Time to keep cleaning up I suppose. This story is definitely winding down to its conclusion. Oh, and guys, I know there are those who have seen the movie who fear for our intrepid heroes. I just wanna say, wait and see. Also, just to warn you, this might be a short chapter. Disclaimer: I don't own Danganronpa, Soul Eater, or Puella Magi.

Chapter 21: Three Is A Crowd

Izuru looked over the darkened skyline with worry. 'Something's happened to Mami, I just know it. But... I somehow get the impression that it's possible to save her. But for that to happen, I need information.' He booted up the computer in his room and looked up a certain number. He dialed that number onto his cellphone. 'Here's hoping he's willing to assist... Or if he even knows anything.' On the other end of line, the person Izuru called said, 'This is Professor Stein, who am I speaking with?'

The second group, consisting of Mukuro and Kiyotaka, Chiaki and Chihiro, Ibuki and Mayuri, and Kazuichi and Hiyoko, managed to track down Mami in her berserk form. With them was Nagisa, who was concerned about her friend. "There," Ibuki said, "Ibuki can hear her from here." Sure enough, they soon spotted Mami's berserk state. Its body was wide at the hips, narrow at the waist, expanding out a little from the chest. It wore a light green dress with stripped pantaloons, its face hidden by a bright yellow bonnet with the straps reaching down to the ground. A giant pink tag was attached to the back.

"These berserk forms keep getting weirder and weirder," Chihiro said, "And with how big she is, how do we get her back to normal?" Just then, several familiars showed up to attack. They soon found themselves blasted to pieces, however, as the Weapons took on their attacks forms. "We have to hurry," Nagisa said, "If we take too long, then Mami will..." She started to tear up at the thought of losing her best friend. Chiaki placed a reassuring hand on Nagisa's shoulder. "Don't you worry, we won't let anything happen to her." Nagisa wiped away her tears and nodded.

'I'm beginning to see,' Madoka thought to herself. She had spent the last few hours getting the hang of her powers, and the results were astounding. With just a thought, she had already repaired a great deal of the damage caused by Walpurgis Night. 'Now I understand. This power of mine shouldn't be feared. With the right amount of practice, I can undo all the damage that has been done. I just have to let it go, and it comes naturally.' She aimed her bow and fired, and the resulting shockwave reversed any damage it passed by.

Satisfied, Madoka nodded, then spotted something. It was Izuru, driving down the road in a mid-sized convertible, with something in the back covered in a tarp. He must have noticed Madoka, because he pulled up right alongside her. "I see you've been busy," he said, "You witches really have powers beyond belief." Madoka smiled. "Thanks. But where are you going?" "To rescue my girlfriend," Izuru replied, "And I got some info from my friends' teacher on how to do just that." Madoka realized her friends had to have gone berserk as well.

"I want to help them," Madoka said, "I'm sick and tired of being helpless all the time. Now there's nothing holding me back from helping others." Izuru smiled. "I take it you had a nice long chat with Makoto. Then again, I get the feeling this is your real personality." He opened the passenger-side door. "All right, hop in. I could use some magical backup." Madoka nodded and got inside. "By the way, who is your girlfriend?" Izuru smiled as he started the car again. "It's Mami. She and I have been together for a while now. In a way, we kinda need each other. After all, not only did she cure my despair, but I cured her loneliness." And with that, they drove off.

"So," Kazuichi said as he smacked aside another familiar, "Just what are we waiting for here?" Just then, another familiar got shot through the head and dissipated, causing Mukuro to smile. "Backup." They all looked up to where the shot was fired from to see a young woman around the Ultimates' age. She had long, disheveled, dark red hair and eyes and wore the school uniform of Hope's Peak Academy, which consisted of an unbuttoned dark green cardigan on top of a white blouse with a red ribbon. She also wore a short dark green skirt and white knee socks with brown slippers. In her hand was a semi-automatic pistol.

Nagisa looked at the young woman. "Who's that?" The young woman smiled. "My name is Ryoko Otonashi." "She was an upperclassman of ours," Chiaki explained, "Hence the uniform. Her murder at the hands of Hayashi was the catalyst for our troubles in the previous timelines." Ibuki snuck up behind Ryoko and tugged on her hair. "Ow!," Ryoko called out. "She's real!," Ibuki said excitedly. "Of course she's real!," the pistol said indignantly, "What, did you think Junko was dressing up as her just for kicks?!" Ryoko smiled as the pistol turned into a young man her age.

He was tall and slender by appearance, with long, shoulder-length messy black hair and pale blue eyes. His attire consisted of a half-tucked in dress shirt and a sloppily worn black tie that appeared to have red decals. His lower-half consisted of black trousers, a belt, and bathroom slippers. Ibuki giggled as Mayuri sighed and said, "Hey Yasuke. Nagisa, meet Yasuke Matsuda. He's Ryoko's boyfriend and also her weapon partner." Yasuke took a look at Nagisa. "Who's the squirt?" "This is Nagisa Momoe," Chiaki said, placing her hands on Nagisa's shoulder, "One of our Puella Magi friends."

"Oh yeah," Ryoko said, "We got the skinny from Sensei Death." Nagisa looked confused. "Who's Sensei Death?" Ryoko giggled. "You know him as Lord Death, but he's my mentor. Since Yasuke's weapon form is similar to the Thompson Sisters, Lord Death decided to teach the two of us how to fight better. He often said the only flaw in our fighting style was a lack of symmetry." Everyone just laughed at that. "I bet you gave Lord Death plenty of bruises," Ibuki joked. Ryoko nodded.

The camaraderie was quickly interrupted by a sudden rocket flying overhead. As the group looked on, the rocket slammed into Mami's berserk form, knocking her then turned in the other direction to see Izuru and Madoka standing not far from them. "You guys sure like to talk amongst yourselves in the middle of a crisis," Izuru said. "How else is the author supposed to pan out the story?," Ibuki asked, causing everyone to look at her funny. "What? It can't be easy to write out fight scenes so complex. Just look at DBZ. They need at least two episodes just to flesh it out."

Izuru gave a slight cough. "Let's just go check on Mami." Sure enough, the rocket Izuru had fired was enough to knock Mami out, restoring her to normal. Izuru gently lifted her head into his arms and stroked her cheek. Mami stirred and opened her eyes, smiling when she saw Izuru. "Hey... Guess I worried you too much this time, huh?" Izuru chuckled. "Not too bad. Just enough to get me outta the house." Mami smiled, then rubbed the back of her head. "What did you hit me with anyway, an RPG?" "Actually," Izuru said sheepishly, "It was an anti-tank rocket."

"What?!," Mami said, and she stood straight up. What followed was several minutes of such phrases as "You could have killed me" and "Next time leave it to the professionals". But throughout it all, Nagisa couldn't help but noticing Izuru was smiling. 'He's just glad Mami is alright. And she seems to have lightened up considerably.' Nagisa gave a smile of her own. 'I'm really happy to see you so cheerful Mami.' She went and hugged Mami's waist, interrupting her speech. Mami simply smiled hugged Nagisa back. She then turned back to Izuru with a look that clearly said "Thank you for saving me."

To be continued...

Yeah, I had that little bit with Izuru saving the day planned out for a while. Read and review.