Chapter Text
… Emerald Forest, 2002
"This is Koubuin Yuuhi, Shogun of the Empire of Japan, transmitting in the blind to any allied nations forces in the area! We are currently under attack by an unknown strain of BETA, requesting assistance!" That message continued to repeat over and over in his cockpit as his hands gripped the controls of his Shiranui like a vice. The thrusters on the old Mech burned hard so he could make it to them.
The Herd of Grimm attacking them kept growing in size for some Godforsaken reason. There must've been thousands of contacts from all across the Emerald Forest. He could see the little fuckers moving about down below, like a swarm of ants charging a piece of food. They wouldn't take either Yuuhi or her escort out.
Deep down… Deep down, Takeru hoped that it wasn't Meiya in that second Type-00R. He couldn't face her right now. Not after failing to notice so much during their time together. Not that he regretted his choices when it came to Sumika, obviously, but that he'd been so blind to all of them and Meiya, most of all. He'd trusted the girl with a lot. And failed her many times…
No, no time to think about it. He checked if he was finally in range. His own transmitter had been damaged slightly or something, because the transmission range was much smaller than the receiver range. His HUD displayed the circle around his Shiranui. He saw it was in range and he was pretty sure his IFF was now on their HUDs. Regardless…
"... Your Highness, this is STORM VANGUARD ONE, Unit A01, coming up from your six o'clock! Check your fire!" The man spoke. He could see the combat halt for a half-second in the distance, the muffled roar of autocannons and the slashes of swords stopping. He grit his teeth and said, "Hold on! I'm almost there, ETA twenty seconds!"
"... T-Takeru…?" He heard an ever-familiar voice whisper back. His eyes widened as the DataLink struggled to form a coherent image. Damned lack of satellites…
"On my way! Just hold on!" The man replied with a light crack in his voice, then pulled up. Normally, it was suicidal to pull up in the middle of a warzone with a herd of enemies due to Laser-Classes, but the Grimm seemed to lack that kind of capability at the moment. Meaning, he could strike the Grimm Birds, the Nevermores, hammering the pair with quills.
The first one appeared on his HUD, target locked. He raised his twin Autocannons, then barked, "HOW'S THIS FOR SIZE?!" before squeezing the twin triggers. The bursts rippled through the air and the first bird was caught completely by surprise. Its right wing exploded at what would've been its shoulder joint, while its chest burst wide from the APHE rounds.
The second tried to turn and attack him, apparently using its wings as swords. He spoke, "Oh, the fuck you don't…!" and dodged deftly by pushing max thrust on his right thruster. He tracked the bird and fired another short burst from his right-hand cannon, ripping it in half before he spun, making the engines face forward and hitting his airbrakes.
He landed between the two Type-00R Takemikazuchis and saw various smaller fodder Grimm were already torn to pieces by their blades and dissipating into shadow dust. He spoke, "Sorry for the delay, Your Highnesses. It's been a day…" as he checked his ammo count. "What's your propellant and ammo status? Any damage?"
"We're both green on ammunition and supplies, but I've suffered slight damage to my right thruster unit," Yuuhi replied warmly over the comlink, then said, "... It's a pleasure to see you again, Shirogane-kun."
"Pleasure's all mine," He replied with an awkward smile as he saw Yuuhi's communication window appear on his HUD, off to the side of the altimeter. She looked so odd in a Fortified Suit, but he had to expect it. The Shogun was the head of military affairs for the Empire among other things, so of course she would've been trained in operating one of the finest war machines the IJMDF and Royal Guard had on hand. He asked, "Is it only you two? No Captain Tsukuyomi or her Three?"
"For the moment," Yuuhi answered, "We couldn't track any other friendly contracts and our DataLink has failed to connect to the SAT Networks. We're all on local systems."
"Yeah… Long story, we're not on Earth anymore," He replied awkwardly, then watched the larger of the Grimm horde appear:Giant, elephant-like monstrosities escorted by those Scorpions he'd seen beforehand, the Death Stalkers. He heard both girls gasp, then said, "Look, no time to think about that now! We got a LOT of incoming! I saw them on my way here…" as he saw the blob of red on his Radar, surrounding their own little clear spot. He mumbled, "What did you two even do to piss this many off?"
"We would tell you if we knew, Takeru…" The woman in the other Type-00R replied softly, a hint of sadness in her voice. Takeru's heart skipped a beat.
He replied, "... Yeah… I know," before stowing his guns and switching to his blade, "... We'll have to do this the old fashioned way. They're too close already."
"We will let our blades speak for us as we have so far, then," The Shogun answered, her voice firm. Her counterpart in the other Mech answered affirmatively, steadying her blade with some flourish. Storm Vanguard One smiled and nodded, before deactivating visual com to clear up the clutter on his HUD.
The three began their engagement the moment the first large-form Grimm stepped into the line. Takeru's swing decapitated one of the larger elephant-like creatures, then bisected a Death Stalker. Their sibling creatures did not take too kindly to that, charging forth. The leading Death Stalker, a monster much larger than the others at about the size of a FORT-Class, met Takeru headfirst.
The young man swung his blade against its thick bone plate, but only saw it chipping through. He swore under his breath as the chittering, chitinous monster thrust its own massive poison stinger toward him, forcing him to dodge as it struck the ground. He knocked down several trees with his move and burned a hole in the grass, but ignored it, powering up his thrusters and saying, "Jesus Christ, that's a big one!"
"I didn't take you for a Christian man, Shirogane-kun," Yuuhi found the time to joke at such an important moment.
"Oh, ha ha!" He replied with a mild hint of sarcasm, then yelped and said, "OH SHIT-" as the creature swung its tail around to try and swat him out of the air. He dodged, feeling the G-Force slam him into his seat slightly. He had removed the limiters and safeties of his Shiranui in order to be able to move the same as he always had. And the Takemikazuchis weren't doing much worse.
He saw the escort Takemikazuchi dive low, sliding across the ground and swinging her own blades like a blender. A very, very swan-like blender, obviously. She was cutting limbs and dealing with smaller forms of Grimm like the Beowolves in long, broad and graceful swings. What she couldn't kill with her blade, she let the wash of her jet engines burn away. Her strikes also split Trees in half. He damn well knew that fighting style.
And Yuuhi was no slacker either. The Shogun moved with all the poise and strength of her Station, her blade striking true each time she swung it, bisecting Grimm creatures as she dodged the Quills of the monsters above. She spun about, drawing the autocannon off her back and firing two, read that, TWO ROUNDS. Each punched clean through the head of a Nevermore, taking the crows' head off with a thunderous roar.
She then turned, aiming her cannon beneath her arm. The 120mm top barrel roared next and a High-Explosive round slammed into the elephant-like Goliath. The shrapnel spray and shockwave wiped out dozens of smaller creatures that were all cluttered around or riding on its back, all the while the Shogun continued to pass through the enemy like a hot knife through butter.
The young man had to keep up somehow. He ducked beneath another swing of the giant Deathstalker's tail, landing on top of it and driving his blade deep into a chink in its segmented armor, before powering the TSF's hydraulics to the maximum to pry the monster's armored frame open. He saw the bone plate start to peel as the monster screamed in what he could only assume was a mockery of the human sensation of pain.
He pried off the plate and drove the blade deep into the black flesh, causing it to stagger. Its claws nearly caught him, however. He had to move away, dodge the swinging pincers as they tried to clip his wings. He swung high again, deflecting the Tail that was aimed for his head, then drew his guns again as he flew up and away.
The 120mm cannons repeatedly thundered, AP-HE rounds chunking through the upper plate, turning more and more of it to metaphorical dust. He redirected his aim at the smaller strains seemingly trying to protect it and switched to his 36mm autoguns. The HE blasts rippled like an earthquake across the ground, tearing through more and more of the herds while the Shiranui banked and shifted its weight, using its propulsion unit to the maximum.
He remembered that the stinger area was a relative weak-point. The rear of the tail was armed with segmented, articulated plating, though. He could try and snipe the tail or slice it off, drive it into the top of its skull. Felt a bit cliche for a finisher, but he'd gotten through the upper plate, so… Why not. He said, "Stand clear of the big guy! I'm gonna try something!"
He powered his boosters, flying as high as possible while he tracked his intended target with the cannons. He still had enough ammo in his 120 to make the shot, so he aimed, aligned the barrels via sensors, then squeezed. The first shot went sadly wide, impacting the ground and tearing a tree out with its roots. He scoffed, aimed again, then fired. The second shot hit closer, having nailed the tail and chipped through its armor plate.
He grit his teeth, then mumbled, "Nearly got you…!" as he used his mobility again to dodge more quills flying his way. He heard the rip of twin autocannons firing from below and turned his head, watching Yuuhi play the part of the Anti-Air. She'd cleared a decent chunk of land around her–and deforested a lot more of it–giving her ample room to provide anti-air duties.
The other Takemikazuchi continued to fight through the onslaught, though, larger and larger swathes of land being cleared while Takeru was taking his aim, waiting for the proper opportunity to turn the Grimm down below into a dead bug walking through its own weapon. Then, he saw it, an opening as the creature's tail recoiled back, aiming to strike the Shogun's mech.
He slammed the trigger and the 120mm APFSDS round shot out like an arrow. The dart of depleted uranium zipped through the air at supersonic speeds and struck the very joint linking the stinger to the tail. The alien sinew ripped and tore and the monster screamed in pain, bucking back. Takeru saw his opportunity to finish it off then and there.
He roared a battle cry as he went on full thrust toward it, stowing his weapons. As he made contact with the stringer, he used the Shiranui's enhanced artificial musculature to tear it out, watching black ichor spew out from the tail as he dived down with it. A moment later, he slammed it clean through the top of the monster's body, into the exposed spot he'd managed to create.
Then, he jumped away and drew his guns again, joining the Takemikazuchis down low as the creature hissed, bucked and collapsed. Like dust in the wind, it dissolved and began to disappear. The rest of the Herd seemed to thin out, slowly but steadily disappearing back into the forest. Takeru touched down, watching the creatures slowly dissipate.
He breathed a deep sigh, finally able to relax as the adrenaline started to wear off. He checked his TSF for damage and found only very slight dents and dings through the basic diagnostics, though he was sure he'd taken a quill to one of his own engines when he wasn't looking. He looked around at the other two, their Takemikazuchis glistening in the sunlight, bar the scratches and dents from the damage they, too, had sustained.
He smiled, then said, "I'm coming out. Area should be safe now…" as he hit the button to open the control block's doors and extended the hand, switching it to automatic as the main door opened, letting in the beautiful sunlight of the day. Jumping onto the hand in his full Suit felt so, so familiar, especially when dealing with people. He radioed, "HQ, this is STORM VANGUARD ONE. Friendlies are now secure."
"Roger that… We'll have berths ready for when you choose to return," Marimo replied with a smile.
He smiled, then watched the other two pop open their hatches. To his right, he immediately saw Yuuhi standing atop the hand of her mech, a smile on her face and her arms crossed. He could also swear he saw something faintly moving behind her, but he wasn't sure what it was. He quickly saluted the woman, who replied in kind, then raised a hand to show him to calm down.
Then, the other Takemikazuchi opened. If Takeru's heart was still beating, he could no longer feel it. The air around him suddenly felt like it was pressing down on his shoulders and his suit felt tighter than it should have for a form-fitting piece of equipment. Standing on the hand of her machine, too, Mitsurugi Meiya, heiress to the Mitsurugi Zaibatsu and his OTHER childhood friend, stood, staring at him with eyes as wide as his.
As the three hands lowered in unison and the TSFs crouched to let them down, the three stepped off the metallic palms of their machines onto the dirt. Meiya smiled, a sad, weird smile that reached her eyes, but looked off, almost depressed. She rubbed her hands together and spoke, "... Takeru… I'm so happy to see you."
"Hey, Meiya…" He answered softly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Before we start with the sappy items on the list… Shirogane-kun? Have you noticed anything different about us?" Yuuhi interrupted, causing the man to look at her. His heart hadn't gone silent. He just noticed now that it was firing off like an assault cannon. The woman grinned smugly, swaying her hips a little…
… What the fuck-
"... M-Ma'am, is that a-" Takeru stuttered, pointing at the woman.
"Tail?" The woman replied, then turned to where she was showing her rear area. Indeed, a tail poked out from the suit. A strange, canine tail with a bit of purplish-blue fur that matched her hair in color. It was wagging. She smiled and said, "We woke up with these traits while we were figuring out where we were."
"'WE'," He repeated, then looked at Meiya. On top of her head, just behind the hair vents, a pair of wolf-like ears twitched slightly as the girl blushed. The ears drooped slightly while Takeru stared at her with a mix of pure disbelief and… Some part of happiness? In his expression. She blinked, face flushed red as the ears twitched again.
Then, she said to him, "T-Takeru… Please, stop staring. I'm embarrassed enough as it is…" her voice lower in volume, but slightly higher in pitch. He was actively trying to process what he was seeing, enough so that his mind seemed to forget about everything tied to his own grief for at least this very moment. She whispered, "It's annoying. I cannot even fit my helmet on anymore…!"
Yuuhi added, "And now that that is out of the way… We should go home."
"R-Right," Takeru snapped out of his fugue, then said, "Board your Takemikazuchis and follow me. I got us a home base on this planet ahead of time," before mounting back up into his Shiranui. The other two followed, quickly boarding their Type-00Rs and reactivating their engines. The three TSFs let their Thrusters roar to full power before they took off, flying NOE above the Emerald Forest, just close enough for their mechs' metallic toes to skim the treetops.
As they approached the southern edges of the forest, both young women could finally see it:Beacon. Their safety net. The tower in the center glowed, promptly revealing itself as the place's namesake as the trio flew. Both of the girls followed Takeru down toward the front cliff area of the school, turning towards a tunnel. The Shiranui shifted its thrusters forward and deployed its airbrake, landing softly atop the concrete.
The berths that waited for them looked almost exactly the same as those used in military bases back home. The three machines walked their way toward them, where technicians and staff waited to look over the machines and check for damage. They settled into place and the main gantries folded in around them, hugging the machines and providing the Pilots a way off.
Takeru dismounted first, leaving the machine to cool as it shut off. Beside him, he saw both Her Highness and Meiya. They both looked at him, smiling, though Meiya still held onto that sad-looking face. They descended from the gantries and marched over to the elevator, which they quickly took to the top floor.
None of them spoke as the lift rode up to Headmaster Ozpin's office, though it was clear to Yuuhi that Takeru and Meiya wished to speak. To delve into that which they'd faced when they attacked Kashgar and the events that occurred there between them and their friends. She could probably never understand it herself, but she knew her sister cared deeply for the young man. And to his credit, Shirogane-kun seemed to care for Meiya, too. In his own way. At least if she remembered all of her sides of the loops correctly.
… He finally broke the ice, asking, "Are you okay, Meiya?"
"I am…" She answered, rubbing her shoulder, "I suppose I am still reeling from awakening here. With ALL of my memories…" and she smiled awkwardly, face flushing again. Takeru blanked, remembering a few of the Loops involving them. She told him, however, "... I am sort of… Shocked and saddened that our duty is not yet done?"
"Could be what dragged the Grimm in," Takeru explained, then saw the confusion on both women's faces and explained, "They're attracted to negative emotions. Waking up here caused a lot of issues for me, too. And I dragged a smaller herd in. You two combined must've… Well, seemed like an open buffet to that massive force."
"That would… Explain a few things," Yuuhi admitted, "A terrifying foe, these Grimm."
"No match for the BETA, I'll tell you what," He answered in a murmur. The elevator chimed to their arrival and the three walked off of it, to the sight of Marimo in her uniform and Headmaster Ozpin talking. Marimo turned, then smiled brightly at the sight of Meiya… And damn near did a double-take when she saw Yuuhi. She saluted.
Yuuhi saluted back, then said, "Please, Sergeant Jinguuji. Relax. There is no need to salute me…"
"S-Sorry, ma'am," She blinked, then looked at Meiya and nearly doubled-over. She'd spotted the Faunus traits the moment they walked in and looked at Takeru for confirmation. He nodded awkwardly, arms crossed. Marimo said to Ozpin, "Sorry about that, Headmaster. I was just surprised… Second Lieutenant Mitsurugi and Her Highness, Shogun Koubuin did not have faunus traits before coming here."
Ozpin smiled, "I understand, Sergeant. Ladies, if you and mister Shirogane would take a seat, please," and he gestured to the chairs.
Yuuhi hummed, then looked at the two and said, "... I apologize, but I am afraid Meiya may not be able to attend this discussion. If she will allow me, I will speak for her," before her gaze shifted to Meiya. The young woman blinked, then her eyes widened as she looked at her twin. Yuuhi smiled and said, "You and Shirogane-kun have a lot to talk about… I can speak for both of us, sister."
She wanted to protest, to say that it was fine, it could wait, but… She sighed, shoulders sagging. Her eyes locked onto Marimo next, though. Then, she said, "I suppose so… However, please give me a few seconds…" as she walked forward, voice cracking. Sergeant Jinguuji stared on in slight surprise at Meiya, who stepped up to her and saluted. Marimo replied in kind, her smile returning, then gasped as Meiya of all people gave her a hug.
She let out a deep, but happy sigh and hugged the girl back, giving her a pat on the head. She told her, "It's good to see you, too, Mitsurugi-san… Now, go. Her Highness is right, you and Takeru have a lot to talk about," and that gave the girl the all clear to break off the hug. She nodded, still smiling, then walked back to Takeru.
He turned his head and gestured to the elevator. Yet again, the descent to the ground floor was quiet, as was the walk back to ward the Dormitories which Takeru was pretty sure Ozpin was going to send both Yuuhi and Meiya to. The two entered, then entered his room, which now had two new beds placed inside.
Meiya whispered, "I suppose the Headmaster prepared for our arrival," though her voice cracked. She turned toward Takeru, who was seemingly trying to say something to her. She, too, wanted to say something. About their original timeline, their homes, their lives, about the Alternatives and the BETA, her sacrifice, what she'd said. She wanted to make excuses, but just like Takeru, her words seemed to stick to her throat.
She felt extremely guilty, both for not being able to hold onto her own thoughts AND because she'd left him alone…
Takeru, though. The young man was staring at one of his greatest failures. Sure, he and Meiya were very good friends, or at least he hoped she still thought of him as a friend despite him choosing Sumika very clearly in the final loop. He wanted to apologize for not being able to save her, but his usual self seemed to be winning out.
Tears welled in his eyes as he stared at the girl. He couldn't utter a single word to beg for forgiveness, instead standing there like a lost dog, staring at her like she'd just come to punish his mistakes instead of what she was really here for. She blinked, trying to wipe away her own tears… And, then, without hesitation, she marched up to Takeru and did as she did to Marimo. She hugged him.
A moment later, all those bottled up emotions that Takeru had been holding onto for the entire day, trying not to let them spill out, rolled out like a wave. He broke down in her arms, as did she in his. Meiya, however, was unsurprisingly more dignified than Takeru. He moved quickly to wipe the snot that was threatening to stain Meiya's suit, then whispered, "I'm so sorry…" through barely-choked-out sobs.
"It's okay," She whispered back, then swallowed and smiled, "We're okay. We made it."
"Y-Yeah…" He replied, "We did…" as he started shivering.
"... Where's Kagami-san-... Sumika?" She asked. The young man bowed his head, continuing to cry in her arms, to which she whispered, "... I'm so, so sorry, Takeru… Look at the bright side. She might yet make it here, just like I and Yuuhi did," as she patted his head. She wiped her own tears from her face, "Maybe everyone will…"
"S-So… Sorry… I… I didn't notice, I didn't know, I…" Takeru continued through the tears.
She answered, "Takeru… It's okay," then sighed and said, "I know… But it's all in the past now," before the two of them moved back. They wiped their own tears away, with the girl adding, "And we're alive again. We've done our part in every known loop or universe… And you and Sumika did it, after all. The enemy is gone… Maybe this is our way to peace…"
"Maybe," He replied, then breathed a shaky sigh and put on a smile, finally, "... You've got no idea how happy I am to see you, Meiya. Especially after… Everything," and he shrugged his shoulders, "And I'm even happier to see Marimo-chan was right," which immediately got Meiya giggling. He said, "Hey, she's cool with me calling her that here! At least from time to time and definitely not in her class."
"She's back to teaching?" The girl asked, her wolf ears twitching joyfully. She was glad to see Takeru finally smiling. She'd been worried she did something to upset him in truth, what with that confession right as she was set to perish at his hands. Shirogane then gave a happy nod, to which the girl chuckled and said, "Oh, I pity the students at this Academy, then."
"... It's good to see you two in such high spirits," Yuuhi spoke from the door. The pair immediately froze, then turned toward her. She smiled and said, "Before either of you inquire, I have been standing here since your little comfort session began… I'm glad you got through your issues, but I suppose we should say we will be sharing a room from now on, Shirogane-kun. Hope you don't mind~! Co-ed rooms are very normal here, after all." and she smirked.
… Takeru blinked and looked at a suddenly-fearful Meiya whose face had turned BRIGHT Red.
Oh, shit.