Note:
"People that talk in italics are talking a different language in this story's case, Japanese!"
-11-
A Confrontation
"Why is my luck so baaad…?" Atsuki whined as the girls began making their way towards Sutāgāden Park. "I haven't had this much bad luck since that show back in Shibuya a year ago…"
"Well, you weren't turned into a broom during that one." Megumi pointed out, causing Atsuki to groan louder. "Oh, come off it, sweetheart...we managed to avoid that awkward conversation with your father, didn't we?"
"Of course we didn't!" Atsuki grumbled, making the girls stop and stare at the girl-turned-broom.
"What do you mean?" Diana asked. "It might not have been the most elaborate lie but…"
"My dad used to be a detective once. He's not that old that he wouldn't be able to tell if someone is lying to him. He did notice something was up." Atsuki told her. "Megumi usually talks like she knows what she's talking about…"
"Hey!"
"...this time around...if I noticed her bad attempts at conversation, he did too. He's figured we are probably hiding something from him and now we've gone and left Satoshi to face the consequences."
Megumi snorted. "Please. Your father already dislikes Kagari. What could he dislike more?"
"...Megumi…" Atsuki warned. Her friend just shrugged as she and the others started walking.
"If he's anything like her," Sucy whispered to the side to Lotte. "He'll find a way."
"I just hope this doesn't bring more problems…" Lotte whispered back, getting a nod in return.
"So…" Sucy started, making Megumi turn back to face the group of witches. "...what exactly are you planning to do once we get to the park again? You do realize that you can't do much, right? On account of being a broom and all that."
Atsuki let out a tired sigh. "I wanna talk to Mamori-san. She needs to know what's going on...in case we need to postpone the show." Megumi shook her head.
"Ruka-san did say that they'll get here in time to help you, didn't she?" The broom shook.
"It's not that I don't believe them…but...well…"
"You believe something else will happen, don't you?" Diana asked. Atsuki shook again, this time shaking so much she actually moved Megumi's hand.
"Yes. We still haven't found our little troublemakers. The fact they went so far as to vandalize the miko's shop and turn me into a broom tells me they're not done causing trouble just yet."
"But, wouldn't they know that the mikos at the temple could help you out, though? Why bother to get on their bad side?" Amanda wondered.
"Oh, even without the vandalism I'm sure those guys will be on anyone's bad side after what they did to me…no...they probably thought a lot of of this in advance. One of them, or maybe both, are familiar with magic." The girls stopped for a traffic light, huddling together so no one would hear the talking broom in Megumi's hand. "My best guess is that they knew the girls that worked the Taro shrine wouldn't be able to help us...at least, not right away."
Diana nodded. "True...but why go through all that trouble?" Amanda let out a growl of frustration.
"Yeah! I mean…!" A few people turned to stare at the group, forcing Amanda to lower her voice. "We are talking about too many things going on in such a short time. Yeah, so they knew that no one there would be able to help us...but what about that Yoko lady? What about the other girl they mentioned, Mizaki-something or the other…? How they figured neither of those two could help us!?"
"What is it that you need to break spells or curses?" Atsuki asked patiently.
"Magic!" Jasminka answered with a smile, causing the girl-turned-broom to nod at her direction by shaking slightly.
"That's right. And where did you girls get those magatamas from?"
"Aah…" Amanda whispered, nodding her head in understanding as Diana nodded.
The lights finally changed from red to green, allowing the group of girls to walk again. They still huddled together, blocking Atsuki and Megumi from sight as the girl-turned-broom talked.
"What I'm thinking is that Yoko-san or her friend, are useless without magatamas."
"Yes...Yoko did say that magic was rather limited in the area and a magatama usually helps."
"But you used magic just fine yesterday...and you didn't have a magatama then!" Megumi pointed out. Diana nodded.
"True…but our wands are restricted by what they themselves can carry without a sorcerer's stone nearby. What I did yesterday was enough to diminish it's magic and render it useless...the magatama that Yoko provided is a good replacement for the sorcerer's stone, but it will eventually run out of power."
"Which gets us back to the problem with the shop…" Atsuki put in, as they turned to a corner. "I believe that Yoko-san and her friend usually don't come from Urashima carrying their own magatamas but if they do, they are limited by the twenty-four hour period likes yours are. Even so, they probably don't do magic as often as you girls do, so that saves even more energy on their side...but they can't really do much with magatamas that lose that power, now can they?"
"So, they went to destroy the shop so they could get rid of the magatamas and stop them from using magic…" Sucy said, glancing at Amanda and Lotte, who shrugged in turn. "That still doesn't seem like a smart plan. Sure, it's just more work on their side to get you back to normal but you'll still get the help you need. Eventually."
"That's true." Atsuki agreed. "But we started at the stage and ended with a broom...so, what does that tell you?"
For a moment, no one said anything, that is until Diana let out a small gasp, putting a hand on her chest as she turned to face Megumi and the girl-turned-broom.
"...are you saying you...are you suggesting that…that you turning into a broom was a distraction?"
"WHAT!?" the group yelled, making a few passerbys jump along with them. Megumi offered a few apologies as the young witches murmured half-hearted remarks.
"What do you mean a distraction?" Megumi asked, after she had calmed down, turning to the broom in her hands and seeing it shaking. "What do you mean, Atsuki?"
"If you really think about it, turning me into a broom seems like a waste of time…" Atsuki replied with a small shake. "Why do this if they knew the mikos would be able to help me? Sure, I will just have to wait a few hours to turn back but it still doesn't explain why bother to do it. Why would they think making the mikos know about their mischief be a good idea? We all were distracted by...this problem of mine...but then, I began to think...those guys are still out there causing a mess of things and that forces another problem here."
"So, wait…" Lotte began, her eyebrows lowering slightly. "Are you saying that while we were worried about you, they're probably back at the park trying to destroy the stage again?!" Megumi let out a groan as the pieces connected on her head.
"...I hate it when you start making sense…if you're right about this..."
"I mean, if they try to break the stage again...we could just fix it, right?" Amanda interrupted, turning towards Diana and Sucy for confirmation. Sucy shrugged as an answer while Diana took out the small magatama and examined it. It's glow was faint.
"I believe we might have enough magic for a couple of spells...but even so…"
"...if they stole any magatamas from the shop we'll be pretty screwed." Sucy finished. Amanda placed a hand on her face, while Megumi used Atsuki to lightly tap her forehead in consternation.
Suddenly, Constanze began to poke Atsuki near the handle, catching both her and Megumi's attention. "Hmm? What is it?" Megumi asked. Constanze tapped Atsuki again, making the girl-turned-broom shake. The small girl then, pointed at herself, and began to make motions with her hand as if she had a hammer and nails.
"Oh!" Atsuki seemed to realize what she meant almost immediately. "Are you saying you would fix the stage?" Constanze nodded, a pleased smile on her face, before she pointed at Diana and Sucy, and made a waving motion, before gesturing towards their wands.
"Ah, I see," Diana replied with a nod. "Cancelling the spell they use on the stage seems to be our best option…" Constanze gave her a thumbs up. Amanda was scratching her head in confusion.
"And how's that help, exactly?"
"Cancelling spells or breaking them is usually easy to do, if you know the spell well enough." Diana explained.
"So, you cancel the spell and you fix the stage the old fashioned way?" Megumi asked. Constanze nodded. "No disrespect or nothing, but have you ever fixed a stage before?"
Amanda snorted.
"A stage will be a piece of cake, considering what Constanze is capable off!"
"Well, that's at least one problem out of the way…" Sucy muttered, getting a sad smile from Lotte.
"...but, what about the troublemakers?" Jasminka asked. "Why are they doing this?"
"That...is a good question," Atsuki said, moving slightly from side to side. "Those two can't be working alone after all...so...hmm."
"Any enemies? Other than your terrible luck?" Sucy asked her, getting a small slap on her shoulder courtesy of Lotte. Atsuki chuckled in amusement.
"My luck is my worst enemy," she explained, before sighing, "But...no...not any that I know of."
"You must know someone that hates your guts, at least," Sucy pointed out. "You are a singer. Someone out there must hate you enough to go through all this trouble."
"Sucy!"
"Miss Manbavaran!"
"Well…" Megumi but in before Diana or Lotte could berate Sucy more. "...there is this girl."
"Megumi…"
"What?"
"...just because you don't like her doesn't make her a prime suspect here."
"Who's 'her'?" Amanda asked, getting a snort from Megumi.
"The worst of the best...the snobbiest of them all...Satou Kenta. The Star of Shibuya."
"Oh, look Cavendish...we may have found your Japanese equivalent," Amanda said to the side, getting a glare from Diana in turn.
"...Megumi, don't go pointing fingers now…"
"Why shouldn't I? Isn't it mighty suspicious that the moment she comes back from tour, these things start happening?"
"Her attitude has always been a problem, I'll give you that," Atsuki began, shaking slightly. "But why would she pull these kinds of stunts on my show, of all things?" She turned to the girls and began shaking left and right. "Megumi's only problem with Kenta is that our little Star is a bit of a showboat. And no, these things started happening long before Kenta even came back from her tour...you should know that, Megumi."
"Are you sure?" Amanda asked. "Megumi seems pretty convinced."
"She was also pretty convinced you were intruders, too," Atsuki replied, making Megumi blush with embarrassment. "Kenta's been surprisingly understanding. And while her attitude is a problem, she hasn't done anything bad."
"Yet…"
"Megumi…"
"I'm just saying...she'll be the first on the list."
"Even so, why do all this? Kenta's ten times more popular than I would ever hope to be...what does she gain, exactly?"
"Do you know of anyone else?" Diana ventured to ask. Atsuki seemed to shrug.
"Nope. When my father got sick I basically closed myself off...I didn't get to make too many friends on the industry...I just started getting a little bigger a year ago, and well, with Papa's health...I just brushed off so many people, not that I really cared at the time."
After that, the talking came to a stop as the girls focused on getting to the park on time.
Had they stopped a few more times, they would have noticed the young boy heading their way.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
They arrived at the park without any problems.
Everyone was hard at work, putting chairs in place, and fixing a few things here and there. The stage itself had gotten a complete overhaul. It looked the same, but this time, there was a large, red curtain, covering the part that would be part of the backstage. Paper lanterns decorated the roof of the stage, and a few props were laid out here and there, that would soon be part of the stage. A few trucks were parked around the area, with workers taking out boxes from the back of the vehicles, while others began placing stands around the chairs, keeping themselves a fair distance away. In front of the stage, was a pair of large stereos, plus a set of drums, a couple of guitars, and a few other instruments no one could really recognize.
"Everything seems all set!" Megumi smile. "Well, almost everything. The stage could use a bit of work, though…"
"Where is Mamori-san? I can't see her anywhere." Atsuki said, trying not to move to much lest she catch someone's attention. The last thing they needed was someone to notice the moving and talking broom.
"She must be backstage," Megumi said, gesturing for the little witches to follow after her. "They know me. They'll let you guys inside," she explained, as the passed by a security guard who nodded at Megumi and after a few questions, let them pass.
As they were making their way towards the stage, a few workers from yesterday recognized the little witches and waved, assuring them that the stage was "good as new" and that they were glad they showed up when they did.
"It's nice to see them so happy for a change…" Atsuki murmured. "Everyone's been so upset about the stage but you coming seems to have lifted their spirits."
"Their spirits will be back to zero if we don't catch those creeps, though," Amanda pointed out.
They were already behind the curtain, looking about.
Now that they were finally in the backstage, the little witches it was bigger than it looked. They saw a few doors here and there, and a long hallway, with a few tables full of water and snacks placed nearby, right next to a large black trash can. Atsuki began to tap her strawhead on the floor.
"Mamori should be in the last room over there...that's usually where she...hmm?"
"What is it?"
"Do you hear that…? Someone's coming this...waaayyy!?"
Before anyone knew what was happening, a young man, shorter than Megumi, dashed towards her, knocking into her slightly and forcing Atsuki out of her grasp. The boy went to grab the broom, and moved fast before either Jasminka or Amanda could get their hands on him.
He ran in front of them, turning to face them with Atsuki moving about in his grasp. He had to hold her up with both hands to avoid being hit by either the handle or the strawhead that were now moving erratically.
"YOU!?"
"Atsuki!" Megumi cried, trying to run after him, only to be stopped when a chubby boy showed up from behind the other one, pointing a shaking wand made out of vines and wood, towards the girls.
"Plea-please...stop!"
Sucy and Diana had there wands out as well, pointing it towards the short boy and the newcomer. While Sucy aimed at the boy with the wand, Diana was aiming straight at the boy with the struggling Atsuki over him.
"...let her go. Now." Diana orders, only for shorty to smirk.
"Like hell I am! Why should we let this bitch go!? Huh?"
"Because we'll make you, dumbass!" Amanda yells back, and despite her anger and willingness to fight, Constanze and Jasminka hold her back, so as the pudgy boy with the wand doesn't hurt her.
"Just...just stay where you are…" the other boy says nervously, sweat already decorating his forehead. "...our proble-problem's with her…"
"And you just became our problem," Sucy remarks, her wand never leaving the boy's face. Pudgy gulps and turns to stare at his friend. The other boy is giving them a terrible smile.
"Pah! You think you can stop us!? Here, how about this!?" And then, much to everyone's horror, he begins to push Atsuki down towards him, holding both the handle and the middle of the broom, trying to rip her in half.
"No!" Diana cries. "STOP!"
"Stop that, you asshole!"
"No! No!"
"ATSUKI!"
...the first flash of pain is gentle, almost like a poke, poke, poke, poke.
Akko doesn't feel much beyond confusion for a while.
And then, the pain gets worse. It makes her dizzy. It makes her sick. She can't keep holding on to the papers in her hands, nothing's holding her, but everything's breaking…
"EEEEKKKKKAAAAHHHHH!"
"Stop! Stop! What are you doing!?"
"Drop the wands! Drop them! Or I break her in half!"
...someone's crushing her skull...her neck…
Akko wants to breath but someone's crushing the air out of her lungs, clamming them shut with such a ferocity she doesn't know if she's dreaming.
"...spit...it...out…!"
Akko hears voices now. They are so far away...and it hurts to think...hurts to breath…
She's choking.
...it hurts...it…
"AAAAHHHH! AHHH! AHHH!"
"Alright! Alright!" Sucy cries, throwing the wand towards the chubby boy with Diana quickly following suit.
The wands land by shorty's feet, and despite that, he still keeps on pulling Atsuki down, smiling. His companion seems to have had enough for he hits him hard in the arm and says,
"You're going to kill her! Stop!"
Shorty glares at his friend, but stops nonetheless, before he chugs Atsuki behind him, and her cries are silenced.
...the pain goes away…
But Akko still feels a little faint...a little…
...the pain is gone…
"Why did you do that!?" chubby boy cries, glaring at his companion. "You didn't have to hurt her like that!"
"After what she did to your nose, I'm surprise you care! Well, whatever!" Shorty pushes his friend aside and takes his wand from his grasp, pointing the wand towards the group of girls, before kicking the wands as far away as possible. "Now. Stay."
"You think you're going to get away with this!" Megumi cries, nervously glancing behind him to see where Atsuki had fallen. It's too dark. She can't tell where the girl-turned-broom is.
"I believe I just have...if only you idiots hadn't fixed the stupid stage, we wouldn't even be here!"
"The mikos already know what you did," Sucy said, eyeing the darkness behind them. "Whatever ever you plan to do now, won't matter."
"If it gets this stupid thing cancelled, then nothing else matters!" the boy remarked, grinning widely. "If I get rid of you it won't be a...arggghhhh! WHAT THE HELL!?"
"GO!?"
Little Go had appeared out of nowhere and was now, biting the short boy's leg, muttering, "Bhig boys, bad! I bhite you! Grr! Grr!"
"Go, get away from that creep!"
"Where the hell did that kid come from!?" Amanda cried, but no one was listening. They were all staring at Go, wide-eyed with worry, as the little boy continued to bite on the older boy's leg.
"Let go! Let go, you little worm!" shorty cried out, slamming his fist hard on Go's little head. The boy didn't budge, but it caused the girls and the chubby boy to let out a gasp.
"Stop! He's just a little kid!" Lotte cried, flinching as Go was hit again.
"Why you little brat, I'll...I'll….aiiieeeeee!"
The girls heard a loud crack, as shorty yelped and the chubby boy fell on his butt.
Everyone stared at the furious visage of Atsuki Kurosawa, now looking very human, as she held the short boy's wrist. The boy's expression became pale, as everyone heard the faint cracking of bones, the more Atsuki held unto his wrist. The wand he had held, fell with a small thwack, but his companion didn't try to grab it. He was still staring at the young woman with an expression of shock.
"Go," Atsuki began gently, catching the little boy's attention. "Please let go of the nasty boy's leg." Go obeyed almost immediately, spitting out in disguise, before running towards Megumi and the others. "Now…you…" Atsuki pulled the boy to side, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him up, so they were staring face to face, Atsuki never letting go of his wrist. "Think you're tough hitting a little boy?"
"Whatever, bitch!" the short boy began, flinching as Atsuki let go of his wrist. "You can't do nothing! This show's already in the trash!" Atsuki raised an eyebrow, and without changing her expression, said,
"Oh...the trash...eh? Well, seeing as you like playing dirty, let me show you where trash like you belongs!" With a swift movement, Atsuki raised the boy up once more, before dumping him, head first, into the nearby trash can. He struggled to move inside the bin, before the lid, floating as if by magic, landed on top of his legs, trapping him inside.
"Well, that was exciting!"
Yoko and Satoshi made their presence known, appearing behind Atsuki, with the miko wielding a staff in her hands.
"G-get me outta here!" the trash bin cried, but everyone ignored him, as they focused on the boy that remained.
Atsuki didn't seem to pay him no mind, as she quickly kneeled and asked Go, "Are you okay, Go? Did that nasty boy hurt you?"
"Nah!" Go said, giving her a hug. "But, where were you, onee-chan? Your friends were in trouble!"
"I noticed." With Go in her arms, Atsuki got up, smiling to herself. "Ah...it's good to be back to normal again...never thought I'll say that I missed my body."
"On the plus side, you're better off than he is," Yoko said, gesturing with her staff towards the struggling bin. "But, you...are not, my little friend," the miko said, giving the chubby boy a look of disappointment. "Using magic to cause trouble is a serious offense, little monk…" The boy didn't say anything but lowered his head. "Not feeling like defending yourself, eh...well, it won't matter. You're in trouble either way."
As Yoko was lecturing the boy, Satoshi quickly went to grab the wands and gave them to Sucy and Diana. "What the hell took you, Kagari!?" Megumi cried, as she went to hug Atsuki, with Go whining about "onee-chan's friend being heavy".
"We were looking for you!" Satoshi defended. "But we ran into Mamori outside, and by then, we had already noticed Go running this way. What happened? Why was Atsuki in the ground when we arrived?"
"You don't wanna know." Sucy remarked. "Just know that trash boy started it."
"What….? What he do…?" Satoshi asked, his eyes flashing dangerously, as he started at the bin that moved.
"His wrist is probably broken by now," Atsuki mentioned, patting his shoulder. "He won't cause trouble again."
"Not if he knows what's good for him…" Yoko replied, nodding. "I already made some calls before arriving...some people are going to be picking them up." Yoko glared at the boy behind them, who only lowered his head. "Shame on you."
"Well, at least everything's alright now?" Amanda asked, getting a small nod from Atsuki.
"Yes...I believe we are out of trouble…"
"...out of trouble, you say? Oh, princess….always so positive."
The group turned to stare at the newcomer, Atsuki frowning as she caught sight of the new girl, who leaned against the wall, her hands letting out soft, lazy claps.
"...Satou-san...what a surprise to see you…"