CHAPTER 9: Make It Go Away
2012
La Beatrice Hotel, Tokyo
Three days before the end
"Fuck," said Kyoko, hanging her head between her knees.
Next to her, Oriko grimaced. "I would not put it exactly that way, but I share the sentiment."
Chances were that everyone else in the hotel did too. The sense of grief pervaded every room, every hall, and every stairwell, as if it were a living being relentlessly seeking them out wherever they went, intent on punishing the Puellae Magi for daring to think that they couldn't possibly fail with so many working towards the same goal. Many of the younger ones were still in shock, while the older ones had become silent and withdrawn. Some were simply angry: at themselves, at the Demons, or at the world in general… It wasn't fair. They had been so close, and then everything had gone to Hell.
At the moment, Kyoko was exhibiting a complicated mixture of sadness and cynicism. "Is there any better way to put it?" mumbled Kyoko without looking up. "We fucked up. We fucked up big time, and someone got killed because of it. I knew this was a bad idea."
"What was?"
"Teaming up. Puellae Magi don't work in big groups. That's why we fucked up."
"No, it wasn't," said the girl with the long jet-black hair who was leaning against a door on the other side of the hall. As she turned toward Kyoko, the bells in her silver earrings jingled softly. She called herself Kazumi, and she was an enigma to the rest of the Puellae Magi. A slim, child-like figure, no one knew exactly who she was, where she came from, or even her last name… but she had a remarkable ability to keep the team that called themselves the Pleiades Saints together and functioning. Saki was their leader, but Kazumi was their heart. "It wasn't working together that made us fail," she continued, glaring at the red-haired girl. "We performed better as a team than anyone could have expected. We all did the best we could… it just wasn't enough."
"Understatement of the fucking year."
"So what now, Oriko-sama?" said Kirika Kure, sitting to Oriko's left. Not even the tragedy of the last twenty-four hours could cleave her from her beloved's side for long. Some of the other girls found her creepy… but no one would ever, ever say so to Kirika's face. The rumors were that she was a delinquent, unstable, bipolar, possibly even psychotic… but she followed Oriko's orders without question. She was absolutely, unwaveringly loyal, and that was enough.
Oriko closed her eyes and shook her head. She wanted so badly to be the leader everyone needed right now, the leader Kirika thought she was… "I do not know," she admitted.
That threw Kirika for a loop. "B-But Oriko-sama, you always know!" she sputtered, flailing her arms like a child. "You must have something…"
"I'm with her, Mikuni," said a severe voice coming up the stairs. Saki Asami's trademark scowl seemed to have become a permanent fixture of her face over the past day. Underneath her faux-military battle costume and stern, rock-hard demeanor, so the other Pleiades claimed, was a romantic, a gentle soul that truly cared about those she led into battle. Perhaps that was true, but there was no evidence of it now. "You'd better have some kind of plan," said Saki, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "because things are deteriorating downstairs."
Oriko looked over at her sadly as the younger girl rose out of the stairwell. "What is happening?"
"Ayase and Luca want to leave," Saki growled, her voice bitter with loathing. "They've been saying so, loudly. At least a half-dozen other girls want to go with them, and more are starting to waver."
"Why…?" said Kazumi, her eyes widening. "Saki-chan, why would they-"
The Pleiades' leader snorted. "I don't know about the others, but the Soujus said they've finished the job you brought them here to do, Mikuni. They claim there's no more reason for them to risk their lives."
Kirika stood up violently, her eyes flashing. "You tell them that if they disrespect Oriko-sama again, I'll tear them apart! I'll rip open their-"
"That's enough, Kirika, thank you," said Oriko, taking hold of Kirika's hand before she could charge off and do something inadvisable."I understand their frustration, but we cannot let anyone leave just yet. Kirika, Asami-san, if you would please assure them that I will let them go as soon as I am certain the danger has passed."
Saki nodded and started back down the stairs. Kirika flashed Oriko an unnerving toothy smile and a salute, then followed after her.
"You weren't serious about that last part, right?" said Kyoko after they were out of earshot. There was fear and desperation in her eyes. "Tell me you were kidding, Mikuni… Tell me things aren't gonna get worse…"
Oriko said nothing.
"Mikuni-san?" Kazumi took a hesitant step forward.
"I do not know," The white Magi shook her head. "Everything I see is clouded, but I fear that a greater darkness will soon envelop us all…"
The pall of silence that fell over the hallway at those words was broken by the faint, muffled sound of breaking china. Everyone's eyes turned toward the door to the hotel room, shut and locked almost constantly since yesterday afternoon. The sound had come from inside.
A few seconds later, the latch turned over. A crack appeared as the door opened just slightly, and a face framed by golden curled pigtails peeked out. Her amber eyes were weary with shared grief. "Kazumi-san," she said quietly. "It's your shift."
Kazumi nodded and slipped past her, as Mami Tomoe emerged from the darkness within and heaved a mournful sigh. Once outside she slumped against the wall for support, as if a great weight were on her shoulders, pushing her down. One hand pulled the door closed behind her, the other held a saucer that bore the shattered remains of a teacup.
Normally a symbol of calm and tranquility, Mami had been more disturbed upon hearing the news than anyone had ever seen her... she wept as bitterly as if Tsukasa had been her own family, and couldn't come within a meter of the body without suffering terrible convulsions. Once her injuries from the battle were healed, she disappeared with Kyoko for several hours, and only when they returned was she composed enough to offer her help.
Kyoko leapt to her feet to put an arm around her. She had never seen Mami looking more exhausted, but she knew she was far tougher than she looked; she could take it. The occupant of the room, however… "Mami? How is she doing?"
"Still the same," said Mami. "She won't talk to me at all, and she's barely eaten. When she's not crying or sleeping, she's angry… I tried making her some tea, but…" She looked down at the cup lying broken in its saucer and shuddered.
"Dammit," said Kyoko, looking helplessly from Mami to the door and back again, at a loss for what to do. "Didn't you tell her we know what it's-"
"I tried," said Mami, averting her gaze from her friend. "I tried, but it didn't help. I don't know what else to do..."
"Just… just hang in there," said Kyoko, patting her back gingerly. She knew it was a pointless gesture, as feeble as her words of false comfort… but what else could she say? "Maybe when Akemi gets back, she'll…" She trailed off. Really, what could Akemi possibly do? said the voice of the nasty little cynic in her mind, who was becoming a seriously unwelcome presence.
"Is she still with the family?" Mami's head lifted up just slightly.
Oriko nodded. "As far as I know. I would call to check on her, but… she asked for privacy."
"What is she telling them, anyway?" asked Kyoko, unable to contain her curiosity, morbid though it was. "Not the truth, I hope."
"Obviously not. The report Kanna-san forged states that a blocked artery was the official cause of death. Asuka-san was able to…" Here Oriko tried and failed to suppress a shudder. "… to alter the body enough to pass an examination."
Kyoko cringed. "Yeah, gotcha. Seems like as good an explanation as any. There's no reason to make them think it was… violent."
"Those poor people…" Mami sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her free hand. The pieces of the cup rattled in the saucer; she was trembling. "Isn't there anything else we can do for them?"
"We have already done all we can," said Oriko. "It is best not to involve them further."
"But…" Mami's lower lip quivered. "Shouldn't we at least let Hiiragi-san go home? She should be with-"
"No," said Oriko firmly. "She still needs our protection. Of that much I am certain."
Kyoko hurriedly patted Mami's back again, recognizing the way her eyes were wavering. "Oh crap… C'mon, Mami, don't start the waterworks again! It's gonna be okay. We'll get her home once we know it's safe. For now, let's go get you something to eat, you must be starving."
The blonde-haired girl smiled weakly and nodded, and arm-in-arm the two headed for their own room.
Soon Oriko was alone with her thoughts once more. She sat down on the bench and closed her eyes, directing all her energy into clearing the black clouds that obscured her visions. If she couldn't see what was ahead, she would be of no use to anyone. Come on, she thought. Show me something. Please, give me some guidance.
It was no use; the darkness remained as thick and impenetrable as ever. Perhaps if she used more power…
Mikuni? Another voice interrupted her thoughts, solid and immovable as stone. Akemi and Anri are back, they just came in through the front door.
Oriko buried her annoyance beneath a veneer of polite calm. Thank you, Kanna-san. If you would, please send them up here.
Homura knew Oriko needed to speak with her, but she was the last person she wanted to see at the moment. Every fiber of her being screamed to go back up to the room, to be with Kagami… but no. She would follow directions. She didn't object when she was chosen to go with Anri to inform the family… Anri had had to pose as an adult police officer to deliver the falsified reports. She was oddly convincing at it… maybe a little too much so, as her performance made Homura faintly uneasy. But never mind, she hadn't objected then, and she wouldn't object now. She wouldn't be happy about it, but she could suppress that. She would finish her duties, and then see to Kagami.
Are you sure you don't need to rest, Homura? said Kyubey from his perch on her shoulder. You've been traveling all day.
I'm fine, she thought back at him, knowing he would ignore the lie.
"Akemi-san," said Oriko by way of greeting as she climbed the last stair. "Was there any trouble coming back?"
"No," said Homura. "Everything is quiet."
"Hmm." Oriko put a hand to her chin. "I do not like this. It feels wrong…"
Homura waited as long as she could stand, but finally she had to ask: "How is she?"
Oriko was about to answer, when something heavy and fragile crashed against the locked door. From within, they could hear Kazumi trying to say something, her voice timid and sympathetic, but livid screaming swiftly drowned it out. "Go away! I don't want your pity! Just shut up and leave me the hell alone!"
The door flew open and Kazumi stumbled out, her eyes wide and frightened, looking more vulnerable and child-like than ever in her distress. She stumbled and almost twisted her ankle over the fragments of a lamp that lay at her feet in the door frame, but she quickly righted herself and turned back around. "I'm so sorry, Hiiragi-san, I didn't mean to-"
The door shut in her face with a titanic slam.
Homura was by her side in an instant. "Kazumi?"
"She…" Kazumi sniffled and hugged herself tight. "I don't even know what I said! She just snapped and threw the lamp at me…"
"Don't worry." Homura put a hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. I'll take over."
You know, said Kyubey, hopping down to the floor, I've been thinking. Part of your duty as Puellae Magi is to ease suffering, right? She has more than enough motivation to fight Demons now, though she is a bit older than the rest of you. If I were to offer-
Kyubey suddenly found himself face-to-face with the bladed end of a cross-shaped staff and the point of an arrowhead composed of violet fire.
"No," Homura's tone was as cold and bitter as midwinter. "Never. You are not to approach her, nor speak with her, at any time, ever. Do you understand me?"
Kyubey blinked. All I was suggesting was a way to ease her pain. Was that so wrong?
"Not that way!" hissed Kazumi, her eyes flashing with anger as she shoved the point of her staff closer to his neck. "The last thing she needs is to hear about contracts and wishes!"
"Listen to me very carefully, Kyubey," said Homura, keeping her voice as even as possible. "If you breathe so much as one word to Hiiragi-san, one word, I will have Ayase freeze you solid and drop you into the deepest part of Tokyo Bay, and afterward I will shoot any copies of you that I see, on sight, without hesitation. Is that clear?"
His ears stood up for a second. How on earth did Homura know about that? He had never been killed in her presence before, he was certain… I understand, Homura, he said.
The arrow moved away, but the staff stayed trained on him. "Good," said Homura. "I will see to Hiiragi-san. You can stay here and fill Mikuni in on the rest of the details."
But- Kyubey began.
"Your cooperation won't be necessary."
The Incubator sighed. All right, I'll do as you say.
Without another word, Homura stepped in front of the door. She knocked softly and said, "Hiiragi-san, it's me. I'm coming in." A brief spark of magic unlocked the latch. She gingerly made her way around what was left of the lamp, and closed the door behind her.
I don't understand you humans at all, said Kyubey, shaking his head. Why must you always-
"Shut up, Kyubey," chorused Kazumi and Oriko at once.
Kyubey fell silent.
"Hiiragi-san?"
A palpable sense of despair hung like dense fog over the room; Homura could almost feel it on her skin. With great care, she approached the window where Kagami sat huddled over. "Hiiragi-san?"
There was no answer. Kagami's long lavender hair hung loose and disheveled, spread around her like a cloak; loose strands dangled down into her face, stuck to her cheeks with dried tears she hadn't bothered to wipe away. Her face was very pale, and her eyes looked… hollow, ringed with shadow, empty of everything but grief.
"Hiiragi-san?" said Homura again, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"You're back." Kagami spoke the words with no emotion at all.
"Yes."
"Did you tell them?"
"I did."
"And?"
Homura swallowed. She wanted to lie, but she knew that would be of no help. "They… didn't take it well. Your father was furious."
"With me?"
"Wh-what?" She wasn't sure she heard correctly.
"Is he angry with me?" said Kagami in monotone.
"Hiiragi-san, why would he be angry with you?"
"Because I'm not there with them. Because I didn't do anything to stop it."
Homura slid closer. "Hiiragi-san, you mustn't blame yourself." Blame me, said a small voice inside herself that she fought to suppress. "There was nothing you could have done… nothing any of us could have done."
She was silent for a long time. "I hate this," she said finally. "I hate feeling this way. I hate knowing she's gone." The monotone was breaking, replaced by anger slowly heating to a boil... "I hate it. I hate it, Homura. Everyone keeps saying how sorry they are, and I hate them for it… and I hate myself for hating them… I hate all of it. Everything…"
"I know," said Homura, all too familiar with that feeling. "I know."
Kagami spun around to face her, tears springing to her eyes again. "Why?" she said, her voice rising. "Why Tsukasa? What did she ever do to anyone? She was sweet and gentle and she… and they killed her. They killed her for no reason! Tell me why, Homura!" One of her hands curled into a fist and beat at the Puella Magi's shoulder, making her wince. "I want her back, dammit, I want my sister back! It's not fair! It's not fair…!"
Homura just sat and let the other girl's fists pound on her shoulder. It was the least she could do; she could take the pain, and Kagami needed some kind of release, some way to vent her anger. She had to be strong, for her… but when the blows stopped and Kagami sank sobbing into her lap, Homura started to cry along with her, cradling the older girl in her arms and rocking her back and forth. It was all she could do.
Two days before the end
They had gone to bed with their arms around each other, and somehow, impossibly, they had fallen asleep. So when Homura awoke the next morning, she felt a surge of panic upon finding herself alone. The sheets and pillow were cold next to her. No, she thought, ready to throw off the blankets and summon the other Puellae Magi in a heartbeat. She couldn't have-
"Homura? Are you awake?"
Homura's head snapped up… and she nearly did a double-take.
Kagami was at the window again, fully dressed, standing up… and smiling. Really smiling, looking genuinely happy. It looked as if she had already showered; her face was scrubbed clean, and she smelled of something sweet and floral.
For a moment, Homura wondered if she was having some sort of bizarre dream… she fought the urge to pinch herself. "Hiiragi-san…?" That smile was unnerving her.
"It's okay, Homura," said Kagami, and she actually laughed. A soft, weak laugh, but still a laugh. "It's okay. I figured it out. It's going to be all right… I know you can help me."
Far from reassuring her, that only disturbed Homura more. "Help you? How?"
Kagami crossed to the bed. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating her from behind… Homura was reminded of photographs of angels depicted in stained glass. The older girl took her hand and clasped it tight. "I remembered when I woke up this morning. You said before that Puellae Magi can shut off pain so they can fight better, right?"
Homura's heart sank deep into her stomach. Oh no. Please, no. Don't ask for that, please… Ask me for anything, just not that! "Y-yes, that's right," she whispered, dreading what was coming next.
"So… can you take away my pain?" said Kagami, her eyes shining. "Can you do that for me, Homura?"
It was impossible to speak; Homura's throat had gone too tight. For the first time in a long time, she longed for her old clockwork shield. If she could only stop time again, and slip away while everything was frozen… she would never have to answer Kagami, never have to crush her one last hope.
Temptation gnawed savagely at her. She could do it, she knew. It was well within her abilities. It would stop Kagami from suffering any more. But…
A horrible memory floated to the forefront of her mind. In that memory, she was inside a Witch's Maze, before everything changed… The Maze was starkly contrasted, pitch-black ground against a white sky in which strange shapes turned and twisted. There was a girl there, another Puella Magi. She was standing over the smashed, broken remains of a Witch, covered in a mixture of its blood and her own, holding a cutlass with a red-stained, dripping blade. The Witch was little more than a huge red smear on the black ground, dotted with pieces of torn and mangled flesh, and the Puella Magi was smiling… a horrible, obscenely happy smile. "He was right," said the girl. "It doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt at all."
"No," whispered Homura. "I can't."
Kagami's smile trembled, and her hand squeezed Homura's reflexively. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"I can't, Hiiragi-san." Homura's vision blurred; her eyes were burning. "I can't."
The smile broke. "But… but you have to. I can't take this anymore, Homura! Please, I'm begging you, make it go away…"
"Hiiragi-san…" Homura took a deep breath and pushed her emotions deep down, hiding them away within herself, just as she had done so many times before. "There's a reason Puellae Magi only use that kind of magic in dire need. When you stop feeling pain, you become something unnatural, twisted… broken. Gradually your other senses fade away, and you lose the ability to feel anything…" Her voice began to quaver. "If I did what you're asking of me, I'd be taking away what makes you human. I… I care about you too much to see that happen."
The older girl's face was falling, darkening. "I… I thought you of all people would understand... to feel lonely like this, to hurt like this…"
Homura's emotions swelled up and broke her heart in two. "I do," she said, unable to stop the tears she had repressed. "I understand more than you could ever know. I want to take away your suffering, Hiiragi-san, more than anything… but I can't. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"
A primal cry tore itself from deep within Kagami as she sank to the floor, unable to stand any longer. The cry went on and on, a wail of absolute despair, of dying hope… Its echoes sent a collective shudder through everyone who heard it, and when it finally faded out, there was only a terrible, awful silence left behind… the silence of the grave.
One day before the end
"Hiiragi-san?"
"Go away."
"Kazumi made you some food. It's her specialty… strawberry risotto."
"I don't want it."
"You have to eat, Hiiragi-san. You have to keep your strength up."
"I said I don't want it. Just go away."
"… If that's what you really want. I'll send Kyoko in."
"Whatever, I don't care."
"Good bye, Hiiragi-san. I will be back later."
There was no answer.
"Hiiragi-san?"
"… I hate you."
No weapon on earth could have wounded Homura as deeply as those words did. "Hiiragi-san…"
"Just go away. I don't care anymore. I hate you. I hate… everything…"
Twelve hours before the end
It was just after four in the morning. The January wind swept bitterly over the hotel, making Homura shiver. She sat on the edge of the roof, crying silently, her precious red ribbon clutched tightly in her hands.
Two hours ago, as she laid wide awake in bed, listening to Kagami breathing next to her, she had come to a terrible realization. It made her sit bolt upright in shock, and drove the thought of sleep completely from her mind. So she had come up here with her ribbon to be alone.
But she was never really alone, she knew. The ribbon was her proof. No Puella Magi ever had to be alone again, thanks to her. She was always there, always watching… and that was why Homura was crying.
Please forgive me, she thought, pressing the ribbon to her chest. I know you can see and hear me, somehow, so please forgive me. I don't know how it happened. I never thought I would feel this way again… I never thought I could betray you like this. These feelings… I keep wishing they would go away, but they won't… all I can do is hide them away. I've done a terrible thing, so please… if you can find it in your heart… forgive me…
Four minutes before the end
The water made a clockwise spiral as it filtered down the drain of the sink. Homura watched it swirl away, then looked up into the bathroom mirror. Her cheeks were still wet, and her eyes were red. She took a towel from its rack and pressed it against her face, took a deep breath to steady herself, then opened the door and returned to the room.
Kagami was going home. Oriko had finally decided that it would be cruel to keep her from mourning with her family any longer, so they had arranged a series of patrols to follow the bus that would be taking her back to Takanomiya. Alternating pairs of Puellae Magi would secretly watch the Hiiragi house for two weeks afterward, and would report anything suspicious back to the others. Feelings among their number were mixed; quite a few, the Soujus especially, were looking forward to leaving the hotel and its gloom behind and returning to their home cities and normal lives… for a given definition of "normal", anyway. Some, however, had managed to bond with each other in shared grief… there was even some talk of a few new groups forming, following the Pleiades' example.
None of that mattered to Homura. All she wanted was for it to be over. Perhaps once Kagami Hiiragi was gone from her life, she would return to her senses. Perhaps then she could stop hating herself…
Kagami sat huddled in the darkest corner of the room, her knees up to her chin and her arms crossed in front of her face. For the last day, she had been moving slowly and mechanically as if sleepwalking, barely responding to anything. In fact, she had not moved from that spot for several hours. She hadn't even removed the fluffy pink towel she had wrapped around herself after taking a bath that morning; she simply didn't care.
"Hiiragi-san?" said Homura, treading carefully. Another breakdown was the last thing anyone needed right now. "It's time to get dressed."
There was no reply.
"Hiiragi-san, you need to get up. The bus will be here soon."
Still no answer.
"Hiiragi-san?"
Then, for the first time that day, she spoke. She didn't bother to look up, so the words were mumbled into her arms. Even if she had faced Homura to say it, her voice was so quiet that it was impossible to hear.
Homura took a few steps toward her. "What did you say?"
Another sentence, as faint and unintelligible as the first one.
Abandoning her caution, Homura crossed over to the corner and sat down next to her. Her hand hesitated for a moment, then shook Kagami's shoulder. "Hiiragi-san?"
This time Homura heard her. "I figured it out," said Kagami, still not looking up. She spoke in a sighing whisper, like air slowly escaping from a deflating balloon… it made Homura's skin crawl. "I figured it out," she said again. "I was sitting here, and I just realized all of a sudden…"
"What did you realize?" said Homura, edging just a bit closer.
"Tsukasa's dead," Kagami said in that eerie whisper-sigh, "and if I don't make the ones who killed her pay… she'll never go to Heaven. Even when I die, I'll never see her again."
Homura cringed. "Hiiragi-san, I promise you, we'll make the Demons regret-"
"Not the Demons," said Kagami.
That was when Homura noticed it. The older girl was clutching something tightly in her fist, and the shadows in her corner of the room weren't natural… whatever she was holding was making the corner darker than it should have been.
Cold panic seized Homura's heart. "No." Her hand moved like lightning, prying open Kagami's fist with all her strength. "No. No. No…"
In the palm of Kagami's hand rested a small cube with a spindle rammed through it. Black clouds swirled inside, as if there were a rainstorm trapped within it…
"NO!" Homura howled and swatted the Curse Seed away, and sent it skittering across the floor. Beyond caring, she threw her arms around Kagami's waist, buried her face against her breast, and broke down sobbing. "Hiiragi-san, no! Don't let it feed on you, you have to fight it! Please, fight it… come back…"
Her body was growing cold. Homura held her tighter, as if she could force her own warmth into her by thought alone. "We'll stop it, Hiiragi-san, I promise. Just please, come back…" She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling drops falling onto the towel, onto Kagami's skin.
The black cube lurched where it had landed on the floor. Darkness seeped out of its angles, flowing in a serpentine pattern towards them. As it touched Kagami's limp body it began to spread, like an oil slick, peach skin vanishing under pure black.
Homura felt the cold increasing. Kagami was making no effort to get up, to escape the darkness that was leeching off of her. She looked up at her face, into her beautiful blue eyes, and laid a hand against her cheek. Willing it to work, willing her words to reach her, she whispered... "Hiiragi-san… Kagami… Don't leave me… I love you…"
Kagami spoke in a voice that was warped and distorted horribly. "Etartni'hc iov," she said as her eyes frosted over, "aznareps engo etaicsal…" Her body pulled away from Homura's embrace, sinking completely into the dark.
And Homura's blood ran cold, as she finally realized what was truly happening. Kagami wasn't feeding a Demon… she was becoming one.
No, she thought, her whole body trembling as she crawled backward from the thing that had taken Kagami into itself. "No," she said aloud. The slick of liquid darkness seeping from the cube was retracting, pulling the Curse Seed into the slowly resolving body of the new Demon. "No, that's not possible…"
The shape was growing, becoming taller. Formless black began to give berth to an enormous humanoid shape in chalk-white robes, pale as death. Its hands emerged from the folds, fingertips glowing with power.
From somewhere far away, Homura felt herself rising to her feet, to meet the Demon looming over her. Her battle costume formed around her automatically, and her ebony bow materialized in her shaking hand. "No," she said, though she knew the Demon couldn't understand her. "I won't let this happen to you. I won't… I won't…" An arrow flared into life, already notched, and she slowly drew it back, aiming at the Demon's flickering skull. "I won't…" Someone was pounding on the door behind her, but it didn't matter. The point of the arrow wavered, but stayed trained on its target. "I…"
The Demon's mouth opened, letting out an agonizing moan in a mockery of Kagami's voice.
And the face of Kagami Hiiragi flashed into Homura's mind, and she froze. The memory of them drinking tea together late at night... Kagami was telling a story, laughing… Then another memory, of a girl lying on a slab of broken concrete, holding up something in her palm. A wail of unspeakable agony echoed through a shattered city, followed by a flash, a shot, and the powerful buck of a gun's recoil.
I can't.
I can't.
I can't.
I can't.
The arrow faded away as Homura began to let the bow drop. She couldn't feel the tears running down her cheeks.
"Tiro Finale!"
"Limiti Esterni!"
The door exploded. A bolt of heat and energy threw Homura aside with its wake and struck the demon point-blank. Its orange blood splattered the walls and ceiling, and somehow it screamed, though its head was gone…
Mami and Kazumi leaped through the smoking hole that was once a door, followed shortly by Kyoko, Oriko, Kirika, and Saki. Mami threw one of the muskets she carried aside, and kept the other trained on the twitching body in the corner.
"Akemi-san, what happened?" Kazumi half-shrieked as she ran forward to kneel by Homura's side. "We felt a power surge… Where did that Demon come from? Where's Hiiragi-san?"
Homura allowed herself to be pulled upright. Her whole body was shivering. Unable to answer, she raised her hand and pointed at the Demon.
Oriko's face turned as white as the dress she wore. "That can't-"
The other girls burst into a frenzy of overlapping speech.
"How the hell did-"
"Oriko-sama, what do we do?"
"Get back! Everyone, get back!"
"Call the others up here, quickly! It may still-"
"That's not… she couldn't have…!"
"EVERYONE!" Kazumi shouted over the din, slamming the foot of her staff into the ground for emphasis. "Get behind me, it's still moving!"
They all moved a meter back, Homura having to be dragged by Kyoko until she could find the strength to walk. A barrier of white light sprung from Kazumi's staff, sealing them off from the Demon…
It was changing, its first form splitting in half as something much larger tore its way out. An almost perfect darkness, so dark it made pitch-black look bright, coalesced into a roughly spheroid body with multiple branches extending outward… as if someone had decided to give a spider dozens of extra legs, all of different sizes . Twelve eyes like burning coals opened one by one to stare lividly at the Puellae Magi. The branch-legs began to grow more branches, bending at bizarre angles, their sharpened tips reaching for the barrier.
"Somebody, get downstairs!" Kazumi shouted, looking back over her shoulder. "Bring up whoever has a long-range wea-"
The words died on Kazumi's lips. One of the black branches had simply passed through the barrier as if it were air. Its tip bulged, fattened, and split open like the petals of a flower… the undersides of the petals looked like raw meat, wet and glistening, and there was something inside the branch's center, glimpsed only for an instant… a face… Kagami's face. Darting forward like a snake, the branch latched itself to the side of Kazumi's head, the petals clamping on to her skin, spreading tiny dark roots through her flesh.
The others saw the branch pulse once, and Kazumi's face went blank.
It pulsed twice, and the staff dropped from her hand, the barrier flickering into nothingness as the staff faded away.
It pulsed a third time, and then Kazumi's body dropped like a stone as the branch let her go, dead before she hit the floor. The blank expression was frozen on her face; her eyes were wide and staring at the ceiling. The Soul Gem in her earring wasn't broken or corrupted… it was empty.
Saki screamed Kazumi's name, just as the Demon's burning eyes emitted a flash of searing, hellish light…
Homura awoke in a pile of rubble. She blinked, confused, unsure of what she was seeing at first…
Then she realized. The front half of the hotel was gone. Its ruins lay around her in a smoldering heap. Voices filtered through the smoke, some shouting commands, some crying… a few screaming the same name, over and over again.
Homura turned to face the street. Something had punched a crater clear through the middle of the asphalt, to the soil underneath… the broken edges were slowly dulling from burning red to grey, and the stink of burning tar hung heavy in the air. More craters led a zigzag pattern down the street and out of sight.
The enormous shadow that was visible on the horizon in the distance gave a terrible roar, and as she watched one of its branching arms tore a great slash in the sky as if it was made of paper, leaving behind a wound that glowed bright crimson.
Homura went numb, numb to the chaos all around her, numb to Oriko when she emerged from the smoke to start giving her orders… Sorrow and shame were all she could feel. The rest was just… nothing. She couldn't even cry.
END OF CHAPTER 9
