[LightDragonman]

Sorry about taking a while for this update. Truth be told, this one is a bit hard for me to write, and I still don't think I'm finished with it (I want this part and the next one to be as good as I can make it).

_____


"Haruto..." Saki said as she saw him head to the observatory deck, her hand outstretched "...About what Kibukawa said about your Runes..."

As soon as she saw Shouko by his side though, her words got caught in her throat. She watched sadly as the two entered the deck, her eyes hidden behind her bangs. So this was it. He was going to patch things up with her, and given the strong feelings that the two shared, they were no doubt going to confess their love for each other as well. It was a bitter pill for her to swallow, even though she had tried to prepare for this outcome the minute they had made landing with the cruiser.

"Hey Haruto" she thought to herself. "When I heard that Shouko found out the truth about you and didn't take it well, there was a part of me that was a bit excited. After all, if she rejected you thanks to your nature, then that means I might have had a chance with you. I mean, how can I compete with your childhood friend?"

She chuckled remorsefully. "I'm a terrible woman aren't I? For me to have such selfish thoughts. Forgive me for them. No matter what your decision is, I promise to fight by your side. Even if you have to be stopped before the curse overtakes you again."

"...If I'm being honest though, I wish you wouldn't shoulder it all by yourself. But hey, at least now you'll have Shouko..." she thought, trying her best to remain strong.

Several minutes passed. Saki waited by the entrance to the deck, anxious to know what the outcome of the discussion would be. As she looked around, she also noted both Inuzuka and Raizo also in the same room, also with nervous looks on their faces. They too seemed to be awaiting the results, though they seemed far less melancholy than she was.

Finally, the doors opened up, and out walked both Haruto and Shouko, both with a smile on their faces. The latter made right for the command deck, which left the former to be greeted by Inuzuka and Raizo. Saki also once again tried to talk to him, only to pause once she overheard what was said.

"So how'd it go?" Inuzuka asked. "Based on the smile that both of you were sporting, I'm guessing it went well."

Haruto took a second before responding. "...Yeah, we're back on good terms. Turns out Shouko fully understands my new status as a Kamitsuki and is perfectly accepting of it."

"See?" Inuzuka said. "I told you it would all work out in the end!"

"You did well Aniki!" Raizo complimented.

Haruto smiled. "Yeah, I'm glad that me and Shouko don't have to be separated now at least."

This earned him a few more congrats from the fellow two pilots, completely oblivious to Saki, who did her best to hold in her tears.

"Ah, so that's it" she thought sadly. "Well, I can't say that this wasn't expected. I'm really no match for Shouko on this front huh?"

With a sad smile gracing her lips, she left the room, not wanting to have her heart broken further should she hear Haruto declare his love for his childhood friend again.

"Even still, I'll still support you and whatever decisions you make Haruto" she thought. "You may never know of my true feelings for you, but at least you can always count on me."

With moist eyes, she headed to one of the secluded halls, not even sparing a second glance at Akira and A-Drei, who she passed by on the way there.

"I've made it this far alone" she noted once she entered the room, picking up a water bottle. "Guess I'll just have to endure it more..."

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"So when can we expect the honeymoon?" Inuzuka asked Haruto.

"...Honeymoon?"

"You know, what you and Shouko are going to do after this next mission they have planned." Inuzuka clarified. "Given that you are good terms again, I'm looking forward to you both getting married!"

"You can count on me being your best man!" Raizo boasted.

"Oh please" Inuzuka snarked. "You, Haruto's best man?"

At that, Haruto nervously scratched his neck. "Yeah...about that..."

"Don't tell me that you held off on telling her your feelings again." Inuzuka groaned.

"No, it's not that" Haruto said, wondering how exactly they would react to what he was about to reveal. ".....Me and Shouko both agreed that, while we made that childhood promise and we are once again friends.....we aren't going to be together as a couple."

Inuzuka and Raizo were both flabbergasted at that admission. "...What?" the former said. "How could you both agree to such a conclusion? I was pushing for you two to be together for so long."

"Especially since me and Aina couldn't be together" he thought.

Haruto shrugged. "She's human. I'm now a Kamitsuki. I'll outlive her, not to mention the fact that I also have all these new needs thanks to my inhuman nature."

"But remember what Aina said" Inuzuka protested. "We're Holy Spirits! She was even willing to be with me despite out two different natures before....."

He had to stop to wipe his eyes. "The point is that shouldn't matter! How could you two not reconcile those differences?"

Haruto shook his head. "That may be, but look at it another way. She's the PM of New-Jior, and has to put the needs of all its citizens first. Meanwhile, I'm the head pilot of the Valvraves, and again, am not human anymore. And her becoming a Kamitsuki like us is out of the question. We have to move on if we are to do what's best for all of us."

".....Man" Raizo added. "When you put it that way, it does make a lot of sense."

"I still can't accept this!" Inuzuka said rather emotionally. "We have to make the best of what we've got! After all, I was unable to confess to Aina before she..."

"Inuzuka" Haruto asked, now suspicious. "Did you want me to be with Shouko out of guilt over Aina? Is that why you wanted me to go on a date with her rather than focus on rescuing Rukino-san and everything else?"

"..."

"That's what I thought" he said with a sigh. "Look, if we are to do what's best for New-Jior going forward, we have to move on from our childish desires. It's that that kept me from revealing the truth to Shouko for so long, and you saw how that turned out."

"Besides" he added while looking down, "the curse of the Valvrave is mine to bear alone after all. I can't let her or anyone else share in its pain."

Inuzuka struggled to form a response. ".....You're right" he finally admitted. "I just was so guilty over Aina that I thought you both being together would give me some peace of mind. But we have to move on."

"Though that won't stop me from keeping you in my heart Aina."

"Hey, at the very least, this means I won the bet!" Raizo said, trying to lighten up the mood. "Now pay up for losing your prediction on them being together Mr. Salesman!"

"Yeah, yeah" Inuzuka replied. "Just know that this is one of the few times my investments don't pay off."

Haruto found himself chuckling at the display. Of course they would make a bet over that. Leaving the two to dole out the results, he headed towards the break hall.

"At the very least, this does make it easier for me to take on this burden alone"
_____


As A-Drei got to his feet, watching Akira finally leave the storage room, as she had been called to see L-Elf and Shouko in the main control room, he found himself feeling a lot less morose, now that he knew that at least one person didn't completely hate him on this ship. Though he still had a long way to go if he was to fully redeem himself in the eyes of the survivors.

He thought back to what Akira said to him before she headed on out.

"Just how exactly am I going to atone?" he asked her. "After everything I've done, death seems like the only possible answer."

"D-Don't say that!" Akira replied. "A-At the very least, t-try to fix what you've broken."

"And where exactly am I going to start on that front?" he asked himself, taking a quick walk outside the storage room for some air.

As he did, he noticed Saki briskly moving past him, though the look on her face was still evident. She looked like she was doing her best to hold back tears, and barely even acknowledged his presence, though the latter part was to be expected at this point, given the bad terms she was on with A-Drei.

"Just what exactly is going on with her?" he wondered.

His curiosity getting the better of him, he moved towards the room that she had departed from. Looking inside, he could both see and hear the one who had rescued Saki, Haruto, interacting with the two other Valvrave pilots. The latter were asking the former about when he'd go on a honeymoon with the New-Jior PM.

Thinking back to the heated conversation between Haruto and Saki on the moon that he had inadvertently listened in on, it suddenly became clear why the latter was acting so emotional.

"She must have feelings for him" he mused to himself. "No wonder she didn't want to reveal the truth about him hijacking L-Elf to me. Those feelings she holds are strong."

As he eavesdropped more however, his eyes widened as he heard that Haruto and Shouko weren't actually going to be a couple, given everything that happened between them and the former's new nature.

"She must not have heard that part" he realized. "If she did, then maybe she would instead..."

Not wanting to intrude on the conversation, he began making his way back to the storage room, his mind now racing.

"If there's a way for her and Haruto to be together, and I can nudge the two in that direction..."

As he was about to enter the compartment again, he looked back to see Haruto enter the hallway. Realizing the opportunity at hand, he made his decision.

"At the very least, I can make it up to Rukino Saki in some manner this way."


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Yeah, honestly Inuzuka, despite being a cool bro character, rubbed me the wrong way in the show with how much he still insisted on Haruto get together with Shouko, even when Saki was in captivity (seriously, going on a date while the other one is being tortured is tasteless imo) and after everything that happened. Felt to me that he was just pushing for the couple to happen out of guilt over Aina, which isn't exactly healthy, so that's why I wrote that.

Oh yeah, and A-Drei is matchmaker for Haruto and Saki here, if only to atone to the latter. Makes way more sense than pairing him with her (again, why does that stupid pairing of A-Drei and Saki get the most fan-art again?)

Next up is something I've been looking forward to writing, but at the same time, one that I'm nervous about. Wish me luck.