This chapter was a bit hard to write, to be honest. Thanks to a few reviews, I ended up having a bunch of ideas on what I could include in the future of this story, and with that came a halt to the writing as I tried to figure things out.
And now I'm around halfway through the first season. Here's to hoping that I can write the whole story without going through the entire anime too fast. I also don't want to just use the anime. Maybe I can add some original events or include some of the Gjallarhorn events from XDU…
Disclaimer: I don't own the Megami Tensei franchise or Symphogear
A few days later, Makoto and Kanade headed to the hospital, ignoring the stares of the pedestrians they passed. "So, how do you think we should tell Tsubasa about what happened?" asked Kanade. "I mean, she's finally good enough to have visitors, and she missed out on a lot. How will she react?"
Shrugging, Makoto replied, "Restrain her if she panics and almost hurts herself?"
Gasping in faux horror, the older member of Zwei Wing exclaimed, "That would be terrible! The last time I hugged her with that much passion was two years ago. Tsubasa would faint and end up in the hospital even longer!" Chuckling, she added, "Seriously, though, that seems like the best choice. She's going to need the support when she hears about the surprise."
Finally arriving at the hospital, the two Persona users immediately went straight to the room Tsubasa was assigned to. Seeing Hibiki just outside, they jogged up to her. "Hibiki-san, is Tsubasa-san here?" Makoto asked. The girl didn't respond. Peeking over her shoulder, the two older teens glanced into Tsubasa's room, only for their eyes to widen.
Turning around, Hibiki exclaimed, "Makoto-san, Kanade-san, call the police! Something terrible happened!"
Speaking up from behind the three, Tsubasa asked, "What are you talking about?"
Suddenly, Kanade spun around and whacked her friend on the back of her head. She scolded, "Tsubasa, how many times have I told you to clean up after yourself?! Look what you made Hibiki think!"
Looking back into the hospital room, Makoto internally winced. Tsubasa was even sloppier than Junpei. Clothes were messily tossed all over the floor and hanging off the room furniture. The bed wasn't even properly made, with the sheets being a tangled mess twisted up in the center of the mattress. Food wrappers were strewn about all over the bed and floor, crumbs falling out and making an even bigger mess. At least Junpei had enough decency to not leave his undergarments out for all to see. That, and he was tidy enough to clean up after eating or drinking.
Spinning around in shock, Hibiki exclaimed, "Tsubasa-san, you're alright? I thought you were kidnapped!"
Rubbing her head in slight pain, the blue-haired girl asked, "Why would you think that?" Looking into her room, she tried to find any reason why Hibiki would come to that conclusion, but failed to see anything. "I don't see anything wrong." She yelped as Kanade slapped the back of her head again.
"The room's a complete mess! Why wouldn't anyone think something's wrong?" Storming into Tsubasa's hospital room, Kanade immediately repositioned the trash bin from lying on its side to standing upright, before picking up the food wrappers and depositing them.
Shaking his head, Makoto followed her example and picked up Tsubasa's clothes to fold them. "From the way you act, I thought you would be tidier," he commented. Turning to look at the girl, he was bemused to see a lack of reaction of having a boy do her laundry.
Noticing this, Hibiki asked, "Tsubasa-san, why are you okay with this?"
Still confused, Tsubasa answered, "Ogawa-san always did it for me, and I never saw a problem."
Mortified, Hibiki exlaimed, "Aren't you embarrassed to have a boy do the laundry for your underwear?!"
Makoto and Kanade paused in their cleaning to look over at the two girls. Tsubasa stiffened, eyes widening in realization. Slowly, she finally blushed faintly. "Ah," she softly said. Quietly, she walked over to Makoto and accepted the bundle he held out to her. Sitting on the only clean area of the bed, she began the process of detangling the bras.
Snapping out of shock, Hibiki quickly grabbed a shirt and said, "Let me help too! It's the least I can do after everything that happened."
After a few minutes of silent cleaning, Hibiki finally spoke up. "Makoto-san, Kanade-san, did you tell Tsubasa-san about it yet?"
Perking up, Tsubasa asked, "Tell me about what?"
Reaching over and flicking the girl on the forehead, Kanade smirked and teased, "We were going to, but we have to clean this mess first." Looking at Tsubasa, she continued, "Anyways, Makoto and I came to let you know that I'll be able to fight again, though this time I'll be partnered with him."
Shocked, Tsubasa exclaimed, "How? You can't use a Symphogear anymore!"
Smirking, the red-haired girl replied, "I just gave you a hint. Why else would I be paired with Makoto now?"
Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, Tsubasa thought it over, trying to figure out what Kanade meant. "I don't get it, what do you…" Her eyes widened when she remembered the day she and Kanade were saved by Makoto, as well as the night Section Two discovered Hibiki activated Gungnir. Turning to Kanade, she whispered, "Don't tell me…" Her eyes landed on the new pendant necklace the girl wore.
Smiling, Kanade answered, "You got it! I got the same power as blue boy now, and he's teaching me how to use it." Finally finished with folding up the clothes, she added, "By the way, when you get out and can return to Section Two, ask Sakuya and Aoi for the recording. They'll know what you mean."
Makoto placed the final stack of folded clothes in the dresser. "If you have more questions, let me know," he said. "I'll try to answer them."
Tsubasa nodded and turned to Kanade once more. "So what does yours look like?" she asked.
Winking, Kanade teased, "Now that's a surprise. You'll have to see it for yourself to believe it."
Pulling Tsubasa into a gentle hug, she whispered, "I'm glad you're alright. Promise me you'll be more careful, okay?"
Returning the embrace, Tsubasa nodded and responded, "I promise. I won't leave you alone again like this."
"Kanade-san, we should go for now," said Makoto. "We need practice more in the simulator so you can work on summoning without hesitation." Nodding to Hibiki, he added, "We'll talk to you later, Hibiki-san. Have a good day." He left the room, and was soon followed by Kanade.
In the simulator, Kanade smirked as she checked out her new armor. Seeing as the trial runs were a success, she was now allowed to change the color scheme as she wished. The suit, originally blue, was now pitch black with orange highlights on the inner arms, thighs, and center of the torso, with white lines running down the arms and sides, not too dissimilar to when she had Gungnir. Likewise, the armor sported a new look, being white with orange highlights and black trim on the edges. Turning to her new weapon, which she affectionately named Laevateinn, Kanade said to herself, "I know I said it already, but I could get used to this."
Makoto walked up to her wearing his armor as well. Like her, he opted for a new color scheme, though his was simpler. The suit was now a shade of blue so dark it almost looked black, while the armor was bone white with a silvery blue butterfly etched on the left side of the breastplate, right above his heart. On his left arm, he managed to add his SEES armband to the armor, making it far more convenient than manually putting it on and taking it off every time.
"Nice taste," Kanade commented, "but what's with the butterfly?"
Holding a hand to the marking, Makoto answered, "Let's just say it's in memory of something important." Pulling out a sword, he said, "Now let's get you used to new attacks with your weapon and Persona." As the simulator projected a city, he pulled out his Evoker and summoned Orpheus. The robot-like being floated behind him, lyre already in hand.
Kanade summoned Hell Biker and said, "You don't have to tell me! I wasn't allowed to mess around with Laevateinn in the field, so I'll be taking it all out here!" She charged at a group of Noise, swinging her weapon in a wide arc. Hell Biker sped away, quickly making its way behind the Noise for a pincer maneuver. The two made quick work of the Noise, clearing them out in less than a minute. Taking a breath as she dismissed Hell Biker and gave Laevateinn a few experimental swings, Kanade said, "You know, now that I think about it, Laevateinn feels a bit heavier than Gungnir, but it's just as strong. Do you think I can modify it a little?" She glanced at Makoto, who had just finished taking out a horde of Noise as well.
Turning to face the girl, Makoto answered, "I said it already. It depends on you. You're the one who affects it." Jogging over, he asked, "Are you used to summoning your Persona yet?"
Smirking, Kanade boasted, "It's getting easier, I'll say that. Never thought all those late-night concerts would help with the drain. All I gotta do is not spam my Persona's powers too much, right?"
Shaking his head, Makoto elaborated, "Not just that. If your Persona gets hit or is dispelled from taking too much damage, you'll feel the pain from the attacks and it takes a toll on your mind. So you have to be careful not to let your Persona take too much damage. Your Persona is part of yourself, remember?"
Waving her hand, Kanade summarized, "So don't spam skills and don't let my Persona get hit too much, got it. What else?"
Makoto finished, "Stimulants and nutritional supplements help too." Pausing for a moment, he tried to find a way to explain it, then snapped his fingers. "In game terms, stimulants are like HP and MP recovery potions. They can give you a boost if you start to run out of energy from fighting or using your Persona."
Retracting Laevateinn's blades as she hefted it over her shoulder, Kanade opened her mouth to speak when the alarms started to blare. Running out of the simulation room, she yelled, "What's going on?"
Already finishing his call to Hibiki, Genjuro turned to the two Persona users and replied, "The girl who tried to steal Durandal is attacking Hibiki-kun. Additionally, Noise have been detected around the city. Go out and take them down. Tsubasa-kun has already headed out to assist Hibiki-kun."
Rushing quickly, the two Persona users ran to the garage and got on their motorcycles, heading to the city. Seeing the Noise, Makoto pulled out his Evoker and summoned Horus. Without even needing orders, the hawk-like Persona flew ahead and slashed at the Noise with its talons before unleashing a Mahamaon in the middle of the group.
Meanwhile, Kanade targeted the landbound Noise. Swinging Laevateinn about wildly, she cleaved through them with ease. Coming to a stop, she got off the bike and summoned Hell Biker, which promptly started attacking the Noise with bursts of flames. Turning to Makoto, she called, "I take the ones on the ground, you take the flying ones. Got it?"
Nodding in agreement, Makoto dodged a diving Noise and cut it in half. Pulling out his Evoker, he quickly switched to a different Persona. "Forneus!" Hopping onto the ray-like Persona's back, he switched his sword out with a Lightning Bow as Forneus took to the sky. Firing multiple arrows, Makoto kept an eye out for Kanade, who swung Laevateinn around with ease. Bracing himself, he held on tight as Forneus performed an aileron roll, unleashing Bufu consecutively on the Noise. As the Noise fell and shattered on the ground, Makoto prepared himself for a Fusion Spell. Summoning Decarabia, he called out, "Best Friends!"
Looking at him in confusion, Kanade asked, "Say what now?" She blinked in surprise as her body radiated a bright glow, before she stumbled over her feet at the sudden increase in speed. A Noise attempted to capitalize on the opening, but Kanade managed to regain her footing and call out, "Vorpal Blade!" Hell Biker zoomed in between the two, its pipe raised for an attack. Viciously swinging at the Noise, it struck the being four times, knocking the Noise back several feet before it disintegrated. Without hesitation, Kanade leapt at another Noise, using her newfound speed to her advantage. To her surprise, her strength was increased as well, given by how Laevateinn felt lighter. Looking up at Makoto, she called, "Thanks! I'll treat you to a meal sometime!"
Soon, the two Persona users cleared out the Noise. As they took a quick break to catch their breath Genjuro contacted over their comms. "Good job. There's no more Noise in the area, but we have a new problem."
Kanade instantly answered, "Let me guess. That white-haired girl got away again."
Genjuro replied, "Not only that, Hibiki-kun's friend was there. She is now aware that Hibiki-kun and Tsubasa-kun are Symphogear users. We'll explain things to her, but for now, head back to base. We don't need her to know that the two of you are members of Section Two as well."
Glancing at each other, Makoto and Kanade hurried back to Section Two headquarters, taking care to avoid being in open areas, especially the road to Lydian Academy.
Later that night, Makoto decided to go out into the city to clear his mind. Quietly closing the door of his assigned room at the teachers' dorm, he headed down the hall, careful to not make noise. As soon as he exited the building, he started running. However, when taking a shortcut through a park, he heard a commotion. As he got closer, he saw a white-haired girl, whom he instantly recognized as the one with the Nehustan Armor, approach two children, a boy and a girl.
"Hey, knock it off!" she yelled as she went up to them. "Stop bothering that girl!"
Slicking his hair back to resemble Ryoji's hairstyle as he jogged over to them, Makoto asked, "What's going on? I could hear you from the other side of the park."
Quickly, the boy said, "My sister and I got separated from our dad, and we got lost when we tried to find him. I was trying to get her to stop crying when this girl showed up and started yelling at us."
Sighing in relief, Makoto said, "I see. Why don't we take you to the police station to let them know you're looking for your father? It's dangerous this time of night."
The girl started crying harder, likely at the thought of being in trouble.
Annoyed, the white-haired girl snapped, "Stop crying, damn it!"
Angrily, the boy shouted, "Don't yell at my sister!"
Stepping in, Makoto tried to de-escalate the situation. "Calm down," he said, "you won't make things better by yelling." Bending down and pulling out a handkerchief, he wiped away the girl's tears. "It's going to be okay," he soothed, "we'll help you find your father."
Pausing for a moment, he added, "I'm Makoto. What are your names?"
Taking a shaky breath, the girl managed to answer, "My name is Maiko," she sniffed, "and my brother's name is Kaito."
Smiling gently, Makoto patted Maiko on the head and said, "A cute name for a cute girl. I knew another girl named Maiko. She was about your age, but she was very brave. So you have to be brave too, okay? You need to let your brother know you'll be okay." The girl blushed as she nodded, calming down as she leaned into his touch.
Turning to Kaito, he continued, "Kaito, I know you want to help your sister, but you're doing it the wrong way. Don't yell at her or tell her to not cry. You'll just scare her and make her more upset. Instead, tell her that everything will be alright. Do you understand?"
Nodding, the boy said, "I understand." Looking at the white-haired girl, he asked, "So who are you? We all said our names except you."
Letting out an exasperated sigh of annoyance, the girl groaned, "Sheesh, twist my arm behind my back, why don't you?" Scratching the back of her head, she answered, "My name's Chris. Happy now? Now let's go find your parent or whatever."
As the quartet walked to the police station, Makoto pulled out his headphones and MP3, listening to some songs to pass the time. Next to him, Chris began to absentmindedly hum as she looked around the shopping district.
Overhearing their respective songs, Kaito asked, "Makoto-san, Chris-san, you both really like music, don't you?" Makoto smiled and nodded as Chris sputtered out denials with a blush on her face.
A few moments later, the police station was in sight. "Papa!" cried Maiko as she ran up to a man who was worriedly speaking to an officer. Right behind her was Kaito, who ran after her.
"Maiko! Kaito! Thank goodness you're both safe!" The man hugged his children tightly, relieved. Looking up and seeing Makoto and Chris, he asked, "And who are these two with you?"
Maiko excitedly spoke, "The girl is Chris-chan and she got us lost! The really pretty boy is Makoto-san and he made me feel better after I got sad!"
Kaito lightly tapped her on the shoulder and retorted, "It wasn't like that. We were already lost when they found us." Maiko simply giggled in response.
Bowing to the two teens, the man said, "Thank you for finding my children. I could never repay you enough for this."
Shaking his head, Makoto replied, "It's alright. The only thing that matters is that Kaito and Maiko got back to you safely."
Pursing her lips and furrowing her eyebrows, Chris asked the two children, "Hey, you two. You were almost fighting when we found you, but now you're acting like nothing happened. What's with that?"
Smiling, Maiko answered, "Kaito and I fight a lot, but we always make up because we're friends, and friends always forgive each other!"
Chuckling, her father interjected, "Alright, you two. It's late and we should be heading home." Turning to Makoto and Chris, he bowed and said, "Once again, I thank you for finding my children. I bid you a good night." Copying him, Kaito and Maiko bowed as well.
Watching as the three walked away, Chris turned to Makoto. "Why'd you step in?" she interrogated. "Why'd you help when you could have just minded your own business?"
"Because nobody should have to go through everything alone," replied Makoto. As the girl stumbled back in shock, Makoto turned and started walking away.
Yelling after him, Chris shouted, "Hey, wait!" However, she was too slow. Makoto was out of earshot and, soon enough, out of eyesight as well.
Ruffling his hair and moving it back to its normal style, Makoto pulled out his phone and called Genjuro. A few seconds later, the commander answered the call. "What's going on?" the man asked, "What happened for you to call this time of night?"
"I ran into the white-haired girl in town," reported Makoto. "I managed to get a possible hint to who she is. She called herself Chris."
"Good work," replied Genjuro, "but shouldn't you get some rest? It's a long day tomorrow, especially with what happened today. Makoto hummed in response.
…
Two days, Makoto watched in concern as Miku refused to even look at Hibiki for what seemed to be the hundredth time. The black-haired girl maintained a mask of cold indifference, while Hibiki had a perpetually hurt expression on her downcast face.
Kuriyo, Shiori, and Yumi walked up to him. "Hey, Mako," said Kuriyo, "Bikki and Hina aren't getting along since yesterday. We thought it was a small thing, but Hina's still angry, so we know it's something big. Do you know what happened?"
Shaking his head, Makoto replied, "I might have an idea, but it isn't my place to say." Setting down his pen and looking at the girls, he continued, "I can try talking to them, but I can't promise anything. After that, you need to handle it yourself."
Bowing, Shiori said, "Thank you, Makoto-san. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but we're glad you're willing to help." Glancing over at Hibiki, she added, "We should probably go check on Hibiki for now."
As the girls walked away, Yumi muttered, "If this was an anime, this would be solved by either the end of the episode or the episode right before the season finale. I really hope it isn't the second one."
As students began to leave the room, Makoto beckoned Miku over. "I know it's not my place to pry, but did something happen between you and Hibiki-san? Your friends noticed and are concerned."
Her face tightening in anger, Miku responded, "Hibiki said she wouldn't lie to me anymore, but she still did."
Putting up a feigned expression of confusion, Makoto asked, "What do you mean?"
The girl replied, "She got hurt but lied to me about what happened." Eyes narrowing, she suddenly accused, "You know, don't you? You know about what she's doing."
Carefully phrasing his words, the teaching assistant said, "If you're talking about Hibiki-san taking martial arts lessons, then I'm aware of it. Is that what you mean?"
Frowning, Miku shook her head and said, "Never mind. I just don't want to talk to her."
Pursing his lips, Makoto prodded, "You know you'll have to talk to her eventually, right? She's going to try to confront you about it, so shouldn't you talk to her to resolve this?"
Miku went silent. After a few seconds, she finally said, "Makoto-san, thank you for your advice, but I can take care of this myself." She bowed and quickly left the room, immediately heading to the roof.
Sighing as he finished grading papers, Makoto headed to the staff room to turn them in. On the way, he ran into Tsubasa and Kanade. "Good afternoon. How are you two doing?" he asked.
"I'm doing great, Makoto!" chirped Kanade. "The past couple years sucked because I couldn't be as active because of health reasons, so I'm glad to be back in action this year!"
Nodding, Tsubasa faintly smiled as she replied, "I am well. Rather, I'm quite eager. Assuming there are no complications, Kanade should make a complete recovery and be able to return to the stage alongside me later this year."
As the students in the halls burst into whispers at this revelation, Makoto smiled and said, "Then I wish you both the best of luck. I look forwards to seeing you on stage, Kanade-san."
Meanwhile, on the roof, Hibiki fell to her knees as Miku's words rang through her mind.
"I hate liars, Hibiki. And you keep lying to me. I don't think I can be your friend anymore."
Whimpering, she burst into tears as the hurt and pain she held in since the day Miku found out her secret burst out. "Why, Miku?" she sniffed, "Why did it have to be like this? I don't want you to leave me…"
Somewhere in the city, in a dark alley, the darkness stirred. A corner seemed to become denser, before black sludge bubbled out from the ground and formed a puddle. Tendrils started rising, becoming arm-like appendages that reached out at everything near it. Finally, a glowing pair of red eyes formed, flicking about as they observed the alley. Seeing a group of people nearby, the puddle lurched, pulling itself towards them.
The bodies would not be found until the next day.
Bet some of you didn't expect the armor color change to happen this soon. And yes, the butterfly on Makoto's armor is meant to be a callback to Philemon and the butterflies showing up in the games.
Yeah, Kanade's new spear is going to be called Laevateinn because of its shifting feature, as well as something I have planned for the future. Even though there's already a Laevateinn in Persona 3, it's a sword, and I'll avoid having Makoto use it in order to avoid confusion.
Please tell me what you think, review, constructive criticism appreciated, and NO flames. Keep your insults to yourself. They contribute nothing to the story (unless you're insulting characters that honestly deserve the burns).
