Leaping down off of the top of her sword, Tsubasa hit the masked gear user like a tornado, flipping over in mid air and lashing out ferociously with the blades on her feet. "KANADE! MARIA!" She screamed as she landed on her hands and whirled like a blender towards the masked gear user, "GET TSUKUYOMI AND AKATSUKI OUT OF HERE!"

Maria and Kanade didn't waste time arguing, though Kanade was momentarily thrown by how different - how strong - Tsubasa had become.

As for Kirby, he was back on his feet and had recovered his sword, and had charged back into the fray. Despite his small size, he fought with a viscous determination. Tsubasa had to admit that she was impressed by the fluff ball's swordsmanship; It was simple, but elegant. It was clear that he had studied under a master.

As for the masked woman's fighting ability, there was clearly something very wrong with it. It was unnatural. Automatic.

Mechanical.

Tsubasa realized where she had seen this kind of fighting before.

"TACHIBANA! YUKINE! SHE IS BEING CONTROLLED!" Tsubasa shouted as soon as she realized it, "SHE'S NOT FIGHTING UNDER HER OWN WILL!"

"God damn it, why the hell does this keep happening!?" Chris demanded, carefully firing a single handgun repeatedly in an attempt to shoot off the girl's mask, "Hey idiot! Sempai! Kirby! Go for the mask, I think it's what is controlling her!"

"Why?" Hibiki asked in confusion, and then she shrieked and leapt back out of the way of a spear blow.

"Because it makes sense that it would be, stupid!" Chris shouted back with a snarl of exasperation, and trading out her handguns for crossbows, she redoubled her attacks.

After around thirty seconds of fighting, Chris soon realized that both Tsubasa and Hibiki were both somewhat off their game. Tsubasa was fighting far more aggressively than usual; her strikes were wild and unfocused. Contrarily, Hibiki's strikes were far more hesitant; As if she was overthinking things.

Only Kirby seemed to be fighting properly, and this made Chris angry. EVERYTHING made Chris angry, but this made Chris angrier than usual.

Nevertheless, despite her comrades' lack of focus, Tsubasa's skill, Hibiki's raw power, and it being a four-on-one fight meant that they were winning anyway.

Well, "Winning" was stretching it a little. It would be more accurate to say that they weren't losing. Of course, they would have been winning if they had been trying to do anything other than remove that mask, or if Chris had been going all out, but those weren't options. Chris might have been short-tempered and impatient, but she wasn't stupid, and she had a very good idea about who was under that mask. Endangering them simply wasn't an option.

However, as soon as Maria and Kanade returned, the masked figure just… Vanished.

To Chris' complete and total non surprise, this was not what Tsubasa was focused on.

Completely ignoring the sudden disappearance of the mysterious masked gear user, Tsubasa rounded on Maria and Kanade.

Or rather, she tried to. Chris was certain that had been Tsubasa's plan. She certainly didn't think that Tsubasa was planning what actually happened, which was that she immediately went doe-eyed and silent after meeting Kanade's gentle gaze.

Suddenly rallying, Tsubasa shook herself and turned to Maria, who was glaring at her with folded arms.

Tsubasa wilted again.

Chris rolled her eyes, and slapped a hand over her face.

Tsubasa had expected anger, and maybe even tears from Maria and Kanade when she confronted them. She had prepared herself for those things. What she had neither expect nor prepared for was for them to gang up on her.

She'd brought both of them back to her apartment with the intention of telling them that since she could not choose between them, she was breaking it off with both of them.

This was not what happened.

"Are you both sure you're okay with this?" Tsubasa asked weakly for what was probably the thousandth time, and the two women nodded from where they stood opposite her.

"Don't worry about it, Tsubasa!" Kanade said, walking up to her and placing her hands on her shoulders, "It's not like you're cheating on either of us; It's simply that neither one of us wants to give you up."

Tsubasa melted in the warm gaze of Kanade's vermillion eyes.

And then, as her self control melted away, a five year old grudge reared it's ugly head.

"IDIOT!" Tsubasa screamed suddenly, slapping Kanade violently across the cheek, "IDIOT IDIOT IDIOT!"

Kanade looked stunned.

Maria moved in on Tsubasa, pulling her into a tight embrace and rubbing her back in a soothing manner. "…Your death hit her hard," Maria said in a quiet but dangerous tone as she looked over Tsubasa's shoulder, her green eyes hard, "I'd start apologizing if I was you."

For her part, Tsubasa was blubbering uncontrollably.

"Tsubasa, I'm sorry," Kanade said gently, embracing her from behind, "It wasn't like I did it for fun though. I did it to save you and Hibiki - And because I was out of time anyway. My linker had worn off."

"I KNOW THAT!" Tsubasa screamed, falling to her knees and pushing her face into Maria's chest, "DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT!?"

For her part, Maria didn't say anything. She just kissed the top of Tsubasa's head and gently stroked her hair.

"You know I didn't mean to leave you Tsubasa," Kanade whispered into Tsubasa's ear, kneeling down behind her and rubbing her shoulders, "I just didn't see any other way out."

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT WAS LIKE, BEING LEFT BEHIND!?" Tsubasa screamed into Maria's chest, her whole body going tense, "WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO WAKE UP AND REMEMBER THAT YOU WERE GONE!? EVERY DAY FOR FIVE YEARS!?"

"Shhh," Maria cooed gently, "Just relax, Tsubasa. Everything is all right now." Maria gently rubbed Tsubasa's back through her blouse, trying to ease the younger woman's taught muscles.

"I wish it had been me," Tsubasa blubbered, now full-on ugly crying, "I wished so hard that it had been me instead."

"And I wasn't going to let that happen," Kanade replied gently, "We were both selfish that way. I just happened to figure it out first."

Tsubasa controlled her breathing. Then she tilted her head upwards to look at Maria.

Who gazed at her gently, her blue/green eyes full of warmth.

"I love you," Tsubasa said, her facade of strength and steel evaporating like an ice cube on the sun. She pressed herself up against Maria, burying her face once more in the softness of Maria's chest, "I love you."

Maria's heart was overflowing. She ran her fingers up and down Tsubasa's spine, causing the blue haired woman to shudder slightly. "I love you too, Tsubasa," She said softly.

Tsubasa felt Kanade come up from behind her. "And what about me?" Kanade asked gently.

"Of course, I love you," Tsubasa said, twisting to look at Kanade, her eyes full of innocence.

Maria and Kanade each kissed one of Tsubasa's tearstained cheeks, and Tsubasa flushed violently.

Yukine Chris was angry. Yukine Chris was ALWAYS angry, but now she was angrier than usual. And she knew why. Because she was lonely.

And because everyone was being stupid. Everyone was ALWAYS being stupid.

So when the knock came on the door to her apartment, she was probably a little more enthusiastic in answering it than she would otherwise have been.

She was certainly more enthusiastic than she would have been willing to admit.

"Good evening, Sempai-" She said as she opened the door.

There was no-one there.

"Poyo," Kirby said.

Chris looked down at the pink beach ball creature.

"If you tell anyone I answered the door thinking it was Tsubasa I'll kill you," Chris said threateningly, glaring at Kirby with her arms folded.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked with his head/body tilted slightly.

"What the hell do you want, anyway?" Chris asked in annoyance, shrinking somewhat, and then stepping out of the doorway, she sighed and gestured inside. "Well, come in before someone sees you."

"Everyone is so stupid," Chris said as she got herself and Kirby glasses of milk from the fridge, "Sempai is stupid, my kohai are stupid, and that idiot is the stupidest of all."

"So, why are you here?" Chris asked Kirby as she handed him his glass, and he handed her a small note.

Chris read it, and turned red with embarrassment and anger.

"I thought you were staying with the idiot," She said to Kirby, scrunching up the note, "According to this, you're staying with me."

Kirby nodded brightly.

Chris controlled herself. She might have been a bad-tempered woman, but she wasn't cruel. "I supposed there is no helping it," She said with a sigh, "Nice to meet you, I guess."

End Chapter Four.