Editing BlazBlue:Calamity Trigger Part 2 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 4===

...I had a dream.

It was a dream from when I was little. A dream when I had a cold.

Even though I was covered with a fluffy blanket and futon, my body was trembling slightly. It was hard to breathe, and when I took a deep breath, my chest wheezed and I coughed. I felt chills, but my body was hot and my head was dizzy.

It was such a nice day. I wanted to play outside. I thought about that while looking at the window by the bed.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" I replied.

Then the door was gently opened as if to check the situation, and a boy came in. 

He was a boy with golden hair and green eyes. But because I was feverish, his vision was blurred and I couldn't see his face clearly.

The boy walked carefully to the bedside and pulled up a chair to sit next to me.

"Are you okay?" The boy peered at me and spoke with concern. It was a gentle voice. That voice brought a sense of relief to my chest, and my labored breathing eased a little.

Taking the towel that was placed on my forehead, the boy put his palm on it instead and measured the heat. After a while, he grimaced as if in trouble.

"Your fever is quite high. Are you alright?" At his question, I weakly nodded from the bed. Actually, I wasn't in that much pain anymore. Just having him by my side made me so happy.

But if I answered that I was alright, I felt like he would say "then" and leave the room. So, I was a little selfish.

I wanted him to stay with me longer.

The boy dipped the towel in the wooden bucket at the bedside, wrung it out again with cold water, and placed it back on my forehead. Then, he gently stroked my head.

"Don't worry, you'll get better soon. I'll be here, so rest assured and get some sleep. Okay?"

"Yeah... brother." 

Gently spoken to, I nodded this time with a big nod.

If he's going to be here, I'm relieved. With that thought, I closed my eyelids as if invited by the warmth of his hand stroking my hair.

In a peacefulness like taking a nap after a warm bath, I wished this time would last forever, and then I fell into a gentle sleep.




'''December 31, 2199 - 13:53''' 

The afternoon of the last day of the year was pleasantly sunny.

Noel, who had somehow managed to return to the upper layer late at night, left the NOL facility where she had been lent a bed and went up two more levels, continuing her search mission for Major Jin Kisaragi, which she had been doing yesterday.

She had searched the likely places in the lower level one by one. But despite many eyewitness accounts, she couldn't reach Jin. However, she should have been following his route quite faithfully. She thought it wouldn't be surprising if there was another near miss like the one in the Roningai soon.

"Haa..." 

Invited by the peaceful sunlight, a small yawn unintentionally escaped. While being in the middle of a mission, she hurriedly hid it with both hands while looking down.

Last night, she finally secured a bed late at night and laid down her tired body, but she woke up much earlier than scheduled. Perhaps because of this, she was half-asleep and felt heavy and unfocused since this morning.

''(Haa... That was a strange dream…)''

Noel wiped the tears that had appeared at the corners of her eyes and straightened her back again, muttering a thought she'd had countless times today.

The cause of her strange early awakening was this morning's dream. She'd had a strange dream. Usually, she hardly remembered the contents of her dreams, but today, she remembered it clearly.

It was a dream from when she was little.

Perhaps it was when she was not even ten years old. While coughing on the bed by the window, a boy came into the room and gently stroked her head. She was so happy that the boy came to her, and that he'd stroked my head... She was filled with happiness and fell asleep again.

It was a happy dream. The moment she woke up, she was shocked that it was a dream.

But... it was strange. Noel recalled the dream and tilted her head again and again.

It was a dream as if tracing the memories of her childhood. But Noel had no memories of that time at all. She didn't remember anything about the time before she was rescued from the explosion site five years ago.

Looking back, the room that appeared in that dream was one that Noel didn't know. The green scenery of the fields and forests that could be seen from the window, the bed, and even the pajamas she was wearing.

But why was it such a nostalgic dream?

''(Maybe... it's a memory from my past?)''

If it was a memory from before she was rescued, then…

''(How should I feel?)''

The more nostalgic she felt, the more a haze filled her chest. Should she feel happy? Or should she try to forget it? Would thinking about a past she didn't know be an injustice to the people who gave her a happy present?

''(I...)''

At that moment, she couldn't help but think. Who was she? Where was she born?

"Brother..." Noel muttered to herself while walking along a route that was as far away from the NOL's facilities as possible without taking an extreme detour.

In the dream, she was sick in bed with a cold, and called the boy who stroked her head "brother." Golden hair like sunlight... yes, she was sure he had gentle green eyes.

But there were no other children in the Vermillion family. She didn't know anyone she could call her brother and look up to.

Then who was that boy? Was he... a "brother" she lived with before the five years she doesn't remember?

''(It's still a strange dream.)''

And she felt strange. She had always vaguely longed for a brother.

"Wait, but..." 

As if touching an invisible thread, something brushed Noel's mind. Wasn't there another brother?

"Another... one?" Noel tilted her head at the words whispered by her own unconscious.

Another one... yes, there was another one. He had the same golden hair and green eyes as the boy who appeared in the dream...

"That's it!" Noel's thoughts as she searched for her daydream were suddenly interrupted by the person crossing the street in front of her.

Golden hair, green eyes... and a blue and white uniform, and a blue sword.

"Major... Major Kisaragi!"

Jin Kisaragi, Commander of the Novus Orbis Librarium's 4th Thaumaturgist Squadron.

Noel ran towards the unexpected encounter.

"Wait, Major Kisaragi!" She chased after Jin's retreating figure, not on the main street where many soldiers were walking, but on a quiet street two blocks back.

At Noel's voice, Jin stopped. His back was straight and his posture was impeccable, just like the one she often saw in the corridors of the NOL headquarters. However, his expression when he turned around was clearly different from the cold look he had in the pristine interior of the headquarters.

"You..." Jin turned towards Noel with a heavy step, dragging his heel.

The look in Jin's eyes when he caught sight of Noel was as if he had found something terribly ugly. The green was smeared with disgust, and he looked at her from head to toe as if he didn't want to acknowledge her existence at all.

His sharp gaze glared with such hostility that it seemed as if he wanted to immediately cut Noel's throat.

"Ah, um..."

Noel knew Jin as a cold superior. He rarely answered when she spoke to him. His eyes were always cold, and he sometimes glared at her. But she had never been looked at like this before. It was a look filled with intense hatred that denied her very existence.

"Major Kisaragi... I was ordered to return you from headquarters. Your actions are a serious violation of discipline. Please return to headquarters immediately..." 

"Why... why are you here?" Jin interrupted Noel's plea with a low, hoarse voice, suppressing his rage. He took a step towards Noel, his heels clicking loudly.

"I was ordered to bring you back. Please, Major. If you ignore the return order, you may be considered a traitor. If that happens..."

Surely Tsubaki would be more saddened than anyone else.

She tried to continue, but she couldn't put the rest into words.

Jin, who had started walking, ran. Straight towards Noel.

"Eh?" 

"Why are you here!?" Jin's white jaw trembled at the shout, and he drew his sword as he stepped forward. The gleaming white blade drew an arc in the air and caught Noel in the stomach.

Noel moved as if pushed back by the murderous intent. She threw off the poncho she was wearing and used it as a shield against Jin's slash. At the same time, she took out two guns from the holster attached to the poncho. 

She jumped high and quickly retreated.

When Noel's feet scraped against the ground behind her and she came to a stop, she saw the discarded poncho being cut in two and falling to the ground.

There was no hesitation in the slash. If her reaction had been delayed, it would've been Noel who had fallen to the ground there.

"M-Major K-Kisaragi..." Her lips didn't move well due to shock and fear. Jin swung his sword again at Noel, who couldn't understand what was happening or grasp the situation.

The slash that swept through the air created a blade of ice and launched it at Noel.

In an instant, Noel turned the gun in her hand towards the blade of ice. The ones in her hands were much larger than the self-defense guns usually issued to soldiers, and the barrels were especially thick and long.

They were Noel's personal weapons. A pair of handguns that, for some reason, suddenly appeared in front of Noel shortly after she was taken in by the Vermilion family.

Arcus Diabolus: Bolverk. Noel took it without knowing, but this, like Jin's Mucro Algesco: Yukianesa, was one of the Nox Nyctores created during the Dark War.

Noel quickly fired the gun she was aiming. What Noel's gun fired was not a gunshot, but Ars Magus. The aim was not mistaken, and it shot through and shattered the ice blade that Jin had fired.

"Please stop, Major Kisaragi! If you resist, your crimes will only increase!"

If she let her guard down, it would be dangerous. Noel desperately put strength into her voice while keeping her gun at the ready without letting her guard down.

Perhaps seeing it as hostility, Jin's reaction towards Noel became even more violent.

"I won't give it to you."

"Eh?"

"I won't give it to you..." Jin said in a quiet, heavy, eerily cold voice that crawled from the depths of his stomach. He lowered the unwavering tip of his sword and ran, sliding it along the ground.

If he got too close, it would be dangerous. Noel fired an Ars Magus bullet at Jin's feet as he ran.

Perhaps anticipating this, Jin jumped at the same time. What stretched out to Noel was not the sword, but his leg. Noel used her gun's barrel as a shield to block the deceptively heavy kick that swept through the air.

"Damn!"

From above Noel, who was enduring, Jin swung his sword without even landing. Blocking it with her two guns, Noel quickly retreated and opened the distance. She took a stance, and Jin looked at her. Noel couldn't tell if those eyes were really those of the Jin Kisaragi she knew.

His clouded eyes, as if possessed by something, made her wonder if he was truly seeing her. His hollow gaze seemed to be fixed on something else that wasn't there.

"Don't show that face in front of me, you obstacle!!"

Noel's body bristled at the snarling voice. The spirit itself was like a blade. That blade pierced Noel before the real thing, binding her feet to the spot. She shrank back in fear.

"Your face, your voice, your shadow, never again! Never again!!"

"Kisa..."

Jin, in a state of frenzy, wildly swung his sword. The distance Noel had created was only slight. Distorting his connected face, tossing his light golden hair, Jin stepped in roughly and slashed Noel from below.

...At that very moment.

Something small burst and bounced between Noel and Jin, and from there an enormous amount of black smoke spread with such force that it threatened to engulf the entire area.

"Wh-wha… ''cough, cough,'' wha- what is this?"

Noel's vision was lost in an instant. The smoke stung her eyes and throat, making it painful to keep her eyes open or even breathe properly. It seemed to be the same for Jin, as she could hear his choking voice nearby.

"This way, now!"

"Eh? Yes!" Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and Noel was forcibly pulled out of the smoke, running as she was led.




Even after getting away from the smoke and her throat registering the clean air, Noel's vision didn't clear immediately. Her eyes stung as if sand had been blown into them, and as she ran, Noel had to repeatedly wipe her teary eyes with her arm.

After turning many corners, the person who had been pulling her arm finally stopped. The arm that had been grabbed was immediately released.

"It seems we're not being pursued... for now." Noel recognized the voice that spoke in a light, panting tone. Wiping her still-aching eyes once more, Noel forced them open and looked at her rescuer.

He was right in front of her. It seemed they were in a park with a promenade, and he was sitting on a bench, weakly fanning his face with a black hat. She recognized the black suit and green hair.

"Ha… Hazama-san!"

"Yes? Haa… please, have mercy. Unlike you or Major Kisaragi, I'm not a specialist in combat." Hazama said in a weak, pathetic voice, putting his hat on his head and pulling it down low.

Noel bowed deeply to her unexpected savior.

"Hazama-san, you saved me. Um, thank you very much. I'm sorry for the trouble."

"No, no, I can't very well ignore the plight of my mission partner, can I?" Hazama said, waving his hand loosely and smiling lightly. She had initially found that smile suspicious, but at the moment, it made her feel a little relieved.

Adjusting his hat slightly with his fingertip, Hazama straightened his suit and stood up from the bench.

"Anyway… Major Kisaragi seems to be in quite a troublesome state, doesn't he?" Hazama said in a troubled tone, but a somewhat meaningful smile floated on his face. "I don't know what happened, but he doesn't seem to be in his right mind. If you poke him carelessly, you might cause unnecessary damage."

"Yes." Noel nodded shallowly, still at attention.

Without a doubt, Jin at that time intended to kill Noel. If the battle had continued as it was, Noel would have died and the surrounding area would've suffered tremendous damage.

Hazama lightly tugged on his suit sleeve and opened his mouth, checking the watch on his wrist.

"For now, shall we wait for night?"

"Night?"

"Currently, Ragna the Bloodedge seems to be lurking in the upper levels. He'll probably come to attack the branch tonight. Major Kisaragi will probably come to the branch, aiming for him."

Jin's objective was Ragna the Bloodedge. It was clear from his past criminal record that Ragna the Bloodedge's destination was the branch, so Jin would naturally head there eventually.

Hazama raised his index finger and continued.

"Why don't we just bring in the guards from Kagutsuchi and capture them there? We can't let the scale grow any larger, and with Ragna the Bloodedge involved, I'd like to settle things quickly."

"Yes... that's right. I understand."

At the very least, Noel was all for the idea of contacting Jin at the branch.

Earlier, they were lucky that there were no passersby, but the next time they fought in the city, there was no guarantee that there wouldn't be people around. Even if he was an opponent she should face as a soldier, it was painful and suffocating just to imagine the residents and children she had to protect getting hurt...

Even now, there are many people in this city living peaceful lives, unaware of the NOL's internal troubles.

There might even be a house where a younger sister has caught a cold, and her older brother is taking care of her.

''(I'm thinking about that dream again...)''

The warm smile of a warm "brother" that she looked up at in a warm bed. She still vaguely remembered the feeling of his hand stroking her hair.

If someone forcibly took that away... she would surely be sad.

"Hello? Lieutenant Vermilion?"

"Y-yes!" Noel jumped up and replied.

Hazama hid his eyes under his hat and smiled wryly.

"What are you going to do until tonight? I have some errands to run, so I'm thinking of looking into Major Kisaragi's situation while taking care of my own business."

She seemed to be daydreaming again. Noel tightened her expression and straightened her back.

"I will continue to search for the Major until tonight. I don't think I can persuade him... but I can't do nothing."

Just clashing with force wasn't the only solution. If they were to meet again, she was thinking of trying to persuade him, saying that Tsubaki was worried. 

Noel's words probably wouldn't reach him, but it might be different with Tsubaki. They were from the same high school, and Jin was kind to Tsubaki back then.

"In that case, I'll tell them at the Kagutsuchi branch to contact you if Major Kisaragi appears. You have a communicator, right?" As if demonstrating, Hazama took out a small communicator from his suit pocket and held it up. It was something given to NOL soldiers during missions.

"Ah, yes." 

Fortunately, the communicator was in her hand, not on the poncho that was cut by Jin. When she took it out and handed it over, Hazama gave a strangely theatrical nod.

"Please return to the branch if you're contacted. Well, see you later." Hazama slipped the communicator back into his pocket, put his hand on his hat, and bowed. Noel responded with a salute.

With long, shadow-like legs, Hazama headed towards the branch. Noel didn't follow him. Instead, relying on her senses, she decided to return along the path she had just escaped from. She had to retrieve the gun holster that was probably dropped along with the remnants of her poncho.

"I'm sure… it'll be alright."

She would carry out her mission and return to headquarters. As she told herself this, firmly grasping her beloved gun, her lifeline, she shook off the vaguely ominous premonition and ran away from the spot.


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