I love when a series has love triangles, don't you? Well, I for one am so happy to announce the new and improved Sayaka X Kyousuke X Hitomi pairing, with extra Kyōko interference! I'm sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes that you may have found. I find that if I read it through myself, my brain filters out the small mistakes and just tries to fix the big ones. To answer the question of my dear readers, yes, {Kyūbey} is a villain still. He simply isn't the MAIN villain. Oriko is also a secondary villain. Alternatively, this universe's Kyūbey is not a villain-but his twin brother is.
Confusing, right? Well, the omake about Incubators will explain this soon.
This was written while I listened to "friends" from the Guilty Crown soundtrack, and various other upbeat songs, such as "Frozen Heart".
One day a hopeless boy awoke to find his dreams restored.
Chapter 14 – Noisy Citrine
When it rained, lightning often would fry you into charcoal bits. As if Mikuni's conviction hadn't been enough, but now he was being chased as well. Jogging through the rain, the man cursed silently as he realized that it would only be a few minutes before the authorities showed up, magical and Mundane alike. With his briefcase used as as an umbrella, he rounded the corner of the avenue.
Of course, he couldn't have flown in this weather. Aside from that, his staff had been tagged with a tracking charm for the past eight weeks, so using that would have been ridiculous. He had no idea that he was being followed for so long, but if he had realized it, then maybe this whole scandal could have been minimized.
He was an idiot for not cutting Mikuni loose earlier. The jerk had been one of the main reasons they were caught. Mikuni's obsession with women and girls, mostly of the Mundane variety, left a paper trail that eventually exposed their laundering.
The man sprinted through the front door of his home, yelling for whatever was left of his family.
"Karin! Kirika!"
Their names echoed around in the house, but no one responded.
He ran towards the other end of the house, still calling for them. Please, he thought, please let them be alright!
It was only upon catching sight of them descending the stairwell near the Southern wing of the house that he realized it. He saw his beautiful wife dragging their daughter with her towards the nearest exit. They both were holding suitcases.
He refused to believe what was happening.
The briefcase in his hands dropped to the floor. It snapped open with a sickening crack, and it bled money. $500,000 in American Dollars spilled onto the travertine tiles below.
"Karin?"
His beloved wife ignored him. She would not even look at his face. All she was going to do was leave with their child and disappear forever.
No. He could not allow them to leave without him. He had worked too hard to give up his family. In fact, he had done all of this just so they could be happy.
If they didn't stay with him...
He took his wand from his inner suit pocket and leveled it at Karin.
...then they were better off dead.
"Eviskserrate!" Dark red light burst forth from the end of the alabaster stick.
Just as quickly, his beloved wife had whipped around and countered it. Being a pureblooded Witch, however, she needed no instrument as crude as a wand.
"Calamantro!" She shouted this while her raised arm was pointed towards the disemboweling Curse. It arced off the barrier and dissipated in an instant.
"You aren't leaving me!" He bellowed, whipping around his wand for another attack.
But his wife countered it once again.
Her resistance was very far from futile, in this case.
Who was he kidding? She was the seventh daughter of a seventh son, and one of the heirs to an Ancient House. Even if their money had dwindled, their magic had obviously not.
He could never defeat her in a contest of magic.
"After all your lies, your schemes, how could we stay?" Karin looked torn between her emotions. She wanted to leave him and forget every moment they spent together. But at the same time, she pitied this poor Mage who thought he could get away with thievery and murder. "I'm sorry, Kenshi, but we have to go."
The man slumped forward. He still had to do something. Anything.
"Come on, Kirika," said Karin to her daughter. She gathered up her belongings and tried to usher them both towards the door.
"But mom, we can't just leave-,"
Kirika was still looking behind her, to her father's despairing figure.
And then he remembered. He reached into his back pocket. Inside was an item he had acquired in case the authorities did arrive, magical or otherwise.
His beloved wife...his beloved wife...his...
Kirika saw the gun before her mother heard it even click.
Kirika saw the flash of the muzzle before her mother heard the shot.
Kirika saw her father kill her mother before her mother even knew that she had been shot.
Kenshi smiled before putting a bullet through his own head. He mouthed the words "I'm sorry" before he pulled the trigger.
Blood splattered the floor like wet paint.
Kirika saw the mark on his neck.
Kirika smiled at it.
Kirika laughed.
'Will you now embrace your Destiny? '
The cat had purple eyes.
Present day...
A blinding flash of purple filled the night sky, followed by several smaller explosions. The light from these explosions arced in three-dimensional fractals that sliced through the air with razor-sharp lethality. From afar it looked like the stars were exploding in rapid succession. If anything had been in the way of their wrath, then the only thing left would be a few withered ribbons of flesh.
This was the Finishing Move that she had been working on for the past week: "Starburst Stream".
Looking up, Hōmura examined her hard work. To create the move, she had to scatter the bombs into the air, then detonate them using the bullets from her twin pistols. Still watching as the light danced around the sky of the Time Sphere, Hōmura panted from the amount physical strain it took to acomplish this specific attack, and felt somewhat guilty. Because she had been so lax earlier, Madoka had needed to use some of what Madokami called her "forbidden power".
'If she continues to use her power like that...'
Hōmura tightly clenched her trembling fists. Even with all the research she had done, the young mageling had not quite found a way to preserve Madoka's body. If the power output of Madoka's own soul was burning through her body's life force, then the only option was to make her body more durable. Due to her being a Puella Magi, Madoka already had a durable body. But it wasn't immortal. No matter how many times she patched herself together, Madoka's Mana would eventually destroy her from the inside out.
Like a pheonix, Madoka would catch flame, but unlike the mystical creature, there would be no rebirth for her.
Thinking over all their options, the desperate girl cursed Fate for the thousandth time.
Unless...unless Hōmura broke a deal with a certain red-haired immortal, then this timeline would end in tragedy, just like the others.
In the hospital room where a certain violinist dwelled, six teenagers sat in silence. It had been like this for over three minutes, and it showed no sign of changing.
Fortunately for them, though, one of their number was tired of sitting around in mute stagnation.
"So if Sayaka-chan does this," said Hitomi softly, "then Kamijou-kun will be able to use magic again, right?"
The green-eyed girl sitting in a wheelchair near the foot of his bed seemed skeptical, and for good reason. She still had not recovered from her anemia, and yet somehow the vampire that attacked her that night decided to visit her and Kamijou while they were in the hospital. Hitomi may have been the youngest daughter of the infamous and distinguished Shizuki family, but that did not mean she was a clueless ditz who didn't even know how to hold a wand.
In other words, Hitomi was not born yesterday.
Sure, she was still too weak to stand, but this Oujo-chan was certainly no fool. The Strange behavior that Madoka had been displaying, the new student, ALL the secrets, it made sense to her now.
When the visitors arrived, Hitomi could not verify by sight who this person was. However, when Kyōko began to speak, everything from that night came rushing back to her in extreme detail.
But before Hitomi could even begin to panic, this vampire had apologized.
Yes, as far as anyone could tell, it had already started out as a strange afternoon.
Explaining everything about Puella Magi only complicated things further.
Speaking of secrets, Mami, Sayaka, Kyōko and Kyūbey weren't sure of how to proceed next.
"Well, yes," said Kyūbey nervously, "if that is what Sayaka-chan wishes." He flicked his tail side to side, looking from each human to the next. As far as he was concerned, these humans were the most confusing he had encountered so far, but that also made them the most interesting. Just from taking a whiff of the pheromones floating around in the room, it seemed to Kyūbey that something of a conflict was going on between the two females called Hitomi and Sayaka.
And of course, it had something to do with this male named Kyousuke, whom Sayaka wanted to cure.
Human relationships, though, were a lot easier to understand than Incubators, as far as Kyūbey was concerned. There were many derivatives for chemicals, but the application of 'real' chemistry was much simpler in humans.
"Alright, it's decided, " said Sayaka. "I'll make my wish."
Nodding, Kyūbey flicked his tail. This quarter's quota of contracts already had been filled, so this year's bonus would indeed be generous. "Mami, would you mind putting up a barrier to drive off any busybodies?"
Following his request, Mami lifted up her ring finger and concentrated. If she used mage magic within the hospital, someone would throw suspicion on her barrier. But as far as they knew, the magic of a Puella Magi presented none of the residue that mage magic did, nor could it be detected by mages in general. In a way, Puella Magi held a role over mages that shadowed the role mages held over normal humans.
Mami made a few strange spiralling gestures in the air. She twirled once, and sparks surrounded her in a cloud of light. With a clap of her hands, the air itself seemed to dim. Glowing tendrils of gold engulfed the room. It dissipated after a second, but the brightness had blinded them all temporarily. All of the windows and doors were obscured by a strange, smoggy darkness when the teens opened their eyes.
Hitomi and Kyousuke watched the scene with rapt attention. To magelings accustomed to magic, this should not have been all that interesting to watch, but it proved to be quite the opposite reaction.
In the middle of the room, Sayaka stood across from Kyūbey. Both of her hands were clutched closely to her heart. She had given this wish much thought, so she might as well follow through with her plans, no matter what Hōmura had warned her of.
The tiny form of Kyūbey glowed softly in the dimmed hospital room. His ears were lifted in anticipation, to finally set loose the reality-warping desire buried within this maiden's heart.
Aquamarine eyes met with a set of gleaming sapphire buttons.
'So what is it that you wish?' asked the alien.
'If you don't mind, Kyūbey, I'd like to keep that secret from the rest.'
Sayaka had chosen to speak using her mind, instead of her mouth, which, thankfully, Hitomi and Kyousuke could not hear. As Kyūbey explained it, telepathy could be heard by only those it was directed toward.
'Does this mean you've chickened out?'
Reffering to an ongoing bet that he had with his sister Inkyū, Kyūbey seemed a little smug in his observations, but Sayaka did not bother to correct him. What she didn't want them to know was the exact wording of her wish. As for the reason she did this in front of her friends, Sayaka would not reveal her reasons.
'I wish...'
A pair of white tentacles shot through her chest. Sayaka gasped. The pain was more surprising than anything else she had imagined. In addition to that, it felt like somone was rummaging around in her head, and just thinking about what was happening made her ache.
Then the numbness it began to set in. It started at her fingers and toes, and spread up through her arms, dousing the fire in her bones with cool water. Sayaka saw a glowing ball of light floating towards her and reached towards it with both hands. But during all of this, she noticed that she was falling.
Falling and falling, she had nothing to support her as her legs gave way from beneath her.
Sayaka blacked out before she even touched the floor.
When she awoke, the first thing she noticed was the teacher hovering over her, trying desperately to cast whatever neutralizing charm was needed. Wearlily, Madoka listlessly looked up at the sea of concerned faces in the divination classroom.
It wasn't fair to them that she could really see the future.
Madoka had been knocked unconscious because the horror of it all was just impossible to comprehend. Yes, Walspurgis was coming. Yes, it looked even bigger than ever. And yes, they all would be there to fight it.
But as far as she was concerned, it would mean absolutely nothing. Having the power to save your friends did not guarantee their survival.
Madoka's best friend had died right in front of her.
In this confusing new universe, Hōmura was doomed.
Little by little, Madoka could feel her heart began to crystallize and freeze over within her. She would never let that happen, even if it broke her own soul in the process.
Ignoring the cries of the teacher and the class, the helpless goddess closed her eyes and cried invisible tears.
Was she not powerful enough to stop the never-ending tragedy?
When she awoke, the first thing Sayaka noticed was that someone was holding her. The second thing she noticed was that that someone just happened to be Kyousuke. In the dimmed room, his silver-grey hair seemed to subtly glow, as if it were reflecting all of the ambient light in the room.
"Sayaka-chan, are you okay?" he asked.
Sayaka jumped in surprise, and scrambled away from her childhood friend. He was up and walking around already. This was both a shock and a delight, but the startled girl could not be sure that this wasn't just a dream.
Pinching herself, the bluenette winced.
So it was real. Okay. This was acceptable.
"Geez, calm down, Miki," said Kyōko, folding her arms. " You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Well excuse me for not expecting a miracle to happen, " Sayaka closed her eyes and pouted. "Besides, you're one to talk. I'm sure all vampires are used to freaky stuff like this happening on a regular basis."
Kyōko had to admit that the girl had a point, there.
"So how are you feeling? " asked Kyousuke, looking at Sayaka with worried eyes. She had been unconscious for about three minutes, and despite Mami and Kyōko's claims that she would be fine, he had become distressed after the first minute.
To his surprise, Kyousuke had been perfectly capable of running over to her unresponsive body and checking for signs of life.
Face aflame with redness, Sayaka squished her eyes shut and shouted in embarrassment. "I should be asking the same of you!"
Smiling, the rest of the youngsters chuckled.
Using a few more gestures, Mami dissolved the privacy barrier. "Well it seems clear that the wish worked."
"Of course it worked," said Kyūbey, a little hurt and indignant that anyone doubted him. "But that also means..." A small gleam appeared in his eyes as his stare locked onto Sayaka. "YOU'RE MINE NOW."
"..." Sayaka stared at the furry little fluffball that had just said such a phrase. An ominous aura radiated from him that was telling her to run away.
FAR AWAY.
The image of Kyūbey as a grinning teenage boy, flexing his hands as about to do something perv-worthy, suddenly came to mind. Self-consciously covering her chest, Sayaka felt a strong feeling of disgust well up within her. "I am going to hurt you, Kyūbey, if you say that again."
"..." Kyūbey stopped grinning and scurried to hide behind Mami.
"So," said Mami jovially, clapping her hands together, "I can't wait for you to show us your outfit! "
"Why not do that now?" said Sayaka. Couldn't Mami just put up a new barrier? Then Sayaka could transform as much as she wanted.
"I'd like to see that as well, " added Hitomi, who had been contemplating this day's events deeply. Her tea green eyes were so clear and lucid at this moment that she could have been mistaken for a Seer. A dangerous idea was forming in her mind, and if it decided to precipitate, then things would get ten times more complicated.
"But I don't feel like putting up a new barrier," Mami frowned and placed her hands behind her back.
"If someone knocks, we can just say we were cosplaying to cheer up our friends in the hospital," said Sayaka. "Besides that, I don't want to transform alone!"
"Well, I don't mind," said Kyōko. She placed her hands behind her head and shrugged,
"Fine," said Mami, realizing how futile it was to argue. "Say the first thing that comes to your mind, Sayaka-chan. Then let go. Lose yourself. Allow the magic to wash over you."
It was good advice to give to a rookie. The first transformation always was the hardest. Sometimes Mami thought it was odd how natural it felt to transform, but since they were clothing themselves in their own magic, it made some sense.
Normally, Mami wouldn't say the little catchphrase she had made up when she first became a Puella Magi. But since she was putting on a show for her friends, she wanted to humor them a little. She even had told Kyōko to entertain the thought of her own transformation announcement, if she had not already.
As for Sayaka's transformation, Mami knew that the girl already had something in mind for her own special phrase, so the upperclassman didn't mind indulging the other girl's lifelong dream.
The three girls lined up side by side, facing the medical cot, where Hitomi sat in her wheelchair, and Kyousuke lay propped up in bed. He was a little weak from not having moved much for so long, but other than that his health was pristine.
Hitomi kindly held Kyūbey in her lap, and scratched the fluffy alien behind his tentacle-ears.
The golden Puella Magi raised her arm. "Bloom here, o' flower of Destiny!" Mami's clothes changed in a shower of gilded sparks and daisies.
The pink Puella Magi also raised her arm. "Shatter, this darkness that clouds us all!" Kyōko' s school uniform disappeared in a flurry of cherry blossoms.
Following suit, the blue-haired girl focused on the shiny new ring she had gained. The bright blue gem was the same color as her hair. So her soul was within that thing, huh?
"S-spread widely, to the end of the sky!" A baragge of bubbles dissolved away what Sayaka was wearing.
The three Puella Magi were suddenly enrobed with their uniforms.
Mami with her standard outfit, albeit, it was laden with a lot of gray. Kyōko and her color revered coat, pink skirt, and missing soul gem.
And Sayaka with her mermaid-knight outfit, complete with feathered cape.
It was a lot more beautiful than it initially sounded.
Seven students were absent. Headmaster Senri Makashima tapped the desk and pondered this. Normally this would not have been seen as an anomaly. What concerned him was that the students in question all seemed to be close friends, and more than that, five of them the were part of the same club.
He stared at the registration paperwork for the "Magical Research and Sigil Asssociation (working title)". This ludicrous attempt at a club had to be a front for something, this Senri knew well.
Chamomile was up to no good again; he was sure of it.
Above them all, a sorceress in black cracked a smile and cackled deep within her soul.
"My my, how things have gotten interesting..."
I keep laughing, because Madoka was the only goodie-goodie who didn't skip school.
I also wanted to address the fact that since the magical government has such a huge influence over many aspects of society, a few irritated people complaining about the entrance exam to Mahoukari Academy would be met with a few simple memory-altering spells. In Eternal Flowers, I want to explain their society more, but as for Yuuko Magica, I have to hold off on that. Besides, the overall excuse the administrators of the school can tell those unlucky unmagical applicants would be something along the lines of "Your child is simply not gifted enough to meet our basic criterion for entry." And hopefully the parents in the community would think that the school's standards were absurdly high.
Walspurgis countdown: vee eye chapters.
Tropers, I'm counting on you to fulfill our contract!
See you all soon...