A/N: I have taken to the liking of making suspenseful endings in the spirit of letting people reach their own conclusions, at least temporarily.
The reviews I got about "killing off" Beatrice and Battler still surprised me.
It's nice to know at least some of you take your Umineko stuff seriously, though.

Chapter Seven: Parallel Universe

"Maria-sama! It's been so long!"

"Uuu!" she temporarily halted the dice game to greet the Seven Sisters. "Beelz! It's good to see you!" she wrapped her arms around the demon of Gluttony.

Leviathan folded her arms, unhappy about being ignored.

"Maria-sama," Belphegor approached her and bowed. "Have Beatrice-sama and Battler-sama already left?"

"Yes," she smiled, looking upwards.

"If I may know," the demon of Sloth began again; "what will happen if they get it wrong?"

Maria giggled. "Nothing. Most witches have to try their equation multiple times before accessing their power," her smile became saddened. "The real problem is...what happens if they get it right?"

"What do you mean, Maria-sama?" Mammon inquired.

"Well, the only witch to ever tap into Beato's magic, aside from her guardian, is Ange," her figure hovered. "Her witch guardian wasn't strong enough to tap into the magic for more than two days at a time, and Ange had the benefit of solving the equation gradually. That means both of them will be trying to take in the full force of an eternity of magic," Maria looked up, trying to locate where they had gone.

Belphegor put a hand on her shoulder. "Please don't worry, Maria-sama,"

"Belphe's right," Mammon answered. "I'm sure Beatrice-sama and Battler-sama will be just fine. They wouldn't be able to tap into it if they weren't ready,"

"Uuu! You're right, Mammon. Why don't we all play a game together while we wait?"

"""Yes! We'd love to!"""

Maria had to pick a game all nine of them could play, which was no simple feat, but she managed it. About part way through the game, Leviathan was in the lead, when a stream of golden particles came gently drifting down. Maria lifted her hand and caught a few of them, then let them slide through her fingers. It felt like tiny grains of sand. Piles of them heaped up on the "floor," and some fell away.

"Is this...good?" Lucifer asked, touching one of the piles lightly.

"Maria doesn't know," the witch answered. "I don't even know how to know," more and more kept falling from the sky, building the piles up higher. "Ange is the only one who might know,"

They abandoned the game in favor of trying to figure out what had happened. The particles stopped falling from the sky, and all they could do was stand and watch as they sparkled. Maria looked down. It shouldn't be possible for someone to "die" from accessing their power, but...nothing like this had ever happened before. The piles began to change their shape without any influence from the outside. Slowly, they moved around, as though little handfuls of gold flecks were playing games amongst each other. At the end, she was looking at two full-sized replicas- one of Beatrice, one of Battler, lying beside each other on their backs. Golden particles became flesh and clothing from the feet up. Their eyes were open, rolling around dizzily. They probably weren't quite conscious yet.

"Th...they're covered in blood..!" even Belphegor was horrified at the sight.

"Uuu! Don't worry," Maria smiled; "that's normal. When you tap into such strong magic, something like that is bound to happen," after all, if you try to pour the entire ocean into a shot glass full-force, the glass will break- without question. But a shot glass isn't capable of learning; a person is. They could learn how to hold the magic within themselves by becoming eternal. It was certainly no easy feat, and they were probably still in the midst of trying to take it all in.

Beelzebub broke the silence. "Is anyone ready for another snack?" she asked. "I wish Ronove-sama was here, he makes the best chocolates!"

"I could go for another snack," Yuuki answered while she was still finishing off her most recent spicy pickle.

"Y-you guys are gonna get fat!" Asmodeus exclaimed. "If you don't have a nice body, you'll never find a prince charming!"

"Actually," Leviathan grabbed Beelz's hair; "You're fat already!"

"Shhh!" Maria put a finger to her lips and whispered; "You have to be quiet! If you wake them up, it could be bad," the girls immediately stopped.

"Maria-sama, we're sorry for making so much noise," it was Lucifer who apologized.

"It's fine. Let's just leave them alone," she rose. "We can go play a game somewhere else while we wait,"

"Maria-sama, are you sure they won't bleed to death?" Belphe seemed to be the only one who was still worried about them.

"Well, I suppose it's possible," she answered; "no witch has ever had to suffer such severe wounds. But, it's not likely for a witch to die of blood loss," they reached another solid surface no one was using, and Maria sat down. "Some witches don't even have blood. I know of one whose insides are made of candy,"

"I see," she responded. "Thank you, Maria-sama," she bowed, and after that, she stopped talking. The girls followed her and sat down on the surface.

"Hey, does anyone know what's keeping Sakutaro so long?" Maria asked. "It's been a while since we got to play a game together,"

"I don't know," Mammon answered, glancing at Leviathan.

"Wh-why are you looking at me?" she whined. "I haven't seen him, either!"

The only thing they managed to figure out that, out of the nine people there, not a single person knew where Sakutaro was. Maria couldn't help but find that strange.

"He doesn't normally come up with us," Lucifer told Maria.

"Uuu! That explains it," she grinned. "Then, if I call upon him and let him know I'm here, I'm sure he'll come," the young witch closed her eyes, and let out a deep breath. The Seven Sisters were all confused because they had expected her to actually call out for him. When he suddenly materialized before them, however, their skepticism left.

"That was amazing, Maria-sama!" Mammon squealed with delight. "How did you do that?"

"It was easy. I just had to call him in my heart,"

"Uryuu! Maria, I'm happy to see you!" he wrapped his arms around her excitedly. "You haven't come to visit us lately,"

She nodded. "You're right. I've been staying with Mama and the others, trying to help Battler. How is Ange doing?"

"She's doing just fine. How's…everyone?"

Maria pointed at the place they had just come from. They weren't that far from it, just enough that they didn't have to worry too much about making noise. "Battler separated from his piece tonight and tapped into the eternal magic,"

He looked down, eyes widening. "That doesn't look good," Sakutaro fidgeted. "Are they alright?"

"Uuu…" this one was a serious response more than a happy exclamation. "Maria doesn't know for sure. I don't think anything could have happened, but…no witch has ever tried to take in an eternal magic,"

Now he was really alarmed. "Wha-what can we do, Maria?!"

Her expression was unchanged. "Nothing. There's nothing we can do, Sakutaro," but then, she smiled and grabbed his hand. "If they weren't able to take in the magic, they wouldn't have been able to solve the equation. So, don't worry," even though she wasn't entirely sure of that, herself, Maria knew that worrying would get them nowhere.

He looked away and nodded. "You're right, Maria. What about mama and the others?"

"Uuu! They're all doing just fine, too. But, I wanted to see you, Sakutaro,"

"Really? Why?"

The little witch wrapped him in a hug. "Because I've missed you!"

"I'm so jealous!" Leviathan complained. "Sakutaro gets more attention than us!"

Giggling, Maria pulled away. "Are you feeling lonely, Levia?" she asked, tugging on Sakutaro's hand. "Let's go play a game, Sakutaro,"

He seemed to have completely forgotten what was going on with Beatrice and Battler. "Uryuu!"

And, with that, the game resumed. The passage of time in the plane of witches always seemed short, but this time, it felt virtually non-existent.

"It looks like we have to go back to Ange-sama," Mammon said, reaching for the fragment.

"It's not fair!" Leviathan protested. "You shouldn't get to go first all the time!"

She smiled deviously. "You're right," her fingers grasped it. "Luci-nee should go first,"

"B-but!" Levia stammered. "Luci-nee always gets all the attention!"

A squabble broke out. Pretty soon, Lucifer, Leviathan, and Satan were all fighting amongst themselves. Smirking, Mammon disappeared inside the fragment. After a few minutes, the others realized she was gone. Pouting in frustration, Leviathan followed, and the others right behind them.

"Will you be alright up here by yourself, Maria?" Sakutaro and Yuuki were the only two who hadn't left.

"Uuu! I won't be alone, Sakutaro. I have Battler's new furniture to keep me company. You go help the Seven Sisters, and Ange. I'm sure we'll be able to play more soon,"

"Alright, Maria! I'm going to go play lots of games with Ange," he smiled and one of his ears twitched. Within a few seconds, he had dissolved into the kakera and gone to be with the rest of them.

Maria sighed and looked around. Without saying anything, she floated down from the invisible surface and landed beside the two were laying there. Their forms were still there; if they died, they would disappear. When would they wake up? This magic was extremely powerful. It could be a while before they knew anything. Realizing that staring at their figures wasn't accomplishing any great feats, the young witch floated back up. Yuuki tentatively followed her as she seemed to be going this way and that.

"Maria-sama, what are you going to do?"

"I'm looking for a witch I know of. I have a question I'm sure she'll know the answer to,"

She nodded and continued following along.

Maria continued drifting along. Other game boards came into view, and seas of fragments were visible virtually everywhere. It was like traveling through a busy interstate. The witch they were looking for was a very powerful one who was known to dabble in all sorts of "magic." She was a knowledge power-house when it came to all kinds of witches powers; even if she wasn't able to something herself, she usually knew how someone else could do it. Although on earth it would have been a few hours, in this plane, it was almost no time at all when they came across a familiar witch, giving a rather hopeless expression to the sea of fragments in front of her eyes.

"I thought I might find you here, Thirty-four,"

She turned around. "Ah, Maria. Are you looking for a game?" as she asked, she tossed aside the kakera that was in her hand. "If you are, you certainly won't find anything interesting here. There are all just the same, boring humans as always,"

"Thank you, but no," she answered. "I'm actually looking for you,"

Her response was a shrug. "You've got to be more interesting than the humans I've been talking to. You have my attention,"

"I just have a question. Is it possible to duplicate a world that already exists?"

The responding expression was thoughtful, with shocked undertones. "…huh. I don't think I've ever gotten that question before," she tapped the lower corner of her lips. "Creating an entirely new world isn't that difficult, especially not for a Creator…but, duplicating one? Hm. Well, it depends on what you mean by 'duplicating.' If a world has already existed once, why make it twice?"

"Uu! Understood. Maria wants to duplicate a world, but…it should also be a different place," she struggled to explain what she was thinking, but the other witch seemed to understand her perfectly.

"I think I get it. Sort of like a parody," Thirty-four thought some more. "Fragments are easy to make. Entirely new worlds are easy to make. But a duplicate? That would be..difficult…but, I think someone could do it,"

"How would someone do it?"

She exhaled deeply. "You would have to figure out how to duplicate the story behind the story. I'm sure you've heard of parallel universes, right? It's basic witch knowledge,"

"Yes,"

"That's the only way I can imagine it working. The gods usually don't allow the same world to exist in the cosmos twice,"

"Aren't parallel universes where everything is opposite?"

She shook her head 'no,' and picked up a fragment. "Most worlds don't end until every possibility has been realized in the fragments, which usually eliminates the need for a parallel universe. However, there have been cases when the fragments wouldn't stop multiplying with the same story playing over and over. It became impossible to realize those possibilities in that world, so to satisfy the gods' laws about reality, an entirely different universe had to be created. Then, once that place was finished, it became possible to put the old one to an end,"

"Uu! So, all Maria has to do is make a parallel universe?"

"Yes, but be careful. An entire universe will be very difficult to make, even for a Creator,"

There was a pause. The younger looking witch looked down pensively, just then becoming aware that Yuuki was still standing behind her- awkwardly trying to figure out what was going on, but not wanting to interrupt. After a few moments, she spoke. "Then, I will ask you one last favor,"

Now her face was really stunned, but it quickly turned into a sardonic smile. "It's not often that such a young witch dares ask like that," she laughed. "But, you know what? I admire your boldness. I'll grant that wish of yours,"

Maria's expression had gone from happy and childish to solemn and serious. Even her voice changed as she made her request. "Lend me your power,"

"What? No groveling? No begging? You don't even look scared,"

The child's expression remained unchanged. "I am asking you to please lend me your power,"

"And, what if I say 'no?'"

"…uu…that would make you a liar,"

"Ohohohoho, I suppose you're right about that," although it had not been explicitly mentioned, she knew exactly what Maria was trying to do. "Then, what if I tell you I want some compensation for this wish?"

"What kind of compensation do you want?"

"Does it matter, Maria? Are you wavering?"

There was a flash of anger on her face that startled even the more experienced witch. "I will create a parallel universe no matter what. Even if you do not keep your promise, Maria will figure out how to do it eventually. I am simply asking you for a favor. Please lend me your power,"

"Believe it or not, I like the sound of that. I hate it when someone desperately throws themselves at me and begs for my help, claiming that they need me," a glowing sphere of white light appeared at the other girl's fingertips. "Witches are always more interesting than people," she said, extending her hand and grabbing Maria's. The younger one jerked as she accepted the power being loaned to her. "There. Whatever world you create, I will believe in it. You have my guarantee,"

"Thank you, Thirty-four," her smile returned.

"Oh, and one more thing, Maria- I don't really like the sound of my name in Greek,"

"Understood! I will remember that!" she grasped onto Yuuki's hand. "Let's go, Yuuki,"

"As you wish, Maria-sama," she answered, bowing slightly. "Thank you very much…witch-sama,"

"Don't mention it," she said, and with that she left to find another stream of kakeras. Maria led Yuuki away in the opposite direction.

"What must we do now, Maria-sama?"

"I am going to find out how to make a parallel universe. I can get started on it while Beato and Battler are sleeping,"

Yuuki nodded. "That's very pro-active of you, Maria-sama,"

Real witches don't have books to go by. They learn as they go along, and sometimes by consulting more experienced witches. Now that she thought of it, she probably should have asked who it was who created the parallel universes at those times, but she hadn't. "Yes. I'll have to figure out how to create the second world without going against the gods' laws. Eligibility only expressly requires a world to be 'incapable of producing enough possibilities to satisfy reality law,' but it doesn't say how to determine that," with a sigh, she added; "This will probably cause a lot of ruckus,"

More hours passed on earth as Maria slowly floated back to their original starting point. Quietly, she landed beside the two and gazed at their wounds. All of them had stopped bleeding, probably a while ago, but the wounds were still deep enough for her to see their insides. Their hearts were no longer the hearts of humans, but golden hearts that lacked arteries and veins. Their stomachs, livers, spleens- guts- were all the same. Golden organs that could keep them alive as long as they willed it. Maria smiled, but tip-toed around them so she wouldn't disrupt them.

Now, where was that box?

Maria crawled around so that she could look under the very few artifacts that remained. She found the box behind the chair Battler was always sitting in.

"Maria-sama, excuse me for intruding, but you needn't crawl on the floor like that. I will gladly do so myself,"

"Uu! I found it!" she held up the box. "It's alright, Yuuki," Maria hovered. "Come with me," Battler's furniture followed her up to the next floor and sat down beside her. She opened the box and, one by one, began to pull out the pieces. "Here's mama, Eva-obasan, Krauss-ojisan, Kinzou, Rudolf-ojisan, George-oniichan…" she named them as they came out. As their names were called, their forms appeared beside each other, until all nineteen (including Beato's pieces) of them were there.

"Maria, wh-where are we?" Rosa inquired, looking around in shock.

"Ah, that's right, you don't know this place. This is the plane of real witches,"

"The…the..?!"

"Maria told you, I'm a witch!"

They all looked around, trying to get a handle on where they actually were- but none of them could. "How did we get here?" Eva asked.

"I brought you here," she answered. "And I brought you here because I need your help,"

Hideyoshi was the first to answer. "What can we help you with, Maria-chan?"

"I'm glad you asked," she turned her legs slightly, folding her hands behind her back. "Battler wants to keep his promise and make a happy story for all of you, but…it looks like it will be impossible, in the context of the fragments. The only way I can do it is if I make a parallel universe,"

"Well…how can we help..?" Natsuhi inquired. "None of us are witches,"

"I don't need witches. I need all of you. Yuuki, can you bring me a fragment?"

"Yes, Maria-sama!" the girl floated up and found a near-by fragment to bring down.

"Thank you,"

"It is my honor to be of service to you,"

"Now, look," Maria began to explain. "This is a fragment. Fragments are...like tiny worlds, that together make up one world. Each one of these tiny worlds are made up of even smaller worlds- the worlds of the people who live in them. All of you- your stories, your pasts, your jobs, your children- all of those combine to make up these worlds. That's why I need you. There's no way I can get a hold of the stories written by Featherine, but if you will all work with me, I won't need them,"

The adults all looked at each other, inquiring the opinion of whoever was closest to them. "So, we'll have to be part of the story again?" Kyrie finally asked. Maria nodded.

"Yes, but I will need all of you. If even one person doesn't agree, then…I can't do it,"

"And…then what will happen to us, Maria?" George asked.

The little girl sighed. "The longer you remain outside your vessels, the harder it will be to send you back- and the number of times we can send you back will also decrease. We can't hold your essences indefinitely. If you choose not to go back in the game, you will 'die,' permanently…hopefully, after that, you will go to heaven,"

Jessica grabbed Kanon by the shoulders; she'd heard all she needed to. "We'll do it," all the others, including Kanon, looked at her. More assertively this time, she said; "Don't you think that, if we can live, we should?!" her grip on his shoulders tightened slightly. "Everyone…everyone else has had a chance to write this story but us!" looking at him, and then to Shannon- who stood beside her- the blonde continued even more. "There are things we want to do, things we need to do…" her eyes traveled; "disputes left unsettled, old wounds left festering, pain we never let go of; there are people we never said 'I love you' to, songs we never sang, and…most of all…stories we never told," she lifted her head up and released her grip on the smaller boy. The look on her face radiated confidence. "Besides, if we go back, maybe all of us can live long enough to become the people we want to be. Come on, guys…don't give up on our story,"

The adults, who had approached this thought with skepticism, now seemed to be swayed.

"Excuse me for saying so if it is out of line, but…" Shannon grabbed a hold of Jessica's hand, and gave it an encouraging squeeze. "I agree with ou-" Jessica gave her a sharp look, and she quickly corrected; "Jessica-san,"

Krauss nodded. "I agree,"

"And I agree with my husband,"

Within a few moments, everyone had given their consent- both the verbal and the non-verbal. Maria smiled ear-to-ear. "Uu! Thank you, everyone!" she felt the power Thirty-four had loaned her stirring within her chest at Jessica's words. They nodded, and she extended her hand. "Please, lend me your power," she said. The nineteen of them closed their eyes, and tiny specks of light moved from their hearts and heads towards her hand. It collected and collected, making the light bigger and brighter with every fleck. Their memories, feelings, and perceptions all joined together. Squinting her eyes wasn't enough to shield them; Maria was forced to close them completely. She then turned her head, and faced you- the reader- with a smile. "Spectators," she called out, offering her hand to you. "I also ask you- please lend me your power. Please believe in us- believe in our story- and lend us your power. If we all don't believe, the miracle can't happen!" in that hand, too, more light collected- little bits from those of you who were willing to believe. It was enough to make that bright, white light she had in her hands explode. Maria felt a powerful suction come over her whole body, pulling her into the center of the particles. This time, she had to cover her eyes with her hands to keep them from burning.

"Young Creator," called out a voice- a kind, high-pitched voice that sounded rather familiar. "Why do you seek to create a world that already exists?"

"Because," she tried to think of an appropriate response; "the people from that world are going to be stuck inside forever if I don't," Maria remembered what Jessica had told them all just a few moments before; "everyone has had a chance to write the story but us, and it's our story!"

There was a pause. "I see. You are from the world of Rokkenjima in 1986. That world has garnered a lot of attention," although her eyes were closed, Maria could feel that the other person was standing close to her. "…hm…" the god, who sounded far too young to have such status, was clearly thinking.

"I thought I would be able to create a parallel universe," she explained.

"Hau!" what a strange thing to say; "A parallel universe…I see. That's much different from just making a copy," Maria nodded.

"I've never made one before,"

"That's because it's not a witch's job to make one- it's a god's. If a god notices that a world is incapable of coming to a close, they are obligated to create a parallel universe for the sake of the people inside. It usually happens when a Creator or lesser god only creates a fraction of a world, or abandons it shortly after it's brought to existence. It's rare to need a parallel universe because stories have a way of working themselves out, but…there are other cases," she sighed and grasped Maria's hand, effectively moving it off her eye. The light, to her surprise, had dimmed- but not enough for her to open her eyes. "A tale will continue until either the truth is discovered, or the truths of all other worlds become irrelevant," the little witch knew she was talking about "the perfect happy ending," where no mystery exists. "Then, for the sake of the souls trapped on Rokkenjima on that day, I will allow a witch to create a parallel universe- but please don't be confused. Your family may still die on that day, even if every possibility is realized,"

"Uu! Maria understands. We all want a chance to be who we want to be. Even if it's only for two days…but, I will try to make our lives longer than that,"

She could feel the other person beginning to leave. "You will need a miracle for that,"

Maria tried to open her eyes, even in the bright light. Her vision was blurry, but she wanted to see who the other person with her was. What she saw looked like a young girl, still looking at her as she was transported backwards by some unseen force. She was smiling, probably not much taller than the witch herself, with long purple hair.

"May your efforts bear fruit," the god said, disappearing from sight range.

Maria landed harshly on the ground, still surrounded by the blinding light. They ached from trying to force herself to see. Her heart pounded. The light surrounding her returned to particle form and fell into her hand, where they solidified into a fragment. The nineteen stood there behind her, glancing down at it. She brought herself to speak. "This is the first fragment of our new world," Maria stood proudly. "For now, it's paused until you go inside. We should wait for Battler and Beato to wake up,"

There were no complaints. The witch opened the box and put all the pieces back inside; one by one, the nineteen disappeared.

"Maria-sama! We wondered where you went," Mammon hovered behind her.

"Did you bring any snacks?" Beelzebub asked.

"Not this time, Beelz,"

"Is there any news about how Beatrice-sama and Battler-sama are doing, Maria-sama?"

"Yes, Belphe. I believe they are doing just fine. The Golden Magic is becoming a part of them. They will wake up as soon as they have completely accepted the power,"

Sakutaro hugged her excitedly from behind. It startled her because she didn't see him, but she regained herself soon enough. "You mean they'll be alright?"

Maria nodded.

"Uryuu!" he responded with glee.

"We actually don't have much time left," Mammon sighed. "Ange-sama will be waking up soon,"

Belphegor nodded.

"Was I gone that long?"

"I'm afraid so,"

Maria stood and drifted down to the floor where the two new witches lay. Around that was the sea of fragments; she grabbed one. While she was there, she looked to Beatrice and Battler. It looked like the blood had, along with everything else, turned gold in color and been absorbed as part of their power. The deep holes she could see straight through earlier were now almost closed. Fragment in hand, she turned back and floated back up again.

"Here it is," she held the shining fragment out to them. "You should go back to Ange,"

They nodded and, one by one, disappeared inside the fragment. When Maria let it go, it joined back up with the rest of the kakeras.

"Yuuki,"

"Yes, Maria-sama?"

"Let's play for a while, until they wake up,"

Yuuki grinned, and pulled out a deck of cards.