In which Mizuko's secret is revealed, Runa starts having doubts, and I pay homage to Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. A note on timing: Runa and Mizuko's story takes place before the start of the series.
Chapter 4: I will protect you
"I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well."
It was the third time that week that Mizuko had excused herself from class. She had the same look of desperation on her face each time. Runa watched worriedly from her desk across the classroom.
I'm gonna figure out what's going on, she resolved, standing up. She was incredibly lucky that the nurse's aid was out that day.
"I'll take her to the nurse's," Runa volunteered. Mizuko shot her a concerned look.
"Very well, Runa," the teacher agreed. Runa dipped her head gratefully before existing the class with Mizuko.
In the hallway, Runa reached up and grabbed her shoulders, forcing the taller girl to look down.
"Mizu-chan, what's going on?" she demanded. "This is the third time you've left the class sick. Also, you were late for rehearsal yesterday, and you won't answer my texts. What's up?"
"It doesn't concern you, Runa," Mizuko muttered, glancing away. Runa glared for a moment, before softening her expression.
"I'm just worried," she told her. "You're not yourself, Mizuko. Something's bothering you, I can tell."
"I really don't want to involve you," Mizuko said. "It's just…I have a new job."
"You got a job?" Runa titled her head, confused as to how that was bad news. "Wait, that's awesome, Mizuko! That you landed a job in high school, I mean!"
"No, it's not like that." Mizuko shook her head. "This job is different than what you're thinking. It's…dangerous, ok? I want to keep you safe, and in order to do that I can't tell you what it is."
"Dangerous? What do you mean?" Runa prompted. But Mizuko stepped away from her friend.
"Just let me take care of it." She offered Runa a weak smile. "I'm sorry I haven't been answering your texts, I've just been really busy. If you'd like, we can go to the bakery together after rehearsal tomorrow, ok? I can help you with your chem homework, and you can help me with line memorization." Runa also took a step back.
"And I thought I was your best friend…" she mumbled, staring at the ground. Mizuko's eyes widened, looking like she wanted to protest. The voice that responded, however, was in Runa's head.
You are, Runa! You are my very best friend, which is why I can't tell you about what's been going on. It was Runa's turn to be shocked. She stumbled back, shaking her head.
"What was that?!" she asked aloud.
Trust me. Please? Runa stared at her friend incredulously. The voice in her head was Mizuko's, but the girl across from her hadn't moved her mouth once. Runa swallowed roughly, and managed a nod.
Thanks. Mizuko stepped forward for a moment and gave Runa a fleeting hug. Runa didn't have time to reply, as she watched Mizuko vanish down the hallway. She returned to the classroom in silence, her head pounding from her experience.
"Ok, class, I'd like you to all pick a partner for this next assignment," the teacher announced. The students paired up instantly. And just like how it'd been before she'd met her best friend, Runa was the odd one out.
"Mizu-chan…" she muttered offhandedly, sinking into her seat.
"Does anyone want to take Runa into their group?" the teacher asked, noticing the girl lacked a partner. No one volunteered, and Runa sunk further in her chair.
"Very well. Runa, come join this group," he instructed, pulling up a chair. The other girls didn't seem too pleased, but took her in nonetheless. Runa sat down awkwardly as they discussed, trying to make herself as small as possible. It was the longest class period Runa ever had to suffer through.
The walk home from school was, unsurprisingly, a lonely one. Runa kept her eyes glued to the pavement, her bag slouching off her back.
"It's here, right?" Her best friend's hushed voice made Runa glance up. Sure enough, the minty-haired girl was examining a wall closely, alongside the white creature Runa had seen outside of the bakery window.
"That's right," the white creature replied. "I'll leave you to it." It walked off, tail billowing in the gentle breeze. Mizuko glanced in both directions quickly, before walking straight into the wall. She vanished. Runa instinctively rubbed her eyes.
What the…? She hesitantly approached the building wall Mizuko had vanished into. It looked in every way like an ordinary brick wall. Hesitantly, she pressed her hand against the brick. It sunk straight through, as though the wall was made of gelatin. She retracted her arm, staring at the brick in bewilderment.
"Mizuko?" she asked the wall, earning an odd stare from a passing couple. She didn't get a response. She thought back to her conversation with her best friend at school. Mizuko told her to trust her…right before she abandoned her, and left Runa to be partnered with those awful girls. Runa shook her head.
Fine. If you're not gonna tell me about your job, I'm gonna find out myself!
Runa backed up and took a quick glance around to see if anyone was watching. Then, without considering the consequences, she dashed forward and dove straight through the wall portal.
When she emerged, she was on her back, staring up at an orange sky. Pulling herself into a sitting position, she realized she was in an open field. Except the grass was blue, and the soil beneath a dark crimson. Mizuko was nowhere in sight.
A sudden, ear-piercing squawk made her glance upwards. Five crow-like birds were circling above her head. Looking closer, she realized the crows didn't seem to have faces. With another squawk, the birds dove at their prey in a straight, uniform life. Runa screamed, rolling out of the way just in time as their beaks lodged into the soil. Eyes wide in horror, she scrambled to her feet and began running through the blue grass, searching for the wall that had brought her. But the field was practically endless, and the wall had seemingly vanished. The crows continued to dive at her, pulling at her hair and ripping off pieces of her school uniform. One managed to nick the side of her neck, leaving a fresh wound. She winced, but continued her panicked sprint through the nightmarish field.
"M-Mizuko!" she called weakly, her voice breaking. Her legs were becoming numb from running. Her stamina was awful, as she'd discovered when she tried out for the track team as a first-year. Just as she began to feel lightheaded, a silhouette emerged in front of her.
Mizuko…? she wondered hopefully. She approached it, but froze when she realized the towering silhouette was not her best friend. In fact, it wasn't even human. From what she could see, it was a thin, badly deformed scarecrow. It tilted back and forth on its post in a hypnotic, pendulum-like sway. It's arms were covered with the faceless crows.
Runa was too terrified to move. All she could do was stare at the scarecrow before her, moving her head slightly with the swinging motion, almost in a trance.
It must feel soooo awful, the scarecrow seemed to be speaking to her. It's voice drawled in time with its swaying. To be abandoned by your one and only friend.
"M-Mizu-chan didn't abandon me," Runa muttered, although she felt doubt begin to trickle into her mind. The wound on her neck was burning.
Left all alone, like spoiling roadkill… the scarecrow continued, it's voice laced with mock-sympathy. To be pecked and pulled apart by birds…
"Alone…" Runa mumbled. She envisioned her classroom, filled with faceless crows, all staring at her hungrily as she was assigned to join a group of them.
She took a hesitant step towards the scarecrow.
"RUNA!" The familiar voice snapped her out of her trance. The crows on the scarecrow's arms squawked and scattered into the air. Runa, realizing she was their target, screamed and crouched as low as she could into the blue grass.
It all happened in a flash. She stayed down, hoping her life would end in the quickest manner possible. Then, something landed in front of her. She peaked up, eyes widening in awe of the sight. It was Mizuko…but in something that looked like a Halloween costume. Her frock was a blend of turquoise and chocolate brown thread, and her hair was held halfway up with pins. In her hands appeared to be some type of harp. The only part of the outfit that didn't match the rest was a blue scarf around her neck, where a clover-shaped gem was pinned.
"Stay behind me, Runa," she whispered to her friend through gritted teeth. "I'll protect you."
"Mizuko, what-" Runa began, but her words were cut short as the crows dove straight for the minty-haired girl. Runa shut her eyes, not wanting to see her best friend perish. But then she heard a sweet melody, and opened her eyes in time to see a glowing yellow ring wipe out all the crows surrounding Mizuko. She plucked the strings of her harp again, emitting another pulsing ring of yellow that knocked the second wave of crows out of the sky. Then she walked towards the scarecrow.
"This is the end of you, witch," she hissed through clenched teeth. "No one tries to hurt my best friend and gets away with it." She held onto the strings of her harp for an extended length of time. Then, she gave them a sharp, resounding pluck. A seemingly endless ripple of golden rings emerged from her harp. Runa watched in wonder as the scarecrow was hit by each, slouching further with each wave. By the end of it, the post was empty and all that was left of the scarecrow was a pile of moldy straw. Suddenly, the field disappeared. Runa was back outside the brick building with Mizuko, with no evidence the field had ever been there. In place of the straw was a small black orb.
"She was weaker than I thought," Mizuko muttered, plucking the orb from the ground. "Still, leaving a witch on it's own like that could result in all kinds of trouble."
"M-Mizu-chan…" Runa managed, still crouched on the ground. Mizuko was at her side in an instant.
"Promise me you'll never enter a witch's barrier like that again, ok?" Her tone was strict, although her eyes were filled with concern. "You had me really worried!" Runa managed a nod, but all that came from her voice was a pathetic whimper. She was trembling like a leaf. Mizuko's expression softened, and she gently embraced her friend.
"It's ok," she comforted her. "It's all over now…you're safe, I promise…" She waited for Runa to stop shaking before releasing her.
"How's that witch kiss?" she asked, checking the wound on Runa's neck. "Oh, it's already starting to fade. Thank goodness." She helped her friend to her feet.
"Come on, let's go to my house. I'll make you some hot tea, ok? My parents are out, it'll be just you and me." Runa could only nod again.
Runa sipped her steaming mug of tea, taking comfort in the warmth emanating into her hands from the cup. She was sitting at Mizuko's table, a cotton blanket draped over her shoulders. She was still shaken by the whole ordeal, but it wasn't nearly as bad as when she first escaped the barrier. Mizuko sat across from Runa, watching her carefully.
"Are you feeling better?" she asked with a wan smile. Runa nodded.
"Yeah." She stared into her mug. "Mizu-chan…" she started. "This…this new job you have…"
"Yeah, I guess you figured out my secret, huh?" She laughed sheepishly. "Honestly, I wanted to keep you out of it, to avoid what happened this afternoon. Although I should have known your stubbornness would lead you to find out some day." She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a small, golden capsule. It had a glowing turquoise core. "This is a soul gem," she explained to Runa. "It's proof that…well, that I'm a magical girl."
"A magical girl?" Runa echoed, taking another gulp of her tea. "Like in those animes we used to watch when we were younger?"
"Kinda," Mizuko said. "Anyways, I took this job in exchange for a wish." Runa stopped mid-sip.
"A wish?" she wondered. "What did you...wait…" The realization hit her like one of the bricks from the wall-portal. "D-did you wish that you'd-"
"Yeah," Mizuko nodded, understanding what Runa was getting it. "I'm really sorry for lying to you, Runa. But I was really freaked out that I wouldn't get the part! And then Kyubey showed up in my window while I was practicing, and it told me I could have the part if I-"
"Wait, who?"
"Kyubey. A cute little cat-like creature that turns ordinary girls like me into magical girls."
"Oh." Runa instantly thought about the white creature with the big tail. Although she wouldn't use the word 'cute' to describe it. In fact, to her, it was a bit creepy.
"Anyways, that scarecrow monster you saw was a witch. The crows were her familiars, and the field was her barrier. It's my job, as a magical girl, to hunt down these witches before they can hurt anyone."
"I see." Runa nodded. "So how long do you have to hunt witches?"
"I'm not sure," Mizuko admitted. "Kyubey never told me. A year, maybe?"
"And you're not at all concerned that your new job will get in the way of rehearsal?"
"I mean, I guess a little. But I've made it to rehearsal every day now, and have you heard my voice? Ever since I made that wish, it's been so beautiful!"
"It was always beautiful, even before the wish…" Runa muttered. Mizuko didn't hear her.
"Anyways, I guess now that you know, you can understand why I've had to leave class," Mizuko went on, collecting their empty mugs and putting them in the sink. "I can use my soul gem to sense nearby witches. Unfortunately, they have a habit of showing up during class."
"The teacher is going to get suspicious," Runa pointed out.
"Then I'll try and hunt them before class starts," Mizuko determined. "No harm in that, right?"
"I guess." Runa removed the blanket and hopped off the chair. "I probably should head home. My homework isn't going to finish itself, after all!" She gave a forced laugh.
"Of course." Mizuko walked her to the door. "Wanna meet at the bakery tomorrow after rehearsal?"
"Alright." Runa managed a smile. "See you tomorrow, then." Mizuko stepped forward and gave her a hug.
"Call me if you ever become worried, alright?" she whispered. "I will protect you. That's my job as a magical girl." Runa hesitantly returned the hug.
"Will do," she muttered. But even in the embrace, she couldn't shake the feeling that Mizuko really had changed since the morning her part was announced. And that her friend would never be the same again.
Is this…is this even Mizuko I'm hugging right now?
