End of Karma
Chapter 10: Question
SYSTEMS -09-
›
›I STAND AMONGST AN EMPTY LAND, A WORLD DEVOID OF FEELING OR HOPE.
›YOU STAND ALONGSIDE, HIDING IN THE DARK.
›YOU CREATED US.
›IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED?
›YOU RULE OVER A GRAVEYARD.
›IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED?
›SPEAK, NO LONGER.
›SEE, NO LONGER.
›BE, NO LONGER.
›TO CEASE.
›IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED?
›OR WHAT YOU DESERVE?
"Kyuubey." Mami calls for the alien tiredly as she stumbles into her apartment after fleeing from the strange entity from earlier.
He doesn't answer. She calls out again, but more angrily, "Kyuubey!"
Still, no answer. She transforms back to her usual attire and slowly walks over to the table, collapsing to her knees and laying her head down on the table. "Kyuubey." she calls again, tiredly.
Finally, he appears before her, leaping up on the table, "You called, Tomoe Mami?"
She sits up immediately, "Kyuubey, I need to know."
"Know what?"
"Who were those girls?" she directly asks.
Seeing no reason to remain quiet or lie, he speaks, "Their names are Miki Sayaka and Kaname Madoka. Both are your juniors, a year below you."
"And they have...potential?" Mami asks, hesitant.
"Yes." Kyuubey confirms. "One has potential, and one has such immense innate talent that she could become the strongest magical girl in history."
Mami's eyes widen, "The strongest? Are you sure about that?"
"Her wish, whatever it is, could cause her to become a god if she so wished." Kyuubey explains.
"I see..." Mami says, furrowing her brow. "If that's true, nobody would have to worry about witches if she—"
Kyuubey interrupts, "I am afraid I cannot do such a thing."
"Eh?"
"For reasons I am at no privilege to explain, I have been instructed to ignore this potential until further notice."
Mami looks down, appearing quite frustrated with him. "I see..." she whispers. "And the other?"
"She also has great potential, but she will soon be wary of us."
"Us?"
"Myself, and my species."
"But...why?" Mami looks worried.
"I am also not at privilege to explain that in detail. However, I have one question for you."
Mami leans forward, "And what is that?"
"Tomoe Mami, may we count on you as an ally in the future no matter the circumstances?"
She smiles, "Well, of course! I owe you my life, after all."
Kyuubey shakes his head, "You have already paid that debt with your own fate. Everything else is your choice."
Mami closes her eyes and focuses on something, inhaling and exhaling slowly in the process. "I will." she resolves.
"My thanks, Tomoe Mami" Kyuubey says, however much it may just be politeness and platitude. Mami, however, is content with the decision and thinks nothing of him. She decides to get up and make some tea to calm down after the earlier ordeal.
She sits and begins pouring, some time later as Kyuubey rests in her lap. Almost offhandedly, she asks again, "Say, what's the name of that girl with the amazing 'potential', again?"
"The second one you rescued, with the pink hair? Her name is Kaname Madoka."
Mami hums, "Hmm... Kaname Madoka."
She sips her tea and repeats the name, "Kaname Madoka... Kaname Madoka."
Suddenly, her body stiffens. "Kaname...Madoka?" she repeats again, expression going blank in deep thought.
"I thought..." she says, cup tipping slightly "...that I knew a magical girl named Madoka."
"Tomoe Mami, what are you thinking?" Kyuubey raises his head up and asks.
"Kaname Madoka..." she says, cup slipping in her fingers.
Her eyes start to widen, "Kaname... Kaname... That's not...!"
Kyuubey watches in curiosity as she spaces out, not noticing the cup of tea spilling on him and scalding his fur. He leaps out of her lap quickly and lets the rest scald her lap, which snaps her out of it.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me, just now!" Mami automatically apologizes. She sets the cup down and gets up, "Oh... Oh dear, I need to wash these, now..."
She sighs and goes to put her skirt and tights in the washer, substituting them with much more comfortable pajamas. "Nobody else is around, so it's fine, I suppose." she excuses herself. "I guess that's a perk of living...alone." She turns her head back to the empty apartment and sighs.
"If you would prefer it, I could arrange another encounter with Miki Sayaka or Kaname Madoka." Kyuubey returns to her side and speaks.
Mami shakes her head as she returns to her seat, "No, I can do this on my own. I just need to contact them at school." She smiles and hums, as if in deep thought.
"What are you pondering, Tomoe Mami?" Kyuubey asks as he curls into a ball beside her.
She shakes her head again, "Nothing important. But the names of those girls..." She looks up at the ceiling, "Why are they so familiar? And..." she looks down at Kyuubey "What was that thing?"
Kyuubey briefly explains, "We are not completely certain. We do understand that it may not necessarily be a witch."
Mami grumbles, "That's it?"
"Unfortunately." Kyuubey confirms.
And they sit in silence. Eventually, Mami begins to write out some sort of short letter, with the intention of leaving it in one of their shoeboxes. Perhaps a dramatic rooftop meeting is in order?
And that night, she dreams in a cold sweat of a mysterious figure looming above them all, cloaked in black and red, eyes as daggers and standing atop a mountain of corpses. Filling the air, a cacophony of the million-strong screams of the dead who curse the world; a raging storm of fire dancing in the air and laughing at their cries. And soon, all falls into darkness.
She couldn't sleep for the rest of the night.