Seeing Red [PMMM x LoR]
- Pronouns
- He
The voice of god Ayin the QM casting the final decisive vote to prove even the most stubborn of Abnormalities can grow given the means and chance just feels so right.
Dark_River49
Randomly Generated Gremlin, Writes Walls of Text
- Location
- Somewhere in Sufficient Velocity
Holy shit. I havent been checking the thread and only cast my vote for the heck of it since I didnt think we would actually get 100 votes, but holy shit. This is peak.
- Location
- Who knows?
HOLY FUCKING SHIT LETS GOOGOOGOGOGOOGOGOG
Norr
Misophist
- Location
- Any chair
I have to admit, when I saw this post I laughed so hard. Just when everyone rooted for one more vote, the GM comes in and goes "yeah, I'mma just put the tiniest finger on the scale here. Good job everyone."
This quest is such an emotional rollercoaster. The hugs are deserved.
16. Yetzirah
- Location
- Earth
[____________________________________________________________________________________________________]
Yuki's burning anger roars to life. A fire ignites in her chest, pushing through her lungs from the heart.
It wants out.
She wants to scream her rage at the world.
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But something stems the tide. Something holds back the bile before it can surge up her throat.
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A stream of light, golden and full of possibility. The strands are invisible to the naked eye at the best of times. But in that very moment, those behind Yuki can see. And so can Kirsten.
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It shines brightly, illuminating the half-dark. Its rays are warm and full of life, soothing the broken hearts of the broken girls it shines upon. Even if it is for just a moment, they can all feel whole again.
Sayaka's mental struggle ceases as the light envelops her. She still does not know which choice the right one is, but for the first time she wonders if she really needs to hurry.
Nagisa is free of her grief for her mother. For just a moment, she skips two of the five steps to reach acceptance. The burden lifts from her aching chest. It will return soon, and the feeling of loss with it. But she will remember what lies at the end of her road to recovery.
Yuma can once again see a purpose to her life. She does not fear to keep on living, and the light resonates with that fearlessness. But where she was only just unshackled and still lost, for that instant she feels purpose and content. She understands that she already is where she wants to be, and that is enough.
Mami feels safe for the first time in so long. For this moment, she knows she is among friends and people who care. She lowers her mask of refined politeness, lets her shoulders slump. Tears slide down her cheeks as she admits, to herself and the world, that she is not fine. For the first time in a long time, Mami is honest with herself.
Kyoko openly weeps as well. Not for herself, but for her family that she lost. She can finally accept that their deaths were not her fault. No matter what hurtful words her father said that fateful day, she knows he hurt just as much as she. It was her fault not to consider his feelings when she made her wish; but what came of it was not on her head. She is a victim, just like her mother and sister were.
Madoka, Junko, and Homura show no notable reaction beyond a widening of the eyes. None of them achieves a great revelation within the light, but their feelings settle all the same. The weights of Homura's and Junko's struggles lift from their shoulders for a beautiful moment. Madoka feels more at ease.
Kyubey analyses the released light with clinical detachment. The light is ultimately of humanity, and so a being that is not, was not, and never will be human remains unaffected.
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And somehow, the intensity of the glow grows even stronger. Streamers of light escape from Yuki's form. They do not so much damage Kirsten's barrier as they delete it. A dark void appears in the tears they drag, from which only wind howls into the barrier.
Upon the light crest countless voices. Each one is but a mere whisper, unheard on its own. But together and in unison, you achieve the impossible and make your feelings reach.
Keep a hold of yourself
Yuki's eyes lose their madness. Her body stops twitching and becomes fully physical again. The acidic tears stop, and the death grip on her mallet loosens.
She takes a shuddering breath, mind enveloped in warmth and comprehension. Broken memories return with sudden clarity as an Abnormality tries to reject her nature.
It is not that her chosen companions among the Agents were whisked away or killed by something else. She remembers now that it was her. The beast within her chest, barely held back by chains of light and force of will. The Servant of Wrath roars against the world even now.
But though Yuki made as a koi and leapt, she has not cleared the waterfall. She barely made a single hop in a painful journey, if she ever wished to become the dragon instead.
And she knows it, too.
Another breath is taken. The wrath courses through her body and soul, urging her to maim and kill everything in her path. She can still see the Hermit's face, frozen upon a screen that the light has half deleted from existence. Another streamer passes by and removes her face in that moment.
But the anger remains, still. It makes Yuki's blood boil.
A soft, viridian gleam shines at the epicenter of the light. Her own power and nature answer the call. And in the shadow they cast, her fated enemy is called into the world.
Just as she takes a single step forward, the screen vanishes like it was never there. And behind it comes another, faintly larger one. This one is carried by a pair of familiars, and a mannequin's distorted body grows from its top half.
Yuki raises her weapon with a growl, only to stop in surprise when the familiars let go. Their mistress never reaches the ground, turning into a human girl halfway down. Lithe, with greasy, black hair and thick, round glasses.
"I'm so sorry," she says as she lands, her voice as meek as a mouse. "I did all these things to you, and yet you showed me the way home anyway. I'm sorry."
The girl stops in front of Yuki, a soft smile on her face.
"I think I can go outside now. Thank you for being my guiding light."
Then she kisses Yuki.
The soft press of lips against hers leaves the magical girl too stumped to react, even as it vanishes. The girl fades away together with the howling wind. Only the familiar sound of a star follows as gold turns pink for a moment.
For everyone behind her, those who are not entirely off basking in the light, the Witch simply disperses, Grief Seed and all. The golden gleam cleans every last bit of taint from their Soul Gems as it begins to fade as well.
The barrier vanishes around the group. They return to the parking lot they set out from, not befuddled so much as amazed. Yuki herself stands frozen, crimson eyes widened in wonder as she touches her lips.
When she stops shimmering at last, the girls behind her begin snapping out of their fugue states. But even then, an air of warmth surrounds them still.
Mami sniffles, then buries her head in her hands. She is immediately the center of attention as she continues to cry.
"Whoa, miss Mami! Everything okay?" Sayaka calls, reaching out yet not quite willing to touch the older girl.
"It's alright, you don't need to cry."
Mami shakes her head, not even looking at Sayaka. "Yes, I very much need to," she says, her voice muffled until she looks up. The sight of her red-rimmed eyes clearly takes Sayaka aback, which prompts a faint huff.
"Not much of a role model now, am I? But I realised that I am just so, so sick of being alone."
"Miss Sakura, no Kyoko," she continues softly, prompting the other girl to stop wiping her own eyes.
"Y-Yeah?"
"Would you come live with me, please? And could I maybe have a hug?"
Kyoko stares back owlishly, much like Sayaka and Madoka do. But unlike them, Kyoko understands exactly where Mami is coming from. She rubs her eye one final time to get rid of another fresh tear, smiling brighter than she has in a long time.
Then she wraps Mami in a tight hug without another word. Her old friend melts into the embrace and squeezes her back just as tightly.
"If you don't mind having me," she agrees. "I hope there's space for one more, though. I'm bringing Yuma."
"Of course."
They both giggle in-between sniffles, even more so when Yuma hugs them both around the waist. She wears a happy smile of her own, which only grows bigger when each girl takes one of her hands.
Then Yuma hesitates and turns around.
"Nagisa?" she calls out to the other grade schooler. Nagisa's eyes slide open slowly, a forlorn expression on her face.
"I'm sorry about earlier," Yuma says, which makes the previous look vanish. "I think miss Kirika is cool, too."
Though stumped for a moment, Nagisa soon returns a shy smile of her own. "How about we say both of them are just as cool as each other?"
"Okay."
The girls smile, as do Mami and Kyoko. So do Junko and Madoka, overjoyed by the harmony they see.
Sayaka stood awkwardly at the wayside for a bit. But now that people slowly return to normal, she steps forward again.
"Say, Yuma. There's a favour I'd like to ask you for," she begins, then continues when Yuma's attention turns to her: "There's a friend of mine, and he was in a really bad accident. He can't use his hand anymore, but he just loves playing the violin. The doctors still aren't sure if he can even play again."
"I'm rambling," she says as she realises it, sounding almost frantic. "So, err, can you help him? Please?"
Yuma looks back for a long moment. Her gaze is inscrutable as she considers the request. She knows she would have said no before this moment. No, because Sayaka was mean to Yuki and Kyoko, but mainly Yuki.
But right now, Yuma is willing to move on from that. She is ready to give the girl another chance. So she nods.
"Okay, I'll help."
Sayaka's face lights up. She impulsively hugs the younger girl to her chest, thanking her over and over. Yuma giggles in her grip, as does Nagisa watching them. Kyoko and Mami are smiling as well.
Everyone's attention soon shifts, however. All it takes are a pair of simple questions, given from Homura to Yuki.
"What was that light? And what happened to the Witch?"
Yuki's hand slowly returns back to her side. She lets go of her mallet, which drops onto the concrete with a dull clang. She knows that everyone is looking at her, but can not bring herself to care.
"This light is what they cultivated in the depth of Lobotomy Corporation," she answers, even if those words confuse them more than they explain. Yuki does not care, she mostly speaks to get her thoughts in order.
"That light of boundless possibilities was their salvation. I saw it shine, I saw it reclaimed. But what is it doing here, in this world?"
"I don't know."
"I know, Homura. Nobody but the light itself knows the answer. And even that is questionable."
Shaking her head, Yuki steps past the other magical girl. She has little more than a sideeye for the other girls, at least until Nagisa steps into her way.
"Who was that person, miss Yuki? The one we saw on that last screen?"
Yuki stops to stare at her. In turn, Nagisa grows increasingly nervous under that piercing gaze from her inhuman eyes. But even though she fidgets and shuffles around, she never shies away or averts her own gaze.
"Someone who's dead," Yuki finally answers. Her hand clenches into a fist, the pressure so strong that her nails tear the skin from her palm.
"Someone who better be dead. And yet she is alive in my memories."
If Yuki could, she would tear that memory out and strangle it.
As it is, she can only shoulder past Nagisa. The girl stumbles away with a startled squeak, more from surprise than the force of it.
Yuki takes a few steps in one direction, then turns around and moves in another. She has too much energy and nowhere to take it; there is no goal, nothing to put her mind to. And throughout it, that same wrath gnaws at her resolve. An idle motion has her mallet slap back into her open palm, where it belongs.
The others watch her with a mixture of confusion and worry. Then Junko steps forward, barring Yuki's path and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, it's alright," she assures her gently. "I don't understand everything that happened just now, but I know one thing: if there's something bothering you, you can tell us. No one will judge you."
"I'm one slip away from hurting someone," Yuki answers. Her voice is cold as Winter's first snow, entirely at odds with the fire burning in her eyes.
"Let go, Junko."
Junko smiles.
"Promise you'll explain?"
"No."
Rather than let the other woman prod further, Yuki bares her teeth and pushes her away. Junko flies back with a startled cry, then goes to the ground a metre past where she started. Several people call out, then Mami and Sayaka interpose themselves between Yuki and Junko. Yuma quickly kneels by her side to tend to her bruises.
"What was that for?!" Sayaka calls.
In response, Yuki spits at her feet. The ground begins to sizzle and melt from her saliva, making the blunette flinch back.
"I just told her to let go, and she didn't. The rest is none of your business."
Yuki exhales slowly and turns away, squinting at nothing. She needs to get away, to burn off all that energy. She needs to kill something.
The Hermit lives in her memories. And one day, she will take Oriko's place to reenact their battle.
That thought douses her like ice water. Yuki's eyes widen, then A wave of viridian energy emits from her body.
"I must go."
Several people call out with questions, but she answers none. A moment later, Yuki is gone.
She appears in front of Oriko's house, hand raised to knock. Or maybe smash through the door. But then she pauses as the chain of events replays in her head.
Seeking comfort in her friend will only make things worse. She knows it is only a matter of time until she is betrayed. Yuki knows this as an inviolable truth. No matter what Oriko says, this is how it always ends.
Yuki's entire form spasms again. She slowly lowers her hand to look at it.
Then she turns away and vanishes once more.
This is for the best, she thinks. No attachments means no trouble. She should have listened to her own advice, rather than jump at Oriko's offered hands like a touch-starved puppy.
The day quickly fades away. Night falls as Yuki wanders aimlessly, first in Mitakihara and then in Kazamino. Her thoughts slow to a crawl as she simply puts one foot in front of the other. Some people bother her, but none for long.
"Go away," she repeats on occasion.
Yet no matter what she says, nor how far she walks, or where her magic carries her, you never leave. And as much as she wants to forget your presence, she can not.
In the early morning hours, her anger has faded. She finished swallowing it down and sits somewhere out of sight, then sleeps away the dawn and half a day. Yuki does not give a damn.
Saturday passes her by as well. Her frozen heart slowly thaws again as equilibrium returns, but her resolution remains the same. Yuki knows what she must do.
And yet, even though she should leave this city, this country behind, something keeps her here. Some invisible pull stops her from walking away.
She still ponders what it is when night falls anew. Does her nature as an Abnormality prevent her from going?
Then a noise disrupts her ennui.
Yuki blinks, suddenly aware of her surroundings again. She stands somewhere in the industrial district, the streetlights barely illuminating this street. There are no people but her, though something small scurries around in the dark.
But the noise that caught her attention comes from above. It is the faint hiss of spraycan.
Seeing who exactly has been defacing the walls again has Yuki heave a sigh.
"Can't you at least make something pretty?" she asks the girl hanging from the rooftop.
Ai glances down with a grin and a shrug, then waves with the hand holding the spraycan. "Yo!" she greets. "What're you talking about? This is great stuff!"
"Please keep your teenage angst away from the public."
"Hey, I resemble that!"
Paradoxically, the pinkette's half-shouted responses somehow manage to calm Yuki some more.
She stands on the ground to watch Ai work, then reads her half-baked poetry across the walls for lack of anything else to do. The theme keeps repeating, however she crammed several verses across a singular wall.
"Are you religious?" Yuki finally asks when Ai climbs down to street level. "Or the opposite? You talk a lot about god in there."
Ai looks back up and shrugs again.
"Kinda yes to both? I'm mostly in the camp where God doesn't exist. Or maybe God shouldn't exist? Can't exist? It's hard to put into words," she admits, though she does not sound at all bothered.
"It would be nice if we lived in a world where we didn't need God. But we both know we don't."
"What even is a god?" Yuki asks back, halfway between curious and sardonic.
Ai, for her part, shrugs once more.
"Beats me. I think everyone has an idea of what 'God' means to them. But it doesn't matter because I also think there is no god in this world. What about you?"
"I acknowledge the existence of entities more powerful than myself. But I have also seen those same beings, that many would call as gods, locked into cells. Used as little more than limitless batteries."
"Sounds edgy," Ai counters jovially. "Where'd you see stuff like that?"
"Lobotomy Corporation."
Neither of them says anything for a time, the two just look at each other. Yuki knows that Ai lacks the knowledge and mental framework to comprehend the places she has seen. But she does not care enough to explain from the beginning, either.
Ai wordlessly reaches out to take off the scraps of Yuki's blindfold. She holds the cloth gingerly, not at all bothered by what she sees.
Then she offers the spraycan.
"Wanna try some painting?"
Yuki knows she should not. She was never one for art, especially not the sort that messes with public infrastructure. Yet tonight of all nights, she takes the paint.
Weighing the can in her hand, she reasons that she can always remove it later.
"Alright. What do I paint?"
"That's the neat part about it," Ai chirps as she sidles up to Yuki with a sweeping motion of her free hand. "I have no idea. You can do whatever you want. Just put your feelings on the canvas."
"So your feelings are bad poetry?"
The pinkette rolls her eyes over Yuki's quip. "Get off my back," she grouses good-naturedly, then pushes the smaller girl forward. "And get to painting."
Yuki finds herself in front of an empty spot of wall. Some pipes run along the structure in a nearby alley, trash lines the various nooks and crannies. She can barely see colours from the streetlights.
After staring at her 'canvas' for a few seconds, Yuki throws out her free hand. A pair of viridian orbs comes into being without a word, then begins to shine natural light around them. This little corner of the streets is bright as if it were day. Ai whistles in the background, but is ignored; Yuki could not care less about keeping magic under wraps right now.
Then she presses down on the nozzle. And for long minutes, the hiss of the can is the only noise between the two.
Yuki just feels into herself and lets her gut move her hands. Erratic motions draw lines of dark purple across the wall. They cross each other, separate again, and come together in an ever-growing splotch at the center.
By the time her can runs out, there is nothing but that splotch. A dozen layers of the same colour, all converging on each other and overlapping. Together, they form a lump of useless garbage.
Overall, it does reflect Yuki's feelings quite well.
She stares down at the empty can, then back at her work. The full one that Ai throws is caught absently, though Yuki does look her way; the pinkette wears an understanding smile.
"Knock yourself out. I've got some more."
"There's nothing valuable about this," Yuki says. She still holds onto the can.
Ai shrugs.
"It doesn't need to be. It's fine as long as you find value in it."
Yuki does not agree. But she understands. After looking down at the can in hand one more time, she raises her arm and starts spraying again.
This one is red.
The next one is green.
And the one after that is blue.
After half an hour of frantic motion, Yuki feels that it is done. She feels a little lighter over the almost monotonous work. Even if the giant mess of clashing colours has no value, it is something Yuki made. And that gives her peace.
She and Ai stand some ways away from the wall, studying Yuki's work. The pinkette hums in thought, though she does not share whatever she thinks.
"Care to share what bothers you?"
As the silence continues, Ai slowly inches closer until she can wrap Yuki in a sidehug. Her body is warm against Yuki's, spending an odd sort of comfort.
"The light manifested," she finally admits. "That light of endless possibility. It gave them comfort, let them grow as people. It's that potent. But despite its radiance, despite the fact it somehow clings to me, all it did for me was barely heading off an explosion."
A lone tear gather's in Yuki's eye, for once salty instead of corrosive. It rolls down her cheek until Ai wipes it off. She says nothing, just lets Yuki speak.
"I haven't changed. I can't change. I'm not human, I don't have a choice in the end. I just follow my nature, and there's nothing I can do about it."
And that truly is the crux of the matter. Yuki thought she knew herself, but the Witch Elly, no, Kirsten saw more. She struck Yuki in the core of her ever-repeating story, almost making her rampage with civilians right there.
She does not blame Kirsten. She, too, only acted in accordance with her nature.
"Everyone follows their nature," Ai tells her gently. Her eyes almost gleam in the light of Yuki's magic. Her gaze is soft.
Yuki averts her eyes. She can not bear so much understanding or encouragement. She did nothing to make herself deserve such a thing; she deserves no more and no less than anyone else, this is too much.
"Humans can change, assuming they realise something about them is wrong or bad. I can't."
"Says who?"
"Everything. And everyone."
"Alright. Then fuck everything. And fuck everyone."
Yuki looks back up, startled. Ai's soft voice is so at odds with her dismissive words, and so is the smile she shows. She turns to grasp both of Yuki's shoulders, holding her gaze with a sudden passion.
"Yuki. The only one who gets to decide is you."
They stare at each other in silence. Ai's words ring heavy and weigh heavier. At the same time, her expression shifts over the quiet seconds; she herself seems to have reached an epiphany from her own words.
In the end, Yuki can not acknowledge her advice. She lowers her head once more, hands hanging limply.
"I'd like to be alone."
"...alright. I'll give you time to think."
Before leaving, however, Ai wraps Yuki in a big hug. Being held so securely, having her back stroked, it makes Yuki feel ever worse. Not angry, just sad.
"You're too nice to me."
"No, I'm not. I'm exactly as nice as I want to be."
Ai throws her a final grin, then steps back and leaves Yuki alone. The spraycans are forgotten on the floor, at least until Yuki picks them up. An errant flick of the wrist has that garbage vanish.
Then she stands there in silence, staring back at her painting. The colours begin to blend under her unblinking stare, somehow resembling Yuki. A dirty likeness of her appears upon the wall, almost lifelike after some minutes of uninterrupted looking.
Like a portrait of another world. Yuki can almost feel it grasping for her from the beyond.
But unlike the real thing, this one is just her imagination. It will not protect her from harm at the cost of another, nor does she want it to.
At dawn, Yuki finally averts her eyes. The first rays of light drown out her own magic orbs, which poof from existence.
The illusion on her painting breaks as well. It is merely a whirl of colours once more.
She does not want to acknowledge Ai's words. It would only hurt more if, despite the agreement of so many bright minds of the City, she could change. Because then Yuki would have failed in a process she is capable of.
It is much easier to blame her circumstances, rather than find fault with herself.
A cold breeze blows through the street, tugging at her hair and clothes. Yuki shivers, feeling the cold for once. She hugs herself and steps into the nearest side alley to seek shelter from the wind.
There she sits down, huddled against the wall. Hugging her knees, which are drawn up to her chest.
She wants to just stay here and stop thinking until her heart has calmed down. Maybe Oriko is right and the world will end soon. Then Yuki does not have to face all these conflicting feelings anymore.
Sunday passes her by, day turns to night, and then to day again. Yuki has not moved a muscle.
Her shadow writhes.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwK3-vdXX-Q[/URL]
[] Go somewhere
weight: x0.1
[] See someone
weight: x0.1
[] Ask for help
weight: x0.1
-Yuki lost a trait
The Expectation For The Meaning of Existence
-Yuki trait revealed
Agony of an Empty Life
Yuki's burning anger roars to life. A fire ignites in her chest, pushing through her lungs from the heart.
It wants out.
She wants to scream her rage at the world.
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But something stems the tide. Something holds back the bile before it can surge up her throat.
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A stream of light, golden and full of possibility. The strands are invisible to the naked eye at the best of times. But in that very moment, those behind Yuki can see. And so can Kirsten.
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It shines brightly, illuminating the half-dark. Its rays are warm and full of life, soothing the broken hearts of the broken girls it shines upon. Even if it is for just a moment, they can all feel whole again.
Sayaka's mental struggle ceases as the light envelops her. She still does not know which choice the right one is, but for the first time she wonders if she really needs to hurry.
Nagisa is free of her grief for her mother. For just a moment, she skips two of the five steps to reach acceptance. The burden lifts from her aching chest. It will return soon, and the feeling of loss with it. But she will remember what lies at the end of her road to recovery.
Yuma can once again see a purpose to her life. She does not fear to keep on living, and the light resonates with that fearlessness. But where she was only just unshackled and still lost, for that instant she feels purpose and content. She understands that she already is where she wants to be, and that is enough.
Mami feels safe for the first time in so long. For this moment, she knows she is among friends and people who care. She lowers her mask of refined politeness, lets her shoulders slump. Tears slide down her cheeks as she admits, to herself and the world, that she is not fine. For the first time in a long time, Mami is honest with herself.
Kyoko openly weeps as well. Not for herself, but for her family that she lost. She can finally accept that their deaths were not her fault. No matter what hurtful words her father said that fateful day, she knows he hurt just as much as she. It was her fault not to consider his feelings when she made her wish; but what came of it was not on her head. She is a victim, just like her mother and sister were.
Madoka, Junko, and Homura show no notable reaction beyond a widening of the eyes. None of them achieves a great revelation within the light, but their feelings settle all the same. The weights of Homura's and Junko's struggles lift from their shoulders for a beautiful moment. Madoka feels more at ease.
Kyubey analyses the released light with clinical detachment. The light is ultimately of humanity, and so a being that is not, was not, and never will be human remains unaffected.
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And somehow, the intensity of the glow grows even stronger. Streamers of light escape from Yuki's form. They do not so much damage Kirsten's barrier as they delete it. A dark void appears in the tears they drag, from which only wind howls into the barrier.
Upon the light crest countless voices. Each one is but a mere whisper, unheard on its own. But together and in unison, you achieve the impossible and make your feelings reach.
Keep a hold of yourself
Yuki's eyes lose their madness. Her body stops twitching and becomes fully physical again. The acidic tears stop, and the death grip on her mallet loosens.
She takes a shuddering breath, mind enveloped in warmth and comprehension. Broken memories return with sudden clarity as an Abnormality tries to reject her nature.
It is not that her chosen companions among the Agents were whisked away or killed by something else. She remembers now that it was her. The beast within her chest, barely held back by chains of light and force of will. The Servant of Wrath roars against the world even now.
But though Yuki made as a koi and leapt, she has not cleared the waterfall. She barely made a single hop in a painful journey, if she ever wished to become the dragon instead.
And she knows it, too.
Another breath is taken. The wrath courses through her body and soul, urging her to maim and kill everything in her path. She can still see the Hermit's face, frozen upon a screen that the light has half deleted from existence. Another streamer passes by and removes her face in that moment.
But the anger remains, still. It makes Yuki's blood boil.
A soft, viridian gleam shines at the epicenter of the light. Her own power and nature answer the call. And in the shadow they cast, her fated enemy is called into the world.
Just as she takes a single step forward, the screen vanishes like it was never there. And behind it comes another, faintly larger one. This one is carried by a pair of familiars, and a mannequin's distorted body grows from its top half.
Yuki raises her weapon with a growl, only to stop in surprise when the familiars let go. Their mistress never reaches the ground, turning into a human girl halfway down. Lithe, with greasy, black hair and thick, round glasses.
"I'm so sorry," she says as she lands, her voice as meek as a mouse. "I did all these things to you, and yet you showed me the way home anyway. I'm sorry."
The girl stops in front of Yuki, a soft smile on her face.
"I think I can go outside now. Thank you for being my guiding light."
Then she kisses Yuki.
The soft press of lips against hers leaves the magical girl too stumped to react, even as it vanishes. The girl fades away together with the howling wind. Only the familiar sound of a star follows as gold turns pink for a moment.
For everyone behind her, those who are not entirely off basking in the light, the Witch simply disperses, Grief Seed and all. The golden gleam cleans every last bit of taint from their Soul Gems as it begins to fade as well.
The barrier vanishes around the group. They return to the parking lot they set out from, not befuddled so much as amazed. Yuki herself stands frozen, crimson eyes widened in wonder as she touches her lips.
When she stops shimmering at last, the girls behind her begin snapping out of their fugue states. But even then, an air of warmth surrounds them still.
Mami sniffles, then buries her head in her hands. She is immediately the center of attention as she continues to cry.
"Whoa, miss Mami! Everything okay?" Sayaka calls, reaching out yet not quite willing to touch the older girl.
"It's alright, you don't need to cry."
Mami shakes her head, not even looking at Sayaka. "Yes, I very much need to," she says, her voice muffled until she looks up. The sight of her red-rimmed eyes clearly takes Sayaka aback, which prompts a faint huff.
"Not much of a role model now, am I? But I realised that I am just so, so sick of being alone."
"Miss Sakura, no Kyoko," she continues softly, prompting the other girl to stop wiping her own eyes.
"Y-Yeah?"
"Would you come live with me, please? And could I maybe have a hug?"
Kyoko stares back owlishly, much like Sayaka and Madoka do. But unlike them, Kyoko understands exactly where Mami is coming from. She rubs her eye one final time to get rid of another fresh tear, smiling brighter than she has in a long time.
Then she wraps Mami in a tight hug without another word. Her old friend melts into the embrace and squeezes her back just as tightly.
"If you don't mind having me," she agrees. "I hope there's space for one more, though. I'm bringing Yuma."
"Of course."
They both giggle in-between sniffles, even more so when Yuma hugs them both around the waist. She wears a happy smile of her own, which only grows bigger when each girl takes one of her hands.
Then Yuma hesitates and turns around.
"Nagisa?" she calls out to the other grade schooler. Nagisa's eyes slide open slowly, a forlorn expression on her face.
"I'm sorry about earlier," Yuma says, which makes the previous look vanish. "I think miss Kirika is cool, too."
Though stumped for a moment, Nagisa soon returns a shy smile of her own. "How about we say both of them are just as cool as each other?"
"Okay."
The girls smile, as do Mami and Kyoko. So do Junko and Madoka, overjoyed by the harmony they see.
Sayaka stood awkwardly at the wayside for a bit. But now that people slowly return to normal, she steps forward again.
"Say, Yuma. There's a favour I'd like to ask you for," she begins, then continues when Yuma's attention turns to her: "There's a friend of mine, and he was in a really bad accident. He can't use his hand anymore, but he just loves playing the violin. The doctors still aren't sure if he can even play again."
"I'm rambling," she says as she realises it, sounding almost frantic. "So, err, can you help him? Please?"
Yuma looks back for a long moment. Her gaze is inscrutable as she considers the request. She knows she would have said no before this moment. No, because Sayaka was mean to Yuki and Kyoko, but mainly Yuki.
But right now, Yuma is willing to move on from that. She is ready to give the girl another chance. So she nods.
"Okay, I'll help."
Sayaka's face lights up. She impulsively hugs the younger girl to her chest, thanking her over and over. Yuma giggles in her grip, as does Nagisa watching them. Kyoko and Mami are smiling as well.
Everyone's attention soon shifts, however. All it takes are a pair of simple questions, given from Homura to Yuki.
"What was that light? And what happened to the Witch?"
Yuki's hand slowly returns back to her side. She lets go of her mallet, which drops onto the concrete with a dull clang. She knows that everyone is looking at her, but can not bring herself to care.
"This light is what they cultivated in the depth of Lobotomy Corporation," she answers, even if those words confuse them more than they explain. Yuki does not care, she mostly speaks to get her thoughts in order.
"That light of boundless possibilities was their salvation. I saw it shine, I saw it reclaimed. But what is it doing here, in this world?"
"I don't know."
"I know, Homura. Nobody but the light itself knows the answer. And even that is questionable."
Shaking her head, Yuki steps past the other magical girl. She has little more than a sideeye for the other girls, at least until Nagisa steps into her way.
"Who was that person, miss Yuki? The one we saw on that last screen?"
Yuki stops to stare at her. In turn, Nagisa grows increasingly nervous under that piercing gaze from her inhuman eyes. But even though she fidgets and shuffles around, she never shies away or averts her own gaze.
"Someone who's dead," Yuki finally answers. Her hand clenches into a fist, the pressure so strong that her nails tear the skin from her palm.
"Someone who better be dead. And yet she is alive in my memories."
If Yuki could, she would tear that memory out and strangle it.
As it is, she can only shoulder past Nagisa. The girl stumbles away with a startled squeak, more from surprise than the force of it.
Yuki takes a few steps in one direction, then turns around and moves in another. She has too much energy and nowhere to take it; there is no goal, nothing to put her mind to. And throughout it, that same wrath gnaws at her resolve. An idle motion has her mallet slap back into her open palm, where it belongs.
The others watch her with a mixture of confusion and worry. Then Junko steps forward, barring Yuki's path and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, it's alright," she assures her gently. "I don't understand everything that happened just now, but I know one thing: if there's something bothering you, you can tell us. No one will judge you."
"I'm one slip away from hurting someone," Yuki answers. Her voice is cold as Winter's first snow, entirely at odds with the fire burning in her eyes.
"Let go, Junko."
Junko smiles.
"Promise you'll explain?"
"No."
Rather than let the other woman prod further, Yuki bares her teeth and pushes her away. Junko flies back with a startled cry, then goes to the ground a metre past where she started. Several people call out, then Mami and Sayaka interpose themselves between Yuki and Junko. Yuma quickly kneels by her side to tend to her bruises.
"What was that for?!" Sayaka calls.
In response, Yuki spits at her feet. The ground begins to sizzle and melt from her saliva, making the blunette flinch back.
"I just told her to let go, and she didn't. The rest is none of your business."
Yuki exhales slowly and turns away, squinting at nothing. She needs to get away, to burn off all that energy. She needs to kill something.
The Hermit lives in her memories. And one day, she will take Oriko's place to reenact their battle.
That thought douses her like ice water. Yuki's eyes widen, then A wave of viridian energy emits from her body.
"I must go."
Several people call out with questions, but she answers none. A moment later, Yuki is gone.
She appears in front of Oriko's house, hand raised to knock. Or maybe smash through the door. But then she pauses as the chain of events replays in her head.
Seeking comfort in her friend will only make things worse. She knows it is only a matter of time until she is betrayed. Yuki knows this as an inviolable truth. No matter what Oriko says, this is how it always ends.
Yuki's entire form spasms again. She slowly lowers her hand to look at it.
Then she turns away and vanishes once more.
This is for the best, she thinks. No attachments means no trouble. She should have listened to her own advice, rather than jump at Oriko's offered hands like a touch-starved puppy.
The day quickly fades away. Night falls as Yuki wanders aimlessly, first in Mitakihara and then in Kazamino. Her thoughts slow to a crawl as she simply puts one foot in front of the other. Some people bother her, but none for long.
"Go away," she repeats on occasion.
Yet no matter what she says, nor how far she walks, or where her magic carries her, you never leave. And as much as she wants to forget your presence, she can not.
In the early morning hours, her anger has faded. She finished swallowing it down and sits somewhere out of sight, then sleeps away the dawn and half a day. Yuki does not give a damn.
Saturday passes her by as well. Her frozen heart slowly thaws again as equilibrium returns, but her resolution remains the same. Yuki knows what she must do.
And yet, even though she should leave this city, this country behind, something keeps her here. Some invisible pull stops her from walking away.
She still ponders what it is when night falls anew. Does her nature as an Abnormality prevent her from going?
Then a noise disrupts her ennui.
Yuki blinks, suddenly aware of her surroundings again. She stands somewhere in the industrial district, the streetlights barely illuminating this street. There are no people but her, though something small scurries around in the dark.
But the noise that caught her attention comes from above. It is the faint hiss of spraycan.
Seeing who exactly has been defacing the walls again has Yuki heave a sigh.
"Can't you at least make something pretty?" she asks the girl hanging from the rooftop.
Ai glances down with a grin and a shrug, then waves with the hand holding the spraycan. "Yo!" she greets. "What're you talking about? This is great stuff!"
"Please keep your teenage angst away from the public."
"Hey, I resemble that!"
Paradoxically, the pinkette's half-shouted responses somehow manage to calm Yuki some more.
She stands on the ground to watch Ai work, then reads her half-baked poetry across the walls for lack of anything else to do. The theme keeps repeating, however she crammed several verses across a singular wall.
"Are you religious?" Yuki finally asks when Ai climbs down to street level. "Or the opposite? You talk a lot about god in there."
Ai looks back up and shrugs again.
"Kinda yes to both? I'm mostly in the camp where God doesn't exist. Or maybe God shouldn't exist? Can't exist? It's hard to put into words," she admits, though she does not sound at all bothered.
"It would be nice if we lived in a world where we didn't need God. But we both know we don't."
"What even is a god?" Yuki asks back, halfway between curious and sardonic.
Ai, for her part, shrugs once more.
"Beats me. I think everyone has an idea of what 'God' means to them. But it doesn't matter because I also think there is no god in this world. What about you?"
"I acknowledge the existence of entities more powerful than myself. But I have also seen those same beings, that many would call as gods, locked into cells. Used as little more than limitless batteries."
"Sounds edgy," Ai counters jovially. "Where'd you see stuff like that?"
"Lobotomy Corporation."
Neither of them says anything for a time, the two just look at each other. Yuki knows that Ai lacks the knowledge and mental framework to comprehend the places she has seen. But she does not care enough to explain from the beginning, either.
Ai wordlessly reaches out to take off the scraps of Yuki's blindfold. She holds the cloth gingerly, not at all bothered by what she sees.
Then she offers the spraycan.
"Wanna try some painting?"
Yuki knows she should not. She was never one for art, especially not the sort that messes with public infrastructure. Yet tonight of all nights, she takes the paint.
Weighing the can in her hand, she reasons that she can always remove it later.
"Alright. What do I paint?"
"That's the neat part about it," Ai chirps as she sidles up to Yuki with a sweeping motion of her free hand. "I have no idea. You can do whatever you want. Just put your feelings on the canvas."
"So your feelings are bad poetry?"
The pinkette rolls her eyes over Yuki's quip. "Get off my back," she grouses good-naturedly, then pushes the smaller girl forward. "And get to painting."
Yuki finds herself in front of an empty spot of wall. Some pipes run along the structure in a nearby alley, trash lines the various nooks and crannies. She can barely see colours from the streetlights.
After staring at her 'canvas' for a few seconds, Yuki throws out her free hand. A pair of viridian orbs comes into being without a word, then begins to shine natural light around them. This little corner of the streets is bright as if it were day. Ai whistles in the background, but is ignored; Yuki could not care less about keeping magic under wraps right now.
Then she presses down on the nozzle. And for long minutes, the hiss of the can is the only noise between the two.
Yuki just feels into herself and lets her gut move her hands. Erratic motions draw lines of dark purple across the wall. They cross each other, separate again, and come together in an ever-growing splotch at the center.
By the time her can runs out, there is nothing but that splotch. A dozen layers of the same colour, all converging on each other and overlapping. Together, they form a lump of useless garbage.
Overall, it does reflect Yuki's feelings quite well.
She stares down at the empty can, then back at her work. The full one that Ai throws is caught absently, though Yuki does look her way; the pinkette wears an understanding smile.
"Knock yourself out. I've got some more."
"There's nothing valuable about this," Yuki says. She still holds onto the can.
Ai shrugs.
"It doesn't need to be. It's fine as long as you find value in it."
Yuki does not agree. But she understands. After looking down at the can in hand one more time, she raises her arm and starts spraying again.
This one is red.
The next one is green.
And the one after that is blue.
After half an hour of frantic motion, Yuki feels that it is done. She feels a little lighter over the almost monotonous work. Even if the giant mess of clashing colours has no value, it is something Yuki made. And that gives her peace.
She and Ai stand some ways away from the wall, studying Yuki's work. The pinkette hums in thought, though she does not share whatever she thinks.
"Care to share what bothers you?"
As the silence continues, Ai slowly inches closer until she can wrap Yuki in a sidehug. Her body is warm against Yuki's, spending an odd sort of comfort.
"The light manifested," she finally admits. "That light of endless possibility. It gave them comfort, let them grow as people. It's that potent. But despite its radiance, despite the fact it somehow clings to me, all it did for me was barely heading off an explosion."
A lone tear gather's in Yuki's eye, for once salty instead of corrosive. It rolls down her cheek until Ai wipes it off. She says nothing, just lets Yuki speak.
"I haven't changed. I can't change. I'm not human, I don't have a choice in the end. I just follow my nature, and there's nothing I can do about it."
And that truly is the crux of the matter. Yuki thought she knew herself, but the Witch Elly, no, Kirsten saw more. She struck Yuki in the core of her ever-repeating story, almost making her rampage with civilians right there.
She does not blame Kirsten. She, too, only acted in accordance with her nature.
"Everyone follows their nature," Ai tells her gently. Her eyes almost gleam in the light of Yuki's magic. Her gaze is soft.
Yuki averts her eyes. She can not bear so much understanding or encouragement. She did nothing to make herself deserve such a thing; she deserves no more and no less than anyone else, this is too much.
"Humans can change, assuming they realise something about them is wrong or bad. I can't."
"Says who?"
"Everything. And everyone."
"Alright. Then fuck everything. And fuck everyone."
Yuki looks back up, startled. Ai's soft voice is so at odds with her dismissive words, and so is the smile she shows. She turns to grasp both of Yuki's shoulders, holding her gaze with a sudden passion.
"Yuki. The only one who gets to decide is you."
They stare at each other in silence. Ai's words ring heavy and weigh heavier. At the same time, her expression shifts over the quiet seconds; she herself seems to have reached an epiphany from her own words.
In the end, Yuki can not acknowledge her advice. She lowers her head once more, hands hanging limply.
"I'd like to be alone."
"...alright. I'll give you time to think."
Before leaving, however, Ai wraps Yuki in a big hug. Being held so securely, having her back stroked, it makes Yuki feel ever worse. Not angry, just sad.
"You're too nice to me."
"No, I'm not. I'm exactly as nice as I want to be."
Ai throws her a final grin, then steps back and leaves Yuki alone. The spraycans are forgotten on the floor, at least until Yuki picks them up. An errant flick of the wrist has that garbage vanish.
Then she stands there in silence, staring back at her painting. The colours begin to blend under her unblinking stare, somehow resembling Yuki. A dirty likeness of her appears upon the wall, almost lifelike after some minutes of uninterrupted looking.
Like a portrait of another world. Yuki can almost feel it grasping for her from the beyond.
But unlike the real thing, this one is just her imagination. It will not protect her from harm at the cost of another, nor does she want it to.
At dawn, Yuki finally averts her eyes. The first rays of light drown out her own magic orbs, which poof from existence.
The illusion on her painting breaks as well. It is merely a whirl of colours once more.
She does not want to acknowledge Ai's words. It would only hurt more if, despite the agreement of so many bright minds of the City, she could change. Because then Yuki would have failed in a process she is capable of.
It is much easier to blame her circumstances, rather than find fault with herself.
A cold breeze blows through the street, tugging at her hair and clothes. Yuki shivers, feeling the cold for once. She hugs herself and steps into the nearest side alley to seek shelter from the wind.
There she sits down, huddled against the wall. Hugging her knees, which are drawn up to her chest.
She wants to just stay here and stop thinking until her heart has calmed down. Maybe Oriko is right and the world will end soon. Then Yuki does not have to face all these conflicting feelings anymore.
Sunday passes her by, day turns to night, and then to day again. Yuki has not moved a muscle.
Her shadow writhes.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwK3-vdXX-Q[/URL]
[] Go somewhere
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[] See someone
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[] Ask for help
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-Yuki lost a trait
The Magical Girl has her purpose, but she recently began to wonder if she must be slave to her own nature.
-Yuki trait revealed
A vestige of Roland's pain and self remained with the Abnormalities he synchronised with. The Magical Girl remembers his tranquil fury boiling over into white hot rage.
Ch 16 'Yetzirah' Companion Image - "Shimmering"
Iris-Iven-Ibis
Interested-Idiot-Immortal
- Location
- You know
"In the end the light was in my eyes."
Then again that was a very different type of light
[X] Ask for help
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I wonder what viewers of this hypothetical version of the show would be thinking of our girl at this point
Then again that was a very different type of light
[X] Ask for help
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I wonder what viewers of this hypothetical version of the show would be thinking of our girl at this point
- Location
- Earth
I think that depends a lot on whether she is the main viewpoint character, or if Madoka is.
[x] Ask for help
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from Yuki's point of view: "wow, whatever happened in her past is incredibly traumatic and messed up. And what do you mean you can't change? It's worth trying at least."
"Did... that witch just de-witchify? what is going on, and why do I suspect that Kyubey is holding out a *lot* more then we thought before Also, whatever is going on with Yuki, she is currently not okay."
At least, that would be my gut instinct.
Edit: This is assuming 0 prior knowledge of either setting, and that the 3 weeks of Yuki looking up laws happened off screen.
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from Yuki's point of view: "wow, whatever happened in her past is incredibly traumatic and messed up. And what do you mean you can't change? It's worth trying at least."
"Did... that witch just de-witchify? what is going on, and why do I suspect that Kyubey is holding out a *lot* more then we thought before Also, whatever is going on with Yuki, she is currently not okay."
At least, that would be my gut instinct.
Edit: This is assuming 0 prior knowledge of either setting, and that the 3 weeks of Yuki looking up laws happened off screen.
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Iris-Iven-Ibis
Interested-Idiot-Immortal
- Location
- You know
[X] Ask for help