Ciaossu~! I'm VERY sorry for the extremely late update. I was focused on other things plus a few new stories came to mind and I just had to work on them before I forgot. So, again, sorry.
To clear up some things that I noticed some readers showing concern about:
I am NOT throwing away the original plot! The story is STILL about the Ojamajos being discovered! This was all part of the story; trust me! This chapter will clear that misunderstanding up REAL quick! So RoseQuartz1 and my friend Kadaj5, DON'T PANIC!
Also, some grammatical errors were pointed out to me and from now on I will do my best to address those.
That's about it. So, without further ado, enjoy! God bless you guys!
I don't own Ojamajo Doremi. Toei Animation does.
XxxxxXxxxxX
Oops
The very next day, after Queen Lumina's warning, there was another random attack in the Lunaverse. The creatures from before once again laid waste to an unsuspecting village in the far reaches of the kingdom. Nothing was spared. Homes were destroyed, small businesses left in tatters, the streets in ruin, and inhabitants were mercilessly wreaked havoc upon. And all a good distance away from the castle where help could have quickly been provided post-haste if only known about. And, once again, the mysterious creatures left as suddenly as they arrived; without a trace to be found. Still no one was able to see them clearly. Those who had been able to make out their figures were, unfortunately, too close and now found themselves in intensive care in the nearest hospital either in a coma or unable to speak due to injuries or trauma.
Of course, word reached the ears of the inhabitants housing on Earth. With them, the Ojamajos also caught wind of the incident.
"What? Another attack?" Dorie was speaking with the lunar queen via telepathic channel.
"And again at a random time and place. They managed to sneak away without revealing themselves . . . again," Queen Lumina sighed deeply, "The only connection between all known attacks is that they only transpire after sunset." The queen tiredly rubbed her temples in frustration. How was she going to protect her people from this threat if she didn't know how to track it? As to add to her growing frustration, she was vastly unaware as to what these creatures looked like.
"So, we still don't know what these things look like either?"
"The victims that did ever get close enough to get a good look at them are now suffering a list of medical difficulties ranging from amnesia to comas. The most anyone can remember seeing are puffs of shadowy smoke or liquid blurs of nonsensical colors."
"Ouch . . . well there, luckily, hasn't been any activity here on our end. You sure have been taking a lot of time off of school. Though, given the circumstances, I doubt leaving the Lunaverse is even an option for you right now" the eldest Goodwyn daughter sympathized. She received a long exhale from the lunar queen as a response.
"Yes; I just can't leave my kingdom in this dreadful hour. Who knows when they'll attack next; and where. Leaving simply isn't an option anymore."
"I understand. I just hope you have a bulletproof excuse when you come back; for your sake. You could lose your job for taking so much time off without warning. Not only that, Ms. Cooper's getting antsy because you're gone and can't find you at your house."
"You needn't worry. I'll have thought up something when I return. You should get your rest. Remember to be on guard. We don't know when these creatures will attack the human world. I shall contact Patina if anything new presents itself."
"Of course, your majesty. Until we meet again," with that, the channel was broken. Ever since she and the others learned that technique, Dorie had gotten really good at using it. In fact, out of the whole group, she was the best at using it. That made her a little more than happy.
"Done talking with the queen?" Ellie asked. Dorie blinked a couple times, trying to refocus her vision.
"Yeah; she says there's been another attack and that the creatures got away again. She can't leave the Lunaverse now under the circumstances." Dorie stretched her limbs. They'd become stiff from sitting in one position for too long. "She said she'd contact Patina with any updates."
"What!? Again!?" the girls exclaimed in sync. Dorie placed her head in her hand and propped it on the table.
"Geez, jus' what're these things?" Mirabelle complained. She scratched at her head in frustration.
"God help all those people in the hospital now. They'll need all the help they can get" Reanne dipped her head in depression.
"Speaking of, were there any injuries this time?" Momoko asked, concerned.
"I didn't exactly get a straight answer on that one."
Momoko didn't know whether to be relieved or stressed about the answer she was given. She just groaned in response.
"Though, she did say that all the attacks have been tracked to be happening only after sunset."
"Well, I guess that's a start . . ." Caitlyn mused.
"It doesn't seem like that big a start to me" Hana deadpanned. Everyone felt sweat trickle down their necks. There was no use sugarcoating it. Everyone stared at the youngest member of the group. "What?"
"Never mind" they all stated.
"I can only think of one thing that's just as bad as this situation" Mirabelle furrowed her eyebrows in agitation. She received looks from everyone around the table.
"What?" was the unanimous response. Mirabelle simply mouthed the words 'school' and that made everyone's minds shut down.
"Uuuuugggghhhh!" the group growled. They resulted to resting their heads on the wooden table in defeat and utter exhaustion. They opted to just rest the rest of the day in the shop to get their minds off the current situation. Lareli changed into her cat disguise and trotted outside the shop. She swatted at the side outside on the door to switch it from 'Open' to 'Closed' as everyone was too tired to work today. She trotted back inside to follow suit and sleep the rest of the day away as well.
- A FEW HOURS LATER –
The girls had finally gained enough energy to actually talk about their day at school today with Patina and Lareli. No one was the least bit pleased with the outcome.
"I mean really! Do they have to talk about it EVERY day?" Ellie grumbled into the table.
"No, but they do it anyway," Momoko agreed. Dorie waved her hand dismissively.
"Easy you two. It'll pass," Dorie placed her hands in her pockets and leaned against the wooden banister.
"This is like the first time all over again!" Mirabelle whined. The Osakan native ground her teeth together in agitation. She vaguely processed what Reanne said about her damaging her teeth if she kept this up. Not that she cared at the moment.
"Humans are too curious these days. Especially children," Patina growled. Lareli gave her master a once-over, giving her a face that clearly said 'Really?'.
Dorie sighed and glanced at the clock from her position leaning on the banister. It was almost 7 PM. With a heavy exhale, Dorie pushed herself from the banister and gave a stretch of her limbs. Caitlyn had left earlier, saying something along the lines of doing some life counseling for her classmates, so Dorie didn't have to worry about her.
"Come on guys. It's been a long day, so how about everyone just go home for tonight, yeah? Try to sleep it off, 'kay?" Dorie recommended.
"That's a good idea. You girls get some rest, and we'll see you tomorrow," Patina agreed. She needed some rest herself. She also needed to keep an eye open for any messages from the queen while she was at it.
There was some hesitance among the group but everyone finally relented.
". . .Yeah, alright."
"I'll go home later. There's some stuff I wanna do first before I head out. I meant to get it done today," Mirabelle explained. Momoko was quick to ask.
"You sure it's okay with your dad?"
Mirabelle waved her hand in a 'forget it' gesture. "He's workin' the night shift t'night. As long as I get home before 'im, I'm good."
Taking that as an answer, everyone shuffled towards the door.
"Alright then, see you tomorrow," Momoko waved. The others followed suit and left out the door. Dorie stayed behind a bit longer.
"Good night Hana! Don't forget to brush your teeth!"
"Yes, Mama," Hana mumbled through a yawn. She smiled at her mama and slowly went upstairs to her room. Dorie nodded in approval. She looked back to Mirabelle with a smile. "Don't stay too long," with a wave, Dorie shut the door and headed home.
Mirabelle rubbed the back of her head with a tired smile gracing her face. "Yeah, yeah . . .," she turned to face Patina and Lareli. "Ya'll can head off ta bed. I'll lock up when I leave."
With a thankful nod, the two retired for the night. Mirabelle set off to work, grabbing thread and spools, and made her way down to the womb to get started.
- ON A RANDOM STREET –
It was roughly 8:15 PM about now Mirabelle had guessed. It was fairly dark outside right now, and Mirabelle had just left the shop a few minutes ago. She was now making her way home at an even pace, hands in her vest pockets. She fiddled with the shop keys in her pocket reminding herself to give them back to Patina or Lareli in the morning on the way to school. She continued walking and eventually entered the shopping district. She was almost home now. Just another block or two. She needed to make dinner when she got back. Her pops probably only had the lunch box she'd packed for him, so he'd most likely be hungry when he came back. As Mirabelle mused over what to make for dinner, a few late night drinkers were sluggishly heading her way. They were zig-zagging all over the place, bumping into one another and into the brick walls even.
'Ugh, dumb drunkards jus' don' know when 'nough's a 'nough,' Mirabelle thought. She shook her head disapprovingly and sighed. 'Better walk around.'
And by walk around, she meant get to the other sidewalk across the street. But first she'd have to wait for the speeding car down the street to pass. As it drew closer, Mirabelle took notice that this car had ridiculously bright head lights. Heck, it almost blinded her as got closer. She had to place a hand in front of her eyes so she could see. As it passed, Mirabelle placed her hand back in her pocket and shook her head so she could get the black spots out of her vision.
'At least they won't have trouble driving in the dark . . .,' Mirabelle mused in her head. She was about to cross the street but found herself looking both ways again on instinct. She noticed as she looked the other direction, the group of drunks she was trying to get around before were cowering on the pavement, seemingly in fear. The blue Ojamajo stood there dumbfounded. 'Are they serious? It's not like it was the police!'
Then it happened too fast. The group of people passed out on the sidewalk, unmoving. She panicked at the sight of the passed out bodies. Her instincts kicked in and she hurriedly rushed over to them to help. She shook each of the bodies in hopes of them coming to their senses. Unfortunately, none of them stirred. As a double whammy, no one was around to help either. Mirabelle was on her own. The blue Ojamajo pulled at her short, blue hair in frustration and gritted her teeth.
"Jus' great! The one time I'm not allowed to use my powers and this happens!" Mirabelle considered running to get help, but who knows what would happen while she was gone. She decided against it and hoped another car came by so she could wave them down for help. Not even a minute passed when she noticed the people beginning to move again in the corner of her eye. She gave a sigh of relief and returned her attention towards them to help the people back on their feet and convince them to go to a hospital or home at least. It struck her as odd though. The bodies were moving but the people didn't seem awake to cause the movement. Mirabelle began to get uneasy and took a few paces backwards.
Her rights to uneasiness were proven as something dark phased out of the knocked out bodies. Mirabelle's face shifted from surprised to utter shock. Creatures she had never seen before completely phased out of the unfortunate people lying splayed out on the ground as if they'd been shot. One of the creatures stood taller than the other four that appeared after it. Obviously it was the leader and it was ferocious looking. The mere sight of these creatures froze Mirabelle in her spot in stunned silence. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks.
"Don't tell me . . . these are the same creatures that've been attackin' the Lunaverse!?"
As if to prove her right . . .
*Screeeeeeech*
". . . !"
Mirabelle had little time to react as she was backlashed by the largest one's tail. She soared through the air a few feet before skidding across the sidewalk a good distance away from her attacker. Mirabelle scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could as one of the smaller one's began to charge her. Despite their broad size, they were quick on their feet; Mirabelle took note as she just narrowly dodged the onslaught and the creature barreled right passed her. It stopped quickly enough and turned around to face her. Before she knew it, Mirabelle was surrounded with the four smaller creatures forming a circle around her. The leader held back. It screeched at them to attack and, on cue, they pounced. They proceeded to bury her under their weight hoping to crush her in the process.
Suddenly, a blinding flash of blue light emitted under the mass of bodies trying to crush their latest victim. They were suddenly forced back and sent flying in different directions. Mirabelle stood fully decked out in her Dokkan uniform, and she was peeved. She glared daggers at the lead creature, letting it know she was about to pound that sorry carcass of his into the ground for ever considering attacking her.
"It's a good thing that I remembered that Queen Lumina said that we could use our powers 'n an emergency. Even if this isn't considered an emergency, I'm sure she'll forgive me under the circumstances. Prepare yerself pal, I'ma make ya regret attackin' me!" Mirabelle finished with a scowl. The creature looked unfazed and screeched back. The other four creatures had found their footing and were now back up ready to fight. This time, so was Mirabelle. She readied herself as the largest creature screeched for the others to attack again.
A strong right hook aimed for Mirabelle's midsection, but she dodged it with ease. She threw her own punch with equal force and it connected with her attacker's chest. The creature crashed, back first, into a grocery store window. The alarm immediately sounded throughout the store and down the street. Mirabelle face palmed and cursed under her breath.
"Great goin' Bell-Bell. The police will be here any minute!," Mirabelle chided herself, "I gotta end this quick!"
She charged head on, throwing a fury of fists at the four smaller creatures. They dodged as best they could and tried to get their own punches in, but to no avail. Mirabelle wasn't going to let them off so easy. One by one she knocked them down like dominos. She beat them so hard to the point they couldn't stand anymore. She turned her attention back to the leader and gazed at it fiercely.
"Now it's yer turn," she began her power march over to the leader, ready to end this petty fight. She propelled herself forward and was immediately in it's face. She sent a powerful uppercut to the creature's jaw. The creature flew some feet into the air before it came crashing down to the pavement with an audible thud. Unexpectedly, it shot back up to it's feet unfazed by the attack. Mirabelle, undeterred, quickly unleashed a flurry of fists into the creature's midsection. A last, powerful, blow sent the creature flying back into a resting car. The car alarm sounded on impact. Mirabelle groaned in frustration as a result.
The creature shook it's head to regain focus and pulled itself out of the dent it created as a result of impact. Mirabelle looked on stunned. This one was WAY more resilient than the other four. In her shock, she didn't notice the creature had PICKED UP the car it landed on and launched it her direction. She reacted quickly and channeled some of her power into her arms. She caught the car and heavily set it back down. Mirabelle wiped some sweat from her brow and hesitantly looked over the car. The creature started to charge the vehicle and, ultimately, her behind it. Having had enough, the blue Ojamajo jumped from behind the car and into the path of the charging creature. She readied herself for a forceful kick for when the creature got close enough. Just as she launched her attack, the creature swiftly dodged and sent a powerful punch to her gut.
Mirabelle felt the wind leave her and she found herself gasping for breath she didn't have. She vaguely saw a shadowed fist connect with her head as she was sent sprawling to the concrete. Her vision blackened for a brief moment. If she didn't get up now, she could be in deep trouble. Mirabelle resorted to a new technique she learned in the Lunaverse that was only used by the most skilled. She noticed that the creature inched closer to her and prepared itself to pounce. Mirabelle focused on her energy in her poron that was inside her tap. That energy flowed to her palms and began to take form. The creature was now upon her and lunged intending to end this fight in victory. Mirabelle turned in just enough time to fire a broad beam of blue colored energy from her hand to the creature. It connected beautifully and the creature screeched in pain. It collapsed on the concrete, beaten.
"Yes!" Mirabelle cheered. This enemy was certainly more difficult to deal with than what she previously thought would be an easy fight. Still, though, she wasn't badly injured. She couldn't say the same for her enemies though. She stared at her downed enemy; the one that gave her the most trouble. It laid there, unmoving in defeat.
"That's what ya get for messin' with Mirabelle Haywood!" she stated proudly, proud of her work. Though there was more damage done to the buildings and street structures than she would've liked. Suddenly, a shadowy smoke poured from the creature until it was completely engulfed. She noticed it was the same with the other four that were still lying around. Then the smoke disappeared, and, along with it, the creatures. Mirabelle was stunned to say the least, but she was also relieved. "Well, that solves that problem . . .," she shook her head. Mirabelle went to check on the pedestrians that the creatures emerged from and, to her relief, they finally began to stir. 'Funny how the battle took less than ten minutes despite the limited damage,' she thought to herself.
"Alright, time to bail."
"FREEZE!"
". . . !"
A spotlight atop of a police car shinned towards Mirabelle's direction. She instinctively placed a hand in front of her face to block the light. Luckily, the police couldn't make out her face in the process. 'Crap! And 'ere I was tryin' to keep on the down low! This is not good . . .,' the Ojamajo berated herself.
"Put your hands where we can see them! Failure to comply will result in immediate, forceful action!" the leader officer on the scene ordered. The other officer, which there was about ten, prepared themselves to move in. Judging by the damage done to the area, the suspect wasn't someone to trifle with. Before they could get close enough to make the arrest, the suspect disappeared in a flash of light. The sight left them quite stunned and bewildered, but they quickly made concern for the people lying barely conscious on the sidewalk.
It wasn't long before ambulances were called and media trucks surround the area. Medics made quick work of the very confused victims while police were putting up police tape around the place. TV cameras from every news station were rolling footage and broadcasted to every television within town.
On a nearby rooftop stood Mirabelle, looking on in pure horror.
'Everyone's gonna love this . . .,' the thought dripping with heavy sarcasm, 'they're gonna kill me!' She gave one last horror filled glance at the chaotic scene before bounding off back home.
- 5 MINUTES LATER~GOODWYN HOUSE –
Dorie and Caitlyn were lazily lounging on the couch downstairs watching last week's episode of Robo Ranger while they waited for dinner.
"The beef stew's almost ready you two. Go wash your hands," the girl's mother called.
"Yes, mom," the two siblings answered. The man of the house made his way downstairs due to the smell of the delicious food his wife was preparing. He followed his nose to the kitchen.
"Smells good. Dinner almost done?"
"Almost!" Mrs. Goodwyn replied. Mr. Goodwyn nodded and took a seat at the table. The girls had just exited the bathroom and entered the living room right as the channel change from Robo Rangers to late night news.
"Hey!" they whined. "What gives!?"
The news channel showed a female new anchor standing in front of police tape which was situated across the shopping district. She wore a grim expression.
"We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news. I'm Lyra Moore here on Mystic Street where behind me is a police investigation unlike anything we've seen before."
Due to the nature of the news, or at least the way the new caster made it sound, everyone was now in the living room watching.
"What seemed to be a robbery quickly escalated to a battle to live another day for these five victims here tonight. Though none seem to remember what had transpired before the police arrived, the damage here speaks for itself," the cameras zoomed into several of the shops and streets with significant amounts of damage done to them, "truly it is something of unbelievable circumstances."
"What kind of robber does all that!?" Dorie looked crossed.
"Despite the obviousness of the issue, I assure you it was no robber that caused this damage. Instead it was an unbelievable phenomenon! With me here we have unedited, raw footage of what transpired here only moments before."
As the woman talked, a video was playing in the corner screen of the television. And there was Mirabelle, all decked out in her Dokkan uniform, smashing into a building with unimaginable force. Dorie and Caitlyn nearly had a heart attack. During the battle, none of the creatures were caught on film, so it seemed as if Mirabelle herself was causing all the damage to the street and buildings. Without warning, Dorie shot up from her seat on the couch and scrambled to the kitchen to reach the phone.
- CRAFT HOUSE –
You could hear the cookie drop from Ellie's mouth to the wooden floor. She had been watching the news to catch up on any new updates in the world of fame. She didn't expect to be watching one of her best friends ramming head first into a grocery store. The phone rang from atop the coffee table she was sitting next to. Unable to tear her eyes from the colorful television screen, the purple Ojamajo picked up the phone and pressed the answer button from memory. She held the device up to her ear and in a barely audible whisper she answered the person on the other line.
"Hello . . .," her voice was distant. Luckily the person on the other line caught it and answered frantically.
"Ellie! Are you watching the news!?" Dorie screamed.
". . . Yes."
"Are you seeing this!?"
"I'm seeing it but I'm not believing it," her voice began to rise as the realization hit her like a freight train, "what're we going to do!?"
- ASUKA HOUSE –
Momoko stared at her television screen unable to say anything. Her parents didn't know what to say as they looked at the impossible. The sudden dropping of a pan jolted the two parentals out of their skin. They twisted their heads to stare at their daughter. The yellow Ojamajo didn't even notice she dropped the piece of metal when she shouted . . .
"OH MY GOD!"
Momoko bumped into a nearby chair and toppled over it head first. Undeterred, she pushed herself up from the floor and to the phone.
- GRIFFITH HOUSE –
Reanne was shaking in her socks when she caught sight of the tv. She almost didn't hear the phone ring. She leaped into action.
"B-Baya! Don't answer the phone! I got it!"
Reanne couldn't help but find comfort in knowing that the camera could make out her friend's face very well. She answered the phone in the calmest voice she could muster.
"Hello?"
And that's it for this chapter! There was more to this one, but I decided to move it to the next one. I actually changed A LOT in this chapter from what I originally wrote down. This seems better now! Until next time people!
God bless you guys!
-Cynder