Welcome back again everyone. Previously, we witnessed Wendy leave Unomaru to pursue her vengeance with the truth in mind while also telling Avenge what she knew during her "short-term" with the mad scientist while Es and Mei being able to express their regrets, finding and receiving both support and forgiveness from their newfound family.
With Avenge intending to tell what he found out about Unomaru to Mei, Es also wished to speak with Touya privately about something. What will happen now with this new information and upcoming discussion?
We'll see right now...
Mitsurugi Agency HQ [Sick Bay]
It was 9:45 PM when Yuki, Mei, Kuon and Elise left the Sick Bay to speak with Avenge, leaving Es and Touya alone with the Azure Maiden wishing to speak with the young man in private. As Touya gave Es his attention, the Azure Maiden closed her eyes for a moment before looking at the ceiling before she began to speak...
"Was... that how you... felt...?" Es cryptically asked Touya as he gave her a look of confusion.
"What do you mean?" Touya replied, wanting Es to phrase what she's asking another way. The Azure Maiden was silent for a moment before she spoke again...
"Two days ago... when Ren struck me down and when you went berserk..." Es clarified as Touya was surprised she brought up the martial artist who they saved from his Union Crystal.
"When... when I saw you get shot by that laser beam Unomaru fired at you and... seeing you lay there, inert on the Earth with no sign of life, it hurt... everything... everything just hurt... my mind... my heart... it just... hurt..." Es said while trying not to cry at the memory. To say that Es hated seeing him and anyone else close to her is an understatement as she recalled being fueled by rage at seeing Sechs knock Mei, Kuon and Touya out during the Embryo Incident and was emotionally broken when Freaks killed Touya, Mei, Kuon and Elise before returning to save them. After hearing this, Touya understood what Es was saying and he closed his eyes in thought before speaking...
"I... I felt the same way. Like I said two days ago, when I saw you get hurt like that, I lost control of myself... rage, pain and sadness overtook me. I... I couldn't stand it even though Ren wasn't to blame..." Touya said as he recalled what happened. Yes, he and Ren made things right, but he still felt awful for trying to kill him just because of a Union Crystal warping his mind to the point of attacking Es. In retrospect, Ren is innocent while Unomaru is clearly guilty as the mad scientist had full intention of killing them.
"Es... I'm sorry you had to go through what I did... I never wanted you to feel that all that sorrow... all of that rage... and suppressing yourself like that..." Touya apologized to his beloved as Es turned to him with tender tears clinging to her eyes.
"Touya... is... is it wrong...? For us to love each other...? Even knowing the fact that one of us... could die... in battle one day?" Es asked a very deep question as she contemplated her own feelings for the young man if this was how they were going to react whenever one of them is severely injured. This prompted Touya to look at Es with a serious look, knowing she needed to hear what he thought in regards to their bond, both in and out of battle.
"Es... it's true we both did things that were wrong... but falling in love... there's nothing wrong with that at all. The reason I was angry at Ren is because I want nothing bad to happen to you, same with everyone else. I know for a fact that you would feel the same way if anyone else got hurt." Touya followed up while mentioning that he would have gone berserk in anyone else got hurt too for he still recalled vividly at losing it when Ripper endangered Hinata's life during the Embryo Incident.
"I... I know... but... seeing you hurt felt different compared to seeing Hinata, Mei and the others being hurt. Of course I'd be sad if any of our friends died... but... the thought of you dying... it... it terrifies me..." Es said as she closed her eyes, letting some tears escape as she vented her fears out.
"It terrifies me too Es... but it's like what Mei said, we have to be better. Me and Mei can't lose control of our emotions and you can't run away from them. It's true that there's always the possibility with one of us meeting our end fighting and it does scare me, but I believe in you Es. Not just to take care of yourself, but to watch my back and to keep everyone else safe too. So don't ever feel like it's wrong to be in love, Es." Touya replied as a small tear escaped his eye as well. Es knew that upon hearing what he said, she knew that her beloved is right. There will ALWAYS be that fear and risk, but it is never wrong to love someone who are willing to stand by your side through thick and thin, through sickness and in health, through life and death until the end of time itself.
"Touya... you're right... thank you..." Es replied with a small smile as Touya returned the gesture with a smile of his own as their greatful eyes are filled with love. It may sound cheesy to say this, but it feels like they were destined to meet each other, even though they shouldn't have existed to begin with. Although their first encounter wasn't on the best of terms, they were turly happy to have met each other and never regretted it.
"You're welcome... Es..." Touya replied as he returned the Azure Maiden's gratitude. Just as she has been there for him, he is willing to always be there for her when she needs help as even the strongest warrior needs a person to lean on and give them a place to return home. Touya knew that he, Hinata and the others were able to give Es exactly that.
As soon as the two said what they needed to say, the doubts Es felt began to lift and with that, her eyes began to droop. After all that occurred, she was ready for a good night's sleep and judging by Touya's expression, he was ready to fall alseep too. No words were needed at this moment, just each other's presence and support were all that was needed in this moment. It didn't take no more than one minute before the two fell asleep, peace overtaking them as they slept in harmony.
'Touya... I love you...' Es thought as she began to fall into a deep sleep.
'Es... I love you...' Touya thought as he started to fall into a deep slumber.
Mitsurugi Agency HQ [Laboratory]
After calming down, Mei along with Yuki, Kuon and Elise went inside the laboratory where Avenge waited for them as the Bounty Hunter observed the capsule where Nu slept.
"Avenge. You wanted to see me and the others?" Mei asked the Bounty Hunter as he turned to face them.
"Yes." Was all Avenge said as he nodded. Yuki, Kuon and Elise were wondering what Avenge was looking at in the capsule.
"Um... what were you looking at?" Elise asked out of curiosity in regards to the capsule's contents. Hearing this, Mei walked over, signaling the others to come over and after walking up, Kuon and Elise immediately recognized the figure resting inside while Yuki stared at the white haired maiden.
"Nu..." Kuon said in stunned silence to see the Mechanical Maiden resting peacefully after that difficult battle. Yuki however couldn't help but stare at her as she looked so much like Es that she could have mistaken her for a twin.
"So this is Nu... the girl you wanted me to meet?" Yuki asked as she looked at the Robotic Maiden in surprise as the girl is a robot. A rather beautiful robot sure, but still...
"Yes. I intended to introduce you to her later after introducing her to everyone else earlier. I just hope you like her." Mei followed up, hoping that the Elder Himezuru would like Nu as well. With that, Yuki place a tender hand on the capsules window and looked at her with a gentle smile. While befriending a robot is unusual, any friend of Mei's is a friend of hers too.
"She looks so peaceful... I would love to meet her when she's ready." Yuki said as she gave an approving look toward Mei, much to the Shrine Maiden's relief and happiness.
"Thanks Yuki." Mei gave her gratitude to the Elder Himezuru as they all turned to the Bounty Hunter.
"Avenge, what did you want to tell us?" The Shrine Maiden asked Avenge as she wished to know what he found at the Wharf earlier.
"To start off with, it involved the Wind Mage. I found her earlier around there." Avenge said as he mentioned Wendy. Kuon and Elise were still saddened by their friends grudge as Avenge began recounting his encounter with Wendy shortly after deserting Unomaru's group.
Secret Laboratory
Darkness. That was all that was seen in this empty place. The only light that appeared coming from Unomaru's mechanical eyes glowing an earie light blue with Haruki using a the flashlight on his phone to guide his way.
"This place is too dark. I can't see much here, man." Haruki said as he's trying to make sure not to trip over anything.
"Will Diablo and the equipment be okay outside?" The Thief followed up as Unomaru left the still frozen Union outside before coming into this second secret lab his human self built in advance.
"It's only for a short while my friend. After all, it's not good to guide fragile contents in a dark room. I just need to find the power switch." Unomaru replied as he searched through the dark room with his "eyes". He had to admit that he was starting to enjoy the perks of being a robot. Being able to see in the dark being one of them. After surveying the room a bit more, he found the switch and began to to walk over to it.
"Here we are." Unomaru said as he turned on the power to this hidden Laboratory as the lights turned on. As Haruki's eyes adjusted, he saw the new lab had more room than the previous one and had more technology to work with. It was like a command center and it was breathtaking and yet, it stuck a curiosity in the Thief.
"This looks great and all, but why didn't you use this place first? It looks better than the first place." Haruki asked as he took in the new place he'll be staying at for the time being.
"I didn't awaken in this place first of all. I only found out about this place while I was preparing my plans to destory Embryo Storage and the Original Grimoire. I decided to keep this as backup in case the forst Laboratory was destoryed or discovered. I didn't take Wendy abandoning us into account though..." Unomaru said as he began to head back outside.
"Come, we must get Diablo and whatever we brought inside quickly." Unomaru said as Haruki followed the Scientist to retirve the Strange Red Union, Unomaru's spare body and the data they kept from the previous secret laboratory insides before anyone noticed.
Shin Yokosaki Rooftops
Wendy flew across the rooftops of Shin Yokosaki as she took in the sights of the city at night. A cool breeze brushed against her face and body, enjoying the feeling of the element she controls.
'It's so nice here...' Wendy thought as she landed near a rooftop that had three ventilation machines in a square like box and looked around for a moment.
"I should have taken some things with me, but I guess I'll spend the night here..." Wendy said as she took off her cape and sat against the machine, hearing the humming of the device, making for some decent white noise. As soon as she got settled, she took off her cape and wrapped it around her body for warmth as she looked up at the moon.
'Kuon...' Wendy thought in regards to her old friend as she recalled the good times with the Fire Empress. The two were heated rivals, even when Elise took her place as Kuon's roommate. She recalled that Kuon set up a meeting between her and Elise to smooth the tensions between them. They were at a café where Kuon ordered a chocolate cake and tea together. Wendy was naturally peeved that Elise made up a lie to be her roomate, but when Elise admitted straight to her face that she is in love with Kuon and upon seeing Kuon facepalm herself in annoying, Wendy nearly had a spit take and began laughing out loud, knowing for a fact that Kuon doesn't view girls like that. Needless to say, sometime after getting to know Elise better, the three began to hang out together until Wendy had to embark on a special training regimen that took her attention. By the time she finished, Kuon, Sechs, Acht and Drei all left for Shin Yokosaki with Elise following after them not too long after...
Wendy was able to get some information from Elise when she came back and after catching up, Elise mentioned she had important things to do and left. Than, Kuon returned and news of Sechs, Acht and Drei's deaths spread throughout Ishana and hearing this broke the Wind Mage.
"Sis..." Wendy muttered as she recalled Acht fondly. Acht was always cool as a cucumber and was pretty stylish on top of being strong. While Acht didn't think much of Wendy at first, the moment she proved herself, the two hung out more. From reading books to shopping for new clothes, the two became like sisters. Although Acht would never become her mentor, she did teach Wendy her strongest spell, Blanche Neige Souffle, a spell that the Wind Mage would practice despite it not being her primary element. One day, Acht mentioned she would be going on a "trip" with two other members of the Ten Sages soon before Wendy went on her training regimen. That was the last time they ever spoke to each other...
"Why did you leave with them? Why would you side with those two? If you didn't leave, than maybe I wouldn't feel this way now..." Wendy asked to the air in front of her as she recalled hearing the word that Sechs, Drei and Acht were all slain, with Acht being the only one given a burial. Needless to say, Wendy was devastated at losing the person she viewed as a sister and upon finding out that Kuon was the one sent to retrieve or eliminate them, the Wind Mage disappeared from Kuon's life, unsure what to feel about her friend playing a part in Acht's death.
Wendy than recalled flying with her wind magic over to Shin Yokosaki one day to tour the city that her friend died at after taking a year to reflect and sort out her feelings. Three weeks ago, she looked around the city as she heard that Kuon, Elise and even Zwei keep coming back here now and again. As she took photos and explored the city, she began to feel at peace and figured that Kuon might have had a reason about why she killed Acht, that maybe it wasn't as black and white as she thought. One day however, she took a photo of something she heard rumors of while in the city; A man made out of metal. Curious, she would hire the Bounty Hunter Avenge to track down the metallic being in question.
"Avenge... maybe I should have hired him to bring Acht back... but..." Wendy said to herself as she recalled the man she occasionally "hired" to do some recon work as she called it, before remembering that he would kill her due to her becoming a Union. Due to strict rules about leaving Ishana and craving to see the outside world, she would hire Avenge under the guise of an "old client" to gather photos with her camera. He doesn't always do this for her, but ever sense the Vampire Incident, the Bounty Hunter began taking more photos and bringing them to the Wind Mage, slowly restoring her hopes and with the death of the Old Magic Guild Leaders, leaving Ishana became loose and less strict, allowing Wendy to venture outside of Ishana for the first time in her life.
Sometime after calling Avenge, Wendy would ironically run into the Metal Man herself...
Shin Yokosaki City [Alleyway] (Three Weeks Ago)
It was 9:00 PM as Wendy walked into an alleyway, intending to take a shortcut back to the hotel she checked into to rest for the night. Two days ago, she managed to call Avenge to look into this Metal Man and when they met, she gave him the photo she took in order to track down this metallic being and decided to wait for results.
Why would she care exactly? Would purpose would it serve her? She didn't know, yet as she walked through, she stopped and looked up at the moon...
"Maybe... maybe it's time I spoke with Kuon... I... I... don't want to hate my friend and I want to know what really happened that night..." Wendy said to herself as she planned to speak with the Fire Empress when she returned to Ishana. As she thought about what to do, she heard some metallic sounds, alarming the Mistress of the Wind to turn around as she pulled out her staff at what appeared to be...
"Nothing?" Wendy let out in a confused tone before turning around to come face to face with a spherical head with cyan eyes glowing directly in her face.
"HOLY SHIT!" Wendy yelled as her eyes widened and she fell on the ground in shock dropping her staff in the process. At this point, she knew the rumors about this Metal Man was indeed real. As soon as the Metal Man took a step...
"H-Hey! Take one more step and I'll shred you into scrap!" Wendy threatened as she got up and picked up her staff as she aimed it at the robot. Just because she got jump scared, it doesn't mean she's going to let this thing mess with her and do whatever it wanted with her.
"Perish the thought young lady. I wasn't here to hurt you." The Metal Man replied with a friendly wave of it's hand, prompting surprise from Wendy as she kept her staff aimed at him.
"You... you can talk?" Wendy asked as the Metal Man nodded while clasping his hands in an appeasing way.
"Indeed I can." The Metal Man replied with a cheery voice that is so inviting and charming in every way possible that it almost unerved Wendy... almost.
"What are you?" Wendy asked, wanting to know what she was dealing with here and if this... "guy"... can be trusted or not.
"'Who' would be the more appropriate term here. My name is Souichiro Unomaru. And what is your name young lady?" The Metal Man known as Souichiro introduced himself as he bowed before asking the Wind Mage for her name.
"Wendy. Wendy Kazehaya. I'm a wind mage from Ishana." Wendy said as she kept her staff pointed at the robot. Sure, "he" seemed polite, but she kept her guard up.
"I couldn't help but hear you mentioned Kuon and Acht just now. You don't seem to know much right now." Souichiro said to Wendy, surprising her that this machine somehow knows her friends.
"How do you...?" Wendy said as she lowered her staff briefly, completely befuddled.
"How about we discuss this somewhere in private." Souichiro said as he began to make his way to the rooftop and with nothing better to do, followed him to speak with him.
Shin Yokosaki Rooftops (Present)
As Wendy recalled her encounter with Unomaru, he went on to explain how he knew and met the Fire Empress while also hearing about the Rogue Ten Sages. During the time they spoke, Unomaru explained to her that Kuon and Mei are the ones responsible for killing Acht and hearing that from his honey laced "lips" prompted Wendy to snap and take on Unomaru's offer, a plan that took three weeks in the making. Until now, the thought of Mei dead at her feet kept her going along with a battered and broken Kuon, but now after seeing Mei's sorrow along with now knowing what Unomaru was up too, it made Wendy see what she got herself into.
"Tomorrow... it's time to find out the truth..." Wendy said to herself as she looked up at the moon a few moments longer before lowering her hat and closing her eyes. While sitting upright against a ventilation machine isn't an ideal place to sleep, she had no choice for now. It didn't take too long before she fell alseep.
Mitsurugi Agency HQ [Laboratory]
It was 10:15 PM when Avenge finished explanaing what he heard from Wendy earlier that night. How Unomaru is most likely heading to a second secret lab away from the one in the Wharf and that he alloed himself with the thief Es and Kiri detained last Saturday. Additionally, Wendy also left Unomaru, much to Kuon and Elise's relief...
"So Wendy left Unomaru? That's good to hear..." Kuon said, at least happy that Wendy figured out that Unomaru was not to be trusted.
"Don't be so relieved. The Wind Mage still intends to come after you and Mei if she finds reason to do so. I think the only ones who can dissuade her are you two and those who know you both." Avenge followed up with words of advice that Kuon and Mei understood fully well. If Wendy is willing to listen, trying to talk to her may be their best option to calm Wendy's rage and sorrow.
"However, that's not the only concern. Apparently Unomaru has his hands on a Strange Red Union..." Avenger followed up, earning looks of concern from everyone in the room. Considering how much trouble Ripper/Freaks was, everyone had a right to be concerned as Strange Red Union's are immensely powerful with no risk of progressing Phases.
"A Strange Red!? Are you certain Kazuto?" Yuki replied in concern, hoping this would be like with Ripper.
"That is what the Wind Mage told me. Apparently he's in cryo stasis and being thawed out as we speak. All I know is his name is Diablo and his Drive is called Giga Blade." Avenge continued while revealing the name of the Union in question, which caused Mei's face to go pale upon hearing the Union's name and Drive.
"You got to be kidding me... He's freeing "that" beast...?" Mei replied as she sat down in a chair close by, which prompted the Elder Himezuru to kneel next to her.
"Mei. Do you know something about this Union?" Yuki asked the Shrine Maiden in a calm tone, not wanting to rattle her, but needing to know who this unknown foe is. After a moment or two getting herself together, she began to speak.
"Diablo... is a codename given to a Strange Red Union that was captured by the Mitsurugi Agency in an effort to study Strange Red Union's to find a way to deal with other Strange Red Unions, including Ripper, and potentially save other Unions. You see, Diablo is what you call a "berserker". Compared to Ripper, Diablo is nothing more than a thug picking fights with other Unions or those with special abilities. Fortunately, unlike Ripper, he wasn't a Serial Killer, but he's just as dangerous as many skilled warriors were nearly beaten to death by him. His Drive, Giga Sword, transforms his right arm into a giant blade that's much more powerful than Scissor Hands. In a manner of speaking, he's not a crazed murdered like Ripper, but he might as well be more dangerous than him... " Mei explained what she knew about the Union in question and needless to say, everyone is worried. While they are relieved that Diablo won't make an unnecessary body count, the fact that Unomaru has a powerful ally is troublesome.
"But it sounds like he's not out yet and if Unomaru's moving him to another location..." Elise followed up, making a valid point. If Diablo was thawed out, he would have been there to cause trouble for everyone.
"Wait, can Unomaru even reason with this guy? Even as a robot, would he he risk trying to ask him for help against us?" Kuon said as she raised another valid point.
"You are right. Based on what me and Unomaru learned when we where working together is that he doesn't listen to anyone. He's basically like a Mad Dog, attacking friend and foe alike. I used a few charms in a test to see how that would affect a Strange Red, but they never work, even when he's frozen. However, if Unomaru has him, I'm guessing he built a "leash" of some kind to control him." Mei continued, clearly dreading the thought of fighting this beast in human form as she pinched the brow of her head.
"That's all I have. However, even if Unomaru left the lab in the Wharf, it should be worth looking into." Avenge said, clearly wishing to investigate the site Unomaru used as a base of operations.
"Knowing Unomaru, he's probably trashed the place. But we may find something useful. Tomorrow, you and Sleipnir will investigate the secret lab in the Wharf. I'll also call the police to retrieve any stolen things Unomaru took from those stores if they are there as well." Mei followed up, instructing the Bounty Hunter on what will go on tomorrow.
"Understood. It's best to rest than. Good night." Avenge said as he prepared to head to a spare barrack in the HQ, but before he left.
"Thank you... Kotetsu." Mei said as she looked back at him, with the Bounty Hunter turning arounding and nodding as to say "You're welcome." before leaving to retire for the night. He had a lot of work to do tomorrow. Needless to say, Yuki, Kuon and Elise looked at Mei with concern with the Elder Himezuru walking up to her.
"Mei, will you be okay tomorrow?" Yuki asked the Shrine Maiden in regards to her emotional state. After all, she didn't want Mei to be in a bad mental state at school.
"I... we'll see. But, I still should still attend school tomorrow. It's Es and Kagari I'm more worried about..." Mei hesitated before answering honestly in a moment of vulnerability, much to Kuon and Elise's surprise. On one hand, they're happy Mei is open about this, but they are worried about her.
"Es should be able to attend school with you tomorrow, but Touya will need to rest for a while before he goes back. Are you sure you'll be okay, though? You don't need to act tough all the time..." Yuki replied while wanting Mei to lower her emotional walls, knowing how hard things have been tonight for the Shrine Maiden.
"I'm sure I will be in time. Tomorrow's a new day after all... but thank you Yuki." Mei followed up before thanking the Elder Himezuru for her kind words and concern. Mei was just happy she didn't destory her relationship with anyone tonight as she NEVER wanted to take any of them for granted as they are the first people to ever give her a family and a place to belong.
"Okay. Just know that I'm always here for you and everyone else." Yuki said with a small smile with Mei returning the gesture. With that, Mei and Yuki got up and left the laboratory, with Mei returning to the Sick Bay to rest while Yuki keeps watch over them. As soon as they left, Kuon was left in her own thoughts with Elise noticing the worried look upon her friends face.
"You worried about Wendy?" Elised asked the obvious question to her troubled friend.
"Yes. I know she didn't intend to cause Mei to lose it... she couldn't have known. It's true we took Acht's life, but Wendy has to know that we didn't do it for the hell of it. I hope I can properly explain everything to her and let her know that Mei isn't a terrible person." Kuon said as she took a look back at Nu resting in her capsule. She than felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder and when Kuon turned her head, found Elise.
"We will, Kuon." Elise said, including herself in thay group as well. This earned Elise a thankful smile from the Fire Empress. With thay, the two began to head back to the Sick Bay themselves and as they did, a thought occurred in Elise...
"Kuon, how does school years in Japan work...?" Elise asked Kuon as the Fire Empress wondered why she ask. It didn't take too long until Kuon's confused look turned into one of an agreeing smirk.
To Be Continued...
And scene! The heroes have finally earned a night of peaceful rest as a new day begins tomorrow while the Villains are beginning thier plan to strike back.
What is Elise thinking about? Where will Wendy go now? Will the monstrous Diablo EVER be revealed?
We'll find out next time.
