Disclaimer : I don't own Blazblue. If I did, I wouldn't let Noel/Mu wear that crotch plate/ C-string/ whatever it is. I appreciate both male and female fanservices, only if it fit the characters, like Castanics in Terra Online, they're hot. But the Elins are just no...

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Fragment 07 :

Truth of Creation

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A slender, pink haired woman stood motionless in front of a bluish floating screen. One hand rested on her slim waist, while the other played with the stick of a little round lollipop she was eating. A stoic, yet impatient expression filled her face as the fluctuating graphs shown on the neon colored screen reflected on her tiny glasses, in the same time making her amber eyes twitched from time to time.

Out of nowhere, she let out a long sigh and took the sweet out her mouth.

Her folded ears just caught a very distinct steps. Very light, very nimble, much different from the heavy stomps of her huge assistant. And just as she expected, a moment later, the mechanical door of her laboratory slid open.

Unflinched by the sudden intrusion, she lazily turned around.

"Hoo, surprise you come back first, shitty father."

In front of her, a tiny inhumane form in hood, with two long tails stood behind his back and face much resembling a feline. Her father, the last of cat beastkin.

Yet, different from the usual dignity he always showed, now he was in a pretty tattered condition. His face now was sullen, with his fur all frizzy and wet. Not to mention, a still living fish, was wriggling all over while gnawing on one of his tail.

Probably he was sent to a pond or a river before, Kokonoe thought. But the whole scene was too much even for her that she cracked.

"Pfftt... A fish on your tail? Hahahaha... For God's sake... we are not in a cartoon show... Damnit... Hahahahhhaaha!"

The usually composed half- beastkin laughed. Hard. That even her giant subordinate threw an estranged look at her. Well, she didn't even flinch a bit when she made him wore a maid outfit before.

"Hahahahaha! And what's with that face…? Hahahahahah… You really look like a grumpy cat now, you shitty dad... hahahahahah..."

On the contrary, the two tailed cat stayed silent and waited his daughter's laughter to subside. In the meantime, he shook the annoying fish off his tail. As the scientist finally stopped laughing, Jubei spoke in a serious tone.

"It's no time for joke, Kokonoe. Where have you sent the other to?"

*cough *cough "Bite me, old cat," she stoically replied. She was on her usual self again, though her sides now kinda hurt because of the hilarious excitement.

"I used a random teleport spell, only God knows where they are right now."

She leisurely took a new lollipop and put it in her mouth, since the one she ate before had fallen on the floor because of her burst of laughter.

"Besides, it's half that brat's fault," she added.

In turn, the one eyed warrior could only sigh, "Luna is actually a good kid."

"Sometimes I wonder if you raise that brat to make up your failed parenting with me."

The slender woman unexpectedly let out a sarcastic comment that almost rendered her father speechless. She still hated him, after all.

"Kokonoe..."

"Tch. Enough for this family drama, old cat," she suddenly scoffed and scratched her pink head, "Let's back to business. You needed my help, right?"

Being reminded of his original purpose to meet his daughter, the beastkin gave a silent nod.

"I've offered you a trade before. Still the same price," she took the round candy out of her mouth and spun it with her hand.

"About Platinum… and her?"

"Yup, that one Six Heroes," she pointed the sweet to her father, "Trinity Glassfield, the Platinum Alchemist."

"What are you planning to do after I've told you?"

"Nothing," she gobbled the lollipop in her hand, "It's just a pinch of curiosity, actually. Nothing more, nothing less."

Before the warrior responded, the cat eared woman continued, "At first, I thought that brat is just a random orphan you take care and coincidentally blessed with the ability to use Nox. But..."

She bit the candy in her mouth, making a little crunching sound.

"When Tager scanned her, I found out that she has the same DNA code with Trinity Glassfield as we have in the record, only younger. In addition to that, her physical abilities surely exceed normal humans. And not to mention, the said person herself is hiding inside that brat."

Kokonoe paused for a moment to chew the sweet, in the same time remembering her suspicion and curiosity about the tiny brat.

"My best bet is she's a kind of artificial human. But in the present, no one has the qualifying technology and expertise for that, other than me in Sector Seven and Relius in NOL. And I'm not fond of the idea of you using some kind of resurrection spell or any kind of elixir on the Platinum Alchemist to bring her back to life. Phoenix feather and such can only be found in games, mind you."

She pointed out at the warrior again, albeit now only with the lollipop stick, as all the sugar had completely been devoured.

"Spill the beans, old cat. What's that brat actually?" she demanded with a sharp tone.

"Nothing can escape your eyes, isn't it, Kokonoe?" Jubei complimented, secretly proud of his daughter's sharp wit.

"Just who do you think I am, old cat?" the catgirl huffed proudly.

In turn, the bipedal feline smiled slightly. But then he took a long breath, almost sighing. He stared upward, to the lab's ceiling and started to speak.

"Luna and Sena, no, Platinum is…"

"You! From that time!"

The magical girl yelled as the black clad man bowed in front of her. Despite the polite greeting, she was sure she couldn't feel any good vibe coming from the man. Jubei-sama had many times warned her to beware of strangers, especially the ones who acted overly friendly and offered free candies.

"Why are you here?!" she asked intrusively, a cold pressure stirred in her stomach the moment she saw the snake like grin forming on his face. Or maybe she was just that hungry? Still, the fact that the man was in the beast-filled area was just too suspicious. It was as if he was intentionally looking for her. Can't it be...?

"Ah, you must be stalking Luna-sama, lolicon!" she pointed her forefinger at the tall man.

"Now, now… Calm down, little missy. My business is not with you."

Undisturbed by the rude accusation, the black figure only replied leisurely, almost ignoring the little girl's wariness directed to him.

"And I've said before right? I like them big~" he playfully winked.

"Grr…" the blonde growled, taking the man's casual comment as an insult. She swore in her mind to really grow a nice pair of boobs in the future.

"He did say it before, Luna. You should apologize for calling him a lolicon," another voice came out from the girl's mouth. A gentle and polite boy, still trying to reprimand his companion's brash attitude.

"Then, please be a good girl and let that glasses come out, okay?"

The black clad man spoke, once again ignoring the youngster. Behind his relaxed words, a taste of impatience started to ignite in his mind.

Still, the tiny blonde acted oblivious, all unaware of his annoyance.

"Glasses?" Luna tilted her head, but it was Sena who continued thoughtfully, "Excuse me Mister, what do you mean by 'that glasses'?"

"You don't know?"

"Luna-sama doesn't understand what you are talking about!" the blonde snarled. For some reason, a part of her was screaming to her to quickly runaway from the man's presence.

Tch, fucking troublesome. Hazama cursed. But then it would be no use to waste more time with the brat, he thought, so he decided to took the short route.

"I have to apologize then," he put his hat back on his green head and once again gave a polite bow, "That means I have to drag her out."

He readied his weapon, the snake like chain, Ouroboros.

"By force."

The hellish golden irises gleamed with malice.

"Platinum is a homunculus, based on Trinity herself, intended to be her second body, a new vessel for her soul."

Jubei finally disclosed the truth of his foster children, a secret he kept alone for years.

"Homunculus, eh?" Kokonoe's ears twitched the moment she heard the phrase, "Let's just say artificial humans, it's almost the same anyway, only different method."

"Alchemy and their dreaded habit for using different names for same things..." she complained.

Yet before her father continued, she lifted her slim hand to his direction to cut him off.

"And what do you mean by second body?" she asked out of curiosity, "Wait, before that, as I remember, that method needs living cells from the person it's based on, usually some amount of blood, flock of hair or even chunks of flesh. How can you obtain that?"

"You've heard the story, Kokonoe," the warrior took a long breath, "After the Dark War, Trinity, along with Konoe was killed by that bastard Terumi."

"Uh-huh?" the scientist's tails flinched the moment her mother's name got mentioned.

"That time, we couldn't find their body, since they were both thrown into the Boundary."

Without any further explanation, the pink haired woman already caught her father's hint. She had once heard about what happened to her ex-colleague, the masked puppeteer, Relius Clover. But what she had just heard from the beastkin just now could only mean that the same thing also happened to the Platinum Alchemist.

"So, she didn't die at that time and ended up in this era?" she concluded.

Answering his daughter, the hooded cat nodded, "To be precise, she arrived here around fifteen years ago. In the forest near Celica's church. It was a coincidence that I was visiting Celica that time and found her, almost dying."

"Aunt Celica also knows about this?"

"Yes, her magic was not as strong as it used to be, but she at least managed to save Trinity from critical condition," he explained, "It is also her request to keep Trinity's existence in the present as a secret."

Kokonoe took a new candy into her mouth and paused to comprehend the story her father had just told. That would explain why the one eyed cat was very hesitant to accept her offer before.

"And her intuition is right."

A serious, yet scornful tone came from the hooded feline.

"A few years later, you know what happened..."

"That bastard came back," the half beastkin finished her father's sentence with a very hateful expression.

The warrior gave a nod in silence.

"Luna, watch out!"

A timid voice came out from the tiny girl's lips as a dark serpent headed chain darted to her direction.

Just in time, she crouched down, successfully evading the attack by a hair's breadth. In that instant, a loud crumbling sound could be heard from behind her, probably another large bedrock got destroyed. If the boy hadn't warned her, she'd surely had suffered a quite fatal blow, she shuddered.

"Grr..." she growled to her attacker.

Several metres in front of her, a tall black figure stood firmly, almost in perfect condition.

"You are a pretty resilient one, aren't you, little miss?" the tall man commented, like she was some kind of weeds or pests in his garden. His golden eyes gleamed excitedly.

"But you really should let that glasses come out," he smiled, in the same time shaking some dust off his longcoat, "Otherwise, you'll suffer more than this."

It was a very one sided fight, as the girl was already in a pretty battered condition. Her supposedly flawless skin full of bruises and cuts, all from the man's previous relentless attacks, either with his knives, or with the snake like chain. If there was anyone around, the man would surely get got reported for child abuse. Yet, he didn't even once hold himself back, since he knew how troublesome the blonde could actually be in some situations.

Sadly, at the moment, she was barely able to stand. The exhaustion from running away and battling the forest beasts before had started to take its toll on her tiny body. Her hunger didn't help either, instead causing the numbness on her limbs and blood rushing to her head.

Still, she didn't want to yield so easily. For some reason, she got a feeling that if she surrendered, something more horrible would happen to her and also the boy inside her.

Biting her lips, she held her oversized staff high, hoping for the best.

"Muchourin!"

Once again, a bright light enveloped the area, although it was somehow weaker then the last time.

Unfortunately, unknown to her, right before she activated her power, the black figure dashed toward her direction. A crescent like shape formed on his lips, like he had been planning it all along.

"So it was also Trinity herself who created those brats, I mean Platinum?"

Kokonoe continued her inquiry about her mother's best friend. Although the biggest mystery about the said woman had been revealed, there were still many questions popping up in her head that need to be answered.

"Yes. Her body was in no condition for fighting, so she decided to create an artificial body for herself."

The catgirl kept silent and keenly listened to the hooded cat. Her curiosity about the Platinum Alchemist only grew bigger and bigger as her father's explanation went on. Once in a while, the thought of her mother's survival crossed her mind, yet her desire for the half revealed truth was too unbearable that she decided to put her mother's case aside.

"So I accompanied her to Japan, to the ruins of your grandfather's lab, since she remembered there was the needed equipments there. Then, she salvaged and renewed the equipments with Muchourin's power to start the vessel creation. Unexpectedly, two separate bodies were created instead of one. One girl and one boy."

The warrior paused for a moment, taking a short break after the long explanation.

"They are Luna and Sena," he ended his story.

Like a student asking a question in a classroom, the slender woman lifted one hand, while the other holding another newly opened round candy.

"One question, why didn't she just create the vessels with Muchourin, instead of making them in such traditional way?"

"She said it was kinda risky since the toll on her mind would be too great. Not to mention, her body was already fragile that time."

Kokonoe nodded at the answer. As a scientist herself, she understood that creating organic matters is much more complicated than the inorganic ones. She had experienced the same thing before, as she even needed to salvage another body to create Lambda.

"But before the vessels reach their mature state," Jubei continued, albeit now with a bitter tone, "the Black Beast..."

"That's when that trash got released," the pink haired woman took a guess. Her face had somehow become stern.

"Precisely. That time, Terumi returned and caused Celica's death," the eyepatched feline gritted his fangs, "which in turn also caused the remains of the Black Beast to temporary awaken, just before I got there and finished it off."

Despite the inhumane appearance, the half beastkin could easily see the rageful, yet sad expression formed on her father's cat face. It was also the time she finally realised how many precious people the warrior had lost because of the wretched ghost's existence. The mother of his daughter, his lover and wife to-be. His friends and comrades, his in-law, also his only brother, which she had only heard from his story. For some reason, the scientist started to feel pity on her own immature hatred to him.

"And since your grandfather's lab was so close to the cauldron, the temporary reawakening of the Black Beast caused a disturbance of seithr around there, which ended up blowing up the whole lab."

Underneath the long sleeves, Jubei clenched his paws as he remembered the accident he regretted even until the present days, maybe even for the rest of his life. If only that time he was at least present in one of the two women's place...

"That time, Trinity forced to awaken the two vessels much earlier," he exhaled, looking somehow hurt and exhausted, "After that, I raised Sena and Luna just like normal children."

"Then how come she is the way she is right now?" the slender woman asked, referring to the alchemist's situation being packed with two brats in her vessel's body.

The bipedal cat looked up to the ceiling for a moment before answering his daughter's question, "When the Ikaruga Civil War happened, we sensed Terumi must have been behind it, so Trinity attempted to transfer herself to Luna, the more compatible vessel."

"But whenever she tried it, Luna's soul rejected her," he spoke slowly, trying to remember his comrade's explanation, "She said if it was to be carried on, there's a chance she'd be absorbed by Luna. The same thing also happened with Sena."

"Didn't she know that erasing memories could make the fusion easier?"

"She had told me about that. But she didn't want to do it, since her main goal at the time was just be able to borrow Luna's or Sena's body for some while, not completely fusing with them."

A foolish decision, or a foolish kindness? The half-beastkin thought. Yet, she understood her reason quite well. She had heard of the alchemist's relation with that bastard, or to be precise, the personality of the ghost's vessel.

Observing his daughter's keenly listening to him, the hooded warrior went on.

"Then Trinity decided to pull a second option. She tried to put a kind of barrier on Sena's soul then put him together with herself into Luna's body, and it was a success. Sena himself manages to act as a barrier between Luna's and Trinity's soul and the three can co-exist together. But, in exchange, Luna, the original owner of the body, was the one mainly in control and Trinity who was considered as an invader, is oppressed and forced to be mostly dormant."

"A third soul as a barrier... who could ever thought of that..."

The cat eared woman frowned as soon as her father finished his sentence. Some time before, she herself also had experimented fusing more than two souls at once, but the purpose was always just to determine which soul would be dominant in the end, never to create coexistence in the same body. Those times, she sometimes even ran out of energy because of using the soul transfer spell too many times, she sighed.

That moment, the scientist also noticed a questionable piece in the story.

"One more question," she lifted her hand one more time, "who helped her created the vessel and performed the soul transfer?"

"No one. It was all her. Why?"

Kokonoe scratched her head. She could at least accept the explanation about her creating artificial humans with alchemy alone, since her reputation as an excellent alchemist was quite legendary. But performing soul transfer to herself, it was just like a doctor performing a surgery on oneself...

And not to mention the radical idea to intentionally put another soul as a barrier to prevent fusion between two souls...

"A frightening person, isn't she? No wonder that bastard Terumi wanted her dead."

The slender woman swallowed the last remains of the sweet in her mouth. A sudden need to meet the Platinum Alchemist in person had just rised within her.

By the moment the light subsided, two hazy figures stood closely to each other, only about an arm's reach.

Different from before, the height difference between the two was now less pronounced, as if the tiny girl suddenly grew up. In addition, the shorter figure's head was tilted upward, staring right at the taller one's head, making an impression that they were some kind of lovers.

However, as the scenery cleared, the reality showed the opposite. The shorter figure was actually no other than the black clad man, still grinning wide with one hand wrapped around the blonde's neck and held her high, that her feet were hanging in the air.

On the other hand, the magical girl made a pained face as the man's thin fingers caused an unpleasant pressure on her neck. Even if she wanted to fight back, she was separated several metres away from her huge staff, thus rendering her powerless in the man's clutch.

"My, my... I've beaten you up like this, but she still hasn't come out. What should I do~?" the green haired man casually spoke, as if he had done a clumsy mistake. Still, his grip on the small girl was ruthless and unmoving, much like a snake feasting on its prey.

"Move your hand from Luna-sama! You lolicon! Pervert!"

Still not wanting to lose, the heart pupiled girl struggled with all her remaining strength. She swung her short legs frantically, trying to kick his captor, though it was futile as he was out of her kicks' reach.

"I've said I'm not interested in little girls, missy~" the tall man gave a flirty wink, possibly just to taunt the already desperate youth even further.

Yet, despite the relaxed attitude, his mind had been thinking about something horrible.

"I wonder~" he said in a playful tone, "If I kill this little one, will that glasses own this body in her stead? Or will she also be killed?"

Once again, he flashed a devilish sneer that sent a shiver through the little girl's spine.

"Both outcomes seemed good, though. Maybe we should really try this."

Grinning like a chesire cat, he answered his own question. His usually closed golden eyes were now opened wide, brimming with a warped excitement and a slight annoyance.

"Guwah...!"

The tiny blonde could only yelp in pain as the grip on her neck became stronger, much more stronger.

"Then, how about mother?"

After her curiosity had been sated, the thought of her mother returned to Kokonoe's mind. If the Platinum Alchemist had ended up in the present era, there's a chance the same thing also happened to her mother, she hopefully thought. Not to forget, a mysterious faceless figure who was always behind the two bastards...

"No information about her," Jubei could only shake his head.

It was a blunt and short reply, yet the pink haired woman could sense a feeling of sorrow and disappointment in her father's composed voice. As strange as it could be, in that moment she felt that the warrior in front of her was just an old, tired man. Even it was hard to admit, she hated to witness her father in such a weak condition.

She silently made a 'tch' sound and renounced her end of the offer she made herself.

"A deal is a deal, old cat."

The sudden statement made the hooded cat's one eye grew wide, distracted from his depression.

"I'll help you in researching the Phoenix Rettenjou," the scientist scratched her head.

"...I can't thank you enough, Kokonoe."

"Just as I've said before, keep the sweet words in your damn muzzle, old cat," the catgirl scoffed, though her tails clearly twitched out of joy.

"If you want to show your gratitude, just stay away from my sight for now," she harshly continued, then turned around to evade her father's gaze, "And don't forget to bring something sweet the next time you showed up here."

"Kokonoe..."

"I've told you, now get out of my sight, you shitty Dad," she complained, not wanting to show her embarassment.

Jubei made a faint smile at his daughter's behavior. Then, he turned back and nimbly walked toward the lab's exit. He still needed to find his two companions, and in the same time also finding a good cakeshop for his next visit there.

"Wait, old cat."

Just as the metal door slid open, one more question popped up in the scientist's head, halting her father's leave.

"I almost forgot. So it means Sena and Trinity's bodies are sleeping somewhere under your surveillance, right?"

The warrior once again made a bitter face the moment he remembered the unwanted, yet true fact.

"Only Sena..."

"What do you mean?"

"That day," he hesitantly spoke, like he was in a great pain, "when Luna and Sena opened their eyes…"

Kokonoe paused as the one eyed feline let out a depressed sigh. She had a feeling she's not gonna like what she was going to hear.

"When the Black Beast reawakened," the hooded warrior closed his unconcealed eye, recalling one of the biggest regrets in his life.

"Trinity Glassfield also died that day."

Hazama grinned wide as he felt the tiny girl's resistance started to cease. Yet, he didn't even once lessen the pressure on his fingers. A little more, and all of his problems would go away. And after this, he would get his peaceful sleeps back. What's not to joy for? He thought.

Still, he could feel a tinge of disappoinment lingered somewhere on his chest. Well, he kinda wished for another presence to show up though. Even if the result would be the same...

He'd still kill her for sure.

"Ju... bei... sa... ma..."

The golden eyes twitched slightly as a name he detested slipped out from the blonde's now pale lips. But then, seeing the desperate plea as a sign of resistance, he instead strengthened his grip on the tiny neck. If he first only intended to deprive the little girl out of air, now his intention was purely to crush the life in front of him.

Too bad, though. If it was her, she'd probably called 'his' name on her last breath. The black clad man secretly chuckled at the thought.

However...

"Guh!"

Out of nowhere, the informant felt a burning blast on his back that he almost fell to the front. Although it wasn't strong enough to cause considerable pain, nor damage, the sudden shock made him let go of the smaller figure, who was now laying weakly on the ground.

Just from the sensation, he knew what just happened to him.

A simple explosion magic.

The same one he once used a long time ago, on a certain woman, at the first time he betrayed her.

"Hands off Luna and Sena, Yuuki Terumi!"

From the same direction of the attack, a familiar voice called his other self's name. A sweet, pastry like voice that echoed countless time in his head because of the annoying visions.

Yet, the supposedly gentle and loving tone was now changed into something colder and harsher, with no single trace of affection. As if all the past he had witnessed in his dreams were just mere hallucinations.

In spite of that, another burst of feeling came forth in his chest. Something akin to happiness, but more warped, more distorted, tainted by a blackened heart.

Grinned even wider, Hazama turned to the owner of the voice, who was no other than the Platinum Alchemist.

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A/N :

Yup, here's 4/5 parts of my theory and speculation about Platinum, readers. I save the last part for next chapter just for mood building purpose.

This theory is based on the assumption that Trinity is now bound inside Luna's body, instead of Muchourin. My reason is that in Platinum's Help Me Professor Kokonoe's section, Trinity mentioned that her soul is now squeezed between Luna and Sena. Since it is also mentioned that Luna and Sena are once raised by Jubei, I can't think of any explanation on how and why the two can get bound in Muchourin.

By the way, the whole soul transfer theory could also work with 'Luna-Sena are Trinity's children' theory. Just change the homunculus and destroyed lab's matter with death by childbirth. Though, I chose to go with this one, since I'm not fond with the idea of parental abandonment.

Also, I admit I may have exaggerated Trinity's ability. But as far as I had gathered, she is not really defined in the games and I'm still looking forward to Phase Shift translations, here I took the liberty for 'upgrading' her. My justification is that she's one of the Six Heroes and also once considered to be one of Ten Saints, so she must have some kind of awesomeness here.

That, and it would be very bland if Kokonoe just gave a flat respond when Jubei explained the secrets. Just imagine:

Jubei : "She created Luna and Sena then transfer herself to Luna's body."

Kokonoe : "Oh, it makes sense now. I can do that too, by the way. I once transferred myself on Tager's body together with Lambda and it was quite fun."

Do you get what I mean? :p

And don't forget, comments and critiques are much appreciated on this chapter. Though I have to say that I probably won't change this theory here since it has been a crucial part of this fic. Or I am just too lazy to alter this part *hide away

Next chapter's spoiler: I gave Trinity another 'modification', so you may or may not dislike it. Feel free to voice your opinion, but please be gentle... Wait, it sounded wrong, but you get what I meant, right?

Have an awesome day, readers.

Posted on 22 February 2014.