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.

17. G Interlude 1: Wings (Part 2)

Song of the Heart: Redux

Author's Notes: Surprise! Who thought I'd be back so soon? Welcome to the second part of the first interlude. And this is a big one…as an event that is finally ready to occur takes place. Today begins the emotional buildup to GX arc and beyond, so let's get to it.

Something I'd like to bring up for this chapter is that we're going to have a bit of fun involving a concept from the Symphogear Mobile game, "X-Drive Unlimited". As such, when you get to that point, there will be a way to distinguish things, but I'll do my best to keep it organized. After a certain point, the main world of the fic will be called the 'Central World', with the world Gjallarhorn brings into things being known as the 'Parallel World'.

Another thing I'd like to mention. From this point moving forwards, the rating on this fic will be upped to 'M'. Reason being that it allows me to have a bit more freedom in terms of how content is utilized. Things in G arc were a bit serious, sure; however, moving forwards things will escalate. As such, the rating will be boosted to M so as to allow that added flexibility in content.

I'd like to once more thank the author of the original "Song of the Heart", Ada1229, for allowing me to adopt her story and idea and make it into my own from there. Also, I'd like to thank both solopy567 and StealthyTanub for being beta readers on this chapter, as well as being amazing with help sorting through ideas when needed. Let's go.

Disclaimer: I do not own Senki Zesshou Symphogear, Senki Zesshou Symphogear G, or Senki Zesshou Symphogear XD Unlimited. 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", Ada1229, 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-

Character listed as "O-(name)" are from alternate world

Interlude 1: Wings (Part 2)

(Last Time…)

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But as the base sat quiet, its daytime crew having gone home for the evening, no one noticed as the signal of a seemingly unknown relic was detected. The monitor on the wall of the main office of headquarters lit up briefly, only one word listed on it before the screen went dark once again.

And that word was…

"GJALLARHORN"

Tokyo, Minato, Shirogane Memorial Hospital

Miku woke up with a start, the dark hospital room around her quiet except for the dull sounds of the occasional nurse going by and her own breathing. Sitting up straight, the hospital bed beneath her squeaking slightly as she did so, the schoolgirl stood from her bed before making her way over to the nearby window, her mind focusing on the dream she had woken up from.

"That dream again…" she trailed off, her eyes staring out the window at the skyline outside. The images of her dream fresh in mind, she continued, her voice carrying a heavy weight. "Things were so much simpler back then. She seemed so happy when I told her that my dad had gotten those tickets." Thinking back on her then best friend's face at the time, she continued, a sad smile coming onto her face as she spoke. "I wouldn't have guessed that his doing so would change our lives so much."

"We were so...close at that point." Sighing to herself and shaking her head, Miku continued, her voice quiet as she continued. "But ever since you came back, it's like we've been drifting apart. And it hurts." Taking a seat back in her hospital bed, she went silent, even as she pulled the covers up over her body.

'Hibiki...I'm happy for you and Chris. But...I can't help but wonder what could have been…' she thought, before laying back down in her bed. Letting out a small sigh, she closed her eyes, attempting to return to sleep, one last thought coming to mind as she settled back in, a small tear streaming down her face.

'If only I would have said something, ANYTHING, before she left…'

Tokyo, Lydian Music Academy, The Next Day

"Chris?" Miku asked, slowly opening the door to the dorm room she shared with the Ichaival wielder and hoping that her roommate would be in at the moment. Stepping inside, a small rolling briefcase right behind her, she let out a small sigh as she took a look around the room. 'Looks like she's not here…' she thought, her mind a strange mix of relief and disappointment at the thought.

'Guess I shouldn't be too surprised…' she thought, slowly bringing her suitcase further into their shared room, before bringing it to a stop at the foot of her dresser. Stopping for a moment and looking towards the small table in front of the TV by one side of the room, she noticed a small white flower vase, filled with a small bouquet of lilies, a small white envelope leaning up against it.

'Chris…' Miku thought, a sad smile on her face as she made her way over to the table, taking note of the familiar font of her roommate's handwriting, written in red ink. Opening the envelope, she began to read the card held within, her hands shaking slightly in the process.

"She couldn't just be here to say welcome home?" Miku said after finishing her read, a small sense of indignation swelling up within her as she spoke. "Figures…" Trailing off as she put the card down on the table, she returned her focus to the flowers on the table before continuing, her annoyance still visible. "At least she got my favorite flowers."

'Still...what the hell could Chris be doing?' she thought, her mind puzzled as to where her roommate could be. 'Or is it where...I can guess who she's with…' she thought, her bitterness returning in force before she shook her head. 'No...Chris isn't that type of person. Neither she or Hibiki are.' Returning her focus to the suitcase she had brought back with her, she made her way over to it, her mind still battling itself as she proceeded to unpack.

'They wouldn't do something like that…' she thought, standing up from the now-empty suitcase. Shaking her head, she made her way towards their shared bathroom, entering it before shutting it behind her. Looking at herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but frown at the image she saw, her face pale from lack of sunlight. 'Look at me...I'm a total mess.' she thought, her frown only growing deeper. 'I can't believe I'd think of them like that...maybe a shower will help me clear my head before I try to let headquarters know what's going on...' Grabbing a towel from the wall and turning on the jets, she looked once more at herself in the mirror, a small look of disgust on her face at her own thoughts.

-SotHR-

"It's so quiet here today," Miku said as she made her way off campus, the cold air around her bringing a rosy tone to her face. "Then again, with how exams just ended, I shouldn't be too surprised." Rounding the corner just outside of the school's front gate, she fell silent, a frown coming onto her face as she made her way towards the nearby station, losing herself in her thoughts as she went. Before too long she arrived outside of the nearby station, the crowd of holiday shoppers making their way around and past her as they made their way to their destinations.

Withdrawing her train pass from her purse, she made her way to enter the station, taking note of the number of happy couples around the area. 'They all seem so happy…' she thought, a saddened frown coming onto her face as she made her way towards the platform for the train to her destination. 'They should be happy together...but at the same time, I can't help but feel jealous.'

Shaking her head at the thought, she returned her eyes to the platform she stood on, the image of those happy couples reminding her of both Chris and Hibiki at once and causing a hollow feeling to settle into her stomach. But for as much as she tried to force herself to not be envious, she couldn't help but have another thought enter her mind as her train arrived, the thought never leaving her mind despite how much she tried to will it away.

'Why do I feel so alone right now?'

2nd Division Headquarters, Bridge, Tokyo

"Ah, Miku-san," Genjurou said as Miku entered, the door to the bridge closing swiftly behind her and gathering his attention from what he was working on. Turning from where he sat at the edge of his console, he continued, making his way towards the school girl as he spoke. "I'm glad to see that you're up and about. How are you feeling?"

"Well enough to come here, Kazanari-taichou," Miku replied, a slight tinge of frustration showing itself within her voice. Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she continued, her shoulders shaking slightly as she spoke. "The doctors finally released me this morning, but they did say to try to take it easy for a little while."

"I see," Genjurou replied, his arms crossed over his red dress shirt as he spoke, a contemplative look on his face. Taking note of the frustration that was held within the younger girl's voice, he continued, a small amount of tension held within his shoulders. "Did you come here by yourself?"

"Yeah…" she replied, voice trailing off slightly. "Nobody came to see me get released." Letting out a small sigh as he turned back towards his computer screen briefly, Genjurou replied, his voice quiet as he spoke.

"I'm sorry about that," he said, shoulders slumping slightly. Sighing as he turned back towards the display, he continued, a slight tension in his voice. "Things have been a bit on the hectic side here today after we had an unusual reading pop up last night, so I must have missed the call from the hospital advising that you've been cleared." Taking note of how the girl in front of him reacted, he continued, his voice lowered in response. "I'm a bit surprised though that neither Chris or Hibiki would have been there to meet you, although Hibiki could have had to go back to work."

'That's...true,' Miku allowed herself to admit. She had heard from Chris that Hibiki had been held out of anything too taxing on Doctor's orders, but it was likely she would have been asked to return. Shaking her head slightly, a slight wave of nausea hitting her, Miku steadied herself before responding. 'Not now…'

"Maybe, but I didn't think Chris had anything going on," she replied, trying to think about if there was anything her roommate would have been involved in outside of school and her work for the 2nd Division. After a moment she continued, her voice slightly weaker as she recovered from the dizziness she had felt. "The only thing I can think of would be the Archery Team's end of semester retreat."

"Miku-san, I'm sure that if they would have been able to be there to see you get released, they would have," Genjurou said, a small smile appearing on his face. Taking notice of the way MIku's eyes seemed slightly glazed over, he continued, a small amount of worry entering his voice. "Are you sure that you're feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, a shaky smile on her face as she spoke. Turning to leave, she continued, her voice quiet. "Thanks for taking the time to listen, Taichou."

"No problem, Miku-san. I can arrange for a ride back if you need one," he said, a level of concern in his voice. Shaking her head, Miku responded, a small smile on her face as she spoke.

"No, it's fine. I'll be okay getting back. Thanks for your concern though." At that, she left, the door to the bridge opening up with a hiss and allowing her to pass through before shutting silently, leaving Genjurou and the crew on call to themselves, the monitors and computers within the room providing a low level of background noise as he returned to his seat with a small frown. Before he could resume his investigation, a familiar alarm started to sound within the bridge, forcing him to snap to attention.

"Pull it up on the main monitor," Genjurou ordered, his voice causing the Bridge Bunnies on duty to snap to work, their efficiency less than that of the top pairing of Aoi and Fujitaka, but still working quickly, the sounds of their keystrokes filling the air alongside the alarm. Moments later an aufwachen waveform image appeared on screen, his eyes widening slightly at its appearance. "Get me an ID on that!"

"On it, sir," the crew member at Aoi's normal station replied, her fingers racing rapidly on the keyboard. In a matter of seconds the results appeared on screen, a single word appearing and causing Genjurou's eyes to widen in shock.

"What?" He said, staring at the word on screen, his body shaking slightly at the implications. "Get a hold of the wielders. I want them here as soon as possible! And get Ogawa on the line; we might have a problem." As the crew on duty got to work, he settled back into his seat, his mind thinking back on one particular person, and their connection to the word on screen in front of him.

'Ryoko-kun...looks like the relic you found that was not able to awaken has finally done so. Gjallarhorn...what does this mean...and what can it do?'

-SotHR-

"What's happening?" Miku asked, alarms going off all around her as she headed towards the outside of the base and causing her to pause. 'Why are the alarms going off like this?' she thought, her mind racing as she tried to figure out the answer. Before she could get any further in her thought process, another, stronger wave of nausea washed over her as her balance almost gave out.

"Not again," Miku gasped out, her vision swimming as the room seemed to spin around her. Reaching out, she stumbled before leaning against a nearby wall and trying to gather herself, her breathing coming in gasps before the room around her shook, her legs coming out from under her and sending her to the floor. Before she could climb to her feet, the shaking intensified as an eerie glow filled the area, blinding her as she found herself falling. But as she fell, only one word came to mind as she blacked out, the school girl left with no idea what was happening to her.

'Hibiki…'

-SotHR-

"Sir, the signal from Gjallarhorn seems to have stabilized," the female crew member stated, snapping Genjurou out of his thoughts. Turning his attention her way, a frown worked its way onto his face as he pondered what could be happening before replying.

"Stabilized, huh...get me a status report. I want to know if there is any damage here." At his command both crew members sprang to work, the duo concentrating on confirming any damages to their base before Genjurou continued, his eyes narrowed in worry. "Also, what's the update on getting Ogawa on the line?"

"Sir, he is on the line now. Orders?" the lone male crew member besides Genjurou replied, earning a nod from the commander in response.

"Tell him that we have an issue. We need him to start pulling every bit of info we can get on the nature of Gjallarhorn as soon as possible."

"Sir!" As the crew member returned to his station, Genjurou sighed while staring at the readings on screen in front of him. Clasping his hands in front of himself and resting them under the bridge of his nose, the commander of the 2nd Division couldn't help but have a worrisome feeling come to mind.

'I hope we're not missing anything here...'

Unknown Location, Unknown Time

"Unngh…" Miku groaned out as she stirred, eyes slowly opening as she pushed up off the ground beneath her, its softer feeling a stark contrast to what she remembered. Opening her eyes fully, she pushed herself to her feet, her knees buckling slightly before she caught herself. 'What…wasn't I at headquarters?' she thought, her mind still groggy as she took in the area around herself, a level of familiarity creeping up in her mind. 'Isn't this...where Hibiki and I made up after the one time?'

Taking note of the river flowing mere feet away from herself, she let out a small sigh, her thoughts racing as she slowly made her way towards the top of the nearby embankment. 'I was at headquarters...and then the alarms went off,' she thought, trying to determine how she had gotten to where she was. 'There was this weird light...and then I remember passing out…'

"But how did I get here?" she asked, her eyes narrowed in thought at the prospect, the what appeared to be early afternoon sunlight beaming down overhead. 'Maybe I can get some answers if I take a look around…' she thought before making her way towards the nearby train station. 'At least...I hope that I can…'

-SotHR-

'Something's off…' she thought, as she made her way into the more urban section of the city. Taking note of the bustle in the shopping district she found herself in, she steadily made her way towards the station, her eyes studying the sights of the area around her. 'What's going on? There's almost no damage to this area of town. They didn't fix everything from Finé's last attack...did they?' she thought, eventually coming to a stop at a crosswalk. Allowing the group of people around her to pass by she made her way through the crossing, a specific destination in mind as she followed the crowd.

'All of these people look so happy...' she thought, making her way down the crowded sidewalk. Turning to look towards the major crossing at the center of the area, she couldn't help but reminisce slightly, the memories of more peaceful days coming to the front of her mind before another small wave of nausea flowed over her. 'Not now…' she thought, stumbling slightly before re-steadying herself. 'Maybe I should just head back to the dorm...' Taking a small breath to calm herself she resumed her walk, making her way towards where she knew Lydian to be.

-SotHR-

"It's quieter than normal." Miku said as she approached her destination, the familiar building tops of what she knew to be Lydian Music Academy shining under the slowly setting sun. As she came closer to the front gate however, a different stream of students made their way out past the gates, their presence causing the school girl to come to a stop, her thoughts running wild. 'What the…they don't look like Lydian students…' she thought, confusion evident in her eyes. Before she could think about it any further however, a familiar voice grabbed her attention, snapping her from her confusion.

"Ah, Miku-san," Ogawa said as he walked over to where she stood, his business suit allowing him to stand out from the crowd of what appeared to be college students. Before he could continue, she spoke up, a relieved smile on her face.

"Ogawa-san, what are you doing here?" she asked, a look of genuine interest on her face as she spoke. Coming to a stop in front of her, Ogawa replied, a polite looking smile on his face as he spoke.

"Ah...well, today was the university's internship fair." he said, one arm reaching up behind his head loosely. Raising one eyebrow at his words, Miku replied, her voice showing confusion at his words.

"Why would you need to do that?"

"Because it's a part of my job?" Ogawa replied, his voice showing confusion at the shorter girl's words. Taking a moment to look back at the group of college students as they exited the gates, he continued, his voice audible over the sound of the students talking to each other as they went past the duo. "Miku-san, I've always gone to these on behalf of the 2nd Division. It's a big part of my job, along with being in charge of Public Relations."

"Public relations?" Miku replied, alarm bells going off in her mind at his words. "But aren't you a ninja?"

"Me? A ninja?" the older man replied, a sheepish laughter filling the air at her question. "That's a good one, Miku-san." At his words she fell silent, her mind racing to comprehend the situation, the duo falling into a brief silence, a number of students passing by them. 'Wait...what about…'

"But if you're in charge of public relations," Miku began, drawing Ogawa's attention back to herself. "Then what about Tsubasa-san? Aren't you her manager?" At her question, the older man fell silent, a frown visibly spreading on his face before he replied, a level of tension within his voice that made Miku feel as though she may have made a mistake.

"Another bad joke, Miku-san? I haven't been a manager in over two years, you know that."

"Ah…I'm sorry. You're right." she replied, her eyes turning downcast at his words as she looked away as her mind reeled from his response. Before she could say anything further, a small beeping sound caused Ogawa to look at his watch before his eyes widened.

"It's fine, Miku-san." Pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts he continued, a small smile coming onto his face. "As much as I'd like to keep talking though, I have to get going. Take care, okay?" At this, the older man walked away behind her, leaving Miku standing in the sidewalk, her mind swimming from the conversation she had just held.

'What's happening?' she thought, her mind turning over what she had heard as Ogawa walked away. Slowly making her way over to where the front gate stood, she frowned, the plaque on the gate showing a different name from what she remembered. 'The school isn't my school...Ogawa-san's not a ninja, and is in public relations…he hasn't even been a manager for years?' Stopping and leaning up against the brick of the gateway, she shook her head as she tried to process everything, a steady stream of university students going by.

"None of this is making any sense…" she whispered to herself, pushing up off the column. Taking one last, lengthy look at what she thought would be her school she continued, her voice quiet as she felt her stomach growl. 'It has been a while since I ate anything…' she thought, distracted by the rumbling. But even as she started to make her way in the direction to her favorite restaurant, she couldn't help but be bothered by her own thoughts.

'What is happening...and why do I get a bad feeling…'

-SotHR-

Miku let out a sigh of relief as she entered the seemingly empty restaurant, a small smile coming onto her face. 'At least nothing seems...different here…' she thought, the familiar scent of the okonomiyaki grill filling her nose.

"Excuse me?" She asked, taking note of how no one was at the counter as she took a seat, the warm, familiar environment causing her to relax in her seat. Moments later a familiar voice spoke up from in back, its high pitch causing her to smile softly.

"Be right there," the voice said before emerging from behind the curtain separating the restaurant from the back room and causing Miku's eyes to widen slightly in surprise, the waitress spoke up. "Welcome to Flower. How can I help you today?"

"Yumi?!" Miku said, a look of shock on her face at her friend's appearance as the energetic girl made her way over to the table, her hands busily tying an apron behind her back. "What are you doing here?" Looking up in response to the seated girl's words, the energetic girl responded, a look of surprise on her face briefly before she spoke.

"Miku? What are YOU doing here?" She asked, her question causing the dark-haired girl's eyes to widen slightly. "Weren't you going to go visit your parents?" At this, Miku froze, her mind taking into account the newest bit of info as she scrambled to create a reply. 'I was going...to visit my parents?'

"H-Huh?" Miku replied, a stunned look in her eyes. "When did I say that?" Laughing softly, the shorter girl replied, even as she took out a pen and pad of paper form her apron.

"Just yesterday!" Yumi said, an excited smile on her face. "Did you forget that you planned to do that? You told us that you wanted to see how they were doing, and that you'd be away for the weekend!"

"I...said that?" Pausing for a moment to consider what she'd heard, Miku continued, her voice low in volume. "I...don't remember saying that." Chuckling at her friend's response, Yumi continued, her voice filled with enthusiasm.

"What's up with you tonight, Miku? Did you hit your head somewhere? This is so like that Korean drama I watched the other day."

"I didn't hit my head anywhere at all!" Miku replied with mock exasperation at her friend's words, before something she said caused her to fall nearly silent. "And I thought you liked anime, not dramas."

"Anime is just...so childish though," Yumi replied, her words causing Miku to freeze up mentally. "Ever since Chris-chan showed me that one Drama show a couple years ago, I can't get enough." As Miku tried to ponder this info, the brunette continued, tapping her pencil to the notepad she carried. "Anyways, do you want your usual, Miku?"

"Ah…yeah, that sounds good. Thanks, Yumi." Smiling slightly as the brunette seemingly bounced away, Miku quickly found herself lost in thought once again, her friend's words being added to everything else she had seen and heard that day. 'Since when has Chris been into dramas? And they sound so familiar with each other…' Miku found herself thinking. 'It's just like earlier. None of it makes sense…' Before she knew it, Yumi returned with her order before placing it in front of her, her usual order of Beef Yakisoba and a glass of water shaking her from her thoughts.

"Here's your order, Miku!" Yumi said, a happy smile on her face as she spoke before taking note of the dark-haired girl's expression. "Hey...everything okay?"

"Huh? Oh...sorry," Miku replied, voice quiet as she split her nearby chopsticks apart for use. "I guess I'm just a bit tired." Nodding slightly at her friend's response as she began to eat her meal, Yumi responded, her voice quiet as she spoke.

"Well...if you need anything, just ask." Nodding slightly, Miku returned to her meal, her mind still puzzling over what's going on.

'Maybe I'm just imagining things…' she thought, taking a piece of her Yakisoba and eating it, taking note of an added hint of spiciness that wasn't there normally. Pausing in her meal she spoke up, a small smile on her face as she spoke.

"Hey, Yumi?" she began, drumming her fingers lightly on the table as her words got her friend's attention. "Thanks. This is delicious." Stopping as she washed the griddle she had used, the brunette made her way back over to the table, the owner of the restaurant emerging from the back room as she did so.

"Sure thing!" Yumi replied, her excitement causing Miku to smile softly. Taking a moment to read her friend's reaction she continued, her fingers drumming softly on the table. "And thanks for the compliment. This is the only thing obaasan will let me make, so she gave me some freedom with it." As if to respond to her friend's words, Miku let out a quiet chuckle, her thoughts turning somewhat upbeat. 'At least that's not different…I wouldn't trust Yumi to cook anything…' she thought before her friend's words shook her from her thoughts, a smaller grin on her face.

"Glad to see you smiling a bit," the energetic brunette said before laughing slightly herself. Shaking her head softly, she continued, her smile not fading from her face. "Hey, do you wanna go back to Lydian together? I finish my shift soon, so if you want to wait a few, we can do that."

"Sure," Miku replied, her response leading the brunette to seemingly bounce back towards what she had been doing. Taking a sip of a glass of water which her friend had left for her, Miku found herself smiling at her friend's energy as she settled into thought. 'Everything's been so different today…' she thought, her mind reflecting over the day's events. 'Ever since that light from earlier, everyone and everything has been so off.' Looking back down to the meal in front of her, she found herself frowning once more, even as she delved back into her thoughts. 'Am I just imagining things? Did I just fall asleep in the park by accident?'

"Miku? Earth to Miku," Yumi said, her words shaking her friend out of her thoughts and getting her attention. "I finished up, and obaasan said I could leave." Moving towards the exit, Miku stood from her table, a surprised look on her face as she replied.

"But what about the plate?" she said, pointing to the half-finished meal at her place on the table. Laughing slightly, Yumi replied, her voice showing a small amount of exhaustion.

"Leave it. I've got a shift tomorrow morning anyways, so I'll clean it up then. Come on, let's go!"

"Ah..." Miku responded, pausing as she reached towards her purse. "I still have to pay!"

"Don't worry, it's on the house! Come on, Miku!"

-SotHR-

"What…" Miku muttered as she climbed up the final set of stairs, her voice barely audible. Taking in the visage of Lydian academy in front of her, she stood still at the top of the steps, her eyes widened in surprise. 'This is where….' she thought, her mind struggling to process the sight in front of her. 'Wasn't it destroyed by Kadingir?'

"Miku?" Yumi asked, taking note of her friend's sudden stop as she reached the top of the stairs. Turning to where her friend was standing, a stunned look on her face, she continued, a concerned look on her face. "What's wrong?" Getting no reply from her friend at all as the dark-haired girl continued to stare at the sight in front of her, she frowned before waving her hand in front of her friend's face. "Oi! Miku! You okay?"

"Ah...Yumi…" Miku said, blinking as she finally responded, shaking her head slightly before continuing. "Sorry about that. I'm fine." Shrugging in response to her friend's reply and stepping back away from her, the twin-pigtailed girl replied, her frown quickly replaced by an optimistic smile.

"You sure?" At Miku's nod, she continued, a warm tone to her voice as she turned to leave. "Okay then. I'll see you later then! Oh, this is just like that scene where the two friends parted in that one drama I watched the other day..." Watching her friend head off towards the other side of campus where her dorm room would be, Miku simply let her disappear to parts unknown.

Turning back towards the moonlit campus, Miku allowed her eyes to wander in silence, her eyes taking in what appeared to be a rebuilt campus as she began to head towards where her old dorm would be, losing herself in thought along the way. 'It's like nothing ever happened here...' she thought, the images of the last time she had seen this location popping to mind as she made her way towards what was once her dorm. Pausing in place as a brief shiver ran down her spine from her memories of the day her school had come under attack, she spoke up, her voice a hollow tone at her words.

"What is going on…" she muttered, voice trailing off as she made her way past the glass-enclosed building at the center of campus, moonlight reflecting off of its glass windows that stretched from the ground to its roof and illuminating the track. Turning towards what she remembered to be the east building of classrooms, she walked away from the track, her mind in somewhat stunned disbelief as memories of her time at the older campus came to mind. 'So many memories...but how is this even possible?' she thought, coming to a stop in the courtyard between both wings of the main class building, the moonlight shining down and reflecting in the small fountain at its center.

Sitting on the edge of the fountain she stared into her reflection briefly, her memories of her time at the school with her friends bubbling to the front of her mind. 'There were so many good times...and so many painful times…' she thought, staring at her reflection in silence as she reflected on the memories she had. '...I acted so selfishly towards her.' she thought, the images of the good times she had with Hibiki in her mind. 'Maybe if I wouldn't have…'

"Miku-chan? What are you doing out here this time of night?" A hauntingly familiar voice said, snapping Miku from her thoughts. Looking up from her reflection, Miku felt herself just stop, her mouth opening slightly at the image before her as a familiar person made her way over from the classroom doors. Noticing the stunned look on the dark-haired girl's face, the figure made her way over, a concerned look on their face as they called her name once more. "Miku-chan? Earth to Miku-chan..."

"Ah…" the schoolgirl finally responded, shaking her head slightly. "Ryoko-san…" she managed to gasp out, her body tensing up at the sight of the older woman in front of her.

"The one and only," the scientist replied, a warm smile on her face as she spoke. Noticing the stunned look on Miku's face she continued, her frown growing further at the lack of response. "Are you okay, Miku-chan? You look like you've seen a ghost."

'How...how is SHE here…' Miku thought, her mind flashing back to the last time she had seen the scientist. Stepping backwards hesitantly, she spoke once more, her voice shaking slightly as she did so.

"Ah...sorry..." she said, a shaky smile coming onto her face. "I'm fine. Just...surprised, that's all." Before she could continue the scientist shook her head slightly, a small smile on her face as she replied.

"No worries, no worries! Still...what are you doing out here this late?"

"Ah…" Miku responded, unsure of how to answer the question. "Just had something on my mind." Nodding slightly the older woman replied, the brunette looking at the fountain as she spoke.

"Well, if you want to talk about it, I'm all ears Miku-chan," Ryoko replied, her brown hair up in its usual hime-cut. "It's my job to listen to what you and the other students here, as well as those involved with the 2nd Division, have on your minds." At this, Miku froze, her mind reflecting on both what she had seen of the older woman, as well as some of what Ogawa had said earlier that day.

'Something's off about her…' Miku thought, her mind comparing the woman in front of her to what she remembered. '...It's like she's not the same…NOTHING's the same…' Eyes widening slightly before she looked away, her eyes looking back towards the rest of the campus, she spoke up, her voice quiet.

"Ryoko-san, have you had one of those days where nothing seems like it's...right?" she asked, her question causing the scientist to look up at her in surprise. Taking a moment to consider her response the older woman replied, a small frown falling onto her face.

"I've had a couple of them," Ryoko said, her arms crossing in front of her chest lightly. "When you're married like I am, every day could end up feeling that way! But, that's part of what makes marriage so special. There's always ups and downs, and working through it together is just a part of that." Eyes widening at the somewhat cheery response, Miku stared at the older woman, finally taking note of the diamond ring on her right hand.

"Wait...you're married?!" She said, the surprise in her voice causing the scientist to chuckle at her response. Joining Miku where the schoolgirl stood she responded, raising her right hand to where Miku could get a closer look, the ring sparkling under the moonlight.

"Yes Miku-chan, I'm married," Ryoko said, an amused grin on her face. "Gen-chan and I have been married for a little while now." At this, Miku's mind went blank as she stared at the scientist, her mouth hanging open as she tried to process what she'd heard. Waving a hand in the younger girl's face, Ryoko spoke up, her voice snapping the younger girl out of her stupor. "Earth to Miku-chan...are you okay?"

"Ah...sorry…" Miku replied, her mind racing in response to these words. 'When did Genjurou get married? How? WHY?' she thought, staring at the diamond ring on the older woman's hand. '...how is she even ALIVE? Was all of that a dream?' Moments later she stumbled as another wave of dizziness washed over her, the older woman catching her and holding her up.

"Miku-chan, you don't look too good," she said, her voice showing concern for the younger girl. "Let's get you inside so that you can lie down, and we can talk more there, okay?" Hesitating to respond, Miku eventually nodded, her thoughts refusing to leave the situation she found herself in as they made their way inside with Ryoko dragging her lightly by her hand.

-SotHR-

Miku couldn't help but be perplexed as she stood in the elevator next to the scientist, the two of them enjoying a comfortable silence as they made their way to the underground location of the 2nd Division's base. 'All of this...everything...is so wrong to me…' she thought, her eyes staring towards the floor of the elevator, an apprehensive look on her face. Glancing briefly towards the older woman next to her, she found herself shaken from her thoughts by the older woman speaking up, a concerned look on her face.

"You seem like you're feeling a little better, Miku-chan," Ryoko said as she looked towards the younger girl. Smiling softly as Miku looked up, she smiled softly before the elevator came to a stop, the doors opening to reveal a familiar hallway to Miku's eyes. "We're almost to the medical center. You can get some rest there." Nodding as she scanned the area, her mind almost refusing to believe that any of what she saw was real, Miku spoke up, her voice quiet as the duo made their way down the hallway past a small number of offices that had been closed up, their occupants having left for the evening.

"Ryoko-san…" she began, her voice quiet as if not to disturb anyone. "Why did you marry Genjurou-san?" Stopping and turning to look towards where the younger girl stood, Ryoko smiled softly before replying, a small level of sadness coming into her eyes.

"Miku-chan, there's no really good explanation for it. When it comes to love, there never is," she started, her eyes catching a hold of an object further down the hallway. Making her way down the hallway, the younger girl behind her, she came to a stop in front of a small clear box mounted on the wall, a photo and a pendant hanging within. "I guess it began after the incident two years ago though."

'What is she...' Miku thought, her eyes drifting upwards to where the older woman was looking before letting out a small gasp, her eyes widening at the sight. 'What the…' she thought, her eyes widening slightly as a photograph of Kazanari Tsubasa greeted her within the box. 'So that's what happened to her…' she thought, a horrible feeling coming to mind as she took in the photo, the bluenette's relic pendant hanging in front of a crimson silk inside of the box, next to the photo. As if sensing the younger girl's sadness, Ryoko continued, her voice quieter than normal.

"After what happened to Tsubasa-chan, Gen-chan was heartbroken," she said, her eyes never leaving the box in front of them. "He was always...strict with the girls, always pushing them so hard to make themselves the best that they could. He'd been like that ever since Kanade-chan had died, and I guess that he had blamed himself for her death. Then the incident happened…and it only got worse." At the younger girl's confused look, she continued, a small frown on her face as she spoke.

"Gen-chan made a vow to himself afterwards to not become too attached. I guess that to him, it was his fault that both his niece and Kanade had been taken away from us. Maybe it was his way of rationalizing things," she said, her voice turning downcast as she spoke. "I saw him distancing himself from everyone...and I just couldn't stand seeing him like that."

"Ryoko-san…" Miku whispered, her mind trying to process what the older woman was telling her. "What happened to her? To Tsubasa, I mean."

"That's a silly question, Miku-chan," the older woman said, a quiet laugh coming from her, filled with bitterness. "You were there when it all ended. But I guess we all want to forget what happened, even though we won't ever be able to." Taking a moment to gather herself she continued, her eyes hardening with anger. "Finé happened, Miku-chan. Poor girl...she was taken over by that priestess when she was just a child. She never had a chance."

"Oh my god…No..." Miku whispered out, her eyes widening in shock as she stood, her mind barely able to process anything outside of what she had just heard. "No...I can't believe it…" Beside her, Ryoko continued, her voice having lost some of its frustration as she looked at the younger girl with a saddened glance.

"Gen-chan blamed himself for everything. He thought that if he would have found out about Finé having taken over Tsubasa-chan sooner, then maybe he could have prevented it. He was falling apart afterwards, Miku-chan. And seeing him like that caused my heart to break for him." At the younger girl's questioning glance, the scientist smiled warmly before continuing, a distant look coming into her eyes.

"There'd always been a spark between Gen-chan and I, Miku-chan. I guess...I guess that seeing him like that just ignited it into a full-fledged fire." Pausing to gather herself and wipe small tears from her eyes, Ryoko continued, her voice gaining in strength as she spoke. "One day I walked up to him and called him out for being so distant and for thinking that it was his fault. I mentioned that his actions since then had done nothing more than hurt everyone else, and that I was worried about him. Things just...went from there."

"Ryoko-san…" Miku trailed off, her mind still struggling to process what she had heard. At the mention of her name, the older woman continued, her voice gaining in cheer.

"A year later, after we had dated for the full year, I was the one who proposed," the head scientist stated, her smile returning to her face. "About six months later, we were married. And I've enjoyed every day since." Taking a moment to gather herself, she continued, her voice back to its normal cheery tone. "Sure, he may still be a total drill sergeant towards the girls, but I know his heart's in the right place. He wants to make sure that they're ready for anything."

"As they should be," a gruff voice said, catching Miku by surprise as Genjurou appeared from around the corner, a tired look on his face as he spoke. Beard lengthier than what Miku remembered and hair longer than she knew him to have, the commander of the 2nd Division continued, his voice far sterner than Miku was familiar with. Wrapping an arm around his wife, Genjurou continued to speak, Ryoko leaning into his embrace. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, Gen-chan," Ryoko responded, leaning up and kissing the commander on the cheek before continuing to speak. "I was just getting Miku-chan here down to my office for a check on things. She seemed like she wasn't feeling too well earlier, but seems to be feeling a bit better now, right?" At the shorter girl's nod, Genjurou spoke up once again, his eyes staring at Miku, a fraction of what she knew to be his normal warmth held within.

"Very well. Kohinata, Tachibana and Yukine should not be far behind. Training has just ended, and they will be heading back to the dorms." Pausing as he took his wife's arm closely, he continued, the married couple walking back towards the elevators. "Have a pleasant night." With his words, the married couple walked off, leaving Miku to herself and her thoughts as she took a seat on the bench opposite the box memorializing Tsubasa.

'...This feels too real to be a dream…' she thought, her eyes locking onto the box opposite herself. 'Everything feels so off...Lydian wasn't destroyed...Ogawa-san isn't a manager...and that's for starters.' Stopping for a moment to consider what she had heard from Ryoko, she felt herself tearing up as her thoughts continued. 'What is going on...there's no way that this is all real, is there? And what did he just say about-' Before she was able to go any further into her thoughts, a familiar voice got her attention, snapping her from her thoughts.

"I'm beat," the voice said, their words leading Miku's head to turn slowly towards where they came from. "Taichou put us through the wringer today."

"Come on, Chris, it wasn't that bad!"

"You would say that," the first voice said, her companion having revealed her identity. "But then again, you've always been the one who has so much enthusiasm for training." At this, Miku stirred, her eyes widening at the way the duo of voices spoke with one another as they rounded the corner.

'Hibiki…' Miku thought, her eyes locking on to the visage of her former roommate, hair still its former light orange shade and its former length as she stood beside a near-twin of her current roommate, both girls in various states of exhaustion. Yet she could only focus on Hibiki, finding herself studying her features very closely, her mind running wildly at the sight before her. 'Wait...did she dye her hair again? Did she get it cut? Wasn't she a bit more...full than this? Has she been eating enough?' But then she remembered the one fact she sorely wished she could forget. 'Oh...wait…' she thought, her face falling slightly as the duo came to a stop, the orangette speaking up in shock.

"Miku?!" Hibiki exclaimed, her surprise at her friend's presence evident on her face. "What are you doing here?! I thought you said you were visiting your parents!" She ran up to the black-haired girl, taking her hands in her own.

"A-ah…" Miku let out, her mind still reeling from before. Unable to find any words to say, she could only focus on one fact: that the two came here together. 'Ah...so even in this dream...it's like this…'

Hibiki's face scrunched up in worry. "Miku?" She let out, concerned by her friend's lack of a response. She turned her head back to Chris, who walked up to join them. "Chris, I think something is wrong with Miku!"

"Obviously there is something wrong if you grill her like that," The white-haired girl answered. She turned to look at Miku as well, her worry evident in her face too. "Hey Miku, if you're gonna show up out of nowhere you should tell us first."

Her comment was met with more silence from the dark-haired girl, who could only stare at her hands that were held in Hibiki's own. 'Why...why is she…' As if completely by instinct, she pulled back, putting her hands over her chest. She took uneasy steps back, just staring at Hibiki with wide eyes.

"Miku?" Hibiki said in worry. "What's wrong?"

"Ah...why...why are you holding my hands...when…" She could only say, the rest of her words stopping in her throat. She couldn't find the strength to say the rest, as if the mere acceptance of that fact would seal her fate forever.

"Miku!" Hibiki yelled, and in a surprising move ran up to the girl and wrapped her arms around her, holding her tight to her chest. "Please! Tell me what's wrong!" She begged, pulling back from the hug and holding Miku by arm's length.

For a moment, Miku looked up to Hibiki to stare into her amber colored eyes. But the memories were too much for her, and she turned her head away, afraid to continue meeting her gaze. Hibiki's face immediately fell, tears starting to form at the edge of her eyes.

"You...you shouldn't," Miku said uneasily. "Chris...Chris is right here...you two are...supposed to be…" But she couldn't say the rest. It just hurt too much.

"What?! What should we be?!" Hibiki shouted, desperately trying to get some sort of answer from her.

"You two...are supposed to be together...so you shouldn't...you shouldn't…" She continued, her lips quivering. "You shouldn't...be this nice to me…"

"What…?" Hibiki could only say, her arms dropping to her sides. "Miku, what are you saying?"

"You two...should be happy together," She said, clenching her fists tightly. "So, you shouldn't...think about me. Not after how I...not after how I acted."

"What are you talking about," Chris replied, a small blush on her face as she moved to join the two girls, her snow-colored hair hanging loosely without any twintails. Turning to look at where her teammate stood, a half-broken expression on her face, she continued, her voice sharp. "Miku, Hibiki and I aren't dating; you know that. You would know that better than anyone!"

At the snow-haired girl's words, Miku's eyes widened. She turned her head back to stare at Chris, and her eyes darted between the two.

"E-Eh?" She could only let out. "But...last time...you said-"

"What did I say? What are you talking about?" Chris answered back. "Are you sure you're okay? You look really pale. Hibiki, you should probably take her home right away."

"Yeah, I think that will work." Hibiki said in acknowledgement. "Come on Miku, I think you need to rest."

"But...but...this is not...you shouldn't be...why? Why are you saying all of this?" The black-haired girl murmured, her legs frozen on the spot. There was a vague voice in her head that she recognized as the voice of reason, finally speaking to her after being mute for so long. And it said some things, finally bringing some rationality to everything that has happened until now. But still, she did not heed it, for she refused to believe what her ears were hearing.

"Miku, just so you don't get confused," Chris sighed, holding her head in one hand. "I'm not the one going out with her."

Miku's eyes widened further.

"YOU are!"

Everything finally clicked into place. The voice she had not been willing to listen to for the majority of the day finally made itself known and told her everything she needed to know. From the lack of destruction in the city, to Yumi's obsession with dramas of all things, to Ryoko still being alive, to hearing Tsubasa had been the one that was possessed by Finé, to Genjurou having long hair and married to Ryoko, to seeing Hibiki and Chris sporting different haircuts and features. 'This isn't...a dream…' She realized, finally understanding that it was too real and too complex to be one.

She had heard about this possibility in the past, but never quite believed it. It was a mere theory after all, and no one in the world could possibly prove it. But now, after witnessing everything with her own eyes and ears, she finally understood what that light she saw at headquarters meant.

The OTHER headquarters. The headquarters she knew. For this was, without a doubt...a different world. An alternate one, running parallel to the one she called home, and one she was somehow sent to by some unseen force she could not explain.

She wasn't sure what she felt in the moment of that realization, but it was somewhere along the lines of shock and relief.

But then another voice spoke to her in her mind, and this one was not as benevolent as the other. It was not rational, nor was it even something she could explain. But it was her own nonetheless, and she definitely understood what that voice was telling her.

'This is your chance…' It whispered. 'This is what you always wanted. You can finally...FINALLY...have your happiness...all you have to do...is believe in this dream…'

Her eyes glossed over, and she once again looked Hibiki in the eyes. And as she looked, she found herself drowning in them like she always did in the past, before everything went wrong.

There would be no going back from this if she heeded that voice. It and her voice of reason battled it out in her mind. Usually the voice of reason would overcome the other.

But this time...the voice of temptation won out.

"Ah…" She said, a small smile coming to her lips. "Yes...I'm sorry...how could I forget. I must...I must have been more tired than I thought. Hibiki...please, take me home."

The orangette smiled, relief coming over her features. "Gladly," She said. "Chris, I'm heading back home. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," Chris answered, and then turned her head to Miku, a small smile on her face. "Make sure to sleep well, you hear me? We can't have any more of this weirdness."

"Yes, I will. Thank you, Chris. I'll...see you tomorrow," Miku murmured tiredly, sending a smile in Chris' direction as one thought stood out in her mind.

'If this is a dream...I don't want to wake up.'

Central World, 2nd Division Headquarters, Tokyo

"The video confirms it," Genjurou said, his eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the footage on screen, the footage of the hallway next to where Gjallarhorn was being kept playing on loop. "When Gjallarhorn awoke in full capacity twelve hours ago, it sucked her away. And now we have no clue where it sent her." Pausing for a moment as the footage displayed the moment the relic activated, the schoolgirl stumbling and falling to her knees on screen before being swallowed by a brilliant glow that filled the screen, the glow fading seconds later to reveal an empty hallway. "Ogawa, none of Ryoko-kun's notes on it state how to direct Gjallarhorn in a way to reach a specific location when not activated. However, they do state that it will stay linked to where it is already linked to, but only for a short period."

"Right," the spymaster replied, quickly taking a look off screen at the documents he had located. "Sakurai-san never determined an exact length of time that the gateway between would stay open however." At this Genjurou nodded, a small frown on his face at the thought before he replied, hands folded in front of his nose.

"So we're operating on a limited timeframe then. Nothing we're not used to." His eyes closing briefly, he continued, his voice quiet as he tried to figure out an idea. "Was there any other info that you were able to locate?"

"Nothing that wasn't in those documents." Pausing for a moment, Ogawa continued, a somewhat concerned look on his face as he spoke. "Commander, don't beat yourself up over this. I don't think any of us foresaw Gjallarhorn activating. For all we knew, it couldn't activate."

"I know," Genjurou responded, his arms crossing in front of his chest as he leaned back in his seat. "Still, that doesn't make me feel any less responsible. Anything that happens on base is my responsibility. The fact that Miku-san disappeared because Gjallarhorn activated while on base doesn't help." Taking a moment to let out a small sigh, he continued, a grateful smile appearing on his face. "Thanks for the research, Ogawa. I know it was spur of the moment, but I appreciate the work."

"It's not a problem, commander. Tsubasa and Hibiki were able to handle things on their own at the record company today while I looked into this."

"Dismissed then, Ogawa. Thanks again." At that, the video feed cut before the commander of the 2nd Division let out a sigh, his mind working overtime to assemble a plan. Shaking his head as he reached over to grab the small thermos of coffee that sat on his desk, he took a sip of liquid caffeine before returning his focus to the monitor in front of him. Settling in for the lengthy planning he had in front of him, Genjurou couldn't help but have one thought appear in his mind.

'Keep yourself safe, Miku-san.'

Parallel World, Lydian Music Academy, Dorm Building

"Well, we're home," Hibiki said as she opened the door, allowing Miku inside as she held the dark-haired girl's hand lightly, the familiarity sending her heart racing. "Come on, Miku! We're home!" Stepping into the room that they shared Miku smiled softly, her mind bringing the memories of the room they had shared to the forefront. 'Everything's just like it was…' she thought, her smile widening as she took in the sight of the familiar bunk bed they had shared before Hibiki's slightly concerned voice shook her from her thoughts, the cream-haired girl staring into her eyes and drawing her in effortlessly.

"You said you were tired right?" Hibiki said, her voice shaking the dark-haired girl out of her thoughts, the feeling of the Gungnir wielder's hands holding her own only emphasizing the warmth in her eyes. "Miku?"

"Ah...sorry," the dark-haired girl said, a smile written on her face as she spoke, her eyes taking in the sight of the room around her, its familiar posters causing an upwell of emotions within her. "It's just been a long day." Smiling softly at her roommate's response, Hibiki walked over to where their bunk bed waited, a small smile on her face as she hopped up onto the top bunk, her legs hanging off the edge as she sat on its edge.

"Then let's go to bed early," the girl Miku had considered to be her world said, a welcoming smile on her face as she spoke. Instead of heading towards where the smiling girl sat however, Miku made her way over to their shared couch, sitting down on it as she stared at the photo of the two of them on the table in front of her. "Miku?"

"Hey...Hibiki?" Miku said, the Gungnir wielder hopping off of the top bunk at her words and slowly making her way over to join her on the couch, taking a seat next to the school girl. "We're...dating, right?"

"Ah…" Hibiki replied, caught off guard by the question from the dark-haired girl. A blush coming onto her face, she continued, even as she took Miku's hands in her own once again. "Yeah, we are. We have been for a while now. Just about two years." Pausing as she smiled sheepishly, she continued, the grin on her face causing Miku to smile softly as well. "You really shocked me when you jumped me after I came back from being gone for those two weeks. We've been going out ever since."

At this, Miku smiled softly, her head slightly turned away from the Gungnir wielder. 'I remember that day…' she thought, her memory of the day when Chris and Tsubasa had appeared without Hibiki appearing in her mind, heartbroken looks on both girls' faces as they came to console her, the gravity of the situation impacting them all at once. 'Everything changed that day...it took me weeks to actually talk to anyone regularly after that…' Shaking her head slightly to dismiss the unpleasant memory, she spoke up, her voice quiet and drawing the cream-haired girl's attention.

"I'm glad," she said, the smile she had on her face growing as she spoke, that tempting voice making its presence felt once again. "Hey, Hibiki…"

"Hm?"

"Do you…" Miku began asking. She lightly licked her lips involuntarily as she continued her question. "Do you...love me?"

"A-Ah…" Hibiki sputtered, her flush increasing tenfold. "Y-yeah. That's...such a silly question to ask, Miku. You already know...how much I do."

And at that moment, slithering to the forefront of her mind, the voice of temptation once again whispered sweetly in her ear. 'Yes...this is what you want...all you ever wanted...is right here.'

Miku's heart began racing, her own face becoming redder by the moment. She knew how wrong it was to be doing this. But hearing Hibiki's words, the sincerity in her voice flowing over her like honey, was just too much for her to endure.

"T-then…" She murmured, turning her head to the orangette. "Prove it to me."

Nodding slowly in response, Hibiki moved closer, leaning in towards the dark-haired girl. Closing the gap, her eyes closing as she approached, Miku could feel the orangette's breath on her face as she closed the final gap, both girls' eyes meeting briefly as Hibiki paused, her heavily lidded eyes meeting Miku's own as the dark haired girl's self-control slipped, her eyes closing as Hibiki closed the last inches separating them, their lips meeting in a chaste kiss and causing Miku's mind to become engulfed in fireworks, a fire she had desperately longed for years igniting within her core.

"Mmm…" Miku purred as Hibiki pulled away slightly for breath moments later, the fireworks the kiss had set off in her mind continuing to go off as she did so. Looking towards where the orangette sat mere inches away, hooded green eyes meeting hooded orange before they closed the gap again, the duo's hands intertwined as their lips met once again, the fireworks within Miku's mind bursting bigger and brighter as they kissed. Separating her hands from Hibiki's own, Miku wrapped her arms around the orangette, pulling her closer while deepening the kiss slightly, her hands massaging Hibiki's back lightly, the duo pulling apart before staring at one another through lidded eyes.

"Shall we go?" Miku whispered, a clear desire within her voice as she spoke, breath heavy. Hibiki nodding slightly in response the duo stood from their seat before heading towards the bunk bed, a small smile traded between them as Hibiki hit the light switch. As they climbed into bed, small, swift kisses exchanged as they went to sleep in each other's arms, not even caring for anything else in the world.

-SotHR-

"Mmm…" Miku purred as she woke from her sleep, eyes cracking open slowly to the sight of the still-sleeping orangette in front of her. Memories flooding back from the night before, she smiled softly, her mind reflecting on the actions she had taken and bringing a blush onto her face. 'This feels like a dream…' she thought, sitting up from where she and Hibiki were entangled, her soft cotton sweater stretching slightly with her movements. 'No...this is more than that…' she thought, her fingers reaching up and tracing her lips lightly.

"Nggh...Miku, where are you going?" Hibiki whispered, her hand reaching over and tracing Miku's own before they intertwined. Smiling softly, the dark-haired girl felt a sense of excitement fill her at the seemingly simple action before she responded.

"I just wanted to get something for breakfast," she whispered, an amused smile on her face as she spoke. Reaching over and stroking the Gungnir wielder's bangs lightly, she continued, the smile she wore not shrinking as she spoke. "Do you...have training today?"

"No…" Hibiki responded, pushing herself up off the bed slightly, her light blue sweatshirt rustling slightly as she did so. Running her eyes tiredly, she continued, the small smile on her face causing Miku's heart to race in excitement. "You don't have to get something though…" At Miku's confused look, she continued, squeezing the dark-haired girl's hand lightly and sending her heart aflutter. "Was gonna say that we could go out today…"

"Ah…" Miku sputtered, her mind coming to a stop as she tried to process what Hibiki said. 'Go out...with Hibiki?' she thought, her face turning bright red at the idea before looking over at the orangette. 'Sure, we've gone out before. But…' she thought, her heart racing at the idea. 'Now...it's different. Like...like it should have been.'

"Miku?" Hibiki said, her voice showing a slight concern for her girlfriend, a distant look in the dark-haired girl's eyes as the smile she wore across her face never wavered. "...if you don't want to go out, we don't have-" she continued before being cut off by a gentle kiss, the dark-haired girl having leaned in without her noticing. "M-M-Miku?"

"Hibiki...I'd love to." she replied, a happiness to her tone that was in stark contrast to the previous night where she seemed so unsure. "Is there...anywhere that you wanted to go to?"

"M-M-M-Miku...you're mean for putting that pressure on me…" Hibiki replied, a small pout on her face which caused the black-haired girl's stomach to flutter. "I really don't know...I hadn't thought about that. What about you? Is there anywhere you want to go?"

Miku smiled warmly.

"It doesn't matter to me, as long as we're together."

-SotHR-

"Ne, Miku," Hibiki said, stingrays swimming on the other side of the glass window through the miniature coral reef, her words causing Miku to look at her directly. "This is nice. I-I mean, we haven't been on a date in a little while, so it's great!" At this, Miku smiled softly, a slow nod as she felt her heart race.

"Yeah…it really is," she said, her eyes not leaving the amber orbs that she had fallen for so long ago. Reluctantly turning back towards the glass, her left hand pressing gently on its surface, she continued, her thoughts turning towards the last time she had visited this place. 'It was all so...different that day…' she thought, seemingly staring into space as a sea turtle swam by in front of her. Shaking her head slightly, she turned towards her date, a small smile on her face as she watched some of the fish swim by. 'No...now's not the time for that. I'm on a date with Hibiki…that's what matters…'

"We hadn't been here before either," the orangette said, her excitement showing through and causing butterflies in Miku's stomach. "Usually we've gone places like karaoke or to a movie or to the park, so this is something..." A sheepish look came onto her face at this, her fuchsia sweater fluttering slightly as she rubbed the back of her head, the look on her face sending Miku's heart further aflutter.

"Different?" Miku said, the word flowing out of her mouth quietly enough that only the orangette could hear. At Hibiki's small nod, she frowned slightly, before the orangette spoke up once again, a warm smile across her face.

"Ahh, but it's not a bad different! It's something new, that's all," Hibiki said, the warm smile on her face drawing in the dark-haired girl as she took Miku's hand in her own. 'So warm…' Miku thought, her eyes glossing over slightly as she felt her date's warmth flow into her. Pausing to gather herself, she spoke up, licking her lips slightly as she spoke.

"Hey, Hibiki…" she began, her fingers slipping into the other girl's effortlessly. "Do you wanna go to the Observation deck?" Sending a small smile the orangette's way, she squeezed her hand gently, the contact sending a gentle electricity up her spine.

"S-S-Sure," the orangette replied, a nervous smile on her face. "You're really enthusiastic today, Miku. Even more than normal."

Miku offered no response, and together they continued on their tour through the aquarium. Moving through the various tanks, smiles quickly crept up their faces as they studied the fish, a particularly big one eyeing Hibiki the entire time. Staring back at it, the dark-haired girl playfully murmured a 'mine', causing Hibiki to giggle.

They continued their leisurely walk in silence, passing by a group led by a guide stopped in front of one of the bigger tanks in the facility. Having never relied on them before, the couple simply moved on. However, for no explainable reason Miku found herself listening to the guide's explanation about a certain species, her words causing the black-haired girl to frown.

"Here we have the peacock flounder, a true example of a master in camouflage," the guide began, her voice clear enough that the whole group she led could hear. "Known also as the flowery flounder due to its, as you can tell, flower-like spots, it is able to blend in to its surroundings so expertly, you will have a very hard time trying to find it even in this tank. It's able to essentially vanish into whatever surface it is placed on after just eight seconds, an ability that assists it well when hunting or hiding from predators..." She droned on, the rest of her explanation filtered out of Miku's mind.

The sudden change of expression on her girlfriend's face caused Hibiki to look at her in worry. Before she could ask what was wrong, Miku spoke up first.

"You know what?" she began, a small smile on her face. "Let's go, Hibiki. We can go to the observation deck some other time." Tugging on her date's arm, the dark-haired girl headed towards the elevator, Hibiki right next to her.

"But Miku, we just got here!"

"I know, but I don't want to stay cramped up in here all day long."

Without giving her another moment to complain, Miku dragged her by the arm, and the two left the premises to head back into the city.

-SotHR-

"Hey, Miku, how about that one?" Hibiki asked, yanking slightly on her date's arm in excitement. Besides her, Miku looked up towards where the orangette was pointing, a questioning look on her face before she sighed. "Shiori-chan kept saying that it was really good. Let's go see it!" Shaking her head slightly, Miku replied, an amused smile working its way onto her face.

"As long as it's something you want to see, it sounds good to me," she replied, the bubbly orangette besides her nodding before shooting her a grateful glance. Smiling softly as her date made her way to the ticket counter to purchase their tickets, Miku allowed herself to fall into thought, her mind reflecting on the restaurant they had gone to just prior, after leaving the Sky Tower. 'The waiter apologized for them being out of beef…' she thought, a frown coming onto her face at the thought of her meal earlier. 'So they had to use something else for the stroganoff. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't the same…' the dark-haired girl thought, her eyes locking onto her date as she stood in line before smiling. 'At least Hibiki was there...today's felt just like I've always thought it would…'

"Hey, Miku?" Hibiki said as she walked back over, snapping the darker haired girl out of her thoughts. "You okay?" Smiling in response, Miku leaned over before slipping one arm around the orangette's own as they made their way inside the theatre, a satisfied tone to her voice as they made their way towards the concession counter.

"Ah...Yeah, I'm fine," she said, a warm smile on her face as she stared into the Gungnir wielder's eyes, the amber color entrancing her instantly. "Just thinking back on dinner, that's all." Hearing Hibiki's quiet chuckles besides her, she felt her stomach flutter in anxious excitement, the memory of the atmosphere around the young couple bringing a blush to her face. "That place was perfect, don't you think?" Besides her, Hibiki smiled, the sight of which caused Miku's heart to race slightly faster as the orangette replied, arm still linked together with MIku's own.

"Ah…y-yeah," she said, eyes darting towards the counter as they moved up in line. "It was pretty nice. We haven't gone someplace like that in a while though." Pausing briefly, she continued, a smile on her face as she spoke. "Miku, you know you we don't have to go somewhere like that together. I don't care about being all fancy and stuff."

"Y-yeah," Miku stuttered slightly, her date's words having caught her off guard slightly. "I just wanted to go somewhere nice today. Can't I spoil you sometimes too?" At her question, the taller girl smiled softly, a strawberry blush having formed on her face as they stepped one step closer to the counter.

"M-M-Miku, you always spoil me," Hibiki said, a mock pout on her face before Miku leaned up and kissed her briefly, a small peck that left he taller girl quiet.

"Maybe, but I do it because I want to," she said, a small smile on her face as she turned her attention back to the counter in front of them briefly. "Do you want anything, Hibiki?" she said, arm not separating from its place linked with Hibiki's own.

"Ah…" the orangette said, a happy smile as she spoke. "Can I get a large popcorn and a large Cherry soda?" At the attendant's nod, she smiled, the warmth of her smile catching Miku's attention and causing her heart to flutter slightly before she returned her attention to the girl at the counter, the counter rep's fingers strumming impatiently on the counter.

"Ah...I'll have a large cherry soda myself, thanks," she said, the attendant nodding before moving to obtain their order, an embarrassed smile on her face as she spoke.

"Miku? You okay?" Hibiki asked, a slightly concerned look flashing in her eyes as she spoke. Looking into the amber orbs once more, Miku replied, a happiness to her tone even as the attendant returned with their drinks.

"As long as we're together, I'll always be okay."

-SotHR-

"That was as good as Shiori said it'd be!" Hibiki said as the couple made their way out of the theatre, the excited orangette holding Miku's hand closely. "Wasn't it awesome when the lead character got into that fight at the dojo while trying to save the girl, and then it was revealed that the girl wasn't even the one they were trying to save?" At this, Miku meekly nodded, her eyes distant even as she spoke.

"A-ah...yeah, it was a good movie," she replied, a smaller smile on her face as she felt the other girl's fingers intertwined with her own. 'That scene…where the girl the main character saved turned out to be an imposter…' she thought, a feeling of sudden anxiety washing over her like a tidal wave and leaving her tired. 'What's this feeling...Why do I feel so on edge now…' she thought, her inner turmoil reflection on her face.

"Miku? Is something wrong?" Hibiki asked, the orangette's words shaking Miku out of her thoughts. "You looked upset for a second. Did I…say something wrong?"

"N-no," the dark-haired girl replied, her smile widening slightly as she stared into her date's amber colored-eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong, Hibiki. Everything's fine. It's just been a long day." Shaking away her doubts, she continued, taking note of the worry in her loved one's eyes. "Hibiki, I'm serious. It's nothing to worry about." At this, she leaned in closely before claiming her date's lips once again in a chaste kiss, before pulling away reluctantly a brief time later. "See? Nothing to worry about."

"M-Miku…" Hibiki sputtered out, eyes wide in surprise before continuing, her voice dropping low and into a somewhat serious tone. "Come on. Let's go home. You look like you're gonna be sick." Nodding hesitantly, Miku went silent as the duo headed towards the nearby station. Soon enough, they boarded the train that arrived a few minutes later.

Hibiki looked around for empty seats, leading Miku to a pair before they sat down, the black-haired girl immediately placing her head on her girlfriend's shoulder. Closing her eyes, she let her mind simply drift away, unwilling to think about anything that happened during the date. It was fun, she had to admit, but there was still something...something that did not sit well with her that lowered her spirits during what should have been one of her happiest days. She let out a sigh involuntarily, and Hibiki took one of her hands in her own gently.

"Are you sure everything is okay, Miku?" She asked once more in concern.

"Yes, I'm fine," She answered with a smile, just appreciating the sound of Hibiki's voice. A question rose to her mind that she felt she had to ask, something that held no real significance but at the same time felt profoundly important. "Hey, Hibiki, I have a question."

"Hm?"

"What if I was…" She began. But then the words got stuck in her throat, and she found herself unable to continue, as if her own mind was rejecting the possibility. "No, it's nothing." In response, Hibiki tilted her head, and let out a small laugh.

"You're so weird, Miku," She said in amusement. "Even more than usual."

Miku responded with a laugh of her own. "You're one to talk, Hibiki. You're the weirdest person ever."

For a moment they went silent. And then, completely out of nowhere, they laughed in unison, as if what they just said was the funniest thing in the world. It wasn't even that particularly funny, but Miku still found some comfort in it, dispelling the doubts in her mind.

"Just being with you is enough for me," She said softly. "And that's...all that matters."

There was no need to say anything more. Falling silent, the couple rode back to Lydian hand in hand, the rest of the world seemingly unimportant as they sat, content in each other's presence.

Parallel World, Lydian Music Academy, Dorm Building, the Next morning

"Ne, Miku?" Hibiki asked the next morning as the young couple laid in bed, the morning sun filling the room and streaming over them as her words drew the dark-haired girl's attention. "Is everything okay?"

"Mmm?" she hummed in reply, rolling over to stare at the girl she loved, a concerned look on the Gungnir wielder's face. Before she could continue, HIbiki spoke up once more, a quietness to her voice that Miku hadn't heard from her before.

"Miku...you were talking in your sleep last night," the orangette began, her amber orbs staring into Miku's green orbs as she squeezed the quiet girl's hand gently. "You kept saying things like 'Don't leave me again' and talking about how much it hurt." Pausing to try to consider her next words carefully, she continued, a look of sadness in her eyes. "It scared me, Miku. You're my sunshine. It hurts me to hear you saying stuff like that."

Miku laid there in silence as she stared into the amber eyes of her bedmate. 'How long has it been...since the last time I heard her say that…'

She had not slept well at all the night before, the events of their date the day before having been on her mind the whole night and causing her to have multiple nightmares of Hibiki leaving her, as well as of the Hibiki she knew from her world. 'Why…I've been so happy…' she thought, forest green staring into amber orange. 'I want this happiness that I have to last forever...so why do I feel so on edge?' Gulping slightly, she finally spoke, her mouth dry in anxiety.

"I was just...remembering when I thought you were gone, those two years ago," she said, a shaky smile emerging onto her face. "Sometimes...sometimes I feel like this is a dream. Like us dating is something that isn't real. Even though I know that it is...sometimes it still feels-" before she could finish her statement, she felt a weight fall onto her body before a pair of lips captured her own, her eyes widening slightly before closing, a pleasured groan coming from the back of her throat. Seconds later Hibiki pulled away, a reassuring look in her eyes as she spoke.

"Miku...did that feel like a dream to you?" she began, her words causing the dark-haired girl to shake her head in response, a surprised look on her face. "I...I know I'm not the best in the world at this romance stuff." Pausing for a minute, she continued, her smile widening slightly. "But it doesn't matter, right? We have each other. I...I might make mistakes from time to time, sure. But I won't leave you. Not again, not after what happened two years ago."

"Hibiki…" Miku responded, her voice quiet before she leaned up, closing the distance between the two girls once again. Stopping inches away from the orangette, she continued, her free hand reaching up and stroking Hibiki's face gently. "That...makes me so happy, you know." At that, the Gungnir wielder nodded, her eyes widening softly as Miku pressed her lips to hers once again. Licking Hibiki's lips lightly, Miku found herself surprised when Hibiki's lips opened up in response, her tongue meeting Miku's own halfway, their tongues dancing with one another as Miku's hands ran through the orangette's puffy orange locks. What felt like hours later they separated, matching smiles on their faces as they parted.

"Hibiki...I lo-" Miku began to say, her voice quiet but full of positivity, before the ringing of Hibiki's phone cut her off. Shooting it an annoyed glare, both girls laughed slightly before Hibiki disentangled herself from Miku, climbing down to the floor before walking over to answer her phone.

"H-h-hello?" Hibiki began, shooting a regretful look back at the dark-haired girl still laying in the bed they shared, her purple pajama shirt rustling against the bed with the slightest movement. "Ah, Aoi-san! Sorry...I just woke up. Mhm. Mhm. Okay, we'll see you then." Ending the call with a brief press of the button she returned her phone to its charger before returning to bed, sliding back under the blue bedsheet, her orange pajamas fluttering lightly with her movements. "Sorry about that."

"Who was that?" Miku asked, a tinge of annoyance to her voice. Smiling sheepishly in response, the orangette responded, her voice clearly apologetic.

"Ah...that was Aoi-san. She said that they need us on base at Thirteen Thirty this afternoon." Wrapping her arms around the dark-haired girl and pulling her closely, she continued. "Sorry about that, Miku…" Trailing off, Hibiki found herself blushing furiously as Miku pressed a finger to her lips, a quietness to her voice.

"Hibiki, it's okay…" she began, before claiming the Gungnir wielder's lips once again in a brief kiss. Pulling away, she continued, her voice full of warmth. "I love you. You don't need to apologize."

"M-M-Miku…" Hibiki responded, a blush appearing on her face. "I love you too."

-SotHR-

"We have another half hour before they need us there, Hibiki," Miku said, her voice quiet as the duo walked hand in hand towards the main campus building. "Why are we in such a hurry?" Beside her Hibiki smiled softly, a feeling of contentment rising up within Miku.

"Ah...well, I just thought it'd be a good chance to just spend some time together. Usually when there's a meeting on a weekend like this, they tend to run a bit long." Smiling softly back towards the orangette in response, Miku spoke up, her eyes glancing at the buildings around Lydian's campus.

"I hadn't noticed it before…" She began, voice trailing off as she took in the sight of the glass enclosed building at the center of campus. "But whoever designed this campus did an amazing job. It really is beautiful here. But...not as much as you are." Blushing madly, Hibiki struggled to come up with a response, causing Miku to laugh softly. "Don't ever change, Hibiki." Before Hibiki could respond any further, a familiar voice to the duo called out to them, stopping them in their tracks as they neared the main classroom building.

"Kohinata-san! Tachibana-san!" Shiori called out, the duo's blonde friend jogging lightly over to meet them, her blue sundress fluttering lightly in the early fall wind. "What are you two up to today?"

"Ah…" Hibiki began, a bit of surprise leaking into her voice. "We're just heading to a meeting, that's all." Besides her, Miku nodded in agreement, her arm slipping effortlessly into HIbiki's own and linking them together, something that didn't go unnoticed by the blonde, a small frown finding its way onto her face.

"I see…well, if you two want to go out afterwards, let me know." Taking a moment to look over at Miku, she continued, a small look of concern in her eyes. "Are you feeling okay? You two don't ever lock arms like that." Blushing softly, Hibiki responded, a sheepish look on her face.

"Ah...Miku hasn't been feeling well most of the weekend. We were going to see if Ryoko-san had anything that could help." At Hibiki's words Shiori's frown only grew deeper, her eyes glancing over at Miku once again, as if noticing something that had gone unnoticed by the Gungnir wielder. 'What is…she looking for…' Miku thought, struggling to keep her face neutral as Shiori seemed to almost stare through her, an anxious feeling rising up within her at the blonde's gaze.

"Okay," Shiori said, shrugging slightly before she turned to head towards the exit of campus. "I'm gonna head out for the day. I'm supposed to meet up with Ando-san for some shopping, and I don't want to be late. Have fun you two, and feel better soon, Kohinata-san." At this, she walked off, leaving the duo to themselves before Hibiki spoke up, her voice quiet.

"We should probably get going," she began, her eyes locking back onto Miku's own as she continued. "I don't think that Taichou would really be happy with us if we're late." Besides her, Miku nodded, her eyes redirecting to the main campus building, her unease only growing bigger. Before the duo entered the building, a single thought entered her mind, one that when she'd look back on it later she'd wish she had heeded.

'Why do I have this...unwelcome feeling?'

-SotHR-

"That's all for today, you two! Thank you for your good work!" Ryoko exclaimed, finally putting the last of her tools away in their proper location. "You are now free to go home!"

"Finally!" Hibiki exclaimed, stretching her arms over her head in exaggeration. Miku smiled at her antics as she sat on a chair by the bed her girlfriend has been occupying. Putting her feet down on the cold floor, Hibiki almost immediately turned to Miku and bowed repeatedly. "I'm so sorry Miku! I didn't think everything would take so long!"

"Don't worry, it's okay," Miku responded. What they believed should have been a routine training exercise and a normal medical checkup that shouldn't have taken more than four hours ended up being far longer than that, as Hibiki initially said. Now was almost six in the afternoon, and despite being so far underground Miku knew the sun was already starting to set outside. "We got to spend it together, so I don't mind."

Hibiki smiled, and quickly got herself dressed so they could finally head out. Just as she finished, Miku rose from her seat, Hibiki giving her a thumbs up that once more brought a smile to her face. Together, along with Ryoko they exited the lab, standing in the long hallway. Just as Hibiki began to make her way forward, Ryoko spoke up.

"Ah, I'm sorry, but I'm going to need to borrow Miku-chan from you for a bit, Hibiki-chan." She said playfully.

"Eh? Why?" Hibiki asked, as Miku also looked up at the woman with her eyes wide.

"I just want to run a few more checks, you don't need to worry," she responded, a small smile on her face as she spoke. "After all, you did say she wasn't feeling well, and I remember when I saw her two days ago she looked unwell to me too, so I thought I'd give you two a hand. Don't worry, I'll send her back to you in once piece."

"Hehe," Hibiki giggled. But even though her girlfriend was laughing, Miku could not bring herself to smile, her expression one of confusion and worry. "Well, I guess it can't be helped," the orangette said, a look of confusion briefly on her face. She then looked to Miku and took one of her hands in her own, the black-haired girl glancing to their connected hands for a moment before meeting her gaze. "I'll wait for you at home okay?"

Miku could only nod in response, still a bit shaken from the sudden offer from the doctor. Releasing her hold on her hand, the dark-haired girl almost opened her mouth to protest before Hibiki began to walk away, waving to her as she disappeared down the hallway, leaving Ryoko and Miku alone.

"Now then, let's go back inside, shall we?" Ryoko said with a smirk, eyeing Miku from above. A shudder went down the girl's spine, a cold feeling descending upon her from absolutely nowhere. Taking a moment to breathe, Miku clenched her fists and followed the woman back inside the lab.

They entered, the door sliding closed behind them with a whoosh. Silence descended on the lab as Miku stood by the door while Ryoko approached her work desk, ruffling through some papers. Miku could only stare at her lab coat-covered back in concern, swallowing nervously.

"Sit, sit," Ryoko said. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. Just a few checks as I said." Nodding her head, Miku sat down on the chair she'd previously been on, looking towards the woman. Neither said anything for a long while, the school girl simply staring at her with unease. She bit her lip, and opened her mouth to speak.

"Ryoko-san-"

"You know," the scientist began, cutting her off. "Things really have changed since Finé made her appearance. It came as a shock to us all to discover her vessel was none other than Tsubasa-chan; after all, the vile priestess said so herself, grinning mischievously all the while with the face of Gen-chan's niece." She continued to ruffle through her papers without any sort of purpose, her back still to the girl.

"The poor girl died when she was just a child, replaced by a malevolent being that only cared about its own goals. She even managed to infiltrate this place right under our noses, all the while hiding the Nehushtan Armor inside her own body with all of us being none the wiser. She gave us so much trouble, that crazy old lady. After that, I worked really hard to make sure nothing like that could happen again," She continued, the point of her story passing over Miku's head. After a few moments, she finally removed one of the papers from the stack, raising it to the air. "So I did a few adjustments on the elevator, and I installed a nice little device that scans and detects all traces of relics, no matter how miniscule, on anyone who comes down here."

Only then she finally turned around, Miku's breath catching in her throat as the woman's expression suddenly changed, her glasses gleaming ominously in the white LED lights of the labs. Her eyes pierced through her as she stared into Miku's eyes, her gaze not moving from the schoolgirl even an inch.

"Imagine my surprise when just two days ago, I found a trace I've never seen before show up in the scans. No, I guess it's wrong to say I've never seen it before. It's more like the relic the trace belongs to shouldn't have been possible in any manner," the scientist said. Miku simply froze at her words, her eyes widening. "After all...it's sealed under lock and key right in here, so it couldn't have reached the elevator in any way. Do you know what that relic is, Miku-chan?"

Her hands gripping her dark blue skirt tightly, her eyes locked onto Ryoko, the older woman walking towards her with the paper in hand. Once she got close enough, the woman threw the paper onto Miku's lap. The black-haired girl stared at the title written on it, and froze once more. Ryoko's expression then became much, much darker.

"That's right, it's called Shenshoujing." She said.

Miku stared into her eyes, and at the sound of that name she felt something trigger inside her own mind, as if a door had been slightly opened for her to peek through. A flash of something she did not recognize appeared in her mind, causing her mouth to gape widely as well. 'What...was that?'

"A-Ah-"

"Imagine my surprise when two days ago it showed up in my scans, and coincidentally, right at the time when you came down here," She continued, eyeing the girl carefully. "Just yesterday I did a routine check and what do you know, a perfect match. Now, please do tell me, sweetie…"

Miku gulped.

"Why exactly did I find traces of this relic in your body?"

There was no answer Miku could give her. The name was not supposed to be familiar to her in any way, and she had no memory of ever using a relic or a Symphogear before in her life. Yet... 'Why does it sound so familiar…'

"I...I-"

"No need to explain, because I think I can come up with the answer myself," Ryoko interrupted her once more. "See, last time I did ran a scan on you, there was nothing to be found quite like this in your system. But suddenly, a few days later there is? I think we would have known if you came into contact with it in that timeframe. But you see, there was another strange thing that happened: not many people know this, but here in headquarters we have another special little relic that hasn't quite been so cooperative with us. And its name is Gjallarhorn."

"I...I don't understand-"

"You see, that little thing is quite peculiar. It's dormant pretty much one hundred percent of the time, giving no response to anything we do to it. Truly, a dud. Now, imagine my surprise again when all of a sudden I detected activity in the relic...just two days ago." The doctor said, still looking down at Miku, this time her suspicion visible clearly on her face. Miku could do nothing but shrink under her gaze, looking like a deer in the headlights.

"I don't believe in coincidences Miku-chan, especially not after what happened with Tsubasa-chan. So let me ask you a simple question:"

And she bent forward, leveling her head with Miku's, whose eyes were shaking under her stare. Violet eyes met green, and the glint returned.

"You're not from around here, are you?"

It was like a bomb dropped on top of her from out of nowhere. Her entire frame shook in her seat, sweat dripping down her brows as she was suddenly exposed to the elements, her image of the doctor becoming a maliciously dark being. And in that moment, Miku remembered the feeling of golden eyes staring down at her, the image of Finé interposing itself on top of the woman in front of her.

"Not only are there traces of a relic that shouldn't even be out in the open in your system, but Gjallarhorn spontaneously activated just around the time you came down here two days ago, your memory seems to be strange, and your expressions and behaviors have been quite off in the time I've seen you. I'm sure others have noticed as well, but decided not to comment on it," Ryoko continued, Miku remaining completely still and undeniably horrified. "I have to say I'm shocked. We only theorized what it could do, but I never thought this is what that derelict old relic is capable of. Now tell me sweetie, how was the trip?"

Miku's breathing suddenly became erratic, her hands gripping the sides of her seat so tightly her fingers became white.

"It must have been quite frightening, wasn't it? With how you look, I figure it was quite unplanned for you to come here. Perhaps it activated on your side as well and you got swept in by surprise, and you found yourself in this strange new world that is quite like your own, but slightly different." She said. "I wonder...how is it different? I bet things went down over there quite differently from here. Tell me, did Hibiki-chan still become a Symphogear user? Did Gen-chan cut his hair?" She let out a breath, and Miku could feel it on her face. "Did Tsubasa-chan live? Did Finé possess someone else instead? I guess the possibilities are endless, in this case."

'How did she...how…' Was the only thing Miku could think, only for her train of thought to once again be interrupted by Ryoko speaking up again, her curiosity leaving her face.

"Well, it doesn't matter either way, since I guess I'll never be able to go there to find out for myself. As for you, I can see you got yourself integrated very well. Well, considering it's all people you already know, it's probably a walk in the park for you." She said with a slight hint of amusement.

But then the small smile that made it up to her face vanished, replaced by a serious expression that made Miku all the more frightened.

"But I'd stop here, if I were you," She warned, and Miku's eyes widened. "I'm telling you this out of my heartfelt concern, Miku-chan. You are an important part of this place after all, even if a little bit...different. If you delve any deeper, you won't be able to get out. I really suggest you don't involve yourself further, and focus on finding a way home right away. I'll even help you out if you want, but don't subject yourself to this torture anymore. Only regret awaits you at the end of that path."

'Stop...involving myself?' Miku could only find herself wondering. It was at this moment that memories from the last two days flashed before her eyes, Hibiki's smiling face and the priceless yet short time they shared together, not as just friends but as a couple, as lovers, filling up the forefront of her mind completely.

And then the image of Hibiki and Chris- her own world's Hibiki and Chris, not this world's- kissing in front of her dorm appeared before her eyes in full. The memory of that moment caused her to shake off her shock as she shot out of her seat, standing to full height before the woman, who took a step back.

"Y-you don't understand! This is...if I don't, then-!" She started saying, only for Ryoko to cut her off again.

"I don't understand what?" She asked. Then, eyeing the girl carefully and seeing the all too familiar desperation in her eyes, Ryoko let out a sigh.

"I see, so that's what's happened," she said as she walked towards the girl, and placed her hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"I think I do understand, actually," She said. "But even though I understand and my heart goes out to you, I highly recommend that you stop now, before you subject yourself to any more pain. If you let this continue you won't be able to stop, and you'll definitely regret this for the rest of your life. For the sake of your heart and sanity, please stop this game of pretend now."

"It's not pretend! It's real! It's how it should have been!" Miku screamed, tears beginning to form at the edges of her eyes.

"I see, but even so, you need to stop," Ryoko continued, unfazed by her outburst. "Please Miku-chan, don't do this to yourself. The hole in your heart will never heal if you keep doing this."

Miku had enough. Refusing to listen to anymore of the doctor's drivel, she turned around in a hurry, the door of the lab sliding open. Immediately, she took off, running at full speed inside of the hallway leading back to the elevator.

'She's wrong! She's wrong!' She repeated in her mind. 'Hibiki-Hibiki should have been-!'

She passed by two surprised employees who moved out of her way in time and entered the elevator, hitting the button that leads back to the surface immediately. The door quickly closed and she stumbled backwards, her back hitting the wall of the elevator as it rose, her mind racing wildly and her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

Ryoko could only stare at the empty spot in front of her in sorrow, adjusting her glasses. "Poor little Miku-chan. I don't know what happened to you, but it must have been hard, really hard. You must have held it back this entire time." But her words met no ears, and she could only sigh sadly.

"I guess...the only thing left now is for her to find out the hard way."

Central World, 2nd Division Headquarters, Tokyo

"We won't have a lot of time to complete this," Genjurou said, staring the assembled quartet in the eye. Looking back up at the screen in the conference room he continued, taking quiet note of the upset looks on the girls' faces. "If anything, we have just the one shot. If Ryoko-kun's notes are right, the gateway to where Miku-san is being held at is only going to remain open for another three hours, and that's at most. As such, we will only be sending two of you."

"Just two of us?" Maria asked, her voice showing concern as she glanced over at where Tsubasa sat, the bluenette's eyes narrowed slightly. "Taichou, are you sure that just two of us will be enough to get there, find Miku-san, and then get out in time?"

"Maria-san, while I appreciate the concern, I have to believe that it will be." Pausing to consider his next words, he continued, his voice coming out in a low tone. "You and Tsubasa will stay here and be ready in case something comes up. But as for who will be going…" at this, he paused, a silence falling over the room as its other two occupants looked at the screen. "I know that this is asking a lot of you. It's a small window to work with, and we have no idea what awaits beyond Gjallarhorn. Be careful, both of you."

Parallel World, Lydian Music Academy, Dorm Building

"She's wrong...she HAS to be…' Miku thought, tears streaming freely down her face as she ran through the hallway towards her shared room with Hibiki, her footsteps falling heavily against the building's floor. Finally arriving outside of the room, she moved to open the door before it opened, the dark-haired girl stumbling forwards before the feeling of a now familiar pair of arms wrapping around her snapped her out of her trance.

"Miku?" Hibiki asked, her eyes staring with concern at Miku's tear-stained face, the dark-haired girl looking up at her in response. "You're crying...what happened?" Staring into the orangette's eyes, Miku was silent, her mind still reeling from what the scientist had told her. '...even if she said that it would lead to more pain, she doesn't get it...she doesn't know what it's like…' she thought, before her lover's voice gathered her attention once again. "...Miku?"

Staying silent at the Gungnir wielder's question, she made up her mind before smashing her lips against the orangette's own, a level of fierceness and desperation in the kiss that caught Hibiki by surprise only for her to give in seconds later, the Gungnir wielder responding in kind as they dueled for control. 'This is real...it HAS to be…' Miku thought, her mind slowly becoming overrun with her desperation and desire as she pulled away briefly only to re-engage, the young couple slowly stumbling their way towards the couch. Licking the taller girl's lips, she gained entrance, Hibiki's tongue dueling with her own as they finally made it to the couch, falling onto it in a tangle of limbs.

"M-Miku…" Hibiki managed to gasp out as the dark-haired girl broke their kiss, her eyes hooded and filled with desire. "What brought this-" her words were cut off, a small throaty moan exiting her throat as the dark-haired girl nibbled softly on her ear, her hands tugging insistently at the hem of the orange t-shirt she was wearing before sliding up underneath it. Laying atop the orangette, Miku's thoughts went wild, her hands sliding lightly up the Gungnir wielder's abs and tracing them lightly with her fingertips. 'This is real…I'll make it real…' she thought, her voice coming out in a throaty whisper as she spoke, her mouth right next to the orangette's ear.

"Hibiki...you can't tell me that you don't want this…" she whispered, her fingers finally reaching the underside of the other girl's bra and sliding under it. Taking advantage of Hibiki's gasp in surprise, she planted a series of light kisses along the orangette's neck, stopping where her neck and shoulder met and sucking on that spot hard, her hands taking the Gungnir wielder's breasts in full underneath her bra and massaging them lightly and causing the girl to let out a series of progressively louder moans. 'Mine...she's mine...and I'm not letting go…' Miku thought, ending her sucking on the girl's neck with a small pop, an oval-shaped bruise left in her wake as Hibiki let out a mewl of surprise. 'I will MAKE this real...'

"Not...fair…Mmm…" Hibiki managed to gasp out, her mind falling into a haze of lust as she spoke. Nodding quietly, Miku found herself in agreement as she continued her assault on the other girl's chest, her hands massaging Hibiki's breasts lightly before sliding out from under the bra. Reaching around to the taller girl's back while still underneath her shirt, Miku found what her wandering hands were looking for before she released the clasp in a matter of seconds. Returning to the object of their attention, Miku allowed her hands to slide Hibiki's breasts free from the now-loose garment, leaving only the thin fabric of her orange t-shirt to hide them from view, something that caused Miku to frown slightly as she slid her hands back down the taller girl's stomach, a disappointed mewl coming from Hibiki's lips.

"Don't worry…" Miku said, her voice husky with desire as she spoke, encouraging Hibiki to sit up slightly before her hands started to lift the T-shirt up her body. Seconds later, she pulled the offending fabric over Hibiki's head, tossing the t-shirt away from them as she returned her focus to the Gungnir wielder's neck and chest. Quickly allowing Hibiki to shrug off the now useless bra, she continued her actions, her hands sliding back up Hibiki's stomach to massage her now visible breasts, a louder moan of pleasure emanating from the orange-haired girl. "I want you to feel good, Hibiki…"

"Aaaah…I do…." Hibiki gasped out as Miku took her nipple into her mouth, sucking lightly on it and circling it with her tongue. "But it's...not...fair...I wanna...do something…too…" the Gungnir wielder moaned out, her thoughts being slowly obliterated by the tidal waves of pleasure washing over her at Miku's hands. Pausing for a moment, Miku smiled, releasing the girl's nipple from her mouth with a soft popping sound before sitting up and looking at the orangette through hooded eyes.

"Then do it…" she suggested, a lustful huskiness to her voice that the orange-haired girl couldn't help but find enticing. Sitting up from where she had been pinned she went on the attack, her own fingers coming up and unbuttoning Miku's white sweater, deftly opening it and revealing the dark-haired girl's fuchsia bra to the room before she swooped in, her hands massaging the dark-haired girl's chest through her bra and causing her to let out a pleasant but quiet moan. 'This is...how it should be…' she thought, her eyes shutting slowly as she let out another groan of pleasure, Hibiki having taken her nipples between her fingers and tweaking them gently.

"You can...be rougher than that..." Miku managed to say, her mind slowly fading into oblivion from what she had had countless dreams about. Nodding slowly in response, Hibiki moved, her hands working more roughly on the dark-haired girl's breasts before she threw in something extra, her leg sliding in between Miku's own and causing her to gasp as she felt Hibiki's thigh pressed up against her core through her underwear, the fires inside of her burning even higher as a result and sending any rational thought out the window.

"Mmm…" she moaned out, her hips rocking back and forth roughly against the cream-haired girl's leg as Hibiki continued to work, her hands massaging and tweaking Miku's breasts. 'So...GOOD...So...RIGHT…' she thought, a pressure building up inside of her, just as she had dreamt of countless times over the years since the Zwei Wing concert before the sound of footsteps nearby caused her world to come to a halt.

A thud.

As if a waterfall had fallen right on top of her, the fires that were ignited inside her were instantly snuffed out. Her eyes still locked onto Hibiki's, every single action she'd been doing in the last eternity came to a stop immediately, silence falling upon the room, the girl only noticing the heat right in that moment.

Her head began to tilt upwards, only to stop suddenly. 'Don't look...' Her mind said. Her eyes bloodshot and shaking, and her breathing erratic, she couldn't bring herself to move an inch. 'Don't look...if you do, it will all end.' For the sake of her sanity, she heeded that voice, unwilling to break the spell that had fallen upon them.

But it was too late.

Hibiki was the one who tilted her head backwards, her back on the couch, as she looked towards the location from which the sound had come from: the doorway. Her eyes still locked onto her, Miku could see the exact moment Hibiki's eyes widened in shock and confusion, staring at whatever was there in the doorway.

'Don't look.'

But it was too late. And Hibiki murmured the name that had now become a horrifying realization.

"Miku?"

Her head tilted upwards instinctively at the sound of her own name, and she looked.

At that moment, the dream ended.

It was like looking into a mirror. A strange, distorted mirror that reflected her own shape back at her, albeit a bit different than she knew. It looked back to her, its eyes wide, standing completely still in the doorway. Wearing a simple purple blouse and a white skirt, the reflection's mouth gaped at the sight before it, unable to process what it was seeing. And Miku could only stare back, green eyes meeting green.

"A-Ah…"

Which one of them let out that sound? Was it herself, or the reflection? She didn't know, and she didn't want to know. All she could see was how reality suddenly became too surreal for her to accept, as the world around her became a pane of fragile glass that threatened to shatter from the tiniest application of force. 'Why...did you look…'

There was no answering that question her mind brought forth. And she could see Hibiki, still below her with her breasts out in the open, tilted her head forward and backwards between the reflection and herself, her confusion clear on her face. And she spoke, the words she said finally breaking the illusion Miku had placed herself in since the day she arrived.

"Why...are there two Mikus?"

The reflection, in her eyes, suddenly became real. A fact she'd ignored, no, that she refused to acknowledge, a fact that many people had pointed out and she decided to push away in her desperate attempts to keep the dream going. Something that Yumi pointed out, and Ryoko noticed, and Hibiki wondered loudly about.

The fact that she was not alone, and that she was not the only one.

The mirror shattered, and it in its place stood someone exactly like her, staring at her, piercing into her with eyes far too familiar for her to accept.

"What...is this?" The mirror image said, its voice shaking. But it was no longer a mirror. It was no longer an image. It was here, it was reality, and now, it brought the dream she had desperately did not want to wake up from to an end.

The world already had a Kohinata Miku. It had no need for another.

"A-ah…" Miku let out, pushing herself off of Hibiki's prone form. She rose back to her feet, her bra still visible to all watching. In the heat of the moment she had forgone everything and just forced herself upon her, taking control of everything, wanting to taste every bit of Hibiki she could. Yet now it was over, having ended as abruptly as it had begun, and now she was nothing more than a stranger, an intruder.

An invader.

Miku's eyes darted back and forth between Hibiki and her own counterpart. She could only now see the suitcase that she had held in her hand, now sprawled on the floor, probably having fallen from her other self's grasp from the shock.

A place she had once thought could be called home suddenly became as alien as a different planet, nothing more than a facsimile of what she once knew. And she knew, at that moment, that she couldn't stay there a second longer.

So she ran. Suddenly dashing through the room, neither of the other two had any time to voice their surprise when she passed by her counterpart and ran into the hallway as fast as her feet could take her. Shaking off her surprise in that moment, the other Miku swiftly turned around in her direction.

"Wait!" She yelled, and in a split-second decision she too dashed off, chasing after her other.

And Hibiki could only remain in the room alone, sprawled out on the couch with her body exposed, as she murmured a single question that she figured would remain unanswered forever.

"What...just happened?"

-SotHR-

'Why...why did it have to end up like this?' Miku thought to herself as she ran, no particular destination in mind. Her feet impacting the pavement underneath her, she raced through the small commercial district she had first explored on her arrival, the crowds of people having grown in density since the last time she had been there. Pushing her way through the crowd, she made her way towards the central crossing, her still loose sweater flapping in the wind as she went.

"Wait!" her own voice cried out from behind her, her mirror image following her as best she could through the crowd. Eyes widening in shock, Miku continued to run, her feet pushing past what she thought were her own limits as she pushed into the busy crossing, hopeful that the crowds would help her to vanish from her other self's view. She would be disappointed, the now familiar voice of her other echoing out once again, seemingly closer to her. "Wait a minute!"

'I can't...I can't stop…' Miku thought to herself, breaking free of the crowd of people in the middle of the crossing before taking off in another dead sprint, crowds of people looking at her with confused looks on their faces before her other followed closely behind, confusing them further. 'I can't stop now…' she thought, her run continuing even as her mirror image followed her, the gap between them slowly closing as they flew through the district. Soon enough they made it to the same place Miku had found herself at when she arrived, a familiar riverbank coming into view.

"STOP!" the Other Miku called out, her voice only moving Miku to run harder. But as she approached the steps that led to the riverbank, a familiar feeling hit her, a wave of nausea smacking into her with all the force of a tidal wave. 'No...why now?' she thought before disaster struck, her feet stumbling over one another and allowing her mirror to finally catch up to her. The weight of her other self smacking into her from behind sent them tumbling down the hill, the mirror images rolled over and over, finally coming to a stop on the flat riverbank at the bottom of the hill, the other Miku atop of her as she emerged victorious in their struggle.

"Now…" the other said, her breath coming out in heavy, labored pants. "What the HELL did I just walk in on...and who the hell are you?!"

But there was no answer Miku could provide her. Her other was furious, confused, and demanded an explanation. But Miku just could not give her any. There was no explanation, there was no excuse, and there was no justification. The sheer weight of everything that has happened until now, and everything she had done, finally bore down on her.

And she couldn't take it. Her composure shattering to pieces, she could only bring her arms up to cover her eyes, hiding her face from her counterpart. The other looked at her with puzzlement, awaiting her response only for her to hear sobbing and crying as Miku finally lost control. Everything, absolutely everything, from the day Hibiki disappeared to now all struck her at full force and the only thing she could do was cry, the tears falling nonstop from her eyes, hidden by her forearms. And she murmured, repeatedly, without stopping a single, endless phrase in a pitiful voice.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry…"

That was the only thing she could do. The other's fury abated somewhat, bewilderment taking over as she stared at the person who looked exactly like her grieving over something she did not understand.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry…I'm sorry...I'm sorry…"

'What is she…' the other Miku thought. What could she say to her now? She found it hard to try and interrogate her now. Looking at her own face marred and tainted by tears, dirt, sweat, and grass proved somewhat effective at causing her anger to dissipate, rational thinking taking over in its place. And she could only keep on looking, listening to her own voice crying out in despair and guilt.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry…I'm sorry...I'm sorry…"

Only the sound of the gracefully flowing water of the nearby river interrupted her endless whimpering, and now the other could only look at her with pity and questioning eyes, her confusion still apparent. But now curiosity filled her as well, and she could only wonder in her own mind what exactly was it that brought this mirror image of herself to this brink. 'What...happened to you?'

"Hey...why are you apologizing so much?" the mirror image said, her purple blouse fluttering in the wind lightly. "Please...right now, I just want to understand…"

"I...I just…" Miku replied, attempting to sit up from where they had ended up. "I just wanted things to be how they should have been…" she said, her voice shaking slightly. Stopping to try to wipe up some of her tears, she continued, her voice still quivering with what was clear and unmistakable heartbreak. "I should have been the one…" she trailed off, the words that she knew needed to be said proving elusive for her, even as her other looked at her with saddened eyes. "It hurts so much. I've tried to hide it from them, and I've even told myself not to be upset. But it still hurts so much…"

"What…" the other Miku responded, her anger dying further as she listened to the girl in front of her, her heart going out to her as she started to slowly piece together somewhat what happened. "Who? Who did you try to hide something from?" she asked, her growing confusion and concern for the girl overriding any sense of anger she may have held. "And what did you hide from them?"

Falling silent, Miku allowed her gaze to linger as she took in her other's features. 'What Ryoko-san said...she was right…' she thought, her hand clenching into a fist as she sat, the gentle wind blowing all around the mirror images. 'Still...as much as I wanted it to work...she's already here. What right do I have to try to take her happiness from her?'

"If you really want to know…" she said, hesitating briefly as she turned her gaze back to the river in front of them. "it's a bit on the complicated side."

"Please...I just want to know…" '...So that I can understand why you were there, and why you and Hibiki were…' the mirror thought, her sentence going unfinished as Miku spoke up, a sense of bitterness in her voice.

"Have you...ever wanted something so badly that you'd give anything for it, only to have it ripped away from you?" the dark-haired girl said, the other her taking a seat next to her as she spoke. "I...I always wanted what you have."

"What are you saying?" the Other Miku responded, righteous indignation returning to her voice. Before she could say anything further Miku continued, her eyes remaining locked onto the river in front of them as she spoke.

"A little over two years ago, that thing I wanted so badly was taken from me, or so I thought," she said, her words causing her mirror to fall silent. "She and I...we were almost like you and Hibiki are. But...she left, and no one knew that she'd left, or where she'd gone. We all thought that she was dead."

"Ah...sorry," her mirror replied, her indignation fading again. Motioning for Miku to continue, she fell back into silence, allowing the dark-haired girl to continue.

"It's fine," she said, a shaky smile coming onto her face. "You didn't know. But...getting back to things, about two months ago, she came back." Pausing as a small fish jumped out of the river in front of them, she continued, her eyes turning downcast. "I didn't know it at the time, but she had been alive the whole time. But when she came back, it's like she was a whole different person. She was so...different from what I remembered, but in some ways it was the same girl."

"She and I had been roommates, and had been the best of friends for years. Eventually, I thought it could become something more, but I hesitated. Before I could say anything, she left." Feeling a small tear run down the side of her face, she continued, the memory of when she had found out that they hadn't been able to find a body after Kadingir coming back into her mind. "Soon enough I started rooming with one of the new friends she and I had made, and time went on. I thought that I'd gotten over her."

"When she came back, she didn't tell me that she was alive." By her side, her other sat, her mouth dropping slightly in reaction to what she had heard. "By then, I had thought I was falling for the friend that I was rooming with...and before I could say anything, I found out that she was seeing someone. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the friend I thought had died."

"I just couldn't stand it. I lashed out at them both, and ended up only making things worse for the two of them in the end. I couldn't get why things couldn't go back to how they had been...I guess I just let my jealousy consume me." Pausing as she looked upwards towards the clouds, she continued, the other Miku transfixed at what she was saying. "I tried to bury these feelings...these feelings that I never properly dealt with. I was in love with that girl. Even after two years, even though she was a different person, I still was in love with her, and...I just can't accept that she had grown up and changed, or that her feelings are for someone else, not me."

"Wait...are you…" the other her stated, causing Miku to smile softly, another tear coming to her eyes.

"So when I got here, and everything was the same as it was before she left...I couldn't help myself. I...I wanted things to be like they were so badly that I...I forced my feelings onto your Hibiki."

"My Hibiki?" her other responded, her eyes widening slightly at the words used. 'Wait...does that…' Realization dawning on her face, she spoke up, her eyes wide in shock. "So, you're not a fake...you're me, but...from a different place, aren't you?" Besides her, Miku nodded before continuing, her eyes turning towards where her mirror sat in horror.

"Yeah," she said, the other Miku smiling softly as she continued. "I'm sorry...I tried to take your place, all because I couldn't accept that things have changed. I still...I still haven't truly done so, for that matter."

"It's been hard, hasn't it?" The other Miku said, wrapping an arm around the dark-haired girl and giving her a supportive hug. "If something like that were to happen to Hibiki, I...don't know how I'd handle it."

"But for as hard as it's been, and as much as I can understand...that still doesn't condone what you did," she continued, Miku's eyes turning towards the ground beneath her. "Forcing yourself onto Hibiki, even though we look the same...just shows how you view her as a person. Or should I say, how you view your Hibiki as a possession."

"What?" Miku responded, her eyes narrowing in anger at what her other self had implied. Before she could say anything further, the other Miku continued, her eyes closed and a serene smile on her face.

"Listen…" she began, opening her eyes and staring Miku right in the face, green eyes meeting green. "To me...Hibiki is the most important person on the planet. After what happened two years ago, I was so happy when she came back that I couldn't help but ask her out on the spot. But something I've learned these part two years is that I can't treat her like a possession." Stopping for a moment to gather her thoughts, she continued, her small smile not leaving her face.

"Sure, I may not want her to have to fight. If I could, I'd find a way to stop her from ever having to do so. But...at the same time, that's the choice she made on her own. Hibiki is Hibiki; I love her, and so...if she wants to do something, I'm going to support her. I won't stop her from chasing her dreams or from fighting, if that's what she wants to do…and, if you asked her, I'm sure that she'd feel the same way about me." Standing up and moving to stand in front of Miku she continued, kneeling in front of her with a small sadness in her eyes.

"There's no doubt in my mind that it hurts. I...if I was in your shoes, I probably would do the same thing. But...I think you should take some time to really think about if your jealousy and desires are really worth pushing away your Hibiki and whoever she's dating." Pausing to consider her words once more, she continued, placing a supportive hand on Miku's shoulder as she spoke. "If you're ever going to move on...you have to let go. You can't treat her like she's some...thing to be owned. I'm sure that...I'm sure that your Hibiki, even though she's seeing someone else...she'll appreciate that."

"If it was that simple, then I would have done it well before now," Miku responded, her eyes looking away from her parallel counterpart. "Besides...it goes both ways. Like I said, those two kept my Hibiki being alive a secret from me. They lied to my face about it, and even hid the fact that they were dating from me...We're supposed to be friends, right?" Stopping to allow her words to sink in she continued, her anger bubbling to the surface again. "They played with my heart. SHE played with my heart. I know she said she did it to keep me safe, but...that's no excuse for it!"

There was nothing that her other self could say in response. As she tried to figure out how she would react if in that position, she found herself drawing a blank, the mere idea of her Hibiki hiding something like that from her feeling totally foreign from her.

"I know...I know that there isn't," she began, her hands falling to tug on her white skirt and rolling into fists. "But at the same time, if you love her so much...she might make mistakes, but you have to realize that that's part of what makes her human, Miku." Looking towards the sky, she continued, her hands coming unclenched. "Sure, Hibiki may make mistakes. And sure...she tried to hide that she was back from you in order to protect you. It sounds like she was trying to put everything onto her shoulders without taking everyone else's feelings into account." Pausing to consider what she had heard, she continued, a small frown on her face. "And she may have acted insensitively towards you, even though she had good intentions. I can't tell you to forgive that, and you don't have to."

Reaching down and pulling a sunflower out of the ground from where it had been resting besides them, she continued, spinning it in her fingers as Miku watched.

"But for all of that...what's happened has happened. You can't allow yourself to dwell on the past and how much better you thought it was. Doing so...will only make the pain worse, and you'll never heal from it. In the end, you'll end up repeating the same mistakes you made here."

At her words Miku froze, her eyes locking onto the sunflower as it spun. She hadn't thought about it that way. All she had thought about was how she had been seemingly abandoned, and how the Hibiki she had known prior to Kadingir wouldn't have left her. 'At her core...even though she's matured a bit, and even though she's in love with Chris...she's the same person at her core…'

"...Thanks..." Miku whispered out, her words getting her other self's attention from the sunflower she spun. Placing the flower back on the ground and returning her focus to Miku directly, her hand reached out, taking Miku's own and pulling her up before she spoke.

"I'm sure that you'll be able to head home soon. Until then, what do you say we get you buttoned up."

Laughing softly, Miku reached up, buttoning her white sweater before responding, an amused smile on her face.

"I bet you act like a mother hen towards your Hibiki all the time, don't you?"

A laugh.

"I try not to. She just...tends to be forgetful sometimes, that's all."

Both girls laughed softly, the late afternoon sun slowly setting overhead as they made their way towards the nearby Pavilion. Taking a seat inside with her navy skirt rustling on the wooden seat, Miku spoke up, a small smile on her face.

"I'm glad I met you, you know?"

"Hmm?" her other said, smoothing over her white skirt as she looked up at her counterpart, a thoughtful look on her face. Thinking for a moment, she responded, a small smile on her face as well. "Yeah...it is a bit strange, isn't it? Who would believe that I'd meet a version of myself from another world?"

"I guess...that's why I came here, isn't it…" Miku muttered out in response, her words drawing the attention of her counterpart. "Maybe it was you who I was supposed to meet...after everything."

"Maybe," her mirror replied, drumming her fingers on the table they sat at. "But know what? I think you're right...things like this happen for a reason, after all. Just...when you see them next, tell them how you feel, and don't keep secrets anymore." Receiving a look of surprise from Miku, her other self continued, a pair of individuals making their way down the riverbank. "I think that your chance to do so is going to come really soon."

"Huh?" Noticing where her other self was looking, Miku turned around, finally taking note of how Chris and Hibiki -her Chris and Hibiki- were standing at the riverside, she stood from the table, her white sweater rustling silently.

"I guess that's your friends, right?" Miku's other self said, her words drawing a nod from the schoolgirl in response. "Get going. I'm sure that they're worried about you, and are going to be happy to see you. In any case...it's been great to meet you, Miku."

"I should be thanking you," Miku replied, staring her mirror image in the eye, green meeting green. "Maybe...maybe I can try to move forwards now. And maybe we'll get to meet again sometime." Giving her mirror self a brief hug, she turned and walked towards the duo.

"Miku! There you are!" Chris exclaimed, making her way over to the dark-haired girl, a look of concern on her face. Walking up beside her, Hibiki smiled before noticing the other Miku standing in the pavilion. "We've been looking all over for you. Everyone's worried. Ready to go?"

At Miku's nodded response, Chris turned to look at her girlfriend, a confused look on her face as she noticed her staring towards the pavilion. "Hibiki? Something wrong?"

"No, nothing. Just thought I saw something." Turning her attention back to the Ichaival wielder, she smiled softly, wrapping her hand in Chris' own before she turned to look at the pavilion one last time and mouthed a single phrase, one that didn't go unnoticed by the other Miku.

"Thank you...for taking care of her."

As if getting the meaning of her words, the other Miku responded, shaking her head softly before speaking up, her voice barely reaching the trio before they vanished in a flash of brilliant green light.

"Take good care of her...and don't cause her to worry anymore."

A soft breeze blew through the riverbank, causing her hair and clothes to ruffle slightly. The sun lowered further on the horizon, and as if on cue several of the streetlamps lining the area lit up, basking the place in a bright, white glow. The girl looked ahead, and she could see a familiar figure sprinting towards her, now fully clothed. A few seconds later, Hibiki stopped in front of her, bending forward to catch her breath after the never-ending dash she made in order to find her girlfriend. Taking only a second to recompose herself, she straightened her back and looked her straight in the eye.

"Miku! I-I can explain! It's...I thought, I mean, it's not-"

"It's fine," Miku replied with a soft smile, causing Hibiki to settle down in confusion. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

"But I was...what even…" Hibiki tried to say, still confused from everything that has happened. "Who...was that?"

Instead of answering, Miku grasped Hibiki's hand tightly in her own, closing her eyes in contemplation. 'You really...missed this, didn't you?' She could only think, her thoughts filled with her other that disappeared just as abruptly as she appeared.

"A figment of a memory, I guess?" She said, causing Hibiki to tilt her head in confusion. "As I said, don't worry about it. Now come on, let's go home."

Without waiting for her reply, Miku walked forward, Hibiki having to turn around awkwardly to fall into step by her side, their hands still held tight.

The sun set on the world as they made their way up the riverbank...

And Miku was sure that no matter what happens, the girl from the other world would one day find her happiness.

Central World, Hikarigaoka Park, Nerima, Tokyo

"It's beautiful tonight," Chris said as they made their way through the park, the cold winter air surrounding her and Hibiki as they walked hand in hand. Besides her Hibiki smiled, the redhead's orange winter jacket unzipped and revealing the sky-blue blouse she wore beneath.

"Yeah. It really is," she said, stopping to look into Chris' violet orbs as they made their way towards the spot they had decided on. "Just like you are." Things had been hectic since they returned from the parallel world Gjallarhorn had linked to, and between their concern for how Miku was doing and a debriefing, the young couple had barely had any time to themselves. "I missed you while you were away."

"H-H-Hibiki…" Chris replied, an embarrassed blush on her face as she replied, a small smile appearing as she glanced at her girlfriend. Leaning her head on the taller girl's shoulder she continued, her voice going quiet. "I missed you too, you know…" Stopping for a moment, she leaned up and kissed her girlfriend briefly, the action bringing smiles to both girls' faces before she pulled away once again. "It was...nice at the retreat. I mean...the other girls on the team are okay, but they all wanted to talk about their boyfriends all the time. I don't have a boyfriend...how was I supposed to talk about anything like that with them?"

"Chris…" Hibiki replied, her voice quiet as she wrapped her arms around the shorter girl, pulling her in closely, the smaller girl's archery team hoodie rustling slightly at the contact. "Sorry you had to deal with that."

"It's fine, Hibiki. Besides...I wouldn't have things any other way than they are right now." Leaning up once again the Ichaival wielder claimed her girlfriend's lips in a kiss, pulling away after a few moments and leaving a satisfied look on both girls' faces. "So...where are we supposed to meet her at?"

"Ah...Miku said in her text message that it'd be somewhere around here, didn't she?" Hibiki replied, Chris nodding as they proceeded to look around for the school girl. Taking note of a single individual in a small clearing under one of the largest trees, they made their way over to find Miku, seated on a blue and white blanket, the girl's violet winter jacket buttoned up securely. Taking a seat on the blanket next to one another, the young couple waited for Miku to speak as the dark-haired girl took a light sip from the thermos she had brought with her.

Silence filled the air around them, the young couple sitting in silence and looking at the starless night sky alongside Miku, a tension in the air that all three girls could pick up on without much effort. Finally placing her thermos down, Miku spoke up, her voice breaking the ice between them as she looked away from the young couple.

"Ne, Hibiki?" she began, the young couple looking at her as she spoke. Ever since they had gotten back from the parallel world that afternoon, Miku had seemed quiet, as if something had happened to change her in a way. "Do you remember…about the promise we made over two years ago? Where we said that we'd see the shooting stars together one day?"

Chris felt a sudden anxiety enter her stomach. While she had heard from Miku about how she had made that promise with Hibiki so long ago, she still couldn't help but feel as though maybe Miku was trying to suggest something. Beside her Hibiki frowned, her eyes staring away from Miku before she prepared to speak up, only for Miku to beat her to the punch.

"You don't have to answer. We made that promise over two years ago, so expecting perfect memory is kinda asking a lot. But, I guess that keeping that promise isn't possible now, is it?" she said, her words causing Hibiki to nod slightly. Beside her, Chris tensed up, her hand grasping Hibiki's own tightly, even as the redhead's hand gave hers a reassuring squeeze.

"I've had...a lot of time to think while I was in that other world," Miku continued, her voice drawing the two's attention back to herself. "There's a lot that I feel I need to say to the both of you. I just can't keep it all bottled up anymore." 'Thanks, other me…'

A pause, her shoulders shaking slightly as she tried to put together the words that she felt needed to be said. 'She asked me to not keep secrets from them...to tell them how I feel. Why am I hesitating like this?' A deep breath, then another, before she finally spoke up, her voice shaking slightly.

"Two years ago, there was something I never got to say. And now I'm going to say it." Looking Hibiki dead in the eye, she continued, a resolve in her voice as she stared right into Hibiki's eyes, Green meeting Amber. "I...I love you, Hibiki. I've been head over heels for you for years."

Chris couldn't help but feel a hole forming in her stomach. Looking towards where her girlfriend sat, hand holding Chris' own, she noticed a certain rigidness enter her posture, a look of embarrassment entering her eyes. Before she could say anything Miku continued, her voice low in volume as her eyes stared towards the redhead.

"I know that you probably don't feel the same way. And that's fine," she said, her green eyes shining brightly under the soft white glow of the nearby lanterns. "But...I still feel that I need to say it, if only for my sanity's sake." Pausing as her words sunk in, she felt herself tear up slightly before continuing. "Two years ago, the day before Kadingir, I had told myself that I'd tell you how I felt. I just didn't get the chance. You just...disappeared, leaving me behind with the pieces of a broken heart in my hands."

Hibiki stayed silent, her eyes looking away from the school girl as she listened to Miku pour the contents of her heart out to her. Looking at her girlfriend with a look of concern, Chris gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, even as Miku proceeded onwards.

"I spent weeks crying over you. Even when Chris moved in with me to be my new roommate at that point, it didn't feel the same. I felt like nothing was worth living for." Pausing as she remembered that time in her mind, she continued, the memories of some of the good times she had with Chris as she tried to move on coming to the front of her mind. "It took a while, but eventually I was able to be more like myself. I owe Chris a lot for that; between her, Tsubasa-san, and my other friends, they all helped keep me going and helped me recover."

"Miku, it was nothing," Chris replied, a small smile on her face. "It was the least I could do to try to help...especially after how you helped me once before. And spending as much time as I did with you...it kinda helped me a bit too."

"Yeah…" Miku responded, the sad smile on her face not budging from its location. "As time passed, you became my closest friend on campus, Chris. And...I found myself wondering if there could be something between us. I know now...that that wasn't the case."

A pause, the cool winter air swirling gently around them.

"I was just...redirecting what I felt for Hibiki. I…I never was able to get over her at all. I feel like I tried to place that burden onto your shoulders. I thought they were real...but all I was doing was, subconsciously, trying to rebound." Taking a deep breath, she continued, her eyes shifting back towards where Hibiki sat, her eyes still refusing to meet Miku's own any further.

"Then you came back, hidden behind that mask you wear as Sora," she said, her eyes drifting towards the starless sky above. "You had this sense of familiarity to you, and even though that mask of yours was probably the worst disguise I've ever seen I just...couldn't put it all together." Letting out a sigh, she frowned, the sad smile she had held finally leaving her face. "Then came that day. I had seen the two of you outside of Chris and I's dorm building early that morning, when you dropped her off, Hibiki. I saw you two kiss as the sun came up. And for some reason...I just felt my heart start to crack again. I thought that I'd be okay after a little while, that maybe time would help...but then that afternoon came, when Shiori-san, Yumi-san, Kuriyo-san, and I were going to Flower and got ambushed by Dr. Ver."

"When I heard your voice singing that familiar song, the one I thought I'd never hear again, I just...I felt my heart shatter again. It hurt...because you LIED to me, Hibiki. You told me after you saved me and Flower-no-obaachan that you wouldn't hide anything from me. And then you went and did it anyways. You made me, and everyone else for that matter, think that you had DIED. And for you to come back...and for me to find out that you were seeing Chris, and that the two of you seem to be on a closer level than you and I were…" she paused, her frustrations leaking over into her voice. "Hibiki, you played with my heart and lied to EVERYONE. And for what? Some sense of justice that you possess?"

"I…" Hibiki said, her eyes closing as a clear look of torment appeared on her face. Seeing the anguished look on her girlfriend's face, Chris squeezed her hand reassuringly before moving to wrap her in a light hug as Miku spoke up once again, her voice piercing through the winter air like daggers through a target.

"Hibiki...We're all human. And as much as I worry about you, it's not easy for me to forgive you for what you did. I know that you had good intentions...but at the same time, you failed to consider how everyone else around you felt." Pausing for a moment to breathe, Miku continued, her voice shaking as she spoke. "You came back, and all the feelings I thought were gone came rushing back to the surface. It HURT, damnit. It hurt so much."

"You've gotten a lot stronger since you left, Hibiki. You've grown up and matured a lot, and it shows in how you treat Chris. The two of you are in love on a level that is just...incredible to see. You're so much better as a singer than you were before you left, that I have to wonder who you learned from to sing this well." Stopping to let out a sigh, Miku continued, her own eyes tearing up further. "But you have to stop trying to do everything on your own."

"I know that you wanted to protect us...but by leaving like you did, by acting as though you were the only one who could stop them and trying to keep us safe, you made it look as though you don't trust Tsubasa-san, Chris, or anyone else to be able to protect themselves. Hibiki, you made it look as though you didn't trust us to be able to handle any of it. And it's not just on a physical level. The fact that you couldn't even be honest with anyone about you leaving makes you look like you don't trust any of us to be able to handle things on an emotional level either." Taking note of the sheer look of torment on Hibiki's face and Chris looking at the redhead in obvious concern, she paused for a moment, allowing her words to sink in.

"And despite all of that...I still find myself in love with you. And that's what makes it hurt so much worse." Standing from where she sat, she continued, her hands clenched into fists by the side of her dark blue skirt. "I'll move on eventually...but for right now, I don't know how I'll be able to be friends with you over this." Turning to leave, she took a step away from where the young couple sat before speaking one last line. "Goodbye, Hibiki. Maybe someday we can try to talk…but not until you stop trying to handle everything on your own."

At that she walked away, the dark-haired girl's violet jacket retreating towards the walkway by the river and leaving Chris and Hibiki to sit in silence, pained looks on both girls' faces. Moments passed like hours before Chris spoke, releasing Hibiki from the hug she had held her in and sitting back.

"Go."

Looking at Chris in surprise, her shoulders shaking, Hibiki looked like she wanted to respond, her voice failing her as she did so. Looking downwards towards the blanket underneath them, she fell silent once again, before Chris reached out, her hand taking the redhead's own and squeezing it lightly, as if to reassure her.

"You have things that you need to say, don't you? If you don't say something now...you might never get the chance to do so."

Looking at Chris with stunned eyes, Hibiki responded, her voice coming out in a quiet whisper.

"Chris…I-"

Reaching over and cupping Hibiki's face with one hand, Chris leaned in, capturing the redhead's lips with her own in a brief, chaste kiss, a small blush on her face as she did so. Pulling away she spoke once again, her voice coming out in a reassuring tone.

"It's fine. I know that you love me, baka. I love you too. But, you have to say something. Miku's your oldest friend, right? If you're worried about leaving me here, don't. I'll be here when you get back. Go."

With her girlfriend's encouragement, Hibiki stood up, her eyes glancing into Chris' own before she took off to follow the dark-haired girl, leaving Chris to herself and her thoughts.

-SotHR-

Miku made her way slowly down the pathway, the quiet sound of the flowing river besides her only companion. 'I needed to say that…' she thought, her mind reflecting on what her other self had told her before she returned to the world she called her own, leaving the parallel world behind. 'Even if nothing comes of it, at least I can say that I was honest with them. I have no regrets.' Walking further along the riverside, she heard a series of footsteps echoing from behind her, causing her to come to a stop and wait for the source of the footsteps to approach. Without turning around, she began to speak, her eyes staring straight ahead as she spoke.

"What are you doing here, Hibiki? I just told you that I don't have anything to say to you."

"Miku, I'm sorry," the redhead began, leaning against the pathway's railing and looking out over the riverside. "I messed up."

"It took you long enough," the dark-haired girl replied, rolling her eyes in response to the redhead's words. "Hibiki, you have to realize that those around you are all trying to support you. Like I said, you've gotten a lot stronger, and you've really grown up and changed as a person over the past two years. You've matured. All of that is true. But...you can't not trust the rest of us. You can't hide things. Your hiding things from others...only makes things worse."

"I know," the redhead replied, her eyes not moving from the surface of the water flowing nearby. "Chris, Tsubasa, and Taichou have all told me that." At her words, Miku couldn't help but lash out, slapping Hibiki across her face.

"Then why? Why the hell did you do it?"

"I just…" Hibiki began, her voice quiet as she rubbed at her cheek, a handprint mark imprinted on it. "I thought that I could keep everyone safe. I didn't want anyone getting hurt. I thought that if I could handle things myself, then I could allow everyone else to have their happiness." Turning to look back at the river, its waters flowing by quietly, she continued, voice barely audible even to Miku.

"Did I mess up by not telling anyone that I was alive? Yes, and I realize that and own up to that fact. But at the same time, I don't regret leaving."

Miku's jaw dropped. Before she could start screaming at Hibiki, the redhead continued, turning to face Miku directly as she spoke.

"If I wouldn't have left, Miku, I wouldn't have become who I am now. I wouldn't have been able to grow on my own, to learn to make my own decisions, or to become less dependent on others. I wouldn't have become strong enough to handle things on my own, like I am now. I probably would never have learned to follow my heart to its fullest, regardless of the outcome. I would have just stayed a burden on you and everyone else."

"What...what do you mean?" Miku replied, her eyes wide in shock. "Hibiki, you were never a burden at all...why would you ever think that?"

"You were the reason I was able to make it through those two years after the Zwei Wing concert, you know." Pausing to stare up at the starless night sky, a full moon up above, she continued, a small smile on her face. "By the time we got to Lydian, it almost felt as though I needed you to even just live. I can't forgive myself for that. You deserve a lot better than that, and I feel like I was holding you back. I felt that way at the time, but I just couldn't bring myself to say it. And for that...I'm sorry."

"Hibiki…" Miku muttered, her eyes downcast. "You never held me back. Everything I did, everything that I did in support of you, I chose to do."

"I owe you a lot, you know," the redhead said, pushing herself off the railing and standing in front of the school girl before continuing. "I probably owe you more than either of us can believe. I really am sorry about how I've treated you and the others so badly. Even though I've had good intentions, I still ended up screwing up and hurting those who I was trying to protect. I regret hurting everyone. Especially you, who's been there with me through some of the worst, most painful days of my life."

Silence fell between the two as Miku tried to process what had just been said. After what felt like hours Hibiki spoke up again, stepping closer to Miku as she did so.

"There's something else I needed to tell you," she said, drawing Miku's attention to her. "I...I loved you too, Miku. Back then, you were my world. I just...never was able to find the chance to tell you like I should have."

"Hibiki…" the dark-haired girl said, her eyes looking away from the redhead, even as she continued to speak.

"But...as I was away for those two years, something happened. When I came back and met Chris again...I just felt something drawing me to her. I love her so much, Miku. She just...makes me feel happy. Truly, completely happy."

Again silence fell between them, Miku trying to figure out what she could say in response. It was clear to her now that things could never be the same as they were. Swallowing her pride, she spoke up, her heart aching at what the redhead had told her.

"So...where does that leave us?"

Hibiki's response was to silently walk behind her, the girl following after her with a confused expression. Then, out of nowhere, her arms wrapped around her from behind in a hug that reminded her of past times, but now knew held nothing more than that. And Hibiki spoke, the words finally hitting the final nail in the coffin.

"I want you to know that no matter what happens...you'll always be my sunshine. My warm place to come back to...and nothing can change that. Even though I love Chris with all my heart, you'll always be my best friend."

"You're so cruel, Hibiki." Miku said, her eyes tearing up in response as she stood there, encircled loosely by the redhead's arms. Silence filled the air between them, a clear understanding coming to light between the two.

"I know...but I'm also tired of secrets. And this time, you deserve to know everything."

Letting out a loud sniffle as she tried to keep her tears in check, Miku spoke once again, her voice cracking under the emotional weight she was feeling.

"Even if we're just friends…" she began, the tears streaming from her eyes. "Just having you in my life is enough for me. That's what matters, right?" At Hibiki's affirmative nod, she stepped forwards, slipping free of the hug before speaking once again. "You don't need to worry about me. Even though my heart's going to hurt for a while, I'll be fine. I just...need some time. You should focus on being happy with Chris. Treat her well, and take care of her."

At those words, Miku turned before walking away, walking further along the pathway. Standing still for a moment and watching her best friend depart, Hibiki smiled softly before turning and heading back the way she came, towards the young woman who held her heart in her hands.

-SotHR-

"I wonder what's taking her so long…" Chris whispered to herself, a certain level of sadness in her voice as she watched the small building lights reflect off of the river below. Even though she knew she shouldn't feel sad or upset, she still couldn't help it; Miku's confession had shaken her, as had her clear vocal teardown of Hibiki. Before she delved any further into it however, the figure of her girlfriend returning in her direction alone caught her attention, the redhead slowly climbing the hill back to where she sat.

"Hibiki?" she whispered out as the redhead made her way over to join her, slowly taking a seat beside her, the orange winter jacket she wore rustling slightly with the wind. "Hey…Hibiki, is...something wrong?"

"Hey, Chris?" Hibiki finally whispered, breaking her silence. "I...really screwed up, didn't I?" Besides her, Chris frowned, the saddened tone of her girlfriend's voice leaving her speechless and unable to reply. Silence filled the air between them as Chris stared at the redhead, a concerned look on her face before she noticed a tear start to stream down Hibiki's face.

"Hibiki…" Chris whispered slightly, before reaching over and taking the taller girl's hand in her own. Seconds later, her girlfriend spoke once more, her hand reaching up and trying to wipe her face.

"It hurts," she said, her voice cracking slightly. "Even though Miku and I cleared everything up between the two of us...it still hurts." Finally she let herself go, the tears she had been struggling to hold back finally coming freely down her face as she started to sob, the weight of every decision and action over the previous two years finally crashing down onto her and leaving her with a single phrase.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry…"

"Hibiki…" Chris whispered, a saddened smile written onto her face before she reached over, pulling the young woman who had become her world into a tight embrace. Feeling her girlfriend's tears starting to soak into her hoodie, Chris smiled softly, rubbing her girlfriend's back as she held her closer to herself. "It's okay...you can let it go. I'm not going anywhere."

Together they sat in near-silence, Hibiki's face buried into Chris' shoulder as she continued to cry for the first time in what felt like forever, that sole phrase being muttered repeatedly again and again as the images of her inability to help Serena, her near-failure to protect Chris, and every other bad decision she had made over the time since she had left came flooding back in force.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

And as her girlfriend broke down in tears, all Chris could do is hold her closely, resting her head on Hibiki's shoulder herself as she tried her best to comfort her crying girlfriend. 'Whatever happened while you were away...must have been a real weight on you…' she thought, closing her eyes in solidarity as she rubbed small circles into her girlfriend's back. 'You don't have to bear this alone anymore. I'm here with you…' she thought, her mind focusing solely on her girlfriend as she sobbed in her arms. 'And I always will be.'

The young couple remained close together as Hibiki continued to cry under the cloudless sky, the early winter breeze passing by them gently as Chris stroked her lover's hair lightly, the snow-haired girl occasionally saying words to help soothe her lover's pain, even under the occasional light of a twinkling star above.

-SotHR-

'I've never seen her that...vulnerable…' Chris thought, closing the door behind her as she entered the dorm room she shared with Miku. The images of her girlfriend as she broke down in her arms would be something that she would not forget easily, and had been playing in her mind on loop the whole way back from dropping Hibiki off at her apartment. Walking further into the darkened room, she placed the purse she was carrying onto her desk before her roommate spoke up from where she had been seated.

"Chris...welcome back," Miku said, the school girl looking up from where she sat on the couch. Stopping in place as she turned to look at her roommate carefully, she turned to reply, her words failing her as she thought about how Miku had talked about the two of them earlier that night.

"Miku," she began, her voice abnormally calm as she made her way over to where her roommate sat. Taking note of the bloodshot state of her eyes, she continued, her voice showing a level of concern for her friend. "What...happened out there?"

"Nothing," Miku replied, her eyes looking away from where Chris sat and towards her dresser on the other side of the room. "Hibiki and I talked. That's all it was. Just...talking."

'I doubt that…' Chris thought, her eyes looking towards the clock mounted on their wall above the TV. 'If that's all that happened...then there's no reason that Hibiki would have been crying like that for the better part of three hours.'

"Look...I know that you're upset with her, Miku. You have every right to be." Chris paused, trying to figure out what she could say next. "But didn't you two clear everything up between you?"

"...It's not that simple, Chris." Taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it, Miku continued, her eyes looking away from her roommate even as she spoke. "While Hibiki and I did clear some things up, there's still other things on my mind."

A tense silence fell between the two. Letting out a sigh, Miku spoke up, her eyes staring into the distance as she picked up the glass of water sitting on the coffee table.

"It hurts," Miku said, her eyes downcast. At Chris' silence in response, she continued, her voice barely audible to her roommate from where she sat. "It really hurts...to know that I don't have a chance with her, no matter where it is."

"What...do you mean?" Chris replied, her confusion evident within her voice as Miku sighed, taking a sip from her glass of water before placing it back onto the table.

"While I was in the other world...my other self there wasn't there at first," she began, her voice becoming more and more downcast as the images of her journey returned to her. "I spent some time after getting there walking around the city...and eventually I met that world's Hibiki."

Silence again fell between them, Chris unable to believe what she was hearing.

"There were plenty of things that were different there from here," Miku continued, her voice silent. "For example, the other world's Yumi had an obsession with Dramas, unlike the one we knew. But there were other differences that ran much deeper." 'Like how Tsubasa-san was Finé's vessel in that world…' she thought, a shiver running down her spine.

"But...one thing that stood out was how the other Hibiki...was seeing that world's version of me."

"Miku…" Chris said, her eyes wide as what Miku said started to come together. "You didn't…"

"Chris, I...I took my other self's place. I pretended to be her, and for two days, I felt like everything was RIGHT." Miku finally said, her mind reflecting on that day's events. "But then…it all went downhill the last morning. When they found out that I wasn't from that world, I panicked and...I tried to force myself on the other Hibiki."

Chris was stunned. While she knew from the briefing that she had attended that Gjallarhorn had the ability to link worlds, she hadn't expected to hear about what Miku had actually done while there.

"What...Why would you even do that? Miku…how could you?"

"I know. If you don't want anything to do with me after I finish telling you this, it's fine. But...the other me came back before I could do anything that I'd regret too heavily. I...ran off afterwards, she chased me down, and...she and I talked finally."

"Chris, please understand. I...I've been so torn between happiness for you two and my own jealousy that I...I gave in. When Hibiki came back and I saw that you two were dating...I wanted to be happy for you, I really did. I just...couldn't. Not completely. I found myself in such a sweet dream, where I had everything that I wanted. So when I had the chance to, even if just for a little while, be with her…"

"You couldn't help yourself…" Chris whispered out, her words drawing a shame-filled nod in response from her roommate. "Miku…"

"It hurts, Chris. Right now, my heart feels completely shattered. But...unlike the last time this happened, I think I'll be okay." Pausing and allowing a shaky smile to rise onto her face, she continued, her body shaking slightly as if she was about to burst into tears. "It's going to hurt for a while. I know that. I'll get over Hibiki eventually. I just...need you two to give me some time."

"I'm sorry," Chris said, her eyes closed tightly before she walked over and gave her roommate a brief hug. "We…hurt you a lot by not telling you about how we were seeing each other, didn't we?"

At her roommate's slow nod, Chris continued, stepping back from the dark-haired girl with a small smile on her face. "I'm sorry...I know that I said it before, but we just...never really got the chance to, and by the time we finally were going to, it just...came out the way it did. That doesn't make it right, but...we still could have done better."

"Chris, you don't need to apologize," Miku said, a small smile on her face. "You two don't need to justify how you feel about each other to me. I...I know that you two love each other. Even though it may hurt me to say it right now...it's not my business to judge."

"Miku...I…"

"As long as I can be in your lives, that's what's important. I want you and Hibiki to be happy. It's obvious that you two make each other happy, so I'm going to support you two no matter what happens. You don't need to hold back for my sake."

"Miku...thank you," Chris said, a grateful smile appearing on her face. "It means a lot to hear that, coming from you."

"It's fine, Chris. Just...take care of her, okay? I don't want to hear about how something happened and you broke her heart or anything like that."

Wrapping the dark-haired girl in a brief hug, Chris responded, a small smile of her own spread across her face as she said just two simple words.

"I will."

Miku smiled back to her, and it was a smile that Chris had not seen in a very long time.

"I'm going to sleep now, okay?" Miku said, heading back towards her own bed. Chris nodded, and responded.

"Okay. Good night, Miku. And thank you."

The black-haired girl smiled once more.

That night, as she tucked herself in and closed her eyes, Miku found it much easier to do so than ever before. Feeling as if a huge burden had finally been lifted off her shoulders, she allowed herself to relax for the first time in a very long while.

That night, for the first time in two years, Hibiki's face did not appear in her dreams.

And for the first time in two years, she was okay with that.

End Interlude 1

Author's postscript: Well...with that, Interlude 1 comes to an end. It's been a wild two part interlude, and I hope that you all enjoyed. I'll see you all next time, when we dig into Interlude 2.-ZBD15