Majo Kon-ki The Marriage of Tanya the Witch
(The marriage chronicles of a witch)
Prologue 1
January, Unified Year 1928, The Russy Federation, an undisclosed location in Moskva
"… again… I ask forgiveness… most of all… to the honorable people… of The Russy Federation… and also… to any person… that were somehow… harmed by the schemes… I took part…" A lifeless, mechanical voice said very slowly.
"And someday… I hope… with help from go-"
"… god…?"
"…"
"Is something wrong, my doll?" She heard someone whisper in her ear.
"… help… from… god…?" there was something wrong with that… word in particular.
"Please keep reading, you are almost at the end." Again someone whispered in her ear, she was supposed to obey. But then again why does she need to obey?
"…"
"Comrade Loria?" She heard someone say at a distance.
"Hum… I guess you need another dose. Don't worry after this it will be only the two of us… in our long honeymoon." he whispered again and she felt something wet -and disgusting- touch her cheek.
"… a kiss? … honeymoon? … god?" Her mind was trying to understand, no, to recover something lost, but it was as if… someone was holding her down, preventing her from obtaining that information.
"… what… I lost… it was…"
"… me…?"
"Now stay still." She felt something pierce her arm, and knew that whatever it was, had to be stopped or she would lose everything again.
"NO! This is wrong… WRONG!" she screamed before punching with all her strength the one holding her. A shout in Russy and then someone pointed a gun at her head.
"Too close you idiot!" She almost took a shot at point-blank, but grabbed the arm holding the gun and the shot that followed missed her. For a moment the man is stunned and she takes this chance to disarm him.
Five shots were fired then four men were down.
She was breathing hard after all the effort.
"I am Tanya… Tanya von Degurechaff… At least this is my name in this world…" She was starting to remember.
"I am a Lt. Colonel in the Imperial army… I was handed over to the Russy Federation… as a demand for the armistice and then… What happened after that…?" She still had blanks in her memories.
"Come on, focus… I was supposed to be put on trial and probably executed… but they imprisoned me… for a long time I was in a cold and dark room… and there was too few food and the water had a weird taste… I didn't want to drink it but… I was so thirsty-" She felt a sharp pain in her leg, looking at it she saw blood flowing from a wound shot.
"Shit! It seems one of them got lucky." She thought, looking at the dead men.
"I need to treat this wound-" only then she realized the clothes she was wearing.
"W-what is this? A pink gown…. and I have a ribbon in my hair?"
Unfortunately, she could not remove the dress but the fabric in her hair she yanked off straightway.
"W-when did they put this on-" she winced as the answer to her question started to surface in her mind.
"I was drugged, that's the only explanation, that strange taste in the water-"
"…!" She almost tripped on the dead man behind her.
"Where did you come from?" She had killed four men and he was not one of them. But remembered that one was holding her, no, not just holding… he had her sitting in his… lap?! A-anyway… the deduction was that he got caught by the shot she deflected since he was too close.
"Ah!" only then she recognized the fifth dead man.
"That man of the NKVD… his name is Lorya-" her legs suddenly gave out.
She grabbed her head in a vain attempt to block the flow of memories triggered by him.
"Please…" She could hear her own voice on THAT day.
"S-stop. I don't want to remember…" No one heard her plea as the images became more clear and the voice louder.
"… I feel so cold…" the voice was talking very slow…
"D-don't…" she was trembling hard, feeling the same freezing cold she had felt then.
"so please…" … it had the frailty of a small child…
"N-no…" she fought against the tears that wanted to roll down her cheeks.
"I beg you…" … so needy, so pathetic, so disgustingly weak!
"Shut up!" suddenly, her sorrow morphed into a burst of rage.
"… make-"
"I SAID, SHUT UP!" She hit her head hard in the ground before the voice could finish. Stars filled her vision and she almost passed out, but was grateful since that silenced the voice.
Still…. That didn't change what happened 'that day'. Also, Lorya was dead, she could never get retribution. He got an easy death, probably didn't feel any pain, before he knew it he was in hell-
Then again… is he really in hell? Lorya was one of Being X's pawns after all. Perhaps the fake god actually rewarded him, sending him straight to a new and better life! Or they could be in some sort of 'heaven' happily chatting about how miserable they made her life… or even laughing-
Tanya shook her head.
"Forget it! Thinking about this will take me nowhere." She forced back her composure.
"Anyway… How long was I out? Days? Weeks? Months?!"
"I need to take off this thing and take a long hot bath… a-and forget about-" She had to suppress her rage, since now was the time to focus on the most urgent problems. Like figuring how to get out.
"?"
"Now… where is 'here'?" She asked herself looking around.
"Is this some sort of radio studio…?" She noticed the hardware, proper for broadcasting.
"Ah!" more memories replayed in her mind, those from just minutes before.
"They wanted me to give a statement…"
"No, not a statement, they wanted me to defame the Empire…"
"Under the influence of the drug I read a script to confess our 'schemes'…"
"… to give a 'testimony' of the many 'acts of cruelty' the Empire committed through the war, such as the execution of surrendered enemy soldiers… the killing of innocent civilians…"
"… and… SHIT!"
"… to 'confess' that I was just a figurehead, a fake Empire propaganda, that I was merely a child receiving instructions from someone else and…!"
"Ugh! Please… Tell me that I didn't insinuate that I was having a sordid affair with members of the high command…"
This was really bad, after all the effort she put in her career… to end like this. The more gullible would believe that she was a phony all along, after all, this story was more believable than a highly talented and efficient 'child' soldier. But the worst part was that her men and her superiors would believe that she had betrayed them, that she made an agreement with the Russy for her life.
"No, no, no! lieutenant general Zettour knows me. He knows that I would never defame the Empire by my own volition!"
"Yes… And brigadier general Rerugen is my oldest acquaintance, you can even say that we are friends. He will surely vouch for me…"
"…or at least I hope so. They may need to desert me to save face…"
"But I am surprised that this sort of psychological warfare was already used at these times-"
Then she heard loud noises approaching outside the room accompanied by shouting in Russy. By now, the guards in the building realized that something was wrong since the broadcast was cut abruptly.
More loud bangs echoed as the guards were trying to break down the door.
"Shit! What now…?" she was starting to panic.
"No… calm down… think! There must be a way out…" she looked around, analyzing her options.
The room had just one door and no windows, it was very sturdy, the Russy were afraid that someone could interfere with the broadcast, so they took measures to ensure that no one outside could easily break in. Still, it would resist for some time but eventually give up.
Lorya and the other men were dead, so she had no potential hostages. Probably the reason the guards didn't use explosives to blow the entrance was the hope that some of their men inside were still alive.
She could try to ask for help using the equipment in the room, but in the chance that there was any of her fellow countrymen close by, she wouldn't be able to guide her rescuers since she had no idea where exactly this place was.
And no cabinets or wardrobes for her to hide.
She had the guns from the dead, but against the amount of guards she believed were outside, it would be a vain effort.
Also, the wound in the leg would make moving around very difficult.
"If only I had a Computation Jewel I could have a fighting chance..."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"… damn…"
"… it seems that… I am cornered, huh…?"
"…"
"… could this be… how I… die?"
"… wearing a frilly dress and at the hands of communists?!"
"...and even worse… I will be remembered as a traitor by the Empire and a phony by the rest of the world… because of that statement-" an idea popped in her head.
"Of course! The statement… It can work both ways… I can just explain what really happened…"she examined the equipment and believed that she could use it.
"And maybe someone close by could sympathize with my situation and send help…" she doubted that any Russy would feel pity towards her, but even the smallest chance was better than nothing.
"… in the worst case, at least I won't die as a traitor…"
"…I can just take it all back… and just maybe…" she grinned widely as a second plan formed in her head.
"… I really wish that I could have done so much more… I want to believe that the true reason I was brought to this world… no… that I was born in our fatherland… I-I-" A loud bang echoed and she was startled for a moment with thought that the door separating herself from the Russy had given up.
"…!" she was annoyed that the noise made her lose focus, worse, it broke off the most dramatic speech she had ever made. But then grinned as she thought of another tactic.
"No… no… no, no, NO!" She had to be fast, the Russy were almost inside.
"No…! I don't wanna die!" She pleaded, making her voice sound like a lost child. Thinking that such a display coming from a young girl would provoke a deep impact on listeners.
"Please… Someone help me!" she faked sobs between her words.
"For me to die like this… what was the point of everything I did? Of all the lives I took?!"
"Is so wrong for me to not feel sorry…?"
"I did it all for our country…"
"I want to do more…"
"This time… instead of war… I want to accomplish something for the people…"
"… to protect instead of killing…"
"…as long as I am here…"
"… I am still … here …" she made her sobs more intense.
"Please don't forget that I was here…"
"…"
Tanya ended the broadcast and distanced herself from the equipment.
She had to improvise a quick speech to retract all lies the Russy made her say and leave a few 'hints' that she wanted to be avenged without being too obvious about it. She may have forgotten one or two details in her hurry but felt that the mission was accomplished. And it was in time, because of her wound, she could no longer stand. She sat on the floor leaning against a wall, her vision directed to the only door and two guns in hands.
"Ahhhh…"
"I am done… Said everything I could…"
"I just hope that my elaborated 'dramatic monologue' at least convinces people of my allegiance…"
"… counting that someone heard in the first place."
"I even used some of my acting skills, something that I haven't used since… Darkia… I guess?" she chuckled.
"With this, my seed is planted…"
"… for what I hope will be a glorious and large tree called REVENGE!" For the first time, she was happy that people always thought of her as a child instead of a soldier. As she could anticipate the outrage that this incident will cause.
"'A brave little girl, a national heroine and a symbol for her country, surrenders herself in the name of peace and ends tortured and murdered by the big bad Russy…' The Empire will surely demand satisfaction, it could even escalate to a new war. With luck, the Commonwealth and the Unified States could use this as an excuse to bare their fangs at the communists… "
"Who knows! Would it be too much to ask for the entire world to declare war against the Russy?!" she thought with glee.
Tanya knew it was a little irrational on her part. After years of war, the world was finally going towards peace, a peace that she herself fought for… only for, now, to try to ruin it. But when she remembered all the humiliation, the shame, the pain, the coldness… she was drugged, used, abused… The Russy made her slander her superior officers, tried to trample her career… and there was Lorya… Just Lorya was enough for her to wish that the entire of the Russy Federation could burn for all it was worth!"
Also, a world free of communism this earlier would be a big bonus! A true shame she would not be around to see it.
With a final bang, the door finally gave in. She readied her guns to take down as many enemies as she could.
But Then…
"What-"
… time seemed to stop…
"TANYA VON DEGURECHAFF…!" She heard a voice that seemed to come from her thoughts.
"What! Is this… Are you… Being X…?" somehow the voice didn't sound like him.
"NO, I AM NOT 'HIM'."
"Then who-"
"AS MUCH AS I WANT TO ENLIGHTEN YOU, I AM AFRAID THAT TIME IS AGAINST US. AS YOU CAN SEE, I CAN'T STOP TIME, I CAN ONLY ACCELERATE YOUR THOUGHTS SO WE CAN TALK."
She realized that time had in fact, not stopped, but just slowed down as she saw the Russy guards pushing the broken door in 'slow motion'.
"I HAVE AN OFFER TO YOU."
"An offer… Is this a job interview-"
"AS I SAID BEFORE, THERE IS NO TIME TO EXPLAIN THE DETAILS. I WANT TO SEND YOU TO ANOTHER WORLD SO YOU CAN RECOVER SOMETHING TO MY MASTER."
"Is your master Being-"
"I DON'T WORK FOR 'HIM'. I CAN SAY THAT I NEED YOUR HELP, BUT FIRST I'D LIKE YOUR CONSENT BEFORE PROCEEDING."
"So you need my permission?"
"NO. I COULD JUST SEND YOU AND CONTACT LATTER. BUT GIVEN YOUR TROUBLED RELATIONSHIP WITH 'HIM', I'D RATHER HAVE A GOOD START WITH YOU."
"… and if I say 'no'?"
"I WILL LET YOU GO BACK TO THE CIRCLE OF REINCARNATION AND TRY TO LOOK FOR SOMEONE ELSE."
"Can I think for a-"
"YOU ARE ABOUT TO DIE. SO, YOU MUST MAKE YOUR DECISION NOW."
"..."
"Can you tell me at least what I could gain for helping you?"
"AFTER YOU COMPLETE THE TASK, I CAN GIVE YOUR LIFE BACK."
she sneered at that.
"You will need to do better than that, this life hold no more-"
"I MEAN YOUR ORIGINAL LIFE."
"!"
"Wait, wait, JUST WAIT A MOMENT…"
"… you can send me back to my original world… I mean, in Japan-"
"YOUR DEATH WILL BE NULLIFIED, AS IF IT NEVER HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE."
"…!"
"I-I can go back home…"
"...back to my successful job…"
"… back to a peaceful country…"
"… and most important… I will be a man again?!"
"YES."
"B-but… what about Being X? Won't he interfere?"
"I BELIEVE THAT HE ALREADY TOLD IN YOUR LAST ENCOUNTER THAT HE WON'T 'HELP' YOU ANYMORE. BUT TO MAKE SURE I GOT HIS PERMISSION BEFORE LOOKING FOR YOU."
"Permission?! He is not my owner-"
"WE ARE OUT OF TIME, DECIDE NOW."
She didn't like to be pressured like that. There were many factors to consider that demanded time to calmly ponder. First, she would need to know if the next world was no worse than this one. Was it at least a world in which magic existed? Second, in what condition would she find herself in? Back in an orphanage? Or with normal and ordinary parents? Oh! And would she still be a 'she'? Would it be too much to ask to be male again? And third, her 'potential employer' seemed to be a reasonable individual and so far didn't proclaim himself a god but… just how much she could trust him? And he didn't reveal what he wanted back yet. There was a possibility that she'd find herself with an impossible task with no means to accomplish it. Under these circumstances, it would be common sense to refuse.
Still…
Is a fact that she is about to die, and even if by some miracle she could survive, it would be as a prisoner of the Russy again, and after her recent experience, she'd rather die. But it was anyone's guess what could happen if she is returned to the circle of reincarnation, Being X could influence it to send her to the worst world in the entire universe… No, this was her last chance to leave this hell behind… So, she would need to hope that this time she got lucky…
"… I accept!"
"GOOD, I WILL CONTACT YOU AGAIN IN SEVEN YEARS."
Time, or rather, her perception of time went back to normal. She could see the guards rushing into the room and taking the scene of their dead countrymen. Once they saw her, they knew that she was the one responsible.
She could have easily killed at least the two in the front, but instead she dropped both guns and gave them the most sincere smile she could muster.
"I win!" were her last words, before a single shot found its mark in her heart.
And that's how Tanya Von Degurechaff left this world.
AN: Hell, hell, this is hell! God, how hard can it be to write something?! It took me four times more of what I thought to write just one third of what I had in mind! Ugh! Also, I cant stop feeling down now when I read other fanfics. I keep thinking 'how can this guy write so well…' or 'unlike mine, this writing looks so natural'. Bah, please someone tell me that its hard for everyone in the beginning and it gets easier with time…
Also guys, please review, I need feedback! Please say if you think that something is wrong. Or if any character is too OC. Or if there is any information that is too different from the original. Or if you have any suggestions. Or to just point any grammar mistake. I want to improve. I realize that this story is far from good, but I believe that with experience I could, someday, became at least a 'decent' writer.
One mistake that I almost did with this chapter: it was supposed to be july as Tanya was to be almost 14, but it was important that it was cold and I almost forgot that Moskow, or in this case Moskva, is in summer by that time. A small mistake from someone that lives in the south hemisphere, here july is winter. So I changed to January to be right in the middle of winter. Again I ask that people review if they see those sort of errors.
I tried to start this chapter in the direction of what I heard the Youjo Senki series is going. The Empire defeat is eminent, so its only chance of surviving is to get peace under its own terms. I will create my own conclusion to the stories of Visha, Mary Sue, Being X and some of the other characters. But mostly it will be just Tanya interacting with the character from the 'Potterverse'. Also, my story will ignore the "Eleven goddess" story line since I will create a different future. The result of Tanya's broadcast, as she wished, will have great repercussions in the world at large but… not the way she wanted.
Oh, and before anyone asks. What happened in 'that day' with Tanya and Lorya? Sorry, but it will take some time before I can clarify what happened, but be warned again, that it will be some heavy content. This story is rated M for very good reasons.
This chapter had no humor, but it should return by the next. If everything goes according to my plans, I should make one or two more prologue chapters before the story truly starts. After that it will follow the seven books of the Harry Potter series. From philosopher's stone to the deathly hallows. So at least four books before we understand how she got married. After that, she will start her long and arduous journey to finally get a divorce…