Symphogear Trill

Chapter 14: Omens of Determination

Chris stood seemingly on her own at the small dock located just outside of the hidden away mansion. Her glare looked out over the still water turned a dark shade of blue by the evening light falling over the water. In one hand she held the closed Staff of Solomon, her fingers gripping around it tight as they could go in her bubbling anger. Her mind flashed back to the conflict earlier that day, both of the increased power of her foes, but also of Hibiki's activation of the Durandal.

"Finé said you need a lot of Phonic Gain to activate a complete Relic. What took me six months to do with the Staff of Solomon, she did in an instant… and then that boy with the Ame-no-Murakumo, his control over the thing is far better than what I can do with the Nehushtan Armor. They're both able to unleash those kinds of powers…"Chris's jaw tightened as her eyes narrowed, a growl leaving her throat. "They're monsters!"

"Your life should be on your own terms…"

Chris flinched as Ritsudo's words flashed through her mind. Not only was she enraged by Hibiki's actions and Ritsudo's clearly superior control of his Relic, she also felt just as mad that she'd been saved by an enemy of all the people to do it. But there was another odd emotion mixed in there, one she hadn't though she'd feel again… hope. Just the slightest bit, and it annoyed her to no end. She looked at the Staff, the metallic item shifting ever so slightly.

"And that girl… Finé is so obsessed with her she's making me capture her?"

As her fingers tightened even more, images flashed through Chris's mind, the horrible memories that spurred her onwards. Memories of war, of losing that which mattered to her most, of capture, torment, mistreatment… any idea she could have had of a normal childhood cruelly torn away by a world with people who would do such terrible things. So why was it those words made her feel something? She didn't need hope, was her thought. She needed power, that was all. But another thought pervaded Chris's mind as her arm lowered.

"… then I'll be all alone again."

The air shifted at the same time as the sun began to crest over the mountains nearby. Chris stared at the dawn with a longing expression on her face, but only for a moment. She turned when she felt that now so familiar presence. Finé had appeared, and Scordatura further back, and Chris could feel the piercing gaze of the masked figure even behind that concealing cover.

"I know what's been done to me. You don't need to use this. I'll do what you want." Chris threw the Staff to Finé, the woman catching it with a smooth motion, her expression not wavering from an expectant smile. "I'll show you that I'm better than she is! That I'm not affected by that stupid guy! I'll destroy anyone with power other than me! That's what I want!"

Finé didn't say a word in reply to Chris, her lips only shifting ever so slightly in the smallest of quirks. Scordatura turned away as he gave a huff. Nothing more needed to be said. If Chris had set herself to some kind of trial, then there was no reason to not let her do so and see the results of it.


"I still can't shake it from my head… what that masked guy said, then Ruyi Jingu Bang responding like that? Just what on earth is going on right now anyway?" Kyomei sighed as he walked down the halls of Lydian's medical wing, looking out over the brightly lit campus of the mid-day. It almost felt odd, coming back to something so peaceful after the chaos that had happened the day before then. "I should tell Tsubasa at least… she ought to know what happened."

He stopped for a bit to look not out one of the windows, but to look at his own reflection. Having thought on what Ritsudo had brought up before, after the mess with Durandal, Kyomei had made a bit of a stylistic choice: Dyeing his hair back to it's original dark red. He hadn't messed with his preferred low layers of course, but now rather than the blackish-blue he'd hidden it behind, his emerald eyes only standing out even more being framed by a color they contrasted with.

"I think it looks fine."

Though it was as he was getting closer to the room she was still in that Kyomei found himself going rigid, not from shock, but more a troubled feeling. Tsubasa came around the corner, moving along with a bit of struggle from her crutch and almost dragging the IV stand with her as yet another crutch to it. Kyomei sighed as he put a hand to his face. If Tsubasa surely had any one major flaw, it was of course her tendency to push herself too much.

"Tsubasa, what are you doing up right now? Don't go pushing yourself." Kyomei trotted up to the girl, Tsubasa stopping and looking to the side.

"I just… I can't sit around and do nothing. If I want to move forward then…"

"That and making sure you heal properly are two different things." Kyomei's tone was kind as ever, but there was a certain forcefulness behind his words, and Tsubasa flinched just a tad. He was smiling, but his eyes looked far more firm. "Your determination is one thing, your body is another. I'll take you back to your room so let's go."

"… you haven't acted like that in years." Tsubasa murmured, Kyomei just tilting his head as he closed his eyes.

"It's kinda mutual." Kyomei said, opening his eyes and glancing over when Tsubasa leaned up on the wall and looked out too.

Where they were was overlooking the track and field area of the campus, and the two veterans saw that on it, Hibiki was running along with a tire looped to her waist, Ritsudo sitting on it while clearly making calls, running with Hibiki being Miku, and Wataru was sitting on the side, cheering on from the sideline.

"They're reliable juniors." Kyomei said, Tsubasa glancing at him. "They've been doing just fine on their own. So don't worry so much and focus on getting better. Once you're back out there, there'll be plenty to do. So, now, back your room."

"Your hair… when did you dye it back?" Tsubasa said, Kyomei then tugging at some strands. Tsubasa then showed a soft smile. "You've had it dyed since we were kids. I'd almost forgotten what the original color was."

"Well, I felt like it was time for a bit of a change. No more hiding anything, and that includes the physical as well as the emotional." Kyomei said, blushing a bit as his gentle expression returned, Tsubasa's face also going a bit red. "Now as for what I said…"

"Uh… right. Just uh… once I'm back don't go in right now?"

"It's not a mess is it?" Kyomei said, Tsubasa looking to the side.

"It's not."

"… I'll give it to you this one time." Kyomei said, poking Tsubasa on the nose. "Next time won't be free though."

"Right." Tsubasa nodded, her face going to a deeper shade of red as she felt a small bit of shame. She was thinking there was no way she could let Kyomei see what her room had ended up like.

"I'll stop by a bit later after I check in at the HQ." Kyomei's follow up statement got Tsubasa to lock up. Now that such a thing was in the air, her feelings of worry had only increased a fair ways. Kyomei just titled his head without a clue of what Tsubasa's sudden flinch was about.


"One, two, one, two, one, two! Come on Hibiki, this isn't that hard!"

"Haaa… haaa… I know! But you being on top of the tire just makes it even heavier!"

"That's the point."

Hibiki let out a long sigh as she kept up the jog along the track, the rope tied around her waist digging in a bit and she surely felt the weight of the tire she was pulling, not helped of course by Ritsudo's weight being added to it. As for the boy, he was sitting there without much of a care, a flat, seemingly disappointed expression on his face as his track jersey billowed behind him.

Miku, unsurprisingly of course, had a fair little distanced ahead of Hibiki, while the rather unathletic Wataru kept to the side, and they were close to passing him again, the other boy holding a stopwatch as he watched the two girls approach.

Though Ritsudo by chance had a certain kind of thought in his head as he folded his arms and gave a hum, staring straight ahead without shifting much.

"Loose shorts? You'd think Hibiki would've gone with something like spats to train in since her Gear kinda sorta has something like that… seriously those under suits hug the body." Ritsudo thought, a small noise escaping his mouth, shrugging his shoulders.

"And time!" Wataru pressed the stopwatch as Miku passed, the girl leaning on her knees as she stopped. Though as Wataru brought her a towel, Ritsudo started yelping as Hibiki kept going without having noticed the call at all.

"Oii! Hibiki, he called time!" Ritsudo called out, rolling off the tire as Hibiki finally screeched to a halt. "Did you zone out or something?"

"Uh, yeah, a bit. Something was just on my mind. You know, yesterday." Hibiki said, Ritsudo giving a hum. Mulling on that did make sense, and Ritsudo didn't have a doubt Hibiki's mind was stuck on what happened to her.

"Well, I wouldn't worry too much." Ritsudo said, "You just kinda couldn't control it. There was no way for us to know what'd happen. Just gotta be more prepared next time."

"What are you two going on about?" Miku said, and the red tint on the girl's face immediately clued Ritsudo into the fact his wording may have sounded… quite suspect to people who were out of the loop. Hibiki just tilted her head unknowingly while Wataru just gave a thoughtful hum.

"Maybe she just had to handle something heavy when they were at work." Wataru said, Ritsudo and Hibiki looking to the side.

"Well you're exactly wrong." Ritsudo said, his eyes shut. "I'm sorry if that sounded weird."

"Yeah, it was nothing." Hibiki added, Miku not looking satisfied by that however. "Really, it was just work related. Something just kind of happened, but don't worry Miku, I'm perfectly fine."

"If you say so." Miku relented. "Well then, let's go get cleaned up, Hibiki. Wataru, I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see ya, Miku." Wataru gave a wave as Miku trotted off, and Ritsudo noticed that Hibiki flinched for a moment at hearing the two refer to one another without honorifics. Though the moment passed, and when the girls were gone, Ritsudo turned to Wataru, and a sly look slowly came to his face. Wataru instantly looked a fair bit embarrassed. "W-What?"

"When did you two get friendly enough to stop using honorifics? It was just a couple days ago you two were still using them." Ritsudo slid up to Wataru as his tone got teasing, Wataru scratching his cheek a bit.

"I-It sort of just came out." Wataru then gave a hum, his look being somewhat more thoughtful. "I know I maybe shouldn't ask you but…"

"To be blunt if this is going how I think, I am literally the worst person to ask for that kind of advice from." Ritsudo's deadpan tone made Wataru snicker as it just broke the mood, Ritsudo chuckling. "But go ahead."

"Say I was going to, I dunno, tell a girl I liked her. What do you think would be the best way to do it?" Wataru fiddled with a bit of his hair, and Ritsudo's smirk just got smarmy as it came back. From what he'd gathered from the time he'd spent with Wataru and his friends, perhaps something like this had only just been some time coming. "As a complete hypothetical for now! I know time and place is a thing… and right now doesn't feel like it's right."

"Well considering we're probably talking about Kohinata of course." Ritsudo's smarmy look only got worse as Wataru's face went fully red, earning a snicker from the pale-haired teen. "Again I'm not really the best guy for advice. I've got a lot of my own stuff to sort out before I can really say I'm ready for that. I can at least say when you do feel like the time is right, just be honest about it. You're fine as you are, so don't go panicking over something like that. You're always honest, right?"

"Well, of course but, y'know… ugh, feelings can be weird." Wataru hung his head as he gave a long hum, then standing straight and slapping his cheeks. "GUUUUUUUTS!"

"What was that about?!" Ritsudo had his hands to his ears at Wataru's sudden screaming, who then threw a fist into the air as he repeated the yell. "Seriously what!?"

"It's a spell someone I know taught me. When you're feeling conflicted, just yell it out and get your head on straight!" Wataru pumped his arms as Ritsudo just tilted his head.

"Kid would flip if he knew something like me existed." Murakumo choosing to comment only made Ritsudo's face go flat. But then the teen raised a brow when Wataru suddenly looked around.

"Did you hear something? Something like… a small tune just now?" Wataru said, Ritsudo's eyes going wide, though Wataru quickly went back to a lax expression as he flipped a hand. "Eh must've been from the school."

"Wait can he hear me?"

"You shut up!" Ritsudo snapped at the Relic, but the thought was there as he and Wataru started up on a random topic. Lydian of course was there to try and find any potential Symphogear users, so of course it was entirely possible Wataru may have the potential to use a Relic of his own. But, Ritsudo felt something about that thought bother him.

Wataru was his friend, and an all too nice person… the idea of him ever fighting didn't feel like something that was fitting, at least at the time. Then again, the same thing could be said about Hibiki when Ritsudo put more thought to it.

"Anybody can have a reason to fight I guess. Even if they may not seem like somebody who should be fighting." Ritsudo sighed to himself with that, choosing to, for now, push it aside and just let things be normal. Things were fine as they are now, so he could only hope they'd stay that way.


"Hey, I'm here to check in!"

The door to the command room slid open, Kyomei peering in. Things were usual, except for Genjurro finishing up doing his tie and in a black suit instead of his usual more casual style of dress, Ryouko giving the boy a wave to come in, then carrying on from whatever conversation she may have been having with Genjurro beforehand.

"The memorial service for Defense Minister Hiroki, right?" Ryouko said, Kyomei giving a hum since that explained enough of the situation.

"Yes. We may not have always gotten along, but he was always interested in what was best for us." Genjurro said, nodding to Kyomei as the teen passed him. "Kyomei, your parents attend. If you want, I can take you to go see them later before they leave."

"I'd rather not if it's gonna be in public. You know how they get when it's been a while." Kyomei put his hands up, Genjurro giving a shrug. "Besides I was gonna check in with Tsubasa again in a bit. She's doing fine, just needs to be kept from pushing herself."

"At least make time to give them a call later. But, as things are, we've lost a powerful ally." Genjurro cleared his throat as he loosed his collar and tie, unsurprising given his preferences. "How are things going here?"

"Seventeen percent ahead of schedule." Ryouko said, proudly puffing her chest a bit.

"Honestly, I'm glad the plan to move the Durandal from here was canceled." Sakuya chimed in, turning from his current batch of work.

"And we're upgrading security at headquarters too." Aoi added.

"The place was designed to be upgraded in case we needed to." Ryouko said, "And this plan is something I gave to the government a long time ago."

"But weren't there a lot of diet members who opposed it?" Aoi said.

"It was Defense Minister Hiroki who led that opposition if I remember it right." Kyomei said, Genjurro nodding as he undid his jacket and sat down.

"He was. He said it wasn't right to spend so much tax money on an unofficial project. And that it wasn't right to give us unlimited extrajudicial power." Genjurro sighed as he filled a cup from the pot on the table, downing it before continuing. "The reason he opposed it was to keep us strictly within the law, so no one would have an excuse to shut us down."

"Well then who's going to replace him? If was helping keep people off our backs, then who'll step up? I can't imagine he would considering how he treats us half the time." Kyomei's voice got aggravated and bitter at his vague mention of a "he", but he didn't need to specify it for the others to know who that "he" was.

"The vice minister will take his role." Genjurro affirmed, Kyomei clicking his tongue. That wouldn't be an entirely good thing. "He's also the one who agreed to fund the base upgrades. He is, but…"

"Is something wrong?" Aoi said.

"The vice-minister is very pro-American." Genjurro continued, Kyomei sighing. "Meaning that the American-suggested policies for Japanese are more likely to be implemented."

"Heh. Well it'll at least stick to a certain isolationist bastard if that's the case." Kyomei's bitter scoff didn't go unnoticed, but not that it wasn't though to be deserved considering the individual it was being targeted at, even if it went totally unsaid. "But… that also opens the possibility that some people in the American government may have been involved to get someone friendlier towards them in power."

"That…" Before Aoi could say more, an alarm went off, the screen showing some of the workers down below with fire extinguishers out.

"Oh no, looks like there's trouble. I'll go check it out!" Ryouko left with the others giving affirmatives. Kyomei stood to do the same, stopping at the door as he turned around.

"Commander, I know it may sound odd but… well, I think we should at least keep an eye on Ryouko-san at times." Kyomei's statement got the others to look at him with confusion, for the obvious reason of course. "I know it's weird but… I dunno, something hasn't felt right for a while now. I'm not saying I think she's a traitor or anything… just that some recent things have been too oddly convenient around her for me to be steady. It's just a suggestion. I'm gonna go check on Tsubasa."

"I'll keep the thought in mind. And don't worry, I'll do what I can to make sure Fudo doesn't find out about the current situation and why." Genjurro's statement got a nod from Kyomei, the boy leaving with that. "He may have a point… perhaps I should do so like I was planning."


Kyomei was back at the medical wing, standing at the door for the room Tsubasa had been moved to since she was out of the ICU now. His initial knock on the door went unanswered. Giving a sigh, Kyomei knocked again.

"Tsubasa? It's me! You doing alright in there?"

Kyomei pressed his ear to the door. He heard shuffling around and some yelping from Tsubasa, as well as a crash.

"Tsubasa?"

"Kyomei! Don't come in yet!"

"Is it a mess in there?"

"I said don't come in!"

"I'm coming in."

Kyomei punched in the key code on the door, Tsubasa yelping again as it flew open. And when it did, Kyomei froze as he was greeted with quite the sight. The room looked like it had been totally ransacked, with clothes strewn about every inch and corner, messes from food and medicine items on the table near the medical bed. And Tsubasa was standing amid all the chaos, doing her best to try and carry a rather large bundle of clothes. And the girl's face was progressively getting redder, not helped that Kyomei's expression shifted into that calm but firm smile.

"Tsubasaaaaaa…."

"Please don't look at me like that! I'm trying to clean this up! I just lost my phone!"

"Hahh, what am I gonna do with you eh? Been this way since we were kids." Kyomei gave a chuckle as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few clips, quickly pinning his fringe up and then rolling his sleeves up, promptly nabbing the pile of clothes from Tsubasa. "You do what an injured person does and rest. I'll get this all cleaned in no time."

"I made the mess, so I should really…" Tsubasa flinched when Kyomei just closed his eyes and hummed. "You always clean up after me, at least let me do this!"

"You're injured. Sit down. I'll do it."

And a few minutes of rigorous cleaning later, Kyomei brushed off his hands and gave a satisfied nod as he stored the last of the blankets, the room now spotless and well organized, Tsubasa sitting on the bed, looking at Kyomei as he pulled his headphones down.

"Jeez… forget it. You always do this." Tsubasa murmured, Kyomei folding his arms.

"I do always do this. Heck I'm the only reason your dorm room is clean half the time." Kyomei flatly stated, Tsubasa sighing in defeat at the acknowledgment of her habits, "Anyway, how are you feeling now that you're out of the ICU?

"Better. It'll be a while before I'm back to how I was, but I don't plan to sit around much longer." Tsubasa clenched a hand closed. "I'll be back fighting alongside you soon enough."

"That's good, I'm not expecting anything less from you. But, also… you remember that masked Tuner we fought before?" Kyomei asked, getting a nod in response as he sat down. "Well… he showed up again the other day, when we tried to move Durandal, and he fights exactly like Koto."

"What?!" Tsubasa gasped, Kyomei nodding as a long breath escaped him.

"I know something isn't right, but that is not Koto. He'd never betray us… something else is going on here. I asked him myself since I was suspicious, but he said he's not… but also that he's somehow near. Even weirder is that when Tachibana wound up activatring the Durandal, Ruyi Jingu Bang responded, and stopped it from causing more damage." Kyomei grumbled, a hand at his mouth and a pensive look on his face, Tsubasa then gaining an uneasy look of her own, "There's something more going on that we just don't know. Though I don't know how to figure it out."

"Then take that mask off." Tsubasa stated, Kyomei glancing at her, "Next time you run into that masked man, try to take that mask off and see whos face is under there even if he says he's not. I'm not sure if it could even be him, as far as I thought, after two years he might have… well, I admit, I thought Kotone was dead."

"Koto. You know he hates his full name." Kyomei corrected, Tsubasa flinching for a moment, "But… I've spent the last two years carrying his Relic with me… so, take off that mask and see if it's really him huh? Heh… well, if that's the best answer we can get, I guess I'll just have to try. If it is Koto, then I'll find out what's going on and if it comes to it, we'll just have to beat some sense into him and bring him home, right?"

"We?"

"Heh… well, I don't think I can beat that guy on my own. I can put up a fight, but he's crazy strong, even more than Kenzaki now that he can properly use Ame-no-Murakumo." Kyomei stated, pulling out the pendant in his pocket, Tsubasa staring at the item as Kyomei dangled it on his fingers, "Whoever he is, even if he fights like Koto, it may be something more complicated than what I was told, that much I can tell. So, trying to beat that guy on my own… I don't think I can do that."

"Well… you don't have to do it alone." Tsubasa answered, "Once I've recovered completely, we can take him on together. Tachibana and Kenzaki may be effective, but they can't synchronize their Gears, and it holds them back… but you and I, we can, and that would probably be enough."

"Huh… maybe… though we haven't done that in two years." Kyomei hummed, fiddling with a bit of his hair as he then laid down, his eyes stuck on the ceiling, "Could we even still manage it?"

"Of course we could… though, I wonder what kind of song it would be." Tsubasa murmured, Kyomei sitting up again, "And… well… things between us as well."

"That's another thing actually." Kyomei put a hand to Tsubasa's, the swordswoman looking at it, hesitating as Kyomei wrapped his fingers in her. "It's… what I was waiting to tell you. What I said when our Relics let us talk when you were unconscious."

"I have something to say too." Tsubasa added, Kyomei letting out a sigh as he thought his own statement.

"Then uh… why don't we… say what we wanna say at the same time?" Kyomei suggested, Tsubasa giving a nod, the two taking in breaths before they spoke.

"I love you!"

The two teens then froze in surprise as the same phrase came out of their mouths, blushes rising between the two of them as embarrassment slowly hit as well, Kyomei's face so red it was about the same shade of red as his hair was now.

"Uhhh…" Kyomei broke the silence with a low sound coming from his throat, Tsubasa still silent in surprise, the two then looking to the side, awkwardly shuffling about. After a moment of silence, both began to laugh. "Hahaha! So of course it was mutual, ahh… that actually makes it feel so much easier."

"True. I wasn't sure how I felt for a long time. But… I want you to be by my side. Like you said, you want to be my second wing right? I'm glad… I wouldn't want anything else." Tsubasa then let out a sigh, turning to Kyomei as he glanced at her, "I… I need to apologize first and foremost, as well."

"Apologize? For what?" Kyomei looked more directly at Tsubasa as she looked out the window for a moment.

"For pushing you, for pushing everyone, away." Tsubasa answered, "I thought that… if I shut others out, if I only thought of myself as a sword, a weapon to defeat the Noise, maybe I would be able to move past it, forget the pain. But then… Tachibana appeared with the Gungnir and everything came back all at once. So… I'm sorry, for being so cold to you for so long."

"I should've tried harder." Kyomei let out a sigh as his hold on Tsubasa's hand tightened a bit. "I just wasn't sure what to do. It just didn't come naturally, even when I tried. And I know I said some things that came off as insensitive without meaning too. I didn't know just how hard you'd taken Kanade's death, so, I'm sorry for what I said before. But, I do mean what I said. If you need another wing to fly, I'll be that. So, let's not mess up with each other like that again, hopefully."

"Of course." Tsubasa let herself slouch a bit and rest on Kyomei's shoulder, the boy's blush coming back. "Heh… you know, I don't think I noticed how you've grown either."

"How do you mean that?"

"Lots of ways. It makes me glad, actually. Though neither of us are really the same anymore, aren't we?"

"No… but it's not bad in some ways."

Things went quiet, Kyomei glancing down at Tsubasa as she stared out of the window, another short silence following as Tsubasa looked up at him, the two stuck as their eyes met in such close proximity to each other. The need for words felt like it had slipped away as they just sat there and stared, emerald eyes staring into sapphire.

It was then a moment that seemed slower than others as that tiny distance began closing, the two flinching when their lips just barely brushed, a soft press forward from Tsubasa closing whatever tiny gap remained, the sensation of the kiss a surprise to the two for a fist experience, almost like the world was slowing down.

And then they heard the door slide open.

"Hello!"

Kyomei and Tsubasa broke the lip lock and shot around with their faces turning beet red and their eyes wide, coming face to face with a confused looking Hibiki holding a bundle of flowers, the blonde girl looking between her two now very embarrassed seniors, realization slowly dawning on the girl as she looked between the two. Not helped when they also saw Ritsudo leaning in, the white-haired boy bearing quite the smirk on his face as he saw his seniors embarrassed looks.

"O-Ohhhhh! I-I'm sorry! I interrupted something, didn't I?!" Hibiki hurriedly bowed her head in apology, Kyomei's face getting far, far redder than before, steam practically coming off of his face, Tsubasa sighing.

"Yes, you did." Tsubasa said, her blunt statement making Hibiki flinch.

"Well, Ogawa-san asked us to stop by and check since he's busy with something. Guess the timing was a little… off." Ritsudo though, hadn't lost that smug look, even when the two older teens glared at him together, snickering like a gremlin all the while.

"But, I am glad he sent you two, actually." Tsubasa turned to both of them, Hibiki tilting her head. "Even though I've been in here the whole time, I have read the reports. You both have done fine… of anything, Tachibana, it seems you've been filling in for the gap I left just fine."

"N-Not at all!" Hibiki said, waving her hands in protest. "Everyone at the 2nd Division helps me, plus Ritsu deserves some of the credit too, he's way stronger than I am!"

"I'm not that much stronger than you. Also I've been meaning to ask what the nickname is for." Ritsudo said, poking Hibiki on the forehead.

"Ehh? I think it sounds fine! Besides I know you don't mind!"

"And how do you know that eh?"

"I can just tell! Like something in me knows that you're fine with it!"

"… I have no way to respond to that."

"Hahaha, you two get along pretty well now." Tsubasa said, her light laugh coming as a surprise, though her look got serious quickly. "But, I do want to ask you both something. I want you to tell me the reason you fight. The battle against the Noise isn't a game, something you should both know from all the dangerous battles that you've been a part of to now."

"Well… for me I guess it's not so complex." Ritsudo said, turning to look out of the window and to the open sky past it. "I want to be a hero, simple as that. The kind who can make a world where people don't have to die needlessly, where they can live their lives on their own terms without anyone interfering in that… I don't really think about things like justice though. I want to protect everyone's ability to smile and do dumb things without having to worry about whether or not they'll even be safe the next day or not."

"For me… I guess saving people is just a hobby of mine." Hibiki had eyes on her now, which made her shuffle a bit at suddenly feeling on the spot here. "So…"

"So? Is that all?" Tsubasa said, Hibiki flinching a bit.

"Well, it's like when you're studying or playing sports, and you're competing with other people. But you don't have to compete with anyone if you're helping them. There's nothing I'm really good at." Hibiki folded her arms behind her back and turned forward, a bit of a wistful look showing. "So I just hope I can do something that helps other people. But… I think it started with that. Two years ago, at that concert, when Kanade-san sacrificed her life to save mine. Not just her, a lot of other people died that day… lots of people lost friends and family they cared about. But I'm still here, and I can do things like laugh and eat snacks. So, I want to at least be helpful to someone. Because I want to be able to laugh and eat snacks tomorrow as well. I want to help people."

"That's fitting." Ritsudo said, Hibiki giving a warm chuckle.

"Agreed. A positive reason, just like you." Tsubasa said, Kyomei nodding. "But it's possible that it's only an optimistic excuse for suicide."

"Suicide?!" Hibiki yelped, Ritsudo tilting his head.

"Basically, survivor's guilt." Tsubasa continued, and Kyomei grabbed her hand again. "You want to sacrifice yourself for others to erase the pain of old wounds."

"Did I say something weird?" Hibiki's confused statement turned to an awkward laugh, and Tsubasa smiled a bit. Kyomei then felt a ping in his head, standing up.

"How about we go and talk someplace a bit… clearer?" He suggested, the other three all giving him the same look. "The roof, duh."


With the midday breeze rolling by, the bright blue sky and white clouds made for a good sight as the Symphogear users entered the space, Ritsudo's eyes stuck looking up as they came to a stop.

"It's not my place to say if something like that is weird." Tsubasa spoke as she turned to Hibiki. "Think and decide for yourself whether it is or isn't."

"I think and think, but there's so much I don't understand." Hibiki said, her mind again going back to the previous incident, how she felt when holding the Durandal and what it did to her. "When I touched Durandal, the darkness almost swallowed me. And before I knew it, I was turning it's power on another person without even hesitating. If I could use my Armed Gear properly, that likely wouldn't have happened."

"I mean is having the Armed Gear that important?" Ritsudo said, a flick of his left hand causing Murakumo to form in his hand. "Like me you're different when it comes to how your Symphogear acts. You just need to find a way to use all of that untapped power in a way that suits you."

"He's not wrong." Kyomei added. "Gungnir may be a spear, but your Symphogear can be whatever you make it. Use your power in the way you feel suits you best."

"But keep in mind, knowing how to use your power means putting yourself onto the path of a warrior." Tsubasa said, glancing at Ritsudo. "Kenzaki has clearly already made that choice… but, going down that road means distancing yourself more and more from the life of a normal person. Do you have the resolve for that?"

"I have things I want to protect." Hibiki said, her expression become more resolute. "Things like an uneventful, everyday life. Protecting that life is really important to me. But I just can't seem to do anything about it…"

"When you're fighting, what do you think about? Both of you." Tsubasa looked between the two again, and Kyomei glanced at Tsubasa. She looked to him and just nodded, Kyomei giving the same in response, wordlessly agreeing to why she asked such a thing of the two.

"If Noise are attacking someone, I want to save them as soon as I can! I want to be there as fast as possible, as soon as possible! I want to head straight for them! And then… if I'm fighting another person, not Noise, I think I want to tell them what I'm feeling. I want to know if we really have to fight!" Hibiki's response got a satisfied look from Tsubasa, and then they all looked to Ritsudo, who's eyes were closed.

"I've lost a lot of things. People I cared about died because of the Noise, and I was abandoned by people who put all their grief on me. And I was too short sighted to see there were people who wanted to help. All I did was run away, from people… and from living." Ritsudo tightened a hand, and opened his eyes to show they were just as resolute as Hibiki's. "Not anymore. It's why I want to open myself up to others again, even if I run into things that bring back those painful memories. And if I see another person suffering like me, then as long as I'm able to, I want to hold my hand out to save them. If I have to fight somebody, then I'll do it and try to understand why they are too. People can connect, even after their hearts have been damaged… sometimes you just have to give it your all to do that for someone. Thanks to a friend of mine, I also know that it's worth it not to give up on trying to help someone."

"Picture everything your feeling in your mind, as strongly as you can. That is your power to fight." Tsubasa said, a bit of pride showing for her juniors in their resolves. "That is Tachibana Hibiki's Armed Gear, and that is the will behind Kenzaki Ritsudo, the person who wields Ame-no-Murakumo."

"You both have strong resolves now." Kyomei walked up and put a hand to both the younger ones' shoulders, giving a chuckle. "And as your senior that couldn't make me prouder. So just keep moving forward, alright? If you really are that determined, then that's how you'll prove it. Move forward without stopping, and with no hesitation."

"Right." Ritsudo and Hibiki responded in unison. A statement of resolutions made under an open sky, contrasted to a resolution made at the crest of dawn… both were omens of things to come.