Remove ads

Puella Magi Urbem Magarum

Misaki detransforms the moment she touches down on the roof. After a little bit of looking around, Misaki hears the door open and sees her friend emerge. Misaki looks unsteady, like she's short-circuited. She takes a few steps towards Yuuko, but stops a fair distance away.

On the way to Takiwa, Misaki thinks about the different ways she can tell the story of what happened. She decides to keep on the short and direct side. Misaki's not sure she can handle giving a detailed play-by-play of what happened.

"Hi, Yuuko. Thanks for coming. I guess you're wondering what exactly happened. I... my class has another magical girl in it. Her name's Claire, I told you about her the first night you stayed over... This morning, three rogue magical girls attacked the classroom to kill her. They didn't, but... they did kill the teacher and at least a third of my classmates. Maybe up to half."

Misaki's well aware that she's crying at this point, but she can't bring herself to give a shit.

"I'm... I'm not fucking green, you know? I know magical girls kill each other. I've seen it before. But it's not a fucking broad daylight activity! They killed so many people... just to catch Claire alone, probably. And I was there, so it didn't even work! They all died for nothing!" Misaki lets out an ugly, strained laugh. She's gone a bit off-script now, but she's not about to stop herself. "All that blood and they weren't even right. And they didn't even care, Yuuko! The blood was everywhere. It was on the floor, the walls, the ceiling, and their faces stayed the same, like it wasn't even there! Like this was normal to them! I can't- I can't fucking handle this..."

Misaki's shaking again, like an overstressed machine that's about to blow apart.

"Fuck this is probably... You don't have to do anything, Yuuko. You don't even have to say anything. Just... be here. I just don't want to be alone right now."
 
Last edited:
Schwer-Muta said:
Misaki detransforms the moment she touches down on the roof. After a little bit of looking around, Misaki hears the door open and sees her friend emerge. Misaki looks unsteady, like she's short-circuited. She takes a few steps towards Yuuko, but stops a fair distance away.

On the way to Takiwa, Misaki thought about the different way she can tell the story of what happened. She decided to keep on the short and direct side. Misaki's not sure she can handle giving a detailed play-by-play of what happened.

"Hi, Yuuko. Thanks for coming. I guess you're wondering what exactly happened. I... my class has another magical girl in it. Her name's Claire, I told you about her the first night you stayed over... This morning, three rogue magical girls attacked the classroom to kill her. They didn't, but... they did kill the teacher and at least a third of my classmates. Maybe up to half."

Misaki's well aware that she's crying at this point, but she can't bring herself to give a shit.

"I'm... I'm not fucking green, you know? I know magical girls kill each other. I've seen it before. But it's not a fucking broad daylight activity! They killed so many people... just to catch Claire alone, probably. And I was there, so it didn't even work! They all died for nothing!" Misaki lets out an ugly, strained laugh. She's gone a bit off-script now, but she's not about to stop herself. "All that blood and they weren't even right. And they didn't even care, Yuuko! The blood was everywhere. It was on the floor, the walls, the ceiling, and their faces stayed the same, like it wasn't even there! Like this was normal to them! I can't- I can't fucking handle this..."

Misaki's shaking again, like an overstressed machine that's about to blow apart.

"Fuck this is probably... You don't have to do anything, Yuuko. You don't even have to say anything. Just... be here. I just don't want to be alone right now."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Oh.

Oh.

Yuuko opens her arms, steps forward, and wraps Misaki in a hug. It's her first instinct, and she doesn't bother to second-guess it. Misaki really fucking looked like she needed a hug and Yuuko wasn't about to deny her. She holds the shorter girl for a good minute, letting her cry it out.

It occurs to Yuuko that she never really knew Misaki. She doesn't know what makes her tick, and she had no idea of what could break her. Hell, she didn't think she could break. But then, Yuuko thought herself unbreakable until yesterday, so there's that.

It's so easy for Yuuko to forget who she is; who other people are. Just a week ago she plunged into a new reality–a reality of magic and horror and politics and friendship and failure. Every day since was a dance with death; every fight potentially her last. She accepts that. Every magical girl has to accept it to survive. But this new reality is still a part of the old. It's easy to forget, when one's life is constantly on the line, that other people don't live like this. Other people–people with their own lives, hopes, and dreams–that find themselves merely adjacent to a magical girl risk becoming a casualty in a war they don't know exists.

And that war is being fought by teenage girls. No matter how hard Yuuko and Misaki try to ignore it, they're still human beings with human feelings and human breaking points. Yuuko never truly appreciated how fucked up their situation is until now: child soldiers fight unknowable terrors to protect a blissfully ignorant humanity. They can't beat these monsters alone, but can't survive together. And they can use their powers for anything; on anyone. They can kill the very people they're supposed to protect, and can only be stopped by other magical girls. Taking everything into account, Yuuko can only form a single, inescapable conclusion:

"A magical girl who chooses to kill innocent people is basically just a Witch with tits."
 
Misaki doesn't outwardly respond to being hugged. She doesn't pull Yuuko closer or push her away, and for a short while the only sound on the rooftop is Misaki's ragged breathing. Misaki doesn't say so, but she's really grateful that Yuuko's here. In Misaki's time as a Magical Girl, she's suffered in silence a lot. There's no logical reason this should feel any different. But it feels different. The silence... sounds different, somehow.

...Curious.

And they stay like that until Yuuko breaks the silence. Misaki isn't sure what she expected, but it's nothing like what actually happens. Completely caught off-guard, Misaki snorts. A few seconds later, Misaki starts laughing. She's pretty sure it's not supposed to be a joke, but the surprise and the... mental images that accompany it are just too much for the normally stoic girl.

A little bit later, after the laughter dies down, Misaki still doesn't say anything. It doesn't feel like there's anything to say just yet.
 
Yuuko didn't intend to say that out loud, nor did she intend it as a joke. It was just a thought that stood out in her head. It takes her a while to realize that what she said was indeed funny, and she starts laughing along with Misaki.

"Oh...oh, man..." She says as the laughter dies down, "that was fuckin' stupid." A pause. "I...I didn't know it was your school that got attacked. I asked Minako about it an' she said it was none o' my business. If I'd just been there maybe..."

Yuuko sighs. She wouldn't have made it in time to save anyone.

"It's just...when I think about what might've happened, I can't..." She squeezes Misaki tighter.
 
Interesting. Misaki didn't know that Yuuko and Minako are on talking about stuff terms. That's really good news, being on good terms with one of the bosses should keep her at least a little bit safe. At least there's been some good news today.

NormalSightMan said:
"It's just...when I think about what might've happened, I can't..." She squeezes Misaki tighter.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Without even thinking, Misaki responds to Yuuko's embrace tightening by hugging her back. Not because it's the smart thing to do, the optimal way to make Yuuko care about her more, but simply because she wants to. It feels very alien to Misaki to obey impulse, and her hug is a bit tighter than she intended. But it feels like just too much effort to be distant when Yuuko is so close.

"It's okay. I'm going to live," Misaki repeats the mantra she tells herself every morning of every day. "No matter what it takes, I'll survive." The second the words leave her mouth, another impulse comes over her, like that part of her brain is being especially greedy now that it's being listened to for once.

"I... no... we'll survive."

Misaki's embrace tightens a little more.
 
Yuuko gets a distant look in her eyes as she maintains the escalating squeezewar. It's been a while since she thought about the idea of survival. Her friends gave her a reason to continue living for the foreseeable future, but survival as an end unto itself? That's not her. All life has intrinsic value, but Yuuko isn't alive. The revelation that she and all her friends are copyright-friendly knockoffs of a D&D monster doesn't even enter into it: Yuuko was never alive. She's a ghost, born of her own diseased imagination and flung into the world by the right words at the wrong moment. Her right to exist is contingent on the good she can do for others, and right now, her karmic debt is staggering.

So, yes, she needs to survive. She can't die if Misaki needs her. She can't die before she saves Aoi. She can't die when she has so many amends to make. And besides, Misaki made her vow with such conviction that Yuuko almost believes it. She wants to believe it. And even if she needs to lie about it now, maybe one day she will.

"Yeah," she says. "We will."
 
Misaki is content to remain in this rather uncomfortable position for a little while, but eventually the scarred girl lets go and her hands drift back to her sides. She doesn't make any move to get Yuuko to let go, though. That would be very counter-productive to all that has just been accomplished. Just be honest. You don't want her to let go.

...No, she doesn't. And it doesn't do any good for Misaki to keep lying to herself. The easiest way to survive is to care only about yourself. Misaki's always taken that to be true, and she still believes it. But she's fucked up.

Misaki cares about Yuuko more than she should.

The thought that always lurked in the back of Misaki's mind, the thought that she'll inevitably betray Yuuko one day, feels a bit less murky now. She's not gone completely crazy; she'd do it if the alternative was dying. But she doesn't think she'd do it for anything else. The girl holding Misaki matters to her quite a lot, beyond her being an asset, or an ally. And now that she knows, she can be rational about it. Yeah.

It's not all bad, Misaki would still be a wreck if Yuuko wasn't there for her. It'd be dangerous, she'd be prone to making dumb mistakes. So... rationally, it's best to let Yuuko keep hugging her until the girl doesn't want to anymore. Yeah. This is going well already!
 
Yuuko feels Misaki's arms go slack.

Ok. Does this mean the hug's over? Cuz I wanna make sure she's alright. Does she look alright?

She looks down at the girl in her arms and is met with hair.

Huh.

Checking the relative pressure on her muscles, Yuuko determines Misaki is at least partially leaning on her.

She must just be tired. She's had a rough-ass day. She probably needed to rest her arms. Yeah, that's it.

Five minutes pass.

Does she, like, need to lie down? Maybe I should ask. But then she could be asleep, an' that'd wake her. An' I know if I was asleep an' someone kept askin' me questions I'd be pretty irate.

...is it even possible to fall asleep standing up?

Yuuko ponders this for another five minutes.

I could try right now, couldn't I? Like, it's comfy enough. But then my arms'd go slack an' she might fall an' that'd just be a bad time for everyone. Better just stand vigil. Yeah. Friendship, motherfuckers.

Yuuko maintains the hug for another 30 minutes, during which time she notices a pair of squirrels chasing one another nearby.

Oh hey! How you doin'? Got yourselves all the way up to the roof, huh? But it's ok since you're together. Or something. You're squirrels, you'll find your way down.

Both squirrels stop and turn towards the girls.

Oh, don't mind us. We're just gonna be here for a while. Y'all do your thing.

It's then that Yuuko realizes the squirrels aren't looking at her. They're looking above. One of the animals bolts away. The other turns to follow but it isn't fast enough. With a screech, a hawk swoops in overhead and snatches the hapless rodent in its talons. The bird soars away on an updraft, casting a majestic silhouette against the afternoon sky. Yuuko blinks owlishly.

"Yeah, I think it's time to go."
 
Fifteen minutes after passing off the decision of when Yuuko should let go, Misaki realizes she's underestimated Yuuko. It's still not... unpleasant to be held, but the flight of fancy has passed. It's okay for Yuuko to let go. It's fine if she doesn't, but... you know... any time now.

Thirty minutes into it, Misaki decides to never tell Yuuko 'I wish this would last forever'. Because she really might try to take Misaki up on it, and it would be really awkward to say 'actually no I didn't mean it please make it end.'

Once it finally ends, slight annoyance has morphed into complete amazement. Misaki's pretty good at tracking time without a watch, and by her estimation Yuuko kept that going for somewhere around forty minutes.

NormalSightMan said:
"Yeah, I think it's time to go."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Misaki looks up at Yuuko. Fuck, she's not even blushing. Misaki's face has a little weird tingling feeling, so she's pretty sure she's blushing at least a little bit. Fucking hell, is holding someone for two-thirds of an hour a 'friend' thing to Yuuko?

...idiot.

Well, if she's not going to acknowledge that hugging someone for that long is kind of weird and not a thing normal friends do, Misaki's not going to either.

"Yeah..."

Misaki looks around for the door, like the world just started existing a minute ago and the location of all things is a mystery. She finds it after a few seconds of searching and takes a few steps towards it before stopping.

"Hey, Yuuko? ...Thank you. For being there. I... it really means a lot to me."
 
Shoving the miracle of nature she just witnessed to the back of her mind, Yuuko smiles sheepishly. It's a weird feeling, being thanked–like a bunch of warm, fuzzy caterpillars crawling around her stomach.

"Hey, really, it's no problem. Like, it's the least I can do. When you're at the end of your rope an' about to collapse it sucks when there's nobody there to catch you. Especially when the thing yer gonna collapse on is a cement roof."
 
Time passes, the girls remaining on the roof for a while longer before returning to the school proper, Misaki waiting outside the gates.
In time, classes end for the day, and the girls meet up outside the school.
 
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top