Song of the Heart: Redux
Author's Notes: Welcome back to "Song of the Heart: Redux". A lot is up in the air as we start this chapter off. Tsubasa has decided to retire from performing on stage, Hibiki has offered her a position, and there's also the case of where the FIS group has run off to! A lot of questions and a lot of answers to be gotten to today! I would like to once again thank the author of the original "Song of the Heart", Aya1229, for allowing me to adopt this story and proceed to make it my own from there.
Sorry that this is late; been traveling for 2 of the last 3 days, and been dragged from my computer for the other. But, wait no longer, because here it is!
As mentioned last chapter, we have a lot of ground to cover this time, so let's not hold off on starting any longer. Time to get started and I hope that you enjoy!
To reply to the reviewer who said Chris x Hibiki: It's not just that…it's all three of Miku, Hibiki, and Chris in one relationship. Gonna be fun to write that, especially with some of the plans I have later on, so stay tuned…
Disclaimer: I do not own Senki Zesshou Symphogear or Senki Zesshou Symphogear G. It is owned by those who own it. I also do not own any music used as insert songs here; they are owned by the respective songwriters and artists.
Please note; the record label used in this, Galactic Music Japan, is NOT a real music label as far as I know, but is a parody made solely for the purposes of this story. The same goes for JAM TV; as far as I know, it's not a real music channel on TV, again a parody made up for the purposes of this story.
Also, no music quoted within the story belongs to me. The rights to those pieces belong to their artists and record labels.
Acknowledgements: Once more, I would like to thank the author of the original "Song of the Heart", Aya1229, for her support in adopting this idea and making it my own. I would also like to thank a couple of friends of mine outside of (they know who they are) for acting as sounding boards when I have ideas for this that may seem a bit on the wild side.
'Insert thought here'=character thoughts
Flashback Is in Italics
-Song lyrics are shown in italics between dashes-
Chapter 5: At Deception's Gates (Part 2)
(Last Time…)
"I won't be responsible for that, Ogawa-san. So I made the decision. I, Kazanari Tsubasa, am retiring from performing, effective immediately. I just…I refuse to allow those who are inspired by my songs to be hurt by those trying to get to me."
At that moment, Ogawa Shinji realized that nothing he said would convince Tsubasa otherwise. 'Her mind is made up…Tsubasa has decided that for all the good she brings, she wouldn't be able to fully protect those people anymore. It's sad to hear, but probably inevitable,' he thought, eyes closed as he nodded in understanding. Hibiki, however, had another idea, getting up from her chair with a sad smile, before hugging Tsubasa briefly.
"I'm sorry, Tsubasa-san…I wasn't able to protect your songs. I couldn't protect you or those who look up to you. Just another thing I've failed to protect, it seems…" the redhead trailed off, before looking at her teammate with a guilt-ridden look on her face.
"The only question I have for you, Tsubasa," Ogawa said, looking at his now-former client with a smile, "is what are you going to do now? You can't only focus yourself on being the sword to slice through Noise, you know that."
Tsubasa nodded, face solemn. Truth be told, she wasn't sure. Sure, there were things that she wanted to do, but she wasn't sure how to get there. Then Hibiki spoke up, her words cutting through the clouds of uncertainty in Tsubasa's mind.
"Tsubasa-san, follow what your heart tells you to do. Mine hasn't led me wrong yet," she spoke, a determined look emerging on her face. "And right now, it's telling me that I want to have you still be here to help me out, Tsubasa-san. I have a lot more to learn, and I want to learn from the best. Would you be okay with being my assistant manager?" the Gungnir wielder spoke, her question catching the older girl off guard.
Tsubasa paused. 'Follow my heart, huh…' she thought, closing her eyes and listening to the rhythm her heart presented. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity for those in the room, she opened her eyes, a smile making its way to her face as she prepared to reply…
Lydian Music Academy, Classroom, 3 Days after S2CA Event
"Remember, your papers on song theory are due by the end of the week! Enjoy the rest of your day," the teacher of Chris' class spoke over the noise of relieved students placing their notebooks and textbooks into their school bags. Chris was no different; as she put her class materials away, she felt a hand gently placed on her shoulder. Instinctively, she knew who it was. Not many people, after all, knew her well enough to do so without getting a glare sent their way.
"Did you get your paper done yet, Chris-san?" Kohinata Miku asked, her roommate nodding briefly before she spoke again. "I don't know how you and Tsubasa-san do it. You're both almost constantly on the move during the week outside of class, whether it be for missions with the division, her doing idol activities, or even the school clubs she's a part of. It has to be tiring, isn't it?"
"Not really, Miku-san…Kazanari-taichou is well aware of the demands on our time that school puts us through; it's why he tries to not have us take missions on school nights," the snow-haired girl said, closing the latch on her bag and slinging it onto her shoulder. "So, what's going on for you today after your last class?" she asked, trying to change the subject to something more enjoyable. As Miku prepared to answer however, an unnamed freshman came running into the room, hands on her knees as she caught her breath.
"Everyone…JAM TV…breaking…watch…" she spoke, trying to catch her breath while Miku and Chris came over, Miku trying to rub the poor girl's back. While she tried to help the girl breath, Chris turned over to the display screen at the head of the classroom, where one of the other students still in the room had pulled up the aforementioned station. What she saw on screen not only caused the rest of the class to freeze in place out of shock, but dumped what might as well have been a cold bucket of ice over any plans Chris might have wanted to ask Miku about.
"It's official, folks," the VJ spoke, a large picture of Tsubasa in concert on the screen next to them. "Big news out of Galactic Records Japan this afternoon, as Japan's number one idol Kazanari Tsubasa has retired from the music industry effective immediately. We at JAM TV will be taking you live to Galactic Records Japan HQ in Shinjuku momentarily for the official press conference. While we are in no position to speculate…"
Chris mentally tuned out the rest of the VJ's drabble, a grim look coming onto her face. 'Tsubasa-san…I guess you knew this was coming once you transformed, didn't you? You decided that you would rather be the protecting sword than the inspiring voice. It's just another repercussion for what that BITCH did that night…' she thought, unknowingly clenching her fists tightly. She was so in her own world that she didn't even notice Miku come up from behind her until she felt a small set of hands wrap around her left arm, causing her to blush slightly.
"Chris-san…what's wrong?" the green-haired girl asked, looking at her roommate with concern. "You look almost angry about this. You know that Tsubasa-san had to have known this was a possible outcome before she transformed," she said, a calming tone in her voice as she proceeded to watch the announcement.
"It's not fair to Tsubasa-san…damn that Maria…" Chris spat out quietly, her thoughts being forcibly brought back to another victim of that night's events. 'She'll pay for what she did…not just to Tsubasa-san, but also for what she and her twin-tailed friend said to you, Hibiki. I swear it,' she thought, as the display screen cut away to the room where the press conference was about to start.
Galactic Records Japan Headquarters, Main Press Room, Shinjuku, 3 Days after S2CA Event
Kazanari Tsubasa had a reputation for being calm under pressure, for being nigh-unfazed by just about anything thrown at her, including Noise and over one hundred thousand screaming fans. This moment, however, was not an easy one for her, as she walked into the room briskly, her eyes downcast as she thought about what she was about to do. 'No going back now,' she thought, stepping up to the microphone wearing the same ensemble that she had worn earlier that day when she met with Ogawa-san and Hibiki, before beginning to speak.
"Good afternoon and thank you for coming, all of you. I know that you all were a bit surprised when the press release came out about an hour ago regarding this conference, and while I'm sure that you have plenty of questions, I'm just going to make a statement today," the bluenette began, closing her eyes to gather herself before continuing.
"As I'm sure that you all are aware, three nights ago the duet concert between Maria Cadenzavna Eve and I was attacked by Noise, as well as by the terrorist group calling themselves 'Finé', one of whose members was revealed to be none other than Maria herself. This was a delicate and highly-charged situation, one that should never have happened. On the second anniversary of the Kadingir incident, people were supposed to bond together through the music performed that night, not be held in terror. It went completely against everything that I want my music to stand for, and is something that I don't know that I can ever completely forgive," she said, her eyes narrowing in focus slightly before continuing.
"Unfortunately, I was forced to do something I never wanted to do; stand there and do nothing while my fans, whose support and courage I am eternally grateful for, were held in terror. I wanted to do something about it; however, when I went to do so, something that Maria said caused me to hesitate. She had said that if I tried to do anything, she would unleash the Noise upon the audience. I couldn't risk that. I refuse to allow the blood of my fans, whose strength mirrors my own, be spilled by someone trying to get to me."
"I've spent the majority of the past few days trying to reflect on the support my fans have given me. Even though I know that they will always have my back, lifting me up even if my wings were to fail, I just would never forgive myself for letting anything bad happen to them. I care about my fans too greatly; I'm sure that you all have heard the stories of the various charity events that I, along with Galactic Music Japan, have sponsored over the past two years in the name of relief for those who have been affected by the tragedy known as the Noise. I've heard that I am an inspiration to many out there who feel as though they didn't have the strength to stand up and protect those that they care about, and I'm grateful for the love and support of all of my fans," Tsubasa continued, voice cracking slightly under the emotions of the moment as she tried to keep herself from crying on camera.
"I called you all here today to make an announcement. I apologize to all those who have supported me and who cheer me on; unfortunately, I won't be able to provide that level of support for you any further. After hours of thought, I've decided that it's for the best if I step back and allow my fans to find a new source of inspiration. Today is the last day Kazanari Tsubasa will be in the spotlight; I've decided to retire from the music industry, effective immediately," she spoke, suddenly unable to keep the tears from falling as the press room erupted in disbelief.
"While I may no longer be on stage to provide that inspiration to those who look up to me, I hope that you all will support this decision. I feel as though the last four and a half years have been a blessing to me; the love and support that my fans have given me is something that I will never be able to fully repay. To me, this is like a graduation, taking the steps into the next phase of my life. Music is a passion for me; it's something that I will always enjoy and support," Tsubasa continued, a small smile creeping on to her face as she looked over to the right side of the room, a very nervous Tachibana Hibiki waiting in the doorway for Tsubasa to make her next statement, Sora mask covering her face.
"With that said, I have one last announcement to make. I would like to make an introduction for all of you to someone who I hope that my fans will all love and support the same way that they did me. I've heard her sing, and I know that she will inspire you as much as I have. Sora-san, please come up here," the bluenette said, waving her arm towards the redhead, who walked up to the podium, joining Tsubasa there.
"I'd like to introduce all of you to Sora, who I feel is ready to take the stage by storm. Also effective immediately, I will be joining her as her assistant manager. Please, all of you support her just as you did me. Arigatou, minna, and sayonara," the bluenette spoke, before stepping back from the microphone alongside Hibiki and wrapping one arm around the younger girl in a sign of support, cameras flashing as the duo exited the room, Hibiki following Tsubasa closely.
Lydian Music Academy, Classroom, post-news conference
Silence echoed throughout the room, as students tried to process what they had just seen, even as one shut off the display screen. Chris and Miku were no different from everyone else, despite having had some idea as to what could have caused Tsubasa to make the announcement. The duo had been so engrossed in the conference that neither had really noticed as Miku had placed her head on Chris' shoulder in the middle of the speech.
"It's weird…Tsubasa-san stepping down to give this Sora the chance to shine," Miku whispered, shaking Chris out of her stupor before she started blushing. 'When did Miku get that close?' she thought, shaking her head to clear her head before speaking.
"You don't know the half of it…" she muttered, stretching before turning towards the door. 'That body language…I guess you weren't expecting to be placed in the spotlight like that, were you Hibiki? For someone so sure of herself the other day, you didn't look like you were in need of the extra attention…' the snow-haired girl thought, the body language of the newly-revealed idol almost giving her identity away. As she walked out into the hallway and towards her next class, she smiled briefly, thoughts turning back yet again to the other day's events on the train when she first found out that the redhead had survived after all.
Unbeknownst to Chris, her own words didn't go unnoticed by her roommate. As she proceeded to head towards her next class, Miku's thoughts turned to concern. 'Chris-san is acting strangely…something definitely happened beyond what she's saying. I just hope it's not too dangerous...Hibiki, if you can hear this, please watch over Tsubasa-san and Chris-san.'
Tachibana Hibiki's apartment, Shinjuku, later that afternoon
"Tsubasa-san…you really didn't need to do that you know," Tachibana Hibiki said, looking at the bluenette across from her as they sat in Hibiki's apartment. While they had originally intended on a late lunch after Tsubasa's press conference, the time it took for everything to be set up for the conference had pushed it back to an early dinner. For her part, the wielder of Ame no Habakiri just shrugged, before taking a sip of her tea to try to wash down the takeout sushi that they had purchased on the way here.
"Hibiki…you said it yourself. I just followed my heart, and did what it said," the now-former idol spoke, a small smirk appearing on her face. "But, that makes me wonder…that day, so long ago. Is that why you left? To follow your heart?"
These words struck close to home for Hibiki. She hadn't been planning to talk about where she had gone, or why she had left so soon. 'Especially not to Tsubasa-san, Chris, or Miku…They're the last people I want to tell about what I saw…' she thought, a frown rising onto her face. Seeing this, however, the bluenette chose to press her advantage.
"Hibiki…you and I are going to be working together regularly now. You have to be willing to trust me," Tsubasa said, a concerned look rising to her face at the redhead's sudden silence. After a moment, the younger girl spoke, her voice quiet, barely able to be heard even in the quiet apartment.
"It's not that I don't trust you, Tsubasa-san…I do. It's just….there are some things that I just don't feel completely comfortable talking about, things that I've seen that are incredibly dangerous," Hibiki whispered, a tinge of fear coming into her voice. "I left that day two years ago because I'm the only one who can stop those things from happening. I swore I would protect everyone from it…from them…" she spoke, resolution slowly entering her voice as Tsubasa sighed, before getting up and walking over to look out the window of the living room at the city skyline.
"I heard you, you know…" Tsubasa said, the light of the setting sun reflecting off of her relic's inactive state. Her next words would cause Hibiki's eyes to widen in shock. "I remember when you left. You didn't need to feel that you failed me as my partner in battle; in fact, you did more than anyone could have expected of you. Hibiki…you were like the little sister I never had, just like I was to Kanade," she continued, before turning to look at the younger girl with a small smile on her face.
"I spent that first year after you left trying to find you, following any and all leads or ideas that I came across. I wanted to tell you that you hadn't embarrassed me at all; if anything, what you did was teach me how to appreciate things like others' support. There was nothing to forgive, Hibiki. If you would have told us what was going on, we would have your back. You know that."
Hibiki nodded, before clutching at her relic necklace absentmindedly. 'I do know that. I never forgot that. But, at the same time, Tsubasa-san…I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you, Chris, or Miku got hurt or worse,' she thought, before taking a deep breath and beginning to speak.
"I had to become stronger…I had to, no, I NEED to protect everyone from them…and so, I decided to leave. After I left you and Chris in the alley, I didn't know what to do. I didn't have much on me, and all I knew was that what I saw…I wouldn't let it happen. I still won't let it happen. I figured that a good first step would be to get out of the country, but no one would let a fifteen year-old girl onto a plane or ship without any ID…" she spoke, a reflective tone in her voice as she spoke, her left hand clutching tightly at the leg of her pants.
"So where did you go, then? Hibiki, why are you trying to put it all on your own shoulders?"
"I went home. Not back to Lydian, but I went home to my mom and grandma. They were supportive, sure, but they wanted to know what was going on, why I was home so soon. I tried to explain to them what happened with Kadingir, but they didn't believe me. So, I transformed…I know it probably set off the alarms at HQ, didn't it…" she said, knowingly.
'I remember Uncle Genjurou saying something about how they had seen something about Gungnir's wavelength being picked up around Hibiki's hometown, but that they were so concerned with making sure that Chris-san and I were both okay along with searching for Hibiki in the local area that they didn't give it any thought, especially since it was just for a minute or so…' Tsubasa thought, shaking her head briefly. 'We would have been able to avoid so much grief if they'd have just followed up on that…'
"I know I was supposed to keep it a secret, but it was the only way to get mom and grandma to believe me…and quite frankly, I probably shouldn't have done it anyways. But, it worked. Mom said that she'd get me a passport after I said that I wanted to get out of the country to keep all of you safe, as long as I promised that I'd keep in touch. And that's how I disappeared. I want to say it was about a month after Kadingir that I was able to leave the country, but I didn't waste that time. I worked hard to get stronger while I waited. Too bad I still wasn't strong enough..."
Tsubasa sighed, before walking over and giving the younger girl a hug, resting her head on top of Hibiki's. Here she was, the so-called heart of the then-section 2 trio, but Hibiki still seemed as though she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. 'Hibiki…you don't have to take this on by yourself, whatever it is. Not anymore, not now that Chris-san and I are here to help,' she thought, concern for her younger friend becoming evident in her eyes.
"I won't let what Kanade-san showed me happen, Tsubasa-san…I won't let it happen…" the younger girl trailed off, Tsubasa shocked at her words, her eyes wide open at the news. 'So Kanade showed Hibiki something that could happen? How is that possible, when Kanade has been dead? Unless she came to Hibiki the same way she did me…' the bluenette thought. 'Hibiki…what did you see? And did what happened the other night have anything to do with it?'
Abandoned Hospital, Tokyo outskirts, Time Unknown
A rainbow-colored dome of light filled the monitor as Professor Nastassja reviewed the footage from the previous mission. Ever since returning to their home base, an abandoned hospital at the edge of the city, she had been trying to understand just how it was that their phonic gain had jumped up so quickly. Now, she had her answer.
"I see…by resonating with another person's climax song, not only did Hibiki amplify its power, but also reduced the stress that naturally happens between the wielder and their relic. That's unique, since the Sakurai Theory states that a Zesshou's unique properties are an extension of the Armed Gear that the wielder is using. However, it does appear as though her Zesshou can be used to combine the forces of multiple Zesshou into one force. By taking the strain of the other two Zesshou in addition to her own, she made it possible for the other two to survive, even after using their own Zesshou. It's similar to what occurred to stop the chunk of the moon from falling after Kadingir fired…" she trailed off, the video coming to where the redhead was clearly in pain, knees threatening to buckle as the girl screamed.
"However, it doesn't look as though it's something that she's practiced. The sheer volume of stress that she put herself under shows that she hadn't been around the other two wielders for very long. It's possible that she had only rejoined them that night..." the scientist mused, before looking over at the monitor where the readings were showing under the word 'Nephilim'.
"While it's impressive that Hibiki can do that, I wonder…if she tried to pull that off again with people she didn't know as well, she could possibly risk serious injury. Still, to be able to do so without any practice at all is very impressive; it shows just how high her level of synch with her fully-completed Gungnir is," the seemingly mad scientist stated, an impressed half-smile appearing on her face.
"You've grown strong, Hibiki. However, it won't be enough. That ability you unleashed only succeeded in awakening our little pet. Soon, the plan will continue, and there will be nothing you can do to stop it…unlike Serena…" the scientist trailed off, a confidence entering her voice. "The Nephilim, the giant that fell from the heavens…the heartbeat of its awakening will cause the entire planet to shudder."
At that, the scientist turned her wheelchair, leaving the room to get some rest. Their plan would need her healthy as long as possible, after all.
2nd Division Headquarters, Unknown Location, 1 Week after S2CA Event
The last week had not been easy on Kazanari Genjurou. Between the stress caused by the terrorist organization 'Finé', the hunt to locate them, and his niece's retirement announcement earlier in the week, he had been occupied almost around the clock. Still, it didn't appear to be slowing the red-haired martial artist very much at all. In fact, he still looked the part of the cool and composed leader, ever stoic and refusing to back down.
"It's been a week since that group's declaration of war at the concert, and they've done absolutely nothing since. It's almost too quiet," a male staff member stated, scanning over the information they had on the event and the group. This caused Genjurou to frown, as he took his seat in the commander's chair.
"Yeah…it's been a week, and nothing's happened that they stated. Even though the world's governments didn't back down, there were no attacks on any major cities or major military targets. No sign of any sort of activity at all. It almost seems as though they were after something else," the commander stated, looking over the information being fed to his console.
"My government sources state confirm that, and also that there haven't even been any negotiations at all. It's just another sign that they were bluffing entirely," Tomosato Aoi stated, looking up briefly from her console at the commander. "It's almost as if they weren't targeting the world, but rather…"
"My niece. That's the single biggest thing to come out of this whole thing; my niece deciding to retire from performing on stage," Genjurou stated, his arms crossed as he spoke. He, just like everyone else, had been surprised at the bluenette's decision to step away from the music industry. While he understood how she could feel guilty for what happened that night at the concert, it still bothered him that the now former idol would have been that bothered by the experience. He had seen her grow tremendously since Hibiki had disappeared just over two years prior, even when she was the only one who believed that the girl was still alive. And while she was proven correct, the way events had unfolded left him unnerved. "I may disagree with her decision, but at the same time I understand it. Her fans were a huge motivator for Tsubasa; for Maria to use their safety against her is something that no one could have imagined. All that I can do, as her uncle, is support her decision."
"It's definitely a strange way to go about a grand plot, though," Aoi stated, her focus returned to her console. Everyone in the room nodded, even as Genjurou continued to look out of the room into the distance.
"Any updates from Ogawa-san?" he asked, with no one being able to provide an answer. As if in response to his query, the communications line beeped loudly, getting Genjurou's attention. "Kazanari. Go ahead."
Unknown location, 1 week after S2CA Event
Ogawa Shinji had been busy since the announcement of Tsubasa's retirement. Between getting her set up to act as Hibiki's primary manager for the week and his assignment from the 2nd Division to locate any leads, it felt like he hadn't had any time to really relax. It was something he was used to, however. After all, the life of a Manager could be quite hectic at times.
"Kazanari-taichou," he began, stepping forwards as a circle of armed men surrounded him. It had taken a while, but Shinji had finally been able to locate a lead as to the whereabouts of the Terrorist organization. Where it had led him however, was a bit on the shady side of things. "I've been tracking the abandoned trailer we found near the stadium. I was able to track it back to a construction company whose account transaction records show a large number of purchases of medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, and measuring devices from a fictional company," he spoke, not breaking his cool as the gang members around him tried to attack. Effortlessly dodging and swiftly counterattacking, he dealt with a pair of armed thugs, breaking one's arm at the elbow and elbowing another in the throat, disabling him.
"Medical Devices?" Genjurou asked, his curiosity coming through Ogawa's earpiece while he continued to fight through the gang members. Ducking another and allowing him to knock himself out, Shinji stepped up before kicking another in the knees, bringing him to the ground and allowing Shinji to knock him out with a quick karate chop to the back of the neck.
"It would have taken place about two months ago," Ogawa said, opening the vault mounted inside the wall on one side of the room as he spoke, before reaching into the vault and withdrawing the information he had been at the location for. "The people here were using it as some sort of money laundering operation, but don't these records interest you? It could be the big lead that we're looking for."
"Yeah. It sounds like it could lead us in the right direction. Keep pursuing it, Ogawa, and keep us updated," Genjurou said, before cutting off the call. 'Looks like we're finally starting to make some headway into this. If we're lucky, we might be able to end this sooner than we think, and perhaps end that group's plans before they get off the ground.'
Lydian Music Academy, Classroom, 1 Week after S2CA Event
Kohinata Miku was normally a really attentive student. She had averaged good grades for most of her time at Lydian, and had even been elected to the school's Spring Festival committee as a representative for her class. However, this was not one of those normal times. The past few days had been quite hectic with the school's Fall Music Festival coming up shortly, and with Kazanari Tsubasa's unexpected retirement from the music industry, the school had been searching frantically for a new guest judge for the festival's annual karaoke contest. So far, there hadn't been much luck.
'At least Tsubasa-san is back here at school, so there isn't a shortage of people on the management committee for the festival,' she thought, her thoughts drifting away from the school she attended. 'After what happened at that concert, I wouldn't have blamed her if she'd have taken more time off than she has…after what Maria-san showed. That Black Gungnir…how is it possible? I thought only Hibiki had Gungnir…'
Thinking of Tachibana Hibiki was something that Miku found to be difficult. She had been the green-haired girl's best friend, but Miku had found herself to be slowly falling for the cream-haired girl as they grew up together. When Miku had found out about Hibiki being a Symphogear wielder, she had tried to distance herself from the girl not out of anger at being kept out of the loop, but mainly out of sheer worry. She had worried greatly for her friend's safety; seeing the Gungnir-wielder put herself on the line to protect Miku had caused the green-eyed student's heart to ache. However, it wasn't until Hibiki had saved Miku's life from the Noise that had attacked near Flower that one day that Miku was able to fully accept not only that her friend knew the risks of what she was doing, but that she was willing to accept the chance that she could lose her life.
'And yet, Hibiki eventually did lose her life…but, she did it for a good cause, right? Maria-san's actions are making me wonder if people will ever understand each other. The way that she treated Tsubasa-san that night…it reminds me of back then…' she thought, her mind flashing back to the time just about four years ago after the final ZweiWing concert.
'Everyone treated Hibiki so badly back then. I didn't know what to do; all the verbal slings and people calling her a monster…it wasn't right. I wanted to do something about it, to try to help her out, so I always tried to get them to leave her alone. But yet she still kept saying that it was fine, that it was just fine. The amount of pain that Hibiki had to be feeling back then…I don't know what it was like, but I wanted to be there for her. I wasn't going to let her deal with that all on her own. Even then, I guess I must have felt something for her…' she thought, as she flipped the page in her textbook as the teacher continued to her lecture. She would remain in daydream land until the class bell rang.
Galactic Records Japan Studios, Tokyo, Shinjuku, 1 week after S2CA Event
As the music faded away from her headset, Tachibana Hibiki finished bobbing her head to the beat. Recording was something she was growing to love; it was a way to take her mind away from anything heavy, and just concentrate on making the music that she loved. Thankfully for her, Tsubasa-san had scheduled the studio for her for today, as she acted in place of Ogawa-san as her manager for the moment; while the redhead didn't have a full album ready to go, she was steadily building up a library of music that could be used on one. After all, she was getting ready to have her first single released.
"Great job, Tachibana-san. Do you want to take a break now though? You've been at it for almost 4 hours now, trying to get the 'right sound' on that song," the audio technician's voice came in, causing the redhead to snap to attention.
"Ah…I guess we should. I kind of lost track of time I guess," she said, her right hand scratching the back of her head nervously while she laughed softly. "Take a break you guys. I'll listen to the track while you're on break."
With that, the audio technician nodded, before the trio of them on the technical side of the booth left for their break. Meanwhile, the redhead exited the booth, her jean jacket under one arm before she hung it over the back of the chair she would sit in. Having done so, she quickly brought up the latest version of the track she had been recording, before sitting in the chair and beginning to listen closely.
'It sounds really good…sounds just like I wanted it to…'she thought, listening to the way her voice came through the audio feed, blending in with the high-energy rhythm of the piece. 'I hope that Tsubasa-san and Ogawa-san like this. They both said that my first single would set the tone for how fans viewed me as an artist.'
Once the song ended though, Hibiki's mind couldn't help but drift back to the events of the Queens of Music concert, and the way that Maria and her partners had acted towards the redhead. Their words had been bothering Hibiki for over a week, and had made her almost hesitant about Tsubasa's idea to announce her at the bluenette's retirement conference.
"Am I really doing the right thing? Can I really protect everyone? I know that they're still upset over what happened to Serena…why don't they understand that it's not my fault?" she whispered, her mind being drawn back to what had happened that day as she spoke.
"I wanted to be there with them…especially after they helped me with that issue. But when Nastassja-san told me to keep out of it, that it was too dangerous, I listened. If I would have known that that…thing was going to be there, I would have volunteered to fight it then and there. Serena-san…because I wasn't there, you had to sacrifice yourself to protect them. I felt so weak then; I couldn't believe that I had failed to protect you. I still wasn't strong enough then, and I swore that day that I would get stronger so that it wouldn't happen to anyone else important to me. I still miss you, Serena-san…you were the best friend I had while I was there. But, I won't let your sacrifice be in vain…I'm stronger now than I was then, and I will protect everyone else important to me. I just wish I could have protected you…Maria wouldn't be so sad…" she whispered to seemingly no one, memories of a time eighteen months earlier floating away as she listened to her newest track again.
Abandoned Hospital, Tokyo Outskirts, 1 Week after S2CA Event
Akatsuki Kirika and Tsukuyomi Shirabe had just gotten back from a day out in the city, and conversation, at least from the blonde-haired Kirika's end, was lively.
"…I just couldn't believe that they just poured all that on the rice! Isn't it weird, Shirabe-chan?" she asked, turning to her partner and best friend. The twin-tailed girl, for her part, was having none of it, her thoughts a million miles away. "Shirabe-chan? Are you okay? Don't tell me that you're still thinking about Hibiki-san…"
"DON'T EVER CALL HER THAT! I refuse to accept that someone like her, who seemingly refuses to accept any fault in what happened to Serena, could POSSIBLY protect anyone. If she really wanted to protect everyone like she says she does, than why didn't she save Serena?" The normally twin-tailed girl asked, her head hanging down in thought. This, in turn, got Kirika to sigh, before she looked at her friend, a small smile on her face.
"Shirabe-chan…I think that if there's something that you really need to do, then you have to accept the burden of responsibility for it. Hibiki-san seems to have decided to accept that burden, both in success and in failure. And while you're right that she seems to have her actions in the past be different, she seems like she really wants to protect them."
"Even when she's WRONG? Even when she doesn't seem to accept any of the burden for the death of someone she claimed was a friend?" Shirabe snapped back, before punching the wall nearby. "If she's trying to protect people, then why…Why did Serena have to die?"
Kirika sighed, before walking over and wrapping both her hands around Shirabe's arm, causing her to blush slightly. While they had known each other for years, she had never seen the twin-tailed girl so visibly upset over something. Kirika wasn't sure as to why Serena had been forced to sacrifice herself that day; it was something that had been bothering her for a while, but she had not yet found the answer she had been looking for.
Just then, however, Maria entered the room, hair still wet from having taken a shower. Her coral hair flowing behind her, she began to voice her thoughts on the issue.
"Even though she may think differently than we do, the fact remains that we must still follow our own hearts' song. There's no more time left for us to turn back or hesitate. While I appreciate the enthusiasm, we do need to be able to move forwards with our own sense of what is right," the idol said, her words cutting into Shirabe's anger and into Kirika's confusion and filling the duo with a sense of purpose.
Just then, however, alarms started blaring as throughout the base doors slammed shut, causing the trio to jump in alarm before scrambling to the main control room. Before long, they arrived, only to find the former professor Nastassja waiting.
"Mama, what's going on?" Maria asked, voice laced with confusion and concern. Nastassja simply smiled, shaking her head as the screen behind her flashed.
"It was nothing, Maria. While I'm glad to see your concern for my well-being, our prize just started to act up a bit and needed to be fed, so I lowered the bulkheads. That's all it was," she said, a frown on her face. 'So that was the legendary starvation impulse of the Nephilim...it would really eat even its own kind. Controlling that type of power is beyond human means…what type of monster are we trying to control?'
Maria looked unconvinced, as did Shirabe and Kirika. However, before anyone else could speak up, another voice entered the conversation.
"Please don't think of the Nephilim as an ancient civilization's legacy that is beyond our power to control, Dr. Nastassja," the individual spoke, emerging slowly from the shadows to reveal Dr. Ver as the speaker. "Even if they are supposed to be beyond human power to control, if they can be controlled by a hero, a god, isn't that enough for our needs?"
"Dr. Ver…" Maria whispered, a sense of unease developing within the room. While Maria may not have trusted the doctor, she knew that he was a necessary part of their plan. It was a delicate balancing act, to be sure.
"It appears that the next flower is still a bud, and must be treated carefully," the doctor said, his coat hanging off of his shoulders and touching the ground. Just then, the building shook once more, the force from the Nephilim's thrashing causing the whole building to shake and causing Maria's eyes to widen in concern.
"Mama…" she started, only to be cut off by Nastassja.
"Maria, everything is completely under control. It's fine," the older woman spoke, an authoritative tone entering her voice as she attempted to end the conversation. Ver, however, proceeded to move to another topic of conversation.
"Excuse me you two, but isn't there something else more important to think about? Isn't it time for your inspection of the other component of our plan, Nastassja-san?" he asked, checking his watch briefly. Nastassja nodded, before turning her motorized chair towards the exit to the group's transport.
"Frontier…while it's our plan's other critical aspect, for it to work we need it to be perfect. As a result, I can't afford to miss the inspections before it's activated, but at the same time…" she trailed off, as Ver laughed, his chilling laugh sending shivers down Maria's spine.
"Don't worry about things here. I'll have everything under control. Now get going; while you're gone, I'll get the Nephilim some more food," he spoke, his eyes glancing briefly at the relics hanging from Maria, Kirika, and Shirabe's necks. "I'm not planning on getting into any fights, so wouldn't it be better if we concentrated our forces on your end?"
"Understood. We'll be returning at the appointed time, so please take care of the rest," the older woman spoke, entering the code to open the nearby door and rolling through it. As Maria, Kirika, and Shirabe followed closely, Doctor Ver looked on, his eyes narrowing slightly and an insane smirk appearing on his face.
'Now…will my prey come here, following the bait that I left for it?'
Lydian Music Academy, Hallway, 1 Week after S2CA Event
Kazanari Tsubasa had a lot on her plate. While she had been all too happy to volunteer to assist on the school's fall festival committee at first, recent changes had caused her to not have as much time to assist. 'I guess I should have expected my time to help with school to vanish when I agreed to become Hibiki's assistant Manager. And then Ogawa-san had to be assigned to gather information for the 2nd Division, so he had me take over the full role this week,' she thought, a sigh escaping her mouth as she walked, a bag of posters in her arms. When she had decided to retire from performing, that had cancelled any appearances that she had been scheduled to make, including one coming up for the academy's Fall Festival.
"I guess it's a good thing that I was able to convince management that this would be a good idea. I don't think that she agrees though," the bluenette said, turning the corner to head towards her destination: the school's main campus center. As she did, she took the opportunity to look out at the campus' grounds; preparations for the School's Fall Music festival were well underway, and even without her help it seemed as though they were almost ahead of schedule. With the festival being the next day, it seemed as though they would be able to finish preparations on time.
Just then, Tsubasa heard the noise of footsteps racing down the hallway, heading the opposite direction she was going. Before she could react, she was ran into, sending her bag of posters flying as she fell to the ground.
"Ugh…I can't say that I approve of failure to pay attention while running in the hallways…but, then again, I guess I shouldn't be talking either…" Tsubasa said, a stern tone in her voice as she looked up, only to recognize her assailant. "Chris? Why were you in such a rush?" she asked, looking in concern at the snow-haired girl, who was rubbing her head as she stood up.
"Tsubasa-san...I'm trying to get away from them…they have to be chasing me down…" the Ichaival wielder said, taking the offered hand to help pull herself up. This caused Tsubasa's eyebrow to rise in confusion, as Chris was supposed to be helping with setting up the auditorium for the festival.
"Weren't you supposed to be helping with getting the auditorium ready to go for the festival tomorrow? I know that your class was supposed to be ahead of schedule," the blue-haired girl spoke as she started to pick up the posters that she had dropped. As she did so, Chris nodded before looking over her shoulder to check if she was being followed.
"Yeah…we finished up setting the auditorium up, but then they asked if I wanted to go out for dinner afterwards. I just don't think it's something that is worth doing, not with those 'Finé' guys still out there running around. Who knows when we could get called upon to go on another mission?" the younger girl said, before noticing who the artist on the poster was. "I see that you were able to replace your own appearance, Tsubasa-san?" she asked, pointing at the poster in Tsubasa's hand, which displayed the newly-revealed "Sora" as the special guest artist.
"Yeah…I'm lucky that I was asked to be Sora's assistant manager, so I was able to try to pull some strings to help out with this," the bluenette said, picking up the last poster and tossing it to Chris before turning to head towards the Campus Center on the east side of campus. "Would you mind coming to help out, Chris? I could use an extra set of hands."
As much as Chris wanted to decline, she found the answer taken out of her hands when her arm was grabbed by the forceful arm of the bluenette, who started to walk towards the campus center, dragging the younger girl the whole way.
-SotHR-
"Tsubasa-san, be honest with me, will you? Sora…she's Hibiki, isn't she," the snow-haired girl asked as she finished hanging the poster from the bulletin board in the hallway leading to the school cafeteria. The girls had arrived fairly quickly at the campus center, and had been hanging up posters for the past half hour or so. The bluenette's expression softened, before she turned from the poster she was hanging near the cafeteria doors and nodded.
"Yeah….Chris, it's her," she replied, before walking over to the snow-haired symphogear wielder and looking her dead in the eye. "As much as I don't agree with how she's keeping her return secret from Miku-san, or even avoiding Genjurou-Taichou, I can see why she's doing it," she said, her face serious.
"Tsubasa-san, why did she take so long to come back? She seems so…different. Whereas she was a ball of energy before, now she just feels so intense, so resolved…it's almost nothing like the idiot that I remember from two years ago," the younger girl said, her heart racing at the news while the images from the battle on top of the train re-entered her mind.
While Tsubasa started to formulate an answer, she was saved from having to give one by both girls' phones buzzing. As they looked at their text messages, they looked at each other and nodded. It appeared as though they may have finally found an opportunity to end things with 'Finé'.
"Chris, get ready to go. I'll tell Hibiki about this…" Tsubasa said, before running off towards the auditorium. As she did, the snow-haired Symphogear-wielder looked after her, her face contorting into a frown. For some reason, the news that Sora was really Hibiki had sent her heart racing, and Chris wasn't sure why. She shook her head before taking off towards the gates of the academy, trying to focus her mind as she ran.
'I don't have time to be thinking about what's going on with me now…finally, time to get some payback on that BITCH for what she did to Tsubasa-san and to Hibiki…'
Lydian Music Academy, Tachibana Memorial Auditorium, 1 week after S2CA Event
It felt weird for Tachibana Hibiki to be back on campus at what appeared to be a new Lydian, standing on the stage in an auditorium named after herself. After all, she hadn't actually died. However, that wasn't exactly public knowledge, and as she stood there looking at the small auditorium's rows of seats, she felt a certain amount of excitement flow through her. For as nervous as she was to be announced, Hibiki was excited about the next day's performance, especially with where it was to be located.
"Tomorrow's the day…tomorrow I make my debut, even if only to a small number of people. I should feel nervous about it…but, maybe because it's here, it won't be that bad…" she whispered, taking in the completed setup of the acoustics in the room. Suddenly the sound of a door opening was heard, causing Hibiki to snap out of her musings.
"Who's there?" she asked, as a familiar form entered the auditorium while she placed her Sora mask over her face. She would quickly get a reply.
"Oh? Someone's here," the voice of one Kohinata Miku spoke as she walked towards the stage, flashlight in hand. The green-haired girl approached the stage before noticing who was there. "Ah…Sora, was it? Why are you still here?"
'Miku…why are you here? I thought the auditorium was closed off at this hour,' Hibiki thought, her mind racing as a small smile came to her face. Miku had been one of the people that the redhead had missed the most while she was away, but was also one of the people that Hibiki wanted to protect the most. 'I'm glad to see that you're okay…still, I can't reveal who I am yet…' she thought, as the schoolgirl began to speak.
"You know, I can't help but have this feeling that I've met you before. Sora, do I know you from somewhere?" she asked, her head tilted to one side inquisitively. At this, Hibiki's eyes widened. 'She couldn't have figured it out already…did she see me at the concert? If she did, then she could be in serious danger. But still…is it really right for me to keep my being alive a secret from Miku, even after all this time?' Her thoughts racing, Hibiki frowned outwardly, before slowly taking a breath and starting to formulate an answer.
"I don't believe so…I don't think I've ever met you before. Can I ask your name?" Hibiki asked, trying to mask any sense of familiarity she may have had. However, before Miku could answer, a buzzing sound was heard. "It's mine," the red-haired Gungnir wielder said, pulling out her phone from her pocket and seeing a new text message from Tsubasa.
'Found Finé HQ. Location below. Meet us there.-Tsubasa'
"Miku…Kohinata Miku," Hibiki heard the green-haired girl state, as she looked up from her phone and put it away.
"Alright then, Miku-san. While I'd be happy to stay and talk more, I just got word from work that I need to get back to the studio for a final recording before tomorrow. Maybe we could talk again later?" the redhead asked, before walking up the steps towards the exit of the auditorium.
"I'd…be happy to do that, Sora-san," Miku said, looking at the retreating back of the singer, who nodded before exiting the building quickly and walking briskly towards her parked motorcycle and placing her helmet over her head.
'I'm sorry, Miku. I'm sorry I had to lie to you again. However, I won't let you, Chris, or Tsubasa-san get hurt. I won't let anyone else I care about get hurt,' she thought, starting up the racing bike and guiding it out of the school before accelerating it quickly, her destination very clear.
"Maria…maybe tonight we can end this argument of ours, once and for all…"
Outside Abandoned Hospital, Tokyo Outskirts, 1 week after S2CA event
"She's late, Tsubasa-san. That idiot is late again. Some things just don't change, do they?" Chris said, arms crossed as she waited outside the abandoned hospital. They had gotten to the location of the Finé group's headquarters about an hour beforehand, and were awaiting the arrival of the Gungnir wielder eagerly. Their mission from the 2nd Division was simple: get in and take down the paramilitary organization Finé, hopefully recovering the missing Staff of Solomon at the same time. However, it seemed as though the final member of the plan was running late.
"I'm very well aware of that, Chris-san. However, we shouldn't go in without her. Genjurou-taichou thinks that if this is their base of operations, we'll need all the firepower we can get," the bluenette said, before the whine of a motorcycle's engine got her attention, as well as that of Chris. Before long, they saw the orange and black Suzuki-based bike come to a stop, its rider parking the vehicle and removing her helmet.
"Sorry I'm late Chris, Tsubasa-san. I had an interesting conversation earlier…" Hibiki said, her orange and white racing jacket reflecting eerily in the moonlight. This got Chris' attention; before she knew it, she saw Tsubasa's hand in her face, trying to get her attention.
"Earth to Chris-san…you in there, Chris-san?" the bluenette said with a sly look on her face, as Chris snapped to attention, a blush spreading over her face at what she had been staring at. "Something got your attention?"
"Ah…yeah, sorry about that…" she said quietly, before regaining her composure and getting a focused look. 'I don't know why I was staring…it's not like I haven't seen Hibiki on a motorcycle before,' she thought. Luckily for her, before Tsubasa could say anything further, the earpiece in her ear buzzed.
"I'm sorry for calling you two out on a school night, but be ready to end this tonight. We have every reason to believe that Finé's Headquarters are in this building. Be ready for anything, and above all else, be careful girls," the voice of Kazanari Genjurou came over the earpiece, as Tsubasa and Hibiki immediately became focused.
"They don't need to apologize to us. As warriors, this is what we do. We have to protect those who can't protect themselves," Tsubasa says quietly, looking at the others with a calm resolve in her eyes. Hibiki and Chris nodded in response to this, the former responding.
"Yeah…I won't let anyone else get hurt. I won't back down now. Not anymore," the redhead spoke quietly, her fist clenching as a burning resolve appeared in her eyes, before Chris nodded, a focused look emerging onto her face.
"Yeah…I don't care where they are in there, we'll drag them out if we have to," the snow-haired girl said, before the trio ran towards the abandoned building's entrance. 'Tonight, that BITCH Maria will pay for what she did…' she thought, hopping over the small fence before they slowed down and entered the dreary structure.
Inside Abandoned Hospital, Tokyo Outskirts
'I don't like the look of this…it almost seems too easy…' Tsubasa thought, as the trio walked through the halls of the older hospital. They had been inside the building for about ten minutes, and while they knew that it was an older building with no one there besides the Finé organization, they had still expected to run into some level of opposition. However, none of the trio noticed that they were still being watched.
"Well, welcome to my web, says the spider to the fly. Now, how to give them a warm welcome," Doctor Ver stated, before reaching down and pressing a button on the keyboard in front of him. Upon doing so, a red gas was released into the hospital, expanding over the floors and filling the air. 'This Anti-Linker that I have developed…let's see how well you all handle this. Even you, Tachibana Hibiki, should have trouble with this…'
It didn't take long for the trio of Symphogear wielders to notice the change in the appearance of the floor they were on. As they poked their heads around the corner of the hallway, Hibiki, Chris, and Tsubasa all could feel a subtle shift in the air.
"This place really feels like an abandoned hospital now, doesn't it?" Hibiki said, a subtle smirk on her face as she spoke. "The air feels heavy all of a sudden…something just doesn't feel right about this…"
Tsubasa nodded in agreement, looking down the hallway as a lookout. Chris, however, was lost in thought, both about the redhead and her earlier actions, as well as about something that had been bothering her since the attack on the military base just over a week ago.
'Could it be that these guys had something to do with the Staff of Solomon going missing? Hibiki…was this part of the reason you didn't stay with us for all this time? You just seem so different…so much more determined, so much more focused…what's the missing piece here?' she thought, only to be shaken from her thoughts by Tsubasa's voice.
"They come," she said, her eyes sharply focused towards the opposite end of the hallway where a number of Noise had appeared, walking towards the trio. Reaching to pull their respective relic necklaces out, the Symphogear wielders shared a look and a nod, before starting to sing.
"Balwisyall Nescell Gungnir Tron…"
"Killiter Ichaival Tron…"
"Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri Tron…"
Three flashes of light later, the Symphogear wilders stood clad in their respective Symphogear, before Tsubasa dashed forwards, blade drawn and ready. As she attempted to close ground with Hibiki not far behind, Chris called out her twin energy crossbows, converting them quickly into her twin-barreled Gatlings.
"You bastards are getting in my way…Billion Maiden!" she called out, firing rapidly into the horde of approaching noise, apparently mowing a large number of them down as Hibiki landed nearby. "I knew it…these noise…they're being controlled. That can only mean one thing…" Chris growled, before starting to rush forwards recklessly, something that didn't go unnoticed by Tsubasa's eyes.
"Hibiki! Keep an eye on Chris! Don't let any of the Noise get near her!" the bluenette cried, a nod the only response from the Gungnir wielder as Tsubasa transformed her blade into a bigger form before swinging it to unleash an azure shockwave at the Noise in front of her. However, Tsubasa's eyes widened in surprise when some of the noise she thought were destroyed seemed to regenerate. 'What the hell?' she thought, before ducking to the side to evade a counterattack, slicing the attacking noise in half. 'Why did they not die?'
Chris, meanwhile, continued to dash forwards, relentlessly firing her energy crossbows into the horde of Noise nearby her, destroying a large number. As she landed from her latest aerial round of fire, she failed to notice a Noise sneaking up from behind her. Chris turned around, looking for her next target, finally noticing the Noise as it launched a punch…only to be interrupted by an orange blur deflecting its blow and punching the enemy right through its chest area, obliterating it and another 3 noise right behind it.
"Get the HELL away from her!" Hibiki cried out, rage filling her voice as more noise seemed to appear out of nowhere, as if drawn to her. At those words, Chris blushed heavily. 'If she didn't show up right then…Hibiki…why?' she thought, before noticing the Noise she had just finished obliterating climbing back to their feet. 'How the hell are they getting back up? I destroyed them already…' her mind thought, eyes widening in shock.
Hibiki was having similar issues with her own crowd of Noise. No matter how many she was able to destroy via punches, kicks, and other techniques, she didn't seem to be making any headway, and in fact seemed to be wearing down a little bit. 'We're not getting anywhere at this rate, and if anything, they're pushing me further away from the others…I've gotta get back to where Chris is…' she thought, before ducking under another attacking noise and delivering a quick snap kick to its back, decapitating the creature. Afterwards, she landed, panting slightly before tapping her right gauntlet, causing it to slide into a more powerful mode, a rotating pile bunker forming quickly and charging as Hibiki then punched forwards, energy waves from her punch making a gap in the crowd which she shot through.
"Why is this so tough? We've destroyed cannon-fodder noise like these so many times, this should be easy," the snow-haired Symphogear wielder panted out, with heavy exertion. Nearby, Tsubasa wasn't having much better luck either, her blade feeling heavy in her arms. 'No way…our gear output…how is it dropping?' she thought, as she leapt backwards to join her two teammates in erasing the remaining noise. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity the last of the noise seemed to evaporate.
"And stay down, damnit!" Chris said, the amount of effort exerted far more than the trio expected previously. But when they thought it was finally over, a blur seemed to move down the hallway, leaping from the shadows with its jaws extended at Hibiki.
"Hibiki! Look out!" the bluenette and white-haired girls called out, just in time as the redhead looked up and performed a counter kick to the creature's jaw, sending it spinning back down the hall. While she thought that would have worked, the unknown creature bounced back, before leaping at Chris. 'Not gonna let it do that…' Hibiki thought, sliding into the creature's path and delivering a straight punch to the unknown assailant's snout, launching it backwards once again, only to land on the ceiling this time. The creature then lunged forwards once more, only to be intercepted by Tsubasa's blade, the sword driving into its snout and launching it backwards, flipping gracefully and landing on the floor.
"What the hell? We hit it with an armed gear! How the hell is it still standing?" Chris spoke out in disbelief, as the creature looked none-the-worse for wear. Hibiki's eyes widened at Chris' words, her mind flashing back to something she had long thought defeated. 'No way…how is it here now? Didn't Serena seal that thing away?'
A round of applause snapped the redhead out of her thoughts, as a figure approached from behind the creature. The light of the room quickly shifted, revealing it to be the thought to be missing Doctor Ver.
"Doctor Ver? What is he doing here? He disappeared during the noise attack on the base…" Chris asked, shock evident in her voice as the creature walked into to the metal case on the ground next to the doctor. Once inside of the case, the case sealed itself off, laser bars forming to cover the entrance as the doctor finally finished his round of applause.
"Well, well…you're smarter than I thought you were," he began, an arrogance entering his voice as he spoke. Chris' eyes narrowed at those words, as did Hibiki's.
"This guy…all the noise attacks…"the snow-haired girl stated, eyes narrowing in anger. "You're the one behind all of this, aren't you? Answer me, you bastard!" Hibiki looked over at Chris before taking a stance that would allow her to react to any movements the quickest. However, Ver wasn't done with his monologue just yet.
"If was going to be honest with you, it was such a simple trick," he stated, pushing his glasses up his face. "When you last saw me, the Staff of Solomon wasn't even in its case. I had hidden it inside of my coat from the get go. And none of you even knew about that being the case."
"Then you controlled the Noise and pretended that they were attacking you, just so that you could steal the Staff of Solomon?" Tsubasa asked, her eyes narrowing at the scientist, who pulled the staff out of his coat before pointing it in front of the girls.
"This staff is the only thing that is capable of summoning Noise from the Treasury of Babylon while still allowing its user to control them…and I am the only one who has the right to wield it, don't you agree?" he said, summoning more noise to shield him from the Symphogear-wielders before sending the newly-summoned monsters forwards.
"Not just no, but HELL NO," Chris snapped, unable to hold in her anger any longer as Hibiki looked on in concern. At her words, her armor opened up, revealing missile racks primed to fire. "NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO USE THAT THING, NOT AFTER WHAT IT CAUSED!" she yelled, her eyes widening in pain as she fired the missiles. As they fired forth, pain wracked her body, causing her to cry out and collapse, the backlash of the explosion caused by the missiles tossing Chris like a rag-doll through the air before she was caught by Hibiki, in addition to blowing the wall out of the building.
Ver stepped through the rubble of the hospital wall nonchalantly, almost as if he had expected the explosion to happen. Before he could get very far though, he felt a sharp blade at his neck. He sighed, before raising his hands into the air.
"Give up, Ver…and return the Staff of Solomon…" Tsubasa said, her voice cold and unforgiving. She looked over to the rubble of the hallway, where Hibiki stepped out of the building, the nigh-unconscious Chris in her arms bridal-style. At her words, Ver dropped the staff of Solomon, before pointing upwards.
"While you're so concerned with that staff, you might want to try something else. After all, if what's in that cage were to escape, then who knows how many would die to satiate its hunger…" he said, a level of arrogance in his voice. Tsubasa looked up in horror to see the caged creature being carried away by a Noise.
"Damnit…" the Bluenette said, looking at Hibiki as if for confirmation of their teammate's status. All that she got in return however was a brief nod. "If we use any of our stronger attacks right now…the backfire could possibly kill us…"
"Yes…that's right, you were exposed to a wondrous thing I created called Anti-Linker, weren't you. And from the looks of it, you were exposed quite a bit…" the doctor spoke, a smirk on his face as he spoke. 'I can't keep staying here and talking to him…' Tsubasa said, torn between pursuing the creature and making sure that Ver didn't get away. Hibiki however, had other ideas.
"Tsubasa-san, go after that thing. You heard what he said; if that thing gets loose, we don't know how many deaths it will cause. You're the one who's the fastest out of all of us. I'll take care of Chris and finish things here," the redhead said, nodding encouragingly at the bluenette, who smiled before taking off in a sprint.
'With the Ame no Habakiri's mobility, I should be more than able to make up the gap between that noise and myself…' Tsubasa thought, running down the nearby bridge and making up a ton of time. Just then, she heard a voice out of her Earpiece.
"Tsubasa, just jump at the end! We've got you! Temporary Headquarters, emergency surface!" Kazanari Genjurou called. His niece nodded briefly, before leaping out at the end, her ankle armor's engines firing and allowing her to leap a second time off of the newly emerged submarine towards the noise carrying the cage.
"You won't get away!" she called, before slicing through the carrier noise and destroying it. But, before she could reach the cage as it fell, her danger sense flashed, causing her to twist to one side…just in time to dodge the potential impaling blow from the black spear thrown at where her stomach had been, causing Tsubasa to scream out as she fell into the ocean.
And as the spear hovered over the ocean, a fully Symphogear-equipped Maria landed on top of it, the creature's cage held in one arm and a downright determined look on her face. On the nearby bridge however, the doctor Ver stood at the end, Hibiki not far behind as she placed the Ichaival wielder onto her orange and black motorcycle. Ver had only one reaction to Maria's entrance, and it would send shock through the 2nd division.
"You're late… Finé."
End Chapter 5
Author's Postscript: Again, I'd like to apologize for the delay on uploading this chapter. I spent 2 of the 3 days before upload traveling to go on vacation, and I spent the day before being dragged away from the computer, but here it is. I do apologize for the length of the chapter; there was just a LOT of stuff that needed to be covered. Anyways, leave a review, and I'll see you soon with the next chapter!-ZBD15