll probably be done by the time you get here. So do hurry with you? The suspense."

He said the last two words as he balled his hands up and wrung them in front of the montior.

"Very well...did you contact Subaru and Sakura?"

"I was under the impression you didn't want them to know until you did."

Aoi was silent as she pondered what to do.

"I made sure they understood your reasons last night," Nathan said helpfully. "Although they may be upset that neither you nor your husband showed up for the cake. Right now, I'm betting she's thinking that her precious family is all but broken again."

Aoi glared at him but she knew he wouldn't say that without some basis.

"Call them up..." Aoi said softly.

"I'll give you a five minute head start," Shou said with a small bow as the monitor disappeared and Aoi got up from her seat.

"Nathaniel?" Aoi said softly as her assistant looked up at her,

"Yes, Captain?"

"Do you think I'm a horrible mother?"

There was a short silence before he answered her.

"Considering the circumstances, I believe you are the best mother you could hope to be for your children. You never had parents of your own and never met with your husband's so you had no basis for your parenting. Your son has probably just returned to you and your daughter may be angry, but...I believe that all things can be fixed in time, no matter how long it takes. Provided they were there in the first place."

"Thank you," his captain replied softly. "Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but it was good enough. Let's go."

"Yes, my captain."


"The results are finished?" Subaru asked as she and her squad mates rushed through the door to Shou's office, where he Kasumi, Ayumi, Shichiro, Aoi and Nathan were already there waiting.

"I thought I said for you to only invite those two," Aoi said.

"Sorry, but they were all there when I called Subaru," Shou said. "Sides, they would find out sooner or later, and they all deserve to know."

"I agree with him," Shichiro said. "An organization can't function properly if there are too many secrets after all."

"Fine," Aoi said. "All of you. Inside. Sit."

Everyone crammed into the room and either sat on the bed or whatever chairs were left.

"Well then everyone," Shou said as he clapped his hands together. "It's time for the moment of truth. Let's see what the computer has to say."

On the monitor over Shou's desk showed Shichiro and Aoi's genetic map, as well as the mystery man's. A number generator was flashing above the three of their faces when all of a sudden, the room when dark.

"What?" Marika asked looking around.

"Shou! Now is not the time for stupid-" Kasumi began.

"It's not me!" Shou said quickly. "Although I was REALLY tempted, it's not me!"

They were interrupted by a beeping on Aoi's device.

"What is it?" she asked as a monitor appeared with one of the base's foot soldiers appearing.

"We're under attack ma'am!" the man said as shots and screaming could be heard in the back. "They came out of nowhere right as the power went out! The hanger needs reinforcements!"

"Eeyyy...not now Calares!" Aoi shouted as she slammed her fist against the wall. "Tell all our forces to avoid combat with the enemy. Do not take any risks that would endanger your lives. I know what they are after, so leave everything to me."

"Y-yes ma'am!"

"You four come with me," Aoi said pointing to the Returners. "We're gonna stop this ridiculous farce. Ayumi-san, I trust you have what I need?"

"Everything has been sent to you a long time ago," Ayumi said, playing with her hair.

"Right. Subaru, go assist the forces in the hanger. Sakura, go make sure he's able to sleep properly. Alex, Marika, you two follow me. Keep off communications unless you need back up. Understood?"

"Roger," the Returners said as they ran off in different directions as per their orders.


As Sakura ran down the hall to the intensive care ward she tripped over something in the darkness, falling flat on her face.

"Ouch what was th-" she cut herself off as she noticed a body lying there. She bit back a scream as she slowly reached her hand out to the man and was relieved to feel a heart beat, but it was too dark to see whether or not he had any wounds. A quick pat down, however, revealed no open wounds so the man was either knocked out or his injuries were internal. "I'm sorry, I'll call for help as soon as I remove the intruder."

With that Sakura stood back up and continued her trek down the hallway.

Eventually she came across two people dressed in pitch black trying to force open the door to where the unknown man, possibly her brother, was resting, enraging the young girl.

"Leave my brother alone!" she called out as she fired two anchors to the walls next to her and sending the other half to the other side, creating a pink "X" chain.

"Retract!" her device called out as the chains pulled the section of the wall off, causing it to fall on the two intruders. "Enemies are still active!"

Sure enough, both intruders punch through the rubble, and two pairs of glowing red eyes stared at her before one of them rushed over to her as the other continued to try and find a way to blast open the door.

Small blades extended from the intruder's arm as it got close to Sakura and slashed at her. Sakura quickly blocked it by raising her leg with her knee bent and extended a barrier and was happy to see that it actually succeeded in stopping the intruder's attack.

She then extended her leg up into the air and brought it down like an ax over the man's arm but he pulled it away before she slammed her bladed device into the ground. She then quickly retracted the blade and used her foot as a pivot to spin and attack a second time with her other leg.

This time, the intruder had to block as he wasn't prepared for her attack, allowing her to strike his arm blade, and a loud clang rang in the air as steel met steel.

The two of them continued to strike at each other, Sakura with her legs, and the intruder with his arms. Neither of them got any distinct advantage over the other, but that meant Sakura was losing. The intruder didn't need to win after all, it just needed to buy time for its partner to open the door so they can take the unknown man away.

"As if I'll let you!" she screamed as pink chains started shooting out from the wall. In the midst of their fight she had shot off all her anchors and waited for a time where her opponent was in the proper place.

The chains crisscrossed around the intruder's body, restraining him, allowing her to rush at the other intruder. But it was pointless. Not because the door had finally been opened, it was because the door had been opened...from the inside.

The audible sound of a sharp blade being drawn from its sheath filled her ears as the man in front of her was cut down in a flash, and she felt something splash on her body. She knew what it was, but she desperately tried to ignore it for she was no face to face with the unknown man, who somehow had his weapons with him.

If there had been some light, the man would see that she was dressed nothing like the assailant who had tried to attack him. But it was pitch dark with the only source of light coming from her chains so the man might attack her in self defense.

And sure enough, the man lunged at her and was right in front of her before she could even make a move to defend herself. She braced herself for the steel blade but instead felt his body slam into her sending her into a wall before hearing a clang as two blades connected with each other.

"He...saved me?" Sakura asked as the man overpowered his opponent and cut him down as easily as the first one. The man then turned to her and she could see him extending a hand out to her in the darkness, which she graciously took.

"Power room?" the man asked breathlessly.

"Power...room?" Sakura repeated. "You want me to show you where it is?"

"Please."

For a second Sakura wondered why the man was speaking like that, and then she remembered what Shou had said earlier. The man had numerous broken bones and was probably in a lot of pain just by standing, let alone form complete sentences.

"Are you sure? I don't think your injuries have fully healed yet."

"No time...enemies here...people dying...help..."

At this the man doubled over slightly as he clutched his side. Yes he was hurt, but it seems like he understood the people at the base helped him and wanted to return the favor. Sakura wasn't sure if she was in any position to make a decision.

But, it was a chance, a chance for her to fight alongside her brother, something she wanted to do so badly three years ago. Even though it might not be him, and even if it was he didn't recognize her. She had changed a lot in the last three years after all, mentally and physically. Either way, she wanted to fight with him, with the brother she loved and admired so much.

"I understand," she replied finally. "This way."

As she retraced her steps and tried to make her way to the power room by memory, the man followed closely behind her, a soft smile forming at his lips.


The barrage of red eyes flailing around the hanger had forced the Shadow's Mages into a corner. With Subaru's command they had set up a defense around The Spirit of Terra and were holding their ground. Most of the eyes were decoys so it was hard to tell which of them they should be shooting at, but thankfully none of the intruders had any range weaponry and they had to close in if they wanted to attack. So they had to get past the fire from the standard mages and as soon as they got close, they were in Subaru's attack range.

"Revolver Cannon!" she shouted as she made contact with the intruder's face, sending him flying back into the wall on the other side of the base. She then quickly turned to the mage who the intruder had slashed before she got to them. "Are you okay?"

"Just a scratch ma'am," the man replied, clutching the side of his head. It was far more than a scratch as the man just might have had his ear sliced off, but she couldn't exactly tell in the darkness.

The man wasn't the only one injured either. Nearly every single mage in the defensive line had be cut or stabbed and the only ones not firing, were the ones that were in no condition to move. She could only pray that none of them were dead.

"They're starting to push at five o'clock!" one of the other mages called out. Immediately, the barrage began to increase over in that direction, forcing the intruders to break off their attack. But they were growing tired, and many of them were close to bleeding out. It was only a matter of time before they were overpowered.

But then, as if a blessing from some higher power, the lights returned and the intruders were out in the open and easily targeted. Immediately, like a strike from the heavens, every able bodied mage began firing at the intruders. Some of the ones that had been critically injured even attempted to grab a nearby device and join in the action but were pushed back down by their worried comrades. The intruders, now having lost the cover of darkness as well as their element of surprise had no choice but to flee out of the hanger.

Only to be forced back in through the steel plated wall by someone just outside.

"That's...the Unknown?" someone called out as Subaru looked as well.

The man that looked so much missing boyfriend had just plowed through the remaining intruders, with the intent of murder written all over his face as he crawled through one of the body shaped holes he had just created.

Understandable of course, as they were no doubt after him in the first place, but she did not enjoy seeing the look on his face, the face of a man with no hesitation to kill. On the other hand, if he truly did come from the same place as the monsters...he would have been fighting them continuously for the past three years...

And she was the one who left him there.

The intruders flipped back onto their feet as they looked for a way to get past him. Then two of them ran forward in an attempt to keep him busy while their comrades attempted to escape, and they had succeeded. By the time he cut them down, the others were long gone.

He made a move to chase after them but a pink chain got in his way as Sakura came into the hanger as well.

"That's enough," she said softly. "You're hurt and you've done more than enough."

Surprisingly, the man relented as he sat against the wall and dropped his head.

"Is he okay?" Subaru asked as she walked up to Salura as medical personnel spilled into the hanger to take care of the injured.

"I think he fell back asleep," Sakura said carefully lifting his head up. "It's...it's really him right?"

Before Subaru could answer, Shou's face popped up in front of her.

"Hey!" he shouted at her through the monitor. "Get him back to the intensive care ward now! He's already a dead man walking, both literally and figuratively."

"Shou-san!" Sakura said as she turned around. "What happened to the others?"

"They confronted the moron who sent those ninja guys. They arrested him and he'll be sent in front of the military tribunal. But enough about secret plannings, get him back to the ward now!"

The two girls looked at each other before nodding and carried the unconscious man back toward his room.


"Well as you can plainly see, the man is, as far as DNA tells us, definitely Kimura Yuuki."

They were in the debriefing room now. Everyone who had been in Shou's office before the attack was staring at his results both with relief and worry.

"The question remains though..." Shou said, his eyes slowing resting on Marika before glancing back at Aoi, who nodded. "Which one is he?"

"Which one?" Marika repeated, looking around at the others for an explanation.

"Before Sakura's brother disappeared," Shou continued. "There was another man that looked just like him, a clone of sorts, and he tried to kill him. That's why we have all these precautions. But at the very least, he doesn't seem hostile to us, seeing as he helped us with that little...incident."

"So what's the problem?"

"Simple actually...from what Subaru told me, Senpai's hair was white when he disappeared. This man...has black hair. Though it may seem shallow, that discrepancy can't be overlooked in this case. The risk is too great."

"Upon further investigation however, I discovered that he is using a small amount of magic on his body. Just enough to keep him going despite his half dead state, but small enough to keep it from being detectable by most equipment."

"Anything new about his weapons?" Alex asked.

"Nothing. I have no idea where he got the second sword from, but the little stake gun he has is made from the same metal as his sword, which is as sharp as a feather, so it seems that it has some unknown property that allows it to kill the creatures with ease."

"I see," Aoi said as she stood up. "Let's end this meeting here."

"Huh? Why?" Subaru asked.

"Because the man in question seems to have woken up again. And I'd hate to make him think he's being kept prisoner."

Everyone looked up at the monitor and saw that the unknown was indeed awake. He looked around at his surroundings and tried to get up, only to realize his hands and feet were bound to the bed. He didn't struggle any further as he sighed and rested his head against his pillow.

"Subaru, Nathan, come with me," Aoi said as she headed to the door. "The rest of you wait here. We're going to get some answers."


Author's Notes:

I think I made Sakura just a tiny bit dark for a moment there...

Early update since this will be the last one for a while. For now, please leave a review and take a look at the poll on my profile. I can't decide whether or not it would be a good idea to put Vivio and her classmates into the story as secondary characters or keep them as background characters. Both are doable to me and both are easy to do so I'll let you guys decide.

Special thanks to Corti78 Gureifox Gorgas and Blaze Shadow. Reviewing shows me that you guys are awesome enough to follow me through three stories and three years.

Edit: Stupidly forgot to enable the poll...it's up now on my profile...