Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

School to Kirika is a fundamentally repetitive activity. Sure, the idea is you learn new things every day, but really it just blurs into a sort of grey blur that Kirika just can't find herself caring about. It's not that she can't learn or anything. If she put in the effort, then Kirika's pretty sure she could do well.

But why would she? No one cares if she does, including herself, so why not try to do other things that take off the monotony a bit? But your future? One might say, but that future seems just as grey as the present, so why care? Kirika can't see a future for herself, so no reason to put in the effort for nothing.

Kirika does what's needed to fit in, of course. Even if other people's interests seem vapid and uninteresting, it's not like Kirika wants to be a social pariah. She just doesn't really have the commitment to be actual friends with anyone. She does have acquaintances who she can pretend to like. People just slightly less boring than average, that she can sit around pretending she cares.

It's not like she hates the world or anything dramatic like that. She just doesn't care, and so doesn't quite fit. Who knows, maybe hating the world would be better. It would be something after all. Rather than just making the same blind, pointless steps forward on a path to nowhere.

Kirika digs a nail into her skin. The sharp pain distracts her from her thoughts. What's next? Maths? Boring but inoffensive. Her seatmate is a bit too chatty, which is annoying because she seems to love talking about whatever TV show Kirika never has and never will watch. Still, she also doesn't seem to care if Kirika just nods her head or says yeah rather than actually engaging her in conversation, so less bad than some people. Just a bit of white noise to go with the grey.

While her teacher rambles on about something that is almost certainly relevant to some people. Kirika notices something lounging on the teacher's desk. It looks a bit like a plush. It's white and has rabbit ears with golden rings. Kinda cute but not really something she would expect to see on her maths teacher's desk. Guy is the most bland person she's ever seen and has a strong stance against bringing any personality to work. Kirika can almost respect it. He seems to care about teaching as much as Kirika does about learning. Very much not the type to have a plush appear on his desk, though.

Then the plush moves. Kirika looks around the classroom, ignoring her seatmate talking about whatever drama she's been watching. No one seems to be paying attention to the walking plush. Despite it being by far the most noticeable thing in the room.

It's weird, Kirika is pretty sure she has to be hallucinating, that is what seeing something that no one else can means after all. She's not sure why, though. Kirika has problems sure, she can admit that to herself, but she's always thought of herself as pretty sane. The problem has always been disinterest, not whatever this is.

Kirika's vision follows the hallucination for a while. It doesn't seem to be doing anything, just kinda lounging around the class. Maybe Kirika ate something weird? Who knows. Since it's not being a problem though, Kirika just ignores it until class ends in the hope it goes away.

Instead, it follows her out of the class. Which is just creepy.

Hello, you're Kure Kirika, correct? A highish andronginous voice echoes out in Kirika's head. Thus allowing her to be secure in the knowledge that she's losing it.

"Yeah?" She mumbles under her breath. She probably shouldn't be responding to the hallucination, but yeah is the sort of thing you can mumble to yourself and not have anyone care.

Would you like to make a contract with me and become a magical girl and protect the world? In exchange, I can allow any one wish of yours to become a reality.

"Huh, a magical girl?" Now that is something you can't mumble without sounding insane, but at the same time, it's not every day a hallucination offers to make you a magical girl. Kirika has the right to react to that.

You have the capacity for it. Kure Kirika... Would you contract with me and become a magical girl?

"You some kinda moron?" It's just such a dumb premise. Like, even if that thing is serious and not a hallucination, the idea of going around fighting for love and justice or some jazz seems ridiculous. Especially for someone like Kirika.

Isn't there a wish that you'd like granted?

It comes out before she can stop herself, "I wanna be a different me". It's not a new thought. Maybe if Kirika were someone else, she would find the world less monotonous. There would be some sort of reason or purpose, or care out there for her. Maybe she could be someone that she can actually like? Rather than the empty thing she feels like.

Is that your wish?

"No, it ain't" It's a dumb idea really. Be a different me? What different me, how, for what purpose? Just being a different person is pointless. Kirika doesn't want to be herself, but who does she want to be? It's not like she really wants to just be the same as all the other people around her.

If she really wants to just stop existing for no reason other than for the sake of it, then there are more effective ways than listening to a hallucination. She would like to change, but without a clue who to be, that is all it would be. Replacing herself with a different person.

Then, rather than let Kirika think about her problems in peace, the animal plush thing nags her. Kirika, I need your strength.

Seriously. What kinda stupid hallucination is this? First, no one needs Kirika's strength. She doesn't have any to give, nor does she want to. Secondly, this entire thing is just so, so dumb. Who does this dumb cat, rabbit thing even think they are?

"Can it! Don't talk to me like that, you don't even know me" Stupid hallucination didn't even introduce itself before begging. Seriously, it's just so stupid. "In what moronic universe do animals talk?" If this thing wanted to be taken seriously, couldn't it at least be a person? Or sound authoritative or something. Rather than being a stupid talking animal plush thing.

Of course, the dumb thing is a hallucination, and Kirika just lost her temper with it in a hallway. Like an insane person.

Kirika can already hear the whispers and the pointed fingers. Kirika's always been a bit of an outlier, but until now, she's at least pretended to just be unimportant rather than anything else. Now though, she can already tell people are calling her creepy and weird. This stupid, ridiculous hallucination just made things even worse.

"Just go away!" Kirika tosses her bag at the hallucination that just skips out of the way before wandering off, having ruined her day. Kirika does the walk of shame to where she threw her bag, ignores the stares of everyone around her and walks to her next class, somehow hating herself even more than she already did.

After that day, it keeps bugging her. Following along with her like it has nothing better to do. Talking about how she should protect Mitakihara and go do good, etc. Don't you have a wish? What do you want? What would you be wishing for? It just won't shut up. The dumb stalker cat thing.

Thinking about it, the only conclusion Kirika comes to is that she doesn't know who she wants to be. Being a different her without a point isn't what she wants. The problem is she doesn't know what she wants. Everything is just dull and empty and pointless. She could wish for it to be different, but what would be the point? What would that even mean?

Every time she tries to come up with a wish, she just comes up blank.

Kirika does try to find that nice girl who helped her a while ago, but she doesn't find her. It almost turns into an obsession for a bit. No one's that nice after all, no one seemed quite like she did. In the end though, like everything else Kirika tries, it burns out. She can't find her, and what would she do if she did? Ask to be her friend? What a joke.

Even someone kind like that wouldn't want Kirika. Kirika doesn't want Kirika after all. School's just getting worse, with her outburst that first time at Kyubey, who did eventually introduce himself. She's now not just a social outcast but officially creepy. Somehow, being seen like that is worse than not being seen at all. Kirika didn't know she could miss feeling like a ghost, but here she is. Wanting to be one.

The realisation she doesn't want to keep dealing with all of this is one that arrives slowly but inevitably. Of course, it also arrives as Kyubey is bugging her like usual because he doesn't have any other hobbies apparently.

"I wanna die" Kirika probably won't, tempting as it is, Kirika for some reason still finds the idea scary. Still, it sure doesn't feel like she's living.

Kirika. Don't even say that! What a waste. I don't know what brought you to this point, but we can change it. What is your wish?

"I don't have one. All of this is pointless, and I don't have anything I want. So there's no point asking that stupid question"

No one's pointless. You can't just have nothing you want. There must be something.

That is just one platitude over the line. No one's pointless? Kirika sure feels pointless.

That thought actually gives her an idea though. If she really is pointless, then just giving up and finding a bridge somewhere would be easy. Luckily, according to the dumb talking animal following her around, Kirika has an objective way of working that out.

Who knows, maybe there is a point, then both of them can be happy.

"Ok sure, no one's pointless, huh? That's what you're going to claim? Then I think I do have a wish."

Really? Fantastic. I wonder what kind of magic your wish will create?

"I wish to know my purpose in life", and if the answer is nothing, then maybe that will be the push Kirika needs to end things.

Kyubey sticks its ears into Kirika's chest and pulls something out. A moment later, Kirika sees the future.

For a second, Kirika sits in stunned silence. The world is going to end. How do you even handle something like that? Kirika considers just saying fuck it. If the world is ending anyway, then isn't that the perfect sign that she should just give up and get out early?

Then her thoughts go to that girl she saw who helped her selflessly. So what if most people don't matter? That person, whoever she is, helped Kirika. There are people out there who deserve to live.

If that is true, then Kirika does have a purpose. To avoid the end of the world. That pink haired girl's soul gem must never hatch.

Speaking of soul gems hatching. Kyubey, that complete bastard, just screwed her. All that talk about protecting the world from witches, and it turns out magical girls are witches anyway. Which means the entire system is a scam.

"Hey Kyubey, now I'm a magical girl. Quick question, what is this?" Kirika asks, picking up the gem that will become a witch one day. She even manages to not sound like she wants to rip Kyubey in half, which is impressive because if he knows what witches are, he's the one who's responsible for making that thing that will end the world.

That is your soul gem. It's the proof you're a magical girl.

"Wait. So you literally took my soul out?" Which would be pretty freaky if Kirika wasn't freaking out about a number of much worse things right now.

That is correct. It is now in a much more secure form than if it were in your body.

"Cool, what about that little black fleck in it?" Kirika says, pointing to a tiny bit of darkness in the core of her soul gem.

That is grief, a substance that builds up over time and if you use magic as a magical girl. You can get rid of it by killing witches and draining it into their grief seeds.

"What happens if my soul gem fills up?" Kirika asks.

Then your magic will cease to exist.

That little shit. It knows, it can't not know. It's just lying to her face about what happens. Which means that it probably starts the apocalypse on purpose. Aren't the little magical buddies of magical girls meant to be helpful? Because this thing not only spent the last month annoying her, but is going to destroy the world for some dumb reason.

"Guess I need to stay on top of those witches then. So do I get a magic transformation or anything?" Kirika asks. The fact her wish showed that girl, rather than her killing the thing in front of her, makes her think that just stabbing it won't be the solution. Better to pretend she's not going to kill it the second she's sure she can.

If you focus on it, you should be able to manifest your magic.

Ok then. Magic go or whatever. Is there a cringy power up phrase? There better not be.

Surprisingly, just wanting it to happen works, and Kirika feels an outfit appear around her. A flowy black dress appears over her, black silk gloves covering her hands, and a veil falling over her face. Entirely see through, yet Kirika can tell that it's black in colour.

Quickly finding a mirror, Kirika says the first thing that occurs to her out loud. "I look like I'm about to go to a funeral"

Her outfit looks like some sort of really elaborate mourning dress, complete with a black veil that is apparently only see-through to her, considering how black it looks in the mirror. The only bit of colour being her citrine soul gem in the centre of her chest.

Guess it's fitting. Unless things are much easier than Kirika expects, she is going to be setting up a funeral. Either for pink or if she fails, the world. Still, the costume is really extra. How is she meant to fight witches in this? It doesn't scream combat wear.

As she has that thought Kirika realises she senses something around her. A sense that she can pull something from the space around her. Thinking about it, she tugs on that sense, and a small black hole in the world opens, a chain coming out of it. It is spiked at the end and looks to be metallic. With a thought, Kirika opens another opening next to her and has the chain snake out and circle around her arm. The metal is cold even through the dress and seems to have 0 give.

It looks like you have already discovered your weapon.

Chains, a funeral dress and chains. Real funny there. Is this the world saying that Kirika is shackled to her purpose, or she'll die or something? Because it is way too on the nose. Also, wow, she is so edgy.

"So do all magical girls look like they stepped out of a bad anime set at a Victorian funeral, or am I special?"

Most are a bit brighter in terms of colouring.

Of course, Kirika manages to become a magical girl and still be the most depressing person in the room. It's honestly kinda funny. Really does not scream love and justice as far as outfits go.

Once Kirika decides she doesn't want to be the most monotone person in a 100-kilometre radius, the dress and chains disappear. Leaving her with her much more normal clothing.

Once she's out of her outfit, Kirika goes and hugs the plush on her bed. She is so out of her depth here. Save the world? She can barely even get herself out of bed in the morning. Turns out being given literal magic has not saved her mental state. It just makes everything worse.

Still, if Kirika's right, then Kyubey is the one who is going to set up the end of the world using that girl. Which means she can't trust him or probably any other magical girls, since unless seeing the future is normal, then most of them probably won't know the truth. Which means that somehow Kirika's purpose is to save the world. Which is stupid. That should be the responsibility of someone amazing or at least self-assured or something. Not her.

Still guess she should take this seriously. It is everything after all. Which means Kirika needs to find Pink.

"Hey Kyubey, how do you know who can be a magical girl? You said I have the capacity, which means most people don't, right?

Those with sufficient karmic potential can become magical girls.

"So it varies between people, then?"

Yes, everyone has some, but for them to be able to have a wish granted, they must have much above average.

"Do people with more potential get stronger magic or something?"

Yes, the power of a magical girl's wish and magic is based on their potential.

"So if someone had a ton of potential, they could do something like blow up a country or something?"

Perhaps. That would take a monumental amount of potential, however.

"So is this thing just girls or do you take boys and women too?"

Teenage girls tend to have the most potential, so they are who most often get contracts. Should a boy or an adult have sufficient potential, I would still approach them.

Great, that means that Pink will still be a target if she grows up. That sucks. Could anyone resist making a wish for their entire life with Kyubey hanging over their shoulder, telling them every little tragedy in their life could be fixed if they wanted to make a wish?

Kirika's going to have to kill Pink, isn't she? Well, that or kill Kyubey, but she's willing to bet that's easier said than done. This sucks, this sucks so, so badly. Oh, hey Kirika, turns out you do have a purpose, it's to kill a kid to save the world. What a joke.

Is there anything in her future that isn't quite so awful?

At that thought, Kirika feels a pull, and suddenly she isn't in the present any more.

Kirika grits her teeth and looks at the darkening sky outside. That vision must be later today. That girl who was so kind to her is going to get hurt. Who cares about the world, really, but her, Mikuni apparently. She was a light in the dark drearyness of Kirika's life. Someone who just for a day, gave Kirika hope.

Kirika gets up and gets set to start leaving the house. Maybe saving the world is beyond Kirika, but she can at least save a person who matters to her. Magic has to be worth that much at least.

Chapter Text

When Oriko's mother died, Oriko did not let herself cry a single tear. It's not that she didn't wish to cry. That day at the time was the worst moment of Oriko's life. How could she not?

Until then, she had cried quite a lot. When she was hurt or someone was cruel, Oriko could do nothing but cry. She really was a crybaby back then. Yet that was when she had her mother to be strong for her. When her dad had someone to rely on. When she was lost, Oriko was forced to change.

She needed to be strong. So Oriko left her tears behind. She did whatever was needed to help her father. She tried to be perfect in every way, so that he could go as far as possible. Because Oriko's father was a kind man, a good man, one who wanted to give back to the world.

So Oriko was determined to be his strength if he ever felt alone. As long as she was helping make his dreams a reality, Oriko felt like she could hold up the entire world.

Then that world came crumbling down.

The corruption scandal destroyed him. Oriko was sure they could prove that he didn't do it if they just found evidence and fought, but her father just broke. Oriko kept trying of course, she had excelled in every other area, surely she could help here as well.

Yet in the end, that strength and perfection Oriko promised to hold was a lie. When her father hanged himself, Oriko was the one left to find the body.

All of Oriko's efforts and achievements were for her father's sake. Perhaps that is why they all crashed down without him.

Oriko went from a rising star to a falling one in moments. From looked up to, to looked down on.

It's a simple calculation Oriko's former friends and classmates made. Oriko is from rotten stock, so she must be rotten herself. After what her father did, everything Oriko did suddenly meant nothing. His sin became her own the second he left.

After having dedicated herself to a purpose for so long, it is strange to be adrift. Nothing Oriko does matters any more. There is no higher cause for her, no reason, just chaos.

Oriko is left going through the motions. Taking care of herself more out of habit than any want or care. Her father may be the one who died, but Oriko feels like she is little less of a corpse than he is.

She has nothing left but the memories of when her steps were going down a path towards a destination that is now out of reach.

It is the thought of those memories that draws Oriko to her father's study. The idea of reminiscing about the times when Oriko had something worth clinging to is appealing. It doesn't take long to spot her father's photo album, though when she tries to pull it out, Oriko finds it stuck.

It takes a bit of work to shift it out without sending the surrounding books tumbling down, but Oriko manages. Yet one book falls down nevertheless, almost as if it were hidden behind the album. Looking down curiously, Oriko finds it's her father's notebook.

A sudden longing strikes Oriko. Could this be it? Could what is in that book hold the truth of what happened, of who drove Oriko's father to the edge? Could it give Oriko a new purpose?

So Oriko returns the photo album to its place and opens her father's notebook.

So she reads and she learns the truth.

Maybe if she were in a more confident state of mind, she would try to confront the people who began her father's downfall once she learns who they are, but instead, she reads on.

The truth, when it is unveiled, isn't at all subtle or gentle. Rather, it is a knife in Oriko's heart. Because the person her father died to escape was not the police or his enemies.

'I am just so exhausted. I want to escape. I need to escape from this life... from Oriko'

It was her.

All this time, every step she took trying to help her father, to protect him, only dragged him down further. The purpose Oriko followed since her mother died is redefined in that moment. She was not just insignificant but rather a total and abject failure.

Her every effort to help harmed. The dream she sought to make real was shattered by none other than her.

In seeking to look back on the memories where Oriko was working toward something, she's only found that even those bright memories were lies. Oriko isn't just nothing, but rather the inverse of everything she ever wanted to be.

Oriko gets up in a daze and laughs the laugh of someone who just found the funniest joke imaginable. She had thought that she was at rock bottom, but as it turns out, there was further to fall. Now that Oriko can finally see the truth, she wishes she were blind.

Eventually, she drags herself up, leaves her home and just starts walking. Not to any destination or with any purpose, to leave. To banish herself from the home of her failures.

Maybe she will simply keep walking until her body fails her? Or till she finds some reason to continue going. Whatever the case, Oriko cannot remain as she is. She cannot live with the person who killed her father.

Eventually, Oriko's walk is interrupted. A group of teens, some she vaguely recognises and some she does not. They clearly recognise her however, and spit vitriol at her. Their hatred not truly aimed at her but rather at her father. Oriko knows she is just the receptacle for it.

Eventually, as the shouting escalates in volume, Oriko realises that maybe this is what she was walking towards. She can see in the eyes of the group that words alone will not satisfy them. Not when they have her alone and without anywhere to turn.

Despite herself, Oriko steps back. Maybe she deserves to suffer for her sin, but Oriko finds she doesn't want to. Even if she feels mostly empty, the fear of pain remains. Yet there is no easy way out.

What a banal ending this is.

Then something pitch black appears next to the group approaching her. Oriko looks at it in bafflement for a second. A spot of pitch blackness with no apparent cause, it seems almost like a hole in reality.

A spike connected to a chain drifts out of the darkness. The metal moves with deceptive haste, curling itself around the group approaching Oriko before the spike goes through a link in the chain and burrows into the ground. Leaving the group wrapped up and terrified as the black disappears, leaving just the chain around them.

Oriko turns around searching for a reason for what can only be some sort of magic and sees at the end of the alley a figure shrouded in black. A veil covering their face.

The figure walks towards Oriko and offers a hand, which she, somewhere between wonder and horror, accepts. Is that an angel? A devil? What manner of being did something so impossible, and why?

As Oriko and whatever she is holding walk out of the alley however there is a flash of light. Suddenly, rather than some strange supernatural being, Oriko is looking at a girl.

She has black hair and amber eyes. She's shorter than Oriko and is wearing a white shirt and a pink skirt. She's also blushing, looking up at Oriko. She seems familiar in a vague way, but Oriko can't quite put together where she's seen her before.

Somehow, this fact is stranger than if she had been some sort of supernatural being.

After a second, the girl looks down and slips her hand out of Oriko's.

"Just to be sure, you are the person who tied up those people who were about to attack me?" Oriko eventually asks after realising the person opposite her isn't going to.

"Yeah, that was me", the girl confirms, sounding oddly shy. Which is a big reversal from the person who just casually walked into an alley, disabled a whole group of people with a thought and guided Oriko out.

"Thank you for protecting me then. Though I must ask who, or what, are you" It's probably a rude question, but what happened there wasn't natural. Oriko needs to know what just happened.

"I'm Kirika, Kure Kirika. I'm a magical girl, I guess" Before muttering under her breath "Wow, that sounds ridiculous to say to someone"

"You guess?" Yep, whatever confidence was there is long gone.

"It's been like one hour, I'm new at this. Also, I only got a bit of explanation before I saw that was about to happen and had to run to get here in time," Kirika admits.

"Is that what magical girls do? See tragedies about to happen and rush off to save people?" Oriko asks. This entire situation is intriguing and weird enough to let her put off her ongoing mental breakdown at least temporarily.

"No actually, there's this whole thing about witches and stuff. I think having foresight is a me specific thing"

"So is it just random chance that you saved me then?"

"No. I doubt you remember it, but you helped me a while ago. I wanted to help you back, at least once," Kirika says, still with a blush.

"I see, how did I help you?" Just thinking about it, it's probably some political thing she helped her father with or helping Kirika in school. Just one of the ways Oriko pointlessly tried to be perfect.

Kirika lets out a slightly nervous-sounding laugh "It probably sounds dumb, but a while back I dropped a bunch of money in the line at a store and you were the only person to help instead of getting angry. Like I said, it's really dumb, but that kindness mattered to me"

With the reminder, Oriko can remember back to that day. She had barely even thought about helping; it just seemed like the natural thing to do in that situation. Why would that stick out in someone's memory that much?

"I'm very glad I helped you back then if it mattered that much. After an encounter like that, I should probably walk home. If you like, you could walk with me and tell me about being a magical girl?" Oriko suggest. She would much rather hear from Kirika than be left to the spiral her thoughts will inevitably fall into the second she's gone.

"Oh, sure. Not sure how much I can fill you in, though. Like I said, this is the first thing I've done as a magical girl," Kirika agrees, walking beside Oriko.

"I know nothing, remember. So you can definitely tell me things I don't know when it comes to magic"

"Fair enough. I guess the first thing I should say is it's a death sentence. Just in case you get the chance to join up. I still don't know what kinda potential is needed to count, so you know, should probably put that up front"

Oriko stops short. Kirika said that so casually, it's concerning. "Could you explain?"

"So the reason magical girls are around is supposedly to kill witches, but if you use too much magic, you die and become a witch. The only way to replenish magic is to kill witches. So yeah, not a long shelf life. You do get a wish in exchange for that, though"

"What kind of wish?" Oriko asks, resuming walking.

"Any, I think. No idea how far that extends, but you get something. The thing that makes magical girls is evil, so who really knows? Thinking about it, I don't think it can influence the wishes though, so what you want is what you get"

"If I didn't see you use magic and instantly change clothes earlier, I would think you were making this up"

"I wish. I mean, things sucked before this, but I'm pretty sure my life is going to be hell now. I don't regret it, though," Kirika almost says the first bit jokingly, but Oriko can tell it's serious.

"Why not? Was your wish worth that much?"

At that, Kirika actually laughs for a few seconds before recovering, "Honestly, no, I think I made an awful wish. But if I didn't make it, I wouldn't have been able to save you"

"So you wished to see the future?" Oriko asks.

"Nope, I wished to know my purpose in life. So now I know a bunch of awful truths, have a job I'm way over my head for and am probably going to die pretty soon"

"Truths like the thing that made you a magical girl being evil?"

"Yeah like that. See, it doesn't actually tell you about the whole becoming a witch part of things. Had to see that myself. Also, it's planning to end the world, I'm pretty sure, and I kinda need to stop it. Fun purpose to have, right?"

"Why are you telling me all this? It seems way too important to tell a stranger about" Oriko asks. If Kirika is telling the truth, this seems like a massive mess.

"Honestly, I'm not sure, you feel trustworthy. Also, talking about it is helping me avoid breaking down" Kirika gives a slightly trembling smile.

"Should I be worried about the world ending then?" Oriko asks.

"If I die, then probably. I'll make sure to tell you if I manage to stop it though, so if that happens, then we're all good and I can die in peace"

"You seem really fatalistic," Which is saying something considering what Oriko is still currently going through.

"Yep, comes with the territory. I mean, did you see my outfit? It's not cheery"

"You're still going to try to save the world though?"

"I don't like the world that much, but it has people like you in it. That makes it worth saving"

That's a shocking amount of weight to put on the type of person Oriko is. It's strange to be held on such a high pedestal after falling so far. Not even because of some grand thing, just a small moment of genuine kindness.

"I don't think I'm all that great", Oriko admits.

"Maybe you are, maybe you aren't. But anyone who can show that much kindness to a stranger can't be too bad"

Oriko doesn't agree. How could the person who got her own father killed be anything but terrible? She doesn't say that, however. No reason to steal a happy memory from someone as downbeat as Kirika seems to be.

"Maybe", Oriko ends up replying instead of her honest answer.

A minute or two passes in silence before Oriko sees her house in the distance and feels that hollow pit in her soul begin to reopen.

"I'm home, we can part ways here", Oriko informs Kirika.

"It was nice to meet you", Kirika says.

"Would you like to be friends?" Oriko offers. For someone who's struggling so much and already helped Oriko, she feels like it would be rude not to make the offer.

A real smile appears on Kirika's face for a second before dimming "That would be nice. You know I'm probably going to be dead soon, though. It feels kinda cruel being your friend, considering that"

"That's fine. I don't have many other friends, so I have no problem sticking with you for a while"

"You don't? How?"

"You really have no idea who I am", Oriko says.

"That nice, cool person who helped me out and wants to be friends with me?"

"Mikuni Oriko, daughter of Mikuni Hisaomi", Oriko explains.

"That meant to mean something to me? I mean, your name's nice, but I don't see a reason I should know you"

"Maybe that's for the best", Oriko decides. It's nice to not be judged by the sins of the father just this once.

"Sure, I mean your dad could be a serial killer or something, but I don't see how that changes how kind you are. If you really want to be friends with someone like me, then how could I say no?"

"Friends then", Oriko agrees.

"I guess I'll set off. I probably need to find one of those witches I mentioned to not um die. So see you later, Mikuni," Kirika says.

"Wait before you go. We should swap phone numbers. Also thinking about it, what's going to happen to that group you chained up?"

"I got the sense the magic in the chains would run out pretty fast once I disconnected them from me. So they're probably free by now. If not, then at least one of them could reach a phone and call for help," Kirika explains, passing her phone over for Oriko to add her number too.

"I see. It was good to meet you again, Kure," Oriko says before Kirika sets off and Oriko walks back into the house, whose owner she killed.

With the distraction of Kirika gone, the thoughts that Oriko was ignoring poor back in. How she killed her father, how she failed. How she is the worst type of person.

New ones join the chorus, even. That Oriko will destroy Kirika, too, just like her father. That her friendship is a curse. Not to mention the worry of the idea that the world could end if Kirika fails whatever task she has.

Oriko would love to believe Kirika was making that up, but she seemed too sincere for that. The weight that Kirika seemed to feel on herself isn't something easy to fake.

Oriko would like to be able to take some of that weight, to be strong for someone else after failing her father. Yet she cannot pretend that in doing so, she would not simply drag Kirika down just like she did her father.

Oriko's best intentions are poison after all.

It's during this extended breakdown that something appears. An animal with golden rings around its ears that looks like nothing Oriko has seen before.

Hello, Mikuni Oriko. I am Kyubey. I'm happy to announce that you have the potential to become a magical girl.

"A magical girl?" Oriko questions, even though she already knows from Kirika. It seems wise to not tell the possibly evil wish granter that she knows more than she should.

Yes, if you make a contract with me, you can become a magical girl and help protect Mitakihara. In exchange, I will grant you a wish.

"What would that involve?" Oriko asks.

As a magical girl, you would have to fight beings called witches. Creatures spawned from curses that prey on innocent people if not fought.

Oriko considers for a second. Making a wish would, according to Kirika, mean cutting her lifespan short. If she does so, she will need to fight witches until she becomes one herself, perpetuating the system.

Yet Kirika seemed convinced that the wishes Kyubey grants are true. Probably because what she saw from her wish lets her work against Kyubey.

If she's being honest. Oriko has nothing to live for. Once either the world ends or Kirika dies, it's not like Oriko has much reason to stick around. Also frankly, Oriko doesn't want to be herself anymore. She doesn't want to be a person who destroys everything dear to her with her best intentions. Wouldn't it be better if she could really be the person Kirika believes her to be? Someone who actually helps the world be worth fighting for rather than just being another rotten part of it?

Kirika has so much weight on her shoulders that it will surely crush her. So maybe Oriko can have a purpose. To be Kirika's strength in the way she couldn't be her father's. To help save the world from destruction. Oriko, as she is, can't be that, but a person who could is just a wish away.

"I see. In that case, I have a wish," Oriko explains to Kyubey.

What wish would you make to make your soul gem shine?

"I wish to change continually until I can become the person who Kirika needs"

Chapter Text

Kirika isn't sure if there is a way magical girls normally search for witches. Kyubey didn't tell her if there is, and it's not like there is anyone else Kirika can go to for advice. Luckily, she has an alternative method.

All Kirika needs to do is want to know where the nearest witch is, and a vision of its location appears to her. Turns out it's not too long a walk away. Kirika sets off trying to feel confident about her chances.

Yet a look at her soul gem reveals that said chances don't look fantastic. Already, it's half filled with grief. Kirika's visions of the future and the weight her task puts on her, leading to the gem's shine being dulled by a swirling darkness in its core.

Even knowing this witch will be nothing like the one she saw pink turn into, there is still a fear in her that Kirika cannot ignore. With her magic going so quickly, can she really fight a witch and win? Yet there is no alternative. Should Kirika not take up this fight, then she will die having achieved nothing.

The only way to live is to risk death.

Eventually, Kirika reaches the entrance of the barrier and forms her magical girl outfit. Taking a deep breath, Kirika steps through into the shattered soul of a person who was once a magical girl.

As Kirika steps through, the world shifts. The ground under her feet changing from street to a cracked and tarnished tiled floor. The sky becomes even darker with the only light coming from flickering lamps on the degraded walls around the structure of the labyrinth. The entire place feels like a remnant of something.

Before Kirika can spend any more time looking around this strange dimension she's found herself in, she finds something turning towards her. The thing looks like a human-sized porcelain doll. The clothes it's wearing are ripped, and it has cracks along its face and body. The second it sees Kirika, it screeches before sprinting towards her on cracking limbs, its hands broken into jagged shapes that Kirika can tell would cut straight through her.

Kirika stumbles back, summoning a chain which wraps around the doll's arm to stop its charge. Without even stumbling, the doll tugs, letting the chain rip its own arm off so it can lunge at Kirika. Kirika's eyes widen as she sees the thing close in on her. She reacts on instinct, a spiked chain summoned directly in front of Kirika impaling the doll and slamming it into a wall, leaving the thing trapped. After a few moments futilely struggling against the chain, the doll slumps.

Once she's sure it won't get back up, Kirika lets out a shaky breath. Great first encounter there. Just need to go through a bunch more of those and then the thing creating them. Which is probably a lot more threatening.

Kirika clenches her hands. Nothing for it, just have to keep going, die if you do die if you don't. Kirika refuses to die here. Not when Oriko, and the rest of the world, are relying on her. Hell, Kirika is friends with Oriko now, even if that seems closer to interest and shared loneliness than anything else. No chance she can give up now.

As Kirika begins walking in hopes of finding where the witch is in this labyrinth, more of the dolls appear. They seem to be wandering the area purposelessly until they spot Kirika. When they do, they screech and charge at her.

Constraining them is near impossible. They just rip off whatever part is held. In the end, the only thing that works is shattering their chest or head. Which is easier said than done when the things are lunging at her from multiple directions.

It doesn't take long before Kirika feels half deaf from the screeching of the dolls. Thankfully, her chains let Kirika remain untouched, but with every encounter, she can feel her soul gem get slightly dimmer. Summoning her chains takes magic, and every doll is capable enough to require Kirika's dedicated attention to kill. The one time she tried killing two with one chain, she only avoided being stabbed in the back by a half dead one because its screeching warned her of its attack.

It doesn't help that the flickering lights in this dimension make every fight feel like it's done in snapshots. Everything moves between dark and light. A single lapse in attention will kill Kirika, and this entire place seemed designed to engineer that lapse.

Eventually, Kirika steps into a room that seems different from the others. The floors seem fractured rather than just cracked, the lights flicker even faster, leaving the room in a state between dark and light. The walls seem to be crumbling. The is no ceiling, just a black void above full of what looks like stars. The room is empty.

Kirika staggers back, forming a wall of chains in front of where the wires are coming towards her from. The chains can't really stop the wires, the wires are too thin, they would go right through. Yet they don't go through, instead grasping and cutting at the chains. Exploring the material as it tries to rip it apart.

Using the distraction, Kirika forms a batch of new chains and sends them directly up at the 'stars' that seem so much further away than they actually are. The chains pierce through, and the void falls apart. A dissonant shriek comes from above Kirika.

Looking up, Kirika sees the truth form of the witch.

Its eyes are floodlights, and all 16 of them stare down at Kirika. Replacing the flickering darkness with a blinding light. Its body is made of a variety of materials. Raiser blades, ceramic plates, broken bits of porcelain, tiles from the floor, and the cloth that various dolls were wearing. A mishmash of materials, all held together by wires that thread through them and bind the incompatible materials into a semblance of form.

Wires pour out of every gap between the materials, where before it had looked at Kirika with curiosity like a new plaything. Now Kirika can tell from the agitated movements of the witch and its eyes monofocus on her that she seriously pissed it off by getting rid of its ceiling.

Rather than attacking Kirika with wires, the witch digs its wires into the floor and walls around the barrier before throwing them at her. Smashing at her with enough force to pancake her.

Kirika blocks the first chunk of wall thrown at her by making a wall of chains in front of her. Despite the immense force of the throw, the chains hold. Yet once that one chunk turns into dozens as the entire room crushes in on her, Kirika realises she can't stand and fight this thing.

Kirika tries to dodge out of the way of the attack, but can tell she's not fast enough. Out of desperation, Kirika summons a chain and wraps it around her arm before having it drag her away, just about letting her avoid being crushed at the cost of dislocating her shoulder.

Kirika's faint hopes that the witch would be stuck in the room she found it in are crushed as the mass of wires, materials, and hate cannibalises the barrier around where it was to continue chasing her and trying to crush her.

Kirika continues to retreat, using her chains to pull herself along to avoid its attacks. If not for her ability to see flashes of the future, she doubts she would have been able to avoid all of them. Yet with it, she stays ahead of the witch. When she manages to strike it with one of her chains however, it seems unbothered, letting her pull off the material the chain grabbed in the knowledge the overall structure is barely damaged.

If she had some sort of more damaging attack, Kirika is sure she could kill this thing, but she's had no time to practise with her magic. Her chains are all she has.

With enough of those, even Kirika is sure she could rip the witch apart, but as her rapidly darkening soul gem shows, that would kill her as surely as the witch.

The only bright side to the situation is that the witch seems to take just as much umbrage with the dolls as her, ripping them apart as it goes past them. Leaving Kirika with only the witch to deal with.

If she wants to win this, she has to play smart. She can't brute force it, so she needs to exploit its weaknesses. All of it is a mass of material and wire, except for the lights it's using as eyes. If Kirika can just shatter those, then maybe it will lose direction.

As she drags herself out of the way of the masses of doll, wall and floor that the witch tries to crush her with, Kirika carefully creates her chains. Each one strikes one of the witch's lights directly.

For a second, Kirika can see the strategy working. The light on her is less blinding, and the witch's attacks become less accurate. If she can destroy all 16 and blind it fully, then maybe she'll have a chance.

Then the witch begins pulling the flickering lights from the walls, and Kirika despairs. It's not as bad as it could be. The lights continue to flicker on the witch, leaving it disoriented, but it can still see Kirika, and since the barrier seems unending, it will never run out of eyes to add to itself.

If she can't weaken it, then she needs to stand and fight. The more she drags herself with her chains, the more she hurts herself. If this goes on for much longer, she'll kill herself before the witch does. Kirika grits her teeth. Maybe Oriko will find a way to save the world. She seems much more fit for the task than Kirika.

Kirika stops running and turns to face her fate. If she's going to die here, then this stupid witch is dying with her.

Before Kirika gets a chance to expend her magic however, she catches someone dashing towards the witch. They impact the witch with a flash of steel and a bright white glow. When the figure lands, the witch recoils from the strike. The entire area around the cut goes grey. The wires there go limp, and the materials they were holding together fall apart. In one fell swoop, a full quarter of the seemingly indestructible witch is destroyed.

Seeing her opportunity, Kirika uses the witch's distress to make a number of chains, not to attack the witch but hold it in place for this other magical girl to finish off.

The other magical girl uses the moment Kirika gave her, jumping back in with speed and grace, slicing through more and more of the witch with the sword she holds. Entire chunks of the witch go grey and fall apart in each strike. Before the witch can escape Kirika's captivity, its core is struck by the bright sword of the magical girl Kirika is assisting and goes grey. The barrier falls apart into reality moments later. Leaving Kirika with her saviour in the hope that they are friend rather than foe.

Back in the real world, where the lights don't flicker constantly and the sun is in the sky, the visage of the girl who helped her becomes entirely self evident.

Recognition stuns Kirika to silence.

"Now you know what it's like to be on the other side. You should probably use this, your soul gem isn't looking great right now," Oriko says, picking up the grief seed the witch left behind and tapping it to Kirika's soul gem. Sucking out the corruption that had been creeping up its edges.

"Oriko", Kirika finally manages to gasp out.

"That is my name. I guess now we've both saved each other, standing on ceremony and using last names would seem a little distant," Oriko replies.

"How?"

"I made a wish. You didn't think I was going to leave you to save the world on your own, did you? That wouldn't make me a very good friend at all"

"But you'll die. You remember that, right? Magical girls are doomed to die"

"We're all doomed to die, that's what being alive means. Besides, if I live past when the world is meant to end, then I would say I came out on top in this deal"

Kirika doesn't know how to reply to that. She would like to say something else, but what is there to say? The deal is done, Oriko is doomed, just like Kirika is. Yet the worst part is rather than horror, Kirika feels relieved. Because this means she isn't alone.

"I guess so", Kirika eventually agrees.

"So now I've saved you and you've saved me, what do you say we work together. Saving the world is a very heavy duty, you know. A weight shared is a weight lightened" With Oriko saying that with a slight upturn to her lips, looking at Kirika like she's still worth something even after seeing her failure against the witch, there is only one real answer.

"Together then... I like the outfit, it's a little less black than mine"

A grey coat with silver embroidery tailored to Oriko's form covers an alabaster tunic. White breaches and stockings cover her legs. Her soul gem rests at the top of her tunic, just under her neck. Resting in one hand lies a pure silver blade with a faint white glow. Its hilt is long enough to be wielded in two hands, and the end of the sword seems blunt rather than pointed, though its edges glint with sharpness.

Oriko comes off looking like some sort of noble or prince. Though to Kirika, at least, Oriko coming off as handsome does nothing to lessen how pretty she seems.

"Yours is rather morose, I admit. I don't think that's a bad thing, though. It is certainly a notable look, and rather identity concealing if you keep the veil on," Oriko points out.

"Guess so", Kirika admits before dismissing her outfit. Oriko follows suit.

At which point Oriko's eyes widen, "Kirika, your shoulder"

Oh yeah, that arm is hanging limply right now. Her very concealing outfit just hid that from Oriko. She probably would have noted that earlier, but frankly, Kirika's entire body feels like a bruise. Gritting her teeth, Kirika grabs the arm and pops it back in, letting out a hiss of agony as she does.

"You really should have gone to a doctor about that. As far as I know, just forcing it back in will have done even more damage," Oriko notes.

"I am a magical girl. If that doesn't come with enhanced healing or something like that, I'm suing Kyubey," Kirika replies, leaving her magical girl dress seems to make everything hurt even more somehow. Or that might just be the adrenaline running out.

"I don't think that's how that works. Now, unless your house is very close by, we should probably go to mine. Enhanced healing or not, you should lie down. You look like you're about to fall over"

As much as Kirika would like to say she's fine, she really isn't. Being taken to Oriko's house because she's half dead wasn't quite what Kirika was imagining her first visit to be, but the walk back to her own house would be agony, so it's very hard to say no.

As Oriko and Kirika walk to Oriko's house, Kirika ends up leaning on Oriko for support. Which is extra embarrassing but less so than falling over.

"What did you actually do to the witch. None of my attacks were having any effect," Kirika asks as they walk.

"I haven't had any time to test it, but I believe my magic allows me to sever the magic in other things. Since that witch was held together by magic, when I cut off the magic in an area, it fell apart," Oriko explains.

"Is that what the grey zones on it were. Some kinda anti magic"

"I believe so"

"That's cool, probably really useful against witches"

"I hope so. Though I suppose it would also be useful against magical girls," Oriko points out.

"Yeah, it probably would. Hope that doesn't come up though. It may be naive of me, but I would rather hurt as few people as possible," Kirika admits. She may not like people much, but that doesn't mean she wants to hurt them or anything. Pink may have to die if Kirika can't stop Kyubey, but even that is a step further than Kirika is comfortable with.

Oriko smiles, "You called me kind earlier, but it seems you're rather kind as well"

"Nah, I wouldn't call myself a kind person. Not like I go around helping people or anything, I mostly just stay out of the way. Doesn't mean I want to hurt people though"

Oriko gives a hum of acknowledgement, "We've arrived, I'll let you in"

Kirika's eyes widen as she catches sight of the house Oriko referred to. She knew intellectually that this is the rich side of town, but that's a full-on mansion. As she looks at it though, Kirika realises there is graffiti outside it and the outside doesn't look that well maintained. Deciding not to bring that up quite yet, Kirika reverts to her first impulse.

"You some kinda princess or something? That place is huge"

"Or something. It's inherited and honestly quite a bother to maintain. It is home, however"

"Does that mean you have some queen sized beds in there. Because if I'm lying down, I want one of those"

Oriko laughs slightly, "I think there is one actually. Though I'm not sure you're in the best state to appreciate all the room on there"

"Are you always this accommodating?" Kirika asks.

"Only to friends", Oriko answers. Though the slight downturn in Oriko's voice makes Kirika wonder just how many of those Oriko's actually had.

Once Oriko's taken Kirika to a bed, which is way more comfortable than anything in Kirika's house, she asks the question that has obviously been on her mind the entire walk.

"So, Kirika. Now we're working together. What can you tell me about the end of the world?"

Chapter Text

"Sure, you don't want to do any small talk first?" Kirika replies to Oriko's question.

"Would you appreciate it if I did?" Oriko asks in response.

"No probably not. Guess I'll bite the bullet then," Kirika closes her eyes for a second before getting into her story.

"Do you remember what I told you about what happens to magical girls if they use too much magic?"

"Yes, they turn into witches"

"There is a girl, not sure who yet, I've not had time to find her. I'm calling her Pink because she has pink hair and a pink magical girl outfit. When Pink becomes a witch, it will end the world. I'm not sure why, but her magical potential is so massive that her witch is undefeatable and will kill everything," Kirika explains.

"You saw this the same way you saw me being attacked earlier?" Oriko asks to confirm.

"Yes, my precognition. Seeing that is also why I knew Kyubey was lying about what happens when a magical girl runs out of magic and what witches are. So here's the problem: we either need to find a way to kill Kyubey or to stop him from making a contract with Pink permanently. According to him, he can still make contracts with grownups, so we can't just wait him out"

"You believe Pink hasn't made a contract yet, then?"

"If she had it would already be too late. Now I have time, I'll try to find more with my magic. Pretty sure we're both missing a bunch of info and context we need," Kirika explains.

"Won't that fill up your soul gem more?"

"Yep, it's magically expensive, but I need to. No choice" That's the problem. She really does have no choice but to do her best or accept Oriko and everyone else dying.

"I suppose we'll need to hunt more witches in that case. The gem the one we killed left is already over half full," Oriko points out.

"Hopefully, I'll be better suited against the other ones we fight. I couldn't do anything against the one we just fought," Which doesn't feel great. What is she, a damsel in distress? Kirika shouldn't have to rely on Oriko to fight witches.

"You managed to trap it for me. If you hadn't held it for me to kill, it may have been able to make distance and attack me much more effectively," Oriko retorts.

"Guess so. I'm still the one healing in bed after that, though"

"Kirika, neither of us have been magical girls for a full day yet. Getting injured during the first witch fight of your life doesn't mean anything"

"Fair enough, I'll try not to make a habit of it," If for no other reason than pain sucks, even if it's already starting to get a bit better.

Oriko nods before sitting down on the edge of the bed in silence.

With the conversation paused, Kirika closes her eyes and focuses on the future rather than the present.

The vision ends.

So much for Kirika's hopes of just killing Kyubey. Based on the fact he barely seemed to see her destroying his body as an inconvenience, she doubts he only has 2 or 3, either.

Kirika considers the less palatable option.

Kirika gasps as she returns to the present.

What even happened there? She was about to kill Pink, and then she just died. Someone shot her. Does someone else know about Pink? But why protect her if that means the end of the world? Unless they don't know that she causes it? Is she important for some other reason? Kirika doesn't know enough.

Are they working for Kyubey? Yet that doesn't make sense, Kirika got the sense that Pink becomes a witch shortly after becoming a magical girl. If Kyubey knew about her, the world would have already ended by now.

"Kirika, are you ok?" Oriko asks in response to Kirika's gasp.

"I'm fine, just had a vision not go as expected", Kirika explains.

"What happens?"

"Someone's protecting Pink. If I try to attack her in the future, I get killed before I get the chance," Kirika explains.

"If they reacted to your magic, then the person protecting her must be a magical girl", Oriko deduces.

"Guess it was too much to hope that this could be quick or easy. Kyubey's unkillable, and Pink's protected. We also have to add finding that gun using magical girl to the list of things to do," Kirika replies.

"It may not be easy, but I'm confident we will succeed nevertheless", Oriko reassures.

"Why's that?"

"Because you wished to know your purpose, and it's saving the world. So I know you will find a way. Until that happens, I will be here to help you along"

Guess Kirika just has to hope that Oriko's right, and it's not Kirika's purpose to fail at saving the world instead. That would be a bummer. Still, Oriko believes in her, that has to count for something.

"I'll try to live up to your expectations then", Kirika replies.

"Indeed. Though for now, the only expectation you need to live up to is resting long enough to heal"

"Guess so, though I shouldn't stay too long if I want to get home", Kirika points out.

"Do you have parents expecting you at home?" Oriko asks.

"Nah, none that are around anyway. I wouldn't want to take your bed though"

"This is a guest room, and you seem to be making good use of it. There would be no issue if you wanted to stay over," Oriko replies.

"Really? Seems a bit much for someone you've known for a few hours"

"You did say you remembered me because I was kind, did you not. Besides, if you're working with me on something as important as saving the world, then ensuring you're in good shape is of utmost importance"

"Anyone you need to tell about me staying here?" Kirika asks. Oriko mentioned her father was well known earlier. Surely someone high class enough to live in this sorta house wouldn't want Kirika around.

Oriko's expression takes a sudden downturn, and Kirika realises she may have stepped on a raw wound with her question.

"No, I have no one left who would care to know"

"Sorry"

"It's no matter. I appreciate that you are not one of the people who believe they know me because they saw what happened to my father on the news. I would much rather you know me than his daughter"

"I already told you. You're the one I'm friends with, not your family members. You're Oriko, my new friend who's gonna help me save the world. That's what matters"

"Thanks, Kirika. Are you ok to stay here for a while? I need to put food on if we're going to eat before nighttime"

"We're? You really don't need to cook for me, I'll be fine," Kirika says. There's no way Oriko is this hospitable.

"If I'm already cooking for one, it's no trial to cook for two instead. Besides, what kind of friend would I be to invite you over and then only cook for myself?"

When Oriko puts it like that, it's hard to say no. Also, Kirika was too busy despairing to make herself anything to eat today, so she really shouldn't refuse. "Thanks"

"It's no issue", Oriko says before stepping out of the room.

Suddenly, Kirika is alone again, and this time not distracted by searching for a being of pure malice to kill.

Without that, Kirika cannot keep herself from thinking of the incredible and horrifying events the day has held.

Kirika, for the first time in years, has made a friend, and she's the most incredible person she's ever met. Kind, smart, courageous and willing to put her life on the line to help Kirika. Really, Oriko is so far out of Kirika's league it's not even funny, yet somehow here she is in her house.

It's a wish come true. Which makes it very weird that the actual wish Kirika made is a complete horror show. Because this should be the happiest day of Kirika's life. She found the person she's been looking for and made friends with her!

But the world is going to end. Which is the biggest downer possible. Worse, Kirika is the one who has to stop it. Probably by killing someone. She is so not up to this. She couldn't even beat a witch.

Sure, Oriko was generous enough to give her some credit, but that's because Oriko is nice, not because Kirika deserves it. She can't stop Kyubey, doesn't know who Pink is and apparently can't kill her even if she learns.

She doesn't know the exact date of the apocalypse, but she gets the feeling it's between one and two months away. Which is nothing. Honestly, Kirika would be tempted to give up. But Oriko believes in her somehow. After Oriko saved her, how incredible she's been, Kirika refuses to disappoint her.

Which means Kure Kirika needs to be better than she is. She can't afford to be the shy, spitful, empty girl that she's been living as for the past years. She has to be someone worthy of Orkio's friendship.

Which, for a start, means finding a way not to be encumbered by her injuries. If every witch is like that, then Kirika will probably be getting hurt a lot in the future. So that means she needs to find a way around it. Kirika refuses to be a chain that drags Oriko down with her.

Kirika transforms into her magical girl outfit. Which feels kinda weird to do while lying on a bed, but she's not going to let weirdness of all things stop her.

This is magic, right? More than that, it's magic Kirika got from making a wish. So maybe if she just focuses and wants it enough, her magic will be able to heal her.

So Kirika wishes that she could be healed. Prays that she can recover herself so she can fight by Oriko's side. She wants with all her will to be better. Somehow it works.

Kirika can feel the magic flowing over her wounds, taking pain away and repairing the damage she did to herself. In minutes, Kirika feels the best she has in days. Letting the magic disperse, Kirika is glad to see that the repairs have held even in her normal form.

Then Kirika looks down at her soul gem and grits her teeth. It's already filling up. Just a few visions of the future and healing herself have left a quarter of her soul stained by grief.

Kirika considers for a second before deciding this is less bad than it looks. She doesn't need to heal herself any more and can just hold off on any more visions until she and Oriko kill another witch.

From what she knows, she has time. If not much. Until the end of the world. Time to find who's protecting Pink. Time to work out why Kyubey has the goals he does. Time to master her magic and become someone who deserves the confidence Oriko has in her. Hopefully time to save the world.

If she has one advantage at least, it's that no one has more clear sight of the future than she does right now. That has to count for something.

Kirika gets off the bed, stretching to enjoy her arm having its full range of motion back. Magic really is magical. If only it wasn't also the reason she was hurt in the first place.

Still, she can't spend more time worrying. Now she's ok again, there is no reason not to go downstairs to Oriko. Nothing aside from Kirika's fears, at least.

Every interaction with Oriko so far has been fueled by need and adrenaline. Saving her and fighting a witch. Kirika had no choice but to talk to her, and so she forced herself to be confident. Yet now there is no crisis. Not immediately, at least.

Which means she will be talking to Oriko as Kirika the person rather than Kirika the magical girl. Oriko wants to be friends with and help the person saving the world, but that's not who Kirika is, just what she needs to do.

Is there anything to like about Kirika as a person? Or is this friendship just a transaction? When the world is saved, will Oriko just move on?

More than that, does that even matter? Even if Oriko's friendship is based on what Kirika will do rather than who Kirika is, should that change anything? It's not like anyone else has liked Kirika for who she is enough to stay.

If Oriko just sees Kirika as the person she needs to help prevent the end of the world, that doesn't mean Oriko's kindness isn't real. No matter what happens, Oriko will be a faithful friend who will do anything she thinks is needed for Kirika for the next month or two. Rather than worry about when that inevitably runs out, isn't it better to enjoy this bit of light while it lasts?

Who knows? Even if Kirika as a person isn't enough to keep Oriko around, maybe if she's useful enough as a magical girl, then they will keep working together even if they succeed. Sure, Oriko seemed way more impressive than her earlier, but if she can prove she's good enough, then maybe.

Maybe Kirika's wish won't lead her to a fate of despair?

Before Kirika can will herself to move however, there is a knock on the door.

"Kirika, do you think you're well off enough to sit down at the table, or should I bring the food to you?" Oriko asks.

Kirika walks up and opens the door. "Actually, I'm fully recovered. Turns out healing with magic is a thing, so I only need to be annoyed with Kyubey about the witch thing and the end of the world"

"Really? It hasn't been that long"

Just to prove it, Kirika spins the arm that had been damaged in a circle. "See, I can move it fine with no pain. All I had to do was transform and focus on healing it. Pretty convenient, actually. Even if it used up a bit of magic"

"That is reassuring to know. If we can heal, it should be much safer to fight witches. Though the fact that it uses magic means we can't be frivolous"

"Yeah, I'll have to actually try to measure how much grief it makes if this happens again. I'm not sure how much was seeing the future and how much was healing," Kirika admits.

"Indeed, though that is an issue for the future. For now, we should head down lest the food get cold"

Kirika nods and follows Oriko to the house's way too fancy dining room. It's honestly kinda intimidating to eat there. Kirika's pretty sure the knives and forks are actual silver, and the entire place is way out of Kirika's experience. Though at least Oriko only put out the normal amount of cutlery. If Kirika had to deal with a bunch of other mini forks and stuff, she would have no idea what to do.

On the upside, even if it's kinda intimidating, Oriko is actually a good cook. Which isn't really what Kirika expected from a rich girl, but she is happy to enjoy it. Something she makes sure to complement Oriko on.

"You know, you are a surprisingly good cook"

Oriko smiles, "Thank you. I learned for my father's sake after my mother passed. I would like to think I've reached an acceptable standard at this point. Not that he is here to benefit anymore"

"What actually happened to your father?" Kirika instinctively asks before realising how rude that is, "Sorry, that was so rude, you don't need to answer that"

Oriko's smile flatlines "He killed himself. I was the one to find the body"

"Oh", Kirkia has no idea how to respond to that. Should she give condolences or try to avoid the subject, or is there some other thing you're meant to do when that comes up? She really is already screwing up this whole friendship thing, isn't she?

"Don't pity me or be sorry for my sake. It simply is. There are more important things now"

Kirika doubts Oriko is really that unaffected, but she lets the subject go. She doesn't know Oriko enough to have any idea how to help.

Before Kirika can open her mouth to change the subject, however, her vision changes.

The vision ends.

"Kirika, are you ok? You zoned out," Oriko asks, looking at Kirika with concern.

Kirika doesn't reply, instead trying to compose herself.

The situation is somehow much worse than she thought.

Chapter Text

Ok, this is bad, but not the end of the world just yet. Even if it might be in a week.

Two problems, first, Pink gets found by Kyubey at some point in the next week. Kirika is fairly sure it's not today, but it could be any day after now. That means she needs a way to misdirect Kyubey unless she wants to just give up here and now. Which is very much not an option.

Second problem. As important as it was, Kirika did nothing to prompt that vision. Quickly checking her soul gem, Kirika finds that the vision did create grief. If her magic can activate on its own, that makes hunting witches both much more risky and much more needed. Because it means Kirika can't actively choose not to use magic to restrain her grief creation. No matter what she does, her life is on a much shorter timer than she had expected.

"Kirika", Oriko repeats, finally getting her attention.

"Sorry, Oriko, I got a vision", Kirika explains.

"Accidentally?"

"It triggered itself. Guess I don't have perfect control of my magic"

"What did you see?"

"We have less time than I thought. I need to check the future to see if I can misdirect Kyubey from Pink"

"Won't that use more magic?" Oriko asks, looking at Kirika's Soul gem, which is already more full than Oriko's even after draining the grief out after the witch.

"No choice. Besides that grief seed the witch dropped isn't full yet, so I can get more use out of it," Kirika points out.

"If you're sure", Oriko says, putting her faith in Kirika's judgement. Though Kirika still can't understand how Oriko could trust the world to her, of all people.

Still, she doesn't know how long she has, so Kirika gets right into it. She needs to know how she can delay Kyubey.

The vision ends, and Kirika gags in horror, barely able to hold down the food she just ate. Who would do that? What kind of parent is that, painfully, horrifically cruel to their child? More than that, though, why did Kirika see that?

How could Yuma possibly help Kirika prevent the end of the world? Surely Kirika didn't see her suffering for no reason?

Kirika's hands clench, her nails digging into her skin as she forces another vision. Why did she see that?

Kirika has a fully body shudder as the vision finishes. Is that really who she is? What she'll have to become. Someone who will sell a preteen's soul out to Kyubey just to buy a bit of time?

Surely she can help Yuma properly and delay Kyubey some other way? Just because her soul is outside her body doesn't mean Kirika wants to have none at all.

Ignoring Oriko's concerned questions, Kirika jumps right back into another vision. How else can she delay Kyubey?

Kirika closes her eyes and bites her tongue. She digs her nails into her hands and restrains a scream.

Is that who she is? A murderer? Someone who will go that far just to get a bit more time? Someone who, from what she can tell, will even use Oriko to that end?

A wave of self loathing endlessly deep runs through Kirika. Her soul gem churns with grief.

No more visions. Kirika can't afford any more and isn't sure if she could live with herself if she sees anything worse.

Tears build up in her eyes as she realises she really isn't a good person. Because Kirika isn't good enough to save the world in under a week. She doesn't know enough, she isn't strong enough. So she has no choice but to make Yuma pay the price for her weakness.

Kirika feels arms surround her and becomes aware enough of her surroundings to remember Oriko was opposite her this entire time.

"It's ok, Kirika. Whatever you just saw, whatever we need to do, it's ok"

"No, it's not. I know how to get us more time, but I'll need to practically give a child to Kyubey to do it. What kind of person can just give up the soul of a child to die rather than help her?"

"Someone who needs to save the world. Don't worry Kirika, you're in the right, as long as it's for a good cause, as long as you're working towards our salvation, you're making the right choice. Don't worry"

"Really?" Kirika asks. Oriko is kind, Oriko is good, surely if Oriko agrees, then it's the right thing. Even if Kirika can't trust herself, she can trust Oriko to know right from wrong.

"Of course. Do what you need to, Kirika. For all our sakes," Oriko says, before tapping the grief seed to Kirika's soul gem once more. Emptying Kirika's grief and filling it.

"Ok, in that case, I'll go and find Kyubey. I don't know how long we have, so I shouldn't delay. I'll be back soon," Kirika says. If Oriko thinks this is right, then it is. So Kirika should do it.

"Oh, you should probably take this as well. He might know how to dispose of it now it's full," Oriko points out, handing over the now fully black spindle.

"Good idea", Kirika agrees, taking it and heading out to hopefully find Kyubey quickly.

It takes a few minutes of walking outside but in the end Kyubey finds Kirika rather than the other way around.

Hello Kirika. I notice you have a full grief seed.

"Yup, I totally do"

If you give it to me then I can dispose of it.

Kirika tosses it over and Kyubey does a song and dance of getting rid of the thing.

"Hey Kyubey? That's not the only reason I wanted to see you"

Is it not? In that case, what do you need? I'm always available to help magical girls.

"Actually, in this case, I want to help you"

I'm curious what you have in mind.

"You want to find people with good potential to become magical girls, right? That's why you kept bugging me until I made a wish"

Yes, though seeing how much more active you are now than just hours ago before making your wish, I would argue it was good for you as well. Said bugging was for your sake as well as mine.

"Yeah, Yeah. I made I wish, and now I don't want to die. Feel free to be as smug as you like. Still, that's why I want to help. So I can help you and other girls who could also use a wish.

Please explain.

"I'm not the best at fighting witches. I know that even now. But my magic gives me knowledge, and that, I think, is the best way I can help people. If you find a girl called Chitose Yuma in Kazamino, I believe she will have the kind of magical potential you're searching for," Kirika explains, barely able to stop herself shuddering at what she's sentencing that poor kid to.

Intresting, what exactly is your magic, Kirika? That you can know someone's magical potential from so far away.

"I know what I need to is all. My purpose is to help save the world from witches, and I'll do whatever I need to ensure that," Kirika explains.

It's not even a lie really. It's just one rather specific witch that Kirika needs to stop.

I see. Thank you for the help in that case. I will investigate Yuma and see if your insight comes to fruition.

"Good luck, Kuybey", Kirika wishes as he leaves.

Once he's out of sight, Kirika sighs to herself and sets off back to Oriko's. She really is a terrible person, isn't she? Still, Oriko believes she can save the world. So even if Kirika can't come out of that clean, does it really matter as long as things are still standing at the end?

Kirika just wishes that truth could quench the guilt her conscience is burdening her with for what she just did.

As Kirika returns to Oriko's, she once again takes in the level of disrepair the outside is in. Seeing what people have done to taunt Oriko about actions that aren't even her own, it makes Kirika wonder how many of those people are even worth saving.

Why couldn't someone awful like that be the person Kirika saw to direct Kyubey to, instead of an innocent child?

What's done is done, though. Not like Kirika can fix it even if she wants to, so she just has to make sure that she makes sure that she doesn't waste the time she bought with the life of another.

Kirika knocks on Oriko's door and is quickly let in.

"Did you find him?" Oriko asks as she guides Kirika back in.

"Yep, disposed of the grief seed and said what I needed to. We should have a bit more time now," Kirika says, trying not to let her guilt show on her face.

She did the right thing, didn't she? That's what Oriko said anyway, so no reason to burden her with Kirika's guilt.

"Good work, Kirika. With that, we should have time to find Pink, as you dubbed her and her protector," Oriko says, seeming satisfied with Kirika's actions.

Honestly, Kirika wishes Oriko were the one in charge. She seems so much more unaffected and put together than Kirika could ever be. If she were the one who could see the future, Kirika's sure she wouldn't hesitate to save the world, no matter what.

"Yeah, totally", Kirika agrees.

Oriko doesn't say anything for a few seconds as she finishes leading Kirika to the living room and takes a seat. Kirika chooses to sit on one of the chairs opposite her.

"We should talk about what your foresight activating on its own means for us", Oriko eventually elects to say.

"I don't know, really. If it only activates when something really important is going to happen, then it could be fine?" Kirika considers. Maybe it won't be too bad?

"Hopefully. Even so, you went through an entire grief seed just this afternoon. Whether out of chance or necessity, it is likely you will be making use of your foresight a lot in the coming days. If that rate remains at all comparable, then we will have to hunt a large number of witches to keep you active," Oriko points out.

Kirika wilts a little at that thought, "Guess my magic is a bit of a burden, huh. Sorry"

"That was not what I was attempting to suggest at all. Your magic is essential. It's unsurprising that something as powerful as foresight would come with drawbacks. It is simply a factor we need to consider. While I will need to test myself against a few more to be certain, I suspect my own magic will be highly effective against most witches. So long as you are able to direct me, then it will not be overly burdensome," Oriko replies.

"Yep, I can direct you. If we want to get a bunch of witches, we could even split up to take down double as many," Kirika suggests.

"Considering how essential you are and the fact your magic seems better suited to restraints than being overly lethal, it may be better for us to hunt together until we are more sure of your limits"

"Yeah, probably. Wouldn't want to have a repeat of earlier," Kirika agrees, smothering the part of her that feels useless having Oriko doing the heavy lifting, while she is left to support her.

"Exactly", Orkio says before looking over at the room's clock "It's getting rather late. If we are to be hunting witches tomorrow, we should try to do so well rested"

"Oh, ok. Um, goodnight Oriko," Kirika says as she and Oriko get up.

"Goodnight, Kirika", Oriko replies, leading Kirika to the bedroom she was in earlier before setting off herself.

As Kirika reaches the bed, she practically collapses on it. This has been the most exhausting and terrifying day of her life.

On one hand, Oriko has been everything Kirika had hoped she would be when she first started seeking her out weeks ago. On the other hand, Kirika has no clue how to be a friend, and the fact that she's even managed to have full conversations with Oriko without running away is honestly shocking.

Guess the end of the world has a way of making some other things seem slightly less scary.

Though at this point her own magic feels almost as scary as what she's using it to prevent. It shows her things she doesn't want to see and doesn't even seem to obey her.

Even as she lies down on the bed, tossing and turning, she can feel it active. Not giving her a full vision, but rather snapshots of tomorrow. Moments in time of greater and lesser significance. Though nothing as important as what she had seen earlier.

None of them take much grief, but each bit is more than Kirika wants to use. The worst though, is the world's end. Every time Kirika closes her eyes, she sees the witch that will end all life on the planet and knows what will happen next. It's too vivid to just be her imagination.

Kirika laughs a bit, though there is nothing pleasant about the sound. If not for Oriko, she would have died today. Worse if her magic is this needy constantly, then Kirika will never be at her full potential in battle. Always needing Oriko to protect her.

She will never be able to repay that kindness that Oriko gave her, will she? Because Oriko keeps being kind to Kirika, while Kirika just keeps needing Oriko to help clear up her messes.

It's only been a day, but Oriko already feels like she's so much of the light left in Kirika's future. Every vision Kirika has of importance shows only tragedy. Kirika wonders how many she can bear without sinking.

Guess she just needs to trust that Oriko can be her anchor in the storm.

It's probably weird to care about someone this much this quickly. If she thinks about it, Kirika still barely even knows Oriko. Then again, Oriko just seems so much brighter than all those people Kirika is forced to tolerate at school. She did even the first time Kirika met her.

Then again, it's been a long time since Kirika hasn't been weird. It's not like she fits anywhere. So maybe this is right. Maybe Kirika was always meant to sell her soul to become something more or maybe less. She's already crossed one moral event horizon after all.

Still, as long as the world remains at the end. As long as Kirika can keep Oriko by her side. Does anything else really matter?

Maybe if she can believe that strongly enough, then when the opportunity to kill Pink arrives, Kirika won't hesitate.

When the oblivion of sleep claims Kirika, it's a blessing. Because for the first time in hours, Kirika is able to stop thinking about the future.

Chapter Text

Oriko's not quite sure what she expected to happen when she made her wish. She chose to change, but she did so not knowing what would come after.

Now it's done however, Oriko doesn't feel that different. She still knows what she did. She still knows why she despised herself enough to make the wish she did.

Yet that doesn't mean things are the same. Because now Oriko has a sense of clarity that has been gone since her father died.

Because she knows Kirika is the one who can save the world. Which means Oriko will do everything in her power to assist her in ensuring that the future comes about. When she thinks about it like that, everything is clear.

Oriko's magical girl transformation is instinctive. Her blade comes to hand with a thought. As she holds it, Oriko understands this is a weapon of execution. It is made to sever the obstacles that may stand in Kirika's way. In that way, it's a tool of justice. Because anything that stands in the way of the world's future deserves to be severed.

After a few brief questions to Kyubey Oriko sets out. One thing she finds is that she is very sensitive to magic. Once she reaches where Kirika left from, she is able to sense the route she took and follow her. Before long, she finds Kirika and the witch she is fighting.

Though she finds Kirika struggling with the witch, Oriko feels no fear. When her sword touches magic, it rips it to shreds. The witch is nothing but magic, which means Oriko has no trouble ending it.

She can tell Kirika feels down about the fact that Oriko saved her. Yet Oriko makes sure to try to ensure Kirika understands there is no reason to be. Kirika's magic is what will allow the world to be saved. She is the one who can see the end and its cause. Oriko is simply the force behind the futures that Kirika wants to ensure, and a blade to cut away the futures that must not be.

Yet more than a blade, Oriko is Kirika's friend. Kirika needs that as much as she needs an implement. Because Kirika is someone who cannot see her own value and who is too shy to allow herself to flourish.

So she needs someone to reassure her that she's walking down the right path. Kirika's inner demons are just one more obstacle to the future that Oriko will help Kirika confront and overcome.

Oriko will be Kirika's strength in the way she failed to be her fathers. Because this time, Oriko cannot afford to fail.

Though right now Oriko doesn't really have time for high minded ideals and the like. Instead, she will be ensuring her and Kirika's future in a much more direct way. That being by slaying witches.

Though first, Oriko needs to make sure Kirika is up. It's not early in the morning, since Kirika definitely needed rest after yesterday, but if Oriko wants time to hunt witches, then it would be best to not wait much longer.

As Oriko approaches Kirika's door to ensure she is awake and inform her that she prepared breakfast however, Kirika talks through the door before Oriko has the chance to knock.

"Don't worry, Oriko, I'm up. Thanks for making pancakes, I'll be down in a minute"

For a second, Oriko just stands outside the door. While she had understood Kirika is precognitive, it is something that will take some getting used to.

Especially since Oriko hasn't even finished the pancakes yet. Which she should probably go and do if Kirika is already up.

In hindsight, it seems obvious that Oriko is going to be unable to surprise Kirika even if she wishes to. When you're working with someone who sees the future, then there is no point being anything other than upfront. Which is going to be a bit of an adaptation, but Oriko can cope.

Kirika manages to arrive downstairs just as Oriko finishes putting out the pancakes.

"Did you arrive just as I was putting these out coincidentally or magically?" Oriko cannot resist asking.

Kirika looks at the clock in the dining room. Which is answer enough for Oriko before Kirika opens her mouth. "I didn't want to keep you waiting"

"Were you not worried about your magic expenditure yesterday?" Oriko questions. Not that Oriko minds Kirika practising with her magic, but she didn't seem enthusiastic yesterday.

Kirika's face turns downcast "Yeah. I kept getting flickers after our conversation, not full visions but moments and times and stuff. It's not constant, but until I can get control of it, it's pretty regular. It's not even important stuff, just things like this morning"

Time to change tracks on this conversation. The last thing Oriko wants to do is reinforce Kirika's feelings that she's a burden. "We already knew we would have to do plenty of hunting, so it's not like this changes things. Besides, I can think of many reasons you having a good idea of the day ahead of us is an advantage. Who knows when something small may end up unexpectedly impactful?"

"Maybe?" Kirika admits before trying one of the pancakes Oriko made, "Wow, these are really good"

"Are you complimenting the pancake or the syrup you drowned it in?" Kirika has an extremely sweet tooth, apparently.

"Both", Kirika says happily between bites.

Oriko feels a smile grace her face as she eats with Kirika. The fact that what she made is enough to have the downbeat girl in front of her seeming happy and almost energetic is relieving. If this is replicable, then Oriko is going to have to stock up on pastries.

"You've got a bit of syrup here", Oriko comments, tapping the spot on her own face as Kirika finishes.

Kirika blushes and wipes it off, suddenly seeming much more self-aware about her earlier enthusiasm.

"Now we're finished, we should move on to witch hunting. I doubt we will be able to get as much done tomorrow, considering it's a school day," Oriko comments.

Kirika opens her mouth to say something, before stopping, thinking for a second and then speaking. "I was going to say we could just skip, but thinking about it, there's a decent chance Pink goes to one of our schools. Which means we probably shouldn't"

"Exactly. Also, we should probably avoid drawing too much attention to ourselves. Your precognition functions even when you're not transformed, so it's not like being at school would limit your information gathering"

"Well, that sucks. Fighting literal evil and having to save the world doesn't even get me off school"

"Sorry, Kirika. Though I suspect other magical girls are likely to be at schools as well, so it will at least serve as a method of scoping out any potential allies or obstacles out there. We may even find the person who's protecting Pink"

"You don't have to convince me, Oriko. I'll go. Guess that means we really do need to make the most of today"

"Indeed. Will you be able to direct us to witches?"

"I did it yesterday, so it shouldn't be too hard to find others. If all grief seeds are similar to the one we got back there, then it shouldn't be too expensive in comparison to the rewards"

"In that case, shall we set off?"

"Sure", Kirika agrees before focusing for a second, "Follow me, there's one about a kilometre away"

Oriko follows Kirika's lead as she begins walking to the witch. Only after 9 minutes of walking is Oriko able to sense the witch.

"It's here", Oriko notes as she catches sight of the barrier "Shall I lead the way?"

"Be prepared, the last one had some nasty tricks before you got there", Kirika notes, letting Oriko lead the way.

Oriko nods in acknowledgement, and the two transform, stepping into the witch's ward.

The floor is tiled in alternating pure black and white. As Oriko looks up, she realises the rest of the barrier is just as monotone as the floor. The sky is such a pure white as to be almost blinding, while the distance is just a black void lacking any kind of texture.

As Oriko is about to step off the white step she's on Kirika grabs her arm, stopping her.

"Only step on the white tiles", Kirika commands, suddenly deadly serious.

"You're on a black tile", Oriko notes.

"You probably can't tell with me, but look down at yourself"

Looking down, Oriko suddenly realises that her clothing and skin are just as white as the tile she is on, rather than the colours they were before stepping into the barrier. Looking at Kirika more closely, Oriko realises even her soul gem has gone black. The one speck of colour on her outfit.

"If you step on the black tiles, you'll fall right through, same for me on white"

"Got it", Oriko confirms, making sure to step carefully to avoid the black tiles.

"Familiars are about to appear. You attack the black ones," Kirika says, summoning chains around her in preparation.

The familiars appear on the tiles around the two. There are two types, both in monotone.

The white familiars stand on the black tiles. They are featureless humanoids with feathered wings and swords that almost blend into them due to the lack of colour.

The black familiars stand on the white tiles. They are equally featureless, though their wings appear more scaled, and they hold axes rather than swords.

Oriko doesn't move as they approach her. As they stick to the white tiles, there are only four directions they can approach her from, and Oriko can tell she is faster than them. As the first one lunges at her, swinging its axe, Oriko meets it with her sword and cuts straight through. The magic axe offers no resistance to Oriko's blade. The familiar is sliced in twain a moment later.

More lunge at her, yet Oriko can feel their magic and knows where they are without even needing to see them coming. Her blade dispatches them without effort.

Looking over at Kirika Oriko can see she is also holding her own. Unlike Oriko Kirika's weapons actually interact with the familiars. The chains capable of striking at and restricting their movements. While Kirika is unable to harm them that effectively with her chains, it takes little effort for her to pull the white familiars into the white tiles. The second they touch the white tiles, they fall through despite the rapid flapping of their wings.

Before long, both types of familiars are condemned to oblivion.

The air of the barrier becomes saturated with magic the second the last of the familiars is killed. The magic soon coalescing into a being in front of Oriko and Kirika.

The being that appears before them is massive, with ten wings and 8 arms, each of which holds a much more ornate weapon than any of the familiars. Though it too lacks features, it is almost painful to look at.

It's form shifts looking like that of the feathered familiars above black tiles and the scaled ones above white tiles. Its wings, colour and weapons change in an instant as parts of its body move over different tiles. Leaving the witch with a constantly changing form as different parts of it turn from black to white and white to black.

Before it closes with them, Kirika sends a chain at it, yet the arm it was aimed at moves from a black tile to a white one, and Kirika's chain goes through the limb without effect.

Kirika retreats back a few tiles while Oriko takes the front. The second any part of the witch enters a white tile, it will be black, and that means that Oriko will always be able to attack it at close range.

The witch swings down with 4 of its titanic blades that each turn to axes as they approach Oriko. Yet only 2 of the swords get close enough to strike Oriko as Kirika's chains trap the white sections of two of the witch's arms before its axes can reach Oriko.

Using the advantage, Oriko, trusting in her magic, swings through the two axes heading for her. Her sword disperses the axe heads before they can reach her. The witch steps back in confusion at the lack of contact.

As the destroyed axes enter a black tile, they shift into undamaged blades. Oriko lets out an annoyed breath. If the witch reforms each time a part of its body changes tile, it will be almost impossible to kill without a decisive strike.

Oriko needs to be closer to it. The reach of the witch's weapons means it stands 4 tiles away when it swings at Oriko. So Oriko jumps forward tile by tile using her blade and Kirika's assistance to avoid being crushed by any of the witch's axes.

"Kirika. Keep its main body confined. If it can't move, it can't reform!"

Though she receives no acknowledgement, Oriko knows she was heard as chains wrap around the white parts of the witch and lock it down, stopping it from shifting tiles as Oriko closes with it.

Oriko focuses her magic. The shine of her sword grows brighter as she focuses on expanding the range of her anti-magic. When she makes the step to the tile next to the witch, all 8 of its weapons strike down at her and are consumed by the light of Oriko's magic the second they turn black.

Kirika pulls the head of the witch forward until it is fully in a white space and her chains phase through it. Yet now it's in reach, Oriko leaps upward and swings her sword through the empty face of the witch, destroying it.

The barrier fades and the real world resumes.

Oriko is forced to blink a few times as her eyes adapt to the vibrancy of colours the real world holds.

As Oriko finishes blinking spots out of her vision, Kirika picks up the grief seed left by the witch. After tapping it to herself and Oriko, the seed is already 3 quarters full of grief.

"I suppose hoping I would counter every witch as thoroughly as the one we fought yesterday is a setup for disappointment", Oriko notes now she's no longer in a fight for her life.

To be fair, her form of antimagic was still highly effective at slaying the witch and its familiars. Yet the amount that witch warped the rules of reality within its ward meant that was less of a trump card than Oriko would prefer.

"You say that like you didn't do all the heavy lifting. Again," Kirika replies, obviously unsatisfied by her contributions.

"Yet you were the one who informed me of that witch's particular dangers and who allowed me to land the finishing blow. While I fully admit my magic is more effective against witches than yours, that doesn't mean you should downplay your own accomplishments"

"Yeah, I guess. Doesn't change the fact I would have died if I had fought that one alone"

"Depending on how its rules worked, it's possible that I would have too. It would depend on whether my magic would allow me to have damaged the white familiars or not. Regardless, you are not alone"

"I suppose. That grief seed is almost used up from my magic and fighting the witch, so if you're up for it, we should keep hunting. Hopefully, the other witches will be more manageable"

"Of course, Kirika. Lead the way"

Over the next hours, Oriko and Kirika manage to slay 4 more witches. Using up the remainder of the first grief seed and a full second one to keep them topped up on magic by the time the hunt is finished.

Each of the witches is as radically diverse as the first two that Oriko experienced. The first witch's ward had the environment of a mountain with a storm around it. Birds of various types and harpy like creatures harassed Oriko and Kirka until they managed to find the witch at the top of the mountain and slay the mammoth bird witch nesting there.

The second's environment was in almost utter darkness with only the glow of Oriko's sword providing light. Shadows tried to take Oriko and Kirika apart, and it's only through Kirika's directions that the witch was found in any reasonable amount of time. The amorphous blob of shadow attacked with sharpened tendrils and retreated to incorporeality when not attacking. Which would have been more effective had Oriko's blade not cut through it just as well either way. Leading to its quick death.

The third witch's ward was a garden with its familiars being living vegetables that tried to attack them. The witch was some sort of tractor made of plants that Kirika tore to shreds with her chains before Oriko could close in on it. That one was closer to just being strange than actually being difficult.

The final one was almost like a living cartoon. Reality had drawn on graphics, which is a jarring experience, and the familiars were digital art that shattered into coloured pixels when destroyed. Most of the familars were in the form of animals with oversaturated colours and cartoonishly overproportioned claws and teeth. The witch was a living program that attacked by pasting new obstacles and changing the environment around it until Oriko's antimagic deleted it.

Overall, despite a few close shaves, Oriko can't find herself anything but satisfied by how the day has gone. Tomorrow will be school, which is its own circle of hell for Oriko, considering her father's reputation, but will likely be more bearable now she has a new reason to keep going. It is also a chance to scope out any magical girls there or find Pink, should she share Oriko's school.

Oriko orders takeout for herself and Kirika, considering that she feels much to exhausted after all that fighting to cook. Kirika opening the door to collect the delivery before the person carrying it can knock proves to be a minor amusement.

As the day ends, Oriko ensures that Kirika takes two of the grief seeds while holding onto one herself. In the end, Kirika can't argue with the distribution because, like it or not, she uses more magic passively, making her unable to refute Oriko.

Hopefully, tomorrow will hold some true progress towards guarding the world against its end.

Chapter Text

Kirika wakes up and instantly wishes she were still asleep. Should she dread school more than fighting embodiments of despair that tear up the laws of physics at their leisure and want to kill her? Probably not.

The fact she almost died multiple times yesterday alone should make that much more intimidating than anything mundane.

Yet despite the terror and the fact that Kirika felt overshadowed by Oriko, no matter how much she tried to encourage Kirika, she almost enjoyed yesterday. Partially because Oriko is incredible to watch fighting witches, and was just nice to chat with and hang out with in between fights. Yet also because while fighting witches, Kirika could just for a while not think about her true task.

Now though, Kirika has to go to school, which is never fun. Try to find Pink, who she might have to murder, even less fun. Try to find other magical girls who will probably try to stop her from murdering Pink, no fun at all.

She won't even be able to have Oriko encouraging her because Oriko goes to a super fancy school. Which makes perfect sense, girl is basically a princess considering the house, wealth and general upperclassness. Maybe she'll be able to call at lunch, then again, Oriko probably correctly expects her to be checking if she can find Pink during lunch, so maybe not.

Also, she needs to leave sooner because she's still at Oriko's, which means school is a 30-minute bus trip rather than a 15-minute walk.

A moment of the future appears to Kirika, which, despite how annoying it is that her magic is wasting grief, still manages to cheer her up. Oriko bought croissants and should be getting back with them in a few minutes. Which is enough time to get up.

Kirika manages to get ready just in time to open the door for Oriko before she can knock. Though Oriko seems way less caught off guard by that than the delivery person yesterday. Which is kinda a shame because his reaction was funny.

"Hi Oriko, thanks for the croissants", Kirika says as she lets her friend into the house.

"I am beginning to wonder if your precognition is focused on pastries as much as it is on saving the world", Oriko comments as she walks in.

"It is obviously attracted to things of great importance", Kirika quips. Even though that is a blatant lie. Knowing it's going to rain tomorrow is not what Kirika would call important after all.

"I bought these from a rather nice bakery, so I do hope you enjoy them", Oriko says as she sets out the pastries.

"Oh, I see, bourgeoisie croissants"

"Would you have preferred I get them from the local supermarket?"

"Nope, give me the upper class croissants"

Fancy croissants, as it turns out, taste rather good.

"How early did you wake up to get these?" Kirika asks between bites.

"I got up an hour ago. Having a regular sleeping schedule tends to be a good practice"

"Thanks for letting me sleep in. Not that this counts. Why does school have to start so early?"

"So it doesn't end later", Oriko points out. Which is true, but still. Doesn't change the fact that Kirika wants more sleep.

"I guess. You know this, and yesterday was probably the first time I've had breakfast in years," Kirika notes.

"I suppose I should be glad to be helping you through that particular bad habit"

"Yeah, thanks for this"

"You're welcome. After all the witches we killed yesterday, I felt you could use the treat"

"I think I need it more to get through school. I have yet to meet an eldritch monstrosity more painful than a school day"

"I get the sense you don't appreciate Japan's education system"

"The education's fine. Everything else is the annoying part" Not that Kirika's been putting much effort into the education side of things either, but that's just boring as opposed to actively irritating.

"I suppose that's an opinion I've recently come to share", Oriko admits.

"Rich person school not better?"

"When your father had a corruption scandal before doing what he did? No, not at all"

"Ah, didn't mean to bring up any sore spots. You gonna be ok at school?" Kirika had assumed someone as put together as Oriko wouldn't have any issues at school, but in hindsight, that was stupid of her. People, she must remember, tend to be awful to anyone who they think is a good target.

"I have dealt with it before and will continue to do so. What we are doing is so much more important than the petty comments of classmates that it is difficult to care about what they say," Oriko replies.

"You're right. All of this is way bigger than any of them. Not like any of them killed witches yesterday"

"Don't be hasty. It's possible some of them did. That is part of what we're looking out for," Oriko points out.

"True, true. I'll be on the lookout"

Oriko looks up at the clock "I would offer to make tea, but based on the time, I doubt you would have time to appreciate it"

"Oh yea, I should start going"

"What school do you go to. I don't think I know of any without uniform standards," Oriko asks.

"Mitakihara Middle School, and what do you mean about... Shit!" School uniform, how did Kirika forget that she doesn't have a school uniform at Oriko's house?

"Thanks for the food, Oriko. See you after school!" Kirika shouts before running to put on shoes and get a bus. So much for getting to school on time.

Kirika does manage to get her school uniform and arrive at school. The fact she arrives 20 minutes after classes started isn't ideal, to be fair, but it's not like she's ever been famous for punctuality at school. The teacher doesn't even bother to give her a dressing down for it. She just looks disappointed at Kirika before continuing her lesson.

There is probably a joke to be made about someone who can see the future being late for something. Kirika doesn't quite feel the need to think of it, however.

Lessons are lessons. Becoming a magical girl and seeing the end of the world has failed to make them any more engaging. If they felt pointless because Kirika felt pointless before, now they feel pointless because none of this will exist in a couple of months if Kirika fails to assassinate someone. Or find a way to kill Kyubey, but considering Kirika is sure other magical girls have worked out the truth of the system in the past. The fact he still exists suggests that is much easier said than done.

On the upside, Kirika has added extra variety to zoning out in class. Rather than thinking about finding Oriko or about the things she could be doing instead of being here, Kirika now gets to think about talking to Oriko, seeing the future and murder. She's not sure if that's actually an improvement, but it sure is different.

During recess, Kirika has one main goal. Seeing if Pink is around. Which also means seeing if Blue or Blond is around, since those three seemed to know each other next week. Which hopefully means they also know each other now.

She does actually manage to spot blond first recess, but there is no Blue or Pink to be found anywhere near her. Which might mean she goes to a different school to the other two, or may mean they're not friends yet.

Still, Kirika does manage to work out she's in the same year as her, just in a different class. Though if she doesn't know Pink or Blue yet it's possible that she's the one Kyubey directs them to as an example. Which means Kirika should check if she's a magical girl.

Now, just going up to her and asking if she's a magical girl would be stupid. Kirika would rather not let anyone know she's one just yet. Especially since her outfit means it's unlikely she's going to be connected back to her being a magical girl if she doesn't reveal that. No point giving a potential enemy info.

Luckily, that doesn't actually stop Kirika from going up to her and asking if she's a magical girl. Isn't seeing the future fun?

The vision ends. Guess that confirms Mami is a magical girl. Kirika's not sure if that's a good or a bad thing yet, but better to know than not.

Still, that makes it more likely that Mami doesn't have anything to do with Pink or Blue yet. If they were already friends with Mami, then Kyubey would already have approached them by now.

She doesn't spot them before the end of recess, but at least she achieved something.

Kirika also gets to enjoy the usual whispers and weird looks from classmates. Because you can't throw your bag at an evil, invisible, magical animal once without getting a bunch of rumours going around about you apparently.

To be fair, that incident was a while ago, so it's way less bad than the weeks directly after that, but it is still annoying. At the same time, it doesn't get on Kirika's nerves the way it used to. Like she talked to Oriko about earlier, all of this is just so small.

The world's going to end, people are apparently eaten by witches daily, and magic is real. Why should Kirika care about what a bunch of unimportant people think about her? Especially since Kyubey deserved to have that bag thrown at him. Kirika's only regret is that she didn't hit him with it.

Sure, there are people whose opinions Kirika cares about. Mainly Oriko. But since she's off at rich person school, probably dealing with the same types of unimportant people being rude as Kirika, there is not one person around Kirika who she feels any need to listen to.

Not that the teachers would share that sentiment. They probably think it's quite important that Kirika listens to them, considering the point of school. Are they dealing with the end of the world, though? Do they see the extinction that lies in their future every day, no matter how much they wish not to? No? Then oh well. Kirika will put in exactly enough effort to not be penalised and not a bit more.

Lunch arrives, and despite considering doing another search for Pink and Blue, Kirika decides to do that next recess instead. Meeting Mami is surely a good enough reason to call Oriko. Besides, what if Blue and Pink go to her school? Then looking for them without checking in with Oriko would be a waste of time.

So she grabs lunch and goes up to the roof, where she won't be bothered. Honestly, it was a favourite spot of hers even when she didn't have anything to do, just because it's somewhere without people.

Oriko picks up on the second ring.

"Hi Oriko. Find anything?"

"I didn't find the people we're looking for, no. I did sense some magic around a classmate of mine. One Asako Komaki. So I believe it likely she's a magical girl. Even if I have not got conclusive proof"

"Wait, you can sense magic when not transformed?"

"Only faintly. I assume it's another section of my magic. Without being so sensitive to it, I doubt I would have managed to find that first witch you were fighting in time"

"Oh, cool. For a second, I thought I might have missed something obvious. If it's just your wish, then no problem"

Thinking about it, Kirika doesn't actually know Oriko's wish. Should she ask about that at some point, or would that be rude? It was probably something about magic or being able to stop the end of the world, based on what Kirika knows about her motivations. Then again, she could be totally off the mark.

"Worry not, I don't think you've missed anything. It may be possible to do what I do purposely with training, but I have no more idea of how to teach you than I presume you do teaching me to see the future"

"No clue then. Guess I should fill you in on my side of things"

"That would be appreciated"

"So, no luck finding Pink yet, I did find a magical girl, though. She's called Mami Tomoe, and assumed Kyubey may have directed me to her. So I assume she has some rapport with that thing. No clue how much she knows though"

"You had a conversation with her then?"

"I had a conversation with her. She didn't have one with me"

"I suppose precognition is rather useful for information gathering even in ways beyond the obvious"

"I do need to pull my weight somehow, you know. Since you are definitely doing the heavy lifting with witches"

"I still believe you are understating your contributions there", Oriko retorts.

"Eh, maybe. Anyway, let's not restart that whole thing. How's the school day been?"

"Plenty of people talking about me behind my back, or in Komiki's case, my front. Which I suppose is slightly more admirable"

"Oh hey, same. Aside from the Komiki part. You throw your bag at Kyubey once, and suddenly everyone has an opinion on you"

"Ah, I see the issue. Did he get on your nerves that much?"

"First time we met, and he instantly started begging me. Used my first name without asking and everything. Did it in full public view, too. He could have at least waited till I was in private or something, but nope. Make me think I'm hallucinating in public. Hate that thing"

"He is rather rude," Oriko agrees.

"Can I head back over to yours after school?" Kirika asks, since she realises she hasn't done that after yesterday.

"Of course. Though it does mean you will have to wake up earlier to get to school," Oriko points out.

"There are worse things"

"This coming from the person complaining how early school starts?"

"I'm not saying I like it. Just it's worth it. Besides, it makes organising with you much easier. I'm just being tactical"

"So it has nothing to do with the fact I bought you pastries this morning?"

"Noo, I mean if more of those appear, I won't be complaining though.

"You're like a stray cat. Feed you and you keep coming back"

"Hey, don't tease me. Anyway, cats are cute"

"True, though I have heard it's bad luck to cross paths with a black cat. I do hope you don't cause me misfortune"

"Considering what happened when we first met, I'd say you were pretty fortunate to have this particular black cat cross paths with you"

"I suppose so. Had you not, I would have had a rather rueful fate ahead of me"

"Yeah see, I'm like a good luck charm"

"Then let's hope we have good fortune ahead of us"

"We can hope", Kirika replies before noticing that lunch is more or less up "Aww, looks like I'm outa time. See ya later, Oriko"

"Goodbye Kirika"

Kirika sets off back to lessons with a smile. Which is practically unheard of for her at school.

Then again, getting to chat to Oriko during lunch is also new, so it's not that surprising that the two go hand in hand.

As she heads back to class however, Kirika notices something out of the corner of her eye. Someone with pink hair.

"Sorry teach, looks like I'll be late again", Kirika mutters to herself as she speedwalks around the corner she saw the person walk around.

After a bit of walking in the exact opposite direction of her classes, Kirika finally manages to fully catch sight of her.

It's Pink. Kirika's found her.

Kirika sighs. If Pink's here, then Kirika has to check if her guard is too. She focuses.

Well, that makes the chances of the guard being a magical girl almost guaranteed. Though who and how they kill her instantly is still beyond Kirika.

Kirika turns and heads to class. Now Kirika knows Pink is in the year below her, it shouldn't be that difficult to find more about her. Hopefully, including how she is defended.

As unpleasant as experiencing being killed again is, Kirika heads to her class with her smile undiminished. It's a shame that finding Pink isn't enough on its own. If she were unprotected, then Kirika could make sure the world doesn't end within the afternoon. No matter how guilty she would feel afterwards.

Despite that, this is progress. Real progress. As long as Kirika can find a way around whoever is protecting her and keep Kyubey as far away from her as possible, then there could be a future left past this year.

Though Kirika supposes that her being here does come with a few problems. That being Kirika cannot be anywhere near her. If Kyubey pops up near Kirika to annoy her. Which he is liable to do, then being near Pink risks him noticing her.

Not to mention that Miss Protector, whoever that is, may take note of Kirika if she pops up near Pink too much. So observation must be from a distance or in futures that don't happen.

Which is inconvenient, but Kirika can deal.

Anyway, Oriko is sure to be pleased with her that they've made this much progress. So for now, there's no need to worry about the murder in her future when she can look forward to much more pleasant things instead.

See, no misfortune to be found here. If Kirika's a black cat, then today at least she's a lucky one.

Chapter Text

With Pink, or as Kirika would soon learn and inform Oriko of, Madoka being found, things could finally move forward. Or that is what Oriko would have thought, at least. The issue is that Madoka's bodyguard, whoever she is, seems unavoidable.

Over the couple of days, Oriko can see exhaustion sink into Kirika as she continually tries to find a future that Madoka is vulnerable to no avail. Attacking at night doesn't work. Oriko and Kirika attacking together means they both die instantly. No matter what is attempted, the end is the same.

Without learning who Madoka's protector is and how their powers work. Oriko and Kirika are at a standstill.

Which is before going into the grief seed situation. Despite a couple extra hunts, Kirika's search burns through grief seeds even faster than by default. Before long, the buffer of grief seeds Kirika and Oriko gained over the weekend has withered to a single spare grief seed.

"Nothing new?" Oriko asks as Kirika comes down in the morning. Like usual, Oriko's put out a breakfast she's sure Kirika will enjoy for her. Considering despair is deadly, keeping Kirika happy is of utmost importance. Alongside it just being nice to see Kirika's face light up when she eats them.

"Nope, she must be a ghost or something. Also, I am getting way too used to the feeling of being shot," Kirika admits as she takes a seat "Ooh, this looks nice"

"It's a cream tea, put the jam and clotted cream on the scones", Oriko recommends.

"At some point, you're going to run out of new fancy things to feed me in the morning, you know", Kirika comments as she follows Oriko's instructions.

"Maybe, I still have plenty of idea's however. With all the hard work you're putting in, I think treating you is only right"

"Thanks, Oriko. I'd feel like I deserved it more if I was making any progress. All I've done is waste grief seeds"

"No, we've worked out important information about the capabilities of our enemy. Though at this point, we know enough that you should probably stop testing Madoka's guard until we can think of a plan to draw her out. It's just putting unnecessary stress on you. You didn't even know what breakfast I made for you in the morning today before I told you, which is highly out of character"

"Huh, you're right. Guess I must have been putting so much magic into looking at Madoka that I've been getting less snippets of other things. Ok, I'll stop until we can work a better plan out. Not like we have enough grief seeds for me to keep going"

"Good. How are the scones?"

"Really good. I think you're spoiling me for normal sweets"

Well, it's nice to know some things are still going well.

"Do remember to have some tea with them"

There is something fascinating about watching Kirika pour herself tea only to add three sugar cubes and scoops of jam meant for the scones to it.

"You do realise that at this point, that is practically syrup"

"Tastes nice though", Kirika retorts.

"I suppose taste is subjective"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"That you have an incredibly sweet tooth"

"Heh, guess you're right"

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and before long, Kirika is required to set off to school.

Oriko busies herself cleaning up, but once that's done, she still has some time free before she needs to set out.

Before her father's death, Oriko may have seen getting to school early as an opportunity to socialise and assist others before the start of the day. Recently however, Oriko's come to prefer being perfectly punctual instead. Less time to attract an unfriendly crowd.

As she waits, she checks her soul gem. Just like last time she checked, about 20% grief. Not ideal, but not yet a risky level. With Kirika's magic so much more expensive and consistently in use, having anyone but Kirika hold on to the backup grief seed would have been foolish. Until Oriko has enough time with Kirika to arrange to collect new grief seeds, Oriko will simply bear with her own grief.

Without Kirika around, Oriko's house feels suffocating. She had thought that with her wish, she would be over the agonies of the past. She isn't the same broken girl that made that wish after all. She has a purpose and hopes beyond her own end.

Yet even so, this empty manor of hers, that has the memories of Oriko's failure and her father's death, still holds air thick with grief. It's less bothersome with Kirika around. She is refreshing, utterly unlike the coldhearted politicians that brought down her father or the social climbers that surround Oriko at school.

Kirika doesn't hide her emotions. Oriko can read her joy or sorrow right off her face. Which means Oriko knows how hard Kirika finds her role and how hard she is working despite that. More than that, she knows how much Kirika wants to help Oriko, even when in reality, Oriko is the one assisting her.

In some ways, Kirika feels childish compared to Oriko. She lacks the self-sufficiency that Oriko's spent so long creating for herself. She can be forgetful, sometimes lacks manners, and, as Oriko has discovered, has an incredibly sweet tooth. She can also have an admirable amount of maturity and focus when required, though.

Sadly, while Kirika may be skilled at banishing the spectres of Oriko's past, they are active enough when she's not around that Oriko finds herself walking to school early despite the leeches she will find there.

Nothing they say can hurt Oriko now. Compared to what is coming and what Oriko fights, their insults are utterly insignificant. Perhaps with that knowledge, it's understandable why Oriko can bear their rudeness better than the suffocating atmosphere of her home.

As Oriko arrives at school, she receives the exact reaction she expects. Whispers and rumours buzzing around from people who had claimed to be eternal friends of Oriko only weeks ago. Though Oriko can't bring herself to mourn the loss of their friendship when it was so ephemeral in the first place.

"All this talk about decent families, yet I don't spot a speck of decency among any of you. Have some shame!"

Ah, and there is the closest thing Oriko has to a friend around school. Komaki. Looking at her, Oriko can see she's like usual, got into an argument with the people who were talking about Oriko behind her back. One might think that suggests Komaki holds a particular affection for Oriko, but she's just like that.

Eventually, the girls Komaki was arguing with leave, not wanting to be further put down verbally.

"You know Mikuni, if you actually stood up for yourself, then maybe you'd not have to deal with those vultures talking about you behind your back"

"Now why would I do that Komaki, when I have a knight in shining armour like you to fight them in my stead?"

"I'm not doing it for you", Komiki retorts, seeming insulted by the idea.

"I know. You simply think it's more respectable to insult me to my face. Doesn't change the fact you manage to clean out my detractors far more thoroughly than I ever could with your presence"

"You say that like you've put the least bit of effort into getting rid of them"

"I simply don't see the point. Their words do not affect me, and I see no reason to give them the respect of acknowledgement"

"You really tick me off, you know. The respect of acknowledgement? You make it sound all dignified when you're just justifying doing nothing"

"We can't all be as passionate as you, Komaki"

"Just stop being so mopey. The old you was at least intresting to argue with"

"It's kind of you to try so hard to cheer me up, Komaki"

"Kind! Did you not hear me? I'm picking a fight here"

"Yes, you do have a rather unique way of trying to help. I appreciate it nevertheless. Though I'm afraid class is about to start, so we shall have to finish this at a later moment"

"Stop appreciating me, dammit. The saint act isn't as cute as you think. We're finishing this later"

Komaki is quite the character. Oriko can respect that she is at least honest about her intentions, though.

Despite holding the antipathy of her peers, Oriko has never fallen behind in academics. In fact, class is the most relaxing part of her time in school. The teachers are strict enough that people rarely get away with talking loudly in class. Even if some of the teachers are little better than their students with how they look at Oriko now.

Father's blunder and subsequent death really did ruin any sort of respect or social standing Oriko had. Though thankfully, the teachers are all too professional to act on their distaste. Though Oriko's sure that if she ever acted out, she would not receive the slightest benefit of the doubt.

As lunch arrives, Oriko makes sure to call Kirika. She knows how much Kirika appreciates having someone to talk to, and if she's being honest, it's a bright spot in her own time at school as well. Kirika, of course, picks up on the first ring. Though whether that's due to her precognition or enthusiasm, Oriko doesn't know.

"Good afternoon, Kirika"

"Hi Oriko. School going well?"

"The same as usual. I do wonder if the sheer vitriol that some of the girls here have for me is created by seeing just how fragile their own positions are. I doubt any of them survive a scandal like my father's"

"Maybe, though that might be giving them too much credit. I think people just enjoy being awful to people when they can get away with it. Nothing people like more than an easy target"

"Perhaps. Ultimately, I suppose the result is the same. How have the visions been?"

"Better, now I'm not seeing myself get shot every 30 minutes. That was really starting to wear on me, even if I feel bad about not doing anything"

"Worry not. We can work on finding a way to expose that issue later. For now, ensuring you're in a good state is more important to our future success"

"Yeah, I suppose. Now I'm not focusing so much on that, my sight is pretty much back to usual. So not too useful, but it did let me know my usual bus was going to be late in time to get the other one. So that was kinda helpful"

"And your grief?"

"Still going up annoyingly fast. Think we're going to need to go hunting this evening. Since the grief seed we have is gonna be full before the end of the day. Especially since you still need to put your grief in there before we start"

"Considering how much more cost-effective my abilities are, I would still argue that saving it for yourself is the most efficient option"

"Which one of us here can see the future?"

"Are you suggesting you saw the consequences of my not depositing my grief?"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Best not risk it though"

"So you didn't"

"Look, it would make me feel better, ok?"

"So be it. I suppose it would reduce the risk that I get overwhelmed, if nothing else"

"Thanks, Oriko"

"Generally, one doesn't thank someone for accepting being given help"

"Maybe, but you can be exceptionally stubborn sometimes, so I'll give ya all the thanks for accepting help I want"

"You are quite the character"

"That's better than being boring"

"I suppose so"

Oriko and Kirika chat until Kirika runs out of time and has to run off to class.

"You know I didn't expect that kinda expression from you, Mikuni"

"Hello Komaki, what expression would you be referring to?"

"That smile of yours actually seems sincere. Which is weird because your smiles never seem sincere"

"I didn't know you gave my smiles so much interest? Though to tell the truth, I just finished speaking to a friend of mine"

"Huh, I didn't know you still had those. Kinda assumed your whole social circle had abandoned you. You know?"

"They did here, yes. Though I would hesitate to call anyone who turned on me quite so easily a friend. Some people understand that there are more important things than bloodlines and that the sins of the father shouldn't be reason to abandon someone"

"Good on you, I suppose. I can say from experience, people who aren't your friends just for clout are much better to have"

"I don't remember you ever having people who became your friends for clout", Oriko points out.

"Yeah, because I'm not the type of person who tries for that whole perfect act you were keeping up. I much prefer people like me for me. Nothing worse than fairweather friends"

"I suppose you do have a point. Did you come over to finish that fight you were trying to start earlier?"

"That was my original thought. Now I'm more curious about who your friend is. Because I would know if they're anyone from around here"

"If you must know, she goes to Mitakihara Middle School", Oriko admits.

"Wow, I thought you were allergic to socialising with people outside this sort of 'esteemed institution'. Not worried people are going to start more weird rumours about you?"

"I have never been one to believe that mere wealth or class is what makes someone of worth. Though I admit I have gained some additional perspective around that recently. Anyone who would look down on me for being friends with someone 'below my station' isn't a suitable friend in the least"

"I can respect that. I've got enough flak for not coming from old money. Like I'm not worth as much because my great grandad wasn't some national big shot" Komaki seems particularly insensitized about that idea.

"People here are rather touchy about their family legacies. Perhaps they feel threatened by you. Considering you are my main academic competition"

"Yeah, yeah, brag about being first in our year all you want. You'll slip up eventually"

"Would you really consider me slipping up a victory? I would think you would want to outcompete me at my best"

"Social disgrace really hasn't tarnished that arrogance of yours, has it?"

"Is it arrogance? I don't believe I overestimate myself or give myself undue credit"

"Nah, but you just give those vibes, you know? Even now, you act like all of this is below you," Komaki points out.

"I don't think I'm above anyone really. I just act according to the things I value. People may perceive that however they wish"

"See, when you say stuff like that, you come off the opposite of humble"

"I wouldn't think you the type to suggest I should be more demure"

"Course not. I just wish you'd be a bit more upfront about things"

"Perhaps you have a point. I don't feel any particular urge to change that, however"

"Why do I bother?"

"Because you are someone who greatly enjoys bothering me?"

"I think you got that one the wrong way round, Mikuni. You bother me. Why else would I find you so irritating?"

"Why else indeed. I believe we are out of time to chat," Oriko replies, setting off for her next lesson.

"We're not done"

"No, but I believe we will have to pick this up tomorrow. Neither of us are the type to stick around after lessons, after all"

"Fine"

Komaki is certainly better company than any of the people Oriko used to socialise with. Even if theirs is a begrudging friendship.

The rest of school goes by fast enough. None of Oriko's afternoon classes are particularly trying, and the one time anyone tries to start something, they get glared down by Komaki.

As it comes to a close, Oriko calls Kirika and arranges where to meet up. After confirming where the nearest witch is, Oriko sets off on a 20-minute walk to meet up with her.

"Hey Oriko, are you ready to go hunting?"

"I believe I'm up to the task. Where is the entrance to the witch's ward?"

"Should be just down this alley. There was a person who got kissed, but I incapacitated her before she could hurt herself. She's chained up at the end of the alley. Needed to drag her away from the barrier a bit to make sure she wasn't sucked in"

"What was the witch getting her to do?"

"She was trying to climb up the railings, so I'm guessing just trying to get her to kill herself"

The first time Oriko and Kirika encountered the effects of a witch's kiss, they were horrified. Seeing a person try to die for no reason apart from the influence of a witch is disturbing in the extreme. This is the third time, however, at this point it's just part of the job.

"Horrid thing"

"Yep, which is why we should head in and kill it before it convinces anyone else that they need to off themselves"

"Before we go in, have you seen anything about the witch's nature?" By now, Kirika checking to see if there are any gimmicks or traps in a barrier is standard procedure. If one of them is going to get badly hurt, it's probably going to be because they misunderstood the nature of the witch they're fighting. Kirika checking in advance is the best way to avoid that.

"I tried, but this thing just gives me a headache. Every time I checked, it showed something different. So frankly, it could be anything. I guess expect the unexpected?"

That's concerning. Though thinking about it, it's not that surprising that some witches can interfere with Kirika's foresight. Though the reasons why it could are so many that it doesn't give much of a clue about what the witch is.

"Ah well, every other magical girl has to go in blind anyway, so it's not like we are at any great disadvantage"

"Oh yeah, before we go in, you should cleanse your soul gem. There should still be enough space in the grief seed for that," Kirika pulls out the grief seed and offers it to Oriko.

"I had hoped you would forget. Oh well, I suppose if it's for your peace of mind," Oriko accepts the grief seed, tapping it to her soul gem and watching the darkness in it leech out.

"Now that's done, shall we head in?"

"Follow me, Kirika", Oriko offers, heading into the witch's ward.

Looking back, Oriko will always wonder what would have happened if they had just taken the warning of Kirika's magic acting up seriously. Maybe tragedy could have been avoided.

Chapter Text

When Oriko steps into the barrier, she is almost overwhelmed by the cacophony of colours. Nothing is still, and nothing is stable. Lights of various colours flow out of the floor like liquid despite being incorporeal. The sky pulses. Purples, blues, giving way to greens and yellows before shifting to reds and pinks. The colours mixing and merging into something near incomprehensible.

Islands of solid colour float around the witch's ward, occasionally colliding and shattering into new colours before reforming. Each time one collides, the entire barrier vibrates and new cracks open in the ground, leaking their own hues. It is chaos.

Oriko is so dazed that she barely reacts in time as a storm of interconnected rainbow fragments strikes at her. Only stopped by Kirika's chains ripping them apart.

"Do you have any clue what direction to go in?" Oriko asks, staying on guard for any more familiars appearing.

Kirika focuses for a second before wincing. "Nope, this entire place is a headache. We just need to choose a direction and hope. Unless you can see any sort of pattern in this madness?"

"Unless the absence of a pattern is the pattern, then no. The entire place is just sound and colour"

"Great, I suppose the last couple of witches haven't been too bad, so we were due some sort of massive mess", Kirika complains.

The two set off, dodging the coloured fissures opening in the ground and the massive shards of colour falling from the sky when islands collide as they walk.

The familiars that attack them lack consistency. Some are humanoids of prismatic glass. Others are single coloured shapes that unfold and try to crush Oriko and Kirika. Some are bits of liquid colour from the fissures in the ground that manage to gain corporeality and try to engulf the two magical girls. The entire labyrinth is a kaleidoscopic deathtrap.

The sheer variety of familiars and hazards means Kirika and Oriko can't avoid wounds. Despite Oriko's antimagic cutting through the familiars here just as well as everywhere else, shards of colour still end up cutting her, and her arms end up bruised from when a vivid magenta polyhedron unfolded and managed to slam one of its sides into her before she could cleave it in twain.

Kirika ends up little better. Despite being guarded by multiple chains that constrain and impale anything that approaches her, hot prismatic light from some of the familiars burns her, and some swarms of fragments manage to cut at her despite her best efforts.

None of this is helped by the pounding headache that Oriko is left with from the sensory bombardment that this labyrinth imposes on her. The only thing that doesn't hurt to look at is Kirika, whose black outfit contrasts with the vibrant brightness of everything else around Oriko.

After wandering the witch's ward for what might have been minutes but feels like hours. Oriko and Kirika finally catch sight of the witch that spawned this madness.

At first, it looks like a simple white dot. Something entirely out of place in this mess of colours. Yet as Oriko and Kirika observe, the witch unravels. strings of colour branch out of it. Out of them spring increasingly complex patterns. Multicoloured flowers with millions of petals. Branches that seem connected despite being in separate locations.

As Oriko watches, she realises that those were never strings. They were roots that dive into the ground and spawn the sprawling, impossible tree ahead of her. That seems to take physical dimensions as an insult, and that's colours seem so incredibly vibrant as to stand out even compared to the mess of colour the rest of the labyrinth is made up of.

It takes little time for the fight to begin. Roots no longer thin but thick rip out of the ground, sending rainbow shards out like shrapnel at Oriko as they attempt to crush her. Oriko dodges out of the way of the roots while expanding the antimagic from her sword to catch the shards.

As she avoids the roots, Kirika's chains appear above Oriko just in time to intercept a fluorescent branch that appeared without warning to strike Oriko. Oriko does get the witch back by stabbing through the roots that were attacking her, but it seems barely inconvenienced, simply growing more.

As the fight goes on, the leaves of the tree begin falling, each made up of razor-sharp crystal, turning the area around the witch into a storm of knives. Oriko finds herself unable to approach without being shredded. Her antimagic is directional. Were she to guard her front, her back would be cut open instead, should she try to get through.

The fight becomes a gruelling game of attrition. Kirika's chains dig into the tree, bleeding it of technicolour sap while Oriko uses her magic to defend against the endless projectiles the witch creates.

While Oriko does try creating new swords to toss at the witch, she finds the tactic utterly ineffective. While her blade edge cuts through magic like butter, that doesn't change the fact that its blunted end has no such power. Oriko's magic may make her near unstoppable up close, but if she can't reach her enemy, she has little power at all.

For once, the roles are revered. Kirika on offence with Oriko relegated to defending her.

While Oriko finds the leaves and branches little issue to defend against as they shatter against her antimagic, the roots are more resilient, requiring her to prune them manually.

Still, Oriko can tell Kirika is making steady progress. By now, a lake of sap is building up around the tree from the sheer amount Kirika's attacks are cutting out of it. The fight sets into a steady rhythm.

Then a fissure opens, separating Oriko from Kirika, and everything goes wrong. Oriko stumbles as the ground shakes, her blade for just one instant out of place. Something the witch ruthlessly exploits, roots bursting out of the ground at a greater pace than earlier and slamming into Oriko despite her cutting down most of them. Oriko is flung backwards and finds herself falling into the fissure that leaks crimson light at her.

As death stares Oriko in the face, chains burst from the air around her. Catching Oriko and taking her to safe ground. Yet even as Oriko gets, she sees that the distraction costs Kirika. A branch stabs through her chest, barely missing her soul gem, while one of her arms is shredded by the leaves Oriko wasn't around to defend her against.

Yet rather than Kirika seeming in shock or agony, the only thing Oriko sees in her eyes is rage. Chains burst from around the tree in greater size and number than anything Oriko's seen Kirika create. Branches are ripped off the witch, while the chains uproot the tree and tear the trunk asunder.

Seconds after Kirika goes all out, the maddening colours surrounding Oriko fade into the colours of normality. Just in time to see Kirika collapse. Oriko, ignoring her aching limbs, catches the grief seed before it can touch the ground and sprints to Kirika, pressing it against her soul gem, which has only specs of citrine left among the black.

The grief seed fills up with startling speed. It's full by the time Kirika's soul gem is free of grief. Yet even unconscious Oriko can see Kirika's soul gem already gaining new specks of grief.

Oriko holds Kirika's broken body against her and pushes her magic towards her. Though whether to wake her up or heal her, Oriko isn't sure. A second later, Kirika's eyes shoot open, and she winces.

"Oriko! You're ok!" Kirika shouts moments after waking up.

"Yep, you're not looking so good, though", Oriko points out.

"Oh, wow. How did I not notice that" Kirika says with something akin to curiosity before the pain hits her and an agonised gasp escapes her. "Shit, ok note to self, being shredded hurts really bad. Ow ow ow ow ow"

"Can you fix it?" Oriko asks, desperate for the answer to be yes.

"Um, let me focus. Wow, that thing really got my everything, didn't it? Haaa, I should be dead. I should be so dead. I'm missing most of my stomach, an arm is paste, and my ribcage is screwed"

Oriko can see Kirika's body sowing itself back together, but as it does, the black in her soul gem returns at terrifying speed. By the time Kirika's chest isn't caved in and her arm is only hanging limply rather than being shredded meat, her soul is over half full of grief.

"Stop"

"Stop healing?"

"Kirika, your soul gem. If you finish healing yourself, you'll be a vision or two away from witching"

"Ah, I see the problem. Well, I'm no longer falling apart any more, even if my insides are still pretty scrambled, and I'm pretty sure I can't get up"

"This is fixable. If I can just get another grief seed, that should be enough to have you fully healed"

"Can you fight a witch? You didn't get out of that unharmed?" Kirika asks.

"I don't use much magic, remember. I've already healed most of the bruising, and I'm only at about 30% grief. As long as it's not another one of that, I should be able to take on a witch without too many issues"

"I would offer to help, but I don't think I can move much. Kinda stuck in a puddle of my own blood," Kirika notes. Having just about lifted herself up enough to sit against the wall rather than being collapsed on the floor.

"Tell me the location of the nearest witch. I'll be back as soon as possible," Oriko swears. This is not how it ends. It can't be. Oriko refuses to let Kirika die.

Kirika zones out for a second before saying a location. Oriko's gone before another word can leave Kirika's mouth. There is no time to waste.

Oriko doesn't drop her transformation, instead using the full abilities it gives her to move faster. When she pushes herself, Oriko is faster than a car, and today she is pushing herself harder than ever.

As Oriko gets close enough to sense the witch's ward, she slows down and lets out a relieved breath. Just where Kirika said. As she remanifests her sword however, the ward blinks out.

For a second, panic consumes Oriko before she sees that the witch didn't move. A magical girl just stepped out of it. One with a grief seed. The grief seed that Oriko needs more than anything.

"Good afternoon, Komaki. Would you mind handing me that grief seed?" Oriko says in as conversational a tone as she can manage. That thing is the difference between Kirika living or dying. Nothing is more important.

"Mikuni? You're a magical girl?" Komaki turns around, shocked.

"Yes, as evidently are you. Now I really need that grief seed. So I hope you don't mind if we skip the pleasantries"

"Are you trying to extort me, Mikuni? Huh, I didn't think you were the type. Shows what I know"

"I have no wish to extort you, but I have little choice. Besides, with all those hunting trips you go on after school, I'm sure you have your own stock"

"You know about those? Wait, when did you even learn I was doing this? Also, no chance. I can see your soul gem is clear enough. find your own"

"You are less subtle than you think, Komaki. Anyway, I never said I needed it for myself. If you are unwilling to bargain, then I will take it by force"

"When I said I was picking a fight with you, I was more thinking of an argument, but sure, I'm game. If you can beat me, I'll hand it over. Let's see what you can do with that sword of yours," Komaki offers, putting the grief seed away and pulling out her axe. Oriko isn't going to kill Komaki. She does, honestly, quite respect her. Even if she is currently a massive thorn in Oriko's side. Yet, Magical girls can take a hell of a lot of harm without dying. In this case, Oriko's sure she can hurt Komaki enough for her to hand over the grief seed.

Oriko did once tell Kirika that her magic would be highly effective against magical girls. Time to put that to the test.

She doesn't waste a second. Oriko sprints toward Komaki, her sword at the ready. When she does though, Komaki just grins before tapping something on her axe and creating a large square shield in front of Oriko. Theoretically halting her advance.

Not that it stops Oriko for even an instant. That wall is made of magic, so no one is better suited to cutting through it than her. A vicious grin appears on Oriko's face as she cuts the shield with her blade, shattering it with a touch. Much to the horrified shock of Komaki.

Sadly, Komaki's axe isn't just for show, and Oriko is forced to halt her advance to dodge the axe swing that Komaki responds to her with. As Oriko steps out of the way of the next few swings, she can tell that this fight is hers to win.

Simply put, Oriko is faster than Komaki, who seems almost rooted to the spot. Despite her obvious skill with her axe, Komaki relies on her shields and seems off balance, not having access to them. If Oriko can get inside her guard, then the fight should be over.

Despite Oriko's need to win this quickly, she settles into pacing in circles around Komaki. Trying to find an opportunity to strike.

"You know, for all you called me arrogant earlier, the amount of faith you seemed to have in your magic seems like the height of hubris to me", Oriko taunts. Needling for an opportunity. If she can get Komaki angry. Which seems like her default state. Then she can exploit mistakes.

"Ok, I admit you caught me off guard. But I'm willing to bet that shield-breaking trick of yours is all ya got. Not seeing any other magic tricks coming out of you," Komaki retorts.

"You seem rather quick to reach that conclusion. Are you sure it's correct?" Oriko lets a small smile grace her face as she empowers the antimagic over her sword. Leaving it with a bright white glow.

It doesn't actually give any advantage against Komaki, considering she doesn't have any magic, the normal antimagic on her sword can't cut. Though it may distract her but it's not like she knows that. For all Komaki knows, that could be anything. Oriko can see the weariness on her opponent's face.

Oriko continues slowly stepping around Komaki, letting her sword drag against the ground, making a rather horrific scratching sound. With each step, the ground behind Oriko goes grey. The antimagic seeping into the ground.

Oriko can see the realisation on Komaki's face that Oriko wants to encircle her with her magic. Not thinking Komaki leaps forward, determined not to let Oriko finish her circle.

Oriko uses the opportunity, dashing under Komaki's swing and cutting across her side with her blade before being forced back again by Komaki's return stroke. The grey sinks into the cut Oriko left in Komaki.

"What, it's numb? What a dirty trick," Komaki snarls, still holding her axe, but with less strength now that she can't bring some of her stomach's muscles to bear.

"We can't all be upfront about things, Komaki", Oriko retorts, throwing Komaki's words earlier today in her face. While she wasn't sure if her antimagic would affect a magical girl physically, considering the link to their soul gems, she's not surprised by its effectiveness.

"That circle was just a trap to draw me out. It wouldn't have done anything," Komaki realises in annoyance.

"There you go. If you realised that earlier, maybe you would have a chance. Looks like I'm not the one who slipped"

Oriko's talking for a reason. Though she can't feel it, every second that passes, more blood seeps out of Komaki and onto the ground below her. While that might not disable her as a magical girl, it offers an opportunity for her to slip much more literally next time Oriko attacks her.

As Komaki opens her mouth to retort, Oriko rushes forward again before stepping back when Komaki swings. This remains her strategy as the fight continues. Continuous probing strikes as Komaki continues to exert herself and spreads yet more blood under her feet.

Oriko gives her sole focus to Komaki. Not thinking of comments or looking at the area around her. Just searching for that one golden moment when Komaki loses balance and Oriko can disable her fully. Just one full strike should be enough to numb Komaki enough to paralyse her now Oriko is sure about her magic's effects.

Eventually, the moment arrives where Komaki begins to slip. Oriko rushes in and swings her blade in a finishing arc.

The edge meets meat and slices through it. A body falls to the floor.

"Akiria!" The name is screamed. Komaki looking in horror at the lifeless body of her friend.

Oriko steps back, looking at the red that's soaking into her outfit and drips off her blade.

Akiria pushed Komaki out of the way of Oriko's strike.

As it turns out, the non-magical human body gives no more resistance to Oriko's blade than a magical one. Is that not humorous?

Red drips onto the floor. The small puddle of Komaki's blood joined by an expanding pool of additional crimson.

Oriko can see the drops gather and fall from the edges of her blade. Though it doesn't fall from her clothing. Red sinks rather deeply into white after all. It is truly a terrible colour to wear to a killing.

"You murdered Akira!!!!" Someone shouts. Oriko reacts instinctively.

Red stains white.

Chapter Text

Waiting is agonising for Kirika. There is something especially painful about knowing that she is fully capable of restoring her body and yet that doing so would kill her more surely than leaving it broken.

Yet minutes later, Oriko steps back into the alley and taps a grief seed to Kirika's soul gem. With her magic restored, it takes little effort for Kirika to finish healing herself, stand up and finally banish her bloodstained outfit.

"Ah, that feels so much better. Thanks Oriko" Kirika stretches, enjoying having full movement returned to her.

"It was no issue", Oriko responds, and suddenly Kirika stops focusing on herself and gives her full attention to Oriko. Because when Oriko spoke, she didn't sound satisfied or proud. She sounded empty. Looking at her, Kirika realises her eyes have the same hollow look as in that first vision Kirika had of her.

"Oriko? Are you ok?" Oriko has dismissed her magical girl outfit, so her clothes appear unstained. Yet looking closely at her, Kirika notices that blood clings to her fingernails.

"I'm fine Kirika. Let's go home," Oriko responds, yet Kirika can see a slight tremor in her hands, and her voice still sounds empty.

"Ok Oriko, sure. Your house isn't a long walk away. Let's go," No matter what happened with Oriko, Kirika is sure that it will be much better to talk somewhere comfortable rather than a bloodstained alley.

As Oriko seems to be walking without energy, Kirika makes sure to hold her hand and guide her back home. Whatever happened hit her hard.

As she walks, Kirika finds herself cursing her own weakness once more. If she had just destroyed that witch faster and not gotten so hurt, then whatever pain Oriko's going through could have been avoided.

No matter what happens, Kirika is going to fix this. She owes Oriko so much that there is nothing she won't do to make sure she's ok.

After a short walk, they get to Oriko's house and step inside.

"Hey, Oriko, why don't you sit down. I'll make tea. You like yours with one sugar, right?" Oriko likes tea. So hopefully that will help her feel a bit better.

Oriko nods in response to Kirika and sits down. Staring down at her lap.

It takes a bit to find where Oriko keeps all her tea things. Oriko had always been the one to make it before, and Kirika wasn't paying too much attention to what draw the tea and sugar are stored in. She manages to find it in the end after a bit of searching and makes the tea.

When she puts it out though, Oriko just stirs it with her teaspoon rather than drinking it. Looking at her reflection in the liquid.

After Oriko remains silent for a while longer, Kirika's patience runs out. She can't help if Oriko just stares mutely at her tea without sharing anything.

"Oriko, what happened? Did the witch attack you with mind games or something?" While she hasn't run into one that does that yet, Kirika is fully prepared for those to exist. Witches all seem to embody some type of awfulness, so why not psychological ones as well?

"There was no witch", Oriko explains.

"Wait, but if there wasn't a witch, how did you get a grief seed?" Also, does that mean her vision of there being a witch there was wrong? Because if Kirika's visions can be inaccurate, then that ruins everything.

"Komaki killed it before I got there"

"That girl you're frenemies with at school"

Oriko snorts something so out of character to how she's been acting until now that Kirika flinches.

"Guess we were weren't we?"

Were? What does that?

Oh.

Shit, did Oriko kill her? Would Oriko do that? Wow, how is this worse than Kirika expected?

"So I guess she's who you got the grief seed from then"

"Did you know my magic works on magical girls as well as witches? If I hit cut one, the antimagic makes their body go numb. Just needed one good hit to disable Komaki" Oriko sounds the opposite of pleased, describing the effect.

"That doesn't sound fatal", Kirika notes. Did Oriko kill her after disabling her?

Oriko brings her cup of tea up to her lips. The shaking of her hand leads some of the hot liquid to spill onto her clothing, but she doesn't react to it.

"No, not fatal at all. It would almost be as effective as your chains for disabling magical girls. Maybe even more so"

Kirika tries to think of something to say, but her mind stubbornly refuses her. Hating herself for having her mind go blank at a time like this, Kirika listens to Oriko continue.

"Despite that, it's still a blade. It's not a traditional one, though. Swords used for combat don't have their ends blunted. I looked it up. That type of sword was used for executions in Europe a few hundred years ago. Meant to bring a painless end in a single strike"

"Oh, that's intresting", Kirika says uselessly. Still desperately trying to find the words she needs to help Oriko.

"Isn't it? I suppose my magic fits it well. If my cuts numb, then I will never cause pain. As long as the person I harm is a magical girl, then death will always be painless. What a meagre kindness," Oriko laughs. It's the most bitter sound Kirika has ever heard.

"What actually happened?" Kirika wishes that her magic could see the past as well as the future. So that she wouldn't have to hurt Oriko with this question, but Kirika needs to know.

"When we started working together, you said you wanted to hurt as few people as possible", Oriko replies, not actually answering the question.

"I mean yeah, but we already knew we probably need to kill Madoka. Which is why I said few, not none. I won't hate you if something went wrong"

There's no way Oriko killed someone deliberately based on what she's been saying. The fact she's so broken up about this gives Kirika the impression that whatever happened was some kind of accident.

Oriko sighs, "Don't. I cannot bear false sincerity. People are dead. This directly goes against the values you've expressed and will only make things harder. With my failures both in this and in protecting you, I have only sabotaged the goal we are working toward," Oriko's voice is consumed by so much sadness and self hate that it hurts Kirika to hear.

"Oriko, please"

"I'm sorry Kirika. It seems I am not fit to play the piece I have cast myself as. I am going to rest. Feel free to remain here, considering how late it is, but I recommend you find another to replace me who can better fit the role. I'm sure your abilities will make finding someone suitable trivial enough" Oriko stands up and begins walking toward her bedroom.

As Kirika stands up to follow her, she hears Oriko softly mutter one more sentence, "I suppose some wishes cannot come true" Kirika doesn't think she was meant to hear that, but it stalls her from following Oriko.

She still hasn't asked what Oriko's wish is. Does what happened go against it? Is that the secret to helping Oriko?

No matter what happens, Kirika can't leave Oriko as is. Despair is deadly to magical girls, and what Oriko just said raises so many red flags.

Kirika knocks on Oriko's door before stepping in, not waiting for Oriko's response.

"Was I not clear? I am of no further use to you. My further acquaintance will bring only ruin. Please move on. You were always the essential one. I cannot be the thing that prevents the world's salvation"

"What was your wish?"

"What?"

"You know mine, but I never found the opportunity to ask what you wished for. I'm not gonna give up on you without even knowing that" Not that Kirika will ever give up on Oriko for any reason, but she suspects saying that won't be appreciated right now.

"It matters not. I am evidently the same after my wish as before it"

"Nope, no moping. Tell me your wish. I won't leave until you do"

"To change until I could become the person you require. Though considering what has occurred, I suppose I am simply incapable of change"

That was Oriko's wish? She could have chosen anything, but chose to help Kirika as much as she could instead. Despite the awful situation, Kirika finds herself almost smiling. No one has cared about Kirika that much ever. Yet Oriko was willing to go that far for her?

Guess it's no wonder Oriko's always seemed so perfect. If Kirika was determined before now, she is certain. Saving the world was always a stretch, but saving Oriko is the first true thing Kirika committed to after making her wish. Nothing matters more than that.

"That settles it then. I literally cannot get a better partner than you," Kirika points out to Oriko.

"How can that be true when my failures have put everything pointlessly at risk?"

"Saving the world is what matters, right?"

"How could anything else matter compared to that?"

As long as Oriko sees what happened as her getting in the way of Kirika's goals, then this will just keep going in circles. Oriko's always been a more elegant speaker than Kirika, so she doubts out arguing Oriko is possible, even in the state she's in now.

She's also probably putting the guilt she feels for killing her friend into her refusal to continue. Justifying how terrible it feels as proof that she did something wrong.

So if Kirika is going to fix this, she needs to harden her heart and stop caring about the people who don't matter to her. She needs to redefine this failure into a success.

"Great, in that case, you've done nothing wrong"

"What?"

"Remember when I was looking at how I could stop Kyubey from finding Pink. I saw two things, but only told you one"

"That you would need to use a child as bait to distract Kyubey from Madoka", Oriko remembers.

"Yep, but the other one I saw I chose not to share. Cos I was scared it would be going too far. You're right, though. Compared to saving the world, nothing else matters in the least. So thanks, Oriko, for showing me the way forward"

"What are you referring to?"

"The second vision I saw was Kyubey falling behind in contracting magical girls because we removed them. With me and Mami at Mitakihara Middle School, Kyubey will be looking further afield for more magical girls rather than sticking around there"

"You mean?"

"Killing Komaki wasn't a mistake. It was just another way to delay Kyubey and buy us more time for our real goal. You said it yourself, your weapon is made for merciful executions. All magical girls who aren't stopped become witches anyway" There is a very large part of Kirika screaming at her that this is a mistake. What she's suggesting is evil, even if it does help save the world, that's undeniable.

Yet that part of her is silenced by how Oriko's expression goes from vacant to contemplative.

"An innocent was caught in the crossfire. You can't say that was a good thing," Oriko retorts, but she seems less despairing already. It's working.

"Then that was a mistake. But you didn't wish to never make mistakes, just to be who I need. So it doesn't matter. I forgive you. This is bigger than either of us after all. Of course we were going to blunder occasionally"

"I suppose so. Yet if you have forgiven me despite what I've done and I am truly the person you require, then perhaps I was hasty to give up so quickly. I still have a duty to you and to the world after all. If that duty requires that I shed blood, then that is a cost I have no choice but to accept"

"So you with me then? Even if the path forward is messy and bloody?" Kirika asks.

"I am at your service", Oriko replies.

Unable to resist, Kirika dashes forward and hugs Oriko. This can never happen again. Kirika won't lose Oriko to anyone, not to a witch or a magical girl or herself. Kirika finally has someone, and she's never ever letting her go.

"Kirika, that's a bit tight", Oriko complains. Kirika does not loosen the hug at all. She came way too close to losing Oriko in way too real a way.

"I'll only let go if you promise you never do this again. We're a team, and it's way too late for you to back out now or any point later. I'm saving the world with you or not at all"

"Ok Kirika, I promise. No matter what happens, I'm not going anywhere. Together till the end. I promise"

Kirika finally releases Oriko.

"Good. Now I don't think either of us are in a state to cook tonight, so how about we just order takeout and relax a bit. You know, watch some movies and stuff. This place has a massive TV, and I've never seen you use it. Both of us are way too stressed right now. We can worry about the fate of the world tomorrow"

"That could be a good idea. I don't think I can argue I'm in an ideal mental state after that," Oriko agrees.

"Ok, you can just relax here for a bit. You've already done way too much for me today. I'll set everything up"

Kirika can see Oriko's tempted to argue, but in the end, she just nods.

And really, Oriko deserves to be pampered a bit. She is always at the front fighting witches and works so hard to help Kirika feel better. No way Kirika can just let her do all the work.

The evening after everything is actually fairly nice. Kirika shares some of her favourite movies with Oriko, and she watches some of Oriko's favourites. Which are way more sophisticated than Kirika's usual fare, but are actually mostly pretty good.

Kirika's also pretty sure Oriko actually enjoyed the things Kirika put on, rather than just humouring her. Which is nice. Kirika wants to be Oriko's friend way past the whole saving the world thing, and having some tastes in common is a good sign for that.

Yet Kirika can't deny the fact that the conversation she had with Oriko earlier still hangs over her head. While it did get Oriko out of her spiral, Kirika's committed herself and Oriko to a much darker path than she had wanted to.

It's a path that will work. The only reason the idea even occurred to her is because she saw a future where that darkness helped keep Kyubey away from their target. Yet it still means that she and Oriko will be killing people.

Sure said people have a short lifespan and will become witches anyway, but those are weak justifications for murder. If Kirika were really a good person, she would never have suggested the idea. The truth is though, Kirika isn't good. She's selfish.

Oriko is the best thing that's ever happened to Kirika and the best thing that will ever happen to her. Even considering that fact she got impaled earlier today and was so damaged she couldn't move, Kirika would rather die than give up what she has now.

Before she met Oriko, Kirika wasn't really living. She was just sustaining herself until her body rotted away. Yet this past week with Oriko has been the best days of her life. She has someone she cares about, a reason to get up in the morning. She wants to live.

What does anything else matter compared to that?

So if the cost to keep Oriko and this world she shares with her is moral, then it's a cost Kirika will pay. It's a cost she has to pay. Even if it's terrifying.

The next day, Kirika is woken up by Oriko's doorbell. Looking around a bit, Kirika realises Oriko must be out if she hasn't answered it already. Checking the time, Kirika realises it's late. Which makes sense, she supposes. She and Oriko stayed up really late yesterday, and Kirika's nightmares of the past and the future meant she kept waking up and going back to sleep. So she really lost track of time.

Oriko must have let her sleep in.

Kirika opens the door, "Who's there?"

"I-I'm Miyuki Nagatsuki, a classmate of Oriko's. She was absent today, so I bought copies of the handouts"

"Hm?" Kirika nods, still not feeling great. Turns out being shredded and then having one of the most tense and emotional conversations of your life, where you abandon your morality for the sake of a friend, takes a toll.

"You look really tired", Miyuki comments before seemingly realising how rude that sounds.

"Forgive me. Please tell her I hope she feels better" Miyuki walks off, leaving Kirika with the handouts for Oriko.

When she looks down at what she was given, however, Kirika can't help but suddenly feel cold.

On top of the pile is the place and time of Komaki and Akira's funeral service.

Kirika finds herself on the floor staring blankly at the names of the two people who are now dead, thanks to her.

Everyone else will also have a funeral service, friends, and family. People who love them. That they matter to.

With shaking hands, Kirika puts the paper down.

She has to be strong. If Kirika fails, then no one gets a funeral service, because there will be no one left.

When Oriko gets back, they can feel guilty about what's come to pass together, but that can't stop them. Not with so much at stake.

It's said the path to hell is paved with good intentions. Kirika knows without a doubt that no matter her intention, that is the path she is walking down. The path Oriko will walk by her side.

Before Kirika can sink any deeper into contemplation, she hears the door being unlocked. Guess Oriko is back.

In that case, Kirika has no more time for moping. She needs to be there to help Oriko through dealing with the funeral and everything after.

It's too late to go back.

Chapter Text

"Hi Oriko, welcome back", Kirika greets as Oriko walks in.

"Good afternoon, Kirika. I hope you don't mind that I didn't wake you up, but after pushing yourself to find Madoka's protector and then what happened yesterday, I thought you could use the sleep"

"Yeah, probably. I'm pretty sure I could go right back to bed, actually. But I don't think we have enough time for me to sleep the days away. What were you doing out?"

"Considering that a lot of our problems yesterday came from a lack of grief seeds, I got some hunting done. Also did the shopping on the way back," Oriko explains, holding out a shopping bag and two grief seeds.

"Are you ok? Hunting solo is dangerous"

Oriko puts the shopping bag and the grief seeds down on a table. "My magic makes me well-suited to it. Don't worry, had I found anything dangerous, I would have retreated," Oriko explains before spotting the papers in front of Kirika "Oh, what are those?"

"Ah, a classmate of yours dropped them off, Miyuki, I think her name was. It's your handouts for the day," Kirika takes a deep breath "Including arrangements for Komaki and Akira's funerals"

"I see", Oriko lets out a sigh.

"It's ok to be sad. I know you got on fairly well with Komaki," Kirika comments. It's probably still a raw wound, but Kirika would rather avoid letting it fester.

"Even knowing what we will be doing, I cannot deny I find her death regrettable. She was one of the few people who tried to see me past my father's actions. Though I suppose now it's done, perhaps it's for the best that this hurts. I doubt anyone else I may end will have even half this much effect on me"

"Will you go to the funeral?"

"She deserves that much. Besides, it would be out of character for me not to go. I know both of us missed school today, but it cannot become a habit. Especially with what we're doing now, we require the appearance of normality. Not to mention the opportunity it provides you to remain aware of Madoka's actions"

"Yeah, guess so. Still getting sick occasionally is normal, and I have a reputation for occasionally flunking, so this shouldn't be suspicious today. Not to mention, I doubt either of us were in the right condition to go to school after yesterday"

"Agreed. Now let's put all this away, and then we need to discuss where we go from here," Oriko says, referring to the shopping.

"Yep, I'll get right on it", Kirika agrees.

It doesn't take long for the shopping to be distributed. Which means Kirika is forced to actually face what has to happen next.

"We have three issues. One, we need a better way of getting grief seeds. Witches are risky, and there are few enough of them that we can only barely keep ahead of the costs of my magic. Two, we need to keep delaying Kyubey. Since I started with Yuma, if we remove magical girls, I can probably keep giving Kyubey suggestions for other magical girls if my magic cooperates. Which will let us keep an eye on him and direct him away from Madoka. If we're lucky, we may be able to take grief seeds of anyone we kill, which could help the first issue. The third problem is the most important, though. We still don't know the identity of Madoka's protector or how her magic lets her stop us so reliably. We need to set up a way to let us observe her if we want any chance of finding a way around her"

"I suppose the best way around the third issue would be to get another group of magical girls to put Madoka at risk. If we could catch her in a barrier that would be even more effective, as it would let us observe the identity and powers of Miss Protector without coming into conflict with her. From what you've told me, she doesn't interrogate us if we attack. She goes for the kill instantly, which means she would have little way to know if we organised things," Oriko points out.

"Good point, though we need to keep Kyubey's interest away, too. So we can't let on that Madoka is the aim of any attack. That would be way too suspicious. Maybe if we could bait a conflict to Madoka's house or somewhere else she's around?"

"That should be workable. To reduce risk, we should make sure Kyubey is extra distracted before putting any plans into action. I guess that means that issue two should be our first priority while we work on a plan to solve issue one or three," Oriko points out.

Which is a good point. Keeping Kyubey looking for magical girls away from Madoka makes things much less risky. Which means that things are right back where they started. Murder.

"Ok, sure. If we're doing this, we need to be smart about it. Ideally, we kill girls who live far enough away from my school that Kyubey doesn't feel the need to look there for new girls. Since we don't know how effective I'll be at misdirecting him yet"

"That makes sense. Other than that, we need to make sure Kyubey isn't around when I'm doing it. Since if he pieces together that I'm responsible, then the entire thing falls apart," Oriko adds.

"It wouldn't be fair to have you doing all of it"

"Kirika. You're the one who's going to be meeting up with Kyubey frequently and distracting him. You'll be under much closer observation than I am. Furthermore, you're the person who can warn me to call things off if things are going to go wrong"

"But that means you're the one who's going to be at risk the entire time. I can't ask you to do that" Somehow, the idea of having Oriko kill people for her while Kirika just plans and talks to Kyubey feels worse than the idea of doing it herself.

"It's fine. My magic is practically designed to assassinate magical girls anyway. It's painless, goes through all their defences and makes me resistant to most tricks they can pull out. This is the best way to go about things, Kirika"

"Don't you dare get caught or hurt", Kirika commands. If Oriko is doing this, then Kirika refuses to lead her to her death. Sacrificing Oriko is utterly unacceptable.

"I won't. Anyway, if that's going to happen, you can warn me before it does. So it's extra low risk"

"I'm not perfect, you know. I can miss things. Like what happened with Komaki, and sometimes things mess with my magic like that witch. I'm not a guarantee," Kirika feels the need to point out. She is fallible, much too fallible in fact.

"I know. But it's still a much better safety net than most people get. Trust me, Kirika, I am going to do this properly"

Kirika sighs, "I trust you, Oriko"

Oriko's the only person Kirika can trust fully and absolutely. With anything and everything. Which is why she's so scared of losing her. But if anyone can pull this off, then it would be Oriko. Kirika just needs to not fall short of her own role.

The vision that taunts her whenever she lets her mind wander shows exactly what will happen should she do that. To avert that future, to ensure that she and Oriko can live to see another month. What are a few sacrifices for that?

Today, that means arranging the deaths of innocents and manipulating Kyubey.

Setting things up takes a little while. Kirika has to search for appropriate targets for Oriko and find one or two magical girl candidates that she can sell to Kyubey.

Thankfully, the people Kirika finds don't have as horrific circumstances as Yuma. Though neither of them are doing great. One has absent parents, while the other is being bullied badly at school. She gets the sense neither of them have Yuma's potential, and Kyubey will probably contract them quickly, but that still serves Kirika's aims.

As long as he's not looking for Madoka.

After a bit more discussion, Kirika and Oriko decide to keep it to one person a day max. Murdering too many at the same time might give away Oriko after all.

While Oriko sets off to commit her fell deed. Kirika grabs the full grief seeds that she and Oriko have built up and sets off to find Kyubey. May as well multitask.

With her unique advantages, it doesn't take long for Kirika to find Kyubey sitting on a fence in some residential neighbourhood. The last time she met him was a couple days ago, when she reenacted the talk about Yuma she saw herself having with him the first day she became a magical girl. Which was a weird experience, since she had already gone through it once.

"Hey, Kyubey. How's it going?"

Good afternoon, Kirika. I presume this isn't a social visit.

"Hey, I can be social. Not my fault I only ever run into you when I have things to talk about"

You have things to talk about? Please go ahead.

"Well, before we get into that, I'm guessing you'll want these?" Kirika takes out the grief seeds.

That would be appreciated.

Kirika tosses them over "How's Yuma doing? Made a contract yet?

Kyubey responds while doing its dance thing, where it gets rid of grief seeds. Which is still trying way too hard to be cute. Then again, that might just be because Kirika already knows Kyubey is evil.

She has been adopted by a fellow magical girl in her city. I'll approach soon enough once she has settled into her conviction to become a magical girl.

"Cool, good luck with that. I found a couple other people who have the potential for contracts, if you'd like to know?"

If you are willing to offer, then I will always appreciate the assistance.

"Cool, so the two I found are Ando Yukiko, who's at the north edge of the city and Miura Ai, who lives a bit closer to the city centre. Neither of them have quite as much potential as Yuma, but they should still be suitable"

Sensing magical potential at that distance is a truly impressive power. Would you remind me of your magic, Kirika?

"It's nothing too impressive. Just shows me what I need to know, is all. Really, something that let me fight all those witches myself would be more useful, but if I'm stuck being an observer, then I have a duty to help, right?

I see, in that case, I would like to offer my thanks. Not everyone would use that type of power as responsibly as you are.

"I guess it's a good thing I'm the one who ended up with it in that case. Now, if you don't need anything else from me, then I'm gonna go buy myself some snacks" Probably get some for Oriko too. She deserves something tasty considering how horrid her job is. Maybe Kirika will stop off at that fancy bakery of Oriko's. That place hasn't missed yet.

Before you go, Kirika, there is something I should inform you of.

"Oh, did something happen?"

A magical girl was murdered. A normal girl was caught up in it, too.

"Well that's awful. Is this just a warning to stay aware or something then?"

I suppose it is. The magical girl who did this would make for a frightening enemy. I'm warning you to take care, Kirika.

"I'll be careful, Kyubey. Thanks for the warning"

It's no issue. Stay safe, Kirika.

"You too," Kirika replies to the evil immortal plush as it walks off. Not like it could fail to stay safe considering that, but 'I hope your body gets run over' would be a bit less amicable a way to end the conversation.

Shortly after Kirika finishes buying some pastries she knows Oriko likes for her, alongside a few for herself. She gets a call from Oriko.

"Hi Oriko"

"Hello, Kirika. I got my chore done. How are things with you?"

"Got mine done too. In fact, I even got some nice pastries for when you get back. Thought you deserved something nice"

"Thanks, Kirika. Though I should probably clean myself up a bit first. I got myself slightly dirty. Still, it should wash off. See you soon"

"See ya, Oriko"

When Oriko hangs up, Kirika isn't sure if she should feel pleased or disgusted.

On one hand, Oriko did it, and she sounded safe and unharmed. Which is great. Talking to Oriko when neither of them is having a breakdown is always fun. Especially since it seems like things went off without a hitch on both sides.

On the other hand, Kirika just talked about how she ruined the lives of two teens while sounding all upbeat, and Oriko replied calmly how she just finished murdering someone who did nothing wrong. Which is monstrous if you actually think about it.

Yet said monstrosity is what is going to keep Kyubey away from Madoka for long enough for Kirika to find a solution to Madoka's guardian. As random as they tend to be when not showing her the end of the world. Kirika's visions also tend to show her what she needs to know.

So either Kirika will think of something and find it herself, or she'll get a vision that gives her a lead she can follow to a solution. Either way, what she's doing is a reassurance that she will get the chance to pull off said plans.

When Oriko gets in a bit after Kirika, she goes up for a quick shower. Which makes sense based on the bit of blood Kirika can see sticking to her neck and possibly her hair, too. Though Kirika gets the sense that none of it is hers. When she comes down though, she's perfectly clean and looks as well polished as ever.

"Hey, Oriko. Wanna have tea with me? I got the pastries from that bakery you like, so I'm sure you'll like them" They were also very pricey, but Kirika's not going to mention that part.

"Oh sure. How about we have it in the garden since it's nice out. If you set them out, I'll put the kettle on. I presume you want your tea the same as last time?"

"Yep, will do. And yes, I would" Kirika agree's bringing her things to the outside table.

The garden is actually really impressive. Oriko must love roses, considering how many varieties of them are around the place. Kirika should learn their names in her off time. Maybe it'll impress Oriko.

By the time Kirika's set the table, Oriko brings the tea over.

"Here's your tea. It's practically syrup, just as you like it"

"Thanks, Oriko. Also, don't diss it without trying it. It's really nice"

"I get the sense you appreciate it more than I would. Besides, I prefer tea as is"

"Yeah, yeah. Wouldn't want to get in the way of your refined palate"

Oriko scoffs, but Kirika can see a smile arcing up under the act.

"So catch me up, how did it go?"

"I caught her directly after a witch hunt and managed to strike her before she noticed my presence. After that, she couldn't react, and I was able to cut through where her soul gem was. The only thing that touched me at any point was the blood splatter. I even managed to collect the grief seed," Oriko explains.

"Sounds like it went as close to perfectly as possible then"

"I would agree. I doubt they will all go quite so smoothly, but I appreciate that this one did"

"You ok. It must have been rough doing that"

Oriko takes a deep breath before exhaling. "I wouldn't call it a pleasant job, but what we're doing means more than anything else. If it results in the future you're working towards coming true, then I can kill with a smile. So long as you continue to direct me, I won't feel the slightest bit of remorse"

Somehow, that answer is more terrifying than had the action destroyed Oriko. Yet it's also strangely relieving. If Kirika can take all the guilt and suffering from this, then that means Oriko doesn't have to. So really, the fact Oriko can do this sort of work with a smile is a good thing. Because it means Kirika hasn't gotten in the way of Oriko's happiness.

Kirika would mourn Oriko's smile more than anyone that she ends up killing in this line of work. Which, once again, is probably really weird and screwed up of her, but Kirika is at least self aware of that. Normal people don't advise their best friend to kill people, and don't have an apocalypse hanging over their head.

Besides, even if Kirika's values are skewed then does that really matter if she succeeds? Saving the world means saving a good 7 billion people, so any sin she commits on the way is a blip at most. If she thinks about it that way, then she can almost get herself to believe that she isn't an awful person.

Only almost, though. You never read about the hero saying the ends justify the means after all. That's almost always the bad guy or morally grey people in fiction doing that. Oriko probably knows the actual philosophy behind all of this and could talk about utilitarianism or something. Kirika's not going to ask her, though. Any mental trick that justifies what they're doing just feels like pretending.

Kirika would much rather live with the knowledge of what she's done than pretend it's all fine and dandy. It's not like she regrets it after all.

Kirika's not sure she can regret anything that lets her sit in the garden eating tea and cakes with Oriko as they talk about whatever they feel like. A future where this sort of thing is normal is worth killing for. Saving the world just makes it justified rather than selfish.

Chapter Text

Going to the funeral of Komaki and Akira is a strange experience for Oriko.

It's relatively populated. Akira was popular, and while Komaki was divisive, the people she was friends with tended to be quite close to her. Not to mention the extended families of the two students.

The funeral is closed casket. How could it not be with Akira cut in half and the mess that was made of Komaki when Oriko killed her with a desperate and unthinking swing of her blade?

Oriko isn't quite sure what to feel. She regrets what happened, of course. She was honestly fond of Komaki and had no quarrel with Akira.

The true tragedy of it is, if Akira hadn't attempted to save Komaki, then it's likely that both of them would be alive today. Oriko had, after all, only intended to disable Komaki. Though Oriko supposes she can't fully blame Akira for presuming otherwise.

Swinging a sword with the intention to cut tends to signify the intent to kill rather than simply incapacitate.

Perhaps Komaki would have been someone whom Oriko was always going to have to kill. Killing magical girls is the most effective way to ensure Kyubey doesn't turn his attention to Madoka. So there is always a chance that it would have occurred anyway.

Oriko doubts it though. Kirika likely wouldn't have had the strength of will to go through with the idea of killing people if she weren't inadvertently pushed. Even if she had, she would have purposely avoided Komaki as a target for no other reason than to spare Oriko's feelings.

As for Akira, there is no reason she should have died. As bad as she feels about Komaki's death, Oriko can at least tell herself that it achieved the goal of diverting Kyubey. Akira, though, died for nothing. The waste of it disgusts Oriko almost as much as it makes her feel guilty.

Somehow, despite never wishing to harm anyone, Oriko has now killed 4 individuals. A number that is set to rise. It's an incredible distortion of the type of person Oriko had considered herself to be. Someone who tries to help others and avoids harm whenever possible.

Yet if Kirika is right, and there is no one Oriko trusts to be right more than her. Then this increases the chances of the world being saved. In which case, her actions are helping an immeasurable number of others, assuming they contribute to her and Kirika's success.

Or rather, her actions other than Akira.

So long as it's for the sake of the world, Oriko refuses to feel grief or regret for the harm she causes. Which means that the two coffins in front of her contain the only people whose murders she will mourn.

Because they were not killed for the sake of the world. But rather due to Oriko's failure to defend Kirika and subsequent failure to notice Akira's presence.

Oriko sighs. This is going in circles. It's not so bad as when she had first done the deed. Back then, her mental stability was hanging by a thread. The fears that she would drag Kirika down suddenly reemerged with a vengeance, driven by her own guilt and self-loathing.

Thankfully, Kirika talked her through that. She ensured that Oriko understood that she didn't fail her role but rather needed to redefine it. Oriko told Kirika that as long as she was working towards the world's salvation, then no action wouldn't be justified. Kirika just helped Oriko accept that truth.

Understanding her role remains freeing. As long as Oriko remains Kirika's blade, then any new sins that fall on her back will lie on her as lightly as a feather. So long as she can overcome this one at least.

Kirika did offer to go with her to offer support, but she has little reason to come, and this is something Oriko must overcome for her own sake.

As Oriko catches sight of Koito dealing with the death of her best friend and sister. Oriko finishes paying her respects and leaves.

It would feel insulting to remain much longer amongst the grief that she caused.

It doesn't take much walking to reach where Kirika is waiting for her.

"Oriko! Welcome back," Oriko finds Kirika hugging her. After what she just felt, she finds herself appreciating the comfort Kirika's presence provides.

After a few seconds, Kirika lets go and sighs a bit of her enthusiasm falling away.

"You doing ok?"

"What's done is done. I'd rather we concentrate on the future"

"Yeah, that's probably for the best. Can't let anything hold us down"

"Indeed. Besides, this will never happen again. From now on, I will kill only magical girls. Just as you intend"

"Yeah, we do need to get on with that, don't we. Still, I think we're on top of things enough to have a little time. You more than put in the work over the last couple of days"

"I suppose I have. In that case, how about we go to my house just for today? If you'd like, I could even make some fresh homemade pancakes"

"Yeah! That sounds great"

Oriko finds Kirika hugging her again. While she appreciates the affection.

"As a side note, it's rather difficult to walk with you doing that"

"Fine, we can walk normally", Kirika concedes, still seeming pleased about the prospect of pancakes.

Before they can walk for more than half a minute however, Kirika suddenly stops short.

"We may have to have those pancakes later", Kirika notes, seeming significantly less enthusiastic than she was a second ago.

"Hm?"

"On the upside. I think I have a candidate for issue three"

"That sounds promising"

"That does mean I have work for you, though"

"Simply give me direction. I am at your service"

As nice as having pancakes would have been. Oriko feels much happier about the idea of being used by Kirika to finally make some progress.

"How are you with making a new friend?"

"I should be up to the task"

"In that case. I have someone for you to kill at a very specific time"

After Kirika explains the plan, Oriko sets off to get into position. From what Kirika found and then followed up on about Sasa, she seems almost perfect in terms of being the disposable asset that she and Kirika were looking for.

Amoral, desperately in need of allies and with the ability to control witches. Also guaranteed to betray them later, but considering the plan is to set her up to be killed by Madoka's protector, so Kirika and Oriko can get a better understanding of her abilities. That just means they don't need to feel at all bad about using her.

As a bonus, she and the magical girls she's fighting are from Kazamino. Which means their deaths will draw more of Kyubey's attention away from Mitakihara. If they can pull this off, then it will allow for a significant amount of progress towards their goal.

The only cost is 5 dead magical girls.

Oriko finds herself with a confident smile as she reaches where Kirika directed her to and spots a magical girl swinging blades at another magical girl. Kirika did specify to kill the one with the blades, so once it's clear the other magical girl is on the ropes, Oriko steps out.

Before either of the two magical girls can react to her presence, Oriko bisects her target with her blade. Severing her connection to her soul gem in full. The corpse falls down to the side of the other shocked magical girl.

"So, who was she?" Oriko asks as she looks down at the corpse she just made before looking back up at the person she's here to 'befrend'.

The girl looks extremely flustered by the fact Oriko just killed her opponent without warning. Before looking at her in confusion as if trying to work out her identity.

Oriko lets the situation rest for a second until the girl's eyes widen in realisation. Kyubey hasn't been subtle in warning about a girl going around killing magical girls. Oriko has a bit of a reputation at this point. Not that Kyubey knows it's her yet.

The girl lets out a nervous laugh, "I was in a bad way just then. I really must thank you for all the help. I'd love to do something to show my appreciation, but--"

"I did ask a question, you know," Oriko reminds, stepping closer to the magical girl.

The girl tenses, preparing to leap at Oriko, before Kirika's voice echoes out, causing her to slip.

"No need to be hostile. Magical girls should help each other out where they can. Would you mind hearing me out?"

Kirika, outside her magical girl costume, isn't quite what Oriko would call intimidating. Really she's closer to cute than anything else. In it though, her form gives off a very different type of feeling.

There is a reason that Oriko's first thought when looking at her was that she was some kind of supernatural creature after all.

With her face veiled and the black dress she wears flowing gently on the ground, she appears almost elegant and, to someone who doesn't know her, rather intimidating.

"Um, yeah, that sounds like an idea. You two working together then?" The magical girl says, looking between Oriko and Kirika in concern.

"Oriko does what I require of her. Now, would you mind introducing yourself? I would like to know the name of any new friends I might make," Kirika says.

It's almost funny to watch, really. Oriko can tell how much Kirika is putting this on. While she is perfectly intelligent, Kirika's not normally the type to try and come across as refined. Though Oriko does admit the act fits the mood they're trying to make much better than Kirika's typical speech patterns would. That would somewhat undermine the image Kirika's currently projecting, after all.

"Oh um, I'm Sasa. I'm always up for more friends if you're offering. You said you had a proposal," Sasa says, seeming to finally regain her wits from Kirika's sudden entrance.

"I do, yes. Though first you may want to explain the reason why that magical girl chose to trouble you"

"She's from this group of magical girls from Kazamino. You see, they're all a big group of bullies. Just because there are more of them than me, they decided that they should set all the rules and get to punish anyone who doesn't listen to them"

"That sounds rather troubling", Kirika agrees.

"I know, they keep trying to force everyone to do what they want, and you see, they'll just never quit! They make all these crazy accusations, and then when I try to stand up for myself even a bit, they chase me all the way to the next town over. All I ever do is my duty as a magical girl"

"I see, that does sound like quite the issue. I certainly wouldn't want magical girls like that in my city," Kirika agrees, despite both her and Oriko knowing just how fabricated Sasa's accusations were.

"Yeah, I'm happy you understand. Hitomi Lina, Mai Akane, and Miyako Saki are the worst type of magical girls."

"I agree. Would you like our assistance in eliminating them?"

"That'd be such a big help. I can't go back to my home in Kazamino because of them, and that's where I left all my witches"

"In that case, I would be glad to help ensure that you can get home. Though we do need to find them before we can act. Would you mind accompanying Sasa, Oriko?"

"I see no problem with that", Oriko agrees. Kirika's identity is best left hidden by her veil so no one can identify that she's working with Sasa. She also confessed that she needs to finalise the plan so that Madoka's guardian won't get in the way. Meaning Oriko is left on Sasa duty.

Kirika walks off. Looking suitably dramatic in her outfit, though Oriko's sure the second she turns a corner, she's going to turn back and laugh about how overdramatic she just acted.

"Creepy", Sasa mutters once Kirika's gone. Only to find a silver sword at her neck.

"Would you like to repeat that?" Oriko's not going to let Sasa, of all people, insult Kirika. Hopefully, this will get that ground rule across.

"Ah! Er, no, I just meant this situation, having to fight those other magical girls. I wasn't talking about your boss," Sasa hastily assures Oriko.

"Good, it's always best to clean up misunderstandings like that quickly. Wouldn't want them to fester"

"Haha, you're so right. Good thing we sorted that out. Now, shall we find a spot with a good view to find the people we're after?"

"Please feel free to lead the way, Sasa. They are your quarry after all," Oriko replies.

Oriko follows along with Sasa, the two of them detransforming as they go to blend into the city a bit better.

"So how'd you get into the whole killing magical girls thing. There must be a story behind that?"

"I'm simply acting according to my purpose", Oriko replies. Something she can tell unsettles Sasa despite her attempt to hide it.

"Your purpose?"

"Yes. What I do is essential to this world's future"

"Huh, so you're some kinda cultist?"

"Nothing like that. I'm just following the path my friend has helped lay out for me"

"Your friend with the veil?"

"Exactly"

"So what's going on there? She asks you to jump and you ask how high?" Sasa asks.

"We are closer to partners than that. She just has a clearer view of the big picture. Though if she truly does require something of me, then I will act without hesitation"

"So what, girl tells you to stab yourself and you'll just go along with it?"

"If I were sure she was speaking sincerely rather than out of anger or making a quip, then yes. If that is what is required, I will not hesitate. She's not the type to ask things of me on a whim"

"That's some devotion you got there", Sasa sounds disturbed by the idea.

"Worry not, I don't expect you to hold her in the same regard as I do. We are allies of convenience after all. Though I would be wary of disregarding any advice she might give"

"Sure, sure. I'll listen to her, don't you worry. If it means I can get rid of Lina and her friends, I won't have any need to complain about it"

"Then I expect we will have no issues"

"I mean, you could help look a bit more, you know. I feel like I'm doing all the work here"

While Sasa and her witch have been leaning over the railing, looking down at the city for any sightings of their targets. Oriko is waiting further back. They will be found when they need to be after all. No reason to spare the effort. Especially considering how short this alliance will end up being.

"You know what the people you're looking for look like. Even with your descriptions of them, I doubt I would be of much direct assistance. Besides, I was asked to accompany you rather than assist your search. So that is what I will do"

"You really going to just lounge after all that big talk of yours?"

"Do remember I did save your life. Besides, I'm here to kill magical girls and witches. That is what has been asked of me"

Well, that and one other thing, but Sasa's time spent looking has given her more than enough time to finish the final modifications to that. So at this point, Oriko can actually afford to lounge rather than just pretending to.

Sasa gives an annoyed look before turning back to searching.

One notable feature of the area they're looking from is the news billboard on a building behind them. Once the subject changes to the murders of Akira and Komaki, it catches Oriko's attention.

"Oriko, you surely need to help a bit. You can't just watch the news and let me do all the work," Sasa complains.

"You did say you wouldn't complain if you remember," Oriko comments. Not taking her eyes off the report going over the fruitless police search for the perpetrator of her murders.

"I said that about listening to that friend of yours, not you relaxing while I do all the work"

Oriko shrugs.

"Huuuu, fine, I get it" Sasa accepts turning away from Oriko as the news report continues.

Before turning back around, because Sasa cannot bear peace and quiet.

"How does killing people make you feel?" After a second of Oriko not responding, Sasa continues, "You ever bragged about how many people you've killed? You know, being the magical girl murderer?"

"Komaki was a friend of mine, you know"

"You mean the one on the news report?"

"Yes, the one I killed. Alongside Akira, though, that particular death was a mistake. She wasn't a magical girl after all"

"So you really are just interested in magical girls, then?"

"They are who I've been told to dispatch. You asked how I felt, did you not? Truthfully, when I act on my friend's will, I feel light. Though I don't take joy in slaughter, I will always take satisfaction in assisting her. No matter what she may wish of me"

"Even killing your other friend?"

"That was slightly more heavy than the rest, especially considering my failure with Akira. I was forgiven for the blunder however, and will not be held back by what I did. As much as I did hold affection for Komaki, she is not the one I have given my future to. So ultimately her end matters little"

Though Sasa looks away, Oriko can tell just how much malice was in her eyes. Not that Oriko cares much for that, her betrayal is already factored in after all. In fact, it's a necessity"

As Oriko contemplates this, Sasa's witch begins to make noise and climbs on its master's head, alerting her.

"What's wrong with you? Don't just climb on my head and shout!" Sasa exclaims in annoyance before looking where the witch was pulling her. "What? Did you see something?"

Oriko finds a small smile work its way onto her face. Guess that means it's about to be time for her to get to work.

Chapter Text

Kirika looks down at the two grief seeds in her hands. They're full.

Not full due to days of magic use or a near impossible fight. No, they went from empty to full in less than an hour.

With that full Kirika and Oriko only have two grief seeds between them, even after the ones Oriko took from the magical girls she killed and the witch hunts they've done.

Yet Kirika is absolutely certain that this was not a waste.

Most of the time, Kirika's magic is both expensive and fragmentary. She can see moments or snapshots, but rarely can she get the full picture. Yet for what she is attempting right now, anything less than the full picture risks death or worse. For her, Oriko and the world.

So Kirika burned through enough magic to fill her soul gem and more to see the exact path she has to take. Because though the risk is immense, the reward, should she and Oriko succeed here, is a chance to actually save the world rather than to endlessly flail futilely against Madoka's guardian.

If she pulls this off, then Sasa's grief seed reserves mean Kirika will be able to fight at full potential. It means that Kirika will finally get a chance to draw out Madoka's protector. That Kyubey will remain distracted for long enough that the risk of this all collapsing around her is minimal.

And if she fails at any point, even slightly, then it's over.

Even at the very start of this scheme, there were failure points. Originally, Kirika didn't want to show herself to Sasa at all. Yet had she not turned up when she did, then Sasa would have attempted to brainwash Oriko. Which would either lead to Sasa being cut in half, which makes the rest of the plan impossible, or Oriko losing herself, which is utterly unacceptable.

So Kirika turned up, channelling Oriko as much as she could to make sure she seemed suitably impressive and intimidating. Since only through that could Sasa be kept in check.

Though knowing what Sasa wanted to do to Oriko had Kirika not turned up, Kirika can at least have the comfort of feeling not the slightest bit of guilt manipulating her. When Sasa dies, it will be a stain removed from the face of the earth, and Kirika will feel nothing but happy about it.

Kirika reaches into her pocket and accepts Oriko's call before the first ring can finish.

"Hey Oriko, I'm guessing you got that lucky break of yours finding Kyubey"

"It really was a lucky break, I suppose", Oriko replies.

"I guess that means I should come and get you. I need to finish setting things up with Sasa. Though in terms of today's plans. Have you gotten that project finished?"

"It should be to your satisfaction", Oriko confirms.

Kirika counts to three in her head.

"Hello, Sasa. You do realise it was rather rude of you to take the phone without asking"

"Oh, sorry about that, I didn't mean any offence at all. I just thought you should know the most up to date info. Since Oriko wasn't searching, I can give a better summation is all" Sasa replies. Sounding a bit startled that Kirika talked to her before she could announce herself.

"I suppose. Go ahead Sasa, summarise for me"

"We've found out where those magical girls are. So we can get right on to killing them. With all three of our powers combined, we can do it easily"

"Sasa, please calm down. If we are going to do this, we mustn't rush. Should we simply march in without a plan, then the tide may turn against us. Your magic is very powerful. Its abilities have allowed you to face that entire group of magical girls without being beaten after all. Yet you still had to flee Kazamino in the end because you lacked a plan"

"You say that like the three of us couldn't just crush them", Sasa retorts.

"Confidence can easily become arrogance, you know. I have no wish for you or Oriko to come to harm. A fight where we are hurt or where our enemies have the chance to escape isn't the type of victory that's worth fighting for. Not when we can have a full victory instead. One where none of them are left standing"

Kirika actually had to rehearse that one a bit before the call. If she sounded anything less than utterly self assured then Sasa had the possibility of not trusting her to make the plan. If she did it correctly, however.

"In that case, Miss Veil. I look forward to seeing this plan of yours"

Then Sasa will completely take the bait.

Kirika smiles. It looks like the prep is almost done. As she sets off to Oriko and Sasa's location, Kirika transforms back into her magical girl outfit. Kirika would much prefer Sasa dies without ever knowing being told her name or seeing her face after all.

Oriko and Kirika have moved to the top of a building to subtly observe the Kazamino magical girls. Since her physical enhancements are not quite enough to jump the building, Kirika forms a chain at the top and grabs onto it. Letting it carry her to the top of the building, where she can step onto the roof.

"So shall we begin?" Kirika says as Sasa and Oriko turn around to where she arrived on the roof.

"I don't want to watch those three chat it up anymore, so starting right now seems like a great idea", Sasa replies.

Sadly, it looks like she's gotten used enough to Kirika appearing from nowhere to not jump. Which is sad because it was funny when she did.

"Oriko, you finished it, right?"

"I did", Oriko replies, handing over what looks like nothing more than an extremely grey rock to Kirika.

While it doesn't look like much, this is how Oriko plans to test Madoka's protector. Since Oriko has been able to imbue the ground with antimagic before. The idea of using it as a trap came up in discussion.

Sadly, Oriko can't quite make an item that just cancels magic in an area. As incredibly useful as it would be. Maybe she will be able to one day, but she and Kirika are just too new to enchanting to manage something like that right now.

What it can do however, is let out a pulse of antimagic. It will only last for a millisecond, but that alone is enough. While Madoka's guardian appears without fail, should anything dangerous to Madoka appear. She doesn't react to magic just being in her presence, not to mention Oriko's antimagic is near impossible to sense due to its nature. So the idea is when the protector appears to save Madoka, Oriko's magic will go off and help prove or disprove a few theories.

Kirika and Oriko have spent quite a while considering what type of magic the guardian could have, but there are just too many possibilities. Invisibility, teleportation, precognition, some kind of probability manipulation, automated defences around Madoka, the ability to create projectiles while not present or something even more esoteric. Any of those could explain how she is always around and capable of attacking the second a threat to Madoka is made.

The antimagic can't test for all of those, but even if it doesn't go off, it will narrow the possibilities. Of course, if it does, then Kirika may finally get a look at Miss Protector.

The hard part was making sure that it won't go off in the presence of Sasa, or the girls they're hunting. But it seems like Oriko's managed to figure that out.

"Huh, what's that?" Sasa asks.

"A tool. Shall I illustrate the plan?"

"Oh sure, go ahead"

"Oriko will take the lead, disrupting their meeting and guiding them to a prepared ambush spot. Which will be where your witch has its barrier set up. From there, we can divide and trap them. Guaranteeing our victory"

"I get the idea. Where should we set up the trap?"

"A friend of mine has a house rather near here. We can set up around it. It should be close enough that Oriko will have no issue hurding our foes to it"

"That makes sense. You do seem to have a lot of friends"

"I have a few. Though Oriko is certainly the most dear of them to me"

"Suppose that makes it mutual", Sasa replies with a slightly annoyed tone.

"Anyway, once Oriko makes her move, you and I should enter your witch's barrier. From there, we need simply wait"

"Seems simple enough"

"A good plan shouldn't have too many failure points", Oriko cuts in before looking to Kirika, "Once you're set up, then I will begin"

"Fantastic. Well Sasa, shall we set off?"

"Lead the way. It's your friend's house after all"

It only takes a minute to get to Madoka's house and set up the barrier before Kirika and Sasa get onto the roof to get a view of Oriko's actions. Kirika phones Oriko to give the go ahead, and things kick off.

"Wow, she really just jumped in huh, that's direct of her"

"The directness is the point. Since Lina and her friends assumed they were safe, they are entirely unprepared for such a bold ambush. The splits forming between them will become fractures as they all prioritise themselves rather than group cohesion. Letting Oriko guide them right to us"

"Wow, that's some wise planning. I can see why you're the leader"

Kirika decides to accept the compliment rather than consider just how much preparation and acting is going into this entire performance. What seems like wisdom and intelligence is really just having enough foresight to already know what to say.

"You must be great friends with whoever lives here to know the place so well. Any reason why you didn't call ahead?"

"She has a very protective guardian"

With that, Oriko's chase comes into sight, leading Kirika and Sasa to step into the barrier.

"You remain here, Lina will arrive this way. I will head to Miyako's entrance point. Good luck, Sasa"

Not that there should be any chance involved in this if Kirika has planned it right.

As Kirika walks to where she is about to have a discussion with the most fragile member of the Kazamino group, she throws the rock Oriko made. It lands exactly in front of where Madoka will be standing in a few minutes time. She then takes a seat on a pillar in the barrier and waits.

That's all the setup done. Now it's time to trust in Oriko and pull off a bit more acting of a rather different type.

The Kazamino group has three remaining members. All of which are traumatised by the deaths of their other two friends. Lina, Mai, and Miyako.

Of these, Mai is the only half stable one. She is up for fighting Sasa as long as the other two are still around and is at little to no risk of becoming a witch. She is also the most deadly in direct combat. Though her lack of knowledge of the truth about soul gems makes it unlikely an encounter with her will be lethal for Kirika or Oriko.

Lina is the one who hates Sasa the most and is also the most unstable regarding grief. She will push herself into fully exhausting her magic if that's what it takes to fight Sasa. She is also emotionally unstable about a number of issues, which means that once she gets to that point, a sufficient push will lead to her witching.

Finally, Miyako is the true vulnerability of the group and the one that Kirika will be talking to. She doesn't want to be here, sees the fight against Sasa as something that's going to get all her friends killed and would really just like to go back to Kazamino. Which means she is relatively easy to convince that this entire fight is pointless. Something which will push Lina over the edge if deployed at the correct time.

What Kirika has also learned through this is that precognition is terrifying. She should not know this about these strangers. Yet despite having never talked to them, she's watched their meetings and arguments. Had simulated conversations with them and has found out the correct way to dismantle them. Of course, this knowledge was extremely expensive.

Any other magical girl could probably destroy a city neighbourhood with the amount of magic she poured into managing all this. If Kirika put that much magic into her chains, she could have killed even that chaos witch that came a hairs breadth from killing her 10 times over.

That fact doesn't make Kirika feel less horrified by the amount of power her magic gives her if fueled by actual grief seeds rather than scraps. Still, when it comes to ensuring Kirika can keep Oriko with her and that the world will still be here in a month, there is no cost too great. Anyway, Kirika's already sold her soul, and if she taints it, a grief seed can suck it all out. So it's not like Kirika can ruin herself metaphysically or anything.

Before Kirika can continue her line of thought. Miyako enters the barrier right where Kirika predicted.

"Hello Saki Miyako. Sorry, we need to meet under such unpleasant circumstances. I'm Kirika, nice to meet you"

Kirika can see Miyako preparing to form her weapon, but rather than respond in kind, Kirika keeps talking.

"Don't worry so much. To be totally honest, I'm not much good in a fight. I would much rather we have a chat"

"Eh?" Miyako's expression changes from hardened to confused in a second. Which is fair. Why would she expect anyone in this barrier to talk to her?

"To tell the truth, this battle that's going on here isn't actually needed. It is fully possible for bloodshed to be avoided if we just talk it out"

"Why are you saying this to me? Lina is the leader, you know"

"Because out of everyone in your group, you are the only one who understands the futility of this battle. Magical girls shouldn't be fighting each other, doing that only weakens us against the enemies we are supposed to be fighting"

Miyako's eyes narrow in suspicion, yet Kirika can see the hope in them.

"I understand that I must seem really suspicious. I mean, we are the ones attacking after all. Still, I hope you're willing to hear me out"

"Why are you offering this? I mean, it could be a trap of some kind," Miyako replies.

"I can't prove it, but I really do have no intention of harming you. We have the same goal after all. So please let me explain why I've taken the action I have, and if you're convinced, help me convince your friends to go back to Kazamino," Kirika replies.

"Why then. Why any of this"

"What do you know about Sasa's magic?"

"Wha? That seems like a weird question"

"I know it seems off topic, but humour me"

"She controls witches"

"Yep, that she does. Now currently, she has one witch here and a whole load of them doing nothing around Kazamino. Now, question two, what happens to those witches if she dies?"

"She loses control of them?" Miyako replies in confusion.

"Exactly, and all those tame witches who are not doing anything will all suddenly realise they are very, very hungry and start trying to eat Kazamino's population. Now, to be fair, Sasa isn't that much better with them, but she isn't in Kazamino right now. She's here, and as long as your group doesn't let her back in Kazamino, then you can just hunt down those witches slowly, no problem. Rather than getting a fair few people eaten"

"But if that's true, then I was right", Miyako says.

Kirika slips off the pillar she was sitting on and walks to Miyako, pulling the veil off her face to make sure she seems more human and sympathetic.

"You were. If you had just stayed in Kazamino, then this entire fight would have been avoided. Sasa isn't mobile. Once you kicked her out then keeping her out would have been fine. It's the whole revenge kick you're on, which is getting people killed"

"Mio's death?"

"Was regrettable. If Oriko hadn't intervened, she would have killed Sasa and doomed a whole lot of people. So please help me avoid anyone else needing to die today. I can get Oriko and Sasa to back down if you can do the same with Lina and Mai"

"Do you really want this to end peacefully?"

"I would love nothing more," Kirika says, offering up a hand.

Miyako takes it. "Ok then. No one else has to die"

Kirika pulls her veil back over her face. "I can hear the fight from up this way. Let's go before anyone does something they can't take back"

Miyako nods, and the two magical girls walk towards the fighting just in time to see Sasa cornered by Lina and Mai.

Kirika bites her tongue under her veil. If things have gone as she knows they have, then Oriko will have taken a nonlethal wound that will only take half a minute to heal and just let Mai assume she's dead. Just as planned. If Kirika's wrong though, then she just got her best and only friend killed.

Kirika bites harder until the pain is enough to distract her from her thoughts.

Her magic has never been wrong before. It isn't this time either. Oriko is fine. On with the show.

Sasa perks up when she catches sight of Kirika, only for that to turn outraged when she notices Miyako with her.

Lina turns to Miyako and Kirika, "Who is this magical girl Miyako? From Sasa's reaction, I don't think she's on our side"

Sasa is a person without any principles or sense. Rather than try to work with the situation Kirika's set up, she instantly begins trying to deflect blame. Exactly as Kirika knew she would.

"Oh yeah? She's in league with that magical girl in white. In other words, she's the one who killed Mio"

Kirika rolls her eyes behind her veil. There is no one she won't miss quite so much as Sasa.

"Why Sasa, that's a rather strong accusation"

Lina turns back to Sasa, fully aware of what she's trying to do "We cannot let you go"

"This whole attack was her idea! She's the one in charge!" Sasa continues, desperate to use the out Kirika seems to be presenting.

Kirika notes that Sasa suddenly seems much less attached to her enthusiasm about murdering those three. Funny that.

"Stop it! Stop saying all these bad things about Kirika!" Miyako shouts.

"Wait, her name's Kirika?" Sasa exclames in confusion.

Lina gives Sasa a look before turning back, "Miyako, what are you talking about? This is our opportunity to avenge Mio"

"Why do you always have to be like this, Lina? This is just like back in Kazamino?"

Lina looks as if she's been slapped from the shock of Miyako's anger. Before she can retort however, Miyako keeps going.

"I said there were bad magical girls out there from the beginning, but you insisted on starting a group, and before we knew it, we were at war with Sasa! You said it was for Kazamino! That we had to maintain order as magical girls. Now we're in Mitakihara, chasing her down. How do you explain that? This place has nothing to do with us, we're Kazamino magical girls. I've had enough of it!"

"Miyako, calm down, please", Mai pleads.

To be fair, Kirika's pretty sure that if it were just Mai here, then the situation would actually be de-escalated. Unfortunately for everyone but Kirika, Lina is also here and has opinions.

"We can't just allow Sasa to run free. For the sake of our departed friends we must--"

"That is the reason Mio died though, isn't it!" Miyako shouts in outrage, "You always sound so righteous. So just! But didn't you just try to make Mai kill Sasa? The things you say cause the people around you to be hurt or killed. You just stand there giving orders and talking about Justice!"

Lina opens her mouth before closing it again. Sasa and Mia are just stunned into silence by the torrent.

"Kirika's not like that. She does what's needed, but she admits it's bad. She actually wants to save people, not just take revenge. Did you even think about what would happen if you killed Sasa? All those witches of hers back at home would rampage. But I bet you didn't think about that at all! You've just been using me to do what you want, no matter who gets killed!"

"Miyako, that isn't true. I intended none of that when I gathered us together," Lina retorts, finally able to pull herself together.

"Mio and Futaba too! You're the reason they died"

Kirika steps back and braces herself. Because a second after Miyako says that, Lina drops limp, and something else breaks out of her soul gem.

A newly born witch.

The witch is a mammoth creature, its upper half is made up of three beaked skulls of differing size stacked on top of each other, one facing back, two facing forward. It has dozens of hollow eyes that stare forward into nothing and a lower half made of four sections of tied cloth that form some approximation of legs.

The magical girls, aside from Kirika, panic. How could they not, seeing Lina turn into that? A fundamental part of the world they had been living in has just been upended and replaced by something much worse.

Of course, they do still need to kill the witch. Them all dying here serves no one. So Kirika cries out a warning to get out of the way before the witch charges forward. Giving just enough warning for herself, Sasa and Mia to get out of the way.

Miyako however, is too stunned by the consequences of her words. The beaks fall, and the magical girl is crushed. Her soul gem lasts little longer.

Now that the fight has begun, Kirika begins creating chains and sending them in and out of the empty eyes of the witch's skulls. Trapping it in place. Giving Mia the opportunity to send it reeling with her sword strikes, empowered by the anger she feels at it taking her last two friends.

Sasa takes advantage of the weakened witch, sending her own witch to destroy it. The combined attacks of Sasa's witch and Mia's sword strike on the immobilised witch bring it down quickly.

Leaving the two magical girls with no enemy left to fight, and horror at what they have learned of the system.

Sasa quickly begins ranting about Kyubey. Declaring she's "going to kick the crap outta him". Which might be the first thing of value Sasa's said over her entire life. Considering how much Kyubey deserves to be kicked into dust.

Mia however, simply gives up. After a short attempt to check on her, which she rebuffs, Sasa begins walking off, followed by Kirika.

Kirika doesn't turn back. In a few moments, Oriko will sever Mia from her soul gem and end her. Considering the fact she hurt Oriko, even if that was planned, Kirika will not give her a single thought of sympathy. If she wanted to be happy, she should have made a better wish and chosen better friends.

"Kirika, you're falling behind me. It's probably that dress of yours. It's really impractical, you know. Also, why didn't you tell me your name?"

"I was gonna tell you later" No need to keep up the pretence of choosing her word choice carefully. Sasa's sudden but inevitable betrayal is moments away.

"Yeah well, that means I had to get it from Miyako of all people. Why would you tell her?

"Not to change the topic, but we can't leave the barrier by walking. You need to lower it," Kirika points out.

Sasa laughs, "I completely forgot, also you didn't answer my question"

"It was a way to get her to trust me faster. Also, you should work on that. Forgetfulness can lead to issues, ya know"

"A thousand pardons, but I just thought... inside the barrier would be the best place to hide your corpse"

Kirika shifts slightly, just enough to ensure that the witch won't hit her soul gem as it cuts her back open. Kirika lets herself fall over limp.

While this hurts really badly, it's not quite worse than what that tree witch did to her. Sadly, pretending to be dead means that she can't roll her eyes when Sasa starts monologing. Mainly because Sasa takes the veil off her.

"Huh, so that's what you look like. Don't think I missed you dropping the formalities at the end there. What a faker. Seriously, how dumb do you think I am? You even took a step back right before Lina turned into a witch. You set it up, you creep. I really can't trust anybody"

Sasa, once she's seen Kirika's face, begins walking off. Kirika waits for 10 seconds. At this point, Sasa should have taken her eyes off her and started to encounter Madoka.

Kirika puts her full magic towards healing herself. Restoring enough of her body to move her head into position to see Sasa and Madoka interact. Oriko should also be watching from a vantage point since she's had longer to heal.

Though she doesn't get a good view, she sees Sasa's end to a bullet that seemed to come out of nowhere. Then, just for a split second, she sees the magical girl as Oriko's enchantment activates.

The black haired girl, wearing white and purple, has a shield on her arm. An instant after she appears, the hand that was already at the shield twists it, and she disappears once more, shortly before an explosion.

Even as her body puts itself back together, Kirika finds herself smiling.

Found you.

Chapter Text

After putting herself back together, Kirika has a single priority. Oriko.

The second she's functional enough to move, she sets off to their agreed meeting spot. Her body continuing to replenish itself as she does.

Once she catches sight of Oriko waiting, Kirika lets out a relieved breath. It worked, Oriko's ok.

Like that, any trace of worry flees Kirika. If Oriko is unharmed and all her other objectives successful, then there is no reason to be anything but happy.

Kirika takes out her last grief seed and empties her soul gem's grief into it before detransforming. Considering Oriko should have done the same with hers, that means Oriko and Kirika are all out of grief seeds.

"Hi Oriko, good to see you're ok"

"You as well. I presume, based on your smile, that everything went to plan"

"Yep, it all went exactly as intended. You weren't wrong when you talked about how powerful precognition is. There is no way something like that should have worked if I didn't know it would ahead of time"

"It is quite the advantage", Oriko agrees.

"So you see Madoka's guard?"

"I did, yes. Though she disappeared the second she touched her shield. Still, we know what she looks like, and based on what we saw, we should be able to narrow down her magic easily"

"She stops time", Kirika replies.

"That was one of the more out there ideas we proposed. Though I suppose it does line up with her displayed abilities"

"It's not teleportation because she was there in person and appeared next to Madoka before the sound of the bullet. All her actions take place in the same instant. Which is how she can kill both you and me before we can react if we attack Madoka. It also explains how she vanished with Madoka instantly after using her shield again"

"It does all line up. I suppose that means all of this was worth it. Though I would rather not have to get cut in half in any future plans"

"Oh yeah, getting splattered by that witch sucked. Future plans will have a no playing dead rule. While this did work, that bit was as awful as having to put up with Sasa, which is saying something"

That was always her least favourite part of the plan. Still, she needed to appear dead to avoid any suspicions from Madoka's protector. The whole thing needed to appear an accident, or the consequences would have been dire. Luckily, now she knows how Miss Guardian works, there is no need to ever do this again.

"She was awfully unpleasant", Oriko agrees.

"Yep, bit of a shame to have to kill those other girls, but her I won't miss a bit. I mean, seriously, who kills someone and then starts monologuing to their corpse? Girl had issues"

"To be fair, that is less stupid than monologuing before finishing killing someone", Oriko points out.

"Fair enough, had she started monologuing about me betraying her before I had to fake being dead, I would have just stabbed her, plan be dammed. No one that dumb deserves to live"

"Well, she is dead", Oriko points out.

"Exactly, which is great. Also, fantastic job on your side of things. You did perfectly"

"I live to please", Oriko replies.

"After all that fuss, I think we deserve a holiday"

"That would be nice. Though hard to justify with timings"

"Nope, I have just the thing. You see, Sasa has a whole bunch of grief seeds being stored in Kazamino. It was being guarded by witches and stuff, but they're off murdering people since she's dead. Meaning it should be free to take. So we are going to have a trip up there. We can even stay the night. Holiday and work all in one"

"It seems fortune is on our side"

"I guess. We worked really hard for this, though. The grief seeds are just the reward for all that work paying off"

"I can't argue with that. Shall we start planning our trip?"

"That we should. With all of Sasa's grief seeds, I should actually be able to fight by your side for real rather than just being support. So no need to wait"

"I suppose this does solve how magic hungry your magic is, at least temporarily"

"Long enough to save the world at very least" Oriko is still somewhat underestimating how many grief seeds Sasa had. Though to be fair, Kirika wouldn't quite believe it if she hadn't seen it. Though it does make sense that someone with witch control magic has zero issues with grief seeds. She probably just got familiars to eat people and then kill themselves the second they became a witch.

She really was the worst, wasn't she? Still, works in Kirika's favour at least.

"This does mean we're missing another day of school", Oriko points out.

"Yeah I know, it's not ideal, but we can't just leave those grief seeds sitting there. Besides, after what we did, we deserve a full day to relax and hang out. School sucks for both of us, so let's make the most of the day. You know, see the sights and stuff"

"Well, if that is what my dear leader commands, who am I to say no?" Oriko replies with a smile.

"Eh, am I really the leader here? I mean, I do the planning when I get visions, but most of the time it's cooperative. You are a way better planner than me after all"

"Don't undersell yourself, Kirika. As much as I endeavour to support you in any way I can, it is still your lead I'm following. I just advise"

"Well, guess if that's how you want to see things, then sure. Though if I'm the boss, it means I have a duty to treat my favourite subordinate. So, shall we go and pack for our trip?"

"Let's", Oriko agrees.

As Kirika walks to Oriko's so she can pack a bag for the day while Oriko arranges the train and hotel. She's stuck thinking about what she just did.

Thanks to her, 5 people are dead. Sure, Sasa deserved it entirely, and Mia did for hurting Oriko, but deserved or not, that doesn't change what Kirika caused.

Of course, it served her purposes perfectly. Her grief seed issue is about to be solved, she got a look at Miss Guardian, and Kyubey is going to be extra distracted in Kazamino. Looking at it from that perspective, it was perfect. There is a good chance the world will be saved directly due to the advantages this gave her and Oriko.

5 people are dead. A bunch more than that if you include the casualties from Sasa's witches rampaging. She wasn't lying to Miyako after all. If you wanted to save lives, it would be much better to just keep Sasa locked down somewhere and hunt her witches.

Kirika's never really thought of herself as a good person. She didn't really think of herself as a bad one either. She really didn't do enough for good or ill to care.

Still, she never hurt people for the sake of it. She didn't purposely make trouble. She never even committed a crime and then used her best friend as a scapegoat. Unlike the only other friend she had, before Oriko, did.

Sure, after that happened, Kirika might have been a lonely, miserable girl who was on the edge of utter despair. But she wasn't a bad person.

Now though, Kirika really can't call herself anything other than an awful person. Even if she does save the world, no one who's done what she has can be anything else. No person with even a shred of morality would manipulate someone into killing their friend after all. Yet what else can Kirika call what Miyako did to Lina?

Of course, once the world is saved, Kirika can stop. She won't need to kill anyone or manipulate anyone. She can just stay with Oriko and help her kill witches and stuff. Maybe she'll even bother trying at school just so she can keep helping Oriko when they're adults. Not that Oriko will need any help, considering how smart and competent she is.

Kirika can have a future where she eats breakfast with Oriko in the morning, and can come back to her after school. Where they can go on trips together and stand by each other, no matter what happens. A future where she can be happy.

Maybe Kirika was never a good person. Because this want she feels. This yearning to see that future come about. Not in some magic vision but second by second, minute by minute, day by day. That is what she's fighting for. Not the future for the world. Just for her and Oriko. Even if that does require a world to live in, which makes the point kinda moot. Anyway, it's about the motivation, not the result.

If that future requires bodies to pile up? Then so be it.

Still, love is meant to be a good thing, right? So if love is why Kirika is able and willing to dispose of her moral values, then how can that be anything but good?

Kirika smiles as she gets to Oriko's house and starts packing for her trip. Yep, she really is a terrible person. No point deluding herself. Still, as long as she's a happy awful person, Kirika's pretty sure she can live with that.

Actually, correction, as long as she's happy and Oriko's happy, she can live with that. No chance she's willing to accept a future where Oriko's miserable after all. Good thing her magic is perfectly suited to avoiding terrible futures. Because as long as Kirika's around, she's gonna make sure Oriko's is as bright as can be.

Once they save the world, at least. Currently, she can't really justify willingly spending her magic just to make things better for Oriko, but once Madoka's 6 feet under, then Kirika's free to live as she wishes.

For now though, she just has to settle for enjoying the little things. Like going on a trip with Oriko.

With her backpack packed with clothes for tomorrow and plenty of empty space for grief seeds, Kirika's ready to go. Then her magic jumpscares her with another vision of the world ending because Kirika's apparently not suffered enough recently.

"Yes, yes, end of the world, I'm on it. You don't need to remind me every 30 minutes" Now, is talking to yourself a good thing? No. But most people's souls don't bombard them with visions of the world's end. Kirika would very much like to give her magic a talking to if she had any faith in it listening.

"Did you say something?" Kirika hears as Oriko steps out, also seemingly ready to go.

"Nope. What time's our train?"

"It's setting off in 40 minutes. We should get to the station with time to spare if we set off now," Oriko replies.

"Let's get going then. Know anything interesting to do in Kazamino, or should we just explore?"

"We are going for the grief seeds, remember," Oriko points out.

"I mean yeah, but finding those should only take this evening. We still have an entire day to do stuff tomorrow"

"Is that not slightly wasteful?"

"We still have almost a month till the end of the world. We can afford a day off after what we did today. Besides, it could be useful to see the state of Kazamino," Kirika replies.

"You just want a holiday"

"I just want a holiday. Sue me. We just murdered five people and both suffered fatal injuries, we deserve a day off"

"You know what. You're right, after all that. We do deserve a day off. Especially since overworking ourselves is likely to cause many more issues than good," Oriko agrees after thinking about it for a second.

Kirika smiles, "In that case, to the train station we go"

Once they get to Kazamino, Kirika realises she has a minor issue that she knows what the area holding the grief seeds looks like, but she has basically no clue of the city's layout.

"I thought exploring Kazamino was our plan for when we had free time?" Oriko asks after Kirika looks at her map for the 15th time and tries to work out the right direction.

"Nothing here looks like the area I saw. Well, at least this mess will stop me getting any delusions of grandeur from what happened earlier. Manipulate 4 people into self-destruction, no problem. Finding a storage unit, far beyond my power"

"We'll find it eventually. There are only so many places in the city it can be" Oriko points out.

"Very true, really I should try to enjoy the time with you. We have plenty of time to search"

Kirika keeps walking onward until she hears strangely familiar shouting.

"Lemme go!"

Looking at the altercation before her, Kirika can see an adult shouting at and trying to manhandle a kid.

"Good for nothing kids these days. I'm just going to have to call your mother!" The lady shouts. Ignoring the protests of the little girl.

As Kirika walks over to get a closer look, her eyes widen. That's Yuma.

Kirika walks up to the lady. She's already made Yuma's life worse, the least she can do is help with this.

"Is there a reason you're holding onto that kid?" Kirika loudly asks the woman.

Yuma uses the distraction to break out of the lady's hold. Running past Kirika and Oriko, crying.

"Huh, oops, oh well. Guess she got away," Kirika exclaims as Yuma runs past.

Wow, that lady looks really angry.

"Are you two friends of that girl?" The woman proceeds to shout at Kirika and Oriko.

"Why would we. Wait. What do you mean, you two? Oriko didn't even say anything," Kirika exclaims back.

"Why else would you help that thief get away?"

"Help her get away? All I saw was an old lady holding a kid and shouting at her. Not my fault you let go"

"You complete brat! I should be getting you to pay me back for what she stole since you let her get away"

"Nope, not giving you a yen. I don't even know what she stole from you, but if you were holding onto her and didn't manage to get it back before you started shouting at her, you don't deserve it"

"Don't deserve it! I bought that Pocky with my own money. What kind of savage are you to think I don't deserve what I bought?"

"Wait, you were shouting at a kid because she stole your Pocky? Lady, I'm sorry, but that's just kinda pathetic"

"Did your parents never teach you manners?!"

"Miss, the kid is gone, and I'm afraid we can't reimburse you. I believe all of us would be happier if we went our separate ways," Oriko cuts in.

"That's utterly absurd. Your friend let that girl escape. She has aided a criminal"

"Lady, that was a preteen. I don't think she's old enough to even get a criminal charge," Kirika points out.

"Bah, kids these days," The woman says before walking off, obviously sick of the situation.

Kirika snorts. "Wow, some people"

"She was rather rude. By the way, Kirika, did you know that kid? You seemed to recognise her"

Kirika's humour at the situation dies a sudden death. "You know that child I told Kyubey about?"

"That was her then?"

"Yeah. Her life was bad enough already, but now" Kirika sighs "She really doesn't have a future"

"You seem affected by her", Oriko notes.

"I guess she's just a reminder of when I thought we could do this without sacrifices. Let's find those grief seeds soon. I don't want to wander about any more"

"Give me the map. We can just check out all the closest areas with storage units in sequence. It shouldn't take too long to find," Oriko replies.

Kirika gives her the map, following Oriko's lead in silence.

Kirika's gotten way too many people killed to care about a random kid, even if she did see a bit of her backstory.

The world and her future are what matter. They are what she's sacrificed for. Things like this can't get in the way.

Yuma's just a decoy. She has a combination of qualities that takes Kyubey's attention while also making her take a long time to contract. No time for sentimentality.

The vision ends. Kirika stumbles mid walk from the sudden, unprompted vision.

Why did she see that? It's unrelated to anything. Is there something more there? Or are Kirika's visions just screwing with her again?

"Kirika? Are you ok? You stumbled a bit there," Oriko asks.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just lost in thought"

It's probably nothing. Kirika can't afford to worry about silly things like that right now.

Yuma's not her responsibility anyway. Kirika may as well forget about her.

Chapter Text

"Finally", Kirika exclaims as the storage unit Sasa was using comes into view. Who knew Kazamino was such a maze? Or maybe she's just bad at maps, considering Oriko found it much faster than she did once she took the map. It's probably just that thinking about it.

"So we have the right place then?" Oriko asks to confirm.

"Yep, this is the storage unit. It's rather disappointing for a secret base, since you'd think that would be a building or something. But nope, Sasa's tricky enough to choose this instead. Works for us though"

After opening the unit, Kirika can see Oriko's eyes widen in shock at the sheer number of grief seeds.

"How many people did she kill to get this many?" Oriko asks in horrified fascination.

"I'd guess a buncha magical girls and getting her witches to eat people. She really was the worst. Still, her blatant evil is our gain. With this, I should be able to use my visions as much as I want and fight by your side at full force for weeks"

Oriko smiles. "This really is incredible. Not needing to worry about grief seeds in the near future gives us a lot more flexibility about what to do with our time. No more choosing the magical girls I'm facing opportunistically. We can be tactical about it now. Not to mention the option of retreating from overly dangerous witches"

Kirika makes to agree with Oriko's points before another vision hits her.

The vision ends, and Kirika staggers. That... That felt targeted.

Oriko made her wish for Kirika. Rather than for herself. She did that because she could tell Kirika needed her and because of how important stopping the end of the world is. That doesn't change the fact that Kirika, in inadvertently making that happen, shortchanged Oriko out of her own wish.

If Kirika had just been less pathetic, ranting to Oriko about all of her problems the night she saved her, would Oriko have made a wish for herself instead? Was what she did just out of obligation? Some way of repaying Kirika for saving her earlier?

That vision about two people who should be nothing more than strangers strikes Kirika like a dagger to the heart. Letting the insecurities she had been burying since she learned Oriko's wish suddenly come to light.

"Kirika. Kirika!"

"Huh, Oriko?"

"Are you alright? You suddenly started hyperventilating and stopped responding to me. Did you see something?"

"Oh, um. No, it was nothing really. Just nerves," How is Kirika supposed to breach the topic of how she might have ruined Oriko's chance to use her wish for herself with her?

"Kirika, you are not a good spontaneous liar. Tell me what's wrong," Oriko commands.

Shit, it's not like Kirika can tell the truth. What convincing alternative is there?

"I saw another vision of the end of the world. I guess with everything we've done, seeing that still there just hit me harder than I expected. Nothing to worry about"

"How long have you been getting that vision. You mentioned another, but you never told me about seeing that before, aside from during your wish"

"Just every hour or two since I made my wish. Don't worry about it, I'm used to it. Now, let's get packing these backpacks. Can't just leave all these grief seeds sitting around after all," Kirika replies, not wanting to talk about this.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Oriko looks hurt, which is so much worse than if she looked angry or disappointed.

"I just didn't want to worry you. It's not like you can do anything about it. I see the end of the world in vivid detail when I close my eyes, so what? Most of the time, I can just ignore it"

"I would much rather be able to support you with your issues than have you leave me ignorant of them for my own good", Oriko retorts.

"Sorry. It's not that I didn't trust you or anything. I just want to keep focused on what we need to do. I'm sure once we've saved the world, those visions will go away"

Oriko looks Kirika in the eye, "Ok, I will drop the subject for now. Please tell me when you're having issues like this, though. You don't need to hide from me, I promise" Oriko looks so sincere when she says that, that Kirika is so, so tempted to tell her the real issue.

But she still doesn't know how to raise it. There's no good way to talk about whether Kirika ruined Oriko's wish, and even if she did, Oriko would probably be insulted unless Kirika finds a much more delicate way to phrase things.

The only thing to do is ignore it and try to rebury that particular anxiety of hers until it no longer haunts her.

"Ok, I won't hide this sort of thing from you again", Kirika lies "Now we really should get on packing these up. The hotel room we booked is a 30 minute walk, and I'd like to get there before dark"

Oriko sighs, "You're right, no time to waste"

Despite the sheer quantity of grief seeds, it doesn't take too long to pack them up. Each of them is small enough to fit in Kirika's palm, so they don't individually take up too much room in the bags. Before long, Oriko and Kirika have two bags full of grief seeds and have set off to their hotel.

As she goes, the visions of Yuma don't stop. They are a constant headache.

What makes it worse is that Kirika finds herself understanding Yuma much better than she has any wish to understand anyone but Oriko. The way Yuma looks at Kyouko is so much like how Kirika does Oriko, if different in relation due to her age.

That constant longing to help, to be able to do more for the person who means everything to you. Yet constantly feeling like you're not enough, even though there is no one in the entire world you care about more. Wanting to repay her for all the ways she's kept you alive when it would have been so easy to slip into the dark, but still not knowing how.

Yuma's like a childish reflection of Kirika, and Kirika finds herself hating that. Even if Kyouko is nothing like Oriko. Then again, no one could ever live up to Oriko, so that's only to be expected.

Eventually, Oriko and Kirika get something to eat and arrive at their hotel room for the night.

The place they have for the night isn't particularly fancy. While it does have two beds, both are in the same room. Not that Kirika has any sort of issue with this.

Or rather, she doesn't until she tries to get to sleep and can't. Visions come every time she closes her eyes. Though somehow, what she sees manages to be more troubling than seeing all the little private moments that Yuma and Kyouko spend together.

Tomorrow, around midday. Kyouko is going to die. Not because of anything exceptional, just a slightly more tricky than average witch. Kyouko is going to die, and Yuma is going to break.

Kirika tries to brush off the vision. She shouldn't care. Kirika's already gotten people killed. Hell, she's even manipulated them into killing each other. Why would she care about a brat like Yuma? Or a magical girl no different than any of the ones she's had Oriko kill, like Kyouko.

Caring would be stupid. They don't matter. Nothing but Oriko and the world's future matters. Anyone else could die without Kirika's regard if she can keep those two things. So who cares? If the two girls she's seeing die, that just means she won't have to keep getting visions of them.

Kirika closes her eyes and tries to get to sleep.

An hour later, she finds herself just as awake and staring at the alarm clock next to her as it slowly counts toward the morning.

Why now? Why, after all the lines Kirika has crossed and all the sins she's committed, is her magic forcing her through this now?

Are those two important to the future in some way Kirika can't see right now? Is she seeing them because she has to save them? Is it some weird subconscious guilt thing? Is it just because Yuma was the first person she harmed with her magic?

Kirika doesn't know. Her magic won't show her. She just gets to see the hope those two slowly built on each other come crumbling down with nothing but despair left to show for it. Just another of the infinite tragedies that the system of magical girls and witches seems designed to create.

Maybe it's some kind of warning? That this is what will happen to her and Oriko if she keeps going down the paths she's walking. Though in that case, her magic could just show her that directly. The precognition and clairvoyance her magic provides can show events months or weeks in the future. There's no point in showing her something symbolic.

Why couldn't Oriko have gotten her magic? Kirika's willing to bet she'd have worked out whatever it's trying to tell her and done the right thing without a problem. Rather than getting chained down by guilt and confusion into the mess Kirika's found herself.

Should she just ask Oriko? Should she once again show her only friend and confidante how unsuited Kirika is for her role? Can she even bring herself to show her weakness to her? How much more of Kirika can she show Oriko before she loses faith in her?

Then again. Can Oriko lose faith in her? Her wish was to be the person Kirika requires or something like that, right? Did Oriko mean for stopping the apocalypse or in general? What one of those does Kirika even want?

Is Oriko's relationship with her built on their chemistry as people or on their shared goal? Kirika wants to believe that Oriko's care and affection are entirely genuine, but is that just to stop the end of the world? Will Oriko try to find someone else once she works out Kirika isn't good enough? Like she tried to do to herself when she thought she wasn't living up to her role?

Is the future Kirika wants the same kind of fragile illusion that is about to shatter for Yuma and Kyouko? A house of cards doomed to collapse the second there is a slight breeze?

Kirika puts her hands over her face. It's way too late, and she still hasn't gotten the slightest bit of sleep. With all the stress, tiredness and visions, can any of her thoughts be seen as reliable right now?

Kirika checks her soul gem and finds its grief has soared since last she checked. Kirika grabs the grief seed she had left on the bedside table earlier and taps it to the soul gem, letting the darkness leech out.

Kirika needs to kill her doubts. She needs to regain conviction if she wants any chance at success. She's in the best position she's ever been in since making a wish. She has information, grief seeds and Oriko by her side. If she can just get her magic to shut up about Yuma and the end of the world for a day or two, she'll be fine.

Yet visions continue to flash at the back of her mind. She can't get it to shut up, no matter what she does or how much she tries to see something else.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit. Why won't you just shut up? Just leave me in peace. Please" Kirika begs into her pillow.

"Kirika?" Oriko's voice suddenly echoes from the other bed in the room.

"Huh, Oriko? I thought you were asleep," Kirika comments. Kirika wasn't loud about what she just said, and it was muffled by the pillow. Oriko can't have heard it, right?

"I was, but you keep moving, and I think I heard a sob a second ago. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, really. Just had a nightmare, I guess it woke both of us up," Kirika half lies. What can she call what she keeps seeing but a nightmare?

Kirika hears shuffling and then warm arms surround her. "It's ok not to be strong all the time, Kirika. Please remember how much you matter"

"Do I really matter that much?" Kirika asks, unable to stop those treasonous doubts from leaving her lips.

"There is not a single person alive that matters more", Oriko replies, and she sounds so warm and kind in that moment that Kirika wants to believe her more than anything.

"Do you actually believe that?" Kirika asks, needing the reassurance.

"I would never lie to you, Kirika. The feelings I present to you are the unvarnished truth"

Truth, that word again. Something in Kirika breaks. If, after Kirika reveals her weakness and her feelings in their entirety, then Oriko runs her through with her blade, it would be as much of a relief as still being accepted even after showing how much of a mess she is.

"I didn't lie about seeing the end of the world weighing on me, but there's something else. I keep seeing Yuma and the magical girl she's with"

"You say that like it is more wearysome than seeing the end?" Oriko notes.

"The magical girl dies tomorrow, and it will destroy Yuma. We shouldn't intervene since more magical girls dying supports our aims of keeping Kyubey distracted"

"If we sit by and let that tragedy occur, will you be able to live with yourself?" Oriko asks, still holding Kirika against her. The only thing that lets Kirika be relaxed enough to not entirely tense at the question.

"It's less of a tragedy than what I created yesterday. If I can live with that, I would be a hypocrite to say I can't live with this"

"You're not a machine, Kirika. Emotions are not equations where a bigger number leads to a bigger effect. You've obviously seen more of Yuma and her magical girl than you did of the others yesterday, and feel a greater connection to them"

"So what, we should let Kyubey know we're here and create an added risk just to massage my already rotted conscience?"

"Yes", Oriko replies simply.

"What? What do you mean, yes? You're more devoted to saving the world than anyone, surely you can see why this would be a bad idea"

"Oh I agree, it is a strategic blunder. Yet I feel that the fallout of ignoring it will be much greater than the complications it will cause us. Your welfare is my greatest priority, Kirika. So I am going to request something atypical of me. Do what your heart tells you to"

"Ok", Kirika whispers so quietly she's not even sure if Oriko can hear it.

Oriko begins to pull away.

"Please don't go," Kirika requests, feeling mortified to even voice the thought. What is she, a 5 year old? She's much too old to ask for someone to sleep at her side just in the hope of comfort.

Kirika can hear shuffling once more as Oriko settles fully beside her on the bed, holding Kirika against her.

"Hey Oriko?" Kirika wispers.

"Yes Kirika?"

"Do, do you ever regret your wish?"

"Not for a single instant"

"But you made it for me, didn't you. If you'd made it for yourself, you could have your dad back, or got way better friends than me or some other amazing thing," Kirika points out.

"Perhaps, but I don't believe any of those things would bring me the contentment I have gained working beside you"

"Really?"

"Do you know why I decided to make my wish for you, rather than anything else?"

"Because you wanted to help me save the world?"

"I cannot deny that was a large part of my decision, but I could have just as easily wished to have the power to save the world without choosing to support you", Oriko points out.

"I guess that's true. In that case, why did you?"

"It's because you chose to care about me, not because of my status or my connections, but because I chose, at no gain to myself, to be kind. You, not knowing anything about me, saw me as something worth fighting for. I wanted to see if I could be the kind of person who deserved to have you see me like that"

"What do you mean, see if you could? You already were," Kirika points out.

"Did you ever wonder why I was wandering so aimlessly that day you saved me?"

"I'm guessing not just to get some fresh air?" Kirika replies, not sure what to make of the serious tone of Oriko's words.

"I planned to walk until I found a reason to live or a way to cease being"

"Was the bullying and your dad dying that bad?" Kirika asks in horror.

"No, as awful as those were, I could have lived with them, even if I did not particularly appreciate doing so. The thing that broke me was learning that my father despised me so utterly that escaping me was the principal reason for his suicide. My every achievement had been to try to support him, and yet my good intentions were the thing to kill him"

"Oriko", Kirika says, stunned.

"Yes Kirika?"

"Your dad was a buffoon"

"What?" Oriko asks in shock.

"You heard me, he was dumb, an idiot, a stupid fool with no brain and even less of a heart. Anyone who would do that to someone as effortfully kind as you, who only wanted to help them, is a complete and utter waste of breath. If he wasn't dead, I would kill him myself for doing that to you. You are the most wonderful person I've ever met. You never needed a wish for that"

"Thank you, Kirika. I think I may have needed to hear that" With that, Oriko pulls Kirika closer to her and blissful unconsciousness envelops Kirika.

As she goes to sleep, Kirika thinks she hears a soft and almost inaudible voice whisper, "I love you". Though that may just have been her imagination.

Chapter Text

The good thing about finally being secure in her number of grief seeds is that Kirika can afford to check over the situation before acting.

"So when it comes to saving Kyouko and Yuma, we have two options. Either we kill the witch or we let Yuma make a wish and assist Kyouko"

"Would killing the witch not be the less disruptive option?" Oriko offers.

"It would, except that Kyouko finds the witch very shortly after it appears. Even if we killed it as soon as it appeared it she would still arrive soon enough to see us finish it and would be annoyed at us for poaching on her territory. Not to mention the risks the witch could pose to us"

"I'm interested in why you would propose getting Yuma to make a wish. Considering that would require interacting with her"

"Because if I do that, then I can inform Kyubey we're here and propose it's to help him get the contract after Kazamino lost so many magical girls. Yuma will be satisfied with the magic she will gain by saving Kyouko, and it gives us a reason to be here"

"That does seem like a reasonably elegant solution"

"It means I need to do more of Kyubey's dirty work, though"

"I suppose, though, if Yuma will be satisfied by the magic she gains, is that truly the worst thing? So long as we can prevent the world from ending, it's not like the magical girl system is going anywhere"

"I guess. If I want to convince Yuma in time, I should probably set off now"

"As I'm not needed for this, I suppose I'll wait for you nearby. Maybe I'll try out one of the cafes that were mentioned in the brochure we got about Kazamino"

"Ooh, that would be nice. Could you order me a hot chocolate for when I get there?"

"Of course", Oriko agrees.

As Kirika splits off from Oriko, she has one task to start with. Find Kyubey.

She needs to make sure this is convincing enough to justify her and Oriko's presence in Kazamino. Hopefully, Kyubey will be more interested in getting Kirika's help than thinking deeply about the reasons she's giving it.

After focusing on it for a second, she gets a snapshot of where he will be in a minute and sets off. Exactly as predicted, she finds him lounging on top of a lamp post.

"Hi Kyubey"

Kirika, I had assumed you would still be in Mitakihara. Do you not have school today?

"I do, yeah. Still, my duties as a magical girl are more important than a day of education. Though I don't know the exact details, I know that Kazamino no longer has enough magical girls to suppress the witch population. So I'm here to help"

Do you plan to fight the witches yourself? This is the type of issue that will take far more than a day to get a hold of.

"Course not. I'm nowhere near good enough at fighting to make a difference here that way. Nope, I'm actually here about that initial contractee I told you about"

Yuma?

"Exactly, glad you remember. The magical girl she's with is about to get overwhelmed by witches. So I'm gonna have a quick chat with her. I know for a fact I can get her to contract while you'll still take a little bit to get her trust if you do it alone. Anyway, a team of two strong magical girls should be much more effective than one going at it solo"

I must warn you that Kyouko is strongly against her contracting, which is why she's been so resistant to the idea before now. It's possible she will hold a grudge.

"My outfit's pretty concealing, unless you're planning to tell her there shouldn't be much she can trace back to me. You wouldn't do that, would ya?"

I see little reason to give your identity away. Conflict between magical girls is counterproductive. Especially with that magical girl murderer still on the loose. I don't suppose you have any leads about that.

"I wish. The idea there's someone like that around is pretty scary, honestly. I'm not that good in a fight, so I doubt I'd survive if I got ambushed. Still, that's why I stick with Oriko a lot of the time. She might be able to ambush lone magical girls, but a pair is a much harder target"

Be careful, Kirika. The Kazamino group had three members during their final encounter with the magical girl murderer and still failed to stop her. Numbers alone may not be as much of a deterrent as you may hope.

"Maybe, but that's all I've got for now. Hopefully, my wish will warn me if she starts coming for me. That way, I can get you, and we could organise the rest of Mitakihara's magical girls for a counter ambush. Still, I should be safe for now. From what I've heard, she only operates in Mitakihara, so Kazamino should be somewhere I can relax a bit more for today at least"

Should you have any warning of an attack, I would highly appreciate the heads-up. For now though, good luck with Yuma. I appreciate your assistance.

"Just trying to pay you back for the wish. With all I've gotten from it, I'd have to be pretty ungrateful not to help you out now and then"

It's good that you're so dutiful. Some other magical girls could learn from your example.

"Maybe, but I bet they're more effective against witches. Too many of me probably wouldn't be ideal. Anyway, see ya, Kyubey"

Farewell Kirika.

Kyubey marches off to do whatever he does when not harassing young girls to sell their souls, and Kirika sets off towards where Yuma's going to be.

Talking to Kyubey's always so stressful. Pretending to be cheerful when she wants nothing more than to wrap him in chains until he pops is a trial. Still, to protect herself, Oriko and the world, it's one she's willing to accept.

Anyway, as far as she can tell, that went well. Kyubey seems clueless about Oriko's actions or Kirika's culpability and still believes that her goodwill is real. Not that she actually wants other magical girls to learn from her example. Two magical girl murderers is probably already too many. Even if she and Oriko plan to stop as soon as a good opportunity to get at Madoka comes up. Though she does support any magical girl who's working to screw with Kyubey.

Still no matter how much she hates Kyubey, her next talk will be much more difficult. Because it means she needs to talk to Yuma. It will work, Kirika checked that before deciding on this as an idea. Yet that doesn't change how difficult what she's about to do is.

Yuma really did deserve better. Though the changed fate Kirika is going to give her is still much more optimistic than what would have occurred without her intervention. Even if that's a silver lining at best.

Kirika lets her chains carry her up to Yuma's hotel room, one summoned on the other side of the window unlocks it, and she walks in.

"Huh, what was that?" Kirika can hear Yuma mutter as Kirika steps towards where the voice is coming from.

"Hello, Chitose Yuma"

"Huh, who are you?" Yuma steps back, likely scared of the veiled individual in all black. While a dress may not be intimidating, the vibe of it certainly can be.

"Don't worry. I'm just a messenger"

"What's the message?"

"That should fate not be changed, Sakura Kyouko will not live to see another day"

"Kyouko is gonna die?" Yuma begins panicking immediately, crying at the idea of her friend and mentor dying. The sight is painful to watch. After a few seconds however, Yuma manages to pull herself together.

"Do you know where Kyouko is right now?"

"I do. What would you do about that? Do you plan to change her fate?"

"I want... I want to save Kyouko!"

"Are you sure? She doesn't want you to become a magical girl"

"If it means saving her, I'll do it", Yuma exclaims resolutely.

"In that case, I will guide you to Kyubey. He will grant your wish"

Yuma nods and follows Kirika out of the hotel they're in.

"I must warn you, this will be a difficult life. There is no retirement from being a magical girl"

"Do you want me to help her or not?"

"I want you to be certain of your position. Should there come a time you regret your wish, there aren't any redos"

"Then I'll just make a wish that I won't regret. Not ever"

"Good. If you keep that sort of commitment, then maybe this won't end up as a tragedy"

"You know, you seemed really creepy when you came in, but I think you're actually nice"

Kirika can't help but laugh a bit at that "Not sure I agree with that. If I was nice, I would have tried to give you a much kinder fate than this"

"Would that fate have Kyouko in it?"

Kirika thinks for a second. "Probably not. She only came for you due to tragedy. If things hadn't gone wrong, you wouldn't have any reason to meet her"

"Then I don't want a kinder fate. I want the one where I can stay by Kyouko's side no matter what happens"

"I suppose I can understand that. The only reason I met the person I love is because of a tragedy. I wouldn't change meeting her for the world, though"

"Yeah. Exactly. I was right, you are nice, creepy lady"

"Creepy Lady? How old do you think I am?"

"30?"

Kirika is stunned into speechlessness for a second.

"I'm 14"

"I don't believe you"

"Why? I'm tiny for my age"

"Because you're a creepy lady, so you must be old"

On one hand, taking off her veil would be kind of stupid. On the other hand, that's probably the only way to not be called a 30 year old.

After a 3-second mental debate, she takes it off.

"Oh, I guess you're a creepy girl then"

"Do you have to keep the creepy in there?"

"Yes"

"Ok brat, Kyubey is just out there. The witch Kyouko's fighting is a bit down the road past that. You should be able to sense it once you transform. Good luck, Yuma"

"Thank you, nice creepy girl"

Kirika sighs. Never debate a 10 year old. You can't win.

As Kirika sees Yuma find Kyubey in the distance and light up with the magic of a wish, she walks off. Kyouko will be saved, and Yuma will be happy. Even if Kirika is sure Yuma's going to say that she saved Kyouko because a creepy girl came and told her she was going to die.

You know what? After all the stuff she's done and been through, being known as creepy girl by Yuma is honestly not that bad. Besides, that's just what she looks like as a magical girl. Now she's away from Kyubey, and Yuma Kirika can drop the transformation and go back to having normal clothes.

Next off to the cafe, Oriko found. If she speed walks, she'll get there while her hot chocolate is still hot. Kirika can feel slightly less guilty about using her magic unconsciously on dumb things like that now she and Oriko have an actual supply of grief seeds.

Once Oriko comes into view, Kirika smiles.

"Hi Oriko"

"Hello, Kirika. I ordered hot chocolate for you, like you asked"

"Thanks. It arrived about 30 seconds ago right" Kirika says as she sits down.

"Of course you would know that"

"Yep, don't you know me, Oriko. Anyway, this should be the perfect temperature to drink"

Sipping the hot chocolate, it's slightly above average but made orders of magnitude sweeter by the fact Oriko's the one who ordered it for her.

"So did things go well?"

"Think so. Don't think Kyubey thought anything was off, and the chat with Yuma mostly went how I expected"

"Mostly?"

"She called me creepy"

"To be fair, I would imagine your outfit is a tad intimidating for a ten year old"

"Maybe. Though I can't imagine appearing through her locked window and prophesying the death of her sister figure helped that image"

"I'm sorry to say Kirika, but Yuma may have been justified in calling you that under those circumstances"

"Are you saying I'm creepy?"

"No, you are honestly rather cute. I can understand why Yuma may have had that opinion under the circumstances, however,"

"You think I'm cute"

"Exceptionally so. Even in your magical girl outfit, if you have the veil off"

Kirika suddenly finds herself wishing she had said veil, since she's pretty sure her current blush is fluorescent. After about 5 seconds of screaming internally, Kirika realises Oriko probably expects her to reply to that. Sadly, she's a bit too busy bluescreening to think of words.

"Huh, I didn't expect that to affect you so much", Oriko comments.

"You, you can't just call me exceptionally cute. I might start getting ideas"

"What ideas would those be?"

"That you like me that way"

"That way? What way would that be?" Oriko says, and for a second, Kirika feels like she's going to explode.

"Ro, rom, romanti", Kirika keeps stumbling over the word. If she says it, then it's crossing a line she can't go back from.

"Romantically? Yes, I can see how you would get that idea. Your idea is correct, by the way"

"My idea?" Kirika's thought process is not working right now.

"Unless I misunderstood what you were trying to imply. Perhaps by 'that way' you simply meant as a good friend?"

"Don't tease me", Kirika whines. If Oriko keeps playing with her heart like this, she might actually die.

"Yes Kirika, to be absolutely clear, I like you"

"Oh", This was always more of a daydream than something Kirika had ever expected to happen. Should she pinch herself to make sure this isn't some kind of dream?

"Oh? Is that all?"

"I like you too," Kirika says, even if that barely scratches the surface of the feelings Kirika feels towards Oriko.

Oriko smiles, Kirika finds the expression dazzling "I'm pleased. It would have been a shame had my feelings been unrequited"

Kirika laughs at the idea Oriko could have even imagined that Kirika didn't return her feelings. There is not a single thing in all of creation that Kirika loves even a faction as much as she does Oriko. "I fell for you practically the first time I met you, so that'd be pretty unlikely"

"You could have initiated, you know", Oriko points out.

"Oriko, what about me suggests I had the confidence to do that?"

"You've been very confident in most other things. Am I so intimidating?"

"Of course you are, you're practically perfect. You're incredible. How could I, of all people, possibly feel confident doing that?"

"I'm surprised you still think that about me, considering you've seen me at my lowest before. I would consider myself very far indeed from perfect"

"The fact you have flaws makes you more beautiful, not less. I might love a work of art that's made without imperfections, but that sort of love would be hollow. You're perfect because you've stayed by my side and supported me despite how much both of us have gone through. I cannot imagine a person I could possibly care for more than you" The words slip through Kirika's tongue. Sappy things like that have never been Kirika's strong suit. Before Oriko, Kirika's not sure if she ever had a single romantic thought in her life about someone. Yet the idea that Oriko could consider herself anything less than amazing is wrong. She's the best person Kirika's ever met in her entire life and deserves to know that.

"Kirika"

"Yes Oriko"

"No matter what may come in the future, meeting you was the greatest fortune of my life. No matter what sacrifices we may make or pain I may bear, I will never for a second regret standing by your side. Thank you for showing me there are still things worth loving and living for," Oriko replies so earnestly that Kirika feels her heart skip a beat.

"Y, you can't just say things like that like. I'll faint right at this table and spill hot chocolate over both of us," Kirika exclaims. This is the best moment of her life, and she is not at all ready for it.

"Now Kirika, that's rather unfair. Are you suggesting that you're allowed to bear your heart to me but I'm not allowed to do the same to you? I wouldn't like you to assume what I feel for you is any weaker than what you feel for me after all"

"N, No, that's not what I was trying to say at all. I just. This is the best moment of my life, and I don't know what to do"

"Well, in that case, I suppose I can take the lead this once. Kirika, would you like to be my girlfriend?"

"More than anything in the world", Kirika replies entirely sincerely.

"See, that wasn't too hard, was it?"

"Oriko, the fact I haven't fainted is a way greater miracle than anything Kyubey can do. I feel lightheaded"

"For someone so frail, you seem to be practically vibrating in your seat", Oriko points out.

Of course she is. Kirika at once feels like she might faint, but also more energised than she's ever felt in her life. Oriko's ever feature seems so utterly radiant that looking at her is like staring at the sun. Blinding in its beauty. Yet somehow someone so incredible, so utterly out of Kirika's league that the idea of them even being friends is laughable, chose her to love.

"Well, if you're not going to respond, I suppose I shall just have to take the initiative again" Oriko moves off her chair and steps forward. Looking down at Kirika with an adoring gaze that Kirika, before meeting Oriko, could never imagine being aimed at her. Kirika stands up.

Oriko leans down, and Kirika gets on her tiptoes with eagerness.

Her first kiss is infinitely sweeter than the hot chocolate.

Chapter Text

"Hey there, looks like you're struggling with the witch, want a bit of help?" Oriko offers to the magical girl who just got knocked into a pillar by the cyclops made of bricks that owns this witch's ward.

"I could probably use it, yeah. That thing keeps rebuilding itself when I use magic to hurt it"

"Oriko, nice to meet you. Since you seem new, I'll let you take the grief seed," Oriko offers her hand to the girl getting up from the floor.

"Thanks, I'm---" Oriko's other hand manifests her sword and slides it gently through the girl's chest, letting a pulse of antimagic disconnect her from her soul gem.

While she probably doesn't need to bother destroying the soul gem, considering it's nothing more than a dull rock now that it has no connection to a body. But since, for all Oriko knows, Kyubey could get info out of it or something. She tosses it at the witch.

The window the witch uses as an eye turns to the gem before the witch stomps on it, leaving nothing but powder behind.

While the witch does that, Oriko leaps at it and swings her blade, letting out a pulse of antimagic that cuts through the witch's arm, letting the entire part collapse. Managing to get her antimagic to function at range is something that's taken a lot of effort, but has more than paid off. Even if she can only get it to go 3 or so meters before it gets ruinously expensive to use.

Still, that and the ability to extend her sword's antimagic aura fully around her are enough that Oriko can be confident taking down the vast majority of witches and magical girls without issue. Something she reaffirms as her blade pierces the window the witch sees through before extending another pulse directly into the witch. Destroying its head and letting the construction site its barrier seems based around crumble into nothing.

Oriko dismisses her bloodied blade along with the rest of her transformation. Putting the witch's grief seed in a bag as she sets off back home.

Just as Oriko expects, the door opens before she has a chance to knock, and she eagerly leans into the embrace of her girlfriend, who, as always, seems so pleased to see her.

"Good job Oriko, that should be the last one for the next day or two. You really are remarkable"

"You were watching?"

"I got a glimpse of how you dealt with the last couple", Kirika admits.

"It's nice that you appreciate my work. Though I assume you haven't been slacking on your own?"

"Course not. Currently, the most successful method would probably be to see if we can get Kyubey to suspect Akemi. When I've tested probing that, he seems to be unsure of her and is suspicious bout her. Her magical girl outfit also has white as a primary colour, so whoever managed to mention a magical girl in white before finishing dying won't reduce suspicion on her"

"Doesn't she use guns. Surely the blade injuries would make her less of a suspect," Oriko points out.

"You would be right, except Kyubey has never seen her fight. No one has actually. Generally, she only fights witches alone with no witnesses. All anyone knows is that she can teleport somehow. Meaning as long as I can find the right way to organise things, then we may be able to deal with Madoka while Akemi's fighting the other magical girls Kyubey can get together. Considering the murders will stop when she's dead, they might even believe they caught the actual killer"

Oriko smiles. It looks like things finally have a chance of coming to a pleasing conclusion.

While Oriko can't say she dislikes her current role. Honestly, so long as it's supporting Kirika's ambitions, there is very little Oriko would dislike. She will still appreciate the end of the threat to the world and the lowered risk. It also means more time to spend with Kirika, which will never fail to be a pleasure.

"It sounds like you have things in hand in that case"

"Hopefully, still need to set up a bit of groundwork with Kyubey. Still, so long as nothing goes wrong, I'd say we have good odds"

"I trust you to know what you're doing, dear" Seeing how Kirika's face lights up at the term of affection is truly adorable.

"Hopefully. Oh yeah, I also got some chocolates for you. You'll like these ones," Kirika says, quickly rushing in and getting out a box of chocolates, though Oriko doesn't recognise the brand.

"Did you check the future just to make sure I would enjoy the chocolates you bought me?"

"I wanted to treat my girlfriend"

"I certainly feel treated. I doubt many girls can be 100% sure they'll enjoy what their girlfriend has gotten for them before trying it. I suppose we can share those after dinner"

While it would probably be more optimal for Kirika to only make these sorts of gestures after Madoka is dead, for small things like this, Oriko finds it extremely thoughtful. Anyway, at this point, Kirika's efficient enough with her magic and has enough grief seeds to make it an almost irrelevant expense.

The evening proves to be as enjoyable as Oriko had hoped. She, like usual, does the cooking, since for all of Kirika's wonderful traits, she is very much not a cook. Unless Oriko wants to sample diabetes. despite that, Kirika is more than happy to assist her and help with the cleaning up.

Just as Kirika had foretold, the chocolates are entirely to Oriko's taste. Being mostly dark compared to the more sweetened varieties that Oriko's seen Kirika getting for herself. Yet the thing Oriko enjoys more about the evening isn't the food or the chocolates but rather how light Kirika seems.

Since Oriko confessed her feelings to Kirika, a weight that was bearing down on Kirika seems to have disappeared. There are no relapses of guilt-inducing visions like in Kazamino, and Kirika seems unfazed by what Oriko does for her.

Yet it's not as if the happiness and brightness that's invaded Kirika has left her any less focused on her task. If anything, she seems more dedicated than ever. Confidently misdirecting Kyubey and giving Oriko her targets' descriptions without the slightest bit of hesitation.

It's infectious. The energy and hope that Kirika has gained cannot help but seep into Oriko. She cannot help but feel like they are a step away from their goal. The goal that Oriko can slaughter for with a smile, so long as it allows Kirika's happiness to be preserved.

It is just a matter of time until Oriko can present Kirika Madoka's cooling corpse. Though she is always pleased to follow Kirika's will, even when messy, she is certain that ending Madoka will be a true delight. Not because she has anything against the child. Madoka is as close to innocent as one can be. Her only sin is that her potential is too great. Yet with her death, Kirika's purpose will be fulfilled, and Kirika will finally be able to relax.

One of the things Oriko is most proud of is that Kirika has not once had to stain her hands. Never have her chains shattered the soul of another magical girl, and so long as Oriko is by her side, they will never have to. Oriko will gladly bathe in the guilt of murder so long as Kirika's hands can be kept clean. She would rather the white of her outfit be dyed entirely in crimson than see a drop spill on Kirika's.

When this is over, Kirika will be able to live her life without ever knowing the pain of ending another. That Kirika can keep that innocence only gives Oriko more reason to be glad as she further paints her hands red.

If it is to ensure Kirika's smile, then Oriko can kill anyone without hesitation. There is nothing she will not do to protect her world.

Though as nice as the evening is, its end arrives inevitably.

"Goodnight Kirika"

"Night Oriko, love you"

"I love you too" Oriko's not sure if the love she feels is what people most commonly see love as. What she has and will do for Kirika has left Oriko far too drenched in blood and sin for any idea of love as a pure thing of good. Yet at the same time, every sin she has committed has been for her love of Kirika and the world she lives in.

Besides, what she's done is for the best, no matter how awful the individual acts may be. Preventing extinction may be one of the few scenarios where the ends truly do justify any means.

As Oriko goes to sleep, she finds herself free of any nightmares that may have burdened her once before. When she feels as much purity of purpose as she does right now, then how could anything haunt her?

When Oriko awakes, she sets to making something nice for Kirika to wake up to. Oriko may not be able to surprise her, but that doesn't reduce Kirika's delight with the things Oriko makes for her.

After considering a bit she settles on making pancakes. She did offer to make them for Kirika before the whole Sasa fiasco, and then never got the chance to do so. Which makes this morning a great time for it. Especially since Oriko already has the ingredients in the house. Including a new bottle of syrup that Kirika is sure to drain. Hopefully, magic can regenerate tooth decay alongside being bisected. Since Kirika's either going to need that or a lot of visits to the dentist later in life.

Though that is a long-term issue that Oriko elects not to spare any more thought to this morning. She wants to treat Kirika, not worry about the consequences a decade down the line.

When Oriko finishes the pancakes, Kirika arrives at almost the exact moment she puts out the plates.

From Kirika's wide smile, Oriko feels satisfied she chose well.

"You know these pancakes are almost good enough to make me forget I have school"

"At least you have your school uniform here this time"

"True, that was so embarrassing. If there's a council of magical girl precogs out there somewhere, I'm pretty sure I lost my invitation for being unintentionally late for school despite being able to see the future"

"It's their loss, though I suppose you not being in any magical girl groups means I have more time having you to myself, so I suppose I cannot be too sad. To excuse you slightly for that misstep, you did just have the two most hectic days of your life. Forgetting something like a school uniform is probably excusable in light of dealing with the implications of there being an oncoming apocalypse in a bit over a month"

"I suppose that's a pretty good excuse. Also, I'm willing to bet there aren't any precog groups. Otherwise, I would have expected at least one to take a shot at Madoka. Unless they're better precogs than me and already know I'm going to deal with it"

"Maybe you are simply the most qualified seer around. I would presume that seeing the future isn't the most common of magical powers. It's also possible that most precognisants die quickly due to having similar side effects to your own abilities"

"Oh yeah, that would make sense actually. If I didn't have you, then my magic would have gotten me killed for sure"

"I'm glad I could let you avoid that ignorable fate. You very much deserve better. Though I would propose we pause our conversation for a second. I fear if you leave your pancakes for much longer, the syrup you poured onto the pancakes may dissolve them"

"Oh yeah, good point", Kirika notes before switching her attention back to the pancakes. Which she adds a dollop of jam to, before consuming with great enthusiasm.

Oriko does take a moment to consider how anyone who added that much syrup to their pancakes could feel that it required any further sweetness. Then again, Kirika wouldn't be Kirika if not for her idiosyncrasies. If Oriko ignores how sickly sweet that must be, she can almost imagine it tasting nice based on nothing but the ecstasy Kirika's face displays as she eats it.

She can't imagine it enough to try it herself, though. She'll stick to more normal amounts of sweetness.

"Thanks, Oriko, that was delicious. Though to avoid any more lateness-based embarrassment, I should go. There's going to be a huge traffic jam on the way to school, so I'm gonna take the train, which means a bit more of a walk"

"I'm pleased you enjoyed. Good luck with school"

"You too. I'll call at lunch"

With that, Kirika sets off. By the time Oriko's done cleaning up all after herself, it's late enough that she too sets off to school.

Of course, the usual piranhas are hanging around the school and without Komaki around, they see blood in the water. Before long, Oriko gets to enjoy the bothersome commentary of dozens of people trying to convince themselves that their social status is infinitely more secure than Oriko's ever was.

She does have the brief thought of wondering if a single one of these oh so impressive students around her would have ended up anywhere other than a mental institution if they walked in on their father hanging himself. Based on how insecure they all seem, she doubts many of them would have survived the experience.

It's not like she vocalises the thought, though. Irrelevances like the people around her don't deserve the effort. Besides, arguing was Komaki's hobby, not Oriko's.

Most of the day goes entirely as Oriko would expect. So much so that she probably could have faked being as good at seeing the future as Kirika just by predicting the exact sentences people would say and do over the school day.

At least until Koito approached her.

"Are you Mikuni Oriko?"

Oriko blinks at the question. It's rare enough for something to be asked of her in a polite tone here. Not being recognised on sight, or at least having someone ask, is simply strange.

"I am, yes"

"Hi I'm Asako Koito. I don't suppose you'd be free to talk after school"

"Komaki's sister?"

"Yes, exactly. I would like to talk to you about her and get a bit of advice. I know your relationship with her was a bit perilous, but I don't think there's anyone else who it'd feel right talking about her with"

There is a brief instant of panic at the idea Koito could know what Oriko did to her sister, but it's calmed by how unaccusatory she is. That, alongside the lack of any magic around her, suggests that she wants a genuine conversation. Rather than her being a magical girl seeking to ambush Oriko.

"I believe I have a free schedule after school. If there is anything about her you would like to get off your chest to me in particular, then feel free" Most days, Oriko would have denied the conversation. Ambushing magical girls is a rather time consuming activity to do safely. Yet with Kirika giving her the clear for the next few days, Oriko does actually have the free time to accept.

"Thanks, Mikuni. See you after school, I suppose"

"See you"

Oriko's not quite sure what she expects out of Koito, but perhaps it can let her gain a bit of closure for what occurred with Komaki. She and Akira are the only people Oriko still feels any kind of guilt for harming. So perhaps a chat will be rewarding.

After a banal rest of the school day. Other than a rather delightful conversation with Kirika over lunch. Oriko finds herself sitting in the park outside her school on a picnic mat Koito had with her.

"Sorry to be such a bother, Mikuni"

"Think nothing of it. There are times when one cannot ask advice of the people they are closest to. I'm pleased to be of service. Even if I was rather surprised when you first approached me. Especially considering your sister seemed to find me distasteful"

"That's not true at all"

"Is it not? She certainly enjoyed arguing and fighting with me. I would have assumed dislike"

"Actually, my sister... She was always working so hard and only worked harder when she got into Shirome Junior High. I think what she wanted was a rivalry between the two of you"

"I suppose that does explain her habit of backhanded compliments and trying to make everything with me a competition"

"Honestly, she thought quite highly of you. She just didn't want to show that unless she could show you up first"

"I see" Is that why Komaki chose to fight her back then rather than talk things out? Because she hoped to show that magic was an area she was more skilled in than Oriko was? Did something so petty as a rivalry get her friend killed? The idea hurts more than Oriko would ever admit.

"But then my sister got caught up in that. Akira did too"

Koito swallows.

"At the funeral, I couldn't even cry. I couldn't help it. I was just so scared. You see, I knew my sister was going out in the middle of the night, but I never tried to stop her. I got Akira mixed up in it, too"

"Koito. It isn't your fault" What Oriko doesn't say is that the person she should be blaming sits right in front of her.

The deaths of Komaki and Akira were utterly avoidable if Oriko had just a bit more competence or situational awareness.

"I'm a terrible person. I was so afraid of confronting her that I just pretended I didn't know. It feels like she's always watching me. Judging me for the awful thing I did"

"What Komaki chose to get involved in was never your responsibility. There was no way for you to know things would have ended up the way they did. You are not to blame for what happened. Akira chose to be there of her own free will. You didn't force her. It was simple misfortune"

"But I"

"Your lack of tears does not mean any lesser depth of feeling. Sometimes it is best not to display what is hidden in your heart. Those who did not know her may use your heartfelt emotions to attack you. I know of those types of feelings," Though Oriko no longer holds the warmth she used to have in her heart for her father. She understands the depths of grief perfectly well.

"I, I'm so sorry. How could I forget you lost your father recently too?"

"It's all right. That is why I can understand your feelings"

"Mikuni..."

"I promise you with absolute certainty that your sister would not have blamed you in the least for what occurred. She, without a doubt, loved you and would feel that just as strongly were she looking at you now. Anyway, I am the one your sister was fond of judging, I believe"

Oriko is also the only person who deserves to be judged for how things ended that day. Were it not for Kirika, Oriko is certain the guilt of that imagined judgment would have crushed her.

"Heh, she was rather fond of complaining about you"

"Would you like to just talk about her? I'm willing to bet I got to see a few sides of her you wouldn't have"

"That would be nice"

"Did Komaki ever tell you the story of how she accidentally became the school ghost last year and had to investigate herself with me?"

"She never did say what happened with that. She just kept stammering and saying nothing happened when I asked"

"Well, you see..."

Komaki, if she can see past the grave, must certainly despise Oriko. Not that such a hate would be unearned. Yet if Oriko can at least reduce the burdens she put on Koito, maybe that can go some tiny amount of the way to reducing the harm she has caused.

No matter how stained her hands may become, Oriko hopes she never becomes the sort of person who is cruel. Kirika first came to love her because of her kindness. Letting that wilt away would be a disservice to Kirika and herself.

Chapter Text

"I had a rather enlightening chat with Kyubey earlier", Kirika says as she leans back into one of Oriko's sofas.

"That must have been quite the conversation, considering how cryptic he is"

"He's forming a hunt for the magical girl in white", Kirika says with a wide grin.

"I presume, based on your smile, that your visions have come to fruition"

"A girl with magic that not even Kyubey quite understands. Going by the name of Homura Akemi," Kirika is practically cackling as she finishes speaking.

"I suppose our wish is coming true then"

"Yep, all we need now is time. The end of the world is soon to be cancelled"

"I presume you have an idea of how to draw out Madoka once Homura is appropriately distracted?"

"Course. That was never the issue. That was always Miss Magical Girl Overwhelming Firepower over there. Who Kyubey is very kindly going to take care of for us"

"In that case, I suppose I will be fulfilling my blade's purpose for one final time. A single painless swing to end a life"

"Yep, and then we're free. Not of being magical girls, obviously. I'm pretty sure that doesn't have an expiration date, but between you and me, I'm pretty sure we're good on that front. Just need to sit back and smell those roses you like so much"

"The roses were always my father's passion. I'm afraid I hold no strong fondness for them"

Kirika staggers back.

"Wait, really. Dammit, I spent all that time learning the names of all the roses in your garden, only for it to be him who liked them. Now I want to forget all that rubbish"

"You learned all the roses?" There are a fair few varieties out in the garden.

"I thought you'd be impressed and we could share the interest. I don't want the slightest thing in common with your dad, though. Considering how much he hurt you, I'm tempted to replace the roses out of spite. I don't suppose you have an actual favourite flower?"

"That would be very much unnecessary, though I am flattered you care that much. I do rather like lilies if you'd like to plant a few more flowers out there"

"Much better flower than roses anyway", Kirika agrees, nodding. As if she hadn't admitted to learning a bunch of types of roses a second ago.

"Kirika, you really are incorrigible"

"I'm choosing to take that as a compliment"

"I don't take issue with that. It's not like there's anything I'd like to change or improve about you"

"You really think so?"

"Actually, maybe slightly better table manners. Sometimes you talk with your mouth full, and I cannot understand a word you say"

"If you didn't make such nice things for me, I wouldn't have so much trouble choosing between talking to you and eating"

"Perhaps I've over-spoiled you"

"Personally, I think you've spoiled me the perfect amount"

"I suppose you do deserve it, considering how hard you've been working. Thinking about it, I should make something to celebrate. While it's not over quite yet, today is a large milestone"

"Oooh, a celebration sounds nice"

"I was thinking of making a sponge cake. It's been a while since I made one, but I'm certain you'll enjoy it" Oriko definitely still has her mother's recipe around somewhere, and that always came out a treat.

"That sounds nice. I have a few ideas of my own, actually. How about I do my set up and you do yours? That way we can have a nice surprise for each other"

"You say that like you'll be surprised by anything I do", Oriko points out.

"I can pretend to be", Kirika offers.

"Oh well. I will look forward to whatever you're planning to prepare"

"You know what, I will sincerely try not to see how today goes. My magic doesn't always listen, so I can't promise, but I'd like to think I can keep it under a bit of control," Kirika declares.

"In that case, I will try to make this evening something worth being surprised by"

It shouldn't be too hard to find things to please Kirika. She loves anything sweet, seems to greatly enjoy anything vaguely romantic as long as it's with her and loves to share her hobbies and interests with someone who actually cares. Oriko's sure she can fit all of those things together without too much effort.

Soon, Oriko is going to fulfil Kirika's wish. If there is anything worth celebrating, it's that.

Though making sure things go perfectly does require a bit of preparation. For one, she needs to do a bit of shopping. Notably, ingredients for the cake, flowers and perhaps a few other sweet snacks, Kirika is sure to enjoy.

To start with, Oriko decides to get the cake ingredients. She can get the flowers on the way home. Normally, she would think roses are the obvious flowers to get for seeming romantic, but considering the conversation Oriko had with Kirika earlier, perhaps not.

Oriko considers for a second if Kirika has a favourite flower before coming to the conclusion that this is Kirika she's thinking about. She would say it's lilies purely because that's what Oriko said earlier, and she would want to share that with her.

So that settles the flowers she's going to get later, Oriko thinks with a smile. She's so lucky to have a person who cares about her so utterly and adoringly.

Though for now, she should start with cake ingredients. She's more than good on sugar. She even has multiple types of it because Kirika gets something out of the variety, so she doesn't need anything there. She also has a sufficient amount of flour. Should probably get more eggs since making the cake will run Oriko out otherwise, also she should probably top up on baking powder, butter and vanilla extract.

When Oriko reaches the baking powder, however, she finds someone standing in front of it.

"Excuse me, could you pass a baking powder?"

"Oh sure", the blond in front of her replies before looking at her basket. "Are you planning to bake a cake?"

Looking at the person in front of her, Oriko realises she can sense a little magic off her. This girl, whoever she is, is a magical girl.

"That's the plan, yes. I would imagine you're planning something similar based on your basket"

"Yes, an old friend of mine has arrived here recently. I want to make something for when they come over"

As they talk, Oriko and the magical girl end up getting to check out. Turns out both of them finished shopping at around the same time.

"I'm making mine for my significant other. We've had some good news recently, so I'm making it to celebrate"

"Oh, if it's not rude to pry, what's the good news?"

"We're finally going to meet a friend of ours in person. For a variety of reasons, we hadn't had the chance until now, but getting to talk to her properly will be nice," Presenting Kirika her head will be even nicer.

"I suppose our reasons aren't that different in that case. Meeting estranged friends"

If Oriko's right, their reasons are probably pretty closely related too. If a friend of a magical girl has suddenly decided to come back now of all times, it's probably to hunt down a certain magical girl murderer. Hopefully, Akemi will enjoy the company.

"It is a funny coincidence", Oriko agrees.

"I suppose I've been rather rude talking to you this long without introducing myself. Tomoe Mami"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Mikuni Oriko"

Oriko can see Mami's eyes widen slightly and her mouth slightly part to ask something before she decides better of it. The two finish paying for their groceries and continue their talk outside.

"I suppose your significant other is lucky to have someone willing to bake cakes for him on special occasions"

"My girlfriend does highly appreciate that, yes. She has a rather sweet tooth"

"Oh sorry, I suppose I shouldn't have assumed"

"Assumptions can be rather dangerous, yes. Though in this case, no harm was done"

"I suppose so. I hope you and your girlfriend's meeting with that friend of yours goes well"

"I hope the same for that estranged friend of yours. Hopefully, everything goes well for the both of us" If Mami were to kill Akemi, then Oriko may need to send her a gift basket.

Oriko begins walking a separate direction from Mami. She still needs to find some good flowers before heading back home to celebrate with Kirika.

Before she makes it too far however, she suddenly senses magic rapidly coming towards her. Oriko looks in its direction and sees nothing before a witch's ward suddenly comes into being around her.

As the ward springs up, Oriko's caught off guard. Does this witch hunt magical girls or something? Ignoring the irony in her of all people being attacked by something like that, Oriko forms her outfit and sword. Dropping her shopping next to her. Hopefully, she can pick it back up before the ward crumbles. Having to buy all of that again would be a pain.

Unlike many barriers, the witch springs up right in front of Oriko. It's a rather grotesque thing. Standing almost like a person, if not for the many legs sprouting out of its back alongside a number of clawed hands. Its skin seems rubbery and its head looks torn off the chesure cat, except it has the face and ears on both sides.

It immediately begins swinging at Oriko with its many limbs. Forcing her to duck and dodge around them, cutting at its arms as she does.

Sadly, as this witch has an actual body as opposed to being a number of objects held together by magic, her sword only cuts it rather than forcing entire chunks of it to fall apart. Even if it does cut through without the slightest hint of resistance. Which would be effective except its arms are as large as Oriko is, and it doesn't seem to be capable of running out of them.

Before Oriko can work out a way to stab the witch in the face past its endless tide of limbs, a volley of gunfire strikes the witch. It hisses out of both its mouths before jumping back, propelled by a dozen legs.

The thing skitters off, going down one of the labyrinth's many paths. The entire thing is a mess of carpeted routes decorated with patterns of sweets.

Oriko turns around to the magical girl who just aided her, "Thanks for the assist, Mami. Though I suppose we'll have to hunt it down"

"Mikuni. I didn't know you were a magical girl. Or that you knew I was a magical girl, considering your complete lack of reaction to seeing me"

"I have a rather good sense for magic. Though I didn't want to bring it up. I wasn't exactly anticipating it becoming relevant information"

"I suppose", Mami replies, looking closely at Oriko.

"Your magic is guns?"

"Ribbons, actually, I just have very good control of them. Yours seems linked to your sword"

That is a terrifying amount of control, actually. Though that does suggest that the ribbons are fully magical to be that malleable.

"It nullifies magic. Which makes it very good for witch hunting, considering most of them are made of the stuff"

"That sword is rather interestingly designed", Mami points out.

"I suppose it isn't the most traditional type of sword to take to combat", Oriko agrees.

"It doesn't have a point"

"Indeed, it's blunted at the end. Though the sides are more than sharp enough to make that a non-issue"

Oriko sees Mami's eyes narrow, and she takes a step back from Oriko.

"I don't believe it's that threatening a weapon", Oriko comments on Mami's movement.

"No, but it is the last piece in a puzzle I've been trying to work out recently" A number of guns appear around Mami.

"Have you spotted the witch?" Oriko asks. She suspects she knows where this is going, but would much rather play ignorant on the off chance she's wrong.

"All the magical girls killed by the magical girl serial killer in this city have sword wounds. Yet not a single one has been stabbed. It was a rather strange thing. Because there are a few of them where the cut is small enough through them that a stab would have been significantly more logical a wound for them to have"

"Are you accusing me of something?" Oriko says her voice is a picture of utter confusion.

"I suppose I am. Magical girl in white"

Oriko considers. Even if she convinces Mami not to attack her here, she is sure to inform Kyubey of her suspicions. While Oriko's currently got off without much investigation due to the fact that Kirika is above suspicion from Kyubey, and Oriko is associated with her. If he starts a dedicated investigation on her, then not only will the hunt for Akemi likely stall while he investigates, but there is a good chance he will put the pieces together.

That's a shame. Oriko had honestly not wanted to kill anyone today. She hopes Kirika won't be disappointed in her for this utter shambles. Though knowing Kirika, Oriko will be forgiven in no time at all. Even if she may not have time to make that sponge cake
after all.

"Does the colour of my clothing mean something?" Oriko says, trying to move closer to Mami. If she can land a single strike on her, then this battle will end instantly.

"Don't play dumb. Does that girlfriend of yours know she's dating a murderer?"

Oriko swings, the swipe extended by a wave of antimagic.

Sadly, Mami is ready for the attack and pulls herself out of the way with her ribbons. Though the ribbons hit by Oriko's antimagic disperse on contact.

"She'll probably be disappointed I had to kill you, actually. I really did have no ill intent today. Not that I can let you leave this ward alive now"

"I don't suppose you'd like to enlighten me as to why you chose to become a monster?" Mami says having reached a sufficient distance to begin massing up guns. The second this conversation ends, Oriko knows she's going to be turned into Swiss cheese. Without her magic, at least.

"I suppose love would be the most accurate reason. Though I could also say it's for a good cause," Oriko says with a smirk.

"What does that even mean?"

"I would explain, but there is little point in talking to corpses", Oriko replies.

The guns fire, and the ground around Oriko becomes riddled with thousands of bullets. Not a single one gets through the soft white glow that surrounds Oriko.

Once the dust clears up, Oriko can see Mami shocked at the fact that Oriko's entierly untouched

"Was that it?" Oriko says as she begins walking towards Mami. Keeping her antimagic aura up is magically cheap while she's willing to bet that much gunfire very much isn't. All Oriko has to do is chase Mami around the barrier and let her exhaust herself.

It will be intresting being a persistence predator rather than the ambush predator she has usually taken the role of.

The second volley of gunfire fails to slow Oriko's walk towards Mami, nor does the 3rd, fourth or fifth.

Oriko drinks in the look of horror in Mami's eyes. Hopefully, that despair will only further drain her magic.

"Is it my turn yet?" Oriko comments casually.

Mami grits her teeth. "Trio Finalle!" A massive gun appears before her, sending a bullet the size of some people towards Oriko.

Oriko extends the aura around her sword slightly and swats the bullet before it can land. Letting it dissolve into nothingness as it touches the light.

"I suppose I should take that as a yes", Oriko continues before sprinting towards Mami. Who desperately backs away, accelerated by her ribbons.

As Oriko runs after Mami, she notices bullets impact the back of her antimagic. Smart of Mami to try to attack from behind in the hope that Oriko's magic is directional. Sadly for her, after what happened with that witch that hurt Kirika so much, Oriko's made very sure to fix that glaring weakness.

After that, the chase around the barrier continues. Mami continues probing Oriko's defences. Making bullets of different speeds and sizes. Even trying to wrap her up in ribbons. In the end, however, all of it is magic, and so none of it inconveniences Oriko in the least.

Oriko is also faster than Mami physically. Mami's ability to use ribbons to dodge in additional dimensions, switch direction instantly, and manoeuvre mid-air being the only reasons she can avoid Oriko's slashes.

"I don't suppose you're willing to give up. Surely you can see it's futile at this point," Oriko comments. She's not even partially winded, yet she can tell Mami's been put through the ringer.

"Antimagic", Mami says in response, now waiting a short distance away from Oriko.

"?" Oriko looks up at Mami in question.

"That's what your magic is, right. Why it shields you from all my attacks?"

"I did inform you of that. If you want to try and punch me, that won't be stopped by it," Oriko offers.

"What a troublesome magic that is. Well suited to murder, I suppose"

"I do take some pride in my efficiency. Though I get the sense you have no plans to give up. So I hope you don't mind if I cut the conversation short" Oriko jumps forward towards Mami and is blasted back as a bullet in front of her explodes before touching her aura.

Oriko crashes into the ground violently.

"I was right. You can stop magic, but you can't stop physics"

Another explosive bullet sets off just outside Oriko's barrier, blasting Oriko further into the ground. She can feel something on her chest start to crack.

"I doubt any of the shrapnel from the bullets is touching you, but the shockwaves aren't magic at all. Just a side effect of an explosion happening in an atmosphere. As long as I detonate them outside of your magic, you can't stop them"

Oriko slowly tears herself from the floor. There is no way she's living this fight. Which is a bit of a pity, but so long as Mami doesn't either, then Kirika can still kill Madoka. She fully extends her magic aura in front of her burning magic that leaks out of her cracked gem like a sieve.

She finds herself laughing.

"Mikuni Oriko, this time I must insist you answer my questions"

"No chance"

"You will bleed out if those wounds aren't bound", Mami points out.

Beaten by someone who doesn't even understand how magical girls work. What a joke.

Oriko leaps forward, "If I have to die to defend my world, then so be it! This won't stop me!"

The extended antimagic manages to catch the first of Mami's large explosive bullets, but the second detonates sooner and sends Oriko crashing back to the ground.

She can only barely stand up on shaking legs. Looking up, Oriko can see another large gun aimed at her from Mami. Guess she failed after all.

As Oriko's vision starts to go black, Oriko swears she can hear the sound of chains.

Chapter Text

As Oriko sets off to get cake ingredients and whatever other stuff she's planning, Kirika finds herself with a smile on her face that she's unable to get rid of.

In less than a week, all of this will be over. Madoka will be dead, the world will be safe, and Kirika can have Oriko by her side for the rest of her life. A dream come true.

She does have some temptation to check what Oriko's planning for later, but Kirika resists. She wants to let her perfect girlfriend surprise her just this once.

In the meantime, she wants to set the place up for a celebration. If Oriko's going to be making cake then Kirika should do what she can to set things up. As much as she would also like to bake something nice for Oriko, the last time she thought that was a good idea, a vision showed the carbonised abomination that she was going to create.

Maybe one day she can get good enough to do some of the cooking for Oriko, but for the sake of not burning the house down, Kirika's going to leave that for after Madoka is dead.

Still, that doesn't mean she can't get snacks she knows Oriko likes and set up the room a bit. Maybe put some lilies out, considering what Oriko mentioned earlier. Roses are stupid and overdone, so that would probably seem way more romantic.

Kirika didn't really have strong opinions on flowers before, but now she is more than happy to share her favourite with Oriko. Really, that sort of thing just sells how classy Oriko is, and Kirika's happy to share that with her.

What other fun things can she do with Oriko? Does this house have a ballroom? Dancing is romantic and stuff, right? Also, Kirika's willing to bet Oriko's a really good dancer. Kirika just needs to use the supernatural grace she has as a magical girl to avoid stepping on Oriko's toes, and it will be great.

Actually, does Kirika know Oriko's favourite music? Wow, that hasn't come up in discussion, has it? Kirika's probably a slightly weird person to have memorised how many days older than her Oriko is without knowing the music she likes best. Not a problem though, learning more about Oriko is always a pleasure.

Based on her movie tastes, Kirika's willing to bet Oriko's a fan of classical stuff. It seems up her street. Should she listen to a few of those while Oriko's out? That way, she can have opinions when Oriko talks about the music she likes, and she'll sound smarter, having some things to reply to Oriko with.

Maybe that will make up for her misstep with the roses? And if Oriko turns out to be a heavy metal fan or something instead, then Kirika can just not mention looking up classical music to her. Perfect plan.

After getting some biscuits and other snacks Kirika knows Oriko likes from the closest corner shop, which is honestly very fancy for a corner shop, what with the area it's in, still that kinda works for Kirika because it means it has fancy snacks in it. She gets back and does a bit of cleaning and setting things up to look good for when Oriko gets back.

The problem with living in such a big house is it's very hard to take care of. If Kirika cleans the thing today, it will get dusty again tomorrow. For a celebration though, it's worth making sure the place looks nice so Oriko can enjoy the time extra.

After that, she puts on a list of well-known classical songs and reads a bit about their history. She's gonna look so smart to Oriko later, it'll be great. They can have cake and snacks that Kirika's gonna lay out all classy like on some of Oriko's more fancy plates. Then they can dance and probably kiss at the end.

While this might just be something Kirika and Oriko are doing to celebrate making progress rather than it being over, Kirika wants to make this an absolutely perfect day. Which means she's going to give Oriko a perfect evening and enjoy every single second of it.

Kirika finds herself practically buzzing with energy even after cleaning up the parts of the house she and Oriko are going to be using. She just feels so happy and optimistic. It's a sensation so bright and light and heavy at the same time that Kirika pre-wish couldn't even imagine it.

If she can have a year with every day feeling like she does now, then Kirika could die happy. Not that she wants to do that any time soon while she has Oriko by her side. For the first time in years, the idea of dying isn't just scary, it's repellent. Kirika truly cannot imagine wanting her life to end at the moment because it's just so wonderful that she doesn't want it to stop.

Next on the list of things to read about is Ode to Joy. Kirika giggles a bit. Actually, reading about it is probably gonna be pretty dry, even if it's 100% worth it to potentially impress Oriko. The name of the song really does fit Kirika's mood to a T though, which Kirika finds amusing.

Hopefully, things are going well with Oriko's preparations.

Kirika freezes, the phone she was reading on falling from her hand. That was? That....

It can't have been true, right? It was simply delusion. It must have been.

Kirika checks again with her magic. Consciously this time.

No, that doesn't make sense. There is no reason for Oriko to have attacked Mami or vice versa. Why would they even be in a barrier? Her magic is wrong. She just needs to check again.

Oh.

This is real, isn't it?

Oriko is going to die.

Kirika finds herself trembling. The happiness she had been basking in shattered beyond repair. She can't accept that future. She can change it, right? She has to be able to change it.

If she can't, then what was the point of her wish? Why does she even exist?

Kirika stumbles to her feet, not quite knowing when she had ended up on the floor, and manifests her magical girl outfit. Quickly finding a grief seed and tapping it to the dull cirtine gem her soul is stored in, that's shine is tarnished by the darkness that had almost consumed it in its entirety before the grief seed restored it.

She runs outside using the full abilities granted by her as a magical girl to move faster than any vehicle could move her. Looking over vision after vision as she does. Learning how the conflict happens. Where Oriko and Mami are. How she can stop this.

The issue is that Kirika is painfully far away. Even burning magic to move faster, she can't get to the barrier Mami and Oriko are in fast enough. She can only avert the very end. Nothing more.

Yet that has to be enough. Oriko's a magical girl. The flesh is just a puppet. Even burned and broken, it can be restored to pristine form with just a touch of magic. What Mami will do is only surface-level. Oriko will be fine.

Kirika just has to save her and avoid an extended conflict with Mami. If she attacks, she will have an early advantage but quickly get overwelmed. So she needs to attack with the full force of her magic, collect Oriko and make sure Mami cannot follow.

No problem. Anything for Oriko.

She arrives at the barrier and quickly sprints to where the explosions are occurring. Sending a single chain out in a seemingly random direction as she does.

"If I have to die to defend my world, then so be it! This won't stop me!" Kirika hears followed by a boom.

A final gun manifests behind Mami, aimed at Oriko's broken, barely standing form.

Then a storm of chains appears around Mami. The bullet fires and explodes on a chain right outside the gun. Sending Mami flying from the force chains, having been wrapped around her as she's hit. Breaking arms and legs. Some pierce into Mami and are ripped out as she's sent flying.

One would assume that would be more than enough to kill Mami. It would end any normal magical girl after all. Yet Mami is already up, her wounds bound by ribbons and healing.

Kirika leans down, picking up Oriko, who had collapsed just before the gun went off and Kirika interveined.

"A black magical girl", Mami mumbles, standing on legs held up by ribbons.

"You know of me", Kirika says. Her eyes dart around under her veil, trying to see the out she's created. Just need to wait for the right time.

Mami grits her teeth.

"We will meet again Tomoe, and when that day comes, you will regret what has transpired"

A wall of guns appears behind Mami.

Kirika's smile under her veil is pure malice.

"Until then"

A wall of chains block the bullets that would hit Kirika or Oriko, the rest missing. Before Mami can act any further, the barrier's witch jumps out at Mami from behind. The chain Kirika had sent out earlier to draw it to Mami finally paying dividends.

While Mami is distracted trying to fight the witch while wounded. Kirika opens the barrier and steps out before rushing back to Oriko's house. Speeding to put Oriko on a bed and tap grief seed to her soul gem.

Her cracked soul gem.

Kirika stares in silent horror at the web of cracks on Oriko's soul gem. The thing that holds Oriko. The thing that keeps magical girls alive.

Cracked.

That doesn't mean anything, right? Magical girls can heal their bodies up easily enough, why not their soul gems? Kirika just needs Oriko to wake and to heal herself, then everything will be fine.

Sure, all of their plans just went up in a fire. That's fine though, as long as Kirika has Oriko, anything is fine. They just need to attack Madoka before Kyubey can organise a hunt against Oriko and Kirika.

Admittedly, that's gonna be really risky. Oriko's antimagic offers some level of a solution to the time stop, but Kirika was hoping that they would be able to enchant way more countermeasures to Akemi than what they have.

Also, even after killing Akemi, Kirika and Oriko are going to have to deal with Mami and co hunting them down. Which is also bad because Kirika isn't 100% sure that's a fight she and Oriko can win. Maybe if they set up a prepared ambush? Her magic can facilitate that, right?

So anyway, the situation is no longer cake worthy. No dancing about or doing frivolous things with grief seeds, but it's not the end of the world. Not for a few weeks at least. Hopefully never if Kirika and Oriko do their job.

Just need Oriko to wake up. Maybe if Kirika uses a bit of magic to help her healing? Apparently, that helped wake Kirika up back when Oriko did it that one time. So it should work now, right?

Kirika pushes her magic into Oriko with the intent to heal. It works slightly, but the magic doesn't seem to be moving smoothly through Oriko; it's more expensive than it should be for Kirika. Is that because of the soul gem damage?

A sharp intake of breath informs Kirika that Oriko is conscious again. Her head lifts up from the pillows of the bed Kirika put her in.

"Oriko, you're awake! That fight really banged you up. I've brought up a couple grief seeds, so you should probably heal yourself before we chat"

"I'm alive? That's good," Oriko mutters before closing her eyes and focusing.

Her wounds begin closing, but her soul gem rapidly fills up with grief. Before Oriko's recovered Kirika's gone through the two grief seeds she brought up and a third one she had on her.

That has to be the cracked soul gem making Oriko less efficient with magic. Normally, she's way more efficient at most magic, like healing, than Kirika is after all.

"Can you do anything about your soul gem?" Kirika asks.

"No, it's broken, everything's broken. I failed again. I was meant to be better. Why did I fail again?" Oriko only sounds half concious.

"Shit, what do I do? How do I help? Would Kyubey know how to fix a damaged soul gem? But Mami's gonna tell him me and you are the murderers, so he'll probably just help you die. Dammit, dammit, dammit, there must be something. Please let there be something"

Kirika finds herself almost begging over the form of the person she loves.

Still, as Oriko sinks back into unconsciousness, Kirika calms herself. She has the perfect tool for this. She just needs to check the future. Surely a version of her in some possibility or another has found a solution to this?

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no.

There has to be something else. Another possibility.

Oh.

Kirika suddenly feels cold. Everything's suddenly shivery, and it feels like some weird sort of hollow numbness just scooped out everything left of Kirika's feelings.

Oriko's dead. Or at least is so terminally ill that she will be dead in less than a month.

Kirika can't save her, and Oriko can't save herself.

Kirika laughs. Guess it really is the end of the world.

End of her world if nothing else.

If Oriko's going to be gone, then is the world even worth saving?

Is there any reason for Kirika not to just let the whole rancid thing burn?

Looking down at Oriko's softly breathing form, that has so little time left. Kirika can't think of a single reason the world deserves to keep turning without her in it.

Saving Oriko is the first thing Kirika chose to do after making her wish. It's the only thing that has kept her going through thick and thin. She's killed for it, sacrificed things she never thought she would be willing to and crossed lines she would have never accepted crossing overwise.

But if Kirika truly can't have her world. Why should anyone get to keep theirs?

Chapter Text

Memories come in flashes: the fight against Mami, her failure, forcing her body to heal despite her magic moving lethargically and then the nightmare of waking up knowing that Oriko has failed Kirika in the most absolute sense.

When Oriko wakes up properly and sits up on the bed, she can feel that things are wrong. While her body obeys her, it's like the threads of magic controlling it are frayed. The passive sense for magic that has been in the background since her wish is erratic, like looking through a blurred and cracked lens.

It takes a second to move, so her legs lean off the bed. Now she's moved properly, she can understand what the issue is with her body. It's less fluid. She needs to actively concentrate on movement rather than her body obeying her whims without thought.

Once she gets used to this, Oriko will probably be able to do anything she could do physically just as well as she did otherwise. It's just that the strings her soul gem controls her body from feel much less subtle. It's never been quite so clear that Oriko's flesh is a puppet for her to pilot rather than herself.

Still, she somewhat jarringly gets to her feet. Her transformation disappeared while she slept. Maybe it ran out of magic to sustain it while she was unconscious or something? That's never happened in the past, but then again, Oriko's soul gem has never been cracked before.

No matter, the first thing that she must do is find Kirika. No matter her embarrassing and catastrophic failure earlier, she still has a duty to assist Kirika and help prevent the end of the world. With what happened, that will take more effort than ever and will likely require immense haste.

She needs to catch up with what Kirika has done while she was asleep and revise the plan for killing Madoka. Oriko should also probably fit a few apologies in there for underestimating Mami and having to be bailed out by Kirika.

Kirika's been very proactive recently, so she's probably on top of working out a path forward. Oriko just needs to find where she is and hear what plan she's come up with.

Oriko stumbles and fails to catch herself, not quite used to reacting now everything's less instinctive. Maybe due to the soul gem's connection to her brain having a weaker connection or something?

Still no harm done, well, other than falling on her face. At least Kirika didn't see that. Hard to present herself as the blade that executes Kirika's will if she's falling on her face. Oh well, getting used to this is a learning curve, and Oriko's always been good at learning. She should be most of the way to full functionality before the end of the day.

When she gets down to the living room, careful to concentrate on not falling down the stairs. She wouldn't die, but that would be even more embarrassing and might waste magic if she hurt herself. She finally spots Kirika lying motionless on a sofa.

"Kirika, what's the situation?" Oriko puts on as strong a voice as possible, making sure to focus on not slurring her words or stuttering. Maybe she should have gotten more of a feel for this before talking to Kirika, but there is no time to waste, so Oriko will just have to spare the concentration.

"Oriko?" The voice that replies is pitiful, wracked with tremors and sounding more despair laden than Oriko's ever heard from Kirika.

Oriko rushes over to Kirika and spots to her horror that Kirika's soul gem is three quarters full of grief and climbing without Kirika making any effort to find a grief seed. Oriko quickly finds the closest bag of grief seeds in the house and grabs a couple before rushing back to Kirika. Managing to catch herself when she stumbles this time.

"Kirika, your soul gem!" Oriko taps a grief seed to Kirika's citrine gem. Watching with relief as the black is sucked out and the gem begins to shine properly once more.

"Does it matter?"

"What do you mean, does it matter! You and the whole world will die if it fills up. What's going on with you?"

"It's pointless"

"Kirika?" Oriko looks at Kirika's face properly. Her eyes are bloodshot, her expression is one of abject despair, and she's not even bothered to clear the snot and tears that have built up on her face. Oriko can't think of a time Kirika's ever looked worse.

"This whole thing. It's pointless. So what, the world's gonna end. Who cares? Why should I bother to suffer saving it? Not like I like the thing"

"What? You've been working with me to save it for weeks. I know today was a massive setback, but we can't just give up. Kirika, if I want a chance, I need you by my side"

"What's the point of a future if you're not there?"

"What do you mean? I'm right here and have no plans to go anywhere"

"Your soul gem's cracked. No way to fix it. You'll be dead before the end of the month"

"Oh", that's a rather sobering realisation. Oriko obviously knew her soul gem being damaged was an issue, but was rather hoping it would be reparable or something she could just work around. Maybe higher magic costs would be a death sentence, but one that could be fought against. Just being doomed, though. How disappointing.

"I suppose that means we should get on with things then. We really do have no time to waste," Oriko continues. No matter how bad that is, it doesn't really change things. She has been willing to die for Kirika and the world for a while. So what if that's her fate? It doesn't change her purpose or what she wants to do.

"That's it? That's your reaction. Oriko, you're going to die"

"I know. It's not the end I wanted, but it's a risk I knew I was taking. You told me I would die before I ever made a wish. It's also one of the first things you reminded me of when I helped you with that first witch. That magical girls are doomed to die. I was hoping to have longer with you, but after my failure against Mami, the fact I have any time is more than I expected. We all die, remember. If I have less time left than most, that just means that it's even more important that it's spent well"

"Then spend it with me", Kirika pleads.

"Of course, Kirika. Where else would I spend my time?"

"Not like that. I mean, just forget about the end of the world. Why burn you out any faster than you're going to anyway? We can just hang out, eat nice food and watch the world burn. We have enough grief seeds to hold on until then, I'm pretty sure"

"Kirika?"

"What?"

"I don't believe that's the Kirika I know. The Kirika I pledged myself to was willing to fight to save the world or die trying. Even when she had no hope for herself, she was someone who said the world was worth saving because it had people like me in it. Has that person changed so much that she's given up on that belief of hers?"

"I never wanted to be that Kirika. I never wanted to be Kirika at all. My wish was nothing more than an attempt to justify killing myself!"

"So was it for nothing then? All those people I killed, Komaki and Akira? Are you suggesting that after all that blood and sacrifice, we let it all be for nought? Maybe your wish was an attempt to justify killing yourself at the time, but what you saw managed to give you enough motivation to live on. That Kirika you hate so much is the person who saved my life, who gave me a reason to live again and is the person I chose to love. Are you saying that is the person you despise?”

“The Kirika you love is a fraud. I’ve always been this. I’ve always been selfish and spiteful. I’ve never pretended to be anything other than a hypocrite and have never lied to myself that I’m a good person. Is it so wrong of me to not want to save a world that has never once given me anything it hasn’t taken away in the end?”

“Would that actually make you happy?”

“Of course not. I don’t think I was ever meant to be happy. The time I’ve had with you was just a wonderful fluke”

“If the time you’ve spent with me was so wonderful, then why cut it short like this? If we simply wait out the end, knowing we could stop it, then the entire time will be spent as morose as your magical girl outfit. We will just be waiting in despair as you slowly watch me die. Does that sound like a worthwhile end?”

“So what? You want to die sooner instead?”

“I want to finish the journey that brought me my best friend and beloved. I want to save the world by your side. I would rather spend my final moments doing something worthwhile than slowly wasting away. I would do anything for you, Kirika. Won’t you trust me this once?”

“That would make you happy?” Kirika asks, a sudden desperate light in her eyes.

“If I can spend my final moments fighting by your side to ensure the world goes on, then yes. I will be” Oriko loves Kirika too much to watch her slowly despair. If it is inevitable that she must burn out, then Oriko would rather burn brightly than sputter out.

“Ok”, the word is spoken so softly that Oriko’s not sure she would have been able to hear it were she an inch further from Kirika.

Oriko closes the space between her and Kirika, putting her arms around her. Kirika sinks into the affection.

“If you can’t see a future for yourself, then just let me guide you these last steps”

“Oriko, could I ask something of you?”

“Of course, anything”

“Back before everything fell apart for your father, you really wanted to support him. You gave everything for that. Why?”

“Because the man I saw before he fell to despair was truly kind. He got into politics to repay our neighbours for how well they treated us. He wanted to make things better, bit by bit, piece by piece. Perhaps this is an idealised view of him, and he was never the person I saw as a child. Maybe that kind father of mine was just as cold as the rest of my family, and I was simply misguided. But that wish I believed he had is something worth following. That’s also why I chose to follow you, remember?”

“Because the only reason I cared about you so much was the kindness you showed me?”

“Exactly. While I must admit I did not expect the path we would tread when I made that wish for you. I don’t believe my understanding was flawed. All this blood we have shed has probably broken both of us at least somewhat. Yet I don’t believe cruelty has ever motivated you, and so I still don’t think my choice was flawed”

“I feel like I’ve lost sight of those good things. I suppose at some point, I just wanted my future with you. How selfish of me”

“That’s not selfish at all. It’s just human. I wanted the same thing, truth be told. Yet even with all the awful things this world holds, I still think it’s worth protecting. Because this is the world where we got to meet and have all those times together. It’s the world where we could sit outside and appreciate the flowers. The one where we could share tea and cake and laugh together. It’s the world you reminded me I could love living in. Is that world not worth protecting?”

“You’ve always been a better talker than me. Huuh, that was so dumb and sappy. You know if we do this, we’re probably both gonna die, right?”

“That is a fact I have been forced to accept”

“Guess that’s what I signed up for. Well, Oriko, you’ve convinced me. Not much of a surprise, I suppose. So let’s get down to it. The old plan’s screwed, so how do we save the world?”

“As I am now, I don’t believe any of the backup plans we had for fighting Homura will be of much worth. I certainly can’t enchant, and I don’t have sufficient control over my magic to prevent a time stop for either of us”

“Well, if they know it’s us, Homura will attack the instant we look at pinky in the wrong direction. So we'd better have a backup plan soon. We’ve got about a day until a whole group of magical girls raid the house”

Kirika’s using her magic productively again. Good, that means Oriko’s Kirika is back. They can do this.

“There is one option that my wish leaves us. One that I believe will grant you a path to victory”

“There is?”

“I wished to be who you need. I believe that wish is coming to its fruition. When we begin your final attack on Madoka, you will no longer need Oriko Mikuni”

“What do you mean?”

“My witch will serve you much better. My wish should allow me to have enough agency even then to finish my oath to you. Without my magic’s limitations, I should be able to protect you from Homura’s magic”

“That’s so heavy a weight. You would be erasing all of yourself other than your wish”

“I have already loved you through despair. Let me do you this last service. To guard this world of ours”

“Ok then. You’ve already bound me to this path. If you are determined to shackle me to saving the future, then I will do everything in my power to see it through. I love you too much to let you sacrifice yourself in vain”

“So that’s it then?”

“Not quite. If this is what we’ve committed to, then there is no need to rush. Obviously, we can’t stay here, but I still have a house. Even if it’s been rather underused recently. We won’t be found there for a day or so. So, how about we live just a little bit before dying? Besides, you still need a bit of time to acclimatise to your injury”

“It’s not like I will be doing any of the fighting with this body of mine”, Oriko points out.

“Do you want to fall on your face during the climactic moment of both our lives? Because that’s what’s going to happen if we attack Madoka and fight all the magical girls, Kyubey will gather to protect her right now”

“Is that just a prediction, or did you see that?” Oriko asks in horror. Please say Kirika didn’t see her falling on her face in front of Akemi.

“I think it would be kinder not to answer that”, Kirika says with an amused voice that Oriko is beyond happy to hear from her. Even if it comes at her own expense.

“Maybe you are right. I don’t want to know”

“You think we should leave something for when those magical girls break into your house?” Kirika asks.

“You have anything in mind?”

“We could uproot the garden and leave a bunch of roses for them”

Oriko snorts, “That may send a rather strange message”

“I know, they will spend ages wondering if it was some kinda trap or if there’s a message in it. Meanwhile, we can just chill out,” Kirika explains.

“Is this just because you're still annoyed about the amount of time researching them?”

“Maybe. I was sorta hoping you and me could have a proper garden with flowers we like at some point. Since we can’t though, I at least want to vandalise this one”

“Sure, Kirika. If that is truly what you want to spend some of our last time on earth for, let's ruin my father's rose garden”

“I knew there was a reason I loved you”

Oriko kisses Kirika before getting up “You love me because I’m going to aid you in ripping out the gardening? I was hoping for something more profound”

“Nah, I love everything about you. That just includes the fact you're willing to help me give a middle finger to your old man and baffle a bunch of magical girls in the process”

And so that’s what Oriko and Kirika spend the next while doing. Going around and unrooting her father's old roses to leave around the house. It does help Oriko get more used to how her damaged soul gem has changed her movements, if in a rather strange way.

It’s also surprisingly cathartic. Ripping away a symbol of a person she once was, and the connection to the father who abandoned her. Alongside there being something slightly humorous about destroying a garden full of flowers that represent love with the person she loves.

By the end, both Oriko and Kirika are giggling as they finish depositing flowers around various rooms of Oriko’s house.

“Now that’s done, I suppose we should set off to yours. How long do we have until the house gets unwelcome guests?” Oriko asks.

“Bout an hour. So we should set off. You know, there are a bunch of things at my house that I haven’t seen for ages. Your place has just seemed so much nicer. Both in a posh way and also in an it’s yours way”

“You know, I find myself quite curious about your home. I can’t help but imagine it will be much brighter than the shell mine became”

“Maybe. If we’re gonna hang out there for a bit, then we can go through a few of my hobbies. You good at any video games?”

“I’ve not really tried many. There was never time, and I never felt the urge”

“In that case, I have a moral duty to introduce you to a few before we set off from the mortal coil. You know it’s a really good thing I asked. I have so many things to show you”

Oriko finds herself smiling as she leaves her home for the last time. She gets the feeling that on the day she turns into a witch, she won’t feel the slightest bit of despair.

Chapter Text

"You know it's a good thing I remember where I put my key, or we would have had to break into my house", Kirika comments as they reach her house.

It's a rather normal residential house. Not particularly fancy, but it looks perfectly comfortable from the outside at least. Oriko finds it's a breath of fresh air from the ostentatiousness of her own home.

"It feels slightly odd that this is the first time I'm visiting the house of my best and dearest friend. You would think that would have been one of the earlier parts of a relationship"

"Are you suggesting that it's not normal to cooperate on a spree of serial killing to set up an assassination before staying over at a friend's house?"

"Yes, I am suggesting that is rather unusual"

"Yeah, probably. Though considering this is one of two experiences I have with friends and this relationship is infinitely more successful, maybe that's the secret to a good relationship"

"Somehow I doubt that Kirika"

"Hey, you never know"

Kirika finally digs her keys out of the bottom of the bag she brought and unlocks the house before turning off the alarm and inviting Oriko in.

"So this is where you grew up, huh. It does seem more cosy than my place"

"Your place was nice", Kirika retorts.

"I couldn't maintain it, and it got drafts because of its state of disrepair. Also, people constantly graffitied the outside. Not to mention that one time a person threw a rock through the window"

"I'm still annoyed we never worked out who that was", Kirika comments.

"I'm not. Someone that low doesn't deserve our attention. Besides, neither of us were in the house when that happened. So it's not like it caused any real harm"

"Except to the window", Kirika points out.

"That window needed replacing anyway. It wasn't properly insulated"

"We totally could have maintained that place if we stayed"

"The repair costs alone would be astronomical. I don't see how two school girls would have been able to afford that long term"

"Simple. I was just gonna win at gambling. Things like the lottery or sports don't really have any defence against someone checking the future, you know"

"They do, however, have laws against being used by minors"

"Eh, I'd have found a way around that. Worst come to worst, I could've just hired someone else to buy me the ticket"

"I suppose. Not that it matters now"

"Not at all. No need for future planning past the week. I'm officially a precog with no future left to see"

"We still have a little time"

"That we do. So you any good at shooters? I have a few we can play"

"I have never played one", Oriko admits.

"Let's start with something single player in that case", Kirika decides.

"Ok then", Oriko agrees.

Shooters are a learning experience. Mainly, learning that Oriko is really, really bad at them. She gets the controls wrong, misses everything, dies repeatedly and at one point gets startled and pulls the remote's cable out.

"I bet it's just cos your soul gem's damaged and that's slowing your reactions and stuff", Kirika comments after Oriko's 6th consecutive death to the same enemy.

"Kirika, I'm afraid you will have to disabuse yourself of the notion I would ever be good at these. Perhaps I would enjoy watching you play more"

"Ok, but only for a bit. I have other stuff we can try. Also, I want to pop out for snacks. The local places don't have anything near as fancy as what was near where you lived, but I'm sure there will be something you like"

"I'm not picky. Just this once, how about you buy the ones you would have wanted before ever meeting me? I would be interested in trying them"

"You sure. Most of that isn't what I'd call quality"

"Kirika. At this point, you could feed me literal poison, and as long as it tastes nice and is slow acting enough, I'd be happy to eat it"

"Huh, guess so. In that case, I will return with the most artificial and unhealthy things I can find," Kirika replies.

"Sounds fantastic", Oriko replies, and honestly, it does. Just for this one day, Oriko can drop the pretence of being perfect or of refined lineage. How long has it been since Oriko's had the chance to actually just be a 15 year old? Not worrying about the end of the world or living up to expectations.

Just eating low quality sweets and playing video games with her best friend without any sort of stakes. Not only that, but failing at them utterly without the slightest bit of worry.

When's the last time Oriko's let herself fail at something? Yet Kirika's laughter at Oriko's incompetence and her showing Oriko how to do the things she failed at is refreshing in a way nothing has been for a long time.

Even knowing that this is only for today, Oriko can't help but find herself enjoying every second. She does truly wish this were the future she could have shared with Kirika. One where they were allowed to be kids. Where they didn't have crushing responsibilities and blood on their hands.

Considering that, Oriko finds herself hating Madoka Kaname just a bit. Even knowing she is innocent of anything other than having too great potential and entirely ignorant of the reason she must die. Because were she not at risk of ending the world, then Oriko and Kirika could have found each other without breaking themselves along the way.

That would have been such a wonderful future. Yet in the end, it is nothing more than a conjuring of Oriko's imagination.

So Oriko dismisses the thought. She has no future at all after all. So she should focus all her efforts on enjoying the last moments of the present she is ever going to get.

Though spending the day with Kirika like this is better than anything else Oriko can think of as a final send-off.

Eventually, Kirika moves on from the shooters. Having realised that Oriko will not be improving at them, and getting bored with just playing them with Oriko's commentary in the background.

Though Oriko has very few complaints about holding the plushy Kirika had on her bed while she watches her show significantly more skill than she could ever have at shooting fictional enemies.

After that, there is a brief time spent playing racing games. In which Oriko learns the many ways she can crash a car and very few ways she can win a race. Finally, Kirika moves on to party games that Oriko can't lose at by virtue of her inability to use a controller with any level of skill.

Those are fairly fun, and the only ones Oriko gets any wins against Kirika in. Not that she minds losing to her. Kirika is evidently enjoying introducing Oriko to something she enjoys, and that alone is enough to make sure Oriko is enjoying it too.

"You're actually enjoying the snacks?" Kirika comments after seeing Oriko absentmindedly take one of the sweets Kirika bought.

"Yes. It's been a while since I've had any of these brands, but I do still enjoy them"

"You've had these before? Some of those were only 100 Yen," Kirika comments, perplexed.

Oriko snickers, "My family isn't actually that rich, you know. I'm sure some people at my school would never consider touching something they think is cheap. I have neither the money nor the attitude for that, however"

"But your house is massive"

"Yes, it was inherited from my grandfather and has always been a massive money sink"

"You constantly act posh", Kirika continues to point out.

"It was always just a conceit. My family was only middle class with a connection to a famous name. I'm not some kind of princess, Kirika or anything like that, really. I'm just someone who has had to try and fill a role for so long, I half forgot there was someone under it"

"You look so happy", Kirika comments.

"Huh" Does she?

"I wish I got to see this side of you more. Where you don't feel like you need to act and can just be who you want to be"

"I do too. I was always much more honest about my faults with you than I was with my father, but I still always tried to be strong for you. To act as the person I suspected you wanted. I'm happy to see that was never needed"

"Of course it wasn't! I didn't even know you went to that fancy school of yours or anything when I first came to care about you. I don't care if you're a princess or pauper as long as you're still Oriko"

"I don't think I do either, to be honest. My status only ever gave me expectations to live up to. I'm much happier being here with you and failing at video games than I ever was acting like a princess"

"We really screwed this all up, didn't we. Both of us trying to live up to who we thought we should be"

"I wouldn't go that far. Neither of us hid much from each other under pretence. I doubt many people show who they actually are to each other quickly at all. It's only been a month after all," Oriko points out.

"Shit, it has, hasn't it. It feels like a year at least. Have I really only known you for a month?"

"It feels wrong, doesn't it. I can barely imagine life without you, but all of this is really quite new. Though it has certainly been the most eventful month I've ever had"

"Same. With so much of my life just kinda blending together, I guess it makes sense that this stands out so much. This has been both the longest and yet also somehow shortest month of my life"

"I know what you mean", Oriko agrees. On one hand, this entire thing has felt like it would never end. On the other hand, now she's at the precipice, it feels like all the time she's had with Kirika has flown by way too fast.

What Oriko would give to recapture some of those moments.

"It's not over quite yet, though", Kirika points out.

"I suppose not. Do you have any other games for me to fail at?"

"Nah. Well, I mean, I do, but that feels like a bit of a waste of time. How about we order takeout and then head up to my room. Make this feel like a proper sleepover"

"I could cook, you know", Oriko points out.

"If you had another day to adapt, I would agree, but right now, there is a decent chance you would either cut yourself or burn yourself. I'd rather end the day on a high note, you know"

While Oriko would like to say she'd be fine, and doing the prep for cooking is something she barely needs to think about to do right, considering it's almost second nature. That is probably the issue. Now she needs to focus on it to do it at all. Considering how
inflated the cost of her magic is, she probably should avoid having to heal herself and strain Kirika's grief seed supply for tomorrow.

"I suppose that a takeaway would be more in the spirit of how we've spent the day", Oriko concides.

"Exactly. We can even get one of the really expensive ones since we don't need to worry about money at all"

"I doubt we were ever going to be bankrupt by takeaway", Oriko points out.

"I'm ordering all the sides"

"Can you eat that much?"

"Eh, last meals are meant to be grandiose, right?"

Oriko suppresses a snort. That is not a sentence she would ever think to apply to takeout, but Kirika's always thought about things differently than her.

"In that case, go ahead. There will be plenty to share"

One ruinously expensive take-out order later, Oriko and Kirika retreat up to Kirika's room"

"I still say I could have finished that", Kirika complains.

"We can have the leftovers for breakfast tomorrow or something. No reason to give yourself a stomach ache" Is that a thing people do with takeaway leftovers? Oh well, Kirika's the only person around to judge Oriko, and she'd go with it even if it were weird, so there's probably no reason to worry.

"Yeah, not like the house has anything else in. Give us a bit of energy for the most important day of our lives"

"I doubt I will need it. Considering it won't be me doing any of the fighting. I doubt my witch will care either way. So I suppose I will do my best to enjoy it"

"You never know. Maybe your witch will really appreciate it. I doubt anyone's asked a witch their opinion on breakfast," Kirika points out.

"Sasa probably could have"

"If Sasa asked her witches anything, it was probably deranged things like how fun it is to eat people"

"She did ask me if I had ever bragged about killing people", Oriko notes.

"See, this is why she shouldn't have had those kinda powers. The ability to control witches and 0 creativity about what to do with them"

"If both you and my witch survive killing Madoka. Feel free to ask her whatever dumb questions you like. Not that I suspect she'll have any ability to reply"

"You sure your witch would stay tame after we've completed our objective?"

"I will never hurt you, Kirika. With my wish, not even my despair will lay a hand on you. Every part of me will always be on your side" While Oriko has no concrete evidence of this, she knows it deep in her fractured soul. No matter how monstrous her form or mind, she will always be loyal to Kirika.

Kirika lets out a shaky exhale. "I don't want it to end"

"Neither do I", Oriko agrees.

"I suppose it's my fault for wanting to spend my entire life by your side. I'm just getting my wish granted early"

"For all his many, many faults, Kyubey doesn't tend to be a monkey's paw. Had that been your actual wish, we would have probably gotten a decent amount of time together"

"You say that, but the end of the world is in a week or two"

"No it's not. We're going to stop it, remember"

"Yeah. Even if we won't be there, the world will keep turning. Kyubey's not getting his way this time"

"I wonder why Homura's so dedicated to guarding Madoka? Does she want the world to end?" Oriko asks Kirika. She's never going to know the answer, but it's a question that has been in the back of her mind since the start.

"If she did, then why not just tell Kyubey about her?" Kirika points out.

"Then why?"

"I doubt we'll ever know. Maybe she just loves her?"

"I suppose if there's any emotion that would leave someone willing to doom the world, that would be the one", Oriko agrees.

"Her reasons don't really matter, though. We need her and her charge dead either way"

"We're probably going to be reviled for this, you know. No one will ever know why we're going to do what we will tomorrow"

"You know full well I only care about one person's opinion of me"

"I find myself feeling the same way. As long as we know what we're doing is right, then what does it matter what anyone else thinks?"

"Hey, Oriko?"

"Yes, Kirika"

"Do you think this is always how things were going to end?"

"You're the one who can see the future", Oriko points out.

"I know, but with my outfit being mourning garb since day one and the whole chains thing, does that not seem like it kinda suggested I would be stuck mourning someone at the end?"

"I didn't take you as one for superstition. You could just as easily say that that outfit is to mourn Madoka, whom we have to kill despite her innocence. Or that it just fit your soul in one way or another"

"Maybe. I'd like to think we had a chance to get an actual happy ending. With what's happened though, that feels like wishful thinking"

"It doesn't matter what could have happened in the future. Only what has. While it may not have been what I wanted, I'm much happier now than before my wish. So while it may be bittersweet, as long as we succeed tomorrow, I will not begrudge this end"

"You're right. No matter what, we're the girls who are going to save the world together. That's way more than I ever thought I'd do. Before meeting you, I always thought I'd just fade away at some point. Compared to that, going out saving the world with you is more than I could have ever hoped for"

As it gets late, Oriko and Kirika get into Kirika's bed to have one last sleep.

"It's rather snug"

"Have you ever slept on a single bed? Your house seems to just have a bunch of queen sized ones"

"When we got that hotel room in Kazamino", Oriko points out.

"Huh, guess we always end up sleeping together on singles then"

Oriko wraps her arms around Kirika and pulls her close.

"I much rather this to any of the beds at my house"

"So do I", Kirika agrees.

"No matter what happens tomorrow. I love you, Kirika"

"I love you too, Oriko"

Tomorrow, Oriko is going to become a witch. Yet she won't become one out of despair but out of love. Oriko cannot help Kirika any further as she is, so she will mature into the final stage of magical girls. With that transformation, she will grant Kirika the power to save the world.

Oriko goes to sleep with a smile. Knowing that she will be content in her end, so long as it means she can help Kirika one last time.

Chapter Text

Kirika wakes up lethargically, clinging to the warmth by her side. It would be so easy to just close her eyes once more and pull Oriko close. To say just one more day. Surely that would not hurt?

Yet Kirika knows that if she really did wait one more day, then her house would also be attacked. Kyubey knows where she lives after all. Once that happens, the ideal circumstances for getting a shot at Madoka will be gone.

As much as she enjoyed spending yesterday being able to act like she had no responsibilities and could simply be Oriko's girlfriend. That was always going to be temporary.

Today, Kirika will face Akemi Homura, Mami Tomoe and whoever else Kyubey will find. She will finally wipe out those who guard Madoka and in doing so will ensure the world's continuation.

It would be nice not to have to fight, of course. To just assassinate Madoka, but that isn't in the cards. As long as Akemi isn't engaged, she can rescue Madoka instantly and move her an arbitrary distance away from Kirika and Oriko.

While the original plan had this issue solved by the people who were hunting Oriko engaging Akemi instead. Which would Leave Oriko and Kirika free to slay Madoka at their leisure. With that scuppered however, the only way to strike at Madoka is to engage her protector directly and slay her.

This is sure to be the hardest fight Kirika will ever face. Yet so long as she has Oriko by her side, no matter the form she may take, she will try. So what if the odds are overwhelmingly against her?

She is Kure Kirika, the girl whose purpose it is to save the world. She has the power to shape the future and the will to see it through. For all the wonderful things in the world, for the future that Oriko reminded her of, Kirika must save the world.

But she won't have to do it alone.

"You'll stay by my side till the end, right?" Kirika whispers to Oriko's still sleeping form.

"Of course I shall", Oriko says, responding even in her sleep, her words finally waking her up fully.

"Huh, I'm awake", Oriko mutters as if not expecting such a sudden transition to consciousness.

"So you are", Kirika agrees.

"It feels like you called me"

Kirika lets out an amused breath, "I suppose I did in a way"

"Well, shall we prepare. We have a big day ahead of us"

"The biggest"

Today, Kirika is going to fulfil her purpose and damn an untold number of people in the process.

There is something funny about getting dressed as if this is a normal school day. As if she could just wander into class and learn some algebra or something.

"You ready to go to school, Oriko?"

"You'll have to guide me there. I'm afraid I'm not as familiar with your school as my own"

"Then let me lead the way" Kirika takes Oriko's hand, and the two begin the last journey they will ever have.

To their destiny.

To their doom.

Eventually, they reach the school.

"You ready, Oriko?"

"Never. We are about to hurt people who have nothing to do with us after all"

"Guess so. Don't think I'm ready either to be honest. We're never going to be forgiven for this, you know"

"We will not"

"That's ok though. There is only one person whose forgiveness I actually care about anyway"

"And who would that be?" Oriko asks with a knowing look.

"I think we both know the answer to that"

"As you well know, you may have anything you wish of me"

"True, true. Anyway, who cares if we're never going to be forgiven? We're still doing it"

"Indeed. Well then, no use delaying any further. Shall we begin, Kirika?"

"Yep, let's put on a show"

The first place they go is the school intercom. It's important that all the magical girls arrive at once rather than piecemeal, as that could lead to unwanted surprises. Which means letting them know of their presence while Oriko prepares her soul gem for its metamorphosis.

Kirika switches it on and prepares to make a speech as extra and edgy as her outfit.

"I am truly sorry about what is about to occur. In a kinder world, none of this would happen at all. Yet the world lies in the balance, and so there is no other choice to be made. I shall mourn the sin that shall be committed today, but I cannot back down. The stakes are too high to allow for mercy. So please, do not forgive me"

She turns the intercom off.

"Think that was too much?"

"Maybe just a little"

"Eh, it was overdramatic, but the words are true at least. I really do wish it hadn't come to this"

Oriko holds up her soul gem. Now nearly pitch black with only the slightest bit of white peaking through. Grief leaking out of the soul gem's cracks.

"I am at the edge of witchhood. I believe, as I am now, I can begin forming a ward. Shall we see the shape of my despair?"

"Need to do one last thing first"

Kirika takes off her veil, steps toward Oriko and kisses her one last time. Never before has kissing Oriko felt bittersweet, but knowing it's the last makes it as painful as it is wonderful.

"There you go. Nothing left to do," Kirika says, giving Oriko the permission she was waiting for to release her despair upon the world.

"Know that this despair of mine is a dedication to you, Kirika. May it allow you to grant the world salvation"

With that, Oriko plunges her blade into the floor, its blunt tip for once doing nothing to stop it stabbing into the ground. As it pierces the floor, reality falls away and a new one forms into being.

The sky is a bright blue, without a single cloud or blemish. despite the barrier being self-contained, Kirika can almost feel the presence of the sun even through her magical girl outfit. It's the sky of a perfect day.

The ground is white and it has a radial pattern of black lines coming out of the centre of the area, almost in the pattern of petals. Out of the black grow flowers.

"Hymenocallis littoralis. White spider lilies," Kirika comments as she looks at the flowers growing around them.

"I see you decided to look up more than roses then", Oriko teases.

"Don't you know. Lilies are my favorate type of flower"

Oriko smiles as Kirika continues taking in the formation of the labyrinth.

Kirika and Oriko stand in the centre of the floor's pattern, where two seats have formed behind them. A black one behind Oriko and a white one behind Kirika. The two chairs have a red thread running between them.

A door lies at the end of the space. It is made up of vines with white bell flowers blooming all across it. Despite being flowers, Kirika can hear them ring as they move. In front of it stand guard two familiars.

They seem to be nothing but a white dress with gloved fingers coming out the arms, clutching a sword that is facing the ground. Their heads are white veils. Kirika gets the sense there is nothing under them.

"I don't suppose you have any control over your familiars yet?" Kirika asks as she settles against her seat. It will be a few minutes before anyone arrives to ruin the moment.

"I can sense them"

"Can you order them to kill Madoka as a first priority?"

"I can try", Oriko replies before looking to the two familiars by the door.

They each nod their veils as if in agreement with the order.

"Looks like that worked. Guess we just have to hope it affected the rest of the ward too"

"I get the sense it has. Though with how protected Madoka is, I'm unsure if my familiars will be effective"

"Maybe we'll be lucky for once?" Kirika suggests.

"Maybe", Oriko agrees.

After a second passes, Kirika considers something.

"If we're going to die soon, I don't want to sit here waiting on a chair like some kind of Bond villain. You know, before everything went wrong, back when we were going to celebrate, I was going to ask if you could dance"

"I suppose we have a little time, do we not?" Oriko offers standing up.

"That we do", Kirika agrees.

"Care for a waltz, my dear?"

Oriko says, offering Kirika a hand.

"I'll try my best not to step on your feet"

Oriko stops for a second. "This is my barrier, is it not. Let's make this proper"

With a second of focus, the chairs sink into the floor, and Waltz of the Flowers begins playing from no notable source.

"I doubt many witches have done that", Kirika comments as she takes Oriko's hand.

"I'm not fully a witch quite yet. Now, shall we have a last dance?"

"It would be a pleasure"

Kirika surrenders herself to Oriko's lead, keeping up only through her unnatural grace as a magical girl. As far as last dances go, Kirika cannot think of anything she would prefer.

Far too soon however, the song comes to an end, and the door to the final room of Oriko's labyrinth begins opening.

"Goodbye, Oriko. I love you"

"I love you as well, Kirika. Now allow me to make one final oath to you. Even in despair, I shall serve and defend you until my final breath"

With that, Oriko slips out of Kirika's hands and into a kneel, like a knight before her lord. An instant later, her soul gem collapses in on itself. Oriko's witch manifesting fully into being just as a group of magical girls finish stepping through the entrance to the witch's sanctum.

When Kirika first looks at the witch in front of her, her first thought is that of an angel. A soft light pulses around her, Oriko's witch floating gently above ground. She has a flowing cloak of white that shrouds her form, but unlike her familiars, rather than a veil, her face is almost human, like a porcelain face with eyes of white fire and a mouth opened into a slight smile.

Yet that is only half of what the witch is.

She wears a tiara of knives that cut into the witch's skull. Blood running down her head and flowing into a pattern almost like hair, except that it continually drips to the floor. Her back is impaled by swords on each side, forming into wings that dig into her back. A further sword is stabbed through her front, going right through the witch's form. The witch's arms end in hands that end in gloves that have knives piercing through where the fingers would be hidden. Blood leaks from her smile from the knives that act as the witch's teeth, cutting into her porcelain skin.

The only colour on the witch other than white and light shades of grey is the blood that drains out of her wounds. A pool of crimson liquid forms below her.

The witch would be beautiful if not for the wounds that tarnish its form even from its inception.

Kirika sees the magical girls who just came in step back in horror at seeing the birth of a witch. Mami, Yuma and Kyouko stunned by the horror they have witnessed. All but one.

Akemi.

Kirika forms chains in the areas Akemi's first spray of bullets will go. Her initial move an attack before even freezing time. Each and every bullet is blocked before they even reach half way to Kirika.

Homura disappears with a twist of her shield, before reappearing at the edge of the white glow that pulses off Oriko's witch, seemingly surprised, considering her lack of action when this occurs, other than flinching back.

Rather than attack her for transgressing into its territory, Oriko's witch grips the blade piercing through its chest with both hands, before ripping it out with a spray of blood. Leaving an ever bleeding wound through its chest.

Then it floats to Kirika's side and offers the blade's hilt. Despite it being almost too large for her to hold, Kirika accepts the blade, finding it shrinks to fit her hands. As she takes hold of it, she feels a warmth surround her.

Stepping back from the witch, she finds herself enshrouded in the same white glow as the witch had or that Oriko created with her magic in life. It feels like a soft blanket around her, a warm hug from a loved one or a soft caress. What surrounds Kirika now is the depths of Oriko's love and the way Kirika may fight Homura.

"Thank you, Oriko. Now, could you deal with the others? I can handle Akemi.

With a nod the witch floats forward past Akemi and towards the three magical girls who have finally regained their footing now, despite the realisation about their world which was forced upon them. As she does, the swords in the witch's back detach in a spray of blood before orbiting the witch's head like a halo for a moment and flying at her opponents.

As much as Kirika would like to watch the fight her beloved's witch is fighting, she doesn't have a second more time. She finds herself surrounded by bullets on all sides, each fired from just at the extent of the aura Oriko gifted her, preventing Homura from attacking her directly from timestop.

Kirika forms a shell of chains around her, blocking the bullets before shifting them to wrap around the pipe bombs that are thrown from around her. The cold metal of her chains containing the explosions.

Kirika knows, if not for the sword she was given, then nothing she could do would have stopped Akemi from firing a bullet into her soul gem from point blank. Killing her instantly. Simultaneously, without her foresight, reacting to the actions Homura takes from timestop would still be impossible, and Kirika would find herself overwelmed. With both however, this is a battle Kirika is certain she can win.

The fight feels more like some sort of strange game than any traditional fight.

Akemi knows she cannot get too close to Kirika. If she ever steps into Oriko's gifted light, then she won't be able to escape. Kirika's chains will ensnare and shatter her.

Yet as long as she's outside said light, Akemi's mobility is infinite, and she is capable of making as many simultaneous attacks as she wishes.

Kirika has only around a meter and a half of safety, from which she can prepare defences and set traps for Akemi. Akemi can react instantly to whatever move Kirika can make, while Kirika can see Akemi's attacks before they are made.

In other words, a stalemate. One which will end at the first mistake.

Should a single one of Kirika's chains touch Akemi, then that will remove her mobility and will make the fight's end an inevitability. At the same time, should Kirika be shot and forced to drop Oriko's blade, then nothing will stop Akemi from killing her.

It is a strange dance. Chain's popping in and out of existence to block bullets and explosions while trying to catch Homura, who is never in the same spot for more than a moment.

Homura is not still for an instant, and Kirika does not move a step. Homura's attacks are varied, and Kirika's response is an endless tide of chains. Kirika looks at the future as much as the present, while Homura's time moves in minutes for every second that passes in reality.

The ending however is inevitable. The fight is an exercise in who can catch the other off guard first, and Kirika can see the future.

Every second of the fight that passes Kirika sees herself die repeatedly. She is shot, blown up, burned and shattered. Yet each death she sees is one that is prevented, while Homura has no such defence.

Chains are lain and left. Circling Kirika, tunnelling under the floor of the barrier and filling the air above her.

Kirika ambushes Akemi in dozens of ways and sees each one fail. Akemi is much more experienced than her and a much better fighter. She steps around the chains that try to spike through the ground. Twists around attacks from the air and does not once step on an area that Kirika has prepared with chains.

Yet Kirika only needs one ambush to work, and she can see the way forward. Each failure moves Akemi slightly towards the spot that Kirika wants her in. After what is minutes but feels like hours to Kirika, Akemi makes the slip-up that Kirika was waiting for
and a chain lying in wait behind her spears through her shield arm and wraps around it. Leaving her helpless.

For the first time in the fight, Kirika steps forward. If she is to end Akemi, she will do it with the blade Oriko gifted her with. It is after all a weapon for executions.

"It seems this dance of ours is over. Yours, Akemi, is a death I will not regret"

As she steps forward to deal a finishing blow however, reality shatters around her. A grand explosion heralding the end of the remnants of the person Kirika held most dear.

Kirika stumbles as the blade she was holding suddenly rusts at a rapid rate before shattering. Falling to the floor in pieces.

"Oriko?" The word is muttered in horror. Suddenly, Kirika has no comforting warmth surrounding her. No gift links her to the one she loves. Kirika is truly alone.

Kirika is forced to make a new wall of chains as a hail of musket fire cuts off her horror. Akemi escapes her bonds, though her arm is ruined.

Even with Akemi crippled, the fight is suddenly 4 magical girls against one. It is by the grace of her foresight that Kirika is able to survive the first seconds of attacks. Yet as she fights her soul darkens.

Her grief seeds are run out, and if she doesn't see every moment of the future ahead of her, then she will fall without having finished the purpose that Oriko's cold form lies on the floor for.

"Stop this and give up. If you fight for any longer, you will turn into a witch," Akemi commands. Her shattered arm slowly righting itself.

Kirika finds herself knocked back to where Oriko's body is as the blast of an explosion hits her through her chain's defences. Mami's massive explosive bullet piercing the defences Akemi's mundane bombs failed to.

As she falls to the floor, Kirika's hand closes around something that cuts into it. A shard of Oriko's gift to her. Now little more than rusted mundane metal.

Kirika is spent. Any more magic will have her turn into a witch and fail at her objective.

Madoka will end the world.

Kirika has failed.

A gun is levelled at Kirika's head.

"Are you hesitating to shoot me?" After all that has happened, Kirika would expect Akemi not to hesitate. She never has in the past, after all.

"Answer me one question first. Why did you start this fight?"

Kirika's hand tightens around the sharp metal held in her palm.

"To protect the world Oriko could see" Kirika still can't see what's so great about the world, really. But through Oriko, she could experience some of its beauty and wonder. Enough to know that even if Kirika may never love this world, it is worth protecting nevertheless.

A bullet pierces Kirika.

"Really, Kirika?" Oriko is before her, the two sitting at a tea table

"Mean. I was close you know"

"You were. If you had went on a moment after I fell, it would have been enough.

"Yeah, just had to finish Akemi and I could have won. Silly of me, really.

"Then let me do one last thing to help. You are still holding a piece of me, remember"

Oriko's hands close over Kirika's, and suddenly, she can feel the rusted piece of metal in her hand regain its warmth.

One final flicker appears to Kirika. Where Madoka is.

With the strength of the dying Kirika flings the piece of metal with all the strength of her magic.

It flies true, the metal not stopped even by time itself freezing.

A pink haired girl is struck fatally.

Kirika dies.

A time traveller disappears.

And the world goes on.

Chapter Text

Epilogue

When Yuma first met Kirika, she was terrified.

A person veiled in all black suddenly appeared in her hotel room without any sign of forced entry. Yuma's first thought had been that that person must be evil in some way. Perhaps wanting to use Yuma as a hostage against Kyouko or something.

Yet there was no threat. Kirika simply explained the danger that Kyouko was in and offered Yuma the chance to save her. Not only that, but she didn't tell Yuma to blindly rush in or try to scare her further into contracting. Instead, she made sure to warn Yuma of the dangers it held.

So while Kirika sure did seem creepy with her ominous outfit and cryptic warnings, Yuma honestly had quite a good impression of her after that first meeting.

How could she not when she allowed Yuma to save Kyouko? If Kirika had not appeared and Yuma had been too late to save her friend, then she doesn't know what she would have done. Something terrible, no doubt.

So when that magical girl in black disappeared, Yuma knew that she would hold a fondness for her unlikely saviour. Even if she never saw her again.

Kyouko held no such sentiment. She despised the fact that someone pushed Yuma to contract. The fact that Yuma saved her from certain death did little to alleviate that.

After berating her, Kyouko even broke down into tears at one point. Yuma was really worried that Kyouko might finally leave her back then. Becoming a magical girl had always seemed like a perfect way to stick as a partner to Kyouko and stay by her side forever. The sheer horror that Kyouko regarded Yuma contracting with was still really scary though.

In the end, it didn't matter. Kyouko only became closer, helping her learn the ropes of being a magical girl. Not only that, but Yuma's healing meant that there was no way that Kyouko would ever get hurt fighting witches again. It was perfect.

Even if Kyouko did seem really pissed off at the magical girl in black. Yuma didn't know Kirika's name back then, or where she had gone, so she wasn't really worried about that.

When Kyubey asked for help with the magical girl murders happening in Mitakihara, Kyouko was initially against it until she seemed to remember something. Apparently, she had an old mentor in the city that Kyubey confirmed was still around.

According to Kyouko, she was way better at the whole teaching thing than her, especially magic. Even if Yuma shouldn't listen to her about anything else, "cos she's really naive and will get ya killed," as Kyouko put it.

So Kyouko and Yuma went down to Mitakihara and met Mami around a coffee shop. She agreed to help teach Yuma, and Kyouko agreed to help against that magical girl murderer if Mami found her.

They got an invitation to go to Mami's house for tea and to talk about things the next day. Which Yuma was pretty excited for. According to Kyouko, Mami made the best cakes she'd ever had. Yuma never got cake when she was with her parents, and it was never in a spot that was easy to steal with Kyouko, so the idea of finally trying it sounded great to Yuma.

When they met Mami the next evening, however, they found her wrapped in her ribbons dyed red by her blood. As it turns out, Mami had met the magical girl murderer and gotten out alive, if rather scathed.

Of course, the bit that really interested Kyouko and Yuma (if for different reasons) wasn't Mikuni Oriko, the magical girl in white. It was her apparent accomplice, the one who hurt Mami so much. A magical girl fully in black with her face covered by a veil.

In other words. That creepy but nice girl who got Yuma to contract.

After much fussing over Mami as she finished healing up and a disappointing lack of cake, plans were made to attack Mikuni's home in hopes of catching her unaware the next day.

Privately, what Yuma really wanted was to ask Kirika the reason behind what she did. Because Yuma knew people who were hateful and lashing out. She lived with her mother for years after all. How could she not be a close acquaintance of the forms hate takes? But Kirika didn't give that impression when Yuma first met her. Which left the question of, if not just for the sake of it, then why cause so much harm?

Of course, Yuma wouldn't get her answer the next day. When Yuma, Mami and Kyouko broke into the Mikuni estate, they found a lot of things, but not a single sign of the people they were looking for.

The place seemed in a state of disrepair. There were some areas that looked damaged, like someone smashed them in anger. Yuma finds herself disliking those bits most. Did Mikuni or Kirika have to deal with someone like Yuma's parents?

Strangest of all however, was that a large portion of the place seemed to have roots and flowers scattered all over the place. Mostly roses. At first, Mami and Kyouko were wary of a trap but nothing arrived. There was no one in the house, and the garden seemed freshly uprooted. That one baffled Mami and Kyouko for quite a while as they tried to work out a reason why they might be there without coming to any conclusion. Eventually, they just gave up and assumed it was some sort of weird message they couldn't decipher.

After having searched through the house fully twice and finding nothing, the magical girls finally gave up and went back to Mami's.

The next day, Mami's school was attacked, and Yuma encountered Kirika for the second and final time.

The entire school was under a witch's ward. Veiled familiars with blades reaped the lives of students who were too foolish to run away from them, and the place was full of white flowers growing out of black patterns on a white floor. Though the familiars were intimidating and skilled with their blades, they were also slow enough that Mami and Kyouko had little issue dispatching them. Yuma didn't even need to heal anyone at that point.

On the way to the barrier's heart, the group encountered Homura. Who Yuma knew a little about, since Mami had her as a suspect before Oriko was revealed as the murderer. A large amount of the familiars were dead around the room she seemed to be protecting.

Homura eventually did agree to help destroy the barrier's witch, but only if they helped her wipe out all the familiars there, since they seemed to be insistent about attacking a friend of hers.

It took a few minutes, but with the power of four magical girls, three of whom were veterans, it was soon done. With the sound of bells ringing, Yuma and the girls she was with entered the core of the labyrinth.

Despite knowing that it was likely that Kirika and Oriko were behind this somehow, due to the video and intercom message they released before the barrier went up. Seeing them without a witch in sight, Oriko kneeling before Kirika was a strange sight.

One that changed from strange to horrifying as Oriko collapsed and a witch rose up in her place. One made stranger by the fact Kirika still seemed to regard the witch with affection, and the witch still seemed to serve her. Even to the point of giving Kirika one of its weapons.

The revelation of witches coming from magical girls collapsed the cohesion of the team before the first move was made. Homura disappeared while Mami and Kyouko panicked. When the witch is upon them, it is only by the barest of margins that Kyouko, Mami and Yuma were not turned to ribbons by the witch's swords. That seemed to ignore Kyouko's walls of diamonds and Mami's ribbons without issue. Yuma was forced to heal constantly as wounds accumulated from the persistently aggressive witch. Even its habit of bleeding everywhere made the fight harder by making the entire ground around it slippery.

Even with Homura fighting Kirika, that witch was the hardest fight Yuma had ever faced at that point, and it was not one that would be easily surpassed. Still eventually, Yuma managed to stop her teammates breaking down about the revelation of where witches come from, and after a hectic and exhausting fight, the witch was slain.

Kirika lost her upper hand against Homura with the witch's death and was unable to face 4 magical girls at once. Sadly, she died before Yuma could ask her why she did what she did, somehow managing to kill some pink haired civilian just before meeting her end.

Homura disappeared a few moments after sobbing over the corpse of that girl. Yuma still doesn't know why or how she disappeared. It must have been her magic, but she hasn't reappeared since, which leaves a lot of questions unanswered.

The aftermath of that day left many consequences and unanswered questions.

The news put out a story about it being some sort of cult that attacked the school since the familiars wore veils over their faces and attacked with swords. A memorial service was put together to cover the deaths and disappearances that occurred that day.

Yuma, Kyouko and Mami did attend. Considering they were there when it happened, Mami felt it would have been disrespectful to not be there. Yuma could tell Kyouko wasn't quite as convinced, but with the revelation of where witches came from, Mami had been unstable for a while. So Kyouko and Yuma went with her anyway in the hope it would grant her a bit of closure.

The revelation that Walpurgisnacht would be arriving in the city soon by Kyubey kept Kyouko and Yuma around even once Mami had trained Yuma to what Kyouko called a passable extent.

Mami was determined to fight the queen of witches, and neither Kyouko nor Yuma were willing to abandon her. Even if the idea of Walpurgisnacht seemed rather terrifying. A witch that would make even the tragedy that Kirika and Oriko caused seem small.

Soon after that, Kyubey brought a new magical girl, who it claimed had a lot of potential, to the group of magical girls. Despite relations with Kyubey having cooled considerably after learning where witches originated from, with Walpurgisnacht only a couple weeks away, the help was still accepted eagerly. If nothing else, it meant Yuma was no longer the magical girl junior of the group.

What was more relevant to Yuma was that Koito had wished to know what had happened in all the incidents connected to Oriko. Which meant she finally was able to learn what happened.

What she learnt left Yuma conflicted.

On one hand, Kirika and Oriko were apparently trying to save the world. Which is a definite good thing. Yuma needs the world to live in, as does Kyouko, so she appreciates that. On the other hand the method they went with to save the world was murder. Which is kinda awful.

So suffice to say that left Yuma's opinions of Kirika in a weird place. She's grateful to her for letting her save Kyouko. She appreciates what she did to stop that pink haired girl from inadvertently ending the world. Yet she also despises that Kirika and Oriko were killing to hurt others for that.

Surely they could have found a better way? Isn't that the point of being magical girls? To make miracles happen even if it seems impossible?

Of course Mami and Kyouko were less indecisive, Kirika and Oriko killed a bunch of people and so there is no need to look much further than that. Which, honestly, Yuma gets. It's really easy to just say there were evil and that's that. Simple too. Doing that clears up all the confusion.

Yuma found herself unable to do that and to her relief neither could Koito. At first Yuma found that kinda weird. If anyone had a right to hate Oriko and Kirika, it would be the person whose sister they killed.

But Koito knew the truth and couldn't unknow it. Which means she had no choice but to know just how much of a tragic accident the death of her friend and sister was. It was also Oriko who helped talk Koito through her guilt, and as much as she was the cause of said guilt, that talk is the thing that kept Koito going.

So both Yuma and Koito had rather complicated emotions about Oriko and Kirika.

Something that they find themselves discussing the night before Walpurgisnacht.

"Do you think they would have helped with tomorrow if they were still around?" Yuma finds herself asking.

"From what I saw of them? They most likely would have, yes" Koito responds.

"Can someone be good and evil at the same time?"

"Maybe? They had a goal that was unquestionably good, but did evil things to achieve it. So I suppose you could claim that makes them both"

"It feels really selfish to not hate them. They killed so many people and ruined so many lives. Yet without what Kirika did I would never have met Kyouko or gotten to save her. Or met you and Mami. So in a way Kirika kinda only made my life better, at the cost of ruining a bunch of other lives"

"I don't think it's selfish to be grateful for that. Much like I can have mixed feelings about the fact Oriko deceived me, yet also acted as a friend when I needed one. She tried to alleviate my guilt, even though I now know that my actions are what killed Komaki and Akira. For all I know, they never would have gone down such a dark road without that triggering it. So I don't think it's selfish to feel grateful for the good they did. Just like I can feel angry about my sister's death, even knowing it was also my fault"

"You couldn't have known that was going to happen", Yuma points out.

"And Oriko couldn't have known Akira would have gotten in the way of her swing. I have to either blame both of us or neither of us"

"I guess? That still sucks though," Yuma admits.

"Yeah, but what happened happened. Oriko was right that Komaki wouldn't have blamed me, so I'm not going to sit around feeling sorry for myself. It might not be saving the entire world, but stopping Walpurgisnacht will still save more than enough lives to make up for my mistakes.

"Do you think they actually did save the world? I know that girl would have ended it if she contracted, but would she have if they didn't kill her?"

"Despite having all the other answers, that is one I don't know. Though the fact that Kirika was still seeing visions of the end of the world until the end suggests she would have. As far as I know, her visions were accurate if she didn't change them. Which suggests that one way or another, the world would have ended if Madoka had lived"

"But you don't know for sure"

"No, I don't. It's also possible the world would never have ended, or that there was a much less violent way to stop Madoka from contracting permanently.

"So we're right back where we started. Were they evil murderers, or did they save the world? Answer no clue, maybe both"

"I wonder what they would have been like if they didn't have the end of the world hanging over them. That is what drove most of their extreme actions after all"

"You said neither of them actually liked killing people right? They just felt like it was their best option"

"Kirika came to the conclusion it was the best way to misdirect Kyubey", Koito confirms.

"Then I think they would have been nice. Kirika helped me when Kyouko was in danger and said she would have preferred to have helped me better. So that means if they didn't feel like they had no choice, they would have been better?"

"I'd like to think so", Koito agrees.

"That would have been nice. If we really could have all worked together"

"Maybe, but hopefully we'll be enough anyway. Us, Kyouko and Mami are a pretty good team you know"

"Yeah, it may not be saving the world, but we can save the city if we work together" Yuma agrees, holding onto that fragile confidence she's been building since the day she was first saved by Kyouko.

Before Koito can reply, Kyouko walks in, followed by Mami.

"I heard my name. What are you two chatting about?"

"Oh Kyouko. We were just thinking about tomorrow"

"Scared of fighting Walpurgisnacht?" Mami asks.

"A bit, it's going to be really hard. But if we do it together, I know we can beat it" Yuma replies.

"Let's hope so kid?" Kyouko replies slightly solemnly.

"I feel like a 14 year old doesn't have the right to call anyone kid like a jaded old lady" Koito points out.

"Who are you calling a jaded old lady?"

"I don't know Kyouko, I think she has a point" Mami adds.

"Why do I help you people. I could just let you all deal with Walpurgisnacht you know"

"You won't though", Yuma comments.

"Yeah, course not. Not like I can let any of you get killed saving a kitten or something"

"But what if it's a really cute kitten?"

"Yuma no saving kittens when we're fighting the queen of witches"

"Anyway, keeping it focused on us will say more kittens than any of us could help individually" Koito adds.

"See she's got it. Listen to her brat"

"Ok got it, ignore you and listen to Koito"

"You're gonna be the death of me before Walpurgisnacht even gets here"

"Nope, you're going to grow old and wrinkly, and I'll push your wheelchair when you get arthritis"

Kyouko just snorts at that.

Eventually however, conversation winds down as the reality of what is coming towards the city looms ever larger.

"We could all die tomorrow you know", Kyouko eventually points out.

"We could, yes. But even if we fail, then the time spent fighting will allow people to survive and will limit the damage Walpurgisnacht can do. Too many people are relying on us to do anything but fight"

"You know, when I decided to come up here, I told Yuma not to listen to any of your hope and justice talk. Yet here I am listening to it, guess I'm a hypocrite. We did say back before things went wrong that we could beat a Walpurgisnacht together. Let's prove ourselves right"

"I've missed fighting by your side. Even with everything that happened, I'm glad we can face this together," Mami replies.

"Hey, don't forget about me and Koito. As long as we have all four of us working together, we can beat Walpurgisnacht no problem. If it tries anything, I can fix you all up. So no one's allowed to die"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry Yuma. I wouldn't dare die on ya. Need you to push my wheelchair, remember"

"That's right!" Yuma agrees.

The next day, four magical girls fight against the queen of witches. They don't quite save the entire world, but they save a lot of people's worlds.

The magical girl system is still cruel, Kyubey still seeks to fulfil its quota, and people still face tragedy. But the world goes on in all its beauty and horror.

Perhaps that is enough.