Well, Dangan Ronpa 2 has been announced for an American release this fall. My only complaint is how they altered Gundam's name to Gundham (I had to alter previous chapters accordingly). I mean sure, Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko got the same treatment, but only for their last names. As such it doesn't come into play much for me, since in this story everyone's on a first name basis (well, with two exception). Disclaimer: I don't own Dangan Ronpa, Puella Magi, or Soul Eater.
Chapter 7: What Is A Witch
Kyoko looked on as Mikan examined the young girl Nagisa. She had been brought in by Chiaki and Chihiro just a few hours ago. Nagisa was, quite understandably, unnerved by the sight of Professor Stein, so he had called in Mikan and Hajime instead. Kyoko, curious as to what this was about, came along. Naturally, Yuma was with her. "Hey Mami," Kyoko said, "This kid with you?" "Sort of," Mami said when she saw her fellow Puella Magi. Mami and Kyoko knew each other from previous escapades, and the two had something of a friendly rivalry.
Chihiro was busy checking and double-checking the data streaming in from Mikan's examination. "Is it really true?," Kyoko asked Mami, "This kid used to be a witch?" Mami nodded. "As hard as it is to believe, it's true. She changed back somehow after being blasted by Chiaki and Chihiro." "Blasted?," Yuma said, "What was the weapon, some kinda tank?" "Nope," Chihiro said, "I'm actually a shotgun. Typical go-to weapon for a gamer girl like Chiaki." Yuma nodded. "One question... Why's a guy like you dressed like me?" Chihiro flinched at the statement. "Oh, so you could tell, huh?"
Mami laughed when Kyoko blurted out, "Wait, that's a guy?!" Chihiro chuckled weakly. "Yeah, I get that a lot." Mikan gave a good-natured giggle. "He started dressing that way as a child as a means to disguise his physical weakness. Even after his secret was revealed, he kept cross-dressing because it felt comfortable to him." Chihiro smiled. "Only difference is I traded in my bloomers for a pair of shorts." He lifted up his skirt to show what he meant. Mikan turned back to Nagisa. "So, can you tell us what you remember from yesterday?"
Nagisa thought for a while. "Well, I was in the hospital with my mother. Her health was starting to fail. Then this little white thing, I'm not sure if it was a bunny or a cat, it was hard to tell, came into the room asking if I wanted a wish. I just said that I wished I could share one last cake with Mommy. Next thing I now the cake is there and I'm wearing this strange outfit like a magical girl in a manga. After the cake is finished, Mommy... Passed on..." She cried for a but before wiping her tears away. "Anyway, shortly after that the creature asked why I didn't wish my mom would get better. The question hit me worse than anything else I've ever experienced. After that I blacked out for a bit."
"That may have been the point when Nagisa became a witch," Mami said, "But hold on, it sounds like she encountered Kyubey, who made her a Puella Magi. Why would she turn into a witch?" "We still need more data from the witch's themselves before we can draw any real conclusions," Chiaki said, "There's so much we don't know." Mikan nodded to Nagisa to continue her story. Nagisa nodded back. "Anyway, what happened next was kinda hazy. There seemed to be all kinds of yummy cakes and candies around me. I was able to eat as much as I wanted and not get a tummy-ache. I thought maybe it was a dream or something, since I never seemed to run out."
"The inside of the witch's barrier was made of all kinds of snacks," Chiaki said, "All of which were perfectly edible. Then again, the barrier itself is never dangerous, only the witch and its familiars." "Well," Nagisa said, "Soon after I got started, I began craving my favorite food... Cheese. Mommy would always make the best cheese sandwiches, and I began to miss it. Then I saw this yummy-looking yellow treat and thought, 'That must be the cheese I'm craving'. At first something stung me back, but it didn't seem to hurt. So I just I went to take a bite, and then something big slammed right into my head. Then I blacked out again."
Mami was visibly trembling at the thought of being called a "yummy-looking yellow treat". "Ooh," Kyoko said, "I'm gonna have tease ammo for weeks." The others all laughed. "Anyway," Mikan said, "That must have been the point when Chiaki fired upon you. Somehow the blast was able to reset your soul energy." "What a minute," Kyoko said, "What about her soul gem? If she became a Puella Magi, she should have a soul gem." "We didn't find any soul gems in the hospital," Chiaki said, "Not that it matters. Her soul is still inside her body."
"But these reading indicate she still has strong magic," Chihiro said, "This is interesting. Hey Nagisa, can you concentrate on what your costume looked like? The one you had after you made that wish?" Nagisa nodded and thought hard. Then in an instant, she began to glow. When the light faded, she was wearing a light pink shawl coat with a black undershirt that left her midriff bare. Her hands had black fingerless gloves. She was also wearing brown suspenders with light brown bows at the base, a puffed out skirt with a short hem, black polka dot leggings, and light brown slippers. On her head was a dark brown winter cap with kitty ears.
Kyoko and Mami were shocked. "How is this possible?," Mami said in shock, "She's still a Puella Magi, but she has no soul gem." Nagisa was just as surprised. "Wow. This is the same outfit." She looked herself and smiled. "It's actually kinda cute. But maybe a bit too warm for this time of year." Mami put a finger on her chin. "Well, since you are a Puella Magi, that must mean you have some sort of magic. Do you know what it is?" Nagisa shrugged. "I never got a chance to find out." Mikan looked concerned. "Kyubey was supposed to have been taken care of when Fuyuhiko brought him to Professor Stein. But he's been spotted by other meisters in multiple locations. There must be more than one of him."
"I think I may know what's going on here," Chiaki said, "Maybe Kyubey decided to create a fresh witch just to kill Mami for whatever reason. Those two girls, Madoka and Sayaka, were in that hospital visiting a friend when they got caught in the witch's barrier." "That little rat seems to want Madoka for some plan or other," Kyoko said, "Every time me or Mami see him, he asks whether we know about her. She seems to be important to him somehow." "He's probably just eager to make more Puella Magi to fight witches," Mami said, "But with Meisters like Mikan and Chiaki, it might not be necessary to have anymore."
"Speaking of," Chihiro said, "Why don't you guys team up against these witches? It happens all the time in manga. I mean, Kyoko's already teamed up with Yuma." "That's only because I don't mind looking after the little rugrat," Kyoko said, "Those grief seeds dropped by the witches only come one at time. Teaming up would mean we'd have to split them, which would put a hamper on how much magic we can use. See, everytime a Puella Magi uses her magic, the soul gem starts to become corrupted. The grief seeds we get from witches take away that corruption. One grief seed alone is enough to completely cleanse a soul gem that is close to being fully corrupted. So naturally, there tends to be competition among the Puella Magi. None of us wants to know what happens when that soul gem gets completely corrupted."
"There may be more to it than that," said Professor Stein as he walked into the room. Nagisa, Kyoko, Yuma, and Mami, all looked at him nervously. Needless to say, his patchwork appearance seemed strange. Professor Stein looked at the data compiled. "Interesting... Most interesting... This is going to go a long way towards answering a lot of questions we have regarding this situation. One last thing I need before I can finalize this research... One of those monster witches. This is going to be the tricky part, since they tend to disintegrate shortly after being defeated. And capturing one alive might be easier said than done, since we don't know if they can even leave the barriers they create. If only we could find a way..." He twisted the screw in his head as he thought.
Byakuya Togami looked over the invitation he had received with interest. Byakuya looked like a taller and slimmer version of Mayuri, although his hair was a natural blonde color and his glasses were real. He also had wore a black-green business suit instead of the lighter colored dinner jacket Mayuri had. "It seems we've been invited to a tea party at the Mikuni residence," he said, "Shall we attend Toko?" Toko Fukawa, Byakuya's meister and fiancee, was a sullen yet rather attractive young woman. She had long, dark purple hair that was tied in two braids going down to her waist, and pale grey eyes. She wore a dark green sailor school uniform with a longer skirt that came down to her knees, as well as black slippers. She also wore a pair of glasses, but they more rounded than Byakuya's.
"I'm not sure I could," Toko said, "We've been there before, remember? You felt it too, I'm sure. Oriko's a Puella Magi, and that means it's only a matter of time before a witch singles her out. I'm not sure how effective I'd be in that situation." Byakuya gave a gentle and sympathetic smile. Even though Toko was a meister, she wasn't really much of a fighter, and left the real fighting to her alternate personality Genocide Jill. Jill, a former serial killer, was a much more effective fighter. However, she tended to not be as effective in a real fight. Even though Byakuya's weapon form was a giant pair of scissors, they proved to be too cumbersome for Jill to wield properly. They decided to hold off on truly fighting until they could figure it out. "Very well then. We'll have Mayuri sub in for us."
Oriko Mikuni was a young girl was long flowing silverly blonde hair that was tied to one side in a ponytail, as well as clear green eyes. She was wearing a bright red dress for the occasion. Near the rose garden on her family estate was her best friend Kirika Kure. Kirika had short, light black hair and bright orange eyes. She was wearing her pale white school uniform with black stripped skirt. She was busy naming all the various roses she could remember from Oriko's garden. "You sure do like roses, don't you Kirika?," Oriko said with a smile, "Perhaps we shall plant some more later." Kirika nodded. "I gotta say, I'm a little excited to meet the Byakuya Togami. I didn't you knew him."
"Indeed," Oriko said as she poured some tea, "His father assisted my father during his campaign for Prime Minister. That is... Until the scandal..." She had brief thoughts about the aftermath of that time before shaking them from her head. At that moment, the sound of a car was heard. "Ah, that must be them," Oriko said. She walked over to the entrance to the garden top greet her guests. Kirika took one look and raised an eyebrow. "Seems the head of Japan's biggest business family... Has been putting on the pounds." What Kirika didn't know is that the man standing in front of her was not Byakuya, but rather Mayuri, with Ibuki just behind him.
"Yo," Ibuki said, "So this is the Mikuni estate, huh? A little too quiet for Ibuki's taste. Give Ibuki a good band stage with a screaming audience any day." Oriko giggled. "I see you decided to bring a different female guest this time, Byakuya." "Indeed," Mayuri said, easily going into character, "Toko wasn't feeling well enough to join us. Oh, and don't mind my new figure. Minor bout of depression, but I got over it soon enough." "Ah," Oriko said, "Slight case of overeating. Still, you seem fit regardless." Mayuri smiled. "Of course. Once I got over the depression, I spent some time balancing out my fat-to-muscle ratio to maintain a healthy lifestyle."
Before the four of them could settled in, a sudden rumbling occurred, and out of nowhere the area become surrounded by Roman-style columns. Kirika took a look around and said, "Huh... I thought this place could use a suit of armor. That is the typical style of these bourgeois folk to have on display... Right?" Oriko and Mayuri shook their heads. Ibuki smiled. "Then it's gotta be a witch." The witch did look very armored, with a flowing sash covering its lower body. Instead of arms, it had thick twisting wires. The overall theme resembled a queen chess piece.
As the witch attacked, Ibuki and Kirika dodged out of the way. Mayuri quickly ran in Ibuki's direction and took on his weapon form, an electric guitar. Ibuki grabbed the neck of the guitar and slung Mayuri over her shoulders. Kirika, meanwhile, had transformed into her Puella Magi state. She now wore a dark blue tracksuit without the pants, instead having a white short skirt. She had white leggings with dark blue ankle-high boots. Her belt hung behind her like twin cat tails. Ruffles were coming out of her sleeves, and from one of them Ibuki could see sharp claw-like blades. That caused her to raise an eyebrow. "A meister, huh?," Kirika said, "Cool. I guess I could use the help."
She struck out at the witch with her claws, while Ibuki ran at it batting away the wires with Mayuri. She then held Mayuri like a normal guitar and gave a quick strum on the frets. The resulting shockwave blasted the witch into a nearby wall. "Interesting," Oriko said, "So he's more than a bludgeoning weapon." "Ibuki," Mayuri said, "Doesn't it look like the witch is moving slower than normal?" Ibuki took a look. "Hey yeah, the other witches so far have much faster than this. Unless..." She looked toward Kirika, who was still going to town on the witch. "Interesting... I think we have our opportunity. You ready Mayuri?"
Kirika looked back at them. "Mayuri? Who's..." But at that moment, the witch got a lucky shot in and knocked Kirika near Oriko. "Are you okay Kirika?," Oriko asked as she ran over to her friend. "I'll be fine," Kirika replied, "Just got my pride hurt a little." Meanwhile, Ibuki and Mayuri were charging up. "Let's go... Soul Resonance! Guitar Secret Technique! Death Solo!" Mayuri transformed from a standard electric guitar to a flying v guitar. Ibuki looked back at Kirika and Oriko. "You may want to cover your ears." And with that, she played one of her hit songs on Mayuri, causing wave after wave of sound which continued to damage the witch until it expired.
Mayuri transformed back. "I see. The witch is still present even though we defeated her." "It's gotta be Kirika's magic," Ibuki said, "And this means we have the perfect specimen for Professor Stein." "One question," Kirika said, "Who's Mayuri?" Ibuki flinched. "Oops, did Ibuki let that slip out?" Mayuri just chuckled. "Sorry for the confusion. You see, the real Byakuya Togami couldn't make it. My name is Mayuri Oshida, Byakuya's body double. Just a little part-time gig between acting jobs." Oriko nodded. "I see. Very convincing. But what do you plan on doing with that witch?"
Ibuki got out her cell phone and called the DWMA. Soon enough, a car pulled out and several guys in lab coats got out of it. After a bit, they got the witch onto a flatbed truck and drove it off. "Good thing we acted before that magic began to wear off," Mayuri said, "This is sure to answer many of the questions we have." And with that, he and Ibuki got back in the car they came in and drove off. "Interesting," Oriko said, "What do they know that we don't?" Kirika put her hands behind her head. "Does it matter? They got rid of the garbage in your beautiful garden, and that's all I care about." Oriko giggled. 'Kirika... If not for you, I would truly be broken. I have to do whatever it takes to make sure we stay together forever. These meisters seem bothersome, but they aren't doing anything to threaten us, so I'll let them work.'
To be continued...
You're gonna regret that, Oriko. Anyway, we're nowhere near done with this. Yes, the truth I promised is coming up in the next few chapters, but the story extends far beyond that. Read and review.
