Greetings fellow Fanfiction readers and writers! It is I, Ashbel Longhart back with a new chapter for Faiz! I know it's been almost a year since I last updated this story, but for those who have been with me for a long time, this is nothing new. Life, motivation, yada yada, same old, same old. I'm not gonna bore you with my reasons since that's not why you people are here. I've been getting a lot of requests to update this story so to those who have been sending me messages, your prayers have been answered! But before I continue any further, due disclaimer!
(Disclaimer: I do not own Senki Zesshou Symphogear G or Kamen Rider Faiz. I also don't own any songs that appear in this story either. They all belong to their respective owners. All I own is this story and my OCs. Please Enjoy.)
Now then, to recap the last episode, Natsu finally met Kyoko, and many tears were shed; Hibiki found out Miku's alive, and many tears were shed; Hibiki confessed to Haru why she kept his status as an Orphnoch a secret, and many tears were shed; and Haru finally got the Faiz Belt back and reunited with his friends at long last, epicness and happiness ensued. But with Miku in the custody of the FIS and with them nearing the Frontier, the climax is soon approaching as our heroes give chase. What will happen now? Let's go find out together! Open Your Eyes For The Next Faiz and Let's Ride!
Song 13: Beliefs Over the Sea
(Last Time)
{As he refuses to join our cause, he must be eliminated at all costs. Shoot on sight.}
"The doctor's way of doing things is the only way to change the world. So I'm going to support him from here on out."
"Miku-kun is not dead. The obvious conclusion is that she was rescued by another party and is being held hostage."
"Ky...Kyoko?"
"Hisashiburi dana(Long time no see)...Onii-chan."
"Well, the reason why he, as well Yugo-kun and I, have been getting in your way is that he personally knows Maria-chan and the others. He wants to save them and, well, you know how he is with personal troubles."
"Why did you keep it a secret!? About me being an Orphnoch!"
"And that's because...I didn't want to lose you."
"Haru-kun, please watch and listen. Listen...to my song!"
"It's time to stop running. I'll fight...as a human—as Faiz!"
"There's something we need your help with, and in return, I'm sure I can help you too."
'Wait for me, Maria, everyone!'
(Now)
All was quiet aboard the airship save for the distant sound of propellers spinning outside keeping the ship afloat and the boiling of ingredients bubbling inside a cooking pot. With Maria flying the ship, Nastassja resting, and Dr. Ver doing whatever he was doing, Kirika and Shirabe were left to their lonesome, trying to keep themselves busy while still trying to process everything that had happened. As Shirabe kept an eye on the pot, Kirika sat at the table while thinking back to the revelation involving Maria.
'Maria's not Finé. I should be happy that Maria's still herself. But...' Kirika looked down at her hands, thinking back to the incident at the construction sight involving the dome of light that had saved both her and Shirabe. 'If Maria's not Finé, then...does that mean I...'
"Here." Kirika was broken out of her thoughts as a bowl was placed right in front of her. Chicken soup, Kirika easily identified. Looking up, Shirabe placed a bowl of rice to accompany the soup before taking a seat right across from her with her own two bowls.
"Ah, thanks," Kirika thanked her partner, trying her best to appear calm as she grabbed a spoon and dug into the soup. "Mmm, delicious, as always!"
"I learned from the best," Shirabe said, a bit of pride seeping into her tone as she looked down at her bowl, her gaze slowly turning distant. It didn't take long for Kirika to figure out what her loved one was thinking about.
'That's right, this was the first thing he taught her,' Kirika thought, looking down at the savory soup.
"Are you...thinking about Natsu?"
"..." Shirabe said nothing, but it was clear to see that Kirika's guess was right. Seeing that she couldn't hide it, the ravenette expressed her thoughts to her friend.
"I just...don't understand. Natsu, he was alive all this time and yet he never revealed himself to us. Instead, he's been trying to stop us from saving the world. Why?"
"Yeah, it is all pretty confusing," Kirika said, sympathizing with her friend. The kind boy that had gone out of his way to befriend them, the Receptor Children, had been actively trying to stop their plans of saving the world. The contradiction was enough to give the blond a small headache as she tried to make sense of why their childhood friend was doing what he was doing.
"Not only that but there's also Maria," Shirabe added, revealing that it was not just Natsu occupying her thoughts. "Everything I've done, it wasn't to help Finé, but Maria. Maria, who was kind to us lonely crybabies. She was the protector of the weak, an ally of justice. And yet now..."
"Power...everything comes down to that. Without power, you cannot enact justice!"
Those had been Maria's words yet Shirabe still couldn't bring herself to believe that her big sister figure had actually uttered them. It went against everything they had been fighting for.
"None of this...makes any sense."
"Shirabe..." Kirika looked on, trying to think of a way to cheer up her friend. She reached out her hand to touch Shirabe's but stopped as she looked at her hand and was once again reminded of the incident.
'If...if I really am Finé's next vessel...then just what can I do to help?'
Kirika pulled back her hand and hid them away from Shirabe's sight. She didn't want her friend to see them shaking, to see how scared she was for herself right now. And so the two of them sat in silence, their food forgotten as they feared for the oncoming future.
(Insert masterpiece by Mami Kawada)
(Instrumental) The song starts as blurry images play at high speed appear. While some images were hard to make out, the image of a fire and ruins, the Relics, the Rider Gears, the Wolf Orphnoch's hands covered in blood, and then the caged Nephilim could be made out before the title appears.
(To aru nichijou wa parallel world ikusen mono jikan ni) The scene shows Hibiki in class, staying after school, but to her surprise, she wasn't the only one there. The camera expands outward to show that with her in the class is Tsubasa sitting next to her right, Chris sitting next to her left, and Haru in the back in the far corner looking out the window.
(Onaji mono nado nai masutaapiisu de orinasu jikuu e) We then see the hooded man leaning against a display window of a random store. He lifts his head up, causing his hood to drop and reveal Natsu's face before the scene changes to Kyoko up on the roof of a building, looking ready to jump and take flight before the scene changes again to Yugo as Psyga in the air, flying around.
(Kakinagutte hakushi no shinario ni pensaki ga kooru) The scene then changes to the 2nd Division's new submarine base as everyone else works on monitoring the data and info in front of them while Ogawa stands next to Genjuro who had the Delta Gear in a briefcase in hand.
(Originality mezase! douse kono michi o yukun dakara) The scene then changes to the hidden base of the FIS. Professor Nastassja, in her wheelchair, is seen monitoring the Nephilim. Shirabe and Kirika are seen together doing laundry as their Relic necklaces shine under the sunlight. Maria, hiding in the shade, is seen holding the damaged Airgetlám Relic piece in her hands as she thinks about her late sister, Serna, and Natsu. Finally, Dr. Ver is seen grinning madly wielding Soloman's Cane as a shadow of the Nephilim is seen behind him.
[Shinjite] (Kakenukete) [Tooku made] Haru as Faiz and the girls in their armor are seen with their weapons drawn. Across from them are Maria and the others, donned in their armor with their weapons out and ready as behind them was Xiao Li accompanied by Lucky Clover members Takuma and Saeko.
[Kanjiru] (Daichi o kette) [Daichi kette] Both groups stare off at one another before both groups move and attack.
(Nanika no tame ni kogare, ikiteru kanshoku wa kitto) Chris is seen facing off against Kirika who throws scythe blades at her while she counters with bullets from her Gatling guns. Meanwhile, Hibiki is seen facing off against Shirabe who throws saw blades at her while she punches and kicks them away.
(Darenimo makenai chikara ni Naru) Tsubasa and Maria are seen clashing weapons until they are broken apart by the sudden appearance of Orga who pushes Tsubasa back before he turns to look at Maria and clashes weapons with her as the Crane Orphnoch and Psyga are seen facing off against Dr. Ver and the Nephilim.
(Shiawase tte tabun kono shunkan onore ga shiru) [When I believed it] Haru is seen facing the three Clover Orphnochs by himself until he was pushed back, losing the Faiz Gear in the process. Haru refused to give up as he stood back up and roared, transforming into the Wolf Orphonch before charging forward while covered in azure flames.
(Kono kandou o atarashii peeji ni kizamu) [I can go to the next stage] Explosions litter the entire area as Haru, as Faiz again, was pushed back only to bump into Orga and Pysga. The three Riders look at one another before jumping up and kicking toward the Nephilim who was now mega-sized.
[It's only my thing, 'highest masterpiece!' hoo] Everyone looked up at the three kicking Riders as their kicking feet glow brightly, blinding everyone until the camera moves to show off the moon surrounded by a ring of rubble of its broken piece before the song ends.
(2nd Division Submarine Base, Medical Room)
The beeping of a heart monitor was the first thing Haru heard as he slowly regained consciousness, soon followed by voices that sounded distant to his pain-ailed mind.
"Hey! He's waking up!" Someone cried out though he couldn't tell who.
Slowly, Haru opened his eyes to an all-too-familiar white ceiling. Before he could mentally comment just what hospital he had ended up in this time, his vision was soon filled by—
"Onii-chan!" The worried face of his sister, Kyoko.
'Oh, so that wasn't a dream,' Haru thought to himself, remembering what had happened before he passed out. Relief flooded him as his little sister, alive and in front of him, was a true reality.
"Kyoko..."
"Yes, it's me! I'm here, onii-chan!" Kyoko said, confirming that she was indeed real and right in front of him. Soon after, she was joined by...
"Tsubasa...Chris..."
"Morning, you idiot," Chris greeted the Rider with a smile as relief flooded her eyes.
"Taking it easy, you're still recovering," Tsubasa said, hands on Haru's shoulder in case he tried to get up though she was just as relieved as Chris was.
"Hey, we're here too, you know," To the right of Haru were Kanade and Yugo standing next to another bed that held—
"Hibiki..." Indeed it was the young brunette dressed in a hospital gown and currently asleep.
"She's fine, just resting right now," Kanade said, relieving Haru of his worry before he had a chance to ask. "Honestly, it's you we were most worried about. You took a lot of damage in that last fight and lost a lot of blood. Luckily for you, your little sister was more than happy enough to donate hers."
As if to prove Kanade's word, Kyoko, who was dressed in a yellowish-orange sundress, showed her left arm which had a bandage on it. There were other bandages wrapped around her body, showing that she was still recovering from the last battle herself.
"Kyoko...thank you."
"We're family. This much is natural," Kyoko said, knowing full well that her brother would have done the same thing if either she or Natsu were in Haru's position right now.
"Excuse me," Having allowed the others to check Haru, a doctor stepped forth and did a quick check of Haru's condition. "Yamamoto-san, how are you feeling?"
"Like shit."
"Hehe, well if you have enough energy to talk like that, then I guess you're past the worst of it. I'll go and inform the commander that our friend here has awakened." After typing a few things into a data pad in his hands, the doctor excused himself from the room.
"All right, you probably want to know what's happening," Yugo said, stepping forth. "After we brought you and the little miss back with us here, we're now currently giving chase to the FIS who are heading for the location of the Frontier. Most likely, Smart Brain will rendevous with them at the sight and I'm willing to bet that my partner, your brother, will be there as well."
"Natsu..." As his consciousness was starting to fully return, so did the memories of what happened at the port. Kyoko's reveal, the truth of Natsu being Orga, his talk with Hibiki, and him becoming Faiz once again.
"You've been through a lot, so focus on resting for now," Tsubasa said, pulling up the blanket covering Haru so as to keep him tucked and warm.
"And here." Walking over to a small table next to Haru's bed, Chris placed the Faiz Gear close to him. "We thought you'd feel better having this close by. We went through a lot of trouble to get this back, you know, so don't go losing it again."
"I won't. Thanks," Haru said, thanking the girl for the gesture. "And...thanks for saving me back there. I mean it."
"H-Hmph! Don't mention it. After everything you've done for us, it was the least we could do," Chris said, blushing slightly in the face of Haru's sincere gratitude.
"We're just glad to have you back," Tsubasa added, smiling. She was truly glad to have the Rider back with them.
"Glad to be back," Haru replied before looking sheepish. "And...sorry for all the trouble I caused."
"No, we should be the one's apologizing," Tsubasa said, looking apologetic. "We should have told you from the beginning that you were an Orphnoach. We just..."
"Didn't know how to break it to you," Chris said, picking up from where Tsubasa left off and adopting the same apologetic look. "We were...afraid of how you'd react. Sorry."
"It's okay. I'm...not mad anymore," Haru said, confessing that he had been mad previously. "I'm still a little upset that you kept it a secret from me, but I'm not mad. I heard everything I needed to hear from Hibiki."
"Heh, she really was the MVP back there," Kanade commented, gazing proudly at Hibiki.
"Anyway," Yugo spoke up, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. "While I'm sure you all would like nothing more than to talk the night away, our two heroes need all the rest they can get for the upcoming battle tomorrow. That includes all of us too."
"He's right," Kanade agreed. "Whatever the FIS and Smart Brain have planned, tomorrow's looking to be hectic as all hell. We all need to be at our best if we're gonna win."
While the rest wanted to stay and catch up with Haru, especially Kyoko considering how long they've been separated, they all ended up agreeing with the redhead and nodded.
"I'll be back later with some clothes and food, so take it easy man."
"Rest well, Yamamoto. We'll see you in the morning."
"Don't go doing anything stupid like the idiot next to you, got it? Just focus on getting better."
"...Are you sure neither of you is dating onii-chan?"
"Pffft!"
"Bwahahahahahahaha!"
With Kanade's laugh echoing in the halls and the sound of Tsubasa and Chris getting embarrassed, Haru was soon left alone with only Hibiki to keep him company.
"...You can open your eyes now," Haru said, not even turning his head as he spoke.
After a few seconds of saying that did Hibiki indeed open her eyes and got up, looking sheepish.
"Ehehe, when did you notice?"
"Your eyes twitched when I mentioned you," Haru said, finally turning to the brunette and smiling. "Thanks for saving my butt back there. You were a real badass."
"Oh, it was nothing," Hibiki said, blushing at the praise thrown at her.
"No, it's not. You really were," Haru said, reaching to grab the Faiz Phone. "I never would have gotten this back if not for you. And I wouldn't be here right now if not for your words. So thank you, for never giving up on me, Hibiki."
"Haru-kun..." Hibiki blinked in surprise, amazed at the gratitude Haru was giving her. A feeling of great joy welled up inside of her, happy that she helped her crush out so much.
"And...I'm sorry."
"Huh?"
"About Miku. She..."
"Eh? Oh, right you don't know."
"Know what?"
"Miku's alive."
"She is!?" Haru sat up in surprise only to wince due to his injuries.
"Don't move!" Hibiki cried out, not wanting Haru to hurt himself. "I mean, she's being held hostage by the FIS, but she's alive."
"Miku's alive...thank goodness," Haru said, breaking out a sigh of relief before looking back at Hibiki, his eyes filled with determination. "We'll save Miku. That's a promise."
Hibiki nodded, just as if not more determined to save her best friend.
'Just a little longer. Hold on just a little longer, Miku.'
*thump!*
"Gh!"
"Hibiki?" Haru barely stopped himself from getting up when he noticed Hibiki wincing and holding her chest in pain.
"I-It's okay. I'm fine."
"Not from what I saw back there," Haru said, thinking back to what had happened to Hibiki back at the port; how those strange spear-like crystals erupted from her. "Hibiki, tell me, what's happening to you?"
"Well..."
(The Next Day)
The rising of the sun signaled a brand new day, but things had not changed at all on board the FIS ship flying over the sea. After having their breakfast, Kirika and Shirabe went to the control room to find Maria still driving the ship.
"Have you been up all night?" Shirabe asked.
"I had a quick rest before the sun rose and a bite to eat. Don't worry about me," Maria said, keeping her eyes forward.
"Okay. And how's mom?" Kirika asked, having not seen the woman since last night.
"She's still resting. Not only did she overexert herself, but her condition also worsened."
"No..." Shirabe and Kirika shared looks of worry. Had their mother figure's condition really gotten that bad?
"Then I guess that means there's no time to waste," Entering the room was Dr. Ver, smiling confidently as always as he leaned against the wall, unfazed by the stares the girls were giving him. "We must hurry to create a new world in which mankind is united before the Moon descends upon the Earth. That is the duty with which we have been entrusted."
The girls didn't bother to give the doctor a response, continuing to favor glaring him to death which still unfazed Ver despite knowing full well they had the power to rip him apart if they so wished.
"Is there a reason you're here, doctor?" Maria asked, sparing Ver a glance. "I thought you told me you were too busy with a project you were conducting."
"I actually just finished. I decided to come out here since it was time to rendezvous with our allies."
*beep-beep-beep*
"Ah, speak of the devil." Smiling humorously, Ver walked up, pressed a button, and spoke through a communicator. "This is John Wayne Vercingetorix here."
'What a long name./His first name is John?' Both Shirabe and Kirika couldn't help but respectively think to themselves.
{This is Smart Brain here. This is the location of the Frontier, yes?}
"The actual location is just a few meters in front of us, but yes this is the place, gentlemen," Ver said as appearing from both sides of the ship were two more ships bearing a strong semblance to the one the FIS were using.
'Active camouflage,' Maria thought, not surprised by the two ships' sudden appearances. After all, the ship they had been using originally came from them.
*beep*
"Hm? Oh, it seems we have some uninvited guests," Ver said as their radar picked up something trailing behind them. Bringing the monitor up, the screen showed what looked to be a carrier ship followed by some smaller ships. Maria instantly knew who those ships belonged to.
"An American carrier."
"It seems we were followed," Ver said but his smile never dropped. If anything, he seemed amused. "They probably thought they could sneak up on us if they stuck to the water. No matter. We can still use this to our advantage."
"And how do you suppose we do that?" Maria asked, having an inkling of what the doctor was planning.
"By giving our friends a demonstration of our powers. Perhaps sending these fools to Davey Jones's locker will show those watching us we mean business."
"You want us to attack them?" Kirika said, figuring out what Ver wanted.
"That's the way of the strong who terrorize the weak," Shirabe said, making her distaste clear.
"I agree with the doctor," Maria said, surprising the girls who looked at her in disbelief. "Our actions so far have made us seem weak. We need to demonstrate to the world that we are not to be taken lightly."
"Maria, you can't be ser—"
"I..." Maria interrupted, cutting off Shirabe. "We are Finé. We will bring an end to this world where the strong oppress the weak. I will tread whatever path I must in order to realize that goal."
"I'm glad to hear that," Ver said, turning to leave. "In that case, inform our Smart Brain partners that we'll take care of this. I'll go make the preparations."
The girls barely registered Ver leaving the room as they focused on Maria who tried her best to remain stoic, but it was clear to see the conflict going on in her eyes.
(2nd Division Submarine Base)
"Are you sure you should be up?" Hibiki asked, dressed in her school uniform as she and Haru who were both discharged from the infirmary made their way to the command room. Hibiki's worries were justified as compared to herself who barely had any injuries to speak of if at all, Haru still wore bandages under his clothes which were made up of simple blue jeans and a baggy short-sleeved white shirt.
"I'll be fine," Haru insisted, doing his best to suppress a wince as his body still ached. "Besides, I can't just lie in bed forever when Miku's in enemy hands."
"But you haven't fully recovered yet."
"That's never stopped me before. Plus, you're the last person who should be telling me to rest, given your condition."
As promised, Hibiki had told Haru everything about what was happening to her; about how her Relic fragment was slowly turning her entire body into a Relic and was thus killing her. Haru was rightfully worried about the girl and would have told the brunette to lay off transforming, much like everyone else had been telling her. But he didn't since he knew that with Miku's current situation, there was no way Hibiki would sit on her butt and let others rescue her best friend. So for the time being, he just advised Hibiki to watch herself carefully.
"When I promised to protect you, that includes the things that make you happy," Haru said as they reached the door leading into the command room. "Like I said in the infirmary, we'll save Miku. I swear."
"...Thank you, Haru-kun," Hibiki said, blushing and smiling at the Rider's support for her. She then blushed harder as she spoke her next words.
"Still, don't push yourself too hard. After all, you're...one of the things that make me happy."
'Kyaa! I can't believe I said that! That's basically a confession, right!? Oh, I should have just kept that last part to myself!' Hibiki thought to herself, turning away from Haru and hiding her reddening face in her hands.
"...you too."
"Eh?" Before Hibiki could process what Haru had just said, the door opened up and Haru stepped in. Hibiki absentmindedly followed behind as she tried to figure out if she had imagined Haru's reply or not.
"Morning, everyone," Haru greeted whoever was in the room when he stepped in, finding all his friends and allies already there.
"Hibiki-kun, Haru-kun," Genjuro, the first to see them enter, greeted them.
"Yo! Been a while, commander," Haru said before raising his right hand and saluting. "Yamamoto Haru, returning from being absent."
"Yamamoto-san!"
"Yuuki-san?" Haru raised his eyebrows in surprise as Hibiki's mother rushed over to him. "What are you doing here?"
"My mother and I were brought here after we were rescued that day. Imagine my surprise when I found out she was your sister," Yuuki explained before looking over Haru's condition. "But enough about me, what about you? I've been so worried since you had to be left behind with those people."
"I'm fine, as you can see. I'm just glad you're safe," Haru said, truly glad that Hibiki's family was safe.
"Thank goodness," Yuuki said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Where's grandma at?" Hibiki asked, having not seen her grandmother all morning. Then again, she and Haru did just come here straight from the infirmary.
"She's in the kitchen helping the staff prepare breakfast for everyone," Yuuki informed. "I came here to talk to Kazanari-san about Yamamoto-san when I heard he had been brought here."
"Please, just call me Genjuro, ma'am. It'll be confusing considering my niece here and everything," Genjuro said.
"Right, sorry," Yuuki apologized before turning back to Haru. "Again, I'm glad you're all right, Yamamoto-san. And thank you, for protecting my mother and me that time. Heh, it seems my family keeps being indebted to you no matter how much time passes."
"Don't worry about it. You don't owe me anything," Haru said.
"Oh nonsense. It's my personal belief that all good deeds must be rewarded in kind. And I think I'll start by helping my mother in the kitchen," Yuuki said, giving Haru a pat on the shoulder before turning to her daughter. "Good luck, Hibiki. You'll need it considering the number of rivals here."
"Mom!" Hibiki cried out, blushing in embarrassment as older Tachibana laughed before taking her leave.
"I don't know if I said this before, but you got a nice family, Hibiki," Kanade said, smiling at the exchange that just happened.
"T-Thanks, Kanade-san."
"Shouldn't you still be resting?" Chris said to Haru, pointing at the bandages that were slightly poking out of his shirt.
"Maybe, but I can't just sit still while Miku's held hostage. Not to mention my little brother's also out there getting into trouble," Haru said before asking, "So what's the situation right now?"
"Still the same. According to the coordinates Yugo-kun gave us, we should be getting close to where the Frontier is located," Genjuro explained. "We're still a good hour away, so in the meantime, why don't you all get something to eat while you still—"
*ALARM-ALARM-ALARM!*
"Noise detected!"
"An American carrier is requesting assistance!"
"Guess breakfast will have to wait," Haru commented before a monitor showed up, displaying that the carrier ship that was trailing the FIS was now under attack by Noise. It was clear to everyone who was behind this.
"It's close by! Full speed ahead!" Genjuro ordered.
"I'll go and get ready!" Tsubasa said, running off to prepare to launch.
"Tsubasa-san! I'm—"
"Staying right here!" Chris interjected, stopping Hibiki before she could run off. "How many times do we have to tell you to stay put? Do you want to die that badly!?"
"But, I..."
"We get it," Kanade jumped in, throwing her arm around her successor. "But you've been pushing yourself too much lately. Just save your strength for now. Your priority is saving your best friend, right?"
"..." Hibiki couldn't say anything to that. By now she fully understood why her friends were preventing her from fighting, but that didn't stop the frustration from building up.
"That goes double for you, mister," Chris said, pointing a finger at Haru. "You're in no condition to be fighting right now."
"I'm standing, aren't I?" Haru said as if that was a good enough argument.
"You both are staying right here!" Chris said, raising her voice a little before her expression turned soft and she lowered her voice. "Please."
"...You know I can't no to that cute face of yours."
"Cu—!"
"Okay, I think that's enough flirting for now," Yugo said, stepping in.
"We're not flirting!"
"Could've fooled me," Yugo ignored the glare Ichaival's chosen was giving him to address Haru. "She's right though, you gotta stay here for now."
"But what if Natsu shows up?"
"Then I'll give you a call. In the meantime, keep your friend and sister company."
"I can still fight," Kyoko insisted only for Yugo to shake his head.
"But your wings haven't fully recovered yet. And we both know your brothers would have my head if I let anything happen to you."
"That I would."
"Not helping, onii-chan."
"Just saying."
"Just sit back and relax, you guys. The four of us are more than enough to cover this," Yugo said before he, Chris, and Kanade ran out of the room to get ready.
"And there they go," Haru said before noticing the conflicted look on Hibiki's face. "I know how you feel, Hibiki, but they're right. The four of them should be enough to take care of things."
"I know. I know, but..." Hibiki bit her lip in frustration before continuing. "I hate feeling useless."
"You're not," Genjuro spoke up, getting Hibiki's attention. "After everything you've done, useless is the last word I would describe you with, Hibiki-kun. Like Kanade-kun said, save your energy and wait for your chance. That'll be the moment when you can spring into action."
"Shishou..."
"Besides, you should know what the others are capable of. They've got this covered."
"...Right!"
While it was still frustrating to just stand here and do nothing, Hibiki choose to grit her teeth and wait it out. And she was not alone as she and Haru stood together as they watched everything unfold.
Onboard the carrier ship, chaos was ensuing. The sound of bullets flying filled the air as the men onboard did their best to hold off the Noise that had suddenly appeared and was now attacking them. They were holding their own well enough, but while the Noise could be killed, too many bullets were spent just downing one of them. Even then, the Noise struck quickly, tackling anybody unlucky enough to be touched as black soot quickly piled up and filled the air, accompanied by the cries of the dead.
This was what Maria had to watch as she tried to remain focused on driving the ship. But there was no hiding the blood dripping from her mouth caused by her biting the inside of her cheek, showing what she truly felt about all this.
"Is this really what you want?" Shirabe asked, walking up to Maria's side. "Is all this really necessary to protect the weak?"
Maria did not respond back. She simply continued to grit her teeth, keeping caged her true feelings on the matter. But while Maria locked away her true feelings behind bars, they were still clear to see to Shirabe who came to a decision.
"Shirabe?" Kirika blinked in confusion as Shirabe suddenly left the room and quickly followed. She was then surprised when the twin-tail-haired girl opened up the door to the outside, letting the wind come blasting in.
"Shirabe, what are you doing!?"
"Maria's suffering right now," Shirabe said, giving her friend a look before stating what she planned to do. "I'm going to save her."
"Shirabe!" Kirika reached out to stop her friend but was too slow as the wielder of Shul Shagana leaped out and fell, letting her voice echo for all those that could hear her.
"Various Shul Shagana tron..."
(Insert Ōkyo Shul Shagana)
In a bright flash of pink light, Shirabe donned her Gear, the Shul Shagana. Her armored twin tails opened up, revealing hundreds of small saw blades which were soon fired down towards the Noise below.
Alpha(α)Style: 100 Saṃsāra
Hearing the singing Valkyrie, the Noise all looked up only to get struck down by Shirabe's technique as every saw blade found a target, killing them in one shot. Landing on her feet with barely any trouble, Shirabe soon found herself surrounded as the Noise identified her as an enemy. Not in the least bit worried, a small, thick saw blade sprouted from under each of Shirabe's armored legs and spun, grinding against the metal surface of the ship's floor, and began skating around as the thick saw blades acted as a set of wheels.
Maneuvering around the Noise and even flipping over them, Shirabe's armored twin tails unfolded into a pair of waldo arms, each one producing a giant saw blade at the end which soon whirled to life. Like a ballerina on ice, Shirabe spun around like a top as her weapons positioned themselves on opposite ends of her sides. Soon becoming a human-shape Beyblade, Shirabe moved around and sliced up any Noise close to her. Were it not for how Noise died, the scene probably would have been extremely graphic.
Gamma(γ)Style: Friction Blades
Seeing that it was too dangerous to get close, some of the Noise kept their distance and tried attacking from afar. But that would not work as Shirabe, who saw this, jumped into the air, ceased her spinning, and threw both her saw blades at the distant Noise, watching as her blades sliced through them as if they were barely even there.
Gamma(γ)Style: Swastika Kasha
Landing back on the ship's surface, Shirabe took a quick look to see how the American soldiers were doing and found them retreating into the ship, effectively leaving her alone to deal with the Noise. The pink-colored Symphogear user wasn't mad, having expected this type of behavior from them, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't the least bit disappointed.
*POW!*
"Gh!" Shirabe held back a cry as she stumbled forward, having been struck from behind by a sneak-attacking Noise. Berating herself for getting distracted, she turned around to deal with it—
*SLICE!*
When an all too familiar green-colored scythe sliced the Noise in two. Shirabe blinked in surprise before looking up to see Kirika, donned in her Igalima Gear, descending from above, having finally followed after her.
"Kiri-chan! Thank—"
"Shirabe!" The aforementioned girl found herself freezing when Kirika practically screamed out her name. She then took notice of how nervous the scythe-wielder looked, worrying her.
"Kiri-chan, what's wrong?"
"Shirabe...you'll never forget about 'me,' right?" Kirika asked but saw that her question only made Shirabe more confused.
"What do you mean?"
"If...if we were separated...if one day I disappear...you'll always remember 'me,' right?" Kirika asked again, trying to be more specific.
"I'm not sure what you're asking," Shirabe bluntly admitted, but she could tell that whatever her friend was trying to ask her, it was important. So despite still being confused, she gave her dear friend an answer.
"Of course I'll always remember you, Kiri-chan," Placing a hand over her chest, Shirabe spoke from her heart. "The memories of you and I are something I'll forever treasure."
"Shirabe..." Kirika's eyes widen at her friend's answer to her. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away and turned around, grabbing her scythe off of the ground. "Sorry for the weird question. Now let's kick butt and take names!"
"Right!" Entrusting her back to the scythe user, Shirabe deployed another pair of giant saw blades as the Noise surrounded them. "Together, we'll save Maria!"
'Thank you, Shirabe,' Kirika thought to herself as she dashed toward a group of Noise. 'I don't know how long I can remain as me, but if that's your answer, then I'm going to make as many memories with you as possible! Those will be proof...that there was a girl named Akatsuki Kirika in this world!'
(Song End)
"My, my, look at those two go," Dr. Ver commented as he and Maria watched the situation on the carrier ship.
'Shirabe...Kirika...' Maria could only continue to grit her teeth and grip the ship's controls. She knew why her friends were doing what they were doing, and she could only curse her weakness.
{It seems two of your pawns have gone rogue.}
"Not to worry, gentlemen. Our girls are simply letting off some steam," Ver said while smiling at Maria's reaction to how Smart Brain referred to her friends. "Although it does embarrass me to ask of this, could you perhaps retrieve our girls for us? They are still two of the few Gear users in the world and are strong pieces that I'd rather not lose at this stage."
{Normally we'd refuse, but considering how much you're helping us with our plans, we'll lend you our aid. This does give us a good chance to test out the products you've given us.}
"We are very thankful. Do try to be as gentle as possible. They are still young, after all," Dr. Ver said as the sounds of something moving were heard. Based on how distant it was becoming, whatever was moving was heading to where the carrier ship was at. Maria quickly deduced the source of the noise.
'They had more ships in hiding,' Maria thought, making a mental note that there could be more Smart Brain ships here than she first thought. But there was something else that caught her attention.
"Product?"
"Just a little something I whipped up in my spare time," Ver said, adjusting his glasses. "Considering how much support Smart Brain has provided us, I thought it only fair that I'd give them something in return to use."
Maria narrowed her eyes at the mad doctor, wondering what he could have given Smart Brain to use against Gear users like Shirabe and Kirika.
Back down with said Gear users, nothing but black soot lay at their feet, having finally taken care of all of the Noise.
"That should be the last of them," Kirika said, blowing off some soot on her scythe before turning to her friend. "Now what do we do?"
"That's obvious: Stopping the doctor," Shirabe said, putting away her saw blades. "We can't let him continue to use Solomon's Cane like this. No matter what Maria says, his way of doing things will not save the world."
{Well that's too bad. Cause we disagree.}
The two Gear users immediately went alert as two ships seemingly materialized from thin air.
'Active camouflage,' Shirabe identified the reason how these ships had remained hidden before seeing that they both bore the Smart Brain logo. 'They had more ships in hiding?'
The side of the ships opened up, revealing a platoon of Riotroopers waiting inside which they all soon jumped out, landing in the ship and surrounding the two girls. Soon after that, another person jumped out, landing with grace and standing in front of the Rider grunts. The girls immediately took notice of the Kaixa belt around the woman's waist. It was Saeko.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, young ladies. I do believe this is our first time meeting. I'm Kageyama Saeko of the Lucky Clover."
"The Lucky Clover," Shirabe muttered, having heard about Smart Brain's elite group of assassins. Just knowing that was enough for her and Kirika to put up their guard.
"Now, now, no need to be so tense," Saeko said, crossing her arms and making no movement to transform. "I'm here at the request of the good doctor to take you two naughty girls back home. They'll be no trouble if you simply comply."
"Ha! As if!" Kirika exclaimed, brandishing her scythe. "We're done doing whatever that crazy guy wants! From here on out, we're gonna save the world our way!"
"Step aside, or else this will get ugly," Shirabe warned, deploying her saw blades again and trying to intimidate the grunts around them with the sound of her weapons.
"Unfortunate, but not surprising," Saeko said, not in the least bit threatened as she still made no movements despite the girls being more than ready to rumble. "The doctor predicted you two would resist...which is why he gave us this."
*BANG-BANG!*
The sound of guns firing rang out before both Kirika and Shirabe were struck across the shoulder. Stumbling back, they both looked up to see a pair of snipers still up on the ships before they looked to see what had hit them and found tranquilizers stabbed into them.
"Tranquilizers?" Kirika said as she and Shirabe quickly removed them. "You think this is gonna—"
*Clang!*
Kirika never got to finish speaking as suddenly, her scythe shrank down as the blade retreated, leaving her with nothing but a handle the size of a baton. As for Shirabe, her saw blades shrank down as well before her armored twin tails folded themselves back up followed by her wheels retreating into her armored legs.
"What?" Shirabe and Kirika looked down at themselves in confusion, trying to redeploy their weapons but found themselves unable to. In fact, they could feel themselves getting weaker.
"What's...going on?"
"Can't maintain...my Gear."
Suddenly, their bodies were enveloped in light, each taking the color of their respective Symphogears. The light then burst, revealing that the two had returned to their civilian clothes.
"What!?" Kirika exclaimed in surprise, looking at herself and Shirabe in confusion as they both found themselves unable to transform.
"What did you do to us?" Shirabe demanded, looking at Saeko for answers.
"We just shot you with some Anti-LiNKER, provided to us by the good doctor himself. It seems he was right about the effects being near-instant," Saeko said as she walked over to the weakened girls. "He told me to be gentle with you two, so play nice now or else I'll have to be rough with you."
"Kh!" Kirika and Shirabe gritted their teeth as the former used her body to shield the latter. They backed away, trying to think of where they could run only to remember that the ship was in the middle of what may as be nowhere. They had nowhere to run. Effectively trapped and weakened, there was nothing they could do.
*VROOM!*
It was a noise no one expected to hear out here. Out in the middle of the sea, who could be out here driving? The question on everyone's mind was soon answered when coming up from the side of the ship, having actually road up the side, was a bike whose engine let out an echoing roar. And riding on top of the said bike was...
"Orga!" Kirika shouted, immediately identifying the black and gold Rider.
"Natsu?" Shirabe muttered, remembering who was under the mask. But was it true? Could it really be her...
EXCEED CHARGE
"GET AWAY FROM THEM!" Roaring at the top of his lungs, Natsu jumped off his bike and raised up the Orga Stalnzer where a giant energy blade formed, shining like a makeshift sun. With his sights set on Saeko below, Natsu swung down his giant blade.
*BOOM!*
The sound of metal being ripped apart loudly rang out as the multiple cries of Riotroopers were drowned out, having been caught in Natsu's finisher. Despite being nowhere near the attack, the shockwave still pushed Kirika and Shirabe back, stopping when their backs hit a wall. Shaking their heads to get rid of their sudden dizziness, they both gasped to see that a portion of the front section of the ship had been destroyed. It wasn't so much a sword that had gone and cut it, but more like a giant laser had burned through it.
As Kirika and Shirabe picked themselves up, Natsu landed right in front of them, back turned to them as he checked the result of his attack and see if there were any survivors.
"Looks like I got most of them," Natsu noted, wondering if he had gotten all of them. He didn't see Saeko anywhere which he hoped meant he got her too.
"Natsu?" Hearing his name, the Rider turned around and faced the girls who looked at him with uncertainty.
"It's...you, right?" Shirabe asked, still unsure if the Rider before her was really her old friend.
"...Yeah, it's me," Natsu said, relaxing his stance to show he meant no harm. "It's been a long time, Shiri-chan, Kiri-chan."
Hearing their nicknames was all the girls needed to know that the Rider before them was indeed their old childhood friend, Yamamoto Natsu. Shirabe in particular reacted greatly as tears formed and fell from her eyes. And unlike last time, there was nothing stopping her from running towards her once thought-dead friend.
"Natsu!" Crying out his name, Shirabe jumped and threw her arms around Natsu's neck, practically tackling him. Natsu, who didn't stumble back due to having seen the girl coming, wrapped his free arm around Shirabe in response, practically carrying her due to their height difference.
"Whoa! Hey, calm down. Did you miss me that much?"
"I did," Shirabe's response was instant, stunning Natsu with how sincere she sounded as she tightened her hug. "I missed you...so much."
"...I missed you too," Natsu replied back, returning Shirabe's hug with his own.
...
...
...
"You want in on this?" Natsu asked Kirika, noticing how she was just standing by and watching them. He extended his other arm out so as to give the blond some room to hug him too.
"Oh, no no! Um, uh, I'm good," Kirika said, waving her hands in front of her. In truth, she had wanted to run and hug her old friend too, but seeing how deep Shirabe was into her hug, she decided to stand down and let her friend have her moment.
'Good for you, Shirabe,' Kirika thought to herself, mentally smiling at how happy her friend looked. 'Now I know you'll be in good hands when the time comes for me to—'
*creak!*
Kirika was broken out of her thoughts, crying in surprise when she felt the ship tilt a little.
"Oh right, I cut the ship," Natsu said, looking and remembering what he did to the front of the ship. With the front section of the ship half-gone, the carrier was taking in water, causing it to slowly tilt over and eventually start sinking. Alarms were blaring out and multiple cries of evacuating were heard from inside.
"What do we do!?" Kirika exclaimed in a panic due to the fact that she and Shirabe still couldn't transform due to the Anti-LiNKER in their system.
"Calm down, it'll be fine," Natsu said, lowering Shirabe off him and ending the hug between them. "We'll just get on my bike and—"
*BANG!*
Natsu was cut off when he was suddenly struck across the shoulder. Thanks to how bulky Orga's armor was, Natsu only stumbled back in surprise, but that didn't stop the girls from crying out in worry.
"Natsu!"
"I'm fine!" Natsu assured them before looking up at the two ships still hovering above the slowly sinking ship. Inside, the snipers of each ship were adjusting their position to get a better aim at the Rider.
'Dammit, I'm so used to having Yugo and Kyoko cover the skies for me that I completely forgot about those ships.'
*BANG-BANG!*
As he mentally kicked himself for his blunder, Natsu moved, barely avoiding the sniper shots aimed at him. Unlike his partner, Yugo had no way of flying up and taking care of the ships...would be what one would normally think.
EXCEED CHARGE
"Don't underestimate me just because I can't fly!" Natsu shouted as he leaped into the air, easily reaching up to where the ships were at. As the pilots of each ship looked on in surprise, the giant energy blade from before was formed once again. Using the weight of his sword, Natsu spun his body around, allowing the giant energy blade to strike both ships, destroying them and leaving them falling into the sea in a ball of fire, taking whoever may be on with them as the black and gold Rider landed back down in the ship.
"And that's that," Natsu declared, brandishing his blade before looking up toward the only remaining ship in the sky. "Now then, to save Mari."
"Take us with you!" Kirika shouted as she and Shirabe ran over to the Rider.
"We want to save Maria too," Shirabe said, pleading to be brought along.
Natsu wanted to refuse since the girls still weren't able to transform, but another creaking noise from the ship reminded the Rider of its current condition.
"Stick close to me, no matter what," Natsu said as he grabbed his Orga Phone to call for his bike from wherever it landed.
{I'm afraid you're not going anywhere.}
Natsu and the girls looked up and gasped in surprise when a total of ten ships materialized around the sinking ship, having been hidden up until now.
"They had more ships!?" Kirika exclaimed, eyes widening at the number of ships surrounding them. She and Shirabe quickly huddled up to Natsu when turret guns were deployed from each and every ship, all aimed at them.
{Orga, I believe is what you call yourself.} Takuma's voice spoke through the speakers as on board one of the ships, he stood together with Xiao Li as they both looked down toward Natsu and the girls huddled together.
{You may be powerful enough to take down our ships, but can you do the same while protecting those girls?}
"Tch!" Natsu clicked his tongue as he looked at his surroundings, trying to think of a way to get out of his situation while keeping the girls unharmed.
[You really are your brother's twin. You just can't keep yourself out of trouble, can you?]
"Yugo?" Natsu exclaimed, surprised to hear his friend's voice from the built-in communicator. But if he could hear his partner's voice, then...
*SHOOOOOOOOOOM!*
Suddenly, a bright, neon blue beam struck one of the ships, immediately destroying it.
{What!?} Takuma exclaimed, his voice still echoing through the open speakers as everyone turned to see what the beam had been fired from.
Off in the distance but quickly covering the distance was the Super High-speed Attacking Vehicle SB-VX0 Jetsliger, the personal Rider Machine of Kamen Rider Delta which said Rider, Kanade, was currently piloting. Accompanying the flying vehicle and its rider was Yugo as Psyga, flying next to it with his signature jetpack.
"Yugo! And that Rider is..."
[Yo, partner! The calvaries here! And we've got more incoming.] Just as Yugo finished his sentence did a torpedo suddenly emerge from the water, rocketing up into the air where the exterior shell fell off, revealing both Tsubasa and Chris inside, both transformed.
(Insert Gekkō no Tsurugi)
Jumping out of the torpedo, both Gear users wasted no time attacking. Pulling out two swords, the blue-haired idol quickly threw them at two separate ships which quickly transformed into truck-sized broadswords. As for Chris, her signature missile racks were deployed from her skirt before quickly firing them at two other ships near them.
天ノ逆鱗 (Heaven's Wrath)
MEGA DETH PARTY
Both attacks hit their targets, destroying them and sending them falling into the water. The two Gear users then landed on the boat, right next to Natsu and the girls just as the ships they struck down exploded into flames.
"Sheesh, the hell did we walk into?" Chris commented, looking at the six remaining ships surrounding them while readying her crossbows.
"Focus, Yukine. This is no problem for us," Tsubasa said, drawing out another sword to use.
"You came here with them?" Natsu said, speaking to Yugo through the communicator.
[I hitched a ride. Kinda had to considering YOU WENT ON AHEAD OF US!]
Natsu winced, ears ringing as even the girls could hear Yugo's scream from where they were. Just then, multiple figures suddenly emerged from the water, jumping out and taking to the air themselves. The figures were in fact Riotroopers equipped with jetpacks not unlike Psyga's SB-315F Flying Attacker.
"Hey! Freakin' copycats!" Yugo exclaimed as a group of flying troopers separated from the pack to surround Kanade and him.
"Looks like we missed a few, senpai," Chris commented, guessing that the Riotroopers that had come from the water were survivors from the ships they had destroyed.
"So it seems," Tsubasa said, thinking the same thing as Chris as from the other still-flying ships were more Riotroopers, jumping out and taking flight to join their fellow comrades in the skies.
"The SB-RTF Flying Attacker," Natsu said, identifying the jetpacks the Riotroopers were using. "I didn't think Smart Brain would finish them so soon for mass production."
"They're just annoying flies buzzing around," Chris said, not in the least bit intimidated by the numbers surrounding them. "What I want to know is..."
Chris turned her attention to Shirabe and Kirika who were still huddled up next to Natsu.
"Oi, where the hell's that damn Ver at? He's still got Solomon's Cane, right?"
(Song End)
"My, my, this is quite the development."
"Shirabe! Kirika!" Maria cried out, worried for her friends who were right in the middle of trouble.
"The situation right now truly is peculiar," Dr. Ver commented, analyzing what was going on right now. "We may have the number's advantage, but that means little considering our enemies are quite used to dealing with large numbers. Hmm...perhaps it's time to tip the scales a little."
"What do you mean by that?" Maria asked as Ver went over and pressed a few buttons near the control panel.
"Watch, my dear Maria. What you are about to witness will be emotionally stirring. One might even call it...romantic."
Maria looked at the doctor in confusion until she heard the ship's ramp lowering. Her eyes then widen, figuring out what the doctor was doing.
"Wait, you can't possibly be meaning to...!"
And then...it happened.
"...Rei Shénshòujìng rei zizzl..."
Suddenly, from the skies, a blinding flash of purple-tinted light appeared, blinding those that dared to stare directly at it.
"What the hell!?" Kanade exclaimed, raising a hand to cover her eyes.
"That chant...it can't be!" Natsu said in disbelief as the light soon died down and something landed on the opposite end of the ship, landing with a force that momentarily lifted the sinking end back up, almost throwing everyone still onboard off.
"What hit us!?" Chris shouted, on her hands and knees due to almost being knocked off. Everyone else was in a similar state.
"Look!" Tsubasa, having stabbed her sword into the floor to keep her balance, pointed over to where whatever had landed on the ship which was beginning to sink again.
With the ship tipping again, the other end of the ship acted as a vantage, allowing everyone to see what had landed once all the smoke dispersed. To say the Riders and Gear users were surprised would be a massive understatement.
"That's..." Natsu spoke first, somehow recognizing the thing before them despite its different state. "That's the Relic dad was researching..."
(2nd Division Submarine Base)
Everyone in the command was speechless, and for good reason. Displayed up on the monitor was a sight that shocked everyone there. The ones who were most affected were Haru and Hibiki, the latter more so due to what, or rather who was on the screen.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Haru spoke, breaking the silence that had befallen everyone.
"It's...it's..." Hibiki began, trying to get the name stuck in her mouth as her heart raced for all the wrong reasons.
Up on the monitor was a girl of about 15 years old. She was garbed in a white and purple swimsuit-like bodysuit with matching color leggings. Her feet were hidden by white-heeled boots outlined in purple while her arms were covered by purple and black gloves that reached just past her elbows, leaving her shoulders exposed. Some sort of black and purple cloth-like belt was wrapped around each arm as what seemed to be a piece of a rectangular mirror was sewn into the ends of the belts. What appeared to be huge purple greaves protected her legs and reached all the way up to her hips. Finally, a black visor mimicking a fanged mouth covered the girl's eyes and connected to the armored headphones covering her ears as well as a pair of horns adorning her black hair.
With a hissing sound, the visor opened up like a maw, revealing the girl's face as well as her dead green eyes to the world.
"...Miku?"
Up on the screen...was Kohinata Miku, now donned in the garb and armor of a Symphogear wielder.
And...done! A bit of a shorter chapter, especially considering the word count of the last chapter, but to be fair, it was just me finishing up the latter half of the episode I cut off last time. With that in mind, I thought about just going ahead into the next episode but didn't sit right with me, especially considering Miku's big reveal as a Symphogear wielder is something that I think should be savored before the big fight with her. Plus, considering what happened in the last chapter, I thought a smaller chapter with not too much action could serve as a bit of a breather for those just coming from the previous chapter.
Despite that though, I think this chapter came out all right. I wonder how many of you were either surprised or happy that I decided to make Kirika not go crazy and have her join Shirabe in her attempt to help Maria. I mean, Kirika's panic does make sense given her worries plus her insecurities not helping matters, but I just felt this was better. Now how long will this last? Well...you'll just have to wait for the next chapter. Until then, this has been Ashbel Longhart here, signing out. Until the next ride.
