Disclaimer: I am still not making money from this thing.


December 1st, 2001

Yokohama Lab

Shirogane Takeru

His fingers ran smoothly through the silver hair on his lap. Yuuko had pushed him to house-sit the lab for her earlier, which led to his current exciting predicament. He had given everyone a day off from training, no point in overworking them so close to the coup, especially if he couldn't guarantee Yuuhi's escape yet. The latter problem was about to resolve itself as he spotted a shadow leaning on a file cabinet on the other end of the lab.

"You're not very good at hiding for a spy, Yoroi Sakon."

A flicker of light was all he saw before the familiar figure of Yoroi stood before him. "I'm more surprised you know who I am. Perhaps I haven't been wiping my trace as well recently."

"Any good friend of the professor is sure to know of the elusive annoying old man in a trench coat that frequents her lab."

"Ah, so she has talked about me." He looked smug at the implication.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. I've heard her talk higher of lab rats."

"Very well." His hand reached out towards Kasumi but was quickly swatted away.

"I'd like to keep this conversation civil, so don't test your limits."

"A sharp tongue on a young man. You remind me of this one tourist I saw while I was on the Galapagos Islands. A friendly guy, but very quick with the retorts. It was quite amazing-"

"I know your tricks, old man, Yoroi. What are you here for?"

"Ah, no tricks this time, then. I merely wanted to inform you it would not be uncommon to see migratory birds fleeing south at this time of the year."

Takeru raised an eyebrow. "You seem sure to trust me with this information."

"Migratory patterns are common knowledge for all but foreigners in these times. I would hate for you to miss the sight."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device. "Here, old man, take this. Press the small button when the birds reach their destination. I'll go and see them then."

"And you seem well-prepared. A bird enthusiast?"

Takeru went back to stroking Kasumi's hair. The conversation was done; any more would only let to him slipping information he couldn't afford to get out. Catching on to the silent agreement, Yoroi bowed his head and disappeared once more into the shadows.

"Have a lot of experience dealing with that slippery spy?" Yuuko stepped through the door.

"I don't think the experience would help me any with him. You've heard the entire thing?"

"Of course. But bird analogies, really?"

"I didn't say I was creative. It got the job done in the end."

"Fair enough." She sat down. "So we let the coup happen. People will die, you know."

"There is no other way. Trust me, I've tried them all."

"Very well. As long as you are putting humanity salvation at the forefront, I will refrain from intervening."

The door closed behind him as her parting warning reached him: "Stray from that and expect no mercy from me."

He hoped that she won't be an obstacle in his mission, but he would cross that bridge when it comes.

~~~Break~~~

He knew this was going to happen. The courtyard had turned into a small battlefield ever since Mikoto found the training paint guns. Splash of yellow and orange streaked across the ground with barrels and tires being used as cover.

"Shirogane, over here!" Class Rep waved from where they were gathered.

"I see you're making good use of your day off."

"Well, we figured getting some combat training outside a TSF would be useful."

"So, who's winning so far?"

"I have the most kills so far." Marimo-chan raised her hand. "But the match has always ended with Yashiro sniping down the survivors."

The ESP, covered in tracks of paint, was already hanging on to his arm sleeve. "Good work, Kasumi."

"Takeru, are you free now?" Meiya handed him a gun and a wooden knife. "Care for a round with us?"

He looked around at the expectant look on everyone's face. "Sure, why not? I'll take on all of you."

"You might come to regret that decision, Shirogane." Marimo punched him lightly on the shoulder. "I'm no greenhorn when it comes to combat."

"Neither am I, Marimo-chan."

~~~Break~~~

He could hear hushed whispers as he methodically fiddled with the knife. He wanted them to approach this with a more tactical mindset than just overwhelming him, not that it would work in the first place. This was also a good chance for Marimo-chan to get used to taking charges in a real battle. He glanced at his watch, 2 minutes was almost over. Bracing against a stack of tires, he mentally counted down.

A barrage of paint flew past him on both sides, halting his charge. A pair of footsteps blended almost seamlessly into the chaos. Almost. Counting down the number of bullets left in a magazine, he rushed past the narrow pause, narrowly dodging a sniper round to his head. A blade quickly stabbed towards him but was easily deflected.

"Not a bad start, Meiya." He held his own blade against hers,

"I see you saw the ambush coming." She twisted away and jabbed again at his sides.

"You still have a way to go in terms of guerrilla warfare." He leveled his pistol at her and calmly painted the stunned samurai red. "Never lose focus on your opponent's hands."

"And never focus too hard on one person." Marimo's voice was accompanied by a volley of paint from all sides.

"But also never aim at one spot." He felt a burst of paint rolled past his hair as he lunged towards Mikoto. "Makes it really easy to dodge."

There was silence as he pointed two pistols at Ayamine and Marimo. A slight grin crept onto the latter's face as he felt the familiar shiver of a sniper's crosshair on his head.

"Too hesitant, Tama." He flipped sideways as two paintballs flew towards the unsuspecting frontline.

~~~Break~~~

He slumped over his desk, sketches, and maps scattered around the room. His annoyance was rising with every minute he spent scribbling over maps of the Sagami Bay, and he had been doing so for nearly 3 hours and 2 cups of coffee. He was confident there is a better way to get Yuuhi out of the grasp of the rebels, and specifically the anti-Alternative agents without putting his friends in too much danger; there has to be. All the parts were there for him, he just needed to put the puzzle together, but therein lied the problem, he's got nothing so far.

Another steaming cup of coffee was placed next to him. "Takeru-chan, you're working too hard again."

"Thanks, Kasumi. Don't worry, I just need to get this done."

She plopped herself down onto his lap. "Can I help?"

His fingers laced into her silver hair and gently stroke her head. "You've been more than enough help these days...Honestly, I don't deserve you sometimes."

She buried herself further into his body and shook her head. "That's not true. You gave up your life countless times for us, even when no one would."

Silence passed between them as Takeru rested his head on hers. Maybe he was acting on his own self-interests and pride, or perhaps he really wanted to save his friends' lives, but in the end, it didn't matter why he chose to fight back so hard against fate. He was there, in the middle of a raging war, at that moment, and it was up to him to make it count. Every day he let the war drag on puts more danger on those he cares about, but every change he forced upon the universe also carried its consequences. His priorities have been straight from the start, to see his friends through alive, and he wasn't going to give that up now for anything.

"You're right, Kasumi. Maybe taking a breather would be a good idea." He picked her up from his lap and stood up. "I'm going to talk to the Professor. Want to come along?"

She shook her head. "I'll go play with the others." She tugged on his sleeve. "Good luck, Takeru-chan."

He nodded. It didn't matter now if he has to pull his strings early; he would need to fulfill his wish one step at a time, the future can wait.

Yokohama Lab

The familiar door slid open. The inside was in its usual disarray, with books, reports, and instruments scattered across the floor. The cause of the mess was sitting casually at her computer, eyes raised at his presence.

"Shirogane, to what do I owe this visit?"

"Professor, you really should clean up the lab."

"Why? I know where everything is, why bother with clean up. Did you come just to tell me that?"

"No, I'm here for a favor."

She eyed his expression carefully, but he made sure to keep it as neutral as possible. "No promises. What do you need?"

"An Eishi Fortified Suit, and standing permission to go Ghost."

She leaned back and pull up her tablet. "I assume the suit is for the VIP?"

He nodded. "Make it a good one. I'd hate for her to get motion sickness."

"Then what of the other request? Surely you're not going to desert your squad."

He shook his head. "It's a standing permission. I'd prefer not to use it, but it might spell the difference between success and failure."

She walked up, face to face with him. "Didn't you say you wanted to keep your friends close at all times?"

"I believe in their ability to handle themselves if it does come to that."

Her eyes narrowed for a moment before closing in thought. "Very well. I will deliver the suit to your room."

"As for your permission, don't count on having it."

"Understood."

"Shirogane, one more thing." She beckoned him to follow as she put on her lab coat. "I have something you might be interested in."

The door behind the lab slid open to the metal chamber. Various machines and control panels laid scattered throughout the grated floor with cables running to the centerpiece of the room, the blue glass case holding a brain.

"Don't touch anything in here." Her voice was unusually quiet, almost drowned out by the low reverberating humming of the equipment.

He forced down his rising urge to run over to the case. "Was there something you need from me?"

"Just a progress report. There were some complications in procuring a suitable body capable of handling her computing power." She typed in a few command lines as the room whirred loudly to life.

The surface of the fluid inside bubbled as small sparks arced around the tank. "It would have been nice to transfer her consciousness to a metal shell to increase her endurance, but part of her organic self seems to reject that transfer."

A blinding flash of light exploded from the case, blinding him for a brief moment before the mechanical whirring came to a stop, sending the room back to its melancholic silence once more.

"That was a daily maintenance run, controlled electrical signals to keep the neurons stimulated."

His eyes didn't leave the glass case. "So she can't have a body?"

"That's where you come in. You will have to choose for her: either wait for a better android to be built...or try to force a transfer into an organic body."

Her words took a few seconds to register before he turned around fast enough to give himself whiplash. "An organic body?! Like actual flesh body?"

Her face hid none of the glee from his surprise. "Correct, there's a chance we can transfer her consciousness to an empty human shell, a homunculus if you will."

"Is that even possible?" In all his loops, he had never heard of such a technology, and the very notion still seemed far-fetched at best.

Her smile turned quickly to a frown. "Therein lies the problems: to create a homunculus with a preconceived conscience will take nothing less than a miracle to accomplish. Even with the perfect host body and a cooperative ego, the very transfer would require a spiritual connection between the two, something no one has ever even attempted."

He looked around the room for a few seconds before a revelation came to him. "What about Kasumi?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Yashiro? What about her?"

"She's an ESPer, right? Wouldn't she be able to bridge the gap?"

He could see the gears inside her turning as various emotions flashed across her face. "It wouldn't hurt to try, I suppose. The theory does seem to check out."

In his excitement, a crucial fact slipped his mind. "But what about the body? How would you get one of those?"

As if waiting for that exact question, her lips curled into her trademark smirk. "I think you should meet someone."

~~Break~~

He didn't expect to meet her again so soon. The familiar shade of violet hair tied up neatly in a bun and a lazy yet piercing gaze behind a thick pair of glasses; this woman is no doubt a Kouzuki, and he knew exactly which one.

"Dr. Kouzuki, I assume. Pleasure to meet you." He bowed slightly to hide his grin.

A loud laugh came from behind him. "I told you, sister. He's a real piece of work." Yuuko pointed a finger at him. "This is Shirogane Takeru, my newest addition to Alternative IV."

Her lips pursed slightly. "Yuuko, aren't you being too careless with information?"

She patted him on the back. "Trust me, there's not a thing you can say he didn't know already. Intelligence Service and all that."

"Very well. I'm Doctor Kouzuki Motoko, neurosurgeon and medical advisor of the Eastern Branch of the UN; I assume you knew all of this already."

He shook her hands. "It's an honor to work with you, Dr. Kouzuki."

Yuuko was less than impressed with his theatrics. "So you're polite with my sister, but not me? I'm greatly offended, Shirogane."

"Well, unlike you, Dr. Kouzuki has done nothing to lose my respect."

"Please, call me Mokoto. You are a First Lieutenant, no need for such formal address."

"Okay, you two love birds, let's get on with business. I don't have all days to watch you two go at it." Yuuko pushed him aside and grabbed a stack of diagrams and sketches.

He smirked. "Are you jealous, Yuuko?"

"One more word, and I'll blow your brain out."

"Jokes aside, are you sure about doing this? We are putting all of our eggs into one proverbial basket."

"Shirogane, you are making this decision. If this fails, Alternative IV will be scrapped faster than you can say BETA. But if this succeeds, you might have a chance at your own goal."

He never broke his stride. "I trust in her. We are doing this."

Yuuko patted her sister on the back. "I told you he's a treat. Let's get this done and shut those Alternative V supporters up."

December 3rd, 2001

The Hill behind Yokohama Base

Mitsurugi Meiya

She slowly folded the letter back and raised an eyebrow at Tsukuyomi. "And so the Shogun wishes to call me back to Kyoto?"

"Meiya-sama, the Shogun has asked me to make it clear that this is not an order but merely an option you have."

"First Lieutenant Tsukuyomi, does me being there essential to the Shogun's safety?"

"Of course not, the Royal Guard would be more than enough to stop these insurgents."

Meiya sat down and looked around at the lifeless wasteland beneath her. "But what if you can't?"

"There is no…"

"I do not doubt you, Tsukuyomi. I couldn't feel safer knowing she is under your protection." She picked up a patch of dirt and threw it over the edge. "But what if that isn't enough? This is a war; people are dying every day even without infightings like this."

"Meiya-sama." She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Even if we are not enough, if we strive to do the best we can, perhaps the gods will show mercy on us."

Meiya patted the ground beside her for Tsukuyomi to sit down. "You think the gods have not abandoned us?"

"Two months ago, I would not have dared think the gods care for us anymore. But now, I must wonder whether we have truly been forsaken."

"And something changed?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not. But I do find it hard to believe that the last month would have happened the way it did if the Emperor of Heaven did not intervene."

Meiya turned quizzically at her companion. "The Emperor of Heaven?"

Tsukuyomi ignored the questioning look, opting to throw a few pebbles off the hill. "And you would believe a common man who merely bears the same name as Yamato Takeru could have achieved the things he did?"

"No." Meiya looked towards the base, where Takeru was no doubt working hard to minimize the rebellion as he said he would. "I do think he is everything but common."

It was a question she had tried to avoid thinking about since meeting him. On the one hand, he had explained to her his circumstances and reasons for being who he is, and that he is still human at the end of the day. But on the other hand, could what he had achieved, from the constant time travel to the mental fortitude needed to keep going after everything, be human in the first place. He had insisted he was merely a high school boy who was too stubborn to give up on an unattainable dream. Still, he didn't realize how amazing the things he does and says genuinely is.

"He is still Shirogane, and that is enough season for me to support him."

Tsukuyomi stood up and bowed. "Very well, Meiya-sama. I will support you until the very end."

Meiya placed her hand under her hardened chin and raised it. "Formalities are wasted on me. If we are to live through this hell, I wish to reach the end of it with you and everyone as my friends, not mere subordinates."

"Meiya-sama, we of the Royal Guard exist only to…"

"Tsukuyomi, I am asking this of you as a friend and a sister, not as a retainer of a Royal House."

"If you wish so, Meiya-sama."

She nodded. "Do not let me keep you from your duty. I think I shall remain here for a while."

Tsukuyomi wordlessly joined Meiya on the ground.


A/N: Don't worry, I am still alive and kicking, and so is this story. We'll get into the start of the coup next chapter and that's when the action really starts to amp up.

CaveKnight32: Glad to see you back too. Marimo will be given some more character development in the following chapter as she integrates herself into the squad and we'll see some more of her in the Valkyries soon enough. Meiya will be important in the next few chapters, as the coup is basically her biggest character arc.

Dash9: Thanks for catching those small problems last chapter, my MLA lore is getting a bit rusty already. I'm glad you like my take on new Kei, as she is a really tough character to nail most of the time due to how elusive her personality is.