Tatsuya Magica
My Sister's Keeper
It was all doomed from the start. If there had been any chance of beating Walpurgisnacht and surviving, it was not in this world. On this planet, on this Earth, all life was struggle. Why would Madoka Kaname be any exception?
Madoka Kaname should've been the exception. Madoka was his big sister. Tatsuya Kaname surveyed her across the flooded waters. Lying on a fallen section of a skyscraper, she still had the form of an elder sister. '~Maroka~', his tongue would call her. He was convinced that she was the exception. He would 'make' her the exception.
"Nee-chan!" Surely his voice would reach her across the distance. Tatsuya shone and his wings of light grew. He took flight. Lifting off the concrete, he jumped and glided through the raining sky.
"Nee-chan!" Tatsuya stood by Madoka's side. He reached for his older sister's hands. They were warm, but only barely. Her school uniform was smeared with blood and tears through it revealed her cut skin. That was part of being a Magical Girl. However, that wasn't the worst part to be concerned about.
Tatsuya wandered across to his sister's other hand. Her Soul Gem was pitch black. Tatsuya only needed to cleanse it. His hands reached for her Gem nestled in her hands, both of his hands cupped by his older sister's as if they instinctively were holding on something.
'Cleanse!' He poured his will out.
Surely that was a trick. It should've been in his power.
"Cleanse!" Tatsuya breathed and yelled. Madoka's Soul Gem remained black. "Cleanse! Cleanse! Cleanse! C-weanse! Cleanse!" No regular child's throat screamed shrill like that. Yet he was an irregular and the pain that called forth his yelling was likewise.
"Kyubey! Homura-nee-chan! Sakura-nee-chan!" Surely someone else other than the two of them survived. Just because Mami and Nagisa went down, it didn't mean the others have to go down as well. If they were here, they could help him. Maybe they even had a Grief Seed to spare. He could cleanse Madoka's Soul Gem the last time around, why wasn't it working now?!
"Tatsuya-kun…" Madoka's eyes opened for a bit. "Run."
Good boys listened to their older sister and didn't cry and Tatsuya was a good boy.
Tatsuya didn't find any other survivors. There was nothing alive moving from the centre of Mitakihara to the edge of Kyouko's home city of Kazamino. He found a rooftop to perch upon.
Even if he couldn't cleanse Madoka's Soul Gem, surely he should've been able to undo the birth of the Witch – it worked with Sayaka and Nagisa, why wouldn't it work with older sister?
A great shadow emerged from Mitakihara's general direction. It was no mountain growing out of the ground, nothing natural – it was a Witch, born of the consequences of a Magical Girl's wish. Whatever his sister wished for, surely, that wish couldn't have ended in the destruction of the world?
No matter. There was a Witch. All Witches were under Tatsuya's authority. A Witch is merely a Magical Girl corrupted. The opposite of corruption was regeneration and that was his power alone. His wings shone.
Restore.
It should've been simple as thinking out his will. To call out his attacks like Mami did was the threshold for urgency and panic.
"Restore! Restore! Restore! Restore! Restore! Restore! Re-store!" As much as his little lungs could muster air, he yelled at the stop of his lungs for the return of his sister.
The shadow only continued to grow. At the speed at which it was advancing to him it would get to Kazamino after he counted to twenty. It would then consume Takarazaki, Kamihama and Futatsugi. The Witch of a Magical Girl stronger than Walpurgisnacht was the strongest and most powerful Witch. Maybe it would even grow beyond Japan.
There was nobody to advise him to flee this time around. Tatsuya was the only one left to stand against the Witch of his sister's wish.
What was his sister fighting for?
The rainy wind blew into his face. Memories and words, things that no other kids would place weight on, spoke to him, making his voice their own. Even as she grew, consuming everything in her path, Tatsuya Kaname remembered Madoka Kaname's warm hugs. He remembered being fed cherry tomatoes that had fallen to be picked up, tomatoes grown by Dad. They woke up Mum together – she would pull open the window curtains and he would drag the sheets off of Mum.
The body of the Witch was mere inches away. If that daily life could somehow be corrupted, it would still be worth living with Sister. They fought for the colored pencil sketches, for the dreams of becoming a Superhero, for siblinghood. There was nothing corruptible about fighting for life, home and family, so why wasn't Sister an exception to Witchhood?!
If that was somehow ever corrupt, Tatsuya wanted to see the final form of it.
Nee-chan. let's go to a world where we can live in peace together. That was his final desire.
The world went white.
Tatsuya stared emptily at what appeared to be a bed. What was he here for again?
To wake Mother up, of course. Tatsuya found a step stool. His feet felt home on the familiar grain of its wood.
Climb onto the blank. Lightly punch the blanket.
He did as much. Lightly punch the blankets while on top of Mama…
It didn't get anywhere. Strange.
Tatsuya looked at the curtains. Curtains hid light. If you pulled the curtains, the light would come in. He climbed off of the bed and made his way to them. He tugged-
Heavy!
Come on Takkun, you're a boy. Boys were stronger than girls. He dragged and dragged. Slowly and steadily, he dragged. Just a small sliver of light made it through the bedroom.
Mum needs to go to work.
In the end he managed to wake Mum up. She was groggy, but she was there.
Dad made breakfast. The cherry tomatoes were delicious as usual, slippery as they were. The toast was crunchy as usual. The lettuce was crisp.
So why did Tatsuya feel nothing?
Go to Red nee-chan.
Who was Red nee-chan?