Dining Hall in Chireiden
"Well, that was certainly informative." Satori's voice shook Mami out of her stupor.
"Did you learn what you needed?" Sanae asked. "This better not have been for nothing."
"I did. As I feared and suspected, Homura is a very important piece of the puzzle... but only one such piece. I have a plan, but before I get to it, I need to say this, because it would distract you, otherwise. I'm going with you."
Sanae, Keine, and Kyouko all stood up and slammed their hands on the table, yelling their own version of "No way!" Mami wasn't quite as reactive, though she certainly shared the sentiment. Instead of an exclamation, Mami had a question.
"Why?"
"Because this is quite possibly the largest mystery I've ever seen. For some, other worlds are a curiosity... just what lies beyond Earth is unknowable to them. But I've treated the desires of those from other worlds... I've learned of countless cultures through the ages, across several worlds. For others, it is Death which is the ultimate mystery. I live surrounded by it... work regularly with the Yama and am acquainted with the ruler of the Netherworld. Death is simply another part of life. But this... this 'Madoka'... I've never even heard of her before we met. Even if that weren't enough of a reason, the fact that she has anything at all to do with my sister merits investigation." Satori added an aside to Mami before continuing. "Sorry for pushing on that point. I didn't realize it was painful until the spellcard contract enforced itself upon me."
"I seek the truth... I've told you this before. And now the greatest mystery I've ever known appears before me, connected with the deepest mystery of my heart through my sister. I must learn... I must know. It is a hunger that has gone far too long without being sated, and to pass this meal up... I can't even imagine doing so. I must learn as much as I can of my sister... so both for my own sake, and that of my sister, I am going. Until you all accept that, we're at an impasse."
"Fine. You're coming, but I'll be damned if I have to like it." Keine nearly growled her response. Doubtless she was unable to forget Satori's power over them.
"It would certainly be easier if you did, but I doubt any of you are going to be the first such person, so have it your way. Now then, the plan." Satori cleared her throat as the others listened intently.
"We need to recruit the Prismriver sisters to our cause, speak with both Remilia Scarlet and-"
"I don't think so! I refuse to let them-" Keine shouted.
"Your opinion has already been noted and considered, Keine. Are you going to make trouble?" Satori glared at her, silencing her. "Now, You all seem to know of several people able to manipulate time, so we should investigate them as well, to see if they can return the Homura we need to us. The House of Eternity and those it has touched, in particular."
Keine looked suddenly guarded.
"Oh yeah, those folks, they're-" Sanae started to interrupt, only to find herself cut off.
"Capable of manipulating time, if Keine's memory and Mokou's words can be trusted. In any case, Homura will be unsafe here, and would likely be unable to survive the heat from the Blazing Hell, so she will need to leave via the Dark Blowhole. We will all be journeying to the surface via that route as a result. Eirin Yagokoro may be able to repair Mami's Soul Gem, so Mami will head to Eientei." Satori took the time to explain much of her rationale, which in turn seemed to be calming Keine enough to keep her from interrupting.
"Keine and Sanae will go to the Scarlet Devil Mansion with Homura to request the aid of Remilia and Sakuya. Destiny is at work here, and we need an expert's opinion on the situation. I will escort Mami and Kyouko to Eientei to meet with Kaguya Hourai and Eirin Yagokoro. Now that we've all decided-" Satori found herself cut off by Keine again.
"You mean you've decided! I've got some objections here!"
"I know Keine. You were outvoted in most respects. Sanae isn't thrilled with being paired up with you either. We won't split up intentionally before we reach the surface, anyway. Keine's presence will prevent deadly assault against us, while my presence will ensure none intend to stop us. Once we're on the surface-"
"Yeah, I don't think I'm buying the 'this was a group decision' crap." Kyouko relaxed in her chair and gazed upwards. "Sounds like you're saying that just so we won't argue." Mami found herself silently agreeing with Kyouko.
"We could spend days arguing over this. Or you could just accept that..." Satori twitched slightly. The she clutched her head and screamed. "Just shut UP! You're all fighting me every step of the way! I'm trying to satisfy everyone's demands, but you're all such children!" Satori loosed another shout of frustration.
Then silence filled the room. Keine and Sanae stood in shock, clearly off guard from the sudden violent outburst. Satori cried out again.
"And even now you can all bask in the silence while I only hear more noise and arguing and hate!" Satori took deep breaths, and after a few more moments of stunned silence, continued.
"I apologize. I lost control of myself, and I admire your own restraints, for you've been very good about trying not to lash out at me. But I know you wish to and it's getting on my nerve even more than I'm getting on all of yours." Satori had regained her composure as she continued.
"It seems I must do yet more to earn your assistance. Very well, come with me. There is something I believe I can do which I think will make you agree to help." Satori hovered towards the door. "Bring Homura, she shouldn't be left alone here, lest my pets think her part of the feast that needs to be cleaned up."
The others followed Satori out the door... Mami found herself curious enough to join them. Satori's accusations were true... Mami was already finding her patience tested by Satori, and going on a journey with her... there was no way Mami would be able to stand such a journey.
The Halls of Chireiden
They'd traveled for a half hour easily, before Satori stopped at a nondescript stone wall.
"Here we are. All of you, please keep your distance and wait here. I've trapped it, some." Satori said as she seemed to walk right through the wall.
"What is she doing in there?" Kyouko asked after a few minutes of strange noises and explosions coming from the other side of the wall, only for her question to be answered by Satori herself as she stepped out from the wall, carrying a beautifully ornate box.
"I was retrieving my most precious possession. Out of all my wealth, and all the wonders of Chireiden... perhaps above even my own health, this is the only thing I value." Satori said as she looked at the box.
"It's a very pretty box, yes, but..." Kyouko said.
"Very funny. It's not the box that's important." Satori opened it and tilted it to show the others... "Here it is."
"I'd take the box, thanks." Kyouko laughed.
Within the box lie a cracked and moldy mask, depicting some sort of face. It looked like it belonged in a museum... it was perhaps a thousand years old, Mami guessed. It was almost certainly priceless, and the words Satori used to describe it supported this.
"This is one of a set of masks. It took me some research and asking some inhabitants of the underground to learn its story. Have you heard of the sixty-six masks of Hata no Kawakatsu ?"
Keine nodded, seeming transfixed by the piece of ancient history. "They were made by Prince Shoutaku over a thousand years ago. This... this really is one of the sixty-six masks." There was no doubt in Keine's words.
"As expected of the Hakutaku. Yes... And imagine my surprise one day when my sister walks around carrying it proudly. It's much the same surprise that you show now." Satori explained. Mami looked around and saw confusion and shock on the faces of the others.
"You have a sister?" Keine asked. Mami asked her own question.
"You mean Koishi, don't you?" The name jumped into her mind, along with a face... It was close to Satori's but... her hair was... lighter... The rest of the image swiftly faded as she looked at Satori.
"That you can even recall she exists, let alone her name and even a vague idea of her appearance, is unusual enough. Its why I kept trying to make you remember her so much. The others have forgotten her because she..." Satori sighed. "She closed her third eye, and in doing so not only lost her ability to read hearts, but the ability to imprint into the hearts of others. You cannot remember her because she has no more meaning to you than the third stone from the edge of the hall." Satori pointed out the inconspicuous feature, and Mami saw it.
"But the stone is there..."
"And yet you had to look to be sure. Until I mentioned it, you gave it no more thought than most people lend Koishi. She is simply a part of the world, her presence too subtle to be detected."
"I think I get it." Mami nodded, though Sanae and Kyouko seemed to be looking between the two like they were crazy. Keine, meanwhile, was looking covetously at the mask.
"Part of it, yes. But I can fear for her... and it is nearly maddening." Satori pointed to one of the glass floors... they'd flown down far enough... That window would lead right to the Blazing hell, right?
"The blazing hells are indeed on the other side. Now, say someone threw that stone through the glass. What would happen?"
Kyouko took the easy question, naturally. "It would break, of course. And I guess it'd start getting really warm in here."
"Indeed. And what would happen to the stone?" Satori asked.
Kyouko shrugged. "Who cares? It's just a stone. That window's gotta cost a small fortune, and being able to fall and trip into the blazing hell seems a bigger concern than some rock."
Satori looked to Mami, who understood the point Kyouko had just missed. Satori was trying to explain to Keine, Sanae, and Kyouko, but Mami was beginning to sense they just weren't getting it for some reason.
"And what if that stone were close to me? A stone that I'd carefully raised... one that I'd shared stories with, one which helped comfort me when I needed it? Might it not hold value to me?"
Kyouko shrugged "It's still just a rock, though. I mean, shoot, you'd have to be an idiot to get that invested in a rock."
"Maybe I am an idiot. But while I could once tell that stone- my sister- apart from all the others, recently it is as though someone threw it recklessly into a pile of similar stones. I could search for years and never find it again... like finding a specific straw in a haystack. This mask is the cause of that."
"So you keep this to remember her by? Bit of a grim reminder if it's what got rid of her, isn't it?" Kyouko asked.
"This mask gave her hope. I think it may have been on the verge of awakening as a tsukumogami when Koishi found it, but whatever spirit once dwelt within has since left. You don't understand... for once, Koishi was happy. She could feel... she could laugh, and we could make memories together. But the mask's power faded, and she was taken from me completely. Until recently, this mask was all I had to remember my sister by. The only proof that she ever walked this plane." Tears formed in Satori's eyes as she spoke. She closed the box. Keine seemed to wilt a bit.
"Keine, if you help me see this incident through, I will give you this mask." Satori offered. Keine's eyes lit up with a greedy joy... then doubt.
"How can I trust you?"
"You? You can't, because you find yourself unable to trust youkai, in spite of your own connection to them. But I can tell you this: I will have little desire to keep it should we find Koishi, so I offer it to you. I wouldn't keep it just to spite you." Satori said before turning to Sanae.
"Naturally, you desire a similar show of good will. Should you help, then Mami and Kyouko will doubtless be appreciative... important, considering your new allegiance. Furthermore, for my part, I will allow your goddesses to work in the Blazing Hell as they desire. I'll even coordinate with them via my pets to make certain they won't need to worry about meeting me."
Keine and Sanae looked at each other doubtfully.
"Why do you have such trouble believing me? Ah, well, yes. I suppose I can't change that. I am a youkai. Well, trust me or not, you're doing what I say in any case. I simply wanted you both to know that there is something more for you in this if you actually cooperate rather than merely avoid causing me trouble."
"How good of you." Sanae said...
"Just keep it in mind. That's all I can really ask." Satori shrugged and walked into the camouflaged wall again... It was several more minutes before she returned. The group stood in silence, dozens of thoughts running through their minds.
Mami was confused... whose side was Satori even on? One second she's blackmailing them into going along, and just a few minutes later she's offering rewards for their help? Maybe she just wanted to be really sure they'd help. Or maybe... maybe there was a way to close the loophole she was blackmailing them with. Mami looked to Keine and Sanae, who seemed mostly to be looking at each other, as though they'd made some silent compact.
If there was a way to close that loophole, Keine would probably know about it. If so, it couldn't be at the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Satori wouldn't relinquish her blackmail material... or maybe...
Mami sighed. She needed to know more. More about where Satori stood... about the spellcard ruled and who had made them. She needed to learn so much more... before she made another terrible mistake.
"Oh, it wasn't that bad, Mami. And some good came of it, in the form of my company. And Keine: don't try to steal it. Valuable as the mask is, your life is worth more." Satori said as she returned.
"Hey, here's a question for you: did you ever consider just -asking- for our help?" Mami asked. "Skipping blackmail and the like? Did you ever consider we might just want to help?"
"Of course not. Because you didn't want to help. Don't pretend you would have helped me without your own reasons for doing so; I know you, probably better than you know yourself. You wouldn't even be here if not for Sayaka's sake. And to quote Kyouko: 'I'd rather be eaten alive again than take that annoying chatterbox along.'" Satori sighed.
Kyouko coughed awkwardly. "Well, I mean... you know..."
"I do. You also compared me unfavorably to Homura; an insult I will only forgive because you do not know the depth of her sins, and I believe any attempts to explain them to you or Mami would do little more than waste my breath." Satori replied before leading the way back to where they had been before.
Mami was at least thankful Satori had kept quiet Mami's own thoughts... a firm denial of Satori's appraisal... Mami would have helped if she'd known Koishi's full story... she was sure she would have.
Wouldn't she?
The Halls of Chireiden
"Before we go, I will check in with and inform my pets of my extended leave. In the meantime, Homura needs to be brought up to speed. I will allow you to tell her what you believe she needs to know, but if you omit anything I think she needs to know to let us do what is needed, I will teach her in my own way." Satori said, pointedly testing the sharpness of that imaginary blade once again.
Mami nodded. At least she was being offered the chance to try and break it all down for the poor girl. Satori's teaching methods would probably break Homura's spirit.
"Doubtless so. That is why I'm giving you this chance... don't waste it. It's simpler if we don't have to carry her." Satori explained before wandering off, leaving the group at the entrance to a simple room. They entered and sat down, as Keine and Sanae started explaining the recent developments to Kyouko. Mami took a deep breath and walked up to Homura, who was finally beginning to stir.
"Mami? What's going on? Where are we?" Homura asked, looking around nervously.
"This is a very, very long story. I guess it might be a good start for you to tell me what you last remember." Mami suggested. Homura meekly nodded.
"Well, I remember a lot of pain. It felt like my skin was on fire once I ran through that strange purple mist. The burning faded a little with time... I guess Sayaka did that? But then I blacked out... it was really hard to breath, too..."
Mami pondered this a few moments before replying.
"It's been about six months since that time..."
"What!?" Homura looked up in disbelief.
"We didn't know it, but you were possessed by... well, I'm still not sure what." Mami admitted. "Some other version of you or something... one that had decided to become a Magical Girl."
Homura seemed to be paying attention. Mami could only hope she was getting through to the frightened girl.
"I have a question for you, actually. Do you remember 'The Great One'?" Mami asked, and Homura shook her head. Whatever Keine had done... it seemed she told the truth about changing their history. Mami pushed that betrayal out of mind. She had betrayed them all even more by binding Homura, after all...
"It was a... well... wraith. They're also called youkai, and be sure to call them that here. It came every full moon to give advice on fighting greater wraiths after that final fight you remember. Sayaka fell in that battle, you see."
"Sayaka is dead?" Homura was tearing up. "That's not a very funny joke, Mami." She added, hoping that was all it was.
"I'm sorry, but... it's true. She was claimed by the law of cycles... but we have come here to this land called Gensokyo to try and return her to life."
"I could just wish for-"
Mami shook her head. "Please, don't force yourself. I think we can manage this... besides, Kyubey isn't with us right now. Anyway, Satori Komeiji... that purple haired girl with the super-creepy eye... she and the Great One set us on this path to save Sayaka."
Mami pointed to Keine as she explained.
"That woman there is the Great One I spoke of... and also a human. She's... ummm... a sort of werewolf, basically. One who likes to talk a lot instead of eating people. Her name is Keine Kamishirasawa. The schoolgirl over there is Sanae Kochiya, a local Shine Maiden and now an honorary Magical Girl of sorts." Mami pointed. "Satori herself is a youkai, and I know it's going to be difficult, but try not to get too upset with her."
"Is what she said true? That we're in hell? Why...?"
"It's where we needed to go. Ah, there's an afterlife, and..." Mami wondered just how much of this was getting through. "Well, some higher up in charge of that told us to come here. Now... well, we'll be together for a time, but get familiar with Sanae and Keine, because you'll need to go with them when we separate soon."
"I... I just want to go back home! Why do you have to go?"
"I know it's a lot to take in, but I'm very badly injured and need to see a doctor."
"You? Nothing can beat you, though! And you look fine..."
"It's not exactly a physical injury... but yes, I am injured. Don't worry, I should pull through. Just remain strong and keep believing we'll get out of here alright. Just keep doing that as you always have, and I'm sure hope will find a way."
Homura sniffled. "Ok... Can't I... go with you... though?"
"I'm sorry, but no." Mami shook her head. If nothing could be done about her condition (as Mami strongly suspected, Homura would just worry needlessly... but another reason could help ease her mind.
"You're needed for something far more important. You see, there's a lot more going on than I understand, and I hope to find out just what that is. You are a very important piece of the puzzle, and all of us realize this." Mami squatted down and gently lifted Homura's chin to lock gazes with the black-haired girl.
"But more than that, you are a person, and worth protecting for that alone."
Homura hugged Mami and sobbed. Mami simply held her. She might not be able to fight right now, but being a Magical Girl was about more than killing monsters... it was about saving lives, and right now Homura desperately needed to be saved.
Save Homura... Mami thought it seemed familiar... a distant echo. Was it a memory, or was it an echo from the deepest reaches of her heart? Whatever the case, she had sworn she would save Homura. She wouldn't back away from that promise now.
She held the sobbing Homura tighter still.
Author's Note: Hmm. Short chapter this time. Well, they happen. And it's given me some trouble. I'm still not sure the scene about Koishi should have happened. Or how. I -do- know this is the 4th rewrite of it, so I need to just... move on. I guess it did need to happen to point out the how the Koishi/Satori relationship panned out here.
On that note, Satori is, to my knowledge (and therefore in this story), largely ignorant of the events of Hopeless Masquerade. Only two fights even take place in Chireiden (Ichirin and Marisa story modes), and neither Marisa nor Ichirin knew much of anything about what was going on until well after that. Keine's appearance and immediate thoughts upon seeing the mask might have clued her in a bit more, but I don't think Keine's fully aware of the story in HM. Honestly, Mamizou's probably the only one who's got the whole story; I'm not even sure Kokoro would know what was going on.
Also, I guess this chapter doubles as a sort of summary of the recent jumble of revelations at the end there. I'm not sure what to call that Homura to avoid confusion with time-hopping Homura. Ah well, it'll just be a mouthful whenever it comes up.