Chapter 13: Searing Migraine

Madoka was the one who was hit the worst by the blast. That subsequently hit Mami just as bad, as her health was very much tied to the Soul Gem they shared. The blonde and pinkette thus lay unconscious in the smoldering remains of the hallway, their newly acquired burns already beginning to magically heal.

"Kyouko!" Sayaka attempted to shout, but the attempt resulted in nothing more than an ugly coughing fit. She crawled out from under one the walls, feeling a few bones scrape against things they weren't supposed to scrape against. She paused, letting herself heal right quick, and continued after a quick glance at her Soul Gem.

"Here!...over here. I'm fine..." came a jagged voice, and Sayaka could hear her move through the rubble. The redhead, though her hair was a few shader darker than usual now, came out from below a wall and was met by a girl who looked like she'd been through two wars and a minor dispute.

"What the hell was that?" Kyouko coughed, though she had a good idea.

"The Puella Magi. They're here...I got a message, from Hitomi."

"Shit...we have to get out of here."

This was easily done, considering that the explosion had more or less demolished the outer walls. In fact, when Kyouko turned around, she could see the bright white sky, framed by burning debris.

"But Madoka, Mami, we have to find them first!"

The redhead was about to agree, mostly on account of Madoka, but had no time. Because as soon as Sayaka had finished speaking, the apartment building creaked and squeaked, and another explosion could be heard (and felt) lower down.

"They're destroying the building!" Sayaka mindlessly exclaimed before being grabbed by the wrist and yanked forward. The entire construction had started to fail, falling over like a gigantic domino piece.

Just how much impact the situation had on the normal world was a thing far from the Puella Magi's mind at the time. Kyouko simply jumped out into the chilly morning air, the blunette finding this a little too spontaneous. Sayaka did regain some amount of self-preservation, enough to create a platform for them to land on. They hopped through the air like this, away from the leaning construction.

It was horrible, seeing the whole thing simply crash into the ground. Structure and design became tons upon tons of rubble, killing the majority of the humans inside. Sayaka and Kyouko watched this destruction from the air, the blue circle flickering slightly as gravity did its job and did it well.

The sound was amazing. It was deafening, chaotic, and amazing. It washed over the two, over everyone within range, like a paralyzing wave. The entire scene was one of a lifetime, and it could've easily become something Sayaka would've beaten herself up for for eons to come. Thankfully, it ending up not being the case. But for the time being, the poor girl was devastated.

"Sayaka, we can't stay here. Ai and other must be somewhere, and I'd rather not making myself a pretty target up here."

"All those people...Kyouko, do you realize what we've done?"

"Could we discuss this on the ground?" The redhead pleaded, not exactly fond of standing on a piece of magical matter so high up. She had never any issues with heights, but this was pushing it.

"Oh..." Sayaka whispered apathetically, eyes locked on what had once been a building. She couldn't think properly, could only imagine the lives of hundreds and hundreds of people ending simultaneously. It sickened her, and the fact that it was her fault scorched her soul. "...sure."

The ground wasn't an ideal place for discussing things. It was covered in thick smoke and dust, and the frightened screams of the living made it just that more chaotic. They ran, the two girls, away from scene. Kyouko had to keep dragging Sayaka, who just seemed to follow out of lack of a better thing to do.

The dust cloud lifted eventually, revealing the true extent of the damage. Out of the ruins stepped two Puella Magi, along with a third figure. Kyouko's heart skipped a beat when she saw Rin on Ai's back with an expression similar to Sayaka's. What was she doing?

"That was awesome!" Tenko was practically jumping up and down out of sheer excitement, making her hair jingle on account of the tens of tiny metal decorations it sported. Said locks were an angry red, a few shades lighter than Kyouko's color. "The whole thing just went like a house of cards!"

The rest of Tenko's appearance was very...contradictory. Her clothes' theme went in dark red and dark green, implemented in a short dress (lots of dresses, these Puella Magi) that looked almost shredded because of the half-finished frills and hanging strips of cloth. One could imagine that it had once been a beautiful garment, but had now been reduced to rags. Very stylish, perfectly placed rags, mind.

Her hair was, like mentioned, decorated with different chains and pendants, and this only on the left side of her head. Mixed in with skulls and hearts, the dark green Soul Gem was practically invisible.

"Tenko, relax. These guys are most likely formidable opponents, so we'll have to be careful. You'll probably gonna have to-"

"I know. Okay okay, I got this."

Rin felt very distant up on Ai's back. Sure, she could see the destruction around her, could easily make out her former guardian and her blue-haired friend. But all of this, she couldn't possibly care about. Because with each passing second, the failure of her plan was an even more obvious fact. Her simple request had caused so much grief already. She should just end it now, and spare everyone some time and pain.

But she was too afraid, still.

"Want me to take care of Rin while you fight?" Demi asked in an intonation proven to sound considerate.

"I suppose that would be for the best. Hey, little one, want to help me and Tenko? I...I'm fairly confident that you can hold your own nowadays."

Little one...right, she used to call me that. I didn't like it very much. Made me feel small. Still does.

"No...this is your fight. I don't care about these girls anymore, I just want them gone."

Ai nodded, failing to hide her relief, and put Rin down on the ground. Tenko briefly considered bringing up something that had bugged her ever since the parking garage. The whole situation was ridiculous. Why would the kid willingly stay with these people for almost two weeks, just to have them killed the second she meets Ai? Even Tenko couldn't make much sense out of it, but she didn't have the heart to even imply that Rin might just be tricking Ai. The child was everything to her, and Tenko only wanted to see Ai happy.

"Rin!" Kyouko shouted, somehow commandingly. The pale girl looked at her across the broken ground, and couldn't help but think how scary the redhead actually was. And again, she was scared of her, just like when they had met. Then she turned her back and followed the Incubator back into the ruins of the building.

There was a lot of things that went through Kyouko's head just then. She wondered what had gotten into Rin, the artificial worry giving way for the anger directed at Ai and Tenko. She wondered if Sayaka would pull herself together, so that they would actually have a chance to win the upcoming battle. She wondered where Homura and Hitomi were.

Her priorities settled on Sayaka. The blunette was just sort of staring at the two Puella Magi in disbelief, before hate contorted her features.

"You monsters!" She cried out, and her voice was suddenly solid and strong. Her sword caught the morning light as she drew it, knuckles whitening as she almost crushed her own weapon. "Do you have any idea of many people you've just killed!"

Ai sighed. Her ice blue eyes shone with cold determination, and Kyouko once again recognized her former self in them. She knew what Ai was going to say before she said it.

"Why should I care? It's in the end, your fault. Or rather, your friend's. She is the reason we're here after all."

Kyouko had never seen Sayaka so angry. Her emotions were like an aura, radiating pure disdain. The redhead tried to feel for all of the people trapped and crushed under tons of steel, tried to dig up that annoying conscience she apparently had nowadays.

It wasn't necessary, even if the guilt was there. Kyouko already hated Ai, as much as she possibly could.

-I-

The realization had hit Hitomi like a speeding train. For some ungodly reason, the Puella Magi weren't fleeing. Instead, they were going after the other four. Aside from the fact that they would be hopelessly outnumbered, the idea was still preposterous. Why would they want to engage in more battles, now that they had Rin?

Nevertheless, that was what they were doing. Hitomi shouldn't have had a reason to feel nervous. A 2v4 as it were, the element of surprised hopefully ruined by her text message. But then there was the thing with Mami and Madoka...

The girl shook her head angrily, dashing across squares and streets. It was a little annoying blinking so frequently, and she absently wondered if it was giving her some sort of brain damage. This fun thought was shattered however, as a large apartment building to her left suddenly caught her attention.

Or rather, the massive fireball that struck it did. She stopped, and like the surrounding crowd, could only stare at the giant hole in the building's side. Only then did it hit her.

Mami's apartment. How did they know...?

As she stood like that, paralyzed with a mix of fear and awe, something else happened to the building. It started leaning precariously, and Hitomi's could just barely make out someone or something coming out of the hole before the whole construction collapsed and sent a shockwave throughout the area. There was shouting and screaming, and Hitomi was on her way before she knew it.

The street connected to the building was a minute away. A mere minute. It felt like forever. Even when she could clearly see them; Ai and Tenko, Kyouko and Sayaka, it still felt like she was horrendously slow.

She didn't even have time to throw anything, to initiate an attack. Tenko spawned her weapon; a plain wooden staff (because calling it a stick is just mean) that was a few inches taller than her. She then mimicked Kyouko's charging pose, palms together with the staff in between. The following attack was even very similar to Kyouko's.

As if the ground was ruined enough, thick roots sprung out of the concrete and into the air. They grew insanely fast, sprouting trunks and branches and leaves. An actual forest sprawled out before Hitomi, quickly enveloping her. It was malicious life, the roots reaching for her with soil-covered hands. Two newly formed trees grew together, almost crushing her.

Kyouko frantically dodged a root as thick as her torso, trying to keep an eye and both her ally and her opponents at the same time. Sayaka was doing about as well her her, but their dodging got them further and further away from each other, which was probably Tenko and Ai's plan. Her spear did her more harm than good, hindering her movement slightly. And suddenly, she was a stuck in a giant forest where the sunlight was blocked out by the mighty crowns. Sayaka was nowhere to be seen, nor was Ai or Tenko.

"Cowards!" The redhead snarled, attempting to jump up to higher branches. But the wood gave way beneath her, and she remained trapped. The only way to traverse was on the ground, not very desirable with the murderous roots everywhere.

"Yes, yelling won't give away your position at all." A calm voice said. Kyouko spun around, but her instincts had already told her who it was.

"Hitomi! Where is Homura?"

The green-haired girl wiped some blood from her forehead, the work of an ambitious twig. She had managed to reach Kyouko quite easily, what with her powers.

"Fighting with the third girl, I reckon. Sheesh, Kyouko...you've really done it this time."

"Could we wait with the lectures? I lost Sayaka, and I'm afraid they'll..."

Kyouko cut herself off, a sound catching her attention. It was a low hum, barely audible over the rustling of the trees. It was growing, spreading, and it was making the air alive with electricity. It was the sound of energy.

In the outskirts of the forest stood Ai. Tenko stood behind her, one eye closed in an attempt to judge a bunch of pretty guesstimated measurements. Ai's palms were facing outwards, and the air boiled around them. Sweat drops ran down the girl's face, and she was the one used to the heat.

Isolate, and destroy them one by one. Easy.

"Stop! That's about right...little more to the left...there you go. The blue one should be right in front of you."

Ai had to take Tenko's word, since it was impossible to see anything through the vegetation. The forest was her friend's most useful technique, though it required an ally to make it worth while. It also cost a big chunk of magic, but the "control" rune etched on her Soul Gem made it less of a hassle.

Now, phase two. Ai's turn.

"Are you sure?" She could feel the power in her grasp, how the fire longed to lash out and burn and burn and burn. Just a few more seconds.

"Considering how diligently she's trying to cutting her way through my forest, yeah. Pretty sure." With these words, Tenko backed away. Sayaka, who indeed was trapped within a section of the woods, cutting and slicing her way forward, had no idea what as coming. Though the heart-wrenching scream right before the attack was hard to miss.

"Sayaka!"

Ai let go, ancient words leaving her lips in a whisper.

"Punire L'emicrania."

A single flame appeared in her hands, a mighty roar rising as the flickering fire grew into an seemingly solid stream of red heat. The dawning day seemed to cower and darken before the relentless fire, even more so as it transitioned from red to to blue to a piercing white. It extended from Ai's hands, a spear of energy that sent ripples through the air. The sound was deafening, the heat unbearable. The spear cut through Tenko's forest with glee, growing in intensity as it went.

It would be insulting to say that Sayaka did nothing to protect herself, because she did. She heard the sound, could perceive the light even through the thick woods. In accordance, she summoned her circular blue barrier and steeled herself for the impact.

But nothing could have prepared her for Ai's flames, the white stream that devoured everything in its path. The jet flame hit the shield, and it was like being struck by the very sun. Everything was white and aflame and hot, a hell on Earth. And while Sayaka's shield protected her well from the actual fire, there was also a distinct lack of oxygen combined with a heat that literally made her blood boil. Sayaka did everything she could've done, and fell unconscious nurturing that ambition with hate and anger. It was a miracle that she didn't became a witch right then and there.

"We got her!" Tenko cried out in triumph, stupidly opening her eyes for a split second, with the result that her field of vision became filled by erratic white dots. Ai let the flow of magic die out, and the fire spear thinned out and became red in color before dissipating completely. "Wait...hang on, hang on...the green-haired one is here now! That means...that means..."

"That Tenshi was defeated." Ai panted, feeling tears burn at the corner of her eyes.

The redhead hurried to catch her friend when she fell. After an attack of that magnitude, anyone would be a little spent. It didn't matter. It would take the other two Puella Magi a while to get out of her forest, if at all.

"I hope she didn't get too badly injured. Though, the green one didn't seem like the ruthless type." Tenko laughed, unsure who she was trying to convince.

"Quick! Take my hand!" Hitomi urged after the sound of the roaring flames had stopped. Kyouko spun around, her anger mixed with clear panic, something she obviously wasn't used to.

Kyouko didn't question the request, mainly because Hitomi was most likely as inclined to save Sayaka as she was. Hitomi took her cross-shaped pendant, tied to a throwing knife, in one hand, and Kyouko's sweaty palm in the other. She then threw the object upwards at an angle.

A human couldn't pierce the thick foliage, but a thin knife certainly could. The glittering weapon soared in an arc over the battlefield, reflecting the leftover flames lining the charred corridor that had been made in Tenko's creation.

Kyouko's vision went blurry, her stomach as turned upside-down and inside-out, and suddenly she was standing on ground that consisted of nothing more than ash and blackened, dead life. They were running through the burned corridor, away from their enemies.

"Kyouko, where is Mami and Madoka?"

"They were still in the building when it collapsed." Despite the situation, Kyouko's voice became quieter, with an undertone of shame. "We can't possibly get them out with Ai here."

"Then we'll focus on saving Sayaka."

"But Ai and Tenko-"

"-will have more trouble dealing with three Puella Magi than two. Remember, for some reason, theywant to kill us now. Rin isn't even a concern right now, since they will come after us this time. Get it?"

Even now, Hitomi spoke calmly and logically. Kyouko let herself be convinced, since her real worry for Sayaka was far greater than her artificial feelings for Rin. Though the question still bugged her. Why is going with them so quietly? Shouldn't she be trying to escape?

Of course, since they were in pretty much clear sight, Ai spotted them. At the same time, Hitomi found Sayaka's body. It suffices to say that it was in bad shape, and the crescent gem on her stomach was an oily, brown color.

"We'll loop around, hide in the rubble. We just need enough time to equalize Sayaka's Soul Gem, and then we'll have a better chance. Can you hold them off, Kyouko?"

Hitomi scooped up Sayaka's body in her arms, cringing at her ravaged hair, her burnt skin, and felt the same anger she realized that Kyouko must feel quite often. A part of her wanted these Puella Magi to pay for their actions, and she wasn't sure how strong that part was.

The redhead simply nodded, turning around. She was greeted with the sight of two running girls, both sporting murderous intentions. She realized that they had yet to see Ai's weapon. She seemed to do just fine without it.

Kyouko reached into her magic reserves, digging around a bit. She came back content, having a respectable amount left. Rin's rune was also doing its job, compressing the corruption and (now that she thought about it) might've been what kept the infection at bay.

There really wasn't any point in being precise. Ai flung a series of flaming projectiles at the two, as Tenko took a sharp left and dove into her forest.

Kyouko simply unfolded her diamond-shaped latticework, which easily absorbed the fire. A look over her shoulder told her that Hitomi was ready to go, and so they ran too, towards the far end of the corridor.

Ai was just a bother at this point, since she still hadn't recovered from her ultimate attack. All she could do was harass her enemies with football-sized fireballs as they fled. She recalled Rin's words, and kept them in her mind. She would be forgiven. She would be forgiven. She just had to kill two human beings. Piece of cake.

They were faster than the tired girl, and they were reaching the end of black corridor. According to Hitomi's plan, they would loop around and hide in the remains of the apartment building. With Hitomi's instant movement techniques, they could squeeze into spaces where the enemies couldn't reach.

This was the plan. It wasn't what happened.

Tenko flew out from the trees to the left then, aiming for Hitomi. The green-haired girl was currently holding Sayaka, and so couldn't fight to the best of her ability. Kyouko sent a wall of latticework between them, the most she could do before having to avoid another slur of fireballs.

The redhead struck the ground with her staff, and thick roots flew out around Hitomi. Tenko knew that she was trying to protect the blunette, and therefore put extra stress aiming for the unconscious body. They were now standing still, with Kyouko and Ai approaching fast.

The whole thing was a mess. They needed out of there, and fast. Hitomi knew where everything was in relation to the forest, and could easily teleport all of them out of it. But to do that, she needed free hands and a lot of luck. Kyouko's barrier was still keeping Tenko from her, but didn't do much against the roots.

In the end, Kyouko's quick thinking saved them. Realizing that Ai didn't expect her to attack her, she did. She dodged the roaring fire, and lashed out with a full-length spear against her opponent. Ai, in her current state, didn't have the agility to dodge the flying spearhead. It caught her side, burying itself in her midsection with a disgusting sound. The sheer force sent her careening into the ground, and Kyouko felt a surge of satisfaction.

"Ai!" Tenko saw her friend get hit, and instantly shifted her attention towards protecting the injured ally. Roots shot up between Ai and Kyouko, ripping out the spearhead and shielding her friend from further harm.

That was all the time Hitomi needed. Quickly putting down Sayaka, she threw a throwing knife (with the pendant, of course) back towards where they'd come from, towards the ruined building. She put an extra bit of magic into it, immediately feeling the repercussion throughout her body. The silver line flew like lightning, far beyond the center of the devastation, and Hitomi wondered in the back of her head if that throw was a new record for her.

She didn't even have to tell Kyouko. The redhead was already beside her, holding out her hand. They took one last look at Tenko, who now just stared at the two, panting roughly. The constant manipulation of the earth had taken its toll, apparently.

Hitomi looked back, her expression embarrassingly neutral. Was she supposed to hate or forgive this person? Was she the one doing something wrong, or were they just as guilty? And why was she trying to kill them?

With all these questions and more in mind, Hitomi disappeared. So did Sayaka's body, which she had been resting her hand on. Kyouko followed suit, not in the least confused about what to think about Tenko.

It was interesting then, that Tenko shared Hitomi's doubts. Even when she ran to help Ai, upon seeing the nasty wound that Kyouko had caused, she wondered what the hell they were doing. She wondered if Tenshi was okay, and suddenly felt bad for leaving her behind. The two were like sisters and rivals, inseparable, constantly bickering and fighting. But Tenshi had to be okay. A little shaken perhaps, with a dirty Soul Gem to show for it, but fine overall. Right?

Right?