Resonance Days

by TakerFoxx

Falling their mutual demise at each other's hands, Kyoko and Sayaka wake up in a strange world. Now, with Kyoko's soul gem missing and Sayaka's humanity and personality only partially restored, they must band together to survive.

61. Intermission: A Trial and a Funeral

Intermission: A Trial and a Funeral

The sunny days had come to an end, and now it was raining.

The being now known only as Elsa Maria sat alone in her cell, listening to the rain patter against the jail. There was a comfort to the soft, gentle drone of the rain, a soothing white noise that helped put her mind at ease and drown out the vague whispers that constantly gnawed at the edges of her sanity. It reminded her of sea storms back at her lighthouse.

She knew that she was not entirely right in the head. How could she be? She had been tested time and time again, and though her faith and resolute spirit had carried her through, those trials had still left their scars.

What was more, the voices of the shadows, which she had come to rely on to silence the madness, had also fallen quiet.

Elsa Maria didn't know why. They had been with her every step of her journey, conveying to her the will of God, guiding her path and directing her actions. But though she was now on the doorstep of her destination, awaiting only permission to reunite with Kyoko Sakura and Saya...Oktavi...her savior, they now no longer spoke to her.

Perhaps that was a sign that she no longer needed their guidance. Maybe her journey truly was complete, and it was now only a matter of time before she was brought to them, so there was no need for them to speak to her. But there was. She needed them in order to stay focused. She needed them in order to keep herself together.

Maybe it was a sign that she had grown too reliant on direct communication with her Holy Father. Most of His servants were not blessed with such privileges. Maybe now it was time to return to simple prayer and steadfast faith.

She could do that. That was what had carried her on through her days of exile within her lighthouse, after all. However, she just wished that the time of testing had come...literally anywhere else.

She could feel the walls of the cell pressing in on her from all sides, the weight of the roof bearing down from above. It was far better than the lightless, airless cavity she had been stuck in when incarcerated within Palace Omega's dungeon, but it was close enough to let the dark emptiness seep back into her mind.

Suddenly, she heard the doors at the end of the hall swing open. Someone was coming.

Elsa Maria straightened up. As expected, Sheriff Silitho clopped her way down the hall. Elsa Maria was curious about her. Andalites were a rare sight, especially outside of the few territories that they had. And yet, here one was, playing the role of an American Old West sheriff, no less.

No, she chastised herself. Not playing. She's as much the real deal as one could get. Definitely more respectable than her counterpart over at Pendle's Quarry.

Accompanying her were a pair of deputies, ones that Elsa Maria hadn't met: a redheaded human and a black-skinned vekoo. Abigail Walters and Lissoro, her gift told her. Elsa Maria did have some experience with the vekoo. Her journey from the Withering Lands had taken her right through one of their territories. That had been memorable. And it cheered her somewhat to see one here.

However, more interesting to her was the handcuffed girl they had between them. It was none other than Josephine the Mannequin Witch, previously Stefanie Windham, who had fled the moment Elsa Maria had crashed the YFU. Apparently, it hadn't done her much good.

As Elsa Maria watched, they opened up the cell across from her and put her in. Sheriff Silitho locked the door after her.

"We will deal with you soon enough," the andalite sheriff told Josie, via her species' natural telepathy. "Until then, you will remain here."

Josie merely slumped down on the cot with her head in her hands. The sheriff and her deputies left.

In time, Josie slowly became aware that there was someone watching. She raised her head and, upon catching sight of Elsa Maria in the opposite cell, became flushed with fury.

"You!" Josie snarled.

Elsa Maria merely blinked. "I see they found you."

"Found me? Yeah. You can say that. A bunch of fuckin' freaks found me!"

Letting out a long sigh, Elsa Maria muttered, "So says the girl that literally falls apart if you flick her in the wrong place."

"I'm serious! There's like this crazy hag with a bunch of creepy clones livin' in the middle of the forest! Freakiest thing I've ever seen!"

Elsa Maria truly doubted that. "Why do you insist on using a slur that's intended to degrade people like us?"

"Fuck you!"

"I mean, I would understand if your intention was to reclaim it in an empowering manner, but your usage remains derogatory."

"Shut up! Just shut up, already! Stupid, crazy hag!"

Elsa Maria shrugged.

After a few moments had passed, Josie said in a more mollified tone, "Where's Lucy and Carmen?"

"Them?" Elsa Maria sighed. "They were taken somewhere else. I presume they are not considered a threat like you and I and are somewhere much more comfortable. Somewhat fitting, if you think about it."

Josie glowered. "You are not gonna let that go, are you?"

Elsa Maria ignored the accusation. "On the plus side, Lucy is now reunited with her friend Linda, who seemed quite happy to see her. So at least she got her happy ending."

"Linda?" Josie seemed quite taken back. "No shit? Really?"

"Tall girl? Part arachnid? Cheery personality? Yes, it was her. So at the very least, she is in the hands…and legs…of a real friend now."

Josie grumbled something inaudible and likely profanity-laden under her breath. Then she said, "What about the bounty hunters?"

"I do not know. They also fled after the crash."

"Why'd you do that? Why'd you suddenly freak out like that?"

Elsa Maria pursed her lips. "I divined that they were in the employ of those I wished to protect those that I seek from. Allowing them to reach their intended quarry ran counter to that."

"Okay, but why let them take you in quietly? You can probably tear your way out of here, easy as pie!"

"Because doing so would also run counter to my aims. I wish to see certain individuals here on this ranch. Causing a ruckus will only bring the full weight of their might down on me, and I will swiftly find myself shot to pieces and have those pieces thrown out into the desert."

Josie blinked. "Oh."

"Also, it would be rude."

Josie growled. "Of course it would," she hissed as she drew her legs up onto the cot and hugged them to her chest. "Of course it would."

…

Underwater.

Deep underwater. No light, no warmth, no air. Drowning. Chest burning. Can't get out.

Try to swim up, legs kicking and hands clawing, desperate to breathe. Can't swim. Never learned. Why?

Fuck it. Too late for that. Only thing to do now is to rise, to reach the surface, to breathe!

Can't. Being held back. Something has me. Something is keeping me down.

There is...there is...

Eyes. One black, one red, colors changing places, to the sound of a ticking clock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Kyoko bolted awake to the sound of falling rain.

She sat upright, her chest pounding, her head swimming with the sound of rushing water. And she still couldn't breathe! It felt like her throat had swollen up, constricting the flow of air.

Where...Where was she? It was dark, and water was falling. Was she still underwater? Was she still drowning?

No. No, wait. She was in bed. But not her bed, not the bed that she shared with Saya-with Oktavia. This one was new.

Right. Right. Things were weird right now. They had agreed...agreed that Kyoko needed some space. So, for the time being, she was sleeping in a different room.

Why had she done that? Fuck, why had she done that?

Fuck it. It was still a room, not the bottom of the lake. She had just had a nightmare; that was all.

But if that were the case, why was it that she still couldn't breathe?

Why did she still hear ticking?

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Kyoko sat up in bed, eyes frantically searching the dark room for the source of the sound.

Then she caught sight of herself in the mirror.

One of her eyes was dark, while the other glowed bright red.

Kyoko whimpered. The ticking grew louder. And every time it sounded, the red eye and the black eye traded places. Back and forth. Tick-tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Again Kyoko bolted upright in bed, one hand going to her face. She was awake this time, right? She wasn't trapped in another nightmare, right?

She caught sight of her reflection. Even though she was little more than a dark silhouette in the mirror, her eyes were normal.

But the ticking. It was still going!

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Where, where, where? Where was she hiding? Where was-

Wait.

The bedside clock.

Tick.

Tock.

Kyoko lunged for the small bedside table. Her hands closed around the clock and squeezed. The metal crumpled in her hand. The ticking stopped.

Collapsing back into the pillows, Kyoko tried to regather her wits. Nightmare. Just a stupid nightmare. She was alone, she wasn't drowning, and Annabelle Lee was nowhere near her. But she still could barely breathe.

Air. She needed air.

Kyoko hastily kicked the bedcovers away and got up. The coldness of the wooden floor bit into her bare feet, waking her up just a little more. She hurried to the door and twisted the doorknob.

It was locked. From the outside.

Kyoko stared down at the metal knob in dismay. She was locked in her room. But why? Why was-

Oh. Oh, right. The trial was tomorrow, and they didn't want her running off. Or...later today. What time was it?

Letting out a small whimper, she moved away from the door and turned toward the window. The curtains were drawn, but that did nothing to drown out the torrent of water coming down. Even if she got out, there would be water on all sides.

Kyoko squeezed her eyes shut and laid a hand on her chest. She tried to recall what that one girl had done to help her get her breathing under control after they had fished her out of the lake. Come on, breathe in...and breathe out. Breathe in...and breathe out.

It wasn't as easy without the help, but slowly but surely she was able to take deeper and deeper breaths, filling her chest with sweet, cleansing oxygen.

That's right. Calm down, and breathe. She wasn't drowning anymore. She wasn't drowning.

Letting out a bitter laugh, Kyoko slowly laid back down on the bed. What a joke. She had been drowning for years. It had just taken her this long to notice the water in her lungs.

...

"All rise."

The Big House was just that: a big, three-story house whose size seemed to stand in contrast to the fairytale cottage style of its design, one that served a great many purposes.

There was the Great Hall in the front, which played host to any number of community events, from dances to religious services to formal ceremonies to weddings and anything that might require a large, open room. Beyond that was the house itself, with the bottom floor being compromised of community spaces. There were the guest rooms (a few of which were currently occupied by the newcomers fleeing from Freehaven), the library, the kitchen, a game room, the servants' quarters, and so on. The second floor were personal living spaces for the Colemans, along with a handful of other prominent human members of the community. Alexandria had her own place outside of the town, while Bitchslap, Cachiro, and Silitho all had dwellings more suited toward their biology.

But the top floor, which Kyoko and her friends had never visited, was where the actual governing took place. It held the administrative offices, each of the elders' private quarters, the treasury, the records room, and other functions necessary to keep things running.

It also was where Kyoko's trial was taking place.

The room they had brought her to looked like it was a formal den of some kind, with lots of old furniture, not all of it of human origin, and paintings of various people on the walls. Some of them were people that Kyoko knew. Others weren't.

Kyoko had been sitting in a hand-carved chair of oak. She on her own, with her friends waiting for her downstairs. They had already been questioned, as had just about everyone she had grown close to on the ranch. Now, it was her turn.

Facing her were three other chairs, for the use of the human elders. Sheriff Silty stood behind Kyoko's chair with her arms folded. A deputy stood at each of the room's two doors, one of which had just opened.

The elders entered. The three humans were in the lead, Tai and Missy Coleman taking the right and middle chairs, while Alexandria McCormack settled down on the one on the left. Bitchslap the calliope darted through the air to hover over their heads. And an ai'jurrik'kai maid came in, pushing a large dolly, on top of which sat a big washtub filled with water. The strange glimmer over the bucket spoke of Cachiro the botuntiko's presence.

The ai'jurrik'kai lifted the bucket off the dolly and set it on the floor. Then she wheeled the dolly out of the room. Kyoko winced as the door slammed shut behind her. There was a cold finality to the sound.

Sheriff Silitho started things off. "Let's get down to business," she said in everyone's minds. The andalite gestured toward the despondent Kyoko. "As we all now know, when Kyoko Sakura and her companions were granted sanctuary within our walls, Tai Coleman's precognition sensed that she held a secret of some kind, one that she jealously protected. Well, we now know what that secret is. Unbeknownst even to her companions, Kyoko Sakura had brought along an infant valk from a dockengaut territory, one that she was raising. And as we have since learned, valks are both extremely dangerous predators and very intelligent. The valk in question did not take well to being separated from its master, and snuck onto our lands to find her. Being a predator, it killed a number of our animals before it was discovered. And in the process of defending it, Kyoko also attacked myself and Deputies Walters and Lissoro, resulting in our temporary incapacitation."

Having delivered her piece, Silitho stepped back. Alexandria nodded, and then glanced over to Cachiro.

The botuntiko half-crawled, half-slithered out of her bucket and, straightening up so that she was walking on her two pairs of hind legs while gesturing with her forelegs, began to pace back and forth in front of the podium. Of course, she didn't actually need to leave her bucket in order to do so, but Cachiro always had a flair for the dramatic.

"Now, I do say, this is a most perplexing puzzler that we have been presented with," she said in her heavy Kentucky drawl, of which no one had any clue of how and where she had picked it up. "We have already questioned Kyoko's traveling companions at length, and have concluded that while they had noticed an odd change in her behavior ever since their frightful escape from the dockengauts' clutches, the idea that she might have an infant valk under her care never so much as even occurred to them. We have also spoken those here who have interacted with our new young friends, and all spoke very highly of them all, young Miss Sakura included. Regardless, the fact remains that our hospitality was abused, and such a breach of trust demands an answer."

Elder Alexandria stared a hole through Kyoko's head. "Well, Miss Sakura. You got anythin' that you'd like to say for yourself?"

Her head still bowed, Kyoko mumbled something under her breath.

Sighing, Elder Alexandria slid her legs off of the podium and leaned forward. "I'm terribly sorry, but could you repeat that? I couldn't quite make it out."

Jerking a bit, Kyoko finally raised her head, glowering out at the court with glistening scarlet eyes. She took a deep breath and practically shouted, "I said, stop wasting my time! We all know how this ends!" She gestured toward the door. "If you're gonna toss Jerky and me out, then just get it over with, already!"

Her friends all winced at her outburst, but the court was unperturbed. "It sounds to me like you want us to throw you out," Bitchslap noted in her ethereal voice.

"Who cares what I want?" Kyoko demanded. "I know you all hate me, so why pretend otherwise? Hurry it up, and show us to the door!"

Rolling her bulbous eyes, Cachiro sloshed back into her bucket.

Then Tai Coleman sighed. "Well, gotta say, I do appreciate you lookin' after your friends like that by takin' all the blame, but I'd thank you to not waste our time grandstandin'."

Kyoko's head jerked back in surprise. "What?"

"Kid, I'm an empath, remember?" Tai said, the orange blotches on her skin squeezing together into irritated polka dots. "Trust me, 'spite all that's happened, we want to help you, not punish you. Hidin' the valk will have consequences, yes, but exile is not the most likely."

"It's not?" Kyoko said after a long pause.

Tai shook her head. "'Sides, we know your friends ain't a part of this. They're safe. We just want you to cooperate so we can all sort this mess out."

Kyoko shivered. "Oh," she said, her body relaxing ever so slightly.

Alexandria gave a brief roll of her eyes. This was getting off track. "You had that valk ever since you and your friends wound up in dockengaut territory, right?"

Kyoko licked her lips and said, "Y-Yeah. He, uh, he stowed away in my pack. I didn't find out until we had gotten out."

"But you still hid him from them."

Lowering her head again, Kyoko gave a small nod. "They wouldn't have understood. Charlotte is...Well, she hates valks. She would've tried to kill him. I couldn't let that happen."

"Which is why you didn't tell us about him," Tai pressed.

"I couldn't..." Kyoko's face twisted into a grimace. "I thought he could stay outside, and I could find a way to visit him, but..."

Sheriff Silitho then tilted her head. "That's why you wanted to join the Dune Patrol, isn't it?"

"Yeah. That, uh, didn't work."

Frowning, Alexandria took the oak stalk out of her mouth and tossed it aside. "But you never thought that he might grow impatient waitin' for you, did'ja?"

Shivering again, Kyoko said, "I fucked up. I left him out there. He must've been so lonely. I mean, I took away his family, and then once I had somewhere safe to be, I basically abandoned him! Jesus, I fucked up so bad. I fucked up. I fucked up. I fucked up."

Those among the elders who had faces softened their expressions. Looks of discomfort were exchanged, and then Missy Coleman cleared her throat and said, "Er, Miss Sakura?"

Kyoko seemed to have forgotten that there was anyone else in the room with her. She just kept shaking and mumbling under her breath. "I fucked up. I fucked up. I fucked up."

Tai winced. She shot a look over to Missy, who slowly nodded, and then to Alexandria, who nodded as well. Clearing her throat, she said, "We'd...better take a break. Silty, you can take her to her friends. I think she...a break. Let's take a break."

…

With the defendant out of the room, the elders all gathered together to discuss what had happened.

"Well, that was a display," Silitho remarked.

Tai shook her head. "No, it ain't. She weren't puttin' on airs. That was for real."

"Anyone else fee like maybe we're pushing the poor kid too hard?" Bitchslap opinioned. "I mean, yeah, she did make a pretty big whoopsie, but given what happened to her..."

Alexandria scowled. "I'm not particularly inclined to cut someone who endangers our community any slack."

Sighing, Cachiro rose up out of her bucket to address the human. "Now, now, is that entirely fair? The girl made a mistake. But aren't we all mistake-makers here?"

"She attacked me and my deputies," Silitho pointed out.

"An act that, while regrettable, was neither malicious nor predetermined," Cachiro responded. "The girl panicked."

Tai was chewing on the inside of her lip. This whole ordeal was making her far more uncomfortable than she had anticipated. "I agree. And I think that, maybe, we sometimes tend to forget that just because our faces do not age, some of us are genuinely still children. Kyoko Sakura is still a child, and a particularly victimized one at that."

Silitho turned her stalk-eyes toward the precognizant human witch. "If you wish to get technical about your definitions, the same could be said for those at Pendle's Quarry."

Missy shot the surly andalite a hard look. "Silty, that ain't even remotely close to bein' the same thing. Yeah, they're a bunch of hurt kids, but they let that hurt drive them to ignorance and hatred. Kyoko ain't like them."

"What is she like, then?" Alexandria said to Tai. "As you said, you're the empath here. Is everythin' finally out in the open?"

Tai shrugged. "Yes. We knew she was hidin' somethin', and that somethin' was the valk."

"Well, there you have it," Cachiro said triumphantly. "A child with a secret pet. Hardly worth holdin' a criminal trial over." Though her body's lack of visibility made it hard to tell, she still turned her salamander-like head to give Alexandria a meaningful look. "After all, she is not the only one hidin' somethin' from that forsaken place."

A hush fell upon the room. While they were all, of course, aware of the dirty little secret hidden away in the ranch's most isolated corner, speaking openly about it was not something any of them liked to do.

"Not the same thing," Alexandria said at last.

"Perhaps," Cachiro diplomatically allowed.

Seeing that things were getting off track, Missy cleared her throat and said, "Cachiro has a point. That kid was already a broken mess when they got here, and whatever Annabelle Lee did to her in that lake broke her beyond belief. We shouldn't be subjectin' her to this. Decide what the consequences are for hidin' it and be done with it."

Alexandria folded her arms. "So, we're keepin' them, then?"

"We ain't tossin' nobody over this," Missy said firmly. "Now, the other thing...that's a whole other story, but this is separate from that."

"Perhaps," Silitho said. "But that does leave us with the question of what to do with the valk. We cannot keep it down forever. Releasing it into the wild won't work, because it'll either try to break in again or she'll likely leave to go after it. And I am getting the impression that killing it is off the table as well."

Tai shrugged. "It's an animal. It was only a threat to our animals because we didn't know about it. But now, any one of us could probably put it down without much trouble."

"And let's face it: is having a valk around really such a bad thing?" Bitchslap said brightly. "I mean, you have to admit, it would make one hell of a guard."

Alexandria sighed. "That thing'll listen to Kyoko and Kyoko alone. It's still wild."

"Then put her on the Dune Patrol like she wanted," Bitchslap suggested.

Silitho went stiff in alarm. "Absolutely not. As we have already stated several times, she is still a child, and while she has all of our sympathies, she is neither stable nor trustworthy."

"Then what do we do with it?" Missy wanted to know. "That thing ain't gonna take kindly to bein' caged up. Nor will it respect fences, walls, or nothin' we stick it in."

Tai shot her a look. "Puddin', we have magic."

"Maybe we can give it its own territory!" Bitchslap suggested. "I mean, we've got plenty of land, and some of it ain't getting used."

"Are you seriously suggestin' that in return for hidin' this very dangerous animal from us and gettin' several of our own animals killed, we partition off a large chunk of our land solely for its comfort?" Missy demanded.

"Sure!"

"Wait, valks are venomous, right?" Alexandria said suddenly.

"You tell us," Tai responded. "You're the one with the bead on that whole business."

Silitho stepped forward. "Yes. I have my own sources, and made sure to read up on their anatomy."

Now Alexandria was hunched forward, one hand rubbing her chin as her jaws furiously went to work on her oak stalk. "How venomous are we talkin' here?"

All eyes went to Silitho, who merely shrugged. "Their blood and saliva have acidic properties that cause immense pain upon contact. Furthermore, their corrosive nature is strong enough to eat through concrete. However, the true danger comes from what happens if it gets inside of you. Within a creature of flesh and blood, it will proliferate through the bloodstream, causing mass inflammation and paralyzing pain. Apparently, this is a deliberate hunting tactic. But when it comes in contact with soul vapors, it displays a similar effect, literally evaporating to spread through one's vapors, also causing incredible pain while preventing regeneration. Should handling it while it is awake become necessary, I would recommend avoiding being bit, licked, or spat upon. They do that as well."

"Well, damn," Tai remarked. "It's like some kind of demon llama."

"Or those hooty dinosaurs, the ones with like the gecko frills?" Missy added. "You know, the ones that also spit?"

Alexandria shot her a somewhat disgruntled look. "That was just in the movie."

"For reals? They weren't real?"

"No. I mean, they were, but they didn't spit. Or have frills. I don't think."

Cachiro cleared her throat, a deep, phlegmy sound that drew everyone's attention. "While I am certain that human entertainment trivia is of great interest within the appropriate setting, I find myself more interested in what I believe was a different point exactly. Alexandria, it appears to me that an idea might be stirrin' in your noggin. Would you be so kind so as to illuminate the rest of us?"

Alexandria's cheeks tightened. "Bitchslap, I'm gonna need you to do poke around your sources. Get me everythin' you can about valk venom on the black market. What it's used for. What it can do."

"Uh, sure, but why would you need to buy more when we got a living source right here?"

"That's the point. We have a source. But who it's sold to informs what it's good for."

Silitho peered at her. "Alexandria. What exactly are you thinking?"

"I'm thinkin' that the business with the girl and her dinosaur is the least of our worries. We should be focusin' on more pressin' situations."

"How 'xactly will a bunch of dino spit help us with the Void Walkers and the Brothel goin' after those girls?" Tai demanded.

"It won't. But that ain't the only situation on the table. We got a possible bead on the Hag Hole." Alexandria shot the Colemans a sidelong glance. "And possibly a way to ensure that anythin' and anyone we put down stays down."

A heavy silence fell upon the room. The implication was perfectly clear to all present. Wonderland Ranch was well aware of where it stood in the balance of power with its neighbors. Open hostility would be disastrous, and Pendle's Quarry's many contracts with other nearby communities meant that rallying allies was next to impossible. So long as business was on the level, nobody cared about one of their neighbor's backwater views.

Silitho shifted her hind legs in discomfort. "We do not yet know if the turncoat's information is accurate."

"Easy enough to check, I'd say," Alexandria responded.

Another beat.

"You do realize that if we go down this path, there ain't no goin' back," Cachiro pointed out. "That switch ain't gettin' unflipped."

"Which is somethin' we all acknowledged and agreed upon decades ago," Alexandria said. "Jus' because it's now starin' us in the face don't change nothin'."

"As loath as I am to admit it, I have to agree," Silitho told them. "The Hag Hole was the one thing we all agreed to be our breaking point. If the information we have now is accurate, then its nature fits the tales. And if we can ascertain its location, then we must act. To not do so would be cowardice."

Tai slowly exhaled. "This is too big of a decision for this meeting. Acting now affects not only us at the ranch, but every other community in our network. We need to be ready for the fallout."

"Then decide the girl's fate now and deliver her sentence," Silitho said. "If the valk can be of use to us, and if we need her to control it, come up with an acceptable compromise, and let's all move our focus to matters more important."

Missy then cleared her throat. "Speakin' of which, there's another problem involvin' her. Do we tell her about Elsa Maria or not?"

All eyes turned to Silitho. After all, she was the one holding the enigmatic witch in custody.

"In time we will have to," she said. "However, I'd like some time to question her a bit further first, as well as touch base with some of our connections to see if we can verify her story. Given whom she claims to represent, I do not want to put her in the same room as Kyoko until we can confirm that we can trust her not to do to us what she did to those bounty hunters."

"Plus, the poor child has more than enough weighin' her down as it is without gettin' her in contact with a supposed messenger of her hated enemy," Cachiro added. "Perhaps some time to allow her to regather herself before we drop this on her."

Alexandria leaned forward. "Might have to work fast, then. Half the ranch knows about her. Won't be long before Kyoko starts talkin' to them again. All it takes is one loose set of lips."

"That is unfortunately very true," Silitho reluctantly agreed. "Very well. Settle the issue with the valk and be done with it. From there, we start making calls. Agreed?"

Murmurs and nods of agreement came from all around.

…

The funny thing was, despite only staying there for a few weeks and despite it always having been intended to be a temporary place for Oktavia and her friends until more appropriate accommodations could be made for them, the Big House was the closest thing Oktavia had ever had to a home.

She was, after all, only a few months old, and considerably less than that if you went by time in the world of the living. As such, to her the few weeks spent there was the longest she had ever stayed in one place. It was the only time she had consistently slept in the same bed ever since leaving the Nautilus Platform, the only time she had woken up to the same surroundings for more than a couple days at a time, the only time she had begun to grow accustomed to existing in the same space. Out in the wilds, they would wake up in one spot and go to bed in another place entirely, and their sleep would be fretful and insufficient. Now, she was actually able to get more than a few hours at a time.

However, now that Kyoko was on trial, and now that there continued stay was in question, Oktavia was reminded that on top of being a functional house, the Big House was also a place of government. It was where the leaders of Wonderland Ranch decided the course of their community. And it was where the fate of Oktavia and her friends was to be decided. Suddenly, the rooms and furniture that she had grown so comfortable in felt a whole lot less homey.

At least the first round had gone about as well as it possibly could. Oktavia hadn't been allowed to be present for that, but from what she had been told, it seemed that they had been more worried about Kyoko's pet valk than the actual elders were. Sure, the leaders of Wonderland Ranch were upset about Kyoko hiding something that dangerous from them, and nobody was pleased about the damage it had done, but it wasn't something they were just going to toss her out over.

To tell the truth, Oktavia herself wasn't sure how she felt about the valk. It felt so strange that something like that had been following them all this time. And while she did understand why Kyoko had kept its existence a secret from Mami and especially Charlotte, Oktavia was still a little hurt that Kyoko hadn't trusted her with its existence.

At the moment, the elders were deliberating upstairs, while the four of them were waiting in the den that connected to the back porch. None of them had talked much.

As for Oktavia, she was sitting right outside, on the porch itself. The porch had retractable windows that covered the normally open spaces whenever the weather got too wet, so at least the rain itself wasn't bothering her. So she sat and watched the deluge come down as she fiddled around on her harmonica. There was a new song she was working on, one that might actually have lyrics.

No matter how you hide, something deep inside

Remember I'll always hold you here

All these mistakes, something something

I'll be stronger by your side

It was a work in progress.

Then she heard the sound of footsteps. Oktavia stopped playing and turned around. To her surprise, it was Kyoko.

"Oh, hey!" Oktavia said, perhaps a bit more cheerily than what felt natural.

Kyoko smiled. It did not reach her eyes. "Hey. I like your song. Is it a new one?"

Well, at least they were talking now. "Yeah, just something I've been fiddling around with," Oktavia said, setting her harmonica aside.

Nodding, Kyoko leaned back against a post and looked out at the rain. "It's pretty. Kind of nostalgic feeling, if that makes any sense."

"Thanks," Oktavia said, and she meant it. Then she hesitated. Should she really be asking the question that was foremost in her mind? Kyoko did not usually respond well to people prodding into her internal struggles, and she surely was assailed by a great many of them.

Screw it. "I, uh...Kyoko, are you okay?"

Kyoko shallow smile died, but at least it didn't become a frown. "Well, I'm not getting exiled or stuffed into a cell, so there's that. And Jerky's not getting put down, so I guess I should be thankful, even though they're keeping him locked up and won't let me see him, so he probably hates me right now for getting him into this." With a heavy sigh, she stuck her hands into her pockets. "But hey, I basically ruined everyone else I've ever cared about. What's one more?"

Oktavia did not care for the sound of that at all. "Kyoko..."

"But there's still something else brewing," Kyoko continued. "I can tell. They won't cough up the details, but I bet you anything it has to do with Oblivion. Or the Brothel. So our days here are probably numbered. Probably save them a bunch of trouble by just kicking me out. I mean, I'm the one that they want, right? If they did, it'd save everyone a whole lot of trouble."

"Do you want to get kicked out?" Oktavia asked.

Kyoko paused. And then she said, "No."

"Then please stop talking like that," Oktavia pleaded. "Look, I don't care what Annabelle Lee told you. I don't want you gone, and I know Mami and Charlotte don't either."

Kyoko shrugged. "Might want to double-check with Charlotte. She might think differently."

"Oh, stop it," Oktavia snapped. "Sure, you guys always had your differences, but she still cares about you!"

"Yeah, and whole lot of good that's done her," Kyoko muttered.

The rain began to fall harder. Far off, thunder rumbled, though Oktavia didn't catch when the lightning struck.

Desperate for a change of subject, Oktavia said, "So, uh, why'd you name him Jerky?"

Finally, something resembling a smile began to creep back onto Kyoko's face. "Because that's all I had to give him when he hatched. Guess that made it his favorite food."

"You saw him hatch?"

"Yeah." Kyoko's right eye twitched. "We, um, kind of ended up smashing up all of the other valk eggs and killing his siblings, but he popped out just fine. Stowed away in my backpack and I didn't even notice until long after we got out of there."

Oktavia nodded. Now that she knew about her girlfriend's (and she refused to think of Kyoko as anything else until she got concrete confirmation that that was no longer the case) pet dinosaur, a lot of Kyoko's strange behavior ever since being rescued from the dockengauts finally made sense. "I'm guessing he's why you suddenly got all preoccupied all the time after that, and why you kept sneaking away."

Kyoko blinked. "You noticed that?" Before Oktavia could answer, Kyoko rolled her eyes. "What am I saying; of course you noticed. Yeah, that's why."

Breathing out, Oktavia looked out over the fields. "I wish you had told me about him."

A sudden, violent shiver swept over Kyoko's body. "I couldn't. I couldn't risk...I couldn't risk anyone else knowing."

"Why?" Oktavia demanded. "Did you think I would hurt him? I get why you didn't tell Charlotte, but-"

"If literally anyone else knew, then that's twice the number of chances of him getting discovered," Kyoko growled. "I couldn't risk it. Besides, I knew that once Charlotte found out, it'd be over between us. I didn't want to drag you into that."

Oktavia shot a look over her shoulder, through the windows to the den. There, Charlotte was sitting by herself in an easy chair, hands folded in front of her chin, eyes staring off into space. "I don't think it's like that with her. I mean, yeah, she's upset, but that doesn't mean she's going scorched earth."

"If you say so," Kyoko said, her tone implying neither disagreement nor concession. "I guess I just needed one thing that was only mine, just one thing with no hangups, no baggage. Jerky was that. He didn't care if we had literally slaughtered his family. I don't think he even knows. He was the one person I could talk to about literally anything."

"And I'm not," Oktavia said.

At this, Kyoko shot her a hard look, one that made Oktavia wince. As harsh as it might be, the truth was that Kyoko was right. There were things that the two of them hadn't been able to talk about, things that would be weighing heavily on Kyoko's mind.

"Yeah, you're right," Oktavia muttered. Anxiously fingering a lock of her hair, the mermaid said, "And, um, I guess we probably should talk about that."

Kyoko stiffened. "That?"

"About her," Oktavia told her. "About Sayaka."

Kyoko straightened fully up. "Wait, I thought-"

"Kyoko, we've been dancing around this ever since we met," Oktavia said. "And honestly, that's hurting us more than saying her name ever could. Can we just get it out in the open and talk about it? Please?"

The look on Kyoko's face was a living representation of exactly why they had put this subject off for so long, and not just because of Oktavia's own natural avoidance of anything to do with her predecessor. So much naked pain, grief, and guilt was on display, from the way her lower lip had begun to tremble to vulnerableness in her eyes. "What is there to talk about?" Kyoko said, her voice now low and raspy. "Look, I really am sorry I never used your name. I-I couldn't...couldn't let go..."

Damn it, what was wrong with her? Kyoko had just been victimized in the worst way possible, and here Oktavia was digging right into her most painful wound. "God, I'm so sorry," she said as she looked away. "This is like the worst time to be making you do this. Let's-"

There was just so much hurt in Kyoko's eyes. True, there always had been, but it had been carefully veiled behind a veneer of her devil-may-care attitude and raw determination. But that veneer had been stripped away, all of her bravado trampled to the ground. Now, it was as if that now everything had finally bubbled to the surface, that pain had replaced the armor that had been torn away. She wore it openly now, unable to bury it again because that hole had overflowed.

Then Kyoko inhaled sharply through her teeth. "No. You're right. We can't just keep dancing around this fucking thing. And I don't want to hurt you anymore. I couldn't...So, um, whatever it is you need to say, say it."

Oktavia was still uncomfortable with this course of action. If this topic was to be broached between them, then it ought to be after years of therapy and consoling, when the two of them were in a position where they could trust their control over their feelings, and not at a time when their emotional state was about as damaged and raw as it ever could be.

But they didn't have all those fancy treatments and programs like they had back at Freehaven. Even whatever consoling they could acquire at the ranch was woefully inadequate, and they might not be allowed to stay much longer anyway. All they had was each other, and they couldn't allow this one thing continue to drive a wedge between them.

There were so many things Oktavia wanted to ask Kyoko about Sayaka Miki. Was she really planning on finding a way to bring her back? Was she willing to sacrifice Oktavia in order to do so? Did she ever see Oktavia as her own person to begin with?

But in the end, the question that came out of her mouth was, "Did you love her?"

Kyoko visibly winced as if she had been struck, but she didn't retreat. "I don't know," she admitted. "I mean, before? No, not really. Sure, I guess I was kind of drawn to her, there was a definite connection. And if we didn't both bite it, who knows what might have happened? But it wasn't love. Not like what, well, what you and I...um, what we..." Her voice trailed off.

Oktavia leaned forward. "Have, Kyoko," she said in a firm tone. "What you and I have."

"Right," Kyoko sighed. "Of course. Sorry. I guess I just feel sort of indebted to her. Like, she was-"

"The last person that Old Kyoko hurt," Oktavia said softly.

Kyoko swallowed and nodded. "Yeah."

Oktavia knew what was coming next. "And every time you saw me, you saw her. Every time we talked, you heard her voice."

"Yeah."

Sighing, Oktavia looked back out at the rain. "Kyoko, I'm still not really sure how any of this works. On the one hand, I know that I'm...technically her. Like, I know I was made from her soul, and everything that made up her is in me somewhere. I get that. But at the same time, I'm still not Sayaka."

Kyoko frowned. "So, is using her name now really is just okay, or..."

"I was born in that bathtub," Oktavia said before they could get off track. "That was my first day of life. And anything that happened before that, anything that went on between you and her, wasn't with me. Kyoko, I am so sorry about what happened to her. If I could change things, if I could pull her out of me and make Sayaka her own person and change my face and voice so I'm nothing like her, I would. I would give her her own life, and let you two...I don't know. Have your own relationship, whatever that looks like. And if it means giving you up...Well, I would freaking hate it, because I love you and don't want to lose you, but if it meant that you're not in constant pain anymore, I would do it, okay?" She felt her throat tighten. Finally, she was saying what she had been holding in for so long, but it still hurt to get out. "But I can't. I'm not Mephisto. I can't just wave my hand and change who I am and where I came from. All I know is that I've always had this shadow hanging over me, and I can't escape it."

There was a stricken look on Kyoko's face. Sniffing, she reached up to wipe her eyes.

"It's Mephisto, isn't it?" Oktavia asked. "She made it worse."

"Not all of it," Kyoko said with a nod. "But yeah. That, uh, definitely made it worse."

Oktavia hesitated, and then asked, "You promised Sayaka that you would bring her back, didn't you?"

That got a reaction. Kyoko jerked back, her eyes going wide in shock. "How did you know about that?"

"Because I know you, idiot!" Oktavia snapped. "You always have to save everyone. Kyoko, I get it. I'm not mad. But if this is going to keep hanging over us, I don't know if I can do this anymore!"

There was a sharp hissing as Kyoko gasped through her teeth. She stood absolutely still, staring down at Oktavia, with so much pain bubbling just beneath the surface.

Oktavia felt like a total heel for doing this to her, but dockengaut in the corner had finally been acknowledged. She couldn't just pull back now. "Kyoko, I love you. But I can't be her ghost any longer. Now, I'm not asking you to forget about her or even break your promise. I mean, maybe there is a way to get her out of me and let us both be people! Weirder stuff has happened! But please, see me for who I am. Love me for me. Please."

Even still, Kyoko didn't answer. She seemed to be trying to, her mouth twisting around several unspoken syllables, but nothing came out.

"Uh…" she said at last. "I don't-I, uh, really don't-"

And then the door to the patio opened.

It was Sheriff Silty. She had to duck her head and shoulders to get her front half through, and once she did, she fixed a hard stare on them both, Kyoko with her main eyes, and Oktavia with her stalk eyes. She had definitely overheard their argument. "A decision has been made," she declared. "Time to come back."

Kyoko slowly exhaled. "Okay," she muttered. "Okay."

She made for the door, but then Sheriff Silty gestured over to Oktavia. "All of you," she said. "That includes you."

Oktavia's felt a flush of fear run through her. "M-Me?" she stammered. She glanced through the window. Mami and Charlotte had already stood up as well, presumably having already received their own summons.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Ask them yourself." With that, the sheriff carefully walked backwards until she had space enough to turn around.

Oktavia and Kyoko exchanged a silent look. Then they made their way inside.

Well, Oktavia thought as she wheeled her way through the house. At least they have an elevator. Else this would get really awkward.

...

As the troublesome newcomers filed back into the meeting room, Alexandria noted the fresh wounds of grief that lay open in Kyoko Sakura's eyes, ones that had not been there when they had broken for recess. Frowning, she leaned over as Silitho trotted up to the dais to whispered into the andalite's ear.

"What happened to her?"

Silitho turn a single stalk-eye toward her. "She and Oktavia von Seckendorff had an argument of some sort regarding Kyoko's unresolved feelings toward Oktavia's previous self. I believe Oktavia threw down some kind of ultimatum."

Ouch. Yeah, that would do it. "Awkward time to talk about that, don't you think?"

Silitho shrugged.

Sighing, Alexandria straightened up. Well, whatever. That bit of business was none of hers.

Once everyone had taken their seats, Tai cleared her throat. "After much consideration, we have come to a decision regardin' you concealin' that little pet of yours from us. Kyoko, it was deadly wrong of you to keel the wool pulled over our eyes." Her eyes stared a hole through Kyoko's. "I understand that you only wanted to protect him, but we needed to be made aware of somethin' that dangerous."

Here, Missy jumped in. "Now, you may be thinkin' to yourself, so what? Some sheep, a few cows and goats? Big deal. It ain't like they don't got plenty of those."

"And it's true," Tai continued. "We do. But that ain't the point. We put ourselves on the line by takin' you in, and you brought in somethin' that has done harm. You knew this thing was smart. You knew it would come lookin' for you. And you said nothin'."

Though she remained in her bucket, Cachiro took her turn to speak. "Further to the point, while we certainly sympathize with the desire to protect somethin' so dear to your heart, I must point out that this 'Jerky' of yours also ended up savaging several dogs that were the close companions of our herdswomen. Those poor ladies are extremely upset over the loss of their animals, and have every right to be."

Kyoko already looked distraught, but now her eyes were downright hollow. "So. That's it, then?" she said in a hoarse whisper. "I'm gone?"

Missy sighed. "Not so fast, kiddo. Your stay of residency is still in question, but not over this."

Both of the Tomoes straightened up at this. Oktavia perked up, hope creeping into her face. As for Kyoko, she just looked confused. "What?"

It was Cachiro that answered. After all, she was the most eloquent among them. "Young lady, while no one in this room can be said to be at all pleased to find out that someone that we brought into our home has been keepin' such perilous secrets, we are not so cruel as to dart to exile, nor are we blind to the follies of youth."

"Kyoko, look: we understand what you just went through," Tai continued, her tone firm, yet still kind. "And we also know that none of this shit was done out of malice. You ain't no traitor. And we're not in the habit of tossin' those in need aside just because they made a mistake."

"But make no mistake: harm was rent by the claws of your creature, and you will be held responsible for making up for it," Cachiro finished.

Kyoko still looked unsure. "Okay," she said. "Thanks. But, uh, what about Jerky?"

The elders all looked to Sheriff Silitho, who stepped forward. "Despite some lingering misgivings, there is nothing to be gained by putting your animal down. In fact, a live valk might be more beneficial to us than a dead one. We are discussing having appropriate accommodations made. Should we take that route, you will of course assist us with keeping the creature under control."

Charlotte Tomoe frowned.

As for Kyoko, she still seemed unconvinced that things were going to be all right. "Please don't put him in a cage," she pleaded.

Missy sighed. "Ms. Sakura, you are in no position to be making any demands of us, especially in regards to your beast. We will do as we deem necessary."

"Okay," Kyoko said. "But please don't put him in a cage. Please."

Alexandria leaned back into her chair. Well, even after everything the kid had gone through, she was still looking after her lizard and not backing down. There was something admirable about that.

She glanced over to the other elders. Tai was visibly fighting a small smile, and while Missy looked a bit annoyed, Alexandria could still see the grudging respect in her eyes. Bitchslap obviously did not have a face to read, but she had taken on a somewhat brighter hue of green than usual. As for the good sheriff, even her mouthless face was softening.

Letting out a phlegmy chuckle, Cachiro finally slithered down out of her bucket and pattered over to lay a shimmering paw on Kyoko's shoulder. "Don't worry yourself, kiddo," she said, giving Kyoko's shoulder a squeeze. "As the good sheriff already told you, appropriate accommodations will be provided. We're not in the habit of mistreatin' animals here."

Kyoko slumped with relief. "Th-Thanks."

Cachiro returned to her bucket, leaving Kyoko with a moist spot on her shoulder, though the girl obviously did not care. Smiling, Mami Tomoe leaned over to pat Kyoko on the shoulder. Charlotte Tomoe looked lost in thoughts of her own, while a widely grinning Oktavia von Seckendorff rolled her chair in closer to slap Kyoko on the back. Clearly, whatever they had been arguing about hadn't driven that big of a wedge between them.

Alexandria stood up, which silence their small celebration. "Right then," she said. "Given recent events, there will be a temporary stay of your, ah, community service. Give you some time to rest up and pull yourself together. When the time comes, the herdswomen will be gettin' in touch, and what they want you to do, you do without complaint. Got it?"

Kyoko nodded.

"As for your beast, we will see about gettin' him a place to stay, but until then, he will remain asleep."

Kyoko's face fell. "How long will that take?"

"As long as necessary," Silitho answered for the elder.

"Can't I keep him with me? I promise he won't-"

"If he's awake, he's in a cage," Missy interrupted. "That's how it is."

Kyoko's jaw tightened, but she nodded.

"Good. I think we're done here."

The Colemans both got up, though Alexandria remained where she was, watching. Cachiro had again emerged from her bucket and was speaking to Oktavia and Kyoko, likely offering congratulations and words of reassurance, while Bitchslap had floated over to speak with Silitho. All in all, it did seem like this issue had been resolved, at least, and Alexandria's head was already mulling over the next problem that they had to deal with.

"Um, excuse me?"

The room quieted down. It was Charlotte Tomoe that had spoken. The alabaster-skinned witch was hesitantly holding her hand in the air, drawing attention to herself, though clearly without really wanting to.

"What is it?" Silitho said in a curt tone.

"Sorry. But I was wondering: is there anything you can tell us about that other issue? About how some of Oblivion's hunters showed up while we were busy at the lake?"

At this, everyone with a face had it turn sour. Even Bitchslap's hue darkened.

"Not necessarily," Tai told Charlotte Tomoe. "It weren't Oblivion's people, though they was after you. Independent contractors."

"Bounty hunters?"

"Is so," Tai confirmed.

"Oh," Charlotte Tomoe said. "Um, is there anything you can tell us about that? Because I've hearing that there's, um, something kind of weird about that whole deal."

Fortunately, Cachiro was as quick-thinking as she was articulate. "I understand your concerns, Mrs. Tomoe. However, there are certain sensitive details concerning our feckless hunters and their motives beyond their fixation on the price on your heads. You see, they came with a number of individuals that have nothin' to do with any of you, but still represent a truly dire concern for us. Refugees from Pendle's Quarry, ones that they might come knockin' at our door inquirin' about. Naturally, this has all of us very concerned. So you understand if we keep things on a need-to-know basis until we have sorted out who needs to know what and how."

"Oh." Charlotte Tomoe blinked in surprise. "I, uh, okay.

Alexandria cleared her throat. "Now, if there's nothin' else…"

The four newcomers exchanged looks. And then, one by one, they all shook their heads.

Alexandria gestured toward the door. "Be on your way, then. We all have things to do today."

"And get some rest," Cachiro told them. "You poor things have had a long day."

...

Most of Mami's day had been a blur.

There had been a lot of waiting. Waiting for Kyoko to be summoned. Waiting for the elders' cross-examination of Kyoko to be over. Waiting for them to decide her fate. All the while, Mami could do nothing but sit around, feeling helpless.

But things had gone about as well as they possibly could. Kyoko, while not let quite off the hook, had still been shown mercy, and would be staying. Granted, their ultimate fates were yet to be decided, but if this set any sort of precedent, it at least showed that those who would pass judgment on them were not without compassion.

In the meantime, now that she knew that they weren't going to be separated, she found herself unsure of what to do with herself. Go and comfort Kyoko? Check in with Oktavia? Stay by her wife's side? Give them their space? All three had been deeply disturbed for one reason or another, and they were keeping their distance from one another. Mami didn't know what Kyoko and Oktavia had been arguing about exactly before they had been called into the administrative office, nor did she know if her help was wanted or would even help at all.

On the lake, it had been easy. Kyoko had been on the verge of total collapse, and she had needed someone that she trusted to be there for her. But now she wasn't even sleeping in the same room as Oktavia anymore. And Mami didn't know what to do.

Now, she stood in a small side-bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror.

Staying in the Big House had its advantages and disadvantages. On the downside, she shared her living space with some of those who would be her judges, sleeping in the same building where she and her family might be again condemned to exile. That was uncomfortable. But on the upside, it had something that not a lot of places had on Wonderland Ranch: indoor plumbing.

Mami ran the water and cupped her hands under the flow. She then brought it to her face and gave it a splash, hoping that the cold water would help stave off the fatigue. Then she looked at herself in the mirror.

She looked…well, to tell the truth, she didn't remember much about actually arriving at the ranch, much less what she looked like then. But she imagined that it had been pretty bad. Now, a few weeks of good food, loving support, fairly consistent sleep, and active work that she enjoyed had helped round out her cheeks and bring some life back into her eyes. She wasn't back to the state she had been before being chased away from her home, but the improvement was noticeable.

However, there was still a fragility behind those golden eyes, a hairline fracture constantly on the verge of splitting. Peace and contentment helped keep it sealed together, but the ordeals of the last few days threatened to cause things to start cracking. She could feel that pressure again building in the back of her mind, a low, thumping percussion that steadily built in strength.

Shaking her head, Mami pulled out a small bottle from her pocket and popped the cap. She shook a couple of grey pills into her hand and swallowed them down. On the whole, owensteen was not as effective as samizayn had been. Though her body had grown accustomed enough to the change of medication that it no longer made her feel nauseous, she still missed the old stuff. Still, it helped.

Mami wiped her face with a hand towel and left the bathroom.

"Ah, there you are," a warm, husky voice greeted her.

Mami was immediately on her guard. It was Elder Missy Coleman. Though the older woman had been nothing but pleasant to her since their arrival, and though she was nothing but grateful for the mercy that she and the others had shown Kyoko, the continued residency of Mami and her companions was still in question. Until it was resolved, she was inclined to watch her step around those who would be making the decision.

However, it didn't seem like Missy was wanted her for anything bad. Rather, her eyes were sparkling, and she was smiling. "Was lookin' for one of you." She inclined her head toward the hall. "C'mon. You have a couple of visitors waitin' for you in the kitchen."

Mami found her tongue difficult to unravel. "V-Visitors?" she repeated. "Us?"

"Uh-huh." Then, seeing the look on Mami's face, Missy sighed and said, "I mean local visitors. Friends. Not the other kind."

Well, that was a relief, but Mami was still confused as she followed the plump woman over to the Big House's guest kitchen.

Most of the cooking in Liddelton was done in the larger, more elaborate kitchen, where the cooks were often busy preparing to feed dozens of hungry mouths several times a day. However, they were also mindful that guests and residents of the Big House might also need to prepare something for themselves, and had a smaller kitchen on the other side of the house. Sitting nicely on the divide between quaint, elegant, modern, and magical, it favored an old-fashioned design with whitewashed cabinets and walls, but also had a working gas oven and even a refrigerator. Several potted plants with trailing vines adorned the windowsills and cabinet tops, while jars of everything to pasta and cookies sat on the far edge of the counter. Here and there one might even find a gem-studded utensil, or a free-floating wire basket of fruit, speaking to instances where a bit of magic had been used. Mami often popped in after work for a snack, and usually found Kyoko there as well.

However, the people waiting for her wasn't Kyoko, but two women that she had gotten to know very well over the last few weeks.

"Coco?" Mami said in surprise. The big woman wasn't often seen at the Big House, preferring her workshop. And yet, here she was, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a heavy overcoat, holding a covered dish in her hands. Next to her was her considerably smaller girlfriend April. The clone had on a bright yellow raincoat with a yellow rubber hat, and was holding a covered dish of her own.

"Hey, Mams," Coco said. "Just poppin' in to check on y'all." She held up the platter. "We figured y'all will be keepin' away for a spell, so we brought a few things to help tide things over."

"Honey-glazed ham and mashed potatoes!" April exclaimed. "Coco is as skilled as a cook as she is a blacksmith!" She indicated the dish she was holding. "Furthermore, Carola has sent along a raspberry pie, in hopes that sweet confections will lift your spirits!"

Mami frankly did not know what to say. To have someone that, yes, she was fairly close to but still had only known for a few weeks to go out of their way to not only check on her but also bring along food to help wasn't something she had ever experienced. Even back when she and Charlotte had settled down for what they had thought was to be a happy domestic life together, they had still lived on an isolated ocean platform. Mami hadn't even been on speaking terms with her neighbors for most of her actual life.

And yet, here was her boss and her boss's girlfriend, come with a ham and a pie.

"I…" Words failed her. "I don't…I don't really know what to say…"

Missy nudged her with her elbow. "You can start with 'thank you.'"

"Right! Um, thank you. So much."

Coco smiled. "We won't be long," she said. "We know y'all must be dog-tired, so consider this just a quick check-in."

"It is deeply appreciated," Mami said. "But you're right. It has been a very long day."

"How is Kyoko, by the way?" Coco asked as she laid her platter down on the counter and lifted the lid. The plate had two depressions, and in one was the juiciest baked ham Mami had ever seen, glistening with gold and sitting on a bed of cabbage. The other held several mounds of fluffy mashed potatoes. "I heard she got off with just some community service for the dinosaur thing."

Mami blinked. "Um, yes. They decided to cut her some slack."

"Damn right, we did," Missy muttered as she walked out of the kitchen.

Coco nodded her approval. "Good. I know them sheepherders must be pissed, but I don't care who you are. No kid don't want a secret dinosaur friend."

"Which, of course, we knew absolutely nothing about!" April chimed in.

Mami glanced over to the clone in confusion. "Um, yes. Well, I understand that it was a bit…irresponsible, but I agree. I'm just glad they're more focused on helping her than punishing her."

Coco nodded. Then her face turned grim. "Okay, but what about that…other thing? How's she holdin' up?"

Mami did not need to ask about what she was referring to. "I wish I had a definitive answer for you," she said. "She's shaken up. Holding in there, but shaken up."

Coco reached over and gave Mami's shoulder a squeeze.

"This seems to be an opportune time to convey Carola's message of sympathy toward Kyoko for having experienced a highly traumatic event," April said. "Coupled with an offer of whatever aid we are able to provide."

Mami couldn't help but smile. "Thank you. Please tell Carola and your sisters that you have our sincere thanks and appreciation."

Then the kitchen door opened, and to Mami's mild surprise, Charlotte walked in.

Her other half looked as tired as Mami felt, with hollow eyes and a thousand-yard stare. She was probably just looking for a drink, but upon seeing everyone standing around, she stopped and stared.

"Coco?"

Coco waved. "Oh, hey, Lottie. Don't mind us. Just poppin' in to see how all y'all were doin'."

"Um, fine, I guess," Charlotte responded. She tried to smile, but couldn't lift her cheeks. "All things considered."

"Guess we won't have to worry about those new fences for the sheep fields anymore."

Charlotte made a face. "Right," she muttered. "I guess we won't."

Mami winced. She knew that Charlotte was still upset about Kyoko hiding a valk from them. In a way, Mami was still a little upset about that too, but other issues had taken precedence. However, it was a topic that would have to be broached sooner or later. And if precedent held, the fallout would be ugly.

An uncomfortable silence descended on the room. Coco seemed to sense that Charlotte was uneasy with where the conversation was going, but didn't know why. She shot a questioning glance over to Mami, who sighed.

And then, mercifully, there came a knock at the door. A moment later it opened.

Mami's eyes widened when she recognized Linda, the large, muscular spider witch that Kyoko had befriended. Like Coco and April, she was dressed for the weather, though her outfit was a bit more contemporary, given that she was wearing a white hooded sweatshirt that had to have been tailored for her frame. She also carried a covered dish, while two of her spider legs hoisted a pair of small coolers.

"Hey, everybody!" she greeted the crowd in the kitchen. "Don't mind me. Just thought I'd swing by and drop off a few care packages!" She brightened when she recognized the other guests. "Oh, hey, Coco! And, um…"

"April!" Coco's clone girlfriend helpfully supplied. She touched the IV on her cheek. "See? Number four!"

"Right! Never got the hang of the whole letters being numbers thing." She placed both coolers on the counter and opened one of them up, revealing several brown glass bottles sitting in a nest of ice. "Anyway, I've got some of Roberta's patented booze. Don't know how long this here storm will last, so I figured you'd better stock up."

Charlotte sighed in relief. "Linda, you are a life-saver," she said, taking a pair of bottles. She offered one to Mami, who shook her head.

Linda beamed. "That's what I do! That, and shovel goat shit. Anyway, the other one has apple cider for the kids." She lifted the cover on the glass tray she had brought. "Also brought along some freshly baked brownies. Those always help me when I'm feelin' down some." Then she frowned. "Oh, dang, they've got walnuts. Um, none of y'all are allergic to walnuts, are yah?"

"No, I don't believe so," Mami said with a shake of her head.

The next thing she knew, Mami had napkin containing a warm brownie in her hands.

"Then we're good!" Linda said as she handed everyone a baked treat. "Heard they let Kyoko off. Gotta say, huge relief. I mean, after what she just went through, it's be a damn crime to kick her out. How's she doin', anyway?"

Mami took a tentative bite of the brownie. She paused, and then took another, much larger bite. It was good. "Um, well, she's a bit shaken up, but she's very relieved to be stayin'."

"That's good, poor kid," Linda sighed. She turned around to lean back against the counter, carefully curling her spider legs in to avoid hitting anything or anyone. "Though gotta say, I sorta figured she had somethin' she was keepin' to her chest, but never in a million years did I figure it was a genuine dinosaur."

"Nor did I, not in the slightest!" April offered.

Coco frowned. "Startin' to make me wonder, babe."

"I do not know what you are talking about, for I absolutely did not have the slightest idea that this creature existed, nor that Kyoko was hiding its existence from everyone that she knew!" April proclaimed.

Mami was starting to suspect otherwise. However, Linda did not.

"Me neither," the spider witch sighed. "Hey, I don't mean to pry, but is there any chance I can take a peek at it? I mean, dinosaurs ain't somethin' you see every day, even 'round here."

Charlotte, who was working her way through a bottle of really good beer, visibly tensed up.

"I'm pretty certain they have it locked up," Mami quickly said.

"Shucks," Linda sighed in disappointment. Then she shrugged. "Oh well. Better than havin' it roam free eatin' all of our animals. Pretty sure it chomped that one chicken that's been givin' Kyoko a hard time."

Coco perked up at that. "Oh, damn, really? It got Billina?"

"Well, I ain't seen her, but we did find a lot of black feathers." Linda grimaced. "Damn shame. I mean, she was vicious demon straight from the pits of Hell, but you kind of got used to havin' her around. Harassin' you. Every day." Then she straightened up and slipped her hood back up over her head. "Anyway, though, I gotta get back to Lucy. She's still isn't sleepin' much, and gets real anxious when I'm not around. Give Kyoko my love, and let her know we're all rootin' for her."

"I definitely will," Mami said gratefully.

As Linda headed for the door, Coco put her hat back on. "We'd better go as well. I'm sure you all are exhausted."

"We are," Mami confirmed. "But thank you so much for coming. It means the world to us."

"Farewell, Mami and Charlotte Tomoe!" April said with a polite bow. "I will convey your words of appreciation to Carola!"

After they had all left, Charlotte turned to Mami with a puzzled look on her face. "Well. That was…unexpected."

Mami looked over the food and drink that had been brought. "I think we underestimated just how strongly they look after their own around here."

"Is that what we are now?"

Though Mami wasn't hungry, she got out a plate and started filling it with a little bit of everything. Knowing Kyoko, she could do with a bite to eat. "It seems to be."

Then Charlotte frowned. "Who the hell is Lucy?"

"Who knows? It's not like we've met everyone. Maybe it's her pet."

Charlotte snorted. "What, like those tiny frogs some spiders keep around?"

Mami paused. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah, some spiders keep tiny frogs as pets," Charlotte said with a shrug. "I think the frogs eat the bugs that threaten the spider's eggs or something."

"Couldn't the spider do that? I mean, eating bugs is sort of what they do."

"I don't know; maybe they get the really tiny bugs. Hey, do you think Linda eats bugs?"

"I truly doubt it," Mami said. "We've shared plenty of meals with her, and none of them involved insects." Then she remembered the primary drawback of having most of their meals outside. Namely, the number of inquisitive flies. "At least, not as part of the meal. Anyway, I'm going to take this plate over to Kyoko. Want any before I put the rest away?"

Charlotte shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm set," she said, lifting her bottle.

"All right," Mami said dubiously. Charlotte wasn't a hard drinker, but she hoped that this wasn't some sort of catalyst for her to pick up bad habits.

Then again, it wasn't as if she were the one to talk.

Mami carried the plate and a bottle of apple cider over to the room where Kyoko was staying. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her hand and rapped on the door.

"Kyoko?" she said. "It's Mami. May I come in?"

The silence that answered her made her think that perhaps Kyoko was taking a nap. Lord knew, she really needed the rest. But then she heard Kyoko said in a small voice, "It's open."

Mami opened the door.

The room was similar to the ones that Kyoko had been sharing with Oktavia and the one Mami shared with Charlotte, albeit smaller and intended for one person. The bed was twin-sized instead of queen and up against the corner instead of the middle of the far wall. Also, the dressing mirror had been turned around.

Kyoko was sitting on the bed, still fully clothed. She looked exhausted, but also didn't seem like she had been trying to sleep.

"Hey," Mami said. "Coco and April brought some food by, and Linda brought some brownies and apple cider, so I made you a plate for when you're hungry."

Kyoko jerked back in surprise. "Wait, they did? Why?"

"Because they're good people, and they're worried about us," Mami responded.

"I…" Kyoko sighed. "So, they're…not mad because of Jerky?"

Mami shook her head.

"Uh, huh. Okay."

Mami set the plate and the bottle on the dresser.

"So," she said. "How are you holding up?"

Kyoko nodded her head, perhaps a bit too quickly. "Oh, I'm good. I'm good."

Mami shot her a look. "Kyoko..."

"Fuck," Kyoko muttered. She sighed. "Okay, fine. I'm absolutely lousy. But holding it together, the best I can."

"Well, I won't say I'm glad, but you've always been strong," Mami responded.

"Strong," Kyoko muttered as she anxiously ran her finger through the loop of her necklace. "Yeah. Maybe not as much as you think."

Mami sighed. "Kyoko..."

"Hey, Mami, can I ask you something?" Kyoko said before Mami could continue.

Mami nodded. "Of course."

"Look, it's Oktavia," Kyoko said. "I guess you know what happened at the lake. I mean, before Annabelle Lee. Our date. The one that went bad. And the way things stand, if I keep going like I am I'm just going to fuck it up again."

Frowning, Mami walked over to sit down on the bed next to Kyoko. "What do you mean?"

Kyoko was silent for a time, her jaw tightening and her fingers twitching. For a moment, Mami thought that perhaps she wasn't going to answer at all, but then she sighed and said, "Fuck it. She's right. It's about Sayaka, okay?"

"Oh," was all Mami could say.

"I mean, we've never really talked about her, especially not since Mephisto brought her back. But now, we kind of need to." Kyoko's hand when from running up and down her necklace's cord to scratching the back of her neck. "I, uh, I can't keep going on like this. I can't keep holding onto her like I am. It's hurting Oktavia, okay? And I can't do that to her anymore! But how can I just let Sayaka go like that? I promised her, Mami! When Mephisto was taking her away again, I promised to find a way to bring her back!"

"I remember," Mami said.

"But I if I do that, I'll just keep hurting Oktavia! It's not fair to her! I know she doesn't want to be Sayaka again, and I know she doesn't want me to think of her as Sayaka!" Kyoko let out a long, shuddering breath. "They really are different people now, aren't they?"

"It's…well, it's complicated," Mami said. "But in terms of her identity, I'd say so, yes."

"Right! So, what do I do? No matter what I choose, I'm going to end up betraying one of them!"

Mami was someone well-accustomed to feeling the crushing weight of guilt upon her shoulders, but this jabbed a fresh stab through her heart.

"Kyoko, I don't like saying this," Mami said at last. "Sayaka was my friend, and I'd do almost anything to have her back. But I can't. And neither can you. Maybe one day, something will be found. But right now, Sayaka isn't here. Oktavia is. And she loves you. And she just wants to be seen as herself by you."

Kyoko let out a slow exhale. "I know," she whispered. "I mean, I guess I've always known that, but…" She swallowed, and then nodded. "Okay. Okay. You're right. I gotta…I gotta make this right."

Mami put her arms around her in a big hug. "And you will. But please promise to stop beating yourself up. Like I said: you didn't deserve any of this."

"Yeah, I guess," Kyoko sighed. "Doesn't make it hurt any less, though."

…

The rain had finally lightened up to a gentle drizzle. It was a temporary reprieve, one that would soon be washed away, but for now, it was enough of a relief that some people were actually going outside again.

Charlotte was one of them. At this point, the Big House had become a stifling prison, and she was thankful for the chance to get some space and fresh air, even if it wouldn't last long.

Outside, things were still wet and dreary, and the mud of the roads sucked at her boots. Still, she tramped along, until she was standing on the fishing dock, looking out over Lake Luminous.

Charlotte liked the lake, as it reminded her of home. It had been too long since she had gotten in a good swim, and while even a standing body of water as large as Lake Luminous couldn't compare to the vastness of the ocean, it was the closest she had gotten in a long time. Most days, the surface of the water was still and peaceful, disturbed only by fishers, swimmers, and water fowl. But during the storm its anger had risen up, coming close to overflowing its boundaries, while powerful winds had driven it to lash out against the land.

Now, it sat in a sort of middle ground. It wasn't flooding, but it was definitely deeper and darker than it had been. And while it wasn't raging, the surface was still stirring, ripples surging out every which way, speaking to the tension slowly building.

Charlotte knew how that felt.

A very short time ago, the lake was supposed to be a place of joy, of love, of new beginnings and confirmed commitments. Instead, it had ended up being where everything had almost been destroyed, when a misguided attempt to confront Kyoko's pain had gone about as badly as it possibly could have, and where Annabelle Lee had violated Kyoko beyond what her rival could bear. It wasn't the lake's fault, of course. A place couldn't be held responsible for the things that people used it for. But the association stained the waters regardless.

Charlotte took a rueful sip from the bottle she had brought along. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter.

Charlotte wasn't a smoker. She had found a half-empty packet of cigarettes in a side-table, probably left there by another guest and forgotten. She wasn't sure exactly why she had pocketed the packet, but the promise of a little help taking the edge off of her nerves was growing tempting, especially since the box promised that its contents contained more than tobacco.

She flicked the lighter and stared into the flame. Even against the light drizzle, a fire that small wouldn't last long. Its fuel would become sodden, its heat snuffed out. However, it continued to burn, protected from above by the wooden canopy over the dock and below by the lighter's metal casing, allowing to continue to burn bright.

Charlotte moved the tip of the cigarette into the flame. It sizzled, and then lit. She clicked the lighter shut and pocketed it again and regarded the lit cigarette in her hand. The smell of the smoke was acidic, making her nose wrinkle.

"I didn't know you smoked."

Charlotte started, the cigarette falling from her fingers to roll over the planks of the dock. Damn it, she hadn't even heard anyone approach!

Oktavia was there, sitting in her wheelchair on the border of the dock, a pair of her magical train wheels superimposed over those of her chair, which explained how she had been able to muscle it through the mud.

"Sorry," the mermaid said.

Shaking her head, Charlotte crushed the cigarette under her heel. "I don't," she said. "But what's it going to do, give me lung cancer?"

Oktavia shrugged. "Well, it'll make your breath smell bad."

"That it will," Charlotte admitted. "What's up?"

Oktavia's mouth set in a straight line. "I'm looking for Kyoko. She's not in her room, and I couldn't find her anywhere in the house."

"I, uh…" Charlotte shot a look over the lake. "I don't think she'd come here…"

A beat, and Oktavia sighed. "Yeah. Probably not. But with her, who knows?"

Charlotte's face twitched. The truth was, she did have an idea of where Kyoko was, having glimpsed her on the way over. "I'm pretty sure she went to go visit her valk," she said, carefully keeping her tone as neutral as possible. "So I'd go check the textile warehouse. That's where they've got it locked up."

"Oh," Oktavia said after another pause. "Yeah, um, th-that makes sense."

Still, she didn't leave. She just sat there, wringing her hands.

Charlotte cocked her head. "Hey. You, uh, doing okay?"

"Yes? No? Maybe? I guess?" Oktavia sighed. "I don't know. I mean, they're not kicking Kyoko out, so yaaaaay. On the other hand, they still might kick all of us out over whatever the hell happened, so booooo. But I've got a girlfriend who's hurt so badly that if suicide were an option, she'd probably have to be kept away from ropes and razor blades. And the first thing I did when we finally got to talk was make her deal with the whole Sayaka Miki thing."

"Oh, Christ," Charlotte said, covering her face. "Tavi, I am so-"

"No, no, don't," Oktavia said flatly. "This was my thing, okay? I made the decision. And she took it a lot better than I thought she would."

Charlotte lowered her hand just enough to peek out from over her fingertips. "Yeah? How so?"

Oktavia looked out over Lake Luminous, the same lake that her disastrous first date with Kyoko had taken place in, the same lake that Kyoko had drowned in.

"Better than I thought she would," Oktavia repeated without expanding. "But still, I've just been feeling really rotten ever since. Like, isn't she going through enough? I should be there for her, not force her into an ultimatum!"

Charlotte let out a long sigh. "Tavi, I don't know if I'm really the person to talk to about this. I mean, it was my idea that ruined your date. Right now, I'm realizing that I don't have a clue how to solve any of this."

"I don't think any of us do," Oktavia said. "Heck, even if none of that happened, I still don't think I would know. She still won't tell me what Annabelle Lee did to her. You know, besides the stabbing and the drowning. Which I guess would be enough, but this is just hitting her so much harder than anything else, you know?"

Charlotte sighed. "Yeah. I'm not surprised."

That got a frown out of Oktavia. "Charlotte, after Kyoko woke up and ran off to be by herself, you said something about how what Annabelle Lee was worse than all that other crap she went through. Because that time, she couldn't fight back, right?"

Charlotte made a face. Oh, she did not want to have this conversation. "Yeah," she said with great reluctance.

"Okay, um…" Oktavia's fingers anxiously twiddled together. "Is there…anything specific you meant by that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I get the feeling you meant something else by that, something you didn't want to say."

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Charlotte did not want to talk about this. Not with Oktavia, not with anybody. Her opining her points of view hadn't exactly worked out well as of late, and this was one that was way outside of her paygrade. Hell, it would have been outside of her paygrade back when she and Mami had ran the Nautilus Platform together.

But the question had been broached, and Charlotte was no liar. "I...Look, I don't want to act out of my lane. I don't know what when on either, but I've been working on a little theory."

Oktavia's frown deepened. She leaned forward in her chair.

"I don't really need to tell you that Kyoko's been through hell," Charlotte continued. "We all have. Granted, she's had it a bit worse than the rest of us, but not that much worse. Still, no matter what happened, who she faced or what they did to her, she's always been able to fight back to some extent. Even when she was horribly outmatched, she'd go down swinging, and still would find an opportunity to escape."

"Right. And this time she couldn't," Oktavia said with a nod. "You said that already."

Charlotte nodded. "I don't know if it's something Annabelle Lee did specifically or because she was already a mess because of, well, you know."

Oktavia winced.

"But when you're a survivor like she is, when you're so used to fighting every day of your life just to get by, having that done to you can really fuck you up. Hell, it'd fuck you up no matter who you are. It's disempowering. It takes robs you of something, something that you don't always get back."

Finally, realization began to blossom on Oktavia's face. Horrible, sickening realization. "You're making it sound like she was raped," the mermaid said.

And there it was. Charlotte's grip on her bottle tightened, and she made herself carefully set it down on the dock before it shattered. "I didn't want to say it," she muttered. "But yeah. It's a lot of like that."

She watched Oktavia's face as the young mermaid processed what Charlotte was telling her. There was just something about that word that changed how people viewed an already horrible situation, especially when compared to other forms of violent attacks.

A few years ago, back during one of her integration seminars, the topic had been broached over the worst kinds of violence, and Charlotte had been confused by the consensus. Fortunately, the woman she had talked to hadn't brushed her off, but instead explained things in a way that made sense to her. All forms of violence were horrible, and there were no doubt many more physically traumatic than rape. This had been doubly true back in the world of the living, where death stuck and damage didn't just clear up after about half-an-hour.

However, there were many forms of violence that could, on some level, find some manner of justification. Self-defense, standing up for another, fighting back against those who would hurt others otherwise. It was even possible to conceive of situations where murder was at least understandable.

But rape never was. Rape was born from cruelty. And that was why it was seen as worse.

Seeing the look on Oktavia's face, Charlotte said, "I'm not saying Annabelle Lee did anything sexual to her. I'm saying that the effect is the same. Kyoko was forced into helplessness and victimized over and over. That's going to have a permanent effect on her. And it might be some time before she's able to recover."

Oktavia shivered. "What do I do?" she whispered.

Charlotte winced. "Damn, Tavi. This is kind of really above my paygrade, and so far, my advice hasn't really-"

"Charlotte," Oktavia cut her off. "Please."

A beat, and then Charlotte said, "All I can say is be there for her. Help her through this. She's going to want to withdraw, but I think she needs you now more than ever. Get her to let you help her."

"Okay," Oktavia said after a pause. "I'll try. I don't know how much I can really do for her, but I'll try. Thanks."

Charlotte nodded. She started to turn away, but stopped. Maybe her advice hadn't exactly born the results that she had wanted as of late, but by the same token, perhaps she could still help. "Okay, here's a few pointers. If she does that thing where she clams up and seems to just turn off from the world, try just talking to her. But don't make her talk back. Let her get there on her own. Just…talk. About anything. Just let her hear the sound of your voice. Coax her out, but don't force her."

Now paying full attention, Oktavia leaned forward with interest.

"Also, you know that thing that that one girl did for Kyoko when she first woke up and couldn't breathe? That whole 'Breathe With Me' thing? Well, sometimes Mami will wake up after a nightmare and just be a total mess, so I do pretty much the same thing to help her calm down. Place your hand on her chest, make sure she can feel yours, and start breathing in and out as slowly and as deeply as you can. Sometimes, just getting her to focus on breathing smoothly helps take her mind off of whatever's upsetting her. And it helps if she can feel you breathing as well."

"Okay, I can do that," Oktavia said.

"Panic attacks are going to be tricky. She might need you to hold her until she's ridden them out. She may not want to be touched at all. Mami's mostly the first one these days, but she had plenty of the second during our early years. If that happens, give her the space she needs, but stay close. Don't ask her what's wrong; that's obvious. Do ask her what she needs, but don't be pushy about it. That being said, I get the feeling that she's going to seek out as much physical contact as she can, so be ready to do a lot of hugging."

"Absolutely no problems there."

"If it's crying, let her. Just hold her and let her cry until she's gotten it all out of her system. If you can get her talking afterward, expect it to start up again if she's willing to open up."

"Crying." Oktavia shook her head. "I still have a hard time picturing her crying."

Charlotte shrugged. "Yeah, well, she kept it bottled up pretty tight. But that cork's been popped. I suspect that she's got a lot of catching up to do."

"Right," Oktavia said. "Got it." Then she hesitated before asking, "Is she…ever going to be the same again?"

Charlotte sighed. "Honestly? I don't know. Probably not completely. The way she was, the way you knew her was kind of the result of a whole lot of trauma that she'd been carrying around, and now it's basically reached critical mass. But if you mean is she going to be okay, and start acting more like Miss Devil May Care again, then yeah, probably. It's going to take a lot of work from both of you to build her back up, and this'll definitely leave some kind of scar, but one thing I've always admired about her is how much of a fighter she is." Finally, a small, reassuring smile began to appear. "She'll get through this, and will probably come out stronger for it."

Oktavia frowned. "Maybe. But I'd rather she didn't have to be."

Charlotte's smile drooped. "No arguments here," she said softly.

Oktavia took a deep breath. "Right," she said. "Um, thanks for the tips. I'd better go find her, then."

Charlotte nodded. "Good luck, Tavi. To both of you."

Nodding in return, Oktavia began to turn her wheelchair back around to begin the search for her soulmate.

And then she paused.

"Hey, Charlotte?" she said. "How about you? Are you doing okay?"

"Huh?" Charlotte said in surprise. "Me?"

"Yes. You."

"I, um..." Charlotte was completely taken off guard by the question. "I mean, I guess? I don't know. Why?"

Oktavia shrugged. "I dunno. I just sort of felt someone should ask."

"I…" Charlotte swallowed, and found a sizeable lump growing in her throat. "I'm…okay. I got a lot to think about, but I'll be okay."

"You just said that you're okay, and then you said that you will be okay," Oktavia pointed out. "Those ain't exactly the same thing!"

No, it's not, Charlotte thought to herself. What do you want me to say? That I'm still not okay with the valk thing. I get it, I'm not mad at her, but I'm not okay with it. And I also fully understand that what happened to her and what she's going through is way, way more important than my thing. It's just…that seems to happen a lot. Kyoko does something fucked up, and I can't get mad at her, because what she's going through is way worse, and I would be an asshole for making a big deal about it. So, here I am, trying to keep things in perspective and not be that asshole, and that's making me feel like more of an asshole, because here I am, getting all tied up with my less important problems when she's going to literal Hell, and now we're back where we started!

Of course, she didn't say all of that. What she said was, "I'll be fine, Tavi. Go find your girl."

Oktavia still looked unconvinced, but in the end, her concern over Kyoko won out, so, with one last nod of thanks, she turned her wheelchair around and headed out, leaving Charlotte alone.

But wasn't that how it always turned out?

…

The decision was made. Until a place could be made for him, Jerky was being held in a warehouse near the edge of Liddelton. He was still being magically kept unconscious, and was chained down, just in case.

Kyoko hated seeing him like this. Yes, he wasn't aware of what was going on, but it still seemed obscene to keep him locked down like that. Unfortunately, there was nothing that she could do about it.

At least she was still permitted to see him. Granted, it was under the watchful eye of a couple of Sheriff Silty's deputies, but it was still something.

"Hey. Jerky," Kyoko said, laying a hand on her valk's side. "Looks like we dodged a bullet. You're not getting killed, and I'm not getting kicked out. In fact, they're talking about building a nice, big place for you to live, all to your own! Probably give you plenty of fun things to hunt. I mean, it's not like they can't spare them. They've got like a gazillion animals here, and now nobody'll get mad when you eat them!"

Jerky's flank was dry and warm. He continued to slowly breathe in and out.

Kyoko sighed. "Ah, who am I kidding? You'll probably be miserable here. You're not the kind that'll like getting caged up, no matter how big the cage is. You should be out there, going where you want, hunting what you want, not stuck in the same place because your dumbass Mom fucked up."

She slowly stroked the slumbering creature's side. God, he had gotten so big, and so quickly. He was only a few months old, and it wouldn't be long before he was the size of his parents.

Whom Kyoko had slaughtered.

"You know, I used to kind of be the same way. I hated being pinned down in one place for too long. I hated ever having to rely on anybody for anything. It didn't matter if freedom was hard and uncomfortable and I had to fight for everything that I had, it was so much better than needing anyone."

She turned her head, looking out over the fields. "But then I came here. And it kind of made me realize that that 'freedom' was kind of a cage, too. And leaning on other people ain't so bad after all." Her face soured. "'Course, I could do without fucking it up for them at every fucking turn. I could-"

Stop it. You are wanted. And you are loved.

Swallowing back the lump in her throat, Kyoko shifted her body around and leaned back against Jerky. "You know, they still haven't found her," she said. "Annabelle Lee, I mean. Not her, not Nikki, not The Twins, none of them. They're just-" She puffed out her hands, mimicking an explosion of air. "-poof! Gone. And honestly, I don't know what I would do if they did find them. Like, part of me never wants to see them ever again, part of me wants to rip Annabelle Lee's goddamn head off for what she did to me, but also theirs is weird part that's kind of…thankful toward her?"

She let out a bitter laugh. "Ain't that just the most fucked up thing you've ever heard? She won. She finally broke me. And here I am, wanting to thank her! Like, what am I supposed to do with that, huh?" She slowly shook her head. "Man, I've got issues."

"Hey, kid," called Deputy Walters from the warehouse's entrance, cutting into Kyoko's self-loathing soliloquy. "Got someone here lookin' for you.

Kyoko immediately straightened up, her chest pounding. Who? Annabelle Lee? Another hunter? The sheriff, come to arrest her after all?

But then she saw Oktavia wheel herself into the warehouse. Kyoko sighed. She could already see where this was going.

The young mermaid just looked so tired, though there was plenty of that going around. Kyoko could count on one hand the number of hours she was managing to sleep per night and still have fingers left over to pick her nose.

She straightened up, picking her hat off of the ground and putting it on as she straightened to her feet.

Oktavia rolled her way over to where Kyoko was standing with Jerky. "Hey," she said.

Kyoko nodded. "Yo."

Oktavia then looked over to the imprisoned valk. "So, that's him, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," Kyoko said, lamely gesturing toward the valk. "That's Jerky!" A beat passed. "I'd introduce you, but he's still unconscious, so, you know. Not much point to it."

"Don't worry; we've met." Oktavia then raised a skeptical eyebrow. "How the heck did you keep that thing hidden for so long?"

"Er, well, heh," Kyoko said, scratching the back of her head as she let out an awkward laugh. "He wasn't always this big. Actually, he was like the size of a big squirrel when I first got him. He used to wrestle them, too! He didn't have any teeth or claws at first, so I'd have to cut them up after he broke their necks just so he could..."

Her voice slowly trailed off. "Oktavia, you...didn't really come here to talk about Jerky, did you?"

"No," Oktavia said after a beat. "Can we…Can we go somewhere a little more private?"

Kyoko shrugged. "Fine by me." She nodded toward the deputies. "They just don't want me running off with Jerky anyway."

Giving Jerky one last pat, Kyoko followed Oktavia out of the warehouse. The deputies closed and locked it behind them.

There was a covered bench sitting alongside a wagon trail. Kyoko sat down on the bench while Oktavia hoisted herself out of her wheelchair to take the spot next to her.

The two sat together, the small canopy warding off the drizzle.

"You were hard to find," Oktavia remarked. "Had me a little worried."

Kyoko shrugged. "Sorry I upset you."

The mermaid shot her an irritated look.

"What?"

Shaking her head, Oktavia leaned back and laid her arm across the back of the bench. "C'mon, this isn't like you. Sitting around, moping like this."

"It's not?" Kyoko sighed. "Well, I guess you have a point. But then again, what is being me supposed to be like, anyway?"

"Eh?"

Kyoko shrugged. "It used to be so simple. Looking after myself. Not letting myself get attached to anyone. Anything I needed, I took. Anything I wanted, I took. Anyone I hurt, who cares? But that didn't work out in the end, now did it?"

"Kyoko..." Oktavia sighed.

"I tried, Oktavia. I really tried to be better," Kyoko mumbled. "You know, I thought that saving Sayaka would be my redemption. And when that didn't work, I thought that maybe dying for her would do the trick. That didn't work, so I thought that maybe saving Momo would be the thing. But hope and despair is a zero-sum game. Maybe I helped some people along the way. Hell, maybe the effort counts for something. But no matter how hard I tried, everyone around me just kept getting hurt." She glanced over to the mermaid. "Even you. My fucking soulmate."

Oktavia's brow furrowed. "Hang on, what are you getting at-"

Kyoko shrugged. "I thought I could lift myself out of this curse, but my soul was already sold, and there are no refunds. Pain and misery follows me everywhere. I guess I was just too blind to realize that."

She reached into the collar of her shirt and pulled out her necklace. Clasping her fingers around it, she let the arrowhead's points bit into her flesh as she mumbled. "I'm an idiot. I'm such an idiot."

She fell silent, and Oktavia did too. Good. Kyoko's throat fell too raw to say anything more.

And then Oktavia said, "Kyoko, I've got something to say, so I'm gonna need you to pay attention."

Kyoko shrugged. "Go ahead, I guess-"

And then a palm smacked up upside the temple.

"Hey!" Kyoko whipped around to glower at the mermaid. "The hell was that for?" She gingerly held a hand to the stinging spot on her head. Damn it, for a fish she had a hell of a backswing!

Oktavia glowered at her. "Kyoko, what part of 'I love you and hate seeing you hurting' didn't you understand?"

"Well, if you don't wanna see me hurt, then why'd you smack me?!"

Oktavia jabbed a finger at Kyoko's chest. "Look, I get that you went through something horrible and needed space. But if you spent that time beating yourself up and just convincing yourself that you're the worst person in the world, then man, you really needed one of us around to tell you to stop being stupid! You are not a bad person! People do not automatically have their lives ruined just by having you around! It's all Reibey and Oblivion's fault, and you freaking know it!"

"Then maybe I should just give myself up!" Kyoko snapped back. "There! Problem solved! Me and Momo get to be together, and no one else gets hurt because of me!"

"Oh, don't you freaking dare! You think I'm just to sit by and let you get taken away from me forever?"

Kyoko teeth were starting to gnash together. "It's not like-"

"Besides, you honestly trust anything that scum says? Even if he has your sister, she's probably his prisoner! You give yourself up, and she's never getting rescued!"

To this, Kyoko had nothing to say.

"Kyoko, look at me," Oktavia implored. She laid her hand on top of Kyoko's and gave it a squeeze. "I know you've made mistakes. I know you were someone you didn't like being. But goddamn it, you're trying! I see it every day. You try so hard to better yourself, but the deck's been so unfairly stacked against you. And it's not your fault! It's not your fault Reibey might have your sister. It's not your fault all these evil wackos keep coming after you. And I can guarantee, they don't feel bad at all for all the people's they've hurt when they go after you. Why bear their guilt for them?"

The tightness in Kyoko's chest was only growing. In a way, this was worse than if Oktavia was instead condemning her. At least then things would be simple. "If I'm trying so hard, why do I still feel like the same asshole who strung you along for months and refused to so much as call you by your name? That annoyed and fucked with Charlotte even though she lost her whole life because of me? That hid something that I knew she was terrified of and didn't even-"

Her throat closed completely, and she could say no more.

Oktavia let out a long, all-suffering sigh. "Kyoko. Do you remember what Tai Coleman said about the people in Pendle's Quarry when we first got here? About why they're so screwed up in the head?"

Kyoko did, actually. It was something that had been eating at the back of her mind ever since.

"Yeah," she muttered. "Hurt people hurt people. I get it."

"Well, maybe the reason you're having so much trouble getting it together is you're putting the cart before the horse, you know? Maybe you should work on just letting yourself heal before you worry about making up for all that crap."

Kyoko let out a long sigh of her own, but she didn't argue. "May not have the chance. They still haven't decided if we're staying."

"But if we're not getting kicked out, then that's what we'll do," Oktavia told her. She laid a hand on Kyoko's shoulder. "No pretending that there's no problem. We work on getting you healthy again, no matter how long it takes, okay?"

Ah, damn it. It was finally getting a little dry, but Kyoko's eyes were now getting wet. Sniffing, she wiped them and said, "And you?"

"Huh?"

"You were on this fucked-up journey every step...or roll...of the way," Kyoko said, giving her a sidelong look. "And you had to put up with my insensitive ass denying who you are the whole time. Probably have a few problems of your own."

A beat, and then Oktavia nodded. "Okay, point," she said. "Your problems. My problems. Our problems. We're soulmates, remember? And I'm not leaving you alone.

Wiping her eyes, Kyoko averted her gaze.

"Oh, don't look away from me," Oktavia growled. "Look. I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know if they'll even let us stay. We all know something happened that they haven't told us about yet, that someone showed up looking for us, and it's got the elders spooked. I just know that right now, you're hurting more than I can imagine, and I want to be there for you. I don't want you to have to spend your nights alone. I don't want you to have to cry alone. I want to be what I couldn't be for you before; someone you can go to with anything. Because...because it sucks to be alone, and I don't want to be alone either!"

Kyoko felt her heart start to break, not just because Oktavia was pouring her heart out to her, but also because her words were devastatingly familiar.

It sucks to be alone.

Kyoko had once expressed that very same sentiment, when she and Madoka Kaname had entered Oktavia's labyrinth in hopes of reaching out to Sayaka Miki's dormant spirit. In doing so, Kyoko had come to the realization that Sayaka truly wasn't coming back, so she had resolved to end both her former rival's suffering along with her own, so neither of them would have to feel lonely anymore.

Things ended up turning out a little differently than she had expected, and the girl she was with now wasn't exactly the one she had tried so hard to save or the hulking monstrosity that she had tried to save that girl from, but a strange amalgamation of both. But regardless, Oktavia von Seckendorff was still who she had given her heart to. And if Kyoko left her now, then they both would have died for nothing.

There were so many things Kyoko had wanted to say to Oktavia, that she had been practicing in her mind. A declaration of love and devotion. A full apology for disrespecting her identity. A promise to always see her for who she was and not who she used to be. All of those things ran through Kyoko's mind, and now she had the chance to say them.

But instead, all that came out of Kyoko's mouth was as whispered, "Please don't let me go."

Oktavia didn't hesitate. She seized Kyoko by the wrist and pulled her into her arms.

"Never," Oktavia said as she held the weeping girl tight. "But I need you to promise not to leave me. We stick together from now on, okay?"

Still crying into Oktavia's shoulder, Kyoko managed a small nod.

When she felt better, Kyoko finally drew away from Oktavia, but didn't let her go, not fully. Oktavia kept her arm around her shoulder, while Kyoko's arms remained around the mermaid's waist.

Breathing out, Kyoko leaned back again.

And then something slipped into her hand.

Looking down, Kyoko saw that Oktavia had placed a shiny red apple into her hand. But where had she gotten it from?

She looked up to see Oktavia pulling another apple from a small bag attached to the armrest of her wheelchair. At this, a small smile started to perk at Kyoko's lips. The fish had come prepared.

Catching Kyoko's eyes, Oktavia lifted her apple up. Kyoko's fingers tightened around her, and they silently tapped the two pieces of fruit together before biting in.

Say what you will about the ranch and its lack of modern amenities, but man, what they brought out of the ground more than made up for it. The apple's flesh was heavenly, a perfect blend of sweet, tart, and juicy. Some dribbled down Kyoko's cheek as she took bite after bite, savoring every bit of it.

Finally, she was left with what little remained of the core. Pocketing a couple of the seeds, Kyoko turned to the mermaid.

"Um, hey, I got a question," she said.

"Hmmm?" Oktavia cocked her head.

"Well, I know you hated all those dumb nicknames I came up for you-"

"Well, not really," Oktavia admitted. "Some of them were cute. I just didn't like why you kept using them."

Kyoko winced. "Yeah, um. Sorry. But anyway, they're gone, so don't worry about it. But what about that thing Charlotte always calls you? Is that okay?"

"Tavi?" A small smile crept up Oktavia's face. "That would be nice. And actually, those other nicknames are okay, every now and then. I did always kind of like Swordfish. Just remember to use my real name every now and then."

"Got it. Thanks, uh, Tavi."

Then she frowned. "That sounded weird. Coming from me."

"It did," Oktavia sighed. "But hey, we'll get used to it."

"Yeah. I guess we will."

Overhead, the storm was starting to break up. Though a light drizzle was still misting the sky, the sun was cracking through the clouds in places, sending its rays down to warm the land. It was only a temporary reprieve, as they had heard that things would pick up again soon. But for now, it was refreshing to see.

Oktavia leaned in, laying her head against Kyoko's shoulder. Kyoko felt herself involuntarily tense at the touch, but that was an impulse that she had no problem in fighting. Relaxing a bit, she slid her arm around the mermaid's waist, bringing her in closer. The two sat together, watching as gold broke through the grey.

…

The storm had returned, and in full force. If anything, it had gotten worse. That still did not stop them from holding the funeral, though.

Sayaka Miki's funeral was held on the shores of Lake Luminous. It was only fitting. It was in that lake that a part of Kyoko had died, and now Sayaka would be laid to rest there as well.

They were all gathered there. Kyoko, of course. Mami. Charlotte. Oktavia sat there in her wheelchair. Sayaka's childhood friend Madoka was there, holding hands with that enigmatic weirdo Homura Akemi. The friends that Kyoko had made among the other animal caretakers. The Colemans. Silty and her deputies. Carola and her sisters. Coco Smith. Jerky stood in the back.

Others were there as well, standing on the other side of the lake, not actively participating but still acting as a part of the proceedings. Lily the Siren, standing solemnly in full dress uniform. Brooklyn McNally, with the head of her warhammer stuck in the ground and leaning forward against the pole. The dockengaut from the caves. The Twins were side-by-side, wearing identical black dresses and twirling identical black umbrellas. Ticky Nikki, calm and quiet for once.

And above them hovered Annabelle Lee. She had traded in her white tee-shirt, brown jacket, and black skirt for a lace-trimmed black dress, the hem of which stretched several meters to the ground, making it look as if she were a giantess towering over everyone. A mourning veil covered her face, though her ever-switching black and red eyes still shone through.

Kyoko was trying very hard not to look at her.

And then there were the witches. Not like how Oktavia and Charlotte were witches, or even how Annabelle Lee was a witch. Actual witches. Inhuman monstrosities with bizarre anatomies and surreal movements. Some were huge and hulking, others smaller than the humans they had once been. They were clustered on the side of the lake across from Kyoko's enemies, also having come to bear witness.

Sayaka was having an open-casket service, though only the casket was present. It sat at the end of the dock, its lid open, its velvet-lined interior empty, though it wouldn't be for long. Already the pouring rain had formed a puddle at its bottom. If this kept up, the casket would soon be overflowing.

There was a stir on the lake. Someone was striding toward across the dark waters, walking as easily on the water's surface as if it were solid cement. Kyoko was unsurprised to see that it was Elsa Maria. Despite knowing her for only a short time, she had a tendency to show up in these sorts of situations.

Elsa leapt onto the dock. She peered solemnly down into the waterlogged casket before walking down the length of the dock to face those gathered.

"Dearly Beloved," she said. "We are gathered here to remember the life of Sayaka Miki. Some of you knew her. Some of you didn't. Some of you were her friends. And some of you are the reason she is no longer with us. Nevertheless, you are all here, here to bear witness and remember."

She stepped aside, motioning to the crowd.

First up was Mami. She had been crying, and though the rain made the gesture pointless, she still dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she said, "I was a friend of Sayaka Miki, though only for a brief time. I opened the door to her destruction and didn't close it behind me. I died, and later on, so did she."

Mami walked back to rejoin the mourners, and Madoka took her place, Homura following behind.

"I was a friend of Sayaka Miki," she said. The poor girl was obviously distraught, with her eyes red from crying. "Her best friend. We grew up together. She was always there for me. And then she wasn't. She was taken away from me. Other people destroyed her, and now I'll never get her back."

Kyoko flinched and looked away. She could feel Madoka staring at her, but could not meet her eyes.

Next up was Charlotte. "I was not a friend of Sayaka Miki," she said. "I only met her once, under unusual circumstances. She died, and if you ask me, she should stay dead."

Charlotte returned to Mami's side. And now it was Kyoko's turn.

"I wasn't a friend of Sayaka Miki," she said. "But I wanted to be. But before that, I hated her. I beat her up. I tried to kill her. She pissed me off, so I did everything I could to destroy her. After that, I tried to save her, but I was as bad at that as I was at killing her. But she died anyway. Because of what I did to her. That was the first time I killed her.

"The second time I killed her was after she became Oktavia. Or, rather, Oktavia was born from her. I'm not sure how it works, but Madoka and I tried to call out to her and bring her back. When that didn't work, I realized that she was lost, and sooner or later, I would be too. I didn't want her to be alone for what happens next, and I didn't want to be alone anymore, either.

"The third time was when I couldn't save her from Mephisto. She was brought back for a time. It was probably the only really friendly conversation we ever had. But she was taken away from me, and I couldn't stop it. I promised her that I would find a way to bring her back.

"The fourth time is here and now, as I break my promise."

She turned to Oktavia, who had not spoken and had no intention of doing so. Across Oktavia's scaly lap lay Sayaka's cutlass, its silver blade gleaming despite the dark skies. Holding Kyoko's gaze, Oktavia handed the blade to her. Kyoko hesitated, and then reached out to grasp the handle.

It felt heavier than it looked.

Kyoko then turned toward the open casket. Its interior was now almost full of water, but that was okay. Water was to be its fate, after all. The lake had claimed Kyoko several times over. Now it was to take her other half.

Finally, she reached the casket. Save for the rainwater, it was still empty. Holding Sayaka's cutlass out with both hands, Kyoko gently laid it inside and straightened up.

For a moment, all she saw was a water-filled casket with a sword lying inside. Then the surface of the water was disturbed, ripples surging out in all directions.

When they cleared, Kyoko saw Sayaka's body lying inside.

She was dressed in her Puella Magi uniform, cape arranged around her shoulders like a shroud, sword laid across her body, gloved hands clasped over where its hilt lay over her chest. However, despite this being her funeral, she was not dead. Her eyes were open and staring directly at Kyoko.

Though she said nothing, Kyoko felt a heavy weight cling to her heart. Grief welled up within her, and it was all she could do to keep her composure.

"I'm sorry," she said, and then she grasped the lid and slammed it down. Stepping back, she gave the casket a hard kick, shoving it off the dock and into the lake. It sank down and down, disappearing into the dark depths.

And suddenly, Kyoko was down in the lake with it.

She had not jumped in, there wasn't any sort of transition. One moment she was on the dock staring down in the stirring waters that had drowned her, the next she was back in those same depths, arms and legs kicks desperately as she fought in vain to reach the surface.

This time, she was not hampered by being stabbed by Annabelle Lee, though her emaciated rival was certainly with her. Kyoko could see several her all around her, both in her more humanoid form that she was accustomed to, and the nightmare sunburst that was her full witch form, all dark apparitions in the water, floating nearby and observing her panicked struggles.

No, the reason that she wasn't rising was because of Sayaka's casket. A heavy chain was now wrapped around it, sealing Sayaka inside. But that same chain was also twisted around Kyoko's ankle, binding her and the casket together. She kicked and thrashed, but she couldn't get it off, and it continued to drag her down deeper and deeper.

No. Not this. Not again.

Please, just let her breathe. Just let her breathe!

And then, a light. A silver light descending from above. Transfixed, Kyoko stared as the light came closer and closer. In the light was a familiar figure, a beloved face, a warm smile. And it had a fish's tail.

And just as they had when Annabelle Lee had drowned her, a pair of warm, strong hands reached down to take her by the wrists, pulling her up out of the dark, out of the water, until her head broke the surface.

Kyoko's eyes snapped open with a ragged gasp.

It was still raining! Torrents of water were pouring down outside, as heavily as they had in Genocide City! And again, she couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe! She tried hard, but it was like her throat had closed, and she couldn't-

And then a hand reached around from behind to lay itself on her chest, and she felt a warm body press against her back. "It's okay, it's okay," Oktavia murmured. "It's me. You're okay."

Was she? If she was okay, then why wouldn't her body let her take a breath? She was out of the water, but she still couldn't break free.

"Listen: we're going to breathe together, okay? Just feel what I do. Breathe with me, okay? Now, breathe in..."

Kyoko heard Oktavia taking in a slow, deep breath as the mermaid's chest swelled against her back. She tried to do the same, but her chest seized up, and she started coughing.

However, Oktavia was not to be deterred. "And out," she said, slowly exhaling. "In..."

Once again, Oktavia's chest filled up, and Kyoko tried to follow along. This time, she was able to take a small breath.

"And out."

Over and over, Oktavia repeated the process. And just like on the lake, Kyoko was able to breathe a little easier each time, until finally the air was flowing smoothly in and out, and her body started to relax.

"Another nightmare, huh?"

Still crying, Kyoko wiped her eyes and nodded.

Oktavia didn't say anything. She only pulled Kyoko into a tight hug. "Well, just remember that I'm not letting you face this alone, okay? I don't care how often you wake up crying. I'll always be here to help the bad dreams go away."

Kyoko nodded again. God, she felt so stupidly weak. Look at her. The Kyoko from a few weeks ago would take one look at her and wonder how she had become such a wimp.

But then again, maybe being that Kyoko for so long was the reason why she was so messed up. Maybe it was time to just let someone else be the strong one for her.

Kyoko squirmed around in Oktavia's arms so that they were facing one another. Slipping her own arms around Oktavia's waist, Kyoko burrowed her face into Oktavia's neck, hoping that the feel of the other girl's body against her own would help keep the dark thoughts away. And when she finally let herself sleep again, it would keep her head above the water.

...

In time, Kyoko was able to calm down until she was resting peacefully in Oktavia's arms. It was soon after that that she was able to drift back to sleep.

Oktavia stayed awake for a little while longer, just holding Kyoko against her while listening to the rain.

But sleep came nonetheless. Oktavia's heavy eyes closed of their own accord, and she and Kyoko...

...she and Kyoko remained cuddled together in their bed as they drifted along in an endless sea, their bed acting as a floating raft. All around them the contents of their room floating by as well, from the dresser to Kyoko's boots to the sink. The sky above was a featureless white expanse.

To Oktavia, this was nothing. But to Kyoko, it would be a prison. So Oktavia held tight to her, giving her what comfort and protection that she could. One day, Kyoko would be strong enough to overcome her pain, but until then, Oktavia was going to protect her as she healed.

The full-length mirror that sat in the corner of their room was floating by, somehow fully upright with the glass raised above the water. As it did, Oktavia caught sight of what was within.

It did not show her any kind of reflection. Rather, it seemed to be a window into another world entirely. And in that world, she saw herself and Kyoko, but not as they were now.

The other Oktavia and the other Kyoko were walking through a city park. It was clear that they were not in the afterlife, as there were both men and women about, young and old. Others were with them. Mami was there, holding hands with a naturally colored and tailless Charlotte. A few other girls were there too, ones that Oktavia didn't recognize. One was small and petite with pink hair, another regal and reserved with long, black hair, and yet another serene and elegant with green hair. It was clear that they were all friends.

What was more, the other Oktavia was not Oktavia at all, as she had legs instead of a fish's tail.

It was Sayaka Miki, Oktavia realized. Sayaka Miki in another world, one where she had never become Oktavia, had never died. One where she and Kyoko had gotten to live a normal life together.

And that cheered Oktavia up considerably. Despite her resentment at having to live in her alternate persona's shadow, she was truly sorry for what had happened to her, and bore her no ill will. Though she didn't know if this was a look into what her Sayaka Miki was experiencing, some kind of happy dream to give her peace, or a completely different Sayaka Miki in another universe entirely, at least somewhere out there she was happy. The Sayaka in the reflection looked so at ease, so content. She was laughing at something that her Kyoko had said, and for her part, the other Kyoko was also happy, grinning as she animatedly related some kind of amusing anecdote.

Then they paused. A boy was there, one who had silver hair, stormcloud eyes, and expensive clothes. Sayaka Miki bid farewell to her friends and ran over to greet the boy. The two talked for a bit, and then walked off on their own, hand-in-hand.

Oktavia frowned. Wait, what? What was going on? Kyoko was right there!

She sighed. This must be the boy that Sayaka Miki had sold her soul for. Well, good for them, even if there was no accounting for taste. She only hoped that one day, she and her own Kyoko might find the same happiness.

But then she noticed something, something that froze the smile on her face. Clasped around the neck of the Sayaka in the mirror was a leather collar. The collar was clearly built for function rather than decoration, covered with metal studs like the sort that would adorn the neck of an attack-dog. A slender chain hung from the collar, one that stretched over Sayaka Miki's desk to spill over the front.

And the end of the chain was held loosely in the hands of the boy.

Oktavia felt a sense of unease stir within her belly. What the heck was this? Some kind of kinky roleplay that everyone at the school was just okay with them doing in public?

And then the boy turned his head to stare directly at Oktavia.

The unease grew to outright dread. The boy knew that she was there. The boy could see her. The boy was now grinning at her from across the worlds. What was more, his jaws were now moving, as if he were chewing on a wad of gum.

And Oktavia was now terrified.

As Oktavia lay frozen with her gaze locked with the boy in the reflection, the boy's grin grew, shifting from a small, pleasant smile into something more sadistic, if not outright malicious. The boy then blew a bubble with the gum that she was chewing, a bubble that shone with every color of the rainbow.

The bubble grew and grew and grew, until it had filled the entire mirror. As it did, Oktavia saw faces upon the bubble's surface, faces from all different species, all screaming in agony. The bubble popped, and-

-Oktavia's eyes shot open.

She was still lying in bed, holding Kyoko's sleeping form close to her, but now back in their darkened room, with the storm continuing to rage outside. Lightning crashed, thundered rumbled, and her heartbeat was thundering along with it.

What kind of crazy dream was that? It had just been a dream, right? There was no chance-

Oktavia slowly exhaled. Hugging her girlfriend closer, she closed her eyes, hoping to catch at least a little bit of sleep before the sun came up. But as she did, she could swear that she heard someone whispering at the very back of her mind.

She's mine. And one day, she will come for you.

…

As I said, this will be the final fanfiction update of any kind for a long time, during which I will be hard at work to turn this writing thing into a career of some kind. I don't know when I'll be back, I don't know if I'll even be able to pull this off, I just know that I have to try.

See you on the other side, everyone. Thank you for everything.