Wow, apologies for how incredibly large of a gap there was between updates. Hopefully I have a good excuse though, first there were finals, and then right when I was able to sit down and make some real progress on this chapter, my computer decided to crash, which was fun. I lost most of the chapter as a result, but eventually we got here (albeit extremely off-schedule)! Also, someone brought to my attention that the switching POVs can be a little hard to follow, so from now on, I'll be starting each new one with the name of the character it's being told from. Let me know if that helps!
Chapter 10: Disturbance
Sayaka
If there was one nice thing about having parents whose jobs could keep them working past midnight, it was that Sayaka had nobody interrogating her about why she was going out at 10 PM when she had school tomorrow. Two notes were attached to the fridge; the blue-haired girl didn't have to read them to know they both contained apologies for having to pull more all-nighters.
Exiting the building into the cool spring night, she gave a deep inhale. Looking down at her hand, her eyes landed on the silver ring encircling her finger. Is my soul really this small? As she walked, she held her hand up, examining it in the moonlight.
She had never really given the idea of having a soul much thought before. Nobody in her family was particularly religious, and it wasn't like it was a topic they casually discussed over dinner (on the rare instances where they could have family dinners). So why did she feel so violated?
Quickening her pace, she changed directions towards the train station. At this time of night, trains were faster, and there was no bus driver looking at you with a mixture of pity and contempt when you got on board. Reaching the ticketing area, she swiped her train card at the machines for the blue line. Luckily for her, one was pulling up to the platform just as she stepped through the gate.
As the train slowed to a halt, Sayaka could have sworn she heard a faint crunching noise. Looking to her left, she narrowed her eyes. Nothing. Yet she still couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched. Shrugging, she boarded the train and took a seat near the doors.
Just as she had hoped, the car was nearly empty. Her only companions were a man talking on his cell phone, and a young woman in nurse's scrubs likely coming home from work. Neither paid any attention to Sayaka when she boarded, which she hoped to keep that way.
She was painfully aware of the fact that it was already almost ten minutes since she had answered Madoka's phone call. If her friend's father and brother really had been caught up in a witch's labyrinth, the odds that they were still alive (or another magical girl had come to save them) grew slimmer every second. I need to be more careful with this one. I almost got Mami-san killed today because of my recklessness. She shivered, still remembering vividly every row of teeth inside the witch's gaping mouth.
The man on his phone was talking annoyingly loud. From what Sayaka could gather, he was telling his friend about some new girlfriend he had hooked up with. "Yeah, I met her at a bar the other night. Wasn't much for talking, if you know what I mean. She has a great ass, so I wasn't gonna complain-" Sayaka rolled her eyes and put in her earbuds. For her, the rest of the ride was spent listening to Beethoven's 7th.
By the time the train finally reached the neighborhood Madoka had specified, Sayaka was painfully aware of how much time had passed. Summoning her Soul Gem, she recalled a tactic for detecting witches Mami had mentioned. "It is possible to scan a large area for witches if you need to save time, but it uses a lot more magic, so I wouldn't recommend it unless you absolutely must." Sorry, Mami-san, but this is one of those times, Sayaka grimaced. Okay, focus.
Narrowing her eyes, she held her Soul Gem out in front of her and focused directly on its faint glow. I need to find a witch somewhere in this area. An almost invisible pulse of light flew out from the gem, before narrowing into a wispy line pointing her straight ahead. Gulping, Sayaka swayed as the effort of using the magic hit her. No, you have to stay strong. This is proof that at the very least, people are at risk.
She followed the trail cautiously, not wanting to do something that might upset the path. After walking another two blocks, it abruptly stopped outside a clothing store, shuttered up for the night. Swiping her Soul Gem through the air, Sayaka's suspicions were confirmed, and a floating silver circle surrounded by golden wisps of light appeared in front of her. Here goes. Transforming, she called up a sword to appear in her hand and jumped into the labyrinth.
She had been wise to arm herself outside, because the first familiar jumped on her almost immediately with an ear-splitting screech. She blindly slashed her sword in front of her, and something black exploded into her face. Immediately, her eyes began to water, and she collapsed on the ground, coughing. She rubbed at her eyes, and looked down at her gloves to reveal... fur?
Sayaka glanced back to where the familiar she had killed was laying. Although it shared the typical stylizing of all witch labyrinths, the basic shape was unmistakable - a black cat. The blue-haired magical girl looked around, now registering the constant, high-pitched background noise of the labyrinth, like fifty cats all yowling at once. A cat witch. You have to be kidding me. Sayaka herself didn't mind cats, but her allergies felt otherwise.
Stop, you can't think like that. It's your job to take out this witch. Standing up, she covered her nose and mouth with her left hand, slicing at familiars with her right. After several yards, the path split into a three-way fork: the one to the left was orange, the one in the center green, and the one to the right was purple. Knowing she didn't have much time, Sayaka thought, Well, green is good, right? Racing down the middle path, familiars seemed to swarm around her, helping her believe this was indeed the right path. She charged forward blindly for what seemed like forever, losing count of how many familiars she cut down. There's just too many! A black wall was closing in around her. Desperate, she called up a burst of magic from her Soul Gem, and dozens of swords exploded out from where she was standing. The sudden clearness, and wave of fatigue from the attack, caught her off guard - but up ahead, there was the door to the witch's room!
The blue magical girl sprinted towards it, free hand outstretched. She had almost reached it when she heard someone cry out. She froze, whipping her head to her right. A car? And behind the windshield, an extremely torn up Mr. Kaname was hitting familiars away from the window with what looked like a rolled-up newspaper. She glanced back towards the door to the witch's room, but shook her head. Madoka's dad comes first.
Resting her hand on her last sword, she paused for a moment, breathing in, before dashing forward and swinging the blade in a wide, glowing blue arc. The familiars around the car were either destroyed or scattered instantly. "Excuse me, Mr. Kana - sir! Do you need help getting out of here?"
Madoka's father definitely looked worse for wear. His face was covered in dozens of scratches, his glasses only had one functioning lens, and the hand that wasn't batting away familiars was resting on his lap at an odd angle. He gaped at her for a moment, then seemed to remember where he was. "Yes, please! Do you know where we are?"
"That doesn't matter right now, getting you out is what's important," Sayaka said. "I've bought us some time, so can you hold still for a couple more minutes while I do what I have to do? Roll up your window and try not to let them see you, okay?" They're cats, can they smell him, or am I overthinking this? Ugh, I don't have time right now!
Fortunately, Mr. Kaname seemed to be willing to follow her instructions without asking questions. "Please hurry!" he cried. "I'll be fine, but my son - he's young, he can't handle this for much longer!" Crap, I forgot that Tatsuya is in there too!
"Don't worry, sir, I won't be long!" she declared. Tuning around she spotted the door to the witch's room, summoned up more swords, and jumped through it without a moment's hesitation. Steadying both hands on the grip of the cutlass closest to her, she took a deep breath. I just have to beat this one a little quicker than Mami would. I just have to - And the witch was upon her.
Rei
"You know, Rei-chan, you were kind of ruder than you had to be back there," Minako remarked as they stood outside the hotel. "I'm just saying, seeing as those girls now a lot more about our... current situation than we do, it's probably not a good idea to drive a wedge between us."
"Well, I'm sorry!" Rei snapped. "Or are you forgetting how they humiliated us last night? Unlike you, I can't just forgive and forget so easily!"
Minako stepped back, hurt evident in her blue eyes. "Well," she breathed. "Since you seem to need some more time to work this out, I'll just let you cool off by yourself." Whirling around, she stormed into the lobby as Rei reached towards her.
"Minako, I'm sorry! I didn't mean-" She withdrew her hand. Nice one, Rei. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the street. The sun had set quickly, and streetlights were already illuminated up and down the sidewalks. She's right, I need some time to clear my head.
Turning right, the raven-haired girl began to walk back towards the train station they had come from. The night breeze cut right through her thin clothes, and she was glad she had thought to bring along a jacket. As the doors to the train station smoothly slid open, Rei was grateful for the artificial temperature within. It may be spring break, but I guess the nights can still get chilly here.
Settling down on the nearest seat, she rested her hands on her knees and slowly let her tense muscles relax. Her own words and Minako's raced through her head, between flashes of the battle atop the concert hall with the scarlet-coated girl. Rei could still remember what the girl's presence had felt like... no. She wasn't just imagining it, the same phantom charge was running through the air! Digging her hand into her bag, Rei's fingers closed around her Sailor Crystal. Setsuna-san said we should still be able to transform, but does the transformation phrase even work anymore? However, the intent of transforming seemed to be good enough for the small red orb, and in a flash her Eternal Sailor Mars ensemble appeared on her body. "I know you're there!" Rei called out.
From the shadows by a vending machine came the sound of clapping. "Well, color me impressed," a familiar voice said. In a red flash, the same girl from the concert hall - Kyoko, wasn't it? - appeared from the shadows, now wearing a worn-out green hoodie and shorts, with a stick of pocky hanging from her mouth. "Most magical girls can't see through my illusion magic until I'm right on top of them. "Course, by that point that's usually because I have them pinned to the ground."
"What do you want?" Rei asked.
Kyoko smirked. "Well, I guess I'd like to know a little more about you. The way you fought last night was pathetic, I'm not gonna lie. But I get the feeling there's a lot more you can do." Glancing up at the notice board, she added, "The next train won't be here for another fifteen minutes, and who's gonna walk in on us this late at night?"
Rei couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You actually want a fight?"
"I thought I made that clear," the red-haired girl casually said. "Of course, if your powers still even work after all that crap Kyubey pulled on you. I admit, that would piss me off. 'Course, it's not like I don't have my own reasons for being mad at him too." Twirling the silver ring on her finger, the same outfit she had worn the night before materialized over her clothes, as well as the red-tipped spear. Crunching down on the last of the pocky dangling from her mouth, she said, "So are we gonna do this or not?" Before Rei could respond, Kyoko had already lunged at her, and she barely managed to leap out of the way.
She's not going to give me much of a choice, it seems. "Fire Soul!" She was satisfied to see Kyoko jump away from the burst of flame that flew from her fingertip. Looks like I still have my old attacks as well.
"Tch. Guess you're tougher than you look!" the red-coated girl yelled, aiming a swipe at Rei's side. Catching her in her peripheral vision, Rei whipped around to meet her, grabbing onto the shaft of Kyoko's spear just below the tip. It began to smoke under her grip, and Kyoko was forced to wrench it out of the planet guardian's hands.
Realizing she had but a second to go back on the offensive, Rei summoned several ofuda scrolls in bright bursts of fire. Tracing the kanji for "shield" in the air with her finger, she thrust her hand out, and the now flaming scrolls formed a dome in front of her just as Kyoko attacked again. The red-haired magical girl cried out as she made contact with the barrier and was knocked back, an angry red burn visible on her hand from where Rei stood two yards away. "Guess there's no other choice, huh?" Rei heard her mutter. Standing up, she plucked her Soul Gem off of her chest and spun it between her fingers. Before Rei could blink, five perfect clones of Kyoko had her surrounded, each with its own wickedly sharp-looking spear.
They attacked as one, closing in from all sides. Waiting until the last possible moment, Rei jumped into the air and shouted, "Burning Mandala!" With all six Kyokos in such close proximity to each other, the floating orbs struck them all at once, causing five to vanish - and striking the real one directly in the chest. The moment she wasted trying to recover was all the black-haired girl needed. Summoning more ofuda, they bound themselves around Kyoko's wrists and ankles, lifting her up and pinning her against the wall, where she struggled to break free.
Advancing on the bound magical girl, Rei was hardly aware of the stray sparks flying from her fingertips. "Tell me the truth - what do you want with us, with Usagi? And why did you single me out tonight?" she snarled in a low voice.
"Couldn't... tell you," Kyoko panted, still struggling against the scrolls. "Ask Kyubey, it's his great plan. But as for you..." She fell still, raising her head to stare Rei directly in the eyes. "I've only seen you three times, and I can tell you would be the type of magical girl I hate, the type who lasts for a month before she gets caught off guard by a witch she dismissed as beneath her. The type who acts so haughty and above it all, but really just has some sick, slavish devotion to the job. You don't know what it's like to suffer, but you act like you're better than us anyways just because you have some kind of magical destiny crap going for you!"
"I don't know what it's like to suffer?" Rei shouted. "Were you held hostage on another planet for weeks, feeling your life force being sucked away, half convinced that you had already died? Have you been forced to fight the person you swore your life to, trying your hardest to fight against the forces controlling you, screaming internally the entire time in the one part of your mind that can still fight back? Have you had to watch your friends be taken away from you, knowing if you had just been seconds earlier, they might still be there? Do you even know what it's like to have friends, to have a mission beyond scrounging for a living, to be so dedicated to something you don't care what happens to you? You have no right to say I don't understand!"
Kyoko opened her mouth, obviously searching for a retort, but none came. "And this-" Rei finished, her voice dropping in pitch. "This is for Usagi." Pointing her right hand directly at the red-haired girl's chest, Rei called out, "Mars Snake Fire!" A great burning coil erupted from her palm, spiraling around Kyoko before seemingly being sucked into her body. Kyoko screamed for a brief moment, all bravado gone, before falling limp. The ofuda scrolls faded, and she collapsed to the ground.
Rei destransformed, standing over the still figure of the girl who had humiliated her and her comrades the night before. The faint rise and fall of her chest was the only indication Rei hadn't killed her in her anger. Why don't I feel anything? the dark-haired girl wondered. Last night, this was all I wanted. But now... A coldness was creeping up into her chest. What did I just almost let myself become? She's still just another human girl, not some youma to be incinerated!
She could suddenly stand the stifling air inside the train station no longer. Tearing her eyes from Kyoko's unconscious figure, she raced through the doors back into the night. She ran all three blocks back to the hotel, only stopping to breathe when she could stand it no longer. Faintly, she registered the sound of her phone ringing. Pulling it out of her pocket, Minako's winking face stared up at her from the screen. She answered.
"Rei-chan, are you okay? It's been almost an hour, did something happen? Look, I didn't mean what I said earlier-"
Rei cut her off. "No, it's fine. It wasn't your fault. I'm - I'm outside the hotel right now. I'll be up in a minute." Hanging up, she slowly walked into the lobby, head down. Once inside the elevator, she allowed herself a brief heaving sob before wiping her eyes. She would tell Minako what had happened in the morning. Now, all she wanted to do was sleep, although she already knew she would get none.
Sayaka
"And now - you're finished!" Sayaka proclaimed, driving her sword straight down the witch's center. With a final screech, the witch burst into black and gray powder, which thickened back into a Grief Seed as the labyrinth faded around her. Allowing her magical girl outfit to fade, Sayaka took it in one hand and quickly swiped it over her Soul Gem, satisfied at how much brighter its glow grew. Turning around, she saw Mr. Kaname's car also free from the witch's grasp, along with its passengers inside.
Her intention to exit the alley to call for help without causing a scene, however, would not come to be. "You! Wait! Please!" Madoka's father called. "My son - he needs help!"
Sayaka whipped around, not registering the fact that Mr. Kaname was much more likely to recognize her like this. Running to the window, she helped him as he frantically tried to push the dented door open. Finally, it popped open, and he stumbled out. Running for the backseat door, he frantically informed Sayaka of what had happened after she left to fight the witch. "We were fine for a while, but then - something bigger came. It slammed up against the door and tore right through it." With a shock of horror, Sayaka realized there was no backseat door, just a gaping hole. "It grabbed onto him, and I don't know if I made it let go before everything vanished!"
One of Mami's lessons suddenly echoed in Sayaka's mind. If a familiar has hold of a normal human, you must make sure you defeat it before you go on to the witch. If you don't, then that human will be sucked into the labyrinth, regardless of whether or not you manage to defeat the witch. And I know from experience - you cannot bring them back.
Any sense of triumph she felt quickly turned to desperation as Mr. Kaname withdrew from the wreckage of the car, shaking his head. "He was right there... how could he be gone?" He was still repeating those words long after Sayaka had gone and the police arrived.
Setsuna
Setsuna was awoken from her sleep by something she hadn't felt in a long while, but instantly knew what it was. She was the guardian of time, after all. Throwing aside the covers, she was quickly overwhelmed. Pressing her fingers to her temples, the green-haired woman forced herself to focus. Find the source of the disturbance.
Even in her human form, Setsuna was acutely aware of the state and stability of timespace. While it had been consistently more turbulent since Sailor Galaxia's attack, she had learned to block it out, thinking of it as white noise. But this - this was even more chaotic than when Small Lady had been taken by the Black Moon clan. That was a slight breeze compared to timespace now. It seemed to be bending, breaking, rewriting itself - and then it hit her. Of course. How did I not notice it before?
The lights in the room came on, Hotaru looking at her with concern. "Setsuna-mama? What's wrong?"
Setsuna looked over at her adopted daughter. "Two things are very out of order, Hotaru. Someone other than me has been interfering with time for a long while now, and clearly doesn't understand the consequences caused by it. I blocked it out, thinking it was just part of the mess Sailor Galaxia's invasion created, but now... everything is being thrown out of order. Anomalies are piling up on each other. If I can't make her see, then I don't even want to consider what any further repercussions could be..."
Hotaru listened to this news with an awareness Setsuna knew she would only receive from the soldier of silence. Like her, Hotaru had always been more in tune with her Senshi powers, even in her human form, and her memories of the past were much clearer as well. Finally, she spoke up. "And what about the second thing?"
The guardian of time unconsciously reached for where the belt she wore as Sailor Pluto was around her waist. "Someone - or possibly multiple people, I can't tell because of how chaotic timespace currently is - is trying to travel through time without a guide or key. And I think their goal is this timeline, in this present Mitakihara."
