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@griefseedfiction
Hey, I'm not gonna be posting Cheesecake to this blog anymore, since it's getting too large and cumbersome, but you can read it in full on Fanfiction.net!
This blog was originally meant for short stories anyway, not full ones.
just dropping by to say I've been following Cheesecake on ffnet and I absolutely adore it.
aaah thank you anon >//w//< <3 I enjoy writing it
Cheesecake - Part 5
part 5 (click for more)
Also viewable on fanfiction.net
(image source)
Features: Mami Tomoe, Nagisa Momoe
Word Count: 3700
Rating: Safe
Summary: Mami has been the dedicated defender of Mitakihara City for a while, alone. That is until one night, on a routine wraith hunt, she comes to the aid of a new magical girl, Nagisa Momoe.
-
Gray skies forewarned of rain the next day. After a breakfast of toast and eggs, Mami wrapped Nagisa in an orange poncho and grabbed her own coat before leading the way out the door. The overcast sky had left the earth cool and the air brisk despite being in the middle of spring. It was refreshing, if not a bit nippy.
She dropped Nagisa off by the primary school and parted with a quick hug, Nagisa insisting on quickly kissing her cheek. Mami’s own classes went by relatively quickly, finally at ease after turning in her report. The rest of the school year promised to go by smoothly with that satiated, leaving her mind free to focus on more immediate matters. One of those was Homura: she hoped Sayaka had remembered to investigate what she could herself.
She and Sayaka met for lunch on the roof as usual, both opening their bento boxes. “Was Homura in class today?” Mami asked, almost immediately, prior to eating.
Sayaka nodded between a bite of chicken. “Yeah. She agreed to come up here. I’m holding her to it.”
Before long, Mami’s box was nearly empty, with just a few grains of rice remaining and still no sign of Homura. She poured herself another cup of tea from her thermos as Sayaka fidgeted impatiently, before both suddenly heard the sound of footsteps. Despite the air of distrust, it was somewhat relieving to see the raven-haired girl once more.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said. “I decided to eat by myself so I could finish up some homework.”
“It’s quite alright, Akemi-san,” Mami assured, before taking a sip of tea. No, it wasn’t alright. There were matters to discuss. She set her cup down. “Actually, Kyubey’s told me you’ve been working with Kyouko. Is this true?”
Sayaka glanced to Mami, mouthing, “I knew it,” before turning back to Homura. Homura’s neutral expression didn’t change, though she did pause. “It is. I’ve been traveling to Kazamino every now and then. I’ve been worried that we don’t have enough wraiths and curses here to sustain all of us. I ran into her there and we opted to work together. Why do you ask?”
“Did you know she’s an asshole!?” Sayaka blurted out.
Homura didn’t flinch. “Yes.” The matter-of-fact tone took both the girls off guard. She didn’t follow up to try and defend herself or Kyouko.
Mami coughed, breaking the silence. “Did you know she appeared here yesterday?”
“That would explain why she’s been asking about you lately,” Homura said, running her hand through her hair once.
This got Mami’s attention. “What do you mean?”
She didn’t answer. “I take it Sayaka and Kyouko had a conflict the other day?” Sayaka slowly gave a nod, prompting a sigh from Homura. “Some things never change…”
Mami had finished her tea and was putting away her box and thermos. “You’re speaking like you’ve known her for a long time,” she commented, a hint of irritability in her voice.
“You could say I have. She wouldn’t know it, though.” Again, Homura was utilizing mysterious rhetoric. Sayaka glared at her. The frustration she and Mami shared was almost tangible, yet both were caught off guard by what she said next. “I’m sorry,” she suddenly apologized.
Mami was on her feet once more. The clouds overhead were growing darker. “For what?” she asked.
“For not being more trustworthy, and for Kyouko’s behavior the other day.” Homura’s head hung down ever so slightly, her eyes solemn.
Sayaka rose to her feet as well, her voice suddenly a bit more understanding. “Why’re you apologizing for her? She’s not your responsibility.”
“All the same, I should have guessed she’d come looking after asking about you so much, Tomoe-san. I feel like I’m partially to blame for not taking her to you myself.” Homura raised her head once more, though still carried a somber expression. “Tomorrow’s a day off, isn’t it? Would you mind coming to the park around noon? I’d like a chance to correct this mistake.”
Before she could provide an answer, thunder rumbled in the distance, and a few sudden drops of rain rapidly turned into a respectable storm. Eating outside probably wasn’t the best idea today--the girls turned to head back indoors. Once in the halls, Mami sighed before responding to the prior question: “Admittedly I haven’t had a lot of reason to trust you lately.” Homura’s expression didn’t noticeably change, though Sayaka caught a glimpse of her eye twitching ever so slightly, as if she was hurt. “...but I can’t see a reason that you’d be lying to me, in this case.”
“My only intent is to arrange a meeting between you and Sakura-san, I can assure you.” Homura ran her hand through her hair again, this time trying to dry it some from the rain. “I expect you want closure as much as she does.”
Mami didn’t answer, but gave an affirmative nod. Sayaka stifled a groan, shifting uncomfortably. “While they’re meeting tomorrow, Sayaka, would you mind accompanying me on a wraith hunt?” Homura asked her.
This got Sayaka’s attention, making her pivot to face Homura more directly. She couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride at being offered to hunt with another veteran, even if that veteran was Homura. “You still make me uneasy, but if Mami’s going to trust you, then I guess I will too. Just…” she hesitated, “Just don’t try anything tomorrow.”
Homura smiled reassuringly. Her mouth only curved slightly, yet the emotion was communicated largely through her eyes, patient yet satisfied. “Given the weather, I’m going to hunt by myself this evening, so I won’t see you two until tomorrow,” she commented. “Otherwise it’s time we get to class.” As if on cue, the bell for next period chimed. The three parted and headed to their classrooms.
---
Rain fell for the remainder of the day, even through the last period without any sign of relenting. Fortunately Mami had remembered to bring an umbrella with her, anticipating the storm. As soon as class dismissed, her umbrella saw use as she made her way back to the elementary school. Nagisa knew to wait inside until she got there.
Yet when she arrived, Nagisa was out in the courtyard already with a few other students either waiting for their parents or simply enjoying themselves, playing in the rain and splashing in puddles. “Nagisa!” Mami called out. Nagisa quickly perked up and ran to the shelter of Mami’s umbrella, hugging her waist giddily. “Nagisa, it’s raining. You’re going to catch a cold if you’re not careful.”
Nagisa rolled her eyes before taking Mami’s hand and walking with her. After walking half a block, she asked, “Did you ever find out what Akemi-san was doing with Kyouko?”
Mami nodded. “Yes. She’s actually arranged a meeting--” she cut herself short, pausing. “How did you know about her and Kyouko? Were you eavesdropping last night?”
Nagisa shuffled in her steps and averted her gaze sheepishly. “Uh… maybe?”
Now Mami rolled her eyes, but she continued. “Kyouko and I will supposedly be meeting tomorrow in the park, with Akemi-san’s help.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Nagisa asked, before giving another sniffle. Her nose was slightly red.
“Not fully… but it’s a chance to work things out.” Mami looked down to Nagisa. “I warned you about catching a cold!”
Nagisa gave an over-dramatic sigh, mocking Mami’s overprotectiveness, before snapping alert with an idea. “I’ll just use magic to get rid of it!” she declared, before beaming confidently back up at Mami.
Mami smiled back, teasing the child’s overconfidence, before looking forward once more. The rain had lightened up by the time they arrived back at Mami’s apartment, becoming a gently tapping on the windowsill as they stepped inside.
The two hung up their coats as Mami, being the tea-addict that she was, immediately put on a pot of hot water. Nagisa sat down on a cushion by the coffee table, going through her backpack’s belongings. “Are we gonna practice today or anything?” she asked, taking out a small notebook.
“Not while you have a cold,” Mami said, taking out some spices and mixes, as well as some baking ingredients for later. Nagisa groaned, and opted to open her notebook. Rather than notes, it was filled mostly with doodles and scribbles. She pulled out a pencil and began to add more.
Before long, Mami soon walked over and set two cups on the table, taking a seat on the cushion next to Nagisa. She picked up one cup already filled with tea. “It’s chilly today, so I figured I’d make you something special to help with your cold.” Nagisa took the other cup, noting a cinnamon and chocolate scent, with a few marshmallows floating on the surface. The scent alone prompted her to abandon caution as she quickly took a sip, only to yelp as she burned her tongue. “H-hot!!”
Mami giggled, “Yes, there’s a reason it’s called ‘hot’ chocolate!” Nagisa tried again, taking another, more careful sip. Her whole body felt warmed by the drink as she smiled, pleased. She shifted over a little to lean against Mami, who was enjoying her tea. She wasn’t tired, yet the scent of her drink, the tapping of rain, and the comfort of Mami’s presence lulled her into an absolute state of relaxation.
“How’s your soul gem?” Mami asked ambiently. Nagisa sat up and held out her left hand as the ring on her finger re-formed into her gem, a pale indigo hue. Mami set her cup on the table and inspected the gem, holding Nagisa’s hand steady. “A little dull, but still fairly clean. We’ll have to make sure we go hunting tomorrow.”
“Why not tonight?” Nagisa asked.
“Because it’s raining and as I said, you have a cold. The others can handle any miasmas tonight.” She hugged Nagisa, who stifled a squeak in response. “Plus, I’d rather just spend the evening with you,” she said playfully, smiling, before murmuring, “I’m sorry I’ve been so busy lately.”
Nagisa quickly returned the hug, leaning into Mami. “What about what Kyubey was saying, about us running out of wraiths to fight?” Nagisa looked up to Mami. “What happens if we run out of magic?”
The importance of cleansing one’s soul gem had always been implied, though Mami realized she had never told Nagisa much beyond that. She brushed her hand through Nagisa’s hair. “I think Kyubey was just being overly concerned. If it does get to be an issue, there’s a neighboring town that wouldn’t be too difficult to cover as well, if Kyouko allows it.” Nagisa withdrew her arms but continued leaning on Mami, reaching for her cup of cocoa again. Mami took out her own gem to observe it--likewise, it wasn’t clouded, but it wasn’t glowing either. “Naturally you want to keep your soul gem clean… If it becomes too polluted with grief, we don’t exactly die, but we become one with the Law of the Cycle.”
“What’s that?” Nagisa asked, taking another sip.
It was admittedly hard to explain. “Well, it’s a principle if anything. Our soul gems vanish before they can start to curse the world themselves, and we vanish with them. The Cycle ferries us to the afterlife.” She hoped that was a complete enough explanation.
Nagisa looked ahead, staring at nothing in particular. She could tell that even Mami didn’t know all the answers, but she felt she understood. After a moment more of silence, Mami took notice of Nagisa’s sketchbook and opted to open it. She let out an amused giggle. “You’re quite the artist, Nagisa!” The child blushed but couldn’t hide a smile of pride.
Most of the drawings were of Mami and Nagisa, as well as a few of the other girls and Kyubey. In some, they were gathered around Mami’s coffee table, in others they had brandished their weapons. One doodle that made Mami giggle was of Nagisa and Sayaka fighting a dragon to rescue her from a castle tower. She flipped to another page. Curiously, Mami noted that some of the drawings seemed more methodical and less artistic. “Nagisa, what’re these drawings of?” She pointed to a few symbols with arrows and lines connecting them, as well as some words scribbled off to the side.
“Um… I remember how you and Akemi-san combined attacks,” she began, sheepishly. “It was really cool! So I’ve been trying to think of some attacks that we can do as well. Though everything I’ve come up with has been dumb…”
Mami immediately shook her head. “These aren’t dumb at all!” Some of Nagisa’s notes were on how to work with Sayaka and Homura, but most of course were related to Mami. Admittedly, a lot of the ideas were strained, especially since Nagisa had yet to come up with any significant special attacks of her own.
“They’re dumb cause they won’t work,” Nagisa stated, disappointed. She set her cup down, now empty.
Mami set the book back on the table and hugged Nagisa tightly. “Most ideas don’t work right away. You have to keep trying though.” She pulled back slightly. “And with many things, you won’t know if they work until you try them!” Mami reassured her with a smile.
Nagisa looked away, mumbling, barely audible, “I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of you, though…”
Mami sighed. “Oh, Nagisa…” She reached around and embraced Nagisa fully, stroking her hair once more. Nagisa returned the hug, resting her head on Mami’s shoulder. “You’ve learned so much since we met, and have helped me through so much more. Nothing you could do would ever be embarrassing.” She squeezed her gently.
Nagisa’s voice was trembling slightly. “Even if I make mistakes?”
“Mistakes are just a chance to grow,” Mami reassured her. “I couldn’t be prouder of you.”
A sniff escaped Nagisa again. Mami pulled her back some. “Oh, right, I had forgotten about your cold,” she began.
Nagisa shook her head, rubbing her eye. “That wasn’t a cold.” She put her hands in her lap and beamed. Mami returned the expression before looking at the notebook once more.
The next page had drawings of other magical girls. None of them were recognizable. Some had staves, swords, one had an axe. “Who are these?” Mami asked. One in particular caught her eye--a girl with two pigtails done up with bows, wearing a wide skirt and carrying a bow made from a rose branch.
“I kinda thought, what if there’s other magical girls out there? What if they wanted to fight with us and be our friends, like Sayaka and Homura?” She began to get a little excited as her imagination took hold. “It would be so cool to have an army of magical girls fighting off an army of monsters! All with different kinds of magic--” she began to point out her drawings, going over her ideas of what said girls might be like with admirable optimism. “It’d be like a war but we wouldn’t be able to lose!” Mami entertained her enthusiasm. As fantastic as the musings were, more friends and allies would always be welcome.
Who knew? Maybe Nagisa’s ideas had some basis.
---
“Hey.”
The awkward greeting had followed a more awkward arrival. Nagisa was down by the lake, feeding the ducks, while Mami Tomoe waited on a bench nearby. Kyouko Sakura had arrived moments earlier, but had failed to say anything for quite some time, causing the two to stiffly stare at one another for a few minutes.
The sky was still gray, though the air was much more windy than yesterday. Fortunately it appeared the rain had exhausted itself last night. Mami had a light coat to brace herself against the chill, while Kyouko had a fur-lined hoodie. “Hello, Sakura-san,” Mami responded, unsure whether to be cautious or welcoming.
“Look, uh… I…” Kyouko stumbled over her words before losing them. The awkward silence continued.
“Have you been eating well?” Mami asked out of the blue. This caught Kyouko off guard, but broke the silence well enough. “Have you been getting enough fiber and protein? You need to make sure you’re getting the nutrition a growing girl--”
“I’ve been eating fine,” Kyouko asserted hotly. “Jeez, I’m starting to think I should’ve stayed back in Kazamino.”
“I’m just worried for you, is all,” Mami stated calmly, before sighing and smiling. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Eh…” Kyouko responded noncommittally. Mami was unsure if she was to take offense. “What do you mean, ‘eh’?” she inquired.
“It’s just… I mean, after what happened a few days ago, I dunno if I believe you on that.” Kyouko turned in her stance to look away slightly, kicking a foot and putting her hands in her pockets. “I kinda acted like a jerk.”
“Maybe, though my student wasn’t faultless either,” Mami assured her. “Why did you come back here?”
Kyouko removed her hands from her pockets to fold them behind her head, her back to Mami. “I dunno. I guess Homura just mentioned she knew you. Was kinda surprised to hear you were still alive so I wanted to see for myself.”
“Oh…” Mami wasn’t sure what answer she had been expecting. “Was that all?”
Kyouko turned to look at Mami from the side. “What’s with the kid, by the way? Hell, are you so desperate for company that you need to take two people under your wing?”
It felt like a backhanded insult, causing Mami’s eye to twitch, yet she remained in control of her emotions. “You likely wouldn’t be alive today had I not helped train you. I’ve just offered them the same thing.”
“Ah, so they’re to replace me.” Kyouko’s voice suddenly grew very somber. “I get it.” She turned away again.
Mami rose to her feet, raising her voice as well. “ Nobody’s replacing you--You left me, Kyouko.”
Kyouko gave a sigh, but didn’t turn to face her. “I’m just gonna go. This was a waste of time. Sorry for screwing with your students.”
“No!” Mami shouted at her, stepping forward and grabbing her arm. “Don’t leave again! I want answers!”
“Answers to what?” Kyouko demanded, turning to face her.
All of Mami’s questions came at once, rapidly. “Why did you come here? What’s your problem with my students? What did you mean when you said I wasn’t your friend? How have you been surviving without your magic?”
At the last question, Kyouko angrily shook Mami off of her, her gaze quickly changing to a glare. “Seriously? You think I’m some god-damn charity case?! That I can’t take care of myself!?!”
“That’s not--”
“I get what’s going on. How I get by is none of your damn business. I don’t need you to lead me around by the nose, especially when you take whoever will listen to you. You just want more power and more control! It’s never enough for--” she stopped suddenly and glanced back. Nagisa was standing behind her, fuming and trembling.
“Stop saying things about Mami that aren’t true!” Nagisa shouted. “You think you know her but you don’t!”
“The hell you talkin’ about, kid? I’ve known her longer than you,” the redhead retorted, acid in her voice.
“Then stop saying lies about her!” Nagisa shoved her in response. She staggered backwards, grappling between letting the attack slide given Nagisa’s age and teaching her not to pick a fight with a stranger. As she got a better look, she noticed there were tears in Nagisa’s eyes. While her face was foreign to Kyouko, her demeanour seemed chillingly familiar. The angry little voice was almost pleading now. “Just stop being mean… Mami needs you so she can be happy…”
“Nagisa--” Mami began, though Kyouko let out a loud, frustrated groan, interrupting any statements as well as any creeping memories of her family. She shook her head to clear her mind and walked around to the bench to sit down, putting her face in her hands. Mami and Nagisa watched her intently.
“I don’t deserve to be with someone like you,” she muttered after a moment’s pause. “I’m too shitty of a person.”
Mami took a step closer to sit on the bench next to her. “That’s not true, though.” She had placed a bag below the bench earlier, which she retrieved now. She pulled a container from her bag and opened it. “Nagisa and I made some cookies last night, if you want any.”
Not one to refuse free food, Kyouko accepted two. Nagisa cautiously approached and sat on the other side of Mami, taking a cookie as well.
“I know you’re a good person, Kyouko, or at least you can be,” Mami pleaded. “Please, come back. You can be on the side of justice once more.”
“You make it seem like it’s ‘us versus them,’” Kyouko said, finishing her first cookie and looking down. “Like there’s a clear good-guy way and bad-guy way to do things. I don’t see it like that. I don’t see my way as better than yours. I agree with mine more, but it’s just different.” She didn’t turn her head, but shifted her eyes to look at Mami. “I don’t think it’s my place to mess with someone else’s fate. Even with good intentions, it usually only makes things worse.”
“I see…” Mami yielded, disappointed. “I suppose I have no choice but to respect that…”
Kyouko rose to her feet and began to walk off, putting her other cookie to her mouth to take a bite. “Heh, hey, if what the kid was saying was true, I’m at least glad I’m needed by you,” she remarked, cockily and sarcastically, before taking on a more somber tone. “I’ll stay out of your way… Sorry this didn’t work out,” she muttered before turning forward again and resuming her exit. She didn’t look back.
Once she was gone, Mami let out a disheartened sigh, putting her hands to her face. Nagisa leaned against her comfortingly as she leaned back, sitting in silence, letting the chill of the air cool her overworking mind. She soon collected herself and sat up, letting Nagisa take another cookie from the container before closing and stowing it once more.
Cheesecake - Part 4
part 4 (click for more)
Also viewable on fanfiction.net
(image source)
Features: Mami Tomoe, Nagisa Momoe
Word Count: 3405
Rating: Safe
Summary: Mami has been the dedicated defender of Mitakihara City for a while, alone. That is until one night, on a routine wraith hunt, she comes to the aid of a new magical girl, Nagisa Momoe.
-
“So, how’d you two start fighting together?” Sayaka asked between bites of cake, having already commented on its deliciousness.
A few days had passed since the first wraith hunt, allowing the girls to get settled into a routine. Homura would accompany them half the time, though still had yet to reveal much of her history. With her once again absent this evening, Mami opted to divulge some of her own, as per Sayaka’s request. “I was hunting wraiths by the hospital and stumbled across Nagisa there,” she began.
The topic was a little tender and uncomfortable to talk about, yet Nagisa continued when Mami had paused, “My mom was really sick and after I made my wish and realized I made a mistake I kinda… gave up. Mami found me and didn’t let me, though.”
“What happened to your--” Sayaka was about to ask, though Mami’s gaze answered her question wordlessly. “...Oh… I see, sorry to hear that, Nagisa…”
Nagisa fidgeted uneasily. “Thank you...” she murmured solemnly.
Sayaka decided to change the subject. “So was Nagisa the first time you fought with another puella magi?”
Mami shook her head. “I’ve attempted to fight alongside others in the past, yet most insisted on going their separate ways almost immediately after…” She took a sip of tea, letting brief memories and faces she never had a chance to get attached to pass through her mind, a subconscious attempt to distract herself from another story. She set her cup down, realizing there was one face she couldn’t forget, and looked to Sayaka, hoping maybe she’d be able to find some personal closure. “Though, there was one person in particular who I got close to before we ultimately parted...” she began, hesitating.
“It was over a year ago… After we first met, it was actually her idea for us to stick together. She wanted me to train her, much like I’ve done for Nagisa and am now doing for you.” She paused, before resuming, a nostalgic but saddened tone to her voice. “Her name was Kyouko Sakura. I was convinced she and I shared the same selfless ideals... Her father was a minister at a church, and she even invited me to eat with them over the holidays. It was the first time I’ve felt like I belonged to a family since I became a magical girl.”
“What happened to her?” Sayaka asked. “She’s still alive, right?”
“She was when we parted. I’m sure she still is today, she was tough. A horrible accident happened one night, however. From what I found out, a fire burned down her father’s church, taking her family with it.” She shuddered. “Or… I wish it had been an accident. From what I heard about it over the news, they believed it was a forced multiple suicide.”
She hesitated, her words sinking in. “I rushed out to try and find her, and was lucky I did. It was in the middle of winter, she would’ve frozen to death if I hadn’t found her.”
“Why’d she leave, though?” Nagisa asked, the story compelling enough to cause her to completely forget about the pieces of cake remaining on her plate.
”She blamed herself and her wish for her family’s death. It was clear something fundamental broke inside her. Her fighting became more desperate, she grew mad at me, feeling like I was supporting her out of charity. She started questioning the ideals I thought we shared… just like all other girls I’ve met.” Mami’s voice grew quiet and distant as she gave a heavy sigh. “She said she never even really saw us as ‘friends’... I should’ve expected such.” Her eyes failed to meet anyone else’s, merely staring longingly into her cup, halfheartedly expecting to find an answer to a question she couldn’t quite phrase. She suddenly became aware of her posture and snapped alert. “Sorry--!” She quickly tried to recompose herself before finding Nagisa leaning over to give her a hug.
“Mami gets really lonely over it sometimes,” Nagisa explained, half-teasing, half-trying to lighten the situation. Mami gave her a disapprovingly playful glare, but returned the hug anyway.
Sayaka offered a comforting smile. “I dunno much about Kyouko, but I can promise: nothing’s gonna make me give up on my ideals. I’ll fight for what’s right no matter what!” She made a confident fist. “As long as you stand by those ideals, nothing’s going to stop me from standing there with you.”
Mami gave a sighing laugh. “Alright, you two have made your points.” She placed her hand on Nagisa’s head, stroking through her hair warmly. Nagisa let a small yawn escape, her eyelids beginning to droop with the soothing passes of Mami’s hand. “A few weeks ago I was totally by myself… To think that in such a short time I could be surrounded in warmth from such close friends. It feels like a dream...” As she hesitated, she opted to take a passing glance at the clock. “My, it’s getting late… Nagisa needs to get to bed soon. And Sayaka, you have homework to do still, do you not?”
Sayaka blinked and stammered. “Well, I mean… uh…”
“You mustn’t make excuses for yourself,” Mami interjected. “Sometimes justice means destroying wraiths and collecting curses, sometimes it means doing long division.”
Sayaka groaned. “Oh come on! Isn’t protecting the city more important?”
“The city’s important, but so is your mind. In fact, that reminds me, starting tomorrow we’re going to begin researching and studying wraith behavior and magic.” Mami reached under the table to her bag, pulling out a notebook and opening it to a random page. Runes and notes relevant to the powers of a mahou shoujo were scrawled throughout. “You need to be at the top of your game not only physically, but mentally as well to truly be a powerful puella magi.”
Sayaka groaned once more, prompting a giggle from Nagisa at her misfortune, which likewise prompted a glare from Sayaka.
“Hey, at least I don’t have a set bedtime,” she commented snidely.
“You’d want to be in bed right now if you didn’t have homework!” Nagisa teased back. Sayaka huffed once more, yielding to Nagisa as the victor.
Mami laughed lightly and began collecting the used dishware to put in the sink. “Be careful on your way home, Sayaka,” she advised.
“Yeah, yeah,” Sayaka dismissed. She grabbed her bag and headed out the door, not before turning briefly, “See you guys tomorrow!”
---
Homura hadn’t been seen for the past few days outside of in Sayaka’s homeroom. As usual, sometimes she would join the others on a wraith hunt, other times she would go alone, though as of late she had been particularly absent. Sayaka was unable to coax any answers from her, though Mami began to just accept it as part of enigmatic nature, and gradually questioned it less and less. It was another element of her recent shift in her life’s routine, which while certainly not unwelcome, was serving to distract her slightly from school studies, resulting in her falling behind on a class project.
“Sayaka, do you think you could watch Nagisa for me today?” she asked her friend in the hall one day between classes. “I need to stay after school today to get caught up on a project.”
“Tch,” Sayaka stifled a small, sarcastic giggle. “What happened to not making excuses? Don’t tell me now Mamisan’s shirking off her studies!”
Mami blinked, frowning very slightly. “Sayaka… Please, it’s almost finals week.” Her eyes were tired. It was suddenly apparent how late she had been staying up after their wraith hunts, and, for all of her resolve, how much this class was taking out of her.
“I’m just teasing!” Sayaka exclaimed, before donning a sheepish expression. “Right, sorry, that was kinda mean… You definitely deserve a break, I’ll take care of her.”
“Thank you,” Mami sighed, relieved. “Sorry it’s so sudden, she shouldn’t give you any trouble.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it, Nagsia can practically take care of herself. It’s not a big deal at all. I’m always happy to help my mentor,” Sayaka answered. “I’ll just take her to the park or something.”
The bell for next period rang before any further discussion could be offered. The two bade one another goodbye before parting. Mami sat down in her next class, letting another sigh escape. Once this day was done she wouldn’t have to worry about any major school assignments until finals week. She just had to get through today with her sanity in tact.
Despite nearly dozing off a few times, the last few hours seemed to go by relatively quickly. Mami soon found herself in the school’s library as everyone else was leaving to head home. She took a seat at a table and promptly buried her nose in her textbook. Before long the only sound within audible earshot was the scraping of her pencil on her notes. Gradually, her mind became more and more enveloped in her studies, until finally she was all but totally lost in them. Before she could be fully immersed, something internally alerted to her surroundings once more. Nothing physically had occurred, yet for whatever reason her focus was broken. She paused her writing and sat up. There were two other students in other corners of the library, and no one else. It was odd: for the first time in weeks, she was totally alone, not even amongst apathetic peers. In that short time the sensation had become totally alien.
At first, she didn’t know if it was oddly relaxing or not. Her mind began to wander, teasing unsettling thoughts. She suppressed a shudder. Where had Homura been running off to? Did Sayaka remember to pick up Nagisa? What if she forgot, and Nagisa was lost? What if Nagisa stumbled across a miasma on her own? The silence and solitude quickly revealed to be distressing.
She shook her head, attempting to shed the thoughts. She hovered over her notes again, ready to write, yet she could feel her heartbeat and hear her breaths.
Why was she so nervous? She forced herself to put her pencil to the paper. As she pushed herself, her heartbeat steadied. The bad thoughts gradually began to leave her in peace, at least partially, and she was able to resume working. Even alone, she had to believe in the mask of resolve she normally put on for the sake of her students.
She turned a page in her textbook to another wall of text, and sighed. She hoped Nagisa was behaving for Sayaka. The two were probably at the park right now, and most likely were not getting into trouble.
There was no way they could have crossed paths with a wraith or a rogue magical girl. That was just paranoia.
They. Were totally. Fine.
...She could feel her heart pounding in her ears again. The mental half-hearted reassurances weren’t working.
She closed her textbook and groaned. Fine, she was mostly finished, she could get the rest done tonight. She didn’t need to impress anyone at the moment, what she needed was to be with her friends. She packed her bags and stood up, letting her worries get the better of her, as she turned to head out of the library.
Upon exiting its doors and entering the courtyard, she noticed something amiss. Nagisa was in the middle of the courtyard, intimidated by the school buildings, but still scouring the campus for Mami. She immediately came running as Mami stepped outside.
“Nagisa? I thought you were—” Mami began.
“Sayaka’s in trouble!” Nagisa shouted, immediately grabbing Mami’s hand and yanking her along.
Mami blinked, hesitating. “Wraiths?”
“No!” Nagisa exclaimed, leading Mami by her hand. “It’s Kyouko!”
---
“Mami’s not like you!” Sayaka’s voice reverberated down the corridors of an alleyway. “You don’t care about anyone but yourself!” The sounds of magic and metal soon followed, as the heroic voice proclaimed: “Magical girls like you are no match for magical girls like us!”
There was a sound of metal clanging and crashing. “I don’t get it,” a sharp voice retorted. “Fighting for someone else’s sake… The hell do you think you’re doing? Did your precious senpai teach you all that crap?” The sounds of rattling chains soon followed, as did a loud crash and a yell from Sayaka. “That pisses me off...” The voice was suddenly bitter in the middle of a pause. The sound of a spear scraping along the ground hailed Mami’s and Nagisa’s arrival. “That REALLY pisses me off!” Kyouko Sakura was advancing, spear drawn, upon Sayaka, who was staggering below a broken water pipe.
An impatient click of a flintlock stopped Kyouko from taking another step. Mami’s musket was cocked and pointed right at the red-head’s back.
“Sakura-san, that’s rather rude of you.” Mami said assertively, her stern eyes suppressing a powerful yet controlled fury. “Leaving your territory just to attack one of my students? Just what has gotten into you?”
Kyouko hesitated before responding. “Tch… I’d’ve thought you’d’ve kicked the bucket by now…” She turned her head slightly to glare arrogantly at Mami out of the corner of her eye with a taunting smirk. “Instead you’re wasting your time adopting lost little puppies. Guess it makes sense you of all people would need a pet or two.”
“I am not a puppy!” Nagisa shouted from behind Mami, who had to raise a hand slightly to quiet her.
Kyouko turned a little more, opting to say something more hurtful before noticing how young Nagisa was. The pause gave Mami a chance to reassert herself: “I don’t know why you’re here, Kyouko, but if you ever threaten either of my kouhais again I will not hesitate to open fire.”
Kyouko shifted her stance, glancing behind herself at Sayaka, who was rising back to her feet. The busted water line above her had left her partially soaked. “Tch… You’ve got enough on your hands for now.” She twisted her spear around once to extend it. “Just wouldn’t be fair for you if I took you on when you’re having to carry two block-heads. I’m out of here.” She planted her spear into the ground to start a vault. “I’ve gotta meet someone anyway.” Kyouko took a leap to the wall, rebounded off it, and within mere seconds she was gone. Mami sighed and lowered her musket as Nagisa ran over to help Sayaka up.
The rifle’s metal exterior soon transmuted back into delicate yellow ribbon as it unwound and dematerialized into the air. Meeting someone? That might explain why the transfer student had been oddly absent as of late. She could feel distrust welling up in her again. “Are you alright, Sayaka?” she asked.
Sayaka shook herself off. She was bruised a bit but was largely unharmed. “Yeah, fine… The hell was her problem?”
“How did you wind up fighting her?” Mami immediately questioned. Sayaka was slightly taken off guard.
“Well, she… Came out of nowhere. Starting talking bad about you, and then about me and Nagisa,” she responded, choosing her words carefully. “And when I stood up for us, she got mad and attacked.”
“Why were you in the alley, Sayaka? I thought you said you’d be at the park.” Mami looked to Nagisa for some confirmation. She immediately gave the whole story:
“Sayaka thought she felt a miasma coming so she wanted to stop it while it was small but Kyouko was in the alley to stop us. She told us to let the miasma grow a little bit first, else it’d be a waste of energy. She then asked if we knew you, and after we said we did Sayaka called her selfish for how she had left you,” Nagisa blurted out, before sheepishly shuffling her stance. “Then she got mad and attacked.”
Mami sighed as Sayaka tensed up, fearing reprimand. To her surprise, Mami’s response was only melancholy: “I guess it couldn’t’ve been helped.”
“What do you mean?” Sayaka asked.
Mami shook her head. “I’m too tired to explain right now…. Was Homura in class today?”
“No. Absent again.” Sayaka suddenly recalled Kyouko’s parting words. “You don’t think--?”
“I hope not... Still, I wonder why Kyouko has returned,” Mami idled her words, starting to think aloud. Of course her students wouldn’t have an answer. She crossed her arms with another sigh. “I still have some work to finish… Would you mind if we postponed our meeting for today? You could use some rest yourself.”
Sayaka gave a nod as the two discarded their magical girl attires. “Right… I’ll see you tomorrow, Mami.” She turned to head off. Nagisa meanwhile stepped towards Mami and took her hand, hugging her arm gently. Slightly taken aback, Mami soon smiled, the affection more than welcome after a stressful day. The two began to walk home.
---
A small, simple dinner preceded an early bedtime for Nagisa, leaving Mami to finish up the last page of her assignment within the comfort of her own home. She had changed out of her uniform and let her hair down, and was now seated at her desk with a simple nightgown and shawl, laptop and textbook open before her. In the middle of typing the last paragraph, the soft patter of padded feet behind her disrupted her concentration. She looked back to see Kyubey approaching her from the center of the room.
“Oh, hello Kyubey, I haven’t seen you in a while,” she commented, before reverting her gaze to her laptop. Almost done...
“Indeed. I am curious as to what your plans are for Sakura Kyouko, so I felt I should come over and ask,” he commented telepathically.
“So, you’ve heard about the fight earlier…” She slid her hands away from her keyboard. “I need to find out what she wants, first…” And then what? For as violent and acidic as Kyouko had been that day, she still couldn’t bring herself to come to blows. She just wanted to be left alone with her students.
“Do you plan to fight her if need be?” Kyubey continued.
“Only if absolutely necessary… I’d rather her just keep to herself. I won’t hesitate to defend myself and my students, however.” Mami turned in her chair to face the Incubator. “Something else has been bothering me. Do you know the whereabouts of Akemi Homura?”
Kyubey tilted his head slightly. “From what I have witnessed she appears to have been working with Sakura Kyouko as of late.” So her suspicions were right. “Why do you ask?”
Mami turned back to her computer, thinking. If Homura was working with Kyouko, would that make her an enemy? She gave a contemplative sigh. “I’m convinced Kyouko still hates me. Yet, every part of me wants to believe she’s not a lost cause.”
“Even if she were to rejoin you as an ally, and even with maximum synergy in collecting curses, there likely would not be enough wraiths to sustain all five of you.” Kyubey hopped up on the desk and stretched. “Granted, her mere presence in the city is enough to present a similar risk, though she may just be here temporarily. I cannot see why she would give up her territory. The best course of action for you both would be for her to leave.”
Kyubey scratched behind his ear a little, expecting a pet or two from Mami. She didn’t oblige. “I don’t want her to leave again… It’s probably wishful thinking, but I’d do anything for her to soften up to her old self.” She put a hand to her forehead to rub her temple, thinking. “I need to find out what she and Homura are up to, first.” She looked back at her screen. The final paragraph just needed two more sentences. With a momentary pause, she temporarily set aside her thoughts as a conclusion clicked in her mind, and she typed the assignment into completion. She saved the assignment, shut down her computer, and stored it with her notebook in her bag. “It’s late, Kyubey, I need to sleep.”
“Very well. I suppose we’ll simply see what happens,” his emotionless voice responded, yet something in the context of his voice held an ominous undertone. After today, however, Mami was too emotionally spent to worry any further. She walked into the bedroom, Nagisa rolling over on her futon as Mami entered. The second her head hit the pillow she was lost to sleep.
(Hitosaya smut yay very nsfw boobers start after the readmore break)
(for rokettoenpitsu)
---
The fireworks show was beginning, bringing forth a flurry of lights and crackles. The festival was well underway, and Sayaka had just finished off her dango, opting now to enjoy the light-show with Kyousuke.
The two were mostly silent, enjoying one another's presence. Sayaka's eyes occasionally would wander to his face, though he would never notice. Deciding to take a chance, she began to extend her hand towards his.
Hitomi, meanwhile, was peering at the two from behind a booth. Noticing Sayaka preparing to move in, she quickly stepped up behind the two, placing her hands on their shoulders to intercept Sayaka.
"Hello you two! Enjoying the festival?" she said, cheerily.
Sayaka grumbled something in response, while Kyousuke was caught off-guard. "Ah! Hey, HItomi," he greeted. "Yeah, the fireworks have always been my favorite part of the festivals."
Hitomi gave a small giggle. "Actually, Kamijou, I think Nakazawa was looking for you. He's around the cap-gun booth."
Sayaka blinked, giving Hitomi a quizzical look. "Oh, thanks," Kyousuke responded. "I've been looking for him as well, I'll be back." And with that he turned to head off.
With him gone, Sayaka immediately turned to Hitomi. "What the hell was that about!?" she demanded.
Hitomi put her finger to her lips and shushed her. "I'm sorry... I just... Ugh I get so nervous when you're around him..."
Sayaka's anger heightened. "What the hell is that supposed to mean!?"
Hitomi shook her head. "N-no! I didn't mean--! Not like that! I--"
"I mean, I knew you liked him too, but to sink so low--" Sayaka raged on.
"It's not Kyousuke I like!" Hitomi frantically blurted out. Sayaka suddenly silenced. "Sayaka... you once told me you could see us as more than friends once, right?"
That was a long time ago. "Yeah... but-- I mean, I-I wasn't serious..." Hitomi knew better than to accept that sheepish lie.
"I'm so sorry it took me so long to figure think about... I know you probably moved on, but..." Hitomi sighed and hugged herself. "I know, I'm stupid, I can't even grapple with my own emotions. Do you still feel that way at all?"
Sayaka was a little dumbfounded. "Are you coming on to me?"
Hitomi only nodded in response, her cheeks bright red, blushing. Sayaka scratched her head, the response not quite sinking in. She didn't return the blush until Hitomi asked, "Do you know somewhere where we can be alone?"
/
Somewhere, there was a small storage shack that would've otherwise gone unused for the rest of the night. From within, the muffled pops and cracks of fireworks still reverberated and could be heard, but were otherwise largely ignored. Sayaka was sitting, her back against the side of the shack as Hitomi was crawled forward into her lap, their lips gently meeting every few seconds. Sayaka's hands slid up and down Hitomi's sides, eliciting a tingling, pleased shiver from Hitomi whenever the fingers brushed by her hips. Her kimono was loose, starting to fall off her shoulder, as she drew herself in closer to Sayaka.
Sayaka instinctually wrapped her arms around Hitomi a bit tighter, curling a leg up around her as well. Her robe likewise was coming undone, though that was less an act of negligence, and more by fault of Hitomi's hand naughtily sliding up her leg, making her squirm as it drew up her body, and began to undo the sash, causing its ends to ride up, exposing more of Sayaka's leg.
Sayaka moaned softly into Hitomi's lips, adjusting her embrace, tugging her sleeve down a bit further. Hitomi withdrew briefly, brushing a lock of hair off her shoulder, allowing her sleeve to fall all the way down, exposing a breast. she leaned into Sayaka again, pressing her self against her. They locked lips again, tongues rolling around one another. Sayaka writhed slighty as she felt that hand once more sliding up her leg.
Hitomi withdrew her lips ever so slightly, pressing her forehead to Sayaka's with a giggle. "You're very squirrley," she commented cheerily, her fingers slipping beneath Sayaka's underwear before she could protest. She bit her lip as Hitomi nuzzled her collarbone, sliding her head up til she was in range to lightly nibble at Sayaka's neck.
Both of their kimonos were fully open by now. Sayaka leaned her head back, feeling Hitomi's delicate fingers slide over her gracefully and sensually, her breath becoming more panted and aroused each time she felt Hitomi stroke at her slit. In response, she worked her arm around Hitomi's waist, beneath her robe, until her palm was firmly over Hitomi's rear. She gave a squeeze, pulling Hitomi closer once more. Hitomi whimpered, moving away from Sayaka's neck, leaning up to moan ever so softly into her ear.
It was too much. Sayaka brought her other arm around to complete the embrace, one hand at her girlfriend's ass, the other digging its nails into her back. She turned her head and kissed Hitomi passionately, stifling any further moans. The twist caused her to fall to the side, soon laying on the ground with Hitomi on top of her.
She felt one finger enter her cunt. She responded by sliding her own hand beneath Hitomi's underwear, reaching around to tease at her as well. She began to rub, prompting soft squeaks from Hitomi. It became a game of who could better pleasure their partner.
At the moment, Sayaka was winning, evidenced by Hitomi's whimpering moans. Their breasts pressed together, nipples prodding one another as an additional way to keep score. Their lips continually locked and parted, teeth occasionally coming into play to bite at lips and tongue. She felt Hitomi swirl a finger around her clit, once again causing her to writhe and suppress a moan. She reacted by sliding a second finger inside her girlfriend, using her thumb to rub at the outside.
Hitomi was patient. She continued her motions, waiting for the right moment, waiting for Sayaka's wriggling to reach a climax. Once Sayaka gave a violent twitch, she responded by slipping a second finger inside. Sure enough, Sayaka could barely suppress the moan.
Hitomi leaned back very slightly, giving a slight giggle before brushing some of Sayaka's hair aside. "Looks like I'm winning," she murmured, a pleased, haughty smile on her face.
Sayaka's flushed gaze only bore a cocky sense of determination. "I'm... not done... yet..." she panted, softly. Her writhing became more normal, longer. Hitomi was convinced she had the upper hand, but soon felt herself rising up and down slightly, noticing she was largely supporting herself on Sayaka's leg.
Two of Sayaka's fingers were in her, and the gyrations only furthered the stimulation as her waist gently rubbed up and down Sayaka's thigh. She bit her lip. She felt the fingers slide out of her to squeeze her rear before slipping back beneath her underwear to continue pleasuring her. She was almost being toyed with.
She didn't want to give up, yet she would need to withdraw to remove Sayaka's advantage, which would essentially declare Sayaka the victor either way. Not that she wanted the sensation to stop--Sayaka's skilled fingers worked miracles, sliding in and out, beginning to flutter here and there, teasing her from inside, sending erotic sensations to her core.
it got to be too much. She yielded, not giving up her own teasing, but instead burying her face into Sayaka's neck and letting out a loud moan. Her waist twitched, slightly at first, then convulsed twice. She moaned again, pressing herself against Sayaka as hard as she could. When she finished, she was panting, whimpering softly. Sayaka's fingers were more gentle now, gradually massaging and stroking Hitomi's entrance, prompting soft, satisfied sighs.
Hitomi once again buried her face into Sayaka's shoulder, her face flushed, but content. Sayaka kissed her forehead, finally withdrawing her fingers from the soaked entrance, opting to instead give her rear a gentle squeeze. She embraced her with her other arm, murmuring gently into her hair.
The festival had a few hours left to go through the night, yet they were content to just lie there away from it all for a bit longer.
Cake - Part 3
part 3 (click for more)
Also viewable on fanfiction.net
(image source)
Features: Mami Tomoe, Nagisa Momoe
Word Count: 3754
Rating: Safe
Summary: Mami has been the dedicated defender of Mitakihara City for a while, alone. That is until one night, on a routine wraith hunt, she comes to the aid of a new magical girl, Nagisa Momoe.
.
Beams of sunlight began to creep across Nagisa's face, causing her to stir. Her head felt a little fuzzy, but she was so warm where she was at. She closed her eyes, trying to nestle in a little tighter, ignoring the sun, until realization dawned upon her.
She bolted upright. She was still in Mami's arms, who was laying across the pillows of her dining area, having fallen asleep shortly after eating. The cake from the night before was still out, as was a cold kettle of tea. She twisted around to grab Mami's shoulders, shaking her.
"Mami-san, get up! It's morning! We're going to be late!" she cried. Mami eventually stirred groggily, her mind not quite processing what Nagisa was saying for the first few moments. Finally the words began to sink in, becoming recognizable thoughts, which caused her to snap up, quickly getting to her feet with a shout, "I'm awake!" She could hear the faint buzzing of a morning alarm that had failed to be silenced coming from her room.
She glanced at the clock on her wall—only a few precious minutes were left to get ready and quickly get to school. She glanced at Nagisa, her expression communicating their directive. Immediately they cleared the table, Nagisa quickly stowing the cake in the fridge as Mami opted to reheat the remaining tea. They both then darted into the bedroom to get ready as best they could.
The two put on a fresh pair of clothes as fast as they could, Mami fortunately having a few spare school uniforms, Nagisa tossing on her pink, polka-dotted dress. Simultaneously they moved to the mirror. Nagisa began to brush the knots from her hair, as Mami inspected her own, noticing it had become slightly disheveled and her curls had fallen out. Instead of a brush, she raised a finger, a spark of magic flying to her hair, immediately curling it into her typical fashion, before gesturing to Nagisa as well, a spark flying out to straighten her hair and tie its edges into the small twintails she usually wore.
She glanced to her alarm clock—not long left. They would need to forego any further preparations. "Let's go!" Mami commanded, moving to head out the door. Nagisa hesitated briefly. "But Mami, I'm hungry!" she whined. Right, she still needed her lunch for that day. There fortunately were a few sandwiches in the fridge as well as a biscuits. She handed the biscuit off to Nagisa before packing two sandwiches into small containers, one with a juice box and the other with a thermos full of reheated tea. She took one box and handed the other to Nagisa. "Alright, got your books?" she asked, eyes glancing to the clock once more. Nagisa pulled her bag to her back, giving a nod. "Then let's get going, we'll need to hurry!"
The two had to run the entire way to their campuses, Mami pulling Nagisa behind her with one hand. Fortunately their stamina wasn't about to break any time soon, given their status as puella magi—they arrived just before Nagisa's bell rang. Mami gave Nagisa a quick pat on the head with a smile, before turning to head to her own campus. She felt a tug as Nagisa grabbed her arm before she could leave, pulling Mami down lower until she complied, insisting on a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I love you, Mami!" she called cheerily, separating as she ran off to her class. Mami blushed a little, giving a small smile before she recollected herself and departed, her steps feeling a little lighter.
"Mami Tomoe?" The instructor would never look up while reading off names so long as there was a response, his plain, monotonous voice mechanically reading each name off his attendance sheet. "Mami Tomoe?" he asked again, eyes still not shifting.
"Present—!" an exasperated Mami called, stepping into the class. It wasn't the run that tired her, it was the fear of being late. She quickly took a seat at her desk, sighing in relief.
Only then did her sensei look up. "You've never been late before…"
"Sorry, I—" she began, trying to figure out how to word her story, "I had to drop my sister off at the elementary school."
Her teacher didn't respond for a moment, before looking back at his sheet. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again." He resumed narrating the remaining names.
Mami slumped in her chair, feeling spent. "So is that who you've been walking with?" a sly voice questioned. Mami looked over, noticing one of her classmates leaning over to whisper to her. "I didn't know you had a sister. I've seen her, she's cute!"
"Yeah, she is," Mami responded, semi dis-interested. The girl immediately immediately began to dive into how she had her own sister. "I envy you, actually… Me and my sister don't get along at all. I've seen how you two meet up after school, it's so sweet. I wish I could get along like that with my sister. You two seem made for each other!"
The girl's ramblings became more and more incoherent and random to Mami as she started to tune them out, her mind replaying the hectic events and close-calls of that morning instead. As stressful as it had been, she couldn't help but smile as she recalled when she and Nagisa had departed earlier.
Lunch period couldn't have come sooner. Having skipped breakfast, Mami was starving, even if the sandwich would only do so much to sate her. She opted to eat on the roof, alone as usual, sitting on a bench and taking out her box. At least her tea would help pick her—
Nevermind that. She groaned, putting her hand to her forehead in frustration. Sitting next to her sandwich: a juice box, a tragedy of her haste. She could only speculate what Nagisa would be acting like under the effects of the caffeine.
"Stressful morning?" a new voice suddenly commented, releasing her from her lament. She bolted alert, noticing a tall girl with raven hair standing off to the side. She wore a red ribbon in her hair, tied to a bow over her left ear.
Mami tried to hide her frustrations behind a smile, "Eheh… A little," she replied, sheepishly. "You don't look like a junior, isn't your lunch period next?"
"Indeed, I'm supposedly seeing the nurse right now," the girl responded. "I actually came up here to see you, Mami Tomoe. My name is Akemi Homura. I'm a classmate of Sayaka's." She held up her left hand, showing the mark on her nail and her soul gem in the form of a ring on her finger. In her right, she was holding a suspicious silver cylinder.
Mami was a bit surprised; this girl seemed too confident to be new. Homura continued her explanation to alleviate some of her questions: "I only transferred here recently, which is why you haven't met me yet. I was curious to see if Sayaka would make a contract, introducing myself more formally to her once I noticed she had. You're planning on meeting with her tonight?"
Mami was suspicious, but gave a nod. "That's correct."
Homura raised her hand to brush it through her hair. Her expression wasn't cold—on the contrary, it was amiable, but it seemed aged, tired, and wise. "If you don't mind, I'd like to accompany you. Simply to help if necessary. Having two students can get to be a handful, especially when one's so young."
"I assure you, Nagisa is very well-behaved," Mami said, sternly, before relaxing. Today had yet to cease being hectic, she couldn't deny that, but she smiled anyway. "Otherwise, Akemi-san, I'd be honored for you to join us… The more the merrier, right?" She pierced her juice box with her straw, taking a sip, immediately feeling a little childish for doing so.
Homura gave a small smile, before taking a step forward to place the cylinder down on the bench beside Mami. "You seem to need this more than I do. I'll see you later today." She turned to walk off. Mami looked to the cylinder—it was just a simple thermos, yet when she opted to open it, she could feel the sappy tears of gratitude come to her eyes as her nose caught the sweet aroma of camomile tea. She immediately poured herself a glass and took a much needed sip.
"Please don't be mad, Mami, school was so boring today and my class kept bothering me and the teacher was boring and I couldn't sit still and—" Nagisa was more or less hysterical after class had gotten out, frantically defending herself from being issued a warning by her teacher. Apparently her behavior had been a little "hyperactive and disruptive" today. Mami was only smiling, lightly laughing to herself about the absurdity of the situation. "Also the teacher told me to give you this…"
As to be expected, it was a note for Nagisa's "parents," scolding them for "giving their daughter caffeinated tea when she clearly can't handle it" as well as reprimanding her for not supplying a complete lunch. It was nothing to worry about. Mami folded the note roughly into her pocket to throw away later, before reassuring Nagisa with a small laugh, "Don't worry, you're not in trouble, it was my fault. At least now you know why I can't give you any tea!"
Nagisa hung her head, glancing to the side, quite embarrassed, before recalling: "Aren't we meeting Miki-san today?"
Mami nodded, "Correct. There's also another girl who will be joining us, we're going to meet them by the park." She turned to begin to lead Nagisa off, who quickly skipped forward to walk alongside. "Her name's Akemi Homura. She's a magical girl as well," Mami explained.
"Is she going to learn too? Is she nice?" Nagisa continued.
Was she nice? Mami couldn't help but feel oddly displaced by the girl. She had seemed friendly enough, but despite never having met her before, she also seemed oddly familiar… Something about her also rubbed her the wrong way. Or, she was just being overly paranoid because there was someone present who might be as skilled as her. She shook her suspicions aside, finally answering, "She seems nice enough. She's just going to be there to watch."
Nagisa had begun to skip slightly. "Maybe she's just wants friends?" she asked, more indirectly. That was something Mami hadn't considered. It was possible.
The sun was preparing to start its descent by the time the two arrived at the park. Homura was sitting on a bench as Sayaka was loosely meandering about impatiently. As soon as she saw Mami and Nagisa approaching, she pivoted on her heel to face the two. "'Bout time you two got here! Was starting to wonder if you had forgotten," she said with a grin.
"Sorry I'm late," Mami apologized as Homura rose from her bench to stand off to Sayaka's side. Nagisa was staring at her, at least until the violet eyes met her own. Despite the small, complacent smile on Homura's face, Nagisa withdrew slightly, moving closer to Mami's side. Mami turned to look at her, a little confused, "Nagisa, don't be rude…"
"It's fine. She's just shy," Homura answered, stepping forward and bending down slightly to put herself eye-level to Nagisa. "Your name is Nagisa?" she asked, patiently. Nagisa gave a small nod. "You can call me Homura, okay? Let's both do our best." Her soft smile reassured Nagisa, causing her to pull herself out from behind Mami as she returned the expression, albeit a little more ecstatically. Homura's pleasant demeanour wasn't unwelcome, yet Mami could see she was hiding something. Not something malicious: those calm eyes seemed to be suppressing a long history of pain.
She felt sorry for her. She didn't even know this girl, yet there was something familiar and mystical about her that caused her to feel an empathetic pain..
"So, what's the plan?" Sayaka interrupted, breaking any contemplative trains of thought. Homura rose back to her feet as Mami announced, "Well, I'll start from where I started Nagisa off. I'll show you how to track wraiths, and then we can see how you fare in combat against them." She suddenly felt a tug at her sleeve; she looked down at Nagisa, who whispered something inaudible. Mami gave a hushed whisper in response, "I know, I am too, we'll make this quick tonight so we can eat."
Mami procured her soul gem and began to explain the process of tracing to Sayaka, also detailing the likely locations for wraiths to attack. "As you know, they generally fight in groups, so you must not let yourself get overwhelmed. If you can fight them one-by-one, you probably won't ever run into trouble. As my student, I'll let you suggest where—"
"If I might make a suggestion instead," Homura interrupted, "I believe there were traces of activity collecting towards the south side of town." The other three turned to look at Homura quizzically. "It was faint when I noticed it at first, but I'd suggest we search around there and see if it's formed into something more threatening."
The south side of town was indeed a likely place for wraiths to attack, considering its proximity to the harbor and factories where accidents were frequent. It wasn't far from a more lively block that was also known for its frequent barfights. Sayaka glanced from Homura to Mami and shrugged. "I guess that's worth a try."
Mami was uncertain about trusting the raven-haired girl. "Alright, we'll head to the shopping center near the harbor and start making our way through the streets. This is likely to be more dangerous than I would've liked for a first trip, but if you're correct it's not something we can just ignore."
A loud, rumbling squelch of a hungry stomach suddenly interrupted any further thoughts, as Nagisa's face turned red with a frown. Mami sighed, smiling slightly.
The gloom of the miasma clouded the air with an aura of unrest over downtown, a harbinger of wraiths to come, darkening the sky for those who could see its effect. The four had averted the attention of any stragglers in the street, their gloomy appearances mimicking the posture of the wraiths, before coming to the edge of the fog.
"Looks like you were right, Homura," Mami commended. She held her soul gem in front of her, rays of light radiating from it to pierce, but ultimately be lost within the fog. She looked behind her, noting the disposition of the other girls. Each held a unique expression of determination—Homura's calm eyes were stoic, Nagisa was eager, and Sayaka triumphant, either to save face to try and impress Mami, or to convince herself of her abilities.
Mami met their gazes, reassured, and turned to take point. She stepped into the fog, with the others immediately following behind her, immersing themselves int he world of the wraiths. It was nauseatingly dark, yet even in the black, Mami's gem shown brightly as she raised it above her head, spinning it around her as ribbons and light lashed out around her body, taking form in a display as her attire materialized in place of her uniform. The others' soon followed suit, donning their magical attire with, to Mami's disappointment, less frivolity, their weapons at the ready: Nagisa's horn in her hand, Sayaka bearing a blade, and Homura equipped with a black bow.
The spike in magical energies drew the attention of the wraiths in the area. A fast, small horde of three quickly took note, and began to close in, groaning eerily. Mami spoke quickly, a rifle spawning in her hands: "Wraiths are drawn to magical energies. The more you use, the more you'll attract." She took aim and fired, downing her target with a single shot. She turned her rifle to grab its barrel, spinning to knock the nearest down. Nagisa rolled over her, striking downwards, using her horn like a club to disable the wraith, before raising it to her lips to let a blast strike the third at near point blank.
"Fighting covertly may often be safer, but when wraiths are hiding or feeding, being aggressive can help draw them out." More demons appeared around the corner, larger this time, advancing more slowly. Mami looked back to Sayaka and Homura. Sayaka gave a nod of understanding, while Homura's rest her fingers on the string of her bow.
The four engaged, Sayaka darting forward to slash at the first wraith, her blade slicing at its form. Struck, but not stopped, it raised a bony limb to strike back at Sayaka, only for an arrow to pierce its hand. Sayaka thrusted again before drawing her blade upwards, attempting to cleave the wraith in two. Its form held together letting out a groan, as Nagsia slid under Sayaka and gave another blast of her horn, obliterating what remained of the demon.
A second was immediately behind the first, ready to pounce on the two, yet before it could move it was struck with an extra large bolt—a combined attack by Mami and Homura, their weapons temporarily merging into a crossbow. The bolt pierced its chest, threading a ribbon through where its heart would be located if it were a human, as the two veterans gave a pull. Sayaka and Nagisa wasted no time to strike upwards, flipping the wraith through the air towards the two, as Mami and Homura delivered a simultaneous powerful kick, their boots piercing and shattering its 'face.'
"Good work!" Mami commended. The four moved back to back as more wraiths began to encircle the group warily.
"What are they doing?" Sayaka asked, her cocky demeanor from moments before beginning to wane.
Homura seemed to relax her posture a bit, almost responding dismissively, "They're looking for an opening." She ran her hand through her hair once. The wraiths mistook her change in stance for a lowered guard, all opting to attack at once in an attempt to overwhelm the girls. "Tomoe-san, give us your ribbons. Now."
Mami hesitated only for a moment to process to the command, and quickly cast some ribbons from her sleeve around the wrists of her friends. Sayaka and Nagisa grew tense, anxious to defend against the attack. They moved to attack and defend, pausing as they noticed Mami's ribbons coiling around their wrists.
Homura held her hand forward as a disk-shaped insignia hovered over her soul gem. It turned ninety degrees, giving off a popping click, and suddenly all the wraiths froze, inches from the group. Homura looked back at the others, "If you let go of Tomoe-san's ribbons, time will stop for you as well. Now, let's finish this."
It took the others a moment to realize what had happened, but once they realized the advantage they had, the four unleashed a flurry of attacks, from acoustic blasts to thrown swords to gunfire to a volley of arrows. The projectiles froze in space just inches from the girls, until Homura waved her hand once more, the insignia once again appearing. Time resumed, and the wraiths, once believing they were taking advantage of an opening, now found themselves destroyed in a fearsome counterattack.
The cumulative destruction of the wraiths in the area brought a shock-wave down around the girls who stood un-phased. The blast did its part to clear the area of the miasma, returning the girls to the normal world, as several curses dropped down around their feat. Nagisa scooped them up and proudly delivered them to Mami, who was admiring Homura's ability. "That was impressive. Your magic is truly fearsome," she complimented. Homura accepted the compliment with a slight smile. They shared the spoils and proceeded to make use of the curse fragments in purifying their soul gems, just as the eerie red eyes of the Incubator peered out at them from out of the shadows, eager to collect.
"Impressive. Your collaborative work seemed to cumulatively use less magic than if you each had fought alone. Normally magical girls don't get along so easily." He perked his ears up as they tossed the expended curses his way, as he caught them via the insignia on his back.
"Some people just have natural chemistry," Homura commented as the miasma faded away. She retired her magical girl uniform first, as Kyubey glanced expressionlessly at her.
"That is true. However, another matter has been brought to my attention: Even though you are a magical girl, I do not believe I have met you before," he commented, prompting a confused glance from Mami.
"How is that even possible? Aren't you the only one who can contract with a girl?" Mami asked him.
Homura looked back at her with a soft smile and reassured her, "It's not too much of a concern. He wouldn't be able to remember, and it's a long story otherwise. I'd rather save it for another time."
Kyubey seemed satisfied with that response, though it aroused suspicions in Mami and Sayaka. Nagisa was too distracted with her stomach to pay heed of Homura's enigmatic nature, instead giving Mami a tug on her sleeve. "Can we go eat now?" she pleaded.
Mami sighed, dismissing her thoughts. "Yes, let's. Sayaka, Homura, would you two like to come to my place for something to eat?"
Sayaka grinned and promptly responded with a, "Definitely!" though Homura politely refused. "I'm afraid I have some personal matters to attend to. I'll see you three later." She turned to head off, denying Mami a chance to discern more of her past. Before she could let her suspicions foster again, Nagisa was already tugging her forward, urging them back home with Sayaka right behind.
Any other favourite anime besides PMMM? Any chance we might see a crossover fanfic? I love crossover PMMM fics. I'm making one that crosses over with Gurren Lagann and involves Kamina!
I’m not too big on anime, to be totally honest. I do have a few I like:
Zoids (grew up with them, haven’t watched anything since Chaotic Century)
SNK (the manga’s better, though)
Dangan Ronpa
Tengen Topa Gurren Lagann (HELL YEAH)
PMMM is my ultimate favorite, though.
Cake - 2
part 2 (click for more)
(image source)
Features: Mami Tomoe, Nagisa Momoe
Word Count: 2634
Rating: Safe
Summary: Mami has been the dedicated defender of Mitakihara City for a while, alone. That is until one night, on a routine wraith hunt, she comes to the aid of a new magical girl, Nagisa Momoe.
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Nagisa awoke on a small futon in Mami’s room the following morning. There was another bed in the room, presumably Mami’s, its sheets pressed down tidily. Seeing the bed empty, she felt the beginnings of dread creeping upon her—had she been abandoned?—until her nose interrupted her worries with a sweet scent.
She recognized the smell: pancakes. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and got up, following her nose to the main room of the apartment where the kitchen was located. Mami was standing over the stove with an apron on, the sizzling of batter releasing a warm, sweet aroma into the room. “Good morning, Nagisa,” she said warmly, not averting her eyes from the hotcakes.
Nagisa was silent, watching intently as the cakes were flipped, their undersides golden brown. Mami began to pile the finished hotcakes onto a large plate in a stack, next to a plate full of eggs. “You hungry?” she asked, splitting the stack on to two smaller plates before bringing them over to the table where a bottle of syrup was waiting.
Nagisa wasted no time, devouring her meal ravenously, prompting Mami to refill her plate with the remaining pancakes and more eggs, which likewise were soon eaten as well. Mami smiled with feigned nervousness, “I’m not sure if I can keep up with your appetite,” she joked.
“Sorry…” Nagisa muttered, looking down sheepishly. Mami interjected, “No, it’s fine, I was just making a little joke!” She folded her hands, changing the subject. “Did you sleep okay, last night?” Nagisa gave a small nod, still not speaking. “Since I don’t have classes today, I guessed it might be a smart idea to gather up any of your belongings and clothes from your old home and bring them here…”
“I don’t have much,” Nagisa murmured, still not looking up. “It’s a waste of time.” In reality, she just didn’t want to visit her old home. She didn’t want to fill herself up with memories so soon, after what had happened last night.
“I’m sure you must have something,” Mami asked. Nagisa pulled her knees up to hug them and shook her head. Mami noticed she was starting to tremble, prompting her to follow up: “Well… I guess we can probably make due with what we have available.” The trembling began to stabilize. Mami didn’t have a lot of money to her name, yet she did have a few ideas to try to ensure Nagisa was properly cared for.
After the meal, the two spent the morning and afternoon browsing some shops in the city. Mami had enough money to buy Nagisa just a few dresses and an extra pair of shoes—unfortunately not enough to get Nagisa through the entire week. However, she did have enough to stop by a fabric store, where she picked up some supplies.
The day was spent mostly in leisure. The two headed down to the park, giving Nagisa some space to run around, feed some of the ducks, and simply be an ordinary girl for a while. Mami meanwhile sat in a park bench, pulling out a notebook as she began to draw up figures and plans, diagrams of outfits, writing small notes in the margin. Nagisa never strayed far from the bench, often pausing her meandering to glance over to Mami to make sure she was still there. Likewise, Mami would glance back, smiling warmly, either acknowledging Nagisa or simply content to see her happy.
Something had clicked between them somewhere between the prior night and that morning, something warm and welcome. Neither of them were able to express it, but, in wake of their pasts, neither of them felt alone anymore. Each of them felt needed by the other. It was the kind of feeling that, when you’re scared, when all seems lost and despondent, you still feel the need to press on, because there is someone out there who needs you more than you need yourself.
Mami turned to a fresh page in her book and continued drawing.
The two returned to Mami’s apartment just before the sun started to set. Mami set the supplies and her notebook on her desk, heading to the kitchen to prepare dinner for the two.
Nagisa helped by fetching ingredients for Mami when she asked, and otherwise waited intently. Mami prepared a basic tempura meal for the two, before sitting down to eat. A little more conscious of her behavior, Nagisa ate her food politely, not wolfing it down like she had earlier that morning.
Fortunately, her behavior was rewarded. Mami prepared some tea and brought out some tiramisu she had made two days ago. Nagisa was given a large slice—it was rich and sweet, enough to make her pause in a minor sugar coma partway through.
As to be expected, she finished her cake before Mami, who was taking her time to savor each bite. “You know, I never had anyone else to cook for,” Mami commented with a smile, taking a sip of her tea. “It’s nice to have someone to share all this food with. It’d never get eaten otherwise!”
Nagisa only had a glass of milk herself, which she took a sip of before absentmindedly changing the subject: “What’s all the cloth for?” she asked.
“You’ll see soon enough,” Mami assured her, as if the answer wasn’t obvious. After finishing her last bite of cake, she procured her soul gem, taking a glance at it. “It’s about time for me to head out and patrol the streets,” she said, her voice ever-so-slightly regretful. As she was about to speak again, Nagisa interjected:
“Can I come? Please??” she begged. She wasn’t eager to face wraiths, but she was even less eager to be left alone.
Mami sighed, considering the thought briefly. “It’s going to be dangerous, you know. I don’t want you getting hurt…” She folded her arms. “You’re still very new to this, and still very young. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you under my watch.”
“Then teach me!” Nagisa tried to hide the nervousness in her voice. She wasn’t quite thinking before she spoke. “I want to fight too! I can be a good magical girl! Be my senpai, Mami-san!” she blurted out, all at once.
Mami paused briefly, blushing a little bit before giggling. Nagisa recoiled a little bit, bowing her head in shame. “Oh my… Me? A senpai?” Mami asked herself. She sighed, a little more content than early, before looking at Nagisa. “I guess it’s good to learn early… Though, just because you’re cute, it doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on you,” she said with a smile. “It’ll be difficult. You have to promise to practice hard if we’re to become a magical girl duo.”
Nagisa was re-encouraged, as she gave an ecstatic nod. “I promise!” Mami’s smile widened in response, as she concluded, “Well, let’s not waste any time then. Your first lesson will be tonight.” She got to her feet, heading towards the door, her eager apprentice skipping to her heels.
Each night, the two would head out together, the younger learning all she could from the elder, quickly growing to be more competent. Despite the building confidence, Nagisa would always keep close to Mami’s side. The two were inseparable, both in and out of combat. Nagisa learned everything she could about magical girl duties and techniques, including how to trace a wraith, where a magical girl could follow the tugs and signals their soul gem would give off that would eventually lead to a cloud of miasma.
Outside of combat and hunting, with Mami's help Nagisa once more enrolled in the elementary school a block down from the high school. Classes were always the last thing on her mind: she had a severe amount of trouble paying attention and wouldn’t socialize with other students, her mind constantly shifting back to Mami, nervously. She had begun to wear a new assortment of clothes, much of it hand-stitched by Mami, which helped to alleviate some of her anxiety. The two would rendezvous at the end of each day to walk home, Nagisa always insisting upon throwing herself into a hug upon reunion.
On this evening in particular, they had opted to immediately go into a hunt around the mall, trace signs of madness indicating a wraith might be present. Their tracking led them to the parking garage and ultimately the basement below the mall where the beginnings of miasma were visible.
“Isn’t this a weird place for wraiths, though?” Nagisa asked, holding Mami’s hand, walking beside her. She wasn't afraid. She was wearing an orange blouse made by her mentor, and was always within arm's reach. Mami gave a nod. “It is, but it’s not impossible for them to be here still. There were signs pointing here, and it looks like they were right,” she explained, a pale mist began to wash over their feet.
The halls of the basement gave off an eerie feel. “Creepy…” Nagisa commented. Mami’s soul gem suddenly started giving off sparks, sensing some magical activity. “Come on, something’s happening!” She started to run ahead, pulling Nagisa behind her, following the smoke.
Suddenly there was a rush of wind, and the smoke dispersed. Mami stopped, confused. “What just happened?” she asked, starting to step forward again, slowly. "Did they escape?"
As she turned the corner, she saw a brief flash of light as a girl appeared ahead, panting, seen to be wearing a school uniform when the light faded. She moved a little faster now, approaching the stranger. The blue-haired girl was beaten up, a few cuts and injuries on her face, yet the injuries seemed to be healing themselves rapidly. Kyubey was on her shoulder.
“Jeez, that was harder than I expected…” she muttered, not noticing Mami and Nagisa yet.
“That was only a few. You will need to become a better fighter if you wish to survive,” Kyubey remarked, before noticing Mami and Nagisa without acknowledgement.
The girl soon noticed the two approaching. “Oh, hey, nothing to see here!” she quickly feigned, poorly attempting to act normal. Mami simply raised her soul gem, causing the girl to relax a bit. “Oh. You’re a magical girl too?”
Mami gave a nod, smiling. “Indeed. I was expecting to track down a few wraiths here, but it looks like you’ve done a good job of finishing them off. I take it you also go to Mitakihara secondary school?” The girl just then noticed the similar uniform and gave a nod, as Mami continued, “I’m Mami Tomoe, a junior there, and this is Nagisa Momoe, my magical-girl student.”
The girl raised her hand loosely with a wave. “Hi. I, uh, I’m Sayaka Miki.” Nagisa suddenly stepped forward, giving a bow, squeaking, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sayaka Miki!” Sayaka rubbed her neck, a little put off by the formalities, prompting a giggle from Mami.
“Well... That’s cool, I guess, didn’t know there were other magical girls around here before me,” Sayaka commented uneasily, unsure of how to respond. “Now there’s two others, I see.”
“I’ve been the primary magical girl for this city for the past few years, so this has largely been my territory. I’m somewhat a veteran. Nagisa’s been under my care for about a week.” Mami propped her fist up to her chin, thinking, before suggesting anything. “Maybe we’ll wind up working together in the future.”
Sayaka grinned a bit sheepishly. “I dunno if you’ll want to work with me, I’m kinda bad at this… I’ll just slow you down.”
“Let Mami train you!” Nagisa butted in. “Mami trained Nagisa, she’s really good!”
“Nagisa, don’t interrupt,” Mami mock-scolded, before looking back at Sayaka, with a sigh and a gentle smile. “Though, the offer’s open, if you’d like. I wouldn’t mind helping you at least get started.”
“Eh, maybe. I might take you up on that offer,” Sayaka commented. “I wanna sleep on it first. Think we can discuss it after school tomorrow?”
Mami gave a nod, pleased. “That’s fine with me.”
“Great, it’s a date!” Sayaka exclaimed. Nagisa puffed out her cheeks a bit, annoyed with the word choice, taking a step backwards to move closer to Mami again. Sayaka didn’t notice. “Well, see you guys tomorrow!” She turned to head back to the mall's surface.
Mami and Nagisa likewise headed home following their encounter, finding no more wraith trails that evening, leading to an uneventful, peaceful night. In honor of no further incidents, Mami pulled some ingredients from her cupboard once they got home, enlisting Nagisa’s help to bake a cake.
With Mami’s guidance, Nagisa was allowed to break the eggs and mix the batter, as Mami poured the batter evenly into the round pan, setting it into the oven to bake. She pulled out a few more ingredients, including cream, vanilla, and sugar to make the frosting, which Nagisa couldn’t stop from sticking an occasional finger in to sneak a taste. When the cake was finished baking, the two gave it an even coating of frosting, as Mami cut some strawberries to decorate the top.
By the time they were finished, it was already late, yet the two set it out on the table with some tea, slicing it, eager to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Nagisa seemed particularly proud of the cake, herself, and was almost reluctant to take the first bite, though once she tasted it, she couldn’t restrain herself.
It was light and sweet. Mami ate daintily, savoring each bite. When she was almost done, she noticed something amiss. She glanced over from her tea, her ears catching gentle sniffs. A cold? She looked towards Nagisa, noticing she had her head bowed down, occasionally inhaling sharply. From the sound of it, she was staving off sobs.
“Nagisa? What’s wrong?” she asked, concerned. Nagisa didn’t look up and didn’t respond for a few seconds, opting to try and fight whatever was afflicting her, only to fail and finally mutter, “I miss my mom…”
Mami set her cup down, sliding closer to Nagisa to offer her an embrace. Nagisa weakly returned the gesture, tears finally flowing as she buried her face into Mami’s shirt, sobbing fully, her tears staining Mami's uniform.
Mami began to stroke her hair gently, cooing softly to her. “It’s okay, Nagsia…” she whispered. She could feel tears welling up in her own eyes, yet she fought hard to keep them from flowing, adamantly keeping her voice strong and stable. “I know how much you miss her… It’s going to be okay.” Her own memories of her family were returning to her. How her mother would help her with her hair in the morning, how she’d bake cakes with her father, how her mother would sing to her when she was little. “I promise it’s going to be okay…”
Nagisa was still sobbing, a little more quietly now. Mami began to hum a tune gently, still gently stroking Nagisa’s head.
“Solti ola i...
amaliche cantia masa
estia…”
Nagisa’s sobs gradually faded, sleep finally having come for her as she nestled against Mami. Mami finished her tune, her voice still strong, yet the once-restrained tears managed to leave defined, wet lines down her cheeks.
Cake - 1
part 1 (click for more)
(image source)
Features: Mami Tomoe, Nagisa Momoe
Word Count: 2653
Rating: Safe
Summary: Mami has been the dedicated defender of Mitakihara City for a while, alone. That is until one night, on a routine wraith hunt, she comes to the aid of a new magical girl, Nagisa Momoe.
(Extended, full version of this headcanon prompt, which will be done in several parts. Fluffy pre-rebellion AU where the law of the cycle exists, yet Nagisa manages to survive. Do note that so little is known on wraiths that I had to improvise for a few parts.)
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Mitakihara City was generally quiet. Like most of human society, it wasn’t without its troubles, yet there was always a benevolent guardian walking its streets. Mami Tomoe would spend each evening after her classes wandering around intersections, hospitals, bridges, anywhere where someone may try to hurt themselves or others.
She wasn’t exactly what you would call a vigilante; her eyes were simply open to the world and the secrets behind human despair. She would hold her soul gem in her palm, and with a delicate step enter realms that were hidden to mortal eyes.
It was difficult to describe how magical girls like Mami fought the monsters known as wraiths. The demons were born of the hatred and woes of humans and would stalk them, invisible, until the person was driven to their death. They had a reality all of their own, shrouded in miasma, visible only to fighters such as Mami. Though they weren’t typically very strong, they were many, and seeing a horde of their faceless figures could spark the beginnings of madness or terror in the weak or fragile-minded.
Mami was a veteran, however, and knew no more fear against the demons. She would raise her rifles against them without hesitation, determined to fight until her dying day, when the law of the cycle would come to claim her soul and ferry her to the beyond.
“I want to survive.” Every battle, she reminded herself of her wish—or moreover her memories of it persisted in her mind. She was still alive and would continue fighting, no matter what, out of a sense of duty and justice. She had had acquaintances in the past, other magical girls whom she fought alongside, yet, without fail, each one insisted on going their own way, interested more in helping themselves than keeping company.
The one girl whom she had held closest to her heart eventually lost sight of their share sense of justice and nobility. Kyouko Sakura, the girl whom she had been prepared to call a sister, had even come forward to say she didn’t really see them as friends, anymore. Her last attempt to reach out had resulted in Kyouko returning to her home town; she hadn’t heard from her since.
That was about a year ago. Mami tried to hold memories of fonder times and mask her depression behind the facade of a normal, average school girl, yet deep down she understood that she was undeniably alone. No time for clubs or friends at school—not that she’d relate to her normal peers, anyway; no family to return home to: just herself and her apartment. The closest thing she had to a “friend” was the creature known as Kyubey, whom would often appear before hunting wraiths. His company wasn’t unwelcome, yet his inability to comprehend human emotions sometimes unnerved Mami more than she needed.
On this particular night, she was tracing the signals of wraiths around a hospital. Kyubey had come with, walking by her feet. “The miasma seems to be coming from inside the building. The wraiths are probably inside. How do you plan to proceed?” the incubator asked.
“This might be a bit tricky,” Mami confessed, brushing one of the twintails of her hair. “I may be able to enter through the visitor center, or slip in through one of the open windows.” She scanned the side of the building. It was starting to get late, so most of the windows were closed. Temporarily dismissing that plan, she entered the lobby of the hospital.
Ghastly clouds of grief seemed to flood out of every corner, ignored and unseen by the nurses, doctors, and families in the waiting room. The demons were likely in the patients’ rooms. Wraiths would feed off of depression and grief, amplifying the physical suffering a sick body might endure. Disgusting.
A nurse looked up from the desk, noticing Mami, “Good evening, are you here to see someone? Just a reminder visiting hours will be closing soon,” she stated, almost robotically.
Mami absentmindedly nodded as Kyubey, unseen by normal humans, moved ahead, trying to find an area where the miasma was thick enough to enter so they might begin their work. “Yes, I’m here to visit,” she quickly thought up a name to distract the nurse, “Ayako Mitsuya.”
The nurse looked down, beginning to search the databases on her computer. “Mami, I’ve found a way in, come quickly,” Kyubey called out telepathically. The nurse looked up, “I’m sorry, it doesn’t appear that we have—” her voice trailed off as she noticed Mami was gone.
Fortunately there weren’t many doctors around to see Mami slip by. She held her soul gem out in front of her, before a cloud of mist. He gem lit up as her magical girl garb materialized around her body, as around her reality began to slip away. By the time her feet touched the ground once more, she was in a pale, shadowy reflection of the hospital, with ghastly, disturbing moans echoing down its halls. Shadows of the humans in the real world still wandered through these halls, yet the wraiths were now physically manifested.
Which meant now they could be killed.
Kyubey jumped up onto Mami’s shoulders as a rifle materialized in her hands. She began to step through the halls, listening intently, before taking a turn into a nearby room.
It was never a refreshing sight to see a wraith standing over the shadow of a human. Just barely visible in this alternate realm, a faint image of a person was still seen grieving, pained in their hospital bed, possibly sobbing. The wraith stood there, motionless until disturbed, ignoring Mami’s presence, preoccupied with its “meal”.
It finally turned its head, acknowledging Mami, who without hesitation raised her rifle and fired, piercing its head with a magical gunshot. The wraith vanished into dust, a few fragments of its curses falling to the ground, which Kyubey promptly swept up with his tail before returning to Mami.
The human’s shadow appeared to stop writhing, beginning to rest easy. Mami smiled, satisfied, even if only temporarily—the gunshot alerted the rest of the wraiths in the area of her presence, and they were not prepared to go down without a fight.
The halls felt disproportionately large and open now, with demons coming out of all directions and rooms. Their sizes varied—many were larger than a human, a few even towered over Mami. A wraith’s size depended upon how engorged they were with grief, violence, and despair. Regardless, this was child’s play. Mami cast her arm aside, an onslaught of muskets spawning around her as they opened fire.
The first wave of the horde fell fast as more charge forward with eerie roars. Mami grabbed an spent rifle, turning it on its end to club the nearest horror before spawning a new weapon to blast the next in the face. She spun about, never missing a step or a shot, alternating between a strike and gunfire in a graceful ballet of death.
She wasn’t afraid. Not anymore. A year or two ago she would have never thought to come to a hospital to face these odds, yet tonight she was in absolute control. Beast after beast dropped around her as she herself was unable to be scathed, until finally only one remained.
It was a large one, staring her down with its eyeless face, hesitating before striking. The wraith gave a growling moan, which Mami only returned with a small smile. She cast her arm up, a ribbon extending from it, as she whipped it forward. The ribbon coiled and let off a flash, transforming into a large cannon.
The hammer on the cannon came down, igniting the flint with a spark. “Tiro… finale!” she cried out, as it fired a generous blast straight through the wraith’s core, banishing it in flames. The gun vanished after making its attack, as Mami relaxed her stance.
Kyubey immediately retrieved the curses that had been dropped, before Mami noticed something. “Why hasn’t the miasma faded yet?” she asked as Kyubey returned to her shoulder once more.
“Perhaps you’re not done. If a wraith is well distracted it may not have heeded your intrusion,” Kyubey answered. “We can investigate further, or we can leave now—we have plenty of curses available for purification.”
Of course Mami wasn’t about to leave a demon unchecked. She stepped through the hall. It was a little unsettling to not know where one’s enemy lay. Mami continued forward, listening intently. For the most part, the shadow world seemed quiet, muffled murmurs from the real world barely echoing to her ears. From what she could hear, none of it sounded distressed, at least to the point of being indicative of a wraith. Yet, before long she began to hear sobs.
She continued, following the whimpers. They were becoming more audible, beginning to couple with the groans of a wraith. Something didn’t seem right, however; as she drew closer, the sobs became more and more clear.
She turned a corner before stopping at a door. The sounds were coming from inside. Slowly, she opened it. A wraith was standing over a figure as expected, yet surprisingly she could see another girl in the corner, cowering, staring at the wraith. She was fully visible, trapped in the miasma as well, wearing a brown hood and orange shawl, her hair pale white. The whimpers stopped as she went silent, looking at Mami, equally surprised to see another human.
The wraith, who had been ignoring the girl, turned from its feasting upon the human to look at Mami. Mami was still looking at the girl, too surprised to move. The wraith began to turn its form, moving to strike.
“W-watch out!” the girl squeaked. Mami snapped to her senses right at the wraith lunged. A small, double-barrel musket appeared in her hand as she blasted the wraith right in its face, inches before it reached her.
With that, the mist began to slowly recede. Reality flickered back about them, as Mami found herself in the hospital room of a very sick woman, a heart monitor letting off slow, weak beeps. The girl was still in the corner, not moved from before. Mami wasn’t sure how to react, meeting her gaze, before deciding to dismiss her magical girl attire to return to her school uniform. As she expected, the girl likewise flickered in white light before her outfit faded away, leaving her in a simple pink dress.
“Ah, Nagisa Momoe,” Kyubey broke the silence. “I did not expect you would still be here. Pardon us for intruding.”
They stared at one another wordlessly, before being interrupted by a steady ring from the heart monitor. The woman’s heart stopped, as the girl rushed to her side with panicked cries of “mama” between gasps and sudden, uncontrollable sobbing.
---
The doctors eventually came in and the woman was confirmed deceased. Nagisa was sitting in Mami’s lap in one of the chairs of the room, using her shoulder to muffle her crying and dry her tears. Despite being a total stranger, Mami held her arms around the girl in an embrace, wanting nothing more than to alleviate her grief. One doctor, not recognizing Mami, turned to ask her for identification. “I’m Mami Momoe. I arrived a few minutes ago for my cousin, Nagisa,” she lied, taking advantage of Kyubey’s earlier identification, gently trying to comfort the crying girl in her arms by brushing her fingers through her hair. The doctor nodded, assuming the statement to be genuine based on Nagisa’s reaction to Mami, and didn’t bother the two of them further.
After a few hours, Mami was able to walk Nagisa out of the hospital. The crying had diminished to occasional sniffs and sobs, but Nagisa was able to explain as best she could:
Nagisa herself was born a sick child. She had never been able to eat the sweets she loved due to her frail immune system and various allergies. To make matters worse, her mother, formerly a baker, had contracted cancer a few months back. In her delirium from her sickness, she had lamented not her own health, but her daughter’s. Her condition was just beginning to stabilize, yet she was still restricted to the hospital when Kyubey had approached Nagisa a few days ago, offering her a contract. Convinced her mother was getting better and that her happiness would be the key to finalizing her recovery, she wished that she would be able to share cake and cheese with her mother again. It was unknown if the contract was what restored Nagisa’s health, or if it was simply the process of becoming a magical girl, but sure enough she was able to share a sweet meal with her mom, and it did make them both happy. As soon as Nagisa’s health improved, however, her mother’s took a turn, her body relapsing and suddenly losing fight after fight to the cancer.
The wraith that had been feasting on her mother’s life was a byproduct of her mother’s grief and now-disappointed expectations. It was the first one Nagisa had faced, and she had been too afraid to act. If Mami hadn’t arrived in time, she likely would have been killed as soon as it had finished with her mother.
Mami had brought the girl to her apartment to give her something sweet to eat to hopefully alleviate some of her sadness. With a motherly sense of care, she also examined Nagisa’s soul gem, using some of the surplus curses she had collected that night to purify the tears that earlier that day had begun to stain it black.
“Do you have any other family to stay with?” Mami asked tenderly, cautious about upsetting her further as Nagisa was helping herself to a slice of cake.
Nagisa shook her head, crossing her feet on her pillow. “I don’t have a dad… They wanted to put me in an orphanage.” Her voice was starting to quaver slightly, as she felt a pit returning to her stomach. “I’m scared…” Mami slid a little closer to her to offer her a hug. Nagisa nestled her head against Mami’s chest, a few tears in her eyes as she whimpered, “I miss my mom…”
Mami cooed softly to her, stroking her head to try and pacify her. “I know you do…” The tears started to run down Nagisa’s cheeks as she sniffed again. "I'm so sorry, Nagisa... I know what it's like..." Mami decided to chance an ask: “Would you like to stay with me, instead? At least for now.”
Pausing briefly, Nagisa gave a wordless nod, nuzzling against Mami before hugging her tighter. Her voice was quiet and frail, "If it's okay..."
Mami gave a comforting smile. “I have a place for you to sleep, it’s no trouble at all. Plus, we’re both magical girls. It only makes sense that we would help each other, right?”
Nagisa gave a small nod, most of her sobbing finally quiet once more. She yawned, leaning on Mami’s shoulder, her eyes fluttering. Though the day had been upsetting for her, she felt oddly safe with Mami, and was willing to let sleep overtake her.
Kyouko eventually returned to Mitakihara City, and definitely wasn't welcome back at first. Mami still bore a grudge, and she was angry that she had taken in Sayaka as her new student.
Homura Akemi managed to come between them and prevent any fights, which ultimately allowed Kyouko to repair things with Mami. After some time, Mami was willing to talk to Kyouko and finally make peace, and Kyouko even began to befriend Sayaka.
The blue and red got along quite well and found that they had more in common than they thought. Without a place of her own to stay, Kyouko would usually spend the night at Mami's house, yet even then she'd constantly talk about how much fun she had that day with Sayaka, between witch hunts.
Mami could tell what was going on, and eventually would encourage Kyouko to confess to Sayaka, though she would consistently refuse, shrugging it off as being sappy when in reality she was just too nervous. Insistent, Mami would try to role-play scenarios out with Kyouko, who would never be able to take them seriously. Until one day, just as she finally was taking the acting seriously, convinced to confess to Sayaka, the blue haired-girl herself walks in on them, having heard everything.
Sayaka would laugh at them both as Kyouko's face would turn as red as her hair. Sayaka would then confess she had been practicing with Madoka about an hour ago so that she might confess to Kyouko, and the two would celebrate by blowing off the awkwardness with ice cream and time at the arcade.
Mami took Nagisa under her wing and cared for her, since Nagisa's mom died shortly after she made her contract. At night Nagisa would get really upset sometimes and start crying and it'd wake Mami. Little Nagisa would say she misses her mom, and Mami would just hug her and gently and sit on the sofa with her and sing to her until she falls asleep in the embrace. She'd keep her voice steady but there'd be tears in her eyes as well because she knows that feeling.
In the morning Nagisa would still be in Mami's arms on the sofa noticing Mami fell asleep without putting her back in her bed. So, she gets up and tries to make pancakes by herself, and Mami wakes up to the smell of smoke.
She quickly takes care of it and then makes a real breakfast of really thick pancakes, eggs, etc. She then tells Nagisa she's going to teach her how to cook.
Not without Consequences - 5
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Features: Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki, Homura Akemi, Hitomi Shizuki
Chapter 1 Wordcount: 3194
Rating: T
Summary: Homura, Hitomi, and Sayaka make their final stand against Walpurgisnacht.
Final chapter.
Safe for work
As expected, the emergency crew van paraded the streets, warning people to evacuate to the nearest shelter. Any mortals present in the city were currently holed up in the building further inland. They still weren't safe. Storm clouds served as the harbinger of the destruction Walpurgisnacht was prepared to cause. Hitomi, Sayaka, and Homura were standing on an abandoned road above the pier, facing the bay, each in their magical girl attire.
Hitomi was fidgeting, uneasily. Homura glanced to her, "Thinking of backing out?"
"No," Hitomi responded, shaking her head. She looked over to Sayaka. "Are you mad at me?"
Sayaka turned to look at her quizzically. "No. Why would I be?"
"Well, there was all that happened with Kyousuke… I had no idea you had made your wish for him," she continued, fearing she was treading on sensitive ground.
Sayaka just shrugged. "That doesn't really matter anymore, does it?" She turned to face the horizon, hands behind her head. "There wasn't a way for you to have known. Besides, if I had made my wish just to try and get Kyousuke to love me, wouldn't that have been a completely selfish act?" She lowered her arms, not turning her head as she continued. "Just getting to hear him play again was enough of a reward for me. I don't think I paid too high a price." She finally turned on her heel, looking at Hitomi once more with a smile on her face. "You, on the other hand… I think you might've. It's not too late. You can leave this to me and Homura, get out of here while you still have a chance and try to get your money's worth."
Hitomi shook her head defiantly. "I'm not going anywhere!" She flung her arm to the side as a green light arced vertically out from her palm. Her axe spawned in her hand, as she planted its end into the ground. "I'm a magical girl as well. I have a duty to protect this city, just as much as you or Akemi-san do!"
The wind began to pick up. Homura stepped to the ledge. "It's time." She jumped off the ledge, landing on the pier below. Hitomi and Sayaka followed behind her. The three began advancing, mist covering their footsteps.
Before long, cacophonous fanfare began blaring about them. Out of the mist a parade preceded the Walpurgis. Green elephants, clowns, and an assortment of colorful familiars passed by the girls ambivalently. Up in the sky, shadows swirled behind the clouds, before finally the pale aura of several runes began to glow.
The parade passed as the girls reached the end of the pier. Walpurgisnacht soon appeared in the sky, its wailing laughter echoing far enough to reach the ears of the girls.
Sayaka wrapped herself in her cape, spinning it apart to reveal several swords in the ground around her. Hitomi raised her axe, unsure of what to expect. Homura's shield gave a click, and with a brief flicker, about the three of them a collection of RPGs and AT rocket launchers suddenly spawned in the area, propped upright on their back ends.
Walpurgis cast a massive shadow over the ocean as it approach. Sayaka began to fling her swords, accelerating them with her magic. Homura flickered once. As soon as she reappeared, all of the rocket launchers were falling to the ground, as a barrage of rockets were beginning their ascent towards Walpurgis. They all rushed forwards, sword and rocket colliding with the witch, knocking it back with a series of explosions.
Agitated, Walpurgisnacht turned its gaping maw towards the girls, and unleashed a bolt of flame. Homura leaped forward, raising her shield, forming a barrier to protect the other two. The impact of the flames knocked her back to Hitomi's and Sayaka's side.
"Move towards the bridge!" Homura commanded, dashing ahead. Walpurgisnacht gave another cackle as some buildings in the distance were ripped from their foundation. One was launched right into the girls' path. Hitomi jumped in front, giving a powerful swing right at the core of the building, as debris crashed around the three. The dust settled, and all three were still uninjured.
"This is impossible; we're going to be pulverized before we can get close!" Sayaka shouted.
Homura gritted her teeth. "Go on ahead, I'll meet you both on the bridge." Before either of them could protest, Homura's shield gave a click, and she vanished.
Sayaka glared where Homura once stood. Hitomi grabbed her wrist, interrupting her thoughts, "Let's go!"
A salvo of mortars began to bombard Walpurgisnacht, serving enough of a distraction to allow Hitomi and Sayaka to advance without fear. Homura was seen on another end of the pier, dashing to set the portable artillery off. It wasn't enough to slow the witch's advance; however it did cause it to move closer to the truss bridge where Hitomi and Sayaka were waiting.
The two had made it to the top of one of the supports and were actually at a height level with Walpurgis. The witch didn't notice them at first, spouting flames off in random directions, retaliating from Homura's attacks. "This is it," Sayaka muttered. Walpurgis suddenly turned its head towards the bridge, letting out a blast of fire as the two leapt into the air, dodging the flame.
Sayaka lead, her blades in a flurry, striking across the body of the witch as she glanced down its front, before kicking off of its head to leap away. Hitomi followed, rearing her axe back, till finally she was right in front of the witch's center. She swung her axe, the head letting off a rush of steam, striking the witch with a powerful blow to its core. As her weapon collided, there was a bright explosion of green, causing Walpurgisnacht to recoil.
The two landed in the water, or they would've had something below the surface not caught their fall. Homura soon dropped down beside them, using her magic to pull up a salvo of missile launchers that had broken the girls' fall. By her command, the launchers fired, three missiles plowing into Walpurgisnacht. They didn't explode right away, pushing the beast into a skyscraper on the other side of the bridge before finally detonating with a violent explosion.
"Is it over?" Hitomi dared to ask. A cackle served as her answer. Before the three could react, a dark, ethereal beam lashed out and pierced the missile launchers, causing them to explode right below the girls' feet. The force was enough to knock the three of them back to the pier, as the beam that had launched out dispersed into a series of orbs, which soon took on a humanoid form, much like the silhouettes of slain magical girls.
Sayaka was the first to regain her control, twisting in the air. She cast out her hands, beams of light in the shape of musical measures forming just before Homura and Hitomi, before latching onto any nearby structures, serving to break their fall. The three of them landed safely.
"You guys alright?" Sayaka asked. Hitomi propped herself up on her axe and gave a nod. Homura was wordless, but her stance suggested she was far from giving up. A horde of magical girls' shadows were now dancing before them, eager to fight, as Walpurgisnacht, already recovered from the salvo, was advancing inland overhead.
"Kyubey…" Madoka whimpered, staring out of a window in from the upper floor the shelter, in one of the fore rooms. "Homura will be okay, right? She can beat Walpurgisnacht with Sayaka's and Hitomi's help."
The Incubator was sitting on the railing that Madoka was leaning on, off to her side. "It's plausibility is very low, especially considering the possibility of that outcome may be in question."
"What do you mean?" Madoka asked.
"Homura is trying to change fate. No matter what happens, destiny cannot be changed, at least not without powerful magic. You can change how it plays out, but the ends tend to justify the means." It licked its paw dismissively. "As I have said before, you have the potential to change fate, however. Hitomi was able to bring Sayaka back from the dead, even with her limited prowess—no doubt you would be able to do much more."
Madoka shuddered. She knew making a contract was too high a risk. Kyubey continued, "If I cannot convince you, maybe you should see how your friends are faring themselves? See how even with three, there is nothing they can do to stop Walpurgisnacht."
Flashes of lightning—or at least, she thought it was lightning, it very well could have been an explosion from the battle—blinked in the distance. Madoka took a deep breath, trying to sort her thoughts.
Walpurgisnacht roared overhead, making its first pass over the landscape, buildings ripping up out of the ground as it passed by. The three girls charged after it, deflecting attacks from its familiars in an attempt to keep pace.
Hitomi suddenly let out a cry. A familiar had grabbed her leg with a whip, slamming her into the ground. Two more closed in on her while her guard was down. Sayaka gave off her chase to dart back, cleaving the two across their "chests," as Hitomi swung her axe at the whip latched on to her leg, freeing herself. The two stood back to back as several more shadows closed in.
All manners of weapons were used against them, all made of shadows—swords, spears, crossbows, rifles, hammers, claws. Sayaka spun her blades about, parrying each incoming blow, counter attacking with elegant slices in an attempt to fend off the horde at a dangerously close range. Hitomi meanwhile would leave her guard wide open, opting for wide, sweeping strikes, annihilating familiars before they could even get close. The two would shift, rolling around each other to cover one another's weaknesses.
The hordes seemed to have no end. "This looks bad," Hitomi muttered as they experienced a brief pause in attacks. Suddenly, all of their foes lunged forward at once. Hitomi and Sayaka braced themselves, only to find themselves suddenly moved a few meters away, a pipe bomb left behind at their former location. It exploded, destroying the familiars. Homura was seen standing with them, her hands on both their wrists.
"Keep moving!" she demanded, leaping forward again. Hitomi complied, with Sayaka right behind her.
More familiars blocked their path. Homura reached into her shield, pulling out a belt-fed light machine gun, using suppressive fire to clear a path, giving a signal to the other two. Sayaka stepped forward, kneeling down as runes surrounded her. Hitomi knelt down next to Sayaka, preparing to leap. With Sayaka's help, accelerated by her magic, she launched into the air, directly at Walpurgisnacht. The beast turned its head to face Hitomi, letting out a jet of flames.
Hitomi screamed, yet there was still an explosion of green, and a cackling wail from Walpurgisnacht. As the flames cleared, Hitomi was visible on the witch's chest, her axe planted deep. Her dress was singed, but she was alive. Walpurgisnacht was starting to fall, as it crashed into the road.
Hitomi leapt off, landing back with Homura and Sayaka, staggering. Sayaka helped her up.
"We're not done yet," Homura muttered. Hitomi was back on her feet, though her legs were shaking, slightly. She wouldn't survive another hit like that.
More familiars spawned around their master, ready to protect it. The three charged headfirst into the army, guns blazing and blades at the ready.
Homura fought expertly, attempting to get close enough to Walpurgisnacht to attack it directly. Both hands would carry a gun, dropping them whenever she ran out of ammo, only to pull a new one from her shield. She was a flurry of bullets. The few familiars unfortunate enough to get close only found their attacks blocked by her shield, and their heads blown off via a combination of an uppercut with a point-blank pistol shot.
Despite her injuries, Hitomi was able to hold her own, though she did fight more on the defensive. She carried the weight of her axe to her advantage, spinning it about her to keep her momentum up. The familiars foolish enough to try and block her strikes found themselves eradicated by its sheer force. Those that got close were dodged until the axe could come around to strike them appropriately. Fortunately, she was not overwhelmed—if not for Homura and Sayaka holding the attention of the remaining two-thirds of the horde, she would have easily fallen then and there.
Sayaka meanwhile was cutting her way through the horde, ahead of Homura, even. Yet, before long, Sayaka found herself caught between three familiars, two with swords, one with a spear. She fought tooth and nail, parrying the sword strikes and ducking under the spear. A swift kick granted her some distance between one of the sword users, giving her a chance to fling her cutlass into its head, destroying it. The two remaining charged her again—once more, she deflected, getting locked into a grapple with the other sword wielder.
A sudden cackle pierced the sounds of battle. From behind the familiar, Sayaka saw a rush of light coming at her—Walpurgis was still capable of using its fire breath. She couldn't dodge, becoming enveloped and blasted by the flames. The familiar was incinerated, yet a charred Sayaka slammed into a nearby building.
She had been blasted out of the thick of the battle, yet the remaining familiar approached. Sayaka slowly rose to her feet, getting a good look at her opponent. Its "hair" seemed to come down in a long ponytail, and it seemed to wear a dress that bore no shoulders. She rubbed her eyes, unable to believe what she was witnessing.
The final confirmation came to her in the form of an attack. The familiar spun around as its spear broke into a series of segments, connected by chains. Its broad head was coming right at her. Sayaka raised her sword, knowing exactly where the strike would land, and deflected the attack just in time.
She glared at the mockery before her, its chain coming to a whole spear once more as it dashed through the air. She rolled to the side as it impaled the wall behind her, as she spun to strike. The familiar parried with the hilt of its spear, then delivered a swift kick to her gut, sending her reeling.
This was all too familiar. The creature leapt up into the air, vaulting with its spear before falling at Sayaka with a diving stab.
Her reflexes were too slow. The spear went straight through her stomach, knowing precisely where to strike.
Hey, Kyouko.
Can you hear me?
I'm sorry I left you.
You were right.
It really does suck to be alone.
I know I said I never would, but I did have one regret…
And that was leaving you behind.
…
But that's over now.
I'm sorry I made you wait.
I'm coming back.
I'm coming home.
"SAYAKA!" a voice cried out. Madoka was standing at the top of a hill, dangerously close to the fight, Kyubey at her side. She charged down the hill frantically, leaving Kyubey at the top. Homura tried to call out to her, though she suddenly was attacked from all angles by familiars, desperate to restrain her.
Madoka arrived just as the familiar was pulling its spear from Sayaka's now-lifeless body. She hesitated. The familiar looked like Kyouko, as it turned its head to stare eyelessly at Madoka.
"MADOKA, RUN!" Homura cried out desperately, attempting to break free of her attackers. The familiar turned its body to face Madoka, giving its spear a spin, pointing it at her. Madoka began to backpedal before turning to flee, letting out a scream as the familiar charged her.
There was sudden, blinding pain. The world around her began to fade rapidly. She stopped moving, the familiar's weapon protruding from her stomach. There was a sudden flash of green as Hitomi managed to cleave the familiar in two, though it was too late. Madoka fell to her knees, keeling over.
Homura screamed. She had finally gained enough room to use her magic, escaping with a leap, leaving behind the explosion of a pipe bomb. She landed, collapsing on the ground next to Madoka, desperately grasping for her.
Her breaths were shallow as she reached up, slowly, touching Homura's face. Tears were streaming from both their eyes. Hitomi was likewise collapsed on the ground, sobbing. Homura, her face contorted into an expression of agony, reached up to touch Madoka's hand.
"Homura… I'm… Sorry… I was…" Madoka barely managed to choke out before her touch went limp, her breath finally ceasing.
Walpurgisnacht began to rumble, slowly lifting itself out of the rubble once more. Its familiars were dancing, beginning to encircle Hitomi and Homura.
"I'm sorry!" Hitomi cried out, choking through her tears. "I couldn't—!"
Homura slowly set Madoka down, rising to her feet. Kyubey was sitting on a nearby piece of rubble. "Shame, I had been hoping she'd at least live long enough to make a contract with me, rather than charging head-first as a normal human. Oh well. You two are almost done, might as well finish off Walpurgisnacht while you still have the chance."
Homura's demeanor had gone silent once more. Hitomi looked up to her, hysterical, tears in her eyes. Homura's hand rested on her buckler.
"W-what are you doing?" Hitomi asked, her voice shaking.
"There's nothing more for me here." She gave her shield a turn.
"Wait! Don't leave me!" Hitomi begged, clambering at Homura's legs. "Please! I don't want to die!" Her crying was frantic. "Two of my friends are dead! You're the only one I have left!"
Homura turned her head, squeezing her eyes shut with a grimace. She couldn't stand to look Hitomi in the eyes, who by now had her fists clenched, her head pressed against the ground, heaving in a series of violent sobs.
"I'm sorry," was all she could muster. She finished the turn of her shield, and with a flicker, she vanished, whisked back through time to try once more.
Hitomi's sobs were heavy. She didn't bother raising her head to acknowledge Homura's disappearance, though she still slowly rose to her feet, reaching for her axe.
She propped herself up, raising her axe to her side. Teary eyes stared at Walpurgisnacht above her. The familiars giggled, spinning about her. She swallowed her agony. Harnessing whatever magic, strength, and energy she had left, she knelt down before springing into a leap.
She charged at the witch, weapon poised to strike, giving one final yell, ready to meet whatever end fate had in store.
Not without Consequences - 4
View the other chapters here
Also viewable on Fanfiction.net
Features: Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki, Homura Akemi, Hitomi Shizuki
Chapter 1 Wordcount: 1915
Rating: T
Summary: Sayaka visits the old church where she once spoke with Kyouko. Her grief causes her condition to begin to deteriorate. Homura steps in, attempting to help, only for them to come to blows.
Safe for work
"Why did you approach Hitomi?" Homura didn't look up from her book. It was a piece of nonfiction, largely informational. She was sitting in her apartment, legs crossed. Kyubey slowly c\rawled out from the shadows.
"I had assumed I wasn't welcome here anymore." He scratched his ear with his foot. "You humans are fickle creatures."
"You didn't answer my question." Homura set the book down. "You have given me another opportunity in the fight against Walpurgisnacht. That's uncharacteristic of you."
"Ah, but Hitomi Shizuki is apt to be more of a burden to you than a benefit. And Sayaka Miki still refuses to assist you." Homura didn't appear phased. "We had come to a consensus that there was only a slim chance of them being able to change the expected outcome. Additionally, there is a notable chance that they may interfere with your plans more than you expect. In this case, the rewards clearly outweigh the risks."
"You underestimate me," Homura responded emotionlessly, glancing back down at her book. It detailed some of the involvements of the US military in Japan during the Cold War.
"Even then, it was simply an opportunity. With Sayaka back, there is a second chance for her to become a witch. Hitomi likewise will ultimately fall to despair. Considering we had been unable to collect Sayaka's grief seed before, we are essentially making up for a loss."
Homura stopped paying attention to him. "If anything, Sayaka Miki will once again become a problem for you, before Walpurgisnacht descends. You know—"
"Leave," Homura commanded, interrupting. Kyubey bent his head down in a mock sigh before slinking off into the shadows once more. Homura turned a page in her book.
The news reports had been buzzing that morning about the upcoming storm. The sun betrayed their predictions for the time being, glowing a warm, soothing yellow, casting shafts of gold through the remnants of now-broken stained glass windows. Sayaka was climbing the stairs to the altar of the church, the fire damaged pews bouncing the morning sun to give the air an appearance of gold.
She had a bag with her. She set it down on the altar and reached inside, pulling out an apple, then sat down quietly on the ground, on her knees. She reached into her pocket, pulling out the black ribbon from before.
"Why did you try to save me…" she muttered, staring at the ribbon. She put the apple to her mouth and took a reluctant bite.
She let the taste set in her mouth for a bit before swallowing. Suddenly, she leaned forward, pounding the altar, letting the apple drop to the floor. Her teeth clenched in an attempt to stave off any sobbing, yet tears still began to form from her shut eyes. "Yeah, it does suck to be alone," she choked, squeezing the ribbon and bringing it to her chest. "You said you'd be here. You said we wouldn't be alone anymore. Well!? Where the hell are you!?"
She didn't get a response. She sobbed against the altar, grieving heavily, till finally her breaths regulated as she slowly rose once more. Her eyes were still red from crying as she placed the ribbon on the altar.
"I'm sorry, Kyouko. I wasn't worth it," she muttered, remnants of tears staining the surface of the altar.
Leaving the rest of the apples and the ribbon, she turned to leave, only to see Homura Akemi standing at the entrance of the church, in her magical girl attire.
"She would disagree," Homura stated.
Sayaka growled at her. "Get lost."
"Kyouko was my friend as well. I have as much a right to be here as you do." Homura stepped forward.
"Bullshit!" Sayaka roared, flinging her hand out. Her ring shifted into her soul gem—still mostly clear from the grief seed the other day, yet signs of grief were already beginning to stain it. "The only person you're ever interested in serving is yourself!"
Homura ran her hand through her hair, dismissing the accusation. "I had been hoping you had reconsidered on helping me to fight Walpurgisnacht."
Sayaka raised her soul gem before her, runes spreading from it like a wall. They collided through her, bubbles and foam materializing through the air behind her as her uniform suddenly shifted to her magical girl attire. She put her hand to her stomach as her gem seated in its normal resting spot, and as she pulled away, her sword materialized in her hand.
"It is not my intention to fight you," Homura announced, not shifting her stance.
"I don't know what the hell you're planning, but I've had it with you!" Sayaka yelled. "I'm not going to let you manipulate Madoka and Hitomi any further!" She lunged forward.
Homura raised her buckler, blocking the blow, before deflecting the sword and giving Sayaka a strong kick to the gut. Sayaka recoiled, but managed to dig her sword into the ground, stopping her from flying back to far. Homura pulled out a handgun and fired off two rounds—both were immediately deflected by two slashes as Sayaka sprung at her again.
She made another slash, vertically this time, as Homura spun her gun around to block the blade with its receiver. Homura raised her buckler again to parry a second expected blow, however Sayaka drew her fist instead into an uppercut, bypassing the shield to punch Homura right in the face.
Homura flew backwards a bit before rolling to her feet. Sayaka seemed to be stronger than before. She turned her shield to attempt to stop time, only for a sword to fly forward and jam its mechanism before she could complete the process. The interruption bought Sayaka enough time to close in, two swords drawn and raised over her head, coming forward in twin slashes.
Homura leapt at Sayaka before she could bring her arms around to slash, the sword that was jamming her shield falling off in the process. She aimed for Sayaka's wrists with one palm, stopping her swords before they could become a threat, and swung her fist around to punch Sayaka in the gut. The two lost all momentum when they collided, and the strike provided Homura enough time to draw her weapons once more.
At point blank, she attempted to fire a small 9mm, only for Sayaka to expertly position a blade directly before the barrel. She fired again as Sayaka was immediately dipping low for a slash at her legs. Homura pounded her shield into Sayaka's head, using her as a platform to roll over, pulling out a sawed-off shotgun. As she landed, she turned and fired single-handedly, directly at Sayaka's stomach, inches above her soul gem.
Sayaka stopped. She had been hit at point blank, leaving a gaping, bloody hole in her gut. Homura was frozen, breathing heavy. Sayaka's mouth, stunned, slowly turned into a smile. She twisted her blades to her side, and with both simultaneously, slashed at Homura, who barely blocked in time. The impact of the force was enough to send her crashing back into the church, slamming into the stairs to the altar.
Sayaka rested her swords at her sides, cape whipping behind her, the wound in her stomach slowly starting to heal as her magic runes circled around it. She approached Homura slowly, till she was standing over her. A small stream of blood trickled down Homura's head. Sayaka raised her sword, prepared to stab.
And then suddenly Homura was gone. There was no time to react. She felt two bullets pierce her shins from behind, as well as one through her hand, making her drop one of her swords. Sayaka screamed and keeled down. Homura was standing behind her, the barrel of her beretta smoking, her shield clicking back into its normal position after having just allowing her to step through time.
Sayaka rolled over, glaring. "Well? Do it. Finish me off." Her breathing was heavy, pained, but still fighting.
Homura tossed the gun aside. "Do you think you're useless?"
"I don't need you to lecture me. Finish me off," Sayaka demanded. Homura suddenly reached down and grabbed Sayaka by the collar of her cape, looking her dead in the eyes.
"Kyouko ended her life in an attempt to save you. Hitomi sacrificed her own just so you could live again. You mean to tell me that you still believe you're useless? That you're not worth saving?" Homura's voice rose. Sayaka blinked, never having seen this form of agitation from the transfer student. "Two people have already put their lives on the line for you!"
"They shouldn't have—" Sayaka was cut off by a fierce slap from Homura.
"'Should' or 'should not' is irrelevant. What matters is that they did, and you want nothing more than to throw away their sacrifices." Homura's eyes, normally collected and devoid of emotion, suddenly had a piercing aura to them.
It was enough to begin to soften Sayaka's disposition. "I'm already dead. I can't go back to school, my family—"
"None of that will matter," Homura interjected. "You have every right to grieve. Facing the same cruel end twice is not something I would ever wish upon anyone. But if Walpurgisnacht is not stopped, your friends and family you had thought you left behind will all die." Homura paused, letting her words sink in. "You have been given an opportunity, Sayaka. If you want to die so badly, then make sure you die fighting to protect those you love."
Sayaka's mouth suddenly turned into a pained grin, as she leaned her head back, the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "I already left someone behind I loved by coming back. She's waiting for me," she choked out, giving a small chuckle. "Why don't you just tell me the truth, Akemi? Tell me how I almost killed Madoka. How I killed Kyouko." She opened her eyes again. "Tell me what I was like as a witch."
Homura relaxed her grip. "So you know."
"It wasn't hard to figure out." Sayaka was staring skyward at the sun.
"You didn't kill Kyouko, and that's the truth." Homura let go of Sayaka, standing up. "She killed what was left of you in a suicide attack. I think you already understand the rest of the story fairly accurately."
Sayaka's chuckling turned to sobbing, her eyes sealing shut. The wounds in her limbs had healed by now, yet she still refused to move. "Y'know, Akemi Homura," she muttered between gasps.
"Just call me Homura," the transfer student responded.
"Homura, then." Sayaka quieted her sobbing, beginning to take deep breaths. She still bore the twisted smile on her face, but remained facing skyward. "I was wrong about you. I still don't like you, but you're not that bad."
"So you'll help?" Homura asked one final time.
Sayaka gritted her teeth behind the smile and gave a nod. She slowly began to rise back to her feet, before seeing Homura's hand extended before her. She took it as Homura helped pull her back up.
"Just one more fight," she muttered, a rough smile on her face, meeting Homura's gaze. "I'll help you with just this one final fight. Then I'm done."
Not Without Consequences - 3
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Features: Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki, Homura Akemi, Hitomi Shizuki
Chapter 1 Wordcount: 2216
Rating: T
Summary: Sayaka demands answers. Homura appears before the three, able to provide a few, in hopes of enlisting Hitomi and Sayaka to assist her in the fight against Walpurgisnacht, yet she's met with opposition.
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Hitomi Shizuki hadn't gone to school the day following Sayaka's funeral, which, while understandable, still shocked both her parents and peers, considering she had never missed a day. She curled up on her bed, gripping her pillow, sobbing softly into it.
After a while she'd doze off, then wake, sit up and stay there for a moment in silence. She'd get up, wander around her room, sit at her desk, then droop her head down and pound the surface of her desk as the sobbing would return. Before long she'd return to her bed and once more hug her pillow, staining it with her tears.
Over time her emotions began to quiet themselves, yet she still occasionally would have a breakdown. She would talk to Kyousuke at school, who was mostly quiet on the topic of Sayaka. The two would sit together at lunch and walk home, but made no attempts to spend time together like they once had planned; not until they were able to find closure for what had happened.
One evening in particular, Hitomi was sitting at her bed, resting her head on her pillow. There were tears in her eyes, yet her breaths were steady.
"Do you wish you could have known?"
She blinked. A voice was echoing inside her head. She looked around, setting aside her pillow. "Who's there?" she asked, not expecting a response.
"I am at your window. May I come in?" Hitomi looked to her window. The pale orange sunlight illuminated a cat-like figure on her sill, its pink eyes contrasting against its shadow. She cautiously approached her window, undoing the latch and opening its panes.
Kyubey jumped down to the floor. "A cat…?" Hitomi observed the alien, as it turned to look at her.
"My name is Kyubey. A few days ago, at Sayaka Miki's funeral, you had said something along the lines of wishing to have been able to change Sayaka's fate, did you not?"
Hitomi blinked. Was she talking to a cat? Wordlessly, she nodded. Kyubey turned and sat down, facing her, communicating without moving its mouth.
"I can help you with that," he stated.
"Y—you can bring Sayaka back?" Hitomi questioned, kneeling down to face him. "What are you?"
"My name is Kyubey. Unfortunately I cannot bring Sayaka back—however, that is something YOU can do." Its tail swished behind as it 'spoke'. "All you need to do is make a contract with me, and become a magical girl! In exchange, you are granted one wish."
"A… magical girl?" she asked quizzically. "I get a wish? What does a magical girl do?"
"Indeed. As long as you can wish for it, it will happen by your own power. A magical girl's duty is to battle against creatures called 'witches'. They sow the curses of despair upon humanity, while magical girls spread hope."
Hitomi sat down on the floor. "Can you help me bring Sayaka back?" she asked again.
"Sayaka may be more difficult as she was a magical girl herself." Hitomi's eyes widened in surprise. "But in theory it should be possible."
"Do you know how she died, Kyubey?" Hitomi asked earnestly.
The Incubator blinked, but remained motionless. "She fell to the powers of a witch." His manipulation of the truth relieved a huge sense of guilt from Hitomi. So, Sayaka hadn't committed suicide from despair… That was a relief. "So, Hitomi Shizuki," Kyubey resumed. "Will you make a contract with me?"
She thought hard, even if only briefly before giving a nod. There was no harm in trying, right? If it were a hoax or an elaborate trick, she'd certainly feel despondent afterwards, but considering the circumstances it seemed worth that risk.
"So then, Hitomi. Tell me your wish." The Incubator's eyes lit up slightly as its ear-like protrusions raised above its head.
Hitomi rose to her feet and took a deep breath. "I wish my friend Sayaka Miki were alive once more," she declared, being as clear as possible.
Kyubey's eyes sparked, the symbol on its back beginning to glow. Hitomi suddenly began writhing, a burning sensation in her chest. A green light appeared, moving out of her body from just below her collarbone, rising into the air before her eyes.
"Your prayer has prevailed over the forces of entropy. Reach out and embrace your fate, Hitomi Shizuki!"
Hitomi reached her hands forward, clasping them around her soul. There was a bright flash, and everything suddenly went dark. When Hitomi finally came to, she was alone in her room, lying on the ground. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, before noticing a beautiful green soul gem in her hand.
She held it up to her face, gingerly and curiously admiring it. In her head, she heard Kyubey's voice once more.
"Your wish should be coming true momentarily. I shall meet you again at a later time to tell you what more you will need to know to hunt witches. Farewell for now, Hitomi Shizuki."
"What happened to Kyouko?" Sayaka asked again. The three girls were outside the abandoned store that minutes ago was a witch's barrier. Hitomi and Sayaka were once again in their school uniforms, while Madoka was gathering her belongings that had been left on the ground.
"Who's Kyouko?" Hitomi inquired. Sayaka didn't respond to her, clenching her fist.
Something wasn't right. Madoka should be overjoyed to see Sayaka again. The sense of unease that had been upsetting her mind before was replaced by a renewed form of anxiety. "I told you, Sayaka… She's dead," she muttered, not daring to face her friend immediately. "But, how are you alive?"
Hitomi looked like she was about to say something, but Sayaka cut her off. "I… The last thing I remember is sitting with Kyouko. She was talking me out of doing something stupid." She bowed her head. "I was angry… Angry at myself, at the world," she looked up at Madoka, "angry at you. I'm sorry about what I said before, by the way."
"It's alright," Madoka reassured her.
"I barely remember what else happened. I think a witch had followed me or something… And I remember Kyouko telling me she didn't want us to be alone." Sayaka paused. Much of the edge that had been in her voice was now dulled. "She saved my life. What happened to her? How did she die? And if I'm supposed to be dead, how am I here now?"
Hitomi finally spoke up, "That last part is my doing." She didn't sound proud of her accomplishment anymore. "I met Kyubey a day ago. He offered me a wish. Unless this Kyouko person was acting through my wish, that's the reason why you're alive now."
Sayaka was silent. Her eyes were dull, unsettling Hitomi with a judgmental gaze. When she spoke, her voice was a dark mutter. "I'm not worth saving… You shouldn't have thrown your life away for me."
"Huh?" Hitomi was perplexed, not because Sayaka was rejecting her wish, but because of the prospect of wasting one's life for another. She didn't understand what being a magical girl fully entailed yet.
"I've got nothing left for me in this world," Sayaka continued in a deadpan voice. "I can't go back to my family. You two are the only ones able to know I still exist."
Madoka began to speak as well, her voice tense. "Sayaka… Do you remember what happened to you, specifically? Do you remember becoming—"
Do you think that is a good idea? Madoka stopped. She heard a voice inside her head, a familiar one. She looked behind her, seeing Homura Akemi walking up the street towards the three.
"Ugh, it's that damn transfer student again," Sayaka growled through clenched teeth. "What do you want?" she demanded.
"I was looking for Madoka. She had called me moments ago in a panic before we were cut off. I'm assuming there was a witch?" Homura inquired.
"You're a magical girl as well? Has everyone in our class made a contract!?" Hitomi interjected, caught off guard before righting herself. "Oh, apologies, I don't think we have met formally." She held out her hand with an amiable smile. "I'm—"
"Hitomi Shizuki, I know," Homura said dismissively, ignoring the handshake. Hitomi recoiled, a little hurt.
"You're too late, we already took care of the witch," Sayaka asserted. "Leave."
"Thank you for that." Homura's response caught Sayaka off guard. "If you two hadn't intervened, I fear for what would have happened to Madoka." Madoka grabbed her elbow, rubbing it, and shifted her stance uneasily. She was tired of being saved. "Sayaka Miki, you have poor recollection of how you were saved and of the circumstances regarding your death, correct?"
"What are you getting at?" Sayaka demanded, glaring at Homura. "What do you know?"
"If you wish to find out, I'd suggest you calm your attitude. Of the four present at your death, only three of us are here at the moment, including yourself, only two came out alive, and only one came out conscious." She raised her hand and brushed through her hair. "I'm willing to provide you with answers, if you're willing to listen."
Sayaka relaxed a little. "Go on."
Homura shifted her stance, if only slightly, to look more directly at Sayaka. "In your grief, you were overtaken by a witch, your magic too low to fight back. Kyouko, who was with you at the time of the attack, escaped with my help. Later she returned to the barrier, foolishly bring Madoka along with her in hopes of getting you to fight back so she might save you, yet you both were ultimately destroyed. I was barely able to get Madoka out in time." Homura paused, letting her story soak in.
Homura, are you sure it's a good idea to keep the truth from her? Madoka asked telepathically.
Homura likewise responded in fashion, I do not wish to distress her further.
"I don't know if I believe you," Sayaka finally muttered, staring at her feet. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a black ribbon, examining it. "Something tells me there's more to your story than you're letting on." Hitomi meanwhile was hugging her arms anxiously, the notions of death and tragedy disrupting her mind.
"That's fine. There are more important matters at hand regardless." Homura looked to Hitomi, moving nothing but her eyes. "You're the newest magical girl?" Hitomi gave an unsettled nod. "Then this request extends to you as well. In a few days, a powerful witch known as Walpurgisnacht will descend upon the city. It's so strong, it doesn't even require a barrier. If it even manifests, thousands of lives will be lost. I had been planning to fight it with Kyouko's help, but now that she is gone," she gave her hair another flick, "Sayaka Miki, Hitomi Shizuki: I ask that you two help me in defeating it."
"Like hell I will…" Sayaka growled immediately in response, staring again at Homura. Her fist clenched around the ribbon in her hand. "I still don't trust you. I don't know why but something tells me I shouldn't." She began to turn to walk away. Madoka reached forward and grabbed her arm.
"Sayaka, please! Homura isn't a bad person! She's been telling the truth!" Even that was a lie. Sayaka stared long and hard at Madoka before shaking her hand free.
"I have things I need to take care of. Leave me be." And with that, she continued walking, not looking back. Madoka recoiled, injured, before resigning herself, keeping her back to Homura and Hitomi.
Homura turned to Hitomi, who was still fidgeting anxiously. "What about you?" she asked.
"Well… I— just… but—" Hitomi stammered, before finally blurting out, "Yes, I'll help." She slowly recollected herself. "But, I'm very new to this… Won't I just slow you down? And wouldn't it make sense if Madoka—"
"Madoka must not be allowed to make a contract," Homura said defiantly, before cooling her tone back to its normal level. "You are inexperienced, yet at this point all possible help should be considered."
Hitomi nodded, understanding, letting her hands fall to her sides again. Homura turned to Madoka, hoping to conclude the meeting: "Now, it's getting late. You should head home, Madoka."
Madoka looked back to Homura upon hearing her name, gave a nod, then turned to walk off, though not before pausing. "What are you going to do about Sayaka?" she asked, her voice pleading. "Please don't fight her, Homura…"
"That is not my intention," Homura responded, her tone cold. "I'll confess I don't like her much, but she'd be more useful to me as an ally than a foe. Ultimately it is her choice if she wishes to help, however." She turned and started walking away herself. "Goodnight, Madoka, Hitomi."
Her farewell was received wordlessly. Hitomi moved to Madoka's side to walk her home.
Not Without Consequences - 2
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Features: Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki, Homura Akemi, Hitomi Shizuki
Chapter 1 Wordcount: 1024
Rating: T
Summary: Sayaka is barely able to defend herself against the attacking witch, when suddenly a new magical girl comes to her aid. To her surprise, she sees her friend Hitomi standing before her, ready to fight along side her.
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Madoka had sought shelter behind some of the toy blocks in the labyrinth, nearly crying out as she saw Sayaka pummeled into the wall. The dust and debris gradually began to clear. "She has to be okay… She couldn't have come back just to immediately die again…" she reassured herself, with that being the only calm thought attempting to fend off the buzzing, panicked ones in her mind.
It was odd, but she noticed the familiars had gone back to being passive as well. It took her a minute to notice, but a few of them were hiding behind the blocks with her, quiet and complacent. If her life wasn't in danger, Madoka would've found the behavior almost cute. She was afraid of the witch—they were afraid of Sayaka, and neither of them had any interest in getting involved.
She soon saw Sayaka's form—she was still upright, holding her sword in front of her. Her body had left an impression in the wall, yet her blade was the one thing keeping the witch from ramming her any further. Sparks flew from her sword as the witch's wheels spun with little progress.
Sayaka raised her foot and managed to give a powerful kick to the radiator, knocking the witch back a few feet. It was enough to give her room to move again, as she rolled to the side, dodging the rebounding tackle that immediately followed.
She tried to stay standing, but soon fell to her knees. She was crying. "DAMMIT KYOUKO!" she shouted hysterically. The witch withdrew from the wall, turning again to face her.
In a cruel twist of irony, it drew its arm out in front, swiping across the air in a straight line. Like a crayon, it drew a shaft in the air, heading it off with a spear blade. With its colored arm, it gripped the spear, the drawing immediately coming to life with a flash of color, turning deep red.
It pointed the spear at Sayaka, stunned on the ground. She didn't want to get up. It wasn't fear that overtook her, nor a desire to die. The closest thing to describe it would simply be pure disbelief.
The witch spun its wheels, charging again. Sayaka hung her head down again, unblinking, ready to accept her fate.
There was a sudden crash in front of her. Sayaka glanced up, a blast of dust rushing past her. The witch was buckling forward, somehow stopped, its spear plowing into the ground in an attempt to keep itself upright. A column of dust was rising up from its front where something had struck it.
There was suddenly a rush of air, blowing back some of the dust, revealing a figure in the midst of the struggle, a green light dancing somewhere along its neck. "Get… away!" a furious voice called out. The figure let off another streak of green as it struck horizontally, knocking the witch far away, causing it to crash onto its back.
The figure immediately turned. "Sayaka!?" it called out in a familiar voice. Sayaka slowly rose to her feet.
"H-Hitomi?" Sayaka whispered. Hitomi Shizuki tackled Sayaka with a hug.
"Sayaka, you're alive!" Hitomi was practically sobbing, overjoyed. "Oh my goodness you're alive!" she repeated, squeezing tightly.
Madoka had come out of her hiding spot, approaching the two. "Hitomi… You're—" her voice trailed off. Hitomi was wearing a jade green blouse, a black corset set around her waist. Though the dress stopped at her bust, a white collar covered her neck, connecting to the shoulders, seating a brooch in its center where her soul gem was set. Beyond that, her shoulders and back were bare, save for a steel pauldron on her right shoulder decorated with small filigree designs and a small strap for her great-axe to hook to. Her arms weren't totally bare: each one still bore a detached white sleeve. On her right hand was a metal gauntlet, while her left bore a simple black glove.
Below the corset, a similarly green pleated skirt fanned out, with a part in the front that exposed her leggings and a white underskirt. Stockings the same color as her sleeves went up to her thighs, exposing a narrow line of skin just before her skirt. On her feet were shin-high boots, black and green with steel toes. On her head was a round, dark cap with two green bows on either side, as her hair below it appeared more radiant and bright than normal.
"Madoka? You're here too?" Hitomi asked, stepping back from Sayaka, wiping her eyes.
"Why are you a magical girl?" Sayaka demanded. "What did you—"
"We can talk later," Hitomi interrupted, turning to face the witch again. It was once more rising to its wheels, the scowl again scribbled on its face. It clearly was getting tired. "We have a witch to slay!" She pulled her axe from her back, holding it with one hand. Its blade was wider than twice her shoulders, and its length was slightly taller than she was. Yet, despite its heavy appearance, it seemed weightless in her grip.
Sayaka gritted her teeth before she turned to face the witch again. "Fine..." It was back up, ready to charge one final time. "I've got a score to settle with this thing, anyway." Sayaka drew her sword, holding it with one hand as Hitomi tilted her axe, reaching over to grip it with two. Madoka began to step back, watching intently, scared as she was now in the line of fire, yet reassured by Hitomi's presence.
The witch charged, its engine roaring. Sayaka and Hitomi raised their weapons. Once it was in range, they brought them down, energy arcing from both of them, exaggerating the reach of their slashes, cleaving the witch to pieces as its car exploded with a cloud of dust and blast of heat.
The air was still blowing as the world faded back into existence, causing their skirts to flutter. The girls found themselves inside the abandoned corner store as a grief seed rolled across the ground before coming to a stop and righting itself at Sayaka's and Hitomi's feet.
Not Without Consequences - 1
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Features: Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki, Homura Akemi, Hitomi Shizuki
Chapter 1 Wordcount: 1405
Rating: T
Summary: "The body of Mitakihara Public Middle School 2nd-year student, Sayaka Miki, who had been missing since the 12th of this month, was discovered today in a room at a downtown hotel…" Madoka and Hitomi struggle to cope with the death of their friend. Walking home one night, Madoka is suddenly attacked by a witch. When she's about to be killed, to her surprised she sees Sayaka Miki come in and save her life a second time.
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(Notice: I haven't read or played any of the PSP game, so while writing this, I was unaware of the existence of Albertine. Regardless, it's a trivial element.)
"The body of Mitakihara Public Middle School 2nd-year student, Sayaka Miki, who had been missing since the 12th of this month, was discovered today in a room at a downtown hotel…" Madoka Kaname had already grieved, already spent the nights following that fateful incident crying herself to sleep. She should've been prepared for the reports when they finally aired. They shouldn't have sent a chill down her spine and caused a pit in her stomach upon hearing them, yet she still broke down upon hearing the 'news'. Memories began to haunt her, recent and old—her first meeting with Sayaka in grade school, how Sayaka saved her from the witch, even nearly be killed by the witch that had overtaken Sayaka's soul.
Sayaka Miki was dead. Kyouko Sakura likewise was dead as well, though she didn't get a news report or a funeral. It was a depressing situation on all fronts. Madoka recalled how she once asked how many people Homura had seen die. She felt like she was beginning to understand the cold disposition.
The funeral was somber. Somewhere that damn Incubator was probably lamenting the wasted grief that could be turned into energy for the universe. It was the first time in a few days that Madoka had seen Hitomi. Not surprisingly, she was equally racked with guilt. "I wish I had known," she murmured, sitting next to her friend after the service, her voice weak as she tried to hold back her sobs. Before long she covered her face with her hands and began to sob. "I feel like a monster! This is all my fault!" she wailed. Madoka leaned over and hugged her friend tightly, tears in her own eyes. The sobs continued, but gradually began to die down. "I'm so sorry, Sayaka..." was all Hitomi could whimper, beneath her heaving and her gasps for air.
There wasn't much Madoka felt she could do to comfort Hitomi aside from simply understanding on what common ground they had left. They had lost their childhood friend. Homura had told her again and again not to blame herself for what happened, yet, she couldn't bring herself to say the same to Hitomi. Before long, they parted, heading home.
Walpurgisnacht was still coming. Madoka wanted to believe that Homura alone could repel it, yet the following days were weighed down by a mixture of grief and unease. She didn't try to get close to Hitomi again. Hitomi was likewise in pain, yet she didn't understand the true story of Sayaka Miki—at the very least, Madoka felt she could spare her that grief.
As a result, she often would walk home by herself. Each day was the same: head down, steps a depressed shuffle, a frown on her face, thoughts of sadness and unrest polluting her mind. "What's the point…?" she asked herself. "Homura's lying… She won't be able to stop Walpurgisnacht…"
"It's all futile."
She paused in her pace, looking up. Were those her own thoughts?
"Everyone is going to die."
She was standing by an abandoned corner store. Her home was just a ways further down the block. Yet, she didn't want to move. She looked around.
Madoka suddenly dropped her school bag, a look of panic spreading over her face. Sitting right behind the window of the empty store as a grief seed, runes pulsing about it, agitated.
Thinking fast, she reached into her bag, grabbing for her phone. Frantically, she dialed Homura's phone number.
"Hurry, pick up, please…" she pleaded to herself as it rang. Soon there was a click on the other end. "Homura—!"
She was suddenly cut off. The grief seed gave off a vibrant glow as she was suddenly pulled into the labyrinth. When the light faded, Madoka's phone lay cracked on the ground, with its owner no where in sight.
"Madoka?" Homura's voice was on the other end, buzzing through the damaged speaker. "Madoka, what happened? Say something!"
The witch's lair appeared playful. Everything was made of crayon. Its surfaces were drawn and scribbled down, creating a series of structures that seemed to defy perspective. Giant, lettered blocks littered the area, as did some scribbled rubber balls, as planes, likewise made of crayon, flew about overhead. Its pilots were made of scribbles, cackling like young children.
Madoka recognized the familiars—they were the same as the familiar Sayaka had found found her first night witch hunting. The escapee must've grown into a full witch by now.
Most of the familiars were ignoring her, keeping to themselves, having pretend dog-fights in the skies. Other familiars scurried along the ground, resembling dolls. Almost innocently, they surrounded Madoka, and began tugging at her arms, pressuring her to meet their master.
"No!" Madoka cried, pulling back. She flailed her arms and kicked, knocking the dolls away, as she began to pull back.
Her resistance was noted as she backed her way against a crayon house drawn on a wall. The familiars all stopped. They stared. She doesn't want to play. She must play. They began advancing on her, the planes buzzing around her head.
She wanted to scream, but her voice escaped her throat. "I'm going to die here…" she murmured to herself, hearing the grinding of wheels.
The witch made her appearance, now fully evolved. It seemed to be sitting in a giant car or truck, the lower half of its body fanning out into a crudely drawn vehicle, as if it were driving. Unlike the plane familiars, it had two arms that came to a dull tip, resembling chalk or crayons—one had a series of vibrant shades coursing through it, the other was pitch black. These were the only parts of it that didn't look like a child's drawing, and even then, each one had a series of poorly drawn fingers protruding from it. The witch's orange face had no eyes, perhaps hidden behind the green bangs on its head. Its wails and cries sounded like a distorted form of children laughing.
The headlights of its vehicle base turned on, illuminating Madoka, restrained by the lesser familiars, as the monster gave off another round of laughter.
The sound of an engine roaring began, as the back wheels began to spin. The monster suddenly released its brakes, charging at Madoka, prepared to run her down. Madoka closed her eyes, ready to face her end.
Suddenly, something caught the witch's axle, causing it to flip over, crashing into the ground inches before Madoka. A flash of silver metal whisked by Madoka's face and limbs, as she saw a series of cutlasses pierce the nearby familiars. Those that missed her spun through the air and came back around, diving at her from the front, narrowly missing her to slay several of the lesser familiars and scare the rest away.
Madoka blinked, stunned. She recognized those swords. "S-Sayaka…?"
Someone landed before her, taking her hand. Blue hair, white cape, a hairpin of a fortessimo in her bangs. "Come on," she commanded, grabbing Madoka's arm before leaping away from the recovering witch.
"Sayaka, you should be dead!" Madoka cried out. Sayaka landed a safe distance away from the witch, setting her friend down.
"Where's Kyouko?" she immediately demanded. Madoka blinked, confused. "She saved my life. Where is she?"
"Sayaka, look out!" Madoka shouted. Sayaka spun around to see a toy block flying at her, thrown by the witch. She drew her sword and cleaved the block in two, crashing it on either side of her and Madoka.
"What happened to Kyouko, Madoka!?" Sayaka yelled. There was a level of anger in her voice that startled her friend.
"S-she… She's dead." Was that the right thing to say? Sayaka's expression immediately shifted, changing from anger to disbelief. She suddenly looked very weak.
The witch was back up. Its goofy smile was replaced by a gaping, angry maw, and its wails were now furious, rather than manic. It prepared to charge at Sayaka once more.
Sayaka stood her ground as best she could. "Get back…" she muttered. Madoka ran as far back as she could. She could see a tear streak down Sayaka's face. Her knees shook, yet she kept her sword raised, ready to defend against the witch.
The witch collided with her. Her guard remained only for a moment, causing nothing but a brief hesitation in the witch's advance, as she was soon lifted off her feet by the charge and plowed into the nearest wall.
Do you have a main blog? If so, what is it?
o-oh...
I have a lot of blogs. My PMMM modblog is here