A/N: Oh my god, it's been over a month since my last update. Good thing I have my notes to keep track of where I am. I missed writing this.
The cars on the road drove past Mamoru as he and Tomura walked on the side of the road, heading their way back to the middle-school. The sky was clearer than ever and the town was bustling as always. A few people could be seen playing in the park, having lunch in the local diners, and jogging around the area as they sweat. It was felt as if last night's event did not happen at all, with everything staying the same as it did. Most of it, at least.
Tomura held onto Mamoru's hand as they went, trying his best not to trip or wobble with his new legs. Despite his troubles, the boy could be seen smiling and even laughing a bit. It would take days at best for Tomura to get used to walking back on both feet, or maybe weeks at most. Either way, he could walk again and that was what really mattered.
"Tezuka," Tomura spoke, "Can I... ask you something?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
Tomura seemed hesitant to ask, bringing Mamoru to a bench where the two sat down on to talk about private matters. Preparing to listen to whatever the young Fujimaki was about to say, Mamoru crossed his legs and watched as Tomura fidgeted uncomfortably, "Speak your mind," Mamoru prompted him, folding his hands on his lap, "I assume it's something important?"
He nodded, "I wanted to ask this for a while now, but, I didn't want to bring this up in front of the others, so-" he kicked the air, frowning as he continued, "Will we be preparing a funeral for Akemi?"
Some wind picked up Mamoru's green fringes, the 14 year-old boy lying back on his seat as he registered the question in his mind. Slowly, he answered with some honesty, "Of course. Miss Narita wouldn't have it any other way. It's the least of what we can do for her."
The thought of seeing Homura's name on a gravestone made Mamoru's hands shake for second, as he never believed that he would ever have to take part in the cremation of a loved one ever again. The last time he had to, it was the body of his mother, Elizabeth Pendelton, that he had to watch burn over the fire. He guessed the others would feel the same, too; They all have lost someone close to them in their life. It was one of the factors that brought them together and solidified their relations.
"The enemy will not wait for your tears to dry," Homura had said. His mother had advised him with something similar; a reminder on how the real world was like and how reality worked differently from fiction. Even if they were both now gone, their deaths had changed him for the better, and brought the group closer.
Mamoru stood up, extending a hand to Tomura as he was just as deep in thought as Mamoru was, "Come. You can ask more about this from Miss Narita. I'm sure she would answer your questions."
Smiling, Tomura took his hand and was helped back up to his feet. The two continued on their way back to Mamoru's school, and as they left, Mamoru held the Soul Gem on his chest for a short moment. He muttered a prayer to Homura, and for some strength he would need for the upcoming days. Looking around at the peaceful sights all around him, he swore he was going to protect this from both Warlocks and Witches. With the info from Homura's files and the new powers he has to lead, it was going to be a difficult task.
In the silent, damp locker room of the gymnasium, Hideki was alone as he readied for his test to get into the team. The match was about to start, and he just needed to get out there and win with his new strength. But, there was one problem he had lingering in his mind: Would he be able to hold back his anger against Takehito during the fight? He could possibly, if not easily, break him like how Takehito had done to him. Would he do such a thing with powers he had received in exchange for Homura's life?
Tightening the straps of his knee and elbow pads, Hideki noticed that he didn't have to tighten it as much as he did yesterday. He fastened the rest of his gear, rolled his shoulders, did a short warm-up and inserted his gum shield into his mouth. The moment he put on his P. E shirt, his Soul Gem vanished out of sight and formed into a ring on his left hand. An automatic function, he thought, to be less conspicuous.
He heard footsteps on the wet floor behind him and already knew who it was, speaking to the person without even looking, "What do you want, Takehito?" Hideki got up from the bench, turning around to face his long-time bully who was already in gear, too.
Takehito didn't have his jerk attitude at the moment, but rather, a confused and perplexed expression, "You never learned when to stay down, did you? It's either that, or you actually have what it takes to beat me. I can tell; that beating I gave you should have made you hold the crutch for a week."
Hideki ignored his words, as he didn't have the time to talk trash nor was he in the mood for it. Instead, he just walked pass him, quietly quipping, "If you got time to talk, then just get out there and let's make this quick. I'm not in mood for your crap."
Takehito raised a brow, following Hideki out of the locker room with folded arms. He was about to continue talking when they exited the locker rooms and saw that the training mat was already set in the middle of the gymnasium. Makoto was speculating with some of his underlings, eyeing their move towards the mat. The crowd was surprisingly quiet, as they whispered about what could happen or what was going to happen.
But among the crowd, some of the members of Makoto's club were silent, because they could somehow feel an actual threatening presence from Hideki. It wasn't like his attempt at joining two days ago, where he didn't have a face that showed restraint. The teen that was about to face their ace member had an expression of mourning and seriousness. Makoto saw this as a result of Homura's passing.
The pair took off their shoes and set their feet on the training mat which provided good, soft footing for both fighters. Hideki wrung his hands and Takehito flexed his arms to show-off to the girls in the audience. Both of them glaring at each other, they raised their fists to their chests and the announcers at the table held the bell. The loud sound of metal then echoed through the gymnasium, announcing the start.
Now serious, Takehito dashed forward and flung a quick right hook. But with Hideki's new senses, he felt it come at him through the air in slow motion, as he casually ducked underneath, entered Takehito's arms reach in a second and slugged Takehito upwards in the chin with a hard uppercut. It made a loud noise, accompanied by a cry, and sent the club ace reeling backwards away from Hideki.
The crowd gasped at Hideki's sudden display of strength and reflex. Takehito was the same, cupping his chin with wide eyes.
The impact brought out some sort of satisfaction from within Hideki, but he fought the urge to do what Takehito had done to him. He wouldn't be able to feel satisfied with this win if he ever did. Curling his hands back into fists, Hideki gestured him to come attack again.
Although flabbergasted, Takehito took the initiative again and rushed forward carelessly to continue slugging Hideki in the ribs and legs. All of his attempts were knocked and kicked away by counters that pinpointed his assaults accurately, as if Takehito was just a child harmlessly slapping away. Takehito was strong, but Hideki's new powers gave him the strength to fight monsters that could kill Puella Magi like mere animals. As so, each counter-punch was like a high-speed car ramming into his face, and had too much strength for Takehito to take in at even small amounts.
Unconsciously, unknowingly, Hideki tapped into his anger, putting hatred into each counter-punch as if it was the Warlock that had killed Homura that stood in his attack's range. He went on and on, slowly turning the tide of the fight in front of everyone at ease. He kicked, punched, and did everything he learnt from watching his mother fight in her own training when he was a kid.
As the bruises on Takehito's could no longer be counted on both hands, the club members was slowly becoming horrified by this display. Their top ace was now being humiliated by someone they used to call 'weak', and every blow to Takehito's face hurt even their pride. But before Hideki could do anymore, his fist suddenly stopped a centimeter away from a bruised, panting face. Hideki's fist froze in place and with a low groan, Takehito fell to the floor on his back, unconscious.
His friends marched onto the mat and carried Takehito over to the Nurse's Office on their shoulders, whilst Hideki stood his ground, retracting his fist and dusting himself thoroughly. He looked at Makoto, who's eyes were wide from the fight. Surprised, Makoto gave a simple, but significant nod, and Hideki made his towards the the locker rooms to change back into his uniform, ignoring the eyes of shock aimed at him.
Throwing his gear onto the bench and spitting out his gum shield, Hideki looked at the ring on his hand and smiled.
"Thank you, Homura."
After he finished buttoning up his uniform, Hideki exited the gymnasium, still smiling as he had the entry documents for tournament in his hands. Both of the ones he held were marked with the seal of approval, something Hideki thought he wouldn't be able to see his entire life if the document had his name on it. Folding them both and putting them inside his pocket, he headed back to the Freelancer clubroom.
Fiddling with a toothpick in his mouth, Takuya followed Mamoru back to the club-room, humming a merry tune after a good, hearty meal with Mirai at the cafeteria. Break-time was almost over, but Sanbey had called them all back to the room for a meeting he promised that would be brief. Whether it was about them or the Warlocks, it was obviously important and time was of the essence as the next Warlock could appear at any moment.
Far down the hallway, Takuya noticed Hideki and ran ahead of his green-haired friend, "Hideki!" he chimed, catching up to the blue-nette and clapping him on the shoulder, "How was the gymnasium? Did Tateyama and you get in?"
Hideki turned around, and answering Takuya's innocent question was a bright smile that grew on his face. It was one of the first times the two had ever seen him like this, and it made Takuya immediately thought something went wrong instead, "It was... fine. We got in."
"You didn't cross the line, or anything like that, did you?" Takuya asked with worry, throwing his toothpick into a trash can beside him.
"No. It wasn't anything like that," Hideki waved off the sudden concern with a cocky smile, "Come on, let's just head back to the club-room, alright?" he walked away, the pair following him, "We need to focus on what's important from now on."
Takuya nudged Mamoru on the arm, whispering, "Umm... Do we do something about this?"
"Perhaps not," he shook his head with a light shrug, "As he said, let's just focus on our goal. We shouldn't keep Sanbey waiting for too long either."
The brunette opened his mouth to object, but then agreed to it in the end. Leaving the rest of the walk in silence, with the exception of Takuya's humming, they reached the Freelancer's shabby-looking door. Takuya barged into the room, announcing their arrival out loud. Sitting at the end of the long table with his laptop, Tateyama gave him a small wave as Sanbey patiently sat in the middle of the table; the curtains were shut and Tateyama locked the door with the security locks once it was closed.
Receiving a look from Tateyama that seemed to carry a silent question, Hideki answered it with an affirmative nod and a smile they both shared. Takuya guessed it was about their tournament entry and smirked at his friends' success at getting what they finally wanted. With that finally cleared, they all sat down, taking their favorite seats. Before Sanbey formally began the meeting, Hideki passed a small form to Tateyama, who took it and placed it inside his bag..
"And so, we may start the meeting," his three tails waved in the air, slightly mesmerizing to the long-haired brunette.
"What is this about, Sanbey?" asked Mamoru, fingertips pressed against each other, "Are we here to discuss about the Warlocks?"
"No. I have gathered you four here to begin the first part of your training and introduce you all to the place that will be your official training ground," Sanbey's stripes glowed spectacularly like shimmering gold, illuminating the dark room with bright lights, "This will not take long."
The boys had a mixed reaction of nervousness, excitement and curiosity. Before they could speak, they felt a spiritual hand creep up their backs, grasping their necks gently with a touch that brought a soothing sensation to them. They felt their minds drifting and fading away, their bodies becoming weightless as the boys lied their heads down on the table. Their shoulders slumped, Tateyama's laptop screen flickered on and off before dying out. Slowly, the boys fell into a deep sleep in the room, one by one.
Takuya yawned, resting his head on a seat cushion.
"W-What are you doing?" Hideki stuttered, hesitantly closing his eyes and succumbing to the sleep that overtook him last.
"You'll see," Sanbey reassured him lightly. If that sigma-shaped mouth of his was able to move to show expression, it would have been smirking.
Everything went dark, the boys felt their connection to reality sever as their minds separated from their bodies and reconnected elsewhere. Takuya felt weightless, tired, disconnected and alone, until his senses came back to him. His eyes were still shut, he could feel the soft ground below him, but he had a feeling he was no longer where he thought they were.
Slowly regaining consciousness, the sound of the air-conditioner and ceiling-fan could no longer be heard by Tateyama's ears. The beeping from his laptop, the sounds of students chatting outside the window, he could only hear the sounds of birds and rustling leaves all around him. He closed an open hand, feeling lush vegetation in his fingers as did his entire body. He was lying down on open grass, from what he could feel, the wind blowing on the hair covering one side of his face.
How were they outside all of a sudden? he thought, opening his eyes to see his friends lying down around him, unconscious as he was just previously. Shaking off the dizziness he felt, they were not in a club-room anymore, but a large, wide opening in the middle of an unknown forest. Tateyama sat up and looked up to see a blue sky, his eyes wide in silent amazement.
Takuya let out a groan, rubbing his head as he got up, "W-Where are we?"
The other two got up as well, wondering they were with just as much confusion their two friends showed. But Sanbey was nowhere in sight, as they were completely deserted in a strange, lush forest. Were they teleported to another location? Were they not on Earth anymore? The boys examined their surroundings and saw that this was very much life-like and real. Most of the vegetation could be seen on Earth as well and convinced them of their location. Until a voice crept into their minds, sounding like their feline mentor..
"I hope you're comfortable with this environment, Puerum Magi."
"Sanbey, where are we?" Hideki asked, helped up to his feet by Tateyama.
"This is a mental projection I am creating inside my mind. You could see this as a further application of the projections I had used last night, to an extent. I have brought you all here to teach you the usage of your powers and toughen your minds for your fights with the Warlocks."
Tateyama heard a running river nearby, a flock of colorful birds flying overhead as he kicked the dirt at his feet, asking, "Will we have enough time?"
"Each hour that passes by here is a second in reality. You can be amazed at how much the brain can process in mere seconds. Head north of your direction if you want to take a full view of what kind of place you all shall proceed with your trials in."
Curious from that sentence, the boys headed in said direction where they entered the woods. Passing by bushes, shrubs and all sorts of thick vegetation, Tateyama looked up again and saw exotic birds perched up in bird-nests. Even though it wasn't real, it felt so life-like. The dirt, plants and scenery, they could hear the river getting louder and louder as they continued. At the end of the forest, they exited the woods and then gazed at a breath-taking sight which held their gazes tight.
At the end of a low cliff, the boys gasped at the view as the forest expanded for miles on to no end in sight, all growing around an enormous, titan-like tree that reached to at least 100-200 meters tall in height. Even as they were kilometers away from it, it still looked ginormous and flocks of birds could be seen flying around it. Streams, lakes and rivers ran through the forest like the veins and arteries of a human body, transporting water everywhere at low speeds as wildlife roamed the open plains, grazing on the lush fields. In the distance, tall, towering mountains stood like imposing gods, piercing the cloud-line and marked with icy caps of snow. Their size even dwarfed that of Mount Everest.
"A-Amazing," Mamoru muttered, feeling his back almost go out from shock.
"Awesome!" Takuya exclaimed, gazing out into the horizon with Hideki.
"I see you like the view. Well then, that's enough sight-seeing."
In a blink of an eye, the cliff they were on morphed back into lush grass, growing next to a water stream with lively fish swimming inside. Hideki and Takuya got curious enough to walk up to it and gawk at the fish. The brunette went to put his hand in the water, unti; Mamoru pulled him back to more important matters at hand and wagged a finger. Takuya pouted, but Sanbey's voice turned serious and took their attention.
"It's time. Bring out your Soul Keys, Puerum Magi, and plunge them into your Gems."
Lining up side-by-side and following Sanbey's instructions, they stretched out one hand, seeing lights of different colors swirling into their open palms. Instinctively, they grabbed the flowing light and small blades solidified in their grip, glittering colorfully with sparkles. It was the first time they have ever done this, but it felt so natural. They each took in a deep breath, their Soul Gem readily appearing on their chests, and with no fear nor regret, the Puerum Magi plunged their blades into their Soul Gems.
Turning them clockwise, a surge of energy coursed through their bodies like a shock of lightning, their Gems shining bright with their respective colors. They could feel the power flowing inside them, their school uniforms replaced by black skin-tight suits with designs tailored to their personal preferences. Then, came their equipment: Hideki's light-weight armor and sharp thruster pack materialized around his body, light metal locking into places all over his body suit with numerous metallic clicks. His blade gauntlets were present, along with the broadsword docked between his thruster pack's exhaust vents.
But for the others, it was different; Wrapped around Mamoru's abdomen was a large strap that appeared with a metallic arm attached to it through a joint. It spun around his waist in 360 degrees, gloves of soft material materializing at his hands with small holes visible at his fingertips. On Tateyama's left shoulder appeared a small pauldron with three docked discs and on the back of his legs, there were eject-able feet spikes. On Takuya's right hand, came a rectangular chunk of armor with a sharp grappling hook as glowing leather boots covered his feet.
They looked at their exotic equipment in awe, the arm on Mamoru's waist moving to his will like a real hand. The grappling hook on Takuya's arm shined like silver and the pauldron on Tateyama's shoulder felt heavy, despite its looks. The discs on it spun and clicked regularly with each movement he made.
"Eh, why is Hideki the only one wearing armor?" Takuya wondered out loud, tapping his grappling hook.
"That armor appeared due to the automatic self-defense system activating inside Hideki last night during his battle. Only when your Soul Gem finally accepts your will and fully synchronizes with you, will your personal armor appear to protect you; Do not worry, you will not encounter a Warlock unarmed, of course."
True to his word, weapons came to be in the 3 unarmored Puerum Magi. A small buckler shield appeared on Mamoru's left arm, an ornate double-edge axe held on his right. A long lance with a protective hand-guard was held in Tateyama's left hand, as an enormous shield the size of a door was carried by his right. In Takuya's left hand, a sphere of energy exploded in a shower of sparks, forming a bow made out of pure, glowing energy. It looked harmful to touch, but was safe to Takuya himself. But before they could admire their weapons, they vanished with their other equipment and Hideki's armor.
"Hey!" Takuya complained.
"Let's get started with the basics, shall we?"
A truck entering the outskirts of Mitakihara drives pass the checkpoint line, carrying a heavy container of stock and inventory as its cargo. While the main city was a large collection of towering buildings, and the suburbs being a clean array of futuristic houses, the outskirts of Mitakihara paled in comparison to their architectural beauty. Cracked concrete roads, European-styled lamp posts, littered garbage, it was like a different city altogether.
The truck entered the shade of one of the numerous shanty houses and from underneath it, a tall figure slid out and jumped into a dark, cramped alley. Kneeling one one knee with boots of scratched leather, his cloak touched the ground, bearing tears and wrinkles all over. A hand wrapped in cloth brushes the ground with a finger, his voice being a deep echo of pride, "I've arrived..."
Getting up to both feet, the figure wore a Chinese straw hat and a hannya mask that bore the facial design of a Japanese demon. There was a long weapon on his back, almost as tall as himself, covered up in cloth and bandages, "So, this is Mitakihara?" he walked forward, glowing, red eyes underneath the mask eyeing his filthy surroundings, "Such as cesspool. Why would Phantom, Clyde and Ares pick such a place to live in?" he heard soft growling at his feet, "Hmm?"
He looked down and saw two stray pups covered in dirt tugging at a piece of thick meat from each other. Savage dogs usually found among these parts of town, they were a common sight and often ignored. The figure reached for his weapon's hilt and in one swift, silent motion, the piece of meat was cut into two equal parts. The pups ran off, and the weapon was already back in its length sheath by the time they were gone.
"Hmph. The area of Mount Fuji was a much calmer area. The animals there were a much more pleasant occasion to deal with," he flicked a hand adorned with a bone bracelet and walked down the alley, nonchalantly kicking trash cans out of his way and sending them flying. He took out a small device which created a holographic compass, pointing in one direction, "Phantom's beacon should not be far from this location."
"Hold it!" a voice echoed through the alley.
The masked figure halted, slowly turning his attention to a police officer at the alley's entrance. His cloak fluttered as he turned around and pocketed his compass, speaking in a rejecting tone, "Is there a problem, officer?"
"Hands in the air!" the police officer pointed a pistol at the masked figure, coming closer to him with a set of readied handcuffs, "I thought you looked suspicious. Are you the one responsible for all the missing people?!"
"A mere human has no business with me," he spat, walking towards the officer, fingers curling up threateningly, "It has been a while since I've felt the satisfaction of taking one's life."
"I said don't move!" the officer pulled the trigger and the bullet zoomed through the air with a clap of thunder. It whizzed past the figure, who then zipped left and right at inhuman speeds, whilst closing the distance between them in mere seconds. Before the officer could run into the light, a hand slammed into his throat, leaving a crater where his Adam's apple should have been. The officer fell to the floor, gargling blood as the figure stood over him and stomped on his face. The force of his boot cracked something, from what could be heard.
"Weak."
He grabbed the officer by the foot, dragged him into the alley and disposed of him inside a dumpster with the trash he saw no different from humans. The figure cleaned the blood off his hand, dusted his cloak and made his way elsewhere, pinching the his straw hat, "Hmph. Back to my journey. I should reach Phantom's opera-house by nightfall. Of course, if nothing will be there to interfere."