Symphogear Xenoverse

Chapter 5: Healing Melody

[-]

2 Days Later; Suskian's Hospital Room

Suskian sat in his bed, looked down at the sheets while feeling depression hit him. It's confusing to him… Why is he feeling this way for a world that he doesn't belong in? Well, the answer is simple… He's grown attached to this world. And moreover… Tsubasa. He knows how the events of this world work… But, he couldn't help but feel depression nonetheless considering he wanted to prevent Tsubasa from being in that state. But, no matter how much you fight it… You can't change some Canon Events. It was destined for Tsubasa to nearly kill herself to save the others. However, it feels like she had a choice this time. Unknown to Suskian, Kitty had saved Hibiki from being captured. However, that still didn't matter. It was weird.

He sighed and moved the covers off of his bandaged legs and picked the cane up to help him walk. He was getting better at walking around by himself with the bandages on his legs but it was a MASSIVE struggle. He walked towards the door and opened it to walk out of the room and a couple doors down from his own room. He made it to Tsubasa's rook and saw that she hadn't waken up from her coma. He sighed as he walked into the room and dragged a chair over to her bed and he sat down next to her bed and looked at her. He didn't know why, bug the more he looked at her… The more he felt… Butterflies in his chest. Yeah, he was definitely falling in love. Why now, is the question. Then… He realized something.

Mindspace

He looked down at his hands and at the cane. He visualized he was in a dark room and he looked around, standing up. He looked EXTREMELY DIFFERENT from his current form. He was tall with his hair styled in an afro and he wore brown glasses on his face over his brown eyes. He looked like his original self again!

"Jeez, Suskian. Or, should I say James? Doesn't matter… You're depressed all over again. I thought I told you to never get sad over me again…" a female voice said as the figure of Elisha Woki stood in front of him. He blinked in shock at her.

"Elisha…" he said softly.

"Oh, wait. You're thinking more about Tsubasa? Or is it both of us?" Elisha said with a smile, "James… Look, you are super confused right now. You need to understand yourself first… Before love becomes a thing in your life. You think you're in love, but it's guilt over Tsubasa."

"That's…" He said softly as he walked towards her. She held up her hand.

"Let me finish, Jamie… Look, I don't fault you for having feelings for her. In fact, I am kinda jelly myself. But, I knew I couldn't capture your heart. I was content with being your best friend, so I am good. So, I wanna talk for a bit, okay?" Elisha said as she sat down in a chair materializing under her. Suskian sat down in a chair and looked at her.

"Okay, I gotcha," Suskian… Or James in this case… said softly as he looked at her.

"You known her for close to 2 months, and you developed feelings for her. A lot less amount of time that you spent with me: 6 months. Still… A good friendship. I don't regret it. Me, I fell in love too. But, I knew all along that you didn't love me back. I was hurt, but I got through it by being your partner. But, then… That happened and I got to tell you how I felt. You know that by now," Elisha said and Suskian chuckled sadly at that.

"Yeah, I wish I wasn't that stupid to not see how much you meant to me," Suskian said as he shook his head and covered his face with one hand. Elisha held his hands and smiled at him.

"Suskian. James… It didn't matter who you were, I knew you for what you did and what you mattered to me. I loved every second I spent with you. That's love. Is that what you feel around Tsubasa?" Elisha said. Suskian looked down and nods his head slowly.

"At the same time, I feel the same about you. It's confusing," Suskian said and she shook her head while giggling, "I'm such an asshole…"

"No, you're too nice to be one. Just a klutz, but you're my best friend. Now, I let's get back. You're needed," Elisha said with a smile as she stood up, " Listen, follow your heart okay? I'm not there anymore… But, you have someone to console. Be there for her. If you love her, prove it. Don't push too hard, or you'll drive her away. Okay?" Suskian nods his head and closed his eyes.

[-]

Suskian blinked several times as he looked around and noticed that he was back in Tsubasa's room. He looked at Tsubasa's bed and saw her still in her comatose state. He sighed and looked down at the ground again. Then, he raised his head and actually… Began to sing a song.

Cue Rain By Breaking Benjamin

As he sang, he rocked side to side slowly and closed his eyes. As he sang , he attracted a small crowd of female nurses and doctors to the room, unsure who was singing. While the song was being sung, in her subconscious… Tsubasa was seen talking to a redhead. This was Kanade Amou in her subconscious, giving her a pep talk similar to how Elisha was giving Suskian a pep talk.

"Who… Is that?" Tsubasa asked as she looked up at the blue sky. Kanade giggled as she looked at Tsubasa, which caused the bluenette to turn to her.

"Looks like he is singing to you. Better go see him… Considering you told me you did like him in a lot of ways," Kanade teased, which made Tsubasa blush and pout.

"Do you have to word it like that?" Tsubasa said to her and Kanade giggled. Tsubasa smiled small and moved her hair out of the way of her face.

"Thanks, Kanade… I'll never forget what you did for me, really."

"Hey, what are beasties for?" Kanade smirked, "Go easy on the rookies, okay?" Tsubasa looked down and sighed, finally raising her head and floating into the air. She felt herself wake up and opened her eyes, slowly looking around and breathing slowly and heavily. Suskian finished singing and looked over to see her awaken. He quickly turned to her and placed a hand on the glass. She slowly put her hand on the glass and smiled small, which in turn made Suskian smile. He was overjoyed she had awakened, but she still had a hell of a recovery to get through. Both of them did, really. But, this was progress for them.

[-]

4 Weeks Later; Suskian's Room

The recovery has been slow for both of them, really. But, it was exhausting and relaxing. Keep in mind that Suskian could give them both a Senzu Essence Capsule at any time… But, that ended up backfiring on him since it messed up his natural healing factor. Couldn't take the risk, so natural recovery is needed to get back on track. They took physical therapy during this time for their bodies, helping themselves to get their natural body functions under control. Suskian took that time in between to get some light training in between for his whole body and some Ki Training… In which he taught Tsubasa in how to control and use Ki. That opened up her Ki channels and gave her a better healing factor, which slightly sped up her recovery. Though, they took it easy as intended. Suskian told her everything he felt and she did the same. And, they also decided to take it slow on their relationship and be friends first.

Also, in that time… He stayed in contact with Stacey and Kitty during that time. He did tell Stacey that he ended up in the hospital. Getting permission from Genjuro allowed Stacey to visit him and Tsubasa for a few hours in their day, bringing them homework and hanging out with them. It did help them get some sense of normalcy. Well, around this time… Kitty and Hibiki were taking the full brunt of the Noise attacks. Surprisingly, Kitty told Suskian that she was taking training with Genjuro alongside Hibiki, getting their own type of regiment going. Hibiki took up martial arts while Kitty tried her hand in bodybuilding and lifting as well as boxing. That… Brewed some good results in that Kitty bulked up slightly and have increased her overall strength and Hibiki got better at hand to hand combat.

Finally, after some time… Hibiki and Kitty decided to visit Tsubasa and Suskian in the hospital. Kitty was holding a box of chocolates in her hands as she was following Hibiki, who was excitedly talking fast and rubbing her hands.

"Tachibana, I do need to ask you to chill out for a second. This is important that we check on them. At least they have some privacy," Kitty told her.

"Aww… You're being a worrywart," Hibiki told her as she looked at Kitty, "I hope they can accept the gift. You think Suskian likes chocolate?"

"I dunno. I don't think I've met anyone who doesn't like chocolate…" Kitty said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Hey, it's not something you just hate out of nowhere," Hibiki joked and Kitty rolled her eyes, "Oh, we're here!" Kitty and Hibiki arrived at Tsubasa's room and opened the door and stopped, looking frozen in their spot. The room was TRASHED, with clothes everywhere and all sorts of candy and food wrappers near a trash can. The bed had undone sheets laying on top of it and a pillow was knocked over the side.

"Did… Did something happen?!" Hibiki panicked and Kitty nearly dropped the box of chocolates out of her hands. Suddenly, it looked like Tsubasa and Suskian just appeared behind them.

"Umm… When did you 2 get here?" Tsubasa asked and both girls jumped in place in shock and fear.

"Tsubasa! You're alive! What the hell happened to your room?!" Hibiki said in horror and Tsubasa blushed while Suskian scratched the back of his head.

"Simple answer or goofy answer?" Suskian asked. Both Hibiki and Kitty looked at him.

"Simple," Kitty said cautiously.

"She and I have the same type of habits with our rooms, which consists of messy rooms. It's a force of habit," Suskian said.

"How did you get it this messy?! There's a bra hanging from the privacy curtain!" Kitty said in shock and Tsubasa blushed in embarrassment. Kitty looked between them and blinked in shock.

"Wait, are you 2…"

"Dating? Not yet…" Suskian said and Tsubasa gut checked him, "Urk! I'm just being honest!" Tsubasa sighed and Suskian rubbed his stomach.

"Anyway, yes… We are all right. Why are you guys here?" Tsubasa asked. Both Kitty and Hibiki looked at each other and nodded their heads.

"We came to check on you 2," Kitty smiled as she handed them the box of chocolates. Tsubasa took the box and looked at it and smiled small.

"What type of chocolates are they?" Tsubasa asked as she looked at them. Both of them glanced at the 2 hospital patients and giggled.

"I made them. They're dark chocolate," Kitty said with a smile and Tsubasa smiled small.

"We should help you clean your room. This isn't really healthy…"

"Yeah! Just leave it to us!" Hibiki giggled while rubbing her hands together. Tsubasa blushed in embarrassment while Suskian rolled his eyes at them and smirked.

[-]

"Finished!" Hibiki giggled as she was holding up some folded shirts in her arms. Tsubasa was sitting in her bed while Suskian was sitting in a chair, eating a small chocolate from the box. Kitty was rolling a vacuum into a nearby closet as she opened a door.

"You 2 didn't have to do this, you know…" Tsubasa said as she looked away with a blush.

"We know. We wanted to," Kitty told them, "You 2 have been recovering, so it's best we took care of this. Don't the nurses clean or the hospital aides?"

"Well, funny story about that…" Suskian said as he looked at Kitty, "We only have one hospital aide on duty at a time. And, the nurses have way better things to do than clean a teenage boy and a teenage girl's rooms. In all seriousness… I'm glad you guys came around. I was debating on how I would go about helping Tsu get her room cleaned." Both girls stopped as they looked at Suskian and giggled at the nickname that Suskian gave Tsubasa. Tsubasa blushed and threw a pillow playfully at Suskian, hitting him in the face.

"Oof! Come on, Tsubasa! That hurt…" He said playfully and she sticks her tongue out at him. She giggled and shook her head. Then, she looked at Hibiki and Kitty as they were giggling.

"Anyway… I heard you 2 have done a damn good job, cleaning house with the Noise. I read the reports… And, you have been training with my uncle. I assure you that you are in good hands with him," Tsubasa said as she praised Kitty and Hibiki.

"Hey, Kitty… I know you told me you took up training. But, when did you get muscle like that?" Suskian asked her as he points to her slightly noticeable biceps. She blushed while rubbing the back of her head.

"Well, it's complicated…" Kitty said with a giggle.

"How many tons?" Suskian asked her and she flinched in shock.

"Oh, right. Umm… Well, about 5 tons per weight," she said and Hibiki fell over in shock while Suskian whistled in admiration. Tsubasa raised an eyebrow at that, impressed.

"Where do you hold the weights? On your arms?" Suskian asked honestly. She rubbed the back of her head.

"I hold 5 tons per weight on my wrists, ankles, and my waist whenever I am training. I was thinking of upping it to 7 soon," Kitty said with a smile.

"You train like a Saiyan, Kit," Suskian joked and she raised an eyebrow at that, "Attach a tail, and you are good to go!" He snickered at that.

"How do you do it without collapsing?" Tsubasa asked curiously.

"Hard work and determination," Kitty said plainly as she took a bottle of water from her bag that she brought with her, "I constantly wear them as a form of restraint."

"You wearing them now? That's more dedication than determination ," Suskian said earnestly as he gave her a thumbs up, "What made you wanna do that?"

"…It's for me, really. I felt useless when that Broly guy attacked you and nearly beaten you to a pulp. I didn't want to feel like a liability like that again, especially since my boyfriend can't fight the Noise like we can. Between that and what happened… I resolved myself to get stronger and be more useful, you know?" Kitty told him and Suskian blinked at the heartfelt response and nods his head in appreciation, "If anything… If it comes down to it, I want to be able to protect you guys if need be. If strength and resolve is what I need, then I'll go full throttle, firing at all cylinders and giving it my all to protect the people I care about."

"Double what Kitty said," Hibiki said as she stood up, "After that day, I resolved myself to never be a hindrance like that again. I'll fight… And, I will fight to protect the innocent and my loved ones. I wanna be… Someone that people depend on. I won't replace Kanade. I'll be me, Hibiki Tachibana." Tsubasa and Suskian looked at them and at each other.

"Give the rookies a chance, huh…?" Tsubasa said softly as she looked down and smiled, "Then… I want you all to promise me something. And follow me." She stood up and walked with the crutch under her arm. Suskian stood up and hands the box to Kitty. All 3 follow Tsubasa out of the room.

[-]

The group had made their way to the rooftop of the hospital rest area and Tsubasa looked out at the setting sun as she took in deep breaths.

"Like I said… I want you all to promise me something," Tsubasa said as she looked back at them, "Your paths are what you choose, so can you really hold your promises to get stronger physically… And mentally? I'm still working on the mental part as I still have demons of my past. But, I'm making progress for it. So, what will you do?" Suskian bowed his head slightly, thinking about it and finally raising it to nod his head at her.

"My demons will always be there… But, I will accept them and get better. It's a part of me, so I won't get rid of them. No, I'll embrace them…" Suskian said as he clenched his fists, "I don't intend to let them destroy me. I will conquer them and mentally triumph. It's the only way to grow as a fighter… And as a person."

"Agreed. My doubts will never hinder me. I will grow and get better. I'm only human, right?" Kitty told Tsubasa as she puts her hands on her hips, "I won't fail myself again."

"…I will be me. I will not forget that," Hibiki said as she nods her head, "I won't be a hindrance again. No, I'll be better!" Tsubasa nods her head and smiled at them.

"I'm glad…" Tsubasa smiled as she leaned back on a nearby chair, "After everything… We will get stronger, mentally and physically. No matter what, we won't let the Noise win. We won't let our demons haunt us. We will get past everything… With our determination." The rest nods their heads. Suddenly…

-RING! RING! BEEP! BEEP!-

Everyone's phones went off and Suskian's Time Patroller holoscreen sent off an alert. Suskian quickly pulls out his screen and he saw that there was a signature of Demon Activity nearby. He looked in confusion as this… Was new. He pressed on the screen and Selene's AI form appeared on his screen.

"Great! You got the update! I was able to engineer a Demon Magic Scanner to detect for any anomalies in this world. It will be very useful for you when we come across any sources of Demon Magic in the area. Right now, there is an immediate problem. It seems that Chris had been taken over by the Demon Magic. Demigra is behind it…" Selene said as she brought up a separate screen showing Chris attacking the immediate area near the park, tearing up large areas of trees and nearby park benches. Suskian frowned as he knew this would be hell to deal with. And, he was more mad than anything that Chris was taken over by Demon Magic. What the hell was Finé doing?! Did this bitch sell her out to Demigra?!

"…I'll get there as fast as I can," Suskian said as he knelt down on the ground and removed the bandages off of his legs.

"Be careful. You may be 90% healed, but… This is a Chris overtaken by Demon Magic while clad in the Neshutan Armor. You will have a hard time regardless…" Selene told him and he stood up while tossing the bandages away. His legs had several scars lining up and down from where he had torn his skin. Hibiki and Kitty shuddered at the scars as Tsubasa looked in shock at the damage he did to his legs. She never saw how bad his legs were messed up, so this was shocking.

"I'll be careful. No repeat of last time," Suskian said seriously as he next his knees and stretched several times, feeling the freedom of the bandages from his legs. He looked at Tsubasa and nods her head.

"We gotta go. Wait here, okay?" He told her and she nods her head.

"…Make sure you don't overdo it," Tsubasa told her and he nods his head as Kitty clutched her relic around her neck and sang out a chant in a soft voice…

Raious Sellei Vincous La Lobos Zizzi…

Kitty changed into what looked like a completely different outfit from her previous encounter: It looked like a black and yellow one-piece swimsuit with an emblem of a K on the lower part of her back on the swimsuit, black and yellow armor pieces appeared all over her body and a yellow headband appearing on her forehead. She cracked her neck as he caught her hammer in her left hand. Suskian changed out of his hospital gown and into a set of Gi(Turtle) colored in red and black while his sword appeared on his back. He took a deep breath as a white aura surrounded his body. Hibiki sighed and nods her head while taking a deep breath… And, sung her chant.

Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron…

Hibiki changed into her Symphogear armor and Suskian led the charge as both Kitty and Hibiki flew after them. Tsubasa watched them fly off and clutched the crutch in her hand. She did worry for them… But, she trusted them a lot.

"Good luck…" Tsubasa said softly while watching them go. She looked at her phone and thought back to what Genjuro told her. She clutched the phone and sighed.

Flashback; Week One Of The Recovery, Tsubasa's Room

"No. I don't think he would be like that, uncle. He warned us initially about Broly… So, Broly had to be part of the world he came from," Tsubasa said seriously, "You have to trust him. Whoever brought Broly here is clearly someone to be feared."

"Yes, but I find it odd. He could barely handle Broly, yet he can handle a Demonized Noise like it is nothing… And, we have been dealing with the Noise for years. They are way too much for us to handle, so…" Genjuro said, bringing up a good point, "How strong is the beings from where he is from?"

"…Well, we can't just doubt him now. He helped us immensely with the Noise, and he has never betrayed us when he had every means to. Whoever is making these Demonized Noise are connected to who Suskian told us about on Day 1: Demigra. He could be possibly getting strength from the Noise in some way," Tsubasa said as she folded her arms and sat on the bed.

"Tsubasa, I know that. Believe me, I do believe you… I'm just wrapping my head around it all and how impossibly scarce this is. I'm just going over the options here," Genjuro said as he leaned against the wall, "But, I agree with you. He has been proven to be trustworthy… But, I don't 100% trust him. It's nothing personal… It's just… I just don't have enough to pass judgement. He has to prove a lot more here."

"…Uncle, I don't know if you are being fair here. He has been truthful this whole time," Tsubasa said as she looked at Genjuro, "What can he do to have you trust him?"

"…I don't know. I'll figure something out, okay? For now, just keep him at arm's length," Genjuro said as he stood up straight and gave her a hug. She hugs him back and sighed, unsure if this was a fair judgment. But, she did trust Suskian. But, there was a lingering thought in her head that bothered her. He did say that he knew a lot about the events of this world and more importantly… Her. She needed to talk to him about it.

[-]

A Few Days Later; Suskian's Room

Suskian was doing pull ups on a pull up bar that he set up in his room, getting his upper body in tune while he wore nothing but sweatpants. There was a knock on the door and he glanced back and got down.

"Come in," Suskian called and Tsubasa was walking in, holding onto her iV drip rod and a crutch. This was still early into their recovery, so she was slowly getting around in pain.

"I… Wanted to talk to you," Tsubasa said and Suskian grabs his cane and moved over to her and helped her into a chair. He sat back in his bed and looked at her.

"What are you doing, out of your bed?" Suskian asked and she glances at him, "Something wrong?"

"I… I should've asked you this earlier on, but… What are your true intentions here, in our world?" Tsubasa asked him cautiously and he sighed while looking at her, "Can we really trust you?"

"Well, let's be honest. I've never lied to you," He said to her, "Nor have I withheld information. I'm kinda stuck here, anyways… But, I'm making the best out of my situation. Besides, I'm living like a teen again. Selfish, but I kinda lived through high school once. Tsubasa, even though I know a lot about this world… I know nothing at the same time." She blinked in shock as she looked at him.

"What does that mean?" Tsubasa asked him.

"There are things that will happen that I know shouldn't happen in this world because I am here. It's called a Butterfly Effect. You know, when a butterfly flaps their wings, a natural disaster happens in the future. Things may happen the same that I remember it… But, they may be subject to change. If anything, I'm flying in blind here," Suskian said as he looked out the window and shook his head, "Example was that Broly fight. I ended up not changing much… Instead, you ended up in the hospital as canon perceived. Except, you got more damaged and nearly died for real. Which, in reality… Wasn't supposed to happen. There's a reason why I have my job as a Time Patroller. To prevent stuff like that from happening…"

"Why didn't you?" Tsubasa asked as she looked slightly hurt by that.

"…Because I'm getting attached," He said to her after a minute. She frowned at that.

"I'm too attached to this reality that I'm supposed to not be interfering with time at all. But, I didn't have much choice since I got stranded. That's… what I originally thought, but the more I thought about it… I decided to not think about it like that anymore, since it's too cruel to have thoughts like that. There are people that live here, in this world that have lives that matter. Even if it is for a few more days… And, people like you, Tsubasa. That protect them from the unknown. Just like me. I have no business trying to be out of touch if I can't do my job. I've been doing that for too long."

"What do you mean?" Tsubasa said calmly.

"…Believe it or not, I treated my job like a video game, because it was a video game when I had my previous life. So, I was nonchalant about it all the time, thinking I know everything that would happen. Nope, none of it went the way I thought. Surprises at every turn, like a haunted house. It was just jarring and I got a harsh slap of Reality when Elisha died in front of me. Everything snapped into perspective for me when that happened," He said calmly as he glanced back at her, "Even now, I can't believe my reality. But, seeing it now… I can't deny it. I need to take things 100% seriously. If I don't… I'll lose something more important than my legs." Tsubasa looked at him and blinked a few times.

"So, believe me when I say I don't intend at all to lie or deceive you. What reason would I have to, anyway? Knowing a monster like Demigra is running around in your world, I can't do anything but try and stop him. Even if it's by myself. And, I know where you are going with this. No, I don't intend to intrude on your personal life or issues. That's invasion of privacy, and I hate for someone to do that to me. I'd much rather you talk to me personally about it," Suskian told her and she looked at him, "Err… Sorry. I rambled. That happens. What do you think?"

"…Suskian, I wanted to let you know that I do trust you. My uncle doesn't 100% trust you, and it's valid that he feels that way. I just don't want any friction with you and him," Tsubasa said after a minute. Suskian chuckled at that and nods his head, which made Tsubasa feel… At ease, really.

"Hey, I understand. It's a lot to take in and it had to be taken at face value. I would be skeptical, if I were him. He works for the government, in a way. They must be knowing about me by now, anyway… And, your uncle is being careful. It's why I'm not upset about it. I want him to be cautious… It'd be weird if he wasn't…" Suskian said as he looked at her, "So… Right now, there are things that will not make sense in the future. But, I will take care of it in the best way I can. If you wanna help me, you are more than welcome to do so." She nods her head and looked down.

"I… Worry what will happen in the future," Tsubasa said.

"It's not gonna be easy, let me tell you. But, if we prepare for the unknown, the pain will be minimal… And, the damage will be nonexistent. Get my meaning?" Suskian told her and she nods her head.

"Thank you," Tsubasa said as she leaned on her IV drip rod as she stood up. Suskian looked at her as Tsubasa turned to him.

"For what?" Suskian asked her.

"For being honest.." Tsubasa said with a smile while bowing to him.

End Flashback

End Chapter 5