A/N: Alright, here's the next chapter, not much else to say except I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider Gaim or Puella Magi Madoka Magica
The Mysterious Transfer Student!
Sayaka's eyes slowly and reluctantly opened at the sound of an annoying alarm clock ringing on her nightstand. Without even looking she reached over and with some admitted difficulty switched off the alarm before groggily sitting up and stretching.
"Jeez, why the heck did I set my alarm on a weekend, and just when I have having such a cool dream." She complained to herself as her eyes wondered absentmindedly around the room, eventually they landed on her vanity area and she saw the fruit lock and the belt buckle casually placed there, her eyes widening in realization.
"Whoa, seriously!" She said as she practically leaped out of bed and rushed over to the two devices, picking them up and inspecting them as if to make sure they were real. "It… It wasn't a dream!" She exclaimed with glee before remembering exactly why she set her alarm.
"Oh right, gotta go meet Madoka!" She said before she began to get ready, she put on a simple casual outfit, a yellow cardigan over a white blouse and a plain black skirt, and bid farewell to her family before making her way over to the town square. She waited by the clock for about fifteen minutes before Madoka showed up; she to was in casual attire, a frilly white top with an equally frilly blue skirt.
"Good morning Sayaka-chan, did I keep you waiting?" Madoka asked.
"You're fine, you're fine, I just got here." Sayaka waved the question off; in all honesty she was just too giddy to really care about much at the moment. "Want to stop by a café or something before we get going, it's my treat." She offered.
After playing around a bit at a café and then the arcade, it was finally time to get down to business. The girls found themselves in a much less… frequently visited part of town, settling down under a lonely bridge, empty barrels that once held lord knows what scattered about.
"Alright this should be fine, nobody should disturb us here." Sayaka said before taking her place at the center of their makeshift training grounds. "
"Sayaka-chan, are you sure this is a good idea?" Madoka said, very apprehensive.
"Don't worry Madoka, I'll try not to go overboard, this is just to see what exactly this new power of mine can do." Sayaka assured her before pulling out her belt and lock seemingly out of nowhere. "Ok, Cutting Buckle," She said before strapping the belt on. "Fruit Lock." She continued as she opened the lock.
"Raspberry!" It exclaimed, summoning the raspberry armor just like before.
"And then, Lock On!" She said as she placed the lock into the belt and closed it onto the hatch.
"Lock On!" The belt exclaimed before the standby music began playing, Sayaka taking a moment to enjoy to tune.
"Henshin!" She declared as she brought the knife down on the lock, slicing it open.
"Hai! Raspberry Arms: Ji, an, HA-HA-HA!" The belt said as the raspberry fell onto her head, forming the suit and then folding out to create the armor, the Raspberry Jian forming in her hands.
"Heh heh, alright, first off…" She said as she brandished her weapons and walked over to one of the barrels. With a little battle cry she slashed at the barrel, barely feeling any resistance as the sword cleaved through the top of the rustic metal container. She followed up with three more slashes until all that was left was five rings with nearly perfect cuts lying on the floor around her.
"Woo, these things can really cut can't they?" Sayaka stated as she examined the pieces of the barrel. She stuck one of her swords in the ground freeing her hand to pick one up, and was surprised by how little effort it required. "Whoa, this thing feels light as a feather, I see, I see, so this armor gives me super strength to." She cooed as she tossed the piece to the side. "Now then, let's try a finisher." She said as she grabbed a fresh barrel and tossed it into the air before slicing down on the lock.
"Hai! Raspberry Squash!" The belt exclaimed as Sayaka retrieved her other sword and they began charging with energy just as they did the day before. Sayaka prepared herself and once the barrel came back down she slashed at it, leaving behind glowing cut marks on it before it exploded in a bright flash of pinkish red, this time nothing was left of the target.
"Wow, it was completely vaporized!" Sayaka said in amazement, failing to notice Madoka slightly cowering in fear.
"Sayaka-chan, isn't this a bit dangerous?" She said, gaining her attention.
"Huh, what do you mean?" Sayaka asked, completely oblivious.
"That was a pretty big explosion, what if you accidently blow up the bridge or something, that would be a really big problem." She explained to her friend with great concern. Sayaka thought about it for a moment and then finally noticed that the explosion actually singed the underside of the bridge, confirming Madoka's concerns.
"Oh, sorry, sorry, I guess I did get a little carried away there." Sayaka awkwardly conceded. "Hmm… Oh, I know!" She said after a moment of thought, cancelling the transformation and removing the lock from the belt and the belt from her waist. "Madoka, why don't you try it out?" She suggested.
"Eh…EHHHHHH, M-ME?!" Madoka exclaimed.
"Yeah, you're a lot more careful then I am, you can probably keep any collateral damage to a minimum better then I can." She explained as she walked over to the pinkette and held the two devices out to her.
"N-no way, I-I could never… Henshin and… fight like that." Madoka tried to rebuke.
"It's fine, it's fine, it's just to safely test it out." Sayaka effortlessly replied. "Come on, I know you want to, go on try it." She said as she practically shoved the belt and lock into her hands.
"B-but…" Madoka whimpered as she stared at the two items. She had to admit, she did kind of want to try it, she wasn't as gung ho about it as Sayaka, but she to had admiration for Henshin heroes and Magical Girls and the like, but to actually become one, can she really do it. She took a moment to steal herself before taking the belt in her left hand and placed it on her waist. A moment passed as she waited for the belt to form, but it never did. "Huh?"
"Hey, what's going on, don't tell me we broke it already!" Sayaka exclaimed frantically as she took the belt back and began inspecting it for any irregularities. She saw nothing and tried placing it on her waist, the belt materializing as usual.
"Huh, but why…" Madoka said quizzically. Sayaka took off the belt and then placed it on Madoka's waist, once again nothing happened, she then placed it back on her own waist and the belt appeared no problem. "I guess it only works for Sayaka-chan." Madoka deduced, her voice a strange mixture of relief and disappointment.
"I guess so." Sayaka concurred before smirk appeared on her face. "Madoka… it seems I have been given a great burden." She said dramatically as she clenched her fist.
"You don't look very burdened by it thought." Madoka deadpanned, a beat of sweat trailing down her face.
"But it's true though, if this is one of those "only one person can use it" sort of things then I've been given a great responsibility!" Sayaka began. "I've been thinking about it; this belt was obviously meant to kill those weird monster things like the one from yesterday, so maybe that's why they gave it to me, to fight them off and protect the peace of Mitakihara, maybe even the world!" She ranted on, getting more and more excited by the second.
"Ehh, d-do you really think something that scary is going to happen?" Madoka asked, quivering a bit.
"No idea," Sayaka replied, much to Madoka's exasperation. "But, that doesn't change the fact that if those monsters attack again, I'm the only one who can stop them." She stated with a much more serious tone. "…Honestly, I'm not really sure I can do it, maybe it would've been better if someone else had this belt… but, I have it, so I have to do the best I can, right?"
"Sayaka-chan…" Madoka said. For all of her apprehensiveness, she believed that Sayaka could do it, there wasn't anyone she knew with a stronger sense of justice, the perfect person to protect the peace of Mitakihara City, all she needed was a little practice. "…Yeah, you're right, in that case, I'll be sure to do all I can to support you!" Madoka declared, gaining appreciative smile from Sayaka.
"Thanks, Madoka. Now, let's get back to it then!" Sayaka stated as she took the lock back into her right hand. "Henshin!" She cried as she opened the lock.
"Raspberry!" It exclaimed as it summoned the Armor Part. Sayaka then paused and put on a thoughtful look.
"Hey Madoka, do you think I should say "Henshin" before I open the lock, or just before I slice it open?" She asked.
"You're still thinking about that kind of stuff?" Madoka deadpanned.
"…Hey, hey, hold on a second, HOW COME NOTHING HAS HAPPENED YET!" Sayaka cried in frustration as she walked to school. "It's been a week since that first monster attack, shouldn't another one have happened by now, isn't that the rule!?" She ranted to herself, bystanders sparing her an awkward glance before going about her business. "Geez, I've looked all over and not so much as a mysterious sighting has happened…" She let out an exasperated sigh. "Man, I really thought this was going to be awesome." She mumbled to herself as she continued her trek to school.
"Good morning, Sayaka-san." Sayaka heard. She turned around to see her green haired friend Hitomi walking up to her.
"Oh, morning Hitomi." She replied as naturally as she could to mask her concerns.
"You're out rather early today, what's the occasion?" Hitomi commented.
"Oh, well, i-it's such a nice day out that I thought I'd enjoy it a little bit, you know." Sayaka fibbed; in truth it was a combination of restlessness from the uneventful week and a precaution in case something did happen, so that she wouldn't be late for school.
"I see, I guess we were thinking the same thing then." Hitomi said, giggling a bit at the "coincidence".
"Ha ha, yeah, guess so." Sayaka laughed awkwardly. She and Madoka had decided not to tell Hitomi about the Cutting Buckle or the monster attack, they figured the less people that knew the better. "…So, have you decided on how you're going to respond to that guy yet, it's been a whole week already." Sayaka quickly changed the subject.
"Mmm, I'm really not sure, I don't think I can accept his feelings, but I don't want to hurt him after all of the effort he put in." She replied with a worried sigh.
"Well, whatever you do, do it fast, it's kind of rude to keep the guy waiting for so long." Sayaka said, half teasingly.
"I know." Hitomi replied dejectedly. They were finally by the stream that ran all the way up to their school when they heard the familiar trot of light footsteps accompanied by subtle pants of exhaustion. They both turned with amused smiles as Madoka approached the, a tired but bright smile on her face.
"Good morning!" She greeted cheerfully.
"Good morning." Hitomi replied.
"Madoka, you're late." Sayaka playfully scolded, her hands on her hips like a strict parent. "Oh, cute ribbons." She commented, finally noticing that she was indeed wearing new, pretty red ribbons as apposed to her default yellow ones.
"Y-you think? They're not to flashy?" Madoka replied sheepishly clearly self-conscious about the sudden but subtle change in appearance.
"They're lovely." Hitomi encouraged as the group continued walking to school, talking and laughing along the way.
'Oh well, I guess I should be thankful that this peace doesn't really need protecting, huh?' She conceded.
"*Ehem* I have something of upmost importance to discuss with you all today, so pay very close attention." Their homeroom teacher, Saotome Kazuko, said in serious tone before stomping forward, as if to emphasize what she was about to say next. "Should sunny-side up eggs be made hard or soft? What do you think, Nakazawa-kun?" She asked the incredulous question and then suddenly called on a random student in the front row.
"I…Uh… I-I guess either way is fine?" He replied, more like he was asking a question then giving an answer.
"That's right, either way is fine!" She confirmed. "And if you think a woman's value is determined by how she cooks her eggs, then you are horribly mistaken!" She punctuated her rant by bending her pointer at a ninety-degree angle. "Girls, I want you all to make sure not associate yourselves with picky men who demand soft eggs!"
"Guess it didn't work out." Sayaka whispered to Madoka, who sat practically right behind her.
"You can say that again." Madoka replied, making Sayaka giggle in amusement.
"And boys, make sure you don't grow up to be a nitpicker who demands eggs to be cooked one way, and one way only!" Saotome continued her rant before composing herself by softly clearing her throat. "Now then, I'd like to introduce a transfer student who will be joining us." She continued pleasantly.
"You should've mentioned that first!" Sayaka silently exclaimed as the rest of their classmates began whispering in anticipation. There had been roomers of a transfer student for some time now, and with those roomers confirmed everyone was anxious to see what kind of person would be joining their class.
"Akemi-san, please come in." Saotome called to the door. As soon as this "Akemi-san" walked in the door the class was immediately in a subtle uproar, people either gasped in amazement or let slip comments such as "She's so cute" or "she's so cool-looking". And these comments were well deserved, Akemi-san was in fact quite the eye candy, she was on the tall side with long silky black hair that complemented her white skin perfectly, her pretty face devoid of any discernable emotions, coupled with her confident stride, made her give off a mysterious and cool aura.
"Wow, she's a total beauty." Sayaka stated with equal amazement, too preoccupied with examining their new classmate to hear Madoka gasp in surprise and mumble something to herself.
"Alright, why don't you tell the class your name?" Saotome said, cueing the girl to introduce herself.
"I'm Akemi Homura, it's a pleasure to meet you." Homura replied in a cold and emotionless tone, completely uninterested.
As she introduced herself, Saotome proceeded to write her name on the board, however she paused once she got halfway through her given name, not quite recalling how to write the characters. Homura seemed to picked up on this, no, it was more like she was anticipating it, and she took another stylus pen on the board and finished writing her name, followed by silently bowing to her classmates, ending her introduction. Everyone awkwardly applauded, taken aback by her strange behavior, or lack there of rather, and just as the applause died down, Homura turned her gaze into the crowd. Sayaka took note of this sudden shift in her attention, especially since she was practically glaring right at her best friend, Madoka awkwardly tried to make herself scarce but just couldn't ignore the cold gaze of the transfer student.
"Um, Akemi-san?" Saotome said in perplexed voice, trying to get her to take her seat.
Once break time came around, the girls of the class all crowded around the transfer student, bombarding her with questions, like where did she go to school before and if she was in any clubs, Akemi Homura quickly and efficiently answering them all without giving any particular interest to any single inquiry. Meanwhile Sayaka and her group of friends all hung back, observing the interactions of their classmates with the strange new girl.
"She has a bit of a mysterious aura about her, don't you think?" Hitomi commented.
"Hey Madoka, do you know her?" Sayaka inquired suspiciously. "Wasn't she staring at you earlier?"
"Well, uh…" Madoka struggled for a reply; she really didn't know how to answer, increasing Sayaka's curiosity.
'Hmm, really weird, what could she want with Madoka… more importantly, I'm the one with the super powers here, shouldn't I be the one having encounters with mysterious figures?' She couldn't help but wonder in her typical "chunni" way, however her sensible side poked through and she determined that it would be ridiculous to think that the two events were related.
"I'm sorry, I guess I'm still under a bit of stress, I'm not really feeling well." Homura said, moving her hand to her head as if to stifle a headache. "Would you mind if I went to the nurse's office?"
"Oh, let me show you the way." One of the girls offered.
"I'll come to." Another girl added.
"No, don't worry about me." Homura politely refused, standing up from her seat. "I'll ask the person in charge." And with that she moved away from the crowd of girls and made her way to the trio of friends, her gaze fixed on Madoka the whole time. "Kaname Madoka-san, you're the health officer for this class, right?"
"Uh, I um…" Madoka stammered, nervous under her piercing gaze.
"Could you take me to the nurse's office." She asked, though the aura about her made it seemed more like an order.
"Uh, r-right, of course." Madoka found her voice and stood from her seat to guide her. "Um, excuse us." She said to her friends with a polite bow.
Sayaka stayed silent, just observing this strange new transfer student, however, as she left, she suddenly shifted her gaze to the blunette, their eyes meeting for a moment before Sayaka awkwardly tried to save face by adjusting her gaze to the back wall and awkwardly whistled some vague tune. Homura's gaze lingered on Sayaka a bit longer than she expected before she eventually turned to follow Madoka out of the room, but by the time they got to the door Homura was the one leading.
"Ok, that was definitely suspicious." Sayaka said once they were out of earshot. "I mean, how did she know Madoka was the health officer?"
"Is it really that strange, Saotome-sensei did mention she was hospitalized for some time before coming here." Hitomi reasoned. "Perhaps sensei told her who the health officer was just in case she needed to go to the nurse's office, that would also explain why she was staring at Madoka-san before."
"Mmm, I guess that makes sense." Sayaka begrudgingly conceded. 'But… those eyes definitely weren't eyes of someone who wasn't feeling well.' She thought to herself as she remembered the transfer student's glare, her suspicion not at all quelled.
As such, Sayaka made sure to pay close attention to the transfer student, which wasn't too hard considering how much she stood out. Throughout the entire day she was making the biggest impression on the class, whether it was solving problems quickly and efficiently in class, or breaking pretty much every prefecture record during gym class, all the while stealing glances at Madoka… it was really starting to piss Sayaka off.
"…Wait, she said what?" Sayaka said incredulously. After class the girls decided to go grab a bite to eat on the way home, and it was at this time that Madoka decided to tell them about the conversation she had with Homura on their way to the nurse's office.
"Doesn't make any sense, does it?" Madoka said, clearly troubled.
"I knew something was sketchy about that girl, nobody is that perfect in everything they do!" Sayaka declared, letting her own personal grudge seep into her statement. "And who the hell talks about loosing family and friends to someone they just met, sounds like a total nutcase!"
'Either that, or she knows something we don't.' Sayaka considered in her head.
"Madoka-san, are you sure you've never met her before?" Hitomi inquired.
"Well, the sensible answer would have to be yes…" Madoka replied.
"What do you mean "sensible", does that mean you've met her in a "non-sensible" way?" Sayaka interrupted, feeling their friend wasn't telling them everything.
"Well, I think we met in a dream I had last night, or something…" Madoka awkwardly admitted. Her two friends took a sip of their drinks before Hitomi burst out laughing at her friend's ridiculous claim; Sayaka on the other hand, just seemed to have her interest piqued, after all considering that she had a Henshin Belt tucked away on her person somewhere she wasn't really in a position to shoot down ridiculous claims.
"What are you saying, Madoka-san?" Hitomi said in between her giggles.
"I'm serious, I'm really concerned about this!" Madoka defended herself, a bright blush appearing on her face.
"What kind of dream was it?" Sayaka inquired seriously, Madoka surprised that she didn't join in on the teasing.
"Honestly, I don't really remember." Madoka admitted. "All I know is that it was a really weird dream."
"Maybe you have met her somewhere before then." Hitomi suggested, much to Madoka's confusion.
"Even though you might not remember her, your subconscious could have taken note of her, and later brought her image out in a dream." She explained.
"Isn't that a bit too far-fetched, I mean, it's just a coincidence, right?" Sayaka said; though it was far from her actual opinion, but she needed to get Hitomi off of the topic in order to really discuss it with Madoka.
"I suppose so." Hitomi replied before checking the time on her phone. "Oh, look at the time, I'm sorry, I have to go." She apologized before gathering her stuff to leave.
"Piano lessons, or do you have Japanese dance today?" Sayaka inquired.
"Today's tea ceremony practice." Hitomi revealed. "Entrance exams are right around the corner, but my mom still wants me to keep this up."
"Wow, I'm glad I wasn't born rich." Sayaka sighed in teasing relief, though not at all envious of her friend's busy schedule.
"Should we get going to?" Madoka suggested as she stood from her seat as well.
"Oh Madoka, mind if we stop by the music store on the way home?" Sayaka nearly whispered to Madoka.
"Sure, for Kamijou-kun again, right?" Madoka replied with a knowing smile.
"Heh heh, well yeah…" Sayaka admitted, a light blush crossing her cheeks at hearing the boy's name, even with everything that's been on her mind lately, she never missed a beat when it came to her childhood friend and crush, Kamijou Kyousuke.
Meanwhile, somewhere else within the complex, a rather strange scene was unfolding. Through the darkened bowels of the mall ran what seemed to be a small white furred creature, panting heavily as it desperately tried to escape its pursuer. It narrowly dodged what seemed to be a glowing pullet only for another to come whizzing by, then another, then another, the projectile eventually hitting its mark twice, knocking the animal forward as it grunted in pain. A reload noise could be heard in the distance, giving the creature a chance to get back on its feet and keep moving, just barely dodging another blast.
In the hallway behind it, the assailant leaped down from its perch, the sound of metal armor pieces clanging together every time it moved. It seemed to stare intently at the fleeing creature before running after it, reloading its weapon to keep it at the ready.
As promised, Madoka and Sayaka had stopped by the music store, it was very brightly lit, the walls and pillars of the room lined with demo areas for people to briefly listen to a selected album before purchasing it. The two girls were taking their time looking at their own perspective songs, Sayaka sticking to the classical section while Madoka wondered into the J-pop section.
Madoka choose a song on the touch screen and placed the wireless headphones over her ears, the song starting form some arbitrary point a few moments later. The pinkette happily bobbed her head to the music without a care in the world, however…
'…Save me…' She heard from what seemed to be the back of her mind, completely drowning out the sound of the music.
"Huh?" Madoka gasped quizzically, taking the headphones off and listening. A moment passed without anything happening, she was about to write it off as her hearing things when she heard it again.
'Save me… Madoka!'
"Eh, EH!" Madoka said with concern as she searched for the source of the voice.
'Please… save me…' It pleaded with her and without saying a word Madoka wondered off, trying to track down whoever was talking to her. However, she didn't go unnoticed as Sayaka removed her headphones and looked curiously at her as she left store.
She didn't know how, but Madoka somehow wondered into bowels of the shopping center, a sign clearly marking it as a restricted area.
"Hello, who's there?" Madoka called out as she searched around just before the restricted area.
'Save me…' The voice repeated, definitely guiding her beyond the warning sign. Madoka was hesitant, but she couldn't just ignore the pleading voice and pushed forward, wondering deeper into the storage area of the mall. It was darkly lit, seemingly much more then last time she was here a week ago, but she nonetheless took a look around.
"Where are you?" She asked as she practically tip toed around. "Who are you?" She finally bothered to ask as she wondered deeper and deeper into the dimly lit hallway.
'Save me…' The voice called once again, though this time it seemed much closer then before, right above her in fact. She looked up and saw one of the tiles on the ceiling began to move out of its place, she took a few steps back to avoid the inevitable fall and once it can the girl feel off her feet in shock with it as the loud sound of the tile hitting the ground echoed through the hallway.
However, what really caught her attention was the small animal that fell from the resultant hole in the ceiling. It was breathing shallowly, just barely alive it seemed, its fur matted and parts completely ripped off, revealing the dark red skin underneath. Madoka gasped in horror as she kneeled down before the creature and took it in her arms.
"Was that you?" She asked as she cradled the injured creature.
"…Save me…" It repeated as it glanced up at her, briefly revealing its pinkish red eyes.
Before Madoka could ask anything further, she heard the faint rattling of chains followed by the sound of someone bursting from the ceiling and landing in front of her. She gasped in surprise before looking up at the new arrival, her eyes widening in surprise. The first thing she saw was the figure's belt, it was exactly the same as the one Sayaka had, only the face plate was different, showing a the profile of a purple helmet with a black forehead crest facing a black "cloud" design. Another difference was that the opened lock was different, though she couldn't tell just from looking what fruit it was. The figure was wearing a purple body suit with black accents and the armor pieces it wore were a dark forest green and made from a series of ovular plates. The helmet, just like depicted on the face plate had a black forehead crest that looked similar to that of a samurai helmet, which its dark green secondary helmet also resembled. In its left hand the figure was carrying a nearly hexagonal buckler shield with grooves that lead from each point to a silver center piece, and in its right hand it held a black katana like sword that seemed to have a pistol embedded into the guard, the Musou Saber.
"That's… just like Sayaka-chan." Madoka muttered in shock as the figure eyed her from behind its dark green visors.
"Step away from that thing." The figure said, in a surprisingly feminine voice.
"B-but, he's hurt." Madoka protested as the creature continued its shallow breathing. "N-no, please don't hurt him!" She pleaded as she turned her body to further protect the creature.
"This has nothing to do with you." The figure stated as it pointed her blade at her. Madoka flinched at the sight of the weapon, but what really caught her attention was the barely familiar voice that belonged to the figure.
"Eh, that voice, it can't be… Homura-chan?" Madoka asked, but received no reply from the figure, but the sound of its armor pieces clanking together suggested that she reacted.
"…I'll ask you again, please step away from that thing." Homura politely ordered.
"B-but he was calling me!" Madoka declared. "He was begging for me to save him!"
"…I see." She said, adjusting her grip on her weapon. For what felt like an eternity the two just stared at each other, Madoka uneasy about not being able to see Homura's face as she continued to hold the blade toward her. Homura's grip tightened on the sword once again before she took a step forward, much to Madoka's terror.
"Madoka!" Sayaka exclaimed as she dashed down the hallway toward the two.
"Sayaka-chan!" Madoka exclaimed in absolute relief as she stood defensively in front of her, Homura lowering her weapon as well.
"Ah, that form…" Sayaka gasped in shock at seeing another with the same power as her.
"Sayaka-chan, I think that might be Homura-chan." Madoka stated as she stood up from the floor.
"Eh, the transfer student!?" Sayaka exclaimed incredulously as she turned to see look at Madoka over her shoulder. The pinkette nodded her head in confirmation. "I see, I knew something wasn't right about her." Sayaka said as she turned her attention back to the armored figure. "Hey, transfer student, just what hell do you think you were doing to Madoka!?"
"Rest assured, Miki Sayaka, I had no intention of harming her, all I'm after… is the creature in her arms." Homura claimed as she pointed her weapon directly at the animal.
"Creature, eh, what is that, is it alive?" Sayaka said at the sight of the strange and injured creature.
"I don't know." Madoka admitted as she looked down at the dying, helpless creature in her arms. "I don't know but… I have to save him!" She declared in no uncertain terms, impressing Sayaka and troubling Homura.
"Hmph, well, that's that then." Sayaka said with a smirk as she pulled out the Cutting Buckle and placed it on her waist.
"…I don't wish to fight you." Homura insisted almost pleadingly.
"Well sorry, but as the guardian of Mitakihara City, I can't just let you bully around a helpless animal." Sayaka replied as she pulled out the Raspberry Fruit Lock.
"Sayaka-chan." Madoka said with admiration.
"Henshin!" Sayaka said as she opened the Fruit Lock.
"Raspberry!" The lock exclaimed as it summoned the Raspberry Armor Part. Sayaka then placed the lock into the belt and closed it.
"Lock On!" It exclaimed as the standby music began playing.
"…You idiot girl." Homura whispered to herself in frustration before Sayaka sliced open the lock.
"Hai! Raspberry Arms: Ji, an, HA-HA-HA!" The belt exclaimed as the armor part fell on Sayaka's head, forming the suit, and then folded out to form the armor. The Raspberry Jian appeared in her hands and Sayaka brandished them boisterously before getting in a fighting stance.
"Alright, bring it on, if you want that white ferret thing, you'll have get through me!" Sayaka declared. Homura nearly scowled under her helmet as she gripped her weapons tightly.
"…So be it." Homura replied as she brandished her own weapon. The two then dashed towards each other ready to engage in combat, but just before they crossed blades the space around them began to distort and the air pressure seemed to shift. The two armored warriors stopped and looked around as the hallway that they were just in changed into something completely different and alien to them, the corridor and all that was in it replaced with some strange papier-mâché like scenery. (A/N: Yeah, I'm not even gonna try to go into anymore detail, Witch Labyrinths are just way too crazy, to properly describe.)
"Hey wait, what the hell is this?!" Sayaka asked frantically as she looked around for anything recognizable, but all that was left was a labyrinth of strange and distorted space.
"What's going on?" Madoka said as she quivered in fear.
"Of all times…" Homura cursed under her breath. Just then they all heard childlike chanting in a language none of them understood and out from the very scenery itself came a battalion of strange dandelion like monsters, the Anthonys, with butterfly shaped legs and a mustache being the only semblance of a face they had. As they came into view strange letters seemed to appear all around them randomly, once again nobody understood what they said.
"Ehh, dandelion monsters, what the hell is going on here, transfer student!?" Sayaka demanded but before could give a reply one of the Anthonys leaped out and went straight for Madoka.
Quickly, Homura pulled the Pallete Slide on the Musou Saber, loading it, and shot two shots just passed Sayaka and Madoka, killing the advancing monster and another behind it. She then quickly turned around shot two more that advanced on her, the lights on the blade disappearing every time she fired a shot. Once it was empty, she switched to slashing at the coming at her, blocking attacks with her shield before quickly striking back with sword, reloading it and firing at them whenever possible. Sayaka was forced to fight as well, slashing at the Anthonys with her Raspberry Jian in order to protect Madoka. She ducked under a strike from one of them before kicking it and another beside it away and then did a cross slash at one that was coming straight for her, killing it.
"Miki Sayaka, leave this to me, you take Kaname Madoka and get out of here!" Homura instructed as shot a few more Anthonys.
"Huh, why do I have to listen to…?" Sayaka protested.
"There's no time to explain, Madoka's in danger if she stays here, you have to get her out, now!" Homura insisted, not taking no for an answer. Sayaka was apprehensive, but as she saw Madoka quivering in fear as she kicked away a few Anthonys that went for her, she realized Homura was right.
"Ah, fine, but I better get some answers after this!" Sayaka begrudgingly complied before hacking killing a few Anthonys to give them a safe passage. "Come on, Madoka, this way!" She said as she led the way through the Labyrinth, Madoka following close behind.
"…I'm counting on you, Miki Sayaka." Homura whispered as she turned her attention back to the battle.
The two girls ran for what felt like ages, Sayaka killing whatever monster barred their way and running from any that didn't. Eventually, they made it back to a circular chamber that they had certainly passed about three times already.
"Oh come on, where's the exit to this place!?" Sayaka exclaimed in frustration.
"Sayaka-chan, look!" Madoka warned as she pointed to a hoard of Anthonys approaching them from both sides.
"Crap, we're trapped." Sayaka lamented as she got into a fighting stance. The hoard advanced and Sayaka did her best to keep them at bay, it wasn't too difficult to kill any single Anthony, but their sheer number made them difficult to handle. A few of them actually managed to land a few strikes on Sayaka, but nothing the raspberry heroin couldn't shake off. Madoka could only watch in horror as Sayaka fought these creatures, and just when it seemed Sayaka was gaining the upper hand, Madoka noticed some disembodied scissors snapping above them before advancing on Sayaka.
"Sayaka-chan, look out!" Madoka warned a tad bit too late as the scissors snipped, snapped, and slashed at the unsuspecting Sayaka, sparks flying from her suit with each strike. The sudden onslaught made Sayaka fall to the floor and drop her Raspberry Jian, she quickly reached for them, but a group of Anthonys stood on top of them, preventing her from retrieving them.
"Damn, this isn't good." Sayaka said under her breath as she stood protectively between Madoka and the hoard of monsters and scissors that approached them.
"S-Sayaka-chan…" Madoka whimpered on the brink of tears, making Sayaka clench her fists in anger. With that, the Anthony's lunged forward, ready to finish the job, all Sayaka could do was embrace Madoka in protection and steal herself for the pain. However, at the very last moment, they heard a blast followed by a flash of yellow energy that engulfed the room, the Anthonys all disappearing and leaving Sayaka and Madoka unscathed. The bleak images on the floor of the room were now replaced with a yellow, flowery palette that quickly worked to sooth the two girls.
"Huh, what was that?" Sayaka questioned, though still incredibly relieved.
"What?" Madoka said with a similar curious relief.
"That was pretty close, but everything's ok now." They heard a voice call to them from behind. They turned around and saw another girl approach them from across the room. She had a mature aura about her and a figure to match, if it weren't for the fact that she wore their school uniform one could mistake her for a high school student. She had blond hair done up in twin curls that winded down either side of her neck, that almost seemed to bloom from her flower shaped hair accessories. She wore a comforting smile as she walked over to the duo, but what was most interesting about her was the strange yellow gem she held in her hand, glowing with images of flowers flickering around it.
"Oh, you saved Kyubey?" The girl said, referring to the white creature. "Thank you, he's a dear friend of mine." She thanked, sincere gratitude evident in her voice.
"He was calling out to me." Madoka began. "I heard his voice in my head."
"Hm, I see." Mami replied knowingly.
"Um, not that I don't appreciate the save back there but…" Sayaka chimed in. "Who are you?"
"Oh, how rude of me, I haven't introduced myself yet." Mami replied, however at that very moment they became surrounded by yards and yards of barbed wire, accompanied by the disembodied scissors from before. "But before that…" She added as she eyed the approaching enemies. She turned on her heal into a twirl and threw the gem she was carrying into the air, shuffling her feet playfully before catching it in her hands. "Allow me to take care of a little something first." She said as the glow from the gem intensified, ribbons of yellow light engulfing the girl's body. One by one, her clothes began to change in an extravagant transformation sequence until she was standing in a flashy yellow, white, and brown costume, posing elegantly as a horde of Anthonys swarmed.
"Eh, that's… Magical Girl?" Sayaka said with shock, she half expected her to pull out another belt and Henshin, but she was a magical girl instead.
The Magical Girl then got to work leaping up into the air and staying there. With a flick of her wrist and a small, determined yelp, an armada of white muskets appeared seemingly out of nowhere and aimed themselves at the Anthonys before all firing at once, bullets of orangish yellow energy raining down upon the monsters, destroying them all in a brilliant flash of light. The legs of the Anthonys all fluttered away as the Magical Girl landed gracefully back to the ground.
"Whoa…" Sayaka said, absolutely blown away by the display.
"A-amazing…" Madoka concurred. Suddenly, the world around them began to distort again and the disturbing scenery disappeared and in its place was the storage area of the mall.
"W-we're back!" Sayaka stated as she and Madoka let out relieved sighs. Before anything else could be said Homura landed on a large tarp covered crate, looking down at them as if purely for intimidation.
"I wondered when I would run into you, "Armored Warrior-san"." The Magical Girl said to her in an almost condescending tone. "The Witch is getting away, if you want to hunt it down you'll need to move quickly, I'll let you have this one."
"I'm here on business." Homura replied, her gaze turning towards Madoka and Kyubey, causing Sayaka to stand between them protectively.
"You don't seem to understand me," The Magical Girl said, a slight edge in her voice. "I'm saying I'll let you go." Homura remained silent, but the slight shift in her stance betrayed her concern.
"I'm not sure what exactly it is you want, but I think it would be better for both of us to avoid any unnecessary trouble, wouldn't you agree." The Magical Girl said. Sayaka and Madoka practically held their breath waiting for Homura's response, after a few moments of silent staring Homura turned on her heel and leaped off her perch, the girls listening to her foot steps until they could no longer be heard. Once they were sure she was gone Madoka and Sayaka let out a sigh of relief before Sayaka closed and removed the lock from her belt, canceling the transformation.
Without a moment to spare, the creature called Kyubey was laid out on a tarp the procured from their surroundings and the Magical Girl went to work, holding her hands up to him as they glowed with a yellow healing light. Moments later all of Kyubey's injuries completely disappeared and his eyes popped open as he sprang back to life.
"Thank you, Mami, you saved me." Kyubey thanked, Sayaka and Madoka surprised to hear him talk coherently for the first time. Madoka smiled at the creature's chipper declaration, happy that she managed to help it get better.
"You should be thinking these two." Mami said, referring to the two girls that sat beside her. "I was just passing by."
"Thank you very much." Kyubey said as he turned to the two girls. "My name is Kyubey!" He introduced himself.
"Um, were you the one who was calling for me?" Madoka inquired.
"That's right, Kaname Madoka, and Miki Sayaka." Kyubey replied.
"H-how do you know our names?" Sayaka said, she and Madoka surprised by the creature's familiarity with them.
"I have a request for you two." Kyubey began on a somewhat serious note.
"A-A request?" Madoka said.
"I want you two to make contracts with me and become Magical Girls!" Kyubey stated with what seemed to be a smile on his face.
A/N: And with that we have finally begun working with the cannon PMMM material, WOOT! So yeah, the majority of the chapters from now on will mostly be taking place during the episodes of the main PMMM series, as such most of the dialogue will be taken from there, of course with adjustments to account for the new plot points of the Armored Riders. Also, I'm mostly going to be taking the dialogue from the subbed version, so yeah, just so you guys know. By the way, bonus points to whoever can guess which fruit Homura's Lockseed is, leave your guesses in the reviews… of course only two people bothered to review last time, so brave kid and OrionGold, thanks for that and hope to hear from you both this time around as well. Well, see you guys next time and don't forget to R&R please.