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LightDragonman · 2024-03-22, 02:08

Well, time to end this massacre arc. Honestly, this arc was getting rather tedious to write.

_____

"Get all the students onto the space cruiser!" Sheridan instructed to his remaining troops. "If you can pilot a Splicer, get in one! We're going to need all the manpower we can get if we are to survive!"

"YES SIR!"

With that, the soldiers quickly began helping the students into the cruiser, while pairs of the troops jumped into the five remaining Splicers. With three Z-Types and two G-Types, it wasn't much, but like it would have to do.

Sheridan, being trained as a pilot himself, was just about ready to jump into the lead Z-Type Splicer, but first had to help the last few survivors. One of which happened to be Iori, who was still glaring at him.

"I can't believe I have to work with you and those monsters!" she grumbled. "Didn't you see what they are doing to my dad?!"

Sheridan let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, we can investigate that later. I myself have questions regarding this whole thing. But save that for after we get out of here, alright?"

"But what about my dad?" she protested. "We have to save him!"

"Girl, we've barely managed to get you and everyone this far." he said impatiently. "You'll have to wait until we can come up with a plan."

"But-"

"No time for arguing!" he snapped, his patience running thin. "Now get on the cruiser or you'll find yourself walking out of here!"

With that, Iori finally complied. Now the Lt just had to get Prime Minister Shouko onboard. Luckily for him, she wasn't too far behind. Though her eyes being all bloodshot and her nose being all runny did give him.

"Ms. Sashinami" he asked. "are you alright."

"No" she said with a sniffle. "Just get me and the others out of here."

Not wanting to waste anymore time, he nodded. Shouko quickly ran onto the cruiser, the door shutting behind her.

"We've got everyone onboard!" Sheridan messaged Inuzuka before jumping into his Splicer. "We're heading on out. Get Haruto to his Valvrave and get back out here as fast as you can! I don't know for how long our Splicers can hold off those ships compared to your units!"

"Copy that!" Inuzuka replied.

With that, the ARUS Space Cruiser and five Splicers headed out towards the Mass Driver.

_____

"Copy that!" Inuzuka looked down at Haruto, who was still on his knees.

"Come on Haruto! I've got to get you to Unit 01."

No response. He simply stared ahead with unblinking eyes.

"Why did it all turn out this way?" he thought, the image of Shouko's grief-stricken face stuck in his mind. "I just wanted her to be happy and not get hurt. And now, both her and Saki are-"

"HARUTO!" Inuzuka yelled.

Finally snapping out of his stupor at the loud voice of his friend. Haruto got to his feet.

"Look, I know what happened wasn't what you planned, but if you don't get out there, you may not even get to make up with Shouko. You still care for her right?!"

Haruto paused for a second. "......Yeah.......Yeah of course I do!"

"Then hop on!" Inuzuka said, lowering his Unit's hand to Haruto's level. "We've gotta get you to your Valvrave."

_____

"You guys are clear to launch!" Raizo yelled, the cooldown on the Mass Driver having finally ended. "We'll see you at the rendezvous!"

"Don't forget to join us as soon as you can Akira-chan!" Satomi said for what seemed like the hundredth time. "If you don't make it on, then you'll be stuck here!"

"I know!" Akira replied, having joined in the battle moments earlier. "Stay safe onii-chan!"

With that, the second ship carrying Satomi, Takahi, Yusuke, and several other students and surviving ARUS soldiers was launched out into deep space.

"Alright!" Raizo said. "Just one more group that needs to be saved! You doing okay Akira?!"

"A-Affirmative" Akira responded. "But heat gauge is at 70!"

"Mine is as well" Raizo said, looking at his console grimly, not helped by the amount of enemy forces still out there. "Come on you two, we need you out here."

As they prepared to do battle with the remaining Dorssian mechs, another transmission came through the consoles of the two pilots.

"This is Lt. Joseph Sheridan! We're coming out in an ARUS Space Cruiser accompanied by five Splicers! We have many students, including your PM Shouko Sashinami on board. Request immediate assistance and evacuation!"

"Copy that Lt." Raizo replied, noticing the aforementioned craft approaching the Mass Driver. "Be careful! Your Splicers may be able to deal with the Waffes, but they don't stand much chance against those Kirshbaums and Ideals."

"I know, I'm in the lead Splicer" Sheridan said. "So keep those heavier units away from us Raizo!"

"No worries! And again, it's THUNDER!"

With that, he and Akira once again leapt back into the fray, the notion that their PM was in this ship giving even more incentive for the latter. Akira was glad to hear that her friend was just a few ships away."

"Shouko-chan!" she said, trying to speak to her. "G-Good to see you're here. I-I hope we can-"

"Don't speak to her you monster!" the shrill voice of Iori rang across her ear. "She's not in the mood to talk to you or the other pilots right now!"

Akira froze. She wasn't expecting such a hostile response.

"What the hell Vice Council President?" Raizo remarked, having been a part of the conversation. "We're not monsters."

"Yeah, well then explain what happened to your friend Haruto! He just survived getting shot in the head!"

".....Ah, so that's why she's upset" Raizo realized internally. "Welp, the truth had to come out eventually"

"Listen Vice Council President" he said with gritted teeth. "We may be stronger and more durable, but there's nothing else in us that separates us from you! So shut up and let me escort you to safety."

"You sure you're not just gonna feed on our brains later, like we saw on that broadcast?!" Iori retorted. "What do you plan to do to my dad?!"

"We had nothing to do with that monstrosity!" Raizo hotly rebutted. "It was found in Dorssian hands! We were going to bring them out after the summit!"

"And I should believe the words of-"

"Children, focus!" Sheridan interrupted, clearly exasperated. "We can argue about who's what later. Right now, we need to get out of here."

With that, the two finally stopped their feud, albeit still highly distrusting of each other. Akira for her part seemed to have clammed up a bit. She feared that she would be again ostracized, now that the truth about her was out.

"If Shouko-chan knows about it, then am I about to lose..."

"Akira, get your head in the game!" the voice of Inuzuka rang out.

Looking up, Raizo and Akira were greeted with the most welcome sight of Unit 01 and Unit 05, now having arrived on the scene. Though she noticed that Unit 01 seemed more sluggish in its movements than before.

"Good to see you two!" Sheridan said. "Remember, keep those larger mechs away from us! Our Splicers will take out the Waffe units."

"Roger that! Let's go you guys!"

With that, Inuzuka set up a defensive position on the top of the cruiser, blasting Bolt Phalanx shots while using his shield to defend against any oncoming shots. Akira also landed on the other side, hacking into the cruiser with her Humming Bird staff.

"Whoa, this thing is going much faster now!" the head pilot of the cruiser remarked. "Something to do with that purple Valvrave unit?"

"Well whatever the cause, that shouldn't be a problem. Faster speed means harder to hit us!" replied his co-pilot. "Guess we should be glad that we didn't make enemies of those Valvrave operators, human or not."

Meanwhile, Raizo was once again in battle, taking on multiple Ideal and Kirshbaum units singlehandedly, so to speak. Any Ideal that got close was crushed by his Armstronger Cannon, and his Chain Saucers were keeping the Kirshbaums from getting in range as well. However, he noted that his heat gauge was rapidly approaching its limit.

"Damn it, I'm gonna have to pull back soon" he said with gritted teeth. "Aniki, I'm going to need you to back me up!"

He looked at Unit 01, which was for some reason floating listlessly behind the space cruiser.

"What is Haruto doing?!"

_____

Despite the intense situation, Haruto was still in a compromised state. To see Shouko look upon him with fear and betrayal was a gut punch, and to top it all off, there was the last thing she said to him.

"How can I trust someone who killed my own father?!"

The notion that he may have done something unspeakable to her had put him in a state of shock and horror. So much that he could barely register the battle going on around him.

Raizo, Inuzuka, and Sheridan all were trying to get him to snap out of it, but his ears remained deaf to them. All he could think about was Shouko. He needed to get the answer.

"Shouko, can you hear me?" he said, contacting the cruiser.

A few moments of silence followed, yet he could hear a soft weeping on the other side. His heart ached at the sound.

"Shouko, please answer me" he pleaded. "Did I really kill your father?"

More silence followed, leaving Haruto on edge. But finally after a few seconds, Shouko responded.

".......Yes" she affirmed. "He was onboard one of the ships as a hostage during your attempt to save him, and you accidently destroyed the one he was on."

And with that, Haruto collapsed into tears, his worst fear realized.

"S-Shouko" he said in a choked voice. "I'm so s-sorry! For everything!"

".....I know you are." Shouko admitted in a small voice. "But I don't want to talk about this right now. Concentrate on getting me out of here."

With that, she hung up, silently weeping into her hands soon after.

Haruto didn't know what to do. He knew that he had to get his head back into the game, but the knowledge that he had killed Shouko's father was just too much for his mind to bear. As if leaving Saki behind to suffer consequences that he now believed he deserved much more wasn't bad enough...

"Haruto!" the voice of Inuzuka suddenly echoed. "Pull yourself together! Raizo needs you to back him up!"

"She was telling the truth" he said in response with watery eyes. "I'm responsible for killing her father. What kind of friend am I?!"

Inuzuka paused at that remark.

"......Haruto, I can't say that I understand what you are feeling" he admitted. "But you and her are still alive, and if you don't get back out there, she may not live to see tomorrow. Do you really want to be responsible for her death as well?"

The statement was like ice down Haruto's back.

"Don't you still care for her? What does she truly mean to you?"

Haruto thought back to all the times he had shared with her. From their childhood, to the forming of New-Jior, to all the smaller moments in between. Yes, he did still care for her after all.

"......You're right Inuzuka. I do still care for her as my closest friend!" he remarked.

"Do you love her?"

"Of course I...." Haruto paused. He would've replied in the affirmative not even a day earlier, but after everything that had happened, and the fact that he had held such secrets from her until it was too late. Especially compared to that other girl who he had no problems when it came to sharing these things, who was he was now starting to think of more frequently.

"...I don't know" he said. "But she is still dear to me."

"Then get back out there and fight!" Inuzuka declared.

"Right!" Haruto replied, confidence once again beginning to surge back. "Sorry about my state."

"Don't worry about it. We can do apologies once we get out of here!"

With that, Haruto finally got into action, and raced Unit 01 to back up Raizo's position.

_____

The next few minutes were non-stop action for the four pilots, with Haruto and Raizo doing their best to draw the attention of the heavier Dorssian mechs away from the cruiser, and Inuzuka and Akira backing up said cruiser. Meanwhile the ARUS Splicer pilots had their hands full dealing with the Waffes.

Before long, the cruiser had made it to the Mass Driver. Unfortunately, it still had four minutes before it was ready to launch again.

"That's just great!" Raizo remarked. "My heat gauge is almost at its limit!"

Indeed, he had been almost non-stop fighting the Dorssian mechs that he was just about to overheat. The addition of Haruto at his side did make things easier, but it still led to this.

"Get back to the cruiser Raizo!" Haruto instructed, switching the Vurutoga from its Volc Arm to the Z-Edge. "I'll deal with the rest of these guys."

"IT'S THUNDER!" Raizo protested. "....But your right. Just be sure to follow soon after Aniki!"

With that, Raizo flew back, leaving Haruto do deal with the final three Kirshbaum units.

"Alright, just gotta wait for the right moment to.....NOW!"

And with that, he flew at top speed at the remaining three mechs, red Hard Afterglow spilling forth from his blade. With just a few cuts, the final three enemy mechs were reduced to floating scrap.

"This is Haruto, all remaining enemy units are down."

"This is Lt. Sheridan. We've dealt with the Waffe units. Docking with the Cruiser, and preparing to launch from the Mass Driver."

The five splicers touched down on the top deck of the Space Cruiser, Units 05 and 06 departing to allow room. With that, the cruiser finally made contact with the driver.

"Thanks for your assistance Pilots." Sheridan said gratefully. "Since we have no where else we can go, as the President Of ARUS has branded us traitors, we hereby swear allegiance to New-Jior. Whatever the next move is, you have our support."

"Understood Lt" Inuzuka said. "Sorry you had to join us under less than favorable circumstances."

"Honestly, if we knew about your true natures before this happened, we never would've followed Anderson in the first place" Sheridan admitted. "We'll see you at the rendezvous. And don't worry. Your Prime Minister and fellow students are all safe here."

With that, the Cruiser and Splicers were launched into deep space.

"Okay team" Inuzuka said to the other three pilots. "Time for us to get out of here. Dock with the Mass Driver and let's join out friends."

"Roger that."

"A-Affirmative."

Akira quickly slammed her Humming Bird staff into the Mass Driver rapidly cooling it. The last platform was raised, and she joined Inuzuka and Raizo on board.

"C'mon Haruto!" Inuzuka said. It's time to go. You still have to clear things up with Shouko after all."

"R-Right!"

Haruto began to steer his Valvrave towards the other three. Yet as he approached the platform, a feeling of unease filled his gut. He wasn't sure why, but the more he drew closer to the platform, it soon became much clearer as to why. Sure he and three other pilots were there, but they were still down by one. One who he had a much stronger connection to, and that, combined with the absense of Unit 04 suddenly made him flash back to said girl.

"Shouko-san won" she said in a broken voice.

"Haruto" she softly cried. ".....Please help me!"

"I've always been alone" she said, eyes empty as she stared at the theater screen. "Family? Friends? No one chose me"

"Haruto, time's a wasting here" Inuzuka reminded.

Yet as Haruto looked at the platform, he couldn't get his mind off of their missing Valvrave pilot. She was still out there, and if her execution was any evidence, he shuddered to think about what was being done to her. He thought back to the theater date, and what she had said afterwards.

"I wanted to be chosen. By just one person. If my loneliness became our loneliness, that would've been enough for me."

Sure she had tried to write it off as just her repeating her movie lines, but Haruto could sense that that was how she really felt; lonely. And he had left her all alone behind enemy lines, and she was now suffering the consequences.

"I said that she wasn't alone back then, in response, and yet....."

He thought back to the look in her eyes after her bodied healed, and his eyes suddenly felt itchy again. He hadn't seen her in such despair until then, and he had just left her there, despite his worry for her. All because he still relied on others to come up with the plans for him.

He had already hurt her once before, and the incident with Shouko recently made him remember all the times he had hurt others in his indecisiveness. Heck, if Saki had made it back with them, would this whole debacle had even happened? He could've been able to remain on good terms with Shouko, and revealed the truth to her in a more ideal situation.

With the image of Saki's despair-filled expression now front and center in his mind, Haruto knew what he had to do. Clenching his fist, he turned away from the Mass Driver.

"Haruto? What are you doing?!" Inuzuka asked, shocked at the sight of his friend flying away.

"Taking some responsibility for once." he replied firmly. "I'm going to go rescue Rukino Saki."

"Haruto, think about this" Inuzuka protested. "Like I said, you don't have some sort of plan for this. At least get L-Elf to-"

"There's no time!" Haruto cut off. "He's emotionally compromised right now. Going to him now is a colossal waste of time! Who knows what Rukino-san could be enduring as we speak!"

"Plus, given how he was willing to let Akira die on that mission, I doubt he'd care that much about her." he noted internally. "Gosh, why did I even think that he'd help me save her in the first place? Forgive me Rukino-san!"

"You were going to make things up with Shouko!"

Haruto paused. True, he still needed to make things right with his childhood friend. But given that Saki was in much more trouble at the moment, combined with the despair in her eyes he kept flashing back to...

"No, I can't let my personal feelings get in the way" he thought, determined. "Right now, the predicament Saki is in is of far more importance than whatever I'm feeling for Shouko."

".....I know. But I can't leave another one of my friends behind. Leaving Saki behind enemy territory is what led to this whole mess in the first place! I won't make that mistake again."

Inuzuka could see that Haruto's mind was made up on this. Even so, he was still skeptical.

"Haruto, you don't even know what ship she's on. How are you going to rescue her if you don't know her location?"

Haruto gritted his teeth, having forgotten about that detail.

"Sending data to you now." Akira piped up.

Just a few moments later, data concerning a Walkit type-cruiser was sent over to Haruto's console.

"This is-"

"Hacked broadcast" Akira said. "Wanted to find Saki's location. She's my friend too."

"Thanks Akira."

"I'll come with you Aniki" Raizo said. "You could use the extra help."

"No" Haruto responded quickly. "You three are to head on to the rendezvous point in case more enemy forces show up. Besides, this is something I have to do on my own. She's suffering because of me after all."

"After all, I was the one who assaulted her that night thanks to this curse." he thought grimly.

".....You're really going to do this?" Inuzuka asked one last time.

"Affirmative. If I don't make it back with Saki, I'm counting on you guys to come after me."

".....Damn you Haruto" Inuzuka sighed. "Well, good luck. I'll see you when you get back."

"You got this Aniki" Raizo added.

"Bring Rukino-san back safe and sound" Akira added. "I don't like thinking of her all alone."

"Same here Akira" Haruto said, tapping a few buttons on his console.

Akira's eye's widened as data was sent to her Valvrave from Unit 01.

"Give these to Shouko and L-Elf." Haruto told her. ".....And tell her that I'm sorry."

"I-I will" Akira said shakily.

With that, the last platform was launched off the Mass Driver, sending the three pilots to the rendezvous point. Haruto looked back one last time.

"Well, here goes nothing. Hold on Rukino-san. I'm coming for you. You won't have to suffer anymore!"

_____

Finally, this arc is over!

I'll be honest, I'm not all that pleased with the quality of this part. I'm not all that good at writing mech combat scenes, and you can obviously tell. But hey, at least now we can finally get to the parts I was most eager to write!

Again, thoughts? I know this part isn't all that well done.

2024-03-22, 02:08	Link #32
LightDragonman Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2013	Well, time to end this massacre arc. Honestly, this arc was getting rather tedious to write. _____ "Get all the students onto the space cruiser!" Sheridan instructed to his remaining troops. "If you can pilot a Splicer, get in one! We're going to need all the manpower we can get if we are to survive!" "YES SIR!" With that, the soldiers quickly began helping the students into the cruiser, while pairs of the troops jumped into the five remaining Splicers. With three Z-Types and two G-Types, it wasn't much, but like it would have to do. Sheridan, being trained as a pilot himself, was just about ready to jump into the lead Z-Type Splicer, but first had to help the last few survivors. One of which happened to be Iori, who was still glaring at him. "I can't believe I have to work with you and those monsters!" she grumbled. "Didn't you see what they are doing to my dad?!" Sheridan let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, we can investigate that later. I myself have questions regarding this whole thing. But save that for after we get out of here, alright?" "But what about my dad?" she protested. "We have to save him!" "Girl, we've barely managed to get you and everyone this far." he said impatiently. "You'll have to wait until we can come up with a plan." "But-" "No time for arguing!" he snapped, his patience running thin. "Now get on the cruiser or you'll find yourself walking out of here!" With that, Iori finally complied. Now the Lt just had to get Prime Minister Shouko onboard. Luckily for him, she wasn't too far behind. Though her eyes being all bloodshot and her nose being all runny did give him. "Ms. Sashinami" he asked. "are you alright." "No" she said with a sniffle. "Just get me and the others out of here." Not wanting to waste anymore time, he nodded. Shouko quickly ran onto the cruiser, the door shutting behind her. "We've got everyone onboard!" Sheridan messaged Inuzuka before jumping into his Splicer. "We're heading on out. Get Haruto to his Valvrave and get back out here as fast as you can! I don't know for how long our Splicers can hold off those ships compared to your units!" "Copy that!" Inuzuka replied. With that, the ARUS Space Cruiser and five Splicers headed out towards the Mass Driver. _____ "Copy that!" Inuzuka looked down at Haruto, who was still on his knees. "Come on Haruto! I've got to get you to Unit 01." No response. He simply stared ahead with unblinking eyes. "Why did it all turn out this way?" he thought, the image of Shouko's grief-stricken face stuck in his mind. "I just wanted her to be happy and not get hurt. And now, both her and Saki are-" "HARUTO!" Inuzuka yelled. Finally snapping out of his stupor at the loud voice of his friend. Haruto got to his feet. "Look, I know what happened wasn't what you planned, but if you don't get out there, you may not even get to make up with Shouko. You still care for her right?!" Haruto paused for a second. "......Yeah.......Yeah of course I do!" "Then hop on!" Inuzuka said, lowering his Unit's hand to Haruto's level. "We've gotta get you to your Valvrave." _____ "You guys are clear to launch!" Raizo yelled, the cooldown on the Mass Driver having finally ended. "We'll see you at the rendezvous!" "Don't forget to join us as soon as you can Akira-chan!" Satomi said for what seemed like the hundredth time. "If you don't make it on, then you'll be stuck here!" "I know!" Akira replied, having joined in the battle moments earlier. "Stay safe onii-chan!" With that, the second ship carrying Satomi, Takahi, Yusuke, and several other students and surviving ARUS soldiers was launched out into deep space. "Alright!" Raizo said. "Just one more group that needs to be saved! You doing okay Akira?!" "A-Affirmative" Akira responded. "But heat gauge is at 70!" "Mine is as well" Raizo said, looking at his console grimly, not helped by the amount of enemy forces still out there. "Come on you two, we need you out here." As they prepared to do battle with the remaining Dorssian mechs, another transmission came through the consoles of the two pilots. "This is Lt. Joseph Sheridan! We're coming out in an ARUS Space Cruiser accompanied by five Splicers! We have many students, including your PM Shouko Sashinami on board. Request immediate assistance and evacuation!" "Copy that Lt." Raizo replied, noticing the aforementioned craft approaching the Mass Driver. "Be careful! Your Splicers may be able to deal with the Waffes, but they don't stand much chance against those Kirshbaums and Ideals." "I know, I'm in the lead Splicer" Sheridan said. "So keep those heavier units away from us Raizo!" "No worries! And again, it's THUNDER!" With that, he and Akira once again leapt back into the fray, the notion that their PM was in this ship giving even more incentive for the latter. Akira was glad to hear that her friend was just a few ships away." "Shouko-chan!" she said, trying to speak to her. "G-Good to see you're here. I-I hope we can-" "Don't speak to her you monster!" the shrill voice of Iori rang across her ear. "She's not in the mood to talk to you or the other pilots right now!" Akira froze. She wasn't expecting such a hostile response. "What the hell Vice Council President?" Raizo remarked, having been a part of the conversation. "We're not monsters." "Yeah, well then explain what happened to your friend Haruto! He just survived getting shot in the head!" ".....Ah, so that's why she's upset" Raizo realized internally. "Welp, the truth had to come out eventually" "Listen Vice Council President" he said with gritted teeth. "We may be stronger and more durable, but there's nothing else in us that separates us from you! So shut up and let me escort you to safety." "You sure you're not just gonna feed on our brains later, like we saw on that broadcast?!" Iori retorted. "What do you plan to do to my dad?!" "We had nothing to do with that monstrosity!" Raizo hotly rebutted. "It was found in Dorssian hands! We were going to bring them out after the summit!" "And I should believe the words of-" "Children, focus!" Sheridan interrupted, clearly exasperated. "We can argue about who's what later. Right now, we need to get out of here." With that, the two finally stopped their feud, albeit still highly distrusting of each other. Akira for her part seemed to have clammed up a bit. She feared that she would be again ostracized, now that the truth about her was out. "If Shouko-chan knows about it, then am I about to lose..." "Akira, get your head in the game!" the voice of Inuzuka rang out. Looking up, Raizo and Akira were greeted with the most welcome sight of Unit 01 and Unit 05, now having arrived on the scene. Though she noticed that Unit 01 seemed more sluggish in its movements than before. "Good to see you two!" Sheridan said. "Remember, keep those larger mechs away from us! Our Splicers will take out the Waffe units." "Roger that! Let's go you guys!" With that, Inuzuka set up a defensive position on the top of the cruiser, blasting Bolt Phalanx shots while using his shield to defend against any oncoming shots. Akira also landed on the other side, hacking into the cruiser with her Humming Bird staff. "Whoa, this thing is going much faster now!" the head pilot of the cruiser remarked. "Something to do with that purple Valvrave unit?" "Well whatever the cause, that shouldn't be a problem. Faster speed means harder to hit us!" replied his co-pilot. "Guess we should be glad that we didn't make enemies of those Valvrave operators, human or not." Meanwhile, Raizo was once again in battle, taking on multiple Ideal and Kirshbaum units singlehandedly, so to speak. Any Ideal that got close was crushed by his Armstronger Cannon, and his Chain Saucers were keeping the Kirshbaums from getting in range as well. However, he noted that his heat gauge was rapidly approaching its limit. "Damn it, I'm gonna have to pull back soon" he said with gritted teeth. "Aniki, I'm going to need you to back me up!" He looked at Unit 01, which was for some reason floating listlessly behind the space cruiser. "What is Haruto doing?!" _____ Despite the intense situation, Haruto was still in a compromised state. To see Shouko look upon him with fear and betrayal was a gut punch, and to top it all off, there was the last thing she said to him. "How can I trust someone who killed my own father?!" The notion that he may have done something unspeakable to her had put him in a state of shock and horror. So much that he could barely register the battle going on around him. Raizo, Inuzuka, and Sheridan all were trying to get him to snap out of it, but his ears remained deaf to them. All he could think about was Shouko. He needed to get the answer. "Shouko, can you hear me?" he said, contacting the cruiser. A few moments of silence followed, yet he could hear a soft weeping on the other side. His heart ached at the sound. "Shouko, please answer me" he pleaded. "Did I really kill your father?" More silence followed, leaving Haruto on edge. But finally after a few seconds, Shouko responded. ".......Yes" she affirmed. "He was onboard one of the ships as a hostage during your attempt to save him, and you accidently destroyed the one he was on." And with that, Haruto collapsed into tears, his worst fear realized. "S-Shouko" he said in a choked voice. "I'm so s-sorry! For everything!" ".....I know you are." Shouko admitted in a small voice. "But I don't want to talk about this right now. Concentrate on getting me out of here." With that, she hung up, silently weeping into her hands soon after. Haruto didn't know what to do. He knew that he had to get his head back into the game, but the knowledge that he had killed Shouko's father was just too much for his mind to bear. As if leaving Saki behind to suffer consequences that he now believed he deserved much more wasn't bad enough... "Haruto!" the voice of Inuzuka suddenly echoed. "Pull yourself together! Raizo needs you to back him up!" "She was telling the truth" he said in response with watery eyes. "I'm responsible for killing her father. What kind of friend am I?!" Inuzuka paused at that remark. "......Haruto, I can't say that I understand what you are feeling" he admitted. "But you and her are still alive, and if you don't get back out there, she may not live to see tomorrow. Do you really want to be responsible for her death as well?" The statement was like ice down Haruto's back. "Don't you still care for her? What does she truly mean to you?" Haruto thought back to all the times he had shared with her. From their childhood, to the forming of New-Jior, to all the smaller moments in between. Yes, he did still care for her after all. "......You're right Inuzuka. I do still care for her as my closest friend!" he remarked. "Do you love her?" "Of course I...." Haruto paused. He would've replied in the affirmative not even a day earlier, but after everything that had happened, and the fact that he had held such secrets from her until it was too late. Especially compared to that other girl who he had no problems when it came to sharing these things, who was he was now starting to think of more frequently. "...I don't know" he said. "But she is still dear to me." "Then get back out there and fight!" Inuzuka declared. "Right!" Haruto replied, confidence once again beginning to surge back. "Sorry about my state." "Don't worry about it. We can do apologies once we get out of here!" With that, Haruto finally got into action, and raced Unit 01 to back up Raizo's position. _____ The next few minutes were non-stop action for the four pilots, with Haruto and Raizo doing their best to draw the attention of the heavier Dorssian mechs away from the cruiser, and Inuzuka and Akira backing up said cruiser. Meanwhile the ARUS Splicer pilots had their hands full dealing with the Waffes. Before long, the cruiser had made it to the Mass Driver. Unfortunately, it still had four minutes before it was ready to launch again. "That's just great!" Raizo remarked. "My heat gauge is almost at its limit!" Indeed, he had been almost non-stop fighting the Dorssian mechs that he was just about to overheat. The addition of Haruto at his side did make things easier, but it still led to this. "Get back to the cruiser Raizo!" Haruto instructed, switching the Vurutoga from its Volc Arm to the Z-Edge. "I'll deal with the rest of these guys." "IT'S THUNDER!" Raizo protested. "....But your right. Just be sure to follow soon after Aniki!" With that, Raizo flew back, leaving Haruto do deal with the final three Kirshbaum units. "Alright, just gotta wait for the right moment to.....NOW!" And with that, he flew at top speed at the remaining three mechs, red Hard Afterglow spilling forth from his blade. With just a few cuts, the final three enemy mechs were reduced to floating scrap. "This is Haruto, all remaining enemy units are down." "This is Lt. Sheridan. We've dealt with the Waffe units. Docking with the Cruiser, and preparing to launch from the Mass Driver." The five splicers touched down on the top deck of the Space Cruiser, Units 05 and 06 departing to allow room. With that, the cruiser finally made contact with the driver. "Thanks for your assistance Pilots." Sheridan said gratefully. "Since we have no where else we can go, as the President Of ARUS has branded us traitors, we hereby swear allegiance to New-Jior. Whatever the next move is, you have our support." "Understood Lt" Inuzuka said. "Sorry you had to join us under less than favorable circumstances." "Honestly, if we knew about your true natures before this happened, we never would've followed Anderson in the first place" Sheridan admitted. "We'll see you at the rendezvous. And don't worry. Your Prime Minister and fellow students are all safe here." With that, the Cruiser and Splicers were launched into deep space. "Okay team" Inuzuka said to the other three pilots. "Time for us to get out of here. Dock with the Mass Driver and let's join out friends." "Roger that." "A-Affirmative." Akira quickly slammed her Humming Bird staff into the Mass Driver rapidly cooling it. The last platform was raised, and she joined Inuzuka and Raizo on board. "C'mon Haruto!" Inuzuka said. It's time to go. You still have to clear things up with Shouko after all." "R-Right!" Haruto began to steer his Valvrave towards the other three. Yet as he approached the platform, a feeling of unease filled his gut. He wasn't sure why, but the more he drew closer to the platform, it soon became much clearer as to why. Sure he and three other pilots were there, but they were still down by one. One who he had a much stronger connection to, and that, combined with the absense of Unit 04 suddenly made him flash back to said girl. "Shouko-san won" she said in a broken voice. "Haruto" she softly cried. ".....Please help me!" "I've always been alone" she said, eyes empty as she stared at the theater screen. "Family? Friends? No one chose me" "Haruto, time's a wasting here" Inuzuka reminded. Yet as Haruto looked at the platform, he couldn't get his mind off of their missing Valvrave pilot. She was still out there, and if her execution was any evidence, he shuddered to think about what was being done to her. He thought back to the theater date, and what she had said afterwards. "I wanted to be chosen. By just one person. If my loneliness became our loneliness, that would've been enough for me." Sure she had tried to write it off as just her repeating her movie lines, but Haruto could sense that that was how she really felt; lonely. And he had left her all alone behind enemy lines, and she was now suffering the consequences. "I said that she wasn't alone back then, in response, and yet....." He thought back to the look in her eyes after her bodied healed, and his eyes suddenly felt itchy again. He hadn't seen her in such despair until then, and he had just left her there, despite his worry for her. All because he still relied on others to come up with the plans for him. He had already hurt her once before, and the incident with Shouko recently made him remember all the times he had hurt others in his indecisiveness. Heck, if Saki had made it back with them, would this whole debacle had even happened? He could've been able to remain on good terms with Shouko, and revealed the truth to her in a more ideal situation. With the image of Saki's despair-filled expression now front and center in his mind, Haruto knew what he had to do. Clenching his fist, he turned away from the Mass Driver. "Haruto? What are you doing?!" Inuzuka asked, shocked at the sight of his friend flying away. "Taking some responsibility for once." he replied firmly. "I'm going to go rescue Rukino Saki." "Haruto, think about this" Inuzuka protested. "Like I said, you don't have some sort of plan for this. At least get L-Elf to-" "There's no time!" Haruto cut off. "He's emotionally compromised right now. Going to him now is a colossal waste of time! Who knows what Rukino-san could be enduring as we speak!" "Plus, given how he was willing to let Akira die on that mission, I doubt he'd care that much about her." he noted internally. "Gosh, why did I even think that he'd help me save her in the first place? Forgive me Rukino-san!" "You were going to make things up with Shouko!" Haruto paused. True, he still needed to make things right with his childhood friend. But given that Saki was in much more trouble at the moment, combined with the despair in her eyes he kept flashing back to... "No, I can't let my personal feelings get in the way" he thought, determined. "Right now, the predicament Saki is in is of far more importance than whatever I'm feeling for Shouko." ".....I know. But I can't leave another one of my friends behind. Leaving Saki behind enemy territory is what led to this whole mess in the first place! I won't make that mistake again." Inuzuka could see that Haruto's mind was made up on this. Even so, he was still skeptical. "Haruto, you don't even know what ship she's on. How are you going to rescue her if you don't know her location?" Haruto gritted his teeth, having forgotten about that detail. "Sending data to you now." Akira piped up. Just a few moments later, data concerning a Walkit type-cruiser was sent over to Haruto's console. "This is-" "Hacked broadcast" Akira said. "Wanted to find Saki's location. She's my friend too." "Thanks Akira." "I'll come with you Aniki" Raizo said. "You could use the extra help." "No" Haruto responded quickly. "You three are to head on to the rendezvous point in case more enemy forces show up. Besides, this is something I have to do on my own. She's suffering because of me after all." "After all, I was the one who assaulted her that night thanks to this curse." he thought grimly. ".....You're really going to do this?" Inuzuka asked one last time. "Affirmative. If I don't make it back with Saki, I'm counting on you guys to come after me." ".....Damn you Haruto" Inuzuka sighed. "Well, good luck. I'll see you when you get back." "You got this Aniki" Raizo added. "Bring Rukino-san back safe and sound" Akira added. "I don't like thinking of her all alone." "Same here Akira" Haruto said, tapping a few buttons on his console. Akira's eye's widened as data was sent to her Valvrave from Unit 01. "Give these to Shouko and L-Elf." Haruto told her. ".....And tell her that I'm sorry." "I-I will" Akira said shakily. With that, the last platform was launched off the Mass Driver, sending the three pilots to the rendezvous point. Haruto looked back one last time. "Well, here goes nothing. Hold on Rukino-san. I'm coming for you. You won't have to suffer anymore!" _____ Finally, this arc is over! I'll be honest, I'm not all that pleased with the quality of this part. I'm not all that good at writing mech combat scenes, and you can obviously tell. But hey, at least now we can finally get to the parts I was most eager to write! Again, thoughts? I know this part isn't all that well done. Last edited by LightDragonman; 2024-03-22 at 04:04.