Homura put a hand over her eyes to shield them from the light of an explosion. There was an ear piercing scream from the plant-like monster as its leaves began to wither and turn brown, then dissolved into black goo. The walls of the labyrinth became transparent, and everything disappeared as a griefseed fell to what was now the ordinary asphalted streets of Kazamino city.
Homura walked over to the GriefSeed, and bent down to pick it up, when she heard a ruffling sound behind her. She turned around to see two red eyes staring at her through the darkness, framed by a crop of crimson red hair. The red-devil of Kazamino city was crouched low with her spear poised to attack. Homura just stared back at her calmly, as a gust of wind blew her silky black hair to the side.
"So, you got a death wish or something?" Kyoko asked with a low menacing tone.
"Relax, I didn't come here to fight you." Homura said.
"If you're going to go around hunting witches in other people's territory you'd better be ready for a fight." Her lips curled back, revealing a sharp grin. "It's unfortunate for you that I wasn't able to track you down sooner. You see, if it was just this once, I could assume you stumbled into my territory on accident, and just let you off with a friendly warning. However, by my count this would be the third griefseed you've stolen from me. So, just admit it. This is a take over isn't it? Well…" Kyoko's feet suddenly kicked off the ground and she came lunging through the air. "I'm not going to let that happen!"
Her spear cut the air with a swoosh as she bore down upon her opponent. The opposing Magical Girl didn't even seem as though she were going to react at all. Kyoko grinned internally, thinking how easy this was going to be. However, just before her spear would have connected, Homura disappeared, and Kyoko ended up just slamming her weapon against solid ground.
With a gasp, she reverted to a defensive stance, and started glancing around for where her opponent could have gone to. The girl seemed to have teleported about six meters behind her, and stood there in her casual pose, the wind still blowing her silky black hair like a flag.
"You really should hear people out before jumping to conclusions and doing foolish things."
"How the hell did you do that?" Kyoko sneered, watching her opponent with sharp analytical eyes, as she tried to think up a strategy for her second attack.
"If the GreifSeeds are that big of an issue, you can have them. I'd really rather not have to fight."
"Sorry, but you can't offer something that's already rightfully mine as a peace treaty. It doesn't work like that! Got it? And this one GriefSeed doesn't even come close to making up for the other two you have already stolen from me!" Kyoko grinned menacingly, "So, you better get ready! Or are you just planning on running away? I really wouldn't blame you, that'd be the smart thing to do. Just pray that I don't catch ya'!" She decided she would try to provoke this other Magical Girl into making the first move this time, then it might be easier to figure out a way around her little disappearing trick.
"First of all, you miscounted. It's actually three other GriefSeeds that I've stolen, this last one would make four. Secondly, you were not listening. I said you could have them, meaning all of them." Homura pointed down.
Kyoko's grin faded away from her face as she glanced down and saw four GriefSeeds lined up in a neat row by her feet. "What the… hell?"
"Now," Homura said, "Why don't we both disenchant our uniforms so we can speak to one another civilly?"
Kyoko clicked her teeth and shook the confused expression off her face. "You think that means anything at all? If I don't teach you a lesson here and now you'll think you can just waltz into my territory any time you want! Is that what you were hoping for? Hoping you could make a friend and we could go on witch hunts together? Sorry, but it don't work that way either, dumbass. This isn't some after school special! You're my enemy! Get it? Now fight me!" Kyoko began to lunge forward, but halted her attack when the dark haired girl spoke again.
"Mami Tomoe."
Kyoko halted her attack, practically skidding to a stop, and she raised an eyebrow at the name of her old senpai being spoken by this complete stranger.
The dark Magical Girl's lips pierced together into a cold-blooded smile. "I'm originally from Mitakihara. I've teamed up with Mami, but let's just say I'm not too happy with our arrangement." Her smile turned even more malicious as her lips parted, showing the whites of her teeth. "That fool, she wastes so much time and energy hunting down familiars and she expects me to do the same. It's too bad, it's such a prime piece of territory but she is going to end up ruining it. She already has, actually. Just think of how many of those familiars might have turned into witches? Instead, that fool would rather we all just starve, and in the name of her idiotic justice… So that's why…" Her eye's locked with Kyoko's just as a cold wind blew, and Kyoko felt a chill run down her spine. "I'm going to take her out."
"I see…" Kyoko's eyes narrowed, "And you want my help. Is that it?"
She nodded. "Mami is powerful, and she has another girl working with her. A rookie who won't be any trouble for us. Still, I don't think I can take them both on by myself. Let's just say that I've heard about you through the grape vine, and it's to my understanding you are the type that wouldn't be completely against something like this… So how about it?"
Kyoko couldn't help the grin that forced itself onto her own face. She suddenly bent over and let out a brief but exaggerated round of laughter. When she was done, she straightened her posture, and her face became much more serious. "Know something? I think I kinda like your style. So what's your name anyway?"
Homura grinned, and spoke her name. "Homura Akemi."
Kyoko stood against the threshold to the balcony with arms folded. Her cheeks were damped with tears, and her eyes held an expression of outrage. Of the four girls currently in Mami's apartment, she seemed to have taken the bad news Leiko delivered to them the hardest. Of course, she and Homura were more than just allies: they were friends. Other than Madoka, it was clear that Kyoko was the one who could most easily say that about her.
Mami sat at the dining room table, with her hands folded under her chin, and her eyebrows curved down with intensity. She was the accepted leader of their group, and now more than ever felt the weight of that responsibility. A difficult decision needed to be made, one she was openly opposed to from the very beginning, but agreed it could be used as a last resort. Now, their options were running out, and it was time to decide.
Leiko remained in the computer room, clicking and typing away. Earlier that morning, in a low apologetic tone, she gave them the bad news. She had her head down as she stood in the doorway of the computer room, answered what questions she could, then retreated back to the safety of the monitor without saying another word. That is where she had been ever since.
Sayaka, on the opposite side of the table from Mami, stared at the phone in her hand, waiting for Madoka's reply. She didn't tell Madoka what Leiko had told them yet. This wasn't something she could break to her friend over the phone. She knew it would be better to do it in person, so she could be there to comfort her. Still, aside from her own horror and anxiety from what happened to Homura, she also felt the guilt weighing on her. Madoka may have caught on that something went wrong, but no doubt she still had at least some hopes Homura would be here in this very apartment, waiting for her. It would be on Sayaka to dash those hopes, and tell her the results of their mission.
"It doesn't make sense…" Kyoko said, with a cracked voice. Her head turned so no one could see her face. She stared outside, over the balcony, watching the leftover lights of the city night peeter out and replace the buildings faces with the orange glow of dawn. "What… the h-hell?" She wasn't able to form her thoughts into words, every time her mouth opened her chest heaved in a suppressed sob. She gave it up, and folded her arms tighter into her chest.
Not only did Homura fail to escape the lab, she had lost an arm, among other various injuries. Did the witch do that to her? That was the obvious answer, and the one the majority of the girls came to. Kyoko however, refused to accept it. Homura was too strong to get defeated like that. Not by a simple witch... not the girl who rallied them against the Walpurgisnacht and led them to victory. Not her… there was just no way...
Sayaka lowered her phone. "Madoka's on her way. She had to sneak out, but she should be here soon." She sighed and shook her head. "How am I supposed to break this to her?" She said, under her breath.
"Whats our next move?" Kyoko asked in a heavy voice, she still stared out over the city with her head turned away from the other girls. "We busting in or what?"
Mami answered cautiously, "I don't know if that's wise."
With those words spoken, Kyoko's head spun around and she looked at Mami, teeth bared in disgust. Her wet cheeks caught some of the light of the orange morning sky. With her crimson hair, combined with bloodshot eyes, it almost looked as though she were on fire. "So we're just letting her stay trapped down there? Is that it!?" She yelled at Mami, who maintained her cool intense expression, not flinching an inch or showing any sign that she had heard Kyoko's words at all. "We tried a nonviolent method and it failed! There's only one choice left!"
Sayaka set her phone down completely and she watched Kyoko. She wanted to get up and go comfort her, but she knew Kyoko wouldn't accept it right now. Kyoko was a passionate person, and her emotions were powerful. Sayaka was probably the only person who could calm her down and bring her back to her senses, but Kyoko needed to get the initial burst over with before anything Sayaka said would reach her. She was just glad Mami was here, because even if Mami didn't have the ability to calm Kyoko down, she at least had the power to keep her from doing anything reckless.
"I understand your feelings." Mami said carefully, still holding her stoic demeanor. "I feel the same way, but we have to manage our emotions and continue to proceed cautiously. Now more than ever is a bad time for a full on attack, because there is currently a heavy military presence at the facility, on top of the usual guard staff. And like it or not, we still have no way of getting through those metal doors."
"You don't think a Tiro-Finale would knock one of those doors right off it's hinges?" Kyoko asked. "They are just ordinary humans, you think between the three of us we can't deal with them?"
"I'm just saying, let's slow down and come up with a plan…"
Kyoko's hand suddenly slammed against the threshold, her eyes flaring. "There's no more time! Don't you get it? You know how bad they were to her in the first place! Now that she basically attacked them, what do you think they are going to do to her? Do you even care?"
Mami stood up, getting the impression that Kyoko might want to bring this argument to the next level. "Of course I care! Homura is a dear friend but-"
"Bullshit!" Kyoko shouted, cutting her off. "Yeah, I'm not going to stand her and say you just don't give a damn, but if you aren't willing to put everything on the line, how can you call someone a dear friend?" Kyoko had taken a few steps forward as she said all of that, starring Mami down hard.
Mami maintained her hard expression, not letting herself get worked up by Kyoko's words. "Just running in without planning things out will not help Homura." Mami explained, "It's more likely the three of us will get captured as well and-"
Kyoko's expression became even fiercer, and Sayaka also stood up from her seat. Kyoko's magical presence suddenly became much stronger, and it frightened her.
Magic is fueled by emotion, and that's what made Kyoko so powerful. Typically, Mami could still defeat her because her own magic is much more refined, but when it came to pure brute strength, there is not a single member of their team who could match Kyoko when she was like this.
"Kyoko…" Sayaka said, trying to caution her, but Kyoko didn't seem to hear.
"I know what your real problem is." Kyoko said, her voice became low, almost a whisper, but there was so much suppressed rage behind it even Mami felt a level of intimidation. "Let's be honest, military presence or not, we are magical girls. They have never seen ANYTHING like us! If we just went on a full out attack, they would have no choice but to concede and give into our demands."
"You're suggesting we march in there and kill anyone who gets in our way." Mami's own eyes darkened, "Am I understanding you correctly?"
"They're our enemies. I don't see any reason to hold back. It's them or us." She gave Mami one more hard expression before clicking her teeth and looking away. "If you don't got the stomach for it, then just leave it to me." With that, she started walking toward the front door.
"K-Kyoko…" Sayaka said, trying to reach out to her, but Kyoko walked right past. There was another powerful pulse of magic, which emitted a gust of wind through the apartment, and Kyoko's clothing tore away from her body as she became covered in light. Crimson ribbons appeared around her limbs and body, hovering a few inches away from actually touching her, before snapping tight and then expanding outward to form her Magical Girl costume.
"You guys can do what you want." Kyoko said, her back faced the two other girls as the last bits of her tunic formed, completing the transformation. "Follow me or don't. It's your choice." When she took another step forward, her hand reaching out to grab the doorknob, there was a flash of light, and yellow ribbons appeared and rolled out over the doorway, creating a net. Kyoko took a step back, her teeth baring as she watched Mami's ribbons pulse with one more flash of light before setting into place over the doorway. To someone unfamiliar with this magic, it would look like these ribbons could be torn away easily enough, however, Kyoko knew from experience that this barrier would be even harder to break down than the steel doors of Homura's prison.
Kyoko's fists clenched at her side, her back still facing the other girls. "Mami…" She said in a hard whisper, trying to contain her rage. She spoke slowly. "Disenchant your barrier. Right now."
Sayaka stood between the two of them, not sure what to do. She glanced back to see Mami had transformed as well. Through the corner of her eye, she noticed Leiko's hand cautiously come out of the computer room, grab the doorknob, and very carefully close the door without making a sound. "Uh- um… guys…" Sayaka said, "Why don't we just-"
"Mami! Don't mess with me right now!" Kyoko shouted. "If you don't have the guts, that's fine!" Kyoko spun around, her face hot with fury. She slashed her hand in a diagonal line, creating another flash of crimson light which summoned her spear into her grasp. "But don't you DARE think about getting in MY WAY!" The force of her magic, her emotion, reached it's peak and let out a violent burst of energy powerful enough to force Sayaka back a step.
Mami just stood at the opposite side of the apartment, behind the glass coffee table, her arms folded and her face with it's usual confident expression as her skirt was blown by the resulting force of Kyoko's magic. She stared the crimson Magical Girl down, not showing an ounce of intimidation. As if to prove her resolve, another net of yellow ribbons formed over the sliding glass door behind her, blocking off Kyoko's only other possible exit. "If you wish to act like a child, then I'm going to treat you like one. Now, if you want to calm down and approach this with some maturity..."
Sayaka gulped, wondering what Mami was thinking by saying something like that. Somehow, the words managed to throw Kyoko off a bit, causing a very slight reprieve from her intensity. However, once she took a moment to process what Mami had said, it came back in full force, maybe even more powerful.
"That's it!" Kyoko shouted, kneeling down into an attack ready position. "You're finished!"
She lunged forward with enough force, it was apparent she could clear the length of the entire apartment with a single leap.
She didn't lead with her spear, instead she had a hand outstretched, and the spear poised at her side with the tip facing behind her. In one long movement, she planned to push Sayaka out of the way, clearing a path for her spear to slash at the older Magical Girl.
"Kyoko stop!" Sayaka shouted, putting her hands up, and quickly pulling for her magic to summon her swords in a defencive posture. However, her spell was interrupted when yellow ribbons grabbed onto her arms and torso, and flung her to the side, out of Kyoko's path.
Sayaka gasped as her back hit the wall. In that same moment, Mami's arms dropped from their folded position at her chest. She summoned a musket, and readied her aim.
Kyoko's motion was thrown off, her feet touched down and she slashed her spear up into an uppercut motion.
Sayaka screamed, and she put her hands over her head. She heard the sound of shattering glass, preceded by a loud bang as Mami's musket blasted off a shot, and Kyoko flew back to her original location as quickly as she had lunged from it in the first place. Except this time, she landed with her back flat against the ground and she let out a pained grunt.
If she were in a standing position, Kyoko could easily fend off Mami's ribbons, but it was impossible to use her spear from the floor, and when a series of at least twelve ribbons bore down upon her, she was helpless to defend against them.
She managed to get up to her knees, but not quickly enough. The ribbons wrapped around her from every possible angle. Forcing her arms behind her back, and then tethering her to the ground, forcing her to stay in that kneeled position. "GET THE HELL OFF OF!-" Her yells of protest turned into muffled speech as another ribbon found it's way onto her mouth and wrapped tightly around her head. One final one appeared around her neck, then tethered itself to the floor and pulled tight, forcing her head down, and making her stare at the ground.
"M-Mami?" Sayaka asked, shocked by what her senpai had just done to her girlfriend.
"Sorry for using a method like this." Mami said calmly, ignoring Sayaka for now and instead addressing Kyoko. "But I do have neighbors. That single gunshot could cause enough of a panic, but I suppose I can just claim I dropped something heavy if anyone figures out it came from here. That won't be believable if it happens a second time, or if the sound of you carrying on can also be heard."
Kyoko shifted around as much as she could, trying to struggle and break free, but having no success. She continued to scream through the gag. She forced her head up as much as she could, which wasn't much, but just enough to stare at Mami through the tops of her eyes, so her senpai could see the fury that resided within them.
"Mami!" Sayaka said, finally fully registering the events and getting up from her place against the wall. She watched her step as she moved across the apartment. Kyoko's spear had broken Mami's glass table and while most of the glass was in that one location, a few shards managed to scatter across the living room. "This is too much!" Sayaka said, protesting Mami's actions then quickly kneeling down by the bound up Kyoko.
Kyoko's shoulders shifted, and she growled. Sayaka knew that Mami was probably right about doing this. When Kyoko was determined to do something, she tended to not back down. Still, it didn't quite sit right with her. She put her arms around Kyoko's shoulders and hugged her. "Come on, just relax." She whispered, rubbing Kyoko's back and trying to calm her down. Kyoko's breathing remained heavy, but she let her head drop down, and closed her eyes tightly, allowing herself to be taken in Sayaka's embrace.
"Sayaka." Mami said calmly. "Use your healing magic on her. I enchanted that bullet so it would only result in an impact shot, but it's still possible that it injured her."
Sayaka gritted her teeth and looked up at Mami, who had a somewhat guilty frown on her face. "What were you thinking?!" Sayaka shouted at her, "You know how Kyoko is! You didn't have to provoke her like that!"
Mami's eyes shifted away, but she didn't try to defend herself. She simply spoke with a docile tone and said, "Kyoko, if you've calmed down I'll remove some of the bindings." Kyoko didn't answer, and Mami took the fact that her kohai didn't try to curse her out through the gag as an answer in the affirmative. She disenchanted the ribbons around Kyoko's neck and mouth, but left the rest of them as they were. Rightfully unconfident that Kyoko wouldn't try to storm off if the bindings were removed completely.
"Don't bother wasting your magic, Sayaka." Kyoko said, still staring at the ground. Her voice was hard. "A shot like that didn't do crap to me."
Sayaka kept her hands on Kyoko's shoulders, but pulled back enough to get a better look at her. Kyoko's head lifted a little, but she couldn't bring herself to look Sayaka in the eyes. "Are you ok?" Sayaka asked, softly.
Kyoko's frown deepened. "Whatever."
Then, the doorknob of the front door turned, but the ribbon barrier was still in place and stopping the person on the other side from getting in. They tried knocking instead.
Sayaka glanced over to the door, then back to Kyoko. "That's Madoka…" She said, "I… need to be the one to tell her. Are you sure you're going to be ok?"
Kyoko just nodded her head solemnly.
Mami disenchanted the barrier, but left Kyoko tied up. Sayaka was a bit upset about it, but she also knew Mami was right. There was still a good chance that Kyoko would bolt out the door and rush to the lab if she was given the chance. Part of her loved Kyoko's strong will, and hard headedness, but she knew the bindings were for Kyoko's own good, to keep her from doing anything rash.
She opened the door, and as she suspected, Madoka was standing on the other side. The pinkette's hands were clasped at her chest as she looked up at her childhood best friend. The hopeful expression in her eye's broke Sayaka's heart, and Madoka must have seen this because that hopeful expression quickly sank away.
"Sayaka?" Madoka asked, as Sayaka took her hand and led her in. Madoka looked around with wide eyes. She saw the broken table, she saw Kyoko bound up and not looking at anyone, and Mami stood across the room, likewise just letting her eye's sink to the side. "W-what's...?"
"Come on." Sayaka said, with a low voice. "Watch your step." And she led her around the broken table, and out to the balcony.
Once they were outside, Sayaka instantly threw her arms around Madoka and hugged her deeply. She could feel it in Madoka's sudden sharp breathing, that Madoka understood everything without having to ask… except, she didn't know everything. She didn't know about Homura's injuries, and it was on Sayaka to tell her. "W-wheres H-Homura?" Madoka asked, her voice cracking up. Her arms fell loosely at her sides, not able to return the hug. Her whole body felt limp in Sayaka's arms. "W-where?"
"Madoka…" Sayaka said, crying herself. "I'm so sorry."
"Homura!" Madoka shouted with excitement in her voice, as Homura appeared from out of the labyrinth and the high-heeled shoes of her Magical Girl costume touched down softly on solid ground in the real world. Homura smiled, as she brushed her hair back, then started walking over to Madoka, who had been waiting for her return.
However, after only taking a step, a sword whizzed through the air and stuck into the ground a few steps in her path. Madoka gasped, but Homura simply glanced upward with a disinterested expression on her face.
Sayaka's cape trailed behind her as she jumped down from her hiding place. She landed in a crouch and enchanted another sword into her grasp as she raised back up into a defencive stance. "You stay the hell away from her!" She shouted at Homura, pointing the tip of her weapon at the dark haired Magical Girl.
"S-Sayaka?"
Sayaka raised her white gloved hand, brushing her cape to the side. With a flat palm, she signaled Madoka to stay back. "Just stay back, leave this to me."
"So, you've decided to take the contract after all." Homura spoke in her usual cool tone. "You fool. I tried to warn you. You should have taken my advice."
Sayaka gritted her teeth. She gripped her sword with both hands again, and lowered into a more attack ready stance. "Why? Because now you're going to try and kick me out of your territory, right? That's all you care about, isn't it?"
Homura scoffed. "You are the one standing here trying to pick a fight with me. Not the other way around."
"Sayaka." Madoka said, stepping forward. "Would you just slow down? I'm sure there's just some kind of misunderstanding… Homura's not a bad person!"
"Madoka…" Sayaka said, a bit more solemnly. "I know how you feel about her, and this is going to be hard to hear, but just trust me. She's no good. She…" Apparently Sayaka didn't want to say this next part to Madoka directly, so instead she returned her intense gaze on Homura.
"Kyubey told me all about how long you have been stalking Madoka! It started before we even met you! That thing with the cat? If I didn't know any better I would say you staged it somehow, but I know that's not possible… however, it did give you the perfect opening to introduce yourself as some kind hero and start working Madoka over." Sayaka grunted, "Ah! I'm such an idiot for not seeing it sooner! I knew there was something fishy about you, but I just couldn't put my finger on it!" Her eyes darkened. "Now I know everything… So what's your deal? Are you just some kind of freak or what?"
Sayaka's words finally seemed to have an effect on Homura. Her eye's became somewhat more intense as she stood there, her hair blowing in the wind in sync with Sayaka's cape.
"Sayaka!" Madoka shouted. She ran forward until she was between the two of them, then turn to face Sayaka. "I-I don't know what's gotten into you, but you need to stop!"
Sayaka's sword lowered as she addressed Madoka. "Everything she says is a lie, Madoka. I'm telling you, don't trust her! She's manipulating you!" Sayaka looked past Madoka to return her stare on Homura. "Everything I just said is true, that's why she isn't denying it! Because she can't! Go ahead and ask her yourself."
Madoka turned to face Homura, not quite being able to believe Sayaka's words at first, but the guilty expression she saw on Homura's face worried her. "Homura? Tell Sayaka she's wrong! You wouldn't do anything like that? Right?"
Homura's voice lost some of it's coolness. "Sayaka Miki. You should take some lessons in holding your tongue. You speak out of turn, and your friendship with Madoka is the only reason I'm giving you a pass. Madoka, it's true that I was keeping an eye on you before we were formally introduced. I had reasons for this, and I planned to explain all of this to you when the time was right. However, I won't be doing so with her standing there and giving her unnecessary commentary on the situation."
"O-ok… Well, i-if it is true, then I'm sure you at least had good reasons. Right?"
Homura smiled. "Of course."
"Like how you bombed the mall?" Sayaka shouted, stepping forward and getting between the two of them once again. "Oh yeah, Kyubey told me all about THAT too. I'm not letting you anywhere near Madoka!"
"Sayaka," Madoka started. "She was only-"
"Madoka, she bombed a public place, and then lied about it." Sayaka replied. "Face it, she's dangerous. Why can't you see that?"
Homura brushed back her hair and let out a long sigh. "I could try to argue my side of the story, but you're far too stubborn to listen to anything I have to say, Sayaka Miki. So, fine. I'll keep my distance for now, but this is only out of respect for the fact that you are Madoka's close friend."
"Wait, Homura, you don't have to-"
"However, my goals remain unchanged. I will not let Madoka make a contract... I won't be far away." Homura turned, and began to walk away.
"Heh, yeah, that's right! You better run!" Sayaka yelled.
Homura stopped. "Miki. I tried to warn you before."
Sayaka frowned.
"'Things have a way of happening as they are suppose to'. Remember? You did not heed my advice, and now look at what you are."
"What are you saying?" Sayaka said, clenching a fist.
"I'm saying fate doesn't loosen its hold, it merely shifts it's grip." Homura turned around and stared straight at the bluenette with her cool, steady eyes. "I wonder how long it'll be before you come to hate what you have now?"
Sayaka kept her blade down, since Madoka was so close, but her hands reflexively tightened on the hilt. She looked like she had more to say, but Homura didn't wait to hear whatever it was. She stopped time, leaving them with those last words, and from their point of view she disappeared in the blink of an eye.
She didn't like leaving Madoka like that, and took a moment to just look at the pinkette.
There was no point in getting into an argument with Sayaka, especially a freshly contracted Sayaka. Right now that fool was too big headed with her own image of being a hero, and she conveniently had Homura to cast as her villain. If Homura were to get into a confrontation with her in front of Madoka right now, it would only damage their relationship, so she had no choice but to just back away and let Sayaka stick her own foot in her mouth.
Well, soon Sayaka would have a new villain to go after...
Homura doubled back, past the two motionless girls, and walked down the street a little ways until turning into an alleyway. She found a fire escape which led to the roof and took it all the way to the top. There, she saw the red-devil, crouched down in her hiding place, holding a bag of potato chips, and spying on the scene below.
Homura resumed time. "So, did you enjoy the show?"
Kyoko startled as she spun around, then let her eyes sink into an annoyed expression. "I'm REALLY getting tired of you doing that." She stuffed a handful of chips into her mouth, and a few crumbs shot away from her lips as she spoke. "I mean like, seriously." She seemed to think something over for a moment, then held the bag out to Homura. "Want some?"
Homura grinned, "No thank you. I'll pass."
Kyoko shrugged, "Whatever…" She finished chewing, and swallowed. "So, I take it the blue girl is Mami's little trainee, huh?"
"That's correct."
Kyoko grinned. "Just so you know, I'm calling dibs on that one. Something about her just really rubs me the wrong way." She peaked over the buildings edge to spy on the two girls some more. She must have used magic to enhance her hearing. Homura could do the same if she wanted, but she didn't bother. "So how about the pink one? We taking her out too?"
"No." Homura said, coldly. "Absolutely not, and don't you dare think about laying a single finger on her."
Kyoko looked back to Homura with a raised eyebrow. "Alright chick, first off, I'll let it slide this time, but you'd better watch how you speak to me in the future. Secondly, I was just asking. Ok?"
"And I was just making sure we are clear. Madoka is not to be touched."
"Fine, fine… whatever. As long as she doesn't contract, what do I care?" Kyoko snickered. "So, what's your relationship with her anyway?"
Homura sighed, preparing herself for Kyoko's reaction to the answer she was going to give. "She's my girlfriend."
As expected, Kyoko ended up bursting out laughing. "What? No way! So what the blue girl was implying with the whole stalking thing was true? Heh, and sounds like you've got pinky wrapped around your finger after all. I'll tell you, you're one scary chick."
"It's not like that at all, you are jumping to conclusions." Homura sighed, brushing it off, then gave one of her closed lip smirks. "It seems you and Sayaka are rather similar to each other in that way."
Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "What the heck is that suppose to mean?"
"Nothing." Homura put her foot up on the ledge as she watched Madoka and Sayaka continue down the street, it seemed they were still arguing with each other. "When you go to fight Sayaka, just keep a few things in mind. Mainly, she in very unskilled, but she makes up for that in resilience. Her wish was to heal a boy's illness, and as a result, her magic grants her a considerable healing factor."
Kyoko scooted up, and joined Homura in watching the two girls, but she mainly focused on the blue one… Sayaka. "So, she wasted her wish on helping someone else..." Despite herself, Kyoko couldn't help giving the girl a sympathetic frown. "She's one of them, huh?"
Kyoko sat on the couch, her heels on the cushion with her toes curling over the edge, and knees pointing up in the air. Mami disenchanted most of the ribbons a while ago, but left her arms bound behind her back, and added one additional ribbon around her ankle which tethered her to the couch leg.
The couch was pushed back a few feet from where it normally is, so Mami would have room to work on cleaning up the glass. She occasionally would glance up at Kyoko, wanting to say something, but Kyoko seemed to be making a point of ignoring her presence right now.
Mami couldn't help wondering... was she right to stop her?
If they were to just attack the lab, would they actually win? Kyoko may have been impulsive, but she wasn't stupid, and she knew more about the lab than any of them. She seemed confident they would succeed, or at least, Kyoko thought all it would require is herself and Sayaka.
Mami knew all she had to do. Disenchant the ribbons, stand up, and say 'do as you wish', then walk out of the room. Sayaka wouldn't proceed without her blessing, though she likely wanted to take Kyoko's approach as well.
Mami glanced over to Sayaka who sat on the opposite side of the couch from Kyoko, with Madoka held in her arms. Madoka's eye's were closed, and her head rested against Sayaka's chest, but Mami didn't think she was fully asleep. She probably stayed up all night waiting for Homura, so despite whatever condition she was in emotionally, her eyes wanted rest.
These girls… How could she let them do it? She lost Kyoko once, and at one point she almost lost Sayaka as well. If they followed Kyoko's plan, they would become murderers. But how else could they help Homura? The method using the witch's barrier was the best they could come up with, and it failed. A full on assault could work in theory, but killing humans is a line Mami was not willing to cross.
Then, she had a thought that made her feel terribly guilty. Her hands stopped working with the brush and dustpan she had been using to scoop the glass shards into a trash bag.
She thought… Since Homura failed to escape... it would be better if she just died, and were actually killed by the witch.
Kyoko's accusation was right, Mami realized. She loved Kyoko and Sayaka with all her heart, Madoka too, but Homura was nothing more than an ally to her. She set the tools down and stood up, putting a hand over her heart and looked down at the mess that still had yet to be complete. It was horrible, she knew, but she couldn't help that realization from dawning on her. If Homura had just died, it wouldn't be the outcome she wanted, but at least there would no longer be a need to save her, and she wouldn't have to worry about her two kohai getting in over their heads.
"I'm… going to go make some tea." Mami said, and quickly walked past the couch and into the kitchen on the other side of the room. Once she was out of sight, instead of getting to work on making tea, her elbows touched down on the counter, she buried her face in her hands, and let out a deep breath.
In truth, her feelings toward Homura ran much deeper. After all, Homura was the one who crushed her view on what exactly Kyubey was, and what exactly it meant to be a Magical Girl. She didn't hate Homura for it, and she couldn't blame her. It wasn't Homura's fault that things are the way they are, after all. Still, the revelation left a bitter taste in Mami's mouth, one she didn't even fully realise was there, but now her feelings of resentment were becoming clear. Wrong or not, she resented Homura for taking away the image she had of her life.
What kind of leader am I? She thought. What right do I have to stop them?
She took another deep breath, regained her composure, then went to fetch the tea kettle from the cabinet.
An assault on the lab was a bad plan, she assured herself. They needed to think of something else. It was too risky for their own safety, and there was no guarantee they could get through those metal doors. Most of all, Mami didn't want to see Kyoko go down the wrong path again, or even Sayaka for that matter… The powers of Magical Girls were meant for destroying witches: witches that threaten humanity. If they were to use their powers against humans… and end up killing one… No, that's not something they could do. Ever.
Mami got the water heating, then walked back out to the living room. She stood in the threshold when she saw that Madoka's head was up.
"Guys…" Madoka said, her voice was low, and though Sayaka kept one hand on her shoulder, she stared at the ground as she spoke. "Thank you so much for everything you have tried to do… but… I don't want to see anyone else in danger. So…" Madoka's voice trailed off, whatever it was she wanted to say, she was having trouble saying it.
"Madoka?" Sayaka asked.
"I… I'll just make a wish… ok?"
Of course! Mami thought all of a sudden, why didn't she consider suggesting that before? She wouldn't want Madoka to contract, but this situation has spiraled out of control, and there was that simple solution right there this entire time. She could make it so Homura was right here in this apartment right now, or make it so the lab didn't exist, or that Homura had never been captured in the first place.
They should, as a group, take some time and discuss exactly what the wish should be so there were no mistakes. Mami stepped forward to give her input.
"No." Kyoko stated abruptly, and Mami stopped where she stood.
Madoka looked over to Kyoko. "B-but…"
Kyoko stood up. "Do you really think Homura would want that?" Her arms were still bound behind her back, but she put one foot on the couch, and stood over Madoka, looking down at her with an intense expression. "You know as well as I do that Homura would rather die in that place then have you make a contract!"
Madoka stood up as well, looking back into Kyoko's eyes and putting on that strong-willed face of hers. Her voice was small, but something about that fact made it all the more powerful when she became determined. "I don't care!" She shouted, "I'm tired of just sitting here and doing nothing! Everyone's always protecting me! But that's not fair! I-I should do something, I want to-"
"You idiot!" Kyoko growled, leaning forward and closing the distance between them even further, forcing Madoka to shrink down a little. "I'm telling you, that's not a solution!" Knowing Kyoko, if she had use of her arms she would be pulling Madoka up by her collar right now. Lacking that, she was just going for the meanest facial expression she could muster to try and intimidate the pinkette.
Sayaka tried to chime in and break them up, but MADoka shouted right back at Kyoko, drowning Sayaka out.
Madoka pushed her forehead into Kyoko's to try and resist her, and shouted directly in her face. "It's my choice! I'm tired of seeing everyone in danger! So just let me fix things! Just let me-"
All of a sudden, Kyoko's foot slid away from it's position on the couch, and she swung her leg out in an arc. Her shin connected with the back of Madoka's knees, causing the pinkette to lose her balance and fall back into her seat. Kyoko's foot then came up in one quick motion, and planted itself on Madoka chest, pinning her to the couch.
"Kyoko! Stop!" Sayaka said, grabbing Kyoko's shoulder to try and pull her away, but Kyoko suddenly had this aura about her that stopped Sayaka from interfering any further. Mami must have felt it too, because she stepped forward to intervene, but also ended up stopping.
"Let me explain something…" Kyoko spoke slowly, and very clearly. "It's something you should already know, so I don't know why I need to say it in the first place." Madoka stared up at her with wide eyes, now thoroughly intimidated out of arguing. "If you make a contract… Homura would never forgive you. Even if she did… I would never forgive you. So just forget about it, understand? We'll find a way. You don't need to go sticking your nose in and creating new problems."
"B-but… I-"
Kyoko leaned forward, her facial expression growing even darker, and Madoka sank further into the couch. "We're a team. Got it? You don't get to try and play hero and throw your own life away." She straightened her posture, shifting her gaze away from Madoka and instead focusing on Mami.
Only Kyoko could maintain that kind of power while tied up. Her expression was dark, but powerful. Her foot was still pinning Madoka to the couch, but it was clear that she wasn't using much pressure and it was simply her aura which kept Madoka in place. "We're a team, so we're all going to talk things out and agree on a plan together. Isn't that right, Mami?"
There was something inspirational about Kyoko in that moment, and all Mami could do is nod her head in agreement.
Then they heard the sound of Leiko clearing her throat. They all glanced over to the small snowy-haired girl who was leaning against the wall right outside of the computer room. Kyoko took her foot off of Madoka so she could turn around and face Leiko as well.
Leiko pushed her glasses up. "I was waiting for a lull in the drama before bringing this up, but seeing as that's not going to happen any time soon; Kay Sakura got an email from the lab. They want her to come have another meeting with Homura tonight." She folded her arms. "If you people were by any stretch of the imagination 'normal', I'd just assume the answer is no, but… well, just incase you all wanted to hatch some crazy plan, I figured I should bring it up before answering." She let out a sigh and continued. "Something interesting to note, is they didn't mention Homura's attack on the lab, or her… substantial injuries… Or, the fact that she isn't even conscious right now."
Sayaka thought it over. "So what does that mean?"
"It means it's a trap." Leiko said, simply. "What I don't get is, it's too obvious that it's a trap."
"What do you mean?" Mami asked.
"Well… A certain Dr. Kaiji already knows all about us, and with that in mind we would have to be crazy to send Kyoko back in there… of course, this groups sanity is indeed questionable, but I doubt they realize that… Anyway, all I can figure is they decided no harm in trying, and threw out some extremely transparent bait, hoping on the off chance we might go for it."
"W-wait." Madoka said, sitting up. "What if this Dr. Kaiji didn't tell anyone what he discovered about Kyoko? I mean… he let her go… So..."
"Yeah, but that's only thanks to Kyoko's little mind trick spell. Right?" Leiko asked, glancing over to Kyoko.
Kyoko shrugged. "Not really… I mean, it's hard to say, but when I use that kind of magic it's actually pretty weak. I don't know whether or not he would have just let me go anyway."
"Well, if Kaiji DID keep it to himself, then why would they be trying to lure Kay back in?" Leiko pointed out. "The fact that they set up this trap in the first place is enough evidence that Kaiji isn't on our side."
"Um… Then why don't we just call him again?" Madoka asked. "I-I mean, it can't hurt, right? And… when I talked to him before he didn't really sound like he was all that bad of a person… so..."
Leiko sighed and pushed up her glasses. "He will probably do nothing but lie, but yeah, I suppose it can't hurt to try. Maybe he'll accidentally reveal something to us as well."
"Wait…" Sayaka said, "Are we talking about sending Kyoko in there again? We can't do that, it's way too risky! After everything that's happened, that would just be crazy."
"I know." Leiko said, in her dry, half sarcastic tone of voice. "That's what I'm saying."
Mami didn't understand why Kyoko was so against Madoka making a contract. Or Homura for that matter. She understood that it had very big drawbacks, and shouldn't be used unless absolutely necessary. When compared to the current problem at hand, and how hopeless it seemed, it didn't seem like such a bad solution to her. She certainly agreed with Sayaka that sending Kyoko back in as Kay was a bad idea, unless they could see some sure-fire benefit to doing this.
"Anyway." Kyoko said, "Let's give Kaiji a call, on the off chance this guy might be on our side, it'd be worth knowing… I mean, think about it, wouldn't it be dangerous for him to admit that he just let me go? That's something maybe he'd want to keep to himself, you know?"
"Then why are they trying to lure you back in? Why would they try to keep Homura's condition secret from you?" Leiko asked.
"How the hell should I know?" Kyoko sneered, "I'm just saying no harm in calling and seeing what the deal is. Also, they didn't hide Homura's medical records, yet they lied in the email, so that kind of an inconsistent move proves they haven't figured out your hacking thing yet. Right? And there hasn't been anything coming through about Kay being a double agent… has there?"
"No, and… That's… a good point…" Leiko said, pondering the logic and realizing Kyoko was right. "Unless there is another angle to this thing that we haven't considered yet…"
"Anyway, I-" Kyoko was cut off when they heard a knock on the door. Mami was the closest, so she walked over and peaked through the peephole.
"There's a police officer outside." She said to the room, "Kyoko, if I disenchant the ribbons will you promise not to run off?"
Kyoko barred her teeth and narrowed her eyes at Mami. "Mami, I've been trying to be cool about all of this, but just for the record… you are seriously pissing me off today. But yeah, I won't go anywhere."
Mami disenchanted the ribbons, and opened the door. The officer wasn't very tall, but had a thick body build and a a gruff beard wrapped around his chin. He held up his badge, he was a detective, and gave Mami a surprisingly warm smile that his rough appearance wouldn't hint at. "Good morning miss, sorry for disturbing you so early. I'm Detective Ishida Toshikowara, and I'm investigating a…" He looked past Mami, saw the broken glass, and his kind tone trailed off into something slightly more interrogative. "a noise complaint…" It was clear he didn't come to the door with the intent of asking to come in, but now that he could clearly see something was amiss, that had changed. "Would you mind if I come in for a moment and ask you a few questions?"
Tsarina sat atop the roof of the lab with her legs crossed, and her hands folded neatly in her lap. Occasionally a wind would blow, but she couldn't feel it. She could hear it, and see it on the leaves of the small immature trees which lined the parking lot, but while she was in her nonphysical state, it would just pass right through her.
It took too much concentration to keep her body physical, and also required she spend more magic, so she usually allowed herself to exist in this nonphysical state, naturally expending just enough to keep herself from disappearing entirely.
This was the same reason she always slept on the roof, or anywhere else she could find that was high up. While sleeping, her body had a tendency to want to drift away. On the roof it didn't matter too much, because she would just drift further up into the sky while she napped, and could easily fly down again when she woke.
Indoors, she would drift through walls, and god forbid she'd end up going through an actual person. That was the worst. Whenever that happened, it would result in a very odd feeling. It was hard to put into words, but she supposed it was akin to that shivering feeling from nails on a chalkboard, except a hundred times more intense. Apparently it affected whoever she was unfortunate enough to pass through as well, because whenever it did happen she could hear them complain about feeling cold, which wasn't exactly what she felt, but it was clear it affected them in some way as well.
She wondered why that was? Walls and inanimate objects she could pass through and not feel a thing, living being however, were a totally different story. It didn't hurt or anything… it just felt… weird... and very unsettling.
Maybe Kyubey would have an explanation for why that was. She'd have to remember to ask him the next time she saw him.
After dealing with Miss. Test Subject's little escape attempt, she stuck around in the test room just long enough to see her get put to sleep. Then she floated back to the roof of the lab to get some sleep herself, when she noticed the white van that had been suspiciously parked in the very back corner of the parking lot. She didn't care much for it, and only stayed awake because she wanted to watch the sunrise first.
Then when Mr. Kaiji went out to his car, she witnessed a bunch of men in black suits jump out and attack him. She raised an eyebrow, and watched as the man she had once mistakenly thought to be her father's good friend get thrown into the van and taken away.
"Hm… I wonder what that's about." She said to herself, not realizing Kyubey had been sitting next to her until he spoke.
"Are you going to go after them?"
She glanced down at him, then shrugged her shoulders. "Why should I care? Whatever it is, it serves him right. I practically handed that other Magical Girl to him on a silver platter, and he just let her go! Then after that, he tried to get daddy fired. I thought about killing him after that, but I never really got a chance to." Her blue lips pierced up into a smile, "I thought the witch would get him. I watched those spider-things attack him. That would have been really fitting. Homura ended up saving him though, and he wasn't alone since then." She shrugged her shoulders again, "Not that I really need to kill him, I'm just saying he'd deserve it."
Tsarina sighed. "On a different subject. I was wondering, do you know why it feels weird when I pass through another human? When I pass through walls, it might as well be the same as floating around through thin air, but passing through anything that's living is different."
Kyubey stared back at her with his beady little red eyes and said, "Sorry, I don't know anything about that. From what I can tell there would be no physical explanation, but I suppose it could have something to do with what you humans call souls."
Tsarina frowned at this answer, then asked another question that had been bothering her. "Homura said that you are an alien. Is that true?"
"My species is indeed from another planet, so yes, I am what you would call an alien. Why? Does that bother you?"
"No… not really. I mean, it's not like I thought that you were a normal animal or something. I just thought… well, nevermind it was stupid."
"You do seem different than most human girls I've interacted with. They usually have more to say than that."
"Whether you are an alien or not doesn't matter. Right? Either way, it's not like you can reverse the contract, you told me as much even before I made the wish. It's my fault for not thinking things through…"
She raised her fingers to her cheek and pressed down. There was no warmth. Physical or not, this body was dead. If it could react to the normal world, it would probably rot. It was only thanks to magic she was able to keep this body from disappearing completely. She didn't know where exactly this body wanted to disappear to, but she had been trapped there before. That's why she had to be careful, and not cross that line between existence and nonexistence ever again.
She no longer needed to breath, but using breath as an analogy was the best way she could describe it. People don't need to think about each breath they take, it happens naturally, just like a heartbeat continues naturally. But with breathing, one could think about it, and choose to stop breathing if they wanted. That's how her existence was. She naturally expended enough magic to anchor her body to her SoulGem, and thus stay in the realm of existence. She could stop that flow of magic if she wanted, and her body would begin to disappear even further beyond her current nonphysical state.
If she were to go too far, then just like death being irreversible, bringing herself back into existence would also be outside her control. In that case, the only thing that would be left of her in this world, would be her SoulGem. She had crossed that line before, not purposely, but when she did, she ended up trapped in that place for ten years.
"Say Kyubey…" Tsarina asked cautiously. She decided to drop the 'sama' from his name. She didn't want to openly admit this, because she now felt silly for thinking it, but she originally thought him to be some kind of divine being. An angel, maybe, or some kind of kami. "Do you really think my father will be able to find a way to fix me?"
"If he really is as intelligent as you say he is, then I don't see why not." Kyubey answered. "It wouldn't be the first time you humans have gone past our expectations. When one of our drones crashed in the American deserts we never dreamed that it would lead to something like the cyber revolution on your planet. That little mishap put your species at least a few hundred years ahead of its time. There's no reason there couldn't be a repeat of that once a scientist like your father discovers the existence of SoulGems." Kyubey looked up at Tsarina, and his bushy tail waged once as he stared at her with his beady red eyes. "It wouldn't surprise me if you Humans are able to unlock secrets with the SoulGems that not even we are aware of yet."
Tsarina let a smile hit her lips. Kyubey wasn't giving her any guarantees, she supposed he couldn't do that, but it made her hopeful at least. If anyone could do it, it was her father. Although, she also realized she would eventually have to reveal herself to him. That was a scary idea for her, because she didn't know how he might react.
She looked at the back of her hand, examined her colorless skin, and frowned. She hated this body, and she hated what she'd become. The idea that she would be like this forever was terrifying to her, and that's why she needed to cling onto this small thread of hope.
She turned her hand around and instead looked at the SoulGem embedded in the center of her palm. The light blue gem was encased in a golden frame, and almost as if it were responding to the attention she paid it, it started to sparkle. It was pretty, and she didn't hate the powers that it gave her, but she did hate what it represented. She had to hold onto it, though. It was the only thing that stopped her from disappearing completely again.
The simple idea of going back to that lonely, hopeless place was enough to make her heart sink. She wasn't entirely conscious while she was there, but she was at least vaguely aware of the passage of time, and that the world she knew was leaving her behind, while she stayed trapped in limbo. She had no feelings, no thoughts, only vague images and impressions of the life she had lived before making her foolish wish. There was nothing to see, nothing to hear, nothing to touch. It was hell.
She might have been trapped there forever, but something happened that let her reconnect with her SoulGem and come back to reality. It had to do with the Walpurgisnacht. It's death caused something of a shockwave which thinned the fabric of reality just enough for her SoulGem to strengthen its hold on her, and pull her back into the real world.
On that day, she felt something. It was a slight pull of energy, and for the first time in nearly ten years she opened her eyes. She saw light. She reached for it, and grabbed onto it. Next thing she knew, she found herself in a room with high shelves, all filled with various different objects which were either cased inside plastic bags or inside bins. It only took her a moment to identify it as a police evidence room, but she had no idea why she was there.
The thing she grabbed onto? It was her SoulGem, and kneeling in the middle of that room by herself, she stared at it just as she was now. Even while trapped in limbo it held onto her, if only by a thread, and kept just enough of her existence intact for her to come back.
She didn't fully understand what was going on at first, the only idea that made sense to her is that she died and was now a ghost. She could walk through walls, it seemed like no one could see her, and she could fly. After finding a newspaper stand, she verified that time had moved on nearly ten years since making her contract, and it wasn't until running into Kyubey that she was offered an explanation for what was going on.
She supposed that she technically existed here in reality now, but just barely, and making herself solid enough to actually interact with this world required a little more concentration.
It took her a while to learn how to become physical, and even when was doing it her movements could be a bit clunky. She figured the best analogy for this would be that it was sort of like flexing a muscle. Flexing your arm muscle while trying to sign your name, for example, would make the movements of your hand less precise and thus your hand writing a little sloppier.
Whatever the case, she knew she couldn't go on like this. Thankfully, she wasn't totally conscious during her time in limbo, otherwise she was sure she would have gone mad. Or maybe, it's possible some of her humanity did slip away. She remembered pondering this as she stared down at Homura, lying screaming in a pool of her own blood. Shouldn't she have felt something? She didn't, though. All she could think is; why should I care about this girl's suffering, when I've already had so much of my own? If it was for a chance to become human again, she would gladly do it all over, a hundred times.
The sun finished its climb over the horizon, and the pretty orange color disappeared from the clouds and the sky turned blue. "Kyubey, I'm going to sleep now, ok?"
"Ok. Pleasant dreams." Kyubey said.
Tsarina fed some magic to her feet to make them physical enough to push off of the roof. Then she let herself become nonphysical again, and the momentum was enough to let her float a few meters into the air. She turned around in the air so her face wouldn't be in the sun, even if she couldn't feel it's warmth, and when she looked back to where she had been sitting she saw that Kyubey had already disappeared.
She curled herself into a ball, wrapping her arms around her legs, then closed her eyes and worked on letting herself drift off to sleep.
After healing Homura's wounds somewhat, and before leaving her there in the test room, Tsarina had done one more thing. She discovered that Homura had been keeping her SoulGem hidden by hiding it inside her body, alongside her ribcage where an X-ray could easily overlook it. Tsarina had broken a chip off the very tip of Homura's own machete and jammed it into her, near where the SoulGem was located. That would be enough for the technicians to look a little closer at that spot. Hopefully while removing the shard, they would also discover her SoulGem, and her father would finally be able to start making some progress.
Then, maybe this nightmare would finally come to an end...
As I said before, I decided to stagger out the flashbacks and just fit them in where I feel like they have some relevance to whatever's going on in the present. Originally, I thought to do them all in one shot, but decided that wasn't the best method (because knowing me, I would end up spending 5 chapters trying to explain everything that happened in the timeline, which wouldn't be much fun)
Doing it like this also lets me cut back on the number of flashback scenes that will be required, and helps add to present events. So I think it's the right way to go.
I'm sure some readers have noticed my update rate has slowed a tad. My explanation for this is the story is currently in a transitional phase, and it's a little tricky to get all the pieces in their proper places before I can get the ball rolling again. This is fine, and it's to be expected, but I have a feeling once that ball gets rolling and it gains some momentum the updates will become much more regular again.
Thanks as always for reading, and an even bigger thanks to anyone who takes the time to give a review. I always appreciate the feedback and to know people are enjoying the story.
Next update hopefully in 2-3 weeks.
Oh, and there will be more stuff with Homulilly in the future, there just wasn't really a place for her in this chapter that I felt would have made sense.
-Atomyst