Kayneth woke up- or rather, he did not wake up. He was still dreaming, but he was somewhere different, not the mind-numbing emptiness sleep usually brought.

'Finally,' he thought. 'I get to see the origin of my servant.' As he looked around, he noticed a gawdy building behind him. Decorated with skulls and spikes (not to mention being perfectly symmetrical) it was easily the ugliest thing Kayneth had ever seen.

This was Lancer's school, Shibusen, or the DWMA. Death Weapons Meister Academy. The goal of every student was to create a death scythe, one of Death's chosen weapons, and Lancer- Ox- was no exception.

Kayneth first saw Lancer as a dedicated student, trying to score at the top for the Ultimate Written Exam. His main contestant was the student Maka Albarn, a scythe meister who was just as smart as Ox. Ox studied hard, and when the day of the test came, he was ready and fired up.

When the test results came out, Ox had suffered a narrow defeat, with Maka getting a 100 and Ox getting a 99. Kayneth almost felt sorry for the servant, but quickly remembered that he was a tool, and nothing more.

Later, the kid Hiro pulled out the Holy Sword Excalibur from its stone and beat up Ox, along with some other kids- Black Star and Kilik. It really was fortunate that Hiro had to return the sword.

When Ox searched for the sword to write a report on him, he was forced to be regaled with the sword's many adventures. But when Excalibur offered to be Ox's weapon, Ox said he already had one, and he was looking forward to seeing him again.

'Oh, please,' thought Kayneth. 'Your feelings for your weapon are obvious.' Either way, his comment didn't matter much, considering how Ox pined for the pink haired witch, Kim. 'Your attempts at distracting yourself from true love are pitiful.' Plus, Kim and Jacqueline were also close! How could the idiot-

Kayneth realized he was dangerously close to thinking of Ox as anything other than a tool. He scowled and continued to watch.

During the DWMA's dance, the evil witch Medusa attacked in a desperate attempt to revive the original kishin, Asura. Ox and Harvar were stuck in werewolf Free's Independent Cube. Isolated, the two were forced to wait and pray star students Death the Kid, Liz, Patty, Maka, Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki succeeded.

Though the students failed to prevent the rising of kishin Asura, Maka managed to free the swordsman Crona from his madness. Ox was wary of him but tried to make the boy feel welcome.

While Arachnophobia and Asura rose, the pair had to work harder than ever to collect souls. However, it wasn't all battling evil. In the classroom, professor Stein (like Frankenstein, huh?) volunteered Maka, Soul, Ox, Harvar, and Black Star to try and attack him by working together. When the team failed, Stein reproached them, reminding them of the dark days ahead.

After Lord Death found out about the location of Brew, Ox, Harvar, Kilik, Fire, Thunder, Jackie, Kim, Maka, Soul, Kid, Liz, Patty, Black Star, and Tsubaki were sent to get it while the DWMA would distract Arachnophobia. After Marie and Stein were lost within, Maka, Soul, Kid, Black Star, Liz, Patty, and Tsubaki went in after them and ended up in a battle with Arachne's henchman, Mosquito. Though they failed to gain Brew, they did rescue Marie and Stein. In the end, Kilik and Ox, who, along with Kim, had been holding back Arachnophobia's forces, had to enter the magnetic field in an attempt to save their friends from being torn apart by the magnetic field.

Back at the DWMA, all who had been on the Brew mission were feeling melancholy, as they had failed rather badly. A change of pace was created, however, when Medusa surrendered to the DWMA, but not before revealing Kim's closely guarded secret of being a takuni witch. Though she joined Arachne soon after, Ox vowed to save his crush.

'Look at your weapon, you idiot,' thought Kayneth, before realizing he had stopped treating his servant as a tool again. Sighing noisily, Kayneth closely watched the rest of Ox's adventures.

The DWMA prepared to storm Baba Yaga castle, in which Arachnophobia was, and Ox, along with Harvar, were part of the mission. Once there, Ox worked to awaken Kim from the spell she was under, though at first, she didn't listen. However, eventually, she came around. Unfortunately, Jackie wouldn't listen to reason, and Harvar was forced to harm her in order to protect his clueless meister.

The last thing Kayneth saw of Ox was him fighting on the moon, where the kishin was. As the meister watched Maka and Soul enter the kishin, something odd happened.

Two pathways appeared before Kayneth. One was littered with black feathers, and the other with music notes. Kayneth felt drawn to the black feather path but forced himself to go down the musical path.

Here, Soul and Maka destroyed the kishin, and Soul was the last death scythe since witches no longer were feuding with the DWMA.

Then, Kayneth was sucked into another ending.

Maka and Soul died, and Ox was killed by Kim.

This... this was wrong.

Wrong.

Wrong.

What was this?

'Kayneth,' said a voice. 'The end of this story... Ox died. They all died.' Kayneth shuddered but stayed still.

'Lancer died,' he softly replied. 'I should... wake up.'

'Yes,' said the voice. 'Goodbye.' That tone of voice was almost condescending, and Kayneth hated it.

'Ox died,' he thought. 'Yes...'

But somewhere, in some dark corner of his mind, Kayneth knew.

He knew that Ox never died.

He knew Ox still had a life before him.

Kayneth actually woke up and breathed a sigh of relief at knowing more of his servant's life. So Ox was a meister at some school? Fine. That was great, actually. Ox wasn't the type to betray others. Kayneth was in the clear.

Lancer had recovered from Assassin and Berserker's attacks. Kayneth sluggishly dragged himself from the bed and composed himself. There was a clatter of pots and pans, and Kayneth entered the kitchen.

"Um- Don't look!" exclaimed Lancer. Kayneth ignored the servant and saw Sola-Ui with Harvar as they attempted to cook. Attempted being the keyword.

"Hello, Kayneth," said the red-haired woman courteously. "I planned to make you breakfast, and Lancer and Lance helped." She gestured to the scorched toast on a plate. "As you see, this did not end up well." Kayneth sighed but picked up another piece of bread.

"Would you like help?" he asked. Sola-Ui looked surprised for a moment, but quickly composed herself.

"O-of course!" she exclaimed. Kayneth put the bread in the toaster and started working on eggs.

Maybe his servant had influenced him, too.

Of course, the mess on Sola-Ui and Kayneth's plates proved that nobody there really was a good cook.

Kariya appeared in a normal school, next to Berserker in her Sumi Washio form. Next to her was a sleeping blonde girl, who Sumi looked on at with disdain. This was Sonoko Nogi. After Sonoko woke up, brown-haired girl Gin Minowa entered the classroom late, in addition to forgetting all of her books and supplies.

Soon after, the three girls squared off against their first vertex, Aquarius. Despite how powerful each girl was, they barely made it out alive. Kariya felt a twinge of sorrow at not being able to fully support Sumi.

Unfortunately, this vertex was only the first of many to come. Sumi worked up the courage to ask Sonoko and Gin to be her friends, and the two gladly accepted.

These normal school days… Kariya wanted to make this a possibility for Sakura.

Their trainer/teacher Aki told Sonoko, Sumi, and Gin that they would have to work harder, and sent them to a training camp. Gin, Sonoko, and Sumi worked hard, but couldn't work well together. When they attempted to combine their powers to get Gin to a bus safely, they constantly let her get hit by the balls, standing in for vertexes. Sumi tried to shoot down as many as she could, but often missed one which hit Gin. Sonoko was also declared leader, much to Sumi's annoyance. Sonoko seemed to be irresponsible and foolish, while Sumi was obviously the responsible one. She quickly inferred that she was supposed to really lead, while Sonoko was officially leader due to the famous Nogi name.

Eventually, the training camp ended when the trio succeeded, and they went back home. After Sonoko and Sumi spied on Gin, learning how helpful she was to all, and how that always made her late, the three joined up to eat udon. However, their peaceful lunch was disturbed by a vertex. Using their new cooperation skills, the three united to defeat the creature, but in the end, Sumi lamented at how she barely helped defeat the vertex and lamented how she had underestimated Sonoko, the one who strategized during the battle and realized what to do. Sonoko and Gin were supportive and helped Sumi realize it was okay to rely on others every now and then.

Kariya wondered if Sakura would ever be able to feel like that. Would she have friends with whom to play with? Somebody to make a vow with when she felt down?
Deep down, Kariya knew in order to protect her happiness, he must do this. Life with the Matos would provide only sadness and none of the joy his servant felt in this moment. He would do anything to protect those smiles.

Due to their hard work, Aki gave Sumi, Sonoko, and Gin a break. They wouldn't have to go to school or battle, something all the girls enjoyed very much. Kariya enjoyed their various antics and even laughed sometimes. There was the time where they dressed up and Sumi was dissatisfied with how un-patriotic she was acting, as she had gone so far as to admit a Western dress was beautiful. Then there were Sonoko's weird dreams, the first of which starred idol!Sumi and idol!Gin who performed before an adoring crowd of Sancho dolls. Then, there was her second dream, where Sumi revealed herself to be Kokobou Kamen, a defender of patriotism, and Gin drummed and yelled "ROCK!" This dream, in fact, inspired them for the school orientation, during which Sumi and Sonoko dressed up as Kokobou Kamen and sang a patriotic song, which got the kids a bit too riled up, causing Aki to scold Gin, Sonoko, and Sumi.

Once again, Kariya found himself thinking about Sakura. Would she be able to go to school orientation? Would she be able to go to school?

Never mind that. Sonoko had another dream where Aki told them they couldn't eat udon for a week Honestly, Kariya never found any appeal in udon, but different people have different tastes.

Afterward, Sonoko received a love letter, Sumi received a note advising her to be less strict, Sumi wrote a patriotic novel about Japan inspired by Sonoko's writing success, and the break was over.

Soon, there was a field trip, and Sonoko and Sumi advised Gim not to push herself to her utmost, and Gin promised to teach the others how to make yakisoba. While going back home, a vertex appeared, forcing them to fight, though Gin expressed annoyance and said she would have to do this quickly, as her little brothers at home eagerly awaited souvenirs from her.

In a twist of fate, the vertex quickly took out Sumi and Sonoko, leaving only Gin left. Faced with three vertexes, Gin walked off with a "see ya" to her friends, and displayed her fighting spirit. No matter how injured she was, no matter how many times her body was attacked, she continued and claimed the vertexes would never amount to humans, claiming it was their fighting spirit.

Sumi and Sonoko recovered after the last vertex was killed, and went to congratulate their friend. Seeing the back of Gin, they rushed up, only to soon realize she was dead and would never speak again. Sonoko and Sumi reminded her of Gin's promise to teach them to cook, of the souvenirs which she planned to give to her brother, but Gim just stood before them, so close yet out of reach.

During Gin's funeral, Sumi and Sonoko were the last to say goodbye, giving her flowers to remember their dear friend by. Time stopped and Sumi defeated the vertex in a matter of minutes, taking out her rage on the creature. Aki found them and gave them a day off, which Sumi and Sonoko used to grow closer together.

At the same time, there was an unknown upgrade to the Hero system, giving Sumi and Sonoko access to fairies. When sent into battle against more vertexes, they eagerly test out the powers, going into Mankai form almost immediately.

Kariya frowned. He remembered Sumi's mankai form and her battle with that girl, but what came next? In the real world, was he dying?

After killing the first vertex, the girls found that Sumi's legs had gone numb and Sonoko couldn't see out of her left eye. Unable to walk, Sumi still fought (or could she be called Togo at this point?) Once again, Sumi and Sonoko were forced into mankai, and when the Leo vertex's attack forced Sonoko out of mankai and she couldn't move her arm, she began to understand that there was a catch.

After blocking an attack from the Leo vertex, Sumi asked Sonoko to take care of the last one before falling out of mankai form. Sonoko once again entered mankai form and revealed the vertex's soul, she ended up on the vertex's side of the Great Bridge. There, she learned that the vertexes constantly regenerate, and finds that her heart has stopped beating. She quickly returned to warn Sumi, who had forgotten all about Sonoko. Sonoko tied her ribbon around Sumi's wrist, telling her she would be back soon, and entered mankai several times in order to protect the girl, facing 21 vertexes.

Later, Sumi woke up with a new name, Mimori Togo, in a hospital bed, and with Sonoko's ribbon around her wrist. With no memory, a girl named Yuki Yuna quickly befriended Togo, and the two became very close, especially after they joined the Hero Club. Soon, it was revealed that the Hero Club was just a cover for a recruitment center for Heroes, like what Sumi had been, and they were forced to fight another vertex. Out of fear and post-traumatic stress, Togo did not transform, but when the second vertex came, she did in order to protect Yuna. A month later, this was the normal routine, and they faced off against their fifth vertex, only to encounter Hero Miyoshi Karin, who single-handedly defeats it. Though she joined the Hero Club and the school, Karin was wary of being friends, but a surprise party for her birthday brought her closer to Togo and all of the others.

Later, Inobouzaki Itsuki got nervous for her singing recital, only to discover a helpful note from her friends. She wracked up the courage to do her best while Fu contemplated the worst scenario. Then, the vertexes attacked.

Facing five vertexes, the Hero Club was in danger when four evolved to become a super powerful vertex. Though all the Heroes were defeated, Fu went into mankai form, followed by Togo, to destroy a vertex. Next, Itsuki went mankai to defeat one getting dangerously close to the Shinju. Finally, Fu told the others to seal the combined vertex's soul, allowing Yuna, now in mankai, to fly up with Togo in order to destroy it. After doing so, Togo used the last of her power to create a flower shield to protect them until they re-entered Earth's atmosphere.

'Those poor fools,' thought Kariya. None of them, except Togo, kind of, knew about the after-effects of mankai, though he supposed they would soon learn. 'Poor, poor fools.'

Togo soon learned that she could not hear in one ear, Yuna could not taste anything, Fu had lost vision in one eye, and Itsuki could not talk. Karin beat herself up about not having lost anything, but Yuna comforted her, and a touched Karin chose to stay in Sanshu Middle School until graduation.

The Taisha gave the Hero Club a break after all their hard work, paying for an expensive trip to the beach, during which Togo wondered why she had her ribbon and who gave it to her, and worried that their battles are far from over.

Back in the club room, Fu received a package containing their old cell phones and a message that their battles are not over. At that very instant, a vertex attacked, and before anybody could do anything, Yuna used her new powers to defeat it despite how many souls the vertex had. The Jukai disappeared, but Togo and Yuna found themselves standing at the edge of Sonoko's hospital bed. The blonde girl told them the effects of mankai never go away, shocking the two girls. Togo is also saddened as she felt she knew Sonoko, but cannot remember her. Yuna promised Togo she would sort this all out as they left the former Hero.

Yuna and Togo told Fu the truth, but despite hearing how Itsuki has been suffering in school due to her missing voice, Fu remained in denial. However, when Togo proved Sonoko right be revealing the fairies stop them from dying, Fu became distressed and realized her little sister will never be able to live her dream of being an idol. She prepared to storm the Taisha headquarters but was stopped by Yuna, Karin, and Itsuki, the first two girls telling her they truly have no regrets joining the Hero Club.

Meanwhile, Togo realized everything in her life was arranged, from her standard of living to being situated near Yuna, a normal girl with a high potential to be a Hero. Distraught, she headed to Sonoko to find out the true nature of the world. The girl revealed the truth of the world outside, and Togo saw the world for the hell it was, where smaller vertexes form larger ones, meaning their battle will never be over.

Not wanting her friends to suffer as Sonoko did, Togo destroyed part of the barrier, allowing the vertexes to enter the world. Learning Togo was the cause of the outbreak, Yuna and Karin chased after her, and also saw the truth. Before they could get Togo to listen to reason, the vertex forced the two girls to retreat. Because she lost the will to go on, Yuna was unable to transform, leaving Karin forced to go mankai multiple times in order to defeat the vertexes surrounding them.

Meanwhile, Fu and Itsuki were fighting a distraught Togo, who was set on destroying their world in order to protect her friends from further suffering. After they failed to stop her, Togo led the vertex toward the Shinju, planning for them to destroy the god. However, Yuna stood in her way, determined to save everyone and be a hero.

Eventually, Yuna convinced Togo to stop her rampage, and that they would always be together. Despite her doubts, Togo decided that as long as she lived in a world with Yuna, they could survive anything. All five girls teamed up to vanquish the final vertex, which was about to destroy the Shinju. Then-

Kariya, like Kayneth, found himself at a crossroads. He took the path lined with flower petals and saw the end of Sumi/Togo's adventure.

Yuna went into mankai a final time, destroying the vertex but rendering her comatose. Every day, a guilty Togo visited her, and all the girls began to recover from her afflictions, and because of that, Togo didn't give up hope. One day, the two girls were outside, and Yuna was called back by the sound of Togo crying. They were able to be together at last.

'That's wrong.' Kariya was drawn along the path against his will and came face to face with a beautiful black haired girl. Her violet eyes stared straight into his, and she seemed fearless. 'The truth…' Her voice echoed within Kariya's head, disorienting him, and all he could do was stare forward. 'Mimori Togo died alongside her friends while trying to destroy the vertex. All she wants to do is meet Yuna again.'

'Died…' repeated Kariya, his mind suddenly fuzzy and believing the girl completely. "My servant died.'

'Yes,' said the girl impatiently. 'Now wake up, there you go. Goodbye, Kariya Mato.'

'Goodbye,' the man replied, but he was no longer in the shadowy realm and the welcoming darkness was fading by the second.

Kariya bolted up from his slumber, sighing in relief when he saw Berserker's form next to him. The servant was bloody and bruised, but alive.

'Wait,' he suddenly thought, a wave of dread washing over him. He felt his body tense up, and he began to notice the sticky red substance around his left torso. A sharp pain invaded his senses, and Kariya's eyes were sharply drawn to his left arm.

Or rather, the empty space where Kariya's left arm should be.

"Ah," he said, because somehow he just couldn't amass enough energy to truly be horrified. "I should…" he trailed off, unsure of what to do. Slowly, he ripped off a strip of fabric from his already ragged hoodie and tied it around the wound. Berserker. Berserker would know what to do.

"Berserker," he called out, but the servant was motionless, her body seemingly lifeless. Kariya looked down at his right hand. "By the power of a command seal, I order thee to wake up and survive!" The servant's eyes snapped open, and she stood up by the spell's power.

"Kariya," she breathed. "Oh no." She picked up the man easily, despite him being much larger than her. "Where should I… where can I… we need…Kirei." Her eyes widened as she noticed the priest walking towards them. "We need… please don't… help…" She nearly fell as she took a step away, her body still weak after the attack, though she was slowly healing. She was obviously panicking, and Kirei sighed.

"I have no intention of harming your master," he retorted and stepped before the distraught servant. "I believe Mato has seen your past?"

"Yes," responded Kariya weakly, having no reason to resist.

"Good," said a voice. Assassin materialized beside Kirei. "You know, I was the one who told Emika to attack you, Berserker."

"You?" cried out the servant, readying her bow. "I-"

"If Mato has seen the Devil in his dream, I have no reason to kill you," stated Assassin calmly. "Before, you were an unstable variable. Now, we can team up." Kirei didn't seem to disagree and took Kariya from Berserker's suddenly limp arms. "Assassin will explain."

"Yes, I owe you that, at least." Assassin suddenly smiled. "Berserker. You died alongside Yuki Yuna, correct?"

"Yes…" responded Berserker unsurely.

"Wrong. That is a false image, one created by your contractor, Homura Akemi. You see…" Assassin took out her soul gem. "Do you truly want to know?" Berserker nodded, her eyes sure and confident. "Good. In my world, there were puella magi."

"Latin for a magical girl," murmured Berserker. "So?"

"There was a girl named Madoka, and a girl named Homura. The girl named Homura wanted to protect Madoka, so she traveled back in time over and over again to try and save her friend."

"Time traveling?" gasped Berserker. "That's-that's-"

"Yes," waved off Assassin. "Impossible, I know. Anyway, an alien named Kyubey contracted with girls to turn them into puella magi who fought witches in exchange for a single wish. And before you ask, I did contract, and no, I will not tell you my wish." Berserker closed her mouth. "Madoka's friends who contracted all died, until only Homura was left, and Walpurgis, the witch which always killed/forced Madoka to contract was coming. You see, all puella magi eventually turned into witches. Homura wanted to stop that. But in the end, she was just fighting fate." Assassin's fists tightened. "Every loop caused Madoka's potential to grow larger, at which point she had the potential to be a goddess. Homura began to lose hope, but Madoka wished to erase all witches. That's the end, right? Happily ever after." Berserker slowly nodded, agreeing. "But Kyubey- and Homura- had a plan. The incubators, the alien race which Kyubey belonged to, the Incubators, trapped Homura's soul gem within an isolation field, forcing Madoka to take a human form to save her."

"Oh," realized Berserker. "So, Madoka had no powers…"

"-but Homura found out the truth and planned to doom herself rather than let the Incubators enslave Madoka. However, Madoka's friends, Sayaka, Kyoko, Nagisa, and Mami, freed Homura and Madoka planned to take her up to Valhalla. Unfortunately for them, Homura stole Madoka's powers and became a Devil, all to save her friend."

"Oh," said Berserker, unsure of what else to do.

"Homura created a false world to keep Madoka in, but she began to run out of energy to power it. Then, she came across the Holy Grail." The sun dipped below the horizon, stretching out the two girl's shadows and causing the air to suddenly drop in temperature. "A huge source of energy. So, what should she do but use her remaining energy to summon heroes from different worlds, one who knew nothing about her or the Grail, to be her minions and fight for her?"

"But Rider is from this world, right?" asked Berserker, her face swathed in shadows.

"Yes," replied Assassin softly. "Homura… miscalculated. The original, planned Rider refused to be a part of her games and Homura couldn't stop him from being summoned. So she plans to kill him."

"Well," continued Berserker, "shouldn't we try to, you know, stop Homura? Maybe Rider could… I don't know." Assassin nodded.

"I have a plan," she explained, "but I'll need your cooperation. Are you in?"

"Definitely," said Berserker. "Okay, so what should we do?"

"Hello, fellow servants." A tall, cloaked man appeared behind them, his face covered with a black mask. "Do you know where I can find Rider?"

"Eh?"

"Who are you?" asked Assassin, readying her dagger, and transforming it into a spatha. Berserker, too, raised her gun and trained it on the servant.

"Fake Rider," answered the man. "Known as Lord of the Dawn, I am Bertrand, white whistle. You are Assassin, Riz Hawkwood, puella magi, and you, Berserker, Sumi Washio, Hero." Bertrand's mask remained the same. "So, servants, data on you will be most useful." A ray of light appeared in his mask. "So if you will not tell me Rider's location, I will be forced to collect data." A ray of light appeared from the mask, and Assassin barely dodged.

"Berserker!" called out Kariya from a distance. "If Assassin's story rings true-"

"The world of the abyss," stated the brunette. "Produced a very powerful servant." She dodged again. "Let us join arms for the first time, Berserker."

"Yes," said the servant of madness. "Let's go."

Omake

Kemika and Hotaru glared at each other, and Kemika felt a gun materialize in her hand. Not questioning it, she pointed the weapon at the other girl.

"Don't move," she warned. Hotaru pointed to the hook in her ear and the coin in her hand. "I know they don't work. Now go away." She raised the gun warningly, and her finger squeezed the trigger gently.

"I lied." Hotaru's eyes began to glow, and a diamond symbol appeared in them. "Kemika, do you remember me?" Kemika stiffened, and she accidentally shot a bullet into the wall beside Hotaru, the girl having barely dodged. "I'm your sister, and you have to come back." Kemika amassed her willpower and shot at her sister again. This time, Hotaru was only able to move enough so the bullet hit the side of her ear instead of her eye.

"I'm fine like this." Kemika aimed, and Hotaru only managed to create a shield with her coin in time for the bullet to reflect from it. But she was obviously getting tired, and the diamond symbol on her wrist was a quarter depleted.

"You know, you're just using up your lifespan." Kemika let another three bullets ricochet from the shield. "You could still leave." Hotaru next created a spear, and she slowly advanced.

"No!" shrieked the girl, and Kemika winced before letting more bullets fly, hoping to find a chink in Hotaru's defense. "I don't care if I'm using up my time; all of it is worthless without you!" Kemika's eyes widened, and for a moment, she stopped shooting. Was this a truth she wished for? Did she believe in Hotaru's hope for a true life?

Hotaru collapsed on the ground, convulsing as blood dropped onto the ground, an unfortunate side-effect of Caster's magic.

Kemika allowed herself to let go for a moment and imagined the life Hotaru saw. She wanted it badly. But at the same time, a voice told her this was impossible.

There was another future out there, one Hotaru was unknowingly aiming for. Kemika wouldn't exist there. Hotaru wouldn't even remember her dear sister who never existed. Perhaps… perhaps Kemika's goal was better.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, hugging her sister for the last time. This way, Hotaru and Kemika would both die. That was better than what Hotaru wanted, where she died and Kemika was sealed away in the body of Homura. She savored Hotaru's warmth, the feeling of another human. She folded Hotaru's fingers around the gun, so she held it in a loose grip. "I'm so, so sorry." Hotaru's eyes widened now, and as Kemika walked away, she feverishly called out.

"Kemika!" The brunette girl refused to turn around. "I- I'll shoot if you don't come back!"

"Okay." Kemika's clothes changed into those of Homura and Emika. "If you want." Riveluts of tears rolled down Hotaru's cheeks, and the brown-haired girl cursed herself for being so weak.

"I came to find you," she pleaded. "Please, Kemika." The black-haired's girl's hands tightened into fists.

"Shoot." Hotaru's finger was the one which tightened now. "Just know…" Kemika turned around to see her sister one last time, her face set in a snarl. "From now on, we are enemies!" Hotaru, taken-aback, stumbled backward, dropping the gun on the ground beside her. The stainless steel was covered with red now, and Hotaru managed to meet her sister's gaze fiercely.

"I'll be waiting for you when you come back," she said, and Kemika chuckled harshly as she left.

"I sincerely hope not," she muttered.

Back in the alley, Hotaru gasped as she stretched out a hand for the gun she dropped. Her fingers closed around the satisfyingly cold object, and she crawled to her feet. Slowly, ever slowly, she made her way back to Rider. Every step was painful, and her blood dripped down to the ground, meaning anybody could track her, but she didn't care. She needed to survive. She needed to survive-

"I need to be waiting for her," she murmured. "Kemika… I will be waiting for you."

End of Hotura Ai Omake Arch.

Beginning of Alternate Servant Arch.

"I'll keep wishing for a world where you can be happy."

Now, here is the skill sheet for Assassin!

Servant: Assassin

Master: Kotomine Kirei

Identity: Riz Hawkwood

Series: Puella Magi Tart/Madoka Magica

Sex: Female

Strength: A

Endurance: A+

Agility: A

Mana: A

Luck: B

Noble Phantasm: A++

Class Skills:

Presence Concealment- The capacity to hide one's presence as a servant.

B: Riz can fade from sight when concealing her presence, moving like a shadow and becoming extremely difficult to spot even when actively searched for. Servants will only be able to detect her at a third of the normal range.

Runic Script- A class skill unique to puella magi.

N/A: When Assassin's status is viewed through a Master's clairvoyance, all information is rendered in the runic script of the Incubators. Clairvoyance functions as normal otherwise, but unless the Master decodes the language the information shown in the clairvoyant visions will be useless to him.

Personal Skills:

Kunai- The power to transform weapons into another form.

A+: The four knife-like kunai daggers which hang from Riz's belt can be transformed into any weapon, with no limits. This skill allows for dexterity in battle, as she can transform them according to tactical advantage.

Shadow Manipulation- The ability to manipulate and/or travel through shadows.

A++++: Riz can control shadows nearby, travel through them, stay within a shadow, or bring somebody inside a shadow as well and stay and/or travel through it with them. However, she can only do this with human-sized shadows.

Military Tactics- Tactical knowledge used when many forces are deployed.

A: Riz has shown to be capable of being lucid while in battle, and is very good at strategizing.

Noble Phantasm(s):

Soul Gem: A: The crystallization of Servant's soul and proof of her contract as a Puella Magi. The Servant cannot die as long as her Soul Gem remains intact, and the Soul Gem is even capable of completely regenerating her Material Body should it be destroyed. Conversely, the Servant will die immediately if the Soul Gem is destroyed regardless of any injuries to her Material Body, and her Material Body cannot be operated unless it is within 100 meters of the Soul Gem. Use of magic, loss of sanity, and negative emotions taint the Soul Gem, and the Master must supply prana through the contract with the Servant to cleanse and replenish the Soul Gem. The Servant increasingly suffers from irrationality and negative emotions as the Soul Gem becomes more tainted, creating a dangerous feedback loop. Should the Soul Gem become thoroughly corrupted and blacken, the Soul Gem will shatter and the Servant will disappear.

Gates of Hell: A+++++: Riz's ultimate attack. She is able to open the gates of hell and drag another through it. The only way to make sure they stay inside, though, is to trap herself within as well, thus killing both parties. However, her soul gem will remain outside so only her physical body will be destroyed, though the only way to still do anything afterward is to utilize her third noble phantasm.

Blessing of the Spirit: A+: (Anti-unit): Only can be utilized after the Gates of Hell. Riz uses her soul gem to assist her allies and boost all of their powers, bringing each parameter (and skill/noble phantasm) up to EX. Afterward, she disappears from the world.