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LightDragonman · 2024-03-23, 01:57

Might as well start on the next part. Going to catch up with the others before we get back to Haruto and Saki first btw.

_____

"I repeat, I will NOT let you pilots in!" The voice of Iori echoed in the ears of the three Valvraves.

"Cut that shit out!" Raizo exclaimed. "We saved your asses and got you here. What more do you want us to do?! This is how you repay us?!"

The situation at the rendezvous point was far from welcoming for the pilots. Despite all the ships finally being re-united, the revelation of the pilot's true nature was still earth-shattering to several of the survivors. Iori in particular distrusted them, and was refusing to allow them to dock with the ARUS cruiser.

"Girl, just let them on" the voice of Lt. Sheridan chimed in, his patience at his wits end. "We need all the help we can get right now. And those three pilots are our best defensed right now."

He was currently in the command deck alongside Iori who had the comms, and Shouko, who remained silent at her seat, eyes listlessly staring forward. The other students and fellow ex-ARUS soldiers had taken refuge in the crew quarters, and were also in communication with the two other shuttles.

"C'mon Akira!" Satomi said from his ship. "You can dock with mine! I won't turn you away like before. Come on."

However, Akira shook her head. "Not yet. Need to see Shouko first."

"Well you can wait out there!" Iori replied harshly. "Shouko is our PM, and until she gives the all clear, I'm not letting you monsters onboard!"

"What did you just call my sister?!" Satomi barked.

"Vice Council President, please" Inuzuka pleaded. "We're all tired and traumatized, I get that. But our Valvraves need repairs as well as being re-armed. And with that new alliance between Dorssia and ARUS, I don't know how much time we have left."

"I agree" Sheridan added. "After all, I'd rather not go against their might with nothing but a handful of Splicers. We barely managed to get out of there as is."

Iori remained adamant however, and the argument continued to go back and forth with no progress gained, to everyone's frustration.

Shouko for her part was still lost in her grief. The revelation of what Haruto truly was, what all he had kept from her, and how she had revealed the truth about her father to him had left her completely drained. As much as she hated to admit it, she felt a sense of justice at revealing his part in her father's death, as it meant she could get back at him for what she felt was a betrayal.

"Gosh, I am such a terrible woman" she thought bitterly, her heart still holding affection for him. It was then that she noted that said friend hadn't yet called in.

"W-where is Haruto?" she finally asked in a weak voice.

Inuzuka was silent. He and the others didn't really know what to say to her, lest she have her heart broken even more should the truth about him going to save Saki rather than catch up with her be revealed.

"Don't worry about Aniki!" Raizo said before Inuzuka could come up with an answer. "He's just taking care of any remaining stragglers. He'll be here soon, no doubt about that!"

"Or maybe he's going back to feed on those captured humans" Iori grumbled. "If he does anything to my dad, then I swear that I'll-"

"SHUT UP IORI KITAGAWA!" Shouko yelled, surprising the other listeners. After so much silence, for her to give such an outburst was unexpected.

"PM, are you okay?" Sheridan asked, noting just how bloodshot her eyes were and the dark bags under them.

She took several breaths, trying to not break down for another time. But Iori's callous comment only made her remember just what Haruto had done to her father, and it was all just too much of an avalanche of emotions for her to deal with. That said, it did finally snap her out of her funk, if only because she was too angry at Iori to feel sad now.

"......No, but as PM, I do have a responsibility to do what's best for my citizens" she said, doing her best to hide her grief. "Pilots, you are clear to enter. However, I am restricting each pilot to one ship."

"Are you crazy?!" Iori replied. "You're letting those things onboard?!"

"If there's only one, then that's not a problem." Shouko said. "After all, what good is one man against the rest of us?"

"Even if they aren't human?!"

"Even if."

".....Very well" Iori said begrudgingly. "I still don't trust them one bit."

The three pilots weren't exactly thrilled at this concept. Even still, it was better than being forced to wait out in space with limited ammo and heat-gauges.

".....Understood Shouko" Inuzuka said. "Raizo, dock with Professor Kibukawa's ship, as you need the most repairs. Akira, go see your brother. I'll dock with the ARUS space cruiser here."

"You got it! And remember, it's Thunder!"

However, Akira shook her head again.

"No. Need to see Shouko. Haruto told me to."

".....He did? What did he want you to say to her?"

Akira sent him the files Haruto had sent her. As Inuzuka scrolled through the data, his eyes widened.

"......Alright, I understand! Go see Shouko as fast as you can. Then I'll swap ships with you."

"This may be the only way we can get our two leaders back in the game" he mused. "Dang it Haruto, you should've done this earlier!"

_____

"If any of you ARUS bastards even touch one hair on my sister, I'll kill you!" Satomi yelled over the comms. "And I'll know since she'll be back with me soon!"

Sheridan rolled his eyes. Given how scrawny the Student Council President was compared to him, a Lt. of the ARUS military, the threats sounded like those of an ant trying to take on an elephant.

"Sort of like how the situation is for me going against this new Dorssia-ARUS alliance" he noted. "Just what am I going to tell my troops?"

Unit 06 slowly descended into the hanger of the cruiser, docking alongside the parked Splicers. Immediately, the rest of the occupants of the hanger swarmed the area, all looking expectedly at the Valvrave.

"Okay pilot Akira Renbokuji. You're clear to leave and see Shouko now." informed Sheridan.

Yet the cockpit failed to open, making the Lt raise an eyebrow.

"Pilot Akira Renbokuji. You're good to go. Shouko's waiting."

Again, nothing.

"Pilot Akira Renbokuiji! Is something wrong with your cockpit hatch?"

"My sister's a Hikkikomori you assholes!" Satomi's voice called. "She has no desire to see the likes of you."

".......Seriously?" the Lt asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Just what exactly are the qualifications for becoming one of them aside from being Jiorian?"

"Let me speak to her" the voice of Shouko chimed in, as the PM had just entered the hanger. "She trusts me."

She'd be lying to herself if she didn't want to mimic her friend, and just curl up in a ball and grieve with no interruptions. The absence of Haruto made such an act all the more appealing. But since she remembered that she had to lead her students, Shouko reluctantly swallowed her tears for now, and decided to go to Akira.

Nodding, the group made way for her to float up to the cockpit of Unit 06, where she softly knocked on its top.

"Akira-chan? It's me. You said you wanted to show me something? Don't worry, I won't let you have to see those men out there."

After a few seconds, the hatch finally opened up, allowing Shouko inside to see her red-haired friend.

"What is it that so important?" Sheridan thought. "Surely it has to be something we all should be privy to."

_____

"H-Hi there Akira-chan" Shouko said awkwardly. "You know this is the first time I've actually been in the cockpit of a Valvrave. So you guys actually fight in such a room huh? Very interesting."

She was doing all she could to make the experience less awkward, and to keep her mind away from Haruto. Getting to be close to one of her friends did help ease her mood somewhat.

"So what did you have to show me?" she asked, trying her hardest to look positive. Unfortunately, what Akira had to say next wiped that away.

"Data. Sent by Haruto. Wanted me to show you it."

Shouko felt her lip quiver. "R-Really? That's interesting. W-wonder why he didn't just....oh why did he have to do this to me?!"

Akira frowned at seeing her friend do her best to not break down into tears, though it was clear that she was losing the fight.

"M-Maybe this is why" Akira said, pressing the play button on her console.

"Move!" the voice of Haruto played. "You're a robot! Move dammit!"

"Haruto?"

Shouko looked at the console. Playing on it was a recording of what was Haruto's first time piloting Valvrave Unit 01.

"This is-"

"I owe this to Shouko! Please!"

Her eyes widened. "Haruto...don't tell me..."

The video then showed him answering the question of whether he was willing to resign as a human being with "Yes". Immediately afterwards, the procedure started, and Haruto was a human no longer.

"Haruto....you did it for me?" Shouko asked, horrified at the scene. She remembered being caught in the blast, having been saved only thanks to making it inside the vehicle where Kibukawa was mere seconds before the flames hit her. If he had seen such a sight, then he must have thought she was dead.

"You thought I died, so you did this to avenge me." Shouko realized out loud. "Even though I was fine. Is that why....."

"Stop it. I won't let anyone else touch the Valvraves!"

"Ah, so that's why you were adamant that no one else pilot them. Because if they did, they'd become like you."

Her eyes soon became flooded with tears as she remembered him telling her that her shirt was silly after meeting her again, when it seemed like he was going to confess to her.

"That's because you didn't want me to know the truth, isn't it Haruto" she said quietly. "B-Because you thought that i-if I knew what you w-were, then I would h-have..."

She broke down into wails, burying her face into Akira's shoulder, the latter panicking at seeing her friend cry.

_____

Meanwhile, over at Satomi and Takahi's ship, the two were still trying their hardest to get L-Elf to snap out of his depression. Inuzuka was also joining in, trying to get the Karlstein agent to give them even just a shred of advice.

"Damn it L-Elf! You're our strategist!" Inuzuka yelled. "At any moment, more forces could be on their way. We need you to get a grip!"

Still, no answer, they couldn't even enter the room, as L-Elf had locked it from the inside.

Frustrated, Inuzuka left in a huff, unable to hide his disappointment with what had once been one of their strongest members, and the reason for so many victories. However, as his head began to cool off, he suddenly remembered what he saw while skimming through the files.

A recording of a pink-haired girl speaking to Haruto, with the former mentioning L-Elf by name, and seemed to speak of him lovingly.

A lightbulb going off in his head, he immediately raced back to his Valvrave to call Akira.

_____

Akira was rather flustered at the moment, holding a sobbing Shouko in her arms. She was still rather awkward when it came to physical contact, and now she was in the unenviable position of trying to comfort her friend who was having her own emotional breakdown.

"W-what do I do?" she thought as she wrapped her arm around Shouko. Indeed, she was starting to panic.

Just then however, the console lit up once again, showing the face of Inuzuka, who was taken aback at seeing his PM in such a sad state.

"...Shouko" he said slowly, "did you see what Haruto sent Akira?"

Tearfully, she nodded.

"I understand. Now you know why he wanted to keep it all a secret from you, right? He was afraid of how you'd react."

Shouko sniffed. "H-He was right to. Just look at how I treated him. Yet the fact that he didn't trust me because of it..."

She stopped before she could collapse into tears again, knowing just how terrible she looked in front of two of her pilots.

Inuzuka hesitated. He wasn't sure if now would be a good time to ask her to do what he was about to request, given her mental state. But given the circumstances, he realized that personal feelings had to come second to the bigger picture.

"That's why you went off to save Rukino-san, right Haruto?"

"Shouko, I know this isn't the best of times, but I need you to watch the rest of what Haruto sent Akira."

"Why? Do you want me to feel even more guilty over how things have turned out between me and him?!" she asked harshly.

"No. In fact, this next recording has more to do with L-Elf, whose currently emotionally compromised. I hate to say it, but we need his help more than ever now, and that data might be what'll get him out of his funk."

Shouko was reluctant to see anything more that featured Haruto. However, knowing the state that L-Elf was in, and the fact that she couldn't let herself put her personal feelings ahead of the others, she realized what she had to do. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she turned to Akira.

"Okay, play the rest of the footage."

Akira nodded, and did as she asked. Instantly, the recording of Haruto conversing with a young red-eyed girl with two pink-twintails began to play in front of her eyes.

As the footage went on, Shouko couldn't help but gasp as more info was delivered to her, especially when she got to the end of the conversation the two had.

"So you did this for L-Elf?" Haruto asked.

"He told me he loved me" the girl named Lieselotte replied. "But I'm a Magius. I can't be with humans."

"T-That's not true!" Haruto protested, in a rather desperate tone. "Please! You can't write it off just like that! L-Elf wouldn't want that! I'm sure he could make you happy."

Shouko found herself sadly chuckling at Haruto's words there at the end. Of course he'd say something like that, given his feelings for her and his inhuman nature. And yet now, with the both of them as they were.....no that could wait for later.

"...Akira, get me over to L-Elf, and transfer the data to my phone." Shouko said, her expression now set in stone.

_____

A few minutes later, Inuzuka and Akira had swapped places, with the former now on the ARUS space cruiser and the latter on Satomi's ship. Without waiting a minute later, Shouko departed from Unit 06 and headed straight to the cargo hold were L-Elf was holed up.

Naturally, it was still locked. But that's why she had Akira there.

"Akira-chan, can you unlock the door leading into the cargo hold?"

Only a few seconds passed before the door slid open. Thanking her friend, she entered the room, finding L-Elf at the back of it, crouched and holding his knees to his chest.

"Not unlike how I was earlier" she noted.

"So you managed to enter thanks to the pilot of Unit 06 I see." L-Elf muttered, not even bothering to look at Shouko, even as she sat down next to him. "Well whatever you're going to say, forget about it."

"L-Elf, I know you're in pain, but please" Shouko said, "we can't do this without you. We're down two Valvraves, have injured that need tending to, and soon Dorssia and ARUS will be here again. We need a plan, and you're our best strategist."

L-Elf simply hugged his knees harder. "...I can't help. I'm not the strategist you think I am."

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "You led us to one victory after another."

"Yet I couldn't do the one thing I was doing this whole thing for" he scoffed bitterly. "This whole thing was all so I could create a haven for someone, and now she's dead. What's the point of it all now?"

"L-Elf...what was the name of this person?" she questioned, though she had a feeling she already knew this answer."

A tear fell down his eye as he remembered her face. "........Her name was Lieselotte."

"Is this who you are speaking of?"

With that, Shouko brought up her phone's screen, and hit play.

"Thank you Tokishima Haruto" Lieselotte said gratefully. "The boy who fights the world."

The voice of his dearly beloved caused L-Elf to look up and at the screen Shouko was showing him. At the sight of Lieselotte, his tears started to fall even harder.

"W-why are you showing me this?! Are you trying to torment me?!"

"Just watch."

"Who's that thing?" Pino asked from inside Unit 01's console.

"Thing?" Haruto was baffled. "That can't be the first human you've ever seen, is it?

"Human?" Pino replied. "No, she's the same as me."

"The same?" Haruto looked at Lieselotte.

"She's right" Lieselotte said with a sigh. "I am a Magius, a creature that has taken hold of a human body."

At those words, L-Elf's eyes widened, and he gasped in shock.

"What?! Lieselotte was a Magius?"

Shouko nodded. "You heard her. She was the same as Haruto."

L-Elf began shaking his head in disbelief. "No.....no that can't be true. That's impossible! How could she have been a Magius? A creature at the top of the food chain?! She was imprisoned!"

"If this is all true, then what were all my actions for her worth?!"

Shouko said nothing, but simply played the next part. In it, Lieselotte discussed the Council of 101, their reasons for existing, and their true nature. All throughout, L-Elf watched with unbelieving eyes, unable to accept that the one he tried so hard to save was a member of an alien species.

"Oh this." Lieselotte said, noting Haruto was looking at the green markings on her arms.

"What is that" Haruto asked.

"I got it because I rejected the Council Of 101" she responded. "This is my punishment for trying to reveal the truth and coexist with humanity. My runes are drained at regular intervals."

L-Elf, again, was left flabbergasted. "Lieselotte.....you really were a prisoner? Even as a Magius?"

As the last bit of the data played, revealing Lieselotte's feelings for him, he could only stare down at the floor, his expression unreadable.

"L-Elf" Shouko said ".....No, Mikhail, are you okay?"

A few seconds of silence followed, before L-Elf began to chuckle bitterly.

"Heh, so that's the truth huh? If she really did love me, then why didn't she tell me that to begin with?"

Shouko paused. It was the same question she asked herself after finding what Haruto had kept from her. Why hadn't the two that they planned to spend the rest of their lives with not revealed the truth to them?

"...Did she not trust me enough?" L-Elf asked, his voice rising in intensity. "She said that she'd give me half of her life! She showed me kindness! How can she do that for me, and yet not tell me the truth?!"

Shouko placed a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps she was afraid. Afraid of how you would react, as she was worried you'd look on her with revulsion if you knew the truth. I know, because I...."

She felt tears forming yet again.

"....B-Because I did just that to H-Haruto." She buried her face in her hands. "How could I h-have been so c-cruel?!"

As she dissolved into sobs again, L-Elf could only think upon his time with Lieselotte, wondering if he would've done the same thing. He thought back to one of the last meetings he had with her, when she came to him with a melancholy look on her face, after he said that they'd run away together.

"Mikhail...you're so young" she said sadly. "There is no safe haven for us."

At first, he had thought she just meant that they couldn't be together as long as she remained in Dorssia. However, with everything that was revealed to him about her now.

"Lieselotte....were you trying to make a haven? For both humans and Magius? Were you trying to subtly tell me to move on until such a dream could become a reality?"

Looking at the crying form of Shouko, he slowly began to realize what Lieselotte truly wanted, and why she ultimately sacrificed herself for him. He wrapped his arms around the former, much to her surprise.

"Shouko, I don't know if I would've reacted the same way if she told me the truth. TO be honest, I now realize why she didn't. Not because she was worried about me rejecting her, but because the circumstances wouldn't have allowed me to even be with her if I wanted."

"L-Elf..."

"There isn't a place we could be together. She was a Magius, and I'm only human. The world simply can't accept such a coupling." He choked back a tear. "And yet, that's what she ultimately dreamed of, and why she resisted the Council of 101. To see a world where both Magius and humanity could live, side-by-side, without lies or secrecy."

His expression becoming firmer and more resolved, L-Elf got to his feet at long last.

"I may never be able to be with someone like her, even in such a world. She would outlive me after all. But at the very least, I can make her dream a reality. A world for all of us, regardless of species, and where secrets are always unveiled."

He clenched his fist. "That's what she wanted, and it's now my dream as well. I swear that I'll do whatever it takes to create that world."

"...Mikhail..." Shouko stared in awe at him, leading to a chuckle from the latter.

"You know, only a few people know that that's my real name."

"I too was influenced too much by the world" Shouko said. "That's why Haruto was right to act the way he did."

Wiping her tears again, Shouko too got to her feet. "I'll help you fulfill that dream Mikhail. These secrets only drove me and Haruto apart after all. At the very least, I want to help you create that world, as a way to let people like him live without being labeled monsters or be forced to hide the truth!"

"I see" L-Elf remarked. "Do you still think you can be with him in this new world? You seem to have accepted his true nature now."

Shouko paused for a second, before a bittersweet expression graced her face.

".....I hate to admit it, but while we made that childhood promise......no, we are two separate species now. He'll outlive me, and I have all these responsibilities on my plate now, given all the work I'll have to do to make this dream happen."

She clenched her fist, determination filling her. "But at the very least, I can create a world where he and others like him don't have to hide any more secrets, and can live without fear!"

"It's my way of making it up to you Haruto. I'm sorry for everything, and I'm sorry I can't be with you. Let me at least give you this."

L-Elf looked at her, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, an actual smile graced his lips.

"Thank you Shouko-san. I can't do this alone after all. Will you work with me to make her dream a reality?"

With that, he offered her his hand, which Shouko eagerly took.

"You don't have to ask me twice!" she said, her cheerful personality finally beginning to resurface. "You know, Haruto always said to share things half-and-half. And that's what I want to do. Share this dream half-and-half, so that we can both contribute fully!"

"Heh, just like Lieselotte back then." L-Elf thought with a smile.

"Very well then Shouko Sashinami. For the sake of her dream, and everyone else, let's revolutionize this world!"

_____

A few minutes later, L-Elf and Shouko finally emerged from the cargo hold. To the shock of everyone, they both had genuine smiles on their faces.

"I'm not even gonna bother asking what happened between you two" Takahi said. "But it looks like you're ready to get back in action."

"You could say that" Shouko said with a smile.

L-Elf for his part, made his way to the front of the ship.

"Listen up everyone. I want all Valvrave's prepped and ready for combat. Until Haruto gets back, it's up to us to keep everyone safe. Me and Shouko will start working on our next move up till then, but it requires all Valvrave pilots. So man your stations!"

And with that, cheers erupted across all three ships.

______

"FINALLY, L-ELF'S IN ACTION AGAIN!" Raizo yelled in triumph.

"Guess Haruto really was looking out for us even now, given that data seemed to do the trick" Inuzuka mused while grinning.

"I'm proud of you Shouko-san" Akira said, a small smile gracing her lips.

"And now I get to see just how much the man lives up to the legend" Joseph Sheridan muttered amongst the roaring cheers of his troops. "Don't let me down L-Elf."

_____

"So what do you have planned in mind Mikhail?" Shouko asked L-Elf, the two now on the command deck of the ship.

He looked out into space. "Well if my faith in Haruto pays off, then I have an idea on how to create our planned haven."

"You're placing faith in him?" she asked. "Maybe our sweetness really is rubbing off on you."

"Maybe."

Shouko laughed in amusement.

______

Again, another really long one, and one that I'm not exactly sure works all that well. But I wanted to get all this drama out of the way first.

Now we can finally get back to Haruto and Saki, which I have been extremely eager to start on.

Thoughts? Again, I know it's not the best.

2024-03-23, 01:57	Link #33
LightDragonman Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2013	Might as well start on the next part. Going to catch up with the others before we get back to Haruto and Saki first btw. _____ "I repeat, I will NOT let you pilots in!" The voice of Iori echoed in the ears of the three Valvraves. "Cut that shit out!" Raizo exclaimed. "We saved your asses and got you here. What more do you want us to do?! This is how you repay us?!" The situation at the rendezvous point was far from welcoming for the pilots. Despite all the ships finally being re-united, the revelation of the pilot's true nature was still earth-shattering to several of the survivors. Iori in particular distrusted them, and was refusing to allow them to dock with the ARUS cruiser. "Girl, just let them on" the voice of Lt. Sheridan chimed in, his patience at his wits end. "We need all the help we can get right now. And those three pilots are our best defensed right now." He was currently in the command deck alongside Iori who had the comms, and Shouko, who remained silent at her seat, eyes listlessly staring forward. The other students and fellow ex-ARUS soldiers had taken refuge in the crew quarters, and were also in communication with the two other shuttles. "C'mon Akira!" Satomi said from his ship. "You can dock with mine! I won't turn you away like before. Come on." However, Akira shook her head. "Not yet. Need to see Shouko first." "Well you can wait out there!" Iori replied harshly. "Shouko is our PM, and until she gives the all clear, I'm not letting you monsters onboard!" "What did you just call my sister?!" Satomi barked. "Vice Council President, please" Inuzuka pleaded. "We're all tired and traumatized, I get that. But our Valvraves need repairs as well as being re-armed. And with that new alliance between Dorssia and ARUS, I don't know how much time we have left." "I agree" Sheridan added. "After all, I'd rather not go against their might with nothing but a handful of Splicers. We barely managed to get out of there as is." Iori remained adamant however, and the argument continued to go back and forth with no progress gained, to everyone's frustration. Shouko for her part was still lost in her grief. The revelation of what Haruto truly was, what all he had kept from her, and how she had revealed the truth about her father to him had left her completely drained. As much as she hated to admit it, she felt a sense of justice at revealing his part in her father's death, as it meant she could get back at him for what she felt was a betrayal. "Gosh, I am such a terrible woman" she thought bitterly, her heart still holding affection for him. It was then that she noted that said friend hadn't yet called in. "W-where is Haruto?" she finally asked in a weak voice. Inuzuka was silent. He and the others didn't really know what to say to her, lest she have her heart broken even more should the truth about him going to save Saki rather than catch up with her be revealed. "Don't worry about Aniki!" Raizo said before Inuzuka could come up with an answer. "He's just taking care of any remaining stragglers. He'll be here soon, no doubt about that!" "Or maybe he's going back to feed on those captured humans" Iori grumbled. "If he does anything to my dad, then I swear that I'll-" "SHUT UP IORI KITAGAWA!" Shouko yelled, surprising the other listeners. After so much silence, for her to give such an outburst was unexpected. "PM, are you okay?" Sheridan asked, noting just how bloodshot her eyes were and the dark bags under them. She took several breaths, trying to not break down for another time. But Iori's callous comment only made her remember just what Haruto had done to her father, and it was all just too much of an avalanche of emotions for her to deal with. That said, it did finally snap her out of her funk, if only because she was too angry at Iori to feel sad now. "......No, but as PM, I do have a responsibility to do what's best for my citizens" she said, doing her best to hide her grief. "Pilots, you are clear to enter. However, I am restricting each pilot to one ship." "Are you crazy?!" Iori replied. "You're letting those things onboard?!" "If there's only one, then that's not a problem." Shouko said. "After all, what good is one man against the rest of us?" "Even if they aren't human?!" "Even if." ".....Very well" Iori said begrudgingly. "I still don't trust them one bit." The three pilots weren't exactly thrilled at this concept. Even still, it was better than being forced to wait out in space with limited ammo and heat-gauges. ".....Understood Shouko" Inuzuka said. "Raizo, dock with Professor Kibukawa's ship, as you need the most repairs. Akira, go see your brother. I'll dock with the ARUS space cruiser here." "You got it! And remember, it's Thunder!" However, Akira shook her head again. "No. Need to see Shouko. Haruto told me to." ".....He did? What did he want you to say to her?" Akira sent him the files Haruto had sent her. As Inuzuka scrolled through the data, his eyes widened. "......Alright, I understand! Go see Shouko as fast as you can. Then I'll swap ships with you." "This may be the only way we can get our two leaders back in the game" he mused. "Dang it Haruto, you should've done this earlier!" _____ "If any of you ARUS bastards even touch one hair on my sister, I'll kill you!" Satomi yelled over the comms. "And I'll know since she'll be back with me soon!" Sheridan rolled his eyes. Given how scrawny the Student Council President was compared to him, a Lt. of the ARUS military, the threats sounded like those of an ant trying to take on an elephant. "Sort of like how the situation is for me going against this new Dorssia-ARUS alliance" he noted. "Just what am I going to tell my troops?" Unit 06 slowly descended into the hanger of the cruiser, docking alongside the parked Splicers. Immediately, the rest of the occupants of the hanger swarmed the area, all looking expectedly at the Valvrave. "Okay pilot Akira Renbokuji. You're clear to leave and see Shouko now." informed Sheridan. Yet the cockpit failed to open, making the Lt raise an eyebrow. "Pilot Akira Renbokuji. You're good to go. Shouko's waiting." Again, nothing. "Pilot Akira Renbokuiji! Is something wrong with your cockpit hatch?" "My sister's a Hikkikomori you assholes!" Satomi's voice called. "She has no desire to see the likes of you." ".......Seriously?" the Lt asked, his eyebrow raised. "Just what exactly are the qualifications for becoming one of them aside from being Jiorian?" "Let me speak to her" the voice of Shouko chimed in, as the PM had just entered the hanger. "She trusts me." She'd be lying to herself if she didn't want to mimic her friend, and just curl up in a ball and grieve with no interruptions. The absence of Haruto made such an act all the more appealing. But since she remembered that she had to lead her students, Shouko reluctantly swallowed her tears for now, and decided to go to Akira. Nodding, the group made way for her to float up to the cockpit of Unit 06, where she softly knocked on its top. "Akira-chan? It's me. You said you wanted to show me something? Don't worry, I won't let you have to see those men out there." After a few seconds, the hatch finally opened up, allowing Shouko inside to see her red-haired friend. "What is it that so important?" Sheridan thought. "Surely it has to be something we all should be privy to." _____ "H-Hi there Akira-chan" Shouko said awkwardly. "You know this is the first time I've actually been in the cockpit of a Valvrave. So you guys actually fight in such a room huh? Very interesting." She was doing all she could to make the experience less awkward, and to keep her mind away from Haruto. Getting to be close to one of her friends did help ease her mood somewhat. "So what did you have to show me?" she asked, trying her hardest to look positive. Unfortunately, what Akira had to say next wiped that away. "Data. Sent by Haruto. Wanted me to show you it." Shouko felt her lip quiver. "R-Really? That's interesting. W-wonder why he didn't just....oh why did he have to do this to me?!" Akira frowned at seeing her friend do her best to not break down into tears, though it was clear that she was losing the fight. "M-Maybe this is why" Akira said, pressing the play button on her console. "Move!" the voice of Haruto played. "You're a robot! Move dammit!" "Haruto?" Shouko looked at the console. Playing on it was a recording of what was Haruto's first time piloting Valvrave Unit 01. "This is-" "I owe this to Shouko! Please!" Her eyes widened. "Haruto...don't tell me..." The video then showed him answering the question of whether he was willing to resign as a human being with "Yes". Immediately afterwards, the procedure started, and Haruto was a human no longer. "Haruto....you did it for me?" Shouko asked, horrified at the scene. She remembered being caught in the blast, having been saved only thanks to making it inside the vehicle where Kibukawa was mere seconds before the flames hit her. If he had seen such a sight, then he must have thought she was dead. "You thought I died, so you did this to avenge me." Shouko realized out loud. "Even though I was fine. Is that why....." "Stop it. I won't let anyone else touch the Valvraves!" "Ah, so that's why you were adamant that no one else pilot them. Because if they did, they'd become like you." Her eyes soon became flooded with tears as she remembered him telling her that her shirt was silly after meeting her again, when it seemed like he was going to confess to her. "That's because you didn't want me to know the truth, isn't it Haruto" she said quietly. "B-Because you thought that i-if I knew what you w-were, then I would h-have..." She broke down into wails, burying her face into Akira's shoulder, the latter panicking at seeing her friend cry. _____ Meanwhile, over at Satomi and Takahi's ship, the two were still trying their hardest to get L-Elf to snap out of his depression. Inuzuka was also joining in, trying to get the Karlstein agent to give them even just a shred of advice. "Damn it L-Elf! You're our strategist!" Inuzuka yelled. "At any moment, more forces could be on their way. We need you to get a grip!" Still, no answer, they couldn't even enter the room, as L-Elf had locked it from the inside. Frustrated, Inuzuka left in a huff, unable to hide his disappointment with what had once been one of their strongest members, and the reason for so many victories. However, as his head began to cool off, he suddenly remembered what he saw while skimming through the files. A recording of a pink-haired girl speaking to Haruto, with the former mentioning L-Elf by name, and seemed to speak of him lovingly. A lightbulb going off in his head, he immediately raced back to his Valvrave to call Akira. _____ Akira was rather flustered at the moment, holding a sobbing Shouko in her arms. She was still rather awkward when it came to physical contact, and now she was in the unenviable position of trying to comfort her friend who was having her own emotional breakdown. "W-what do I do?" she thought as she wrapped her arm around Shouko. Indeed, she was starting to panic. Just then however, the console lit up once again, showing the face of Inuzuka, who was taken aback at seeing his PM in such a sad state. "...Shouko" he said slowly, "did you see what Haruto sent Akira?" Tearfully, she nodded. "I understand. Now you know why he wanted to keep it all a secret from you, right? He was afraid of how you'd react." Shouko sniffed. "H-He was right to. Just look at how I treated him. Yet the fact that he didn't trust me because of it..." She stopped before she could collapse into tears again, knowing just how terrible she looked in front of two of her pilots. Inuzuka hesitated. He wasn't sure if now would be a good time to ask her to do what he was about to request, given her mental state. But given the circumstances, he realized that personal feelings had to come second to the bigger picture. "That's why you went off to save Rukino-san, right Haruto?" "Shouko, I know this isn't the best of times, but I need you to watch the rest of what Haruto sent Akira." "Why? Do you want me to feel even more guilty over how things have turned out between me and him?!" she asked harshly. "No. In fact, this next recording has more to do with L-Elf, whose currently emotionally compromised. I hate to say it, but we need his help more than ever now, and that data might be what'll get him out of his funk." Shouko was reluctant to see anything more that featured Haruto. However, knowing the state that L-Elf was in, and the fact that she couldn't let herself put her personal feelings ahead of the others, she realized what she had to do. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she turned to Akira. "Okay, play the rest of the footage." Akira nodded, and did as she asked. Instantly, the recording of Haruto conversing with a young red-eyed girl with two pink-twintails began to play in front of her eyes. As the footage went on, Shouko couldn't help but gasp as more info was delivered to her, especially when she got to the end of the conversation the two had. "So you did this for L-Elf?" Haruto asked. "He told me he loved me" the girl named Lieselotte replied. "But I'm a Magius. I can't be with humans." "T-That's not true!" Haruto protested, in a rather desperate tone. "Please! You can't write it off just like that! L-Elf wouldn't want that! I'm sure he could make you happy." Shouko found herself sadly chuckling at Haruto's words there at the end. Of course he'd say something like that, given his feelings for her and his inhuman nature. And yet now, with the both of them as they were.....no that could wait for later. "...Akira, get me over to L-Elf, and transfer the data to my phone." Shouko said, her expression now set in stone. _____ A few minutes later, Inuzuka and Akira had swapped places, with the former now on the ARUS space cruiser and the latter on Satomi's ship. Without waiting a minute later, Shouko departed from Unit 06 and headed straight to the cargo hold were L-Elf was holed up. Naturally, it was still locked. But that's why she had Akira there. "Akira-chan, can you unlock the door leading into the cargo hold?" Only a few seconds passed before the door slid open. Thanking her friend, she entered the room, finding L-Elf at the back of it, crouched and holding his knees to his chest. "Not unlike how I was earlier" she noted. "So you managed to enter thanks to the pilot of Unit 06 I see." L-Elf muttered, not even bothering to look at Shouko, even as she sat down next to him. "Well whatever you're going to say, forget about it." "L-Elf, I know you're in pain, but please" Shouko said, "we can't do this without you. We're down two Valvraves, have injured that need tending to, and soon Dorssia and ARUS will be here again. We need a plan, and you're our best strategist." L-Elf simply hugged his knees harder. "...I can't help. I'm not the strategist you think I am." "What are you talking about?" she asked. "You led us to one victory after another." "Yet I couldn't do the one thing I was doing this whole thing for" he scoffed bitterly. "This whole thing was all so I could create a haven for someone, and now she's dead. What's the point of it all now?" "L-Elf...what was the name of this person?" she questioned, though she had a feeling she already knew this answer." A tear fell down his eye as he remembered her face. "........Her name was Lieselotte." "Is this who you are speaking of?" With that, Shouko brought up her phone's screen, and hit play. "Thank you Tokishima Haruto" Lieselotte said gratefully. "The boy who fights the world." The voice of his dearly beloved caused L-Elf to look up and at the screen Shouko was showing him. At the sight of Lieselotte, his tears started to fall even harder. "W-why are you showing me this?! Are you trying to torment me?!" "Just watch." "Who's that thing?" Pino asked from inside Unit 01's console. "Thing?" Haruto was baffled. "That can't be the first human you've ever seen, is it? "Human?" Pino replied. "No, she's the same as me." "The same?" Haruto looked at Lieselotte. "She's right" Lieselotte said with a sigh. "I am a Magius, a creature that has taken hold of a human body." At those words, L-Elf's eyes widened, and he gasped in shock. "What?! Lieselotte was a Magius?" Shouko nodded. "You heard her. She was the same as Haruto." L-Elf began shaking his head in disbelief. "No.....no that can't be true. That's impossible! How could she have been a Magius? A creature at the top of the food chain?! She was imprisoned!" "If this is all true, then what were all my actions for her worth?!" Shouko said nothing, but simply played the next part. In it, Lieselotte discussed the Council of 101, their reasons for existing, and their true nature. All throughout, L-Elf watched with unbelieving eyes, unable to accept that the one he tried so hard to save was a member of an alien species. "Oh this." Lieselotte said, noting Haruto was looking at the green markings on her arms. "What is that" Haruto asked. "I got it because I rejected the Council Of 101" she responded. "This is my punishment for trying to reveal the truth and coexist with humanity. My runes are drained at regular intervals." L-Elf, again, was left flabbergasted. "Lieselotte.....you really were a prisoner? Even as a Magius?" As the last bit of the data played, revealing Lieselotte's feelings for him, he could only stare down at the floor, his expression unreadable. "L-Elf" Shouko said ".....No, Mikhail, are you okay?" A few seconds of silence followed, before L-Elf began to chuckle bitterly. "Heh, so that's the truth huh? If she really did love me, then why didn't she tell me that to begin with?" Shouko paused. It was the same question she asked herself after finding what Haruto had kept from her. Why hadn't the two that they planned to spend the rest of their lives with not revealed the truth to them? "...Did she not trust me enough?" L-Elf asked, his voice rising in intensity. "She said that she'd give me half of her life! She showed me kindness! How can she do that for me, and yet not tell me the truth?!" Shouko placed a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps she was afraid. Afraid of how you would react, as she was worried you'd look on her with revulsion if you knew the truth. I know, because I...." She felt tears forming yet again. "....B-Because I did just that to H-Haruto." She buried her face in her hands. "How could I h-have been so c-cruel?!" As she dissolved into sobs again, L-Elf could only think upon his time with Lieselotte, wondering if he would've done the same thing. He thought back to one of the last meetings he had with her, when she came to him with a melancholy look on her face, after he said that they'd run away together. "Mikhail...you're so young" she said sadly. "There is no safe haven for us." At first, he had thought she just meant that they couldn't be together as long as she remained in Dorssia. However, with everything that was revealed to him about her now. "Lieselotte....were you trying to make a haven? For both humans and Magius? Were you trying to subtly tell me to move on until such a dream could become a reality?" Looking at the crying form of Shouko, he slowly began to realize what Lieselotte truly wanted, and why she ultimately sacrificed herself for him. He wrapped his arms around the former, much to her surprise. "Shouko, I don't know if I would've reacted the same way if she told me the truth. TO be honest, I now realize why she didn't. Not because she was worried about me rejecting her, but because the circumstances wouldn't have allowed me to even be with her if I wanted." "L-Elf..." "There isn't a place we could be together. She was a Magius, and I'm only human. The world simply can't accept such a coupling." He choked back a tear. "And yet, that's what she ultimately dreamed of, and why she resisted the Council of 101. To see a world where both Magius and humanity could live, side-by-side, without lies or secrecy." His expression becoming firmer and more resolved, L-Elf got to his feet at long last. "I may never be able to be with someone like her, even in such a world. She would outlive me after all. But at the very least, I can make her dream a reality. A world for all of us, regardless of species, and where secrets are always unveiled." He clenched his fist. "That's what she wanted, and it's now my dream as well. I swear that I'll do whatever it takes to create that world." "...Mikhail..." Shouko stared in awe at him, leading to a chuckle from the latter. "You know, only a few people know that that's my real name." "I too was influenced too much by the world" Shouko said. "That's why Haruto was right to act the way he did." Wiping her tears again, Shouko too got to her feet. "I'll help you fulfill that dream Mikhail. These secrets only drove me and Haruto apart after all. At the very least, I want to help you create that world, as a way to let people like him live without being labeled monsters or be forced to hide the truth!" "I see" L-Elf remarked. "Do you still think you can be with him in this new world? You seem to have accepted his true nature now." Shouko paused for a second, before a bittersweet expression graced her face. ".....I hate to admit it, but while we made that childhood promise......no, we are two separate species now. He'll outlive me, and I have all these responsibilities on my plate now, given all the work I'll have to do to make this dream happen." She clenched her fist, determination filling her. "But at the very least, I can create a world where he and others like him don't have to hide any more secrets, and can live without fear!" "It's my way of making it up to you Haruto. I'm sorry for everything, and I'm sorry I can't be with you. Let me at least give you this." L-Elf looked at her, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, an actual smile graced his lips. "Thank you Shouko-san. I can't do this alone after all. Will you work with me to make her dream a reality?" With that, he offered her his hand, which Shouko eagerly took. "You don't have to ask me twice!" she said, her cheerful personality finally beginning to resurface. "You know, Haruto always said to share things half-and-half. And that's what I want to do. Share this dream half-and-half, so that we can both contribute fully!" "Heh, just like Lieselotte back then." L-Elf thought with a smile. "Very well then Shouko Sashinami. For the sake of her dream, and everyone else, let's revolutionize this world!" _____ A few minutes later, L-Elf and Shouko finally emerged from the cargo hold. To the shock of everyone, they both had genuine smiles on their faces. "I'm not even gonna bother asking what happened between you two" Takahi said. "But it looks like you're ready to get back in action." "You could say that" Shouko said with a smile. L-Elf for his part, made his way to the front of the ship. "Listen up everyone. I want all Valvrave's prepped and ready for combat. Until Haruto gets back, it's up to us to keep everyone safe. Me and Shouko will start working on our next move up till then, but it requires all Valvrave pilots. So man your stations!" And with that, cheers erupted across all three ships. ______ "FINALLY, L-ELF'S IN ACTION AGAIN!" Raizo yelled in triumph. "Guess Haruto really was looking out for us even now, given that data seemed to do the trick" Inuzuka mused while grinning. "I'm proud of you Shouko-san" Akira said, a small smile gracing her lips. "And now I get to see just how much the man lives up to the legend" Joseph Sheridan muttered amongst the roaring cheers of his troops. "Don't let me down L-Elf." _____ "So what do you have planned in mind Mikhail?" Shouko asked L-Elf, the two now on the command deck of the ship. He looked out into space. "Well if my faith in Haruto pays off, then I have an idea on how to create our planned haven." "You're placing faith in him?" she asked. "Maybe our sweetness really is rubbing off on you." "Maybe." Shouko laughed in amusement. ______ Again, another really long one, and one that I'm not exactly sure works all that well. But I wanted to get all this drama out of the way first. Now we can finally get back to Haruto and Saki, which I have been extremely eager to start on. Thoughts? Again, I know it's not the best. Last edited by LightDragonman; 2024-03-23 at 02:15.