Chapter 33

For a moment, Yachiyo wondered if she would release her Doppel. Having to fight the most important person in her life left such a strong ache in her heart, it was difficult to stand. But she couldn't back down. Not now.

"Mifuyu," she said. "We don't have to fight. I know you're afraid of the future, but you promised to stay by my side, remember? Please, we can get through this together."

She wasn't surprised when Mifuyu shook her head, as much as it made her gut drop. "I'm sorry, Yachan," Mifuyu said. "The Magius are the only ones who can offer us Magical Girls salvation." Then, she spread her arms wide, a cruel smile on her face. "But it's okay. We'll witness this bright future together!"

Those were the only words exchanged between them. Before Yachiyo could even open her mouth to reply, a bright glow emanated from Mifuyu. Everyone cried out, shielding their eyes, and Yachiyo felt something grab hold of her. Then, she was soaring, her vision still impeded as she crashed into a wall.

The air whistled near her, and she rolled away just in time to avoid Mifuyu's thrown chakram. Looking around, she could see the two of them were in a different room, with no furniture inside. The others were nowhere to be seen.

So it's just us, then. I'll bring you back, Mifuyu, I swear.

Yachiyo summoned an arsenal of halberds, all directed at Mifuyu. At a gesture from her, they soared toward their target. The girl herself was still smiling, even as danger approached her from every angle.

Her chakram, meanwhile, was still in motion. It grew to five times its normal size, and flew around its master. Every time a halberd drew near, it lashed out at it, keeping each one from getting too close to Mifuyu.

There was one halberd it couldn't account for, however. The one Yachiyo was holding. She sprinted toward Mifuyu, and as the chakram spun her way, she dove through the hole in the center of it. With a single lunge, she finally forced Mifuyu to move, but it was too late for the other girl. Though she avoided a hit to the chest, her shoulder was grazed.

The smile dropped from Mifuyu's face.

"Oh, Yachan," she said, and in a burst of light her chakram turned into dozens of small, bladed rings. "You still don't get it. We should have heralded salvation together. If you had joined us, you would have become the Magius' most vital agent. You would have everything you want. No more girls would die because of your wish."

With that, the rings descended on Yachiyo, and she whirled her halberd to block as many as she could. "You're wrong!" she shouted. "If my wish is killing people, then I can't rely on a magic solution to save them! I have to be strong enough! I need people I can depend on to survive! That should be you, Mifuyu!"

Even as she spoke, rings cut at her flesh, drawing blood. Mifuyu was lunging at her with a kick, hoping to break her defense so all the weapons could strike her.

That wouldn't happen. Yachiyo sliced at Mifuyu's leg, forcing her to duck and roll to the side. Before she could get up, Yachiyo leaped into the air and stabbed downward, straight at her.

Twisting almost unnaturally backward, Mifuyu caught the shaft of Yachiyo's halberd, the blade so close it was brushing against her neck. Using strength beyond those of most Magical Girls, she tossed the weapon, and Yachiyo, aside.

A flip in the air let Yachiyo land on her feet. She had barely touched the ground before gliding forward, yelling as she swung at Mifuyu. Mifuyu's chakram had returned to normal, and she blocked the attack with it. Her arms didn't even shake from the impact.

Steel clanged against steel as Yachiyo swung again. She didn't stop there, backing up and lunging at every opportunity. Each time, her attack was either blocked or dodged. An overhead swing was caught by the chakram. A low sweep was jumped over. A stab was parried away. No matter how hard she tried, Yachiyo couldn't get close to Mifuyu. Finally, her halberd was yanked away from her as it got caught in Mifuyu's weapon. The pull made Yachiyo stumble, putting her less than a foot away from the girl who had been her life partner for so long.

"Mifuyu . . ." Yachiyo murmured. Her plea went ignored, as Mifuyu's eyes began to glow. Knowing what was coming, Yachiyo squeezed her own eyes shut.

"Paranoia Assault, Piercing Sun."

Even with her eyes closed, the light which crept through made her head pound. She nearly fell to her knees, and had to summon another halberd to lean on.

Mifuyu took immediate advantage of the opening she had provided. Her chakram dug into Yachiyo's side, just like it had in the previous battle. The spike of pain caused Yachiyo to gasp.

"When you wake up," Mifuyu whispered in her ear, "this will all be over. You'll be free."

No, Yachiyo thought. I won't fall. Not this time.

Darkness swirled in her soul gem, growing rapidly. She let magic flow through her body, desperately trying to heal her wounds. The action only made the darkness get worse, but she was fine with that.

"You're more than a teammate to me. You're the one person I can call a partner. I want to stay with you until the very end."

Yachiyo screamed as her Doppel came forth. A black, wide brimmed hat sprouted on her head, the attached veil covering her face. Two pincers, too big for a normal human to lift, encased her arms and hands. Behind her, a wispy black and white tail swung from side to side. Blue gems adorned the additions to her body.

Mifuyu tried to back away, but she was too late. Yachiyo slammed the pincers down, a raging whirlpool escaping from them. The current swept Mifuyu aside, slamming her into the wall and pelting her with water.

The water was forced to part as a flock of white birds soared through it. Those birds tried to slam into Yachiyo, but she knocked them aside with her tail.

Despite having just unleashed her Doppel, Mifuyu was already back to normal. Did being fused with the Uwasa let her use her Doppel on a whim, or did it snuff out the Doppel's presence so it could remain in control?

Now wasn't the time to ponder that. Yachiyo sprang forward, slamming into Mifuyu. They landed on the floor with Yachiyo on top of her, continuing to pin her down even as her own Doppel faded away.

Before making her speech, Flick had told everyone that they would need to connect with Mifuyu in order to free her. To do so, the one connecting would have to fully understand her. If Yachiyo had been the one fused, she knew Mifuyu would know her well enough to do the job. She hoped that the understanding was mutual.

Now or never, Yachiyo thought.

She kissed Mifuyu.

Literal magic flowed between them in that kiss. Yachiyo poured all her feelings into it, desperate for Mifuyu to understand. There was no doubt in Yachiyo's mind. She loved Mifuyu. Her dumb wish had kept her from confessing, too afraid of how their bond might hurt the love of her life. Now, though, she needed to trust. To trust in Flick's words. To trust in Mifuyu. To trust in herself.

The kiss ended far too soon, as Yachiyo pulled away to look into her eyes. In them, she saw sanity.

"Mifuyu . . ."

"Yachan . . ." Mifuyu lifted a trembling hand to Yachiyo's face. However, Yachiyo's heart was heavy, as she noticed Mifuyu was still wearing the dress that marked her fusion with the Uwasa.

Tears began to flow down Mifuyu's face. "I'm sorry, Yachan," she whispered. "I'm not strong enough to fight it."

"That's not true!" Yachiyo took Mifuyu's hand and gripped it desperately, leaving it pressed against her face. "I know you, Mifuyu. I know you don't want to be part of the Wings!"

"But I do!" Mifuyu sobbed. "Even when I know it's wrong, even when I want to stay by your side. I can't leave." She slipped her hand free from Yachiyo's grasp, and nudged her off of her. Then, she stood. Her eyes were beginning to swirl once more.

I don't know her after all, Yachiyo thought. She's been suffering all this time, and I pushed her struggles aside. Mifuyu, I'm so sorry . . .

"Yachiyo!" the door burst open, as Flick and the others poured in. "We found you!"

If Mifuyu was concerned by the sudden entries, she didn't show it. Her gaze swept over them, any lucidity in it now gone. "You're all here," she said. "Why do you struggle against liberation?"

It didn't surprise Yachiyo that Tsuruno was the one to step forward. "That's not what we're here for right now, Mifuyu!" she said. "We're here for you! Can't you see how much we need you?!"

Her words actually seemed to have an effect on Mifuyu, making her glance down. "Tsuruno," she muttered. "I always envied how you could face any horror with a smile. Even when the team split up, you were smiling."

Tsuruno's face twisted in pain. She stepped back, looking away. "I . . ." Her swallow was audible even from Yachiyo's position. "The smiles are fake. I smile for all of you. If I can help you all stay assured by smiling, then I'll keep doing so. I'd rather do that than burden you with my problems."

The words left Yachiyo reeling. She had never known Tsuruno was dealing with such struggles. Had she ever really known her or Mifuyu? Or had she always been too caught up in her own life to notice the pain they lived with every day?

"This isn't fair!" Everyone's eyes snapped toward the speaker, who flinched at the sudden attention. After quickly recovering, Iroha pressed on. "You're all friends, you should share your problems with one another!"

Iroha's eyes were steeled with a determination Yachiyo hadn't expected her to possess. The passion in her voice was clear as she spoke. "When I realized I was the only one who remembered Ui, I thought I was alone. But then I met all of you, and you've been helping me find her. I can stay calm because I know I'll meet her again with your help. So why can't you three help each other like you've helped me?!"

If only it were so simple. Yachiyo wished more than anything they could be that close. Mifuyu, Tsuruno, and her, they had all been through so much together. Yet from day one, there had been a rift between them. Was that why she felt the distance between her and Tsuruno was the same as that between her and Mifuyu, even though she had known Mifuyu for far longer? Were they all holding an arm between each other, no matter what happened?

I can't do this anymore. I can't keep them away.

Yachiyo stepped forward, causing Mifuyu to tense up. However, Yachiyo walked past her, to where Tsuruno was. Without hesitation, she embraced the other girl.

"M-Master?!" Tsuruno yelped.

"I'm sorry," Yachiyo whispered. "I never should have pushed you away. From now on, let's share our hardships with each other, okay? We don't have to suffer in silence."

"Yachiyo . . ." Tsuruno returned the hug, sniffling. "Y-Yeah! I feel stronger when you're with me!"

Together, they turned toward Mifuyu. "You too, Mifuyu," Yachiyo said. "Whatever responsibilities you may feel you have, you don't have to carry them alone." She extended her hand out, and saw the way Mifuyu looked at it with conflicting thoughts.

In her haze, Mifuyu didn't notice Flick approach her until she had put her hand on her shoulder. "The Feathers," Flick said. "You blame yourself for them getting involved, but you were used just like they were. We can help all of them, together. Trust in the people who love you."

Though Mifuyu's eyes were still swirling, Yachiyo could see tears form in them once more. Her labored breaths sounded deafening to Yachiyo's ears. Knowing what she had to do, she glanced at Tsuruno, who nodded. They locked hands, and each held their free hand for Mifuyu to take.

After one final moment of hesitation, Mifuyu released the tension that had built up within her. She reached out, grabbing their hands.

They connected.

There was a bright light, but Mifuyu hardly noticed it. Her eyes were centered on the two girls anchoring her. In particular, she found herself locked onto the beautiful blue haired girl just centimeters away from her face.

Mifuyu wasn't even sure who initiated it, but the two of them were kissing again. Tsuruno guided their other hands toward each other, as each pulled close to the other. In Yachan's embrace, Mifuyu felt safe. Warm. Protected.

It was like taking off her shoes. The Uwasa slipped away from her, its presence fading from the room. Mifuyu was back in her regular Magical Girl attire, still holding onto Yachan and kissing her.

Eventually, it had to end. As their faces parted, Mifuyu and Yachiyo smiled. They then turned to Tsuruno, smiling at her as well. The beam Tsuruno showed them in response seemed to light up her world.

Everything was going to be alright.

Mifuyu would never be alone.

Dear Yachan,

It's just the two of us now. The Villa feels so empty with only two people living in it. Before, there were five of us. And now . . .

I don't begrudge you for your choice. This whole situation is unfair. How could Kyubey have lied to us for so long? How did we never realize the truth in all our years together?

You saved me on that day, seven years ago. I would have surely died fighting my first Witch if you hadn't swept me up in your arms and stayed by my side. Truly, I saw you as my knight in shining armor.

Ever since then, you've protected me. I know I'm weaker than you, and my magic seems to be weakening as time goes on. I'm terrified. What's going to happen to me? What's going to happen to us?

You have always been there for me. I want to be there for you, Yachan. I'll do whatever I can to ensure we both survive the trials ahead.

If we can just find happiness together, then despite everything, I'll be the happiest girl in the world.

From, Mifuyu