Before we go into the chapter.
For two men that have shaped many of our childhoods.
Kevin Conroy (1955 - 2022), the voice behind Batman.
Jason David Frank (1973 - 2022), the actor behind Tommy Oliver.
Thank you for everything.
Rest in Peace.
Akira felt Elfnein slowly let herself fall into his arms.
"Are you alright?" He asked her, concerned.
Elfnein didn't respond, and instead let a tear fall.
"Tears…?" He said.
Carol flew up to confront the wielders, a frown on her face.
"One on nine." Maria said.
"You're an alchemist." Tsubasa said. "You should be able to be able to calculate the difference in power between us."
"And we got X-Drive on top of that!" Chris added. "It's over!"
Carol scoffed. "Do you really think a few puny miracles will be all it takes to defeat me?"
"We all found this power within ourselves!" Shirabe said.
"It's more than just a few "puny miracles," dess!" Kirika added.
"This is the power we share… the miracle we made to end this insanity." Shuri said.
"A heap of lies!" Carol shouted. "Miracles are worthless! My Papa saved our village from a plague that ravaged the land. The villagers called his medicine a miracle. And then they burned him at a stake for working miracles they thought he had no right to!"
"Your father…" Hibiki said, stunned.
"My mission was to lift the veil on the fundamental principles and laws of the universe, and record them all in the Château de Tiffauges, thus completing the Apocalypse of All Creation." Carol said, gritting her teeth. "And yet…"
"Carol-chan, you're crying?" Hibiki noticed.
"Every miracle is a catastrophe, like the plague that attacked our village! So I vowed to slaughter them all." She declared. "That's why wielders of miracles are the last people I'd let myself lose against!"
Carol threw dozens of capsules, summoning hordes of Alca-Noise of all sizes. The larger ones flying in the air were spawning even more.
"What is she doing?!" Maria shouted.
SONG HQ saw hundreds of red dots appear all over the map.
"Carol has…" Aoi said in shock.
"She's summoned an immense number of Alca-Noise." Fujitaka said.
"So even without the Château de Tiffauges, she still has the means to destroy the world?" Genjuro asked.
"What can we do against such power…?" Ogawa asked.
Jeanne clicked her tongue, wondering what options they even had. Akira was still holding Elfnein, before looking up.
"Hibiki! Rui!" He called.
"That voice… Dad?" Hibiki said, as she and Rui took note.
"You two! There's a girl in tears here!"
They looked at Carol, who was also crying, realizing it at the same time. Hibiki smiled, relaxing her arms while Rui chuckled.
"If someone's in tears, you need to reach out to them!" Hibiki said.
"But before we reach out, the child has to reflect." Rui said, before pointing at Carol. "Now, count up your sins!"
"It's impossible to count them at this point!" Carol shouted. "I'll just destroy everything!"
(Insert Hajimari no Babel by Aoi Yūki, Nana Mizuki, Ayahi Takagaki, Yōko Hikasa, Ai Kayano, and Yoshino Nanjō or Rewrite the Story by Syuichiro Naito, Takaya Yamaguchi and Ryo Aoki)
She spread her arms, as the Alca-Noise began their assault on the city, destroying any building in their way.
"Tsubasa-san! Maia-san!" Hibiki shouted.
"I understand, Tachibana." Tsubasa said, drawing her katana.
"Heh, let's go!" Maia said, shouldering her two blades.
"This isn't the first time I've played along with your screwy way of fighting." Chris said, as she readied her guns.
"It's to be expected from Hibiki-san." Shuri said, forming two sniper rifles.
Maria drew a blade from the gem on her chest, aiming it forward. "Let's split up and clear out the Alca-Noise!"
"Let's go, Hibiki!" Rui called.
"Yeah, Oneesan!" Hibiki agreed.
Hibiki held out her wrist, as a massive spear head formed around it. She flew forward, skewering and stabbing at the various Alca-Noise in the air. Rui flew right behind her, as red energy surrounded her foot.
"This one's for you, Dad!" She called. "My special move; Part 1! Oraaaaa!"
She dove at an Alca-Noise, delivering a kick sparking with energy, before kicking off it and delivering a roundhouse kick into another one. She kicked from Alca-Noise to Alca-Noise, practically becoming a blur.
DEN-RIDER KICK
As the others cleared the city of the Alca-Noise, their thoughts fell to their foe, and how she wasn't that different from them.
She's the same as us. Kirika thought, combining her gear with Shirabe to create a buzzsaw pincer combo.
She was downtrodden and depressed, but she kept struggling for something better. Shirabe had the blades snap a group of Alca-Noise in half.
The only difference is that she was all alone! Maria swung her blade, cleaving a massive Alca-Noise in two.
The feeling of loneliness… it's choking. Shuri shot several bullets at certain Alca-Noise, before the detonators went off, skewering any smaller Alca-Noise nearby.
I gotta help her. Chris fired an array of lasers that cut down the Alca-Noise in the air, before refracting them to increase their range and destruction. I was saved like this too.
We're never gonna back down now. Maia rocketed through the sky at incredible speed, tearing through the Alca-Noise like paper with her swords.
That's why, with miracles as my blades, I'll rise no matter how many times I'm struck down! Tsubasa declared, creating a second orange katana along with two massive blades on her legs, shredding through the Alca-Noise.
We'll reach out to help; that's the miracle we're creating! Rui kicked an Alca-Noise so hard that it flew into a horde, before exploding.
That's why we sing through this war-torn sky! Hibiki smashed through a huge crowd of the Alca-Noise, creating hundreds of explosions in the clouds.
Despite the overwhelming numbers, the Symphogears kept on fighting, wiping out every last Alca-Noise. Together, nothing could stop them.
SONG could see their actions from the HQ, amazed at the level of power they were all showing.
"With the X-Drive's power, they can win this!" Ogawa said.
"Don't count your chickens yet, Ogawa." Jeanne said. "It's not over."
"Carol's been building her phonic gain all this time." Genjuro said grimly.
The wielders had all gathered together in front of the ruins of the Château, seeing Carol drawing in all the phonic gain she could.
"Were the Alca-Noise just a distraction?" Hibiki realized.
"Do you mean to burn every last memory you have?!" Chris yelled at Carol.
"If only everything was gone… The world, it's miracles…" Carol muttered. "And my memories too!"
Carol's power increased massively, creating huge shockwaves that the girls struggled to push back against.
"We swore we'd save her!" Maria declared.
"That's right!" Tsubasa shouted. "To me, Maria! Neesama!"
Tsubasa backflipped into the air, as Maria joined her. The two combined their blades together to become a spinning whirlwind. Maia tossed her two blades at them, as they also latched on, increasing the speed with their rocket boost. The spinning attack tried to pierce the barrier that Carol formed, but it held strong.
"Fall!" Carol screamed.
The barrier burst forward, knocking Tsubasa and Maria into the air.
"Senpai!" Chris shouted.
"Maria!" Shirabe shouted.
Maia flew after the two, as they each grabbed one blade of Takemikazuchi. The rockets managed to slow them down, preventing them from being knocked too far away. They tossed the swords back to Maia, who caught them out of the air.
Carol swung out her arms, creating hundreds of wires that compacted together, forming sharp golden edges.
"What the hell…?" Rui could only say in shock.
The wires formed a huge green mechanical lion that easily dwarfed all of them in size. It roared at all of them, shaking the air. Inside, Carol was controlling the massive construct with her power.
I will return all to oblivion. Nothing matters to me anymore. She thought. But this is the only way I may quell the fire within me!
Lightning struck the huge beast, as it opened its mouth.
"She's about to attack!" Shuri realized. "Move!"
The Wielders all flew out of the way, as it unleashed a huge stream of flames that tore through several buildings, with the power being felt miles around.
(Insert Glorious Break by Nana Mizuki)
"Oi oi, the hell's with that power boost?!" Maia shouted.
"We just need to get her…" Kirika said, flying at the huge Alchemic Beast.
"...before she gets us!" Shirabe finished, joining her friend.
"Wait, you two!" Chris yelled.
Shirabe and Kirika tried attacking the monster, but their attacks did little effect before they were knocked away.
"Her defense is too strong." Maria said. "If we keep attacking like this, we'll never get through."
"Then we have to focus all of the X-Drives' outputs into our Armed Gears…" Tsubasa started.
"And break right through in one hit!" Rui finished.
Maria and Chris landed by Tsubasa and Rui, as Shirabe landed after them. "It'll leave us wide open, but the firepower is worth it!"
"And we can concentrate it all into one!" Kirika added, joining them.
"Chat later! We've got incoming!" Chris shouted, as Maia and Shuri landed too.
The Alchemic Beast unleashed several beams of gold energy straight at them, but Hibiki flew into the way, blocking it with one of the gauntlets.
"I'll hold it back!" She shouted. "Go!"
"Let's do it!" Maria called.
All of them shouted, as they raised their arms. Their weapons and armor flew upwards into a huge ball of energy. They all threw their arms forward, launching the attack straight at the Alchemic Beast's head. With a massive explosion, it cracked through the head, exposing Carol, but leaving her undamaged.
"You were one Armed Gear short." Carol said with a mocking smile.
"Were we?" Rui smirked back.
Carol's eyes widened in shock, as Hibiki's arm was raised. All the energy was gathering into her palm, as she created a massive mechanical hand.
"I'll destroy miracles! I'll slaughter them all!" Carol screamed. "I'll commit a genocide of miracles!"
The Alchemic Beast unleashed a massive blast of golden energy straight at Hibiki.
"Tachibana!" Tsubasa shouted.
The blast hit Hibiki dead-on, and Carol smiled in victory… only for it to falter when she saw Hibiki blocking her attack with the massive gauntlet.
Rui held up a fist and shouted. "The law of victory is set! Go, Hibiki!"
"This hand lets me reach out to others! It's my Armed Gear!" Hibiki declared. The massive gauntlet closed, dispersing the attack. "It might be painful if it hits you, but Miku taught me how it can do so much more than that!"
"I'll crush you all the same!" Carol declared. But before she could go any further, she felt her body weaken. "Another rejection? Now?!"
The happy times with her father were flashing through her mind.
"No…! These memories of Papa are trying to stop me…!" She closed her eyes, shaking her head as the tears fell down her face. "I can't accept that! There's no way I could! I don't need memories that will defy me! Burn! Burn, and fuel my power!"
The giant Alchemic Beast got ready to unleash its most powerful burst of energy yet. Hibiki responded by combining the energy given to her by all the others and creating an even larger fist, complete with colors from each of them. The back of the fist opened with boosters, and Hibiki shot forward. With almighty shouts, Hibiki and Carol clashed, the energy blast against the massive fist.
"Lend your power to Tachibana!" Tsubasa called. "Ame-no-Habakiri!"
"Ichaival!"
"Shul Shagana!"
"Igalima!"
"Airgetlám!"
"Okami!"
"Takemikazuchi!"
"Kagutsuchi!"
All Relics, whether real or artificial, lent their power to the one that could end this all.
"HOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAH!" Hibiki screamed.
Carol's eyes widened, as the blast was being overpowered.
"GUNGNIR!"
The massive fist smashed straight into the Alchemic Beast, shattering the front.
Glorious Break
The others watched on, ready at a moment's notice despite being drained. Both the Alchemic Beast and Hibiki's gauntlet began to crack, as all the energy began to surge out at an alarming rate.
(Insert Exterminate by Nana Mizuki)
"The energy's going out of control!" Aoi reported.
"Calculating damage estimates!" Fujitaka rapidly typed away.
"Sixty seconds until it goes critical!" Aoi shouted.
"At this level, everything within a 12 kilometer radius will be caught in the explosion, and any buildings within 3 kilometers of the blast will suffer extreme damage!" Fujitaka finished.
"A suicide last resort?" Jeanne realized.
"It's like a miniature sun." Ogawa said.
"Let me engrave it into your very souls: the cruel truth of a world where songs can't save anything!" Carol declared.
"I won't give up…" Hibiki pushed through the wires. "Even if it takes a miracle!"
"Every miracle is a curse!" Carol shot back. "They kill all those who rely on them!"
The Alchemic Beast started to explode, launching Carol out of it as she turned back into her younger self.
"Carol-chan!" Hibiki screamed.
She dove down towards her, stretching out her hand towards the girl
"Take my hand!" Hibiki called.
Carol smirked and refused. "Your songs can't save me. They can't save anyone!"
"That's never stopped me before!" Hibiki shouted, reaching to the gem on her chest. "Bakken!"
DAINSLEIF!
The Ignite Module activated, empowering Hibiki's X-Drive to look like a fallen angel. Hibiki roared as she stretched her hand even further.
"Carol!"
Elfnein's will manifested as it reached out towards her as well. Carol ignored her, but the next hand caused her heart to drop.
"Carol, know the world." Her father spoke.
"Papa!"
"Ensuring that people can one day understand each other is the mission entrusted to us all." Her father said. "You're a smart girl, so you understand that, right? You know what you have to do."
The tears were flowing freely now as she raised her arm to him. "PAPAAAA!"
Hibiki grabbed Carol's hand, pulling her into a shielded embrace as the explosion went off.
"I see. So we have yet to locate Carol?" Genjuro asked.
"It's already been seventy-two hours since the battle's end." Ogawa said, standing in the crater as several people were at work repairing all the damages, as well as look for any trace of Carol. "The trail's long since gone cold."
"Understood. Call off the search and return." Genjuro ordered.
"Roger."
The call ended, and Ogawa slipped his phone back into his pocket.
"Ogawa."
He looked up to see Jeanne walking over, wearing a larger eyepatch that covered most of her new eye.
"Oh, Jeanne." Ogawa said. "What is it? Did you find something?"
"No, it's not that." Jeanne said, shaking her head. "I went through some of the notes and files about the Relics that were stored in Neptune's Palace, after Maria, Kirika and Shirabe passed the knowledge of its name from Ver to me."
"You found out about your new eye?"
Jeanne nodded, as she took off her eyepatch to reveal it again. Ogawa looked surprised, as the mechanical parts that had sunk into the skin around Jeanne's eye was gone. All that remained was the purple and light blue eyeball.
"Your eye, it's-"
"Mostly back to normal." Jeanne agreed. "It turns out it needed a bit of fine tuning, and then it disguised itself as a regular eye."
"That's great." Ogawa smiled.
"Thanks. But anyways, throw a punch at me." Jeanne told him.
"Eh?"
"You heard me. Don't hold back."
Ogawa raised a brow, and drew his arm back. To his surprise, he found he couldn't throw it forward.
"Argus' Eye, when in its line of sight, any opponent is unable to do anything that would be considered "hurting" me." Jeanne explained. "And it can do this too."
There were a few clicks and whirs, as the mechanical eyeball popped out. The eyeball grew a mechanical golden body that resembled some sort of hamster. It observed the two with seemingly great interest.
"A surveillance bot that can run around, and I can see what she sees. And it's all maintained not from phonic gain, but from an artificial intelligence that speaks to me." Jeanne said, tapping the side of her head.
"Is the artificial intelligence friendly?" Ogawa asked.
"Affirmative." Argus's Eye said. "I am very friendly."
"Oh, you can talk too?" Ogawa knelt down to the little creature.
"Affirmative." She repeated.
"What do we call her?" Ogawa asked.
Jeanne tapped a finger under her chin. "How about… "Aiba?""
"Aiba. I like that name." The now newly named Aiba said, jumping up into Jeanne's shoulder.
"... isn't that just a pun on the word "AI" and "eyeball?"" Ogawa asked.
"It works." Jeanne shrugged.
"But regardless, this is all incredible, Jeanne." Ogawa said. "Your new abilities are amazing."
"A-Ah, thanks." Jeanne blushed a bit at the compliment.
Aiba looked at Jeanne's expression, taking note of it, before she turned back to normal and returned to Jeanne's socket.
"Though that part might take a bit of time getting used to." Ogawa admitted.
"You think it's weird? Imagine how it feels for me." Jeanne said. "Anyways, we should head back, as the Commander ordered."
"Observation; your heartbeat increases rather quickly when around Shinji Ogawa." Aiba noted.
"Shut up!"
Back at SONG, Aoi turned to Genjuro from her seat. "Hibiki protected Carol, and she's fine, so it stands to reason that Carol should be alive as well."
"Carol's whereabouts aren't my only concern." Fujitaka said, looking at an x-ray scan.
"Thank you for coming to visit me." Elfnein said. "I feel bad that you come every day."
The young homunculus was bedridden in the medbay of SONG's medical wing at the hospital, as all the wielders paid a visit together. They had all been doing this constantly, though today was the first chance all 9 of them (and Miku) were together.
"Don't be. It's summer vacation, so we're good." Miku reassured her.
"Summer vacation?" Elfnein asked.
"It's a lot of fun." Shirabe said.
"And this is our first one, dess!" Kirika added.
"You can sleep in as much as you like, and you can stay up as late as you want!" Hibiki told her.
"Hibiki, that's just you normally." Rui reminded her sister.
"Don't teach her your weird habits!" Chris added.
"There are summer festivals in the shopping districts too!" Hibiki said. "They have yakisoba, cotton candy, takoyaki, and grilled squid!"
"How much do you spend at the stalls, Hibiki-san?" Shuri asked, a bit concerned.
"Her wallet's empty after twenty minutes." Rui told her. "Then she starts begging me to pay for her food…"
"Oh, and don't tell anyone, but when she gets in the mood, Maria's Gear starts playing traditional dance music!" Hibiki added.
Elfnein blinked and turned to Maria. "It does?"
"Of course not!" Maria said, embarrassed. "That'd be more Tsubasa's kind of thing, anyways."
Everyone laughed at the image of Tsubasa playing the drums, in full Symphogear armor. The younger Kazanari was not amused.
"I see, I see." Tsubasa crossed her arms. "So that's what Ame-no-Habakiri means to all of you."
"You gotta learn to take a joke, little sis." Maia said, putting a hand on Tsubasa's shoulder. "I mean, I could take over as Ame-no-Habakiri's traditional music player if you-"
"Do not sully its name any further." Tsubasa said.
"Fine, fine." Maia chuckled.
"I still have so many things to learn." Elfnein said, wiping away a tear of laughter. "If I learned more about the world, and about all of you, could we be even better friends?"
"Of course!" Hibiki put both her hands over one of Elfnein's. "So heal up and get back on your feet soon, alright?"
Elfnein didn't say anything, but the touched smile on her face told her everything. It was unfortunate that visiting hours were almost over, but that came with having to schedule a group visit of ten.
"See you tomorrow!" Shirabe said.
"Take care, dess!" Kirika added.
Rui was the last one to step out of the room, and she gave Elfnein a thumbs-up as the door closed. The moment it did, Hibiki let out a breath. "I gotta go to the bathroom."
A few of the others shared a knowing look, though Tsubasa was the one who spoke. "Very well."
Hibiki quickly ran off without looking back. Chris turned to the others. "Let's go."
"We're not gonna wait for her, dess?" Kirika asked. "It's a bit of a walk to get back to the submarine, dess."
"It's okay." Maria told them.
"Besides… we got something else to tackle." Maia said, tone a bit grim. "Shuri's results should be ready now."
Shuri looked down at the floor, shaking. Chris went over to her younger twin and put an arm around her shoulder, trying to calm her down. The shaking slowed, but didn't completely stop. Maia slipped her hand into Shuri's, as the girls all left for HQ.
Rui and Miku stayed behind, looking back at where Hibiki had run off. The two nodded at one another as they followed her. They could hear the running water from the bathroom, and walked in to see Hibiki crying over the sink.
"S-Sorry…" She apologized, having heard them come in. "I didn't want to cry in front of Elfnein, she'd never get better that way."
Rui and Miku were both silent as Hibiki turned off the tap, letting her tears drip into the pool of water.
"In this world, only the simple problems can be solved with your fists..." Hibiki said, voice shaking. "So all I can achieve are little things… it's so frustrating…"
Rui glanced at Miku, silently asking her to be the one to say something first.
"What you said might be true, Hibiki." Miku said, walking forward. "But you know what I think?"
She took Hibiki's hand with both of her own.
"When you clench your fist to do what you think is right, you have something unique." She pulled the hand to her face. "Something special."
Hibiki could feel Miku's gentle breath on her hand. "Something special?"
"It's the kindest fist in the world." Miku told her. "I'm sure one day it'll solve everything that's wrong with the world."
"Miku…"
"That's something I can believe too." Rui said, finally walking forward. "You're my invincible little sister, so don't let this keep you down."
Rui wiped the tears off Hibiki's face using her sleeves.
"And if I may say something, Hibiki?" Rui smiled. "You're the one that can protect the place where everyone belongs. It's as you say; it's fine, it's gonna be okay."
The tears came back, as Hibiki threw her arms around the two of them in a loving hug.
"Thank you… both of you… for always being there…" Hibiki thanked through her tears. "Miku… you truly are my sunshine… and Oneesan… you're my hero…"
Miku and Rui both smiled, gently returning the hugs together. They stayed there until Hibiki finished crying. The others would understand if they were a bit late.
Because this moment was all that currently mattered.
Once they had let their emotions out before cooling down a bit, Hibiki, Miku and Rui walked into the bridge of SONG HQ, where everyone was waiting for them. Maia was the one standing by the screen at the front, since she was the one that headed Shuri's analysis since Elfnein was out of commission. Shuri was standing nearby, with Chris holding her hand.
"Alright, everyone's here?" Maia said.
"Elfnein isn't, but that can't be helped." Maria said.
"I sent the report to her. She can read it in her spare time." Maia said, pulling out a clicker as the lights dimmed. "Aoi, can you bring up the scan?"
Nodding, Aoi tapped on her keyboard, pulling up a full-body image of Shuri. Maia pressed the clicker, changing to an alternate scan that showed Shuri's nervous system.
"Um, why is the nervous system colored in red, dess?" Kirika asked. "I thought x-ray scans don't do that. Did you get a marker or something?"
Maia shook her head. "No. Shuri's nervous system is literally red in the picture that we took."
The others were all stunned.
"Completely red? Why?" Miku asked.
"What you see here…" Maia was tracing the nervous system with the pointer. "Is the Ignite Module having completely enveloped Shuri's nervous system."
"Completely enveloped…?" Hibiki asked.
"It's sort of formed like a second layer that's interwoven with her body." Maia explained, zooming in to one of the nerves. "You can see it more clearly here from a cross-section."
The red outer layer was intertwined with the nerve, and the rest of the internal body around it.
"How did this happen?" Shirabe asked.
"Shuri cut her finger on the Dáinsleif shard." Maia reminded them all. "That caused it to seep into her body, and lie dormant. Until recently."
"Okay… but what does this mean?" Chris asked, hand tightening around Shuri's. "Is Shuri… is she going to be okay? Nothing's going to happen to her, right?"
The others all knew Chris was thinking back to when Hibiki was suffering from the relic shards fusing with her body.
"There shouldn't be anything like that, as long as the Ignite Module remains dormant in her body." Maia explained. "But that leads to the other problem. Fujitaka?"
Fujitaka tapped his keyboard three times, bringing up three new images. The first two were Hibiki and Maria in their berserk states. The third was from the fight against Carol, where Shuri had formed the monstrous armaments.
"It's different from the other two." Jeanne noticed.
"Yeah. When the Ignite Module activates for Shuri, it's a bit different from Hibiki and Maria's cases." Maia explained. "While it has insane levels of regeneration like Hibiki's, it seems to be far more proficient in body manipulation."
Clicking again brought up a shot of Shuri forming a huge dragon head with her arm, as well as the scene where Shuri created a wall of darkness.
"And unlike those two, who's entire bodies get enveloped by the energy, to resemble some kind of monstrous beast, Shuri remains relatively the same, aside from her glowing red eyes and sharpened teeth." Maia went on. "But then come the downsides, which is mainly the cause of activating it."
"That being…?" Shirabe asked.
"...dying." Maia said in a quiet voice.
"Wh… what?!" Chris shouted.
"In order for the Ignite Module to activate inside Shuri, she needs to be in a fatal condition." Maia swallowed. "When it first activated… Phara had killed her."
"Y-You're joking, right?" Shirabe asked.
The somber look on Tsubasa, Maia, Maria and Ogawa's faces told them everything. Shuri slowly traced a hand over her chest, remembering where she had gotten slashed.
"I…"
Shuri turned to her sister, who was shaking, face stricken with grief.
"I wasn't even there and you could've… you could've…!"
Shuri looked down at the floor.
"Whenever Shuri would die, however, the Ignite Module kicks in life a failsafe, healing her completely and saving her." Maia said. "She'll also get a temporary boost similar to the berserk forms, which we calculated to have a maximum time limit of five minutes."
"Is that it?" Rui asked, voice quiet.
"No, the last thing is that while Shuri is more in-control of the Ignite Module than the berserk state of the others, it doesn't mean that she completely is." Maia said. "Shuri told me that when under the influence of the power, she'll hear voices, and get an urge to kill. But as long as she keeps a cool head, she can keep it under wraps."
"But why did this even happen?" Maria asked. "And is there a way to fix this?"
"When Shuri cut herself with the Dáinsleif shard, the Ignite more or less infected her." Maia explained. "And as for a cure… I don't think we can find one. With how deeply it's seeped into Shuri's nervous system, there's no way we'd be able to fix it. Even if we had access to something like the Shénshòujìng, it would wipe out her nervous system and probably a few other internal organs as well."
"I doubt even Ryoko could come up with a way to purge this from Shuri-kun." Genjuro added.
"So… I'm stuck like this." Shuri said quietly.
The silence was heavy in the room.
"But… Shuri-san is still Shuri-san, right?" Hibiki spoke up.
Maia nodded. "Aside from this, she's still the girl we all know and love."
"Then isn't that enough?" Hibiki asked.
"Enough?" Chris repeated.
"Something like this happened to me too, remember? But I was still myself, and you all treated me the same." Hibiki said.
"But I was rather harsh to you…" Tsubasa remembered.
"Only because you were worried about me, Tsubasa-san!" Hibiki reminded her. "But Shuri-san's case… it's not like me. She's not going to die if she keeps fighting."
She ran up, and grasped Shuri's other hand, causing the younger Yukine to gasp in surprise..
"You're still Shuri-san to me, this doesn't change anything between us. I promise you!" Hibiki told her.
"Hibiki-san…" Shuri said, touched.
"My sister put it best." Rui said, walking up and holding out a hand. "We're friends, Shuri. That won't ever change."
Hibiki let go of Shuri's hand, letting the Yukine perform a friendship handshake with Rui.
"That goes for me too, dess!" Kirika spoke up.
"And me." Shirabe added.
"Being friends with you won't ever change." Maria reassured.
"At your side, always." Tsubasa promised.
"You've been there for us, we'll be there for you." Miku finished.
The rest of SONG also shared the sentiment, all reassuring Shuri she was still the same girl they knew.
"I think it doesn't need to be said at this point, but yeah. I'm with all of them." Maia smiled.
Shuri turned to Chris, who was the only one that didn't speak up.
But then she smiled. "You're always going to be my little sister, no matter what."
Shuri let the tears fall now, as she gracefully embraced her sister. "Thank you, everyone…"
"Group hug, dess!" Kirika called.
The wielders all surrounded and hugged Shuri, even dragging in Rui and Tsubasa.
"Second time today we're in a group hug, huh?" Miku giggled at Rui.
"Yeah, but this doesn't feel bad at all." Rui smiled.
Night had fallen, and Elfnein was trying to fall asleep. The only sounds in the room were the beeps on the monitor.
She heard the door open, as well as a few footsteps. At first, she thought it was one of the girls coming in to check on her. But after opening her eyes, she saw who it was.
"Carol…"
"Carol?" She asked, tone much softer. "Is that my name?"
"Amnesia…" Elfnein realized, closing her eyes. "You've burned almost all of your memories."
"All I have are fragments, like vague shapes in the mist." Carol said, walking up to Elfnein. "Just who am I? I came here because when I close my eyes, I see you. I thought you could give me answers."
"You are…" Her eyes opened. "Another me."
"I'm another you?"
"Yes." Elfnein told her. "We came all this way together, following the words Papa left us…"
"Papa's words? How did I forget something so important?" Carol asked, stunned. She kneeled at Carol's bedside. "Please, tell me everything! Even as we speak, I can feel myself slipping away!"
Elfnein was still stunned at how different Carol was acting, before she started to cough into her hand.
"You…!" Carol widened her eyes.
Elfnein looked into her hand, seeing blood. She looked up at Carol. "I want to start from the beginning, but I can't manage that as I am. You can see the state my body is in."
"So you're fading too, just like me?" Carol asked.
Elfnein was silent, looking up at the ceiling. "...yes. I thought I'd gladly lay down my life, if it meant saving the world. But…"
Tears started flowing out of her eyes.
"I don't want to die now!" Elfnein cried.
Carol grit her teeth, knowing what she must do. "Then one more time, together!"
She leaned forward, pressing her lips upon Elfnein's own, and grasping her hand. She tightened her own grip on the hand, as flames appeared on her body.
The heartbeat monitor slowed to a complete stop.
The moment the heartbeat monitor stopped, all the wielders, as well as Miku and SOUL were informed. They dropped everything they were doing and rushed to the hospital room, practically ready to kick down the door.
Running in, they were all shocked. The bed was empty, and a familiar girl in a red dress stood next to it.
"C-Carol-chan…?" Hibiki asked.
"Carol" shook their head, turning around to show a much kinder face, with a recognizable expression.
"I am…"
She didn't even need to finish the sentence, before Hibiki tearfully embraced her. The others soon followed suit, all hugging Elfnien.
Three times in one day. Rui thought, smiling.
With Elfnein now recovered, all the stress on SONG's shoulders had been completely lifted, as the crisis was now truly over. The girls all got to work on their next task… or rather, the lack of tasks known as summer vacation.
Hibiki was going for a run down the road, stopping. She looked forward to see her hometown, where her mother and grandmother were living. While Rui returned home to see them often, Hibiki's visits were far less frequent.
"I thought I had no good memories of this town. But right now, I feel like I do." She said.
"I guess that's because you're a lot stronger now." Her father said, walking up next to her. "And I suppose got to do my best too, right?"
"You better, Dad." Rui said, joining the two. "Cause I know for a damn fact Grandmother's going to have a word with you."
"I'm aware of that…" Akira chuckled.
"It's like we always say though!" Hibiki said, holding up a hand.
"It's fine, it's going to be okay!" Akira and Hibiki shared a hi-five.
Rui smiled, before flicking her wrist, rather obviously.
"Oneesan? What are you-?"
Rui then broke into a sprint. "I'm gonna beat you both home!"
"Oh no you won't!" Hibiki laughed, running after her.
Akira smiled, seeing his daughters. "They've both grown so much."
Stretching his arms, he started to run as well. It was time to rectify his mistakes.
At the Yukines' apartment, Kirika and Shirabe were sitting at a table, working away at their summer homework.
"I thought summer vacation was supposed to be fun. What happened?" Shirabe asked.
"And how can Chris-senpai take it so easily, dess?" Kirika added.
Said girl was relaxing on a couch, eating a popsicle. She popped it out of her mouth with a smirk on her face. "I'll take this opportunity to tell you something." She slipped out her report card. "I might not look it, but my grades aren't half bad."
"Oh, so that's it." Shirabe said. "Okay."
Chris looked offended. "Huh?! Why aren't you surprised?!"
"Rui-san showed us her report card when she taught us one time, dess." Kirika explained. "She does even less than you, and her grades are high-oops!"
"That damn Chunnigure…" Chris grumbled, imagining Rui with her usual mocking smirk, before yelling at the two. "Shut up and get your homework done!"
"I wish Shuri-senpai was here…" Shirabe complained.
"Yeah, she makes great snacks, dess." Kirika grumbled. "I wonder if she made it, dess?"
Tsubasa had a relaxed smile on her face, now that she could get back to continuing her world tour as an idol. Ogawa was at her side, carrying her bags, while Maia was with her for support, as always.
"Yo, Basa. Looks like we got someone else coming along for the ride." Maia said.
Tsubasa looked to see Maria.
"I happen to visit England every now and then." Maria said.
Tsubasa chuckled. "Every now and then, huh?"
Maria blushed, seeing that Tsubasa had seen right through her ruse. Maia on the other hand, walked up and put an arm around Maria.
"It was pretty dang obvious." Maia told her, before whispering. "You're going to make a great sister-in-law, Oneechan. Or do you prefer Oneesama instead?"
If it was possible for Maria to blush even more, she did.
"And besides, you need your manager for this sort of thing anyways." Maia added, pointing at herself. "So let's get to-"
"You're not my manager anymore." Maria said.
"Excuse me."
"That would be me now." Jeanne said, stepping into view. Aiba was shining rather brightly in her left socket. "Turns out that I just needed to do a few more days of rehabilitation to qualify."
"B-But-"
"Good to hear it, Jeanne." Ogawa smiled. "Glad to have you with us."
"Sh-Shut up." Jeanne said, turning away so her good eye couldn't see him.
"...did I do something to offend her?" Ogawa asked Maria, who shrugged.
"My observation from a few days ago just occurred again." Aiba noticed.
"Oh, zip it!"
"Wait!"
The group then heard rapid footsteps approach. This face was surprising, as Shuri Yukine was breathing heavily, hands on her knees.
"Shuri?" Tsubasa said, raising a brow. "What are you doing here?"
"I was… going… to see… Maia-san… off…" Shuri panted. "Why didn't… you say… anything…?"
"Oh uh, the flight got rescheduled to be a bit earlier, so we had to leave a lot quicker." Maia explained. "Sorry, I had no time to let you know."
"Just tell me regardless, then!" Shuri said, puffing her cheeks, having caught her breath. "I was so worried…"
"Sorry, sorry." Maia said, rubbing Shuri atop her head. "I'll be sure to remember that next time."
"That's all I needed to hear." Shuri smiled. "Just stay safe."
And with that, she gave Maia a small peck on the cheek. She turned to the others, blissfully not noticing their surprised expressions.
"Take care, everyone!" The younger Yukine smiled, before leaving with a small spring in her step.
"I… did not expect that." Jeanne told Ogawa, who nodded in agreement.
"Maia Kazanari's blood pressure and heart rate have spiked dramatically." Aiba noted.
"I suppose being bold does run in the family." Tsubasa noted. "Though I personally can't see Yukine doing that to Rui…"
"Erm, Maia?" Maria snapped her fingers in front of the elder Kazanari. "Are you in there?"
Maia was completely frozen on the spot, her face stuck in an expression of stunned silence. The only thing going on in her mind was a replay of Shuri kissing her on the cheek, over and over again.
"Don't you think it's a pretty poor excuse for a father that can't even see his daughters off?"
Genjuro watched as the plane took off, while standing next to a car Yatsuhiro was sitting in.
"This is sufficient between us." Yatsuhiro said. "However Gen, what is your opinion on this magical girl incident?"
Genjuro leaned back on the car. "Things have been uncertain in Europe ever since the US fell from power."
"Or perhaps…"
Genjuro narrowed his eyes in thought.
"Sorry I'm late!" Elfenin apologized, running into SONG's bridge.
"You'd better be." Fujitaka sighed, already typing away.
"I really am!" Elfnein added.
Aoi had a more understanding smile. "Let's get back to the analysis."
Elfnein looked up at the screen as she heard all the typing. It had a picture of the data chip Dr. Ver had given to Maria before he moved on.
Rui was leaning back against the fence while Hibiki stood a little behind their father. Akira took a step forward.
"I want to start over with all of us. One more time." He held out his hand. "Please!"
Asuna was hesitant in taking the hand, as she looked back towards the house. Her mother had a concerned expression on her face, but it was encouraging at the same time. Before Asuna decided, she turned to her elder daughter.
"Rui… you were affected the most." She said. "Are you fine with this?"
Rui nodded, a small smile on her face.
"I… I want us to be a complete family again, Mom."
Hibiki walked forward, and took her mother's hand, while Rui took her father's.
"We're holding your hands because this is what we think is right." Hibiki said. "So…"
She and Rui connected their free hands. The Tachibana Twins smiled.
"We won't be letting go anytime soon!"
Once more, the Tachibana family was whole again.
A/N: And with that, we've wrapped up GX! We got two more "chapters" to go before we can finally put this behind us, but we've reached another milestone for the story.
Argus' Eye is severely nerfed from the original version in XDU, for those wondering. The original one let Jeanne summon as many surveillance drones as possible, while letting her fuse them with others to prevent them from harming her. I changed it to a single grounded creature as well as the new ability being a semi-paralyzing gaze. It was originally going to be a basic flying eyeball like the original, but after playing AI: The Somnium Files, I decided to base it off of Aiba. It felt like fate, since Jeanne just so conveniently happened to be missing an eye.
Aside from that, the state of Shuri's body has finally been revealed. Only time will tell what I have planned for it.
And aside aside from that, a few more character developments have happened, and one can only guess where they'll lead.
Feel free to leave a review and update the TVTropes page. See you all next time.