Author's Note: For clarity, this begins before the time loop (or, if you want, at the beginning of it) and eventually moves up to 1 day past the events of last chapter.
Sorry for the delay, I hope it was worth it! Enjoy!
Soundtrack: Puella Magic Madoka Magica Rebellion - Another Episode (Flute, Strings, Vib. Perc.)
There once was a girl named Oriko Mikuni. This girl had once had a bright future in front of her. Her family was well respected, rubbing elbows with the highest echelons of society. Her father was a respected politician who loved his daughter. She was not unfamiliar to tragedy, her mother passing on early in her life caused her great grief. But it wouldn't have been proper for her to express her grief, so she had hidden it behind a mask. Nevertheless, life had rolled forth and she had applied her considerable talents in all her efforts. She had been rewarded, in school she was the star pupil, the one that the teachers would look at and say "there's a future world-changer." She had had many friends who were proud to be associated with such an auspicious person.
Then, her father was found hung in their home, by his own hands no less, just as it was discovered that he had been accepting bribes. And in an instant, her life had changed. The once bright future she'd had turned dark and all her world seemed to collapse. From being a part of a high-ranking and well respected family, her relatives had cut ties with her, and had done all they could to disavow her father and her, considering them a stain and a drag on their names. She had been left alone in her father's large house, clutching a blanket and wishing for someone, anyone to come and help her. Her school life was no better, as she found that her friends were now not so eager to associate with the daughter of a 'crooked' politician. Soon she found herself alone there too, as her classmates whispering just loud enough for her to hear them. Even some of her teachers seemed rather hostile towards her.
"What's she doing here?"
"How dare she show her face here after what her father did?!"
"I bet she was in on it, I'm never trusting her with anything!"
"If she had any decency she would quit dragging our school down with her tainted name!"
Perhaps she should've died there, taken her own life. Perhaps any reasonable or sane individual would've given into despair. Sometimes she wondered if that's what her father did. But Oriko had known what it was like to feel sadness and despair once before. And like the last time, she put on an iron mask of indifference and endured the whispers of her classmates and teachers. She still loved her father, how could she not, and she still wished to see the dream he had talked of, of a good world where everyone could be safe, where everyone could get along, come true. And yet, as she struggled forward with life, enduring the loneliness and barbs that would drive many a weaker willed person to suicide, she found herself questioning one thing. Where did she fit in this world? Why did she live when her father and his dreams died? What was the point of her life?
Then, Kyubey found her. He offered her a wish, and she, like so many other girls before her, had accepted a contract for too high a price. What was her wish?
"I want to know my purpose in life."
The results were confusing to say the least as the results of her wish granted her an ability to see the future. Visions of the future came nearly at random to her. Some were mundane things, others of a more grandiose nature. Not exactly a clear statement of her purpose in life, but Oriko was not one to grouse and gripe overlong about things.
No, if there was one thing she had felt she could complain about was the fact that she now was literally made to become a monster and had been essentially shanghaied in a vulnerable moment into an utterly pointless energy farm.
She had discovered the truth of the Magical Girl System from one of her visions. Curious after realizing that Kyubey had been actively dodging her questions about a detailed origin of the Witches she fought, Oriko had tried to actively invoke a vision about the future of a Witch. It had been hard and had taken a lot of intense concentration, but finally, she'd managed it. The vision had shown a Magical Girl attacking the Witch in desperation. The Magical Girl in the vision had obviously been on her last legs and it made her weak against the Witch. The Witch had overcome her and forced her to retreat with a pitch-black Soul Gem, and Oriko had been witness to the horrifying transformation of the Magical Girl into a Witch.
The knowledge had shaken her and she'd had to spend the next few days at home processing it. But ultimately, she had pushed forward with the same stoic strength she'd always shown in the face of suffering. She would find a way forward, a way to accomplish some good, she would show that her Father's dream was not dead.
But in spite of her conviction, that still didn't stop the fact that she still had to go to school. And school was not the most welcoming place to her anymore.
The bell rang, signaling the start of the lunch period and Oriko got up, putting her books into her bag. As she left the room, she pointedly ignored the way that the Teacher's eyes narrowed as she watched her go. She also kept her gaze fixed straight ahead as she knew people were staring at her as she walked towards the cafeteria. At least the lunch server didn't react to her as she doled out food to the students. Spotting a place at the end of an empty table, Oriko sat down and began to eat.
Oriko spooned some food into her mouth as she tried to ignore the whispers coming from behind her at another table. She could well guess the things being said about her. How dare she show her face at such a prestigious school after what her father had done?! How dare she have the gall to continue on trying after her family had been disgraced so?! How dare she not go find a hole and die in it to end her father's legacy?!
Her eyes drooped as a new outbreak of whispers began around her. Before she knew it, she was staring into her food, not really seeing it as the familiar clenching of her gut started at the comments she could hear being said about her and, really, being directed at her.
She sucked in a breath and spooned more food into her mouth as she heard a group of students move to sit at the other end of her table (it was long, so there was still a sizable buffer of empty space between them). She glanced down the table to see who it was. They were familiar to her, though she couldn't recall their names off of the top of her head except for one. A girl with a bit of a larger frame than her compatriots who had Medium Blue hair named Komaki Asako. She was one of the fittest girls in the school and had a very overbearing manner, often insulting and tearing down people she disliked or found idiotic. Naturally, Oriko herself had been the target of a good few of her barbs in the past and she braced for a few more to come her way.
Indeed, after a few seconds talking, Komaki had looked down the table and spied Oriko. She smirked and called down the table at her.
"Same old same old eh Mikuni! Why are you still comin to School? Don't go to clubs anymore and you just skate by. Suppose it's tough being the most hated girl in the city. You ever gonna try and salvage your life?"
Komaki smirked at Oriko, who stared back dispassionately, it wasn't the first time that Komaki, or even people in general had harassed her, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last. There was an outbreak of sniggers and new murmurs from behind Oriko, no doubt thinking up new reasons for why she should be thrown out of school, or even from polite society in general. She generally tried to filter it out like white noise, though she wasn't always successful.
Komaki however, had turned and fixed her gaze on the group behind Oriko who were tittering and sniggering about the unfortunate girl. Her smirk had dropped and her eyebrows were contracted as she stared at the girls who started to notice this.
"What are you laughing at?" Komaki said in threatening voice. Whatever titters and sniggers had been heard up till then stopped in an instant as the group stared back at Komaki with some apprehension. There was silence in their part of the cafeteria as even Oriko looked on with some interest.
"Uh . . ." one of the bolder girls of the group spoke up, Komaki was intimidating at the best of times, if only for her overbearing manner, "we're . . . laughing . . . at her." She pointed at Oriko as though it wasn't obvious.
Komaki's eyes narrowed further, "what's your problem with her? C'mon, say it out loud, we're all listening."
Oriko watched with confusion, first Komaki insulted her, now she seemed to be standing up for her? The other girls were apparently just as confused as their spokesperson stuttered. It seemed that, now called to explain in bold-faced terms to a cafeteria just why they found Oriko disgraceful, their wit was failing them.
She resorted to questioning instead, "but y-you were just-"
Komaki snorted loudly, her friends ducked their heads slightly in embarassment at the scene that was going on, but otherwise stayed in support of her, Oriko supposed that they were used to Komaki's brash manner.
"You got a problem, don't hide behind someones back and snigger about it. That's the calling card of a spineless coward! I got a problem with her, so I let her know. From all I've seen, none of you got the guts to actually look her in the eye. Next time you want to laugh at her, do it to her face! Don't sit there and hide behind other people."
With that Komaki took a big bunch of noodles and shoved them in her mouth, apparently unconcerned with talking anymore. A few seconds silence followed this, then the general murmur and babble of the Cafeteria resumed, though Oriko noted that she couldn't hear anymore snide comments about her. She stared at Komaki, still confused on how to react. She was sure that the girl didn't like her and would have more insults and snide suggestions ready later, but then again, she did seem to have some standards on the proper way to dislike someone.
Komaki, who had struck up a conversation with her friends, glanced back and saw Oriko staring down the table at her. "What's with that face?" she said aggressively, her eyes contracting again.
After a moment of silence, Oriko smirked, only just though, "well, at least your honest. More courteous than most."
Komaki stared for a moment, then rolled her eyes and turned back to her friends. Oriko finished the rest of her lunch in silence, then strode out of the cafeteria. It did feel like the usual whispers and hisses that usually dogged her throughout School were a bit subdued for the rest of the day, though she didn't hold high hopes of it being a regular thing. Still, she would take what little comforts she could.
Soon enough, the school day ended and Oriko headed home afterwards. Overall, she'd had worse days. But, while she preferred being left alone to the constant insults and whispers, it wasn't the same as the many 'friendships' she'd thought she'd had before.
Now, she didn't have any friends from school to really to go and hang out with and she always tried to avoid situations where people recognized her as much as possible. Soon, her house, if you could call it a house, was in sight. Her father had been extremely wealthy, both through his shady Political Connections and through his job in general. Of course, once the truth had come out, a great deal of his assets had been seized by the Government as evidence of his crimes. But he'd made sure that the money that would still rightfully be called his was left in its entirety to Oriko and this still left her with a tidy sum (which is how she could afford to still go to the prestigious school she was attending). Oriko's Father had also left to her the Mansion that he'd had built for his family to live in. Oriko couldn't afford to heat the whole building so she was sparing with the funds she spent to maintain it, usually only giving power to her wing of the building. The building felt a great deal emptier than it had before her Father had died, but it was still home to her and she didn't intend to leave it anytime soon.
After putting away her school things, Oriko had walked out onto the balcony outside her room staring out at the City. The view was nice, her father had had the mansion constructed high on a hill and it commanded a good view of the city and the sea beyond. In days past, her father and she had sat on this balcony, discussing politics, the world, or just talking about inane things that she'd been sure she'd forget in a week. Now she held each of those conversations close in her mind like a priceless treasure, and remembered them vividly. Oriko sighed as she stood on the balcony.
Then she started to feel a pressure in her forehead.
For a few moments, she clenched her eyes and groaned. While she'd been trying to get a handle on invoking visions rather than simply having them get handed off to her randomly, some still slipped through on occasion.
The pressure against behind her forehead ratcheted up again and she hissed slightly. This was a bit weird, usually her visions weren't this 'insistent' at being seen. But she supposed there was a first time for everything. She wondered what this vision would be of and whether or not it would relate to her. Perhaps this one would finally answer her question of what her purpose in life was. Perhaps this would finally be what showed her what to do and how to help people the right way.
Soundtrack: Puella Magi Madoka Magica OST - Surgam Identidem
The pressure had become nearly unbearable and Oriko finally surrendered to the vision. The world changed, though there seemed to be some sort of strange black film over it that made everything seem darker. For a moment, she couldn't really see anything do to this, but soon the world became clearer. This in particular was strange and unlike her other visions and for a moment she wondered at it, it felt so foreign. But then she noticed the vision itself and she found herself high above the city of Mitakihara, staring down at it. Dark clouds covered the city as what looked like an enormous thunderstorm had gathered Though, it almost looked more like two storms combined and vying to see which was more powerful. A thunder-battle she'd heard it described as once. It was oppressive and dark, almost like a moonless night in which it was so easy to forget light exists at all
A swath of destruction was being carved through the city as a gigantic Witch moved forward, it's shape that of a upside down female mannequin in a Jester costume. And insane sounding laughter echoed over the landscape as the Witch floated forward. Oriko caught her breath as the full scope of the destruction became apparent. The Witch simply plowed through any building, any skyscraper, any obstacle in its way. But it had no need for individual killing, for an army of familiars, some of which looked like Witches themselves, swarmed below her. The outliers hunted for prey like scouts, while directly below the witch the clustered like ants around a mobile anthill, so tight that she couldn't even see the ground.
"Is this what the future awaits, utter destruction?" she wondered aloud, the Witch seemed nigh unbeatable. Then an explosion blossomed on the Witch and Oriko turned to see a small white shape zip past. She turned to see it streak past and tilted her head in confusion. It looked like Kyubey, but with a far more expressive face and startlingly light blue eyes.
She tried to get a look at its expression but she didn't have a good enough angle on it and couldn't see it well enough as it moved underneath her. It moved towards a fallen over skyscraper, running up its side as it lay at a diagonal slant. Once it reached the top of the building it, it seemed to pause, and then the two tentacle appendage that looked vague like bunny ears (and which ironically sprouted out of the cat-like ears on Kyubey's head) came together over its head. A ball of energy that was blueish-white sprung into being and with a great heave, it flew towards the Witch. The explosion was large and dramatic and the mad cackle that the Witch had been uttering seemed to ratchet into a shrill and meaningless shriek for a few moments. It was knocked a few feet to the side, but then it righted itself and turned balefully to stare down at the Kyubey-ish thing.
A lance of energy materialized and slammed forward, smashing into the fallen skyscraper. But the white creature it seemed had anticipated this and had already leaped off the building. It hit the ground and made to run as the Witch bore down on it. But then it seemed to shudder and enter what Oriko (from her far away and not very clear perspective) could only compare to some sort of fit or seizure. Finally, as it's enemy was nearly on top of it, it seemed to retch, black stuff coming out of its mouth. But then it was off again, dodging blasts of energy that the Witch above and its minions below hurled at it.
The white creature dodged and weaved as the small army of monsters attempted to surround it. Blasts of energy like lasers erupted from it and it looked as though it were using its tentacle appendages as alternate bludgeoning and cutting tool. Oriko idly wondered why she couldn't get a better view on it than being up here in the sky. But she supposed that the birds eye view let her see more of the world as a whole.
As the creature turned and sprinted again, Oriko saw that it was heading for what looked like the ruins of a sports stadium (she remembered attending a game there with her father and her heart twinged a tiny bit to see it half-destroyed.) As it ran, the creature suddenly tripped as it seemed to encounter another one of its fits, this one lasting longer and seeming more painful as it writhed on the ground. More black tarry liquid seemed to expel out its mouth again as it twitched and flopped on the ground.
But then, as it got up again, its back was straight and it seemed to force itself onwards, sometimes simply charging through the Familiars that barred its path. It vanished through one of the entries to the stadium as what looked like every familiar and Witch converged on it from all sides. There would be no escape this time and Oriko felt sure that, no matter what tricks it had up its sleeve this time, the white creature would be overborne at last.
She saw the white glimmer in the dark as the thing streaked out onto the field and tripped once more. This fit was the worst yet and she heard, faint but clear over all the sounds of the Witches and Familiars, a keening scream of agony. It almost seemed like the black tarry substance that was shooting from its mouth was coating it as though seeking to drown it.
The white shape writhed once more as the blackness seemed about to consume it. But then the darkness stopped and instead was pulled into what looked like a ball in front of the creature. The Witch's and the familiars came on, eager to take advantage of the weak moment of their opponent. But the ball of darkness pulsed, almost angrily, as though it desired release from this small prison it was being forced into. It pulsed and crackled faster and faster and, though Oriko could not see the creature's expression from so far away, its back was unbent now, though stiff as a board, as though it was channeling all its resolve into this one act.
Then, just as the giant witch stooped down upon the small white creature, the black ball exploded. The blast expanded outwards in and instant and anything caught in it simply ceased to be. The dark wave expanded outwards, consuming all the Witch's and Familiars, seeming not to slow for anything to her shock. The giant Witch, who had been bending over its prey in triumph, jerked back in surprise, but too late and far too slow. The wave of energy slammed into it and the Witch disintegrated as it was caught in the explosion. But the wave didn't stop and moved further outwards, vaporizing any Witch and Familiar that had managed to stay back from the White Creature. It looked as though it was going to consume the city with its speed. The stadium was a distant memory, like any other building caught up in the blasting force turning the city into a mass grave. But she had no time for further observation as the wall of black energy had reached her and moved around her. Despite her role as a simple observer, not subject to any harm, Oriko flinched as everything went dark, a dark reserved for the blackest most moonless night.
For a moment, she floundered, almost feeling like she was drowning in the inky blackness. Then it seemed like it was starting to lift and she peered around, eager to see the condition the City was in. But then with almost a wrenching feeling, she suddenly found herself leaning against the balcony railing, almost as though she'd been forcibly slammed back to reality.
Oriko was breathing heavily, as though she'd just run from school to home and not walked. She stared, wide-eyed ahead, her grip on the railing trembling slightly. The vision had been so forbidding and bleak that she shuddered. That was this cities future? To first be leveled by what looked like the most powerful Witch on the Planet and then have whatever was left be annihilated by . . . what was that thing?
She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes, willing herself to stop shaking and to think things through.
So, a little something that looked like Kyubey was going to fight a massive Witch, but in so doing, he (she assumed it was a he) was going to cause such an explosion that that it was liable to destroy the whole city, if not more. At least, that was what she estimated based on the short look she'd gotten. The explosion had been so powerful and it had seemed like it wasn't going to slow down anytime soon, so she had no idea how far it was going to reach. She wasn't sure why that vision had had that black filter over it, but that was a minor detail compared to what the vision had revealed.
Oriko put a hand to her chin and stared out over the City, comparing it to the blasted wasteland she had just witnessed. All that civilization, likely all of the people too, just wiped out because of two creatures, one amoral and uncaring, and the other a twisted victim, had decided to have a contest of power there.
Her brows furrowed once again as she saw, off in the distance the stadium that had been wiped out in her vision. The one where she and her Dad had made fond memories in. No, no she wouldn't allow it. No matter what, Oriko would not allow anyone or anything to cause such destruction. Her eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. Was this it, was this the purpose she'd been looking for? First to find the white little creature and stop him from coming to fight the giant Witch and destroying the city (and who knows, potentially even the world). And then would it be her purpose to gather others together to defeat this Witch?
A small smile graced Oriko's lips as she considered this. It made a certain sort of sense, at least as much as anything else about her powers did. At least it was something to keep her going, certainly something to look into.
In that case, she needed to get going. She'd gotten a feeling from the vision that it was some time in the near future, not imminent, but not far away either. She needed to find out what that creature had been to start with. Kyubey might be of some help in that regard, though she'd have to be careful not to give away too much. She knew not to trust him fully, after finding out the ultimate fate of Magical Girls. But in this case, she thought he might be a good source of information as he didn't seem to lie.
It seemed she had someone to talk to.
Soundtrack: Puella Magi Madoka Magica OST – Salve, Terrae Magicae (Tin Whistle, Orchestra)
"The Witch's name is Walpurgisnacht and it would certainly be bad for the City if she came here."
Oriko had managed to find Kyubey quickly. He'd been hanging around one of the Schools (she supposed that he might be looking for more candidates to contract with). She inquired about any very powerful Witches, stating that she'd had a vision of a very powerful one and then giving a description of the Witch in the Vision.
"She certainly did seem to leveling the city with ease" Oriko commented as she stared down at Kyubey.
"Walpurgisnacht is potentially the most powerful Witch on the planet, so powerful that she doesn't need to hide in a Labyrinth. If she descends on the city and no one is there to stop her, then its likely that everyone will die."
"And if the wrong person . . . or creature" Oriko thought privately, "tries to stop her, the city will die anyway."
She still needed information on the small white Kyubey-like creature though. But caution was needed. Any information more than was necessary was dangerous to give to Kyubey.
"Kyubey, have any of your friends gotten . . ." Oriko chose her next few words very carefully, not wanting to give away too much of what she knew.
". . . sick, recently?"
Kyubey tilted his head to one side, as if considering her. Then he nodded.
"As a matter of fact, one of my friends on assignment has recently lost his mind. I assume you had some sort of vision showing his descent into further insanity?"
"So, one of his drones has gone off the rails" Oriko thought. There was some satisfaction and comfort she took from the fact that apparently not even Kyubey was invincible in that respect.
"Still, it's a pity that I'll likely have to end the rebel Incubator before too long. He looks as though he might mean the end of the world if he's allowed to continue on."
"Indeed," she said aloud, an innocent smile on her face. "I was very concerned because he seemed out of sorts and I know how much you care for your own."
Internally she snorted, she knew how little Kyubey actually cared for anything beyond what energy he could invest and harvest from it.
"I do wish he would come back to me for treatment" Kyubey said with a sigh that might've fooled another girl, but Oriko knew it to be a part of his act (or else he really did wish it for some horribly skewed reason).
"But unfortunately," Kyubey continued, "he's gained the protection of another Magical Girl who I don't really know much about."
That was news to Oriko and she blinked, Kyubey always knew everything about each Magical girl, which well he should, considering he made them. She recovered quickly however and smiled again, thinking fast. She could simply ask Kyubey where to go to find the rogue Drone and Magical Girl. But she wasn't sure she wanted Kyubey to know that she was that interested. He might help her, even encourage her to remove the two from the picture, but then again, he might be running his own plan. No, strike that, she knew that Kyubey was running his own plan, the problem was, she had no idea how far his and her plans coincided and she didn't want to test her luck in case he wanted to preserve the two.
She felt she could reasonably guess that the rogue Drone was hanging around her city of Mitakihara, and so it stood to reason that the Magical Girl was too. No, she would mask her interest for the present and attempt to find other ways to track them down, she had time. If things got desperate and Walpurgisnacht was imminent, then she might resort to more radical measures. But until then, patience and stealth.
"Oh, well that's odd," she said in a voice that implied that she was growing bored of the conversation. "Anyway, I was just wondering if you could tell me anymore about my wish?"
It was a pity that Kyubey's face was so expressionless, because it made judging what he was thinking so hard. Add to that the fact that he didn't appear to have any emotions in the proper sense of the word, she could only hope that she'd allayed any suspicions he'd had, or at least, whatever equivalent to suspicion that he claimed that he had.
"It's as I've told you before," he said. "Your wish was a very broad statement, and thus, I can't really give a specific answer for it. The magic that a Magical Girl can get is usually linked into their wish, but there is a certain degree of randomness to it. Perhaps you have wanted to be a seer or a prophet at some point in the past."
No, not really, thought Oriko with an internal frown. She couldn't remember ever wanting to be a fortune-teller. It wasn't that she was ungrateful for her powers (even if they came with a horrible hidden cost, her soul specifically), she just was a bit confused as to why she hadn't been told her purpose and instead received strange random visions of the future. But then again, she reflected, hadn't she semi-decided with the last vision that her purpose was to try and prevent the horrible future she'd been shown?
Oriko shook her head to clear it of errant thoughts. She thanked Kyubey for his time and moved off, heading towards home. She made sure that she was truly alone before she pulled out her phone and went to her contacts list. She had plenty of phone numbers left over from the time when she'd still been popular, but she only had one number she really used anymore. Ironically, it was from someone whom she'd only gotten to know after her reputation had reached rock-bottom.
Putting the phone to her ear, and looking around to check that she really was alone, she spoke into the receiver.
"Kirika, I need you to meet me at the house. Come quick, this is important."
As she related her findings and the mission to her friend, Oriko reflected that her friendship with Kirika was very atypical. Kirika was a girl with raven black hair and golden-orange eyes. Her powers as a magical girl consisted of, in a somewhat ironic contrast to Oriko's ability to peer through time to the future, the ability to slow down time in the present for herself and her surroundings. Complementing this was the ability to summon energy blades like claws for melee attacks. The girl was definitely not the sort of person that Oriko would've been associated with before her fall from grace, not least of which because she was from a middle-class family and went to Mitakihara General High School instead of the high-class school Oriko still attended.
Indeed, even their first meeting (as least as Magical Girls) hadn't gone very well. Kirika had attacked Oriko over a Grief Seed, though Oriko had come out the victor in the fight. After this, the two had sat down and had a little talk that had (much to Oriko's private shock) wound up with Kirika declaring them best friends. It had been a bit weird at first because Kirika seemed to act quiet and withdrawn when interacting with other people. But when around Oriko, she seemed to spring to life and became far more outgoing. It was almost manic and somewhat unnatural at times, the way that she tried to be Oriko's friend and gain her approval.
Still, in the end, Oriko had been glad for their friendship, for it had given her some comfort during the periods of loneliness and depression that plagued her, and had helped her big empty mansion to feel less overwhelming. Even discounting this, she no longer had to hunt for Grief Seeds. Kirika had taken up the hunt and was more than willing to share the profits of it with Oriko. Oriko herself was not the best at fighting, most of her abilities seemed to have been used up in giving her visions of the future, leaving little room for actual combat ability. Her own inexperience did not help the matter.
Oriko realized that she'd come to the end of her instructions as well as the end of her internal reflection.
"So you want me to find this Kyubey evil-Clone thingy?" Kirika said as she laid on the couch, her head hanging off the side.
Oriko smiled faintly, "I don't think he's a clone, but functionally, yes. I need you to start looking for something or someone who looks like Kyubey, but has a far more expressive face and eyes. He's probably hanging around Mitakihara and possibly even going after Witches so start there."
Kirika nodded, she looked like she was thinking hard. Then her eyes widened along with a smile. She put a finger up and Oriko suddenly had an image of a lightbulb igniting over her head, for that seemed to fit the expression she was giving. Then Kirika's face grew curious again.
"Don't evil twins normally look more blankerer than their counterparts," Kirika said blandly. Oriko mouthed silently at Kirika's use of the word "blankerer," before Kirika's face brightened as she sat up, "or maybe Kyubey is the evil twin and we've actually got to kill him in a big dramatic twist!"
"It might come to that eventually," Oriko said mildly. She was aware of Kyubey's amorality of course, but knew that he was useful for the moment, aside from there seeming to be no real method of permanently killing him. If Oriko found a way to thwart him however, then she wouldn't shed many tears over his death.
"You need to be careful" she cautioned, "Kyubey said that he's allied with a Magical Girl so he has protection. Remember, we don't want them to know about us just yet. This has to be stealthy."
Kirika sat up in a flash, her face indignant, "you saying I'm not stealthy!"
Oriko put a hand to her mouth, trying to cover the smirk blooming over it.
After a few moments sulking, Kirika flashed an overdramatic salute, then she opened a window and leapt out of it in a display that she clearly intended to be impressive. Her rapid descent and what sounded like her hitting several awnings and a wall on her way down were less so and sent Oriko scrambling towards the window in concern. Kirika was laying in an overgrown hedge, clearly dazed but looking none the worse for wear. She flashed a confident smile to Oriko and spun her body around, righting herself as she went. Then with another leap, she sped off, barely managing to avoid hitting into a Garbage Can on her way down the road.
Oriko laughed softly and fondly as she watched Kirika go. She breathed the air deeply and sighed looking to the horizon. It really was a beautiful day. Her face brightened as she remembered the food she'd had prepared for her supper, and an idea occurred to her. Since it was such a nice day, why didn't she take advantage of it and go eat outside. There was a nice picnic spot in a park nearby that she liked, why not take a moment to enjoy it? She couldn't do much until she heard back from Kirika the next day, so she may as well enjoy her small moment of peace.
It was a bit of a pity that she hadn't thought of the idea before Kirika had left, she reflected as she packed her basket. But it really was too good of a day to spend indoors if possible. She only felt vindicated as she walked outside and felt the nice warm breeze against her skin. It was getting later on in the day as she walked to the Park, but she enjoyed the simply action. Such breaks from either a random vision or snide comments at school did not happen often to her.
Finally, she reached a spot on top of a hill that commanded a beautiful view of both the city at large and the sea. The picnic basket was set on the ground as Oriko drew out a blanket and spread it across the ground. The sun was nearly below the horizon and the moon was looking out over the city. Soon it would be dark, but Oriko really didn't mind. She didn't particularly enjoy spending her time in her mansion at night more than she had to. Without anyone else there, the mansion seemed too big and foreboding at times. Kirika would probably be worried about her if she knew that Oriko was out here alone as night fell, but at times like these, Oriko really just wanted to get away from her house and all the memories wrapped up in it.
The soft breeze ruffled her ash-blond hair and she sighed contentedly. Reaching into the basket, Oriko withdrew one of the sandwiches she'd had prepared for the occasion. Then she heard a soft rustle that had her turn quickly to look off to some plants on her right.
Soundtrack: Sword Art Online OST: In Your Past
Oriko gazed over at the bushes and saw two light blue small eyes peering out at her. The eyes moved closer and a head peeped out of the bush. The eyes belonged to a very young girl, who looked to be somewhere around 10 years old, with light green hair. Her hair was pulled up into two braids on the sides of her head and she was dressed in some very baggy clothes including some light pink suspenders and a whitish shirt. She was also gazing hungrily at the food that Oriko had just pulled out of her picnic basket.
Smiling slightly, Oriko patted the ground beside her while holding out a sandwich.
"Come and have some if you're hungry."
Slowly, and with a look of caution on her face, the girl approached Oriko. Oriko kept her kind smile up as she held the sandwich out towards the younger girl. The small girl stopped, just outside the range of Oriko's reach. Then as fast as possible, she darted in and snatched the sandwich. Then she jerked back as though she expected Oriko's expression to turn angry. But Oriko simply smiled more widely and pulled out a sandwich for herself (she had packed a lot extra just in case Kirika did come back and joined the picnic.) As she began eating, she watched the little girl out of the corner of her eyes.
The girl surveyed the sandwich, up and down, seeming to expect a bomb to strapped to the back of it. Then with a look of wild-eyed hunger, she stuffed the bread and its ingredients down her throat, chewing hard and fast.
Oriko smiled down at the small girl. She was very cute and Oriko found her shyness rather endearing. She could also sense that the small girl had the spark inside of her that would make her a likely candidate for becoming a Magical Girl. If Kyubey ever became aware of her, he would likely offer her a contract.
Her smile lessened slightly as she contemplated what that would likely entail. A girl this young would have little-to no inkling of what any of the consequences. Even if she was only informed of the hard life most Magical Girls led, and informed outright of it, Oriko knew that it might be hard to truly get her to understand what she was getting into if she made a contract. Certainly Kyubey would never explain it to that degree, he would gladly accept her contract while providing the minimum (from his perspective) needed details. And then there would be no escape from the trap that Kyubey set everyone. The kindest fate for her would be for someone to kill her before she succumbed to despair.
The little girl had finished her sandwich and was now looking up at Oriko, as if questioning whether or not she had more food. Smiling again, Oriko picked a bowl of noodles out of her basket and pulled the covering off of them as she handed them over, along with a fork. The small girl's mouth began watering as she beheld the proffered food. She grabbed it eagerly, almost ripping it out of Oriko's hands. Then she froze once more and looked at Oriko, a little bit afraid, as though she expected the older girl to yell at her for the action.
A small bit of concern flickered in Oriko, why was the girl being so cagey about accepting such simple things? Outwardly, she spoke to the little girl once again.
"My name's Oriko Mikuni. What's your name?"
The girl blinked, then she took the fork and stuck it into the bowl of noodles.
"M-my name's Yuma Chitose" she said after taking several bites. Silence fell for a few more moments as Yuma ate some more. Then she fielded a question.
"Onee-San, why are you out here at night?" she asked curiously, looking up at Oriko with wide eyes.
Oriko considered the question as she gazed up into the sky, the sun having fully set by now and a pure white light shining down on her impassive face.
"Watching the moon, I suppose" she said finally as she gazed up into the white orb. Perhaps she felt some sort of affinity with the celestial body. It didn't shine with a light of its own and was incomparably smaller compared to the sun. But it took what it was given and still shone as brightly as possible, using the gift of light it received to illuminate the world in its own pure, white light. In the darkest time, the moon shone forth to illuminate it, to hold the darkness back with all it could.
Or perhaps she was just nuts, she thought with a smile as she closed her eyes. She opened them again and looked at the girl beside her. Yuma was gazing up at her, curiously tilting her head.
"What are you doing out so late Yuma?" Oriko asked mildly.
Yuma looked away, putting her head down. Silence fell once again as both girls ate their food, listening as Cicadas began their discordant chorus. Darkness fell further, though the moon shone bright as ever over the park, even as the city lit up with artificial light.
"Mommy was mad with Yuma" Oriko looked over at the girl who was staring into the depths of her now empty bowl.
"Daddy wasn't home when he said he would be and she got angry again. She told me 'Yuma, get out of here and never come back' . . ."
Oriko looked back towards the horizon, her face troubled. She had noticed that Yuma had used the words 'angry again.'
"It's because I'm a bad girl" Yuma said dispassionately. "She doesn't want Yuma and I guess that's why she gets so mad."
Yuma stared ahead, her expression not particularly sad, more just blank, which was perhaps more alarming to Oriko than if she had burst out crying. She didn't really know what to do as she gazed into the sky at the moon as it rose over the city.
Finally, after about a minute of contemplation, she opened her mouth.
"I . . . I have never been scolded by my parents," which was true, she'd always been her parents pride and joy and both of them had died before disgrace had come to them.
"But" Oriko continued as Yuma looked at her curiously. "even so, I've never felt much like I was a 'good girl.'"
This was also true in a way. While she'd never acted out and had even been praised for her intellect and skills as she had been growing up, Oriko had never particularly felt like she deserved such praise. While she wouldn't deny she was skilled, she hadn't really done much with those skills aside from earn good grades and act the role of a perfect statesman's daughter. Most of her reputation had been a branch off from her father's, and once that branch had been cut, her reputation shriveled and died. She was still feeling the backblast of being declared a 'bad girl' simply because her father had apparently been a 'bad man.' No, she hadn't really done anything to earn being called a 'good girl' just as much as she hadn't really done anything to deserve being called a 'bad girl.'
"Still," she continued, not really knowing where she was going with this, "I think trying to be a 'good girl' is very important. But few, perhaps no one can call themselves truly 'good.' At least, if you mean 'perfect' when you say 'good.' People are imperfect things after all. So I suppose in that sense, there are no 'good girls.'"
As she finished, she glanced down at Yuma. The small girl was still looking intently at her. Oriko flushed a bit, wondering if she'd been too wordy, or even if what she'd been saying hadn't just been some random rant she'd made up on the spot.
Yuma, however, smiled widely, seeming to be cheered up.
"Thank you!" she said as she stood up. "Maybe Mommy was just having a hard day and will be okay with me now. I'll go back and maybe mommy will see that even if I'm not a good girl, that I'm still trying!"
She bowed slightly to Oriko, who blinked, before smiling and tilting her head in return.
"Thanks for the noodles, they tasted great!" Yuma said as she turned around and left. Her sudden departure left Oriko a bit unsure what to do.
Still, as she watched the child go with a soft smile, she hoped that her situation would improve. She felt a cool breeze sweep past her and figured that it was probably time to be getting home. Then she packed up everything into her picnic basket and headed back to the house into the growing darkness. She found her mansion easily enough and walked in, moving towards the Kitchen where she began stowing the Picnic Materials away. It was as she putting away a teacup, that suddenly another vision spiked into her head without warning, almost as if it were being forced on her.
She saw a news bulletin with a photograph a very familiar girl pasted on it.
The deceased went by the name of Yuma Chitose and the most likely suspect in her disappearance and potential death is her mother Mako Chitose. Her home shows signs of neglect and numerous people have come forth with concerns of abuse.
Oriko felt her antique China cup slip from her fingers and smash to the floor, but she paid it no mind. She was frozen stiff, breathing shallowly, her face paling. Her mind's eye was simply fixated upon the vision of Yuma's face plastered on a news screen as she stood in front of her house, her smiling face and eyes fixed over the headline that read simply.
Young Child Discovered To Have Been Murdered.
Soundtrack: Puella Magi Madoka Magica OST – Serena Ira
The next morning, Oriko woke up early, but she didn't get up. She sat on the side of her bed, drumming her fingers against it in a tense manner. She'd spent a good chunk of the night before thinking over what her vision could mean and what she was to do about it. She hadn't managed to stay up too late as having such a vision so soon after the earlier one, had caused her a good bit of pain in her head. Now however, her head was clear and she pondered the future she'd seen.
She had liked Yuma, finding her cute and innocently endearing despite the short time they'd spent together. The thought of what she was probably suffering under her parents right now, and what it might lead to made her feel like a block of ice had been dropped into her chest. Her fists clenched at the thought of such a sweet little girl forced to endure such abuse by people who should be caring for and loving her. Then she felt hot shame as she had another thought.
"I got her to go back to them didn't I. With that I said." And with that, another thought hit her, even worse than the last, "if she dies, its my fault! I was the one who said all those things and she said she was going to give it another try. Why couldn't I think of something better to say, or be a bit more aware?!"
So now what? Oriko wished she had found out where Yuma lived when they'd been talking. It wasn't like Yuma hadn't made it clear that her home life wasn't very good. Why had she been a like a deer in the headlights when it actually came to taking action with regards to parents? How the heck was she going to find Yuma, she was one small girl in a giant city.
"Use your powers" she suddenly thought and stiffened. Of course, she couldn't be completely sure that her powers would show her anything that would allow her to help Yuma. But then again there was the off chance that they might show her something to give her a clue. Anyway, she'd rather be doing something rather than sit here all day and worry while waiting for Kirika to return.
She stood from her bed and closed her eyes. Oriko concentrated, focusing in upon Yuma and trying to gaze into the girl's future (though she tried to undershoot the date of death she'd observed in the newscast vision). She frowned, the vision seemed on the cusp of materializing, but that black curtain, or filter, or mist, or whatever was still there and it seemed almost to be obstructing her vision.
Oriko strained, her brows furrowed.
"Show me" she muttered as she concentrated hard. Her hands clenched at her sides. The dark curtain obscuring her sight seemed to shimmer and shift, but remained firmly in place.
"Show me Yuma," Oriko repeated angrily. She was worried, more worried than she'd been for a long time and she refused to do nothing about what she'd seen for the fate of the little girl she'd met in the park, but first she needed some clues about how to find her again.
"Show me!" she commanded vehemently, placing her hands upon her face.
Finally, the darkness tore and her visions, finally, surrendered to her will. She peaked through her fingers and found herself standing outside of a house with lighted windows. A quick look around revealed the street and address to Oriko and she cataloged them in her mind. Then she felt a prickle and glanced around again. Even through the vision she could feel it, a Witch was on the move. Sometimes Witches stayed stationary, seemingly content to let their labyrinths lure victims in, or simply stew in their loneliness. Other times, perhaps more often, Witch Labyrinths moved unseen throughout the world. They were a closed space that was near impossible to see from the outside unless you were a Magical Girl. These roving Labyrinths required taking care of when you found them unless you wanted to do a good bit of legwork and tracking to find them later (though there were "hunting grounds" per se where a Witch was likely to roam such as popular suicide points or places where extreme tragedy had occurred).
Sometimes Oriko wondered if the isolated Witches were, on some leftover instinctual level, trying to stop themselves from hurting as many people as possible by their isolation.
Now, one of the roaming Witches was moving towards the house that she assumed was Yuma's. The faint distortion in the air moved and seemed to phase through the door as it found a new home. Oriko sucked in a breath with worry, but then she stopped suddenly. This didn't make sense, her earlier vision had told her that Yuma would die because of her mother beating her to death, now she was going to die from a Witch? But then again, normal people didn't know about Witches so maybe they simply assigned Yuma's death to parental abuse. Did that mean that there was nothing to worry about with her parents, well besides a ravenous Witch coming to eat them.
She heard some soft footsteps and turned once more. Yuma was walking down the sidewalk towards her home. Her head was downcast and each step seemed more reluctant than the last. As she got up to the door she held out a hand for the doorknob.
"Yuma, no!" Oriko said before she could stop herself. For a moment, she thought that Yuma had heard her, for her hand had pulled back slightly from the knob. But then Oriko saw that there was a fearful expression on her face and Oriko realized that she was simply afraid to go inside, afraid to go home.
Perhaps it was Yuma's despair that had lead the Witch to the home. If such things lingered in areas and her parents were abusive, then Yuma's house was surely stinking with despair.
Pity, and some measure of understanding grew stronger in Oriko. She groaned as Yuma seemed to screw herself up enough to open up the door and walk inside. Oriko was sure she saw the telltale rainbow of a Witch's Labyrinth before the door shut.
The vision ended and Oriko stood stock still, thinking on the vision. A Witch might be moving towards Yuma's house and would set up shop there, just waiting for victims to wander in. Yuma might even possibly be its first. In a moment she was up and getting dressed while going over the address in her head.
She had a house to find and visit.
Kyoko yawned as she got of the bus. She had managed to find one overnight to Mitakihara, but unfortunately it had dropped her off on the outskirts of the city. Shrugging, she started walking, figuring she may as well get a few miles of distance in if she hoped to reach Mami's neck of the woods soon. It's not like she was really in any hurry, this was just a visit to get some info after all.
She'd been walking for about half an hour and had entered a low-income housing area when she felt a flair of Magic suddenly and turned to her side. It looked like a normal suburban home, but she wasn't fooled. She strode forward a couple feet and kicked the door open, transforming into her Red overcoat and summoning her spear to her in the meantime. As she'd suspected, instead of leading to a normal house hallway, the door opened onto the typical mad maelstrom of color and insanity that characterized a Witch's lair. Kyoko smirked slightly, at least this trip wouldn't be a complete waste of time. She sprung forward, effortlessly cutting down several familiars that barred her way (and seemed to be in the shape of some sort of flower theme.)
It wasn't the most difficult labyrinth she'd ever gone through, nor was it the most difficult Witch she'd ever fought. She wasn't complaining though as she found herself in the Witch's inner sanctum and immediately got to work. The Witch had seemed distracted, bending over two bodies and seeming to gorge on them while a tiny figure was pressed up against the wall of the lair.
With a small lurch in the region of her stomach, Kyoko realized that the tiny figure was human, a girl, possibly the original inhabitant of the house before the Witch had manifested here. Kyoko pushed the child to the back of her mind as she entered battle against the Witch, beginning the fight by shoving her spear into its back.
The following fight, while still the normal dangerous affair all battles against Witches were, was over in short order. While the Witch put up the best fight could, it simply could not compete against Kyoko. As it fell, she noticed that the little girl was still alive. Pausing only to pick up the Grief Seed that had fallen from the Witch's corpse, she strode over to get a better look at the child.
Kyoko frowned as she surveyed the small girl sitting before her, who looked to only be around 10-12 years old. The girl had short green hair, fastened in two equally short pigtails and she was starring at the bodies of what had probably been her parents with a blank expression. It was somewhat disconcerting to Kyoko to see such a lack of emotional reaction to something that should've sent anyone screaming, either the Witch or the mangled corpses in front of her.
Maybe she was simply too shocked to react, or just trying to keep her fear or sorrow from showing. Still, Kyoko thought with some bitterness, it would probably be best to make her understand things as they were, sugarcoating what had just happened never did anyone any favors.
"Hey kid," Kyoko said, her voice brash, "it's a tragedy, but that's the hard truth of things. You can wail and cry all you want but it's not gonna bring your parents back. Just remember to be grateful that you survived."
The girl glanced at her, her expression not shifting beyond some tiny curiosity in her eyes. Kyoko stared at her, unsure of what to say. After a few moments, she said the first thing that came into her mind looking at the blank eyes of the small girl.
"Make a face like that and nobody will ever help you out."
The girl blinked, still staring at Kyoko. Kyoko herself looked away, putting a hand behind her head and shifting uncomfortably. Then she sighed deeply.
Soundtrack: Sword Art Online OST: Gracefully
Whatever she'd experienced in the Witch's Labyrinth, the little girl didn't lack an appetite as she wolfed down the burger that Kyoko had gotten for her.
"Easy!" Kyoko said as some Ketchup flew in her direction from the girl's furious bites. She held up a napkin to shield her face, only lowering it when she was certain the barrage of condiments had ceased.
"Listen here kid, once your done with that food I want you to scram!" she said vehemently. Kyoko honestly really didn't want another complication in her life. She already was dealing with dreams that felt way too real and some sort of urge to come back to Mitakihara City, so she wasn't even sure why she was being so nice to this little kid.
Well, no. Deep down she knew why. But it was much more convenient for her to ignore that.
Kyoko noticed that the small girl had been taking a drink out of her soda can, but had suddenly stopped and was staring into the depths of the liquid. She was breathing heavily and her eyes were wide. Some pity leaked into Kyoko's heart as she recognized the symptoms of a panic attack, and possibly some traumatic memories.
"It was a Witch that killed your parents" she said loudly, deliberately prodding the young girl. It worked and the small child seemed to snap out of whatever flashback she was in as she turned to look at Kyoko.
"Witch?" It was the first word the girl had spoken. She had a soft voice, meek and unassuming that suggested that she didn't talk much.
"Mmhmm," Kyoko said as she leaned back. "It's my job to find and fight things like that. Sort of like Manga you read. Only it ain't like those things because your overflowing love and courage ain't enough to carry you through a fight or any of that junk."
The small girl blinked, looking up at Kyoko.
"And ain't nothing can bring dead family and friends back to life" Kyoko's next statement was quiet and simple as she closed her eyes, her face growing taut.
A few seconds passed. Then Kyoko sat up, seeming to want to move past the somber moment.
"So anyway, when you eat kid, you gotta start-"
"Yuma."
"Huh," Kyoko looked down at the child who was looking back at her with a half-curious, half-excited expression.
"My name isn't 'kid,' it's Yuma."
There was a small silence, then Yuma spoke again.
"So onee-chan, are you some kind of hero?"
Kyoko blinked, hadn't she just said it wasn't like that? And what was with the 'onee-chan' stuff?
"I told you, I ain't anything noble like that."
The small girl stood up, smiling as she looked at Kyoko.
"Yuma will become a Magical Girl and fight Witch's too!"
The sudden statement had Kyoko blink stupidly for a moment. But then, annoyance flared deep within her, this kid wasn't listening, "don't ever say something so stupid."
"BUT MOMMY AND DADDY ARE DEAD! I HAVE NOWHERE ELSE TO GO!"
The words had burst from Yuma's mouth in a shout that had nearly sent Kyoko hurtling back. So that was it, wasn't it. Yuma didn't really understand or care about what it meant to be a Magical Girl, she just thought that if she became one, then Kyoko would stick with her.
Yuma's next words only confirmed Kyoko's suspicions.
"Tell me what you have to do to be a Magical Girl! I'll do anything!"
Kyoko growled, "kid" she purposely used the word instead of Yuma's name, "quit being so naive."
She stood, towering over the green-haired child, her voice low and flat. It was very important that Yuma understood this and Kyoko wouldn't carry the guilt of not letting her know.
"You know how people say 'you bet your life?' Well this time they ain't kidding around! Take this job and it's gonna be your life on the line. It's a bad deal. You wanna make bets? Bet on living a good life and never become a Magical Girl."
Yuma ducked her head, shaking slightly. Kyoko felt uncomfortable to realize that she was sniffling loudly.
"Yuma's all alone now" Kyoko barely heard Yuma mutter. She put a hand to her forehead, why did she have such a soft spot for this little girl.
You know why, remember Momo. The more traitorous part of herself whispered.
Shut up, she thought back.
She used to talk in the third person too, didn't she?
SHUT UP! She actually growled slightly at that thought.
"For crying out loud!" she finally said. Yuma looked up at her and Kyoko grimaced.
"Let's get one thing straight here, I ain't your 'onee-chan,' got it!? My name's Kyoko Sakura. If I show you how to survive on your own will you stop being such a crybaby?!"
Yuma stared, wide-eyed at the older girl, then nodded vigorously."
Kyoko put her fingers to her forehead, sighing deeply. What the heck had she just gotten herself into? She put her hands down and shepherded Yuma onwards. If she was gonna teach the kid, best start with how to get food and shelter.
Oriko surveyed the house, her eyes narrowed. She was certain that it was the same house from her vision, the one that Yuma lived in. There were no lights on, which could mean anything. She wasn't sure of the wisdom of simply moving in and conducting a home invasion. Still, it wasn't like she had much choice if she wanted to get evidence to prove that Yuma's parents were abusive. She moved up and tried the door handle gently. To her surprise, it gave, the door was unlocked.
Oriko pushed the door open and moved quietly forward. Then, as she stepped fully into the house, she smelled something that made her gag. A mass of bone and flesh were strewn in two piles in the living room. The two bodies, relatively speaking, were in pieces, as though they'd been ripped and clawed to shreds.
No human, or Magical Girl did that, she thought to herself. The Witch must've come to call.
With a horrible jolt, Oriko looked around, but to her relief and confusion, while she could discern the bodies of the mother and father, Yuma was nowhere to be found. That was both good and bad, for it likely meant that she'd escaped the fate of her parents.
Not if the Witch ate her whole, a snide part of her mind provided. She pushed the thought aside as she moved further around the house. While it was good that Yuma had probably survived the attack, that still left the unsavory conclusion that she was out on the streets, homeless and parentless. Normally, Oriko might've felt a brief sense of sadness at the loss of human life, but considering what she'd seen in her visions and suspected about these two sad excuses for parents, she wasn't going to shed many tears over them.
She moved around the house, trying to find some clue as to where Yuma might've gone, but it was no good. There was nothing whatsoever to indicate where the girl might've gotten to. There was a small bit of hope as she investigated what she'd assumed was Yuma's room. Most of her belongings that could be easily carried, as well as what looked like all her clothes, had been taken, so it seemed that she was in the company of someone who at least wanted to look after her basic needs.
Oriko put a finger to her chin as she contemplated this. Bodies tended to stay trapped in labyrinths until fully . . . 'digested' for lack of better term. Human, and Magical Girl, remains only tended to show up when a Witch was defeated. Thusly, a Magical Girl must've defeated the Witch, and recently given that what remained of the bodies were relatively fresh (at least she assumed they were, she was no coroner). Yuma was young, and probably wouldn't think to pack her own clothes, so building on the assumption that both she and the mystery Magical Girl had been at home, the conclusion seemed to be that the Girl in question had taken pity on the small child and had gotten some of her clothes and belongings before setting out with her in tow.
As she walked outside, a soft thump made her wheel around, readying for a fight. But to her relief, it was just Kirika who had leapt off of the roof of the house and landed behind Oriko. Kirika was grinning widely as she ran up to Oriko. Once in front of the girl, she stopped and did a sort of rapturous tap dance on the spot as she stared with excited eyes at the girl in white.
"I found them!" she said triumphantly.
Oriko stared at her friend, then a grin broke over her face. She pulled the black haired girl into a hug and she returned it eagerly.
"Kirika! That's really great news! How did you find them so quickly!?" She paused for a moment, as she realized something, "Kirika, what do you mean by 'them?'"
Kirika back away, clasping her hands behind her back and looking at Oriko with a smirk.
"The weird Kyubey that you wanted me to find. Apparently he has more than one friends who are Magical Girls. I saw them while at lunch a few days ago and just checked out where they live. It's the person you're looking for, he's got the eyes and everything!"
Oriko blinked, "how did that happen? How did you just see them at random during lunch?"
Kirika's smirk widened, "they go to my school."
Oriko stared, then mentally slapped herself. Why was she so surprised? After all most Magical Girls who weren't homeless at least tried to keep up a facade of a normal life and this included school. And since the creature in her vision had been some form of Incubator, and if he was hanging around Mitakihara, then it would make sense that he might go to schools to try and get contracts out of girls.
Oriko put a hand to her chin as she internally speculated on what the creature's game was. Was he trying to use the girls as energy sinks, or get them to produce more despair energy (than Kyubey normally did that is.) Kyubey had said that he was mentally ill or unstable, so maybe he was trying a version of the Witch System that was more effective in the short term but would have worse consequences for people in the long term (once more, worse than Kyubey's system already did).
"Heck" she thought as a sudden brainwave hit her, "maybe that's why he was fighting that huge Witch, he was trying to harvest her energy to make him stronger?" Though she wasn't sure she could make such an inference based on what her vision had shown her. If it was true it certainly hadn't turned out well for him in the end.
Oriko shook her head and looked at Kirika, smiling as she did so.
"You did a great job Kirika. Really, I didn't expect you to get back to me so quickly!"
Her friend smiled widely at the praise, looking delighted. Oriko took a moment to think, putting a hand to her chin, then she nodded, "right, so. Are you ready for the next part of our plan?"
Kirika nodded eagerly.
"Right, well now we need to get more information. So you're going to show me where they live, or at least gather, and we're gonna spy on them. If what I think is right, we may have to get rid of the abnormal Kyubey, but before then, we need to scope out their strengths and weaknesses."
Kirika smiled, "but before then, do you think we could have some of that chocolate cake you made yesterday?!"
Oriko chuckled and put a hand on Kirika's shoulder, "of course Kirika. There's some left over back at the house. If you want, we can go there now and get some. We can eat some, call it a night and start tailing the others tomorrow."
Kirika looked positively delighted and turned. She ran with a great burst of speed and was soon almost out of sight, pelting the direction of the Mansion Oriko called home. Oriko sighed and began walking sedately in the same direction while pulling a key on a string out from around her neck. Kirika always forgot that Oriko locked up when she left. She really needed to get her a pair of Keys of her own.
For a moment she amused herself with the image of Kirika waiting impatiently for her to get home, hopping from one foot to another like she had to go to the bathroom. Hoping and praying that Oriko wouldn't take too long so she could unlock the door and get the precious delicious cake for herself. But then, as she walked away, Oriko's mind flashed back to Yuma. The concern she'd felt at the small girl going missing came back, but as of right now, there really wasn't much she could do about it. She only hoped that the girl was better off now than she had been with her parents.
Oriko sighed, and continued on towards home.
Surprisingly, it hadn't been that hard to do her usual sleuthing, scavenging, and just in general surviving, even with Yuma as a tagalong. Heck, the kid had even been a help when it came to providing a distraction while she shoplifted some food. People naturally gravitated towards a crying child, often to the exclusion of all else and even if that child had seemingly suddenly cheered up as though she received a signal from someone else.
Yuma certainly didn't lack for enthusiasm Kyoko reflected, as the watched the young girl running around the Hotel Room that they'd managed to sneak into for the night. It was a nice, high-end suite and Yuma was positively beaming as she ran her hands over the ornate decorative carvings on the furniture. Kyoko smirked as Yuma climbed up onto the bed and started jumping experimentally on it, her face growing more rapturous with each bounce.
"All right kid, settle down and don't be so loud we're trying to keep a low profile here" she said quietly as she moved towards the bed. Yuma turned, a smile evident on her wide face.
"But this is my first time being in a hotel! My house was never this clean and shiny!"
Kyoko let her jump for a few more minutes before forcing her to get into some Pajamas she'd taken from Yuma's house before they'd left (she'd been a bit surprised how few clothes Yuma had had, her parents hadn't seemed to have bought her many). Despite her earlier energy, Yuma was yawning before long and she crawled under the covers. Kyoko got into her nightclothes and joined her. Yuma soon dropped off to sleep, but Kyoko lay awake for a long time afterwards, staring at the ceiling and pondering things.
A bit of her was slightly wary about going to sleep. She'd been visited by two dreams at least that had felt too real to actually be dreams. One she had a hard time remembering (it seemed to feature some sort of black-haired girl fighting what she could only assume was a Witch) and the other (which she could remember better, though not perfectly) featuring Sayaka and Mami, though she had a feeling that the black-haired girl had been involved in some way in that dream too, though she hadn't been seen.
And now she had somehow wound up picking up a little child who had, for some unfathomable reason, latched onto Kyoko in spite of her gruff attitude. Kyoko drew in a long breath and then let it out slowly, glancing over at the small girl sleeping beside her. Her expression softened as she looked at Yuma's innocent face. Kyoko's lips quirked up into something resembling a smile as she put a hand over and started to brush Yuma's bangs out of her eyes.
Soundtrack: Sword Art Online OST – A Close Battle
Then she heard a noise and stiffened. Immediately, she reached out with the sixth sense that had become her aid once she became a Magical Girl and nearly swore. Of all the times for a Witch to pass by it was now, while she and Yuma were trying to sleep.
Carefully, so as not to wake Yuma, Kyoko got out of bed and moved off towards the source of the Witch Magic. Once outside the room, she rooted around for a bit before discovering the entrance, at which point she transformed and leapt in. She was eager to end the Witch quickly before Yuma had a chance to wake up and wander into the labyrinth.
The Witch appeared to be similar to a giant misshapen skull perched on top of a normal sized human lower body, though oddly enough, only one leg appeared to be there. Black cloth hung, covering up the point where the body met the skull and hanging off of the skull like hair. Out of the folds of the cloth a human hand could be seen flopping around, seemingly grasping at somethings only it could sense. The eyes of the skull that was large as a small car were not dark holes but instead were each filled in with a face, each with a simplistic expression like the drawing of a child, one a smile, the other a frown. Completing the look was an almost flower-like formation that perched on the skull like a hair ornament.
Kyoko dropped, her spear in hand and her expression a smirk. She thrust forward and her spear carved a long scratch into the skull of the Witch. It roared in displeasure and turned to attack, but Kyoko had already landed and was in motion. The thing's clumsy strike missed her by several feet and she scored another hit upon its skull, weakening the mark she'd already made. The next strike sent Kyoko rolling to the side away from the thing, intending to circle back around. But as she was turned away from it, she felt a horrible warm, fetid, slimy thing hit her back and leave a very wet mark there before she rolled out of the way. The sensation was very unpleasant. Not in a painful or disturbing way, but in the sense of when a dog suddenly licks you too much and gets your hands and clothes coated with saliva.
Indeed, as Kyoko whirled around, she saw a giant tongue protruding from a gap in the Witch's Skull. If it were possible she would almost swear that the thing looked smug as her face displayed utter revulsion. Kyoko twirled her spear and slashed out. The tongue fell into five different pieces and the Witch squealed in pain yet again.
"That'll teach you to lick me again!" Kyoko said in satisfaction as she darted forward. Her hair whipped around her as she dodged a wild kick from the Witch's singular foot that caused cracks in the floor. Her spear glinted as she stabbed for a third time and with a great snap, the weakened point of the skull shattered and her weapon buried itself in the Witch.
Kyoko grinned as she withdrew her spear. But a second later her smile had faded as the two face-like eyes suddenly bulged outwards like snakes, each writing and seeming to seek her, whether to hit or bite, she didn't know. She dodged backwards as she felt the Labyrinth Wards seeming to shift and the Witch's skull seemed to widen at the damaged point and crack like an egg. More tentacle appendages sprouted out and Kyoko cocked an eyebrow.
"So your like an egg are you? Crack your shell and reveal the prize inside? Well, your not keeping me from that Grief-Seed, no matter how many times I gotta break you!"
Once more, she struck out, but now there were enough limbs and appendages that she was forced to spend more time defending herself than she did actually trying to inflict damage.
Still she grinned.
"Think that just because I got one weapon that you can overwhelm me? Well I hate to break it to you buddy, but I'm one of the best there is!"
This moment of pride however, was not wise. As Kyoko basked in her boast, her defenses were low for a moment. In that moment, four tentacles slipped forward through the flurry of defensive cuts and swipes. Before Kyoko knew what was happening, a slimy, twisted, and disgusting tentacle was wrapped around each limb.
The appendages curled around her arms and legs and though she fought to stop them, their grip tightened painfully. Then suddenly they were pulling and before she knew what was happening, there a ripping noise and a series of sickening cracks and suddenly she was falling backwards. She impacted the ground and felt a near blinding pain in her arms and legs as well as her back. She looked at her left arm to gauge the damage.
It wasn't there.
Kyoko blinked, then looked for her other limbs.
They weren't there either.
Well, that explained the pain, she thought dumbly as she gritted her teeth. Did her natural healing abilities as a Magical Girl cover severed limbs? Perhaps, but she'd need time to try. Time she knew she didn't have.
"Heh, so this is it" she though as she heard the Witch approaching. "Always figured it would end like this somehow, a Witch finally getting the better of me. Least I got nothing and no one to blame but myself. Mami, thanks for lookin after me after my family died. Yuma I-"
Kyoko's mind stuttered to a halt. Yuma, still in the Hotel, Yuma, likely the next thing on the menu for the Witch. She couldn't let that happen!
Kyoko felt the Witch bending over her as she tried to fight through the pain to do something, even though she knew that without limbs, or the time to heal, it was utterly useless. But even as the Witch reached out a tendril to pull her into its maw, there was a sizzling noise and suddenly the Witch leapt backwards with a cry of bitter pain. At the same moment, there was a flash of light and Kyoko suddenly felt her arms and legs again. For a moment she just stared in confusion, but then another roar from the Witch had her shaking her head and bounding to her feet. She grabbed her spear and charged forward. The spearhead buried itself into the Witch's flesh and she pushed it deep, burying first the point and then the shaft into its flesh.
The Witch writhed in pain as Kyoko twisted her weapon around and continued the impalement. But eventually, the Witch's struggles grew less and less until it ceased to move altogether. It's body finally melted to the ground, beginning to vanish along with the Labyrinth it had made its home.
Kyoko strode forward and swiped up the Grief Seed that had been left where the corpse of the Witch had laid. Then she put a hand to her lips, humming in thought as she breathed deeply. By all appearances, the Witch should've had her dead to rights, but something or someone had seemingly intervened on her behalf. She glanced around, but couldn't see anyone. That is, until she turned around at a soft noise and saw Yuma standing there, staring at her, still in her nightclothes.
The young girl rubbed her eyes, yawning widely as she stared at Kyoko, "I heard some loud noises, were you fighting one of those things again Kyoko?"
Kyoko nodded, distracted from her earlier thoughts. She strode forward, putting a hand out to Yuma's head in order to steer her back to bed. But as her fingers brushed the small girl's forehead and scalp, she froze. She could feel many patches of skin beneath her fingers which were not smooth and soft as a young child's skin should be, but rough and callused, as though scarred over.
"Kyoko?" Yuma said confusedly as the older girl halted and knelt down in front of her. Kyoko brushed Yuma's hair back from her forehead and started. There was definitely scar tissue there and, unless Kyoko didn't know anything about injuries, they were burn marks.
Soundtrack: Puella Magi Madoka Magica OST - Confessio
"Witch didn't do that to you" Kyoko remarked as she gazed intently at the marks. Yuma was staring at the floor, her eyes shifty. A moment passed in which Kyoko did some thinking. A part of her really wanted to know what had caused the burn marks on Yuma's head. But, she reflected, if anyone got nosy with her past, she definitely would've told them to do some things she was sure she'd never had said in front of her mom and dad.
Kyoko shrugged, "I won't ask if you don't want to talk about it."
She stood up and made to begin herding Yuma back towards the bed again.
"I didn't really like my mommy and daddy."
The statement was simple, and yet it carried a thousand things unsaid. Kyoko stood stock still as Yuma stared at her feet, speaking dispassionately.
"They fought a lot. I can't remember a time when they weren't fighting. Daddy would always be away from home and Mommy. . ."
There was a hitch in Yuma's voice as she continued, ". . . Mommy would pick on me. She always said that it was Yuma's fault that Daddy didn't want to come home. She would say that Yuma wasn't a sweet enough daughter. And then . . . then she would do things that would hurt."
Yuma fell silent, but Kyoko understood. She had had an inkling that the marks on Yuma's head bore the distinct appearance of cigarette burns. Pity welled in her heart as well as a feeling of understanding for the small girl standing in front of her.
Kyoko's gaze drooped slightly, "world ain't nice, is it?" She said gruffly. Then, almost as though she couldn't stop herself, she continued on, "something like that happened to me once too. I . . . I felt like my Dad betrayed me."
Yuma had looked up to stare at Kyoko. Then she lunged forward kneeling down and clutching the front of Kyoko's jacket.
"I want to be strong like you!"
Kyoko shifted uncomfortably as Yuma went on, "Kyoko Onee-Chan is so strong. Is it because she's a Magical Girl? I want to be strong so that people like Mom can't make me hurt again! How do I become a Magical Girl? Why do you fight Witches Kyoko?"
Kyok grimaced, "I fight em because I got no choice" then she glared at Yuma.
"And what did I tell you before? Don't act stupid! You should be grateful you don't have to deal with all the insane sh-" Kyoko stopped and fumbled for a second as Yuma cocked her head curiously at her word stumbling.
"All the insane stuff that I have to. So like I said before, take my advice. Enjoy what you got now and don't go looking for action and adventure by fighting Witches. It'll just wreck your life quicker than your parents ever could."
Yuma's lip trembled and tears started out off her eyes. Kyoko instantly softened, internally groaning as she felt her defenses turn from iron to butter at the sight off Yuma's tears.
"Okay, okay I'm sorry. I was just trying to give you a fair warning."
Awkwardly, she put her hands out and placed them on Yuma's shoulders, trying to give what she felt was a comforting squeeze.
After a minute or so, Yuma dried her eyes and Kyoko stood up, once again placing her hand on Yuma to steer her.
"C'mon kid, I'm not gonna slow down tomorrow just cause you're tired."
Yuma yawned and nodded, allowing herself to be shepherded back to bed. She fell asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow and Kyoko drew the covers over her. As she got into her nightclothes again and laid down beside the small girl herself, Kyoko continued to ponder what she had learned about Yuma. Then, with a another shock she suddenly remembered what had happened when the Witch had had her dead to rights.
Maybe her Magical girl abilities had just reacted to her panic? It wouldn't be the first time a surge of emotion had caused a Magical backlash. Kyoko could think of a few counterarguments to that explanation, but was too tired to ponder it further as she lay in bed. Yuma's soft breathing had a calming effect and within moments, Kyoko too was fast asleep.
Soundtrack: Sword Art Online OST – A Tender Feeling
As dawn broke over the city the next day, Kyoko made sure to be out of the Hotel Room before housecleaning or some tourists came into the room and saw them. There had been a tense moment where she'd been sure they wouldn't make it out of the window before someone came in (they'd been about to leave when Yuma had said she had to use the bathroom, why did kids have to wait until the last minute for those sorts of things?!) On the way to Mami's apartment (or at least where it had been the last time Kyoko had seen her) Kyoko had stopped in a Donut Joint (called 'Kremie Krisps' or something like that) for some cheap tasty breakfast.
Yuma was rocking back and forth on her chair as Kyoko came back with the food and some milk to go with the confections. She groaned slightly as Kyoko deposited a pack of carrot sticks on her plate. But then she looked up as Kyoko brought forth the rest of the meal.
"You ever had donuts before kid?" Kyoko asked as she set the food down.
Yuma shook her head, staring at the small box curiously. Kyoko grinned and held the box forward as if presenting a treasure chest.
"Then all me to introduce you to one of mankind's greatest inventions. Behold!" She pulled the lid off the box open as though unveiling an priceless golden artifact. Indeed, the sun shining on the Glazed Donuts seemed to cause them to sparkle and glow with a golden light. Yuma stared, transfixed by the treats, a small line of drool beginning to trail down her chin.
Kyoko allowed her 30 seconds grace staring at the Donuts (mostly because she herself had had such moments during the more, shall we say lean, months of her life) before she snapped her fingers in front of Yuma's eyes to bring her back to Earth. Kyoko divied out several donuts to each of them and the two girls tucked in. They mostly ate in silence, each enjoying the sweet savory treat as the sun crept over the city.
Finally, all the Donuts gone, Kyoko drained the last of her milk jug (she didn't normally drink Milk, but it went well with Donuts, Soda was just too much sugar at once) and looked over at Yuma. The girl was looking expectantly at Kyoko. Her plate was clear of all Donuts, but the carrot sticks still sat untouched.
"Are we leaving Onee-Chan?" Yuma asked.
Ignoring that the girl was still calling her that for a moment, Kyoko looked pointedly at the food still on the plate, "not till you finish that stuff up."
Sure, it was a bit moot to eat something so small for health reasons after downing all those donuts, but Kyoko wasn't completely set on destroying Yuma's eating habits just yet, so she had bought something healthy for her. That way she could tell herself that she was at least trying.
Yuma groaned and shoved the plate away, "but Onee-Chan, Yuma doesn't like that stuff!"
The sight of uneaten food and a refusal to eat it, ignited something in Kyoko and she slapped the table, her eyes growing hard and sharp.
"Don't pass up good food for such a stupid reason! You don't waste food ever, especially for such dumb reasons!"
Yuma stared at Kyoko with wide eyes before bowing her head, Kyoko barely heard her muttered words.
"I'm sorry."
Kyoko unclenched her fist and put the hand out to tousle Yuma's hair.
"Don't cry. You gotta stop crying at everything! Look I'm not mad, not anymore!" she said half-comfortingly, half-desperately (a few people were glancing curiously over at them).
"But just be sure to eat all of it, okay" Kyoko finished in a soft voice.
A smile broke over Yuma's face and she grabbed the carrots and began to scarf them down, barely managing to get the plastic bag off before her teeth sank into them.
"Slow down" Kyoko said, though she had trouble stopping herself from grinning, "you're gonna make yourself sick if you eat so fast."
A few seconds later, Yuma looked up at Kyoko, smiling brightly, bits of glaze, carrot, and milk covering her face.
"Yuma ate everything Kyoko!"
'Yeah, yeah, I'll give you a medal" Kyoko said chuckling, leaning over with a napkin.
"Look, either eat slower or eat smarter, because I ain't gonna clean your face again Jabba Jr." Kyoko said as she brushed the food bits off of the smaller girl's face. After a few moments, Yuma had grabbed a napkin and, to Kyoko's consternation, had wiped a bit of errant milk off of Kyoko's upper lip.
"There, now Onee-Chan and Yuma match," she said enthusiastically.
Kyoko sat frozen for a moment, not knowing how to react to the invasion of her personal space. Then she smirked and chuckled quietly. As the two got up and left the shop, Kyoko privately admitted that, on the whole, maybe time spent with Yuma wouldn't be that bad after all.
"Onee-Chan" Yuma spoke up, interrupting Kyoko's train of thought. "Where are we going?"
"Crrrrap" Kyoko thought, "how do I explain it to her?!"
"See, uh" Kyoko struggled to find the right words. "There's this girl I used to know who I want to . . . check up on. See if she still lives in the same place as when I last saw her."
"So we're visiting one of your friends!" Yuma said enthusiastically.
Kyoko blinked, "checking up on her" she corrected.
"But she is your friend! Right?" Yuma continued. "Onee-Chan is so cool, her friends must be cool too!"
Kyoko put a hand to her forehead, best put the brakes on this before the girl just ran up to Mami and hugged her out of the blue. Scary thing was, Kyoko wasn't sure she would put it past her considering how Yuma somehow had seemed to develop some sort of hero-worship complex for her. How exactly had she gotten into this mess!?
"No look, she's not my friend anymore" Kyoko said firmly.
"Why not," Yuma asked innocently.
"We didn't end things the best way we could last time I saw her."
Yuma opened her mouth, but Kyoko, in no hurry to answer more awkward questions about how she and Mami had ended their friendship, spoke over her.
"ANYWAY, I need to check to make sure she's still living in the same apartment and since you're sticking with me, you're coming too. So cut it out with the questions and let's go!"
And with that, she walked purposefully forward, Yuma following in her wake.
Oriko adjusted the telescope she was looking through, searching for the correct place.
"It's straight ahead on one of the upper floors of the apartment building" Kirika said as she tried to direct Oriko's gaze.
Finally, Oriko found them and stared. It had taken a lot less time than she'd thought it would for them to find the Rogue Kyubey unit and she was kind of scrambling for ideas on what to do about it. There were 5 Humans in the room and the one rogue Incubator. Oriko pursed her lips as she took in their appearances and tried to discern other details. Other than their personal appearances she felt like her information gathering abilities were a bit limited from this vantage point. She and Kirika would likely either have to tail a few of the girls or cause a situation that might force them to use their powers. It was too bad that neither she nor Kirika had any stealth based Magical Abilities. They would've come in useful for this sort of information gathering.
As Oriko gazed through the telescope, Kirika lazed against the side of the roof, chomping down on a chocolate bar. She couldn't really do anything from this vantage point and Oriko had said that it was unlikely that the two of them would be getting close enough to the people they were spying on to risk discovery. All in all, didn't look like they'd get to meet anyone new today. In her boredom, she stood up and scanned around, looking for other interesting things to spy as Oriko focused more and more intently upon the group in the building.
Finally, something caught her eye.
"I wonder what those two girls are doing on that roof" Kirika noted with curiosity.
Distracted, Oriko turned to follow Kirika's pointing finger and looked down. She sucked in a breath and her eyes widened.
"Yuma!" She said.
Oriko gaped for a few moments. Then a wide smile graced her face and, with a small sound, she leapt off the building. Her destination was obviously the roof that Kirika had indicated, but she zigzagged, keeping out of sight and not drawing attention from their quarry. Kirika was a bit unsure what to do by her sudden departure. But after a moment, she shrugged and followed. It appeared they were going to meet some people today after all.
Kyoko frowned as she stared through the binoculars. The apartment complex in front of her was undoubtedly Mami's, she'd know it anywhere. After all she had visited it too many times to count, Heck, she'd even lived there for awhile after . . .
Anyway, she'd perched herself and Yuma on top of another complex a few blocks away that had a good vantage point. It had been a bit of a chore to get Yuma up there (in the end the smaller girl had had to cling to her as Kyoko scaled it, a simple matter with her enhanced physique), but it was a good spot for scoping things out. It looked like Mami had definitely stuck around as Kyoko could see her clearly though the window. She looked like she was moving a teapot off the stove and getting some silverware and cups for people to use. Kyoko rolled her eyes, typical Mami, she always loved to play host, loved to have people around. She felt a tug on her sleeve and looked down to see Yuma holding her own binoculars (Kyoko had managed to 'obtain' two of them) and looking confused.
"Onee-Chan, mine look all blurry."
Kyoko sighed in frustration, "for crying out-, come here."
Kyoko showed her how to adjust the distance setting on her binoculars and then looked back through her own towards the building. Mami had gotten up and was carrying her tray of tea and several other snack foods over towards a table. For the first time, Kyoko looked at the company Mami had. One was a girl with long black hair the reached all the way down to her waist and an expression that seemed frozen in a stoic, almost bored expression. Another was a small girl who looked to be about Yuma's age, with shockingly white hair and a rapturous expression as she stared at the food Mami was bringing over (she seemed to be fixated on the cheese slices, go figure). Speaking of which, Kyoko fished a box of Pocky Sticks out of her pocket and tore them open. She handed one off to Yuma and then looked back through the binoculars.
Kyoko snorted as Mami sat down and handed the small girl a slice of cheese which she rapidly began devouring. Mami held up a finger and the girl slowed down eating, an apologetic look on her face. Honestly, why did Mami waste her time giving food out to people? Kyoko pointedly ignored the sound of Yuma happily munching away on her treat beside her. The next person in the room was a smaller girl who had pink hair and was laughing softly at the white-haired girl's antics. Sitting on the table was Kyubey. Or at least, Kyoko thought that it was Kyubey. It definitely looked like him except for the face. His eyes were larger than Kyubey and were more natural looking, not just red glassy pupil. His mouth was wider and actually seemed to move so that his emotions were easier to pick up on (or was it simply that she could pick up some emotions to start with?)
Kyoko took a Pocky Stick out of a pack and put it into her mouth, chewing on it as she turned to look towards the last person seated at Mami's table. Yuma, who herself had finished her own Pocky Stick and was experimenting with her own binoculars, was alarmed to hear a choking sound coming from Kyoko, who seemed to have doubled over coughing violently.
"Kyoko!" Yuma said, rushing to her side. Kyoko waved her off and, with a great effort, swallowed the bit of Pocky she'd nearly choked on.
"I'm fine" she said quickly. Quickly, she grabbed her binoculars and jammed them back into her face. For a moment she was confused on why everything looked like it was at the end of a long tunnel, then she hear Yuma giggling.
"Onee-Chan, you told me not to hold it like that." Yuma's hands gently grabbed the Binoculars and flipped them the right way around. Kyoko blushed slightly, then resumed looking through them.
"No way" she said after a few moments staring, her eyes wide and her voice disbelieving.
"Sayaka?!" Kyoko finished off.
It most definitely was the girl from her dream. Same blue hair, same blue eyes, same confident expression. Kyoko felt distinctly unnerved. She'd chalked Sayaka up to being some sort of personification for lingering unsolved issues she'd had with her family and Mami that had just sort of manifested in her dreams (or at least, that had been her excuse). But somehow, it was far weirder to realize that she'd had a dream about someone, an extraordinarily clear dream that she mostly remembered to boot, and then found them in real life.
With what felt like another thunderclap, she suddenly realized that she recognized the black haired girl as well, she was from her first dream about a week ago, she'd definitely been there. Some vague part of Kyoko also said that the pink-haired girl was somewhere in the mix and, maybe the white-haired girl too.
"I just came back because I wanted to eat cheese again!"
Kyoko grunted, why the heck had that phrase just suddenly popped into her head?
Anyway, one thing she was sure on was that the Kyubey thing on the table wasn't familiar to her at all. Though, that just meant that it was a mystery of another flavor, wasn't it?
Kyoko put a hand to her forehead and groaned quietly.
"Oriko" Yuma's voice cried out brightly and happily.
Distracted, Kyoko turned around.
Yuma was running across the roof towards two people who'd apparently managed to arrive there while Kyoko had been busy watching Mami and co. They were definitely Magical Girls, or very dedicated cosplayers, but Kyoko doubted that. There was little other way for them to get up here in their current getup without being Magical Girls.
The one girl was tall and blond, with her long hair tied in a ponytail that was placed off center to the left of her head (Kyoko also noted snidely that she was possibly on par with Mami when it came to . . . certain bodily assets). She was dressed in a long white and very frilly dress that was capped off with a conical hat that almost looked like a round cake.
The other girl was almost the polar opposite. Her costume was predominantly black, with lines of white running down her sleeves. She was wearing what appeared to be a black longcoat over a white undershirt, black skirt, and biker shorts underneath those. Two belt-like frills streamed off to either side of her and her legs were clad with high white leggings and long black boots. Completing the picture was the girl's short black hair, orange-golden eyes, and a black eye patch which covered her right eye.
It was a rather nice outfit Kyoko admitted privately to herself, at least as far as Magical Girl outfits went. She'd never part with her own costume, but she could appreciate class when she saw it. However, she tensed slightly as Yuma ran up to the two. Meeting between Magical Girls were unpredictable. More reasonable ones could agree to stay out of each other's ways and share or carve out adjacent territories. But there were others who tried to violently eliminate competition and Kyoko didn't know which group these two belonged to.
Yuma, however, knew none of this and indeed was smiling as though she knew the girl in the white dress.
"Oriko" she said excitedly as she ran up to the girl before Kyoko could stop her. Oriko smiled, a bit of a relieved expression on her face as she knelt down to take Yuma's hand.
"Wait, you two know each other?" Kyoko questioned confusedly as she looked between the two. Yuma nodded vigorously as she clasped Oriko's outstretched hand in both of her own.
"Ms. Oriko let me join her in a picnic once. She was really nice and made Yuma feel good inside!" Yuma said brightly.
Kyoko's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the girl in white.
"And did she mention that she was a Magical Girl when she met you?" Kyoko said in a slightly suspicious voice.
Oriko's gaze became rather cool as she looked at Kyoko, "do you make it a habit of telling strangers that you're a Magical Girl?"
Kyoko looked to the side, seeming to acknowledge the point.
Suddenly, Yuma found herself seized from behind by the armpits and twirled around so fast that the world became a blur. A bright, peppy voice sounded from behind her.
"Aaaaaww, you are just so adorable! And you already know Oriko! Please Oriko, can we keep her!? Please, please, please!?"
Yuma, who was starting to feel a bit queasy, suddenly felt herself stop as Kyoko grabbed the offending hands holding the little girl. The redhead's face was hard as she glared at the girl who had just picked Yuma up. Then Oriko's voice, with a definite undercurrent of amusement floated towards them.
"She's not a doll to be bought Kirika, and you'd better put her down if you don't want her to throw up on you."
Yuma felt herself get released and she dropped to the ground. She stumbled a bit as she stood and Kyoko helped steady her. Once she was sure that the young girl was alright, Kyoko returned to looking suspiciously at the other two Magical Girls.
Oriko was glancing between Yuma and Kyoko, as though trying to decide something. Seeming to come to a decision, she looked at Kyoko and smiled faintly.
"It's common courtesy to give names, isn't it," Oriko said mildly. She bowed slightly.
"My name is Oriko Mikuni, a Magical Girl just like yourself. And my friend here, "she swept a hand towards the other girl who struck what she clearly thought was a grand pose, "is named Kirika Kure, my partner and another Magical Girl."
There were a few moments as the three girls looked at each other and Yuma alternated between looking at each of them in turn.
"Name's Kyoko" Kyoko finally said, as though she'd rather not be revealing her name.
"It's good to meet you Kyoko" Oriko said with a smile. "I must say I'm grateful you took it upon yourself to look after Yuma. I was worried for her after meeting her and thought that she'd possibly been eaten by a Witch."
Kyoko snorted, "almost did, but I got it before it managed it. Still got her parents, though that's no loss."
Oriko's eyes had widened slightly as Kyoko confirmed how close Yuma had come to being killed, but then was silent for a moment, seeming to look at Yuma to gauge her reaction. When Yuma didn't react with anger to the words, she nodded, then looked at Kyoko, a frown on her face. Her eyes alternated between the redhead and the apartment behind her that Kyoko had been spying on a minute before. Kyoko noticed this and her frown grew deeper.
Finally, Oriko seemed to decide that, as Kyoko didn't seem eager to volunteer more information, she'd have to get it herself.
"Are you here to get information on them?" Oriko gestured to the window of Mami's apartment as she spoke.
Kyoko's eyes narrowed yet again.
"What's that to you?" she asked, rather aggressively.
"There's a possibly volatile individual that's made common cause with those girls, an individual that I'm very interested in observing. Perhaps if we pooled our resources, we could both learn whatever it is we seek" Oriko suggested mildly.
Kyoko frowned.
"I don't work with others" she said aggressively. "They just wind up holdin ya back and getting on your nerves!"
Oriko accepted this statement, though it was clear that she didn't really agree with it. She simply shrugged.
"Still, it wouldn't be for long, just until we have what we need. And in the meantime, it would ensure we didn't end up getting in each other's way while hunting for Grief Seeds. My friend and I are perfectly willing to split the town between us for the time being. First come first served for the Witches and the spoils. Is that to your liking?"
Kyoko looked more agreeable, if only just. She nodded slightly as she put a hand to her chin. She had come here to try and get some more info about the weird girl in the dream that she'd had, and Mami as she'd been a part of it. Now she had several other people that she needed facts on and more questions in addition to the ones she'd already had. Partnering up with someone might make the whole process easier, though she'd have to talk a bit more before agreeing to anything.
Kyoko nodded again idly. But then she seemed to remember something and she turned to look at Yuma. She looked back at Oriko, her eyes narrowed.
"Yuma," she said clearly, and the little girl looked up at her. "Stay here for a sec."
"You," she pointed at Oriko, then jerked her head to the other side of the roof. Oriko nodded and both of them walked over there, out of earshot of Yuma. Once there, Kyoko put a hand on her hip, her eyes narrowed and slightly dangerous looking.
"The deal's good and I'm willing to talk about giving it a shot so long as you keep up your end of the bargain. But one thing. I don't want Kyubey knowing about Yuma."
Oriko felt herself nod almost instinctively. She'd been supremely relieved to find out that Yuma was alright after her visions had shown the little girl dying at the hands of her abusive mother. She was also bit more predisposed to be friendly to Kyoko as it seemed that she'd been taking care of the little girl since her parents deaths.
"You don't want her to have our lives," Oriko observed mildly.
Kyoko snorted, "don't get me wrong, it's less competition too, but honestly, would you want her to live our lives?"
Oriko shook her head solemnly, she would wish their fates on very few people, least of all Yuma. The point settled between them, the two girls strode back over to Yuma and Kirika, who had been chatting animatedly. As they reached them, Yuma, who had apparently been thinking hard while the conversation had been going on, looked up, her face excited.
"We should have a picnic together" Yuma said brightly. Kyoko and Oriko glanced at each other, rather sardonically. It was obvious that neither was too keen on the idea of having a picnic with the other, but that they didn't want to outright squash Yuma's innocent suggestion.
However, Kirika was of a much different opinion and her face broke into a beatific smile.
"Yuma, you're a genius. We can all meet at that park with the big isolated hills (so no one will bother us and we'll have the best view) and we can eat to our hearts content!"
Yuma looked delighted, "and Kyoko and me can bring snacks and candies!"
Kirika was positively vibrating with happiness as she added in her next suggestion, "and I could get Oriko to make some cake! I've tried some of it and let me tell you, you haven't lived until you tried her cake!"
Kyoko and Oriko glanced at each other, both wearing the same half horrified, half resigned looks.
"They're not gonna give up on this, are they?" whispered Kyoko with a sigh as the two others droned on about all the foods they were going to bring to the picnic.
Oriko giggled a tiny bit before sighing on her own, "no, I don't think so."
Catching sight of Kyoko's face she smiled slightly, "cheer up, it may not be how we wanted to spend the time, but we've probably gained as much information as we can from watching them through a window." At this, she jabbed her thumb back towards where the group of girl's they'd been watching had been.
"And besides, this might be a good chance to go over what we' know and determine the terms of any alliance we might make."
Kyoko heaved a deep sigh from her gut. It could not be plainer that a picnic under the warm sun on a beautiful day was about the most boring thing she could think of to be doing with her time. But then, as Yuma turned to her with her young eyes shining, Kyoko's gaze softened.
Wondering when she had gotten so easily to manipulate by the small girl, Kyoko said, "fine . . . let's have a picnic."
Soundtrack: Sword Art Online OST – Weird Place
Some distance away, a stray cat was nosing about, looking for scraps of food for its next meal. Its ears perked up as it seemed to catch the smell of meat emanating from a nearby culvert, though it did smell a bit rotten. Still, food was food, and it wouldn't be the first time it had eaten some foul things to survive.
The cat lithely leapt up into the pipe following the scent of meat further and further into the darkness. However, as the pipe opened up into a large area, large enough for men to move through, it started to get a bit twitchy. While it could be put down to all the stuff that regularly got dumped into a sewer, the scent of rotting meat was getting stronger. Even aside from that, even the Cat's instinctual fight or flight instincts were starting to sense that there was something about that was better to avoid altogether.
However, as it peered around in the dark, there was a sudden squelching noise and several tentacles moved out of the shadows. Faster than the cat could react they fastened around its limbs and dragged it back as it half-growled, half-squealed in fear. A few seconds later, its cries were cut short as several large crunches were heard, as though something were chewing on a particularly bony piece of meat.
A few seconds later, after the rather disturbing noises had ceased, the source of the sounds moved forwards towards the culvert that the Cat had come in from. The glistening rotted meat and teeth that formed its blobby body undulated as it moved. Fur and bone fragments fell from it at random as the various mouths formed and were swallowed up on the mass of flesh that formed its body.
Saya stopped by the pipe and extended her senses. While she didn't have eyes in the traditional sense, she had equivalent systems that worked just as well, if not in the same way as human sensory organs. She could sense that it would be night soon enough and it would be relatively safe for her to find a path to the building Fuminori had told her was his home.
The creature shifted slightly, as if in pain. Indeed a large blackened burn mark seemed to mar the surface of her being, she was taking great care to keep that part of herself from coming into contact with the hard concrete. That small white creature had made her burn, so horribly and painfully. She shouldn't have tried to eat the smaller human, but she'd been restraining herself for so long that she'd lost control for a second. She wasn't sure if she would've followed through with it or just killed the girl to stop her from talking about what she'd seen. For one thing, Fuminori might've been unnerved by her eating the girl and Saya didn't want to scare him, on the other, she hadn't really tasted Human meat yet. Cats and Dogs and other small animals could sate her, but a part of her was curious what the dominant species of this reality tasted like. Perhaps she could prepare a meal for herself and Fuminori once she made it to his house.
Fuminori . . . Saya felt a foreign feeling thrum through her (Fuminori had called her a "she" and it had felt appropriate, so she'd gone with the pronoun). It felt strange to have a wish for someone else to not hurt, to be safe. She'd first felt it vaguely with Dr. Ogai, but now felt it even more strongly with Fuminori. She had felt the strange worry for a bit that Fuminori would be unsafe with the small white thing that burned her. But given that the white thing had acted to protect the female human (though it had almost seemed to be a mutant of sorts, something was off about it Saya had been able to sense), so Saya was reasonably sure that Fuminori was safe from harm.
For a moment, Saya's thought drifted back past her time spent with Dr. Ogai. Even further to the days before. She shuddered violently and wrenched her thoughts away. She had escaped and she was never going to go back, she'd die rather than go back. She and Fuminori would be each other's balm in this cruel world and eventually their children would make it better. Together their children would liberate this world from its rotten ugliness and they would help all the poor people who were still bound to their useless forms. She would also eat a few probably.
For a moment, she puzzled over the last statement, how could she help them and eat them too? What's more, she loved Fuminori and yet she thought of the rest of his kind as being useless in form. The conflict raged within her with no answer for several hours. However, it vanished as her diseased mind noticed that night was beginning to fall. She moved towards the entrance to the sewer, careful to choose a spot that would be near devoid of people. While she might be insane by any reasonable standard, Saya wasn't stupid and knew that she needed to avoid close scrutiny if she wanted any sort of peace with Fuminori.
Finding a deserted park, she slid the sewer entrance back and squeezed outside. Then she set off across the city. She kept to the shadows and the deserted alleys and let the human's sixth sense scare them from her path. She moved quickly.
Her love expected her at home after all.
Author's Note: And once more did this chapter turn into a monster. My excuse for why it took so long to get this one published is that the first four chapters were basically already written by the time I started publishing this fanfic. Also, mid-writing and due to conversations I had with my reviewers, I had a bit of a brainwave which resulted in the restructuring of this plot so that it barely resembles the original plan. This is a good thing in my opinion as the original was basically just, "Kyoko arrives and after some hijinks is accepted into the group." However, due to these changes, I took a bit of a dive into the world of the Madoka Magica Manga's and came out with Oriko Magica and its characters. I think that their addition to the story will be interesting and hope that I do them justice.
I was originally going to work everyone into this chapter with switchiing viewpoints, but eventually found that, for this chapter at least, it made much more sense to simply go over Oriko, Kirika, Yuma, and Kyoko's 'origins' as it were before they truly get involved with the main characters. Though fear not, this is still leading towards the main plot of the story.
I also think (and hope) that you'll enjoy where the story is going to go. Our characters are in for interesting times for sure in this story arc and the next, and eventually Walpurgisnacht.
