"Yes, please do," you say, inclining your head at Yumi.
Yumi shakes a shuddering breath, and nods. "By your leave, then," she says. "Sakura?" She holds out a hand.
A thought occurs to you, and you bring Sakura's Gem in front of her, still contained in the sphere of Grief. The sphere dilates, presenting the Hem to her. The teleporter looks like she's sucking on an entire lemon as she snatches the Gem back before grabbing Yumi's hand, glaring sourly at the ground. She frowns, concentrating for a moment, before the pair of them snap away with the familiar noise.
You look to your left. Kirika grins at you, fang poking out, before transitioning into a massive, jaw cracking yawn that makes your own ache in sympathy. You're not entirely sure if it's just that she's bored or that it's somewhere near midnight now, at a guess. The clouds are too thick to see the moon for a guess, anyway. Past her is Noa, the Tokyo girl looking quietly contemplative.
Past
her are the University girls, now closed into their own little circle as they talk to each other, radiating quiet relief and disbelieving
joy in their posture. The quick, unsure smiles flashing back and forth, the clasped hands for physical reassurance...
On your right, Mami, still holding your hand. Her half lidded golden eyes crinkle into a warm smile at you, and you return it.
Vwwp.
Sakura returns with Yumi at her side, the grey haired girl clutching two plastic bags, visibly indented from the inside by their cargo of Grief Seeds. Yumi steps forward, holding one of the bag out to you.
You shake your head, and look at Chouko instead. "Miss Tsubaki?" you say, gesturing at Yumi. "And..." you look at Yumi, holding her eyes with your own for a moment. "This... this way
will be better for everyone in the long run. I promise." Your look at the rest of the Sendai girls. Rin sees you looking, her green eyes hooded and tired. But she gives you a nod that's almost a bow, a flash of a smile showing on her face. You return the bow. Tamiko is... inscrutable, pushing back her long, orange hair while regarding you quietly.
Sakura rolls her eyes at you.
It
will be better for everyone in the long run, you repeat to yourself. It's... it's for the good of everyone.
And that's not really a good line of thought.
Chouko's motions are hurried as she moves over, hand already reaching out for the bags before she checks herself. She stops in front of Yumi, and hesitates for a moment before bowing to the gravity controller. "Thank you."
Yumi, looking faintly surprised, returns the bow in silence, before holding the bag in front of her. Chouko takes it with a quiet rustle of plastic, hands moving quickly and closing convulsively on the handle of the bag. She almost snatches it towards her chest, bowing deeply to Yumi, and then you in turn before she turns back to her friends.
They don't pass the Grief Seeds out, but Chouko hands the bag to Yuko, who peeks inside it with a dazed,
pleased look, before she passes it to Rei, who in turn passes it to Haru, who runs her hand through the bag with faint clinking noises.
A stray thought crosses your brain - why don't the pointed bottoms of the Grief Seeds punch holes in the plastic bag?
You huff out a breath.
Next order of business, then.
"Miss Minami," you say, drawing her attention away from watching the University girls. "If you don't mind, we'll be hanging on to Akiko for a while longer. I want to try and find out what's..." you fumble for a word, before continuing, "... what's
wrong with her, and help her if I can."
Mami's fingers tighten on yours, and Yumi frowns. "I understand," she says, looking wary. Sakura sets her jaw stubbornly, crossing her arms and seemingly ready to retort, before Rin gives her a sharp look. Even Tamiko seems perturbed by your declaration, looking questioningly at Rin.
Rin nods calmly, accepting your statement without question.
"Alright," you say. "Then the next order of business will be the Fukushima girls. I'll wake them up, and I'd appreciate your help in keeping them calm."
This goes down a lot easier, Yumi nodding in acceptance. "Yes, we'll help."
"By the way, speaking of which," you say. "You
can afford to pay them, right? And you still have enough Grief Seeds for yourself?"
"Yes, we do," Yumi says, looking slightly evasive.
You snort. "However many you have leftover isn't my business, as long as you have
enough for yourselves and aren't... up to something nefarious."
The gravity controller nods, grey hair bobbing with the motion.
"Ah, excuse me, Miss Sabrina?" Chouko asks, clutching the bag of Grief Seeds in her hands. "Would it be acceptable if we... went aside for a moment? Just the next roof over, say?"
"Uh, sure," you say. "It's still raining, though."
"That's not a problem," Chouko says, accompanied by affirmative nods from her friends.
"Then, yeah, I guess?" you say. You're guessing they want to get away from the Sendai girls so that they can express themselves more freely?
"May I accompany you?" Noa speaks up, glancing sidelong at you. "By your leave, of course, Miss Sabrina?"
You shrug. "If they're OK with it, sure," you agree. "Miss Tsubaki?"
Chouko looks quizzical, as do her friends, puzzled glances abounding. "I suppose?" she replies.
Noa bows politely. "Thank you. I shall not get in the way, I merely wish to ask a few questions."
Chouko's confusion fades slightly, and she nods, looking more sure of herself. "You're welcome," she says, bowing shallowly in return, before turning to join her friends. They leap across to the next roof over, Noa following behind them.
"Alright, then," you say. You flex your will, and Grief shifts to deposit Moe on the roof, from the... floating mausoleum you have. Reminded of its existence, the Sendai girls give it and Moe's body equally uncomfortable looks.
Rin did good work, Moe's body fully healed, smoothly unblemished skin showing beneath rips in a modest, heavily ruffled black dress, a single, asymmetrical dark red glove on her hand. You can see where you tore her Soul Gem away from the wrist of her glove, worn like a watch.
You kneel down next to her, slipping her Gem out of your pocket.
"Kirika?" you ask.
The black haired girl snaps smartly to attention, before ruining the effect with another enormous yawn. "Yes?"
"Um... be ready to antimagic her if she tries to use her powers?" you ask. You glance around. There aren't any particularly
deep shadows she could manipulate, so you
think it should be OK. Not like she's demonstrated the ability to strangle you with them or something, anyway.
"Okies!" Kirika chirps.
You nod. "And, um, Mami?"
Mami smiles. "Of course."
Ribbons wrap securely around the girl's wrists and legs.
You nod in approval, as the Sendai girls hover, unsure of what to do. Yumi kneels down beside the Moe's body, opposite to you.
You take a deep breath, holding her Gem up for everyone to see, and then press it into her hand.
A breathless moment passes before Moe inhales sharply and her eyelids flick open, to reveal crimson eyes, wide and vacant in confusion. And then she
screams.
It's a good scream, one delivered right from her diaphragm to bounce and echo off the buildings.
Moe bolts upright, before jerking up short against the ribbons. You can see her muscles flex under her skin, especially her formerly severed arm, before rational thought seems to slowly seep back into her mind as she glances around, her eyes flickering around.
Yumi raises her arms, gently pressing Moe back. "Miss Nishimura, you're-" a trace of hesitation, "-safe now. You're
safe, it's alright."
Moe takes another breath, eyes still darting around, flickering from the Sendai girls to Kirika, you, then Mami. A touch of fear seems to enter her eyes, and she looks back at Yumi.
"W-what happened?" she asked. Her voice is a clear, warm contralto, completely at odds with the... well, you'd half expected a whispery, sbiliant voice to go along with her shadow powers.
"We lost," Yumi says baldly.
Moe squeezes her eyes shut, her head turning away. "Damn it," she mutters. "I
knew this was a bad idea."
"Miss Nishimura," you say as gently as you can. "Your friends are OK. We don't want to hurt you, and the war's over. You... yes, you lost, and you hurt a lot of people doing it."
Relief flickers in her expression as she looks at you. "Sasami, Atsuko, they're OK?"
"Yes," you confirm. You nudge the body repository -there
has be a better term for it- away from her line of sight. "Just, ah, neutralized."
"Oh," she says, grimacing, before her face settles into a neutral mask.
"Yes," you say, nodding firmly. "Before I let you go, could you answer some questions for me?"
You can feel a glare trying to burn a hole in the side of your head - Sakura, of course. She seems to disapprove of everything you do, on sheer principle.
Moe tries to sit up, and you reach out to help her up. You can feel her jerk away from your hand. "Ask away, Miss...?"
"I'm Sabrina. Just Sabrina," you introduce yourself. "This is Tomoe Mami, and Kure Kirika. Now... tell me about your group. Why did you take Miss Hamasaki's offer?"
The shadow controller's eyes narrow fractionally, her arms flexing against Mami's ribbons. "We owe her," she says slowly. "She waived part of the costs for healing we needed, in exchange for a favour. And she's paying us in Grief Seeds for this... or was." Her eyes fix on yours, unblinking. "You're the 'witch-girl'?"
[] Write-in
=====
No, she does not have the sharingan.