Part 2:
From a broken past, a brighter future will emerge.
Chapter 10:
Thorn in you


"Rei Shénshòujìng rei zizzl"
"You are the ocean's grey waves"


Kana and Chris' POVs:
The Sea near Frontier


As the dust settled and light dissipated, the Section Two wielders and F.I.S. wielders were met with two figures: Kana, clad in her Yato Gear, and another girl in a purple and white Symphogear who yelled as if she was preparing for battle. However, it didn't take long for the girls to recognize the second girl. "Kohinata?"

"But why the hell is she dressed like that?" Chris asks.

"She's just an expendable wielder, created using LiNKER." Shirabe stated. "But because of how quick her creation was compared to ours, she's much more vulnerable." Chris is understandably made uneasy by this.

"We have confirmed the locations of the missing Kana Kamui and Miku Kohinata." Tsubasa solemnly reported to HQ. "Both are alive and well."

"'Well'?!" Chris retorts. "Does that honestly look 'well' to you?! How in the hell are we supposed to explain this to that idiot?!" While none of the wielders on the field could see Hibiki, they could tell that seeing her friends like this made her speechless and afraid. "As for you, Kana, what the actual hell are you doing?! Why would you two side with that bastard?!"

Kana didn't answer, turning her gaze away from the group, especially Chris. Yes, she was ashamed of what she was doing, but she had her reasons.


Kana's Flashback:
F.I.S. Helicopter


As promised, Maria led the angered Kana to Dr. Ver. When they entered the room, Kana took note of the empty container and the wires dripping with a green liquid, but what really set her rage ablaze was the surgical equipment on the nearby table. Without warning, Kana charged straight at the doctor and delivered a punch right in his gut. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FRIEND YOU HEARTLESS ASSHOLE?!" Kana screams, quickly being held back by Maria. "LET GO OF ME!"

"The second you stop making rash judgements, I shall!" Maria retorted.

"While I agree with Maria about your rashness, Kana-chan, I can understand your misinterpretation of the room." Ver said, knowing his calm persona was fueling her rage even more. "But this is your fault."

"The hell are you talking about?!" Kana asks, struggling to break free from Maria's grip.

"It's because of your refusal that I had no other option but to request the aid of your friend, who willingly accepted my offer, unlike you." the doctor explained, which made Kana stop struggling. "Had you accepted, I would've left her be. As I told you before, your power is what we need to save humanity. But if one were able to wield the relic in question, then it should give us the same result as your help."

In any other circumstance, Kana would attack the doctor again, but she was overwhelmed by the doctor's words, feeling guilty that, whatever happened to her friend, was in fact her fault. "Where is Miku?" Kana asks, her rage subsiding from the guilt.

"She's currently recovering from the procedure to allow herself to use the Shénshòujìng relic." Ver answered. "Rest assured, she's still alive."

Kana let out a small sigh of relief, before taking another deep breath for what she was about to say, "If Miku truly is working with you all, then I shall as well."

"Oh?" Ver said, his interest being piqued. "I thought you were content with waiting in that cell of yo-"

"On one condition!" Kana interjects, which Ver motions for her to continue. "Once whatever you need Miku and I for is done, I'm taking her and we're both going home. On this condition, I shall, willingly, work for you. Deal?"

The doctor grinned widely at this offer, "Very well. I shall accept your proposal, Kana-chan." Kana really wished he would've phrased that better. "In the meantime, I shall let you await your orders with your friend. Now, if you would please follow me."

Without another word, Kana followed Ver to where Miku was, seeing the unconscious girl on a makeshift bed in the corner of the room. "Hibiki's going to kill me if she sees Miku like this... That is if Chris doesn't do it first."


Moments after landing, Miku prepared to fight and charged towards the people she knew as her friends. "I'll handle Miku-chan!" Kanade said. "You girls deal with Kana-chan!" Without another word, Kanade charged to meet the Shénshòujìng wielder as she approached.

As their fight began, the wielders could only watch in shock as, what they expected to be Kanade easily outmatching Miku, they two wielders were evenly matched in combat. Regardless, Serena and Chris knew what needed to be done. "Kana... Why are you siding with Dr. Ver? You know he can't be trusted!" Serena asked.

"I know what you mean, Serena..." Kana solemnly answers, "But as it stands, it's the only choice I have. Truth be told, I would love nothing more than to return to you all at section two," Kana augments her gear to match Miku's. "But if you're going to get in the way of F.I.S., I have no other option but to strike you down..."

(Thorn in you (Roar) begins to play)

Chris scoffs at Kana's threat. "If you're going to act stupid, then allow me to knock some sense into you!" Chris shouts as she charges at Kana, the latter of whom, along with Serena, hesitate before charging in to fight.

Kirika tried to take the opening to make a break for it, grab Shirabe, and return to base, but she had forgotten about Tsubasa and was halted once more. "I'm sorry everyone..." Tsubasa said to herself, wishing she could be of more assistance in her allies' battles.

Back to Kana's 2v1, had she not been hesitating, she would've had the upper hand. "What the hell did that bastard do to make you two fight for him?!" Chris asks. "What did you mean by 'not having a choice'?!"

"Exactly that!" Kana retorts. "It's because of me that Miku became a wielder... All because I was selfish!"

"How can you be sure Ver isn't gaslighting you?" Serena asked. "None of us may know why you're siding with them truly, but what will happen when he doesn't need you anymore?"

Kana was silent at this. "Serena's right!" Chris chimes in. "That one 'ally' of yours said that Miku as expendable. Who's to say he doesn't just see you both that way?" This got to Kana, who momentarily stopped fighting. "Think rationally about it! When has that bastard ever cared for his allies?" This made her remember the incident a few days ago when Ver forced Kirika and Shirabe to use their Superb Songs which would've killed them, but he didn't care. Kana could only sit there and wonder why herself and Miku were treated better than the other F.I.S. wielders. Regardless, she was only doing this for Miku's sake and nothing could change that, or so she thought.

Just then, the 2v1 was interrupted as Kanade and Miku flew right past the group. It looked as though they were wrapping up their fight as Kanade got the advantage on Miku and sent her straight to the ground where she and Kana first arrived. Kanade took a second to catch her breath as she landed next to Miku. "Good grief you're tough... Now then, let's get that Gear off of you and get you back to Hibiki-chan."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice called out from Miku's headset. "That is, unless your goal is to give her serious brain damage." Hearing this made Kanade hesitate to do anything, which was the opening the Shénshòujìng wielder needed.

(Waikyō Shénshòujìng begins to play)

As she got up, Miku grabbed her armed gear, which looked like a fan, and unfolded it, "Kanade, look out!" Tsubasa shouted, to which Kanade was barely able to avoid the multiple lasers that emerged from the unfolded fan.

"How many tricks does that girl have up her sleeve?!" Chris asks in sheer disbelief of her friend's arsenal.

Just then, Miku retracted the fan into her sleeve, made a giant metal ring in front of her, and began to charge energy into said ring. This didn't sit well with Kana. Sure she understood that currently their friends were currently their enemies, but herself and their own teammate, Shirabe, were behind her opponent. "What is she doing?" Kana thought to herself. "Battle experience or not, Miku wouldn't put her own allies in danger. That isn't who she is." She looked to her friend, expecting to see any signs of hesitation, but there were none. "Chris! We need to work together to stop whatever Miku is planning to do!" Kana says, switching to her Ichaival augmentation.

It didn't take long for Chris to realize why she wanted to truce at a time like this, coming to the same realization Kana did about the possible collateral damage of Miku's attack. "Follow my lead!" Without a moment to lose, Kana and Chris jumped in front of Kanade, the latter summoning several small crystals from her Gear, the former doing the same in response. "Reflector!" Chris and Kana shout in unison.

Together, the two Ichaivals' reflectors blocked the beam, managing to send it far enough around to defend the people behind them, for the moment. "Shirabe! You need to run! Before you are all erased!" Kirika shouted, which caught the attention of Tsubasa and Serena who were currently outside of the beam's path.

"I may not know what relic that Symphogear was made out of, but if my reflectors can counter a blast from the Kadingir, then this shouldn't be an issue!" Chris says, confident in her Gear's power. However, that confidence soon left as her and Kana's reflectors started shattering piece by piece. "This should be working! Why the hell isn't it?!"

"Innocent and pure. The light that purges all evil." Shirabe said poetically, "This is the power of the Shénshòujìng Symphogear."

Even with double the amount of reflectors, Kana and Chris were slowly losing ground against Miku's beam and soon, they would be consumed by it. Thankfully, Tsubasa arrived with Heaven's Wrath. "Kana! Grab Kanade and run!" Tsubasa shouted, grabbing Shirabe and Chris.

As much as she wished she could switch to her Ame no Habakiri augment, Kana knew she didn't have the time. Alternatively, however, Kana knew another way she could gain the speed to keep up with Tsubasa, through her Shadow Dragon Fang. Within mere seconds, Kana grabbed Kanade, sprouted wings, and flew right next to Tsubasa. "What now?!" Kana asks worriedly.

"Working on it!" Tsubasa answered, dropping several more Heaven's Wraths behind them. In that moment, Tsubasa had an idea. "Kana! Fly upwards, now!"

Kana nods, getting high enough above the blast for herself and Kanade to be safe. Once they were safe, Kana and Kanade watched as Tsubasa landed a Heaven's wrath in front of her, which worried the two airborne wielders. "Were done for!" Chris shouts in panic.

"Hold your tongue before you bite it off!" Tsubasa shouted back at Chris as she scaled the giant blade mere moments before the beam caught up to them, which caused the already airborne wielders to fly over and catch her.

Once the beam dissipated, Kana landed close to Serena and the F.I.S. wielders, taking a moment to catch her breath from having to carry several people in the air for a good amount of time. Once she did, she looked over to Miku, "She let off an attack that would've killed all five of us and didn't even hesitate... The Miku I know wouldn't even think twice about hurting her friends, let alone kill them..." She thought to herself.

"Stop it dess!" Kirika shouted, gaining Miku's "Attention" "Shirabe's on our side! She's not the enemy and neither is Kana-san!"

Miku remained silent as the doctor spoke for her, "Can you honestly say they're with us? They betrayed us and assisted our foes. Can you truly call Shirabe Tsukuyomi and Kana Kamui our allies anymore?"

"What?!" Kana shouts in a mix of anger and confusion. "We may have a deal between us, but I never agreed to having to kill my friends!" She then turns straight to Miku, "Miku? You can't really be serious about siding with this monster after he nearly made you kill our friends, right?" Miku didn't answer, but Kana could see that, what stood before her, was not her friend. It was a puppet that took the form of Miku Kohinata. "Gods... Miku... Is this some sort of twisted joke?!" Kana asks, holding back tears. "What did he do to you?!" Kana fell to her knees, punching the ground in anger.

"Kiri-chan!" Shirabe shouted, "We can't save the weak through the doctor's methods, surely you can see that at least!"

"That may be true." Dr. Ver chimed in. "In the face of our impending doom, we are simply powerless. We are far from the only people with data on the Symphogears and other relics. However, we still have one advantage: Solomon's Cane!" Suddenly, a green light emerges from the helicopter F.I.S. was using and covers the other boats from the U.S. Navy, summoning hordes of Noise to attack the soldiers on said boats.

Angered by the appearance of Noise, Chris jumps into the air and unleashes every last bullet and missile she has. Serena also separates from the main group to help Chris deal with as many Noise as she can with her Airgetlám. Kanade, however, was starting to reach the limit Section Two's LiNKER could provide, seeing her fight with Miku had caused her to use a great amount of her power to rival Miku's.

In the confusion, Kirika went to attack Tsubasa and the others, the latter of which was left with no choice but to defend the wielders and their prisoner. "This is the only way I can leave anything behind dess!"

"That's right. Very good." The doctor complimented. "Now keep them distracted as our friend here wraps things up." With that, Miku retracted the metal ring, and flew off.

As Tsubasa did what she could to hold back Kirika so she wouldn't harm herself or her allies, suddenly, Lilith arrived at the scene. "Kanade! Grab Kana and take my hand!" She requested, grabbing Shirabe while doing so.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Kanade answered, grabbing the grieving Kana and hurrying to Lilith. "Tsubasa! Do what you can to follow Miku-chan!" Within seconds, as fast as Lilith arrived, she left with the three wielders in tow. Which left Kirika dumbfounded.


Hibiki and Shirabe's POVs:
Section Two HQ


Lilith and the three wielders arrived in the command center of Section Two's submarine. "Kanade and Kana have successfully been retrieved from the battlefield, as well as one of the F.I.S. wielders." She said.

"Kana!" Hibiki says, running to give her friend a hug. "Thank goodness you're safe."

"Yeah... I'm safe..." Kana said solemnly. "But thanks to me, the same can't be said for Miku..." Kana starts to cry, "I should've taken that bastard's deal! It's because I didn't that Miku is like that now." When she went to try and dry her eyes, everyone could see how much Miku's condition and the doctor's gaslighting had affected her mentally. "You don't deserve someone like me as your friend, Hibiki."

"Kana..." Instead of letting go, Hibiki hugs her tighter, "Don't beat yourself up over something you couldn't control."

"Hibiki-kun's right, Kana-kun." Genjuro added. "Even if you took F.I.S.'s deal, there's no telling how much that would've affected what has happened to Miku-kun. No one here is blaming you for trying to save her."

"But I failed, Sensei!" Kana retorted. "I failed and now, for all I know, Miku is suffering. Forced to fight us against her will..." Getting out of Hibiki's hug, Kana leaves the command center.

Everyone watched as Kana left, wishing there was something they could do to stop her from beating herself up, when the least likely person had an idea. "May I go speak with Kana-san? When I'm done, I'll surrender peacefully."

They were surprised to hear their enemy act so calm despite being their prisoner, but welcomed the suggestion. "Very well." Genjuro answered. "Lilith, take her to Kana-kun and restrain her when she's done." With a nod, Lilith and Shirabe vanished.

"You sure that's a good idea, Boss?" Kanade asked. "I mean, she is one of our enemies."

"I trust her." Hibiki answers. "Kana saved her and Kirika-chan's lives once before, so I trust she isn't planning anything."

"I have to agree with Hibiki-kun on this, Kanade-kun." Genjuro added. "Besides, if anything does go awry, Lilith-kun is there, so there's no need to worry."

"But now we have one more problem to deal with, Miku-chan." Kanade stated.

"That is true." Genjuro agreed. "With her Gear's power to destroy other Symphogears, it makes it rather difficult to approach her."

"That's it!" Hibiki shouts. "What if I went out there and used her beams against her?"

Genjuro was shocked by this suggestion, especially who was suggesting it. "Let me get this straight: You want to use Miku-kun's Gear against itself to destroy it?" Genjuro asked.

"I'll pull it off! I swear I will!" Hibiki answers.

"But Hibiki-chan, what about you?" Kanade asked. "Don't forget using your Gear will kill you."

"Serena-san, Tsubasa-san. and Chris-chan are fighting their own battles and you and Kana are unable to fight right now." Hibiki states. "I'm the only one who can do this! I'll bring Miku back, even if it kills me!"

"I'm not going to allow you to get yourself killed!" Genjuro said, not wanting to send his pupil on a suicide mission.

"Then I'll come back alive, even if it kills me!" Hibiki retorts. "I'm doing this, no matter what!"

Hearing Hibiki's determination, Sakuya begins typing on his computer and soon a clock appears on his screen. "Calculating past data and her present fusion state, Hibiki-san has three minutes and fifty seconds of time she can transform!" He stated, which caught the attention of both master and student.

"Even if it's not that much time, as long as we can support Hibiki-chan, it should work out!" Aoi added.

Seeing the determination of the other agents to help Hibiki, Genjuro has one final question for her. "You have very little time before you overheat. Do you have a plan to win?"

"You can't use numbers to describe plans made up on the spot!" Hibiki answers, which confuses Genjuro, but Hibiki was still determined to win regardless.

"Let her at it, Boss." Kanade added. "Besides, if anyone's gonna bring back her girlfriend, it's her." She said with a smirk.

"G-G-G-Girlfriend?!" Hibiki asks, flustered by Kanade's words.

"I'm just messin' with ya, Hibiki-chan." Kanade said, laughing at Hibiki's panic. "But seriously, like you said, you're the best person to handle this, Hibiki-chan. Now go save your friend."

"I won't let you down, Kanade-san!" Hibiki says, going to the exit of the submarine to prepare to fight Miku.

Meanwhile, on another end of the ship, Kana sat in silence. Sure, everyone else forgave her for her temporary alliance with F.I.S., but she couldn't forgive herself. Suddenly, Shirabe and Lilith arrived in the room she sat in. "Lilith-san, can I speak with her alone please?" Shirabe asks, to which Lilith nods and exits the room.

"Shirabe-chan? What are you doing here?" Kana asked morosely.

"I should be asking you that." Shirabe retorts. "Your friend is out there, fighting against her will as you said, and you're sitting in here."

"What do you expect me to do?" Kana asked. "Even if I went out there to talk Miku out of fighting, It'd only end up in me getting injured, or worse, killed."

"That didn't stop you from saving Kiri-chan and I with that dragon form you used a few days ago." Shirabe says. "So what makes this any different?"

"Back then, I was fighting to protect everyone." Kana answered. "But now, I'd be fighting my friend who's fighting against her will. If I go to fight her, it would more than likely end with my death..." Kana laughed at herself in anguish. "Perhaps Finé was right about me, I'm nothing more than a false wielder..."

Hearing this, Shirabe got up and slapped Kana across the face, the latter of which did not expect from Shirabe of all people to do. "Do you even hear what you're saying?" Shirabe asks. "You're really going to let one inconvenience outweigh the countless things you've done for friend and foe alike?" Kana wasn't sure how to respond, granted, she was still processing Shirabe's slap. "Not only that, but you're letting my words allow you to sink yourself even lower into your self-loathing. When did you ever give a DAMN about those words?!"

"Your words?" Kana questioned, looking at Shirabe.

As if to answer, Shirabe's eyes briefly turned golden before turning back to their normal pink eye color. "Your friends need you, Kana-san. So get off your ass, stop crying over nothing, and go help them!"

Kana was speechless. She, along with the rest of Section Two, were unaware that Maria wasn't Finé, so seeing that was enough to snap her out of her despair. "You're right, Shirabe-chan! It's time I stopped blaming myself and saved my friend!" Kana runs to the room's exit before stopping to hug Shirabe, "I owe you one." With that, she bolted back to the command center.

Seeing Kana run off, Lilith entered the room. "What did you do?" she asked, to which Shirabe simply shrugged.


Kana's POV:
Section Two HQ


(Rainbow Flower begins to play)

Kana rushes into the command center. "Sensei! I'm ready to help!" She announces.

"Kana-kun! You're back!" Genjuro replied.

"You were right, Sensei. I shouldn't be blaming myself for something I can't control." Kana says. "So now it's time for me to save Miku!" Kana looked around, expecting to get randomly hugged by Hibiki as she usually liked to do, but she wasn't there. "Sensei? Where's Hibiki?"

Genjuro and the rest of the people at Section Two say nothing and gesture to the monitor that showed two things: A clock counting down with two minutes and thirty seconds remaining, and Hibiki and Miku locked in combat with one another. "Hibiki-chan's planning to use Miku-chan's Gear against itself to free her, even if it costs her life."

Kana was speechless. What was Hibiki thinking risking her life like this? However, Kana was able to notice several flying devices arriving behind their fight, creating a sort of cage with the beams by reflecting them off one another. This gave Kana an idea, one that could help Hibiki and Miku. Without warning, Kana headed for the ship's exit, much to the surprise of everyone. "Kana-kun! Where are you going?" Genjuro asked.

"To save my friends!" Kana answers, not stopping to explain herself, but she didn't need to. "So Hibiki plans to save Miku by using her beams against her... Even with that special cage or whatever F.I.S. is doing, that will be difficult to throw her into those beams..." As she approached the ladder to exit the ship, Kana remembered something she had in her room, and smirked. "Well... It looks like 'Kana, the wielder of a false Symphogear' dies today."


The Sea near Frontier


After transforming into her Gear and exiting the ship, Kana was quickly able to find Hibiki and Miku, the former of which had just tackled Miku and it looked as though several giant yellow stones were protruding from her skin. With a deep breath, Kana quickly activated her Shadow Dragon Fang technique and bolted in the direction Hibiki was heading. "Hibiki! Take my hand!" she shouts.

"Got it!" Hibiki replied, doing as Kana requested.

As they approached the contained Shénshòujìng beam's path, Kana's thoughts turn to one woman who was two in her recent past, and one in the present. "You were right about one thing..." Kana thought to herself. "I never did care about what people thought of me. As long as I can protect what matters to me, then to hell with what my enemies think of me!" As the beam is about to connect with herself, Hibiki, and Miku, Kana smiles. "Thank you, Finé." Immediately, the giant laser engulfs the trio, erasing Hibiki's Gungnir, Miku's Shénshòujìng, and Kana's Yato.


Serena and Tsubasa's POVs:
The Sea near Frontier


Having just finished off the Noise in her area, Serena had watched her sister throw herself into the Gear-destroying ray of Shénshòujìng. "Lilith! On my signal, teleport me back to base!" Serena says into her communicator. Once the light from the beam dissipated, Serena jumped over where Kana flew into the beam, looking for any signs that herself, Miku, and Hibiki were still alive. Not even a moment later, Serena saw the unconscious bodies of the three girls and quickly went to grab them. "Now!"

In an instant, Serena and co. arrived at the command center, soaked from being in the water for a moment, but they were all alive. "Serena-kun!" Genjuro shouted, surprised by her sudden arrival with the other three girls in tow.

Immediately, everyone was able to notice that the stones that appeared on Hibiki during her fight were nowhere to be found. "Seems like their plan worked in the end, ey Boss?" Kanade chuckled, relieved that Hibiki was able to fulfill her mission.

"It would seem so, Kanade-kun." Genjuro replied with a proud grin. "Let's get these three to the medical wing. They deserve some re-" Genjuro was interrupted by the sudden flash of light from the main monitor as well as the sudden rocking of the ship.

Everyone conscious turned their attention to the monitor and were left in shock at the structure emerging from the water.

They weren't the only ones to notice the sudden emergence of this strange structure. Elsewhere, Tsubasa and Kirika's fight was halted by its appearance. "What in the world is going on?!" Tsubasa asks. Unfortunately, thanks to the diversion caused by the strange underwater structure emerging, Tsubasa was left wide open for a surprise attack.


*Bang Bang Bang*


Tsubasa was shot from behind three times. Even Kirika was surprised when she saw who was responsible for the attack. "Y-Yukine?!" Tsubasa says, struggling to stand from her injuries.

Pointing the gun at her injured ally, Chris simply said. "Sayonara." Before shooting her one last time, knocking the swordswoman unconscious.


A/N: I think this is as good a place as any to end the chapter.

As I mentioned in the last chapter, this one was one of the chapters that I have worked on the most in terms of what I wanted to do with it. When I was going over plans for this story, specifically part 2, I knew I wanted to do something different for the Shénshòujìng fight because, honestly, leaving it as Miku vs Section Two (minus Tsubasa who was busy fighting Kirika) would've been a wasted opportunity.

Which then lead me to the idea of having Ver kidnap Kana alongside Miku. I presented the idea to a friend of mine who had also seen Symphogear to get feedback on how to go about this scenario. Some of the ideas we came up with consisted of brainwashing Kana, Keeping her on the ship as a hostage and forcing her to use her augment to empower Miku, or blackmail. At the end of the day, I decided to go with Ver using his limited knowledge of Miku and Kana's friendship to gaslight her into working for them.

With that chestnut settled, all that remained was how to end it. Originally, I was going to have Kana just throw her friends into the Shénshòujìng laser, pass out from overexertion of her power, and Chris would take her back to F.I.S. with her, but then I thought about two things with that scenario: 1. Chris would probably not even think about putting her friend back into Ver's grasp, seeing that she would actually care for her as a friend at this point in time. (As for the rest of Section Two, she would at least be willing to hang out with Kanade due to her more carefree nature making her somewhat decent to be around in Chris' eyes.) 2. How to realistically have Kana land where Chris, Tsubasa, and Kirika were.

And that leads me to one last thing I need to address before people ask about it: Hibiki's death timer. As you probably remember, the timer then was two minutes and forty seconds. The reason why she had a bit more time than normal was, well, because of Kana. Since she didn't use the S2CA to save Kirika and Shirabe, Hibiki's remaining time before the fusion wouldn't be as short as the original. However, the reason why it's not something like 5-10 minutes remaining is also thanks to Kana, specifically the power boost from her Augmentation ability over the many fights it was used on Hibiki in. At the end of the day, Kana indirectly gave Hibiki an extra 70 seconds for her fight with Miku.

But anyway, thank you for reading this chapter. I shall see you all in the next one!