Soundtrack: Puella Magi Madoka Magica OST - Conturbatio
Oriko had parted ways from Kirika for only a few minutes before Homura showed up. She had begged her friend for time alone to "think" and had begun wandering the streets, trying to figure out something to do. Before she had gotten too far however, she had seen Homura standing on the end of one of the streets. The girl had made an obvious gesture for Oriko to follow her into an alleyway, and Oriko had obeyed.
Of course, the alleyway was deserted as well as being a dead end, but Homura was nowhere to be seen. Slightly confused, Oriko had walked forward, trying to see where Homura was, though it wasn't as though she had a choice either. Indeed, after she had gotten to near the end of alley, she had heard footsteps and turned to see Homura now standing at the entrance, a pistol in hand and her usual stoic expression on her face.
There was a moment's silence before Homura spoke.
"I was under the impression . . . that I ordered you to remain unknown."
The words were slow and conveyed perfectly the extremely delicate situation Oriko was in at the moment. She fought the urge to flinch. Right now her and Kirika's lives and Souls were on the line. She had to be strong.
"I . . . I did my utmost to accomplish that goal" she said firmly. "You have achieved the primary goal, have you not? Am I correct in assuming that you have made official 'contact' with Sakura-San?"
Homura stared at Oriko for a few moments as the ash-blonde girl tried to keep her body under control. She very much wanted to start breathing fast and heavily but clamped down on such reactions.
"You were supposed to have Kyoko out of the eating area before we arrived" Homura observed.
"She insisted on eating more than I had intended" Oriko replied, trying to keep annoyance out of her voice. Really, that had been the start of the whole debacle. "I could not convince her to leave earlier."
Homura pursed her lips.
"Explain what happened, in detail."
"The drone discovered me. Why didn't it accompany you to go after Kyoko?" Oriko regretted saying this immediately, worried that Homura would take it as implying that she was responsible for the fiasco.
Homura however, did not react. She simply raised an eyebrow and seemed to indicate for Oriko to continue speaking. Oriko did so and ran through the whole encounter. Homura seemed to accept it with a few nods. Though there was a flash of something in her eyes when Oriko described how Kirika had nearly sliced the Rogue Drone, Key, to pieces.
After she was done, there was a silence as Homura looked to the side. She seemed to be trying to decide what to do. After a few moments, Oriko spoke up, having had an idea that she hoped would be enough to at least buy Kirika and herself some time.
"Perhaps . . . this could be beneficial."
Homura looked back at her sharply, but seemed willing to listen. Oriko continued on.
"Perhaps you could use myself and Kirika as a reason for you to push the others into being proactive about preparing for Walpurgisnacht? After all, a present threat is a far better motivator than a far off one."
It was a bit of a stretch, but it was the best that Oriko could come up with on the fly. Granted, it would probably make their already complicated relationship even trickier, what with Kyoko being in contact with Homura's group but unaware that Oriko was actually taking order from Homura herself.
Homura was staring at Oriko with an intense look, still thinking things over apparently. Oriko resisted the urge to squirm
"Very well," Homura said suddenly. "You are free to go home. I will be taking this mistake into consideration for the future. But for now, it has not derailed the current plan."
That sounded . . . better than she'd been hoping for? It seemed that perhaps she and Kirika wouldn't suffer for her failure today.
Homura was speaking again.
"I will contact you tomorrow with more instructions" Homura said. Her eyes hardened, "do not attract any attention in the meantime."
With that, she turned and walked out of the alleyway and out of sight. Oriko would've bet money that if she peered around the corner, that Homura would've vanished. She sighed, and started walking home.
Key had not been much better when Mami had gotten back to the apartment. He wasn't crying anymore, but he spoke in small clipped sentences and seemed to be glued to Nagisa's lap. Madoka had fished around and found a show for them to watch and, as it seemed to be helping to calm Key down, none of them had wanted to interrupt it.
Before they knew it, Mami, Sayaka and Madoka had heard the steady sound of softly intaken breath and had looked over to see both Key and Nagisa sleeping. Key was still in Nagisa's lap and the girl herself was leaning back into the sofa comfortably. It was honestly quite adorable, all things considered.
It had been getting late and Madoka and Sayaka had both decided that they both probably should be heading to their respective homes. It had not escaped them that they hadn't gotten around to discussing anything of note like they had said they wanted to when they'd arranged their meeting for that day, but none of them had had the mental energy to really pursue the subject.
After they had left, Mami had turned back to look at Key and Nagisa. With Nagisa leaning against the couch with her head against a cushion, and Key laying in her lap with his eyes closed, there was something very peaceful about it. Mami could help but smile. Still, it would probably be best to check in with Homura, since Key usually slept at her apartment.
"Homura?"
"Yes?" the voice was clipped. Nothing in it implied that she was concerned for Key.
"Nagisa and Key are both asleep on the couch together. After . . . what happened it would be a shame to wake them, so is it alright with you if Key stays here for the night" Mami asked tentatively.
There was a moment, but only a short one, before Homura responded.
"I have no objections. Until tomorrow Tomoe-San."
"Goodnight Homura," Mami responded. She sighed as the connection ended.
"Homura never asked after him" she noted with some bitterness. It was honestly a bit surprising when she thought about it. In more ways than one actually. Key seemed to value Homura in a degree far outweighing any sort of affection she'd shown for him. Granted he had called Mami herself his first friend but still. A part of Mami felt rather incensed to see Homura treating him so coldly when it was rather obvious just how much it was hurting him. Was he this loyal to her because she was the first person he'd truly spent time with after he 'came alive?'"
Her thoughts were interrupted as a new voice spoke over their mental link.
"Hello" came Dr. Ryoko's voice. "Can you hear me?"
Mami stiffened, she noticed that Key and Nagisa had twitched slightly. Ryoko must've been trying to contact those of them with powers. She could guess that Homura was on the line too. After a moment, Mami responded with a mix of curiosity and nervousness.
"Yes, but please do not attempt to contact Key or Nagisa, both are asleep at the moment." there was a moment's silence before she asked, "how are things progressing with your research?" Mami asked curiously.
"I think I've sorted out enough to move forward," Ryoko stated simply. "To that end, I am on my way back to the city and I plan to move on Saya tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Mami responded. "Do you . . . don't you think you might be moving a bit fast."
"I have already figured out all I need to know from these records,"Ryoko said. "I also feel as though I've left Saya alone for too long to do as she pleases. She needs to be dealt with one way or another."
There was a pause before Homura spoke up, "so what exactly are you asking of us?"
Another pause before an audible sigh, and Ryoko replied, "I would ask that you help me. But I do realize that I have little to no right to do so, or even power to make you help me." There was a soft chuckle, "you've already helped me find important information that I might not have been able to find before, and it's not the job of Magical Girls to fight anything other than Witches."
Another pause, followed by another deep breath. "Ultimately, I would very much appreciate your help taking care of Saya. She's insane and a danger to those around her if what I read was correct. If we had more time and things were less dangerous, maybe we could search for some different solutions, but I can't see any other way forward other than letting Saya run around and do whatever she wants. As well as potentially becoming a threat big enough to destroy the world. I'm asking for your help, but that's all."
There was a moment's silence, then, "and yes . . . I am talking about outright killing her."
Mami shifted uncomfortably. From all she'd heard, this Saya creature was definitely a problem that needed to be dealt with. But even so, talking about flat out killing another intelligent creature? She hadn't had much problem killing Witches because she hadn't known what they were, and they had constantly tried to kill other people, but . . .
"How- . . . how dangerous do you think she is?" Mami asked tentatively.
Ryoko's voice was flat, if a bit hesitant, "reading out of Dr. Ogai's research notes. If what he observed was correct . . . she may have the power to begin something that will begin converting the human race into creatures like her . . . it mentioned that she could do something of the sort to rats that he'd given to her, and it was one of his theories on why she'd arrived in our dimension."
"So she's a clear and present danger to our safety?" Homura asked bluntly.
"Based on all I've seen, yes. Aside from the notes, she did attack you in the Hospital the second she became aware of you. Therefore, I will being going after her tomorrow."
"Is . . ." Mami swallowed slightly. "Are we certain that we'll have to kill her?"
Ryoko seemed to get the drift of Mami's question and her voice turned a bit softer, "I can't say, but it is likely. I do wish there was a different solution. But aside from asking Madoka and Sayaka to make a wish to turn her human or something like that-"
"That is not an option," Homura's voice cut in sharply.
"-I never said it was, nor was I considering it as such" Ryoko responded in a slightly clipped voice. "But aside from that, I can't really see many, if any other options for handling her. She has a corrosive effect on the sanity of normal people and we've probably been skating by on luck so far. Fuminori has friends and I feel they would be rather poor friends if they didn't eventually want to come over to his house or inquire about why he's such a shut-in now."
The link went quiet as everyone considered the facts. It made sense and inescapably, Mami couldn't help but acknowledge that Ryoko was right. She killed Witches and Familiars because they were a clear and present danger to people. It had changed a bit once she'd figured out that they were simply the shattered remains of Magical Girls and other people. She'd and the others had tried to save them, but there had never been any question that Witches and Familiars still needed to be stopped. But Saya . . . how can you save something if you didn't know what was wrong with it, or even if there was anything wrong with it?
Mami shut her eyes. That thought was disturbing, but as she considered it, something in her hardened. Based on all they knew so far, Saya was a danger to people, she had nearly killed and eaten Homura. Plus, the man she had apparently attached herself to was obviously mentally unwell, and while she didn't have a very complete picture of Dr. Ogai, from the the condition of his secret lab (plus the fact that he apparently had had a secret lab), as well as Dr Ryoko's general attitude when she spoke of him, did not paint a good picture of the sort of people who would consider Saya a fascinating creature.
She remembered a phrase Kyoko had once told her before they'd parted ways. Something like "you'll know them by their actions," or maybe it was "by the things that come of their actions," the original was a bit more esoteric and metaphorical (it involved fruits or something), but that was basically it. And Saya's actions and the sort of people she'd surrounded herself with didn't paint a very good picture of her.
Mami swallowed, but steeled herself.
"If it turned out that she isn't a danger, or if she's willing to leave with us, what are we going to do?"
Homura responded after a moment's silence, "such a situation is unlikely and it would be much more pragmatic to simply . . . remove her from the equation."
Mami sighed, "I'm not arguing that Homura."
Ryoko cut in, "it is unlikely, but it would be good to have a backup plan."
"She's a complication" Homura reiterated, the slightest hint of annoyance tinting her voice, "we cannot allow ourselves to get distracted from Walpurgisnacht. Saya has already caused enough disruption, and so she should be dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible."
"Walpurgisnacht is the very powerful Witch you are preparing to fight?" Ryoko asked.
After receiving confirmation, she continued, "I do agree with you in spirit Homura. But I also think that Mami's question has merit as well."
There was a short pause, and Mami reflected that Ryoko was probably doing something like glancing to the side. But, as they were speaking telepathically, Mami couldn't see it.
"I don't think it's likely, but I do have an idea of what to do if Saya proves more . . . sane or acquiescent than we think. She cannot stay in an area where she risks discovery by normal people, or risks some sort of episode where she decides to feed (or worse) on someone. Therefore, if this all comes to pass, as unlikely as it is, perhaps we should use one of the containment units that Dr. Ogai used to hold and study her. From the diary I read, she seemed to only grow uncomfortable with it towards the end. But that's a different thing I need to investigate at a different time."
More silence as everyone contemplated this. It was a longshot, but it did make Mami nervous for several reasons.
"What will you do with her if she accepts going back?"
Ryoko hummed slightly, "study her, try and understand her perhaps. Though I will be using more safeguards than Dr Ogai did. A reinforced containment unit and a tracking device of some sort to make sure that if she tries to escape, we'll be able to find her. Likely I'll be asking Key for help so I don't mentally degrade like it seems Ogai did. And before you ask" she said quickly, seeming to anticipate Homura's objection, "this would be a secondary priority to your fight with the Witch. I won't ask you to hobble yourselves in a life or death situation."
Homura finally responded, "that is . . . acceptable. Only if necessary."
"Naturally," Ryoko responded. "And what about you Mami? Are you okay with this?"
Mami tried to keep any sort of hesitation out of her voice, "I am. I think it is the best solution to this problem."
"Excellent. Though there is one more thing. Before we go tomorrow, I want to do one thing. I want to cure my friend."
After a moment's silence, Ryoko continued, "few to no plan goes exactly as we expect, so I would like to do this before there's an opportunity for things to go wrong. I . . . I'd like some assurance that she's free from her prison. Either she can come back or . . . well at least I'll know she's free of Kyubey."
There was a somewhat somber silence before Mami responded.
"I'm sure Key would be fine with that."
"Thank you," Ryoko responded in a grateful tone.
The conversation mostly ended after that as each person moved to either go to bed or prepare for the next day. As Mami slipped into bed herself, there was a faint feeling of guilt combined with foreboding. There had been so much that she and Madoka had wanted to do that day. It had been supposed to be a day to bring them closer together as a group, but life as usual had seemed to conspire to prevent that. A part of Mami was slightly nervous about continuing on as they were with their group cohesion and trust in doubt but . . . but she didn't really know what to do about it.
If she just asked Homura about the things she suspected, that could well and truly drive her away. Heck, she wasn't even sure she could trust the girl, given that she was obviously keeping secrets. She wanted to trust Homura, she wanted to be her friend but . . .
How could you trust someone who didn't trust you? Worse than that, didn't seem to think you capable of ever being worthy or capable of trust?
Mami just . . . didn't know what to do.
Those thoughts were the last she had before sleep claimed her.
Soundtrack: Puella Magi Madoka Magica OST – Mother and Daughter
"I have a friend" Madoka said quietly. Her mom hummed slightly to show she was listening as she shifted her drink, allowing the ice inside it to make a soft clinking noise. Madoka's walk home had not been pleasant as she had taken to brooding on how badly the day had gone. No true conversation about the dreams, Key almost getting hacked apart from what they could gather, and even more complications and questions in the form of Kyoko's appearance.
She hadn't even noticed how much she'd been showing her feelings (Sayaka normally told her if she was doing so, which raised questions on if Sayaka was doing any better at the moment). When she'd walked into her own home, she'd said a few words of greeting to her parents and then slouched off to her her room, intent on thinking it all over some more. However, a few minutes later, her mother had knocked on the door and had told her to come into the kitchen. As Madoka had sat down, her mother had handed her some juice and gotten herself some alcoholic beverage to drink. It was a well known script to both of them, one that occurred whenever Madoka's mom knew that her daughter needed advice, or just to air her feelings.
"I think she's a good person and I think she's really trying to do the right thing . . . but she . . . well. I don't think she's telling me everything."
"In what way?" Junko asked curiously.
"Well . . ." Madoka considered her words carefully. "She's trying to keep me out of harms way, but she never tells me the whole truth."
Junko looked concernedly at Madoka. It seemed like she wanted to get more information on what sort of danger her daughter could be in. Madoka hoped she didn't ask, and mercifully, she didn't at that moment. Madoka didn't know if she could, or even should try and explain the almost insane turn her life had taken in the past few weeks.
"She . . ." Madoka hesitated, but she couldn't avoid voicing another core problem she'd noticed.
"She treats other people . . . well she's not mean. Well, not most of the time but . . . she's not nice to them either. She' doesn't trust them. I don't think . . . I don't even think she really trusts me even."
It was hard to say and it hurt badly, but she couldn't escape it. She couldn't really think of Homura acting as though any of her friends really knew what they were doing, or even treating them as though they deserved her trust. Homura was an enigma. She felt like somewhere deep inside, Homura did care but . . . but she never showed it, or even seemed to let herself feel much of anything. And at worst, she was rather cold too, especially towards Key."
"Well . . . maybe she's hurting?" Junko suggested, taking a sip of her drink. Madoka blinked and looked at her. It was true she'd thought at times that Homura might be in pain, but it felt more definite to hear it from her mother.
"Does she pull back from casual conversation? Does she clam up when certain things happen?"
Madoka thought for a moment before slowly nodding.
"Well, she did say that she knew some people before us and they-" Madoka stopped. Homura had talked about that group of Magical Girls she'd known beforehand, but how could she bring that up with her mother without talking about Magical Girls and Witches?
"They . . . they didn't listen to her when they needed to, and they fell apart. I think . . . I think that hurt her really badly."
Junko nodded as she took another sip of her drink. She swallowed and then spoke.
"That sounds right. Just about one of the worst things that can happen to someone is if they think someone they care about is doing something that's going to hurt themselves. It only gets worse if they try to help but it feels like nobody listens."
"But, I want to help her, I want to listen to her!" Madoka said quietly as she stared into the depths of her cup.
Her mother sighed.
"See, the thing is, when a person gets hurt, that makes it harder for them to trust other people again, especially if they remind them of the person who did the hurting. Them keeping their heart locked up is their way of protecting themselves."
Junko grimaced and sighed as she stared up at the ceiling, leaning back in her chair.
"The saddest thing about a person like that is that they can do that for so long that they end up almost forgetting what it's like to have friends, to actually feel love. So they'll wind up doing extreme things that would've horrified them before because now it just makes sense. They think that they're protecting themselves, or at least, the things they want, but more often then not, they just start hurting the things they want to protect the most. It comes full circle in a way. They can get so wrapped up in how no one ever listens to them, that they don't really listen to anyone else. A person like that could start doing pretty extreme things because they think they're the only person who knows the truth, or because they figure that they may as well just go through with something rash because they think nothing else will work, or that no one else understands things anyway."
Madoka stared down into her drink, her eyes sad.
"How do I help someone like that?"
Junko looked to the side, seeming unsure herself. A few moments passed by before she looked back at her daughter with an intense look on her face.
"Sometime the best you can do is just try and be there for her. Be her friend. Make sure that she knows that she can trust you with her secrets and be patient. Hurt people can take awhile to come out of their shells, but usually that just means that they appreciate it even more when they think you're someone who really cares about them. Just being there for someone consistently can be one of the most valuable things anyone ever gets in life."
Madoka absorbed all of this. She imagined what her life would be like without Sayaka, Hitomi (with some guilt as she recalled how little she'd seen of her second friend in the past few weeks) and her family. A part of her felt very sick to even consider just how empty her life would've been without them, without someone in her life. Was that why Homura was so closed up, did she not think that anyone in the group really cared for her?
"There's another thing that's really important for something like this. A lot of wise men-" Junko's eyes twinkled for a moment, "-and women say that this is something that's essential for fixing this kind of problem."
"What?" Madoka asked with wide eyes.
"If she's really made some big mistakes, forgive her."
Madoka tilted her head and Junko continued.
"She seems like she really needs people that'll just accept her. Forgiving her doesn't mean just forgetting everything she's done, but don't let it ruin any chance for things to get better. You never know when people might surprise you."
Madoka thought for a bit. Then she smiled and nodded.
"Thanks mom. I just hope I can get things better before it's too late."
Junko nodded as well, her voice turning playful.
"Yeah, sometimes relationships are tough. Why do you think adults get to drink alcohol?
Both mother and daughter laughed quietly, enjoying the easing of tension. Madoka was already thinking of new ideas to try and help her friends even as she went to bed. She turned her mother's words over in her mind until she fell asleep.
She was sitting on a bench. It was all wrong, Sayaka was hurting and she couldn't do anything. Kyubey sat beside her, and he said that there was one thing she could do. His soft voice sounded benign, but she had seen too much to believe he was innocent. Still, perhaps she could make a wish and fix it all.
She opened her mouth started, to acce-
Holes suddenly appeared on Kyubey, chunks of flesh being blasted away in a frightening display as blood and gore flew out behind him. A large cracking sound of gunshot echoed at the same moment. Kyubey collapsed limply much of his body missing and she blinked in disbelief at the suddenness of it.
Then she turned and saw Homura, a pistol falling from her hand as she strode forward, her posture somehow stiffer than ever before. Homura brushed aside the protests that came from Madoka's mouth and grabbed her, almost shaking her. Her voice was almost frantic, carrying an edge of barely controlled hysteria as she lectured Madoka about how much people would miss her something happened to her, how she needed to stop sacrificing herself for others.
Then Homura fell to her knees, seemingly overcome with emotion. It was scary to watch such a stoic person breakdown like that. But then, even as Madoka got up, images flashed in her mind. A suspicion was given voice, "had they met before?" Homura had no answer.
And then Madoka watched herself run away, her mind focused on Sayaka, because she was still in trouble. She tried to block the terrible sound of Homura's screams for her to stay, even as she ran. She didn't know what to do. She just knew she had to fix things somehow. She would help Homura, just not now, Sayaka needed her. She would find Sayaka and get her to see sense somehow. None of them should be fighting!
With that thought in her mind, she kept running, hoping to help her friends before they fell apart completely.
The Witches chased him. They hounded him and spewed hatred. They told him just how much they hated him, just how unworthy he was, just how arrogant he was for ever thinking he was worthy of forgiveness, just how much he was fooling himself, thinking he'd changed at all. He ran, dodging this way and that, trying to avoid getting ripped apart. His breath came came harsh and sharp, and wasn't that strange. With how little he had in the way of actual internal organs, it was strange for him to feel anything at all. But a blackness seemed to have lodged itself inside of him, and it weighed him down more than any sort of physical tiredness he'd had yet to feel.
He could feel himself slowing, but that didn't bother him much. Really, it made sense. It wasn't as though the Witches were wrong. His new life, newfound understanding had shown him just how valuable the human's and their lives were. And he had destroyed so many of them.
The blackness pulsed and he stumbled and fell. He heard the sound of the Witches closing in. He struggled weakly, but could not bring himself to rise. A bit of panic and fear rose in him, but he couldn't bring himself to care much. Perhaps this was better. Justice would be done and the soulless thing that had shattered them would be itself shattered. Perhaps he should just welcome the oblivion that would come.
There were footsteps and, in spite of himself, he looked up. Familiar boots greeted him and he saw the familiar black hair and white costume. Homura looked down at him impassively. Behind her stood the rest of his friends, each and every one of them looking at him. He looked at them in spite of himself, hoping that one of them might help him, but they all looked blank. He looked up at Homura, and the blackness inside of him pulsed, forcing his eyes to water.
"Homura" the words slipped from him without warning. "Homura . . . p-please h-help m-me?"
Weak, why was he being so weak and selfish? Asking her to help him when he was . . . But unlooked for, something hot flickered inside of him. He had come to her, trusted her, shown her a way out of the trap that Magical Girls were consigned to. And how had she treated him? Like a useless, expendable-
The blackness pulsed again, and he felt his expression harden even in spite of himself. He tried to quash this line of thought, but it stubbornly remained. They had gotten along hadn't they? At least after a fashion. By most metrics it wouldn't have been considered much, but she had seemed to react positively to him and his efforts for a bit. She had gone along with his plan to set up a meeting with the others. She had let him ride on her shoulder when she'd seemed unwilling to touch him beforehand, and she had willingly revealed the secret of her power to stop time. They had been making progress.
The blackness pulsed again and he felt tears begin to roll down his face, even as he glared.
But now, he didn't know anymore. She was so cold and distant, and it hurt. Why should it hurt him? He was an expendable piece of hardware. Why did he feel colder and colder as she seemed to shut him out?
Why didn't she care about him?
He blinked. Where where these thoughts coming from? Why couldn't he stop himself from thinking these things?
The Witches were nearly upon him. Homura and the others seemed to dissolve like so many wisps of smoke. His head dropped, his eyes almost shut. He would've liked to have said that he felt nothing for his incoming death, that the blackness had numbed him completely. But the hot feeling rose again and, he looked up.
A Witch stood over him, almost seeming to salivate at the thought of destroying a monster.
His eyes narrowed in spite of himself. Well, if they wanted a monster, he'd give them one.
It frightened him what happened next, but the hot feeling kept him going. Suddenly, growths grew out of him, almost exploding out from under his skin. Like tentacles, they suddenly lashed out, going for the Witch and wrapping around it. Sharpened ones cut the Witch to ribbons, and then he turned on the rest. Somehow, he fought, and yet he didn't.
The fight was short and brutal, and he felt mixed fear and hot elation as he carved those who would hurt him up. Why was he doing this!? What was happening!?
As the last few Witches were slain, he felt the fear grow within him as he breathed heavily, held aloft by numerous tentacles that extended out from most parts of his body. He supposed he truly looked the part of a monster now, didn't h-
Suddenly, light and warmth flared. The hot-and-cold blackness seemed to jerk, if it had a voice it might have hissed. Turning his body, peering through the mass of his new tentacle extensions, he saw a figure, obscured by a blue-white light. It was circling him, sometimes on two legs, sometimes on four. It seemed to be observing him intently.
The light dimmed somewhat and he was finally able to see it. Strangely, it looked somewhat similar to him. Or at least what he normally looked like. It was vaguely catlike, but with a more defined face, an actual nose (he'd heard himself compared to a stuffed animal, which made sense, being cute was usually beneficial to tricking girls). It definitely looked like it was more natural standing on two legs and was covered in fur, a startlingly white fur, similar to Key's own. It had a few extensions off of the back of its head in addition to its ears, which were long and tapered off to points. Its eyes were large and stared at him with an inscrutable expression.
They stared at each other for a moment. He had a feeling that this was an old creature, it's posture was proud and noble. Something about it seemed to give the feeling of a being that had seen much and done much. Benevolent, but stern. Suddenly, a feeling of shame came over him again. Why was this figure here? Surely it could realize that he was not worthy of its time. He looked away, closing his eyes and grimacing. He tried to move back, but found his multiple new limbs rather ungainly now that he wasn't fighting.
But then he felt something. The figure had walked forward and reached out one of its hands. It gently pulled his face back around to look at him directly. It's eyes were furrowed as a look of pity seem to come into them. But there was something else as it matched gazes with him.
Then it opened it's mouth and spoke.
"Key . . . hear me?"
The voice was undoubtedly male, though it seemed to come from across a long distance and was hard to make out. Even so, he could hear that there seemed to be concern and pity in it. His heart ached a bit. "Key," . . . that was right, Key was his name wasn't it. Was that presumptuous of him, to take a name when he was unworthy of anything?"
"Key" he repeated, his voice the same as before, "can y- . . . -r me?"
Key managed to nod and felt his heart ache again. He stared at this creature. He was strange, unfamiliar, but something inside of him seemed to call out. Wishing for this one's approval, for his love. But no, he was unclean, an abberation, a flawed mutation of a creature brought to life to do naught but cause suffering and pain and death. He was unworthy of any kindness this person could bestow upon him, no matter how much he wanted it.
The male smiled, but there was a sadness in his eyes as he reached out his other paw. Key froze as he placed it on his cheek, the warmth of it feeling so real and alive. A pulse beat in his wrist, so unlike him, a fake created only to entrap.
"Enough o- . . ." he suddenly said, wiping away one of his tears. He looked like he was about to say more, but he glanced around at Key's multiple limbs, and seemed to grow somewhat alarmed. His eyes went wide and he pointed. Key looked back and saw a small black spot on his side. He realized suddenly that that part of him felt colder than normal. Plus, unless he missed his guess, the spot was growing (very slowly, but growing still.)
Key looked back to see that the male looked alarmed at the black splotch. Why was that? Why did he care so much for his suffering, no one should, he deserved it! He looked him in the eye, and seemed to be trying to communicate something.
"Key- . . . let the Gri- . . . -hold it in! If y- . . . -oo much- . . . -roy you!"
Key blinked and tilted his head. He seemed to realize he wasn't getting the message across. He looked away and seemed to speak to something or someone unseen.
"-eed to cle- . . . -east a li-!"
A voice answered him, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It was booming and seemed to be many voices layered on top of one another. But somehow it was even more garbled.
"-E ALREADY ON TH- . . . -RE. SH- . . . -EALLY RISK IT?"
The male's eyes narrowed, and the next sentence definitely carried an undercurrent of anger and annoyance.
"Are w- . . . -let an inn- . . . -own in- . . . -pair because w- . . . -aid. He is- . . . -est ho- . . . -one for K-"
A silence was the only answer, and Key got the impression that whatever intelligence had been answering the male was thinking things over. But then, another figure appeared in an instant. It was all colors and more, with no end to it when you looked at it.
Marethil looked down at the two creatures and the male looked up at him with an expression of awe. Marethil nodded, then looked at Key.
"He won't remember much anyway, at least not at first. It will be like a dream to him." Marethil said, and his voice was clear. Like a pure note of music cutting through a lot of noise.
"Take some of it away at least. It may show him what he needs to know in a way that avoids our enemies catching onto us."
He moved forward and placed a hand on Key's forehead. He turned to the male and his voice grew softer.
"Call your mate, she should be here for this. It's conceivable you'll have few to no other chances."
There was a moments silence before another flash of light occurred and another figure appeared. This one was similar to the first, the same species no doubt. But the curves of its body gave him the distinct impression that it was female. Its eyes were large and stared at him with a soft expression. He struggled to categorize it.
The newcomer seemed to coo as she beheld the black spots. Quickly, she moved and, together with the male, both put their hands on him.
Suddenly he felt the cold blackness lessen. In shock, he turned to see that indeed, it seemed to be flowing out of him akin to how to did when he cleansed a Soul Gem. For a bit they stood their and Key felt himself lighten as the darkness withdrew. It did not flow into the three however, it merely seemed to flow off into the air and vanish like wisps of smoke.
"ENO- . . . -RISK MAKING TH- . . . -PICIOUS."
Marethil nodded, and the three withdrew their hands. Key felt limp, drained as he slumped to the floor. Somewhere along the line, the growths that had sprung out of him had vanished. He saw the two white creatures kneel down beside him and felt them petting him lightly. It felt nice.
The male turned to look at Marethil.
"What has ha- . . . -ian. Why ha- . . . -alk to you."
Marethil held up his hand. Key felt his eyes getting heavy.
"There isn't time. Any longer and Kyubey or others might notice you." He glanced at Key with a calculated look before shaking his head. "The universe has been disrupted and I'm contending with the damage. As a result, we can't talk as easily. I am working to try and fix things, but we cannot talk now."
The two white creatures glanced at each other, then looked back at Marethil.
"What sh- . . . -e do."
Marethil smiled.
"Do as you have been doing. Look after him as best you can, and don't forget to hope. We still have a chance, which is more than we've had in awhile."
The two creatures nodded, then turned to him. They seemed to be fading away along with Marethil. But before they had done so completely, both petted him one last time.
The female spoke one sentence, very garbled though it was, before they were gone.
"The de- . . . -ity to talk- . . . -You must- . . . -et go- . . .-des- . . . -ume you oth- . . . -ind a wa- . . . -me plan- . . . -y on your f- . . . -th them! B- . . . -on!"
And with that, they were gone, and Key was alone yet again.
She was Charlotte once again . . . though Mami called her Bebe. She sat on Mami's mirror as the blonde haired girl combed her hair, humming softly. Strangely enough, she could think clearly, and being in the form of a small doll-witch did not disturb her (or Mami) in the slightest.
No, she was content, and enjoyed the moment with Mami, occasionally spouting off words. Then she received a message, and let Mami know that they were needed, a nightmare was afoot.
Mami sighed, but then got suited up. And as Nagisa joined her in springing off into the night, she reflected that, while she would do her job, it was good to see Mami so happy and content. It was surprising just what she'd managed to accomplish by giving her a friend.
Nagisa blinked, opening her eyes blearily. It was still dark in the apartment and she was still on the sofa, with Key resting on her chest and a blanket drawn over both of them. Thankfully, Key seemed to be warming than he had been earlier. That was good, she though as she lay there, sleep starting to claim her again.
But what had her dream been about? It had had something to do with Charlotte and Mami . . . but it had been a nice dream. She hoped she could help Mami like she had in that dream . . .
Sleep overtook her again.
Author's note: Well at least I got it out quicker than the last one . . . eh, eh!
Well, I am sorry again if it feels like I'm stringing this out a bit, but the character interactions and setup are important for this story. If you have a lot of questions from this chapter . . . good, that's my intent. You're questions shall never end!
lol, naw, you'll get your answers eventually. Just not yet. If all goes well, next chapter will definitively move to going after Saya and all that comes after.
Though I constantly worry that you'll all guess things before I want you to. But you probably will, you're smart ones after all.
Edit 9/22/2021, crap, one of the lines that was meant to be obscured was left unedited. Well it's properly broken up so congrats on the people who managed to read it before I changed it!
Mailbag:
armadas
Homura is such an interesting character to analyze when reading because in a way she is going through the same experience, knowing what is "supposed to happen" or happened in previous timelines but now unsure about each twist and turn. Just looking at the interactions with Mami and Kyoko show how Homura underestimates them noticing something is off because they have always been stable, predictable forces before- and that does not even compare to the loss of control she now has with the Oriko situation. I really felt for Key here. Emotions are something so new to him and give him strength, yet to Homura emotions open her up for weakness. Misunderstandings and conflict is bond to result from that foil, but I want good things for both of them.
Speaking of wanting good things for: the Saya logs honestly made my heart go out to her. Seeing the way she practically was like a child trying to understand the world and all her feelings just made me want to hug her. She never asked to be put int her situation and yet I fear her arc might only end in her facing more hurt.
Yep, Homura is not good at considering things outside her comfort zone, or at least, recognizing when she needs to reevaluate things. And yes, Key has some idea of emotions, but his own issues as well as how new they are to him make them strange to him. I too wish good for them, but it doesn't come easily. Saya is interesting the way I've tried to write her. Glad to know my intentions were clear. She's not in a good position to say the least. Better than before she came to Earth, but not especially good. We'll just have to see what happens.
azzyofhyperdeath
Good !
Thanks!
Ghost Man
Yay shopping! Not really. I'm not a fan of clothes shopping.
Of course Homura has money. She can essentially take it from thugs.
MST3000 Group: "How convenient!"
WTH Is wrong with him?
Saya?
Was it really Saya that ruined him or something else?
Definitely something else.
Me neither, I mostly just wear the same clothes over and over again.
That she can, and that she does.
And when Oriko jumps into the Witch's Lair, "something inconvenient has occurred!"
He was a a rather bitter man with some seriously skewed views.
Indeed, he wasn't perfectly sane to begin with, but he did love Saya and Saya loved him. Something else pushed him over the edge. Something we may yet see.
See you later!
