Lina POV

I slip into my apartment with a small bounce to my step. Things were beginning to look up. Perhaps I am being a little too optimistic. I was still mostly alone in Japan without Silvia to support me, and my mission was still unclear. However Minato no longer despises me. Sure it is now more of a neutral stance, but I am willing to take what I can get when it comes to Minato. I close the door with a smile before I notice a presence within my home. My mood evaporates as I quickly crouch, readying my CAD. A voice drifts from the living room before I can order my thoughts.

"I commend your detection abilities, but if I knew it would have startled you this much I would have called ahead." A middle-aged woman sits at my dining table sending me a wry smile. The individual in question is Virginia Balance, the USNA Joint Chiefs of Staff Intelligence Division, Internal Affairs, First Deputy Director. After the disastrous incident with Mia, the command structure had changed and my mission had been transferred to her capable hands. I quickly straighten from my position giving a crisp salute.

"I'm sorry for not being here to greet you." I quickly apologize. "I would have come to headquarters if I had known you wished to speak with me." The colonel dismisses my statement with a wave of her hand.

"No need to apologize Sirius." Virginia says. "I was the one who surprised you. Still I am here on business, so let's not waste any time." I quickly nod gesturing for her to continue. "At the present time, the tracking and disposal of the deserters is being temporarily shelved. Therefore you are commanded to return to your initial assignment." My eyes widen at her order.

"That would be the investigation of the magic caster from October thirty-first?" While my response is said with certainty, I have intentionally left one part out. Unfortunately Virginia notices my slip.

"As well as the investigation into Minato Kudou and his unique brand of summoning magic." She adds. My arm gives an involuntary twitch and the eagle-eyed commander locks onto it as if targeting prey. She stays silent for a moment before speaking again. "With the data you have collected we are confident that Tatsuya Shiba is the true target for your mission. We have been recording his movements for the past two weeks and we believe that tomorrow evening will be an optimal time to strike. Stardust will attack as the first wave and if they fail, draw Tatsuya away and capture him there. You will be authorized to use Brionac, so failure is impossible."

"And if I am unable to capture the target?" I question slowly.

"Sirius, you know this as well as I." She scolds. "If he resists too much, render him… ineffectual." The use of 'ineffectual' does nothing to calm me. I have been ordered to assassinate Tatsuya if he resists. Despite my internal conflict, Virginia continues. "Once Shiba is taken care of we will move onto Kudou."

"No!" My reaction is immediate, and I barely realize what I have said, before the colonel levels me with a glare. "I… I mean, Minato isn't a proven threat." I quickly recover. "I have yet to confirm how strong his Parade skill is. I don't think we should be making any rash decisions, especially involving someone from the ten master clans." I believe I am making a just argument but I am immediately reprimanded.

"Regardless of Mr. Kudou's standing, if he is a threat to the U.S.N.A, it is our mission to eliminate him!" Virginia snaps. There is a tense pause before she takes a deep breath. "I took a look around your kitchen when I arrived." Her tone is casual, but I can sense this is only the calm before the storm. "There were quite a lot of chocolate products in the trash."

"Eh? What does that have to..." I trail off dread building up as I realize where this conversation is going.

"I can understand that you are young, and this is the first mission you've had where you are around others your age." The colonel continues slowly drawing out her point. "Your emotions may be a little hard to control but you must be above them. I believe that we should continue to act as professionals on and off the battlefield. We cannot allow our emotions to cloud our judgement. Am I clear Sirius?"

"Yes." I mutter, hanging my head.

"I am going to ask you this once." I stiffen at the sickening venom in her voice. "Who did you give your chocolate to?" I swallow, but refuse to answer. "Was it some cute boy? Someone who you like?" Her tone is low, but I can hear the ice in it. "Or was it Minato?" The accusation in her voice is clear and I am almost sure she already knows the answer.

"It was, but-"

"ENOUGH!" I jolt as Virginia slams the table in front of her. She stands and in mere moments is before, furious eyes boring into mine. "You are Angie Sirius, head captain of the elite unit STARS. You are the greatest weapon of the U.S.N.A and you have been ordered to secure Tatsuya by any means necessary. You will do as you were told. Do I make myself clear?" I stare at her, eyes wide, trying to gather myself. Apparently I am too slow. "Answer me!"

"Y-yes Ma'am..." My response is lackluster, but I am unable to put any more effort into it. The colonel gives a huff of disgust.

"Children these days, always questioning their superiors." The words are spit with rancor. "You may think you know what is best, but you are still a child." Her gaze is piecing and I look away, causing her to make a sound of displeasure. "I suggest you think long and hard about whose side you're on." She hisses. "If I even suspect you of becoming a traitor, I will have you court martialed." With that she walks out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Once again I am left alone. I clench my fists holding back tears, but I refuse to cry. Silvia is no longer here to help me after all. What irony. Mere hours ago, I had just repaired my friendship with Minato and now I have orders that will make him hate me again. I have no good options. If I move against Tatsuya, Minato will hate me, if not I will be branded a traitor. And I can do nothing to stop it. But even as despair churns in my stomach, hope flickers in my heart.

"I can do nothing to stop it," I mutter. "But I know someone who might be able to help."

-Ω-

Minato POV

It is the day after Valentine's, and I find myself seated with the others at the lunch table. While the chatter is animated, I can't bring myself to listen. The full moon is only ten days away and while I have spent some time with Erika, Mikihiko and Mizuki, I have yet to raise my link with Leo. Time is of the essence but I loathe to drag in my friends into this fight. Hopefully they will forgive me.

"Minato," Erika draws me from my thoughts as she calls to me, "What's your take on the rumor?"

"Sorry, I wasn't really listening," I give a sheepish smile. "What was the rumor?" Erika rolls her eyes and gives an exaggerated sigh as the rest of the table laughs.

"The rumors about Pixie, the P94 helper robot kept by the Robotics Club. Apparently when one of the club members went to check on it this morning they found it smiling." She pauses here for dramatic effect but I only cock an eyebrow.

"OK?" I frown, "not really seeing why this is such a big deal. I mean Aigis smiles all the time."

"Yeah, but here the thing," Leo breaks in. "Unlike Aigis, the model robot they have doesn't have a facial changing function. It can't smile normally."

"So one of the club members modified it with a program." I state plainly. "Still don't see what the big deal is."

"No one modified it though," Erika insistes."And when one of the teachers examined it he couldn't find anything wrong. The real mystery however is that psion was detected from the chest cavity. Nothing in the chest should create psion but it was there in high quantities." I blink as I digest this information. It does seem odd, but I am not exactly particularly interested. "Spooky right?" Erika asks again. "What do you think caused it?"

"I think you guys have been watching too many horror movies, if you're getting all work up over this." I reply plainly, much to Erika's displeasure. "Probably just a virus or something."

"That's what Isori thought as well," Tatsuya responds from the other end of the table. "I will be taking a peek at it after lunch to see if I can figure out anything." Erika seems thoroughly displeased that the topic has been dropped so I decide to take the chance to begin my own.

"Did we ever agree on what kind of party we would be having for Leo's recovery?" At my question the table quickly becomes animated again.

"That's right, I completely forgot!" Mizuki exclaims. "Leo where did you want to celebrate?"

"I don't need a party," Leo laughs, slightly embarrassed. "I'm just happy to be out of the hospital."

"Oh? I guess this guy can be modest." Erika chirps. "Still to think he would turn down a party in his honor. Maybe you're actually a little mature on the inside?"

"What was that?" The two quickly begin to argue before my next words break them apart.

"Well I was thinking of going to a hot spring, but if you don't want to." The table all looks at me as if gauging if I am serious or not. "I was thinking we could spend a weekend at a high end hotspring. We could stay the night at the hotel too with dinner and what not. With my connections I could get some rooms for real cheap, but if you guys don't want to..." I trail off allowing them to take my offer in.

"Hey Leo," Honoka is the first to speak. "A hot spring would be a great way to recover after your stay in the hospital right?" To be fair to Honoka, she seems relatively genuine in her concern, but the sparkle in her eyes tells a different story.

"It would be pretty rude to refuse." Mikihiko mutters. The table moves their eyes to Leo who is clearly torn between going or not. Finally he gives a sigh.

"I guess it's fine… if it's not too much trouble." Leo finally accepts.

"Then for Leo's health we are going to the hot springs." Erika declares to the general cheer of the table. Miyuki and Tatsuya both send me a sad smile. They know the real reason I suggested the trip and I give them a sad nod back.

"Well then, how about the 22nd?" I ask. I think I can reserve rooms by then." I get a round of agreements saying that everyone can come.

"Well if that is all then I am going to take a look at the robotics club's robot." Tatsuya announces. As he stands, the rest of the table mimics him and he gives us all a look. "Are you all coming?"

"Well," Honoka gives a sheepish smile. "Can you blame us for being curious?" Tatsuya looks at us before giving a sigh.

"Fine, do what you want. Just don't cause any trouble." We all begin to follow, however I barely make it ten feet before some calls to me.

"Minato, can I borrow you for a minute?" Our group turns to find Lina of all people watching me. Normally I would refuse, but Lina had taken steps to reconcile the gap between us. It would be discourteous of me to refuse. I motion for the others to go ahead and follow Lina to a secluded room.

"What did you need Lina?" I begin trying to gauge the reason she had called me here.

"Are you hanging out with Tatsuya later this evening?" Her question is blunt and I blink in confusion before frowning.

"What does that have to do with any-"

"Are you going to be with Tatsuya later this evening?" She repeats hastily, cutting me off. Her actions are strange but I answer her question.

"No, I hadn't been planning on it." I respond warily.

"Good, stay away from him." With that Lina leaves, and I am left alone in the room.

"Well that was suspicious with a capital T." Pharos says as he appears next to me.

"Suspicious doesn't have a T Pharos." I correct. "But I do agree, her actions didn't make a lot of sense."

"Well then it is a trap with a capital T," Pharos says with a small laugh. I only nod in agreement. What was she thinking? It's quite obvious she wants me to be with Tatsuya in the evening but why? Perhaps… My mind goes into overdrive as the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place.

"You know I think I will be visiting Tatsuya this evening." My statement is met with confusion.

"What?!" Pharos exclaims." You do know this is a trap right?"

"It's a trap, but not for me. And we can use this to our advantage." I say slowly. At Pharos' sharp look I shrug. "Lina was quite generous with the information."

"She told you a name and a general time." Pharos shoots back. "It didn't sound very generous to me."

"They will be attacking Tatsuya sometime this evening," I reiterate. "However if we dig further we have much more information. Because we know that Tatsuya is their target, we can assume they will be deploying enough troops to eliminate him. If they suspect him of the magical attack on Halloween they will either send in a massive amount of troops or an elite group. The U.S.N.A couldn't possibly deploy that many troops to Japan, thus we can conclude it is a highly trained but smaller group, most likely from three to seven people including Lina."

"Ok, but what if she wants you to be there." Pharos points out. "Kill two birds with one stone." I consider his point for a moment but slowly shaking my head.

"No, she knows how strong Tatsuya and I am." I reason. "If she wanted to eliminate us effectively, she would keep us apart to hunt separately. They don't have the manpower to fight us simultaneously. She most likely wants me there as a deterrent, perhaps if they see me present they will call off their attack. On the off chance they continue their assault, she is confident that the two of us will be able to fend them off without trouble." As I reach my conclusion, Pharos heaves a sigh.

"And I thought Batman was supposed to be the world's greatest detective," Pharos mutters. "I still say you shouldn't go, but I know I can't stop you. However I will tell you that if she stabs you in the back again you deserve every second of it."

"Don't worry, I won't let my guard down," I placate. I have already learned my lesson once. I wouldn't let it happen again. First things first I need to find out where Tatsuya will be this afternoon. I quickly make my way to the labs where I know he will be working on Pixie. Perhaps if I am lucky, I can still catch him there. As the doors to the lab open I am greeted to the scene of Tatsuya being embraced by Pixie, the robot desperately clinging to his neck. As the eyes drift to me, I slowly bring my hand to my temples trying to suppress the oncoming headache.

"Anyone want to explain to me why Tatsuya has a mechanical doll hanging onto his neck before I get a migraine?" I ground out, unsure if I would like the answer.

"It looks like you already have one." Honoka meekly points out but gives a small whimper as I level my gaze at her.

"Then explain faster."

-Ω-

Tatsuya POV

School had ended and I once again found myself in the company of Minato and Pixie, the P94 robot. It had come as a surprise that the parasite that we had previously fought on campus had stayed on campus storing itself within the machine. It had fallen dormant, until yesterday when it received extreme strong emotions as stimulus. The only ones near the robotics club that day had been Honoka and I. Specifically when she had given me her Valentine's gift. Upon gaining these emotions, the parasite had reawoken and was bound to Pixie as a result. Furthermore, its actions were dominated by Honoka's emotion at the time. Undying servitude and love. Thus when I had gone to examine it, it had flung itself onto me.

Despite the awkward reveal, and having to calm Miyuki, this was quite a lucky coincidence. The Parasite would not lie to me as it was devoted to me and my cause. Perhaps I could finally get some answers. But first a preliminary check. Minato and I had brought along a guest to help us with this task.

"This is the robot that has developed emotions?" Aigis asks, looking at the machine before her. She looks at it up and down before making a full revolution around it. "I supposed the Parasite must be the one driving the system. I can say with confidence that this machine hasn't physically changed from the infection."

"Thank you Aigis," Minato replies, and I give my thanks as well.

"I was worried that the Parasite might have changed some of the hardware, but I suppose I was worried for nothing. I take a deep breath to relax. "Now, let's see if we can get some of our questions answered. Pixie, suspension mode release." Immediately the machine before me activates, Pixie opening her eyes and fixing them on me.

How can I help you master? I flinch as I hear her voice. It was quite creepy hearing the Parasite's voice echo directly in my mind. The robot only had preset word commands, thus the Parasite could only use a minor form of telepathy to speak. What made me flinch was that Pixie referred to me as master. I had asked if she could change it, but my other choices had been 'lord' which wasn't any better and 'onii-chan' which had been outright rejected.

"Please confirm, you will respond truthfully to my questions."

Yes master, I will do anything you wish. Not what I had asked for but I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Very well, were Parasites responsible for the attacks earlier this year, and if so why did you drain a tenth of the victim blood?" Pixie stood still processing my question.

We were the one behind the incidents, however we did not mean to drain a person's blood. It was merely a side effect of our failed attempts at reproduction. I immediately exchange a worried look with Minato. A vampire attack resulted when the reproduction failed. That meant if the reproduction succeeded there would be no trace of a victim. There could be hundreds of these things and no one would be the wiser.

"How many Parasites are in Japan?" Minato quickly asks. We wait for an answer but none comes. Does it not know or… does it just not want to answer because I didn't ask?

"Pixie, treat Minato's questions like they are mine." I state.

Understood master. In early February when I took refuge in this container there were six of us in the country. I take a small breath. Only six, that was manageable. If they had been a problem for a month and only had six they couldn't have multiplied too rapidly.

"Hold on something isn't right." Minato breaks in, "I thought Maya said she would take care of the parasites in January. Why were there still six this month?" I blink realizing he is correct.

"Pixie, can you tell me what happens when your host dies."

The destruction of our host body does little to us. Unless our spiritual form is destroyed, we will continue to find others to infect. That does not bode well. That means that all Maya did, if she followed her word, was to release the parasite to new bodies.

"Can you tell us where the other parasites are?" I ask, attempting to move the conversation along more urgently.

I am sorry master. Usually I would be able to detect my brethren across the country. However when I inhabited this container, I was cut off from the network. I would only be able to detect Parasites within a limited range of myself. About four hundred meters. I frown. Looks like our luck has run out. Finding the other Parasite might not be as easy. Still that doesn't mean we are out of options. Perhaps instead of being the hunter Pixie could be the bait. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. I had other things to do than plan traps for Parasites.

"Pixie, enter suspension mode." Moments later the machine before me shuts down. "I think that's enough for today." I give Minato and Aigis a smile. "See you tomorrow."

"Actually, where are you going to be tonight?" I hesitate upon hearing Minato's question.

"Why do you want to know? I finally ask.

"Funny story actually." Despite Minato's wide smile, I could already tell I wouldn't be laughing by the end of this.

-Ω-

Virginia POV

"Ma'am, the target has dropped off his sister." One of my subordinates call out. I allow a small smile to curve onto my lips. This would be too easy. It was a group of adults against a mere child. I was currently sitting in an underground base, filled to the brim with tracking equipment and monitors. We were in the process of observing Tatsuya as he went about his normal routine.

"Good, keep monitoring him." In the past two weeks of observation, we had reached a solid conclusion. Tatsuya Shiba was a creature of habit. He left his house at the same time every morning with his sister in tow. Arrived at school precisely twenty minutes before the first bell and left the school with his sister once her student council duties were complete. What he was doing now was also routine. In the middle of the week he would drop off his sister for two hours while he went to a nearby cafe. Everything was going exactly as planned.

"Ma'am, we may have a problem." I sigh before telling the man to continue. "The target has gotten to his normal place, but the other target, Minato Kudou is present as well.

"Put it up on screen," I frown as the picture comes into view. Tatsuya is at his normal location however he is sharing his booth with Minato. The two look to be completely relaxed as they sip their drinks and chat. What are the chances? The day we are about to strike and our other target just happens to wander in. My first thought is that Sirius had done something, but no, I had made it clear to the girl that she would follow orders. She was too meek.

"Should we change our tactics ma'am?" I tap my chin in thought. If this really was a complete coincidence, we could use this to our advantage. If Tatsuya had been attacked first, Minato would be on guard. Catching them both off guard would be a chance they couldn't miss. We would have the element of surprise, and compared to our elite members the toddlers would barely put a fight.

"Stay the course," I reply. "We'll be able to wrap this up in no time." It was thirty minutes into the hour when the plan started. Five of our elite agents pulled up in a car, faces and bodies covered. They would act as robbers to the establishment and in the cross-fire kidnap the two. If this failed, Sirius would come in and lure them to a secluded area to finish the job. It was shaping up perfectly.

And then the unexpected happened. I watch as Tatsuya rises from his seat an hour and half earlier than usual. The pair pay their bill and walk out just as our agents exit their own vehicle. Our party freezes unsure what to do next in such a situation. They however do not and simply give our men a wave and begin to walk down the street without looking back. The agents draw their guns, intent on taking the initiative, but their weaponry shatters, coming apart in their hands. My eyes widen as I finally realize that we have been had. Before I can give the order to retreat, five massive bolts of lightning drop from heaven and strike our agents. The camera shudders at the impact, and I can only watch in horror.

Perhaps I have underestimated our quarry.

-Ω-

Minato POV

"Well that was easy," I sigh watching the clouds of dust from my attack begin to clear. "Maybe I overestimated their elites."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Tatsuya responds, holding his gun at the ready. I look back to the cloud where five figures have emerged. While they do seem a little shaken, they are not worse for wear.

"That's insane," I gasp. "I had hit them with a Maziodyne, they shouldn't be able to move."

"They're probably modified," Tatsuya responds instantly, keeping his eyes on our opponents. "Perhaps even reinforced. Their bodies have been pushed to their absolute limit. They have high magic immunity and they can outperform most humans. However their bodies are breaking down from the strain. Like a star just before going nova. This is their last fight, win or lose." I grit my teeth, so this is the result of human experimentation.

"They aren't humans," Tatsuya states with finality. "At least not anymore."

"Then I won't hold back." I step forward switching my Persona to Gilgamesh. "Draw Excalibur." The shimmering sword of legend appears in my hand, gleaming in the dim light. "Heat Riser." My body glows with ethereal light as it grows stronger and reinforces itself. The men have shaken off my attack and have begun to charge at us, trying to finish the fight. "Vorpal blade."

It is over in an instant. I disappear for a moment before rematerializing before Tatsuya, sheathing the blade back into its scabbard. All the charging men stagger before collapsing, like a puppet cut from their strings.

"What did you do?" Tatsuya doesn't seem horrified by my attack, as his voice holds genuine curiosity. After all, they don't seem to be bleeding heavily, and they are not missing any limbs.

"I didn't want to make a scene, so I lacerated their spinal cords," I reply tapping the back of my neck. "The area doesn't bleed much, so there won't be a pool of blood." I give the fallen agents another look trying gauge if my attack was a success. I am satisfied when I see none are moving. "What should we do with them? Take them in for questioning?"

"No, they won't last that long," Tatsuya sighs. "Besides we have another opponent to deal with." At his warning, I turn and see something flying closer. It stops about two hundred meters from us, but I can easily identify the target from the red tress spilling around a masked face. The leader of STARS, Lina, has entered the battlefield. She watches us passively, a clear hesitation in her moves. Is she here to observe or fight?

"Angelina!" My call seems to wake her, supuring her into action. Without warning, Lina raises her weapon, a long cane like CAD. The muzzle glows with burning white light and Tatsuya and I immediately recognize her attack. Moments later, a jet of white hot plasma shoots forward, the air shimmering as it makes its way towards us. Tatsuya dodges while I switch Persona, Excalibur fading from existence. I outstretch my hand, and as the plasma touches my skin, it is absorbed harmlessly. Surt's natural ability to absorb fire makes me immune to these types of high temperature attacks.

Lina eyes widen, lowering her weapon in shock at my abilities. I take the opening this provides and charge at her, Heat Riser enhancing my mobility. Trinity Longinus is pulled from my jacket and I fire a megido at her. Despite Lina's initial shock, she manages to dodge and flees using flying magic. I pursue and moments later, Tatsuya comes even with me.

"She's leading us into a trap." Tatsuya states with certainty. "I can detect U.S.N.A forces ahead of us."

"Do you want to split up?" I ask. "I am pretty sure I can take on Lina by myself." Tatsuya considers my proposal for a moment, before shaking his head.

"I rather not risk it." He decides. "Splitting up won't save us that much time and we would only be increasing the risk." I nod accepting his judgement. A minute later we arrive in a secluded lot, barren aside from a few bushes. Not only that, the area is covered with Optical type magic, rendering satellite and street cameras useless. This is clearly the prepared battlefield.

"I didn't think I would get to eliminate both of you at the same time." I inwardly roll my eyes at Lina's fib. She is probably being monitored thus she can't break character. With a flash, red hair is replaced with golden tresses. She is trying to save her energy, I realize. "Must be my lucky day."

"I've known about your monitors for the past two weeks," Tatsuya shoots back. "Today is the only time I am alone for an extended period of time, so I knew it would be an opportune time for you to strike."

"I'm only going to ask this once." Lina breaks in. "Surrender, or I will be forced to eliminate you both." Without hesitation, I step forward, brandishing Trinity Longinus as I do so.

"Try it." At my taunt, she attacks. Another laser of plasma is unleashed but thanks to Surt still being equipped I absorb it without worry. She charges and I counter with a megido. However even as the sphere explodes she passes through unphased. My mind quickly finds the reason. "Tatsuya, she is using Parade again." She had done the same thing our first fight, creating an illusion while she moved elsewhere. Last time we were powerless to stop it.

"Roger that," Tatasuya closes his eyes and then points his Silver Trident in a seemingly random direction. With the pull of the trigger Lina's illusion shatters, much to her surprise. Tatsuya had been training with Yakumo for the past month trying to find a way to track a person under the effect of Parade magic. It looks like his training paid off. I quickly locate Lina and cock back the hammer of my CAD switching the skill card.

"Torrent shot," I pull the trigger and before Lina can react she is blindsided by a flurry of invisible bullets. She stumbles but manages to retain her footing. Lina quickly raises her weapon again even as my second barrage impacts her. Due to my attack her plasma goes wide missing me completely. However Tatsuya becomes the unintentional target. He twists trying to avoid the stream but it hits his arm immediately disintegrating it. I am about to shout in panic but a fraction of a second later, Tatsuya is whole again, his regrowth magic fixing him.

"We need to disarm her." Tatsuya calls, "We can't let her keep using that thing." I comply by switching Persona and using Bufudyne, freezing the weapon in a solid block of ice. Lina panics, attempting to free her armament, but Tatsuya is one step ahead. He points his gun and pulls the trigger, the ice shatters and so does Lina's CAD. To her credit she recovers quickly, drawing two knives and charging us. I quickly move to intercept changing Persona once more.

"Dormina." My spell quickly takes effect, Lina succumbing to sleep instantaneously. She drops her knives and her momentum carries her forward. I catch her before she topples, saving her from a broken nose . I gently lower her to the ground as Tatsuya walks up behind me.

"Why didn't you open with that?" he jokes with a wry smile.

"The spell wasn't guaranteed to work." I reply with a shrug. "If I had failed while she still had her CAD, I probably wouldn't have all my limbs." I rise, switching my Persona to Metatron. "Enough talk though we still have to clean up the remnants of the U.S.N.A. force." We exchange nods and set out, mission in mind.

-Ω-

The clean up was uneventful to say the least. Compared to the prior elite soldiers or Lina, these men were pushovers. They were quickly dismantled and Tatsuya began accessing their files, wiping whatever video and audio surveillance they had.

"I'll wrap things up here." Tatsuya announces. "But I need to pick up Miyuki after this." He gives me a sidelong glance. "Can you take care of our sleeping princess?" I roll my eyes at his description of Lina but agree. I want to speak with her anyway. I wander back to the clearing where I find Lina snoring quietly.

"Patra," I intone and Lina begins to stir, eyes bleary opening. "Wake up Lina, time to get up." At my voice, she snaps to attention, eyes quickly scanning the area.

"Where am I, what happened?" She exclaims. "Is Tatsuya all right?"

"Tatsuya's fine." I catch her attention. "Thanks for the tip by the way." She gives a hesitant smile at my praise. "I do need to ask though. Why in the world did you take such a risk? If the U.S.N.A finds out what you did, you might get court martialed… or worse."

"I…" Lina starts before growing silent. "When I was ordered to capture Tatsuya or eliminate him, I knew I couldn't go through with it. I knew if I didn't do anything, you would hate me again. And I can't...I don't want that." I consider her words for a moment before speaking.

"Then what do you want?"

"What?" Confusion colors her tone as she stares at me. I sigh before reaching forward, pulling her mask free. Blue eyes stare at me in wonder.

"Since the day you came here, you have followed your orders," I explain. "You have done what was expected of Angie Sirius. I am asking what Lina Shields wants to do." She blinks, almost taken aback by my suggestion. To suggest there was more to her than a soldier, if I had told her that a month ago she would have laughed in my face. Now she looks lost, torn between her choices.

"I don't…" Lina shakes her head unable to continue. The military gives her food, shelter, and income. They shower her with praise and prestige. She knows she would be a fool to throw it all away. And yet she hesitates. A person is more than a machine. They yearn for more than material wants. I am offering her what she craves. Acceptance. Not for her skills or magic, not for her beauty. Acceptance for who she is. "I don't know what I want." She finally admits. "I don't even know who I should be."

"Take your time then." I respond, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Think about all your choices before you decide." I give her a smile. "I promise I will help you every step of the way." She manages to smile at that. A small weak smile, but one of the truest smiles I have seen from her. Then the world freezes.

To you who has endured the weight of the universe,

We of the Faith arcana give to you our blessing.

Faith? Was that an arcana? I clear my thoughts as time resumes. I can think about this later.

"Come one let's get you home," I say and Lina gives me a nod before I help her up.

-Ω-

Kouichi POV

"And that concludes my report." I give my attendant a brief word of thanks before I dismiss him. It seems Minato is more active than originally thought. I had ordered him to be watched in the hope he would reveal whatever secret him and my daughter were hiding. However he had exceeded even my expectations. I had only told Minato that he had my support to lower his guard, but he is looking to be a better and better marriage candidate by the second.

Still I have other plans on my agenda, ones that Minato would more than likely interfere with. Namely the acquisition of parasites. I need a way to distract him. To distance him from my operations.

"You called me father?" Mayumi asks as she enters my office. I turn, giving her a full smile.

"Invite Minato to dinner tomorrow." At Mayumi's shocked expression, my smile only grows wider. "And be sure to tell him that if he refuses I will be very… displeased." Minato may still be a mystery to me, but I know the perfect bait to keep him occupied.

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Happy July 4th! At least to those who celebrate I suppose.

The addition of Lina as the Faith Arcana was not an easy one for me to make. Having been brought into this series by the amine (and manga) I had no real grasp on who Lina was or how she acted. Furthermore she was a transfer student, and would not return for quite some time (at least where the light novels were concerned), thus a creation of a link would definitely stagnate. Shizuku has had precious little screen time since she left, and Lina would face the same only worse. So I had been committed to leave her out of the Social Links.

However, my thoughts changed after the announcement of the last novel of Mahouka. I sat down with my editor and we agree on an ending. It has taken me almost six years to get to this point. It's will take till the heat death of the universe for me to finish the rest of the novels at this rate. It was difficult cutting out loads of material I had created for future chapters, but I think in the end it was for the best.

After the parasite arc, I have two arcs left. One of my own creation and the end of the shadow arc. Lina will be playing a larger role in the new arc so the Social Link was created to reflect that.

As always thank you to everyone who favorited, followed and reviewed. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave a review or send me a private message. I will answer them as soon as I can.