Chapter 3; A Battle Between Friends
Thursday afternoon saw Maylin lying on her back, rather uncomfortably since she was still in an Uchigane, and breathing hard as she tried to get the world to stop spinning. Anna and Erin were standing over her, Anna looking rather concerned and Erin looking unimpressed. "So, you understand what you did wrong there?" he asked, crossing his arms. Unable to speak just yet, Maylin just nodded. Erin just sighed and turned away, shaking his head. Finally, with a groan, she sat back up, clutching her head as the earth felt liked it was tilting again. She had been sparring with the twins every afternoon since Monday, and true to their word they hadn't gone easy on her. Her attempt at taking Anna out in one shot earlier had resulted in a heavy blow to the back and meeting the ground at rather high speeds. She was surprised that the crater wasn't larger, since it felt like she hit the ground a lot harder than that.
After she had gotten back onto her feet, Erin waved his hand over the ground and triggered a recharge station for the IS to spring from the ground. Taking a cable from the top of it, he walked over to her IS and plugged it into a port on her back. Her shield energy immediately jumped to 10% and began climbing at a steady rate. Taking the time to catch her breath, Maylin went over everything she had learned over the past few days. She had a decent understanding of sword play by now, but her aim with the Uchigane's rifle could use serious work. However, since it appeared that Madoka's IS specialized exclusively in melee combat, they had chosen to focus on her melee skills first. As a result, Maylin had gained a new respect for how good Anna was with her sword. She hadn't even been forced to use her larger blade, which she had explained was something she only used when she needed to. Though, how she would ever be driven into that kind of situation Maylin didn't know or want to guess.
Finally her shields reached max charge. Erin unhooked her and sent the charge port back into the ground before getting a healthy distance between himself and the two girls. Meanwhile, Maylin had already squared up with Anna, her sword raised and ready. She was still a little light headed from that last blow, but she wasn't about to let that slow her down. "You sure about this, May?" Anna asked as she took her stance as well. Maylin nodded again before springing at her, bringing her sword down to smash into Anna's blade. The sound of the metal colliding rang through the stadium, and for a time they remained locked together. Finally, Anna broke off and took flight with Maylin close on her heels. Putting on a burst of speed, she tried to get up behind her, but Anna just spun around and used her larger sword as a shield to absorb the blow before flinging Maylin's sword aside. Too tired to react fast enough, Maylin was unable to do anything more than float there as Anna's sword smashed into her chest, sending Maylin back towards the ground. Gritting her teeth, Maylin spun around and put all of her thrust into stopping, just barely avoiding contact with the arena floor. When she turned back to Anna, it was to see her sword pointing between her eyes. Letting her shoulders slump, Maylin accepted her fifth loss of the day with what pride she could muster before landing.
Allowing her IS to destruct in a flash, she collapsed to the ground while she tried to catch her breath. Before she knew it, a wet towel had been draped onto her head from behind. It felt so good after all of the exercise that she just moaned in pleasure. "You're welcome," Erin said simply before holding a water bottle before her eyes, "You know, this isn't that big a deal. You don't have to kill yourself." Anna, who had destructed her own IS and joined Maylin on the ground, nodded in agreement with her brother. "Well, I don't think that's the case," Maylin said, taking the bottle and taking a big gulp of water, "And I don't think Madoka thinks so, either." "And why is that? What is so damned important that you're pushing yourself this hard?" Erin asked, crossing his arms, "Just tell me it's not pride." When she shook her head, he breathed a little easier. It was good to know that his friend wasn't nearly killing herself over something as stupid as pride. "I think it has to do with Madoka's pain," Maylin said, looking down, "I think she's hurting really badly, and doesn't know how to fix it. I think that's what has been driving her to act so cruel to anyone and everyone. She doesn't want to risk getting close to anyone again."
Anna silently pondered that while Erin began to pace beside them. Although Maylin hadn't known them long enough to know the signs, Anna knew her brother was seething at Madoka's actions. He was a very blunt person, to put it nicely. While some people found that off-putting, Anna quite liked it in people. Erin didn't bullshit, didn't lie or say anything but what was on his mind. But the one kind of person that always seemed to get under his skin was the kind that took their pain out on others rather that dealing with it themselves. "It's your pain, not theirs," he'd tell them, completely deadpan. It was always enough to bring a smile to Anna's face, and just one more reason she cherished her brother. "Alright, I understand," she said, getting back up, "Ready for another round yet?" Maylin nodded, looking eager as she got back up. Handing the towel and bottle back to Erin, she summoned her IS and took her stance again. The ring of swords clashing could be heard for a long ways as they continued to spar, with Maylin steadily growing better, her reactions faster and more coordinated.
By the time she had finished for the day, she was almost too tired to make it back to her room. She was definitely too tired to change her clothes and opted for just collapsing onto her bed. She was asleep in seconds, breathing softly and enjoying the dreamless sleep of the exhausted. When Madoka came back to the room she found Maylin sleeping peacefully, and for a moment she felt that familiar anger dull. This girl was working so hard to try and reach her, pushing herself past most people's breaking point. She had never really known someone to be willing to go that far. Her mother hadn't been around enough for her to know what she would do in this situation, and her father was too…settled, for her to picture him worked up about something. Don't forget, it's all just an act she thought, shaking her head, they act nice so long as they have something to gain, and once they get it they're through with you. But Maylin didn't have anything to gain from this, at least nothing that Madoka could see. So why? Why was she pushing herself so hard?
"So, have you heard?" Simon asked Houki the next day. They had agreed to eat together at least once a week, sharing what they could about their respective dorms to try and keep things orderly. It was always…entertaining, hearing about the different ways these kids tried to fool them. "Heard what?" she asked, looking bored. "About our daughters. There's a match between them tomorrow," Simon answered, laughing slightly at the spit take Houki did. "They're doing what?!" she demanded, turning to him. "Apparently, they have some kind of wager based on it," he continued, taking a bite from his own sandwich, "I can't imagine how this is going to end up." "But Maylin still doesn't have a personal IS, does she?" Houki asked, looking concerned, "How's she going to fight Madoka?" "Easy, she's borrowing an Uchigane." "But she can't beat Akino Hana with an Uchigane! It's not possible!" She exclaimed, slamming her hands on the table for emphasis.
Taking a long sip from his drink, Simon pondered the difference in capabilities. The Uchigane was a basic model; designed primarily for training and equipped with only a basic sword and rifle. Granted, it was still a formidable machine, but against custom models it inevitably fell short. Madoka's IS, the Akino Hana, on the other hand was a completely custom job. Specializing in melee combat almost exclusively, it could tear apart lesser machines with ease. Simon had witnessed a training session with Madoka, and her skill with the scythe was scary. It wasn't an easy weapon to master, and the fact that she could use it just as well in the air as on the ground didn't bode well for Maylin. "You're right," he said, "Based on the capabilities of the two machines, Madoka is sure to win."
Before Houki could say anything, Simon continued, "But, I don't think that's what will determine this battle." "Oh? And what will, mister warrior?" Houki asked, clearly trying to tease him. "I think that this fight is going to be decided by emotion," he said, not rising to the bait, "There are clearly strong feelings on both sides. I believe that the one with stronger feelings will win. And, I have to admit, I think that it'll be Maylin." "Well, of course you do," Houki said, sitting back down and looking away. Simon just smiled as his friend tried to act pouty, but he could tell she was still concerned. Despite all of the safety systems, it was still very possible to get hurt in these fights. Also, Madoka was clearly carrying around a lot of anger, which could prove dangerous to Maylin if she wasn't careful. Simon made a note to start drafting some designs for a new IS. Even if Maylin lost, she deserved some kind of gift for being so daring.
Meanwhile, Maylin was out at one of the stadiums working on her aim. Even though the targets were stationary, she was only ever able to hit the second ring. Considering the targets were made of four rings, and hitting the second translated as a 50% chance to hit, this wasn't helping her state of mind. She was growing increasingly anxious about her upcoming match. She had never been in a fight before, of any kind. And now she was about to fight someone that should have been her friend. If that didn't rattle a person's nerves, she didn't know what would. Taking a deep breath, she steadied the sights over another target before pulling the trigger. She managed to hit the third ring this time, but she still wasn't satisfied. She had seen how well Madoka had handled herself before, and unless she could hit the damned bulls-eye every time, her rifle wasn't going to be of much use. Walking up behind her silently, Erin marveled at her concentration. Finally, after she took another three shots he walked up behind her and tapped her side, causing Maylin to jump slightly.
Turning around, she saw that it was Erin and relaxed. "You shouldn't sneak up on girls with assault rifles, you know," she said, trying to sound cross. "The way you handle that gun, it'll take you months before you have the kind of accuracy you're looking for," he said, ignoring her comment, "Best to give up on that idea for now." "And reduce myself to only using a sword? No thank you," she replied, crossing her arms and turning away. Sighing, Erin summoned his own IS and walked up beside her. "There is more than one way to use a gun," he said, summoning his own and sighting up on the targets. Triggering their smart function, he sent the targets whizzing around the far end of the stadium on random paths. "You can use it conventionally; one shot, one kill," he advised as he calmly started taking out the targets, "Or, you can use it as a distraction; use the shots to confuse the enemy." At this, he began to purposefully miss the targets, sending them flying away as they tried to avoid the shots. "Lastly, you can use it to snare an opponent; give them nowhere to go but where you want them to go." Once he had herded the targets together, he fired in rapid succession and took most of them down before Maylin even knew it. "All of these are valid options, and all of them are effective," he concluded as he cleared the last target before destructing his gun.
Turning to Maylin, he saw that she was now looking at her own rifle with a new fire in her eyes. Sensing that she got the message, Erin destructed his IS and left, smiling as he heard her beginning to fire again. She was truly a gifted pilot, whether she knew it or not. It had taken him weeks to hit a stationary target's bulls-eye, and she was already damned close within a few days. I can't even imagine how good of a shot she'll be later on he thought as he left. To his surprise, he passed Houki in the halls. Instead of acknowledging him, she just hurried past and out onto the stadium grounds. She then just stood there, watching as Maylin tried to herd several moving targets together. She was having limited success, with several of them always managing to get loose. "Miss Felix, a word?" she said, causing Maylin to spin around in surprise. Rather than stick around and eavesdrop, Erin decided to leave the two to their talk.
Walking over to her, Maylin destructed her IS while trying not to stumble. She still wasn't used to being in one of them for long periods, and it was murdering her feet and calves. And that wasn't even taking into account having to wear the pilot suits, which were much more revealing than she had thought they would be. "So, I heard about your upcoming battle," Houki began, not giving Maylin any chance of avoiding the topic, "Care to explain?" Maylin tried not to look like a scolded child, but failed as she crossed her arms behind her and looked away. "I don't know what you mean," she said, trying to sound innocent. "You know, you're about as good of a liar as Simon is," Houki replied, smiling, "Out with it; what's going on?" Taking a deep breath, Maylin explained what had happened, as well as her own theory as to why Madoka was acting so difficult. Houki just listened, surprised that this girl had grown so much in just a week. She's not the same little girl that ran around the house with Madoka she thought, smiling.
"I'm sorry, but I have to ask," Maylin finished, "Why weren't you ever around for Madoka?" Houki was taken back by the question, and almost let her temper get the better of her. Then she actually thought about it, and the answers she came up with only made her feel guilty. "I guess the only real explanation is that I wanted to make amends with my sister," she said, looking sad, "We didn't have the best relationship before, and I wanted to fix that. I never really thought about what that would do to my family." Not knowing what to say, Maylin just let the silence hang there as they both struggled with their own guilt. In their own ways they had abandoned Madoka, and now that they were facing it fully it left them feeling like trash. "So, that's your reason," Houki said finally, turning to leave, "Well then, I wish you luck." "Thank you, Aunty Orimura," Maylin said, smiling. She then summoned her IS again before returning to her target practice. It was another late night when she finally dragged herself back to the dorms, but she was so anxious that sleep didn't come easy.
As Saturday finally arrived, it was greeted with apprehension by several people as the two girls prepared to fight. Standing in the hanger bay, Maylin fought to control her nerves as she looked out into the arena. Erin and Anna had already left to find seats, although they weren't exactly short of choices. The fight hadn't been publicized, so only a few people even knew it was happening. However, Maylin's father was one of them, and he had chosen to pay her a visit before she launched. Walking up to her, he placed a hand on one of hers. Well, technically, it was the machine's, but the gesture was still touching. "Relax," he said, smiling up at her, "You've done all that you can to prepare for this, right?" When she nodded, he continued, "Then you have nothing to fear. You'll win this thing, I know it." "A-and if I don't?" she asked, fearing the answer but still needing to hear it. Knowing full well what she meant, Simon sighed and lightly poked her side, causing her to flinch. It was still one of the places where she was ticklish, after all. "If you don't win, it doesn't matter," he said, "You're still my daughter, and I'll still love you." Smiling and blushing slightly, Maylin nodded before stepping onto the catapult. "Go get them," Simon said as she launched.
Rocketing into the arena, she circled the outer wall as she again got a feel for the controls. Finally, she returned to the center and landed in front of an impatient Madoka. She had her scythe resting on her shoulder and was tapping the pole with one finger while she glared at Maylin. "Well, look at you. You actually kept your word this time," she said. "We settle this now, Madoka," Maylin promised, summoning her sword and taking her stance. "Yes, we do," she agreed, raising her scythe off her shoulder and taking a two-handed grip, "Just don't come crying to me when I break you." Without warning, she charged Maylin, bringing the scythe around and catching her in the side. Gasping, Maylin was flung into the stadium wall. Up in the stands, Anna gasped at the blow her friend just took while Erin crossed his arms and glared at Madoka. She's much more aggressive than usual he realized as she charged again. Before Madoka could land another attack, however, Maylin came soaring out of the smoke, her sword smashing into the scythe's pole. Instead of staying locked with her, Maylin used the momentum to fling herself over Madoka's head. Quickly summoning her rifle in her left hand, she fired several shots into her back before flipping around and flying up and away, just barely avoiding a back-handed slash.
Growling, Madoka whirled around and gave chase while dodging Maylin's fire. Her accuracy had improved some, but not nearly enough to hit Madoka in flight. However, that wasn't what she was trying to do. Rather than going for hits in general, Maylin fired around Madoka, forcing her to come at Maylin from the right where she could actually block with her sword. Madoka seemed more than happy to oblige her as she came at her again, spinning her scythe around several times to build up some speed before bringing it in an upwards slash at Maylin's right arm. Dodging to the left, she just avoided the blade, but she didn't avoid the kick to the stomach. The wind knocked from her, Maylin was helpless as Madoka brought the scythe around again and slashed her across the chest, draining 27% of her shield energy in one blow. However, after her attack Madoka was briefly exposed, and Maylin took advantage of that. Dashing forward, she stabbed at Madoka's chest and scored a hit before Madoka backhanded her and sent her reeling backwards.
"That one's going to cost you!" she shouted. Her wings then began to glow, several ports along them opening and deploying something strange. They looked like glowing flower petals, but when they contacted something solid they evaporated. The hell kind of system is that Erin wondered, leaning forward. Unknown to him, Simon was also wondering the same thing. He hadn't seen the girl use this before, but from the way she was acting it couldn't be good. For a moment, Maylin was transfixed by the display. It looked so beautiful after all, how couldn't she be? Madoka took advantage of this and smashed into her again, taking them both back down to the ground and creating a sizable crater. Growling, Maylin brought her rifle up and began emptying the clip into Madoka's stomach. Gasping from the impacts of the rounds, she leapt clear of Maylin and stood a safe distance from her, looking confused. That should have stopped her rifle from working she thought. Then she shook her head, angry with herself over such a stupid oversight. Of course, it uses actual rounds, not energy blasts. As Maylin got back up, she noticed that the girl still looked as determined as ever.
"Why? Why are you trying so damned hard?" Madoka demanded, bringing her scythe up in case she tried something. "Because, we're sisters, Madoka," she responded, remembering the conversation they had before she had left, "We told each other that, remember? We may not be related by blood, but we're sisters in spirit. And I will not let my sister be consumed by anger." Growling again, Madoka charged her, prepared to strike this pest down. She was wrong, she had to be wrong. She didn't remember that promise, didn't even try to stay in touch. She just left her alone, like everyone else. And now that she was at risk of losing, she thought that some flowery words were going to save her? Bringing her scythe down, she aimed for Maylin's head but was stopped short by her sword. Rather than glaring at her, or doing anything aggressive, Maylin just stood there, holding the scythe above her head and looking at Madoka with something like pity.
This only served to infuriate Madoka more as she pulled her scythe back. They traded several blows, the two girls giving as little ground as they could while they slowly chipped away at each others shields. Finally, they traded a massive blow, knocking each other back a few paces. Standing where they landed, they tried to catch their breath as they stared at each other. Maylin wondered how long she could keep this up, while Madoka was trying desperately to figure out why someone would suddenly give a damn about her. Shaking her head to try and clear the doubts, Madoka charged again. Rather than sidestepping the blow, Maylin brought her own sword up, prepared to finish this, one way or another. At the last second, she lunged forward, bringing her sword across Madoka's middle while her scythe slashed across her shoulder. They slid past each other, both of them holding their positions for a second. Then, at the same time, both of their IS read 0% shield energy and disengaged, ending the match in a clear draw. This met scattered applause from their small audience. The only ones showing concern were Houki and Erin, who both knew that this was still far from over.
"So, that happened," Maylin said, turning around to face Madoka. However, the other girl had since turned around and charged at her, tackling her to the ground. "WHY?! Damnit, tell me why! Why the hell do you care so much?!" she demanded, trying to remain furious. However, the tears coming to her eyes betrayed her actual feelings, and this only served to strengthen Maylin's resolve. "Because," she began, not moving to get up, "We were friends, Madoka. I know that I didn't make an effort after I left, and I'm so sorry for that. But, I can't just sit back and watch you destroy yourself." "That's it? That's your reason?" Madoka asked, sounding astounded. "I want to be your friend again," Maylin continued, shocking the other girl into silence, "I know you've suffered, and I truly want to help you. I do." "Why do you people…why do you have to be so damned kind…" Madoka said, finally running out of steam. To Maylin's surprise, she began to cry as she let her head fall. Moving so she was sitting up, Maylin hugged her friend as she let out the pain she had kept bottled up inside while she tried not to cry as well. It was an…interesting end to a match, to say the least.
"What did I tell you?" Simon asked as he turned to Houki. He was mildly surprised to see tears in her own eyes, but it wasn't completely unexpected. Sighing, he gave her a gentle shove, saying, "You should go down there and talk with her now." Nodding, she made her way down onto the grounds while Anna and Erin got up to leave. Holding out a hand to stop them, he said, "Those two will probably need you later, so wait outside the stadium, okay?" Houki, meanwhile, had made her way over to the two girls. Madoka had run out of tears by then, and the two of them were standing again. Seeing Houki approaching, the two girls prepared themselves for some kind of lecture, since she looked deadly serious. Walking up to her daughter, she crossed her arms and glared at her for a second. "Do you really despise me that much?" she asked, catching them both by surprise. "I-I don't…" Madoka began, looking down. "Then why didn't you come to me about this? Why did you just sit on this and suffer alone?" Houki continued, her voice softening. When Madoka didn't answer, she continued, "We're family, Madoka. You're my child, so don't you ever assume I don't care again." And with that, she stepped forward quickly and hugged her, whispering, "I'm sorry," into her ear. Too stunned to move, Madoka stood there for a second before hugging her mother back, fighting to control the tears that threatened to return. Maylin, meanwhile, watched this with a sense of satisfaction. The breaches in their respective families had been repaired, for the most part.
The next day saw an interesting change, at least from the perspective of those that hadn't witnessed the fight the other day; Maylin and Madoka hanging out and laughing together. The girl's attitude had done a complete 180, going from aggressive and confrontational to happy and outgoing. Erin and Anna were also surprised at the change, although they welcomed it as they got to know Madoka. "So, what kind of system was that you used at the end?" Erin asked. They had decided to enjoy the great weather they were having and had gone down to one of the parks. "The one with the petals?" Madoka asked, just to clarify, "It's what I use to disrupt energy weapons. In scatters the energy across every direction, rendering beam swords and energy weapons useless." "Guess it was a good thing I was using solid ammo, then," Maylin said, getting a huff from her friend. "It wasn't a fair fight. Next time, I'll mop the floor with you," Madoka promised, only to cause the others to laugh. Rather than getting mad, she smiled as she enjoyed herself for the first time in ages. In truly felt good to have friends again.
The breaches have been sealed, and Maylin's circle of friends begins to grow. She will need them in the future. What kind of challenges will they face next? And will the choices made in the past come back to haunt them all? Till the next chapter.
*sigh* Thanks to a storm sweeping through here on October 23, my internet went down. That, on top of the fact that the tech department clearly doesn't know how to talk to people when it makes a change has resulted in a lengthy process to get it restored. In short, fuck college internet.
