Two small kids were playing together in what looked to be the outskirts of a church. Tsubaki quickly recognized Jin´s face and immediately remembered the scene. It was the same scene Hazama made her look when he confronted her. She thought she already overcame that experience. But when the girl, who looked very similar to Noel, told Jin she loved him, she immediately yelled her to stay away from him. The young Jin and the girl looked at her in response, she saw a malevolent smile she never expected to see from Noel.

"Tsubaki!"

Suddenly, Tsubaki opened her eyes and found Jin desperately trying to wake her up. It seemed she was talking while sleeping and Jin was preoccupied she was having a nightmare. The closeness of their faces made her face turn red, something that no one noticed thanks to her mask.

"J-Ji..I mean, M-major, my apologies..!"

Jin calmed down after noticing she was fine. The other soldiers who accompanied them quickly started to whisper between them about the bodyguard´s attitude on duty, something that made Tsubaki´s embarrassment more noticeable. Still, she felt relieved that her "big brother" hasn´t changed all that much, he still cared for her well-being just like before since they met for the first time.

"Tsubaki, is something wrong? It seemed you had a nightmare."

"Eh? N-no...perhaps I´m just a little tired."

"You sure you don´t want to talk about it?"

Tsubaki looked at their surroundings, the people seemed to not care anymore and started to continue their activities. She asked Jin if he could accompany her watch the skies through a window. There she started to comment aloud.

"It´s hard to believe that I´m finally here working with you. It is as if the student council got transferred from the academy to the N.O.L itself"

"Heh, though I wish the amount of paperwork were the same..."

Tsubaki giggled at his response and continued.

"Jin, what do you think is going to happen now?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, Jin. Makoto disappeared and every day it was as if suddenly all what happened at Kagutsuchi never occurred. When we found your body I almost..."

It was hard for Tsubaki to contain her emotions while remembering how close she was of losing her "big brother". But then the nightmare she just had made her feel uneasy, prompting her to make a question she never thought would make...

"Jin, what happened at Kagutsuchi and Noel. What do you..."

But before she could finish a sudden turbulence occurred, which almost made them lose their balance. Someone knocked the door and informed aloud what happened.

"It seemed we just had a problem with one of our engines, Major. We`ll stop in the nearest port. We´re sorry for the inconvenience."

"Understood, thank you! You alright, Tsubaki?"

Rather than answering, Tsubaki was thinking more on how Jin instinctualy held her to save her from falling to the ground. He noticed her awkwardness and just after freeing her hand he asked her what she was asking about Noel.

"Eh?...Oh, yeah...it...it doesn´t matter"

"You sure about it? You seemed preoccupied for something."

"Yes, don´t worry about it..."

Tsubaki knew Hazama was just manipulating her, but she still wasn´t able to ignore the possibility of losing Jin again. With her new role as his bodyguard she thought things would be for the better starting from then on, but as time went on she started to feel anxious on her friends´s situation.

"Is it alright to think this way?"

Jin looked outside as their aircraft arrived. Something seemed wrong for him, there were no civilians and, instead, there were members of the N.O.L waiting for them.

"What is happening there?"

"..."

Jin didn´t answer Tsubaki´s sudden question towards the situation. They both remained silent as they looked someone wearing a uniform of the Zero Squadron handling a piece of paper to the captain.

"We better go and see what´s going on over there."

"Right."

Tsubaki agreed and together they headed outside to ask about the situation.

Even the staff inside was asking themselves what was going on. Everyone thought they would be transferred to a new airship as if nothing happened, but the amount of guards surrounding the unnamed Zero Squadron member made it seem as if they were looking for something, or someone.

Once set afoot on the bridge, the captain looked at them and immediately took a step aside. The unnamed Zero Squadron Member walked towards the Major and with a female voice asked him.

"Major Kisaragi, I´m afraid I must inform you will be escorted by us."

Jin didn´t seem surprised. He himself didn´t understood why. The idea that the N.O.L didn´t want him to make his leave any easier was something he felt was accustomed to.

"But why?! I wasn´t informed about this, and I´m already assigned to watch over the Major!"

On the other hand, Tsubaki didn´t took the surprise as calm as Jin. The soldiers were surprised to see two Zero Squadron members having a confrontation.

"You must already know why considering I was called here"

"But...!"

Tsubaki in truth didn´t know the reason, but she already understood what she meant. The Zero Squadron only received orders from the Imperator, and those orders are absolute.

"..."

Meanwhile, Jin remained silent thinking what to do. This reminded him when he started to look for his brother and then...everything was unclear. He was told Noel went looking for him and tried to stop him, but he found it hard to imagine such a situation.

Then he noticed something strange regarding the Zero Squadron member´s voice, but didn´t understood what exactly. It sounded very alike to someone familiar.

"Major, would you mind to accompany us?"

Jin didn´t offer resistance, neither Tsubaki, who hoped this must be some kind of misunderstanding. The orders said that Major Kisaragi was to be escorted to see the Imperator, something that only a very few was given the privilege to do. Upon learning about this, Tsubaki felt anxious. The greatest symbol of Order in the world wanted to meet the "Hero of Ikaruga".

As they walked together surrounded by the soldiers she tried to calm his worries.

"Jin, it is an honor the Imperator wants to see you..."

"Yeah..."

But Jin didn´t bought the story. He didn´t trust this would end well.