Part 1:
Chapter 13:
An inevitable disaster approaches, but suddenly...


Kana's POV:
Destroyed Lydian


Following the fight with Finé, Hibiki took it upon herself to look to see if Finé was still alive. Upon finding her, Hibiki brought her back to the others. "There's something wrong with you... You know that?" Finé asks.

"So that's why Hibiki ran off." Kana says to the others.

"What a screwball..." Chris says, chuckling at Hibiki's persistence.

"I get that a lot." Hibiki says, answering Finé as she helps her sit down. "Even my friends, especially my best friend, tells me I'm weird." Placing Finé down on a nearby boulder, she looks at the sun setting over the city. Despite all of the damage caused to it, the people were all safe in the bunkers underground. "Let's end things here, Ryoko-san."

"I am Finé..." Finé retorts.

"Yeah, but Ryoko-san is Ryoko-san..." Hibiki replies, much to Finé's annoyance, "Regardless, I'm sure we can still understand one another."

"The Noise were created by the mankind of ancient times." Finé says as she stands up, finally recovering enough strength to do so. "When we lost our common tongue, we chose to raise our hands in war rather than join them together. Tell me, how could mankind even dream of understanding one another?"

"So... Humans created the Noise..." Hibiki mutters, shocked by the Noise's true origin.

"It was because of those decisions that I was forced down this path!" Finé continues, clutching the Nehushtan Armor's vine in her hand.

Seeing this action, Chris began to ready herself to fight Finé once more, but the others held her back, leaving this up to Hibiki. For what felt like minutes, all was quiet. "We don't need words to understand each other!" Hibiki said, breaking the silence. "There are other ways to strengthen our bonds."

Finé stayed silent, taking a deep breath before anything else. Suddenly, Finé lashes out one last time at Hibiki, who dodges the vine and dashes straight towards Finé, stopping her fist inches from her chest. "Fool! Victory is mine!" Finé shouts.

In that moment, everyone realized that Hibiki wasn't the target of Finé's attack, but rather the fragment of the moon blown off by the Kadingir. "Has she lost her mind?!" Kanade asks.

Once the vine connects with the fragment, Finé uses all of her remaining strength to pull it down towards the surface of the planet, destroying the Nehushtan Armor in the process. "Completely." Kana says, answering Kanade's question.

"I shall bring down that fragment of the Moon!" Finé says psychotically. "With it, I will erase all who dared to get in the way of my dream from the face of the planet!" Everyone looked in horror as the Moon fragment began to fall to the Earth. "This vessel may perish along with you all, but my soul shall live on! As long as a relic with the potential to emit an Aufwachen waveform still exists, I shall return as many times as I please! No matter where or when I return, the next time I return, I shall reign over all! I am the eternal priestess, locked in perfect solitude... Finé!"

Hibiki snaps Finé out of her psychotic laughter by lightly tapping Finé on the chest, which catches the priestess off guard. "That's right. Wherever or whenever you return, and however many times you choose, I want you to pass on a message for me: 'You don't need strength to unite the world. We can all come together with more than just words. Even in the future, we can join our hands in unity!' I won't be around to deliver that message myself. But you Ryoko-san, you will be there!"

Finé sat speechless at Hibiki's request, before processing why she gave it to her, "Don't tell me..."

"However, before I can entrust you with the future, I first need to protect the present!" Hibiki interjects.

Finé could tell that Hibiki's mind was made up and nothing would stop her. "You really are such a hopeless girl." Finé says as Ryoko, giving her one last goodbye by poking her chest as she always used to. "Believe in the song in your heart." With these final words and the last of her energy spent, Finé turns to dust. Despite everything, the wielders and the agents of Section Two mourned the loss of one of their greatest allies. Even Chris, who despised Finé with every fiber of her being, couldn't help but cry at the loss of one of the first people to actually care for her, even if it was for ulterior means.

Having no time to properly mourn their loss, the Agents quickly turn their attention to the disaster approaching them. "I've managed to calculate the trajectory." Sakuya reports, "It seems that a direct impact is inevitable."

"When that thing reaches the ground, we're all done for..." Serena adds.

"You mean if that thing falls here..." Hibiki retorts, walking ahead of the group.

"Hibiki? What are you doing?" Miku asks.

"I'm going to stop it. Somehow." Hibiki answers.

"You're kidding right, Hibiki?" Kana asked. "Even with this new power, I highly doubt it's enough to take care of a literal meteor." Hibiki didn't answer, she just looked back at Kana with determination in her eyes. Kana immediately feared the worst. "No... Hibiki, that's insane!"

"I'll be right back. So don't give up on living!" Hibiki replied, flying off into the direction of the Moon fragment. Everyone on the ground watched in confusion, except Kana and Miku who knew exactly what she was going to do, sing her Superb Song


"Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal"


"What is she thinking?!" Kanade asks.

"To sing her Superb Song on a threat like this... Will it even work?" Serena asks.


"Emustolronzen Finé el balal zizzl"


"Hmph. She wants to be the hero that badly, eh?" Chris mutters, catching Kana's attention.

Without warning, Chris and Tsubasa start to fly towards Hibiki. "Tsubasa!/Chris-san!" Kanade and Kana shout.


"Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal"


"Has everyone just lost their damn minds today?!" Kanade shouts in frustration. "Was this really the only solution we have?!"

In that moment, Kana remembers something from earlier, her ease with transforming into her augmentation of Ame no Habakiri. "I might have another one."


"Emustolronzen Finé el zizzl"


Quickly testing her theory, Kana managed to activate her augmentation of Kanade's Gungnir, and then adds Serena's Airgetlám on top of it. "Perfect! I have a plan then." Kana says, turning to the other wielders on the ground. "I need you both to let me have all the remaining energy you currently have in your gears."

"Why?" Kanade asks, "You're not planning on joining in their suicidal plan are you?"

"The opposite actually, I'm going to send them all of our energy in hopes of ensuring that they don't die from the Superb Song." Kana answers, getting confused looks from everyone. "There's no time to explain it! I need you to trust me. I'm not about to lose Chris-san again! I'm sure you don't want the others to die either too don't you?!"

As much as they would've liked an explanation, Kana was right, there was no time. "Very well." Kanade says as herself and Serena hand over their energy, reverting back into their normal clothes. "This better work, Kana-chan!"

(First Love Song begins to play)

Kana nods, taking in all of the energy from her friends. At first, Kana struggles to control the energy, but she improvises by transforming into her dragon form once more, scaring everyone. "Don't worry." Kana says, reassuring everyone, "Unlike before, I have control of myself. Now then, here goes!" Kana deactivates her augmentations on Kanade and Serena, letting out a huge roar as she activates all three of Hibiki's Gungnir, Tsubasa's Ame no Habakiri, and Chris' Ichaival augmentations.

"This power, that can only mean one thing." Hibiki says, noticing that her power grew even though she was already giving her all.

"Hibiki! We're giving you three all of our energy, so you better come back!" Kana says telepathically.

Chris chuckles, "That girl doesn't know when to quit, does she?"

"In a way, Yukine, we're no different." Tsubasa retorts.

"You've got a point." Chris says in agreement.

"We better not disappoint. Let's finish this! Full throttle!" Hibiki shouts, Chris and Tsubasa nodding in agreement, charging straight at the Moon fragment. On their way, the three wielders reflect back on everything that brought them to this point, thankful to have been able to meet one another. Reaching the falling meteor, the three prepare their strongest attacks to destroy the Moon fragment. "This is our Superb Song!" Letting out one last yell, the three wielders unleash their full power on the fragment, obliterating it in an instant.

Back on the ground, everyone looks on at the bright explosion caused by the three wielders as Kana reverts back into her human form. "We did it!" Kana says telepathically, hoping for a response. "Hibiki? Tsubasa-san? C-Chris-san?" No response. "Please! Say something you three!" Still nothing. Kana fears the worst has come to pass, transforming out of her Yato Symphogear, losing any ability to get any answer back from the others, and falling to her knees. "I failed..." she whispered, tears choking up her words.

"Kana? The plan worked right?" Miku asked.

Kana didn't say anything, she just hugged Miku. "I'm so sorry, Miku." She said, "I've failed..." Everyone sat speechless, tears rolling down their faces.

"No... Then Hibiki's..." Miku couldn't finish her words as she too began to be choked up in her own tears.

"I refuse to accept it!" Serena shouts, catching everyone's attention, "They have to be alive, I just know it."

Kana wanted to believe her elder sister, but couldn't bring herself to do so. That's when Genjuro stepped up. "Serena-kun's right. Knowing Hibiki-kun, she wouldn't just lie to us all." Genjuro says, turning to the agents, "Surely they're out there somewhere! Search everywhere!" The agents nod, immediately heading off to search for any sign of Hibiki, Tsubasa, or Chris. "Kana-kun, you've all done outstanding today. Now, it's time for us to return the favor and find them. You all deserve some rest for now." Saying this, Genjuro takes his leave to help in the search.

"I'm sure they're still alive, Kana. We just have to believe for now." Lilith says, reassuring Kana. "Before I join them, you four are more than welcome to stay with Kana, Serena, and I until Lydian reopens." The friends accept the offer graciously.

Kana stands up and wipes the tears from her eyes, "You're right. All we can do now is hope." She says, still consoling the grieving Miku. "Let's get you all settled in at the Astral Plane. Lilith, if you could?" Lilith nods, teleporting the group of emotionally exhausted teens to their temporary living space so they could get some rest.


Miku's POV:
City Graveyard


Three weeks later, Section Two's searches proved fruitless. Without any results, Genjuro called off the searches, telling the girls that Chris, Hibiki, and Tsubasa would not be considered Missing In Action, but rather that they were dead. This news heavily impacted Kana and Miku the most. Miku requested for there to be a grave for Hibiki, but due to how classified the details of all of this was, she was not allowed to have her name on the tombstone, saying it would draw less suspicions from abroad. Miku would agree to this, as long as he would put a picture of Hibiki on the grave for her. "Thank you again for accompanying me here, Kana." Miku says. "I know it's been tough on you too. You and Chris were really close despite how long you knew each other."

Kana gave a half smile to her friend. "Yeah... I'm glad Genjuro-sensei allowed us to put something there to remember them by." She said. Even with everything, Kana did her best to keep a brave face around her friends. It was only here that Kana truly allowed Miku to see how she truly felt.

Once they reached the grave with the photo of Hibiki, Miku placed the flowers she brought with her in front of it, grabbing onto Kana as she began to cry. "I wish they could still be here with us..." Miku says, crying onto Kana's shoulder. "I hate... I hate that they can't be here with us anymore..."

Kana sat there as she allowed her friend to let it all out. Once she finished, Kana heard a scream nearby. "Miku? You heard that too right?"

"That sounded close." Miku says, wiping the tears off her face. "Let's hurry!" Kana nodded, leading the way.

Once they reached the entrance of the Graveyard, they saw a woman who crashed her car into a nearby lamppost who was getting surrounded by Noise. "If you can get her as far away as you can from the Noise, I can deal with them easily." Kana said to Miku, who instantly agreed to the plan.

Miku rushed down to the woman, grabbing her arm and taking her to safety. "Don't worry, we're here to help." She says, reassuring the woman. "They're all yours Kana!" Miku says as she pass by her.

"As long as you stay alive, that's all I care about." Kana said, seeing Miku and the woman off. "Now then, to take out the trash!" Kana transformed and rushed at the Noise, holding nothing back.

Miku and the woman ran as far away from the Noise as they could. Suddenly, the woman collapsed, unable to keep running. "Please! Don't give up!" Miku says, "We're almost to safety, so plea-" Miku was suddenly caught off guard as more Noise showed up out of nowhere. Out of options, Miku decided to try and use herself as a human shield, protecting the woman from the Noise. "Kana, Serena, Kanade, anyone, please help me!" Miku said to herself, praying that someone would arrive to save her. As if to have her prayers answered, the Noise were suddenly annihilated in front of her. "That was close... Thank you Kana!" Miku said with a sigh of relief.

"Miku! Are you okay?" Kana asked arriving just as the dust settled.

"What do you mean? You just destroyed those Noise, didn't you?" Miku asked in response.

"Not those ones, no." Kana answered, suddenly going from worry to happiness, "But they might know who did." Kana pointed to the other side of the road where three silhouettes stood. Once the light around them dissipated, Miku's eyes grew wide in shock at who she saw: Hibiki, Tsubasa, and Chris.

"I'm sorry Miku." Hibiki said, "There were a lot of secrets that I needed to keep. Once again, we had to keep the truth from you." Miku couldn't care less about that at the moment, she was too happy to see her best friend alive to be angry, and even when she was angry, all she did was hug Hibiki tighter, causing everyone else to chuckle as Hibiki struggled to break free.

Later that night, Miku, Hibiki, and Kana all watched the meteor shower as they promised to months ago. While watching them, Miku remembered something Hibiki said, "Wait. Hibiki, when you said 'we' earlier, who else were you referring to?" Miku asked, getting the shy answer of Hibiki pointing to Kana. "You knew she was alive? When?"

"It's a long story..." Kana chuckled, but Miku was not joking around. "Okay! Okay! I'll explain!"


Kana's POV:
Flashback:
Genjuro's residence


One week after the search began, Kana continued her training with Genjuro. However, Genjuro was able to notice many flaws in Kana's form as she trained. "Is something on your mind, Kana-kun?" He asked.

Kana sighs, "It's just... It's been over a week already and there's been no sign of any of them... I'm starting to fear the worst, Genjuro-sensei."

Genjuro wants to reassure his student that everything's fine, but he decides that she deserves the truth more than anyone. "Kana-kun, there's something I need to show you." He said, getting Kana's full attention. "It's classified so I'll need you to promise not to say anything."

"Of course Sensei. My lips are sealed." Kana says, "Where are we going?"

"Well... that's the thing, I can't tell you." Genjuro answers, "It's highly classified information, so I can't let you see where it is, but I can take you there." Kana is confused by this, but chooses to trust her teacher's word, covering her eyes with a blindfold and being escorted by Genjuro to this secret location.


?


After a long car ride, Kana was escorted to a room where Genjuro's classified secret was located. "We're here, Kana-kun." Genjuro said, "You may take off your blindfold."

"Yes, sir." Kana replied, "So what is this secret you wanted to te-!" Kana couldn't believe what she saw, or rather, who she saw, "Please tell me this isn't a twisted joke."

"Your eyes aren't deceiving you, Kamui." Tsubasa answered. "We're still alive."

"Kana! It's so good to see you!" Hibiki said, hugging her friend. "I missed you and Miku and everyone else so much! How is Miku? She is doing well, right?"

Kana chuckled, crying tears of joy, "Miku's fine Hibiki. She's been keeping hope on seeing you again soon. Speaking of, why are you guys locked away in some random facility?"

"Until everyone's had enough time to deal with all that's happened, the Commander wanted to act as if we've gone missing in order to safeguard against the unexpected." Tsubasa answered.

"I mean, that does make sense." Kana said, "Wait, if you two are here, does that mean...?"

"Good grief! What's with all of the shouting, you idiot!" Chris says angrily. "Is it so hard to ask for some damn peace and quiet for five mi-" Chris is cut off by a sudden but strong hug from Kana.

"Chris-san!" Kana exclaimed through tears, "I'm so happy you're alive! When you three didn't answer me, I was so afraid that you all died, again!"

"Can't... Breathe..." Chris gasped, trying to break free of the strong grip of Kana, who immediately let go upon hearing the gasps. "It's good... to see you... too... Geez, maybe a warning next time you do that?"

"Sorry about that, Chris-san." Kana apologizes.

"And enough of the 'Chris-san' crap." Chris lectures, "We're practically the same age, so stop talking to me like I'm your elder!"

"Sure thing, Chris." Kana says, "Sorry again about the-" Chris stops Kana from apologizing again.

"I figured it was better that you knew, seeing the other wielders already managed to meet up with them as well." Genjuro says, "However, I have to ask that you don't tell anyone until further notice that you know they're still alive."

"Of course, Sensei. You have my word." Kana answers.

"Good. Then we should get going before it gets too much later." Genjuro continues.

"Hey Kana, can I ask a favor from you before you go?" Hibiki asks.

Kana looks to Genjuro, who nods, knowing what she was going to ask. "What's up?" She said.

"While I'm away, I need you to keep Miku safe. Can you please do that for me?" Hibiki asks.

"I will." Kana answers, getting a thankful hug from Hibiki. "I'm ready to go now Sensei. See you girls later!" With that Kana put back on her blindfold and left to return to Genjuro's residence to finish her training session for the day.


"That's why I had to act like I was depressed, as to not draw suspicion to myself." Kana says, finishing her explanation.

"Again, thank you so much for keeping Miku safe, Kana." Hibiki says.

"I made you a promise, didn't I?" Kana asked, chuckling.

"That reminds me, Lydian should be reopening soon." Miku says, "Thank you again for letting me and the others stay in the Astral Plane while the relocation was happening."

"For friends like you Miku, anytime." Kana replied, "Feel free to use that room for storage if there isn't any room at you girls' dorm." The three smiled, watching the meteor shower once more before returning home for some rest.


Chris' POV:
Chris' apartment


A couple weeks later, Lydian reopened at a new location and classes continued not long after. Everyone who had taken up residence in the Astral Plane moved into their new dorms, except Kana, who took up residence with Chris. Of course, in order to live there, Kana had to pull her own weight, mostly literally. "Tell me... why do we... need this altar again?"

"Simple, because at the end of the day, once you've gone back to your actual home, only I would be here." Chris explained, "So, I wanted to have this altar so it wouldn't feel like I left my Mom and Dad out of it."

Kana carefully places the altar where Chris showed her before continuing the conversation. "I may not fully understand it, but I think that's really nice, Chris." Kana said, "But why didn't you let Genjuro help me take this into the apartment? I mean, he already helped us get this thing here initially."

"Because, if you're gonna use this place as a proxy to your actual home, you have to do your share of the work." Chris explained. "So quit whining!"

"Alright, alright!" Kana answers, chuckling soon after.

"What?" Chris asked.

"Nothing special." Kana answered. "It's just funny how everything has been. First we're at arms with one another, and now we're roommates. Not to mention how fast we both learned so much about one another. Hell, I've told you more about myself in a shorter timespan than I had Miku and Hibiki."

"Not to mention that you hid the fact that you were royalty for years on end, even from your own sister." Chris added. "Even after you and Lilith-san explained everything, it still felt unbelievable."

Kana shrugged, "To each their own I guess. Regardless, I'm happy about how it all ended up." Chris nods in agreement. "By the way, you're free to come hang out in the Astral Plane whenever you want. It's like they always say, 'mi casa es su casa.'" Kana chuckles, before noticing what time it was. "Speaking of, it's getting pretty late, don't want to miss the first day back to Lydian. Good night, Chris."

"Good night, Kana." Chris replied, watching Kana leave through the portal in the apartment before turning to the altar. "She really is something else, isn't she? It's still impressive someone like her would be willing to put up with someone like me, same with the rest of them. Well, I should probably turn in for the night too. Good night Papa. Good night Mama." Chris looked back at the altar once more before heading to her bedroom and falling asleep.


Kana's POV:
Astral Plane


"I'm home." Kana says, heading to her room after a long day of helping Chris move furniture into her apartment.

"There you are Kana." Lilith said, "I was just looking for you. I needed to give you something." The dragon princess is confused, she wasn't expecting any mail. "Well, it's been here for a few weeks, but I decided it would be better to give it to you after everything had calmed down and the others were gone."

Lilith hands her a small box with a note that had her name on it. "Odd..." She says, taking the box and note. "Thanks Lilith."

"No need to thank me." Lilith replied, "I would however look at it whenever you have the chance. I know you're probably exhausted from helping Chris-chan all day. Good night, Kana." Saying all she wanted to say, Lilith went to her room to go sleep, Kana doing the same.

However, Kana was curious as to what this box had and why it was addressed to her. Reaching her room, she places the box on the bed next to her while she reads the note.

"Kana Kamui,

If you are reading this, then you and the others have successfully defeated me. I will not be bested the next time we clash. However, when we are to fight once more, I'd rather not be facing a wielder of a false Gear. Thus, I have taken the mercy of using the stone I've found in your quarters and simple magic to recreate your Gear. Consider it a final parting gift.

Until we meet again,

-Ryoko Sakurai (Finé)"

Looking inside the box, Kana saw the dragonstone her father gave her before she left for this world with the same design as her Gear's. "Ryoko-san... You really were such a unique individual." She said to herself, smiling at the dragonstone, placing it on her nightstand before getting ready to go to sleep. "Until we meet again."

As far as the wielders and Section Two was concerned, life was becoming normal again, despite the occasional Noise threat here and there. However, that peace they would come to enjoy for the next couple of months would only prove to be temporary.


Two months later


?'s POV:
?


(Apple begins to play over a monitor)

Sitting alone in a dark room, a woman rewatched the security footage of the wielders' fight with Finé, specifically the part where Kana was calmed by Serena's song. "Maria-san?" A girl with long black pigtails asked the woman. "What are you still doing up? Shouldn't you be resting for tomorrow's plan?"

"Yeah. It's very unlike you to stay up this late." A second girl with short blonde hair adds, "Usually you're the first of us to fall asleep."

"Sorry for concerning you both." The woman, named Maria, said. "There's just something about that woman that calmed down the dragon girl. Something... familiar." She looks down at the broken Symphogear relic in her hands.

"We've already seen all of this footage though." The energetic blonde said. "I'm not sure how much more we'll learn than what we already have seen."

"Kiri-chan." The girl with pigtails interjected, "Surely Maria-san has her reasons for wanting to rewatch the footage. Besides, you did make it hard to hear what they were saying the first time we watched this footage."

"Dess?!" The blonde exclaimed, "Why is that my fault, Shirabe?"

"It's fine, Shirabe." Maria interjects, "Kirika was just as surprised as the rest of us by that Kana girl." Hearing this, the girl named Kirika smirked proudly. "Albeit, it would've been better for her to be a bit more quiet with her reactions." The proud smirk left Kirika.

"Agreed." Shirabe adds, causing Kirika to "Dess?!" again. "We'll let you watch the footage in peace then, but you should get some sleep soon. Mom wouldn't be happy if you weren't at your best for tomorrow."

"Thank you." Maria replies, "Good night you two." The girls leave the room to let Maria watch the footage in peace and quiet. When she turned her attention back to the monitor, Serena had transformed back into her Airgetlám while protecting Kana. "How did she manage to get an Airgetlám Gear?" Maria pondered to herself. "The only known Airgetlám Symphogear was Serena's, which I have on my person." She listened to the interaction between Serena Kamui and Finé closely.


"So tell me, who gave that Gear to you and how were you able to wield it?"

"All I remember was being saved by Kana in a burning building before waking up in the Astral Plane."


"'Burning building'?" Maria asked aloud. "What is this lady going on about?" Maria continued to listen closely.


"When Kana and Lilith saved me, I had no clue who I was. But, if you're saying you knew about this girl's death, then surely you know something about who I was!"

"'Who I was'? What the hell are you going on abo-" After figuring it out, Finé begins to laugh maniacally. "I see now. So the Airgetlám wasn't stolen, its wielder was."


"Now Finé isn't making any sense." Maria continues to think about. "What does she mean the wielder was stolen? Airgetlám was found where Serena died the day of-" In that moment, Maria realizes what Finé was going on about. "If what I think Finé is saying is true..." Maria recalls that tragic day she watched her sister die. She thought she saw something fly by Serena, but she figured it was nothing more than the rubble that crushed her. However, this new information leads her to think that thing that flew by her sister was none other than Kana. "Then, Serena Kamui is..." Maria's head starts to spin as the truth hits her like a bus. But before she could fully piece it together, the monitor suddenly turns off.

"Care to explain why you're still up at this hour, Maria Cadenzavna Eve?" A much older woman in a wheelchair asked.

"Mom!" Maria was surprised by the woman's sudden arrival, so she quickly dried her eyes before coming up with an excuse. "W-Well I was just studying our opponents' moves as to have an upper hand in combat."

"No matter your reason for rewatching that footage, you should know better than to stay up this late, especially before a mission we can't afford to screw up!" The woman lectured.

"Y-yes Mom." Maria replied, "It's just, that Serena Kamui girl..."

"We can worry about her and her younger sister later." The woman interjected. "For now, get some rest. That's an order."

"Okay Mom..." Maria said, leaving the room to head to her bedroom. "Once this mission's over, I swear I will find out the truth of Serena Kamui."

A/N: And just like that, Part 1 is finished!

So, about the ending. Originally, I wanted to include it in it's own intermissionary chapter, but I felt like it was a better idea to make one chapter equal in length to the others instead of two shorter chapters.

Anyway, Thanks again for reading my story up to this point and I shall see you all in Part 2!