Chapter 16: Electric Angel
As Dr. Flower marched into the secure compound, she kept her eyes on her charges. The FX modules, codenamed "Big Sweet," appeared far more temperamental. She'd ensured Mayu relayed orders to them to get them into hibernation again, but the contradiction in orders from "Oliver" clearly bothered them.
There were few people in the facility that could actually take the full fury of Big Al and Sweet Ann on the loose. They were previously the pinnacle in anti-Seruva technology… if one only counted their sheer brute force. The lack of ability to control them proved a dangerous flaw, however. Even killing them proved nearly impossible given their unique mix of organic and cybernetic components.
Relying on the Heart's son to control them proved an even greater hazard. As he'd proven hours before, even the conditional love of his parents proved little force for him. Replicating his voice finally freed the company to make use of the FX modules without relying on the shifting loyalties of a perpetual youth.
But once she got them into hibernation… she could get them implanted and this issue would be dealt with. She hoped she wouldn't experience the same performance downgrade she observed with the self-proclaimed "Herald".
She pulled a phone to her ear, dialing Mayu again. "How close are we to full implementation of the CV units?"
Her partner in science released a disturbing giggle. "We've got more than half of them converted now. I'm saving the best for him of course."
Mayu's eccentric personality aside… the quality of her work couldn't be argued. She may not be gentle with her test subjects… but she remained efficient.
"Have they decided what to do with the Choir Boy yet?"
It wasn't even worth the farce of calling him the Heart's son anymore. Blood relative or not, he'd long ceased to be seen as one. But she still needed to be careful while in earshot of the FX modules.
"We're salvaging him in the morning once we can spare crew. I expect we'll learn a lot about him. What worked, what didn't."
She let out a sigh. "I wish I could inspect the Geminis as closely… grow Seruva that don't need to work in pairs…"
"The Geminis are too critical," Flower reminded her, "If the Seruva are planning war with humanity, they're our best bet. We can get him but… there's a certain number of unknowns."
She marched into her lab, keeping an eye on Big Sweet until she saw them enter hibernation as ordered. She found herself releasing a sigh of relief – even being near them upset her. "I expect we'll receive him within the next few hours."
A man that could call down the wrath of the heavens themselves.
Her scientific mind tingled with elation. If she could succeed in controlling him… nothing could challenge them.
Otherwise… at least she'd be depriving them of their ultimate weapon.
Kaito lay on his side in the grass, holding Miku as if afraid she would be stolen from him. She still had trouble grasping that the blue haired boy she'd taken into her home, vowed to protect, and slowly fell in love with… was the boy that saved her life all of those long years ago.
The person she'd vowed to find, to sing to, to reassure that his brave rescue had meant something.
Kiyoteru had inspired her to build a band, but her search for the fate of the winged boy drove her to create Vocaloids. To find just the right people to stand with her and her reason and sing until he had to hear her. To use the reasons in their own hearts to motivate them to work as hard as they had to so four dreams could come true instead of just one.
As Miku snuggled closer to him, she carefully lowered her arms under his wings. She'd have to get used to Kaito with them now… where was he going to sleep now? That futon barely fit someone as tall as Kaito in the first place, it certainly wouldn't feel comfortable now that he had a pair of wings on his back.
"They stole you from me…" he whispered, drawing her closer.
"Kaito… how did it happen?"
He brushed her head with his hand. "There was a rift in the Islands, just like the one Gakupo almost opened up. The Elders knew about it... maybe it's even where they experimented on Meiko…"
She felt his grip tighten. "No… it must be because… because they made her do it…"
The way Kaito spoke, he still sounded somewhat unsure, as if he was still trying to piece together the last parts of his missing past. "They tracked me down because they saw me after I… after I rescued you. It didn't take a group of trained adults long to retrieve a child…"
He swallowed. "I refused to go back. Luka had warned me about the Seal. I kept shouting that I wouldn't let them do it… I actually fought them and everything… when I realized what they did to Luka, how could I trust them?! I didn't even care if they took my wings…"
Miku pushed her head closer to his chest, hoping somehow being closer to him could grant him some measure of the peace he so desperately sought.
"They took me to the rift… they said they had to crush the 'rebellion' in my heart before I destroyed the tribe… and… I remember the way they talked Meiko into using her powers…"
Miku didn't even let him finish. "For the good of the Seruva?"
Kaito nodded his head. "She drew power out of the rift and… she basically started rooting through my head and tearing them out… all of my memories of being here amongst humans… my memories of saving you… the memories of Luka escaping with me… but that wasn't enough for them."
Kaito had his eyes closed as his story wound down. "Meiko was begging them not to make her, but… she started rooting through my head to rip out every memory I ever had of Luka. But she couldn't do that with precision so… I lost so many more memories than that… "
"When she was done… I collapsed. I don't think my body could take something so invasive for much longer. I must have been unconscious for weeks… and when I woke up…"
He fell silent for a few moments before finishing. "All I knew was… I didn't remember vast sections of my life… they were telling me someone tried to kill me… and my mother was dead. They must have Sealed me before I woke up. And they told me those stories… to frighten me into obedience."
He didn't feel frightened now. Even as he told of such a horrible experience, he felt calm and solid. So different from the person she'd met who could barely keep his composure around her.
"Kaito… I'm glad you're not a normal boy."
He looked into her eyes in confusion before his eyes widened in recognition as he remembered his words to her. "If you were… I'd never have met you. I would have died when my body hit the ground… and I never would have made the friends I did and had the life that I did…"
She smiled warmly. "Vocaloids wouldn't even exist…"
Kaito brushed his fingers under Miku's chin and she felt her nerves tingle. She curled up closer, lifting her face to his and kissing him. She'd loved him whether he was the boy who saved her or not. Whether he had wings or not. But to have both, her mystery boy and Kaito as the same person?
As the sun set over the reunited couple, Miku found herself far less interested about whether Kaito's wings fit on her futon. She couldn't even safely go home anyway… too many people wanted Kaito, and she doubted they'd let her leave by now anyway.
Couldn't they, just for once, have this moment, under the darkened sky and the stars, where they could simply be lovers?
"I'm never letting them take you from me again."
His eyes were so intense. "So… you're just going to stay here? On Earth? Pretending to be human even though you have wings again?"
Kaito started to laugh. "I'm a Vocaloid now, remember? What do you think Rin and Len would say if I abandoned the group just like that?"
His eyes fell over the ocean and his voice felt so light. "Maybe… maybe you won't need a plane to fly to your first concert. I'll just carry you."
She almost thought he was serious until he start chuckling. He was joking. But she couldn't helped but laugh at his weird sense of timing. Maybe Gakupo was rubbing off on him. "You know something Kaito? I've never even been to Tokyo…"
She stared at the sea and imagined all the television shows she'd seen. As impressive as Tsubasa City was… Tokyo was supposed to be so different. Millions of people, landmarks, temples, technology…
"Tokyo was… the capital, right?"
"Ah! You remembered! Good job!" Miku said, "I always chickened out at taking a train and going out there. Luka never went either… I guess she had her own reasons. Rin and Len went once and they said they'd never had so much fun before…"
Which must have meant something since they would have had their parents with them.
"…I can fly you anywhere you want to go…" Kaito said. He sounded so excited, did he not understand just how large Earth really was? Surely he'd eventually tire…
Still… why not have some fun? While they were waiting to hear from their friends?
"Kaito, Earth has so many exciting places… I want to see Mt. Everest! It's the world's tallest mountain! I bet if we stood up there, we could see for thousands of kilometers!"
Every dream destination Miku ever imagined rushed into her head as she imagined going there with Kaito. "In Germany, they have this beautiful castle, like right out of a fairy tale! Like a Cinderella castle! And in Paris, the food is supposed to be the best in the world! In Venice people paddle everywhere in boats!"
She could barely stop herself. "The tallest building in the world is in Dubai! Ah, it's in a desert! I've never even seen a desert… like an ocean of sand! And in China there's a wall that stretches for hundreds of miles! And… and…"
As she took a breath, Kaito burst into laughter. "Miku… I'll take you anywhere you want to go. I promise."
They couldn't go anywhere until they knew everyone was safe. But… maybe that was just more of a motivation to save the world. "Kaito… can you tell me… what your home is like?"
He rolled onto his back and stared up at the sky awash in red and purple. "It… smells different. You can't smell smoke and exhaust. It's kind of nice. Maybe there's places on Earth like that too..."
"There were so many places I could find quiet. Those… those were my favorite after mother died. The Verdant Plains, the grass just stretches on and on, like a big sheet of shimmering green fabric."
Miku closed her eyes and tried to let Kaito's descriptions of his home take her away. "The Saphir Lakes are where we bring in most of our water. You fly towards them just right, they start glittering like jewels in the sun!"
His voice picked up in momentum as he seemed to get caught up in telling stories about his home. "Ahhh, I loved the Echo Rocks when I was a kid! You'd fly out there and just start shouting… your voice bounced for so long! And even if you sang by yourself, it sounded like a choir sang with you…"
The momentum fell. "I… I want you to see it too."
She opened her eyes again and Kaito was looking down at her, dead serious in his expression. "I'll figure something out… so you can see the Islands too."
Would Kaito truly risk his much cherished wings again to show Miku his home?
Suddenly Miku felt like Juliet, trying to find a way to stay with her Romeo… willing to give up anything to remain with him, promising to taste the bitter apple…
As Kaito curled his hand around the back of her head and drew her closer, she found herself wanting so much more of him than before… as their kissing intensified, she started unzipping his jacket and slipping her hands under his shirt, running her hands along his bare chest and feeling his toned muscles.
He seemed to share her feelings because his hands began to move lower and lower, stroking her thighs and slowly moving up and under her red skirt…
Was Miku to be Juliet, torn from the doomed Romeo? Tonight she felt like Cinderella, her beloved Prince searching far and wide until he found her…
United under the moonlight, "Juliet" bound herself to "Romeo".
Rin pushed herself off the floor of the observation deck as she returned to consciousness. Her neck ached, but she couldn't place why…
"What happened?" she groaned.
Len rose as well, looking dizzy. "I… I remember Sweet Ann and Big Al… and Kaito turning into a bird… he was singing or something…"
Rin tried to remember what happened before she was knocked out… she knew something scary happened besides being worried about Kaito…
Go back to your base.
Rin blinked. "Did you say something, Len?"
Len seemed similarly confused as he stood up. "I dunno… but… we should probably just head back to the base… it's the safest place to wait for Kaito, right?"
"Y… yea…" Rin said, "I'll text Miku once we get there…"
Her heart pounded… something still felt wrong, and her neck still ached. But her head felt fuzzy… she needed to just go back to her base and she'd feel better, she was sure of it…
"I must confess I never thought we'd struggle this much attempting to locate a giant bird. I do hope that means he's back to his normal shape."
Luka found herself laughing at Gakupo's commentary in spite of the serious situation as her eyes scanned the skyline, trying to provide a second set of eyes to that of a trained Seruva warrior in the darkened night skies. "He wasn't on top of the buildings downtown… I'm not even certain he left Tsubasa City but that could be a possibility…"
Unfortunately, Luka had lost her phone during her last fight with Lily, losing an easy method of communication. If only she could just contact Miku, surely the girl would tell her where the two of them were…
A quick flight past Kotori Broadcast Tower had revealed the Kagamines were missing as well. Luka hoped it meant they were looking for Kaito or heading back to the "super-secret awesome base". A ground search seemed difficult given the general chaos in the streets as people began to recover from the Herald's attack.
So that just meant locating Kaito and Miku and regrouping. They needed to know about Meiko and the corrupted Seruva.
Still… after seeing all four of the Seruva she and Gakupo and tussled with reverted back to their original forms, Luka dared to hope that Kaito had uncovered a way to save all of them at once. She couldn't imagine how many of the Seruva Meiko could have gotten to.
"Would the warrior caste have just… given themselves up like that?" Luka found herself asking.
Gakupo seemed to be thinking it over. "It would depend on how it was presented to them…" he mused aloud, "I doubt Commander Lily would have gone along with it under any circumstance. That would have given her trouble. Then again…"
The pair dipped lower as the cover of buildings began to shrink. "I've no idea what sort of chaos reigned during the coup attempt. The Elders dead, the Spirit Caller missing, and the culprit loose?"
When he put things that way… the Seruva relied on orders and proclamations. Rigid traditions and social classes. To have every one of them overturned in a short period of time could have granted Meiko more than enough frightened volunteers.
"Once we've ensured the safety of our own numbers… We will need to deal with her."
"If Kaito can summon Sujata Hama again… We might have a fighting chance."
Even though Luka had spent so many years among human kind, her past life as a priestess still made her recognize the holy significance of Sujata Hama's appearance. She, like the other priests, assumed they would never witness such a spectacle. Its appearance signified either the presence of miracles… or the presence of omens.
Because seeing Sujata Hama meant Sujata Raka could not be far behind.
None of the stories suggested that the Spirit Caller actually became either of the guardians however. She hoped that Kaito's mind was still intact after experiencing so much power at once. So many of his abilities lay even beyond her comprehension…
As they left the denser city behind, Luka spied some of the familiar hills and began to scan them for whomever she could find. Perhaps Kaito had landed out here?
She began to sing a simple melody, creating a small ball of pink light and holding it aloft. She hoped Kaito would recognize it if he was out here…
Kaito watched the night sky, his heart possessing a rare sense of peace. Miku lay next to him, still clutched to him and wrapped in his coat. He held her body close, feeling closer to Miku than ever, their hearts forever bound together.
Even though so much danger remained in the world, he felt as though he had a way to tackle it from now on. A clear path forward. And then?
He could go anywhere he wished. Do whatever he wanted. Because he would always have Miku by his side.
"Grr… Still no sign of Luka, and Rin and Len aren't picking up either!"
Miku let out a frustrated sigh as she stared at her phone. "Now I'm getting worried."
"I could go look for them!" Kaito volunteered.
"That might not be such a bad idea… Ah! What's that light?!"
As Kaito spied the pink light he quickly suspected its origin. He tried to straighten his clothes, tucking his loose shirt back into his pants before he created a small white ball of light. "It's Luka…" he warned.
Apparently Miku took that as the same cue to make herself more presentable, trying to smooth out her clothes and run a hand through her disheveled hair. She threw Kaito his jacket, and he quickly slipped it back on as he watched the pink light flashing as it approached. Soon he could make out the faces of his dearest friends as they landed. He held his breath as they walked through the grass and finally saw him, alive and well… and once more a true Seruva.
Luka approached him with quick steps, freezing in front of him as she took in the sight of his wings again. After a few moments, she dove forward and gave Kaito an excited hug. "You… you did it… by the ancestors, you did it…"
He heard a familiar laughter as Gakupo approached him as well. "First you survive an incurable disease, then you reclaim irretrievable limbs!" he said cheerfully, "I can only imagine what impossibility you intend to trounce next!"
As Luka released him, Kaito saw the signs of tears in her eyes. He began to realize how cruel it must appear to her, for him to regain his use of flight so quickly while she'd spent years bound to the earth as a Val'Sharess. "Kaito, you must tell us… how did you survive!? How did you summon Sujata Hama?"
Kaito looked to Miku and smiled. "Miku's song allowed the spirits of the Heralds I freed to shatter my seal and set me free of the Noise. As for Sujata Hama… they taught me the melody…"
"… he dove off the broadcast tower to rescue me."
Luka's jaw dropped. "Kaito! You're… you're so reckless now!"
He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "They said I'd be able to recall it when next I soared… so I tried to think of what it felt like to fly when I jumped off and…"
He recalled the rush of power flowing through his body… the sensation of becoming something so large and powerful and great...
"… the notes just flew into my head and I sang them at once."
Miku pressed up against him. "And… and Luka, that wasn't even the first time Kaito's saved me! When you brought him to Tsubasa City all those years ago… he was the boy that broke my fall!"
At that a sign of elation washed over Luka. When she spoke, her melody appeared so calm, as though she was releasing years of guilt. "Then my sacrifices meant something, after all…" she said, "They allowed Miku to live."
Such a strange cycle of events… had Luka never fled with Kaito, Miku would have died… had Gakupo not tried to overthrow the Seruva… Kaito would have died… and neither he nor Luka would have ever met. He began to see a chain of divine events laid out before him.
"So. You can summon Sujata Hama at will?" Gakupo asked.
He stared out into the emptier areas of Tsubasa City. "We're going to need it… while Luka and I were searching for a way to restore you, we located what we think is the staging grounds of a Seruva invasion of Earth."
Kaito gasped. "Meiko was serious?!"
"Oh right, you didn't know about them!" Miku gasped, "She was turning other Seruva into monsters just like what she did to Gakupo!"
Gakupo winced for a moment – Kaito suspected his experience would remain a sore area for him for some time. "She… used the Harbinger to murder the Elders as well," he said calmly.
Kaito's heart plunged into his stomach. Certainly he now had little love for the men that had so thoroughly ruled his life and ruined so many others, but to wish them dead?
"I… I had gone out of my way not to spill blood… Meiko thought otherwise."
It did comfort him some to see Gakupo ashamed of his actions instead of happy though.
"Gakupo… you were used. Just as I was."
Kaito saw no point in dwelling further – not in the face of a major crisis when Gakupo's skills would come in handy. "So you want me to summon Sujata Hama and set them all free, right?!"
His friend nodded. "We must end this invasion before it happens. Most of the humans here won't survive a Seruva assault. And especially not from people like… them."
Again those difficult tones as Gakupo no doubt started to relive being possessed by Noise. After Kaito's experience being dragged around by it and nearly torn into nothing, he appreciated the effects it could have on the minds of even someone as strong-willed as Gakupo. "It should be easy then… maybe if we lured them to one spot… I could summon Sujata Hama and sing for them!"
He walked out to the edge of the hill, his hand on the tree trunk. He calmly tried to recall the notes from the melody again. But something was different this time. He would try to sing the melody as he'd performed it but it felt as though the notes were trying to rearrange themselves into another song entirely. Not as before where he was simply incapable of recalling them… but as he mentally tried to re-enact the song, he grew worried as he noted the new melody sounded downright… dissonant.
"Something's wrong…" he murmured, "The Hymn I sang keeps trying to transform itself."
"You were going to sing it right now?!" Luka exclaimed, "Kaito, it's best that you hold back… you have to have drawn a great deal of attention to yourself as it is."
He hadn't even considered that. Meiko herself had wanted to claim the power he'd expressed. No doubt so did Mirror – they'd already gone out of their way to target him once, how did he know he was safe? "You don't think they're looking for me again, do you?"
"Don't worry Kaito, you're not by yourself, and we already know what kind of tricks they'll try to pull!" Miku shouted to reassure him.
Indeed… he and his friends were stronger than ever. He tried to reflect on why he'd been given this song in the first place, what the Heralds told him as he revived on Earth. They warned him about the approach of the "End." That how he used this power could affect it.
"The Heralds warned me of something else… the end of the world is coming."
Kaito shook his head as he thought of it. "The Noise is flowing freely and it's only going to get worse now that I escaped my Seal."
He stared out at the lights in the houses, every one of them representing to Kaito a life in danger. "We need some way to destroy it."
"You believe Sujata Hama can do this?" Luka asked.
"I don't believe they would have passed the knowledge of the ballad on to me if they thought it wouldn't be useful," Kaito mused out loud, "If only I had a way to get at the source though… it's actually a living entity. It tried to swallow me up in the abyss of souls. If I could strike at that somehow…"
"What about that rift!?" Miku suggested.
"Indeed… the Noise was… quite insistent on compelling me to tear one open," Gakupo said, his notes reflecting signs of guilt again, "Perhaps if we took you to one of those and you cast the ballad there…"
A world without Noise. No more Heralds, no more generators, no more corruption. Both Mirror and Meiko would be undercut in their efforts in the city.
He could make peace.
"If I ended the Noise… if I put humans and Seruva back on equal terms… then… maybe we could unite them as well."
"Eh? Kaito?" Luka sounded surprised, "You want humans and Seruva to live together?"
All he could think of was how badly he hated having to choose one world or the other. Because of an ancient conflict that never truly resolved. The time he'd spent on Earth proved to him that humans had the capacity for good. And he already believed in the Seruva as well, especially with the suffocating effects of the Elders broken.
"Kaito… you mean you want to create a world where I can go to the Islands too?"
He turned to Miku and smiled. "The only reason I would ever return to the Islands… is if I could take you with me."
Miku blushed deeply. "Hmmm… that would be nice…" Gakupo mused aloud, "I haven't seen the Verdant Plains in awhile…"
Luka's melody reveal her sad longing. "I still miss the Rainbow Falls…" she breathed.
Kaito silently promised to himself that he would do everything he could to find some way to grant Luka her wings again.
"If I can tell much of what I want, will it be nice? The feelings that I have now! Red? Blue? White? How vague it is if I'm going to love you, greater than anyone in this world, will it be nice?"
Miku's ringing phone drew her attention at once – it was Rin's ringtone. She turned it on immediately. "Rin! Are you and Len okay? We haven't heard from you!"
"Yea, we're totally fine!" she said cheerfully, "Len and I got away from Big Sweet… did Kaito take care of the Herald?"
"Yea… Neru's gone! You aren't going to BELIEVE everything that happened!"
She looked to Kaito and winked. Wouldn't they be surprised to see him with his wings again?! "Where are you two right now?"
"We're on our way to Gumi's super ultra-awesome land!" Rin said, "We can meet up there and talk secrets and stuff!"
Miku snickered and hung up. "Hey, Rin and Len want to meet up at Gumi's place," she said, "It wouldn't be a bad idea. We're all a mess, and we all need to share information."
Miku made a face. "I mean, I really need a shower for goodness sake!"
Luka chuckled. "I wouldn't mind getting out of these sweats and into some real clothes!"
"Indeed, and I'd like to spend some time devising a proper battle strategy for what we're trying to accomplish next."
Kaito smiled at Miku. "I just want to see Rin and Len again."
The blue haired man approached Miku and put his arms around her, carefully lifting her body up. "We'll be there in no time now," he said with a broad smile.
As the two of them launched into the air, Miku leaned into Kaito's body. She felt his grip on her tighten as well – how little they ever needed to speak about what they felt for each other. 'Ah… I wonder if it's like this for Luka when Gakupo carries her around…'
She glanced at her other two friends and her face turned bright red – they were kissing in the air. 'Can… can Gakupo even see like that?!'
Miku held out her phone like a flashlight to illuminate the dark tunnels. She kept an eye out for anything unusual as she did so. Gakupo mentioned they didn't appear to be followed, but she was paranoid.
But soon enough they approached the bend towards Gumi's makeshift home. In the middle of the tunnel stood Rin and Len, staring straight at them.
"Ah! There they are, there they are!"
"Uh… yea, I can tell Rin."
"Waiiiit…"
She rushed forward and Kaito came to a stop. "AH! Kaito-niisan, you got your wings back!"
Kaito beamed at her. "It's a long story…" he said, "We can talk about it back at Gumi's."
Rin skipped forward and started poking Kaito's wings. He looked at her oddly. "Um… yes, they're real Rin…"
Without skipping a beat, she looked to Gakupo. "Gaku-niichan, it's okay, yours are still softer."
Miku had never seen Gakupo get flustered until this moment, when his face turned bright red. He stumbled for something to say, finally giving up and letting the odd moment drop. The pigtailed girl couldn't help but snicker at seeing the unflappable samurai bested by Rin's obliviousness.
"I'm glad you guys are all right," Len said, obviously ignoring his sister being… his sister. "When Kaito turned into a bird like that, we didn't know what to do!"
"Kaito-niisan, can I get a ride some time!?" Rin begged.
Kaito laughed half-heartedly. "I… I don't think that's something I can use the power for…"
Before their conversation could continue, Miku heard the familiar buzzing of Gumi's scooter. "Wait, is she riding it in the middle of the tunnel?!" Miku exclaimed.
"We… should probably make sure she's okay…" Luka said nervously.
The group turned and ran towards the sound. Miku had her hand on her sword. If someone had come for Gumi… they'd make them pay.
Miku turned down the tunnel and gasped. "K…Kaito! Run!" she cried out as she saw dozens of humans with guns pointed at them.
"FIRE!"
A white shield blocked Miku from the sudden bursts of weapons fire. "I'm not going to run away, Miku!" Kaito cried out.
Gakupo drew his weapon and prepared to fly forward… Miku heard Luka's voice chanting a new ballad. She heard the twin tones of Rin and Len performing a familiar zig-zagging melody.
She didn't expect to be the target of that melody, but in seconds she felt the electricity slam into her body… just before she fell unconscious, she saw Kaito collapse next to her.
"RIN-CHAN!" Gakupo cried out as he saw the twins target their friends.
In seconds the human soldiers closed ranks around Kaito and Miku. He'd have to break through them. "We don't take him alive! Full fire!"
Before anything could touch the warrior, he saw Luka form her shield. Gakupo charged forward, watching the shield move with him. With a clean slice he took out soldier after soldier with a wild smirk.
Then he heard the lightning ballad again and glanced for a second as Luka back flipped through the air away from the wild lightning bolts. His shield shattered and he found himself having to retreat as he constructed a purple barrier for himself before he reached his targets.
He heard the echoes of thundering footsteps in the tunnels. Another squad coming into the tunnels to back them up?! He flew closer to Luka, slicing through a pair of force waves from the twins. "Rin-chan, Len! Can you hear me?!"
The most horrifying thing Gakupo had seen so far… the normally animated faces of the Kagamine twins stone solid, cold and calculating another move. Had humans done this to them!? "How did this happen!?"
"They must have gotten to them at the tower when they were by themselves…" Luka hissed.
As another squad cleared the corridor, Gakupo quickly understood the true purpose of these underground tunnels – it limited the mobility of a Seruva, forcing them to fight on a human's level. His flight advantage was largely nullified.
As he and Luka tried to block the assault of multiple human weapons, he saw the twins leap into the air… and yellow light wings emerged from their backs. "How?!" he shouted, "What are they!?"
Again, nothing but eerie silence as they hovered above them. Gakupo watched the lightning about to rain upon him and Luka and he tried to form a thicker shield to block damage from all sides. His barrier just barely formed in time but he could already feel it weakening under so much strain.
"Gakupo… I don't want to do this but… if they capture us as well…"
He gritted his teeth. Two of his closest allies lay in grave danger, two more puppets for his foes. It ran against every instinct he had to turn and retreat. A samurai did not run from battle…
… he was not a samurai.
His eyes scanned the tunnel seeking a way out. His barrier wouldn't hold much longer… between the soldiers and the twins, all three cross tunnels were blocked.
He heard the revving of a scooter and in a few moments he saw out of the corner of his eye…
… Gumi scattering the soldiers to his left by trying to run them over with her scooter.
"MOVE IT JERKS!" she shouted, "Ranka-chan doesn't take prisoners!"
In the chaos of her arrival, Gakupo saw his opportunity. He glanced up at Rin and Len. "Rin-chan… Len… I'm sorry…" he whispered.
The purple shield glowed for only a second before a blast of energy erupted around him.
He grabbed Luka and flew in Gumi's direction. Fortunately, the emerald-haired hacker seemed to understand his intent and swerved away, zooming back in the direction of her arrival. A pink shield appeared behind him as Luka kept them free of gunfire.
"Where's Blue and Pigtails?!" Gumi shouted as she gained ground on Gakupo.
"They… they captured them…" Gakupo admitted.
"Freaks!" Gumi cursed, "They busted up my pad too… I didn't manage to get any of my old gear… still got Leon's laptop though. Hoping I can still get into my stuff with it."
Again Gakupo heard the zig-zagging melody and he turned sharply to avoid exploding lightning around him. "The crap!? Is that… Shortstuff and Creampuff?!"
The twins' artificial wings apparently allowed them to fly at the same speed as a true Seruva.
"I'm starting to regret teaching them that lightning spell!" Luka shouted.
"Well then why not throw it back at them!?" Gumi shouted.
"If we wanted to kill them, sure!" Gakupo yelled, "It's not a very precise spell!"
"We're not far from a tunnel opening!" Gumi yelled, "Think we can lose em' if we get up there!?"
He didn't want to "lose them"…
Gakupo stayed in alignment behind Gumi, Luka working to counter every spell thrown at her while Gakupo hauled her through the air. He saw a makeshift ramp and an exposed entrance cap to the surface. "That… does not look safe…" he muttered.
"BANZAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
Gumi zoomed for the ramp and her scooter quickly became airborne, rocketing into the street above. "Luka…"
"I know…"
The two cast their force wave as the ceiling collapsed around them. He worked to avoid the debris, flying between the heavy rocks to avoid getting crushed. Soon the entrance way was blocked.
Gakupo… had abandoned his allies.
His heart felt heavy as he flew to keep after Gumi.
As Kaito finally awoke, he let out a groan. The last thing he remembered was preparing to fight humans… then he felt himself under attack by…
"Rin! Len!" he exclaimed, his eyes flying open.
He looked around him and saw nothing but the tight cramped steel quarters, a solid glass and metal door keeping him solidly contained. His heart pounding, he touched a hand to his throat and felt the familiar shock collar around his throat. 'No!'
He was at the lab… he was a prisoner again… he was an experiment and he'd been captured…
A voice over a speaker crackled to life. "It's so good to see you again, little birdy!"
How could he forget that awful woman's voice?! The one who tortured him with such glee. "Where are Rin and Len!?" he shouted.
"The Geminis are being contained elsewhere, for safety reasons," she said glibly, "We wouldn't want anything to happen to them when the Seruva are going to attack, right?"
She giggled into the microphone, causing Kaito to shudder at her sick behavior. "Didn't you want to know where your girlfriend is?"
They had Miku. "What have you done to her?!" he hissed.
Another sickening giggle. "Nothing yet… when she wakes up though… oh, I can't imagine the stories she'll tell us. She must have all kinds of secrets if she's been hanging around with you."
"Miku is a normal human!" Kaito protested, "Release her, she's not part of this!"
"Oh… but she's been aiding you. She's most certainly part of this."
The woman's voice grew darker. "Besides… if you don't co-operate, you might need some motivation."
The speaker stopped crackling and the voice left. Kaito slumped against the wall. The first time he'd been held here, he'd been beside himself with fear. While he still felt some fear… it was different this time. He knew who they were, what they wanted, and why.
And this time he wasn't even frightened about not going home.
He had the power of Sujata Hama… and the humans wished to take it from him. He knew that much for certain. As long as he was wearing the collar, he couldn't summon it… but once the opportunity arose, he doubted they could easily contain a gigantic singing bird.
Then… he would set his friends free.
They'd been hurt because of him… but he would fix it.
Strangely, Kaito felt no more fear – only the determination that he would do anything to save the people he cared about.
Arbiter.
Kaito stiffened as he realized, in the back of his mind, he heard a dissonant melody winding its way through his ears.
Arbiter. You cannot abstain.
"Trashed up my secret base… but I totally judo threw em' and busted out… like some stupid goon can stop the mighty Gumi!"
Gumi sat back with the stolen laptop as Luka shook, trying to take in what she'd just escaped from hours ago. The three of them had escaped to the outskirts of the city – technically they had no cover of buildings here, but at least they had more open air if they got attacked again.
She'd failed to protect her friends… she'd been led into a trap and escaped by the skin of her teeth but… at what cost?
The Spirit Caller now sat in enemy hands.
Clearly Gakupo remained disturbed as well. "We need to plan a new attack…" he muttered, "Figure out their most likely location and break our way in…"
Of course his methodical mind didn't allow him time to mourn. Whatever his personal feelings, this was exactly the kind of work he'd trained for. Luka envied his ability to focus on battles and strategies with such precision.
"That's not gonna be easy," Gumi explained as she typed on her computer, "Mirrors' got tons of labs. Plus the big research complex. I mean maybe they're in there, but we'd be starting a fight without clues and they'll be waiting for us."
She shuddered. "They even got anti-aircraft guns there… probably what they unloaded onto poor Blue when he was trying to escape. We need a way to turn off their security… cause some chaos!"
"Indeed, planning for an assault with only two of us…"
Gumi scoffed. "Are you nuts!? You think I'm not coming along while you storm into the Heart's Happy Home of Horrors?!"
Before Luka could speak another word she saw a white feather drift down from the sky. Reflexively she stared upwards, expecting an attack. "Commander?!" Gakupo exclaimed as he spotted a familiar figure descending.
Luka tensed up as the blonde Seruva alighted in front of her. "ACK! Nasu-san, do something!" Gumi shouted.
Lily blinked at Gumi's comments. "I… I come in peace…" she said.
Gumi stared at her distrustfully, a sentiment Luka shared. She glanced to Gakupo, who still held his sword in a defensive stance. Lily hadn't even touched her own weapon as she seemed to be sizing up the others. "I'm not here to cause trouble. I just…"
She looked to the sky nervously. "Who are you working for?" Luka asked coldly.
Luka tried to analyze the woman's melody for any weaknesses… and to Luka's surprise, she found several. Her notes sounded anxious… but not like those of a liar nervous of being uncovered. More like… fear of feeling out of options. But Luka had trouble mustering up mercy for her knowing her complicity in some of the crimes of the past.
"I work for the Seruva…" Lily stated quietly.
"…what's happened to the Islands, Lily?" Gakupo asked. His calm and focus sounded strained.
Lily lowered her eyes. "You… you murdered the Elders and kidnapped the Spirit Caller. Rebels attempted to storm the holy temples and take over our tribe. Nothing but madness has reigned since that day."
So Lily wasn't complicit… given that she knew nothing of why Gakupo acted as he did.
The Seruva leader continued. "Meiko stepped up to leadership given that we had no other options, proclaiming that in times of darkness we… must not be afraid of even darkness itself."
The way she kept staring at her hands reminded Luka of the way that Gakupo still stared at his own when he thought Luka wasn't watching. "She asked for volunteers and several of my soldiers stepped up unquestioningly. Especially the ones who… Gakupo fought with."
She placed a hand to her chest. "I did not volunteer myself, but I went with her to monitor their safety. When I saw the rift… when I heard the discord… I tried to talk them out of it, but to go against the words of our High Priestess? Not a soul would listen. She accused me of working with you and that was that… fear reigned and I was the first subjected to the corruption of the Noise."
Lily stared into Luka's eyes. "When I say I work for the Seruva… it is because I cannot stand back and allow what remains of us to be consumed by that mad woman's quest for vengeance against the humans."
"… and yet you came looking for me, the one person you believe responsible for it."
Gakupo sounded bitter as he spoke. "After what she did to me?" Lily said, "I don't believe that your actions were motivated by free will. And after seeing Sujata Hama working with you…"
She swallowed. "I wanted to know what you intend to do."
Gakupo didn't change his stance. "Right now, the Spirit Caller is being held hostage by humans. All I intend to do is rescue him… and my human allies."
Luka could have laughed at the surprise on Lily's face. "You really are working with humans?!" she exclaimed.
"I was not working with humans when I sought to save the Spirit Caller from the ambitions of the Elders," Gakupo stated flatly, "But it was humans who took care of him when he was stolen. When he was mutilated. And those humans are people I'd gladly lay down my life for as readily as any Seruva."
He tossed Luka a knowing smile. "As I would for Luka."
Lily looked to Luka again as if she understood what Gakupo was implying. She took a few steps closer to him to make it clear. "Such a strange path you've chosen Gakupo…" Lily said quietly, "But as long as our goals align for the moment… I'll not question it."
She stared up into the sky. "Meiko was planning an invasion of this city... she'll begin sometime today."
She sighed. "I'd hoped you had access to Sujata Hama so we might thwart it at once… but if we don't… I might be able to get you some manpower to storm where he is being held."
Gakupo finally put his weapon away. "You have uncorrupted warriors with you."
She nodded. "I sent the brothers back to the Islands to gather as many people as they could… I can direct them at your instructions."
The blonde warrior stared into the city. "After all… you appear to know the lay of this land better than I."
"Then our only problem is the anti-aircraft guns…" Luka mused aloud, "We'd be turning our allies into cannon fodder if we can't deal with Mirror's security."
Suddenly Luka heard Gumi begin to laugh. It started out as soft laughter, just under her breath, before gaining in intensity. Soon the girl was laughing like a mad woman, and Luka began to seriously worry about her state of mind.
The emerald haired technology wizard grasped the computer with both hands. "They got Finch..." she said, "But… I got his drop. It's got every single security measure inside Mirror that you could imagine."
A frightening glint appeared in Gumi's eyes. "If it's connected to their WiFi… I can turn off everything in that building."
She stood up and laughed maniacally. "NOTHING the Hearts have is beyond me! AHAHAHAHAHA!"
So they had the scraps of a plan. A wild, desperate assault that relied on Mirror having not already found a way to exploit Kaito and the immense power he represented… let alone the power they'd already tapped into by snatching up the Kagamines.
She clenched her fists. Miku, Rin, Len… they'd relied on their "sempai" to always look out for them. She hadn't been able to prevent their capture… but "sempai" was going to get them back safely.
Gumi slammed the laptop shut and shoved it in her bag. "Nasu-san, I leave the planning to you!"
Gakupo stared at Gumi for a moment and blinked. "… how long have you been calling me that?!"
A/N:
Whoosh. Another brutal cliffhanger. Sorry about the one week break PLUS a cliffhanger. I'm hoping to keep these uninterrupted up to the end from this point forward, but some issues still going on in my personal life may lead to another update delay. I'll give you fair warning, but keep an eye on my journal at DeviantART (my username is Rebochan there) for any update delay announcements if they happen. I didn't get quite as far along with Chapter 18 as I wanted in the week off, but it did give me time to get everything in order for the last three chapters one after the other. The intensity of the plot is still ramping up, and I just needed the time to sort out the resolutions of so many open plots coming together all at once.
The CV units are actually a cheeky reference to the CV designation for four of the six Cryptons. I still like to get these in when I still can! Similarly, "Big Sweet's" designation as "FX Modules" is a reference to their developer PowerFX.
I wish I had more to say here this week, but frankly, as things are winding down, there's less I feel the need to explain. I hope everyone is still enjoying the craziness.
Song Credits: Miku's ringtone for Rin is "Colorful x Melody", a duet the two of them share that popped up in Project Diva. The title is itself a reference to the Rin and Len duet "Electric Angel", and yes, I did keep having them favor lightning attacks because of that song.