AN: There has been a change of plans...again! (I have got to stop doing that) but once I started typing out the first half of this part of Chapter 9 that I had already written, (confused yet?) it literally doubled in length. Mostly because I decided to experiment with a genre of writing that I have always struggled with: Action.
Now; I have no idea if what I wrote flows well, or if you readers will be able to picture what's going on in your heads, but this is my first real stab at writing a true action scene, so I would more than appreciate any constructive feedback anyone can give me to make it more coherent.
The increase in length of Kyouko's part of the chapter helped me decide that each of the five Puella Magi will have their own self contained 'mini' chapter (All of which have been pre-written in advance) and the five parts combined will make up Chapter 9 in it's entirety.
Since the other two groups have more members, this is where I will start trying to cover two characters in a single 'part,' but it really depends on how long each character's little demonstration takes. I hope I'm not destroying the story by formatting the next three chapters this way, I just really want to give each character the proper respect they deserve, as well as the opportunity to show themselves off as I see them.
That actually brings me to another subject that None (a reviewer) brought up about two years ago by this point. Am I going to even out the powers? Using the Puella Magi as an example; I think that some people underestimate the other magical types in comparison to Lyrical Nanoha's world ;) That's not to say that Nanoha, Fate and Hayate aren't a lot stronger than most of the other girls, but look at some of the crap the Puella Magi went through! On a basic level, (i.e.: no spells allowed by any of the four 'instructors') I think all three groups can more than hold their own against Nanoha's group. As for beyond that? That's for me to know, and you to find out in due time.
One last important thing before we get started here:
Up to this point this story has been rated 'T' for suggestive themes (should be read as: my occasionally dirty sense of humour) and some foul language. Now in this chapter and the ones proceeding it, there will be an increase in both. Now that everyone knows what is required for the mission's success there is going to be a lot of innuendo going around. As well as a few potential F-bombs here and there. At this point in time, I do not think it necessary to change the rating from 'T' to 'M', especially since I have no plans to ever write an explicit sex scene in this story. So if the rating does change it'll be due to the increase in harsh language.
With that giant rant that I'm sure most of you skipped right over, (Not that I blame you) out of the way: Let's get the show on the road!
...
Chapter 9 Part 2,
Takamachi Boot Camp and the Puella Magi:
Kyouko
As it turns out, and I guess it really wasn't surprising; both fighters were very adept with their weapons and the air was already full of the sharp clang of metal on metal. For someone without an intelligent device to enhance her magic, Kyouko was incredibly fast and fought with a deadly precision. She swiftly blocked each of Signum's strikes with practiced ease, retaliating viciously with some of her own; actually putting Signum on the defensive every now and then!
After one such instance; in which Signum had to jump back to avoid the nasty strike Kyouko had made at her ankles. She made an attempt to regain the upper hand: Using her dodge as a means of putting some space between herself and her opponent. Signum put Levantine into Serpent Form in midair, obviously hoping to catch the red head off guard by suddenly attacking from a distance. Kyouko merely smirked; lashing out with her own weapon, and Signum was the one who ended up being caught off guard: as the shaft of the intricate spear segmented as well, extending out, where the blade (which at some point had split in half to become double pronged) met Levantine's tip mid-strike, knocking it off its trajectory, where it fell harmlessly to the ground.
"Well, you're just full of surprises aren't you?" Signum commented casually as Levantine retracted back into his sword form. The pink haired Guardian wasted no time before she immediately launched herself back at her foe, using her momentum in the full on charge to try and knock Kyouko off balance. Quick as a flash, the shaft reformed, ready to block.
"TH-ank-you!" Kyouko grunted as she met Signum's charge head on. Her feet were pushed back in the dirt a few inches from absorbing the full force of the attack, but nevertheless Kyouko held her ground, before gathering her own strength to launch Signum off.
"Who trained you?" She asked, using the force of Kyouko throwing her off, to do a mid air back flip, landing on her feet, still facing her opponent. Only to immediately have to whip Levantine up to block another strike from Kyouko, who had apparently followed her in her retreat. I was glad Signum had fast reflexes, because Kyouko fought ruthlessly.
"Life on the streets." Kyouko answered bluntly. Suddenly she withdrew her spear, before quickly throwing her left fist out to knock the flat of Levantine's blade out of the way. Using Signum's confusion to her advantage, and ignoring her now injured hand; Kyouko quickly made an overhead slash, aimed directly for Signum's head!
A sharp clang signified that Signum just had barely managed to parry the attack in time by dropping to her knees, and holding her blade flat over her head, bracing the tip with her other hand, and pushing back with all her might against Kyouko's downward force. Clearly Signum had struck a nerve, and Kyouko was making sure that she regretted it.
"That, and a life of Witch hunting has taught me that the only person you can depend on is yourself!" Kyouko continued, throwing all her weight into trying to force Signum into submission. The two stared heatedly at each other for a moment or two before Signum's eyes seemed to soften in understanding.
"I see..." She said softly, suddenly extending her right leg out between Kyouko's rock solid stance. Before the redhead could even think to react; the force she was pushing against suddenly disappeared, as Signum had ducked beneath the connected blades and dropped Levantine all together. This effectively threw Kyouko off balance, and she drove her spear into the ground to keep from falling...only to have Signum drive an elbow into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. "You were alone, weren't you?" Signum concluded simply, as she maneuvered her way out from underneath her now doubled over adversary. She recovered Levantine on the way, and since Kyouko was too occupied gasping for air to stop her, she leveled the sword inches from fiery red hair in a clear sign of dominance. Kyouko's spear was suddenly engulfed in purple flames before simply disintegrating into thin air, leaving a sizable gouge in the ground. I had honestly never seen Signum fight this...dirty before...unless she was trying to teach someone a lesson, so clearly; she had figured something out that I hadn't yet.
"S-So what...if I was?" Kyouko coughed out: suddenly summoning another spear, using it to savagely knock Levantine out of Signum's hand, before standing up like nothing had happened, and leveling the blade of her weapon inches from her opponent's throat. She had recovered alarmingly quickly for being on the receiving end of a blow that would have left me puking my guts out. "After all, there is no better teacher than solidarity and survival if you want to become strong!"
"And totally selfish!" Signum spat angrily, defiantly pushing the spear's point away from her throat, before diving to the left, and grabbing Levantine in an evasive somersault ending with a block, just in case Kyouko pursued her again. When she got to her feet unopposed, she noticed that Kyouko was merely watching her carefully several feet away, kind of like a tiger waiting for the right opportunity to pounce. So the leader of the Wolkenritter used this opportunity to drive her point home. "In this world, there is no greater sign of weakness in a warrior than selfishness!" She shouted in a very confrontational tone. Clearly this was something Signum felt very strongly about, so I guess that explained her actions earlier. "A warrior's true strength can never be realized or unleashed if she fights only for herself!" Kyouko merely raised an uncaring eyebrow at this impromptu lecture, serving only to piss Signum off further. "Someone who cares only for herself has no right to call herself a warrior! She is merely a fool! A fool who will never be able to find true happiness in life!"
To my surprise, Kyouko's first reaction to this obvious (and rather brutal) attack on her character; was a knowing toothy grin that spread across her face as her crimson eyes rested on Sayaka for a moment or two before they returned to her opponent, blazing brighter than ever before.
"You wanna know what?" She said confidently, reaching up and grabbing a hold of her ever present black ribbon. (An action that seemed to immediately catch Sayaka's attention...that is if her suddenly going stiff as a board was any indication.) "I couldn't agree with you more!"
A sharp tug on the ribbon resulted in a cascade of molten lava, and I just barely caught a glint of something gold flying out of her hair as it fell about her shoulders. A quick flick of the wrist, and Kyouko deftly caught it out of the air, once again rested her fierce gaze on Sayaka. The bluenette was watching fearfully mouthing the word 'no' over and over again. Kyouko's flashed her fang in a guilty smile as she knelt down on her knees, clasping her hands together as if in prayer. I twitched in surprise and Sayaka gasped in horror as the same bright purple flames that had consumed her spear earlier sprang up around the redhead's body, totally engulfing her in flame.
"Kyouko!" Sayaka warned, her voice a mix of anger and pure fear. "Don't you dare!"
My eyes darted over to Signum to see how she was reacting to this, the two were still in the middle of a sparring session after all. Signum hadn't moved a muscle since Kyouko's proclamation, and seemed just as confused as the rest of us. Besides Kyouko wasn't really making any moves to attack her...yet.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when a barrier made of densely interlocked red squares erupted out of the ground in front of me, effectively caging Signum and Kyouko in, and cutting the rest of us off from...whatever was about to occur inside. Whatever it was I had a feeling it wasn't good.
"Signum!"I shouted at my second aid. "Don't just stand there! STOP HER!"
Signum was one step ahead of me, and had already readied Levantine. But before she could even make a move, the same interlinked squares that made up the barrier burst out of the ground, wrapped themselves quick as a flash around the Guardian's body, holding her in place. Signum struggled against her bonds, but they didn't seem too inclined to break. Sayaka saw the barrier, and Signum's restraint as a sign that Kyouko was outright ignoring her, and launched herself at the barricade, pounding on it with frantic desperation.
"Don't do this Kyouko!" Sayaka begged, the panic was truly starting to show in her voice now. "This is such Overkill!"
'And Mami's Tiro Finale wasn't?' I thought incredulously to myself; worry for my lifelong friend surging through my veins like a flood.
Tired of being ignored by her friend, the desperate bluenette decided to change tactics: In a flash of blue light, she had transformed into her own Puella Magi outfit, summoned a sword out of thin air, and attacked the barrier with everything she had. By this point; I had long since figured out that something was very wrong with all this. So being the only other one in a Barrier Jacket, I readied Bardiche and tried to help Sayaka break through it. After a moment or two of everything we threw at it bouncing harmlessly off; Sayaka snapped, her movements becoming desperate, and her voice frantic.
"Kyouko!-"
CLANG!
"I swear to-"
CLANG
"God, if you-"
CLANG
"Survive this-"
CLANG
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU MYSELF!"
With that final declaration that alerted all of us as to just how serious the situation was, Sayaka brought her sword down on the barrier with all her might one more time.
CLANG-SNAP!
Sayaka's eyes filled with tears as her sword snapped in half, the blade tumbling uselessly to the ground. Taking one last look at the crouched girl inside it, the bluenette fell against the barricade, hooking her fingers into the very thing that kept her from stopping Kyouko, and wept.
"NANOHA!" I roared behind me, hoping to keep up the assault on the barrier to prevent the redhead from killing herself, (The how and why were totally irrelevant by this point.) Nanoha immediately leapt into action, along with the rest of the recruits as they decided to help out as well. Each took to trying to break through by force in whatever way they could. Apparently, however; Kyouko had other ideas.
For the second time today the ground began to shake. Seconds later, I found myself stumbling back in alarm as massive versions of Kyouko's weapon erupted out of the ground; further separating us from the two fighters. At the same time: Signum seemed to win out against her restraints, breaking free and immediately getting into another offensive stance.
"Signum!" I warned, hoping that she would get the message, and the subsequent order it contained: As the target for this massive attack, she was to focus on protecting herself, while we would do our utmost to try to get through to Kyouko. It was an order I knew she would not like one bit.
There was a moments hesitation.
"I know!" She ground out through clenched teeth. (A clear indicator of her displeasure at my direct order.) With great resentment, she held her ground. Evasion was probably a moot point, given the small space and the fact that she was literally surrounded by the redhead's weapons. So bracing herself, and blocking the attack when it came was probably her best bet.
I; on the other hand was getting ready to fly over the barrier to stop this nonsense once and for all!...probably knocking some sense into the redhead while I was at it. What the hell was she thinking? I had a feeling that she was about to unleash enough magic energy to fully corrupt her Soul Gem. Which; if my understanding of the Puella Magi type was correct: would kill her instantly. Once again, I was the only one in the position to stop this, and I'd be damned if I was going to let a recruit commit suicide during a training session of all things. (Not that I'd let any recruit commit suicide if I could help it.) With that in mind, I was about to take to the air when I felt a hand firmly grasp my shoulder.
I whirled around.
"What!?" I snapped angrily at the person who; to my surprise, turned out to be Homura.
"Do not bother." She said in that same monotone voice, and addressing everyone who was still trying to break down the barrier. "She put this barrier up to protect us. All of you beating on it is forcing her to concentrate on keeping it up, and prolonging the inevitable. So long as she is putting everything she has into maintaining the barrier, you will not be able to break through it." One by one, everyone resentfully stopped their (apparently) fruitless onslaught and looking expectantly at Homura, obviously awaiting some for of explanation. The dark haired girl ignored them, and instead rounded on me. "If you go in there, you will only be putting yourself in great danger." She said calmly. (A tone of voice that did not fit the situation one bit) "She will not commence the attack until she knows that she will not be causing anyone serious harm. Not even your comrade in there." I stared incredulously at Homura's blank, emotionless face, amazed that she had passed over one 'minor' little detail.
"But she's going to kill herself!" I blurted angrily, putting extra emphasis on the word 'kill,' hoping that it would stir some emotion in the dark haired girl.
Homura merely shook her head.
"Kyouko can be foolish." She said, voice not breaking an octave. "But she is not suicidal...this time." The look on my face told her exactly how unimpressed and unconvinced I was with that information, so she tried again, turning her eyes on Sayaka. (Who was still weeping against the barrier.) and lowered her voice so that the bluenette would not hear her. "She would not be doing this if she did not think she would survive. She has something to live for now... or I guess I should say: Someone."
As if to prove Homura's point; Kyouko's eyes suddenly snapped open, and the biggest spear yet burst forth from the ground underneath Kyouko's feet. Riding on the disjointed shaft, the redhead was lifted into the air on a spear poised like a cobra ready to strike. As the weapon and its passenger reached the apex of their height (A good fifty feet in the air) the blade once again split in two, becoming two pronged and twice as dangerous. Seeing this; I again rounded on Homura, hoping to convince her of the gravity of the situation, so she would let me go. Homura froze me in my tracks, leveling a look at me that simply said: "Just trust her."
Yes: Homura; a middle school girl I barely knew had just asked me to trust another middle school aged girl I barely knew, who was about to do something that would cause herself serious harm, (No matter what happened) and possibly death. Normally I would have dismissed such a request in a heartbeat, but there was something in Homura's usually emotionless eyes that managed to convince me: Faith. It was small, but I could see it. Homura had faith that the girl that she considered a friend, (and yes, I could see that too. Homura actually did consider Kyouko a friend.) would come out of this alive. Probably not unscathed mind you, but alive.
I heaved a sigh of acceptance, and turned to Hayate.
"Could you contact Shamal?" I asked simply. "Her services are most likely going to be needed after this." Hayate openly gaped at me for a moment or two before opening up a communication screen.
It was almost like Kyouko had been waiting for my permission to continue, because as soon I relented to Homura's wishes, I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up from the magical energy that was starting to collect in the air.
"I will show you," Kyouko's confident voice boomed across the training ground, Sayaka lifted her head at the sound of the redhead's voice, and stared pleadingly at her friend. "THIS WARRIOR'S TRUE STRENGTH!" That was the last sound I heard before all noise simply faded away. It was like I had suddenly gone deaf! I could see Sayaka's fist pounding ferociously on the barrier. I could see her lips move as she once again begged her friend to stop. I could see the tears streaming down her face, but I could not hear a sound. The air was already heavy with the sheer amount of magic energy that seemed to be condensing and fueling the flames that continued to lick at every inch of Kyouko's body.
Hoping that I wouldn't regret my decision not to interfere, I could do nothing but watch as Kyouko finally unclasped her hands to reveal that the golden object I had spotted earlier had changed somewhat. I squinted up through the barrier to see that it appeared to be some kind of religious symbol with a red gem imbedded in it. My heart filled with dread, and I directed my gaze at what I could just barely make out of her sternum. Sure enough; the area where her Soul Gem used to reside was bare. For some reason; Kyouko had chosen to transfer her soul into this strange symbol. I watched as Kyouko gently pecked the glassy surface of the new Soul Gem, before affixing exactly where the old one had resided. The purple flames rose with Kyouko, as she steadily got to her feet. A normal sized spear appeared in her hand before she jumped on the blade of her massive weapon, and took aim about thirty feet to Signum's left. That was the last thing I saw before everything went white. I had to raise an arm to shield my eyes against the blinding light the ensuing explosion gave off, all while struggling to hold my ground as the force of the attack (even though Kyouko had protected us from the brunt of the blast) nearly blew me off my feet!
After what seemed like an eternity, the light and concussive force from the literal explosion of magic power started to die down. Sound returned as the light faded. My eyes immediately went to 'Ground Zero' to make sure that I hadn't just made the biggest mistake of my life. The destructive force of Kyouko's power was evident in that the once lush grassy area inside the barrier was now a scorched wasteland...with the exception of the patch of earth beneath Signum's feet. The pink haired Guardian was still standing, but she was panting heavily, with about half a dozen spent cartridges littering the ground around her. Her Barrier Jacket had seen better days, as dozens of small bloody cuts around the edges of the material showed that even deflecting the indirect attack had not left her without injury. Gods only knew what would have happened if Kyouko had gone in for a direct attack, I shuddered to think about it. The important part was that Signum was alive, so that just left the instigator of this insanity to check on.
Miraculously, Kyouko was also still on her feet, spear in hand with that bright toothy grin of hers was still in place. The smile served as a startling contrast to the inky all consuming blackness that had taken over the new Soul Gem. Smoke was rising off her body, and her face was covered with dirt, but other than that (to my relief) the redhead didn't seem all that worse for wear. Kyouko turned to catch Sayaka's eye, (which wasn't all that difficult; given that the bluenette was staring at her with total disbelief.) and sent her a coy little wink, before she returned her attention to her opponent.
"So!" She challenged proudly, pointing her spear challengingly at Signum. "Are you ready for more?" Signum managed a weak laugh before sheathing Levantine in a sign of defeat.
"You've made your point." She admitted, sounding strangely glad to have been proved wrong in such a spectacular fashion. "Besides; I don't think I can take anymore."
"Good!" Kyouko snorted with a firm nod. "'Cause neither can I."
With that, the redhead collapsed in a heap, her barrier finally coming down the second she passed out.
"KYOUKO!"
Before I could even think about reacting, Sayaka was at her friend's side trying desperately to revive her. I immediately turned to Hayate, but she was one step ahead of me, and was already in the process of contacting Shamal.
"Don't bother." Kiseki sighed bitterly as she rested a stalling hand on Hayate's shoulder. "There is literally nothing Shamal's magic can do to heal her soul...just yet anyway. For now, that 'honour' falls to me." She paused in thought for a moment as Hayate's finger rose to sever the communications link. "Actually-" she continued, stopping Hayate in her tracks. "Maybe there's something Shamal can do to help me."
At that moment the connection went through, and Shamal's face appeared on the screen.
"Chief Medical Officer Shamal speaking." She greeted formally, but upon seeing her master brightened up considerably. "Oh! Master Hayate! How may I be of service?" Rather than let Hayate answer the question she no longer had the answer to, Kiseki leaned over the Commander's shoulder and took over the call completely.
"Do you have any fast acting antidepressants?" She asked rather bluntly, catching poor Shamal off guard, and stunning both Hayate and I into silence.
"Kiseki! Would you get over here? She's getting worse!" Sayaka shouted frantically from Kyouko's side. The bluenette had moved the veteran so that her head was resting more comfortably in her lap, but the poor redhead had started to twitch and writhe as if every inch of her body was consumed with unbearable pain. Which meant; considering the state of her Soul Gem, that she probably was...and on a level that I couldn't even begin comprehend.
Kiseki winced.
"...And a really strong sedative?" She added as an afterthought.
"uhhhh..." Shamal seemed unsure of what to say, and looked to her master for help. Hayate; under the assumption that Kiseki's unusually rude behaviour was probably not without reason, merely nodded giving the blond physician her answer. Regardless Shamal could only answer with an unsure: "Yes?"
"Great!" Kiseki exclaimed with forced happiness. "One of each please! ASAP!" She clapped Hayate appreciatively on the back before heading off towards Kyouko, throwing a hasty: "Thanks!" over her shoulder as she went. Hayate and Shamal blinked stupidly at each other for a few seconds before the short haired brunette recovered first.
"Please bring those as fast as you can." She stressed, noting the uneasy look on Shamal's face. "I'll have to explain later." A mutual nod between the two later, and Hayate severed the connection, marching after Kiseki with an unusually sour expression marring her normally soft features.
Nanoha and I exchanged glances before jogging off after them. We caught up with them just in time to hear Hayate blurt out a rather angry:
"What the hell was that all about!?"
Hayate was normally a very sweet, caring, and levelheaded person with a hidden mischievous side; but no one disrespected her Knights and expected to get away with it. Kiseki had the good grace to look guilty, sheepishly scratching the back of her head as she walked.
"I didn't mean to be so rude, I'm just really, really not looking forward to this." Kiseki replied as she came upon Kyouko's writhing form, and knelt beside her left ear. "It was still uncalled for, so I'll apologize to Shamal-san properly later."
"You had better."Hayate said sternly, seemingly accepting that answer for the moment.
"What do you need the sedative for?" I asked (I had a suspicion as to why she wanted the antidepressants: Mami's tainted Soul Gem was nothing compared to what was currently corrupting Kyouko's very being.)
"The amount of despair I am about to absorb will be such that I will pretty much immediately want to commit suicide." She explained frankly.
"That bad?" I asked skeptically.
"Worse." Kiseki confirmed before continuing. "The antidepressants should keep me from immediately taking my own life, and the sedative will help me sleep it off. I might be able to go without the pills and not kill myself, but to be honest, I'd rather not jeopardize this entire mission just because Kyouko wanted to prove a point."
"It was a very good point." Signum offered, hobbling up to Kyouko's right, and nodding at the redhead. "What we have here is a true warrior."
"And a giant idiot!" Sayaka blurted angrily through her tears.
"No kidding." Kiseki grunted in agreement, taking another look at the blackness that was Kyouko's Soul Gem and wrinkling her nose in distaste, clearly putting this off for as long as she could.
The injured veteran let her procrastinate for about five seconds before she started crying out in pure agony. It was a noise that sounded hauntingly like her very soul was being torn apart.
"Kyouko!" Sayaka's horrified shout tore through me as I realized that time had run out.
"Shit!" The golden eyed brunette cursed, biting her lip and resting her fingers on the smooth surface of Kyouko's Soul Gem. Sayaka went to work at trying to hold the redhead down by her shoulders so Kiseki could keep a constant contact.
"Absorption."
Luckily Kyouko stopped thrashing the very second the purification process began, but Sayaka seemed unwilling to fully let go of her. She threaded one hand through silky red hair, while the other was held over her own mouth to keep the sobs at bay as she leaned over her friend's unconscious body.
Just as before the murky black despair was drawn towards Kiseki's finger, leaving a pure healthy glow in it's wake. It took noticeably longer for the golden eyed girl to cleanse Kyouko's gem than it had Mami's, and the longer it took, the more I noticed Kiseki seemed to be struggling against the overwhelming amount of despair she was bringing into her own body. Her eyes kept darting back and forth between her patient and Levantine who was resting in his sheath, but still well within her reach. The fingers she had on Kyouko's new Soul Gem were starting to shake and twitch, almost as if she was fighting a war with herself just to keep them in place. The brunette was putting up an admirable fight in keeping the despair at bay long enough to fully purify the gem, but it was becoming very apparent that she was starting to lose...and fast.
Realizing that Shamal probably wouldn't be able to reach our group in time, Hayate pulled her comm link back up.
"Better make that an 'express delivery' Shamal!" She requested, as soon as the blond's image reappeared. The urgency in her voice explained her lack of manners, so Shamal nodded in the affirmative before closing the screen.
Seconds later the purification process was complete. Trembling fingers withdrew from a now bright red Soul Gem. Kiseki drew her shaking hand in close to her heart, placing her other hand over it, as if she was trying to keep it from reaching out on it's own accord. She was breathing heavily, and her eyes were drawn; staring soullessly at Levantine as if the sheathed weapon was the only salvation left in the world. Meanwhile Sayaka was leaned over Kyouko, desperately calling her name and gently shaking her shoulders, as the girl had not yet awoken.
What happened next was a perfect storm of circumstance.
Kiseki finally lost out to whatever voices were currently in her head, and made a sudden and desperate grab at Levantine with one hand, and bracing all her weight on her other hand that she had placed on Kyouko's sternum.
Now, I didn't know if this had some kind of 'CPR' type effect on the comatose redhead or what. All I knew was that the very second Kiseki pushed down on her chest, Kyouko's eyes snapped open. She immediately sat bolt upright, her forehead colliding rather painfully with Sayaka's nose, knocking the bluenette's face out of the way just in time for Shamal's arm to come shooting out of one of Klarwind's portals and jam a couple of pills down Kiseki's throat.
...This all happened very fast, and within a couple of seconds Kyouko and Sayaka were both rolling around on the ground in pain. Meanwhile, Kiseki's eyes had gone half-lidded, she silently got to her feet and made her way over to the shade of a nearby tree. Here; she sat down, leaned her back against the sturdy trunk and fell sound asleep.
"Did I drug the right person?" Shamal asked worriedly, poking her head out of the portal. "The last time I had to do an 'express delivery,' I ended up accidentally giving Zafira a suppository in the middle of a reconnaissance mission."
I honestly didn't know which was more ridiculous: The scenario that Shamal had just implanted in my head, or the fact that from my perspective: (Given that the portal had opened at Signum's waist level.) Shamal's head looked like it was coming out of...somewhere it shouldn't.
After that thought crossed my brain, I promptly decided to stop being so immature, and take my mind out of the gutter, coming back into the present.
"You got the right person alright." Signum assured with thinly veiled adoration as she...spoke down to her...cr-
-FOCUS FATE! FOCUS!-
"Albeit only just."
"And only coincidentally." Sayaka added irritably. Her voice was rather nasally as she pinched her wounded nose to assess the damage. "If this blockhead hadn't been such a...blockhead-"
"Hey!"
"-Those pills would have been on a direct trajectory for my right nostril...I'm not sure if that would have been better or worse than my potentially broken nose."
Shamal opened her mouth, possibly to apologize, but she was cut off by the indignant redhead.
"What about my possible concussion?" She demanded, standing up so she could yell down at her friend. "The first thing I wake up to is your proboscis slamming into my forehead, and you can't even be bothered to apolog-" The rest of Kyouko's rant promptly died in her throat as soon as she caught sight of the look of absolute fury Sayaka was giving her. Apparently Kyouko's own words had reminded the bluenette that she was still very much angry at her friend for far more than just a bop on the nose. Sayaka also got to her feet in order to meet Kyouko on more of a 'level' ground. (despite the fact that the redhead still had several inches on her.) She stared squarely into fiery red eyes, quivering with repressed anger.
"KYOUKO YOU ARE SUCH A FUCKING IDIOT!" She roared once she found her voice, angry tears streaming unstopped down her face.
Kyouko's mouth dropped open, most likely due to Sayaka's language. The bluenette didn't seem to be the type that would curse so heavily all that often. Regardless, the blue eyed girl wasn't through with her friend just yet.
"Why?" she demanded harshly. "Why would you do that? You know better than anyone what happened the only other time you used that attack! What made you think this time would be any different? I was so worried that you weren't going to survive you stupid...asshole!" By this point, all the yelling had attracted the rest of our group to come see what the fuss is about.
Kyouko just blinked stupidly with her mouth gaping open for a few seconds, as she suddenly found herself before a large 'jury' of her peers who were also rather curious about her reckless actions. Eyes darting nervously from one stern face to another, she finally focused in on the injured party that mattered the most to her, and snapped her mouth shut with an audible click. Clearing her throat, Kyouko gathered her thoughts, making sure to word them carefully.
"I knew I'd survive this time." she explained her voice was full of reassurance. Not only that; I could swear I detected love in her tone. "First of all: I didn't chuck my Soul Gem into the apex of the explosion, which kinda boosted my chance of surviving the initial blast...by a lot...How do you like my new bling by the way?" When Kyouko's attempt to lighten the mood with humour was met with complete deadpan and unamusement, (Not just from Sayaka this time, but from all of us) she gave up on that venture and decided to be serious. "But the most important reason why I knew I'd survive this time around..." she paused to look sincerely into the bluenette's tearful deep blue eyes. "Is because of you Sayaka." The bluenette choked on a sob at Kyouko's words. Seeing this; the redhead cupped her face with both hands, and carefully brushed the tears away with her thumbs. "I am so much stronger now that I have you at my side again." Sayaka raised her own hand to hold over Kyouko's as she leaned further into the redhead's hand as she continued her explanation. "The first time I used that attack; it was to save you from being alone in death. The second time; was to show everyone just how much you've saved me." Sayaka sniffed loudly in response, causing Kyouko to smile affectionately before pulling the bluenette into a comforting embrace. "You showed me the meaning of true strength just by caring about a lowly street rat like me. There's no way I wouldn't survive now that I have you by my side."
Either these were Kyouko's true feelings, or she was trying to flirt her way out of trouble. The sincerity of her voice made me lean more towards the former, but the speed at which Sayaka had seemed to forget about how mad she was at her redheaded friend (and the fact that she was looking swept off her feet by Kyouko's 'romancing') had me suspecting a fair mix of both.
"Idiot!" Sayaka choked out halfheartedly into the redhead's shoulder, returning the embrace in earnest.
"Maybe." Kyouko agreed, pulling back to flash Sayaka a suave toothy grin. "But I'm your idiot."
Aaaaand the scales just tipped in favour of coy flirting to make the bluenette forget why she had been so angry at her in the first place. Kyouko had been doing a first rate job too...until she threw in a line so corny that not even an awkward prepubescent boy would have used it. As I thought; the statement tipped the bluenette off, and I could only pray for Kyouko's soul as Sayaka's face clouded dangerously.
"That reminds me." She said, her voice eerily calm and sweet. "I almost broke my promise." Kyouko's face instantly lost it's cockiness, and instead took on a look of nervousness. Obviously Sayaka's promise to kill her should she survive, had not fallen on deaf ears. The redhead gulped thickly and tried to back out of the hug, but Sayaka didn't seem inclined to let her go anytime soon.
I watched Sayaka carefully, just in case she made any move to harm Kyouko. I highly doubted that the bluenette would actually make good on her promise, but then again people could be very unpredictable when they were angry, so I had to be ready for anything!
Suddenly: and without warning, Sayaka released Kyouko...only to grab her by the collar of her Puella Magi outfit, and yank the redhead into a heated kiss.
I...hadn't been ready for that.
...Not one bit.
My mouth dropped open in shock, Kyouko's eyes bulged to the size of dinner plates, and our whole group fell totally silent.
I couldn't help but notice the interesting and ironic eight letter difference between what Sayaka had promised to do, and what she had actually done. I guess with these two; killing and kissing essentially meant the same thing. (A notion that rang all the more true after I learned the history between these two, but that is a tale for another time.) I also couldn't help but wonder if two middle school girls could be so straight forward with their feelings for each other, why couldn't I be with my feelings for Nanoha?
A few moments passed in dead silence, before Sayaka gently pulled away; looking very pleased with herself once she noticed that Kyouko was probably sporting the dopiest expressions of pure bliss I think I have ever seen in my life...You know; that wasn't in one of my own libraries of dopey expressions.
Acting as if nothing unusual had transpired, Sayaka straightened Kyouko's collar and turned to our large, stunned and speechless group.
"Now." She said with all the confidence and poise of someone who hadn't just kissed someone in front of a group of forty witnesses. "I do believe that I owe you all a demonstration."
...
AN: Well, by this point I'm sure you've all figured out how each of the next three parts are going to end. I'll keep this AN short to make up for that rant in the beginning.
The sudden development in Kyouko and Sayaka's relationship is entirely Rebellion's fault, I mean... GAH! It was awesome! So in response I just had to take the Yuri Goggles off in this chapter and rejoice as I stomp them underfoot. I am not going to tease any of these relationships to within an inch of their lives, we get enough of that in the series they come from. So now that the introductions are all out of the way, the real fun can begin!
You can expect the next three parts quickly, as they are all already written out in rough, and last but not least: I hope you all enjoyed Kyouko's chapter. She is my favourite character in Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and one of my favourite characters period.
Sayaka is up to the plate next, I hope to see you all then! For now though: Read and enjoy!