[LightDragonman]

Here goes another scene that I have tried to modify from the original (as the betrayal infuriated me in the series proper). Also, update on L-Elf.

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The ship rumbled as it and its partner, alongside Raizo in Unit 03, left the hanger. With Rion and Kibukawa in the first, and Satomi and Takahi in control of the first, the two began making their steady approach towards the Mass Driver located on the moon.

"Our only hope is the Mass Driver" Kibukawa instructed. "It's our only chance to get out of here."

With that, the ship containing Rion and Kibukawa finally docked with the device. After just a few seconds, it activated, sending the ship and its survivors rocketing out to deep space.

"We'll see you at the rendezvous point. Good luck!" Kibukawa said, just as their ship left the visible range of the other ship.

"Same to you." Takahi replied. Looking over at her co-pilot, she could see that Satomi was still talking to his sister.

"Remember to get to the Mass Driver as quickly as you can Akira-chan!" he said to her. "Escape as soon as it's ready!"

"I know!" Akira confirmed. "Still have survivors to escort!"

"Just make this as fast as you can! You're still in danger the longer you-"

"I know!"

With that, Akira cut the connection to focus on the task, at hand, much to a fretting Satomi's discomfort. Takahi noticed this, and placed her hand on top of his.

"Don't worry Student Council President. Your sister knows what to do."

"It's just hard" Satomi replied, burying his face in his hands. "I've just started to reconnect with her, and now I'm herre while she's risking her life! I can't lose her now!"

"Just have faith in her" she reassured him. "After all, she's a Valvrave pilot."

Nodding, Satomi returned to driving the ship to the Mass Driver. Soon enough, it docked with the launch pad. Unfortunately, it still needed time to recharge for the next launch cycle, which would take around 12 minutes.

"....Oh hell." Raizo muttered, as he looked off in the distance. "We've got company!"

At the alarm, Satomi and the other survivors looked out their viewports. Sure enough, to their horror, a squad of Dorssian fighters, consisting of several Ideal-Class Annihilators, a few Kirshbaums, and multiple Manned and Unmanned Waffe Units were rapidly approaching them.

"Oh no." Satomi muttered.

Raizo for his part simply cracked his knuckles at the sight of all the enemies.

"Alright you Dorssian bastards. Come and get me!"


______


In the cargo hold of the ship, L-Elf sat listlessly, still near catatonic with grief over losing Lieselotte. Truth be told, he would've been more than happy to have been left down on the Module at the mercy of those soldiers. The only reason he was even here was because the Student Council President had forcibly dragged his butt into it while they were escaping.

Now as he hugged his knees, the announcement that multiple ships were incoming didn't come as much of a surprise to him, given that he fully expected such reinforcements to start coming on in. Next thing, he predicted that the survivors would ask him for advice.

"L-Elf!" the voice of Satomi rang through the hold. "Dorssian ships are incoming. What do you suggest we do?!"

There. Just as he thought. The only thing was that he was not in the mood to come up with any sorts of strategies. As far as he was concerned, the situation was pretty much hopeless.

"You're overestimating my skills." the broken Karlstein agent replied. "There's nothing I can do that can help you."

"After all, if I couldn't save Lieselotte, then what use am I?" he thought bitterly.

"Damn it L-Elf!" Satomi yelled in frustration. "This is very much not the time to be moping around! We're about to be overwhelmed here!"

"Good. Let me see her soon again." he thought, further slipping into despair.

"L-ELF!"

"Forget him Student Council President" Raizo said with a disgusted look. "He's not gonna help us out. Don't worry, I'll keep you guys covered, and the others should be here soon. You'll make it out."

With that, he began to engage with the enemy ships. L-Elf didn't hear anything from Satomi again. Which suited him just fine.

"And to think" he muttered. "Normally I'd be chastising Haruto for such behavior I'm exhibiting."


_____



"Do you have a fix on them?”

"Negative. All we know is that they went down this slope."

"Well keep searching. Leader wants all dead, especially the daughter of the former Jior Prime Minister."

"Copy that."

As the soldiers continued to sweep the area, Haruto and Shouko, their clothes dirtied and hair in disarray, were huddled closely together. Having managed to evade capture when the shooting started, the two had quickly found refuge inside a small crevice that was on the edge of the module. It was more or less a small cave that had been artificially created during its construction, but it still seemed like a natural formation.

"Hey Haruto" Shouko said, trying her best to maintain a smile, "this is like when we were kids remember?"

"I do" Haruto replied. "We were taking cover from that storm when it caught us off guard."

"Yeah" Shouko said, trying her hardest not to crack. "Its when we made that promise that we would never leave each other's side and elope to make sure it happened. Funny how history repeats like that huh?"

Haruto nodded, though taking cover from a storm and taking cover from murderous men out to kill you were two entirely different things.

By this point, the stress was too much for poor Shouko, who buried her face in her hands as she started to cry, much to the sorrow of her friend.

"J-just....why is this all happening?!" she wept. ""Why are w-we now being hunted down like animals?! What was going on w-with Rukino-san and that Phantom ship?! E-Everything is being ruined! Is it b-because I was too trusting?!"

Haruto rubbed her back. "That's the thing. You can never be too careful with who you trust."

"Like how I've kept all these secrets from you" he thought bitterly.

She looked to him with tearful eyes. "What do you mean Haruto? Why did you know about that Phantom ship? What have you not told me?!"

Haruto grimaced. He knew that he would eventually have to tell her the truth about his nature, but he didn't want it to happen in such a situation. Having tried to keep it from her for so long in the hopes they could keep their relationship intact, he saw that there was no other path forward. He could only hope that Shouko would be understanding.

"Please don't hate me for what I'm going to tell you."

He took a deep breath. "Alright Shouko. The truth about everything is-"

"We've located PM Shouko Sashinami and Pilot Haruto Tokishima!" the cold voice of a soldier interrupted.

The two looked horrified into the blinding lights of gun-mounted flashlights shining into their hiding spot. The forces had finally found their location. Seeing no other way out, Haruto quickly wrapped Shouko up in his arms, and tried to shield her from the onslaught of bullets that was sure to come.

"Proceeding with termination right- ARGH!"

Just before the first shot could ring out though, the man was instantly vaporized. Inuzuka and Akira had finally arrived on the scene, still piloting their Valvraves, with the remaining surviving students and ARUS soldiers in tow.

"Looks like we got here in the nick of time" the voice of the head ARUS troop said, before he knelt down to meet the two.

"You're PM of New-Jior Shouko Sashinami and Pilot of Valvrave Unit 01 Haruto Tokishima correct?"

The two nodded.

"Don't worry. I may have been with ARUS, but I'm not going to kill you. My name is Lt. Joseph Sheridan, and we are being guided to our hanger by two of your fellow pilots."

"You can listen to him" the voice of Inuzuka called out. "They don't have anywhere else to go after all."

"Still think it's a mistake though" Iori chimed in, not happy about the detour they had to take.

Hesitantly, Haruto and Shouko emerged from the cave, taking sight of the survivors gathered at the base of the two Valvrave Units, hovering over them with vigilance.

"Good to see you again Shouko-san." Akira called out.

"Same to you Akira-chan" Shouko replied, doing her best to regain her postivity.

Just then, the two pilots received a transmission from Raizo on their screens, the pilot engaged in a fierce battle.

"Guys, those Dorssian bastards are trying to take out the second shuttle and the Mass Driver! I'm doing what all I can, but I hate to admit it, I could use some help here!"

"Copy that" Inuzuka responded. "Akira, get back out there and assist Raizo. After all, your brother is in that ship. I'll continue to guide the survivors to the hanger!"

Akira nodded, the notion that her brother was in danger being all the incentive she needed to head back out to assist.

"Haruto. You go with her and get in Valvrave Unit 01!"

However, he shook his head. "No, that'll waste time for her to get back out there. I'll stay with you guys until you make it to the hanger. Then you can take me back to the Valvrave."

"Haruto..." Shouko said silently. He wasn't going to leave her, just like he promised. She couldn't help but feel proud of him.

"...Alright" said Inuzuka, seeing how she reacted. "Akira head on back. Haruto, Shouko, and the rest of you, follow me. I’d let some of you enter my cockpit, but given how much they are firing on me, I need to remain focused without any distractions. For now, just stay close and we'll make it."

With that, Akira jetted back to join Raizo, and the others continued on their journey to the final hanger.

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As the group made their way to the hanger, which was now only a little ways away now, they were completely oblivious to another presence looking over them. A lone black chopper, similar in design to the ones used by Dorssia, but with the bull and clover logo painted to its side, was watching their every move.

Its side door was open, allowing a lightly armored soldier carrying a sniper rifle to track the group.

"Sir, they’re almost at the hanger, and I've got only one round left. What are your orders?"

"The prime target is New-Jior PM Shouko Sashinami. If you have a clear shot at her, take it. That'll leave these forces in disarray. Wait until she gets out of cover from that Valvrave."

"Roger that."

With that, the sniper continued to keep the group in his scope, looking for the perfect time to pull the trigger.

After just a few more minutes, the group had made it to the hanger, and were being guided inside by the ARUS-defectors and the blue Valvrave. As the final two began to make their way inside, he saw that both her and the boy next to her were finally out in the open, the Valvrave too occupied with helping the others.

Not wanting to waste this chance, the sniper zeroed in on his target, aiming his laser reticle directly at the back of Shouko's exposed head. Less than a second later, he pulled the trigger.

_____


"We made it to the hanger!" Sheridan announced, the other survivors out of breath. "All students, get to the cruiser, and all capable ARUS forces, get to the Splicers! We need to cover the escape!"

"G-Got it!"

With that, the group gathered up all their remaining strength and raced inside, Inuzuka keeping watch. Unfortunately, in a moment of critical weakness, he left the right side unattended, as he was so focused on guarding them from the other angle.

Soon, only Haruto, Shouko, and Iori were the only ones still out in the open, having stayed to assist the ones who were about to collapse. Now only they were left to get inside.

"Hurry you three!" Inuzuka called out. "We don't have any more time!"

"Right!"

With that, the three ran for the safety of the hanger.

As they did though, Haruto's eyes widened. Painted on the back of Shouko's head was a red dot. Looking backwards, he was shocked to see a chopper hovering overhead, with a soldier pointing a rifle at them. Realizing what was about to happen, he leapt towards his childhood friend.

"SHOUKO! LOOK OUT!"

Not a moment too soon, Haruto pushed her out of the way. Immediately after, the sound of a gun crack was heard.

*SPLRRT*

Shouko got back on her feet, confused by what had happened. But when she got up, she was horrified to see her clothes stained with blood and brain matter. The source of whom was lying behind her, a huge hole carved right through his forehead. It was the bleeding corpse of...

"HARUTO! NOOOO!!"

"SHIT!" Inuzuka swore, launching a Bolt Phalanx at the attacking chopper, bringing it down instantly. Looking back down at the sight, he could see Shouko holding Haruto's body close, screaming his name over and over, while Iori was trying her hardest to get her inside.

"Shouko!" Inuzuka yelled, knowing what was to come should she stay. "You're completely exposed out there. Get into the hanger now!"

"Listen to him!" Iori added loudly. "He's gone. We have to leave!"

But Shouko was too consumed with grief to be able to listen.

"This has to be a dream!" she sobbed. "Why?! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!"

As she wept loudly into his blood-soaked body, Inuzuka could only look away in shame. Soon, Haruto would recover, and he dared not imagine how she would react.

"Sorry Haruto. Some wingman I turned out to be."

_____


Shouko knew she had to hurry inside for the sake of the students. Yet all she could focus on was the dead body of her childhood friend that lay in her arms.

"How could this happen?! Why did our lives turn out this way?!"

"Haruto! HARUTO!!!"

As she continued to sob, she suddenly felt heard the weirdest faint sound. Looking back at the face of her friend, she saw that his mouth was starting to inhale and exhale. But how could that be if he was dead?

As the moments passed by, the sight turned even more bizarre. Haruto's head began to seal back up, and before long, the only thing remaining was any remaining residue from the initial headshot. His eyes soon began to regain light, and right before her gaze, he groaned as he sat up.

"Urgh, what happened" he said, placing his hand to his forehead. "Ah, that's right, I was..."

Haruto froze at the realization. He had just taken a fatal bullet wound to the head to save Shouko, and she had witnessed it all.

"Of all the ways to reveal the truth to her."

He could see her looking at him as though she had met him for the first time in his life. Besides her, Iori was glaring at him.

"You are a monster after all! We should leave him here before he feeds on us!" Iori yelled in anger.

"No" Inuzuka said harshly. "We will not comply with that!"

"And what about you?" she said, turning her glare towards the blue Valvrave. "You're like him aren't you?! Why should why trust anything he or you say?! Maybe we should just turn you two over! They may cease these activities if we-"

"NO!" the voice of Sheridan called out, himself having borne witness to the whole thing. "You honestly think they'll stop killing us if we surrender them? One of my soldiers found out the hard way that it's useless."

'B-But!"

"Get in there Iori" Inuzuka said harshly. "You're a sitting duck out here."

Reluctantly, and after shooting one more glare at him, she ran into the hanger.

Shouko stared at her childhood friend with unbelieving eyes. Haruto's heart sank as he saw the fear in them.

"S-Shouko" he stammered. "Listen, I was going to tell you-"

"Why?" she interrupted in a soft voice. "Why didn't you tell me? About your body? Did you know about this all along? About Rukino-san? The Phantom?"

"I-I-"

"I was able to do everything because I believed in you" she said, tears beginning to stream down her face. "Why didn't you tell me anything? Did you not trust me enough?"

Haruto couldn't answer her.

"You said that you would always be by my side when we made that promise in the cave. Yet you didn't have enough faith in me to tell me all this?! How could you?!" she said, shaking her head.

"S-Shouko please-"

"Stay away from me!" she yelled, bursting into tears. "How can I trust you after all this? How can I trust someone who killed my own father?!”

"What?!" Haruto was stunned at that revelation. "What do you mean-"

"NO! Don't come any closer!"

And with that, a hysterical Shouko ran into the hanger, leaving a devasted Haruto on his knees, eyes empty as he looked at her departing figure.

"What have I done?"


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Yeah, while I kept in her breakdown, I took out her betrayal. Even so, this pretty much means what you can expect for the relationship between Haruto and Shouko (honestly, I felt that relationship was doomed the moment he became a Kamitsuki).

Hopefully, the next part will finally see the end of this massacre arc, and we can finally move on to more character-focused sections. Especially ones that involve Saki.