Reviews:
Alex: Ya falta poco. Yomi esta impaciente pero ya tiene en mira a Noble Red. Por que a ellos en particular? Ya veremos
Akira: Yeah, it's in the middle. Only in the anime! I think in the anime this is episode 6.
Tigracho: Oh, trust me. Everyone wants to see this guy go down. Yeah, I'm handing trauma to everyone right now lol. But the trauma with Setsuna was never properly explored, as we saw in recent chapters when she talked to Despia and she told her that she never talks about that to anyone. Which is something Haz can exploit to get to her heart. Right. Jades is sort of like that one parent who doesn't let you do certain things or says things with the best intentions in mind but ultimately it kind of hurts you. That's why Teruno was pretty much going off on him and bringing up the dead brother he has because, in a way, Jades did fail. Sure, Teruno didn't become Tiger. But when he had Atticus take Teruno away, Atticus died, which is how he became Gai. Andreas and Raiden became Riders, and Kirika and Shirabe became Symphogear. So in the grand scheme of things, what he did to Terunosuke was for absolutely no reason. Raiden is upset too because Jades has said plenty of lies in the past. Back during the first 2 seasons, he lied to them and hid the fact he was one of the people involved with killing Fine, which guaranteed the possession of one of his sisters (Shirabe but we didn't know that until the end) and this caused a lot of problems back in G. From the few flashbacks we've seen of Teruno back in FIS, sure he was an asshole, but he cared about the kids in his way. When Shirabe was recruited, he comforted her on her first night. He did make fun of Kirik a lot, but he was proud to see her standing her ground and stop being a crybaby. I have a brother like this. He's an asshole and refuses to help me or my other brother because he says he never got any help so we should do the same. But when it matters, he comes through. It's a type of tough love.
This is a good debate to have. Would Serena have impacted his life more? Could becoming Tiger have prevented him from turning out the way he did? You could say yes because he only joined the DDV out of his desire for power and recognition. I think this was back in GX, but he told his siblings he joined them because they saw his worth and rewarded his hard work. A clear indication of a complex. That's why Jades was so hesitant about killing him.
I was kind of upset writing the Miku and Bragi part. My boy has been through a lot, even though he's like less than a year old. Miku loves him but she's afraid of failing to save him. Bragi loves her, but he's afraid of hurting him because of all the people who hate him. Noble Red constantly blaming him has played a big factor in his confidence and now feels guilty once more, which is why he couldn't give her a proper answer. Which makes their parting so much more tragic. Tsubasa and Chris have suffered because of the DDV using their loved ones against him, and the 3 FIS girls as well, including what Jades just revealed to them. Everyone is dealing with a lot right now. Even Hibiki and Hajime. Yes, finally these 2 are starting to be friends. It's crazy because they were ready to kill each other back in AXZ. About Hibiki...yeah, she's wild. Someone brought the idea up to me of her being in charge of the relationship and I kind of liked it. Hajime is more likely to just do what she says, no questions asked. You would never expect that from her at first glance, but those types of girls can be crazy too. But I like the idea you suggested that she just needed to burn out stress.
Actually, yes, you are correct. I think that's what everyone is doing right now, especially due to recent events. They have to be together because anyone can die at any point. And a lot of them have giant red flags. Maybe except for Hamaguchi, surprisingly. No one in particular wants him dead. Yomi is on the move and his plans are coming together. Just to fight Hajime. It's amazing how far he's willing to go for this and you'll see what he does in this chapter. His fight with Hajime is inevitable, but we still have some buildup before that happens.
FlameFireZero X: Huh...You know, this is surprisingly wholesome. I never thought of that. I agree, Despia deserves love and affection and to be away from Yomi. As you see, Yomi is a complete sociopath who mistreats her and is not at all concerned about killing innocent girls like Shiori.
Lord Ri The Husbu King: No, you didn't offend me. I was just surprised you said you gave up on him. He's alive, though. So there is a chance they can still save him. They just have to figure out a way to get Psykos out of him without hurting him. So for now, the best they can do is capture him. Oh, yeah, Shem-Ha is coming soon.
SoutaAmetsuchi: It's really wholesome, right? I know Legos are for everyone(I have a few sets myself), but he is still a kid, at least mentally. So him gushing over Legos during his free time was kind of an idea I thought. And if Carol comes around later in the season, I can imagine him just talking to her about Legos and trying to get her involved.
501awezome: Trust me, it's hard to not read. Mostly because I often "rapid-fire" chapters. Aw, come on, I haven't made them suffer that much, have I? They'll be fine, don't worry. I agree, from the moment Bragi was "born," he was already in a bad situation. Since he looks like Bragard, he got plenty of hate from everyone and this made him want to fix his father's mistakes. Hell, he's being targeted by Noble Red because of Bragard. So the Dad left him something behind before he went to buy milk...plenty of enemies. I want him and Miku to end up together. I don't know why but they're such a great couple to write. Dude, I'll be honest, the moment you saw Ryuki you should have been skeptical lol. But I'm glad you stuck around. There are fluff and good moments between all the bad shit going on. And to be honest, I feel like those moments are appreciated by everyone since they give us some kind of comfort. I'm happy you're enjoying the story. And because of that, I'll think about your request to make them stop suffering. But hey, they have a chance of getting Takeru and the others back...with the wish. So there is hope still! They just have to kill all the Riders and then fight each other until one of them is dead, then somehow hope they're strong enough to kill Odin to then make the wish...nothing too fancy.
primenidus: I was a little careful with that since I didn't know if Shiori would be a key character later on. She barely shows up and doesn't say anything so I was like alright cool I found a victim for Yomi. They have the Verde Deck. They just can't turn it into a Deck. Verde probably won't show up as a Rider anymore, especially since we're entering the latest stages of the story. I need to start killing off characters, not adding more Riders.
nickseverino8: Biogreeza yes, Verde no. Yes, Odin is the final villain. The Disasters of Valhalla are like the villains before him but they are in the same season. Think of the Disasters like Noble Red, and Odin as Shem-Ha. Something like that. He'll get a new form.
Tenzalucard123: A lot of people made mistakes, especially Jades. But Terunosuke is also at fault for just going about it the wrong way and joining the Disasters. I'll leave it to the readers to decide who is right and who is wrong. Bragi has to save Miku and the others and Hajime his sister. And cousin. He doesn't know Despia was involved in kidnapping Setsuna yet. Yomi is playing with fire, and he is going to get burnt.
Chapter 121
Desire to Save You
"London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady..."
P. Yosuke was currently observing a woman in her forties, singing to a comatose girl on a hospital bed.
"That's..."
"Yes. That's my Mother." Amy muttered next to his ear."She's...aged a little."
"We'll, it's been what? 3 or 4 years?" P. Yosuke shrugged."Humans age, dear."
"I guess so. I still look as frail as ever, though." Ammy commented.
"Why don't you go say hi?"
"Are you dense?! I can't go say hi! Do you know how freaky it is to see you're own body as if you're another person? Of course you don't!"
"Ummm...Can I help you two?"
Both Noble Red members yelped, noticing the woman staring at them from afar.
"N-n-nothing, ma'am! We're just cruising around?"
"Who? I only see you." The woman said, looking around and finding no one besides Psykos.
"Oh. It's...My robot! Yeah! I have a portable Alexa!" He pointed at Amy, who was too focused on studying her mother's features after so many years.
'Mother...' The poor robot couldn't even cry if she wanted to.
"Ah, I see. I suppose I've been out of the loop of what young kids are into these days. I should probably do some research for when my baby wakes up."
"Your daughter. That's the girl on the bed? May I ask what happened to her, if it's not too personal?"
"She...she was gone for a long time after I thought I lost her in an incident. I got a call from an unknown number a few days ago and came rushing to find her here...It's weird. The doctors say her body is alive...but it's like she's in a comatose state. Like in a vegetative state. They told me to...unplug her but...I could..." The woman choked a sob."I could never do that for my baby..."
"I apologize, ma'am. My name is...Yosuke Yanagi." P. Yosuke introduced himself.
"My name is Isabella Regulus. A pleasure to meet you, Yanagi-kun." Isabella introduced herself."I apologize. I didn't mean to start crying in front of you."
"It's fine. I understand. I must be on my way. I have to visit a friend." P. Yosuke bowed."I wish you and your daughter the best."
With that, P. Yosuke walked away from the room, sighing."Sorry, Amy. I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine, Psykos. I...You don't know how much better I feel now that I've listened to my Mother's voice...It makes me so happy..."
Since he was walking too fast, Psykos nearly crashed into an old man in a wheelchair."Ah! So sorry about that, sir!"
The parasite quickly vanished into the elevator, leaving Jo Tanaka slightly confused.
"Wait...what was...Yosuke? No, it can't be." Jo shook his head."Yosuke doesn't have that hair color. And what weird eyes..."
"Just a little more, Wei-kun." Shirabe continued exerting her weight on Wei's back to help him stretch a little more.
"Sheez...This is something else." He sighed once he managed to touch the soles of his shoes."Thanks for the help, Shirabe-san."
"It's okay. We're both teammates for the competition, so it's only right we help each other train." She smiled, handing him a bottle of water.
"Right. If we want to win the ice skating competition, we have to train hard. And I guess we should also make up for the loss of time, huh?"
"I'm sorry..." Shirabe lowered her head."I've been so busy with work I haven't been able to come to practice..."
"It's okay! I know how busy you are." Wei shook his head with a small smile."I'm not upset at all."
"But...what if I can't make it to the competition? We are facing some formidable foes at the moment..."
"It's fine." He gently grabbed her hand."Honestly, I don't really care much about the competition. I'm having plenty of fun just hanging out with you. I don't have many friends outside of my club, and they don't share my interests. So...thanks."
"No. I should thank you." Shirabe helped him up as they headed to take a seat and take a break."Thanks for coming out here on such short notice."
"No need to thank me. You needed to get your mind off something, didn't you?"
"H-how did you-"
"I have a sixth sense." He playfully winked at her."Just kidding. My sister was the same way. She was never one to ask for things or tell me how she felt directly. So I had to teach myself to read between the lines. So...what's troubling you?"
"I...My siblings had a fight recently..." She trailed off, playing with her hair."About something that happened a long time ago but that was slowly becoming a bigger problem. The thing is, Kirika, Andreas and I were not involved in that issue. Well, we were, but we not directly."
"Sounds like a big sibling conflict then."
"Yes. You see, it more so involves Jades-nii-chan and Teru-nii, my two eldest brothers. Jades-nii-chan...lied about earning the Tiger Deck. He took it from Teru-nii and had Mom suppress his memories so he wouldn't remember. We didn't know this until yesterday."
"Wow...So he lied to you...but why? I guess he took the Deck to prevent your other brother from becoming a Rider, right? But why did he say it now? Why not earlier?"
"I don't know. I think...the guilt was eating away at his soul." Shirabe continued."Until he couldn't. He said Andreas' death played a big part. So when he told us, there were many mixed emotions. Raiden punched him. Maria didn't say anything."
"What about you? How did you feel?"
"Conflicted...betrayed...confused. I love Jades-onii-chan with all of my heart. But I also cared about Teru-nii as well. He was kind of mean but he always comforted us in his own way back in FIS."
"You said "cared" meaning that you don't anymore."
"He is a murderer and killed so many people. Even joined up with the Disasters of Valhalla." She said, unaware of Wei's flinch at the mention of the name."But...I wonder if Teru-nii would have been corrupted if he had gotten the Deck in the first place."
"I think it's hard to come to the right conclusion. It's fine if you feel conflicted, Shirabe." Wei leaned back, folding his arms."Life can be complicated like that. It sounds cheesy, but it's kind of like a video game. There are many routes we can take. But we can also doubt our choices. Maybe your brother could have been a better person. Maybe not. I don't think it's ideal to worry about hypotheticals."
"What should I do?"
"Follow your heart. I'd say don't take any sides. Be neutral. It's okay to not conclude something." Wei said."Otherwise, you might risk coming to the wrong one. So give it time. Your brother had good intentions but went about it the wrong way. I'm sure your siblings can come to an understanding."
"I hope so..." Shirabe muttered, but gasped when she felt Wei grab her hand."Wei-kun?"
"Until then, I don't mind helping you keep your mind off of things." A smile graced his features, making her blush."I also know what it feels like to not know what the right answer about something is."
"Wei-kun..."
Suddenly, Shirabe's communicator went off."Shirabe here."
Wei took a deep breath, rubbing his nape, slightly embarrassed that he said such things. He felt his phone vibrating and checked his messages, only for his eyes to nearly bulge out of their sockets. It was a picture of Yomi with Setsuna, but the girl seemed to be either asleep or passed out.
"Look what I caught! LOL!" Read his message.
'What the fuck is he doing?!'
"I'm sorry, Wei-kun. Something bad happened and I-"
"Work? I know." Wei waved her off."It's cool. I had fun today."
"I am sorry..."
"Hey, listen." Wei stood up, placing his hands on her shoulders, staring into her own pink eyes."It's fine. You have your responsibilities. I can't keep you from them. Sure, I'd like to spend more time with you, but I also understand you're needed. So go and do your best, alright? You said you could change the world for the better, so go and do it. Maybe...one day, there will be a world where you don't have to do this sort of thing anymore. But until then you have to keep moving forward."
"Thank you, Wei-kun. I'm...glad you're so understanding." Shirabe leaned forward and kissed his cheek."I'll see you around."
Wei gently placed a hand on the spot where he had been kissed, blushing. Unbeknownst to him, Shirabe had a big blush on her face as she ran.
"I can't believe she kissed my cheek/I can't believe I kissed his cheek!"
"Chip."
"On it." Hamaguchi grabbed another potato chip from the bowl on the floor, feeding it to Kirika.
They were both currently at his place, lying on the couch. Hamaguchi was serving as her personal pillow, laying below her as they both continued watching the movies they had agreed to watch. Every now and then, Kirika would call for snacks, and he would give some to her since in her position she couldn't reach for the bowl and was too comfortable to move.
Hamaguchi was also comfortable, feeling his girlfriend's chest pressing against his, and his hands around her waist, but did not move them lower. He could tell she wasn't in the mood to horse around like they would usually do. So he had decided to not make a move unless she wanted.
"These are some pretty complicated movies. I'm so lost right now." Hamaguchi groaned, his head hurting from thinking."I don't understand anything."
"I was going to say the same thing." Kirika agreed."Shirabe said they were good-desu. But I'm lost as well..."
"Maybe they're only good for people who are smart?"
"No way! We can't be that dumb, can we?"
"Uh...I think you know the answer to that, babe." He grinned at her, much to her dismay."It's alright, though. I like not being that smart. It means I can be as silly as I want."
"You have a point. You are pretty silly-desu." She giggled.
"Hey, that's not fair." He huffed, playfully smacking her butt.
"Ow! Hamaguchi!" She pouted at him, blushing."Not so hard!"
"Sorry, sorry." Hamaguchi apologized half-heartedly."So...do want to...you know..."
"Not today." She sighed, snuggling against him."I just...can you just hold me?"
"Of course. Anything for my princess." He cooed, securing his arms around her."You're upset about what Jades-san said."
"Yeah. I just can't believe he kept that from us...He said he wouldn't lie for our sakes anymore but..."
"Are you not upset that he took that Deck from your other brother?"
"I am, but...Teru-nii was always a bully to me. Calling me a crybaby-desu." Kirika scowled."And using Andreas as a puppet...I could never forgive him for that. So no, I don't feel bad at all-desu. Not one bit."
"I gotcha." He nodded."Still, it's kind of crazy to think someone as amazing as Jades-san has his fair share of skeletons in his closet."
"Huh?"
"I admire Jades-san. He's everything I ever wanted to be. Confident, strong, brave, and most of all, kind. He's like everyone's older brother." The blue-haired teen said."I respect him."
"Even though he was ready to skin you alive when we first started dating-desu?" She reminded him, giggling.
"Hey, that only proves he cares about you. And after I got to know him better, I came to like him a lot. I guess...even people like him have thier flaws. For him, it was his overprotective nature. He wanted to do what was best for everyone, but it didn't work out. I think sometimes we all have the best of intentions, but we can't properly show what we feel. Take my sister Kagura, for example."
"Oh, Kagura-san?"
"Yeah. She was watching from a distance, taking care of us and providing money for the restaurant...but never showed her love directly, which led us to believe she didn't love us. She said she didn't think she deserved that after leaving us. But I forgave her. Maybe you can forgive your brother for making that mistake. I know he loves you all very much and you are his priority."
"I love him too...He's always looked out for all of us. I remember back when I was little, he used to rock me to sleep when I would have a hard time sleeping-desu. And he always gave me part of his food when I was still hungry. I know he cares...So I'll do my best to forgive-desu. I know he lied, but he had his reasons, right? We can figure this out!"
"Of course. That's the spirit!"
Their communicators went off, but Hamaguchi was closer to his since it was on the floor and picked it up."Yo. It's Hamaguchi and Kirika here. Wait what?! Yeah, we're on our way to HQ!"
"What happened?" Kirika removed the blanket from them, getting off from him.
"It's...Miku-chan, Tobias-kun and Setsuna-chan..."
"Goods delivered," Yomi announced with a bow as Nightmare carefully placed Setsuna's unconscious body on the ground."She got a little hard to get, so I roughed her up a little bit. Oh, and you may want to get her a new pair of panties. She pissed herself by accident."
"Yomi, what the fuck?" Hazuki gaped, walking over to his cousin."Why did you-I mean, why? What happened to the plan of slowly gaining her trust with Despia? Why the hell did you suddenly bring her here?"
"It all worked out in the end, boss man. Don't worry." Yomi shrugged, holding a bag of Subway in his hand."Got some lunch on the way home by the way."
"Yomi, I'm serious. Explain."
"Look, we were going to get her to meet you. I was actually going to call you." Yomi began to explain."I told Despia to trick the girl into leaving somewhere else and then I'd show up with you, tell her something, and boom! Presto!"
"You...you can't be serious..." Hazuki sweatdropped.
"I'm kidding. We were going to kidnap her. In hindsight, it wasn't a good plan...But I told Nightmare to be on standby so he could back us up." He grinned from ear to ear."Get this, though. Noble Red decided to attack! So we took this opportunity and took Setsuna with us. For all SONG knows, Noble Red just kidnapped a little girl, my sister, and killed a high school kid."
"Wait, killed?"
"I killed Shiori-chan." He shrugged."She knew too much. And I got bored of her. Anyway, I figured this was the best possible plan. Now we have the girl and they don't suspect a thing. In fact, they're blaming Noble Red for it since apparently Miku and some other kids went missing."
"How do you know all of this?" Hazuki asked with a skeptical brow.
"Because they just called me." He pulled out his phone."Told me my sister was missing. And I had to act like I was devastated! Oh, my poor sister! So the plan works. I can still move in the shadows and you can start talking to Setsuna without being worried about them hunting us down."
"Huh...I have to say, this plan actually worked out. Excellent work, Yomi."
"For a quick set-up, it wasn't that bad." Yomi shrugged, turning on his heels."Anyway, I should get going. Got places to be and-"
"By the way, when were you going to tell me about your attack on Noble Red?"
"Huh?" Yomi stopped in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder."Whatever do you mean, cousin?"
"You do realize Nightmare ultimately reports to me, right?" He smiled knowingly."Next time, try not to monologue out loud."
"Aw, that's bullshit! The guy doesn't even talk! How does he communicate with you?!" Yomi clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"I have my ways. I am controlling him, after all." Hazuki placed his arms behind himself."So?"
"Are you going to stop me?"
Hazuki hummed in thought."No. Actually, this is perfect. I do think Fudo has been getting everything he wants too easily. So I think we should...mess some of his plans up. What I think is you should proceed with your idea."
"Wait, really?" Yomi arched a brow."Aren't they your new friends or whatever?"
"They are merely means to an end, as is Fudo." Hazuki waved his arm disimisivally."Just stepping stones that can help us reach our goal. As such, I decided to trust you, Yomi. Wei has spoken highly of your skills and your ability as a fighter and an Alchemist. Or magic, I should say. So I need you to go crazy and kill some of them. 2 or 3 should be enough. I need you to start growing stronger. You did say you want to fight my brother, right?"
"I would not want anything else in the world but that."
"Then you know what must be done." Hazuki nodded."Take Nightmare with you in case you need backup. I expect great things from you, Yomi. Ah, if possible try not to-"
"Not kill Elsa, I know."
"Good. I wouldn't want Allister-san to be sad."
"I like that guy. He's cool. Well, if that's everything-"
"And next time, try to tell me things instead of acting spontaneously." Hazuki's left eye turned golden, a purple aura surrounding his body as he glared at him menacingly."You're good, but I can't have a wildcard like you running around uncontrolled. Am I understood...Narfi?"
"Ah...so you know about the reincarnation thing?"
"Yes. But you can tell me more later. You have somewhere to be, right? Also, remember. Don't let Allister-san or Kuwana-san of your plans. They'll probably stop you since they've taken a liking to those monsters."
"Right." Yomi grinned sadistically."It's time to go play the victim. Hahaha! Hilarious! See you later, cousin."
"What a roundabout way to get to fight Hajime." Hazuki said, making the boy look over his shoulder by the door."You sure love poking at the dragon. I hope you have a plan, otherwise, you'll just die."
"Relax. I'll be the hero who slays the dragon. Or not." Yomi grinned cockily."Honestly, I hope he's the one."
"The one to what?"
"To kill me, of course."
With that, the blonde magician exited the premises, leaving Hazuki and Nightmare behind."Are all Liang this insane? Jesus..."
"Take her with us. I have somewhere where we can put her for the time being."
Hibiki and Hajime were in the hospital waiting room. The cream-haired girl was sobbing a little less than earlier when she was full-on wailing. Hajime had gotten her to calm down, never leaving her sides for even a second. Shiori's body was brought for the sake of putting Shiori's parents up to speed. It was...horrible. Hajime thought he'd seen everything, but watching two parents break down upon hearing their daughter was killed by a horrible murderer was...too much even for him.
"I swear...I'll make them pay for this..." Hajime whispered to himself."Noble Red...Fucking killed our friend...And then kidnapped my sister and cousin...!"
"Hajime..." Hibiki muttered his name."I can't believe she's gone...Shiori-chan...She was one of the few people that ever approached me when I got into Lydian...And she was killed..."
"I'm sorry, Hibiki..." Hajime muttered, showering her with gentle kisses."She was a good person. A good friend too...She didn't deserve what happened to her."
"Oh, Hajime..." Hibiki hugged him tightly.
"It's okay...We'll figure this out. And we'll get whoever did this horrible thing...How can someone be so inhuman...Who could be so heartless...to murder a poor girl in cold blood...?"
"Cousin!"
Yomi tripped over his feet, falling on the cold ground. He shook his head and picked himself up"W-what happened?! Shiori-chan...And my sister...?!"
"Despia is missing...Along with some of our friends..." Hajime closed his eyes."As for Shiori-san..."
"No...No, that can't be..." Yomi shook his head in disbelief, falling to his knees."No...Why...? WHY did I have to leave her behind...? I could have taken her with me...She wouldn't have...!"
"No, no..." Hibiki shook her head, gently grabbing Yomi's hand and pulling him in for a hug."Don't blame yourself, Yomi-san...It'll only end up hurting you more..."
"She's right, Yomi..." Hajime nodded."We have to be strong."
"Please...Both of you, I'm begging you..." Yomi couldn't hold back his tears as he pleaded."You have to find my sister...She's the only thing I have left. I couldn't protect the girl I love...I want to at least protect my sister...So please...bring that monster who did this to justice! Avenge Shiori-chan! Please!"
"And we will...We promise you that...We're family, right? Half-Liangs have to stick together..." Hajime said in between tears.
"Right...Now more than ever we have to be united. Thank you, both of you..."
Hajime's communicator went off and he picked it up."There's a meeting. They're going to fill us in on the situation..."
"Right..." Hibiki sniffed, releasing Yomi."We have to go, Yomi-san. Will you be alright...?"
"Yes. I just want to talk to Shiori-chan's parents. I owe them that, at least..."
The couple gave Yomi one last hug before they parted ways. Unbeknownst to them, Yomi was grinning like a kid in a candy store.
'A good magician always knows how to act and put on a show for the audience. Now...How to find out where Noble Red is hiding...?'
"Bragi-kun! Let's take a photo together!" Miku insisted, standing outside a photo booth after everyone else had taken a photo already."We're the last ones left."
"Y-yeah, but...Are you sure you want a photo with me and not Hibiki-dono?"
"It's fine!" Hibiki giggled."I already took a picture with Hajime. And if Miku wants to take a picture with you, then shouldn't you do what she says?"
"It's better to go with the flow, Dienheim. Trust me." Hajime snickered.
"Asshole...you're enjoying this, aren't you?" He pouted but nodded."Okay, Miku-san. Let's do it."
"Great!" She grabbed his hand, causing him to blush, and dragged him into the booth. They both sat on the chair together, and Miku moved closer to Bragi. He slowly wrapped his arm around her frame, mimicking some of the poses he'd seen the others when they took their pictures.
"Heheheh. Why are you shaking so much?"
"N-no reason. It's cold."
"Are you sure it's because we're not so close together?" She teased him.
"W-well, you are pretty warm, Miku-san..." He stammered in embarassement.
Miku giggled and leaned closer to his face, giving the camera a big smile. A smile contagious enough for Bragi to have one of his own.
"Thank you," Bragi said, staring at the few pictures they took together.
"Hmmm? What for?"
"For being so nice to me."
"Aw, that's a given, though. You're...pretty special to me."
"YOU'RE SO DENSE! IT'S BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!"
'Love? Me?'
"Let's talk later, Miku-san..."
'Why me? Why did I...?'
"MIKU-SAN!"
Bragi jolted awake in a cold sweat, wincing in pain.
"Jesus, Joseph, and Mary!" The doctor who always attended him, Sakura Amanai, gasped, a hand to her chest."You scared me half to death!"
The hybrid blinked, glancing down at his body and noticing he was still wearing his bloody clothes from before. He tried opening his left eye, but a sharp pain made him groan in agony.
"Don't get up!" Sakura quickly laid him back down, handing him a mirror."You're still missing a huge chunk of your head."
He used his good eye to notice that his left side was healed but was still greatly damaged. He couldn't even feel an eye inside of his socket and his skin hadn't grown back yet.
"They found your body underneath the collapsed building. Thankfully, it was a three-story building and not a huge one, otherwise they'd have never found you. You had no head and your body was crushed due to all the debris falling on you." The doctor said, looking at her notes."I have to say, I still can't believe I'd ever seen someone regrow their whole head. Twice! When was the last time? Back when you guys were fighting the Bavarian Illuminati."
The homunculus/human hummed. His memories were a little foggy due to his brain still being damaged, but he knew what she meant. Back when he went rogue and fought Adam alone, only to get his head blasted.
"But it's still quite fascinating. Your regeneration is remarkable. Even with your head gone and your body crushed, you can still make a full recovery given the appropriate amount of time."
"How...long?"
"12 hours. Last time, it took a whole day for your head to heal. It's... amazing." Sakura whistled."You had to regrow bones, ligaments, flesh, nerves, and the most delicate part, your brain. And your body does it automatically. Albeit, since we've last established, your regeneration is reduced when the damage is severe. And when your head gets blown up, it takes a long time. But...Bragi-kun...I have some news."
She sighed, rolling her chair over to him."I like you. You're a sweet kid and you're pretty smart. But we have to stop meeting like this. With you half dead on my table. Thanks to Elfnein-chan and Tobias-kun's guidance, I can perform maintenance for your body. I took a look at the results. And...at the rate you're going...I'll be blunt."
The doctor cleared her throat."You're going to run out of lifeforce if this keeps up. Every major damage you take forces your body to compensate, burning through your "lives" supplies. Diminishing your life force. It's like when a person loses a limb or they get skewered. They are most likely going to die from the blood loss. But you can regenerate. But every time you take lethal damage, you "die". But since your life force is so great, you can't die permanently."
Bragi looked in her direction, noticing she had removed her face mask."But losing your head...or getting cut in half or things of that nature...It takes a lot of energy and a lot of life force. Get your head blown apart like that a few more times, you'll die. Plain and simple. You're impervious to damage, but even you can die. And everyone will be very sad to see you go. I know I will. Elfnein-chan too. And that special lady, Miku-chan, as well."
"Miku..."
"You were whispering her name. You must be worried."
"Why didn't I say anything...?"
Sakura blinked."Say what?"
"If I hadn't been a coward...if I hadn't been afraid of hurting her...I could have told her how I felt...That I..."
"Bragi-kun..."
"Doctor Amanai...do you have any bandages on you?"
"I do." Sakura rolled her chair over to her desk, pulling out a roll of bandages."Why?"
Bragi sighed, forcing his body to sit up and snatching the bandages from her grasp.
"W-what are you doing?!"
The monochrome-haired boy began to wrap the bandages around the left side of his head."I'm going. I have to go rescue my Aunt, Tobias, and Miku-san. They were right in front of me and I dropped my guard...They are gone because of me..."
"But Bragi-kun, you can't! You're exhausted and covered in wounds still! Your body has healed most of the damage, yes, but it's taken tons of energy! You're in no position to even be lifting a finger right now!"
"I don't care...I can't stand still knowing that they are in danger..." Bragi grumbled. tightening the bandages around his head. He removed his bloody jacket, now only wearing a white turtle-neck sweater."I'm going to go save them. No matter what it takes."
"But you'll die if you get in a fight like this! If you get your head destroyed again in these conditions, you-"
"I'll die. Yeah. But I can't let this stop me." Bragi grabbed his Deck, stuffing it in his pocket.
"Bragi-kun, please! I'm begging you to reconsider! Your head and brain are still damaged! You're not thinking straight! You're delirious!"
"I'll heal on the way..." Bragi didn't listen to her order and broke through the door, making his way out of the medical bay.
"Miku-san...I was a coward...But I swear I'll find you all...and tell you how I feel...Because I...I love..."
Suddenly, he lost control of his legs and collapsed to the ground, hitting his head. He grimaced in pain, feeling his bandages dampening with blood."Dizzy...headache... nausea...everything hurts like hell...This is nothing..."
"For the love of God, Bragi-kun, get back here!" Sakura cried out from the door. The dichromatic-eyed teen used the wall as support and continued advancing. The only thing in his mind was saving those he loved, no matter what it took.
"Please...hang in there...I'm coming."
"Okay. Since everyone is here, let me give you the news first. Lab results came in. And that blood Hibiki-kun and Tsubasa found did not belong to Miku-kun, Elfnein-kun, or Tobias-kun. We didn't find any bodies...aside from Shiori Terashima's...Which also means that Despia Kugisaki and Setsuna-kun weren't killed either. This led us to believe that all of them may have been kidnapped. But..." A smile graced the commander's face."They're alive."
"YES!" Hajime and Hibiki cheered. The boy scooped her up in his arms and twirled around as they cried in joy.
"Jeez..." Chris sighed in relief."Finally some good news."
"We're not out of the waters yet." Jades nodded."But...it's a start. But Shiori-chan's body was found somewhere completely different, right? So whose blood is that?"
"We haven't figured that out yet." Genjuro folded his arms."But for now, our priority is rescuing all of them."
"Fuck, you don't think they know about Tobias' Divine Power, right?" Hajime gasped.
"It's possible since Psykos can tap into Yosuke-kun's memories." Genjuro sighed."Which means we don't have a lot of time."
"But...there is something I don't understand." Shirabe raised her hand.
"What is it?"
"I understand why they'd want to kidnap Elfnein-chan and Tobias, but...Why Miku-san, Despia-san, and Setsuna-chan?"
"It's fucking Hazuki." Hajime bared his teeth. Hibiki squeezed his hand to calm him down, hugging him. He took a deep breath to calm himself."Hazuki is working with Noble Red. And for some reason, he has some interest in Setsuna. I don't know why they would take Despia too. Maybe because she's a half-Liang. But even then, it's strange. I just hope they're okay..."
"But then...what does Miku have to do with any of this?" Raiden arched a brow."Elfnein and Tobias are Alchemists, and Setsuna and Despia are Liangs. But Miku is a complete outsider to this."
"I guess it's time I told you." Genjuro took a deep breath, preparing himself to deliver the news."I'll tell you why the enemy might be interested in Miku-kun-"
"Commander! It's urgent!" Doctor Sakura burst through the door, panicking."It's Bragi-kun! He left while still wounded!"
"What?!" Everyone cried out in shock.
"Call Bragi-kun's number!"
"On it!" Aoi wasted no typing in trying to reach his communicator. To their surprise, he answered, but only with audio."He answered!"
Before Genjuro could talk, Chris got ahead of him."Junior, what the fuck are you doing?! Get back here right now! You haven't recuperated yet!"
"Yeah...Sorry. I just...I can't stand not being able to do anything...When I had them right in front of me. I could have done more and yet I failed..."
Hajime pursed his lips. That's a feeling he was more than acquainted with."But what's your plan? Where are you even going?"
"I...don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?" Maria scowled."Are you just going to blindly search for them in your condition? That's reckless!"
"Dienheim, come back. We'll talk things through and make a plan." Tsubasa tried to reason with the young man but he wasn't having it.
"I have to do this now. I can't wait for any opportunity or for any fucking miracle to happen." Bragi drawled."I have to save them. I have to same Miku-san...She...She told me that she loved me."
"R-really? She actually told you?" Hibiki blinked, bewildered.
"You knew?" Hajime asked.
"Ever since you told me. I tried being coy about it but she straight up told me she loved him. But...she said she wasn't sure. She's still hung up about Hazuki and how she thinks she failed to save him."
"Yeah. She told me the same thing. But...I also told her she could probably do better than me."
"W-what do you mean?" Kirika asked.
"I'm...I was scared. When she told me that, I freaked out. I didn't think she could ever be happy with me. I want her to be happy. I do. She deserves the world. But I was stupid...If only I had told her how I feel..."
"And how do you feel?"
"I think...No, I know I'm in love with her." Bragi said, a dry chuckle escaping his lips."I was scared of hurting her. Scared that maybe I would just bring misery into her life. But it was my cowardice that hurt her in the end. I should have been a man and confessed my feelings. That's why...I have to go. Hibiki-dono, you and she were the first people to ever show me so much kindess. To show me that I wasn't like the Second. That I was a human being."
"Bragi-kun..."
"Boy Wonder...No. Adachi. You taught me to always fight for those who I love. And give my best fight to protect them at all costs."
"Dienheim, you..."
"So that's what I'll do. I don't care if I'm still hurt or with barely any energy. I'll look for her and my Aunt and Tobias. I'll get them home safe and sound, no matter what it takes. I promise you that."
"Damn it, Dienheim, you better not fucking die, alright?!" Hajime cried out, receiving a chuckle."You said we had a score to settle, remember?!"
"Please. I ain't dying. Not until I punch Hazuki in the face."
With that, the call ended. They tried tracing the call, but he had turned off his communicator.
"God damn it!" Raiden was heading for the door, but Jades grabbed his hand.
"Wait! You can't just-"
"Don't touch me!" Raiden swatted his hand away."I have to go with him! My girlfriend is out there!"
"We need a plan." Genjuro approached the bespectacled boy, placing a hand on his shoulder."Now is not the time to lose your cool, Raiden-kun. We need you. The enemy has the upper hand against us, but we can still turn this around if we all fight together. We'll get them back."
Raiden closed his eyes, clenching his fists."Yes, sir..."
"Raiden, I-"
"Shut up. I don't want to hear anything from you." Raiden snarled at Jades, who took a step back with a hurt expression."At least Bragi is out there, trying to make amends with his mistakes."
"Raiden, enough!" Maria stomped her foot on the ground."You will stop this instant!"
Raiden clicked his tongue, remaining silent.
"You can continue, Uncle," Tsubasa said after no one else said anything for a few seconds.
"Let's take a small break." Genjuro suggested."I told you the most important news. So I need you all to be focused for the next."
They all nodded and broke into different groups. Jades leaned against the wall, resting his eyes when he felt someone tugging at his sleeve."Huh?"
"Jades-onii-chan." Shirabe muttered, standing next to Kirika.
"What is it, girls?" Jades unfolded his arms, giving them his full attention. Before he could say anything, they lunged at him and grabbed their arms around his neck, showering him with kisses on his cheeks."H-hey!" He chuckled at the gesture."What's gotten into you two?"
"We love you, Jades-onii-chan! We don't want you to be sad!" Kirika said."We...we were upset when you said that...but we were hurt because you lied-desu!"
"But you lied because you loved us. You didn't want us to worry. But we want to show you we want to stand by your side because we're strong. We've grown." Shirabe said."We understand what happened to Teru-nii...But we could never hate you. You've done so much for us."
"Shirabe is right! So please don't be sad! Even if it's just us, we want you to know we love you a lot-desu! You're like our Dad!"
"Girls..." A few tears streamed down Jades' cheeks, touched by their love for him. He hugged them tightly in his arms, sharing a loving embrace."I love you too...you're all my treasures..."
"Jades..." Maria approached her boyfriend, as he set the girls down."Can we...talk later?"
"Sure, Maria." Jades smiled.
"At least Bragi is out there, trying to make amends with his mistakes."
Jades closed his eyes, Raiden's words echoing in his mind.'Make amends for his mistakes, huh...I guess it's about time I make amends for my own mistakes. No more dodging the blame...'
"Welcome home, master!"
Tobias and Elfnein were huddled together, trembling at the sight of Millaarc, who despite having a sweet smile on her face, was anything but.
"Yeah, keep showing your ass, you sow." Reina scoffed. Millaarc glared at her for a moment but dismissed her insult. She grabbed Elfnein by the cheeks harshly and pulled her up.
"Hahahaha! How was that? I always wanted to say that since I arrived in Japan! I was into Maid Cafes back then!"
"B-but this is the Chateau de Tiffauge-"
"Don't care!" Millaarc threw Elfnein across the room, the girl landed on her back with a groan.
"Elfnein!" Tobias sneered, rushing toward Millaarc but she simply kicked him away.
"M-Millaarc! Please, calm down!" Elsa stood in front of her."This is too cruel!"
"Huh? Yeah, that's the point. To rough them up a little."
"But no to this extent!" She shook her head."It's cruel and we do not need to treat them like that-de-arimasu!"
"Why do you suddenly care about what's cruel or not?" Millaarc narrowed her eyes at her."Look at us! The world did this to us! The fuck do we care about what's cruel or not! We have the right to be cruel. And besides, we need them to cooperate." The vampire-girl gently pushed Elsa out of her way."We already killed Bragard's kid. It's time to celebrate!"
'They think Bragi-chan is dead...' Elfnein sat up slowly.'That means...if we play our cards right, we might be able to stall...But knowing Bragi-chan, he'll just come barging in without a plan...'
"W-where is Miku-san?!" Tobias demanded.
"She's okay." Elsa opened a small magic circle where they could see Miku lying down on an operating table.
"Miku-san! W-why do you...Wait, don't tell me...You want to use her because she's free from the Curse of Balal?!" Elfnein clenched her teeth.
"That's right." Millaarc grinned."And also..."
"We know that you have Divine Power inside of you, Tobias-kun."
The duo gasped, noticing P. Yosuke approaching them with Amy sitting on top of his shoulder."I know everything Yosuke knows, so I know what you're hiding. Don't worry. We haven't told anyone else."
"We just need you to do a few things for us," Reina said.
"And why should we cooperate with you?!" Tobias stood in front of Elfnein protectively.
"Oh, I wanted to hear you say that." Millaarc enlarged one of her fingernails."Time for some torture-"
Before she could pierce his body, Angelo grabbed her arm, stopping her dead in her tracks."A-Angel?!"
"Hold on. We can't just torture them out of the blue." Angelo released her hand, shifting his attention to the small Alchemists."Leave the interrogation to me. I know my way around it."
"Leave it to the mobster-boy to know how to interrogate." Millaarc snickered."Fine. Have it your way, love."
Angelo knelt in front of the Alchemists, his expression unreadable."Okay, listen. I'm not a fan of hurting kids. I'm no Yakuza. I'm a former member of the Italian Mafia. We have morals. The Don loved kids. Hell, I love kids too. But here's the deal. The way I am now, hurting kids is not beyond me to get what we need. So I'll ask you some real simple questions and I want some real simple answers. Disobey, you get a few fingers broken. The second time, the fingernails are gone. We'll do it one at a time, so whoever gets lucky can watch as the other one is hurt. But of course, if you obey, we won't have to resort to that. Is that a good deal?"
"W-what do you want...?" Elfnein asked, shaking like a leaf.
"We want you to do a couple of things. And don't worry, Psykos told us about Tobias' Divine Power and how he'll die if he uses it due to how unstable his core is. So we can talk about that later. For now..." He stood up, pointing behind them. A machine connected with several caskets that were connected to a big machine with bright blue lights was what caught their attention. Until they took a closer look at what was inside the caskets. Countless lifeless dolls were inside.
"W-what is this?!" Elfnein gasped.
"We'll talk about it in a minute." Angelo said, catching their attention."For now...there is a more pressing matter to attend to."
They followed his gaze, where a particular casket was, several wires from all the others connected to it."Inside is the doll body we've been preparing ever since we got here. It took a bit of work, but we finally got a good design and the process of completion is almost done. My question is; Are you guys capable of transmuting a human soul?"
'Transmuting..." Elfnein whispered before her eyes lit up."Do you mean like what happened to Amy Regulus?!"
"I suppose that Hibiki chick told you." Amy sighed."Yes. I want to transmute my soul into that Autoscorer body."
"B-but why...? Wouldn't you want to transmute it over to your real body?"
"I can't turn tail and run from this. My friends gave me hope and rescued me out of that hell and helped me get close to seeing my Mother again." Amy said."But before I return home, I want to repay them. I want to fight alongside them. That's why I asked them to build that body for me. But before that happens, I need my soul to be transmuted there."
"Preferably, we'd like you to teach us how to do it." P. Yosuke chimed in."Once this is all over, we want to return Amy to her human body so she can be reunited with her Mom and go back home."
"It's not a bad thing to ask, is it?"
"B-but you're asking us to help you get another fighter to hurt our friends!" Tobias cried out."W-we can't! We can't put them at risk like that."
"If you resist, then I suppose we have to start going to the unpleasant zone." Angelo sighed, his hands turning into sharp claws.
Millaarc clicked her tongue, suddenly appearing in front of the small Alchemists and grabbing their heads."Stained Glance."
They were put under hypnosis and were now docile for them to exploit.
"What the fuck, Millie?"
"You ruined my fun, so I'm ruining yours." She stuck her tongue out."Anyway, Elfnein, get to work. And-"
Millaarc turned to face Elfnein, only to see Tobias who had lunged at her, winding his fist back. Angelo appeared in front of him, grabbing the fist and slamming him on the ground.
"What?! He broke free?! How?!"
"Must be Thor the one who snapped him out of it." P. Yosuke shrugged.
"Should I try my song?" Reina asked.
"Don't bother. Clearly, the God inside of him makes him resistant to hypnosis." Angelo dismissed the idea."Alright, scrub. Clearly, my intention wasn't understood."
He applied pressure to Tobias' back, causing him to groan in pain.
"So...how about you start obeying?"
"Amy, are you absolutely sure about this?" Vanessa asked the robot as she took her to where the body they were making was. Elfnein stood next to the machine, her eyes devoid of all emotion."We can get your body and put you inside. You can just turn back from this and leave. This isn't your-"
"It is my fight. You are all my family." Amy refuted the idea."We've spent years together...you're all like my brothers and sisters. I could never turn my back on you. Sure, I miss my Mother. But...she would tell me to settle my debt first. It's important to pay back to the people that helped you. So I want to help you. I am not going back to being a human until all of us do!"
"Well said!" Millaarc cheered. Elsa smiled.
"That's true loyalty. You'd have been a killer mafioso." Angelo grinned.
"Alright. If that is what you want." Vanessa nearly teared up at her friend's words."Let us get you combat-ready. Get started, Elfnein."
Another chapter is done. We're progressing into the story more and more. A little warning. There going to be some ights coming up in the next few chapters. A few of them are the highlight of the season. So buckle up and be ready for when they come.
