Tik. Tik. Tik. Tik. Tik. Tik. Tik.
The endless repetition was the only sound that entered Elsa's ears as she slowly opened her eyes. Her body felt heavy, as if she'd been hit by a truck. Trying her hardest to focus through her blurry vision, the first thing that caught her sight was a concrete ceiling that she did not recognize. Her ears perked in alarm, and her wolf-like instincts forced her to sit up to survey her surroundings for danger. However, she was instead immediately assaulted by a sharp pain that resonated through her body, and she groaned as she grabbed her head.
But right after that came the panic. She took in a sharp breath, and her eyes darted to her sides upon catching a whiff of the familiar smell of her closest companions. She blurted out their names in worry.
"Vanessa! Millaarc!"
To her shock and relief, she found her two companions sleeping by her side. They, like her, had their heads rested on a pillow, and their bodies covered by a thin, linen blanket. It was immediately apparent to her that someone had brought them there, but the smell in the air was unfamiliar to her. If there was any upside to having wolf-like senses, it was the ability to constantly keep herself aware of her surroundings, whether it was simply through instincts or olfactory senses.
She let out a relieved sigh, and shot a glance to the corner of the room where her suitcase rested silently. Now wide awake, she took a moment to study the strange room they had found themselves in.
It was a completely barren room, with no decorations or even windows to the outside. Aside from the three inflatable mattresses upon which Vanessa, Millaarc, and herself lay on, only a single, metal door broke the monotony of the white walls. Above her, a currently switched off ceiling lamp hung loosely, and her enhanced vision caught a lone fly circling around it in search of warmth.
'This is...quite peculiar,' she thought to herself.
The last thing she remembered was the excruciating pain engulfing her entire body and puking out blood all over the Chateau's floor. She remembered falling to her knees and hearing Vanessa's rage-filled screaming of Kazanari Fudou's name.
'Kazanari...Fudou...'
She felt the anger rising up within her as well. Elsa clenched her fists tightly, having no place to let out her frustrations. The old bastard had poisoned the blood he had given them and left them for dead. He used them until they were no longer useful to him, just like the Illuminati before him. They only existed to serve someone else's purposes.
They only wanted one simple thing, yet why was the world so intent on making them suffer?
She hated it. She hated every minute of it, yet she just knew, in the corner of her mind, that this must be some sort of retribution for everything they had done.
Elsa shook her head. No, she can't allow herself to fall into that train of thought again. She took a deep, pained breath, and pushed the blanket off of herself in one swift motion. Gritting her teeth, she rose to her feet, standing on wobbly legs for a moment before steadying herself. She immediately went to get her suitcase, taking it as a safety measure just in case.
Listlessly, she approached the door. Steeling herself, she sent her hand forward to grasp the handle.
Only to jump back in surprise as it opened from the other side first. Instantly Elsa was on guard, and her two sleeping companions were jolted awake by the shocked whine she gave out.
"Wh-what?!"
By the time the door opened fully, all three of them were already on their feet, ready to meet their opponent. To their confusion, a strange man with a longsword and a red overcoat entered, not even bothering to close the door behind him.
"It seems you're awake," he said, nodding his head once. "Good, that saves us some time."
All three of them stared at him with wide eyes, not at all sure who he was supposed to be. As Elsa and Vanessa ruminated to themselves, it was Millaarc who exclaimed loudly, pointing at the stranger.
"Ah! It's you!"
Her companions looked to her strangely, and then turned to the man. He nodded in response. "Allow me to introduce myself, ladies. My name is Ogawa Souji, Head of the Ogawa family."
They were naturally cautious. As the elder of the three, Vanessa stepped forward with a narrowed gaze. "Ogawa Souji?" She repeated his name, as if tasting it on her tongue. She only felt bitter danger from speaking it. "You're allied with SONG, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am," he said. "Capturing and interrogating enemies of SONG is also part of my duties. Imagine my surprise when I conveniently found you three on the edge of death."
Vanessa carefully considered his words. She could not, however, lift her suspicion about one glaring action. "...Why did you save us?"
It was no secret to the three of them. The fact they weren't dead right now meant that someone, most likely this man, had provided them with the blood they needed to survive.
He remained unperturbed. "For a very simple reason: you have information. Once everything is made clear, I will hand you over to SONG for questioning. Kazanari Fudou has been deemed an enemy of humanity, and as his former collaborators, you will tell us everything you know."
He dropped that surprising revelation completely out of nowhere. The trio stared at him like he had grown a second head. "He what?!" Millaarc blurted out. "Enemy of humanity?! What the heck happened?!"
"He broke the very law he himself had lobbied for," Souji answered matter-of-factly. "And so SONG launched a raid on his estate. That was around two hours ago, and I'm still waiting to hear their results. Naturally, as his former associates, I'm obligated to question you so we can unveil any weaknesses of his you may be aware of."
"Former associates, huh?" Vanessa said again. She let out a derisive chuckle at the title. "We weren't even that, in the end. He used us like pawns and tossed us away when he didn't need us anymore. Right now, the only thing we have on our minds is revenge; that still doesn't mean we'll cooperate with you so easily."
"Revenge, you say? Is that why I found you in the forest by the estate? What were you planning to achieve?" he asked.
Elsa stepped forward to answer. "We wanted to take the divine power from him. He promised us that he'd use it to make us human again, but instead he betrayed us and left us for dead. We thought we could get back at him by taking it from him under his nose, but..."
"You failed because your strength ran out before you could make it there," Souji finished for her. "Then we indeed share a common interest."
"Maybe, but what makes you think we'll just cooperate with you? We could easily make our escape and deal with him without you," Vanessa said, clearly gearing up for a fight. Souji stared at her, nonplussed by her aggressive stance.
He raised an eyebrow. "Easily? I'm afraid there's something you don't quite understand. If you wish to live, then you will cooperate; I am the only one who has the special blood you require, and I am willing to give it to you on the condition you do as SONG says. I cannot guarantee you'll be allowed to go free after what you've done, but at least you'll be alive."
Millaarc immediately raised her voice in protest. "You think we'll trust anyone again with that sort of shady deal?! That old bastard offered us the same thing, and look where that got us! What guarantee do we have that you won't get rid of us when we're no longer useful!?"
The anger was clear on Millaarc's face. Of course, Souji already figured that this was the case. He hadn't been in contact with SONG today, but Noble Red's words, as well as his own instincts made him figure the raid hadn't gone as planned. Regardless, his eyes did not move as he stared back at them.
"Do you think you have any other choice?" he asked, causing Millaarc to fall silent. "I will remind you that as of this moment, you're our prisoners. Failure to comply will result in punishment. I'm offering a choice to make up for your mistakes."
"That makes you lot no better than him!" Millaarc yelled furiously. "There's no way we can trust you!"
Ignoring the vampire's outburst, he reached into the pocket of his overcoat, withdrawing what they realized was a blood pack. Elsa narrowed her eyes, studying it closely, before letting out a gasp as her eyes fell upon the label. "That's—!"
"You have two options: Redemption," he said, gesturing towards the blood packet. "Or atonement."
He emphasized it by clicking his sword against the floor. He didn't need to push it any further, as the message came across very clearly to Noble Red. For a moment, Vanessa considered the option of breaking through him by force, but then she remembered who exactly this man was.
A member of the Ogawa clan. A family of expert ninjas known for never failing a mission, their reputation extended deep into the criminal underworld, alongside their sponsors, the Kazanari. But from what she knew, the Ogawa clan's loyalty didn't lie with the main house. They assisted the many sons of Fudou almost exclusively, so maybe...
"Very well."
"Vanessa?!" Millaarc and Elsa yelled, shocked at their leader's acceptance.
She gestured to them to be quiet, and continued. "Fine, we'll work with you... but under one condition."
Souji raised an eyebrow. "Hoh? Enlighten me."
-!-
The night was colder than Hibiki had expected. Perhaps it was just because she wasn't dressed warm enough, or perhaps something had truly changed in the climate while she was under house arrest.
Or perhaps it was the anxiety, which had left her feeling as if a hole had been opened inside her. From the moment she made that promise to herself, Miku's face had not left her mind for even a second. Her hollow, red-ringed stare had etched itself into her brain, causing it to grow bigger the more she saw it.
It was a cruel cycle.
She bit her lip as she neared the edge of the harbor, finally feeling the exhaustion settling in. She had sprinted the whole way from her dad's house, and while that was no small feat, even she had limits to her endurance. She eased herself into a slower pace to catch her breath. The frigid air briefly caused her chest to tighten. As she approached the submarine, she noticed the lowered drawbridge and the lights shining from the entrance.
It looked exactly the same as she remembered it, yet why did it fill her with such a sense of overwhelming dread?
She made her way up the drawbridge and into the submarine. Without wasting another second, she went in the direction of the bridge. She passed through the familiar steel corridors, caring little for the rest of the scenery around her. Yet, for some reason, she felt as though they were slowly closing in on her. Instinctively, she picked up her pace again, as if attempting to outrun an impossibility.
She passed by the rest area where a woman with long white hair sat. It was as empty as always, and Hibiki blinked as she noticed something seemed off. Deciding to pay it no heed, she continued her trek, and she felt as though the hallways had extended dramatically during her time away.
Maybe she was just walking slower than she thought?
After what felt like an eternity, she finally made her way to the bridge. The door slid open, and she ran inside, quickly taking note of the people gathered within.
The first thing she noticed was that all of her fellow Adaptors sans Tsubasa were present. Chris, Shirabe, and Kirika sported a look of deep concern on their faces, puzzled at the grim mood. The only exception was Maria, whose expression was a turbulent mix of uncertain emotions. Along with them, Genjuro and the usual staff including Ogawa were present, although the commander seemed ruffled, with dirt still covering parts of his clothes and face. She was surprised to see Tsubasa's father also present, with the man standing by his younger brother, both sharing the same deep frown.
It was Genjuro who acknowledged her entry first. He looked melancholic and serious. "Ah, Hibiki-kun. We've been waiting for you."
Naturally, Hibiki couldn't help but probe for answers. She briefly glanced towards the others, as if expecting them to cut away the tension that permeated the air. "Umm, Master... what happened?"
"There's a lot we need to fill you in on," he said grimly. "Our circumstances have changed greatly."
She didn't like that tone. Every time he spoke like that, she knew something had gone wrong. Genjuro was always such a positive person, and even at the worst of times, kept an air of confidence about him.
But right now... that seemed to have dimmed considerably, and in its place a very authoritative, oppressing aura hung around him.
"We'll begin the debriefing shortly," he announced, leaving her hanging. "We're just waiting for the last few calculations before we can begin."
Hibiki didn't know what that meant. In the meantime, she surveyed the bridge, realizing how deeply buried in work the staff was, including Elfnein. Or was it Carol now? She hadn't gotten all the information about what happened there, but it was reassuring to know that Carol, in some form, came back to help them. Her eyes drifted to Tomosato, Fujitaka, and the various operators on the lower level. To the side, a woman with long white hair stood, staring right at her.
Hibiki blinked. She rubbed her eyes, and when she opened them again, noticed the woman had disappeared.
What was that about?
Alleviating the heavy pressure briefly, Tomosato spoke up. "Commander, we have a call from the Ogawa main house."
"A call from my brother?" the ninja said in confusion. They had expected to speak with him eventually, but not this soon. He looked to the commander, who met his gaze with a nod.
"Put him through."
Tomosato acknowledged the order, and clicked rapidly on her console. The large display at the front of the bridge shimmered briefly, before a separate window showing Souji's pixelated face took the vast majority of the display's surface.
"Good evening, SONG," he said with a cool voice. "I understand the raid had failed."
Blunt and straight to the point, as always with him. He hadn't even been told anything, yet he had seen through their hard looks with but a glance. He was never one to waste time on frivolous talk, despite being somewhat of a politician himself.
Briefly looking back at Hibiki, Genjuro answered. "Unfortunately, it has. Luckily, you're just in time for the debriefing. You'd have heard this later on anyway, but now is a good time as any."
"Should I transmit him the logs, commander?" Tomosato asked.
"Please do," Genjuro affirmed, then looked back to Souji on the screen. "I assume you have some information for us as well?"
"I do, but let's go through the motions as usual."
"Very well. Now that everyone is here, let's review what happened tonight," Genjuro said, gesturing to Tomosato again. She nodded, and with a few taps on her console caused the screen showing Souji's face to move to the side and display photos and graphs of the day's events.
For Hibiki, none of this made a lick of sense. She never cared for dry data like this, and frankly, she felt restless. She had to stop herself from shouting, from demanding to know on the spot what happened to Miku.
It was difficult. It was as if there was a lump in her throat she just couldn't get rid of, and it was driving her crazy.
"At 2200 hours, we launched a raid on the Kazanari estate in Kamakura in order to arrest Kazanari Fudou and his associates for violating the Special Disaster Act. That was the official reason, with the unofficial one being retrieving the divine power and rescuing Kohinata Miku."
So far, nothing Souji didn't already know. Normally he'd have participated in the raid as well, but other obligations forced him to stay behind. He wondered if anything would've changed had he been there.
For all those who did not participate, however, this was new information. Chris and the juniors had only found out it was happening at all when it was already underway, and did not receive answers at all during that time. Hibiki was even more in the dark, as she was under house arrest at the time.
She felt a tingle of relief at the thought that the others at SONG put Miku as such a high priority, but considering she wasn't here, that meant...
'Miku...'
"The taskforce consisted of myself, Kazanari Yatsuhiro, Ogawa Shinji, Maria Cadenzavna Eve, and twenty of our personnel. We arrived at the estate at 2300 hours, using my brother's security access to enter the perimeter. Once there, we faced resistance from Fudou's guards, as well as a small force of Alca-Noise, most likely provided to them by his associates in the Illuminati. We lost a few of our men in the initial assault until Maria engaged the Alca-Noise on her own. In the meantime, the rest of us worked on clearing out the rest of the guards and confront Fudou himself. Maria eventually engaged Kazanari Tsubasa in combat while I engaged Fudou himself."
This was new information for those not in the know. Souji nodded his head once, keeping a straight face through the entire explanation. For him, it was strictly business. For the girls not involved, however, it came as a shock.
"Eh?!" Chris exclaimed, turning to Maria. "You fought Senpai?! But why?!"
A bit of Maria's pent up anger slipped through as she answered with a frustrated yell. "To try and bring her back of course!" She bit her lip, her face scrunched in a deep scowl. "We've already said that Tsubasa isn't someone who can bring herself to betray anyone! I had to know what the hell went through her mind, because there was no way she'd turn on us after what happened in the concert! So I tried to get through to her, and I thought I succeeded, but then... that bastard...!"
"I will get to that in a bit, Maria-kun," Genjuro cut in. Forced to hold herself back again, Maria seethed, having nothing to release irritation at. Genjuro glimpsed at her sadly, then turned back to Souji to continue his explanation. "I had unfortunately lost my battle with Fudou as he had overpowered me. Maria-kun had managed to force Tsubasa to stand down, but Fudou used the seal affecting her to bring her over back to his side."
That was something Souji wasn't aware of. "Seal?"
The girls were equally unfamiliar with the term. Of them all, only Kirika immediately looked towards Elfnein, who she remembered had said something similar just earlier in the day.
And just like she thought, Elfnein was the one to answer Souji's question. Pressing a few buttons on her console, a couple of smaller screens displaying encyclopedic information appeared by the man's face. "I have discovered, through observation as well as firsthand experience that Millaarc Cranstoun possesses something called Mystic Eyes."
"Mystic Eyes?" Shirabe asked, tilting her head in wonder. She only barely skimmed through the information on the display, and it didn't give her anything concrete enough to understand. "Is that like..."
"Mystic Eyes of Enchantment, to be exact. As you may be aware, Millaarc's abilities are derived from vampires of legends, in which they are said to possess the power to charm others. When I was captured by Noble Red and brought to the Chateau de Tiffauges, Millaarc used that power on me to force me to bypass the access restrictions for the generator. After that, she tried to..." She paused, shivering for a moment before continuing. "She tried to destroy my mind, but Carol protected me."
"So mind control powers? Is that what she has?" Chris said, summarizing it as easily as she could.
No longer confused by the jargon, the rest of the girls gasped in horror at the revelation. Of them all, Maria was the first to respond to her claims, stomping her foot down fiercely on the metallic floor. The sound rang in the closed bridge, echoing between the occupants. "So that's what caused Tsubasa to act like this! And before we left, I noticed that the look in her eyes was unnatural!"
Elfnein nodded, clasping her hands in concerned contemplation. "Yes. It is a fearsome power, able to tamper with the minds and hearts of others. Of all the possible opportunities Millaarc had, I believe it was during the concert that she had implanted the seal on Tsubasa-san," she said, and then brought up medical charts taken from just a little after the incident. "By taking a look at the scans we had taken following this event, we can see a sharp increase in abnormal brainwave activity."
"And that was also when she started acting really weird all around," Chris said, mulling over the information again. She bit on the edge of her fingernail, nearly breaking it off in the heat of the moment. "So you're telling me she was mind controlled to join his side?! That's... that's disgusting!"
Bad memories that threatened to breach the surface were hurriedly forced down. If there was anything Chris loathed more than anything else, it was when sinless people had their freedom stolen by the evil whims of another. Not being at all aware of that fact somehow made this even more despicable in her eyes.
Her beloved Senpai, whom she respected and admired more than anyone else, was on the receiving end of something similar to what Chris herself had experienced in the past. Just the thought alone made her want to rage uncontrollably.
If she ever got her hands on that old bastard, not even god would be able to save him from her.
"I believe so. Or rather, the seal made her more susceptible to Kazanari Fudou's words, which is why she betrayed us in the first place. It may have been intended to remain a subtle suggestion, but it seems that he has thrown caution to the wind and is now using it to control her completely," Elfnein confirmed, bringing up further data on the display.
Yatsuhiro studied the data carefully. However, it did not answer the most obvious questions. "Do we know how to remove it?"
It was obvious to Genjuro, who knew his brother well. As much as Yatsuhiro tried to keep his professionality intact, it was clear he was having a hard time as much as the rest of them.
Their father had crossed a terrible threshold, and not even their bonds of blood would save him from righteous judgement. As he looked to the girls again, he was disheartened by the murderous glares the two oldest sent to their distant enemy.
Elfnein, however, only had a dismal response to give. "I wish we did. I'll have to investigate it more thoroughly before I can give you a concrete answer."
The sorrowful expression on Yatsuhiro's face was heartbreaking. "I see... Do so as quickly as you can."
"Yes sir."
Genjuro looked to his brother for a short moment in sympathy before turning back to Souji. The debriefing had to continue, and he knew the rest of it was only going to be increasingly dreary. It was hard to remain optimistic in the face of such circumstances. "Following that, Fudou unveiled his secret weapon: the divine power, also known as Shem-Ha, has been placed completely under his control through the use of the Direct Feedback System."
Their responses were as expected.
"WHAT?!" Chris shouted in disbelief. Her eyes immediately darted to Hibiki, and she couldn't bear seeing the horrified expression her friend showed. "YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!"
Genjuro had to ignore her frantic yelling so he could finish it up. "Realizing we were outgunned, Ogawa and I engaged Shem-Ha in a brief skirmish before we decided to retreat. That is all for now."
That was the end of the debriefing. While he had a little more left to say, he had now finished retelling the events of the night. As he took a moment to compose himself for the next step, he took a moment to study the silence pervading the others. They were now all up to speed, and their lugubrious expressions brought upon him a paralyzing sense of failure.
But that was nothing compared to what a particular person among them felt.
Hibiki's uneasiness was palpable in the air. She squirmed to herself, and clutched at her chest tightly. Her heart beat frantically against her ribcage, and her hurried question left her lips laced with desperation.
"W-wait, Master! But... but what about Miku?!"
Genjuro hadn't been looking forward to hearing this question. From the moment Miku had been kidnapped by Noble Red, he figured that this is something Hibiki would eventually ask him.
"Why her?"
He had imagined that scenario several times in his mind since then, and none of the directions it went left him very hopeful. He knew his young student well, and he knew that while she was headstrong during the most important times, she was also fragile when it came to her personal life. The girls had tumultuous backgrounds, and Hibiki was no different. He knew how absolutely crucial Miku was to her happiness after the Zwei Wing concert, and just how much she cherished and loved her.
All eyes turned to him, and that was the moment he remembered what was the hardest part of being a military commander. He was responsible for their physical and mental well-being, and he had done his utmost to make sure their daily lives were not affected by their duties.
However, the latter was the most difficult. Miku was Hibiki's anchor to her normal life, and now that this anchor had been removed, she'd feel like her foundations would crumble.
He mentally prepared himself, and answered resolutely. "Kohinata Miku is... currently serving as the vessel for the reborn Shem-Ha."
A look of utter bewilderment spread across the room.
It dispelled none of Hibiki's concerns. In fact, she felt all the more confused by the almost cold manner by which he had given her the news. "W-what?"
Genjuro gestured to Elfnein. She nodded, and tapped on her console a few times, bringing up a series of images back from the Frontier incident. Among them were images from more recent events, including from when Miku had emerged out of the divine cocoon.
Once again, those hollow red-ringed eyes met her gaze. Even through an image, she felt as though they bore into her. For a brief, eternal moment, Miku's frame was displaced by one of a woman with long white hair. By the time Hibiki blinked, the strange vision had disappeared.
"The reason Miku-san was taken by Noble Red was because she is one of two people in the world who were purified from the Curse of Balal," Elfnein explained. "Back during the Frontier Incident, both you and Miku-san were hit by the purifying light of the Shenshoujing. That light cleansed your bodies of the Curse of Balal, allowing you to serve as vessels for divine power. That is the reason why the divine power went to you instead of Adam back then."
The memory of that incident rose up in their minds. Hibiki in particular remembered the blurriness in her mind at the time, and her puzzlement at the twinkling spheres of light that converged on her. She didn't remember much after that, and despite her curiosity, she never asked about it either. But now, light was being shed on something she thought she had already put out of mind.
"And the same case is with Miku-san. Kazanari Fudou had access to our database, and through that he discovered that she was in the same boat. He had used the takeover of SONG as a front to lure me out, but she was taken along with me at the time. At the Chateau, Noble Red initiated a ritual to have her become the vessel of the divine power that emanated from the vambrace. While there, I tried to save her, but..."
The regret in her voice made the others feel guilty for her. She was a victim, just like them, and the only reason she survived the ordeal was because of Carol. They knew that much, and she knew that much.
In the back of Elfnein's mind, Carol grumbled, not at all keen at hearing her homunculus speak so meekly.
"Something else entirely happened. The divine power wasn't absorbed by Miku-san. Rather, Miku-san was absorbed into it. I don't know why that happened, but the result was that Shem-Ha was reborn into her body from the vambrace."
"Yes, but that's not where this ends," Genjuro continued for her. "Unfortunately, she appeared wearing a Faust Robe adorned with the Direct Feedback System. You might remember it from the Frontier Incident, when Dr. Ver had used it as well."
Chris grabbed the side of her head in frustration. "So I was right! God fucking damn it, why does she have to be subjected to this thing twice?!"
Genjuro sighed heavily. "If only it was as simple as it was last time, because then we'd at least know what to do," he said, glancing at Hibiki again. By this point, she was frozen completely, staring at the floor with her eyes wide. He didn't like seeing her like this, but he needed to share all of the information he could.
"But this is far more severe. Not only has she been possessed by a Custodian, now that very Custodian is under Fudou's complete control. Dr. Ver at least tried to use Miku-kun's existing feelings for it to function, but here it's far more potent. There are no feelings involved here, just pure mental domination that is most likely very hard to break. Even if we had our own Shenshoujing to use, I doubt it'd be enough to both free her from the System and purge the Custodian."
"Then what are you saying?" Kirika said, looking distraught. "We can't save her?"
Genjuro sighed heavily again and crossed his arms. "As of right now, I don't know. Hibiki-kun's god-slaying fist might work here, but the Custodian is still using Miku-kun's body. I suspect the reason Fudou used her in the first place is to have a contingency against just that."
A somber answer, just as they feared. Maria clenched her fists tightly, nearly drawing blood, as an instinctive sense of guilt bubbled up within her. Kirika and Shirabe both shared the sentiment, as they felt their participation in Ver's plans all the way back then was a catalyst for the current situation.
Oh, how hindsight was truly 20/20.
"...Then..."
The others turned their heads towards Hibiki, who mumbled that one word to herself. The anguished expression on her face immediately raised red flags in their minds.
"Then... Miku is... Miku is..."
Her breathing ceased. The very thought grasped her heart and refused to let go. The thumping in her ribcage intensified, and her mind replayed a vision in her eyes that tore her asunder.
"Hibiki, you need to wake up already!"
Beat. Beat. Beat. Beat.
Her body flared up with heat, and cold sweat dribbled down her face. Her pupils shrank, seeing nothing except the memories.
"Miku is... gone? She won't... I won't... I won't... be able to... see her... ever again?"
And what, she was now convinced, was lost forever.
Beat. Beat. Beat. Beat. Beat. Beat. Beat. Beat. Beat. Beat. Beat. Beat.
Her hands shot up to her hair, and she held it so tightly it threatened to tear. Her feet lost their strength, and she wobbled as nothing but heartache filled her to the brim. It was sadness beyond anything she thought she was capable of feeling.
The dread, the grimness, everything at once. The sweet and bitter memories, and all the things left unsaid. Regrets that extended beyond what the eye could see, and the terrible dreams that haunted her nights since the day Miku first disappeared.
It was nothing like the first time. Everything was amplified far beyond what her fragile heart could withstand.
"Hibiki, what would you like to eat?"
"A-a-ah... Miku is... Miku... is...!"
Everything else that left her lips came out as a sorrowful moan she couldn't contain.
"No... nononononononono... please no... M-Miku...!"
Chris recognized the warning signs from a mile away. While the others remained stunned at the breakdown Hibiki was having in front of them, she was the one to make the first move. She dashed towards Hibiki, catching her just before she fell to her knees. She quickly grabbed onto her arms, keeping her up so she wouldn't smash her head against the floor.
Chris wasn't the most athletic of the group, but she could at least do this much. Slowly, she lowered Hibiki down to the ground, forcing her to lean against the bridge's cold steel wall. With Hibiki no longer in danger of hurting herself, Chris kneeled down to her eye level and cupped her friend's head in her hands.
"Look at me," she said as calmly as she could. "Look at me."
Hibiki, with her rapidly growing despair, couldn't even bring herself to do that. She stared ahead blankly, repeating herself in the pure mania that had overtaken her senses. Her breathing all at once intensified, drawing nearer to hyperventilation. An immense sense of trepidation crashed down on her as the storm in her mind worsened.
"C-Chris-chan... Miku is... Miku—!"
It was unbearable to witness. Chris had never once seen her go through such a horrible episode, and now that she was witnessing it, she couldn't help but believe it was the absolute worst crime anyone could commit against nature. She could see her eyes glisten with tears, and how her complexion quickly paled the more she dwelled on the thought.
"Hibiki, look at me," Chris insisted. "Look at me."
Just hearing her name being uttered from Chris's lips was enough to somewhat break through to her. Almost in a trance, Hibiki's eyes drifted upwards. Their gazes met, and for a moment, she was taken aback by the fierceness in her friend's stare.
"She's not gone," Chris said with all the confidence she could muster. "Don't even let yourself think that she is. It's insanely painful, I know, but you absolutely can't let yourself lose hope now. She's being held hostage, and she needs you now more than ever."
And it was painful. Even though Chris's relationship with Miku wasn't as deep, she was still one of her closest friends. Miku was the person who found her alone in the rain, and selflessly cared and nursed her back to health.
Not once had she ever forgotten that kind act. It was etched into her deeply, and was one of the key components that finally allowed her to remove the shackles Fine had placed on her.
"And you're not alone. We're all here, and we're going to help you get her back. I promise we'll do so no matter what. We'll bring back both her and Senpai, and we'll make that old bastard pay for this. But you can't give up here, alright?"
Chris wasn't sure if what she was saying was having any real effect. She never did something like this, and she was awful at giving advice, but seeing the heartbroken look on Hibiki's face was far too much for her to handle. This girl was at her best when she was smiling, and Chris swore she'd do whatever it takes to make sure that smile remained.
To deprive that girl of her smile was akin to depriving the sun of its light.
She swiftly turned her head towards the others. "We'll absolutely, 100% save them both, won't we?"
It was a feeble attempt at somehow improving the depressing atmosphere that had befallen them. While most of the onlookers remained speechless, Kirika caught her drift quickly. She straightened her back and spoke with boundless enthusiasm.
"Of course we will! We won't ever lose!"
It proved to be somewhat effective. Breaking free of the somberness as well, Shirabe followed up with the largest smile she could muster. "We will. We won't abandon either of them. They're our friends, and we can't let them down."
Her proteges' response filled Maria with steadfast determination. "Yeah, and those responsible for taking them away will pay dearly for this. I won't rest until they're brought to justice, one way or the other."
Her two juniors were momentarily unnerved by her answer, perturbed by her bare-faced bloodlust. Chris's sight passed from her and to the two adult men, and she glared at them, pushing them to say something to save the mood.
Yatsuhiro was the first to oblige, and he adjusted his glasses. The fire in the girl's eyes caught him by surprise, and he made sure to keep that in mind. "Indeed. Fudou's crimes are unforgivable. We'll do what we must to bring him in and rescue his hostages, and if need be, eliminate him for the good of the world."
"I agree," Genjuro added. "Don't worry Hibiki-kun, we'll save them both. Trust us that we will."
Chris gave an approving nod, and turned back to the hysterical Hibiki. "See? Everyone's on the same boat. Nobody thinks she's gone, and everyone believes we can save her. So don't go and think otherwise, okay? We'll get through this, I promise."
The overpowering dread in Hibiki's eyes seemed to ease and fade away, while her breaths gradually stabilized until they returned to normal. She took a deep breath, and all at once, smiled.
"You're right. Yeah, you're right, Chris-chan. I can't lose hope here. Thank you. Everything is fine. Everything is just fine," Hibiki said with what sounded to Chris like genuine sincerity. "Thanks for calling me by my name, by the way. That was really nice; you should do that more."
Chris couldn't help but blush at the comment. However, she quickly brushed it aside, as the speed by which her friend seemed to recompose herself felt unnatural. That switch from near mental breakdown to stable was not something she could deem normal.
But that was nothing new to her. She looked into her eyes again, and she could see that beneath the veil of gratitude, the fractures of her broken heart remained. Her use of that eternal phrase had set that revelation in stone.
'Damn it.'
"No problem," Chris said, flicking her twintail aside. She turned towards the adults again, putting her hands on her hips. "So what do we do now?"
Genjuro stroked his beard in thought. "Currently, the estate is surrounded by an impenetrable barrier which we have discovered is composed of divine power. He's most likely using Shem-Ha to safeguard his location while he considers his next move. We could use Hibiki-kun for this, but he most likely has a contingency for that. We'll have to carefully brainstorm our approach." He then turned back to the display showing Souji, realizing they had left him hanging. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Souji-kun. You said you had further information?"
Souji remained silent for a moment, and then let out a huff. "Indeed I do. I can see just how deeply this incident affected you all personally. I'll do all I can from my side as well, if only to alleviate your worries even by a little bit. As for the information I have, well, you'll be surprised to hear this."
"And what is it?"
"I have apprehended Noble Red."
Reactions were as expected: the majority of SONG's members were taken aback by the news, shocked at the coincidence. What were the odds that those three of all people would be in their hands now?
Maria was the first to ask the obvious question. "Really?! How?!"
"Interestingly enough, I found them in the forests surrounding the Kazanari estate," Souji explained. "They were on the verge of death, and seeing as they were wanted criminals, I took it upon myself to bring them in for questioning. Your information regarding the specific blood formula they required proved to be quite useful, commander."
"I'm glad it was," Genjuro said with a nod.
"In any case, it seems they're quite furious at Fudou's betrayal, and as such, they are willing to work with us in order to bring him down," the clan head continued, surveying the reactions from SONG once again. Initially seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he took note of the way Maria clenched her teeth. Even through the electronic display, he could feel the animosity she felt towards the trio.
Well, he supposed they'd deal with that soon enough.
"I assume they attempted to exact revenge on him," Yatsuhiro pondered aloud. "Did they say what was their goal?"
"To take the divine power from him," Souji answered, and the Kazanari father contemplated the information. "They'll fill you in on the rest once I bring them to you."
"That'll be very welcome," Genjuro said. He already had a few plans in mind and how to integrate the three into their force, but he knew that wasn't the underlying obstacle. The girls were the most open-minded people he had ever met, but he knew that even they had their limits.
"This... is probably going to be very difficult," Shirabe said with slight hesitation. She also looked towards Maria for a moment, not at all a fan of the way her brows were scrunched together. "After what they've done, it's going to be hard to trust them."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Souji said with a shrug. "And these are looking to be desperate times."
"That is true, and we don't even know what his goal is in all of this," Genjuro said.
"Didn't he say something about protecting the country or something or another?" Chris asked. She had come late to see the footage of the raid, so she hadn't caught everything that went down.
"He did, but he won't be able to do so just sitting at his estate all the time. There's a lot he could do now with the divine power on his side, so we don't even know where to begin."
"We'll need to keep our guard up. We'll have to—"
"Um!"
Souji's musing was cut short by Kirika speaking up and raising her hand. The men paused, and looked to her in puzzlement. Uncaring for their stares, she continued. "Isn't it kind of obvious what he wants to do?"
Shirabe tilted her head at her partner. "What do you mean, Kiri-chan?"
"I mean we've seen this sort of thing happen before, so it's obviously he's going to try and do one thing," Kirika said. "He's going to try to take over the world."
There was a momentary pause as the others processed what she said.
"Why do you think so, Kirika-kun?" Genjuro asked her.
"Well, hasn't he been acting kinda like an evil mastermind? He had a team of goons he betrayed, and he uses people like tools, and he uses things like mind control to get people to do his bidding, and he's big, and scary, and strong, and he speaks like an evil boss too. Now that he got what he wanted, it's obvious he's going to try and make the most out of it."
"Kirika, I don't think—"
"No, she has a point," Yatsuhiro cut into Maria's rebuttal. "I hadn't truly considered it, but knowing him, I wouldn't put it past him. The power hungry constantly seek more power, and his ambitions were always particularly great. Now that he has the divine power, there's nothing truly stopping him from trying."
Souji let out a short chuckle. "What a conundrum we find ourselves in. Very well, then I'll adjust my approach with that in mind. In any case, I'll be bringing Noble Red to you tomorrow. I'll iron out the final details with them here while keeping an eye on them so they keep their end of the bargain. Once they're in your hands, I'm sure you'll give them their due reception."
"Alright. Thank you for all of your help, Souji-kun," Genjuro said earnestly.
"It's part of the job. Now that the stakes have been raised, it looks to me like our usual approach is not going to be as effective."
"That's true. Please do all you can from your end, and I'll keep you updated on how things develop."
"Very well. Then until next time, commander."
With a click, Souji's face vanished from the display, restoring its normal functions and returning the familiar silence to the bridge. Genjuro sighed, and turned to his older brother. "So what do you intend to do now, Aniki?"
"Unfortunately, I can't assist you on the frontlines, so I will head back to my office and do what I can from there," the older brother answered. Adjusting his glasses again, he turned away from the bridge and headed to the door. His younger brother stared at his retreating back, and despite himself, called out to him.
"Aniki."
Yatsuhiro stopped in his tracks and looked back to his brother. Their gazes met, and the silence between them spoke volumes. Not one to leave others hanging, Genjuro said his piece.
"We'll get her back. I promise."
The girls saw how the older brother's eyes widened for a short moment. He then let out a small chuckle, and turned away again. "I know you will."
His gaze drifted to Chris. The girl stared back at him, and just before he could leave, she stopped him as well by speaking up. "Old man," she said with a serious tone. "You're going to be talking to some people, right? To get them to help."
Her question puzzled him, but he answered regardless. "Yes."
Her expression after getting his answer was an unreadable one. She looked as if she had something more to say, but was holding herself back. She briefly looked away, and then turned to him again. "Alright."
He nodded, and looked back to see if anyone else wanted to speak up. Seeing none, he stepped through the open doorway, disappearing from the bridge as it closed behind him.
Chris let out a sigh, releasing some of the tension that had built up within her. Looking towards the still sitting Hibiki, she extended her hand to her. "Here."
"Ah, thanks."
Hibiki took the offered hand and rose to her feet. With the grimness of the debriefing having dissipated, all that was left was a group of very tired Adaptors. Seeing the exhaustion in her comrades, Maria turned to Genjuro. "So what now?"
"Now you get some sleep," he said. "I'll be preparing us for Noble Red's arrival, while also keeping an eye on Fudou's estate. Other than establishing the barrier, he seems to be making no moves at the moment. We should make use of that silence as an opportunity to regroup."
"Wouldn't it be better to just head there right now?" Shirabe asked him.
He shook his head. "We'd just be repeating the failure of the raid. He's still holding the two of them hostage as well; there's no telling what he'd do if we came knocking."
Not the answer she wanted to hear, but she understood why he said it.
"Speaking of which, I'm ordering you all to remain on standby in HQ until further notice," he announced. The girls stared at him with baffled expressions. "You'll be staying here until this incident is resolved. I'm not letting any of you be alone out there."
"But that's..." Kirika stammered. "Can't we at least go back and grab some stuff?"
He furrowed his brows as he pondered her question deeply. He crossed his arms and tapped on his biceps. "Very well. You are to be back here in an hour; I'll be assigning you escorts that will help you out in the process, understood?"
They didn't like that strict tone of voice, but they knew that during the rare times Genjuro used it, it was for their own benefit. The girls' reactions were mixed, but not a single one of them raised her voice in protest.
The seriousness of the situation did not allow for undue selfishness right now. He had only accommodated them so they would not find themselves stressed out over minor inconveniences at the worst times.
With the harsh reality now fully grasped, the girls made their way out of the bridge, accompanied by their stormy thoughts.
-!-
Hibiki had to admit; she hadn't expected Ogawa of all people to be assigned to her. For whatever reason, Genjuro had told the ninja that he'd be the one to take her home. While the others were assigned various guards whose names she regretted she didn't know, she was given the man who was essentially the commander's right hand.
She couldn't stop herself from mulling over it. Was there something going on she wasn't aware of? She didn't know.
But she also knew that overthinking it would only make her jump to the wrong conclusions.
That's right. No overthinking.
Everything was... fine. Everything was just... just...
Just... fine.
She repeated that maddened mantra to herself in her head, stopping herself from falling into a pit of despair. Sitting in the passenger seat next to the ninja, she looked up at him, noticing the calm and collected air about him. His eyes were strictly on the road, and he remained silent as he drove through the nighttime streets.
The city was silent and dark, as if a mystical fog had engulfed it. She remembered that during this time of the night, at least a few of the late-night districts would be up and running; she could see the lights from them all the way from her apartment sometimes.
But today, no light pollution hid the stars from her sight. Was the city's sleep something that Genjuro had put into place? Or was it Yatsuhiro? Maybe it was just a weird coincidence.
Regardless, she couldn't help but think of how beautiful the stars were. Her gaze then drifted to the moon, and while normally she'd find it equally beautiful, she felt a strange sense of irritation instead. As if something about Earth's satellite didn't quite sit right with her.
Especially that giant, damn hole in the middle of—
"Hibiki-san?"
She was pulled from her thoughts by Ogawa's voice. "Ah! Hahahahaha... sorry about that, I kinda dozed off..."
"It's fine," he said with a small smile. "You must be tired."
"Yeah, kinda. You know, after everything today..." She mumbled, but when she realized she was drifting off into bad thoughts territory, she forced herself up again. "But it's fine! Thank you for coming with me."
"Don't mention it."
They lapsed into silence once again. With his eyes back on the road, Hibiki took the opportunity to peek at his face again.
Why was he not saying anything, she wondered. She knew how far back he and Tsubasa went, so she figured that he was feeling her absence just like everyone else.
Not one to let sleeping dogs lie, Hibiki spoke up. "Um, Ogawa-san?"
"Hm?"
"I was thinking... How are you taking all of this? Tsubasa-san being taken and all."
It was most likely an extremely prying question, but she couldn't help herself.
Ogawa lapsed into silence. Keeping his eyes on the road, and took a left, ignoring the traffic signal in his way. Hibiki wasn't sure that what he did just now was legal, but considering the darkness of the city, she doubted anyone would care. Once again within a long stretch of road, he finally decided to entertain her curiosity.
"I'm angry of course," he said solemnly. Hibiki was shocked at the unfamiliar tone with which he spoke. "I'm just as angry as all of you. I've known Tsubasa-san since she was a child after all. I remember the day I was assigned to watch over her like it was yesterday. She's been like a little sister to me, and I've shared in nearly all of her joys and sorrows over the years, both as her guardian and manager. To have that man steal everything she's worked so hard to achieve away from her is nothing short of a travesty."
She saw how his hands tightened around the steering wheel, digging into the leather covering. "But I know that being angry is not going to help anyone, especially not her or Miku-san. That's why I'll follow after the commander, and do whatever I can so that we can do this right. I... I won't rest until we have them back."
His voice wavered at the end, which was something Hibiki never expected to hear from him. Having said his piece, Ogawa changed the subject.
"We've arrived, Hibiki-san."
She blinked, and looked out the window to see the familiar apartment building. Cloaked in darkness as it was, she still recognized the entryway.
"Oh, right," she said. "Then I'll be back soon."
"I'll be waiting for you here. Don't take too long," he reminded her.
She opened the door and exited the car, throwing one last wave in his direction before heading inside.
-!-
"I'm... home..."
Hibiki said those words out of habit. As the door to the apartment opened, she was saddened to see it, just like the rest of the city, covered in darkness. She sighed, and flipped the switch to bask the apartment in light.
She didn't like how that felt. It was as if all the warmth was sucked out, leaving a foreign ambience not unlike the ones she'd feel when saving innocents in third world countries.
It was gloomy, dark, and utterly lacking in hospitality. Of course, she knew it wasn't the apartment's fault. It was all in her head, as recent events had caused a major shift in her head that she didn't like.
Miku was supposed to be here, waiting for her. She was supposed to be here, welcoming her by the door with a sunny smile, offering her dinner and a bath.
But now, she wasn't here
And it was possible she'd never be here again.
For all the times Miku had called her a shining Sun, Hibiki knew the most important part: a sun without sunshine is nothing but a cold, dead star. Utterly lacking in any redeeming qualities, it was a burden to the sky that was destined to peter out and vanish into nothingness.
'Don't think like this don't think like this don't think like this...'
She didn't like how easily she fell into these bad habits again. She thought she was over it already, but the very thought that Miku wasn't here to support her left her wondering if she had gotten over it at all.
Tired of brooding over her own thoughts, she headed to her bedroom. She switched on the light, momentarily gazing at the unkempt bed. She shook her head and headed to the closet, retrieving an large, old suitcase that the two of them had since their early Lydian days. She threw it open on the bed, and started the process of packing as many things as she possibly could. All the clothing, hygiene products, and important items she could think of went into the suitcase in a big, disorganized pile. If she had any more time, she'd have tried to fit it all better, but she couldn't be bothered doing so right now.
As she made her rounds, going to and from the bathroom to grab her belongings, she was distracted from her routine by a strange sight at the corner of her eye. She paused, looking into the living room, yet seeing nothing out of place. It had remained exactly the same as when she had entered the apartment.
Yet why did it feel like something was off?
'Don't think about it.'
No dallying, right. Shaking her head again, she resumed packing, going over to the bathroom one last time to grab a hair brush. As she passed by the mirror, she looked at herself briefly.
'I look like a mess.'
She turned away, and her white hair swished behind her. Shutting off the bathroom's light, she went back to the bedroom to finish up. She had to struggle a bit to close the suitcase, as it had somewhat overflowed from her hasty packing.
It was then that a cold breeze suddenly wafted through the apartment. She shivered slightly, and found herself confused at the feeling. Weren't the balcony doors closed?
She went to the living room, and to her surprise, the blinds were swaying lightly in the wind. She tilted her head, and quickly slid them shut.
Only to see an unfamiliar, white haired figure standing outside.
Instantly panicking, she forced the balcony door open again. In the very moment her sight was obscured by the door's frame, the figure had disappeared, leaving only the darkness of the city to meet her eyes.
She stepped out, looking left and right, but upon seeing no reminder of the stranger, she closed the door again, making sure to lock it tight this time.
"Huh..."
Hibiki looked through the glass door. Due to the light from the living room, her reflection on the glass was particularly visible. She could see herself in her entirety, from her unkempt brown hair, to her ruffled clothes, to that hollow, red-ringed stare.
To that hollow, red-ringed stare.
She was startled to her core, jumping back in fright of her own reflection. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest— badumpbadump— and she put a hand on her chest as she calmed herself down. She massaged the bridge of her nose, letting out a tired sigh.
She stepped forward again, and this time, the reflection was what she had expected. Her hair was brown and unkempt. Her clothes were ruffled. Her eyes were the warm, albeit tired amber color.
What the heck was going on?
Deep inside, she felt a tinge of terror. All of a sudden, the apartment felt suffocating. She couldn't breathe as she would've liked. The light humming from the LED lamps was louder than she liked. The clock's ticking was excruciatingly painful, like a wrecking ball smashing into a building.
She had to get out of here.
She dashed to the bedroom. She jumped on top of her suitcase, applying as much force as she could to keep it closed, and forced it shut with all her strength. Not bothering looking back, she shut off all the lights in her wake, as if escaping from an unseen presence hiding in the darkness. She put on her shoes, not even bothering tying up her shoe laces.
With the suitcase in hand, she left the apartment, locking the door behind her. She ran down the stairs, leaping down entire flights recklessly. She didn't even care how much the suitcase rattled, or if anything broke while she did so, because the only thing on her mind right now was running the fuck away.
Ogawa was waiting outside by the car, watching the entryway carefully. He had briefly glimpsed at the lights turning on in the apartment, and prepared himself when he saw them shut off again.
He did not, however, expect Hibiki to bolt out of the building, her suitcase not even touching the ground.
"Hibiki-san?!" he called out to her.
His voice was a candle in the dark. All at once she stopped in her tracks, and her suitcase's wheels slammed on the ground with a loud thud. She held onto her chest, breathing heavily, trying to calm down her raging heartbeats. Sweat poured down her face, and she stared at the ground as she tried to recompose herself.
"Hibiki-san, are you alright?"
It took her a minute to finally calm down. Rubbing her forehead with her sleeve, she looked up at him with a weak smile.
"Y-yeah, sorry. Everything's... fine. Yeah."
He naturally didn't buy it. He narrowed his eyes at her, and then looked behind her at the building's entryway. The darkness stayed still, and the sliding door remained unmoving.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yeah, yeah. I... just got spooked a little bit. You know, because it's so dark and all. Made me feel like I was in a horror movie, like that one Master gave us a while back. Just kinda... yeah."
"I see... I suppose it's understandable, all things considered," he said. He then circled around her and grabbed hold of the suitcase's handle. "Let me take care of this. You just get in the car, okay?"
"Yeah, thanks."
She did as he said. She reached her hand out to the handle, and she was momentarily taken aback by how much it was shaking. She turned over to her palm, noticing the beads of sweat that gathered upon it.
'You can't be like this,' she told herself. She clenched her fist, and then shook her hands to throw off the sweat. This time, she opened the door and sat down, letting out a sigh as she leaned her head back on the headrest. She heard the trunk open and close behind her, and then slightly tilted her head to the side to watch Ogawa enter the driver's seat.
"Shall we go?" he asked, seeking affirmation.
"Yeah, just go," was her tired answer.
He said nothing else in response. He turned the key in the ignition, and the car roared to life. For some reason, Hibiki found herself appreciating the noise the engine made. It was somehow calming, dispelling the silence that had somehow become overwhelmingly terrifying this night.
She needed to get some rest, pronto.
Without any further delay, the two of them headed back to HQ. The entire time, Hibiki had her head reclined back, watching the darkened scenery pass by. It was as if it was a physical entity, consuming everything in its wake. The first thing that came to mind were car chases in movies, where the protagonist and his team are escaping from a monster, an enemy, or a natural disaster.
What would she call this, then?
The route took them by Flower, the little okonomiyaki shop Miku and her always frequented. Her bottomless appetite tingled a bit, and the desire to enter came up to the surface. However, it was closed, and dark, and the nice lady was not there right now.
And neither was Miku, who she always took there with her. She couldn't remember the last time she had gone there without her. That's how much they went together.
And then the school, and the shopping mall. Every single piece of the city she knew had Miku plastered all over it. Her memories were filled to the brim with her; the only places she did not belong were the various battlefields Hibiki found herself in due to her job.
When had she become so clingy? She didn't even know herself. But as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
She had taken Miku for granted, and now that she was not here, she couldn't handle it.
Turning her face away from the road, a tear rolled down her cheek as they continued their nighttime drive.
-!-
"This should be all of it," Maria said to herself. She brushed her hands together to clean off the dust, and then haphazardly closed the lid. She took a look back at her room again, making sure she had kept it as tidy as possible.
Well, not like that mattered now. She was not going to see it for the foreseeable future.
She lived alone, despite her technically being Shirabe and Kirika's guardian. Her two juniors from FIS lived in a different area, not too far from her own but still far enough as to give them their privacy. She knew that Chris used to come hang out in their place when she was bored, lounging around while the two of them did their homework.
These kinds of sweet moments were most likely going to be rare now.
Maria was one who tended to brood by herself for a while, a remnant of her time as a terrorist. She had racked up an unbelievable amount of guilt and regret, so she was no stranger to it. Just the thought that Tsubasa might find herself in the same boat made her sick to her stomach.
She wasn't used to feeling so much anger all the time, yet she couldn't help herself. Everything that had to do with this incident made her fury flare, and just thinking that Noble Red were going to work with them made her blood boil.
Oh, they were going to have a piece of her mind, that's for sure. Except replacing the mind with fist, perhaps sword, perhaps gun. Maria wasn't sure that she'd be able to hold herself back from breaking Millaarc's face for what she did to Tsubasa. No matter what she'd say, or how she'd try to justify her actions, judgement was going to be delivered with her fist.
Her fist that stood as the exact opposite of Hibiki's right now. Not wielded for justice, but for revenge.
"Fucking damn it."
She kicked the foot of her bed. The mattress jumped slightly from the force, and the suitcase tilted forward just enough for it to fall off the bed and spill all of its contents on the floor.
"Fucking damn it!"
She swore again and swung her arm around. Her fist collided with the closet's door, and the wood creaked in protest to her abuse.
Shirabe and Kirika would definitely worry for her well being right about now. A pair of angels, the two of them are.
She glanced to her nightstand where a framed picture stood by her lamplight. It was a silly thing, a commemorative photo Tsubasa and her took in London. She had forced her partner idol into a western maid uniform, and the disgusted expression on her face was too adorable to pass up. Tsubasa complained about the picture being printed and framed, and Maria always took the opportunity to tease her about it whenever she came over.
Well, not like she did that much. There was a certain distance between them still, one Maria had wanted to close for quite a while. However, tragic events upon tragic events forced her hand, and now she'd never have the chance to so long as Tsubasa remained in Fudou's clutches.
She took a deep breath. No use losing her cool inside of her own apartment. She crouched down, and worked on filling up her suitcase again.
That's right, the time for payback will come soon enough. All she had to do was wait patiently until it fell into her hands.
And god help those who had incurred her wrath.
-!-
...
...
...
...
ding dong
The key turned.
The door creaked.
The doorway gave way.
"Miku, I'm home!"
The chipper voice echoed in the house. In response, a pitter patter of feet followed. Turning the corner, the apron-clad girl smiled brightly.
"Welcome home, Hibiki. Do you want dinner or a bath first?"
"Hmm..." Hibiki mulled it over. "I think I'll take a bath first. Today was especially tough. Master was really ruthless this time."
Miku giggled, and the sound made Hibiki's heart soar. So much so, she could physically see hearts around her, popping in and out of existence as she smiled.
God, how she loved to see that every time she came home.
Together, the two entered the living room, and Miku turned towards the kitchen to resume cooking. She took the knife and began chopping her hand. Hibiki tossed her bag on the sofa and immediately headed to the bathroom, closing the door after her.
She quickly undressed, turned on the water, and went in. She leaned her head back and sighed contently, her white hair cascading and floating around her.
She always lost track of time in the bath. When she opened her eyes again, the water had already drained. Huh, neat.
She blinked and stepped out of the bath. She grabbed a towel and wiped herself down, making sure to meticulously dry down every lock of hair. She turned to the mirror and glanced at her own reflection, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.
Upon drying herself off, she put on a fresh pair of clothes that Miku had left for her.
"Aaaand done!" she exclaimed as soon as she opened the bathroom door. "Miku! Is dinner ready?!"
She didn't even wait for an answer before she went into the kitchen again. As soon as she stepped in, she stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening at the bizarre sight.
The faucet was running. The freshly cut ingredients remained unperturbed.
And both the cutting board and the marble countertop were seared through, as if a superheated blade had sliced through them in a single motion. Their two halves sizzled and sparked, yet no flame bloomed to life.
"Eh?"
As soon as she finished her incoherent mumble, the lights in the entire house shut off, like an engine winding down.
All at once she panicked, hurriedly looking around her at the enveloping dark. "Eh?! What?!"
She darted to the living room. "Miku?! Are you here?! Miku!"
But no answer met her call. Carefully making her way around the furniture as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she dashed to each and every room in the house.
"Miku!"
Yet she couldn't find her. Did she go out? Why didn't she tell her? But the kitchen was still being used, so she couldn't have gone out all of a sudden.
No matter where she looked, she couldn't find her sunshine. With no choices left, she ran to the front door, grabbing the handle tightly. If she wasn't in the house, then she had to be outside.
But when she tried to open the door, it wouldn't budge. No matter how many times she tried to turn the handle, and no matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn't move at all.
"Come on come on come on!" she said as she put as much strength into her hand as possible. She tried to grab the handle with both hands, but it made no difference in the result. "I have to find Miku! Let me out!"
"But Hibiki, I'm right here."
Her voice came from behind her. "Eh?"
Releasing her hold on the door, Hibiki turned around. There, in the middle of the living room, Miku stood still.
"Miku! Oh thank god, is everything alright?!" Hibiki screamed as she ran to her. However, she came to a halt as fast as she had taken off, for in that moment, she noticed something was off.
"Everything is just fine, Hibiki," Miku said in a monotonous, deep tone that Hibiki felt was familiar. She stared forward, and their gazes met, and it was at that moment that a chill went down Hibiki's spine.
The hollow, red-ringed eyes looked at her, rooting her to the spot. The golden vambrace on her right arm sparkled dimly in the dark.
"But I have to go now, and I won't see you again. This is goodbye, Hibiki."
"No, wait!"
She ran forward, desperate to reach her. To take her in her arms and never let her go. But as soon as she threw off her confusion, and closed the distance, it was already too late. Her momentum took her forward, and she phased through Miku, whose body wavered and disappeared into smoke.
Hibiki stopped in her tracks and quickly turned around just in time to see the smoke coalesce, and in Miku's place, a pure white spectre with shining crimson eyes looked back at her.
Horrified by the sight, she ran towards the bedroom. She frantically slammed the door behind her and locked it with the key, taking a few steps back in her heightened vigilance. Her heart beat a mile a minute, and sweat poured down her face as her fight or flight response activated in full force.
But for the spectre, it meant little. It phased through the door as if it did not exist, and Hibiki instinctively took steps back, determined to get as far away as possible from the supernatural being.
"Exasperation. What a meaningless endeavor this is."
The echoing voice startled her, and her back met the bedroom's wall. The spectre approached, floating slightly above the ground.
"But it is done."
A glimmer from the corner of her eye alerted her to the presence of the full body mirror to her left, attached to the closet door. She slowly turned her head, looking at her own reflection.
Or rather, the reflection of a strange, pale woman with long white hair. The hollow, red-ringed stare met her own gaze.
The reflection's lips moved as it spoke to her.
"Awaken now, you who seeks the future."
Her head turned back to the ghost.
And she screamed as it closed the distance.
-!-
She screamed as she woke up.
Shooting up in her bed, it took Hibiki a moment to realize she was no longer in her apartment. While the room was dark, no pale white spectre hung around her. The walls were not the usual concrete white, but rather the dull, metallic gray that always felt somewhat claustrophobic.
It took her exactly a second to remember where she was. Grabbing her head, she took a moment to calm herself down.
"A dream? No, a nightmare..."
How long has it been since she's had one of those? Well, not that long ago, as she recalled. Lately, it seems that Miku was not blessing her dreams, but rather haunting them, reminding her of her failure.
"Ugh..."
She felt a headache coming on, and her vision blurred from sweat, tears, and exhaustion. No longer feeling like sleeping, she threw off her blanket. The bedframe creaked as she stood, and her feet met the cold steel of the submarine's floor. She shivered slightly, and hurried to put on her slippers, desperate to spare her feet the freezing cold.
Groggily, she headed for the door, and she squinted as the bright LED lights met her eyes. She brought an arm up to cover her vision to avoid being blinded so quickly after waking up. With the bathroom as her destination, she began walking in solitude through the submarine's halls. As she trudged forward, she took a moment to get a grasp of herself.
'That was... a really weird nightmare,' she thought to herself. While Miku was nothing new to see, that ghost was definitely new. The strangest thing, however, was the white haired woman she saw in her reflection. She remembered that she had seen her somewhere before, but she wasn't sure where. She also found it odd that she recalled the nightmare so vividly, the voice of the spectre in particular.
'Maybe I'm just tired,' she thought, trying to convince herself that was all there was to it. Being tired seemed to be her default state at the moment, and she felt extremely miserable at the fact.
She needed to clear her head. It was obvious to her she hadn't fully grasped what went down recently.
As soon as she entered the bathroom, she headed for the sink. A small, rectangular mirror hung above it, and just to make sure, she looked at her reflection. To her relief, it looked normal, with no white hair and no red eyes that spooked her out of her skin.
Hibiki took a deep breath, and turned the faucet. The sound of the rushing water calmed her somewhat, and she ran her hands under the stream, appreciating the feeling on her palms. Tilting her head forward, she splashed water on her face. It worked wonders, as she immediately felt more awake after the act. Just for the sake of it, she repeated it several times, uncaring for the fact that much of what she had cupped in her hands fell to the floor instead.
She had stopped counting how many times she had done so, and only stopped after she ran out of air. Putting her hands on the sink's edge, she looked down at the drain, watching the water twist and flow down into its depths.
It took her a minute to settle down. Once she felt properly adjusted, she turned the faucet again, this time stopping the stream. She reached to the side, grabbing a towel and wiped her face, leaning back from the sink.
'I should go back to sleep.'
She said that to herself internally, and brought down the towel.
And froze as soon as she looked at her reflection again.
(Play: Track 06 - Tsukihime OST)
"Undoubtedly."
The white haired woman with the red-ringed eyes in the mirror said that nonchalantly. Hibiki gasped once more, retreating away from the mirror in fright. The towel flew from her grip, and her back met the steel wall.
"How aggravating. However, integration has been completed."
And then the woman stepped forward. Stepping out of the mirror, her body phased through the wall and the sink, walking forward as if there were no barriers impeding her path. Hibiki slid down to the ground, her eyes wide in shock at the sight.
The woman came to a stop right before her, looking down on her with her long, white hair falling around her like a ghost's veil. "We meet again, god-slayer."
The stranger calling her that name managed to shake some sliver of reason loose. "W-who are you?" Hibiki asked, her voice quaking.
The woman's features scrunched up in what looked like annoyance. "Indignation. You have already forgotten? In that case, I shall remind you."
"E-eh?"
The lights in the bathroom flickered, and the woman's visage seemed to glitch and solidify. It was then that Hibiki's gaze drifted downwards towards the woman's right arm, seeing something familiar glimmer oddly in the corner of her eye.
At that moment, it all fell into place. At the same time Hibiki made the realization, the woman made her declaration.
"I am Shem-Ha, the one whom man worships as the god of this planet. Remember this name well, god-slayer."
