Spoilers for episode 10.
Translations:
Tadaima= I'm back home.
Context Notes:
The "flashbacks" in this chapter are previous timelines Kiku experienced. Every time he fails to stop the Walpurgisnacht and save Alfred, he goes back to the beginning of the month to start again.
Sight-reading refers to playing a music piece a performer has not seen before. People who are great at sight-reading are able to accurately play a part without making a lot of mistakes.
Kiku's ability to stop and travel back in time just rests in his Soul Gem. He does not have an external device like Homura's shield. Kiku's magical boy design resembles a samurai. For historical accuracy, he is not equipped with a shield. Feel free to correct me if I did my research wrong.
Chapter 12: The Never-Ending Cycle
Timeline 1
"Happy Friday, everyone." Mr. Edelstein announced to his class. "I hope all of you are doing well. As if you can see, we have a newcomer here. Would you like to introduce yourself?"
Heads turned. Chairs shifted. Kiku's stomach flipflopped at the unfamiliar faces. Still glued to his seat, he fidgeted with his fingers as sweat began to form on the back of his neck.
"M-My name… My name is…" Kiku paused, swallowing and taking a short breath. "…My name is Kiku H-Honda… I…I m-moved here from… New York…"
Kiku's hot face flushed as he let out an exhale.
"What instrument do you play, Kiku?" Mr. Edelstein asked.
"…Alto saxophone…Clarinet and…P-Piano…" Kiku's bangs was sticky and moist.
A few students softly clapped as Kiku turned his gaze towards his shoes.
"Thank you, Kiku." Mr. Edelstein said. "Now, let's start at measure 16 with flutes and clarinets…"
As the flutes and clarinet played, Kiku looked over the alto saxophone's part. His eyes widened and fixated on the cluster of 16th notes from measures 24 to 28.
"How good are the other alto saxophones? Can they sight-read it without any problem?"
"Thank you, flutes and clarinets. Altos at measure 24 to 28. We'll take it slower first." Mr. Edelstein said to the alto saxophonists.
Even when Mr. Edelstein conducted at a slower tempo, Kiku's clawed hands only hovered above his saxophone's valves as the rest of his section played the part altogether. If someone did make a mistake, the other alto saxophonists concealed it well.
"Try it again, altos." Mr. Edelstein spoke.
Kiku lightly bit the mouthpiece to fight back a whimper. His fingers felt as heavy and cold as stone as his section played without him again.
"Again."
Kiku clutched his eye tightly as his shoulders and arms tensed.
"A bit better." Mr. Edelstein told the alto saxophones. "Now, trombones, baritones, and sousaphones at measure 30…"
A tiny snivel fled Kiku's lips, drawing the attention of the auburn-haired boy sitting beside him.
"Hey, don't worry!" he gave a reassuring smile as an Italian accent rang in his voice. "That part was very difficult!"
Kiku flinched at the boy's friendly pat on his shoulder.
At the end of class, Kiku kept his eyes on the floor, averting his eyes from approaching band kids. He detested any pity and sympathy they harbored for him. Tossing open instrument case, Kiku hurriedly detached his saxophone's neck from its body. His tolerance for the stuffy band room was depleting with every second.
"Yo!" Kiku slowly turned at the boisterous voice.
A cowlick protruded from straight blond hair. Behind rectangular-framed glasses, baby blue eyes peered down at Kiku, not like a wolf cornering a rabbit, but rather like a friendly golden retriever curiously approaching a tiny kitten.
"I'm Alfred! What's your name again, dude?"
"Kiku." Kiku shut his instrument case.
"Cool, man!" Alfred replied excitedly. "Nice to meet ya!"
"Y-Yes. Nice to meet you."
Before Alfred should say anything else, Kiku hurried away from him. Running out into the broad daylight had never felt so relieving.
Kiku slid his key into the lock and softly pulled open the door. The apartment was silent, save for the leaky kitchen sink faucet. All the furniture was in the same position as they were when Kiku left for school.
The lock clicked shut. "Tadaima…" Kiku's voice broke the lonely stillness.
After dumping his bookbag and saxophone into his room, Kiku went to fridge. He took out one of the several plastic containers of fried rice, made by his mother yesterday before she left for her business trip.
Kiku's face was met with a hot odorless steam once he took the fired rice out of the microwave. He stirred the food with a spoon. The fried rice had green onions, peas, carrots, and scrambled eggs mixed within its grains. Yet, all Kiku could taste was the spoon's smooth surface and the blistering heat burning the roof of his mouth.
The bass drums and cymbals rung in Kiku's ears. Besides him was his saxophone and an empty water bottle. The damp towel placed on his forehead felt more warm than cool. Underneath his head were black bits sure to be stuck in his hair.
What kind of a person collapsed from heatstroke during their first marching practice?
Mr. Edelstein tweeted his whistle, signaling the start of a five-minute water break. The alto saxophones grouped around where they left their belongings, laughing and chatting as they sipped water from their bottles. Some people lined up to get water from a cooler. Looking up at the clear sky, Kiku sighed to himself. His hands dug into the field's turf, resisting the urge to make himself sit up.
"Hey."
Oh. That blond band kid with the cowlick and glasses was here again. What was his name again?
"Are you okay?" Alfred's voice calmed the throb in Kiku's head.
"I got you some water." Alfred placed a water bottle fresh from the cooler besides Kiku. "Want me to get you anything?"
Shutting his eyes, Kiku shook his head no.
"Well, okay. I'll be here if you need anything, dude."
Alfred stayed by Kiku's side until Mr. Edelstein blew his whistle, resuming practice again.
As he stood in the lunch line, Kiku hugged his arms to himself. The people joining their friends at a lunch table made his heart sting, a feeling he was familiar with since middle school. Despite spending most of his lunches sitting alone behind the classrooms, the longing pain in his chest still has not lessened.
"Hey Kiku!" Kiku correctly pictured the same blond boy's large smile when he turned around. Behind Alfred was the auburn-haired boy from the alto section, as well as a second blond that had an uncanny resemblance to him.
"Oh, hey." Kiku timidly replied, looking down at the ground.
"You wanna sit with us at lunch, dude?"
Stickiness ran down Kiku's spine, a contrast to his red warm face.
"You don't have to be afraid. Feli, Mattie, and I won't hurt you. Really!"
"…Why are you inviting me…?"
"Well, I've been watching you. You seemed very lonely and sad."
Kiku's heart twisted at Alfred's response.
"…Will I be able to get alone with you all?"
"Yeah, of course, dude! You're part of the band!" Alfred explained. "And we band kids don't leave each other behind, right Feli?"
Feliciano, the auburn-haired boy, nodded with a smile that eased Kiku's thumping heart. "Ve~! We want to welcome Kiku to our school and give him a great experience!"
For the first time since he transferred, Kiku smiled.
"I'll accept your invitation."
Many teachers considered Kiku to be a good student. He always sat up straight in his chair and copied down their lectures word-by-word. Today, however, Kiku's mind kept on drifting back to the lunch period he left from. While his English teacher recited a stanza from a Shakespearean poem, he recited facts about the people he met.
Alfred and Matthew were twins with complete opposite personalities. Alfred was the boisterous twin whose voice echoed in the courtyard. He used to play trumpet before switching to sousaphone. Matthew barely spoke, preferring to listen. His reason for not being in band was simple: music just was not his thing.
In contrast to his peers, Feliciano was more expressive of his religion. He took a few moments to pray before digging into his pasta. While Kiku thought the school's pasta was good, Feliciano remarked it was nothing compared to his grandfather's. Feliciano offered to treat Kiku to his nonno's restaurant one day.
The other band kids were fine. Well, almost all of them to be more precise. Kiku cowered behind Alfred when Ivan intruded into their circle. Nevertheless, Kiku felt at home with the other bandsmen. Toris, a tenor saxophonist and the band's woodwind captain, offered to help him with music. Eduard and Raivis, the first a clarinetist and the second a flutist, were just as reserved and shy as Kiku, yet here they were chatting and laughing with other bandsmen.
If it were not for Alfred inviting him to lunch, Kiku would not have met all of these wonderful people.
"Alfred…" Kiku flicked his pencil and sighed quietly. The pencil's color resembled the shade of Alfred's hair. "How often do guys like him approach me like that?"
The rest of Kiku's day went normally. When he returned home, Kiku reheated another container of fried rice. After dinner, he completed his assignments, reviewed his class notes, and practiced playing the saxophone. He managed to complete all his tasks earlier than usual, possibly because he was in an exceptionally good mood.
Upon shutting the cover of his history textbook, Kiku's stomach growled. He already had fried rice for dinner several times in a row. The nearby convenience store sold spicy cup ramen.
The sun already sunk below the buildings when Kiku left his apartment. After walking out of the complex's parking lot, he made a sharp turn towards an alleyway, a quicker alternative to walking around the street corners. Although there was only one flickering light, it was still bright enough to chase most of the shadows away.
As Kiku strolled down the alley, a garbage can rattled.
"Must be a rat." Kiku did not think much of it, not expecting the can to tilt over and land with a heavy clatter.
The lid rolled off. A ghostly figure crawled out. The dark hair that covered its face reminded Kiku of a Japanese horror movie he accidentally saw as a child. Though, it was not exactly a human ghost. Its body was entirely disproportionate as if it was crudely sketched by a beginner artist.
Kiku yelped. He stumbled backwards. His back struck the wall. Freezing in horror, he could only watch the monster creep closer to him.
Two shots rang out in the alleyway. The monster was sent flying away from Kiku.
"What the…" Kiku jumped when a boy with wild blond hair garbed in black and red dashed past him, pole ax in hand.
With a battle cry, the boy swung his ax at the monster, tearing it into shreds like paper.
"Whew! That familiar looked big! If left a little longer, it might've turned into a witch!" Mathias turned behind him and called, "Hey Alfred! We got it!"
"Alfred?" Kiku looked at Mathias's direction.
His brown swallowtail coat waving behind him, Alfred set both of his pistols back into his holders hanging off his belt. His knee-high leather boots clucked down the alley. Seated on his shoulder was a small grey creature with red eyes.
"Great!" Alfred noticed Kiku. "Kiku! I didn't know you were here, dude!"
Kiku's eyes trailed up from Alfred's boots, his tan vest, to his matching coat.
"You all right?"
Kiku's heartrate hastened at Alfred's worried gaze.
"So, both of you are magical boys?" Kiku asked.
The three had just left the convenience store, arms full of junk food. For Kiku's safety, they decided to take the longer route rather than the alleyway back to his home.
"Yeah!" Alfred pointed to Tony. "Tony granted us a wish and we now gotta go out and defeat witches!"
"That's very interesting… Have you been doing that for a while?"
"I made my contract with Kyubey a couple days ago. Mathias here on the other hand has been doing it for years!"
"Though, you're pretty skilled for a rookie." Mathias remarked.
"Dude, thanks!"
"Don't you get scared? It sounds very dangerous." Kiku commented.
"Yeah, kinda." Alfred admitted. "But I always tell myself the more witches are gone, the more people are saved! So it's worth it!"
"Yeah. Like what I said, Alfred's strong for a rookie." Mathias brought up. "Hopefully he can be trained be to be strong enough to bit the Walpurgisnacht."
"Walpurgisnacht?" To Kiku, that word sounded scary.
"A strong witch that will come to this city."
After walking through crowds of people and dragging his baggage, Kiku finally found an empty spot at the corner of the emergency shelter. He set his bags down to claim his spot.
Kiku quickly typed a text message to his mother about his current situation.
"Hey, Kiku!"
Kiku nearly dropped his phone. "Oh, hello Matthew!"
"Where's your family?" Matthew asked.
"My mother is out of town on another business trip. Lucky." Kiku hoped Matthew caught his small joke. "Where are you at?"
"At the other side of the room. It's hard to see from here. Speaking of seeing… Have you see Alfred around here? He disappeared on us. Dad's freaking out right now."
Kiku's stomach fell. "N-No. I'm sorry. I can go and help look for him now."
"That'll be great! You can look around here and I'll look in the opposite direction!"
After parting with Matthew, Kiku walked down the hallway. No sign of Alfred. Outside, the trees' leaves shifted violently. Dark grey clouds across the sky, pushed by a powerful gust.
"Alfred!" Kiku's shout was muffled by the howling wind. His hair whipped into his eyes. "Alfred! Where are you?!"
Kiku gasped. Further down the street were crumbled buildings. Rubble scattered on the fractured streets. Streetlights flickered dimly. Wrecked cars were titled over.
There was something more to this hurricane.
"Alfred?" Kiku approached a deep crater. Below, Alfred kneeled in front of Mathias, who was lying with his eyes shut. He gently held Mathias's hand before setting it on Mathias's chest
"Alfred!"
He turned to Kiku's voice with a surprised expression. "Kiku? What are you doing out here, dude?"
"Everyone's looking for you!" Kiku's voice faltered at the sight of Mathias's body. "Mathias…?"
Reflected light on Alfred's glasses hid his gaze. "…He's dead."
"Dead?! No… What happened?"
"He was killed."
"By what?"
A harrowing giggle echoed down the street.
Alfred gestured Kiku to follow him. Once when they climbed out of the hole, Alfred pointed upwards.
"By that."
An enormous witch drifted down the street. The gears underneath(?) its lacy indigo skirt clicked as it continued to laugh.
"That's the Walpurgisnacht. I need to go and stop it."
"No, don't go!" Kiku protested. "It killed Mathias, and he's a much more experienced magical boy! Please, run back to the shelter with me! Be with Matthew and your family!"
"If no one stops it, people will die."
"But how are you so sure that you can still beat it? It's too strong! It'll kill you too!"
"But I can't run away from my duties. I'm a magical boy. I need to protect people." Alfred gave Kiku a tight hug. His face a lush pink and his eyes large, Kiku froze in the embrace. "I'm proud to be a magical boy. I'm glad that I could protect people, including you."
"Alfred…" Kiku could only say as Alfred released him.
Alfred turned towards the Walpurgisnacht. "Goodbye, Kiku. Take care of yourself, dude."
With a final smile, Alfred made a giant leap towards the Walpurgisnacht.
"Wait, Alfred! Come back! Stop!"
"Alfred, please wake up." Kiku whimpered as he tugged on Alfred's jacket. "Please… You don't deserve this…"
Heavy raindrops plummeted from the sky and rolled down Kiku's soaked hair. His freezing fingers ran down Alfred's damp hair. Behind his cracked glasses were half-lidded cloudy blue eyes that stared back at Kiku.
A sacrificial attack. That was what it cost for Alfred to defeat the Walpurgisnacht.
Kiku could not tell if the water running down his face was rain or his own tears. Sniffing, he cradled Alfred's still, cold hand.
"This world isn't worth saving if you're not in it." Kiku wept. "Come back to me…"
Tiny approaching steps splashed in growing puddles.
"…Tony…?" Kiku blurrily looked at the grey alien.
"If you're willing to make a contract with me, I can help you get what you want." Tony offered.
"Really? Anything I wish will be granted?"
"Absolutely. You have the potential. Tell me," Tony's red eyes peered directly into Kiku's. "what do you want to trade your soul for?"
"Anything can come true!" Kiku's feet and legs tingled as he unsteadily stood up. Wiping the tears away, his sorrowful expression hardened into a determined look.
"I wish to go back and save Alfred. Instead of him protecting me, I want to protect him."
A bright light shone around Kiku, whose his chest tightened. With a pained grasp, Kiku fell onto his knees. Something warm and blinding floated in front of him.
It was his Soul Gem.
"Your contract is complete. Accept your destiny."
Everything went black before Kiku struck the ground.
Timeline 2
Kiku's eyes snapped open at the ringing alarm clock. His hand gently pressed its button to turn off the alarm. He yawned as he sat up in his bed and stretched.
"Mmmm… What a strange dream." Kiku mumbled to himself, blinking to clear his foggy vision. "It felt lifelike."
Something was weighting down in his pajama shirt's small pocket. Kiku gasped when he took the object out. The purple gem tumbled into his lap.
"It wasn't a dream!"
"Would you like to introduce yourself?"
"Yes." Kiku softly answered as he stood up from his head with a smile. "My name is Kiku Honda. I moved here from New York, and I can play the alto saxophone, clarinet, and piano. Pleased to meet you."
The students clapped at Kiku. Before he sat down, Kiku caught a familiar hue of blond hair. His heart race, he lightly bit his lip, fighting back a large smile.
For the remainder of class, a single note was not heard from Kiku's saxophone, this time not due to hesitance and nervousness. Mr. Edelstein's instructions were deaf to Kiku's ears. Excited thoughts raced through his mind. He fought the tempting urge to turn around and look at the sousaphone section.
Once when the school bell rang, Kiku leapt out of his chair. As he hurried back to fetch his instrument case, he looked at the sousaphone cubbies. A wide unstoppable smile stretched across his face at Alfred carefully putting his sousaphone away. Brushing hair behind his ear, Alfred turned around, just to catch Kiku looking away.
"Act naturally, act naturally." Kiku's cheeks pinched, fighting against his smile while he pretended to be occupied with putting his instrument away.
Kiku yelped softly at a hand slapping him on the back. "Yo!"
Hoping that his face was not flushing red, Kiku turned to face Alfred. "H-Hey!"
"I'm Alfred! What's your name again, dude?"
"Woah!" Alfred exclaimed as he investigated the pile of shredded cardboard. "You just disappeared and these boxes tore themselves into pieces!"
Kiku blushed with a small smile and clutched his katana.
"Mathias, what power do you think he has?" Alfred asked.
Mathias put on his thinking face. "Hmmm…
Kiku spoke up. "When I used that power, everything around me stopped!"
"Maybe it's some kind of time manipulation power!" Mathias grinned. "That'll be very using in fighting witches!"
"Click."
Bow drawn, Kiku dashed towards the witch, a three-headed snake sprouting from a snail shell. He fired several arrows, each placed directly in front of the leftmost head's eyes. Behind him was Alfred. His hands rested on his guns.
Approaching the central head, Kiku came to an abrupt halt, clutching his sides as he panted heavily. After taking a moment to catch his breath, Kiku resumed aiming his arrows at the witch's multiple eyes.
"Click." Color returned to the grass-green labyrinth. Bright yellow light flashed as the witch hissed, recoiling from the arrows flying into its eyes. Kiku clutched his bow, glancing from the giant mushroom big enough to hide a small magical boy like him, to the witch.
Rapid gunshots fired. The witch was blown back with a raspy cry. It tumbled onto the dirty ground. When the dust cleared, the witch's body twitched as its vanished.
Kiku breathed heavily. Adrenaline still gushed through his veins. Looking around the public garden, he quivered as he slipped his bow back into its carrier.
Hurrying footsteps advanced towards him "Dude!"
"Al—Waaah!" Kiku cried out as he was lifted up into the air by a laughing Alfred.
"That was so awesome!" Alfred hugged Kiku closely as he swung him in a circle. "You're a hero! A hero! Nahahaha!"
Kiku smiled at Alfred's laugh. He snuggled closer to the blond and rested his chin on his shoulder, shutting his eyes peacefully.
With Alfred and Mathias, Kiku strolled towards the shelter's exit. This was it. It was Alfred, Mathias, and him against the Walpurgisnacht. Mathias was a veteran magical boy. Although both were rookies, Alfred had his spirit and courage, and Kiku had his time manipulation abilities. There was no way they would lose to this witch.
"Alfred?" A French-accented voice rang down the hallway behind them.
Clenching his brows, Alfred halted. "Go ahead of me. Wait outside."
Kiku and Mathias nodded and went through the exit door. Outside, Mathias went to middle of the street to scout for the Walpurgisnacht. Kiku sat on a bench. Behind the windows, Alfred pulled himself away from a wavy-haired middle-aged man's reached hands. Their shouting voices were muffled behind glass. Before the man could grab Alfred's arm again, Alfred ran away from him without looking back.
"Let's go!" Alfred said after bursting through the door, pulling Kiku out of his seat.
"I couldn't save Mathias…" Alfred looked down at Mathias's still body lying on the crumbled street. His blond hair fell over his face. "What kind of hero am I?"
"Still a hero." Kiku set Mathias's cracked Soul Gem next to its deceased owner. "Let's go. We still have to beat the Walpurgisnacht!"
"But what if I can't do it?" Alfred clutched his gloved hands. "Kiku, I could've protected Mathias. What if I failed to protect you?"
"Alfred…" Kiku could only say.
Alfred started, "Sometimes I wonder if I'm good enough to be anything great, good enough to even be a magical boy. I know that I am one, but inside, I'm just a plain kid."
"Alfred." Alfred met Kiku's stern gaze.
"Think of all the lives you saved when you killed these witches with me and Mathias." Kiku said. "That is what a hero is. You fight for people who are helpless, even if you won't get anything from them in return. That is being selfless, and more people need to be like that."
The Walpurgisnacht's tormenting laugh was carried by the wind.
"Now, let's defeat that witch."
Alfred's distressed expression lifted into a smile. "Thanks, Kiku, You're the best, dude. Let's go!"
He told him not to do it. Kiku repeatedly told Alfred not to overexert his magic. However, no matter how many times Kiku stopped time to aim his shots at it, the Walpurgisnacht barely flinched at his arrows. Alfred's bullets did little to slow its path towards the shelter.
The only way to stop it was Alfred's power beam at it. He held it out long enough for the witch to disintegrate with moans and sobs before plummeting from the sky.
"Alfred!" Kiku called as he flew over the city destruction. Rain pelted onto his face as he frantically looked for the blond.
Below, among the debris, was Alfred's motionless body.
"Alfred!" Kiku landed next to the blond.
Alfred groaned as he stirred.
"You're okay!" Kiku exclaimed in relief.
"Ki…ku…" Alfred groaned through his gritted teeth. "A-Agh!"
"Alfred? What's wrong?" Kiku worriedly asked.
Alfred's body jerked. "W-What's… What's happening to my Soul Gem?" His voice rose in alarm.
Alfred's Soul Gem, once a bright gold, was a pitch-black. Cracks had already appeared on its surface.
"Hold on, Alfred! Hold on!" Kiku dug into his porches and pockets. "Shoot, there's no more Grief Seeds!"
His face contorting in pain, Alfred let out a bloodcurdling scream as his Soul Gem let out a final crack, completing its transformation. Darkness emitted from the Grief Seed in Alfred's limp hand like smoke. Chunks of fragments from the street rattled on the ground as a murky vast figure towered over Kiku.
Kiku's face turned white at the growing monstrosity.
"…Is…Is t-that a witch?"
Timeline 3
"Tony's trying to trick us!"
The room was met with silence as the four other magical boys awkwardly looked at each other. Mathias's lips quivered and his face turned red before he released a hearty laugh. Alfred snorted and shook his head with a close-lipped smile. Confused, Feliciano only looked at Mathias and Alfred. Other than Kiku, the only other boy who was not laughing was Ludwig. Though, Ludwig always remained stoic since Alfred and Mathias (forcibly) recruited him for their magical boy squad.
Alfred forced a cough, having caught Kiku's retained distressed expression. "Why do you think Tony would do that?"
Mathias wiped the small tears from the corner of his eyes as he stopped laughing. "Yeah, what would he get out of it?"
Kiku only gawked blankly at Alfred and Mathias.
"I don't think Tony is bad." Feliciano spoke up with a small smile. "He granted us wishes. And now we get to protect and save people!"
"Feli's right!" Alfred clamored in.
"Vell, I zink Kiku has a point." Ludwig spoke up.
"What?" Alfred and Mathias looked at Ludwig with a shocked expression. Feliciano flinched and looked down, not wanting to show his disagreement.
"Oh, c'mon, dude!" Alfred gave Ludwig a dirty look. "Just because something bad happened after you made your wish doesn't mean that Tony's contracts are bad and all that."
"My parents are dead because of it!"
"I get that and that sucks, but why do you still gotta be so tight and selfish?" Alfred scorned. "If I didn't ask you to join our squad, you would still be stuck in your neighborhood farming for witches and letting people die because of it."
"You von't understand because you veren't screwed over by zis shit system!"
"Oh, shut up man!"
Mathias shook his head and sighed. "Heeeere they go again…"
Feliciano sat on the coach and covered his ears. While Alfred and Ludwig continued to bicker, Kiku sat down next to Feliciano and twiddled his fingers.
At least there were three other magical boys available to fight the Walpurgisnacht with him and Alfred now.
"Fel…Feli…"
Water bubbled underneath the pier's planks as Alfred collapsed onto his knees. Kiku set a hand on the blond's back. Still shaking, Alfred picked up the Grief Seed, a black and silver ornament that was once his best friend's Soul Gem.
"Why…?" he could only ask.
"THUMP!" The two boys' heads whipped behind them. Ludwig fell onto his back. His empty, cloudy eyes gazed at the two as his longsword slipped out of his lifeless grip.
Ludwig's shattered Soul Gem rolled towards Alfred and Kiku.
"Ludwig!" Kiku gasped.
Shakily clutching his pole arm, Mathias approached Alfred and Kiku, his eyes as large as saucers. Moonlight shone on his forehead and the blade pointed at the two.
"S-Shit! Soul Gems give birth to witches! We're screwed!"
"Mathias! Snap out of it!" Alfred called to him.
"We can't be alive! We have no choice but to die!" Mathias continued to blabber hysterically. "All three of us!"
"No! Stop!" Kiku screamed.
Mathias rushed forward.
"BANG!"
The red brooch—Mathias's Soul Gem—on his cape shattered. Mathias's large eyes dulled as his panicked look fell into a droopy expression. His body crumpled onto the pier.
"…God dammit…" Alfred whimpered as his trembling hands set his pistol back into its holder. "…God fucking dammit!" He yelled at the sky.
"…I didn't sign up for this shit…" Alfred choked out between sobs. "…I didn't want anyone to die…I don't want to do this anymore…"
Kiku's heart stung at Alfred's words. Mustering his bravest smile, Kiku ran a comforting hand down Alfred's hair.
"You still have me." Kiku said, his smile broadening when Alfred looked up with teary eyes. With his sleeve, he wiped Alfred's stinging pink cheeks dry. "We can do it. We can defeat the Walpurgisnacht by ourselves!"
Sniffing, Alfred returned a weary smile at Kiku.
"The coast is clear!"
Alfred and Kiku stepped out of the warm, tranquil building into the violent, freezing wind. Stormy clouds loomed above them.
Alfred's unzipped bomber jacket flapped wildly as he looked at his glowing Soul Gem. "The Walpurgisnacht should be in that direction!"
Before the two boys could leave, the door behind them opened.
"Where are you going?" A stern English-accented voice asked over the rustling trees.
"Shit." Alfred said under his breath as a middle-aged man with bushy brows approached. "Dad—" he started.
Arthur crossed his arms. "Don't 'Dad' me! Your papa, brother, and I have been looking all over for you! Don't you know how awfully worried we are?!"
"Yeah, Dad." Alfred scoffed sarcastically. "I'm not stupid."
"Apparently, still stupid enough to want to go out during a hurricane. Where are you two going?"
"Can't tell."
Two strong hands seized Alfred by his left arm and jerked him backwards.
"What the hell!" Alfred's sneakers scraped against the concrete ground as Arthur tried to pull him back into the building.
"Was Dad always this strong?!"
"I'm not allowing you to leave!" Arthur said through gnashing, gritting teeth. "Regardless of your reason, you're going back in the shelter whether you like it or not!"
"Stop treating me like a fucking child!" Alfred struggled against Arthur's tightening hold. "I'm not a kid anymore! I can take care of myself!"
"Well, stop acting like one, you damn git! You're being reckless!"
"Let go!"
"No! I'm not allowing my son to waltz into danger! Listen to your father! Don't you know how to respect your parents?!"
With a loud grunt, Alfred pushed Arthur.
Kiku covered his mouth with his hands as Arthur fell onto the ground. His horrified eyes widened as Alfred stomped over his father.
Alfred towered over Arthur. "How the hell am I supposed to know? My parents dumped me and Mattie after we were born! I never met them!"
Arthur's glower crumbled. His brows scrunched. Hurt flashed through his wide green eyes. His lips thinned with his tightening, contorting face.
Alfred's heart throbbed in his chest. His glare lightened as his lips clasped shut too late. Although his arms slowly fell and rested on his sides, his fists still pulsed.
"…I see…" Arthur's breaths shook as he got into a kneeling position. "…Fine by me… You may go…"
Swallowing a choke, Arthur gave Alfred a shaky smile before hanging his head down. He did not make the effort to brush away the bangs that fell over his eyes. As his shoulders shook, tears fell onto the ground in dark splattered splotches.
"Dad…" Alfred started, earning a shaking head.
"…You are right. You're an adult now… Go on now…Just go…"
Kiku nudged Alfred. "Alfred, we have to go."
With a nod, Alfred followed Kiku. The kneeling green and yellow figure was soon swallowed by the shadowy grey environment.
"It should arrive here any moment." Kiku said to Alfred.
Although the building he and Kiku sat against shielded him from the cold gust, Alfred held his bomber jacket closely to his body. He gazed at the direction of the shelter.
"Don't worry. Once when we beat the Walpurgisnacht, think of how happy your dad will be when you come back!" Kiku's reassurance barely lifted the corners of Alfred's mouth.
"…Yeah, sure dude…" Alfred softly replied, peering down at his shoes. He looked like a lost child.
"…Do you want to return to the shelter? To see your dad again?" Kiku suggested.
Alfred looked at his luminous Soul Gem ring and his jacket's zipper. He clutched his jacket before standing up.
"Sure. Let's go back, Kiku."
Leaving the comforts behind the building, the two boys entered the street. Before they took a step, their heads whisked around at the Walpurgisnacht's laugh coming behind them.
"…So…This is it…"
"Mmmm…"
Surrounded by the wreckage, Alfred and Kiku looked up at the rainy sky. Their scratched and bruised bodies were numb to the coldness soaking into their clothes. Both of the Soul Gem, each clutched lightly in their hands, were black.
Two witches would take the Walpurgisnacht's place.
"Alfred?"
"Yeah, dude?"
"When we become witches, do you want to destroy this world together?"
Alfred said nothing.
Kiku continued, "There would be nothing left. But there would also be no more evil, sadness, and pain. No one would have to suffer anymore. Would that be saving the world?"
A glass ting rang over the sound of rain plopping into the puddles. Strength lightened Kiku's limbs. The burning sores disappeared.
"Huh?"
The Grief Seed held in Alfred's fingers absorbed the shadows from Kiku's Soul Gem.
"Alfred!" Kiku exclaimed in alarm as he sat up. "You had one?!"
"…Yep." Alfred weakly chuckled.
"Why didn't you use it for yourself?!"
"Because you have to be the hero, dude."
"Be a hero?! What are you talking about? You're a hero too!"
"Oh, Kiku… You think I'm a hero…"
Kiku's body clenched defensively, not because Alfred's scorn was directed at him though.
"Heroes don't jump into things without thinking twice. Heroes also don't get into fights with their dads and push them in front of their friends… I'm no hero… A-Aah!"
A deep crack jagged across Alfred's Soul Gem.
Alfred clutched his chest. Hot tears shone in his blue eyes.
"Kiku… your time manipulation powers… You can go back in time… r-r-right?"
"…Yes."
"G-Good… Be my hero and save me from Tony. D-Don't let Tony trick me into becoming a magical boy."
Kiku grasped Alfred's hand. "Yes, I will! I'll save you! Even though I have to go back over and over again! I'll do anything to protect you because I love you!"
Kiku's mouth snapped shut. The rain did not stop the warmth rushing up to his cheeks.
Alfred let out a short laugh. "Oh, dude! I love you too! I've been wanting to tell that to you—ACK!"
The white smile turned into a twisted pained look. More cracks appeared on Alfred's Soul Gem.
"…Can you also do one more last thing?"
Kiku nodded as tears welled in his eyes.
"I don't want to become the villain… Shitty things happen in this world, but there's also things that are worth saving. My family… my friends… this city… I don't want to destroy these. Can you…?"
Swallowing, Kiku nodded as tears rolled down his face. His shaking hands unsheathed his katana. Alfred did not flinch at the razor-sharp blade.
Kiku's anguished shriek and shattering glass broke through the trickling raindrops.
Current Timeline
"…I know, I know. You can laugh at me…It doesn't make sense." Kiku's voice shook. His nails dug into Alfred's jacket. "You just met me. You don't know anything about me. But I know you. I already know you very well."
Alfred's mouth hung open. His stunned blue eyes looked down at the smaller boy snuggling the side of his head into his shoulder.
"I've met you over and over again." Kiku swallowed dryly. Warm tears blurred his vision. "And I know that you're a kind and brave person. The kindest and bravest person I've ever met. A loving family and loving friends… You don't deserve to have these taken from you. I keep on repeating this month, thinking that something would finally change your fate. But nothing ever works. The only thing that changed is my feelings towards you."
"I'm numb to everything. All the violence and pain, I can endure these. But how much longer can I watch the person I care most about suffer again and again?"
Alfred's hand ran down Kiku's quivering back.
Tears fell off Kiku's face and rolled down Alfred's jacket. "I don't know what to do now. The only thing I have is my wish, the wish to save you. I don't care if you understand me or not. But please let me protect you."
Author's Notes:
This is probably the longest chapter for this story, or at least one of them. A question I got while watching Madoka Magica was how Madoka managed to go out and do her magical girl duties without having it ruin her relationship with her family, especially when she leaves to fight the Walpurgisnacht. Hence, this question led to the parts when Alfred runs off from his family.
There are four chapters left in this story, so bear with the lazy uploads! The chapters onwards will have spoilers up to episode 12.