Kamen Rider Faiz: Song of Paradise-Second Verse

by Ashbel Longhart

It's been three months since the battle with Finé and peace has returned. But it didn't last long as a new enemy appears, wielding the very same power that was used to save the world, Symphogear. With new enemies, Noise and Orphnoch still on the loose, a mysterious relationship between Orga's group and the new enemy, it's up to Haru and the girls to take up arms once again!

12. Song 12: A Hero's Return

Hello Fanfiction readers! That's right, it is I, Ashbel Longhart, here to finally give this story its long-awaited update. Going by the date, it's been almost two years since I lasted paid attention to this story. Well, it's time to fix that. I'm sure some of you have been waiting a long time for this update considering what's about to happen. Well, let's not wait any longer. But first, cue disclaimer.

(Disclaimer: I do not own Senki Zesshou Symphogear G or Kamen Rider Faiz. I also don't own any songs that appear in this story either. They all belong to their respective owners. All I own is this story and my OC's. Please Enjoy.)

Last we left off, Haru was separated from his gang, again, and meanwhile, Maria and Nastassja, with Miku along for the ride, met up and talked with Natsu, Haru's long thought dead twin brother. We learned a bit more about the group before Dr. Ver arrived and Maria whisked Miku away. Back with Haru, we last saw him have a surprise encounter with his long thought dead sister! What will happen now? Open Your Eyes For The Next Faiz and let's find out!

Side note: I just now realized that Tsubasa tends to address people by their last names except those she's really close to like Kanade and later Maria. She'll be addressing Haru by his last name until...later development. Just thought I should put this out there in case anyone notices a change in how Tsubasa talks.

---

Song 12: A Hero's Return

---

(Last Time)

"Tsubasa, you and I are gonna go help Haru. Chris, you deal with the Noise."

"Onii-chan!"

"We need to start looking for Haru-kun before Smart Brain finds him first."

"You're...really him...aren't you?"

"Hisashiburi dana(Long time no see)...Mari-chan."

"Yamamoto...then, you really are Haru-kun's brother?"

"Natsu, it is as you say. I do not have much time left. Even with the doctor's aid, I fear I won't make it past this week."

"You still haven't answered my question. What do you want from me?"

"What I want from you, Natsu is for you to join us."

"I refuse."

"I'm sorry, Natsu...but you can't protect the world with half-hearted devotion."

"Wait for me. I'll come for you all, no matter what!"

"Ky...Kyoko...?"

"Hisashiburi dana(Long time no see)...Onii-chan."

---

(Now)

{And that's your report?}

"Hai," Saeko said, reporting to Murakami on the phone as she stood by with Takuma and Xiao Li, the latter of whom was tending to his own injuries. "We apologize for being unable to reclaim the Delta Gear."

{It's fine so long as we still have Faiz and Kaixa. What's the status of Mr. Yamamoto?}

"Xiao Li got him good, but we've yet to find his body thus we cannot confirm if Yamamoto Haru is still alive or not. Our troops are still looking as we speak."

{Keep looking. I'll send more troops to aid in the search.}

"This is quite a lot of effort you're putting in all for just one man," Saeko commented, a bit surprised at how much work Murakami was putting in to hunt down Haru.

{Disregarding the trouble he's caused for the past two years, based on past reports his knowledge about Smart Brain is alarming. Not to mention how ferocious he becomes when he transforms.}

"Yes, he's quite the beast," Saeko agreed, recalling the battle from earlier as well as past footage. "He almost reminds me of Kitazaki."

At the mention of the last member of the Lucky Clover, Takuma noticeably started shivering as traumatic memories surfaced in his head. Xiao Li looked at him in confusion while Saeko promptly ignored this as she continued talking with their boss.

{I had the same thought. He's too dangerous to be left alone. As he refuses to join our cause, he must be eliminated at all costs. Shoot on sight.}

"Roger," Saeko said before ending the call. "Well, you heard him, boys. Fan out and look for him."

"Would it not be better to stick together?" Xiao Li said as he finished tying his bandages. By tomorrow morning he should be as good as new. "The river couldn't have taken him far. Would it not be best to overwhelm him with our numbers so as to avoid unnecessary casualties."

"We aren't like your mercenary buddies," Takuma said, having calmed down as he adjusted his glasses. "Orphnoch or not, the damage that was inflicted upon him won't so easily heal overnight. Anyone one of us could do him in once we find him. I've got no problems splitting up."

"What's the matter? Scared?" Saeko asked the Chinese in a teasing tone.

"Just cautious," Xiao Li responded as he looked over at the Riotroopers they had with them. "How many Riotroopers do we have right now?"

"Not counting the ones who will be arriving later and factoring our previous fight, about 50," Takuma said, having done a quick count of their men. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm gonna need some men with me."

"How many do you need?" Saeko asked.

Turning to his senior Orphnochs, Xiao Li gave them his request.

"Besides a few hounds...all of them."

---

(Insert masterpiece by Mami Kawada)

(Instrumental) The song starts as blurry images play at high speed appear. While some images were hard to make out, the image of a fire and ruins, the Relics, the Rider Gears, the Wolf Orphnoch's hands covered in blood, and then the caged Nephilim could be made out before the title appears.

(To aru nichijou wa parallel world ikusen mono jikan ni) The scene shows Hibiki in class, staying after school, but to her surprise, she wasn't the only one there. The camera expands outward to show that with her in the class is Tsubasa sitting next to her right, Chris sitting next to her left, and Haru in the back in the far corner looking out the window.

(Onaji mono nado nai masutaapiisu de orinasu jikuu e) We then see the hooded man leaning against a display window of a random store. He lifts his head up to reveal violet-colored eyes before the scene changes to the Crane Orphonch up on the roof of a building, looking ready to jump and take flight before the scene changes again to Psyga in the air, flying around.

(Kakinagutte hakushi no shinario ni pensaki ga kooru) The scene then changes to the 2nd Division's new submarine base as everyone else works on monitoring the data and info in front of them while Ogawa stands next to Genjuro who had the Delta Gear in a briefcase in hand.

(Originality mezase! douse kono michi o yukun dakara) The scene then changes to the hidden base of the organization, Finé. Professor Nastassja, in her wheelchair, is seen monitoring the Nephilim. Shirabe and Kirika are seen together as their Relic necklaces shine under the light. Maria is seen holding a damaged Relic piece in her hands as she thinks about her late sister and a certain boy that held a special place in her heart. Finally, Dr. Ver is seen grinning madly wielding Soloman's Cane as a shadow of the Nephilim is seen behind him.

[Shinjite] (Kakenukete) [Tooku made] Haru as Faiz and the girls in their armor are seen with their weapons drawn. Across from them is Maria and the others, donned in their armor with their weapons out and ready as behind them was Xiao Li accompanied by Lucky Clover members Takuma and Saeko.

[Kanjiru] (Daichi o kette) [Daichi kette] Both groups stare off at one another before both groups move and attack.

(Nanika no tame ni kogare, ikiteru kanshoku wa kitto) Chris is seen facing off against Kirika who throws scythe blades at her while she counters with bullets from her Gatling guns. Meanwhile, Hibiki is seen facing off against Shirabe who throws saw blades at her while she punches and kicks them away.

(Darenimo makenai chikara ni Naru) Tsubasa and Maria are seen clashing weapons until they are broken apart by the sudden appearance of Orga who pushes Tsubasa back before he turns to look at Maria before clashing weapons with her as the Crane Orphnoch and Psyga are seen facing off against Dr. Ver and the Nephilim.

(Shiawase tte tabun kono shunkan onore ga shiru) [When I believed it] Haru is seen facing the three Clover Orphnochs by himself until he was pushed back, losing the Faiz Gear in the process. Haru didn't give up as he roared and transformed into the Wolf Orphonch before charging forward while covered in azure flames.

(Kono kandou o atarashii peeji ni kizamu) [I can go to the next stage] Explosions litter the entire area as Haru, as Faiz again, was pushed back only to bump into Orga and Pysga. The three Riders look at one another before they all jump up and kick toward the Nephilim who was now mega-sized.

[It's only my thing, 'highest masterpiece!' hoo] Everyone looked up at the three kicking Riders as their kicking feet glow brightly, blinding everyone until the camera moves to show off the moon surrounded by a ring of the rubble of its broken piece before the song ends.

---

(Diner)

Hours flew by as night had soon fallen upon the city. At a family restaurant located nearby the outskirts of the city, it was well within closing hours as the only people inside were workers and one group of customers. Said group was Tsubasa, Kanade, and Chris, having spent the entire day searching for their missing friend and had stopped by here for a break. Kanade and Chris both had plates of spaghetti while Tsubasa simply sat in silence with a cup of coffee.

"Is that all you're having?" Chris asked, her mouth half full with food as she looked towards her blue-haired senior.

"I refrain from eating past 9 PM," Tsubasa answered, content with just her coffee.

"See, this is why you're such a drag," Chris said, digging into her plate again only to jump when Tsubasa slammed her mug down.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Now, now," Kanade spoke up, pacifying her best friend. "She wasn't trying to be mean or anything. She brought us here to eat and relax. No need to snap at her."

Tsubasa just clicked her tongue in response as she got up. "I'm heading back to base."

"Are you mad?" Chris asked with a forkful of food in her mouth.

'She's a really messy eater,' Kanade couldn't help but think as she stared at how messy the girl's mouth was. There was even a piece of mushroom stuck to her cheek that she had yet to notice.

"How could I be calm? The FIS, Tachibana...Yamamoto," Tsubasa clenched her fists in frustration. "When I think of my failure to protect my comrades..."

"Tsubasa..." Kanade stared worriedly at her friend, understanding her frustration. They had searched high and low for their missing comrade, but they had come up empty-handed. Just where in the city had the river swept their friend away to?

"I'm sure that idiot's fine, wherever he's hiding," Chris said, finally finishing her plate and was now picking her teeth with a toothpick. "I think you're forgetting that he ran around the city fighting for two years by himself. We don't get a lot of chances to eat together so I thought we could have a heart-to-heart over some food. We're supposed to be working together, and yet we're all over the place now. We really need to work on our—"

"Yukine," Tsubasa spoke up, interrupting Chris who looked towards her. "If you want to talk heart to heart, you could at least call me by my given name."

"Huh!?" A blush soon adorned Chris's cheeks, having been caught off guard by the request. "Uh, that's...H-Hey!"

Grabbing her helmet, Tsubasa stood up and left, leaving the two to themselves as the sounds of her bike told them she was heading back to base.

"Welp, so much for that talk," Kanade commented before turning to Chris. "Hey, don't let that get you down. Tsubasa's just stressed out, as I'm sure everyone else is."

"...but maybe this is for the best," Chris muttered as she picked up her own mug of coffee and finished what little was left in it. "So bitter..."

"Are you still worried about your past?" Kanade asked, figuring out why Chris had brought up the talk. "What's done is done. You're with us now, stop worrying about it."

"I know, I know, but..."

"Besides, you're a bad liar, you know?"

"Huh?" Chris nearly slammed down her mug at that.

"You try to sound cool, but you're just as worried about Haru as Tsubasa is. Don't think I didn't notice how you acted when we were out searching for him," Kanade said, smiling teasingly at the white-haired girl whose face was turning slightly red.

'She's really cute to tease,' Kanade thought to herself before her smile fell, thinking back to the rest of today. 'Everyone's really worried about Haru. I was so close and yet..."

With a sigh, Kanade lowered her head onto the table. "I really messed up today."

"Hey come on, it's not like you knew Smart Brain and a bunch of Noise were going to show up," Chris said, trying to cheer up the redhead senpai.

"Yeah, I know," Kanade said, picking herself up as she stared out the window. "It's just really frustrating how much Haru keeps getting separated from us, not to mention the fact that he must still be dealing with the knowledge that he's an Orphnoch."

"We really should have told him when we had the chance," Chris said, copying her senior as she looked towards the city lights, wondering if their comrade was out there limping through the streets.

'Just where are you, you idiot.'

---

(Unknown)

Up in the air, hidden from sight thanks to the existence that was camouflage technology, the girls and the doctor stood in silence as their ship silently flew through the clouds as not even the light of the moon could catch their whereabouts.

"...Was that...really Natsu?" Kirika spoke up, breaking the silence as she looked at Maria and Nastassja both for answers. She was still trying to process that their childhood friend who they had thought dead was alive and had been opposing them as Orga.

"Mom, please tell us," Shirabe pleaded with the wheel-chaired bound woman. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened," Dr. Ver spoke up, adjusting his glasses as he looked at Maria and Nastassja both. "Nastassja met with the US government, to try to sell out our ideal of saving as many lives as possible from the lunar impact that will happen in the next ten years."

"Mom?" Shirabe and Kirika turned towards their mother figure for answers who raised no voice to protest the doctor.

"Is that true?"

"And that's not all. It turns out that Finé's soul does not dwell inside of Maria," Ver revealed as Maria simply closed her eyes in shame. "It was all an act Nastassja and Maria made up."

Both Shirabe and Kirika turned to Maria whose back was turned to them, hiding away the face she was making.

"It's true...I'm sorry, both of you."

"If Maria isn't Finé, then..." Kirika began as her mind wandered back to the incident at the construction site. If Maria wasn't Finé's next reincarnation, then...

"Even if the goal was to involve me in her plan, don't you think it was a betrayal that she involved you, too?" Dr. Ver said, slamming the Staff of Solomon on the steel ground as he swept his hair back. "The Nephilim heart I worked so hard to get was almost useless."

The girls had nothing to say back to the doctor. With nothing else, they looked towards their mother figure and Maria again for answers.

"Mom...Maria...the doctor's lying, right?" Kirika asked, her tone almost desperate.

"...it's true," Maria said, finally turning around to face them. "Both that I'm not Finé, and the fact that we tried to temporarily postpone our plans to save humanity. Mom tried to obtain the aid of the US government by selling them the information we have on the Frontier."

"No way..." Shirabe said in disbelief as she turned to Nastassja. "But I thought you said that the US government and the people running it were only looking out for themselves."

"I thought we were fighting the world, to save as many as possible of those they were abandoning!" Kirika exclaimed, raising her voice a little.

"If we had made peace, we would have lost our advantage," Nastassja said as he looked towards Ver. "That's why you summoned the Noise to ruin the meeting."

"Oh no, I was only trying to protect you from those wicked Americans using the Staff of Solomon, but as it turns out, that was all just a ploy to lure out the son of Dr. Yamamoto," Dr. Ver said, pointing the Staff of Solomon at the eyepatched woman. "You knew I'd intervene and you used the chaos to draw him out. All those lives lost for just one man, I never knew you could be so cruel and devious, Nastassja-san. It makes me quite curious as to what you could have discussed with him."

Thinking he was going to use the staff to threaten Nastassja, Kirika and Shirabe stepped forth to protect their mother figure when Maria suddenly got in front of them and spread her arms out to protect the doctor.

"Maria?"

"Why?" Why was Maria protecting the doctor from them?

"Well, well..." Dr. Ver laughed, amused by this turn of events.

"You cannot protect the world with half-hearted resolve. You cannot carry out what Serena wished for," Maria said, stepping forward. "Power...everything comes down to that. Without power, you cannot enact justice! The doctor's way of doing things is the only way to change the world. So I'm going to support him from here on out."

"You...can't be serious..." Kirika said, looking at Maria in disbelief. It didn't help that the doctor was giggling to himself in the corner.

"I don't want that," Shirabe said, looking down. "That means suppressing the ones without power. We'd be no better than the ones we're trying to fight against!"

Silence fell upon the group as for the first time in years, the group felt divided amongst each other. Their goal was to simply save the world—to save the lives the people up top were planning to abandon—so why had things devolved to this state?

"I understand," Nastassja spoke up, looking up at Maria. "That is not the false Finé's choice, but the choice of Maria Cadenzavna Eve, correct?"

Maria did not reply with words or nod her head. She simply stared back at her mother figure with steel-honed eyes, telling Nastassja all she needed to know.

*cough! cough!* Suddenly, Nastassja fell into a coughing fit, quickly worrying the others.

"Are you all right!?" Kirika asked as she and Shirabe moved to aid the sickly woman. Maria went to do the same, but stopped herself short, keeping her distance.

"Leave the rest to me," Dr. Ver said as he turned to leave. "You rest, Nastassja. I'll be busy adjusting our plans from here on out. I have to attend to our guest as well."

Said guest was none other than Miku, held up in the specialized cage that used to hold the Nephilim. With no way of escaping safely, Miku could do nothing but hug herself as her mind wandered to the one person she wanted to see the most.

"Hibiki..."

---

(2nd Division Base, Cafeteria)

Docked at a nearby port, all was quiet as Yuuki looked worriedly at her daughter who had yet to touch her food. She had been like this since she had returned and after hearing what had transpired at the Sky Tower, she couldn't blame her daughter's depression.

"Hibiki," Placing a hand on her shoulder, Yuuki got her daughter to look up at her. "If you're not feeling hungry, then why not turn in for today?"

"...okay," With barely a whisper, Hibiki nodded her head and got up. Perhaps a bath before bed would...

'I used to take baths with Miku...' Hibiki thought as those specific memories floated into her head, bringing with them a new wave of depression as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. Would she never get to experience those moments of happiness ever again?

"Hibiki..." Seeing the tears of her daughter, Yuuki brought her into her arms, hugging her the way only a mother like her could. "Shh, it's okay...it's okay..."

"No...it's not..." Hibiki said, digging her face into her mother's chest which muffled her voice and sobs. "If I hadn't let go...because of me...Miku is...!"

"Not dead!" Suddenly, coming through the doors was Genjuro who walked over towards the Tachibana family minus the grandmother who had already turned in for the night.

"Kazanari-san?" Yuuki looked up at the man in confusion while Hibiki separated from her, having heard what Genjuro had just said.

"Shishou?"

"Wipe away those tears, Hibiki-kun, and come with me to the command room. There's something I want to show you," Without event waiting for a reply, Genjuro left as soon as he appeared, leaving two confused Tachibana who followed the man in curiosity.

It didn't take long to reach their destination and when they got there, the rest of the girls were already there waiting with Kanade noticeably smiling.

"Good news Hibiki!"

"Huh?" Hibiki blinked, confused as to what her senior was smiling about. As if to answer her the redhead gestured over to Genjuro who walked over and presented a communicator that was slightly scratched all over and dirty.

"A communicator?"

"Miku-kun's communicator," Genjuro said, getting a surprised look from Hibiki as he handed it over to her. "Ogawa found it a short distance away from the Sky Tower. We analyzed its tracking data and found that it was moving at a steady speed before it was disposed of."

"Wait, but then that means..." Hibiki began as some light returned to her eyes.

"Miku-kun is not dead," Genjuro finished for her. "The obvious conclusion is that she was rescued by another party and is being held hostage." With those words, Genjuro turned and smiled at the brunette. "Time to stop feeling sorry for yourself and leap into action!"

"Right!" Hibiki nodded, finally cheering up which brought a smile to everyone's faces.

"Ahem!" Well, everyone except Yuuki who was sporting a frown. The reason why wasn't lost on anyone.

"Mom..." Hibiki looked pleadingly at her mother.

"As your mother, it's my job to worry about you," Yuuki said as she placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Now I know I can't stop you, but you're still recovering. Try not to overdo it."

"Hai!" Hibiki nodded, half-smiling that her mother wasn't trying to stop her from acting while some of her felt guilty for hiding her current condition from her.

"Don't worry, ma'am. We'll keep an eye on her," Kanade assured the woman who could only nod in response.

"Wait, what about Haru-kun?" Hibiki asked, turning back to Genjuro who frowned and shook his head.

"Unfortunately, we've yet to pinpoint his location."

"I see..." Hibiki's previous cheer died a little at that news as the others looked apologetic.

"Hey, keep that chin up," Genjuro said, patting Hibiki on the head. "I'm willing to bet that Smart Brain hasn't found him yet either. For the time being, he's safe wherever he is. In the meantime, why not exercise for a change of pace."

"Exercise?"

"That's right. You've been lagging behind due to recent events so some exercise should help re-strengthen those muscles. If you want to help out with finding Haru-kun and rescue Miku-kun, you'll need to be in tip-top shape. Understand?"

"Hai!" Hibiki nodded. With the goal of rescuing her friends, she was fired up more than ever.

"Then be up early morning. That goes double for you girls," Genjuro said to the others.

"Wait, what?" Chris blinked in confusion. "This is a group activity?"

"Of course, it is," Kanade said, hands on her hips as she smiled. "Ain't nothing wrong with getting some training in before the big climax. Right, Tsubasa?"

"A sword must always be kept well maintained in order to draw out its full potential," Tsubasa said, obviously talking about herself when using the analogy.

"And with that, you're outvoted," Kanade laughed as she playfully slapped Chris' shoulder. "Better set your alarm tonight."

"Oh, this is gonna suck..." Chris groaned out, not looking forward to tomorrow.

---

(The Next Day, Morning)

As the morning sun rose, signaling a brand new day, a figure was seen dashing through the alleys. Making sure the coast was clear, the figure quickly ran over to an old warehouse where the figure silently opened the door and slipped inside before just as silently closing it behind her. Breathing a sigh of relief, the sun's rays peaked through the warehouse windows as Kyoko walked over towards a resting Haru, carrying a bag of food and supplies.

"I'm back, Onii-chan...not like you can respond," Kyoko said, muttering the last part to herself as she knelt beside Haru and set the bag next to a bowl of water. She reached in to grab a store-bought bento she had bought, when...

"Mmm..." A groan came from Haru, alerting Kyoko who turned to see Haru awakening.

"Ah!" She gasped before grabbing the towel that had fallen from Haru's head and re-wet it before placing it back on his head. "Don't try to move, you're still injured."

As she took care of the half-awake Haru, Kyoko's heart was beating against her chest as her mind raced a mile. She hadn't expected Haru to wake up so quickly after what happened yesterday, figuring he needed more time to rest and heal his wounds despite being an Orphnoch. Apparently, he was a faster healer than she thought.

"Hibiki!" Kyoko nearly yelped when Haru suddenly shot up which proved to be a mistake as his wounds flared up from under his bandages.

"Ah! I said not to move," Kyoko said, putting a hand on Haru's shoulder to push him back down when his eyes turned towards her and promptly widened at the sight of her.

"Ky...Kyoko?"

'In hindsight, I probably should have worn a hood or something,' Kyoko thought to herself. She had wanted to reveal herself slowly but it seems she would have to confront the situation before her. Don't get her wrong though, she wasn't displeased with this, far from it. Hearing her name come from Haru's mouth brought indescribable joy to Kyoko's heart that she couldn't help but smile at him.

"Hisashiburi dana(Long time no see)...Onii-chan." Kyoko said in the gentlest tone she could muster as tears were beginning to form in her eyes. Oh, how she waited for this moment to occur.

"...Who are you?"

"Eh?" Kyoko blinked in confusion as Haru got up, grabbing the blanket that was used to keep him warm as he stepped away from Kyoko, throwing her the most heated glare she had ever seen.

"You must think you're real funny taking the appearance of my little sister," Haru growled as he threw away the blanket, revealing that he was wearing nothing but his boxers and the bandages that covered him.

"W-Wait, Onii-chan, it's really me!" Kyoko said, getting up only to flinch when her words somehow intensified that glare Haru was giving her.

"Bullshit! Kyoko died years ago," Haru exclaimed in anger as his eyes flashed silver, alerting Kyoko of a possible transformation. "I don't know who you are and I don't give a damn. Taking my sister's face will be the last thing you do after I'm done with you!"

"You once hit someone with a brick when you were a kid!" Kyoko suddenly exclaimed, stopping Haru who was about to attack her as his anger was briefly replaced by confusion. "The reason why was because he was a bully who hurt Natsu-oniichan. When I was 5 you secretly brought me ice cream before dinnertime even though Okaa-san warned you not to. And before I was born, you and Natsu-oniichan once got into a fight and by the time our parents found you, you were bawling your eyes out apologizing to Natsu-oniichan who was trying to cheer you up while his head was bleeding due to falling on a rock. The only reason I know that last one is because—"

"Because I told you," Haru interrupted, finishing for Kyoko who nodded her head.

"Back in middle school."

"...Kyoko?"

The girl nodded again, this time with tears in her eyes. "Yeah...it's really me...Haru-oniichan."

Just like that, the anger that was about to erupt from Haru evaporated as he stared at Kyoko in disbelief. Slowly stepping towards the girl, Haru reached out and touched her face, as if trying to confirm if she was real. Grabbing the hand, Kyoko held it tenderly, using her touch as if answering that she was indeed real. In the blink of an eye, Kyoko found Haru's arms wrapped around her, hugging her tightly as the man began bawling, his tears falling like a waterfall from his eyes as he kept on repeating Kyoko's name.

"I'm here...I'm really here," Kyoko said as her own pair of tears fell from her eyes as she returned the hug. "I'm not going anywhere...not this time."

After literal hours of crying, the two finally calmed down as Haru got dressed with the clothes Kyoko had brought with her. Now wearing a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved grey shirt, Haru sat with Kyoko as they both ate from a pair of store-bought bento boxes.

"Sorry I couldn't get anything better. I didn't have a lot of money left after buying you clothes," Kyoko said, apologizing as she couldn't help but compare the food she was eating to Yugo's cooking. The latter won by a landslide.

"It's okay, this is fine," Haru assured his sister as he bit into the semi-dried fish. Looks like Kyoko had gotten unlucky as he could tell that the bento was a few days old, but he didn't mind it for now. Food was food and he was in no position to complain given his condition.

"How are your wounds?" Kyoko asked, looking worriedly at her brother.

"They still ache, but nothing a good night's rest can't fix," Haru said, rolling his shoulders as he got used to how his body ached.

"That's amazing considering you took a finisher that would have killed normal Orphnoch," Kyoko said, finishing her bento as did Haru who turned to look at her.

"...So you really are the crane Orphnoch."

"Yeah." As if to provide evidence, an outline of her Orphnoch form appeared over her face before they soon disappeared. Despite that though, a part of Haru was still in disbelief, but he forced that part to face the facts.

"I can't believe it was you and Yugo all this time," Haru said, shaking his head. "Why...why did you hide it until now? Why didn't you ever step forward?"

"Gomen(I'm sorry)," Kyoko apologized, bowing her head a little. "I wanted to, I really did, but Natsu-oniichan wouldn't let me."

"Natsu?" Haru raised an eyebrow at that until his eyes widened in realization. If Kyoko was the Crane Orphnoch and Yugo was Psyga, then Orga was...

"Kyoko...is he...is Orga...?"

"Considering the cats out of the bag now, there's no point in hiding it any further, plus he isn't here to stop me," Kyoko said as she turned her body to properly face her brother. "It's as you think. Orga...is Natsu-oniichan."

Had Haru been standing he would have fallen on his butt at that revelation. He did drop his bento box though by then he was already finished with its contents.

"Natsu...is Orga?"

Kyoko nodded. "Hai."

So the person who had both provided help on numerous occasions and was also impeding the progress of the 2nd Division...was his brother, Natsu?

"...why?" Why had he kept to himself all this time? By Yugo's words, his brother had been in this world far longer than he had. Why had he never shown himself before him?

"Well, the reason why he, as well Yugo-kun and I, have been getting in your way is that he personally knows Maria-chan and the others," Kyoko said, explaining why he had been impeding Haru and the others in the past. "He wants to save them and, well, you know how he is with personal troubles."

"Of course," Haru scoffed at that, yet he was smiling. That certainly sounded like his little twin brother. Kind to others, but terrible at asking for help.

"As for the reason why he's been hiding his identity for so long from you..." Kyoko bit her lip, trying to come up with the right words to say. "...personally, I think it's because he's scared."

"Scared?" Haru repeated, looking at Kyoko in confusion.

"Natsu-oniichan and I were reincarnated here, but you weren't. We were confused, angry that you weren't with us, and sad, but we eventually came to terms with it."

"You make it sound like I passed away and died."

"It certainly felt that way to us. But like I said, we came to terms with it and just went through life without you. Though even as we did, there was always that certain emptiness in our life that we could never fill in...until now."

"It's when I came to this world," Haru said, getting a nod from his sister.

"Natsu-oniichan found out about you by complete accident when he was raiding a Smart Brain facility. He couldn't believe it at first so he decided to go see for himself, bringing me along."

'That must have been when he helped save Kanade. Guess that explains why he was there,' Haru thought.

"After that, Natsu-oniichan and I fought over whether to reveal ourselves to you or not. I wanted the former but Natsu-oniichan was the opposite."

"You said you think he was scared. Why?"

"Well...I think he just doesn't know what to do when he does finally decide to come forward," Kyoko said, explaining as best she could. "We lived in this world without you for years and suddenly, you just magically appeared out of the blue. It's like reuniting with a childhood friend after years of being separated and you don't know what to do because the both of you have changed so much since you were little. Do you get what I mean?"

"I got the gist of it," Haru said. "Frankly, it sounds kinda stupid."

"That's what Yugo-kun said to him before convincing him to reveal himself. We were actually planning on showing ourselves to you after the battle against Finé," Kyoko revealed before looking down. "But then..."

"Let me guess: Maria and the FIS happened," Haru said, guessing what stalled the reunion. Kyoko nodded, confirming Haru's guess.

"Natsu-oniichan was really close with Maria-chan and the others back when he was younger. When he heard that they were planning on using the Nephilim, the very thing that killed Maria-chan's sister, Serena, and recruited Dr. Ver for help, he wasted no time running off to stop them. I tried suggesting we get help from you and those from the 2nd Division, but Natsu-oniichan refused, both because of his personal reasons and because the 2nd Division used to work with Sakurai Ryoko, the previous Finé who created the FIS. He just can't bring himself to trust them despite what happened at the Kadingir. The rest is history."

"I see..." Was all Haru could say as he thought back to all his encounters with Orga—with Natsu.

'To think he was that close to me and I never noticed,' Haru thought to himself, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth. 'That...damn idiot!'

"Kyoko, where is Natsu now?" Haru asked as he got up.

"I've yet to contact him, but he should be back at our hideout in the woods," Kyoko answered as she watched Haru walk towards the exit. "What are you doing?"

"About to give your big brother a piece of my mind," Haru said as he marched on over to the exit.

"W-Wait!" Kyoko cried out as she hastily got up. "Shouldn't you contact your friends first? Let them know you're all right?"

That question alone got Haru to freeze before he could reach for the switch that would open the warehouse garage door.

"They must be worried after what happened yesterday," Kyoko said as she walked over to her brother while reaching into her pocket. "Here, you can use my phone to—"

"I..." Haru interjected, stopping Kyoko from taking out her phone. "I...can't meet with them right now."

"...Is it because of your powers?" Kyoko asked, less guessing and more stating the reason why Haru was reluctant to see his friends. His silence was all the answer she needed to know she was right. "Onii-chan, all those times you went berserk, they weren't your fault."

"I know that," Haru said yet he still didn't turn to face her. "I know that...but that doesn't excuse the fact that I tried to kill them. Hell, I almost killed Hibiki twice in my rage!"

"You remember," Kyoko said, talking about the first time Haru transformed into an Orphnoch.

"Bits and pieces, but enough to give me the gist of it."

"Onii-chan, I may not know your friends well, but I've seen enough to know that they don't hold it against you. In fact, the last two times I saw you transformed, you were in complete control. Maybe the worst is behind you now."

"I can't work with 'maybe,' Kyoko," Haru said, finally turning around to face her. Anger was evident on his face, but Kyoko, being his sister, saw something else hidden in her brother's eyes: fear.

"There's no telling when I'll go berserk again, especially considering what triggers my transformation."

"Your rage," Kyoko said, having figured it out by deducing the situations Haru was in that caused his transformation.

"That's right," Haru nodded, having figured it out as well after his last fight. "Every time I change, I run the risk of being consumed by my rage and hurting my friends. And that's a risk I can't take."

"Onii-chan..."

"Sorry," Haru apologized. "I must seem like such a coward, running away like this."

"Yes, you do," Kyoko bluntly said as her words were like an arrow through Haru's chest.

"Ouch, harsh much?" Haru said, holding his chest.

"This isn't like you," Kyoko said. "The onii-chan I know wouldn't cower like this. Since when has the threat of risk ever stopped you from acting? The onii-chan I know would always act according to his beliefs no matter the risk."

"As always, you think too highly of me," Haru said, shaking his head.

"And you don't think highly of yourself enough," Kyoko countered. "You're stronger than you think you are. In truth, you actually just want to run off to your friends to let them know you're all right."

"I do," Haru admitted yet still his feet were planted on the ground. "But I can't..."

"...You must really care about them," Kyoko said. "I've never seen you this hesitant before, if ever."

"Yeah, well, people change when they're separated from their loved ones for years," Haru said, pressing the garage button.

"...Are you dating one of them?"

"Huh?" Haru couldn't help but turn and blink dumbly at Kyoko's sudden question.

"Most of your teammates are fairly attractive young girls. Heck, one of them's an idol. It wouldn't be a surprise if you're dating one of them," Kyoko said as she gave her brother a curious look. "So, who's my future sister-in-law?"

"Kyoko!" For the first time in a long while, Haru's face turned red.

"I think it would be awesome if you were dating the idol. Or maybe it's that white-haired one, she reminds me a bit of you back when you were younger. Then again, you seemed really close to that brunette back at the Sky Tower."

"I'm not dating anybody!" Haru exclaimed, his cheeks still flushed. Indeed, Kyoko was truly his sister. Only she could fluster him this much.

"Eh~? That's disappointing. You're nearly 20, onii-chan. It's about time you see someone. Heck, it's only a matter of time before Natsu-oniichan and Maria-chan seal the deal, with the added addition of Shirabe-chan if what I've heard from Yugo-kun is correct."

"Who taught you to talk like this young la—wait, what was that last part?" Haru began only to register what his sister had said near the end. However, when he asked for clarification, Kyoko didn't answer as she stared wide-eyed at him.

"Kyoko?" Confused at first, Haru eventually figured out that Kyoko was looking behind him and thus turned around to the now open garage door, revealing Xiao Li right outside accompanied by 50 men who were all Riotroopers as evident by the belts they all wore.

"Oh...crapbaskets," Haru said, now mimicking the same look his sister had on.

"How did they find us? I was sure I wasn't followed," Kyoko said as she stepped in front of Haru protectively.

"You did well in covering your tracks," Xiao Li said, truly complimenting Kyoko as not even an Orphnoch enhanced senses could track down the girl. "Unfortunately, Smart Brain has ways of tracking down tricky Orphnoch such as yourselves."

At that did three beast-like Orphnochs step forward. Walking on all four, they were about the average size of a man as their appearance was very dog-like.

"What the hell are those things?" Haru asked, having never seen Orphnochs like these. If there was anything he had to compare, then these beasts almost reminded him of the Elasmotherium Orphnoch from the Paradise Lost movie, only way smaller and lacking any of the rhino-like features the former had such as having no horn and lacking the huge upper body muscles.

"Dogs who have evolved into Orphnochs after dying, specifically trained to track and hunt down even the most elusive of our kind. Smart Brain doesn't have an official name for them yet, so we simply call them hounds," Xiao Li explained as he strapped on the Faiz Gear.

"I think that name alone explains what they do entirely," Haru commented while eyeing the Gear around Li's waist. "Let me guess, compared to normal Orphnochs, Hounds have greater enhanced senses."

"Got it in one," Li said as he dialed the transformation code.

STANDING BY

"Onii-chan, stay close to me," Kyoko said as she tried to find any openings they could use to escape.

"Yamamoto Haru. The president has deemed you a threat we can no longer ignore. You will die here," Li flatly stated, inserting the Faiz Phone into the belt. The troopers followed his actions as they all placed their hands on their belts, ready to transform.

Seeing all the men ready to kill him or die trying, Haru had only one thing to say in response.

"Take your best shot."

"...Henshin."

COMPLETE

---

(With Hibiki and the others)

"Is this...normal?"

"Hm?" Ogawa turned his head to Yuuki standing next to him. "You mean the commander's training method?"

"It's like I'm watching one of my father's old kung fu movies," Yuuki commented as she watched her daughter and the girls, all dressed in tracksuits, train with Genjuro joining them as he instructed them. The morning had started out normal with jogging a couple of laps around the area they arrived at as well as some jump roping. After that was when things got weird as the elder Tachibana watched the others perform acts such as doing sit-ups while hanging upside down with the added addition of transferring cups of eater into another bucket, balancing more cups of water while performing the invisible chair, going inside a freezer in order to use slabs of meat to act as makeshift sandbags, and climbing up a snowing mountain. This was all top offed with this morning's breakfast, a mug full of six raw eggs each. All of this was done while Genjuro was singing Ying Xiong Gu Shi (Hero Story) from the old "Police Story" movie.

"I'll admit the commander's ways are strange, but the results speak for themselves," Ogawa said as he gestured over to Kanade and Hibiki who were both flexing their arms, comparing their respective muscles that poked out from under the short-sleeved shirts they wore. Their tracksuit jackets, which were orange and vermillion respectively, were tied around their waist.

"Is Yukine-san going to be all right?" Yuuki asked, concern for the white-haired girl who was the only one looking exhausted. Everyone else looked like they could run two or more laps around the park. At least now she knew how her daughter had gotten so athletic.

"She'll be fine," Ogawa said with complete confidence. "So, how does it feel to be outside after so long?"

"Well, refreshing would be one word," Yuuki said, having tagged along if only to step outside after being copped up in the submarine base for so long. "I know why you're keeping my mother and me in there, but...

"I understand," Ogawa said, and that was why he was out here with everyone. Should anything happen, Ogawa was the fastest one here (when the girls weren't transformed) who could get the elder Tachibana to safety.

"Okay everyone, five-minute water break. After that, we'll do a few more laps around before breaking for lunch," Genjuro said, stopping the girls as Yuuki took that as a cue to bring over a bag of water bottles she had brought with her.

"Finally..." Chris groaned out as she dropped to her knees, nearly discarding her tracksuit jacket due to how stuffy she felt.

"I've told you time and again that you need to work on your cardio more," Kanade said as she helped the white-haired girl up to her feet.

"Well sorry if I'm still new to all this," Chris said, being the least experienced with Genjuro's style of training.

"Give it a week or so and you should be fine," Tsubasa said as she gave a quick thanks to Yuuki before grabbing a bottle for herself. "Tachibana adapted quickly when she was still starting out."

"That's because she's an idiot," Chris said, glancing over to the girl in question who was talking with Genjuro. Judging from the way they were shadow-boxing, they were probably discussing moves Hibiki could learn and try out later.

"Here," Walking over, Yuuki handed Chris a bottle which she took thankfully.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Keep up the good work, but make sure not to overstrain yourselves, okay?"

"I think those words would be better for your daughter."

"Maybe," Yuuki said with a small laugh before handing a bottle over to Kanade.

Opening her bottle, Chris couldn't help but glance at everyone around her, noticing how they were still full of energy despite how early in the morning it was.

'They're all so bright and chipper. This place...really is just too warm for me.'

*beep-beep-beep*

"Hm?" Setting down his water bottle, Genjuro reached into his pocket and pulled out a communicator. "Genjuro here."

[It's Fujitaka. Commander, we've just picked up activity near the city's shipyard. Cameras have shown Smart Brain Riotroopers surrounding the area.]

"Smart Brain? What are they doing?"

[From the looks of it, they seem to be chasing something. Commander, it must be—]

"Yeah. I'll be back as soon as possible," Genjuro said before hanging up.

"Shishou?" Hibiki looked at Genjuro, noticing his expression changing.

"We're gonna have to save lunch for later. Sakuya-kun and the others have picked up Riotroopers by the shipyard chasing something."

"Riotroopers?" Tsubasa repeated before realizing what that meant. "Could it be?"

Gebjuro nodded. "Yeah. Look like Smart Brain found Haru-kun first."

"Shit! Where to, old man?" Kanade asked, handing her bottle back to Yuuki.

"The city shipyard. Hurry before it's too late!" Genjuor said before turning to Ogawa. "Ogawa, get Tachibana-san and Hibiki-kun back to base."

"No! I'm going too!" Hibiki said before running off before anyone could stop her.

"Tachibana!" Tsubasa cried out but Hibiki was already a ways ahead of them.

"We've got no time to argue about this. Come on!" Chris said, throwing her bottle away before running after the brunette.

"Kanade, here!" Ogawa said, handing over the briefcase containing the Delta Gear.

"Thanks. Tsubasa, let's go!" Kanade said as she and the bluenette ran after their friends.

"Please be safe," Yuuki said, watching the girls, Hibiki in particular, run off in worry.

"They'll be fine. For now, let's head back to base to see what's happening," Genjuro said as Yuuki nodded in response.

*FWOOSH!*

Suddenly, the sound of something flying was heard, making everyone look up to see a familiar-looking white and blue-lined Rider dashing through the air, leaving behind a small trail of smoke.

"Was that—?" Ogawa began before Genjuro nodded, confirming what he thought.

"No doubt about it, it's Psyga. And he's heading in the same direction as the girls. Which could only mean..."

---

(Back with Haru)

"Ha!"

*Spark-spark-spark!*

Sparks flew as feathers thrown from Kyoko's wings struck the group of Riotroopers behind them. The front group was thrown to the ground, but the men behind them ran past them, chasing after the fleeing siblings.

Kyoko, now transformed, and Haru ran as fast as they could, trying to escape their pursuers. Well, it was more like Kyoko was trying not to outrun Haru since he wasn't transformed like her. Just as they were about to leave the shipyard, a group of more Riotroopers stood in their way, blocking their route. Aiming their guns at them, the rider grunts fired at the siblings, forcing them to take cover behind the rows of cargo containers. Running through the gaps, the two tried to lose their pursuers through the veritable maze though every time they tried to exit, a group of Riotroopers would be there to block their exit, forcing them back inside.

"Shit, they boxed us in," Haru said, looking around while trying to think of a way out.

"In that case..." Wrapping her arms around her brother, Kyoko jumped up, easily leaping over the rows of containers surrounding them, and spread her wing out to fly.

*BANG!*

"Kyah!"

"Kyoko!" Haru cried out in worry as a red beam of energy shot one of Kyoko's wings, preventing her from flying farther as the two dropped down, landing on one of the containers and almost rolling off. Catching himself before he fell off, Haru rushed over to Kyoko who was hissing in pain due to how burned her right wing was.

"Kyoko, are you all right?" Haru asked, helping Kyoko up.

"I'm okay, but..." Moving the shot wing over so she could look at it, she winced at the burnt hole through it. "I don't think I'll be able to fly us away like I had planned."

"That bastard...!" Haru growled, his eyes flashing silver for a brief moment as he looked over towards the one who had shot his sister.

Standing on another container away from them was Xiao Li holding what seemed to be a very futuristic-looking, yet kind of blocky-looking rifle. Though considering what it just shot, perhaps the correct name would be blaster.

"Hmm, slower than I expected, but then again, this is a prototype. Overall, it's doable," Xiao Li said to himself, looking over the weapon in his hands before returning his sights back to the Yamamoto siblings. Taking aim again, he fired at Haru who was able to roll away from the shot before taking off into a run.

"Xiao Li!" Roaring in a somewhat distorted voice, Haru leaped towards the Rider, jumping over the needed distance to reach him which caught Li by surprise before he raised his weapon up, blocking a clawed hand aimed at his face.

A power struggle soon occurred as both sides tried to overpower the other. Looking over his blaster, Xiao Li saw the hand Haru was using had transformed. In fact, it wasn't just Haru's hand, but rather Haru's entire right face was beginning the change. Under the blue flames that were sprouting from him, his right side from his neck up was beginning to morph into his Orphnoch form. With the flames still clinging to him, Haru's partially-transformed state gave off an intimidating appearance.

"rrrrrRAAAAAAAA!" With a growing roar, Haru swung his untransformed fist, hitting Li's weapon with enough force to send the Rider skidding back to the edge.

"Gh!" Xiao Li grunted, barely catching himself from falling over as he quickly aimed at a charging Haru. Just as he was about to tackle the Rider, Li pulled the trigger and scored a direct hit across Haru's chest, blasting him away from him as the partially-transformed Orphnoch rolled off the edge, barely catching the edge before he fell off.

"A partial transformation. Looks like he's finally starting to get the hang of his powers," Li said to himself as he sped walked over to Haru, charging his weapon for another shot only to be intercepted by Kyoko drop kicking him away.

Landing ungracefully on her back, Kyoko quickly got back up and rushed over to her brother, helping him up.

"Onii-chan, are you okay?" Kyoko asked while staring worriedly at the burning black spot on his chest. The fact that Li's weapon hadn't blown a hole through him was surprising considering her wing was still damaged, showing just what kind of power the Rider was packing.

"I'm gonna kill him!" Haru growled, glaring right over at Xiao Li who was picking himself back up. He went to charge again only to stumble forward.

"Don't push yourself, you're still healing," Kyoko said as she guessed Haru's new wound had flared up his old ones.

"He shot you!" Haru exclaimed as if the act alone was the biggest offense in life.

'Ah, his overprotectiveness is showing,' Kyoko thought to herself, having forgotten just how protective Haru was over her. Had this been any other situation, she would have found it nostalgic, but as of right now, it was causing Haru to act without thinking.

*BANG!*

Quickly reacting, Kyoko pushed Haru away from her while also leaning back, barely avoiding another shot from Xiao Li. However, doing so caused both siblings to fall off the container. Kyoko was able to act quickly and flipped over, landing on her knees. Haru, on the other hand, was less graceful as he hit the side of another container before landing roughly on the ground. With a groan, Haru pushed himself up only to be tackled back down by one of the hounds Xiao Li had brought with him. Haru was just able to push the hound's head away by grabbing its neck before it could rip his face away with its razor teeth. Struggling for a bit, Haru focused the flames on him onto his claws before stabbing them upward into the hound's neck. Blue blood spilled forth as the hound froze before blue flames that weren't Haru's erupted from the hound. Haru quickly threw it off before the beast-like Orphnoch disintegrated into ashes.

With the threat eliminated, Haru took that moment to catch his breath, picking himself up as he stare down at the ashes that used to be the hound before he looked at his transformed hand, looking at it for a second before he brought it up to check his face, feeling the protrusions of his transformed right face.

"Shit," Haru muttered to himself, trying to imagine just what he looked like right now. "What would Hibiki and the others think if they saw me now?"

Indeed, just what would his friends' reaction be if they saw him currently? Would they be shocked? Or maybe not? After all, they had all known what he really was...and wasn't that the core problem? All this time, back since the final battle with Finé months ago, the others had known about his status as an Orphnoch while he had been none the wiser until recently. And why? Despite what they may say, did they perhaps fear him? Haru wouldn't blame them if they did considering the stuff he did while berserk.

'All the more reason to stay away from them,' Haru thought to himself, clenching his clawed fist. Just the thought of hurting one of them, or worse...it filled him with dread. He feared the worst-case scenario.

*BANG-BANG-BANG!*

"Gah!" Haru cried out in pain as sparks flew off his back. Barely stopping himself from falling to his knees, Haru looked behind him and saw Riotroopers advancing upon him with their guns aimed at him.

Gritting his teeth, the flames on Haru reignited, spreading to his shoulder which soon transformed as he charged over at the approaching rider grunts. Those ahead fired upon him, but Haru used the close proximity of the containers to jump and leap off of them, bouncing around like a pinball completely dodging the gunfire and making it hard for the rider grunts to get a proper aim on him, not that it mattered seconds later as those troopers were soon without heads when the blur that was Haru passed by them as if he were a living kamaitachi. It honestly caught Haru by surprise too considering he wasn't even fully transformed.

With those troopers dealt with, Haru turned his attention to the other troopers who were not running, but rather retreating. This confused Haru until he spotted rolling objects on the ground. Quickly realizing what they were, Haru quickly jumped back just in time to only be hit by the force of the grenade blasts as the shockwave sent him flying further back. Rolling to his feet, Haru skidded back and shook off the dizziness he felt. His enhanced hearing soon caught the sound of approaching footsteps and he soon leaped up, dodging more gunfire. Performing a few backflips, Haru saw more troopers practically congesting the area below him. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Kyoko dealing with her own group of troopers though it was clear even from a brief glance that the numbers were beginning to overwhelm her. With a new plan in mind, Haru flipped down, dodging gunfire all the while as he used the grunts below like stepping stools in order to move around.

*BANG!*

Or at least, that would have been the plan had it not been for a blaster shot hitting him in the side mid-air, knocking him out of the air where his back crashed into the edge of a nearby container before he flopped to the ground. Holding his untransformed side which had taken the shot, Haru fought through the pain as he tried to push himself back up only to be beset by Riotroopers practically dogpiling him. In his injured state, Haru could not muster the strength to push them off as he soon found himself pulled to his feet, arms grabbed by two troopers each.

The other troopers soon stepped back, making room for Xiao Li to jump down as he handed the blaster to one of the troops before grabbing the Faiz Pointer and inserting the Mission Memory into it.

READY

"This has gone on long enough," Xiao Li said as he equipped the laser pointer to his right leg.

'Oh crap,' Haru thought to himself, realizing what was about to happen. He tried harder to break free, but that just earned him a punch to his injured side, stunning him.

EXCEED CHARGE

"Owari da (It's over)," Li declared before he went and kicked Haru straight in the chest, releasing him from the Riotroopers' grips as he skidded back with a cone of red photon energy jutting over his chest. Confirming that the cone was fully formed, Li took off into a run before leaping forward, kicking out towards it.

'So this is how my life ends. By my favorite Rider's signature kick,' Haru thought to himself as Li was seconds away from entering the cone. The irony of dying this way was not lost on him. If it wasn't for the fact that the person under the suit was working for Smart Brain, a small part of him probably would have felt happy about this, as morbid as that was.

"NO!"

Suddenly, just as Xiao Li was entering the photon cone, Kyoko dropped down from above, having finally pushed back the grunts holding her up. Thinking fast, Kyoko spread her wings and used them as shields, crossing them in front of her. Sparks flew as the photon cone spun around, trying to drill through the Orphnoch's makeshift shield. But despite one of the wings being damaged, Kyoko held strong, pushing back against the finisher.

"Kyoko!" Haru cried out in worry, clearly hearing his younger sister's pain-filled grunts.

"Kh!" Kyoko gritted her unseen teeth as blue flames soon bathed her wings. "Leave...onii-chan...ALONE!"

With that final shout, Kyoko pushed her wings out, pushing against Xiao Li's attack and knocking him back, successfully canceling the Crimson Smash. Behind her, Haru let a cheer, feeling proud of his sister for canceling out the Rider Kick. That feeling unfortunately didn't last long as the two were beset by gunfire by the Riotroopers who weren't even fazed by their superior's failed attempt. Still standing in front of Haru, Kyoko turned her body around and wrapped her wings around her brother, protecting him as she alone took on the fire.

"Kyoko! Don't!" Haru cried out, trying to push against the wings covering him as he clearly didn't want this. Why would he? He was the big brother here, it was his duty to protect his younger siblings, not the other way around.

*BANG!*

A loud roar was heard before Kyoko was blasted off her feet, knocking into Haru as the two were knocked over to the ground. Rolling around, Haru and Kyoko came to a stop with a painful grunt as Haru was able to pick himself up. His sister on the other hand...

"Kyoko!" Haru cried out as he went over to her side. The girl's back wound was smoking and it seemed she was struggling to stay conscious as she was slipping in and out of her transformation. Haru gritted his teeth at the sight of this before he looked up and glared over at Xiao Li who was holding up his blaster once again.

"You...YOU BASTARD!" With an angry roar, Haru jumped over Kyoko and charged forward, his figure bathed in flames before the Wolf Orphnoch took his place.

"Open fire," Xiao Li ordered, taking out the Faiz Phone from the belt and inserting it into a slot on the blaster as his men fire upon the charging Haru.

READY

Sparks flew off Haru's body as he ignored the energy shots hitting him, not even bringing up his arms to guard as Xiao Li was all he saw in his tunneled vision. Despite the image of rage incarnate charging toward him, Xiao Li kept a calm disposition as he opened up the phone and hit 'ENTER.'

EXCEED CHARGE

Energy began gathering inside the blaster as evident by the sounds the weapon made and the energy that could be seen charging inside the barrel. Taking aim, Xiao Li waited until Haru came closer which wasn't a problem as he was bull-rushing through the rain of gunfire. With a roar, Haru swung a clawed hand at Li, but the Rider barely flinched as he responded by finally pulling the trigger.

*BANG-BOOOOOOOOM!*

Perhaps it was due to the close proximity, but the second the charged shot had struck Haru dead center, a tiny explosion occurred, blowing back Li and his men. Haru, on the other hand, got the worst of it due to being close to the epicenter. His body was a blur as he flew through the air before crashing straight into a nearby warehouse, almost bringing the whole thing down due to the force alone.

Shaking his head, Xiao Li picked himself up and looked at the crater which had been the center of the blast. Looking down at his blaster, the entire barrel had been torn to shred, making it completely useless now.

"So it couldn't handle an Exceed Charge. Hopefully, those in development can fix that," Li said as he removed the Faiz Phone from the now useless hunk of metal, throwing it away as he reinserted the phone back into the belt. There was no need to bring back the remains as a built-in camera in the helmet was recording everything he was seeing right now. Once this was over he would hand over the data to Murakami.

"Onii...chan..." Kyoko groaned out, tears threatening to fall from her eyes as she gazed worryingly at the building Haru crashed into. She was confident that he was still alive, but his condition was an entirely different matter and was soon proven right when a figure emerged from the hole.

To call him banged up would be an understatement. The sharp edges and blades that covered most of his body were broken, some had even fallen off, and almost the entirety of his front body was charred black. Even some of his hair had been burnt off from the explosion, shortening it by half of its original length.

"Onii-chan!" Kyoko cried out, horrified by the state of her brother.

"That weapon..." Haru stumbled forward, holding his chest as he fell to his knees. "That power...It couldn't be...An imitation Faiz Blaster!?"

"What!?" Kyoko gasped, looking over at the remains of the ruined weapon. That's what it had been!?

"Smart Brain has its eyes on almost everything that happens in this city, not that it would have been hard to miss a giant tower and mass Noise filling the streets," Xiao Li said, bringing up the battle against Finé. "They took a good look at the form you assumed during that battle back then and have tried to replicate the weapon you used. This here," Li went and kicked the remains of the imitation Blaster. "Is one of few prototypes Smart Brain is currently developing."

"Shit!" Haru cursed. Having used the real thing himself and seeing the type of power it held, just imagining Smart Brain trying to make multiple replicas chilled him to the bone.

"You're probably thinking of trying to stop the production," Xiao Li said, raising a hand that signaled the Riotroopers to take aim. "You're wrongly assuming that you'll escape from here. You won't. I'm ending this here and now."

Motioning his hand downward, the Riotroopers fired, pulling the trigger as if there were no tomorrow. Kyoko tried to get up and transform, but not only was her back injury preventing her from getting up her wings were too damaged anyway to provide any sort of protection. She cried out to her brother, but her voice was drowned out by all the gunfire heading toward Haru.

'Dammit! I can't die here, not like this!' Haru thought to himself, gritting his teeth as he tried to summon the strength to move. 'I can't let Smart Brain make replica Blasters. And what'll happen to Kyoko if I bite it here? I've gotta protect her! And what about Natsu? I've still gotta see him, after all this time! Dammit, get up! Move, you stupid legs! Kyoko, Natsu...Kanade and the others...Tsubasa...Chris...Hibiki!'

"DAMMIT~!"

*SPARK-SPARK-SPAKR-SPARK-SPARK!*

Dust clouds formed as a result of multiple stray gunfires hitting the ground. Haru's figure was completely hidden from sight, much to Xiao Li's annoyance as he needed to see either a body on fire or ashes to confirm his kill. Kyoko was the opposite, staring anxiously as she prayed with all her heart that her brother had survived. Both sides let out a gasp once the dust cleared, revealing a surprising sight: a wall of white steel.

"What!? Where did that shield come from!?" Xiao Li exclaimed in disbelief.

"It's no shield," A voice cried out from above, causing everyone to look to see that the wall of steel was in fact—

(Insert Gekkō no Tsurugi)

"It's a sword!" Tsubasa, donned in her Synphogear, exclaimed proudly. Standing next to her were Chris and Kanade, the latter transformed into Delta.

天ノ逆鱗 (Heaven's Wrath)

Leaping off of the sword which Tsubasa quickly dematerialized, the bluenette and Chris worked together to rain figurative hell upon Xiao Li and his men while Kanade dropped down next to Haru. Off to the side, Hibiki came running in, going over to Kyoko and helping her up.

"Take this!" Tsubasa said as she summoned blades to her side which she soon sent flying while Chris formed her signature Gatling guns which soon roared.

千ノ落涙 (One Thousand Tears)

Billion Maiden

"Eat lead motherfuckers!" Chris screamed over the roar of her twin guns as she spun around, trying to spread her bullets out in an attempt to hit more troopers.

Tsubasa, meanwhile, descended to where Li was, swinging her blade down with the intent of slicing him in two.

*CLANG!*

In a surprising show of speed, Li had equipped the Faiz Shot and used it to punch back Tsaubsa's blade, throwing her back. Flipping to her feet, Tsubasa assumed a stance while eyeing Xiao Li carefully...for about a second as she rushed in, sword swinging. Swinging from her left, then to her right, and finally stabbing forward, the blue-haired samurai had attempted to slice the Rider's right abdomen, his left arm, and stab him through the chest. Xiao had countered all of this by backhanding the first swing, punching away the second one, and dodging the last one by deflecting the stab away from him. Rearing his fist back, Xiao Li punched forward, aiming for Tsubasa's face but had missed when the swordswoman ducked under the blow and struck him across the chest with one of her ankle blades, sparks flying as song-powered steel met Sol Metal armor. Spinning on her back as if she were break dancing, Tsubasa spun back up to her feet and pressed her advantage.

Meanwhile, back with Kanade, she was checking Haru's condition as Hibiki finally brought Kyoko over, setting her down.

"Sheesh, you look like shit," Kanade commented, wincing at Haru's injuries.

"I feel like shit," Haru groaned out before turning his attention to his sister. "Kyoko!"

"Are you okay, onii-chan?" Kyoko asked.

"Me? I should be asking you that," Haru said before turning to Hibiki. "H-Hibiki..."

"Haru-kun," Hibiki stared, horrorfied by the state he was in. "Those injuries..."

"They aren't as bad as it looks," Haru insisted, noticeably pulling back away from the brunette. This did not go unnoticed by the others.

"Haru-kun?"

"Onii-chan..."

Sensing something was about to happen between the two Kanade chose to get up and step away.

"I'm gonna go help the others. Get them out of here and take care of them, Hibiki."

"Right," Hibiki nodded as Kanade ran off, switching with Tsubasa in fighting Xiao Li as Tsubasa ran off to help Chris deal with the numbers.

"Come on, we have to go," Hibiki said as she reached to grab and help Haru only for him to pull back again. "Haru-kun?"

(Song End)

"...why?"

"Eh?" Hibiki blinked in confusion only to flinch back when Haru looked at her with a glare.

"Why did you keep it a secret!? About me being an Orphnoch!" Dammit, he knew. Haru knew completely well that now was not the time for this, but seeing the sight of Hibiki and the others here for him stirred something inside of him. And before he knew it, his feelings were running out of his mouth.

"Were you afraid of me? Is that it? Were you trying to keep the beast inside from getting out again? Had I known I wouldn't have...None of that would have..." Haru was finding it difficult to form words as his anger and frustration created a jumbled mess inside of him. He knew Hibiki was the last person he should be venting to, but the beating of his heart filled his ears, making it hard to think coherently.

"Why...Just why!? I could've...I could have..." 'Killed you' was what Haru couldn't get out, but Hibiki already knew what he was trying to say. His body language alone was enough to tell the girl what he was trying to tell her.

"...You're right."

"Eh?" Haru blinked in surprise, not at what Hibiki said, but at the tears forming in the girl's eyes.

"Maybe...you're right," Hibiki said, looking ashamed of herself. "Maybe...I was scared. I was scared of you...of this form."

"Hibiki..." The girl's words felt like a knife through the chest for Haru until he heard the girl's next words.

"And that's because...I didn't want to lose you."

"Eh?" Haru blinked again, surprised at her words.

"The first time you transformed into an Orphnoch...it was because of me," Hibiki gripped her shirt, holding her chest as she confessed her thoughts to Haru. "When I saw you fighting and tearing into Ryoko-san, it scared me. It scared me not just because of how violent you were, but...because it felt like you were about to lose something. Something that made you...you. And it would have been my fault. I hated that. Feared it."

"Hibiki..." Haru couldn't help but stare, stunned by Hibiki's confession.

"But," Kyoko, who had no choice but to listen to this since she couldn't move, decided to step in to ask, "If that's the case, then why did you never tell Onii-chan the truth? If you had, he could have worked to control his powers which would have prevented the second incident."

Indeed, had Haru been told the truth beforehand, he could have worked to control his newly discovered powers and prevent his berserk incident with the Nephilim, which in turn would have prevented this entire situation right now, probably. So why had Hibiki and the others withheld such information?

"I..." Hibiki began, looking nervous about what she was going to say. "I thought that if I told you the truth...you would run off to deal with it by yourself."

"Hibiki, I wouldn't—"

"Oh, he definitely would've," Kyoko interjected, interrupting Haru.

"Kyoko!"

"I'm sorry, but I think you fail to realize that you are just as bad as Natsu-oniichan when it comes to dealing with personal problems. Then again, you are twins after all."

*Fwoosh!*

"Ain't that the truth," Landing gently on his feet, Yugo landed next to the group, arms crossed.

"Yugo!"

"Oh don't mind me, just here to pick up the little lady. Please continue," Yugo said as he nonchalantly took out his phone, put it in gun form, and blasted away approaching Riotroopers that had slipped through Tsubasa and Chris.

"Haru-kun," Hibiki spoke up, bowing her head as she was practically ignoring the chaos going on around them. "I'm...I'm sorry that my selfishness has caused you so much trouble. I can only imagine the confusion you must have felt when you finally found out. I never meant for any of this to happen."

"Hibiki..." Reaching out his clawed hand, Haru seemed hesitant for a moment before he went and placed it on Hibiki's shoulder, getting her to look up at her to see that Haru had closed the distance between them. She instinctively flinched at the sight of him, but that alone didn't hurt Haru. Rather, it made him a little glad as it meant that Hibiki had spoken truthfully. Acting in consideration, Haro dropped his transformation, allowing the others to see the true extent of his injuries.

The entity of his front was still charred black as the rags that used to be his shirt barely held onto him. He was also bleeding a lot as a thin trail fell from his mouth and blood caked most of his face, telling of a head injury that his Orphnoch form had hidden.

"Haru-kun!" Hibiki gasped, looking ready to panic, and was only stopped by Haru continuing.

"I'm sorry for scaring you. Truth is...I was scared too," Haru confessed, getting Hibiki's undivided attention. "You're right. Had I been told the truth beforehand, I probably would have left to deal with it myself. Even now, I'm still trying to come to grips with it. And...I think I know what that something you were talking about is."

"You do?"

"Yeah. It's the reason why I'm scared of this power. That something you fear I'll lose every time I transform...it's my humanity."

Yes, that's what it was, the source of Haru's fears. Why he was unsure that the others could help him. Why he feared losing control so much. He feared that he would lose his humanity. Despite what Yugo and Natsu had told him back at the cabin, he still questioned it. Now that he knew he was an Orphnoch, he had to question it.

Just how long could he hold onto his humanity?

"I'm scared, Hibiki," Haru confessed, looking so defenseless than Hibiki had ever seen. "If I lose control again, who will I hurt? Who will I kill? I can't help but think that now that I know. What if it's you or the others? I couldn't live with myself if I end up killing one of you."

"Haru-kun..." Hibiki gazed upon Haru's form as he confessed everything to her. All this time, it wasn't just her. He was scared of the same thing she was. She feared for his humanity. She feared Haru becoming a monster.

'It's not just me. Haru-kun's also been thinking about this. All this time, he's...'

I told you already, didn't I? I promised to protect you no matter what.

'No,' Hibiki thought as she went and grabbed his hand, holding it firmly. 'This time, it's my turn to protect him!'

"You're not a monster, Haru-kun," Hibiki said with absolute certainty, surprising Haru.

"Hibiki?"

"You're no monster. The times you went berserk, they were because of me. Because you wanted to protect me from harm. I realize that now. So don't you worry, cause things are going to be okay! This time it's my turn to protect you!"

Letting go of Haru's hand, Hibiki stood up and turned to where the others were fighting. Realizing what she was about to do, Yugo spoke up.

"You sure? You're not exactly in fighting condition."

"Eh?" Haru turned to Yugo in confusion. What did he mean by that?

"I'm sure," Hibiki nodded as she took a step forward. From under her shirt, her scar glowed as the air around her noticeably heated up. "Haru-kun, please watch and listen. Listen...to my song!"

"Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron..."

(Insert Seigi wo Shinjite, Nigirishimete)

In a burst of bright orange light, Hibiki donned her Gear and took off like a rocket, barreling through Riotroopers that were unfortunate enough to be in her line of fire.

"Tachibana!?" Tsubasa cried out in surprise, barely dodging a hound before slashing it away.

"That idiot! She shouldn't be fighting!" Chris exclaimed, too busy mowing down her share of Riotroopers to go and give the brunette a piece of her mind.

Kanade blocked a punch aimed for her head before raising up the Delta Blaster close to Li's chest, unloading all her ammo onto him and pushing him back. Once she had nothing left, Kanade was about to input the command to recharge only to be beset by the third and last hound trying to bite her head off. Struggling to pry the hound off, Xiao Li took that chance to close in only for Hibiki to suddenly appear and knock him away with a flying sidekick.

"Hibiki!?"

"Kanade-san, leave this to me!" Hibiki didn't even wait for a reply as she quickly engaged Xiao Li.

"Wait—Dammit!" Throwing off the hound, Kanade tried to give chase but was impeded by more Riotroopers trying to take a swipe at her.

Gyutto nigitta kobushi sen pā no Thunder [A tightly clenched fist, 1000 percent of thunder]

Kaihō zenkai…3, 2, 1, zero [I release at full throttle 3, 2, 1, zero]!

Throwing a flurry of punches, Hibiki tried to put pressure on Xiao Li, but she had underestimated his martial prowess as he was able to guard against her Gatling-like blows. Pulling back for a bit, Hibiki pulled back the piston of one of her gauntlets before punching forward, boosted by her boosters and closing the distance in a flash.

Saitan de massugu ni icchokusen [Along the shortest, straightest line]

Tsutaeru tame Burst it... [For the sake of conveying it Burst It...]!

"TODOKE (REACH)!"

As her fist neared Xiao Li, Hibiki reached out with her other hand for the belt around his waist, only for both attempts to be batted aside as Xiao Li expertly slapped her arms to the side before using the close proximity between them to raise up his knee, uppercutting Hibiki and stunning her for a brief second before knocking her back with an elbow strike.

"Naze watashi de nakucha naranai no ka?" ["Why can it only be me?"]

Michi naki michi…kotae wa nai [A pathless road…There's no reply]

"Trying to take back the Gear?" Xiao Li said, patting the said belt strapped on him. "This is property of Smart Brain. It is not yours to—"

Kimi dake wo (mamoritai) dakara (tsuyoku) [At least you (I want to protect) therefore (Strongly)]...

"TOBE (FLY)!" Hibiki roared and as if in response, her body started glowing as the temperature around her started heating up. Blasting off, a trail of fire was left behind as Hibiki rocketed towards Xiao Li, flying faster than before.

"What!?" Xiao Li exclaimed before he was forced to put up his guard to block Hibiki's punch. Warnings flashed inside his helmet, alerting him that the temperature around him was rising to dangerous levels. The Rider had no time to question what was going on or what those strange crystals sprouting from Hibiki's chest were as the girl pressed on, throwing fast heavy punches that forced Xiao Li to keep his guard up.

Hibike hibike (hāto yo) [Echo, resound (My heart)]!

*POW-POW-POW!*

Atsuku utau (hāto yo) [Hotly sing (My heart)]!

*POW-POW-POW!*

Heiki (hecchara) kakugo shita kara [Calm (Composed) because of my resolution]!

By this point, everyone could feel the heat coming off of Hibiki, causing everyone to stop and stare as Hibiki was practically using Xiao Li like a punching bag, refusing to give him the chance to strike back. Her weird condition did not escape Haru's eyes who grew increasingly worried as time passed.

"Oi, what the heck is happening to Hibiki?" Haru asked, hoping for an answer from anybody.

"I don't know the details," Yugo spoke up, "But from what I've seen so far, something with her Gear is killing her.

"What!?" Haru shot up to his feet, nearly falling back due to his injuries but his surprise somehow overcame all of that. "We've got to stop her!"

"No," Yugo said, stopping Haru from running off.

"Don't stop me, Yugo!"

"Don't you get it, you idiot? Look," Moving out of the way, Yugo gestured for Haru to look closely at Hibiki's fiery form. "She herself knows the risks, yet she still took it. She's fighting knowing full well what could happen. And yet, she's not stopping for even a second. Do you know why? Because she's out there fighting...for you."

Tatoe inochi (karete mo) te to te tsunagu (nukumori ga) [Even if this life (Withers away) our connected hands (Warmth will)]

"For...me?" Haru repeated as if he almost couldn't believe it.

"Yeah," Yugo nodded. "Her situation's quite similar to yours in a sense, yet she's still out there fighting. She's trying to send you a message.

Nanika nokoshi nanika tsutai [Leave something behind, pass something on]

"Don't be afraid," Yugo said, gently placing his fist on Haru's chest. "An Orphnoch you may now be, but so long as you desperately cling to that humanity of yours, you'll always be human."

Mirai miage [Look up to the future]

"Besides, don't you remember? Even Inui Takumi doubted his humanity yet his friends never gave up on him. It's how he bounced back. And from the looks of it, that girl over there hasn't given up on you either."

Rin to tatte kitto hana ni umareru to SHINJITE [Stand with dignity and surely believe to be reborn as a flower]!

"HAAAAAAAAAAA!" Transforming her gauntlet, her fist swung with the thrusters and she struck Xiao Li across the chest, lifting him up off his feet as she spun around a few times, her feet carving into the ground below her before she proceeded to uppercut the Rider into the sky. An explosion of sparks flew off of Xiao Li as he screamed on his way back down, crashing with enough force to make a crater.

(Song End)

Clawing himself back up, Xiao Li was revealed to be de-transformed as the Faiz Gear soon dropped down, having been knocked off while he was in the air. Pushing himself up to his knees, he reached out to grab the discarded Gear only for Hibiki to dash in and grab it before he could.

"No!" Li cried out.

"Oh yeah!" Kanade exclaimed happily, shooting a Riotrooper that she had in a neck hold. "Hibiki!"

Already a step ahead of her senpai, Hibiki reared her hand back, careful not to crush the belt in her grip.

"Haru-kun!" With that cry, Hibiki threw the Gear as hard as possible, sending it flying through the air towards Haru whose eyes naturally followed it.

"Shoot it down!" Xiao Li shouted, refusing to let the Gear fall back into Haru's hands.

"I don't think so!" Chris cried out as she transformed her guns back into crossbows and loaded them up with more arrows which she soon sent flying to those around her, preventing them from gunning down the airborne Gear.

Queen's Inferno

With nothing to disturb its flight, the Faiz Gear eventually descended down to where Yugo stepped forward and caught it safely. Checking to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with it, the white Rider turned and handed it to Haru.

"I believe this belongs to you."

Haru wordlessly accepted the Gear, holding it in a way that seemed like he hadn't held it in ages despite being separated for barely a week.

Seeing the Rider Gear back in enemy hands, Xiao Li grew rightfully angry and directed his anger towards the one responsible, Hibiki, but was pushed back when it felt like his body had just gotten cooked.

"Tachibana!" Tsubasa cried out as the girl in question had fallen to her knees, glowing intensely as the crystals sprouting from her chest had grown considerably to the point that they were sprouting from random parts of her body. Not only that, but the containers feet away were showing signs of melting.

"Shit! Hibiki, cancel your transformation!" Kanade called out, but Hibiki could not hear her as the pain that she had been ignoring throughout her fight had finally overwhelmed her, paralyzing her.

"Throw her into the water!" Tsubasa shouted, remembering what Psyga did to save Hibiki last time.

"We can't get close!" Chris cried out as the heat surrounding Hibiki was scorching to the point where the ground beneath her was blackening from the heat alone.

"Damn! Now's a really bad time to lose that wind you were blowing!" Yugo commented until Haru suddenly ran past him. "Wha-hey!"

"Raaaaaaaaaaaaagh!" With azure flames spewing out of him, Haru once again assumed his Orphnoch form, still damaged, before closing his eyes as he plunged head first into the heat surrounding Hibiki.

It felt like he was on fire. Every inch of his body was getting cooked and it only grew worse the closer Haru drew to Hibiki. He had been wise to close his eyes lest they melted off. Despite his lack of vision, Haru was able to make it to the brunette using his other senses, well the ones that weren't overloaded with pain, and he grabbed the girl by her scarf.

"Dammit, stop causing trouble for others!" Haru gritted out as he leaped into the air with Hibiki, kicking his body over to the edge of the yard as he and Hibiki fell into the ocean. Great clouds of steam rose up once Hibiki's body entered the water as if someone had dumped a huge bucket of molten lava instead.

"Onii-chan!" Kyoko cried out, having finally recovered enough to stand back up as she and everyone peered over to where Hari and Hibiki had disappeared.

Seconds later, walking out of the steam clouds was a soaked de-transformed Haru dragging an equally soaked de-transformed unconscious Hibiki out of the water. Setting both the Faiz Gear and Hibiki down, Haru quickly apologized.

"Sorry about this, Hibiki."

*R~ip!*

Ripping off Hibiki's shirt, Haru barely even registered the girl's ruined bra as he grabbed the still glowing scabs from Hibiki's chest and tore them off, allowing him a better look at Hibiki's scar which was glowing faintly. Waiting a second to make sure no more of those strange scabs would sprout out, Haru threw away the scabs in his hand before taking off his ruined shirt and draping it over Hibiki to provide her some modesty.

"Onii-chan!" Kyoko cried out as she and everyone else ran over to Haru.

"You idiot! That was completely reckless!" Chris said, admonishing him for his actions.

"It was the only thing I could think of," Haru said, looking down at his red, burnt hand and forearm. "Besides, what's a little burn compared to Hibiki's life."

"That was still too reckless," Tsubasa said, staring worriedly at Haru's burnt arm.

Seeing the worry the girls were giving him brought a smile to Haru's face. He hadn't realized until now just how much he missed his friends.

"Sorry for worrying you all," Haru apologized before he grabbed the Faiz Gear and stood up, looking over towards Xiao Li and what remained of his men.

"Are you finally ready?" Yugo asked, looking at Haru's eyes.

"Yeah," Haru nodded as he stepped away from the others. "Look after Hibiki for me."

"You got this?" Kanade asked, hands on her gun, and ready to provide assistance if asked.

"Yeah...I got this." His form was completely covered in wounds, and yet no one doubted his words as he held up the Faiz Gear and strapped it on.

"It's time to stop running. I'll fight...as a human—as Faiz!"

(BGM: Dead or Alive by Shinichi Ishihara)

Flipping the Faiz Phone open, his fingers practically moved on their own as they dialed the transformation code in under a second.

STANDING BY

Closing the phone, Haru raised it up into the air and shouted.

"Henshin!"

COMPLETE

As the red Photon Veins formed around Haru's body, a flash of red light hid his form until it died down, revealing an all too familiar figure in his place. It took everything the girls had to not cheer right then and then, settling for letting smiles form on all their faces as they looked upon their transformed friend. The true Kamen Rider Faiz had returned.

"Get him! Retrieve the Gear at once!" Xiao Li ordered his men as he transformed into the Leopard Orphnoch. His men did as told and soon charged toward the Rider.

Clenching and unclenching his hands, Haru took a deep breath, taking moment to familiarize himself with the suit. Screens that appeared inside of his helmet informed Haru that all systems were green before soon disappearing, giving him a clear view of what was around him. Seeing the ten Riotroopers charging toward him along with the two hounds, Haru smirked under his helmet, not surprised at how low the girls had reduced Li's numbers.

Rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck while ignoring the aches and pain that accompanied the actions, Haru flicked his wrist before charging off himself.

Ducking under a swing, Haru punched forward and struck a Riotrooper in front of him. Pushing him back, Haru stepped back to avoid another Riotrooper swinging at him and kicking him back before knocking him away with a backhand. The first trooper from before scored a lucky hit across his back, making Haru stumble due to it flaring his other wounds, but the pain seemed to fuel him as he turned and grabbed the grunt that had struck him and swung him around, using him as a human shield to block incoming energy bullets from some other grunts that were trying to be smart and take him down from a distance.

READY

Equipping the Faiz Shot, Haru punched the trooper he was using as a shield, sending him flying over to the distant grunts where the dying trooper knocked them over.

EXCEED CHARGE

Dodging another trooper trying to stab him, Haru grabbed his outstretched arm, moved it aside, and punched the unlucky grunt in the face, caving in his helmet and no doubt killing him too. Haru spun around, dodging another Riotrooper, and punched a hound that had tried to pounce him, blowing its head clean off where it struck an unlucky trooper trying to shoot him. Grabbing the remains of the headless hound, Haru swing it around and struck the trooper behind him, blinding it when the dead hound burst into ashes. Using that as cover, Haru kicked the Riotrooper, sending it flying where it collided with two other Riotroopers, knocking them to the ground. Jumping through the ash cloud, Haru struck the downed Riotroopers, killing all three as the ground beneath caved in a little as evident by the cracks.

With six Riotroopers and one hound left, they all tried to bumrush him, but Haru blew the grunts back with a single kick before catching the last hound by its head. Saliva flew as the hound tried to bite his face off and Haru responded by slamming it to the ground before punching its head flat as the flames that soon sprouted confirmed Haru's kill. With the last hound dealt with, Haru rose up, back turned to the recovering Riotroopers as he took off the Axel Mission Memory from the Faiz Axel watch and inserted it into the Faiz Phone.

COMPLETE

Waiting for the Full Metal Lung chest plates to finish rotating, Haru soon assumed his Axel form as he put away the Faiz Shot and readied the Faiz Pointer.

READY

Strapping the laser pointer to his right leg, Haru still did not turn around even as the grunts all charged at him at once. Casually, Haru raised the watch and pressed the switch.

START UP

The leading trooper took a swing, but he hit nothing but air as Haru had disappeared from sight. He and the other grunts all looked around in confusion until multiple red Photon cones appeared above their heads. They all had only enough to scream before they all came down upon them, destroying them immediately as piles of ashes were the only things left of them.

TIME OUT

Reappearing, Haru took out the Axel memory and returned to his basic form. Snapping his arm out, Haru turned around to face Xiao Li who from the way his body was shaking was livid. Smirking under his helmet, Haru motioned with his finger for Li to come at him which he obliged.

Fueled by his anger, Li swung his flame-wrapped Guan Dao with the intention of cleaving Haru in two. The Rider easily side-stepped the attack before knocking the Orphnoch back with a punch to the chest. Stumbling back, Xiao Li tried again and swung his weapon sideways. Haru raised his left arm and blocked the strike though the blade was able to cut through the Sol Metal armor. But just before the blade could reach further, Haru moved in, disregarding the blood spilling from his arm as he barely avoided having it cut off. Using that same arm he grabbed the handle and raised his right hand, punching the handle hard enough to break off the part holding the blade. Xiao Li looked at his now bladeless weapon and his shock earned him a backhand across the face courtesy of Haru. Pressing on, Haru continued forward, socking Li with a left hook to the face, a right hook to the ribs, another left hook followed by a backhand, a right hook to the face, and a kick to the chest which knocked Li back and sent him skidding across the ground.

"This...This is impossible!" Xiao Li exclaimed as he struggled to get back up. "You're tired! You're injured! I know you're bleeding under that suit! So how are you able to muster up this much power!?"

"Working through the pain," Haru answered, snapping his injured arm before flicking his right wrist.

"Bullshit!" Roaring with anger, Xiao Li rose to his feet and charged straight toward Haru. It was clear he had lost his cool.

"And there's the explosion," Haru said as he opened up the Faiz Phone. "Too bad the only one getting caught up in it is you."

EXCEED CHARGE

Closing the phone, Haru crouched down as the beam of light traveled through his Phoron Veins and reached the Pointer. He then took off running the second he heard the confirmation noise, practically flying forward as he closed the distance between him and Li. Stomping on the ground hard enough to leave an imprint, Haru took to the air, performing a flip before sticking his leg out as a beam shot out from the Pointer. In his rage, Li was unable to dodge out of the way, resulting in the beam hitting and stunning him in place as a cone of Photon energy formed in front of him.

"Owari da!" Haru cried out as he kicked into the cone, fully intending on ending this fight.

'No!' Xiao Li screamed in his head as Haru's body was about to enter the cone. 'Not like this! I can't...! I...!'

Brother Li!

'Yin!'

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

(BGM End)

Remateralizing, Haru jumped out of the smoke, looking back at the crater his attack had made. Looking away, Haru glared over at the shipyard entrance where Saeko and Takuma of the Lucky Clover were at...along with a still alive Xiao Li. Looking at the barbed whip wrapped around his neck, it didn't take a genius to figure out that the Chinese Orphnoch had been saved at the last second.

"Tch!" Haru clicked his tongue, having aimed to finish off Li once and for all.

"The Lucky Clover!" Kanade exclaimed as she and everyone readied their weapons at the sight of the elite Orphnochs.

"What the heck took you so long?" Xiao Li groaned out, trying to rip off the whip around his neck.

"We thought you could handle it," Takuma said before he dematerialized his whip, releasing Xiao Li.

"I can still fight!" Xiao Li insisted, trying to push himself up only to fail and fall back down.

"While I certainly admire your vigor, there's been a change of plans," Saeko said as she helped the Orphnoch up.

"Change of plans?"

"The president wants us to meet up with the doctor at the location where the Frontier is predicted to rise from."

"The Frontier!?" Chris exclaimed before bringing her arm up as a sudden wind blew. The reason for that was because a helicopter had suddenly appeared with a ladder being thrown down for Lucky Clover to grab.

"You're not getting away!" Haru shouted as he went to give chase only to stumble and fall to his knees.

"Yamamoto!" Tsubasa cried out as she and the others quickly ran to his side.

"Now, now, boy. No need to rush," Saeko said, holding onto Li as she and Takuma grabbed onto the ladder before being lifted off the ground. "Save your strength and perhaps we might meet again at the Frontier. Till then, rest up."

'Yamamoto Haru...' Xiao Li thought to himself, glaring down at Haru. 'We'll finish this next time!'

"Not so fast!" Chris shouted, shooting her crossbows at the fleeing Orphnoch only for her shots to be deflected by Takuma's whip techniques. This didn't stop the trigger-happy Gear user as she tried to gun down the helicopter, but the flying vehicle was soon out of sight. "Dammit!"

"They mentioned the Frontier," Kanade said as she canceled her transformation. "That can only mean..."

"The FIS are about to enact their plans," Tsubasa said, thinking among the same lines as her best friend. "We must hurry back to base and give chase immediately!"

"Yeah, about that," Haru spoke up. "I might need help with, um...walking."

*Thud!*

With a beep from the Faiz Gear, Haru's transformation came undone as he fell to the ground.

"Onii-chan!" Kyoko cried out as everyone quickly gathered around Haru. Pushing past everyone, Yugo held his hand in front of Haru's mouth.

"It's okay, he's still breathing. Seems like his injuries finally knocked him out," Yugo said, making everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

"This bastard, making us worried sick about him," Kanade said as she and Tsubasa supported the unconscious Hibiki.

"Will he be okay?" Kyoko asked, still very worried due to the state her brother was in.

"He's taken quite a lot of damage. He might need a blood transfusion," Tsubasa said, taking into account the damage Haru sustained during these last few days.

"Then use mine! We're siblings," Kyoko immediately replied, holding out her arm as if they had a needle on them.

"Siblings? So when you called him 'onii-chan...'" Chris said, quickly figuring out who Kyoko was.

"I'm Yamamoto Kyoko. It's a pleasure to meet you all face to face," Kyoko politely introduced herself.

"Save the introductions for later," Yugo said as he went and pulled Haru up, throwing him over his shoulder. "Miss Idol is right in that we have to hurry. That idiot partner of mine went ahead by himself."

"Natsu-oniichan?"

"Yeah. Come on, we gotta hurry before he does something reckless."

---

(Ocean)

Ringo wa ukanda osora ni…

Ringo wa okkochita jibeta ni…

Flying over the ocean, all was mostly quiet as the ship carrying Maria's group flew over the ocean. Kirika was watching over Nastassja while Shirabe was in the kitchen cooking. As for Maria, she was in the room where they used to keep the Nephilim, singing to herself as she gazed at the broken Airgetlám Relic pendant, thinking of her sister and—

Wait for me. I'll come for you all, no matter what!

'Natsu...'

Hoshi ga umarete uta—

"Um..."

"Yes?" Putting the pendant away, Maria looked up toward Miku, still caged.

"Nothing," Miku said, looking nervous which was understandable considering her situation. "Just...What are you planning to do with me? You brought me here for a reason, didn't you?"

"Very astute of you, Kohinta-san."

"Doctor," Maria said as the man himself entered the room.

"Doctor? Then you're..." Miku looked up at the man, realizing who he was.

"A pleasure to meet you, Kohinta-san. I am Dr. Ver," The man introduced himself as he walked over to the cage. Miku, having known what the man had done, drew back in response. "Now, now, no need to be afraid. How about we have a little chat? There's something we need your help with, and in return, I'm sure I can help you too."

---

Out on the open ocean, the most impossible thing was heard: a motorbike engine. Indeed, down below, driving on the water as if it were solid ground was Natsu as Orga riding his bike. Inside his helmet, a map was pulled up and two dots were shown, one of them blinking.

'Wait for me, Maria, everyone!' With those thoughts alone, Natsu revved up his bike, increasing his speed as he drove after his friends.

---

And...done! Finally! After skirting around, Haru has finally retaken the Faiz Gear and his title as Kamen Rider Faiz! And now that he knows both his siblings are alive in this world, you better bet he's going to be super motivated during the coming climax. In the meantime, Smart Brain is on the move and Natsu is hot on Maria's tail. Things sure are shaping up the next chapter.

In all honesty, though, the chapter turned out better than I thought. It was not easy writing this chapter. Turns out, writing a character going through Heroic BSOD and trying to snap them out of it was not as easy as I thought and I now have a newfound respect for writers who can use this trope expertly. I hope nothing seemed forced or anything as it was time for Haru to return to being a Rider and hopefully, I showed that well enough. There are a few bumps here and there I feel, but it could just be my imagination. Let me know what you guys think. We're nearing the ending ladies and gents and hopefully I, like any performance, can end this off on a high note. Until then, this has been Ashbel Longhart here, signing out. Until the next ride.