A/N: I'm so happy that people care about this story. Here you go!
§ x § x §
§ x § x §
§ x § x §
SIEBENUNDVIERZIG
TIMELINE X + N + 1
Yoruichi had mere seconds to decide how to react— or whether she should at all. Figuring the girls could use some interference to keep them on edge around the Incubator and that she and Akemi could cook up an explanation later depending on its reaction, Yoruichi looked straight at the Incubator, set her ears back, and bristled her fur with a low growl. Everyone turned to look at her. She snarled a hateful threat, hissed, and bared her teeth. Madoka and Miki were instantly wary.
Tomoe looked stunned. She turned to the Incubator with wide eyes. "I thought you were invisible to anyone who couldn't be a magical girl, Kyubey."
For the most part, the Incubator replied in a mildly curious tone as it scrutinized the spitting cat. With humans, that is. Some animals have always been more perceptive of the supernatural than humans, though. They have a certain intelligence but lack sentience to interfere with their instincts. It tilted its head in apparent thought. Felids and canids are the most adept, it said. I have been chased by the more territorial of each family. I tend to avoid them.
Yoruichi yowled, but was pleased. Hurray for the little monster providing her with a role to work with. It was lying about visibility, tho— wait. "For the most part." With context that implied the answer was "true of all humans, but not for all animals." Misdirection. Yoruichi growled resentfully. This was going to be like a business or matchmaking meeting between noble houses back in Seireitei. Or getting a straight answer out of Kisuke when he was in a mood.
"Animals?" Tomoe frowned in confusion. "But I've seen you near pigeons. They don't notice you."
The Incubator took its eyes off Yoruichi to look at Tomoe and waved one paw dismissively. With the exception of corvids and psittacines—
"Sitta-what?" mumbled Miki.
—Most avifauna lack sufficient perception. I could walk through a flock of columbids without disturbing them.
"What— what's avi— avi—?" Madoka struggled.
"What do Colombians have to do with any of this?" Miki asked, scratching her head and looking bewildered.
Avifauna are commonly called birds. Columbids are commonly called pigeons or doves. Also, corvids are generally called crows or ravens and psittacines are commonly called parrots, the Incubator explained happily.
From its posture and tone, Yoruichi would bet money it was making a play to look intelligent and instructive. Like a benevolent sharer of higher knowledge. It was like one of Kisuke's little "ha ha I'm so smart look at me say big words you don't know" needling techniques without the blatant obnoxiousness.
Miki's mouth twisted for a second. "Just say so, jeez," she scoffed quietly.
Those terms are so specific that I find it more efficient to refer to the groups by their scientific classifications to include every species within the families, the Incubator chirped.
"A-ah. All right," Tomoe said with a thoughtful look as the creature hopped into her arms. She turned back to the girls. "As I said before, I'm Mami Tomoe. I'm a third-year student at Mitakihara Middle School."
"Um, I'm Sayaka Miki. I'm a second year there. And this is Madoka Kaname," Miki said with a wave of her arm. She cautiously bent to retrieve her bat. After a long, uncomfortable silence, she blurted, "I think you said something about cake?"
Tomoe's eyes widened and she laughed brightly. "Of course, of course! Follow me!"
§ x § x §
The cake was lovely, as was Tomoe's posh apartment, but Yoruichi refused to let the girls relax and enjoy either. She maintained a steady, low growl rumbling through the welcoming, oohing and ahhing, and serving. When the Incubator hopped onto the table in front of Tomoe, Yoruichi made a show of lunging for it, claws out, but allowed herself to be caught by Madoka and drawn into her lap. She settled back against Madoka's abdomen and hissed. Her behavior obviously disturbed all three girls. Then the Incubator gave her a gift.
Perhaps we should dispose of the feline, it said.
Madoka and Miki whipped their heads toward it and looked appalled. Both physically pulled back from the table.
The Incubator blinked exaggeratedly. Ah. Temporarily, of course. To prevent interruptions. Perhaps we can confine it? It waved its tail toward the apartment's hall to indicate the other rooms available.
A reasonable explanation that calmed the girls, but Yoruichi felt smug. The damage was already done. She became even more smug when Madoka hugged her protectively and said, "N-no. This is my friend's cat. She trusted me to take care of her. I'm keeping her with me."
Your friend Homura Akemi, the Incubator added, far more directly than Yoruichi had expected. A ploy to catch them off-guard?
"So you know her," Miki said.
No. I know of her but have not met her directly.
Tomoe frowned as she lifted her teacup to her lips. "How is that possible? If she's a magical girl, surely she must have made a contract with you?"
The Incubator looked at her placidly. You could say yes. You could also say no. She is a curious anomaly. I do not know when she contracted. I am suspicious of her.
Madoka and Miki shifted uneasily and exchanged a glance. The magical girl lowered her teacup after taking a sip and reproachfully said, "You didn't mention this when you told me to be careful of her, Kyubey."
I did not want to worry you unnecessarily, it soothed. Still, she is a dangerous unknown element.
"She's our friend!" Madoka objected.
The Incubator turned to her and looked innocently curious. Is she really?
"Yes!" Madoka said emphatically.
"Akemi saved us! Like Tomoe did!" Miki added.
Red eyes shifted to Miki. Are you sure that was not calculated on her part? Can you be sure she was honest with you? What if she aims to manipulate two potential contractees for her own ends?
Ohhh, this sneaky little bastard, thought Yoruichi.
Miki crossed her arms and scowled suspiciously. "I dunno. Can we be sure Tomoe saving us wasn't calculated? Can we be sure you're honest with us? What if you're trying to manipulate us?"
Tomoe looked startled and hurt. The Incubator blinked and tilted its head. After a long silence, it said, Touché.
Stalemate.
Yoruichi wondered exactly which of Miki's buttons had been pressed correctly to achieve this inversion of the suspicion Akemi had described of the times before.
"So," Tomoe ventured after a long silence. She unhappily looked between her two wary guests. "You two are friends with the... other magical girl?"
The two friends glanced at each other again. Madoka looked forward. "Yes. She's very nice. I'm glad to have met her," Madoka said with a touch of defiance. "It feels like I've known her much longer than I have."
"Really serious and not good at chitchat, but she's cool," Miki added with a shrug.
"And you say she saved you?" Tomoe prompted.
"Yup. The other day at the mall we ran into those cotton ball thingies." Miki looked at Madoka. "She called them Familiars, right?"
"Mm-hmm," Madoka agreed, still frowning.
Tomoe's brows rose. "She explained Familiars to you?" When they answered with nods, she asked, "What about Witches and such?"
"She told us," Miki answered with a sulky caution.
What did she say to you? asked the Incubator.
"She explained things about everything and stuff," Miki non-answered, eyes narrowed at the Incubator. "How about you tell us your version?"
Yoruichi glanced her way and took note of her tense body language— shoulders slightly hunched, chin tilted down while she looked up through her bangs, hands balled into fists in her lap, ignoring her cake and tea. It mirrored the slide into her particular brand of offensive defensiveness she had displayed during Akemi's explanations. That could actually be a good thing, given the circumstances.
It would help to know what information she gave to you so that I may be sure to correct any inconsistencies, the Incubator argued, voice reasonable.
Madoka opened her mouth to answer, but Miki's hand snapped up and gripped her shoulder to stop her. She was staring at the Incubator, eyes hard despite her apparent nervousness. "N-no. Then you could change what you say. I— I wanna know if what you say matches without— without you knowing what Akemi said."
Yoruichi mentally threw her arms skyward in gratitude to any deity who might be paying attention. God bless the stubborn contrariness of Sayaka Miki! It could be useful! Aiming it seemed to be the tricky part.
"S-so, how about you tell us your version?" Miki repeated aggressively.
Tomoe looked between the girls and the Incubator, her dismay that everything was going so terribly wrong written all over her face. The Incubator stared at them for a long time, face blank, tail a sinuous metronome. At length, it sadly said, It appears Homura Akemi has already turned you against us.
The perfect words to make a lonely teenage orphan like Tomoe immediately increase her mental threat assessment of Akemi, Yoruichi noted. The perfect nudge to make the girl take on the effort of recruiting the potential contractees, drawing them away from the mystery Akemi presented, and digging for information without giving any kind of command. A neat little package.
Tomoe shakily set her teacup in its saucer and clenched her hands into fists in her lap, face distressed with an undertone of anger. "What did she tell you? Why are you so— so—" Words failed her. Anger faded into plaintiveness. "Why don't you trust us?"
"It's not you, Tomoe," Miki said slowly. "Not really. But this guy is being weird. Not wanting to tell us stuff because we won't say what Akemi said."
"Um," Madoka said hesitantly, "My mama would say that... that not wanting to explain a contract is bad. I think."
It is not that I do not wish to explain the contract, Madoka Kaname, the Incubator said carefully. It is that I do not know what verbal traps Homura Akemi may have laid when she spoke with you. She may have conditioned you to react poorly to a certain word, phrase, or concept.
"Nuh-uh," Miki said defiantly. "She told us some things and warned us not to do it but said it's up to us and if we listened to your offer we should ask a lot of questions and decide for ourselves. How is that a bad thing?"
It sows doubt, the Incubator replied.
Madoka shifted uncomfortably. "Isn't that how contract... bidding... works?" She wet her lips. "Um. Kinda? Like, Homura made an offer— well, not an offer, I guess, but you know— and now I want to hear your offer, and then I ask questions and stuff to find out if you have a good deal or a bad deal. See if— if you get more from it than me. Or maybe you have a good deal, but it's not the right deal for me." She squeezed Yoruichi and dipped her chin shyly. "O-or something. Kinda. Um."
The Incubator stared at her for a long moment. You have more general knowledge of contracts than most humans your age, it observed.
The girl blushed, gave an awkward little laugh, and ruffled her own hair bashfully. "A-ah, I just know what Mama has said at dinner and stuff."
Yoruichi needed to think long and hard about the implications of the Madoka of previous timelines choosing to contract despite that knowledge. Or was this the first time she had thought in business terms? It seemed unlikely, but Miki had already jumped the rails of Akemi's expectations, so who knew? Then again, Akemi had said Madoka was always the one most likely to be cautious about contracting if she had forewarning. Time to think about it. Maybe there had been more behind it than Akemi had realized.
"S-so, what's your offer?" Miki asked sulkily.
The Incubator glanced at Tomoe, who pursed her lips and looked at the Incubator out of the corners of her eyes. "I'll explain the contract and the magical girl structure," she volunteered in attempt to make peace.
Yoruichi and the girls listened as Tomoe gave the abridged version of the system and contract. The undercover shinigami was pleased that the girl presented the risk of death as seriously as she did, but her phrasing made that risk sound noble. At least she stressed that wish-making was not something to be taken lightly at all— that the girls should only do it if there was something they wanted badly enough to risk their lives for.
"That's... pretty much the basics of what Akemi said," Miki said skeptically.
"But... but Homura told us more," Madoka added.
"Yeah," Miki agreed. "She— what's the word—? Em— Ell— Eel—?"
Embellished? the Incubator offered in an innocent tone that made Yoruichi want to strangle it.
"Elaborated?" Tomoe guessed.
"Elaborated, yeah! Elaborated on things she said a lot of magical girls don't know. Thanks, Tomoe." Miki gave the Incubator a dirty look. "I'm not super smart but even I know those are different things."
How do you know it is one but not the other? it asked smoothly.
Madoka very nearly scowled. Apparently, repeatedly accusing a friend of deception crossed a line with the sweet girl. "She proved it."
"Proved what?" asked Tomoe.
Madoka and Miki exchanged a long, solemn glance. The pink-haired girl breathed deeply, sat straighter, and turned to look Tomoe in the eye, uncharacteristically serious. After a hesitation to ponder words, she said, "Homura said every potential magical girl should start by asking what a Soul Gem is."
Tomoe looked confused. She manifested her Soul Gem in egg form and held it up in question.
"But what is it, Mami?" asked Madoka.
The blonde blinked and furrowed her brow in greater confusion. "I just told you: When a girl accepts a contract with Kyubey, a Soul Gem is born. It is the proof of a magical girl's magic—"
"But what is it?" Miki interrupted grimly. "What is it made out of?"
Tomoe's mouth clicked shut. She stared at her Gem, then the aloof Incubator, then her defensive guests. "Magic."
Madoka nibbled her lip. "Why are they called Soul Gems?"
"Yeah," Miki said, perking up with challenge. "Why not Magic Gems?"
Every girl's magic is defined by the wish her soul expressed at the time of contracting, the Incubator said as Tomoe turned to it in question. This is evident in the different colors and shapes Soul Gems take, as well as in the wide variety of magical abilities contractees develop.
Tomoe looked mollified, but Madoka and Miki exchanged an uneasy glance. Yoruichi hoped it was because they noticed the evasion.
"Did Akemi tell you something about Soul—" Tomoe started, but was interrupted by a phone ringing.
Miki shuffled around in her pockets with a mumbled apology and answered her phone. "Hi, Mom. ...Uh, yeah. Madoka and I ran into someone from school, so we're still... by the shops. Yeah. I'll get that, too. Okay." She rolled her eyes and stared at the ceiling as her mother apparently nagged her. "Yes, okay, I'll hurry. See you later." She hung up and looked from face to face around the table. "I have to go. We'll have to talk more later."
"I'll come, too," Madoka added quickly and stood as her friend did. She looked at her hostess and bowed slightly. "Thank you for having us, Mami."
Tomoe rose and escorted them to the door, still uncertain. "If you have any more questions, feel free to see me at school or come here, all right?"
As they exited the door, Miki paused and turned back. "Thanks for saving us, Tomoe. Really. You're awesome." She tilted her head and searched the older girl's face for a moment. "Can I ask you one more question Akemi told me to before I go?"
Tomoe raised a brow. "All... all right...?"
Miki pursed her lips for a moment, then grimly asked, "Where do Witches come from?"
The blonde blinked in surprise. "I... curses, of course."
"Curses on what?" asked Madoka.
Tomoe knit her brow. "Spirits."
Madoka tilted her head in confusion. "What kind of spirits? Where do they come from?"
Miki perked up with a sudden thought. "Oh, hey, have you seen any spirits without a curse?"
Tomoe looked stunned and confused. Behind her on the table, the Incubator was unfathomable as seemed to be usual. The magical girl opened her mouth to speak a few times but could not give an answer.
Miki pressed her lips into a disappointed line. "Think about it and tell us later, yeah?" She bowed slightly. "Thanks for having us over. And thanks again for saving us." She turned away and walked past Madoka.
Madoka worried her lip and hopefully said, "M-maybe you should talk to Homura?" After another awkward moment, she turned and followed her friend to the stairwell.
Yoruichi wriggled up to peer over Madoka's shoulder. Tomoe stood motionless at the door, face completely bewildered.
And so began the wait to see whether Mami Tomoe would snap.
§ x § x §
Mami stood at the door for a long time after the two prospective contractees had disappeared. She didn't know what to think. Their questions were ones she had never really considered before. Turning them over and over in her head just confused her more. At long last, she slowly shut the door, stared at it for a minute, then turned to look at the table. "Kyubey—"
The table was empty of everything save the three untouched slices of cake and the tea set. Kyubey was gone. The empty apartment felt cavernous in the silence.
Mami leaned back against her door and slid to the floor. The situation seemed to be more complex than she had first thought. She wished she had someone to talk it over with.
§ x § x §
An hour later, Sayaka dumped her purchases in her kitchen and scurried off to hole up in her room with Madoka. They sat cross-legged on Sayaka's bed with a plate of cookies between them. Both were silent, each caught up in her own thoughts. Homura's cat was curled up in Madoka's lap, docile once more.
Sayaka thoughtfully sucked chocolate off her fingers as she watched the cat. "Midnight really hates that Kyubey-thing," she began at long last.
Madoka hummed her agreement and pet the black cat, which immediately began purring. "I wonder if she's seen him around Homura. Homura sounded like she hates him."
"Kyubey said he doesn't know her, but Tomoe said magical girls are made by contracting with him," Sayaka said slowly. "So... is it lying, or is Akemi?"
Her friend frowned hard. "I believe Homura," she said. "She was— she was so sad. I don't think she could fake that." She bit her lip. "And... the other stuff."
"Y-yeah." Sayaka stared sightlessly down at her bed, a vision of Homura's temporarily dead body in her mind's eye. It was seared into her memory. Dull, unblinking eyes and the unnatural stillness of the absence of breath, made all the more unnerving by how the girl had been staring at her intensely before her face went slack and her body crumpled to the floor. It had been the first time she had seen a human corpse. Sayaka swallowed nervously and said, "Kyubey... didn't really answer the questions Akemi told us to ask."
"Yeah." The friends fell silent and nibbled cookies for a few minutes. After awhile, Madoka said, "I think... I think we shouldn't trust Kyubey."
Sayaka twisted her lips to one side in an expression of skepticism. "I think you're right. I mean, I'm still not super certain about Akemi's info, either, but..." She smiled bitterly. "Like she said: 'Brutal.' She didn't sugar-coat at all, you know?"
"Mm."
"But she still said she might wish again if things were really bad." Sayaka looked at the ceiling and turned the memory of that meeting over in her head. "So... so, Kyubey and Tomoe say the wish risks your life, and Akemi says the wish risks your soul... I think."
Madoka nodded. "But Kyubey didn't say it doesn't risk your soul."
"Man, I wish Mom hadn't called when we got to the good part," Sayaka sighed in dismay. "I wanna know more. A wish and protecting people sounds really cool, but I dunno if it's worth my soul, you know? It'd have to be for something really big to be worth that. I wish we got more straight answers from them."
Madoka chewed a cookie then worriedly said, "Mami... didn't seem to know the things we asked. Like how Homura said."
"I dunno if that's good or bad," Sayaka sulked. "I mean, I don't wanna be paranoid or anything. It could be Akemi has information Tomoe doesn't. But that could be an excuse so Akemi could lie."
Her friend scowled stubbornly. "I believe Homura."
Sayaka grinned ruefully, not a bit surprised. That was just what she'd expect from her friend. "I think I do, too, but... well, she's the one who said not to rush into anything. So I d'wanna rush into automatically believing her, you know?"
Madoka tilted her head, eyes unfocused as she thought, then slowly nodded. "That's fair."
Sayaka heaved a sigh of relief. If Madoka thought it was reasonable, then she wasn't being paranoid.
§ x § x §
Yoruichi was jostled awake on Monday morning when Madoka abruptly sat up and blearily stared at her open window, looking confused.
Must have dozed off, Yoruichi thought. She stretched, yawned, and accepted Madoka's morning head-pat with a purr. Her ears twitched as she noticed something odd—
"Good morning," Madoka said sleepily.
A smell that didn't belong— Tomoe, and the Inc—?!
Good morning, Madoka Kaname! a cheerful voice responded.
Madoka jumped and gasped. Yoruichi whipped her head around and locked onto the Incubator. It was sitting among the plushies on the topmost shelf over the bed. A "cute, harmless thing" among cute, harmless things.
It tilted its head curiously. Did you sleep well?
"Kyu—?!" was all Madoka managed to sputter out before Yoruichi launched herself at the shelves with an enraged yowl.
Awake enough to not give herself away by enhancing her jump, Yoruichi latched onto the bottom shelf and scrabbled her way up, scattering plushies as she went. The Incubator stood and tried to back away or jump but she set upon it before it could complete the movement. Yoruichi clawed its chest and locked her jaws on its throat. The Incubator thrashed wildly and caused them both to fall, tumbling down with yet more plushies as Madoka yelped and scrambled off the bed.
The Incubator kept trying to defend with its long, ear-like appendages, but Yoruichi just clawed them to ribbons. If it had claws or any other defenses, it wasn't making use of them. The fight was extremely one-sided. The two creatures were a whirlwind of fur and blood as Yoruichi relentlessly attacked while yowling, hissing, and snarling. Madoka ended up on the floor with her back pushed up against the door as she gaped at the fight with wide eyes.
They were all distracted by a knock on the door. Tomohisa's voice called, "Madoka? Are you all right?"
"Ah— ah— P-papa—"
"What's going on?"
The Incubator capitalized on Yoruichi's momentary glance away and made a break for the window. Yoruichi leapt after it and raked a long series of parallel gouges down its back as it jumped from bed to window sill. She stood on the sill and yowled a challenge at the bloodied little monster as it fled. Madoka rushed over and slammed the window shut, breathing heavily with the rush of adrenaline.
The door opened. Tomohisa leaned in, extremely concerned. "Madoka? What—" Yoruichi glanced at him as his eyes went wide. "What happened in here?!"
Madoka remained kneeling on the bed, looking panicked. Yoruichi turned back to the closed window and continued her territorial cat act, hissing, spitting, and pawing at the glass as though wanting to give chase. Madoka turned this way and that, taking in the splashes of blood and the occasional tuft of white fur scattered around her bedroom. "Um— Um— There was— There—"
Tomohisa cautiously stepped in, assessed the scene, and focused on the black cat. Yoruichi made a point of continuing to act belligerent toward something outside. Tomohisa frowned. "What is Yoruichi so angry at?" He plucked a tuft of bloodied white fur off the bed. "Was there an animal in here?"
"Oh! Um! Yes! That's— yes!" Madoka cried. "Ah, there was a cat— um, a white cat! It was on the shelves. I-it must have been sneaky. I woke up... when... when Yoruichi jumped up at it and started making those noises! Yoruichi fought it— the cat— until it ran away. And I closed the window. Um."
Yoruichi glanced back at her, then sulkily dropped to the bed and rubbed against Madoka's back in a gesture of comfort. The cat could see that the girl's eyes were wide and desperate— probably terrified her father wouldn't believe her. Yoruichi meowed to get their attention and crawled up on Madoka's lap and pawed at her until the girl picked her up. She curled up and began licking blood from her claws.
Hm. Tasted like normal blood. Somewhere between cat and rabbit, oddly enough. Made her tongue tingle, though.
Tomohisa sighed. "Did you forget to close your window before bed again?"
"Um... yes!"
The man rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I warned you something like this might happen, sweetheart."
Madoka looked down, cheeks burning. "I-I know. I'm sorry, Papa."
"It could have bitten you or clawed you. It could have had rabies."
"M'sorry," Madoka mumbled.
"Ah, well. I think this has taught you more than any lecture could," he said with resignation. Madoka nodded fervently. "I'll take care of the mess while you're at school. Go wake up Mama and get ready, okay?"
The girl perked up. "Okay! Thank you, Papa! I really am sorry."
Tomohisa smiled slightly. "I know you are. Go on. No worries." He leaned in and ruffled her hair, then reached down to Yoruichi and tugged at the tag on her collar. "Well, her license is new. Her shots must be up-to-date. Tell your friend about this just in case, though." He dropped the tag and rubbed Yoruichi's ears. "I'm glad you were here to protect my little princess from that mean old dragon, Milady Yoruichi. I'm making you a treat before you go."
Yoruichi meowed cutely. Madoka giggled. "Homura told me she knows what 'treat' means."
"Oh?" Tomohisa's eyes lit up. He grinned at the cat. "Treat treat treat treat treat."
Yoruichi meowed and rolled out of Madoka's arms, hopped down, and rubbed against his ankles as he laughed. Attention sufficiently diverted.
She pranced after Tomohisa as he headed for the kitchen. The man cut up and shredded a bit of leftover chicken for her to start with. Yoruichi ate it as she listened for the distant shriek of Junko waking up for the day. When Tomohisa went out to gather from the garden, Yoruichi wandered back down the hall. She found Madoka and Junko in the spacious bathroom, brushing their teeth side by side and talking lowly. They were just moving on from the "white cat" incident as Yoruichi slunk in to eavesdrop.
Madoka rinsed her mouth, then washed her face. Junko pushed a towel within her reach as she blindly groped around for one. The girl thoughtfully watched her mother applying makeup for a minute. She took a deep breath. "Hey, Mama."
Junko put away her foundation and picked up a soft brush. "Hmm?"
"Say that— just hypothetically— say that someone offered to magically grant you any wish in the world. What would you d—?"
Junko scowled as she loaded her brush with blush and straightened to look in the mirror. Her reply was immediate and fierce. "I'd have those two trustees driven straight out of the company."
Madoka blinked in surprise and let out an intimidated little, "Ah... hahaha..."
Yoruichi approached Madoka and circled her as Junko continued to think out loud. "And also... the CEO really is getting too old to keep pushing himself, so maybe I'd have him retire?" She applied her blush with irritated strokes, face drawn into fierce thoughtfulness. "Oh, but he hasn't named a successor yet... hrm."
Madoka smiled conspiratorially. "Hehe, then what if you became the new CEO?"
"Hmm?" Junko stilled, brush poised over a cheek, and stared at her daughter's reflection in surprise. Her mouth opened slightly, but she was speechless. Yoruichi watched her curiously as she ended her long pause by straightening, putting away her brush, and snapping the makeup kit shut. She turned away from the counter, eyes unfocused in quiet epiphany. "I hadn't considered that," she murmured with speculative fascination. She distractedly picked up the makeup case by the handle and stood with it slung over her shoulder, face lighting up with determined challenge as she stared into space. "If I could gather enough support in the Sales Department...," she said slowly. "I've already got the Planning Committee and General Affairs in my corner... Then my only hurdle would be old Baldy from Accounting..." She stalked away, intensely muttering, "Maybe... interesting..."
Madoka laughed weakly and began to brush her hair. "Ah, Mama... you've got a scary look in your eyes."
Yoruichi stared after Junko. She couldn't help but notice that the woman seemed to have completely forgotten or dismissed the hypothetical wish and instead planned to get what she wanted through her own hard work. Hadn't said she'd wish to be CEO, but immediately figured out the basics of a plan to accomplish the new goal. Had rejected the notion of wishing in favor of hard reality in which no real advancement came without effort even though the conversation had begun fancifully. Interesting.
The question was whether or not the woman's daughter had noticed.
§ x § x §
Mami sat at her coffee table and rubbed her eyes. She had slept poorly, woken early, and prepared everything for the school day well before dawn. Her tea had long since gone cold as she sat and listened to the clock tick away the time. She glanced at the dish rack in the kitchen— at the plates and cups she had washed though the two potential magical girls had barely touched them. The entire afternoon had been a mess. It left her with so many questions— which was jarring, considering she was used to having the answers. Or, she had thought she'd known the answers. She had wandered the city a bit, casting about for Kyubey in an attempt to seek answers, but couldn't find him. What options were left to her? It was all very distressing. If only she still had Kyōko around to help her poke at it all, maybe... but that wouldn't happen. The rift was too deep. Mami sighed.
The early morning stillness made the sudden thump on her balcony surprisingly loud. Mami startled as Kyubey's androgynous voice touched her mind for the first time since the debacle the previous afternoon.
M-Mami. Help... Help m-me...!
Mami bolted upright and rushed to the balcony. She slid the glass door open and threw herself to her knees with a cry of shock. Kyubey was mangled and bloody, small chest heaving as he labored to breathe. He looked like he had been slashed repeatedly. Mami couldn't be sure, though— his fur was matted with blood badly enough to make the wounds difficult to discern.
P-please... h-help... help me...
"Kyubey! I'm here!" Mami manifested her Soul Gem and held it over him with a sob. "Don't leave me!"
Akemi..., Kyubey said faintly.
"What? What about her?!"
Akemi's... ca-attacked...
Angry tears streamed down Mami's cheeks as she willed her magic to heal her companion. "Why?!"
Hates me.... Kyubey's eyes drooped. What...? Why...? He shifted and relaxed some as Mami directed a red ribbon to wrap around one of his paws with a special purpose. Ah... the pain... Thank you, M-Mami...
"It's all right. We'll be all right. We'll figure this out," Mami blurted. "I'll stay with you."
Ah, but h-humans... school? he asked drowsily.
Mami scrubbed her eyes with a shirtsleeve and forced her face into determination. "Healing you is more important for now. I don't want to leave you alone like this. You could be attacked again. Go to sleep. I'll keep you safe."
You are... truly kind... M-Mami Tomoe...
Mami stayed hunched over him for a long time after he fell asleep, wishing she was able to heal more quickly.
Furious. Utterly furious.
§ x § x §
§ x § x §
§ x § x §
A/N: It's odd how much I want to kick the Incubator in the jaw for what it does when I'm the one writing it.