Chapter 12: Sins
Rubble.
Everywhere Tomoe Mami could see, there was rubble everywhere. As she walked cautiously down the cracked sidewalk, all she could do was contemplate the meaning behind the wreck. Did some natural disaster pass through while she had been gone? How long had it been? And how did she return back in the first place?
A wish?
Miki-san?
Kaname-san?
Whoever created the wish, she was here now...and it appeared to have been far past the date it had been when she'd met her demise against that Sweets Witch. Golden eyes narrowed, trembling at the memory, her hand once again absently straying towards her neck. "If I could just locate a newspaper, or calendar..." She muttered quietly to herself. "Maybe then I'll be able to figure out how much time has passed..."
Continuing her walk, she caught sight of a brunette sitting down on the bench, head lowered to the ground. Judging by the aura Mami could sense, she could tell the female was a Magical Girl; so it had clearly been long enough for more Magical Girls to move into the area...
Did that mean...even her? Soft lips pursed tightly at the thought, a bout of nausea through the golden Magical girl. The last time she had seen her previous pupil, the redhead had been spouting that it was better to allow Familiars to feed in order to gain more Witches. If that girl had wandered into Mitakihara with that kind of mindset, she wasn't sure WHAT could have happened.
And with the city in shambles as it was...it was only cause for more concern.
As Mami mulled things over, a pair of mismatched eyes glanced up to see her, gold and emerald on golden. It caught the blonde's attention, causing her to look back towards the brunette, making eye contact. "Ah...hello." Mami called out, her soft bell-like voice echoing across the way. Gold and emerald narrowed as the brunette stood to her feet, before stepping briskly towards the blonde. The near-aggression that the brunette showed put Mami off a little, causing her to step back in defense.
"Are you a Magical Girl too, then?" The brunette asked, her voice surprisingly cool and calm despite her aggressive body language. "Are you also a part of this clique?" Mami blinked in surprise. "C-Clique?" She stammered, golden orbs shifting to the side. "I've...never considered it a 'clique', but I am a Magical Girl, if that's what you're asking..."
Hopefully this wasn't one of those dangerous Magical Girls who hunted competition...
"...Hm." The brunette leaned back, giving Mami a bit more space. "You seem a bit kinder than most of the other girls here." She paused in thought, raising a brow in interest. "Or, perhaps a bit more naive?" Golden orbs narrowed in offense. "Naive, you say? On what grounds do you choose to make that assumption?"
Rather than entertain the blonde's curiosity, the brunette instead held out her hand in greeting. "My name is Shiratori Ayumi. I'm originally from the city of Kasamino, but due to recent events in my hometown I have chosen to transfer to Mitakihara." Mami paused, her hand hesitating before taking the other's for a handshake. "...Recent events?" She questioned, her voice filled with concern.
Kasamino...recent events in Kasamino?
"Actually," The blonde cut in, her lips a grim slash on her face. "I was hoping you could tell me what happened to Mitakihara, itself?" Her frown deepened. "Last I remember, the city looked nothing like this..." Ayumi considered her question. "You..." She tilted her head to the side, brown locks brushing against her shoulders. "You didn't know about Walpurgisnacht?" Where had this girl been hiding, Ayumi wondered? Under a rock? Was that why she'd never seen this blonde until now?
"W-Walpurgisnacht!?" Mami's eyes widened in shock, pulling her hand away and stepping back, a little wobbly from the sudden news. "I-I'd heard about it in Magical Girl rumors, but..." She bit her lip, raising her clenched fingers to her lips. "T-To think...that one would pass through here...HAD passed through here, while I was..." She closed her eyes tightly, willing herself to stay focused. At this time, especially with news of a colossal Witch, what was more important was making sure her precious students were... "H-Have you heard of Kaname-san and Miki-san? A-Akemi-san, too." She looked at the brunette, eyes shining with concern. "Are they okay?"
"They're fine." Ayumi answered, mismatched eyes narrowed at the mention of two of the names. "Kaname Madoka isn't contracted, according to her accomplices. and Miki Sayaka and Akemi Homura have been working together since Walpurgisnacht." She scoffed, her face almost a sneer. "They've been rather close-knit, if you ask me. Practically a mob."
"I see..." Blonde brows furrowed in concern. Interesting choice of words from this girl; clique, mob...she chose to dismiss this until she saw them with her own eyes, however. Instead, she needed to be sure if SHE was in the city. "And..." Mami pursed her lips, her eyes a myriad of emotions. "Have...there been any other Magical Girls through this city during this month?"
Ayumi frowned. "In truth, I only contracted at the last day of April. It's May now..." Her eyes shifted to the side. "There has been one other Magical Girl passing through here. Just like me, she's not really from this city, but she's more of a nomad from what I can gather." Her eyes narrowed. "Or, just a hunter, perhaps."
After all, if Sakura Kyouko really was planning to gather more Grief Seeds by utilizing her enchantment and affecting the other girls' minds, that would most definitely put her in the 'hunter' category.
"Hunter..." Mami repeated, eyes half-lidded in concern. A hunter from Kasamino; either history was repeating itself, or it really was Sakura-san. "Thank you. Do you know where I would find the others right now?" Ayumi scoffed again. "Last I heard, they were heading back to the schoolground to make sure Kyuubey didn't contract and deceive yet another foolish schoolgirl."
Deceive...? "...Shiratori-san..." Mami's frown deepened, her arms folding under her breasts as she stood tall, confronting the slightly shorter brunette. "I'm noticing some rather concerning terms you've been using, and I can't help but think there's a reason for such hostile vocabulary..." Golden eyes narrowed. "By any chance, would you be able to tell me what has you so aggressive?"
"You called me naive," The blonde continued, "The Magical Girl system a clique...a pair of Magical Girls working together compared to a mob. And now, you say Kyuubey deceives?" Blonde ringlets bounced delicately as she slightly tilted her head to the side in an interrogative manner. "Could you please explain?"
It was similar, yet less mysterious, to how Akemi-san had addressed Kyuubey...
"So you really don't know." Ayumi confirmed, a smirk forming on her face. She crossed her arms likewise, her head tilted in a similar manner. "You see, it seems Kyuubey doesn't reveal everything to know about Magical Girls when they make a contract." She held out a hand, alabaster Soul Gem forming in her palm. "For starters, when we contract, our souls are placed into what we call our Soul Gems." The blonde stepped back in surprise, eyes widening. "W-What...?!"
"There's more to it," The brunette replied calmly. "It turns out, when your Soul Gem grows too corrupted, it will morph into a Grief Seed, creating a Witch." Mismatched eyes reflected shocked golden, before Ayumi closed her eyes. "They tell me that one of the girls managed to restore a Magical Girl back to her original form through...odd methods, but I still haven't seen any evidence of that." Granted, she also hadn't seen for herself the fact that Magical Girls became Witches, but given the strange events and the behavior of the "Witch" of Kasamino, she wasn't going to question it too much.
"W-Witches..." Mami stuttered, eyes trembling, her hands resting on her neck. "M-Magical Girls...turn into Witches...?!" Then that Sweets Witch, had she been a Magical Girl, too? Were all the barriers just windows into the Magical Girls' minds? Had...
Had she been killing suffering Magical Girls, all this time...!?
"Ha..." Her bell-like voice echoed off, a slight dissonance to the sound as her eyes dimmed, ever so slightly. "So...is that how it is?" The more the blonde thought about it, the more her analytical side kicked in, absorbing and dissecting every knowledge she had of Witches; their always varied barriers, the unique appearances, the various engravings on the Grief Seeds...
"So...the others know of this too, then?" Mami uttered quietly. How could she face her students now, when she involved them in such a dystopian system...? Seeing the brunette nod her head, Mami could only let out a heavy sigh. "...Of course it was like this...wishes are never without a cost." She bit her lip, fingers clenched and trembling as they rested against her neck. "I...I just wish I had more time...more knowledge...before even getting involved...getting them involved..." She sighed, looking up at Ayumi. "Thank you for your honesty, Shiratori-san." She closed her eyes softly.
"I...I don't know what I would've done if I'd found out the HARD way..."
"Any sign of her?" Homura's voice, usually calm and collected, was full of worry; almost meek. They had gone to the Mitakihara hospital - what was left of it, anyway, yet there was still no sign of the blonde Magical Girl that was supposed to have been revived in this spot. Hitomi's soft eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are we SURE that she was brought back, as promised?"
"Indeed." The white creature, riding the shoulder of Kaname Madoka, responded calmly. "The contract has been formed, and therefore your wish has been granted." It closed its eyes, its expression almost laid back. "However, that does not prevent the newly revived Magical Girl from getting up on her own two feet and moving around. I suspect that she will have many questions, particularly due to the state of her city."
"Ahh dang it, we didn't even THINK about that!" Kyouko's voice cried out in realization, Sayaka bringing foreign hands to the sides of her scarlet head. Immediately after, she brought them back down, placing them on jean-covered hips. "So then, we have to sense for her aura, right? Does anyone have any ideas?" At the same time, Madoka unceremoniously shoved Kyuubey off her shoulder, watching as he fell with a thud to the ground. "Kyuu!" It cried out, eyes squeezed shut in pain.
Homura smirked at the display; the action managed to bring the once-meek girl back to her senses, and she closed her eyes as she sensed for the golden female's aura.
The sensation of flowers...flowers and light...
"It looks like she's made her way to Mitakihara Park." The raven female said after a moment, opening her eyes; royal-blues stared back at the others, calm and collected once more. Sayaka nodded. "Great! So we just need to go to Mitakihara Park now?" Hitomi, for her part, wasn't so sure about that plan. Having just contracted, she herself was not as keen on heading to the park in the dead of night, where less savory characters tended to lurk. "Mmn..." She bit her lip, emerald pools shifting nervously to the side. "Are we...sure about going to the park right now?"
"Ah, right!" Madoka reached out a hand to Hitomi's shoulder in a reassuring manner. "I-It'll be okay, Hitomi-chan! We'll be right here with you!" She turned to the others. "And Homura-chan and Sayaka-chan have handled dangerous people before, right?" Scarlet and raven looked at each other, before looking back to rose and green. "Ah..." Homura started. "Of course. You don't have anything to worry about."
"Anyway, those guys are probably scattered right now due to Walpurgisnacht." Sayaka responded casually, giving a shrug. "I mean, I'd be surprised if they were still hanging around the park with everything in ruins right now." Hitomi nodded slowly, unsurely, before growing more confident. "Of course...you're right." She nodded firmly. "In that case, let's go find Tomoe Mami-san."
"That's the spirit!" Kyouko's voice chirped as the redhead pumped her fist in typical Sayaka fashion. "Come on, let's get going!"
Sakura Kyouko stared wide-eyed back at the churchyard, confusion and horror in azure pools as she sat, knees to her chest, just outside the boundary line. Whatever she did, it wasn't enough to keep the red ink back...how did it appear in the first place?! She could SWEAR it hadn't been there when she'd just stepped into the church!
In fact, it wasn't until she had that bout of nostalgia that...
She shuddered at the thought, frantically shaking azure locks as she tore her eyes away from the churchyard. Maybe there WASN'T something there she was going to find.
In that case...was the problem really HER, like Shiratori said?
"Then what the hell..." Kyouko growled, Sayaka's voice just slightly deeper than her own would normally be. "What the HELL can I do to get it to stop?!" She jerked her head back toward the scene, azure glaring into the building flames. "Just STOP!" She cried, pushing herself back to her feet, scarred foot scraping against the dirt. "STOP it already! I don't WANT this!"
Despite her protests, the flames rose ever higher, eating into the building, the shattering of falling stain glass filling the misplaced girl's ears.
"Do you HEAR me?!" Kyouko continued, stepping forward. "I said STOP IT! If you're really being caused by me, then shouldn't you LISTEN to me?!" She threw her arm out in retaliation. "STOP!"
"Why should it listen?"
The azure female stopped short, eyes darting to each side. "Wh..."
"You never listened. You never cared. So why should it listen?"
Azure eyes shifted slowly to her peripheral, turning icily towards the source of the voice.
Scarlet eyes, almost as bright as the flames in the near distance, stared back at her, expression etched into a frown. Fiery red hair fell loosely along her form, a simple shirt and skirt combination hugging her body as she stepped forward, a slight heel to her black sandals. Of the part of her left foot exposed, Kyouko could see burn scars, eerily similar to the burns currently on Sayaka's body. "I...W...what?" She stepped back in alarm, gritting Sayaka's teeth as she glared at the figure before her. "Who the hell are you?"
"Me?" Scarlet eyes narrowed dangerously, stretching out her hand and pointing to the misplaced lancer. "I'm Sakura Kyouko. And what about you?" Her eyes narrowed further.
"Do you even know WHO you are?"
"I-" Kyouko bared foreign teeth, throwing her arm out. "Of COURSE I know who I am! I-" She shook her head. "You're NOT me! I know where the real me is!"
"The real you, the fake you..." Scarlet eyes fell, saddened, as the figure glanced past the azure female, and into the flames. "All you are now is hardware. A fighting machine that can switch bodies with other hardware." She stepped past Sayaka's form, not even flinching as she made contact with the flames, but rather seeming to gain an ethereal glow from the exposure. "You're less you than you've ever been in your life."
"The real you died when you cast her away."
"Cast her away-?!" Kyouko stepped back, azure eyes widening. "Wha-you're NOT real! I don't have to listen to you!" She threw a foreign arm out. "I'LL be the one to decide who I am or not! You're just one of my illusions, aren't you?!" She took another step back, eyes trembling at the sight of the familiar form before her.
"Who's the illusion?" The figure questioned, holding her hands out on both sides. "Who's real? Actually, who can really make that decision?" The figure stepped forward, retaining the fiery glow around her as she stepped, unscathed, out of the flames. "You?" She shook her head. "Why? You lie to yourself and to others all the time; your LIFE is an illusion."
Kyouko took another step away, flinching at the heat waves radiating off the foreign redhead. "Stop-NO!" She growled, holding out a hand and forming her mismatched weapon to defend against the fiery figure. "Stay away from me!" She cried, snapping the double-sided blade together and holding it out as a shield.
"You said you didn't want any more dishonesty in your life," The figure pressed, stepping closer. In her hand, a double-sided spear formed, obsidian glass with colorful patterns seemingly painted into it. "But you lie everyday." Fiery eyes narrowed, her skin growing ever paler, almost white. "You lied to your sister-figure..." Another step. "Thanks to that, you've lost her - your remaining family."
"Kch..." Kyouko glanced back behind her, seeing the forest path behind her. If she ran, the figure would most likely follow, and with that heat radiating off her...
Most likely, she'd set the entire forest path ablaze.
"You lied to your own beliefs..." Another step; her burn-scars, reflective of Kyouko's own, were even more noticeable with her almost waxy complexion. "And thanks to that, you started the chain reaction that drove a like-minded Magical Girl to despair."
"Dang it, I FIXED that mess!" Kyouko cried, taking another tentative step back, azure constantly shifting between in front and towards the back. For all intents and purposes, she was cornered. If she moved any further, she could risk setting Mitakihara on fire.
"You lie, and lie, and lie..." A soft red cloth, almost like a paper lantern, began to wrap around the female, covering the black clothes with vibrant reds, greens and blues. "Is it enough? Can you really keep going on like this?" The girl shook her head. "I know I couldn't..."
"The moment my family was taken away from me, I knew I couldn't hold on..." Embers trembled in their pasty sockets. "And yet, you want to keep going? Surviving? Why?"
"Why..." Kyouko shook her head. "Because, it's better than giving up! I don't want to take the cowardly way out! I want to own UP to what I did, and move on from it!" She grit foreign teeth, trembling as she nevertheless held the weapon out defensively. "I...dang it, I don't...don't need this. It's OVER..."
"Is it?" The figure cried, the embers practically glowing with anger as something formed in her other hand. "Is it really over? You really think you can just say it's done, and step away from everything?" She held up her other hand, a mask in her grasp.
"You may think it's over...but you haven't even paid for any of the sins you committed." She slipped the mask onto her face, grey with the symbol of Kyouko's soul etched in, a singular red orb engraved in the middle like a big eye. "Sakura Kyouko..." She held up her double-bladed spear, a red glow forming around her as doubles of the fiery figure appeared out of the flames.
"You are to be executed for the murder of the Sakura family."
Tomoe Mami glanced up with a start, looking towards the forest path across the way, past the foliage. "...Do you feel that?" She asked quietly, golden eyes narrowed. Ayumi looked where the blonde had her eyes focused. "Oh. The recent events of Kasamino..." The brunette frowned, stepping back. "We'd better not get involved. There's something going on there that's dangerous for all Magical Girls that come into that area." Well, all but the one Magical Girl that was likely responsible for the whole mess, she thought to herself. Would this girl be just as likely to side with the others, or...?
"If there's something dangerous going on, then we'd best check it out to be sure that it doesn't hurt anyone." Mami insisted, preparing to take a step forward. She glanced down at her topaz gem, taking in its pure state, before proceeding to head towards the foliage. Something didn't feel right. She felt as if something ominous was lingering in the air.
What recent events happened in Kasamino...?
"Mami-san!" A familiar bubbly voice cried out, causing the blonde to stop short. She stopped on her heel, glancing over her shoulder to see, to her surprise and delight, a rosy individual that she hadn't seen since her own demise. "K...Kaname-san!" Mami cried out happily, turning to face her fully. "You're okay!"
"Mm." Madoka smiled softly, taking a closer step to the blonde. Behind her, figures of green, raven and scarlet followed along. "It's good to see you're okay now." She fought back rising tears, keeping her smile in place despite the tears of relief threatening to pool forth. "Thank goodness..."
Hitomi ran delicately to Madoka's side, taking her in her arms and giving her a warm hug, eyes closing softly as she gently patted the rosy girl's head. She glanced back towards the blonde, offering a soft smile. "Tomoe Mami-san, I presume?" Said golden Magical Girl nodded slowly, looking quizzically between Madoka and the green-haired female. "Ah, yes...and you are?" Hitomi nodded her head in greeting. "It's a pleasure to have a chance to meet you. My name is Shizuki Hitomi. I'm the friend of your students Madoka-san and Sayaka-san."
"Oh!" The blonde blinked in surprise. So it looked like their friend had also been involved? Her excitement dampened at the realization that this would be yet another girl swept up into the Magical Girl system, 'deceived' by Kyuubey. "O-Oh, I see...well, thank you for keeping an eye on them until now."
"No, on the contrary." Hitomi replied sadly, slowly releasing Madoka. "I'm afraid I only just contracted. Until recently, I've been ignorantly driving a wedge between my best friends..." She sighed softly, shaking her head. "So...in light of the damage I've caused, it felt only fitting I at least gave them their senior back..." Mami's eyes widened in surprise. "YOU brought me back?" She glanced between the other girls. "Even though...you know so little about what's going on?"
"Madoka-san informed me of all the details." The emerald Magical Girl confirmed. "I went in fully aware of the consequences." Golden eyes softened in empathy and sadness. "...Despite knowing the truth, you...?"
The way Tomoe Mami was talking...Homura pursed her lips tightly. Did she somehow find out on her own? She glanced towards Ayumi, who had been standing on the sidelines until now. 'What did you do?' She interrogated, royal-blues narrowing. Ayumi raised a brow in response. 'What, does someone intent on not being deceived feel it best to deceive a fellow Magical Girl?' She gave a shrug of the shoulders. 'I simply told her what I knew. I wasn't aware you were planning on keeping it on a need-to-know basis, like Kyuubey.'
Homura grit her teeth, stepping back from the brunette and turning away. 'Fine. Do what you want, then.' At any rate, it didn't look like Mami had reacted too badly...was it because she'd had time to process it without being forced to see it for herself? Or was she perhaps in denial? The way Tomoe Mami was talking seemed to suggest the former, but...
The scent of smoke filled the raven girl's nostril's, causing her to stop short. She raised her head in surprise, royal blue eyes widening. "Smoke?!" She breathed, her gaze traveling to the source of the smell, directing her towards the forest path. "Oh, no...Kyouko!"
The others looked towards her in surprise, Mami in particular glancing at the redhead in the group, and then back at the forest path. So Sakura-san was in their group as well? But, where was Miki-san? And was Akemi-san calling for the redhead's attention? Said redhead quickly turned toward the path, dashing past the others and making her way through the foliage, scarlet eyes narrowed in concern.
'Dang it!' Sayaka grit sharp teeth, keeping a brisk pace as worn boots clacked noisily against the paved road, waiting for it to steadily wear out to dirt as it progressed closer to the old churchyard. 'Why did we agree to leave her alone!? What are you doing, Kyouko?!'
Back at the churchyard, Kyouko was rooted in place, double-bladed weapon ready to push back against the fiery army. "E...Executed, you say...?" She swallowed a lump in her throat, sweat beading down her face. Whether that was from proximity to the heat or from the fear of her own life, she wasn't entirely sure. Azure eyes trembled in fear, narrowing defiantly in the face of danger. "Heh...I'll have you know, regular Witch or not, I don't back down..." Her legs readied themselves, preparing to leap out of the way at any moment.
The question was, where was she going to go? The entire churchyard was lit up in flames and smoke. A familiar tightness in her throat reminded her of the danger of smoke inhalation; too much proximity to the substance would start to make her woozy, but she couldn't move out anytime soon without the fire following her to Mitakihara. Like it or not, she had to stand her ground here, so no one else would get involved.
The fiery figure in front lifted her arm, raising the double-bladed spear as she signaled for the clones to charge. In fluid motions, the fiery doubles leaped forth, moving towards the azure female at top speed. As soon as they came toward her, Kyouko leapt out of the way, landing on top of a higher tree branch just out of reach of where the flames had struck - so far. Gritting her teeth, the misplaced lancer leapt up again, this time snapping the weapon into segments and swinging the bladed whip at the fiery creatures.
Unfortunately, the weapon sailed harmlessly through them, the flames dancing off them reforming just as quickly as they dispersed. "Kch!" Kyouko landed to the ground just short of the fire's reach, quickly backtracking and readying her weapon again. 'My attacks aren't even doing any damage...!' She realized with horror, nevertheless preparing her stance for their next move.
"It's useless to fight back." The first fiery figure stated calmly, her voice slightly muffled by the mask over her pale face. "Recognize your sins, and pay for what you've done." She signaled for the others to charge forward again, herself staying in the back as she watched her doubles come forward. Kyouko leapt up away from their charge once more, landing on the tree branch. To her misfortune, however, the flames had begun to lick away at the limb of the tree, its fiery tongues lapping greedily toward the branch. With a sting of pain, the azure female hissed as she felt scalding heat from her leg. She glanced quickly around the area, looking for a place to land that didn't have any fire yet.
Her eyes caught sight of the top of the church. Despite the fact that the red ink seemed to have come from the church itself, the roof itself didn't seem to be too badly affected yet. She took a breath, preparing herself before kicking off the branch, leaping over the fiery army and landing, a little shakily, onto the top of the church. She whirled around to face the army, trembling at the sight.
However way she spun it, she was surrounded. It would take some time before the fire caught up to the roof, yes, but in the meantime she had nowhere to go. She quickly looked down at her left hand, taking in the state of her Soul Gem.
What she saw made her blood run cold.
Rather than the fire-red, or even the deep blood-red that she was used to, her soul itself almost seemed to be on fire, bubbling to a boil inside. One touch showed her just how dangerously hot even the silver band was, causing her to quickly pull her hand away, bringing it to her forehead. So it wasn't just the proximity to heat that was causing her to sweat, it looked like; nor was it fear. She herself was burning up.
"Dang it..." She pursed her lips, azure eyes trailing down to see the fiery army coming ever closer to the church. She was sure that if they leapt up to the top like she herself did, they would instantly do her in. Steadying herself on one knee with her now-connected weapon, she suppressed a shudder. There was definitely no denying it.
The red ink, the despair in the churchyard...it really WAS all her.
"Kyouko!" Her old voice called out, different from the sentry down below. Azure eyes snapped up with a start, looking quickly toward the forest path. "S...Sayaka?" She called out quietly, before pushing herself to her feet. "Sayaka!" She cried out, louder this time. "Don't come here!"
Despite her words of protest, the misplaced knight appeared into view, just short of the boundary line. Scarlet eyes widened at the fiery sight, trembling at the army within the inferno. "W-What...happened?!" She called out, looking desperately around for any sign of her old body. A flash of blue amidst the flames caught her attention, causing the redhead to look up, catching sight of the misplaced lancer up above. "K-Kyouko!"
Deep red glanced icily towards the knight, contemplating the matter before turning back to her original mission: she had to kill the Witch that destroyed the Sakura family. Raising her spear, she signaled for the army to move forward, eliciting a charge from the fiery females as they briskly made their way toward the church, preparing to jump.
"Kch!" Kyouko quickly stepped away from the edge. "Sayaka, get out of here! It's too dangerous!" The redhead down below shook her head. "No way! We need to get you out of here, Kyouko!" She glanced around at the army. "Wha- what HAPPENED here, anyway?!"
"Shiratori was right!" Kyouko cried, stepping further away from the edge, wincing at the burning sensation coming from inside. "This...a-all of it, it's being caused by me!" She shook azure locks frantically, taking another step back. "A-And I don't know how to stop it!" Sayaka looked towards the fire, scarlet eyes narrowing in determination. "Hang on, Kyouko! I'll get you out of there!" She held out her Soul Gem, the cerulean light inside glowing brightly as water poured forth, rising into a tidal wave and dousing the flames in the churchyard. The fiery army was wiped out by the waves, their leader giving Sayaka a cool glance before she, too, disappeared within the waves. "Now, Kyouko! Come out of there!" She held out a hand to her, coaxing her over. Sayaka knew better than to step past the boundary line - Kyouko would likely beat her up for that - but there was no way she was leaving the lancer on her own!
Kyouko watched in awe as the waves washed away the flames. Once everything was clear of immediate danger, the misplaced lancer took a tentative step closer, leaping off the edge and landing to the ground before making her way, shakily, toward the redhead. "I-I don't think that's going to keep it away though, Sayaka..." She said, azure eyes glancing over her shoulder as she kept moving. Already, she could see the red ink begin to pool down from the sides of the building. Her eyes snapped back to the front, foreign legs carrying her faster away from the churchyard as she passed through the boundary line, her arms reaching out as she stumbled to the ground, catching herself onto the dirt. Even with all the flames gone, she felt warm. Too warm.
Scarlet eyes looked down at Kyouko in concern as Sayaka knelt down, taking her in her arms and pulling her up with her. She caught sight of the churchyard, gasping in surprise as she watched the red ink slowly start to ebb, before fading away altogether. "K-Kyouko, look!" She pointed a finger. "It's gone!" Kyouko glanced tiredly back again, taking in the sight of the newly scorched ruins. True to Sayaka's word, the red ink had disappeared, leaving the place nothing but a barren wasteland. There was still smoke in the air, making it hard to breathe in the area - or maybe she was just having trouble breathing in general. She wasn't too sure, herself. "It's gone..." She swallowed, her throat feeling dry and raw for some reason. "Then...is that sensation gone, too?"
"No." Sayaka shook her head, leading the azure female gently away from the churchyard as they pulled back to the forest path. "That feeling of despair's still there, just as strong as ever." If anyone else went to the churchyard right now, they would definitely become a Witch for sure. "But I don't think you should go there either right now, Kyouko!" She chastised, using her arms to steady the misplaced lancer as they made their way back towards Mitakihara. "I don't know what that was just now, but if it's trying to kill you then-"
"It's me." Kyouko replied, azure eyes feeling heavy as she allowed the knight to pull her along, worn socks padding gently alongside worn leather boots. She barely winced at the touch of the dirt brushing against a foreign scalded foot, keeping her eyes on the ground as they made their way back. "I don't really get it either, but it's coming from me." She clenched Sayaka's teeth, stumbling as she walked alongside the redhead. "It's coming from me, and I..." She looked tiredly at her Soul Gem, the bubbling inside still noticeable. "I can't control it..."
"Hey, don't be like that." Sayaka scolded gently, frowning in concern at the girl's stumbling. She stopped short, bending her knees and scooping her old self into foreign arms, causing the misplaced lancer to gasp in tired surprise. "Wh-Sayaka, what are you...?!" Sayaka shook Kyouko's head, velvety locks shifting with the movement as she straightened out, continuing on with her trek. "You're burning up, you can't even walk straight." Scarlet eyes softened with concern as she walked along the path, barely even feeling the weight of the azure female. The strength of a Magical Girl really was something.
"You were there for me when I was struggling, Kyouko." The redhead reminded. "Let me be there for you, now." The misplaced lancer had nothing to say to that. Azure eyes shifted to the side, half-lidded with exhaustion as she allowed the knight to carry her along. It would have been hypocritical of her to challenge Sayaka any further, as it was that very same stubbornness that caused them to lose the knight in the first place. "...This isn't a Witch though...is it?" She muttered. "I mean...did it feel anything like what you remember from when you were a-"
"Kyouko, I barely remember anything of when I was a Witch." Sayaka explained. "All I remember was that it was dark and cold. I definitely never faced off against a fiery army, or any red ink. And it definitely wasn't something I experienced in reality." Kyouko nodded slowly, her eyes drooping further. Somehow, now that she was no longer feeling the adrenaline of the battle, the exhaustion and stress was really starting to kick in. Was she feeling feverish...?
"Anyway," Sayaka continued, continuing their walk. "Right now, I don't want you to think about that. You need to focus on getting better, okay?" The misplaced lancer nodded her head in response; whether that was out of agreement or tiredness was up to imagination, though. Her eyes drifted shut, and she lolled her head back, bumping gently against the redhead's shoulder, azure locks meeting with cotton. Sayaka glanced down at the taller girl in concern, before focusing back on the path ahead of them, noting the clearing up in the near distance.
Royal-blue eyes glanced her way as she cleared the foliage, and Homura quickly made her way towards the redhead. "Miki Sayaka, how-" She paused, stopping short as she noticed the unconscious azure female in the other girl's arms. This was ironically familiar, seeing Kyouko's form carrying the blue-haired girl once more, although she knew that it was now the other way around.
Tomoe Mami, of course, didn't know any different. "Miki-san!" She cried, running delicately to the trio before stopping in place, looking the azure female over. "Is...is she okay?" She asked the redhead, refusing to fully meet the shorter girl's gaze. "Sakura-san, is Miki-san okay?" Scarlet eyes shifted away from the blonde, uncertainty on her face before glancing back up. "M-Mami-san..." She muttered, before looking back at the girl in her arms.
"I'M Sayaka..."
It wasn't until after Kyouko was put to bed, a damp rag on her forehead and bundles of itchy blankets from the shelter over the azure female's form, that the others would take the time to sit down and start answering the questions piling up in the blonde's mind. Even as they started explaining, Tomoe Mami still couldn't wrap her head around most of the things she was told.
"So..." Mami stuttered, looking in confusion between the redhead and the bedridden female. "You...and Sakura-san...s-somehow, you...?!" Sayaka nodded slowly, giving a small shrug as she looked to the side. "Yeah, though we STILL don't know what's going on with that." She scratched the back of Kyouko's head, giving another shrug before looking back at the blonde. "It's all been happening pretty quickly, but...Kyouko and I started having a connection when she saved me from being a Witch."
"You-?!" Mami gasped in shock, stumbling in place. "I-I need to sit down..." Slowly, unsteadily, she lowered down to her knees, before slumping fully down with a soft thud. "C-Could you explain to me...h-how did she manage to...?"
"Even we don't know the full details of how everything has happened." Homura explained, royal-blues shifting toward the window. It was the dead of night now; hopefully the other citizens of Mitakihara would remain in the shelter area, instead of wandering around and locating them in the abandoned infirmary, the only place that had a proper bed to lay the girl down in. "It wasn't long after Miki Sayaka was brought back to us that we had to face off against Walpurgisnacht." She looked toward the short pink-haired girl to the side. "Madoka may be the one who can tell more, as she was there when the incident happened."
Kaname Madoka nodded, taking a step forward. "Yes. Well..." Rose eyes trembled sadly. "I...I don't really know what happened, exactly...Kyouko-chan was protecting me against Sayaka-chan...she was calling out to her, and..." She shook her head. "That's...really all I could tell. I remember seeing a red glow coming from Kyouko-chan, and then her barriers disappeared, and-"
"Barriers?" Blonde brows furrowed in concern. "Sakura-san doesn't have any barriers though, does she?" Not to her own knowledge, at any rate...was this a new skill she developed later on, after their separation? This, of course, piqued the time traveler's interest. "She didn't have the barriers before?" To this, the blonde shook her head. "No, nothing of the sort. Her illusions more than sufficed in keeping the Witches and Familiars at bay."
"Illusions!?" Sayaka stood up straight, scarlet eyes widening. "You mean DOUBLES?!" Mami paused. "...Well, yes, but...how did you...?" The redhead frowned, looking Homura's way. "When I found Kyouko, she was being surrounded by doubles that looked like her. But they were wearing a mask and had a red kimono-like outfit on them. That was definitely her, though!" Homura's eyes widened in realization. "The Wudan Witch...!" She bit her lip, looking away. Mami frowned, stepping forward. "The...I'm sorry, I don't think I quite understand?"
Homura nodded slowly. "The Wudan Witch. I only encountered it once in my time travels,"
"T-Time travel?" Mami cried out.
"But it was a powerful Witch, one I encountered just shortly after taking out the Mermaid Witch." Homura frowned deeply, her eyes downcast. "It's...not one of my proudest moments, Miki Sayaka. In an attempt to keep Sakura Kyouko from sacrificing herself, I thought to destroy your Witch before she had the chance to try." Her fists clenched. "It backfired. It was the first and only time I'd ever witnessed Kyouko fall into despair...until now, it looks like."
"U-Until now...?" Golden eyes darted toward the blue-haired patient. "T-Then, are you saying she's...?!" To this, the time traveler shook her head. "I don't know. To be honest, this is the least I've known in a long time..." It frustrated her, not knowing what was happening; the risks that could come from it.
"I have a theory." A cold, yet soft bell-like voice cut in, causing them to look towards the brunette leaning against the wall. "How much do we really know about Witches, in the first place?" Ayumi asked, her arms crossed. Homura paused in thought, mulling over her answer. "It's...the physical form of a Magical Girl's despair. When our Soul Gems corrupt, they change into a Grief Seed, releasing the Witch from inside. The...barriers always seem to reflect events that happened in the girl's life, or a tragic turning point, usually symbolic in nature."
Ayumi held up a palm. "I'm going to stop you there for a moment. You just said, 'when our Soul Gems corrupt'." Mismatched eyes narrowed. "What if your Soul Gem DOESN'T corrupt, but you still have despair?"
The others looked towards her. "What..." Homura stammered. "...What do you mean?" The brunette turned her head away with a flounce of shoulder-length hair. "Think about it. A Magical Girl may be suffering from plenty of things, but due to the nature of her job she knows it is important to keep it at bay. Usually the despair finds an outlet by manifesting into the corruption that forms inside one's Soul Gem. But what if said Magical Girl doesn't allow that to happen?" She whipped around to face them again, her gaze intense. "What if, instead of being allowed to corrupt and manifest into a physical form, the despair was only more and more contained?" Her eyes narrowed further.
"Clearly it would have to find some other means of escape, or it's going to burst."
"Some other means..." Mami's eyes trembled. "A-Are you saying...?!"
"Yes." Ayumi nodded. "My theory is that there are two levels of a Witch." She held up her index finger. "The first level is the one we all know; the manifested physical form born when a Magical Girl's despair becomes too great. But we have to remember that there are layers to a human's emotions. So I propose there's a second level." She held up another finger. "If the despair becomes too great that the girl could become a Witch at any time, but is still being contained within the Soul Gem due to constantly being cleansed of corruption, then the magic of said Magical Girl would start to distort. First, elements of the Witch's domain. You said you didn't remember her having barriers before?"
"Well, no..." Mami responded, biting her lip.
"Was there any sign of these barriers within the domain of this Wudan Witch, Akemi Homura?" Ayumi questioned, looking the time traveler's way. Homura's eyes widened. "C-Come to think of it..." She recalled, in the middle of her grueling battle against the Witch and her copies, a familiar diamond-lattice barrier gating the area. She swallowed thickly. "I do."
"I thought as much." The brunette nodded. "That stubborn redhead isn't the type to normally throw up barriers to protect herself. Rather, she'd more use them to close herself off from others." She smirked. "She was always like that. Anyway, back to my proposition." She looked back at them. "If at that point the despair is still not released, the magic will start to distort further, allowing elements of her despair to spread out externally. In short, the entire city has become her barrier."
"The entire city-?!" Sayaka cried out, scarlet eyes widening to pinpricks. "S-So that's why there's so much despair?!"
Ayumi nodded again in affirmation. "At this point it's still confined to the area the Sakura Curse was still formed, but we've already seen it starting to expand. If we leave it to build up any further, it may start to bleed into Mitakihara, her new haunting grounds."
Homura gasped in horror, royal-blues darting towards the azure female still laying unconscious in bed. Across the way, Sayaka protested with a shake of a scarlet head. "But, when we left the churchyard, all the 'elements of despair' disappeared!"
"Because she was no longer there to activate it, I'll wager." Ayumi explained with a shrug. "But do you really think it'll stay dormant forever? Even if she never goes to the churchyard ever again, there's still that rising despair in the area that affects everyone else around it." She threw her arms out. "We need to stop this despair from getting the chance to build up any further!"
"But, how...?" Mami muttered, golden eyes looking towards the body that her old student now appeared to be in.
Of course, she knew the first and most obvious answer. The thought had been in the back of her mind ever since she'd heard this brunette tell her the truth about Magical Girls and Witches.
After all...if one took out the core of the problem...
"If it's a matter of stopping the despair from building up..." A dainty hand lifted in the air as emerald eyes trembled at the thought of all the potential devastation. Ayumi glanced her way, stern mismatched eyes reflected in uncertain emeralds. "Yes, what do you have to say?"
"First of all, my name is Shizuki Hitomi." The emerald Magical Girl responded, a soft frown on her face before she continued. "You said it yourself, did you not? That the despair will only grow stronger the more it's contained?" The brunette nodded slowly in response, frowning. "Go on." She prompted. Hitomi took a breath, her expression growing more determined. "I see what you're thinking, and surely in this dystopian reality one would consider killing the Magical Girl to be the best course of action..." Mami winced, golden pools shifting away from any other girl's gaze.
"But, if it's a matter of the despair being contained..." Hitomi's eyes softened, looking towards the bedridden female. "Then, wouldn't it be better if we helped her to release her despair in a more natural manner?" Homura raised a dark brow in confusion. "I...I'm afraid I don't understand." She replied with a frown.
"Hitomi, what are you talking about?" Sayaka looked the young debutante's way, scarlet eyes furrowed. To this, the emerald Magical Girl let out a sigh. "We may be Magical Girls, but we are also still human." She reminded softly. "If emotions are really both the strengths and weaknesses of a Magical Girl, then shouldn't we help her to be more honest about her feelings?"
Madoka gasped in realization. "I see what you're saying, Hitomi-chan!" She stepped towards the azure female in bed. "If we can help her to talk her problems out, let her cry it out, then maybe..."
Mami nodded slowly, lips pursed tightly. "She did cry, one time..." She recalled the tight, desperate grip of the sobbing redhead holding onto the blonde for dear life, as if she was the only thread of life she had left.
What happened to that side of her, after all this time? She was so vulnerable, but after that night...she completely closed herself off, as if she'd lost the ability to shed tears.
She'd...gone cold?
"Has she cried ever since?" Hitomi asked kindly. To this the blonde could only shake her head. "...No...I don't know..." She sighed heavily. "It was about a week or two after the incident that we parted ways, so...I haven't seen her too much."
"Mami-san, you worked together with Kyouko before?" Kyouko's eyes widened with surprise as the misplaced knight looked her way. The blonde couldn't help but feel a little unsettled, seeing the bright innocence in those scarlet eyes once again. It wasn't quite the same even still, but...
"Once." She admitted. "When she and I were still fairly new at Witch hunting, we met and formed a partnership." She preferred not to go into detail, so she kept everything a short summary. "She was a lot sweeter back then, more mellow and cheerful, but after what happened with her family, she...changed." She shook her head. "After she broke off our partnership, I hadn't seen her until now. Well, even now it's not quite right." She looked towards the sleeping azure female.
"She'd said that she used to be more idealistic about the Magical Girl system before, but I didn't know that she was practically a different person before..." Sayaka muttered quietly. Homura looked to the side, expression downcast. She knew that feeling, changing herself completely after a traumatic incident. Although in her own case, it was more a goal she'd been aiming for from the start, in a quest to cast off her younger, meeker self. She'd never been content with who she used to be.
With Kyouko, it looked to be completely different. No wonder she was so jaded. "So, what do you propose we do, Shizuki Hitomi?" Homura questioned. "Sakura Kyouko is not the type of girl to sit down and talk things out in order to help herself feel better."
"No, she's not." Ayumi nodded with a sigh. "Even before her father changed his teachings, she was always one to keep her own problems to herself, since she didn't seem to want to burden others." Some of her frustration and stress had started to come to light when things started falling apart for her family, but not even Ayumi had a chance to see much of that time after the redhead had been pulled out of school. She recalled the punch to her face, though.
"Perhaps not..." Hitomi admitted. "But, what else can we do? Or do you think that ending her is the only option available?" Sayaka and Madoka quickly shook their heads in response. "Of course not!" Sayaka cried. "She did all she could to save me, after all! We have to do what we can to save her!"
"On that note," Mami muttered, "Could you explain further to me about what happened to make you...like this?" She paused. "Also...if you can go into more detail about what's been happening in Kasamino?"
Madoka nodded. "Yes, of course." She took a breath, steadying herself before continuing her summary.
"As the red glow disappeared and the barrier went away, Sayaka-chan's Witch was...well, it was engulfed in a bright light, and then it disappeared, leaving Sayaka-chan there." She fidgeted nervously. "Um, Sayaka-chan seemed to be just fine, but Kyouko-chan was...no longer breathing." She sighed. "K-Kyuubey thinks that Kyouko-chan transferred her soul energy into Sayaka-chan's Soul Gem, since Sayaka-chan's soul energy was gone."
"Eh..." Mami struggled to process the information. "Then, what happened? Why are they both alive again, but in different bodies?"
"Well, we don't really know." Madoka admitted with a meek shrug. "At first, it was just Sayaka-chan with Kyouko-chan's soul energy, and I heard that apparently because of that, Kyouko-chan was lingering in Sayaka-chan's subconscious..."
"I-I see..." Golden eyes were struggling not to spin from processing it all.
"It was around the time I learned I had Kyouko's abilities and was trying to figure them out that she communicated with me." Sayaka explained, holding out a hand. "She could basically take over me for a time, making it easier for me to access her skills. So during Walpurgisnacht, I used my own abilities and when we needed hers or I got too tired, she took over."
"It was the night after Walpurgisnacht that Miki Sayaka and Sakura Kyouko switched places," Homura added. "We still don't know what caused it. At first Kyouko went dormant inside Miki Sayaka's body, causing us to think she was dead. In the meantime, Kyouko's body had been inhabited by Miki Sayaka, regaining her soul energy. While I went out to locate Kyouko's body, thinking they may have switched hosts for whatever purpose..."
"Kyouko-chan's soul energy resurfaced in the Soul Gem again, bringing her back." Madoka supplied. "We don't know what caused it, but somehow instead of sharing one Soul Gem, Sayaka-chan's soul energy came back and they switched places."
In the back, Ayumi's mismatched eyes wandered, slowly widening. If the Magical Girl mainly consisted of her soul and the rest was just hardware...
Did that mean that, instead of bringing back Sakura Kyouko, who was already technically still there in soul, she brought back Miki Sayaka instead? But the wording of her wish still involved bringing back Sakura, so...she sighed, leaning back against the wall with a slump. "I guess I'm the one responsible for that." She admitted, raising a hand. The others looked back at her, expressions of puzzlement on their faces. "I wished for the ability to manipulate life and death," She clarified. "The night of Walpurgisnacht, in order to find out more about what happened to the Sakura Family, I...used my wish magic to bring Sakura Kyouko back."
"But, a Magical Girl mainly consists of the soul, which is most likely why Sakura Kyouko remained when she transferred her soul energy. Although, her specialties with magic affecting the mind probably helped in that endeavor." She cleared her throat. "The thing is, if you try to bring back someone who is not really dead but simply supporting the life of another Magical Girl...but the hardware is soulless...there was really only one way for it to work."
"The act of resurrection brought back the missing link, but the intent behind it focused most on bringing back Sakura Kyouko. This must have resulted in me bringing back Miki Sayaka's soul and placing it in the empty body." She gestured to the sleeping female. "Meanwhile, resurrecting Miki Sayaka's soul energy brought her humanity back to its rightful place within her own soul, leaving her hardware empty and in need of soul energy to fill the gap. Since Sakura Kyouko's soul energy was already filling that void, she was placed fully in that position."
"Eh...?!" Mami looked between the knight and the lancer.
"Wha-YOU?!" Sayaka cried, scarlet eyes narrowing.
"You're saying that you're the one who switched their places?" Homura frowned, royal-blues glaring intensely. "In order to bring back Sakura Kyouko, along with the emotional baggage she has been trying to leave behind?"
Ayumi pursed her lips. "Does it matter? It's MY wish magic - I can do what I want with it!" Sayaka let out a growl, charging forward and snatching the brunette up by her blouse, bringing them face to face. "Do you think our lives are just something you can TOY with!?" She snarled, scarlet eyes aflame with righteous anger. "You can't just ABUSE your ability to bring people back like that! It's WRONG!"
The statement hit Ayumi hard, causing her eyes to widen. Quickly, she composed herself, steeling her expression. "...Right and wrong hardly come into play in this system, if you hadn't noticed." Mismatched eyes narrowed. "Whether you want to save the world, or destroy it...it's all just a matter of desire." She pulled away from the redhead, staring pointedly with a smirk. "And besides, based on your aggressive nature I would say you make a perfect subsititute for Sakura."
"Substitute-?!" Sayaka grit foreign teeth, scarlet eyes trembling. "I'm not a SUBSTITUTE! Thanks to you, I have to worry my parents AGAIN!" She looked towards her old body. "And what about Kyouko, huh!? She was finally able to rest in peace, and then YOU dragged her back to deal with not only her past, but stealing my body!?" The brunette glared quietly at the redhead before turning away, looking toward the bedridden azure female. "In any case, what's done is done."
"Then find a way to UNDO it!" Sayaka screamed.
Ignoring the redhead, Ayumi continued on. "So you have a choice to make: Either try to get Sakura to talk out her feelings, which would likely be a futile mission..." Her eyes narrowed. "Or, destroy her Soul Gem before her despair has the chance to boil over." She closed her eyes, stepping away from the group.
"Whatever you do, I've already received all the answers I needed."
The others watched as she disappeared out the infirmary door, various expressions of shock and horror on their faces as the door closed shut.
"She...she...!" A calloused hand pointed, shaking, at the door. "Did she really just tell us it was better to KILL Kyouko?!" Sayaka cried out, scarlet eyes burning with anger. "After everything Kyouko's done to help us!?"
"As a last resort, it's not a bad option." A soft bell-like voice sounded from across the room, causing the redhead to turn around, eyes wide.
"W..." Sayaka blinked a few times, looking at Madoka and Hitomi in shock before looking back at the blonde, eyes wide and disbelieving. "M...Mami-san, did you really just..."
"From a logical standpoint," Mami explained calmly, her usually soft golden eyes dim and hardened, "It makes sense. Our job, as Magical Girls, is to defeat the Witches that spread despair. If, even when preventing herself from becoming a Witch, despair is still spreading due to a Magical Girl containing her anguish, the most logical course of action would be to destroy the Magical Girl and put a stop to the suffering, as well as eradicating the danger." Mami sighed, closing her eyes. "...But, as I said, only as a last resort." She looked towards the emerald female. "If Shizuki-san thinks that we can release the despair in a non-violent manner by helping Sakura-san to open up about her feelings, then...I would much rather give that a try before anything else."
"Mami-san..." Madoka nodded slowly, rose eyes trembling. She stepped closer to the bed before taking a seat, reaching a hand to check the patient's forehead. The rag was dried out, and her forehead was still unnervingly warm. "Kyouko-chan...she still hasn't woken up yet." She noted with concern, taking the rag and getting up to go wet it with more water. To the side, Sayaka nodded in agreement, looking at her old face. "Yeah..." She walked over and sat down in a chair set up in front of the bed, placing a hand on the girl's cheek.
"I hope she's feeling alright..."
The water lapped gently, almost innocently, against the form of the drowned woman as she bobbed along the surface. Its gentle waves nearly drawned out the anguished scream of the brunette standing on the bank of the river, two-toned eyes wide and trembling, streams of tears sliding down the brunette's face.
"N...No..." She cried out, one hand outstretched, the other rested on her mouth. "NO! MOTHER!"
"MOTHER!"
With a gasp, Shiratori Ayumi snapped her head up, eyes as wide as in the memory. She closed them slowly, willing herself to calm down before sliding against the wall, sitting on the floor just outside the infirmary.
Was it alright to toy with lives? No, of course not. Just as it wasn't okay to toy with people's minds. But the possibility was there, due to Kyuubey, if one had the potential.
The potential was there.
Make people listen? Bring my loved ones back?
Both were considered innocent, child-like ideals, but when put into practice brought nothing but heartache and suffering. She already knew from the start that, even if she'd had the ability to bring her parents back, she would never be able to go back to what they were.
Rather, Ayumi herself would have been branded a Witch, hunted and shamed like the redhead she both despised and envied.
"And yet, I had to know..." Ayumi whispered in regret, curling her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around and rested her head gently on top. "I had to know what happened..." Her eyes clenched tightly shut, tears pricking the edges of her eyelids. "Then why..."
"Why didn't I just think to wish for the knowledge?" She whimpered softly, shaking her head. "No, the thought DID come up, but I dismissed it...I let my pride get in the way, my confidence in my deduction skills if I only had one more piece of the puzzle..."
"Now, thanks to that stubbornness, Kasamino is going to fall...my grandmother is going to die..." She sobbed quietly, rubbing her face into her jeans in a vain effort of comfort. "I'm...I'm going to be all alone again...!"
The congregation gathered in a steady fashion, her parents and grandmother beside her as Shiratori Ayumi followed along to participate in the Communion. From afar, she could see the soft-spoken preacher and his family, in particular a familiar red-haired girl that always bothered her.
"I should've just focused on priorities..."
Two-toned eyes glared across at the back of the redhead, watching as she dutifully helped with passing out the bread and wine, as well as carrying the cup to collect donations. She always was so caring to her family, and her family cared for her.
If only Ayumi had known that kind of love...
"I should've just asked for the truth, instead of fueling my grudge..."
There was a sick pleasure to seeing the Sakura family destroy themselves. Ayumi watched with grim amusment as the redhead stood silently before the grave, her face hidden by her winter coat and long velvety locks. You really should have been more careful, the brunette had thought to herself. You should have done something for yourself, for once.
Now you have nothing.
The brunette shuddered at the memory, tearfully shaking her head. Karma really was too cruel, wasn't it? And now, with her selfishness, she was losing everything she had left. Rather than leaving things to lie, she had the gall, the AUDACITY to...
To...
She clenched her teeth, fighting back any more sobs, to no avail. And why should she? It was clear that any suppressed emotions would only be weaponized. She fell onto her side, wailing quietly, tears dripping down as she buried her face in the floor, brown locks falling over her eyes. "I'm...I'm sorry!"
"So...so sorry..."
As she lay in her own tears, focused only on the regret she'd secretly felt for her actions, she was unaware of the corruption slowly building up inside her Soul Gem, slowly but steadily marring alabaster with a dark, smoky substance.
A/N: Things are starting to come to a head, now. The mystery behind the strange phenomenon has been unveiled, and there's a lot of drama. Everyone knows what's going on now - with no secrets in the way, what will they do to stop the second level Witch from forming? Also, OC has issues.
I'm thinking about allowing a bit of slice-of-life for the following chapter, in lieu of the events happening. They have to find some way to help loosen Kyouko up, she's been so tense lately. Although now she has a fever, so that's going to be fun. Plus, working around authorities and the trashed city from Walpurgisnacht is going to be fun, too.
I'm going to be a lot busier starting next week, but I'll still be finding time for my projects, so there should be an update to this at least within the month, inspiration permitting. As usual, comments and criticism are accepted and welcome, I always love to hear others' opinion on the story, especially since I'm experimenting a little with OCs and theories.
See you next chapter!