You look at Akiko, lying limply on the wet flagstones of the roof. But for the quick, shallow rise and fall of her chest and the motion of her eyes, darting about like a trapped animal, she's as still as if she were... disconnected. Tamiko kneels beside the girl, her long orange hair falling in a curtain to hide her face as one hand gently strokes Akiko's hair.
You...
You're not sure what to do.
Not really.
You glance at Mami, briefly debating asking her to make a blanket or something for Akiko. Pity and... something that might be
relief war in Mami's golden eyes as she regards Akiko. Feeling your eyes on her, she turns to give you a worried smile. To see if
you do something.
And you're not sure what to do.
Or rather... you're not sure what
you can do.
You survey the Sendai girls. Rin, kneeling beside Akiko, her robes pooled around her and arms pressed into their opposite sleeves, face pensive with thought. She glances at Sakura, and the teleporter jolts into motion, moving hesitantly to stand beside Rin. Tamiko remains, slowly stroking Akiko's hair.
The Grief you send away, to the very furthest reaches of your range. Compressed into solid spheres, their presence is almost unnoticeable to your puella magi senses.
Almost. But Mami told you, not so long ago, that that particular
almost isn't quite absolute - and there's so
much Grief that even you, callow and inexperienced, can sense it.
And so hundreds of spheres of Grief rocket upwards into the sky to hover at the edges of your range, as inoffensive as you can make it.
For what feels like the first time in forever, you untransform, a burst of light leaving you in a blouse and modest knee length skirt. Mami looks questioningly at you, and you sigh. "It's not our place," you say softly, voice barely carrying over the rain still pattering off the awning of ribbons.
Mami nods, and follows suit, detransforming.
"Could you undo the ribbons?" you ask, voice still pitched low. "She's... in no state to do anything, anyway."
As Mami complies, you look up to find Rin and Tamiko watching you, while Sakura's staring off to the side. Yumi's looking down at the concrete of the roof.
"She needs you," you say simply. "Not me."
"Oh,
now you fucking leave us alo-" Sakura starts.
She's cut off by a quiet murmur from Rin. "Sakura."
Bottle green eyes meet yours unflinchingly, and she nods fractionally to you.
A blaze of light beside you - Kirika, following you and Mami's examples.
Rin blinks, and looks back to Akiko.
You huff out a breath, and walk away from the Sendai girls, to the edge of the roof. There's a few large ventilation ducts protruding here -this might be an office block, you think?-, and you put one between you and the Sendai girls. With a groan, Kirika drops to the roof, sitting indifferently on the wet flagstones and leaning back against the vent.
Golden ribbons wind into a small mat, and Mami sits elegantly on it, patting the mat beside her invitingly. You smile, and seat yourself beside her. Mami immediately shuffles a little closer to you, leaning her head on your shoulder.
You sigh. "
Mami?"
"
Are you OK, Sabrina?" she asks, peering anxiously up at you.
"
Yeah, I guess," you respond. You think back to your earlier worries. That you're running roughshod over everyone. That... you
broke Mami's worldview, shattered it into a million pieces you're barely holding together.
For their own good.
For her own good.
"
Just... I sort of wish it hadn't wound up like this. This war, this situation. This... thisness," you say instead.
Later.
Perhaps.
Mami nods. Her hand curls around yours, squeezing tightly.
"
I don't suppose you have any ideas to help Miss Hamasaki?" you ask.
She shakes her head, hair drills bobbing with the motion. "
Sorry..."
"
Don't," you say, smiling at her. "
Don't be silly, Mami."
"
I just... I don't know her at all, Sabrina," she says. "
I don-"
You squeeze back on her hand. "
I know," you say. "
It was just a thought, anyway. Don't worry about it, Mami."
Mami nods, and hesitantly leans on your shoulder again. You wrap your arm around her, and she cuddles into your side, the warmth of her presence a welcome bulwark against the chill of the everpresent rain.
You stare out into the rain, sleeting off the side of the awning of ribbons in great sheets of water. A portion of your attention maintains a watch on Akiko's levels of Grief, slowly trickling upwards.
A sudden bubbling, snorting noise makes you jump. You twist around, and see Kirika leaning back on the vent, head lolling to the side and eyes closed. Asleep. Asleep, and snoring. Her hands make fitful little motions, looking for something not there.
You return to staring out at the city with its shroud of rain.
Damn Kyuubey.
Damn Kyuubey for making it come to this.
Even if it's doing this for the sake of the universe.
Footsteps, the rustle of heavy cloth, and a presence approaching, trying not to make too much noise.
Rin.
"
Miss Sabrina, Miss Tomoe," she says telepathically, inclining her head in a little bow.
"
Rin," you reply, taking care not to jostle Mami.
"
Miss Mori," Mami echoes.
"
I don't think there's much you can do here," she says quietly. "
There's... not much we
can do, either, but wait."
[] Write-in
=====
Mmm.
See my WTF on reaction to Mitakihara thing
