A/N

Edited a few of Ereshkigal's lines and actions. She's usually more Dere than Tsun in FGO, basically Ishtar flipped around, but I decided to a put bit more emphasis on the latter since she's dealing with the shy Ren and not Harem King/Queen Ritsuka. However, I might've ended up pushing this a bit too far so I decided to dial it back a little.

"Goddess? You… rule this place?" Ren asked.

"Yes…" Ereshkigal sighed before holding her hand out. "And you need to pass on properly. After I make a nice little cage for your soul to rest in."

So, this was the true afterlife. All Ren had to do was let Ereshkigal guide her and she'd finally be able to pass on. To leave the old world behind.

To leave Rika behind.

"No…" Ren whispered.

Ereshkigal turned and looked at her. "What?"

"No!" Ren shouted as she pushed the Goddess away. "I don't want to go."

Ren immediately turned and ran. She didn't know where, but she knew that she had to get out of here. She had to get back to her old world.

"What just…h-hey! Get back here!" The Goddess shouted as she gave chase.

That just made Ren run even faster. Even as her feet became sore from running on the cold stone. Eventually she came upon on a gate, its large stone doors laid shut.

"Alright stop! There's no point in running anymore you can't get past!" Ereshkigal shouted. "Just come back so you can finally be at peace."

Ren didn't listen. She didn't care how heavy those doors looked. She held are up and pushed against them with all her might. Rather than stopped by their immense weight, they moved, almost with ease. She passed the gate and then turned her head briefly to see how close her pursuer was. She stopped on her feet once she realized that Ereshkigal had stopped running and was now looking at her in surprise.

"How did you open it!?" Ereshkigal shouted. "It shouldn't be possible." The Goddess paused and looked at the gate. "I command this realm. The dead should have no authority over it!"

"I…" Ren looked at the gates and then her herself. "I don't think I'm a spirit. I'm… not dead."

The Goddess looked at her with wide eyes. "What!?"

"I'm not dead."

"Then why are you here!?"

"I… don't know."

"That doesn't explain anything!"

Ren looked sullenly at the ground. "Sorry…"

Ereshkigal looked… disappointed? "Really? This had to happen while I have other things to do." The Goddess beckoned Ren over. "Come on then. It seems we need to have a talk."

"But… I don't want to pass on!"

"I won't force it. Not until you're actually dead," Ereshkigal assured her. "I was… mistaken back there. My apologies."

The apology from the Goddess was enough for Ren to hesitantly step over the boundary.

"You are an exception. Probably," Ereshkigal explained as she gestured Ren to follow. "At least that's what I can assume."

"An… exception?" Ren asked as she followed the Goddess.

"I'll explain later. You should feel honored, I can count on my hand the number of humans that were ever allowed to enter this realm while they lived. A Goddess has standards after all."

"How long have you been here?" Ren asked.

"I have held that title for thousands of years," Ereshkigal said simply.

"You look… so young."

The Goddess reached over and grabbed Ren's cheek. "Says the green horned child."

"Ow…"

"You need to show some respect to your elders."

"Okay…"

"And look up when people are talking to you," Ereshkigal lectured. "Acting all sullen like that is disrespectful when someone's trying to be nice."

Ren wasn't sure how the Goddess treated her constituted anywhere as being nice, but she still apologized anyway. "Sorry."

"And stop apologizing over nothing… it's hard to make friends that way."

Eventually Ren was led to a stone table with a lone chair that Ereshkigal promptly sat on. The Goddess then waved her hand and a chair made of bone appeared on the other side. "Well? Sit."

Ren did as she was told. The chair was surprisingly comfortable despite appearances. It was also a relief for her bare feet which were still sore from running on bone and stone.

"What was the last thing you did before you came here?" Ereshkigal asked.

"I was sleeping… in my bed," Ren explained.

"You weren't wandering around a graveyard? Anyplace where the border might be weaker?"

"No…"

"Then you're likely here in mind and spirit, but not in physical form," Ereshkigal sighed. "Of course."

"What do you mean?" Ren asked.

"It was a phenomenon back during the Age of Gods and most commonly recorded by the Greeks. Your consciousness is here, but your body is elsewhere."

"A dream?"

"In a way, it's more of an out of body experience that can go past the boundaries of space, time, and reality. Normally this happened to demi-gods. Neither of your parents are Gods, are they?"

Ren shook her head.

"And you also ended up in the Underworld of all places," Ereshkigal mused. "No living person can come here, even only in sprit. You have to be dead…" The Goddess snapped her finger, "Or already between a state of life and death!"

"Between life and death?" Ren asked.

"Tell me. Have you had any near-death experiences? Something that would have placed you on the border between the world of the living and the dead?"

One, actually two events came to mind.

"I… wanted to die," Ren replied.

"What?"

"I tried… to kill myself… twice."

Ereshkigal looked at her dumbfounded. "And you were afraid of passing on, why?"

"I was saved," Ren replied. "I… want to live… now. For them."

The Goddess looked at her with sympathy. "Well… I guess that means something considering you ran away from me. Normally a failed suicide or isn't enough though, or else I'd see plenty of other humans like you down here. And even then, why did you pop in the heart of my domain and not anywhere else?"

"I don't know," Ren admitted.

"Well, whatever the reason… actually I do know, but… it's not something you need to know. You're here now. And you'll probably show up again anyway. Got plenty of chances to figure things out in the future."

"I'm… coming here… again?" Ren asked.

"No probably not here, this is likely a one-time thing for you, while you're still human at least," Ereshkigal replied casually. "I just have a method to visit you once you get back to your world and time."

"Does that… mean I can go back home?" Ren asked hopefully.

"As soon as you wake up, yes. On that note," Ereshkigal suddenly leaned over and tapped Ren on the head. Ren was suddenly covered in a faint blue light that quickly faded.

"What did you do?" Ren asked.

"You might be alive technically, but at this point you're more akin to spirits than most people. It gives me some dominion over you, allows me to form a connection as neccesary."

"Connection… with me? Why?"

"You'll see soon enough," Ereshkigal replied as she relaxed in her seat. "When you do wake up, I imagine you'll be much more sensitive to the border than you were before. Nobody walks out of the Underworld completely unscathed, at least not without my blessing."

"Oh… what do I… do now?" Ren asked.

"You'll probably need someone out there that can help you out," Ereshkigal replied as she reached into her dress and pulled out a miniature cage.

"It's… pretty," Ren commented.

"Oh… uh… thanks. I made it after all," the Goddess handed the cage over Ren. "When you wake up, I'm going to need you to hold this while you recite a certain chant."

Ren opened her eyes and found herself lying in her bed once more. She quickly sat up and examined her body.

She had to check after what had to be the strangest and most vivid dream she ever had, if it actually was a dream. Time passed there at a pace that seemed to match reality, or maybe it just seemed like that because she was a poor conversationalist. Either way it was the longest and most vivid dream she ever had. She was surprised to find that she actually felt well rested when she woke up.

Nobody leaves the Underworld completely unscathed…

There wasn't exactly a way to confirm whether or not she was on the border of life and death as Ereshkigal had described. Not without trying to kill herself again, which would be redundant at this point. It would also make Rika sad.

Everything was still there on a cursory look, thankfully, but so was the cage that the Goddess had given her. That was still on Ren's lap.

It really was pretty and well crafted. How long had Ereshkigal spent on making these?

A question to ask later, after Ren had done as the Goddess requested.

"A base… of silver and steel…"

The incantation had taken much longer than neccesary due to Ren's difficulty speaking. That and the fact that her room began growing in a crackling red light that caused her to pause even further at certain points. Thankfully, the light had faded by the time she finished though there were now three pairs of red marks on the back of her hand.

Ren looked at the marks carefully. They would be difficult to hide. Maybe she should start wearing a glove? Like that transfer student Emiya did?

The doorbell rang.

Ren continued to examine her hand. They were a bit flashy… but kind of pretty.

The bell rang again. Ren quickly got up and made her way to the door.

Her parents must've gone out while she was still asleep. They usually let her sleep in when that happened. Said it was preferable to her walking out alone in the middle of night.

"Hi…" Ren greeted quietly as she opened the door.

"Hi Ren!" Rika greeted.

Ren froze.

Rika was here. And Ren was still in her pajamas, her hair was still a mess, and she hadn't even brushed her teeth.

"Did I… come at a bad time?" Rika asked, worried.

"No, I… slept in," Ren replied before moving aside for Rika to enter. "Could you… wait inside?"

"Sure," Rika replied before looking at Ren's hand. "Are those tattoos? Did you get them after we split up last night?"

"I uh… drew on it… I thought it would be pretty," Ren lied. She hated lying to Rika but she it wasn't like she could actually explain what had happened to her. Not without spending hours on end stuttering and confusing her even further.

"Oh uh… it's pretty?" Rika replied.

Ren quickly led her friend to the living, got her a cup of tea, and quickly made her way to the bathroom.

After furiously brushing her teeth and fixing her hair, Ren washed her face and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Alright. This was the first time she had a friend come to her house. Honestly, it was the first time she ever had a friend.

"I can do this…" Ren whispered to herself. "I can… I can…"

She wiped her face dry with a towel and tidied up her pajamas. Once she was somewhat presentable, she went back to the living room where Rika was waiting.

Rika who sat on a couch in her home. The sunlight streaming from the window fell on her blonde hair and caused it to shine.

"You have a nice house Ren," Rika said.

"Thank… you," Ren replied before fiddling with her fingers. "Why are you here?"

"Well, I wanted to see if you were fine… I was worried I was being a bit overbearing last night," Rika looked away guiltily, "though now I realize that showing up at your house unannounced might not have been the best idea."

"N-no. I'm glad… you're here," Ren replied. "I was just… surprised. Is there… anything you want? Something to drink?"

"No I'm fine. Wait actually, um," Rika looked at her hopefully, "I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out again? With Emily and Hinano. We're going to get some new clothes."

Clothes shopping? The only time Ren did that was with her parents or by herself. Never with friends… did she actually know what would look good. Were any of her current outfits even fashionable?

"Oh um…" Ren stuttered. She wanted to go. She really did, but if she did then she'd probably just ruin their day.

You should really just go with her!

Ren let out a small yelp which surprised Rika.

"Uh… are you okay?" Rika asked, concerned. "You seem a little worried… Is it me?" Rika began to look crestfallen. "I can leave if I'm bothering you."

"N-no…" Ren immediately replied. "It's… not you. I have… a headache."

What was that?

It's me.

Ereshkigal?

No, the other Goddess you summoned, Ereshkigal replied sarcastically. Now go talk to your friend!... She'll worry

Ren felt something warm touch her forehead. Ren looked down to find that Rika had put her hand on her head. She immediately began to blush.

"I don't think you have a fever." Rika said. "Maybe it's stress? Was last night a bit too much for you? I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault… I get them sometimes," Ren lied. "I should be fine… soon."

Rika looked relieved and let go of her head. "Oh, thank God. I was worried yesterday was too much for you."

"No," Ren replied. "Y-you're never too much… I want to… be with you today."

Rika smiled. "That's great!

Ren stood smiling lightly in front of Rika for some time. She really did like being with her.

"Uh… maybe you should get changed," Rika suggested.

Ren blushed as she realized that she was still in her pajamas. "R-right," she said before quickly running to her room to get an outfit to wear. Unfortunately, that proved to be a herculean task. One that had left her standing in front of her closet for minutes on end scrambling to think of something that would look good and wouldn't completely embarrass Rika and her friends.

Go for the black button down, checkered skirt, and blue ribbon for your hair.

Ereshkigal?

The Goddess suddenly appeared next to her in a flash of blue light. "Do we really need to go through this again?"

"H-how are you here?" Ren asked.

"You summoned me," Ereshkigal explained. "We are officially Master and Servant."

"Master and Servant?"

"I'll explain the details later. Anyway, the incantation you used was to summon a Servant and that cage I gave you was the connection needed to ensure that I would be the one would the one brought here. Quite ingenious if I'd say so myself," the goddess said smugly.

"Why are you here?" Ren asked.

"Because… it can be pretty droll being in the Underworld for a few thousand years. A lady like myself… we need to explore, and this was an opportunity to explore another world. Your world and time to be precise."

"Why didn't you… show up earlier then?" Ren asked. "If you were… already here."

"I… wanted to keep myself discreet for a bit," Ereshkigal admitted. "This world… was not what I was expecting."

"… Were you overwhelmed?" Ren asked.

"N-No!" Ereshkigal blushed. "A Goddess does not get overwhelmed by such trifle things. Anyway you were messing up with your friend, so I decided to help."

"Uh…"

"Is that really all you have to say?"

"Sorry…"

"Stop apologi- never mind. Just wear that outfit and look pretty for your friend."

Ren began changing her clothes in front of the Goddess who began to tug and make additional adjustments as she dressed. Once she finished, Ren looked in the mirror and saw that she looked… good.

"T-thank you," Ren said.

"My fashion sense is as impeccable as always," Ereshkigal replied smugly. "Elegant and feminine, nothing like my sister. All she knows is to seduce people by flashing as much skin as possible."

"You have a sister?"

"A story for another time," Ereshkigal said before suddenly fading away.

Now go with your friend. I'll make sure you don't mess anything up.

Okay.

Ren made her way back to the living room to show her outfit to Rika. To her delight Rika seemed to like it.

"Your clothes are cute," Rika exclaimed.

"Thank… you." Ren replied.

Rika reached over and grabbed her hand. "Let's go! I have so much I want to show you today."

Ren smiled as she was led away.

Mami traversed the streets of Mizuna Ward as she made her way the rumored Shrine. From the information she had gathered the Mizuna shrine could apparently help you find the person whose name you wrote down. It wasn't like there was anyone that she was looking for… but looking up these Rumors and whatever Supernatural events were happening in Kamihama was probably her best bet at figuring out the mystery of the city.

It was a request from Kyubey after all. That was the reason that Mami was here. The only reason. It definitely wasn't because Kyoko was somewhere in the city too. Kyoko already had Archer, and he was more than capable of keeping an eye on her. But if Mami did happen to run in on them by chance, then she wouldn't be completely unwilling to lend them her aid if they needed it.

You know, just because she happened to be in the area. No other reason apart from that.

When she finally arrived at the steps of the shrine, Mami wasn't entirely surprised to find a trio of Magical Girls- one of them unconscious it seemed and carried by another- running away from some sort of strange monster. It definitely wasn't a Witch, probably was one of those Rumors or Uwasa she had heard about.

What she was surprised to see though was the unconscious Magical Girl flying off the back of the one carrying her. A veritable cloud of long white cloth began to exude from the Magical Girl's body until she took on her true form. A Witch. Said Witch then proceeded to destroy said Uwasa in a single blow.

Mami had barely processed this when the cloth suddenly unraveled and the Witch fell onto the ground, disguised as a human once more. The other two Magical Girls were confused by what they had witnessed, but they still approached it.

This was a Witch that had somehow disguised itself as one of its own. That was putting on an act playing human. Those Magical Girls had just seen it reveal its true form and yet they were still so lax around it. Either they were Witch's themselves… or they were under the Witch's influence.

There were occasions where Magical Girls could be affected by a Witch's Kiss. Mostly when they were exhausted or let their guard down.

If that was the case, then it would be best to dispatch of the Witch right now and free them from its influence. This Witch was dangerous if it could keep multiple Magical Girls in their thrall especially one as aged as the one in blue.

High School or even College student most likely. A veteran Magical Girl.

"Why would back away from that Witch please?" Mami asked as she finally revealed herself to the trio.

"Who are you?" the Magical Girl in blue asked.

"Mami Tomoe," Mami replied. "What about you?"

"Yachiyo Nanami."

"Tsuruno Yui," the one in orange replied.

"Iroha Tamaki."

"There's no point in giving me a false name," Mami said to the Witch. "I saw everything."

"She isn't lying," Yachiyo defended it.

"Then you are truly under its influence if you still can't realize its deception." Mami raise her rifle and pointed it at the Witch that dared to disguise itself as a pink haired girl, much like her Junior back in Mitakihara. "I'll have to destroy it and free you both."

The two Magical Girls stepped forward, only to be stopped by the Witch they protected.

"Yachiyo, Tsuruno, wait! You're too exhausted to fight her," the Witch said.

"We're not going to let her hurt you," Yachiyo replied.

"Then I'll fight her. My Soul Gem replenished itself after… whatever just happened."

So, the Witch was still determined to put on an act and "protect" them. That wouldn't matter soon enough though.

Mami put a finger on the trigger, prepared to match the Witch's challenge, when she noticed a black figure rapidly approaching from her periphery. She barely had time to jump away and return fire as a spear stabbed the spot where she had been standing. The person holding it pulled their weapon back from its thrust and gave chase.

No wait. Not a person. It was some sort of shadowy figure with the shape of a human. A man at that and from what she could see from the black fog it emitted, its only clothing was a helmet and some very tight looking underwear.

Not very pleasant to look at. Thankfully the fog made it difficult to get a clear view of its figure and the spear and shield it held was something she could focus on instead of its body.

Behind the spearman another trio of shadows began to engage in combat with the Witch and the two Magical Girls.

Mami would have to deal with that after she dealt with the opponent in front of her.

She lifted her gun and took a few cursory shots. Each bullet was deflected with the shadow's shield before it pointed its spear at her and charged.

Clearly a skilled enough fighter despite its lack of clothing.

Mami attempted to bind it with her ribbons, but those were quickly noticed and cut down by her opponent's spear. Once it got close, she was forced to intercept its swing with one of her muskets.

Strong. Enough to match if not slightly surpass her physical strength. She was never much of a melee fighter despite the practice that Archer had forced on her years ago.

She ducked under a shield bash and tossed the musket into the figure's face. It exploded in bright yellow light. Nothing destructive, she'd get caught in the explosion that close, but it served well enough as a makeshift flashbang.

Blinded, the figure flailed, though it was clear it could still sense her presence judging by how it was still swinging around her general direction.

If it was really that determined to fight her up close. If that's the case…

Mami took a risk and jumped in past the tip of her opponent's spear. She then, reluctantly, grabbed the figure's bare arms in an attempt to stop it from swinging its weapons. It was working, momentarily, until it decided to rear its leg back for a powerful looking kick.

Thankfully Mami had bought just enough time for her ribbons to shoot out of the ground and bind the figure while its limbs were occupied. The shadow still tried to kick but it was thrown at an awkward angle, so it merely grazed her. Even that graze was enough to make her wince a little though.

A direct hit definitely would've broken some ribs. On top of possible sending her hurtling down the cliff behind her like a scene off that movie she had scene.

Oh! That movie! No wonder this guy seemed so familiar! And loud despite never actually saying anything. That just brought the question of who was bringing these movie characters based off of real- life history, with great creative liberties taken granted, and bringing them into reality?

Definitely a line of inquiry that she could take after she had dealt with this thing.

It was a simple matter to toss the shadow to the ground and put a musket to the side of its head.

She pulled the trigger.

The figure, with a new hole in its head, quickly fell apart and almost seemed to melt away into the shadows.

Well… that certainly wasn't like any Witch or Familiar she had fought before.

Her opponent dealt with, Mami turned towards the Witch and her two protectors.

Tsuruno was clearly exhausted and Yachiyo was busy holding off two of them to protect the Witch who was firing what crossbow bolts she could.

That Witch seemed fully content on putting on the act, even when it was clear that these Shadowy figures were aiming to kill it too. Or perhaps its weakness was the one thing it wasn't putting an act for and it would truly die if its protectors fell?

There was a very simple solution to this all. Simply walk away and let them get killed. The Witch needed to be dealt with and the Magical Girls protecting it had drawn their lots despite it almost killing one of them.

That was the smart thing to do. Something that Archer would've approved of…

Mami lifted her rifle and fired.

Which was why she was going to do the complete opposite.

The bullet struck a shadow in its calf providing enough distraction for Yachiyo to swing her spear down and disarm it with sheer force. The old- at least old by Magical Girl standards- girl then swung her spear sideways, decapitating the hooded shadow in a single smooth swing before putting her full focus on the other shadow. Forced to defend itself against Yachiyo, the shadow was helpless as a number of rapidly fired pink bolts- courtesy of the Witch- struck its back and sent it to the ground. Yachiyo then tossed her spear in the air, grabbed it by the shaft, and dug her feet into the ground. The resulting throw would've made an Olympic Javelin Thrower proud, as the spear flew cleanly through the air and struck the last shadow straight through the chest. Both spear and shadow continued traveling until the weapon embedded itself onto a distant tree trunk with the shadow still hanging from it.

The shadow struggled briefly before going limp and then promptly fading away.

Impressive enough skill, even when exhausted. She was clearly an adept fighter.

"Why did you help?" Yachiyo asked once she had caught her breath.

"Even if you are under the Witch's thrall, we have too few Veterans as it is for us to be killing each other," Mami replied.

"I'm not letting you hurt Tamaki."

Those shadowy figures had already forced a change in plans. Mami could probably subdue the three of them and kill the Witch as needed as exhausted as they were, but that could also leave them all open to attack from any other shadows that could still be nearby. An unknown enemy was the worst to deal with. It would be best to come back after she acquired more information on them.

"I'll retreat for now. But we will meet again… Tamaki."

Mami was reluctant to use the false name that the Witch had taken on, but there was no point in antagonizing them any further. She turned around, exited the park, and made her way back to Mitakihara.

She had plenty of questions and there was much investigation she would have to do in Kamihama. One thing was certain though. There was no way she was going to let any of her Juniors step into this city.