Part 2:
From a broken past, a brighter future will emerge.
Chapter 4:
Hidden Truths and Sorrows


Maria, Serena, and Kana's POVs:
Outside F.I.S.'s HQ


"I'll rephrase the question in a way that makes more sense." Taking a deep breath, Serena prepared herself for what could change everything she knew.


"Who is Serena Cadenzavna Eve?"


Everyone stood in shock at the question Serena just asked, all except Kana, who was healing Tsubasa, and Lilith, who watched in the command center of Section Two's submarine. "Kamui. Did she just say her name was 'Serena Cadenzavna Eve'?" Tsubasa asked.

"I promise I'll help explain everything later..." Kana said quietly. "Right now, Serena needs answers. Answers even I'm curious about."

From Maria's perspective, she too was shocked by the question. However, her expression was not for the same reason as everyone else. She was aware Serena was suffering from amnesia, which gave her at least some solace in crossing blades with her, but now that she knows that Serena knows her true name, that solace quickly faded. "You know something about her, that is to say, me, don't you?" Serena asks.

"Whatever I know about her is not important!" Maria retorts, trying her best to not show weakness to her enemies. "And as far as I'm concerned, you don't deserve that information!" Maria prepares her lance once more to fight Serena.

Seeing this, Serena readies her daggers. "I didn't want to resort to fighting..." she says solemnly, "But if it allows me to find out who I was, then I won't hold back!"

"I shall do the same." Maria says. "If your goal is to learn the truth, then prove it to me, Serena Kamui!"

(Ressō Gungnir begins to play)

The two wielders clash atop Section Two's submarine, much to their dismay. "Kamui. Go help Yukine." Tsubasa said. "I'll stay here in case Serena needs assistance."

"Be careful, Tsubasa-san." Kana says, flying off to the others. Once she arrives, Kana quickly rushes over to heal Chris. "Are you okay, Chris?"

"Just... Perfect." Chris said sarcastically, groaning from the strain of her Gear.

As Kana dealt with Chris' injuries, everyone returned their attention to the fight. Both opponents dodged the other's attacks, however, Maria's were causing the submarine to take critical damage. "Serena-kun! The base can't take much more damage! Either apprehend Maria or get her off the ship!"

Hearing this, Serena throws daggers at Maria, but these daggers seemed easier to dodge. "What's wrong? You're not getting tired now, are you?" Maria asks.

"Far from it!" Serena retorts, moving her arms in several directions. When Maria noticed this, she saw the daggers Serena threw start to come back at her and, no matter how much she dodged them, they kept returning to strike their target, forcing her closer and closer to the edge of the submarine.

As the onslaught of the daggers continued, Maria's patience began to falter. "Enough of this!" Maria shouts, knocking away the daggers and charging at Serena. "This ends now!"

Serena readied another dagger, charging at Maria. Both wielders' weapons collide with one another, Maria's successfully knocking back Serena.

"Serena!" Kanade shouted. "If this keeps up, there's no telling what Maria will do to her!"

Recovering enough to be able to properly stand, Chris aims her crossbow towards Maria, "Then I believe it's time for us to intervene!"

Hearing this, Dr. Ver smirks. "That's not the only thing it's time for." He said to himself.

(Gokuren Igalima begins to play)

Suddenly, saw blades rain from the sky upon the wielders next to Dr. Ver, forcing them to scatter on the runway. "Cut them down, Igalima!" Kirika shouted, charging towards Chris and Kana. As Kirika fought them, Shirabe set her sights on Hibiki and Kanade charging at them in a vehicle constructed from larger buzz saws.

While Hibiki was in a more stable fighting condition, Chris was still recovering from the trap, forcing Kana to do most of the fighting. Despite this, Chris was still Kirika's major target, due to her having possession of Solomon's Cane that they recovered from Dr. Ver. Quickly, Kirika knocks Kana back, the latter fortunately blocking the scythe's blade and colliding into the side of the runway, before rushing over to Chris and striking her with the blunt end of her scythe, causing Chris to drop Solomon's Cane. "Chris-chan!/Kana-chan!" The Gungnir wielders of Section Two shout, hurrying over to help their allies.

In the midst of the commotion, Shirabe grabs the dropped Solomon's Cane and rolls over to the edge of the runway next to Dr. Ver. "You made it back, just in time." Dr. Ver said, "And you managed to save me. However, I would've liked it if you left some of the fun for me."

"We're not here to help you." Shirabe retorted.

Dr. Ver shrugs at this retort, "No need to be so harsh." he said, chuckling.

Meanwhile, Kanade and Hibiki help Kana and Chris respectively to their feet and quickly regroup. "You two okay?" Kanade asked.

"I'm alright." Kana answers, groaning from the pain of colliding with the wall.

"Dammit..." Chris said. "Even though Kana managed to heal me somewhat, my compatibility dropped so low that I'm still unable to fight effectively."

"My only question is where exactly did they come from?" Hibiki said.

As everyone of Section Two questioned where their enemy managed to ambush them from, Maria and Serena were at a standstill in their battle. Although Maria had managed to knock away Serena, she was still able to land strike on her side, leaving Maria with a minor cut. "She managed to match my blow almost perfectly..." Maria says to herself, covering the wound with her cape. "If anything, she's persistent."

"Maria has to be getting tired from all of this." Serena says to herself, "It shouldn't be much longer until she's forced out of her transformation."

As they continued to stare down one another, Serena's prediction turned out to be true. "Your compatibility values are dropping." Dr. Nastassja said to Maria over their comms. "We've already recovered the Nephilim. Retreat at once."

"Is this the limit of my LiNKER dosage?" Maria replies to Dr. Nastassja, surprising Serena and Tsubasa.

"She's using the same LiNKER drug that Kanade uses?" Both Serena and Tsubasa thought individually. Suddenly, a helicopter appears out of thin air above the dueling wielders. Maria jumps and grabs onto a rope extruding from the helicopter. As it begins to fly away, Serena throws one last dagger at Maria's rope in the hope to stop her escape, but Maria simply deflects it before the dagger could connect.

Meanwhile, a similar stand off is held over on the runway, Hibiki and Kanade against Kirika and Shirabe as Kana supports a still recovering Chris. "Out with it! Just what are you trying to do?!" Kanade asked.

"We protect that of which justice cannot." Shirabe answered, irritating Kanade with her cryptic answer.

Suddenly, the helicopter that appeared over Section Two's submarine arrives above the runway. Wasting no more time, Shirabe and Kirika grab onto the ropes that extrude from it, taking Solomon's Cane and Dr. Ver with them. Seeing this, Chris rushes in front of the three other wielders, transforming her crossbows into a mounted sniper rifle, locking its sights on the retreating aircraft. "Return Solomon's Cane, dammit!" she shouted. Right as she managed to get the rifle's sights locked onto the helicopter, it suddenly vanishes without a trace.


Maria's POV:
F.I.S. Helicopter


Upon retreating and getting out of any tracking Section Two could use, Kirika punches Dr. Ver against the wall of the helicopter. "What the dess is wrong with you?" She scolded, grabbing the doctor by his lab coat. "If they take our hideout, where are we supposed to hide until our plan is ready?!"

"That's enough." Maria says, "Regardless of what happens now, nothing will change."

While still annoyed by the doctor's scheme, she lets go of him. "You honestly surprised me. I didn't even get a chance to apologize." The doctor said.

"Fortunately, we managed to protect our treasure." Dr. Nastassja said over the nearby monitor. "Unfortunately, now that they've taken our base, we are unable to feed the Nephilim, which is a huge problem."

"It may be calm now, but who knows when it'll go on a rampage again." Shirabe stated.

"While we might not have a food source currently, we aren't completely out of options yet." Dr. Ver stated, causing unease amongst the wielders of F.I.S.

Amidst this unease, Maria reflects on what Serena said before their duel.


"I didn't want to resort to fighting... But if it allows me to find out who I was, then I won't hold back!"


"Serena... I wish I could tell you the truth... Just not like this." Maria says to herself, saddened by the thought of her amnesiac sister relentlessly fighting for the truth, afraid of how she'll react to it.


Serena's POV:
Above Section Two HQ


Once their enemy retreats, everyone gets on the submarine that now served as Section Two's base of operations. "Is everyone alright?" Genjuro asked, coming out of the ship to check on the wielders, Lilith following to help heal any serious injuries.

"Master..." Hibiki said, "When we fought against Ryoko-san, I thought that, even if we didn't agree on everything, we still had somewhat of an understanding. But now..."

"If they don't understand, just keep trying until you reach an understanding!" Genjuro said. "If anyone knows that there are some things stronger than words alone, it's you!"

"That may not have made any sense to me, but I'll get it a shot!" Hibiki replied, encouraged once more.

"Before I forget..." Tsubasa said, "Serena, while we all knew that you and Kamui weren't related by blood, why did you never mention that you knew your true name?" This gets everyone's attention, mainly due to the fact that the only ones to really hear Serena say it were Tsubasa, Kana, and the people in the submarine watching the fight.

"The reason why I never mentioned my name before was mainly due to not really having a reason to." Serena answers. "It was only once we first met Maria that I really thought about it. Until then, I thought Kana and Lilith were the only family I technically had left."

"And like she said earlier, her name was all I really knew when I went to save her, and even then, it's complicated to explain how I received that information." Kana added. "As far as I was aware, Serena Cadenzavna Eve was in trouble and needed to be saved."

"Does that mean Maria-san's your sister, Serena-san?" Hibiki asked.

"While I might not know for certain, it's very likely that she is." Serena says, thinking about what Maria said.


"If your goal is to learn the truth, then prove it to me, Serena Kamui!"


"I just wish she could've said at least that..." She says to herself, saddened by the thought of having no choice but to fight someone who could be her sister.

"For now, let's just get you all home so you can rest. You've all been through a lot tonight, some more than others." Lilith said, referring to Hibiki's group who were majorly weakened by the red mist trap earlier. With this said, Lilith uses her Fólkvangr to transport the wielders to their respective homes, healing any wounds they might've had before leaving them to get some rest. Meanwhile, Genjuro and the rest of Section Two take the submarine back to port for repairs to the damage Maria caused to it.


Genjuro's POV:
Section Two HQ


A couple days later, Genjuro gets a call from Vice Minister Shibata, who managed to gather more intel as to who their enemy truly is. "So the terrorist organization that calls themselves Finé is composed of scientists who formerly worked for the US government?" He asks for reassurance.

"To be precise, The Federal Institutes of Sacrist." Shibata answered. "They are scientists who left the F.I.S. and decided to form their own paramilitary organization."

"And Dr Ver, the man who disappeared with Solomon's Cane and turned up again later, he was also a member of F.I.S." Genjuro states.

"While it's just a rumor, there are those that believe F.I.S. existed long before Japan made their relic research public." Shibata continued.

"Then that would mean they were founded by Finé when she conspired with the Americans, yes?" Ogawa asked.

"That could be the reason why they call themselves 'Finé.'" Shibata answered. "But something feels off about their actions as a terrorist organization. There's a good chance this is what they've planned from the beginning."

The call didn't last much longer after that, leaving the people of Section Two ponder what F.I.S.'s true intentions were with little to no leads.


Kana's POV:
Lydian School Festival


Kana and Hibiki looked at the festival from the platform above it, enjoying the view as they did. "Welp... I better go see if I can find Chris. Knowing her, she's probably hiding somewhere. See ya later Hibiki!" Kana says.

"Good luck, Kana!" Hibiki replied, before Miku showed up behind her. "Miku? What's going on?"

"Itaba-san and the others' performance is about to start! That's what's going on!" Miku said.

"It's already time for that?!" Hibiki said, surprised by how soon their friends' showtime was. "Kana! If you find Chris-chan, come meet us at the Queen of the Stage competition!"

"Will do!" Kana replies. And with that, Hibiki and Miku hurried off to watch their friends' performance while Kana began to search for Chris. However, as she began to leave, Kana heard another pair of footsteps other than her friends who just left, but when she turned around, no one was there. "Odd... Must be hearing things." She says, shrugging off her suspicion.

Some time later, Kana had looked everywhere around the festival for Chris, her most recent assumption being she'd be looking around at all of the different food stands and the like. "I was almost certain Chris would be here. Or did I mix her habits with Hibiki's?"

"This is so much fun!" A voice in the crowd said, catching Kana's attention from how familiar it sounded. "Everything here tastes delicious!" A chill ran down Kana's spine when she saw the owner of that voice.

"What?! They're here too?!" Kana says to herself, quickly hiding behind the nearby crates.

"What was that?" Kirika said, feeling the breeze caused by Kana's swift movement to the crates. Before she could think about it further, she notices her partner's gaze. "Something wrong, Shirabe?"

"We need to talk, Kiri-chan. Privately." Shirabe said, taking Kirika to a less crowded area.

Kana sighs in relief, happy her cover wasn't blown."What are Maria's allies doing here? Whatever it is, I need to get to the bottom of this." Saying this, Kana followed the duo, taking cover anytime they looked in her direction.

Eventually, Kirika and Shirabe stopped to talk behind a tree in the school courtyard. Kana hid as close as she could so she could hear their conversation. "Kiri-chan, last I checked, our mission isn't to enjoy this school fair." Shirabe scolded.

"I-I know that!" Kirika replied, "This is just part of our investigation!"

"Investigation?" Kana questioned.

"Everyone's attracted to delicious food, dess?" Kirika continued, pulling out a map of the school festival, "So, by completing a map of the school's best food stands, we'll easily locate the best targets!" This explanation annoyed Shirabe and both confused and humored Kana. "Don't worry about me. I haven't forgotten my task, not even slightly."

"And just what is that real reason for being here?" Kana thought.

"Then let's find the wielders, grab their Gears before they notice, and get back to base!" Shirabe said, basically answering Kana's internalized question.

"They're here to what?!" Kana gasped in shock.

"We're doing this so Maria-san doesn't have to. You said it yourself, We fight to protect her." Shirabe said.

"I know I said that, but... What do we do now?" Kirika asked.

"I need to alert the others, quickly." Kana said, trying her best to sneak away from the two F.I.S. wielders, but unfortunately stepping on a stick on her way out and snapping it, making a loud cracking sound. "Crap..."

"Dess?" Kirika exclaimed, "Shirabe, did you hear that?" Kirika decided to investigate the sound she heard while Shirabe stayed by the tree, deciding to focus on the mission and thinking Kirika just heard a squirrel or something.

Kana started to sweat nervously, as far as she knew, her cover was blown and who knew what would follow, or what would've. As if luck was on her side, Tsubasa and Kanade passed by Kirika and Shirabe's position. "Kiri-chan, look! Two of our targets!" Shirabe exclaimed, heading towards the duo idols passing by them.

This immediately catches Kirika's attention as she decided to not investigate the sound, pulling her partner quickly behind the tree and out of their sight. "We're unprepared and have no plan, Shirabe!" Kirika quietly exclaimed, "We can't be reckless!"

Kana watched as the two she was spying on turn their attention and hide behind one of the school's pillars. "Now's my chance!" Quickly, but quietly, Kana gets out of the bushes, hiding behind the tree the two were talking under, and left the scene. "Now to alert the others. But how?" Kana ponders. "Kanade-san and Tsubasa-san are right next to those two, Chris is nowhere to be found, and Serena's not at Lydian currently, so by the time I alerted her, they'd probably be gone." In that moment, Kana thought of something. "Hibiki! She said Miku and herself were going to that singing competition, so surely they'll be there still! I'll call Serena on the way, but I've got to hurry!" Wasting no more time, Kana runs off to the Queen of the Stage competition to alert her friends. The only obstacle left in her path... Was finding where the competition was being held and finding her friends in the crowd...


Tsubasa and Kirika's POVs:
Lydian


Meanwhile, Tsubasa and Kanade were walking through the halls of Lydian, until she felt like they were being watched. "Something wrong, Tsubasa?" Kanade asked.

Looking behind them, Tsubasa thinks to herself, "I've just had this odd feeling that we're being watched..."

"I mean, we ARE Zwei Wing, that wouldn't be unnatural for people to follow us." Kanade said, being so used to paparazzi that it doesn't phase her anymore.

"I know that, but this time, it feels... Different." Tsubasa reiterates. Kanade chooses to shrug off Tsubasa's suspicions.

"I'm sure it's just a mix of stress from those other wielders." Kanade reassured her partner, "While I'd also like to wrap things up with them as soon as possible, It'd just be best to relax and enjoy the festival for today."

Meanwhile, Kirika and Shirabe are relieved that Kanade was unaware of their presence. "Besides, it's practically impossible to just steal their pendants without them noticing." Kirika states.

"Then, let's just take them by force." Shirabe replied, reading her Gear for a fight.

On Tsubasa's end, she decides to take Kanade's advice. "Maybe you're right, Kanade. It must just be the whole F.I.S. situation getting to my he-" Tsubasa says, right as she collides into someone. "Yukine? What's got you in such a hurry?" she asks.

"They're after me!" Chris said. "They're closing in on me as we speak!"

"So I wasn't acting paranoid then?" Tsubasa says to Kanade, before explaining things to Chris. "For some time now, I've had this feeling as if I was being watched."

Hearing this, the F.I.S. duo start to worry. "Were we found out?" Kirika wonders.

However, Kirika's worries were incorrect, as three students run past the corridor: Chris' classmates Komichi Ayano, Yuki Godai, and Otome Kaburagi. "There you are, Yukine-san!" Komichi said.

"Please help us!" Yuki added. "There's hardly any time left!"

"What's goin' on?" Kanade asked.

"We were hoping Yukine-san would participate in the Queen of the Stage competition." Komichi answered.

"But why me of all people?!" Chris sharply asked.

"Because, when you're singing, you always look like you're having so much fun!" Komichi answered.

Tsubasa and Kanade smirk at this compliment Chris received. Sure they mostly only hear her sing on the battlefield, but the statement still rings true regardless. This leads Tsubasa to ask Chris one important question, "Do you not enjoy singing, Yukine?"

Chris is flustered by the question. Sure, she likes to sing, but she never really was one for singing in front of an audience, only recently growing used to Kana sneaking into the apartment late at night to listen to her occasionally sing when she was alone. "I..." She couldn't bring herself to lie about how she truly felt about singing. Sighing, Yukine turns to her classmates. "I'll do it!" she said proudly.

This excites Chris' classmates, who waste no time in taking her straight to the competition to participate. "Break a leg, Chris-chan!" Kanade shouted before they left their sight. "We might as well go watch her sing. Shall we?" Leading the way, Tsubasa heads for the Queen of the Stage competition to support their friend, unaware of their enemies following from the shadows.


Kana's POV:
Queen of the Stage Competition


While it wasn't as quickly as she would've liked, Kana eventually made it to the site of the competition, discreetly heading towards Hibiki and Miku's booth in the audience. "Sorry I'm late." Kana says, catching her breath.

"Kana!" Miku said, greeting her friend. "Were you able to find Chris?"

"Well... About that." Kana starts. "I tried looking for her everywhere, but to no avail. Then, the strangest thing happened to me."

Before she could explain any further, the MC of the competition spoke into her mic. "And now, it's time for the next challenger to take to the stage!"

After they say this, Miku and Hibiki turn to their friend, curious what she was going to say. "I'll explain after this next performance." Kana says, seeing no real sense of urgency anymore as she once did. As far as she was concerned, Tsubasa and Kanade could handle it if those two tried anything. As the next performer approached the mic on stage, Kana, Hibiki, and Miku looked on in genuine surprise. "Is that who I think it is?"

"You're eyes aren't deceiving you Kamui." Tsubasa said, approaching the group with Kanade. "That is indeed Chris Yukine, Sophomore student of the Lydian Private Music Academy."

(Kyōshitsu Monochrome begins to play)

As the music begins to play, Chris stands in the center of the stage, nervously looking off to the side, where she saw her classmates cheering her on. Seeing them do so, she begins to sing, slowly but surely loosening up and having fun as she continues to sing. Seeing her friend enjoy herself on the stage, Kana thinks back to a conversation they had around when Chris first came to Lydian as a student.


Flashback:
Lydian


Kana stands with Chris outside, leaning on the railing as they enjoyed their lunch. "So... How are your classes treating you?" Kana says, trying to start a conversation.

"Well." Chris said.

"Ok..." Kana replies, noticing something was off with her friend. "Managed to become friends with any of your classmates yet?" She asked, changing the subject slightly.

"...Not yet." Chris answered hesitantly.

Kana notices this hesitance, deciding to try and snap Chris out of it the best way she knew how, "Does THE Chris Yukine, 'Little Red Singing Hood' herself, have trouble making friends?" Kana smugly says, receiving a swift jab in the stomach as a response.

"One, you were never supposed to hear that monologue I made up in private. Two, I'm not having trouble making friends! I just... Prefer to be by myself most of the time..." Chris said, only making Kana chuckle in response, "What's so funny? Or do I need to send the message again!" Chris barked at Kana.

"No, it's not that..." Kana says, catching her breath after being winded by Chris. "You just seemed off from your normal self, so I figured I'd snap you back to reality." Kana coughs, still feeling the effect of Chris' jab to her stomach. "It's totally fine if you're having trouble making friends. No one becomes friends with everyone overnight. But it wouldn't hurt to reach out to some students and become friends."

"Easy for you to say, you and the idiot practically live and breathe friendship, her especially." Chris said, referring to Hibiki. "Me however, it's an entirely different story..."

Seeing this, Kana puts a hand on Chris' shoulder, "Like I said, while it may not be instant, surely someone in your class will eventually try to be your friend. All you have to do, is try to be friendly back when the time comes."

"Yeah, yeah." Chris replied, shrugging off Kana's words of advice, taking a bite of her lunch. Despite this show of uninterest, Kana could tell, deep down, Chris took these words to heart.


"Looks like Chris managed to make some new friends after all." Kana says to herself, proud of her roommate. As her song finishes, the crowd erupts with applause, Chris bowing in response. "Way to go... 'Little Red'..." Kana chuckles, not planning on letting Chris live that down.

"The new Queen of the Stage has been crowned!" The MC said, putting the spotlight on Chris. "Now then, who shall be next to challenge her title? Anyone in the audience is more than welcome to compete!"

"Kana?" Miku asked, "Now that Chris is done with her performance, what was it you were going to say?"

"Right!" Kana says, remembering why she rushed over here. "I'll get straight to the point, we may have a problem on our hands."

This causes the other wielders amongst her to become curious. "What do you mean by problem, Kamui?" Tsubasa asked.

Kana went to open her mouth and tell them, but as she did, someone from the audience spoke up. "We volunteer!" The spotlight shines on the girl, revealing Kirika and Shirabe, surprising all of the wielders around Kana, including Chris on the stage.

"That... That's the problem..." Kana continues.

"What are those two doing here?!" Kanade asked.

"We shall be the ones to challenge..." Shirabe started.

"...The Queen for her title. Dess!" Kirika finished.

A/N: And with that, we end chapter 4 here.

This had to be one of the hardest chapters for me to make to date (I use the term "hardest" lightly) due to how much different it ended up being then when I thought of it at first. Long story short, Serena at the end of the duel with Maria and Kana at the Lydian festival would've had different interactions with the F.I.S. wielders, but they just didn't fit with what I had planned for the remainder of this version of G's story.

Regardless, thank you all for reading. I shall see you all in the next chapter!