So this is basically the grande finale. Lots of dialogue, lots of action, and the two sides of the story will merge at the climax to reveal Ryubey's origins.
There WILL be one more chapter after this, however.
Also, when writing the witch/barrier for this chapter, I used this music piece for inspiration. Give it a listen if you'd like to get a better flavor of the barrier/have an idea of what the singing actually sounds like (as fanfiction won't let me post links, search "Carmen Opera Trance Club Mix" on youtube)
Chapter 7: Birth of Two
Mizuko didn't get better.
Runa never gave up hope, though. She brought Mizuko's script to the hospital and they rehearsed the non-singing lines. Runa purposefully said the other actors' lines in funny voices, which seemed to cheer Mizuko up, if only slightly.
But she still missed rehearsal after rehearsal, and ultimately, the second-best singer of the show's crew was promoted to the lead position in the musical.
After hearing the news, Runa noticed that Mizuko's soul gem had more black than turquoise pulsing from within. She didn't understand what that meant, but she knew it couldn't be good.
Runa prayed for her best friend, hoping that by some miracle her vocal chords could be fixed and she could reclaim her part.
Some miracle…
Oh! The realization had hit her like a thousand ton brick building. I could wish to heal her voice! It was the day of the show, so if she could get Mizuko's voice fixed, than Mizuko could perform. Of course, that would require subjecting herself to the life of a magical girl, but Runa had nothing to lose. Mizuko was her closest friend. When the idea occurred to her, she got on her bike and pedaled as fast as she could to the hospital to tell Mizuko her solution.
It'll be ok…it'll all be ok… she kept thinking as she parked her bike and entered the building. She rode the elevator up to the 5th floor (which took longer than usual, as all the visitors seemed to be coming at this time and had patients to see on each floor). Finally, Runa stepped into the hallway and down to the last room, where Mizuko was. The door was closed.
It's alright, Mizu-chan, Runa thought, hand hovering above the handle. We can fix this. I have a solution. She took a breath before grasping the handle and throwing open the door.
"Mizuko!" she called. "I just had a great idea! You-" Her words were cut short when she realized Mizuko wasn't in the room. Runa stared at the empty bed in confusion. On the pillow, a small piece of paper fluttered gently as an afternoon breeze came in from the window.
Did she return home? Why didn't she tell me?
"Mizuko…?" Runa slowly approached and picked up the note. It was short, but Runa recognized Mizuko's neat handwriting:
I'm so sorry, Runa. You were the most precious friend I've ever had, and always will be. Love you.
What is she talking about…? Runa froze when she heard something. A faint, but persistent melody was coming from one of the walls of the room. Confused, she went up to it and pressed her ear to the side. All of a sudden, the wall melded into a gelatin-like consistency and she stumbled through it. She fell face-first onto a cold marble floor that was not a part of the hospital. She carefully pushed herself off the marble. Lining an elongated, curved hallway were a series of golden windows. Runa tensed.
This is a witch's barrier. She'd entered many since the day Mizuko saved her from the demented scarecrow. Mizuko must have gone to defeat this witch. Runa relaxed a bit and smiled.
It's good to see she's back up on her feet again.
Now, Runa just had to find her. "Mizuko?" she called hesitantly. There was no response. Assuming she must have gone ahead, Runa made her way down the hall, occasionally calling for her friend. She stayed on the lookout for minions or the witch itself, but the barrier appeared to be empty. The faint melody she'd heard in the hospital room grew louder as she progressed down the hallway.
Finally, she emerged into an open amphitheater. Runa blinked in confusion for a moment. It was almost identical to the theater at her school, except it was lined with red and gold carpeting. On the walls and the backs of some of the seats, the words "welcome" and "enjoy the show" were scribbled in a messy scrawl. And on the stage, a pair of red designer curtains were pulled together.
The melody she'd heard earlier filled her ears upon entry; it was foreign, but absolutely gorgeous. It was coming from somewhere behind the curtains.
Runa took a step forward into the aisle. Almost immediately, the whole amphitheater went dark and the melody stopped. The aisle lights flickered on, revealing a pair of figures standing in front of Runa. They were more like short humanoid cutouts, and one of their arms ended in a flashlight instead of a hand. Wordlessly, the figures grabbed her wrists and dragged her down the aisle to the front row, pushing her down into one of the chairs. Runa instantly spotted rows of blue figurines lining the railings and filling the balconies coming off the stage's proscenium arch. They had bows pinned into a headful of ringlet curls, and sat motionless with their hands clasped together. They hummed steadily.
"M-Mizuko!" Runa called out, becoming more and more unsettled by the moment. "Where are you?" The minions didn't seem hostile, but their blank gazes and methodical hum was very unsettling. She found herself beginning to tremble, looking around nervously for her best friend to show up and save her from this bizarre performance.
Suddenly, the voice behind the curtain resumed: a high-pitched operatic voice, singing in a language Runa didn't recognize. The blue minions began singing in time with the voice, swaying slightly in their position.
The singing intensified, the music swelled, and the red curtains parted. Runa could only stare, wide-eyed, at the source of the sweet voice. From a first glance, it appeared to be a large, turquoise, lumbering mass of some material; fog, or a kind of goo. On the top of the shape's head were two curved, blood red horns, and a few faded ringlet curls. Somewhere in the mass, Runa could also make out what appeared to be two masks. She couldn't believe that such a beautiful voice could come from such a grotesque mess.
"It finally happened, I see." Runa jolted at the eerily familiar voice beside her. She recognized the white, plush-like creature in an instant, sitting calmly in the chair beside her.
"K-Kyubey?"
"I could tell it was coming. Carmen has finally been born."
"Who's Carmen? K-Kyubey, what's going on? Where's Mizuko?!"
"Can you not tell?" Kyubey gestured its head at the monster. "That's her on stage. Although she is no longer Mizuko. She has fallen into despair and become a witch. Just like all the other magical girls, if they are not killed by witches themselves."
"Huh?" Runa stared at Kyubey, trying to process what it was saying. "W-what…do you…"
"You heard me. A magical girl is just the immature form of a witch. Just like how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, assuming it does not die beforehand."
Magical girls are….wait. Magic, w-witches...
Perhaps a normal person could have accepted that fate. But Runa was stubborn, and tenacious. That…thing on stage was in no way her beloved best friend.
"You're lying." She turned in her seat to face Kyubey, meeting its blank, red-eyed stare.
"My species is incapable of lying," Kyubey replied simply. Runa glared at it for a moment, but as the shock began to settle in, she felt tears gathering in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away, not wanting the awful rabbit-like creature sitting beside her to have the satisfaction of making her cry.
Just then, Carmen paused her singing and tilted her head down slightly, and for a moment Runa was convinced she was staring straight at her. But after a long gaze, Carmen lifted her head back up and resumed her operatic solo as though nothing had occurred.
"You're lucky," Kyubey stated. "It appears as though this witch does not intend to harm you. For now, at least."
"Stop calling her a witch!" Runa seethed. "My best friend is not a witch!"
"But you just admitted that the monster on stage is indeed your best friend." Kyubey pointed out innocently. Runa sat back in her seat, biting her lip so she wouldn't burst into more tears.
"Honestly, you humans are so strange," Kyubey sighed. "Can't you see that Mizuko finally received what she desired? Her vocal chords in her human body prevented her from singing. But now, she may sing as much as she likes." Runa didn't respond.
"Of course, she might have been able to mend them with her magic if she really wanted. Surely you remember I mentioned it was unlikely, since it didn't affect her ability to fight. Unlikely, yes, but not impossible. I personally doubt it, but you never know." It felt like Kyubey was rubbing salt into her already deep, fresh wounds.
"You did lie," she muttered.
"No, I did not. I merely presented you with the facts, according to my experience. Besides, she would have fallen into despair at some point, if a witch didn't kill her. That's the magical girl way."
"Why…why are you so mean?" It felt like a stupid question to ask, but it was the first thing that came to Runa's mind.
"I do not understand your question," Kyubey replied. "I am not 'mean'. I am an Incubator, so I do not understand this concept of 'mean'. I speak in a way that is most efficient at harvesting energy for the universe. Perhaps you girls perceive it as mean because it provokes a negative emotional response from you. But the negative response is what's needed to promote the growth of curses and the birth of witches. And ultimately, assist in the battle against Entropy." Runa had no way to reply. In a sick, twisted way, it made sense. Was that menacing, condescending gaze of the Incubator really just an empty stare?
"W-why are you even here?" Runa's voice was grating from her strain of emotion.
"Oh, I'm awaiting the arrival of a magic girl from a nearby city. Mizuko was the only magical girl in your city, so I had to reach out in order to find someone to exterminate this witch. She's late, but she'll be here soon, and you can be free. In the meantime, why don't you just enjoy the performance?" It gestured at the stage. Carmen was in the middle of a particularly technical part of the foreign song, her voice at a much higher pitch than Mizuko's could ever go. The blue, singing minions provided seamless backup vocals to the witch's act.
"Exterminate?!" Runa stared in horror at the Incubator beside her. "S-she's coming to k-kill Mizuko?"
"Once again, not Mizuko. Carmen, Mizuko's mature form."
"So how do I turn her back?" she asked, trying to keep her voice level. Knowing her time was limited, Runa was more desperate to bargain with Kyubey than be hostile to it.
"You can't," Kyubey said. "There is no way that I have observed of turning a witch back into a magical girl. So long as a magical girl has contracted with me, their soul is left to the fate of fading or becoming a witch in a short time."
"There's…there's nothing I can do?" Runa finally allowed the tears from earlier to leave her eyes. Kyubey didn't react to her show of emotion.
"Well, there are a couple of things you could do. You could aggravate the witch, getting yourself killed in the process. Or you could sit here and wait until the magical girl comes."
"I-I…" Runa glanced at the monster on the stage again, and a swarm of memories filled her mind; meeting Mizuko for the first time, convincing her friend to eat cake and later being blamed for her voice being affected, failing miserably at performing karaoke with her at the arcade but having fun all the same, watching her audition for the lead role in a theater so strikingly similar to this one. Runa subconsciously touched the blue scarf around her neck.
This fate that Kyubey spoke of…Runa wasn't going to sit back and allow it to happen. She was much too stubborn for that.
"No…NO!" Runa shook her head, sending her tears left and right. "I-I can't…I can't just leave her! I have to bring her back! I need to bring her back!"
"Well, if you really want, you could form a contract with me and make a wish," Kyubey explained as it began to clean its face. "I know you've seen me quite a bit with Mizuko before this meeting today. Likewise, I've seen you quite a few times." It looked up at her. "Do you want to know why I've never tried to contract you, Runa Chiyoko?" Runa ignored the fact it somehow knew her last name.
"W-why?"
"Because there were much better candidates out there. Your friend Mizuko was one of them." Kyubey shook his head. "I don't mean this to be offensive, but I have a good sense of magical girl potential, and yours has been subpar from the start. Much like your abilities, or lack thereof, in other fields."
"B-but…during the sleepover…"
"I wasn't looking at you, I was looking at your friend's soul gem to see if it had a curse yet. I've never been interested in you, Runa. But if you want to contract with me, I won't refuse your request. Your transformation and downfall will nonetheless assist in the battle against Entropy, even if you're participation is equivalent to a grain of sand in the desert." The truth in its words stung. But if there was only one thing that Runa was good at, it was tenacity.
"…Ok." Runa nodded with determination. "I'll do it. If it's the only way to save Mizuko…I'll form a contract with you, Kyubey."
"Very well." Kyubey stood up and gave a lazy stretch. "What's your wish?"
"Um…" Runa thought about what she could possibly wish for to save her friend. "I suppose I could wish for her voice back…" Runa shook her head. "But that won't do any good. Her soul is no longer in her body."
"This is true. Although it would have been interesting to see your reaction when you learned your only wish mended the vocal chords of a dead corpse. You'd become a witch in an instant, I bet."
Runa stared incredulously at the Incubator, trying to decide if that was some sort of twisted joke. But Kyubey stared back, without even a hint of amusement in its blank gaze.
Suddenly, two new voices interrupted Runa's thinking. She turned to see a young human couple only slightly older than herself, glancing around the barrier in confusion. She was almost relieved to see other humans in the barrier she was trapped in. But she was also confused as to how they got in.
"Where are we?" the girl asked, huddling closer to her boyfriend.
"I don't-ahh!" The flashlight familiars seized the couple and dragged them into a pair of seats.
"See, this is what happens when magical girls take their time in slaying a witch," Kyubey sighed, half to himself. "Humans can get lost and enter the barriers." Runa watched the couple exchange a confused glance before noticing the monster on stage. The girl shrieked and hid her face in her boyfriend's shoulder. The boy's eyes were widened in horror.
"W-what the hell is that?!"
"I w-want to leave!" The girl wailed into his shoulder.
"Oh, I don't think they should do that," Kyubey commented. The boy, unaware of Runa or Kyubey's presence on the other side of the theater, quickly stood up with his girlfriend and began to briskly walk back up the aisle. The flashlight familiars leapt up in alarm. On stage, the singing stopped. Carmen was watching the couple leave her performance.
Her entire form appeared to be trembling.
Suddenly, the witch began to wail, her beautiful voice from before replaced by a screechy, ear-piercing cry. Her minions joined in the wailing. Runa immediately covered her ears, wincing at the noise. The couple screamed and dashed out of the theatre. The flashlight minions followed, and Runa could hear the sound of shattering glass from the hallway.
"They're as good as dead, now," Kyubey concluded. "This is the witch of insecurity, after all. She becomes very distressed if her audience decides they don't like her singing. Hopefully the magical girl arrives soon, or you'll completely lose your hearing to the noise." Runa shook her head to clear it, the awful shrieking making her feel dizzy. She had to decide on a wish to bring Mizuko back as soon as possible.
But Runa didn't just want Mizuko back. She wanted her best friend back. The pre-magical girl Mizuko. Before she met Kyubey, and got the part in the musical. All of her fondest memories of Mizuko were before she contracted. She didn't care what the Incubator said: the ghoulish, wailing ooze monster on the stage was not her best friend.
I could wish to break the contract Mizuko formed with Kyubey in the first place.
Then Mizuko would no longer be a magical girl. It would be as though none of this even happened. And they could go back to how their life used to be: walking to school together, partnering up for projects, going to the bakery, eating strawberry shortcake…Of course Runa would have to fight witches, but she'd do it, if only to make her closest friend human again.
"I know what I want to wish for!" Runa told the Incubator. Her expression was fierce and determined.
"You'll have to speak up," Kyubey replied, nodding towards the witch. "I can hardly hear you over all the noise."
"I wish I had the power to break magical girl contracts!" Runa told it, but her voice still drowned out by the incessant howling. Kyubey blinked.
"What an interesting wish. With interesting consequences, but I'll grant it nonetheless." It closed its eyes and began to glow.
What does he mean? Runa suddenly gasped, feeling a sudden sharp tug in her chest.
You are a girl of firsts, Runa. Kyubey spoke to her telepathically as he maneuvered her soul out of her body. I've never had someone wish to have the power to make contracts before. That was quite bold of you.
That's not what I said! Runa thought through clenched teeth. A glowing, strawberry-red orb hovered just in front of her chest.
Really? That's what I heard. If you had meant to say 'break' contracts, then consider yourself very lucky: you are far too weak to achieve such a wish, so it likely would have ended in disaster for you. Anyways, the contract has been complete, and your wish will be granted. His lips turned upwards slightly in a smirk. Now, accept your destiny, Ruby Incubator!
Suddenly, the glowing orb darted back into her chest, sending a burning sensation throughout her ribcage. The golden capsule that had just formed in front of her, now rendered hollow, fell to the floor with a dull clank. And Runa's entire form began to squish and meld, as though she were made of clay.
The barrier blurred together, and Runa felt her thoughts slip away as though coated in oil. Although Runa didn't know what becoming a magical girl was like, she could tell something was horribly off.
This isn't suppose to happen! Something went wrong! Kyub-
Suddenly, Runa was observing a scene. It was like watching a movie in a theater. A girl with red hair, much darker than Runa's, barged into the theatre. Between her teeth was what appeared to be a half-eaten pocky stick. Meanwhile, the last of Runa's memories faded and she began to shrink in size.
"Ah, you've finally come." Kyubey nodded in approval to the girl.
"Enough of this crap," the crimson-haired magical girl muttered through clenched teeth. "Your wailing is making my ears bleed. You're as good as dead, witch!" It was as though a cage had been placed over Runa's mind, locking her conscious away. Runa saw the girl charging forward, spear in hand, at the horned blob on the stage. Oddly enough, Runa didn't feel remorse. In fact, she wasn't even sure what to feel. Her mind was hollow. The blob and the girl didn't really mean anything. It was like watching two ants wrestle over a lump of sugar.
Then the scene faded away, as though the curtains had been pulled in the middle of the show.
The two were suddenly outside, atop the roof of a house.
"Interesting." Kyubey spoke up from somewhere nearby. It was talking to a small red creature wearing a light blur scarf. "I didn't know Incubators could reproduce that way. Still, I saved you a lot of trouble." Its usually monotone voice had a hint of intrigue in it.
"Who…who am I?" the red creature asked blankly.
"Who are you?" Kyubey titled his head. "You're an Incubator, of course. Your job is to contract potential candidates into becoming magical girls."
"That's right…" the creature nodded. That made sense. That was the job of all Incubators.
"Do I have a name?" the creature questioned.
"Of course you do. Every Incubator has a name. You are the Ruby Incubator: Ryubey. Remember that."
Ryubey…
"I'm looking for someone," Ryubey suddenly stated. "A girl…a magical girl. With a very sweet voice. Like the voice of a dove."
"I do not know of such a name," Kyubey replied bluntly.
"What is this?" Ryubey picked up the empty golden capsule laying beside it with a paw. "Whose soul gem is this?"
"Oh, that is no one's soul gem. That just excess from a wish," Kyubey explained. "It's relatively worthless now. Discard it if you want."
Ryubey didn't know what to make of an empty Soul Gem, but tucked the capsule into its scarf anyway. Kyubey stood up.
"Well, I'm off to contract more magical girls. You should work to fill up your quota, too."
"Yes…" Ryubey flicked it's large, billowing red tail. "I will get to it immediately."
"Great." Kyubey's red eyes glimmered in the moonlight. "Contract as many as you can. Entropy won't fight off itself, after all." Ryubey watched as it's comrade leapt from the roof, then stared at the city stretched before it.
"To fight against Entropy, I'll need to contract magical girls." But still, something felt incorrect to Ryubey. It felt an uncomfortable, sticky heaviness in its chest. It was profoundly disturbing to Ryubey.
"Surely I'm not sick?" It put a paw to its forehead. Somehow, it couldn't recall how it had gotten to this roof with the other Incubator. And most importantly, it had a blurry image of a girl in its mind. A magical girl of great importance.
A girl with the voice of a dove…
Yes. I will find you. I must. It's…it's my duty.