A/N: Had to reread some chapters of this fic. That is all. Enjoy.
-Kind Dealings-
"I sure hope she got the message," Shadow Pop said, "At least then your little stunt would be worth something."
Shadow Doremi sighed. "It was a long shot, I know," she replied, "But Light Pop needed to be cheered up and, considering all that's happened since that incident, I was inclined to allow that."
Shadow Doremi sat down in her chair. At the table, her fellow Shadow Ojamajos sat in their own respective chairs, with only Shadow Onpu and Shadow Momoko missing. Shadow Hana and Shadow Pop were still noticeably hurt from their fight with the ghostified Ojamajos, as was Shadow Hazuki and especially Shadow Aiko. The latter had since applied a bandage to cover the massive wound the Onpu's ghost had left in her back while the former now had a large cloth over her left eye.
"Guys…" Shadow Aiko began, "I…I don't think we can keep an eye on Light Pop with these injuries."
"Are you kidding?" Shadow Hazuki retorted, "Of course we can't! I still have pieces OF MY GLASSES stuck in my eyeli- AGH!" The orange Shadow winced from the sharp pain around her eye. "DAMN IT!"
"It's not much better with me or Shadow Pop-chan," Shadow Hana added, pouting. She closed her eyes in thought. "Maybe…Maybe we do deserve to be punished for what we've done tonight…?"
Shadow Doremi gestured for the white Shadow to stop. "If we can't keep an eye on Light Pop, then she's on her own…for good. And if she gets turned into a ghost, then we're done for."
All of the Shadow Ojamajos exchanged looks of despair with one another. Between getting run over by their Light Halves and feeling powerless as a result, things simply were simply not going to look up for them any time soon. At this point, the best they could do was hope for the best.
"Pippito Purito Puritan Peperuto!" Pop chanted, "Restore the Vac-Drive's Element power!"
Pop's spell did the trick; energy flowed from the Medallions and into the Vac-Drive, causing the meters to register maximum capacity.
She then carefully went around the circular carpet in the foyer. She knew what the chandelier above was going to do if she ever went under it and had no intention of springing that trap again. Thankfully, she was just outside of its trigger area and the chandelier never slammed on the floor. Wasting no time, Pop pass through the door and into the halls beyond, quickly arriving at the site of the battle.
To her confusion, the area was virtually untouched; the walls weren't cracked and the floor was as if nothing ever walked on it. Pop opened the door to the indoor swimming pool and found the room to be completely undamaged. Even the wall that should've been leveled was still intact. She then went into the storeroom and found the same thing: Everything being intact.
I guess they like this mansion too much to let it be torn down… Pop thought.
With a sigh, Pop returned to the halls and made her way back to Hazuki's old haunt. When she arrived, she found more repairs had been done. More specifically, the door was no longer off of its hinges and had clearly been reinforced with extra material. It wasn't sealed and hadn't been walled off, but its new look gave that impression. Pop took a wild guess and determined that Hazuki was waiting in there to fight her again.
Seriously, Hazuki-chan? Pop thought to herself, The same room? The red Ojamajo shook her head. Of course…this is a copy of your room. You feel more comfortable here…so you fixed it and now want to make this your permanent lair. I understand…but I still must save you!
Pop tried the knob. It turned easily enough, allowing the door to creak open…
Majo Toron leaned back in her wheelchair in frustration. She was at an impasse with a new device that she was certain had nothing to do with aiding Pop. Despite this, the inventive Witch still insisted on tinkering with it, if only just to pass the time. Her train of thought was interrupted.
"So you're just going to sit there and not aid Light Pop as much anymore?" Shadow Ruka inquired.
Majo Toron turned and faced the Shadow Witch. "What else is there to do? I can't simply call her up. What if I disrupt her concentration while she's catching a ghost and throw her off?"
Shadow Ruka looked as though she were going to reply, but the words never made it out of her throat. With a frustrated sigh, she turned away. And then she turned back with a start.
"Why not get to know those Light Ojamajos better? This is honestly the best time to!"
Majo Toron clutched her chin in thought. "I'm not exactly the social type."
"Well I'm pretty sure they'll help you out with your social skills."
Majo Toron wheeled herself over to the portraits and pressed her hands on them.
Um, Aiko-san? Momoko-san? Majo Toron asked. A gasp from the imprisoned ghostified Ojamajos caught her off guard, but she managed to keep her hands on the portraits.
Yes? Majo Toron-san? Aiko nearly burst out, I swear we weren't-!
Don't worry about it, okay? I just want to get to know you better is all!
Oh. Sorry, Momoko replied, Ai-chan and I thought-
Don't worry about it? Um…?
All three sighed. This was going to take a while to get used to…
It was dark in the room. Just as dark as when she first entered it.
Pop entered Hazuki's room to a surprising scene. There she was, floating around the room, trying to get the area organized.
"Now I know how Baaya-chan feels…" the orange ghost muttered. She paused suddenly before turning to Pop. "Ah! I'm so sorry! I didn't think you would come here this soon!"
"You know why I'm here, Hazuki-chan," Pop said bitterly, "If you want to turn me into a ghost, then you'll have to beat me first!"
Hazuki hung her head. "I knew you would say that. But…I will give you one request before you're turned into a ghost."
Pop eyed the ghost suspiciously. "What are you trying to pull?"
Hazuki frowned. "I'm not trying to pull anything, Pop-chan. I just want to make your last moment as a living person nicer."
"That's assuming you actually beat me. Remember, I beat you once, I can beat you again!" Pop pulled out the All-in-One and scanned Hazuki. Come on, Hazuki-chan! Speak to me! Please!
After the description of Hazuki's ghost appeared, Pop waited for the orange ghost's thoughts to begin appearing.
Pop-chan...do you still have that mirror?
Pop nodded.
That's good. But you need to know this: My ghost self is serious this time! She- I mean, I- will try anything to beat you! But I know you can beat me. Good luck!
Pop nodded in resolve. "Get ready, Hazuki-chan," Pop stated, "Because I won't hold back!"
Hazuki smiled. It wasn't the smile of a young girl.
"Then let's go someplace else?" Hazuki didn't wait for a reply. "Paipai Ponpoi Puwapuwa Puu! Take us to that place!" In an instant, the whole room was enveloped in a tremendous orange light. Pop shut her eyes to block the glare. A few moments later, the glare subsided. "This is where we will fight, Pop-chan."
Pop opened her eyes and saw it for herself. The area could best be described as a dimension comprised of various images from Hazuki's past. She stood on what appeared to be Sonatine Kindergarten's roof while the roof of the Mahou-Dou's original form hovered well above them. Thorny vines surrounded them on all sides, creating an arena of sorts.
The red Ojamajo gripped the Vac-Drive's hose tightly and got ready. At once, Hazuki rushed her, but Pop managed to evade it only for the roof's slanted area to throw her off-balance. She tumbled down the slope and, reacting quickly, managed to grab the edge just before she fell off and into the thorns below. Hazuki hovered over the nigh-helpless Ojamajo.
"I really expected better from you," Hazuki said with some disappointment, "Oh well."
She pointed at Pop. In an instant, the rose-haired girl found herself being lifted by some unseen force; Hazuki had telekinetically grabbed her and was now forcing her off the edge. She was now poised to be sent into the thorny abyss below.
"The fall won't kill you," Hazuki assured, "But you will be trapped. So you can guess what happens next?"
Hazuki immediately dropped the struggling Pop. Her mind in a whirl, the red Ojamajo didn't have time to think; instead, her body reacted automatically and summoned her broom. She was confused, but she did not squander the chance to fight again and mounted it just before she could get caught in the thorns.
It was now time to take the fight to Hazuki.
Pop flew right over Hazuki's head and straight up to the upside down Mahou-Dou roof. Hazuki, looking on in shock, gave chase and began telekinetically calling the thorny vines to aid in slowing Pop down. The red Ojamajo sprayed the vines with fire, burning them and creating ashen snow. The orange Ojamajo was not deterred, but her vision was obscured, something that the rose-haired Ojamajo took advantage of.
Pop knew she had to keep moving and find an opening to use the mirror. She only had so much magic and Elemental Power left while Hazuki obviously had unlimited magic at her disposal.
"Paipai Ponpoi PuwaPuwa Puu!" Hazuki chanted, "Clear away this cloud of ashes!"
Pop spotted the magic and flew in close. This is it! This is my chance!
Hazuki's spell did the trick, and the ashen cloud was dispersed. At that moment, Pop drew the mirror and turned the reflective side to Hazuki. She saw her reflection…and her once nearly-psychotic expression turned into one of panic.
"KYAAAHH!" Hazuki screamed, "MAJO RIKA! MAJO RIKA! MAJO RIKA! MAJO RIKA! MAJO RIKA!" Immediately, she began flying around the area at a breakneck pace. Pop wasted no time in getting out her flashlight and began chasing Hazuki once she had it out. "MAJO RIKA! MAJO RIKA! MAJO RIKA! MAJO RIKA!"
Pop's attempts were proving unproductive. Between Hazuki's frantic and random flying around the arena and Pop being unable to keep pace, Pop was unable to catch Hazuki in the glare before the latter snapped out of her panic. Pop shined her flashlight on the orange ghost, but that only got a giggle in reply.
Damn it! Too slow… Pop thought bitterly.
"You'll have to try harder than that, Pop-chan," Hazuki taunted. She then telekinetically grabbed Pop's broom and flung it right from underneath her, causing the red Ojamajo to fall. "But I won't let you die like that, though."
Pop landed hard on the roof. The good news was she landed on the flat part of the roof. As for the bad news, Pop was severely injured from the impact, having broken several ribs, both legs, and suffered a severe concussion. The injuries in total knocked her unconscious. Hazuki flew down and gasped in horror.
"Paipai Ponpoi PuwaPuwa Puu!" Hazuki chanted frantically, "Heal Pop-chan of her wounds!"
Her spell did the trick. In moment's, Pop glowed with an orange light and her wounds began rapidly healing. Once the glow subsided, the red Ojamajo woke back up.
"But…why?" Pop asked, "Why did you heal me?"
Hazuki shook her head. "I didn't want to win by severely injuring you," she replied sadly. She retreated a few steps. "Try again?"
Pop didn't reply. She instead charged Hazuki, pulling out the mirror and showing Hazuki her reflection. In moments, Hazuki screamed in a panic, but Pop had quickly drawn her flashlight and shined it on the orange ghost, stunning her. The red Ojamajo had no idea how long she would remain stunned and quickly activated the Vac-Drive. It did the trick, and it began sucking Hazuki in.
"Wha-?! NOO! NOT AGAIN!" Hazuki screeched.
She immediately began flying away from Pop. However, Pop had almost forgotten what happens when trying to suck in ghosts and was yanked off balance as the suction homed in on the range ghost and dragged her with it. Somehow, Pop regained her footing, but it was rickety and Pop wasn't sure how long she could hold on.
It went on for several minutes…several agonizing monotonous minutes of doing the same thing over and over: Shift weight, steer Hazuki, make Hazuki stumble, rinse and repeat. For a moment there, Pop thought about simply shutting it off just to get rid of the nigh-endlessly repeating cycle when Hazuki's newest stumble caused her to lose her edge and finally be sucked in.
Pop collapsed with a start and looked at the All-in-One.
Thank you…Pop-chan.
But I used a dirty trick to catch you, Pop bitterly berated herself.
I have to warn you about Hana-chan and Onpu-chan. They're much more devoted to making you a ghost and are much more ruthless. Onpu-chan has lost hope of being turned back to normal while Hana-chan seems to actually LIKE being a ghost…of own accord! Please! You must bring them back to their senses before they turn you into a ghost! I'm counting on you. We're all counting on you!
No more messages came up on-screen after that. A few moments later, there was a flash of orange light and Pop found herself back in Hazuki's room. It had been untouched aside from what Hazuki did to repair it earlier. It even seemed cozier.
Hazuki-chan must've wanted me to use this as a base, Pop thought, Or she wanted it to be neat if she got me… Pop shook her head. I need to tell Majo Toron-san the good news!
Pop, with the All-in-One still in hand, quickly called Majo Toron.
"Hello?" came the voice of Shadow Ruka, "Light Pop?"
Pop's expression changed to confusion. "Um, where's Majo Toron?"
"Getting to know Light Aiko and Light Momoko. Can you leave a message?"
"You're not an answering machine!"
"Touché."
Pop face-palmed. Why did Shadow Ruka have to be such a troll?! She gritted her teeth in anger. "I. Was. Calling. To. Tell. You. That. I. Caught. Hazuki-chan!"
"Fine then. But it'll be a while before I can give her the message."
"And why?!"
Pop heard Shadow Ruka snickering over the communicator. "Oh…nothing really."
Afterward, Shadow Ruka cut off communications. Pop, angered and bewildered, slammed her fists on the bed. She calmed down, but only slightly, and it wasn't enough to stop her from pounding her fists into the bedding. Once she let it all out, she decided to count the number of Magical Spheres she had left.
She had thirty-two in total.
Rats! Pop mentally shouted, I guess I'm going to have to keep either a better track of them or ration them better, huh?
That's an idea, the voice of Mami replied, Although…
It's a little convoluted, don't'cha think? The voice of Sayaka added.
"Don't remind me," Pop retorted, "Hey, Kyoko-san?"
Hmm? Kyoko's voice replied, This is about our earlier argument, ain't it?
Pop got the mirror out and looked at the reflective surface. Kyoko's visage stared back. "Well, yeah, it is. What if my friends can somehow influence their ghost selves? I mean, I saw Ai-chan fight against hers and Hazuki-chan didn't seem as interested in fighting as she was last time!"
That's an interesting theory, but if that's the case, then what does that say of Hana?
Pop's heart sank. Here she was, essentially arguing with herself again, and raising valid points against herself in the process, but Hazuki did warn that Hana and Onpu were more ruthless than she was and that Hana actually seemed willing along with Onpu having given up hope. To her, they had surrendered to their ghost selves and were just letting them run amok. Hazuki's earlier psychotic actions could have been justified by her real self being too tired to fight back anymore and her more controlled actions being from Hazuki being able to influence her actions again.
"I have to restore their hope," Pop finally said, "If I can do that, then, uh…"
Don't think about it too hard, Mami warned, Just worry about actually doing it.
Pop smiled. Her resolve increased for it.
"Are you sure there will be some issues?" Shadow Aiko asked.
Shadow Hazuki nodded gravely. "Light Hana absorbed that Wraith you created. And I'm not sure if the Ghostifier can revert a ghost with foreign ectoplasm in it."
"But you're the one who knows the most about it!" Shadow Pop griped, "You should know that too!"
"I'm the one who knows how to use it best," Shadow Hazuki corrected, "But we stole it from Light Isabelle without the instructions. I had to test it out on myself just to figure out what it can do!"
The entire sanctum went silent.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Shadow Doremi burst out, "You mean you knew all this time whether or not we can become ghosts and never told us?!"
"Black Queen-sama ordered me to keep it a secret until the most inopportune moment! But I dunno if this is inopportune or not!"
All four other Shadow Ojamajos groaned and face-palmed.
"Damn you, Black Queen-sama!" Shadow Aiko burst out. She quickly squeaked as she slapped her hand over her mouth. "No one else heard that, right?"
The fivesome looked cautiously around the sanctum. When no Black Queen came out of nowhere, they resumed their argument.
"Okay, but you knew we could've been turned into ghosts all this time," Shadow Hana said indignantly, "I guess I really had nothing to lose then."
Shadow Hazuki straightened her glasses. "I can confirm that the Ghostifier can turn even Shadows into ghosts…but said ghosts turning Shadows into more ghosts is something I have no idea about."
"Still would've been nice to know beforehand, right?" Shadow Aiko deadpanned.
All five Shadow Ojamajos sighed.
"Well, what now? Walpurgisnacht has probably been made now," Shadow Pop said sadly, "So we-"
"Not quite," Shadow Doremi replied, "If that thing is up there now, then we would be feeling it down here."
"Then I think it's close to forming!"
"Which means Light Pop better get moving," added Shadow Hana.
A/N: This took longer than I had hoped. For those of you counting the number of time Pop used her magic since Hazuki gave her that bag of Magical Spheres, well, I personally lost count and had to reread those chapters myself. The remaining Magical Spheres being at 32 is easily handwaved as being the result of Pop losing a few in addition to those she used.