It was nothing of particular note, certainly not anything one would expect to be one of the final bastions of science. A somewhat rundown storage building in the middle of an equally shabby block of Wadatsumi; nothing worth suspecting in the least.

"Is this it, Tsubaki?" Nu peered over her friend's shoulder at the gigantic steel shutter barring their way, no doubt oversized for Tager's sake. "It looks…like, not very sciency."

"A smart decision. Sector Seven can't afford to attract attention, and I don't see anyone suspecting so run-down a place." Tsubaki cocked her head as she approached the door. Well, insofar as Tager's presence could keep a place from being suspicious, anyways. Nor did the departing Sector Seven airships such as the one Tager allegedly rode in on help. But then, she had no idea where they launched from anyways. She glanced around the entrance and frowned. "Hmm…no obvious way to open this. Maybe I could just…"

Tsubaki raised a fist and rapped against the steel. The metal reverberated, but nothing happened. She sighed. "…It would have been nice for Tager to tell us how we could enter the lab."

"Oh! Nu knows!" Nu grinned as the giant blade of Murakumo materialized behind her. "Nu can open it!"

"Uh…" Tsubaki blinked twice at the massive sword. "I…don't…think Kokonoe would appreciate us shredding her door very much…"

"You're damn right I wouldn't." The door slid up and Kokonoe stepped through, lollipop in hand. "Yayoi and Nu, right? Come on in before you freeze your asses off."

The scientist turned and headed into the lab's darkened recesses, prompting Tsubaki and Nu to follow after her. As they wandered the winding halls leading belowground, Kokonoe fixed Tsubaki with a glare. "Oh, and don't even think about screwing us over for the Library, by the way."

"I have no intention of doing so; not when you're an ally against Terumi." Tsubaki kept her expression neutral, annoying though being fixed with such an immediate accusation was. Well, then. Time to try and put the scientist at ease. "I know that Tager said that Terumi is the only enemy I would be asked to work against, but if there's anything I can do to repay you that doesn't involve acting against the Librarium…"

"…So, a common threat besides Terumi? I'll think about it." Kokonoe led them into a chamber, scraps of metal strewn about and ripe for tripping passersby. "Right now, gotta do something with Nu. I need to make it so Terumi or Relius can't erase her soul. Then we can figure out what the hell to do from here. Of course, if you really wanna keep Nu safe, it'd be best for her to stay here. But shit, you don't seem like the type to sit on your ass when hell breaks loose."

"Nope! Tsubaki's all about justice!" Nu giggled as she skipped after Kokonoe. "She'd, like, be right on the front lines and stuff."

"Great…another justice freak." With a sigh of exasperation, Kokonoe came to a halt by a tall glass tank. "Well, anyways. We can talk about this shit more once Nu's safe from being erased by those bastards. Gonna need you to strip down and get in this tank here, Nu. Yayoi, you can step out if you want. Just don't touch anything."

"U-um…" Nu stared up at the glass monolith, goose bumps rising on her arms. She had never seen this device since her awakening, but the sight of it filled her with dread. Had she known it in what may as well have been her past life? "O…okay…I guess."

Tsubaki placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, concerned. "What's wrong, Nu?"

"…Nu doesn't know. Nu…just…" With a shake of her head, Nu stepped forward. "But Nu will do it."

"Hm. Alright." Kokonoe hid her scowl the best she could. If Nu regained her memories of her time in Lambda's body, this could end horribly. "Okay, let's get going then. The sooner we get this shit done, the better. Yayoi, you probably should leave."

"Ah…" Nu turned to Tsubaki, her eye big and pleading. "Please stay, Tsubaki. Nu's…"

Tsubaki smiled at her, calming her fear. "I'm not going anywhere, Nu."

With a sigh, Kokonoe sat back in a chair and stared up at Nu, asleep in the liquids of the tank with a good number of tubes connected to her bare body. "Well. The mind wipe procedure's being deleted now. Just give it a few minutes, and then I'll run a diagnostic on her. She should be fine, though."

"I…see." Hearing someone speak of her friend as little more than a machine unnerved Tsubaki. Still, she gave Kokonoe a firm nod. If this was the kind of service Nu needed, then so be it. "As long as she's alright."

"Like I said, should be." Kokonoe swiveled her chair around to face Tsubaki. "Alright, you said you'd be willing to help if it didn't mean going up against the Library, right? Thought of something you could help me with, since Tager's busy right now."

"Oh?" Tsubaki brightened up. "And what would that be?"

"You know that bucket of rusty armor? Hakumen? I need him for something. And to make sure he doesn't blow everything to hell. He does that better than anyone not named Terumi. Can you and Nu find him for me?"

Surprise enraptured Tsubaki for several moments. "…Huh? Wait, you know Hakumen?"

"Heh. You could say that." Kokonoe gave her a proud smirk. "I was the one that dragged his rusty ass out of the Boundary."

"I…I see." Tsubaki stared in wonder at the semi-feline scientist. She had pulled Hakumen out of the Boundary? Just how powerful was this science of hers? There was no way Ars Magus could accomplish such a thing. "May I ask what you plan to do with Hakumen?"

Kokonoe deflated. Goddamn it, she just had to keep asking questions, didn't she? "Sure, but you're probably not gonna like it. It's to make sure he's not about to ruin everything by killing a certain Grim Reaper."

"What?" Tsubaki's eyes narrowed; why on earth would anyone want Ragna to live? But…Nu liked him, didn't she? Until she had actually met him, at least. "May I ask why you'd spare Ragna?"

"Simple. He's probably our best bet for getting rid of Terumi, no matter how much of an asshole he is." Kokonoe relaxed a little. If Tsubaki was actually willing to hear her out, all the better. At least the girl could be reasonable, assuming this was the case. "And Tager reported that he's injured pretty badly right now. If Hakumen finds him now, he's toast."

"Mm…" Tsubaki averted her gaze. It would be better not to inform Kokonoe that she had been the one to inflict such grievous wounds on the Grim Reaper. "And what would you ask of Hakumen?"

"To not kill Ragna, on threat of being chucked back into the Boundary." Kokonoe sighed and stood up. "Just trying to keep everything on track for taking out Terumi. Granted, I doubt you're gonna do this now that you know it's so Ragna doesn't get horribly massacred by Hakumen."

"…Just two more questions. I'd like to know why you and Ragna are so vehemently opposed to Terumi."

"No idea what Ragna's deal is, but he seems to have started his entire damn war to kill the bastard. As for me…" Kokonoe closed her eyes and scowled. "Bastard killed my mother. Reason enough for me to hate him, I think."

"Agreed. And finally…why me? Is it simply because I'm not officially affiliated with Sector Seven, and thus expendable to you?"

"Nah, I ain't that much of a bitch. It's really more Nu than you." Kokonoe turned to Nu's floating body. "You got any idea how damn strong Murakumo Units are? We're gonna need someone that strong in case Hakumen resists violently."

"…I'll do my best." Although Tsubaki would not fight Hakumen if he refused to come; this was not something worth risking her life over. Especially for a monster's sake. "And, um…how much longer until Nu's ready?"

"Give her another half hour." Kokonoe turned to smirk at her. "And thanks for accepting, Yayoi."

Relius scowled at the reports stacked on his desk. All was in order, except one thing, one missing report for the day. With complete neutrality, he rose from the desk and strode out of the room. A five minute trek later, he arrived at the Intelligence headquarters, drab and dark, but every bit as tidy as his own quarters. Sans the officer he sought, that is; it was doubtful that Hazama ever cleaned his office. Relius approached the door and delivered two firm knocks. "Captain Hazama. A word, if you will."

"Hm?" The door opened and Hazama poked his head out, frowning with confusion. "What's gone wrong now?"

"For the second day in a row, we have received no report from First Lieutenant Yayoi or her charge."

"Oh." A shrug. "And?"

"You know full well the 13th Prime Field Device is to play a key role in the activation of Nemesis Horizon. Have you any idea why we have lost communication with Yayoi?"

"Nope, sorry." Unless, of course, he had managed to turn First Lieutenant Garbage traitor with his little tirade the day before. If so? Then yay, an excuse to kill her. "Although I did encounter her. Seems she had a scuffle with one Grim Reaper."

"Is that so?" Relius's pale eyes narrowed, a dagger carried in his glare. "Please explain why you decided not to divulge such information."

"Well, she won. Technically; don't think she killed him, though."

"That is irrelevant. Am I to assume that the 13th Prime Field Device came into contact with the Beast?"

"Yeah, and?"

With a sigh, Relius shook his head. "If you are to remain this flippant, I will simply take my leave now. Alert all Intelligence officers in the Ikaruga region that they are to report any sighting of Tsubaki Yayoi. Is that understood?"

"Got it. And what happens if they do?"

Relius turned and strode away. "I will pay her a visit."

Slowly, Nu returned to consciousness, a buzzing in her head. She clasped it, trying to silence or stop the hum, but to no avail. Every throb of her heart sent a jet of pain through her skull, migraine agony that threatened to drop her to her knees. She stumbled forward and out of the capsule, looking around through blurred vision. "Tsu…baki…where are you…?"

"Nu! Are you alright?" Tsubaki darted over to her friend and clutched Nu's shoulders. When all she got was a whimper, she turned and looked back at Kokonoe, teeth grit. "What's wrong with her?"

"Uh, she just had a major part of herself erased? Don't worry, she'll be fine." Kokonoe jammed a lollipop into her mouth and reclined in a chair. "Anyways, she'll be safe from any attempts Terumi makes at erasing her. So, all's good, right? Stop glaring at me already. And Nu, get dressed. Going around ass naked isn't exactly lawful."

With a woozy nod, Nu trudged over to where her Zero Squadron uniform lay.

"…If you say so." Tsubaki's glare did not dissipate as she averted her gaze to spare Nu embarrassment. "How much rest is Nu going to require to recover from this?"

"Like, ten minutes. Murakumos aren't exactly fragile, you know." Kokonoe swiveled the chair around to face a computer. "Well, anyways. Nu. You have a mission. Lemme print out some stuff for you guys."

"Huh?" Nu blinked and cocked her head. "A mission for Nu?"

"Yeah. Operation: Drag Hakumen's Stupid Ass Back Here. Tsubaki can give you the details on everything, or you could just read this stuff." A printer by Kokonoe's feet whirred into action. "Also, as should be obvious, don't go reporting this shit to Terumi. Last thing you need is a court martial, and the last thing I need as a Library army being crammed down my throat. Here you go."

Kokonoe handed the freshly printed stack of papers to Tsubaki, who cocked her head. Before she could question why it took ten pages to print such a simple order, Kokonoe explained. "Right. You got the mission parameters, as well as a bunch of data, like our most recent tracking of the idiot. Shouldn't be too hard to find him. And, um…also wrote out a proposal for him to join us. I mean, shit, I doubt it'll work—the guy is a complete knucklehead. But hey, may as well try diplomacy, right?"

"Yes, I agree." As Tsubaki flipped through the pages, her lips drew into a light frown. She was about to go against a man she had all but worshipped in her youth to protect a man she reviled. No, she would not fight Hakumen for this. If he didn't agree straight up, she would leave it be. "Very well then. When should we depart?"

"As soon as you can."

"Alright, let's…" Tsubaki trailed off at the wide-eyed look Nu gave her. "What's wrong, Nu?"

"Nu's hungry."

"…Oh." Stifling a giggle, Tsubaki turned back to Kokonoe. "Um, may we use your kitchen before heading out?"

"What, daddy Yayoi didn't give you enough money for fast food?" With a grumble, Kokonoe nodded. "Fine. Head out of this room to the right, down the stairs, take the third hallway to the left, make your way to…"

Sighing, Kokonoe shook her head and reached into her desk. The drawer produced a small, flat object. At the push of a button, a hologram projected from it, displaying the laboratory in its entirety. "Here. A map. Good luck with your mission, you two."

"…Okay. I can't make heads or tails out of any of these devices." Such was the quandary of Tsubaki, a life-long user of Ars Magus, in a kitchen full of scientifically-operated machines. "Let's just have sandwiches, okay Nu?"

"Okay!" Just as Kokonoe had said, Nu was fine now; the blurring agony of her headache following the procedure was but a memory. Despite her agreeing to Tsubaki's proposal, she poked around at the various machines. With the push of a button, scalding hot brown liquid poured from one's nozzle. Nu eeped and backed away. "Um, but…what's our mission, Tsubaki? Nu's excited!"

"We are to track down Hakumen of the Six Heroes and…well, basically get him onto Kokonoe's side, I guess." As Tsubaki pulled bread from a cabinet, she scowled. All this, for his sake. Her hand trembled at the thought. "However, the main purpose of this is so he won't kill Ragna the Bloodedge, apparently. According to Kokonoe, he's…valuable in the battle against Terumi, not that it excuses his crimes to any degree."

"…Oh. Okay." Although distraught by the thought, Nu pretended to keep her interest primarily on the various gadgets. A glass tube with blades at the bottom caught her attention. "…Nu doesn't think Ragna was always a meanie."

"I very much doubt he was. However…" Tsubaki turned a soft look on Nu, although seeing Nu stick a strawberry into the machine. "…You're referring to knowing him before, aren't you?"

"Nu doesn't remember."

"…Right. Still, it sounds like you did, and that he was agreeable at the time. I have to wonder-"

In the middle of Tsubaki's sentence, Nu poked a button and the machine activated. The blades at the bottom reduced the strawberry to goop with a loud whirr. With a louder eep than before, Nu jabbed at the button until it shut off and turned to Tsubaki, eye large and apologetic. "…Sorry."

It was all Tsubaki could do to not erupt into laughter. Sides hurting from the effort of stifling her giggles, she grinned at her friend. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

"Okies." Though Nu still tried to make herself as small as possible, her curiosity was hardly quelled. She scampered over to a nearby refrigerator and scanned its contents. "Um, you were saying something, Tsubaki?"

"Oh, never mind. I've forgotten, and I doubt it was anything important. Oh, and if you could make some sort of fruit drink from that, please." However, Tsubaki sighed. "Just for the record, however…I doubt I will actually fight Hakumen. I mean…he's a childhood hero of mine, and I personally have no qualms about him trying to slay Ragna. I'll try to talk him down, but if that fails…"

"Nu understands." After picking out random fruits from the fridge, Nu returned to the blender and stuffed all in at once. "Nu hopes we can talk Hakumen out of, like, killing Ragna and stuff. Nu…still doesn't want to see him hurt, even if he's…um…not nice." She pressed the button again. The blades started again, but only for a fraction of a second before dying. Nu cocked her head.

"Mm…" Focusing on preparing sandwiches, Tsubaki didn't look back at her friend at the brief sound. "I don't know. Maybe if we get a chance to talk to Ragna, we could shed some light on your feelings or something. Assuming he doesn't go straight for killing us again. I mean…I did wound him pretty badly there."

"Oh. Maybe." Nu pressed the button again, holding it longer. The blades fought to start up and slice through the assembled fruits, but to no avail. However, the prolonged press of the on switch forced it to continue its futile effort. Nu whined. "Tsubaki, it's not cutting."

"Huh?" Tsubaki turned around at her words. Just in time to see thick smoke jet from the blender. Her voice rose with alarm. "Nu, you should probably stop-"

With a loud thunder, the blender burst, hurling shards of glass and clumps of fruit to paint the kitchen. Nu squealed and threw herself back. Mercifully, the blades did not decide to go flying as well. As dark smoke rose through the kitchen, Nu peeked up at Tsubaki. "…Nu's not good with science."

"Nu! Are you alright?" Tsubaki raced over to kneel by her friend. Her arms wound around Nu's back and Tsubaki pulled Nu into a tight hug.

"Nu's fine." Nu sunk into the hug, heartbeat still rapid from the sudden explosion. She gave a light sniffle. "…Nu's sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"Don't worry. We can…well, I guess we'll have to pay Kokonoe back for this…" Tsubaki found her fingers stroking Nu's absurdly long hair. "Here, come on. Let's…"

"…You are shitting me." Kokonoe's voice sounded from the kitchen's entrance. She clutched her forehead and raced over to the ruins of her machine. "How the hell did you manage this?! What, did you force everything into it at once?"

"No, Nu only filled it like halfway! Really…" Nu clutched Tsubaki in terror, pressing herself against her friend. "Nu's sorry; Nu doesn't know how…"

"…Gah. Piece of shit probably malfunctioned. Happens all the time. Don't worry about it, I'll clean up." Shaking her head, Kokonoe turned back to them and smirked. "…Well. Don't you two look comfortable?"

"Huh?" Tsubaki shook her head with a scowl, well aware of the barb's implication. "I was just comforting Nu." She extended a hand to Nu. "Here. Let's just finish up lunch and get going, alright?"

"O-okay…" Unlike Tsubaki, the comment succeeded in flustering Nu. With a light blush, she accepted Tsubaki's hand and rose to her feet. She turned to Kokonoe and, recalling Tsubaki's preferred gesture, bowed her head. "Nu will pay you back."

"Didn't I just say not to worry about it? Geez… Also, grow a spine, that shouldn't embarrass you so damn much." Kokonoe shook her head and went over to the refrigerator. "Here, I'll get you two something to drink. Then get the hell outta here, before you make anything else go boom."