"So, did I do something or did you miss me?" Maia asked.
She and Shuri sat down on the chairs in Yatsuhiro's office. He had a rather grim look on his face.
"Oh shit, did I really do something to piss you off?" Maia rubbed the back of her head.
"If he called the two of us, it's likely some important business." Shuri said.
Maia thought carefully, and realized she had never actually told her father that she and Shuri were dating. He probably knew and was here to confront them about it.
"Uh…! Well uh…" Maia stammered. "Y'see Dad, uh… Shuri and I uh… we're kind of a thing now…?"
She never realized she'd be this much of a nervous wreck, because she never pictured herself having to tell her father she was in a relationship with someone. A distant childhood does that to you.
"You're in a relationship?" He said, a slight hint of surprise in his voice. "I see."
"Wait… you're okay with this?" Maia asked.
"Yes. Though I must ask you to push this to the side for now." Yatsuhiro said. "What I called you for is a different reason."
Maia put her face in her hands. She made herself look like an idiot for no reason. That's just great.
"What is it, Yatsuhiro-san?" Shuri asked.
"While things have mostly been handled at this point, there was a minor attempt for the approval of the Japanese government to raid SONG HQ, with the justification of Hibiki Tachibana's new power being an "unknown weapon."" He said.
"What?!" Maia stood up as Shuri widened her eyes.
"Thankfully, several of the louder voices were not swayed, thanks to your connections to them, Maia." Yatsuhiro said. "Others also opposed this, because of Rui Tachibana's actions."
"Rui's actions?" Shuri asked.
"Her heroic actions as the masked figure has brought hope and protection to the people of Japan." Yatsuhiro said. "They argued that if SONG were to be forced to stop their activities, it would cause widespread panic if the hero suddenly disappeared. It would also cause issues if someone close to the masked hero was forced into house arrest. This argument allowed them to arrest the ones that proposed the raid in the first place, so we managed to settle on instead giving you all a few optional weeks off."
"I never thought that my partner's obsession would end up saving us all." Maia said. "You know, discounting how she fights like a Kamen Rider and all."
"So there's someone with ties to the government that wants to stop SONG's actions…" Shuri frowned.
"And that's why I brought the two of you here." Yatsuhiro said. "I wanted SONG to remain aware, but not too much to prevent information leaks. I chose you two as the frontline options."
"Why not the commander?" Shuri asked.
"Genjuro has a lot on his plate at the moment, with the former Illuminati member choosing to properly fight alongside SONG, but he is aware of the situation." Yatsuhiro said. "And with two SOUL members having responsibilities off the battlefield, it seemed to be the perfect choice."
"Honestly, I sometimes forget we have stuff we do outside of fighting." Maia admitted. "It's been all fighting ever since we could keep up with the Symphogears."
"So, should we keep this to ourselves, then?" Shuri asked, as Yatsuhiro nodded. "Understood. We won't let you down."
"I'll have Ogawa and Jeanne look into it as well, to see if we can trace things further." Yatsuhiro said. "Until then, avoid speaking about this."
"Roger." Both of them nodded.
"Now… about this "together" talk." Yatsuhiro said.
"Oh god." Maia sat back down.
"So you're in a relationship now?" Yatsuhiro asked. "Congratulations."
"Thank you for your approval, Yatsuhiro-san." Shuri bowed her head. "Your daughter has been very kind to me."
"I hope she hasn't been too much of a problem?" He asked.
"Oh she has, but that is what makes her lovable." Shuri chuckled.
"I'm sure it does." Yatsuhiro smiled. "Please continue to take good care of her."
"I'll make sure of it." Shuri nodded. "Your daughter is in good hands."
"Shoot me now…" Maia groaned.
"This is the last place anyone would think to look." Elsa said.
Noble Red looked out the damaged wall of the Château de Tiffauges.
"I never thought they'd put us here." Millaarc admitted.
"Since the Disaster Prevention law was passed, cleanup of special disasters in Japan has been my jurisdiction." Fudou said, walking forward with two agents. "In other words, this is now a sanctum where none shall meddle carelessly."
"Which makes it perfect for a hideout." Vanessa agreed.
"While there have been hiccups, it is time for you to begin the last phase of the plan." Fudou said, as one of the agents opened a case to reveal the Vambrace of Shem-Ha, who handed it to Elsa. "You will forge the divine power into a blade fit for a sentinel. Everything you need is available here. As I mentioned earlier, you will also require energy for the activation, and we are preparing that now."
The other agent opened a suitcase full of blood bags. Fudou reached and took one out.
"But I have unfortunate news." Fudou said, dropping one of the bags on the ground and stomping on it, causing Noble Red to gasp. "As a result of certain individuals who have failed to perform adequately, I now have meddlesome dogs sniffing at my feet too."
Vanessa swallowed. "We…"
She thought back to the events that had led to Noble Red's experimentation at the hands of the Illuminati they had once served, and how the collapse after Adam's defeat allowed them to escape. But with their reliance on the special blood to survive, they wouldn't have made it far until they ran into Fudou Kazanari.
"If you are monsters, then you must do your job as only monsters can, Noble Red." He turned to an agent, who tossed the suitcase full of the blood supplements to Millaarc. The man looked outside at the falling snow. "Our plan is in motion. While there have been a few setbacks, nothing and no one may stop it now."
Saint-Germain was sitting on top of SONG's submarine, tightly clenching the sword of Jeanne d'Arc. She slightly drew it out of the sheath, looking at the glint of the blade.
Noble Red… while I have only met Vanessa personally, what happened to you all was partially due to my own disinterest and carelessness, ignoring the actions the former Lodgemaster ordered. If there is a way to make it up to you, I shall.
"Hey, Saint-Germain!" Forte called up from the deck. "Was thinking it'd be a good idea to get you properly introduced to the rest of the crew. You coming?"
Saint-Germain sheathed her blade and smiled. "I will."
Away from SONG and in the first few hours of snow, Genjuro made a phone call at a private booth. Ogawa and Jeanne stood nearby with umbrellas, with Aiba hiding on a building wall nearby to survey the area.
"I figured I'd hear from you. Are you sure this line is safe?" Yatsuhiro's voice rang.
"An informant I knew from my old days gave me this line." Genjuro's answered. "I've taken all appropriate precautions."
Yatsuhiro sighed. "It's as you feared. While we were able to stop this false investigation thanks to some of the outside actions of SOUL's members, there were several shady figures on the team with unknown backgrounds."
"I see." Genjuro said.
"And while they made every effort to cover up their tracks, there are signs of Kamakura's involvement as well." Yatsuhiro added.
Genjuro frowned, as Yatsuhiro continued.
"Our negotiations with the US are at a critical point, so I've been on the backfoot for a while." Yatsuhiro said.
"Brother… Do you think the one giving Noble Red their orders might be…" Genjuro said.
"Don't jump to conclusions, Gen." Yatsuhiro said. "We mustn't doubt him until we have solid proof. I want to believe as well. It's why when I informed Maia about this, I specifically avoided mentioning the possibility. Fudou Kazanari, whatever issues we may have with his ways, is a sentinel to the core. And he is our father."
"Yes, but…"
"You're starting to sound like Maia." Yatsuhiro said. "I want to believe in people. I'm prepared to believe in them until the end. And that's why I'm willing to do what it takes."
"You're doing this to protect the two of them, aren't you?" Genjuro asked, thinking of Tsubasa and Maia.
He didn't answer, but Genjuro could tell the answer. "That's why I made politics my battlefield. I must first fix our collapsing relations with the US. The joint lunar ruin expedition is just one step toward that. If things continue to sour, I'll use the WMD incident to threaten their position in global society."
"That should work, but now who's starting to sound like Maia?" Genjuro said with a smile. "You're the real deal, brother. You're truly the most fearsome between the two of us."
"I'll leave holding the front line to you, Gen." Yatsuhiro said. "Plans only start to fall apart once they've been put into motion. If we can grab the loose threads they keep dangling before us, the wool over our eyes will unravel."
"Indeed." Genjuro said, ending the call. He removed the signal jammer, handing it to the old woman managing the booth. "Thanks a lot, ma'am."
"You're welcome anytime." She smiled.
Chris was sitting at her living room table with a pair of pliers. She had gotten to work on one of the building kits that she had gotten with Rui a few weeks ago. When she first saw how much there was inside, the task felt daunting, but as she broke the pieces off the runners and started to snap them together, she felt the catharsis from creating. It definitely helped that Yusuke was purring softly, napping at her feet.
"I'm home." Rui said, stepping in, holding a few bags of groceries.
"You got everything?" Chris asked, looking up as her girlfriend entered the apartment.
"Yep." Rui nodded as she placed the bags on the kitchen counter. "We should be good for the next few weeks. I got a lot of recipes I wanna try cooking up."
"Though still, I can't help but feel a bit worried." Chris leaned back. "The Commander said that we have a few weeks off, but that just makes me feel nervous."
"Yeah." Rui nodded, looking through the receipt to make sure she got everything. "We might've stopped Noble Red, Saint-Germain's fighting alongside us now, and Lala and Forte can transform again, but it doesn't feel like we've won, not just yet."
"Though I might as well ask. What do you plan on doing once everything is over?" Chris asked.
"Hm?" Rui looked up. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, we can't always be fighting for SONG, so…" Chris stood up and walked over.
"Well, I still want to put on the Elekleid and protect people." Rui admitted.
"Of course you do." Chris sighed.
"But aside from that, I've been looking through my options, and I think I'll be going into medical school." Rui said.
"You want to be a doctor?" Chris said, impressed.
Rui nodded. "I can't just help people by beating the shit out of things that try to attack them. There has to be other ways for me to help too, so maybe a doctor is the right way to go for me."
"...this isn't because of Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, right?" Chris asked.
"Pfft, no!" Rui pretended to act offended.
"But a doctor, huh?" Chris put a hand under her chin. "Doctor Tachibana… I like the sound of it."
"Heh, glad you do." Rui smiled. "What about you, though?"
"Well, I want to continue what Mama and Papa were doing. So maybe something like that." Chris said.
"Doesn't sound too bad of an idea." Rui noted. "I'll support you all the way. Having a doctor for something like that would be helpful, right?"
"I'd bring you along even if you weren't a doctor." Chris chuckled.
Rui smiled, before remembering something Hibiki had said a while ago. "Oh wait, I just remembered. Hibiki invited us out to hang out in a few days. You wanna come with?"
"Hang out doing what?" Chris asked.
"Several years back before you and Shuri joined up with Section Two, Hibiki, Miku, Tsubasa, Maia and I all hung out. We did stuff like clothes shopping, checking out the arcade, and karaoke. This time, we were thinking of bringing you and Shuri too." Rui said. "What do you say?"
"Well, I can't help but say yes." Chris said. "But on one condition. We are not gonna get outdone by my sister and that horndog of a senpai, you hear me?"
"Yes dear." Rui chuckled.
To Rui and Chris' surprise, Hibiki had also invited Elfnein out for the day. Lala had reassured Elfnein that she would be able to handle things on her own, and that she should go out and have fun. The party of eight hung out together, with the Yukine Twins and Elfnein getting to experience what the former Section Two members once did.
They also got to see Maia challenging Rui to a rematch at Kamen Rider: Ganbarizing Neo. She lost again.
After spending most of their time watching Maia seethe at losing for a second time, they went to the karaoke lounge. Booking a room large enough for all of them, they encouraged Elfnein to be the first one to sing.
"You gonna offer her feedback, Tsubasa?" Maia asked.
"I think it would be rude to give every one of my opinions during a time of fun like this." Tsubasa admitted.
"What, you saying her singing is bad or something?" Chris asked.
"N-No, nothing like that." Tsubasa said. "It's just, I haven't really had much time to myself in a while. I'm not completely sure how to spend it, so I agreed to Tachibana's offer. Yet at the same time I wonder if I should be training more."
"Tsubasa-san…" Hibiki said.
"Did someone hit your factory reset or something?" Rui asked.
"I'm sure you feel the same, Rui." Tsubasa said. "I think back to that concert… how powerless I would have been if you, Neesama and Shuri weren't there."
"If I was a second slower, huh…" Rui looked at her hand. "Guess you're not exactly wrong. If I was faster, then maybe…"
"I'm having fun!" Elfnein smiled, having finished singing. "So this is how you spend a day off! This is great!"
"You should think occasionally, Hibiki!" Miku said in a scolding tone.
"That's not a nice way to put it." Hibiki protested.
"Wait, why are you two fighting?" Tsubasa asked.
Rui held up an arm, noticing the Yukine twins were about to speak up. "Let her. It's not a good idea to interrupt Miku when she's pissed."
"Ah, something happened between them, huh?" Maia said quietly, trying to sink into the chair.
"Why didn't you talk to me about Tsubasa-san and Rui?" Miku asked. "We could've done something else!"
"I did my best to come up with an idea!" Hibiki said.
"That's not what's important here! Did you consider their feelings at all?" Miku asked.
"Do you know how they feel, then?!" Hibiki shot back.
Miku seemed to calm down, as she looked away. "I do. I invited people I care about to a concert, and they've been in trouble ever since. I'm the reason they keep putting their life on the line, and I can never forgive myself for that."
Rui widened her eyes. She knew that Miku had harbored guilt about that day, but this was the first time she was outright vocalizing it.
"I always held back the "sorry" I wanted to say, because I knew I'd only trouble them more." Miku said, glancing at Rui. "The one I said "sorry" to didn't make up for it in the slightest."
A young Rui was sitting on the steps of the hospital. She had a few bandages on her face and hands, having mostly recovered from the events of the Zwei Wing concert. Her parents and grandmother were inside, waiting. Hibiki's condition had improved, but she wouldn't be able to leave for a while. She had stepped outside to get some fresh air.
Everything had happened so fast. But one moment stood out to her the most.
"Take good care of her…" Rui remembered Kanade's last words to her.
She heard rapid footsteps, and saw Miku running up, out of breath.
"Miku?" Rui stood up. "Wha-?"
"Hibiki… where's Hibiki?!" Miku shouted, grabbing Rui's shoulders.
"H-Hey, calm down!" Rui said. "Hibiki's fine. She's gonna be okay."
Hearing that sent relief through Miku, but she started to stumble. "I'm sorry… I sent you both there… If it wasn't for me…"
"Miku, it's not-" Rui saw her friend start to cry.
"Please… get angry with me, hit me, hate me!" Miku begged through the tears. "I put you two through that! It's my fault…! It's my fault…"
Rui gently lowered herself, pulling Miku into her arms. She let Miku cry on her shoulder, as she recalled Kanade's words once more.
Maybe it's not just Hibiki I should be protecting… Rui gently hugged Miku.
Returning to the present, the tension was so thick you could use a knife to cut through it. Remembering that day, Rui realized why Miku had always been so fussy about her whenever she got into trouble, worrying her and Hibiki. The entire time, Miku had these hidden feelings of guilt, trying to make up for it with her endless support of the twins. Ironically, getting stronger to protect Miku had ended up hurting her even further.
"Miku…" Hibiki murmured. "Why-?"
Hibiki's communicator beeped, interrupting the conversation. "Hibiki here, with my sister, the Kazanari twins, Yukine twins and Elfnein."
"Hibiki, it's Lala." Lala said. "Alca-Noise have been detected in Area 32. You and the others are the closest there to engage the enemy."
"Got it!"
The girls all ran out of the karaoke bar, to see the huge whale-like Alca-Noise in the sky, with several smaller fliers nearby.
Maia whistled. "That is one big guy."
"You two get somewhere safe!" Rui told Miku and Elfnein, as she pulled out Kagutsuchi.
Miku nodded. "Let's go, Elfnein-chan!"
"Miku!" Hibiki said, before Miku could go. Her best friend turned to hear her speak, but the words got caught in her throat. "We'll talk later."
"Yeah. Be careful, Hibiki." Miku said, as she and Elfnein ran off.
"Let's go, everyone." Tsubasa looked up at the large Alca-Noise in the sky. "My blade shall shed the doubts that cloud it on the battlefield!"
"Right!" Hibiki nodded.
As the flying Alca-Noise summoned ground-based Alca-Noise, the team of six ran forward.
"Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron~"
(Insert Defender'Z Brand! by Nana Mizuki)
With flashes of light, all of them had transformed. Tsubasa and Rui were the first ones to rush forward, with Tsubasa slashing through the enemy and Rui slugging them skyward. They shredded through the first wave without much issue. Tsubasa jumped skyward and launched several blades to pierce all the Alca-Noise.
One Thousand Tears
Maia and Chris took to the sky, riding Maia's large sword as Chris shot down the fliers with an array of missiles. Shuri and Hibiki stayed on the ground, trying to keep damage to a minimal, but the amount of Alca-Noise only seemed to increase.
"Hibiki-san!" Shuri shouted, seeing the horde of Alca-Noise attempting to drop down from above.
Hibiki's gauntlet started to rapidly rotate, before she launched it forward. "Blow away!"
A hurricane of power tore through the Alca-Noise in the sky. Rui landed by Hibiki and Shuri, looking around carefully.
"What is it, Rui?" Shuri asked.
"Alca-Noise don't just spawn on their own." Rui said. "The culprit's gotta be around here somewhere!"
"Noble Red?" Hibiki asked.
Shuri peered through the targeting reticle on Okami. "If they're here, I don't see them."
"We're not detecting them either!" Lala said. "But there's a bigger problem now!"
"The Alca-Noise are spreading!" Aoi's voice came in.
"How far?!" Chris shouted, dropping down with Maia.
"We're looking at about 2 kilometers, but that distance is going to keep increasing!" Fujitaka informed them.
"Tsubasa, do you remember that technique we developed?" Rui asked.
Tsubasa smiled. "I do, Rui."
"Now's as good of a time as any to try it out!" Rui held up her bracelet. "Elekleid! Henshin!"
Donning her Elekleid, Rui drew her swords and tossed them to Tsubasa.
"What should the rest of us do?" Hibiki asked.
"Stall for time." Tsubasa said. "Rui!"
Rui held down her hands as Tsubasa ran at her. She tossed Tsubasa skyward with all her strength as the others spread out to try and contain the Alca-Noise threat. Rui pressed her hands on the ground, spreading the Elekleid's wings. With a shout, she channeled down lighting from above. Tsubasa raised the blades and caught the lightning, causing the swords to glow with power. Twirling the blades, she summoned a thousand of her daggers. The electricity from the blades jumped to the blades, as they all dropped down.
About half a kilometer down, the blades changed direction, honing in on every single Alca-Noise in the area. They flew and pierced through them like arrows, leaving none left to terrorize the civilians.
Helheim Rainstorm
Tsubasa dropped down on top of a building, breathing heavily. She nearly collapsed, but Maia was there to support her.
"Damn, that was one hell of an attack." Maia said.
"I see now… the extent of Rui's resolve." Tsubasa said, seeing Rui's swords shatter in her hands from all the power used. "I nearly wasn't able to handle it…"
Back down below, Rui stood up, transforming back to normal.
"Ha… ha…"
She fell to one knee, catching her breath as Hibiki landed next to her. "That was amazing, Oneesan!"
"Yeah, yeah… save the praises for later." Rui stood up. "We'd better check on Miku and Elfnein."
Hibiki nodded and pulled out her phone, dialing Miku.
Though she didn't pick up.
She dialed it once again, but once again it went to voicemail. The relieved expression on Hibiki's face disappeared. "Why…? Why aren't they picking up?"
Chris and Shuri were standing atop another building, trying to get a good look around the city.
"Where are they…?" Shuri muttered. "They can't be far…"
"Noble Red or Miku and Elfnein?" Chris asked.
"Both… I'm worried." Shuri said.
While they had managed to stop the visions Shuri had seen, the fact she wasn't seeing anything else only served to worry her than relieve her.
Miku was still running with Elfnein, not knowing the danger had passed as they ducked into an alley. Landing above and out of sight, was Millaarc.
"So they want to do this the hard way." She said, before smashing the nearby camera.
The two turned a corner, only for Elfnein to trip.
Miku quickly ran back and helped the girl up. "Elfnein-chan, are you okay?!"
Millaarc landed with a stomp, revealing herself to the two.
"So the klutz is Elfnein, huh?" Millaarc said. "You sure gave me the runaround."
Miku stood up, holding out her arms. "I won't let you hurt my friend!"
"Pfft, really?" Millaarc scoffed. "Compared to that masked bitch, you're nothing."
"Don't, Miku-san!" Elfnein shouted, as several thugs surrounded them. "Huh?"
"A couple of nobodies we had call the Alca-Noise throughout the city." Millaarc waved a hand. "Anyways, my orders were only to secure Elfnein. What'll I do with the other one? I can't make that decision on my own."
Hearing a few pings in her ear, Millaarc smirked at the caller.
"Vanessa?"
"Message for you, Millaarc-chan." Vanessa said.
"Run for it, Elfnein-chan!" Miku said.
"You mustn't, Miku-san!" Elfnein shouted.
"Got it." Millaarc turned back to the two, raising a hand as her nail sharpened. "Sorry. It's nothing personal."
"Elfnein-chan!" Miku yelled.
"Miku-san, run!" Elfnein screamed.
With a slash of her claw, blood exploded everywhere.
A/N: This chapter plays the relatively same role as canon, with the main exchange being that it's more of an expansion with more additional scenes featuring the other characters, as well as a few different conflicts from canon. A nice bit of setup for what's to come.
If that scene between Rui and Miku in the flashback seemed familiar, I had a scene like that planned ever since the scene in GX where Miku comforted Rui.
Feel free to leave a review. See you all next time.
