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The End of the Circus: A Tale of the Yizibajohei
Girls of the Crystal: The Good Samaritan and Vormund
by Regina Magia and Fred Herriot
C&C by Rose Ash
A side story to The End of the Circle: A Tale of the Yizibajohei, by Fred Herriot
Including characters and situations from Harry Potter, created by Joanna K. Rowling; Urusei Yatsura, created by Takahashi Rumiko; Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magika, created by Urobuchi Gen, Shaft and Aniplex; and normalman, created by Jim Valentino.
Mitakihara, a Friday in mid-summer...
"See you tomorrow, Sayaka-chan!"
Watching the brunette run off — undoubtedly racing away as fast as she could move to visit Kamijō Kyōsuke at the hospital — Kaname Madoka turned and made her way to the café a few streets down. Tomoe Mami was waiting for her outside. "Sorry I'm late, Mami-san," Madoka called out.
"Don't worry about it," Mami replied with a grin, waving down the other girl. "I actually took a while getting here myself; had some business to take care of in Asunaro."
Before Madoka could ask about what happened in Asunaro — a city located close to Mitakihara whose population had exploded thanks to refugees from the Fukushima nuclear plant disasters the previous fall — Mami went tense, her eyes scanning around. "What is it, Mami-san?!" Madoka asked.
"Witch!" Mami hissed out. "There's a witch nearby!"
A surprised look responded. Mami had told her everything about the Incubators' operations after chasing one off before it could try to contract Madoka about a year ago. Shaken by the knowledge of her close call with such a dark being, Madoka readily accepted Mami's offer to become Gifted. Shaking her head as she fought off the urge to reminisce, the pink-haired middle school senior concentrated. Her school uniform then melted and reform into a pink jumpsuit with white boots and belt and a red rose on her chest, her body cloaked with a matching pink cape with white trim. This marked her as the current incarnation of the Noble Neighbour, Tuo Ramnisei (the "Good Samaritan"), a being who could mix it up with the likes of Warwind and the Dominatrix; she also possessed very strong empathic powers. Feeling the surge of energy deep within her that would allow her to make use of her special attack, the Tehuo-ba ("Hope Wave"), the reincarnated princess of one of the few constitutional monarchies that existed in the eastern equatorial continent smiled. "Lead the way, Mami-san."
Mami smirked as she transformed her clothes to her uniform as Travestire…
Several blocks away...
I can't do anything right...!
Akemi Homura was in a rather gloomy mood.
I just embarrass myself and cause trouble for everyone...
As she walked down the street towards her home, the raven-haired girl tried not to break down and cry as she reflected several incidents over the last week.
Why?! Is this the way I'll always be...?
«Maybe it'd be better if you just died.»
She shuddered as that strange voice echoed through her mind, then her shoulders slumped in final defeat. Maybe it would be better...!
«That's right. You should just die...»
I should just die...
Suddenly and without warning, the world around her just changed...
As the very intelligent woman gaped in disbelief, the ground beneath her feet morphed into a weird replica of Pablo Picasso's famous 1937 painting concerning the bombing of the city of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. Above her, the sky also morphed, turning into a mad kaleidoscope of red, orange and yellow swirls. All around her were bizarre shapes of many types.
Sculptures?! she wondered. Where am I...?
Looking around as the fear and confusion flared in her heart, Homura then paused as she heard a loud noise from behind her. Spinning around, she saw a large replica of what she realized was Paris' famous Arc de Triomphe. Over the archway was a plaque with strange-looking symbols written on it...
What's going on here?!
Almost in answer, several waxy, human-shaped figures appeared in the archway. Like something out of a zombie film from America, they began to shamble towards her, arms raised as if they were trying to grasp her. Screaming, Homura staggered back, tripping over something to make her fall flat on her backside. That was enough for the creatures to get within grasping range, making the poor girl croak in mortal terror before she squeezed her eyes shut...
"HOLD IT!"
Homura's eyes snapped open, making her look up to see two of her classmates in very strange costumes that flattered their teenage bodies, gazing in what appeared to be grim amusement at the attacking zombies...who were now being held fast by yellow ribbons that were emerging from Mami's gloved hand. "You okay, Homura-chan?" Madoka then asked as she gazed with concern at her.
"M-Madoka-s-san...?" Homura stammered. "Wh-wh-what's g-g-going o-o-on...?"
"Relax!" Mami announced with a savage grin that seemed inhuman. "We'll explain everything once we've defeated this stupid witch!"
With that, Madoka elevated herself into the air, causing Homura to croak in awed shock at a display of power that seemed to soar right out of old newsreels about metahuman battles in North America during the Greater East Asia War. Without hesitation, the current incarnation of the Noble Neighbour raced at the strange version of the Arc, her fist raised. The punch she landed shattered not just the representation of Paris' most well known war monument but all the sculptures around Homura, eliciting a pained shriek from somewhere as they all disintegrated from the impact. From one such sculpture dropped a black onyx sphere about the size of a baseball, it laced with rose stem-like markings and the whole body pierced by what seemed to be an ornate black needle of some sort.
As the zombies disintegrated, Mami smiled as she reached out with her other hand. A glowing ribbon lashed out from her gloved palm to snare the strange black sphere to yank it into her grasp. Once that was done and their surroundings began to melt back to normal, the current incarnation of the Self-Moulder of the Pure Chaos allowed her clothes to revert to her school uniform. By the time everything around them had reverted back to the way it was before this attack began, Madoka had allowed her clothes to go back to normal. "You okay, Homura-chan?!" she called out as she moved to help her classmate back on her feet while some of the onlookers noted the raven-haired teenager had fallen.
Not resisting even with her heart flooding with a torrent of questions, Homura allowed Madoka to pull her up. After a quick show of brushing down the skirt of any dirt, the three then headed off down a side street towards the Akemi home. "One Grief Seed, all ready to go," Mami then muttered as she slipped the black sphere into her skirt. "There's something I want to try with it."
"How did you do that?! What happened?!"
Hearing the rising panic in their friend's voice, Mami and Madoka shared a look before they gazed on Homura. "That's a bit of a story," the latter mused...
Outside Habitation Four on Yiziba, two days later...
Nesu...TIMDU-MEM!
Stepping clear of the glowing wall that marked this branch of the Great Crystal, Homura allowed her eyes to open as she gazed on the grey jumpsuit with the purple belt, boots and gauntlets and the silver diamond insignia on her chest. Grinning as she allowed the memories of her past lives as the Custodian of the Mind, Timdu-mem ("Vormund"), to come to her, Homura then sighed. She was now blessed with powerful psionic abilities, including the power to forge great telekinetic barriers that matched anything the Queen of Traps herself could make. This would make her life MUCH easier...
"Looking good, Homura-chan," Madoka said with an approving nod.
A shaky nod answered her. "Guonu..."
As the crowd of metahumans who always seemed to gather when any of the children of the World of the Keystone Power Jewel came to embrace a Gift whooped on hearing what Homura had become, Mami walked over, holding out the Grief Seed she captured in Mitakihara. She had asked Nu'utam Sibie about what to do with these things once they were obtained. The current incarnation of the Scribe of the Future informed her such objects were effectively no different than a Gift crystal, though forged of ebony mesonium. Since the souls contained within had once been human, it was only right to give them a chance to reincarnate as a Yizibajohei. The Great Crystal of Power would gladly make use of a blank Battle Doll from the Doll House, Infinity's pocket dimensional version of Superman's Fortress of Solitude, to serve as the base body for the poor being now gaining a new chance to live.
Once the seed was forced into the wall of glowing mesonium, Mami smiled as she stepped back to await what might happen.
It was almost instantaneous.
Nesu...DATA!
A smiling woman appearing to be a high school freshman appeared, possessing long brown hair tied back in pigtails, bangs of those locks flowing over her forehead above a pair of sparking dark brown eyes. She was now clad in an golden-orange jumpsuit with dark red belt and boots, a painter's palette on her chest. As the new incarnation of the Mad Artist of the West, Data ("Peintre"), displayed herself to the cheering crowds, Rose Potter smiled before feeling her wife's hands grasp her shoulders.
"She was a victim of the Dark Times of Magic," Thérèse Peverell noted.
One of the onlookers gazed her way. "What was that, Thérèse-beni?"
The future major domo of the Cosmic Mage Guild sighed as she embraced Rose from behind. "Izabel Catherine Monvoisin," she explained. "She was a Seer, a magical precognitive like Luna Lovegood." As the others listening to this nodded, the future Duchess of Kyme Eau added, "She was convicted of actions against muggles — norms — that hurt the family of the ruler of her homeland, then was burned alive at the stake to atone for her 'crimes'." As many in the crowd winced as they imagined what that was like, Thérèse added, "She was later exonerated by the French Royal Ministry of Magical Affairs after magicals were able to break away from muggles and rule themselves, but given what Madoka and Mami just discovered in their fight scene campaign against the Incubators..."
"You are English?!"
That was Izabel, who was now gazing their way. "Oui, Madame Monvoisin," Thérèse answered in French before switching to Yizibajohei. "Welcome back."
"I am grateful for this chance, Madame," she admitted before gazing at Mami, reaching out. As the blushing teenager took her hand, the reborn native of Paris gave her a curtsy. "Mademoiselle...?"
"Travestire," the current incarnation of the Self-Moulder said.
As the new incarnation of the Mad Artist nodded in approval, Homura watched what was going on, an embarrassed yet grateful smile on her face. You're not the only one, Sempai, she mused. To fight alongside you to keep our friends safe and sound from those monsters, Madoka-san...I am honoured...
Fin...For Now!
WRITER'S NOTES
This takes place a few months before the main story. In Urusei Yatsura continuity, this would fall around the time of the third movie, Remember My Love. In Harry Potter continuity, this would fall between Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix; note that to match the age of the Warlock (Rose Potter, né Harry Potter), a filler year was inserted between Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire.
The character of Peintre is formerly the witch Izabel from Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magika. As the Mad Artist of the West, Izabel possesses the ability to animate any image she touches. Her paintbrush can be used not only to paint, but as a melee weapon or to spray paint-like adhesive/acid. Her first-self's homeland is the Yizibajohei analogue of France, known as Lerimtuto. The name is a contraction of the phrase "leyo'o rimr'be tuto" ("Land of Free Warriors"); this is based on the face that the root term for what became known as "France" was interpreted as meaning "free" by the Romans.
The Dark Times of Magic is Fred's nickname for the period of history leading up to the passing of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy in 1689, thus corresponding to the time of the Reformation in Europe. This was when rhabdophobia, the fear of magicals by normals, was at its height. The name given to this story's interpretation of Izabel is based on a real person, Catherine Monvoisin AKA "la Voisin", who lived from circa 1640 until she was burned at the stake in 1680.
