So, Kyouko and Sayaka are going toe to toe and Madoka can only watch. She must feel so useless, mybe as useless as Sayaka felt a few chapters ago. Hope you enjoy.
MADOKA MAGICA
It seems Sayaka Miki and Kyouko Sakura's battle is more intense than I had anticipated.
I suppose it's due to my instructing her in the art of combat. This timeline's Sayaka is far more skilled than any of her previous incarnations. Thus, her battle with Kyouko is not as one sided. So now they're BOTH as likely to get killed by the other...
One problem solved, another replaces it...
MADOKA MAGICA
Echoing all throughout the desolate industrial district was the sound of clashing steel. In an undisclosed alleyway, red was met with blue and sword was met with spear. The lancer and fencer faced each other in single combat. Every slash was blocked and every stab was parried. They were evenly matched.
The red lancer was wild and destructive. She blocked almost all of the fencer's strike and the ones she failed to block merely grazed her - and none of them even made her flinch. Her own attacks on a whole other level. While all of her spear thrusts were dodged or deflected, she was able to snap one of the enemy's blades in two.
The blue fencer was nimble and relentless. She may have lost a sword but she had not been hit once. With the use of her speed, she managed a few glancing blows. They weren't large wounds but they didn't need to be. She jut needed to keep up her barrage and she'd wear her opponent down. She'd win, provided she doesn't take a direct hit by one of the lancer's deadly attacks.
While their battle was glorious, the one and only spectator to the fight was not awe inspired. In fact, she was appalled.
Madoka watched helplessly as her best friend fought life and limb for no apparent reason. Was it a scarred sense of pride? Was it because of the insult to Mami's policy of fighting familiars to prevent further death? Was it because of a sense of duty? Did Sayaka truely believe that the lancer was an evil person? Either way, the thought of magical girls fighting one another didn't sit well with her.
Why do they have to fight? They aren't enemies. I want this to stop, please! Madoka wanted to scream but the words got stuck in her throat. She was helpless. She couldn't do anything. She could only watch from the other side of the magic cage of cards the red magical girl had created. Please don't die, Sayaka...
MADOKA MAGICA
Sayaka was winning. The other girl had yet to land a single blow but Sayaka managed to cover the red clad lancer with cuts all over or body. Her movements has slowed, allowing the fencer to land even more hits. Perhaps in desperation, the lancer aimed a thrust at her legs. Sayaka side-stepped and stomped her foot onto the spear shaft. The tip was embedded into the concrete. Sayaka smirked and stabbed with her cutlass.
It was then that Madoka knew who would win. She had sat through Sayaka and Homura's training sessions. She learned the signs - she could see the signs. The lancer wouldn't be able to pull the blade from out of the ground in time to block the attack. If she let go of her spear to dodge the sword, she'd be left defenseless to a counter attack. Sayaka had won.
Or so she thought. The bluenette's smirk was soon replaced with an open mouth of surprise.
The lancer's spear separated into several segments, creating a chain. Sayaka's foot was still on the shaft when it segmented. She lost her balance in an instant. The chain wrapped itself around Sayaka's hand causing her to lose her grip on her cutlass. The pony tailed girl then whipped the chain upwards and then high kicked the fencer in the chin. With that, she was knocked to the floor.
"Game over" The red lancer spun her spear above her head. With a step forward and a massive downward swing, she slammed the flat of the spear's blade onto the girl's chest. The attack was strong enough to crack the concrete floor below her - one could only imagine what it did to her ribs.
Sayaka, NO!
MADOKA MAGICA
Madoka banged hopelessly on the magic cage she was trapped in. "Sayaka..." The said girl was sprawled on the floor. She wasn't breathing. Madoka could see the soul gem on her stomach - which was still glowing, at least - but it was darkening at an alarming rate. "This is bad. This is very very bad..."
It was then that Sayaka stirred. Slowly, she began standing back up, looking less like a human and more like a corpse coming back to life. Soon she was back on her feet, much to the horror of Kyouko.
"That hit broke all of your ribs!" She yelled as she took a step back. "No one should be able to stand back up after that..."
"You're right. It really hurt..." Sayaka spoke through her mind. "It think you might have even crushed my lungs and stopped my heart..." A large circle of music notes appeared under her feet. "But that doesn't mean you've won..."
"What ARE you!?"
Sayaka coughed. Her lungs were working again. "I'm just a magical girl..." She said, a little out of breath. "My name's Sayaka Miki" With that, she charged once more towards the lancer.
Madoka watched all of this happen. She knew what had happened. She knew, but she wished she didn't.
Sayaka had most likely detached her mind from her body in the moment the spear slammed into her chest. She didn't outright sever the connection, just enough to only feel a dull throb upon the attack's impact. Then she used her regeneration magic to fix her ribs and other broken body parts.
From the looks of things, Sayaka hadn't managed to fully reconnect with her body yet as she was still moving pretty clumsily. A far cry from the agility she had displayed earlier. Perhaps the lancer did not notice this as she did not seem to be eager to engage the bluenette anymore.
It disturbed Madoka greatly that Sayaka had resorted to using that technique. Homura had told them that completely suppressing one's pain could have a heavy negative impact to one's mental health. For a magical girl, that was worse than fatal.
"Get back! GET BACK!" The red clad magical girl was no longer holding back. Her attacks were no longer aiming to maim. She was out to kill. With a sideways swing, her spear cut into Sayaka's side. The clumsy attempt by the fencer to deflect the attack with her cutlass ended with the pole arm sticking out of her thigh.
Sayaka grunted and began sliding her blade up the spear's shaft, ignoring the wound on her leg. She wanted to cut off the lancer's hand. She was too slow so her opponent kicked her back. Another magic circle appeared on her thigh and it healed almost instantly.
Madoka watched tensely as Sayaka was wounded and healed again and again. She was about to break down in tears, pleading for the bluenette to stop when she sensed something change. Suddenly, Sayaka was no longer getting hit. She finally reconnected her mind and was now as nimble as she was earlier.
In fact, she was arguably faster. The lancer was hard pressed to defend as a blue blur dashed around her, even with her chain spear that she used to surprise her earlier. The cuts she managed to give were now longer and deeper. Now Madoka was SURE Sayaka would win.
"Look away."
Madoka blinked. "Homura?"
"Close your eyes and cover your ears"
A grenade appeared in between Sayaka and the red lancer. There was a flash and a deafening bang.
When Madoka opened her eyes, she was Homura standing over a fallen Sayaka. The lancer was proping herself up with her spear.
"Kyouko Sakura..." The raven haired girl said. "I apologize for my student's actions. She's a bit of an idiot."
The lancer, Kyouko looked at the bluenette with mixed emotions. Madoka could see fear, disgust, anger, and more than a little curiosity. "She... she's..."
"She is unconscious." Homura assured. She looked back toward's Madoka. "Take Sayaka Miki and get her away from here. There are some things I wish to discuss with Miss Sakura."
Madoka frowned but did as she was told. She slung Sayaka over her shoulder and began carrying her away. Stealing one last look at Homura, she said "Good luck, Homura" and began walking away. The raven haired girl didn't reply and only stared at her. Why'd she have that look of pain in her eyes again? Madoka wondered.
MADOKA MAGICA
It seems I got there just in time.
I'm surprised Kyouko is as hurt as she is. She has little ability to use magic so I know she compensated by becoming more physically able. She isn't lacking in defense by any means. Sayaka must have just been faster.
Speaking of which, her descent is already starting. I explicitly told her that she was not to use that technique unless she was likely to die. Kyouko Sakura was not aiming to kill her. I must speak with her about this...
Now, there are things Kyouko should know...
MADOKA MAGICA
I don't know what high I was riding this past weeks to be able to upload a chapter every two days but that high has subsided. I'll still be writing for this story but expect less frequent updates.
'Til my next chapter, I bid you all farewell.
P.S. I'm weirdly happy that my fic's word count was an easy to remember number recently. Two chapters ago it was 16,000 and last chapter it was 17,555. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case with this chapter. And so, I decided to make this end note longer than is necessary, all for the sake of a word count. There we go.