Part 1:
An inevitable disaster approaches, but suddenly...
Chapter 9:
A reignited spark


Kana's POV:
Section Two HQ


Kana was wandering around Section Two, waiting for Hibiki to arrive with Miku. Moments prior, the three had made plans to show Miku around the base as well as the Astral Plane. "I wonder what's taking those two so long?" Kana says to herself before seeing Kanade standing in the hallway, "Hey Kanade-san! What're you doing?"

"Hm? Oh hey Kana-chan!" Kanade responds, noticing her fellow wielder, "I'm just waitin' on Tsubasa to finish up with her checkup. What about you? Usually you're off spending time with Serena or Hibiki-chan, so it's odd seeing you here alone."

"Well, actually I planned to show Miku around the headquarters with Hibiki today." Kana answers, "They should be here in a minute or two. Care if I wait around with you until then?"

"Sure." Kanade says with a shrug, motioning Kana to the seat next to her. "I'm sure you and Hibiki are glad to finally not have to hide this life from your friend anymore."

"Trust me, being able to tell the truth to our friend made reaching terminal velocity all the more worth it." Kana jokingly replies, causing both herself and Kanade to laugh. Shortly after this exchange, the door opens behind the two as Tsubasa steps out from it. "Hey Tsubasa-san!" The younger wielder calls out.

"Hello Kamui." Tsubasa replies, "Usually you're off with Serena or Tachibana, so it's a surprise to see you here by yourself, well, minus Kanade waiting for me."

"That's what I was saying!" Kanade adds, "But she said she's waiting on Hibiki-chan and their friend so they can show her around the base. By the way, what did the doctors say?"

"From what they told me, it seems that my injuries have fully healed up." Tsubasa says, "In short, I'm back and ready for more."

Kana and Kanade both smile from this news and embrace their friend in a hug, "Welcome back Tsubasa!" They respond.

The group decides to go tell the news to Serena and Ogawa, continuing their celebration of Tsubasa's return to the fight. As they were chatting amongst themselves, they hear the sound of two people approaching in the hallway: Miku and Hibiki. "Woah! Who'd have thought there'd be a secret base right under our school?" Miku said, amazed by the base. "Tsubasa-san!" Hibiki excitedly shouts, noticing the group and running towards them.

"Oh, Tachibana." Tsubasa replies, "And you must be the girl who wanted to help out."

"Nice to meet you." Miku says, respectfully bowing to Tsubasa, "I'm Miku Kohinata."

"She's my best friend." Hibiki proudly adds.

"I know Tachibana will be a huge pain as always," Tsubasa remarks to Miku, "but please help her as best you can."

"I'm sure Kana can vouch for me, but Hibiki's painful by nature." Miku answers, "It's something I've already come to accept."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Hibiki asks, confused by Miku's comment. "She's kidding, right Kana?" Kana shrugs in response, unable to deny Miku's claim.

"Looks like those two already found something they can agree on." Ogawa adds to the discussion, earning nods from the other people in the group, much to Hibiki's frustration.

"Gonna be honest though, it's weird being down here with Miku." Hibiki says, changing the subject.

"The Commander was able to pull some strings to get Kohinata registered as an external collaborator with Section Two." Tsubasa says, "However, there may still be a few inconveniences you'll run into."

"It was all explained to me earlier." Miku responds, "I'm fully aware of the implications of my work here. So please, don't worry about me."

"Speaking of the Commander," Hibiki adds, "Where is he?"

"Actually, we were just looking for him too." Kanade answers. "Maybe Boss' just on a personal errand?"

The group thinks about what Genjuro could be doing before another voice chimes in. "My-my, what a lovely little group we have here!" Ryoko says, "I'm always a sucker for some girl talk."

"While your interests are of no concern to me," Ogawa interjects, "It'd be nice if you didn't pretend that I don't exist here." Serena comforts her sensei, making him feel a bit better from her action.

"So you're into that stuff as well, Ryoko-san?" Hibiki childishly asks.

"Of course!" Ryoko proudly answers, "Why, listening to my epic tale of love will make you unable to sleep at all tonight."

"That makes it sound more like a horror story than a tale of love..." Miku retorts.

Hibiki however was entranced by Ryoko's words to really care about the latter half of her claim. "Ryoko's epic tale of love must be an amazing fairy tale! I can see it now! White knights and princesses and..." Hibiki rambled on, getting a sigh from the other wielders... mostly Tsubasa though.

"Very well." Ryoko says as she begins her story, "It's a tale from long ago. If you knew the depths of my passion back then, you would be shocked."

"Color me surprised." Tsubasa says, intrigued by Ryoko's story, "I figured you'd be too busy with your research to care about romance."

"It's like they always say: Life is short, so make the most of it!" Ryoko replies, "That, and the power of a girl's romance is truly amazing!" Ogawa smirks at Ryoko's comment, which earns him a punch in the face from the cheerful doctor. "Back in the day, the reason for my research on the relics was actually..." She stops herself from saying anymore, realizing she was caught up in the moment. However, the childish wonder on Hibiki and Miku caught her off guard, so she thought up an excuse to get herself out of the scenario. "Well, you know, there's just too much going on to stop and chat here..."

"But you were the one who came to cha-" Ogawa tries to interject before receiving a swift kick to the face.

This makes Serena worry for her Sensei, "Ogawa-sensei! Kana, come help him!"

"O-Oh! On my way!" Kana replies, snapping back to reality from her childish fantasies of Ryoko's lovelife with her peers.

"In the end, it comes down to the purity of your heart!" Ryoko continues, much to the background chatter of Kana and Serena helping Ogawa. "You girls need to get out there and go on your own epic tale of love! Well then, Bye-bye!"

"We didn't even get to hear her story..." Miku solemnly states.

"It's gonna be tough to get secrets out of that one." Hibiki adds, "But you better believe I'll get it out of her some day!"

"But daaaamn..." Kanade says with surprise, "She sure roughed up Ogawa-san with those two hits alone." The group looks over, sharing Kanade's smirk to Ogawa's unfortunate circumstance with Kana and Serena frantically trying to heal him.


Genjuro's POV:
The Suburbs


Absent from Section Two, Genjuro was out on his own mission: finding and confronting Chris Yukine. After a quick stop at a convenience store, he went to the location he figured she would be hiding in, an abandoned apartment complex.

Searching the rooms, he eventually heard the sound of a pained whince, which lead him straight to Chris' makeshift hideout. Opening the door, he heard the sounds of footsteps and rustling sheets. Figuring Chris was ready to strike, he quickly extended his arm with bags of food in his hand, "It's me." He quickly announced as he entered the room, "I didn't bring anyone else. I'm completely on my own." Chris quickly fixed her stance, not buying Genjuro's words, "I'm the only one left to take care of you."

"How the hell did you find me?" Chris asked, her guard still up as Genjuro sat down.

"I used to work in the secret service, so I'm used to this." Genjuro answers, lifting the bags next to him, "I brought food." Chris' stomach grumbles again, but she refuses to drop her guard. Seeing this, Genjuro pulls out the food he brought for Chris and takes a bit into it, "I can assure you, it's not poisoned." Chris quickly grabs the food from the Commander's hand.

"The violinist Masanori Yukine and his wife, singer Sonette-Yomi Yukine were supporting refugees as members of an NGO, during which, they were caught in the middle of a battle and were killed eight years ago. Their only daughter was also reported as missing." Genjuro states, "That's when the UN Army's Valverde intervention changed the situation, saving that missing girl from the claws of a local group," he stops to take a sip of a carton of milk before handing it to Chris, "transporting her to Japan soon after."

"Someone's been doing their homework." Chris retorts, grabbing the milk from Genjuro's hand. "But I'm sick of dealing with scheming adults like you."

"At the time, we were looking all over the world of professional music, finding anyone who would be capable of wielding a Symphogear relic." Genjuro continued, "So I volunteered to take care of the orphaned girl."

"Hmph. Well aren't you just a saint." Chris retorted again, taking a drink from the carton.

"The moment the girl arrived in Japan however, she vanished." Genjuro continued again, "In short, we panicked. Section Two tried to do what they could to help find her, but most of the people involved in the investigation were either killed or went missing, causing us to close the case."

"Enough already! What do you want from me?" Chris angrily asked, tired of hearing her life story from someone she hardly knew.

"What I want is to help you." Genjuro firmly answers, taking Chris by surprise. "It's an adult's duty to finish what they've started."

Chris hysterically scoffs at Genjuro, "An adult's duty? I never asked for any of that! None of you adults helped me before, so why start Now?!" Throwing the now empty milk carton aside, Chris jumps through the window, using her Ichaival to quickly escape Genjuro, slightly regretting her choice to leave.

Genjuro sighs, wishing Chris would be more cooperative than she was. As he went to leave, he noticed a dagger amongst the trash where Chris stood, "How did this get here? I'll have to confront Kana about this and see if she knows anything."


Miku's POV:
Section Two


After Ogawa was healed, Kana and the others showed Miku around the base, still unable to find Genjuro. "Seems the Commander still isn't back yet." Ogawa states.

"I still need to report my medical checkup results to him..." Tsubasa replies.

"We also need to head out soon," Serena adds, "There's still much that needs to get done today."

"You're already back to work?" Hibiki asks.

Tsubasa nods, "A little. I'm still getting used to it at the moment."

"So, your schedule isn't too crazy currently?" Hibiki asks, much to Tsubasa confusion, "Then how about you, Miku and I hang out?" Tsubasa is hesitant, but after some reassurance from her partner and their high school friend, she agrees. "Alright! It's a date!" Hibiki happily cheers, the phrasing of her words surprising Tsubasa.

"I'd join you three, but I already promised Serena that I'd spend time with her and Kanade tomorrow." Kana says, knowing Hibiki would try to invite her. With the plans settled, Serena, Ogawa, Kanade, and Tsubasa make their leave. "So, you enjoying the tour of Section Two's HQ Miku?"

"I must admit, it's a really nice place." Miku answers, "But I've been meaning to ask you something Kana. Why didn't you just walk back to your dorm last night? Where did you and Lilith-san go?"

Kana smiles, "Well, long story short, my dorm at Lydian is more or less a cover so people don't get suspicious of me." This confuses Miku even more. "My actual room is technically located here at HQ. Let me show you what I mean." Saying this, Kana leads the girls to a portal to the Astral Plane.


Astral Plane


Once inside the portal, Miku is shocked by what she sees, a fortress and several other buildings all surrounded by a stone wall. "What is this place?" Miku asks in amazement.

"This is the Astral Plane." Hibiki answers, "Lilith-san's relic made it possible for her to open a portal to this place and Kana's been living here with Serena-san and Lilith-san for years."

"Exactly." Kana adds, "Just like at HQ, there's a portal hidden in my room that I use to sneak into here at night. Let me show you around." Kana proceeds to show her friends her true home, some of the places they went even amazing Hibiki.

"Honestly Kana, I'm jealous that you two have been working alongside THE Zwei Wing all this time." Miku says, "Not to mention that you live in such an amazing place." Kana blushes at the complement of her home

"I mean... if you guys ever need another place to stay, I'm more than happy to ask Lilith." Kana says, "This place has a few empty rooms that could be used for people."

Miku giggles at her friend's offer, "I was just messing with you Kana." She replies, "I'm sure our dorm at Lydian is good for now, but thanks for the offer."

Kana shrugs with a smirk, "Okay. But if you ever change your minds, let me know."

"I'll be sure to." Miku says, Hibiki nodding in agreement. "Anyways, it's getting late. We should probably get going. See you later Kana." The friends share their goodbyes as Kana sees them off through the portal, heading to her room to sleep right after.


Kanade's POV:
Astral Plane


The next day, Kanade came to the Astral Plane as planned by herself, Kana, and Serena. "Yo! Anyone home?" Kanade said, calling out for her friends.

The first to come rushing out was Kana, followed by Serena who walked out. "Heya Kanade-san!" Kana happily greeted. "Ready to spar?"

Kanade looked at Kana and couldn't help but chuckle, "Someone's excited." Kanade remarked. "Better not hold back on me now, got it?"

"Loud and clear Kanade-san!" Kana replied, as the three headed towards the training grounds. Their sparring match was intense. Both wielders were able to get an edge over the other for brief periods of time before they found an opening to counter. All the while, Serena watched her friend and her sister from the sidelines, waiting to hear back from Ogawa for any Zwei Wing news. "Not gonna lie Kanade-san, you sure are incredible with your Gungnir." The Yato wielder complimented.

"You're not so bad yourself." Kanade complimented in return, rushing at Kana right after. After a few more minutes of combat, both wielders fell to the ground, exhausted from their fight. "That... Was a great fight..." Kanade said, catching her breath. "Feels nice to let off some steam after all of the stuff we had to do yesterday."

"Speaking of that 'stuff' Kanade," Serena interjects. "Ogawa-san just got word back from the Popstar Music Festival. They were able to fit Zwei Wing into the lineup!"

Hearing this news makes Kanade smile, "That's incredible! I was a little worried they wouldn't be able to fit us in, considering how close to time it was." Kana is confused as to what the two are talking about, a gesture Kanade is quick to pick up on. "Oh right! You guys we're told yet. After we left the base yesterday, we went to speak with the people running Popstar Music Festival to try and get Zwei Wing in the lineup. It's supposed to happen 11 days from today."

Now fully aware of what's going on, Kana lights up with joy, "That's amazing news! Does Tsubasa know?"

"Not yet. We only just got the confirmation news now." Kanade answers, "I'll tell her after her date with Hibiki-chan and Miku-chan."

"And before you ask Kana," Serena adds, "You, Hibiki-chan, and Miku-chan will get tickets to the show. So no need to worry there." Serena hands Kana a ticket to the show, "Ogawa showed up while you were in the middle of your match and dropped this off for you."

Looking over the ticket, Kana is able to recognize one specific detail about it: The concert hall. "I can tell by that look in your eyes that you're thinking about that day two years ago when... that happened." Kanade says, remembering the tragedy that occurred then. "I'm sure Tsubasa and Hibiki-chan also have less than favorable memories of that day too. If anything, I feel like that was the day Tsubasa became more focused on being a protector than a singer. But, I feel like she's softened up a bit after she recovered from using her Superb Song."

Kana grins, "I don't think even that would stop her whole 'I'm a sword' spiel." She says, impersonating Tsubasa, getting a chuckle from the others. "But I feel like this concert could help her a lot, if you know what I mean."

"Exactly." Kanade says, "She really needs this concert to be a good one..."

"Don't worry Kanade." Kana reassures the singer, "Even if Noise show up, I swear I won't allow them to interfere with that concert."

Kanade grins, "Just make sure not to do anything reckless, you got that?"

"Loud and clear, Kanade-san!" Kana replies, happy to have Kanade's trust in her. "Well then, shall we get back to sparring?"

"Definitely!" Kanade excitedly cheers, "Serena! Come join us!"

Serena nods, walking into the training grounds' arena, "Just don't go crying when I beat you both with everything I've got!" Smirking at her banter, the three charge at one another, ready to hold nothing back.


Kana and Hibiki/Zwei Wing's POVs:
The day of Zwei Wing's performance


Concert Hall


The singers of Zwei Wing and their managers, Ogawa and Serena, were walking backstage, preparing for a performance that would help them overcome their unfortunate past with this place. "I'd say that was a great rehearsal." Kanade proudly remarks, "Wouldn't you agree Tsubasa?" Tsubasa nods in agreement.

Suddenly, clapping could be heard ahead of them, the source of the clapping was a man in a light grey suit with a dark blond beard. "It's Tony Glazer!" Ogawa said, recognizing the man. The rest of the group was confused as to who he was, Ogawa was quick to explain, "He's Metro Music's producer. He also was the man who offered to bring you two onto the international stage."

"Your managers wouldn't agree to my offer, so I came to negotiate with you two directly." Mr. Glazer says.

"With all due respect Mr. Glazer, it would be best to discuss this through official channels..." Ogawa says before being cut off by Tsubasa stopping him, confusing himself as well as Serena and Kanade.

"Could we have some time to think about it?" Tsubasa asks, confusing the group more, but intriguing Tony Glazer.

"So you're reconsidering?" Mr. Glazer asks, only receiving Tsubasa's quiet but determined gaze. "Very well. I look forward to your answer. As well as tonight's show." With the negotiation ended, Mr. Glazer left to return to the concert hall, patiently waiting for Zwei Wing's answer to his offer. Kanade couldn't help but grin, having a good feeling she knows Tsubasa's answer to the offer, an answer she's waited to hear for months.


Road to the Concert Hall


Meanwhile, Kana and Hibiki rushed down the street, "Even though we got free tickets, we're gonna be late..." Hibiki said, before stopping suddenly.

"What's the hold up?" Kana asks. Before she gets an answer from Hibiki, her phone rings. Genjuro called both of them from base.

"This is Hibiki, reporting in." Hibiki states, "Kana is currently with me."

"We've detected signs that the Noise are emerging." Genjuro reports, "I'm getting in touch with Tsubasa and the others." Hibiki is quick to stop the commander, "Is something wrong?"

"Let Kana and I handle this." Hibiki requests, "I want to let Tsubasa fight her own battle tonight. I want to let her and Kanade-san sing that show to the end. Please!"

Genjuro is surprised but the request, realizing why Hibiki wants Tsubasa to sing. This makes him grin, seeing his students take on a big challenge for their friends, "Can the two of you handle this?" Genjuro asks.

"You can count on us!" Hibiki responds, hanging up her phone soon after. "Let's go make sure Zwei Wing can sing uninterrupted, Kana!" Kana nods, following Hibiki to the location the Noise were spotted, transforming once out of view of any pedestrians.


Factory/Concert Hall


(FLIGHT FEATHERS begins to play)

As the concert begins, Hibiki and Kana rush to where the Noise were located, seeing Chris being overwhelmed by the horde. Quickly, Kana activated her augmentation ability, boosting herself and Hibiki and saving Chris from a nearly fatal attack. "You okay Chris-san?" Kana asks, getting a scoff from Chris. "It's good to see you too..."

While Kana is helping Chris, Hibiki dashes into the horde of Noise, making quick work of the smaller Noise. Suddenly, several flying Noise dive towards Hibiki, but are quickly destroyed by Chris' bullets. "Now we're even!" she says, getting a smirk from Hibiki "and when the hell did you change your outfit?"

Kana is quick to notice that her once yellow augmentation was now a bright red with matching crossbows similar to chris' "It's a long story." Kana answers before turning to Hibiki, "Take care of the Noise up front. Chris-san and I will provide you with assistance from afar. Let's go Chris-san!"

"Don't order me around!" Chris retorts. Hibiki chuckles at the two before agreeing with Kana's plan and charging back into the fray.

Meanwhile, Kanade and Tsubasa are putting on a show for the entire concert hall, Miku and Mr. Glazer being amongst the crowd of people. Kanade notices Tsubasa during their song, for the first time in years, Tsubasa is singing for the fun of it, and not as a blade that protects the public. "I missed this side of you, Tsubasa." Kanade said to herself, "Hibiki-chan and Kana-chan have had a major impact on your life. For that, I am grateful."

Back to the factory, Hibiki does what she can to dodge the giant Noise's attacks, seeing her struggles, Kana comes up with a plan. "Hibiki! Try and find a way to throw off that thing's balance and go in for the finishing blow!" she shouts. Hibiki nods, dodging another attack from the Noise. While in the air, she readies her gauntlet and punches the ground, throwing off the Noise's balance. "That's it!" Kana excitedly shouts, transforming into her augmentation to boost Hibiki's next attack, "Now finish it!"

Feeling the power from Kana, Hibiki pulls back her gauntlet once more, but this time she pulls it even further back than before, nearly all the way to her shoulder. "Let's end this!" Hibiki shouts, using her gear to propel herself towards her enemy while her allies do what they can to clear the path for her. Thanks to their efforts, Hibiki lands her strongest punch yet, obliterating the Noise entirely. Once the dust settles, Kana rushes over to her friend, both celebrating their victory. "We did it Kana! Wait. Where's Chris-chan?"

"Huh? She's right behi-" Kana looks behind her to see Chris has disappeared. "Guess she's not the celebratory type." Kana says with a sigh, saddened that Chris still doesn't see them as allies yet. However, she wasn't going to let that get her down. She accomplished her promise to Kanade and that's what should matter for now. "Come on. Let's go report back to Genjuro-sensei." Hibiki nods as the two leave to return to HQ.

After Chris was far from their sight, something she made sure to check twice for knowing Kana's strange abilities, she let out her anger in a nearby alleyway. "They're the enemy! So why did I help them?" When her rage ends, she falls to her knees, cursing out Finé for betraying her while still reeling from a sharp pain in her side.

Back at the concert hall, Zwei Wing's song finishes and the crowd is ecstatic. "Thank you, everyone!" Tsubasa says to the audience. "It was wonderful to put my all into our songs once again!" The crowd cheers again. "It's been too long since I felt like this. I almost forgot what it was like. But now I remember how much I love to sing! I love to sing for everyone who comes to hear us!" Kanade smiles, happy to see Tsubasa genuinely smiling again. "You may have heard that we received an offer to sing overseas. Once, I wasn't sure why I even sang at all... But now, I know that I want our songs to reach as many people as possible! Even if they may not understand the words, as long as there's something I can convey through our songs, I want to sing for all the people of the world!" The crowd cheers on Tsubasa once more, happy for her resolve as a singer. "I kept on singing with the belief that our songs could help others, but now, I want to sing for myself as well. I love singing! It's the one thing I want for myself, so I ask this of you now. Please allow me to sing."

Suddenly, Tsubasa feels a hand on her shoulder: Kanade's hand, "Of course they'll allow you to sing." She says with a smile on her face before turning to the crowd, "Isn't that right everybody?"

As if to answer Kanade, the crowd cheered again, encouraging Tsubasa to follow her dream. Seeing her dream be answered, Tsubasa couldn't help but tear up. "Thank you!" She replies, trying as hard as she can to keep her composure.

As the concert was finishing up, with his answer from Zwei Wing, Mr. Glazer makes his exit while the crowd was still watching the performers. "Mr. Glazer!" A voice called out from behind him. When he turned around, he was met with the assistant manager of Zwei Wing, Serena.

"If you'll excuse me, I must be off." Mr. Glazer responds, "The way I see it, things are going to get pretty hectic from here on."

"All I ask is that you're able to make their dream a reality." Serena says, bowing respectfully. Mr. Glazer smiles before waving goodbye as he heads for the exit to the concert hall.


Kana's POV:
Section Two HQ


The next day, Kana enters the command center, where Genjuro is waiting for her. "You called for me Commander?"

"Kana-kun. Glad you could make it." Genjuro says, happy to see his student and comrade, "Apologies for the sudden request, but your assistance is needed for a mission."

"No need to worry sir." Kana interjects, "I'm happy to help whenever, but it is odd to ask for just me out of nowhere."

"The reason for that is due to your recent encounter with Finé." Genjuro answers Kana's confusion, "I have reason to believe that Finé herself has been hiding amongst us for quite some time now. While I'm not completely certain, her recent behavior has left her as a prime suspect. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about."

Kana thinks about Genjuro's words, before it eventually clicks, "No... You mean that..."

"Until further notice, this is to be kept between the two of us." Genjuro says, getting a nod from Kana, "As I said, there's not enough solid proof that it's her, which brings me to why I brought you here alone. You've been to Finé's base of operations. I need you to help us find it and gather any intel we can on Finé."

"Of course I'll help!" Kana happily replies, "Wait, we're going to Finé's base alone? Isn't that dangerous?"

"It would be, yes." Genjuro answers, "But we'll have some backup to help with gathering intel."

As he says this, Serena, Ogawa, and several agents enter the room. "We're ready to head out as soon as you two are." Serena says, "Thanks again for joining us for this, Kana."

"Indeed. This whole operation is thanks to you following Chris-kun after your fight." Genjuro says before turning to the agents, "Kana-kun will be leading us straight to Finé's headquarters. We don't know what could be waiting for us once we get there, so be sure to stay alert when we arrive!" After the agents respond, Genjuro turns to Kana again, "We will follow you, Kana-kun. Are you ready?"

"Yes, sir!" Kana answers. With that settled, the group heads out of the base and follows Kana, who transforms into her Symphogear, to the headquarters of their enemy.

A/N: Not much to add this time around, but trust me, the last few chapters of Part 1 will be interesting to say the least.

With that said, I shall see you all in the Next chapter!