Archive of Our Own ^beta

–The vital signs have vanished… Target has been eliminated!

The silence that followed Okonogi's statement didn’t last long, through her earpiece, Kikoru could hear the joyful shouts of all the remaining JAKDF members still connected.

With the confirmation that Kaiju No. 9 had finally fallen, the remaining kaiju across the country collapsed as well, and relief filled her chest. But she didn’t let her guard down Kafka Hibino still had to be checked.

–Meireki is going down!- Kurusu reported. –All nearby troops, evacuate immediately!

Her body felt heavy, but she still looked up just in time to see Hibino, in his Kaiju No. 8 form, falling from several meters high as the enormous body disintegrated.

–Hibino Kafka!

She forced herself to stand in an attempt to catch him, but her body wouldn't respond the way she wanted. She moved forward as best she could and watched as Reno caught Hibino in his arms. He knelt beside him as he gently laid him on the ground, calling his senpai's name, hoping for a response. They were both stunned when, little by little, the kaiju form faded and Kafka returned to human form.

Just as Reno was about to report the change, Okonogi’s voice interrupted:
–Kafka Hibino’s vital signs are weak! Sending medical team to his location.

Reno kept trying to wake Kafka, while Kikoru looked around. the city was a wreck: buildings, homes, streets, stores, everything had been devastated by the battle. she didn’t want to think about who might be buried in the rubble.

The battle had been brutal. Though she was still alive, she knew others had fallen to the kaiju and wouldn’t be coming back, like her father.

“We did it, dad. It’s over.”

She tried to blink away the sting in her eyes—she’d already cried enough.

While waiting for the medical team, her communicator crackled in her ear as a private channel opened.

-Hey, dumb disciple.

Kikoru scoffed. -Well, well. Still alive, dumb sensei? I thought you’d already become daikaiju food.- She’d rather face Kaiju No. 9 again than admit how much Narumi’s voice had relieved and comforted her.

Narumi didn’t take the bait.

-Captain?

-Kikoru...

His gentle tone carried a warmth he usually only showed when talking about her father during their solo training sessions.

-Good job. I'm proud of you.

She was left speechless. The sting in her eyes returned with force.

-And I’m sure Isao-san is proud too.

To hell with saying she’d cried enough. That shattered the dam she’d sealed since the day of the ceremony in her father’s office. She couldn’t help it a sob escaped as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Reno noticed and looked at her with concern, but she waved him off.

Wiping her tears, she started walking toward the area where Captain Narumi and Vice-Captain Hoshina had fought Kaiju No. 9.

-Stay with Hibino. I’ll be right back.

As she moved through the devastated zone, she couldn’t help but recall the horror she’d felt when she saw Kaiju No. 9 stab Gen Narumi in the abdomen. Her first instinct had been to jump in and block the next attack, but doing so would’ve revealed her trump card: that she could use Retina 001. So she had no choice but to trust her captain.

Against all odds, that lazy, messy captain who hadn’t earned her respect had earned something deeper her affection. After her father’s death, he had been more present, overseeing her training alongside the other soldiers—something that was usually Vice-Captain Hasegawa’s task. He also started asking her for help with reports and paperwork, claiming it was too much work. "Hasegawa’s gonna confiscate my games if I don’t finish this. As your captain, I order you to help me." He sat with her in the mess hall during meals, sometimes talking, sometimes in silence.

Kikoru wasn’t stupid. She knew Captain Narumi felt guilty about what had happened to her father. He’d probably made a promise to himself to protect her if he couldn’t protect him.

As they trained alone using the numbered suits and got to know each other on a deeper level, she realized they weren’t so different. Both of them wanted to prove the results of their efforts, to demonstrate their strength to Shinomiya Isao, Kikoru to finally earn his recognition and make him proud; and Narumi, to prove Isao had been right to speak up for him to remain in the JAKDF.

Gen Narumi became someone she could entrust not just her life to, but also her flaws and insecurities things she hadn’t even shared with her friends in the Third Division. To her surprise, he wasn’t just a good listener, but a good advisor.

Through his stories, she got to know a different side of her father—from the time he saved Narumi from a yoju (“He didn’t save me! He interrupted my kaiju slaughter!”) to the last training session before she and Hibino joined the First Division.

The way Narumi spoke about her father though he wasn’t even aware of his expression when doing so made it clear that Isao had been more than a mentor to him; he had become a father figure, even if Narumi constantly denied it with jokes.

She hadn’t lied when she told Kaiju No. 15 that she wanted to be a worthy comrade for the Third Division, someone they could be proud of. But more than anything, she wanted to be a worthy disciple of the First Division captain the most strongest anti-kaiju soldier in Japan after her father, and the man Isao had trusted to lead the strongest unit of the JAKDF. She wanted to be worthy of his recognition.

After accepting that she’d never hear her father say he was proud of her, somewhere along the way, that goal shifted to Captain Narumi.

So hearing those words through the communicator filled her with joy. But it wasn’t enough. If that dumb sensei thought he’d get away without saying it to her face, he was dead wrong.

In the distance, she saw his body leaning against the rubble of a collapsed building. His two tone bangs had fallen over his eyes, which still had fresh trails of blood running down his cheeks, dripping onto his suit. His bayonet lay beside him.

The sight alarmed her, and she couldn’t help but shout.

-GEN!

Narumi, who had been hanging his head, immediately looked up when she called him by his first name, not because it was unusual, but because they only addressed each other like that when they were alone during training, never in public. Kikoru insisted on the formality, saying he was still her superior and it would be weird to use his name around others, though Gen never cared.

Using his bayonet for support, Gen stood. Thanks to his suit, the stab wound wasn’t bleeding, but it still hurt like hell, just like his eyes. Now that the battle was over, his body was feeling the toll of his overexertion.

Even with blurry vision, he could see Kikoru running toward him. When she got close enough, he dropped his weapon and braced for impact.

When her body slammed into his, it took superhuman effort not to fall flat on his back that would’ve been beyond embarrassing.

The younger girl wrapped her arms around his torso. He placed his left arm around her shoulders, returning the hug, while his other hand rested on her head, giving her a few gentle pats.

-Oh wow, who are you and what did you do with the brat who said she’d die before showing affection in public?

-Shut up.

Gen chuckled softly. Yep, Kikoru was like a bipolar little sister.

With her head buried in his chest, she mumbled loud enough for him to hear. -Say it again.

Gen didn’t need to ask what she meant. He gently pulled away to look her in the eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder. Her bangs had shifted just enough to reveal her magenta eyes, surely bloodshot from prolonged use of Weapon 001.

-I'm proud of you, Kikoru.

She couldn’t hold back tears spilled once more, along with a couple of sobs. Gen pulled her back into the hug.

-You did great. Thanks to you, we won. 

There was still a long way to go to return to normal after this disaster. There would be much work ahead, and no doubt, more kaiju to face. But they’d be ready for anything. As a team.