It was… rather beautiful. Glimmering lights gave the place a warm touch, illuminating the comfortable-looking couches and tables, filled with the most delicious delicacies, in front of large windows that gave an overhead view to wonderful sights. One would dream to dine in such a fine place, just once in their lives.
It was pitiful, then, that every seat was empty. Despite the welcoming feel, it was void of life.
The center, beyond the tables, was vastly different, however. Beyond the ring formed by the restaurant, there was nothing but darkness. A completely barren land, where the lights from the outside did not enter, and in which no object or being ventured in.
None, except for two, which stood in the core. A large, golden moth, which hovered majestically over its domain, and the empty chrysalis it had emerged from.
And the former was not pleased, for the pair that now stood at the reception did not have an invitation.
"All held the finite and infinite as unrelated. None could foresee that the history of the two would become one."
Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Against Destiny
Chapter 8
Damnatio Ad Bestias
Homura shook the remainder of the yellow ribbons from her outfit, which rotted and disintegrated into thin air before touching the floor.
"Can you walk?"
She looked up to the man leaned against her right shoulder, his hand hanging across the back of her neck. His eyes were filled with sadness, but he had not lost himself in it.
"Yeah… I'm fine… It's just a broken rib…"
Homura released him, and he instantly fell against one of the finely decorated pillars that marked the entrance. There laid an empty reception desk, and the menu. Despite the finely crafted stand it stood in, the menu itself was quite spartan. Apart from what apparently was the restaurant's name, Chez Martha, everything was written in incomprehensible runes. However, there were only two items on the menu. And he had a sneaky suspicion of what those two items were.
He clutched his chest, as a deeper breath caused a sharp pain in his thorax. He was more than capable of enduring it, but a broken rib always hurts like a bitch. Perhaps Kazuhira was concentrating on that pain, to avoid the other that lingered inside him. It was bad enough that yet another girl had fallen to the darkness. It was bad enough that it was someone he knew. It was bad enough that he saw it happen right before his eyes, without being able to do a thing. Again.
But Mami was under his watch. He had accepted to be her aegis. And this time, he knew the dangers, he knew what could happen, and he knew what he needed to do to prevent it.
And despite it all, nothing changed. Her fate was the same as her sister's. He failed.
Mami had become a witch.
"FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"
No profanity in the world would be able to express his feelings, so he exclaimed the first that came to his head, in a load, angry roar that emptied his lungs, pouring out his heart on it. Homura's hair flickered just slightly, such was the intensity of his cry.
"WHY? WHY? Why did it have to-
Kazuhira's voice slowly faded out, as he focused on his right hand instead. He punched the pillar he was lying on with all the strength he had, to the point where small cracks appeared on the majestic stone column's surface. His hand had been bruised just as much, but he did not even care. For a few seconds, the world appeared to have frozen, as he held his arm extended and his fist closed, leaning against the pillar.
"Kazuhira…
"I know…
Sparked by Homura's call, he slowly allowed his arm to fall down, and turned around, after passing his left sleeve in front of his eyes. His eyes were puffy, but he'd never let her see any tears.
"This is not the time. There is only one thing we can do for her now…
Kazuhira retrieved his fallen MP5K from the ground, and leaned back against the column with a grunt of pain. He knew well he was in no condition to take the bulk of the fight.
Not that he'd need to, with Homura there.
"To give her peace."
At the same time, Homura had retrieved her Howa Type 89 assault rifle from her shield, and pulled the charging handle, as she prepared herself to dive into battle.
"Stay back. I'll take care of-
Kazuhira didn't hear anything after her pause, as his attention diverted to the blue blur that approached his companion at an incredible speed.
"Look out!"
Kazuhira dived towards Homura, pushing her to the side, just narrowly avoiding the charge of a familiar that zoomed past them. He felt a gust of wind flying right by his side, and his left sleeve fell apart, the cloth being slashed just below his shoulder: a split second later and he would have been pierced. Homura sprang back up immediately, while Kaz did so at a much slower pace. The familiar hovered a few meters away from them, as if challenging the pair.
It was another moth, built at its master's image, but quite smaller, around half their size and wielding a large sword that blended seamlessly with its left arm. Its body was navy, and its wings of a lighter shade of blue. The likeness was striking, and both recognized it. Homura was mostly unaffected, but Kazuhira was shocked. To add insult to injury, the restaurant was no longer empty: on the farthest table, a seat had been taken by a blue-haired figure, its back turned to them.
He did not even wait for Homura to react. He instantly fired his weapon at the familiar, piercing it with multiple bullets. Caught by surprise by the barrage, it limped around, battered to a miserable state, trying to attack the invaders, but unable to as much as reach them. Ultimately, it was destroyed by a short burst from Homura's assault rifle.
"Homura… kill it. Now. Before…"
Before… that?
Homura had seen it before him, and this time it was her blood that boiled. Another moth, similar to the first, but colored in a dark pink, and with a couple of red ribbon-like appendages over its wings, accelerated towards Kazuhira, firing dozens of arrows from its wings. She quickly pushed him to the side, just in time to dodge the assault, as she ran on the opposite direction.
She tried not to, but her gaze diverted to the same table where the blue-haired figured had appeared: another one, pink-haired, had just appeared on the seat opposite to it. It had no face, yet it appeared to be enjoying a meal with its partner.
Such blasphemy would not be tolerated. Spawning a familiar… at her image…
She'd make it pay.
Homura ignored the familiar, and rushed towards the core, into the darkness that enveloped the moth witch. Noticing this, it spread its large, golden wings, and propelled itself backwards, the air in front of it glowing like the most glamorous of jewels. Homura ignored all of this, and leapt forward at high speed, with a couple of grenades in her left hand, flying through the darkness with nothing but her target in sight.
If the witch had a face, it would have shown a large smile.
Homura came to a halt just as she crossed the fine dust released by the witch, crashing badly on the ground. Her muscles wouldn't answer her, and she could barely breathe.
P-poison?
The air that surrounded her was toxic. She wouldn't die from the toxins, but she was paralyzed, at the mercy of the witch, which started to approach her, slowly, as a wolf who circles around its prey, sadistically enjoying every second of built-up expectation for the meal to come. Its many appendages twitched about, eager to grab its foe, and even the antennae, drill-bit shaped, perked up in excitement. A truly gruesome sight that Homura was forced to watch, unable to even look away. As the witch approached, its jaws opened in four, revealing a large mouth with a ring of sharp teeth, each oozing a foul liquid.
And the main course was served.
Kazuhira fired a fresh magazine at the witch, but missed most: he was out of range for a submachine gun. And those that connected did not even distract the witch. Running out of options, he tossed his weapon away, and ran in Homura's direction, clutching his ribcage as he did so. He wouldn't make it in time. And he couldn't do anything even if he did. But he couldn't stop himself. If Homura died…
…It'll be the end of us all.
And he ran to her, crossing from the finely cut marble floor to the endless shadow that lied ahead, illuminated only by the domain's queen. He too retrieved a couple of grenades from his belt with his right hand, still clutching to his chest with the left. The witch moved closer and closer to the frozen Homura, enveloped in a cloud as poisonous as it was beautiful. He had an idea… it was a shot in the dark, a huge gamble… but he had to try it.
He clenched his teeth around the pins of the grenades, removing both with a strong neck movement. The dice were thrown. 5 seconds.
But he'd forgotten about the pink moth. Coming from the outside, it again approached quickly, distorting the air in its wake, such was the speed its wings propelled it forward. Kazuhira saw it through the corner of his eye, but by then it was too late.
4 seconds.
His legs veered off slightly to the left, trying to avoid the familiar but still in the witch's direction, and Kazuhira took a dolphin dive forward. But all of it was useless, the pink moth was as agile as it was fast, and kept him on its sights. The impact was unavoidable.
3 seconds.
He did not even brace for impact, for it was useless. He kept his eyes open, trying to find the correct timing… even if that meant being plowed through. But the impact never came. Before he could understand what happened, the familiar flew off in a spectacular fashion, missing half of its body.
2 seconds.
Now!
Just before he hit the ground, Kazuhira threw both grenades to Homura's left, outside of lethal radius. His thoughts disrupted after that, as he landed right on his broken rib, stunned to his spine by the hurt.
1 second.
Homura watched the entire scene, unable to move, putting all of her hopes in the young man. Just as the familiar prepared to ram him, it was thrown away… by the witch itself. Seeing its minion enter the restricted grounds, it extended one of its appendages in its direction at an amazing velocity, delivering a deadly blow to it, which tore the pink moth in half and sent its mauled remains flying off to the outside.
And now she watched how the grenades bounced about, too close for comfort, as the witch leaned closer and closer…
-BOOOOM-
Both grenades exploded in perfect synchronization, without harming neither Homura nor the witch. For a moment, Homura wondered if Kazuhira had missed. Her doubts vanished when she felt the air blasted away by the explosion on her back. Felt. The poisonous cloud was dispersed by the shockwave, and it slowly dissipated.
It was Homura's chance. Although her movements were sluggish, she managed to throw the grenades in her hand down the witch's exposed mouth, distracted as it was by the initial explosions, before it could react. A list ditch attempt to swallow Homura failed due to a timely dodge, and the girl started to walk off, victorious. All the witch saw was the black-haired girl's back, as it saw its own body light up and be ripped apart, shouting in agony as it met its end.
Kazuhira, laid down on the ground, could merely whisper "It's over…", as he saw his last-ditch plan succeed, and the witch blew up in a glorious explosion, sending pieces, limbs and blood flying away in all directions.
…Huh?
But the barrier did not dissipate, and the agonized grunts did not stop, to the surprise of both.
The witch had survived – somewhat. Its limbs were torn off and splattered everywhere, slowly decaying, but its head remained somehow alive, attached to a savaged upper body and one of its four wings, burned nearly to the root. The wing piece twitched about, trying to act as makeshift legs for what remained of the once proud witch. But it did not work. The downed witch, now having lost its glamorous golden color as well, could do nothing but to lay on the cold ground, right next to the body of a young, blonde girl, a body that was once hers.
It was completely defenseless, but alive nonetheless. Homura approached it slowly, and drew her Desert Eagle from the shield. Carefully, she aimed at the center of the witch's head, ready to pull the trigger and end that wretched life. One bullet would do it.
"Wait."
Homura looked back: Kazuhira had stood up with difficulty, and walked towards her.
"Let me… let me do it."
After hesitating for a moment, Homura handed him her large handgun, and took a step back, watching as Kazuhira kneeled next to what remained of the witch, and gently waved his left hand through its rugged skin.
"Mami… I'm… so sorry…
He tried to keep his composure, and for the most part, did so. But Homura saw as a single, large teardrop fell on the witch, and it instantly stopped twitching, as if accepting its fate.
"I hope you forgive me…
Taking a deep, long breath after those words, he pulled the trigger. A single .50 AE bullet left the barrel, and buried itself deep into the ground, blowing the witch's head apart as it flew through it. With the queen finally put to rest, its barrier started to slowly dissipate, and for the second time, Kazuhira found himself back at the now completely unrecognizable kindergarten, holding Mami's cold, dead hand, and thus ensuring it wouldn't disappear with the barrier.
Homura did not like it: it wasn't the first time she'd seen a Puella Magi's lifeless body be dragged out of a barrier, and it never lead to any good. However, this time it would be different: Mami's body had been charred by the explosions, and the large burns would not go unnoticed. They couldn't leave it somewhere to be found, and she knew Kazuhira knew that as well.
He noticed her awkward look, and answered the question in her mind, after closing Mami's eyes with his index and thumb.
"We'll do what we must." He answered, with a mix of anger and sadness in his voice.
And when I think about it, I have a feeling...
"Brrr!" The girl uttered, hugging her stomach tightly. She could still feel the multiple wounds and bruises her in body, even though they had quickly healed and vanished.
"Sayaka-chan? Are you okay?"
"I'm anything but okay, Madoka. But it was just a cold shiver."
The pink-haired girl was lost somewhere between the relief of knowing her best friend was uninjured and the slight terror she had of Sayaka's current mood.
Nonetheless, she extended her hand, helping the swordswoman back to her feet. Her help was refused, however, and Sayaka struggled back up on her own. With her back turned to Madoka, she dispelled her weapons and armor, again donning her school uniform.
…Sayaka, you idiot.
She clenched her fist, and after hesitating for a moment, she looked over her shoulder, and addressed her friend in a much softer and caring tone.
"I'm sorry, Madoka… but today wasn't a good day. Come, I'll take you home, before your parents start worrying."
"Y-yes, but what about-
"I'm fine, don't worry." The bluenette answered, interrupting her worried friend. This time, it was her who extended her hand, inviting the pink-haired girl to follow her.
"Today sucked, but tomorrow's a brand new day. Let's just get ready for it. I guess that's what we're best at, anyway."
That, despite the blood, sweat and tears we have to face...
She could only describe it as being awkward.
She'd seen blood, pain, injury and death multiple times, and had grown accustomed to it, to the point where she'd either feel no emotion or conceal whatever she felt.
But when it wasn't with Madoka, she'd step away, and leave the dead to be mourned by those close to them. And not even that, when the situation required.
"A bit more on that side, Homura."
So being there, in the dead of night, in the depths of the woods just outside of town, covered in dirt, shovel in hand, and standing six feet under, was not something she had ever envisioned.
"Okay, that's good."
Homura rose from the grave, and took Mami's body, enveloped in a while blanket, in her arms, and carefully passed it on to Kaz, who slowly laid it down on the bottom, and unfolded the blanket. Despite the unsightly burn in her left cheek, she looked beautiful, and appeared to be sleeping peacefully… even if she'd never wake up.
Kazuhira was much less emotional than before, maybe because he was simply handling a body, but more likely because he she all his tears before. With difficulty, and a helping hand from Homura, he climbed up from the grave. He'd wrapped up his rib cage tightly with bandages: it was painful, but at least it allowed him to move around, and would greatly speed up his recovery.
For a second that appeared to have lasted ages, both gunslingers stood at the foot of the tomb, looking down on Mami and her final resting place. It was very unpleasant for Homura: she simply wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
"Before we begin… Homura…"
"Huh?"
"Her Grief Seed."
Homura slowly retrieved the Grief Seed she'd collected, adorned with a cake slice-shaped figure on top. As she did so, Kazuhira drew his Beretta 92. Homura instantly understood what he was planning.
"Don't do it."
"She is still suffering, Homura. It's time to give her peace."
"Her Grief Seed will be useful in the future. I know she must be suffering, but it is for the best to keep it for now."
"She is a soul in pain." Kazuhira said, grimacing. "Not an object to be exploited. If you must do so, do it now, so we can give her closure."
"It wouldn't be efficient for me to use it now. And yes, you may be correct. But we must be pragmatic. We face a huge battle ahead, and we will need every help we can muster." Homura answered, coldly. Kaz's face did not waver at her words: if anything, his grimace deepened.
"Plus… she's not here anymore, but if Mami truly wanted to protect everyone, she would prefer us to keep her Grief Seed until the time comes to use it. It's the only way she can help us now."
Kazuhira, after hesitating for a moment, holstered his handgun with a sigh. He was clearly displeased, but understood Homura's reasoning. He left her side, and moved to the left of the makeshift tomb. Behind him, stood two crossed rifles, mostly buried into the ground, with the end of the barrels visible and crossing over each other. Homura immediately figured Mami was not the first girl to be laid to rest there.
And she was right: one of the rifles had "RIKA" carved onto it.
"Mami Tomoe. Defender of peace. Protector of the helpless. Guardian of this city."
Her eyes again focused on the man who stood tall above the fallen girl. The silver light of full moon, strong enough to pass through the forest of pines, allowed her to see that his short, mildly spiked hair, was not actually black, but a very dark shade of brown.
"You fought to protect everyone, taking the task upon your hands, even though you knew it would consume your life, and ultimately take it. I am sure you had your doubts, suffered immensely, and sacrificed a lot of what was dear to you, but that is what defines one's character, for true courage is not to have no fear, but to have fear and fight onward regardless."
His voice trembled slightly, but his face remained unchanged.
"It's unfair and unjust that your tale will go untold, you deserved to be hailed as the heroine that you were, and be set as an example for the world to follow. But your task was to protect us from the shadows. And you did so dutifully, not for fame, not for glory, but for what was right.
The same righteous foolishness… Homura thought. But that is what drives his life. If he'd stop believing in it, he'd lose all hope…
"Thank you. Thank you for everything. And rest assured, I, we, will not let this city and the world fall in disarray. For where lies the biggest shadow… there will also shine the most bright of lights. All your effort was not in vain. We'll take your burden, and will carry on the torch for you."
Carefully, Kazuhira retrieved two M4 carbines from his pick-up truck, which he had picked up from the garage of the supply depot, and placed them besides Mami's head, crossing them in order to reproduce the same effect as his sister's grave. He looked around for a second, and picked up a wild rose that rested at the root of a tall tree nearby. He proceeded to throw it down the hole, and it fell softly on top of Mami's bosom, as he again grabbed his shovel.
"May you rest in quiet slumber."
With that, he stuck his shovel into the pile they'd dug, and started to slowly bury Mami's body, first with small amounts of dirt, then full shovels as her body vanished, being taken to custody by Mother Earth. Eventually, Homura pitched in, but unlike Kazuhira, who stopped and breathed in through the process, her movements were steady, emotionless, mechanical, almost as if she was a robot. Kazuhira couldn't help but to notice it.
Homura… why… why don't you feel anything?
His question would go unanswered, as they did not spoke another word as the returned the soil back to its place. As they finished, Kazuhira leveled the top, said a quiet and brief prayer, and arranged with Homura to meet the following day at dusk, before they parted ways, with less than an hour left to dawn.
As Homura moved away, gracefully jumping over the tree branches, he could only hope that the rising sun brought a better day along. He hopped into his pick-up, and after looking into his tired eyes through the rearview mirror, turned the key. He doubted he'd get any sleep, but he was at least going to try.
We have a chance...
"I… didn't know you and Mami are friends."
The pair waved goodbye to Madoka, as she walked into her house. The large, polished windows lighted the surroundings with an orange tint, as it reflected the sun's weak light, nearly below the horizon.
"Yes, we were pretty close."
Homura told the girls that Mami had died fighting a witch at that spot… which wasn't completely false. At least he wanted to believe she fought against her inner demons to the very end.
From what Homura had told him, Madoka had cried, a lot, while Sayaka simply could not accept it. She got into an argument with Homura on the school rooftop, things heated up a lot, they nearly exchanged blows. Fortunately, that Kyouko girl showed up, took Sayaka away and talked to her, and eventually she calmed down and accepted her mentor's death.
But she had been down ever since. It'd been a week since that incident, and Sayaka simply hadn't been herself since then. This was they first chance they got to talk since then.
"The police are searching for her… you shouldn't talk as if Mami was dead." Kazuhira replied, feigning ignorance. He grimaced ever so slightly, too little for Sayaka to notice.
She seemed slightly startled with the reply, realizing her blunder. She remained calm, however.
"I know… I just have a really, really bad feeling about this…"
"Yeah… me too."
An moment of awkward silence followed, as they crossed a tall footbridge, from where, unlike the street below, the sun was still visible, albeit just barely. Kaz did not knew what to say, and Sayaka wasn't sure she wanted to say anything.
But eventually, she did.
"I didn't know you're friends, either."
"We don't really talk much" He answered, deceitful. "We're acquaintances at best. But I know she's a good girl, with a pure heart."
"Mami is more than a friend to me, Kaz… she's… we'll, you could call her my comrade in arms. You understand?"
"Yes… I understand what you mean."
More than you could ever imagine.
"If she died… I don't know what I would do…"
"Well," Kaz replied. "remember what we talked about the other day? About our battles?"
"Yes, but why?"
"Everyone has something they fight for, that they strive to achieve. And if you say Mami is your comrade in arms, then you must have the same goal. Am I right?"
"…So far, yes." The bluenette answered, slightly embarrassed.
"Then, if anything happened to her" Kaz continued, with his voice trembling slightly as he said "anything". "the best way to honor her would be to continue onwards, and carry on her fight. Nothing would please her more than to see her dream come true, by your hands. And since you share the same objective, you just need to keep doing what you're doing now. If anything, with increased resolve."
"I suppose you're right." The girl agreed, a little more confident. "But it would be so difficult without her…"
"It's never easy, Sayaka-chan." He said, as they finally stopped in front of Sayaka's large apartment. "But remember that you're not alone. None of us are ever alone. Even is Mami isn't here, she's still with you. Even if only in spirit. Never forget that."
He gently poked Sayaka's forehead with his index and middle finger. She let out an "auch", and after hesitating a few seconds, attempted to respond in kind. Her task was much more difficult, as Kaz was a head taller than her. However, Kaz did not move, and allowed her to do it, but without appearing to have conceded it easily.
As she did so, Sayaka let out a quiet, but happy giggle. She sported a large smile, and her large, blue eyes appeared to become just a shade lighter. The sight warmed Kaz's heart.
She's back.
"You know what, you're absolutely right." She said, in a jolly voice. "And… thanks, Kaz. Talking to you always helps me."
"Don't mention it. After all, we're friends… right?
"Yeah."
The automatic doors opened gently, as Sayaka entered the apartment block's lobby. She turned around one last time, in the middle of entrance, before walking in.
"We're friends."
Even if I can't save you...
"Sayaka, we're going to dinner. You have pizza on the microwave."
"Okay, mom!" The girl answered from her room, still taking her uniform skirt off. The thought of having pizza for dinner was quite pleasing.
"And take out the trash, please. See ya!"
After changing into more comfortable clothing, she headed to the living room before taking out the trash. Their parents never took out old newspapers, and piled them up, neatly folded on a table in the living room instead. Sayaka never read them, but thought it was unsightly, and every week she'd go around and trash them out, to her parent's protest.
She picked up the pile, and placed them next to the trash bags, upside down. Opening up a new bag, she prepared to throw the pile in, but her eyes fixed themselves on the back page of the oldest newspaper, and a large picture of a street with multiple buildings damaged. It was the second time she saw that sight.
The first was when she went there to lay a wreath of flowers.
"That's!…"
LAST MINUTE NEWS
Explosions on Mitakihara's eastern district: possible gang violence?
Earlier this evening, multiple large explosions were heard in the largely abandoned industrial area near the eastern district of Mitakihara City. The causes of the explosions are unknown, but the area has long been plagued by prostitution and gang violence, leading to speculation that it might have been a confrontation between rival criminal groups. There is visible damage at the location, including a former kindergarten that was completely destroyed. The police has not yet released a formal report, but we have learned that at least one .50 Action Express casing has been found at the scene. This ammunition is used by the famous Desert Eagle pistol, raising questions whether imported weapons are being use for crime-
Sayaka stopped reading after that, her whole body frozen. The word Desert Eagle flowed through her hand, as she recalled the multiple instances she'd seen the weapon in movies.
And the one time she'd seen it in real life. In the hands of a mysterious black-haired girl.
"…Homura?"
I... no, we will save them...
A/N: Intro quote from: Ace Combat Zero. Author unknown.
The reason it took me ten days to write a chapter was because I kept forgetting to buy gum. Seriously. I need chewing gum to write, otherwise I'll just eat everything in the house. I think I ate half the fridge while writing the battle scene.
I won't use that as an excuse for what I perceive to be a weakness of mine. Battles are not my forte (not that I don't love them), and, in addition, Homura is a difficult character to script battles for since technically she could simply stop time and blow everyone away. I am, however, planning for some more battles down the line, and I hope I'll improve on them. In that aspect, I have to say it's impossible not to learn something from the other authors here. One such example is that, without realizing it, I started using the word "grimace" for some reason. O.o
Props to SPDUDE48 for the basic design on Mami's witch form. His actual design is quite different, but I based mine on it.
Martha: The moth witch. Her nature is solitude. She desires nothing but her domain to be bustling with life: yet she will not tolerate those who dare approach her. Take this in consideration when meeting her.
Maria Theresa: The moth witch's minion, her duty is to welcome the guests. The task is made complicated by her personality: if she sees anything suspicious, she will attack.
Margaret: The moth witch's minion, her duty is to serve at tables. She is, however, very naïve and inexperienced, and often gets orders wrong and breaks plates. She is a good friend of Maria Theresa, and will rush to her help quickly.
Hope you enjoyed!
