The Devil's Feather (Book One in the Clock Tower Duology)

Where Sky and Earth Meet

Sayaka and Kyoko finished off the colony of wraiths with ease, and when they finished, a bounty of Grief Cubes were left behind, only for Kyoko, however, as a being like Sayaka did not require them. "It feels so weird..." Kyoko said as a stick of chocolate Pocky was in her mouth. "The more I fight, the more I remember all my technique and stuff."

Sayaka chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Here." Sayaka tossed a few Grief Cubes to Kyoko.

"Uh, what exactly do I do with these... oh." The red Soul Gem, which had a little spot of taint, was quickly returned to its original shiny form after Sayaka pressed a Cube against her chest. Both girls were blushing.

"We're gonna keep these at home, right?" Kyoko asked, and Sayaka gave a little nod.

"You're gonna need them. Every time you use your magic, part of your Soul Gem darkens, and the more it darkens, the more amounts of magic energy you lose. The magic can be renewed by the use of Cubes."

"Oh, okay. You're probably gonna have to tell me all the stuff I've missed for the past four months. Like, the Homura and Madoka situation, how exactly I remembered, and... Dad. I only remember wishing for Dad... and then I saw him dying. It was really painful... me getting some of my memories back."

That's gonna be a tearjerker, Sayaka thought to herself. Or she might destroy the entire house. Or both.

"What time is it? I hope your mom doesn't freak." Sayaka and Kyoko switched back to their normal school uniforms, and Sayaka checked her watch, which wouldn't appear in her magical uniform. "Ten."

"Time to rush all the way to the Miki home."

Due to enhanced speed and endurance, Sayaka and Kyoko returned to the house very quickly. Nanoha Miki, Sayaka's mother, opened the door as she saw her daughter and her roommate appear. "Are you okay?" Kyoko asked.

"Well, of course. You two are perfectly fine on your own... You might as well move out and live in a house of your own..." Nanoha laughed, and Sayaka and Kyoko exchanged glances, their faces both red.

"Hey, where's Dad?" Sayaka asked.

"We were watching a movie together and I had the feeling I needed to keep watch for you two."

"Oh." Sayaka walked up to her father on the couch, and hugged him tightly. "Dad!" Instead of 'Hey, Sayaka,' the reply was a loud snore. "Dangit, Dad!" Sayaka laughed and saw Kyoko on the stairs. The two went to Sayaka's room, and both crashed on the bed.

"So... ready to spill the beans about this place?"

"You might want to watch the animes Puella Magi Madoka Magica, or Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Rebellion Story, actually no... I just totally made that up."

"You just said a bunch of gibberish."

"That's why it doesn't matter. This is gonna be a long story, you better get some popcorn or something. And there's one direction: pay attention."

"Oh my God..." Kyoko walked downstairs, threw several bags of popcorn into the microwave at once, and waited about two minutes. She pulled all the bags of hot popcorn out; she didn't seem to mind the heat, and returned to the bedroom. "Shoot, chick."

"Oh... okay. Once upon a time..."

Kyoko had torn through three bags of popcorn, and she tensed when Sayaka began to mention the old story of the Sakura church.

"You brought me all the way outside of Mitakihara to Kazamino, the city you came from. To an old church that had been reduced to ruins. You offered my an apple, but my old bitch self discarded it. You picked me up by the neck and threatened to kill me if I ever wasted food again..." Both girls laughed. "I asked why you brought me here.