Resonance Days

by TakerFoxx

Falling their mutual demise at each other's hands, Kyoko and Sayaka wake up in a strange world. Now, with Kyoko's soul gem missing and Sayaka's humanity and personality only partially restored, they must band together to survive.

5. Dead is the New Alive

Dead is the New Alive

Images and colors blended together. Faces emerged from the darkness to laugh at her only to vanish into nothingness. Sayaka came striding toward her, wearing her blue Puella Magi uniform, a knight in shining armor. She smiled and extended her hand. Kyoko reached out to take it, but then Sayaka's body fell apart, crumbling into a thousand pieces, each one becoming a tiny, silver-scaled fish. Kyoko grabbed at the fishes. If she could just catch them all, she could put Sayaka back together. But there were just so many, and they were all much too fast.

And then she was falling, falling, falling, tumbling head-over-heels through the darkness. Voices whispered to her through the black, voices she knew. Sayaka, Mami, Kyubey, Father, Mother, Momo, and a half-dozen others, all of them calling to her but never to each other.

"Don't cry, we'll be okay!"

"You…you did this for me? You think I wanted this…this blasphemy?"

"I'm such an idiot."

"Of course they will listen! All you need to do is make a contract with me!"

"I'm not your enemy! After all…After all, you were the first magical girl who believed as I did!"

"Big sis Kyo? Why is daddy crying? Are you crying too?"

And so they continued, all of them vying for her attention. But in the background of the babble, barely audible at first but steadily growing in volume, was the sound of a little girl, weeping. Kyoko frowned. Why was everyone so focused on talking to her? Why wasn't anyone trying to comfort the little girl?

Kyoko opened her mouth to ask just that, but then everyone shut up. Furthermore, she was no longer falling. She raised her head to see that she had landed on a smooth, black-and-white checkered floor that stretched as far as her sight would allow. Beyond that, there was nothing but shadows. With a sigh, she lay back down, her cheek pressing against the cool marble. She considered getting up, but she was just so tired, and the floor was so comfortable.

Soft footsteps came out of the darkness. Something was coming. She couldn't see its full form, things were just so dark, but its round, crimson eyes stared at her from about meter above the floor.

Kyoko watched as the eyes came closer and closer. She tried to make out the creature's shape, but the shadows seemed to move with it, hiding it from view.

And then, when it was less than a meter away, it stopped. Kyoko stared into its eyes, neither she nor it blinking. Had they continued without interruption, she might have gotten lost in its gaze, staring at it forever.

But then a pitch-black paw came out of the shadows to touch the black of her hand, and the creature spoke.

"Gotcha!"

Kyoko Sakura woke to the sound of voices, talking nearby.

She stared up at the ceiling, her heart pounding loudly as she tried to gather her thoughts. She had just had a nightmare, that much was certain, but what it had been about was swiftly fading, leaving her with nothing but the sense of gnawing dread and desperate loss. Red eyes had featured prominently, that much she could recall, and that irked her. Out of all the people she did not want to be featured in her dreams, Kyubey was near the top of the list.

But with the sleepy bewilderment was mixed a feeling of déjà vu. For the second time in so many days, she was waking up in a strange bed in a strange room. Only this time, there was no stupid fish-and-apple mobile turning over her head, so already this new place was an improvement. Her blurry eyes searched the slanting, wooden tiles of the ceiling, certain that it had to be somewhere, maybe hiding in the corner. But all she found was more ceiling.

Yawning, Kyoko closed her eyes, resolving to solve that mystery sometime in the future. But then, just like before, her mind managed to emerge enough from the thick fog to remind her of certain recent events and suggest that sleep could wait until she had addressed certain discrepancies.

Kyoko sat up straight, her eyes wide open. She looked around, frantically searching for some clue as to what had happened. However, this time she was not in a ghastly mock-up of her old room. In fact, this room looked rather normal, with wood-paneled walls, a hardwood floor, and a simple dresser sitting under a circular window to her right. There were pictures of a nice looking seaside town on the walls, a bookshelf filled with paperbacks in one corner, a single-door closet in the other, and a nightstand with a fat-bodied lamp next to the bed. A second bed, this one empty, sat near her own, neatly made up.

Kyoko kicked the covers away and swung her legs around. She was struck by a sudden wave of dizziness, which made her groan and grab at her head. How long had she been out? But when her head cleared, she made a disheartening discovery. Her clothes were gone, and in their place were pink pajamas, a couple sizes too big and patterned with smiling teddy-bears.

She stared at her new outfit. Suddenly, Ticky Nikki's assertion about them being in Hell was starting to accumulate evidence.

Sighing, Kyoko dropped to the floor and noted, to her displeasure, that her legs still weren't working right. She slapped some feeling back into them and shakily stood up. Once she felt strong enough, she summoned a spear into existence and made a quick search of the room but found nothing of note. The closet contained only naked coat-hangers, and the dresser and nightstand were both empty. And the view through the window simply told her that she was in some sort of raised structure over the sea.

Kyoko tiptoed over to the door and pressed her ear against its frame. A girl whose voice she didn't recognize was telling a story about a debacle while shopping at a bakery. Kyoko briefly considered swinging the door open to confront her mysterious rescuers, but decided against it. Her rescuers might very well turn out to be captors, and it would be best to get the drop on them first, just in case.

She returned to the window and checked to see if it opened. Fortunately, it did. Grunting, Kyoko climbed onto the dresser and crawled out into the salty air.

…

"So, so there I was," Charlotte said, leaning forward and holding her hands apart to demonstrate her point, "completely covered with sugar and holding the top half of the wedding cake in one hand and the Christmas log in the other, standing in a pile of jellybeans, and everyone is just staring at me."

She and Mami started laughing at the memory, and Oktavia joined in at the mental image she had conjured. "So what'd you do?" she asked.

Giggling, Charlotte said, "So I looked around and said, 'That's the last time I take those geese shopping!'"

"You didn't!" Oktavia said in surprise as the laughter erupted anew.

"She did," Mami confirmed, wiping away a tear of mirth. "It was months before they let us come back. They still don't let her anywhere near the cupcakes."

"It wasn't my fault!" Charlotte insisted. "I was misinformed!"

Mami gave her an affectionate peck on the cheek. "I know, but you have to admit, you did look very suspicious."

The three of them were sitting down to an afternoon tea. Mami and Charlotte were sitting together on the couch, and Oktavia in one of the two blue recliners that were placed on either side of the short-legged tea table. This had become one of Oktavia's favorite times of the day, as Mami and Charlotte were both home from work, and they had the best stories. And the snacks were always to die for, or they would be, if the term were not obsolete.

Oktavia had to admit, while Kyoko's condition and Elsa Maria's unknown fate was a source of constant worry and concern, the time she had spent here had been nothing short of wonderful, especially given what she had to go through to get here. Mami and Charlotte were more than welcoming, and Kyoko was getting all the help she needed. According to Dr. Young, it was only a matter of time before she woke up. Until then, Oktavia couldn't ask for a better place to wait, or better people to wait with.

Once she had gotten her snickering under control, Oktavia took a sip of her tea and started to ask Charlotte a question, but stopped when she saw that the pink-haired girl was staring at a spot beyond her with an expression of confusion.

"Uh, are you okay?" Oktavia said. "What's wrong?"

"Er, I think your friend's awake," Charlotte said.

"Kyoko?" Sayaka said, sitting up straighter. She looked toward the hallway, expecting to see the redhead standing there.

"Yeah, and she somehow got loose," Charlotte said, pointing.

Everyone looked. True enough, Kyoko was standing outside, still dressed in Charlotte's pajamas and staring through the large picture windows that were set into the walls. Given how thin she was and how hollow her cheeks had become, one might compare her to a Dickenson orphan, peering longingly into the homes of the more fortunate. However, the expression on her face wasn't one of yearning, but open-mouthed disbelief.

"What the heck?" Oktavia said. "How'd she get out there without us noticing?"

"The window, probably," Mami said. She put her tea down and stood up. "She is quite limber."

"I'm…going to forget I heard that," Charlotte muttered.

"Not what I meant, sweetie."

Seeing that everyone had noticed her, Kyoko moved over to the front door. The doorhandle jiggled, and then she started knocking loudly.

Wordlessly, Mami walked over to the door and opened it, letting Kyoko in. The redhead stood in place, staring at the blonde girl.

"Awkward," Charlotte muttered as she shifted in her seat.

"So," Kyoko said, her expression unchanging. "You're here."

Mami nodded. "Hello, Kyoko. It's…it's been awhile."

"Yeah. No kidding."

"Why were you outside?"

Kyoko shrugged. "Woke up someplace I didn't recognize. Heard someone talking that I didn't know. Figured it was safer to go around and check things out instead of walking into a nest of bad guys." She glanced around at the room. "Well, I guess I might as well face the facts, huh?"

Mami frowned. "I'm sorry?"

"You're dead," Kyoko said, her voice deadpan. "You got eaten by a witch. Everyone knows that."

Oktavia glanced at Charlotte, who had winced. Awkward indeed.

"Well, yes," Mami admitted. "But-"

"Hold up, still talking here." Kyoko closed her eyes and swayed. "You're dead, I'm supposed to be dead, Sayaka's over there, and she's also supposed to be dead, so…" Her shoulders slumped. "Aw, goddamn it. Elsa Maria was right. This is the freaking afterlife, isn't it?"

Mami's head jerked in a small nod. "I…understand if this is…"

Kyoko pushed past her and slouched her way inside. She shuffled over to Oktavia and plopped down on the recliner's armrest.

"Are you okay?" Oktavia said in a low voice. Mami walked around the table to reclaim her place next to Charlotte.

Instead of answering, Kyoko leaned over, grabbed the bowl of mint candies and pulled it into her lap. She then started stuffing handful after handful into her mouth. Everyone waited for her to finish without protest. Mami was already well aware of how dangerous interrupting a feasting Kyoko could be, Oktavia had gotten a hint in that direction back at the lighthouse, and Charlotte had since been informed, though she was clearly unhappy about the loss of the candies.

When the bowl was three-fourths of the way empty, Kyoko swallowed, wiped her mouth, and said, "Sayaka, what in the happy-hotsauce hells happened?"

Oktavia frowned. "You don't remember?"

Kyoko shook her head. "The last thing I remember is running out to the docks with you and Elsa. And then everything got all…swimmy."

Well, that made sense. Being shot in the head and injected full of poison would make anyone's memory a little shaky. "We got jumped," Oktavia said. "Same guys."

"Who, Annabelle Lee and the knife girl?" Kyoko let out an exasperated groan. "Well, I gotta give them credit. They're persistent."

Oktavia nodded. "Yeah, only this time they brought a couple friends."

"More emos? God, they're everywhere." She managed a faint smile. "Some things just never change, eh?"

Instead of responding to the weak attempt at humor, Oktavia pointed to an area near her bellybutton and said, "You got shot here, and here," she moved her finger to just above where her heart belonged, and then pushed up her bangs and pointed to a spot right above her right eyebrow, "and here."

"Oh," Kyoko said. "Well. That sucks."

"You also got injected with some sort of…something," Charlotte put in. "We're not really sure what it was, but it kept you from healing up and recovering." She shrugged and smiled. "Fortunately, Dr. Young doesn't mind making house calls. She said you won't be having any nasty side-effects, so there's that to be thankful for."

Kyoko frowned. "Hey, I'm sorry, but who the hell are you?"

Charlotte looked taken back by the sudden rudeness. She opened her mouth to respond, but Mami cut in. "My roommate," she said firmly. "And friend. She was the one who brought you into the house and got Dr. Young to come look at you."

"Okay, okay," Kyoko muttered. "Sorry, didn't mean nothing by it. Sheesh." She looked back to Oktavia, who, for her part, was lamenting the lack of mobility her tail granted her. Being stuck in the middle of an already awkward situation that promised to descend even further into awkwardness was not a place anyone would want to be.

"So, even after I kicked their mascara-covered asses, they didn't get the hint and decided to shoot for us again, only this time they brought even more losers with them. And guns. And they actually did something smart by taking me out before we knew they were there." She shrugged. "Okay, fair enough. It was good strategy, I'll admit it. But seeing how we ain't kissing Oblivion's boots, something pretty significant had to happen between then and now. How'd we get out of it?"

"Elsa Maria," Oktavia answered, though saying it hurt. She had been doing her best not to think of Elsa much over the last few days. Kyoko's coma had been worry enough without adding survivor's guilt into the mix. "She saved us."

Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "No shit! Wow, didn't think she had it in her. I mean, she was cool and all, but…Hey, how'd she do it? Did she bust out some crazy witch powers or something?"

"Something like that," Oktavia said, repressing a shudder. Though Elsa's arms had saved them, the memory of them was still terrifying. "She drove them off, stole their boat, and put us on it. After a while, we ended up here."

"Ah. Okay." Kyoko looked around. "Can't help but notice that she's not here at the teaparty though. Unless she just went to the bathroom or something. That has to be it, right?" She let out a slightly crazy laugh. "After all that smoked fish and concrete biscuits, all this rich food must be really hard on her stomach. I bet she's been waking up like three times a night and rushing out to take a massive dump. Hell, I was that way for about a week, after I got my powers and didn't have to scrounge around in restaurant dumpsters anymore. Crazy diarrhea. Every night. Every freaking night!"

Everyone stared at her.

Except she didn't, did she?" Kyoko's hands tightened around the bowl. "She's not here, is she? She stayed behind, didn't she? To give us time to get away. Because that's the sort of thing she'd do, even though we just met her and she didn't owe us shit-"

Her throat tightened and she huddled over the bowl, not letting anyone see her face. Oktavia swallowed. True, she really hadn't known Kyoko all that long, and thus could not say to have even scratched the surface of the redhead's troubled personality. But still, this open display of grief and concern for a near-stranger surprised her.

But why should it? It was true, Elsa had, for all intents and purposes, sacrificed herself for them. And despite her roughness, Kyoko wasn't made of stone.

Oktavia slowly raised her hand and laid it on Kyoko's arm. The redhead flinched at the touch, but didn't shake it off.

"Charlotte went back for your friend," Mami said in a low voice. "After you two arrived and we learned what happened. She went back to help her. Once right after you got here, and again the day after."

There was a pause, and then Kyoko's head rose by mere millimeters.

"It was too late. There was no one there, and the lighthouse had been set on fire." Mami took a deep breath, let it out, and said, "I'm sorry."

Letting out a bitter laugh, Kyoko said, "Well, hey. I guess I was right after all. Some things just never change. Even here, in the fucking afterlife, anyone who tries to be nice to me ends up getting screwed over."

She jumped suddenly to her feet. "But hey, at least I made it out okay. That's what matters, right?" She put the bowl back on the table. "I mean, that's how I roll. Look out for me and me alone, and to hell with anyone who gets in the way."

"It's not your fault," Oktavia said.

Kyoko's head swung around to face Oktavia, her copper hair whipping around. Oktavia was taken back by the look on Kyoko's face. Her eyes, normally narrow with her perpetual smirks, frowns, or scowls, were now wide open and blank, and her voice was far too high-pitched. "My fault? Did I ever say it was my fault? Did the words 'It's all my fault that the emos tracked us to her lighthouse and dragged her away to get tortured and shit just because she dared to stick her neck out for us' ever come out of my lips? Look, Sayaka, don't go putting words in my mouth that I didn't-"

Mami cleared her throat. "Ah, Kyoko?"

Kyoko looked at her. "Yeah, what's up?"

The blonde tilted her head toward the front door. "Would you like to speak in private?"

For one brief moment, Kyoko looked like she was about to answer with something biting and sarcastic, but she seemed to think better of it and said, "Yeah, hell. Why not? We're way overdue anyway." She started toward the door. "Come on, living dead girl. Let's catch up."

Mami glanced at Charlotte and Oktavia. "We'll be right back," she said as she rose to follow.

Once they had left and the door had shut, Oktavia slowly allowed her rigid shoulders to relax. "Well," she said. "That could have gone a whole lot better. They really didn't part on the best of terms, did they?"

"She stole my tart," Charlotte said, looking down at her empty plate.

…

Kyoko leaned over the railing and stared out to sea. Judging by the sun's position, it was now mid-afternoon, and a pretty one at that. Of course, calm, cloudless days at sea were, by default, pretty, but that didn't take away from the tranquility. Father had been fond of mixing sea metaphors into his sermons.

"Life!" he would say. "The ocean is filled with life, of all kinds! From humble shellfish to great and mighty whales! From the moody eels to the proud octopuses (or was it octopi? Kyoko had never figured that out) to the playful dolphins to the cold-minded sharks. Hundreds, thousands of different lifeforms, celebrating the Lord's variety! And yet, they all live in the same ocean!"

Looking back, Kyoko felt an urge to point out that those same lifeforms spent the majority of their time tearing each other apart, but most metaphors broke down, when examined closely.

As did everything else, apparently. Here she was, standing on a metal platform, staring out into the open ocean. While she didn't visit the ocean often, that in itself wasn't anything strange. Except for the fact that Mami was standing right behind her.

Mami, her mentor. Mami, the closest friend she had ever had. Mami, the girl she had idolized.

She had met the veteran Puella Magi not too long after making her own contract with that thrice-damned Kyubey and restoring her father's congregation. Back then, Kyoko had still been a wide-eyed rookie, eager to prove herself and be the best magical girl ever. And then, during an especially frustrating battle against a witch that just would not stay down, Mami had shown up to help. And Kyoko had been in absolute awe of her. Mami had been everything Kyoko wanted to be one day: courageous, beautiful, skilled, kind, compassionate, and yet still a total badass. After they had defeated the witch, Kyoko had gone up to her right there and then and asked the older girl to take her under her wing and tutor her in the ways of the Puella Magi. And Mami, glad to have found a friend, had accepted.

And for a time, it had been fantastic. Kyoko's skills had increased ever the quicker, and the two of them had become quite the team. Witch after witch was taken down, and word had started to spread among the Puella Magi of Mami and Kyoko, the unstoppable duo.

Unfortunately, like all that was good in Kyoko's life, it was doomed to end in horrible fashion. The disillusionment that had resulted from her father's murder/suicide had driven a wedge into their friendship, until it had deteriorated into open hostility. They had separated, with Mami continuing to patrol Mitakihara alone while Kyoko had gone to seek greener pastures.

And then, months later, Kyoko heard the news. Mami was dead, killed in action. And despite all they had once meant to each other, her reaction had been something down the lines of, "Huh, sucks to be her. I wonder if Mitakihara is up for grabs?"

Looking back, Kyoko realized just how far gone she had been. While she didn't apologize for many of the objectionable things she had done since they had parted ways, the fact that she had responded so coldly to her former idol's death was…troubling, to say the least.

Except now Mami was, in fact, standing right behind her. And that was even more troubling.

Kyoko sighed, bit off half of the raspberry tart she had nicked from Mami's roommate, and said through a mouthful of crumbs, "You know what kills me?"

Behind her, Mami hesitated and said, "Ah, I assume you're not being literal?"

"A little too late for that, Goldilocks. Nah, it's funny. See, my dad used to always talk about what comes after death, Heaven and all that. And he would always go on and on about how it's like freaking Disneyland meets…I don't know, a five star all-you-can-eat buffet or something. Minus the lines. A really, really awesome place, is what I'm saying. Someplace where nothing could ever hurt you, and everyone you ever loved is always there, and no one could take them away."

"I remember," Mami said, nodding. "He did make it sound wonderful."

"Heh, that's right. I did drag you along to a few sermons." Kyoko's face softened as her voice turned wistful. "I liked the way he told it, because I always figured…Well, that we were going there one day, you know? The four of us: mom, dad, Momo, and me together in Heaven. Sounds fucking beautiful, don't it?"

She laughed and tilted her head back to smirk at Mami over her shoulder. "Of course, later I understood that it was all complete bull. I mean, he'd never been there, so how could he know what it's like? Did God send him a postcard or something?" She returned her gaze to the ocean. "But anyway, once it happened, it all stopped mattering anyway. I stopped caring about the afterlife and all that. I had enough shit to worry about, just with living. Still, I did have an idea of what it would be like, at least for me. And I gotta say, this ain't anything like I pictured!"

She waited for Mami to say something like "More clouds and cake?" or "Fewer emos?" or something dumb like that. But apparently Mami knew her too well, as she remained silent and watched, waiting.

Deciding to continue without the prompt, Kyoko said gestured toward the ocean and said, "For on, I sure as hell didn't expect all this water. I thought there'd be more fire."

Mami spoke then. "Kyoko," she started, but the redhead cut her off.

"See, he never talked about Hell all that much. I guess he figured we had enough hell on earth to worry about. But maybe he should've taken a closer look, because we were bound to spend eternity together anyway. I mean, I sold my soul and he killed his family and hanged himself! Not exactly the types they let through the Pearly Gates, you know?"

"Stop it," Mami said firmly. "It's not your fault."

Kyoko sighed. "What is it with people thinking I'm blaming myself? I know it ain't my fault! I got duped! So did you! We all did. But that shouldn't have mattered. I mean, rules are rules, yeah? You don't go making deals with things like Kyubey and expect to do anything but burn. Except I guess the rules don't apply to us, do they?"

"I suppose they don't," Mami admitted. "But would rather they did?"

"You mean, go to Hell?" Kyoko shrugged. "I dunno. I guess not, but at least I'd know what to expect."

Mami took in a deep breath and slowly let it out in a sigh. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Kyoko, I know…this is all very-"

"What's with this 'Kyoko' business?" Kyoko interrupted.

"Eh?"

"You never called me by my first name. It was always 'Sakura' this and 'Sakura' that. Hell, you never called anybody by their first name."

"Oh. That." Relieved at the subject change, Mami smiled and said, "Well, I guess it just fell out of habit. So many of the people I know are former witches, and only a small handful actually have family names, if they can be called that. So people here mostly just use given names."

"Huh." Kyoko's brow furrowed as she stuffed the rest of the tart into her mouth. "Well, it makes sense for the afterlife to be all ironic. I mean, we spent every day hunting them down, and now they're our next-door neighbors." She swallowed the mouthful of pastry. "Or roommates, apparently. Who is that chick, anyway?"

"The one you stole that tart from? Her name is Charlotte."

"Charlotte, huh? That's it? Just Charlotte?"

"Just Charlotte," Mami confirmed. "You see my point?"

Kyoko shrugged. "I guess," she said, wiping crumbs from her mouth with her sleeve. "So, what's her story anyway? She's not one of the witches we took down together, is she? Because that would be too awkward for words. Hilarious, but awkward."

Moments after the words had come out of her mouth, Kyoko came to a sudden, horrible realization. "Oh sweet Christ-on-a-fucking-bicycle," she said before Mami could answer. Her eyes widened. "That's her, ain't it? That's the witch that freaking ate you!"

Mami grimaced. "Yes, she is. But please, for the love of God, don't bring it up, not around her, not ever!"

"You mean she doesn't know?" Kyoko gaped. "She did that to you, and she doesn't know?"

"What? No! Of course she knows!" Mami grabbed Kyoko by the shoulders and pleaded, "But it's a very sensitive topic for her, she took it very hard when we figured it out, so please don't bring it up!"

"Okay, okay, message freaking received!" Uncomfortable with the sudden contact, Kyoko pushed Mami's hands off. "I get it already!"

Unfortunately, Mami didn't restore the distance between them. "Promise me, Kyoko. Promise me that you'll never-"

"Fine, fine," Kyoko said, leaning away. "Chillax, and some breathing room please?"

Mami stared into the redhead's eyes, as if trying to gauge her sincerity. Apparently what she found satisfied her, as she relaxed and stepped back. "I'm sorry. It's just…we had a rocky start, and I really hate it when something reminds her."

"Yeah, I'm getting that," Kyoko said, scratching her head. Something wasn't adding up, and it was bugging the hell out of her. "And, ah, hey. Something's bugging me here. You keep talking like you've been here for a long time, and seeing how you got this nice house…out in the middle of nowhere…but that don't make sense. I mean, you haven't been dead for even a month!"

"Oh. That." Mami glanced down at her feet. "Well, I guess you were going to figure it out sooner or later."

Irritated, Kyoko said, "Figure what out? Don't tell me this place works on some kind of Narnia bullshit."

"Narnia what?" Mami said, staring blankly.

"Are you serious!" Kyoko said, staring at her in disbelief. "You never…Ah, forget it. What I mean is, time flows differently here, right? Like, we could be here for a month, go back and find out it's only been an hour."

"That's…Well, I'm afraid so," Mami admitted. The subject was making her uncomfortable. "Only, well, we can't go back, but even if we could, it would be a whole lot less than an hour."

Kyoko's stomach dropped. "Mami, how long have you been here?"

"Well, let's see," Mami said, touching a hand to her forehead as she thought. "The time difference isn't really that consistent, but…Okay, Natsuru and Shizuku left about three years ago, so that means…" She winced, and said, "I can't say for sure, but it's been about seven years."

Kyoko's legs lost their strength, and she had to cling to the guardrail to keep from collapsing onto her bottom. "Seven…years?" she repeated, if only to confirm that she had heard Mami correctly.

"Give or take, yes."

Seven years. Seven years had passed for Mami, since she had died. Kyoko had read stories about afterlifes and other universes in which time flowed at quicker or slower rates, but to actually experience one firsthand…the implications were staggering, and just a little terrifying.

Especially since that meant…

"Mami," Kyoko said, her voice sounding raw. She pushed herself back up. "How long was I out?"

"Out? You mean unconscious?"

"Yeah."

"Five days."

"Five days, huh?" Kyoko frowned. "That's a long time to be flat on your back. And add the time before that…I've been here, maybe six days total? Give or take?"

"I suppose."

Six days. A fair amount of time, all things considered. But if seven whole years had passed for Mami since her death, than practically no time at all had passed back home for Kyoko, in the world of the living. In fact, Homura Akemi and Madoka Kaname were probably still fleeing Sayaka's collapsing barrier. Hell, her body, or what was left of it after that explosion, probably still hadn't hit the floor.

Kyoko started to feel very cold inside.

"Kyoko?" Mami said in concern. "Are you…"

Kyoko's stomach heaved. Clasping her hands over her mouth, she doubled over and fought to keep her rebellious digestion under control as the tart and mint candies threatened to force their way out. Mami moved forward to help her, but Kyoko waved her off. If there was one thing she could do without help, it was keeping food from-

The food won. Kyoko spun around and threw her upper body over the railing just as a mess of crushed candy, mushed pastry, and burning bile exploded out of her mouth to fall into the ocean. Two more contractions followed until there was nothing coming out except the bile.

Mami helpfully patted her back and rubbed between her shoulders as Kyoko coughed. The redhead wiped away the wetness from her eyes and nose and glowered at where the vomit had disappeared.

"So what, you had a problem with my stomach, is that it?" she shouted down at the water. "Well, fuck you! That was a violation of your food contract! And I swear to God, I'm gonna find whoever made you and report your sugary asses!"

Mami laughed. "You always did take your food seriously."

"Still do, especially when they start pulling that crap. What, you think I'm just gonna let that fly?"

"Well, seeing how I made the tart and we're friends with the people who made the candies, consider them reported."

"Glad t'hear it." Kyoko turned back around and let herself slump down to the metal walkway. She leaned against the railing and stared up at the sky. Mami sat down next to her.

A handful of seconds ticked by in which neither of them spoke, and then Kyoko sighed and said, "Well, I gotta admit. Whenever I heard the phrase, 'See you on the other side,' I never thought it would be so literal." She tilted her head and favored Mami with a sidelong smirk. "I guess you'd say life is funny that way, but that really don't apply anymore either, does it?"

"Who's to say it doesn't?" Mami said. She brought up her knees and rested her arms on them. "Afterlife or not, some things never change."

"Yeah." Kyoko eyed Mami's house. "This…really ain't how I thought how our reunion would be either."

"The same."

"Yeah? How'd you picture it?"

Mami winced. "I don't know if I should tell you…"

"Aw, come on," Kyoko said, elbowing the blonde in the side. "We're dead. You gotta get over being embarrassed when you're dead."

"I told you, some things never change. But fine." Sighing, Mami looked upward and tapped her chin. "Well, after we…separated…I started fantasizing about running into you fighting a witch, and you're having trouble…"

"Oh, for God's sake!" Kyoko rolled her eyes. "That's just a rerun of how we met!"

"And then, well…" Her voice trailed off.

"Come on," Kyoko goaded, who was enjoying the older girl's discomfort more than she should have. "I wanna hear this. Finish the story."

Mami took a deep breath and finished in a hurry. "And then we fight together again, but you get injured, so I have to take you home and take care of you until-"

Kyoko didn't even try to hold back the laughter that leapt out of her. That was so typically Mami that she wasn't even offended by how weak the fantasy made her look.

"Oh, stop it," Mami said crossly. She lightly punched the redhead in the shoulder. "I was upset, all right? We've all had silly fantasies."

"Yeah, but that's gotta be the lamest white-knight crap I've ever heard!" Kyoko said, pushing Mami back. "Did it end with me being all grateful and vulnerable and wanting to make it up to you in any way I could?"

Mami scowled in disapproval. "Now I know for sure where Oktavia got it from. When did you become so crass?"

"You want the short answer, or the really long and detailed one?" Kyoko gibed. "I can make illustrations if you like." She started laughing again as Mami, already red with embarrassment, buried her face in her palm.

"Well, for your information, no, it didn't end like that," Mami said when Kyoko started to calm down. "I just saw us talking things out and becoming friends again."

"Aw, that's it? No hot and steamy-"

"Kyoko," Mami said, gently but not without warning.

Kyoko held her hands up. "Fine, fine. I just think my fantasy alter-ego should be entitled to getting some action, that's all."

"Do you take anything seriously anymore? I mean besides food."

"Sure. Plenty of things. I just reserve the right to critique any fantasy that casts me in a starring role. I mean, come on! Even you have to admit that that's kinda silly."

"Oh, give me a break. It was just a fantasy. I mean, I missed you."

Kyoko snorted, but her face softened. "Yeah, all right. I guess I've had my share of dumbass daydreams too."

"Oh?" Mami raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."

"Nah," Kyoko said with a laugh. "I don't think so."

"Hmmm." Mami shrugged and stretched her legs out. "Okay."

Kyoko eyed her. "That's it? Okay? That's all you've got to say?"

"I'm not going to pry. If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to."

"Now that's just cheating," Kyoko muttered. She gripped the warm steel of the railing behind her and pushed herself back up to her feet. "Gotta go make me feel bad. All right, I'll be honest. After I cooled down a bit, I did kinda regret some of the things I said…" Her fist twitched as she recalled the feet of her knuckles impacting against Mami's face. "…and did…" She shook her head. "And I started wondering if I should go back and try to patch things up."

"You did?" Mami said, tilting her head to one side. There was a hopeful note of longing in her voice that made Kyoko cringe.

"Look, don't get the wrong idea," Kyoko was quick to say. "I meant what I said, back when we fought. I was doing it for you just as much as me. I…" Her throat constricted. She grimaced and looked away. Damn it, why did this have to be so difficult? "I…didn't want to…drag you down with me."

"Oh Kyoko," Mami said, her face falling. She stood up as well and put her hands on Kyoko's shoulders. "You…you didn't have to do that to yourself. I could have helped you! Believe it or not, I did have an idea what you were going through."

Kyoko angrily pulled away. "Why, 'cause you lost your family too? You think that was the same thing? Bullshit! It was a car crash! They happen all the time! And unless you grabbed the wheel away from your dad or something, that shit weren't your fault!"

"No, but I had a chance to save them, didn't I? One wish, and we all would've been all right. Instead I chose to save myself, and myself alone." Mami took a step forward. "Maybe you're right. Maybe what happened to you was far worse than what happened to me. But I still know what it's like to stay up all night crying into my pillow, wondering where I had gone wrong, wondering why I didn't do things differently. I could have been there for you, Kyoko. I should have been there, wanted to be there. But you wouldn't let me!"

…

Oktavia leaned over the recliner's armrest, trying to see through the window. From the look of things, Mami and Kyoko's reunion was starting to get heated. She grimaced and eased herself back into place.

"Yeah, definitely not on the best of terms at all," she said. "How long do you think this'll last?"

Charlotte, who had been sitting in place ever since with her gaze firmly fixated on the far wall ever since Mami and Kyoko had left the room, simply said, "Given what I've heard about how they separated…we're in for a long wait."

"Ah. Rats." Oktavia squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. "So…what do we do in the meantime?"

"Stay here. If they start throwing punches-"

"Try to separate them?" Oktavia suggested.

"What, get between those two? Are you insane? No, we hide under the table, and hope the platform is still here when they're done."

"Got it." Oktavia sighed. As glad as she was that Kyoko was awake, the awkwardness of the situation was increasing at an infuriating rate. So was her boredom.

She sat still, listening to what few words she could catch from the conversation coming from outside. She felt bad about eavesdropping, but getting up and leaving wasn't exactly possible.

Then Charlotte sighed. "So," she said. "You up for a game of cards while we wait?"

…

Kyoko growled. Indignation welled up within her, and she had to turn and grip the railing with both hands to keep from lashing out with her fists. She waited until her arms stopped trembling before saying, "Had my reasons. And I don't think there was anything you coulda done."

"But you don't know that!"

"Yeah, well, the thing about that, it's way too late to find out." Kyoko folded her arms over the railing and glowered at the sparkling water. "And hell, maybe you're right. Maybe you coulda helped me through all that, stopped me from going down my downward spiral. Hell, things woulda turned out a hell of a lot better. I mean, I woulda been there, fighting with you. Probably coulda saved you from getting your ass eaten. Hell, we probably would both still be alive. And as for Sayaka…" She shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe things woulda been better for her too. But that's kinda the point, ain't it? We don't know what woulda happened, but we do know what did happen. And that's what we gotta deal with, what's right in front of us." Keeping one hand on smooth steel bar, she turned to look at Mami over her shoulder. "So what say we stop worrying about what coulda happened and focus on what's happening now?"

A few terse moments of silence ticked past as Mami studied Kyoko's face. Finally, reluctantly, she nodded. "Okay. You're right. Regrets will get us nowhere."

Kyoko smirked. "There, you see?" She turned fully around and leaned back against the railing. "But yeah, getting back on track, things got kinda ugly afterward. I kept hunting witches, but after a while, I stopped caring about protecting humans. They just seemed so insignificant, you know? A bunch of slack-jawed, glassy-eyed idiots that crowded the streets like so much cattle, not one of them mattering in the least, useful for nothin' but providing cannon fodder to draw out witches and pump up familiars."

As the words left Kyoko's mouth, her mind marveled at what she was saying. After all, it wasn't as if she were recounting ancient history. It had been (to her at least) only a couple weeks ago that she had been like that. And now she was talking about it like it was some sort of past life. Okay granted, it actually was, but she meant in the metaphorical sense. Had she really changed that much? She didn't feel that different. But then again, two weeks ago she wouldn't have stuck her neck out for some punk-ass rookie, much less willingly died for her.

As strange as it sounded, Kyoko actually found this realization to be quite encouraging. Heartened by this, she continued. "Before too long, I was just going from one city to the next and getting worse and worse. I wanted something, I took it: food, money, whatever. If I got bored, I'd go find some street punks to beat up." She shrugged. "I remember this one night, where I was in this park, investigating a spot where someone had seen a familiar. And this cop started bugging me, asking why I was out by myself so late and who my parents were, how I needed to go home and yadda yadda yadda. So you know what I did? I kicked him in the face!"

Mami winced.

"What? Don't give me that look. I told you I how bad I had gotten, so don't act all surprised. But anyway, I ended up breaking his nose and knocking him clean out. Maybe gave him a concussion too. I dunno, I stopped caring after he dropped. I just left him there and went back to looking for that familiar."

Shrugging again, Kyoko rubbed the back of her neck as she shuffled her bare feet. "I mean, I ain't proud of what I did, but that's how far I had gotten."

"So what happened?" Mami asked. "You're obviously different now. What made you change your mind?"

Kyoko laughed. "Ain't it obvious?" She tilted her head toward the house, and the two witches inside. "I met that dumbass in there. Some rookie looking to take your place, as green as they come! And oh man, she just pissed me off! Going on and on about how she was some kind of hero of justice and a defender of the people." Kyoko shook her head. "And she just would not quit. No matter how many times I kicked her ass, no matter how many times I showed her how stupid she was being, the little idiot just. Would. Not. Stay. Down. She just kept getting up over and over, even though she couldn't win!"

A small smile appeared on Mami's face. "Sounds like somebody I know."

"If that wasn't the point I'm trying to make, I'd shove you into the water," Kyoko said, rolling her eyes. "But yeah, that was what really pissed me off. She was just like me, wanting to do good and be a proper magical girl. And you know what she wished for? To have her not-boyfriend's freaking hand fixed, so he could play the violin again. And he wouldn't give her the time of day afterward. L-A-M-E!"

Kyoko rested her elbows on the railing and let her head fall back. "But you know what else?" she said, staring up at the sky. "As much as her naïveté annoyed me, and as hard as I tried to beat some sense into her, she wouldn't break. She just kept sacrificing herself more and more. And…okay, it did get pretty stupid when she wouldn't even recharge her soul gem…"

"She didn't?" Mami said, blinking in surprise. "Why not?"

Kyoko shrugged. "Eh, I kinda made a big deal about how gathering more soul gems was what mattered. I think she was trying to prove a point."

"But…" Mami pushed her bangs back as she struggled with Sayaka's bizarre behavior. "Even if she didn't know what would happen to her, she had to know that letting her soul gem go completely dark was a bad idea!"

"I think by that point she was trying to kamikaze. She was kinda nuts by then," Kyoko admitted. "But still…Er, what was I saying?"

"You were trying to make a point, but got lost."

"Right, right." Kyoko straightened and started walking back and forth across the walkway. "My point was, even if she was being all kinds of stupid and I was doing my damnedest to make her wake up…I even took her to the church and told her what had happened to my family! But anyway, I kept trying to change her, but after a while, the opposite started happening. I started remembering what it was like to be like that, only minus the bullheaded stupidness."

"You mean honorable?" Mami said.

"Yeah, honorable. And selfless. And compassionate." Kyoko laughed. "You know, hero stuff. And…it felt good. I was actually starting to miss being the good guy."

"She said that you tried everything to get her back after she had turned," Mami said. "And when that turned out to be impossible, you sacrificed yourself so she wouldn't be alone in death. That sounds pretty heroic to me."

"I know, right? A regular Lancelot, that's me!"

There was a noticeable hesitation before Mami asked her next question. "I also understand that you went into Oktavia's barrier with Madoka Kaname. Do you know what happened to her?"

"Her?" Kyoko shrugged. "Hey, the last time I saw her, she and Homura Akemi were running for all they were worth. Probably still are, actually, with this damn time difference."

"Homura?" Mami said sharply. "Homura Akemi?"

"Yeah, apparently you two met."

"I'll say we did," Mami said. "And you trust her?"

Kyoko considered the question. "Well, for some thing yes, some things no. I definitely don't like her, I can tell you that much. But do I trust her to watch over the kid and keep Kyubey the hell away from her? Then yeah, I do."

Mami still looked troubled, but she nodded. "All right, I'll…I'll trust your judgment."

"Heh. Probably the first time anyone has, in a long time." Kyoko smirked, but it didn't last long.

Mami noticed. "Kyoko? What's wrong?"

Kyoko shuffled her feet. "Well, it's stupid, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that when I thought you were dead and gone and I would never see you again, I really didn't give a damn. But now that the whole stupid 'See you on the other side' thing actually freaking happened, I don't know how I'm supposed to feel." She pointed at her head. "It's like there's this part of my brain that keeping telling me that there's no way this could be happening, that I have got to be still dreaming. Because you're dead, and you can't talk to dead people. But then the rest of my brain starts ganging up on it, reminding me that I'm dead too, so of course I could, and…" She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and let out another small laugh.

Mami, hesitated, and then said, "I don't know if this will make things any better, but I know exactly how you feel."

Kyoko tried to put her hands in her jacket pockets only to be reminded that she wasn't wearing it, so she settle for folding her arms and saying, "Yeah, I guess you would."

"Though for what it's worth, even though the circumstances are…horrible, I am glad to see you again, Kyoko," Mami added.

Kyoko's face went at war with itself again, not quite rising to a smile but giving its best effort. "Horrible. Yeah. You got eaten, and I got stupided. Horrible is right."

Mami gave her a long look. "Weren't you the one saying that we shouldn't bury ourselves with regrets? Kyoko, I won't deny that you went through Hell. I went through a little bit of it myself. But just because we went through Hell doesn't mean we have to stay there."

Kyoko scowled. "Now you're starting to sound like Elsa Maria, what with her talk about this place being some kind of second chance for us."

"Well, she's right. I can tell you that firsthand. Losing my parents was horrible. Watching your heart and soul break was horrible. Being alone was horrible. And dying was really horrible. But now?" Mami looked up at the sky, her full lips forming a smile, small but genuine. "I'm happier than I've ever been. I'm not risking my life for a lie anymore. I have friends now, friends that know what I went through because they went through it themselves, so we're able to build each other up. I have a real life here. Sure, I had to die to find it, but seeing how I was just another dupe conned into believing myself to be something I'm not, I'm not complaining. You can have the same thing too, Kyoko. A chance to start over. To rebuild yourself. To heal."

"What, retire?" Kyoko said, feeling incredulous. "Just quit and settle back into being boring?"

Mami hesitated. "Kyoko, I hate to remind you, but you're kind of dead. If you're not allowed to rest after you've died, then when can you?"

Kyoko was unconvinced. "Nice speech. Too bad I've heard it before. Same feeling, only with different words. How do you know you're not being conned now, that this ain't just another spoke in Kyubey's wheel?"

"Oh, I've considered it," Mami admitted. "And I know I'm not the first person to have had some thoughts. Oblivion's army is full of them."

That reminded Kyoko. "And yeah, speaking of which, let's say I do go along with this. Hang up my spear, and join whateverthefuck you've got going here. You keep talking like I can just retire now and stop fighting, but I'm a wanted girl. You know Oblivion's morons are just going to keep coming after me."

"No, they won't," Mami said, her voice firm and confident.

Kyoko snickered. "Oh, so certain are you."

"I am. You may not believe this, but there is kind of a political system here…"

…

Oktavia frowned at the cards clutched in her hand. She glanced over them at Charlotte, who was staring impassively at her own hand.

"Got any sevens?" Oktavia asked.

"Go fish," Charlotte replied, holding a serving tray containing a small pile of cards to her.

Oktavia dug into the pile, chose a card, and brought it to her hand. It was a nine. Grimacing, she said, "By the way, how strong are the windows, anyway?"

Charlotte glanced up at her. "Why?"

"Well, if they start throwing each other around, I want to make sure I don't have to duck any flying bodies and shards of glass."

"Ha." Charlotte looked back to her cards. "Trust me, if that happens, the windows could be made from transparent steel and it still won't make a difference. They'll smash right through just the same."

Oktavia made a face, but she shrugged. "Huh. The bar fights in town must be a sight to see then."

"Oh, you have no idea. Hey, you have any nines?"

…

"That's it, I'm out," Kyoko said as she threw up her hands and turned to walk away. "Fuck politics. I'm gonna go see if Hell has a taxi service that'll pick me up."

"Oh, stop being dramatic," Mami said, arresting Kyoko's movement with a hand on her shoulder. "It's nothing like that. And you didn't let me finish. What I was going to say was that Freehaven is actually part of a larger network of settlements. There're three other larger towns and a handful of smaller groups. And Oblivion's not allowed to touch any of them, not her or her forces. There's a treaty."

That made Kyoko laugh. "Or what? She gets put on time out? Seriously, everything I've heard makes this bitch out to be some kind of evil empress. Who's going to stop her?"

"We are," Mami said. "You are forgetting that all of those settlements are populated by Puella Magi and witches. Sure, she has an army, but we are an army, one that's at least as large as hers, if not larger. And I can tell you, we take keeping her out very seriously. If she bothers any one of us, she risks having the entire network declaring war on her."

As Kyoko pondered this new bit of information, she was struck by the strangeness of it all. She was still getting used to the idea of thinking of witches as friends and allies rather than monsters to be hunted and destroyed, but for some reason the idea of all those Puella Magi backing her up was equally weird. Given the scarcity of grief seeds, she always saw them as enemies and competitors. But now they apparently were ready to go to war on her behalf? Now that was bizarre.

"But why would they do that for me?" Kyoko demanded. "I just got here. They don't even know me."

"No, but they know me," Mami said. "And they know Charlotte. And you two are under our protection. An attack on you is an attack on us. And an attack on us is an attack on the alliance as a whole. Believe me, Oblivion wouldn't risk it, no matter how badly she wanted you. She's strong, but she's not that strong."

Kyoko frowned, not yet willing to buy into the idea of Mami's group of friends being that intimidating, but she didn't voice her doubts.

"And in the meantime, I know people who are very good at digging up information. Maybe they can find out exactly why Oblivion is interested in you in the first place." Mami extended her hand. "Kyoko, I know it's not in your nature to trust people anymore, but please don't reject our help. Maybe I didn't get the chance to help you back then, but I want to now. Please give me a chance?"

Kyoko eyed the offered hand. It was true, she wasn't sure if she much cared for the idea of having a bunch of strangers solve her problems for her. And there was something about this whole setup that just smelled rotten to her. Despite her claims to the contrary, Mami was more than likely getting duped all over again. It wouldn't be surprising to find out that Reibey was secretly running both Oblivion's group and Mami's alliance thing from behind the scenes.

But for now, all she had were suspicions. And if this was all a con, than Mami was caught in it, and would need help getting out. Granted, Kyoko wasn't the type to stick her neck out for people, but she was trying to correct that.

On the other hand, Mami might be right. And if that was the case…

Reluctantly, Kyoko reached out and took Mami's hand, though she didn't shake it. "Just so we're clear," she said. "I'm still not buying that this place is as awesome as you make it sound."

"All I ask is that you give it a chance," Mami said as their hands separated. "In fact, we all need to go to Freehaven tomorrow anyway. The mayor has asked to speak with you in person when you were ready, so it'll be a good time for you to see the place for yourself."

"Mayor?" Kyoko said, her face twisting. "Who the hell is that?"

"Corrie Linemann. Don't worry, she's one of us. She just wants to get to the problem of this Oblivion problem, that's all."

"Oh, yeah, Elsa mentioned her," Kyoko mused as she remembered.

Mami blinked. "She did?"

"Yeah, said she was a good woman, and could help us." Kyoko tiled her head and frowned. "Why?"

Mami hesitated, putting her thoughts in order, and asked, "Did…any mention of a bird bath come up during that conversation?"

"Uh…" Kyoko's face went to war with itself as she tried to make sense of that question. "Y'know, I can honestly say I have never been asked that question before. The hell does a bird bath have to do with anything?"

"Corrie and Elsa Maria have a bit of a history," Mami told her. "Let's just say it wasn't friendly, and a bird bath was involved. Let's leave it at that."

"Huh," Kyoko said, staring. She shook her head. "Well, okay then. Whatever. Just hope she realizes that I don't know what the fuck Oblivion is after me for."

"Neither does anyone else," Mami said. "You are a bit of a mystery, even when you're not trying to be."

"You say it like it's a bad thing. I like being a mystery. Mysteries are sexy. Bitches love-"

Mami pressed two fingers to her forehead and sighed. "Please don't say 'bitches love mysteries.' It's bad enough our mermaid friend is talking like that."

"Really?" Kyoko grinned. "Guess I taught her well. But about Elsa Maria…"

Mami sighed. "Corrie's been working on that ever since you two got here. She's been trying to contact Reibey and negotiate her release, but it isn't going well."

Kyoko's jaw dropped. "Hold up! Contact Reibey? You mean, she has that asshole on speed dial?"

"Don't be silly, of course she doesn't! But she does need to be able to communicate with him whenever there's a Compact violation." Mami sighed. "Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like he much wants to talk."

"So, does he have her or not?" Kyoko demanded.

"That's the problem, he won't tell us. He refuses to say anything about it until…" Mami looked away.

"Until you wrap me up in a basket and leave me on his front porch," Kyoko finished for her, her voice coming out as a near-growl. "Well, great."

"Actually, he wants both of you."

Kyoko stiffened. "What, me and Sayaka? The hell for?"

"That's the problem, he won't tell us that either." Mami's face hardened in frustration. "It's bad enough we have to share this world with that…that…"

"Fuckwad?" Kyoko suggested. "Fathersucker? Triple decker moldy sea turtle testicle sandwich with extra monkey snot and a jumbo sized diet jizz?"

Mami looked like she was trying not to gag. "Sure, why not?" she said weakly. Then her frown returned. "But it's bad enough that he's here. But why does he have to be so…so…frustrating!" As she spat out that last word, she slammed her fist against the top railing, denting it considerably.

Kyoko and Mami stared at the results of Mami's uncharacteristic bout of anger. Then, with an embarrassed look on her face, Mami grabbed the railing and bent it back into shape, or at least until it was close enough. Despite being plenty strong herself, Kyoko made a mental note never to really get on Mami's bad side, at least when not within leaping distance of a hiding place.

"So, I guess you don't like him," Kyoko remarked.

"Of course not," Mami muttered. "He's an Incubator, and a particularly nasty one at that. This is supposed to be a sanctuary against the Incubator's machinations, but he has to be here to ruin everything!"

"Then why the hell do you let him?" Kyoko demanded. "Why is he even here?"

"Because he's too well protected. Going after him would be suicide, even for a dead person. And before you ask, no, we don't know why the Void Walkers listen to him. We even have a couple that have defected, and they're at a loss to explain why." Mami shrugged. "As for how he got here, no one knows. We just know that he and Oblivion have been here longer than anyone. And until we can figure out a way to deal with the fact that he has an immortal army to hide behind, we just have to put up with him being here. And as for your last question, no one knows either. He and Oblivion have been here longer than anyone cares to remember. They seem to be permanent fixtures."

"Well, shit," Kyoko growled. She eyed the railing, considering adding a dent of her own. "So you're telling me that he probably has someone whom I owe big time, and there's not a damned thing I can do about it?"

"In short, yes," Mami said. "I hate it too, but it's the reality we have to live with."

"That right? Well, fine. Why don't I go down there in person and call him up myself?" Her right hand squeezed into a tight fist. She imagined having it wrapped around Reibey's neck. Granted, she didn't know what he looked like, but she had no problem picturing him with Kyubey's stupid Muppet of a face. "I'd say we're long overdue for a chat."

Mami nodded. "Okay."

"Huh?"

"Corrie wants to meet with you anyway," Mami explained. "This whole situation is driving her nuts, and she's growing desperate for answers. Maybe Reibey will be more inclined to talk if he knows you're on the other line. I'll give her a call, let her know you're awake."

Goody. Just what Kyoko had always wanted. To call up Kyubey's twisted brother to negotiate the return of a nutty dead witch. Kyoko had thought that her life had been plenty strange, but now it was just pushing toward stupid territory.

"Fine, you do that," Kyoko said. "But before we go, there's something I wanna do first."

Mami's head tilted to one side.

"I wanna go back to Elsa Maria's island."

…

"You're cheating," Oktavia accused as she handed over her five.

"No, I'm not," Charlotte said as she put down another pair. "You're just a sore loser."

"Yes you are!" Oktavia pointed at the large number of pairs Charlotte had arrayed on the table before her. "Look at all those! You're using some sort of witch power to look at my cards!"

Charlotte gave her a look. "Oktavia, best we can figure, my witch powers consisted of creating desserts and turning into a giant ugly worm with lots of teeth. What in the world do those have to do with cards?"

"I don't know, but I'll figure it out," Oktavia growled. She looked at her own collection of pairs, all three of them. "I'm onto you, evil card cheater person."

…

"You want to go back?" Mami repeated, disbelief all over her face. "Why?"

"Duh! I want to see for myself."

"But…that's just setting yourself up for an ambush! If they're still out there, that's where they'd be waiting!"

Kyoko grinned. "Well, then I guess it's a good thing I have your Compacted ass to watch my back and make they don't try anything."

"But-" Mami cut herself off, though it appeared to take a considerable amount of will. "There really is no point to this, is there?" she mumbled, as much to herself than Kyoko. "You're going to go, no matter what I say."

"Well, lemme put it this way: you got yourself a boat, yeah? Would you rather be the one steering the thing and keeping an eye on me, or deal with me stealing the damned thing and maybe probably more-than-likely crashing it?"

"You don't even know the first thing about boating," Mami pointed out, her face a careful mask of neutrality.

Kyoko grinned. "My point exactly."

"I…" Mami closed her eyes and sighed. "Well, I suppose it would save me a lot of grief. All right, but if we do this, I'm calling the shots. I know more about how this world works than you do, so I'm in charge. Agreed?"

Kyoko shot off a slightly mocking salute. "Aye-aye, captain! And by the way, did I ever tell you how much I love it when you get all commanding and forceful? Makes you real hot."

Her flippancy earned her a hard flick to the forehead. "All right, enough of that," Mami said firmly. "Just because I'm glad to have you back doesn't mean I'm going to put up with that."

"Okay, okay," Kyoko said, rubbing her forehead. "Gotcha. Loud and clear. And hey, ow."

"Oh stop, you deserved it. And in the meantime-"

That was when they were interrupted by the sound of shouting.

…

"I knew it!" Oktavia cried as she threw her cards into the air. "I knew you were cheating!"

Charlotte groaned as she slumped back into the couch. "I told you already, they're not marked! I just know the scratches on the backs real well."

"Who cares if it was on purpose or not, you still had an unfair advantage!" Oktavia searched the area around the chair, trying to find a way to cross the few meters between her and Charlotte without help. Unable to find any, she said, "Come over here so I can punch your cheating nose!"

…

"What in the world?" Mami said as she and Kyoko watched the altercation through the window. "We weren't gone that long."

"Long enough," Kyoko said, snickering. "Big happy family, huh?"

Mami shook her head. "All right, I'd better deal with that. As for you, I think you're long overdue for a shower."

Kyoko started. "You have a shower?"

"Yes."

"With hot water?"

"We do," Mami nodded. "It's not that strong, but it's still good for a few minutes. And I'll make you something to eat while you're getting ready."

Kyoko moaned with anticipation. "See, that there? That does more to make a convert out of me than anything else you've said."

"Somehow, I am completely unsurprised." Mami opened the door and called, "All right, you two! Settle down!"

"It's her fault for cheating!"

"I wasn't cheating already!"

Mami sighed. She turned to Kyoko. "We'd better go in before this gets worse."

"Fine by me. Just one more thing though."

"What is it?"

In answer, Kyoko tugged on the hem of the pajamas she was wearing. "Teddy bears? Really, Mami? Really?"

That made Mami start laughing again. "Oh yes, sorry about that. Your clothes were all ripped by the gunshots and smelled awful. Those were the closest fit we could find."

"Uh-huh. I think you just wanted to play dress up while I was unconscious." Kyoko favored Mami with her most furious scowl. "And come to think of it, you did get your freaking fantasy after all. And I bet the pajamas were part of it all along."

Mami took the pajama-clad Kyoko by the arm. "I guess you'll never know," she said as she guided her toward the door.

"You better not have burned my clothes, that's all I'm saying," Kyoko groused, but she allowed herself to be led along. "Because if I'm stuck wearing your cutesy-fartsy cast off shit, this place really will be a slice of…Uh, say. Does this place even have a name?"

Mami, her hand on the doorhandle, paused to reflect. "Well, that is a good question. It has a few, actually, most of them taken from mythology. The folks up north refer to it as Valhalla, while out west they usually refer to it as Purgatory. Of course, the Void Walkers like to call it Hell, which tells you everything you need to know about their outlook."

"Well, that's unoriginal," Kyoko said. "We get a completely new afterlife, all to our own, and the idiots here can't even think of a new name for it. What about you then? What do you call it?"

Smiling, Mami opened the door. "Home," she said.

…

As it turned out, Kyoko's clothes were fine. Mami had even taken the time to give them a thorough cleaning and patch up the bullet holes. They had even been left for her in the room she had woken up in. Kyoko had just accidentally kicked the bedcovers over them and overlooked them while stumbling about in confusion.

But before she could change, she had to deal with the fact that she had been lying comatose for five days and was now riper than an elderly banana. Mami had helpfully directed her to the bathroom, who was just one door down from where Kyoko had been unconscious.

Mami's bathroom wasn't large, but it was clean and, as odd as it was to think of a bathroom in such terms, elegant in its own way. The toilet sat on the right end, the shower on the left, with the sink sandwiched in between. The toilet seat was covered with some kind of blue plastic material, and instead of a shower door, there was a curtain decorated with smiling yellow ducks. Seashells sat on the toilet's back, and a round mirror hung on the wall over the toilet seat.

Acting more out of habit than actual paranoia, Kyoko cautiously checked behind the curtain and, after confirming that the shower was free of lurking enemies, twisted on the hot water.

"Indoor plumbing," Kyoko muttered as the shower heated up. "The afterlife has indoor plumbing. Go figure."

Placing her clothes on the toilet, she gave the bathroom another look. She noticed something she had not seen during her initial glance: a couple of framed pictures were hung across from the toilet. It showed Mami and that Charlotte chick on a decent-sized white boat. There was a dark-haired girl with Kyoko didn't recognize, one that reminded her a bit of Homura Akemi, only this girl was obviously older. Mami and the dark-haired girl were leaning over the railing and talking while Charlotte, apparently the only one aware that they were being photographed, was sticking out her tongue and holding two fingers in a V shape in front of her face. There was no hint to who the photographer was.

The second picture all three girls standing and smiling on a dock in front of the same boat, their arms around each other's shoulders. Now a fourth girl had joined them, this one a tall blunette with her hair tied up in a messy ponytail. Presumably she was the photographer of the first photograph.

Kyoko studied the pictures, wondering who the other two girls were. They hadn't been at the tea she had crashed, and Mami hadn't mentioned them. She made a point to ask her about them later.

In the meantime, the room was starting to fill with steam. Kyoko stripped out of the pajamas and stepped into the shower, though not before scowling at the duck-covered shower curtain. First teddy bears and now ducks. She wondered which of her two hosts was the one responsible.

Once she was under the pressurized water, Kyoko sighed and leaned against the tiled wall. She closed her eyes and slid down to the floor.

She was dead. Ticky Nikki had said it, Elsa had confirmed it, and now Mami had proved it. Kyoko wanted to hold onto her theory of this being a witch's trick, but all evidence was against it. Kyoko thought of herself as a rational thinker, and as much as she hated the idea, she had to admit that this being some kind of weird afterlife was the most likely explanation, as bizarre as it sounded. Besides, if that were true that this was a witch's work, she would be dead by now anyway.

But even if her mind was willing to admit that her former life had come to an end, the rest of her was having trouble coming to terms with it. She was dead. It was unthinkable, but she was dead. Back in the world of the living, the Earth was going to continue to spin, and the Sun was going to rise and set, but she would no longer be a part of it. Almost everyone who had known her was either dead already, and the bodies of those who died within a witch's labyrinth were never found, so she wouldn't get so much as a burial. It was all over for her.

Except no, it wasn't. And to be truthful, if she had died as she had intended and had been consigned to Hell or even just darkness, she would have been okay with it. But no, instead of finishing her long war and receiving her reward, she had been sent to some weirdass near-replica of the world she had quit, like some sort of supernatural conciliatory prize. Elsa Maria had called this place a second chance, and Mami certainly treated it as one. Given what she knew of those two, Kyoko couldn't fault them for being grateful.

But that was them. And Kyoko just didn't need a second chance. She didn't want one. She had her shot, she had made her choices, and she had experienced the consequences. That's how things worked. She had been done. But instead of being allowed to finish, she was stuck here now. It didn't matter how nice this place was, or that she was sharing it with two of the few people she actually felt something for, she was stuck here. She couldn't die. Which made this place less of a paradise and more of a well-decorated prison.

Opening her eyes, Kyoko touched her flat stomach, feeling the smooth, taut skin. Was this body she now wore, identical to the one she had inhabited in life, real? Or was it just a fake, a copy, a shell created to keep her comfortable? She remembered the red mist that had issued out when she had been injured. Was that what she was filled with now? Did she even have organs anymore? A skeleton? A brain? Anything? She touched her left breast and felt the small but steady drumbeat of her heart, thumping along as it always had. She remembered the taste of food, from Elsa Maria's smoked fish, hard biscuits, and sour wine to the mint candies and strawberry tart. She remembered how good they had felt going down, and how sick she had felt when they had forced their way back up again. That would suggest that her body was real, but with everything she thought to be true being called into question, she didn't know if she could trust even her basic sensations.

Suddenly, Kyoko felt a surge of empathy for Annabelle Lee and her twisted desire to end her existence. In fact, had Oblivion's agents not come out swinging during their first encounter and made an enemy of Kyoko, she might have eventually sought Oblivion out of her own accord. Now that was a sobering thought.

Kyoko's body trembled. She wrapped her skinny arms around herself and hunched over as the sobs started to escape. Disgusted with herself, she clamped her jaw shut and forced herself back under control. The last time she had cried was when her family had died, and she swore never to let herself cry again. She intended to keep that promise. Death was no excuse.

In time, she was able to will herself back into the bottle. She waited until her shoulders stopped shaking and her breathing became steady before letting herself relax.

Sighing, Kyoko stood and twisted the water off. It was starting to grow cold anyway. She brushed her wet locks out of her face stepped out of the shower. Well, nothing was gained by crying in the shower. If that kept up, she would lose her right to accuse Annabelle Lee of being emo.

After toweling off, Kyoko pulled on her clothes. She had to admit, once she was back in her customary wardrobe she felt a whole lot better. She had been wearing that jacket, shorts, tank-top, and boots for so long that being without them made her feel incomplete, unless of course she was dressed in her Puella Magi uniform. And just being able to get out of those stupid pajamas was an improvement in itself. And then, after taking a moment to restore her ponytail, she left the bathroom.

She almost stepped onto the tray before stopping herself. A full lunch sat on the ground, consisting of a pastrami sandwich, a bowl of applesauce, two fried chicken legs, a cup of tea, and a slice of chocolate cake. Kyoko smirked. Same old Mami. Admittedly, it was a bit more western than what she was used to, but seeing how the only thing she had eaten in the last five days had been forcibly evacuated, she wasn't complaining. And like all things produced by Mami's culinary skills, it looked and smelled delicious.

Kyoko picked up the tray and walked back into the living room. Mami and Charlotte were both gone, though the snacks from the tea had been left. Sayaka was still fidgeting in her recliner. Upon seeing Kyoko approach, she brightened.

"Hey," she said. "Feeling better?"

"No talkie," Kyoko said as she sat down on the couch. She took a bite of the sandwich and closed her eyes in ecstasy as her taste buds experienced Nirvana. "I'm doing this first. Then talk."

"Ah, okay then." Sayaka watched in fascination as Kyoko demolished the sandwich and chicken legs, inhaled the applesauce, and consumed the cake in two bites. When she set to work on the leftover snacks, Sayaka said, "I swear, you're like some kind of human trash compactor. How do you stay so skinny?"

"Magic and loth ov extherthize," Kyoko mumbled through a mouthful of cookie. "An' wha' I say 'bout twalking?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt your…You know what? I don't even know what to call what I'm seeing. It's like a whole school of piranhas in the shape of a cranky redhead."

Kyoko smirked. She finished the rest of the offerings, swallowed, and sucked the residue from her fingers. "Hey, I've been out for five days. I'm entitled."

"True enough," Sayaka said, nodding. "So…are you okay?"

"Eh, I guess," Kyoko shrugged. "For just having been shot, put into a coma, and apparently poisoned or some shit, I actually feel pretty good."

"Well, good," Sayaka said. "But that's not what I meant."

"Tch." Kyoko clasped her fingers behind her head and leaned back into the cushions. "Well, gee Sayaka, how the hell am I supposed to answer that? Me and Mami talked and worked some things out, sure, but I found out some things out that completely turned my world upside down, and I gotta admit, I'm not caring much for the new view. So am I okay?" She turned her head to look at the blue-haired mermaid. "I have no clue. It's still way too early to tell. But I'm dealing. I'm not gonna wig out and become some kind of basket case. That answer your question?"

"Pretty much," Sayaka said. "And for what it's worth, I'm glad you're back with us. You had us all pretty worried." She smiled. She had a nice smile, Kyoko noticed. She wondered if she had ever seen Sayaka smile back when they had been alive, a genuine one, and found that she could not remember.

"Sorry to bother you," Kyoko said, leaning forward on her knees and allowing herself a small half-smile in return. "What about you, eh? Pretty crazy, running into Mami here. I mean, what are the odds that we meet the one person we both know."

"Well, we figure Elsa Maria used her insight to send us here on purpose," Sayaka said. Her smile disappeared. "And I wouldn't say we both knew her. More of she knew both of us." She pointed at her head. "Memory's gone, remember?"

Kyoko shrugged. "Hey, that just means you got to introduce yourself all over again. But even so, you've been hanging out with her and her new friend all this time. What's happened while I was out?"

"Not much," Sayaka admitted. "The doctor from Freehaven's been by a few times to make sure that yucky stuff was dissolving, and Mami and Charlotte have been taking turns going out to harvest. But mostly we've been waiting for you to wake up."

Kyoko wondered what she meant by 'harvest,' but decided that she didn't care enough to hear the explanation. "Huh. Sounds boring."

"Eh, it was a little," Sayaka said. She reached down, grabbed a lever set into the side of the armchair, and gave it a pull. The chair reclined back, allowing her to stretch out. Kyoko watched as Sayaka's tail gave a little bounce as the footrest came up. "But not really. They took me down to go swimming a few times, and there's a bunch of board games in the hall closet. Though it turns out that Mousetrap makes Charlotte act real weird, so we didn't do that one after the first time. Also, they've got a bunch of books here, all of them written by other magical girls, and some of them are pretty good. They've even got a couple picture books, believe it or not. For kids. Like there's this one called The Littlest Witch that's about…" Sayaka peeked her head up. When she saw what Kyoko was doing, she scowled and cranked the chair back into a sitting position. "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I boring you?"

Kyoko, whose eyes had closed and was starting to slump over her legs, straightened with a snort. "Uh, huh?" she said, letting out an exaggerated yawn. "Sorry. I dozed off after you said 'board games.'"

Her wit earned her a thrown powdered cashew toward her face. She snatched it out of the air and popped it into her mouth.

"So anyway," Sayaka said, making her chair recline again, "Mami said we were going back to Elsa's island."

Kyoko shot her a glare. "Hey, where'd this 'we' come from?"

"Uh, you, me, Mami, and Charlotte. Last time I checked, 'we' was the proper plural pronoun to use whenever you include yourself."

"Who says you're coming along, Fish Filet?"

"Mami," Sayaka answered promptly, cranking the chair back down. "Come on, Mopeybrains, you're going to need at least two other people to go with you, one to watch your back and one to watch the boat. And do you really want to leave me here by myself, all weak and defenseless?" She tilted her head and stuck her lips out in a pout.

"Knock it off, dumbass," Kyoko snapped. She hooked the underside of the foot rest with her foot and popped it up, knocking the chair back into recline mode. "It's you being weak and defenseless that I'm talking about. In case you haven't heard, they're after you too now. So in addition to being dead weight, you'll just be a liability."

"Tell that to the Void Walker whose butt I kicked," Sayaka retorted.

Kyoko blinked. "Say what?"

"What, you thought Elsa Maria did all the work? She knocked one of them into the water, and I finished her off!"

"Who, Elsa?"

"No, you dummy! The Void Walker!" Sayaka pointed to the corner of the room. There, her cutlass was leaning against the wall. "She came after me, and I sent her swimming away crying! Cut off her hand and everything."

"Did'ja now?" Kyoko shrugged. "Oh, good. So all we have to do is ask them politely to stay in the water so you can take care of them."

"Oh, give me a break. Obviously I'm going to stay on the boat, and they can't touch me when I'm on that. And if I ever get knocked off and they come after me…" Sayaka brought the chair back down. She flexed her right arm and grabbed her bicep. "Their butts are mine!"

"Yeah, okay, great," Kyoko deadpanned. "So you're some kind of super mermaid warrior. The Terror of the Sea." She shook her head. "Now I'm wishing I was still unconscious."

Sayaka searched for another cashew but found none. However, she did find a pistachio shell in her cushion and threw that at Kyoko instead. "What, you don't think I can handle myself?" She held up both hands and beckoned. "Fine, let's go."

"You're delusional."

"I'm serious. Let's do this. Come at me."

Kyoko wondered what in the world Mami had been feeding Sayaka to make her act so silly, but then she realized that the blunnette was just trying to cheer her up. Well, fine. If that was the way she wanted it…

Letting out a dismissive snort, Kyoko flipped around and stretched across the couch. She watching Sayaka out of the corner of her eye. The mermaid held the pose for a few moments longer, waiting for Kyoko to take up her challenge. When Kyoko failed to attack, she let out a disappointed sigh and pulled back on the lever, making the chair recline again.

Working to keep the smirk off her face, Kyoko counted down in her head. 5…4…3…2…

Milliseconds before she got to one, Kyoko leapt up and pounced. Sayaka yelped in surprise as eighty-seven pounds of redhead landed full upon her.

"What's wrong, Fish Filet?" Kyoko laughed as she pinned Sayaka's shoulders to the backrest. "Don't wanna fight anymore?"

"Why, you-" Sayaka sputtered angrily. Then she pushed Kyoko's arms out of the way and tried to flip her over.

It wasn't as one-sided as Sayaka's handicaps would lead one to believe. Despite having the element of surprise and four working limbs, Kyoko still felt just a little woozy from her long sleep, and Sayaka proved to be surprisingly strong, probably from all that swimming. The two girls struggled against each other, each trying to gain the advantage. Finally, Kyoko managed to work her way behind Sayaka and wrap her legs around her tail and grab her neck in a sleeper hold.

"Tap out!" she laughed as she started squeezing. "Come on, you guppy! Tap out!"

"Never!" Sayaka growled as she shoved up on Kyoko's arms.

"Do it, bitch! Do it!"

"Bite me!"

Sayaka regretted her words when Kyoko did just that. She yelped in pain and started slamming her head back against Kyoko's, trying to dislodge her.

"Ahem."

The two combatants paused their battle and looked up to see Mami standing over them, a looking of disapproval on her face.

"So nice to see that you two are so happy to see each other," Mami said. "But no fighting on the furniture."

Sayaka and Kyoko glanced sheepishly at each other. Sayaka shifted her weight, allowing Kyoko to crawl out and return to the couch.

"I was winning, too," Kyoko muttered as she stretched herself out.

"Also, feet off the couch," Mami glanced over to Sayaka. "And Oktavia, please stop playing with the recliner."

"Yes, ma'am," Sayaka muttered.

"Thank you." She turned back to Kyoko, who had turned back into a sitting position. "Anyway, I just got off the phone with the mayor's office. It looks like you'll have to wait for tomorrow to see her."

Kyoko frowned. "Yeah? Why's that?"

"Because she's not there. Apparently there was an emergency in one of the nearby outposts that she had to see." Mami sighed. "I'm sorry, Kyoko. She'll be back in the morning."

"Whatever," Kyoko shrugged. "Wasn't really looking forward to talking to the rat anyway."

Mami blinked. "Rat? What do you…Oh, you mean Reibey. Well, I really don't blame you." She shook her head. "Anyway, we'll be ready to leave soon. I'm going to go get the boat ready."

Kyoko stared as the blonde exited through the front door. "So," she said to the mermaid. "We're going by 'Oktavia' now, huh?"

Sayaka, who had brought the chair up for what was presumably the last time, shrugged. "Well, yeah. It is my name."

"Your name. Huh." Kyoko was careful to keep all emotion from touching her face. "Whatever happened to 'Sayaka'?"

Sayaka twiddled her thumbs and sighed. "Look, I don't want this to be a thing, but I don't remember being Sayaka, okay? I know I was, I know it was my whole identity, but I've got no memory of anything you told me. I mean, I still believe you and all. And even if I didn't, Mami's already confirmed a big chunk of it. But…" The remainder of the sentence trailed off and she looked down at her hands.

Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "But…" she pressed.

"But I even if I know all that stuff happened, it…doesn't mean anything to me."

Now it was Sayaka's turn wince at the poorly chosen words as Kyoko rose her feet, her voice rising as well. "Doesn't mean anything?" she said. "What the hell? I freaking died for you, and you're saying it doesn't mean anything?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that!" Sayaka said as she held up her hands.

"Oh yeah? Then what did you mean?" Kyoko demanded.

"I just meant I don't remember any of that happening, that's all! I really do appreciate everything you sacrificed for me, don't worry. Just…calm down, okay?"

Kyoko let out a derisive snort, but she complied. "Yeah, okay. I guess I'm no one to throw stones over a slip of tongue," she said as she sat back down. She rolled her wrist around. "But you was saying…"

"Right, right," Sayaka sighed. "Well, looks like we're getting nothing but awkwardness today. But anyway, while I appreciate all that and it is really important to me, I just don't remember it happening. I've tried, but I can't. Everything's all muddled up and cloudy, and the best I can get is like one or two images. Nothing I can really piece together, you know?"

"I guess," Kyoko said, though she didn't like where this was going. "So, you're saying you're just gonna give up on being Sayaka? Let all that disappear?"

The mermaid looked up to lock eyes with the redhead sitting across from her. "Kyoko, I can't let go of something I don't even remember having! Again, I don't remember being Sayaka. But I do remember being Oktavia, that's my point! Everything that's happened over the last few days, from being burned in that bathtub to trading death jokes with you, that was all me being Oktavia! I'm sorry, if I could bring back Sayaka, I would, but I can't. I don't know how to be her. I just know how to be me."

Kyoko felt the familiar burn of anger as it rose up within her. "Look, I ain't asking you to put on the Sayaka Miki Show, I just don't get what's wrong with the name. Why not keep it? What difference does it make?"

"It…it just does, okay?" The blunnette grimaced. "I can't explain, but it just does."

Kyoko stared at her, unsure of what to make of all this. To her, it sounded like complete foolishness. Her very identity had been snatched away and replaced with a fake, and she was not only going to let it slip away but insist on keeping the wrong one? If Kyoko had discovered that someone had stolen a large chunk of her life away, she would not rest until she had taken back what was hers.

She considered saying something, to argue further, but before she could think of what she wanted to say someone cleared their throat. The two arguing girls looked over to see Charlotte standing in the hallway entrance.

"Er, I hate to interrupt," she said. "But we're about ready to head out." Her blue eyes flipped from one face to the other. "So, are you two still coming, or…"

Kyoko and Sayaka exchange a short glance. Kyoko's face twitched, but she said, "Yeah, we're coming," she said as she stood up.

…

It was a long trip to Elsa Maria's island, long and quiet. Tension hung over the boat like a wool blanket soaked in chloroform, and any attempts at conversation were quick to fizzle out.

As it turned out, Mami and Charlotte were in possession of three boats. There was the decent-sized one that Kyoko had seen in the photographs; a smaller, swifter one; and the speedboat Sayaka had arrived in, which they had opted to keep. For this trip, they were taking the smaller of their original boats. Mami was driving, with Charlotte sitting next to her in the passenger's seat. Kyoko and Sayaka sat in the back.

Sayaka, sensing that Kyoko didn't want to talk, simply sat still and stared off into the distance. As for Kyoko, she was turned around in her seat, arms crossed over the boat's side and chin resting in their crux as she stared gloomily out at the sparkling sea, her mind twisting itself into knots as it tried to figure things out.

There's a sun, she thought, noting the brightly shining sphere in the sky. This place has a sun. So, does that mean it's a planet? Are we still in the same universe? Or is there a big black emptiness with just one single star and one single planet? Also, does the weather act the same as it does back home? The clouds over that freaky-ass city and Elsa's island probably mean that something's different, but what? Does the water not evaporate and turn into clouds or whatever? Jeez, I wish I had paid more attention when we learned this shit in school.

Sighing, she turned her head to the side. Maybe she should leave off figuring things out until she was in Freehaven or whatever. They probably had a library or something for Sayaka to look things up.

Then she noticed something and frowned. "Hey, ah, Sayaka?"

The blue-haired mermaid started and glanced at her, clearly not expecting having Kyoko initiate conversation. "Uh, yeah?"

Kyoko pointed at Sayaka's neck. "You, uh, know you've got a bunch of funny little cuts on your neck, right?"

"Oh, those." Sayaka relaxed a little and laughed. "Yeah, and guess what they are?"

She pulled the slits open, revealing what honestly appeared to be the inside of her throat.

Kyoko recoiled. "Okay, that's just gross. And seriously. Gills? You've got freaking gills?"

"Yup!" Sayaka removed her hand from the slits. "Turns out being a mermaid does have a few cool things going for it. One of them is breathing underwater."

"Well, huh." Despite her nature, Kyoko was honestly impressed. "And you've actually tried it out?"

"Every day. And I can go pretty deep too. I could probably live underwater if I wanted." Then, when she caught the look on Kyoko's face, she frowned. "Ah, well, maybe not live, but…darn it, we need to update our vocabulary."

"Eh, don't worry about it," Kyoko said dismissively. "I doubt anyone here cares."

"We don't," Charlotte called back at them. "We see it as a second life, not a continuation of death."

"There, you see? And hey, are we there yet?"

"Almost," Mami answered, glancing over her shoulder at the pair. "Though don't expect much to be left."

Kyoko shot her a quick glare. "Yeah, I know," she muttered, more to herself than anything. "I just need to see."

The blanket of uneasiness descended yet again, and no one said anything for another thirty or so minutes, when at last Mami announced that they had arrived.

"Finally," Kyoko said as she unbuckled her safety belt. She leaned over the side of the boat, trying to see.

To her relief, the island was still there, but Elsa's absence was already taking effect. The clouds were gone, and the stones were all cracked and flaking away. The top of the lighthouse had been blasted right off, and the cylinder of its body was tilting worryingly to one side. From the look of things, someone had torched the whole thing with fire. Kyoko did not wonder who was responsible. That much was obvious.

Mami edged the boat until it was about six meters away from the island. "All right," she said, killing the engine. "Now, we don't know if the Void Walkers are still here, but we're going to assume that they are. So Sayaka and I are going to stay in the boat and keep circling the island. Kyoko? Charlotte? You two check around the place and see if there's anything we missed." Her attention focused on the redhead. "And remember what I told you: they are not allowed to attack Charlotte, and they can't attack you if you're under her protection. So stick close to her, and don't give them any loopholes."

Kyoko glanced at Charlotte and nodded. She didn't like the idea of being under anybody's "protection," but she wasn't stupid. This wasn't the time to make a fuss.

"Also, as you may have noticed, this place is coming apart. It is literally ceasing to exist. It still should be stable enough to walk on, but be careful. Don't take chances." The corner of Mami's mouth twitched up. "I don't want to waste time digging you out if you somehow manage to fall right through a rock."

"Fall right through…Wait, is that a thing that might actually happen?"

"Don't worry," Charlotte said as she squatted in front of the footlocker they had brought aboard. "It usually takes a couple weeks for it to get that bad. Just watch your footing and don't push the lighthouse over and you'll be fine."

"Yeah?" Kyoko said, regarding the pink-haired witch with suspicion. "And how many places like this have you actually checked out?"

From a footlocker, Charlotte pulled out a two-gun holster, the type meant to be concealed under a jacket, and put it on. "First one," she said as she slipped a couple of sleek, black handguns into their leather sheathes. Then she extracted a high-tech crossbow and popped its arms open. "But I've read about them." She held out a semi-automatic rifle to Kyoko. "Want one?"

Kyoko, who was slipping on a backpack, shook her head. "Nah, never been much of a gun person." She pulled a spear out of her chest. "That was always Mami's thing. Hey Mami, you can still do the thing with the bazillion muskets everywhere, yeah?"

In answer, Mami shot her a wink and reached down to touch the bottom of the boat. When her hand came back up, it was holding onto the barrel of an elegantly designed silver musket.

"Suit yourself," Charlotte said, replacing the rifle. "But you might want to reconsider. Close-quarters fighting on uneven terrain might not be the best idea. And I get the feeling that you're the kind who likes to jump around a lot."

"Which is why I got you coming along. Besides, I'm a terrible shot. I'll just stick to what I know."

As there was little left of the dock save for a few moldering planks and the shriveled remains of the posts poking their dissolving heads above the water's surface, Mami nudged the boat close enough to let Kyoko and Charlotte to step onto the island.

As soon as Kyoko's foot touched the rock, it sank several centimeters in, almost making her stumble. It was like walking through snow. "Okay, weird," she noted as she took a couple of experimental steps. "I can see what you said about this place going to pieces."

Charlotte was also having trouble keeping her balance. "Whoa, okay. Looks like we're taking this slow."

The two of them moved toward the lighthouse, or what was left of it. The crumbling stone was even worse around the tower's base. Kyoko found herself grateful that she wore knee-length boots.

Thanks to the lighthouse's tilt, the heavy door that had given Kyoko so much trouble was partially open. She reached over to touch the sun-warmed metal. It flaked under her finger. She applied a bit of pressure, and the door cracked like the shell of an egg.

"Careful," Charlotte said. "Remember what Mami said about pushing this thing over."

"You think that might happen?" Kyoko said. She shielded her eyes and squinted up the lighthouse's slightly diagonal length.

"I think we'd better not take chances. This place is wrecked enough as it is."

Even though Kyoko knew that it was unintentional, Charlotte's word still sparked her anger. This place had been Elsa Maria's home. Sure, it was a crummy, damp, and moldy piece of junk. Sure, the food was shit and it smelled. But it had been her home. She had lived there, content with what she had, and Oblivion's goons had forced her from it, all for the simple crime of trying to help another person. And now, without her presence to hold it together, it was dying. Even if they did manage to spring Elsa from Oblivion's clutches, there was no guarantee that the lighthouse would return.

Even though she wouldn't admit it, Kyoko was actually nursing a bitter hope that Annabelle Lee and her cronies were still hanging around. There were a few accounts she wanted to settle with them, and the destruction of Elsa's home had just been added to the list.

Moving gingerly so as to not upset the door, Kyoko squeezed her way inside, Charlotte following close behind. If anything, the lighthouse's interior was in even worse shape. The whole place was a scorched mess. There was nothing left of the furniture save for a few unrecognizable lumps of ash. The winding staircase had been burned away completely, as had the platform at its top. The lantern room was gone, just plain gone, with the top of the lighthouse now open to the sky. Filthy shards of glass and twisted bits of metal now lay mixed in with the ash, all that remained of the lantern itself.

"Did it look like this when you guys came here?" Kyoko said, her voice not much louder than a whisper. She wasn't worried about attracting anyone's attention, it just felt sacrilegious to speak too loudly.

"Actually, it's kind of worse now," Charlotte answered. "But more-or-less, yeah."

Kyoko didn't answer. She moved carefully through the room, stirring the pile of ash with the pole of her spear, cracking its sun-hardened surface. She didn't really expect to find anything, but she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she didn't at least try.

And then the spear bumped into something. Her brow rose, and she crouched down to clear away the ash from the object.

It was Elsa Maria's monstrance, the iron representation of the rising sun that had sat on her altar. Though it was dented and partially melted from the heat in places, it was not crumbling away, suggesting that she had acquired it from someplace else. Kyoko frowned and picked it up. She brushed the ash away from its iron rays.

"What's that?" Charlotte asked, peering over Kyoko's shoulder.

"A monstrance," Kyoko answered. "It's meant to represent the sun, I think."

"I thought Oktavia said this girl was Christian."

Kyoko's body tensed up at the mention of Sayaka's witch name, but she said, "She is. It's not as common as the cross, but it's still Christian. I think it has something to do with communion. I dunno, we never used one." She slipped her backpack off and put the monstrance inside. Then she returned to sifting through the ashes.

"Hey Kyoko, can I ask you something?" Charlotte said as Kyoko searched.

Kyoko paused. She glanced at the pink-haired witch. "About what?" she said, her voice tinged with suspicion.

"You and Oktavia. How long did you know her before you guys died?"

Well, she was straightforward at least. Still, Kyoko wasn't in the mood to discuss such things with a near-stranger, even one that was Mami's friends. "Getting kinda personal there, Charly. What's it matter to you?"

Charlotte breathed out slowly. "Well, I caught your argument with her back at the house. You know, about her name?"

"Yeah, I remember. So what?"

"Well, it's just that you seemed really adamant about her being called by her old name. I was wondering why."

Now Kyoko had turned fully around. "That's right, I was. Again, so what if I am?"

"Hey, I'm just saying-"

Kyoko took a step forward and thrust a finger at Charlotte's face. "Look, Powderpuff, I may not be Sayaka's childhood friend, but I was there when she turned into Oktavia. And it was hands-down one of the worst things I've ever experienced. Hell, if it weren't for how utterly fucked up my life was, it would be number one. Do you have any idea what it's like to go through life thinking you're going to be alone forever, thinking no one could possibly be worth sticking your neck out for, only to find something actually worth giving a shit about only to watch her self-destruct even though you've practically torn yourself apart to save her?"

"Look, you don't have to-"

Kyoko did, actually. She was already angry from the lighthouse's devastation. And Charlotte's probing questions were turning her into a convenient target to lash out at.

"She was the first person I've actually done anything for since my family died," Kyoko said, her voice sinking deeper into a growl as her anger rose. "I thought I could save her, keep her from turning out just like me. And do you know what happened? She turned into one of you!"

She expected Charlotte to react with surprise, with anger, with hostility. She expected those blue eyes (and how the hell did she end up with blue eyes and pink hair anyway? That just didn't make any sense at all) to snap wide open and her cheeks to turn red. But instead, Charlotte merely returned the stare and waited calmly for Kyoko to finish.

That only made Kyoko angrier. "She turned into a witch, the very thing I had been devoting my life to destroying! And oh shit, that meant I was going to go out the same way one day, unless something killed me first. And since there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen, I tried everything to get her to turn back, even going so far as bringing her best friend into her labyrinth to see if we could get her to remember who she was! Of course, that didn't do a fucking thing, and so I figured that since she was gone for good and I on my way out, we should just end it all, together." She clapped her hands together, mere centimeters from Charlotte's nose. "Kaboom!"

This time Charlotte did flinch, which gave Kyoko a small measure of vindictive pleasure. "That shoulda been the end of it, but you know what happened next, don'cha?" Without waiting for an answer, Kyoko plowed on. "I woke up here, in Wonderfuckland. And wouldn'cha know, Sayaka was there with me! Sure there was some problems, what with her having a tail and not remembering shit, but hey, there were still pieces of her memories floating around. I can work with that!"

"You think you can bring her back," Charlotte said.

Kyoko felt her trademark smirk, the one she had always worn during her bad time, return in all of its malicious glory and did nothing to prevent it. "Oh, you bet'cha. She's already halfway there, so I just gotta work on bringing her back all the way. Hell, she can even keep the fish tail. It's kinda cute. I'm just going to make sure her mind comes back. You know, the important part."

"You mean the part that has all those memories and feelings that traumatized her into turning into a witch in the first place?"

Kyoko blinked. Then her left hand involuntarily clenched into a fist. "Better to have those problems and know about them so she can deal with them than have them wiped away!" she shouted. "You can't just cut away that much of a person and call it a good thing!"

"Really? I'm not complaining."

Forgetting completely that she was supposed to be careful about making sudden movements, Kyoko lunged forward and grabbed Charlotte by the collar. "That's different!" she yelled as she lifted her into the air. "You're different! You've got no fucking clue what your old life was like and no way to find out! She has me to help her get it back!"

"And therein lies the problem," Charlotte said.

"What the hell are you going on about?"

"Put me down, and I'll tell you."

Kyoko did, but she didn't increase the distance between them. "Start talking," she growled.

Charlotte sighed. "Look, don't get me wrong. I get what you're trying to do. And it's not a bad thing. Except, it kind of is."

"What?"

"Well, it's like you said. Witches are clean slates. Our past lives, everything we were when we were human, are gone. Erased. We're mostly blank slates, with our identities gone."

Kyoko tilted her head. "Annnnnd?"

"And just that. We have nothing. The only thing we remember, the only thing we have, is our name. Our witch name. It's the only piece of identity we have."

"So what? It's just a name."

"Except it's not," Charlotte said. She had the look of someone needing to explain something important but was having a difficult time holding onto her patience. "It's more than something people call us. It's…" She squeezed her eyes shut and grimaced. "It's who we are, the only thing we've got that's really us. And whether we know it or not, we actually fight to keep it."

Now Kyoko's anger was giving way to confusion. Lots and lots of confusion. "Okay, I'm sorry, but what?"

"Look, we witches get our new name when they turn, and we keep it when they die, so it's literally a major part of our psyche. So we've got this reflexive need to make sure we don't lose it. Every time we're called anything that's totally different, especially our old name, it makes a kind of…" Charlotte frowned. "Now, how did Shizuku put it? 'Spiritual dissonance,' that's right."

"A what of a what now?"

"It triggers something," Charlotte explained. "In our minds. Like an involuntary resistance. Not a big one, but it adds up. And over time, we-"

"Go back to being full witch, huh?" Kyoko finished for her. She tried to sound nonchalant, but if she were to be honest with herself, having Sayaka regress fully to that terrifying armored mermaid conductor gave her the shivers.

"No, mostly it just drives us insane," Charlotte said, her voice equally deadpan.

Kyoko snickered. "Yeah, 'cept I've been calling her that since we arrived, and she never had a problem with it until I noticed you all calling her Oktavia."

"It doesn't happen overnight," Charlotte said with a tired sigh. "But trust me, it'll happen. You saw how defensive she got when you were talking. Next she'll get irritable. Not much, and not all the time, but it'll become something of a pet peeve for her. She'll try to ignore it at first, but over time she'll start snapping at you every time you call her 'Sayaka.' Then she'll get angrier and angrier, which in turn will turn into actual hostility toward you, which also in turn will start to spread to everyone she interacts with. She'll get paranoid, convinced that everyone is calling her Sayaka behind her back, until she finally-"

"Okay, okay!" Kyoko quickly interrupted. "Holy shit, you've made your freaking point!"

"I hope so," Charlotte said. "I like Oktavia, I really do. And I don't want her to end up like some the others I've heard about."

Kyoko scowled. "But damn, this place has some freaky rules."

Charlotte shrugged. "It is what it is. I didn't make the rules. But I can at least try to keep you guys from breaking the wrong ones."

If it weren't for the horrible implications Kyoko would have laughed again. Breaking the rules was what she did best. But that didn't mean she was so boneheaded that she was willing to drive Sayaka to paranoia and insanity just to make a point.

However, she also wasn't willing to throw away her hopes that Sayaka might be made right and whole again. Kyoko resolved to give this matter some more thought.

In the meantime, she had a lighthouse to rummage through. "Hey, Charly? Do you mind if I call you Charly? It's close enough, right?"

Behind her, Charlotte made an exasperated grunt, but said, "I suppose. Nicknames are harmless enough."

"Alrighty then." Kyoko nudged what looked like the remains of a bookcase with her spear, only to have it crumble to pieces. "Tell me something then: can you witches turn back to the way you were, or are you stuck?" She glanced over her shoulder. "And seriously, ain't trying to start something here. I really want to know."

"You and everyone else," Charlotte sighed. "And yes, actually. It's possible."

Kyoko's heart fluttered. "Wait, really?"

"Hold on, don't get excited just yet," Charlotte said as she held her palms up. "Yes, it has happened before, but it's extremely rare. Out of the thousands and thousands of witches that have come here, there's only like eight actual documented cases where it's happened, and each time, the circumstances were different, so no one knows what makes it happen. Even the girls it happened to don't know how it happened, so don't think you can just copy whatever they did."

Kyoko's face fell in disappointment. "Whaddya mean, 'they don't know'? They were just walking along one day when suddenly they changed back?"

"Of course not! Like I said, there were certain circumstances, usually involving extreme emotional duress, but it was always different! And each time, it happened without them trying to make it happen! That's my point. No witch has ever, ever been able to turn into a Puella Magi on purpose. It just doesn't happen that way." Charlotte looked down and nudged a hardened clump of ash. As she did so, her tail snaked up around her legs to touch the palm of her hand. "More often than not, the opposite happens."

"Wait, you mean they go the other way?" Kyoko sucked in a sharp breath. "That can happen?"

Charlotte nodded. She did not meet Kyoko's eyes. "Yes. It's still rare, but not nearly as rare as turning human again. Out in the wild places, away from settlements, there's several of them."

"Well, shit." Kyoko's brow scrunched as she pondered this. "And, how the hell does that happen? Same as back home? Despair and giving up?"

Charlotte shrugged. "Pretty much, but not in that slow, cancerous way. From what I can tell, it takes a combination of shock, anger, and yeah, despair. Back on Earth, it was kind of a gradual thing, at least most of the time, where you sort of sank into your witch's form. Here, it's more of a sudden kick."

"Yikes. That must suck, always having to keep control like that."

"Mmmm, not as much as you might think." Charlotte shrugged. "Like I said, it's really rare, and things have to be pretty extreme for it to happen. Think of it like having a sudden heart-attack from shock. Yeah, it happens, and yeah, it can happen to you. But that doesn't mean you're constantly worried about it."

"Well, maybe you've got a point," Kyoko admitted. She put her free hand on her hip and chuckled. "Damn, I just realized that this is the first conversation we've had. Hell of an icebreaker, huh?"

Charlotte's shoulders relaxed, though only a little. "That's actually why I'm telling you this now. Mami knows you well enough to worry about telling you and keep putting it off until it's too late, and Oktavia doesn't really get it yet. So I figure I might as well just get it over with before I start worrying about your feelings."

Kyoko searched the other girl's face. She was starting to pick up on something, something that Charlotte wasn't saying. "You don't like me very much, do you?"

That actually got a surprised laugh out of the pink-haired witch. "I don't know you," she clarified. "There's a difference. So I figure I should get the uncomfortable talks out of the way first."

"Well, hey, at least you're honest. That's a point in your favor." Kyoko was tempted to return the favor by inquiring into the exact nature of the relationship Charlotte had with Mami, but then something attracted her attention.

She reached down and grabbed an overturned drawer by the side and turned it over. She whistled when she saw what was underneath. It was the stuffed animals she remembered seeing on Elsa's bedrolls: the wolf, the snake, and the rabbit.

"Hey, check it out," Kyoko said, picking them up. Like the monstrance, they had survived the inferno, and were not wasting away. "Looks like these little guys got lucky."

Charlotte peered over Kyoko's shoulder. "No kidding. That drawer must have landed right on them and protected them from the worst of it. It's kind of miraculous, actually."

"Heh, she's probably agree with you." Kyoko placed Elsa's stuffed animals inside the backpack to the monstrance and continued sifting through the ashes. So far she had discovered at least two things that she knew Elsa would very much want to have back. Now she just had to find a clue that would allow her to give them back.

…

Oktavia tilted her head to one side. "Hey, do you hear that?"

Sitting across from her in the driver's seat, Mami's mouth set in a straight line. She nodded. "Yes. I think Kyoko and Charlotte are having an argument."

"Oh, jeez," Oktavia groaned. Grimacing, she pressed two fingers against her forehead. "For God's sake, Kyoko, can't you talk to anyone without getting them mad at you? Like at all?"

"Honestly I'd be very surprised if it was just her fault," Mami said. She gave the wheel a slight turn, and the boat entered the lighthouse's shadow. "Charlotte has a tendency to be overly blunt at times, as I'm sure you've noticed. It's gotten her into trouble once or twice."

"Yeah? Well, Kyoko has a tendency to mouth off and yell at anyone for anything that pisses her off, and believe me, that's a really long list. As I'm sure you've noticed."

"Oh, you have no idea," Mami said, but she smiled in amusement. "It's a shame though. I really hope they learn to get along. They really do have a lot in common."

Oktavia quickly ran through all of Kyoko's personality traits, at least the ones she knew. Then she ran through Charlotte's. Other than sometimes being brutally honest, she didn't see that much in the way of similarities. She shrugged. Mami had known both longer than she did, so she would be more qualified to judge, even if Oktavia didn't see it at the time.

"If you say so," she said.

"Well, okay, maybe they're not that much alike," Mami admitted. "But I really hope they can get along."

Oktavia did as well, though she wasn't holding her breath. She had a feeling that even if Charlotte was the nicest, most polite person in the world, Kyoko would still find reason to dislike her. Not that Charlotte was especially rude, some people were just naturally abrasive.

Then again, she had warmed up to Elsa Maria fairly quickly, even with the occasional clashes over Elsa's religiousness. Maybe the abrasiveness was just Kyoko's way of expressing herself to people.

She was about to comment further, but then she got a good look at Mami and all desire to continue the conversation withered away. Mami had brought the boat to a stop and was sitting statue-still, her head turned to the left and her eyes focused on a patch of ocean.

"Uh, Mami?" Oktavia said in a low voice. "What's-"

"Get down," Mami said. She unbuckled herself and stood up.

Oktavia was now even more confused, but she didn't question Mami's orders. Undoing her own safety belt, she squirmed into the place between the seats. It was a tight fit, but she did the best she could.

Moving slowly and deliberately, Mami walked out toward the open area in the back of the boat, her musket held in one hand. Then, moving so quickly that Oktavia's body jerked in surprise, the blonde spun around, bringing the musket to bear as she turned, and fired at the spot she had been watching.

The shot hit the water. Oktavia waited for something to happen, but nothing did.

Mami didn't seem to mind though. She tossed the used musket overboard and pulled another out of nowhere. Taking aim at the same spot, she called, "That was a warning shot. You won't get another. Come on out."

A few heartbeats passed, and then the waters rippled as someone surfaced. Oktavia felt burning anger ignite when she recognized Annabelle Lee's bony figure. Obviously, the Void Walker was soaked through, with her headdress clinging wetly to her back. Her twig-like arms were held at her sides, with her hands clenched into trembling fists. Despite the weapon aimed at her chest, Annabelle Lee's desperate eyes were not focused on Mami, but on Oktavia.

Mami glanced at Oktavia. "Is this one the ones you know?"

"Darn straight she is," Oktavia said, bracing her hands on the seats and pushing herself up. She grabbed onto the back of the passenger seat and pulled herself into it. "That's Annabelle Lee, their leader."

"I see." Turning her attention back at Annabelle Lee, the blonde said, "All right, let's see the rest of you then. Bring them out."

"It's just me," Annabelle Lee. Her voice was cracked and rough. "I'm the only one left."

"You're lying," Mami said. "Void Walkers never work alone. There's always at least one more, and you should have three others with you."

"They're not here," the Void Walker insisted. "Reibey called them back. He told me to handle this on my own, that this was my last chance."

"Is that so? Sounds like he's setting you up to fail."

Annabelle Lee's already tight grip squeezed even tighter, but she didn't answer. However, Oktavia had plenty to say.

"Hey!" she shouted across the water. "What did you do with Elsa, you asshole? Where is she?"

"Elsa?" Annabelle Lee croaked out. She laughed. "The arms witch? Where do you think she is?"

Growling, Oktavia rolled onto the floor and power-crawled her way toward the side of the boat, intending to pull herself over and deliver unto Annabelle Lee a fully deserved ass-kicking, but Mami put her leg in the way, stopping her.

"No," she said, not taking her eyes away from Annabelle Lee. "That's what she wants. To get you away from the boat and attack her. If you do that, you'll be free game."

"But I can't just stay here and let them hurt her!" Oktavia cried. "I mean, she got mixed up in this because of me!"

Annabelle Lee's brittle cackle echoed across the water. "Yes, she did. And Reibey didn't look too happy with her when last I saw her. I shouldn't have to tell you what happens to people he's not happy with, do I?"

"I get the feeling that he's not happy with you right now, is he?" Mami countered. "And if you come back empty-handed, the punishment waiting for you isn't going to be light."

Annabelle Lee laughed again. The sound of it made Oktavia's skin crawl. "Like you wouldn't believe."

"Then don't," Mami said. "I know you're desperate. I know you'll backed up against a wall. Why give him the chance to hurt you? Leave him. Void Walkers have defected before. We can get you amnesty."

A low, hissing growl vibrated from Annabelle Lee's throat. "That's the second time I've had someone try to make me switch sides. You wanna know what happened to the last one? I'll give you a hint: that's what's left of her lighthouse over there."

"You…you bitch!" Oktavia shouted. "She was just trying to help us, and you-"

"Yeah, we did! And guess what, little mermaid, it's going to just keep happening unless you give up. You want my masters to let her go?" She swung her skinny arm toward the lighthouse and pointed her finger straight out. "Then get your little lunatic of a girlfriend out here and come with me! You do that, and we'll let her go. You two for her. That's the deal."

"Stop," Mami commanded. "Don't try to manipulate her compassion. Instead, let's talk about your clear violation of the Free-Life Compact by assaulting a resident of Freehaven."

"What? Bullshit!" Annabelle shot back. "I haven't laid a finger on you! And I know those two haven't signed anything when we fought them."

"I wasn't talking me or them, I'm talking about Elsa Maria, the witch you took prisoner."

"What, seriously? She's a neutral! She has nothing to do with your little colony!"

"That's where you're wrong," Mami said. "We looked it up. Elsa Maria may not have actually been living in Freehaven, but she did for a time, and her name was never struck from the census when she left. That means she's still under the protection of the Compact."

Oktavia blanched. She was? Neither Mami nor Charlotte had mentioned anything of the kind. She looked up to inquire further, but Mami quickly nudged her with her foot. Oktavia shut up.

As for Annabelle Lee, her reaction was even more extreme. Her violet eyes were very nearly popping right out of their sockets, and her mouth was opening and closing, though she made no sound that could be heard.

"I see you understand your mistake," Mami said. "By attacking her and those under her protection, by destroying her sanctuary, and by taking her hostage, you have violated the Free-Life Compact, and did so under Reibey's orders. Of course, I doubt that he wanted you to ignite a war between the Alliance and the Withering Lands, but it looks like you've done just that." She shrugged. "All things considered, I'd say you have a bit more to worry about than failing your mission."

Annabelle Lee made a sound that was not quite a squeak and not quite a whimper, but combined the traits of both.

Mami lowered the musket a few centimeters. "Please reconsider. What awaits you cannot be good. We can help you, you know."

At that moment Oktavia was in no mood to help Annabelle Lee with anything, but she kept silent and let the professional handle things.

Annabelle Lee took a deep breath, held it in, and let it out. "I…can't," she said. "Nikki's still there. I can't just leave her."

"Nikki's your sister, yes?"

"Yes." Then Annabelle Lee's face hardened, and she bared her teeth in a grimace. "And besides, I've already sworn myself to Oblivion's service. I can't just run away because I…because I screwed up."

Mami tilted her head. "But they're hurting you."

"No more than I deserve."

Mami refocused the musket. "Either way, you're not taking these girls. They're under Freehaven's protection, and you've violated the Compact enough as it is."

Annabelle Lee shot her a look of pure hate.

"You've lost. Either give up and come with us or leave. Either way, you've lost."

Then, so suddenly that it actually made Mami start, Annabelle Lee threw her head back and let out a bone-rattling shriek of rage. The sound of it was simply unearthly, almost a witch power in itself. Oktavia squeezed her eyes shut and slapped her hands over her ears, trying to keep out the horrible sound.

And then Annabelle Lee was gone, soaring off away from the crumbling island, shrieking the whole way. Her form disappeared long before the sound of her cry did.

There was the sound of banging, and Kyoko and Charlotte rushed out of the lighthouse. "What in the holy hotsauce hells was that?" Kyoko demanded. "Sounds like a live pig getting spitted right up the…Holy shit, was that Annabelle Lee?"

It was only then that Mami lowered the musket. "Yes," she said.

Kyoko gaped at her. "Wait, the hell was she doing here?"

"Looking to ambush us, apparently."

"And you just let her get away? Goddamn it Mami!" Kyoko rushed forward, heedless of the unstable terrain. She jabbed the butte of her spear against the rock, intending to pole-vault into the boat. "I still owe her for…WAH!"

The end of the spear had sunk further than she had expected, which caused her to miscalculate the pole's arc, sending her flying straight for the water.

Mami reached out and grabbed Kyoko by the boot as the flailing redhead sailed past, arresting her trajectory.

"I told you to be careful," she said, dropping Kyoko on the deck.

Kyoko glowered. She rolled her weight onto her shoulders, drew her legs back, and leapt to her feet. "Forget careful!" she shouted. "Why the hell aren't we chasing her?"

"What point is there?" Mami said. "We can't do anything to her without violating the Compact. The same thing that keeps her from attacking us protects her as well."

"Screw the Compact! I never signed any treaties! I'm not part of your stupid club! I can do whatever I want to her! I bet I can beat Elsa's location out of her in under five minutes."

"Kyoko, there's nothing you can do," Mami said softly. "I'm sorry, but there isn't. She already told us where they took Elsa. She's at Palace Omega, Oblivion's stronghold."

The color rose in Kyoko's cheeks. Her spine stiffened as her fingers curled into claws.

"Hurting Annabelle Lee won't solve anything," Mami continued. "She can't help us. The only reason she was even still here was because Reibey made her, as a form of punishment. She wouldn't even be useful as a hostage. I think it's plainly obvious that that Incubator doesn't care much for his underlings."

"So what are you saying, sempai?" Kyoko spat. "We're just gonna leave Elsa with them, just because it's politically convenient?"

"Kyoko, I would never suggest such a thing. I'm saying that angrily beating that Void Walker to a pulp is pointless. She's just a finger, one of many."

"So what, I gotta go all the way into the middle of Oblivion's territory, storm her castle and beat the shit out of her and Reibey in person to pull it off? Okay, fine with me, let's fucking go!"

"Yeah, no," Charlotte said, leaping into the boat in much more graceful manner than Kyoko had. "Oblivion's got an army guarding that place. You won't even make it to the borders, much less all the way to the castle. Besides, that's probably exactly what she wants. I wouldn't be surprised if that Void Walker was sent just to dangle Elsa Maria as bait in front of your nose." She handed a bag to Kyoko. "You forgot this, by the way."

"Oh, right." Kyoko grabbed the bag. "Thank. And don't tell me I can't-"

Someone cleared their throat. Everyone looked down to see Oktavia waving at them.

"Uh, hey," she said. "I know this is an important conversation and all, but would someone mind giving me a hand?"

"Oh," Kyoko said, slightly chagrined. "Sorry, fish-bait." She reached down to pick Oktavia up by the armpits and hauled her over to one of the seats. "Though you really have got to get one of those flying wheelchair things. Because no offense, but you're kinda heavy."

"Thanks, I love you too. But why are we even fighting about this? I mean, you said Elsa Maria is a member of Freehaven, even if she's not actually, uh, welcome there anymore. So can't we use that to make Oblivion give her up?"

That part was directed toward Mami. Upon hearing this, Kyoko's face lit up.

"Wait, really?" she said, looking toward the blonde as well. "We can actually make this BS politicky thing work for us?"

Oktavia held her breath as she waited for Mami's answer. If that was the case, if things were as Elsa had described, then maybe they did have a chance. She knew a bit more of the Free-Life Compact than Kyoko did, having had it explained to her while they had waited for Kyoko to wake up. The long and skinny of it was that both sides, the Alliance and the Void Walkers, definitely did not want a war. As no one on either side was capable of dying, it would be a pointless affair: a devastating, painful affair, one that wasn't guaranteed a winner. As such, both sides were willing to bend over backwards to keep it from happening. As such, since the only reason they had taken Elsa was as leverage, they might be coerced into letting her go.

Of course, that all depended on Oblivion and Reibey's willingness to cooperate, and from what Oktavia had heard, Reibey was not known for being a paragon of sanity. He might just be willing to risk such a disaster out of spite. And it also depended on the Alliance's willingness to cooperate and actually push for Elsa's release. That was also a sticky situation. Oktavia didn't know exactly what Elsa had done to make herself so unpopular around Freehaven, but she did know that it's mayor, one of the Alliance's leading figures, did not like her very much. It was a long shot, but it was the only chance they had.

Charlotte, however, just looked confused. "Wait, she is?" she said, looking at Mami in askance. "Or was? I thought Corrie said she never signed on!"

Mami winced.

Oktavia's heart fell. She slumped back into her seat as hope died within her. The look on Kyoko's face likewise turned from one of hope to bafflement, followed by horrible realization.

"What?" Charlotte said, looking from one face to the next. "What did…Oh." She winced in turn and slowly edged away. "Uh, yeah. I'm going to go…over there."

As Charlotte pretended to busy herself at the front of the boat, Oktavia said, "So, she's really not part of Freehaven?"

Mami miserably shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I wanted to scare her into leaving, and no Void Walker wants to be the one to accidentally violate the Compact."

"A bluff, huh?" Huffing, Kyoko walked over to angrily pop down in the seat next to Oktavia. "Well, nice idea, but where the hell does that leave us?"

Mami gazed at the tilting lighthouse, lost in thought. Then she tossed the musket over the boat's side and walked toward the driver's seat. "Here's what we'll do. We were going to go to Freehaven tomorrow anyway. We'll set up a meeting with Corrie, and she'll contact Oblivion. From there, we'll try to negotiate Elsa's release."

"What?" Oktavia said, aghast. "Negotiate with that monster?"

Kyoko agreed. "Mami, the hell are you on? You think she'll just let Elsa go because we say pretty please?"

"No, I don't," Mami said, strapping herself in. "But it's a start. If nothing else, it'll open some doors for us to find out why she wants you two so badly. And from there…" She sighed. "Well, we'll figure something out."

Kyoko's face was already pink with anger, but now it was flushing scarlet. She leaned forward, presumably to start yelling again, but Oktavia arrested her with a hand to the shoulder. Kyoko looked at her, eyes demanding to know why she had stopped her. Oktavia shook her head. Now was not the time.

Kyoko stared at her, her face going to war with itself. Then the fight seemed to go out of her and she slumped back into her seat. She hugged the bag Charlotte had given her and stared out at the sea, her face carved from stone. Oktavia placed her hand over the redhead's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Kyoko shuddered, but didn't reject the gesture.

Mami gunned the engine, and turned the boat away from the dying island. Oktavia watched as it faded into the distance.

It was a very long, very quiet trip back.

…

Kyoko opened Mami and Charlotte's refrigerator and peered inside. Though she was still in a foul mood, her face lit up when she saw it contents. While she still had mixed feelings about being reunited with Mami, it did come with certain advantages, one being that Mami was an amazing cook, a skill she enjoyed practicing at every opportunity.

Dinner had been shrimp stir fry, though it had been rather tense around the table. No one had felt like talking, and only Kyoko had felt like eating. But though she had had three helpings, she was hungry again.

After a few moments of consideration, she finally settled on a Tupperware container of chicken alfredo. Mami and Charlotte didn't have a microwave, and Kyoko didn't want to risk burning the place down, so she just started eating it cold as she wandered back to the guest room.

Sayaka (Kyoko still refused to think of her as Oktavia, no matter what Charlotte said. She would just have to find a way around the name problem) was sitting up in the other bed and was just finishing buttoning up the pajama shirt Charlotte had leant her, the same one Kyoko had woken up in. Kyoko had refused to wear the thing again, preferring to sleep in her own clothes.

"Hey," she said as Kyoko plopped onto her bed. "You didn't bring anything for me?"

"Kiss my incredible ass," Kyoko said as she dug into the Tupperware container. "Do I look like a waitress to you?"

Sayaka rolled her eyes but smiled. "You know…even if the circumstances are, uh, horrible, I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow. I really want to see what Freehaven's like. I've only seen pictures, but Mami and Charlotte tell me that it's kind of awesome."

"Eh, if yous shay sho," Kyoko mumbled through a mouthful of pasta. She swallowed. "As for me, I just wanna file whatever stupid complaint thing Mami was talking about. Then I'm outta there."

"You are?" Oktavia said, sounding surprised and disappointed. "Why? And where?"

A few moments ticked by, during which the only sound was of Kyoko eating. Then she finished and set the plastic container on the nightstand and said, "Look, maybe I only knew Elsa Maria for like…an hour? Less? But she saved my ass when she didn't have to, and lost all her shit because of it. I owe her, and big. And I always, always repay what I owe." She shrugged. "'Sides, I kinda liked her, preaching and all."

"So you're just going to storm the gates of Palace Omega?" Sayaka said, staring at her through the darkness. "Are you insane? That's suicide!"

Kyoko drew her legs up and started pulling off her boots. "Yeah, that term don't really mean the same as it used to anymore," she said as she dropped them by the side of her bed. She skinned out of her jacket. "And I didn't say I was gonna fight my way in. I was thinking I'd sneak it, all Hobbit-like, and snatch Elsa out from under their runny noses."

"Still stupid, still a real bad idea," Sayaka said flatly. "Come on, Kyoko. You know it isn't going to work. And at the end of the day, Oblivion is just going to have you both."

"Will she?" Kyoko shrugged. "We'll see."

Things were quiet between them for a short while, and then Sayaka said, "Come on, Kyoko. I hate what happened to her too, but going in alone is just stupid. And I don't want to lose you too."

Kyoko didn't answer.

"Look, just hold off on heading out on your lonesome until we know more. And Freehaven's got plenty-"

"Oh, fer Chrissake's, will you people just shut up about fucking Freehaven!" Kyoko exploded. "It's always Freehaven this, Freehaven that. 'Oh, Freehaven is so super special awesome, you'll love it!' 'Don't worry about a thing, Freehaven will solve all your problems!'" She kicked her way under the covers and turned away from Sayaka, pulling the blanket tightly under her chin. "Makes me wanna gag, is what it does."

"Whoa, hey," she heard Sayaka say. "Where is this coming from?"

Kyoko sighed. "Look, I just don't buy it, all this talk about second chances and making a new life. It's bullshit. We had a life, and we lost it. That's how it works. You get your shot, and you try not to screw up too badly, and then it's over. But no, apparently this fucking place had to show up out of goddamn nowhere, and now it's like everyone is filming a Freehaven commercial! We're dead, so we shouldn't be forced to live again. This isn't a second chance, it's playing house."

"Now you're starting to sound like a Void Walker," Sayaka said. There was a hard edge to her voice.

Kyoko shrugged. "Hey, Reibey may be a right bastard that needs to get real acquainted with the bottom of my boot, and Oblivion may be a fraud that needs to get slapped down something awful, but that don't mean the punks they got working for them ain't wrong for wanting an out. And I for one don't buy that there isn't one."

"A way out?"

"Sure, why not? There's always a way to make things stop." Kyoko laughed. "Hell, there's probably even a way to get back home, you never know?"

"Are you serious?" Sayaka said. "You want to go back? To be alive again? After all that talk about having your shot and how it should be over?"

Kyoko turned to look over her shoulder. "Hey, if I gotta be stuck somewhere, I'd rather it be in the place that's actually real. And hell, maybe things did suck, but at least I knew what's what."

"Uh, Kyoko? I really hate being contrary and all but…no. No, you didn't. Wasn't that kind of the whole point? That you…we…you were being lied to and was nothing more than a pawn in the Incubators' game? And, ah…" Sayaka grimaced, her expression of discomfort still visible even through the shadows. "Don't take this the wrong way, but wasn't that a big part of why you let yourself die? I mean, I know a major part of it was for my sake, and again I really appreciate it, don't get me wrong, but I get the feeling that you also didn't want to be part of their cycle anymore."

Kyoko glowered, but she couldn't retort. The amnesiac mermaid was right, after all. Which, incidentally, was not a thought she had ever expected to have.

"And from what you and Mami told me, wasn't your life pretty awful anyway? I mean, there was what happened to…" Sayaka flinched and quickly mumbled, "yourfamilyandallthat." In a normal tone, she continued, "And weren't you kind of homeless, needing to steal to get food and all that? You didn't sound like you liked what kind of person you were becoming either, and eventually you would have either just got killed anyway or turned into a witch yourself."

"The point," Kyoko said. "Get to it."

"I'm just saying, with all that…what exactly do you want to go back for?"

Kyoko gave Sayaka a long, hard stare, but again she didn't have a satisfactory answer. When one failed to present itself, she rolled over again.

"Look, I know the thing with Elsa Maria is awful, and I know the whole thing with Oblivion and the freaking…uh, Void Walkers sucks too." Sayaka took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. "And I know you think what Mami and Charlotte are doing here is kind of silly, but come on. At least give it a chance?"

Kyoko's fist clenched under the covers, but she forced her fingers to uncurl. "Okay, fine," she said without turning around. "I'll give Happy Land a chance. Don't expect me to be wearing any 'I Love Freehaven' tee shirts though."

"Heh, even I think that would be real cheesy. Thanks, though. That's all I really ask."

"Sure," Kyoko said, shrugging. "Whatever."

Sayaka yawned. "All right, goodnight then."

"Mmmph. 'Night."

It didn't take long for Sayaka's breathing to slow to the steady, even flow of sleep. But despite being exhausted herself, Kyoko remained awake, staring at the far wall.

She just couldn't shake Sayaka's words, no matter how hard she tried. Because Sayaka was correct. Kyoko's life had sucked, she had been living a lie, and she had been doomed, no matter how you looked at it. And as the blunnette had pointed out, she couldn't even use the knew-where-she-stood argument either, because the face of the matter was that she hadn't known squat. She had been used, abused, and discarded. So why was she hoping for a way to return? Nostalgia?

The funny thing was, she almost wished she had gone to Hell as she had expected. Yes, there were the eternal flames and torment, but at least then she would have known were she stood. There would have been no more illusions, no more confusion. It was strange, that she actually preferred being damned to having her mind twisted around, but there was only so much weirdness a person could take.

She remembered reading somewhere, couldn't remember exactly where, that some criminals actually found being arrested to be a relief. Because while they had been on the lam, the possibly of being caught or worse had always gnawed at them, tormenting their minds. But once they were actually in prison, the realization that they had finally fallen as far as they could go was a comfort. They no longer needed to fear the worst, because it had already happened. And as screwed up as it sounded, Kyoko had craved that relief.

But now she was in a world that she had never even heard of, knew very little about, and, though she hated to admit it, just sounded too damned good to be true. Granted, that freaky-ass city had been, well, a bit of a nightmare. And it was evident that Oblivion was looking to be a continual thorn in her side. But beyond that, the possibilities that were being offered to her were very tempting. To be able to reunite and settle her differences with Mami? To have successfully returned Sayaka to human…ish form and have an actual friendship with her, with all of the blunnette's suspicion and hostility cleansed away? To live with the two of them in an admittedly awesome house on an ocean platform thingamajig? To no longer live in fear and distrust and have real, honest-to-God friends? Okay granted, she still didn't know where she stood with that Charlotte chick, and she did find the fact that she had been the witch to eat Mami to be kind of on the disturbing side. But hey, the awkward tension between them was not a deal breaker, and given how her encounter with the witch Oktavia von Seckendorff had gone down, she was no one to throw stones about the whole killing Mami thing. And to top it off, with Oblivion gunning for her and Elsa Maria still needing saving, it wasn't like she was going to be bored either. She had an obviously, almost comically, evil bad guy to fight and a damsel in distress to rescue. It was her chance to be a real hero, and to do it on her terms.

But that's where she had a problem. In her experience, when something sounded too good to be true, that meant it was. There had to be another layer to this, something sinister that no one else was seeing. Because at the moment, it sounded too much like a good…

Dream?

Kyoko's eyes snapped open as realization hit her. She almost started laughing and had to bite down on her knuckles to hold it in. During her battle with Oktavia, right after she had realized that their attempts to get to her were doomed to fail and right before she had unleashed that final, devastating attack that had vanquished them both, Kyoko had done something that she had not done since the day of her family's death: she had prayed. She had knelt down right there in the middle of Oktavia's concert hall and talked to God for what she had expected to be the last time. But she hadn't prayed for protection, or strength, or even redemption. In her mind, those had been unnecessary or out of her reach. Instead, she had simply asked that she be sent one last bit of comfort. A happy dream.

And now, here she was.

Was this the answer to her prayer? Was this the dream she had asked for? Kyoko turned over. Sayaka was sleeping peacefully, lightly clutching at her pillow. Beyond the bedroom door, Mami was nearby, also at peace with her new life. And they wanted Kyoko to be a part of it.

But despite all that, Kyoko couldn't bring herself to find comfort in the thought. Because more often than not, her dreams became nightmares.

Troubled, conflicted, and unsure of what she was supposed to do, Kyoko finally drifted into an uneasy slumber.

…

Mami leaned with her arms folded over the platform's railing, watching the moon cast its shimmering reflection over the water. Corrie Linemann had already been contacted and was expecting them tomorrow morning. But though she really should be resting up for what promised to be an eventful day, she just couldn't bring herself to go to bed, not yet. She had too much to think about.

She heard someone walk up behind her and smiled when a familiar pair of slim arms wrapped themselves lightly around her waist. "Hey," she said, reaching up to cradle the head that now rested on her shoulder.

"Hey yourself," Charlotte said. "You okay?"

"Mmmm. Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Everything." Mami sighed. "And how we're going to deal with it."

"Yeah. Things did suddenly get real complicated, didn't they?"

"It's to be expected."

"Doesn't make it any easier though."

Mami sighed again. "No, not really. But who ever said life was easy?"

"Funny," Charlotte said with a small chuckle. She released Mami's waist and moved to lean against the rail next to her. "Still, this is all kinds of ironic. Two people you knew back in your life, showing up at the same time. And it turns out they've got trouble with Oblivion herself. I have to give them credit, they work fast."

"Come on Charlotte, you know it's not their fault."

"Oh, I know. I'm just saying, it's so ridiculous that it's kind of funny when you think of it."

"You've got a strange sense of humor," Mami said dryly. She shook her head. "Oh, by the by, what were you and Kyoko arguing about back there?"

Charlotte turned to look at her in confusion. "Ah, come again?"

"Back in the lighthouse. We could hear you two shouting at each other."

"Oh. That." Charlotte shrugged. "I was just explaining how it's a bad idea to not call Oktavia by her name. And she really didn't take it well."

Mami sighed. "Really? Come on, sweetie. I know it's important, but did you really have to drop that on her today? I mean, she's kind of dealing with a lot right now."

"I know, but it's better that she knows, and the sooner the better."

Mami took Charlotte's hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Char, I know you're all for confronting hard truths right up front, but bringing that up when she's just woke up from a five-day coma, reunited with her dead friend with whom she has a real troubled history with, found out that she really is dead herself, and was in the middle of desperately searching for someone that she feels indebted to? Not really the best time. Remember how we were when we were figuring things out? Would you have liked for someone to drop something like that on you then?"

That made Charlotte wince. "Uh, well. When you put it that way…" She sheepishly ran her hand through her hair. "I guess maybe I should apologize to her, huh?"

Mami smiled. She leaned over to rest her hand against the taller girl's shoulder. "You don't like her, do you?"

Charlotte gave her a sidelong glance. "Hey, where is this coming from? And she asked me the same thing, you know that?" She shrugged her other shoulder. "Well, the answer's still the same. I don't know her. I have nothing against her, but I don't know her. You warned me that she's pretty abrasive, and you were right. And I honestly think she's a little weirded out by me. So yeah, there's a little tension there."

"Just give her a chance," Mami said. "Like I said, she's-"

"Dealing with a lot," Charlotte said in agreement. "No, I get that. And you're right, she needs some space right now. I should have realized that earlier, sorry." She shook her head and laughed. "Though to her credit, she's handling all this a lot better than we did."

"Mmmm, that's for sure. She hasn't tried to shoot anyone yet. At least not that we know of."

Charlotte gave her a playful shove. "Maybe not, but she did say that guns aren't her thing. So I wouldn't let her near the sharp objects if I were you."

"That's kind of pointless, seeing how she can summon some very sharp objects out of thin air," Mami pointed out.

"See what I mean? Tension. Especially since I keep expecting her to go all stabby-stab-stab the second my back's turned."

"Well, I'll tell you what. She does that, and I'll threaten to send her to bed without dinner. That'll set her straight, trust me." They both laughed at that.

For a while, neither of them spoke. They just stood together, enjoying a few moments of peace before whatever the next day brought.

And then Mami said, "But do you know what I find strange? I actually felt sorry for her."

"Who, Kyoko?" Charlotte asked, bewildered. "Of course you did! She's your friend, why wouldn't you?"

"Oh, oh no." Mami shook her head and laughed. "I'm sorry, I should have clarified. No, I meant that Void Walker, Annabelle Lee I think her name was? Despite everything she had done to Kyoko and Oktavia, and even though she's responsible for whatever is happening to their friend, I felt a little sorry for her."

"Sorry," Charlotte repeated, her tone flat. "For her." A pause, and then, "Really?"

Mami shrugged. "You didn't see her. She was desperate. I have no doubt that whatever punishment Reibey has in store for her, it must be horrible."

"Well, maybe," Charlotte said incredulously. "But you really got to question the intelligence of anyone who would willingly work for an Incubator. I mean, come on. You know what they say about making beds and sleeping in them?"

Mami patted the back of Charlotte's hand. "It's not always so simple as that. Some girls just can't adjust, and they see Oblivion as their only chance. You know that. Remember Jezebel?"

"Had to bring her up," Charlotte sighed, remembering one of their more unfortunate acquaintances. "All right, you have a point. Still, you've got to be one of the few people to feel sorry for the person trying to abduct your friends for an evil monster."

"Like I said, you had to see her. That girl was terrified." Mami shuddered. "If anything, it just makes me hate Reibey more, thinking of what he must be doing to her, to all of them, right now."

…

There was the sound of a concussion, an explosion of force, and Annabelle Lee's body was flung backward with unstoppable momentum. She didn't have enough time to scream before she slammed into the stone wall with bone-shattering force.

As Annabelle Lee's broken body tumbled to the ground, trailing wisps of white vapor behind it, Reibey turned his attention to the rest of her posse. Arzt, Nie, and Nikki huddled together, staring with wide eyes as he paced back and forth.

Reibey stared unblinking at them, letting the tension continue to rise. Ten seconds went by. Fifteen. Thirty. A full minute. Two.

It wasn't until Annabelle Lee had healed enough to push herself up on her shaking arms that he broke eye contact. "Well, gosh," he said, looking from one trembling face to the next. "Girls, I really don't know what to say. I ask one thing of you, one simple job. I thought you would be able to handle it. After all, it wasn't like I was asking anything especially difficult. Just please go grab those two new arrivals and bring them here. And seeing how there's four of you and one of them doesn't even have legs, I thought for sure you could pull it off."

Shaking his ratlike head, Reibey padded over to the three of them and sat down less than three meters away, making them cringe back. "But despite giving it your all no less than three times, here you are, back here with no Kyoko Sakura, no mermaid witch, and nothing to show for your efforts except for some churchgirl who I have not even heard of until now. Tell me, why did you waste time by bringing her here? Did you expect me to exact you revenge for you? Punish her for succeeding while you failed? What exactly do you expect me to do with her? Ask her to write Kyoko Sakura an invitation to tea?"

His shoulders lifted and fell in an exaggerated sigh. "My word, I am just so disappointed right now. I'm sorry girls, I take no joy in telling you this, but that's three failed attempts. Do I even need to make the tired baseball analogy?"

"Wh-what?" Nie stuttered. "But…but Arzt and I were only there for one!"

Nie agreed. "Annabelle Lee was the one who failed three times, not us!" she cried, pointing at her disgraced team leader with the syringe hand while clutching Ticky Nikki close with the other. For once, the little nutcase wasn't resisting, but instead burrowed into Nie's side, trying to hide herself. "And Nikki wasn't there for the last one; she still has one more shot!"

Reibey cocked his head to one side. "You know what? You're right. Annabelle Lee was the one to fail all three times. All right girls, you just got yourself another chance."

"What?" Annabelle Lee said as she looked up. "But you said-"

There was another wave of force, and Annabelle Lee's body was slammed down against the ground. Her forehead smacked against the cold tiles and she lay still with a dazed whimper.

"That should keep her quiet for a while," Reibey said. "As for you three, same terms apply. Go get Kyoko Sakura and the mermaid with blue hair. Bring them here. Don't violate the Compact. Beyond that, no restrictions. Understood?"

"Yes, yes!" Nie cried, bowing low. "Thank you!"

"Not at all. You have thirty seconds."

Three dumbstruck faces stared at him, all of them unable to believe what he was saying.

"Seven seconds are gone, girls. Time is a-ticking. Aren't you going to do anything?"

Nie and Arzt exchanged looks of helplessness. Nikki started crying.

"Twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, aaaannnnd…time's up! Sorry Ticky Nikki, that's it for you."

Reibey glanced up, and Nikki was torn from Arzt's grasp so suddenly that she almost took the arm with her. Wailing, she hurled upward to impact against the ceiling, more than forty meters in the air. From there, she plummeted all the way down to land in a crumpled heap next to her sister.

"Well, by my count, that still leaves you two with one more shot," Reibey said, addressing The Twins. "Please don't fail again. I'll even give you a full minute this time. That should be more than enough, right?

The Twins stared at him, their golden eyes mute pleas.

"No? All right, forget it then. Three strikes, all around."

Arzt and Nie were flung apart in opposite directions. Reibey turned and walked away as they impacted with the room's east and west walls.

When he was sure that everyone had recovered sufficiently to pay attention, Reibey sat down and said, "I really don't remember ever being so disappointed, and I know Oblivion isn't going to be thrilled. I'm sorry girls, but this just reflects poorly on everyone."

"Wait," Annabelle Lee gasped as she clawed her way across the floor. "Don't cast us out. Don't make us leave. Please."

"Nothing's decided yet, but right now, it isn't looking good." Reibey shook his head. "For now, I want the four of you to return to your respective quarters and stay there. I'll talk things over with Oblivion and let you know as soon as she makes a decision."

His four failed subordinates, all of them scattered across the room, cowered.

"Now!"

He didn't need to tell them a third time. Annabelle Lee staggered her way into flight and practically dragged a sobbing Ticky Nikki out the door. The Twins limped their way back to each other and hurried out the door as quickly as they could.

Once they were gone, Reibey turned and headed toward another door, this one set in the opposite wall. It opened as he approached, and he was soon descending a seemingly endless Mobius strip that spiraled in a black void. As a defensive mechanism, it was quite ideal, as those incapable of leaving it where they wished would find themselves forever desperately trying to reach the non-existence top or bottom. Fortunately, there was nothing in Palace Omega that was shut off to Reibey.

Once he felt that he had gone far enough, Reibey hopped off the steps and found himself in hallway that looked as if it had been carved right through a solid mountain of obsidian. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all smooth, featureless, and completely without seams. However, from the walls came a myriad of unpleasant sounds: pitiful sobs, angry threats, deranged screams, and incoherent babbling. Newcomers often assumed that the hallway was haunted, and it was, after a fashion, though not in the way they imagined. After all, were not all inhabitants of this world essentially spirits of the dead, save for Reibey himself? Did that not make any place where they gathered together "haunted"?

It was an interesting thought, one that Reibey found amusing. But the truth of the matter was that the source of the horrific cries had a very definite source. Reibey walked down the hallway before stopping to look at a seemingly insignificant bit of wall.

He blinked, and the wall opened up, forming a rectangular doorway. Beyond was a square room, unfurnished and unlit save for the faint lights of his eyes. Fortunately, Reibey's night vision was exceptionally good.

Kneeling in the far corner of the room and facing the wall was the witch that Annabelle Lee's crew had brought in, the one that had caused them to fail their mission. Her head was bowed, her eyes closed, and her hands clasped tightly under her chin. Her mouth moved, forming words, but she made no sound, and didn't even react to Reibey's entrance.

Reibey walked into the room. "Well now, I for one cannot apologize enough for this horrible misunderstanding. Rest assured, those responsible for bringing you here have been disciplined. I really am sorry, Elsa. May I call you Elsa? I don't want to be presumptuous."

Elsa Maria didn't answer. She didn't even acknowledge him. She just kept praying.

Reibey sat down on his haunches, his tail bobbing over his head. "Of course you are to be released. I'm sorry it took so long. You know bureaucracy. Every time you think you've finally finished all the paperwork, one more form rears its ugly head."

Elsa Maria continued to pray.

"And we will of course make full reparations for any property loss you have suffered. If you like, we would be happy to build you another lighthouse, or any other structure of your choice."

Still no answer.

Reibey tilted his head to the right and scratched his ear. "But before you go, I was wondering if you would be willing to help us out with a little problem. See, it seems that we've also got a bit of a misunderstanding with one Kyoko Sakura, whom I believe you know. This whole thing has just been a ghastly mess from beginning to end, and I really would appreciate the opportunity to clear things up with her and make amends. The only problem is that, thanks to the bumbling idiocy of those I have working for me, I think she might be laboring under the impression that our organization is actually hostile towards her! Can you believe it? I sure couldn't. But I would love to set things straight, so if you could convince her to have a one-on-one meeting with me, I would be most appreciative."

There still was no answer. It was like he wasn't there.

"You know," Reibey said after a long wait. "It is considered polite, upon being addressed, to pay those speaking to you some measure of attention."

He waiting for some kind of acknowledgement and, when he didn't get it, he said, "You do realize that I am bending over backwards to make things right. I understand that you and your associates were wronged and my people are at fault, but please give me the opportunity to…You're not going to so much as look at me, no matter what I say, are you?"

True to form, she didn't.

Irritated, Reibey decided to drop the pretenses. "All right, fine. If that doesn't work, then chew on this. Since your name doesn't appear on the Compact in any way, shape, or form, you derive no protection from the agreement. Which means I can do whatever I want to you, and there isn't a damned thing anyone can do about it. So if I decided to let you rot in this tiny room for the rest of eternity, then that's exactly what is going to happen."

When once again she refused to answer him, Reibey's last bit of patience snapped. "Fine! Enjoy the screams from your neighbors. I give it a week before you join them, if that."

Reibey turned to leave, but before he was halfway to the door, the witch said, "You will fail."

That stopped him his tracks. "I beg your pardon?"

"You will fail. You, and all those who act in concert with you. Your plans will be for naught, and you will be cast down, like Lucifer before you."

Reibey's tail twitched. "Oh, so now you're speaking to me? And what plans will that be, exactly?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Not to be contrary, but it does." Reibey started moving toward the door again. "You religious types confound me, you really do. Even after being confronted with concrete proof that the universe works according to an entirely different system than the one described in your little book, you just cling tighter to your delusions. And then you go off on a self-righteous spiel about how all my plans are doomed to fail even though you don't have the slightest clue what they actually are. Assumptions without evidence. I suppose I should give you credit for internal consistency at least."

He stepped out into the hallway, and the wall was made whole, sealing her up again.

Well, that had gone nowhere, but then what did these days? His group of minions seemed to be incapable of performing the simplest tasks, and now Oblivion was badgering him all the more. He now deeply regretted letting her know of Kyoko Sakura's arrival. He should have waited until he had the girl wrapped up in a basket before presenting her to the whiner as a surprise. It was now getting to the point where he was deliberately avoiding the throne room, which in turn was making her all the more irritable.

He was cursed, there was no other explanation. Some unseen force was getting its jollies by ensuring that he not enjoy the smallest measure of success. And now Kyoko Sakura was more-or-less out of reach. She was probably signing the Compact already. And what did he have to show for his troubles? One lousy witch, and a useless one at that. Maybe, just maybe, Kyoko Sakura could be convinced to come to him in hopes of rescuing her, but he wasn't nearly so optimistic to believe that would…

Wait.

Wait, wait, wait.

Reibey froze in mid-step.

An idea was starting to take form in his head, the seeds of a plan. Granted, it didn't have the advantage of simplicity, but he had tried that already. He recalled everything Oblivion had told her about this elusive Kyoko Sakura, about her motivations and past tragedies. Unfortunately he really hadn't been paying much attention, but based upon the few tidbits he could remember…

He started chuckling. Well, this could work. It was a long shot, but at least this time he would be doing the work himself instead of relying wholly on incompetents. And speaking of which, perhaps those for could prove useful yet.

Reibey broke out into a run, leaping back onto the spiral staircase and heading into the upper reaches of the palace.

…

And here is the chapter that was supposed to go up two weeks ago before the chapter that went up last week sprung up out of nowhere. Next chapter we finally get to see Freehaven. Yay!

Anyway, while it wasn't intentional, I'm noticing that, with Oktavia's personality coming out, she and Kyoko have kind of switched roles. In the show, Sayaka was the moper and Kyoko was trying to get her to snap out of it. Now it's the opposite. I guess dying and having your memories wiped will do wonders for your outlook on life, or lack thereof.

Until next time, everyone!