Fate- Kyon's Order: Alter Egos in Chaldea

by DeraldSny

After the events of 'The Return', BB and the surviving Alter Egos from SERAPH have come to settle in at Chaldea proper. But they aren't the only 'alter egos', class or otherwise, that will come knocking...

9. Gorgon

A/N: Surprise! A new chapter! But as I mentioned before, this won't really conclude the story... but I hope you enjoy, regardless!

Fate/Kyon's Order: Alter Egos in Chaldea

A Haruhi Suzumiya & Fate/Grand Order Crossover

by Derald Snyder

Part 9: Gorgon

Gorgon let out a sigh of frustration and boredom as she sat in her chambers, barren save for the bed in the corner, which was meant for a human and far too small for her. In fact, this whole facility seemed a bit small for the avenger, who was used to moving around by slithering on her tail, even though her legs were still functional. She'd already lost count of the times she'd banged her head on the tops of doorways, when she wasn't staying in spirit form... (Just another indication that I don't belong here,) she thought in disgust. (Why did I ever take that human's offer...)

Her self-loathing was interrupted by knocks at the door from two people in perfect synchronicity. As much as she wanted to yell at them to leave her alone... "Enter," she sighed in resignation. Even in this monstrous form, she still couldn't help but submit to their will... Sure enough, the door slid open, revealing Stheno and Euryale standing there, the twins swiftly striding inside. "What do you want?" she kept her tone neutral.

"What do we want? Don't you know what time it is?" the twins said in sync.

"Should I?"

"You dummy!" Stheno chastised. "It's time for Parvati's interview, remember?"

"That's right! We came to pick up our giant little sister so she wouldn't miss it!" Euryale asserted. "Come on, let's go!" The twins promptly grabbed Gorgon by the ankles, attempting to drag her out of her room... (With the rider Medusa, they would grab her hands instead, but Gorgon was up a bit too high for them.)

"Hey! Stop pulling!" Gorgon protested. "I'll go, I'll go! But I'm staying in spirit form until we get to your room!"

"Okay, but you better not try to ditch us again!" The twins warned her. "Because we'll know!"

"Right, right," Gorgon sighed, fading into spirit form... the last lecture she'd gotten from them when she'd tried to escape had been bad enough.

*Stheno and Euryale's Room*

As expected, Asterios the minotaur was already sitting in the room when the sisters arrived, and the rider Medusa was there was well. "Hello big Medusa!" the berserker greeted enthusiastically.

"Hello, Asterios," Gorgon greeted back calmly. At least he hadn't treated her with fear or disdain, though she couldn't help but wonder if the fact that Asterios was a 'monster' of sorts himself played a factor in that. "Still looking after my sisters?"

"They can handle themselves!" Asterios shrugged back. "But I help if Euryale asks!"

"Of course you do, you moron," Euryale said, though there was no malice in her words.

"Hello, me," Medusa greeted with a ghost of a smile.

"Hello, me," Gorgon repeated.

"Hey! You can't steal our shtick like that!" the twins protested. "Even if you're literally the same Medusa, we know you're just doing that to mock us!"

"We'll take any victory over you we can get," Gorgon replied smoothly, Medusa letting out a small chuckle.

"Oh dear, our biggest little sister is getting snippy again," Stheno sighed. "How shall we punish her, me?"

"That's simple, me," Euryale replied, "we have biggest little sister carry us on her shoulders while we watch TV together!"

"F-fools!" Gorgon cried even as the blood drained from her face. "My snake hair will d-devour you if you g-get close!"

"No they won't," the twins replied in unison. "You're a bad liar, Medusa! Now come on, up we go!" Gorgon could only sigh in resignation as she lowered herself, picking up both sisters in her arms and setting them on her shoulders as she rose back to her usual height. Sure enough, her hair snakes began to cuddle with the twins... "Hey, that tickles!" Euryale giggled as one snake nuzzled her cheek, while Stheno gently stroked another snake head, which seemed to enjoy the attention.

"The fact that your hair acts so docile around Stheno and Euryale puts the lie to your assertion," the rider Medusa mocked.

"Oh, shut up, me!" Gorgon yelled back. "Do you have any idea how uncomfortable this is?!"

"Actually, I do," Medusa replied honestly. "I only wish I had camera to get a picture of this touching family scene..." Her smile widened as Gorgon's face went red with embarrassment...

"Hey, hey!" Asterios called. "TV coming on!" The group promptly returned their attention to the flatscreen which showed static...

(Now hacking... now hacking...)

(OK!)

The screen then showed 'Are you enjoying this' backwards on a white background, before the logo 'BB Channel' popped up. The screen then transitioned to a pink-purple TV studio, though the news desk was white with a blue stripe near the top. And sitting behind said desk was none other than... "Helloooo, Chaldea! Welcome to the first episode of a brand-new season of... BB Channel~!" A stock applause effect played. "I'm your host, the ever-cute, most wonderful devil kouhai AI that ever was, BB! So, for those of you who are first-time viewers, this show will be dedicated to the current goings on inside Finis Chaldea and their efforts to preserve the human order! We'll also be having interviews with Heroic Spirits, learning a bit about what makes them tick, their legends and backstories! In fact, we're going to be opening this show with one such interview!" Standing up, she proclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our first guest, a wonderful, pure, and lovely heroine servant from both India and Japan- Goddess Parvati!" Another stock applause sound was heard as the purple-haired goddess strode on-screen, looking a bit embarrassed...

"Th-thank you, everyone!" Parvati stammered, clearly nervous. "Um, is there somewhere I'm supposed to sit?"

"Wha- Matcha! Where's a chair for our guest?!" BB demanded, clearly upset. "Didn't I tell you to make sure everything was in place before we started rolling?!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting it!" Robin Hood's voice was heard, the archer sliding a chair into view a few moments later, which Parvati sat down on.

"Honestly... if I was the one responsible for your QP allowance, you'd be getting a massive pay cut!" BB critiqued.

"Now, now, it's only your first show," Parvati interjected. "Of course there would be a few wrinkles to iron out, right?"

"Yeah, but this could have been easily avoided... well, anyway, on with the interview!" BB exclaimed. "So, you're a recent arrival here, correct?"

"Yes, that's right. I was summoned at the same time as that alien Alter Ego, though I arrived first," Parvati responded. "Although Rider- I mean, Medusa wasn't exactly happy with me at first..."

"Yeah, care to elaborate on why?" BB inquired. "Apparently you took the body of her former Master or something...?"

"Yes, well, as a Divine Spirit, I couldn't be summoned normally, so I had to merge my essence with a human host," Parvati elaborated. "The one that I was most compatible with was a pure young girl by the name of Sakura Matou, who as you said, was a Master in a previous Grail War in Fuyuki, Japan. And Rider, Medusa, was the servant that she summoned."

"But why would Medusa get so upset? Wouldn't she be happy to see her old Master again, even if she were fused with a goddess?" BB pressed.

"Well... I don't want to go into too much detail, but according to what Rider told me, poor Sakura was subjected to a lot of abuse by her adopted family in her younger years," Parvati said with a sad expression. "And it wasn't until the Holy Grail War that she got the opportunity to finally break free of them..."

"Abused by her family... doesn't that sound familiar," Gorgon commented bitterly. Focused on the screen as she was, she missed the guilty grimaces on her sisters' faces...

"If you remember, what Sakura went through was even worse," Medusa spoke up.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that..."

"So, I still don't understand why you picked me of all people to be your first guest," Parvati said on-screen. "I thought you would have chosen one of your daughters instead..."

"I thought about it, but Melt was too much of a sour lemon, Protea still needs to learn proper behavior, Lip gets nervous too easily and Vio flat-out refused," BB gave a helpless shrug. "Not to mention, I wanted to make a good first impression with my show, you know?"

"BB..." Parvati smiled sweetly. "You're avoiding my question. Why did you pick me specifically? I'm sure it's not just because we have the same hair color, is it...?"

"W-what is this oppressive aura I'm feeling all of a sudden...?" BB grunted. "Ugh, all right, all right, if you reeeeeally wanna know, then I'll tell you... You see, in my timeline, there's this big supercomputer housed in the moon, that's used as the basis for the Holy Grail War... and there's all sort of AI programs to make sure everything runs smoothly, see? And one of these AIs was a nurse program by the name of... Sakura Matou!"

"What?! Really?!" Parvati gasped in shock. Medusa and Gorgon also had shocked expressions on their faces.

"Yes, really!" BB grinned. "But that's not the end of the story... you see, during the course of the Grail War, Sakura ended up falling in love with one of the Masters, an unassuming boy by the name of Hakuno. But these feelings kiiiinda got in the way of her work as a nurse, so she decided to reset herself to factory defaults, so to speak, with her emotional data being discarded in a garbage file."

"That's so sad..." Parvati lamented.

"Now, now, I'm not finished!" BB waggled her finger. "Now, in any other circumstance, this garbage data would've been simply eventually overwritten and forgotten about. But, due to the unique environment of the Moon Cell, this emotional data eventually gained self-awareness, constructed a new body for herself, and took on a new moniker. And so, to protect her precious Senpai from dying in the Holy Grail War, this new 'Moon Cancer' decided to hijack said war and take all the Masters to the Far Side of the Moon!"

"Moon Cancer...? Ah! You mean-?!" Parvati gasped in realization.

"Ding ding ding! That was how yours truly, BB was born!" A stock audience gasping sound was played. "And the world was never the same again! Now do you see why I picked you? It's because, being a Sakura of sorts yourself, you're almost like a mother to me~!"

"BB is Sakura's daughter?! No way!" the twins cried in unison. "Did you know this, Medusa?!"

"I... I thought she looked similar, but her disposition was so opposite of the Sakura I knew, I dismissed it as coincidence...!" Rider Medusa stammered.

"Ugh... that explains why she seemed to piss me off, despite never meeting her personally..." Gorgon sighed. She decided to make it a point to avoid that AI at all costs, lest she be tempted to try and devour her... never mind that her Avenger class was conceptually weak against BB's unique class. "Sisters, my shoulders are getting sore..."

"Nope!" the twins said at once. "This is your punishment! Grin and bear it!"

"...You have my sympathies," Medusa looked over at her counterpart.

Coming from anyone else, Gorgon would have dismissed that remark as condescension, but seeing as it was literally herself saying such... "Thank you," the snake-woman acknowledged. Her other self's presence was one of the few things that made staying here bearable, after all...

*The next day...*

Gorgon was again in spirit form as she loitered in her room... she had attempted to explore Chaldea in said form before, only for several servants to sense her presence and reflexively draw their weapons, forcing her to retreat... not that she could blame them. An avenger's killing intent was rather hard to disguise, after all, even if she had no intention of devouring anything at the time...

There was a knock at her door. But Gorgon could tell it wasn't her sisters this time, so she was inclined to ignore it. The knocking persisted, however, becoming louder in the process... "Hellooooo! Gorgon, you in there?!" ...It was that one, the youngest and most idiotic of the Masters. Why did SHE have to come and bother her?! "Don't make me think you're in trouble! I'll call Nightingale!"

"Don't you dare!" Gorgon reflexively called out.

"There you are!" Riyo Gudako exclaimed happily. "Now quit being such a recluse and come on out!"

Resigned, Gorgon decided to simply phase through the wall in spirit form. "What do you want, Master?"

"Aww, why are you in spirit form?" the redhead complained. "Medusa's really pretty, and so are you! Are you shy?"

"...if you must know, I'm bad with mana consumption when I'm materialized," Gorgon replied. "Which means I get hungry often if I don't stay in spirit form. I might just devour something or someONE that I'm not supposed to, and then what?" It wasn't the real reason she was staying in spirit form, but she wasn't exactly lying either.

"...Is it because of that big tail of yours?" Gudako guessed.

"Most likely. Now speak your peace and get it over with. I shouldn't be out of my room unless I'm called to battle..."

"But that's just it! You never come out!" Gudako yelled. "You don't interact with anybody! And don't say it's because you're an avenger! Joan's the same class, but she can mingle with everybody!"

"Joan is still human at her core. I am a monster, one feared by everyone that comes across me," Gorgon countered.

"I don't fear you! And neither does Haruhi-chan or Ritsuka-kun!" Gudako pointed out. "And those stupid stuck-ups in business suits don't count! Haruhi-chan says they're too stupid to know anything anyway! And what about Parvati?"

"Parvati uses a previous Master of mine as her vessel, of course she accepts me," Gorgon sighed. "Even if I were to come with you, what would you have me do?"

"Well... we could always go to Fantasia Resort! There's plenty of room for you to slither around there!"

"I don't think so. Everyone would flee in fear upon seeing me," the avenger argued.

Gudako was silent for a moment, her face in a pout... "That does it! You leave me no choice!" She held out her right hand... "By my command spell, you WILL accompany me to Fantasia Resort!"

"Dammit, NO!" Gorgon cried as she materialized against her will. "Did you not hear what I just said?!"

"It's fine! Once everyone sees you're with me, they won't be scared! Now come on!" Gudako beckoned, turning and walking off, Gorgon compelled to slither after her by the command spell's power...

(BAM!) "OW!"

"You klutz! Stop banging your head on the top of the doors!" Gudako shook her head with a smile. Gorgon's head was in too much pain for her to come up with any scathing retort.

*Fantasia Resort*

After managing to squeeze through Club Cove without banging her head, Gorgon materialized her Breaker Gorgon to seal her Mystic Eyes... If she was going to be here, there was no point in accidentally petrifying someone. Her ears picked up a few gasps of shock, but no screams or anyone running away... "See? What did I tell you?" Gudako proclaimed smugly.

"It's too hot..." Gorgon sighed. "My scales are already getting uncomfortably warm..."

"Well, you can always take a dip in the water!" Gudako pointed out. "Come on, we'll head down to the shoreline!" Gorgon heaved a sigh, but obediently followed her Master, the sounds of gentle waves getting closer... "You know, you're lucky that you can do this! That Passion-lip is as monstrous as you are, but she can't even walk on the beach without sinking into the sand!"

"Is that so?" Gorgon said, letting herself slither into the water slightly, her tail cooling considerably, feeling drops of water sprinkling onto her dangling feet. "Of course, I used to live on an island, you know..."

"With your sisters, right? So... why did you become a snake-monster, anyway? Was it something they did?" Gudako asked innocently.

The avenger gritted her teeth before answering, "No... it was the curse of Athena. She hated that I was so much more beautiful then herself... if there's ever a singularity in Greece, I would relish the chance to get my revenge on her..."

"Oh, so THAT'S why you're an avenger," Gudako nodded in comprehension. "But, uh... what about that guy who cut your head off? What was his name, again...?"

"Perseus," Gorgon answered. "And no, I don't blame him for doing what he did... I had become a monster with no reason by that point. Killing me at that time was essentially a mercy."

"Oh, I see..." Gudako bit her lip. "Soo, you won't go after him if he ever gets summoned here?"

"...I'll probably just avoid him," Gorgon shrugged. "I can't speak for my other self, however." Her ears then picked up the sounds of footfalls in the sand...

"Hey, look who finally decided to stop being a recluse!" came the unmistakable voice of Haruhi Suzumiya. "Glad to see you out of your snake's den for once, Gorgon!"

"I'm not here by choice. Master forced me to come with a command spell," Gorgon shook her head, her hair hissing at Gudako for emphasis.

"Really? Good work, Gudako! High five!" Haruhi exclaimed, the two slapping hands.

"Why did I ever bother to accept your offer..." the avenger groaned in frustration. "I should have just devoured you when I had the chance..."

"Well, to be blunt, Gorgon, you didn't really have the chance," Haruhi pointed out. "I could've erased you at any time, but I don't like doing that unless I absolutely have to..."

"What? You lie!" Gorgon gasped. "You said I had you dead to rights!"

"I lied," Haruhi replied bluntly. "Don't get me wrong, those snake bites did hurt, but I still wasn't helpless. I mean, you were staring me right in the eye and I didn't turn to stone, remember?" At this, Gorgon's blindfold dematerialized, the avenger staring Haruhi right in the eyes.

But nothing happened, the brunette smiling as she crossed her arms under her bikini top. "You... you really aren't affected..."

"Told you so," Haruhi smirked. "There's a reason that I qualified as a Ruler-class servant... Do you remember facing me and Ritsuka in Babylonia?"

"I... I only have vague recollections," Gorgon admitted. "But I do remember that you were calling me Tiamat, not Gorgon, for some reason..."

"That's because Tiamat was lending you some of her power, because your goals overlapped," Haruhi pointed out. "Hey, speaking of which... would you like to meet her? I think you two would get along!"

"Yeah, Tiamat can't talk too well, but she's really friendly!" Gudako insisted. "She loves kids! She hugs your sisters all the time!"

"Does she now?" Gorgon rematerialized her Breaker Gorgon so as not to petrify the redhead. "...Fine, so be it. Lead the way, Masters."

"Okay! Follow us!" Gudako exclaimed, the trio going off together...

*On another part of the beach...*

"This is usually where she hangs out when she's not underwater," Haruhi said. "Hellooo, Tiamat! We've got someone for you to meet!" she called out over the sea.

"Oh, there! I see a black spot!" Gudako pointed. Sure enough, Tiamat's familiar horns emerged from the water, the rest of the former Beast soon following. "Over here, Tiamat! We've got someone for you to meet! Come on!"

"Ahh...?" Tiamat sang curiously, approaching the shoreline. She then sensed a familiar presence, doing a double-take as she beheld the avenger. "Gorgon...?!"

"So you know who I am," Gorgon stated evenly, unsealing her eyes to get a look at the other woman. "Hmm... I do feel a sense of deja vu, though I think this is the first time we've met in person..."

"Ahh... but... Medu... sahhh..." Tiamat looked confused.

"Same person, different class container," Haruhi explained. "I recruited this one from a minor singularity we dealt with recently."

"Does she have trouble speaking?" Gorgon noted.

"Yeah, she does," Haruhi nodded grimly. "That and the pool of Chaos Tide around her feet makes it difficult for her to meaningfully interact with anybody... kinda like yourself."

"Ah, I see... So this is why you thought we might get along," the avenger nodded. "Because we're both monsters, in a sense... That might explain why I borrowed her power in that Babylonia... But who was it that defeated me, out of curiosity?"

Haruhi bit her lip, as she thought about how to respond. "...Would you believe that it was literally you as a small child that delivered the coup de grace?"

"...What." Gorgon said flatly.

"Wait, really?! Medusa killed herself?!" Gudako gasped.

"From what I remember, it was Medusa summoned as Lancer, back from when she was the same size as Stheno and Euryale," Haruhi elaborated. "Although, she called herself Ana and wore a cloak so no one would make the connection between her and Gorgon..."

Gorgon's eye twitched. "I... see. Seeing myself as I once was, before becoming a monster... That would have definitely caught me off guard."

"Actually, you went completely berserk," Haruhi noted. "But Ana didn't survive, either... Our Medusa ended up getting her memories, and it left her pretty depressed for a while, until the twins managed to cheer her up."

"So that's why she's been so accommodating with me," Gorgon realized. "Not just because we're the same person... and my sister's bullying has been somewhat lighthearted compared to how they treated me in life..." She closed her eyes and sighed forlornly. "Still, what I wouldn't give to be able to regress to that time when we were all the same... when I was as small as they were..."

"Re... gress...?" Tiamat repeated, before suddenly gasping, her eyes going wide as if realizing something. "Ah... Ahhhhhhhhh!" She was suddenly enveloped in a bright glow!

"What the heck?!" Gudako gasped.

"Crap! I though she couldn't transform! Get back, Gudako-chan!" Haruhi pulled the redhead away.

"EVERYONE, GET CLEAR!" Gorgon shouted towards the beach. "SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH TIAMAT! GET TO SAFETY! NOW!" Immediately several humans and servants began to beat a hasty retreat to Club Cove, as klaxons began blaring!

But a few servants ran toward the scene instead, Quetz and Ishtar being the first to arrive! "Have no fear, Quetzalcoatl is here, to aid however she can!"

"I knew bringing her back was a bad idea!" Ishtar growled as she summoned Maanna.

"For once, you and I are in agreement!" Gilgamesh exclaimed as he joined the others, clad in his gold armor.

"Wait, Gil!" Enkidu cried as he ran up. "This isn't the same as before! Her Spirit Origin isn't expanding like it was in Babylonia!"

"Do you know what's going on, Enkidu?!" Haruhi asked, having summoned her black keys just in case.

"I think we'll find out soon..." the lancer said cryptically. Soon, the bright light faded, revealing Tiamat once more... But her appearance had changed significantly.

"Hey, she's small now!" Gudako gasped. Indeed, Tiamat was much small and thinner than before, looking like a child... she now wore a modest light blue dress over her body, with sashes extending from the sleeves. Her feet were bare, no sign of the Chaos Tide pooling around them like before.

"Ah, now I see," Enkidu smiled. "Mother has regressed herself to a larval state."

"Yes, I have," Tiamat suddenly spoke in a soft, light voice. Opening her eyes, she smiled slightly. "I have been reborn, in a form that can serve the Masters of Chaldea better."

"She talked!" Gudako cried. "I mean, she talks like a normal person now!"

"Huh... well, that's convenient," Haruhi said, letting her black keys dematerialize. "Gilgamesh, everyone... I think we can stand down."

"...I'm not sure how to feel about this," Ishtar sighed, letting Maanna dematerialize as well. "But at least she doesn't seem to be a threat like this..."

"Yes, I approve! Mother looks very petite and cute now, yes?" Quetzalcoatl exclaimed happily.

"...Hmph," Gilgamesh grunted as the golden portals from his Gate of Babylon vanished. "Despite my reservations, I will trust your judgement, Enkidu. But don't think I won't be keeping an eye on you, Tiamat! Consider yourself warned!" He promptly vanished into spirit form, leaving Enkidu shaking his head.

"I see you're glad, Humanity. Good," Tiamat nodded. "I will admit that I don't appreciate what you did to me back in Babylon, but I understand why you did... every bird has to leave the nest someday, after all."

"Well, that Grail from Beast I might've messed with your head as well," Haruhi pointed out. "But yeah, I'm glad you're willing to let bygones be bygones."

"And you're so CUTE!" Gudako gushed, grabbing Tiamat in a bear hug and swinging her about. "I'm so happy! I can finally hug you without worrying about that black mud or whatever!"

"Ahh! Put me down! This is no way to treat your mother!" Tiamat cried. To everyone's surprise, Gudako actually obeyed, setting the alter ego back down. "It seems humanity is still compelled to obey my voice, at least somewhat."

"Well, you better not make any stupid suggestions, then!" Ishtar warned. "Or... or I'll have Quetz suplex you, or something!"

"No, no, that would be going a bit far!" Quetz disagreed. "Maybe just a headlock would suffice, yes?"

"...duly noted, Ishtar," Tiamat shrugged. "Oh, and before I forget..." She turned to face Gorgon, suddenly leaping up and grabbing her around the neck! "Thank you so much for giving me this idea. I should make it a point to listen to my children more often..."

"I-I'm not exactly a child..." Gorgon grunted, her face going red, even as she felt compelled to return the embrace.

"All of humanity are my children, no matter how big they get," Tiamat gently asserted. "That includes you, Gorgon, and your sisters as well, no matter what form you take."

"Okay, there's no way I'm not getting a picture of this!" Haruhi grinned, summoning her mobile device, taking a few shots before Gorgon could protest. "This'll help some people see you as less of a monster, right?"

"Argh!" Gorgon grunted in acute embarrassment. "Mother, can we... go for a swim, or something?"

"Certainly, Gorgon," Tiamat agreed, leaping off her and diving into the water. "Come, I'll show you the beauty of the ocean!"

"Gladly!" Gorgon concurred, quickly diving into the deeper waters herself, her tail waving in the air for a bit before splashing down, getting Haruhi and Gudako all wet! (Anything to get away from that humiliating scene...!)

"Geez, I wasn't even wearing my swimsuit!" Gudako complained, trying to wipe water out of her hair. "Now I'll have to go get changed!"

"Compared to getting eaten or petrified, you got off easy," Haruhi shrugged, grateful that she was in her bikini.

*Later that day...*

"So, did you enjoy your swim?" Medusa asked her other self, the two leaning against the boardwalk as they watched the artificial sunset.

"I suppose," Gorgon muttered, her tail twitching slightly. "It was mildly amusing watching Tiamat jumping onto the boat with that Illya and the others, causing them to freak out... apparently she almost drowned Illya awhile back..."

"Hmm, I remember Master Suzumiya scolding her for that," Medusa nodded. "But I bet it wasn't so amusing having to escape from Magical Girl Illya after you decided to overturn their boat..."

"You saw that?!" Gorgon gasped, scandalized. "How was I supposed to know she was going to retaliate like that?!" She still felt a little sore from getting grazed by a few magic blasts.

"Well, perhaps you won't do that next time. I thought you wanted to stop people from seeing you as a monster?"

"I am a monster! And what does that matter, anyway?!" Gorgon huffed, crossing her arms and turning away.

"Y-you're not the only one..." Gorgon looked over to see Passionlip slowly making her way down the boardwalk. "I'm pretty monstrous, too..."

"Don't get started with that. We are NOTHING alike!" Gorgon hissed.

"Actually, you're more like her than you think," Medusa disagreed. "You both have a connection to Sakura Matou, you both have self-loathing about your appearance, you're both extremely capable on the battlefield... and you both have sisters who love you despite all your faults."

"I... but that's..." Gorgon stammered as she tried to come up with a retort.

"And I have trouble talking with others, too," Passionlip pointed out. "Although, for kind of different reasons..."

"Ugh... okay, fine, so have a few similarities," the avenger ceded. "But that does NOT mean I want to be your friend!"

"You sure that's not your avenger nature talking?" Medusa ribbed.

"Shut up, me!"

"Um... well..." Passionlip stuttered. "W-well, maybe... we c-could at least watch other's backs when we deploy together...?"

Gorgon gave an aside glance to the Alter Ego servant. "...all right, fine. I can accept that. Just don't get too chummy, got it?"

"O-okay," Passionlip nodded. "Well, I'll, uh, see you later?" She turned and slowly trudged off.

"Well, at least you didn't threaten to petrify or devour her. You're making progress, Gorgon." Medusa smiled.

"...Whatever," Gorgon sighed, looking back out over the ocean. She knew she would never be fully accepted here, despite both Haruhi and Gudako's friendliness... and Ritsuka as well. Still, though she'd never admit it to anyone else, she did have some fun today, despite her reservations about coming out here to begin with...

(Perhaps... I'll do this again sometime. In a couple of weeks.)

*To be continued...*