Night fell over Maikuni Town, and the suburban section of town where Ichika lived barely had any streetlights, so the place was very dark. Most people wouldn't dare venture out after dark. Ichika was definitely braver than most people. She enjoyed walking through the darkness, for it was one of those rare times when she really felt alive. The only source of light close to her was the train station, but her walks usually led her far away from the trains that she so vehemently hated. But the one good thing about having neglectful parents, at least in her mind, was that she didn't have a curfew. She never had to go home if she didn't want to. She could practically do whatever she wanted. But that wasn't what was on her mind right now. She couldn't stop thinking about witches. What did they look like? What danger do they bring? Most importantly, what kind of thrill would come from fighting them? She began to think about the whole witch hunting part of being a magical girl right as she rounded a corner into an alleyway. She walked down the rocky alley towards another light source. One she knew very well. This light source came from a metal door with a dead bolt lock. Ichika was one of the few people who had a key to this door. It led to the Morrigna Gang's hideout. It was her safe haven. Not many people entered that place and the few who did were people like her, who understood her pain. She unlocked the door and walked into the hideout. It was a fairly average sized space with the Morrigna Gang's pink symbol on all four walls. A small lamp illuminated the room, and revealed that someone else was in there with Ichika. He was a tall man with a thin black beard and greasy black hair with pink highlights. He puffed a cigar, then put it out on the floor. He looked towards Ichika when he heard her open the door. "Hey, Ichika. Lovely night, ain't it?" The guy asked as Ichika took off her coat, revealing an emerald green tank top. She sat next to him and leaned into his shoulder. "Life's shitty as usual, Chrysler. 'Sup with you tonight?" Ichika responded to Chrysler's greeting.
"I'm thankful that tomorrow's Friday. That's when Dad decides to fuck off and hang out with his drunkard friends for the weekend and leaves me alone." Chrysler's voice was rough and deep. "My parents just don't give a fuck about me." Ichika began venting to Chrysler.. "Mom pretends I don't exist. Dad just gives me some money every month but he's never home. Always on a business trip. It's been this way as long as I can remember." Ichika put her arm around Chrysler's shoulder as she continued talking. "This place is my real home. Sure, my bike and my bed are at my house, but I'd much rather just be here with you, and all the homies, in a place where I truly belong. Mom probably wouldn't care if I left." Ichika finished her vent. Chrysler put his arm around Ichika's shoulder and used his free hand to take a breathmint. "What the hell do we have to lose, babe? Nothing." Chrysler began his own vent as he held Ichika close. "We're problem kids. Everyone seems to despise us, even though they don't know about the gang. But that's kinda what this gang is about. We're castoffs. You, me, Jackie, Keanu, Trevor, and Christy. We're all leftovers. But there's one thing we'll always have." Chrysler talked about the gang and what it meant to him. "We'll always have each other. We may not have good parents, good partners, or good lives, but we'll always have each other's backs. That's why me and Christy founded this gang and built ourselves this place. It's our safe place. It's a place where we're free from the shit that hurts us in our lives." Chrysler smiled a bit as he talked about his gang. He was happy here. He was happy with Ichika. He was happy to have built a small community where people like them could vent to each other and not be dismissed, where people could just chat and enjoy each other's company in a world where they felt little enjoyment anywhere else. Ichika leaned into his shoulder and ran her hand over his right cheek. Chrysler ran his fingers through her hair. "Ichika Miyamoto… I love you so much. You make me happy just by being a part of my life." Chrysler smiled a soft smile, which was rare for him. Then, Ichika got into his lap and gave him a hug. "Chrysler Braxton… I love you too." Ichika leaned in for a kiss. Chrysler and Ichika held each other close and passionately kissed each other for minutes on end. To them, it was an incredible high, and a feeling that they enjoyed more than anything. They loved each other so much, more than their actual families ever loved them. Just then, a slightly shorter black guy unlocked the door. He had no beard, but he had beautiful black dreadlocks and neglected silver eyes. Chrysler and Ichika ended their kiss when they heard the door open. "Hey, Keanu. You're early." Chrysler smiled when he saw Keanu. "Yeah. Mom let me go a little earlier than usual." Keanu responded. "Doesn't seem like I missed much." He observed Ichika and Chrysler still laying together. Ichika rolled over and laid back in Chrysler's lap, comforted by his presence. Keanu noticed something different about Ichika. "How'd you get those scars on your cheek?" Keanu asked. "Azusa scratched me today. She just loves picking fights with people." Ichika talked about how she got the scar on her cheek. "I had an encounter with Azusa yesterday. Her and this bitch named Bree ganged up on me in the gym. That's how I got this bruise on my arm." Keanu detailed his encounter with Azusa and her friend. "Azusa doesn't bother me. Lacey is the one who gives me hell." Chrysler added. "I know her sister Lexi. I caught her smoking a joint once, but instead of asking if I could join her, I ended up saying nothing as she bolted away." Ichika detailed an experience with Lacey's sister. Chrysler sighed. "Lacey's poison. She just doesn't like me at all. She makes everything about herself." Chrysler detailed why he didn't like Lacey that much. Just as he finished talking, a tall pale white girl with braided black hair came in. She wore only a black sports bra and purple shorts that complimented her fuchisa eyes. She casually strutted in and took a seat next to Keanu. "What's new with you, Jackie?" He asked. Jackie sighed. "Just the same old bullshit from Akira. He still screams at me every day." Jackie's voice was very high pitched, but smooth and soft like a songbird. Jackie crossed her legs. "Sometimes I wish I could just... you know, disappear." Jackie looked down at her thighs, sullenly. "Why're ya still sleepin' with 'em? He seems like a shitty man." Keanu asked. "He said he'd kill my entire family if I broke up with him. He even has the gun to do it. So I'm stuck with him and his constant screeching and gaslighting." Jackie mused about her situation. She hated her boyfriend so much, and he hated her too. But they were stuck together like glue.
"What motivated you to be with him anyway?" Ichika asked. "He was so nice to me at first. He gave me beautiful flowers and the attention that no other boy gave me until he came around. Then once we got closer, he started showing his true colors." Jackie detailed how her relationship with Akira began. "If I were to go back and do that situation again, I'd have told him to eat a dick." "I'd have done that if I was in your shoes." Chrysler replied. "Thankfully, Ichika is amazing." Chrysler held Ichika close, with his hands wrapped around her tummy. "She's special to me, and I love her with all my heart. She's like that one guardian angel that I never knew I needed until I met her. She's like me in many ways, but she's also so unique… and I wouldn't trade her for the world." Chrysler held her tightly, as she leaned into his back. "You're special to me too, Chrysler. I owe a lot to you, because you made my life worth living. You make me feel safe when you're around. You make me feel loved. I wouldn't trade you for anything either, Chrysler. You're just too damn special to me." Ichika turned her head and nuzzled Chrysler's chest. "I wish I could have had that same relationship with Akira. Too bad he turned out to be a piece of shit." Jackie sighed as she spoke. Just then, an extra tall girl came in. She wore a silver hoodie, and underneath it was a black crop top that exposed her midriff. She wore blue jeans along with it, and they went well with her long, wavy blue hair and blue eyes. Jackie recognized her instantly. "Hey, Christy~" Jackie's voice sounded a bit happier as she smiled sweetly. "Hi, Jackie. How's your old man?" Christy asked. Her voice sounded much like a typical teenage goth girl. "He's doing alright. He's been tryna to file a restraining order against Akira. Least I have someone who loves me." Jackie spoke. "Your dad's a hell of a guy, looking out for you like that." Chrysler replied to Jackie. "I wish mine was like that."
"I wish my mother was as good as your dad is. She hates me with a passion." Christy shrugged as she talked about her abusive mom. "For real, girl. Yo mama's a headcase. What kinda mama leaves her kid in a freezer for four hours?!" Keanu added to Christy's claim.
"At least my mom doesn't do that. She just doesn't give two shits about me." Ichika's voice seemed dull. Just then, a tall white kid with a receding ginger hairline came in. He wore a white tank top and black workout pants. He sat in front of the group. "Well it seems like the gang's all here." Jackie announced. "Yeah. I'm not usually the last one here." The guy spoke in a deep and booming voice.
"For once, Trevor. For once I wasn't the last person here." Christy responded to Trevor's observation. "I was as late as I was because my ride broke down on the way here. I don't live as close as y'all do, and I really depend on my ride, but the engine's fucked now, and I need a job to get the damn thing replaced." Trevor explained why he was late. Christy rubbed his balding head. "So have we got a plan for the trip to Mitakihara?" Ichika brought up the main topic of the night. "I'm scraping together some money so we can all go there for summer vacation. I need to get us a decent truck that can fit all six of us." Chrysler began. "I'm getting a job to pay for the apartment we're renting." Christy added. "I'm researching the tourist attractions. I hear there's a beautiful blue tower there that lights up at night like the one in Tokyo." Keanu chipped in. "I gotta pay for a new engine for my car, but I'm also looking at some of the gyms in town." Trevor added. "I'm checking out the streets, looking for a good road for biking." Ichika finished. "Well it seems we all have a plan, and a way to get money. But what else do y'all wanna do while we're there?" Chrysler asked. Everyone except Jackie had a perplexed look on their faces. They didn't know what else they wanted to do. Jackie, however, had a clear idea of what she wanted to do. "I hear that Mitakihara bars are incredible. I'm gonna go there, get knocked the hell up, and party till the sun rises!" Jackie raised her arm as she excitedly announced her day plan. "Well you're the only one who can do that, since you're the only one of legal drinking age. What's something all of us can do?" Christy asked.
"Well… shit. I can't think of much else outside of maybe checking out the food." Trevor responded, completely perplexed. "Really, we're mostly just taking an excuse to get outta this podunk town for awhile and to get away from horrible family members and boyfriends." Christy explained why they all thought about this trip in the first place. They needed to get away from Maikuni City, a place where bad memories ran rampant and their abusers/neglectful family made them waste away. Ichika rolled over and gave Chrysler another big hug. She embraced him tightly as he hugged her in return. "I'm so happy we still have each other, after all that the six of us have been through…" Ichika began to cry a little bit. Chrysler ran his hand down her back to try and comfort her. "The six of us have been through more than almost anyone can imagine. Once we've been through that much together, we're friends for life." Chrysler spoke calmly and confidently. The other members of the Morrigna Gang came in to form a gigantic group hug, putting all of their broken hearts into it. "I promise you guys…" Chrysler began. "I'm never ever going to give up on any of you. Come hell or high water, we'll always have each other. No matter what." Chrysler made a promise long ago that he had chosen to repeat today. He would never give up on Ichika and the gang. They would be together forever, no matter what happened.
"I'm thankful that tomorrow's Friday. That's when Dad decides to fuck off and hang out with his drunkard friends for the weekend and leaves me alone." Chrysler's voice was rough and deep. "My parents just don't give a fuck about me." Ichika began venting to Chrysler.. "Mom pretends I don't exist. Dad just gives me some money every month but he's never home. Always on a business trip. It's been this way as long as I can remember." Ichika put her arm around Chrysler's shoulder as she continued talking. "This place is my real home. Sure, my bike and my bed are at my house, but I'd much rather just be here with you, and all the homies, in a place where I truly belong. Mom probably wouldn't care if I left." Ichika finished her vent. Chrysler put his arm around Ichika's shoulder and used his free hand to take a breathmint. "What the hell do we have to lose, babe? Nothing." Chrysler began his own vent as he held Ichika close. "We're problem kids. Everyone seems to despise us, even though they don't know about the gang. But that's kinda what this gang is about. We're castoffs. You, me, Jackie, Keanu, Trevor, and Christy. We're all leftovers. But there's one thing we'll always have." Chrysler talked about the gang and what it meant to him. "We'll always have each other. We may not have good parents, good partners, or good lives, but we'll always have each other's backs. That's why me and Christy founded this gang and built ourselves this place. It's our safe place. It's a place where we're free from the shit that hurts us in our lives." Chrysler smiled a bit as he talked about his gang. He was happy here. He was happy with Ichika. He was happy to have built a small community where people like them could vent to each other and not be dismissed, where people could just chat and enjoy each other's company in a world where they felt little enjoyment anywhere else. Ichika leaned into his shoulder and ran her hand over his right cheek. Chrysler ran his fingers through her hair. "Ichika Miyamoto… I love you so much. You make me happy just by being a part of my life." Chrysler smiled a soft smile, which was rare for him. Then, Ichika got into his lap and gave him a hug. "Chrysler Braxton… I love you too." Ichika leaned in for a kiss. Chrysler and Ichika held each other close and passionately kissed each other for minutes on end. To them, it was an incredible high, and a feeling that they enjoyed more than anything. They loved each other so much, more than their actual families ever loved them. Just then, a slightly shorter black guy unlocked the door. He had no beard, but he had beautiful black dreadlocks and neglected silver eyes. Chrysler and Ichika ended their kiss when they heard the door open. "Hey, Keanu. You're early." Chrysler smiled when he saw Keanu. "Yeah. Mom let me go a little earlier than usual." Keanu responded. "Doesn't seem like I missed much." He observed Ichika and Chrysler still laying together. Ichika rolled over and laid back in Chrysler's lap, comforted by his presence. Keanu noticed something different about Ichika. "How'd you get those scars on your cheek?" Keanu asked. "Azusa scratched me today. She just loves picking fights with people." Ichika talked about how she got the scar on her cheek. "I had an encounter with Azusa yesterday. Her and this bitch named Bree ganged up on me in the gym. That's how I got this bruise on my arm." Keanu detailed his encounter with Azusa and her friend. "Azusa doesn't bother me. Lacey is the one who gives me hell." Chrysler added. "I know her sister Lexi. I caught her smoking a joint once, but instead of asking if I could join her, I ended up saying nothing as she bolted away." Ichika detailed an experience with Lacey's sister. Chrysler sighed. "Lacey's poison. She just doesn't like me at all. She makes everything about herself." Chrysler detailed why he didn't like Lacey that much. Just as he finished talking, a tall pale white girl with braided black hair came in. She wore only a black sports bra and purple shorts that complimented her fuchisa eyes. She casually strutted in and took a seat next to Keanu. "What's new with you, Jackie?" He asked. Jackie sighed. "Just the same old bullshit from Akira. He still screams at me every day." Jackie's voice was very high pitched, but smooth and soft like a songbird. Jackie crossed her legs. "Sometimes I wish I could just... you know, disappear." Jackie looked down at her thighs, sullenly. "Why're ya still sleepin' with 'em? He seems like a shitty man." Keanu asked. "He said he'd kill my entire family if I broke up with him. He even has the gun to do it. So I'm stuck with him and his constant screeching and gaslighting." Jackie mused about her situation. She hated her boyfriend so much, and he hated her too. But they were stuck together like glue.
"What motivated you to be with him anyway?" Ichika asked. "He was so nice to me at first. He gave me beautiful flowers and the attention that no other boy gave me until he came around. Then once we got closer, he started showing his true colors." Jackie detailed how her relationship with Akira began. "If I were to go back and do that situation again, I'd have told him to eat a dick." "I'd have done that if I was in your shoes." Chrysler replied. "Thankfully, Ichika is amazing." Chrysler held Ichika close, with his hands wrapped around her tummy. "She's special to me, and I love her with all my heart. She's like that one guardian angel that I never knew I needed until I met her. She's like me in many ways, but she's also so unique… and I wouldn't trade her for the world." Chrysler held her tightly, as she leaned into his back. "You're special to me too, Chrysler. I owe a lot to you, because you made my life worth living. You make me feel safe when you're around. You make me feel loved. I wouldn't trade you for anything either, Chrysler. You're just too damn special to me." Ichika turned her head and nuzzled Chrysler's chest. "I wish I could have had that same relationship with Akira. Too bad he turned out to be a piece of shit." Jackie sighed as she spoke. Just then, an extra tall girl came in. She wore a silver hoodie, and underneath it was a black crop top that exposed her midriff. She wore blue jeans along with it, and they went well with her long, wavy blue hair and blue eyes. Jackie recognized her instantly. "Hey, Christy~" Jackie's voice sounded a bit happier as she smiled sweetly. "Hi, Jackie. How's your old man?" Christy asked. Her voice sounded much like a typical teenage goth girl. "He's doing alright. He's been tryna to file a restraining order against Akira. Least I have someone who loves me." Jackie spoke. "Your dad's a hell of a guy, looking out for you like that." Chrysler replied to Jackie. "I wish mine was like that."
"I wish my mother was as good as your dad is. She hates me with a passion." Christy shrugged as she talked about her abusive mom. "For real, girl. Yo mama's a headcase. What kinda mama leaves her kid in a freezer for four hours?!" Keanu added to Christy's claim.
"At least my mom doesn't do that. She just doesn't give two shits about me." Ichika's voice seemed dull. Just then, a tall white kid with a receding ginger hairline came in. He wore a white tank top and black workout pants. He sat in front of the group. "Well it seems like the gang's all here." Jackie announced. "Yeah. I'm not usually the last one here." The guy spoke in a deep and booming voice.
"For once, Trevor. For once I wasn't the last person here." Christy responded to Trevor's observation. "I was as late as I was because my ride broke down on the way here. I don't live as close as y'all do, and I really depend on my ride, but the engine's fucked now, and I need a job to get the damn thing replaced." Trevor explained why he was late. Christy rubbed his balding head. "So have we got a plan for the trip to Mitakihara?" Ichika brought up the main topic of the night. "I'm scraping together some money so we can all go there for summer vacation. I need to get us a decent truck that can fit all six of us." Chrysler began. "I'm getting a job to pay for the apartment we're renting." Christy added. "I'm researching the tourist attractions. I hear there's a beautiful blue tower there that lights up at night like the one in Tokyo." Keanu chipped in. "I gotta pay for a new engine for my car, but I'm also looking at some of the gyms in town." Trevor added. "I'm checking out the streets, looking for a good road for biking." Ichika finished. "Well it seems we all have a plan, and a way to get money. But what else do y'all wanna do while we're there?" Chrysler asked. Everyone except Jackie had a perplexed look on their faces. They didn't know what else they wanted to do. Jackie, however, had a clear idea of what she wanted to do. "I hear that Mitakihara bars are incredible. I'm gonna go there, get knocked the hell up, and party till the sun rises!" Jackie raised her arm as she excitedly announced her day plan. "Well you're the only one who can do that, since you're the only one of legal drinking age. What's something all of us can do?" Christy asked.
"Well… shit. I can't think of much else outside of maybe checking out the food." Trevor responded, completely perplexed. "Really, we're mostly just taking an excuse to get outta this podunk town for awhile and to get away from horrible family members and boyfriends." Christy explained why they all thought about this trip in the first place. They needed to get away from Maikuni City, a place where bad memories ran rampant and their abusers/neglectful family made them waste away. Ichika rolled over and gave Chrysler another big hug. She embraced him tightly as he hugged her in return. "I'm so happy we still have each other, after all that the six of us have been through…" Ichika began to cry a little bit. Chrysler ran his hand down her back to try and comfort her. "The six of us have been through more than almost anyone can imagine. Once we've been through that much together, we're friends for life." Chrysler spoke calmly and confidently. The other members of the Morrigna Gang came in to form a gigantic group hug, putting all of their broken hearts into it. "I promise you guys…" Chrysler began. "I'm never ever going to give up on any of you. Come hell or high water, we'll always have each other. No matter what." Chrysler made a promise long ago that he had chosen to repeat today. He would never give up on Ichika and the gang. They would be together forever, no matter what happened.