Author's Note: A quick reminder of how Red Vent works, since I haven't gotten around to making the character sheets yet. Red Vent: Chaos Gate is Ryuki's version of Ryuga's Calamity Gates. But Ryuki's is more combat-oriented and faster. He can teleport as far as he can see and in quick succession. He can also swap positions with someone or something he's looking at. Kind of how Shadow Ryuki did with Raia and got him frozen instead of himself. It's limited to a specific location, unlike Ryuga, who can teleport anywhere he's been in the world or other dimensions. But Ryuga's is slower since he has to open the portal and go inside, which leaves him vulnerable to attacks.

Riders and their elemental abilities:

Ryuki: Fire
Knight: Wind
Scissors: Bronze
Zolda: Energy
Tiger: Ice
Raia: Psychic
Imperer: Drills
Abyss: Water
Verde: Nature
Gai: Metal/Ironsand
Ouja: Venom
Ryuga: Black fire/shadows
Femme: Light
Alternative: Gravity
Odin: ?

Reviews:

Guest: Muy buena pregunta. Ya lo veremos mas adelante en la historia. Pero tienes razon, son los unicos que pueden soportar ese poder a su totalidad a comparacion de otros, que solo pueden usar una fraccion

SkyKing01: That's a pretty bizarre idea. I don't really do omakes though. But I can keep it in mind just in case.

Akira: Bragi was struggling and Hibiki helped him. And now he's in love with Miku. It will be quite interesting when he and Ryuga come to clash in the future.

moniura2005: No, Hamaguchi is still the weakest of them. He's as strong as Damian was, not counting when he started using all elements. But everyone else is past that by this point. And Chiaki was the weakest of her group, not counting her God form. Had they found anyone else, they were probably going to lose outright. They were the perfect opponents to each other but Hamaguchi is more dangerous because he manipulates water. Some of the Shadow Riders can't become real humans since their hosts are dead and can't become stronger. So someone like Shadow Zolda is stuck the way he is until he gets killed. But they can all kill their original and take their place. Right, while Terunosuke was self-centered and kind of harsh on the other kids, he cared about Serena to the point of breaking mentally when she died. And the fact he never got a Deck is also devastating to him, which is why he took it from Atticus, even though he didn't kill him. That's why Jades feels so guilty because he thinks he could have prevented this if he hadn't taken the Deck from Terunosuke. Right, St. Germain and Raphael heard stories about the Messiah, but not necessarily Hajime. Just the concept of it. They thought that the Messiah would one day show up and save the world from oppression, and now that one showed up and took down Bragard, they got their hopes up. This is why she hates Hazuki since he's literally the opposite of what she believes. Yeah, if anyone could understate Bragi, was Hibiki. And she wasn't going to let another person down when they needed help. Bragi feels inferior to Hajime. Part of it is because of how he was created but also because he thinks they look at Hajime more and ignore him. That's why he's thrilled to be relied on this once. Strangely enough, he feels guilty for what happened to Hajime and Setsuna, and Wei. That's why he just takes all the pain and doesn't fight it. But Hibiki and Miku helped him realize who he was and treated him like a human, which he what he wanted the most. And now, he finds himself in love with Miku. It will be very interesting when he has to fight Hazuki again.

Lord Ri The Husbu King: Oh, shit. I didn't think of that lol. Good thing Yomi wasn't there, otherwise he'd try to get one of them. I mean, they weren't abandoned, except for Miku. Takeru died, Andreas died, and Hajime is in a coma. Hazuki just willingly chose his plan over Miku. Yeah, he's a bit of everything. We'll see what Carol thinks of him in XV. To be fair, Raiden's situation is more trivial compared to Bragi being bullied and harassed. Yeah, I get what you mean. But the way I see it Jades is like the kids' father. My dad is the same way with my sister. If she's talking to a boy, he wants to know everything about him. For guys is different. My Dad doesn't care who I'm dating. But it's different for girls since they are more susceptible to bad things happening to them.

primenidus: Everything was a lie...Just kidding

Caballero lector rojo: Me alegra que te gustara

SoutaAmetsuchi: Baby Bragi has a crush.

Tenzalucard123: Right. Bragi is not a bad kid as he thinks he is. It's just his Father was a bad person and they have the same face. But Miku could help him get better.

Chapter 99
Shot Through the Heart

"So...the experiment was a success." Lilith smiled upon hearing St. Germain's report. Currently, they were by their jacuzzi, with Adam taking a bath with Tiki. Lilith opted to wear a one-piece bikini and sit on a nearby chair, enjoying a book."Interesting."

"But it didn't kill any of the Symphogear." Adam pointed out, rubbing the rim of his cup of wine.

"Shadow Ryuki is still in the process of stability." St. Germain said.

"True. We did make him stronger than normally, which is why it took some much time. Plus, you can't really use him if the others are out." Lilith noted."But these are changes we can just make."

"And I added some additional improvements." Adam boasted."You'll see what I mean in due time."

"Still, none of the Riders stand a chance." Prelati chimed in."All of them were defeated by him singlehandled, even with the help of Abyss."

"Abyss..." Adam took a sip of his wine.

"Probably got someone else instead of Bragard's Autoscorer." Lilith said, not at all bothered by the glare Tiki had been giving her the whole time."That said, now we know Shadow Ryuki has no opponents that can face him. But what of the Prince?"

"I dealt with him quite easily." Cagliostro smiled.

"Indeed. I also put in some work as well. I destroyed his head, but I believe he can regenerate from that." Adam reiterated."He's not a threat. Which means, that Hajime Adachi is the last unknown. The formula we know nothing about yet. That is, until Abyss' interference. Upon doing some research, we found out about the blood bath that happened in Okinawa a few weeks ago."

"I can't believe we didn't notice sooner." Lilith glanced over at Raphael."I'm surprised you didn't. You love spending time on that phone of yours. Surely you must have seen something on...what was it again? Twitter?"

"I apologize, Mistress Lilith, for my lack of awareness..."

"It's fine, my dear. Now we know what truly happened in Okinawa. Both Abyss and the Messiah fought against one of Loki's subordinates, Chiaki Nakahara, a wielder of Divine Power."

Lilith clapped her hands, summoning a projection of the live recording.

"Is that...what is that red monster?" Cagliostro looked disgusted at the creature.

"It appears that's the result of using Loki's Divine Power. A Divine Weapon incarnate in a human being. It's no wonder you weren't able to defeat one of them, much less the Anti-Messiah himself."

"Wait...you know...?" St. Germain's eyes widened slightly.

"Of course, dear. Nothing escapes my notice." Lilith smiled sweetly.

"That being said, I can understand why you chose not to report it. But alas, we now have a weapon capable of not only defeating S.O.N.G, but one that should be capable of taking down the Disasters of Valhalla. I'm positive S. Ryuki can do the job if they show themselves again." Adam chuckled."Anyway, now we know what transpired in Okinawa and why the Messiah hasn't shown himself. It's possible he received an injury of some kind. Otherwise, I don't see why he's taken this long to make a move."

"We'll be ready." St. Germain nodded.

"On another note, the altar must be prepared right away." Lilith closed her book."After all, we are also fighting against enemies wielding Divine Power. If this cult of theirs keeps expanding, it will be bad in the long term. More people, a bigger power source for Hazuki Kaburagi."

"The Divine Power will be in my hands." Adam rose his head, staring at the ceiling, completely missing the sly smile from Lilith upon hearing that."Let the Messiah show himself. I'd be the one to put him down."

"You're so awesome, Adam! Kick that kid's butt!" Tiki giggled. Adam scooped up the doll in his arms and got out of the pool, casually strolling away as if he wasn't naked.

"Seriously, that man...No one wants to see his disgraceful body." Lilith scoffed."Sorry, my darlings. But it appears as though we're under incapable leadership."

"Why haven't you ever taken the reigns, Mistress?" Cagliostro inquired."I'm sure you could do a better job than that clown."

"Indeed, but it's also too much work for someone like me." Lilith mused."I do not mind Adam ruling the organization because it gives me the freedom to pursue my artistic interests. Trust me, doing what I do is far more interesting than anything he does. Anyway, I should get going. My painting should be done drying by now so I can add a few touches. I bid you farewell."

With that, Lilith wrapped a towel around herself and exited the premises.

"I should get ready for the ritual." St. Germain addressed her friends."What will you do?"

"Hunt down the Symphoger and Riders, of course." Cagliostro winked at her."That way, we can get one over Adam and he won't talk trash about us."

"Let's try not to use S. Ryuki if we don't have to." Raphael said."I have a weird feeling about him. He's different from the others, but there's something...off about him."

"Basically, I doubt we'd even need to. The other Shadow Riders are about even, except for Abyss. Eventually, they'll overcome Zolda. But we also have you, our gentleman, to protect us."

"I'm happy I can be of service, Lady Prelati."

"And I can get Raiden all to myself." She adopted a sadistic smile."I'll tie him up so he won't run away. I'll need a soundproof room."

Cagliostro guffawed at her comment, following Prelati as she began to discuss the highly questionable things she was planning to do to Raiden.

Raphael was about to follow them but St. Germain grabbed his hand."Milady?"

"Be careful. If what you're saying is true, then there's a chance that we could lose control over S. Ryuki." She narrowed her eyes at him."Do not use him unless necessary."

"Fine with me. But in return, take care of yourself, alright? Call me if you need anything. And try to use your phone...I bought it for you for a reason."

"A waste of money." She sighed."But I'll try."


A knock on the door sent everyone in the shared apartment all siblings shared into a frenzy. Andreas ran to the door, barking loudly. Jades got off the couch, setting his beer down and marching toward the door. He turned the knob and swung the door open, towering over the blue-haired teenager who was holding a bouquet of flowers."And what are you doing here, kid?"

"I, uh...came to pick up Kirika-chan?" He chuckled sheepishly. Andreas bared his teeth at him, ready to pounce on him at any time despite only reaching to his ankle.

"Look me in the eyes, kid." He ordered, and Hamaguchi immediately obliged."And what do you plan on doing with my baby sister?"

Jades was laughing internally at Hamaguchi's reaction. Compared to the cocky kid he met back in Okinawa, this was a whole different person. Jades had to admit, that playing the authoritative parent was fun. Much more fun than he had seen on TV. He was aware that Kirika was a stunning young lady, a picture of loveliness. He also knew the stares she often got from guys when they were out, and he was often the one to beat them into submission. He couldn't allow any guy to date her, after all.

'You're acting like her Dad.' Maria had once said. And she wasn't wrong. They were basically their parents. Or pseudo parents, since Nastassja acted as the mother figure for all of them. Despite that, he knew Hamaguchi had his heart in the right place. After all, he had fought with his life on the line for the sake of his hometown. And on his first day as a Kamen Rider. That took guts.

"I asked you a question, kid."

"W-we'll just go to the mall, sir!" Hamaguchi stammered. Despite being a shark, he felt as if he was in front of a giant beast beneath the water.

"And when can I expect her home?"

"By midnight."

Kirika stormed her way into the living room, wearing her usual outfit. (Too lazy to give her a whole new outfit so just go for what she wears in AXZ.

'Kirika, what the fuck!' Hamaguchi lost all the color from his face when he heard that.'I love you to death but you're making your brother hate me!'

"By 10, sir!" He quickly corrected, receiving a nod.

"I'll be counting on the minutes." Jades grinned, patting Hamaguchi on the shoulder."Just remember kid, hands to yourself. We'll get along just fine. Like water and ice. But remember that water can be turned to ice...if the molecules are compacted tightly...if you catch my drift."

"Stop bothering them already." Maria pulled on his cheek, much to his dismay."Enjoy yourselves, you two. Make sure to send me pictures!"

"Will do, Maria-san." Hamaguchi sighed in relief upon seeing his ally. Kirika waved her siblings goodbye and closed the door."Ready to go-desu? You didn't pee yourself, did you?"

"Of course not..." He sighed, ashamed at his poor display. She grabbed his hand, squeezing it tenderly.

"My brother can be pretty scary, but he only does it because he loves us. He'll warm up to you, don't worry-desu!"

"If you say so." Hamaguchi smiled."Let's get going then."

Back in the apartment, Maria was rubbing her temples in exasperation.

"Do you really need to give him a hard time? He's a good kid."

"Yeah, but you never know." He mumbled.

"What am I going to do with you?" Maria grabbed him by the shoulders and brought him down for a kiss."You really are her Dad, huh?"

"And you're her mom." He kissed her again."Speaking off...I wonder where Shirabe is?"

"Huh. Good question."

Unbeknownst to everyone, Shirabe had taken upon herself a self-imposed special mission. To watch over their date from afar and make sure Hamaguchi kept his word of not touching Kirika inappropriately. She was more than familiar with espionage, and her glasses gave her the confidence she needed to start her mission.

"Mission start."


"Does she know that we know she's following us?"

Hamaguchi had long since spotted Shirabe but Kirika had decided to pretend that they didn't know. Just to mess with her, Kirika grabbed Hamaguchi's hand and wrapped her arm around his, leaning closer to him.

"It's okay. She loves playing spy, believe it or not. Back when we infiltrated Lydian, she was the one in charge of the whole operation-desu."

"Infiltrated Lydian?" Hamaguchi raised a brow.

"Desu-desu! It's a long story but we weren't always on good terms with the others."

The couple reached an ice cream parlor inside the mall, and Hamaguchi ordered some ice cream for them. Kirika ordered a strawberry cone while Hamaguchi opted for a cup of ice cream with caramel on it.

"Sheez, seems like things had been hectic, even after that whole thing with that Fine lady. It's never a dull moment with you guys, huh?"

"What about you? Is living in Okinawa fun?"

"Honestly, it gets old after a while. Endou-chan makes it more bearable though." He smiled, reaching to offer to clean some ice cream near Kirika's face, causing her to blush."A messy eater, huh, Power Girl?"

"Gosh, that nickname..." Kirika whined."I wasn't that scary when we were kids. You were just antosocial-desu!"

"You literally kicked me in the balls one time."

"Your fault. You just kept approaching me without saying a word-desu!"

"Fine, fine. You make a fair point. I never was the most popular guy back then."

"Is that why you became a delinquent?"

"Something like that. I guess I just wanted the attention." He adopted a wistful smile."But really, I guess just drawn to Hajime and we would just get into fights all the time. Mostly because they picked on him. Eventually, it just became our thing. To slack off and mess around. I hate studying."

"Seriously?! Me too-desu!" Kirika beamed before deflating."But Maria and Jades-nii-chan make me study otherwise I don't get my allowance."

"My sister is the same way." He said."You should have seen her when I told her I was dropping out of school to continue being a chef. She gave me hell. Made me work my ass off for months on end."

"I guess we both have pretty strict siblings, huh?" Kirika giggled, leaning forward and taking a bite out of his ice cream."Ew! What's this stuff inside?!"

"Mint." He gave her a sly grin."I'm just that type of guy, Kirika-chan. You wouldn't know the number of times my sister tried to steal my ice cream, so I had to adapt to my environment and put mint inside. Eventually, I just came to like it. Also, I put pineapple on my pizza.

She gasped loudly."Not pineapple-desu!"

"Hey, it's not that bad, really. You gotta try different things in life every now and then. Otherwise, it all becomes one boring routine."

Once they finished their ice cream, they set course through the mall, entering various stores and having Kirika try out new outfits.

"So what are you going to do now?" Kirika said, twirling around in front of a mirror as she tried on a dress."Are you going back to Okinawa?"

"Dunno. I was thinking of staying and just going back to school?" He shrugged. They made their way to the register and paid for the dress, sending a few pictures to Maria.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It'd be a pain for me to travel to Tokyo every time some major shit happens so I'll stick around. Besides, I want to be as close as possible to my girlfriend." He winked at her, a gesture that melted her heart.

"A-are we really dating now...It feels so sudden..."

"Well, we're only holding hands. We can stop if you want-"

"No! It's fine!" She yelled, immediately shrinking upon realizing how loud she was."I-I mean, I don't mind-desu. You're a sweet guy and very caring. You practically won me over with your words."

"I don't want just my words to reach your guard." He leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek."I also want to win you with my actions."

"D-desu!" She yelped, embarrassed.

Meanwhile, Shirabe kept observing the couple from behind, taking notes on everything she was seeing.

"She kissed Kiri-chan on her cheek. Jades-nii-chan specifically said to keep his hands to himself. He's probably going to tear his arm off."

"But you know...you might not believe it, but you're actually my first girlfriend." He rubbed his nape sheepishly.

"Huh?! But you said you were popular with the girls-desu!"

"I was obviously lying to impress you guys." Hamaguchi sighed as they entered the arcade to play some games."To be honest, everything I said was something I rehearsed the day before. You guys are heroes. I was just some guy. I felt completely overwhelmed, you know?

"It certainly didn't seem like it when you were staring at my butt." She frowned.

"I nearly passed out from the shock okay! But really, you're my first girlfriend! So I hope I'm not doing a bad job at being a boyfriend."

"I wouldn't know. I never had a boyfriend before." She smiled."But we can learn together-desu! That's what's important, right-desu?"

"Then let's learn together." He grinned, poking her nose before running off."Catch me if you can!"

"Hey! Come back here!"

Haamaguchi ran down the arcade with Kirika giggling behind him. Eventually, she caught up to him and they both fell inside of a ball pit. They both laughed together like children, tickling each other.

Shirabe entered the arcade, having lost sight of them after they started running.'Did they realize I'm following them? Is that why they suddenly took off?'

The dark-haired girl pushed her glasses further up her nose, carefully inspecting the arcade. It was one she often came to, both with Kirika as well as alone. So she decided to check out the dance arcade game. She was somewhat of a celebrity when it came to that game. Due to her insane flexibility and quick steps, she crowned herself as the number 1 dancer in the entire mall. None of the scores even came close to hers. Until she saw her score.

1- Lia

2- Shu (Shul Shagana, but no one knew this except her)

3- ...

"Woah! This dude is crazy good!" One boy said in awe. There was a crowd of people admiring a young man with raven hair and pink eyes, wiping the sweat off his forehead after beating Shirabe's score.

'That's...'

"That's the Queen!" A girl who was a fan of Shirabe cried out. Suddenly, the crowd surrounded Shirabe, asking her tons of questions.

"The Queen came to beat the King!"

"No way! The King is going to win! The dude can breakdance!"

"So what? The queen is extremely flexible. She'll win for sure."

"Oh. It's you." Wei Liang, otherwise known as Lia in the scores, arched a brow upon seeing Shirabe."Shirabe Tsukuyomi, right?"

"You remember me, Wei Liang?" She drawled.

"You're one to talk." He said, a serious expression on his face."Though I guess you know my cousin, after all. Nice to see you."

"Likewise." She nodded firmly."I take it you're Lia? I suppose Lia is short for Liang?"

"That's right. And Shul..." He pointed at his chest, indicating that he knew about her Relic but didn't want to say it in front of all these people."So, Queen. Huh. I didn't know you were the one giving me this much trouble?"

"Trouble?"

"How about we talk it over some juice? My treat, of course."

The crowd dispersed, waiting for the two of them to converse as they sat down at the bar for a cup of juice.

"Thank you for the invitation, Wei-kun." Shirabe expressed her gratitude.

"You're very welcome. Honestly, I didn't expect to run into a...familiar face. We met once, but we never really spoke. And I just recently came back to Tokyo."

"How was your trip? I didn't get the chance to ask you last time."

"It was...educational." He eyed the glove covering his snake-brand after receiving Loki's power."I noticed how much the Liang clan had influenced the people like Lingyun and Xiangling. People who are mixed. I offered my sincerest apologies, but of course, simple apologies aren't enough. Surprisingly, I did manage to talk to Despia and Yomi."

"Right." Shirabe hummed, remembering the mute girl and the battle-crazed boy who had challenged Hibiki to a fight."Well, you tried. And that's all you can really do."

"True that. Since I haven't been here, I didn't know there was a girl with a similar appearance to mine stealing my position."

"Similar appearance?" Shirabe blinked.

He grabbed a strand of his hair."If your hair was a shade darker, I'd mistake you for a Liang. You have pink eyes, after all, just like mine."

"Huh..." Shirabe nodded."I guess I never thought of it that way. You're right, my hair color is a little lighter than yours. I never even thought about it."

"Fortunately, you're not a Liang. Otherwise, you'd..." He clenched his fists, something that did not go unnoticed by Shirabe."Anyway, I recently came back and got my crown as the "King" back. I heard a lot about you. And your flexibility. It just so happens I'm confident in my flexibility as well. How about it, Shirabe-san? Do you want to get your title as the champion back?"

Shirabe narrowed her eyes, her pride as the number 1 champion of the arcade getting the better of her."You bet."

Shirabe and Wei made their way to the dance arcade machine as the crowd of people surrounded them."To a fair match."

"To a fair match." He nodded.

The music began to play, and both dark-haired teens began dancing to the tune. Shirabe made use of her agility and flexibility, but surprisingly to her, Wei was fairly flexible as well. He was able to bend his body in ways she only thought she could as well as breakdancing with such ease, she could have sworn he was weightless.

"Man, look at those two." Hamaguchi whistled as he and Kirika were exiting the arcade, heading to watch a movie."Who is Shirabe dancing with? Guy has some sweet moves."

"Oh, I think that's Wei-kun. Blacky-kun's cousin."

"The Liang? He's...the brother of Chao-Xing...Ah, yes. I remember him. I think I saw him a few times when we were kids." His lips thinned in a line."Well, I am happy he's doing good for himself. Should we go say hi?"

"It's fine. Remember, Shirabe thinks we don't know she's following us-desu. And she seems to be having fun. Usually, when we come here, no one us can perform as well as she can-desu."

"Yeah, I can see why. So, ready for that movie? I have a good one in mind. You'll...like it."

"I don't like the way you're saying that..."


Kirika screamed in horror as the ghost jump scared the people watching the movie after the main character entered an abandoned house in search of his missing friends. Hamaguchi just laughed at her reaction. This didn't stop her from getting a mouthful of popcorn whenever she could but latched onto Hamaguchi's arm, her strength nearly breaking his arm whenever she would get scared.

"So, what did you think of the movie?"

"It was so scary! I hate ghosts-desu!"

"Yeah, I heard." He grinned mischievously."Why else do you think I took you to watch that movie? Your reactions are just the cutest. Though you nearly broke my arm..."

"Y-you big jerk!" Kirika pouted, trying to be angry but Hamaguchi's grin grew wider."Okay! Then it's time to see another movie! I'll pick-desu!"

To his utter dismay, Kirika had picked a slasher movie. And boy, he wasn't a slash fan. Not because of what had transpired in Okinawa, but because he overall found it scary. Slasher movies weren't his thing. He just found it absolutely horrifying how movies made it seem to be. The whole time he had to cover his eyes, with Kirika mocking him for his behavior. Of course, she took pictures of his reactions, and he retaliated by tickling her. Their giggles were something the other people watching the movie did not appreciate, but they didn't care. They were having fun.

"Okay...you got me. How did you even know I hate slasher films?"

"Blacky-kun." She briefly explained as they exited the theater."Whatant now-desu?"

"Well, I'm hungry." He smirked, wrapping an arm around her to pull her closer."How about we go to this really good Korean BBQ buffet around here? I heard it's really good."

"Really?! Yay!" Kirika beamed, jumping up and down."Wait, I know that place-desu. Isn't that super expensive?"

"It's fine. I got the cash."

"How?"

"I...have my ways. And by that, I mean two great sisters."


"You really should try combing your hair instead of using a hairband to pull it back. Pull up the sleeves on his jacket a little more, Seiko." Kagura said, watching as Seiko and Hamaguchi stood in front of a mirror, fixing his clothes and hair.

"And you need some more cologne too. Buy a new one, this one is not that good." She sniffed him, frowning."Where did you even get this?! It smells like beer!"

"And you would know what that smells like."

"Shut up." She grumbled, pulling his hair back and putting his hairband on.

"It's your first day with a very special girl, right? While you butchered your first impression, we need to help you carry on with this relationship. So here."

Kagura took out a handful of bills from her purse."Here. There's a nice restaurant in the mall you're going to. It's a buffet. And also, to cover for any activities you have planned."

"Woah! That's a lot of money, Kagura-nee-sama!"

"And here's some from me too." Seiki winked at him, stuffing some money in his pocket."Treat her to something really nice. And also, treat her family to something delicious. Get them some exclusive dorayaki. Two boxes should be fine."


After a while of dancing, Shirabe and Wei were sitting at the juice bar again, catching their breath. Their scores were even, neither one having the upper hand on the other.

"You're...good." Wei complimented, wiping the sweat off his forehead with a napkin."You sure are flexible. But unfortunately, I am flexible. More flexible?"

"More flexible is correct." She chuckled."Is that a Liang thing too?"

"Nope. To be honest, I didn't get anything Liang-like. I'm not a proficient fighter like my sister nor can I adapt rapidly like Lingyun or Yomi. And that's fine with me, to be honest. Chao got all the attention for that, which meant I got to relax and do what I wanted."

"Which was?"

"Play video games." He chuckled."But I realized that I couldn't play games all day. So I picked up this hobby. Well, at first, I just learned how to breakdance. Trust me, learning any type of dance is easy after you learn how to do that. At some point, I became really flexible, as you saw. But not without hard work."

"I can see that. Even with my training and my practice, I had a hard time competing with you."

"Still, I still want to try one more thing." He eyed the girl, which was easy because they were about the same size."If I'm not mistaken, you skate, right? How about we take this to the ice skate arena? I'm confident in my skills to take you on."

"Very well." She nodded with determination."I shall not lose."


"It's all so yummy!" Kirika beamed in glee, rubbing her belly.

"Right?" Hamaguchi said, a plate full of food in front of him.'And it was so damn expensive too! Good thing Kagura-nee-sama and Seiko got me the money I needed.'

"Hibiki-san's birthday is coming up soon. I just hope we can wrap this whole mess up by then-desu."

"Oh, right. Hajime's birthday is a few days after Hibiki. He's a few days younger than her. I completely forgot about that fact." Hamaguchi rubbed his chin."We could just celebrate their birthdays together. It'd be weird if we did it while he was still in a coma. Plus, I'm sure they'd love to celebrate it together."

"That's a good idea-desu!" Kirika nodded enthusiastically."We can get them one big cake! And tons of snacks!"

"Guess we better tell the others after the meeting tomorrow, huh?" He smiled."Man, my birthday is still a few months away. Yours?"

"It passed a few months ago." Kirika deflated."Though...it's not my real birthday. I completely forgot it. So I just celebrate it whenever I got into FIS-desu."

"You too, huh?"

"Oh, right. Your sister told me about your situation before we left Okinawa."

"Yeah. I don't know my real birthday either. My life before I was adopted by Aunt Chisa is kind of a blur. So for all I know, I could be older or younger." He trailed off, a small smile gracing his features."That being said, I don't think that makes us less than the others. If you really think about it, a birthday is meant to be a day dedicated to you and celebrated by the people you love, right? So I think it's plenty that we have a birthday, even if it may not be our real one. Because our friends and family consider it special. And that should be enough for us, right?"

"You're right...Everyone always helps my day be so bright." She smiled fondly."Jades-nii-chan and Shirabe would bake a cake together and Maria and Andreas took care of snacks and drinks. But now..."

"Now we got a lot more people to celebrate with." He cut her off, not wanting her to dwell on Andreas' loss."I mean, now I'm here. So all of you can look forward to some delicious meals. I have to warn you, once you taste my birthday cooking, you'll be unable to live without it."

"I'll be the judge of that." Kirika grinned, pinching his cheek playfully."So...are you coming back to school?"

"Yeah. I'll have to study though, since I have to take the entrance exams to Lydian and hopefully they'll put me in the grade I should be instead of setting me back a year. That would be pretty awkward, huh?"

"Well...you're 17, right? If they set you back a year, maybe we could take classes together-desu?"

"You sure about that? I'm not very smart. I'm street smart, just not book smart."

"I'm not that smart either. Maybe we can study together?"

"Pfft...I dread to think about that, Little Reaper."

"Aw, what's wrong? The Baby Shark doesn't think he can study with me-desu? Baby shark do-do-do-"

"Stop singing that. We can try..." He scratched his cheek."It's just...Well, maybe studying with someone might make it easier."

After a while of eating, the couple left the restaurant, their bellies full and satisfied. They were now walking down the street since the trains had stopped for the day and Hamaguchi had to walk her come. But not without buying the dorayaki his sister had insisted on buying.

"I'm so full I can barely walk..." Kirika sighed, leaning on Hamaguchi for support.

"You went overboard." He deadpanned."You didn't have to eat that much so quickly."

"I wanted to enjoy it. Who knows when I'll be back to eating such delicious food-desu?"

"I mean...I think I get the gist of how they prepare their food. And based on what I ate, I can deduce the ingredients and the way they cooked. So I think I can recreate some of the dishes."

"Really?!"

"Yup. I'm a master chef, after all. If you want, I can make your lunch every day. And you can tell me what you think of my dishes and how to improve them."

"You would cook for me?" Kirika blinked, her eyes sparkling.

"Of course. Anything for you." He replied, grabbing her hand and squeezing it gently.

"I've had a lot of fun today with you-desu. It was great. Thanks for taking me out on this date."

"Hey, thank you, for accepting it in the first place." He shook his head."It's only because you agreed that we're here. Even though you had no reason to."

"To be honest, at first, I did it because you said you would look after Blacky-kun. But then...Every time we spoke on the phone, I felt my heart beating faster and faster-desu. I know I had a rough first impression of you, but your sister helped clarify some things. You're like me-desu. Someone who at first had no place in the world but found peace in the people around them. And hearing your words when you were talking to my brother...I...well, they won me over. They were genuine-desu. I could tell they came from your heart. At that point, I was sure of it. I wanted to...be with you-desu."

"Kirika-chan..." He stopped in his tracks, blushing at her words. Kirika blushed as well, brushing some hair behind her ear."So...are we officially dating now? Like...boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"You dummy...I thought that was clear-desu." Kirika giggled, stepping on her tippy toes and connecting her lips with Hamaguchi for a split second before pulling back."Does that answer your question?"

Without thinking, Hamaguchi dropped his bag and grabbed Kirika's cheeks, leaning for a deep kiss. Her eyes widened in surprise, but responded by kissing back, grabbing his shoulders. They stayed like that for as long as they could before they had to catch their breaths, panting.

"Woah..."

"Desu..." She stared dreamily into his eyes.

"Gosh, you're so adorable." He kissed her again before rubbing her nose with his own."Kirika...I love you."

"I love you too, Hamaguchi..." She smiled warmly, both of them holding each other in their arms.

"So much for keeping my hands to myself. Your brother is going to kill me."

"Meh, he'll have to deal with it."


"I have to admit, Shirabe-san. I didn't expect to have been this pushed by you today." Wei admitted sheepishly as they exited a coffee shop to get some coffee. Unbeknownst to them, Kirika and Hamaguchi were just a few blocks ahead of them. By the time they finished ice skating, it was late and the sun had long set. So Wei offered to walk Shirabe home. He knew she didn't need the protection, being a Symphogear and all. But his father taught him from a young age how to treat girls. And walking them home at night was one of the things he learned.

"I'm surprised as well. I work out every day but you were getting the best of me at times."

"I can tell. Your form is not from a beginner. Honestly, I started skating ever since I was a child as well. I came to learn that I'm fast on my feet. So I concentrated on things that involved that. I'm thankful for that since I was running for God knows how long that day..."

He remembered when he was running with Setsuan in his arms as Hajime's Fusion Form battled against Bragard, wreaking havoc in the city.

"But...I had left it all behind. My sister would often get me to start moving again. But I was too lazy. So when she passed away, I came back to my old hobbies. I know my sister and dad would have wanted me to move on. To not linger on my depression. So I've been going back to dancing and skating. Along with the part-time job your boss got me at the local post office and school, I'd say I keep my mind occupied."

"Do you...still go to therapy?" She asked carefully, not wanting to overstep his boundaries.

"Yes." He sighed."It's helped me tremendously. Thankfully, your boss got me one who is knowledgeable about this whole thing. So I didn't have to keep any secrets to myself. I let it all out. And it's helped, along with some medication to control my nerves. I can sleep at night with the lights off now. But sometimes...when I have nothing on my mind and I'm sitting in silence when my sleeping pill hasn't kicked in...I hear the screams. Of the day the clan was massacred. And when my family died in front of me. It will always be with me, I think. No matter what."

"You're safe now." Shirabe reassured him."I didn't know you were lonely. Why don't you come to hang out with us? You're more than welcome to."

"I...I would like that, I suppose. I have to keep moving forward. I'm sure Lingyun and Xiangling are doing their best too."

They stopped by a streetlight, waiting for the red light to turn green so they could cross the street.

"Shirabe-san...do you mind if I asked you a question?" He asked, looking ahead.

"Not at all." She replied softly, wanting to know what was on his mind.

"Do you think you're doing the right thing? By constantly fighting? That everything your doing is for a purpose and that one day, there will be peace and none of you will have to fight? Do you think your efforts make a difference? At all?"

Shirabe looked at his face, unreadable and blank. She thought about her reply for a bit before she spoke."Well, I don't know if my efforts are enough to change the world. I think...that not one person can do that. But together, we will continue fighting to make sure that everyone can live their lives in peace. So that they can choose what they want to do. I'm sure that one day, maybe not today, tomorrow, or a year from now. But one day, things will be better. I'm sure of it."

Wei shifted his gaze over to her, his pink eyes staring into her own. He then looked at his gloved hand, closing his eyes."I see. I sure hope you're right, Shirabe-san. I too want a day when that happens."

"Only a monster can have the power to change the world. You remember that's what Bragard did, right?"

"A monster..." He whispered under his breath.

"Wei-kun?" Shirabe grabbed his shoulder."Are you okay? The light is green."

Wei was brought back to reality with Shirabe's words and he apologized for spacing out. The two continued walking in silence. Not in an awkward sense, but simply enjoying each other's company without the need for words.


Kirika and Hamaguchi finally made it into the apartment complex and were heading toward her apartment. Once they got there, they heard boisterous laughter from inside.

"Huh? I didn't know we were going to have visitors today." Kirika mumbled, taking out her key and inserting it into the keyhole. Once they opened the door, they were met with a bizarre scene.

"You sly dog!" Seiko slurred, stuffing her mouth full of sushi."You said you sucked at shogi!"

"Don't let them know your next move, as they say." Jades hiccuped, holding a can of beer.

"Oh, hey! Look!" Seiko yelled, pointing at the door."The love birds are back!"

"What's going on here?" Hamaguchi asked his elder sister, who was embarrassed at Seiko's behavior.

"We were invited to spend the evening here and wait to pick you up. But Seiko got too comfortable and started drinking."

"I shouldn't have let her drink anything..." Chisa muttered.

"Hey, I couldn't turn down that drink!" She laughed."Jades-kun is a gentleman and a scholar. Inviting us for a drink and challenging me to a game of shogi. We bought a lot of sushi. Pretty expensive, but it doesn't hurt to break the bank once in a while."

"I was against the idea of them drinking but...they convinced me with this sushi." Maria admitted, taking a bite out of her sushi and smiling."It's really good."

"So...you're dating now, right?" Raiden pointed at their intertwined hands.

"Ah...Yeah, we are." Hamaguchi rubbed his nape sheepishly.

"Take care of her, alright?"

"Will do."

"Hamaguchi-kun!" Jades stood up from his seat, marching toward the couple, his cheeks blushed due to his drunken state. Kirika deadpanned at her brother, ready to protest to defend her boyfriend. However, he scooped him up in his arms and gave him a bear hug.

"Welcome to the family! You have my blessing!"

"I-I'm not asking your permission to marry her! We're just dating! But hey, thanks!"

"I know Jades was...a little quirky with you. But it was mostly because he was kind of having fun scaring you." Maria confessed, much to the boy's surprise.

"Huh...Didn't think he was that kind of guy."

"More often than not, older brothers tend to be tough and extra vigilant around their little sister's partners." Kagura said."Boys are a different matter. To be honest, we weren't that concerned about who you were dating."

"Geez, thanks a lot, Kagura-nee-sama." He sweatdropped.

"So, did you get the dorayaki?" Seiko asked.

"Sure did." He waited for Jades to drop him down, holding the two bags up. Seiko cheered, rushing toward her brother and snatching a bag away."W-what the-"

"I knew I could count on you, Hamaguchi." Seiko opened the bag, immediately starting to eat the dorayaki."This is delicious!"

"But I thought you bought them for them!"

"Oh, I did. That other bag is theirs."

"Seiko, did you have to lie to him so you could eat dorayaki?" Chisa sighed in exasperation.

"If I had asked him, he would have forgotten! So I lied and told him to get it for them! It worked like a charm!"

"I got the pictures by the way." Maria addressed the couple."They're cute. I can't wait to frame one of them."

"Where's Shirabe?" Raiden asked.

"Oh! We forgot about Shirabe-desu!"

"Forgot?"

"She was following us around for a bit." Hamaguchi supplied."Kind of like spying on us. We lost track of her when-"

"I'm home." Shirabe announced, closing the door behind her and Wei."Wei-kun said he needed to use the bathroom, so I said it was okay."

"Uh...Hi." He waved awkwardly.

"Wei-kun?" Maria gasped."I'm glad to see you. Were you hanging out with Shirabe?"

"We ran into each other at the arcade."He briefly explained."And we went ice skating next. We were about even, but I'd say I won this time."

"Fine. But I won't lose next time." She huffed, pouting."I'll beat your score."

"I'm looking forward to it. Anyway, if it's alright with you guys, I just need to go do number 1 and then I'll be on my way home."

"Nonsense!" Jades wrapped an arm around him."Come join us for dinner, Wei-kun! The more the merrier! And since you were kind enough to keep my youngest sister accompanied, then you're more than welcome."

"Ah...well, I don't know. I was just going to go home and eat a bento...box..." Wei thought about the offer. It had been ages since he had eaten a home-cooked meal. Up until that point, he had been eating solely processed foods."Sure...If you insist, I'll gladly take your offer."

"Alright!" Seiko cheered."Put on some damn music! I want to move my skeleton!"

"Gosh, why did we have to let her drink alcohol..." Kagura groaned at her sister's antics.

"Trust me, I feel the same way." Raiden rubbed his temples.


"Not much longer for the meeting today." Elfnein glanced at her wristwatch. She was currently in the command room sitting around with Aoi and Sakuya, enjoying a cup of coffee when someone went through the door.

"Bragi-chan!" Elfnein smiled upon seeing her nephew, walking over to him and pulling him for a hug."I was worried when you didn't come back last night."

"Sorry for worrying you, Auntie." He hugged her back, resting his head on top of hers due to the height difference."Hibiki-dono and Miku-dono offered me a place to sleep for the night and I couldn't turn down their offer. Hibiki-dono should be on her way for the meeting. But...I wanted to tell you something."

"Before that, I want you to tell ME something." She adopted a concerned expression, pulling back from the hug, still holding his hands."Why didn't you tell me you were being abused?"

"You never told anyone." Aoi said from the seat next to them."We didn't know. They fired all of those people, by the way. So you don't have go to through that ever again."

"Oh...that. I didn't want to worry you, Auntie..."

"How could you keep something like that from me, Bragi-chan...?" Her eyes began to water, and Bragi pulled her in for another hug.

"Auntie...I...At the time, I thought I deserved it. That this was the punishment for my mistakes. That I deserved all of that hate. Because I'm the son of Bragard. Because...I look like him. And I almost acted like him. But now...Miku-dono and Hibiki-dono helped me see past that. That even though I was created to be like him, I'm different. I am not Bragard. I am Bragi. This time, I'll do things my way. Not his. So...sorry for worrying you."

"No...I'm supposed to be looking after you. I'm your parent. I promised Carol I would look after you and yet I couldn't see you were struggling like this...I should have known..." Elfnein began to cry quietly, prompting Bragi to rub her back soothingly.

"Hey, it's okay, Auntie. You can't know everything. Neither can I. Plus, you had your own problems. No one knows everything." Bragi said, pulling back and bending his knees to be at her level."I thought I did too. That I was the perfect being. But now I don't want to be that. Because an Alchemist never stops learning. And we can still learn more about the world, right?"

"Yes. Yes, we can." She smiled, wiping her tears away.

"I love you, Auntie. Can I get a hug?"

"Of course you can!" She beamed, kissing him on the cheeks."You're my boy."

"I'm not a kid..." He grumbled, but purred upon feeling the hug."I keep thinking about Mama. I wonder if she were here, would she love me too? Or would she reject me?"

"I can tell you for sure she would love you. She lives on inside of me, after all. Maybe that's why I love you like you were my own child."

"And I love you like you were my Mama." He muttered as Elfnein soothingly rubbed the back of his head."I'll do my best. Everyone is counting on me and I'll respond to their expectations. I won't let my useless pride get the better of me like it did to the Second."

"I know. I know." She nodded, kissing him on the forehead. Aunt and Nephew pulled back from the hug and Bragi stood straight again. Elfnein frowned upon seeing his disheveled uniform and proceeded to fix it up a little.

"Can I tell you something? I guess you two as well, Tomosato-san and Fujitaka-san."

All three of them exchanged glances before turning to him, nodding in unison.

"I think I'm sick."

"Sick?" Aoi stopped what she was doing on her console, glancing over to the hybrid."But that's impossible. You can't get sick."

"Doesn't your healing factor constantly help you to keep away any type of virus?" Sakuya arched a brow.

"I thought so too. But yesterday night, I was feeling kind of weird."

Aoi blinked, grabbing a nearby clipboard and pen, taking her seat over to the hybrid, and sitting down in front of him."Okay. Tell us some of these symptoms."

"Well..." Bragi proceeded to tell them about how he had talked to Miku late at night and their conversation. Aoi had stopped jotting things down on her clipboard, perplexed. The more he spoke, the more shock Elfnein could relate to his "symptoms".

"So then...she smiled and I felt really weird. And I said something bizarre."

"What did you say?" Sakuya asked, eager to know.

"Well...I told her I was going to punch the Superstar, Hazuki Kaburagi, in the face for her." He said, rubbing his arm."I don't know why I said that. But she was so kind to me and very understanding. And...what he did to her has no forgiveness. She deserves better than what that bastard could offer us with his damn ideals."

"Bragi-kun, dear, you're not sick." Aoi chuckled, crossing her legs."You're in love with Miku-chan."

"Huh?" Bragi blinked in shock."Wait, what?"

'Woah...I feel the same way about Raiden-san...my tummy gets all tingly and my heart rate accelerates. And I was quite upset when Prelati kissed him...' Elfnein shook her head. This wasn't about her. This was about Bragi.

"I mean, you're in good health. And everything you told me is basically how a person who fell in love feels like." Aoi smiled at the monochrome-haired boy."There's nothing wrong with you. It's perfectly normal."

"Is it? Wasn't Miku-dono dating the Superstar?"

"Please, Kaburagi-kun made his choice." Sakuya interjected with a scoff."They broke up. He made it abundantly clear. So I'd say you have a good chance with Miku-chan."

"Ah...well, I don't know. I think she deserves better than me...I mean...I don't know."

"Well, you need to sort your feelings out. See how you feel as time goes by." Aoi encouraged him."Then you'll know for sure if you're in love with her or not. Just make sure no one else gets to her first."

Bragi nodded slowly, still processing what he had been told. Was he really in love with Miku-dono? But what did that mean exactly? What did he have to do? He wasn't sure, but Tomosato-dono was correct. He had to sort out his feelings first before anything. He wouldn't want to burden Miku with his conflicted feelings.

Suddenly, Genjuro marched through the door along with the others. The meeting was about to start.


Setsuna planted her fists on her hips, finishing decorating Hajime's hospital room and feeling a sense of pride. She had replaced the pot of flowers she had brought before with fresh ones, and brought new balloons that spell "Get well soon!"

She had taken it upon herself to decorate his room as much as possible. The nurse had told her that decoration could liven up the place and help with the atmosphere. As well as putting Hajime's favorite songs on, which were mostly Maria's songs. Talking to him also became a normal thing to her, even though he didn't reply. It had been tough going back to Tokyo after everything that transpired in Okinawa.

Fortunately, Hibiki had let her stay with her and Miku. And Miku had been kind enough to let her sleep with Hibiki. Being with her sister-in-law brought her so much comfort. It helped her sleep well at night. And the strength she needed to keep her hopes up.

"Uh..."

Setsuna froze in place, hearing the groan from behind her. She slowly turned around, coming face to face with Hajime, who was rubbing his bandaged head."No way..."

"My throat..." Hajime rubbed the cast around his neck, his vocal cords not having been used in some time. He shifted his gaze to the brown-haired girl in front of him, smiling."Setsuna..."

"HAJIME!"


Alas, Hajime is finally awake. I realized that a person who just woke up from a coma can't move well at first. So I decided to have him wake up now so he can continue healing his wounds and moving around for when he returns to action. Also, yes I changed some of the pairings. Miku and Bragi seem like a perfect match, even more so since I honestly don't see Hazuki having a good ending with her. Because of what he has done. And trust me, he will do a LOT more in the future.