Song of the Heart Redux (G Arc)

by zeroblackdragon15

(Story adopted from Ada1229) "Believe in the song of your heart." Finé's words on that day continue to drive Hibiki forwards. This is my view on how Symphogear G would have changed if Hibiki had been warned of the FIS' attack on the Queens of Music concert, as well as their plans for world domination. Pairings in Chapter 3; Interlude 2 uploaded 3/9/2018.

10. G Chapter 9: Behind the Curtain

Song of the Heart: Redux

Author's Notes: Welcome back to "Song of the Heart: Redux". Before we get too far in, I'd like to apologize for the lengthy delay on this chapter. Real life got in the way a bit, between Thanksgiving, setting up for the holidays and not having any time to write, and finally getting my new computer in. Then the actual holidays came around and caused another delay. However, I'm back, and we should be good to go from here; the holidays are over, so there shouldn't be any more distractions!

We're at the halfway point, and today things step up another level. Doctor Ver decided to attack Miku and friends, and it doesn't look as though Hibiki is taking it too well. Speaking of not taking things well, Miku seems to have found out about Hibiki not only being alive and well, but also seeing Chris; how does this effect Miku's mindset on things? There's a lot of answers to try to get closer to today, so let's get to it. I'd like to once more thank the author of the original "Song of the Heart", Aya1229, for allowing me to adopt her story and idea and make it into my own from there. We do have a lot to cover, so let's get started!

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 any and all pieces used belong to their artists and record labels. I did buy a copy of the single CDs that the songs are from though, so thank iTunes for most of that.

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 9: Behind the Curtain, Darkness Rises

(Last Time…)

"Doctor Ver, you're not getting away this time. I've said it before, but we're taking the Staff of Solomon back, and you're not going to stop us! I won't let that thing be out there in your hands anymore, not after what it's caused," she said, an angered tone coming into her voice as she pointed one of her crossbows directly at another group of noise. Before Ver could respond however, a low tone came from the girl standing guard in front of Miku.

"Again…yet AGAIN you put one of my important people in danger, you bastard. First you hurt Chris, then you ruin my date with Chris, and now you attack Miku? Doctor Ver…I'll make you PAY!" Hibiki cried out, left arm instinctively tapping her right gauntlet and activating it as she sprung forwards, revenge in her eyes.

Miku was in complete shock however. As she sat there on the ground, she could feel her heart almost shatter into pieces as everything fell together in her mind, the realization of what it meant leaving her cold and empty inside. 'I knew it…I don't know how, but I knew it…' she thought, tears coming to her eyes as she looked at the Redhead close ground on the insane doctor.

"Hibiki…Why didn't you tell me?"

Tokyo, Shinjuku, Near Restaurant 'Flower'

Kohinata Miku sat, tears brimming in her eyes as she stared ahead of her. Racing forwards, scarf fluttering in the wind as she ran, was someone that the forest green haired girl had thought she would never see again.

"Hibiki…you were alive this whole time…but why didn't you say anything?" she whispered, the tears she was fighting to hold in starting to stream down her face. As she watched, the aforementioned redhead entered combat with the freshly-summoned wave of Noise nearby, seemingly dancing through the creatures and destroying them as she battered them with a series of powerful punches and kicks. 'She's changed so much…and yet I still love her. Did I miss my chance again?' Miku thought, her thoughts turning towards the redhead fighting in front of her eyes. As she watched in amazement however, Miku was snapped from her thoughts by the voice of her other rescuer, someone who had also played a part in her mood for the day.

"Miku, you've gotta move!" Yukine Chris cried out, firing a round of energy arrows into a group of Noise that had tried to approach the green-haired schoolgirl from a nearby alleyway. After the approaching monsters were destroyed, the Ichaival wielder rushed over to the green haired girl, offering her hand to help her roommate stand. "Miku…look, I'm sorry. I wanted for both of us to tell you sooner, I just-"

"Don't talk to me, Chris," Miku said, her voice suddenly taking on a harsh tone as she looked away from the snow-haired girl, her emotions going from sadness and shock to frustration and anger. Her words getting no clear reaction from her roommate, the green-haired girl stood, before turning a fiery glare on Chris, one that was only accented by the tears streaming from her eyes. "Why? Why didn't either of you try to tell me? Is Tsubasa-san in on this too? How long have both of you known? You KNOW that I love her, damnit! So why…why the HELL did you take her from me?"

2nd Division Temporary Headquarters, Bridge

Shock echoed throughout the room as the staff members on the bridge looked on. Sure, most everyone on the bridge knew about Miku's feelings for Hibiki, but none of them expected this level of anger from the green haired girl. Even Kazanari Genjurou looked stunned at the initial outburst from the normally mild-mannered schoolgirl. Shaking himself from his stupor quickly, the commander of the 2nd Division took action.

"What are you all doing just sitting there and gawking? Now isn't the time to be worrying about Kohinata-san's mood! Get my niece on the line! Why isn't she there with the other two? And what is the status report on our agents who are still out there? Come on people, we've got a job to do," Genjurou said, his voice snapping into commander mode and causing the staff members on the bridge to leap into action. As the status reports came in onto his screen, the red-haired martial artist sighed. 'Still…I have to wonder if Hibiki not telling Miku that she was alive was really the right thing for her to do. It looks as though it wasn't,' he thought, arms crossed as he waited for his niece to check in with the base. 'If Chris and Hibiki aren't careful, they could cause Kohinata-san irreversible damage. She may not be an active combatant, but she's a part of this team, and therefore she's my responsibility.' He would be shaken out of his thoughts by a beeping on his screen. Looking up and seeing that it was Tsubasa calling in, Genjurou spoke once more.

"Put her through to my screen directly," he ordered, one of the crew on the bridge executing flawlessly as the bluenette appeared on Genjurou's screen. "Tsubasa, we've got a situation on our hands right now. How quickly can you get to Shinjuku south station?"

"Already on my way. Are Hibiki and Chris on their way as well?" Tsubasa asked, voice inquisitive as she spoke. Nodding, Genjurou began his reply.

"They're already there, and that's part of the problem. Kohinata-san is there as well, and the cat's out of the bag. Hibiki stepped in and saved her from an attacking Noise at the last second, and now we've got a bit of a problem on our hands. I need you to get there and provide backup for both Hibiki and Chris."

"Understood. Is Ver there as well?"

"Appears so. We might have the chance to end this here, Tsubasa. We can't let him slip away from us this time," Genjurou said, noting his niece becoming more serious as they talked. "Be careful, Tsubasa."

Tokyo, Shinjuku, Near Galactic Records Japan Headquarters

"Right," The bluenette said, as she ended the call. After doing so, she revved the engine on her own motorcycle, before shooting off towards the aforementioned station. As she raced through the streets, the bluenette's thoughts raced towards the implications of how Miku had found out.

'Since Miku knows now, then it could go one of two ways. Either she'll be really happy, or she knows about Chris and Hibiki. If it's the latter, then she'll be crushed. Hibiki…did I make a mistake in allowing you to not tell Miku sooner? And if Ver attacked her…just don't do anything stupid, Hibiki. Let Chris protect you, just like you're protecting her and Miku,' the bluenette thought, her thoughts racing as fast as her motorcycle as she weaved in and out of traffic with just one destination in mind.

Tokyo, Shinjuku, Near Restaurant 'Flower'

Tachibana Hibiki was not in a very good mood. What had started off as a great afternoon for her had suddenly gone south, and there was only one person who she could see as responsible. 'Damn you, Ver…You aren't getting away this time! First you attacked Chris and Tsubasa-san with the Nephilim, and now you not only interrupted Chris and I's date, but also attacked Miku? I can't forgive you for this,' she thought, as she closed the ground between her and the group of noise in front of her. She quickly reached the lead noise of the group, her right gauntlet crackling with power as her fist connected with the creature, obliterating it immediately. Stepping backwards into a stance, the redhead glared at the group of Noise in front of her, the Doctor in control of the Noise behind it and backing away quickly.

"Get out of my way!" Hibiki cried, as the noise surrounded her quickly. Dodging as one noise streaked at her, the redhead spun around, launching a snap kick into where the face would be on another noise, causing it to crumble as she then slid to the right slightly, blocking another attack. Quickly punching the offending noise, she stepped backwards, almost dancing to avoid another pair of noise's attacks as she then stepped in and countered, elbowing one noise and kicking another, decapitating it.

Doctor Ver was not pleased at this development. While he had expected the Redhead advancing through the Noise in front of her, he hadn't expected it to be this quickly. Face marked by a scowl while cradling the still-beating Nephilim's Heart under his left arm, he began to speak.

"You always show up at the worst possible times for me and always end up ruining my plans! Damn you, Tachibana Hibiki!" the mad scientist called, raising the Staff of Solomon into the air and summoning forth even more noise to the area. 'Maybe if I increase the numbers she'll wear down? Her strength…it's incredible. She doesn't have the fragments inside of her anymore, so how is she this strong?' he thought, eyes wide in desperation as he looked around the area, looking for something to take the pressure off of himself.

"You can summon all the noise you want, Doctor Ver. But it won't matter," Hibiki called out, stepping into the crowd and delivering a swift punch to one noise while raising her left arm to block another. She then proceeded to seemingly dance through the crown of noise, dodging attacks while countering with punches and kicks of her own. "I told you already. I'm going make you pay for what you've done. I won't let you hurt Chris or Miku any more than you already have, Ver!"

At her words, Ver's eyes widened as an idea sprang to mind. 'So that's what's setting her off, is it? Well then…let's see what she can do if she can't get there to them!' he thought, summoning additional Noise to the area. Directing some of them to join the group that the Gungnir wielder was fighting her way through, he then sent the rest of the noise around the melee, aimed to attack the snow-haired Ichaival wielder as well as the forest green-haired schoolgirl. His efforts didn't go unnoticed, as Hibiki's eyes widened.

"Shit…Ver, you bastard!" the redhead called out, moving to increase her pace as she continued to fight her way past Noise after Noise, destroying the creatures seemingly effortlessly as she went. Looking back at where her girlfriend stood, she finally let out a sigh of relief as she saw Chris shoot down some of the noise that had gotten past her. 'Chris, be careful. Keep Miku safe…I can't lose either of you…'

-SotHR-

Yukine Chris frowned as she shot down a trio of Noise that had gotten past Hibiki. Quickly calling forth another trio of energy arrows, she took aim at another small group of Noise that dived in from above, before blasting them out of the sky. 'Damnit…There's just so many of them. Hibiki…don't do anything reckless. I don't think I could take it if something happened to you,' she thought, quickly summoning more arrows to her crossbows. As she did so however, an angry voice shook her from her thoughts of the redhead up ahead.

"Damnit Chris, answer me! Why the hell did you take Hibiki away from me?" Miku cried out, anger seeping into her voice as she spoke. Chris looked quickly over her shoulder at her roommate, before responding as she destroyed another trio of Noise.

"Miku, is this really the time for this conversation? I understand that you're hurting, and I'm sorry that we kept it from you. But at the same time, is this something we need to talk about while we're in the middle of a battlefield?" the Ichaival wielder spoke, her voice betraying her feelings about being accused by her roommate. 'Miku…I didn't take Hibiki from you…I've fallen for her, and she's done the same for me…' she thought, a brief flash of pain rushing through her as she looked back at Miku's angered face. 'But then why the hell does it hurt me to see you like this, Miku?'

"Then what other time is there? For all I know, you're going to go running off with her again after we're done here! What other time is there to have this conversation?" Miku countered, the tears having stopped falling, replaced by a bitter anger.

"Damnit Miku, now isn't the time! We'll talk about this later, but if you keep insisting on talking about this, there might not BE a later for us to talk about this," Chris snapped back, before turning her attention back to the battle at hand as she transformed her crossbows into her double barreled Gatlings. "Just get the others to safety and we'll talk about this later on! For now, let Hibiki and I handle these bastards! Billion Maiden!" she said, opening fire and raining bullets on the approaching noise. Looking ahead, she saw Hibiki finally beginning to destroy the final remnants of the group of noise between herself and Doctor Ver. 'Hibiki…be careful. Don't be too reckless…' Ichaival's wielder thought as she continued to fire on the noise that approached her and her roommate.

-SotHR-

The final noise of the group crumbled to dust, revealing a slightly panting Hibiki with her fist extended in a punch. Behind her laid pile after pile of ash, the remains of the other Noise who had gotten in her way. 'Will Ver stop summoning these noise already?' Hibiki thought, an annoyed look coming onto her face as another group of Noise appeared in a flash of green light in front of her.

"I've had enough of this game, Ver," the redhead spat out, her eyes an angered glare at the mad scientist. Reaching over and fully activating her right gauntlet and causing it to crackle with energy, she leapt into the air, the rockets in her lower back armor firing her down towards the middle of the group of noise. Not hesitating even for a moment, Gungnir's wielder punched the street below, releasing a shockwave of raw power in all directions, wiping the group of noise out entirely and causing a smoke cloud to rise into the sky in the process. Standing quickly as the smoke dispersed, the redhead watched as the Noise that were impacted crumbled, leaving her way clear to the Doctor. Her right arm pulled up and ready to punch at full power again, Hibiki began to speak, anger simmering within her voice. "You're through, you bastard. Hand over the staff and come quietly."

"I won't do that…" Ver growled out, fear eminent in his eyes at the ease with which the redhead had dispatched any noise that he had sent at her. 'Damn her…between her and the other two, they're always getting in my way…' he thought, raising the Staff of Solomon once more and summoning another group of noise, even as he backed away. "Always, always, always, always…"

"More of this, Ver? I've had enough. I'm ending this right now, and you're not getting away!" Hibiki cried out, crouching low and raising her fist once more, her right gauntlet crackling with a brilliant orange lightning. After what seemed like an eternity to Ver, she sprang forwards, the rocket engine in her fully activated gauntlet igniting and pushing the redhead forwards like a missile. Within mere seconds, any noise that was unfortunate enough to be in the redhead's way was obliterated, with others nearby not escaping either. But as the redhead closed in, she found her fist's path interrupted by a disc that appeared in her way. "A shield? No, that's not what this is…" the Gungnir wielder spoke, eyes widening briefly in surprise before she realized just who had interfered.

"I see you figured it out…it's not a shield, it's a saw," Shirabe said, straining against the redhead's fist even though she was being supported. "My Shul Shagana is far more versatile than its appearance would lead you to believe, Tachibana-san. But you would know that, wouldn't you?" the smaller girl said, even as she struggled to hold the older girl's attack back.

"Even with your Saw being able to be a shield and the two of us at full power, we're still not having much luck holding her back Shirabe-chan," Kirika said, both arms supporting the Shul Shagana wielder as they both struggled against the force of the older Symphogear wielder. "We can't hold her back much longer!"

"Gomen, Kiri-chan…the heels on Shul Shagana aren't the best in the world for this type of thing," Shirabe said, as an idea sprang to mind. Nodding at the blonde behind her, the twin-ponytailed girl manipulated the angle of her saw which was blocking the Gungnir wielder's attack, before leaping to her left, allowing Ver, Kirika, and herself to avoid the punch as the redhead flew by. Quickly deactivating her gauntlet in mid-air, Hibiki turned around, before skidding to a stop further down the road. Looking up, the redhead frowned before beginning to speak.

"Shirabe, Kirika…are you two really going to defend this bastard? It was HIS pet the Nephilim that directly led to Serena's death! How can you possibly protect him? Tell me!" Hibiki called out, frustration evident in her voice at the sudden turn of events. 'Damnit…I don't understand them! How can they possibly protect him after what his pet was responsible for? It doesn't make sense!' she thought, eyes narrowing in determination as she awaited the younger duo's reply. The reply wasn't immediate however, as Shirabe and Kirika both hesitated, something that didn't go unnoticed by the older girl.

"Tachibana-san, while I understand your anger at what Ver has done, and if I was in your shoes I'd feel the same way, I still can't let you capture him. We still have a need of him, and while I don't necessarily agree with his actions, I can't allow you to capture the doctor. Not when mom needs him for her to get better," Shirabe said, standing in a defensive guard in front of the Doctor, who smirked at these remarks.

"Ah…So you came here to rescue me for your dear mother? Well isn't that nice of the two of you? I take it that she's had another relapse?" Ver asked, a semi-concerned tone in his voice. His thoughts were completely different however. 'This is the break I need. With Tachibana being occupied by these two, I can go after the red brat and her schoolgirl friend…although, from the looks of it, they aren't getting along too well right now. Maybe I can use this to my advantage…' he thought, struggling to suppress the evil grin that he had inside as he turned to focus on Miku and Chris.

"Yeah…Mom had a relapse last night, and while we have her stabilized, we can't treat her. You're the only one who can help her, Doctor, so we have to get you out of here," Kirika said, her grip on Igalima's scythe tightening as she spoke. 'Hibiki-san's so strong…and while I don't like what this guy has been doing, we need him. But can we really beat Hibiki-san without Maria? I don't know, but we have to at least TRY to hold her off until the stealth airplane gets here…' the blonde thought, as she stepped forwards, preparing to join in battle.

'Their body language…Kirika, Shirabe, why are you hesitating? What changed? What do you mean that you don't have any other choice because of how Nastassja is? What's happened to her?' Hibiki thought, her eyes noting how the younger girls were acting. 'I can't hold back though. This is our best chance to capture that bastard, and if I have to go through the two of you to do it, then so be it!' she finished, as she slid into a ready stance while she awaited the younger duo to make the first move. Moments later, the younger duo sprang forwards, blurs of pink and green rushing forwards to meet the older redhead in battle. Their fight had finally begun.

-SotHR-

'Damnit…I can't just let Hibiki fight them on her own…but, at the same time I can't just leave Miku and the others here,' Chris thought as she took aim at another group of Noise that tried to approach her. Eyes narrowed, the snow-haired girl open fire, quickly decimating the enemy group before they could approach. Taking a moment to look over her shoulder at the clearly angry Miku, Chris felt her heart ache. 'I didn't mean for it to happen like this…I was going to tell Miku about Hibiki and I being together after I got home tonight. But for her to find out like this…damnit, we both screwed up, and Miku's heart is paying the price…'

Returning her focus out in front of her, the Ichaival wielder frowned in determination. 'With Hibiki tied up in combat against those two, I have to find some way to help her. But how? Hibiki and I…we have each other's backs now. I swore to myself that I would protect her, just like she would me…but she also asked me to protect Miku. She's trusting me with this…what do I do?' As she watched the ongoing battle unfolding behind Doctor Ver, Chris' focus was drawn away from it by her roommate's voice.

"Damnit Chris, stop ducking the question! Hibiki was my best friend, and you fucking KNEW that I loved her! So then WHY THE HELL DID YOU TAKE HER FROM ME?" Miku asked, a clearly accusatory tone having entered into her voice alongside the rage she was feeling. The words that she had spoken had caused even her friends to be caught off guard; all 3 of them stood there, looks of shock written all over their faces as they listened to the green-haired girl's anger.

"Miku…I…" Chris began, quickly looking back towards where Hibiki was fighting as Ver summoned another big wave of Noise to send at the snow-haired girl. Raising her Gatlings towards the noise once more and opening fire, she continued to speak. "Miku, listen to me for a minute, will you? I care too much about you as a friend to EVER take Hibiki from you, you should know that!" Leaping backwards to create more space between herself and the oncoming Noise, Chris called forth a rack of missiles on each side from her waist armor. "I can't help it though. I can't help what my heart feels, I can't help what I feel. Damnit Miku, I've fallen in love with Hibiki, and I truly care about her. Just try to understand that!" she said, her words stunning the forest green-haired girl before launching her mini-missiles towards the onrushing tide of Noise, destroying most but not all. 'Shit…I missed some…no time to counterattack right now…Damnit…'

Just then the sound of a high-pitched whine tore through the air, causing Chris to visibly sigh in relief while simultaneously causing Miku to snap out of her silence. Racing from around the nearby corner, a blue racing motorcycle appeared as its rider began to sing.

-Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri Tron…-

An azure glow surrounded the bluenette as she transformed, before leaping from her bike as it crashed into a noise, destroying it along with itself. However, that wasn't what was on Tsubasa's mind, as she immediately focused in on her real target; the Noise that Chris had missed with her missiles.

"Back off! One Thousand Tears!" the bluenette called out, as a number of energy swords appeared around her, raining down to the ground and destroying the remaining noise that were summoned forth. Landing quietly, the bluenette stared out towards the crazed scientist as well as to the fight taking place beyond him. "Looks like I made it just in time. Miku-san, why haven't you gotten to a shelter yet?" Tsubasa asked, an inquisitive tone to her voice. 'Damnit…Is Hibiki really trying to take on both of them at once?' she thought, her eyes narrowed as she stood with an eye on the fight going on. 'Damnit…She's being reckless again. I know she and I had talked about letting us protect her…to let us watch her back just like she does ours…Hibiki, you have to stop doing this to yourself…'

"I know we're supposed to be in a shelter, Tsubasa-san…but I have to talk about something important with Chris, and it's something that NEEDS to be discussed. Chris, what about MY feelings? I hear what you're saying about your own, but don't I have a right to know as well? I thought I deserve that right, damnit!"

"Miku…it's like I said earlier, this isn't the best place to talk about this!" the snow-haired girl spoke, her eyes focusing on yet another group of noise summoned by the Doctor. "It really wasn't my place to say anyways. I just…I didn't want you to get hurt again. Not after what happened two years ago…" Chris' voice trailed off, her body language clearly showing that she wanted to end the conversation as quickly as possible. 'It's so hard to say this to Miku…I can't help but feel hurt by what's going on…but why? I love Hibiki…why does it hurt so much to try to tell Miku about this?'

-SotHR-

Hibiki, meanwhile, was encountering some trouble of her own. Shirabe and Kirika had kept her primarily on the defensive so far, the rhythm of their combination attacks keeping the older girl off balance. 'They've gotten a lot better since the last time we fought. Still, I can't keep wasting time with them, not with Miku still in danger along with Chris,' she thought as she ducked under a saw attack that had been aimed for where her head was at, only to step into an overhead scythe swing by the Igalima wielder. Raising her left arm to deflect the scythe by its pole, she stepped forwards, landing an open-palm strike to Kirika's chest that sent her skidding back a few feet before dropping down and using a sweep kick to try to take out Shirabe's feet from under her. While it didn't work, it did get the twin-ponytailed girl to back off a bit, giving Hibiki some extra breathing room.

"You two…You've gotten a lot better since the last time you and I went two against one. Wasn't the last sparring session we had almost two years ago?" the Gungnir wielder asked, sliding into a relaxed stance while her focused look never wavered. "We never got to finish that fight, did we?"

"No, we never did, did we?" Kirika said, one arm almost instinctively grabbing where the open palmed strike had landed. 'She's faster than she was then, too. Not only that, but if the way she's fighting is any indication, she's learned a lot more since then. Hibiki-san…you're definitely better than you were. Too bad that Shirabe and I have to fight you like this…' the blonde thought, grabbing her scythe with both hands and preparing her next move.

"While we didn't get to finish that fight, that doesn't mean that we didn't continue to push ourselves. I won't let you capture the doctor, not when we still need him," Shirabe said, nodding in agreement as she fired up her saws once more. 'Tachibana-san…if what you said earlier is true, that the Nephilim was what killed Serena…then it goes against everything that I've convinced myself of. Was I really in the wrong about you this whole time?' Shul Shagana's wielder thought, as she prepared to begin their assault once more.

"You two…Even though I'm sure you have your reasons, the fact remains that you're in my way right now. I won't hold back. And if putting an end to things with Ver means having to go through you in order to do so, then that's just what I'll do. I won't let you stop me from putting an end to that bastard's game," Hibiki said, before springing forwards, leading with an overhead axe kick downwards towards Kirika's head which the scythe wielder blocked with the shaft of her scythe. Not to be denied so easily, the redhead quickly twisted herself over in midair, her skirt's armor firing to add extra speed to the mid-air spin kick she followed up with, causing Kirika to roll to the side to avoid the kick. Landing on her feet, the redhead leaned backwards, deftly avoiding the saw blade sweeping over her once more.

"You're going to have to do a lot better than that!" Hibiki said, quickly launching a punch towards Shirabe's midsection which was dodged. Before she could follow up with another attack however, the redhead was forced to perform a back handspring as a pair of spinning scythe blades from Kirika's Kill Juliet attack came flying in, giving Shirabe additional space.

"You think that we'll just let you take the doctor away? We can't just do that, Hibiki-san!" Kirika called, before charging in close to the redhead, her scythe swinging in diagonally towards her midsection. Hibiki said nothing however, before stepping in closer to the blonde and launching a trio of brutal punches straight to Kirika's midsection, sending her flying backwards towards a nearby storefront and into the nearby wall, knocking the wind out of the younger girl. Before she could make a move to try to get back towards the location of her girlfriend and former roommate though, a barrage of magenta discs flew in, causing Hibiki to leap to her left, avoiding the discs. Before she knew it, another saw disc came flying towards her head. 'Shit, no time to dodge…' she thought as she landed, spinning into a counter kick that deflected the saw blade back to its source, who re-attached it to her Symphogear.

"Damn…almost had her…" Shirabe said, a scowl coming across her face as she spoke. "Still, at least I bought us some time…Kiri-chan, are you okay?"

"Ugh…man, that hurt. Her speed and power…it's like it's on a whole other level now. Where's mom and our ride at, anyways? We can't keep holding Hibiki-san off forever, you know."

"Yeah…we may have to be ready to get an alternate route, Kiri-chan. But for now, we have to do the best we can." Shirabe said, a small scowl coming across her face. 'Tachibana-san…if Ver really was responsible for what happened to Serena, even indirectly…and with how he attacked that snow-haired girl you seem attached to...I can't blame you for being absolutely furious at him. I couldn't have been wrong about you, could I?' she thought, before returning her focus to the fight in front of her, the silent redhead glaring right at the younger duo before beginning to speak.

"I'm sorry for what I have to do, Kirika, Shirabe. I'm sorry that I have to end this fight now," Hibiki said, sliding into a more aggressive stance than she had been previously. "I can't let you stop me from putting an end to Ver's sick little game any longer."

"Tachibana-san…I already told you, as much as I disagree with his actions, I can't allow you to capture the doctor. And you're right: This fight is about to start coming to an end, one way or the other." Shirabe said, Kirika nodding alongside of her as they also prepared to attack. The stakes were now effectively raised.

-SotHR-

To say that Tsubasa was not in a good mood was an understatement. The day had been a long one with the media interviews for the launch of HIbiki's first single, and now she found herself here next to the aforementioned redhead's girlfriend and former roommate. It wasn't necessarily the best occasion however. 'Damnit…Ver keeps summoning more Noise, and we'll never get through to provide back up for Hibiki at this rate. This can't be my limit…I can't be this dull of a blade, can I?' the bluenette thought as she unleashed another azure wave of energy, obliterating more noise. Shaking her head to clear the thoughts out of her mind, she refocused in, landing into a handstand as her ankle armor revealed its blades, allowing her to perform her Reverse Rasetsu, obliterating another group of Noise.

"That's another group down…who's next?" Ame no Habakiri's wielder said, eyes darting around the street. As she saw Ver moving to summon another round of Noise while backing towards where Hibiki was fighting Shirabe and Kirika, the voice of Kohinata Miku pulled her attention away from what Ver was doing.

"Chris, stop lying to me. You and I both know that I'm strong enough to handle something like this. Damnit, you're such a god damn liar right now! This is the second god damn time today!" the green-haired girl spoke, anger and heartbreak echoing within her voice as she spoke. The words clearly had the intended effect however, as the snow-haired Ichaival wielder's eyes widened in shock. "It's the second time today that I've had my heart stepped on because of both you and Hibiki!"

"Miku, I…" was all Chris could get out before the green-haired girl cut her off.

"I saw you two this morning. I saw you when she brought you back to Lydian this morning, when you were on the steps out in front of our dorm. I saw you two kissing on the damn steps! And now there's this. Chris…Damnit, I didn't just love her, you know that?"

Both Tsubasa and Chris' eyes widened at the words, as well as what they could mean. 'No…Miku, I didn't know…' Chris thought, her heart pounding at what Miku could mean as she finished off the group of Noise she had been fighting. 'Why didn't you tell me, Miku?'

"Damnit Chris…I was falling for you. Those feelings were part of what helped me to get better over the past year. And now to see you with Hibiki…of all the people, why did it have to be her? Why did it have to be Hibiki?"

Chris felt her heart clench inside of her at those words. 'Miku…how didn't I see it…' the Ichaival wielder thought, as her eyes looked away from the green-haired girl in front of her. Even as she returned her Gatlings to their normal crossbow forms, the meaning of her roommate's words was bouncing in her head.

"Miku, I'm sorry. I…" she began to say, before a resounding slap echoed throughout the area.

"BULLSHIT! Chris, don't I deserve to be happy too? Answer me," Miku said, her hand returning to her side from where she had slapped her roommate. "Answer me, damnit!"

"You're right, Miku. You do deserve to be happy too," Chris began, her voice low as she continued to look away from her roommate, this time looking towards where her girlfriend was resuming her fight against the Shul Shagana and Igalima wielders, as well as towards another group of Noise. "But, while you deserve to be happy, don't I as well? Miku, please, you have to understand that I love Hibiki, and that I can't just deny what I feel. You of all people should know that," Chris said, a small plea coming into her voice as she spoke, causing Miku to delay her response.

'Damnit…she's right; if anyone would know that, it'd be me. But still…Hibiki was mine first…even though I never actually got around to asking her…' the green-haired girl thought, her hands clenched to her sides as she thought. Nearby, both her roommate and Tsubasa continued to fight the waves of noise that Doctor Ver continued to throw at them. 'I feel so powerless…I can't offer her the same things that Chris can…but yet at the same time, I loved her first. That has to count for something, doesn't it?' Miku continued to think as the sounds of battle echoed around her, before an urgent yell shook her out of her thoughts.

"Miku-san, you have to get moving!" Tsubasa called out, stepping in front of the younger girl and slicing another noise in half. "Leave these to us and get your friends out of here. Do you really think that either Hibiki or Chris would want you getting hurt? Let us be the sentinels here, and you can catch up with her later, Miku-san," the older girl said, looking over her shoulder to try to encourage the green-haired girl as she sliced through another noise. Nearby, Chris leapt backwards, away from the latest group of noise that she had finished destroying.

"Miku, please listen. I'm sorry we hurt you. But please, try to understand that Hibiki makes me happy, as if I can do anything when-" the snow-haired girl began, before a second resounding slap was heard. Reaching up to her face in response, Chris could feel her right cheek burning, a hand-shaped mark standing out on her face. Before she could respond, Miku began to speak.

"I don't want to hear it, Chris. I don't even want to see you right now. Just…just give me some space, okay?" the schoolgirl said, trying her hardest to constrain the anger she was feeling. Before she could continue to speak however, another large wave of Noise appeared, one even bigger than any previous wave before. Raising the katana she had summoned forth into a ready position, Tsubasa began to speak.

"Chris, we have to get through this, before Ver gets away. This might be the last chance we get to end his game, whatever it is," Ame no Habakiri's wielder spoke, as the noise seemed to prepare to charge forwards. Besides her, Ichaival's wielder nodded, before raising her guns towards the crowd ahead of them. Internally however, Chris was torn by what Miku had said. 'Hibiki…do I really deserve you? Am I really a horrible person for breaking Miku's heart twice? Do I really deserve to be happy?'

-SotHR-

Tsukuyomi Shirabe was starting to get tired, and she was sure that her partner Akatsuki Kirika was feeling the same way. 'We've given it everything we can think of, and HIbiki-san's still that much stronger,' the Shul Shagana wielder thought as she ducked out of the way of a punch aimed right at her head. Thinking quickly and darting backwards, the younger girl opened fire, launching numerous discs out of her Symphogear directly at her older opponent. 'I've gotta provide Kiri-chan the opening she needs…if we're gonna get away, we have to do something, but at least we've led Hibiki-san away from the Doctor…' she thought, continuing to fire discs rapidly at the Gungnir wielder, who continued to try to bat the discs in different directions, deflecting the majority of them while taking some hits, the discs that got through impacting the redhead's face and arms.

"Shirabe, get out of my way already! You know what the doctor's done, and what his little pet has done! We'll find a way to help Nastassja-san, I promise!" The redhead cried out, even as she continued to deflect the shower of discs being launched at her by the Shul Shagana wielder. When the younger girl shook her head, the redhead frowned, before batting another pair of discs out of the way. 'Damnit…they're just leading me further and further away from that bastard Ver and from Chris and Miku…' she thought, before racing forwards towards the younger girl.

"Shirabe, move!" Kirika cried out, leaping out of an alleyway nearby, a pair of scythes held in her hands as she raced towards the Gungnir wielder. "Twin Cutter Cinderella!" she called out, swinging both scythe blades in opposite directions diagonally at the older girl, who seemed caught off guard by the attack. 'Shit...Gotta think fast,' HIbiki thought, before an idea popped into her head as she turned towards the onrushing blonde.

Stepping towards the blades, HIbiki slid just inside the reach of the scythes before grabbing the weapons by their shafts. As the younger blonde's eyes widened in surprise, she seemed to throw the weapons to the side, before stepping closer still and side kicking the blonde towards the twin-tailed girl, sending Kirika rolling towards her friend.

"Kiri-chan! You okay?" Shirabe said, rushing over to the Igalima wielder's side as she tried to scramble to her feet as she dismissed her second scythe. Shaking her head and grabbing her side where the kick had landed, the blonde began to speak.

"Damn…I thought I had her that time. She caught me off guard there, Shirabe-chan. Sorry," Kirika said, eyes narrowing as she spoke. Besides her, the younger girl nodded in agreement before letting the blonde stand on her own. 'There's still just such a gap between Hibiki-san and the two of us…damn, what can we do?' Shirabe thought, eyes narrowing as a familiar voice made its presence known from right behind where she was standing.

"Well well…looks like you two will need my help dealing with Tachibana-san after all, won't you?" Doctor Ver's voice asked, the aforementioned redhead's eyes narrowing in barely disguised anger at his presence. "After all…if we're going to escape, all three of us, and help your mother, then you need to defeat Tachibana," he said, a vicious smirk on his face. "And I happen to have just the thing that will allow you to do so. You've worked so hard to protect me, so here's a present for the both of you." he finished, before raising his arms, a syringe filled with a green liquid in each hand. Allowing a smirk to emerge on his face, the doctor then proceeded to pull the trigger on each device, their nozzles aimed directly at Kirika and Shirabe's necks.

"AGGH!" Shirabe cried out, nearly collapsing to her knees as she felt the entrance of another dose of LINKER enter into her body. 'Damnit…what is he trying to have me do…' she thought, feeling the drug race through her veins as she continued to stand. And as the younger duo struggled to remain standing, Ver stood behind them, an evil grin on his face.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kirika asked, her hand covering the area on her neck where she was injected. "We still had plenty of time before our LINKER needed renewing," she continued, Shirabe nodding in complete agreement beside her. Unfortunately, the doctor interrupted before she could say anything further.

"And that's why I'm using it now, you two. The only way that you'll be able to defeat that bitch is tor you to fight her with more power than you currently have. And the first step to increase your power is to increase your compatibility values with your Symphogears. Your sync with them, if you understand what I'm saying."

"But that would mean that the stress from the overdose…" Shirabe trailed off, closing her eyes in sadness at the consequences of the Doctor's actions. Beside her, the blonde Igalima wielder spoke up once more, rage entering her voice.

"And why the HELL would we do that to help you? We may need you to help out mother, but why should we just sacrifice ourselves for you?"

"You will because you have no other choice! The only way for your mother to be cured of her disease is for ME to treat her, and no one else! You NEED my help, whether you want to admit it or not!" Ver continued, his eyes wide with madness. "With her condition having worsened, you have no other choice BUT to help me escape! It's my skills as a biochemist that have kept her alive, nothing else! So you have to help me escape!" he finished, before a chilling laugh erupted from his lungs, the two young Symphogear wielders glowering at the doctor in disgust. Hibiki finally spoke up, her voice barely hiding the rage she was feeling inside of her.

"Ver, you bastard," the Gungnir wielder began, her body shaking with anger as she spoke, eyes narrowed in nothing other than hatred at what the doctor had done. "While Kirika, Shirabe, and I haven't gotten along very well recently, I still won't let you get away with this! And it's also just as I said before. You are NOT getting away, not today!" she spat out, venom in her words. At this, the doctor spoke up, his face contorted into a cruel smile.

"Now now…don't be so hasty, Tachibana-san. After all, who said that these two will let you keep me from escaping? Now, Shirabe, Kirika, why not use the power that I've been so gracious to give you to go beyond your limits to save me? Your mother isn't getting any better the longer this takes, after all," Ver said, his arm pointing directly at the redhead, who reflexively slid into a defensive stance.

"Kiri-chan…We have to do it. We said that we'd bring the doctor back to help mom; we can't just back down now, can we?" Shirabe asked, a grim determination entering her features as she spoke. 'Maria…please forgive us...' she thought, as she looked at the blonde next to her, whose eyes showed doubt at the idea.

"Our zesshou? Shirabe-chan, are you sure?" Kirika asked, her eyes showing concern for her shorter friend, who nodded in confirmation. At those words, the doctor nodded, a cruel smile written on his face as he began to speak.

"Yes…sing, girls. Sing your zesshou. After all, clinical trials have proven that with a higher rate of synchronization with a Symphogear, the lesser the amount of backlash from the use of the zesshou! So sing, girls. Sing and remove that obstacle from my sight!"

At those words, Hibiki scowled, the anger written all over her face. 'But he's failing to mention that the backlash from even doing so once while on LINKER will probably kill them…Damn you, you son of a bitch. You're basically ordering Shirabe and Kirika to die!' she thought, her mind racing as pictures of what had happened to Amou Kanade after using a Zesshou sprang into her head. 'Kanade-san was on LINKER too…it's because of that that she died after using her Zesshou…'

"Damnit. I guess we have no choice!" Kirika cried out, desperation entering her eyes as she spoke. It looked like things were finally coming to a head.

-SotHR-

"When are these things going to just stop showing up already?" Chris cried out, shooting down another pair of noise with her crossbows, wiping out the last of the group she had been fighting. While she outwardly was complaining about the number of Noise that Ver had summoned forth to face her and Tsubasa, it did serve one big purpose, a distraction that was slowly coming to an end as the number of enemies shrank around her. 'Damnit…today started off as one of the best days of my life, and now it's gone to hell…' the snow-haired girl thought as she looked around her for her next targets. Finding almost none around her and the ones remaining being warded off by her bluenette counterpart, Chris began to look in the direction Hibiki had been fighting. 'Hibiki…where'd they go? Did you go after them? Don't be stupid and get yourself hurt. Please, don't be reckless. Even if I don't deserve you...it would kill me to see you get hurt again.'

A battle cry from her teammate caught Chris's attention, as Tsubasa cut down the last of the noise that had been summoned forth, her blade shimmering as the older girl shook off the ashes of the Noise she had destroyed. Looking over in the direction of the snow-haired girl as well as taking a quick glance at where Miku stood nearby, the bluenette sighed, a look of concern written on her face. 'Miku, Chris…this is all my fault for not getting Hibiki to speak up about things sooner to Miku. I should have had her do so. Some protector I am. I'm not even a sharp enough blade to stop something like this from happening…' she thought, collapsing the katana she used and putting it back into storage before speaking.

"Miku, please listen. I know you're hurting, okay? But please don't take it out on Chris. You both deserve the chance to be happy," Tsubasa said, looking towards the direction the noise had come from. "I should have had Hibiki say something sooner. I've failed to protect Miku-san's emotions…and that's my fault."

"No, Tsubasa-san…it's not your fault," Miku said, her voice barely above a whisper as she spoke, her eyes locked onto the Ichaival wielder's position as she continued to look into the distance. "I shouldn't have ever trusted Chris with my feelings for Hibiki," The green-haired girl said, her eyes glaring at the snow-haired girl, before turning to take her leave. "Just tell Chris that I want the room to myself for a little while, okay?" she said, before heading towards where her friends were waiting nearby.

-SotHR-

Hibiki's mind was racing as she tried to think of a way to get to Ver. 'Damnit…even if I get past Kirika and Shirabe, I still have to worry about doing so before they sing their Zesshou. I won't allow them to just throw their lives away like this. Ver, you son of a bitch…you'll pay for this one. Interrupting my date with Chris…then attacking Miku…now making Shirabe and Kirika basically commit suicide? It's unforgivable…' she thought, before the joint voices of the younger Symphogear users shook her from her thoughts.

-Gatrandis Babel ziggurat Edenal.

Emustolronzen Finé el Balal zizzl.

Gatrandis Babel ziggurat Edenal.

Emustolronzen Finé el zizzl.-

"Ver, you know as well as I do that a Zesshou while using LINKER will likely kill them! Are you really going to order them to their deaths?" Hibiki called out, her voice barely audible over the sounds of the song from the younger duo. Behind them, Ver stood, a psychotic grin emerging onto his face as he began to speak in reply.

"Yes…A double Zesshou, from the goddess Zababa! That is the only way for me to escape! And as long as I have this, I'll be able to keep moving the plan forwards, regardless of what happens here today!" the mad scientist responded as he began to pet the well-wrapped object in his left hand once more. Suddenly the singing stopped, as a wave of power erupted from Shirabe and Kirika, knocking both Hibiki and Ver backwards.

'I'm sorry, Hibiki-san, for what's about to happen…The Shul Shagana's zesshou is an infinite series of strikes from a spinning wheel. Even if I can't slice you into pieces, as long as I can keep you from moving any further…' Shirabe thought, her Symphogear undergoing a massive transformation to enable her to utilize her zesshou most effectively as she glowed with a bright pink aura. Besides her, Kirika continued her thoughts.

'If Hibiki-san isn't able to move to get away, then the Igalima's zesshou will cut her soul in half with a single strike. It's absolute death for the victim…I'm sorry, Hibiki-san…I don't want to kill you, but I don't have any choice. Not if I want to save mom.' The blonde thought as she spun her scythe before it transformed as well, growing bigger and changing shape.

While this was going on however, the older redhead had come to her own conclusion. 'I can't let them use their zesshou…if I do, then Maria wouldn't have any younger family left. But if I stop them from finishing, then the doctor is going to get away…damnit Ver, you son of a bitch. Your actions have put me into an impossible situation…' Hibiki thought, as her mind finally came to one possible solution. A sad smile emerging onto her face, the Gungnir wielder continued to think. 'I have no other choice…I know that Chris and Tsubasa both told me not to do anything reckless, but if I don't do this, then Kirika and Shirabe WILL die. I won't allow that to happen. I can't do that to Maria, not after just having repaired that friendship…I have no choice. I have to try the S2CA Triburst without Chris or Tsubasa. It's the only option I have right now,' she thought, before standing straight up and releasing the breath she had held in. Taking a moment to gather herself, she began to sing as well.

-Gatrandis Babel ziggurat Edenal.

Emustolronzen Finé el Balal zizzl.-

2nd Division Temporary Headquarters, Bridge

"What the hell does she think she's doing?" Kazanari Genjurou said, his words booming out over the anxious din of the bridge as Hibiki began her Zesshou. He had been watching her fight with the younger Symphogear users very closely and had not said anything, as she had been handling the situation well on her own. Now, however, the situation had changed. "Get Hibiki on the line, NOW!"

"Right away, Sir," Tomosato Aoi said, her fingers dancing across the keyboard in front of her rapidly as she spoke. Within moments, the feed to the Gungnir wielder's earpiece had been activated, along with those of both Chris and Tsubasa. "You have the floor, Commander."

"Damnit Hibiki, what the hell are you doing? I thought we told you to not do anything reckless," Genjurou spoke, his voice showing clear concern as he spoke. On his screen, he could see the energy and stress levels on the younger redhead's body rising, even as she hadn't truly begun the process in full.

"Sensei, I'm sorry, but I won't let any of my precious people get hurt. And while we may not get along like we once did, Shirabe and Kirika are still precious people to me. I can't let them just throw their lives away like this," Hibiki's voice echoed back in response, clearly feeling the strain slightly as she spoke. "Ver…that bastard, he'll pay for this, I swear."

"If you aren't careful, then your body is going to tear itself apart from this, Hibiki. Are you sure that you're willing to accept that responsibility?" Genjurou asked, his voice echoing the concern that he knew was writing itself on the faces of both Chris and Tsubasa as he spoke.

"I know the risks. Just trust me on this; it'll be fine, just fine," the redhead replied, before the feed from her earpiece cut off suddenly.

"Damnit…Tsubasa, Chris. Get to where she is, and do it NOW!" Genjurou said, before ending communications. In his mind however, he knew that the Gungnir wielder's mind was made up. 'Hibiki…just don't die on us, not after having been gone for so long. I don't want to think about how Chris, Tsubasa, and Miku would handle it if you did.'

Tokyo, Shinjuku, Near Restaurant 'Flower'

While Hibiki had been having her conversation with Genjurou, the younger duo she was up against had been watching her closely, even as they could slowly feel their increased power slipping away from them. And both girls looked on with confusion and surprise on their faces.

"What's going on? Why aren't our energy levels aren't rising enough to activate our Zesshou?" Shirabe asked, the energy fading from her as quickly as it had emerged while transforming her Symphogear back to its normal state. Nearby, Kirika had a similar reaction.

"Huh? The pressure's gone? But why? Is she stealing the energy?" she asked, her scythe transforming back to its normal state. It didn't take long for her to notice the reason standing nearby. 'What the…Hibiki-san…why? Why did you stop us?'

Hibiki was glowing a brilliant orange, her eyes determined as she finished singing her own Zesshou. 'Here goes nothing…Chris, Tsubasa, Miku, I'm sorry…' she thought, before beginning to speak.

"Set Harmonics!" the Gungnir wielder called out, before drawing in the energy from the younger girls' zesshous towards herself and immediately crying out in pain. 'Damnit…it's so much worse than last time…I can feel my body almost trying to tear itself apart…' she thought, agonizing screams breaking free from her throat as she continued to draw the energy in towards herself.

"Damn you, Tachibana Hibiki…" Ver whispered, his words low enough that he couldn't be heard by the younger duo. "I was this close to getting rid of all three of you at once. Looks like I'll have to find another plan. Still, even if it just takes you out, even by your own hands, I can consider it somewhat of a success…"

Shirabe was concerned at the screams of pain coming from the older girl in front of her while she continued to try to channel all of the energy from both Kirika's Zesshou as well as her own. 'Hibiki-san…Why are you doing this for us? Why are you trying to save us?' she thought, as the redhead in front of the younger duo struggled to maintain her footing.

"I won't let you…I won't let you use your zesshou. I won't let you die!" HIbiki spoke, her voice strained from drawing in the energy, as well as from the pain she felt herself in. 'It's ready…' she thought, as her armor opened up slightly, exposing glowing orange segments. Bringing her gauntlets together to form the weapon she had used to destroy the regenerating noise at the Queens of Music Concert, the redhead swung her arm upwards and pointed the newly-formed claw at the sky as the golden claws released from their position. 'Chris…Miku…I'm sorry…' she thought, before the energy within her Symphogear armor unleashed itself in a violent storm of rainbow-colored energy which raced towards the blue sky above.

"If we're going to go, then now's the time," Kirika said, her eyes showing concern as she tried to look away from the bright light. "There's no doubt that the other two wielders can see that light and are going to be coming to it. If we don't leave now, then we won't be able to get away!"

"Tch…fine. Let them come and find their friend. She won't be so lucky next time." Ver said, as the trio proceeded to evacuate the area. As they left however, Shirabe and Kirika both looked back at the redhead who was the source of the giant tornado of light, a look of gratitude on their faces. They knew, both of them, that they had been fortunate to escape with their lives.

-SotHR-

"HIbiki, you IDIOT! We told you not to do anything reckless," Chris shouted out after the audio feed to her earpiece ended, worry within her voice for her girlfriend's safety. Head turned in the direction she had seen the fight heading towards, she made a decision. "I can't just sit here and do nothing. I'm going after her, Tsubasa-san; I won't let her just sacrifice herself." Besides her, the bluenette nodded, before speaking up once more.

"While I agree with you, where did she go? It's not like we have a specific direction to go towards. Chris…I know you're concerned about Hibiki; it's written all over your face. But if we don't know where she is, we could end up on a wild goose chase," Tsubasa said, placing a calming hand on the Ichaival wielder's shoulder in an attempt to calm the shorter girl down. The snow-haired girl turned towards the taller girl, a sad smile on her face.

"Maybe, but it's better than doing nothing. I know you're feeling the same way inside, Tsubasa. I won't let Hibiki handle this alone. I care too much to do that. I won't lose her." Chris said, before turning to begin to run. Before she could even go ten steps however, a prismatic vortex of energy shot up above the top of the buildings, filling the sky. 'There…Hibiki…hold on!' Chris thought, before taking off in what she thought was the direction she needed to go, Tsubasa right behind. And as the duo ran towards the storm of light, one train of thought raced through Chris' mind: 'Hibiki…even if I don't deserve your feelings, I won't let go. Please be okay…I love you, so please don't get yourself killed…'

-SotHR-

Miku's friends gasped in surprise at the sight of the giant storm of rainbow-colored energy rising into the sky. And while the trio's reaction was predictable, to Miku, there could only be one thing it could be. 'No…that's gotta be Hibiki…I can't lose her, not again!' Throwing her schoolbag towards Terashima Shiori for her to catch, she turned towards the light and started running.

"Miku, wait, where are you going? It's dangerous that way!" Yumi called out from behind her, causing the green-haired girl to stop and turn. Looking at her trio of friends with a sad smile on her face, the schoolgirl began to speak.

"Hibiki's there. I don't know how I know it, but I just have this feeling that she is, and I won't let her leave me again. Not when I just found her!" She cried back, before rushing off towards the storm of light. And while her friends thought about chasing after her, they all knew that this was something that the green-haired girl had to take care of on her own.

"Hina-san…she's in pain over the fact that Chris kept it a secret. But it takes two to do so, so Hibiki-san must have done so too, right? I guess it's true: you never forget your first love," Shiori said, her voice quiet, causing both Kuriyo and Yumi to nod. "Still, it's dangerous to go that way. I hope that she knows what she's doing…"

-SotHR-

Pain wracked throughout Hibiki's body as she continued to release the energy that she had taken in via the use of her Zesshou. Still, the redhead refused to stop releasing it. 'I can't stop now…otherwise the energy left over could make it worse…' she thought, feeling the ground shatter beneath her feet and forming a crater around her in the street. While the plan had seemed so simple at first, she had known that it would be a risky one. 'I know the risks. If I use the S2CA Triburst on my own…if I don't release all the energy of Kirika and Shirabe's Zesshous, the leftover energy could tear me apart,' she thought, another pained scream erupting from her vocal cords as she could feel the energy finally running out. 'I didn't expect it to be this much though…damn you, Ver…next time I see you, you won't get away…'

Before too much longer however, the energy ran out, with the cataclysmic release of energy having done a number to the area surrounding the redhead. Lowering her arm and separating her gauntlets back into their normal state, Hibiki fell to her knees at the center of the smoldering crater, her legs giving out from the stress she had put herself under.

"Can't move…everything hurts…" she whispered to herself, barely managing to keep herself awake. 'At least I was able to keep Shirabe and Kirika from killing themselves...and I was able to protect everyone else too…' she thought, her Symphogear armor fading and returning to her relic necklace before an incoming voice caused her to smile softly before she fell forwards, the world darkening around her as she blacked out.

-SotHR-

As Miku ran towards the area she thought the tornado of light had come from, she couldn't help but notice the damage done to the area. But even that couldn't take her mind off of who she was rushing towards. 'I won't let Hibiki leave…not again…' the green-haired girl thought, her mind racing with memories of their time together in the past. 'I won't let her leave me again…not when I'm only just now finally able to see her again…'

Stopping in the deserted intersection nearby where she had thought she had seen the energy vortex coming from, Miku looked around for any sort of sign or clue as to where to go next. 'That tornado…it vanished on my way over here…Still, I can't give up. Not when I'm this close,' she thought, her eyes searching the area. It wasn't her eyes that led her in what she hoped was the correct direction, however. Rather, it was the sound of something collapsing to the ground that got her attention. 'This part of the city…it's abandoned because of the damage from the last battle against Finé. There shouldn't be anyone here…unless…' the schoolgirl thought, her eyes widening in a panic.

"Hibiki...please be okay…" she whispered, before running towards where she thought the sound had come from. Mere moments later she arrived, just in time to see the girl she considered to be her first love collapse into the crater surrounding her. Rushing over to where her former roommate's body lay unconscious in the crater she herself had created, Miku smiled softly, even as tears filled her eyes at the start. "Hibiki…please, wake up…please…" she spoke, the emotions of the day catching up to her as tears returned to her eyes. Moments later however, a familiar voice entered the area, one that caused Miku to freeze, her thoughts torn between anger and relief as Both Chris and Tsubasa entered the area.

"Miku? What are you doing here? Didn't you…oh god…" the snow-haired girl began, her eyes widening at the sight of the unconscious redhead in the crater near Miku's feet. Dismissing her Symphogear armor back to its relic pendant, Chris ran over to her girlfriend's unconscious form, before picking her upper body up off the ground and cradling the redhead close to her chest. "No…Damnit Hibiki, you baka, we all told you not to do anything reckless! Tsubasa, get the medical team out here, now!" she cried out, the concern in her voice emphasizing the urgency of the situation and causing the trailing bluenette to nod as she also dismissed her Symphogear armor. Internally, she was a mess however. 'Damnit…please, Hibiki, wake up…I should have been here with her…some girlfriend I am…I don't deserve someone like her…it's my fault she's like this, that she had to push herself like this. If I would have just finished those noise that Ver summoned sooner…' she thought, her eyes clouding up frustration.

Tsubasa was no less effected by the sight of the unconscious Hibiki. After she finished speaking with her uncle and requesting that the medical team be dispatched, she looked on at the situation, anger overcoming her features. 'Damnit…some protective sword I am,' she thought while she fought to keep her expression neutral. 'Chris and I both told you to not be reckless, Hibiki. And yet, I still failed to be there to protect you from having to push yourself this hard. Is this the limit of myself as a blade? Am I really unable to protect those I care about? Damnit…' she thought, as she looked on at the sight of the snow-haired girl cradling the Gungnir wielder in her arms, with Miku having collapsed to her knees in sadness at the redhead's state, the green-haired girl with streams of tears running down her face. They would stay this way until the medical team arrived, one common thought running through the trio's minds: 'Hibiki…hang on…'

FIS Stealth Airplane, Near Tokyo Outskirts, Later That Day

"The numbers are stable, but I would have to advise against pushing yourself too hard, Nastassja-san. I must say though that for someone your age, you do have amazing endurance," Doctor Ver stated as he finished his examination, the sun slowly setting outside of the window behind him. Looking over at the older woman resting on the examination table, a small smile appeared on his face. "Or did you exhaust all of the mental energy that you had earlier?"

"I'm just glad that she's going to be alright now," Kirika said, standing next to the examination table along with Shirabe and Maria. Taking a second to nod, the older woman sat up slowly, before moving to try to get into her motorized chair. Ver put a stop to that, however.

"Moving around so soon, Nastassja-san? What's the rush? Everything seems to be under control for now. Just rest and try to regather your strength. We'll need all of it in the days to come," he said, before moving over to the door to the room. "I'm going to go get things set up for their checkups later on. Just follow my advice, will you?" he said, before leaving the room as the door shut behind him, a clearly disdainful glare on Maria's face as he left.

"Mom, get some rest, okay? We can handle things here, right Shirabe-chan?" Kirika asked, a quick nod coming from the twin-ponytailed girl standing next to her.

"Yeah. I'm relieved that you're going to be fine, mom. Just relax and try to get better." With those words, the younger duo proceeded to leave the room, leaving just the doctor and Maria to remain in the room to their thoughts. Silence enveloped the room briefly, as Maria pondered over what she had heard regarding the doctor's actions earlier that day.

'Doctor Ver…you bastard, for you to come here and act like you did nothing wrong…While I'm glad that mom seems to be stabilizing, the methods you used today were completely uncalled for. You ordered Kirika and Shirabe to die so that you could escape…You played with their lives, just like you did with Yukine-san's the other day,' she thought, her hands clenching into fists by her side as she struggled to keep her thoughts private from the older woman resting on the bed in front of her. 'If Hibiki wouldn't have shown up to protect that green-haired girl…her name was Miku, wasn't it? If she wouldn't have shown up to protect her, then she would have died too, which would have put blood on your hands and the rest of ours by default. Damn you...there's something that I'm missing here, something that's missing. What are you planning, Ver? What is your endgame? I can't allow you to reach that, no matter what…I won't allow you to get there. Serena wouldn't forgive me if I did. The path that you're trying to lead us down…I won't go along with your plans, not since you've shown no desire to keep Kirika and Shirabe safe. You're showing your true colors, Ver…My heart is screaming at me to stop you, but what's the best path for me to do so? Hibiki, Serena…what would each of you think I should do?' A small sigh from the other remaining occupant in the room shook Maria form her thoughts, as Nastassja began to speak.

"Maria, I take it that you've heard about today's events?" Nastassja said, her eyes locking onto the pinkette, earning a nod in response. At that, the older woman continued. "It's my own fault…we're lucky that Hibiki-san showed up today and stopped Kirika and Shirabe from fully using their zesshou, but she may have pushed herself a bit too far in doing so."

"What do you mean, mom? How could she have pushed herself too far?" Maria asked, a look of confusion entering her face at those words. Sighing briefly, Nastassja continued.

"She used her own zesshou in a way that was similar to what she did at the Queens of Music concert. By cancelling out Kirika and Shirabe's zesshous and taking in the destructive energy from each, she not only neutralized the added strain which would have killed the two of them from just using the zesshou, but she cancelled out the whole thing entirely," she said, causing Maria's eyes to widen at the implications. "However, doing so comes with a huge risk. Using her zesshou like she did at the Queens of Music concert, in full combination with those of Yukine-san and Kazanari-san, was a strain on her to begin with. The review of the footage showed that doing so put her under a massive amount of physical stress, an amount great enough to potentially cause her body to tear itself apart if she isn't careful." At those words, Maria pieced it together, her eyes wide open in concern.

"So in this case, because of the boost provided by the LINKER overdose to Shirabe and Kirika, the amount of destructive power she had to channel as well as the strain she had to endure were even greater?" the pinkette asked, her shoulders clearly starting to shake underneath the silver hoodie she was wearing.

"Right. And as such, the risk was much higher. I just hope that we didn't make an even bigger mistake today because of Ver's actions," the doctor said, causing Maria's anger to flare even further within her. "However, we're too close now to go back. Frontier is right around the corner; We can't afford any further delays. We don't have time left."

'Damnit…Mom, even despite what Ver's done, despite him clearly being willing to sacrifice any of us to get to Frontier, you're still willing to go through with this? I can't…I can't do this anymore. Serena wouldn't want this. She'd try to stop him. I have a bad feeling about what his true intentions are,' Maria thought, her mind slowly coming to a conclusion. 'I won't stand for this anymore. Even if it makes me your enemy, Mom…I won't sit here and continue to support this path that you're taking.' As she moved to the door, she turned and looked at the older woman laying in bed, a small smile coming onto her face to disguise the anger she was feeling.

"Mom, just get your rest, okay? I'll be back again later on," the Black Gungnir wielder said, before leaving the room. And as the door closed behind her oldest daughter, Nastassja sighed, a saddened look emerging onto her face. 'It's my fault that their gentle souls have to fight. Maria, Shirabe, Kirika…even Serena…It's my fault if any of you use your Zesshou. I should have realized sooner that making these gentle souls play as terrorists would only cause them more pain and suffering as the impending disaster approaches,' Nastassja thought, her mind's eye flashing back to the day that Serena died to seal the Nephilim. 'It may be too late to redeem myself for the acts that I've committed in the name of these plans to stop the impending fall. I've come too far down this dark path. However, I have to at least try to help these girls, even if it's the last thing I do…' she thought, her mind starting to formulate an idea of what could be done.

2nd Division Temporary HQ, Observation Room Near Medbay, That Night

'Please let her be okay…I won't lose her again, not after having just gotten her back,' Miku thought as she sat in prayer within the dark room, her face wrought with concern while the glow from the image of a beach on the screen behind her illuminated the schoolgirl's face. While the doctors had been reassuring to Tsubasa, Chris, and Miku once they had gotten back to the submarine, there was still a sense of unease that had filled all three of them. And while Tsubasa had left earlier on in order to try to blow off some steam, it still left a cloud of silence over the two girls remaining in the room.

"Miku, I'm-" the snow-haired girl began, before Miku put up a hand in her direction, cutting her off entirely. 'Great…not only did I react too slowly to keep Hibiki from having to push herself this hard, but I've also made one of the few people on campus who I'm closest to angry. Some nice day I'm having…Hibiki, what do you see in me? What drew you to me?' Chris thought, her eyes downcast as she tried to process the day's events. 'I know that I love you…but do I really deserve you? Hibiki…please be alright. If my own mistakes led to you being hurt…I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for that. I've already caused so much harm…' she thoughts, her eyes clenched shut in frustration. Before long however, footsteps entered the room, as a welcome voice to both girls began to speak.

"Here the two of you are. The doctors say that Hibiki-san will be fine. Our first aid attempts were successful; while she may need to take it easy for a little while after her little stunt today, she'll be fine soon enough. She's not allowed to get in combat for a week or so though," Ogawa Shinji stated as he entered the room, his words bringing a smile to both girls' faces. Standing up immediately, the green-haired school girl began to speak, the snow-haired girl nearby following in short order.

"Successful? Then HIbiki's going to be okay?" Miku asked, a relieved tone within her voice as she spoke.

"Yes. She'll be fine; she's resting for now. Do you want to see her now?" Shinji asked, his eyes locking briefly onto those of both Chris and her roommate. Nodding quickly, Chris stepped forwards, before the voice of her roommate cut her off.

"Chris…it hurts, you know? To see the two of you together," the schoolgirl began, causing the snow-haired Ichaival wielder to turn around and look at her roommate. "I've been in love with HIbiki for years now. And because I didn't say anything about it to her before the Kadingir incident, I thought I had lost my chance. Then you and I started to spend more time together, and I found myself doing the same for you. And now I find out that not only is HIbiki back, but that the two of you are seeing each other. It hurts, you know? It feels like my heart is being ripped out and torn in two," Miku said, her eyes ablaze. "It hurt me so badly this morning, when I saw the two of you in front of our dorm. I honestly wished that I could have been the one in her shoes then. And then I saw you two together today, and now I wish I was in either of your shoes from that moment. It's painful, Chris. It hurts so much!" Miku said, her words painting a clear picture of what she was feeling. "I shouldn't be jealous of either of you. I know that it's been tough, and that you deserve happiness. Still…don't I deserve the same thing?" she asked, her voice trailing off as Chris finally began to speak.

"Miku, you do deserve to be happy, you're right about that. And I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner. I just…my heart led me to Hibiki. I don't know why, but it did. I love her, Miku. And…it hurts me to have kept her being alive secret from you. I'm sorry for that. It just wasn't my place to say anything, you know?" she said, her voice quiet. Internally though, her thoughts were more complex. 'I really screwed up…I've hurt not just my roommate, but I've also hurt someone who was apparently falling for me. Hibiki…I don't know what you see in me. All I seem to be good for is causing pain to others…I try to show compassion, to be more open to people…I've been trying to do so since Kadingir…but still, if all I do is cause pain, then do I really deserve you?' the Ichaival wielder thought, her eyes downcast away from her roommate.

"Maybe it wasn't, but it still would have been nice of you to tell me," the green-haired girl spoke, her voice briefly displaying some of the venom she had shown earlier that day. "Chris, I'm sorry, but please just…just give me some space, okay? Right now I'm so torn between anger, jealousy, relief, and other emotions that if we were both in the dorm tonight, I don't know how I'd react. Just give me some time, okay? Now get going. I'm sure that Hibiki will want you there when she wakes up. You two are going out, aren't you?"

FIS Stealth Airplane, Forest Near Tokyo, Same Night

Rain pattered against the windows of the plane as Maria leaned against the wall, eyes narrowed as Doctor Ver prepared to begin his presentation. 'I don't know what you're planning, Ver…but I can't just stand here and let it go on. Serena wouldn't do so…and my heart is screaming at me to stop you, whatever your plans are. I just have to figure out what,' she thought, as the doctor began his speech at the front of the room, the monitor on the console in front of him springing to life.

"Okay, let's get to the point of this meeting I've called tonight," Ver began, the monitor displaying the Nephilim's Heart on screen as he began to speak. "Does anyone here know what this is?" Across from him, Kirika and Shirabe stood, their eyes locked onto the monitor in attention as Maria leaned against the wall by the entryway. Near the front of the room where Ver was speaking, Nastassja sat, her wheelchair angled towards the screen. It wouldn't take long for someone to speak up.

"That's the Nephilim's…" Shirabe began, only to be interrupted by Ver, who smirked as he nodded before speaking.

"Correct. It's the Nephilim's Heart. The awakened heart of the Nephilim, which I spent so much time and effort in recovering," he spoke, his smirk growing slightly as he continued. "I'm sure that you're aware by now, but by giving it the requisite number of relics, we were finally able to unleash the heart's full power," he said, his eyes taking on a sinister gleam. Maria, however, was not amused.

'Maybe we were, but you played with the lives of so many people in the process. Not to mention how you toyed with Yukine-san…What are you planning, Ver? This can't be all of it…' she thought, a frown emerging onto her face as she observed the discussion quietly. She would be shaken out of her thoughts by the doctor's voice continuing his speech about his plans.

"With this heart along with what you acquired all that time ago, we can finally revive Frontier, and prevent the coming disaster," the mad scientist stated, before he pointed at Maria. "Don't tell me that you've forgotten. The Shen Shou Jing that you, Finé, had stolen from the excavation team at Mount Minakami. With that and the Nephilim's heart, we'll have more than enough power to accomplish that part of our goal!" Ver finished, his words drawing a frown from the pink-haired girl as she leaned up against the wall.

'I couldn't be the only one who noticed him say part of the goal…Ver, you're definitely hiding something from Mom and from the others. The question is, what…No matter what it is, my heart is screaming at me that you're bad news, and that the longer I go along with this path, the worse it will end up for us...' Maria thought, her eyes narrowing as she tried to figure out the implications of what Ver was saying. 'Mom…Ver's hiding something from you…and yet you continue to go along with his plan…You went along with it when he used the Nephilim to toy with Yukine-san…and you didn't seem to show remorse over what he ordered Kirika and Shirabe to do…I can't allow this to continue…' the Black Gungnir wielder thought, her mind beginning to picture what she had to do. As she did so, Nastassja began to speak.

"Maria's memories have not yet fully recovered," the older woman began, her voice having a finality to it. "However, that's unimportant at this point. Handling the relics is my role, and this is something to be discussed later on in private." The wheelchair-bound doctor spoke, her words putting an end to the discussion as Ver nodded.

"Very well. Moving on, the Shen Shou Jing, which will be the key to break Frontier's seal, and the Nephilim's Heart, which powers Frontier, are in our hands at last. All we would need is the exact location of Frontier for us to begin."

"And for some time, we've known the exact location of Frontier. We can therefore break the seal on it at any time we choose," Nastassja stated, earning a nod from Ver, as well as understanding nods from both Kirika and Shirabe.

"That's correct. It seems as though the preparations are complete. Soon, all of humanity will be dancing to our capriccio!" Ver exclaimed, a psychotic laugh escaping from his vocal cords afterwards. As he did so, Nastassja began to speak.

"We'll be moving our plan into the final phase shortly. You girls need to get some rest. This isn't going to be an easy final stretch for any of us," the older woman said, as she turned to leave the room. Nodding briefly, Kirika and Shirabe left the room, following Nastassja as they headed towards their resting quarters. As they did so, Maria's thoughts were going in a different direction.

'Ver…You're hiding something. You obviously have something bigger in mind than just raising Frontier. The only question is, what is that something…whatever it is, it's definitely bad news. I will stop you,' she thought, as she left the room, the door sliding shut behind her as she did so. 'Even if it means leaving here and becoming your enemy, Mom…I can't let his plans succeed. Not if I want to protect those who are important to me,' she thought, the images of Kirika, Shirabe, Hibiki, and a certain bluenette filling her mind as she walked towards her room on the plane.

Once the room was empty however, a devilish grin emerged on Ver's face. 'Even if this plan of mine fails, I have my contingency plan in place…no matter what happens, my true goals will be achieved; it's just a question of how and when,' he thought, his eyes drifting to the pulsing of the Nephilim's Heart on screen. 'Soon…soon it will be time for it all to come to an end…and for a new era to begin…'

Lydian Music Academy, Classroom, Next Day

"Right now, Globalization is proceeding more rapidly than ever before. Trans-border economic activity is at an all-time high…" the blonde haired student read off, answering the teacher's question. But Miku's mind wasn't focused on the subject matter at hand within the class for that day. Instead, her mind was on the redhead who had returned to her life. And while her mind was with the Gungnir wielder, there were still a number of questions that the green-haired girl still had that needed answering.

'Even though she was right there in front of me, it's still hard to believe that Hibiki's alive,' Miku thought, her eyes looking out of the classroom while she absent-mindedly turned the page in the textbook in front of her. 'She seems so different now, so much more…driven than she was before. It's such a huge difference…but yet, it's not a bad thing, is it?' the schoolgirl thought, reflecting back on the events of the previous day. 'I could feel them…the feelings that I had for Hibiki…they're still there, only stronger than they were before. Is it really true, that absence makes the heart truly grow fonder? If so, then I guess I still have it bad, don't I.' The class bell rang, shaking Miku briefly out of her thoughts as she listened to the teacher provide the day's homework assignment. Writing it down quickly and gathering her class materials, she then proceeded to leave the classroom, heading slowly to her next class, which she shared with her roommate.

'But yet,' the green-haired girl thought, her thoughts turning to her roommate and her relationship with the redhead girl. 'You still chose Chris, Hibiki. I know that Chris said that her heart led her to you…but I still can't help but be jealous of her. It's like my heart was ripped out of me…and now it's laying on the ground, shattered in pieces. I shouldn't be jealous of Chris; I know that she's had a tough life since she was little, and that she deserves to be happy. But yet I still feel like it should have been me that Hibiki was holding…and who Chris was holding, too…' the green haired girl trailed off mentally as she arrived at her next class. It would be a long class period to be sure.

Lydian Music Academy, Classroom, That Afternoon

"Class, be sure to remember you have your essays due next week regarding Shakespearian Drama. Other than that, try to have a good weekend!" the professor said, dismissing the class. As she stood up to leave her once a week drama class, Yukine Chris put her class materials away slowly, almost deliberately. 'I may be done with classes for today, but I can't just go back to the dorm,' she thought, her mind reflecting back to her conversation with Miku earlier that day after their shared choir class. 'I guess I can understand why Miku would be upset, but at the same time, I love HIbiki. Even though I still don't understand what she sees in me…it's my fault that Ver was able to use the Staff of Solomon in the first place. If I wouldn't have activated it in the first place…' she thought, her eyes downcast.

Placing her school bag over her shoulder, the snow-haired girl left the classroom, slowly making her way towards the campus gate and the train station nearby. 'It's my fault that Miku was in danger...because I had activated the Staff, Ver is able to use it as a weapon to hurt those that are important to both Hibiki and myself…I can't let him do so any further. I have to stop him…but how? I don't even know where to begin to look to find him!' she thought, the frustration showing on her face as she arrived at the train station. Getting on the train heading to one of her favorite hangout spots in the city, the Ichaival wielder took a seat as she continued her musings.

'Hibiki…Do I really deserve you? What is it that you see in me? I love you…and I know that you return the feelings, but still…why? I stepped on Miku's heart and broke it…all I seem to do is bring pain to those I care about. Do I really deserve the happiness that you give me, Hibiki?' she thought, her eyes staring out over the city's skyline. As she continued to watch out the window, she thought back to the previous night, when she had barely moved from the Gungnir wielder's side, a small smile coming to her face. 'Hibiki-baka…I won't do it. I won't lose you. You've made me happy…I won't let my actions hurt you. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I did…' she thought, a blush rising to her face as she did so. As the doors to the train opened at her destination, the snow-haired girl left the train, her thoughts turned back to the reason that her girlfriend was in the hospital the night before to begin with.

"Ver…you bastard…I'll stop you, I swear it. You're the one who's causing Hibiki pain…you're targeting those closest to her to make her suffer. I won't forgive you for that. I'll stop you…no matter what it takes.'

Kazanari Residence, Meditation Room, Early That Evening

Silence filled the room as Kazanari Tsubasa sat in the center of the room, katana resting on the floor in front of her. It had been a long day for the bluenette; between scheduling interviews for Hibiki that would take place over the next few days, finding out that the redhead was ready to be released from the Medbay, and her classes that day at Lydian, Tsubasa had barely had any time to think. But in this case, it was a welcome reprieve. Once she had gotten home, the bluenette was no longer able to hide from her own thoughts.

'Damnit…I was too slow to keep Hibiki from having to do that…' she thought, her eyes furrowed in frustration. 'I've said that I was a blade…I worked so hard, pushed myself to become the protective blade for all who I hold close…and yet I still wasn't quite strong enough to get there in time…is this really the limit for me as a blade? It can't be…' The bluenette thought, grabbing the katana off the ground in front of her and unsheathing it from its sheathe. 'I need to be faster…I won't let that happen again. I won't ever let myself fail to protect them…' she thought, as she proceeded to almost effortlessly dance through a sword kata that she had developed on her own.

"I failed to protect my fans at the Queens of Music concert. I almost failed to protect Hibiki yesterday. I won't fail again. I can't be this limited as a blade, can I? Kanade, what would you do if you were in my shoes?" she asked, as if asking for guidance. 'I won't let those closest to me get hurt…I have to be strong enough to protect them. I have to be a sharp enough sword to act as the sentinel I am…I have to be strong enough to watch Hibiki's back, just as she does me…' the wielder of Ame no Habakiri thought, as she stood, panting in the center of the room, her sword kata complete. Returning the sword to its sheathe, she set the blade on its rack against the wall in the front of the room, as she turned her thoughts to the Gungnir wielder's upcoming interviews. Sure, the bluenette had the day off for the next few days from work, but that didn't mean that she wasn't interested.

'She'll be fine. I'm sure that there's nothing to worry about; she handled herself just fine in the interviews we had the other day and yesterday. Still…if I wasn't a sharp enough blade to protect Hibiki in battle…have I really done a good job at preparing her for the aspects of being an idol that can do the most damage mentally? The media can be brutal sometimes,' the bluenette wondered as she left the room, heading towards her bathroom to take a post-workout bath. 'Hibiki's strong…I have to believe that she can and will handle it. She reminds me of myself in that way…I'll do whatever I have to do to protect her and the others I'm closest to, so that we all can reach the dreams that we have in front of us.'

Grocery Store 'Nadeshiko Mart', Unknown Location En Route to Frontier, Next Day

The doors to the grocery store opened quickly, the duo of Kirika and Shirabe walking out with multiple bags of groceries in their hands. While both girls knew that they needed to take it easy due to the overdose of LINKER in their systems, they didn't have to like it. And so when Nastassja had asked the two girls to go and do the shopping, they had jumped at the chance.

"While I'm not going to complain about getting the fresh air, I have to say this. Shopping may be fun, but when there's all of this stuff that needs to be bought, it's just a lot of busy work," Kirika said, an annoyed edge entering her voice briefly as she spoke, carrying her grocery bags in her hands. Besides her, the twin-ponytailed girl nodded before she began to speak.

"It may be boring work, Kiri-chan, but at the same time, it can't be helped," Shirabe began, her eyes turning downcast. "Until the side effects from the overdose wear off, we're the ones who are pretty much going to be in charge of the chores." At this, the blonde girl looked over at her friend, a small look of concern on her face. 'Ever since Hibiki-san cancelled out our Zesshou, Shirabe-chan's been acting off…Her opinion hasn't changed, has it?' the Igalima wielder thought, as she raced ahead of the shorter girl before coming to a stop and facing her.

"Shirabe-chan, let me carry those, okay?" Kirika said, an insistent tone entering her voice and leaving no room for discussion. At the shorter girl's confused look, the blonde continued. "You don't look like you're doing too well. Is everything okay? Shirabe-chan…you can tell me if something's wrong, you know that." At this, a long sigh emerged from the Shul Shagana wielder's mouth as she looked away briefly before replying.

"Thanks for offering, Kiri-chan. But I'm fine," Shirabe said, a small smile emerging onto her face as she spoke. Internally however, it was a completely different story. The twin-ponytailed girl had been struggling with how Hibiki had saved the two of them, as well as why. 'After everything that I had said, calling you a hypocrite, attacking your friend on the bridge…although I wonder if she's more than that to you, I don't think that was the case at the time…you still stopped me from using my Zesshou. Why, Hibiki-san? Why did you do so? I've done nothing but be cruel to you and those who are important to you recently…and yet, you still forgive me for that?' she thought, her mind bringing back the images of when they had been friends in the past. 'Do you still consider me to be a friend of yours, even after what happened, after how I blamed you for it all? Was I really that mistaken about things?' At the shorter girl's response, Kirika's eyes narrowed in determination before she spoke up once more.

"Alright, then we'll just take a break then!" the blonde-haired girl said, excitement entering her voice as she spoke. Her exclamation shaking Shirabe out of her thoughts, the duo proceeded to leave the shopping center with the grocery store before heading towards where the others were waiting.

Outside FIS Airplane, Forest Grove, Unknown Location En Route to Frontier

The sun was high in the sky, the rays of light prismatic and reflecting off the surface of the nearby pond as Maria walked, Nastassja seated in her motorized wheelchair in front of her. As silence reigned the air outside of the sounds of nature surrounding the duo, the pinkette began to speak.

"After everything that's happened, I think I understand now," the Black Gungnir wielder began, choosing her words carefully as the older woman in front of her came to a stop, its back facing her as she spoke. "Mom, whatever Ver is planning isn't the right answer. You've seen what he's done just like I have, haven't you? He's played with innocent people's lives, almost manipulating them to make himself look better for it. You have to have noticed it by now, haven't you?" she asked, her voice quivering with barely concealed anger. After a moment of silence between the duo, Maria continued. "Mom, you asked me what happened to my resolve, to my dedication. What we've been doing isn't right. Some of the measures that we've been taking feel totally wrong. Do you honestly believe that Serena would support the path that we're taking? That she'd support us acting like terrorists in an effort to save the world? I can't follow that path anymore, mom. I won't do it. My heart is screaming at me that what we're doing is wrong, and will lead us to disaster," she said, shoulders visibly shaking beneath her closed silver jacket.

"Then don't follow this path," Nastassja said, her words causing Maria's eyes to widen as she spoke, a small smile rising on the older woman's face as she saw her oldest daughter's reaction. "There's no need for you to play the role of the reborn Finé any further, Maria. You've never had her soul within you. You're just yourself, Maria. In fact, her soul never entered into any of the vessels," the doctor said, a small smile rising onto her face as she spoke, the impact of her words causing the rosette in front of her to gape in surprise.

Unbeknownst to either of them however, Doctor Ver had overheard the whole conversation. Having followed the duo as they had gone on this walk, he had hidden himself carefully behind a tree. And what he had heard was of great interest to him. 'So her soul never entered a vessel, did it? And not only that, but our Black Gungnir wielder refuses to cooperate…it seems like I may have to move up the start of my plans after all…it seems it's time for me to take over control of this plan, once and for all,' he thought, a deranged smirk emerging onto his face as he walked away from the pond, leaving the duo to their discussion.

Construction Site, Unknown Location En Route to Frontier

"There may be a lot of bad things out there in the world, but at least we're still free to do what we want, right Shirabe-chan?" Kirika said as she sat next to Shirabe. The duo had found this closed off construction site on their way back to where Nastassja, Maria, and Doctor Ver were waiting with their plane, and had decided to stop to have something to eat from their shopping trip. Taking another bite of her rice ball, the blonde continued. "You know what's funny? Back when we were at the orphanage, I never could've imagined being free like this." Besides her, Shirabe nodded, her eyes downcast as she held the honey bun she had chosen as a snack in her lap, unopened.

"Yeah, you're right," Shul Shagana's wielder whispered, her voice low as she spoke. The mention of the orphanage had brought up unwelcome memories to the girl. Their time at the orphanage had not been pleasant, as they had both had difficult childhoods. Noticing the downcast mood enveloping the shorter girl, Kirika began to speak once more, her eyes becoming downcast themselves.

"We were locked up there in order for us to serve as vessels for Finé's soul, just like so many other kids our age. And in the end, Maria took on the burden of bearing Finé's soul in our place. It's not fair for her; she deserves so much better," the blonde muttered, the depressing memories of the past coming back to her mind. "It's scary to think about losing who you are, and we ended up putting that burden onto her. I'm honestly scared for her, Shirabe-chan; I don't want her to lose who she is."

Next to the blonde, Shirabe nodded as the blonde finished her snack eagerly. Once she had finished her meal, Kirika looked over, noticing how Shirabe had not responded.

"Shirabe-chan," Igalima's wielder began, the concern in her voice almost forcing the shorter girl back into consciousness. "Have you felt like that this whole time? Why didn't you say anything? You didn't have to come with me," Kirika said, worry echoing in her voice. Besides her, Shirabe responded, her voice weak with fatigue.

"I'm fine, Kiri-chan. I rested here, so let's get going…" the twin-ponytailed girl said, her voice quiet. At that, she stood up, only for her legs to wobble. This caused her to stumble to the side, her head hitting the pipes near her. Upon doing so however, a loud noise was heard from above. Looking up from where she was trying to check on her friend, Kirika saw a number of steel beams falling directly towards the duo. Eyes widening, she brought one arm up as if to defend herself subconsciously before a loud crash echoed throughout the area.

As the dust scattered throughout the area, a bright pink glow emanated within. Cracking open her eyes, Kirika looked up at where her hand was extended, palm open, only to find the source of the bright pink light emanating throughout the area. Right above her hand, the bright pink glow of Finé's Asgard shield emanated, having caught numerous metal rods on the dome that surrounded both girls safely. Noticing what she was doing, Kirika only had one thing run through her mind.

"What's going on?"

Outside FIS Airplane, Forest Grove, Unknown Location En Route to Frontier

"Maria, you already know what you have to do. I know you don't trust the Doctor. Quite frankly, I don't blame you; his actions of late have been more than a little concerning. However, his plan is still the only real option that we have to stop the approaching disaster," Nastassja said, her words causing Maria to shake her head in disagreement.

"Mom, there has to be another way. I don't know what, but there's something more to Ver's plan than he's letting on to you. I won't let him do it, and I refuse to be a part of his plans anymore," the pinkette said, her eyes narrowing in determination. "Serena wouldn't want whatever he's planning to happen, I'm sure of it. Mom…I can't do this anymore. I just…I can't allow it to happen. That's why…" Maria trailed off, her voice shaking. While she had known that saying this next part would be difficult, she didn't think that it would be as difficult as it was proving to be.

"I know, Maria. Go…go to those who are of the same mind as you are. Go to them," Nastassja said, her words causing Maria to freeze in surprise. "Maria, if you're worried about protecting Shirabe, Kirika, and I, then don't worry about that. We'll be fine. However, your heart is screaming for you to put a stop to Ver and his plans. So go and do so. Go to Hibiki-san…and help her protect those she holds dear."

End Chapter 9

Author's Postscript: Couple interesting things to note from this chapter. First off, Ver mentioned having a backup plan. What could that be, I wonder? Also have to wonder what's going to occur with Maria; it looks as though her conscience has caught up with her. There's a storm on the horizon, and it looks as though things are about to get hectic. Thank you for reading, thank you for your patience with the long delay, and please leave a review. See you next time.-ZBD15