Promise

Less than an hour ago in The Den

"No way..." Sano uttered.

As Sano soared through the sky with the team, the Ouroboros was in the range of their sights.

Keep in mind we're still pretty far from it...

Erina and Emil were too busy enjoying themselves to notice the enemy. Kanon however looked at the giant solemnly.

"(Shinji, Lindow, Alisa, Sakuya, Soma, and Sakuya always handled stuff like this with Kota. But the only one left is Kota, so were the only ones left to deal with it. Everyone in the Defense Unit is already gone but me. Without them here, I haven't really done anything. Even when we fought big Aragami like this, we usually worked with someone from the 1st Unit...

Sano could probably kill it by himself. Erina's been training a whole lot, and Emil has a better aim than me. What can I do?)" Kanon thought sadly.

As Kanon thought of what loomed ahead, the inmate snapped them all to attention.

"LISTEN UP!" he yelled.

"Sir!" Erina gave a salute.

"At once!" Emil nearly dropped off the god-arc responding.

"From what Hibari told us the harder we hit this thing, the more it'll fire off lasers. Kane, which do you think is stronger? Your bullets or its lasers?" Sano asked, shocking Kanon.

Her friends waited patiently while Kanon struggled to find her words. She nervously looked between the ground miles below her and Sano. Then she was suddenly filled with a sense of competitiveness.

"After the Oracle Reserves were built, I made a bunch of heavy bullets, they were all based on the Quadriga and Ouroboros combined!" Kanon said.

"Then that settles it." the inmate said with a smirk.

The 3 nodded in understanding.

"Erina you said it should be possible to use Emils Oracle Reserve for Kane right?" the inmate said.

"Yep! The Maintenance crew taught me the process!" Erina affirmed.

"Emil when I say when, go hit the most breakable target you can and gather enough for whatever Kanon needs!" Sano commanded.

"Affirmative!" Emil said.

"Erina help me keep it pinned, I'll keep to the arms, so you can go for the head. I and Emil will give you an opening first." Sano commanded.

"Sir, yes sir, we'll give her aragami bullets too!" Erina grasped her god-arc tightly. Today would make up for disobeying Kota those months ago and endangering herself, she thought.

"I'm not confident about what I can do for you, Emil and Erina can guarantee what you need, but I can't guarantee anything against something that big." Sano said.

Kanon was taken aback. To her, the inmate could do anything besides fire oracle cells. He was even flying them all. Kanon grasped the inmate's hand and tightened her grip around his torso.

She was used to being the dead weight, but he believed in her abilities more than his own. After feeling that way herself for all this time, Kanon now felt the opposite.

"Hold on tight! I see Kota!" Sano said as his god-arcs wings flapped picking up speed. As the wind rushed on them all Kanon uttered one thing into the wind.

I promise I won't let you down.

Current time

I should warn you. She's the only "human" that scares me.

What was left of the Ouroboros began evaporating.

As Erina, Emil, and Kota stood at Kanon's back, they stood baffled.

"YOU DID IT!!!" Erina screamed.

"Hazaah!" Emil cheered, raising his hammer.

"WHEW!! I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU DO THAT ALISA!" Kota screamed.

As they cheered for Kanon, the pink-haired gunner slowly turned, Sano approached her with his god-arc over his shoulder. Kanon ran to him. The energy of her lv3 Burst was still active as well and her god-arc separated from Emils, bringing him down to the ground.

She almost slipped coming to a halt barely a foot away.

"I kept my promise." Kanon said, smiling at the inmate. Sano smirked back and closed the distance between them.

"I know." he said. Sano's god-arc morphed and devoured the Ouroboros core.

BLagh! Grainy!

As he inwardly bickered on Kanon's behalf for lacking the ability to devour, Sano couldn't help but wonder to her hair. The free locks reached her shoulders and flew with the rushing air of the Burst Status.

"Do you think you'll keep it like that? Your hair I mean?" the inmate asked without thinking.

"UH-Do you think I should?" Kanon bashfully stroked her hair.

"I mean you are glowing." Sano joked.

Kanon began to cackle uncontrollably as she tried to contain herself. Soon though Sano joined her and the two began laughing, bumping into each other.

As the pair continued to fumble, Unit 1 became aware and watched with interest.

"What's so funny over there?" Erina asked, confused by the display.

"Our Black Knight has further increased his advance on the maiden. You have my support!" Emil cheered, startling Erina.

"Most people are still afraid of Kanon, so I've never seen someone go in on her before. Not bad Sano, not bad." Kota complimented. Erina was further confused and wasn't sure how to respond.

HEY IS ANYBODY OUT THERE! THE DOOR'S STUCK!

A muffled voice shouted from down the trap line. Sano and Kanon looked to see the source was the toppled APV.

Kanon squinted at the vehicle noticing a black insignia on its side.

"It's the same symbol on your shirt." Kanon said.

"Yeah." Sano replied.

The two said nothing more as Kanon's burst status ended.

"WE'RE COMING JUST HOLD ON!" Kota yelled as he ran to the APV with Erina and Emil.

Kanon and Sano watched the trio in silence, making no move to assist them.

"Kanon." Sano said.

"You called me by name again...." Kanon said with a smile.

I thought it was just me.

"Should I not?" Sano asked, with a hint of worry.

"No it's fine, it's just a big adjustment. What were you about to say? I didn't mean to interrupt you." Kanon fidgeted bashfully.

"(Damn I didn't mean to say that out loud.)" Sano thought bitterly.

Maybe you're getting more comfortable around her. I for one though would like to be as far away from her gun as possible.

"Thank you." Sano said.

"For what?" Kanon replied.

Unit 1 continued to pry open the APV door.

"For shooting that helmet off. For whatever good things that happened after." Sano said he began approaching the trio.

Kanon looked back and forth between Sano and the APV, specifically the marks on his neck.

Kanon rushed to his side and clutched his wrist. "Sano." Kanon said. The inmate was startled from the sense of hostility from her form.

"It's up to you, they don't have to leave here at all if you don't want them to!" Kanon said, staring desperately into the inmate's eyes.

Sano could only stare back at her blue eyes shocked at her proposal.