"Where is she?" Hakumen stormed into a room of Rachel's mansion, where the vampire sipped at some tea. "I know she was in Yabiko."

"Hm?" Rachel gave him a smirk. He sure has recovered quickly. "Whoever do you mean?"

"Do not play games with me, unholy. I obviously mean Tsubaki."

"Do not worry about the prodigy of Yayoi. I can guarantee Ragna will do everything in his power to protect her; his dedication to her astounds even me." Her smile faded and she rose from Nago. "Mr. Hero, if I may be blunt?"

Hakumen shifted; it was rare indeed for him to feel dread. "What is it?"

"Cease your obsession with her. This Tsubaki is not the one you knew. Yours existed in another time; no trace of her remains. Admirable though your dedication to her is, it shall be your undoing."

"…I cannot do that. She perished because of my foolishness; I will not allow that to happen again. I must atone. Tell me where she is; I cannot trust one such as Ragna."

Rachel sighed, shaking her head. "If you insist on pursuing her, then so be it. You will find her in Naobi, her hometown. I do believe she is heading there to speak with her father. Valkenhayn."

The werewolf appeared from a portal of darkness, still hunched from his battle with ν-13. "Yes, madam?"

"You will take this fool to the 4th Hierarchical City of Naobi." Rachel frowned, a sense of apprehension falling upon her. Miss Yayoi is very well protected. Such a shame that tragedy tends to come to those who seem the most secure. "From there, you shall remain in the city unless I have need of your services. Watch over Ragna and Tsubaki."

Valkenhayn blinked. "Madam?"

"It is merely a feeling I have; you will be needed should anything occur."

He bowed low as portal formed behind him. "Of course, milady. Come, Master Hakumen."

Once more, the heads of the Duodecim gathered around the azure table. Two days had passed since whispers of Yabiko's destruction had spread. As soon as the Imperator gave them permission to speak, Gesshoku Yayoi was on his feet. "Imperator, with all due respect, I demand to know what happened in Yabiko."

Saya's crimson eyes focused on him and he shrunk away from her. "Is this the reason you have decided to convene so soon after the previous meeting? Nothing has been confirmed; all rumors are but hearsay. Trust not the whispers; they seek to sow discord within the Librarium."

"Not confirmed?" To the shock of all, Gesshoku slammed a fist on the table. "The videos of Yabiko have spread like wildfire! It's perfectly clear that soldiers of the Librarium have desecrated their duties as protectors of the peace and slaughtered those of their own city. Why has such a thing been allowed to occur?"

Next to him, the head of the Kisaragi family stood up as well. "I must agree with Yayoi. I was under the impression that there were minor cells of rebellion within Ikaruga, but that does not justify the utter destruction of an entire city."

"Will you two learn your place?" At Lord Kisaragi's side, Belioz Mutsuki leaned on an elbow. "You surely do not mean to place blame on our benevolent Imperator, do you? Catastrophic as this event was, we should not make such rash accusations. Or do you perhaps know more of this event than the rest of us, Yayoi?"

Gesshoku glared back at him. "Of course not, Mutsuki. And I was not accusing the Imperator of organizing such a calamity. I was merely stating the facts; the soldiers of the Librarium have slaughtered those they were to protect. While I am certain the Imperator had no hand in this, corruption has clearly been sown within the Librarium. I shall not rest until the root of this evil has been discovered."

"Ah, always thinking of justice. Never change, Yayoi." With a dramatic sigh, Belioz rose. "Nevertheless, you are right. For all this talk of 'hearsay', it is plainly obvious that the Librarium has had some hand in this. A rogue general, perhaps. We need to quell the fears of the people as soon as we can. Why, the more unruly of Iwatsuchi have already taken to vandalizing my mansion, although I can hardly blame them."

Of course. In the end, all that matters to you... What do you hope to gain, Belioz? As Gesshoku remained in his own thoughts, another of the Duodecim stood up. "If I may, Imperator? Have there been any reports of defections amongst the military branches?"

Saya's gaze went to blank space once more. "There have not. While the citizens have been misled into rioting, the soldiers of the Librarium remain loyal. We shall uncover the truth of Yabiko; this event shall not rip the Librarium asunder. Now, have you any more to discuss?"

Miles away from any Hierarchical City, a strange trio of travelers made their way through the mountain roads. Panting, Linhua leaned back against a tree and looked over at her feline companions. Neither appeared winded in the least. "Um...could we please...rest a minute?"

"Sure." Jubei took a seat in the grass and glanced around. "Seems like a good 'nough place to rest."

"Mew?" Up ahead of the others, Taokaka stopped and looked back. "But... Tao's hungry! I say we keep moving; the sooner we get to a city, the sooner we eat, meow!"

Jubei chuckled. "Calm yerself, Tao. Ya ain't 'bout to starve here. I reckon we got a few minutes to spare."

Taokaka's ears drooped, but she sauntered back to them nonetheless. Plopping down in the sunlight, she purred. "Oh... okay. At least it's warm here."

"Hey, Jubei?" Linhua drew a canteen from a hip pouch and took a swig. "Um… well, I kinda want to see how strong I've gotten, so would it be alright if I sparred with Tao before we left? I mean, after resting, of course."

Jubei looked over the two of them before shaking his head. "Eh… that ain't a good idea. Tao doesn't exactly know her own strength. Nah, yer better off waitin' a while before challengin' someone like her."

"Huh?" In the blank of an eye, Taokaka scampered up to him. "But cat person, Tao wants to play with short lady! Can we? Please, cat person? Please?"

Stretching, Linhua nodded. "Yeah, it can't be that bad, can it? Come on, just let us spar."

"How's this?" The twin blades of Musashi gleamed as they slid from their sheath. "I'll play with Tao, n' if yer still feelin' up for it, ya can spar with her afterward. Sound good?"

"Um…" After a moment, Linhua shrugged. "Sure. I guess that works."

"Yay!" Across from them, Taokaka slid into a crouch, the tips of her claws edging out. "Bring it on, cat person, meow!"

Without waiting for him to respond, she pounced, claws extended. Jubei smirked and sidestepped the attack, striking with Musashi. The flat edge of the kodachi swatted the Kaka, sending her into the dirt. In an instant, Taokaka was back up and flying through the air. As Jubei raised a blade to block the strike, she swerved in midair to land behind him and delivered a low slash at his legs. Her claws struck steel, blocked by his second sword, and she had no time to block a kick to the chest. After jumping off to the side, she slashed with both claws, several times in a second but again to no avail. Jubei's defense seemed impenetrable to her. She jumped a pair of retaliatory slashes and dived down at him. Upon impacting against his swords, she ricocheted back and dropped straight to the ground. In a blur of motion, too fast for Jubei to react to, she flew an inch off the ground at him. After wrapping her arms around his legs, she tackled him to the grass.

As Jubei rolled away from her, Taokaka hopped forward, paw overhead. A massive slash crashed down against Musashi and a second came from below, tossing him into the air. She flew like a dart after him, slashing with her claws. As he blocked those, she stabbed with her hind claws like a spear. Although his defense held strong again, it served to distance the two. Upon landing, Jubei chuckled. "Heh. Ya sure have gotten better, Tao. Guess it ain't a good idea to go easy on ya no more."

"Meow, don't go easy on Tao, cat person! Tao'll win if you do."

Taokaka reached into her jacket and hurled the first item her claws gripped. Jubei's eyes widened as the skeleton of a fish flew at him. A stray breeze blew it away. "Any particular reason yer-"

"Heads up, cat person!" More items flew from Taokaka. Several plates flew by Jubei's head while a red bowling ball started up the hill before rolling back between its thrower's legs. Why are you carrying all that crap? After tossing yet another plate, Taokaka called, "I'mma get you now!"

She darted through the air again, watching for his inevitable counterattack. Jubei held both kodachis at his side, pointed behind him at the ground. Without warning, vanished. Taokaka had just enough time to wonder what had happened before an invisible force struck her chest like a battering ram. Yowling, she bounced back down the hill, coming to a rest at Jubei's heels. "Mew... how'd you get here, cat person?"

"Ya ain't the only one here who's fast." Sheathing his swords, Jubei turned around to smile at her. "Not bad there, Tao, but I think that's enough for now."

"Meow...okay." As though she hadn't taken a light-speed blow to the chest from Musashi's hilt, Taokaka bounced to her feet and looked around. "Hey, where's short lady? Tao wants to play with her now!"

Linhua poked her trembling head out from behind a tree. "Um, I think I'll pass. I kinda like... you know... living."

"Still not there?" Crouching, Ragna scowled when Tsubaki shook her head and hung up the phone. He pounded a fist against the concrete at his feet. "God damn it, where the hell is he?"

"He seems to have been out of town for a few days; I'm guessing the Duodecim are meeting in Ookoto at the moment." Tsubaki sighed and cast him a look. "And please don't vent your anger against the ground here. This part of Naobi is old and in disrepair. Citizens generally aren't even allowed down here anymore, due to the threat of collapse. And, well... it's a long ways down to the sewer systems."

"Right, got it." He rose and stretched. "So, why the hell are we here if the ground might fall apart at our feet?"

"Because, as you've said, the first four Hierarchical Cities are pretty much fortresses." Gesturing for him to follow her, Tsubaki headed towards some stairs leading to a higher level of Naobi. "I'd rather not stay at the surface levels for too long, just because of how many Library soldiers there are here. Still, we can't stay down here all the time..."

"Hey. Tsu." After catching up to her, Ragna planted his hands on her shoulders and swiveled her around to face him. "Don't you think you've been working a bit too hard lately?"

"No, I don't believe I've been working hard enough." Although she wanted to remove his comforting hands and continue on her way, Tsubaki decided to hear him out. "And even if I am, what of it? We can't afford to take a break from this fight."

"Not even long enough to just have a nice dinner?" Ragna cupped her cheek. "Damn near every time we've had any alone time since this shit started, it's either been spent planning or one of has been depressed about something. I... just want to take a couple hours to take our minds off this crap already. What do you say we go out tonight and just hang out for once? I'll pay and stuff."

After a moment, Tsubaki smiled back at him. "That... sounds great, actually. Any place in particular you'd like to go?"

"Eh, I figure you know the restaurants here a hell of a lot better than I do. How 'bout you pick a place, I pay and then we try your dad again when we're done?"

As Tsubaki leaned in towards Ragna, the phone she had just set down rang. After jumping at the sudden noise, she reached for it and flipped it open.

Before she could say anything, a familiar voice sounded from it. "This is Gesshoku Yayoi. I have received multiple calls from this number in the past days. I demand to know who you are."

Father. Tsubaki tried to force herself to speak; it was as though an invisible gag bound her mouth. After a couple of moments, Gesshoku said, "Are you there? Answer me."

Closing her eyes, Tsubaki found the strength to speak. "…Hello, father."

A gasp came from the other end. "Tsubaki."

In a medical bay in Ookoto, Jin stared up at the ceiling, mind in turmoil. He'd gotten his meeting with Hazama. Unfortunately for him, it had been the captain who had done all the talking, due to the poisoned wound in his gut. He had wanted to rip out the man's throat for stealing his life away, leaving his closest friends as strangers for no fathomable reason. Instead, he'd endured a lecture that he'd dismissed as pointless at the time. But now, after days of solitude with nothing but his thoughts, Hazama's words weighed upon him.

The power of order... the world's antibody... what the hell does that bastard mean? That I need to kill my brother? Tch, I already know that. That I need to utilize this... power of order if I am to kill Ragna? Bullshit. If I have to rely on something else to kill my brother, then it's all meaningless. I need to do it of my own strength.

But why the hell did he tell me about it? What's he up to? And what does he mean that I need to "conquer Yukianesa"? It's my weapon. Gah, he makes no goddamn sense. I need to leave this place...

The door to his cell opened and a blue-clad soldier stepped in. She said, "Major Kisaragi? You are free to go now. You can pick up your weapon and uniform on your way out."

"Thank you." Glaring in disdain at the green robe he had been forced to wear the past few days, he rose and stepped over to the officer. "Is Captain Hazama around?"

The girl stepped back at his glare. "I... don't believe so, sir. I think he's occupied until tomorrow. Um, may I ask why?"

"That's none of your business." Without any more regard for the medical officer, Jin strode out of the bay. Tomorrow, he would have answers.

"Doctor Faye-Ling. Come with me." Without waiting for Litchi to acknowledge him, Relius swept out of the room as suddenly as he'd appeared. "It concerns your theories on seithr."

"Huh? O-of course." Surprised as she was by his appearance, it took a moment for Litchi to rise and follow him. For him to just appear out of nowhere... "I would like to speak you with about Yabiko afterward, if you don't mind, Colonel."

"Certainly." He led her in silence into the Engineering sector of Ookoto's Librarium branch. "Tell me, doctor. In your estimation, would it be possible to cease the flow of seithr within the Boundary?"

Litchi paled at the thought of the Boundary but shook her head. "I... believe so. My findings indicate that seithr could be rendered inert, although destruction of it is impossible, as it exists on an atomic level. However, I believe stopping the flow of seithr to be beyond what we are capable of currently. Not to mention that the conditions within the Boundary may be different from those here."

"Indeed; as far as you would know, there is no way to stop its flow." Relius stopped before a solid metal door. He input a combination of numbers into a keypad and the gate slid open. "Have you heard of the Kushinada lynchpin?"

Again, Litchi shook her head, gazing at the variety of luminescent liquids in tubes in the lab. "No, I haven't. What is it?"

"A... weapon of sorts. Developed by an old colleague of mine, it was meant to do exactly as I was just talking about. I have been searching for it for some time now and..." He passed through another door, entering a torchlit chamber with a glass container. An amorphous being with a white mask pressed itself up against the transparent wall; Arakune's mad gibbering went unheard. "At long last, it has been discovered. Unfortunately, it would seem that using it is beyond what we are capable of."

Litchi crossed her arms as she wandered over to Arakune. "And you believe I can recreate it with my knowledge of seithr and the Boundary."

"I believe you could help me create a similar device." He turned to her, face expressionless. "Your assignment is to study the Kushinada lynchpin. We shall create a new lynchpin with the knowledge you and, once he is restored, Lotte possess."

"...To what end?" Litchi turned to glare at him. "To slaughter more of your own people? What were you and Hazama trying to accomplish in Yabiko?"

"...Sacrifices must be made in the name of progress. The destruction of Yabiko will prove necessary."

Paling, Litchi summoned Matenbou. "…You're mad. What could possibly be worth the deaths of millions? What sort of 'progress' are you talking about?"

"…I was hoping you would understand, doctor. But no; I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Even if you sacrificed your standing in Kagutsuchi, as a doctor, you will refuse to sacrifice so many lives. However, should we better the world through this project…"

"So the ends justify the means in your mind. Let's say I help you create something similar to this lynchpin and you stop the Boundary's seithr. What happens next? What do you accomplish by doing so?"

Without a word, Relius turned to stride away. As he approached the door, Litchi growled and ran after him. "I knew it. There is no 'progress' to be made with this plan."

Relius paused, his back to her. "You would leave us, then? How unfortunate."

"I'm strongly considering it, even if it means that you kill Lotte."

"I would do no such thing. The knowledge of the Boundary that Lotte no doubt possesses is too valuable."

So, Hazama was simply trying to keep me from defecting. "I have no idea what you are planning, but I want no part of it. If you want to keep me from leaving…"

"Do not be rash, doctor." At last Relius turned around to face her. "Your knowledge of seithr is vital; I cannot afford to lose you. If you attempt to defect…"

Litchi tightened her grip on her staff and took a step towards him. "You'll kill me."

"You are of no use to me dead. I would merely resort to harsher methods of keeping your loyalty, even if it means placing you under the phantom's control."

That froze Litchi in her tracks. "You would…"

"Mind control is not something I wish to utilize. There are too many side effects that may harm your ability to do as asked, especially considering the sensitivity of the work to be done. However, if it is necessary, then so be it."

"I see." Litchi lowered her weapon even as her grip tightened. So I'm trapped here. There's no other choice… I'll just have to find a safe time to leave. "Very well. I will do as you ask. Where is the lynchpin?"

For the first time Litchi could remember, Relius smiled, a cold expression that seemed to chill her very soul. "Excellent. Follow me."

"Makoto? What are you doing?"

Makoto didn't even bother to look up from her laptop at Noel's words. "Oh, nothing really. Just hacking the Library's networks so we can just stroll into the branch. Again. Damn hard this time, though…"

"…I see." Though she disapproved of Makoto's methods, Noel slid down to sit next to her friend, backs against a wall. "Um… are you sure it's safe to be doing this? I mean, we're out in the open…"

"Don't worry about it. Any watching will just see a cute beastkin on her laptop."

"Um, Makoto? We're… kind of wanted, you know."

"Yeah, but it's not like we're Ragna or anything. We're safe. I think." She glared at her screen. "And this is going nowhere. Stupid Library, actually protecting their networks… let's go get dinner. I'm starving."

"Okay." After standing up, Noel sighed and glanced around. Four days in Oogetsu, and they had accomplished exactly nothing, sans racking up high bills due to Makoto's voracious appetite as well as the cost of lodging. If they didn't accomplish anything soon, they would have to head elsewhere. Where, Noel had no idea, but… "Let's keep it cheap this time, alright?"

"Yeah, fine." Sighing, Makoto slipped her computer into a case and rose. "I just wish I knew why Rachel sent us to this dump of a Hierarchical City. Seriously. It's tiny as hell, the security's ridiculous…"

"Noel? Is that you?"

"Huh?" Noel turned at the sudden call while Makoto braced herself. A frail, middle-aged man waved to her from across the street. Her eyes lit up and she ran to him. "Dad! You're here?"

Embracing his foster daughter, Edgar Vermillion nodded. "Sir Jubei brought Clair and I here for safety. How did you get here, sweetie?"

"It's…a long story." Breaking off the embrace, Noel glanced back at Makoto. "Um, have you met Makoto? I don't think…"

"Nah, he hasn't." Swishing her tail, Makoto raced up and accepted Edgar's handshake. "Makoto Nanaya. Pleased to meet you, Lord Vermillion."

"I'm Edgar. Please don't refer to me as 'lord'; I've not been nobility for some time now." He looked back at Noel. "May I ask what you two are doing?"

"Oh… we were just about to get some dinner." Noel glanced around for a moment. "Um… would it be okay if we stayed with you and mom while we're here? We're… kinda running short on money…"

"Of course you can." Edgar turned around, gesturing for the girls to follow him. "Come with me. I'll have Clair make us all a nice dinner."

Tsubaki didn't have chance to respond before her father went on. "Why have you betrayed us all? You have brought shame upon the entire family with your actions."

"…I'm sorry, but I have my reasons." Tsubaki's stomach felt like lead. "I know you'll never believe me, but my current fight is just."

"How can your fight… Never mind. I will drop the subject for the time being." A sigh crackled in the phone. "Why have you been attempting to contact me?"

"I need to meet with you."

"…For what? You know I cannot provide aid to an enemy of the Librarium, even if you are my daughter."

"It… concerns the Yabiko incident." In spite of how nervous conversing with her father made her, Tsubaki smiled at his slight gasp. "I am trying to discover the reasons such a slaughter had to occur. I figure that you, as a Duodecim head, would be the best place to start."

"…I see. I suggest you do not believe the rumors until they have-"

"Father, I was there. I fought soldiers to save helpless people and saw those who were meant to protect the city destroy it instead. I need to know why such a travesty occurred."

It took several long seconds for Gesshoku to find his voice. "…I understand. I shall allow you to come by tomorrow to discuss this further; we should not talk about such matters by phone. Come at four tomorrow; I will be waiting."

"Understood. Thank you, father." As she turned the device off, Tsubaki turned to Ragna. "My father said we can come by at four tomorrow to meet with him."

"Cool." Ragna rolled his eyes. "Let's just trust a Library noble and walk into a trap. That'll help a whole damn lot."

"Of course we're not just walking into whatever my father may have planned, although I doubt he would do such a thing." Taking his hand, Tsubaki started for the upper levels of Naobi. "For one, he has no idea that you're with me. And furthermore… I suppose there's no harm in showing up a couple hours early if it means avoiding any sort of ambush."