Listless eyes stared into the sky; it started snowing some time ago, not that she cared much for it. The Russian winter was far worse than anything that could hit Paris.
And yet, here she sat. Without a task, without direction... the only thing keeping her company were the scythe by her side, the Zombie Nightmares that stood guard and the screaming of the dead.
She was Magical Girl Nightmare Child, one of the most powerful Magical Girls in existence.
But there was no more reason for her to be. The war was over.
The ceasefire was called a month ago, quickly turning into a ratified peace while she was still pondering... and then the soldiers she worked with... well, they did not turn on her.
Maybe they were afraid of what she would do to them if they tried... or maybe they spoke the truth when they said they were actually thankful for what she did, that they were still alive because of her.
Of all the people, her own batallion had been most like a family... but they also told her that HQ had given a general order for all Magical Girls to be executed.
Not a single shot had been fired at her, though. The men and women of Division Nightmare saluted and saw her off... and then she just wandered the land, aimless.
It was now January; New Year's Eve passed a few days ago and peace remained when 2007 began.
Some soldiers tried to stop her when she returned home, to the long fallen capital of France... but they quickly retreated from her growing horde of summons. There were... fifty... maybe sixty thousand guarding the streets all around her, not caring for anything but her order to scare away anyone trying to come closer.
Now that there was nothing more to do, no more strongholds to defend... the screaming became worse. Having a task had given her the chance to focus her mind on something else... but now she had to listen to mothers screaming to spare their children, babies crying and men shouting. It all became a whirlpool of sound, the same thing that had pressed onto her mind for so many years.
Ever since the power first awakened in her heart... it never stopped.
She was Magical Girl Nightmare Child.
She was...
Footsteps interrupted the teenager's pondering, a pair of shoes clacking on the cold ground, followed by the stomping and sloshing her summons produced.
Looking up, she realised that the snow was coming stronger now; it took her a moment to see the figure walking up to where she sat in the middle of the street. Half a dozen Zombie Nightmares followed her and tried to claw the young woman away, but she just shrugged them off as if they were little children.
Nightmare Child became attentive. The person before her was older, maybe nineteen to her fifteen. She was a brunette and clad in a set of casual clothes, walking up to her without much care about the monsters following.
The younger girl got to her feet and thought about taking up the scythe, but then let it be. That person could not hurt her anyway... it did not matter much. A thought had the zombies stop bothering the woman and turn away, to return to their positions.
The woman stopped and they looked each other in the eye for a long moment, blue eyes meeting green. They were both cold, with little warmth in them... maybe this one was like her? It would explain how she got through the guards without getting injured.
"Aren't you freezing in the cold?"
Her voice was as calm as her appearance; the snow swirling around them only managing to underline this part of her... but Nightmare Child did not particularly care. She had to concentrate to even hear the question properly over the screaming.
Once she understood what was asked of her, she looked down at her black robe, then back up at the older female in front of her. "I don't wear less than you, Ma'am."
She left it at that and the brunette nodded slightly.
The silence grew after that... and she started to become a little curious. Most people had a bad opinion of her, so why would someone seek her out like this?
"What do you want from me?"
Her question was as calm as the older one had been, but she could tell she had put a certain edge to it this time. She just wanted to be alone for once...
But the women did not let her, she just continued to look at her. "I want you to join me."
There was a spark of something in those eyes... but her words made the Magical Girl take another look at her scythe; now that she was no longer a part of the army and actually an enemy of the state, who would want her assistance? Someone who wanted to use her powers for their own gains most likely.
"I see no reason to do that."
"But there is no reason to decline, either. You have nothing to lose, do you?"
Those words hit like a wrecking ball and Nightmare Child narrowed her eyes, only barely stopping herself from growling. Who was this person and why was this their business?
If just the screaming would stop...
"I understand that you have no reason to trust me", the brunette said; it was exactly what she had wanted to express... but the next words gave Nightmare Child pause: "But neither have I. I came to you nonetheless because I know that you know very well what happened in the last few years. You saw this war and... I think you want the world to become better again."
The flood of words had her quiet, looking at the woman in surprise. It held on for so long that the brunette actually tilted her head slightly. "Am I wrong?"
The Magical Girl needed a few more seconds before she managed to whisper a reply.
"No."
She wanted for all of this to stop... for families to be reunited and the peace to last, for humans to trust each other again.
But how could that happen? How could anyone believe in this?
She so desperately wanted to believe, but...
"I want the same. I want to make this world better, to help mend the wounds humankind has taken... I want to craft a future where everyone can be happy."
She resurfaced from her thoughts over these words; it was the first time the older woman had actually shown emotion.
Snow sat down on their clothes, slowly but surely drenching them... but neither of the two seemed to care. Nightmare Child just watched the person standing in front of her.
"You have no reason to trust me... but nothing will ever change if you do not take risks. You can always change your mind later... there is very little about your reputation that could get worse. But I want to become a part of the newly founded government and take influence on the world. I have everything to lose from working with you."
With that, she offered her hand to the Magical Girl. "So please, trust me."
And the screaming grew quiet in the background before fading away entirely.
The silence was deafening.
Fabienne just stood and stared at the person in front of her; a woman who opened her thoughts to a stranger, yet stood hopeful after everything...
It was quiet. So quiet...
She thought no longer and took the hand, her transformation fading away in pale green light. "I trust you."
The older one smiled and shook her hand, then let go. "My name is Bianca."
"Fabienne."
She could hardly remember how silence felt like before this moment; the screaming had been there at all times... and now it was gone.
Even if it would not last... Fabienne was happy. She smiled right back at the woman in front of her, who seemed so bright in front of the snow that coated the city.
"Thank you for your trust, Fabienne. I will not fail you."
"I know."
Bianca's smile became a little confused when Fabienne's only grew brighter and she felt the tears stinging in her eyes. "Because you already saved me."
