AN: Here we go! The third installment of the collective Puella Magi Chapter! This one took a lot longer than I had originally anticipated, but after about a month or so of technical difficulties and the resulting setbacks, we have what has turned into my longest chapter so far.
I really did not intend for this one to go on for so long, and I actually ended up cutting out a large chunk that I figured would be better appreciated in a later chapter...like after I get all these character demos out of the way. Actually the part I ended up cutting out was actually the huge spoiler for Rebellion, so I guess you can ignore the spoiler alert I put into my author's notes two chapters ago. I should also clarify that Rebellion DID NOT happen in this story, as much as I liked the movie. Instead what happened is my own little twist based off of the expansions of the mythos that were introduced by the movie...Like how Sayaka is alive, and whatnot.
We're over halfway done with the Puella Magi folks! And in order to not make the next three chapters just training and demonstrations, there will be an 'intermission' chapter in between each magical group. Hopefully that will make what may seem unnecessarily tedious a little more bearable.
I do realize that these character chapters may have been a huge mistake narrative wise, but I've gotten myself in to far to stop now. So for the next little while, please bare with me, and I hope you can find these chapters at least somewhat entertaining.
On another note, writing this would have been a crap ton easier if ninety nine percent of the current active characters weren't female, and I didn't have to constantly fish for other adjectives to let you know which female is talking. So if the adjectives get a little repetitive... that'd be why.
So without further adieu: read and enjoy!
Chapter 9 Part 3,
Takamachi Boot Camp and the Puella Magi:
Sayaka
Unsurprisingly; Sayaka's attempt to 'discreetly' sweep her impulsive lip-lock with Kyouko under the rug, by trying to shift everyone's focus back to where it should have been all along, was pretty much futile.
…That is, until a certain blond physician caught sight of a certain pink-haired Knight.
"Signum!" Shamal's panicked voice reminded me that Kyouko hadn't been the only one injured in that 'little' exchange. "What on Mid happened to you!?"
Apparently through her portal and its position at Signum's...waistline, Shamal had noticed that Signum's body was hunched over by less than a half an inch. (This served as the only indication that the Knight was feeling any pain from her multitude of wounds whatsoever.)
So without wasting another second, Shamal finally raised her portal to eye level; here it expanded large enough to allow the blond physician to walk through. Most likely so the head medical officer could...thoroughly examine Signum.
The Guardian Knight's hair wasn't all that was pink as she grunted a strained: "I'm fine." every time Shamal came across another cut or nick on her face or Barrier Jacket. To Kyouko's credit there were quite a lot of both, despite the fact that Signum had raised a shield against her attacker. So Shamal had plenty to fuss over. (Much to Signum's embarrassment and barely concealed delight.)
Once she had literally cataloged every injury on Signum's body; Shamal transformed into her own Barrier Jacket and got ready to cast a healing spell. She never got the chance however, as Sayaka shyly tapped her on the shoulder.
Shamal's slightly longer hair nearly whipped both Signum and Sayaka in the face with the speed at which she had whirled her head around to demand who had dared to prevent her from healing her 'Siggy-num.' (AN: I am SO sorry.)
I am one hundred percent serious: that was her secret pet nickname for Signum...not that she had ever called the Guardian Knight that to her face. No, no; she saved that for whenever I had to go in for a routine check up, and foolishly asked her how things were going in her attempts to seduce the stoic Guardian...who was apparently dense as a block of lead, and blind as a bat when it came to Shamal's advances.
(AN: This is of course the pot calling the kettle black, but Fate isn't supposed to know that.)
At any rate, Sayaka nearly backed off from the look on Shamal's face alone, but the bluenette gathered her courage and pressed on.
"I don't mean to interrupt." She said carefully. "But if you would allow me?" It became immediately clear to me with that innocent offer that Sayaka also possessed healing capabilities.
That was an interesting development to say the least; from what I had seen of the Puella Magi type so far: healing didn't seem like something that a magic which seemed to do nothing but destroy everything it touched, (including the lives of those who wielded it) would be capable of.
Shamal's eye's narrowed suspiciously at Sayaka, before turning a questioning look on Nanoha. The brunette had none of the qualms that the physician had however; so she immediately gave the go-ahead with a single curt nod.
Shamal seemed mildly put out at the fact that she was being told not to do her job, (but most likely it was because she was also being told to stop touching Signum) but nevertheless, she backed off and contented herself with trying to burn a hole in Sayaka's head. The bluenette noticed this, (how could she not) and grinned nervously before getting to work.
"Seeing how this is all my idiot's fault" She began, in an attempt to relieve the tense atmosphere. "The least I can do is fix all the damage she's done..." She hesitantly moved closer to get a better look at one of the nastier gashes on Signum's left shoulder, shooting Kyouko what was probably meant to be an accusing look (But really came off as just affectionate) as she did so. Her eyes then dropped to the huge area of black seared ground that had once been a beautiful grassy field. "...Except the landscaping," She added hastily. "You're on your own with that one."
"Don't worry." Hayate chuckled offhandedly, jabbing her thumb at Nanoha. "It happens all the time."
"Oh, come on Hayate-chan!" Nanoha complained indignantly. "I'm not that bad!"
Hayate deadpanned, before rolling her eyes and looking skyward, pointing up at the new crack/crater that Nanoha had been more or less responsible for no more than a few hours ago.
Nanoha followed Hayate's gaze.
"Nya ha ha...shut-up."
I tried so hard not to laugh; really I did, but it was no use: Nanoha's pout was just too much!
"Fate-chaaaaan!" The brunette whined as I attempted to disguise my laughter with a bout of fake coughing...with little success. "It's not funny!" To emphasize her point she crossed her arms, sniffed indignantly and turned her back to me; nose in the air. This little display of petulance merely resulted in my little charade becoming about as convincing as; let's be honest here: my attempts to hide my feelings for her. (I was just lucky that Nanoha had never caught on.)
"I-I'm sorry Nanoha." I apologized clutching my sides, and trying to get myself under control. "But your expression was just so adorable!" Nanoha did a double take, a brilliant red blush consuming her face like wildfire.
I finally processed what had just come out of my mouth. (You see what I mean about my attempts being unconvincing?) "I-I mean hilarious!" (My attempts at damage control were just as bad.) "Yeah! That's right! Hilarious!" (In fact they bordered on downright pathetic)
Despite this, Nanoha usually believed me, for one reason or another, to the point that I could swear that the girl wore blinders or something. Any slip up I made just seemed to go right over that beautiful little head of hers. Smart as she was; Nanoha had never really been very in-tuned with other people's feelings, not if her horrendously awkward friendship with Yuuno was anything to go by.
This time however, Nanoha's expression suggested that she wasn't quite buying it. For the first time I saw doubt in her eyes as she frowned. She then leveled the most intense, and suspicious gaze at me that I had ever seen. It was almost as if she was trying to peer directly into whatever I was thinking about right now.
For everyone else out there; Allow me to sum it up: *Ahem*... Nanoha, NANOHA, NANOHA, NANOHA, NANOHA! …Yeah, that about covers it.
I swallowed hard.
Had Kyouko and Sayaka's sudden confession forced her to finally replace her faulty 'Gaydar?' (Patent-pending) If she had, I was so screwed!
A drip of sweat was starting to trickle its way down from my temple, as those brilliant sapphires regarded me with the same scrutiny one would use on Lucchini in a room full of large chested women.
I was literally just about to try and concoct another lame-ass excuse to try and lead Nanoha away from my biggest and most personal secret when quite suddenly; a thought struck me.
So what if she had started to catch on? Wasn't that a good thing?
I mean it's not like I was ashamed of my love for her or anything. And it's not like she ever seemed disgusted with me whenever I slipped up. If anything, she always seemed...kinda happy. Not just happy; but flattered and maybe a little shy. Kind of like how Alisa behaved when Suzuka told her that she liked her new haircut back in middle school. With that thought in mind, I returned her scrutinizing glare with one of calm acceptance. I was practically inviting her to connect the dots.
When I made no effort to dissuade her suspicions, something new and wonderful ignited in those expressive eyes of hers:
Hope.
My heart skipped a beat.
...Maybe I was the one who had been wearing blinders all these years...
"TAKAMACHI! TESTAROSSA!" Signum barked loudly, causing us both to jump. "It's a bit of a moot point if the instructor isn't paying attention to her class, so would you two stop making googly eyes at each other long enough to get these demonstrations over with?"
We both turned sheepishly to Signum; still cut to ribbons and almost seething at having to stay that way, waiting for us to finish what I finally realized was probably mutual flirting.
I couldn't really blame Signum for losing her patience; from the way things were going, it was quite likely that we both would have stood there staring at each other forever had she not said something.
Shamal was also looking a little miffed that we had just let Signum stand there and bleed for a good five minutes...I couldn't say I blamed her either.
"Of course, my apologies Signum!" Nanoha agreed; face redder than Vita's Barrier Jacket. She tore her attention away from me, (Something I noticed took her more effort than usual) and placed it (Slightly grudgingly) on Sayaka (Who was mostly just looking amused at the situation) "Sayaka; any time you're ready."
(AN: I like brackets)
Sayaka smiled neutrally before turning back to Signum.
"May I?" she asked politely, gesturing to the nasty looking gash she had been eyeing earlier.
"By all means." Was the Knight's rather awkward reply.
The young Puella Magi immediately got to work.
Shamal's eyes narrowed further and further, the closer the bluenette's hand came to Signum's body.
By the time Sayaka's hand stopped about a half inch away from the injury, the blond physician was squinting so much, that I had to wonder if she could even still see what was going on.
Her eyes (along with everyone else's) snapped back to attention when a musical scale appeared out of thin air just underneath the bluenette's hand. The scale encircled the injury and slowly began to rotate.
Suddenly a violin's rendition of Ave Maria started playing softly through the air. As I searched for the source of the music a strange sensation of melancholic calm washed over me. It was a feeling I knew well, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why it seemed so...familiar to me.
Unable to come up with anything, I ignored the nagging feeling, and watched with fascination as Signum's deep gash sealed itself and healed over completely, all without leaving any trace of a scar.
This was something that (while very powerful) Shamal's healing magic couldn't always prevent.
"Very impressive." Signum admitted as she examined her now unbroken flesh.
"But inefficient!" Shamal blurted before she could stop herself. "Healing wounds one at a time would take far too long in an emergency!" It didn't take long for the blond physician's motherly personality to realize what she had just said out of spiteful (misplaced) jealousy, and she immediately winced guiltily.
"Oh dear...That was uncalled for." She apologized sincerely. "Please forgive me."
Clearly Shamal's pride had been wounded somewhat by the young Puella Magi's skills. While the physician was in no way egotistical, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that she'd feel overshadowed by someone who could heal Signum better than she could.
After all, if there was one thing Shamal has always been proud of; it's how well she takes care of Signum, Hayate, and the other Wolkenritter. (Cooking notwithstanding.)
If Sayaka was hurt at all by Shamal's harsh words, she certainly didn't show it.
"It's alright." She assured. "I understand perfectly." with that she gave Shamal a knowing wink.
Sayaka's common sense: 1
Shamal's subtlety: 0
"'Sides." Kyouko cut in, marching up to her friend and throwing a protective arm around her. "Sayaka's just gettin' her eye in. You ain't seen nothin' yet!"
"Kyouko!" Sayaka snapped angrily, throwing the redhead a nasty look.
"What?" Kyouko replied defensively. Flashing her trademarked toothy grin at the irate bluenette, and yanking her closer. "No one talks smack about my girl when I'm around!" Shamal had the good grace to look sheepish as Kyouko continued. "Everyone oughtta know what an amazing healer you are!"
I never would have pegged Kyouko to be such an incorrigible flirt; but as I watched Sayaka's face take on an interesting hue of puce, I realized that it actually fit her personality perfectly.
"Well? What're you waiting for?" The redhead teased coyly, releasing her captive, and lightly shoving Sayaka back towards a still awaiting Signum. "Show them what I was talking about, don't make me sound like a moron for standin' up for ya!"
Sayaka stumbled forward a few steps before she managed to regain her footing. She straightened up, clenched both hands into fists, and without even turning around, hissed:
"I...am so going to kill you later." Under her breath, her voice being a few octaves higher than usual, meant that everyone heard the threat, despite the fact that she had probably only said it to put it on her mental 'to do list.'
That 'to do list' took on a whole new meaning; given how Sayaka had behaved the last time she had threatened the sassy redhead with death.
So in all likelihood, Sayaka had just promised to jump Kyouko once they were in private.
...How old were these kids again?
This fact was not lost on Kyouko either. Her usual smile took on a more flirtatious air, as she rejoined the bluenette, (who hadn't so much as moved a muscle) and leaned in close enough to whisper (still loudly enough for everyone to hear, mind you) in her ear.
"I'm looking forward to it," she purred huskily, causing Sayaka's face to go from puce to maroon, as a visible shiver ran down her spine.
"I'm serious!" She managed to choke out around Kyouko shamelessly nuzzling her ear with her nose.
I honestly couldn't believe the redhead was so...comfortable with doing this in public. Sayaka clearly wasn't comfortable with the situation in the slightest.
The again, I suppose a life on the streets wouldn't have taught Kyouko much about proper social behaviour...or modesty for that matter.
"So am I." The veteran goaded evilly, gently nipping the bluenette's earlobe for good measure. "Now get a move on, you're holdin up traffic!"
Kyouko playfully smacked Sayaka's rear end to get the poor bluenette moving this time.
With a high pitched yelp, Sayaka jumped ahead, and nearly stumbled into Signum (Who seemed to be far more patient with their flirting and blatant PDAs than she had been with mine.)
Looking utterly flustered and bewildered at what had transpired, Sayaka muttered a rushed apology, all while clearly wondering how everything had turned against her so quickly.
Kyouko on the other hand, was like the cat that got the canary. She looked entirely pleased with herself as she walked (with a slight bounce in her step) back to where the rest of the group was observing at a safe distance, her Puella Magi outfit dissolving back into her street clothes as she went.
"Show 'em whatch'er made of!" She called enthusiastically, sounding very much like a high school cheerleader.
In response, Sayaka gave a halfhearted laugh.
"What have I gotten myself into?" She seemed to ask of whatever god was up there, laughing its ass off at her misery. When no one seemed to answer her, she sighed in resignation, and focused back on Signum, giving her what was probably supposed to be an apologetic smile...
It ended up looking like a horribly distorted, pained grimace.
Signum, for her part; gave no indication that anything out of the ordinary had occurred, (Nor had the rest of us for that matter) and seemed perfectly content to silently wait patiently for Sayaka to finish her treatment. The bluenette gave her a genuine grateful smile before getting back to work.
This time around, the musical scale encircled the Knight's whole body, while smaller ones seemed to pop up wherever the more serious injuries were located.
Ave Maria played louder than ever, bringing with it that same sense of melancholic calm, that seemed to be felt by everyone now, and not just me.
It wasn't until Sayaka started humming subconsciously along to the melody with an expression that mirrored what we all felt in the very air, that I realized why this sensation was so familiar.
I often felt this way whenever I thought of how my own mother had never loved me, but despite that I had still managed to become part of a family that did.
More commonly though; this was exactly how I felt whenever I thought that Nanoha would probably never love me in return, (Something I was starting to have doubts about) but at the same time, I was just so happy to have fallen in love with her to begin with. The happiness just being in love with her gave me, was more than worth any amount of pain.
Since this was feeling was being channeled through Sayaka's magic, I could only speculate that she had experienced something similar in the past, and the rendition of Ave Maria that seemed to be coming from nowhere, probably served as an embodiment of those old feelings.
In the long run, Sayaka's healing magic, as it turned out was also impressively effective on Signum's whole body; taking a fair bit longer, but also leaving absolutely no scarring behind...Something which I was sure had Shamal inwardly seething.
Knowing that there was a little bit more than personal pride involved with the physician and her Knight, Sayaka took a little time to explain herself.
"Puella Magi are 'born' when a potential makes a wish or a contract with beings known as Incubators, all named Kyubey…or 'evil cat-like bringers of misery' as Homura-san prefers to call them."
"Tenacious little bastards!" Homura spat bitterly, her angry voice carrying all the way from the 'spectators stand.'
Sayaka nodded in agreement before going on.
"Incubators seek out young girls with potential, and then offer them miracles in exchange for their souls, and a lifetime of battle." Her statement was met with an ocean of raised eyebrows. "Now, I know what you're thinking; why would anyone wish to become a Puella Magi in the first place, right?"
I nodded silently along with everyone else. That thought had crossed my mind more than a few times.
"For starters when Kyubey tries to persuade a potential to make a contract;" She explained dryly. "He often leaves out a few key details, that should really be bolded in the fine print, but would also be a deal breaker for most young girls with a good head on their shoulders."
"Someone should have practiced what she preached." Kyouko snorted bitterly under her breath. She seemed to be referring more to Sayaka than herself.
"Chief among those details what would happen to them if their Soul Gem became too tainted." The bluenette went on, ignoring Kyouko altogether. "As you know, before the Law of the Cycle, when a Soul Gem became fully corrupted, the Puella Magi's soul would shatter, and a new witch would be born from the release of the pent up negative energy. Sadly most girls who made contracts to become Puella Magi never had a clue until it was too late."
"That's horrible!" I exclaimed. My heart had gone out to these girls the second I discovered what kind of life they were forced to live…pretty much against their will from the sounds of things. Everything more I learned about the plight of Puella Magi just made me want to make sure no other young girls would suffer the way these five already had. "Why the hell would they do something so…evil to so many?"
"The Incubators are 'emotionless' beings." Sayaka clarified, using air quotes to emphasize a clear belief that being emotionless was no real excuse. "On their planet, emotion is regarded as a mental illness. They believe that harvesting the energy from Puella Magi to combat entropy will preserve our universe from destruction-"
"Which is total garbage!" Homura loudly cut in, showing more emotion than I'd ever seen her express before. "I've done my research, and their so called 'theory' is just one great big steaming pile of sh-"
"It has some holes in it" Sayaka admitted, interrupting Homura mid rant. "Either way; they see their motives as 'righteous,' and don't really understand why we wouldn't want to sacrifice our lives for the good of the universe. Death is so trivial to them that I guess it isn't really surprising that they would see no value in any one life. They're like a hive mind of termites, and are just as hard to get rid of… Anyway; once the contract is made, the potential's wish is granted, their souls are removed from their bodies, and the potential becomes a new Puella Magi. Often times, their newly realized magic and abilities reflect the wish they made, perhaps so that we may continue to fight for the ideals they most believe in. My wish…"
Sayaka's voice wavered. She paused momentarily in an attempt to collect herself.
She flexed her left arm with that familiar look of melancholy settling about her features.
Kyouko; showing that she was far more in-tuned and considerate of Sayaka's emotions than I had originally thought; noticed from quite a distance that her blue haired friend was struggling with her emotions, and was at her side in seconds.
She rested a supportive hand on Sayaka's shoulder, giving her the strength to start again.
"My wish was a wish of healing," she resumed, voice steady as she lifted her left arm to give Kyouko's hand a grateful squeeze. "…He was someone I cared deeply for, his dream was to become a world famous violinist. One of his favourite pieces was Ave Maria."
Well that certainly explained the disembodied music that seemed to play whenever Sayaka used her magic.
"As a prodigy of the instrument," She went on. "His dream was far more likely to come true than some other prospective musicians…at least until the accident. He lost all use of his left hand, and was told that nothing short of a miracle could ever help him play again. He was devastated… and so was I."
Kyouko grimaced at the admission, almost as if it hurt her more to hear this story than it did for Sayaka to tell it…Unaware of her friend's own inner struggle, Sayaka took a deep breath and continued.
"At the time, I wanted nothing more than to help make his dream come true, so I would visit him in the hospital everyday. I used to bring him classical music CD's to give him hope of eventually recovering," She recalled wryly. "But of course, what I was really doing was continuously reminding him of what he was no longer capable of…when I think back on it, I realize what an idiot I was."
"You meant well Sayaka." Kyouko reminded her defensively, clearly refusing to let Sayaka think badly of herself in any way shape or form. "He was too busy wallowing in self pity to see that."
Refusing to turn and face her friend, the young Puella Magi laughed bitterly.
"You forget Kyouko," The bluenette reminded voice hollow with guilt, "I was exactly the same way towards you, and your well-meaning. I mean, you were trying to save my life, and I couldn't have been bothered to give you the time of day!"
"Be that as it may," The redhead acknowledged neutrally. "Your Soul Gem was already too tainted with despair for me to blame you for that. So, what was his excuse?"
Sayaka sighed heavily in defeat, knowing she wouldn't be getting very far with Kyouko's stubborn bias refusing to let her take all of the blame.
"I was still blind to the consequences of my actions," She pointed out insistently. "Especially when I decided that I wanted to be the miracle that could help him play again."
That shoved a potato in Kyouko's tailpipe.
"I didn't care what it took; no price was too great." Sayaka exclaimed, on a roll now. "I was even willing to sacrifice my own soul for him, and so that is precisely what I did. I vowed that I would become a knight of justice and keep the city safe for him, even if he never loved me the same way… I thought I would be happy just knowing that he would be able to make his dreams come true, but…"
"It's okay Sayaka." The redheaded veteran assured, casting her own pain to the side when the bluenette ran into another emotional blockade. "You don't have to say anything more, I know how hard it is for you."
Sayaka picked up on the slight tremor in Kyouko's voice, and immediately turned around to face her red-haired friend (A term I use loosely.)
Kyouko's expression through all this had been 'complicated' to say the least. After all, it was fairly obvious that Sayaka was talking about her first love. Regardless of her own pain over the subject, she was doing all she could to remain the pillar or support and comfort that the bluenette needed.
To me, this alone spoke volumes about the veteran's true personality, as well as (even at such a young age) just how much she loved the blue-eyed Puella Magi in her arms.
With her position slightly behind Sayaka, she hadn't really bothered to school her features at all, and her distress was clearly visible in her expression. As soon as the bluenette caught sight of the veteran's face, (which she couldn't hide in time.) guilt rushed over her like a flood, and she immediately went into another self-bashing rant.
"Oh my god, I am so sorry Kyouko!" She exclaimed, looking and sounding like she felt genuinely awful for ignoring the redhead's feelings. "I know how much this subject bothers you, so what do I do?"
"Sayaka…"
"Spend a good ten minutes bemoaning how I would have done anything for some other guy and expect you to comfort me!"
"Sayaka!"
"I even got vindictive when you tried to make me feel better about myself!"
"Sayaka!"
"I don't even care about him anymore, so why am I such an emotionally insensitive clod? I mean-!"
"SAYAKA!"
Unable to take any more, Kyouko whirled Sayaka around and cut off any further self-depreciation with a gentle finger to the bluenette's lips.
"Now, that's quite enough." She said sternly with a strangely formal and parental tone of voice. "First of all: you know that isn't true: That…guy will always hold a special place in your heart. And so long as the place that I hold in your heart is bigger, and continues to grow over time…I can learn to share."
Sayaka seemed unable to say anything, as she was totally lost in the intense sincerity of Kyouko's fiery gaze.
"Second:" The veteran continued, removing her finger from the bluenette's lips and placing her hand on the other girl's shoulder. "What that guy ended up doing to you was horrible, and the only thing keeping me from flaying him alive is the fact that I know that you wouldn't like that very much…and I'd be a pretty lousy girlfriend if I ended up getting thrown in jail for the rest of my life."
Sayaka's breath visibly caught in her throat and she opened her mouth to reply, only to be cut off again by Kyouko tapping her affectionately on the nose.
"Third:" she pressed on, finally pulling the bluenette into a tight hug that seemed long overdue. "All of that is in the past. You're not who you used to be; you're a stronger and better person now, so don't you ever forget that."
Silence settled over the young couple for a few moments before Sayaka heaved a contented sigh, and wrapped her own arms around the veteran, returning the hug in earnest.
"You're right." She agreed softly, nuzzling her head under the redhead's chin. "Now I have you."
A smile of pure love and adoration spread across Kyouko's face as she murmured a hushed "Always." Before placing a gentle kiss in the sea of blue hair.
It was very faint, but I could swear I heard something to the effect of: "Now, why can't Natsuki treat me like that?" coming from a certain chestnut haired Kyoto woman back in the spectator's group. When I turned back to check on the rest of the class; Shizuru was looking as innocent as a lamb, but the fact that Natsuki's face was once again that special shade of purple (that I shall henceforth refer to as: 'Kyohime') suggested that I hadn't just been hearing things.
In fact… Just about everyone else in the group (save for Nao…who just looked pissed off at the company she had chosen to surround herself with) seemed to be equal parts charmed by the scene, and envious that it wasn't happening to them. I don't mind admitting that I was feeling the exact same way, the intimacy and sweet talk that these two had been sharing for the past little while was something I could only dream about one day doing with Nanoha…literally if this morning's dream was anything to go by.
After an extended and awkward pause, a loud cough from the White Devil herself brought everyone's attention to her.
"I'm glad you're feeling better Sayaka-san." She said airily, her voice suggesting that this new class seemed to suffer from the worst case of 'group ADD' of any other class she had ever taught. (AN: This is probably because I'm the one writing this story, and for that I apologize.) "But was there a point to that story?"
"Oh, right!" The bluenette exclaimed sheepishly, lifting her head away from its position over Kyouko's heart. "Basically, my wish was powerful enough to completely heal an arm that was never supposed to function again, and as a result my newly gained healing abilities were capable of much the same thing, which is more or less why it's so effective."
"I see…" Nanoha said thoughtfully, in a tone of voice that suggested that a lot of time would have been saved if the bluenette had just said that in the first place. (AN: Totally my fault) Rather than voice that opinion, she took to regarding the still embracing couple expectantly.
When neither of them made a move to separate…or do anything except hold each other tightly, staring deeply into the other's eyes, Nanoha rolled her eyes in bemusement.
"Don't you think it's time we moved on to a demonstration of your skills in battle?" She reminded 'gently.'
In the blink of an ocean blue eye; the fact that she had, had an audience this whole time finally caught up with her, and she practically shoved Kyouko away from her, as if the redhead had mortally offended her in some way…which of course, was the exact opposite of the truth.
"Yes ma'am!" She agreed far louder than was strictly necessary. "I would be happy to!"
Kyouko looked a little hurt after being so forcefully ejected from Sayaka's embrace, but she quickly consoled herself by producing yet another box of Pocky (seemingly out of thin air) and shoving one of the chocolate covered treats into her mouth.
Sayaka forced herself to ignore her pouting friend for the time being, as she summoned another sword out of thin air.
Signum's eyes flashed in surprise upon seeing the weapon, and it took me a moment to remember that the Guardian Knight had been a little preoccupied when Sayaka had first called upon her weapon to try and bring down Kyouko's barrier. So I guess it wasn't overly surprising that she was now eyeing the bluenette like a predator about to pounce on it's prey.
…Or more like a teacher sizing up a perspective pupil.
Ever since she had helped Zafira out in training Miura as his apprentice, I had a feeling that she longed to find one of her own. Someone she could pass her teachings on to, so that her fighting style and ideals as the leader of the Wolkenritter would live on long after she was gone. It was something that all four of the Guardian Knights had become very interested in since learning that they were no longer immortal.
She had previously agreed to spar with Erio a few times, and of course had given a few pointers to Miura every now and then; but she had yet to fully take anyone under her wing. Until now, that a fledgling warrior, (and a swordswoman at that,) was standing right before her.
Sayaka may have already had Kyouko to teach her, but I had a feeling that fact wasn't going to deter Signum one bit, and as the bluenette looked the four of us over to choose her opponent; the normally stoic woman was just barely keeping herself from raising her hand, shouting "Oh! Oh! Pick me! Pick me!" while jumping up and down like a kid who really, really wanted to answer a question in class with an enthusiasm that most teachers could only dream of…which was ironic, considering how Signum wanted to be the one doing the teaching.
Instead, when it became obvious that Sayaka was intentionally ignoring how she was practically vibrating with excitement, Signum stepped forward.
"I would like to volunteer to be your opponent." She offered in a tone of voice that almost forbade refusal.
"Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that after what Kyouko did to you!" Sayaka exclaimed quickly, waving her hands in front of her face.
It was certainly nice of her to take the Guardian's recent injuries into account, however; Nanoha, Vita and I already knew that Signum would not be taking no for an answer.
So with that in mind, we all turned around to rejoin the 'spectators' group, leaving a slightly confused bluenette and her girlfriend behind.
"Thanks to you, I'm good as new." Signum pointed out, and I heard her sliding Levantine out of his sheath presumably before leveling it at the bluenette in a clear challenge. "Besides; I insist."
Sayaka sighed, I got the feeling that she knew that there was no way she could turn down a challenge from someone who was obviously stubborn as a mule when it came to 'traditional' warrior conduct.
"Very well." She relented, just as we reached the rest of the class. "But I'll warn you, I learned from the best." I turned around to watch just in time to catch Sayaka turn and wink flirtatiously at Kyouko. The redheaded veteran flushed slightly at the gesture.
It would seem that the sassy Puella Magi was far more comfortable to be the one flirting than being the one flirted with. Despite this, she recovered quickly, and returned the gesture by once again giving the unsuspecting bluenette a playful smack on the rump.
"Go get 'er tiger!" She declared, flashing her distinct toothy grin when Sayaka gave a high-pitched squeak in surprise.
"I really am going to have to kill you later." The younger girl muttered under her breath, as she got herself into a battle-ready stance, face blazing as red as her tormentor's hair. This was obviously supposed to be Kyouko's cue to leave, but…
"Looking forward to it." The redhead repeated huskily, leaning down so she could plant a kiss on the bluenette's temple, and run a teasing finger down the poor girl's spine.
…It seemed the older girl wanted to make sure that she was the one to get the last laugh before taking her leave; This girl was rapidly morphing into one of the most shameless flirts I have ever met, and I was friends with Verossa! Then again…Shizuru was already pretty bad, and I was certain that I hadn't even come close to seeing the tip of the iceberg when it came to how the chestnut haired woman could flirt when she really got going.
To her credit; Sayaka was doing an excellent job of keeping her composure and pretending that the mischievous redhead that was her new girlfriend hadn't just done everything in her power to make her want to damn their audience and take her right then and now.
"Well then." Sayaka began, her voice surprisingly steady, as she locked eyes with her opponent. "Shall we?"
Signum flashed a genuinely eager smile.
"You first."
With the pre-duel banter out of the way, the air was soon full of the sharp sound of blade meeting blade, as both fighters wasted no time before beginning a dance that was as old as the weapon itself.
From what I could gather from everything I had learned about this group; Sayaka was the least experienced of the quintet.
The only one who had been a Puella Magi for a shorter period of time was Madoka, but then again… the pinkette was apparently in a category all her own.
Despite this, I was surprised to see that Sayaka was remarkably well trained and battle hardened, and was fully capable of holding her own against a warrior as experienced as Signum.
I had initially chalked this up to the nature of the Puella Magi's magic; but an off handed comment from Madoka about how much she had improved, followed by Homura agreeing that Sayaka had once been exceptionally reckless and even a little clumsy in battle led me to believe that her impressive skill level was just as much a result of personal growth and training as it was her magic.
I guess the bluenette hadn't merely been posturing when she said that she had 'learned from the best.'
'The best' in question was watching Sayaka's every move; looking proud as punch at the results of what had most likely been a long and grueling training regimen.
In fact all these girls seemed to be unquestionably skilled in battle thus far. Disregarding any raw talent, and lacking any formal military training, they had all far exceeded my expectations of what someone without an intelligent device was capable of.
As always; Signum was just as graceful as she was relentless, but Sayaka was proving to be no slouch herself; meeting each of the Guardian Knight's strikes with one of her own, parrying the blows with excellent form, her footwork showing only the slightest hint of clumsiness and inexperience.
Signum seemed to notice this, and to my surprise, seemed to let up a little bit. Perhaps she was trying to match Sayaka's skill level, but it was still unprecedented for Signum to go easy on anyone, including me. I knew for a fact that she fought me with everything she had at a point when she was twice my age! So what on earth was she doing now?
Sayaka also seemed to notice a difference in how Signum was fighting now, compared to how she had been fighting Kyouko.
"You really shouldn't be going easy on me." She pointed out as she parried an obviously restrained strike. "After all," a quick retaliation slash at the Guardian's ankles forced Signum to back off a bit. "Puella Magi are full of surprises!"
With that, Sayaka grabbed her cape with her sword hand, wrapped it around her body like a shield and spun into a pirouette. There wasn't really much Signum could do to prevent the bluenette from doing this, seeing how the whirling sword blade made coming within a few feet of its wielder quite dangerous.
So she resigned herself to holding her ground, waiting to see what the young Puella Magi had in store for her; all while looking rather baffled at the unorthodox maneuver she was using to pull it off.
The cape seemed to billow out to conceal her entire body, as she started spinning much more quickly than any human could have on only their own momentum. (This was starting to remind me a little too much of a certain earthen cartoon character that was known for his spinning around as a tornado of flailing limbs and teeth, consuming everything in his path... come to think of it; that is exactly what you'd get if you fused Sayaka's powers with Kyouko's appetite.)
The cape was flung off with flourish as she stopped spinning like a top, and came back around to face her (understandably confused) opponent, a second sword now clenched in her previously empty hand.
Rather than give Signum any time to recover from her confusion, the bluenette lunged at her with a whole new level of ferocity that almost matched Kyouko's brand of relentlessness. Not only that, but the slightly clumsy footwork disappeared entirely, resulting in an almost immediate turn of the table as Signum was immediately put on the offensive.
Signum wasn't the leader of the Wolkenritter for nothing however, and was only momentarily caught off guard by the sudden increase in skill, before getting a delighted smile on her face and finally meeting Sayaka with her own true strength.
"Now that's more like it!" Sayaka grunted after deflecting a particularly difficult strike. "How am I supposed to get better if my opponent is better than I am, but decides to hold back on me?"
"Thank you for setting me straight." Signum replied jovially, blocking one sword and ducking under the other. "I apologize for doubting your capabilities. Your form and footwork are far stronger with dual swords. But you're right; I wouldn't be teaching you anything if I went easy on you now would I?"
As if to acknowledge this as a fact, the Guardian Knight skillfully managed to forcefully disarm the bluenette of one of her weapons and giving herself the upper hand…for all of about two seconds.
Rather than bother making an attempt to retrieve the sword that had landed about twenty feet off to Signum's left; Sayaka merely produced another one out of thin air, and kept fighting as if nothing had happened, striking mercilessly with unbelievable speed.
I was probably much faster than the bluenette when it came to movement on the ground or in the air, but when it came to the speed at which we could wield our weapons without the use of any spells; this girl could leave me coughing in the dust… that the insane speed of her swords had blown in my face.
Signum was starting to loose ground as she worked at staving off double the blows, and at a speed that she was having trouble keeping up with without utilizing any cartridges, or magical enhancement. (Which were currently forbidden for us to use on the new recruits)
Of course, Signum being Signum; refused to allow her opponent to see any sign that she knew she was at a disadvantage and decided to make small talk instead.
"I'm impressed." She said honestly after a slash that she had failed to block in time trimmed about a half inch off her bangs, and came dangerously close to nearly chopping off her nose. "Dual swords are much more difficult to master." A hasty duck saw the tip of her ponytail meeting the same fate as her bangs. "You must have had to train rigorously."
Sayaka smirked at the compliment, but still wasn't caught off guard when Signum decided to use the flattery as a distraction so she could strike at the shorter girl's head.
Instead a loud clang split the air, as the Puella Magi slightly bent her knees to absorb the impact and deftly caught Levantine between her crossed blades.
"Using two swords was the only way I could ever come close to beating Kyouko." Sayaka explained through teeth gritted with the effort of keeping Levantine in place. "So I just started fighting regularly with both."
Using her bent knees like a spring, she gathered all her strength and heaved, throwing Signum off balance. Before the staggered Knight could regain her footing, Sayaka jumped back and launched the sword in her right hand directly at her opponent. The thrown weapon flew abnormally straight and balanced, almost like an arrow shot from a bow. Fortunately, Signum just barely managed to twist out of the way, and the blade whizzed harmlessly by her right shoulder.
Unfortunately the evasive maneuver had caused the stoic warrior to lose her balance completely, and she stumbled to her knees.
Sayaka was on her in less than a second.
Summoning yet another sword, the Puella Magi charged her fallen adversary, aiming several low sweeps at Signum's legs. Still on the defensive, the pink haired Knight barely avoided each strike and jumping out of the way. Eventually the bluenette had pushed her opponent back so far that she was forced to take to the air to avoid getting hit.
Signum hovered just out of range of Sayaka's sword, panting slightly and keeping an eye on the bluenette's movements, just in case she decided to chuck one of those blades in her direction. It had been quite some time since anyone had been able to tire the Knight out even a little bit in a duel.
"Excellent!" Signum proclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement. "I haven't had this much fun in a duel in ages!"
"I try." Sayaka said, giving an exaggerated curtsey. A very rare laugh erupted from Signum's throat at the gesture.
"Unfortunately for you," She continued as she hovered over her opponent's head. "I now have the high ground! Your weapons may be long range, but only in a straight line, mine however; is not."
'Schlangeform!'
With a flick of the wrist, she brought Levantine's segmented blade down towards Sayaka's head, testing to see how the bluenette would react to such a situation.
The Puella Magi nimbly jumped out of the way, Levantine carving a sizable gouge where the bluenette had been no more than a second ago.
After landing a few feet away from where she had started, Sayaka immediately leapt high into the air, a bright blue musical staff appeared out of nowhere a few feet below her once she reached the apex of her jump. The top line of the staff that she landed on, looked to be no thicker than it would, had it been drawn on a piece of paper. Never the less, the young Puella Magi managed to stand on it; perfectly balanced!
The musical notes seemed to write themselves into what was probably a song of some sort (I couldn't read music very well, something Arisa and Suzuka often used to poke fun at me about how I was top of our class in everything else, but I still didn't know my treble clefs from my C sharps) as the staff lengthened, carrying the bluenette over to Signum and back into the fray.
"That's a new trick." Homura remarked casually.
I guess Puella Magi were full of surprises, even to other Puella Magi.
"Hey! That's kind of like my Wing Road!" Subaru pointed out, yanking the sleeve of Teana's Enforcer uniform in her excitement. Her lifelong friend merely rolled her eyes affectionately as she nodded her agreement.
Back up in the air; the blue haired girl had come to a sudden stop, about ten feet away from reentering the duel. All at once her posture relaxed, and a satisfied smirk crossed her features.
"What?" Signum demanded, confusion clouding her features as Sayaka buried the tip of one of her swords into her…musical Wing Road.
"I win." She replied proudly, using the tip of the other sword to point at the Guardian Knight's right shoulder. "You're bleeding."
Since the battle was over, Nanoha caught Homura's gaze. The dark haired girl nodded and the two started making their way over to relieve Sayaka as well as congratulate her on a job well done. I decided to tag along because…reasons...beautiful brunette reasons. Or maybe it was just in case I was selected as Homura's opponent, seeing as Vita also separated herself from the crowd…More likely though, it was because I tended to follow Nanoha like a lost puppy.
We had barely gone more than a few steps when a red blur blew past us, running as fast as she could. She was probably in a rush to offer her own…unique form of 'felicitations' to her blue haired girlfriend. Once the dust kicked up by her haste had cleared, Homura acted as stone faced as usual, but I could swear that I caught the corners twitch upwards for a fraction of a second. I rolled my eyes in amusement, a slight chuckle indicated that Nanoha agreed: Kyouko and Homura were both quite the characters.
Back on the battlefield, Signum had just managed to locate where Sayaka had managed to land a hit on her.
"What the-!" she exclaimed grasping at the aforementioned shoulder with her other hand, only to pull it away bloody. "When the heck did this happen?" Sure enough, blood was starting to soak through a cut in her Barrier Jacket that hadn't been there before.
Knowing what the cut meant; Signum dejectedly started lowering herself to the ground, clearly upset that the battle had ended so soon.
"If I had to guess?" Sayaka said with a shrug, yanking the other blade out of her unusual platform, and jumping back down to earth. Her back was to the spectator's stand, so she was totally unaware of the 'bluenette-seeking missile' that was homing in on her person. "Probably when you were twisting out of the way of the sword I threw at you. I suppose it just took a while to show up…but didn't you feel anything?"
"No." Signum replied, still sounding a little surprised, and very disappointed. "Not a thing…I guess I was having too much fun."
The bluenette smiled gratefully.
"I'm glad that you enjoyed yourself." She said honestly. "Now I can only hope that I was able to meet your expect-"
"SAAAAAYAAAKAAA!" was the only warning the bluenette got before she was bowled over by the overly enthusiastic veteran with all the force of a freight train. The young Puella Magi was on her butt with a fiery redhead all over her before she even knew what was happening.
"Kyouko?" A red-faced Sayaka sputtered over the embarrassment of said redhead nuzzling into her like an affection-starved cat. "What the-...Hey! That tick-! Knock it-"
After another full minute of half formed sentences from her victim, Kyouko abruptly stopped teasing her.
Nanoha, Vita, Homura and I arrived on the scene just as fiery red eyes met watery blue ones as the redhead sat up until she was essentially straddling Sayaka's waist. This was made all the more embarrassing for the bluenette, as all that tickling and borderline torture had left her rather winded and panting.
If one were to walk in to see them like that without any context… One would probably assume that they had interrupted something extremely private, and would likely vacate the premises immediately all while wishing that it was possible to bleach one's brain without causing excruciating pain and death.
If you managed to walk in on this with the proper context (as we had)… you'd basically assume that the redhead had a death wish.
This assumption was made all the more likely when Kyouko congratulated her with a simple and nonchalant:
"Nice job."
-Only to flash Sayaka her usual toothy grin in a clear sign of triumph. (Something I had a feeling could really get under Sayaka's skin if used in a situation much like this)
If the amount of sheer venom held in the bluenette's eyes could kill, then the redheaded veteran would have been smited where she stood… several times over. The death glare she was aiming at her girlfriend was exceeded only by the homicidal blood lust contained in her voice.
"Get. Off." She practically snarled with all the ferocity of a rabid badger.
Any sane person would have vacated the girl's lap the second she leveled that glare at them, but…
"Aw c'mon!" Kyouko goaded cheekily, using two fingers to flirtatiously walk all the way up Sayaka's arm to tickle her sensitive neck "You know you love it!"
…Apparently Kyouko was anything but sane.
Sayaka's left eye twitched.
I could practically feel the doom looming in the air as the young Puella Magi's face clouded. Her mentor seemed remarkably non-pulsed considering she was potentially risking sleeping on the couch for the rest of her love life with Sayaka.
Since she hadn't gotten the desired response from her last tease, she (for whatever reason) decided to up the ante; reaching behind her girlfriend and goosing her.
That did it.
"KYOUKO YOU MORON!"
TWACK!
The redhead soon found herself lying prone on the ground with a giant lump on her head. Her girlfriend was on her feet standing over her; posture stiff, and arms crossed in anger. She spared her downed friend a single cursory glance before turning her nose up at her in a dismissive 'Hmph!'
I was actually quite surprised that she had gotten away with just a lump on her head after all that.
"Sayakaaaa!" Kyouko whined as she picked herself up from the ground. "C'mon! You didn't have to hit me!"
"Oooh, yes I did." Sayaka replied, looking over her left shoulder at the current bane of her existence. (Also known as her girlfriend) Her voice was sounding slightly manic and deranged, a sentiment reflected in her frenzied eyes. "Haven't you ever heard of subtlety? Or I dunno… something called restraint?!"
Kyouko met that question with a raised eyebrow and a disbelieving expression that suggested that the bluenette already knew the answer damn well, and should have known better than to ask.
"Okay… just because you don't know what those words mean," Sayaka growled angrily, her patience thinning faster than Yuuno could strike out with a girl. (AN: Sorry to all Yuuno fans) "Doesn't give you the right to constantly make me want to tear your clothes off and ravage you in public, and before we've even had our first date! Got it?"
The redhead blinked in confusion a few times absorbing the bluenette's words, before an extremely cheeky sly smile slithered it's way onto her face.
"So you do love it when I tease you!"
Sayaka's right eye twitched.
"Honestly." Homura commented, shaking her head in exasperation as Kyouko sat cross-legged on the ground, cradling her now twice-abused head. Sayaka was standing off to the side, back to her girlfriend, in an attempt to give her a shoulder cold enough to freeze her solid. "Even an idiot such as yourself should know there is a time and a place for such salacious behaviour. And oddly enough; it is not in the middle of an intergalactic military training ground, occupied by forty other people."
"Oh, stuff the lectures mom." Kyouko groused through teeth clenched in pain. "Besides, you're just jealous!"
Homura barely batted an eyelash.
"I beg your pardon?" She replied, her voice was as monotonous and neutral as ever, but I could somehow tell there was venom in her words now.
Kyouko had struck a nerve…something she seemed fond of doing at the most inopportune moments.
"You know damn well that you'd be just as bad, if not worse!" The veteran accused petulantly, getting to her feet and shoving her finger in the raven-haired girl's face for emphasis. "That is, if you ever manage to grow a pair and confess to M-"
I must have blinked, or blacked out, or…something. Because the next thing I knew; Kyouko had a strip of masking tape covering her mouth, and a sour expression on her face.
When the hell had that happened? ...Did I just suffer a stroke for a few minutes without anyone noticing? Looking between Signum, Vita, and Nanoha told me that they were just as confused as I was, which meant that a stroke was (thankfully) unlikely.
The redhead immediately ripped the tape from her lips, the sound of adhesive separating from flesh reverberating through the air. (Along with Kyouko's subsequent curse of pain.)
"Oh very funny." She snapped at Homura, massaging the stinging pain out of her mouth. I wasn't exactly sure why she was accusing the aloof Puella Magi for her currently puckered lips. "It's pretty friggin' obvious, so why don't you just come out and say that you're head-over-heels in love with M-"
I must have randomly checked-out again, because the next second Kyouko found herself with another strip of tape covering her mouth.
I shook my head in a vain attempt to clear it: When exactly did this keep happening?
As an Enforcer, I prided myself in having excellent attention to detail, but somehow, someone kept slipping right under my radar and assaulting one of my charges while I was supervising her!
It just didn't seem possible.
This time, I noticed that it was duct tape that was keeping the redhead's mouth shut. I couldn't help but wince; that one was gonna hurt on the removal...a lot.
Kyouko was currently in the process of letting loose a string of muffled shouts, ninety percent of which was probably profanity, and backing them up with some 'if looks could kill' style glaring at Homura.
I still didn't really understand why…I mean, it's not like the raven-haired girl could have done it… For one thing, she didn't seem to have the slightest hint of a sense of humour…
…For another, it was physically impossible.
After realizing that swearing into what was essentially a silver censor bar wasn't going to get rid of it anytime soon, Kyouko gingerly picked a corner free in order to get a decent grip on the adhesive nuisance.
The redhead took a steadying breath before ruthlessly yanking the strip of tape off her mouth in one quick motion.
"YEOWCH!" Kyouko yowled as soon as her pain sensors caught up with her brain. "JESUS H-CHRIST THAT HURT!"
"Wimp." Sayaka snorted dismissively, still far from showing any sympathy for her girlfriend. "You're a Puella Magi for god's sake! Your Soul Gem should have dulled the pain, so you shouldn't have felt much of anything!"
"That's only severe and dismembering pain, and you know it!" Kyouko shot back, rounding on her girlfriend. Instead of looking at all intimidating she looked quite comical with a large red mark across her mouth in the exact shape of the strip of duct tape.
The withering look Sayaka shot her at her rebuttal, gave the impression that she'd be moving from the doghouse to six feet under if she kept arguing. "B-Besides!" she continued, shifting gears as soon as she finally felt the full force of the bluenette's anger with that single glance. "It's not my fault that Homura's so ridiculously obvious with her feelings for…"
The redhead trailed off as she received a warning look from the raven-haired Puella Magi that was so frightening it would have made a grown man piss himself.
(She really just lowered her eyebrows at the redhead about fraction of an inch, but coming from the stone-faced Homura, such a small gesture held enough homicidal intent to make anyone's blood run cold.)
To her credit, Kyouko didn't wet herself, or run screaming in the opposite direction. Instead she did the first smart thing I'd seen her do in quite some time.
"Alright fine!" She relented, showing that she did have some understanding of when to back down from a fight, although she clearly refused to be happy about it. "I'll keep my yap shut! So would you hurry it up and get on with your damned demonstration already!"
"Technically speaking," Homura corrected, flashing Kyouko the slightest hint of a triumphant smile. "I've already begun, have I not? Oh, and speaking of which;" she added airily, flipping her long black hair back in the most aloof way possible. "Your lips are swollen."
"…Bite me."
"At any rate." Homura began, dismissing Kyouko's retort all together, transforming into her Puella Magi garb with a flash of brilliant purple light. Her usual monotone voice carried just the slightest hint of confidence. "Shall we get started?"
AN: And there we have it! I am not a hundred percent satisfied with it, but thanks to those technical difficulties, it's the best I could do after loosing two days of work...twice.
You know when you loose all your progress on a video game that you've been doing really well in?
You know that feeling of resentment you get when you figure out you have to do everything all over again?
You know how you feel that whatever you're doing the second time around can never be as good as it was the first time?
...Yeah, that about sums up the second half of this mini-chapter.
Regardless, as I said before; I already have the last parts of this chapter written, and as of now I have a lot of time on my hands. So updating shouldn't take too long. I hope you are all still enjoying this. and see you in Part 4!