Chapter 82 – An Unexpected Reunion

Amitie's POV

"Wow. That was fun. Never would thought that our teacher would be so likable." I said to everyone.

We were on our way to the cafeteria to eat lunch with the others. Luckily there were signs to point out the way. Because we had no idea where to go, at first.

"I know, right? He's so quirky and funny. Not to mention pretty young for his age." Ally said.

"Not to mention that he's from America. We don't get to see many people from there." Lidelle added.

"He's from where?" Both Arle and Harpy asked.

"It's another country in this world." I said.

"Wh-What's a country?" Both girls asked.

"Don't tell me you guys don't have countries in your world…" I gained a sweatdrop.

"Are you even aware that you live on planet Earth?" Lidelle asked.

"Wh-What's a planet?" Both girls asked again.

"Seriously…" Lidelle gained a sweatdrop.

"Earth sounds edible, though. Can I eat it?"

"No, Harpy. You can't eat the Earth." Ally said to Harpy. Which caused her to whine.

I feel like these two are going to struggle the most…

We were almost there at this point when I realized that I haven't heard a word from Raffi the entire time. Which kinda got me worried. I really hope she's okay.

"Hey, Raffi. You okay?"

"H-Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Ami. I was just…thinking of something."

"Is it about what happened earlier?"

"Yeah…pretty much."

"Who was that woman anyway?" Ally asked.

"Well…"

"Hey-o! Raffi!"

Speaking of the mystery woman, we heard her call out to Raffina as she was heading towards us. It kinda got me upset a little. Mainly because…

Did she just call her Raffi?! That's MY nickname for her!

"Ah, geez. Here we go." I heard Raffina say to herself. Then, as the woman had caught up to us, she said:

"Hey, Mom."

"MOM?!" The rest of us shouted in disbelief.

"Aw~. Is my little daughter still upset about earlier?" The woman asked in a teasing tone.

"Wh-What do you think, Mom? My face was as red as an apple." Raffi blushed a little.

"Alright, I admit. I did go a bit too far. Your friends shouldn't have to know that you lost…"

"MOM!"

"Alright, fine."

"Actually, we already know about Raffi and Ami losing their…"

*POW*

"Shut it, Ally!" Raffi yelled after hitting Ally in the head.

"Raffi…is this really your mom?" I asked.

"Yeah. This is her."

"But I thought she was gone for 11 years."

"I thought so too. But apparently, she came back without even telling us. By the way, do Amira and Lily know you're here?"

"No. I was planning to surprise them the way I did to you." Raffi's mom said.

"Why?"

"Just for fun."

"Bon Dieu..." Raffina facepalmed her whole head. "Hey, where are the others anyway?"

"Hmm…not sure. Sig went to go find his sister while Peruvis and Ayumi went to go do something. Not sure what, though."

"Wait, how does your mom already know who Sig, Peruvis, and Ayumi are?" Arle asked.

"Well, apparently…my mom is a teacher at this school."

"Huh?! Since when?!" We asked.

"Since today." Raffi's mom said.

"So, do we have to start calling her Mrs. Raffina's Mom or something like that?" Lidelle asked.

"No, not at all. Just call me Sara."

"Sara?" We asked.

"She already has Sig, Peruvis, Ayumi, and their other classmates calling her that. So, why the hell not?" Raffi explained.

"I see." Lidelle said.

"Hey, guys."

We turned to see Rafisol, Feli, Ringo, and a boy that I've never met before. He's probably Ringo's friend or something.

"Hey, everyone. How was…"

"Oh, wow! Even Feli's here!" Sara interrupted me. "Nice to see ya, girl!"

"A-Auntie?! Wh-What are you doing here?!" Feli shouted.

"I work here, silly."

"Huh?!"

"It's true, Feli. Mom's a teacher here." Raffi said.

"B-But…what were you doing for the past 11 years?"

"I forgot."

"What?"

"Just let it go, Feli." Raffi said. "You know how she is."

"Yeah…I guess."

"Hey there, Lidelle. Nice to see you again." The boy said.

"Same to you, Maguro." Lidelle responded with a bow. "No surprise you attend this school."

"So, you two know each other?" Ally asked.

"Oh, right. Everyone, this Maguro Sasaki. My childhood friend." Ringo said.

"Hey, there." Maguro added.

"Nice to meet you, Maguro." I said. "My name is Amitie Rose. This is Raffina Fielding, Ally Nakano, Arle Nadja…"

"Zzz…"

"…And the girl over there sleeping while floating in mid-air is Harpy." I gained a huge sweatdrop. "She's a major airhead."

"I see…sounds like an interesting group you got her, Ringo. Especially since I didn't think you would be friends with the people who came out of that mirror during the summer."

"S-So, you know about that?" Arle asked.

"Yeah…sorry, Arle. I kinda told him everything." Ringo said while rubbing the back of her head.

"*sigh* Great…"

"Don't worry, Arle. I won't tell anyone." Maguro said. "Your secret's safe with me."

"Thanks, Maguro."

"What secret?" Peruvis asked as she and Ayumi walked up towards us.

"The one about Arle and the others coming out of a mirror." Ringo said. "We were just discussing it with my friend Maguro."

"I see. Well, nice to meet ya, Maguro. I'm Peruvis Ryley. This wisp floating above me is Phoenix. Just pay no mind to him."

"Quit calling me a wisp, damnit." Phoenix complained.

"I'm Ayumi Katabuki. Nice to meet you."

"Same here, Peruvis and Ayumi." Maguro said.

"So, now all we gotta do is wait for Sig, Chu, Klug, Marvett, and Raina." Ally said.

"Oh, right. About that…" Peruvis spoke. "Klug said that he and Sig went looking for Chu. They soon found her with another girl heading to the cafeteria and went with them."

"And get this. Apparently, this girl is the same age as Chu." Phoenix added.

"Th-The same age?!" Raffi yelled in shock. "So, there's ANOTHER 11-year-old attending this school?!"

"It stings a little, but it's true." Peruvis said.

"Tu te fous de moi…"

Raffi's being using French for a while now. I wonder what made her start using it again…

*RINGTONE CHIME*

"Huh? Oh, it's Marvett. She and Raina want to explore the school some more. So, she said to just go on without them."

"Huh? Wait, Marvett has your number?" I asked.

"I gave it to her since she and Raina are in the same class. Just so one competent mind can keep an eye on her."

"I see…"

"Aw, man." Sara said. "And here I thought I was going to meet this clone of my youngest daughter. No point sticking around now."

"W-Was that the only reason you tagged along?!" Raffi asked.

"Well, that and to tease you a little. I just can't get enough of you blushed face. It reminds me of myself when I was younger."

"I'm not entirely sure what to retort to that…" Raffi gained a sweatdrop.

"Anyway…Arriverderci, homosexual daughter of mine. See ya soon, okay? *giggle*"

"M-Mom!"

We watched as Sara left in a laughing fit over her daughter's embarrassment. Not sure what to make of it, really. Her teasing is on a whole different scale entirely. Way more than Mom's.

Stay strong, Raffi…

"W-Well now...l-let's just head for lunch now, shall we?" I suggested. We then started walking to the cafeteria. Not saying much on the way there.


"Geez! This place is big!" Ally shouted as we walked into the cafeteria. She wasn't lying, either. The place was ginormous! Looked more like a mall's food court than a school cafeteria.

"I mean, yeah. It makes sense. With the school having lots of students, it just has to be big." Ringo said.

"Yeah, but THIS big? How are supposed to find the others?"

"Found them." Arle said while sitting at the table next to us with Sig, Klug, Chu, and a fourth girl.

"Huh. That was easy." Ally said.

We each got our food 2 at a time so we won't lose our table. After that, we began talking by introducing Sig, Chu, and Klug to Maguro. Now the only thing left was the girl that was sitting next to Chu.

"So, who's you friend, Chu?" I asked.

"Chetta Koneko. Nice to meet you, uh…Amitie, was it?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Chetta looked confused for some reason. Then she turned her head to Chu.

"I thought you said her name was Amytee."

"Well, it is." Chu said. "Kinda."

I sighed out of annoyance.

"Chu. PLEASE don't have anyone here call us those names. It's embarrassing."

"Oh, come on. You guys are just overreacting." Arle said.

"But, Arle…we can't stand those names. Right, guys?"

"Right." Raffina said.

"So true." Lidelle said.

"Actually, mine doesn't bother me all that much." Ringo said.

"What? How?" Us three asked.

"Well, my name is Japanese for Apple. So, she isn't that far off when she calls me that."

"Y-Yeah, but…"

"And besides. It'll probably be the same thing with Maguro being referred to as Tuna."

"Why Tuna?" Raffina asked.

"That's his name in English."

"I see…"

"I-Is Chu gonna start calling me Tuna now?" Maguro asked.

"Yeah, pretty much. Might as well get used to it."

"Uh…" Maguro gained a sweatdrop as he didn't know how to respond to that.

And I don't blame him…

"Meow…Meow…"

"H-Hey, what's with this thing?"

"Geez, Akaineko. Calm down. He's not going to hurt you." Chetta said as her 2-dimensional cat (I seriously don't know how that's a thing) named Akaineko kept swatting at Phoenix.

"What's wrong? Is he afraid of Phoenix?" Chu asked.

"He's probably trying to get used to being around tortured souls. Akaineko, no. Bad kitty."

"Meow…"

"Wait, what?! Chu! Did you tell her I'm a tortured soul?!" Peruvis asked while sounding a little angry.

"No. It's Akaineko. He figured out I was a demon, too."

"Wait, what?" Sig asked.

"Don't worry. We won't tell." Chetta said. "Right, Akaineko?"

"Meow."

"Uh…okay, I guess." The couple said in unison.

"So, you were able to make a friend today huh, Chu?" Ayumi asked. "I told you Special Ed wouldn't hold you back on that."

"Yeah, I guess." Chu went silent for a bit. "Although…"

"What?"

"There was this other girl in my class. At first, I thought of her as preppy and snooty and all that. But after it was revealed that I was 11, her tone changed completely. Almost to more of a depressed one."

"Depressed?" Ally asked. "You think she's jealous of you, Chu?"

"Honestly, if she were jealous, she would've outright showed it right then and there. Not hold it in."

"Yeah, true…"

"What does this girl look like?" Arle asked.

"Uh…she had blonde hair that was made into a ponytail by a red ribbon. And she had blue eyes, too."

"Huh…" Arle went silent for a bit. "…blonde hair, red ribbon, blue eyes…for some reason, all of that sounds…really familiar."

"Really?" I asked. "You think you know this person, Arle?"

"Well…I think I..."

"H-Hey…" We then heard someone talking to us (or at least trying to) and we turned to see a girl with blonde hair, made into a ponytail by a red ribbon, and blue eyes. It was just as Chu described her.

"Hey…you're Chu, right? The teacher wanted me to give you this."

"Oh. Thanks. Guessed I missed a bunch of stuff from being zoned out the whole time. I was so relaxed…"

I guess that explains why Venom is here…

"Yeah, well…just try not to let it happen again. I somehow managed to convince the teacher not to write you off for what happened. I don't think I can do it again."

"Wow, really? Thanks for that, uh…"

"…wait…I don't think I know your name."

"Yeah, come to think about it, you never said what it was." Klug added. "Even when we had to introduce ourselves."

"I didn't, huh?" The girl went silent for a bit as she let out a small sad sigh. "Well…if you want to know, my name is…"

"Lala…"

We then suddenly looked at Arle, who had the biggest look of shock on her face since the day we told her she came out of the Dimensional Mirror. She then stood up and walked up to the girl. Staring face-to-face with her.

"Lala…i-is it really you?"

"N-No way…you're…" The girl said. Just as shocked as Arle was.

Then, all of a sudden…she ran. Ran as fast as she could out of the cafeteria. And I may have caught a small glimpse of it, but I think she was crying.

"H-Hey! Lala, wait!" Arle yelled as she chased after her.

"A-Arle! Where are you going?! Arle?!" I tried getting her attention but to no avail.

And so, we watched on as the two girls ran out of the cafeteria in such a rush. Gaining the attention of nearly everyone there and drawing them all in silence.

Wh-What the hell is going on? Arle…


Arle's POV

No way…no way, no way, no FREAKING way! That girl…that was Lala! No doubt in my mind that was her! What is she doing here?! And more importantly, why is she running away from me?!

"Lala! Please, wait! Lala!"

I was still chasing her through the halls. Turning corners tightly and constantly bumping into people. Stamina-wise, I was still doing good. All those adventures I did in the past really helped improve it.

But geez…when I say that Lala was fast, I mean she was FAST. I never thought of it before, but all those times of her chasing after Camus really improved her stamina.

At this rate, I'll never catch her. Which means that I gotta do something risky. I hope I don't get in trouble for this…

While still running, I placed my right hand out in front of me and focused all of my power on it.

And then…

"Ruipanko!"

…a blue mist came out of my hand and headed straight for Lala. Capturing her inside of it and preventing her from moving.

I-I did it! I got her! Now, I just hope nobody believed what they just saw.

"L-Let me go! Let me go right now! Just leave me alone, damnit!"

"Lala, please! Just listen to me! Let's just talk this out!"

"There's nothing to talk about! I've got nothing to say! Especially not to the likes of…"

I then cut her off by doing something that may or may not have been the right thing to do at that specific moment in time.

I hugged her. And I didn't let go.

As I did that, I felt the tears of the blonde run down her cheeks and onto mine. Mixing with my own tears that were rapidly flowing down. I don't know why…but hugging this girl who I haven't seen in years just felt so right to me. As if…my heart longed for this moment for as long as I could remember.

I can't explain it well…but that's just how it was.

"You…You're just as stubborn as always aren't you, Arle?"

"You're one to talk, Lala. You're one to talk."

We ended up going to the roof of the school to have some privacy (and to escape the shocked faces of the other students and getting in trouble with the teachers). By this time, both of us had calmed down. And it was just nothing silence between the two of us for a good while.

And for good reasons, too.

Wow…never thought I would see the day. Here I am talking with Lala after 11 years of not seeing each other. I truly haven't seen her since kindergarten. Back when I was taking that Final Exam…

Now that I think about it…that's what started our separation, in the first place.

"Heh…never thought I would see the day…to run into you in a place like this after all these years…Arle Nadja."

"I could easily say the same thing about you…Lala Casati."

"So, you remembered my last name?"

"How could I not? We were the only two in the whole class that even HAD a last name."

"True…"

The atmosphere went dead-awkward again. Talking to her again after so many years was actually harder than I thought. When I first saw her in the cafeteria, my mind was flooded with things to say.

But now that I'm standing right next to her, all of that just disappeared in an instant. My mind is a complete blank.

But I just gotta say something! Anything, really! Come on, Arle! Think! THINK!

"S-So…how's Camus being doing?"

And with that, I saw Lala's body shake with anger. And more tears running down her face.

"You just had to bring that up, didn't you?!" She yelled as she grabbed hold of me by the necktie.

"W-Wait! I-I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to anger you! I was just trying to start a conversation! Honest!"

"N-No…I-I'm sorry. I let my emotions get to me." Lala said as she put me down.

"Your emotions?"

Lala let out a small sad sigh as she turned away from me. Leaning over the railing as she continued to lightly cry to herself.

"Truth is, Arle…my life hasn't been all that great since the day you graduated kindergarten."

"For real? Wh-What happened?"

"Well…you know how I was always falling behind in class when it came to learning magic?"

"Yeah…"

"That was because…I can't learn magic. I don't have the proper genes in my DNA for me to accept magic. Let alone use it."

"Oh, wow…"

That's just like Rulue, in a way…

"And so, because of that, I just barely passed kindergarten. And pretty much struggled with magic school as a whole. So, I ended up quitting."

"Y-You quit?! B-But you were just as passionate as I was when it came to learning magic!"

"That was when I thought I COULD learn magic! But all that time…all of that f***ing time…it was all a waste! And I was stupid enough to believe it all!"

"You seriously can't believe that, do you?! I mean…what about all those times you would go on about being the best mage ever?! To impress Camus with your skills to the point where he'll be with you?! Whatever happened to that, huh?! Are you giving up on him, too?!"

"Don't say that! Don't ever say such bullsh*t again, you hear me?!"

The two of us went dead silent again. With me being shocked as all hell. I've never seen Lala this angry before. She was never this emotional when we were kids.

Well…she was a bit snooty. But that's about it, really. This sad & angry side of her is all new to me.

"S-Sorry. I-I let it happen again." Lala said as she sighed once more.

"I-It's fine, but…" I hesitated to ask this, but went and did it anyway. "…why do you keep getting worked up over Camus? Did something happen between you two?"

And it was at that moment, I was told something that completely blindsided me to the extreme. About on the same level as finding out that I traveled to a different world against my will and that Carby didn't make it with me.

As to where to rank this one, though…

"A-Arle…C-Camus is dead."

"Wh-Wha…What?!"

…Was something I just couldn't do.

"Y-You're joking, right?! Wh-What do you mean Camus is dead?! Wh-What happened?!" I yelled with tears running down my face.

"I-It…I-It was during another Final Exam. A couple of years after you completed yours. A student was chosen to take it and, accompanied by Camus, went inside the tower.

But secretly, due to my love and obsession for Camus, I snuck inside the tower without anyone noticing. And followed the duo to the top of the tower.

Th-That's when…th-that thing appeared."

"Wh-What thing?" I asked.

"Th-This thing…i-it was a black shadow-like creature. Bloody white claws and traces of blood all over its body…and its eyes were pale white. As if there were no life within them."

"N-No way…"

Th-That description…it sounds so freaking familiar…

"From the look on its face, it had a lust for blood and murder. It went after the student first. And she was killed right then and there. The murder was so swift that you could easily miss it if you blinked. It was that brutal."

"W-Woah…"

"The monster then went after Camus. And he tried fighting it off. Meanwhile, I was traumatized and scared. Mentally scarred from seeing one of my classmates killed right in front of my eyes. The only thing I could do in such a situation was to get the hell out of there. And so, I ran. As hard as I could, too.

But then…I tripped over a rock on the floor. And both Camus and the monster saw me lying in pain.

The monster took the sudden chance and headed straight for me. Ready to do the same to me as it did to the classmate before.

B-But then…C-Camus…"

As Lala continued the story, her eyes became red and heavier due to the huge amount of tears being formed all at once. Her body began to shake rapidly as she slowly fell to the ground. But I managed to hold her up just barely at the last second. But due to the sudden added weight, I fell too.

"L-Lala…" I quietly said.

"B-But then Camus…h-he got in front of me! A-And took the fatal blow instead of me! H-He was immediately slaughtered by that damn monster! Just to save me and everyone else outside! I'm the reason Camus is dead, Arle! My one true love and ultimate crush was killed because of my damn selfish obsession! It's all my fault! I did it! CAMUS! I'M SORRY! WHY'D IT HAD TO BE YOU INSTEAD OF ME?! IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

It was right then and there that Lala had finally broken down. She let all of her full tears out of her eyes and yelled as hard as she could in full sadness. The amount of trauma and guilt she had over Camus' murder truly ate up her old personality. She's definitely more depressed, timid, and self-loathing of herself than when we were kids.

But for her to be here, in a different world…part of her old personality must still be within her, right?

It might be wrong of me to ask right now, but…

"Lala…I'm sorry for what happened to Camus and what you went through before and after that. But…I gotta know. How did you get here?"

Lala soon stopped crying and eventually slowly stood back up. She then dug into her shirt and took out a necklace with a red & black diamond-like crystal with a smaller black orb inside of it.

No way…that's a…

"I've kept this a secret for a while…but this is a Soul Ruby. My ancestors actually created lots of these things in the past. But they were scattered all across the world. Some even ended up in different worlds entirely. Though, that part can't be explained. During the aftermath of Camus' murder, I grew into a deep depression. To the point where…I-I…I-I killed myself."

"S-Seriously?!" I yelled in shock. To which Lala only replied with a simple nod.

"I should be dead right now instead of being here talking to you. But I forgot that I had this thing with me as a birthday present from my grandmother. And a few hours after my suicide…it brought me back to life."

"No way…so, you're a Reborn Soul, right?"

"H-How do you know about that?"

"A friend of mine went through a similar situation. We actually have a Reborn Soul here in this world right now."

"I see…so some did end up in this world. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing, to be completely honest." Lala said with a sigh.

"So, with that Soul Ruby…"

"You guessed it. I came to this world to start over. To at least try to forget the anger of being magicless and the trauma that horrible day brought on to me. I've spent the last 9 years trying to relive my life. But every so often…the memories come back. And to avoid snapping at people like I did to you a couple of times, I've sent myself to solitude. Rejecting anyone who wanted to be my friend or simply get close to me.

Because…I just can't anyone involved, Arle. They just wouldn't understand."

"I see. So, that's why you ran from me."

"If I wasn't dealing with these mental scars all day every day, I would've been really excited to see you again, Arle. I mean…we haven't seen each other in 11 years. I almost didn't recognize you at first because you dyed your hair. But why orange, though?"

"Hmm…you know, I'm not really sure. I think I just decided to dye it orange. But I'm thinking of dying it back. I kinda miss my original brown hair."

"You should. Orange hair makes you look like a clown."

"Hey, I still look cute." I took offense to that. "And what about you? You haven't changed that blonde hair ponytail combo of yours since I last saw you."

"B*tch, I'm fabulous. Of course, I would still look cute with this hairdo. It's only natural. Ohhohoho."

"Well, there's the Lala I knew before." I teased.

"Tch!" Lala grew a faint blush on her face. "W-Well…o-okay, you got me." She then gained a smile on her face. Albeit, a small one. But it was still the first one I've seen on her since we were kids. So, it was good enough for me.

"You know, Lala…I feel the same way about seeing you again. Even though we would often bicker at each other. And after hearing what you went through after I graduated kindergarten…I want to help you get better."

"Y-You want…to help me? What made you gain that idea?"

"Well…" Now it was me that was going silent. "…Let's just say that I've been through awfully similar situations."

"Awfully similar situations?"

"You've heard about the girl that came out of a mirror, right?"

"W-Wait, don't tell me…that girl is YOU?!"

"Yep. Pretty much. And I'm not the only one here. Tons of people from our world ended up here. Either from that mirror or through a magical rainbow beanie."

"Magical rainbow…beanie?"

"That one is a long story." I said in an exasperated mood. "Basically what I'm trying to say is…when I came to this world, I had a bunch of people help me get used to the life that I have now. And now…I want to do the same for you. Granted, it'll take a while…but it's better than living in solitude and suicidal thoughts, right?"

I then grabbed Lala's hand and held it tight in my own. Not letting go and determined to convince her that I was serious with every word I'm saying.

"Come on, Lala. Just give it a chance. It'll be the perfect way for us to…you know…start over. As friends."

"St-Start over? A-As friends?" Lala went silent again. Then, for the second time since reuniting, she gained a smile as she not only returned the grip on my hand...but also hugged me just as tight. Letting more tears run down her face as we embraced tightly together on the roof of the school. Not really saying a word.

Except…

"Thank you…Arle Nadja."

"You're welcome…Lala Casati."

Author's Note: A somewhat emotional/somewhat dark chapter to introduce a new character.

For those who don't know, Lala is a Madou-era character who made one of the fewest appearances in the series. Being only two. She's one of Arle's classmates in kindergarten, madly in love with an older boy named Camus, and…that's pretty much it. Due to her appearances only being in Japanese, not much is known about her character.

This is why I was a little hesitant to write her in once I found out about her. But after getting some advice, I decided to give it a shot.

What you read in this chapter isn't what I'm fully going with. Her personality will change as the story goes on. Right now, it's basically a healing phase for her (and a testing phase for me).

By the way, I stated that Arle and Lala haven't seen each other since kindergarten. That isn't true, actually. Lala's second and final appearance is in a game called Madou Monogatari: Chaotic Final Exam. But seeing as how she and Arle are (possibly) 16 in that game, mentioning it wouldn't work with this story's plot. So, I have to completely ignore that game. I'm saying this so that the few people that know who Lala is wouldn't get confused or anything.

Fun Fact: Lala's last Casati name is based on a femme fatale (deadly woman in French) of the same name. I went with this because Arle's last name is also based on a femme fatale. So, I figured it would be kinda interesting.

Thanks for reading. Later.