Chapter 11

The time had come.

Prime Minister Shoko Sashinami arrived at the Valvrave hangar bay quite early that morning. In front of her stood the Valvrave 01, unit that would be the very salvation of her childhood friend. "It's time he finally had some happiness in his life" she thought. "and Saki-oneechan will be sure to give him just that".

L-Elf waved from high a top the 01 with a huge content smile on his face and a look in his eyes. A look Shoko knew was as new to him as it was to herself. "I love you too" she thought to herself and as if he was reading her mind his smile went twice as wide.

A pair of feminine hands encircled Shoko from behind as she felt a quick peck on her cheek.

"You're doing a great job so far. Keep up the good work" the familiar voice whispered.

Shoko turned to see her Akky-oneechan smiling just as wide. "That's right" Shoko thought to herself. We're about to get our Haruto-chan back". Another thought crept in. Yes, Shoko understood that this day was about Haruto and Saki, but she had to be just a little bit selfish being happy here with her boyfriend. "Boyfriend" she thought to herself dreamily. Shoko Sashinami wasn't one to date, as a matter of fact, before L-Elf she never even had one. Haruto and she had never had their chance to speak their feelings, no; the feelings they thought they had for each other aloud. It was obvious the feelings had initially fooled both of them. She was glad they never gave in to them knowing the opportunities they would've lost. Haruto never would have had the chance to be with her Saki-oneechan and she with her L-Elf. Her L-Elf she thought proudly.

Now to be just a bit more selfish and get Akira-chan her man Shoko thought.

"Are you nervous?" Shoko asked her Akky-chan in a hushed whisper.

"Of course I am", Akira confided. "There's still a .04% chance of failure". "When it comes to Saki-oneechan and Haruto-chan that's still a bit too much of a chance for me".

"A 99.96% chance of success and she's still worried?" thought Shoko to herself. "That's only a 4 in 10000 chance of something going wrong" Shoko consoled her.

"We both know the luck the Kametsuki are cursed by oneechan" Akira answered with concern in her voice "unless it was a perfect 10000 of 10000 I would always worry".

"We make our own luck" Shoko chastised Akira "and Saki-oneechan won't hesitate to make hers. She's fought to find her man; to be with her man; and she'll fight with all her heart to bring him back to her". Akira nodded in agreement.

"Well, I see as usual I'm the last to the party" the masculine voice called out full of both vimm and vigor.

Akira let go of her oneechan without a moment's notice, ran across the room to the voice she had become quite familiar with in the past. The lost smile returned to her face as she grabbed the man she most certainly knew in a vicelike bearhug that he most happily returned.

"So much for playing hard to get" Shoko thought to herself.

"A-Drei" Akira whispered. "Not as much as a -kun or a -sama added for decorum. "Good morning, my Princess. I hope you slept well last night?".

L-Elf almost fell from his perch atop the 01 due to the sight he just witnessed; looking down at his girlfriend for any sign she knew what was unfolding there in front of them.

Shoko returned a look of confusion shrugging her shoulders. She'd be sure to ask Akira what the hell just happened as soon as the events of the day had unfold.

"What did I miss" Saki laughed walking into the room wheeling the table holding her sweet Haruto-chan. "We're almost there my love" she thought to her one true love almost hoping he could hear her telepathically. "Just a little longer".

"I'll take my position, Princess" A-Drei smiled .

Akira nodded with a huge smile and a giggle while A-Drei himself began to blush.

"I definitely missed something!" Saki exclaimed with a bit of a laugh.

"So did we? Didn't we, baby ?" Shoko called to L-Elf. He nodded in agreement from above.

"Baby?" Saki thought aloud. "I definitely missed something! Fill me in quickly!" Saki begged her Shoko-oneechan.

It'd be eight more hours of the same.

To an outsider it would seem more a sunday family dinner gathering than a strategic plan to bring a friend back from the dead. To the young adults gathered here it would be no more than just another day, a lighter day, in their long complicated life together. They'd fought an invasion, lost almost everything but each other. In the end they not only saved a world; they built a new one of their own design. They made the rules in this new society.

Prime Minister Shoko Sashinami made the first rule during the war and they'd learned to live by it. "We need to be a little bit selfish for ourselves" she'd say. "They want to take everything away from us! We can't let them!". The words seem simplistic in their own right but the message was true to the heart. If you love something fight to keep it or just fight for the opportunity to find it in the first place. They found a home, they found an extended family. They survived, and now, they have a chance of doing something lost to a lot of their fallen friends. They have a chance to grow old happily.

"How's it going up here" Akira asked L-Elf from the ladder she stood on.

"We're just about set" L-Elf confirmed adjusting the last bolt connecting the modified pilot seat to the console of the Valvrave 01 Unit.

"Do you think it'll work" Akira asked with a bit of doubt in her voice.

"If you asked me when we started. I'd admit to having my doubts" L-Elf confided "but in the last few hours we've given Saki-chan a lot of new Runes to boost our chances. It's all thanks to you Akira-chan.".

Akira began to blush a bit knowing exactly what he meant. It had been her plan after all. He knew. He was good. In the last few weeks she had made many new runes for both Shoko and L-Elf and now for A-Drei and herself. In the past few hours they'd had the chance to pass them along to Saki-chan. She has many more runes now. Many pleasant loving runes. Hopefully these would help up their chances hopefully hitting that 100% chance of success she prayed for.

"And Akira-chan" L-Elf stopped himself "Akira-oneechan if I may".

Akira nodded with approval and a wide smile.

"Thank you for saving me" L-Elf whispered. "And for saving A-Drei".

"Anytime, L-Elf-otoutochan!" Akira chimed while giving a big thumbs up. "Almost ready up here!" Akira shouted as she began her descent to ground level.

"And thank you for saving my best friend" L-Elf whispered just low enough that he was sure she couldn't hear.

"You're welcome" he heard Akira whisper back from just out of view.

"Damn, she has good ears" he thought.

Akira ran right over to her Saki-oneechan to tell her exactly what L-Elf just said. It was imperative she knew and stored the runes before the runehack began. "The odds may not yet be perfect", she thought to herself "but every .01% brings us closer to breaking the curse".

Saki watched the moments occuring in the room with an outsiders eyes for the first time. She was nervous but was very content seeing her "older sisters" find what they had obviously been missing in their lives. The looks between Shoko and L-Elf were something she could never have seen months ago, no not even days or hours ago. He was their enemy when they met. It wasn't his fault. He's more than made up for his past mistakes she'd thought but by this; by the love he showed in his heart for her oneechan; he loved her like a brother now or even a brother-in-law to be.

Akira was another story entirely, Saki thought. Here she was, the brazen young lass standing in front of her putting her mark on the Prince; and he already referring to her as his Princess when they hadn't even had a date yet. "Or have they" she thought to herself. The way they move together, act together, talk together; even when talking just with their eyes. It's obviously love on both their parts. He was always a honorable man. He saved them; saved her very life. She was happy to see them both get a chance at the happiness they deserved.

It was weird she thought, to see the confident Shoko and L-Elf careful and fearful of what they say and do for fear of scaring each other off. "Like that would ever happen" Saki laughed in her head. And seeing sweet neurotic/shut-in Akira and introverted A-Drei declaring their feelings for each other loudly right out in the open. This was definitely not the girl who gave her a flowered napkin to clean up her own blood as not to stain her uniform she realized with a smile creeping across her lips.

It began to make sense to Saki Rukino. She always felt alone, hated people except him of course. She too had changed. She'd come to rely on those around her. Care for them. Love them. She finally had friends. No, she corrected herself. She now finally had a family to call her own.

Looking down at her sweet Haruto. Holding his hand. She knew. "In just a few moments I'll keep my promise to you" she smiled "and you can keep yours to me". "We promised to always be by each other's side. it's about time we made that promise a reality". Saki leaned down, tears in her eyes as she placed a soft loving kiss on Haruto's sweet lips. She smiled and held him tight for just a moment before they'd begin.