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.
"You began to tell me a story. You were a young girl, the daughter of a priest and his wife. You were a devoted member of this Anglican church. You had a little sister too- one who you treasured. You loved your family very much. Your father, a man who said 'he would tear up by reading the papers every morning' or something, because he hated all the suffering in the world, began to question the teachings of the church. He began to tell his followers about this, and they thought he was crazy."
Kyoko began to tear up, yet she continued to munch on popcorn loudly. She licked her buttery lips. "Dad..."
"No one showed up to the church anymore. Your father was excommunicated, and you and your entire family was thrown into poverty. You were starving all the time... and one day, the Incubator approached you." Kyoko immediately remembered: this 'Kyubey' guy and the 'Incubator' were the same. Sayaka took a pause.
"Yeah, go on..."
"You wished that anyone would listen to what your father had to say. The next day, all the laity had returned. They listened to everything your father said, and refused to question it. You fought against many witches, and you sure did a hell of a good job too." Kyoko laughed. "You were a pretty good ass-kicking magic super babe. When you fought against your first witch, it was at this time you met Mami. She became your senpai, and soon enough, your best friend. You even invited her over to your house."
Kyoko's face went red, and Sayaka laughed, and then her tone went from happy to dreadfully sorry. "One night, your church was attacked by a witch, who had forced several members of the church to burn bibles. You immediately went into action, and saved everyone from the witch. Too bad your dad saw you doing all your magic stuff."
Kyoko grabbed onto the sheets of the bed tightly. "He thought I was a witch, even though I was fighting 'em. He didn't understand that I was a good guy. There's a difference between Puella Magi and witches!"
"Well, yes," Sayaka said, knowing she didn't tell Kyoko of the fact Puella Magi were witches. Puella Magi would become witches; Sayaka decided to save that for later. "He realized you made a wish for everyone to listen to him. He realized his followers weren't coming because they wanted to, they came because they were manipulated to. Your wish gave you several powers, based upon illusion and persuasion.
"Your father experimented with this power, and conducted a false Mass, where he told everyone facts Christians would obviously deny: God is not real, for example. You and him were deeply disturbed when you saw everyone agreed unanimously. He then called you a witch, right in front of everyone. They agreed, and the entire church shamed you from then on. Your father began to drink, way too much. And one day, your father convinced your mother and your little sister to commit suicide with him."
Kyoko grunted, and tears splattered on the bed. "Stop... please."
"If you want to remember, I have to keep going."
"I said stop. I even said please with it."
"You found your family."
"Stop."
"And you laid in the snow, broken. Waiting for death." Sayaka's eyes welled up with tears, and she gritted her teeth.
"Shut up."
"Mami found you, and you realized you lost your enchantment abilities. You had lost a significant power." Kyoko growled. "And you fought her, and left. That was it for her. And you made Mami so lonely without you. And you promised never to use magic for anyone's benefit, ever again. That was why we clashed. And that was why-"
"Shut the fuck up!" Kyoko grabbed Sayaka's shoulders and threw her onto the bed. She was over her body like a lion. Sayaka managed to throw her roommate off of her and Kyoko nearly hit the wall, but she collected herself. Sayaka was horrified to see the silver ring on Kyoko's middle finger glow a deep red, and in under a second, she was in her magical uniform.
Kyoko summoned her spear and charged at Sayaka. Sayaka reluctantly transformed as well, tears streaming down her cheeks. She grabbed her sword and began to move it towards Kyoko... and after a red flash, she realized she couldn't move the blade.
Kyoko slammed the segments of her spear onto Sayaka's cutlass. Kyoko snarled, her red eyes now glowing a brilliant scarlet. "Heh."
"Kyoko-chan, please stop!"
"That's what I said, and did you stop? No."
Knowing her parents would come charging into the room any second, Sayaka threw her cloak over herself and Kyoko, and after a musical ting, the duo reappeared... in the old church Kyoko used to call hers.
Sayaka's sword was still stuck in Kyoko's lance, so she finally decided to let go of the hilt... and was flung backwards into the massive stained glass window. She fell onto the floor, and took a few deep breaths, and then heard the sound of Kyoko's boots running on the ground.
A circle of luminous blue musical notes surrounded Sayaka's position, and then more appeared out of the blue. Sayaka continued to cry, and she gripped the ground with all her might, until blood started to ooze down her fingers. She felt so hurt- both physically and mentally. "K-kyoko..."
Kyoko didn't listen, and just kept on running. Her spear was ready to tear Sayaka into pieces...
"Kyoko."
She was but a few feet away...
The notes began to pulse...
"STOP!"
Kyoko and Sayaka both looked above to see another friend of theirs hovering above on a colorful bubble, using her trumpet horn as a microphone instead of fighting purposes. Another Puella- wearing a uniform that incorporated a mix of orange, purple, and brown. Her ringed red and yellow eyes were wide with surprise.
"Nagisa-chan?!" Sayaka called, and Nagisa nodded.
"Of course it's me, stupid!" Nagisa shouted, and then the bubble popped when it got a little closer to the ground. She landed on the floor perfectly. "Why are you two fighting?! And you returned Kyoko's memories?!"
Kyoko's eyes twitched again, and she immediately glanced at Sayaka and Nagisa with a look of pure horror. "S-sayaka?!"
Sayaka grunted, and managed to stand up, yet she relied on a horribly confused Kyoko for support. "I got some of her mems back. She kinda had a tantrum when I explained her backstory..."
"You also didn't listen when I said 'shut the fuck up'," Kyoko said, and she yawned. "But I'm still sorry... I don't really know what got into me."
"It's okay..." Sayaka said. "I probably should've stopped anyway... I'm just so desperate." Four months of trying to reset your friend's memories can take a toll on your moral compass sometimes.
"If you've regained some memories, regaining all the rest should be very easy," Nagisa cheered. "How about something else to trigger them... Like chocolate popcorn!"
"Why exactly chocolate popcorn?" Sayaka asked.
"Each Puella gets their own popcorn flavor! Kyoko's chocolate."
"How 'bout me?"
"Salt." Nagisa looked slightly sorry. Kyoko smiled wickedly.
"Now, seriously, Nagisa-chan, what could help me get all of them back without goin' rogue and nearly killing my best friend?" Kyoko turned her lips sideways.
"Um, how about this." Nagisa placed her thumb on the surface of Kyoko's Soul Gem (which made the redhead blush), and pressed as hard as she could. Kyoko tensed, twitched, and made... awkward... sounds, and then Nagisa decided to remove her finger.
"You just kinda violated my soul."
Nagisa blushed, and smiled. "I would love Haru-chan to violate mine..." she whispered.
"Ha!" Kyoko and Sayaka said in unison, and then Sayaka took over. "You do have a crush on him! Too bad he likes that girl that makes him drool..."
"Shut up!" Nagisa exclaimed, annoyed by the teasing, and Sayaka patted her head.
"Yeah, Sayaka-chan. Shut the fuck up." Kyoko chuckled with a smirk, and Sayaka slapped her.
"You've said that three times now. Enough with the profanity."
"That's a weird word," Nagisa said to herself, and she took a deep breath, ready to announce it at the top of her lungs. "FU-" Sayaka covered the girl's mouth, and the younger one struggled. Sayaka laughed, and then backed off after Nagisa licked her hand.
"That's disgusting, Nagisa-chan! Anyway, Mami-san would not want to hear you say that word."
Nagisa gave a little nod. "Oh, okay. Wait, Kyoko-chan, this might help. Sayaka, sing the song you wrote for her."
Sayaka blushed. "Um, really..."
"Yes. If you're that desperate, JUST DO IT!" Kyoko turned to face her friend.
After Sayaka sang the first few verses of 'And I'm Home', Kyoko began to remember again. As she began to sing verses with Sayaka, spawning a duet, glowing streams of musical notes, both red and blue, began to surround the two, and when the song was over, they faded. All three girls smiled.
"Anything else you don't know?"
"You might have to explain why Homura did all this universe-dominating shi-, crap," she got a glare from Sayaka while Nagisa listened intently.
"I don't know how or why."
"Welp then, guess who's back, back again, Kyoko's back, tell a friend." The trio walked out of the church, all with smiles.
"Limiti Esterni!" Kazumi yelled triumphantly as the wraiths dissipated into a glitchy smoke. She turned to see the Pleiades Saints behind her, all with smiles.
"Good job," Niko said with a thumbs-up. Saki blushed and gave a little nod. Kaoru ran up to Kazumi and gave a tight hug, with a big grin.
"You did good, Kazumi-chan! You did everything by yourself!" Kaoru and Kazumi exchanged high-fives, and Umika, along with Mirai, did the same. Satomi held onto Juubey and clapped for her.
"Kazumi-san," Saki said as she approached her teammate, and then she took a shaky, nervous breath. "You did well." The girls returned to their normal outfits.
The Pleiades continued to celebrate for Kazumi's lone wolf fight, and after a few moments, Satomi noticed three shapes approaching them. One red, one blue, the other mismatched between purple, orange, and brown.
"Guys? L-look..."
Saki, as the leader, immediately turned and adjusted her glasses. "It's more Puella Magi."
"Could they be fighting over territory?" Niko inquired, looking up from her phone screen for a moment, and then she put it in her pocket. "I think someone needs to go talk to them."
Kazumi rushed up to the front and took a look. "Maybe they're friendly?"
"Yeah, right," Mirai said sarcastically, huffing her cheeks and pulling her thick, pink, cotton-candy like hair back.
"Too late. Look's like they're gonna talk to all of us, face to face," Umika said, and she ran a hand through her long, dark blue hair.
"W-wait!" Kaoru yelled. "Sakura-san!" Kaoru and Kazumi brightened up, and dragged Umika along with them closer to the trio right in front of them now.
"Sayaka-san!" Kazumi said, and Sayaka ran a finger around her gold hairpin. "Whatcha doing here?"
"You're the reason why we're here, Subaru Kazumi."
Kazumi furrowed her eyebrows. She alone, or so she thought, was the only one who knew about the fact she was a clone of Michiru Kazusa, that she was not the real one. None of the Pleiades seem to remember about it. What exactly was Sayaka talking about?
"Why're you calling her weird names? She's not a Subaru, she's a Kazusa!" Kaoru said with a confused look.
Kyoko and Nagisa stayed silent while Sayaka stared at the entire group of Pleiades. She winced when she noticed Mirai was looking like she was ready to beat her over the head with a crowbar. "I don't think any of you girls understand... actually, none of you should understand anyway. This Puella is not the real Kazusa Michiru. She's a clone."
"Exactly," a cold voice said from above, and immediately, all ten girls looked to see the owner. Kazumi realized it was the same cold voice on the other side of Tachibana's phone: her kidnapper.
"Asuka-san?" Nagisa said, holding on tightly to Sayaka. She seemed really shaky. "W-why is she in a new outfit?!"
The girl had pale blond hair tied in twintails, much like Niko's hairstyle. She wore a low-cut outfit with a scarlet skirt and sleeves that exposed her shoulders, like Sayaka. A large cyan ribbon was at her back, and her leggings were striped scarlet and cyan. Her shoes were also pointed (Sayaka), and to top it all off was a large witch hat. Her Soul Gem was amber in color and located on her chest.
"Asuka," Kyoko said. "Now that I remember it, I think I've fought against someone with that name before."
The girl giggled, and fell from her post above graciously. "You're right about the Asuka part," she said with a devilish smile. "Asuka Airi."
Kazumi's expression went blank. "Airi...?" she whispered. The Pleiades noticed Kazumi's black and white low-cut outfit was extremely similar to the new Puella.
"Asuka," Saki said. "Asuka Yuuri. One of your friends, Kazumi. I remember her, I think. But, didn't she get killed in a wraith fight or something before she could meet us?"
"I-I don't know," Kazumi replied. She remembered Airi's backstory: yes, Yuuri was set to meet the Pleiades before she became a witch.
"And Airi?" Mirai said. "Is one of our friends... A possible fusion?"
"I can't tell. I don't know," Kazumi said, backing off.
"Don't run off, Kazumi," Airi's eyes gleamed. Several beams of scarlet appeared around the Puella, and in a set of twinkles, metal pistols took their place.
"Don't listen to her!" Kazumi exclaimed, ready to run away as fast as she could. "RUN!" Kazumi's screams were reduced to faint; she had already ran very far.
"Kaoru-san! Umika!" Saki demanded, "After her!"
"We don't need this many Puella against her!" Sayaka yelled. "She's only one!"
"Really," Airi let out a little cackle, and more scarlet lights appeared, which after they twinkle, took the form of Airi duplicates. They all spoke in a creepy unison. "Only one?" she hissed.
"Never mind!" Sayaka twirled her cloak, and several cutlasses shot like bullets from the inside after Airi. Airi used her pistols, they shot out both metallic arrows or actual ammunition. Kyoko grabbed her lance and separated it into the segments and chains, and ran towards the clones, slicing through them with ease.
However, after the clone disappeared in a flash of red, another would appear to take its place. Nagisa made a determined face and put her trumpet horn up to her face. The beautiful melody issuing from the horn was followed along with colorful, explosive bubbles.
Saki's glasses had changed into a monocle in her magical outfit, and the glare on them was intense, which signified her rage. She adjusted the red beret, which went along with her red uniform, and sent her whip against her opponent. Electricity surged and cackled along the whip, and when it shot out of the weapon, there was a massive boom, the sound of a thunderclap.
"I think four Puella are enough," Niko said coolly. "The rest of us- after the others."
Mirai and Satomi gave a little nod in agreement, and the trio ran off.
"W-wait! Sayaka!" Kyoko called. "Since I have my memories back- is it possible I have my enchantment back too?!"
"You lost your enchantment due to a traumatic event in your life," Sayaka said as she dodged some arrows, "and in one timeline, you regained them after another event like that. There could be a chance, I don't know, just try!"
Kyoko grinned wildly. "Rosso Phantasma!" Several Kyokos were formed beside the original, all rose from a dark red smoke. They all performed the same reaction as Kyoko Number One: swipe their spears around as much as they could. "Woah... HELL YES!"
Saki created several more lightning-based attacks against the enemy Puella, Sayaka kept throwing her swords, Nagisa was nearly out of breath due to the massive amount of bubbles she made, and the Kyoko clones were fighting as hard as they could. Airi seemed unscathed, however. She just cackled as loud as she could.
"She's stronger than a normal Puella!" Saki declared. "I don't why but-"
Nagisa put her hands over her face for a second, and when she removed them, her face was that of her witch form, instead of Charlotte's blank eyes, it was Bebe's multicolored wild irises. Nagisa hopped around, summoning bubbles around the way. Saki looked on with a confused look, no clue what was going on, Sayaka and Kyoko had smiles of triumph.
Several Pyotrs chased after their mistress, trapezes swung from the air, Polinas upon them. It was like she summoned an entire celebration just because she did some magic peek-a-boo. Well, that's exactly what she did. Marshmallows, cakes, and several other candies flew around, all exploding when they came into contact with solid matter.
Airi was amazed as well, but she kept shooting away with her pistols. The clones trampled over the mice-like Pyotrs and knocked the Polinas off the trapezes, but Nagisa was unfazed. She playfully smiled (you should give it to her, she's still happy in a time like this), and squeezed her face tightly. A huge caterpillar with massive ringed, colorful eyes, with a white clown like face and yellow cheeks, and a long black red polka-dotted body appeared. The two rubbery wings on its sides, one red, one blue, flapped as it flied straight away to her enemy.
"I have my own familiar up my sleeve," Airi cackled. "Corno Forte!"
A massive red bull with a golden nose ring and wing-shaped horns charged after the caterpillar. The caterpillar bared razor-sharp fangs and licked its lips, the bull grunted. The red bovine was ready to use its horns, to tear its opponent to pieces, but the caterpillar had an easier way to win. In one loud CHOMP, the bull's head was detached, and everything else disappeared into sparkles. The caterpillar licked its lips and gulped.
"What?! Cole!" Airi called, and angrily, she summoned a massive metal arrow. Its target was the worm's belly. It was too busy enjoying its food to see the attack coming... and when it punctured the belly, the caterpillar simply vomited out a clone of itself, which flew high into the air, and plunged straight down, no curves in its flight at all. It was ready to eat again.
In a scarlet flash, Airi was no longer what she originally appeared to be. Instead, she was a taller girl with bouncing gold drills, her face dreadfully surprised...
The caterpillar came to a complete and abrupt stop, and it made a confused look. Then it exploded. Into candies. Nagisa shook her head and blinked multiple times. "M-mami!" She wobbled backwards and fell over. Airi flew off.
Kyoko (who was in the middle of eating a rich cheesecake) and Sayaka rushed to Nagisa, and picked her up. Kyoko held onto her tightly. "Nagi-chan?" the redhead had to shake her a few times.
"I failed. Big time," Nagisa lamented.
"It doesn't matter," Sayaka said. "At least that bitch trying to pick a fight left. We still have time to tell Kazumi about what she's really meant for. And, we need to find out why that bitch tried to pick a fight."
Kazumi looked above at the sky. Airi Asuka... it was Airi Anri. A lookalike? Brought back from the dead? Or did the girl at the mall- what was her name? Akemi? Akuma? Did she have something to do with this? Her train of thought ceased when she saw Saki, Kyoko, Sayaka, and Nagisa return.
"Did you get rid of Airi?" Kazumi asked.
"She ran off, or something," Kyoko said.
"Did you hurt her?"
"Not a scratch," Sayaka replied, and Kyoko sighed in relief.
"Why exactly are you so close to this Airi person?" Mirai asked. "You already have one Airi in your life, why would you go through the trouble to have two?!"
"That Airi... is not the real Airi. The Airi you just fought against... I-I don't even know anymore..." Kazumi was on the verge of tears.
"Let me explain," Sayaka said, playing with her fingers. "Asuka Yuuri becomes witch. Anri Airi seeks revenge. Wishes to become Asuka Yuuri. Goes on a power trip. Becomes a witch. That's what Kazumi's trying to say."
"But the Anri Airi we know," Niko said. "Did not make that wish. She looks normal. And whaddya mean 'becomes witch?' How do you even know all this?"
"We'll get to that later, once I find out. I need to explain Kazumi's situation to you all." All the girls groaned as Sayaka finished.
"The Law of Cycles took Kazusa Michiru when she ran out of magical energy. Before she could become a witch. In the old world, after Michiru became a witch, the Pleiades Saints created a clone. The clone, Subaru Kazumi, stands before me." Kazumi bowed slightly. The Pleiades looked dreadfully confused. "When Michiru was taken in the new world, the Kazumi clone, whose very existence was tied to witches, the beings erased by the Law, was taken along with her. And for some reason, Kazumi's back. And all of you believe she's the original one. When she's not."
"How'd you know that," Mirai said.
"I'm very intuitive."
"Oh. But wait, how are you sure?"
"That's the only logical explanation."
MK's POV:
Everything seems blurry now. Lines of light dance upon everything, the way you would view something when it was underwater. Bubbles fly around in the air, each with a horrible color. Musical staffs join them as well. The wind around everything is slow and quiet.
"I think you will have a wonderful time with him," I say, mustering a smile. "Too bad you two forgot I existed." A thin, perfectly reflective layer of water covers the floor, and I see myself. My eyes are pitch black, save for the tiny cerulean dots right smack in the middle. The void looks so welcoming...
"M-macKinnon?" Arthur asks, his lime green eyes widening with surprise. "W-what are you saying?"
I tap my fingers at my side. I feel a long stream of tears running out of my hollow eyes. Then, tears pour out of my mouth. When I breathe, it's a gurgle. It feels like I'm drowning. The pain in my throat is so bad. I sniffle.
"Thank you... for stealing him from me." Those were the last words I said.
The water rises immediately, and a violet current forms. Blue energy surges around. The bubbles pop loudly, generating horrible flat sounds. The music rises. Up and up. I hear Arthur yell as he is flung away from me.
Good. The bastard deserved it.
I breathe, and then I realize salty water fills my mouth. Huh?! I'm actually drowning...! My screams for help only come out as gurgles. I try to swim... but I can't do that, either. My arms and legs are tied in tight, metal shackles. One on my leg is tied to some big weight that's pulling me down.
I look down. That's peculiar... I don't need goggles. Everything under the water seems perfect somehow. The bottom, which I will soon be dragged too... is just a void. Like my eyes. A welcoming one. I try to swim upwards. I have too... why am I thinking like this?!
The pull increases in speed. The dark surrounds me. The very top... I see someone, trying to reach out to me. His warm, normally smiling face is reduced to pale, horrified one.
"A-Alfred..."
The void wraps around me. It changes me. My glasses cease to be on my face. The void cloaks me in a new outfit. I feel a sword in my hands. My fingers shake, and I gurgle again. I keep screaming. But no one answers.
I see the void is gone. I'm still in an underwater setting, one with much more color. Much more sound. A violent symphony plays around me, one I love the sound of. No, I really wish I had goggles. I see the color, yet everything is blurry. Bubbles and notes fly around still. I smile, and then something weighs me down again.
This time, I don't resist. I keep sinking and sinking, listening to the beautiful music. Sinking and sinking, until...
I faded away.
And something took my place.
My eyes immediately open, and I see I'm out of that horrible place little Mister Dream Me thought was a paradise. Alfred's snoring, but when I scream, I don't hear that anymore. I put my hands on my head, trying to hide from all this. But I can't. All those distorted images keep flying around in my head, invited to a party where they never leave.
Alfred's out cold. He sleeps despite all the hell I'm going through beside him. That's a trait I'd love to have. I run up to him, shaking his muscular arms. "A-Alfred!" I yell, and then I keep on shaking. "Alfred! Please... wake up!"
Alfred groans, and then his eyelids flutter. "Iggy, just five more minutes..."
"WAKE UP!" I scream, and then he does. He nearly falls out of bed, but I push him back onto his mattress. Woah, that was a big feat of strength.
"W-what's wrong?!" he asks, producing his glasses and putting them on his face.
"I know I'm gonna sound like a little kid when I say this," I warned, "but I had a really horrible nightmare... and, I need to talk to you and Arthur about it." I sigh, waiting for him to burst into laughter.
But he doesn't.
"W-what was it about to make it so traumatizing?" he asks. He must notice that I look like I saw Pennywise chasing after someone down the street.
I remember every single detail of the dream, something normal for me. "I was with Arthur... and there was bubbles, music, and water all over the place. And I looked a bit different. My eyes were... if you saw them, you would've ran for miles. And I actually, felt... the water. Everything was so real.
"And then Arthur was yanked out of the scene... and then I drowned. It was like I was actually drowning. It felt so scary..." I notice tears are forming in my eyes.
"Aw... I think we can talk about that with Iggy later, okay?" His face is back to his normal, happy one. "I bet Mattie's pancakes will make you feel a lot better."
I immediately remembered Matthew, who had crawled out of his most-likely magic-induced sleep state, was making a big breakfast for everyone. I smiled at the fact. I left the room so Alfred could change, so I brought clothes into bathroom to do the same.
When we were both ready, we walked down a few flights of stairs together, ready to eat. A few had already gathered at the table. Francis is there, and he has a devilish smile on his face. When we sat together as well at the table, he continues to stare at us. I realize it was the same way that girl stared at me and Alfred when I first met him. Uh oh.
"Arthur needs to notice his unresolved sexual tension has reached its peak..." he hissed, and Alfred didn't seem to notice. "You can get married here... and I will be the pastor!" Matthew approached Francis, and taps him on the shoulder, startling him.
"Don't pick on my little brother like that," he says with closed eyes, and then he opens them to look at me. "Or the newcomer, MK." He closes them again, and in a soft voice, he says, "Well, I've been working from nearly four o'clock in the morning on this breakfast, so everyone better like it. I'm almost done. About ten minutes or so." He walks off. His eyes, unlike Alfred's brilliant blue, were a warm indigo.
I tap my fingers on the table, and Alfred sparks up a conversation. "So... do you want to stay here for a while?"
"'Course I do," I say brightly. "Everyone here is so cool. And that pocket dimension you showed me last night- that beach party was awesome. Your pet alien lifeform was okay. And the catacombs- well, creepy, but fun. Everything here is so mysterious, and that's what I like about it."
"Well, thanks. I've lived here my entire life, and even Arthur has yet to discover everything here," he replies. "Is your place like this?"
"Not as big. Not much mystery. We have a place where we keep all of our finds from our quests inside. We have a big pool. That's really it," I answer.
"I would love to visit. Maybe... they can come over here for a visit!" he says, and then I nod. That would be great.
Then, I hear my ringtone. Tonight we are victorious, champagne pouring over us... I blush in embarrassment when Alfred perks up. I locate my phone and answer it. It's Sydney. Something serious must be going on.
"Hey, you there?" she asks. I hear worry in her voice.
"Yeah, what's up?" I reply.
"Um... we're kinda stuck in... some place. My phone's about to die, and... we need your help. We have no idea what is going on. I'm not sure how we're supposed to fight this thing... it's not a wraith, demon, rogue fairy, anything," she answers.
"Where are you?" I ask. It must be a witch. They've never fought against them before, they must be really scared...
"Well... I don't really know. We kinda... woke up in here?"
"Who's all with you?"
"Dallas, Ji, and Drake. I have no idea where everyone else is." She pauses, and then her tone changes to horribly surprised. "What the hell?!"
I hear a crash sound, and then the phone gets scratchy. "Syd! You still there?"
"Yeah..." she says. "Call Nox. Now. My phone is on one percent. Bye." The call ends abruptly. I turn to see Alfred humming 'Victorious' to himself.
"Your ringtone is Panic! at the Disco?! They're one of my favorite bands! Now, what's going on?" Alfred asks. I shake my head.
"I'll tell you in a minute." I dial Nox's number. He answers almost immediately.
"Hey," he answers, and I make a mental 'hew.' "Did Syd call you?"
"Yes, yes she did. Now she made me call you. Do you know anything about their situation?"
"We're... kinda in the same situation. Last night, having fun by those actually-brought-from-Japan cherry trees, next thing we know... we're in some creepy ass place. What's funny is the fact cherry blossoms are flying all over the place."
I groan. "No idea where you are, right?"
"Uh huh. Wait... woah! It's an ass-kicking magic super babe! Wait, what was the actual name? Pulla Majorie?"
"Puella Magi," I say, a bit annoyed.
"Woah... even though Alyss is my girl, they sure are hot! She's red... like, all over the place." I hear a slightly satisfying boom sound. The Puella must've killed the witch. I hear her walk up to the group.
"Konnichiwa?" she asks, and then she pauses when no one answers. Oh crap... they're in Japan. "Oh... you must be foreigners. Okay, let me try. Bonjour. Ciao. Ni hao. Hello?"
"English, yes," I hear the cool voice of Jean say. "Are we in Japan?"
"Uh huh, Mitakihara City to be exact," the Puella answers. I realize something. Sam, one of my other friends, is in Hoozuki, a city pretty close to where they are. Maybe they can contact him.
"How'd we end up here?" Jean asks.
"This witch is the witch of portals. Wait, what was her name? Glados? Glad... Gladys, that's her name. Whenever she finds a victim, she teleports herself to another place to make it harder for them to be found. Too bad I stepped in here. Oh yeah... the other bad thing, one of her minions got loose."
"H-how is that bad?" I hear Nox say.
"If that minion, whose name was Wheatley, goes on the loose, he's gonna eat some people. And become a clone of the original witch. Another bad thing... he has the same power as his parent."
I realize Wheatley must've become the witch that trapped the others. The phone call ends. "Well... that's bad."
"My friends are in Japan... and my other friends are-" I'm interrupted when Edythe opens the doors, and three are following her. One with wavy blond hair, a snarky frown on her face. Another with a muscular build, wearing a white, furry cloak around his shoulders, and brown-black hair. The next, not as muscular as Ji, has wavy auburn hair and a flannel shirt. The final, with spiked up gold hair and a fang.
"Walking through the door," I finish, slightly surprised.
"I finally get to meet them in person!" Alfred says, and we both get out of our seats.
Edythe calls out to me. "Found them outside. In a barrier. Saved them, and bought them breakfast bars."
Sydney plays with a strand of hair. "We could've gotten out ourselves."
"We had no idea how to defeat that thing," Dallas says, rubbing the side of his face. "And this..." Dallas blushes, "pretty young lady saved us." Edythe curtsies.
Matthew runs out of the kitchen. "More people?!" He collects himself. "Welcome."
"Don't make them pancakes," Alfred says. "They had breakfast bars."
"Just because we had breakfast bars doesn't mean we're still hungry!" Sydney says.
"That's a bit rude, Syd my dude," Ji says. Sydney scoffs. Then Arthur enters the room. Sydney's hazel eyes go wide.
"Wha... wha... wha..." Her face is red.
I realize Arthur and Syd are perfect together. They're both a bit of snarkers, and tsunderes as well...
Matthew walks out of the kitchen again, apparently having slipped away without us noticing. "Okay... breakfast is ready!"
I see colorful little dragonfly-like creatures buzz around and work together, laying plates down everywhere at the massive table. They're pixies; Arthur must be friends with them. Everyone has arrived. Alfred and I take our seats back, Edythe sits by Peter, and the last four stand up. The pixies fly by Sydney's face, and I hear their little voices compliment her.
"Ssssuch aaaaaa bbbbbbbeeeeeaaaaauuuutiful mmmmeeeeermaid," they say. Their voices are all slurred together into one. Sydney nods.
"Thank you."
The pixies fly back into the air, and Arthur smiles. "I will get you chairs... right now." He snaps, and wooden chairs form at their position. They all sit down.
"Ooh, comfy," Drake says, and he gives Arthur a thumbs-up.
Matthew puts his hands on his hips. "Well people... please enjoy my scrumptious pancakes!" he says, and then his indigo eyes open. "And yes, my recipe is copyrighted."
We all laughed at that, and we dig in.