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.

8. Reasons to Stay

Reasons to Stay…

Kyoko's first punch was wild and sloppy, and was easily turned aside.

"Weak," said the other girl in a dismissive tone. "You Freehaven types really are a bunch of pussies, ze."

Then she was doubling over, gasping and holding her stomach where Kyoko's elbow had been driven into it.

"I'm not from Freehaven," Kyoko growled. Then she grabbed the girl's head with both hands and shoved it down to meet her knee.

Dropping her stick, the girl stumbled three steps back and had to grab onto a lamppost to keep from falling over. Dazed, she sniffed and shook her head, her hand pressed against her forehead. A trickle of yellow mist seeped out of her nose.

"That hurt," she said. "Wow, that really hurt."

Then she looked up, a mad grin spreading over her face. She slipped the bulging leather backpack she was wearing off of her shoulders.

"You bitch," she laughed. "I think I like you, ze!"

Then, with a cackle that was more than a little crazy, she lurched back to her feet and charged straight for Kyoko, her own fists cocked and ready.

…

It didn't take long for Mami to realize that Kyoko had given her the slip. Exactly how her wayward protégé had pulled it off, she didn't know. Maybe she had managed to sneak into some sort of hiding place that Mami had overlooked. Maybe she had found a way to double-back. Maybe she had regained her use of the Rosso Phantasm maneuver and had tricked Mami into following a decoy. Whatever her method, it was probably quite clever, and Mami made a point to commend Kyoko in its effectiveness, sometime after she had stopped strangling her.

Of course, she knew that it really Kyoko's fault. She had been the one to insist that important information be kept from her. She been afraid that Kyoko would find all the changes too overwhelming: the changes to her body, Mami's relationship with Charlotte, and so on. In fact, she had forgotten their extraterrestrial neighbors entirely. That decision had been mainly motivated by memories of her own reactions, very few of which had been good.

But the fact of the matter was that Kyoko simply wasn't Mami. Back when they had both been alive, Mami had worked so hard to give off an outward persona of strength and confidence, but had been incredibly brittle inside; whereas Kyoko, once they had split, had been rough and cynical, but had been a natural survivor. She rolled with the punches while Mami had crumbled under them. The ways they had died illustrated this: Mami had gotten sloppy and made a fatal error, while Kyoko had willingly chosen to sacrifice herself for another's sake.

She should have listened to Charlotte and trusted Kyoko to handle the truth. Perhaps there would have been a moment of shock and a short freak-out, but in the end, Kyoko would have likely just accepted things and adapted. She wouldn't have gone to pieces like Mami had, and she most certainly wouldn't have tried to commit suicide right there on the spot, despite the fact that her closest friend was still in the room and would likely have been-

Realizing that she was again falling back into her tired habit of wallowing in self-pity and self-loathing, Mami grimaced and shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind. Now wasn't the time for one of "Mami's Moping Sessions," as Charlotte called them. Finding Kyoko was her current priority.

Still calling out the other girl's name, Mami kept moving through the streets and over the rooftops until she came to an open plaza located where four streets intersected. A four-sided pillar monument sat in its center, and off to one side was fruit stall that Mami knew well.

Its owner, a pleasantly plump Native American girl, smiled when she saw the blonde approach. "Ah, good morning Mami!" she greeted. She automatically grabbed a brown paper bag and started to fill it with peaches. "Haven't seen you or the missus for a time. Your usual order?"

"No, I'm sorry Ayiana. Not today," Mami said hastily. "Listen: have you by any chance seen an angry looking girl, Japanese like me, with long, red hair and a green jacket?"

One eyebrow rising in surprise, Ayiana put the fruit back and said, "Well…yes, actually." She pointed down one of the adjoining streets. "She spent most of the last five minutes complaining to me about my prices before storming off. Again."

Mami stared as she tried, and failed, to make sense of what she had just been told. Kyoko had run off…to buy fruit? And had apparently done so before? Something was definitely not adding up.

However, Ayiana was right about one thing. Kyoko is, in fact, sulkily stomping down the nearby street, with her hood pulled up and her hands shoved in her pockets.

Well, that mystery could wait until later. Nodding her thanks to the helpful fruit vendor, Mami ran after her wayward friend. "Kyoko, wait!" she called, mentally willing the redhead to keep from running. Somehow it worked, and Mami managed to grab Kyoko by the shoulder and spin her around. "Listen, you don't have to…"

The words die in her throat when she realizes that the girl she had just grabbed was not Kyoko. The general build and hair color were the same, and she also wore a green jacket, but her hair was shorter, her face rounder, and her eyes more narrow. Furthermore, her name was Usami Nagato, and she had lived in Freehaven much longer than Mami had, and wasn't renowned for her people skills, even less than Kyoko was.

Whoops.

Usami glowered at her. And then, moving with slow but unmistakably hostile deliberation, she reached up and wrapped her fingers around the hand currently on her shoulder. "Well, the Seaweed Girl," she said, her voice filled with contempt. "You've got three seconds to convince me not to break you in half." Usami wasn't known for her eloquence either.

Mami quickly freed her hand and slowly backed up, empty palms upheld. "I'm sorry," she said. "I thought you were someone else. No offense intended."

Usami's already narrow eyes narrowed further. "And if I choose to take offense?"

"Usami, be reasonable. It was a mistake." Lowering her voice, Mami added, "Plus, you know as well as I do that the marshals would love an excuse to expel you. You have to be near your last strike as it is."

For a second it looked like the surly girl was going to attack regardless, but in the end she settled for spitting on the ground. "Touch me again, and I just might risk it," she sneered. Then, punctuating her threat with another wad of spit, she turned and slouched away.

Sighing, Mami turned and returned to Ayiana, who had been watching the exchange with a wry look of amusement.

"Allow me to reiterate," Mami said. "Have you seen an angry looking Japanese girl that you have never met before and is not the town troublemaker?"

Ayiana shook her head. "No. And just out of curiosity, exactly how many angry red-haired girls in green jackets do you know?"

"One too many," Mami said wearily. "Excuse me while I go find the one I actually wish to spend time with."

Once she had returned to the rooftops, Mami quickly pushed that unfortunate encounter away from her mind and returned her thoughts to the problem at hand. Kyoko had said that there was something she needed to check out. But what in the world could that possibly be? She had never been to Freehaven, after all. And as far as Mami knew, she knew next to nothing of its history and landmarks.

Slowing to a stop, Mami rubbed her chin and considered her next step. Running blindly would likely get her nowhere. Perhaps it was time to call in the cavalry. Charlotte and Oktavia would likely be willing to help, and…But no. Thanks to Oktavia's handicap, she wouldn't be much use for this sort of thing. Besides, she had been looking forward to her first trip to Freehaven, and Mami wasn't about to ruin it for her.

Shaking her head, Mami started moving again. She would just have to figure out how to find Kyoko herself, and let Oktavia have her fun. The poor girl had enough things to worry about as it was, and Mami wasn't about to add to it.

…

"Get away from me, you stupid flying freaks!" Oktavia shouted as she covered her head with one hand and tried to ward off her attackers with the other. "Beat it!" Behind her, Charlotte was pushing the wheelchair as fast as she could in an attempt to leave the park and find shelter before things got worse.

After they had left the beach, Charlotte had suggested that they go spend the rest of the time before the meet-up at the Tradewinds at Mayboyer Park. Eager to see as much of Freehaven as she could, Oktavia had agreed. Unfortunately, neither of them had noticed that while they had been at the beach, Oktavia had attracted the attention of several of the local seagulls. The winged scavengers had followed the two witches to the park and, once they were fully out in the open, had swooped down to attack. This had drawn the attention of a murder of crows and some ugly grey birds with spiny backs and scaly tails, and soon Oktavia had found herself being assaulted by what had to be every bird in town.

"Hey!" she cried to the park's dumbstruck patrons. "Don't just stand there! Help us before I get pecked to pieces!"

Finally galvanized into action, three other girls leapt to their defense, with one dark-haired girl in a grey park ranger uniform helping Charlotte motor Oktavia's wheelchair into the safety of the nearby visitor's center while the other two fended off the army of feathered predators.

"Okay folks, just stay calm!" the ranger shouted to the visitor's center's startled clients they bustled through the sliding doors. "Just have a minor avian uprising! Nothing to get excited about!"

"Nothing to get excited about, my ass," Charlotte muttered as she shook feathers from her hair. "We almost got pecked apart!"

"What's this 'we' business?" Oktavia said as she glowered down at her tail. While the scales were strong enough to prevent any damage from being done, her arms, face, and neck still displayed a roadmap of bruises. Fortunately, none of the birds had managed to break the skin; but she still was still understandably pissed off. "I was the one they were after!"

"Yeah, what was that all about, anyway?" the ranger asked, scratching her head in bewilderment. "Why'd they go all Hitchcock on you for?"

Though Oktavia had no idea what going 'Hitchcock' meant, she understood the general meaning. "Well, that part's easy enough," she said, slapping her thigh. "Big fish." Then she frowned. "Except that doesn't make sense. I saw some kids with big inflatable fishes, and they didn't get attacked."

"They probably were going by smell," suggested one of the visitor's center's patrons.

"Hey!" Oktavia protested indignantly. "I don't smell like a fish!"

"Well…" Charlotte said with deliberate hesitation. "We weren't going to say anything, but…"

"I don't!"

"It's okay, nothing to be ashamed of," Charlotte smirked, patting Oktavia on the shoulder. "We'll get you some deodorant, some of that extra-strength stuff. And if that doesn't work, we could always just start rubbing you down with mermaid egg juice. We're used to that smell, and there's no way the birds will go anywhere near you after-"

Oktavia smacked Charlotte's arm with her harmonica.

…

It didn't take long for Kyoko to surmise that her brawling partner was a long-range fighter, like Mami. She came to this conclusion based upon the fact that, despite her enthusiasm, the other girl wasn't very good at melee fighting.

Still, she persisted in attacking Kyoko with wildly swung fists, nail gouges, and yes, even biting, all without proper technique and also without bringing out anything resembling ranged weaponry. Kyoko briefly considered taking her down with a single haymaker, but then she realized that given how pent-up she had been feeling, this was a perfect opportunity to relieve some of her frustration.

With that in mind, Kyoko temporarily set aside trying to win and instead focused on just the fight itself. She matched punch-for-punch and kick-for-kick, though she didn't try to match the scratching. Catfighting wasn't something she was exactly comfortable with. Truth be told, it made her feel kind of dirty. Besides, pure brawling was enough for her.

The two girls fought without form or technique. As they did so, a small crowd of onlookers started gather, some of them laughing and shouting taunts or words of encouragement while others just watched dispassionately.

As the other girl struggled to put Kyoko in a sleeper-hold, it occurred to Kyoko that the longer this fight continued, the more likely they were to attract what passed for the authorities around here. And while she didn't expect this part of town to have the best response time, she wasn't about to count on it, especially since it was highly unlikely that whoever did the policing around here was as easy to defeat or evade as they were back home. And as fun as it would be to try, she was still trying to distance herself from that kind of behavior. Trying.

With that in mind, Kyoko slipped her head out from under the other girl's arms, reached back to seize the other girl by the armpits, and pulled her down into a bodyslam. Surprised, the other girl staggered to her feet, her fists swinging drunkenly.

Kyoko took a step back and snapped a side-kick to the other girl's chin, sending her flailing against a nearby wall. With a groan, the dazed girl slumped to the ground.

A smattering of applause rose up from the gaggle of bystanders, and, their fun gone, the crowd slowly dispersed and went about their way. Kyoko hunched over her knees, panting heavily. Going easy on the other girl had allowed her to get bruised up plenty, but she was smiling nevertheless. She felt better, that much was for certain.

As for the other girl, she kept widening and squinting her eyes, trying to bring them into focus. Now that she sitting still, Kyoko finally got a good look at her. From the look of things, she was of mixed heritage, with both Asian and Caucasian features. Her hair was blonde and unkempt, with only a single messy braid hanging by the side of her face speaking of any attempt to tame it. Her outfit, though certainly on the eccentric side, was still more "normal" than most Puella Magi uniforms: consisting of a pair of black trousers held up by suspenders over a frilly white button-down blouse. Judging by its state of repair and cleanliness, she had been doing a lot of traveling as of late.

Shaking the dazedness away, the girl lifted her hand to her mouth and spat a tooth into her palm. "You knocked out my tooth, ze," she said, sounding more fascinated than anything.

Straightening up, Kyoko fixed her with a challenging glare. "Damn straight I did. Try that shit again and you're gonna need dentures."

But apparently her defanged opponent wasn't interested in a second round. In fact, instead of rising to the challenge, she started laughing: a deep, guffawing sound that was part belly-laugh, part cackle. "Damn, but you've got a nasty kick!" she said, putting the tooth into her pocket. Then she tried to stand up only for her knees to give way. Groaning, she held her hands out to Kyoko. "C'mon, don't just stand there! Gimme a hand!"

Kyoko stared. "Wait, so first you try to beat me up, and after I kick your ass, you expect me to help you?"

"Why not? Come on, you beat me fair and square, I admit it! At least help get my loser ass off the ground!"

Kyoko hesitated, and then grudgingly grabbed the girl by the wrists and hauled her to her feet. The girl took a couple of shaky steps before reestablishing her balance.

"Well, those still work, ze," she said in approval. Then she looked around. "Now, where is…Ah, ha!"

Her stick lay where it had fallen. At one end was a large white cloth with red polka-dots, its ends tied to form a bag, the contents of which Kyoko could only guess. Nearby was a pointy black hat with a wide brim and the leather backpack. Picking the hat off the ground, the girl slapped the dirt off before putting it on her head with a smirk of satisfaction. Then she slipped the backpack back on, snatched up the stick, and put it over her shoulder.

Shaking her head, Kyoko said, "Nice look. You got a corncob pipe to go along with it?"

"Been thinking about getting one, actually. Though I'm really more of a cigar gal." Then girl looked Kyoko up and down appraisingly. "Well, gotta give you credit, ze. I was starting to think that all you Freehaven types had your fighting spirit atrophied or something."

Kyoko frowned. What was up with that 'ze' sound she kept making? It was like some weird cross between a high-pitched sneeze and hiccup. "Told you already," she said. "I'm not from Freehaven."

"That's right you did," the girl said, snapping her fingers. Then, with a cocky grin that was eerily reminiscent of the one Kyoko herself often wore, she stuck out her hand. "Well, nice to meet a fellow lady of the road! Name's Marisa, and that's all you're getting."

Not sure if she really believed that this was happening, Kyoko blinked. "Hold up, I accidentally run into you, and you want to smash my face in. I beat the shit outta you and knock out your fucking tooth, and suddenly you wanna be my friend?"

"Uh, yeah?" Seeing that Kyoko wasn't interested in another handshake, the girl removed her hand and used it to scratch the back of her neck. "C'mon, we just spent the last five minutes writhing in each other's arms, and now you just wanna up and leave? Breaking my heart, you are."

Kyoko rolled her eyes. "Well, my name is Fuck Off, Bitch. Nice to beat you."

"That right? Damn, your parents had issues."

"Someone thinks she's funny," Kyoko said with a shake of her head. "Look…Marisa, right? Look, I don't know you, and I don't want to. I'm having a real shitty day, on the end of a real shitty week, and the last thing I wanna do is make friends with some crazy girl whose way of saying 'hi' is to push me around and try to break my nose." Flipping off a sarcastic salute, she said, "So yeah, thanks for being my punching bag, and so long." With that, she turned on her heel and stomped away.

She had gone about halfway down the street before coming to a stop. Sighing, she turned around.

"Stop following me," she said.

Rather than comply, Marisa rubbed her chin as she studied Kyoko's face. "You're new, ain't'cha?"

Scowling, Kyoko said, "If you mean I got torn to pieces a week ago and woke up in a nightmare and found out that I was in fucking weird afterlife that's bound and determined to piss me off at every turn, then yes. I'm new. You gotta problem with that?"

"Not a one."

"Good to hear." Kyoko again introduced Marisa to her back. "Now piss off."

"Aw, come on! Don't be like that! Look, I started this whole thing, so what say I make it up to you? Let me buy you breakfast. How's that sound?"

Kyoko froze in mid-step. "You want to buy me breakfast?"

"Why not? I lost, so it's only fair? C'mon, I know a place. Eggs are shit, but the pancakes are to die for, ze. Heh, literally."

That did it. Despite having her world flipped upside down, torn in two, stuck back together backwards, and dribbled like a basketball, Kyoko still refused to let go of certain principles. And dead though she might be, she just wouldn't be able to live with herself had she turned down free pancakes.

"Well, okay then," she said, turning back around. "Lead on."

…

Tilly's was often called a hole-in-the-wall establishment, but those who frequented it knew better. It was more accurately referred to as a hole-in-the-chainlink-fence, or a hole-in-the-plastic-tarp-used-to-cover-the-hole-in-the-wall. Barely large enough to accommodate two people standing between the wall and the rarely washed counter, never in possession of proper lighting (though considering the state of the floors, this might be considered a mercy), and a tiny kitchen that produced more smoke than most coal-based power plants, Tilly's should not have remained in business as long as it had, even though health codes kind of lost meaning in light of its location.

But in business it remained, not based upon the presentable state of its appearance or any attempt at customer service (indeed, its employees found the very concept laughable), but on the strength of its incredibly good pancakes.

Kyoko and Marisa picked up their orders and commandeered an outside table. Dining inside was just too unsanitary, even for the dead.

"Th' way I shees it," Marisa mumbled around a mouthful of fried mushrooms, "thiz is jus' annuder win fer qualidy of protuct over prezenzazion." She swallowed, and said, "I mean, most people take one look at this place, and they see the dirty floors and the glares they're getting from behind the counter, and they walk the other way and go to some shitty place that's got every fucking inch shined up all pretty with balloons and crap everywhere and all the waitresses have this big dumb smiles glued to their faces and always ask how your day is going, even if they don't really give a shit, but unfortunately for them, the food's mediocre at best, ze. But if you've got the balls to actually go through these doors, hold your breath, and ignore the fact that the chick at the register looks like she wants to rip your face off, you'll end up with God's own pancakes."

Kyoko, whose feelings toward Marisa had warmed considerably, nodded in agreement. She considered herself a connoisseur when it came to breakfast, and she had to admit, normally she would have passed over Tilly's completely. And it would have been a tremendous loss. She had never even known that chocolate-chip pancakes were a thing until now.

"Though what I don't get is why you got that thing as well," Marisa said. She motioned with her fork toward the remains of the ham-and-cheese omelet sharing plate-space with Kyoko's pancakes. "I mean, I told you the eggs were shit."

Kyoko shrugged. "Eh, I got curious. To me, all food's edible until proven otherwise. Haf'ta at least give it a chance, you know?"

"Okay, fair enough," Marisa said. "And your consensus?"

After a moment of consideration, Kyoko pronounced, "Way too greasy, salty, and the yoke's all runny. Still…" She speared the last bit off omelet with her form and slurped it up. "It somehow feels really satisfying, going down."

Marisa made a face. "Eh, if you say so, ze." She loaded her fork with mushrooms and chunks of pancake, shoveled the whole load into her mouth, swallowed, and said, "So, you're new, right? How's death working out for you?"

"Sucky, thanks."

"Yeah, it usually is. Lots of new stuff to get used to."

"You mean like how all my organs and bones got scooped out and replaced by a bunch of gas?" Kyoko said.

Marisa nodded. "There is that."

"Or that for every day that goes by back home, ten years go by here?"

"Well, that's a big-time exaggeration, but I get what you're saying."

"Or that there's a bunch of aliens that we're all buddy-buddy with now?"

"Now that ain't something I would call a bad thing," Marisa said, jabbing toward Kyoko with her fork.

"Okay, maybe that part is kinda cool," Kyoko admitted. "But still, it's just so…" Then she was struck with a thought. "Hey, can you explain something to me?"

Marisa shrugged. "Okay, shoot."

"See, I've got this…" Kyoko hesitated for half-a-second, and then said, "…friend. This friend. And she's a mermaid."

Marisa blinked. "She's a what? For real?"

"Well, you know, that whole thing where if you get turned into a witch, you still keep like bits and pieces of it?"

"Ooooh, I gotcha. Okay."

"Right, right," Kyoko said. "Anyway, this morning I was giving her a hard time, asking her how she poops and all." When Marisa snorted back laughter, Kyoko nodded and said, "Yeah, and I was just messing with her, you know? But come to think of it, if my stomach and intestines and all that are gone…"

"How the hell do you poop?" Marisa laughed. "Eh, it's kinda cool, actually. See, you still get energy and stuff from the food, but that soul gas stuff takes it out directly. They actually managed to get like an X-Ray of it happening. The gas actually gets thick enough to keep the food suspended until it's done, and when it is, it's time t'take a dump!"

Kyoko stared first at her, and then at her remaining pancakes. Then she shrugged and shoved another forkful into her mouth. "Thass 'mazingly mezzed up," she mumbled.

"Eh, maybe a little," Marisa said. "But this whole soul thing's got its advantages, ze."

Kyoko swallowed. "Like?"

"Like…Hey, you're Japanese, right?"

Kyoko frowned. What did that have to do with anything? "Yeah," she said, "Ain't you?"

"Close enough. But see, here's the thing. You know that chick who took our orders?"

"You mean the one who kept looking at me like I owed her something?"

Marisa laughed. "Don't take it personal, she does that to everyone, ze. But see, the thing is, she's German. Don't speak a word of Japanese."

Kyoko's fork froze halfway to her mouth. "Say what?" she said, putting the utensil down. "But…she did!"

"Give it some thought," Marisa prodded. "The answer'll come to you."

It did, and it made Kyoko groan. "Oh, don't tell me it's another weirdass soul spiritual thing."

"Huh, I'm gonna have to remember that one," Marisa said, scratching her neck. "But yeah. You remember how those Incubator bastards used to talk straight into our heads?"

Pushing her chair back, Kyoko slumped over her folded arms on the table. "Don't really want to."

"Yeah, well, it's kinda like that." Marisa started wiggling her fingers at her head. "See, when you talk, it's like you send out this psychic signal, and when someone picks it up, their mind 'hears' what you wanna say, and translates it into their language." She shrugged. "Of course, it makes things like puns and whatnot get a little awkward, but pretty neat overall."

"To you, maybe," Kyoko said. "To me? It's just another example of how twisted things have gotten."

"Eh, you get used to it," Marisa said with a dismissive shrug.

Yeah, but I don't want to get used to it, was the primary though in Kyoko's mind, though she didn't say it out loud. Instead, she sat up and resumed eating. She was almost done when suddenly Marisa spoke again.

"So, how'd you kick it?"

Kyoko's first impulse was to tell the other girl to go fuck herself and mind her own business, but it died quickly. Ah, what the hell, she thought. Marisa had bought her pancakes, after all. "Eh, met some dumbass rookie who looked like she was gonna make some of the same mistakes I did," she said.

"The mermaid?" Marisa guessed.

Kyoko nodded. "Yeah. Tried to talk some sense into her, she didn't listen, and got her ass turned into a witch."

"Must've been a surprise for the rest of her," Marisa remarked.

Kyoko had to snort at that. "Yeah, well, it sure as hell was one for me."

"Didn't know about that nasty little detail, huh?"

"Nope," Kyoko said. "Hell, I didn't even find out what soul gems really were until a few days before that. Lousy week, all around." She munched on her breakfast for a few moments before continuing. "Anyways, me and a friend of hers went into her labyrinth. Figured we could talk some sense into her and bring her back, you know?" She shrugged again. "Well, as you probably figured out, that didn't work."

"And so she killed your ass," Marisa guessed. "Well. That's ironic."

Kyoko shook her head. "Nah. I just figured that, since I already spent so much time trying to save the girl, I was kinda responsible for her. And hell, I didn't want to end up as a witch too, so I went all ultimate attack on her and took us both out." Sighing, she said, "Seemed like the decent thing to do."

Marisa's brow rose. "Well, hell, that's actually pretty impressive," she said. "Hell of a way to go out. And way better than mine, ze."

What was up with that 'ze' sound, anyway? Did she have hiccups or a speech impediment? "Yeah?" Kyoko said. "And how was that?"

Marisa's lips parted in a ghastly grin. "Picked a fight with a chick that was supposed to be way outta my league, ze. Ended up kicking her ass anyway. Only she didn't much like that, so she blew up my house and broke my neck." She grabbed her own throat and let her head loll to the side, her tongue flopping out.

"Huh. That sucks."

"I know, right?" Marisa said, straightening her head out. "Talk about a sore loser. But getting back this kid you were trying to save, since you two died at the same time and same place, you musta showed up in the same way, eh?"

Kyoko's thoughts went back to the nightmare that was Genocide City. Shuddering, she said, "Yeah. Yeah, we sure did."

She gave Marisa a summarized account of everything that had happened to her and Sayaka since waking up in that ghastly mock-up of an apartment. The blonde wanderer listened with rapt attention, her brow rising and falling in response to the different parts of the story.

"Well, daaaaaammmnn," she drawled once Kyoko had finished. "That's a hell of a story, all right. Your first week in, and you already got beef with Oblivion." She shook her head. "I gotta give you credit, you don't waste time!"

"Like I was trying to do it," Kyoko said with a scowl. "That's the damnedest part of it all. If I'm gonna have someone gunning for me, I'd at least like to do something to deserve it!"

"Hear, hear," Marisa said, raising her Styrofoam cup of coffee in salute.

"Still, could be worse. I mean, at least you're where she can't get you." Marisa frowned. "Though come to think of it, maybe that's not so great after all, seeing how you can't get her either. But then, I can't think of a single place where you could get to her."

"Yeah, I hear she's kinda got a lot of-"

"Well, I mean if you managed to get into her throne room, then maybe you'd have a chance," Marisa said. "Buuuut, there's kinda one or two itsy-bitsy problems with that."

Kyoko rolled her eyes. "I know. They told me that-"

"I mean, first you gotta get to the Withering Lands without getting snatched by her goons." Marisa held up her right hand, all five fingers splayed out, and started to tick off points. "And to that, you can either go back across the Byronic Sea, which by the way would be fucking suicide, seeing how they've probably watching the whole godsdamned thing, just waiting for you to poke your cute little ass outside of Freehaven's borders; or you could go the long way and walk to the Withering Lands other entrance, which would also be suicide, seeing how that'll take months and it's a fucking jungle out there, and oh yeah, those Void Walkers can just pick you up out anytime they want, ze."

"Okay, I get it," Kyoko said in irritation.

Marisa ignored her. "Next, assuming you're get incredibly luck (or unlucky, depending how you look at things, ze), and you do manage to make it to the front gates, there's the little problem of actually getting in without being noticed, and seeing how they kinda keep a real close eye on their borders, that's all kinds of out of the question. And even if you do somehow get past all their guards, checkpoints, and security stations, you still haf'ta hike all the way across the fucking Withering Lands, and…Hey, you saw Lord of the Rings, right?"

"Right," Kyoko said in a flat tone.

"Right. Well, it's kinda like that, only this time's Mordor's got prettier orcs and more guns. And the scenery's nicer, I guess, but that don't really matter much when-"

"Okay!" Kyoko snapped. She banged her fist against the tabletop, making their plates jump. "I get it already! It's impossible! Message received."

"Oh, okay," Marisa said, lowering her hand. She sounded a little disappointed. "But I haven't even gotten to the part where-"

"Forget it, I can form a picture. Next you'll be telling me she has guard dragons."

"Nah," Marisa said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "They don't usually truck with her."

"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me one-" Then Kyoko realized what was being implied and the words caught in her throat. "Hold up!" she said, nearly choking in the process. "You…you're telling me that there's actual…"

"What, dragons?" Marisa shrugged. "Sure, plenty of 'em. The big ones mostly live up north, in the mountains, but there're plenty of smaller ones out and about. In fact, there's a dragon ranch not too far from here. They've got dragon rides and a petting zoo and everything, ze."

Kyoko's hands were starting to tremble. "D-dragon rides? I can ride a dragon?"

"Sure! I mean, it's pretty expensive, and they make you take an hour-long orientation course first, and the waiver they have you sign is longer than most religious books, but it's still a lot of…Oh man, now I'm starting to feel bad," Marisa sighed, changing course in mid-sentence. "Kyoko. Calm down before you pee yourself. I'm fucking with you."

Crushing disappointment caused Kyoko to physically slump in her chair. "Wh-You…you mean, no dragons?"

"No, no dragons," Marisa said. "Plenty of other weirdo beasties, but no dragons. Sorry to crush that little heart of yours."

Normally that alone would be cause for violence on Kyoko's part, but she was feeling too bummed out to actually work up the anger necessary to attack Marisa. "Goddamn it," she muttered. "The one thing that would actually make this place awesome…"

Rolling her eyes, Marisa said, "The girl hangs out with a real-life mermaid and hobnobs with aliens, and she complains about there being no dragons. Whine, whine, whine." She picked up her plate and used her fork to shovel the remaining mushrooms into her mouth. After she finished chewing and swallowed, she said, "Anyway, if you want my opinion (and you should, seeing how they're always awesome), just sit tight for now. I mean, usually I'm all for going on a big, epic quest and storming the castle and all that shit, but nothing lost by waiting until you know what this whole is actually about."

"Tell that to Elsa Marisa," Kyoko snapped.

Marisa shrugged. "Ain't saying you should just up and abandon her, but seeing how the girl literally sacrificed herself so you and the fish could get away, she'd probably be real pissed if you went and did something stupid to get yourself caught."

Kyoko couldn't really argue with that, though she wanted to. Dear God, she wanted to.

"Look, as much as it would shock certain people to hear me say this, just hold off on the grand adventure until you figure out a way to do it that isn't completely and utterly stupid." Shoving her plate to one side, Marisa pushed her chair back from the table and reclined, arms behind her head and feet propped on the tabletop. "And hey, it ain't like you don't have a sweet place to chill in the meantime. I mean, you got your mermaid friend and your old training buddy to hang out with, the ultimate oceanfront property to live in, and Freehaven's always there if-"

That did it. "Okay, enough!" Kyoko snapped. "Enough of Freehaven, I'm sick of hearing about Freehaven!"

Marisa blinked. "Whoa, hey. The hell is this about?"

"Where do you think? Ever since I got here, I've had nothing but people jabber at me about how awesome this town is, but so far from what I've seen it's actually pretty shitty. I mean, on top of that whiny mayor trying to shove her membership app down my throat and the girl who's supposed to be helping me get the hang of this place deliberately keeping me in the dark about some really important facts, it turns out their precious Freehaven is nothing but a tourist trap full of glassy-eyed sheeple who need to wake the hell up and face reality!"

Cocking her head to one side, Marisa frowned and said, "Okay, you lost me."

What a shock. For all of her supposed worldly-wisdom, it looked like Marisa was just as blind as everyone else. "Look, I just don't get you people," Kyoko said, spreading her hands on the table before her. "I mean, it's obvious this so-called afterlife is some kinda scam. We're brought here without being asked if we even wanna come, made to stay here until we finally give in and go do whatever the hell Oblivion wants so she'll let us go, and everyone just accepts it! Sure, you all talk about how much you hate Oblivion and wanna beat her face into a pulp, but instead of actually getting off your lazy asses and doing something about it, you just sit around and do nothing because hey, at least the afterlife gives you a pretty house with a nice view!" Snorting, she leaned back and folded her arms over her chest. "Instead ganging up and tearing these Withering Lands or whatever the fuck they're call apart, you all just plug up your ears and keep playing at your so-called 'second life,'" here Kyoko made the appropriate quote-signs with her fingers, "like a bunch of dolls! That's what Freehaven is, a bunch of dollhouses!"

Despite her overall easy-going nature, the way she had initially reacted to Kyoko meant that Marisa had a bit of a temper herself, and Kyoko fully expected her speech to bring it to full boil. But instead, the blonde just sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well, guess I shoulda expected this," she muttered. "Hey, not to put a wrench in your righteous indignation or anything, but if you don't mind me asking-"

"What if I do?" Kyoko said with a glower.

"Tough beans. Now…Hey, how old are you again?"

Kyoko's glower deepened, but she still said, "Fourteen. Why?"

"Figured," Marisa said, nodding. She brought her feet off the table and leaned forward over the table, arms folded before her. "Now, I don't wanna know any specifics, but did something bad happen to you, back you were alive? Something other than the obvious shit?"

Kyoko's fingers tensed up. "Yes," she said. "Something did. Again, why?"

"Okay. Figured that too." She sighed again. "Ah, what the hell. Might as well."

"Might as well what?"

Pointing at Kyoko with her fork, Marisa said, "Look Kyokopuffs, don't take this the wrong way. I like you. You've got guts and a brain, and you don't back down from a fight. I respect that a lot, ze. But still, this is something you really need to hear."

"What?" Kyoko said, her irritation rising. "Need to hear what? Get on with it already!"

"Okay, fine. Do you really think you're special?"

…

"Kyoko? That kid with the really long red hair?" Vickie looked up from her manifest to peer at Mami from over the top of her glasses. "No, I haven't seen her. Thought she was with you."

Through a great exertion of self-control, Mami managed to retain her grip on her composure. "She was, but we unfortunately were accidentally separated," she said in as casual of a tone as she could. "I'm afraid she got a bit lost."

"Well, no surprises there. Those streets are a flippin' maze, I tell you." Vickie turned her attention back to her clipboard. "What about Charlotte and Oktavia? You haven't misplaced them too, did you?"

"No. Charlotte's giving Oktavia the grand tour, and I really rather not involve them."

Vickie smirked. "Don't wanna admit that you lost the kid, huh?"

Sighing, Mami ran her fingers through her hair and said, "No, I just don't worry them unnecessarily. Kyoko's probably just wandering around the shops somewhere."

"Huh. Have you tried running across the roofs and calling her name really, really loud?"

"Yes."

"What about the marshals? Maybe they can help."

Remembering Kyoko's story about her encounter with that unfortunate police officer, Mami nearly winced at that, but she said, "I don't think that's a good idea. Kyoko doesn't have the best history with law enforcement, and would probably not take kindly to their involvement. Besides, I don't think the situation is quite that dire, just yet."

Sucking her teeth, Vickie shook her head and stuck her hand on her hip. "Don't know what to tell you then. I'll keep an eye out for her, and tell the girls to do the same though."

Mami nodded. "Thank you. I'd appreciate it."

"Better find her soon though. Dunno why Oblivion thinks she's so important, but whatever it is, it's got to be…" Then Vickie's attention snapped toward a nearby fishing boat, which was having its cargo unloaded. From the way she was scowling, it was apparent that she didn't like the way her girls were going about their job.

"Oh, what the hell!" she shouted as she stomped over to the boat. "Goddamn it, how many times do I have to tell you not to carry those like that? You trying to break yourself in two?"

Sighing, Mami turned and walked back into town. If anything, Vickie was understating Kyoko's importance. Yes, the Reibey situation was of concern to the Alliance, but in Mami's mind it ranked secondary. She had failed Kyoko once before, and she wasn't going to do it again.

…

Kyoko's head jerked back in surprise. "The hell?" she said.

"I mean it," Marisa said. In contrast from her usual devil-may-care joviality, her tone was now utterly serious. "Do you really think you're special? That you're the first magical girl to waltz into town with some kinda sob story on your back and a chip on your shoulder? That you're the first to look at everyone here living their comfortable little lives and roll your eyes at all the tiny-minded idiots? 'Cause you're not."

Kyoko's mouth opened and closed, though no sound came out.

"Hey, for what it's worth, you're right about Corrie trying to shove the Compact down your throat being a kinda sleazy move. And yeah, your friend was kinda dumb to not tell you everything right off the bat, ze. But the rest?" Sighing, Marisa leaned back into her chair. "All right, here's a little History 101. Contrary to what you might think, you ain't the first person to have reservations about the afterlife, or think that Oblivion and Reibey are somehow behind it. In fact, that's how the New Life Alliance got started."

"Ah…okay." It was all Kyoko could think to say.

"Look, it's like this," Marisa said. "See, a few hundred years ago, a whole bunch of Puella Magi and witches got the same idea you have. They banded together, teamed up with those glass spiders and midget yeti, and got themselves a real army going. Then they up and declared war on Oblivion."

Kyoko was having a hard time wrapping her head around that. "They…they did?"

"Yup," Marisa nodded. "And for the record, they were far from the first group to pull something like that. It's like a rule or something: every couple o' hundred years or so, someone decides that Oblivion and Reibey have gotta go, and they're gonna be the ones to do it. Only thing is, this time they almost pulled it off. Most of the other times someone tried it, they'd get their asses majorly kicked and sent crying home, if they were lucky. But this gang actually put up one hell of a fight. Actually managed to take over and occupy a third of the Withering Lands, and people started taking bets on how long before they managed to storm Palace Omega. Might have done it too, if more people had chipped in to help. Crazy times, all around." She knocked back the rest of her coffee, crushed the cup, and tossed it into an overflowing trash receptacle, a full block away.

Despite her lingering skepticism, Kyoko had to admit that she was getting interested, even if trying to imagine this group of pansies as an actual army of stone-cold badasses threatened to give her an aneurysm. "So, why didn't they then?"

"A couple of reasons," Marisa said. "First, fighting a full-scale war where nobody can really die becomes kind of a problem after a while, you know? Neither side loses any numbers, and taking prisoners becomes a real strain on the resources. Plus, the Void Walkers are a bunch of fanatics, and were willing to keep fighting long after everyone in the Alliance got sick of getting stabbed, shot, or blown up every day. Even if you can't die, all that fighting still fucking hurts."

Kyoko scowled. "And the second reason?"

"Numbers. Way I hear, the Alliance gang was pretty damn big to begin with, and once they got enough buddies willing to throw in, the sides were more-or-less equal." Marisa spread her hands and shrugged. "I mean, I wasn't there, and it's not like either of them released any kind of census, ze, so I can't say for sure, but from what I hear it was a pretty even match for most of the war. Buuuuut then they kinda ran into a problem. See, as much as they thought that Oblivion was a scam and needed to go, there were a lot of groups sitting on the sidelines that didn't much care for their only way out getting taken down, and threatened to throw in. And by that point, the war had been going on for a few years, and them Void Walkers weren't letting up at all, so with a bunch of bloodthirsty lunatics at their front, and everyone else glaring all offensive-like at their back, there really wasn't much they could do, ze."

"So they gave up," Kyoko said, her red eyes flashing with disgust. Snorting, she shoved her hands into her jacket pockets and pushed back against the table with her foot, raising her chair up onto its hind legs and keeping it balance. "They came closer than anyone else to taking those creeps down, and they just threw in the towel. Figures."

"Well, yeah," Marisa said, raising an eyebrow. There was one last mushroom still on her plate. She picked it up and, instead of wolfing it down like she had the rest, started nibbling on its cap. "Wouldn't you?"

"Hell no! Look, I may be a lot of things, but a quitter ain't one of them!"

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I said when someone told me this story for the first time," Marisa said. "Only thing was, that person was someone who was actually there, and…let's just say she took a little offense to me calling her a wuss, and put things in perspective for me."

"What, she kicked your ass?"

Marisa shook her head. "Didn't need to. She just…Well, okay, look at it like this. Say you've been fighting a war for going on five years. In that time, you've gone through all kinds of hurting. Bombs blowing your body to bits, been shot full of holes almost every day, probably been dismembered a couple dozen times. And though you've been doing as much to the other side, it don't seem to bother them any. Sure, you win a scuffle here and there, capture this base, push back that attack, and so on. But if anything, your enemies just keep getting crazier and crazier, and the more you drive them back, the more of them there seems to be. And it just. Doesn't. Stop. Every day it's the same hell, with nothing to look forward to but even more pain the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that." Marisa gave Kyoko a meaningful look. "Sure you'd still be so gung-ho to keep fighting after that, Kyokocopter?"

Kyoko wanted to insist that she would continue the war regardless, that she would just suck it up and deal with the pain like she always did. But then her mind flashed back to her encounters with Annabelle Lee and how the nut just kept coming after her. Then she tried to imagine an entire army of Annabelle Lees, and found herself blanching at the thought. She had an extremely high tolerance for pain, certainly, not to mention an ironclad will. But in the end, despite all the supernatural changes she had gone through, Kyoko was still human. And as much as she hated to admit it, she had her limits.

Seeing the look on Kyoko's face, Marisa smirked. "Thought so. Okay, now imagine, after going through all that, most everyone who'd been sitting on the sidelines letting you do all the work suddenly shows up and says that if you don't back off right the fuck now, they're gonna start hitting you too. So, with the giant army you've been fighting all those years not getting any smaller, here comes another giant army ready to crush you from the other end. Still think you'd want to keep fighting?"

Sighing, Kyoko let her chair fall back onto all four legs. "I guess not," she mumbled.

"Good t'hear, because that's exactly what happened." Marisa shrugged. "'Course, it wasn't like they got curb-stomped or anything. Like I said, they came real close, and did a shit-ton of damage in the meantime. And Oblivion wasn't exactly eager for that to happen again. So, they got to talking, and called a truce."

Kyoko saw where this was going. "The Free Life Compact, huh?" she said.

"Hey, you catch on. Yup, that's exactly what happened. Both sides released their prisoners, the Alliance got outta the Withering Lands, and staked out their own territories, and everyone agreed to hate each other from a distance." Finally done torturing her single remaining mushroom, Marisa stuffed it into her mouth and swallowed it whole. "So yeah, all that to say this: all that ranting you just did about how these people need'ta lace up their boots and stick'em up Oblivion's ass? Well, they kinda already tried that. Didn't work out for them, or anyone else who's tried the same thing. So, tell me something Miss Know-It-All: exactly what in the hell are all these 'sheeple' supposed to do that they haven't done already?"

"I…uh…" Kyoko's shoulders slumped. Damn it, there went all her righteous indignation. "I dunno."

"You dunno?"

Kyoko muttered something under her breath. Then, in a louder voice, she said, "Okay, so I can't think of anything right now. Gimme a break, it's been a sucky week."

"Well, okay then," Marisa said. "When you come up with your brilliant plan, be sure to bring it up at the next town hall meeting. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to hear you out, just as I'm sure they'll be more than happy to show you the giant-ass list of people who came up with the exact same idea, followed by the almost-as-long list of people who tried the exact same idea and ended up failing miserably."

"Fuck," Kyoko muttered. This was starting to get depressing. A huge part of her life had been geared toward facing insurmountable obstacles and surmounting them anyway. And as keen as she was to tackle the impossible to show up all the losers who had come before her, she had to admit, she hadn't the slightest clue on how.

"And while we're on the subject, you really got the wrong idea about Freehaven too," Marisa said. "It's not like it's some sort of…What'cha call it again? A bunch of dollhouses?"

Sighing, Kyoko nodded.

"Well, okay. Except it ain't. It's not some place that was somehow already here and people just moved in without wondering why. See, something-odd buncha years ago, there was this group of girls who decided to stick together and watch each other's' asses. And these chicks eventually put up some shelters, because hey, getting rained on sucks. Soon they found friends and upgraded their housing. Fast forward a couple hundred years, and you got yourself a city, ze. A sorta 'By us, for us,' deal. Sure, maybe I like to make fun of it, but it's really kind of all right." Marisa glanced out at the surrounding neighborhood, taking note of its shoddy condition. "And okay, so it ain't perfect, but gimme a break, is there a place that is?"

"I guess not," Kyoko said glumly. "I'm just getting sick of hearing everyone talk it up like some sorta paradise."

"Eh, fair enough," Marisa grinned. "It does get annoying, but you learn to tune it out."

When Kyoko didn't say anything, Marisa filled the silence: "Look kiddo, you don't wanna sign the Compact? Then don't! Hell, I didn't."

"Wait, what?" Kyoko's head snapped up. "But I thought-"

"Do I look like a city girl to you?" Marisa said. "Told'ja already, I'm a lady of the road! And there's way too much neat stuff out there to see to be tied down to one place. I just pop into town whenever I'm in the area for pancakes and ice-cream. That don't mean I have a problem with the people who do wanna live here. Die and let live, I say."

Kyoko had to snort at that.

Retrieving her hat from where it lay next to her plate, Marisa plopped it back onto her head and stood up. "Anyways, as fun as it is to play therapist, I really gotta get going. Places to be, supplies to pick up, that sort of thing."

"Yeah, okay," Kyoko said, preoccupied with her thoughts. Then she remembered something. "Oh, wait a minute. Crap. What time is it?"

"Hmmm. Uh, lemme see…" Marisa pulled a big gold pocketwatch from her pocket and flipped open the face. "At the sound of the tone…Twelve-forty."

Kyoko sighed. "Damn it. Hey, you know about a place called the Tradewinds?"

"The Tradewinds?" Marisa cocked an eyebrow. "Sure. It's a restaurant near the beach. Why?"

"You think you can show me where it is? 'Cause that was where we were supposed to meet with the others at one."

Scratching her chin, Marisa said, "You mean you and that girl you ran out on? Shouldn't you find her first before you go grab lunch?"

"Can't find her if I don't know where she is, which I don't. But I figure she'll be heading there sooner or later anyway, to see if I show up."

"Eh, fair enough," Marisa said as she slipped her backpack on and shouldered her stick. "Let's get going then."

The two left Tilly's behind, making their way through the dingy neighborhood and eventually reaching the warehouse district that connected to the docks. As they approached the nicer part of town, Kyoko said, "Oh hey, mind if I ask you another question."

"Go right ahead."

"What the hell is up with that 'ze' noise you keep making? Do you got chronic hiccups set to a timed release or something?"

That brought Marisa to a full stop. Rolling her eyes to the heavens, she took a deep breath and said, "Oh, fer the love of…Look, it's a tic, okay? It's like Tourette's or something. Had it all my life, it stuck around after death, and that's that!"

"Then why not get rid of it?" Kyoko asked. "I mean, apparently you can change your freaking sexuality by wishing real hard, so something like that should be easy to lose!"

Glowering, Marisa stuck a thumb into her own chest and said, "Because it's my ze and I don't really feel like being without it! You got a problem with that?"

Kyoko grinned. You really had to respect an attitude like that. "Nope."

"Good. 'Cause I ended up pushing the last girl who did off a bridge!" Then, after a moment of consideration, she admitted, "Okay, so maybe it was for completely unrelated reasons, but still. There's a precedent. So, just remember that, ze!"

"Heh. Will do," Kyoko said.

They kept walking for a bit longer, and then Marisa said, "Oh yeah, and one last piece of free advice."

Kyoko's mouth set in a straight line, but she nodded. "All right. I'm listening."

"While keeping you in the dark was pretty dumb, cut your friends some slack. Especially that one you used to partner with. She's probably freaking the hell out herself, what with you and your witch friend getting dropped on her head."

That hit a little uncomfortably close to home. "What are you, her advocate?" Kyoko muttered, though more out of habit than actual indignation.

Marisa smiled, but in contrast to the cocky grin she had been wearing for a good portion of their conversation, there was no mirth or mischief in the expression, and just for a moment, her twinkling golden eyes took on a haunted look. "Kiddo, I may not be a real old-timer here, but I've been around. And lemme tell you something: you are damned lucky to have your friends still with you. Which is a hell of a lot more than most of us get. Don't ever take it for granted."

With that, she continued to lead the way, whistling "Turkey in the Straw" as she went. As for Kyoko, she just stared at the older girl, wondering what in the hell that was supposed to mean.

…

One o' clock was swiftly approaching, and Mami had long progressed past frantic and was quickly approaching near-panic. Kyoko was still nowhere to be found, and she had no way of knowing if she was even still in the city. She honestly wasn't sure who she the blamed the most: herself for not being upfront with Kyoko from the beginning, or Kyoko herself for running out on her. Even with Kyoko's promise to return after she was done with whatever she was doing, Mami was now thoroughly convinced that the redhead had disappeared for good. Again.

Once more, she had failed Kyoko. She had failed to be the sempai the girl had needed after the death of her family, and now she had failed to be the friend she needed in the wake of her own demise. It didn't matter which world she was in, she just kept failing those she was responsible for.

Stop it, she angrily told herself. Stop it, and control yourself. This solves nothing. Just concentrate on finding Kyoko, and have your breakdown later.

She checked the time and found to her dismay that it was just about time to go meet the witches for lunch. Well, there was no getting around it now. If she didn't show up, Charlotte would immediately know that something was up. As much as she hated to admit it, she was going to have to admit to the other two that she had lost Kyoko. With a feeling of dejection, she made her way down the hillside toward the shore.

Though the Tradewinds was protected from the elements from above, it had no exterior walls, doors, or windows, with nothing but a low metal fence to separate it from the street. As Mami neared, she could see that Charlotte and Oktavia were already there, having a miniature sword fight with their table knives. Wincing, Mami slowed down and approached.

Almost as if she had sensed her wife's presence, Charlotte looked up and smiled. "Hey, just in time!" she said, waving Mami over. "We were just about to order."

"Did you know that the birds in your town are homicidal maniacs?" Oktavia said. "Because they're homicidal maniacs. True story."

"She's not joking," Charlotte said. "I had to buy a whole bunch of smell-blocking enchantment just so they'd leave her alone. "Then, finally noticing the look on Mami's face, she frowned and said, "Uh, wait. Mami, are you okay?"

While Mami didn't have the foggiest clue why they were talking about birds all of a sudden, that story would just have to wait until later. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Charlotte, Oktavia, I'm so sorry. But we…well, we have a problem."

The two witches exchanged a look, and Charlotte lowered her voice. "It's not…you know, the rat, is it?"

Mami shook her head. "No, it's Kyoko. It…turns out you were right about hiding our relationship from her being a bad idea."

Strangely enough, Charlotte didn't react with apprehension or irritation. She just raised an eyebrow and said, "Ah. Okay?"

"Yes, well, as it turned out, she was fine with that, but it led to her learning some other things that she didn't take too well, and, ah…" Mami hesitated for a moment, and then said, "We got into a fight, and she ran away."

Charlotte and Oktavia didn't say anything. They just stared.

"I'm sorry you two, but I don't know where she's gone," Mami continued. "I've looked everywhere, but she hasn't turned up, and I'm getting really worried. We may have to call the marshals."

Charlotte glanced at Oktavia, who just shrugged.

Now Mami was starting to get a little confused. "Don't you understand?" she said. "Kyoko is gone! And if she leaves Freehaven she'll be in grave danger! We need to find her now!"

Then Oktavia spoke. "Uh, have you tried looking behind you?" she said, gesturing with her fork.

"Behind me? Why would…" Then Mami stopped talking. Sighing, she turned around.

Sure enough, there was the wayward Puella Magi in question, accompanied by a blonde girl in a pointy hat that Mami had never seen before.

"Well. Kyoko," Mami said in a flat voice. "There you are. I was looking for you."

True to form, Kyoko didn't look all that repentant about the worry she had caused. "Aw, jeez Mami, I told'ja I'd be back," she said with a disarming grin.

Mami was torn between hugging the girl and slapping her silly. "Yes. Yes, you did." Her gaze wandered over to Kyoko's new companion, who wasn't even bothering to hide the fact that her attention was fixated firmly on Mami's bosom.

"I...I'm sorry, but have we met?" Mami said.

The blonde girl's eyes snapped up. "Nope," she said, with a grin similar to Kyoko's, though hers was more genuine. "Howdy, name's Marisa. Stumbled upon some misplaced valuables of yours, and going against my natural inclination, I decided I'd best return them, ze."

Relaxing a little, Mami said, "Oh. Well, I'm very grateful. Thank you very much for looking after her."

"Hey, it's not like she was babysitting me," Kyoko grumbled. Naturally, she was ignored.

"Not a problem," Marisa said. "Glad'ta be of service. Go gentle on her though." Lowering her voice to a loud whisper, she added, "She's kinda fragile."

"Excuse me?" Kyoko said. "Who kicked who's ass again?"

Again, no one paid any attention to her. "Yes, I had noticed," Mami said. She motioned toward where Charlotte and Oktavia were sitting and watching the exchange with interest. "We were just about to have lunch. Won't you join us? It's the least I can do to thank you for returning our…misplaced valuables."

"I mean, I wasn't even trying all that hard," Kyoko complained, deliberately oblivious to the lack of attention she was getting. "Seriously Marisa, you kinda suck at brawling."

Marisa shook her head. "Nah. I usually never turn down a free lunch, but I really gotta split. Nice'ta meet you all though. Best of luck though. Sounds like you're gonna have your hands full."

"I assume that means Kyoko told you of the Reibey situation?" Mami said. She nodded. "Yes, it is a cause for concern."

"Actually, I meant looking after this scamp. She's kinda frisky," Marisa said, roughly ruffling Kyoko's hair and dodging the reactive punch. "See yah, Fuck Off, Bitch. Remember to be a good girl from now on! I don't wanna have to pick you up from the pound next time."

"Dumbass," Kyoko muttered as Marisa wandered off. "I'm the one that knocked her senseless. I don't see why she should be all…"

It was then that she noticed the chilly look Mami was giving her. Apparently coming to the conclusion that she wasn't going to charm her way out of this one, her cockiness melted away, replaced by a rare look of chagrin.

"Oh, uh, yeah," she said, self-consciously scratching the back of her neck. "Sorry about running out on you and all that. I just, you know, had some things I needed to see for myself."

"Like what?"

"That crappy neighborhood over by the docks."

"Haruka's Row? Why would you go-" Then suddenly, Mami understood. Or at least, felt like she was beginning to understand. "Oh. I suppose I see…But you came back."

"Well, yeah," Kyoko said, shrugging. "Ran into Marisa down there. We punched each other in the face for a while, and then she bought me pancakes and told me to stop whining."

Mami had to admit, that wasn't a tactic that she would have thought of, though given Kyoko's personality, violence and food would make her more receptive to a pep talk. "And?"

"Well, she's kinda right," Kyoko said. "I mean, life goes on, you know? Just because you're dead and things are different doesn't mean it's a bad thing." She looked around at the seaside town that Mami had come to call home. "And even though I'm not sure if this Freehaven place is for me, if you like it, well, I guess I can't really argue with that."

"So, you might not stay?" Mami asked. "Should this problem with Reibey be settled, you might leave?"

Kyoko shrugged. "I dunno. I'll have to think about it."

Glancing over to where the witches were still sitting and watching the conversation, Mami said, "And what about Oktavia?"

Biting her lip, Kyoko glanced at the mermaid and lowered her voice. "Uh, well, that would be one reason to stay, I guess. Like I said, I gotta think about it."

Mami's face softened. "Well, all right. Just please do me one favor: if you do decide to go, let me know first?"

"Deal," Kyoko said. "And hey, just for the record, it's okay to tell me if there's weird things I need to know. I can take it."

"Deal," Mami said. Then she allowed herself a small smile. "I'm glad you came back."

"Yeah, yeah," Kyoko muttered. She hopped the fence and sat down next to Oktavia. Mami followed, going through the restaurant's proper entrance.

As Kyoko took her seat, Oktavia gave her an odd look. "So, you ran off, huh?" she said.

"Maybe."

"I thought I told you to behave."

Kyoko scowled. "Since when were you the boss of me? Besides, I came back, didn't I? You should know that by now. I always come back, sooner or later."

Oktavia huffed dramatically, but when she looked away, there was a satisfied smile on her face.

Then Charlotte spoke. "Pardon me, but if I am to understand everything that was just said, you are now fully aware of the relationship between Mami and myself, correct?"

Kyoko grinned. "Yup," she said, and started humming "Here Comes the Bride."

"Oh," Charlotte said. She pulled out the necklace she was wearing and yanked her ring loose. From there, she put it back onto her finger. "Well, good."

Before anyone could figure out what was coming, she grabbed Mami by the shoulders, yanked her close, and planted a passionate kiss on the surprised Mami's lips.

Oktavia burst out in laughter as Kyoko rolled her eyes and groaned. "Oh, fer Chrissakes," the redhead complained. "Fine, fine, have at it."

Charlotte did just that, tilting her head and deepening the kiss. Even though she really didn't feel that this was the time or the place, Mami found herself responding, her arms going around Charlotte's waist and drawing her closer.

Kyoko coughed. "Uh, okay. You made your point."

"Oh, leave them alone," Oktavia said. "And come on, it's pretty adorable."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure they're using tongues now!"

Charlotte and Mami paid them no mind.

Again rolling her eyes, Kyoko crumpled up a napkin and tossed it at them. "Hey!" she said. "Get a room already, or save it until after you've let the poor girl do her job!"

"What?" Mami said in a dazed voice as they parted. "Girl?"

Scowling, Kyoko stuck a thumb toward the waitress, who was standing near the table looking embarrassed. "I-I'm sorry," she said. "If you need a few more minutes-"

"Nah, they're done," Kyoko said, grabbing a menu. "Let's see, do you have…Oh hey, Chunky Monkey ice cream! Awesome!"

After everyone had ordered, things returned more-or-less to normal. A great deal of the tension had been dispersed, and Kyoko returned to her usual wise self. Granted, Charlotte was still regarding her warily, but at least there wasn't much in the way of actual hostility.

On the whole, Mami was very relieved to see things coming back together. Kyoko wasn't lost after all, and the rift between them was healing. It wasn't guaranteed that she was going to stay after all, but it was a start.

But even so…

After lunch had been finished and the bill settled, Mami said, "Well, while normally this would be when we would continue the rest of the tour together, unfortunately Kyoko and I were…sidetracked, and were unable to finish our errands."

"Is that right?" Charlotte said, eyeing Kyoko, who was exchanging jabs with Oktavia. "Well, that's a problem."

"Yes," Mami said. "But fortunately, it seems that distraction is over and done with. And Kyoko already so graciously agreed to accompany me earlier, she wouldn't mind helping me make up for lost time." She smiled at the redhead in question. "Isn't that right, Kyoko?"

"Huh?" Kyoko said, finally noticing that she was being talked about. "Say what?" Then she saw the uncharacteristically creepy grin on Mami's face and broke out into a cold sweat.

…

"I said I was sorry already!" Kyoko yelled and she struggled to keep her balance under the weight of the bags she was carrying. "I mean, come on! Gimme a break here!"

"Whatever do you mean?" Mami said, not turning around as she led the four girls through Freehaven's industrial area. "You volunteered to assist me on my errands, did you not?"

Kyoko's face was now burning bright red with both exertion and anger. "I said I'd go with you, not become your pack mule!" she said. She certainly felt like one, with both arms burdened by multiple blue felt bags full of groceries, and she wore a heavy drawstring bag like a backpack, this one full of maintenance supplies for the boats.

"Oh, come now," Mami said, her arms wrapped around a crate of cleaning and cooking supplies. "You're a strong girl. You can handle a little manual labor."

"Yeah right! You just wanna get revenge on me for running away!"

"Kyoko, please. I may be many things, but petty is not one of them."

"Bull to the shit," Kyoko muttered. She couldn't help but notice that Sayaka and Charlotte were not at all encumbered, even though there was plenty of room on Sayaka's lap and Charlotte's back. Further adding to her annoyance, Sayaka had not stopped snickering the whole way down the hill.

"The hell are you laughing at?" Kyoko snapped.

"You," Sayaka answered honestly, completely without guilt.

"You want me to dump this stuff in your scaly lap? Because I totally will if you don't knock that off."

"Yeah, no you won't," Charlotte said.

"Oh? Who's gonna stop me? You?"

In response, Charlotte smiled at her. It was not a nice smile.

Defeated, Kyoko settled for fuming to herself. Okay, maybe she did kind of deserve this, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it.

Mercifully, once they got to the warehouses, it wasn't long before they reached the docks and, from there, the boat. Seeing them, that Vickie girl took one look at Kyoko and started laughing.

Yeah, yeah, Kyoko thought. You and everyone else.

Summoning up her final reserves of energy, Kyoko took off in a stumbling sprint down the dock and relieved her aching arms of their burdens, nearly collapsing over the side of the boat in the process.

"Careful with those," Mami said as she came up from behind. "You don't want to break the eggs."

Kyoko shot her a murderous glare, but her principles regarding wasting food took over, and she carefully rearranged the bags to ensure their safety. Then, once the rest of the cargo had been secured and everyone else had boarded, she sank into her seat with a groan and rubbed her complaining back.

"You know, you kind of brought that on yourself," Sayaka said after Charlotte finished strapping her in.

"I know, I know," Kyoko said. "Look, had another freak-out, okay? Can't you people just let it go already?"

"Well, I gueesss," Sayaka drawled. "But only because you look so pathetic." Then, for a moment, the teasing left her eyes, replaced with concern. "Though, uh, speaking that…"

Kyoko had a feeling she knew where Sayaka was going and, not really interested in being asked if she was okay again, said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Got a lot of things worked out. Don't worry about it."

Frowning, Sayaka tilted her head to one side and leaned in closer to study Kyoko's face. Not at all comfortable with the close proximity, Kyoko moved away.

"What?" she said.

Sayaka sighed and backed off. "Look, I just worry about you sometimes. It's like you keep trying to tell me that you're okay, but, well, you're not."

Kyoko gave her a sidelong look. "And that means what, exactly?"

Sayaka shrugged. "I dunno. It's just like you're ready to explode at any second, and you're looking for a reason to."

A familiar flash of anger rose up, but Kyoko managed to keep it down. Sayaka was just trying to help, and to tell the truth, she was right. "I just don't know what I'm supposed to do," she said as she moodily stared down at the boat's deck. "I mean, this whole thing with Reibey? That I can handle. He's just a weasel that needs stomping. But everything else?" She gestured with one hand toward Freehaven, and then at the open sea. "It seems like every time I think I've got this place figured out, it throws another curveball at me. I can't decide if I like it here or hate it. There's way too much stuff that's changed, and whole lot that hasn't, and it just doesn't make any sense to me."

Shaking her head, Kyoko crossed her arms behind her head and leaned back to look at the clear blue sky. "Weird thing is, I kinda envy you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. I mean, your whole freaking life got torn away from you, and since you're stuck with a fish tail, you need to get pushed around or carried everywhere you go. But since you don't remember anything about what you went through and what you lost, you can fit yourself right in without worrying about if you should." Kyoko shrugged. "I dunno, maybe I'm overthinking it."

There was a long pause, and then Sayaka said, "Actually, Charlotte said the same thing to me earlier."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. And believe it or not, she also said that Mami had more problems adjusting than you did."

That got Kyoko's attention. She cast a glance to the blonde in question, who laughing at something Charlotte had just said. "Really? How much more?"

"Well, I don't know if it's for me to say," Sayaka said, fidgeting in her seat. "But it was pretty bad, from what I hear."

Huh, so Mami had some freak-outs of her own. Well, that was to be expected, given what Mami had said about how bad her first year was, but if she had more issues than Kyoko was having, that went a long way to explain why she was so reluctant to inform Kyoko about some of the stranger changes. It didn't really excuse keeping her in the dark, but it did make things easier to understand. Kyoko made a mental note to ask Mami about that later, as well as to get her information from Charlotte from now on. Tension or no, at least Mami's wife wasn't shy about telling Kyoko what she needed to hear.

"Oh, wait!" Sayaka said suddenly. She reached into her shirt pocket. "I almost forgot."

Kyoko tensed up. What hand grenade of bizarreness was about to get tossed at her this time?

But instead of rocking Kyoko's world with yet another earth-shaking revelation, Sayaka pulled out a black necklace, from which dangled a red stone attached to a sharp looking arrowhead. "Here, we got this for you."

This new development was so unexpected that it took Kyoko's mind a full five seconds to process the situation. "Wait, you…huh?"

"Well, I figured that since I got my awesome, awesome, harmonica, you should get a souvenir too," Sayaka said as she pressed the necklace into Kyoko's hand. "Besides, you're having a lousy week, so I thought you could use some cheering up."

Kyoko honestly didn't know what to say. The last time anyone had given her any kind of gift had been…God, she couldn't even remember. Sometime before the death of her family, she supposed. And while she had never really worn a necklace before, she had to admit that this was really her style.

"Well?" Sayaka pressed.

Deciding that there was only one thing she really could do, Kyoko undid the clasps, fitted the ends around her neck, and clicked the metal bits back together.

"You're welcome," Sayaka said, sounding satisfied.

Up at the front of the boat, Mami turned the key and gunned the engine, and soon they were off for the Nautilus Platform. Fingering her necklace, Kyoko again looked up at the sky.

Maybe Marisa was right. As weird as this all was, it wasn't like her story set the bar for horribleness around here, and everyone else seemed like they were adjusting. Maybe there was a place for her after all. She thought about the discussion she and Mami had had the day before, when the subject of her hanging up her spear and joining the others in finding a new life had come up. While she couldn't see herself living the domestic life like Mami was, she could see herself fitting in other ways. She already knew Freehaven had a rougher crowd. Who knows? Maybe they had some kind of fighters' league. She could see herself getting into something like that.

Next to her, Sayaka had pulled out her shiny new harmonica and started playing a tune. Combined with the humming of the boat's motor and the smooth passage of the boat, Kyoko felt herself growing drowsy. Yawning, she closed her eyes and relaxed, ready to let herself doze off.

Then she recognized the song Sayaka was playing and snapped back to full wakefulness. Once again, it was that same song Oktavia's orchestra had been playing as Kyoko had fought off the giant witch's spinning wheels and Madoka had desperately tried to reach whatever humanity Sayaka had left, moments before Homura Akemi had dragged her off and Kyoko ended both her life and Sayaka's.

Her body tensing up, Kyoko watched the mermaid out of the corner of her eye. Sayaka had her eyes closed and kept playing, oblivious to the effect her song was having on her companion. Kyoko was sorely tempted to snatch that harmonica out of her hands and hurl it overboard.

Steady, she told herself as her hands closed over her necklace and gripped it tight. Sayaka didn't know what she was doing, and lashing out again would only cause more problems. Besides, that was the sort of thing the old Kyoko would do. All her issues aside, she had to at least try to be different.

In as a casual voice as she could manage, Kyoko said, "S-say, uh, what's that song you're playing?"

"Hmmm? Oh, I dunno," Sayaka said with a shrug. "It's just been stuck in my head all this time."

"Huh. Well, it's nice." Kyoko scratched the back of her head. "You…wouldn't know any others, by any chance?"

Sayaka frowned. "Maybe," she said. "Let's see…"

She switched to a tune that had been playing back at the Tradewinds. She was good at it too. Sighing, Kyoko forced herself to relax. Okay, so maybe there was still that problem to deal with. She still had no idea how she was going to coax Sayaka's memories and identity out from wherever they were buried, but at least she now had plenty of time to work at the problem.

Now that Sayaka wasn't playing that song anymore, Kyoko's drowsiness slowly returned, and she finally was able to doze off. The feel of the seat and the sound of the ocean faded away, though Sayaka's playing remained, and followed Kyoko as she…

…walks through a hallway carved from smooth, black stone. All around, screams and cries permeate the walls, some of them begging for release, others ranting mad gibberish. She ignores them though. Her attention is focused on a single sound, that of a crying child, audible even through the racket all around her.

It's from someone very important to her, Kyoko knows that much. She just needs to find her, and get her out of here. But no matter how far she walks, the hallway never ends. It just keeps going and going, as the cries of the damned wail on without ceasing, mingling with, strangely enough, the sound of someone playing the harmonica.

Finally, she breaks out into a run. There has to be an end. That child needed her. She just had to find the end. It was close, she could feel it, but she couldn't reach it.

Then suddenly, the music stopped, as did the crying. And though Kyoko couldn't see the child, she heard her say, "Kyoko? Kyoko!"

Someone grabbed her by the arm and started shaking her. "Kyoko!"

"What!" Kyoko yelped as she jolted awake. She was back on the boat, with Sayaka still sitting next to her and gripping her arm. They had arrived at the Nautilus Platform.

However, Mami hadn't brought the boat up to the dock. Instead, her focus was on a point beyond the platform. Charlotte quickly unbuckled herself and moved to the back of the boat. She opened a crate and pulled out the crossbow she had armed herself with when they had visited the ruins of Elsa Maria's lighthouse.

Something was very wrong. Even with her companions' strange behavior aside, Kyoko could feel it in her teeth. "What's going on?" she whispered.

"Them," Sayaka said in a low voice. She pointed to where Mami was staring.

Then Kyoko saw the problem. She sucked in a sharp breath. With one fluid motion, she summoned a spear into her hand. Up at the front, Mami already had one of her muskets at the ready.

Someone was there, standing on the water as if it were solid ground. It was a woman, one as pale-skinned as Annabelle Lee and her cronies had been. She was wearing a flowing sleeveless black dress with an incredibly low neckline over a netted mesh, some kind of gauzy veil over her face, and a black blindfold.

That in itself was bad enough news, but nestled in her arms like an oversized cat was a black creature with a curling tail; a pointed, rat-like face; two long appendages dangling from its ears, and beady red eyes.

Reibey and one if his Void Walkers. He was here, at the Nautilus Platform. Waiting for them.

…

And thus concludes the Freehaven trip! I think I got the random cameo bug out of my system for now. And hello there, The Plot. Did you miss us?

And just for the record, no, this isn't the same Marisa as the one in Imperfect Metamorphosis. Reason being is that Gensokyo has its own afterlife, so this would be more of an AU cameo, with the same personality. So yeah, don't read too much into it.

Anyway, news time. Seeing how the third year anniversary of my fanfic writing career is coming up (which would also be RD's one year birthday, yay!), and seeing how I always update all my in-progress stories on that day, this'll be the last update for a couple months. But hey, at least there's a concrete date for its return this time. Story picks back up on March 19th.

Until next time, everyone!

p.s. Yes, I know Marisa's "ze" thing actually comes from a linguistic mistranslation that just sorta stuck. Don't care!